Sebastian Reuter/RedfernsLiam Gallagher was questioned by U.K. police over an incident possibly involving an assault of his girlfriend Debbie Gwyther, the BBC reports. Last month, British tabloid The Sun reported that the ex-Oasis vocalist grabbed Gwyther by the throat outside a London venue, and published a video of the incident. "Officers are aware of footage of an incident consistent with assault," a spokesperson for the U.K.'s Metropolitan Police tells the BBC. "The footage has been assessed and inquiries will be made into the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident," the statement continues. "No specific allegations have been received at this time." Both Gallagher and Gwyther denied any allegations of assault following The Sun's story. "I have never put my hands on any woman in a vicious manner," Gallagher tweeted. In an Instagram post, Gwyther called The Sun's story "lazy, sexist nonsense," and added that a "legal case [is] impending." Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. 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Last year, GEO acquired CEC, whose contract with the county expires at the end of December. Some have called for the county to cut cites with the private entity and bring the prison back under county control. I come before you tonight to ask that you discontinue the countys contract with the GEO management group at the George Hill Correctional Facility, Diane Simon of Upper Chichester told county council last week. Im asking you to end the contract with them and change your mindset about how this county will deal with its incarcerated citizens. Saying he received about a dozen calls on the subject, county Council Chairman John McBlain said hes awaiting the results of a prison study. The Phoenix Management report will be a useful tool in looking at that, McBlain added. Prison Board Solicitor Robert DiOrio explained that the Phoenix report is due the end of this month. Phoenix has been engaged to perform an operational analysis, a cost analysis, a quantitative analysis of the operations of the jail, he said. In addition, DiOrio said they are anticipating being able to compare those numbers with information from other counties in the surrounding areas. Several council members are hopeful that once that report is finished, a joint public meeting with County Council and the Board of Prison Inspectors will be held. Given the extremely important nature of the management of the prison, given the large portion of the budget that comprises $50 million, I have called in the past and I will continue to that we have a joint hearing, County Councilman Kevin Madden said. He added, I do not like the indirect nature of the way the prison board is currently managed. I dont think its the right model. The prison is operated by the GEO Group Inc. by contract and the county Board of Prison Inspectors oversees their management. The Board of Prison Inspectors is comprised of appointed individuals two from county council and three from the president judge. Others also expressed a desire to have a joint meeting with the two governing bodies. I am in favor and I have been throughout the entire year, McBlain said, adding that he wanted to have some actual numbers as those anticipated in the Phoenix Management report to present to the public and compare. County Councilman Brian Zidek said, I would hope that we could have a public meeting where we could call on experts on prison issues to attend. He said hed also want the prison board, county council and the public to participate in such a meeting. Hopefully in getting a lot of different information from a lot of different sources, we can be more deliberate and more informed in making decisions about the manner in which we want to incarcerate citizens in Delaware County, Zidek said. DiOrio said he did not know about a request for a joint public meeting with county council and the prison board or if any of the prison board members had been approached with such a request or what their thoughts were about such a meeting. In the meantime, some expressed their concern about various conditions at the prison. To me, you all are the moms and the dads of all of Delaware County, Chester Councilwoman Elizabeth Williams told county council at last weeks meeting. You need to take care of our children. You cant keep locking them up, not knowing what their health problems are. She said she heard stories from parents of those incarcerated saying their loved ones who have medical problems arent receiving their medications for two or three weeks. A former inmate and a member of the Delaware County Coalition for Prison Reform, Gwendolyn McCullough of Havertown voiced her concern about a hole in which prisoners defecate. Officials have said prisoners have toilets but there are less than a handful of cells that have ground drains not intended for that use. Bruce Thomas, who worked at the prison for 22 years, asked to move the prison board meetings to the county Government Center. It makes it much more readily accessible to the average citizen, he said. Madden himself said he had personal outrage at the stories I have heard over the years about the conditions at George W. Hill and about what I believe to be a total disalignment of incentive when you have a for-profit company managing a prison. When recidivism means ongoing revenues, that is a fundamental disalignment, he said. McBlain said GEO doesnt decide who goes in or out of the prison, nor does Superintendent John Reilly or the warden sentencing is solely a function of the courts and mandatory minimum guidelines. Besides arranging a tour for the Delco CPR group, McBlain said he arranged for a tour for Madden, who brought a New York attorney with him. McBlain said the attorney said, Theres no question that you run a good jail. There is, however, a fundamental disagreement on allowing a for-profit entity to operate the facility, he added. McBlain pointed to the multitude of programs at the prison to assist inmates in making different life decisions, from the fast-track system, which allows for earlier release for qualified individuals; the drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs; the wellness programs from yoga to CrossFit to anger management; to restoration of competency, which he said has become the top of its kind in the state. In addition, he said so far this year, 38 prisoners have received their GED with the number on track to reach last years accomplishment of 40 to 42. With the average stay at the county prison being 30 to 90 days, it can be difficult to make long-lasting transformations, McBlain said, adding that some of what has shaped those coming into the prison was formed in their elementary years. It may be difficult, he explained, to enact lifetime, long-term reform. We cant fix in 30 days where other segments of society have failed them, but we can try. In addition, he said, Weve become a detox facility and drug rehab facility. Weve become a mental health facility. We as a society and as a state do not provide adequate mental health institutions and treatment to people who need it and weve got to address it, the councilman said. Our county prisons have become the mental health hospitals of the state of Pennsylvania. County Councilman Michael Culp agreed. Make no mistake, the operation of a prison is very complex and dangerous, he said. There are people in there with mental health issues who could be better served in other venues but there are also very, very bad people who are housed there because they have created heinous crimes. He said it is the countys duty to save the taxpayers the most money in the most efficient way. County resident Diane Simon extended her request for council to intervene on behalf of the prisoners at the facility. Our goal should be to reduce the inmate population through a comprehensive plan to change their mindset about what is possible if they make some changes in their thinking, she said. You have people sitting in jail because they are poor, Simon continued. Is poverty a crime in Delaware County? And, if it isnt, then why are we housing people who cant pay their bill? She said she thought the best way for positive change would be for the county to end this arrangement. We want you to be responsible for changing this, Simon said. You should want people to get the help they need to become productive citizens. Ending the contract with GEO Group would sow citizens that you have heard their concerns and understand what is needed to achieve social justice in this county, she said. The GEO Group wants profits, not rehabilitation. I want to believe that this county is working to provide resources so that all of its citizens can realize the American Dream. The Delaware County Board of Prison Inspectors meets next at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the prison at 500 Cheyney Road in Thornbury. Carmel Valley Artists (CVA) is now part of the Talmadge Company family of shows. The CVA began over 50 years ago in an artists Del Mar home and continued on the move to various venues. This is a similar history to the Talmadge Art Show that began 25 years ago in the Talmadge home of Sharon Gorevitz and Alan Greenberg and now resides at the Liberty Station Conference Center. The Talmadge Company recently made the decision to include the CVA in its family of shows because of its long standing in the community and the benefit to reach the North County. The Carmel Valley Artists show has been in the Carmel Valley area of San Diego and will continue to reach out to that community by locating to the San Diego Marriott Del Mar. This location allows for a large number of artists as well as room for classes. The show is Sunday, Oct. 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The San Diego Marriott Del Mar is located at 11966 El Camino Real, San Diego, 92130. The CVA show is free, however, there is an $8 parking fee at the Marriott that is good for all day. With a purchase of $150 or more, customers receive $10 off and parking is free. There will also be food for sale as the Marriott is providing a grab and go table for lunch. And there is a restaurant on site as well. The Talmadge Art Show is celebrating its Silver Anniversary - 25 years - in 2018. The Art Show started because a number of craftspeople were telling me that they did not have a place to sell their art. So I decided to have a show in my home, says producer Sharon Gorevitz. Over the past 25 years, we outgrew the inside of the Talmadge home, backyard, two locations in Hillcrest along with the Events Center at Liberty Station. We moved to the Liberty Station Conference Center five years ago, to not only accommodate more artists, but to allow for growth to include classes. We also donate space to a nonprofit to promote their mission. In 25 years, over 3,000 artists have participated in the Talmadge Art Show. Artists represent all types of craft and come from San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and as far as Tucson and Santa Fe. According to Gorevitz, The show will continue to nurture not only established artists, but new and emerging artists. Plus classes will continue to give attendees the opportunity to dip their toes in the art world and have fun as well. The decision was made recently to purchase the Carmel Valley Artists show because of its history, location in the community and the commitment of the artists to this show. One of the original artists in the show, mosaic artist Laurie Mika, had this to say about the Talmadge Art Show: Your ongoing support for the local art scene in San Diego has been a valuable asset to our community and one of the main reasons I enjoy participating. Over 25 years both established and emerging artists and artisans have been welcomed and encouraged to participate in the Talmadge Art Show. I have been honored to have been included in most of those shows starting with the one in your backyard! I will never forget the first show that I participated in or the succeeding shows at various venues throughout San Diego! Your professionalism on every level has helped make TAS an event that enriches and truly benefits all San Diegans. Thank you for encouraging the arts at a time when we really need it! Gorevitz is joined by her husband Alan Greenberg, an accomplished photographer. We are very excited to acknowledge this anniversary, says Greenberg. When we started 25 years ago, there were not many opportunities for artists to show and sell their work. We support the artists all year long with all marketing and public relations, sales training, professional photography and booth setups. We also make sure that all the work is made by the artist, and that the artist must be in attendance at the show to tell her story. It is so important to support creativity and the community. We have now expanded to include the CVA, and for 2018 there are three art shows and two pop up shows. The CVA Show at the San Diego Marriott will have 48 artists who create and sell high-quality craft including: wearable art such as skirts, kimonos, dresses and purses; jewelry designs with precious stones from Tibet and Nepal; wire-wrapped bead earrings; pillows and home decor; jewelry inspired by the world; pearl jewelry; childrens hats; metal and clay jewelry; silver cast jewelry; unique gemstone jewelry; functional art pottery; fine art photography; silk art; decoupaged boxes; resin pop art; and paintings. By Kevin Sack and John Schwartz 8 October 2018 DAVANT, Louisiana (The New York Times) In the exact spot where Hurricane Katrina demolished the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center, a new $105 million jail now hovers 19 feet above the marsh, perched atop towering concrete pillars. Described by a state official as the Taj Mahal of Louisiana corrections, it has so much space that one of every 27 parish residents could bunk there. But on an average day in the first half of this year, more than 40 percent of its 872 beds went unoccupied, making it one of the emptiest jails in the state, records show. And because of its isolated, flood-prone location, the jail still must be evacuated before any major storm or risk becoming an accidental Alcatraz.There is but one reason the Plaquemines jail was rebuilt on endangered land, with needless capacity, at immense cost: The sheriff wanted it that way. But unlike most new jail construction, his project did not have to be financed through bond sales or other local revenues, with voters able to hold him accountable. Rather, because the old jail was destroyed by a natural disaster, the cost was covered by federal taxpayers, through a Federal Emergency Management Agency program that is required by law to distribute billions in aid but exerts little control over how the money is spent.FEMAs public assistance program has provided at least $81 billion in this manner to state, territorial and local governments in response to disasters declared since 1992, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data. But an examination of projects across the countrys ever-expanding flood zones reveals that decisions to rebuild in place, often made seemingly in defiance of climate change, have at times left structures just as defenseless against the next storm.Other efforts have required enormously expensive engineering to ensure protection. Yet in some instances, restrictions on construction in flood plains have effectively prohibited FEMA from safeguarding its multimillion-dollar investments in new and repaired public buildings.One of every five public assistance dollars has streamed here to this quintessentially vulnerable place, Louisiana by far the most per capita of any state. But billions more will soon flow from Washington to the states and territories devastated by the ferocity of the past two hurricane seasons. Last year, estimated to be the costliest ever with $306.2 billion in damage, saw back-to-back assaults by Harvey on Texas, Irma on Florida, Maria on Puerto Rico, and Nate on Mississippi. Last month, Florence submerged the Carolinas, damaging public structures ranging from a high school in Jacksonville, N.C., to the town hall in North Topsail Beach. []Human settlements have been designed in a way that reflects a climate of the past, and this increases the likelihood that disaster-related losses will continue to rise, said Gavin Smith, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who directs the Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence, a research consortium funded by the Department of Homeland Security. This also means we need to rethink how and where we build before the storm, as well as how and where we reconstruct public buildings and infrastructure in the aftermath of extreme events. [] Tesla's autopilot is better than you NEW YORK (AP) When it's machine versus man, it's more likely you'll be exchanging insurance information with man, according to data released by the electric-car maker Tesla. In the first quarterly report on the safety of its autonomous vehicles, Tesla said it recorded one accident for every 3.34 million miles driven when the autopilot was engaged. That is a vastly better record than the one compiled by humans. The most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data shows one auto crash for every 492,000 miles driven in the U.S. without an autonomous assist. In Tesla cars that do not have the autopilot engaged, the company said it recorded one accident or crash-like event every 1.92 million miles. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Braves Win! 2021 World Series Champions Atlanta Braves celebrate World Series win with massive parade in downtown Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of downtown and Midtown Atlanta Friday as the World Series champion Atlanta Braves held a massive parade. The parade began at... VERIZON UPDATE! Thank you to all who have contacted Verizon. YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE! If you havent please see the front page of the November 3 issue of the News for... Remington Firearms to set up global headquarters in Georgia Americas oldest firearms manufacturer will locate its global headquarters in Georgia and open a new advanced manufacturing operation in the Peach State, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday. Remington Fi... Sorry!... Town & Country Club closes The board of directors of the Blakely Town and Country Club have voted to close the establishment. After multiple construction projects to make repairs after multiple storms, including catastrophic da...... If you believe women are telling the truth, its harder to justify denying them control of their bodies Whats the point behind saying you believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and then immediately calling her delusional besides justifying voting for someone who has been accused of sexual assault by someone of the sort of class and stature you dont feel comfortable simply dismissing? I do not believe that Brett Kavanaugh was her assailant, Susan Collins said on CNN Sunday. I do believe that she was assaulted. I dont know by whom, and Im not certain when, but I do not believe he was the assailant Collins is nodding to many conservative tropes with this line of propaganda, which mocks Dr. Ford sworn statement about being 100% sure that it was Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while laughing in her face. First, Collins shes putting a womans voice behind a mistaken identity conspiracy theory first floated by a GOP operative who chose to smear an innocent man over Kavanaugh, even though this smear contradicts the best science on the kind of trauma Dr. Ford experienced. Shes also nodding to how powerful and disruptive the #MeToo movement is to white male patriarchy. You have at least pretend to back it, even as youre saying, I have a better idea of who assaulted Dr. Ford than than Dr. Ford does. Finally, Collins is showing how useless her so-called pro-choice stand is as if that needed clarification after votes for dozens of pro-life federal judges and Brett Kavanaugh by making the point that women, especially survivors of assault, cannot be trusted (unless it meets conservative political aims). As many have noted, conservative opposition to abortion even in cases of rape and incest, as laid out in the GOP platform, is predicated on the belief that women inevitably lie about sex. The thought is; Women are so desperate to have abortions as birth control that theyll lie about consensual sex being rape, so you cant give them an out. This is not the sort of thing you say out loud, because when conservatives start talking about rape, they lose elections. But just like Kavanaugh telling Collins that Roe is settled law is code for Until Im the fifth vote against it, this sort of misogyny is at the heart of denying a woman control of her own body. How could it not be when studies show that criminalizing abortion doesnt prevent abortion it makes it more common and potentially deadly? So lets be clear: Collins decided to be the engineer of the train that just annihilated Dr. Ford. And now shes turning back and spitting on the burning embers she left by feeding every terrible argument that justifies denying women their basic rights. 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Bowman has been named vice president and chief financial officer, effective immediately. Bowman was also elected to the company's board of directors at the annual meeting of shareholders held in Jackson, Mississippi, US. He will replace Tim Dawson, whose planned retirement from the company was also effective on October 5. Commenting on the announcement, Dolph Baker, chairman and chief executive officer of Cal-Maine Foods, said: "Max Bowman is well qualified to assume these important roles with our senior management team and board of directors. Having joined the company in June, he has worked closely with Tim Dawson to ensure a smooth transition. He brings significant expertise in accounting, finance, acquisitions and business development, as well as valuable experience in financial management of a public company. We also look forward to working with Max in the important work of our board of directors as we continue to execute our growth strategy." "We want to thank Tim Dawson for his many years of dedicated service to Cal-Maine Foods," Baker added. "Since he joined the company in 2005, we have experienced impressive growth and success under his capable financial leadership. Tim will be missed by everyone at Cal-Maine Foods, but we wish him all the best in his retirement." - Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. Everyone eligible should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel or employment. Vaccination should be voluntary but those who don't get vaccinated should be frequently tested for COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel and employment. Both vaccination and testing should be voluntary and not required as a condition of long-distance travel or employment. I defer to the judgment of lawmakers as long as they base their decisions on a consensus of medical professionals. Vote View Results By Dispatch , Oct. 5, 2018 Columbus city government will be open Monday, the federal holiday that celebrates the citys namesake. The move represents a major change for city government, which up through last year has traditionally shut down operations on Columbus Day. But the city issued a brief, three-sentence news release Thursday afternoon stating the nations largest city named after Columbus will be open Monday on the federal holiday. Instead, it will close for Veterans Day, which because the Nov. 11 holiday falls on Sunday this year, will be observed nationally on Monday, Nov. 12. Read More: Join us - become an Elderado today at: LarryElder.com Follow Larry Elder on Follow Larry Elder on Twitter "Like" Larry Elder on Facebook Dear @IlhanMN, I hear you plan to go on a fact-finding tour of Israel. In fact, Israel is doing pretty well. Its, Somalia, your native country, that could truly use your formidable skills. Maybe you could use your frequent flyer miles and swing by. By Star-Telegram , Oct. 5, 2018 A campaign sign in Central Texas this week drew the scorn of an elected state official and then it was confiscated by police. At issue in the small community of Hamilton was a homemade yard sign featuring an elephant decorated in red, white and blue with its trunk up the skirt of a female saying the word Help. The sign said Your vote matters. Read More: Join us - become an Elderado today at: LarryElder.com Follow Larry Elder on Follow Larry Elder on Twitter "Like" Larry Elder on Facebook 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. Weather to finally dry out for harvest With the weather drying out from now until Monday, we should be seeing average rainfall and a return to the dry summer we are used to for the rest of the year. The body of a Bulgarian journalist who reported on alleged corruption involving the local handling of EU funds was found in the city of Ruse Saturday. Police said Viktoria Marinova had been raped and murdered. A regional prosecutor said Marinova, 30, was killed by blows to the head and suffocation, and that her mobile phone, car keys, glasses and some of her clothing were missing. Marinova worked for a TV station based in Ruse, in northeast Bulgaria on the Danube River. She hosted a popular program called Detector. The September 30 episode was about an investigation into alleged fraud involving EU funds linked to Bulgarian businessmen and politicians. Bulgarias interior minister Mladen Marinov said there was no evidence the murder was related to Marinovas work. It is about rape and murder, he said. Officials across Europe called for a swift investigation. Those responsible should be brought to justice immediately by the Bulgarian authorities, the European Commissions First Vice-President Frans Timmerman tweeted. EU Justice Minister Vera Jourova said other EU agencies could help in the investigation. Shocked by the brutal murder of Victoria Marinova, a young Bulgarian journalist. I will follow closely the investigation and offer help by EU agencies, if needed. I expect urgent actions to bring those responsible to justice and to clarify if the attack was linked to her work. Vera Jourova (@VeraJourova) October 7, 2018 In October last year, Maltas leading anti-corruption reporter, Daphne Caruana Galizia, was killed by a car bomb. And in February this year, Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee were murdered in their home in what looked like a professional hit. On Sunday, Tom Gibson of the Committee to Protect Journalists called on Bulgarian authorities to employ all efforts and resources to carry out an exhaustive inquiry and bring to justice those responsible. ___ Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. Cresco Labs, a Chicago, IL-based maker of a full suite of pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products, securing $100m in Series D funding round. The backers were not disclosed. The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand its presence to produce and dispense their suite of medically-focused and adult-use cannabis products. Led by CEO Charlie Bachtell, Cresco currently operates in six states via such brands as Cresco, Remedi, Reserve and Mindys Edibles, which provide a full suite of dosed products catering to all consumers, from the novice to connoisseur, from the medically-minded to the recreational user. The company was founded after winning three merit-based cultivation licenses in the Illinois market. They have since been awarded vertically-integrated licenses in Pennsylvania and Ohio, in addition to acquiring cultivation and dispensary operations in Arizona, Nevada and California earlier this year. FinSMEs 0/10/2018 Kittyhawk, a San Francisco, CA-based developer of enterprise drone operations software, received a strategic investment from The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV). The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The company intends to use the funds to bring unified drone operations to new markets. Led by Jon Hegranes, CEO and Co-Founder, Kittyhawk develops full stack enterprise drone solutions for professional pilots and fleet managers in media, insurance, energy, transportation, law enforcement and emergency management. Founded in 2015, the company has received $9.5m in aggregate funding from Travelers, Bonfire Ventures, Boeing HorizonX Ventures, Freestyle Ventures and The Flying Object (TFO) to date. FinSMEs 08/10/2018 A Business Management and Finance student's article on housing has so impressed industry experts she has been named a runner-up for a new scholarship. Yulduz Mazhitova's prize is having her article published by Trade Finance Global (TFG) and valuable training via the company's e-learning programme. Plus, the De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) student has been asked to write another article by TFG, which launched the Accelerate Scholarship this year to help motivated undergraduates get ahead in their careers. Yulduz said: "If you really want to do something, nothing can stop you." For the scholarship, Yulduz was asked to write an article from a broad list of topics. With a tight deadline and not much spare time due to work commitments and a #DMUglobal trip to New York, Yulduz struggled for inspiration - until she arrived in the Big Apple. "On my second day I woke up at 3am and started writing and the ideas built up. I wrote about millennials in the US and house prices, as I'd studied this for a module." Doing the same again and then completing her piece in the early hours after flights back to the UK and then on to Russia for a holiday, Yulduz submitted her work. She was thrilled with the feedback. "TFG said it was very interesting. More than 2,000 articles were submitted but less than 30 were published. "Part of the prize is online training. It's all related to finance and I can boost my knowledge." This is one of many achievements for 21-year-old Yulduz, for whom English is her fourth language. Born in Kyrgyzstan, she spoke Uzbek, Kyrgyz and Russian, learning basic English at school. The family came to the UK several years ago, settling in Leicester. "It was difficult to communicate and understand people at first, but I got used to it and feel a part of this society," she said. RELATED NEWS DMU grad Ollie lands Amazon management job Find out more about our business courses at the next DMU Open Day Landing graduate role with Big Four accounting firm a "dream come true" for Mohammed Already interested in finance, Yulduz's desire to learn more about business grew during a post-A-levels gap year working in retail. She liked the combination of business and finance offered by the DMU course. "I am enjoying DMU," said Yulduz, who has just started her third year. "It gives opportunities to students who want to develop themselves." Yulduz believes the international experiences offered through #DMUglobal improve employability and academic knowledge. She has been to Denmark, attending presentations on money laundering and finding out about art forgeries, as well as New York. "I learnt a lot through opportunities not open to the general public," she said. "We went to the United Nations and Bloomberg HQ. It was a privilege to go there." Back on campus, Yulduz has volunteered with Collective Action to organise a celebration for Eid al-Adha, 'Festival of Sacrifice', in collaboration with other De Montfort Students' Union (DSU) societies. "It had such good feedback that the DSU has decided to organise the event again next year," she said. She has also studied for a Bloomberg Market Concepts certificate to gain insight into the financial market and is further broadening her knowledge through her part-time role as a customer representative with Nationwide building society. Yulduz's efforts have already landed her an invitation to an assessment centre for a graduate scheme with Morgan Stanley, one of the world's biggest banks. "It's everyone's dream to work in an investment back, so I'll see how it goes," she added. You can read Yulduz's article, Eye On: Expensive Cities and House Prices, by clicking here. Tourmaline Labs, a San Diego-based an artificial intelligence technology company, closed a $2M funding round. Backers included Tech Coast Angels and Tech Coast Angels ACE Fund and ClearVision Equity Partners. The company intends to use the funds to build its sales and account management team, as well as sale up its proprietary technology. Led by Marc Brungger, CEO, Tourmaline Labs is an Artificial Intelligence tech company that analyzes mobility data, such as speed and other sensor data, to provide smartphone-based solutions for large enterprise fleets via a pure SaaS model, which allows integration and management of third-party vehicles and operators. FinSMEs 08/10/2018 . . . , . , 14 . . ... Season 5 starts on Wednesday and everyone wants to see the new Arena variant, also 'Limited Time Mode'. State funding will create this new workforce development program with the affects of climate change in mind. Armed robbery in Bonn-Auerberg : Masked perpetrators tie up supermarket employees Bonn Four masked men have robbed a supermarket in Bonn-Auerberg and threatened and tied up employees. Police are searching for the perpetrators and have appealed for information. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Four masked and armed perpetrators robbed a supermarket on Pariser Strae in Bonn-Auerberg on Saturday evening. Police said on Monday that three employees wanted to leave the shop through a side exit at around 10.30pm when they were attacked by several unidentified people in the entrance lobby to the car park. The perpetrators pushed them back into the entrance lobby with one of the masked men threatening the staff with a gun and another tying up two of them up by the hands. The unidentified men pushed the staff into the office area and demanded they hand over money from the safe. After one of the staff handed over the money, the perpetrators fled and ran off across the car park towards Warschauer Strae and An der Rheindorfer Burg. The police were notified and started a search but were unable to detain the perpetrators. The perpetrator carrying the weapon is said to be about 1.75 metres tall. According to descriptions, he had a thin build and was wearing grey jogging trousers and a grey pullover. The second perpetrator is around 1.80 metres tall, has a powerful build and short brown hair. He was wearing dark Nike Air Max shoes, black Nike Air trousers and a black Nike Air pullover. Both perpetrators spoke accent-free German and were wearing square cloths known as bandanas over their faces. The police do not yet have descriptions of the other two perpetrators, who were also masked. The criminal police have started further investigations. Police are looking for witnesses and are asking those with information to call 0228/150. Local transport in Bonn : Traffic club wants cheaper bus tickets in Bonn BONN The Traffic Club Germany is not happy about the Rhine-Sieg Traffic Associations planned fare increases. One point of criticism: a single ticket in other cities is cheaper than in Bonn. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken The Traffic Club Germany (VCD) has criticised the Rhine-Sieg Traffic Associations (VRS) planned fare increases. In view of the daily bus and train cancellations in Bonn, this is totally counter-productive, said the local VCD chairman, Rainer Bohnet. An adult city ticket (price level 1b) is to cost ten cents more from January, costing Euro 3. Across all tariffs, prices are to increase by an average of 3.5 per cent. The price of a single ticket in all comparable cities, such as Bochum, Mannheim, Wuppertal, Bielefeld, Munster and Karlsruhe, is cheaper than in Bonn, complained Bohnet. The VCD thinks the tariff system is fundamentally in need of reform because of large price jumps when crossing district borders and overpriced short journey tickets. The VCD is calling for a waiver of price increases in 2019. The breathing space for users must be used to make the local transport system more stable again, to fundamentally rework the tariff system and to aggressively use the opportunities offered by digitalisation. Bohnet says: Perhaps additional funds can be acquired for this from the Lead City Project. If the Federal government wants to combat climate change sustainably, it needs to fork out for it. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Ahead of their departure together to the International Association of Chiefs of Police Convention in Orlando, Fla., President Donald Trump said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein have a good relationship." Rosenstein's future has been the subject of speculation in Washington circles in the wake of reporting that at a May 2017 meeting between Rosenstein and then-acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Rosenstein suggested that McCabe or others wear a wire when speaking with the president, according to memos McCabe made of the conversation, sources familiar with them told ABC News. The alleged meeting took place a week after President Donald Trump had fired James Comey as director, the sources said. Rosenstein has denied the reports saying in a statement that he "never pursued or authorized recording the President and any suggestion that I have ever advocated for the removal of the President is absolutely false." On Monday, Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn he looked forward to chatting with Rosenstein aboard Air Force One, saying "no I don't" when asked if he had plans to fire him. "I look forward to being with him. That will be very nice. We're going to be talking. We'll be talking on the plane," Trump said. I actually have a good relationship other than there's been no collusion, folks, no collusion. But I have a very good relationship." Rod Rosenstein, Trump's embattled deputy attorney general, to meet with president on Thursday When asked by ABC News if he is concerned about Rosenstein's loyalty, the president on Monday didn't directly answer but said he's gotten to know him and gets along very well with him. "Look, I'm traveling with Rod I didn't know Rod before. I've gotten to know him and I get along very well with him," the president said. President Trump also implied he had no plan of firing Rosenstein during his press conference a couple weeks ago in New York following the United Nations General Assembly. Trump similarly said he'd prefer to leave him on the job. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. In legislatures across the country, assignments to powerful committees are coveted by freshmen and experienced legislators alike. Committee assignments are a sign of pecking order, an indicator of prestige and an invitation to important work. Come election time, the work done in committee often translates into the ultimate political prize of promises made and promises kept.During election cycles and transition periods, one of the most top-of-mind questions for state legislators is: "How do I get on the Appropriations Committee?" Followed by its close second: "How do I get on the Rules Committee?" This a key insight I learned during my service in the administration of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, an insight that holds true today as I meet with state legislators as CEO of a Medicaid managed care organization that partners with state governments.To those current or aspiring legislators with their eyes squarely set on Rules or Appropriations, I'd like to offer another option with as much influence on the budget, jobs and real-person impact as any committee in the statehouse: the Health and Human Services Committee.The rapid evolution of the health-care industry in both government and the private sector makes the members of legislative health and human services committees the rising stars of action and influence. More than just oversight, the issues and budgets rolling through these committees make them incubators of big ideas with tremendous potential for lawmakers who are looking to make a difference.It's hard to imagine a sector with more jobs, dollars or impact connected to it than health. National health spending, under current law, is projected to grow at an average rate of 5.5 percent a year -- a full percentage point faster than the Gross Domestic Product -- and could reach $5.7 trillion by 2026. Of particular interest to lawmakers: Medicare and Medicaid are both projected to be substantial contributors to the rate of national health-expenditure growth through 2026.With those numbers come jobs, workforce development, technology and even construction. In many smaller cities the newest, most appreciable building is often a hospital, and that hospital is usually one of the county's largest employers. Most communities could never attract enough new investment from other sectors to come even close to health care's direct and indirect economic benefits.But as big as the numbers are, they don't tell the whole story. The issues are high-profile and require attention. The opioid crisis is a national emergency. Mental health and wellness vault to the top of public concern each time a community faces a mass shooting tragedy. Immunization, the social determinants of health, Medicaid as a positive force in developing healthy families and communities -- all of these issues are in need of our best and brightest minds in search of community-centered solutions.Good health drives the human experience. Without it, people can't go to school or work, support their families, or contribute to their fullest potential as active, productive members of their communities. Health policy, therefore, requires thinking with new perspective and looking at issues not traditionally associated with health care but still inextricably linked to health outcomes, such as stable housing, affordable and reliable transportation, and access to education and healthy food. In this approach, strategically delivered health care becomes an engine of the American Dream.When considering the possibility of serving on a health and human services committee, some newly elected legislators may say, "I am not an expert" or "I don't know enough about health care." But that's the beauty and design of an elected legislature: Farmers and accountants sit across from car dealers and teachers, all elected by their neighbors to solve the problems of the day. Lawmakers with a health background bring great value, but what we most need are passionate individuals with diverse backgrounds and talents. Whether addressing the opioid crisis, helping young, single mothers get their GED, or making smart and strategic investments in health outcomes, the best results will come from individuals committed equally to governing wisely and improving lives.At some point, legislators become former legislators, and they will have to answer the question, "What did you accomplish when you were in office?" Serving on a health and human services committee is an opportunity to create a meaningful answer to that question -- to create a legacy by making a profound and positive impact on every constituent. It was a little after 2 p.m. in August 2007 at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis when a young man entered the building, pulled out a handgun and said, Everybody get on the ground.Earlier that day, hed threatened school officials who escorted him out of the building as a part of his pending expulsion from the school.Instead of shooting anyone, the young man bolted out a door of the wood shop classroom. He was quickly arrested about a half-mile from the school, according to a police report.That event received little public attention. A 2017 fight outside a Rutherford County elementary school on orientation day also went largely unnoticed. A students mother reportedly pulled a handgun on the students father in the school parking lot, but no shots were fired.Few likely remember in 2001 when a 57-year-old man walked into a psychiatrists office at East Tennessee State University armed with two handguns and said his wife was out to get him. Police responded after he refused to hand over his weapons to psychiatrists. The wait for mental health services at Saint Anthony Hospital, a nonprofit community institution on Chicagos West Side, is about a year. The hospital sits on the border between North Lawndale, an African-American community, and Little Village, which is mostly Latino. It tries to offer culturally sensitive care to both constituencies, and it gives free mental health services to the uninsured. But its swamped.Arturo Carrillo, the mental health program manager at Saint Anthony, says theres been a near-constant waiting list since he started as an intern in 2005. The list is longer in 2018 than its ever been. This is despite a widespread belief that Hispanics and African-Americans are less likely than other groups to seek out mental health treatment because of a widely felt stigma against it.Despite its name and size, the 151-bed facility feels more like a community health clinic than a sprawling city hospital. Spanish is often spoken when people check in at the front desk. On one recent morning, a child played with an adult in the waiting area, while a couple in the reception room waited for medication-assisted treatment, an FDA-described whole person approach to weaning people off substance abuse.Two waves appear to have contributed to the exceptionally long waiting list for mental health services at Saint Anthony. The most recent came in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, when Spanish-speaking communities reported growing anxiety as a result of the new zero-tolerance immigration policies. But the much bigger wave came a few years earlier, in 2012, after Mayor Rahm Emanuels administration shuttered half a dozen city-run mental health clinics. Two of those clinics were in the low-income areas that Saint Anthony serves. The Woodlawn clinic was a crucial clinic for the African-American community in need, Carrillo says. The Back of the Yards clinic had Spanish-speaking psychiatry services. Its the degradation of many layers of the social safety net. Thats not just a Chicago problem, but in Chicago theres been an intentional disregard for investment in these areas.In 2011, Chicago had 12 community mental health clinics. Now it has five. Local officials cite both cuts in state funding and a consolidation plan from the city that aimed at shifting patients to private mental health centers. Protesters sat vigil day and night outside the clinics in the months leading up to their closure, arguing that the patients wouldnt have anywhere to go. It didnt make a difference: By the spring of 2012, Chicago was down to six city-run clinics. That number was reduced to five after one was privatized in 2016.Five years after the closure decision, mental health advocates and activists say traditionally underserved areas are still reeling from the double budget cuts from the city and state. It was devastating and frankly unnecessary, says Jaleel Abdul-Adil, co-director of the Urban Youth Trauma Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I know Chicago has money it could have spent on more mental health resources, and ironically were more than happy to spend that money on policing and prisons. It shows a real lack of vision for what wellness looks like for urban youth and families.City officials dispute the argument that the 2012 decisions had a cascading impact on the citys treatment of mental illness. Health Commissioner Julie Morita says the city was responding to state action in the best way possible. The reduction in state assistance, she says, resulted in us closing clinics that we knew had skeletal crews and not that many people using them. People look to those closures to have a reason to blame Chicagos problems on, but its a bit of a scapegoat.These are arguments that have been going on for half a century, and in many places besides Chicago. In the early 1960s, the Kennedy administration advocated closing most large public mental hospitals in the hope that patients would be better served by community clinics, including private ones. Within a short time, this policy drastically reduced the number of inmates in residential treatment throughout the country. Critics have argued ever since that private and nonprofit facilities arent publicly accountable like publicly funded clinics, and that they constantly have to battle crippling budget and capacity restraints.In any case, the goal of expanded community-based treatment never came close to being fulfilled, in Chicago or anywhere else. The nonprofit Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) was seen as the primary partner to absorb patients dismissed from hospitals, but by 2015 C4 was on the verge of closing. An 11th-hour deal with Cook County allowed its centers to remain open, but at less than full capability.There isnt data showing where patients went after the Chicago clinics closed in 2012 -- whether they were able to find care elsewhere or simply fell off the radar. Mental health advocates in Chicago insist many of them stopped receiving care entirely. No one has been able to argue that they reinvested comparable dollars into a better system, says Paul Gionfriddo, CEO of Mental Health America, a nonprofit focused on community-based mental health care. Illinois usually ranks around middle of the pack for mental health access, and I believe whats pulling it down is Chicago.The Chicago chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reported in 2015 that the use of hospital emergency rooms for mental health needs had already been increasing in the city prior to the 2012 cutbacks. Chicago Public Radio reported that from 2009 to 2013, there was a 37 percent jump in the number of people discharged from emergency rooms who had gone there for psychiatric treatment. The biggest jump came in 2012. These cuts, NAMI has claimed, have made it impossible for service providers to build the infrastructure required to support the need of those living with mental health conditions.NAMI Chicagos executive director, Alexa James, puts things a little more bluntly. We are a very sick city, she says. We are in an absolute crisis. The people were interfacing with today are sicker than weve ever seen, and younger.All over the United States, mental health providers are struggling to find new ways to make treatment more accessible. The Affordable Care Act made a commitment to cover mental health on par with other forms of care, but the provision has not been enforced. Still, with more Americans insured than ever before -- and more stakeholders shifting from a fee-for-service model to one that incentivizes healthy behavior -- the health-care industry is moving toward a system that treats people more holistically, taking social determinants of health into account. But it is far from achieving that goal. And money continues to be an intractable problem.These strains are present in Chicago. In addition to the cuts from the city, Illinois has recently emerged from a two-year-long budget impasse, in which state-funded Medicaid mental health services were a primary casualty, with some mental health services going unfunded for months. At the height of the states budget crisis, Screening, Assessment and Support Services (SASS), a state-funded crisis response program, was able to offer its services only one day a week. Thresholds, a nonprofit institution that is one of the largest mental health providers in the state, found in 2013, before the worst of the budget impasse, that emergency mental health hospitalizations due to state spending budget cuts had already cost Illinois $18 million.This year, Carrillo of Saint Anthony was the lead researcher on a report by the Collaborative for Community Wellness, a group of 22 community organizations that came together to mine mental health data for Chicagos Southwest Side. The report paints a picture of great need and seriously inadequate resources. Half of the respondents to the groups survey reported depressive symptoms. Thirty-six percent showed symptoms of anxiety, and nearly that many were diagnosed with trauma. Eighty percent of respondents said they were interested in some form of counseling. To serve those populations, there are currently 63 mental health clinicians on the entire Southwest Side of Chicago, which works out to 0.17 therapists per 1,000 residents. On the Gold Coast, an affluent Near North Side neighborhood, there are 381 mental health care providers, or 4.45 per 1,000 residents.It is not easy to compare mental health access in different cities, but some available data suggests Chicago has a worse-than-average problem. There are 15 publicly funded mental health clinics in East Los Angeles, a low-income area of that city. The state of New York lists 73 mental health programs in the Bronx alone.The only consistently funded mental health center in the Chicago area is the Cook County Jail. Sheriff Tom Dart has implemented numerous measures making it easier for people in the jail to get mental health care. Dart believes about half of the women who enter the jail are mentally ill, as are about a third of the men. Inmates diagnosed with mental illness are separated out and offered care on par with what theyd get in a hospital. When those with mental illnesses are released from the jail, a nearby clinic run by the University of Chicago offers them a soft landing for a few days before they return to outside life.Though mental health advocates in the city are grateful for Darts efforts, there is a sense of frustration that so much of the responsibility for taking care of Chicagos most vulnerable has fallen to a jail. We should never accept the premise that a jail is a mental health facility, says Heather ODonnell, senior vice president of advocacy and public policy at Thresholds.Despite the budget turmoil throughout the city and state, Thresholds has been able to grow in recent years, in part because of an increase in federal funding, as well as private donors. Still, says CEO Mark Ishaug, there are not many other places harder than Illinois to do this work. During the worst of the budget impasse, the organization had to depend on a local bank to provide a line of credit so it wouldnt miss its payroll. There is all of this lost opportunity to serve people before they become so sick, he says. Its not just the state, because it feels like the private insurance system has colluded on this. They do not provide coverage for the kinds of services that the people who we serve need.Surprisingly, though, Ishaug insists hes optimistic. He points to recent wins in the statehouse that may show a changing attitude in policy. Theres a newly created mental health committee in the legislature. During the last session, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed several mental health bills, including one that would seek federal approval for Medicaid to cover community-based screenings and interventions for youth and adolescents.Earlier this year, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved a waiver for Illinois that gives the state authority to use $2 billion over five years for 10 pilot programs. The waiver is meant to treat opioid addiction, but there will be a large behavioral health component as well.In the meantime, Health Commissioner Morita says the city has been working and is continuing to work with other health-care providers to expand care where its needed. By not just focusing on the delivery of care, she says, were able to work as gap-fillers in the city, by which she means that they now focus on helping clinics expand care where it is lacking. I want to go to a clinic that offers comprehensive, whole person health.Though there is a bit of momentum, particularly on the state level, advocates worry that the staying power necessary to create genuine change does not exist. Im hopeful that were fed up with current systems, NAMIs James says. But what Im frustrated with is that its not meaningful reform and its mostly sparkly press conferences. Creating reform within mental health has to get messy. It really stems from reimbursement issues and capacity building and non-sexy things like that. Strict penalties for possessing marijuana in Texas could soon go up in smoke.Republican Gov. Greg Abbott recently announced he's open to dropping the maximum punishment for possession of less than 2 ounces of the drug from 180 days in jail to a fine. The shift drew excitement from advocates and state lawmakers who have lobbied for years to decriminalize marijuana, which records show leads to more than 60,000 possession arrests in Texas each year."You have a certain idea of what members want to achieve going into the next session, I think that's at the top of the list of many members," said Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth.But, it's far from certain. Past efforts by Texas House members to reduce penalties have failed. None has made it before the more conservative state Senate. A small town in southern Ohio has hired the former Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014.Timothy Loehmann was one of two part-time officers recently added to the Bellaire Police Department's payroll, Chief Richard Flanagan confirmed to The Times Ledger."He was cleared of any and all wrongdoing," Flanagan said. "He was never charged. It's over and done with."Rice's mother, Samira, was left rattled by the news and condemned the decision to hire Loehmann as a law enforcement officer in any capacity."Ms. Rice believes that Timothy Loehmann does not belong on any police force, anywhere, period," her lawyer said in a statement to Cleveland.com. "Someone with his record should not be subjected upon the citizenry. But she does hope this means he will not ever return to Cleveland."Loehmann and his partner, Frank Garmback, were responding to a 911 call on Nov. 14, 2014 when they encountered Rice outside the Cudell Recreation Center. A caller had reported someone pointing a gun at people in the area -- they said the weapon looked fake, but that information was never passed on to the officers.When they spotted the boy, Garmback drove his police vehicle onto the grass and Loehmann fatally shot Rice almost instantly. The 12-year-old had been playing with a pellet gun at the time.He died at the hospital the next morning.Loehmann never faced charges for the shooting, but he was fired from the Cleveland Police Department in May 2017 for lying on his job application. The officer had failed to disclose he'd been dismissed from the Independence Police Department after they deemed him unfit for duty.His former chief in 2012 described Loehmann as "weepy" and "distracted" during weapons training, adding that he "could not follow simple directions.""I do not believe time, nor training will be able to change or correct these deficiencies," he wrote in Loehmann's personnel file.Garmback was suspended for 10 days, which was later downgraded to five. BENEFIT PUBLIC (%) PRIVATE (%) On-site professional development 83 64 Graduate educational assistance 62 45 Employee assistance program 92 74 On-site stress management program 25 9 Smoking cessation program 61 37 On-site medical clinic 21 5 On-site fitness center 41 21 Credit counseling 17 8 Financial advice 41 25 BENEFIT PUBLIC (%) PRIVATE (%) Employee referral bonus 13 62 Incentive bonus plan for nonexecutives 13 47 Donations for charity participation 10 30 Paid minibar snacks 3 15 Casual dress code 32 56 Telecommuting, full-time 10 26 Telecommuting, part-time 24 38 Free snacks 8 39 Free coffee 46 87 Public-sector workers know that they can generally count on more generous pensions and health coverage than if they worked for the private sector. But at a time of low unemployment, both kinds of employers are beefing up other benefits to recruit and retain workers. How do the two sectors compare on those?Using reports from the Society for Human Resource Management compared 300 benefits offered by companies and governments (including state, local and federal employers).In terms of professional development, general wellness and financial help, governments are the place to be. For instance, public employers are twice as likely to offer on-site gyms, credit counseling and on-site medical care. Theyre also a third more likely to offer professional development or tuition assistance.Heres a sampling of benefits more often offered by governments:But if youre looking for perks like bonuses, free food or the ability to telecommute, youre more likely to find it in the private sector. There, employers are three to four times more likely to offer bonuses, twice as likely to allow full-time telework, and four times more likely to offer free snacks in the office.Heres a sampling of benefits more often offered by private-sector companies:Some good news for governments is that 87 percent of millennials labeled "professional or career growth and development opportunities" as important in a job, according to a 2016 Gallup poll.Still, governments struggle in getting the word out on what they offer.Governments dont do a great job of talking about all of the attractive features that we have particularly vis-a-vis the private sector, says Robert Lavigna, director of the Institute for Public Sector Employee Engagement at CPS HR Consulting. These are benefits that are more common in the public sector that could be a huge benefit to attracting talented young people to government.Nancy Buonanno Grennan, the human resources director for Kitsap County in Washington, agrees. The county, which has to compete with nearby Seattle for employees, is currently marketing its tuition assistance and tuition advancement programs that can help people advance their education and careers while working. But until recently, we were terrible at letting people know the benefits the county had to offer, she says. We just figured that people would want to work for us. Now weve recognized we have to go find people who arent looking for us and convince them to make a leap into the public sector.Governments are increasingly using benefits to attract workers, says Neville Kenning, a consultant focused on the public sector. Perhaps no other city has expanded its offerings -- and publicized them -- as much as Memphis, Tenn.Starting in 2016, the city began assembling a package of new benefits based on a series of employee town hall meetings, which sent clear signals of what employees, and particularly young ones, wanted.After the Great Recession, the city reduced traditional retiree benefits, eliminating most retiree health subsidies and moving to a retirement plan that was less financially risky for the city. Employees werent happy, and turnover escalated, particularly in the police department, which lost 180 police officers in 2015, the year after the reductions.We needed to enhance our benefits to recruit public safety employees and other new talent to the city of Memphis, says Alex Smith, the citys chief human resource officer.Since the town hall meetings, the city now offers two on-site medical clinics, $50 a month in student loan debt assistance, a $2,000 referral bonus for police who move to Memphis from other cities, health reimbursement accounts for retirees younger than 65, tuition reimbursement and the opportunity to do paid volunteer work, to name a few.Some of the Memphis benefits are rare in government and more common in companies, including the referral and relocation bonuses and paid volunteer time. Smith is making sure that employees and potential employees know all about the "total rewards" of working for the city by promoting them in brochures, radio spots and a new video. Description GIS - 08 October, 2018: The Ambassador of Philippines to the Republic of South Africa, Mr Joseph Gerard B.Angeles, paid a courtesy call on 05 October 2018 on the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit and Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis. In a statement, Ambassador Angeles highlighted that Mauritius and Philippines will further consolidate bilateral ties in view of reinforcing the economic relations between the two countries. The Ambassador spoke of the existing diplomatic relations while adding that they will continue working together with the objective of strengthening country-to-country and people-to-people ties. He also expressed the interests of Philippines to cooperate with Mauritius in possible sectors and explore new avenues of cooperation. Ambassador Joseph Gerard B. Angeles assumed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of South Africa on 21 August 2014 . He is a career diplomat who joined the Philippine Foreign Service in 1992 and passed the Foreign Service Officers Examination in 1991. He is a member of both the Philippine Bar and the New York Bar, USA . Description GIS 08 October, 2018: The Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mr Sudhir Sesungkur will be attending the XBlockchain Summit scheduled on 09 and 10 October 2018 in Inaya Putri, Bali. The Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mr Sudhir Sesungkur will be attending the XBlockchain Summit scheduled on 09 and 10 October 2018 in Inaya Putri, Bali. XBlockchain is being held in the margin of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meeting. It will bring together those leading the status quo and its upheaval in the spirit of fostering positive developments in blockchain technology through collaboration and dialogue. The chief focus will be to promote the real-world implementation of blockchain technology particularly as it relates to areas such as retail adoption; supply chain management; financial services; financial inclusion; and more. Moreover, the summit will explore the broader issues of international investment; economic development; and economic stability through the lens of developments in blockchain. Discussions will also focus on everything related to blockchain, cryptocurrency and their intersections in business, government and technology. The summit will feature more than 70 speakers, debates and top-tier exhibitions. A startup trying to help facilitate more direct engagement between constituents and legislators has raised $865,000 from a pool of angel investors.The company, ePluribus , is a venture from two brothers who started out with an idea while studying at Stanford University since then, one has graduated and the other is taking a break to focus on the startup. Their idea, in a nutshell, was to create tools to verify the identity of constituents and then use social media and other tools to funnel their feedback on specific issues to the people who represent them.To start off with, the McCarty brothers Liam and Aidan are building an extension for the Google Chrome Web browser that will send Facebook posts to legislators at the federal, state and local levels. Basically, as a person posts on Facebook, they will have the option to send that post to somebody who represents them.The identity verification component is, for now, limited to ensuring that users dont create multiple accounts. Thats a feature built into the fundamentals of Chrome extensions.In the future, the brothers want to examine other ways of more effectively proving that constituents are who they say they are, and that they live in the jurisdiction of the representatives theyre contacting.Thats a potentially valuable thing to do for government work in general, at least when it comes to citizen feedback, because identity verification can help ensure that elected officials and public servants are listening to the people who they represent. Or, in some cases, it could help identify trends in who is on which sides of an issue.When it comes to politics, identity verification is important because it ties into how legislators might vote on issues. Representatives who receive lots of feedback from their constituents can, in fact, change their minds on certain issues. But in the age of the Internet, its easy to pretend that a person lives somewhere they dont.Theres no check that these are real people sending these messages, said Liam McCarty. Theres a lot of bots, theres a lot of spam.The extension will allow users to decide how much information about themselves they want to send to their representatives including, if they wish, nothing. But theyll be encouraging users to tell representatives who they are, since they believe that will give their messages more weight.Concurrently, they wont store the identity information in the browser and they arent going to be sharing that identity information with Facebook. Facebook will only get the message that the users were writing on the social media platform.The company is actually not the only startup coming from Stanford University students seeking to create a better way for constituents to contact legislators. Another business, Pulse , appears to be working more closely with legislative offices.Technologically, the company is taking a top-layer approach. That is, they arent integrating directly with legislative offices customer relationship management software, or event their email. Rather, they are building a tool that will send information to CRM and email systems.The bottom line is that legislative offices will start getting constituent feedback from people using ePluribus without having to do anything indeed, theyll be getting feedback even if they didnt know the tool exists.We want every American to be able to use this immediately, Aidan McCarty said.Thats overstating things a bit, since Pew Research Center has found that about one-third of Americans especially those older than 50 do not use Facebook.Still, the concept of hooking up a social media giant like Facebook directly to the constituent feedback-gathering mechanisms in legislative offices represents a big shift from the status quo in those offices. Thats because those systems rely on citizens taking the initiative to look up who their representatives are, gather their contact information and take the time to call, email or write those offices.EPluribus plan is to synthesize that process into something people do more often: Post on social media.The company is, however, not going to start really pushing its product until after the midterm elections on Nov. 6. Thats because this election is poised to sweep out a fair amount of incumbent legislators at the federal level.Were building tools to help people send messages to their representatives much more easily than ever before, said Liam McCarty. Thats hugely relevant when all the representatives change, so we think well have a really solid product once all the representatives have changed and constituents have stuff they want to tell them.The seed round follows a crowdfunding round of $10,000 the brothers completed on Indiegogo, as well as $50,000 they raised from family members. They declined to name the investors, but stipulated that some were from their home state of Wisconsin and some were from Silicon Valley. Election Day Misinformation Fraud Access Call to Action Across the country, voter registration deadlines began this week. Texas has already seen an all-time high of registrations ahead of Tuesday's deadline to register. That's despite the fact that the state announced recently that thousands of voters who registered online through Vote.org may not have officially registered. This is because Texas does not offer online voter registration. So when all those potential voters show up to vote in November, how confident can they be that their vote will count?Short answer: Very. Long answer: While experts feel the voting process itself is secure, they have concerns about the protection of voter rights, accessibility of the vote and the risk for misinformation, particularly from foreign sources looking to sway election results, which they say has not been adequately addressed."Texas voters can vote with confidence that their vote is going to be counted the way they cast it," said Keith Ingram, director of the Texas secretary of states elections division, at a recent panel discussion hosted by the"There are other ways that are easier for people to influence the outcome.In addition to a secure Election Day, Ingram said that since 2016 the state increased security for its voter registration system, adding two-step verification and monitoring traffic to the database, among other changes. "We have confidence that our voter registration system has not been breached," he said.Counties are still precautions, according to Dana DeBeauvoir, longtime Travis County clerk. Internet-connected databases are vulnerable to attack, she explained, even if it's as simple as making the system inaccessible on Election Day with repeated attacks. "What we try to do at the county level is have backup system, after backup system to make sure voters get taken care of even if we lose connectivity," said DeBeauvoir.So where are the vulnerabilities? Misinformation and attacks, even if unsuccessful. "It doesnt really matter if a bad actor has actually traveled along a pathway and hacked your data," explained DeBeauvoir. "What matters is that people think it happened," she said because it undermines confidence in the election process itself.Of course, there are other ways to undermine an election. "Denial of service, robocalls," said John Dickson, principal at Denim Group who advises business and government officials on cybersecurity. "There are so many cheap and easy things to do that are not involving some of the infrastructures that could totally undermine that. Facebook and Twitter, for example, have had to reckon with disinformation campaigns on their platforms conducted by Russian government actors during the 2016 campaign and beyond.It's this area that experts are most concerned about. "They need to spend money to fix this," said Dickson of the current federal government's relative inaction on curbing misinformation. By contrast, experts argue that spending money on voting machines or targeting voter fraud is ill-advised."I just havent seen this so-called fraud," said DeBeauvoir, "I wish we would stop wasting our time talking about that piece of it.Despite that, the state of Texas has begun a new effort expected to launch late 2018 or early 2019 that will kick voters off the rolls if they're also registered in the state's drivers' licenses rolls as non-citizens. With roughly a year's worth of work on the effort already, Ingram admitted the state wasn't actually sure whether there would be much overlap. "We don't know for sure," he said on whether there are non-citizens registered to vote in Texas."It seems overblown to me," said Joshua Geltzer, executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University, about voter fraud concerns, including the president's own insistence that there was widespread fraud during the 2016 election. "The idea that people here are trying to cast ballots fraudulently seems to be overblown," he said. It seemed particularly unlikely that non-citizens were voting illegally, Geltzer said. "The idea that they would risk all of that to show up and cast one vote, when one vote so rarely determines the outcome of an election, strikes me as extremely unlikely," he said.As DeBeauvoir put it: "Texas doesnt have a voting problem it has a not-voting problem.In addition to taking steps to boost confidence in the elections, experts argue that more is needed to protect access to the vote itself. "Weve upped polling places and numbers and everything we can think of," said DeBeauvoir of Travis County efforts to make Election Day easier for voters.The 2016 election was the first national election without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act and more than a dozen states added additional voting restrictions. Ari Berman, author of called it "the biggest under-covered scandal of the 2016 campaign."Texas, along with states like Arizona, Florida and Georgia, has one of the earlier voter registration deadlines. In Vermont, by contrast, voters can register as late as Election Day. The Texas Civil Rights Project also found that, despite legal requirements to help assist eligible high school students in voter registration, many schools fail to do so.Online voting, meanwhile, has an uncertain future."There is not Internet voting today that has a pathway that can be secured," said DeBeauvoir. Arguing that banks and other institutions have found ways to make online transactions more secure, Dickson said there are steps that could make online voting more secure but that those additional hurdles might turn off voters.If you have yet to register to vote, you're running out of time. Tuesday, Oct. 9, is Texas' deadline to register. For more information or to check if you're registered, click here . If you're outside of Texas, get more information on how to register to vote here. (TNS) An inventory of land owned by the state and who pays to use it has been laid out in a new statewide public online database after more than a decade of efforts to create such a system.The state Department of Land and Natural Resources finished what it called a monumental task to produce the searchable map-based trove of information in 2015 and recently opened it to public use.Among things the Public Land Trust Information System makes easy to view are tenants and the rent they pay for state land or buildings, fees for using submerged lands and even fees for encroaching on public property.Revenue from camping permits and weddings on state land also can be found.The public can see which agencies own and use state land, and whether the county or federal government owns a property. For private property, owners are identified. Other things noted include easements, county zoning and state land-use classifications.Combining all of this disparate data into one easily accessible database was a monumental undertaking, DLNR Director Suzanne Case said in a statement.Gov. David Ige added in a statement the public land information system is helping state and county workers access information while improving transparency and accountability in government.By digitizing important information about publicly owned lands, government workers will not only be able to better collect and study data, Hawaii residents will also be better informed about the land they live on, he said.Creation of the system was ordered by the Legislature in 2011 through a bill signed by then-Gov. Neil Abercrombie, although state lawmakers made a similar attempt to have the system produced in 2000 under an enacted law that didnt achieve its goal.While supporting the concept, DLNR initially opposed the 2011 bill because it didnt provide any funding to carry out the task. The bill that became Act 54 in 2011 ultimately appropriated up to $360,000 from a land conservation fund for the work that lawmakers wanted completed by the end of 2013.DLNR got a slow start on the system in part because its state lands information systems manager resigned, but the agency said its Land Division personnel, in-house information technology staff and contractor Onyx Group finished the system in early 2015 at a cost of $213,000.After more modifications that cost $97,382, the public portal was finished in June.All the work required coordinating data from about 40 agencies, including information from permits to use state land. Linking the data with a geographic information system that shows parcels on a map also was needed, and allows searches by pointing on the map or entering an address or tax map key number.By simply browsing, someone can see that the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands owns much of the land around Makapuu Beach Park while DLNR owns the shoreline area, and that DLNR earned $2,065 from 101 beach weddings there in fiscal year 2014.At Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area in Aiea, DLNR reported collecting $7,759 for 381 camping permits.Near Kewalo Basin, the Submarines Hawaii Inc. affiliate of tour firm Roberts Hawaii holds an easement over 4.2 acres of submerged state land for $5,500 a year good through 2039, according to the website.The website allows searching for lessees of state land by name. For instance, Diamond Head Papaya Co. Ltd. leases state farmland on Hawaii island for $8,508 a year; Diamond Head Aviation LLC leases land and a building at Kalaeloa Airport for $10,500 a year; and the nonprofit Diamond Head Theatre leases its site next to Kapiolani Community College for $480 a year.There are some disclaimers about the information, and DLNR has encouraged all state departments and counties to regularly update data in the system.To access the Public Land Trust Information System, visit pltis.hawaii.gov 2018 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (TNS) - Though 47 residents in Harford County, Md., suffered damage from deadly rains at the end of August, the county does not meet the threshold through a federal program for those residents to receive assistance, a county government official said Tuesday.The incidents of damage ranged from flooding in driveways to the more devastating ones such as Starmount Court, where the private drive leading to four homes was washed away by raging waters, Cindy Mumby, a spokesperson for Harford County government, said.Cara Liggett, one of the residents at the end of the Starmount driveway, said she and her family have been left homeless by the Aug. 31 rain event.The paved driveway went over a small tributary to Bynum Run, with a culvert running under it, Mumby said."Our driveway culvert was washed away as our stream reached 400 year flood levels," Liggett wrote in an email. "We are STILL homeless. We have no water and no sewer. For 32 days now. We are families with children, elderly couples and we want to return home."Liggett said five school-age children live among those four homes, including her 6-year-old son who is in first grade at Homestead-Wakefield Elementary School in Bel Air.Those Friday evening rains Aug. 31 that displaced nearly a dozen families from their homes also killed two people who were swept away by rising water.Melissa Lehew, 34, of Darlington, was washed away as she and her boyfriend tried to rescue Daniel Samis, 67, of Abingdon, whose vehicle was stranded in rising water on Calvary Road over Broad Run near James Run in Churchville. Lehew was swept downstream and her body was found three days later in the nearby Churchville Quarry lake.Samis was found inside his vehicle about a quarter-mile away from the road the following morning.After the storm, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman toured the county inspecting the damage and in subsequent days officials from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency also looked for damage in addition to what residents reported.In total, 47 residents were suffered damage in some way or another, Mumby said.For those residents to get low-interest loans from the Small Business Administration to recover and rebuild from the damage, the county must meet a certain threshold 25 homes where 40 percent of the uninsured property, land or contents are destroyed, Mumby said.It does not look like Harford County met that threshold at this time, Mumby said. For folks who were impacted, some of the damage was devastating, but countywide, the threshold was not reached for low-interest loans from the Small Business Administration.Two families one on Shucks Road and one on Trappe Church Road are staying with family members while they try to restore their homes, Mumby said.A woman who lives on Arena Road, who suffered flooding in the main living space, has found temporary housing with the help of the Community Action Agency and a disaster assistance coordinator.The county met with the four families displaced on Starmount Court shortly after the storms to discuss some of their options.That roadway is a private road; the homeowners are obligated to repair it, Mumby said, but added the county is trying to work with them and is helping them explore other options in addition to the Small Business Administration.There are other opportunities for funding, but at this point it doesnt look like we will qualify for anything, she said.The county and residents are scheduled to meet again Thursday to discuss how to get the work completed as soon as possible, which would include expediting the permit process.Liggett said in her email she and her neighbors have been denied help from FEMA, insurance and the county.The head of DPW, Harford County crisis management and our county executives office all offered their thoughts and prayers, she wrote.The two sections of the culvert that ran underneath the bridge are visible on either end of where the bridge was, but the connection is missing. The ground drops off steeply on either side of the driveway and wooden fences on either side of the drive are broken or hanging over the stream.The power of all that rain in such a short period of time is something thats hard to believe until you see it, Mumby said.The damage has gotten worse with each subsequent rain, Liggett said.Read more from The Aegis. 2018 The Aegis (Bel Air, Md.)Visit The Aegis (Bel Air, Md.) at www.baltimoresun.com/explore/harford/publications/the-aegisDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (TNS) Nearly a month after Hurricane Florence created unprecedented flooding, the Grand Strand in South Carolina is in another storm's path.Hurricane Michael which was upgraded from tropical storm Monday is in the Gulf of Mexico and expected to hit the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday. The effects of the storm will reach Horry County, S.C., most likely on Wednesday or Thursday of this week.Predictions from the National Weather Service say the area can expect 2 to 4 inches of rain and it has a good chance of seeing tropical storm wind speeds. There is also a threat of tornadoes, especially if the storm moves to the west of Myrtle Beach.Once the storm moves onto land, it will start to slow down and will most likely be significantly weaker than it is now, Steve Pfaff, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, said.Pfaff said the storm is still worth noting, as it will bring high winds and heavy rains to an area still recovering from the last storm.The ground is already saturated due to the record-breaking flooding. Pfaff said this rain could cause flash flooding and even raise the river levels slightly.Hurricane Michael will also create conditions for a tornado to potentially form. Pfaff said this risk is higher if the storm moves west of the area.The winds are a primary concern. Florence left much of Horry County's natural resources damaged. Pfaff said that even if a tree did not fall in the last storm, it could be at a higher risk of falling this time. Also, there could be some storm surge from Michael, hitting already damaged beaches, Pfaff said.The city of North Myrtle Beach sent out a press release on Monday asking residents to monitor the storm as it gets closer to the area. Pfaff said people should monitor the storm and identify any weak trees or infrastructure that could lead to debris in Michael's wake."Just monitor the situation and expect some impacts," Pfaff said.More information on the specific impacts of Hurricane Michael will be available as the storm gets closer to Horry.___(c)2018 The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)Visit The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) at www.thesunnews.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (TNS) Toledo, Ohio, is getting in on the autonomous vehicle movement, with plans for a driverless bus loop around its downtown.The Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority is consulting with business organizations and other stakeholders to bring electric bus service to downtown that will link businesses, attractions, and residential developments by as early as this spring, said TARTA General Manager Jim Gee.Toledo has won a $1.8 million federal transit grant that Gee said would run driverless, electric buses every 15 minutes along a route that is still being determined.What really attracted us was that autonomous technology is the future of transportation, he said.Toledo officials have toured one autonomous bus factory. They are looking at a variety of options for operating the system, Gee said.The route may deploy up to three buses depending on the length and configuration of the eventual downtown route, he said. Most likely, TARTA will lease the buses or hire a vendor to operate the system, he said.The money can be used for the buses and up to three years of operating expenses, Gee said. Whatever buses are leased will be electric and seat 12, he said.Were not sure we want to buy technology that will be obsolete in two years, he said.Each bus will have a human backup driver to brake and override the vehicle in case of emergency. But all will be equipped with the latest collision-avoidance equipment, including cameras, sensors, and lidar. The route for each bus will be programmed into the vehicle, Gee said.The project is still in the planning phase.Among the stakeholders being consulted are the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, ConnectToledo and the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments.Gee said Toledo, as a historic transportation hub, needs to be on the cutting edge of the coming connected-vehicle wave.Toledo was built on transportation, he said. Researchers from Lancaster University (UK) are collaborating with Lancaster-based company NanoSUN to research materials that would be used in technology to purify hydrogen for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), fuel cells. PEM fuel cells need hydrogen with a very high level of purity to avoid contaminants damaging parts of the fuel cells. Purifiers are needed at the location where customers would refill their fuel cells as this would reduce the cost of storing and handling hydrogen. The three-year research project is being supported by a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, funded by Innovate UK. The funding, worth more than 277,000 (US$363,000), will enable a dedicated researcher, known as a KTP Associate, to work on the project. The partnership will leverage the Universitys capabilities and expertise in hydrogen purification and analysis to refine and improve NanoSUNs on-board hydrogen purifiers. FASTLinkDTLA, Downtown LAs transportation management-focused public-private partnership, and Daimlers moovel launched a new ridesharing pilot that will complement the citys public transit network. To ensure the service is available to all and grows to meet the needs of the community, FlexLA will charge a reduced fare during the pilot. In the future, FlexLA riders will pay a competitive flat-rate fare, with discounted fares available for qualifying low-income Angelenos. The FlexLA mobile app will be available in both Spanish and English. FlexLA will help Angelenos and visitors travel throughout downtown in Mercedes-Benz Metris passenger vans and GLC hybrid vehicles driven by salaried US military veterans. Powered by technology from moovel, the service will be available in the evenings when public transit service is less frequent and a mobile app will allow riders to plan and pay for their trip. Riders will be picked up and dropped off at designated, safe virtual stops; and driven in the company of friends and other passengers headed in the same direction. Riders can also be picked up and dropped off at Downtown DASH bus stops. FASTLinkDTLA has partnered with a variety of local veterans programs to hire a team of US veterans as drivers for the microtransit service. All FlexLA drivers will be salaried employees with benefits and will be driving fleet vehicles rather than their own personal cars. Customers with wheelchairs and mobility devices will be connected to ADA-accessible vehicles from ButterFLi, an LA-based transportation provider for people with accessibility challenges. FlexLA will be operated by moovel, in partnership with fleet operator SMS Transportation. The FASTLinkDTLA microtransit service will be led by the Executive Director of Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic (FAST), in partnership with Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), and L.A. City Council member Jose Huizar. The FASTLinkDTLA project was funded through Metros ExpressLanes program, which is designed to improve traffic flow and provide enhanced travel options in Los Angeles County. Partially funded by Metros reinvestment of ExpressLanes toll revenues, this project provides direct mobility benefits to the community surrounding the I-10 and I-110 ExpressLanes. As the sponsor of FASTLinkDTLA, LADOT will help oversee the service delivery, and ensure connectivity with its local-serving DASH bus system as well as with the regional public transit network operated by Metro. This includes identifying the service area and defining virtual stops. Virtual stops are physical locations identified in the moovel app to help direct riders to specific locations where drivers will pick them up. Sport VIDEO: Australia beat New Zealand to win maiden cricket T20 World Cup title Australia finally ended their jinx by winning the elusive T20 World Cup title in the seventh attempt. This was the only silverware, which was missing from their trophy-laden cabinet. Before this, they had come closest to lifting the crown in 2010, only to be denied by England in the final. Haiti - Justice : Zombies and abortion in the next penal code... The Senate Committee "Justice, Security and National Defense" chaired by Jean Renel Senatus, presented on October 3 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25725-haiti-news-zapping.html its report to the Upper House Office, after 17 months of work on plans to recast the criminal codes and of criminal procedure that will now be debated in Parliament in special sessions. Recall that our code of criminal instruction, of Napoleon's inspiration was promulgated in 1835, in the 19th century and has not undergone in 183 years any major change. The provisions contained in this Code, in addition to being obsolete, in no way allow the fundamental rights of citizens to be respected within the framework of the guarantees enshrined in the Constitution and the international conventions ratified by the Haitian State. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20902-haiti-politics-adoption-of-the-penal-procedure-bill.html This recasting will make it possible to correct certain crimes and to contravene certain offenses and to decriminalize others such as vagrancy and begging. This recast will also propose alternative measures to prosecution and imprisonment. Note that 32 articles dealing with new offenses that will be sanctioned by Haitian law, appear in the new penal code among others : The misuse of social networks causing harm to Haitian citizens (videos showing corpses, the mutilation of corpses and necrophilia...) and misleading advertising ; The call for violent demonstrations ; In the new penal code, abortion will be partially legalized. An abortion done because the child endangers the life of the mother, just like the one where the life of the child is threatened is legalized. In the case of incest and rape, abortion is also legalized. In all other cases, abortion remains prohibited. The zombification still practiced today in Haiti will now be included in Haitian law. The zombie, in the new legislation will be able to obtain "an act of reappearance" and to enjoy again the rights like all the other citizens of the country ; The acts of debauchery in public places ; Sale of tobacco and alcoholic beverages to minors ; Cybercrime ; Trafficking and smuggling of migrants ; The environment ; Firearms ; Financial Crimes, Money Laundering, Abuse of Corporate Property and Corruption ; Etc... Download the bill (PDF) :https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/projet-de-loi-portant-code-de-procedure-penale.pdf See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25725-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25682-haiti-justice-at-the-dawn-of-a-new-haitian-penal-law.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20902-haiti-politics-adoption-of-the-penal-procedure-bill.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-16494-icihaiti-justice-abortion-legalized-in-the-new-penal-code.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-15467-haiti-justice-the-draft-of-the-new-code-of-criminal-procedure-is-ready.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13382-haiti-justice-draft-revision-of-the-haitian-penal-code.html PI/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : President Jovenel Moise at the scene of the earthquake A delegation, led by the Head of State, accompanied by Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant and several ministers, including Jean-Marie Reynaldo Brunet (Interior), Marie Greta Roy Clement (Public Health) and Fritz Caillot (Public Works) went to the North West Department to inquire directly about the situation. On Sunday morning, the Coordination, Information, Analysis and Public Information areas of the National Emergency Operations Center (COUN) were partially activated. The mobilization was effective from the reception of the confirmation of the earthquake. The communication was initiated and maintained with the hierarchy of the National Risk Management System as well as the 10 departmental coordinations. "I am there, in the areas affected by the earthquake, to provide assistance to the population. The Prime Minister is also on the scene to supervise the rescue teams and coordinate their actions. I congratulate this surge of solidarity and support from citizens. I am at the Departmental Emergency Operations Center (COUD) in Port-de-Paix, for the damage assessment. The evaluation process of the actions in progress in addition to those to come, continues to better face the reality. I visited, among others, the police station of Port-de-Paix damaged. I noticed other buildings in the city that are destroyed. I have already asked the Prime Minister to take steps to assist the victims. I take advantage of my visit to Port-de-Paix to congratulate the police officers of the city who responded to the call of the population, staying true to their motto which is to protect and serve," declared the President from the areas affected by the earthquake on Saturday night. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25753-haiti-flash-saturday-night-earthquake-12-dead-and-188-wounded.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25747-haiti-flash-earthquake-cell-crisis-and-call-for-calm.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25745-haiti-flash-saturday-night-earthquake-10-dead-and-135-wounded.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25744-haiti-flash-earthquake-of-59-in-the-north-of-haiti.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Earthquake : The UN ready to support Haiti in relief efforts United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is saddened by the tragic loss of life and injuries caused by the magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck the northwest of Haiti Saturday https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25744-haiti-flash-earthquake-of-59-in-the-north-of-haiti.html "The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Haiti,"said his spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Sunday in a press statement "The United Nations stands ready to support the Government of Haiti in the response efforts," stressed the spokesman. For her part, Helen La Lime, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Haiti and head of the United Nations Mission for the Support of Justice in Haiti (Minujusth) "expresses her deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims earthquake [...] and her solidarity with the Haitian government and people to face it" adding "The UN team is working alongside Haitian authorities and institutions in the framework of national risk management systems and disasters to provide, if necessary, support for needs assessments and timely distribution of disaster assistance." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25753-haiti-flash-saturday-night-earthquake-12-dead-and-188-wounded.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25747-haiti-flash-earthquake-cell-crisis-and-call-for-calm.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25745-haiti-flash-saturday-night-earthquake-10-dead-and-135-wounded.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25744-haiti-flash-earthquake-of-59-in-the-north-of-haiti.html HL/ HaitiLibre Pennsylvania authorities file formal complaint against utility over fatal gas explosion According to ABC, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has filed a formal complaint alleging UGI Utilities violated state and federal regulations regarding a fatal natural gas explosion in a house near Lancaster, central Pennsylvania, last year. The complaint says UGI's procedures at the time of the explosion were deficient, especially in recognising and managing an underground blowing gas situation, and the actions taken by UGI employees were not prioritised to protect life and property and eliminate hazards. The blast on July 2, 2017, killed a UGI technician and injured two other employees. The house in Manor Township was levelled and two neighbouring houses were condemned for demolition. The PUC's Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement proposes that UGI pay a civil penalty of $2,090,022 for 19 violations. The complaint also proposes 15 corrective actions. Among the violations, the complaint states that: * the first UGI employee on the scene entered and remained in the house, even after determining the home had an explosive level of natural gas; * the resident of 206 Springdale and the residents of 202 Springdale were permitted to stay inside their homes; * UGI failed to prevent an accidental ignition as the resident of 206 was permitted to start her vehicle and drive out of the garage on two occasions; * UGI did not contact PPL to turn off the electricity on Springdale Lane until well after the explosion; * UGI did not contact the local fire department for assistance until shortly before the explosion; and * UGI's primary focus was to repair the leak instead of shutting off the gas supply. The complaint says UGI's procedures should have directed the immediate closure of the nearest gas valve, and it should have directed UGI's dispatch to promptly contact 911 to notify the local fire department. The gas company has 20 days to respond to the complaint. If UGI contests the complaint, the matter will proceed to a PUC administrative law judge for a hearing. A UGI spokesman said the utility has cooperated fully with the PUC throughout its investigation of the incident and will continue to do so it reviews the complaint and responds within the specified time-frame. He said UGI remains fully committed to the safety of its customers and employees. (HedgeCo.Net) Russell Craig and his company, OneStep Financial Services, LLC has been charged with violating the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws by promising investors profits in return for depositing funds into escrow for the purchase or development of real estate properties, and then misappropriating investor funds. The SECs complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, alleges that in one of the schemes, Craig defrauded an investor of more than $900,000 between 2014 and 2016 and misappropriated over $600,000. Craig misrepresented that the investors funds would remain in escrow and be used only for the purpose of obtaining a proof of funds to purchase a condominium property known as the Heritage Condominiums in Atlanta, Georgia. Craig also misrepresented that, after the property was purchased, the investor would receive a return of the principal plus a profit of approximately 30% in a short period of time. Despite these promises, Craig almost immediately transferred these funds to bank accounts that he controlled or to third parties. The SECs complaint also alleges that Craig encouraged the investor to take out loans to further fund the investment, misrepresenting that Craig would make payments on the loans with his own funds until the real estate transaction closed. Instead, Craig allegedly used the investors escrowed funds to make the payments. The SEC further alleges that Craig and OneStep engaged in a similar scheme in late 2017. In this scheme, Craig and OneStep defrauded at least five investors, who were told that their funds were being used for a real estate development project, of $460,000 by guaranteeing high profits and then misappropriating the funds for other purposes. The SECs complaint charges Craig and OneStep with violations of the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The SECs complaint seeks a judgment against the defendants providing for permanent injunctions, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties. The complaint also names Peter Baker, Elizabeth Oharriz, Prestige Global Trading, Ltd., and Diversified Initiatives Consulting & Logistics, Inc. as relief defendants, seeking disgorgement with prejudgment interest against them. The saddest part of the whole ordeal is that bystanders are the ones suffering, he laments in a blog posted on Puheenvuoro on Sunday. Harri Jaskari (NCP), a third-term Member of Parliament from Pirkanmaa, has voiced his frustration with the heated debate surrounding a government proposal to make laying off easier for small businesses. Jaskari drew attention to media reports emerging from a meeting of the regional directors of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) in Helsinki on Friday. Jarkko Eloranta, the chairperson of SAK, reportedly made the attendees burst out in laughter by reminding that, according to the Federation of Finnish Enterprises, the proposal projected to create tens of thousands of new jobs. No ones asking whether this is true or not, he said on Friday. This information comes from a source thats very reliable indeed: a survey sent to the members of an entrepreneurs organisation. The hostility towards entrepreneurs is tangible, retorted Jaskari. It is apparently amusing to ask for an estimate from entrepreneurs. Who should you ask if not them? Businesses paid for industrial peace during the latest round of negotiations, but it does not seem to matter. The Finnish economy began its growth relatively slowly specifically because of labour market rigidities, but now you are putting an end to growth by organising strikes. Jaskari also expressed his frustration with the fact that image politics are blurring the underlying issue. Who can deny the fact that we will have to raise our employment rate further if we want to preserve the welfare state? he asked. Aleksi Teivainen HT Source: Uusi Suomi A MAN from Benson died in a snorkelling accident in the Seychelles, an inquest heard. Mark Thomson-Tur, 60, was on a week-long sailing trip with his wife Fiona but got into difficulty when his mask began leaking and filled with water. Mrs Thomson-Tur initially swam over to check on her husband but soon afterwards noticed he was thrashing about in the water, Oxford Coroners Court was told on Tuesday. He was found unconscious and floating face-up in the water by a deckhand from a sailing ship Seabird. Deckhands performed CPR on a jetty but Mr Thomson-Tur was pronounced dead. The incident happened on April 1. Assistant coroner Nicholas Graham recorded a conclusion of accidental death by drowning. A PHARMACY in Henley says it is coping despite the national shortage of EpiPens. There have been supply problems with the adrenaline injection, which is used to treat severe and life threatening allergic reactions, since the spring. Mylan, the company behind EpiPen, is pressing its manufacturing partner Pfizer to do more to tackle shortages. The companys product is the biggest of the adrenaline auto-injectors on the market and shortages have had a knock-on effect with the stocks of other injectors such as Jext and Emerade. Vik Patel, pharmacist and pharmacy manager at the Henley Pharmacy in Bell Street, Henley, said his only concern was the shortage of junior EpiPens. These provide a smaller dose and are needed for small children. He said: The childrens version has reached a point where its not available. We are happy to give the adult version to older or larger children, its completely safe. The main problem you have is with the really small children. Mr Patel said the pharmacy was experiencing similar problems to others across the country. To get hold of stock they have to fax anonomysed prescriptions to suppliers to show they have a bona fide patient who needs it. Mr Patel said: When a doctor sends a prescription, we cover the patient details then fax it to the supplier and manufacturer to prove we have a need for it. It means the people who need it get it. He said patients were being advised to keep the devices even if they go out of date. He said: Doctors are advising people to keep hold of them even if they are slightly out of date. Just until we can find a replacement because it is going to be better than nothing. Luke Harding Phyllis Court Club LUKE Harding is a foreign correspondent for the Guardian newspaper, well known for his books covering WikiLeaks, the Russian FSB, the fall of Colonel Gaddafi, Edward Snowden and the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko. In conversation with fellow journalist Hannah MacInnes, Harding discussed his latest work, Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win. Harding recounted his somewhat darkly amusing experiences with the Russian FSB, which he called a transparent rebrand of the former KGB and an incompetent menace to him and his family while they lived in Russia. On the subject of Donald Trump, Harding covered many aspects of the life of the businessman, candidate and US president from Russian officials success in flattering the property tycoon in the Eighties to suspicious dealings with oligarchs and the Hillary Clinton email scandal in 2016. Throughout the talk, Mr Harding was quick to remind us all that, despite the apparent suspicions of the Russian security services, he is certainly no James Bond and this was clear to the audience from his quick sense of humour and easygoing manner, even as he told us of the overtly sinister clues left in his apartment by thugs in cheap leather jackets. The Tuesday evening talk in Phyllis Court Club seemed to bring many in the audience up to speed with the state of current affairs between Russia, the US and the UK there was audible surprise when Harding mentioned that Vladimir Putin is estimated to be easily the richest man in the world. On a related note, the tone of the questions after the talk reflected concerns about our own country, with one man asking if there may have been Russian interference with the Brexit vote. Luke Harding shows no signs of slowing down, with six published books and an obvious appetite for uncovering the truth behind the events dominating our newspapers in this exciting time of political instability. Henry Peters Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. 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 The quality of health care delivery in Anambra, Ebonyi and Imo states just received a boost as MTN Foundation through its Emergency Ward Intervention Project recently gifted various communities medical equipment and health care supplies. The Foundation which aims to improve the quality of healthcare and life in general in Nigeria has previously donated ultra-modern emergency equipment to hospitals in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States. The latest benefiting hospitals from the three South-East states include: the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA 1), Ebonyi; Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Anambra and Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH), Owerri, which are all referral hospitals for patients in need of special medical attention. Speaking during the handover ceremony of the items, Director, MTN Foundation, Mr. Dennis Okoro, acknowledged the good work of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and all the State Emergency Response agencies nationwide. He also added that This is not a work for them alone, which is why MTN Foundation, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and our Emergency agencies has set up the MTNF Emergency Ward Intervention initiative to reduce long waiting time experienced by patients in Nigerian hospitals. The benefiting states commissioners for health expressed their gratitude to the Foundation stating that the equipment will enable them prepare better for health emergencies as well as reduce the death rate caused by inadequate medical equipment needed to treat patients who are in need of emergency care. In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Ebonyi State; Dr. Umezurike Daniel (FWACS)commended MTN saying: We transfer our patients to other states to receive medical treatment, but that will not happen anymore thanks to MTN Foundation. Receiving the equipment in Imo state, the Chief Medical Director, IMSUTH, Dr. Fredrick Anofue appreciated MTN Foundation for its resolve to improve the quality of health care across Nigeria through the donation of necessary health care infrastructure. The initiative would help complement efforts made by the government in reducing the time spent at the emergency wards by patients, he added. Under the Emergency Ward Intervention project, MTN Foundation donated medical equipment and consumables including digital patient monitors, stethoscopes, fracture immobilizers, laryngoscopes, respiration suction machines, amongst others. The federal government has said president Muhammadu Buhari is not a party to the letter currently in circulation, which states that the President had authorized Governor Nasir El rufai to deal with Senator Shehu Sani or anyone else. A letter dated October 2, 2018, titled, forwarding of a compendium of Shehu Sanis denigration of President Buhari, the APC and the Governor of Kaduna state had gone viral on social media. The letter which was said to have been written by the Kaduna state governor, being ordered to deal with traitors of the president. However, the presidency says the President is not aware of any such letter, let alone authorising anyone to deal with any party member, adding that being who he his, Buhari would never instruct anyone to punish a party member. See statement below The presidency wishes to distance President Muhammadu Buhari from a letter currently in circulation, which alleges that the President had authorized a Governor or anyone else for that matter to deal with traitors and disloyal members of APC, especially Senator Shehu Sani. We wish to confirm that the President is not aware of any such letter, let alone authorising anyone to deal with any party member. Given President Buharis record, it is inconceivable that he would usurp the role of the party leaders and instruct anyone to punish a party member. In the light of above, we would like to appeal to the general public, especially members of the press, to ignore false or unauthorized information intended to attribute to the President any action which is not in line with his character. Jeremy D. Morley concentrates on International Family Law. The firm works with clients around the world from its New York office, with a global network of local counsel. Mr Morley is the author of "International Family Law Practice", the leading treatise on international family law in the U.S., and "The Hague Abduction Convention", published by the American Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and a former law professor. Presenting to an excited audience, the Food Sciences Club showed how to make ice cream with liquid nitrogen on Oct 4 for Human Sciences week. The club explained the basic chemistry of how it works and offered free ice cream to everyone who showed up. Opinion Policies Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue. Feedback policy If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com). Column Policy Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions. Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020 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. The Department of Homeland Security has issued a statement on the explosive claims made by Bloomberg Newsweek about Apple, Amazon, and other tech giants using compromised Supermicro servers with Chinese spy chips for their cloud services. The law enforcement agency denies that any such incident ever occurred and says it has no reason to doubt the statements made by Apple, Amazon, and others. It is perhaps the first time that such a key U.S. government agency has issued a statement on such a matter. This shows just how series the accusations made by Bloomberg in their report are. Below is the full statement issued by the Department of Justice: The Department of Homeland Security is aware of the media reports of a technology supply chain compromise. Like our partners in the UK, the National Cyber Security Centre, at this time we have no reason to doubt the statements from the companies named in the story. Information and communications technology supply chain security is core to DHSs cybersecurity mission and we are committed to the security and integrity of the technology on which Americans and others around the world increasingly rely. Just this month National Cybersecurity Awareness Month we launched several government-industry initiatives to develop near- and long-term solutions to manage risk posed by the complex challenges of increasingly global supply chains. These initiatives will build on existing partnerships with a wide range of technology companies to strengthen our nations collective cybersecurity and risk management efforts. Apple has also told the Congress on Sunday that its servers were not compromised in anyway whatsoever. Apples Vice President for Information Security Goerge Stathakopoulos in a letter to the Senate and House commerce committees said that Apple made repeated investigations but did not find any evidence whatsoever which support the claims made in the Bloomberg report. Apples proprietary security tools are continuously scanning for precisely this kind of outbound traffic, as it indicates the existence of malware or other malicious activity. Nothing was ever found, he wrote in the letter provided to Reuters. Our Take So far, Apple and other tech giants have made multiple statements denying the claims of their servers being compromised by Chinese spy chips. Their statements have been backed by the DOJ, the NSA, and other independent security researchers as well. Bloomberg, for its part, has continued to stick to its story, though it has failed to provide any evidence to back it up. From all this, it does seem like no such incident ever took place and Bloombergs report is probably confusing it with another incident that took place. [Via Reuters Flags were flown at half staff all across the state of Oregon today to honor fallen firefighters. Governor Kate Brown ordered that all flags at Oregon public institutions be flown at half staff from sunrise to sunset. Gov. Brown said that "this has been an especially difficult wildfire season", and that she is "thankful for the service of brave men and women who protect our land, our communities, and their fellow Oregonians." This was in recognition of Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day. This undated handout image issued by Bellingcat shows photos of Dr Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin, the man the investigative website have alleged was who travelled to Salisbury under the alias Alexander Petrov, over the years. The investigative group Bellingcat is reporting that one of the two suspects in the poisoning of an ex-spy in England is a doctor who works for Russian military intelligence. Bellingcat said on its website Monday, Oct. 8, 2018 that the man British authorities identified as Alexander Petrov is actually Alexander Mishkin, a trained doctor working for the Russian military intelligence unit known as GRU. (Bellingcat via AP) 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. People visit the booth of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation during the 69th International Astronautical Congress in Bremen, Germany on Oct. 1, 2018. More than 6,300 astronauts and representatives from space agencies and companies, as well as experts, scholars and students attended the conference which kicked off here on Monday. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen) 6 1 [ Editor: WPY ] ST. PAUL, Minn. A Mazeppa man will remain behind bars after a ruling from the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Aaron Michael Anderson, 38, was arrested in December 2016 driving an ATV and towing a stolen trailer with two snowmobiles on it in Olmsted County. After he crashed the ATV and was taken into custody, police said they found 27 grams of methamphetamine in his jacket pocket. Anderson pleaded guilty in May 2017 to 2nd degree drug possession, motor vehicle theft, and possession of stolen property. He was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison. Anderson appealed, arguing the judge should have given him a lesser sentence because he cooperated with police, displayed a good attitude in court, took responsibility for his actions, and had steady employment. The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday that even if all those things are true, they do not require the judge to grant Anderson a reduced sentence. ROCHESTER, Minn. - A 19-year-old man is facing a fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge after he was found in bed with a 14-year-old girl. Robert Vidales III, of Rochester, was arrested after an incident early Monday in the 1800 block of 38th St. NW. A 37-year-old mother heard loud noises coming from downstairs and found the man wearing only underwear and socks, according to police. Police said the mother screamed for her husband to grab his gun before the male took off running. Vidales III, who is a co-worker of the girl, was arrested down the street. CHARLES CITY, Iowa A Rudd man accused of stabbing his wife with a screwdrivers is found guilty by a jury of his peers. Matthew John Stiles, 32, was convicted Wednesday of trespass and domestic assault after a two-day trial in Floyd County District Court. Stiles was arrested in July after his wife, who had a no-contact order against Stiles, says he forcefully entered her home, threw her to the ground, hit her in the head, and stabbed her in the back with a screwdriver. Stiles is due to be sentenced on October 29. The Vietnam Economic Times quoted the report, entitled Vietnam - Fast, not furious, growth, by the British multinational banking and financial services company, forecasting robust GDP growth for Vietnam at 7% in 2018 and 6.9% next year, driven by strong FDI-supported electronics manufacturing and rising consumption. Manufacturing and agriculture are likely to remain the primary growth drivers in the second half of the year, the report added. Chidu Narayanan, economist for Asia at Standard Chartered Bank, said that Vietnam expanded by 7.1% in H1, moderating mildly in Q2 after a record 7.4% year-on-year growth in Q1, in line with the banks forecast. This is the first year since the global financial crisis that Q2 growth has been slower than Q1. We believe this is a sign of a focus on sustainable growth over the medium term. We expect H2 growth to remain robust, albeit mildly slower than in H1, Narayanan said, adding that the bank remains positive on Vietnams growth in the medium term based on strong manufacturing activity, as FDI inflows to electronics manufacturing remain strong. According to the latest report, manufacturing is predicted to record another year of double-digit growth and agriculture growth will continue its recovery in the second half, even as construction slows down due to more modest growth in the real estate sector. Meanwhile, electronics export growth in 2018 is likely to remain robust, though lower than last year, leading to a trade surplus and supporting the overall growth of Vietnam. The bank maintains its view that FDI inflows into Vietnam will stay strong in 2018 and the next two years, with a registered capital of US$17 billion each year. FDI inflows to the manufacturing sector, particularly electronics manufacturing, will remain high in the medium term. The macro-economic report also expects steady growth in services to support overall growth in 2018, led by strong domestic trading activity. The services sector, which makes up close to 40% of the economy, is expected to grow strongly in the second half, after rising by a steady 7% year-on-year in the first half. The rise of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, aided by a young, well-trained and low-cost workforce, will accelerate the growth of the service sector in the medium term, the document stated. MASON CITY, Iowa People walked for two different causes on Saturday. The Relay for Life of Cerro Gordo Countys Bark for Life celebrates the important role that our four-legged friends play in the healing process. Dozens of people and their dogs braved the chilly weather at East Park for the fundraiser. All the money will go to the American Cancer Society. Others are walking for a different cause at the Out of the Darkness Walk at Southbridge Mall. The walk raises money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The organization has a goal to reduce the annual suicide rate by 20-percent by year 2025. * Codelco seeking longer term supply contracts* Three-year "evergreen" deals to be rolled over annually* Talks involve selling up to 60,000 tonnes per year By Pratima Desai LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Codelco is in talks to sell up to 60,000 tonnes of copper a year to China Minmetals from 2019 to 2021, marking a change in sales strategy at Chile's state-owned miner which typically made deals on an annual basis, industry sources said. Sources say the aim was to agree "evergreen" three-year deals in which the Chinese company would commit to buy 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes a year of copper for the period. Under the arrangement, the three-year pact would be rolled over annually, so from 2020 the deal would be extended to run for three years until the end of 2022 and so on. The deal with China Minmetals, part of Codelco's efforts to secure longer term supply contracts, focuses on the quantity of copper to be supplied, sources said. Typically supply contracts are agreed annually for the next year during what is known as "mating season" in October and November when producers and customers agree quantities. Premiums are set above the London Metal Exchange benchmark price. "Codelco is looking to establish a base of bigger and long term strategic customers worldwide and Asia is not an exception," one of the sources told Reuters. A Codelco official said the company did not comment on negotiations with customers. A China Minmetals spokesman said the company could not immediately comment. "The relationship between Minmetals and Codelco has been there for many years, the important thing is the three years and the quantity," a copper industry source said. Codelco, the world's largest copper miner, accounted for 1.734 million tonnes of global supplies last year, about 7 percent of the total estimated at about 23 million tonnes. It has historically been used as a benchmark for copper premiums. Many companies are keen to lock in long-term supplies due to expectations of shortages over coming years, created by a dearth of new projects, deteriorating ore grade and healthy demand. Sources say companies seeking to buy copper at the moment can easily find sellers and any deficits in the short term would see prices rise, which would see more scrap heading for the market to close the gap. However, a 25 percent duty on Chinese imports of U.S. copper scrap imposed since from Aug. 23 has fuelled uncertainty about supplies in China, the world's largest consumer of the metal used widely in power and construction. "These tariffs have the potential to create a lot of problems for Chinese consumers. But it's not just the tariffs, some companies just want to be sure they have supplies secured," another copper industry source said. "People think you can't agree contracts without premiums, but premiums can be agreed at a later time," the source added. For 2019, Codelco has agreed some deals with premiums at $98 for European customers. Some Chinese customers have agreed to pay $88 a tonne and other Asian clients have agreed $83 a tonne. Copper prices on the LME at around $6,200 a tonne are down more than 15 percent since early June, but up from the 14-month low of $5,773 a tonne hit on Aug. 15. (Reporting by Pratima Desai Additional reporting by Tom daly in Beijing and Fabian Cambero in Santiago Editing by Veronica Brown and Edmund Blair) (Kitco News) - Gold and silver prices are solidly lower in early U.S. trading Monday, and have extended overnight losses. The safe-haven metals are not getting any benefit from an uptick in risk aversion to start the trading week. Instead, both are being pressured by a strong U.S. dollar on the foreign exchange market. December gold futures were last down $12.30 an ounce at $1,193.40. December Comex silver was last down $0.194 at $14.455 an ounce. World stock markets were mostly lower overnight, with steep losses seen in the Chinese stock market after it was closed last week for a public holiday. Chinese monetary officials during the weekend loosened monetary policy a bit more but that did not stop their stock market sell off. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward weaker openings then the New York day session begins. The U.S. government, including the Treasury bond cash market, is closed for the Columbus Day holiday today. Canadian markets are shut for the Thanksgiving holiday. World equities are still pressured by rising government bond yields that are pulling investor interest away from stocks. U.S. stock indexes are in very mature bull market runs that have many wondering if the end is near. Risk-off attitudes to start the trading week are also being perpetuated by the new Italian anti-establishment government not falling into line with European Union rules on a budget. The key outside markets today find the U.S. dollar index higher, on safe-haven demand. Meantime, November Nymex crude oil prices are lower on profit taking and trading around $73.50 a barrel. U.S. economic data due for release Monday is light and includes the employment trends index. Technically, gold bears have the overall near-term technical advantage. Gold bulls' next upside near-term price breakout objective is to produce a close in December futures above solid resistance at $1,220.70. Bears' next near-term downside price breakout objective is pushing prices below solid technical support at the August low of $1,167.10. First resistance is seen at $1,200.00 and then at the overnight high of $1,208.00. First support is seen at the September low of $1,184.30 and then at $1,175.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 2.5 December silver futures bears have the overall near-term technical advantage. Silver bulls' next upside price breakout objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $15.00 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at the September low of $13.965. First resistance is seen at the overnight high of $14.70 and then at last weeks high of $14.95. Next support is seen at last weeks low of $14.395 and then at $14.25. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 2.5. SINGAPORE, Oct 8 (Reuters) - St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard said on Monday that the United States needed productivity gains to maintain its current growth rates, which could be achieved through investments and technology. The U.S. Federal Reserve, which last month raised interest rates for the third time this year, sees the U.S. economy growing at a faster-than-expected 3.1 percent this year and continuing to expand moderately for at least three more years. U.S. worker productivity rose at its fastest pace in more than three years in the second quarter, data last month confirmed, but the trend in productivity growth remained moderate. "The U.S. will likely need faster productivity growth in order to maintain current real GDP growth rates," Bullard, a non-voting member of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policymaking committee, said in a speech in Singapore. "This is a possibility if U.S. investment improves and technological diffusion begins to improve business processes at a faster pace." Bullard said a switch to higher labour productivity growth, as seen between the late 1990s and the mid-2000s, would raise the U.S. potential growth rate to 3.4 percent. (Reporting by John Geddie and Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) Messaging: john.geddie.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Export revenue continues to soar sharply According to the MoIT, Vietnam reported total export revenue of approximately US$178.91 billion in the January-September period, up 15.4% over the same period in 2017. Of which, the export revenue of the domestic sector was estimated at US$51.08 billion, an increase of 17.5%, while the export revenue of the foreign direct investment (FDI) sector (including crude oil) was posted at US$127.84 billion, an annual increase of 14.6%. During the nine-month period, Vietnam also imported US$173.52 billion worth of goods, a rise of 11.8% against the corresponding period of 2017. The country also enjoyed a high trade surplus of US$5.39 billion in the first nine months of the year due to a high trade surplus in the FDI sector at US$23.65 billion, while the domestic sector report a trade deficit of US$18.26 billion. According to the MoIT's Import-Export Department, rice and seafood were among the agro-forestry-fishery products to report positive growth in the first three quarters of this year. Excluding rice, cassava and tea, the prices of the other export agricultural products have fallen sharply over the same period in 2017. The processing industry continues to be the driving force of exports, in which, mobile phones are one of the items making the largest contribution to the export revenue. Vietnam's export revenue reached a record high of over US$21 billion in March and August, mainly attributed to the high export growth of goods which posted an export turnover of over US$5 billion in each month. The high export growth of the processing industry was not only based on mobile phones but other traditional export items, including garments and textiles, leather and footwear, and furniture, which all reported positive results in the first months of 2018. In particular, the garment and textile industry posted a nine-month growth of 17.1%, much higher than the nine-month growth rate of 8.7% in 2017. The export revenue is likely to rise by 10-12% Based on the nine-month import and export situation, the total export revenue is estimated to reach US$237-239 billion for whole of 2018, up 10-12% compared to 2017 and the total import revenue is forecast to climb to US$235-237 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of approximately US$2 billion. According to the MoIT, Vietnam has large room for export growth in the remaining months of this year. Under the commitments from free trade agreements (FTA), tariffs on the imports of a number of goods will gradually be reduced to 0%, creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese goods. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Vietnam-EU FTA are generating opportunities to attract foreign direct investment and increase production in Vietnam. In addition, the Government and ministries are implementing many measures to reform the business environment and improve competitiveness in a bid to facilitate production and promote the export of goods. Recently, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) also reduced its anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese tra fish and shrimp, under its conclusion of the 14th period on the review on tra fish and the 12th review on shrimp. This decision will help to boost seafood exports, especially shrimp and tra fish, to the US in 2018 and 2019, said General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Truong Dinh Hoe. However, exports will also face challenges such as increasing trade protectionism and barriers. Therefore, the MoIT has urged the ministries, localities, and enterprises to implement the Prime Minister's Directive No.25 on a number of solutions to promote production and exports, closely monitoring the fluctuations in the world market, especially the US-China trade war, to take the initiative in their export activities. The ministry has also strengthened its management over trade activities to prevent the risk of trade fraud and counterfeit goods. In the coming years, trade promotion activities will be comprehensively renewed with the focus on long-term trade promotion programmes on key markets, according to the MoIT. Koo-Ha-ra visits Gangnam Police Station for questioning for allegedly injuring her then boyfriend. Korea Times file By Ko Dong-hwan Koo's ex-boyfriend allegedly filmed them having sex and threatened to make the video public. Korea Times file After former KARA member Koo Ha-ra's ex-boyfriend threatened to leak a sex video of them, a petition on the South Korean presidential website has been inundated with visitors calling for revenge porn leakers to be dealt with more harshly. As of Monday morning, more than 214,000 people had signed the petition. Petitions on the Cheong Wa Dae site rarely attract more than 200,000 signatures in such a short period. The figure is the minimum required within a month to obligate the presidential office to respond. The petitioner lamented that nobody in Korea had been jailed for leaking revenge porn, whereas the victims sometimes killed themselves after being blamed for their "indiscretion." The netizen said blaming the victim was "a sickening, obnoxious secondary harassment." "I demand Choi (the surname of Koo's ex-boyfriend) be held as a demonstration of the government's zero-tolerance on those filming revenge porn, storing it and using it as a tool of threat," said the netizen. John Cameron Mitchell performs during his "The Origin of Love Tour in Seoul" at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Saturday. / Courtesy of Shownote By Kwon Mee-yoo John Cameron Mitchell, the creator of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" showered Korean fans with songs and behind-the-scenes stories of the revolutionary rock musical at his "The Origin of Love Tour in Seoul" concert from Friday to Sunday. The Seoul concert opened with an arranged rock version of "Aegukga," the national anthem of Korea, and accompanying performer Amber Martin introduced Mitchell quoting a line from "Hedwig" "Whether you like it or not, John Cameron Mitchell!" "Hedwig" has an exceptionally strong fan base in Korea since the musical's premiere in 2005. The story of the philosophical rocker from East Berlin, who moves to Kansas after sex change surgery, has attracted over 500,000 people here. Mitchell visited Korea for the first time in 10 years after his Hedwig concerts in 2007 and 2008 with Korean performers. Mitchell in glittery drag makeup sang "The Origin of Love," the first song written for the show and explained how he and composer Stephen Trask first met on an airplane and the rich metaphors in the song inspired by the Aristophanes' myth in Plato's "Symposium." During the concert, passionate "Hedheads," a term for Hedwig fans, filled one of the largest theaters in Korea who strained their ears to listen to Mitchell's voice. Singing more songs from the musical such as "Wicked Little Town," "Sugar Daddy," "Wig in a Box" and "Midnight Radio," Mitchell unraveled the show's journey from New York's drag club Squeezebox to Jane Street Theatre off-Broadway to an award-winning Broadway production. He revealed that at first, successful rock star Tommy Gnosis was the protagonist of the show and Hedwig, whose former name was Hansel before the gender reassignment surgery, was his nanny, but Hedwig soon emerged as the central character in relation to Mitchell's gender identity. John Cameron Mitchell performs during his "The Origin of Love Tour in Seoul" at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Saturday. / Courtesy of Shownote It is not difficult to understand why Vietnamese people expected a lot of the event. Vietnam has set up a strategy to develop the automobile industry in the expectation of the people. The public has always expected Vietnam to be on a par with Thailand, Indonesia, or the Philippines, which are countries in the region that produce durable, affordable cars. However, over the past few decades, though domestic automobiles have been carefully protected by tariff barriers, the country has almost failed to raise our localisation rate. In 2018, when tariff barriers in the Southeast Asian region on cars were lifted, people were waiting for the price of cars to fall. But that was only a small discount. Many firms moved from production to import. Only a few companies still maintained production, but a Vietnamese automobile brand was a dream too far away. At that time, Vingroup Corporation announced the VinFast brand. Only one year later, two models were introduced. VinFast launched the car at a rapid pace, which other car manufacturers take at least three or four years to complete. Particularly, consumers were able to vote for the first time on future car models "of the Vietnamese people". As 30 years ago, with the "dream" of motorcycles, cars are currently both an essential demand and a "criterion" for evaluating a successful family. At the national level, producing a high-tech product such as automobiles showcases the country's development. And of course, everyone is looking forward to tax incentives and support in production, so that VinFast can provide an affordable product, thus Vietnamese cars can become "cars of all". VinFast is considered as a pride of the Vietnamese. Many people have confirmed that that they will order VinFast as soon as its finished. Many people have called for VinFast cars with the spirit of supporting Vietnamese brands. Very rarely is the pride of Vietnamese goods so high. The story of the VinFast car is reminiscent of the birth of the Japanese and the Republic of Korean cars in the past. The car industries in Japan and the RoK were born after the European and American industries. Toyota produced their first car when Ford (the US) had been present for more than a third of the century and had been dominating the world. The first Hyundai (the RoK) car debuted in the late 1960s. The latter always met with difficulties, as many brands had claimed their name, and accumulated countless experiences, from manufacturing to business. There are many reasons that Japanese cars dominate so many markets around the world. There are many reasons that Korean cars with the Hyundai brand have been listed among the top 10 largest automakers in the world for many years. Meanwhile, many European - American car companies have gone bankrupt. But there is no denying that Japanese and Koreans have made cars with national pride, with the desire to assert themselves in the global market. For both Japanese and Korean have the idea that using domestic cars is synonymous with nationalism. This concept has contributed to supporting Japanese and the RoKs car companies to dominate the domestic market, before conquering the international market. Introduced as the car market has countless well-known names, from all over the continent, VinFast's standpoint is similar to the Japanese and Korean automakers in their national spirit. The pride of the Vietnamese brand is important in the consumption of goods and brand development, especially with goods that are introduced in a saturated market. The VinFast car brand has the "great support" of national spirit. But in order for the brand to have a true place in the market, the essence is quality and price, which must meet the expectations of consumers. Otherwise, the distance between hope and disappointment will be very close. By Dong Sun-hwa Actress Song Hye-kyo is still enjoying her heyday in China as a beloved hallyu star, with almost no negative or malicious comments in articles about her, according to media outlet Asia Today's Wednesday report. In fact, the actress was also ranked as the No. 4 hallyu star that fans across the world most want to see, according to the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, or KOFICE. Psy, Lee Min-ho and Song Joong-ki were ranked first, second and third respectively. Even amid the row over Korea's decision to deploy the U.S. THAAD missile interceptor, for which China banned Korean celebrities from appearing on television, Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki's private wedding was broadcast live on social media platforms in China, with 200 million views on Baidu and Weibo. One of the most obvious reasons for her success is that she has been appearing in a myriad of Chinese works including the film "The Grandmaster" in 2013. Her close relationships with top Chinese celebrities seem to be another factor for her popularity. For instance, actress Zhang Ziyi visited Korea on Oct. 2017 to attend Song's wedding. The actress married actor Song Joong-ki in 2017, after they starred in the 2016 hit "Descendants of the Sun." Song will feature in the upcoming TV series "Encounter," with Park Bo-gum playing her partner. By Lee Kyung-min National Pension Service (NPS) appointed BNK Financial Group President An Hyo-joon as the new chief investment officer (CIO) of its Investment Management department, it said Monday. His two-year term with a possible one-time extension will begin today. The appointment fills the 15-month vacancy of the powerful position that handles 643 trillion won ($567 billion) in NPS funds, the third-largest pension fund in the world managing retirement funds for Korea's 21.2 million subscribers. An served as fund manager of BEA Union Investment in 2007 before serving as overseas securities chief and stock management manager at the NPS in 2011. He was the CEO of Kyobo Axa Investment Managers in 2013 before becoming CEO of BNK Securities in February 2016. He has extensive experience in overseas asset management. An was among 13 people shortlisted for interviews out of 30 applicants that sought the CIO position in July, a procedure that began after the NPS concluded the previously selected three finalists all failed to meet the requirements in February. Among those who didn't disqualify was Baring Asset Management Korea former CEO Kwak Tae-seon, who left the country after alleging that he was not appointed as CIO due to directions from a "higher office." Kwak said he first applied for the position at the recommendation of Jang Ha-sung, a senior policy adviser to President Moon Jae-in. Kwak added that he received a call from NPS chief Kim Sung-joo who he said tried to "let him down easy." Hanwha Investment & Securities former CEO Joo Jin-hyeong, who was also considered one of the most viable candidates, failed to secure the nomination due to his ethical lapses including dodging military service. Protestors chant slogans near Hyehwa Station in Seoul, Saturday against Korea's judiciary system, which they believe favors men in spycam cases. / Korea Times file By Jung Hae-myoung Tens of thousands of anti-hidden camera protesters had a shot at the nation's judiciary system whose ruling on hidden camera crimes is allegedly based on gender inequality, Saturday, after taking issue with biased police investigations. Around 60,000 women, with red umbrellas and raincoats, gathered near Hyehwa Station for their fifth protest against spycam porn. The first rally was held on May 19 to speak out against police investigations that were "exceptionally" into the illicit filming of an alleged crime against a male nude model at Hongik University. Unlike the previous four rallies, the latest protest focused on criticizing the judicial authorities, who have made male-centered judgments. "We will never stop until proper laws are enacted, a rational system is implemented and women set themselves free," the protest organizer said, with the slogan saying, "The Courage to be Uncomfortable." The protesters claimed that sex crimes kept happening because legislative and judicial authorities were complacent about sexual misconduct. "We demand that the lawmakers pass 132 laws against misogyny that are still held back at the National Assembly. They should enact laws that hand down heavier punishments to sexual predators," the protesters claimed. During the protest, the activists bombed the legislative and judiciary authorities with text messages. Texts calling for "harsher punishment against sex offenders" were sent simultaneously to National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang and Rep. Yeo Sang-kyoo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, who heads the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Their claim was further sparked by a recent scandal involving former girl band member Koo Ha-ra, who claimed on Friday that she had been the victim of revenge porn blackmail from her ex-boyfriend. The activists claimed Koo had to "prove" she was the victim and had to take criticism for defending herself. The protest ended with the showing of illicitly filmed videos uploaded on some male community websites. Meanwhile, during the rally, a man fired a BB gun toward the stage at around 4:30 p.m. Police immediately arrested the man, a Seoul college student. The protesters assembled at an internet cafe called "The Courage to be Uncomfortable." The first three rallies were held at Hyehwa Station, and moved to Gwanghwamun Square for the fourth rally in August. By Park Jin-hai Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung, Monday, for his involvement in hiring irregularities at the group's banking unit. Cho, along with other former high ranking executives at Shinhan Bank, is suspected of having hired unqualified applicants, who were the children of high ranking company officials, between March 2015 and March 2017 when he was the head of the bank, according to the prosecution. Two former officials have already been arrested on charges of providing favors in recruitment to such job applicants, who also included children of former ranking government officials. Prosecutors believe nearly 90 people landed jobs at the bank through the irregularities practiced by the two officials. They summoned Cho twice earlier this month for questioning over the allegations to find out how deeply he was involved. The Seoul Eastern District Court will decide whether to issue the warrant for Cho soon. The investigation began after the Financial Supervisory Service conducted an inspection into the suspicion and found 22 cases of hiring irregularities. An official examines the ruins of an oil storage tank in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. The tank exploded and caught fire, Sunday, morning, though the blaze was completely extinguished by early Monday morning. Yonhap By Jung Hae-myoung Police detained a Sri Lankan man Monday for allegedly starting a fire that exploded an oil storage tank in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, the previous day. According to an official at Goyang Police Station, the man flew a sky lantern from a construction site about a kilometer away from the gas storage site Sunday morning. A sky lantern is similar to a miniature hot-air balloon. The 27-year-old told police he bought the lantern and flew it Sunday morning for fun. He works at the construction site of an expressway nearby. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to visit Russia soon, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping is also expected to travel to North Korea. Moon spoke of the imminent travel plans of the North Korean and Chinese leaders during a Cabinet meeting a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travelled to North Korea but did not elaborate further. Moon spoke positively about Pompeo's meeting with Kim on Sunday, saying it set up conditions that make possible another summit between Kim and U.S. U.S. President Donald Trump soon and will help the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. North Korean state media said Pyongyang and Moscow agreed to hold a summit this year after Kim met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Pyongyang. Kim also travelled to China three times this year for meetings with Xi. (Reuters) By Lee Min-hyung With Washington and Pyongyang agreeing to hold a second U.S.-North Korea summit at the earliest date possible, expectations are that it will take place sometime before the U.S. mid-term election which falls Nov. 6. In a meeting with President Moon Jae-in late Sunday at Cheong Wa Dae, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at a summit that "should be held as soon as possible," according to a written brief issued by Moon's chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan. But there was no mention of a specific time or even location for the second summit. Political analysts in Seoul argue the second Washington-Pyongyang summit may take place earlier than expected in consideration of Pompeo's agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un about holding it "as soon as possible." "My view is that leaders from the two countries can meet in the very near future, possibly before the U.S. election, as Pompeo is likely to have had an in-depth discussion with Kim on the timeline of the North's denuclearization steps such as abolishing its nuclear and missile facilities," Kim Sang-ki, director of the policy division at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Monday. On top of that, Washington and Pyongyang have expressed their strong determination to resume dialogue, and at the moment, there is nothing to block the peace momentum, according to Kim Sang-ki. The United States and North Korea have in recent months failed to make substantial progress in taking steps toward the North's nuclear disarmament since the leaders from the two sides met for the first time in Singapore this June. Pompeo's meeting with the North Korean leader made headlines Monday at the regime's propaganda media outlet. "Both sides reaffirmed their strong desire and determination to make big progress in achieving bilateral goals surrounding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during the planned second Pyongyang-Washington summit," the Rodong Sinmun quoted Kim as saying during his meeting with Pompeo. The state-controlled newspaper went on to speak highly of the meeting, saying Kim Jong-un and Pompeo also exchanged expectations and concerns in detail over the ongoing denuclearization talks. "Kim said both sides will soon come up with plans to hold the second summit between the North and the U.S.," it said. President Moon Jae-in delivers opening remarks at the start of a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap By Kim Yoo-chul President Moon Jae-in said Monday that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea "soon," while North Korean leader Kim Jong-un plans to visit Russia in the near future. "It's expected North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit Russia and Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea. These plans are separate ones that have no relation with the agreement to hold a second summit between the United States and North Korea," Moon said in opening remarks before a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, according to press pool reports Tuesday. President Moon didn't specify what the main issues will be; but added that South Korea would continue to work with other stakeholders, other than the United States, to dismantle the last remaining "Cold War framework" in the world on the Korean Peninsula. "A new geopolitical order is prevailing on the peninsula. A new order on the peninsula will help Northeast Asia create a new order. All relevant procedures and processes are needed for complete denuclearization of the peninsula and to establish a permanent peace," Moon said. He added he wants more backing from the public, and for politicians to push forward with initiatives. The remarks came after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrapped up his fourth visit to Pyongyang late Sunday, in which he said his five-and-a-half-hour face-to-face meeting with Kim was "productive." Moon said he appreciated Pompeo's visit to the presidential office to brief him on the meeting with the North Korean leader. "Pompeo's visit to North Korea created the conditions and circumstances for a second summit between the United States and North Korea to be held at the earliest date," he said. Moon also noted that he was expecting a summit between Kim and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. If the revived momentum between Washington and Pyongyang and Pyongyang and Seoul stays alive, further irreversible actions that possibly promote a smooth rapprochement between the Koreas will surely lower geopolitical risks, political analysts in Seoul said, citing the latest agreements by the two Koreas to reduce military tension in border areas. Notwithstanding the shared commitment by both South and North Korea and the North and the United States to advance the peace process, the path toward a definitive and permanent resolution of inter-Korean tensios is fraught with uncertainties and complexities that involve other stakeholders including China, Russia and Japan. Citing Russia's embassy in Pyongyang, Russian state media TASS claimed China, Russia and North Korea will meet in Moscow very soon. China has been urging the United States to ease economic sanctions on the North, while Russia is known to prefer gradual disarmament alongside the easing of sanctions. In the context of recent gains in North Korea's nuclear capabilities, the specific conditions needed to compel it to give up its nuclear arsenal remain unclear. Moreover, critics say that carrying out nuclear disarmament seems unlikely, at least in full, in the absence of more significant trust-building measures. National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong said the Pompeo-Kim meeting had "lots of achievements," and added he was confident another U.S.-North Korea summit would take place "in the near future." "South Korea will try its best to fix conditions to realize Kim's visit to Seoul within this year as agreed to at last month's Moon-Kim summit in Pyongyang," Chung said at the start of a meeting of senior officials from Cheong Wa Dae, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the government. United States Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Vincent Brooks shakes hands with President Moon Jae-in in while participating in an event to commemorate the 70th Armed Forces Day, Oct. 1, in Seoul. / Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung As the ongoing peace gestures from North Korea cast doubt on the future of the United States Forces Korea (USFK), a group of U.S.-allied countries such as South Korea and Japan are on track to underline the need to maintain U.S. troops here. The controversy surrounding the USFK started making headlines here in June when U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his strong desire to withdraw or at least reduce the U.S. military presence here, saying South Korea does not properly pay for its maintenance cost. For South Korea and Japan, however, the possible withdrawal of the USFK is a worst-case scenario to weaken their security readiness and generate a potential crack in their long-term defense posture. The USFK here has for decades served as a war deterrent, preventing North Korea from staging large-scale military provocations against the South since 1953 when the Korean War ended in an armistice. But starting this year, North Korea has urged the South and the U.S. to declare an end to the war as soon as possible, in what critics view is the regime's apparent move to pull out the potentially threatening U.S. troops. For this reason, there is a lingering concern that the ongoing peace mood and the possible declaration of the technical state of war here may result in the withdrawal of the USFK in the end. South Korea is in a position that the USFK withdrawal will never turn into reality at least for the time being. Park Han-ki, the nominee for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), said last week the potential declaration of the end to the war has nothing to do with the existence of the United Nations Command (UNC) and the USFK. "Even if the two Koreas declare an end to the war, the Korean Armistice Agreement (signed in 1953 between the North, China and the UNC) will remain in effect," Park said in a National Assembly confirmation hearing, dispelling concerns over the possible withdrawal of the USFK. South Korean President Moon Jae-in also recently called the USFK a peacekeeper here, saying the U.S. troops will continue to play a role for the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also expressed opposition to the possible withdrawal of the USFK here in a recent interview with a U.S. media outlet. Political commentator Lee Jin-gon said Monday that Abe's remark is in line with Tokyo's strategy to continue benefiting from the USFK without which he said Japan faces potential security threats from North Korea. "Japan has disagreed with the idea of withdrawing the USFK from South Korea, as Japan will be exposed to more security threats from external forces without the U.S. troops here," he said. By Kim Bo-eun The reputation of the foreign ministry continues to be tarnished over alleged involvement in various types of misconduct by its officials, especially among those serving at missions abroad, ministry data obtained by lawmakers showed. The issue cannot be dismissed as individual misconduct, as it involves the duty of the ministry to monitor its offices abroad to prevent such cases from occurring, the lawmakers have pointed out. The latest data disclosed ahead of an annual National Assembly inspection of government agencies showed foreign ministry officials working at overseas offices have engaged in acts of embezzlement, as well as sexual misconduct. According to ministry data obtained by Rep. Chin Young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), an official at the Korean Consulate General in Istanbul was indicted in July for allegedly embezzling government funds worth about 30 million won ($26,000). The official was also found to have used funds of the consulate general for personal purchases of food and nutritional supplements. The official made an administrative worker exclude personal purchases in reports, and allegedly shouted at and threatened the staff member through violent behavior when orders were not followed. However, neither the consul general nor the ministry was aware of the situation until after the official returned to Seoul. This is because smaller diplomatic offices abroad are not properly monitored, Chin said. According to ministry data, 61 locations out of 183 have been monitored by the ministry since 2016 up until August this year which is only about a third. A ministry official said the Board of Audit and Inspection also conducts inspections, and added "the ministry conducts inspections every three years on the overseas offices but lacks personnel to inspect all of the locations." Regarding the matter, Rep. Chin proposed "The ministry should not only strengthen monitoring but draw up measures that would protect whistleblowers and reward those who report irregularities." According to data obtained by Rep. Park Byeong-seug of the DPK, a senior official at the Korean Embassy in Pakistan was summoned to Seoul due to sexual harassment allegations in July. The male official invited a junior female colleague over to his home while his wife was away and attempted physical contact with her. Meanwhile, an official dispatched to the Korean Embassy in India was also found to have harassed another female colleague. The officials, who have been called back to Seoul, are awaiting measures by a disciplinary committee. These cases occurred despite measures the ministry employed last year to prevent sexual misconduct at overseas diplomatic offices. "The ministry enforced measures to prevent sexual misconduct after the former Korean ambassador to Ethiopia committed sexual abuse in 2015, but the measures appear to fall short of serving their purpose," Park said. Last year, the former ambassador to Ethiopia and another official were dismissed due to sexual misconduct. Data obtained by Rep. Lee Seok-hyun of the DPK shows half of the 12 cases in which foreign ministry officials faced disciplinary action involved sexual misconduct. Among the six cases there was an official who habitually recorded women with hidden cameras. In the past five years, there were five cases in which foreign ministry officials faced disciplinary action in 2014, seven in 2015, 17 in 2016, 12 in 2017 and 11 cases up until August this year. "Sexual misconduct by foreign ministry officials damaged the reputation of Korea in the countries in which they are based," Lee said, stressing the need to prevent such cases from occurring. Regarding misconduct of officials, the foreign ministry stated it has been seeking to better monitor diplomatic offices by establishing a department in charge of such affairs within the ministry in April this year. It planned to inspect six overseas offices last month, and plans to inspect eight more this month and next. The ministry will also aim to protect those who report irregularities, it said. The statement was made by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong at a reception in Hanoi on October 6 for Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, who is leading a high-ranking delegation from Laos to the funeral of former Party General Secretary Do Muoi. PM Thongloun Sisoulith conveyed the deep condolences of the Lao Party, State, National Assembly, Government and Front for National Construction to the Vietnamese counterparts over the passing of the former General Secretary. He appreciated the great contributions made by former Party General Secretary Do Muoi to the struggle for national independence as well as the cause of building, developing and defending the country. His passing is not only a great loss to the Party, State and people of Vietnam and his families, but also a loss of a close friend to the Lao Party, State and people. The Lao PM affirmed that the Party, State and people of Laos will forever preserve and foster the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong sincerely thanked the Lao Party, National Assembly, Government and Front for National Construction for sending condolences over the passing of former Party General Secretary Do Muoi, senior delegations of the Lao Party and State to pay tribute to the former Party chief at the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos, and especially a high-level delegation led by PM Thongloun Sisoulith to Vietnam to attend the funeral of the leader. This reflects the faithful, pure and rare special solidarity between the Parties, States and people of the two countries, as well as the sentiments of the Lao Party, State and people towards former Party General Secretary Do Muoi, he stressed. By Lee Min-young Police have arrested a man who fired more than 10 shots from a BB gun in an attempt to disrupt a feminist group protest. Earlier on Oct. 6 near Hyehwa Subway station, the man, a student in his 20s, fired the shots during a protest by about 6,000 people against the judiciary's leniency toward men in its rulings on sexual assault cases. The man was immediately taken into custody. No injuries were reported. The protesters targeted what they claim is police discrimination against women. The protesters say that police act promptly in sexual assault cases where women are suspects, while dragging their feet when men are suspects. They also pointed out it took more than a decade to shut down SoraNet, a porn site where illicitly filmed footage of women was shared among male users. By Joschka Fischer BERLIN There are only a few months left until the United Kingdom formally exits the European Union. So far, the debate about Brexit has been framed mainly in economic terms. Should the U.K. crash out of the bloc without a mutual exit agreement, the damage will likely be significant. And, as matters stand, such an agreement is far from assured. A "hard Brexit" would mean that at 11:00 p.m. (GMT) on March 29, 2019, the U.K.'s membership in all EU treaties such as the customs union and single market and international trade agreements concluded by the EU would end. Great Britain would become merely a third party, with far-reaching consequences for EU trade not least chaos at the U.K. border. But Brexit will of course have far-reaching political consequences, too. In terms of its day-to-day affairs, the EU is largely perceived as a common market and customs union. But at its core, it is a political project based on a specific idea about the European system of states. This idea not the economics of the matter is what Brexit is really about. And it is why the U.K.'s decision to leave the EU with or without an exit agreement will have a profound impact on the 21st century European order. The slim majority of Britons who voted for "Leave" in the 2016 referendum weren't concerned with economic wealth, but with reclaiming full political sovereignty. They define sovereignty not in terms of objective facts about Britain's present or future, but in terms of Britain's past as a global power during the 19th century. Never mind that the U.K. is now a medium-size European power with little to no chance of ever becoming a global player again be it inside or outside the EU. If the rest of the continent were to follow the British example and opt for the 19th over the 21st century, the EU would disintegrate. Each country would be forced back into a cumbersome system of sovereign states struggling for supremacy and constantly checking one another's ambitions. Under such conditions, European countries would lack any real power, and thus would be retired from the world stage for good. Europe, torn between Transatlanticism and Eurasianism, would become easy prey for the non-European major powers of the 21st century. In a worst-case scenario, Europe might even become an arena for the larger powers' fights. Europeans would no longer determine their own future; their fate would be decided elsewhere. The old, declining European order of the 19th century originally emerged out of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). The medieval system that preceded it, based on a universal church and empire, perished during the Reformation. After a series of religious wars and the establishment of strong territorial powers, it was replaced by the "Westphalian system" of sovereign states. During the next few centuries, Europe ruled the world, and Britain itself was the dominant European power. Yet the Westphalian system was destroyed by the two world wars of the first half of the 20th century both of which were in fact European wars for world domination. When the guns fell silent in 1945, the Europeans even the victorious European allies had effectively lost their sovereignty. The Westphalian system was replaced by the Cold War bipolar order, wherein sovereignty rested with the two non-European nuclear powers: the United States and the Soviet Union. The EU was conceived as an attempt to regain European sovereignty peacefully, by pooling the national interests of European states. The goal of this effort has always been to prevent a relapse into the old system of power rivalries, reciprocal alliances, and hegemonic head butting. And the key to success has been a continental system based on economic, political, and legal integration. Brexit has thrown the material implications of this level of integration into sharp relief. Over the course of the U.K.'s negotiations with the EU, an old problem has re-emerged: the Irish question. Once the Republic of Ireland and the U.K. both belonged to the EU, the impetus for Irish reunification disappeared, and the decades-long civil war between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland could be put to rest. The practical realities of EU integration meant that it no longer mattered which country Northern Ireland belonged to. But with Brexit throwing history into reverse, the specters of the past are threatening to return. Europeans should watch the Irish issue closely, because there is even more potential for a return of such conflicts on the continent. A new world order is emerging, and it will be centered around the Pacific, not the Atlantic. Europe has one and only one chance to manage this historic transition. The old European nation-states will be no match for the new competition unless they are united. And even then, achieving European sovereignty will require a massive and concentrated effort of political will and ingenuity. Yearning for a glorious past is the last thing that will help Europeans confront the challenge they face. The past, by its very nature, is over. With or without the U.K., Europe must see to its future. Joschka Fischer, Germany's foreign minister and vice chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader of the German Green Party for almost 20 years. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org). By Trudy Rubin Early last month, Steve Bannon the man who designed Donald Trump's America first strategy in 2016 scored a win for his newest political crusade: to forge a continent-wide populist movement that will triumph in European Parliament elections next May. In his first enlistment of a major European leader, Bannon convinced Matteo Salvini, the most powerful politician in Italy's new nationalist-populist government, to sign up with his Brussels-based project, known as the Movement. Bannon's goal: to meld Europe's diverse nationalist and populist parties into a broad alliance that will undo the European Union. Having been ousted from the White House, Bannon believes Europe is ripe for a political tsunami that builds on populist gains within individual countries. He views a takeover of the EU parliament as the path to remaking or dissolving it. Down that road lie economic and political chaos, the further weakening of America's key allies, and a potential slide toward illiberal democracy in several European countries. At a conference in Budapest in May, Bannon proclaimed: "The populist nationalist revolt is about a year ahead in Europe than in the United States." He believes tea party-style populism is a global phenomenon on the upswing. So, as Americans debate the impact of populism at home, it's worth paying attention to Bannon's maneuvers in Europe over the coming eight months. Italy is a good place to start. A former radio disc jockey, Salvini heads the nationalist, anti-immigrant League party in a coalition with a strange internet-based party known as the Five Star Movement. The new government is hostile to the European Union, is pro-Russia, and has a distinctly Trumpian attitude toward the media. Salvini has 3.2 million followers on Facebook and 880,400 on Twitter and imitates Trump with constant, offensive nuggets. The Five Star Movement, for its part, was notorious for spreading fake news and conspiracy theories on its network of websites. Meantime, the coalition government has appointed an Infowars, Alex Jones-style conspiracy theorist to head its public TV station. I asked the distinguished Italian journalist Lucia Annunziata what use Bannon was to Salvini and the new Italian government. "They get celebrity from Bannon," she replied swiftly. "They say we can use him, as he uses us." She added that Bannon, and Trump, had already had a stimulating effect on populist parties that were once derided in Europe. "Trump provided a change of atmosphere, the template to say this is how it is done, how it can work," she said. "He provided a major inspiration, a change of mood." As for Bannon: "He's the guy who has galvanized the nationalist, sovereignty-first movements." Although he failed in prior efforts to organize a social-media empire in Europe, "he is a good manipulator." Moreover, says Annunziata, "The idea of transnational lists (to run in the European Parliament) is popular now." Bannon could help Europe's populist parties form an alliance that ran a single list, while offering them the expertise in polling, data analytics, and voter turnout he provided to Trump. The elections for the European Parliament, with which many Americans are unfamiliar, "will redefine Europe," says the Italian journalist. They will pit two sets of leaders with opposing ideologies against each other. On one side, led by France's Emmanuel Macron, will be those who defend liberal democracy, rule of law, and a strong Europe, and want to push back Chinese and Russian meddling. On the other side will be the populists, such as Italy's new leaders; would-be authoritarians, such as Hungary's Viktor Orban (also wooed by Bannon); and other euro-skeptics, most of whom want to cozy up to Moscow. If a populist slate managed to win a majority, they could rewrite the rules that set up the European Union, including provisions for open borders between European countries. "The project on the left to defend Europe is weak," Annunziata admitted. Not just on the left, but on the center-left and center-right. A look around Europe makes clear why Bannon is ebullient. Britain is heading toward the March 29 deadline for a Brexit from Europe, without any domestic agreement on an exit plan. All the cheery economic promises made to voters by Brexit supporters have proven false, but no one yet knows how to stop the process. And there's no guarantee that a second referendum, if held, would yield a different result. Meantime, Germany's Angela Merkel, a strong EU defender, is seriously weakened by political challenges within her own party. The nationalist-populist Alternative fur Deutschland party is now the main opposition and gaining strength. None of the above guarantees Bannon's project will take off. He failed to raise funds for an earlier effort to set up a media operation in Europe similar to Breitbart, the gadfly website he once ran in America. His bragging often outstrips his means. Moreover, some European populist parties will be reluctant to associate with any movement led by an American. However, if he succeeds, Bannon's Movement could change the face of Europe and prove that the populist trend is truly global. So put May 23 and May 29 the dates when voters will choose a new European Parliament on your calendar to watch. Trudy Rubin (trubin@phillynews.com) is a columnist and editorial-board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Her column was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. By Deauwand Myers From the most recent data, Korea ranks highest in wage disparities between men and women of all member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Korea's the worst at tackling wage parity between the sexes. Nonetheless, Korea has its successes. In less than 30 years, after the devastating bifurcation of the country in the catastrophic Korean War, wracked with poverty and a string of quasi-dictatorial president/generals, mass protests, bloody government repression of political freedoms, and surviving both the Asian financial crisis (1997) and the Great Recession (2008), on many metrics, Korea is better than the United States, the richest, most powerful nation in human history. Korea has low crime, high literacy, high attainment of tertiary education, an adequate universal healthcare system, a high life expectancy, gleaming infrastructure and low taxation. Yet, Korea's high unemployment rate for young college graduates, low wage growth, cutthroat academic competition, high suicide rate (highest of all OECD countries), and a fairly weak social welfare state (relative to its economic power) bedevils its government. The country's fairly weak social welfare state (minus healthcare) is a major contributing factor to the rest of the aforementioned problems. A more comprehensive social welfare system, one that rewards higher wages and fairer hiring practices, promotion, and remuneration of women, universal childcare, strict legislation against unpaid overtime, and better retirement benefits for the elderly, particularly elderly women, would all benefit society. Unlike America, Korea is much more like a Scandinavian country. Empirically, Korea is racially and culturally homogenous, and though there are regional and political differences, the deep strife that often comes with more diverse populations in other countries, particularly where certain groups are historically marginalized, doesn't exist in Korea. (These are generalizations, of course. Sexual minorities, religious minorities, and for this article, women, aren't treated fairly on a broad spectrum of indices.) Korean women, like women in every country on earth, outperform their male counterparts on most standardized tests, particularly college entrance exams. They are more educated and have better aptitude in every field of study we have data for, more or less. This is why, just like in America, Korean women actually are rejected more from university entrance than their male counterparts, simply to keep the male/female ratio at near-parity. This kind of male affirmative action benefits Korean men and white men more than anyone else. If women, simply on merit, particularly exam results, were allowed college entry, most universities would have anywhere from a 55 percent to 65 percent female population. I mention this now because we have seen the recent scandal of Judge Kavanaugh's rocky Supreme Court confirmation proceedings. It's alleged he was a classic frat boy, prone to drinking to excess and sexual assault. His bombastic, self-aggrandizing testimony attested to what many white men often believe to be true: They deserve all power, all access, and all glory. Kavanaugh believes his hard work, not his upper-middle class, white, male upbringing during the glory days of Reagan, is how he was accepted to Yale. Indeed, besides the usual suspects undergirding conservative political thought in America (white supremacy, sexism, misogyny, and androcentrism); there is entitlement. Worse, for white folks (especially white men) in America, like Korean men in Korea, as Dr. Ryan LeCount says in his recent study of white resentment during the Obama Era asserts, "When you're used to privilege, equity feels like oppression." Case in point: even as Korean women lobby for fairer working conditions, equal pay, and the basic dignity of not being sexually objectified and/or worse, violently exploited, some Korean men say even pointing out what any social study will tell you: Korean women aren't getting a fair shake in the broader society, is an attack against men. Cosby, Weinstein, Moonves, C.K. Louis, Lauer, Rose, An Hee-jung (the disgraced, former governor of South Chungcheong Province) the list is extensive, have come to a reckoning, to varying degrees. Yet, the current president of the United States has nearly two dozen allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault levied against him. Men commit most of the violent crime on the earth. They aren't as smart as women; nor do they work as many hours or as hard in terms of the kinds of jobs women (particularly women of color) are overrepresented in doing, including unpaid and unrecognized care of the home, children, and elderly relatives. Men control most levers of power, which is why in Korea, Japan, and America, policies that would actually help women and their families are slow, painfully slow, in coming. It's 2018, folks. Men still suck. Deauwand Myers (deauwand@hotmail.com) holds a master's degree in English literature and literary theory, and is an English professor outside Seoul. By Tong Kim The outcome of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Oct. 7 can be summarized in three areas of agreement: to hold a second U.S.-North Korea summit "as soon as possible," to form "a working group" to discuss the denuclearization process, and to continue working together toward "complete denuclearization" according to the Singapore agreement. Pompeo characterized his talks with the North's state chairman as "a good, productive conversation." While the conversation seemed to have covered several relevant issues of denuclearization, there seemed to be no negotiations on their differences. Their meeting lasted two hours, plus a luncheon. However, it signaled the significant resumption of nuclear talks between the U.S. and North Korea. After Pompeo's fourth visit to Pyongyang, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted, "I am looking forward to seeing Chairman Kim Jong-un in the near future." Both Kim and Trump want to have a second meeting. Kim seems to believe he may have a better chance to get what he wants directly from the unconventional American president. The timing and location for a second summit will likely be determined when Trump feels that the North has done enough or when he is confident that it will do more, so he can claim it as a major progress. Critics said Trump went to Singapore ill-prepared, ignoring the advice of his security team. By now, Trump should know better and more about what it takes to denuclearize North Korea. The formation of a working group indicates a return of negotiations to the "bottom up" format from "top down." The new group, likely to be headed by North Korea policy representative Stephen Biegun and his North Korean counterpart, yet to be named, will discuss the detailed arrangements for a second summit. In addition, it will be the main negotiating forum regarding the whole process of denuclearization. The North insists it will not take unilateral action without "corresponding measures" from Washington, given the mutual lack of trust. The U.S. insists on denuclearization first; while the North is sticking to a phased and synchronized process. The U.S. is firm to keep sanctions in place, refusing to grant any formal, political or security rewards such as an end-of-war declaration or a peace agreement, not to mention a normalized relationship until after the North completes denuclearization. Kim and Pompeo reportedly discussed U.S. participation in the observation of the destruction of the Tongchangri missile testing site including its launch pad. Pompeo might have raised the issue of dismantling ICBMs. They seem to have also discussed what specific "corresponding measures" Kim Jong-un had in mind to ask of the U.S. in return for his proposed dismantlement of the Yongbyon nuclear complex. In the meantime, Washington seems to have backed down on the timeline of denuclearization, after its earlier, unsuccessful attempt to frame it within a year or sooner. Kim Jong-un has mentioned a timeline by the end of Trump's current term in office January 2021. Last week, Pompeo said he was not playing "a time game." Trump had said it would not matter if it takes two or three years. On the other hand, the North has rejected the U.S. demand for a complete, verifiable declaration of its nuclear arsenal. Last week, the South Korean foreign minister suggested that the U.S. consider an exchange of an end-of-war declaration with the North's proposed destruction of the core nuclear facilities at Yongbyon, instead of demanding a verifiable list of nuclear weapons and facilities. President Moon has been pushing for a declaration ending the war as an "entry step" to a broader and binding peace regime. Moon said he and Kim share the view such a declaration will not affect the presence of U.S. troops or the ROK-U.S. alliance. Moon and Kim have virtually declared an end to the war and a non-aggression pact. On Oct. 2, the Korea Central News Agency published a commentary that an end-of-war declaration should not be a "bargaining chip" for denuclearization, saying that North Korea will not take further steps under the pressure of sanctions. This position was confirmed by Pyongyang's foreign minister Ri Yong-ho, when he told the U.N. General Assembly last month that his country would "never unilaterally denuclearize without corresponding U.S. measures that will give us confidence," including the lifting of sanctions. It appears that Pyongyang has shifted the focal point of its demand from a war ending declaration to an easing of sanctions as a pressing corresponding measure it seeks from Washington. Future progress will depend more on the tangible reduction of sanctions than on political statements. Tong Kim (tong.kim8@yahoo.com) is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Corean-American Studies. Today is Tuesday, October 9, the 282nd day of 2018. There are 83 days left in the year. 1635 Religious dissident Roger Williams banished from Mass Bay Colony 1701 Collegiate School of Ct (Yale U), chartered in New Haven 1776 Mission Dolores founded by SF Bay 1820 Guayaquil, Ecuador declares its freedom from Ecuador 1837 Steamboat "Home" sinks off Okracoke NC killing 100 1855 Joshua Stoddard of Worcester, Mass patents 1st calliope 1888 Public admitted to Washington Monument 1915 Woodrow Wilson becomes first president to attend a world series game (World Series #12) Huawei is being treated as a national security threat in some countries over its ties to the Chinese government. Reuters By Jung Min-ho Bates Gill. The United States, Britain, Australia and now Japan. Huawei, a Chinese telecoms equipment maker, is facing severe restrictions over its ties to the Chinese government. On Aug. 23, the Australian government decided to block the company from rolling out 5G technology on the country's wireless networks, due to national security concerns. Now Japan's government is considering doing the same. Meanwhile, Korea's No. 3 mobile carrier LG Uplus is set to buy 5G network equipment from Huawei for its latest mobile services. Should Koreans be worried? Experts say they are right to be cautious. "The future 5G network is considered critical infrastructure. As such, insider knowledge of the 5G network which its builders and operators would possess could not only provide access to sensitive information within the system, such as transport and energy grids, water supplies, financial and banking services, but also allow those builders and operators to disrupt those systems if they chose to," Bates Gill, professor of Asia-Pacific security studies at Sydney's Macquarie University, told The Korea Times. Shambhu Upadhyaya By Jun Ji-hye Concerns are growing here over the possible leaking of the country's industrial technologies and other critical intellectual properties to China amid a controversy over a Chinese military unit's alleged installation of tiny microchips into computer servers of almost 30 U.S. companies, including Amazon and Apple. Bloomberg Businessweek's report on China's alleged use of tiny chips to infiltrate U.S. companies The allegedly compromised hardware was sold by California-based Supermicro Computer, one of the world's biggest suppliers of server motherboards, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Servers from Supermicro, the Taiwanese-American founded IT firm, are also widely used in Korea by state-run research institutes, including the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), as well as financial institutions and large companies such as Samsung and LG. The tiny chips, which were reportedly developed by a computer attack unit of the People's Liberation Army, were installed in the motherboards of servers on a production line in China. The Bloomberg report said, "China's spies appear to have found a perfect conduit for what U.S. officials now describe as the most significant supply chain attack known to have been carried out against American companies." This raised the suspicion that the chips have been used to collect intellectual properties and trade secrets of American companies. A number of Korean companies and institutions have been using Chinese IT products as they are believed to be cost effective. By Baek Byung-yeul AhnLab CEO Kwon Chi-jung By Jun Ji-hye Huawei is willing to comply with any of the Korean government's requests to verify security issues surrounding its network equipment, the company said Monday, in an apparent attempt to resolve doubts about its products. Huawei Korea's CEO Shawn Meng The Chinese company said its products and systems are currently used by global mobile carriers and companies in more than 170 countries and regions, stressing that it has been doing its best to offer tight cybersecurity. "There have been no questions raised about this," the company said in a statement, noting that the firm is abiding by rules and regulations of each region in which it does business. It said if a government or company raises any questions about security, it can take measures in accordance with the situation. During the working trip, the NA leader will attend the third Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries Parliaments (MSEAP 3) and visit Turkey at the invitation of Chairman of the State Duma of Russia Vyacheslav Volodin and Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea Moon Hee-sang, who are co-chairs of MSEAP, and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Binali Yildirim. Welcoming NA Chairwoman Ngan and her entourage at the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul were Vietnamese Ambassador to Turkey Pham Anh Tuan and Vice Governor of Istanbul Bahattin Atci. MSEAP is a Eurasian parliamentary cooperation mechanism initiated by the Chairman of the State Duma of Russia and the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. The annual meeting offers a chance for legislative bodies in the region to coordinate for action and improve the role of parliamentary diplomacy. The final document of MSEAP is the Joint Statement signed by heads of the participating delegations. Vietnam took part in its first edition in Russia in 2016 and the second meeting in the RoK in 2017. This years event will convene in Antalya, Turkey under the theme Economic Cooperation, Environment and Sustainable Development in Eurasia. At MSEAP 3, the NA Chairwoman will deliver a speech at the general debate while other members of the Vietnamese delegation will take part in other activities within the framework of the meeting. Vietnams presence at the event shows its active and responsible engagement in multilateral parliamentary diplomacy and continues promoting its role as a player in regional and global parliamentary cooperation mechanisms. Following MSEAP 3, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan will begin an official visit to Turkey. This is the first visit made by a top legislator of Vietnam and also the highest-level visit to Turkey. During the visit, the top Vietnamese legislator will hold talks with her Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim and meet with senior leaders of the host country, as well as attend a Vietnam-Turkey business and investment seminar which is expected to draw nearly 30 Vietnamese businesses and about 100 Turkish ones. The visit is of great significance as it aims to continue consolidating and strengthening Vietnams friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Turkey in the context of the two countries celebrating the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2018. It also marks a new milestone in the relationship between the two legislatures. Freely accessible local news is vital. Please power our reporters and help keep us independent with a donation today. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Happy Indigenous Peoples Day! Take part in a day-long celebration in DTLA. For the foodies, there's a mezcal dinner, a "porktoberfest," an edible extras fundraiser and a discussion on women and kitchen culture in L.A. If you need a good laugh (and who doesn't?), check out a diversity in comedy festival, a live read of Ed Wood's "Plan 9 from Outer Space" or the launch of "Wet Hot American Summer's" annotated script. MONDAY, OCT. 8; 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. The Inaugural Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration in Los Angeles Civic Center -- 200 N. Spring St., downtown L.A. L.A. city and county have teamed up for the inaugural Indigenous Peoples Day celebration, taking place all day at both City Hall and Grand Park. The festivities include a sunrise ceremony, 5K run, parade of nations, Native American powwow, fashion show, panel discussions and closing performance by Native American rock group Redbone. COST: FREE admission; MORE INFO TUESDAY, OCT. 9; 7 p.m. Hecho Con Agave Dinner Series Tallula's -- 118 Entrada Dr., Santa Monica The Mezcal Vago dinner includes a five-course Oaxacan-inspired meal by executive chef Saw Naing in the restaurant's private dining room. Dishes include chicharrones with chapulines salsa; carnitas tamale wrapped in hoja santa with pork consomme; carne asada with a beet, tamarind & chipotle sauce. Each dish will be paired with a different mezcal; Mezcal Vago co-founder Judah Kuper will be on hand to discuss his family's history with mezcal. COST: $95 per person; MORE INFO TUESDAY, OCT. 9; 6:30 p.m. Santa Monica Review Annenberg Community Beach House -- 415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica Santa Monica College celebrates the 30th anniversary issue of "Santa Monica Review," the college's national literary arts journal, with a Beach=Culture reading. Listen to stories and excerpts from "Review" contributors Stephen Cooper, David Ulin, Steve De Jarnatt and Katya Apekina. COST: FREE; MORE INFO TUESDAY, OCT. 9; 7:30 p.m. King Lear LACMA -- 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire Film at LACMA screens the latest Shakespeare adaptation starring Sir Anthony Hopkins. Set in an alternate 21st century, the 80-year-old king divides his kingdom among his three daughters based on their affection for him. Stick around for a Q&A with Hopkins, director Richard Eyre and executive producer Colin Callender. COST: FREE, standby only; MORE INFO TUESDAY, OCT. 9; 6 - 9 p.m. Chefs to the Rescue Long Beach Masonic Lodge -- 3610 Locust Ave., Long Beach The nonprofit Food Finders challenges local chefs to create "edible extras," which are tasting samples and small plates made from rescued, recovered or repurposed food that would generally be tossed away. Participating chefs include Raquel Jubran from Lasher's Kitchen in Long Beach; Alfonso Ramirez from Catal in downtown Disney; AC Boral from Rice and Shine in Long Beach; and Samone Keo of Delightful Crepes Cafe. COST: $45; MORE INFO WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10; 7:30 p.m. Scandal: The Trial of Mary Astor Hollywood Heritage Museum -- 2100 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the museum present a documentary by film scholar Alexa L. Foreman. The film recounts the 1936 child custody trial of movie star Mary Astor and the fallout after the release of her private diaries. COST: $7.50 - $15; MORE INFO 'Wet Hot American Summer' is a cult classic. There's a launch party this week for the release of its annotated screenplay with director David Wain. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10; 7 p.m. 'Wet Hot American Summer' Book Release Celebration UCBT Sunset -- 5419 W. Sunset Blvd., East Hollywood Celebrate the release of the cult classic's annotated screenplay with behind-the-scenes notes and commentary from co-writers Michael Showalter and David Wain (who also directed the film). Wain hosts the evening and he'll be joined by a few cast members. Live music by Craig Wedren and the WHAS band. A book signing with Wain follows. COST: $5; MORE INFO WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10; 7 p.m. Mycroft and Sherlock Vroman's Bookstore -- 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena Lakers great Kareem Abdul Jabbar and screenwriter Anna Waterhouse present and sign "MyCroft and Sherlock," the follow-up to their first book, "Mycroft Holmes," which focused on Sherlock's older brother. This time, the authors reimagine the brothers' adventures and Sherlock's first case. COST: FREE; MORE INFO Lien Ta of Koreatown's Here's Looking at You talks about her career, foods and L.A.'s restaurant culture at the Skirball Cultural Center. (Image: Mussel chowda, courtesy of Here's Looking at You/Facebook) WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10; 7:30 p.m. Women and the Kitchen Skirball Cultural Center -- 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Brentwood This is the first installment of a three-part series that examines the "intersection of gender and L.A.'s restaurant culture." Food historian Lara Rabinovitch interviews Lien Ta of Koreatown's Here's Looking at You about her career, the politics of kitchens and her food. Attendees will also get a chance to sample her vittles. COST: $25 ($15 for Skirball members); MORE INFO TUESDAY, OCT. 9; 8:30 p.m. Hollywood Shorts Ford Theatres -- 2580 Cahuenga Blvd East, Hollywood The monthly series has been screening American and international short live-action and animation films for the past 20 years. On the program: "Bebe" by Ryan Zaragoza, "Magic Alps" by Andrea Brusa and Marco Scotuzzi, "Panic Attack!" by Eileen O'Meara and "Sam Did It" by Dominic Burgess. Get there early for a filmmaker happy hour at 7 p.m. and stay for the brief Q&A that follows. Bonus: Popcorn and parking are included in the ticket price. COST: $10; MORE INFO WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10; 8:30 - 10 p.m. Asian Gracefully The Clubhouse (Main Stage) -- 1607 N. Vermont Ave., East Hollywood Woody Fu's scripted, solo show about growing up not white makes its L.A. debut. The comedy tackles immigrant hoarders, turning into your parents and how the Asian male is the most marginalized group on PornHub. The night also features stand-up from from Sheng Wang ("Fresh Off the Boat"). COST: FREE; MORE INFO THURSDAY, OCT. 11; 8 p.m. Dana Gould - A reading of Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space Largo at the Coronet -- 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Grove Arguably the B-movie director's greatest work, Ed Wood brought an alien invasion and resurrected corpses to the San Fernando Valley for the 1959 film. Comedian Dana Gould assembles comics for a live read including Bobcat Goldthwait, David Koechner, Laraine Newman, Kevin MacDonald and Matt Braunger. COST: $30+ fees; MORE INFO THURSDAY, OCT. 11; 6:30 p.m. Porktoberfest| Five Crowns & SideDoor -- 3801 East Coast Hwy., Corona Del Mar The seventh annual event offers a five-course, pork-centric meal. Each course is paired with a beer from Firestone Walker Brewing, including the limited edition Barrel Aged Stout. Call for reservations: 949-717-4322. COST: $120; MORE INFO THURSDAY, OCT. 11 - SUNDAY, OCT. 14 ReelAbilities Film Festival: Los Angeles 2018 Various locations throughout L.A. This film festival started in New York 10 years ago and is held yearly in multiple cities. It comes to L.A. for the first time, screening films that promote the stories of people with different abilities. The opening night film (by invite only) is "The Rider." Written and directed by Chloe Zhao, the 2017 film follows a young cowboy after he suffers a near fatal head injury and searches for a new identity and what it means to be a man. The festival closes with "Sanctuary," a comedy-romance about two people with intellectual disabilities who fall in love; by doing so, they're breaking the law in Ireland. The festival also includes workshops and panel discussions. COST: $10 per screening; MORE INFO See the designs that get CANstructed out of canned goods in Long Beach, beginning Oct. 11. (Photo: CANstruction Long Beach) THURSDAY, OCT. 11 - SUNDAY, OCT. 21 CANstruction Landmark Square Building -- 111 W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach The fifth annual event combines a canned food drive with a building competition. Beginning at 8 a.m. on Thursday, participating teams build structures -- up to 10x10x10 -- made entirely out of canned goods. This year's theme is "The CAN-dy Store" and the structures are expected to bring canned goods totaling more than 15,000 lbs. Visitors are encouraged to bring canned goods to vote for their favorite structure. All the food collected will be donated a local nonprofit. COST: FREE; MORE INFO THURSDAY, OCT. 11; 8 p.m. SILENCE! The Musical Let Live Theatre (at The Actors Company) -- 916 N. Formosa Ave., Fairfax Hannibal Lecter sings and dances in between dreaming about fava beans and chianti in this unauthorized parody of "The Silence of the Lambs." The Bucket List Theatre turns one of the scariest films into comedy and naughty satire, even featuring a singing and dancing chorus of lambs narrating the action. The production runs Thursdays through Saturdays to Nov. 3. COST: $35; MORE INFO THURSDAY, OCT. 11 - SUNDAY, OCT. 14 2018 Los Angeles Diversity in Comedy Festival Various locations around L.A. Move over Louis C.K. The Second City Hollywood presents its third annual festival focusing on new voices and perspectives in comedy. The weekend features shows, panels and workshops. The festival opens with a party at the tiki bar Lono in Hollywood on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. The Black Version returns to headline Friday night at King King. COST: Varies; MORE INFO How are you spending your week? Let us know on Twitter @christineziemba and @LeoHasACat. You made it! Congrats, you read the entire story, you gorgeous human. This story was made possible by generous people like you. Independent, local journalism costs $$$$$. And now that LAist is part of KPCC, we rely on that support. So if you aren't already, be one of us! Help us help you live your best life in Southern California. Donate now. Freely accessible local news is vital. Please power our reporters and help keep us independent with a donation today. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe LADYIST IS SEX ED FOR GROWN WOMEN. OUR SEXPERTS ARE ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS THAT HEALTH CLASS NEVER FULLY EXPLAINED. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR SEXUAL OR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH? ASK US HERE. Of course you have. But we know that a lot of you don't use them consistently. We know this because Americans keep breaking our own records when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases. Rates of transmission hit a record high in the U.S. for the fourth year in a row in 2017, with nearly 2.3 million diagnosed cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. It doesn't have to be this way, as you know. Used correctly and consistently, condoms can prevent many sexually transmitted diseases. So please enjoy this prophylactic refresher. We know you know this stuff. But maybe you don't, because see above with those statistics. A CONDOM IS MAYBE THE EASIEST THING TO FIND EVER IS IT ON BACKWARDS? YOU COULD REALLY, REALLY, REALLY GET AN STD California is slightly outpacing the rest of the country for the rates of the most common STD's. Between 2013 and 2017, the number of gonorrhea and syphilis cases in L.A. County nearly doubled. Chlamydia is three times more common among young women in California than it is among their male counterparts. Doctors are finding fewer antibiotics work to treat gonorrhea. In 2017, California only trailed Louisiana and Nevada for the rate of babies being born with syphilis. The disease puts infants at risk of serious deformity or illness, and it can kill them. SOMETIMES NO SYMPTOMS ARE THE SYMPTOMS So get tested. The most common STD's have no symptoms. You can have syphilis, gonorrhea or chlamydia without seeing any symptoms in the short term, but over time they can cause major health problems. (Illustration by Stephanie Kraft/LAist) Deborah J., a nurse practitioner for Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, says that's why she recommends all sexually active adults "get a baseline" and get retested if you change partners. "Then, get tested once a year or if you're concerned," she said. You might be having unusual symptoms, or you're unsure about a sex partner. "Maybe they may have other partners that you're not aware of," she said. Deborah gives this advice to women who have sex with women, too. "You're at lower risk [of contracting STD's], but you're not bulletproof," she said. Nourbese Flint is policy director for the L.A.-based nonprofit Black Women for Wellness. She would like to see more STD testing included in regular checkups. Some women feel stigmatized when they ask for STD screenings, she said. "People feel a little judged," said Flint. When young women ask to be screened for STD's, Flint said sometimes they get questions like, "Well, are you engaging in risky sex?" Health care providers need more training on how to talk to their patients in a way that will make them feel safer to talk about sexual health, she said. And Flint added that doctors could do a better job of clarifying that anyone could have an STD and not be aware of it. She works to empower young women of color to stand up for themselves when they feel judged in this way. "I'm just trying to check for myself. Or I don't know what's going on. My partner may be with other folks. I just want to know," said Flint. Once you're tested, if you do have a bacterial infection, like chlamydia or syphilis, it can be treated with antibiotics. Your sexual partners should also be treated, for everyone's safety. "Sometimes what we see is the woman will have an infection, she will come in, get tested and treated, but then go back to the partner," said Lea Morgan, head of the HIV/STD program for Riverside University Health System. "Now, unless the partner's also tested and treated, that woman will be reinfected." WRITE YOUR OWN "SEXUAL CONSTITUTION" That means deciding ahead of time what type of sex you're willing to have, with whom, and with what precautions, and "sticking with that," Morgan said. Every woman should ask herself two questions after being treated for an STD or having a test come back negative, Morgan said: "How am I going to stay that way? What am I going to do to keep myself healthy?" Deborah J. added, "preventive maintenance is better than problem resolution." She understands that insisting on condom use can be hard and recognizes that many women feel cultural pressure not to speak up about it. "I think women are not given that opportunity often enough," said Deborah J. "We kind of feel like the man has to make the decision." She recommends women always have a condom just in case, saying,"you never know when you're going to need it." In some cases, being prepared can be complicated. In her work with young Angelenos, Flint said young people often use condoms when they have them, but they can feel embarrassed trying to get them from under lock and key at a drug store. She also commonly hears an attitude that going without a condom is a proof of loyalty. "We're really in a relationship together, and I really trust this person," Flint said young people have told her. She said she tells young women, "protecting yourself against chlamydia and gonorrhea is not about your love, it is about you protecting your health. If your partner really, truly loves you, they will be willing to engage in safe sex practices." You made it! Congrats, you read the entire story, you gorgeous human. This story was made possible by generous people like you. Independent, local journalism costs $$$$$. And now that LAist is part of KPCC, we rely on that support. So if you aren't already, be one of us! Help us help you live your best life in Southern California. Donate now. Freely accessible local news is vital. Please power our reporters and help keep us independent with a donation today. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe If you've been watching the coverage aimed at key California congressional districts, it's hard to sort out where things stand in the Democrats' efforts to push out incumbent GOP representatives and the Republicans' efforts to fight back. Across the country, the battle comes down to 23 seats. That's the magic number of races Democrats would need to win to take control of the U.S House of Representatives. To help you get a sense of where voters stand, KPCC has partnered with The New York Times and Siena College on a live poll that covers the four key congressional districts in Southern California. It's part of the Times' larger effort to track likely voters in the most competitive House and Senate races nationwide. Here's what you may want to know about the polling: Q: What stands out about The New York Times poll? Pollsters surveyed likely voters in the 25th, 45th, 48th and 49th congressional districts. Three of those districts are largely in Orange County, and a fourth is in northern Los Angeles County with a few voters in Ventura County. These are all intensely close battles between Democrats and Republicans that could go either way. The polling results thus far seem to match what analysts watching these races have found, with one exception -- that's in the 45th Congressional District, where Mimi Walters, a Republican incumbent, is facing Democratic challenger Katie Porter. Q: What do results look like in that race? The Times polling shows Porter up by 5 percentage points, with 8 percent of likely voters undecided. As a point of comparison, The Cook Political Report, which offers nonpartisan analysis of the districts, has rated that seat as a Republican toss-up, giving a slight edge to Walters. Q: What's different about The New York Times polling? Theirs is a live poll, which means during the period when voters are called, the results are updated in real time as the answers come in. Voters were contacted on cell phones and landlines in both English and Spanish. The sample is also weighted to match estimates for the district's likely electorate. Don Levy, director of the Siena College Research Institute who manages the live-polling operation, explained the approach: "The idea came from, could we pull back the curtain on polling? Could we show people how hard it is? How many people you have to call before you conduct an interview? And then, how those interviews move from a series of questions to an estimate," Levy said. By "estimate," he means an approximation of how people feel about each candidate. If you live in one of these congressional districts and want to do a deeper dive, the Times put the results in context for you. You can see the links to results of other polls all in one place and read about how they arrived at the results, including caveats about the poll methodology to take into account. In districts like the 45th congressional, the Times also asked voters about issues like health care. In the 48th, where pro-Putin Republican Dana Rohrabacher is seeking re-election, voters were asked about Russian issues, among others. Here are the district results: The first round of live polling for the four districts has finished, and a second round will begin in mid-October. Additional California Congressional districts are expected to be included at that time, according to Levy. Q: We've been talking about the NYT polling of congressional races. What other polls are worth watching? A good approach is to look at many polls -- and there are many out there. Special interest groups and campaigns are running their own polls. There are also more traditional public polls taking place, like those conducted by UC Berkeley's Institute for Governmental Studies and the Public Policy Institute of California. Q: What tips do you have for getting ready to vote? What are other good voting and election resources? Our Voter Game Plan is a great place to start if you're a first-time voter or a veteran voter doing research on candidates and measures. If you have a question, just email humanvoterguide@kpcc.org or text us by sending "VOTE" to 626-314-6135. Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified one of the Congressional distrcts as the 49th, Rohrabacher and Rouda are competing in the 48th. LAist regrets the error. Get ready for the Nov. 6 election. Here at LAist, we want to make sure Angelenos have all the information they need to cast their votes. To get prepped on deadlines, candidates and ballot measures, check out our Voter Game Plan. And if you liked this election guide, consider supporting us! You can donate here. Freely accessible local news is vital. Please power our reporters and help keep us independent with a donation today. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe By Sandra Oshiro and Mary Plummer It's hard to imagine anyone is still dithering on who to vote for after Monday's radio debate between the two candidates vying to replace Gov. Jerry Brown. In their only scheduled post-primary faceoff, Democrat Gavin Newsom and Republican John Cox made their differences clear on key issues ranging from the border wall to the gas tax increase. If you do nothing else to bone up on your choice before casting your ballot Nov. 6, listen to a replay of the hour-long and wide-ranging conversation moderated by KQED senior political editor Scott Shafer. Meanwhile, here's a breakdown on the candidates' stands on key issues: IT'S EXPENSIVE HERE Newsom named wealth disparity as a top concern as he considers how he'll govern, which appears likely if the polls hold true. Under that umbrella, he listed housing, homelessness and healthcare, which he said is "devouring the state budget." Cox hammered away on the high cost of living in California, blaming the Democrats in power for failing to address the issues that he said are forcing people out of the state. HOUSING HELL Cox, a businessman and developer, said the cost of building in other states is a fourth or a fifth of that inside California. He called for eliminating and replacing CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, that he said attorneys use to stop development. Newsom acknowledged California's low housing production rate. But he went after Cox for what he characterized as the Republican's lack of specific strategies to address the problem -- and touted his own proposals to incentivize local governments to create homes. He said a bit of punishment is also in order if local governments fail to meet their housing goals. PLAYING NICE Shafer asked Newsom about his past public spats with legislative leaders, including Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon over a proposed universal, single-payer health care system. Newsom suggested a bill for the idea, while Rendom raised questions about its high cost. Newsom argued that he got along with most of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and suggested that while he has had areas of disagreement in the past, he's learned from those experiences and now tries to get along to benefit the long game. Cox recognized the need for politicians to work together, although he was not asked specifically how a Republican governor might work with a solidly Democratic Legislature. Cox had his own moment of discomfort when asked asked about past conservative comments, such as disparaging remarks about transvestite teachers and gay marriage. "Those were very many years ago and I've evolved on those issues," Cox said. CRIMES AND LAW ENFORCEMENT The two also differed on bills passed by lawmakers to give the public access to internal investigations of police shootings and police camera video of the shootings. Cox said he favors transparency but opposed the bills; Newsom countered that he didn't see how his opponent could be pro-transparency while opposing the measures. They also parted company on a bail reform bill passed by lawmakers that eliminates cash bail in the state. Newsom said he intends to follow the practices of Gov. Jerry Brown in backing criminal justice reforms, including the bail measure. Cox predicted the bill would create a need for more government workers to round up defendants who don't show up in court while eliminating the private bail industry. GAS TAXES Cox and state Republicans have made a crusade out of their opposition to the recent increase in gas tax and vehicle fees for road and bridge repairs. He is backing Proposition 6, the statewide measure to roll back the increases. To address the need to pay for repairs and maintenance, Cox called for making CalTrans more efficient, citing California's high cost of repairing roads. Newsom said 27 states raised their gas taxes as California has done for road repairs and he dismissed Cox's idea that rooting out inefficiencies would alone be a viable option. KAVANAUGH AND TRUMP One of the more interesting moments in the candidates' back-and-forth came as Newsom pressed his attack on Cox's support of President Trump and the border wall. Newsom said Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will have long-term impact on California's policies on issues like reproductive rights, property rights, beach access, immigration and presidential powers. Cox dodged a question about how he would have voted on Kavanaugh. But he said he has four daughters and that Christine Blasey Ford, who accused the nominee of sexual assault when they were in high school, deserved to be believed. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegation. MORE DEBATES? Toward the end of their hour together, Cox jabbed at Newsom for the frontrunner's reluctance to sign up for more debates. Cox noted that he was open to five debates but "can't get my young friend to do that." Get ready for the Nov. 6 election. Here at LAist, we want to make sure Angelenos have all the information they need to cast their votes. To get prepped on deadlines, candidates and ballot measures, check out our Voter Game Plan. And if you liked this election guide, consider supporting us! You can donate here. Like many students, I grew up thinking that the most important books were written by white men. I mean, it only makes sense by the time I finished high school, my teachers had assigned Hemingway, Faulkner and Thoreau so often that the names were synonymous in my mind with great and important writing. When I reached college as an English major interested in American literature, the list expanded to include Roth, Updike and Pynchon. Sure, there was a sprinkling of black and Latinx works over the years, and once I even read a novel by Louise Erdrich, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. However, if the course wasnt specifically designated as ethnic literature, the occasional person-of-color text was as good as it got. But theres nothing unusual about this. Academia, like most institutions, has long allowed white men to define the American story. Every year, students take class after class in which white writers dominate the syllabus, and students of color walk away feeling like thats all that matters, like their voices are unimportant. So when I finally earned a PhD in literature and had the chance to design my own American lit class, I vowed to decolonize my syllabus. Advertisement In my role as a postdoctoral lecturer, decolonization manifested as a syllabus and classroom that centered on the writing and perspectives of Native Americans and people of color, including classic texts by Leslie Marmon Silko, Toni Morrison and Sandra Cisneros. This wasnt an attempt to diversify; I wasnt simply sprinkling in indigenous and person of color works. Instead, these voices were dominant. Author Sandra Cisneros at the L.A. Times Festival of Books in 2014. (Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times) The move was inherently political, but so is my existence as a Latinx woman with a PhD. As Chicana, I am by definition part colonizer, part colonized the product of the Spanish colonization of indigenous people. In the modern world, everything is touched by colonization (the theft of indigenous lands, genocide, enslavement and efforts to destroy non-white culture) and academia is about as colonized as you can get. Still, as someone committed to social justice, I have a duty to push against whiteness as default and whiteness as dominant, even when that means existing as a paradox. After turning in my course description and a reading list that included no white men (but two white women), I received an email from a professor in the department suggesting that I change my syllabus to include more canonical (i.e. white male) writers. (Funny I always thought Toni Morrison was canonical. But thats beside the point.) This professor explained that my reading list looked too much like that of an Ethnic American literature course, and the kicker if I wanted to look appealing on the job market, I should add more white men. Author Toni Morrison in 2012. (Timothy Greenfield Sanders / Random House) Now, these words implied a lot of things: that Great Literature is White Literature, that a course made up of mostly non-white American writers required a qualifier, that hiring committees knew all of this and felt the same way, that I cared more about the job market than my own pedagogy. But what this professors words really did was confirm that Id been right all along. Because heres the thing: I always felt a little out of place in my literature classes (and academia in general). As a Latinx woman and a first-generation college student, I grew tired of reading the same writers, the same books, the same perspectives in every class I took. While my face remained neutral, my brain was screaming OK man, I get it David Foster Wallace could write. Can we move on now? Author David Foster Wallace at New Yorker Festival in 2002. (Keith Bedford / Getty Images) It started to feel like there was no room for someone like me. I grew up in a mostly Latinx working class neighborhood, where lobster was the last thing anyone was considering (unless youre talking about a very special occasion, which could mean a trip to Red Lobster). And because of this, I stayed silent in class. These voices were interesting, sure, but they were so different from mine. I wanted to read something that reflected my experiences a little more, stories about what it felt like to live between two cultures at all times, stories about feeling overwhelmed by a society that tells you youll never be as pretty as the blond-haired, blue-eyed girls. This is one of the side effects of colonialism, one that pales in comparison but is still connected to much more critical issues like the ongoing destruction of Native lands and the deaths of unarmed black and brown people. And this was part of the reason that I wanted to create an American novel syllabus that skipped over the white dudes and instead privileged the voices of indigenous and person of color writers. I knew that there would be students like me in that crowd, and I wanted to speak to them. Furthermore, one of the great things about literature is that it cultivates our critical thinking. Given whats going on in this country, a literature class that shows us the perspectives of the very people who are erased, called criminals, illegal or worthless seems pretty important, a chance for people to think more critically about what they see in the world and the stereotypes theyve grown up hearing. If students are able to hear a different version of the story, one straight from the source, perhaps their worldviews might shift in a direction that means indigenous and black and brown people will no longer have to fight for their basic human rights. The fact is, if academia continues to uphold white men as the pinnacle of literature, theyre also continuing to uphold white supremacy. And when you teach mostly white men, you perpetuate the falsehood that only their voices matter, that only their voices shape America. So far, this kind of thinking has led us to the current mess were in. Author Celeste Ng in 2013. (Kevin Day / The Penguin Press) Instead of rearranging my syllabus to the professors recommendations, I stuck with the books Id already chosen (although I eventually added another ethnic novel, Celeste Ngs Everything I Never Told You). And guess what? My students not only appreciated it, they grew from the experience. On more than one occasion, a student of color broke down in tears, expressing that it was the first time theyd ever read something by someone like them in a university setting. And I was reminded of a young me, bursting with excitement the first time Cisneros The House on Mango Street popped up on a syllabus. I envision a future where we can list the names of indigenous and person of color writers just as fast, if not faster, than white men. Sure, Emerson had some great things to say Nature blew my mind as a teenager. But have you read Leslie Marmon Silko or LeeAnne Howe? How about Jesmyn Ward or Gloria Anzaldua or Erika Wurth or Kiese Laymon or Tarfia Faizullah? They didnt just blow my mind they changed my life. But more than that, what I hope to see with the decolonization of syllabi is a reframing of the American narrative and a return to modes of thinking and knowledge that colonization tried so hard to destroy. Im not here to teach the same thing as the majority of your literature professors. Im here to teach resistance, one book at a time. Yvette DeChavez is a writer and artist from San Antonio. Before earning a PhD in literature, she worked for the Macondo Foundation, a nonprofit organization that brings together writers committed to social change. She currently lives in Austin. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter @yvettedontlie. Nothing brings an industrys dirty little secrets to light as effectively as litigation, especially when the industry gives up those secrets voluntarily, in the service of making more profit than it could obtain by remaining silent. Consider the attack by the pharmaceutical industry on Californias new drug-pricing law, which was enacted last year as Senate Bill 17 and will fully go into effect on Jan. 1. The law was aimed at adding a bit more disclosure to one corner of the healthcare system drug prices. Gov. Brown, in signing the measure last Oct. 10, called it a step at bringing transparency, truth, exposure to a very important part of our lives, that is the cost of prescription drugs. The legislation ... requires companies to make transparent what is already transparent. Ian Spatz, Manatt Health Advertisement Big Pharma struck back quickly. In a lawsuit originally filed last Dec. 8, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (Phrma), the industrys lobbying arm, made clear that the provision its most exercised about requires drugmakers to give 60 days notice to California health programs and insurers of any drug price hike over a certain threshold, to state whether the price increase is justified by any change or improvement in the drug and, if so, to identify that change. Big Pharma doesnt care for this provision at all. The lawsuit says manufacturers would be compelled to publicly explain whether that justification applies, even when the manufacturers disagree as to the need for any justification, let alone the appropriateness of this one. If youre following the dotted line, youll see that the industry essentially says that in some cases there may not be any justification for a price increase, or at least that sometimes the reason for the increase may not be obvious even to the manufacturers themselves. The industry posed several other objections to the new law, some of them transparently fatuous. It complained that the law would restrict drug prices nationwide by forcing manufacturers to comply with Californias standard, which required advance notice and the disclosure for any price increase amounting to more than 16% over prices two years earlier. That would mean that California was sticking its nose into interstate commerce, which is unconstitutional. Phrma said SB 17 singles out drugmakers even though other participants in the healthcare system also play a role in higher medical prices; but, of course, plenty of those other participants, including hospitals and doctors, have to make extensive disclosures to state and federal regulators in the course of their work. Moreover, as state officials pointed out in their response to the lawsuit, SB 17 doesnt mandate any particular price level for any drug. And the drug lobbyists asserted that the law requires the companies implicitly to endorse a message that drug price increases are primarily or even solely responsible for patients and payers increased prescription drug costs. Thats because requiring an explanation of the increases makes them seem inherently suspicious. Phrma also argued that the law overlooks rationalization for price increases that have little to do with changes or improvements in the products themselves, such as raising capital for research, recognizing the value of a drug in generating cost savings for the healthcare system and compensating investors for assuming the enormous risks in drug development. Thats fair as far as it goes, but the truth is that the role of all those factors is widely debated. The lawsuit even trots out one of the more dubious statistics advanced by the industry, which is that the average cost of developing a new drug is $2.6 billion. As weve reported in the past, the figure is based on a Tufts University survey based on internal industry figures that arent open to public review and therefore should be regarded as suspect. Federal Judge Morrison England Jr. of Sacramento placed some of these claims within the realm of conjecture. On Aug. 28, he instructed the drugmakers to amend their lawsuit to remove Gov. Brown as a named defendant and tighten up their claims of damage. Among other things, he observed that when the lawsuit was filed, no drugmakers actually had implemented price hikes that would have been affected by the law. The plaintiffs refiled on Sept. 28, this time mentioning that several companies had imposed price increases that required them to make justification statements to which they object. The most curious aspect of Big Pharmas attack on SB 17 is its grousing about the mandated release of information that drug companies have to make public anyway, including the wholesale acquisition price of their drugs, which is the benchmark used in the law and is readily available from public sources. The legislation is clear that no reporting is required of any information that is not already in the public domain, Ian Spatz of Manatt Health observed last October, just before Gov. Brown signed the measure. It requires companies to make transparent what is already transparent. This undercuts Phrmas assertion that SB 17 infringes on drugmakers 1st Amendment rights of free speech, though the industrys real complaint is not that it has to make price hikes public, but has to do so 60 days in advance of imposing them and expose itself to public obloquy. Its proper to observe that theres considerable doubt that SB 17 will bring down drug prices, and some speculation that it could even lead to price increases if industry middlemen use the 60-day advance notices to stockpile drugs during the notice period and jack up prices to retailers, or if competing manufacturers use the notices to fix prices on their own products. The industry lawsuit makes these arguments itself. But its probably fair to say that the drug industry wouldnt be mounting this kind of attack on a state law if it thought the law would clear the way for higher prices. Whether SB 17 actually will lead to lower prices is open to question, but the drug companies plainly fear it will, and we should take them at their word. Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com. Return to Michael Hiltziks blog. PM Nguyen Xuan Phucs visit aims to show that Vietnam attaches importance to the Mekong-Japan cooperation mechanism, promote cooperation towards sustainable development and common prosperity of the region, and further strengthen the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership. In January 2007 at the 12th ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, Japan proposed a Japan-Mekong Region Partnership Programme with three priorities: (i) integrate economies of the region and beyond; (ii) expand trade and investment between Japan and the region; (iii) pursue universal values and common goals of the region. To date, Japan and the Mekong countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, have held nine summit meetings, 11 foreign ministers meetings and 10 economic ministers meetings. At these meetings, the countries reached many important agreements. Vietnam has actively participated in Mekong-Japan cooperation since the mechanism was established. With its effective contributions, Vietnam has demonstrated an increasingly important role in many major issues of the Mekong-Japan cooperation mechanism. Vietnamese ministries, sectors and localities have participated in more than 100 projects, notably the construction of Lach Huyen Deepwater Port, Terminal 2 of Noi Bai Airport O Mon and Nghi Son 2 Hydropower Plants. This Mekong-Japan Summit in Tokyo marks 10 years since the establishment of the cooperation mechanism and 3 years of implementing the Tokyo Strategy 2015. Vietnams attendance at the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit aims to affirm the countrys commitment to this cooperation mechanism, review the experiences in the past 10 years and outline major orientations and measures to further enhance the effectiveness of cooperation in the time ahead. The Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership is now at a period of fine development with many cooperation achievements in all fields. High-level meetings are frequently held, helping to enhance political trust between the two countries. Bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the Vietnam-Japan Cooperation Committee co-chaired by the two countries foreign ministers, Vietnam-Japan Strategic Partnership Dialogue on foreign policies, security and defence at the deputy foreign minister level are maintained frequently and effectively. Japan is the largest donor of official development assistance for Vietnam, its second largest foreign direct investor and fourth largest trading partner. In the first eight months of 2018, the total trade value between Vietnam and Japan reached US$24.52 billion, up 13.7% compared with the same period of 2017. Cooperation in agriculture, climate change response, education, tourism and labour between the two countries has also produced many good results. Vietnam and Japan work closely and effectively at multilateral forums such as the United Nations, APEC, ASEAN and ASEANs expanded mechanisms. 2018 is a particularly significant year in the relationship between Vietnam and Japan, marking the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the start of Vietnams term as the coordinating country in ASEAN-Japan relations. In this context, Prime Ministers Nguyen Xuan Phucs visit to Japan aims to affirm Vietnams determination to bring the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership to a new period of more comprehensive and substantive development. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs attendance at the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit and visit to Japan indicates Vietnams firm support and commitment to promoting sustainable and effective Mekong-Japan cooperation, while at the same time asserting that Vietnam always attaches importance to enhancing the extensive strategic partnership with Japan, desiring to bring the bilateral relationship to a new period of more comprehensive and substantive development, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large. About a week ago, Alex Azar, the secretary of Health and Human Services, gave credit to President Trump for bringing down premiums on Obamacare plans. The president who was supposedly trying to sabotage the Affordable Care Act has proven better at managing it than the president who wrote the law, he crowed to an audience in Tennessee. There are only two possible explanations for this remark. One is that Azar has developed into a perfect example of the species sycophantus Trumpus. The other is that hes lost the ability to do math. Heres the truth underlying Azars remark. Yes, in some states average premiums for Affordable Care Act plans will be lower next year than in 2018. But in every state, they would be even lower if not for the concerted campaign of sabotage waged by Trump and abetted by his Republican handmaidens in Congress since 2017. Advertisement The president who was supposedly trying to sabotage the Affordable Care Act has proven better at managing it than the president who wrote the law. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar Thats the conclusion to be drawn from several sources, including surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Brookings Institution and state insurance commissioners. The elements of the sabotage campaign have been well documented. They include the shrinking of the annual open enrollment period to six weeks from three months, starting last year; the expansion of access to cheaper short-term junk insurance plans that dont cover preexisting conditions; and the near-total elimination of federal funding for outreach, information and education programs that would help prospective enrollees understand the effect of those changes. The most significant change is the elimination of the individual mandate penalty starting in 2019; that will reduce the cost of going without health insurance to zero (not counting the cost of getting sick or injured without coverage). At Brookings, healthcare fellow Matthew Fiedler projected that 2019 premiums would fall by an average of 4.3% in a stable environment in which those Trumpian changes didnt happen. On average, however, theyre coming in at about a 3.26% increase, according to a running tally by ACA expert Charles Gaba. (Those increases are for unsubsidized customers; those whose income makes them eligible for subsidies may see smaller increases or no increases.) In many states rates will come down for next year, but not as much as they would without Trumps thumb on the scale. In Tennessee, where Azar offered his fact-challenged boast, rates will fall by 10.8% on average for next year, Gaba calculates. But they would have come down by 22.8% without the sabotage. The difference in hard dollars for the average unsubsidized Tennessee enrollee, Gaba reckons, would be $1,156 for the year. Some insurers have broken out the effects of the sabotage explicitly to distinguish them from premium changes due to traditional factors such as increases in healthcare costs. Second-quarter margins have improved sharply for Obamacare insurers... (Kaiser Family Foundation) Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington, for example, which is seeking a nearly 30% premium increase next year for the more than 100,000 members of its ACA plan, cites an expected sharp increase in the morbidity, or illness profile, of the insured population, with the complete repeal of individual mandate penalties [as] the main driver. That will result in some healthier consumers choosing to go without coverage, increasing the underlying risks, and therefore costs, of the Washington healthcare market. Healthcare experts expected 2019 premiums to rise only modestly or even come down under normal or stable conditions. Thats because many insurers reacted to uncertainties built into the Affordable Care Act or injected by Trump by requesting and receiving especially steep premium hikes for 2018. Once the situation shook out, it became evident that those increases were excessive, and would have to be adjusted back down in 2019. Indeed, as was reported last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation (which is unaffiliated with the Kaiser health plans), Obamacare insurers have been recording gratifyingly strong financial results this year. Average gross margins per enrollee, for example, soared in the second quarter, which ended June 30, to $155.70 from $38.28 in the same period two years earlier. (The gross margins may not translate directly into profits, Kaiser Family Foundation observes, since they dont take administrative overhead into account.) ...as premiums outpace claims costs. (Kaiser Family Foundation) Premium increases, meanwhile, have outpaced increases in claims handily, according to Kaiser Family Foundation, rising 23% in the second quarter over the year-earlier period, while claims increased only 10%. But the foundation also noticed a disquieting trend in 2018 figures average hospital stays crept up in the second quarter to 27 days per 1,000 members from 25.3 days a year earlier. That was the first increase since 2015, when ACA plan enrollments began, and could signify that the ACA population is getting sicker, exactly as one would expect from the Trump sabotage campaign. Trump and the Republicans dont want anyone to know this, so theyve shielded their attack on the Affordable Care Act and the publics healthcare behind a bodyguard of lies. Trump offered one of the most flagrant lies of this campaign just last week, when he claimed at a rally in Minnesota that some of the Democrats have been talking about ending preexisting conditions. He meant ending protection for people with preexisting conditions, but that doesnt make it any less of a lie. The truth is that the Trump administration withdrew its defense of the ACA in a federal lawsuit brought by red states aimed at declaring the laws protection for those people unconstitutional. The provisions are now being defended by a coalition of attorneys general from, yes, Democratic-controlled states. Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com. Return to Michael Hiltziks blog. Atop the Marina Blue high-rise in downtown Miami, a two-story penthouse that appeared in the 2016 film War Dogs is for sale at $4.495 million. In the movie, the flashy pad belonged to Miles Tellers character, who took up residence there after making his fortune supplying weapons to the U.S. military. The unit offers a sleek open floor plan with 20-foot floor-to-ceiling windows that take in views of Biscayne Bay. Across 4,198 square feet, there are four bedrooms, four bathrooms and three balconies. 1 / 10 Miami penthouse from War Dogs | Hot Property (Felipe Ariano ) 2 / 10 Miami penthouse from War Dogs | Hot Property (Felipe Ariano ) 3 / 10 Miami penthouse from War Dogs | Hot Property (Felipe Ariano ) 4 / 10 Miami penthouse from War Dogs | Hot Property (Felipe Ariano ) 5 / 10 Miami penthouse from War Dogs | Hot Property (Felipe Ariano ) 6 / 10 Miami penthouse from War Dogs | Hot Property (Felipe Ariano ) 7 / 10 Miami penthouse from War Dogs | Hot Property (Felipe Ariano ) 8 / 10 Miami penthouse from War Dogs | Hot Property (Felipe Ariano ) 9 / 10 Miami penthouse from War Dogs | Hot Property (Felipe Ariano ) 10 / 10 Miami penthouse from War Dogs | Hot Property (Felipe Ariano ) Advertisement Save for splashes of red on a few doors and a pillar, the interior is awash in white and gray. Tile lines the main living room, and upstairs, hardwood lines a second one. The center-island kitchen offers stainless steel appliances and a wine cooler. In the master suite, theres a walk-in closet and a rain shower with a floral design on mosaic tile. Completed in 2007, the Marina Blue is the 13th tallest building in Miami, at 615 feet. The condo comes with four parking spaces. Mirce Curkoski and Albert Justo of One Sothebys International Realty hold the listing. Records show the penthouse last traded hands a decade ago for $1.726 million. jack.flemming@latimes.com | Twitter: @jflem94 The Cold War was a source for scalding new music, with a generation of experimental composers reacting to the political climate of their time and the memory of the devastating war they, as young artists, had just endured. For them, old cultural traditions had become an excuse for deadly jingoism and could no longer be trusted, let alone worshiped. The place to consider the profound ramifications of the nearly half century from the end of World War II to the demise of the Soviet Union happens to be the fascinating new Wende Museum of the Cold War in Culver City. And now against a backdrop of Eastern Bloc art and artifacts as well as such Atomic Age relics as a huggable (!) mushroom cloud pillow intended to artificially put schoolchildren at ease, the museum has begun the stimulating series Music at the Wende. The programs themselves are mainly entrusted to local new music groups or presenters, and the series was inaugurated Friday by the venerable Monday Evening Concerts. The program, titled Odyssey, covered a good part of the Cold War. It began with John Cages restrained piano solo In a Landscape. At the other historic and histrionic extreme was Recit de Voyage, Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovskys sonic evocation of his odyssey from Soviet Russia to Switzerland in the mid-1970s. That begins with what must surely be the most deliriously effective evocation of seasickness in all of music, and just the kind of disorienting sensation to make hugging a mushroom cloud seem not so odd after all. In between came two Cold War classics about historical and experiential time. In his 1959 Refrain, Karlheinz Stockhausen thought about time in the abstract or in the future. He wrote music that rejected the past and paved a way for a tomorrow that has never come. Featuring lots of ringing and resonating percussion, along with piano and amplified celeste (mimicked here by a synthesizer), Refrain is played from a score with curved staffs and additional notes on a transparent moveable plastic strip that allows every performance to be different but still recognizably the same piece. Advertisement The main point, though, is that the Cold War demanded cold logic, not musical narrative. Sounds themselves matter. Get the bells, wood blocks and all the rest right, and awareness is heightened. Stockhausen had a flair for getting it right and became a sonic mystic in the process. On the other hand, theres Lukas Foss Time Cycle, written in 1960 during the decade the German emigre composer, pianist and conductor taught at UCLA. It was was premiered by his close friend Leonard Bernstein, and once thought to be a major work. It is now, like Foss himself, neglected. His name tends to come up these days because Bernstein wrote the piano solo in Age of Anxiety for him and because it has come out that Foss wife had an affair with Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. But the gripping way Time Cycle comes to terms with the past couldnt be timelier. Foss set texts by W.H. Auden, A.E. Housman, Kafka and Nietzsche that relate to our enslavement to time and where it leads. Why time is other than time was? Auden asks in Were Late, which begins the work for soprano, piano, cello, clarinet and vibraphone (which in this performance didnt accept the composers invitation to improvise between songs). Rabinovitch-Barakovskys voyage also suggests a time other than time was. He absorbs Western minimalism but turns it and pretty much everything he touches on its head. The seasickness, which is both outrageous and as much fun as a roller coaster, comes from swooping violin and cello against percussive hammering on piano and vibes. For about 25 minutes, one similarly crazy attempt to turn the musical world upside down follows another. Things do settle down some, but thats only because once youre in Oz for a while, you begin to adapt. Still, you never can know where you are going. Disaster might be ahead. Or paradise. But they are always ahead, and the listener is always in the process of going, yet not getting there. Rabinovitch-Barakovsky squeezes the mushroom cloud and gets nourishing, psychedelic mushroom soup. There is no composer and pianist like Rabinovitch-Barakovsky (who also happens to be a fine conductor his recording of Symphonie Fantastique is 100% magic mushroom). It is astonishing that he remains a cult figure. With its alive acoustics and beguiling Cold War vibe, the Wende turns out to be a very good place for music. Percussionist Jonathan Hepfer, who heads Monday Evening Concerts, oversaw riveting performances. Soprano Shoushik Barsoumian made Time Cycle dramatically spellbinding despite a lack of printed texts. mark.swed@latimes.com In spring 1997, Los Angeles artists Ellen Birrell and Stephen Berens published the first issue of a newsprint art magazine they called X-TRA. The plan, says Berens, was to put out a single issue and we wouldnt publish another one until we had money to publish another issue. That first issue contained a call-out stating something along the lines of, Well do this again if you send us money, recalls Birrell. For the record: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of artist Dorit Cipys and identified artist Pope.L as William, a name he no longer uses. In addition, Shana Lutker now serves as executive director. All of a sudden, we had $300, Berens says with a laugh. So we had to do another. And another. X-TRA is still going strong evolving into a quarterly now published in full color on glossy stock. Advertisement This year, X-TRA has been marking its 20th anniversary a year after its actual anniversary. (More on that later.) The magazine is celebrating with a fresh design and a series of public events that draw from the publications own history. Among them: Something About Feet, a conversation between dancer Simone Forti and artist Dorit Cypis on Wednesday evening in downtown Los Angeles that will serve as a continuation of a dialogue the two artists have been having at events and in the pages of the magazine since 2004. Its about looking back on the archives, says Birrell. Weve referred back to X-TRAs literary contributions and other things in the past. Over its two decades of existence, X-TRA has told the story of art from the point of view of artists: essays, criticism and art commissions featuring photography, drawings, video stills, cut-up texts and stirring fiction by the likes of nationally known artists such as Pope.L (which he read at an event staged by X-TRA at the Underground Museum in August). We dont cover the entire waterfront its never been up-to-date journalism, says Birrell, seated amid boxes of issues in the magazines cluttered Glassell Park office. Its asking people, Whats bugging you? What are you interested in? The cover of the first issue of X-TRA, published in the spring of 1997. (X-TRA) Over time, those interests have included stories about how the marketplace has shaped art, the queer Chicano art scene and the work of artists who hail from L.A. and beyond: the nihilistic Raymond Pettibon, the multifarious Laura Owens, Frances Stark and her artfully placed words, and international stars such as Cindy Sherman the latter of whom had her 2016 show at the Broad museum reviewed in X-TRA in a piece that opened with an anecdote about death by cosmetics. A single issue like the one that came out this past winter can slingshot between a heady analysis of work by an artist who ran with European Situationists to a page filled with patterns that can be transformed into origami of an L.A. River carp (a project by artist Devon Tsuno). Its artist-to-artist feel was what drew conceptual artist Shana Lutker to volunteer at the publication when she was in graduate school at UCLA in the early 2000s. I think I see an art magazine that is run by artists as a way for artists to communicate and share ideas, she says. You could feel it was this artist-driven project, and I just responded to that. Lutker now serves as the magazines executive director and helps organize much of its public programming. Though when I started, my job title was Office, she says with a laugh. For many years, I was Office. One day someone pointed out that wasnt right. Thats when I asked if I could be managing editor. (She became executive director in 2014.) Office has been one of the many quirks of X-TRA. There is also its slightly off anniversary year. The intent had been to celebrate with the launch of Volume 20 in the magazines 20th year, which would have been 2017 but due to the idiosyncrasies of production (namely, the fact that the earliest issues didnt always go out on schedule), most of the Volume 20 issues have landed in 2018. Close enough for a 20th anniversary. Its very X-TRA, says Lutker. Quite appropriately, X-TRA was born not in a magazine office but in an art studio. It was the early 90s, and Berens and Birrell were sharing a space in a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles that was regularly broken into by junkies whod make off with their belongings. The art market sort of crashed, says Berens. Galleries started closing. The two began to organize exhibitions in whatever spaces they could lay their hands on: college art galleries, arts education spaces and a historic home-turned-cultural center in Orange County that was in the midst of a renovation project. In that downturn period, you could have stuff anywhere and people would show up, says Berens. The pair, both conceptual artists, did away with standard curatorial protocol, in which a theme would be devised and artists would be invited accordingly. Instead, wed get the space and then wed invite an artist that was prompted by that space, says Birrell. Wed talk about it and then theyd invite someone who was inspired by the space, so there was no central axis; it was lateral. Their first show was titled First Show and was held at the Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University. Its name harked back to the first exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles in 1983, which was titled The First Show: Painting and Sculpture From Eight Collections, 1940-80. The introduction to our show was MOCAs introduction, with everything that didnt apply to us crossed out, says Berens. A lot got crossed out. Their curatorial collective was called Project X. And one of their modus operandi was to publish a slim catalog with each exhibition often in newsprint that contained not only information about the exhibition but also essays and other imagery that would be of interest on their own. It was these catalogs that would evolve into X-TRA. Pages from a 2002 issue of X-TRA devoted to drawing. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times) I view it to this day as this grand artists project. It was run by artists. Its still run by artists. Jeff Beall, artist and publisher, X-TRA magazine To their publication, Berens and Birrell applied the same rules they applied to their shows: There was no top editor to say yea or nay to articles. Instead, these were decided by an editorial board of artists and writers who invited fellow artists and writers to contribute; those figures invited others. (X-TRA still operates in this way.) And while budgets were limited, experimentation was not. There was an issue that featured cutout paper dolls and another that was devoted entirely to drawing as in: no text, only drawings. We invited designers, and they had total autonomy, recalls Birrell. So sometimes they werent very readable like one which had blue pages that cant be Xeroxed. Or we couldnt get the rights to images, because we didnt have any money, so we had artists draw things, like Manets Olympia. For their fifth issue, they featured a project by artist Brian Tucker that consisted of reproducing fliers created by a crank in New York who regularly attacked the hypocrisies of the art world. (Sample headline: That Obnoxious Fraud: The Art Critic How He Bamboozles You and How Brainless He Thinks You Are.) Over the years, X-TRA has drawn a rotating cast of artist volunteers who have contributed stories, edited work and helped get issues out to subscribers. Artist Jeff Beall has been one of the longest-running. Part of the magazines staff since 2001, he now serves as a publisher. When I first joined, I think the annual budget was like $12,000, and it was done sort of officially-unofficially on Stephens personal taxes, he says with a laugh. So the business model was: Make everything zero out so it doesnt screw up Stephens taxes. In 2002, Beall helped establish a foundation to fund the publication the Project X Foundation (of which Lutker serves as executive director). Since then, the magazine has gone from being a giveaway in galleries to a real-deal publication with subscribers and newsstand distribution. Over the years, they have been the recipient of numerous grants, including a prestigious Warhol Foundation grant in 2014. At its 20-year (plus one) mark, X-TRA is looking both forward and back. Still dedicated to the print object, but now producing work that resides only online. But its ethos remains the same. I view it to this day as this grand artists project, says Beall. It was run by artists. Its still run by artists. Along with other independent art publications in Los Angeles Art Issues (now defunct), Artillery (which has been around for a dozen years), Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles (a recent addition) X-TRA has helped expand the story of art. Its important that there is a broad range of shows being reviewed and written about, says Berens. Want to go back and see what somebody thought of Manet? You could read Zola not what we think about Manet now, but what it looked like at the time. If you looked at Los Angeles in that way, thered be this narrow slice of what is going on. It was important to open that up. Fifty years from now, people can sort out what was happening. For me as an artist, that is such an important thing. X-TRA founders Ellen Birrell and Stephen Berens. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) X-TRA Forum No 3: Something About Feet A life conversation between Simone Forti & Dorit Cypis When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 Where: Navel, 1611 S. Hope St., downtown Los Angeles Info: x-traonline.org ALSO: The conservator who is bringing lost stories of Californias pioneering female artists to light In conversation: Painter Lari Pittman finds beauty in violence and telenovelas. He also has advice for MOCA Victor Hugos rarely seen art is as intimate and innovative as his famous books Bulky, heavy, pricey - yet flourishing. Art catalogs keep print alive in the digital era Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter carolina.miranda@latimes.com | Twitter: @cmonstah The most gripping moments in Oppenheimer, the sprawling drama by British playwright Tom Morton-Smith about the man dubbed the father of the atomic bomb, are the brainstorming meetings of scientists racing against their German counterparts during World War II to invent the most destructive weapon in the history of humanity. The play, a Royal Shakespeare Company hit that is receiving its American premiere by Rogue Machine Theatre at the Electric Lodge in Venice, doesnt need any prerequisites. Theater and history majors will find as much to chomp on as engineering students in a script that at times resembles an overstuffed course catalog. While the science isnt exactly sexy, its often dramatically scintillating. Physics is made fascinating as characters with PhDs and awkward social graces gather to illustrate with their bodies the process of splitting the atom. These eggheads have an electric current running through them as they map out equations, their eyes agog not so much with patriotism as with math. Standing at the center of this scientific swirl is J. Robert Oppenheimer, the reigning genius of Berkeleys physics department and a polymath surrounded by communist sympathizers and fellow travelers. Oppenheimer (or Oppie, as hes called by those closest to him) is broodingly complicated a renaissance man with an idealistic streak who compels his students to read Marx and Joyce in an effort to cultivate scientists who know something about politics and art as well as the choreography of subatomic particles. Advertisement Aloof yet rarely alone, Oppenheimer seems weighed down by the burden of always being the smartest guy in the room. The play is too ambitious to settle for psychological character study. And in any case, its hard to get intimately acquainted with a public figure whose soul has retreated to depths he himself can no longer access. Morton-Smith structures his drama around the crisis of conscience faced by Oppenheimer after he agrees to weaponize his scientific brilliance for the U.S. military. The play charts his journey from charismatic professor with radical inclinations, hosting a fundraiser at his Berkeley home for the Spanish Civil War relief effort, to leader of the Manhattan Projects Los Alamos Laboratory, a position that forces him to cut ties with his communist past and inform against an old chum flirting with espionage. Michael Redfield, from left, Daniel Shawn Miller, Rick Garrison and Brady Richards in Oppenheimer. (John Perrin Flynn) The production, a massively ambitious project for Rogue Machine under the direction of Artistic Director John Perrin Flynn, employs a teeming cast in a drama that aspires to Shakespearean scope. The dramatic poetry may fall short, but the storytelling moves in a contrapuntal rhythm and the shifts from prose to an audacious lyricism reveal a writer impatient with prosaic chat. The use of projected titles at the start of scenes suggests a Brechtian influence as well. But politics are only a piece in the larger puzzle that is Oppenheimers character. The capacious drama perhaps most resembles a screenplay not yet cut down to ideal size by the films director. For long stretches the yarn is transfixing, but there are simply too many stories, side notes and tangents packed into Oppenheimer. The last half-hour in this diffuse three-hour play seems collated rather than scripted. Many of the group scenes that include singing and carousing only make an already long play feel that much longer. The character of Oppenheimer is presented in outline, but James Liebman imbues the figure with a mournful intelligence. When Oppenheimer is challenged by his brother Frank (a memorably feisty Ryan Brophy) for betraying the communist cause, its possible to see in Liebmans eyes the calculations Oppenheimer is making about the fascist threat. The super-computer of the characters mind is continually processing facts and probabilities, but theres a toll to all this abstraction. The disappointment of loved ones troubles him, but hes haunted more by the destructive potential hes unleashing on the world. We may never understand Oppenheimer. (A psychological backstory introduced late in the play doesnt clear up any fog.) But the way his compromises silently weigh on him only confirms our sense that this independent-minded scientist-citizen was ideally cast for the agonizing job that history assigned him. The production is least convincing in exploring Oppenheimers private life. Kirsten Kollender flamboyantly overplays the role of Jean Tatlock, the mentally unstable political radical who for a time romantically tortures Oppenheimer with her flightiness. Rachel Avery portrays Kitty Harrison, Oppenheimers iron-willed wife, in the strained 1940s movie manner in which shes written. Staged in an uncluttered theatrical space that allows for a quick succession of scenes, the play doesnt always seem historically believable even when hewing faithfully to the record. The period details can seem bogus, especially Dianne K. Graebners costumes, which tend to wear the actors. And the boisterous party scenes have a forced gaiety. But strong work from members of the supporting cast infuse the production with an intensity that never lets us forget just whats at stake in this war against the Nazis. Especially effective is Ron Bottitta as General Leslie Groves, the commander of the Manhattan Project, a performance so good it almost made me forget the ludicrous wig the actor dons early on when impersonating Albert Einstein in a brief scene. Notable too are the crew of actors playing scientists (Michael Redfield, Daniel Shawn Miller, Rick Garrison and Brady Richards, among them), each of whom has to wrestle with the reality that in saving the world they may just be hastening its demise. Unlike Michael Frayns Copenhagen, a more elegant dramatic chronicle about science, Morton-Smiths Oppenheimer doesnt manage to move beyond history into philosophy. But the play demonstrates why this tale, which has been told many times before on stage and screen, never gets old. The physics is dazzling, but even more intriguing are the complicated human beings behind the equations. Oppenheimer Where: Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice When: 8 p.m. Saturdays and Mondays, 3 p.m. Sundays (check for exceptions); ends Dec 30 Tickets: $40 Information: (855) 585-5185,www.roguemachinetheatre.com Running time: 3 hours charles.mcnulty@latimes.com Follow me @charlesmcnulty On Sunday morning a group of men traveling from Mexico City to Los Angeles were held up temporarily by the Department of Homeland Security as they moved through customs and immigration at Houstons William P. Hobby Airport. The problem? An officer found sheet music in their luggage. For the record: This article and its headline translate Coro Gay Ciudad de Mexico as Gay Mens Chorus of Mexico City. It should be Gay Chorus of Mexico City. The travelers are members of the Coro Gay Ciudad de Mexico (Gay Mens Chorus of Mexico City). In L.A. as guests of the Gay Mens Chorus of Los Angeles, the groups itinerary for this week is jam-packed with rehearsals, sightseeing and a much-anticipated trip to Disneyland. On Saturday it will perform alongside GMCLA and the Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles at the Alex Theatre in Glendale in the opening concert of GMCLAs 40th season. Advertisement GMCLA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and all of the members of Coro Gay Ciudad de Mexico are volunteers. The Mexican choirs trip was underwritten by sponsors including Southwest Airlines, who covered its airfare. The group is also being welcomed to Los Angeles by a host committee that includes actor and philanthropist William Shatner and U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris. Yet as has happened to other artists from abroad, the Latin American gay mens choir fell under the scrutiny of the Department of Homeland Security. According to Coro Gay Ciudad de Mexico executive director Oscar Urtusastegui, the trouble at the airport Sunday began because one choir member, Jorge Gutierrez, has the same name as an individual suspected of stealing a truck. Gutierrez a university literature professor was waiting in an office for his identity to be verified when some of his fellow chorus members started chatting with him about this weekends concert. After overhearing these conversations and discovering the groups sheet music, Urtusastegui says officers became suspicious that the 52 choir members were coming into the U.S. not as tourists, as their visas indicated, but as paid performers. In Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, GMCLA executive director Jonathan Weedman received a phone call from an officer at the Department of Homeland Security in Houston. He said they felt these guys werent being truthful or forthcoming, and they were considering deporting them back to Mexico, Weedman says. Weedman told the officer that the men were not being paid to perform, explained the nature of the trip and offered to supply any documents necessary. He also told the officer that Feinstein, Harris and Mayor Eric Garcetti were involved, and that it would be an international incident if they [deported these men]. We talked for 13 minutes while I tried to convince him to let the guys finish their trip and get to Los Angeles, Weedman says, and he finally said he was satisfied and they could. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a call to comment on Monday. We are really neighbors, and we are talking about bringing bridges and not these walls that they are building at the border. Oscar Urtusastegui, Coro Gay Ciudad de Mexico executive director While it is common for artists and musicians to travel from Mexico to the U.S. on tourist visas, that practice may be under increased scrutiny. In January, Mexican artists Dario Canul and Cosijoesa Cernas were en route to L.A. when their visas were confiscated and revoked at the San Francisco International Airport. Gutierrez and his fellow chorus members were luckier on Sunday. They were able to make their connecting flight out of Houston and arrive in Los Angeles in time to begin concert rehearsals on Monday at noon. It is not an easy process to get a visa to go to the United States, Urtusastegui said in a phone interview from Mexico last week, explaining that 10 members of the chorus who wanted to make the trip were not able to because their visa applications were denied. Urtusastegui, who volunteers as the organizations executive director, makes his living managing a travel agency. Drawing on knowledge from his day job, he encouraged one choir member whose visa application was initially rejected to schedule a second interview. He really wanted to go, and he got lucky the second time, Urtusastegui says. His second interviewer said she made her decision after the choir member explained to her that he had been with his partner for 10 years. That for her was enough reason to give him the visa. She needed to be sure he had a reason to come back to Mexico. Coro Gay Ciudad de Mexico is 5 years old, and Urtusastegui says it is the only choir of its kind in Latin America one that proudly places the word gay in its name. In concerts, he gets choked up when the choir sings his favorite song, Mexico Lindo y Querido. That song in particular goes directly to my heart always. It talks about how beautiful Mexico is. The translation is, If I die away from [Mexico], please just say that I fell asleep and I want to go back to my roots. Im so proud of being Mexican. Im so proud of what we are doing. If something were to happen to me outside of Mexico, I would want to be back to Mexico. We all want to go back home after this trip. Urtusastegui says that at their last rehearsal in Mexico City, many members of the choir expressed fear about the process of going through customs in the U.S. They [were] very nervous about it. I have to be honest with you, it is because of what the politics are at the moment towards Mexicans. But the effort is worth it, he says, because its a collaboration between these two countries, these two sister cities. We are really neighbors, and we are talking about bringing bridges and not these walls that they are building at the border. And, he says, audiences who come on Saturday will benefit from the effort these men put into bringing their music to the U.S. We put so much work and love into our shows, he says. There will be this big chorus and the mariachi and dancing and changing clothes. Its going to be magical. If you have your mind and your heart open, music will do the magic. Let us blow your minds. By City Hall standards, the proposal was audacious. A developer asked to borrow $64 million from Los Angeles and promised to match it with $16 million raised privately from people who want to invest in good works. The money would build 60 projects, providing housing for 1,980 homeless people, then be repaid in full three years later with 3% interest. For members of the citizens committee overseeing spending of the citys $1.2-billion homeless housing bond, that picture finally seemed like the answer to a question they had asked over and over: How can that housing be built more quickly and for less money? I am so excited this is possible, said committee member Kerry Morrison. I think this is what the public expects. Advertisement But city officials quickly put the brakes on their enthusiasm. That would be extremely challenging, said assistant City Administrative Officer Yolanda Chavez. We dont normally sole-source a project. Wed have to talk to the city attorney. It may have to go through a competition. Rising costs threaten housing goal That exchange in August highlighted the frustration of the committee, which was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti after voters approved the Proposition HHH bond measure in 2016. In the spring, the City Council directed the committee to recommend improvements to the conventional way of building supportive housing projects, which take three to five years and are skyrocketing in cost. Committee members have pressed city bureaucrats to come up with innovative ideas to speed the pace and curb the costs they see as threats to the Proposition HHH goal of building 10,000 homeless housing units. We have an obligation to the voters to not only meet the goals, which right now were not going to make, but to bring the cost to a place where it doesnt sound like were building luxury condos, Morrison said. Chairman Miguel Santana, the former city administrative officer, has not hesitated to show his dissatisfaction with his former colleagues. For the first year, the agenda has been driven by the staff, Santana said in an interview. The committee has decided we are going to be proactive in inviting new ideas and approaches. Upping the pressure, the committee plans to set aside a portion of next years Proposition HHH funds for innovative projects. Then it reached outside the city bureaucracy for ideas. Lawry Meister, president of FlyawayHomes, the development company which has plans to finance thousands of homeless housing through the investment market, visits a shipping container apartment rising in South Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) A push to reduce delays Alerted by an article in The Times on an apartment being built for 32 homeless people without public subsidy, the committee invited the developer to its August meeting. Lawry Meister, president of FlyawayHomes, took the opportunity to propose an alternative to the standard way of funding supportive housing a process that combines tax credits with other state or local grants and loans and is one of the main causes of the long lead times to construction. The city, Meister said, should scrap its initial plan of using HHH money to partially fund projects in the hope of leveraging the local money. Meister argued that the money would go further if loaned to fund 100% of a project, helping it to turn around faster so the money could be quickly recycled. Meister challenged another assumption of the supportive housing model that every person needs a separate living unit. At FlyawayHomes project in South Los Angeles, four people share each unit with a bedroom for each and common kitchen and living rooms. The one-unit-per-person requirement really adds to the cost, Meister said. Pressed by Santana, officials of the Housing and Community Investment Department said nothing in the ballot language would stop the city from loaning 100% of a projects cost. Nor would it prohibit shared housing or private investment with a profit motive. Other conditions of the proposal proved more troublesome. The city would need to provide suitably zoned land for the projects in each council district, Meister said, and the requirement to pay a prevailing wage would have to be dropped. Edwin Gipson, director of the housing departments development and finance division, agreed to talk to Meister to see if they could reach common ground. Those talks are still ongoing, but the committee didnt stop there. At each one of the meetings, were going to be inviting different innovators to present their recommendations on what we should do, Santana said. In Santanas assessment, the success of Proposition HHH is at stake. The promise of the measures backers for construction of 10,000 units of supportive housing in a decade has teetered under rapidly escalating costs. Per-unit costs soar to $500,000 The expectation that the housing could be built for as little as $300,000 per unit quickly vanished in a real estate construction boom. Per-unit costs jumped to $450,000 last year, and the latest round of proposals for 15 projects came in at more than $500,000 per unit, the housing departments director Rushmore Cervantes, told the committee in September. At the current rate of spending, the bond money will be exhausted long before 10,000 units are built, city officials conceded earlier this year. To make up the shortfall, they are counting on other sources of money, particularly the citys new fee on developments and the No Place Like Home fund the Legislature carved out of mental health programs. The $2-billion fund is now in jeopardy. Responding to a legal challenge, the Legislature placed the issue on the November ballot for voters to decide. Even if the money comes through, Santana rejects the suggestion that the commitment to voters who approved Proposition HHH can be met backfilling it with other funds. That state revenue, when it comes, should result in even more housing, he said. At its September meeting, the committee received presentations by Gensler architects and Clifford Beers Housing that focused on pre-fabricated micro housing, zoning requirements, obstacles to financing and even new social models. Rob Jernigan, Genslers regional managing principal, showed a diagram of a micro-unit project that had 20 tiny sleeping quarters organized around a large common kitchen and living room. Thats an important aspect to the cost but also socially, Jernigan said. People want this and they can have it, small sleeping quarters, but they share all the other amenities. Cristian Ahumada, executive director of nonprofit developer Clifford Beers, offered ideas including long-term leases to remove land costs from capital budgets, removing parking requirements and creating a funding model for small developments. Most of L.A. is not higher density, Ahumada said. We have zero permanent supportive housing tools to deal with that. I cant do a 15-unit [tax credit] project. It just wont pencil. Following both presentations, the committee members broke into applause. The committee is scheduled to hear more ideas at its October meeting, then make recommendations to the City Council in November. doug.smith@latimes.com @LATDoug Christopher Columbus was the guest of dishonor at this party. Away from the revelers, a statue of the famous explorer was kept hidden behind a black box in downtown Los Angeles Grand Park, decorated with an altar celebrating native people. For the record: An earlier version of this article stated Boston had replaced Christopher Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. It has not. Monday marked the first celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day in Los Angeles, a year after the City Council and the county Board of Supervisors voted to reimagine Columbus Day. The covered statue included a note signed by several county organizations indicating the monument will be removed. Advertisement As the City Council member who works with the county supervisor, take my word for it: The statue is on its way out, said Councilman Mitch OFarrell, who is of Native American descent and pushed the Los Angeles City Council last year to rename Columbus Day. Across the street from the main festivities of the daylong celebration, Soraya Medina, whose ancestors are part of the Caribbeans Taino tribe, helped assemble the altar. She stood by the Columbus statue, talking to people about the demonstration as they passed by. Medina said the statue has been in the park for decades and is a shameful reminder of the European push into the Americas that resulted in the enslavement and death of millions of indigenous people. It was a mistake. It was money. It was greed, she said of the exploration. Imagine we had a history where we would have kept our wealth? The statue is a monument to genocide. With the new holiday and the eventual removal of the Columbus statue, Medina said everyday people will now be exposed to the history and culture that schools have long neglected to teach. L.A. City Councilman Mitch OFarrell holds the ceremonial running staff to start the 5K run in downtown Los Angeles for the first celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Last years City Council debate to rebrand the holiday pitted OFarrell, a member of the Wyandotte Nation tribe in Oklahoma, against Councilman Joe Buscaino, who is of Italian heritage. Opponents of the change had argued that celebrating indigenous people should not come at the expense of Italian Americans, who consider Columbus arrival in the Caribbean a significant marker of their heritage. OFarrell said renaming the holiday would give restorative justice to indigenous people and right a historical wrong. As for the statue of Columbus in Grand Park, several county groups including the Native American Indian Commission, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission are pushing for its removal. Kristin Sakoda, executive director of the countys arts commission, said the decision to move the statue was solidified in the last few months, and the three groups are in talks about what will become of it. The county is expected to approve funding the removal of the artwork in the next few months, and Sakoda said it likely will be taken down sometime early next year. In November, as part of Native American Heritage Month, a temporary art installation will be displayed where the current statue sits. I would urge for people to do some research and realize that replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day and removing all symbols of oppression and hatred is probably good for all societies, not just indigenous America, OFarrell said of those who may oppose removing Columbus marker. UC Riverside student Katianna Warren, right, laughs with Miztlayolxochitl Aguilera, a student at Cal State Long Beach, during festivities kicking off Indigenous People Day. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) The daylong festivities, which were slated to include performances by the Black Eyed Peas and Native American rock group Redbone, included a sunrise ceremony, a 5K run and a Native American powwow. Addressing a few hundred people from the stage at the foot of City Hall, OFarrell said Los Angeles is the largest city to adopt Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day. Cities both big and small from Detroit to Boise, Idaho have followed suit. Native American actor Jacob Pratt, who emceed the event, introduced the Procession of Nations, calling on members of tribes from across the globe, some from the Tongva tribe who inhabited the land where Los Angeles sits today. Today, we celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day as a day of remembrance honoring the resilient spirit of Native Americans, county Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement. While we cannot change the past, we can reflect and recall the pain millions suffered throughout our nations history. alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com Twitter: @r_valejandra Every November for years, a yellow blindfold had been placed over the eyes of the bronze Prospector Pete statue that sits prominently on the Cal State Long Beach campus an act designed to make clear that the school was not blind to the brutality inflicted on thousands of indigenous Americans during the California gold rush. This year, however, top administrators announced that they planned to retire the mascot and move the statue to a less prominent place on campus, a soon-to-be-built alumni center. For the record: An earlier version of this article referred to Christopher Columbus as a Spanish explorer. He was Italian. Amid a sweeping reappraisal of Californias history has come the growing acknowledgment that racism is at the heart of the states founding: White settlers flooded the region in the mid-1800s looking for riches, and native Californians along with Asian and Mexican laborers became the victims of discrimination and violence that presaged how minority groups would be treated for decades to come. Were connected to the past whether we like it or not, and that strand is really fragile and fascinating, said USC history professor William Deverell, who is wary of the idea that commemorative statues should be hidden away. Californias past, he said, should be discussed, scrutinized and put on the scales of justice. Advertisement Soraya Medina works on an art installation next to the Christopher Columbus statue in Grand Park during Indigenous Peoples Day. The statue was boxed recently and will remain so until it is moved to a new location. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) At Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, a statue of Christopher Columbus was hidden beneath a black box as the city celebrated its inaugural Indigenous Peoples Day. The City Council in 2017 voted to rebrand the Columbus Day holiday, which marks the arrival of the Italian explorer in the Americas. Lawmakers sided with activists who view Columbus as a symbol of genocide for Native Americans. Among the few hundred people gathered in Grand Park was Soraya Medina, whose ancestors were part of an indigenous Caribbean tribe. Standing by the covered Columbus statue, she called it a shameful reminder of the European push into the Americas. The statue is a monument to genocide, Medina said. Cal State Long Beach mascot Prospector Pete fires up the crowd before a game at the Pyramid in 2011. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) Other cities and institutions have taken action to try to deal with Californias ugly past. Berkeley too celebrates the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day. And the San Francisco Board of Appeals recently decided to remove the longstanding Early Days statue outside City Hall. Erected in 1894, the work depicts a Native American lying at the feet of a missionary as a vaquero stands nearby in triumph. Although the statue represents a common view of the time period, many say it is no longer appropriate to enshrine the monument as an accurate portrayal of history. Stanford University last month decided to rename three campus references to Father Junipero Serra, who founded the California mission system in the 1700s and whose legacy came under fire for the missions treatment of Native Americans. The 1849 gold rush marked the birth of modern California, and thats how the 49ers became Cal State Long Beachs symbol when the university opened a century later. As an institution dedicated to inclusivity, it is really important to us to have a mascot that empowers students, said Leen Almahdi, a junior at Cal State Long Beach. Prospectors had a direct link to the murder of indigenous people. Its important for us to recognize this reality can make some communities uncomfortable. Were connected to the past ... and that strand is really fragile and fascinating. It should be scrutinized and put on the scales of justice. William Deverell, USC professor of history Activists have cheered the removal of symbols they consider offensive. But the actions also have sparked debate about where to draw the line, and the difference between understanding the past and celebrating it. After Stanford decided to remove Serras name from its campus buildings, some questioned when the university would address its own namesake, Leland Stanford. The railroad baron and former California governor used Chinese labor to help build the transcontinental railroad but spouted virulently anti-Asian rhetoric and other racist views. Stanford infamously said of Asian populations in 1862 that the presence of numbers among us of a degraded and distinct people must exercise a deleterious influence upon the superior race. California history is filled with actions that were accepted at the time but in retrospect have been met with shame and regret. In 1909, for example, the state passed a law authorizing the sterilization of anyone committed to a state institution. The program, which took away the reproductive abilities of about 20,000 people, disproportionately targeted Mexican immigrants. Supporters believed that people they deemed genetically unfit shouldnt be allowed to reproduce, according to historians. The law remained on the books until 1979. During World War II, the internment of thousands of Japanese Americans in isolated camps was praised by then-California Atty. Gen. Earl Warren, who went on to become chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite his work expanding civil liberties while on the bench most famously the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education case that found racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional internment remained a blemish on his record. The ugliness of some of the states past can be difficult to wash away, especially for groups that were caught in the middle of oppressive situations. The past has not been buried, Deverell said. I have a professional obligation to say the past is standing right at our shoulder. It still exerts all this power. The bronze Prospector Pete statue was erected in 1967. It sits on the south side of campus, near the psychology and liberal arts buildings. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) Its a conflict thats playing out across the United States, as dozens of monuments that activists say promote a time when the oppression of women and minorities was rampant are removed from public spaces. Leaders and historians are left to ponder how the past should be preserved without adding fuel to hate groups that sometimes use the symbols as a source of power. Were at a moment when a lot of people feel particularly under threat, given the political climate, said Michelle Brock, associate professor of history at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, adding that institutions and municipalities run the risk of alienating people by retaining offensive depictions of the past in the name of history. No one ever learns history from a statue that is set up to memorialize something, she said. Its about projecting visions of the present and future, and often thats whitewashed or inaccurate. Preserving history is a fundamentally different thing. The Prospector Pete statue, formally named The Forty-Niner Man, was unveiled at Cal State Long Beach in 1967. It evolved from founding President Pete Petersons reference to having struck the gold of education by establishing the college in 1949. Garland Holt was on the student senate when the idea for a statue came up for approval. He said the intent was to honor the students at Cal State Long Beach at the time, many of whom were first-generation college attendees and pioneers in their own right. Holt said hes fine with retiring the mascot, but hiding the statue in a space dedicated to alumni is a mistake and insulting to former students. The campus, Holt said, is a place where students who often could not gain the gold of an education can better themselves and help the world. That is what the prospector means to us. Times staff writer Alejandra Reyes-Velarde contributed to this report. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @Hannahnfry UPDATES: 3:25 p.m: This article was updated with details from Grand Park. 10:30 a.m.: This article was updated with information about a statue of Christopher Columbus in downtown Los Angeles. 8:25 a.m.: This article was updated with more details about Californias history. This article was originally published at 7:15 a.m. The ASOSAI was formed in 1979, becoming one of seven working groups of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI). The ASOSAI Assembly has been held triennially with the participation of leaders from 46 members of supreme audit agencies. The ASOSAI 14 gathered around 350 delegates from various Asian countries and a number of other international organisations as observers. Since 1997, when Vietnam became an ASOSAI member, this was the first time that the SAV hosted the ASOSAI Assembly. The successful organisation of the ASOSAI 14, the assumption of the chairmanship of ASOSAI in the 2018-2021 term and the performance of its role as a member of the ASOSAI Governing Board for three consecutive terms, from 2015 to 2024, demonstrates the maturity of the SAV in foreign affairs its high prestige within the international community. In addition, the event affirmed the State Audits strategic vision of international integration and cooperation until 2020. It was not only a great honour but also raises the responsibility for the SAV in developing and improving the role of the Supreme Audit Institutions in order to make the national financial system more transparent and strengthen the position, image and prestige of the SAV and the country in the international arena. Accordingly the Hanoi Declaration issued by the ASOSAI 14, the seventh symposium, themed Environmental Auditing for Sustainable Development, was a useful forum for delegates to share information, knowledge, experience and practices to enhance the professional, organisational and cooperative capacities of state audits in public and environmental auditing. The event helped the member SAIs to gain an insight into the current issues to find practical and effective solutions to successfully implement the sustainable environmental development goals in each country, region and the world. Facing the unpredictable and complex impacts of climate change, environmental pollution, the rise in global warming and sea levels rise, each country should improve its State audit capacity, quality and responsibility in assessing the readiness, implementation and reliability of national system data, as well as the economisation and efficiency of the Government key programmes. In addition, the transparency, efficiency and accountability of the audit agencies needs to be enhanced. In order to accomplish the common mission, the member SAIs should unite and actively implement common measures, including the sharing of knowledge, experience, standards and documents on environmental auditing, the organisation of intensive training courses on environmental auditing, and the enhancement of joint national audits in accordance with SAI mandates. It is crucial to mobilise the member countries to develop legal regulations on environmental management and a regional report on environmental auditing, as well as issue regulations on environmental auditing, to create a legal basis for SAIs functions, duties, and powers. The ASOSAI should also strengthen its cooperation with other organisations such as INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA) and the United States (UN) agencies. With the success of ASOSAI 14, Vietnam strongly affirmed its message of not exchanging the environment for economic benefit at any price and its determination of consistently complying with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted at the 70th session of the UN General Assembly. A man was wounded in a police shooting Sunday morning at or near a motel in Van Nuys, authorities said. Plainclothes officers conducting a narcotics investigation approached three people in the 13500 block of Sherman Way when at least one officer opened fire, Los Angeles Police Officer Mike Lopez said. He did not know what caused the officer to discharge the weapon, but said a handgun was recovered at the scene. The injured man was taken to a hospital where he was listed in stable condition. Two other suspects were detained in the area, Lopez said. Its unclear if, or why, they were arrested. Advertisement None of the officers were injured. Lopez said plainclothes officers dont wear body cameras, nor do they have dashboard cameras. Authorities with the departments Force Investigation Division were conducting an investigation. alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com Twitter: @AleneTchek From his cell at the Adelanto immigration detention facility on July 11, 2017, Romulo Avelica Gonzalez scrawled out a journal entry on lined notebook paper. Another person hanged himself, he wrote in Spanish. Lost asylum. It was one of five suicide attempts over the course of eight months at the facility that houses nearly 2,000 detainees. Four months earlier, a Nicaraguan man had been found hanging in his cell from his bed sheets. And so Avelica, 49, said he wasnt surprised by the news that federal officials who turned up for an unannounced inspection in May had discovered significant health and safety risks. Advertisement Officials from the Department of Homeland Security inspector generals office found nooses made from sheets and spoke to detainees who reported waiting weeks or months to see a doctor. They met with a dentist who dismissed necessary fillings and suggested that detainees use string from their socks to floss. And they found that detainees were commonly subjected to disciplinary segregation before being found guilty of violating rules, according to the scathing report made public Tuesday. Inspectors said Immigration and Customs Enforcement had violated its own national detention standards, including prohibiting detainees from hanging or draping objects from any fixtures or furniture. Lori Haley, an ICE spokeswoman, said immigration officials take the findings seriously and agreed to conduct a full and immediate review of the center to ensure compliance with detention standards and expedite necessary corrective actions. She said a contracted inspection firm is scheduled to examine Adelanto again this month. The facility is owned and operated by the GEO Group, which runs dozens of private prisons and detention centers around the country. Avelica was detained at Adelanto for six months until August 2017. He was arrested by immigration officers while dropping his daughters off at school. His 14-year-old daughter filmed the encounter from their car. The footage went viral. Since being released on bond, he has received a work permit while he and his wife await the fate of their U visa applications, which are available to crime victims. The Adelanto Detention Facility in Adelanto, Calif., a desert community near Victorville. Federal inspectors found nooses made from bed sheets hanging in more than a dozen cells during a May inspection. (James Quigg / Associated Press) Avelica said the incident last July was one of three attempted suicides that he learned about during his time at Adelanto, including that of the Nicaraguan man. He said the other two were Haitian asylum seekers. He witnessed one of the suicides firsthand. The man couldnt afford a lawyer and had fought his own asylum case. He was housed three cells over from Avelica and the two spoke regularly. Avelica said the man was quiet and mostly kept to himself. He said he would give the man cookies or try to engage him in conversation to lift his spirits. The man had told Avelica that his family was very poor and that his dream was to build them a house. He had friends on the East Coast but said they hadnt helped him. I knew he was really desperate because hed been in there a year and eight months, Avelica said. He couldnt take it anymore. Avelica said the mans situation was similar to many other immigrants in the facility. Those who came from extreme poverty couldnt afford to buy food at the commissary or call their families, he said, so they easily became depressed. I think the system works to make them give up their fight, he said. Its too long a process to endure. The man had not left his cell for two days when he tried to take his own life, Avelica said. It was about 9:30 a.m. and the cells had just been unlocked for the day but not many people were outside. He heard guards yell for help, looked outside his cell, and saw the man. He had tied his bed sheet to the metal railings on the second story. Avelica said he and others tried to help but guards told them to stay back. He said the man was carried away unconscious but survived. He never saw the man again. The other Haitian man, whose cell was in a different block, was found hanging by his bed sheet in the shower stall, Avelica said. He saw guards remove him in a gurney. Federal officials found nooses made from bed sheets in 15 of 20 cells they inspected in May, according to the report. From November 2017 to April, detainees filed 80 medical grievances with the facility for not receiving urgent care, not being seen for months for persistent health conditions and not receiving prescribed medication. On July 5, 2017, Avelica wrote in his journal that detainees had started a hunger strike, in part to improve medical care. He said detainees are asked to fill out a form seeking medical attention and often dont hear back about scheduling an appointment for at least a week. Avelica said detainees with stomach aches or the flu tend to stick it out with tea or over-the-counter medications offered at the commissary if they can afford it. One official put it to me this way: Look, for them to treat you here, you have to fall to the floor, he said. In other words, only the most dramatic medical concerns get immediate attention. Avelica, who has diabetes, saw the doctor every day for nearly two months for quick blood sugar checks after his levels rose and he began losing weight. But he said his care was an anomaly. They knew I was in the eye of the media, he said. If I hadnt been, they wouldnt have treated me the way they did. Mental health professionals urge people experiencing suicidal thoughts to seek help by contacting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255. andrea.castillo@latimes.com | Twitter: @andreamcastillo Jose Torres passes the busy commercial intersection on his way to and from work most days. The area on the Southwest Side has changed a lot since that night four years ago when fate brought him and his son there moments before a Chicago police officer fatally shot Laquan McDonald. But the violent images and explosive sounds of gunfire remain seared in their minds. Torres and son Xavier said the police dashboard camera video of the shooting that so roiled the city doesnt compare with what they witnessed. In the wake of Officer Jason Van Dykes murder conviction, the father and son returned to the scene of the shooting to talk about their decision to fight the false narrative weaved by police in the days following. Advertisement Despite witnessing the shooting of 17-year-old McDonald in October 2014, the two had been shooed away from the scene by a police officer who they said didnt bother to ask them what they saw. Both took the witness stand last month at Van Dykes trial, playing subtle but significant roles as the only civilian eyewitnesses to testify about the shooting. Indeed, prosecutors picked the elder Torres to be their final witness, said special prosecutor Joseph McMahon, because I wanted the jury to hear from a real person. Van Dykes conviction Friday on second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery one for each bullet that riddled McDonalds body was the first for a Chicago police officer in half a century for an on-duty fatality. The case was fraught with racial tension and social importance because it involved a white officer and black teen. The jury was never told about Jose Torres refusal to stay silent about what happened that night after seeing television reports the next morning with a spokesman for the police union saying McDonald had lunged at officers with a knife. I told my wife, Theyre lying, Torres said. That didnt happen. Days later, the elder Torres contacted the city agency that then investigated police shootings. He and his son later spoke to the FBI and the city inspector generals office and testified before two separate grand juries, one investigating Van Dyke and the other the alleged police coverup that led to conspiracy charges against three additional officers. Torres said some family members and friends warned him against getting involved, but he felt that justice was being subverted. It took me a few days to work up the strength, the nerve to call somebody and report it, he said. I couldnt sleep. It was eating away at me and my conscience. It was killing me, and I thought if I stay quiet, then Im part of the coverup and I couldnt live with myself. Torres, 46, said he was taking his son to a hospital for lingering flu-like symptoms just before 10 p.m. when he twice pulled over to let police cars their lights flashing and sirens blaring pass. He pulled over a third time when he came upon the police activity. Thats when the two said they saw McDonald for the first time, running from the area of a Burger King. Torres said he backed up his car, fearing he was too close, just as Van Dykes partner drove their police SUV south in the northbound lane to head off McDonald. Jose and Xavier Torres testified that seated in their car, they had an unobstructed view of McDonald as the teen came up the street. They said McDonald was walking away from police. In the seconds before the shooting, McDonald had his hands to his sides, both said. The officers shouted at McDonald, who turned his head in their direction before gunfire erupted. As McDonald fell to the street, the two said, they heard more gunshots. As soon as I heard the gunshots, he fell, Jose Torres said. And then there was a pause, and as soon as he just made a move, all of a sudden it seemed like it was never going to end. It was like pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop as he was on the ground, and they just kept shooting and shooting and shooting. Both said they heard so many gunshots that they mistakenly believed more than one officer had fired. Xavier Torres, 26, said he saw McDonald move while on the pavement like he was in pain. Neither thought he was trying to get up as Van Dyke testified in contrast to what the dash-cam video showed. Within minutes, a police officer motioned with his flashlight for the Torreses to leave, they said. As the father and son continued to the hospital, each said, they tried to give the benefit of the doubt to the police for what they had just seen. Neither noticed the knife in McDonalds hand. They assumed police shot him because he had a gun and did something really bad, the younger Torres said. Jose Torres said he grew angry the next morning after learning on TV that police alleged McDonald lunged at officers with a knife. He and his son talked about what to do next. Xavier Torres, whose daughter was young, said he worried about her well-being if he and his father went public with what they saw. I always stand behind my dad. I always believe in his decisions, he said. He was clear that what happened was wrong and that we had to do our part in coming forward. The elder Torres said he walked away from his initial interview with the Independent Police Review Authority, the city agency that then investigated officer-involved shootings, concerned that authorities were more interested in protecting Van Dyke than uncovering the truth. No one contacted him for months, Torres said, and he assumed the entire incident would be swept under the rug. The next time anyone inquired about the shooting was when a freelance journalist named Jamie Kalven knocked on his door. Kalven, whose coverage of the case helped bring it out of obscurity, was the first to report about the existence of the dash-cam video. Months later, the father and son found themselves meeting with the FBI and testifying before a secret grand jury. The explosive dash-cam video was released in November 2015 the same day Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder. Jose Torres said that as the jurys verdict was announced, he watched live on television like so many others around the Chicago area. He said he grew emotional listening as a court clerk read the guilty verdicts. Torres said he feels badly for the officers family. Van Dyke has a wife, two young daughters and elderly parents who are steadfast in their belief that he did his best in a difficult, dangerous job and note that he had never before fired his gun on duty. Still, Torres said he believes strongly that the jurys verdict was just. He needs to serve time for what he did, but I dont think the rest of his life, he said. After the first shots, he should have just ended it. Thats where I dont feel sorry for him because he chose to continue to shoot. Van Dyke, 40, who was taken into custody at Cook County Jail after his conviction, faces a minimum of six years in prison at sentencing. Torres said he still frequently thinks of the shooting and becomes upset when people try to blame McDonald for what happened to him. No one deserves that, he said. I dont care if he was innocent or not. Nobody deserves to be shot like that 16 times on the street. ... I dont care what anyone says. That shooting wasnt justified. Gutowski writes for the Chicago Tribune. Tribune staff writers Stacy St. Clair and Megan Crepeau contributed to this report. Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Monday, Oct. 8, and heres whats happening across California: TOP STORIES Californias long-held self-image a blend of Tomorrowland and Fountain of Youth is colliding with the inescapable fact that the Golden State is getting old. Seniors will be Californias fastest-growing population. Between now and 2026, the number of Californians 65 and older is expected to climb by 2.1 million. Is the Golden State prepared for the golden years? Los Angeles Times Under review Advertisement Los Angeles Countys inspector general has launched an investigation into whether a Sheriffs Department highway enforcement team engaged in racial profiling when it stopped thousands of innocent Latino drivers in search of drugs on the 5 Freeway. The move comes after The Times reported that nearly 70% of drivers pulled over from 2012 to last year were Latino and that two-thirds of them had their vehicles searched a rate far higher than motorists of other racial and ethnic groups. Sheriffs officials have denied the team engages in racial profiling. Los Angeles Times Bucking the trend? Little-box stores like Dollar General and its main competitor Dollar Tree have taken over a gigantic segment of the American household economy in the last decade by expanding into small towns overlooked by larger operators. Dollar General alone now has more than 15,000 stores nationwide, slightly more than the total number of McDonalds locations. Its annual sales exceed $6 billion. Now, these stores are trying to move into California. But some residents are pushing back. Los Angeles Times Rock n rolls toll Overdose deaths in the music business are well documented a tragic consequence in cases like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and the Doors Jim Morrison of lives lived to excess. But as the decades have rolled on, lives are being lost to the realities that come with defying Pete Townshends credo of Hope I die before I get old. Musicians who extend their careers into their 50s, 60s, 70s and even 80s confront physical aches and pains as much or more than the psychic and emotional wounds for which many have turned to substances legal and illegal for comfort. This is the story of Tom Petty. Los Angeles Times Get the Essential California newsletter SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) L.A. STORIES That light in the sky: Relax, it was a SpaceX launch. Los Angeles Times Warriors: Two men and their tireless devotion to a noble cause: helping L.A.s mentally ill. Los Angeles Times The Airbnb effect: A debate over whether renters in L.A. should be able to reap the benefits of the short-term rental market. Los Angeles Times Plus: A rare stripping of rent control in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times Back home: Meach Sovannara recounts his time in Cambodias Prey Sar prison. The longtime political activist, who spent three years jailed overseas, has safely returned to his familys home in Long Beach. Los Angeles Times Ouch: I crashed my scooter so you dont have to. Pasadena Star-News CRIME AND COURTS Hazards of duty: How police are dealing with dangerous opioids such as fentanyl, which are showing up in illicit pills and powders sold on streets, potentially putting officers at risk of accidental exposure. San Diego Union-Tribune Wall of silence: The fight to get answers in a prison groping case. Sacramento Bee Murder case: Another appeal in the Kevin Cooper saga. New York Times POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT Domino effect? Several of Californias contested congressional races are in districts that overlap with Republican-held seats in the state Legislature. Political consultants are watching closely to see if voters who choose Democrats for Congress might unexpectedly sweep GOP incumbents out of Sacramento. Los Angeles Times Backlash: The resistance to a proposal to transform empty schools into housing for teachers in Silicon Valley. Mercury News Argh: A tough year for the Sierra town of Mariposa, made worse by Google Maps. San Francisco Chronicle Smoked grapes? A debate about what to do with Napa grapes affected by last years firestorms. San Francisco Chronicle Endangered species: Californias candidates for governor and U.S. Senate are infiltrating television, Facebook feeds and mailboxes with campaign ads and slick mailers, but theres one place voters arent likely to see them the debate stage. Los Angeles Times CALIFORNIA CULTURE Back story: The real-life story of Transparent from the L.A. creator. The New Yorker Brave new world: Thirty years after his death, Roy Orbison (at least the digital version of him) is going on a national tour, the latest and possibly the most ambitious example to date of how holographic technology is transforming the music industry. Los Angeles Times Back to the wild: An Orange County seal lions fight for survival. Orange County Register That vintage look: He makes Alcatraz look old again. San Francisco Chronicle CALIFORNIA ALMANAC Los Angeles area: Sunny, 76, Monday. Partly cloudy, 73, Tuesday. San Diego: Sunny, 71, Monday and Tuesday. San Francisco area: Sunny, 73, Monday. Sunny, 67, Tuesday. San Jose: Sunny, 82, Monday. Sunny, 78, Tuesday. Sacramento: Sunny, 85, Monday. Sunny, 83, Tuesday. More weather is here. AND FINALLY This weeks birthdays for those who made a mark in California: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (Oct. 10, 1967), Rep. Ed Royce (Oct. 12, 1951) and Clippers Coach Doc Rivers (Oct. 13, 1961). If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.) Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad. The American political environment is as polarized as it has been in recent memory. But there is one major policy priority that should unite lawmakers on both sides: making the legislative branch relevant on matters of war and peace. The assumption within the foreign policy establishment is that national security in general, and war-making in particular, are distinct responsibilities of the executive branch. The president is the commander in chief of the armed forces, after all, under Article 2 of the Constitution. But the legislative branch is not meant to be a bystander. The authors of the Constitution understood that concentrating too much power in the executive branch would start the country down a dangerous road to perpetual war. War is in fact the true nurse of executive aggrandizement, James Madison observed astutely, and the temptation to make war would be too great for any one man. The authors also understood that the decision to go to war carries existential consequences, and that no individual should make it alone. It is for these reasons that Congress was granted the exclusive authority to do so under Article 1. Advertisement The legislative branch is not meant to be a bystander. Many of todays lawmakers ignore this critical concept. Some appear too frightened of the political consequences of difficult votes, while others seem scared of encroaching on the presidents turf. This is enormously unfortunate: History shows that when Congress is silent or skittish, the executive branch will gladly fill the void. Since the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which constrains when and for how long the president can use military force without congressional authorization, the executive branch has chipped away at the law by claiming a radically expansive view of presidential power. In many cases, presidents have simply disregarded the law as if it were optional. The executive overreach was begun and exacerbated by presidents from both parties. President Truman assigned tens of thousands of combat troops to South Korea without approaching Congress for statutory authorization. Before Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in 1964, the Kennedy and Johnson administrations deepened Americas military involvement in South Vietnam on an expansive interpretation of their Article 2 power. President George H.W. Bush invaded Panama in an operation to oust Manuel Noriega with the bare minimum of congressional consultation, and the pattern has persisted to this day. When the Syrian government reportedly used chemical weapons in 2017 and 2018, President Trump retaliated with cruise missile strikes. Most of Congress found out about the attacks via Twitter or television news. Executive war making is not what our founders intended, nor is it how the executive and legislative branches handled their constitutional obligations during the first and second centuries of the American republic. Before the U.S. entered the Mexican-American War in 1846, the Spanish-American War in 1898 or World War II in 1941, Congress listened to the commander in chiefs case and then made the final judgment. Today, apparently, all the president needs to do is phone congressional leadership for a brief conversation. The founders designed a system of checks and balances to prevent exactly this. But these checks are worthless if the men and women who are supposed to serve this function care more about politics than doing their jobs. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion With the exception of individual lawmakers who have attempted to wrestle their colleagues out of a coma Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Rep. Ro Khanna of California on the Democratic side, and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Rep. Walter B. Jones of North Carolina on the Republican side Congress has watched the imperial presidency grow ever more powerful without a token of resistance. Its far safer today for career-oriented politicians to allow the president wide discretion and blame the White House when things go awry. The next Congress can begin to address this imbalance. The House and Senate can exercise its appropriations power to constrain the executive branch from the type of mission creep the U.S. has been prone to embracing, and one that Washington is presently considering in Syria. Senators also have the option of holding up the presidents nominations in order to force the national security bureaucracy to provide more transparency on the innermost workings of the war-making process. The chairman and ranking members of the national security committees can leverage their seniority to demand regular and substantive briefings from the administration about what U.S. policy is, what it is not and where it is going. And it may prove appropriate for Congress to limit the presidents national security waivers, provisions the executive branch has at times abused in order to continue a policy the president or his Cabinet officials are unable to explain or justify. Whatever the balance of political power on Capitol Hill next year, incoming members of the 116th Congress need to give the Constitution another read and begin fulfilling their responsibilities as elected officeholders. The alternative is untenable: a largely unaccountable national security establishment that makes decisions on its own, a U.S. military that is already overstretched yet is still being deployed to tertiary conflicts like the civil war in Yemen, and a war on terrorism that never seems to end. Daniel R. DePetris is a fellow at Defense Priorities and a columnist for the American Conservative. @DanDePetris Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook To the editor: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) relinquished her moment to be a hero. She had the weight of the nation on her shoulders, and I cannot imagine the pressure she felt. She had the eyes and ears of the entire country on her and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand up and tell the truth: that despite whether or not she believed Christine Blasey Ford, it is indisputable that Brett Kavenaugh proved himself to be wholly biased and temperamentally unqualified for his appointment to the Supreme Court. But instead, she put party before country and threw away the moment that would have solidified her bravery and political integrity for the rest of her life. This is a sad time for women and a tragic moment for our democracy. Yvette Roman Davis, Los Angeles Advertisement .. To the editor: Sens. Collins, Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are profiles in courage and comity. By voting to confirm Kavanaugh a singular example of forthrightness, impartiality and judicial temperament they showed that we cannot allow the mob, which some might mistakenly call the people, to influence our representatives. Congress should listen to the true people, corporations, which wield their influence tastefully, with money. By voting yes, they let the mob know that a male nominee may get emotional, but not the clearly gullible and confused women who dared protest his appointment. By voting yes, they went out on a lonely limb to embolden officeholders to courageously dismiss women who have the gall to demand that they be taken seriously. By voting yes, they have stepped out of Flakes elevator and into Sen. Orrin Hatchs (R-Utah). Bravo. Linda Cordeiro, Los Angeles .. To the editor: Democrats upset by Kavanaughs confirmation have only themselves to blame. In 2013, the then-Democratic majority in the Senate invoked the nuclear option to eliminate the 60-vote threshold for ending debate on judicial confirmations except for the Supreme Court. Republicans thus felt justified in exercising the same option in 2017 to get Neil Gorsuch onto the Supreme Court. If 60 votes had been required in the Gorsuch nomination, perhaps Judge Merrick Garland would have been seen as an ideal compromise candidate by both political parties. Certainly, under a similar scenario, Kavanaugh would have had no chance of being confirmed. Talk about being hoisted by ones own petard. Michael Thorpe, Oxnard .. To the editor: I feel sick with sadness and despair. I am 71. As a young woman I grew up in a time when abortion wasnt legal. Getting pregnant was the end, if not of your life, of all opportunity to become something. It meant forced marriage, dropping out of school, being shipped off to have the baby somewhere else so you didnt shame your family, or getting a back-alley abortion. It meant shame. I did not think it was fair to bring up allegations from high school. People hopefully mature and become responsible adults. For me, this confirmation hearing was about Kavanaughs stance on the right to an abortion. For generations we have been fighting for reproductive freedom. It is an underpinning of autonomy for women. I feel sick over what Kavanaughs confirmation means for women in the future. Gale Jaffe, Los Angeles .. To the editor: Prove us wrong, Justice Kavanaugh. Show us what an ultra-thin majority of the Senate sees in you that most of my fellow citizens do not. Show us that the sniveling, partisan, self-victimizing bully we witnessed during the recent hearings does not reflect your true judicial self. If the nation assumes you were displaying your better self (as one usually would in a job interview), we should all be worried. Prove us wrong. Fred Lynch, Westminster Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook. When President Trumps former campaign manager Paul Manafort pleaded guilty to assorted federal crimes in mid-September, court papers cited his lobbying of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, an Orange County Republican, as part of the illicit scheme. The prosecutors did not say Rohrabacher is suspected of wrongdoing. And Rohrabachers spokesman said the congressman has not been interviewed by special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs team and does not believe hes under investigation. But Rohrabachers dealings with Manafort, his public defenses of Russias authoritarian president, Vladimir Putin, and his efforts with advocates pushing Moscows agenda in Washington remain a puzzle and a potential problem as he fights for his political survival in the Nov. 6 election. Rohrabacher, 71, has held office nearly 30 years, and his coastal district, stretching from Seal Beach south to Laguna Niguel, remains home to more registered Republicans than Democrats. Yet polls, including one conducted for The Times late last month by UC Berkeleys Institute of Governmental Studies, show him virtually tied with his Democratic challenger, real estate executive Harley Rouda, who has hammered the incumbent over Russia. Advertisement It looks like a toss-up seat, said Bruce E. Cain, a Stanford University political scientist who has led statewide polling of likely California voters. The question is, has he been hurt by the Russia stuff? See full coverage of the midterms in California Rohrabacher declined to be interviewed for this article. In written responses to questions, a spokesman, Andrew Eisenberger, noted the lawmaker is chairman of a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee that has Russia in its purview. Rohrabacher, he said, has acted in line with his official duties. He has consistently and openly stated that he believes we should cooperate with Russia only in those areas where we have mutual interest, and that open hostility to them does not serve the interests of the United States, Eisenberger said. A review of Rohrabachers record and his brushes with the Russia-focused investigations led by Mueller and two congressional committees, as well as interviews with dozens of his acquaintances and others familiar with his career, finds a lawmaker who has taken provocative political stances but has secured few legislative achievements. In May 2016, for example, when Rohrabacher sought to change a U.S. law that Putin opposed, the congressman proposed an amendment that mirrored talking points given to him by a Russia-affiliated lobbyist, The Times found. Rohrabacher failed to persuade his colleagues to make the change. Rohrabacher has not gotten wealthy as a politician. His annual financial disclosures show credit card debts in several recent years, ranging from at least $25,000 to $100,000. Among his successes in Congress, he steered to passage a 2004 law that helped the emerging commercial space-launch industry, which holds promise for his district. In 2014, Rohrabacher successfully cosponsored an amendment that has discouraged the Justice Department from interfering with marijuana-legalization laws passed by California and more than 30 other states. More than any other member of Congress, he has vehemently rejected U.S. intelligence agencies conclusions that a Kremlin-backed operation hacked digital files from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clintons campaign chairman and funneled much of the material to WikiLeaks. The anti-secrecy website posted thousands of the stolen emails online before the 2016 election, wreaking havoc on the Democrats. Rohrabacher also sought, unsuccessfully, to broker a deal to shield Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, from potential U.S. prosecution for posting the stolen emails. Rohrabacher was questioned in December by the Senate and House intelligence committees, which are probing the Russian operation. On Dec. 19, after a closed-door session with the Senate panel, Rohrabacher declared himself an open book. Last month, the House committee held back Rohrabachers 186-page interview transcript while voting to release 53 other transcripts. Rouda promptly challenged Rohrabacher on Twitter to do whats right for the United States and demand release of his own testimony. Some of Rohrabachers backers say media coverage has distorted his intentions toward Russia. Hes driven, they say, by principle and perhaps his freewheeling personality, but not impropriety. Sometimes his opinion gets him into a little bit of trouble, said Edwin Laird, a manufacturer of plastic coatings in Huntington Beach who has raised money for Rohrabacher since 1988. I think its good to have the experience of Dana Rohrabacher commenting on Russia. He deserves a break. Early in his career, Rohrabacher called himself viciously anti-communist and against authoritarian governments. He worked for Ronald Reagans presidential campaigns in 1976 and 1980, and joined the White House speech-writing staff in 1981 at the outset of Reagans presidency. In 2013, he told C-SPAN that he worked with Reagan on most if not many of his very hard-core speeches concerning the Soviet Union. Colleagues say privately they are mystified at how Rohrabacher, the declared anti-authoritarian, could now voice support for Putin, a former KGB operative turned strongman, and Viktor Yanukovych, the repressive former president of Ukraine who was aligned with Moscow. Rohrabacher began advocating for Yanukovych in 2013 when the Ukrainian leader came under fire in Washington for pushing his government closer to Moscow. Manafort was then lobbying for Yanukovych and his party, and on March 13 that year he met Rohrabacher at the Capitol Hill Club, along with another lobbyist, Vin Weber, a former Republican congressman from Minnesota. After the dinner, Manafort prepared a report for President Yanukovych that the meeting went well and reported a series of positive developments for Ukraine from the meeting, according to court papers. Manafort also made a $1,000 contribution to Rohrabachers campaign fund. On April 18, 2013, the congressman issued a news release titled Rep. Rohrabacher Congratulates Ukraine on Release of Jailed Former Ministers, praising Yanukovych. The statement did not mention that the autocrat had refused to free his predecessor, who was imprisoned on what human rights groups said were bogus corruption charges. Yanukovych took an important step towards securing the rule of law and improving the democratic spirit of his country, Rohrabacher said. In response to questions from The Times, Rohrabachers spokesman, Eisenberger, said the congressman does not recall ever speaking with or reading opinions of Manafort or his colleagues on the issue before drafting this press release. Another spokesman, Dale Neugebauer, said Rohrabachers campaign sent a check for $1,000 this summer to the Childrens Hospital of Orange Countys Children Foundation, offsetting Manaforts contribution. In February 2014, after a series of deadly anti-government protests, Yanukovych went into exile in southern Russia. The Parliament in Kiev issued an arrest warrant, accusing him of mass killing of civilians. Soon after, Putin ordered political, economic and military actions to destabilize the new government, and sent troops to annex Crimea, which was an autonomous republic of Ukraine. That December, Rohrabacher was one of the few members of Congress to oppose a resolution condemning Russias aggression. It passed the House by a vote of 411-10. Several days later, Rohrabacher wrote in a blog post that the House resolution was nothing more than gratuitous, needlessly provocative, and shortsighted tantamount to a declaration that Russia is Americas enemy. Compared with Islamic terrorism and Chinas ambitious economic agenda, he added, The perils posed by Putin, if any, are not close. Colleagues similarly are mystified by Rohrabachers connections to several Russians who have faced scrutiny in the Mueller investigation. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher listens during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing concerning the genocide against the Burmese Rohingya, on Capitol Hill, September 26, 2018. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images) In April 2016, Rohrabacher flew to Moscow with a policy aide and others on the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee he chairs. While there, he met at a Ritz-Carlton hotel with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and Rinat Akhmetshin, a lobbyist who holds dual Russian-U.S. citizenship, about a matter of pointed interest to Putin. They sought Rohrabachers help fighting the Magnitsky Act, a U.S. law named for Sergei Magnitsky, an accountant who died in Russian custody after he had identified $230 million in tax fraud involving government officials. The law, enacted in 2012, barred Russians allegedly involved in Magnitskys death from traveling to America or using U.S. banks. By early 2016, momentum was building in Congress and in the Obama administration for a Global Magnitsky Act, which would keep the original sanctions on Russia but expand visa restrictions and financial penalties around the globe against those who violate human rights or commit major corruption. Veselnitskaya and Akhmetshin insisted the dead accountant was a false hero, and they urged Rohrabacher to overturn the law or strip Magnitskys name from it, according to people familiar with the matter. Akhmetshin also gave Rohrabacher a copy of an anti-Magnitsky documentary, made by a Russian director, and arranged a phone conversation between the director and the congressman. After returning to Washington, Rohrabacher sought to hold a subcommittee hearing to raise doubts about Magnitsky and the U.S. law. Rohrabacher also sought to screen the film for lawmakers in a congressional hearing room, according to a senior congressional aide. But the Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton), privately rebuffed both of Rohrabachers requests. Royce believed the film inaccurately depicted Magnitskys whistle-blowing and death, the aide said. Rohrabacher persisted. On May 17, 2016, he wrote to colleagues on the committee saying he would offer an amendment to strike Magnitsky from the title of the law and rename it the Global Human Rights Accountability Act. The proposal mirrored a one-page list of Talking Points distributed by Akhmetshin, copies of the two documents show. Akhmetshin had delivered the list to Rohrabacher, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. One of the talking points said the U.S. law should be called the Global Human Rights Accountability Act. The amendment failed. On June 14, Royce led a committee hearing that focused on U.S. policy toward Russia but included no mention of the Magnitsky Act. Rohrabacher later attached to the official hearing record a two-page, written statement from Andrei Nekrasov, the Russian director, who said Magnitsky was not a whistleblower. President Obama signed the Global Magnitsky Act into law in late 2016. When the House Intelligence Committee questioned Rohrabacher about his interactions with Veselnitskaya and Akhmetshin, the lawmaker testified that he encountered them by chance at the hotel lobby in Russia, according to a footnote in a report made public on March 26, 2018, by committee Democrats. He acknowledged that they were probably spies and probably knew the Congressman would be there, the footnote states. Asked for comment, Rohrabachers spokesman, Eisenberg, termed the dealings with the two Russians inconsequential. He said Akhmetshin did not play a role in shaping Rohrabachers desire to change the Magnitsky Act. Veselnitskaya could not be reached for comment; Akhmetshin declined to speak for the record. Veselnitskaya and Akhmetshin were also key players in one of the most puzzling incidents of the 2016 presidential campaign. On June 9, 2016, they met at Trump Tower in Manhattan with three of Trumps top lieutenants: Manafort, then the campaign manager; Jared Kushner, the candidates son-in-law; and Donald Trump Jr., who scheduled the meeting after an intermediary wrote to him that the Russians had information that would incriminate Hillary. The White House later said the two Russians talked mostly about the Magnitsky Act, and Putins retaliatory ban on Americans adopting Russian children. But the meeting has been a focus of the special counsel investigation into whether Trumps campaign collaborated with Russian efforts to interfere in the election. After Trump took office, Rohrabacher sought to lead another congressional delegation to Moscow but Royce, his fellow Orange County Republican refused to provide Foreign Affairs Committee funds. Privately, Royce told colleagues that Rohrabachers proposal was out of line because the new administration needed time to form its own relations with Moscow, according to aides familiar with the matter. Rohrabacher stayed home. A few months later, Royce again said no when Rohrabacher sought committee funds for a trip to London to meet with Assange, the WikiLeaks founder. Rohrabacher spent his own money instead, and on Aug. 18, 2017, he met Assange for about three hours inside Londons Ecuadorean Embassy, where the Australian had sought asylum in 2012. Assange insisted the Russians had neither hacked the Democratic Party emails nor funneled the material to WikiLeaks. He was very adamant, said Charles C. Johnson, a conservative activist who joined Rohrabacher and Assanges attorney at the meeting. Assange said he was willing to reveal his evidence to U.S. authorities and testify under oath in exchange for presidential pardons for himself and eight or nine colleagues, according to Johnson. Rohrabacher voiced his support, calling Assange a journalist, and promised to seek a meeting with Trump to discuss the issue, Johnson recalled. This year, in a July 3 interview with FOX 11 in Los Angeles, Rohrabacher again declared that the Russians didnt hack the Democratic Partys emails or feed them to WikiLeaks. He said he believes Moscow did in some way try to interfere, in the U.S. election. Just like we do it enormously, all over. Ten days later, a 29-page federal indictment filed by the special counsel characterized matters differently. It accused 12 Russian military intelligence operatives of the illegal hacking and of using online personas to feed the material to WikiLeaks. david.willman@latimes.com Inside a San Francisco radio studio, away from the glare of television cameras and during a workday, the two candidates for California governor faced off in their only one-on-one debate before election day. Advertised as a wide-ranging conversation instead of a formal political debate, the one-on-one meeting between Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Republican businessman John Cox was noteworthy for lacking the prime-time television audience that traditionally sees candidates competing for the most powerful and coveted political post in the nations most populous state. During the candidate forum, hosted by San Francisco public radio station KQED and airing statewide, Newsom and Cox clashed over their personal beliefs and political histories in what was largely a measured exchange. Cox , the clear underdog in the race, was quick to go on the offensive against front-runner Newsom. The Rancho Santa Fe Republican said the most dire crises facing California poverty, homelessness and the lack of affordable housing all developed on the watch of Democrats, who control the governors office and Legislature. He also went after Newsoms tenure as mayor of San Francisco, saying the citys problems with homelessness and illicit drug use have only worsened after he left office. Advertisement Gavin has been part of a political class that has led this state downward, Cox said early in the one-hour radio forum. I have a vision of this state being affordable and livable. I think we can do that if we get rid of the special-interest influence in Sacramento. Newsom blasted Cox for being out of step with most Californians on gun control, abortion rights and climate change, saying the Republican offered only illusory ideas but no concrete solutions on how to address crucial state issues such as the need for affordable housing. He also criticized his opponent for comments the Republican made in 2007 when he said the push for LGBTQ rights would open the floodgates to polygamy and bestiality. When asked about those issues by moderator Scott Shafer, KQEDs senior politics editor, Cox said he has evolved on the issue, and accused Newsom of dredging it up to deflect from addressing other state policy matters. The two candidates sparred over Californias so-called sanctuary state law, landmark 2017 legislation enacted by Gov. Jerry Brown to prevent law enforcement officers in many cases from holding and questioning people at the request of federal immigration agents, and to limit them from sharing the release dates of some county jail inmates who are in the country illegally. Cox said that hes heard from law enforcement officers that the legislation is making it harder for them to do their jobs. I would get rid of the sanctuary law, Cox said. I think we need to get the Legislature to do that and if they dont do it, I think we need to get it to a vote of the people. For his part, Newsom said the sanctuary policy is about community policing, its about building trust. He also called President Trumps proposed border wall a monument to stupidity. With solid advantages in the polls and fundraising in left-leaning California, Newsom entered the final stretch of the campaign trying to evoke an air of inevitability. Just last month, Newsom crisscrossed the state in a campaign bus tour that focused on helping down-ballot Democrats challenging Republicans in contested congressional elections, rather than his own campaign for governor. Still, Cox says his message is catching on. A recent poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that, since July, Cox has cut Newsoms lead in the governors race by half he now trails the Democrat by 12 percentage points. But that same poll found that two-thirds of the likely voters in California disapproved of the job Trump has done as president. Trump endorsed Cox before the June primary, giving his campaign a major boost. Newsom didnt hesitate to remind listeners about the presidents support for his opponent. We certainly represent the vast majority of Californians that reject John Coxs absolute allegiance to Trump and Trumpism, Newsom said. Cox in the past has accused Newsom, Californias two-term lieutenant governor, of being more focused on criticizing Trump than tending to the needs of working Californians. Both men said they support building more housing Newsom wants to see 3.5 million homes constructed through 2025, while Cox wants developers to build 3 million new homes over the next decade. Cox also supports changing the California Environmental Quality Act, the landmark law that requires developers to disclose and minimize a projects impact on the environment. Newsom agreed that reforms are needed, but also accused Cox of offering only superficial solutions, adding that he has 15 separate policy proposals to address the issue. Newsom was asked if hed consider reforms to Proposition 13, the 1978 law capping property tax increases that critics view as a contributor to Californias fiscal challenges. Everything is on the table as it relates to this issue, Newsom said of housing. This is the issue that defines the affordability crisis. On gun violence, Cox said that he wants the media to stop publishing the names and photos of those who commit mass shootings. He also said that when it comes to gun control, more laws are not going to do the job. I certainly favor keeping guns out of the hands of people who are dangerous, people who are mentally ill. But the 2nd Amendment is an important amendment, Cox said. Newsom said his opponent has starkly different views on guns and that in every one of these cases, I think hes wrong. The Democrat also touted Proposition 63, a ballot measure he campaigned for in 2016 that requires background checks on the purchase of ammunition, as an example of how California is leading on the issue of gun safety. During the debate, Shafer asked Newsom how he might work with others in the Capitol if elected, noting that the lieutenant governor has tangled with politicians including former state Senate leader Kevin de Leon, who that same year pushed legislation for similar gun controls. If youre looking for timidity, Im not your person, Newsom said. If youre looking for someone to be bold and courageous, lean into issues, change the order of things, Im committing myself to that cause as the next governor. The two candidates also clashed over Proposition 6, the initiative to repeal fuel tax increases and vehicle fees for repairing the states roads and bridges. Cox, who is co-chairman of the Proposition 6 campaign, said that if elected Newsom would not force Caltrans to improve operations to allow the state to pay for road repairs without raising taxes. I think Gavin would not exercise enough control over efficiency at Caltrans, Cox said, adding that Democrats are digging into the pockets of people who are already paying high fuel taxes instead of reforming that system. The tough job would have been making Caltrans live within its means, Cox said. Newsom noted that traffic congestion and road conditions are terrible, especially in areas such as Los Angeles. His plan is to make things worse, Newsom said of Cox. He is taking away over $5 billion every year for road improvement, for public safety improvements. With four weeks left before the election, Newsom has almost 10 times as much money as his opponent $16.2 million cash on hand, compared with $1.7 million Cox has in the bank, according to campaign finance records that detailed activity through Sept. 22. Newsom and Cox debated five times during the primary season, appearing in events alongside three other top Democrats and another Republican in the race. But the Monday morning debate was their only head-to-head matchup. Newsom initially agreed to a televised debate hosted by CNN. But the event didnt get off the ground after Cox demanded that it focus on housing, cost of living, water and other California-specific issues, which Newsoms campaign said was an effort to limit the scope of questions asked. After criticism from news outlets and others about the lack of debates, the two finally agreed to participate in a gubernatorial conversation hosted by KQED during the stations regularly scheduled KQED Forum program that airs from 9 to 11 a.m. weekdays. The event was made available to radio stations throughout California. At the end of the one-hour candidate forum, Shafer noted that there wasnt enough time to ask the candidates about many other pressing issues in the state, including water, pension reform and education. Cox said he would be happy to take part in another debate. Ive agreed to five of these and I cant get my young friend to do that, he said. Times staff writers Liam Dillon, Melanie Mason and Patrick McGreevy contributed to this report. Coverage of California politics phil.willon@latimes.com Twitter: @philwillon Updates on California politics UPDATES: 2 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the debate. This article was originally published at 11:45 a.m. The nations Supreme Court will soon officially be back at full strength, after an unprecedented confirmation process that is likely to leave lasting scars on the politics and culture of the nation for years to come. Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed by the Senate on Saturday and is expected to formally join the high court on Tuesday. But the story that has played out over the past few weeks is far from over. KAVANAUGH: THE OATH, THE PROMISE FROM DEMOCRATS The nations 114th Supreme Court justice took the oath of office on Saturday night, hours after the closest confirmation vote in modern American history. Advertisement Demonstrators had been gathered in front of the Supreme Court building, with some critics insisting the days events be seen as a partisan message about women. 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. And yet Washingtons minority party must walk a narrow line in the weeks to come, as it seeks to use anger as an electoral catalyst while not turning the midterms into a polarizing referendum on whether the new justice should be impeached. One thing seems quite clear, as David Savage points out: Kavanaugh may be taking a seat occupied for three decades by Justice Anthony Kennedy, but he will not fill Kennedys spot as a swing vote who sometimes joined the courts liberal wing. Sign up for the Essential Politics newsletter DECISION CALIFORNIA: FOUR MORE WEEKS Democrats running in some of the states battleground congressional districts stood shoulder to shoulder with former Vice President Joe Biden last week, who lashed out at what he called the Republican Partys cultish devotion to Trump. Lies have never been more brazen. Blind rage and brute partisanship has never been more palpable, Biden said in an Orange County event featuring Democrats running in four of the areas closely watched races. Republicans are far from out of the running in those races. In the states 39th Congressional District, GOP contender Young Kim offers a familiar story to communities with large immigrant populations. Still, talk of the president is ever-present. I try to tell them Im not running to be his spokesperson or represent Donald Trump in the White House, Kim said. Nearby, in Californias 48th Congressional District, Rep. Dana Rohrabachers involvement with several figures in the special counsel investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign has put him in a fight for his political survival. And as Democrats continue to post large fundraising numbers, the congressional races are likely to affect more than just Washington. My weekend column examines the likelihood of a domino effect in races for the Legislature that would hardly be competitive were it not for the fact those districts overlap the congressional contests. NATIONAL LIGHTNING ROUND -- A southern Minnesota television reporter who wore a Make America Great Again hat to a Trump rally that he was covering has been fired. -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo concluded a productive meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, calling it another step forward in torturous talks to dismantle the nations nuclear arsenal. -- Vice President Mike Pence laid out an increasingly confrontational approach to Beijing in a speech last week. NEXT CALIFORNIA: MORE SENIORS, MORE COSTS California has spent most of its modern history as a state teeming with young adults and families, providing fuel to its economy and culture in ways that have changed the country. But its story in the 21st century is one of aging the Golden State is getting more gray, in ways that will test its system of government services and its top elected leader. In Part 3 of our series on the Next California, Melanie Mason offers a glimpse of just how big the challenge will be. And as in previous installments, candidates Gavin Newsom and John Cox offer their take on how to prepare for an older Golden State. TODAYS ESSENTIALS -- Californias two premier political contests this election season have at least one thing in common a dearth of debates. Voters deciding on a governor and U.S. senator will have only one opportunity to catch the candidates debating the issues. -- 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. -- The president of the board of administration of CalPERS, the states largest public employee pension fund, lost her bid for reelection to a Corona police officer. -- With officials now looking into every way possible to open up Hollister Ranch, many have asked: How exactly did 8.5 miles of Californias most pristine coastline remain so private and with so little scrutiny for four decades? LOGISTICS Essential Politics is published Monday and Friday. You can keep up with breaking news on our politics page throughout the day. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics? Miss Fridays newsletter? Here you go. Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com. Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox. During a meeting with General Secretary of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President Bounnhang Vorachith in Vientiane on October 8, Politburo member Vuong expressed his belief that under the leadership of the LPRP, the Lao people will continue scoring great achievements in the cause of renovation, successfully realising the resolution adopted by the 10th Congress of the LPRP and hold Party Congresses at all levels towards the 11th National Party Congress. He expressed his sympathy to the huge human and material losses caused by the hydropower dam collapse in Attapeu province and believed that the Lao people will soon be able to stabilise their lives and restore production. Politburo member Vuong thanked the Lao Party, National Assembly, Government, and Front For National Construction for sending messages of condolences and assigning high-ranking delegations to State funerals of former General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Do Muoi and President Tran Dai Quang. Vietnam will do its best to foster and further deepen the Vietnam-Laos special solidarity a valuable asset of the two Parties and nations, and an important factor to ensure victory in the revolutionary cause of each country, he said. Informing the host of the outcomes of his talks with Politburo member, permanent member of the Secretariat of the LPRP Central Committee, and Vice President Phankham Viphavan, Vuong vowed to work closely with Laos to effectively realise the agreements reached by the two Parties and State leaders. The Lao leader, for his part, believed that under the leadership of the CPV, the Vietnamese people will gain even greater achievements under the cause of renewal, successfully implement the resolution adopted by the 12th National Party Congress, and turn the country into an industrialised nation with socialist orientation. He expressed his profound condolences to the Vietnamese Party, State, and people over the passing of former General Secretary Do Muoi and President Tran Dai Quang. He also thanked Vietnam for providing timely and effective support to Lao victims following the hydropower dam collapse. The host pledged to foster the Laos-Vietnam special solidarity and pass it down to later generations. During the talks with Phankham Viphavan earlier the same day, both sides agreed to continue increasing visits and exchanges between high-ranking leaders of the two Parties and countries to share information and experience in Party and political system building, socio-economic development, and global integration; to raise public awareness of the bilateral special relations; to work closely together to maintain political and security stability, social safety, and order; and effectively promote ties in trade, economy, investment, culture, education-training, and science-technology. They promised to direct ministries, agencies, mass organisations, and localities to effectively implement agreements reached by high-ranking leaders and the contents reached at the 40th meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee on Vietnam-Laos Bilateral Cooperation. Following the talks, host and guest witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction and the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport. Craft beer and roasted pig are on the menu for Orange County Eats: Luau and Craft Beer Festival at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa. The Oct. 21 event is part of the Orange County Market Place, an open-air market that runs weekends at the fairgrounds. Most of the breweries taking part are local, including Towne Park Brewery in Anaheim, Chihuahua Brewing in Newport Beach, Left Coast Brewing in San Clemente, Golden Road Brewing in Anaheim, and Four Sons Brewing in Huntington Beach. Non-regional breweries include Kona Brewing. We want to highlight as much of Orange County as we can, said Peyton Jeter, director of marketing and special events for the Orange County Market Place. Admission is free if guests RSVP online. Admission is $2 at the gate. A beer tasting lanyard costs $20 and includes 10 samples, a sampling cup and a pretzel necklace. About 500 people are expected to attend. The luau theme will feature leis for attendees and Hawaiian-themed food, including roasted pig, fruit smoothies and Dole Whip pineapple treats. Fruity beers, including Golden Roads mango and pineapple brews, will stick with the tropical theme. Attendees can play cornhole, beer pong and other games. L.A.vation, a U2 cover band, and DJ Eddey will perform. The event is the first of its kind for the Orange County Market Place, but Jeter said theyre hoping to make Orange County Eats an annual event. The craft beer would likely remain a constant, but the theme and associated food would change. If You Go What: Luau and Craft Beer Festival When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 21 Where: OC Fair and Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa Tickets: admission is free with a RSVP ticket at bit.ly/2Qs0IVk Info: ocmarketplace.com/ benjamin.brazil@latimes.com Twitter:@benbrazilpilot Funny how some things in life deeply affect a person while others of seeming equal weight leave little impression. Such has been my ongoing relationship with West Side Story. In May 1962, as a 17-year-old high school senior, I attended the film at the Graumans Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The film, like the Broadway production before it, set Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet to music in 1950s New York City. Instead of the Montagues and Capulets, it was the Sharks and the Jets two gangs populating NYCs mean streets. I was familiar with the music before I saw the film. My dad, a Broadway music aficionado, purchased the original cast recording shortly after the shows debut in 1957. I fell in love with it and memorized every note and lyric. As I viewed the film in Hollywood, I was only a couple of weeks shy of my Costa Mesa High School graduation. It was a defining moment for me. I watched West Side Story recently from overture to final curtain in the comfort of my family room. Ive watched significant portions of the film a hundred times over the years but was finally savvy enough this time to put a box of tissues in my lap. I was going wire-to-wire with this jumbo jet of emotions for the first time since 62. I didnt cry when I first saw the film at 17. I was with my girlfriend, after all, and I had a manly image to maintain. But, 60 years later and with three daughters and six granddaughters in the fold Ive learned that its perfectly OK for a grown man to cry. My wife accuses me of milking it, however. The film starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris. The music was by Leonard Bernstein. In my opinion West Side Story, which received 10 Academy Awards, holds up as a Broadway musical to this very day. Not many musicals from that era like Flower Drum Song, or Annie Get Your Gun or Bye Bye Birdie can make that claim. West Side Story resonates, I believe, because of its appeal to our humanity. It remains a hit because of its narrative, choreography and amazing score. Every performance projects unbelievable energy. The production focuses on bigotry, and that continues to resonate with audiences. And, heres the emotional kicker: the three male leads die tragic deaths before the final curtain. How many romantic musicals could survive that? In 1962, the film made a significant impression on this 17-year-old. It still does today. Three of my granddaughters ages 12, 15 and 17 saw the movie for the first time this summer and were enthralled. The waterworks were repeatedly unleashed, especially during the final scene when Tony dies in Marias arms. The girls were breathless. I hadnt thought much recently about West Side Story until the other night. I stumbled on a video from the BBC Proms of 2012. It contained a treasure-trove of snippets of Broadway musicals, performed by the John Wilson Orchestra and staged at Londons Royal Albert Hall. Sierra Boggess, an American, and Julian Ovenden, a Brit, performed the balcony scene from West Side Story. It was magnificent. You most likely know who Miss Boggess is. I didnt. She originated the role of Ariel in The Little Mermaid on Broadway, and had starring roles in The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies and Les Miserables. But her performance as Maria was all chills for me. It seemed as though this current generation was doing a better job of interpreting the show than mine did 60 years ago. I shared the clip with my granddaughters, and we emptied another tissue box. In 1964 two years almost to the day after seeing West Side Story I was stationed with the U.S. Army outside of New York City. Because of that film, New York to me was the most romantic city on earth. Id later visit Paris, London and Rome but none would compare to NYC of 1964. And that was due largely to West Side Story. I love the city. I love the show. JIM CARNETT, who lives in Costa Mesa, worked for Orange Coast College for 37 years. Ive spent much of my adult life in hotel rooms. Whether its a creaky motel on the plains of Midland-Odessa, Texas, or a luxury high-rise in the heart of Paris, a private hotel room is one of the perquisites of flight attendant life during layovers. Throughout my 33-year career as a flight attendant, Ive logged more than 3,500 nights in perhaps 3,000 hotel rooms. Thats nearly 10 years of wake-up calls and mini bars. Ive had a few interesting experiences. There was the time I arrived at a layover hotel, opened the door and stepped carefully inside the darkened room. After parking my roll-aboard and reaching to open the curtains, I heard a noise. I turned toward the sound and saw, buried beneath the blanket, a woman asleep in the bed. Advertisement Panicked, I covered my mouth with one hand and stood perfectly still. I could hear the woman breathing as she stirred in her sleep. I backed out of the room, ninja-like, before she woke up. On another occasion, I opened the door to what was supposed to be my room and saw a naked man and woman, er, expressing their affection for each other. The amorous couple abruptly stopped and stared at me. I stared at them. No one spoke. I walked out. More than once, in a some thin-walled hotel room or another, Ive heard a womans passionate Yes, yes, yes! or Si, si, si! or Oui, oui, oui! that was so loud I had to change rooms in the middle of the night. But such phenomena are to be expected when youve spent the equivalent of a decade in a hotel room. Whats not so common are tales from some of my colleagues. Naked and half asleep, one captain crawled out of bed and opened what he thought was the bathroom door. When the door slammed behind him, he realized he was in the hallway on the 21st floor of the hotel. Unable to open the locked door, he ran clad in his birthday suit down the hallway to the stairway and then down 21 flights. When he reached the lobby, he had to work hard to persuade hotel security not to call the police. Some years ago in Caracas, Venezuela, a male flight attendant stumbled back to his room after a night of hard drinking. That layover hotel consisted of two identical towers, and the flight attendant entered the wrong one. He took the elevator to the appropriate floor, then somehow entered what he thought was his room and threw himself into bed. Unfortunately, the bed was occupied by a teenage girl whose screams alerted her father in the adjoining room, who charged in to save his daughter. The male flight attendant did not fare well. A new-hire flight attendant was so excited about her first trip to Rio de Janeiro that she arrived at the hotel, flung open the door to her room and rushed out to the balcony as if in an Audrey Hepburn dream. Delighted by the aerial view of Leblon and Ipanema beaches, she reached for her smartphone to record a panoramic video. But by stepping outside and shutting the sliding glass doors behind her, she had inadvertently jiggled the latch, locking the two sliding doors. She wriggled the handle, but the doors would not budge. She had locked herself out on the balcony. For the next half an hour she yelled for help. When her cries went unanswered, she sank to the concrete floor, cursing a view that had suddenly turned dark and sinister. Worried that she would be stuck on the balcony until the maid came two days later when the crew was scheduled to depart or, worse, that she could be fired for missing the return flight, she sat on the balcony floor and cried. Then she remembered her smartphone. She wanted to call the front desk but didnt know the hotels telephone number, so she did the next best thing. She called her mom, who was 5,000 miles away. Mom sprang into action. She surfed the Internet, found the phone number for the hotel and called the front desk to report her daughters predicament. Within minutes hotel security personnel were inside her room. The two men flipped the latch on the sliding balcony doors and released the woman from captivity. Later that evening, she met with two crew members and me for drinks and shared her balcony ordeal. We responded the way flight attendants often do after hearing yet another tale of layover lore. We laughed and laughed and laughed. And when tears of laughter threatened to dry up, we laughed some more. travel@latimes.com @latimestravel Theres no reason to leave the table hungry during one of Las Vegas biggest weekends for foodies. Though the event doesnt have an official title, organizers are calling the six events this weekend a culinary extravaganza, given that a whopping 35 restaurants not only from along the Strip but from throughout Las Vegas will serve up their wares over the three-day festival. A couple of events are sold out, but heres the bite-by-bite lineup for the tasty activities still available: A Family Affair: A Bloody Mary Brunch. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. at Stripsteak inside Mandalay Bay. Chef Michael Mina will serve his wife Dianes favorite Bloody Mary concoctions alongside dishes such as an egg scramble with Kaluga caviar, pancakes with foie gras butter and pork belly poached egg with Bearnaise foam. Tickets are $75. Wine the Day Away. Saturday, 11:30 a.m. at Aureole inside Mandalay Bay. Chef Charlie Palmer and Harley Carbery, Mandalay Bay director of wine, will be the hosts of a four-course lunch with pairings from Foley Family Wines from Santa Barbara County. Tickets are $95. Advertisement Martha Stewart Wine & Food Experience. Saturday, 1-4 p.m. at Las Vegas Festival Grounds, 311 W. Sahara Ave. Various chefs Martha included along with restaurateurs and mixologists will interact with guests as they munch savory bites and sip craft beers, wines and spirits. Tickets from $85. Hey Chef! A Social Meal with Chef Shawn McClain and James Trees. Saturday and Sunday, 5-10:30 p.m. at Libertine Social inside Mandalay Bay. McClain, a James Beard award winner, will be joined by executive chef James Trees of Esthers Kitchen in downtown Las Vegas for two evenings of small plates including agnolotti with mint pesto, bacon and Fontana pizza and ricotta gnudi. This event is not ticketed. Simply show up to order items starting at $14. James Beard Foundation Celebrity Chef Dinner. Saturday, 6 p.m. in the Velvet Room at Luxor. Touring the country, this experience showcases the best of what guests enjoy at Beard House in New York City. Tickets are $200. travel@latimes.com UPDATES: 7:15 p.m.: This post was updated to reflect the addition of the Mandalay Bay director of wine. Previously announced master sommelier Robert Smith will not attend this event. This story was originally published at 7 a.m. A chilly exchange between U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Chinas foreign minister, Wang Yi, on Monday was the latest sign of sharply deteriorating relations between the worlds two largest economies. Wang was unusually sharp during an appearance with Pompeo before their meeting at the Diaoyutai Guest House, demanding the U.S. stop its mistaken actions against China. He accused the U.S. of escalating friction on a range of fronts involving the countrys affairs. Pompeo responded with equal bluntness that the United States had fundamental differences with China. The episode illustrated how swiftly relations have soured between Washington and Beijing in recent weeks, with analysts warning of a new era of bruising global competition between the U.S. and China. Advertisement The tensions include hefty trade tariffs, military friction in the South China Sea including a recent near-collision between U.S. and China warships spying scandals, and disagreements involving self-governing Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory. Examples of problems include President Trump recently telling reporters that Chinese President Xi Jinping might no longer be his friend and the cancellation of a bilateral security dialogue due in Beijing this month capped by a public disagreement on who called off the security talks. Recently, as the U.S. side has been constantly escalating trade friction toward China, it has also adopted a series of actions on the Taiwan issue that harm Chinas rights, and has made groundless criticism of Chinas domestic and foreign policies, Wang said. These actions have affected the mutual trust between both sides, and have cast a shadow over the prospects for China-U.S. relations, which completely go against the interest of our two peoples. We demand that the U.S. side stop these kinds of mistaken actions. Pompeo responded: The issues that you characterized, we have a fundamental disagreement. We have great concerns about the actions that China has taken, and I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss each of those today because this is an incredibly important relationship. Wang made it clear that U.S. officials had sought the meeting, not China. He said Pompeo had contacted China about the visit, and we are willing to meet you. Expectations for the meeting were never high, given that it came just days after a stinging attack on China by Vice President Mike Pence, who accused Beijing on Thursday of meddling in U.S. elections, the wholesale theft of technology and intellectual property, military aggression, religious oppression and other issues. Chinas foreign ministry described Pences speech as unwarranted slander and warned that nothing could stop Chinas progress. Many analysts see the speech as a signal that the Trump administration is preparing for an economic cold war with China, decoupling Americas economy from Chinas, rather than just a tough trade battle. China has become increasingly assertive over the one China policy, pressuring companies including Apple, international airlines and others to remove references to Taiwan as a country. In recent months Beijing has been angered about U.S. military sales to Taiwan worth $330 million approved last month; a commitment to support Taiwan in the U.S. Defense Act; the Taiwan Travel Act signed by Trump in April encouraging U.S. officials to visit Taiwan; and two stopovers by Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen to the U.S. in the summer when she visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley and the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The souring relationship has seen opportunities for dialogue between the U.S. and China swiftly curtailed, with the cancellation of several important military and trade meetings, and no plans for new trade talks. On Monday, the two sides openly disagreed on who called off a security dialogue between the U.S. and Chinese defense officials scheduled for this month. In his remarks Monday, Pompeo criticized Chinas decision not to participate in the dialogue, contradicting Chinas public insistence that it did not cancel the talks. I regret that the strategic dialogue between our two countries is something you all chose not to undertake, Pompeo said, calling it an important opportunity for dialogue. Wang responded swiftly: The strategic dialogue was not called off by the Chinese. I am stating a fact. The next opportunity for dialogue that could thaw the growing chill could come late in November when Trump and Xi are expected to attend the G20 summit in Argentina. Pence and Xi will be present at an Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Papua, New Guinea, in mid-November, but Pences sharply critical speech last week appears to rule out any hope of a breakthrough then. Trumps decision not to attend the APEC summit meeting also raises questions about his administrations stated determination to play a leading role in the Pacific region, where China is increasingly assertive. Pompeos visit came at the end of a tour to four East Asian countries focused on efforts to denuclearize North Korea. The Trump administration is relying on China to maintain pressure on North Korea by enforcing U.N. sanctions. A tweet from Pompeo indicated his hope that the meeting would focus on efforts to denuclearize North Korea, saying it was important for the U.S. and China to work together to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea and to enforce sanctions. He told Wang he expected good, candid, frank conversations about North Korean denuclearization and to brief Chinese officials on the results of his meeting Sunday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. I know that you are still very interested in exchanging views with China on hot issues such as the Korean peninsula, Wang said. This just shows that the two major powers, the two permanent members of the Security Council, need and should strengthen communication and cooperation and assume the responsibilities entrusted to us by the international community. At the same time, such cooperation should be supported by a healthy and stable bilateral relationship. China, North Koreas closest ally, has played a key role in bringing Kim to the negotiating table, but at a U.N. Security Council meeting last month China and Russia called for sanctions on North Korea to be relaxed because of positive developments in the last few months. Wang told the Security Council it should consider easing sanctions to encourage North Korea to progress on denuclearization. Pompeo called for the continued strict enforcement of sanctions at the Security Council meeting -- which he said had been repeatedly violated. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Monday Kim was planning to visit Russia soon and Xi was expected to travel to North Korea to meet Kim. Moon said Pompeos meeting with Kim had created the conditions for another Trump-Kim summit soon. Pompeo on Sunday said his meeting with Kim was positive. Trump tweeted Sunday that he looked forward to meeting Kim in the near future. robyn.dixon@latimes.com Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT Set free by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, tiny Estonia has developed Eastern Europes most robust economy, a functional welfare state and remarkably perhaps the most digitally advanced government in the world. Since the turn of the 21st century, Estonia has offered each citizen a government-issued digital identity including a chip-embedded national ID card that can be used for social security, health insurance, voter registration, banking and much more. It also now offers e-residency for people around the world who want to be part of its digital revolution, allowing them to register a business in Estonia, which is part of the European Union. The northernmost of the three Baltic nations, Estonia has one big problem: Its eastern neighbor. Russia, which long dominated Estonia and now deeply resents its membership in NATO, represents an existential threat. Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid during an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Oct. 3, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Advertisement Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid was in Los Angeles last week, where she discussed her countrys digital initiative and other matters in a speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council at the downtown California Club. She later sat down with The Times for a Q&A, which has been edited for length and clarity: Youve called Estonia the first digital society that has its own state. Can you explain what that means? Yes. By this I mean, first and foremost, that all Estonian digital developments operate as a single society. We have a single backbone, based on which everybody builds their services. And this applies for the public sector and the private sector equally. Because of course all of us globally use very many online services, digital services, but they come on platforms without any security, simply because you dont have a digital identity to verify who is doing what to whom on the internet. We do have it, and weve had it since the turn of the century, which means we now have one generation which has grown up knowing that the government is at their fingertips. And all the banking services like you have here are at our fingertips as well. But what they also have, as an additional asset, is the security of an internet passport, a digital identity, which makes provision and use of these services safe and secure. And has this system ever been hacked? No. I mean, there are numerous tries always, like, I mean, every bank can tell you. In 2007, we were the first country which came under cyberattack, but the result was we were even then able to wall off the Estonian ecosystem. So it worked inside the country, even if it was under strong cyberattack. You couldnt access it outside; I was in Luxembourg and I couldnt access it. But inside it was functioning. Beyond cyberattack, are there risks or concerns about a digital society? There always are, but we always have concerns also about a paper society. I mean, [in] an analog society, you have risks that somebody looks at your medical data without your acceptance or knowledge. In a digital world, there will be a trace in the system that somebody has been in the system. We also need a clever law space to guarantee the safety of people and also the businesses that offer these services online, and also the government, which also offers the services online. And then you have to be ready to do what you promised. If it says in the law that its forbidden and its a criminal offense, then you do prosecute those people who come in and look around. To what extent has Estonia been under cyberthreat from Russia? No more than anyone else. I mean, theres no geography in this game. Actually, we saw quite clearly that, during the election period in the U.S. and Europe, the activity of these kinds of actions died down [in Estonia]. We didnt see that many trolls talking about how horrible [it is to have] German troops east of Germany, for instance. We are quite resilient, because we are ready and prepared all the time to deal with misinformation. So maybe it is easier and better [for Russia] to work somewhere where there are less resilient people. Youve spoken about Estonias military defenses and said that youre not afraid of a military attack. What has Estonia done to bolster its defenses against, presumably, a potential Russian attack? Strong reserve army, first and foremost. Yes, we have our professional army, which is also contributing to security in Iraq and Afghanistan and Africa many places globally. But you do not defend the country with a small number of well-equipped, well-trained soldiers only. You need a mass mobilization capacity, and this we have. This is what makes us a porcupine. I mean, we are really bad to bite into and there is nothing you will get anyway. Of course we dont like that there are those kinds of tensions in the region, enhanced tensions. On the other hand, we have deep trust in NATO. I mean, it survived the Cold War, it has a 100% track record in protecting its member states. Estonia is one of the few NATO members that spends the 2% of GDP that NATO asks. Do you share Presidents Trumps frustration with the other countries that dont? Of course we do. But I mean, we dont only share frustration but we talk with our partners and allies seriously, and we also are looking through European Union mechanisms. Maybe more money can be spent on defense by those countries in Europe whose neighborhood does not merit a big army. Maybe we could redistribute, because the European Unions single capacity, which NATO doesnt have, is definitely its ability to redistribute its resources. So we redistribute for economic cohesion, we could easily redistribute for defense cohesion. You have met once, I believe, with President Trump. Twice. Twice? Yes, once with [the heads of the three Baltic states], and in the White House, but also we had a short chat in Warsaw, where he was in the Three Seas meeting [referring to a group of central and eastern European states]. And you said once that you understood him because of your background in investment banking. Can you explain? Not only investment banking, but I have an MBA, so I can explain things in cost-benefit terms. I tell my country that we pay about $1 per capita for the United Nations, and for this we get so many children fed, so many migrants helped, so many defense missions out there. With these kinds of simple demonstrations of how much we spend and what we get back, its very easy to discuss things. So maybe in my own country I am the same kind of type, who always demands that tell me, what do I get for it? I think its natural that you want to know the cost and benefits. You are the president of a multi-ethnic, multilingual society that has seen considerable tension between ethnic Estonians and ethnic Russians. Do you worry about the rise of far-right nationalism that weve seen elsewhere in the world? I do worry about this notion that you can solve your problems alone, and that if you dont like all developments in all multilateral organizations you are a member of, then maybe you should kind of pull back. This I dont like. Im always very much about values, and we share the values with our partners and allies in the EU and NATO and also, to a certain extent, the United Nations, because at least we agree to come and discuss put the elephant on the table, not in the other room. Domestically, what is Estonia doing to integrate its Russian population with the Estonian? First of all, the multilingual population is not all Russian. They are from various parts of the Soviet Union. In Narva, the border town between Estonia and Russia, we have 18 different societies of different nations operating. So its a really varied group. Second, most of these people really value the European [idea] the free movements of people, ability to leave the country without any worries about whether you will come back, ability to speak your mind. What do we do to integrate? Of course we need to provide language training, but for me, I find that much more important is, first of all, not to make this error which is constantly made they always say, you speak Russian, therefore you agree with Putin. Its so unfair to our Russian speaking population. The Council of Europe recently issued a report that said Estonia needed to do a better job protecting women from domestic violence and closing the gender gap in pay. Is the government doing that? Its interesting. They have always been [concerned] about the gender gap, but domestic violence was only just added, and maybe its because of my action. I put into my first speech on our national day, a notion that many people are getting beaten up in their homes, because on holidays this happens more. And this was not an open discussion in our society. All kinds of domestic violence well, people felt ashamed. The barrier to go and complain to police was high. Estonian police have been wonderful in supporting me in this campaign. You dont only have after the national holidays the traffic accident information online, you also have how many domestic violence incidents were registered. I see this as one of my big missions. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. Authorities discovered the body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova on Saturday in the northern town of Ruse near the Romanian border. Police said she had been strangled and her body was found in a park near the river. Marinova was a director of TVN, a small TV station in Ruse, and a TV presenter for two investigative programs. Journalists groups and foreign officials, including Harlem Desir, the media freedom representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, demanded a full and thorough investigation into Marinovas death. A Bulgarian investigative online media site went even further, calling for an independent international inquiry, saying that a Bulgarian probe could be compromised by corrupt Bulgarian officials. Advertisement But Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said Monday there was no evidence to suggest the killing was linked to Marinovas work. It is about rape and murder, he said. Bulgarian police, however, said they are considering all possible scenarios and examining possible links to her personal and professional life. Corruption is endemic in Bulgaria, a Balkan nation that joined the EU in 2007 and was ranked 71st on Transparency Internationals corruption list last year. Joining the bloc opened an enormous spigot of possible new EU funding for Bulgarian infrastructure projects or other programs designed to bring the nation up to EU standards funds that were very attractive to both government officials and criminal networks. Marinovas final show was a program about Attila Biro, an investigative journalist with the Rise Project Romania and a colleague from the Bulgarian investigative site Bivol.bg, Dimitar Stoyanov. The two men were briefly detained Sept. 13 south of Sofia, the capital, as they investigated a tip that documents connected to suspected fraud involving EU funds were being shredded and destroyed. Bivol.bg owner Assen Yordanov said he couldnt directly link Marinovas slaying to her work, but noted her Sept. 30 show tackled our very sensitive investigation into the misuse of EU funds. Chief Public Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov announced Monday that authorities had no new leads on the motive for the slaying. An 85-year-old former obstetrician, who was the first person to go on trial for involvement in Spains infamous baby-stealing scandal, has been found guilty but then acquitted because the crimes took place nearly half a century ago. Three judges from Madrids provincial court ruled on Monday that Dr. Eduardo Vela was guilty of abducting Ines Madrigal as a newborn baby in 1969, and then fraudulently signing her over to another woman as if she had been her birth mother. But crucially, the judicial panel argued that the statute of limitations for the crimes had long ago expired. Had he been convicted for the offenses, Vela could have been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. The case involved one of the tens of thousands of babies believed taken from their biological parents during the long dictatorship of Francisco Franco and into the 1980s and 90s. Advertisement The scope of the scandal began to take shape in 2008 when a crusading judge, who had been looking into human rights violations during the Franco era, estimated that in the first 15 years of the fascist dictatorship, more than 30,000 children were taken from their leftist parents in an official campaign by the government to minimize the societal impact of Marxist genes. Vela was the first person to face trial in the case. A handout photo of Dr. Eduardo Vela in court. (Audiencia Provisional Court) On Monday, Madrigal welcomed the verdict that Vela had stolen her from a mother she has never been able to trace, but the acquittal means it will be even more difficult to move forward with any of the other 2,000 or more cases that had been reported to authorities over the years. This is a breakthrough because it is the first case in Spain and even on a European level where it has been proved that a baby was stolen. But I am no nearer to finding my biological mother than when I started out, Madrigal told The Times. We got this far to help all the victims. The opportunity fell to me because I had my wonderful [adoptive] mother, Ines Perez. Today is her day, her triumph, because the court has ruled that she told the truth. Madrigals lawyer, Guillermo Pena, said they will appeal and ask Spains Supreme Court to back the prosecution argument in the trial that the crime of abduction cannot expire until a person is actually aware that they had been kidnapped. It wasnt until 2010 that Madrigal, after reading an article about the Franco-era baby thefts, became suspicious that she had been taken without her biological mothers consent. The court, though, ruled that Madrigals abduction effectively ended when she became an adult, and that she would have had to report the crime within 10 years of that moment to prevent the statute of limitations from expiring. The judges also said that, when she turned 18 and her mother told her shed been adopted, she could have investigated her own origins, though there was very little public information on the stolen baby scandal at the time. When the story of the countrys lost children began to come into public view, Madrigal and her mother by now a widow reached out to the judge who was probing the stolen baby scandal. He told them their adoption paperwork had been falsified. In 2012, Madrigal persuaded her adoptive mother to tell the judge how Vela had shown her how to fake pregnancy with a pillow under her clothes, and then eventually presented her with a baby girl he described as a gift and filled in her name on the birth certificate as the biological mother. A priest, who was one of Perezs friends, had acted as an intermediary, saying the birth mother did not want the baby because she was not married to the childs father. Perezs testimony helped lead to charges being filed against Vela, who was accused of abduction, illegal adoption and document fraud, as well as altering the identity of a child. Ines Perez died before the case went to trial. Campaigners say that tens of thousands of infants and young children were snatched from their families between the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 that brought Franco to power through the late 1970s, when the country transitioned to democracy. Many of the cases allegedly involved the San Ramon maternity clinic, where Madrigal was born and which was run by Vela from the early 1960s until 1981. Women and men have said they were told that their babies had died. No record of births at the clinic has ever been found. Fuencisla Gomez and her husband, Fernando Alvarez, are among those who now believe their child was stolen by Vela at the clinic in 1971. Gomez said their baby girl had spent 24 hours next to her bed after she gave birth in 1971. She said a nurse then took the child away for an examination and that Vela later told her the little girl had died of a heart defect. Gomez said she never saw the babys body. A judge in Madrid is now investigating the matter. What this ruling says to us is that babies have been stolen in Spain. The problem is that Spanish authorities are not doing anything to help us find our children. There is even more proof now that the government must act, Alvarez said. Last month, draft legislation aimed at helping stolen baby victims investigate their cases was presented to Spains Congress. It included plans for a special prosecutor and police team dedicated to investigating illegal adoptions. Badcock is a special correspondent. Turkey summoned the Saudi Arabian ambassador to request the kingdoms full cooperation in an investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who Turkish officials say was killed while visiting the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The 59-year-old Khashoggi went missing last Tuesday while visiting the consulate for paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancee. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Saudis need to provide evidence to support their claim that he left the consulate. Consulate officials cant save themselves by saying, He left here. And relevant authorities are obligated to provide proof of this claim, Erdogan said during a visit to Hungary. If he left, you must prove this, you will prove this, even if its with visuals. Those who ask Turkish authorities Where is he? should first be asking How did this happen? Advertisement A Turkish official said the Saudi ambassador met with Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal on Sunday at the ministry. The Turkish private NTV television said Ankara requested permission for Turkish investigators to search the consulate building in Istanbul, but a Foreign Ministry official would not confirm the report. Turkish officials say the Washington Post contributor was killed at the consulate and that his body was later removed from the building, without providing evidence. Erdogan has said he would await the results of an investigation. Saudi officials have denied the allegations as baseless. The consulate insists that Khashoggi left its premises, contradicting Turkish officials. The Saudi writer spent last year in the U.S in self-imposed exile, after he fled the kingdom amid a crackdown on intellectuals and activists who criticized the policies of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggis disappearance could put pressure on the Saudi crown prince, who has promoted an image of himself as a reformer and a reliable Western ally. Opposition to the young crown prince in the ruling family will most likely grow, warned Ayham Kamel, the head of Mideast and North Africa research at the Eurasia Group. There are elements of the Al Saud family that are convinced that the prince is reckless and compromising the security of the country. Turkeys state-run news agency, quoting police, has said 15 Saudi nationals arrived in Istanbul on board two planes and were inside the consulate building when Khashoggi went missing. The private DHA agency said the planes, which it identified as a two Gulfstreams belonging to a Riyadh-based company that hires private jets, landed at Istanbuls Ataturk Airport on the day Khashoggi vanished. Journalists and activists gathered outside the Saudi Consulate on Monday demanding information on Khashoggis fate. Among the protesters was Tawakkol Karman, the Yemeni journalist and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner. She accused Saudi Arabia of state terrorism and called on the international community to take action against the kingdom. A Saudi-led coalition has been at war with Yemens Iran-aligned Houthi rebels since March 2015. Addressing the Turkey-Vietnam Business and Investment Forum in Istanbul, Turkey on October 8 which drew about 200 Turkish and Vietnamese firms the top legislator said that after over the past 30 years of reform, Vietnam has maintained good growth levels and become a middle-income country. She noted that Vietnams GDP has reached US$240.5 billion, with a trade value of more than US$475 billion and a population of 95 million at a demographic golden age. Vietnams investment and business environment has seen an improvement, she said, citing the World Economic Forums competitiveness ranking in 2017 in which Vietnam jumped five places to 55th position among 137 countries. Vietnam also leaped 14 spots on the World Banks Doing Business Report in 2016 to the 68th position out of 190 economies. Vietnam is becoming a strategic production hub for many international firms in the region thanks to the countrys attractive policies and the friendliness of the investment environment, stated the NA leader. She briefed participants on Vietnams international integration process with a network of new generation free trade agreements (FTA) that are paving the way for greater cooperation and development. Vietnam is an open economy with a two-way trade scale of US$475 billion, nearly two times higher than its GDP, she said, adding that Vietnam shares trade partnerships with 200 countries and territories, is home to 26 types of goods with export revenue exceeding more than US$1 billion each, and significant potential for better engaging in global supply chains. The NA leader said that as a responsible and positive member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Vietnam has actively strengthened international integration. Along with 10 already signed and implemented FTAs, the Vietnam-EU FTA and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will be ratified in the near future, bringing about high preferential policies from a large market of nearly 40 developed countries. Vietnam has also actively engaged in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. In order to become a modern industrial country, Vietnam is striving to maintain a GDP growth of 6.5-7 percent per year until 2020, with GDP scale reaching US$320-350 billion and trade value of US$600 billion, said NA Chairwoman Ngan. Regarding the Vietnam-Turkey economic and trade partnership, she said that since the two countries set up trade ties in August 1997, their partnership has thrived. From only several hundreds of thousands of US dollars in the 1990s, two-way trade reached US$2 billion in 2017. In the Middle-East region, Turkey is the biggest non-oil partner of Vietnam. By the end of August 2018, Turkish investors had 18 projects in Vietnam with a combined investment of US$708.2 million, ranking 26th out of 126 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. However, the NA leader commented that the figures have yet to meet the cooperation potential and expectation of both sides, stressing her hope that the two sides will seek effective measures to optimise the strengths of each country. NA Chairwoman Ngan said that she hopes the business communities of Vietnam and Turkey will bring fresh ideas and provide renewed motivation in trade and investment partnerships, contributing to reinforcing and diversifying the sound sentiments between the two countries and peoples. Vietnam will continue to keep its door wide open for Turkish enterprises seeking cooperation, business, and investment opportunities, she declared. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Turkey-Vietnam Business Council Ali Tezolmez said that the forum is a good chance for Turkish investors to grasp investment and business partnership opportunities in Vietnam for the future. Head of Turkeys Foreign Economic Relations Board Nail Olpak said that both Vietnam and Turkey are facing challenges as a result of the trade wars, requiring businesses of both sides to foster collaboration and make full use of business opportunities. He clarified that trade diplomacy and trade liberalisation hold great power as foundations for the growth of business partnerships, adding that Vietnam-Turkey business affiliations should be based on these regulations. During the forum, the initiative of a fund for investment in Vietnam was also introduced. The year was 1950, the place was the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Over lunch, several prominent scientists were discussing the recent spate of UFO reports. The discussing that was spurred by a cartoon published in the newspaper that day that humorously mocked the UFO sightings by blaming the recent disappearance of municipal trashcans on marauding aliens. During the conversation, allegedly apropos of nothing, the prominent scientist Enrico Fermi suddenly exclaimed, Where is everybody? For some reason, all of his colleagues understood what he meant right away. Fermi was asking a deep question: Where are the aliens? Why havent we seen them yet? Because of his famous question, Enrico Fermi lent his name to the now famous paradox that is at the heart of the search for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between the high estimates for the chances of intelligent life and the lack of evidence for such life. The Fermi paradox can be stated in this way. The universe is billions of years old. It contains countless numbers galaxies, each galaxy containing hundreds of billions of stars. Even if only a small fraction of those stars have planets, and even if only a small fraction of those planets are capable of harboring life, there should still be enough opportunity for many forms of intelligent life to arise in the universe. However, despite this abundance of opportunity for life to arise, we still have not seen any evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence. This apparent contradiction is made more extreme when the progress of technology is taken into consideration. After all, based on our experience here on Earth, once a technological civilization has appeared, its advancement, it seems, starts accelerating at breakneck speed. Humans have existed for less than 1 percent of the Earths history. Majority of that 1 percent was spent in the stone ages. However, ever since the Industrial Revolution, the march of human progress seems to have gotten exponentially faster. The Wright Brothers achieved flight in 1909. Less than 50 years after that, the Soviets sent the first artificial satellite into orbit in 1957. Then in 1969, only 12 years after the first artificial satellite was sent into orbit, humans have set foot on the Moon. The speed of technological advancement in information technology in the Internet is even more impressive. If, in the few years since the birth of the Internet and the World Wide Web we have gotten to where we are, image where we will be 100 years from now. The suggestion, therefore, is not only that there has been enough time for at least a few alien civilizations to arise. It seems that there has been more than enough time for civilizations significantly more advanced than ours to develop and leave traces of their activity in the galaxy.And so Fermis paradox haunts us: Where is everybody? Why havent we found signs of advanced civilizations scattered everywhere in the galaxy? Because of the implications of the Fermi paradox on the possible trajectories of life not only on other planets, but also here on Earth, scientists have always been fascinated with this puzzle. One implication of the Fermi paradox is that technological civilizations dont last very long. There might be something about civilizations that just spell disaster. Maybe civilizations tend to destroy themselves after some time. There are many ways civilizations can do this. Just our own civilization presents many examples. Theres the threat of nuclear armageddon, destruction of the global environment, global pandemic, or the creation of a technology that will result in our species demise. Another possibility that scientists entertain is that once a civilization has become dominant, they might feel threatened by the rise of other civilizations and they eliminate these threats as soon as they discover them. Such scientists, such as the late Stephen Hawking, usually suggest that we do not try to contact other civilizations because they might be more technologically advance and view us as threats to be eliminated. Another option is that technological civilizations are exceedingly rare. Perhaps most of life in the universe is non-intelligent, or perhaps most intelligent beings are not interested in exploring the universe and contacting others. These are but a few of the speculations that some people have put forward to try to address the Fermi paradox. As science progresses and we discover more about the nature of life and the universe, as we discover more planets and the ways they can be, well come closer to answering one of humanitys most perennial questionsare we alone in the universe? And if were not, where is everybody? It is common for companies to organize various informal events where workers can come with their partners. One of those... The PM expressed his pleasure at the development of Vietnam-Japan relationship, including the ties between the two legislatures, the exchange of the two countries parliamentarians, while valuing highly the sentiments and contributions of the alliances Chairman and members. PM Phuc suggested the alliance continue promoting high-level meetings between the two ruling parties, governments, and parliaments, as well as supporting further cooperation enhancement in trade, investment, and cultural and locality-to-locality exchanges. He also proposed the alliance speed up the simplification of visa procedures for Vietnamese tourists to Japan, thus facilitating people-to-people exchange between the two countries. Chairman Nikai and the alliances members affirmed that the organisation will continue making efforts to promote the extensive strategic partnership between Japan and Vietnam. They hoped Vietnam would be one of the first six member countries to ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in order to swiftly enforce the deal, bringing benefits to people. They also expressed that they would like to see the Vietnamese Government pay greater attention to the Vietnam-Japan University project to turn it into a symbol of the two countries relations. Chairman Nikai took this opportunity to highly appreciate the contributions of Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong during his term of office in the country, boosting the two countries ties. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation are in Tokyo to attend the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting and visit Japan from October 8-10. Most Popular 1. 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The announcement was met with protests from the Chinese, as well as big business in the US. China responded with tariffs on another $60bn of imports from the US. This trade war reveals the frictions that have been developing for some time between the imperialist powers, and threatens to plunge the world into a new recession. Against globalisation Trump is one of the most narrow-minded and isolationist presidents the US has had for a long time. His capacity to understand international trade and the world economy is limited to that of a construction magnate. He is only interested in driving hard bargains. He and his supporters think the US is hard done by and has been taken advantage of. Trumps solution (to threaten and bluff until he gets his way) is like a businessman pressing for a better deal from a competitor. Trump's capacity to understand international trade and the world economy is limited to that of a construction magnate. He is only interested in driving hard bargains / Image: Flickr, Gage Skidmore This completely overturns all the norms of how to conduct international diplomacy. It also threatens US domination a world order where the US calls the shots but where all the main imperialist powers get a chance to benefit. If the US is now attempting to use its military and economic strength to bully other powers into signing less-favourable trade agreements, it undermines the whole of the post-WWII order and world trade (also known as globalisation). This is why the North American, Japanese and European bourgeois have been strenuously opposing Trumps approach. It could have disastrous long-term consequences for trade on a global scale. It seems that for the moment, this conflict has abated. A temporary agreement was reached between the US, EU and Canada, while Mexico and the US have just negotiated a new NAFTA (rebranded USMCA). Trump is also in discussions with the Japanese. Yet, even if agreements are reached, long-term damage has been done to confidence and trust in the US commitment to tariff-free trade. The various open trade disputes over the past several months have led IMF chief Christine Lagarde to warn that trade barriers are hurting not only trade itself, but also investment and manufacturing as uncertainty continues to rise. Focus on China The agreement with Canada has raised hopes among the US ruling class that Trump will return to TPP negotiations, from which Trump pulled out. Many of the clauses in the new USMCA are very similar to those in the TPP. Wall Street Journal columnist, Aaron back, put it as follows: The U.S. should now follow this template with its Asia-Pacific trading partners, to revive the dream of building a new, rules-based trading bloc to counter China. Indeed, the focus in world trade and international relations has shifted firmly to the trade war between the US and China. Unlike the various conflicts Trump started with US allies, he is cheered on in his dispute with China by the US bourgeois. To be more precise, there are two separate conflicts that are being fought at the same time. Trump is attempting to close the massive gap between what the US imports from China and what China imports from the US. This conflict is difficult to resolve, particularly in the short run, but the Chinese government wouldnt necessarily be completely opposed to some measures in that direction. In fact, it lies generally along the road China intends to travel anyway: of reducing its industrys reliance on exports. Moving up the food chain Chinese efforts to develop more high-tech sectors of industry is the more difficult issue to resolve. The US as well as Europe and Japan are accusing China of stealing technology and forcing companies to transfer technology to Chinese companies. This is not a new development. Every country that has developed technologically has done so on the back of technology from other countries. Why reinvent the wheel? The Chinese might do so using methods that are frowned upon by others, but fundamentally they have all done the same thing at some point or another. China wants to capture the markets for the high-tech components used in electronics / Image: Steve Jurvetson The question isnt really how China is doing it but that it is doing it. Chinese production of electronics uses semi-skilled labour and parts produced in other countries. Most components, as well as machinery, are sourced from Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, the US and even Europe. The result is that although iPhones are nominally manufactured in China, in reality only a very small part of the production process is located there. According to a study by the World Intellectual Property Organisation, only 0.3 percent of the iPhone 7s components (by value) are produced in China, compared to 29 percent in the US and 29 percent in Taiwan. For the Samsung Galaxy S7, the figures are 45 percent of component value from US and 29 percent from South Korea. The Chinese Huawei P9 by contrast included 32 percent of Chinese components. Given that the final assembly (in China) only represents 1 percent of total value contained in the product, and components 10 percent, this leaves the US and Taiwanese manufacturing with a contribution of 30 percent each of the total price of the iPhone, but obviously much higher for the P9. What China is attempting to do is enter higher up the supply chain and capture the markets for the high-tech components used in electronics. At the moment Chinese companies and production facilities are incapable of delivering the quality that other countries can. For this reason, semiconductors constitute one of the key parts of the Made in China 2025 plan, which puts China in direct competition with the US and its companies. This is something the US, the EU and Japan are determined to stop, or at the very least slow down. Competing with the US The Wall Street Journal wrote the following in an editorial statement: If China were a small country, the U.S. could afford to absorb surplus goods and let American consumers benefit. Chinas effort to leapfrog into the ranks of developed economies by forcing companies to relocate their most valuable processes and pervert the law of comparative advantage will ultimately fail. But when the worlds second-largest economy goes rogue, the collateral damage is huge and has undermined political support in the U.S. and the West for free trade. More ominously, Chinas mercantilism is part of a larger Xi Jinping strategy to establish a new military and commercial hegemony in Asia. Basically, the WSJ is objecting to China becoming another power to compete with existing ones. Theyd much prefer if China stuck to its traditional role of assembly and manufacture of more low-tech goods. The same sentiment is echoed in the Financial Times: Unlike Mr Trumps complaints against other economies, including the EU and the USs Nafta partners, Mexico and Canada, much of his criticism against Beijing is warranted. China has swerved significantly off the glide path to becoming a market economy that the rest of the membership of the World Trade Organization believed the country would follow after it joined the body in 2001. The Made in China 2025 initiative, which aims to establish a global lead in high-technology sectors, has given central and local governments and state-owned enterprises even more licence to intervene. They are distorting markets with protectionist regulation and stealing technology from foreign companies operating in the country. The American and European bourgeoisie would much prefer if China stuck to its traditional role of assembly and manufacture of more low-tech goods / Image: Karlis Dambrans The FT and the WSJ claim its unfair competition, but all countries (except perhaps England and Holland) at various times used significant state-directed investment in order to develop their industries. They also used tariffs to protect themselves against more competitive, established powers. China is attempting to follow the same path, but its doubtful whether it will be successful. At the beginning of the crisis, all the European and US economists were calling for precisely this. They were arguing that China must raise its wages, it must develop more of an internal market, rely less on exports etc. This is fully in line with the plans of the Chinese government, but it has certain consequences. Powder kegs The Chinese regime has emerged from the 2000s with a profound sense of confidence in its own system, but it is tremendously worried about labour unrest. The recent decades of economic development have created a massive proletariat, concentrated in enormous industrial centres. Some of these urban centres have a GDP per capita almost as high as that of Spain (for example, Guangzhou and Shenzhen), but with wage levels significantly lower ($13,000 versus $18,000). The state has already intervened to push wages higher but it risks removing one of the major factors pushing Chinese economic development to this point: a cheap, but comparatively well-educated, labour force. In order to raise wages, China has to produce products that add more value, in order to remain competitive. They have to produce more high-tech products, requiring more skilled workers. These are the only means by which they will be able to move from low wages and low labour productivity to higher wages and higher productivity. If China were to accept putting a limit on its development of new technologies, it risks creating an economic, social and political crisis on a level that would dwarf Tiananmen / Image: The White House The main problem standing in Chinas way is the economic crisis. The Chinese economy is slowing its rate of development from 14 percent in 2007 to 6.9 percent in 2017. The vast credit binge that the government has promoted has almost doubled total debt (private and government) in the same 10 years, from 145 percent of GDP to 256 percent. Now analysts are speculating on a further loosening of credit in response to the tariffs. This is unsustainable. Trump and the US bourgeois are hoping that the economic difficulties that China is undergoing will make them more susceptible to pressure. This remains to be seen. If China were to accept putting a limit on its development of new technologies, it risks creating an economic, social and political crisis on a level that would dwarf Tiananmen. The heavy-handed way in which it reacted to the Uyghur protests, as well as clampdown on labour movement activists, gives an indication of a regime that is very nervous about the risk of protests becoming generalised. The US bourgeois, of course, is in precisely the same predicament. The support for Bernie Sanders and the election of Trump were clear indications that the workers in the US have had enough. The US ruling class is, therefore, attempting to cling on to those markets where it, along with its allies, is currently dominating. It is not prepared, in these conditions, to allow the development of a rival on the scale of China. This is why both Democrats and Republicans, as well as the European bourgeois, are uniting behind Trump on this question. A threat to national security Its not just a question of pure economics either. On multiple occasions, the US has raised concerns about the Chinese security services using Chinese-produced electronics to spy on the US. Both Huawei and ZTE have been banned from selling certain types of telecom equipment to the US for that reason. Of course, the US know all about this, as they have been spying on everyone else over the past 20-30 years using precisely such methods. So, the US is concerned (and they are probably correct), that another nation will develop the kind of spying capabilities that it currently possesses. Similarly, Chinese military expansion is threatening US domination of the seas. Its not by accident that renewed trade tension has caused new friction over the South China Sea, with the US provocatively sailing close to new Chinese military installations. The US calls them freedom of navigation missions, which means the freedom of the US Navy to patrol any sea it wishes. The new aircraft carrier that China has launched, as well as new missiles, are putting a big question mark over US domination of this crucial trade route. It raises the prospect of China dominating this sea, which carries 1/3 of global maritime trade. Developing more advanced consumer technology would also help China produce the more sophisticated equipment required for modern aircraft carriers and missiles. No end in sight The relationship between the US and China has been deteriorating for some time. Obama attempted to extricate himself from the Middle East in order to pivot to East Asia. He began a series of trade negotiations with allies in the Pacific aimed at isolating China and strengthening trade with the other countries in the region. The Trans-Pacific Partnership was a crucial part of that. Trump came into his presidency like a bull in a china shop and wrecked a lot of the Obama administrations diplomatic plans in the region. He broke off the TPP and imposed tariffs on a number of key allies in the region. At first, he also appeared to only take an interest in the question of the trade deficit, which is a secondary consideration from the standpoint of the US ruling class. Over the past 3-4 months, he has shifted to align himself more clearly with the rest of the US establishment. The NAFTA 2.0 deal was a clear indication of that. This means that the US ruling class has found at least a temporary unity of purpose. Trump came into his presidency like a bull in a china shop and wrecked a lot of the Obama administrations diplomatic plans in East Asia / Image: Flickr, Gage Skidmore This strengthens Trumps hand. He can now face the Chinese with a Congress more-or-less united behind him. This means that it is unlikely he will be forced to back down from domestic pressure. At the same time, what the US is proposing is impossible for the Chinese to accept. They will not abandon their attempts to move into new technologies, neither will they accept large-scale privatisation of key State-Owned Enterprises. Zhang Xiangchen, Chinas representative to the WTO said in July that China is a socialist market economy and that any speculation about China changing its path was wishful thinking. When he says socialist, of course, he merely refers to state influence and direction: a necessary prerequisite for Chinas economic development. The key point that Zhang makes is that China will not abandon its state direction of, and intervention in, the economy. The seriousness of the conflict has escalated to the point that there is open speculation about the US attempting to break away China from its supply chains, creating the possibility of companies operating multiple supply chains: one for the US and one for the rest of the world. A new normal Some kind of agreement is not excluded in the short run. Apparently, President Trump is hoping to discuss with President Xi in November at the G20 summit. This agreement would have a temporary character. The conflict between China and the US will only intensify over the coming period, particularly when the next recession comes. Trade wars were once excluded from the arsenal of weapons in international conflict. Trump has firmly redeployed them / Image: Flickr, NATO As far as trade wars are concerned, the genie is clearly out of the bottle. For a whole period, trade wars were excluded from the arsenal of weapons in international conflict. Trump has brought them back to the table. Saudi Arabia blocked trade with Canada in a recent conflict over a tweet by the Canadian Foreign Minister. Trump attempted to force Erdogan to release a US pastor by sinking the Turkish economy. As we reach the end of the first decade after the crisis, protectionism is rearing its head very prominently. For the first 10 years, the bourgeoisie fought hard to stop it coming back. One of the reasons that the 1930s crisis became a recession was precisely a turn to protectionism. No one knows exactly what consequences a reversal of the past decades of very low tariffs on trade will have on the world economy. For many years the bourgeois insisted it would be a disaster. Now they are hoping it might not be as bad as they feared. With the prospect of a new recession, they ought to be worried. Any lingering tensions of this nature (when there is supposed to be a recovery) are bound to explode into an even bigger conflict when the next recession hits. There is a new normal in international relations, and it will only serve to intensify future economic crises. * The death toll from multiple strong quakes and an ensuing tsunami in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province jumped to 1,944 as of Sunday as the search and rescue operation is expected to be completed on Thursday, military and disaster agency officials said. * The Asian Development Outlook 2018, published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has updated Myanmar's estimate economic figures, saying that the country's growth rate of gross domestic product (GDP) is 6.6 percent for 2018, and seven percent for 2019. * Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo exchanged views on the Korean Peninsula issue on Saturday and agreed to continue cooperation in this regard. * 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. * India successfully conducted a night trial of its indigenously developed surface-to-surface nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile from a test range in its eastern state of Odisha, local media said Sunday. * The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted Morocco 4.3 billion (US$4.95 billion) in loans since 2017, financial daily L'Economiste reported on October 5. * Canada reported a surplus of CAD526 million (US$406.5 million) in August, the first since December 2016, Statistics Canada announced Friday. * Italy's National Statistics Institute, ISTAT, on October 5 showed that sales in August were 2.2 percent better than a year earlier, and discretionary family income climbed 1.3 percent in the third quarter. The jobless rate improved slightly, showing 69,000 new jobs in August, and consumer confidence inched higher. * Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis' ANO party won in 11 of 13 regional towns in the October 5-6 local elections in the country, according to the data released by the Czech Statistical Office (CSU) on October 7. * Voting for the Cameroon presidential election began early Sunday. According to Elections Cameroon (Elecam), 6,617,854 voters are set to cast their votes in some 24,988 polling stations across the country. * A district police chief and five police officers of Afghanistan were killed after Taliban militants launched a massive attack on a district headquarter in the country's eastern province of Wardak overnight, a local official said Sunday. * The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Saturday that more than 600,000 illegal immigrants of 41 different nationalities are currently in Libya. * Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Saturday disclosed his government's decision to embark on swift reform of democratic institutions so as to ensure the upcoming general election is free and fair. * The Moroccan authorities arrested 59 illegal immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa off its northern coast, a local news website reported Saturday. Canon , a global provider of imaging technologies and services, is partnering with the United Nations to take part in the Global Week to #Act4SDGs from the 17th 28th September. Canon will showcase its commitments to the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as featuring in the UNs Turning Point Dialogue interview series to discuss the importance of storytelling to educate and inspire action. The Global Week to #Act4SDGs, which launched in 2017, is designed to flip the script on prevailing global narratives of apathy and fatalism to instead focus on positive messages that can drive actionable change. The week aims to drive inspiration in others through a series of activities including workshops and panel discussions, raising awareness of the work being done to create sustainable change and encouraging others to take action. Canon will be encouraging its community of partners and regional HQs around the world to get involved by sharing the activity on social media and encouraging partners in local regions to share any local initiatives that are driving forward positive change. #Act4SDGs ambition for 2021 is to inspire at least 100 million people to take individual and collective SDG action, up from 56 million in 2020, with its overall target being to mobilise 1 billion actions by 2030. Global Good Awards shortlisters Mr & Mishal Faraz Throughout the week, Canon will be sharing content on how young people are already working towards the SDGs through its Young People Programme (YPP). Canons YPP aims to educate young people across EMEA on the power of visual storytelling, in turn enabling them to create sustainable change by driving projects covering a range of topics including gender equality, wildlife conservation and climate change. The Global Week will shine a light of hope across borders, to show that our actions as individuals matter. It is a global mobilization of collective action, bringing about transformative change and turn it around for people and the planet. The Young People Program from Canon not only trains youth to visually express themselves in a creative, it allows us to listen, see, and understand their point of view. With Canons support these voices can be heard far and wide, and I am proud of our ongoing partnership as it continues to grow each year. Marina Ponti, Director UN SDG Action Campaign. The Global Week will also feature the UNs Turning Point Dialogue series, consisting of short interviews in which established and emerging changemakers will voice their thoughts on the important issues that affect our world. As part of this, the Canon Engagement Lead for Developing Nations, Jeanine El Moughrabi, and Lens on Live Project co-founder, Sam Powers will be taking part in a panel to discuss turning it around for youth empowerment through visual storytelling, and their work on a recent Canon YPP in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congo Young People Programme, named Operation Goma, works with students aged 16-24 comprising of Internally Displaced Persons, orphans and those living in extreme poverty. Over six months, instructors from the local community will run six courses including photography, computer literacy and entrepreneurship. By empowering young people with these skills and the tools for communication, the programme aims to equip them to become agents of change and inspire movement within their communities. Ahead of the talk, Jeanine El Moughrabi says, Its so important that we work to provide opportunities such as the YPP to developing regions and empower the participants to tell their stories in their own voice. By doing so, we can not only help young people from disadvantaged communities to develop their skills and create change for themselves and their communities, but we can also spread the message of the importance of education in inspiring long-term, sustainable action. The UN and Canon collaborative dialogue Turning it around for youth empowerment through visual storytelling will be live at the following link https://act4sdgs.org from 16th September at 18:30 CET. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn "A short time ago I spoke with President Putin," Netanyahu told his weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. "We agreed to meet soon in order to continue the important inter-military security coordination," he added. He reiterated his warning that Israel "will act at all times to prevent Iran from establishing a military presence in Syria and to thwart the transfer of lethal weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon." Last month, a Russian reconnaissance plane was mistakenly downed by anti-aircraft Syrian fire when Israel was conducting an airstrike on Syria's Latakia province at the same time. The plane's 15 crew members were killed. The Russia defense ministry said Israel holds the entire responsibility for the incident. According to the ministry, the Israeli air force provided misleading information about the location of its airstrikes on sites in Syria, preventing the Russian aircraft which was in the area from flying to a safe zone. Israel rejected the charges. Russia has started to provide the Syrian army S-300 air defense system in the wake of the incident. 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. BEIJING, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials around the world spoke highly of China's achievements in national development and its contributions to world socio-economic development and peace, on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which falls on Oct.1. Romanian Deputy Prime Minister Viorel Stefan said that Romania has actively participated in the Belt and Road Initiative and "16+1 cooperation" and supported a synergy between development strategies of the European Union and China. Stefan said that his country is willing to make concerted efforts with China in promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields so that their long friendship can be passed down to future generations and their practical cooperation continuously strengthened. Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, on behalf of his government, praised the achievements China has made since its founding, and the coordination between China and his country within various multilateral frameworks including the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Muhriddin said Tajikistan makes its relations with China a diplomatic priority, and is ready to strengthen cooperation with China on the construction of the Belt and Road. Lebanese Defense Minister Yaacoub Sarraf said that the sound momentum in Lebanon-China relations benefits both his country and the whole region, and called for more investment in Lebanon from Chinese businesses and entrepreneurs. Vice President of South Sudan James Wani Igga said the country has attached great importance to developing relations with China and regards China as a good, trustworthy partner. Igga added that his country is willing to join China in further promoting the development of bilateral relations, implement the outcomes of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and create a bright future for South Sudan-China relations. Uganda's Vice President Edward Ssekandi praised the exemplary role China has played in socio-economic development, adding that Uganda is grateful to China for its support of Uganda's socio-economic development and hopes the spirit of China-Africa cooperation with its win-win results will yield more achievements in Uganda. Bakir Izetbegovic, chairman of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), said that China's achievements during the past 40 years since its reform and opening-up are impressive. With the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, relations between BiH and China are becoming increasingly , and the status quo of the relations is satisfactory, Izetbegovic said. He expressed gratitude to China for its support of the economic development of BiH. Slovenian Minister of Culture Dejan Presicek said that ancient Chinese culture has shaped today's China and has fascinated the whole world, adding that the cultural and educational cooperation plans signed by the two sides are being implemented well, which has promoted extensive and in-depth exchanges between the two cultures. Abbas Zaki, a member of Palestine's Fatah Central Committee and Fatah Party commissioner for relations with Arab countries and China, highly appreciated the great achievements China has made in the past 40 years. Zaki positively evaluated the achievements of the long friendship and bilateral relations between Palestine and China, and emphasized that Palestine is willing to work together with China to further promote Palestine-China ties. KABUL The newly appointed Ambassador of Canada to Kabul Mr. david john metcalfe called upon Acting and Deputy Foreign Minister, Dr. Nasir Ahmad Andisha today. At the outset, Dr. Andisha Welcomed the Ambassador designate, spoke on bilateral political and economic ties and emphasized strengthening of relations between the two countries in different areas. Ambassador Mitcalfe thanked for the opportunity to meet Deputy Foreign Minister and expressed that Canada is committed to continued cooperation with the people and government of Afghanistan. He also promised further strengthening and expansion of these relations during his tenure in Kabul. WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. State Department said on Sunday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, have held a productive dialogue earlier in Pyongyang. According to a statement issued by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Pompeo "held productive discussions" with Kim on Sunday, when they "discussed the four elements contained in the U.S.-DPRK Singapore Summit Joint Statement" signed by the two countries' top leaders. "They also discussed the upcoming second summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim and refined options for the location and date of that next summit," the statement read. Pompeo and Kim also agreed to instruct their respective working-level teams to meet soon to intensify discussions on the key remaining issues to deliver on the Singapore Summit Joint Statement. In addition, Kim invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled, the State Department said. "President Trump looks forward to continuing to build upon the trust established with Chairman Kim in Singapore and anticipates meeting again soon," it added. In a related development, the DPRK is demanding the United States take steps to secure Pyongyang's trust before its denuclearization. "Without any trust in the U.S. there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," DPRK's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the UN General Assembly last week. Pompeo was joined by U.S. special representative on DPRK issues Stephen Biegun, and Kim was joined by Kim Yo Jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the ruling Worker's Party of Korea (WPK), the statement said. This has been his third tour to the DPRK since he became the U.S. secretary of state. Pompeo met with Kim on Sunday and arrived in Seoul later. He will also travel to Beijing, according to both China and the United States. While speaking with South Korean President Moon Jae-in before the media, Pompeo said that he and the DPRK side "had a good, productive conversation." "There are many steps along the way and we took one of those today; it was another step forward. So this is, I think, a good outcome for all," he noted. "What we all hope will be the denuclearization and the change in the relationship here on the peninsula ...I'm confident together we can achieve the outcome that the world so desperately needs." For his part, Moon said that "I dearly hope that your latest visit, as well as the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit, which I hope will be happening soon, will make an irreversible and decisive progress in terms of complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula as well as the peace process." Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. The United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have agreed to hold the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un at an earliest possible date, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday. Pompeo made the remarks during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the presidential complex in Seoul, after visiting Pyongyang earlier in the day and meeting with the DPRK leader, according to the presidential Blue House of South Korea. The top U.S. diplomat said he and Kim shared view over the holding of the second U.S.-DPRK summit as quickly as possible, while the U.S. and the DPRK sides agreed to continue consultations to determine an exact date and venue for the second Trump-Kim summit. The first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit was held in Singapore on June 12. Under a joint statement signed by Trump and Kim, the United States would be providing security guarantee to the DPRK in return for Pyongyang's commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. During his visit to Pyongyang, Pompeo said that he also discussed the denuclearization measures, which the DPRK takes, and the U.S. government's observation of the measures, while discussing the corresponding measures from the U.S. side to the DPRK actions. Additional measures for the denuclearization were discussed during the third summit between the leaders of the two Koreas in Pyongyang in September. Under the joint declaration signed by Moon and Kim, the DPRK said it was willing to continue with additional steps toward denuclearization, such as the permanent dismantlement of its main Yongbyon nuclear facilities if the United States takes corresponding actions. Pompeo told Moon that the U.S. and the DPRK sides agreed to form each working-level negotiation team to discuss the denuclearization process and schedule for the second U.S.-DPRK summit. Moon told Pompeo that he hoped a great success of the second U.S.-DPRK summit to be held, vowing to make all possible efforts South Korea can do. In his introductory remarks, Pompeo said his visit to Pyongyang was very good and he had productive talks in the DPRK, noting that the two countries walked another step forward though there were lots of things left to do. Pompeo told Moon that it was very important for him to travel to Seoul right after visiting the DPRK as it indicated South Korea having a very important role in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. Moon expressed his hope that Pompeo's visit to the DPRK and the upcoming second summit between Trump and Kim become an opportunity to make an irreversible, decisive progress in the denuclearization and peace process on the peninsula. Lightspeed Promotes for MD Asia Role WPP's digital data collection firm Lightspeed has promoted Siddhartha 'Sid' Dutta to the new role of Managing Director, Asia, with responsibility for Singapore, India, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. He moves up from the role of General Manager of Lightspeed South East Asia, based in Singapore, where he led the business across South East Asia and India. He has more than a decade of market research industry and management experience, including spells at Greenfield and Research Now. He reports to Global CEO Caroline Frankum, who comments: 'Asia is an exciting, transforming part of the world, where growth is a real opportunity. Sid is - without shadow of a doubt - the best person for this role to drive growth in bold, creative and fast ways. It is part of his DNA!' Dutta has also been a key player in a new partnership with AI platform Eureka, which gives Lightspeed access to millions of mobile subscribers from companies across ASEAN, India, the Middle East and Europe. The partnership will allow Lightspeed to connect survey data to that compiled by telecoms firms, from simple demographics to online behaviors and interests; and will boost the research firm's panel reach and data integration abilities. In May, the company opened an office in Seoul, Korea, and announced a stronger focus on China with the Promotion of Jeff Tsui to MD Greater China. With US headquarters and 700 employees in 14 countries, Lightspeed is online at www.lightspeedresearch.com . The Upper Peninsula, one of the largest forested regions in the United States, remains traditional in terms of forestry products and services. An international summit this month looks to broaden the industry's scope. The MichiganFinland Summit on Forest Bioproducts on Oct. 17 and 18 in Michigan Technological University's Memorial Union Building will explore opportunities in the fast-growing forest bioproducts industry. Many of the industry's major players will be on hand. Researchers in the biomaterials industry believe the world economy needs to be reinvented, and must incorporate a shift from a dependence on fossil fuels. We have to turn to renewables, says Mark Rudnicki, a professor of practice in forest biomaterials in the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science at Michigan Tech and executive director of the Michigan Forest Biomaterials Institute. Rudnicki says renewable resources go far beyond ethanol. The low-hanging fruit has always been bioenergy, but there is potential in forest bioproducts that go beyond fuel into the production of durable goods. Those goods include building materials, textiles, green textile, bioplastics, packaging materials and more. Its been said many times that anything you can make with oil you can make with trees, Rudnicki says. He also notes that its not by accident that a summit involving Finnish forest bioproducts companies would take place in the Upper Peninsula at Michigan Tech. Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula are the heart of one of the largest forested regions in the United States, yet the forest sector remains largely traditional in terms of products and services, Rudnicki says. There are also the region's cultural ties to Finland. Michigan has the largest concentration of Finnish-Americans in the United States, and most are located in the Upper Peninsula making the region very comfortable for Finnish business, he says. Finnish businesses that plan to attend the summit include bioproduct and biotechnology companies Stora Enso, Sulapac Eco Packaging, Altum Technologies, Fortum Bio2X, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. The Finnish forest and logging machinery companies Ponsse and Palax also plan to attend. Finland is on the Cutting Edge If the U.P. is an area where the potential for forest bioproducts is ripe, Finland is the country perhaps best equipped to turn potential into profit. It leads the world in bioproduct innovation. Rudnicki says pulp mills are the key to forest bioproducts, but no one is building new mills in the U.S. He says by 2020 Finland will have five billion Euros (5.8 billion dollars) invested in new mills, including one bioproduct mill dedicated to the production of textiles and others utilized for a mix of bioproducts and bioenergy. Representatives from the Finnish companies will meet with representatives from several Michigan state agencies and Universities. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan State, and Michigan Technological Universities are all participating in the summit, and theres still room for more participants, says Rudnicki. Businesses, non-profits, government agencies and individuals interested in participating in the Michigan-Finland Summit on Forest Bioproducts can find more information and register for the summit at mifbi.org. Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, the University offers more than 125 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure. Large numbers of travelers move slowly through Nanjing Railway Station in Jiangsu province on Sunday. Many locations across the country saw traffic peaks on Oct 7, the last day of the weeklong National Day holiday. SU YANG/FOR CHINA DAILY Nearly 730 million trips were made by Chinese travelers within China over the seven-day National Day holiday, a year-on-year increase of 9.43 percent, thanks to cheaper tickets and higher-quality travel services, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The figure was even more impressive given the fact that National Day 2017 overlapped with Mid-Autumn Festival. Travel and tourism-related revenue tallied between Monday and Sunday hit nearly 600 billion yuan ($87 billion), up 9.04 percent compared with 2017. The ministry said that 981 State-level attractions lowered ticket prices, while 74 were free to the public prior to the travel boom during the break. Nearly 290 State-level attractions in Shandong province offered free entry, while 133 offered reduced ticket prices. Visits to Yellow Crane Tower, Wudang Mountain and Shennongjia National Nature Reserve in Hubei province saw a sharp increase over the holiday due to lower prices, while the Three Gorges Dam was rated as one of the most popular attractions among venues offering free entry. Food combo packages were also introduced to help improve travel experiences. Mount Laojun in Luoyang, Henan province, offered 1-yuan meals featuring noodles, sausages and steamed buns to travelers over the break, People's Daily reported on Thursday. Gao Hong, a manager of the company running the Mount Laojun tourist venue, said that it's not easy for travelers to have meals at the mountain given the climbing required and fickle weather conditions. "The attraction is crowded during holidays, making it harder for visitors to have meals. We felt embarrassed seeing travelers consume just bread and water," he said. "Now our food is cooked by our staff members and it's not a burden for us." The ministry said that quality travel services were also available to travelers during the holiday. Fifty-four booths were set up in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, offering free travel information and services including mobile phone charging. Four new transfer points opened during the seven-day break in Yangzhou to make it easier for travelers to park cars and transfer to buses. Free sightseeing buses were also made available. Tourist attractions, according to the ministry, received 122 million visits on just the first day of the seven-day break, up 7.54 percent year-on-year, with revenue increasing by 7.19 percent to 103 billion yuan. The flag-raising ceremony at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing attracted about 145,000 travelers on Oct 1, the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, according to the Beijing Commission of Tourism Development. Lelectricite est devenue, de nos jours, un besoin dune importance majeure, et cela, dans tous les domaines dactivite. Que ce soit dans les maisons ou [] Nichole Vega says she is more than a hair stylist. I just want to be behind the chair doing my art, she said. Ten years after she opened Envy Salon in downtown Newington, Vega recently celebrated a second start in Berlin with a new, more spacious storefront at 224 Berlin Turnpike. The salon joins Fresh Monkee as the first businesses to move into the retail plaza adjacent to the Acura of Berlin dealership. This is what sang to us, Vega said, adding that the central location will allow her to stay close to her longtime clients and attract new ones. She loves the tall windows in her new salon, saying they flood the room with light. Being close to Assa Abbloy and Eversource two of the largest employers in the area provides plenty of visibility, Vega said. I think they bring a new vibrancy to the building. I think its great to see that we have one of the most respected salons in central Connecticut come to Berlin, said town Economic Development Director Chris Edge. Many of her customers have been coming to Vega for almost a decade. You feel like a whole new person, said New Britain resident Agatha Warjas. Nichole is awesome, she does make you feel envied. dleithyessian@record-journal.com 203-317-2317 Twitter: @leith_yessian CHESHIRE A funeral service was held Friday for Douglas Yocher, who served as a volunteer firefighter in town for 60 years. Yocher died at Yale New Haven Hospital on Sept. 30 at the age of 79. He served as chief of the volunteer department from 1984 to 1987. He was also a Hamden firefighter for 31 years, retiring as a lieutenant in 2000, according to his obituary. Members of the Cheshire and Hamden fire departments were on hand at the funeral to honor Yocher. Chief joined the fire department July 1st, 1958 and was an active member and life member for all of the 60 years on the CFD. the Cheshire Fire Department said in a Facebook post announcing Yochers death. Yocher was a founding member of the Waterbury Area Fire Chiefs Association, where he also served as treasurer for 35 years. Yocher, who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, also received military honors at Cheshire Hillside Cemetary rchichester@record-journal.com 203-317-2231 Twitter: @ryanchichester1 MERIDEN An environmental advocacy group plans to spend $21,000 opposing state Sen. Len Suzio, calling his voting record anti-environmental. The National League of Conservation Voters recently named Suzio, R-Meriden, to its Dirty Dozen in the States, a nationwide list of state political candidates that it claims are some of the worst offenders in the nation when it comes to undermining protections for clean water, carbon emissions, public health, and more. The selection is based on a 2018 environmental scorecard grade given by the organization's Connecticut chapter. Suzios voting record sunk to a failing 46 percent in 2018 the lowest score of any state senator, the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters said in a press release. CLCV criticized Suzio for lobbying hard against bans to toxic tire mulch in school playgrounds and carcinogenic flame retardants in childrens clothes. Suzio, who is seeking re-election in the 13th Senate District, responded in a statement saying the organization is cherry picking (votes) to seriously mislead people about my pro-environment record. After Suzio earned a perfect score from the group in 2011 and 2012, the organization didnt endorse him. They seem to be pushing an agenda other than the environment, Suzio said. Even after a perfect voting record, they didn't give me their endorsement. The National League of Conservation Voters has announced seven of its 12 selections for the Dirty Dozen list. Every other candidate named has also been a Republican. Suzio also questioned the organization's integrity because he says it refuses to factor in his past perfect scores when calculating its lifetime grade. Would an honest organization promote a lifetime scorecard, but deliberately exclude half of a legislators lifetime votes on legislation the League uses to compute the lifetime scorecard? Suzio said in the statement. Candidates who make Dirty Dozen in the States have a long record of siding with polluters over public health, and Senator Suzio is no exception, said Pete Maysmith, CLCV Victory Fund senior vice president for campaigns. CLCV endorsed Suzios opponent in the 13th Senate District, Democrat Mary Daugherty Abrams and said defeating Suzio could flip the chamber to a pro-environment majority. CLCV has endorsed 11 Democrats and two Republicans in Senate races. The Senate is now split 18-18 and both Republicans and Democrats see the 13th District as a key race for gaining a majority. CLCV plans to spend $21,000 on advertising, part of CTLCV PACs $200,000 investment in statewide elections. mzabierek@record-journal.com 203-317-2279 Twitter: @MatthewZabierek MERIDEN Meriden native William Buck Biestek premiered a movie he wrote, produced and starred in to a crowd at the North Italian Home Club on Friday night. Room 7 is a horror/comedy about a young couple who seek shelter in a strange lodge while evading police and fighting their own opiate dependency. The plot was inspired by Biesteks interactions with clients at his company Biestek Bail Bonds. Its exciting, Biestek said shortly before showing the movie to family and friends for the first time. Im a little nervous, because you never know what peoples expectations are going to be...but its great. Its showing off the work it takes to put a film together. Biestek, who has wrote a number of other screenplays, wanted to make something simpler than his previous films, which have included filming in locations such as Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The filming of Room 7 was more local, with a couple scenes filmed behind the North Italian Home Club, located on Thorpe Avenue, and other scenes shot in Middletown. The cast came from all over, including lead actor Don Capi from Boca Raton, Florida. Im really excited to be a part of (the movie), Capi said at the premiere. Bucks a great guy. There was never a moment where we thought we were being pushed too hard. Hes a genuinely awesome guy. In the crowd preparing to see Capi and Biestek on screen was Biesteks mother Gloria. This is great, Gloria said after receiving a big hug from her son. Im so proud of him. Biestek has applied to have the film made available on Amazon Prime and entered it into a number of film festivals. Horror movies are meant to be corny in some ways, Biestek explained. If you look at it from that vein, youll enjoy it. Gloria Biestek was given a sneak peek before the premiere. It was scary, Gloria said. I think people are going to like it. rchichester@record-journal.com 203-317-2231 Twitter: @ryanchichester1 MERIDEN One of the states oldest Subway restaurants closed on the west side this summer. The Subway at 511 W. Main St. closed when its lease expired in July after 39 years, said landlord Dolores Gudain, who owned the storefront where Subway was located and three other storefronts in the strip mall. When the franchisee, Jay Lala, who also owns the Subway on Chamberlain Highway, decided he no longer wanted the West Main Street store, Subway tried to find another franchisee, Gudain said. They just said they cant, that there was not the business here to support them spending the money to remodel this place to the new standards, Gudain said. They said they would keep looking but its very hard to do when theres not enough business to support it. The West Main Street store became the twentieth Subway in Connecticut when Paul Landino opened it in 1979, according to Gudain. Lala, who now lives in Arizona, didnt return a request for comment made through a manager at the Chamberlain Highway Subway store. Gudains father, John, built four additional storefronts at the West Main Street plaza in the 1950s, and in 1998 Gudain took over ownership of the units when her mother, Rose Marie, died. Gudain said she has always had a great relationship with Subway. Im heartbroken that Subway left because they told me they were going to come in and redo the whole store and find a franchisee, she said. ...I have the highest regard for Subway and always will. Its just unfortunate that this happened. I think its an excellent spot for a business. The space is currently available to rent, but Gudain said if Subway found a franchisee she would welcome them back. Subways website lists five other locations in Meriden, including one in the Westfield Meriden mall. The corporation confirmed earlier this year that it planned to close 500 stores across the U.S. in 2018. Subway, which has more locations globally than any other dining chain, was founded in Connecticut and opened its first franchise on Hall Avenue Wallingford in 1974. Gudain would like to see another food business rent the space, like a wing or barbeque restaurant, but she said shes not opposed to any kind of business. I think any business would do well here because of the visibility, she said. mzabierek@record-journal.com 203-317-2279 Twitter: @MatthewZabierek The Belt and Road Initiative put forward by China is a great action to build a community with a shared future for mankind, the People's Daily said in a commentary under the byline of "Guo Jiping. In the article, the paper summarized the fruits yielded from the construction of the initiative, and looked into the bright prospect of the proposal. The article was published on Thursday, five years after Chinese President Xi Jinping, on September 7 and October 3, 2013 respectively, put forward the proposal to co-construct the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. An abstract translation of the article is as follows: In 2018 when the world casts its eyes on China's achievements since it launched the reform and opening up policy four decades ago, it is more aware of the great importance of China's proposal to co-build the Belt and Road. The Belt and Road Initiative is not only an evident proof to China's efforts in deepening reform and expanding opening up in the new era, but also a concrete action of China to strengthen international cooperation and improve global governance. The initiative presents a satisfactory answer sheet since it was proposed five years ago. Opening to all the friends sharing the same aspiration, the initiative has earned increasing influence and attraction. Over 130 countries and international organizations have signed agreements on Belt and Road cooperation with China, and the UN Security Council also called on the international society to intensify regional economic cooperation based on Belt and Road construction through the Resolution 2344 it passed. In addition, a total of 279 outcomes of five major categories came out of the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation China hosted last May. China's liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment has been greatly optimized as a result of the co-construction of the Belt and Road over the five years. China's trade with Belt and Road countries has exceeded $5 trillion and outward direct investment has amounted to over $60 billion, creating over 200,000 local jobs. It made China's outbound investment a key engine driving the global growth of outward direct investment. A series of big projects have been launched in countries and regions along the route in the five years. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor, for instance, are under smooth construction. The electrified rail project connecting landlocked Ethiopia to Djibouti, and the Mombasa-Nairobi standard gauge railway in Kenya have opened to traffic, while China-Laos Railway, China-Thailand high-speed railway, the Jakarta-Bandung rail line, as well as Belgrade-Budapest rail link have commenced construction. The China-Belarus Industrial Park, Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) in Cambodia, as well as the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone in Egypt have turned into models for industrial cooperation among on-route countries and regions. The construction work of Hambantota Port in southern Sri Lanka, Gwadar Port in Pakistan, as well as the Port of Piraeus in Greece go well. What's more, freight trains running between China and Europe have made over 10,000 trips to reach 43 cities in 15 European countries. Win-win cooperation has provided the public with a sense of gain, as the opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative have broadened the development space of the businesses, created more jobs for citizens, and extended the consumption capability of the citizens. In today's world where the tide of trade protectionism and anti-globalization rise, the Belt and Road construction is offering the global economy precious impetus with its openness. Data from the World Bank showed that about 60 percent of the global economic output was contributed by the areas within 100 kilometers of the coast, while some countries, especially some landlocked ones, have constrained the globalization as they have been marginalized in the process. It has been more and more realized that the Belt and Road Initiative is the right remedy to the imbalanced development of the whole world. A well-recognized fact is that within the framework of Belt and Road cooperation, Asia, Africa, Latin America and some other developing regions are accelerating their pace in infrastructure construction to better share the development dividends of world economy. Experts estimated that global economy can grow 5 percent because of the globalization mainly driven by tariff cut in the past, but rise 10 percent to 15 percent thanks to the new type of globalization mainly spurred by connectivity. It is sad that someone affected by the expansion history of contemporary western world label the Belt and Road out of malicious intentions and cook up the so-called "China threats. "Misunderstanding, or even distortion will take place if explaining China with the pure Western mindset, said Zheng Yongnian, professor at National University of Singapore. As a matter of fact, there is no special requirements for the economic or political systems before joining the Belt and Road construction, which aims to maximize the development potential of all stakeholders. More countries and regions are now taking the Belt and Road construction as a big opportunity and trend of times to brace for a better future. (Guo Jiping is a well-known pen name used for People's Daily editorials meant to outline China's stance and viewpoints on major international issues.) National Scientist held on spying charge in Maharashtra Nagpur, Oct 8 (AGENCIES) | Publish Date: 10/8/2018 11:19:01 AM IST A scientist working at the BrahMos Missile Research Centre (BMRC) here was arrested on Monday on charge of spying for Pakistans intelligence agency ISI and other countries, informed sources said. Nishant Agrawal has been working for the last four years in the Technical Research Section of the BMRC. He was arrested in a joint operation by the Military Intelligence as well as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Police following a tip. He is likely to be booked under the Official Secrets Act, the sources said. As per preliminary information, Agrawal was reportedly passing on classified and secret information to the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan as well as other countries. Among other things, the BMRC is involved in making certain critical components for the BrahMos missile, considered the worlds fastest cruise missile that can be launched from land, ships, aircraft or submarines. Anuradha Shukla By Express News Service NEW DELHI: When asked about the secret of his success, stock market tycoon Warren Buffet once said: The secret lies is deciding when to enter and when to exit.Amid uncertainty over weak global cues, weakening rupee, high crude prices, conflicting forecasts on market and an election year, retail investors are confused which way to head. Experts say that the market is unlikely to show upward movement and will continue to remain choppy, mainly on account of the election year.The risk reward for Indian equities is less favourable, said analysts at Golden Sachs in a report last month downgrading Indian stocks for the first time. The key reasons for our less optimistic views include, among others, stretched valuations, multiple macro headwinds in the near-term and election event risks, the report said, raising doubts over any future rally or headwind profits. The recent IL&FS crisis and the failed attempt to arrest the tumbling rupee and high oil prices had already cast a gloom over oil stocks, eroding Rs 1.25 lakh crore in its market cap. Analysts see further correction. The market will see further correction in the coming days. So, retail investors need to pick and choose. Also, certain sectors like oil needs to be avoided, given the margin pressure. As far as rupee depreciation is concerned, its time to invest in good IT stocks, an analyst with Angel Broking said. Last week, Indian markets remained under a heavy selling pressure throughout. After the government asked the oil companies to absorb the cost of Rs 1 per litre, RBI monetary policy committee popped a surprise keeping its key rates unchanged. The Rupee breached 74, and as a result, the Sensex lost 1850.15 points to close at 34,376.99, while Nifty shed 614 points to close at 10,316.45. Indias equity market has sunk below the $2 trillion value for the first time since August 2017. The equity market outlook has taken a beating given degradation in the quality of debt, redemption and heightened risk aversion by investors. Trend is likely to be negative at least in the near-term till the financial market stabilises. Key data like bond yield, INR, oil prices, liquidity and equity valuation has to normalise, which may take some more time, said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services. However, if investors are looking to enter the market, analysts suggest waiting for some more time as stock valuation are still high and not so attractive.Next week will give some direction. We see market correcting to 33,000 and further to 30,000 over three to four months. Then one can go for picking good quality blue chip stocks, suggested an analyst with HDFC securities. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Indian Navys Lt Cdr Aishwarya Boddapati and Lt Cdr Vartika Joshi (skipper), who were a part of the six-member team of INSV Tarini that circumnavigated the globe, found Indian territorial waters the most polluted during their sailing expedition. The delicate marine life has been put to risk by plastic pollution, the women said at an event called We The Women held in Bengaluru on Sunday. On being asked about the level of pollution in the sea, Vartika said the team witnessed oil spills and plastic pollution most of it in the Indian waters. Aishwarya remarked, Fishermen deploy their buoys with plastic. An example of damaged marine life is damaged tortoise eggs. Vartika said that barring organic waste, team INSV Tarini has made sure no plastic was dumped by them into the sea. Explaining the difference between the purity of air on the ocean and land, Aishwarya said, We are taking time to adjust to land. The oceanic air is so pure and devoid of pollution that the team was falling sick every other day after we came back. We are still getting used to the citys air. We witnessed some of the most beautiful sights. There is nothing more beautiful than witnessing the sunrise and sunset on the horizon lying under the sky. Sperm whales used to circle our boat thinking that it is another fish. Before coming to Goa, we saw whale sharks and two Remora fishes, Lt Cdr Aishwarya said. When a member of the audience asked if they missed social media, Vartika explained that the team had a blog that was updated as the voyage progressed. We did have limited social media access though the Naval headquarters was constantly updated and the de-addiction was good when you have so many beautiful sights to behold, Aishwarya said. ON WOMEN EMPOWERMENT Despite the successful voyage around the globe, Lt Cdr Vartika Joshi said, I will feel empowered when I do not have to discuss my gender every time. With the expedition, it has been established that women can go out into the seas all by themselves and this hopefully will open avenues for women in combat, she added. Hopefully, the Navy will consider positions for female Naval officers in combat, she said. Recalling 16-year-old Laura Dekkers successful solo sailing expedition around the world in 2009, Aishwarya said she hopes, one day solo sailing around the world will be childs play. The youngest sailor to sail solo around the world is 16. We hope someday kids would come back from school and tell folks at home they are going sailing, she quipped. By PTI NEW DELHI: Doctors at a city hospital have reconstructed the nose of a gunshot victim from Afghanistan using over 2500-year-old techniques described by Sushruta, the father of surgery. Shamsa, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was shot four years ago. Though she was fortunate to have survived the attack, she lost most part of her nose and the ability to breathe and smell, Ajaya Kashyap, Medical Director of KAS Medical Centre and MedSpa said. She suffered the injury when she was 24-years-old and was about to get married and settle down. The family later travelled all the way to India so that she can undergo a plastic surgery for her nose, the doctor said. Explaining the surgical approach Kashyap said, "We often fail to take pride in the fact that some of the most advanced and modern surgical procedures, like plastic surgery, have their roots in India like Sushruta's techniques." "They are so precise and scientifically accurate that they could be used even today for nose and ear reconstructions. All we have to do is to modify them to sync with latest treatment modalities," he said. In this case, the doctors took skin from Shamsa's cheeks for the surgery, held on October 8, and followed the techniques described by Sushruta. However, considering the complications usually involved in such cases, the procedure required great precision and expertise, Kashyap said. Explaining the challenges faced during the surgery, he said when it came to facial reconstruction surgeries, along with addressing associated medical issues, there was a need to take care of its cosmetic aspects. In this case, the challenge was to reconstruct a major part of the nose without creating further scars, he said. "To avoid this, we had to take tissues from inside of the cheeks to reconstruct flaps for nasal septum and nasal passage which is a tedious procedure. But all the effort was worth taking as we managed to give the patient the exact results she wanted," he said. Shamsa shared her experience taking help of a translator. "Shootings are fairly common in our country. For survivors it is always hard to get over the psychological and physical trauma, especially if it comes with the added horror of disfiguration and amputation," she said. "I cannot express in words how blessed I feel today to be able to talk, smell and breath normally after four years. This surgery changed my entire life. I believe it may also motivate many others back home to take such expert medical help," she added. The technique used by Kashyap in the operation was first introduced by Sushruta, over 2500 years ago. In his treatise on medicine 'Sushruta Samhita', the ancient Indian physician addressed aspects of general medicine along with various surgical techniques and procedures, particularly nasal reconstruction. More senior Chinese citizens are using mobile payment in overseas consumption, according to statistics released by leading Chinese online payment platform Alipay. The number of those born in the 1960s using mobile payment overseas was more than 90 percent higher during this year's National Day holiday, the highest growth among all age groups, according to Alipay. Chinese tourists use mobile payment more frequently when traveling abroad, according to the figures released Sunday by Alipay. Chinese tourists are increasingly getting used to shopping via mobile payment overseas, said Janice Chen, with Alipay. China's mobile payments continued fast growth in the second quarter of 2018, the central bank data showed. The country's banks processed 14.92 billion mobile payment transactions in Q2, up 73 percent year on year, according to the People's Bank of China. The value of these transactions totalled 62.88 trillion yuan (9.16 trillion U.S. dollars), up 60 percent year on year. V Nilesh By Express News Service HYDERABAD: After eight long years, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has managed to sweep the University of Hyderabad students union elections. This sudden turn in fortunes is sure to boost the ambitions of students body that is looking to capture more colleges and universities. Though ABVP managed to win Delhi University, it faced defeat in the hands of United Left in Jawaharlal Nehru University. In University of Allahabad, it was defeated by an alliance of Congress and Samajwadi party-backed student organisations. Now, ahead of State elections, it has managed to capture UoH. UoH has been a bastion of Communist Party of India (Marxist) backed Students Federation of India (SFI) and since 1993, Ambedkar Students Association saw a surge in the campus. The last time ABVP was in power was in 2009-2010. We focused on issues pertaining to the students, unlike other organisations that failed to deliver while in power. Their campaigns revolved just around defeating ABVP, said new UoH president Aarti Nagpal. Meanwhile, one reason that seems to have ensured ABVP victory is the ideological difference between SFI and ASA over two less known Muslim student organizations - Muslim Students Front, Students Islamic organization - as well as the National Students Union of India. The ASA decided to ally with NSUI, MSF, SIO and some other Tribal and Bahujan organizations. However, SFI did not want to be part of alliance with MSF, SIO and NSUI and decided to contest separately, thus splitting the anti-ABVP votes. Speaking on the loss, SFI member, Sanjay Jonnalgadda said, We thought that if UDA gets its normal vote share, ABVP will also get less number of votes and SFI will win with a thin margin. However, UDA could not garner enough votes. ASA-HCU unit President, Samson Gidla, said, We stand with the oppressed and hence allied with MSF and SIO. SFI was not ready to join the alliance. It seems that members of some of our allies who could not be accommodated in SU posts also voted against us, as ASA got its usual number of votes. BJP leaders congratulate ABVP UoH unit on Twitter Congratulatory wishes poured in from senior BJP leaders on Twitter, for the ABVP UoH unit over its victory in varsitys SU elections. Some prominent leaders posted congratulatory messages, including Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, National General Secretary of BJP P Muralidhar Rao, National General Secretary of BJP Ramlal, former head of Telangana BJP G Kishan Reddy and BJYM National VP Thakur Ranjit Das By Express News Service KOCHI: Prasanth Kumar, 36, one of the prime accused in smuggling Rs 200-crore worth synthetic drug MDMA (Methylene Dioxy Methamphetamine), which was seized by the Excise Department on September 28, was arrested at Chennai and brought to Kochi. The ultimate motive of the drug smuggler was to smuggle the drugs to Malaysia via Kerala. Kumar, a native of Kannur, is presently residing in Chennai. On the basis of the information received by the Excise Department, the accused was caught with the joint efforts of the Narcotics Cell in Tamil Nadu. Kumar along with one Ali, who is also from Chennai, conducted the operations together. The lookout for Ali has been intensified, said the excise officials.The seized MDMA drugs were hidden among a bunch of sarees from the godown situated at Ravipuram in Kochi. The materials at the godown were brought through a parcel service from Chennai. The motive of the accused was to transport the drug through World Wide - an air cargo service to Malaysia. The information provided by the sources from the courier services made the Excise Department seize the drugs. The courier charges and Malaysian address made them inform the department. They did not follow the criteria for the transportation of the materials via air cargo, which raised doubts among the courier personnel, Excise Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh told reporters in Kochi. The investigation regarding the smuggling of drugs and the involvement of people from Kochi are also progressing. The prime accused has agreed that earlier the drugs seized in August under the investigation of Assistant Excise Commissioner T A Ashok were also bought to Kerala by him, he added. Pertaining to the incident of the seizure of MDMA drugs, with the joint effort of the Central Excise and Customs Department, Enforcement Directorate, Narcotics Control Bureau, State Special Branch, the State Excise Department could gather more information about Prasanth. Excise Interpol officer Sreerag and Preventive Officer Sathyanarayanan reached Chennai and caught the accused and brought him to Kochi. The investigation officers who seized the MDMA drugs will be given D1 lakh reward, said Singh. Ernakulam Division Deputy Excise Commissioner A S Ranjith, Assistant Deputy Excise Commissioner T Ashok Kumar, Special Squad Excise Officer B Suresh, Excise Sub Inspector K Radhakrishnan, Civil Excise officers Ajith, Roby and Umar will be rewarded. By Express News Service A 76-year old man landed in the custody of the Ernakulam Railway Police on charges of threatening and attempting to attack actor Kunchacko Boban at the Ernakulam South Railway Station. According to the police officers, Stanley Joseph of Athikuzhy house, South Moolamkuzhi, Thoppumpady was the arrested. As per the complaint lodged by the actor, an elderly man, wielding a knife, verbally abused him and began threatening when he was waiting for his train at the station, on October 5. He is not mentally well. He didnt even know who is Kunchacko Boban. We itself admitted him at the government mental care centre at Thrissur several times. He used to roam everywhere, said Railway Police SI P D Pavanan. The arrested was charged with attempt to murder and produced before the court. Kunchacko Boban was waiting for Maveli Express for his journey to Kannur in order to join a film shooting there. When the co-passengers reached the spot, hearing the issue, Stanley escaped. Later, the actor lodged a complaint before Palakkad Railway Police Division Office when he reached Kannur. The officers collected the statements of the actor and commenced an inquiry. A probe based on the CCTV visuals of the railway station helped the cops to nab the accused. He was taken into custody on Sunday evening. The police also recovered the knife used by the accused. By Online Desk People have been going gaga since the announcement of 'Superstar' Rajinikanth upcoming film 'Petta', which is being directed by the young and talented Karthik Subbaraj and produced by Sun Pictures. Artists from across the film industry usually claim acting alongside Rajinikanth as their ultimate dream. It was widely speculated that Malayalam star Fahad Fazil was approached by 'Petta' team to do a prominent role in the film, the offer which the actor had rejected. Now Fahad Fazil has come out with an explanation on why he rejected 'Petta'. According to the reports from Indiaglitz, Fahad Fazil had stated that he was not able to take up the role as the dates he was required to film for 'Petta' was already allotted to his recent hit film 'Varathan'. One might recall that Fahad Fazil was also offered to play one of the leads in Mani Ratnam's recent release 'Chekka Chivantha Vaanam'. He had turned down that offer as well which later went to Arun Vijay. 'Petta' comprises of a star-studded cast that includes Bobby Simha, Mahendran, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sasikumar, Simran, Trisha. This will be Bollywood star Nawazuddin Siddiqui's first Tamil film and Trisha's first film with Rajinikanth. During an interaction with IANS, Trisha cited her excitement about sharing the screen space with Rajinikanth for the first time in her career spanning over 15 years. The '96' film actress said, "For years, I've been asked when I will work with Rajinikanth. Honestly, this question has bothered me. It's time to finally shut all those people up as I join the sets of 'Petta' from October for a month-long schedule. I feel my career has come full circle. I'll always be a Rajinikanth fan first and then only his co-star. I've met and interacted with him many times but I'm sure it's going to be fun working alongside him." The shooting for 'Petta' reportedly started in June in Darjeeling and will be releasing after '2.0'. Murali Krishna CH By Express News Service HYDERABAD: My 12-year dream has been fulfilled with Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava (ASVR), begins Jr NTR, as he recalls his association with director Trivikram Srinivas. I have known him even before he directed Nuvve Nuvve, but we were not in a hurry to do a film. I have always had faith in him because hes a wonderful storyteller, he says. The actor notes that the films curious title Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava is apt for the story. Anger, after all, is one of the nine main emotions (Navarasalu). Quoting a line from the film, the actor adds, Yuddham chese sattha lenodiki... shanti adige hakku ledhu (If you cant muster courage for war, you have no right to demand peace). "You will be able to find a solution only if you see the bitter side of life. We have seen many films based on this idea, but the treatment and the solution shown here will be quite unique, says the 35-year-old actor. In the upcoming film, NTR plays Veera Raghava Reddy, a man from the Rayalaseema region. I mastered the Rayalaseema dialect and would like to thank Penchal Das for helping me out. My assistant is from Rayalaseema and he was thrilled to see me speak the dialogues. I think the Rayalaseema and Telangana dialects bear a lot of similarity in phonology and grammar, he says. While on similarities, he notes that the film resonated a lot with his own life. I have acted in 28 films and none of them shown me lighting a funeral pyre, but this film did. The much-talked-about Penimiti song is a strange coincidence too. When Thaman made me listen to the song some four months ago, I realised it is Trivikrams mark, he says. Had I insisted on a dance number, I would have lost Penimiti. We shot this song after my dads demise. When I was shooting, I could relate to it and recollected how tormented all of us were especially my mother. Not I think everyone will relate to this song that speaks of a womans agony through a mans voice. NTRs father, Nandamuri Harikrishna, passed away recently, and the actor couldnt hold back tears at the audio release of the film. Everything happened in a flash and we werent prepared at all. It was really tough to believe. We are all learning to cope. As a husband, son, father, grandfather and a socially responsible person, my father lived a full life. He always said that life is transient, and that none of us are above it. Im trying to unload a lot of (emotional) baggage. How was I to know that my father, who left at 4:30 am, would never come back? asks an emotional NTR. Thats when Trivikram, he says, rallied by his side. We call each other Swamy and we continue to work together. The films story has influenced me so much that I have become a better person, both personally and professionally. I ask about road accidents having caused much agony to the Nandamuri family. NTR doesnt make much of it. Im neither spiritual nor fearful of such patterns. One should be careful, but not fearful. We are seeing hundreds die in air disasters, but do we stop flying? he asks. Trivikram himself is going through a bit of a lean patch following the failure of Agnyaathavaasi. NTR doesnt think too much of that. All of us have the pressure to succeed. As an actor or a director, we have constant pressure to live up to expectations. But we dont worry about success and failure. Rather, we enjoy the journey. NTR likens a director and an actors relationship to that of a marital relationship. A director is an actors first audience and an actor is the face of the directors vision. I think Ive impressed my director with my work in Aravinda Sametha Whats the biggest takeaway for him from this film? (Pause) Its tough to answer. I have had a lot of memories with my director, co-actors and of course, theres the Penimiti song, he says. At a time when South cinema is entertaining sequels, NTR hopes to do one for Adhurs (2010). I think it would be a great idea and Im waiting for it to happen. Lets see how things work out, signs off NTR. muralikrishna.db @newindianexpress @onlymurali By IANS MUMBAI: As corporate culture and entrepreneurship are booming in India, sipping coffee and working out of a cafe is becoming an essential part of the new generation's lifestyle and becoming a form of self-expression, says a Starbucks official. Veetika Deoras, a coffee connoisseur and Chief Marketing Officer, Marketing at Tata Starbucks, believes that with more customised coffee and experiential service the beverage has found a place in the lifestyle of a common global citizen. India is mostly considered a tea drinking nation. Apart from the south Indian filter coffee, the acceptance towards other variants has happened only in the past few years. Deoras told IANS: "Coffee is beyond a beverage. It is a form of self-expression. I think coffee is one of the beverages that allows you to spend your 'me time' and get connected to people. Coffee is something that you drink when you want to boost your mind under work pressure, and when you want to feel stress-free and relax." That is also the reason why a lot of cafes are offering a "third place" experience. Explaining the idea, she said: "We spend most of our time in two places -- our home and our workplace or office. Coffee shops that offer a friendly atmosphere are becoming the third place where people are spending a lot of time apart from home and office. That is how these coffee shops are becoming the 'third place' in the lifestyle of the urban population." Starbucks hosted a week-long initiative 'Brewober' to celebrate the International Coffee Week, which was on October 1. They offered seven varieties of coffee from across the world. Deoras said such engagement is making a difference and attracting youngsters to embrace the coffee culture. By AFP SAN FRANCISCO: Google announced Monday it is shutting down the consumer version of its online social network after fixing a bug exposing private data in as many as 500,000 accounts. The US internet giant said it will "sunset" the Google+ social network for consumers, which failed to gain meaningful traction after being launched in 2011 as a challenge to Facebook. A Google spokesperson cited "significant challenges in creating and maintaining a successful Google+ that meets consumers' expectations" along with "very low usage" as the reasons for the move. In March, a security audit revealed a software bug that gave third-party apps access to Google+ private profile data that people meant to share only with friends. Google said it was unable to confirm which accounts were affected by the bug, but an analysis indicated it could have been as many as 500,000 Google+ accounts. "We found no evidence that any developer was aware of this bug, or abusing the API, and we found no evidence that any profile data was misused," Google said in a blog post. It was referring to application programming interface software for the social network. The data involved was limited to optional profile fields, including name, age, gender, occupation and email address, Google said. Information that could be accessed did not include posts, messages or telephone numbers, a spokesperson said. Google did not specify how long the software flaw existed, or why it waited to disclose it. The Wall Street Journal reported that Google executives opted against notifying users earlier because of concerns it would catch the attention of regulators and draw comparisons to a data privacy scandal at Facebook. Earlier this year, Facebook acknowledged that tens of millions of users had personal data hijacked by Cambridge Analytica, a political firm working for Donald Trump in 2016. "Every year, we send millions of notifications to users about privacy and security bugs and issues," a Google spokesman told AFP. "Whenever user data may have been affected, we go beyond our legal requirements and apply several criteria focused on our users in determining whether to provide notice." The company said it determined its course of action based on the data involved in the breach, lack of evidence of misuse and whether it could accurately determine which users to inform. By IANS NEW DELHI: Taking note of the sexual assault of a two-year-old boy in West Bengal, Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Thursday said the perpetrators of child sexual abuse will face harshest of punishment. "I am deeply disturbed by the news of gruesome assault on a 2-year-old boy in West Bengal. I have directed the NCPCR to immediately initiate action in this case," she said in a tweet. Gandhi said she has spoken to the victim's father and assured him of all possible support and help from the ministry. Gandhi added that her ministry has already moved a cabinet proposal to provide for death penalty for such heinous crimes under POCSO Act also. "With the amendment of IPC, CrPC and POCSO Act, perpetrators of child sexual abuse will face the harshest of punishments," she added. The incident happened at a playschool in Diamond Harbour, Kolkata. The victim's father found the private parts of his son was bleeding after he returned home from school on July 2 and filed a complaint on Wednesday. An FIR has been registered against unknown people under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act 2012. According to National Commission For Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the matter has been registered and will be looked by state authority of the child right's body. By PTI NEW DELHI: Two days after India signed a multi-billion-dollar deal with Russia to procure S-400 Trimuf S-400 air defence system despite the looming threat of US sanctions, Army chief General Bipin Rawat stressed that the country follows an independent policy. The armed forces were also keen on getting the Kamov helicopters and other weapon systems from Moscow, he added. General Rawat returned on Saturday night after a six-day visit to Russia where he held talks with the Russian military officers to enhance cooperation between the two countries. The Army chief said the Russians were very keen in associating with the Indian Army and defence forces because they do understand that we are a strong Army, capable of standing up to what is right for us, based on our strategic thought-process. READ | Sanctions not meant to punish allies, says US after India and Russia ink S-400 missile deal Recounting his exchange with a Russian naval officer over India looking westwards at America, which has put sanctions on Russia, General Rawat said he replied to the officer that Washington had also threatened to impose restrictions on New Delhi for dealing with Moscow. Yes, we do appreciate that there could be sanctions on us, but we follow an independent policy, he said. Seeking to assuage Russian concerns over its growing ties with the US, the Army chief told the Russians to be rest assured that while we may be associating with America in getting some technology, but we follow an independent policy. The Trimuf deal could lead to sanctions being slapped against India under the Countering American Activities Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). India and Russia concluded the deal on Friday during President Putins visit notwithstanding the US warning that it would be a focus area for it to implement punitive sanctions against a nation undertaking significant business deals with the Russians. (With PTI inputs) By IANS NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday extended their greetings on the occasion of the 86th Air Force Day. "We proudly honour our air warriors, veterans, and families of the Indian Air Force. They safeguard our skies with courage and commitment. The resilience, tenacity and zeal of our valiant air warriors is a source of pride for every Indian," the President tweeted. Modi said: "A grateful nation salutes our valorous air warriors and their families on Air Force Day. They keep our skies safe and are at the forefront of serving humanity in times of disasters. Proud of the Indian Air Force!" He also attached a video of IAF jets along with the tweet. #WATCH Indian Air Force Day celebrations underway at Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad pic.twitter.com/YH2ziVBZwt ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 8, 2018 The Congress chief hailed the valour of the Air Force personnel saying their commitment is an inspiration for all Indians. The Indian Air Force which was officially established on this day in 1932, would display an air show at Air Force Station Hindon in Uttar Pradesh to mark the day. More than 57 million people in China are now covered by a new insurance program designed to provide care to those who have lost the ability to live alone, the National Healthcare Security Administration said. The establishment of the long-term care insurance program has alleviated the burden on the families of elderly people no longer able to live on their own, for reasons including frailty and disability, and greatly improved the infirm's access to nursing services, according to the authority. By the end of June, more than 184,000 subscribers had received benefits from the insurance program, with average payments exceeding 5,400 yuan ($785) in the first half of the year. That covered more than 70 percent of their average nursing service expenses, it said. The insurance has helped poverty alleviation in some places by reducing the care burden borne by some individuals, the administration said, adding as an example that in Jingmen, Hubei province, 20 percent of the 831 subscribers benefiting from nursing services at home are from low-income households. China is exploring the establishment of an insurance system to provide nursing services and daily care such as bathing and feeding for the permanently disabled, according to a guideline released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in July 2016. By the end of last year, 15 cities had joined a pilot program. The new insurance is different from China's basic medical insurance programs, which cover more than 95 percent of the population. China's population is aging rapidly. The number of people age 60 or above reached 241 million last year, accounting for 17.3 percent of the population, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. In 2012, the proportion was 14.3 percent. In the cities where the program is being piloted, insurance fees are collected from different sources, including individuals, employees and employers, as well as government funding, the National Healthcare Security Administration said. In Shanghai, subscribers need to be at least 60 years old, but in the other 14 cities there is no age limitation, it said. Promotion of the insurance program has also contributed to the development of nursing services, resulting in the establishment of more than 200 elderly nursing homes in the 15 cities, and more than 40 training institutions for nursing employees, over the past two years, the administration said. But major challenges include an inadequate supply of nursing services, both in terms of quantity and quality, it said, adding that most service providers find it hard to recruit enough employees for reasons including low pay and a lack of interest in such careers among the young. Some cities in the pilot rely heavily on the surplus from their medical insurance funds to finance the long-term care insurance program, which could put stable funding at risk, the administration said. It said it will step up efforts to promote the insurance so it will cover more people, including cooperating with other departments to improve the supply of nursing services, and establishing a multichannel fee-collection system for the insurance program so that its long-term stability is ensured. In Beijing, the city government is considering piloting the insurance over the next two years, starting in Shijingshan district, according to a circular released by the district government in March. All adult subscribers to Beijing's basic medical insurance programs, except students, will be able to subscribe to the insurance, the circular said. Government funding and employers will contribute to about 80 percent of the total funding, and each subscriber will pay 160 yuan annually, according to the circular. Payment by the insurance will cover up to 70 percent of an individual's total care expenses, it said. Yang Yingna, a publicity official at Beijing Geriatric Hospital, said it has not been covered by the planned pilot program, and patients would still have to pay all their care expenses by themselves. "Promoting care insurance can greatly reduce expenditure for care services for those in need," she said, adding that government plays a key role in promoting such insurance. Jiang Chenglong contributed to this story. By PTI NEW DELHI: A Delhi Court Monday extended till November 1 the interim protection from arrest granted to former Union Minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis case filed by the CBI and the ED. #UPDATE Aircel-Maxis case: The matter has been adjourned to November 1. Delhi's Patiala House Court was hearing anticipatory bail pleas of P Chidambaram and Karti Chidambaram seeking protection from arrest by CBI & ED. https://t.co/xJuoUoHDgo ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2018 Special CBI Judge O P Saini put up the matter for November 1 after the counsel appearing for agencies sought an adjournment in the matter. Advocates appearing for the CBI and the ED, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Nitesh Rana, told the court that the agencies required time to file a detailed reply and argue on the application filed through Chidambaram's lawyers P K Dubey and Arshdeep Singh. Chidambaram and his son were named in the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the case on July 19. The agency filed a supplementary charge sheet before the special judge, who will consider it on next date. The CBI is probing how Chidambaram, who was the Union finance minister in 2006, granted a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to a foreign firm, when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) was empowered to do it. The senior Congress leader's role has come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore. In its charge sheet filed earlier in the case against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran and others, the agency had alleged that Chidambaram had granted an FIPB approval in March, 2006 to Mauritius-based Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Maxis. The Maran brothers and the other accused named in the CBI chargesheet were discharged by the special court, which had said the agency had failed to produce any material against them to proceed with the trial. The Enforcement Directorate is also probing a separate money-laundering case in the Aircel-Maxis matter, in which Chidambaram and Karti have been questioned by the agency. Both Chidambaram and Karti have denied the allegations levelled against them by the CBI and the ED. By PTI AHMEDABAD/PATNA: Additional forces were deployed in industrial areas in Gujarat for the security of Hindi-speaking migrants after attacks on them sparked their exodus that prompted the state government on Monday to make an appeal for their return. Assuring security to the migrants, the Gujarat government said 431 people were arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks, as Chief Minister Vijay Rupani appealed to people not to engage in violence. Claiming that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police. "We are committed to maintaining law and order, and people can call police in case of trouble. We will provide them security," he told reporters in Rajkot. Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar--Yogi Adityanath and Nitish Kumar-- and Union minister and BJP ally Ram Vilas Paswan, who hails from Bihar, spoke to Rupani to voice their concern over the attacks. Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have witnessed sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, police said. Police have arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime. Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Mahesh Singh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. Also Read | Gujarat violence: Targeting migrant labourers completely wrong, says Rahul Gandhi "Over 20,000 migrants from these states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in different parts of the state. All non-Gujaratis should not be seen as culprits for the misdeeds of one person," he said. A political dimension to the attacks was also injected with a leader of the JD(U), which is headed by Nitish Kumar, dashing off a two-page open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, blaming his party for the violence against Biharis. "You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena is driving out migrant Biharis," Neeraj Kumar, JD(U) MLC and spokesman, alleged. Migrant workers prepare to board the Sabarmati Express in view of protests which broke out over an alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Ahmedabad Monday October 8 2018. | PTI Without naming opposition Congress, Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said efforts were underway to find out whether "it(attacks) is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years". Jadeja said it is the responsibility of the state government to provide security to those who come to Gujarat for employment from other states and appealed to those who have fled to come back to the state. He said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants. Jadeja told a press conference in Gandhinagar that the Centre had been apprised of the steps taken by the state government to bring the situation under control. "The attack on migrant workers is highly condemnable. The Chief Minister has instructed us to take all necessary steps to stop the attacks." "I also appeal to people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains," Jadeja said. Read | Mumbai will come to halt if north Indians stop working, says Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam Jadeja said only a handful of people are involved in the violence. "We have deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of migrants. We have also decided to set up points (camps) for the State Reserve Police (SRP) and increase patrolling in such areas. " While police have arrested several members of the Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and also mentioned the outfit's name in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor alleged that youth from the community were being falsely implicated. Condemning the rape incident, Nitish Kumar said the guilty must be punished but an entire community must not be tarred with the same brush. "Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister yesterday. Our Chief Secretary and DGP are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat," Kumar told reporters in Patna. "If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people must not generalize and hold a grouse against an entire state." Adityanath said the Gujarat chief minister told him that his government has ensured the safety of all and that are all welcome. Rupani also informed there had not been any incident since the past three days and he has also appealed to people against paying any heed to rumours, Adityanath told reporters in Lucknow. Adityanath said Gujarat is a peace-loving state and a model of development and that those do not want development spread rumours. "Some North Indians living there had called me and I have told them also not to pay heed to the rumours," he said. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service NAGPUR: Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (UP ATS) in coordination with their Maharashtra counterparts and military intelligence unit nabbed a Nagpur-based Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO) engineer associated with Brahmos missile project on Monday. Engineer Nishant Agarwal was held on charges of possessing and passing on classified information about the missile project to Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) across the border. Meanwhile, two of his accomplices, one from Kanpur and other from Agra, are also under the scanner of ATS. Agarwal, working as a senior engineer, was heading Hydraulics-Pneumatics and Warhead Integration (Production Department) at BrahMos Aerospace facility on Wardha Road in Nagpur. Suspected ISI agent Nishant Agrawal face covered with scarf who was arrested by Uttar Pradesh ATS recently on charges of being an ISI agent at his residence in Nagpur Monday October 08 2018. | PTI According to UP ATS sources, besides, handling new projects at BrahMos Nagpur and Pilani Sites, Agarwal was heading a team of 40 employees, including the technical staff and systems engineers, under him. As per IG, UP ATS, Asim Arun the name of Agarwal, who had won Young Scientist Award from Government of India for his exemplary services in 2017-18 and basically belongs to Roorkee in Uttarakhand, surfaced during interrogation of honey-trapped BSF jawan Achutanand Mishra arrested recently from Delhi on charges of sending photos, videos of 3D model of BSF Academy, arms and ammunition on WhatsApp to an ISI agent. "Following the lead given by Mishra, we scanned profiles of some other women on Facebook only to find that a 'woman impersonated self as an employee of a US company had befriended Agarwal in 2016. Later, she lured him to work for her in lieu of a handsome remuneration," said IG Arun. He added that after thorough probe the woman posing as an employee of a US company was found to be actually belonging to Pakistan. "Engineer Agarwal, rounded up in Nagpur, had got the information stored in his laptop which was seized by the ATS. The information is certainly sensitive and falls in the category of breaching Official Secret Act (OSA), so the engineer has been booked under Sections of Official Secret Act," said the IG. The action at Nagpur is believed to a follow up of the arrest of three persons, including an ISI agent and two DRDO employees at Kanpur. The cops who grilled the trio found that Agrawal too was in contact with them. The ISI agent had established a contact with him through facebook using a pseudo name. As per the highly-placed sources in ATS revealed that Agarwal used to supply vital inputs to his ISI handlers through a 'coded game'. They also added that efforts are on to decode the gaming codes and decrypt it. While the engineer was held after ATS raided his residence in Nagpur, but the modus operandi of passing on information to ISI was an issue under probe. The UP ATS also conducted raids at two more places -- Kanpur and Agra -- but nothing significant was recovered from the possession of the aides of Agarwal. Another laptop from Agarwal's house was also seized. By PTI AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Monday appealed to people not to engage in violence, even as an outfit claimed over 20,000 Hindi-speaking migrants fled the state in the last one week after a spate of attacks following a rape incident. Rupani claimed that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, while state Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants. ALSO READ | Nitish Kumar speaks to Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani over attacks on migrants from Bihar Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have seen sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, police had said. The government said more than 400 people have been arrested in connection with the violence which started after a migrant worker from Bihar was nabbed in the rape case. Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. "Over 20,000 migrants from these states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in different parts of the state. All non-Gujaratis should not be seen as culprits for the misdeeds of one person," he said. Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police. "Due to intense efforts by police, the situation is under control and no untoward incident has happened in the last 48 hours. "We are committed to maintaining law and order, and people can call police in case of trouble. We will provide them security," Rupani said in Rajkot. Minister of State for Home Jadeja, at a press conference Monday in Gandhinagar, said the Centre had been apprised of the steps taken by the Gujarat government to bring the situation under control. He said 431 people have been arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks on Hindi- speaking people. Without naming opposition Congress, Jadeja said efforts were underway to find out whether "it is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years". "The attack on migrant workers is highly condemnable. The chief minister has instructed us to take all necessary steps to stop the attacks." "I also appeal people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains," Jadeja said. He said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants. "Only a handful of people are involved in this. We have deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of migrants." "We have also decided to set up points (camps) for the State Reserve Police (SRP) and increase patrolling in such areas," Jadeja said. While police have arrested several members of the Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and also mentioned the outfit's name in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor alleged that youth from the community were being falsely implicated. Jadeja, responding to a query on Thakor's allegations, said action will be taken against anyone who disturbs peace. "Police is not harassing any innocent person from a community. But we will take action against those who are disturbing Gujarat's peace," said Jadeja. Hours after the rape of the toddler in a village near Himmatnagar town, around 100km from Ahmedabad, police arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime. By PTI HINDON: Asserting that the Indian Air Force is "ever-prepared" to meet any contingency, its chief B S Dhanoa said on Monday that the induction of 36 Rafale jets and S-400 missile systems would enhance the capabilities of the force. Amid instances of air crashes, Air Marshal Dhanoa said aerospace safety is one area where the force needs to maintain a constant vigil as "loss of aircraft in peacetime is not only expensive, but also diminishes the wartime capability". Efforts are being made to minimise accidents due to human error by providing best possible training to the air crew and technicians to meet the challenges of operating current generation fighters, as well as legacy aircraft and weapons systems. ALSO READ | 86th Air Force Day: President Kovind, PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi hail air warriors and their families "The IAF is ever prepared to meet any contingency that challenges the defence of our country. In the year gone by, IAF has continued to grow from strength to strength and achieved a number of operational milestones," Dhanoa said in his address on Air Force Day here. He said it is the duty of the Air Force personnel to remain combat worthy and maintain combat systems operational for any contingency at a short notice. "Acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft, S-400 missiles systems, Apache attack helicopters and Chinook heavy lift helicopters would further enhance our capabilities," he said. The ongoing induction of state-of-the-art Tejas precision weapons is a part of the IAF's larger modernisation programme, he noted. India and Russia last week signed the multi-billion air missile defence system deal. The deal to buy Rafale jets was signed with France in 2016. Dhanoa had last week termed the procurement of the 36 Rafale jets, the deal which is currently mired in controversy, and S-400 missile defence systems as the much needed "booster shots" to the Air Force. Speaking on 'Gaganshakti', the IAF drill that saw a mobilisation of 1,4000 officers and 14,000 personnel, Dhanoa said it showcased the operational capability and readiness of the force. During the exercise, more than 11,000 sorties were flown, including approximately 9,000 sorties by fighter aircraft, he said. Elucidating on the role of Air Force in peacetime operations, he said during the Kerala floods this year, 23 aircraft and 25 helicopters of the IAF were pressed into the service. The IAF also provided timely assistance in fighting forest fires in Theni (Tamil Nadu), Katra (Jammu and Kashmir), Pathankot (Punjab), Kasuli (Himachal Pradesh) and even urban fires in Delhi, he noted. "In addition, airlifting relief material to Myanmar and Indonesia, fire fighting on an Indian Merchant Ship and CASEVAC of pilgrims stranded at Kailash Mansarovar and Amarnath Yatra were also carried out," Dhanoa said. The IAF, he said, has been actively supporting the government's initiatives for growth of regional air connectivity under the 'UDAAN' scheme. Forty-five new routes have been cleared through military airspaces while 33 defence airfields have been opened for joint use to accommodate civilian flights, he added. By Online Desk Fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi fleeced a Canadian national of US$200000 (almost Rs 1.5 crore) by selling two fake diamonds, according to a report in the South China Morning Post. The Canadian national Paul Alfonso bought the diamonds in Hong Kong to propose to his girlfriend. But their celebration was shortlived after they realised the diamonds were fake, the report said. In April, 2018, Alfonso sent an email to Nirav Modi evicing interest in buying a special engagement ring at a cost of US$100000 (almost Rs 75 lakh). Im honoured to help you create your dream engagement ring ... Paul, I have the perfect diamond for you, Modi had responded. He offered a perfect 3.2-carat round brilliant diamond cut, D colour, VVS1 a high-quality grade and colourless stone at US $120000. Paul Alfonso's ring, which he bought from Nirav Modi. (Photo | Paul Alfonso) Alfonsos girlfriend, however, became interested in another design. This prompted Alfonso to order a second ring - a 2.5 carat oval diamond for US$80000 (Rs 60 lakh) from Nirav. In June, he received the diamonds after he transferred money to Modi's Hong Kong account. Three months later the couple came to know the diamonds were fake when Alfonsos fiancee took the rings to an appraiser. The incident led to breakup between Alfonso and his fiancee. Alfonso slipped into depression soon after. We broke up literally after one or two days ... It was just too much for both of us to handle. It does not make sense to her, because she says: You are a pretty smart guy, how did you let someone scam you out of US$200000 without making sure the transaction was legitimate? the paper reported him as saying. Alfonso, who is working as the chief executive of a payment processing firm, shuttles between Vancouver and California. He had met Modi at the centennial celebrations of the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2012. Alfonso got the shock of his life when he realised Nirav Modi and his bankrupt companies are under investigation for loan defaults. He has now filed a lawsuit against Nirav Modi in California for US$4.2 million. By PTI NEW DELHI: "Things are not all that good", the Supreme Court observed on Monday while referring to rising incidents of abuse of children and women at shelter homes and asked the Centre to put in concerted efforts to deal urgently with the situation. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta suggested to the joint secretary of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) that they should consider setting up a national body which could look into the issues related to such children, including their rehabilitation as also physical and mental well being. "Can you think of some kind of a national level institute or a body where you can get experts from institutes like Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) which are connected with child protection. It would be a wholly expert body," the bench asked. The joint secretary informed the bench that deliberations were on for having a child protection policy, and said the ministry would discuss this issue with bodies like TISS and others. "You will have to get the best experts," the bench said, adding that "you can have such a national institute where any kind of crime against children can be looked into". Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Pinky Anand, who was appearing for the Centre, said it would look into this issue and would get back to the court. The bench made it clear that the national body could look into several issues including offences against and committed by children, the way trial in such cases should be conducted, having child-friendly courts, protection of children and how to deal with their physical and mental trauma. "Things are not all that good," the bench said and referred to media reports about skeleton being recovered during the probe into the Muzaffarpur shelter home case where several girls were allegedly raped and sexually abused. The apex court also referred to reports about girls being bashed up in Bihar for trying to protect themselves from molestation. "Are the girls not supposed to protect themselves from molestation? It cannot go on like this," the bench said and also referred to a recent media report about a six-month-old girl child being raped. "These are kind of problems which are arising day in and day out," it said. When the ASG said that they would look into the aspect of having a national level body to deal with the issue, the bench said, "Get them (authorities) all on board. Tell them, it is an urgency." The ministry said they were in the process of preparing and developing a standard operating procedure to deal with issue related to children living in child care institutions and social audit by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was going on. The ASG said they would issue an interim advisory to the states in this regard. The bench said that as soon as the NCPCR's report is received by the ministry, the same should be examined by the experts appointed by the ministry. When the court was told the preparation of child protection policy would take around two months, the bench said that the same be circulated among the stakeholders so that suggestions could be invited. The bench also asked the ministry to ask the states to give a report on the existence of the child welfare committee in the respective state. The joint secretary of MWCD told the bench that they were taking steps with regard to the formulation of child protection policy and on other issues concerning children living in such homes. Advocate Aparna Bhat, assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, said that child protection policy was there in other countries and these could be looked into to come out with a draft. "Because we do not have any policy, there is always a knee-jerk reaction when such incidents occur," Bhat said. The apex court had last week said that existing mechanism was "not adequate" to curb incidents of sexual abuse of children and girls at shelter homes and had asked the MWCD to apprise it on the formulation of a child protection policy. The court, which has taken cognisance of the Bihar incident following a letter by a Patna-based man, had earlier termed as "horrific" the case of alleged sexual abuse of girls in an NGO-run shelter home at Muzaffarpur. Anuraag Singh By Express News Service BHOPAL: Two Vyapam whistle-blowers Dr Anand Rai and Ashish Chaturvedi could be making their political debut in the November 28 Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh. Tribal outfit Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS) has offered poll tickets to Rai and Chaturvedi. While Rai was offered ticket from Indore-V seat, Chaturvedi, who has been associated with the RSS since 2006, could contest from Gwalior East seat. Both these seats are represented by the ruling BJP former MP minister and three-time sitting legislator Mahendra Hardia (Indore-5),and urban development and housing minister Maya Singh (Gwalior East). Both Rai and Chaturvedi confirmed the offer made by JAYS chief Hiralal Alawa, but they added that they were yet to take a final call. Ive to also focus on strategising and building the basic legal and political framework for JAYS, so its still not clear whether Ill contest the polls or not, Rai told TNIE. ALSO READ: Digvijay Singh deposes in his complaint against MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan The ophthalmologist, who has been associated in the past with the Congress, has off late been forming an integral part of JAYS activities in the Malwa-Nimar region with Indore being the centre of prime activity. Chaturvedi also confirmed receiving the JAYS offer, but added he was too indecisive. Confirming the offers, JAYS chief Dr Hiralal Alawa said the list of candidates for 80 seats will be finalised by October 21, when a massive rally will be organised in Dhar district. While were focusing primarily on the 47 seats reserved for STs and other tribal dominated seats, candidates from upper caste are in talks with us to contest from general seats, he claimed. By PTI LONDON: Booker Prize winning author and activist Arundhati Roy has expressed concern over what she fears are historical facts being manipulated in India, creating a form of fake news in the country. Speaking on the subject of freedom, the author of 'The God of Small Things' also spoke of the influences on her writing and how she viewed writing as a desire to bridge the gap between thought and language. "What we are living through now, maybe we can call it: history as fake news. There is a sort of Hindu-isation, the corporatisation of education and history," she said during a lecture titled 'Utmost Happiness and Utmost Sadness: The Diary of India Nowadays', a reference to her most recent book 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness', in London on Saturday. "To me, the most dangerous thing is what young people are being put through before they have even learnt how to think, it is so twisted," Roy said at the School of Oriental and African Studies' South Asia Institute event, organised by the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust (NIKMT). Invoking the debates between two of the most prominent leaders of India's freedom struggle, Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar, Roy suggested a possible disclaimer before Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning 1980s film Gandhi' to highlight it as a "work of fiction" because it failed to capture the complexity of India's struggle. She said: "The debate between Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar will tell you the complication of that freedom struggle. For Dr Ambedkar, Hinduism was a form of colonialism in many ways more terrifying than British colonialism. "For Ambedkar, liberation meant trying to draft a Constitution that was far ahead of its time than society itself. He was not willing to just leave it to the people, because he was a man who did not have to go all the way to South Africa to find injustice." As part of a post-lecture interaction segment with Shohini Ghosh, a documentary filmmaker and professor of mass communications at Delhi's Jamia Millia University, Roy delved into her shuttling between fiction and non-fiction writing and the connect between her activism and prose. "In my DNA, I am a fiction writer. I wonder why people feel there is some bipolarity between fiction and fact. That is not true. Fiction is truth. I would say, particularly in the era of fake news, there is nothing truer than fiction," said Roy, who won the Booker Prize for 'The God of Small Things' in 1997. As someone who has also authored a series of politically-charged essays such as The Greater Common Good', she explained that her non-fiction writing was never planned and was more a plea to look at things differently. She added: "Fiction for me is the construction of the universe, the most beautiful thing that I can possibly imagine doing. Nowadays the world is becoming so harsh and rigid and reactive and twittery. "Fiction allows you to be naughty, whimsical to give you that bandwidth which is getting lost to us in some ways." Chinas white paper on facts and its stance on trade frictions with the US, released when the world was deeply concerned about Washingtons further escalation of trade frictions against China, fully demonstrated Chinas image as a responsible major country. The document, titled The Facts and Chinas Position on China-US Trade Friction, is a systematic articulation of Chinas policies and stance. China was firmly committed to safeguarding its national dignity and core interests, the sound development of China-US economic and trade relations, and the reform and improvement of the multilateral trading system, the white paper said. The country was also firmly committed to protecting property rights and intellectual property rights (IPR), protecting the lawful rights and interests of foreign businesses in China, deepening reform and widening opening-up, wrote the document, adding that China was firmly committed to mutually beneficial cooperation with other developed and developing countries and to building a community with a shared future for mankind. The commitments accord with the fundamental interests of people of the two countries as well as the common expectation of the international community. They reflect Chinas strong strategic confidence and willpower. China is described by the international community as firm-minded, composed, confident and restrained in responding to its trade frictions with the US. It is universally believed that China handles trade frictions with the US in a constructive approach, like it always does in addressing differences and contradictions. Through what it did, the country safeguards its national dignity and core interests, while taking the big picture of China-US relations and global economic development into consideration by handling the conflicts in a sincere and constructive way. The Chinese government has reiterated that China does not want a trade war, but it is not afraid of one and will fight one if necessary. China did not fear unilateralism and the rise of trade protectionism as its steps forward were unstoppable. The country planned and managed its own affairs well with composure and capabilities in front of mounting international uncertainties, instabilities and insecurities in the past. It was self-reliance and hard work that allowed China a wider path for development. Economic globalization is the trend of the times, and peace and development represent the shared aspiration of all peoples, the white paper made a fundamental judgment of the trend of the world and the times. It is out of this judgment that China chooses to safeguard and improve multilateral trade system, promote win-win and mutually beneficial cooperation with other developed and developing countries, and be firmly committed to building a community of a shared destiny for mankind. Chinas proposals and solutions made within the multilateral frameworks of the United Nations (UN), World Trade Organization (WTO), Group of 20 (G20), and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), help maintain multilateralism, promote liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, and push global economy toward a more open, inclusive, reciprocal, balanced and win-win direction. The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and Chinas efforts to boost solidarity and cooperation with countries and regions under the frameworks of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum, have demonstrated its responsibility as a major country to lead and promote international cooperation and pool the widest force for peace and development. Time will prove that China has made the right choice and selected a bright path. The peace and development of the world is unstoppable. (Zhong Sheng, a homonym in Chinese for voice of China, is a pen name often used by Peoples Daily to express its views on foreign policy.) Ejaz Kaiser By Express News Service RAIPUR: The recent incidents of abduction of educated youth by Maoists in south Chhattisgarh has led to the belief that the rebels now perhaps consider them a new threat to their "banned organisation". Two students, during the last five days, were kidnapped by Naxals in one of the worst Maoist-affected district of Sukma, about 400 km south of Raipur. In one instance, the rebels bowed to the students' protest exhibited through their rallies and released the Class 12 student Podium Mukesh. In another shocking incident, the Maoists forcibly took a college student away from his home and later killed him. According to the Sukma police the boy Kunjami Shankar (19), had gone to his village Kundapal and was reported missing. His body, lying in a pool of blood, was later traced inside the jungle by the villagers who reported it to the police. Shankar was reportedly abducted by armed Red Brigade and was hacked to death at Kundapal. The police believed he was killed merely on suspicion of being an informer. "It appears the Naxals, who are on the backfoot owing to aggression and remarkable success accomplished by the security forces are now perceiving the educated youths as their enemy. The cowardly act exposed the Naxals on how they are opposed to education in the region. Targeting the educated youth reveal their mindset. It's ridiculous to even presume a college student as a police informer", the Deputy Inspector General of Police in Bastar, Ratanlal Dangi told the TNIE. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: An FIR was lodged against UP Shia Waqf Board chairman Waseem Rizvi for hurting religious sentiments after he allegedly made some statements against the Caliphs of the Muslim community. The case was lodged against Rizvi on the basis of a complaint of the Sahaba Action Committee at Lucknow 's Chowk Police station on late Sunday evening. In the complaint, the Sahaba Action Committee claimed that Rizvi had offended the members of Sunni sect of Islam by his remarks over their Caliphs. "Waseem Rizvi has been making derogatory remarks about Sunni community and Caliphs for quite some time. So, after proper consultation, we decided to file a complaint against him. Thousands of people have gathered to protest and are demanding that National Security Act be slapped on Rizvi," Sahaba Action Committee president Maulana Abdul Wahid Farooqui said. Following the FIR against Rizvi, thousands of Sunnis took out a protest march in old city areas of Lucknow demanding his arrest within 24 hours. Meanwhile, reacting to the FIR filed against him, Rizvi called it the desperation and frustration of Muslim litigants in the vexed Ayodhya case. "I have just called spade a spade. Those who have field FIR consider the extremist forces their Caliphs, they should migrate to Afghanistan and Syria," he said, adding that he would not succumb to Wahabi forces and took vow to continue his struggle for Ram temple. Rizvi said he had already got his grave dug as sections of Muslims were out to eliminate him. He lamented that the level of security he had demanded was not provided to him. "I may be killed through mob lynching, or by the bullets of extremist forces in Islam, or I may be sent to jail, but I shall not stop favouring a Ram temple in Ayodhya as it is the right of majority Hindus," he maintained. The Shia Waqf Board chairman alleged that his words were being twisted to malign his image. "I have only spoken about Abu-Baqr Al Baghdadi of Islamic State and Mullah Mohammed Omar of Taliban. These are concerted efforts to malign my image," Rizvi claimed. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: After dengue and malaria, increasing swine flu cases create panic in the State. Seven swine flu cases were reported in the State in just a week from from September 28 to October 4. The recent cases were reported in Chittoor, Visakhapatnam and Krishna districts. As many as 110 swine flu cases have been reported in the State so far from January this year. One person died in Chittoor district and another in Guntur district this week reportedly due to H1N1 influenza. However, officials are yet to confirm them as swine flu deaths. According to communicable diseases report from AP CORE dashboard, 97 cases have been reported in the State this year until September 15. From the last week of September, new cases were reported from Visakhapatnam, Chittoor, Krishna and Guntur districts. In 2015, the Health Department initiated moves to set up district-wise swine flu testing facilities and isolation wards in every district hospital. However, these measures remain on paper. There are only four swine flu testing centres in the State. Moreover, isolation wards in district hospitals are remained unused. The State lacks the necessary infrastructure to deal with any swine flu outbreak. In 2016, 11 people in State got diagnosed with swine flu and three of them died. The other eight patients were treated in the private hospitals of Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad. In 2017, as many as 70 cases were reported across the State. As per norms, the government has to set up special isolation wards in all government hospitals and provide protection and test kits to health care staff. However, only a few hospitals received these kits and swine flu medicines are yet reach the district headquarters from the Union government. Speaking to TNIE, S Babu Lal, superintendent of GGH Vijayawada, says, We have set up isolated swine flu ward with six beds. Currently, we are using it for other treatments as there are no fresh cases. Officials at the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), Vijayawada, are complaining that the State government is not using their services properly. The VRDL has facilities to conduct real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), first such facility in the State and one of the few in the country such as NIV Pune. Through the PCR, the presence of swine flu virus and rotavirus, which is common among the children, can be identified. Most importantly, all tests, except H1N1 tests, are being conducted at VRDL free a cost. For H1N1 test, the VRDL is charging `1,500. Majority of the private hospitals and laboratories charge over ` 7,000-10,000 for conducting basic H1N1 tests, said Dr Saritha, senior research scientist at VRDL. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: With an aim to give relief from the burden of increasing LPG prices to lakhs of households and provide natural gas for vehicles and industries at around 40 per cent cheaper rate, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to work out special strategies to make AP a gas-based economy and develop natural gas infrastructure to benefit general public at large in the next three to four years. The CM also instructed Andhra Pradesh Gas Distribution Corporation Ltd (APDGC) to focus on the much-awaited Piped Natural Gas (PNG) project to benefit lakhs of households under Amaravati-Vijayawada-Rajahmahendravaram-Visakhapatnam green corridor by 2020. During a teleconference with Energy Department officials, Naidu said as PNG is around 10 per cent cheaper than subsidised LPG, the domestic users would get a relief from the burden of fluctuating LPG prices. Similarly, supply of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as fuel for vehicles in place of conventional petrol, diesel would ensure substantial saving on account of fuel and maintenance costs. People across the country are suffering a lot from fluctuation in oil and LPG prices and the current trend is only indicating further increase in prices. We have to find ways to give relief for the people. Luckily, we have abundant natural resources in the State. The CNG available in the State is 35-40 per cent cheaper than petrol and diesel and its price is fairly stable compared to highly volatile petrol and diesel prices which change on a daily basis. So we have to utilise this opportunity to help the people, Naidu said. Reviewing the status of the project taken up by the APDGC to develop natural gas infrastructure in Godavari districts with an investment of `2,500 crore, Naidu said, I have strong determination to provide the PNG with a direct pipeline connection to households at cheaper rates. It will definitely be more convenient to lakhs of women in the State and benefit lakhs of poor and middle-class families. Also, providing natural gas to commercial purpose at 35-40 per cent cheaper rates will spur industrialisation in coastal areas, which in turn create direct and indirect employment to local workforce. Principal secretary for Energy Ajay Jain informed the CM that natural gas infrastructure development project in East and West Godavari districts would be completed in the next 3-4 years. The Amaravati-Vijayawada-Rajahmahendravaram-Visakhapatnam green corridor project would be a reality with the CNG network under development in Godavari districts. Ajay Jain explained that the APDGC is set to develop green corridor in Godavari districts to connect 1.2 lakh homes, 300 commercial establishments and various industries like ceramic, sanitary ware, milk dairies, sugar factories etc and establish 35 CNG stations by 2020 by laying over 4,500 inch-km of steel/MDPE pipeline network. Anusha Ravi By Express News Service BENGALURU: Despite being the Congress go-to man in crisis situations, the party high command is said to be disappointed with Water Resources and Medical Education Minister D K Shivakumar lately. Sources close to the Vokkaliga strongman as well as those in the high command suggest Shivakumars sudden need to rally support, his aggressive push to establish himself as a community leader in a Vokkaliga-heavy government and the urgency to grow out of the partys assigned role is disturbing the Congress, throwing it off its game plan every now and then. While the high command is sure to stand by Shivakumar in times of trouble, the eccentric efforts of the minister to put himself before the party, according to party insiders, is not going down well with the leadership, especially AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, K C Venugopal. During the recent breakfast meeting of ministers at his residence, Shivakumar assured his cabinet colleagues that he will personally take up their concerns with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. Within the party, many look at this as Shivakumars attempt at not just winning over cabinet colleagues but also offering himself as an alternative channel to ensure smooth functioning of the government vis-a-vis the coordination committee headed by former chief minister Siddaramaiah. Siddaramaiah angered the Vokkaliga community with his personal attacks against Kumaraswamy and H D Deve Gowda in the run-up to the elections. For someone attempting to woo the community, using this anger to position himself works well, a source close to Shivakumar said. Shivakumar holds the water resources ministry - a portfolio that once defined the power of politicians, especially from the Cauvery basin. This is for the simple fact that irrigation-based politics is what works for farmers of the region - dominantly Vokkaligas. Shivakumar is said to be using his ministry, new-found bonhomie with Kumaraswamy and appeasing the Vokkaligas to rise above the brief given to him by the party. This, party insiders say, is angering the high command. He believes he is not being rewarded enough for what he has done for the party but the party believes that he is putting himself first. Complaints have gone from state leaders as well as representatives of AICC against Shivakumar regarding his sudden rush to establish his supremacy, a KPCC office-bearer said. Many in the state Congress also believe that Shivakumar is in the habit of overselling himself. When the high command needs something, all of us divide the work and contribute, but Shivakumar takes the credit, a state leader said. The Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate cases piling up against Shivakumar are the least of the partys concerns. The party will back the minister. But the same cannot be said for Shivakumar who seems composed on the outside but is said to be preparing for the worst. Shivakumars sudden rush to muster support is not because he is confident, but because he is under pressure. The cases do affect him and he looks like he is racing against time to prove a point, a Bengaluru-based political analyst said. For Shivakumar, the partys refusal to make him the KPCC chief along with a ministry left him disappointed. The party high command, insiders say, wants Shivakumar to wait for his turn and stop indulging in activities that threaten the sensitive line the party is treading. While the cadre loves him and the party recognises him as a strong mass leader, his impatience is spoiling it for Congress. Being assertive and aggressive is his nature. He believes that this nature has brought him this far and he continues to believe that it will take him further, an aide of Shivakumar said. By Express News Service KOCHI: Kerala is becoming a hub for transporting drugs to various countries, said Excise Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh. He told reporters here on Sunday that the recent reports from the state showed a rising trend in the usage of drugs, and several channels are being used to export drugs from Kerala to national and international markets. High-level meetings with central agencies were held more than once in discussing the measures to curb the use of drugs. Based on the discussions, the central agencies have intensified their search at sea, check-posts, and inter-state buses, he added. In two years, drugs worth Rs 700 crore have been seized by the excise department, which also included hashish oil and MDMA worth Rs 100 crore. In January and February, hashish worth Rs 40 crore and Rs 20 crore were seized from Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram. From Kochi, drugs worth Rs 35 crore were seized in April and May. Six months earlier, 4.5 kg of MDMA was seized from Nedumbassery airport. Transit centre It seems that Kerala has become a national and international market for the transportation of drugs alone, said Singh. The other day, one Prasanth Kumar was taken into custody during his attempt to smuggle MDMA worth Rs 200 crore to Malaysia via Kerala. The Excise Commissioner, however, said the department is yet to complete the questioning of Kumar, who is the main accused in the smuggling case. The reason for smuggling drugs through Kochi will be known only after further questioning the accused, he said. According to the commissioner, 900 cases were registered in 2014, which became 1,500 in 2015, and 3,000 in 2016. This indicates that the use of drugs is increasing in the state, he said. M S Vidyanandan By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nisha, a 32-year-old domestic help, now earns Rs12,000 a month for her full-time service at a government employee couples residence here. An overseas job with better pay is her ultimate dream, but she does not know whom to approach. The NORKA-Roots, the state-run PSU for non-resident Keralites welfare, is envisaging a training programme aimed at equipping women like Nisha with the required technological and soft skills, and providing them placement abroad. NORKA-Roots CEO K Harikrishnan Namboothiri said the domestic work sector abroad, especially in the West Asia, could provide employment to thousands of job- seeking women in the state. Were getting lot of enquiries, especially from the GCC countries. Recently we signed an agreement with Al-Durra, a manpower agency recognised by the Kuwait government, to recruit 500 domestic workers, he said. The training programme will be run in association with the Kudumbashree Mission. Their services are not limited to cooking and cleaning these days. The worker should be able to operate appliances like microwave, washing machine or vacuum cleaner, he said. KUDUMBASHREE Executive Director S Harikishore said the training module for domestic helps has been prepared in consultation with experts. We have the expertise and professionals to conduct training in all districts. We can also identify potential candidates, he said. He said the project is in sync with Kudumbashrees objective of womens empowerment. Roughly 60 per cent of Kudumbashree members are from economically disadvantaged families. A standard training will bring in professionalism and dignity of labour to the sector, both within and outside the country, he said. The average salary for a domestic help recruited through NORKA-Roots will be around Rs 25,000. It has received over 600 applications at present. A batch of 23 candidates is likely to fly to Kuwait soon. Officers said discussions are on with members of other GCC countries for similar tie-ups. NORKA-Roots officers said the candidates will have the facility to contact them in case they face any problem at the workplace. By Online Desk Meet A Sukumaran, ex-convict turned do-gooder. In 2010, this resident of Pattambi in Kerala's Palakkad district hacked his father's younger brother to death after a dispute over the erecting of a mobile tower on their family property. Today, out from jail, he has gifted a kidney and a new life to a 20-year-old woman. The now 47-year-old who sells lottery tickets told the Indian Express that he wanted to atone for his crime. He has been carrying the burden of his guilt since the day he committed the murder, which orphaned his uncle's family. After he called the police and surrendered, Sukumaran was sentenced to life imprisonment on October 28, 2010 by the Palakkad district sessions court. When in jail, the avid reader came across a newspaper report about Arya Maharshi and his wife, who donated their kidney, free of cost, on the same day. The couple had made it to the Limca Book of World Records for their deed. They also conducted a session to inspire prisoners about organ donation. First failed attempt In 2015, Sukumaran came to know of a 26-year-old Sreekumar who was suffering from a kidney ailment. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to help the youngster as the states Prisons Department replied that there was no rule that allows a prisoner to donate an organ. Sreekumar died later. Efforts bear fruit Sukumaran persisted and wrote to the then chief minister Oommen Chandy and the then home minister Ramesh Chennithala. His request was transferred to the Law Department which, in July 2015, said that there was no reason why a convict could not donate his or her organs. In 2016, the state government issued a new law allowing inmates to donate their organs. Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court in October 2015 upon Sukumaran's request reduced his sentence to ten years and transferred him to the open jail in Thiruvananthapuram. Sukumaran was released in July 2017, citing good conduct, following which he went straight to the Santhi Medical Information Centre in Guruvayur and found out about Princy Thankachan, a 21-year-old woman, who had been undergoing dialysis for five years. Finally, an organ donor Sukumaran had only one demand - that the recipient be from an underprivileged family. Princys father told the NewsMinute: "He wasnt just a donor. He participated in the campaigns to collect money for the treatment. He helps us get medicines and other things for our daughter. He has come wherever we called him without any hesitation." New beginnings The Indian Express report also said that Sukumaran mobilised money to help the ill wife of a former fellow prisoner who had died after being released from jail. The woman was abandoned by her family after her husband got involved in a theft case. Sukumaran and the woman have started a new life together with her three-year-old son. They are all set to legally marry. Sukumaran wants to continue inspiring inmates with his good deeds. "Every prisoner who comes out of jail should have a ray of hope and goodness to live," he told the NewsMinute. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai has said the party is ready to shed blood for protecting the beliefs and emotions of believers. Pillai was speaking at a march taken out to the Kazhakootam office of Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, in protest against the state government decision to implement the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages entry into the Sabarimala temple. Pillai warned it is better not to tamper with the age-old customs associated with Lord Ayyappa as it may cause lasting problems. He said there is a nefarious design to destroy the pilgrimage centre and the party has taken a solemn oath to protect it at any cost. He said even the late CPM leader A K Gopalan had to budge before the beliefs associated with Sabarimala. Pillai said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Kadakampally Surendran and Travancore Devaswom Board president A Padmakumar have violated the tenets of the oath of office --- which is to protect the beliefs. Instead of protecting the sanctity and beliefs of people, the government is trying to break the temple and the system, Pillai said, adding the BJP will take to the streets to fight against the government move to implement the Supreme Court verdict in a haste, hurting the sentiments of crores of Ayyappa devotees. He said the CPM has been trying to bring down the importance of Sabarimala since 1957 and when fire engulfed the temple, the Left government led by the CPM had given the affidavit before the Kerala High Court stating the power of the temple is gone. Hundreds of devotees including women and children took part in the protest march, which was blocked by the police near the ministers office. Rotten eggs were thrown at an effigy of the minister and cow-dung water was poured over it. BJP leaders Pongumoodu Vikraman, Pangapara Rajeev and Sajith Kumar participated in the march. Interview for Melsanthi appointment on October 12, 13 TPuram: The interview for the appointment of Melsanthi in Sabarimala and Malikappuram temples will be held at the Travancore Devaswom Board(TDB) headquarters here on October 12 and 13. While the interview for the Sabarimala Melshantis post will take place from 9 am on October 12, the one for the Malikappuram Melshantis post will be held from 9 am on October 13. For Sabarimala Melsanthis post 79 people have been called from among the 101 applicants and 57 of the 74 applicants issued memos for the interview to the Malikappuram Melshantis post. Those who have not received either the interview memo or rejection memo should contact the TDB head office. The Melsanthis appointment is for a period of one year from the Mandala- Makaravilakku season and the selection will be made through a draw of lots. It will be held at the Sabarimala temple on October 18 when the temple opens for special poojas during the Malayalam month of Thulam. By PTI CHENNAI: A well-marked low pressure has formed in the Bay of Bengal and is expected to intensify into a depression in the next 36 hours, the Regional Meteorological Department said on Sunday. The weather office has cautioned fishermen against venturing out to the South and Central areas of Bay of Bengal till October 9. "A new low pressure has formed North of the Andaman (and Nicobar Islands) and South east of the Bay of Bengal. This is expected to further intensify into a depression and move towards the Odisha coast in the next 72 hours," RMD Deputy Director General S Balachandran told reporters. Under the influence of the low pressure, most places in Tamil Nadu registered moderate rainfall in the last 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Sunday, while Mimisal, a coastal village in Pudukottai district, received 13 cms of rainfall. Sankarankovil and Ambasamudram received 8 cm each, Tiruppur and Tenkasi 7 cm each, while Kothagiri, Senkottai, Pudukottai and Tiruppuvanam each received 6 cm of rainfall, Balachandran said. For the next 24 hours, moderate rainfall is expected in several parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry while places like Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Dindigul, Theni might receive heavy rainfall, he said. For Chennai and its neighbouring areas, there may be light to heavy rainfall in some places in the next 24 hours. The prevailing climatic conditions favour the onset of the northeast monsoon in the state, Balachandran said. The RMD deputy director general said the deep depression in the South Arabian Sea presently lay 920 km North West of Minicoy Islands of Lakshadweep and was expected to intensify into a cyclone in the next 24 hours and move towards Oman. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the South and Central Arabian Sea till October 12, he said. On October 8, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Beijing. The visit was proposed by the US Secretary of State and the meeting was agreed to by China. In the meeting with the US Secretary of State, Wang Yi pointed out that the US has escalated its trade friction with China. He also noted that the US has adopted a series of measures that have caused harm to Chinas rights and interests on issues such as Taiwan and has attacked Chinas internal and external policies for no reason. Wang said that these practices have directly impacted the mutual trust between the two countries and have cast a dark shadow over the future of China-US relations and are totally inconsistent with the interests of the two peoples. Wang expressed Chinas demand for the US to immediately stop its wrong words and deeds, adding that it is in the best interest of both countries to stick to the right path of win-win cooperation and avoid the wrong path of conflict and confrontation. Wang said that the US Sectary of States interest in exchanging views with China on hot issues such as the Korean Peninsula shows that the two major powers and the two permanent members of the UN Security Council need and should strengthen communication and cooperation and assume the responsibilities entrusted to them by the international community. Such cooperation should be supported by a healthy and stable bilateral relationship, Wang said, adding that he hoped Secretary Pompeos visit to Beijing will play a positive role in achieving this goal. By Express News Service CHENNAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday re-registered all cases pertaining to violence during the anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi, including the police firing that killed 13 persons, as per the direction of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court. The FIR, which was filed in compliance with the High Court order, has taken up the case registered in the SIPCOT police station where B Sekar, Special Deputy Tahsildar (Election), Collector Office, Thoothkudi has given the complaint justifying the shooting order given by him in which 13 anti-Sterlite protesters were killed in the police firing. As directed by the High Court of Madras at Madurai Bench, the entire issue relating to police firing incident and related issues will be investigated, the FIR filed by the CBI said.The Madras High Court in August directed that all FIRs registered in connection with the events of May 22, the 100th day of the protests, and related in any manner to the anti-Sterlite protests at Thoothukudi be transferred to the CBI. ALSO READ | Sterlite submits 45000 letters of support from Thoothukudi before NGT panel The Bench, comprising Justices C T Selvam and A M Basheer Ahamed, said the police firing had been ordered by one who was not a jurisdictional executive magistrate and admittedly on his assuming powers which he did not possess.The bench had directed the CBI Director to appoint a special team for the investigation and ordered it to complete the investigation in four months. The investigation is entrusted to R Ravi, Deputy Superintendent of CBI, Special Crime Branch, Chennai.The CBI has also filed the First Information Report (FIR) against persons belonging to 20 organisations for suspected offence of rioting; rioting armed with deadly weapon; disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant; voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons; voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty; assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty; house trespass in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment for life; attempt to murder; mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house etc and criminal intimidation. High Court order The FIR, filed in compliance with HC order, has taken up the case registered in the SIPCOT police station where B Sekar, Special Deputy Tahsildar (Election), has given complaint justifying the shooting order in which 13 protesters were killed. By Express News Service VELLORE: A couple, jailed for murder, have reunited after 28 years. While Vijaya was released in December 2013, her husband, Subramaniam, was released Saturday. Vijaya was the longest-serving women prisoner in the state at the time. According to their lawyer, theirs is a love story tested by fate. Subramaniam, now 62, met Vijaya (60) when she was a street dancer. Despite opposition from his family, they married. She taught him to dance and they performed together. But, seven years after their marriage, in April 1990, they murdered a youth. The couple said he had tried to misbehave with Vijaya. They were booked in Coimbatore for murder for gain, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. I filed a habeas corpus petition in Madras High Court in 2011, after learning Vijaya had served over 20 years in prison, through Nalini, one of the convicts in Rajiv assassination case, advocate P Pugazhendhi, director of Prisoners Rights Forum, said. Vijaya has intellectual and speech disabilities. She was released from Womens prison in Vellore and sent to an old age home at Ariyur in the district. I filed a petition seeking Subramaniams release. The order was issued in 2016. He was released only now as they have none to take them in, the lawyer, who represents Nalini, said. The couple is off to a Tirupur home to start a new life. Prabhakar T By Express News Service COIMBATORE: Forest brigand Veerappan was shot dead by a Special Task Force team headed by K Vijay Kumar and NK Senthamarai Kannan 14 years ago. But, a Coimbatore woman, who was involved in a key operation to nab him, has said she is still waiting for rewards promised to her. M Shanmugapriya of Vadavalli in Coimbatore was recruited by Senthamarai Kannan in 2004 to play a key role in Operation Northern Star, an effort to nab the brigand through his wife Muthulakshmi. Through a series of STF maneuvers, Muthulakshmi ended up living in Shanmugapriyas house as a tenant. In her four months there, Shanmugapriya befriended her and learnt vital information about Veerappan that she relayed to the STF team. The plan was to lure the brigand to Nilgiris to meet his wife but it failed. Key information I shared was about his poor health, diminishing eyesight and where he was hiding in the forest. I risked my life for the department, she claimed. After Operation Cocoon which ended with Veerappan and four associates shot dead in October 2004, Shanmugapriya said top persons in the STF orally assured her rewards. But, all I got for my efforts are pain and a bad name, she told Express. After 10 years of waiting, Shanmugapriya first wrote to the Prime Ministers Cell. We were told they would look into it and were directed to the State Government. However, after several applications, the appeal is still pending at the Director General of Polices office, she said, adding she had been recruited through a family friend who was a cop. Inspector General of Police Senthamarai Kannan acknowledged her role, but said only those involved in the final operation could be rewarded. We conducted several operations to nab Veerappan, but all did not succeed. Shamugapriya was involved in one such operation. She gave valuable information for that operation. We have recommended rewards for common people and officials from other departments involved in the final operation. We dont have any say in her case, he said. DGP TK Rajendran was unavailable for comment. By UNI NEW YORK: Days after US President Donald Trump warned that the OPEC might not last 'two weeks' without American support, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has praised the US leader saying "any friend will say good things and bad things". In an interview with Bloomberg, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was quoted as saying, "I love working with him, [Trump]. You know, you have to accept that any friend will say good things and bad things." Dawn reports that Trump has increased his verbal attacks on OPEC as global benchmark Brent crude oil has risen to a four-year high. At the United Nations last month, Trump said OPEC was "ripping off the rest of the world" with crude prices, now about $85 a barrel. He warned that "we are not going to put up with these horrible prices much longer". US President Donald Trump | AP According to Bloomberg, "Trump has heaped particular pressure on Saudi Arabia, the world's top exporter of crude oil, to do more to ease prices, by linking the American military presence in the Persian Gulf to the kingdom's oil-production policy." "How about our military deals where we protect rich nations that we don't get reimbursed?" Trump told a campaign rally in Mississippi on Tuesday. "I love the king, King Salman, but I said, 'King, we're protecting you. You have to pay for your military, you have to pay." It's a theme he's been sounding for years, tweeting in March 2015 that if Saudi Arabia "wants our help and protection, they must pay dearly! NO FREEBIES". And it's not restricted to Saudi Arabia. In his speech to the UN General Assembly last month, the president said the US expected "other countries to pay their fair share". By Associated Press MIAMI: The US Coast Guard says more than two dozen Cuban migrants jumped from a boat and swam to shore in South Florida. ALSO READ | One dead, two flee as migrant boat sinks off Tunisia The Miami Herald reports that once the 27 migrants made it to land on Sunday, they ran and hid. Officers with the US Customs and Border Protection, aided by Miami police officers, were searching for them on a barrier island of Miami, and reports say some were found. Some roads in Miami's Virginia Key were shut down during the search. By PTI ISLAMABAD: After initial hesitance and delays, Pakistan Monday announced to approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout package to address the mounting balance of payments crisis faced by the cash-strapped country. The decision to approach the IMF was taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan who had in the past opposed such measures to support the economy. Finance Minister Asad Umar said that talks with the IMF will start immediately as Prime Minister Khan approved the decision after consultations. "It was decided today that we should start negotiations with the IMF for a stabilization and recovery program so that we should bring the current difficult economic situation under control," Umar said in video message. Sources in the finance ministry said that government explored all options including asking friendly countries for support as well as seeking donations from the overseas Pakistanis before going to the IMF. Umar is expected to lead a delegation to attend the annual meeting of IMF and World Bank in Bali, Indonesia from October 12 to 14, where he will start initial talks for the bailout package. It may take a few months before the agreement is reached and money starts pouring from the IMF. It was not known how much support the government would seek from the IMF but sources said that Khan's government needed at least USD 9 billion to meet the current account deficit. An assessment by the State Bank of Pakistan and the Finance Ministry showed that Pakistan needed USD 11.7 billion to service its external debt in current fiscal year 2018-19. The IMF assistance should be enough to bridge the deficit gap and support the plummeting foreign exchange reserves which have below USD 10 billion. The government has come under criticism from various quarters including opposition for delaying the decision to approach the IMF soon after winning the elections on July 25. The decision will create hardship for Khan as IMF tough conditions will surely result in price hike. According to Bloomberg, Pakistan has availed 12 IMF bailouts since the late 1980s. The last one was in September, 2013 when the IMF approved a USD 6.6 billion loan support to Pakistan government's programme to stabilise its economy and boost growth while expanding its social safety net to protect the poor. By AFP RIO DE JANEIRO: A deeply polarised Brazil stood at a political crossroads Monday as the bruising first round of the presidential election left voters with a stark choice in the run-off between far-right firebrand Jair Bolsonaro and leftist Fernando Haddad. ALSO READ | Brazilian women take to streets against candidacy of right-wing frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro Bolsonaro, an ultraconservative former paratrooper, easily beat a dozen other candidates on Sunday -- but not by enough to avoid an October 28 showdown with Haddad, the former mayor of Sao Paulo. Bolsonaro won 46 per cent of the vote to Haddad's 29 per cent, according to official results. That tracked closely with pollster's predictions, but Bolsonaro charged that "polling problems" had cheated him of outright victory in the first round, which required him to pass the 50 per cent threshold. Some of his supporters protested outside the national electoral tribunal in the capital Brasilia, chanting "Fraud!" That anger reflected the uncertain outlook for the second round. Surveys suggest Bolsonaro will have the edge, but that Haddad will draw nearly even with him after picking up substantial support from the defeated candidates. "We expected to win in the first round," one Bolsonaro voter, 77-year-old retiree Lourdes Azevedo, said bitterly in Rio de Janeiro. "Now things are more difficult: the second round is a risk." 'Golden opportunity' Haddad, addressing his own supporters, called the looming run-off "a golden opportunity," and challenged Bolsonaro to a debate. He replaced popular former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the race after Lula, imprisoned for corruption, was disqualified. ALSO READ | Black & Black: A social media network mobilizing blacks ahead of Brazil elections Despite his complaints, Bolsonaro did not formally contest Sunday's result, saying his voters "remain mobilized" for the second round. But he faces fierce resistance going forward from a big part of Brazil's 147-million-strong electorate put off by his record of denigrating comments against women, gays and the poor. His unabashed nostalgia for the brutal military dictatorship that ruled Brazil between 1964 and 1985 has also sent a chill through many voters. Haddad, though, has his own burden. As the Workers' Party candidate, he faces the palpable disappointment and anger of voters who blame the party for Brazil's worst-ever recession, and for a long string of graft scandals. Sunday's general election -- in which new federal and state legislatures were also chosen -- exposed the deep divisions generated by both candidates. Some voters -- particularly women -- carried "Not Him" placards to polling stations in opposition to Bolsonaro. But his supporters, like 53-year-old lawyer Roseli Milhomem in Brasilia, said they backed the veteran lawmaker because "Brazil wants change." "We've had enough of corruption. Our country is wealthy -- it can't fall into the wrong hands," she said. Political analyst Fernando Meireles of Minas Gerais Federal University said momentum appeared to favour Bolsonaro. "The probability of Bolsonaro coming out victorious seems pretty big right now," Meireles told AFP. "It looks difficult for Haddad to win in the second round, but not impossible." Better-off Brazilians have rallied to Bolsonaro's pledge to crush crime in a country where there are more than 62,000 murders each year, nearly as many rapes, and frequent muggings and robberies. Bolsonaro wants to boost police forces and relax gun laws for "good" citizens. Many voters also like his promises to tackle corruption and to cut climbing public debt through privatizations, as well as the devout Catholic's family-first stance. But poorer Brazilians, who benefited the most from the heyday during Lula's time in office from 2003 to 2010, want a return to good times and hope Haddad can deliver. The result is a very split electorate. Whoever ultimately wins the presidency in the world's eighth largest economy will grapple with a large bloc of ideological hostility. Despite sitting in Congress for nearly three decades, Bolsonaro casts himself as a political outsider in the mould of America's Donald Trump or the Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte: tough-talking, brash, and promising a root-and-branch overhaul to an electorate weary of traditional parties spouting empty promises. By PTI LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday directed the federal government to file a reply on October 22 in a petition seeking action against ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif under treason charges for claiming that those involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack belonged to Pakistan. Former Pakistan premiers Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, along with prominent journalist for Dawn newspaper Cyril Almeida, appeared before the full bench of the Lahore High Court on Monday. ALSO READ | Pakistan court summons Nawaz Sharif in treason case over Mumbai attack remarks Almeida is also a respondent in the case being heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi. The court also ordered Sharif, Abbasi and Almeida to submit written replies to the court by the next hearing. It inquired Deputy Attorney General Mian Tariq about the action the government had taken with respect to Article 6 (treason) in this case. "Taking action under Article 6 is the government's job what has it done so far?" Justice Jahangir, a member of the bench, asked. The court also ordered Almeida's name be removed from no-fly list (exit control list) and withdrew his non-bailable warrants. The petition was filed by Amina Malik, a civil society activist, against Sharif for his interview to Dawn in May last year in which he had said that those involved in the 2008 Mumbai attack case actually belonged to Pakistan. The petitioner said the "anti-state" statement of Sharif a three-time prime minister could be used against Pakistan by its enemies. She said a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) was held to discuss the "misleading" statement of the disqualified premier and later the then prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi met Sharif and conveyed to him the concerns of the military leadership on his statement. ALSO READ | Pakistan anti-corruption court irked at Nawaz Sharif's absence from hearing "The act of Abbasi was also a clear violation of his oath as he was bound not to allow his personal interest to influence his official conduct," she said. Contending that Sharif had betrayed the nation, the petition stated that a treason case should be instituted against him for giving the controversial interview and allowing it to go on air. The hearing has been adjourned until October 22. Sharif, who was recently released from jail after receiving bail in the Avenfield case, had been absent from previous hearings as he had been receiving condolences over the death of his wife Kulsoom. Earlier, Almeida had been put on 'Exit Control List' (ECL) after he wrote a front-page story about a rift between Pakistan's civilian and military leaderships over militant groups that operate from Pakistan but engage in war against India and Afghanistan. ALSO READ | Pakistan court issues arrest warrants against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi The ECL is a system of border control maintained by Pakistan government under an ordinance which allows it to bar people whose names appear on the list from leaving the country. The Foreign Office had vehemently rejected the report and termed it "speculative". By AFP TUNIS: A boat carrying migrants trying to reach Italy from Tunisia capsized overnight, with one person killed, a security source in the North African country said. The makeshift vessel transporting the young Tunisians from Zarzis, in the south of the country, had been at sea for about 21 hours, said a source in the local security services Sunday. ALSO READ | Thousands gather across Europe to back migrant rescue ship It overturned near the Tunisian island of Djerba at around 3:00 am, and soon after fishermen raised the alarm and the National Guard intervened, the Guard's spokesman Houssemeddine Jebabli said. The body of one migrant was recovered, seven were rescued, and two other people fled, he said, adding they were suspected of being the boat's captain and the person who organised the crossing. While their number has decreased, many Tunisians still risk their lives by trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy in search of work or a better life. More than 4,500 Tunisians arrived illegally in Italy between January and September, compared with 6,092 for the whole of 2017, according to the EU member's interior ministry. By PTI MOSCOW: Trust in President Vladimir Putin has plunged to 39 per cent among ordinary Russians, according to an opinion poll published Monday amid popular discontent over pension reforms. It is the lowest rating for Putin since 2014, before he enjoyed a surge in popularity over the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. ALSO READ | US, Chinese unease as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks India arms deals The survey by the independent Levada Centre found that trust in Putin has fallen nine percentage points since June and a total of 20 percentage points since November 2017. Thirteen percent of Russians said they did not trust him, according to the latest poll carried out between September 20 and 26. The veteran Russian leader last week signed into law a bill that will gradually increase the state retirement age to 60 for women and 65 for men, the first such increase since the 1930s. Most ordinary Russians are deeply opposed to the reforms, which sparked rare street protests. "People think the government is trying to solve its problems at the public's expense. It has made an attempt to take something people consider to be theirs: pension savings," Levada Centre director Lev Gudkov told the Vedomosti business daily. He said social tensions have been building since the end of last year because of a variety of factors including a fall in real earnings and rising prices. While Putin easily won the March presidential election with more than 76 percent of the vote, public discontent about the pension reforms meant "all elements of concern (about him) were lumped together", Gudkov said. This led to a fall in trust not only in Putin but also in his allies: Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, he added said. ALSO READ | Russian President Vladimir Putin softens controversial pension reforms Putin's personal style of rule means he "cannot hand over responsibility to someone else" for unpopular decisions, political analyst Dmitry Orlov told Vedomosti. Putin's lowest ever rating in such a Levada poll was in August 2013, when just 30 percent named him as a trusted politician. He had suffered a long period of decline in support after the 2008 economic crisis and a wave of protests in 2011-12. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment to Vedomosti on the latest poll. BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday met with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying that China and the United States should follow the right path of win-win cooperation, rather than go astray toward conflict and confrontation. Wang said Pompeo proposed his visit to China and the Chinese side was willing to arrange meetings. Recently the United States escalated its trade friction with China, took actions that jeopardized China's rights and interests on the Taiwan issue and unwarrantedly condemned China on its domestic and foreign policies, Wang said. Stressing that these moves have directly impacted on the mutual trust and cast shadows on the prospects of China-U.S. relations, Wang urged the United States to stop making negative remarks immediately. "I know that during your visit, you also want to exchange views with the Chinese side on regional hotspot issues including the situation in the Korean Peninsula," Wang said, adding that this demonstrates as two major powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and the United States should strengthen communication and cooperation, so as to live up to the responsibilities entrusted by the international community. Saying the two sides' cooperation should be supported by healthy and steady bilateral ties, Wang expressed his hope that Pompeo's Beijing visit will play a positive role in realizing the goal. By PTI COLOMBO: A former Sri Lankan minister and Tamil member of Parliament has been arrested for allegedly making controversial remarks favouring the banned outfit LTTE, police said on Monday. Vijeyakala Maheswaran, who was Sri Lanka's lone Tamil woman minister, during an event in Jaffna in June had said that the law and order situation was fast deteriorating in the northern province and its people felt that they were better off under the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when they ran a parallel administration. She said that there were no social crimes during the LTTE time. The LTTE had run a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, said Vijeyakala. Maheswaran, who was working as a State Minister of Child Affairs from the northern Tamil region representing the ruling United National Party (UNP) led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, had resigned in July after her controversial remarks that led to an uproar in Parliament. Maheshwaran was asked to appear before the police's organised crime division on Monday to record her statement on the alleged remarks. Following pressure from the nationalist opposition of the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maheswaran was stripped of her state ministerial position and was subject to an inquiry. The probe was to establish if she had endangered the national security by openly promoting banned terrorist organisation LTTE. The Speaker was asked to remove her from the parliament by opposition members who disrupted the sittings early July. Later a police inquiry was ordered and the opinion of the Attorney General was sought. Maheswaran had publicly explained her comments saying she was moved by the rising crime against the women in the north and the police's inability to tackle them. By PTI ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that a strong bilateral relationship with China is the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy. Khan chaired a high-level meeting with his Cabinet colleagues and discussed his maiden tour to China next month during which matters related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is to be discussed, the Express Tribune reported. ALSO READ | Pakistan PM Imran Khan's first visit to China next month: Report The meeting was also attended by Pakistan's Finance Minister Asad Umer, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Planning and Development Minister Khusro Bakhtiar and Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed. China is an all-weather ally of Pakistan. The two countries launched the controversy-hit USD 50 billion CPEC in 2015 under which a network of roads, railways and energy projects, linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea, has been planned. Khan, chairing a cabinet meeting of the Balochistan province during his first visit to the restive province as the prime minister on Saturday, said that Pakistan was reviewing the projects under the CPEC to safeguard the interest of the Baloch people, who say the projects were not beneficial for them. Khan in the past had criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the lack of transparency and corruption in the CPEC projects. Last month during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Khan had said that the Pakistan government was committed to the implementation of the CPEC projects. ALSO READ | Fearing debt trap, Pakistan rethinks Chinese 'Silk Road' projects Wang had also conveyed the desire of the Chinese leadership to work with the new government of Khan for further enhancing the strategic partnership between Pakistan and China. By PTI KABUL: The Taliban on Monday vowed to target government security forces in upcoming parliamentary elections, as US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with Afghan leaders to discuss ways to end the 17-year war. Describing the polls as a "malicious American conspiracy", Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the militants would pull no punches to disrupt the long-delayed ballot scheduled for October 20. ALSO READ | Taliban kills ten policemen in Afghanistan "People who are trying to help in holding this process successfully by providing security should be targeted and no stone should be left unturned for the prevention and failure" of the election, Mujahid said in a statement published in English. The Taliban -- Afghanistan's largest militant group that was toppled from power in the 2001 US-led invasion -- typically issue inflammatory and hyperbolic statements about the Afghan government and its international backers. But this latest declaration comes just days before the parliamentary election, which is seen as a crucial dry run for next year's presidential vote and has already been marred by deadly violence. It also comes as Khalilzad meets with Afghan leaders for the first time since his appointment last month to steer peace efforts with the militants. Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan's equivalent of prime minister, welcomed the visit by Afghanistan-born Khalilzad in televised remarks on Monday. "We believe if more attention is paid to the (peace) process, there is a good chance of success," Abdullah said. Khalilzad -- a high-profile former US ambassador to Kabul, Baghdad and the United Nations -- is on a 10-day regional trip that also includes Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He met with President Ashraf Ghani and other top leaders on Sunday night to discuss "an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process", Ghani's office said in a statement. Afghan and international players have been ratcheting up efforts to hold talks with the Taliban. ALSO READ | Suicide bomber kills 13 at election rally in Afghanistan An unprecedented ceasefire in June followed by talks between US officials and Taliban representatives in Qatar in July fuelled hopes that negotiations could bring an end to the fighting. But a wave of violence involving the Taliban and the Islamic State group in recent months has poured cold water on the nascent optimism. By PTI LAHORE: Police in Pakistan's Punjab province on Monday arrested a cleric, who claimed himself to be the 11th Imam of Islam, and booked him under blasphemy laws. Police booked Farhan Ahmed, who is in his late 40s, on the charges of blasphemy after a video in which he claimed himself to be the 11th Imam of Islam went viral on social media. Ahmed is a resident of Sahiwal, some 200-km from Lahore, the provincial capital. According to police, an FIR has been registered against Ahmed under section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code and section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order. Police said Ahmed told his followers that Sufi saints had already foretold about his "appearance". "The prime minister and the army chief should swear their allegiance to me," said Ahmed, who was flanked by his disciples in the video. He also claimed that he was the guardian of the appearance of Imam Mahdi. He invited the youth of Pakistan to join him, urging them to take oath of allegiance to him. Police are also investigating whether he made this claim because of any mental impairment. Police also recorded the statements of some of his followers. An imam is the head or leader of an imamate. Imam Mahdi, according to the Islamic belief, will appear on Earth before the Day of Judgment. Chinese tourists made 726 million domestic trips during the just concluded week-long National Day holiday, up 9.43% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Revenue reached 599 billion yuan, an increase of 9% compared to that of last year, but the growth rate is 4.9 percentage points lower than that of 2017. Tourists enjoyed better experiences during their trips. The national tourism complaint hotline received 736 calls, falling 9.25% year-on-year. Culture has become a new attraction for tourists. More than 90% of tourists went to museums, libraries and art galleries during the holiday and the booking for cultural attractions such as the Summer Palace, Terracotta Warriors, and Horses of Qin Shihuang Mausoleum rose by 36% compared to that of last year. Before the National Day holiday, 981 scenic spots nationwide lowered ticket prices by up to 30%. Traffic congestion eased and the number of road accidents causing casualties declined by 34 percent year on year. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Mainly cloudy with snow showers around this morning. High 41F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 50%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low 29F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 Beloved NPR Books Editor Dies Suddenly at 46 OBITUARY Execution of Man Convicted of Murder When He Was 14 Has Been Blocked UPDATED advertisement 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 advertisement Eternals Survives Plunge box office Americans Might Have to Spend Like Europeans opinion Michigan Teen Ran a Dazzling Race. Then He Shouted in case you missed it advertisement 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 (Newser) A Long Island man thought July 8, 2015, was going to be "one of the most important" days of his life, but now he's suing Disney World for ruining it. Fox News reports on Marc Rubin's lawsuit, which the 57-year-old filed Sept. 27 in Florida's Orange County Circuit Court, and which outlines how he claims a Disney employee marred his marriage proposal plans. Per his suit, Rubin was planning to ask for his girlfriend's hand in marriage in front of Cinderella Castle on that summer day, but as he was looking for just the right spot to do it, he says he was approached by park worker Nicole Guzman-Ortiz, 24. Per an arrest report, Guzman-Ortiz says she asked Rubin to move three feet to make way for a soon-to-start parade and he refused; in his suit, Rubin says he was waiting for minors he was with to come back from the concession stand and needed to stay in place for "legitimate safety concerns." story continues below Per the arrest report on the ensuing argument, Guzman-Ortiz says Rubin then threatened to make sure she was fired and yanked on her shirt collar when she tried to leave, Newsday notes. A manager who arrived on the scene told police he didn't see Rubin grab Guzman-Ortiz's collar, but he did witness Rubin's "arrogance"; he says Rubin grabbed his shirt as well. Rubin was arrested for misdemeanor battery, pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge, and paid a $100 fine, plus court costs. His claim, which asks for at least $15,000 in damages and other costs, notes he's also suing for negligence, claiming the park didn't release surveillance footage that would've shown he never touched anyone. "The safety of the people who work in and visit our parks is very important to us," a Disney rep says in a statement. "We will respond to the allegations as appropriate in court." (Read more Disney World stories.) (Newser) Taylor Swift broke her long silence on her political beliefs Sundayand it wasn't to agree with Kanye West about President Trump. In an Instagram post, the star spoke out in support of two Democratic candidates in Tennessee, CNN reports. "In the past Ive been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now," Swift wrote to her 112 million followers, endorsing Phil Bredesen for the Senate and incumbent Rep. Jim Cooper for the House. story continues below The voting record of Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Bredesen's GOP opponent in the Senate race, "appalls and terrifies me," Swift wrote, slamming the Republican's stance on domestic violence and gay marriage. "I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country," Swift wrote. "I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love." The New York Times notes that Swift's political stance had long been considered a mystery, with some observers interpreting her silence as support for Trumpand some neo-Nazis hailing her as an "Aryan goddess." (Read more Taylor Swift stories.) (Newser) A far-right former army captain who expresses nostalgia for Brazil's military dictatorship won the first round of its presidential election by a surprisingly large margin Sunday, but fell just short of getting enough votes to avoid a second-round runoff against a leftist rival. Jair Bolsonaro, whose last-minute surge almost gave him an electoral stunner, had 46.7% compared to 28.5% for former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad, Brazil's Superior Electoral Tribunal said after all the votes were counted. He needed over 50% support to win outright. Polls predicted Bolsonaro, nicknamed "Brazil's Trump," would come out in front on Sunday, but he far outperformed expectations, blazing past competitors with more financing, institutional backing of parties, and free air time on television, the AP reports. story continues below Despite the sizable victory, polls show the two candidates are neck-and-neck for the Oct. 28 runoff, and much could shift in the coming weeks. Bolsonaro, from the tiny Social and Liberal Party, made savvy use of Twitter and Facebook to spread his message that only he could end the corruption, crime, and economic malaise that has seized Brazil in recent yearsand bring back the good old days and traditional values. Bolsonaro's poll numbers jumped after he was stabbed during a campaign event on Sept. 6. He was unable to campaign or participate in debates as he underwent surgeries during a three-week hospital stay, but instead brought messages directly to voters via social media. (Read more Brazil stories.) Although Chengdu is synonymous with the giant panda, theres a whole lot more in this vast city to explore. On a recent trip, Peoples Daily Online went on a mission to find out what's on offer in Chengdu, a place which provides a hefty mix of ancient culture and pioneering industry at the same time. Of course, it wouldnt be a trip to Chengdu without stopping off to see the pandas. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is around 10 km from central Chengdu and is a beautiful way to spend the morning. Its best to arrive early, as the pandas are most energetic during feeding time, usually between 7:30 a.m.and 8:30 a.m., after which time they tend to enjoy a long, mid-morning nap. The base is a non-profit research and breeding facility for giant pandas and other rare animals. It was founded in 1987 with just six giant pandas which were rescued from the wild. Its fantastic to see how laid back these pandas are and how the base tries to conserve wildlife. Their conservation efforts are working, with brand new baby pandas to prove it. As the pandas start their mid-morning nap, its time to move on to our next location. On the opposite side of the city lies one of Chengdus three key preservation areas, Kuanzhai Xiangzi. The area is made up of three parallel streets, known in English as Wide Alley, Narrow Alley and Well Alley, which have been here since the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), with tiny alleyways and courtyards joining them together. The ancient site is representative of Chengdu folk history, and today the courtyards house everything from restaurants to tea shops, meaning its a great place to come and get a glimpse of old Chengdu while sampling some local snacks. Although most streets are hectic, you are sure to stumble upon a quiet street with someone playing traditional music, catapulting you into the past. However, Chengdu isnt just a hub of ancient culture; its also a hub of new technology. The Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Zone was established as a space for science and technology enterprises to expand in Sichuan province. People's Daily Online went to meet two companies based here, to find out how the Zone is helping entrepreneurs thrive in Chengdu. Our first stop, Sichuan AOSSCI Technology Co., Ltd., specializes in drone technology. The companys COO, Liu Yang, explains, Our drones and application systems are being used in areas like public security, aerial mapping, emergency response and rescue, environmental monitoring and surveillance. Weve integrated our advanced technology into these traditional industries, adding, weve managed to bridge many gaps between technology and its application. He explained that companies like his have Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Zone to thank for their care and assistance to entrepreneurs. The zone has also been an excellent platform to display their products in Chengdu as well as throughout Sichuan province. We focus on smart visual analysis, such as pattern recognition and computer vision analysis. Now we call it AI, artificial intelligence, Wu Jiemin, President of Vision-Zenith Tech. Co., Ltd., tells Peoples Daily Online. Based in the same location, Wu says his company wouldnt be what it is today without the Zones help. The Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone supported us a lot when we were beginning as a startup. Look where we are today now we pay over 10 million yuan in taxes to the Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone. Moreover, we have over a hundred employees, having offered many employment opportunities but without the Zones high efficiency in doing business or its preliminary support to us we wouldnt have grown into the company we are today. As night falls over Chengdu, theres time for one more stop. Knowing how famous Sichuan cuisine is all over China, theres only one way to round off a day here. We head to one of the most famous restaurants in town to try one of China's most loved dishes hot pot. Hot pot is made up of a bowl of bubbling, spicy soup, usually with a less spicy chicken broth accompanying it. Its served with a variety of raw meat and vegetables which you dip into the broth to cook. To season, add oils, crushed garlic and chives to a dish and mix. Its best served with a group of friends to discuss the day with long into the evening, ordering more food as you go. Although we only had one day to explore Chengdu, it's clear this city has everything to offer from ancient culture to state-of-the-art technology. A hub of both old and new, it's a city with more to offer than just giant pandas. Although, they do make a great addition! (Newser) Is Jamal Khashoggi alive or dead? It's time the US got involved to determine the truth about the missing Saudi Arabian journalist, declares an editorial in the Washington Post. Khashoggi, who contributes to the Post, hasn't been seen since Tuesday, when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials claim the Saudis murdered him, but the Saudis deny it, and Turkey hasn't produced any proof. "If true, this is a horrific crime, the assassination of a journalist in his own country's consulate on foreign soilsomething without precedent in modern times," says the editorial. Saudi Arabia must explain the suspicious arrival in the country of 15 security officials just before Khashoggi's disappearance, and Turkey must produce clear evidence to back up its claims. story continues below "The United States, too, should demand answers, loud and clear," says the editorial, noting that President Trump has been on good terms with the de facto Saudi leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "The United States must now make a concerted effort to determine all the facts about Mr. Khashoggi's disappearance," write the editors. And if the Saudis balk at cooperation, Congress should suspend all military cooperation with the nation. Peter Bergen of CNN writes that he has known Khashoggi for a decade. "If Khashoggi had left the consulate unharmed"as the crown prince himself insists"it's inconceivable he wouldn't have informed his fiancee, family, friends, and colleagues at the Washington Post," Bergen notes. (Read more Jamal Khashoggi stories.) (Newser) Animal welfare workers say 71 beagles have been removed from "deplorable conditions" in a Pennsylvania home. Barbara Morgan, an officer with the Lehigh County Humane Society, says she expects to file charges against the owner of the home near Allentown where the dogs were discovered, the AP reports. Many of the dogs, which Morgan says range from weeks old to senior-aged, were sickly and underweight. Staffers were called to the home over noise complaints, and they were shocked by what they found. "When we first got the complaint, we were told it was 25 dogs, so when we first got out there, we were not prepared for what we saw," the humane society's executive director, Mary Shafer, tells WFMZ. story continues below "I never saw so many dogs [in] one little space in my life," Morgan adds. She notes that it's believed the dogs had been inherited from another person, and that the new owner simply became overwhelmed with their care. The Lehigh County Humane Society says in a Facebook post the dogs are being evaluated, and that information on adoption will be available in coming days. Until then, the organization is in need of donations to help care for them, including wet food, towels, sheets, and leashes. Officials say the owner may get hit with animal cruelty charges. (Read more animal cruelty stories.) (Newser) President Trump is flying to Florida on Monday, and one of his fellow passengers aboard Air Force One drew the attention of reporters: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. That's the same Rod Rosenstein who was rumored to be on the brink of dismissal just two weeks ago after a report alleging that he talked about secretly taping the president. So does Trump plan to fire him? "No I don't, no," the president told reporters before the flight, per Reuters. "I didn't know Rod before, but I've gotten to know him, and I get along very well with him." story continues below Rosenstein, of course, is the Justice Department official in charge of the Robert Mueller investigation, and the Hill notes that Trump made reference to that. "I actually have a good relationship," he said of Rosenstein, "other than there's been no collusion, folks, no collusion." And the meeting aboard the plane didn't sound too menacing: "I look forward to being with him, that'll be very nice," Trump said. "We're going to be talking. We'll be talking on the plane." (Read more Rod Rosenstein stories.) (Newser) The newest Supreme Court justice will hear his first cases on Tuesday, and the New York Times reports that Brett Kavanaugh will be assisted by a notable team of clerks. All four are women, a first in the Supreme Court's history. Kavanaugh actually made note of the fact during his testimony to refute allegations of sexual misconduct, also pointing out that most of his 48 clerks over the last dozen years have been women. The justice said it's been a conscious decision on his part to help remedy the issue of women being historically under-represented among higher-echelon clerk positions. story continues below Not everyone is wowed by that. Unfortunately, its going to take a lot more than female clerks to undo the damage to the legitimacy of the court done by this travesty of a confirmation process," Elizabeth Wydra, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center, tells the newspaper. "Women will feel much more confident in the court when their fundamental rights are protected and their equal dignity is respected in the rulings handed down by the justices. USA Today, meanwhile, has a preview of Kavanaugh's first cases; none are particularly controversial. The first one, on Tuesday, looks at a law that gives habitual criminals a 15-year-minimum sentence for a crime involving a gun. (Read more Brett Kavanaugh stories.) (Newser) Bust out your best put-baby-in-a-corner jokes. A Florida woman has been arrested after police say she tried to re-enact a scene from Dirty Dancing with a friend in a wine store, reports TCPalm. Tragically, the police report doesn't specify which scene, though the Smoking Gun guesses that it's surely the one where Patrick Swayze lifts Jennifer Grey to the backdrop of "(I've Had) The Time of My Life." The arrest of 24-year-old Cindy Barrientos occurred after the manager of the Total Wine & More store in Jensen Beach called cops to say that two intoxicated women were, um, causing a scene. story continues below The manager wouldn't sell the pair alcohol and asked them to leave, and the police affidavit says both did so but then returned. Officers arrived to find Barrientos in her vehicle, and they say she "became belligerent with deputies" when asked to turn over her keys. She was arrested on a disorderly intoxication charge. (Re-enacting the same scene didn't end well for a couple rehearsing for their wedding.) The Council of Representatives yesterday approved a number of urgent laws in its extraordinary session, including the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) by the beginning of next year. The session was a historical one, simply for the seriousness and number of legislation the House discussed and passed. The crucial legislation that was approved in the session also included revoking the pensions of MPs and Shura Council members, granting Shura Council members the jurisdiction to question ministers and providing international protection for Bahraini military personnel involved in official missions abroad. Considering the sensitivity of the topics discussed and voted, 10 MPs demanded that journalists exit the hall, while the councils General Secretariat withdrew mobile phones from all attending MPs to ensure that the details of the discussions are not leaked outside the walls of the House. Tribune learned that 27 MPs voted for the implementation of VAT while only nine parliamentarians including Jalal Kadhim, Mohammed Al Ahmed, Ali Bufarsen, Mohammed Al Emmadi, Mohsen Al Bakri, Mohammed Al Maarifi, Abdulhameed Al Najjar, Khalifa Al Ghanim, and Isa Turki rejected it. Ahmed Qarata and Theyab Al Nuaimi refused to vote while Abdulla Binhowail and Ali Al Ateesh were absent from the session. The law decree that stipulated the implementation of VAT consists of 77 legal articles. Sources confirmed to Tribune that five out of the eight committee members initially rejected the new legislation. After a meeting with Councils Speaker Ahmed Al Mulla, four members agreed to pass the decree, while one MP, Ali Bufarsen, refused to vote. His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has highlighted Russias growing international economic and political status and role in maintaining global security and peace. This came as HRH Premier received, at the Gudaibiya Palace yesterday, the outgoing Russian Ambassador to Bahrain, Vagif Garayev. HRH the Premier stressed Bahrains keenness to bolster cooperation with Russia in various fields. The Prime Minister stressed that Bahrain always looks forward to enhancing its cooperation with Russia in various fields, expressing satisfaction with the strength of the steadily-growing Bahraini-Russian relations. A 'service catalog' entailing details and information on more than 1,000 government services were launched yesterday. The catalog was launched by Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa - Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology on the national portal Bahrain.bh yesterday during the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum and IT Expo 2018. According to IGA, the catalog is a comprehensive central platform that manages and documents all information related to electronic and non-electronic government services. Mohammed Al Qaeda, IGA Chief Executive Officer told Tribune that the IGA has been working on the catalog for the past three years. I am pleased to announce the launch of the service catalog. This is a result of work of more than three years. We developed this after a very comprehensive study. It is a catalog of almost 1,000 government services. It is not only for electronic services, it contains information all kinds of government services.It contains information such as a description of the service, what is required, the steps needed to be taken, prerequisites, time information etc, he said. TAIYUAN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Police in north China's Shanxi Province have seized over 5,000 historical artifacts and arrested hundreds in a large-scale operation against tomb raiding and relic smuggling this year. The operation, beginning in March, has been the province's largest police operation of its kind. The police campaign has helped retrieve 5,730 historical artifacts, among which 33 are on the list of China's national-level cultural protection. Both the number of suspects and the retrieved relics surpassed the total numbers between 2013 and 2017, according to the Shanxi provincial bureau of public security. "During the operation, police spared no efforts to track down the stolen relics," said Liu Xinyun, deputy governor of Shanxi and the provincial police chief. Tomb raiding has been a serious problem in Shanxi, which is home to 452 cultural relics sites under state-level protection and more than 28,000 ancient architectural sites -- the highest of all provincial regions. A set of bronze bells dating back to the Shang Dynasty (around 1600 BC - 1046 BC) had been smuggled and traded several times before police traced them back from a Hong Kong antique trader during their investigation. Police said once the relics were smuggled abroad, it would become difficult to retrieve them, even after the smuggling was uncovered. Wang Jingyan, a researcher with the Shanxi provincial archaeological institute, said that at an important cultural site in Xiangfen County, where a complex of tombs dating from the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC - 771 BC) to the Warring States Period (475 BC - 221 BC), nearly half of the 250 tombs had been robbed before an official excavation was made. "The tombs were mostly robbed and consequently damaged in 2013. It was heartbreaking for archeologists," Wang said, adding that the provincial archaeological institute carried out an emergency rescue excavation to protect the remaining tombs in 2014. The provincial museum held a three-month exhibition featuring 4,431 of the recovered cultural relics, mostly bronzeware from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The exhibition was closed in late August. During the police operation, a total of 543 suspects have been arrested, and a number of tomb-raiding gangs were busted. Among them, a key member of a tomb-raiding gang was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, and four other principal members were given life imprisonment. In addition to tomb raiding and relic smuggling, the gang was also involved in mafia-style criminal activities of drug trading and gambling. Two former deputy police chiefs in Wenxi County, Yuncheng, were given life imprisonment in the same case, for offering a "protective umbrella" for the gang's illegal business. The High Appeals Court adjourned the hearing of 87 appellants convicted of terrorism, until October 23, 2018, to assign lawyers for them. The appellants are among 115 male defendants convicted in the case for being part of the countrys biggest terror cell. They were earlier handed down tough sentences and had their Bahraini nationality revoked. The appellants were part of Zu Al Fiqar Terrorist Cell, according to court details. Fifty-three defendants were sentenced to life behind bars, while three men received 15 years imprisonment. The sentences also include 10 years in jail for one defendant and seven years in prison for 15 accused. The majority of the convicted men, 37, received five years behind bars, while six defendants were given three years imprisonment. The High Criminal Court, however, dropped the charges against 23 defendants due to lack of proof while the Bahraini nationality of all convicted was revoked. Court files suggest that the cell began its activities in 2013 after it was formed by the first, second and third defendants who invited other defendants to join it. On September 18, the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities launched a campaign at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris to lobby for an International Day of Islamic Arts. This initiative comes along with many events and projects that fall under the umbrella of celebrating Muharraq as Capital of Islamic Culture. Announcing a day to be recognised and celebrated on an international platform highlights the wealth and legacy of our culture, and art as Islamic nations holds an extremely important message of a civilisation and a unity of nations that have added to the wealth and global arts scene throughout the history. It is equally important to highlight the beauty, abundance and exquisite level of craftsmanship in objects found in Islamic arts since these objects have mapped our history from Cordoba to Samarkand. Its an opportunity to highlight to the beauty, and recognise the connections and cultural exchanges that have influenced the arts that come from a long and rich historical reference. Its a way to revisit collections that have a place in almost every international and regional museum. I recently visited Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in the heart of Lisbon. While walking through its galleries, I came across an incredible collection of Islamic art objects. Here I was, at the heart of an institution that places treasures from our part of the world to be displayed, and shared with its audiences. There was a huge sense of pride that comes with this experience. If the next assembly meeting in October announces the acceptance of the International Day of Islamic Arts, it will be an impressive worldwide recognition. Museums with Islamic art collections around the globe will work on interesting programmes to highlight this wealth, and to allow their collections to be revised, and new stories to be told on this subject. During the reception event at the UNESCO to lobby for this initiative, we highlighted Islamic art objects from the Bahrain National Museum collection. A Bahraini lady calligrapher welcomed guests dressed in traditional Bahraini costume, and drew their names in classical Arabic calligraphy, as a gesture of thanks for attending and supporting this event. A beautifully written book, by a historic scholar from Egypt, Mohammed Abdulaziz Marzouq on Islamic art, was reprinted and translated to English and French; the book was distributed during the event. The book highlighted a historical overview and definition of Islamic arts. Islamic arts play a role in connecting various influences, through exchange of cultures, skills and creative processes comes the notion of what unites us is more that what divides us. Here is a clear message of both tolerance and diversity. Art influenced creative minds and skills in craftsmanship to travel through the history brings more expertise to many forms of arts and crafts - from jewellery, textiles, ceramics, calligraphy and manuscripts, to architecture and design. We are living in times of harsh realities, wars and conflict, and overgrowing refugee crisis that have become a usual spot in our media and news bulletins. Linking our past heritage to the present times will help us gain a better perspective on the significance of our legacy before we celebrate it. American DJ David Morales was arrested Sunday at Fukuoka Airport on suspicion of smuggling drugs from Hong Kong, local police said. Morales was detained at the airport after a customs officer found the drug MDMA, also known as ecstasy. Morales is a well-known figure on the music scene. In 1998, he won a Grammy award for aRemixer of the Year.a He also has remixed and produced releases for artists including Mariah Carey. Morales was detained at the airport after an officer found 0.3 gram of MDMA in a sock in his carry-on suitcase at around 3:55 p.m. Saturday when he arrived at the airport from Hong Kong. The 56-year-old DJ denied the allegation. Police quoted him as saying: aItas not mine. (Someone) might have tried to trap me.a The number of foreign nationals who were deported in the January-June period for immigration violations rose 16.5 percent from a year before to 7,892, the Justice Ministry has announced. The number of people who travel to Japan to work illegally has been increasing amid an overall rise in the number of visitors from overseas, ministry officials said Friday. Of the first-half total, 4,889 people, or 61.9 percent, were deported for working illegally. Of them, 1,366 were employed in the agriculture industry, 907 in construction and 849 as factory workers. Many of the illegal workers had jobs in Tokyo as well as Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures. This arrangement enables octopuses to complete tasks with their arms more quickly and effectively. Moreover, while each arm is capable of acting independently - able to taste, touch and move without direction - the centralised brain is also able to exert top-down control. This was proven experimentally in 2011 when researchers tested whether an octopus could learn to guide one of its arms through a maze to reach food. The maze was designed so that the arm would have to leave water - and so not be able to use its chemical sensors to find the food. Transparent walls enabled the octopus to see the food. Most of the octopuses were eventually successful at guiding their arm to the food - proving that the central brain, which processed the visual information, could control the arm. Thanks to their nine brains, it seems that octopuses have the benefit of both localised and centralised control over their actions. United Kingdom chapter of the All Progressives Congress said the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party has made the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari easier.Mr. Ade Omole, leader of the APC UK made the assertion in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria, on Monday in Abuja.According to him, President Buhari remains the best candidate in the 2019 presidential election.He maintained that Atikus candidature would not stop the victory of the APC.The task for 2019 election has just been made easier by the leading opposition party, by electing a presidential candidate who was part of the countrys problem in the 16 years of PDP rule.Nigerians should be wise enough to know, therefore, that he has nothing new to bring to the table.On behalf of Nigerians and the progressives in the Diaspora, I congratulate President Buhari for accepting his nomination to be the APC presidential candidate for the 2019 election. Tunde Bakare, serving overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly (LRA), says former vice-president Atiku Abubakar will give President Muhamm... Tunde Bakare, serving overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly (LRA), says former vice-president Atiku Abubakar will give President Muhammadu Buhari a tough fight for the presidency during the 2019 elections. Bakare said this after Abubakar emerged the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday, polling 1,532 votes to defeat his closest contender, Aminu Tambuwal, who polled 693 votes. Abubakar also beat 10 other aspirants including Senate President Bukola Saraki and Rabiu Kwankwaso, ex-governor of Kano, to clinch the opposition partys ticket. Speaking after delivering a speech on Nigerias 58th Independence in his church, Bakare said the fight for the number one position will be eagle versus eagle and not eaglet versus an eagle. He said though Buhari enjoys the power of incumbency, Abubakar is not going to take No for an answer when the two forces collide in the election. I congratulate him (Abubakar), he makes the issue in 2019 more robust, Bakare said. It is not going an eaglet versus an eagle but an eagle versus eagle: an old eagle versus new eagle and probably both of them old eagles. I wish president Muhammadu Buhari the best in 2019. He has the power of incumbency and he will do his best to win the election, but Atiku is not going to take No for an answer when the two forces collide in the election. Bakare said Abubakar, just like Buhari, has the experience, the exposure and the acceptance expected of the countrys president. He, however, pointed out that having those qualities alone would not translate into the victory for him, as the electorate would decide the parameters on which to elect the next president. I cant say Atiku will win or lose. You see, I am not advocating for him. Among all the aspirants who contested the PDPs ticket with him, he is perhaps the most cosmopolitan, he is a Wazobia man, he said. He was Vice-President for eight years, and he inherited something from late YarAdua that he had held on to so effectively. He has been a businessman with a business acumen and he has the exposure. But you see, that is not what qualifies you to win. A lot comes into play, so again, I can not say whether he will win or lose. Bakare said for the PDP to win the 2019 elections, they would need to demonstrate to the electorate that they were a regenerated party and show repentance for the years of the locust they engineered. Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra state, has expressed delight with the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as candi... Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra state, has expressed delight with the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 presidential election. In a statement issued on Sunday, Obi said this shows the wishes and desires of most Nigerians. He said what the PDP delegates did in Port Harcourt reflect what Nigerians want free and transparent election. Obi said since all the candidates were eminently qualified, the victory of Abubakar showed his wide acceptance. He commended other contestants for putting up brave contest and conducting themselves in a befitting manner. Describing Nigeria as a nation that has derailed off the paths of development due to what he called cumulative leadership failure, Obi said he has confidence that Abubakar has all it takes to restore the glory of Nigeria. Having personally followed him in the past six months, listened and interacted with him on a number of issues negatively affecting our society, I observe in him a person who has the burning desire to leave a footprint in the sands of time, he said. Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has blasted President Muhammadu Buhari for trying to fool Igbo and Yorub... Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has blasted President Muhammadu Buhari for trying to fool Igbo and Yoruba again. According to Reno, Buhari has started putting on Igbo and Yoruba attire again as the 2019 general elections approached. Reno noted that the President used the antics in 2015 after which he declared 5 percent philosophy for the Southeast. The former presidential aide tweeted, Throughout the last 3 years, President @MBuhari preached a 97% versus 5% philosophy. Now that elections are around the corner, he has started wearing Igbo and Yoruba clothes again. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says President Muhammadu Buhari would have ordered his arrest if he had evidence of corruption ag... Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says President Muhammadu Buhari would have ordered his arrest if he had evidence of corruption against him. In a statement issued on his behalf by his campaign organisation, Abubakar said his emergence has thrown the camp of Buhari into confusion. He also dismissed the allegation of the Buhari Campaign Organisation that he clinched the ticket of the opposition party as a result of financial inducement. Abubakar said while he came out top in a keenly contested exercise, such could not be said of Buhari. We are not surprised that there is confusion in the Presidents camp. We expected that they would be thrown into a catatonic state knowing that HE Atiku Abubabakrs emergence automatically means the coming end of their ignominious reign, he said. That much was admitted by the Presidents former running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare when he praised the emergence of HE Atiku as an Eagle and a cosmopolitan wazobia politician. Obviously, Pastor Tunde Bakare has foreseen that the era of 97% versus 5% has come to an end with the emergence of the pan Nigerian Atiku Abubakar. We ask how can the Buhari Campaign Organisation disparage the PDP Primary that produced His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, when even the Presidents own wife, Aisha Buhari, has condemned the APCs primary? Not only did Mrs Buhari condemn APCs primaries, but she also described them as unfair and lacking in integrity. Who can know President Buhari better than his wife. Eleven aspirants contested against His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, during the Presidential primary of the PDP. Every single one of them accepted his victory. President Buhari was the only candidate cleared by the APC to contest its primary, yet, a coalition of 5 aspirants are challenging his victory, that alone tells Nigerians his emergence is fraudulent. Nigerians know that Atiku Abubakar is the most investigated politician in Nigeria and any smear by the Buhari administration remains just that. With the vindictiveness of President Buhari, he would have arrested HE Abubakar if he had been found wanting. However, to set the record straight, we want to remind Nigerians that PDPs primaries were genuine, free and fair. Atiku Abubakar got 1,532 votes in a contest televised live to millions of Nigerians. The All Progressives Congress primary, on the other hand, was a study in dictatorship and corruption. The sole candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, scored almost 15 million votes. How could that occur without rigging or manufacturing of faceless voters? Abubakar said various acts of corruption were being committed under the current administration, which he said caused Transparency International to classify the country as more corrupt now than it was three years ago. He said the choice before Nigerians was between a candidate who has provided over 50,000 jobs to people in his personal capacity and the other under whom 11 million Nigerians have lost their jobs. No wonder Transparency International rated Nigeria as more corrupt today under Buhari than just three years ago when the PDP was in power, he said. The scandals are too numerous, including the $25 billion NNPC contracts awarded without due process, the several padded budgets, the $41 million Ikoyi Apartment scandal, the recall, reinstatement and double promotion of pension thief and Buhari financier, Abdulrasheed Maina, the N200 million grass cutter scandal, and many others too numerous to mention. The choice before Nigerians in 2019 is a simple one. Nigerians have a choice of electing a lively candidate with a record of providing 50,000 jobs to Nigerians in his private capacity versus the lifelessness (apologies to President Donald Trump) of a candidate under whom Nigeria lost 11 million jobs and became the world headquarters for extreme poverty. Nigerians have a choice of a man who will provide an efficient and business-friendly solution to the herdsmen crisis and a man whose government said giving land for cattle ranching is better than death. Esther Uzoma, member of the European Union (EU) Election Mission, who monitored the just-concluded All Progressive Congress (APC) Nati... Esther Uzoma, member of the European Union (EU) Election Mission, who monitored the just-concluded All Progressive Congress (APC) National Presidential Convention, has described the exercise as a success. The EU Observer Mission had deployed a four-member team to monitor the special convention designed solely to endorse the candidacy of President Muhammadu Buhari as the partys flag-bearer for the 2019 Presidential Election. Uzoma, a legal practitioner, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly after the convention, which held at the Eagles Square, Abuja, and lasted till Sunday morning, said the event was peaceful and orderly. So far, my observation has been that there is an enthusiasm among the APC members. It is a celebratory gathering and they all converged eagerly to affirm their presidential candidate. And so far so good, everything is in order, she said. NAN reports that 14, 842, 072 members of the APC had affirmed President Buhari as the candidate of the party for the 2019 Presidential Election. The total votes were announced by Ekiti State Governor-Elect, Dr Kayode Fayemi. In his acceptance speech, President Buhari thanked all eligible members of the party who stepped down their ambition to allow him to emerge as the APC sole aspirant and now as candidate. I thank you all for your encouragement and support, and I will not disappoint the people of Nigeria, Buhari had said. The Federal Government is set to announce the new minimum wage as the Tripartite Committee completes its assignment.The outcome of the Tripartite Committee has been submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari.Mr Ayuba Wabba, President of Nigeria Labour Congress, made this known while speaking with newsmen on Monday in Abuja.According to him, the committee used two days to reconvene and deliberate on a new minimum wage that was acceptable to all employers of labour in the country.I want to assure workers that all has been concluded and will be passed for signing within the week.I also want to appreciate the Organised Private Sector, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Nigeria Employers Consultative Association for their resolve to pay the new minimum wage when it is signed into law, he said. Immediate past Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development and the governorship candidate of the United Democratic Party in Taraba, Senator Aisha Alhassan, on Monday received 50,000 supporters of the All Progressive Congress into UDP.At an event held at the Unity Hall in Jalingo, Alhassan assured the defectors of justice and equal treatment in the UDP.Leader of the defectors and former chieftain of the APC in the state, Uba Mairiga, said the injustice meted to him and his supporters in the APC was the reason they dumped the party.Mairiga, who contested for Jalingo II State Constituency in APC but lost out in the primaries, also submitted his UDP nomination form to contest for the seat.Due to unfair treatment and injustice against me and my supporters, I have decided to leave the APC with over 50,000 of my supporters to the UDP.My supporters and I have left APC and would work for the success of the UDP at all levels in the state, he said.Meanwhile, Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has congratulated the Wazirin Adamawa, Atiku Abubakar, on his election as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Bala Dan Abu, Ishaku said the former Vice Presidents victory was well deserved and a product of his determination and desire to serve his country.Ishaku also commended other party leaders and delegates to the convention for making the convention one of the best in recent times.While praising the patriotism of the delegates, the governor lauded the maturity and the spirit of sportsmanship of all the other aspirants towards the partys presidential candidate and for pledging to support the winner. Some Senior Advocates of Nigeria have called for a judicial intervention to determine the fate of the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, on whether they should continue to be presiding officers of the National Assembly as members of the minority Peoples Democratic Party.The senior lawyers also said demanding their resignation or plotting their impeachment from outside the National Assembly would not lead to a solution.They further stated that under the current presidential system of government practised by Nigeria and in keeping with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, only senators and House members were legally empowered to remove their presiding officers.The SANs, who spoke with journalists ahead of Tuesdays (tomorrow) resumption of the National Assembly, argued that outsiders calling for the resignation or impeachment of a presiding officer were merely expressing personal opinions since, by law, they had no voting power in the National Assembly.One of the lawyers, Paul Ananaba, (SAN), said, The issue of resignation is left to an individual to decide whether he wants to resign or not. Impeachment has a procedure in the constitution. So, nobody should put pressure on them since they are not infants. Saraki and Dogara are knowledgeable enough to know what impeachment or resignation means.If anyone feels that they should resign and they have not resigned, the person should head to court, not to put them under pressure. There is no provision of law requiring them to resign or leave their seats because they left one party for another.In any case, there are crises in the political parties, which in themselves are sufficient grounds for defection.What I will say is that it lies with the members of the National Assembly to decide on their own to take any actions against their presiding officers, not outsiders.The Chairman of the APC (Adams Oshiomhole) is not a member of the National Assembly. All he says is his mere opinion, which is not binding on members of the National Assembly.Another SAN, Ahmed Raji, explained that the courts must first resolve whether there were divisions in the political parties, as grounds for defection.He added that when this was settled, the courts would again decide whether a change of party must mean that the presiding officers should vacate their positions.Raji argued that in a presidential system, resignation or impeachment was not necessary because the survival of the government did not depend on the number of members it controlled in the legislature as was the case in a parliamentary system.He said that the government would continue to run services whether the PDP or the All Progressives Congress controlled the legislature.Raji stated, If there is a division (in the political parties) and depending on the decision of the court, then there is no basis for calling for resignation or impeachment. But, if there is no division, call for resignation or removal may be justified.However, this is a presidential system of government, where there is really no carpet to cross as we have in a parliamentary system. In a parliamentary system, losing of the majority in parliament may bring the government to an end, but not so in the presidential system that we practise here.In any case, why is it that members of the Executive, like the governors, can cross to other parties as they wish but the lawmakers cant cross? Does that make sense?Whether the entire members of the National Assembly move from APC today to another party, it will not affect (President Muhammadu) Buhari; he will remain the President. The Executive and the Legislature should both be allowed to defect since majority or minority membership does not really affect the tenure of the government in a presidential democracy. The Minister of State, Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, says the Federal Government will engage aviation stakeholders and the general public ... The Minister of State, Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, says the Federal Government will engage aviation stakeholders and the general public to address some issues on the recent suspension of the national carrier project, Nigeria Air. Sirika disclosed this in a statement by Mr James Odaudu, Deputy Director, Press and Public Affairs, Ministry of Transportation, on Monday in Abuja. The federal government had come under scathing criticisms from Nigerians since the suspension of the Nigeria Air project on September 19. Odaudu said the minister will address some of the issues, misinformation, allegations and opinions trending in the media to keep the public well informed on the status of the proposed national carrier. It is in the light of this that the minister has decided to invite aviation stakeholders and members of the public to a Stakeholders Forum to hold in Abuja on October 23. The interactive forum will, as usual, enable the ministry, stakeholders and interested members of the public to adequately address all issues associated with the national carrier project. This will involve airline operators, regulators in the aviation sector, prospective investors, the media practitioners, labour unions. Also, aviation service providers, officials from the ministry of transportation and its agencies, as well as interested members of the public, he said. Festus Keyamo, spokesman of the reelection campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari, says Nigerians should be worried about the credibil... Festus Keyamo, spokesman of the reelection campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari, says Nigerians should be worried about the credibility of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In a statement on Sunday, Keyamo said Abubakar did not win the election on a free and fair basis but induced the delegates financially. He urged Nigerians to be careful in deciding who they want as president, saying the option is between a candidate with a history of credibility crisis and the incumbent president who is with an unblemished record in public service. We wish to congratulate His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on his emergence as the candidate of the PDP in respect of the forth-coming 2019 Presidential Election, the statement read. However, we note with interest all the reports in the media as to massive vote-buying at the PDP primaries (especially with foreign currency). We contrast this with the speech of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2014 APC Convention when he said as follows: I have always served Nigeria to the best of my ability. I have always tried to give more to the nation than it has given me. This is the principle of service that has guided my public life. Thus, I am not a rich person. I cant give you a fistful of dollars or naira to purchase your support. Even if I could, I would not do so. The fate of this nation is not up for sale. He recalled how Abubakar had also been accused of vote-buying during the 2014 All Progressives Congress (APC) convention, saying the PDP presidential aspirant never denied the reports. There were also media reports in the 2014 APC National Convention that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar freely used the same method of massive vote-buying in foreign currency, but he came a distant third. Till date, he has not denied those media reports, he said. The claim therefore that the process that produce him now as a candidate of the PDP was free, fair and transparent is suspect. It is therefore clear that going into this election the issues that will agitate the minds of Nigerians most would be centered around the credibility of the candidate of the opposition and the kind of values he brings into our politics. Nigerians would ask themselves whether he can be trusted with our national resources with this proclivity for dollarising the political arena, thereby taking us back to the warped values from which President Buhari is trying to extricate the nation. One wonders what such a candidate would do with public funds. Nigerians would also note with interest the verdict of Atikus former boss when he was Vice President on his credibility and integrity, calling him unprintable names at different occasions. Nigerians would note that in all of these occasions, Atiku Abubakar had never defended these allegations against him by his former boss, but continues to court his support and cooperation. Nigerians would want to know how candidate Atiku Abubakar intends to inspire a nation to believe in his ability to fight corruption in the face of very damning reports both locally and internationally concerning his records on corruption whilst he was in public service as a Customs Officer and later when he was Vice President of Nigeria. Former Senate President, David Mark, has congratulated former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on his emergence as the presidential flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 general elections.Mark in a statement by Aba Ejembi, Spokesperson of his Presidential Campaign Organisation made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday, urged Nigerians to support Abubakars candidature.The senator who was also a presidential aspirant at the partys convention on Oct. 6 at Port Harcourt, Rivers, pledged his support to Abubakar to ensure victory for the PDP in the elections.I have maintained throughout my electioneering campaign that all the presidential aspirants in in our great party, including Abubakar, were eminently qualified to provide excellent leadership for the nation.I also pledged that as a faithful and steadfast party man, I would support anyone of them who emerged the flag bearer of the PDP, he said.Mark said he believed implicitly that power comes from God alone and He gives it to whom He wills and when He wills.The former senate president also congratulated delegates to the PDP National Convention for their comportment at the event.He said that: the PDP had demonstrated that it is indeed a party of patriots and true democrats.He also appreciated the Government and people of Rivers for their hospitality. An Egyptian military source has confirmed to Ahram Online that Egyptian Special forces officer-turned-terrorist Hisham El-Ashmawy, one of Egypt's most wanted fugitives, has been captured in Libya's eastern city of Derna. Earlier on Monday, Ahmed Mismari, spokesman of the Libyan National Army (LNA), which controls eastern Libya, said that El-Ashmawy was apprehended in Derna, where eastern Libyan forces are fighting terrorist groups. A picture of El-Ashmawi with blood on his face has been published by the LNA. It is not clear when El-Ashmawy, who has been sentenced to death in Egypt, will be handed over to the Egyptian authorities, but "an official statement will be released concerning the arrest later today," the source said. El-Ashmawy was born in 1978, and graduated in 2000 from the military academy. El-Ashmawy, also known as Abu Omar El-Mohager (the immigrant), is considered among the most dangerous terrorists linked to many attacks in Egypt. In July 2015, El-Ashmawy announced the establishment of the Mourabitoun organization in Libya, which is loyal to the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. El-Ashmawy is believed to have been involved in an assassination attempt on former Egyptian Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim and the murder of top prosecutor Hisham Barakat, as well as plotting an attack on Egyptian border guards in February 2015, which resulted in the death of 29 Armed Forces personnel. He is also believed to be behind a deadly attack on Christian pilgrims in Upper Egypt's Minya governorate in May 2017, which killed 29 people. In January 2015, his group was suspected of staging a multi-pronged attack on the headquarters of the Army Battalion 101 Headquarters in El-Arish in North Sinai, which killed 30 soldiers and officers. An Egyptian military court sentenced him in absentia, along with 13 other terrorists, to death over the New Valley massacre in Farafra on 19 July 2014, where 22 border guards were killed. In 2007, a military court transferred El-Ashmawy to an administrative post before his dismissal from the army in 2011. He later joined the Sinai-based Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis terrorist group. El-Ashmawy received training on the manufacture of explosive materials and combat operations. In April 2016 he traveled to Syria to join Islamist militants fighting aganist Alasad's regime, yet a few months later he returned to Egypt where he participated in a sit-in supporting the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group in Cairo's Rabaa El-Adaweya. After the sit-in, El-Ashmawy escaped to Libya. In Derna, he broke away from Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis after the group swore allegiance to Daesh, and formed the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Mourabitoun. El-Ashmawy fled Sirte to Derna under pressure from the Libya National Army operations. El-Ashmawy planned to regroup in the Western Desert of Egypt but failed due to Egyptian security operations. El-Ashmawy also collaborated with the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya, led by Ahmed Abdul Jalil Al-Hasnawi, who leads the Al-Qaeda branch in southern Libya, as well as Ismail Al-Salabi and Abdul Hakim Belhaj. Before his capture on Monday, El-Ashmawy was spotted between the Maghara and Al-Qalaa areas in Derna. The Libyan National Army discovered a tunnel network extending under the city which the LNA believes was being used by El-Ashmawy and other members of his group to move between cities. Search Keywords: Short link: Funke Adesiyan, a Nollywood actress, says the mandate she won to contest for a seat in the Oyo state house of assembly has been taken aw... Funke Adesiyan, a Nollywood actress, says the mandate she won to contest for a seat in the Oyo state house of assembly has been taken away from her. The actress had emerged winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary in Ibadan south-east zone. But in a statement on Monday, the actress said her mandate was forcefully retrieved and that she was replaced with an anointed candidate. Adesiyan described the development as an injustice, saying her victory at the primary election was hard-earned. She wrote in a statement: We have come to the end of a long journey. A very rigorous and eventful one. The people of Ibadan South East 2 have spoken. They spoke loudly and clearly. The journey of the last one year has been halted, and I thank you all for standing by me. For believing in my vision and for throwing your weight behind me in critical moments. I will never take this significant support for granted. The primary election has come and gone and I have been made to believe and accept the outcome in good fate. While I am not quite happy that my hard-earned mandate was taken from me, as this stands against the principle with which I stand for, I cant go against the wish of our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC). I cant understand why people, who bought forms sold at exorbitant prices, went for primaries and emerged winners only to be told that their names had been swapped for other anointed candidates. One may be tempted to ask why we had primaries in the first place if the partys hidden agenda was to impose candidates? This is one old injustice that has continued to dwarf the progress and entrenchment of internal democracy, one that has denied many people the full blessings of fulfilling their ambition politically. There is no better evidence of this than the brazen act of injustice that forced me to surrender my mandate. Senator Shehu Sani has reacted to a statement by President Muhammadu Buhari stating that he did not send out letter to any Governor to... Senator Shehu Sani has reacted to a statement by President Muhammadu Buhari stating that he did not send out letter to any Governor to deal with him. Buhari had in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant, Garba Shehu distanced himself from a letter currently in circulation, which alleged that he had authorized a Governor to deal with traitors and disloyal members of APC, especially Senator Shehu Sani. The brief statement said, We wish to confirm that the President is not aware of any such letter, let alone authorising anyone to deal with any party member.Given President Buharis record, it is inconceivable that he would usurp the role of the party leaders and instruct anyone to punish a party member. In the light of above, we would like to appeal to the general public, especially members of the press, to ignore false or unauthorized information intended to attribute to the President any action which is not in line with his character. Reacting to Buharis statement, Shehu Sani applauded him for clearing the air. According to him, he never believed Buhari would give such directions. In a post on his Twitter page, the Kaduna lawmaker wrote: Thank you President Buhari for clearing the air on the calumnious memo The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the source of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is questionable. Yekini Nabena, acting... The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the source of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is questionable. Yekini Nabena, acting spokesman of the APC, said this in a statement while reacting to the emergence of Abubakar as the presidential flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Nabena said Abubakars score card is abysmally low and he has proven to be an untrustworthy and unreliable character. The APC spokesman wondered how the former vice-president has been able to fund his presidential bids. The pertinent question to ask about Atiku is what his scorecard in public office was? Regrettably, Atikus scorecard is abysmally low and he has proven to be an untrustworthy and unreliable character, the statement read. A case in point is Atikus revealing altercation with his former boss President Olusegun Obasanjo which exposed the level of corruption Atiku was enmeshed in. In the international level, Atiku has been reportedly place on the global watch list of the United States of America and has avoided travelling to the US to avoid arrest and prosecution over a money-laundering and corruption case in that country. Really, is this the character and antecedent of a candidate Nigerians will be proud to vote for as our President, come 2019? Compared and contrasted with President Muhammadu Buhari consistent and principled stance on party affiliations, since 1999, Atiku has moved around different political parties PDP, ACN, PDP, APC and now PDP, all in his blind and desperate pursuit of his ambition the presidency of Nigeria. It is therefore very clear that if Atiku loses the presidential election in 2019, he will again defect from the PDP to another political platform. Atiku is known as a super rich Nigerian who entrenched the undemocratic practice of buying votes of delegates. During the APC National Convention in 2014, he spent several millions of dollars to buy delegates votes and emerged third, after Buhari and Rabiu Kwankwaso. On Sunday, he reportedly bought over virtually all the PDP delegates and was declared winner of the PDP presidential primaries. With these huge expenses expended to secure the PDP ticket, how will Atiku recoup his investment if not from the public treasury should he win the presidency? In any case how did a retired customs officer acquire so much wealth to fund his several presidential bids? The source of his wealth is very questionable and his financial resources are definitely ill gotten. He said Buhari did not to spend money on delegates as he banks on his proven personal integrity. Nigerians have had enough of corrupt, cash and carry politicians. That was why in 2015 they came out en masse and elected a clean and transparent man in Muhammadu Buhari to clean the Augean stable, he said. The candidature of Atiku Abubakar will bring back the undesired lots and their practices which Nigerians have long rejected and forgotten. The governor of Delta state is unarguably the man of the moment as he successfully chaired a peaceful and to a large extent, transpare... The governor of Delta state is unarguably the man of the moment as he successfully chaired a peaceful and to a large extent, transparent presidential primary election. Devoid of rancour, delegates trooped into the pavilions earmarked for their respective states, while the 12 aspirants also went about their businesses. States voted concurrently and the officials gave the exercise their best shot. While declaring the winner after the exercise, the University of Ibadan-trained medical doctor radiated like a winner too. As the chairman of the electoral committee of the party in Ekiti state, Okowa was said to have called the delegates out one after the other and did personal headcount as they lined up to cast their votes. One thing that stands out in his qualities as an electoral umpire is his penchant for orderliness. GBENGA DANIEL If there is one man whose efforts paid off with the outcome of the primary election, it should be Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun state. In May, Abubakar unveiled OGD, as he is popularly called, as the director-general of his campaign organisation. The former vice-president had said, I am in no doubt OGD is a very positive and welcome addition to our campaign and I look forward to working with him as he leads our campaign to victory in February 2019. On Friday, while calling on the delegates to rally behind Abubakar, Daniel said the former vice-president could stand shoulder-to-shoulder against Buhari. With the victory of the ex-vice-president, OGD is no doubt strategising on how to embark on another journey to the nooks and cranny of the country to secure the presidency for Abubakar come 2019. AISHA ALHASSAN Although not a member of the PDP, Al-Hassan, fondly called Mama Taraba, can be considered a winner with the outcome of the convention. Even before Abubakar made his presidential ambition public, Alhassan who was minister of women affairs until eight days ago, never hid undivided loyalty to the former vice-president. In 2017, as a member of Buharis cabinet, Mama Taraba declared support for Abubakar whom she described as her godfather. While some consider it an act of folly, its safe to assume that Mama Taraba occupies a special place in the heart of Abubakar since candour is a rare virtue in politics. Besides this, Alhassan would be happy that her godfather is ready to give Buhari a run for his money. The APC disqualified her from the governorship race in Taraba and her loyalty to Abubakar is believed to have contributed to this. The losers NYESOM WIKE The governor of River state is undoubtedly one of the major influencers in the PDP. This could be seen in the way he threatened to teach the party a bitter lesson if it changed the venue of the convention. Moreover, he was said to have rooted for Tambuwal. During the exercise, he had openly displayed his ballot paper to indicate the he voted for the Sokoto governor. His support for Tambuwal even pitched him against Abubakar. Although, he didnt mention the ex-vice-presidents name, Wike had taken a swipe at him while attempting to defend the choice of Port Harcourt as convention venue. I dont know why anyone who wants to be president will be afraid of a venue. Then you are not prepared for the election you come here to deceive us about restructuring. Just that Rivers State is a venue, you fight it. Then, when you are there, what will happen? You think we are fools where you preach restructuring, then when you get the position, you abandon restructuring, he had said. Wike did not wait for the convention to be brought to a close before he exited the venue. AHMED MAKARFI One issue political pundits have been discussing after the primary is the fact that the three top contenders in the race were in the All Progressives Congress (APC) when leadership crisis was tearing at the heart of PDP. Mocked, dejected and rejected, PDP was on its way down during the period. the primary. Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo had taunted the party saying it was dead but while many politicians defected, Makarfi stayed back to help in nursing life into the party. Sadly, he polled only 74 votes inthe primary. In a chat with reporters while the party was making preparations for the convention, Makarfi had said no other presidential aspirant had his pedigree and that he had confidence that he would pick the party ticket for the 2019 election. PDP has become a beautiful bride because of what I did. The party was considered dead until I came in as chairman of the caretaker committee and turned it round, he had said. But the delegates reasoned otherwise and Makarfi came 7th in the race contested by 12 aspirants. DOYIN OKUPE In August, Okupe, a former senior special assistant on public affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, said if Abubakar becomes the president, it will take another ten years to recover from that. Writing on Twitter, Okupe said while he disagreed with Abubakar becoming Nigerias president, it would be a different case with Senate President Bukola Saraki. He tweeted, If Atiku rules Nigeria for 1 day, it will take us 10 years to recover. If Saraki rules for a day, Nigeria will make history. Although he later deleted the tweet and attempted damage control, Saraki named him media head of his campaign. Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Digital, New Media, Tolu Ogunlesi, has described former minister of Aviation, Femi ... Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Digital, New Media, Tolu Ogunlesi, has described former minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode as one of the most bigoted humans on earth. Ogunlesi made the statement in a post on his Twitter page criticizing the former minister for his statements against Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria. Fani Kayode (FFK) is one of the most bigoted humans on the face of the earth. Hes anti-Fulani and anti-Igbo rants are archived all across the Internet. Not seen many people as loaded with ethnic hatred, Ogunlesi tweeted. An Egyptian military court sentenced on Monday four people to death and 17 others to life in prison in the case known in the media as the "Giza Province" case. The prosecutor-generals office charged the defendants with joining a terrorist organisation, conspiracy, the use of weapons and bombs that resulted in the death of 20 police personnel and an employee at the authority of roads and bridges, as well as destroying public property. The court also handed down a 15-year sentence to two defendants, six years to ten, and five years to five defendants in the same case. Monday's verdicts can be appealed in a military court of appeals. Seventeen defendants were acquitted in the same case. The court also ruled that nine defendants are to pay compensation for damage caused to roads and bridges. The case involved the trial of members of a terrorist organisation formed in Egypt's Giza governorate with links to the terrorist group Daesh. Egypt's security apparatus has said that this group attempted to form a terrorist cell in Egypt's Giza governorate to be known as the "Daesh state in Giza." Officials have also said that this group targeted the Egyptian foreign ministry building and attacked the authority of roads and bridges in February 2016, which what resulted in the death an employee and the injury of several others. The terrorist organisation was reportedly formed following the Nahda sit-in supporting the ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in August 2014. Search Keywords: Short link: The Egyptian Embassy in Kuwait received on Monday a wooden coffin lid that was smuggled from Egypt to Kuwait in March, and preparations are underway to return it to Cairo. The ancient Egyptian coffin lid is 170 cm long. Officials at the Egyptian Embassy said the artifact will be delivered to the Antiquities Restoration Department at the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities. Egyptian Ambassador in Kuwait Tareq El-Qouni thanked Kuwaiti authorities, including the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry, the Antiquities Department, the Customs Authority and the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters of Kuwait, for their full cooperation in returning the smuggled coffin lid. A coffin lid was discovered hidden in a sofa that was shipped by a certified shipping company. Officers at the Kuwait Airways cargo terminal discovered the artifact as they were scanning the shipment. Search Keywords: Short link: Katt Williams Arrested for Alleged Assault on Driver in Oregon Ivie Ani Ivie is a Nigerian-American, native New Yorker, and journalist covering The comedian has been arrested and jailed after reportedly assaulting a hired driver during an argument. Katt Williams is facing more legal trouble. The 47-year-old comedian was arrested and jailed on Saturday on suspicion of assaulting a hired driver in Portland, Oregon. The incident reportedly stemmed from an argument between Williams and the driver over taking him and his dog from the airport to a performance. According to a report in CBS News, the town car driver had swelling and cuts on his face and was treated at a local hospital. Williams was charged with assault in the fourth degree and is being held at Multnomah County Jail. An arraignment is scheduled for Monday The entertainer visited Portland to perform on Nick Cannons Wild N Out show Friday night. READ: Tiffany Haddish & Katt Williams Patch Up their Differences at the 2018 Emmys Last year, Williams was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading no contest to stealing a paparazzos camera. Prosecutors reportedly stipulated that he attend anger management classes. Williams recently won an Emmy Award for Best Guest Actor in a comedy series for his role in Atlanta. Source: CBS News Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed on Monday with the Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn the ongoing preparations for holding a meeting of the EU-Egypt Association Council by the end of 2018. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 3rd Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). The two officials discussed promoting cooperation and supporting dialogue between Egypt and the European Union, as well as a number of regional and international issues of mutual interest, foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said. Shoukry stressed that Egypt highly appreciates the positive developments in bilateral ties and the institutional cooperation with the EU. The Egyptian foreign minister highlighted the importance of meetings held by the committees emanating from the EU-Egypt Association Agreement in 2017 and 2018. The officials also discussed efforts exerted by Egypt to combat illegal immigration. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt aims to source 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2022. The director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Adnan Amin arrived in Cairo on Monday to partake in Egypts first conference on renewable energy, which is set to start Tuesday. The three-day event, which will be held in Cairo and attended by Egypt's Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker, aims to develop the use of renewable energy resources in Egypt. The conference will bring together investors and national policymakers from Egypt and across the Middle East and North Africa to advance energy transformation across Egypt as it pursues short and medium-term targets and capitalises on falling technology costs. The New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) and IRENA are co-organising the event. The conference will witness the release of IRENAs Egypt Renewable Energy Outlook report, a comprehensive assessment of Egypts full renewable energy potential. Egypt aims to source 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2022, rising to 42 percent by 2035 as it works to meet rising demand for power. Total installed capacity currently stands at around 3.9 gigawatts, much of which is from hydropower. IRENA Director-General Amin is set to present the reports key findings in the presence of ministers and high-level guests. Search Keywords: Short link: Philip Morris LLC announced on Monday a new price increase for some of its cigarette brands as well as the introduction of a new brand on the Egyptian market. The company raised prices for a pack of Merit cigarettes to EGP 42, Marlboro Gold to EGP 39, and Marlboro Red to EGP 39. The newly introduced Marlboro Purple Mix will be sold for EGP 39 per pack. The company said that the price of a pack of L&M will remain at EGP 29 and Marlboro Medium at EGP 35. Last July, Egypts leading cigarette maker, the Eastern Tobacco Company, said it was raising prices by 10-15 percent days after the country launched the first phase of its new national health insurance system, which will be partially funded by the new hike. Eastern Company supplies about 70 percent of Egypt's cigarettes, which number at about 83 billion cigarettes a year. In recent years, Egyptian smokers have been faced with multiple price hikes due a drop in tobacco imports among other imported goods after a foreign currency shortage since 2011 as well as tax hikes. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt's blue-chip stock index plunged 3.6 percent on Monday to its lowest level in 12 months, dragged down by weakness in emerging markets and margin calls among local investors, while banking shares boosted Saudi Arabia. Twenty-nine of 30 stocks in the Egyptian index <.EGX30> fell. It has fallen 15 percent since the end of August, leaving it down 9.4 percent year-to-date. The broader EGX100 index <.EGX100> fared better on Monday, losing only 1.9 percent. Egypt's market far underperformed the MSCI index of emerging market stocks <.MSCIEF>, which was down nearly 1 percent. Among big blue-chip losers were tobacco firm Eastern Co , down 4.9 percent. Exchange data showed Monday's selling was heavily concentrated among local investors, who were hit by margin calls. Non-Arab foreign investors were net buyers by a considerable margin, the data showed. "It is a mixture of both emerging market weakness and margin trading, and the closure of some margin trades," said Radwa El-Swaify, head of research at Pharos Holding said. Turmoil in emerging markets has fuelled concern about possible capital outflows from Egypt and depreciation of the pound currency. But many foreign fund managers say they remain long-term positive on the market because of an improving underlying economy. Khaled Abdel Majeed, managing partner at London-based asset manager MENA Capital, said Monday's drop was due to a combination of profit-taking and emerging market weakness, but he was confident the slide would not continue. Memphis Pharmaceuticals shed 9.5 percent after its first-quarter loss widened year on year. In Saudi Arabia, the index <.TASI> rose 0.6 percent with Al Rajhi Bank <1120.SE> up 1.6 percent and Samba Financial Group <1090.SE> gaining 1.6 percent. Telecommunications firm Mobily <7020.SE> fell 2.3 percent after saying the regulator had ordered it to suspend sales of some products to new customers because it had failed to hire enough Saudi citizens at the top of the company. United Electronics Co <4003.SE> was up 2.0 percent after reporting a quarterly net profit of 30.9 million riyals ($8.2 million), up from 26.1 million riyals last year, while revenues also climbed. The Gulf's largest dairy company, Almarai Co <2280.SE>, dropped 2.9 percent after reporting a fall in third-quarter profit on Sunday. Advanced Petrochemical <2330.SE> extended losses, falling 2.1 percent after reporting a slight fall in quarterly net income, also on Sunday. Dubai's index <.DFMGI> closed 0.6 percent lower after bank stocks reversed early gains. Emirates NBD fell 1.6 percent. Al Ramz Corp plunged 6.1 percent after saying it had divested its 17.8 percent stake in insurer Takaful Emirates having achieved its targeted return. Search Keywords: Short link: We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. In A Star is Born, many stars are born. There is the titular star, Lady Gaga's Ally (no last name). Bobby. The memes. Greg Grunberg. Director and star Bradley Cooper's extensive self-tanning regime. Gail! But of all the stars, there is one supernova: Charlie, Cooper's actual rescue dog. Cooper also cast his IRL ear doctor in the role, but as lovely as Dr. Slattery seems, it's safe to say Charlie was the standout. He is the music to my eyes. Charlie, a floppy, goldendoodle-like vision of beauty, steals the show. As Cooper told People, protagonists Jackson and Ally "don't have a child together but they have a dog together, and I wanted it to be part of their story. I love dogs." He insisted that there was "no nepotism" in the casting process. Cooper joked that Charlie "has an agent. I don't talk to him much anymore. He doesn't return my calls. He always walks away from me unless I have food." Everyone loves Charlie! My theater was filled with gasps and "awwws" at his every move. And (spoiler alert) he makes the climax of the film even sadder: Charlie, waiting for his dad outside his suicide garage, lead to a flood of steaming tears unlike any I have ever known. Why, Jackson?! Why?! Maybe is time ter let the old ways die, but it was not time for you to die! Charlie surely deserves an Oscar for his pathos-leaden performance. Even PETA was into him, and they hate everything. The animal rights organization has bequeathed Cooper with the first "Compassion in Film Award" for his casting choice. "Bradley Cooper's happy, adorable, and much-loved dog steals the spotlight and viewers' hearts in this film because it's clear that he loved being with his real-life 'dad,'" said PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange in a press release. "PETA has witnessed so much abuse and neglect of dogs, both on and off set, that we're hoping Cooper's kind decision sets a precedent for all of Hollywood to follow." Adding another layer of poignancy to this big-hearted, deeply sensitive movie, Charlie was named for Cooper's father, who died in his arms after a long battle with lung cancer. Cooper told the New York Times that his father's death inspired a new, intense phase in his career. "It's a new reality," he said. "Everything, everything. It's not even one thing, it's a whole new world. And it was instantaneous. It wasn't like, months later. It was like, his last exhale, and I was holding him, and it was like, everything changed." Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures Last week, Melania Trump embarked on her first solo travels as First Lady, a four-nation trip in Africa. She visited Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt, touring hospitals and schools, attending teas, and playing with baby elephants. But the trip didn't go as smoothly as intended. In Malawi, Melania was reportedly met with a few protesters bearing signs regarding President Trump's "shithole countries" comments. She was also questioned about the Trump administration's budget cuts to the United States Agency for International Development, and its elimination of funds for education in Malawi. But the true controversy of the trip came from her outfits. Melania roamed around Africa in safari garb: khaki dresses, shirts with utilitarian pockets, jodhpurs, fedoras and ties. It was all very Out of Africa. In other words, Melania dressed like a 19th-century colonist (and the Nazi archaeologist from Indiana Jones). Melania was especially criticized for wearing a white pith helmet while on safari in Kenya. Pith helmets are a potent symbol of white supremacy and colonialism. Nineteenth-century colonists believed that the strong sun in "the tropics" would attack white people's nervous systems, leading to infertility, depression, memory loss, and "outbursts of excessive passion." They wore pith helmets, red vests, and quilted spine pads to protect themselves from a so-called "actinic ray." And Melania wore one to look chic! In an article for Vox's The Goods, writer Gaby del Valle spoke to Charlene Lau, a fashion historian, about Melania's "Wildest Dreams"-esque looks. "It is possible that inspiration for such dress is gleaned from mass stereotyping and superficial ideas of [African] nationhood," said Lau. "While this may be the case, these notions do have roots in colonialism, spread through the cultural imagination via literature, film, music and the visual arts." Melania did not respond well to questions about her attire. "I want to talk about my trip and not what I wear," she reportedly said. But considering her husband's policies regarding "shitholes," and the fact that white supremacists like Stephen Miller serve prominently in his administration, her outfits said a lot more than any baby elephant interaction ever could. This summer, when visiting children that the Trump administration placed in immigration detention centers, Melania wore a Zara jacket with a slogan that read "I really don't care, do u?" Despite her protests, her clothes speak quite loudly for themselves. Photos via Getty On Thursday morning an explosive report from Bloomberg was posted titled "The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies." Apple went into high gear with an official press release hours later debunking the story. The story even rattled the Chinese government enough for them to deny that they're spying on companies. America's Homeland Security put out a very weak statement on the issue on Saturday wherein they noted that "The Department of Homeland Security is aware of the media reports of a technology supply chain compromise. Like our partners in the UK, the National Cyber Security Centre, at this time we have no reason to doubt the statements from the companies named in the story." Does that mean that at "another time" they may have reason to doubt the statements? I found no confidence in their issued statement. Then on Sunday, Apple Inc's top security officer told Congress that it had found no sign of suspicious transmissions or other evidence that it had been penetrated in a sophisticated attack on its supply chain. Apple Vice President for Information Security George Stathakopoulos wrote in a letter to the Senate and House commerce committees that the company had repeatedly investigated and found no evidence for the main points in a Bloomberg Businessweek article published on Thursday, including that chips inside servers sold to Apple by Super Micro Computer Inc allowed for backdoor transmissions to China." To some, where there's smoke there's fire. The ripple effect of the Bloomberg report, a report that the publication is confidently backing, is most definitely rocking countries that are competing with China's economic aggression such as Taiwan and South Korea where the story is getting a lot of press. Reaction outside the U.S. While the Bloomberg report ripped through US news sites and blogs last week, we're now seeing that it's having a major ripple effect in Asia as reports begin to surface. Digitimes reports today that "Taiwan-based server motherboard makers are likely to be required by their clients to accelerate their plans to move production back to Taiwan or other sites outside China, following a recent Bloomberg report that claimed China implanted spy chips on Supermicro's server boards made in the country. Business Korea posted a report this morning titled "Supermicro Servers in Wide Use in S. Korean Corporations, Government Agencies." Servers from Supermicro, which are regarded as the Chinese government's spy servers, are in wide use in South Korean financial institutions, large corporations and state-run research institutes, including the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). As such, concerns are growing over tech leaks. The possibility of confidential data leakage from South Korea to China cannot be ruled out, either. "Not only network equipment but also servers, which are the core of IT infrastructure, have backdoors for remote repair and maintenance," said professor Yim Jong-in at the Graduate School of Information Security of Korea University, adding, "It is irresponsible for large corporations, which have social responsibilities, to adopt Chinese equipment simply for lower prices." The Korea Times posted a report today titled "Korea on alert over China's 'spy microchip'." The report notes that "Concerns are growing here over the possible leaking of the country's industrial technologies and other critical intellectual properties to China amid a controversy over a Chinese military unit's alleged installation of tiny microchips into computer servers of almost 30 U.S. companies, including Amazon and Apple. A number of Korean companies and institutions have been using Chinese IT products as they are believed to be cost effective. Analysts said if high-level information on patents and other industrial technologies were extracted, the damage would be significant. The news comes at a time when security concerns surrounding fifth-generation (5G) network equipment made by Chinese firm Huawei have become a hot potato here as Korean telecom companies are working to select 5G partners ahead of the launch of the world's first commercial service in March next year." As a side note it should be noted that back in February the NSA, FBI and CIA put out warnings not to use Huawei phones, let alone server or 5G network equipment. The Nikkei Asian Review posted a report on Saturday titled "China 'spy chips' rattle global data center supply chain." The accusation that the Chinese military had infiltrated Supermicro's supply chain to spy on companies and government agencies comes as tensions escalate between Washington and Beijing over trade and technology. The report raises the possibility that compromised servers have been supplied to sensitive areas of the U.S. government like the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday accused China of meddling in American elections and claimed the Chinese Communist Party was using a variety of tactics to spread its influence inside the U.S. and around the world. Chinese electronics industry stocks also sold off, with Hong Kong-listed PC and server maker Lenovo Group tumbling 15% and smartphone company ZTE falling 11%. One executive from Taiwan's Quanta Computer, a data center server builder for Google, Facebook, Amazon, warned that the complexity of the manufacturing process for motherboards posed a potential risk. "The motherboards for servers are so complicated and have so many layers," he told the Nikkei Asian Review. "They need thousands of components to be mounted. It could go wrong if the management is not well-supervised." It is also possible that a malicious chip could be hidden in the inner layer of printed circuit boards during their manufacture as some advanced boards already come with embedded capacitors, resistors and even antenna before other components are mounted, another supply chain management engineer said." So while Apple and Amazon have vehemently denied Bloomberg's report, other countries have been rattled over the charges of spy chips in servers. Over the years there has been story after story after story about Chinese hackers stealing sensitive US. technology. The latest Bloomberg report is simply another piece in the puzzle over China's elaborate spy agency tactics. In the end is the issue of spy chips really over because a few tech companies have denied ever being hacked? Wasn't Apple's denial enough for this story to just go away? Apparently not, as we've seen the ripple effect of this story hitting Asian tech companies and governments hard. Paranoia is growing. The LA Times reported back in April that China's 'Made in China 2025' policy is a blueprint for transforming the country from a labor-intensive economy that makes toys and clothes into one that engineers advanced products like robots and electric cars. The Trump administration views it as an attempt to steal U.S. technology and control cutting-edge industries." The U.S. Government and it's various security agencies understand the spying and hacking prowess of China and it's why they've been twisting the arms AT&T and other technology companies to not work with certain Chinese industry players like Huawei. While only time will tell, it's very clear as we've pointed out in this report that many players and countries outside of the U.S. are very concerned over this issue because of the complexity of detecting such chips in a very complex manufacturing process of motherboards. How do they convince customers that they have the means to actually detect one super micro-spy chip amongst thousands of components on a server motherboard? On a last note, and as odd as it sounds, the war between the countries of the Five Eyes security agency alliance and Apple and other Silicon Valley players over encrypted data giving spies and criminals protection that they shouldn't have is only going to escalate with stories like the one Bloomberg published last week. The issue over security in its various forms is only going to escalate over the coming months and years ahead, so stay tuned as this issue is far from over. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Monday welcomed foreign investments into government's priority areas, promising a non-discriminatory policy to investors across the globe. "We will look east, west, north and south without prejudice, but there should be no surprise if we are more welcoming to those who are prepared to invest in our priority areas, he said in an address at the three-day 5th edition of the Financial Times Africa Summit being held in London, United Kingdom. Speaking on the theme Ghana, Africa mean business, President Akufo-Addo downplayed the increasing anxiety over China's growing ties with Africa, including Ghana, saying suspicions that China was colonizing the Continent was unfounded. We are all much wiser about these things, and we are going into these new relationships with our eyes wide open. Nobody is coming, pretending to be bringing Gods Word in one hand, and taking our lands with the other. This time round, the President assured, we will look after our interests, in much the same way as we know all other nations that we deal with, look after their own interests. We are not the only ones dealing with China. Everyone is dealing with China, and we are doing so with our eyes wide open. With a key challenge of the Ghanaian economy being its infrastructural deficit, the President indicated that, his government was embarking on an aggressive public private partnership programme to attract investment in the development of both road and railway infrastructure. We are hopeful that, with solid private sector participation, we can develop a modern railway network with strong production centre linkages and with the potential to connect us to our neighbours to the north, i.e. Burkina Faso, to the west, i.e. Cote dIvoire, and to the east, i.e. Togo, he said. President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that Ghana welcomed appropriate foreign technology, expertise and investment in its railway sector. He said his government was committed to creating the conducive climate for the private sector to grow the jobs that Ghanaian youth need, and to position Ghana to take full advantage of the immense opportunities of the projected African Continental Free Trade Area. I am working towards building a Ghana where her people have jobs and decent livelihoods. Ghana is endowed with great potential, where security and the rule of law are upheld, and where investments are secure. We want to contribute to the global market place at the higher level of the value chain for Ghanaian products. We want to bring greater dignity to the lives of millions of people in Ghana. We want to build a Ghana Beyond Aid, which has discarded a mindset of dependence, aid, charity and handouts, and we mean business, he added. 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 Customers of Menzgold Ghana Limited who wish to terminate their investment with the company can do so after January 9, 2019, the company has announced. It is only then that the company will be able to pay them the value of their gold traded [initial investment] in the gold vault market. Meanwhile, the company has said it will no longer pay extra value [dividend] to customers because of the challenges and difficulties it is facing "with its Bankers arising from instructions and actions of certain government institutions." In a press statement signed and issued by Nii Amarh Amarteifio, Head of Communications, the company said it has noted that the principal concerns of its customers were for the return of their primary value of gold traded with the company. It has therefore agreed and "proposes to pay and return to every customer the full value of gold traded, in ninety days (90), commencing from Tuesday, 9th October 2018." The statement explained however that, customers who wish to continue trading with the company after an amicable resolution with the statutory institutions has been reached can do so. Below is the full statement issued on Monday October 8, 2018 The management of Menzgold Ghana limited on Sunday 7 October met with a cross section of its customers from across the country at KORKDAM HOTEL, Achimota in Accra, from 3pm to 7pm. The objective of the meeting was to engage with and update our Customers on the following: The status of affairs of the company following the September 12th closure order from the Security And Exchange Commission (SEC); Challenges that have arisen following the decision of the company to schedule and commence the payment of extra value to all customers starting from the 5th of August to 12th of September 2018; The allegations and perceptions in certain segments of the public that Menzgold Ghana was a Ponzi scheme; Challenges arising out of the rush by Customers for payments and non-adherence to our proposed schedule; Ongoing efforts to engage with relevant Government authorities for an operation understanding or our business model and permanent resolution of any concerns and misconceptions that the SEC/BOG and EOCO may have concerning our After very frank, vibrant, sometimes heated but very fruitful discussions, and the general consensus arrived at the meeting, the Management of Menzgold wishes to inform its cherished customers of the following. In response, Menzgold noted that it may not be possible to pay all customers 50% of the total value of gold traded, as suggested above. However, the Board has directed Management to assess the Company's potential cash flow and to determine the exact percentage that can be realistically honoured by the Company to all customers in four (4) weeks. The percentage to be paid will be officially communicated in a press release and by direct communication with each customer. Also all payments will be made via direct transfers into the accounts of ALL Customers. This is to avoid the rush and overcrowding at the various Branches of the Company, save time, travel and avoid any inconvenience to our Customers. In the meantime, Menzgold will continue to assiduously engage with the relevant authorities to reach an amicable resolution and address any legitimate concerns of Government, in the coming weeks. Hopefully, this will enable Menzgold continue with its business of trading in gold collectibles without prejudice to Menzgold's pending suit before the courts of law. Should Menzgold succeed in reaching an amicable resolution with the authorities, customers wishing to continue trading with Menzgold are free to exercise the option of continuing to trade with us. Similarly customers wishing to terminate their business with Menzgold are also free to do so and should be rest assured, of their full payment in ninety (90) days as stipulated in paragraph (2b) supra. COMMUNICATIONS All statements and communications from Menzgold henceforth, will have the signature of the Head of Communications and will always be on the company's official letter head. This is to enable Customers differentiate from the fake press releases purported to be coming from Menzgold and our official releases Each Menzgold branch will have a special Customers Relation Officers desk that will be available within the hours of 8:00am to 5:00pm to receive and address concerns from any customers. In addition, the Communication Directorate will communicate directly with all customers via email and SMS on any press releases, updates and information relating to the company. PAYMENTS Menzgold Ghana explained that it has challenges with its prompt payment of extra value due to restrictions and difficulties it is facing with its Bankers arising from instructions and actions of certain government institutions. Consequently, Menzgold proposes and will stop payment of extra value forthwith. Menzgold Ghana limited noting that the principal concerns of its Customers is for the return of their primary value of gold traded with the company, has agreed and proposes to pay and return to every Customer the full value of gold traded, in ninety days (90), commencing from Tuesday, 9th October 2018. Customers recommended that to alleviate their financial stress and Inconveniences resulting from the intervention and decisions of the Security and Exchange Commission SEC to shut down the business of Gold Collectibles, Menzgold Ghana should consider paying 50% (fifty) percent of the total value of the gold traded to all customers in 4weeks. IN CONCLUSION Management wishes to thank our valued Customers of their patience understanding and continued loyalty to the Company in the face of an unprecedented and unjustifiable assault and interference in our business, which has cost colossal financial losses to our Company, and more importantly to the tens of thousands of our cherished Customers and the millions of their dependents. We reassure all Customers of our capacity and willingness to reimburse them for the value of their primary gold traded, in the worst case scenario. We affirm that no one will lose a CEDI. This is our commitment to our Customers as trustedbrand and an indigenous company, which for five years of trading in Ghana and in the international gold market has built an enviable reputation and has never ever failed to meet its payment obligations to its cherished Customers. 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 Government has reportedly begun cancellation of the double track system under the Free SHS policy in the Northern Region following lack of basic teaching and learning amenities. Deputy Director General of the Ghana Education Service after a meeting with Headteachers of Second Cycle Schools in Tamale asked some schools to withdraw the system after receiving discouraging reports of infrastructure constraints. Some of the schools government is backtracking the system is the Tatale Evangelical Presbyterian Agriculture Senior High School, Pong Tamale SHS and St. Charles Mini Seminary due to lack of infrastructure. The double track system for Senior High Schools introduced by the Akufo Addo government started Tuesday 11th September 2018. This first batch of candidates placed on the GREEN TRACK, resumed on September 11, 2018 whereas the GOLD TRACK (Second batch) will resume on November 8, 2018. The double Tracking System which is similar to the semester mode of learning applicable in the universities at the SHS level, according to the government allowed 400 out of the 696 senior high schools to accommodate more students within the same facility. Statistics available show that from 2013 to 2017, a staggering 493,016 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates qualified to pursue secondary education but could not do so because they were not enrolled. The objectives of the Double-track School Calendar are to create room to accommodate increase in enrollment, reduce class sizes, increase contact hours and to increase the number of holidays. Source: kasapafmonline.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 Dr Herbert Gustav Yankson, Head of the Ghana Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Cybercrime Unit, has disclosed that as at August this year, Ghana had lost $90,168 to cybercrime. This compares to a loss of $22,692 in 2016 and $21,357 in 2017. Dr Yankson was speaking during a capacity building workshop on Mobile Money (MoMo) Fraud and Prosecution for selected judges from across Ghana and organised by the MTN, Judicial Training Institute and E-crime Bureau, a Cyber Security and Forensic Firm. He gave some of the crimes against MoMo fraud, phishing and intrusion. The suspects mainly used unauthorised SIM swap, use of stolen pin code and use of malware to exploit the system. Dr Yankson said the biggest of the fraud was the SIM swap and came up with tricks such as the sick child story, police arrest, call credit, spirituality, identity theft, online false investments, job scams, among others. He said some people fell to the tricks based on sharing of pin code with family members, greed, gullibility, lack of knowledge of MoMo functionality, insider threats at users homes and at the telecommunications (telcos), ignorance and others. The Head of the Cybercrime Unit said that in 2016, 6.2 percent of such cases were investigated and sent to court whilst the case was 3.4 percent in 2017. He attributed the inability of the Unit to do so to under staffing, obsolete equipment to track such activities, incorrect large portions of SIM cards data, non-collaboration of card producers with police, inability of court to assist police with data unless on a court order and some of the investigators lacking understanding of the system. Dr Yankson said to reduce this, the National Identification System should have access to the telcos, a special court should be allotted to deal with cybercrime, prosecution of agents selling already registered SIMs and others. Philip Danquah Debrah, Business Operations Manager, E-crime Bureau said engaging people at the centre of the issues, was the reason for the series of workshops including those for the media, police and the judges. It is to help them understand new trends of mobile money fraud and take discussions to different levels and also share knowledge with colleagues, he explained. He said the process would also sensitise those in the hinterlands and rural areas to know that they were secured to get redress when they fell prey to cybercrimes. The Manager said E-crime was established seven years ago and had trained police to investigate cybercrimes as it was a new field to them and they were equipped with tools and techniques in digital forensic laboratory skills. It also engaged Bank of Ghana to ensure issues of cybercrime were curtailed as the banking sector had over 60 percent out of the issues recorded within the banking environment to be cyber fraud. He said, E-crime would continue to engage the Financial Intelligence Centre on E-payment fraud, money laundering, financial fraud as well as collaborating with MTN to empower all stakeholders. 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 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. A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman has thrown her support for the candidature of former President John Dramani Mahama to lead the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as its flag-bearer in the 2020 general elections. She described him (former president) as a servant leader whom Ghanaians can rely on, adding that he is a leader of humility and integrity and concerned genuinely about the plight of the underprivileged in the society. Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman, who served as a Minister of Education under Mr Mahanas administration said Mr Mahamas vision continues to grow and that many Ghanaians are now appreciating what he stood for. She said having worked closely with the former president, it has enabled her to really appreciate the vision and values of the former president, particularly his genuine concern for the underserved. Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman endorsed Mr Mahamas candidature in a video posted on Mr Mahamas Facebook wall on Saturday, October 6. She joins many other senior members of the NDC and its teeming youth to endorse the candidature of John Dramani Mahama as flag bearer of the party. VIDEO- 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 Minority in Parliament has appealed to the government to extend Ghanas good graces to Indonesia after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck last week In a statement signed by the Ranking Member on Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee, Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minority says Ghana the President Nana Akufo-Addo-led government should extend some help to the south-eastern Asian state. The Minority in Ghana's Parliament is appealing to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to extend Ghana's humanitarian assistance and support to Indonesia following last Friday's apocalyptic earthquake and tsunami which have so far claimed over 1,400 lives according to confirmed official reports, the statement said. Indonesian President Joko Widodo in the immediate aftermath requested the international community to come to his country's aid with help not limited to financial support, food, water, clothing and rescue expertise. According to Mr Ablakwa at least 25 Governments have responded, however, the Government of Ghana has been missing in action with no sign of following this country's long-established impressive reputation of being a nation with a heart and one that promptly stands up to be counted in times like this. Having waited for a week expecting our government to show timely leadership in line with our nation's illustrious tradition and realizing that government appears to have no intention to send assistance to Indonesia even at this crucial hour, we are compelled to nudge our government to wake up to Ghana's moral obligation in the comity of nations, the statement said. The statement added that the Minority has taken note of admission of the government that the economy is in difficulties so they arent expecting a huge donation like the big powers have done. therefore, the Minority is not insisting on a grand gesture or seeking to coerce Government to equal the example of the 3million, 2.6million or 2.4million donated by the UK, Australia and New Zealand respectively. In the same vein, our demand is not to force government to necessarily compete with the donation of 1million dollars each by the CEOs of Google and Apple. As they say: better late than never. Respectfully, we urge President Akufo-Addo to take action NOW, the Minority urged. Our thoughts and commiserations are with Indonesia in this most difficult hour. We shall continue to keep them in our prayers, the North Tongu MP added. 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 Major General Sampson Adeti, the former Chief of Staff at General Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) at Burma Camp, who is on leave prior to retirement, has been made the head of security for former President John Mahamas Campaign Team. The security coordinator of the Mahama Campaign Team is said to be moving with the former President Mahama, who is campaigning to lead the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2020 presidential election. He was seen in Tamale during the former presidents recent visit and reports suggested he had a serious clash with a powerful member of the Mahama Campaign Team. DAILY GUIDEs checks revealed that the army chief has started his leave prior to retirement but was using the period to campaign for ex-President Mahama which is against military rules. Technically, he is still a serving officer and is reportedly still occupying his official residence at Burma Camp in Accra which makes his current occupation a breach of military standards. He has occasionally been seen in convoy of opposition NDC which enter his residence in clear breach of military rules with blaring sirens. General Adeti, who had been tipped to become Army Commander had John Mahama been retained, is among some senior military officers who have taken cover under the umbrella since NDC lost power. Immediately the NDC lost the elections, the same general allegedly lobbied vigorously for an ambassadorial post, claiming that he had nothing to do with the NDC and traced his roots to Nsawam and not the Volta Region. Attempts to reach him for comments at press time were unsuccessful. Missing Pick-Up This is same army officer who was cited in a car stealing scandal while serving as General Officer Commanding South Command at Teshie. The general, who was the darling boy of the previous NDC government, was indicted for allegedly appropriating a Nissan Hard-Body Double-Cabin vehicle donated to the Southern Command of the Ghana Army by the Bank of Ghana (BoG). The cover of the army chief in the alleged stealing was blown by a request made by Adetis successor, Brigadier M. Whajah, GOC, Southern Command, to the BoG for operational support. Brigadier M. Whajah was informed that the bank donated a pickup to the command not long ago. With no trace of the vehicle registered GN 4240-15 in the inventories of the Southern Command, the new officer called for more details which led to a visit to the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) for the registration details and the custodian of the vehicle. It turned out that General Adeti was keeping vehicle in his garage on the blind side of the army. Killing the Investigation Despite the damning report, Major General Adeti, who was then a Brigadier General, was promoted by the previous NDC administration under President Mahama the Commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces to the rank of Major General, action which succeeded in killing the investigation into the matter because the officer who did the investigations had become Adetis subordinate and technically a superior cannot be investigated by an officer lower in rank. The probing officer was subsequently transferred to the Ghana Mission in the United States in order to cover up the probe. The report found out that the Adeti had breached military standards in respect of donated items to the Ghana Armed Forces. Despite the revelation, he continued to be in the good books of the government; the then Chief of Army Staff (COAS) who commissioned the investigation Major General R.K. Opoku Adusei, was retired from the military unceremoniously. When the general was asked to explain himself, he rather chose to attack the journalist from DAILY GUIDE who broke the story, calling him a bounty hunter. Preliminary Report COASs preliminary investigations had found Brig Gen Adeti to have dishonestly appropriated the vehicle. The fact that he drove the vehicle straight from the Bank of Ghana to his Juba Villas residence without informing neither HQ Southern Command nor Army HQ and using his residential number, personal phone and e-mail address to complete the transfer of ownership and changing the colour of the vehicle from white to dark grey were all indicative of his intention to usurp the vehicle, the COAS observed in the report. He was also criticized for deliberately leaving no traces of all correspondences and documents in respect of the said vehicle. Disciplinary Action The report recommended that the General suffer disciplinary action for dishonest appropriation of the said vehicle contrary to Section 52 of the Ghana Armed Forces Act, 1962 (Act 105). The misconduct, according to the report, constituted a breach of trust in respect of his position as a superior commander, contrary to Section 54 (a) of the Ghana Armed Forces Act, 1962 (Act 105). Invaluable Service Initially he made the whole issue appear like the vehicle was given to him for his invaluable services to the Central Bank a claim which was immediately debunked. Portions of the report- Summary Investigations into allegations of misconduct, involving Brigadier General SK Adeti, said the stories which hit the media generated a lot negative interest and social media comments nationwide and among troops at GAF. Some of the comments impugned the lack of integrity of Brig Gen SK Adeti and the Ghana Armed Forces hierarchy. The Military High Command was further challenged to investigate the matter and take appropriate disciplinary action should the matter published in the newspapers be found to be true. Unexplained Reasons The report had found that for unexplained reasons, all correspondences and documents pertaining to the request, approval and donation of Nissan Pickup reg no GN 4240 15 to HQ S/C have been removed or vanished from all files at HQ S/Comd and do not exist on any file or office in GAF. This case of missing documents is contrary to Section 250 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 and Section 54 (a) of the Ghana Armed Forces Act 1962 (Act 105). Brig Adeti, in the course of the raging controversy, handed over the vehicle to the Provost Marshal on 18th June, 2016 with the explanation that he was doing so out of his own volition. He had earlier stated that he did not know the location of the spare key and documents covering the said pickup. Another critical portion of the report stated, The act or conduct of Brig Gen SK Adeti in declining to disclose or surrender the said vehicle at the time it was donated, but rather to decide to do so on 18 June, 16 after publications in the press on 10 and 14 June, 16 respectively and after the Army HQ Convening Order for a Summary Investigation on 17 June, 16; is prejudicial to good order and discipline contrary to Section 54 of the Ghana Armed Forces Act 1962 (Act 105). Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says his government, over the last 21 months, has ensured stability and adequate supply of power in the country, in the place of the erratic power situation that it inherited. Speaking at the Financial Times Africa Summit, in London, on Monday, 8th October, 2018, President Akufo-Addo indicated that his government, over the same period, has also ensured a reduction in tariff rates, with domestic consumers enjoying tariff reductions of up to 17.5%, and a 30% reduction for industry to stimulate industrial activity. In addition, a review of 24 power purchase agreements, which has led to the termination of 11 power deals and the rescheduling of 8 others, has enabled us to save the government treasury about $7 billion in excess capacity charges over a 13-year contract period, the President said. His government, he told the forum, has issued 7-year and 10-year cedi-denominated bonds, totalling GH4.7 billion, which have halved the $2.4 billion energy debt it inherited. Ghana, as a result, is today a net exporter of electricity. I was in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, last Friday, for the inauguration, with the President of Faso, His Excellency Roch Marc Christian Kabore, of the Bolgatanga (capital of Ghanas Upper East Region) to Ouagadougou Power Interconnection Project, which will see, daily, up to 100 megawatts of power supplied directly to Burkina Faso from Ghana, he added. Time for economic transformation After 25 years of a stable and free, democratic nation, with a strengthening market economy, President Akufo-Addo indicated that Ghana, today, has the best opportunity, since independence, to undertake a deliberate and meaningful transformation of her economic structure, and set it on the road to modern development. As a relatively new entrant in the league of oil-producing countries, President Akufo-Addo indicated that Ghana has the perfect occasion to transform the structure of her economy through industrial and value-added commercial activities. We are determined to use our oil revenues to create assets, not waste it on consumption and accumulate debt, he said. Additionally, President Akufo-Addo told the forum of his governments desire to developing strategic industries out of Ghanas abundant natural resources of bauxite and iron ore. We have established, by statute two months ago, a public commercial corporation, the Ghana Integrated Bauxite/Aluminium Development Corporation, to assemble the relevant financial resources for the full exploitation and development of the entire value chain, in Ghana, of our large bauxite deposits, he said. By the same token, President Akufo-Addo indicated that we have decided to exploit our substantial iron ore and manganese deposits, situated in the Western and Northern regions of our country, to build an integrated steel industry to serve the needs of our country and region. We are seeking suitable partners for both ventures. His Government, the President assured, will ensure that businesses are up and running, having access to the capital, and, at the same time, maintain macro-economic stability, an efficient bureaucracy, a strong adherence to the rule of law, and a fair and equitable social system in health and education provision. 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 Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, says it will be suicidal for Ghanaians to hand over the administration of the country back to former President, John Dramani Mahama. Dr. Bawumia says the living conditions of Ghanaians will be worse off if John Mahama and the NDC return to office. Former President John Dramani Mahama, who is on a campaign tour across the country to reclaim the NDC ticket for the 2020 election, has accused government of poor economic management. He accused the NPP of lying its way to power and failing to deliver on its audacious promises including one district one factory, one constituency one million dollars, one village one dam among others.He specifically took a swipe at Dr. Bawumia, saying he was only good at giving lectures on the economy whiles they were in opposition, but hes struggling to manage same now that they are in power. But speaking at a meeting with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Accra, Dr. Bawumia said the best way for the NPP to prevent the NDC from returning to power is to drum home the achievements of the NPP within these few months in office. I hear the incompetent one says he wants to come back. He wants to come and do more damage. As if he didnt do enough damage? Well, we are waiting for him. You have to remember what happened when we came to office. After many years of incompetent economic management, you cannot describe it any other than incompetent economic management. After many years of such economic management, the people of Ghana gave us the privilege to change course, but after just 20 months in office, the difference is clear. There is a big difference, if you look at the macroeconomic indicators, and they dont like looking at it because it makes them look bad. It exposes their incompetence, Dr. Bawumia added. Ghana needs experienced hands, not economics lecturers Mahama John Mahama had earlier taken a jab at Bawumia over the current economic challenges, saying Ghana needs an experienced persons and not economics lecturers who merely engage in theories. While addressing delegates of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Tatale last week, Mahama said experienced persons will better understand the situation and manage it in a way that will bring about stability rather than economic lecturers who are just theorists. You can do all the propaganda you like to win political power, when you come to government; the reality of the peoples life will expose you, he said. VIDEO- 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 Former President John Mahama has reiterated that his erstwhile administrations focus was to expand health infrastructure amongst others to create jobs. He said When we were in government, our concentration was on expanding the health facilities so that we could employ more health workers, because if you dont create new opportunities by improving on infrastructure, jobs cannot be created. He added That is why we had the policy of expanding infrastructure by building more hospitals, Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds at various communities, as well as polyclinics to create more jobs and improve health care delivery across the country. Mr Mahama said this at Nalerigu in the Nalerigu/Gambaga Constituency of the Northern Region when visited the area as part of his five-day campaign tour of the Region, canvassing for votes from delegates of the National Democratic Congress to lead the Party as its Flagbearer for the 2020 presidential elections. Mr Mahama, who also visited Bunkpurugu, Yunyoo and Walewale Constituencies, emphasized the need for unity among the rank and file of the Party, to work together for victory in the 2020 general election, saying We are one people and must speak with one voice, because poverty does not take into consideration the cultural diversity among us. The Former President and his entourage later paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, to inform him about their presence in the traditional area as well as seek his blessings. 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 Days' View Julian Lee / Bloomberg : Just in Time for Election Day: Gas at $3 a Gallon Joe Raedle/Getty It's really hard to see how OPEC+ can make up for lost Iranian production before Americans go to vote. Gas prices are going in the wrong direction for American consumers. The national average is climbing towards $3 a gallon at a time of year when it should be falling. With mid-term elections around the corner, that is uncomfortable news for incumbents. The reason is not hard to find. President Donald Trump decided to take almost 3 million barrels a day of crude oil off the market by reinstating sanctions on Iran, just as OPEC and its friends had succeeded in draining excess global inventories. It may appear that OPEC+ has come to the rescue. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said the group has boosted supply by double the amount lost from Iran . That statement is misleading. In reality, producers have struggled to make up the difference from the loss of Iranian supplies just as I had forecast they would in May. This chart shows why Data compiled by Bloomberg show that the combined output of OPEC and Russia has risen by 1.3 million barrels a day since April. But that is only part of the story. Three things need to be subtracted from this figure. First is the production from the Republic of Congo, which joined OPEC in June. Second is the continuing decline in output from other non-OPEC members of the group, most notably Mexico. Third is the drop in Iran's exports of condensates, a form of light crude extracted from gas fields, which are down substantially. That is going to have to be replaced somehow, and creates a call on flows elsewhere. Let's cut to the chase. The net effect of all this is that total supply of crude and condensate from the original OPEC+ group has risen by around 350,000 barrels a day since April. That is a very long way from the approximately 1 million Saudi Arabia said in June would have to be added to balance the market. It might appear that the Saudis are on their way to making up the difference. Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih says that his country is already doing more. Oil production will be higher in November than the current 10.7 million barrels a day, he said in Moscow last week. Exports, he added, will exceed 7.7 million this month. That would be the most since January 2017, according to figures submitted by his government to the Joint Organisations Data Initiative. The problem is that Iran's exports also have a lot further to fall. Last month the nation achieved 1.7 million barrels a day a drop of 1.1 million since April. Trump's aim is to cut it all the way to zero by Nov. 4. Even if he fails to do that, a further big drop is all but inevitable this month, as the companies in Europe and elsewhere that are still buying Iranian oil will cease their purchases in time to meet his deadline. When I noted in August that the decline in the country's exports would be bigger than most analysts expected, I'd assumed that India would cut its purchases by 50 percent. It now looks like it will halt them altogether at least initially. On top of that, shipments to China have also faltered. The drop in Iranian exports from April to November could well be close to 2 million barrels a day. Saudi Arabia needs to add a lot more to compensate for the losses still to come. The kingdom may have been counting on restarting fields in the neutral zone it shares with Kuwait to add around 500,000 barrels a day of production, but that hasn't quite gone as planned. The two countries have failed to agree on a way forward. Bin Salman says Saudi Arabia has 1.3 million barrels of spare capacity that it can tap in addition to the neutral zone. But bringing it into operation will take time and requires completion of expansion and repair projects that are currently underway. In the meantime, it is prices that are taking the strain. In a decade-old echo of his predecessor, Al-Falih last week blamed financial markets, not physical flows for the run-up in crude. The data suggest otherwise. With Saudi spare capacity likely to take weeks, if not months, to mobilize in full, there may be little relief from soaring oil prices in time for the mid-term elections. And the specter of $3 gasoline could arise just in time for U.S. voters to cast their ballots in early November. With assistance by Elaine He Julian Lee is an oil strategist for Bloomberg First Word. Previously he worked as a senior analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views. Editor's Note: This article was originally published by Bloomberg , Oct 07 , 2018 . All comments posted and published on Petroleumworld, do not reflect either for or against the opinion expressed in the comment as an endorsement of Petroleumworld. Original article Use Notice: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues of environmental and humanitarian significance. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. PW 300.000 plus request per week Hit your target - Advertise with us All works published by Petroleumworld are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. 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Any question or suggestions, please write to: editor@petroleumworld.com Best Viewed with IE 5.01+ Windows NT 4.0, '95, '98,ME,XP, Vista, Windows 7,8 +/ 800x600 pixels Twitter: @petroleumworld1 Brazil's Bolsonaro closes in on Presidency after round-one smashing lead victory La Republica.pe Bolsonaro's domination Sunday was so overwhelming that it briefly appeared that he might capture enough votes to forgo the need for a runoff round with first results showing 49 % of the vote and later dropping to 46.2 percent, just short of the majority. - Ex-Army captain Jair Bolsonaro to face Leftist Fernando Haddad - Tumultuous election marked by violence and polarization By Mario Sergio Lima, Raymond Colitt, David Biller, and Aline Oyamada BRASILIA/RIO/SAO PAULO Petroleumworld 10 08 2018 Jair Bolsonaro, the divisive, far-right former Army captain, stormed to a huge lead in the first round of Brazil's presidential elections Sunday as voters enraged by years of recession, corruption scandals and soaring crime rallied around his strongman message. The result puts the seven-time congressman on track for victory in the decisive, second-round vote on Oct. 28, when he will face his closest challenger, the Workers' Party candidate Fernando Haddad. Bolsonaro's domination Sunday was so overwhelming that it briefly appeared that he might capture enough votes to forgo the need for a runoff round -- something that hasn't happened for 20 years. In the end, he wound up with 46.2 percent, just short of the majority needed to win outright, to Haddad's 29.1 percent, electoral officials said. In a live broadcast on Facebook after the results came through, Bolsonaro appeared to question the legitimacy of the results but indicated he was preparing for the second round. He said that Brazilians now had to choose between the values he represents -- "family, God and justice" -- or becoming Venezuela. The odds of Bolsonaro being elected president rose to 75 percent not only because he started stronger than expected, said Eurasia Group executive director for Americas Christopher Garman, but also the strong anti-establishment sentiment. The next three weeks promise to be intense. For while Bolsonaro's lead appears almost insurmountable, the millions of Brazilians who vehemently oppose his populist candidacy -- and its undertones of misogyny, homophobia and dictatorship denial -- will make a furious, last-ditch effort to halt his march to the presidency. But they will be fighting against powerful forces not entirely dissimilar to those that helped put Donald Trump in office in the U.S. and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico and gave the U.K. its Brexit shock. Read more: Meet the Two Finalists That Will Vie for Brazil's Presidency It'll be three weeks of a dangerous and highly polarized scenario, said Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. The level of conflict will be very high, he said, adding that both have to overcome very high rejection rates to win. Financial markets have see-sawed, tracking the ups-and-downs of the two candidates. Investors rallied behind Bolsonaro not so much because they trust he will be able implement the best economic policies but because he is the most viable candidate to prevent the return of Haddad's Workers' Party and its interventionist economic policies. The Xtrackers MSCI Brazil UCITS ETF climbed 4.6 percent at 1:28 p.m. Singapore time on Monday, while the yield on Petroleo Brasileiro pound-denominated debt fell 2 basis points at the open to 6.48 percent. While trading in Brazil's real is restricted to local hours, the currency would probably draw support from the first-round results, Krung Thai Bank strategist Jitipol Puksamatanan said in an interview. Allies of the ex-Army captain performed strongly in the congressional races, and two of his sons won election. The right-winger's better-than-expected results mean that Brazilian assets are likely to rally on Monday, according to James Gulbrandsen, from NCH Capital in Rio de Janeiro. "The odds of a Congress that will pass reforms just skyrocketed," he said. "This is the principal concern of the market." Whoever takes the helm of the US$2 trillion economy faces the daunting prospect of finding jobs for the country's 13 million unemployed, bringing down Brazil's staggering levels of crime and plugging a fiscal deficit worth more than 7 percent of GDP. To do that, the president will need the cooperation of a highly fragmented legislature and a society that has become increasingly divided since the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. That division played out across the country on Sunday. Supporters of Bolsonaro celebrated outside his house as they waited for the results on Sunday evening. "The people are revolted, and tired of promises," said Isabel Macedo, 63. "We deserve better." At the hotel in Sao Paulo where the Workers' Party gathered after the polls closed, the mood was more downbeat, although there was palpable relief when it became clear that Haddad would contest a second round. "He's going to win," said Jeanslaide Barboza Mello, 37, a waitress at the hotel. "Bolsonaro is a negation of Brazil. He's a racist and to be president you have to have composure." Heading to the Runoff In the second round, both men will have equal television time, meaning they will be far more exposed to the electorate than during the first round, when 13 candidates were vying for the presidency. For Haddad, the key question is whether he can emerge from the shadow of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is now in jail for corruption and money-laundering. The former education minister's meteoric rise in the polls ahead of Sunday's vote was almost entirely due to the Workers' Party building its campaign on the slogan Haddad is Lula. Ciro Gomes, the third-placed candidate with 12.5 percent, has already indicated he will support Haddad in the second round, but combined their votes still fall significantly short of Bolsonaro's total. Haddad will try to bring a conciliatory message to win over the undecided," said Thiago de Aragao, partner at Arko Advice, a Brasilia-based political-risk consultancy. Bolsonaro, who spent much of the past several weeks recovering from a stabbing attack he suffered while on the campaign trail, has begun toning down some of his incendiary rhetoric in hopes of reaching more moderate voters. The most efficient way to win would be to be as discreet as possible, said Aragao. I don't know if he'll do that but every time he enters into an oral debate he risks giving Haddad ammunition. The results prompted celebrations among the crowd of supporters gathered outside Bolsonaro's house in Rio de Janeiro, with fireworks, music and dancing. "I'm feeling internal peace," said Luciano Cerqueira, 43, a marine. "Brazil will be freed. It will again have respect abroad with Bolsonaro's victory." With assistance by Simone Preissler Iglesias, and Vinicius Andrade _________________________ Story by Mario Sergio Lima, Raymond Colitt, David Biller, and Aline Oyamada from Bloomberg News. bloomberg.com 10 07 2018 _________________________ Copyright 1999-2018 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved. We welcome the use of Petroleumworld (PW) stories by anyone provided it mentions Petroleumworld.com as the source. Other stories you have to get authorization by its authors. Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated. Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments, share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us! Petroleumworld.com Hit your target - Advertise with Us We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. Write to editor@petroleumworld.com By using this link, you agree to allow PW to publish your comments on our letters page. Any question or suggestions, please write to: editor@petroleumworld.com Best Viewed with IE 5.01+ Windows NT 4.0, '95, '98,ME,XP, Vista, Windows 7,8,10 +/ 800x600 pixels Twitter: @petroleumworld1 November 13 - 15, 2018. Gubkin University, Moscow SPE Student Chapter Democratic lieutenant governor candidate John Fetterman's Twitter feed states, "every county, every vote." He has put tens of thousands of miles on his truck to make good on that promise, visiting all corners of the commonwealth. The Braddock mayor stopped in the county seat of Columbia County at the end of last month, campaigning at Bloomsburg University and the annual Bloomsburg Fair. When then-presidential candidate Donald Trump called for the U.S. to block all Muslims from entering the country, Fetterman responded by calling him a "jagoff" Pittsburghese for a jerk. Then, two years ago, running for the U.S. Senate in a four-way Democratic primary, Fetterman finished third, but picked up 20 percent of the vote. In Pennsylvania the lieutenant governor is elected separately from governor, and Fetterman got 40 percent of the statewide vote in winning a five-way Democratic Party primary election this past spring, with national support and Bernie Sanders's endorsement, defeating incumbent Lt. Gov. Mike Stack. His left forearm bears a tattoo of Braddock's ZIP code 15104. He got the ink after winning the primary election by one vote for the town's mayor in 2005. He has been reelected three times. The tattoos on his right forearm are the dates nine people in his community have been killed through violence since he took office. Red Robin, our producer and industry insider, ponders how pig producers can keep pace with a rapidly changing retail and consumer landscape I read on the BBC website today that Tesco is planning to reinvent a mothballed store as a discount store branded as Jacks. Tesco, along with the other mainstream supermarkets, has been under pressure for a while, from the discounters Aldi and Lidl and it is seeking to redress the balance. As an industry, we have had some good support from the discounters in the past, but is this likely to be continued in this new venture? Perhaps Jacks is beginning to shed some light on Tescos 4 billion takeover of the wholesaler Booker, as analysts say Tesco is looking beyond the Aldi/Lidl model to more of a hybrid of a discounter and a cash and carry. I will admit to the very occasional visit to a wholesaler and an idle glance around their meat section doesnt exactly fill me with joy I certainly dont sense any particular commitment to British produce or clear country of origin labelling. Furthermore, the same BBC article reports that consumers positive move to the discounters shows they are willing to put up with less product choice and worse service, which doesnt mean consumers arent looking for quality but it might mean they are less fussy about where it comes from. Furthermore, the tie up between Amazon and Morrisons to supply groceries online has fuelled speculation that Amazon may buy Morrisons. I know one or two people who sell non-food items through Amazon and they have found out that they are ruthless in their desire to be the lowest cost supplier. We may be able to hold some sway with Tesco in persuading them to stock British product, but there is no way we will with Amazon. We know that the millennial generation obtains information and shops in a very different way from the way we did even 10 years ago. They are used to being able to shop around for value from the comfort of their own homes and then have their order delivered to their door. There is currently so much uncertainty in the marketplace, with the outcome of Brexit negotiations no clearer than they were a year ago and African swine fever now present in western Europe and affecting farmers ability to export and pig prices. Meanwhile, input costs are rising, particularly feed prices on the back of a relatively poor European harvest. We are going to have to be creative in the way we market our products and we are going to have to keep as keen an eye, as ever, on cost of production. Get Our E-Newsletter - Pig World's best stories in your in-box twice a week See e-newsletter example Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy A leading vet has told a major international conference that Brexit has the potential to decimate the United Kingdoms veterinary, food and agricultural sectors. Speaking at Visegrad Vet Plus near Budapest, Dr Jason Aldiss (pictured) said that the UK will be in deep peril if a post-Brexit deal with Brussels does not include guaranteed access to properly-qualified vets from other EU states and mutual recognition of professional veterinary qualifications. And he warned that a no-deal outcome would be the worst of all worlds. Dr Aldiss, managing director of Leeds-based veterinary services company Eville & Jones, said: There is already a veterinary recruitment and retention crisis in the UK, and that problem is getting worse. Currently, 45% of British Government Veterinary Services posts are filled by vets from other EU member states. 95% of official veterinarians are non-UK EU vets. With less than six months to go until Brexit, there is still no guarantee than these individuals will be allowed to remain in post. Understandably, many have already chosen to leave the UK. At Eville & Jones, I am more than 50 vets short of what I need and that number is rising. Our recruitment programme is running at full pace but were not able to stem the flow of staff moving on. Dr Aldiss, who also serves as secretary general of the Union of European Veterinary Hygienists, cautioned that a no-deal Brexit would be the equivalent of cutting the life-line on the UK to allow it to drift off into the wilderness. He said:If the UK is to trade with Europe, it must maintain EU standards at the very least. That means veterinary services must be properly funded to ensure high standards of animal welfare, animal hygiene and public health. All trade in products of animal origin requires veterinary certification which obviously requires vets. Without proper access to well-qualified veterinary professionals, UK-EU trade will be impossible. That would inevitably lead to a scenario where food is left to rot at ports or animals destroyed by the side of the road. It may sound dramatic, but it is the stark truth. Dr Aldiss appealed to the UK Government to take swift action to deal with an impending catastrophe. And he called on the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to address the very real veterinary shortages and make firm recommendations to permit open access to foreign vets. Get Our E-Newsletter - Pig World's best stories in your in-box twice a week See e-newsletter example Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy Yaounde, CAMEROON Polls have now closed in Cameroon in a presidential election that has been disrupted by a number of violent incidents in English-speaking parts of the country. The BBCs Ngala Killian Chimtom, in Yaounde, reported on the run-up to the polls, as the octogenarian leader, Paul Biya, seeks a seventh term in office. A large poster of Paul Biya hangs like a street sign in Cameroons western city of Bafoussam. The force of experience, reads the poster in reference to President Biyas 36 years in power, to which he now hopes to add another seven-year term. A couple of metres from the poster, members of Mr Biyas governing CPDM party are meeting to drum up support for the person they call their hero. Young people may be eloquent. They may make big promises, but none of them can have the steady hands to run a large country like Cameroon, says party supporter Emmanuel Ndam, 58. For over 30 years, our president has been tested by various crises, and each time, he has been able to overcome, Mr Ndam adds. Just look at the mature way he handled the Bakassi crisis with Nigeria. Some hot-headed youth could just have messed up the situation, he adds, before making his way into the meeting hall. His comrade Alice Meye, 22, agrees. She says only President Biya has the wherewithal to resolve Cameroons myriad crises, most urgent of which is the unrest in the countrys two English-speaking regions. We have a president who does what he promises to do. He has said he will solve the problems of our Anglophone brothers. Lets give him a chance. Even in death, President Paul Biya will continue to reign, she said. The old man is tired But not everyone believes Mr Biya, Africas second-longest serving leader, still has the charisma and the physical stamina to stay at the helm. Picking out specks of beef from his teeth with a wooden pick, Ibrahima Sadiki, a resident of the capital Yaoundes swampy Briqueterie slum tells the BBC the old man is tired. This is a man who should normally stay quietly in the village, playing with his grandchildren. Arguments about the presidents age, however, pale in comparison to the numerous problems Cameroon faces today. A separatist uprising in the countrys two Anglophone regions the North-West and South-West is stretching Cameroons much-hyped unity to the limits. In October 2016, teachers and lawyers in Cameroons English-speaking regions took to the streets to protest at the imposition of French in schools and courts. But those protests soon took a political dimension, with thousands of English speakers taking to the streets on 1 October last year to declare the independence of a new country they called Ambazonia. The government cracked down in response. Hundreds of people have been killed at least 420 civilians, 175 military and police officers, and an unknown number of separatist fighters Related KAMPALA The Fifth Edition of the Kampala book Market took place on Saturday at the Uganda Museum. The event was aimed at creating a centralised place, promoting a reading culture in Kampala as well as providing market opportunities for writers. The event saw authors and publishers showcase their works. Uganda has very many good writers, authors, and Publishers but most of their work is not out to the public and this is one of the sole reasons to link them to the buyers locally, said Isaac Kasirye who was one of the organisers. The event was graced by formidable authors, buyers and sellers such as Kevin OConnor, Hamis Kiggundu, Felix Matogo, Uganda womens writers Association (FEMRITE), African Writers Trust and African Studies Book centre among others. Prof Austin Bukenya, a retired Lecturer of Literature from Makerere University was the guest of Honour. Everyone is a writer and communication is done either through writing or verbally, Bukenya said. Bukenya also urged poets and writers to maintain the basics in writing and empathised the issue of simplicity because one doesnt write for self but for others to understand what he is trying to communicate. Related Dear Dfcu Bank, I have seen your cowardly threats, sent through your lawyers. Your board chairperson, Managing Director, Executive Director, your spokesperson and your PR agency; all have my phone number and email. This is either because I have either contacted them variously over the last couple of weeks or they have worked with me in various other capacities before- but either way, they could have reached out to me, instead of trying to blackmail me with these empty threats. This is not the first time and probably wont be the last, but I will go ahead and defend myself, in the best way I know how to- with words. First of all I do believe these threats are aimed at gagging the media, considering that the recent Auditor Generals report showed that Bank of Uganda officials not only sold to you the failed Crane Bank under mysterious superfast circumstances and at a sweetheart price of Shs200bn payable over a period of 30 months and that the same officials either negligently and or intentionally failed to charge dfcu interest on this transaction; causing Ugandans, a loss of UGX39.5 billion. The same report also showed that BoU officials secretly transferred an undisclosed amount of Crane Bank bad loans to dfcu Bank undisclosed because there was no agreement and or schedule of loans and the corresponding collateral. It has also since come to light that during this highly controversial sale, Bank of Uganda, Crane Bank (in liquidation) and dfcu shared and or continue to share lawyers- namely AF Mpanga (Bowmans) and Sebalu & Lule Advocates, at various levels of the transaction. It is also not a secret that some or all of these law firms, who are also debt collectors for dfcu Bank and or Bank of Uganda are also cashing on these debt collections, big time in form of 5% commissions. We also know- by the way from the media- that a certain Bank of Uganda official who presided over the Crane Bank sale, has lots of unexplainable riches. Maybe your threats to sue, should have started with a preamble explaining all the above issues to Ugandans. I know, all the above may be legal- for now, but that does not necessarily make them right. Is dfcu illiquid? I have also previously received a news tip that because most of the fixed deposits dfcu inherited from Crane Bank have matured and at the same time dfcu has to keep meeting its payment plan to Bank of Uganda for Crane Bank as well as repay its shareholders for the bridging loan also used during the Crane Bank purchase and pay dividends- all the same time, this has choked your liquidity/cashflow. Because I know the significance of this story, I did not publish it, immediately, but rather chose to investigate it. I first received that tip on Wednesday July 18th and I immediately (at 11:06 AM) sent an email to BoUs spokesperson, a one Charity Mugumya and copied in Dr.Tumubweine Twinemanzi-BoUs new Executive Director, Supervision and Kelvin Kizito Kiyingi, the deputy BoU spokesperson. I particularly asked them to comment on the allegations that dfcu was having liquidity problems. I particularly put it to them that I knew Dfcu had dismissed the story, but I needed an independent comment from Bank of Uganda. I put it to them that according to their (BoU) Financial Soundness Indicators report, industry short-term liquidity gaps have risen by 456 percentage points from -3.48% (all-time lowest) in March 2017 to -19.36% the highest in 3 years since June 2015, when it was -19.52%. I wanted to know, what would ordinarily cause such a sharp rise in just one year and whether it was a general industry problem or there were some particular banks affected? I also asked them, how short-term is short-term liquidity gaps? Without a response, three (3) days later, on Friday, July 20th, at 10:31 AM I again wrote to BoU reminding them that my questions were unresponded too. It was not until four (4) days later, on Tue, Jul 24, at 4:50 PM that I got an email from Kelvin Kizito, the Deputy Spokesperson of BoU. Kizitos email did not specifically respond to my questions, as he simply asked me to refer to Bank of Ugandas Annual Supervision Report (2017) and a speech that the Governor Bank of Uganda had made at the then just ended UBA Bankers conference. I had read both documents extensively, but I gave them another read and there was no answer. Mutebiles speech did not address my questions and the Annual Supervision report did not even cover, the period I was interested in (January 2018- June 2018), as it stops in December 2017. A few days later, BoU released its quarterly Financial Soundness Indicators report which showed that industry short-term liquidity gaps had further widened from -19.36% in March 2018 to -20.58% in June 2018- the highest in 4 years since December 2014, when it reached -21.16%. Back then, BoU Governor, Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, in a commentary for the June 2015, Financial Stability Report said that there were some headwinds that may affect bank performance, but overall, there are no major threats to the systemic stability. I also picked particular interest in the fact that Liquid Assets to total deposits fell 15% between December 2017. Liquid assets total assets have also fallen by 12%- even though industry were still generally above the regulatory limits. Even though deep in my heart I knew that she sharp falls must be driven by most likely one or two large banks having issues, I still could not get myself to publish the story to the effect that dfcu was having liquidity gaps- because I had no proof for it yet. However my journalism experience tells me that almost every time the Central Bank keeps quiet about certain issues, there is normally something wrong- something they think can be fixed and sometimes it does get fixed, but other times it does not. I am not that reckless, but I do believe that there is a big bank out there having issues- even though dfcu wont admit they are the ones and BoU tell us which one it is- for obvious fear that this could prompt a run on the bank. There are industry regulatory thresholds for liquidity; all that BoU and or dfcu need to do is say something- put a figure to address the rumours. I do admit that some media houses have exaggerated some claims, but silence bleeds more suspiciousness, which makes bad situations worse. Lately, there has been a lot of bad vibe around dfcu- most of which was denied but later turned out to be true. Dfcu has spokespeople and should learn how to use them and not lawyers. Threatening the media with court action wont yield much because every journalist knows that court suits is an occupational hazard. Or maybe a court suit is what is needed and we will then get Bank of Uganda to come and tell the truth. Related Embed from Getty Images Morgan Hillan upscale suburb of San Jose, Californiahas banned marijuana dispensaries. So the prospect of delivery vansakin to those operated by online retailerscoming into town has Police Chief David Swing concerned. Swing is opposed to a proposal that would allow marijuana businesses to send home-delivery vans into communities where retail stores are prohibited, according to the Los Angeles Times. "This will make it easier and more lucrative to rob a delivery person than a liquor store," Swing said, noting that under the proposal, delivery drivers would be allowed to carry up to $10,000 in cash. "Robberies are the tip of the iceberg. They can lead to other crimes, including aggravated assaults and homicides," Swing said. Proposition 64 bars the state from issuing a license to pot shops that have not been given city approval to operate. But city council members throughout the state say that authority is undermined if deliveries are legal statewide. VIJAYAWADA, India, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EduTech Congress reimagines the Role of Technology in Higher Education After two successful editions of EduTech Congress in Mumbai and Delhi, mUni Campus, a higher educational digital stack and infra provider, is coming with the third edition of EduTech Congress 2018 in association with the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh on 12th and 13th October, 2018 at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. The theme for this summit is 'Digital Stack and AI Transforming Higher Education'. The two-day conference will focus around six pillars of higher education through a series of interactive sessions, inspirational keynotes, panel discussions, demos and technology showcases. Over 30 international thought leaders and speakers will share their insights and perspectives on the future of technology in higher education and how it can amplify efficiencies, help bring back Indian higher education to life and make it future ready. Prof. S. Vijaya Raju, Chairman, Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) and Shri. JA Chowdary, Special Chief Secretary & IT Advisor to the CM Govt. of Andhra Pradesh will be delivering key note speech. Key elements of this edition: Best practice and challenges in course design: Use of AI and other technologies for course design Pedagogy and tech tools for improving learning outcome Best practice and challenges for improving overall efficiency using technologies: examination, admin, scheduling, attendance, 360 degree view analytics Skilling beyond university curriculum How to setup the center of excellence with industry collaboration Improving job placement using technology tools and AI Hands on work shop for faculty members on how to improve learning outcome and reduce administrative load How to improve placement using various technology tools. Technology demonstration on each element Prof. P. Narasimha Rao , Vice-Chairman, AP State Council of Higher education Government of Andhra Pradesh; Dr S Varadarajan Secretary, APSCHE, Andhra Pradesh; Prof. T. Koteswara Rao, VC-AP State Council Of Higher Education; Dr. Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Dean, Aegis School of Data Science, Cyber Security, Business & Telecom; Founding Dean IIM Indore, Shri. Chandan Sonowal, MD - India & South Asia, Clevertouch Technologies; Former Director - System Builder, Microsoft Founder and many more will be the key dignitaries from the educational sector. Prof. S. Vijaya Raju, Chairman, Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), mentioned, "Since the students of today will need to work in a future where AI is the reality, it's important that our educational institutions expose students to content and learning methodologies driven by technology. We at the state council have been actively working with higher education institutions towards achieving this goal. The EduTech Congress assumes significance, as it offers a platform for all relevant stakeholders to come together to discuss and deliberate on the way forward." Prof. P Narasimha Rao, Vice-Chairman, APSCHE, commented, "APSCHE has been closely monitoring the uptake of digital platforms that use AI to provide learning, testing and feedback to students. This offers a solution to the problem of customized learning which has remained unviable given that one teacher has to manage 50-60 students at a time. We expect AI-powered platforms to offer challenges to students that will help identify gaps in their existing knowledge and also offer them a feedback which would help the students identify the problem areas that needs to be worked on." "Education as a domain has largely been ruled by human-to-human interaction which we believe is nearing its end. There is a need to identify the tools and the right approach of educating students keeping in mind the demands of the industry. The EduTech Congress is aimed at initiating meaningful conversation around use of AI in course design, skilling, job placement and identification of best practices in the education sector. This also reaffirms our commitment towards offering the best learning environment for students which prepares them for the job-market and helps them in adapting to the changing needs of the work environment," added Prof. S. Varadarajan, Secretary, APSCHE. Mr. Bhupesh Daheria, Founder, mUni Campus, said, "AI and digital Technologies are revamping the state of the education sector in India. Top universities globally have implemented digital infra and now utilizing AI for augmenting capabilities of faculties and administrators for improving efficiency in administration, learning, tutoring, grading, assessments and career management. The outcomes of amalgamating technology with innovative learning process have absolutely revolutionized education systems across the globe. It is high time the Indian Education system implements digital stack for higher education, and so I welcome all the leaders and thank the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh for hosting the third edition of EduTech Congress 2018 in Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur." About mUni Campus: mUni Campus provides higher education digital stack and infra for improving efficiency of any academic setup either in a university or corporate or college. mUni Campus mission is to eradicate the birth penalty by offering education access to everyone. mUni Campus has rolled out a Digital Stack framework around six pillars of higher education namely: Design & Launch; Admit; Teach; Administration; Skilling beyond university curriculum and Job Placement. mUni Campus cloud platform has end-to-end suite of services to manage various processes right from designing course based on AI; course launch on Marketplace; lead tracking, rating, online application, end to end admissions process; program delivery with integrated Learning Management System and live video lecture delivery; administration ERP; skilling to placement process management. Now, as a universities administrator or L&D head you do not have to deal with several IT solutions providers for various disjointed digital infra or solution pieces like LMS, ERP, Attendance System, MOOC, Smart class, placement system, learning app, education marketplace, grading, analytics, lead management, online application etc. You get all the possible solutions at one single cloud platform with robust processes bundled inside. For more info, please visit http://www.mUniCampus.com About EduTech Congress: mUni Campus launched EduTech Congress this year to create a platform and opportunity for all the leaders, educationalists and education technology services/solutions providers to engage, collaborate with stakeholders of higher education market. For more information and speakers list, please visit http://www.EduTechCongress.com Media Contact: Parmpreet Kaur [email protected] +91-9870390819 Communicate India SOURCE mUni Campus GENEVA, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) just closed in Geneva, new research commissioned by JTI and conducted in Europe by Populus with Ipsos as fieldwork providers, reveals that the public want regulators to be open to dialogue with business, and that more fairness and credible evidence is needed in policy-making. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/692561/JT_International_SA_Logo.jpg ) The research found that of the 8,473 respondents surveyed across eight European countries, an average of: 72% believed that it is either very important or somewhat important that the policy-making process is open to dialogue between governmental authorities and all parties who are potentially impacted by it, including businesses; 79% believed that it is either very important or somewhat important that a policy should be introduced based on credible evidence of its effectiveness, instead of a biased assumption it will work. 76% would protect the principle of free speech; either actively fighting for the right of someone they disagree with to speak, or passively agreeing with someone they disagree with's right to express their opinion. Proceedings at the FCTC COP's echo chamber differ hugely from other UN decision-making bodies such at the UNFCCC on Climate Change, where businesses are an integral part of discussions, and plenary sessions are public. Today's new research shows that the public want politicians and officials to consider all the facts and viewpoints - including from businesses. Ousting one group of companies from giving their views and sharing their expertise contradicts basic democratic principles and is counterproductive. The same can be said of discussions on harm reduction at COP8 last week. Thanks to innovation and advances in science, JTI offers products that have the potential to reduce risks associated with smoking and the Company would have been well placed to take part in those discussions. Yet, it appears that the FCTC COP still has an obsolete conception of tobacco companies. "The public are right that all views must be heard," states Jonathan Duce, Head of External Communications at JTI's global headquarters in Geneva. "The FCTC COP would have been wise to follow their advice last week, because governments can only make good decisions once they have taken everyone's views into account. The findings of this research are clear: more must be done by governments around the world to restore public confidence in the regulators who make the rules we all abide by. This research has shone a light on what citizens expect from decision-making and shows that people only want policies if they are supported by credible evidence and proven to be effective." Note to editors Methodology: 8,473 interviews were conducted online among adults living in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and UK between September 28 and October 4, 2018. Populus was commissioned by JTI and designed the content and methodology for the research. Ipsos undertook the study on behalf of Populus. About Populus Populus is a leading research and strategy consultancy and is a trusted adviser to some of the world's best-known companies, public bodies and brands. We use polling, research, evidence and expertise to provide clients with the critical knowledge they need to succeed. Populus were named the UK's fastest growing research agency of 2014 by the Market Research Society, and work with clients across a wide range of industry sectors both in the UK and internationally. Find out more at http://www.populus.co.uk About JTI JTI is a leading international tobacco company with operations in more than 130 countries. It is the global owner of both Winston, the number two cigarette brand in the world, and Camel outside the USA and has the largest share in sales for both brands. Other global brands include Mevius and LD. With its internationally recognized brand Logic, JTI is also a major player in the e-cigarette market and has, since 2011, been present in the heated tobacco category with Ploom. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the company employs close to 40,000 people and was awarded Global Top Employer for four consecutive years. JTI is a member of the Japan Tobacco Group of Companies. For more information, visit http://www.jti.com. Full research data tables available here. For more information on JTI's view of FCTC COP, visit https://www.jti.com/our-views/fctc-cop-different-perspective. SOURCE JTI NEW DELHI, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Indus Towers becomes the first Indian company in the service sector and fifth globally to achieve this feat Indus Towers, world's largest telecom tower company (outside China), won the Deming Prize for 2018, being the first Indian company in the service sector and the fifth in the world to achieve this. The Deming Prize was bestowed on Indus Towers for distinctive performance improvements through the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) practices. Being a globally renowned award, the Deming Prize is the oldest and most widely recognized, given to companies that have established customer-oriented business objectives and strategies, and implemented TQM to achieve them. Indus Towers is only the 29th Indian company to win this coveted award, with other notable names including Tata Steel, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra and Mahindra, and NBC Bearings, etc. Commenting on the latest recognition, Bimal Dayal, CEO, Indus Towers said, "We are honored to receive the prestigious Deming Prize. In keeping with our customer-focused ethos, we committed to the TQM journey 10 years ago. The Deming Prize is a testament to our relentless effort and ability to deliver the best to our customers. We endeavour to continue the journey of our improvement for the sustained growth of the telecom sector." With this, Indus Towers has been able to build a position for itself as a market leader in terms of quality processes and customer-oriented approach with efficient people management. The Deming Prize for 2018 was announced by JUSE - Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers. It was established in 1951 and was originally designed to reward Japanese companies for their major advancements in quality improvement. At present, however, companies outside Japan are also accorded the award. About Indus Towers Limited Indus Towers Limited is an independently managed company offering passive telecom infrastructure to all telecom operators. Indus is headquartered in the National Capital Region. Founded in 2007, Indus Towers Limited has been promoted under a joint venture amongst (i) Bharti Infratel Limited (group company of Bharti Airtel limited, rendering telecom services in India under the brand name Airtel), (ii) Vodafone India Limited (group company of Vodafone Group - UK) rendering telecom services in India under the brand name Vodafone, since merged with Idea Cellular Limited and (iii) Aditya Birla Telecom Limited (group company of Idea Cellular Limited, now re-named as Vodafone Idea Limited) which created history by collaborating to share telecom towers & infrastructure. Indus has presence in 15 telecom circles of India and has achieved over 2,78,408 tenancies till date. With the current count of over 1,23,639 towers, Indus has the widest coverage in India and is also the largest telecom tower company in the world (outside China). Indus Towers has been actively involved in developing scalable models for smart cities. The company's approach is to enable the integration of the digital infrastructure with the existing infrastructure. Recently, the company executed Smart Poles project for NDMC as part of its efforts to make Delhi a smart city. Indus' vision of 'Transforming Lives by Enabling Communication' is setting a new paradigm for a networked economy, on a world leading scale, whereby there is inclusive and impactful growth for all. For any further information, please visit the website https://www.industowers.com/ Media Contact: Ritu Sengupta [email protected] +91-9873470073 Consulting Associate Genesis Burson Marsteller SOURCE Indus Towers Limited NEW DELHI, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- India Education Outcomes Fund with a corpus of USD 1 bn to improve the quality of education outcomes India India Impact Fund in partnership with UN SDG Finance group, to raise USD 1 bn pool of funds to enable greater access to debt for education, agriculture, health, affordable housing Social Finance, one of the world's leading impact financing platforms has announced the launch of two funds of USD 1 billion each for India (collective value of both funds USD 2 billion). The purpose of the first fund, India Education Outcomes Fund (IEOF) is to bring funds on scale to the best education service providers, with a sharp focus on improving learning and skilling outcomes. The second fund, the India Impact Fund will catalyse debt for impact in housing, health and education. These funds were officially launched at the Annual summit of the Global Steering Group on Impact in New Delhi, by Sir Ronald Cohen, Chairman, Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, in the presence of an array of luminaries including Former US Vice President Al Gore, Prince Maximillian of Lichtenstein and Former Tata Chairman, Mr. Ratan Tata. This event also marked the official launch of Social Finance India, which, with these funds will be poised to become a major force in the impact finance space. Social Finance India, will be headed by Mr. Govind Sankaranarayanan, who held critical leadership positions at the Tata Group for over two decades, and until very recently was the COO of NBFC giant, Tata Capital. The Board of Social Finance India includes several financial sector veterans, Dr. Rajiv Lall, Founder MD & CEO of IDFC Bank, Mr. Ashish Dhawan, Founder of PE firm Chrysalis Capital and Ashoka University and Mr. Vikram Gandhi, Former Vice Chairman, Credit Suisse and Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Business School. Mr. Yuri Afanasiev, Chief Representative of the United Nations in India has recently joined as a member of the Advisory Board. The Tata Trusts and Omidyar Network, two of the leading names in the philanthropic world have backed Social Finance India. Details of the funds: India Education Outcomes Fund (IEOF): The India Education Outcomes Fund (IEOF) is a unique outcome fund structure where a corpus of US$1 billion will focus on improving the quality of education in India and set up 'pay-for success' contracts with pre-determined metrics. Some of the key target outcomes for IEOF include: Improving learning outcomes and numeracy for children in grades 1-3, studying in Government and affordable private primary schools Technology aided interventions to improve learning outcomes in subjects such as mathematics for children in grades 6-10 (upper-primary and secondary sections), Improving completion rate of girls till class 10 in Government and affordable private school India Impact Fund: IIF is intended to be a USD 1 billion pool of funds which will catalyse debt to Impact Enterprises. It will help bridge the large funding gaps in meeting the UN Sustainable Development goals. The first Fund within the umbrella IIFF, will target equity funding for small lenders in the priority sectors as outlined in the PSL (Priority Sector Lending) - Agriculture, MSME, Education, Housing, Social Infrastructure, Renewable Energy. UN SDG Impact Finance group will partner with Social Finance for impact measurement. Subsequent funds under the IIFF umbrella will be designed to support the Indian Government's National priorities of 'Make in India', 'Skill India', 'Swachh Bharat', 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' and 'Digital India'. Dr. Rajiv Lall, Chairman Social Finance India said, "We are delighted to have Govind Sankaranarayanan, as the CEO of Social Finance India. Govind, who has led large complex organisations in the financial services space, is the perfect leader for being an institution that will use the power of finance to amplify social impact. Speaking about the launch, Mr. Govind Sankaranarayanan, Managing Director of Social Finance India said, "It is a great privilege to be a part of this global organisation, and take forward Sir Ronald Cohen's vision of using finance as an agent for good. India is ground zero for meeting the challenges of the UN SDG goals and Social Finance India will catalyse different types of innovative financial instruments and financial intermediaries to help bridge funding gaps across a range of sectors. An important part of this effort will be the sharpening of our focus on outcomes and improving the sophistication of impact measurement." About Social Finance India Social Finance India, part of the pioneering global Social Finance network, is a new catalytic impact investment intermediary creating products for positive social and environmental outcomes in India. For more information, please visit http://socialfinance.org.in/ About Social Finance Social Finance is a not-for-profit organisation that partners with the government, the social sector and the financial community to find better ways of tackling social problems. Since its inception in 2007, Social Finance has helped to pioneer a series of programmes to improve outcomes for individuals with complex needs. Its innovations, including the Social Impact Bond model, have mobilised more than 500 million globally. Social Finance is an FCA-authorised intermediary, providing advisory and capital raising services to social enterprises, charities and socially motivated investors to help them become investment ready. This work spans across a range of sectors including financial inclusion, education, housing, homelessness and unemployment. For more information, please visit http://socialfinance.org/ Media Contact : Shankhadipa Talukdar [email protected] +91-999956546 Partner Associate Genesis Burson-Marsteller SOURCE Social Finance India DOHA, Qatar and ISTANBUL, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Turkish Companies Convene to Sample Turkish Goods Turkey's top companies will join the influential 1st International Product Exhibition and Conference (IPEC), between at 8th and 11th of October, Doha, Qatar. The trade fair welcomes Turkey's agriculture, food, industry and transportation sectors's firms. Since Free Trade Agreement has been signed between Turkey and Qatar and this agreement will impact the trade between Turkey and Qatar in a positive way. "In addition to Free Trade Agreement, Money Exchange Agreement has been signed off between Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey and Central Bank of Qatar recently" said Jak Eskinazi, Aegean Exporters Association (EIB) Coordinator Chairman. "And Qatar announced the decision of making investment of 15 billion dollars in Turkey, these agreements and news would yield positive trade opportunities for our firms." The Turkish companies participating are: Asya Cadr, Les Benjamins, Islek, Sunny Fruit, Bizce, Kasab Kablo, Mecit Efendi and 10 various sector companies. The leader sector in Turkey's export to Qatar is Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Sector, with 118 million dollar exports, whereas total exports of 2018 January-August period has increased 93% from 330 million dollars to 636 million dollar. Electric and Electronics Sector and Chemicals Sector have shared 2nd row in exports with 75 million dollars. Ready-to-Wear and Garments sector records 45 million dollars exports. 9 Exporters' Associations and 17 exhibitor companies from Turkey will be presenting the finest examples of Turkish products during the fair. SOURCE Turkey Promotion Group (TPG) A conservative think tank has put forward its proposals for Capital Gains Tax relief to encourage longer tenancies and sales to tenants in private rented housing. David Smith, Policy Director for the Residential Landlords Association said: We welcome Onwards acceptance of the need for more positive taxation in the rented sector which the RLA has long argued for. Indeed, last year, we suggested using Capital Gains Tax reliefs in a similar way to that being proposed today. Since then, a report by academics at Cambridge University for the RLA has argued that it is not clear whether a reduction in the rates at which Capital Gains Tax is applied would incentivise landlords to sell their properties to sitting tenants. A more suitable approach would be a tax relief on rental income for the provision of longer tenancies with a refund on the stamp duty levy for additional properties where a landlord is prepared to sell a property to a sitting tenant. David Smith continued: Where Onward is wrong is in its call for landlords to disinvest from the sector. With the demand for private rented homes showing no signs of abating, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies today warning of the difficulties many young people have affording a home of their own, to choke off the supply of rental homes would leave many young people stranded and continuing to rely on the home of mum and dad for a place to live. The Chancellor should use his budget to scrap the stamp duty levy on additional properties where landlords are prepared to invest in property adding to the net supply of homes. This could include bringing empty homes back into use, new build properties or converting larger properties into smaller, more affordable units. To tax new housing supply given the current housing crisis we face is simply ludicrous. Marathon 2021 Runners of all racing stripes took part in the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon on November 7. Racing categories in this, the largest marathon... Mount Sinai Queens Opening New Infusion Center The last week of October was marked by an expansion of health care capacity in the borough, as Mount Sinai Queens celebrated the opening of... The Unofficial Election Results The unofficial election results from the general election on November 2, 2021, with well over 90% of scanners reported: MAYOR: Eric Adams (D) decisively... Ukrainian journalist Sushchenko transferred to Russian prison Feygin RIA Novosti, Kirill Kallinikov 14:59 08/10/2018 MOSCOW, October 8 (RAPSI) - Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko sentenced to 12 years for espionage against Russia was transferred to a prison, ex-attorney Mark Feygin wrote on his Facebook page on Monday. Upon preliminary information, Roman Sushchenko has been convoyed to the place of service of his sentence, the statement reads. The Moscow City Court convicted and sentenced Sushchenko in June. In September, the Supreme Court of Russia upheld the prison sentence. According to Russias Federal Security Service (FSB), the Ukrainian citizen has "purposively collected classified information about the Armed Forces and National Guard of Russia." Leak of data abroad could cause damage to the national defense capability, the FSB officials claimed earlier. Charges were brought against Sushchenko in October 2016. The journalist pleaded not guilty to espionage. Ukrinform news agency earlier confirmed that Sushchenko had been acting as its reporter since 2002. Since 2010, he has been working as Ukrinforms personal correspondent in France. According to the agency, Sushchenko arrived in Moscow on private business during his vacation and was arrested immediately upon his arrival. Ukrinform repelled accusations against Sushchenko calling him "a journalist with years of unblemished professional reputation. 27 large listed firms give double-digit hikes to top executives despite a decline in net profit. Krishna Kant reports. A special resolution to reappoint Neeraj Kanwar managing director of Apollo Tyres did not go through as minority shareholders were not in approval. 'Apollo Tyres' board of directors will discuss the resolution in the next meeting and determine the course of action to be taken,' a spokesperson for the company said in a statement. Only 72.72 per cent of shareholders voted in favour of the resolution, which required a minimum of 75 per cent shareholders voting for it. Over 56 per cent of the public institutions category and nearly 49 per cent of the non-public shareholders voted against the reappointment. Analysts say some investors did not approve a 38.4 per cent hike in Kanwar's remuneration to Rs 427.6 million as the company's net profit declined 34.1 per cent. Apollo Tyres is among 27 large listed companies that gave double-digit hikes to their top management in FY18 despite a decline in profits during the period. Executive salaries in India's top listed companies were up 20.4 per cent on average during 2017-2018, including employee stock options, against 17.8 per cent growth in the company's net profit and 12.9 per cent year-on-year growth in net sales last fiscal year. Bharti Airtel MD and CEO Gopal Vittal got a 36 per cent hike in remuneration even as the company's net profit declined by over 70 per cent. UltraTech Cement's MD K K Maheshwari got a 90 per cent increase, though the net profit declined 18 per cent. At tyre maker MRF, for example, the combined remuneration for the company's top three promoter executives was up 25.3 per cent YoY in FY18, against a 24 per cent decline in the company's profits last year. Another 18 companies rewarded their top executives with double-digit hikes in FY18 despite flat earnings last year. Analysts say the growing divide between the company's performance and the top management's remuneration could trigger greater scrutiny from minority shareholders, especially where institutional shareholding is large enough. The analysis is based on financial data of a common sample of 172 listed companies whose audited balance sheets containing top management compensation for FY18 are available. The data includes only those executives or board members whose compensation was Rs 10 million or more. Remuneration includes fixed salary, variable pay and employee stock options, if any. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com 'Mobs are entering north Indian homes and threatening families to leave Gujarat or face consequences.' IMAGE: Migrant workers prepare to board the Sabarmati Express in view of protests which broke out over an alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl, in Ahmedabad. Photograph: PTI Photo The rape of a 14-month-old girl on September 28, 2018, allegedly by a north Indian migrant in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, has sparked incidents of violence against north Indians, which in turn has led to an exodus of 'migrant' labourers from the state. Many workers belonging to northern Indian states, especially from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, have been boarding home-bound trains after some of them were targeted for the increase in violence and rapes in the state. Chanting 'Bhaiyya Bhagao, Gujarat Bachao (Evict north Indians, Save Gujarat),' local mobs have been threatening migrants to leave the state. Even businesses that hire non-Gujaratis have not been spared. Shyamsinh Thakur, president, Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad, an umbrella body of migrant workers, blames Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore for the violence and alleges that he instigated locals to protest against the migrants. Thakore has denied the allegations. "Railway stations in Gujarat are packed with north Indian migrants and everyone wants to flee Gujarat as they fear for their lives," Shyamsinh Thakur tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf. Why are north Indians fleeing Gujarat? North Indians are fleeing Gujarat because they fear for their lives. There is an organisation in Gujarat called the Thakore Sena led by Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore. The Thakore Sena is attacking Hindi-speaking people and telling them to leave Gujarat. Today the situation is so bad that a mob of 30 people assemble, enter Hindi-speaking residential areas to beat the people up. They threaten them continuously. People are fleeing Gujarat and running away to their home states. Gujarat Director General of Police Shivanand Jha claims that north Indians are going to their native places for Diwali and not out of any fear. That is not true. They are leaving Gujarat out of fear. We are trying to stop this exodus. Even the factory association is stating that if these workers leave, then who will work during Diwali? What will happen to the economy? How did the exodus begin? This happened soon after September 24, when a 14-month-old girl was raped by a north Indian man. After the incident, Alpesh Thakore called for a meeting of the Thakore Sena and they made this an issue. They created trouble. Alpesh Thakore has refuted this. The man who raped the 14-month-old girl was from Bihar and he (Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore) instigated the mob. Today he is saying he did not do so. There are videos circulating on social media where mobs are chanting slogans 'Bhaiyya Bhagao, Gujarat Bachao.' If Alpesh Thakore is denying his role, then why did he not come forward and say that the Thakore Sena is not responsible for the violence? The Congress too did not intervene and spread brotherhood. In the history of Gujarat such a thing never happened. In Mumbai anti-North Indian sentiments were spread by the Shiv Sena in its early days. Then Raj Thackeray's MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) too did the same. But these things never happened to us in Gujarat. Do you think a political game is being played over the issue? There are two ways to look at this issue now. The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is thinking that since a Congress MLA is involved, they should not take any action against him as the Congress will be defamed more. On the other hand, the Congress feels that if these Hindi-speaking people are driven out of Gujarat, then people will stop supporting the ruling BJP as it can't protect them. How many attacks have taken place against North Indians? There are 42 registered cases of attacks in the last 10 days against north Indians in Gujarat. There are many more. But they haven't been reported as the police is refusing to register cases. Mobs are entering north Indian homes and threatening families to leave Gujarat or face consequences. Till now, 342 people have been arrested for attacking north Indians. Has the situation changed after the arrests? Thousands of north Indians are still leaving Gujarat. They have taken their children out of schools and colleges too. There is only one concern among them -- that they have to save their own lives. When the mobs are coming out openly and threatening them to leave Gujarat, who will take the risk to stay? In cities there is security. But in places like Sabarkantha, Himmatnagar, Mehsana and many other places, the attacks are more serious in nature. How did one incident spark such violence against north Indians? That little child is not only a Gujarati girl, she is our girl too. She is the country's daughter. How can they say she is from the Thakore community? A criminal is a criminal. You cannot associate him with any religion or caste. The Thakore community, though, is saying that since there are no jobs for them in Gujarat, they are resorting to violence. But this is not true. You can check the 80:20 ratio and find out the truth. (Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani recently announced that a new law would be enacted to make sure that industrial units give 80 per cent of jobs to persons who are domiciled in the state.) If that is not implemented, they can go to court, but why attack poor people? What is the police doing? For the last three days the police is doing a good job. In last three days they have booked 13 people under the NSA (National Security Act). However, in spite of police action, attacks took place last night (Sunday night) in Vadodra and Halol against north Indians. The rumours refuse to die down about violence against north Indians in Gujarat. What is the population of north Indians in Gujarat? According to state Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja, there are around one crore (10 million) north Indians in Gujarat. We thought there were 65 lakh (6.5 million) north Indians. Even we were shocked to know about this huge population of north Indians in Gujarat. Do the Gujaratis fear that north Indians will snatch their jobs? No, that is not true. We north Indians mostly do labourer kind of jobs which the locals don't do. The people of Gujarat are very peace-loving. It is only now that they are being instigated by politicians and resorting to violence. Our people work for more than 20 hours. Locals don't work for more than eight hours and expect Sunday to be a holiday which we don't believe in as we have come here only for work. If you see all the chemical plants of Gujarat, you will find hardly 10 per cent Gujaratis working in them as it is not easy to work in those plants. It is a difficult task. Only people from eastern Uttar Pradesh or Bihar can work in those plants. So this entire argument of us snatching the jobs of local Gujaratis falls flat. Do the locals fear that North Indians are changing the demography of Gujarat? That is not true as you can see that the presence of north Indians in Gujarat politics is very rare. In Gujarat there are 182 MLAs. Out of that only three MLAs are from north India. Facebook has set up a task force that will have security specialists and content specialists, among others, who will try to understand all the possible forms of election-related abuse in the country. Image: Facebook has been facing trust issues after it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica, a data firm with ties to US President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, reportedly accessed information from about 50 million users without their knowledge. Photograph: Stephen Lam/Reuters To ensure that its platform isn't used to influence elections in India, Facebook has set up a task force consisting of several specialists who will monitor advertising and content on the platform as the world's biggest democracy goes to polls next year. There have been reports about Facebook being misused by external forces to meddle in the US elections held in 2016. The social networking giant has accepted that it missed certain things in the run up to the elections. Image: Richard Allan, Facebook's Director of Policy for Europe. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/REUTERS "We want our platform to support free and fair elections and positive civic engagement. We welcome the fact that the people will engage with their political leaders and candidates through our platform. But we don't want them to abuse that," said Richard Allan, vice-president, Policy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Facebook. He added that as elections near, the company will pull together specialists who will work with politicians to understand what local parties are doing. "The work will actually be done once the elections near... it is the people who monitor advertising to make sure that the ads are appropriate, people who work at community operation centres, who are looking at the content... there will be a network of hundreds of people across the company, who will end up working on the election," Allan said. The Indian government had told the US-headquartered social networking giant that no meddling in the election process would be tolerated. The issue surrounding the use of social media platforms to influence polls emerged earlier this year when British data firm Cambridge Analytica was accused of accessing data of millions of Facebook users without their consent. The data was allegedly used to influence elections across the globe, including that of US Presidential elections held in 2016. Facebook has accepted that it missed certain things in the run up to the elections The company will pull together specialists who will work with politicians to understand what local parties are doing A task force will have security and content specialists, among others, who will try to understand all the possible forms of election-related abuse in the country The government had told Facebook that no meddling in the election process will be tolerated Having learnt its lessons, Facebook has set up a task force that will have security specialists and content specialists, among others, who will try to understand all the possible forms of election-related abuse in the country. Allan added that the challenge for the task force in India would be to distinguish between real political news and propaganda. The task force will constitute of existing employees as also new hires. "What the task force is trying to do is make sure that we don't miss things... in the past, we missed things in the run-up to the US elections... So it's really about making sure that, in the Indian context in particular, we will not miss things... we are building up a team here to spot what is going on," he said. The mother of Jawaharlal Nehru University student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from the university nearly two years ago, accused the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday of carrying out a biased investigation into the case. The Delhi high court on Monday allowed CBI to file a closure report in the matter, bringing an end to the investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Ahmed. It did not agree with the allegation of Ahmeds mother, Fatima Nafees, that CBI wanted to file the closure report due to political compulsions. In view of the judgment, Nafees said she will now appeal to the Supreme Court. She also appealed to all mothers who have faced the pain of losing their children to march to Parliament Street on October 15. Nafees was addressing a press conference along with the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union office-bearers at the campus after the high court allowed the CBI to file a closure report in her sons case. I am saddened because the CBI carried out a biased investigation and its sole objective was to shield those who assaulted my son before he went missing. I have been facing injustice right from the first day, she said. She alleged that a sub-inspector at the Vasant Kunj (North) police station asked her not to name the persons, who had assaulted her son, before he went missing. The sub-inspector at the police station told me on the first day, We will find Najeeb in 24 hours. But if you name people in your complaint, we cannot give any guarantee. I agreed with what he said but it has been two years and I have no clue about the whereabouts of my son, she said. Nafees also raised doubts about the Delhi Polices investigation into the case, before the Delhi high court transferred it to CBI. The case was transferred from district police to the crime branch in November 2016. The Crime Branch had claimed to have found an auto-rickshaw driver who had taken Najeeb from JNU to Jamia and floated the theory that Najeeb had left on his own. Their theory about the auto-rickshaw driver fell flat after the CBI said the driver had been forced to give a false testimony, she said. She claimed that her son had not left the campus on his own but there was a conspiracy behind his disappearance. She said she will appeal to the Supreme Court and is discussing it with her lawyers. She gave a call to mothers who have faced apathy at the hands of the government to join her in a protest march from Mandi House to Parliament Street. People are not safe under the central government. Vivek Tiwari was killed in Lucknow. My son went missing from a university in Delhi but there are many mothers whose children have gone missing from their houses and colonies. Mothers are losing their sons in encounters. All the investigating agencies are working under pressure. I am appealing to other mothers who have faced this pain to join me, she said. I just want to know my son is safe. I know he will come back one day. I have to put up a brave front in front of my ailing husband and my children. The CBI said they have found people who went missing five years ago. Why could not they find my son? she said. JNUSU president N Sai Balaji raised questions on the police and CBI investigation in the case and said there was an attempt to shield Ahmeds assaulters, who belong to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid called the high courts decision a travesty of justice. The Delhi high court accepts CBIs plea to close Najeeb Ahmeds case. Complete travesty of justice. CBI closed the case without even once interrogating in custody ABVP goons. This is time to extend complete solidarity to Fatima Nafees, who is going to challenge it in the Supreme Court, he posted on Twitter. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated ABVPs JNU unit welcomed the verdict and said the nine students, accused of assaulting Ahmed, have been found to be innocent. The family life and career dreams of these nine students have been shattered due to the petty politics of AISA and its allies. The underprivileged background of these students was a big factor for Left to target them as scapegoats in this case, ABVPS JNU unit said in a statement. The ABVP has always maintained that Ahmeds disappearance was an internal conspiracy of Left-backed All India Students Association to create Muslim issue for the Uttar Pradesh elections in early 2017. As soon as the elections in Uttar Pradesh were over, the whole issue was forgotten by the Left, they alleged. They demanded a fresh probe in Ahmeds disappearance. We demand that a fresh inquiry be constituted to check the roles of the then JNUSU President Mohit Pandey, AISA leader and Ahmeds roommate Md. Qasim ( who is also the last person to have seen Ahmed) and Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students Organisation leader Umar Khalid, they said. Ahmed had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the JNU on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some students allegedly affiliated to the ABVP the previous night. Nafees had moved the high court on November 25, 2016, seeking directions to the police to trace her son. However, as the Delhi Police remained clueless about Ahmeds whereabouts even after seven months since he went missing, the probe was handed over to the CBI on May 16 last year. Photograph: / Rediff.com IMAGE: Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa reviews the 86th Air Force Day Parade 2018 at Air Force Station at Hindon in Ghaziabad. Asserting that the Indian Air Force is 'ever-prepared' to meet any contingency, its chief B S Dhanoa said on Monday that the induction of 36 Rafale jets and S-400 missile systems would enhance the capabilities of the force. Amid instances of air crashes, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said aerospace safety is one area where the force needs to maintain a constant vigil as 'loss of aircraft in peacetime is not only expensive, but also diminishes the wartime capability'. Efforts are being made to minimise accidents due to human error by providing best possible training to the air crew and technicians to meet the challenges of operating current generation fighters, as well as legacy aircraft and weapons systems. "The IAF is ever prepared to meet any contingency that challenges the defence of our country. In the year gone by, IAF has continued to grow from strength to strength and achieved a number of operational milestones," Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said in his address on Air Force Day at Hindon. He said it is the duty of the Air Force personnel to remain combat worthy and maintain combat systems operational for any contingency at a short notice. "Acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft, S-400 missiles systems, Apache attack helicopters and Chinook heavy lift helicopters would further enhance our capabilities," he said. The ongoing induction of state-of-the-art Tejas precision weapons is a part of the IAF's larger modernisation programme, he noted. India and Russia last week signed the multi-billion air missile defence system deal. The deal to buy Rafale jets was signed with France in 2016. Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa had last week termed the procurement of the 36 Rafale jets, the deal which is currently mired in controversy, and S-400 missile defence systems as the much needed "booster shots" to the Air Force. Speaking on 'Gaganshakti', the IAF drill that saw a mobilisation of 1,4000 officers and 14,000 personnel, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said it showcased the operational capability and readiness of the force. During the exercise, more than 11,000 sorties were flown, including approximately 9,000 sorties by fighter aircraft, he said. Elucidating on the role of Air Force in peacetime operations, he said during the Kerala floods this year, 23 aircraft and 25 helicopters of the IAF were pressed into the service. The IAF also provided timely assistance in fighting forest fires in Theni (Tamil Nadu), Katra (Jammu and Kashmir), Pathankot (Punjab), Kasuli (Himachal Pradesh) and even urban fires in Delhi, he noted. "In addition, airlifting relief material to Myanmar and Indonesia, fire fighting on an Indian Merchant Ship and CASEVAC of pilgrims stranded at Kailash Mansarovar and Amarnath Yatra were also carried out," Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said. The IAF, he said, has been actively supporting the government's initiatives for growth of regional air connectivity under the 'UDAAN' scheme. Forty-five new routes have been cleared through military airspaces while 33 defence airfields have been opened for joint use to accommodate civilian flights, he added. Twitter erupts with women from the media outlining horrifying tales of sexual harassment and molestation. Photograph: Issei Kato/Reuters This time last year, the world was awakened to a radical and path breaking movement: #MeToo. The movement took flight as The New York Times newspaper and the New Yorker magazine published reports revealing movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's decades-long predatory behaviour with women. Since then, Weinstein has been banished from Hollywood, is the subject of a criminal investigation in New York City and more and more victims have spoken out about the horrors behind show business's doors. Now, a year later, it appears that the #MeToo movement, a rallying cry for women everywhere, has reached Indian shores with women in the Indian media calling out sexual predators on Twitter and making it clear that they have had enough. It began with Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta. Returning to India, after spending eight years in the United States, Dutta spoke about how she had been allegedly harassed by Nana Patekar on the sets of a 2008 film, Horn OK Pleassss. Dutta's allegations were the tip of the iceberg. On October 4, writer Mahima Kukreja blew the lid off sexual harassment in India's burgeoning comedy circuit when she wrote about comedian Utsav Chakraborty sending her a picture of his genitalia without her consent. For those who don't know of Chakraborty, he is a stand-up comic who has freelanced with the popular comedy collective, All India Bakchod. Kukreja's charges empowered several others to come out and speak up about the sexual harassment they had faced at Chakraborty's hands. The comedian had allegedly asked minors to send nude images of themselves. All India Bakchod issued a statement apologising for its conduct (see full statement) after it was revealed that Tanmay Bhatt, a founder of the collective and a popular stand-up himself, knew about Chakraborty's behaviour and yet continued to work with him. Chakraborty also issued a statement, after initially being belligerent about the accusations, saying he was sorry and 'asking what he could do to make things right and not hurt anyone, anymore'. Following this, on Friday, Twitter erupted and women from the media started outlining horrifying tales of sexual harassment and molestation. Anoo Bhuyan, a reporter at The Wire Web site, tweeted about how a journalist had asked her to sleep with him because he 'thought I'm a woman like that' (You can see the full thread here: external link). Journalist Sandhya Menon shared an account of how a senior editor of The Times of India had put his hand on her thigh and tried to imply that he was available. Photograph: Kind courtesy @TheRestlessQuil/Twitter Menon went on to outline the incident vividly and also described what happened when she went to the human resources team with her complaint. The Times of India, in its response to the allegation, issued a statement which said it was very compliant with the Vishaka guidelines and took sexual harassment very seriously. Journalist @priyakamal tweeted: 'Ten years ago, as a cub journo, I was harassed at The Hindu by a senior business reporter in Hyderabad. I wasn't believed immediately. TH didn't have an internal committee either. Had to withstand that creep for 3 months before they finally let him go with full benefits... #MeToo' Many women alleged incidents where sexual harassment complaints weren't taken seriously at media organisations. These incidents are being widely shared, raising the hope that women's harassment at the workplace will now be taken seriously. However, only time will tell if #MeToo brings about a real change or if this will become just another story to report. Additional forces were deployed in industrial areas in Gujarat for the security of Hindi-speaking migrants after attacks on them sparked their exodus that prompted the state government on Monday to make an appeal for their return amid a political slugfest. Assuring security to the migrants, the Gujarat government said 431 people were arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks, as Chief Minister Vijay Rupani appealed to people not to engage in violence. Claiming that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police. We are committed to maintaining law and order, and people can call police in case of trouble. We will provide them security. he told reporters in Rajkot. Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar --Yogi Adityanath and Nitish Kumar -- and Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party ally Ram Vilas Paswan, who hails from Bihar, spoke to Rupani to voice their concern. Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have witnessed sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, police said. Police have arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime. Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. Over 20,000 migrants from these states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in different parts of the state. All non-Gujaratis should not be seen as culprits for the misdeeds of one person, he said. A leader of the Janata Dal-United, which is headed by Nitish Kumar, dashed off a two-page open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, blaming his party for the violence against Biharis. You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena is driving out migrant Biharis, Neeraj Kumar, JD-U MLC and spokesman, alleged. Without naming opposition Congress, Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said efforts were underway to find out whether it (attacks) is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years. But senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel gave a clean chit to Thakor, alleging that the BJP government was trying to politicise the issue. Rahul Gandhi said targeting of migrant workers in Gujarat is completely wrong and he is totally against it. Taking to Twitter, he said the root cause of violence in Gujarat is the closure of factories and unemployment there due to which both the system and the economy are reeling. Making migrant labour their target is completely wrong. I stand totally against it, he said in Hindi on Twitter. Jadeja asserted it is the responsibility of the state government to provide security to those who come to Gujarat for employment from other states and appealed to those who have fled to come back to the state. He told a press conference in Gandhinagar the Centre had been apprised of the steps taken by the state government to bring the situation under control. The attack on migrant workers is highly condemnable. The chief minister has instructed us to take all necessary steps to stop the attacks. I also appeal to people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains, Jadeja said. Jadeja said only a handful of people are involved in the violence. We have deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of migrants. We have also decided to set up points (camps) for the State Reserve Police and increase patrolling in such areas. While police have arrested several members of the Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and also named the outfit in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor alleged that youth from the community were being falsely implicated. Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it must be remembered he has to contest general elections from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Modi represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha. Condemning the rape incident, Nitish Kumar said the guilty must be punished but an entire community must not be tarred with the same brush. Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister yesterday. Our Chief Secretary and DGP are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat, Kumar told reporters in Patna. If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people must not generalise and hold a grouse against an entire state. Adityanath said the Gujarat chief minister told him that his government has ensured the safety of all and that are all welcome. Rupani also informed there had not been any incident since the past three days and he has also appealed to people against paying any heed to rumours, Adityanath told reporters in Lucknow. Adityanath said Gujarat is a peace loving state and a model of development and that those do not want development spread rumours. The Valley witnessed a paltry 8.3 per cent, whereas Jammu and Ladakh recorded an over 65 per cent voter turnout. IMAGE: People stand in queue to cast their votes for municipal elections in Ranbir Singh Pura near Jammu. Photograph: PTI Photo Threats from terrorist groups kept a majority of people away from polling booths in Kashmir Valley where the turnout was a paltry 8.3 per cent, whereas in Jammu and Ladakh divisions over 65 per cent of the electorate voted in the first phase of urban local body polls on Monday, officials said. Polling on Monday was by and large peaceful in the four-phase election to urban local bodies, which has been boycotted by two main regional parties -- the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party. In Kashmir Valley, Bandipore recorded the lowest turnout at 3.3 per cent and Kupwara the highest at 36.6 per cent. Photograph: Umar Ganie/ Rediff.com IMAGE: Tight security arrangement were made for the elctions. With no election rallies taking place before the first-phase polling in 58 wards in Kashmir Valley, the fear of terrorist groups was evident as many of the booths wore a deserted look and at certain places people tried to hide themselves from the assembled mediapersons. In the election to 238 wards in Jammu division, the turnout was recorded at 65 per cent. In Ladakh divisions Leh and Kargil districts, 55.2 and 78.1 per cent of the electorate respectively cast their votes till 4 pm, when the voting ended. Polling began at 7 am. Groups such as Hizbul Mujahideen had threatened to throw acid at candidates and asked people to remain indoors and not cast their ballots. Streets in Kashmir Valley wore deserted look and shops and business establishments were shut. Two National Conference workers were gunned down last week, barely two days before elections. However, there was no poll-related violence reported in any part of the Valley barring a small incident in which a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate was caught in a minor stone-pelting incident. Photograph: Umar Ganie/ Rediff.com IMAGE: Security personnel stands guard as people wait in queues to cast their votes. Only 7,057 voters of the 84,692 eligible persons turned up to vote in the wards which went to polls (in Kashmir Valley) on Monday. The polling was by and large peaceful, one of the officials said. The polls to urban local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in four phases. In North Kashmir, Kupwara Municipal Committee recorded a high voter turnout of 36.6 per cent, while 27.8 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise at wards of Handwara Municipal Committee. Out of the 30,074 voters in three wards of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, 1,862 turned up at heavily-fortified polling stations. Budgam recorded a turnout of 17 per cent, Anantnag 7.3 per cent, Baramulla 5.7 per cent and Bandipora 3.3 per cent, the officials said. Of the 150 polling stations in Kashmir division, 138 polling stations were categorised as hypersensitive. Photograph: Umar Ganie/ Rediff.com IMAGE: Shops, business establishments, private offices and fuel stations remained closed in Srinagar due to a strike called by the separatists against the local bodies' polls. The polls were announced last month but two major political parties -- the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party -- boycotted the elections accusing the Centre of not taking a firm stand on the protection of Article 35A of the Constitution which is facing a legal challenge in the Supreme Court. Article 35A accords special rights to permanent citizens of Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorist groups had issued threats to anyone participating in these polls, prompting candidates to stay away from campaigning and not hold rallies. In several wards, especially those in south Kashmir, no candidate filed nomination papers for the polls. For ensuring security of candidates, they were moved to safe locations and their details were not made public. The election authorities also kept the identities of the contesting candidates from the valley secret due to security reasons, prompting the people to term these polls as secret elections. In Jammu, which witnessed elections to 238 wards, saw 56.7 per cent of polling with 3,32,255 exercising their franchise. IMAGE: Security personnel stand guard at a polling station in Budgam district of central Kashmir. Photograph: S Irfan/PTI Photo The second phase covering 384 wards is scheduled for October 10, the third covering 207 wards on October 13 and the last phase covering 132 wards on October 16. The counting of votes will be done on October 20. The last election to the municipal bodies in the state was held in 2005 through secret ballots and the five-year term expired in February, 2010. Expressing satisfaction on the successful outcome of the first-phase polling, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that time is running out for politicians and political groups who thrived on militancy. Photograph: Umar Ganie/ Rediff.com IMAGE: Security personnel stands guard at a railway track during first phase of municipal elections. The leaders who have been dissuading people from participating in the election process are the ones who have, over the last several decades, sought to project their indispensability by intimidating the genuine democratic forces. Nevertheless, however much they may try to thwart this phenomenon, even though unsuccessfully, there is going to be no looking back now, Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Ministers Office, said in Delhi, in apparent attack on the NC and the PDP. He said the common people, particularly the youth, including those from Kashmir Valley, have seen through the hypocrisy and duplicity of such leaders who demand dynastic autonomy for themselves, but do not support democratic autonomy for duly-elected local representatives. United States economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer on Monday shared the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize for integrating innovation and climate with economic growth. Nordhaus, a professor at Yale University, is best known for his work on climate economics. Romer, of New York Universitys Stern School of Business, is a proponent of a theory that examines how the world can achieve sustainable growth. This years Laureates have designed methods for addressing some of our times most basic and pressing questions about how we create long-term sustained and sustainable economic growth, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement. It said the pair has significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis by constructing models that explain how the market economy interacts with nature and knowledge. Nordhaus developed an influential model that examines the consequences of climate policy interventions, including carbon taxes, on the global economy. His work on climate was recognised the same day that a key United Nations panel warned that governments around the world must take rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes to avoid disastrous levels of global warming. A former chief economist at the World Bank, Romer has shown that economic forces govern the willingness of companies to innovate. The concept is the foundation of what is now called endogenous growth theory, which states that new ideas and technology help drive economic activity. Monday marked the 50th anniversary of the Nobel Prize in economics. The prize money of 9 million Swedish krona (Rs 7.31 crore) will be split equally between the winners. 'He has dealt with such tremendous odds that he understands things at a level that not many people do,' Urmimala Abhilash tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih about her husband, Commander Abhilash Tomy. IMAGE: Commander Abhilash Tomy arrived in India on October 6, 13 days after he was rescued from a remote part of the Indian Ocean. Photographs: Kind courtesy Indian Navy/Twitter The wait was finally over. Over the weekend, Urmimala Abhilash received the good news that her husband Commander Abhilash Tomy had reached Visakhapatnam, 13 days after he was rescued from a remote part of the Indian Ocean. The Indian Navy's frigate INS Satpura had picked up Commander Tomy from the tiny island of Little Amsterdam a few days ago and brought him home to India on Saturday, October 6. Commander Tomy is being treated at the naval hospital INHS Kalyani. He has to have a surgery. None more than Urmimala has suffered the vagaries of emotion since news broke of her husband lying immobile in a boat and lost at sea for three days. "He is much better and slowly making good progress," she says over the phone from Goa a day before Commander Tomy arrived in Vishakapatnam. At that time she was expecting him in India "in 2-3 days." "I know that he had a muscular sprain, nothing very severe. I am hoping it is not nerve related. Until the MRI is done when he gets back, we will not know 100% what the damage is, but it certainly is not bone related," she says. Her voice is restrained but clear, and gives way to gentle laughter when she speaks of the qualities she likes most about him. "Whatever happens, he is cheerful. That's him," says Urmimala, an illustrator of children's books and an alumnus of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. "He has dealt with such tremendous odds that he understands things at a level that not many people do. He has crossed the barriers many of us are still holding on to -- and left that comfort zone long ago," she says. "He's like Buddha." IMAGE: With Dr Lemarchand Remy, the French doctor who looked after him at I'lle Amsterdam. Five days after he was rescued via a multi-nation effort and taken to the French island of Little Amsterdam, it was her birthday. Commander Tomy called to wish her and has spoken to her whenever possible. Since he was on a naval carrier that has many security restrictions, she could not call him and waited for him to contact her. "A naval stealth carrier requires a lot of permissions from higher orders. It is not possible to converse as and when one likes," says the naval officer's wife. Thuriya, the name of the boat Commander Tomy sailed in, was her suggestion. "It is taken from the Upanishads. Abhilash and I do talk about the Upanishads, so I can't take credit for it alone." "It is a beautiful boat." Commander Tomy had taken an album of photographs with him. He also pasted pictures of the family on the boat. "More than anything else, the boat itself is an extension of him," Urmimala says with a hesitant laugh. While on Little Amsterdam island, Commander Tomy was mostly sleeping, talking to doctors. He needed to rest and recover. IMAGE: Commander Tomy disembarks from the INS Satpura. A helicopter from the ship evacuated him from the tiny French island and brought him onboard. It was a difficult time for Urmimala. She was distraught. Their son, who also loves boats and the sea, was also worried. "Having lived with someone like him, he trains you how to think in a crisis. It's the wisdom and thoughts that he left me with that sort of prepared me. I hung onto things he had told me." "I had to think of what to do when I got the news directly. Being emotionally distraught comes in the way of thinking clearly. My son was very distraught." A lot of support came from family and friends. They took charge of keeping their son busy and distracted. Don McIntyre, founder and owner of the Golden Globe Race that Commander Tomy was participating in, called constantly. "That helped me a lot. An e-mail from Robin Knox Johnston was very helpful. Robin's mail was very important, he reassured me that since he could move his toes he would be fine. 'Take from my experience', he said, 'Abhilash would be fine.' It meant a lot." Sailing legend Robin Knox Johnston was the first man to solo circumnavigate the world in 1969. The Golden Globe Race 2018 commemorated the 50th anniversary of that journey. The race rules required that participating sailors could use 1969 vintage navigational aids. Commander Tomy put a lot of his own money to participate in the race and was only one amongst three sailors invited by the organisers to participate. IMAGE: With Vice Admiral K B Singh, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Eastern Naval Command, and his father Lieutenant Commander V C Tomy (retd), on his return. Urmimala Abhilash does not know how long it will take for her husband to come home to Goa. In the past few days, she has spent time preparing his room with his favourite books, music and photographs. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Pablo Neruda and Haruki Murakami are some of his favourite writers. He plays the guitar and enjoys instrumental music. His favourite food is dessert. "He likes his Malayali food, but is not fussy." "I know when he comes there will be lots on his mind. He would be disappointed about the race. There will be press and guests -- I want to soften the blow." The night before he set sail, the couple had spent a quiet evening after a dinner with friends. Now that he is back, Urmimala, Abhilash and their son will look forward to many more evenings like that. General Bajwa remains in command as army chief and Prime Minister Imran Khan did not play any role in the reshuffle, says Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan Desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency. IMAGE: Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, right, with his troops. The mysterious Khabrain 'report' proved a damp squib as the postings of the three star generals promoted on September 29, 2018 have been announced, incorporating another mini-reshuffle. Presumably after Prime Minister Imran Khan's formal approval, General Qamar Javed Bajwa's nominee Lieutenant General Asim Munir Shah is the the new directordirector general, Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, ISI. Lieutenant General Nadeem Zaki Manj of the armoured corps has been appointed GOC, I Corps, Mangla replacing Lieutenant General Azhar Saleh Abbasi, also of the armoured Corps, who moves as inspector general training and evaluation (IG, T&E). Another newly promoted general, Lieutenant General Shaheen Mazhar Mehmood, again of the armoured corps, has been appointed XI Corps Commander, Peshawar. Lieutenant General Waseem Ashraf is the Pakistan army's chief of logistics staff at general headquarters. Lieutenant General Qazi Mohd Ikram Ahmed has been shifted from as commander, army strategic forces command. Lieutenant General Abdul Aziz, who was DG (planning) at the ISI, has been appointed military secretary. The posting of Lieutenant General Syed Muhammad Adnan is yet to be decided. Armoured corps officers seem to have come off better in this reshuffle with assignments to prominent corps commands in Mangla and Peshawar. The strategic forces command remains with the artillery, with an officer earlier in a staff post now accommodated in a prestigious field command. These changes confirm that General Bajwa remains in command as army chief and Prime Minister Imran Khan did not play any role in the reshuffle. Earlier, a 'report' surfaced in Khabrain, one of Pakistan's largest circulating Urdu dailies, alleging that there was a plot to kill General Bajwa, hatched by Lieutenant General Asim Munir Shah and outgoing ISI chief Lieutenant General Naved Mukhtar. According to the Khabrain 'report' the plot involved air defence officers who would shoot down General Bajwa's helicopter as he returned from a foreign trip. General Bajwa has just returned to Pakistan from a three-day trip to Jordan. He then hot-footed it to Quetta where Prime Minister Imran Khan was given a security briefing at the XII Corps headquarters on the Baluchistan situation. The 'report' was authored by by Zaid Hamid, a known maverick journalist who carries little credence. Hamid was discredited by the ISI itself after being patronised for years to spew anti-Indian propaganda. In November 2008, Hamid claimed Mumbai 26/11 was a 'Hindu-Zionist plot'. In 2013, he alleged a similar plot to kill former army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, ostensibly for his 'pro-democracy' views. In 2015, he was arrested by the Saudi authorities while on the umra with his family. Hamid is a Muhajir. His mother was reportedly from Kashmir. IMAGE: Lieutenant Asim Munir Shah, director general, ISI. Lieutenant General Asim Munir, formerly the director-general military intelligence, is considered to be close to General Bajwa. The frivolous Khabrain report could have been a ploy from some of General Munir's disgruntled peers who consider him too junior to hold the prestigious DG ISI job. And while the owner of the Chevrolet, which held Sheena's remains, will be examined on October 16 in Judge Jagdale's court, it is Indrani's response to the prosecution's reply to her bail application that will be the focus of everyone's attention. Savera R Someshwar reports from the Sheena Bora murder trial. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com It was a slightly different day in Courtroom 51 of the Mumbai civil and sessions court where Judge Jayendra Chandrasen Jagdale presides over the ongoing Sheena Bora murder trial. Central Bureau of Investigation Special Prosecutors Kavita Patil and Bharat Badami, who are almost always on time, were missing. As was Witness No 20, Faisal Nisad Ahmed, the director of A M Motors, a car rental company that hired out the car which, according to the prosecution, played a key role in the murder. And Witness No 21, Vishwajeet Sawant, who served as the one of the panch (witnesses) at the Khar police station for the Sheena Bora trial. Judge Jagdale, unhappy with yet another delay -- delays, he has repeatedly made clear to the lawyers in this case, is something he does not want in his court -- threatened to issue a warrant against the missing witness. The defence, for a change, was there in full strength, including Accused No 4 Peter Mukerjea's lawyer Shrikant Shivade and Accused No 1 Indrani Mukherjea's lawyer, Sudeep Ratnamberdutt Pasbola. Indrani, looking rather wan in white -- though she had attempted to perk up her look with a faux pearl-encrusted bindi and sindoor -- prayed for the judge's indulgence. Standing in the witness stand, she requested an update about her bail application. The judge, after some consultation with his always efficient clerks, informed her that the prosecution would file its reply by October 11 and she could counter their response on October 16, the date scheduled for the next hearing. Indrani bowed deeply and stepped out of the courtroom. When Badami whirled in with Patil, more than 40 minutes late -- by which time Pasbola had left and Shivade was conferring with his client -- he was not a happy man. He had, he informed the judge in injured tones, always bent backwards to accommodate the defence lawyers's hectic schedule, but the same courtesy was not extended to him on the rare occasion that he was late. As Judge Jagdale smiled soothingly, Badami explained that Witness No 20's mother was suffering from cancer "and he did not want to leave her at her deathbed". Witness No 21 was, said Badami, "suffering from high blood pressure". Judge Jagdale, ever-soothing: "There is a procedure..." "Yes, we are filing," Badami said quickly. Witness No 20, Ahmed, who is now expected to depose on October 16, is expected to shed light on the Chevrolet that reportedly temporarily housed Sheena Bora's remains the night she was killed. "It was the car that was used by Shyamvar Rai for the first recce (when he was searching for a place where a body could be safely disposed). He then drove Indrani in the same car for the second recce," Badami said later. "The same car was used to pick Sheena near the National College. It was the car in which she was murdered. They used the same car to take her to Marlow (the building in Worli, south central Mumbai, where the Mukerjeas stayed; the car -- with Sheena's body hidden in a suitcase in the boot -- was reportedly parked overnight in the Mukerjeas's garage). The same car was driven to Pen the next day for the disposal of the body," the CBI prosecutor stated. "On the way back," Badami added, "Indrani and Sanjeev (Khanna, Indrani's former husband and Accused no 2) were dropped on the way. It was the same car that was later used to pick Peter from the airport." And while Ahmed, the owner of this car, will be examined on October 16 in Judge Jagdale's court, it is Indrani's response to the prosecution's reply to her bail application that will be the focus of everyone's attention. If Imran Khan delays his assent to General Bajwa's recommendations any further, it could imply he is taking stock of possible serious dissent within Pakistan's top army echelons, says Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan Desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency. IMAGE: Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, right, with his troops. More than a week after the promotions of three star generals were announced, there seems to be a glitch in the formal appointment of the new director general, Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, ISI. A 'report' surfaced in Khabrain, one of Pakistan's largest circulating Urdu dailies, alleging that there was a plot to kill Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, hatched by Lieutenant General Asim Munir and outgoing ISI chief Lieutenant General Naved Mukhtar. According to the Khabrain 'report' the plot involved air defence officers who would shoot down General Bajwa's helicopter as he returned from a foreign trip. General Bajwa has just returned to Pakistan from a three-day trip to Jordan. He then hot-footed it to Quetta where Prime Minister Imran Khan was given a security briefing at the XII Corps headquarters on the Baluchistan situation. IMAGE: Lieutenant General Naved Mukhtar, former director general, Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, ISI. The 'report' is authored by by Zaid Hamid, a known maverick journalist who carries little credence. Hamid was discredited by the ISI itself after being patronised for years to spew anti-Indian propaganda. In November 2008, Hamid claimed Mumbai 26/11 was a 'Hindu-Zionist plot'. In 2013, he alleged a similar plot to kill former army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, ostensibly for his 'pro-democracy' views. In 2015, he was arrested by the Saudi authorities while on the umra with his family. Hamid is a Muhajir. His mother was reportedly from Kashmir. The mainstream media in Pakistan has ignored the report so far. IMAGE: Lieutenant Asim Munir, who is expected to be appointed director general, ISI Lieutenant General Asim Munir, director-general military intelligence, is considered to be close to General Bajwa and tipped to be his favourite for the ISI post. The delay in the announcement and this frivolous report could be a ploy from some of General Munir's disgruntled peers who consider him too junior to hold the prestigious DG ISI job. If Imran Khan delays his assent to General Bajwa's recommendations on the new promotions any further, it could imply he is taking stock of possible serious dissent within top army echelons. If the differences are assessed as serious, the ISI job could go to someone else like Lieutenant General Nadeem Zaki Manj, a previous DGMI, now GoC 33 Division. Quetta. It could also sow the first seeds of tension between the army chief and an elected prime minister. Otherwise, it could be just another storm in a tea-cup in Pakistan's conspiracy-ridden Urdu media. The delay in announcing the charges of the new three star generals is certainly unusual. Taiwan's exports rose moderately in September, while imports surged, leading to a reduction in the trade surplus, preliminary data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Monday. Exports grew 2.6 percent year-on-year and imports grew 13.9 percent. The trade surplus decreased by 35 percent from a year ago to US$4.33 billion. Among the leading export commodities, shipments of information, communication and audio-video products, machinery, and electronic parts decreased. In contrast, exports of base metals and related products and plastic & rubber articles increased. Imports of petroleum surged by 43 percent, leading to an increase of 34.7 percent for the overall category mineral products. Region-wise, exports to mainland China & Hong Kong, Japan, the USA and Europe increased, while those to ASEAN decreased. Imports from China and Hong Kong, ASEAN, Japan, the USA, Europe and the Middle East rose in September. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Economic News What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more. European stocks fell on Monday after Chinese brushed aside central bank policy loosening and recorded their biggest single-day fall since February on concerns over an escalating trade war with the United States. China's Shanghai Composite index fell as much as 3.72 percent to finish at 2,716.51 as traders returned to their desks after a week-long holiday. Concerns surrounding Italy, rising bond yields and Brexit uncertainty also kept investors nervous. The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index was down 0.6 percent at 374.12 in opening deals after falling 0.9 percent on Friday. The German DAX, France's CAC 40 index and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 were down between 0.5 percent and 0.7 percent. Banks paced declines, with Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, Societe Generale and Commerzbank losing 2-5 percent. Hearing aid maker William Demant slumped 11 percent on worries about competition after the FDA approved a hearing aid from Bose. Norsk Hydro jumped 4.5 percent. The Norwegian aluminum and renewable energy company said it was preparing to resume production at its alumina refinery in Brazil. Total SA fell 1.3 percent in Paris after signing a new concession contract with Sonatrach and Alnaft to jointly develop the Erg Issouane gas field located on the TFT Sud permit. In economic releases, German industrial output slid 0.3 percent in August from the previous month, confounding expectations for an increase of 0.5 percent, figures from Destatis showed. Production had decreased 1.3 percent in July. On a yearly basis, industrial production logged a fall of 0.1 percent, in contrast to the expected growth of 0.1 percent and the 1.5 percent increase seen in July. Eurozone investor confidence weakened in October largely due to uncertainties about the fiscal policy stance in Italy and the automobile industry in Germany, survey data from think tank Sentix showed. The investor sentiment index fell more-than-expected to 11.4 from 12.0 in September. The expected reading was 11.8. Separately, surveys released by Deloitte and the British Chambers of Commerce highlighted concerns among British businesses over Brexit. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis Oil prices fell below $83 a barrel on Monday after the United States said it is actively considering waivers on sanctions against Iran that will take effect on Nov. 4. Benchmark Brent crude was down 1.64 percent at $82.78 a barrel after hitting a four-year high of $86.74 last week. U.S. crude futures were down 1.43 percent at $73.28 a barrel. The Trump administration is "in the midst of an internal process" of considering waivers for countries that are reducing imports of Iranian crude, media reports quoted a U.S. government official as saying. India, the world's third-biggest oil importer, is expected to buy 9 million barrels of Iranian oil in November, the country's petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday at an event. Investors also expect that top exporter Saudi Arabia will steadily increase production to compensate for the Iranian oil that will be subject to U.S. sanctions. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis Smartlands, a Stellar blockchain-based security tokenization platform, has partnered with Canadian real estate major Colliers International, aiming to create real estate-based security tokens. Under the deal, the companies will explore the possibilities of securitizing real estate assets and to jointly create a Stellar-based real estate tokenization project based on select properties managed by Colliers. The deal was signed last week in Lithuania. Commenting on the partnership, Ramune Askiniene, CEO of Colliers, said, "The global financial and commercial landscape clearly shows trillions of dollars worth of real estate ripe for tokenization. We at Colliers are positive that digital entrepreneurship of the new post-ICO era of security tokens will have a significant impact on redefining wealth creation, investing, fundraising, and a host of other Internet-based commercial activities." Commercial real estate company Colliers has assets in 69 countries. Colliers, with over 15000 employees, in 2017 had managed over 2 billion square feet of real estate through 68 thousand transactions worth $116 billion, generating $2.7 billion in revenue. Smartlands said its Platform is designed for creating low-risk securities backed by real estate assets, agriculture assets and assets in other sectors of the . For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site. Pompeo said in remarks to reporters that the timing of the inspection to confirm that the site has been irreversibly dismantled will depend on an agreement on logistics. "As soon as we get it logistically worked out, Chairman Kim said he's ready to allow them to come in," Pompeo said. "There's a lot of logistics that will be required to execute that, but when we get them we'll put them on the ground." Pompeo noted Kim also agreed during a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to allow inspectors at a North Korean missile engine testing site in the northwestern town of Tongchang-ri. The Secretary of State also told reporters the U.S. and North Korea are "pretty close" to an agreement on a second meeting between Kim and President Donald Trump. "Most importantly, both the leaders believe there's real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit," Pompeo said. "So, we're going to get it at a time that works for each of the two leaders in a place that works for both of them," he added. "We're not quite there yet, but we'll get there." Pompeo declined to say whether the U.S. would consider holding the summit in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang or if the meeting will take place within the next month. Responding to criticism his trip to North Korea did not accomplish anything new on denuclearization, Pompeo said, "On the process we made significant progress, we'll continue to make significant process, and we are further along in making that progress than any administration in an awfully long time." For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Linde plc said that the proposed combination between Praxair, Inc. (PX) and Linde AG (LDE.L, LNAGF.PK) received antitrust clearance in South Korea subject to certain conditions, satisfying a closing condition. Linde plc is a public limited company formed on April 18, 2017, that will become the parent company of Praxair Inc. and Linde AG upon the completion of the business combination. Completion of the business combination remains subject to timely approval by requisite governmental regulators and authorities under applicable competition laws. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News The European ended the first day of the new trading week firmly in negative territory. A number of concerns weighed on investor sentiment Monday, including concerns surrounding Italy, rising bond yields and Brexit uncertainty. Traders were also concerned over the unexpected drop in German industrial production. The sharp drop in the Chinese stock market also contributed to the negative mood among investors. China's Shanghai Composite index fell as much as 3.72 percent to finish at 2,716.51 as traders returned to their desks after a week-long holiday. The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index weakened by 1.11 percent. The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone blue chip stocks decreased 1.06 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, lost 0.90 percent. The DAX of Germany dropped 1.36 percent and the CAC of France fell 1.10 percent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. declined 1.16 percent and the SMI of Switzerland finished lower by 0.86 percent. In Frankfurt, Daimler lost 1.87 percent. Chief Financial Officer Bodo Uebber informed the Chairman of the Supervisory Board that he is not seeking to extend his current appointment ending in December 2019. In Paris, Total SA fell 1.96 percent after signing a new concession contract with Sonatrach and Alnaft to jointly develop the Erg Issouane gas field located on the TFT Sud permit. In London, Lloyds Banking Group shed 1.31 percent. The bank is to inject its 13 billion pounds wealth management arm into a new joint venture with Schroders, according to Sky News. Legal & General Group slid 0.35 percent. The financial services company has completed a 2.4 billion pounds buyout for the Nortel Networks UK Pension Plan, covering around 15,500 pensioner members and around 7,200 deferred members. Hearing aid maker William Demant sank 10.64 percent in Copenhagen on worries about competition after the FDA approved a hearing aid from Bose. Norsk Hydro jumped 3.90 percent in Oslo. The aluminum and renewable energy company said it was preparing to resume production at its alumina refinery in Brazil. Eurozone investor confidence weakened in October largely due to uncertainties about the fiscal policy stance in Italy and the automobile industry in Germany, survey data from think tank Sentix showed Monday. The investor sentiment index fell more-than-expected to 11.4 in October from 12.0 in September. The expected reading was 11.8. Germany's industrial production declined unexpectedly in August on a notable weakness in construction, suggesting that the lost some momentum in the third quarter. Data from Destatis showed that industrial output slid 0.3 percent from July, confounding expectations for an increase of 0.5 percent. This was the third consecutive decline in output. Production had decreased 1.3 percent in July. China's private sector logged a moderate growth in September as improved services activity was offset by softer manufacturing growth, survey data from IHS Markit showed Monday. The Caixin composite output index rose marginally to 52.1 in September from 52.0 in August. A score above 50 indicates expansion. At the same time, the services Purchasing Managers' Index picked up to 53.1 from 51.5 a month ago, to signal the strongest increase in activity for three months. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis Jon Bon Jovi has announced his plans to embark on the Runaway to Paradise cruises in collaboration with the Norwegian Cruise Line, Runaway Tours and Sixthman. The cruise line is hosting two four-day "Runaway to Paradise" cruises in the spring and summer 2019. Norwegian Jade is set to sail from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas from April 12-16, 2019, and Norwegian Pearl will sail from Barcelona to Palma, Majorca from August 26-30, 2019. Both voyages promise memorable and up-close immersive experiences with the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee and Grammy Award winner. At each port, Bon Jovi and his 11-piece Kings of Suburbia band will join guests on the ship's pool deck for a full concert at night. "Ever since we started Runaway Tours, it's given me such joy to entertain the fans and tell them the stories of where my songs came from. What I've realized after all these years is that they've found not only my stories, but their own," said Jon Bon Jovi. "Hundreds of people have gotten together every time we take off for a destination, and long-lasting friendships are born. We want to continue that tradition in Runaway's fully-immersive vacation trips. Get ready, we'll see you out there!" Double occupancy staterooms on Runaway To Paradise begin at $1,895 per person for the Caribbean sailing, and $2,221 per person for the Mediterranean sailing. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Entertainment News After declining sharply early on in the session, crude oil futures regained lost ground and ended flat on Monday. Oil prices declined after the United States said it is considering waivers on sanctions against Iran that will take effect on November 4. However. prices came off lower levels amid reports about disruptions in oil production in the Gulf of Mexico due to hurricane Michael and news about explosion at a key oil refinery in Canada. Crude oil futures for November declined to a low of $73.08 a barrel before recovering to close at $74.29 a barrel, down 5 cents from previous close. On Friday, crude oil futures for November ended at $74.34 a barrel, gaining a penny. According to reports, the U.S. administration is "in the midst of an internal process" of considering waivers for countries that are reducing imports of Iranian crude. It is widely expected that Saudi Arabia will steadily increase production to compensate for the loss of Iranian oil from early November. Traders were looking ahead to crude inventories data from American Petroleum Institute and Energy Information Administration. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis In a shocking development, a young scientist working with the BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd (BAPL)'s missile research centre in Nagpur was arrested on Monday on alleged charges of spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI and other countries, informed sources said. Scientist Nishant Pradeep Agrawal has been working for the last four years in the BAPL, an Indo-Russian Joint Venture, and was nabbed in a joint operation of Uttar Pradesh Police and Maharashtra Police. The UP-Anti Terrorist Squad (UP-ATS) has also raided two other unidentified persons in Agra and Kanpur in the north India state and seized their laptops, an official statement of the Uttar Pradesh Police said on Monday. Following a tip-off, he was placed under surveillance for the past few days by the Military Intelligence as well as Uttar Pradesh Police and Maharashtra Police. The BAPL officer has been booked under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), the sources said. The UP Police statement said the UP-ATS had monitored fake Facebook accounts originating from Pakistan in the name of women to "honey-trap" key officials working in sensitive defence-related set-ups in India. The information came to light after the Border Security Force (BSF) recently nabbed a person in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and two fake Facebook IDs of women created in Pakistan were put under observation after they were found to be chatting with Agrawal. Accordingly, the UP-ATS acquired a search warrant from a court and along with Maharashtra ATS, swooped on Agrawal's residence at Ujjwal Nagar in Nagpur. "We have found certain secret and ultra-sensitive information on his personal computer. It should not been there on his personal laptop. It violates the provisions of the OSA, and hence he has been arrested," the statement added. The joint ATS teams of the two states also searched his BMAL office and from another location recovered an old laptop which is being examined to see if it contains anything objectionable. The UP-ATS has moved a local court in Nagpur seeking a transit remand to take Agrawal to Lucknow for further investigations. They said that after the investigations, they would be able to know what kind of chats he was having with the fake women's accounts on Facebook. Depending on the outcome, the accused may be slapped with additional charges, the UP-ATS said. As per preliminary information, Agrawal was reportedly passing on certain highly classified information, including "technological and other details", to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan as well as the USA. However, official circles are not aware of what kind of access to sensitive information or the security clearance levels Agrawal enjoyed in the company. Hailing from Roorkee in Uttarakhand, Agarwal had been recently awarded the "Young Scientist Award" for the year 2017-18. He had got married earlier this year and had been living in a rented house in Nagpur's Ujjwala Nagar. Among other things, the BrahMos centre is involved in manufacturing certain critical components for the BrahMos missile, considered the world's fastest cruise missile that can be launched from land, ships, aircraft or submarines. The Indo-Russian joint venture's recent development of the latest version of the BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile has elicited keen interest in global defence circles and several major political powers in the world. The missile -- successfully test-fired on July 16 from the Integrated Test Range at Balasore in Odisha -- is an outcome of a joint venture of India's Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia Corp (NPOM), since 2011. The inquest into the death of two babies in Savaii following their vaccination in July this year has been adjourned again to October 24. Senior sergeant Richard Ah Chong confirmed this when asked by the Samoa Observer. It has now been adjourned to the 24th of this month because the Judges decision is not ready, he said. In the last Court proceedings, presiding District Court Judge, Fepuleai Ameperosa Roma, said he will consider the submissions by the prosecution and defense on whether he should adjourn the inquest, until criminal proceedings against two nurses in the Supreme Court is complete. Last month, counsel representing the family of the two toddlers, Muriel Lui, argued that the criminal matter is not dependent on the inquest and the parents of the deceased had an interest in the speedy handling of the matter. I dont understand the reason why this matter should be transferred to be heard together with the criminal matter because they are two separate matters in two separate courts. And in any case we are not sure what the nurses are charged with and the findings there are not dependent on this hearing, she submitted to the Court. The argument by Ms. Lui compelled Judge Fepuleai to alert her to the Coroners Act 2017 Section 30, which he said is clear when it came to such matters. Coroners Act 2017 Section 30 states and that is very clear that when there are criminal charges arising out under circumstances, in the death of the two deceased the coroner will have to postpone the coronial inquiry until the criminal proceedings are concluded, said the judge. However, Ms Lui in response submitted that she studied that particular section of the law and is of the view that the inquest should not be dependent on the criminal proceedings and the coroner should proceed. Local automotive car seller Asco Motors has warned owners of Toyota vehicle models Rav4 ACA21 and Yaris NCP92 that their vehicles could be fitted with defective airbags. The company took out a quarter page advertisement in yesterdays Sunday Samoan to warn vehicle owners in Samoa and to advise that they are doing a replacement of the defective airbags free of charge. The advertisement, under the headline Takata Airbag Special Service Campaign, asked the public if they owned a vehicle that was a Rav4 ACA21 and Yaris NCP92. Your vehicle may be fitted with a defective Takata airbag which could kill or seriously injure you or other passengers in the vehicle. Replacement of a defective Takata airbag is free of charge by Asco Motors, stated the advertisement. Pictures of the two Toyota model vehicles were also published in the same advertisement. It is not known how many Toyota Rav4 ACA21 and Yaris NCP92 vehicles are registered in Samoa as that information is held by the Land Transport Authority (L.T.A.). It is also not known if Asco Motors has alerted the L.T.A. to the defects that the vehicle manufacturer has identified in the airbags, and whether other companies that sell the same model vehicles in Samoa will also alert their customers and offer a similar service. It is understood Toyota-manufactured vehicles are not the only ones affected as reports from around the world indicate that cars made by Honda, BMW, Daimler, Fiat Chrysler, General Motors and Subaru are also affected by a worldwide recall of over 100 million Takata-made airbags. The Japanese company has been given until the end of 2019 to complete the recall of its product. Students from Samoa College and Hualuogeng Secondary School in Huizhou City in the Guangdong Province took part in a cultural exchange programme recently. A group of 11 comprising three teachers and eight students from Samoa College travelled to China for a 12-day education exchange programme which included the students teaching their host school the Samoan language in the form of a song. Students from Hualuogeng Secondary School showed the Samoan students the skills of a traditional Chinese dance, which were performed to honour the visit of Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi to the school. Another part of the cultural exchange was students from Samoa learning the art of Chinese paper-cutting, which is one of the most important types of Chinese folk art. One of the students from Samoa College, Paulo Setefano said learning a new skill that is significant to the Chinese culture was both exciting and informative. Paper-cutting is both interesting and requires great skill but overall the end result is always worth it, he said. The students from Samoa also learned a form of traditional Chinese painting, where each student took part in painting a face mask, which they could take home as souvenirs. Painting has never been this hard; there are certain procedures you have to follow, like the colors allocations, the precision in coloring so that it will not be messy or unattractive. But then it was a great challenge as it brought out the imaginative side for us, we did our best and I am quite proud of my mask, said Samoa College student Henry Tuiafiso. The highlight of the cultural exchange for the students from Samoa was the opportunity to be hosted by a Chinese family. Each student was allocated a family that they celebrated the Mid-Autumns festival. Students had the chance to eat their first mooncakes, which were rich pastries typically filled with sweet bean paste or lotus seed paste are traditionally eaten during this festival. The significance of this festival to the Chinese people is that it brings families together. Samoa College student, Marina Tolo had the chance to learn how to cook Chinese food. I learned how to make Chinese dumplings and pancakes. Its really a first time for me to learn a different countrys cuisine. There is a great difference between the Samoan and Chinese food but I am happy to admit that I have discovered some new favorite Chinese dishes, she said. Dear Editor, Re: Dont give what you cant afford, Budget advisor cautions To be honest, there is nothing wrong with the Faasamoa. However there are ways to enjoy life at the same time enjoy the Faasamoa. Here is my observation with the Faasamoa nowadays. The problem is, there is no limitation with how much you can give to weddings, funerals and title bestowing. Also there is no solid foundation on how families can prepare with situation like these Samoan life situation. Samoans always live in a moment when comes to faalavelaves. So my advice to all Samoans to reconsider their family plan and reverse these kinds of situation among Samoan people. Yes we all love our Faasamoa, however, if it is too much of a burden in families then it is not a good thing. We all are living in a society now that we, are Samoans have personal bills to pay and personal life to live and everything cost money compare to those old days when the Faasamoa is a real McCoy. Meaning no money involve or less money to spend. Think for a minute people. Samoan people can reverse this situation into a better and happier situation for all. I have an idea for Samoan families to beat this problem but I will keep it to myself. There is always a way to make things more manageable in life when people are willing to try something new to help them out. Moaga Nuusa LONDON, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- State-of-the-art night vision technology has been used to enable pilots to land in darkness for the first time on the flight deck of Britain's biggest ever warship, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) has announced. Until the trials, night-time landings had only been practised in flight simulators. Now the F-35 lightning fighter jets have conducted their first night flying trials off Britain's newly launched aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, the ministry announced on Wednesday night. The technology successfully allowed the pilots and aircraft handlers to guide the supersonic fighter jets onto the flight deck. Some trials were also carried out without night vision technology to ensure the jets' capability in any eventuality, said the MOD. Andrew Maack, the chief test engineer for the Integrated Test Force, the organisation responsible for analyzing the flight trials, said: "In daytime there are cues that tell the pilot's brain what the relative motion is between the airplane and the ship. At night, especially very dark night, all those cues go away and you become dependent on exactly what the lights are and what the sight of those lights looks like." Pilots initially flew in using only ambient light and the lights on the carrier's deck before later conducting landings using the night-vision capability in their helmets. HMS Queen Elizabeth has been fitted with specially-designed LED lightning on her flight deck to aid night time landings. The carrier, one of two built for the British military, left her home port of Portsmouth in August, crossing the Atlantic to conduct the flying trials, as well as training with the U.S. Navy. A brawl in town during the weekend has left one dead and another hospitalised with stab wounds on his neck. Falefou Lemana, of Togafuafua and Nuu, was stabbed to death following a fight between a group of men in Apia. The second victim is admitted to the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital hospital with stab wounds on his neck. The deceased is in his late 20s. The police have appealed to members of the public with information to assist their investigation. An uncle of the deceased, Peleti Schwalger, was still trying to come to terms with the death of his nephew when the Samoa Observer visited the family. We are still in shock that Falefou has passed away as a result of a brawl between men at Tauese, he said. He and another nephew of ours were in a drinking session then they were (on their way to get food) and thats where the fight broke out and as a result he was stabbed on the abdominal. Falefou was trying to help his cousin who was involved in the fight when he was stabbed and died, Mr. Schwalger said. The parents of the deceased and the second victim were not at home. Police Superintendent Soloi Iosefo Tuimaunei, when contacted for comment, said no one has been charged yet. We have leads that we are now investigating. All I can confirm is that the unfortunate incident took the life of a young man. I can also confirm alcohol was a factor and investigation is underway and unfortunately that is all I am at liberty to say. Other than that we are asking members of the public, who have any information pertaining to the incident to please come forward, he said. The Executive Director of Samoa Family Health Association, Lealaiauloto Liai Iosefa-Siitia, has been recognised with a top award presented to her during a Maternal Health Symposium at Harvard University. The Maternal Health Task Force award presented at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, honours Lealaiaulotos outstanding leadership in maternal health. In receiving the award in September, she became the first recipient from Samoa and the Pacific. She was one of 10 awardees from 382 global nominations chosen for their contribution to maternal health and in leading the way forward in achieving change in their organization. Receiving the award has been such an incredible honour, said Lealaiauloto. As health care professionals, we do this work to serve our people and not for the recognition. But to be acknowledged in such a way by such a prestigious award from an eminent university has been a great blessing. God willing, I hope to be able to continue to serve the people of Samoa for many years to come. Under her leadership, the S.F.H.A went from an unknown and under-resourced N.G.O to a highly regarded institute that donors and international partners seek out to co-operate with. As a result they are able to expand their family planning and sexual reproductive health services in both islands to reach more people This year they launched two new clinics in Motootua, Upolu and one in Salelologa, Savaii. The Savaii clinic is the first of its kind and allows S.F.H.A to deliver health services to the people of Savaii on a permanent basis. Weve had many highlights since I came on board and we have increased staff members but mostly importantly is that we have increased our reach to the communities especially those hard to reach places with high risk people. We focus mainly on women and young people but we also make sure that no one is left behind so this also means including people with disabilities. Asked how she would describe her leadership style, the Executive Director of S.F.H.A said quite simply that her maternal instincts informs how she approaches governance with an objective to lead future leaders. I value a lot of values but the most important thing to me is the maternal values such as nurturing our employees to better bring out their potential, she said. Everyone has potential but sometimes people are reluctant to take the risk of doing something outside their comfort zone. If you dont take the risk you wont be able to learn. So far I think I succeeded in bringing out the power within them that I dont think they are even aware of. Lealaiauloto said she runs her staff like she runs her family, emphasizing every step of the way that team work is very important. Now I see them stand up because I push them to get up and do whatever it is they feel challenged, I they can do -this is how I run my family. And I believe in continuously building on their capacity, we come together at least once a month and identify what we need to work on and so far so good. If you look at my staff, we are like a family. We do things like a family and we work together as a team and that includes getting a telling off from me at times but they respect it and they know where it comes from. Disciplining is last resort because I prefer to build people up. A midwife by profession, Lealaiauloto worked in government for over 30 years before she shifted to the private sector more than 20 years ago. She joined the Samoa Family Health association in 2011 and brought her wealth of experience and leadership skills to head up a non- governmental organization with no resources or budget. Her goal is to take the S.F.H.A to another level in becoming a social enterprise that can sustain itself while ensuring that health costs are kept low and accessible to Samoans. A rock throwing incident last Saturday evening that brought traffic to a halt on the Vaimoso road only involved men from the village. The Vaimoso Village Council Committee Chairman, Aulavemai Asiata Tafito, said the incident that occurred after 8pm last Saturday only involved men from his village, not Alamagoto. This was also confirmed by Alamagotos Village Mayor, Lefau Waikaremoana Soonalole, who told the Samoa Observer that no one from their village was involved. According to Aulavemai, the preliminary reports by the police that the clash was between men from Alamagoto and Vaimoso were not true. It does not sound right that men from another village come in our village and start a fight, he said. It does not sit well with us. This is an insult. What happened was between men in our village and they have been dealt with. Two families were involved. They have been penalised by the village Council and that is that... but again no one from another village was involved, he said. Other village chiefs, who were also present in the meeting yesterday with Samoa Observer, expressed similar sentiments and said they were insulted by reports that men from another village went to Vaimoso to pick a fight. This is an insult to the village and that is why we want to make it clear the incident occurred in the village Saturday night were men from our village. The police arrived and we told them to please let the council deal with it and they respected our wishes, added Aulavemai, who said the Police did not get involved because no one was injured and no properties were damaged. Aulavemai also apologised to the public for the inconvenience that the confrontation caused on Saturday night. The Police arrived and they directed traffic while the main highway was closed temporarily and that was for safety reasons. We apologise for what has occurred, he said. Electric Power Corporation (E.P.C.) has stopped supplying cash power cards to vendors in Savaii, making it difficult for the islands residents to purchase electricity. The announcement by the E.P.C. last week to vendors in Savaii, that scratch cash power cards were no longer on sale, has left residents with little to no options on where they can buy electricity top-up cards, other than travelling to Salelologa or calling their families in Apia to assist. E.P.C. Chief Executive Officer, Tologata Tile Tuimalealiifano, confirmed when contacted by Samoa Observer that they commissioned a vending system on October 1. What we will have is different types of cash power meters, but they can now vend through the new vending system. Using scratch cards is limited to a number of meters, the area of Falealupo as far away as Salelologa can vend on our new vending system we commissioned on Monday, he said. Resident of Falealupo, Lote Faamausili Scanlan Savelio, said it was difficult enough to get power before. But now that the scratch cards are not for sale, she said some people have to travel by bus from Itu-Asau or Falealupo to Salelologa at $20 tala return, which is an added expense. Many others rely on sending money with the bus drivers to get their cash power or call families in Apia. When Samoa Observer contacted her, Lote was on the ferry to Upolu for business, and she said the first thing on her list was to purchase cash power for her family back in Falealupo. People are often relying on sending money with the bus drivers to get their cash power. I know it was being sold at Asau Petrol Station, though it's still far for villagers to travel. According to Margaret, a store owner in the Falealupo area, E.P.C. used to deliver the cards to the vendors. But that was before they announced earlier in the year that they were no longer distributing the scratch cards, and it was up to each store to buy power from Salelologa. They were asked by E.P.C. to switch to a vending machine, which the store owner requested six months ago, and to date is yet to be delivered. Margaret also pointed out that before, vendors only make .40sene from on selling a $20 scratch power card and they receive no financial returns after you add travelling costs to Salelologa to purchase a supply but if they didnt do that -the villagers would lose out on a basic necessity. Tologata said he was not aware machines were not made available to vendors as far out as Itu-Asau, and he would consider feedback from Falealupo residents and follow up with Savaii staff to find a solution. As you know with any new systems there are always teething problems in the beginning, its good to know this feedback from the consumers, and Im glad that you have brought this issue up and I will straightaway follow up with the Savaii staff and find a solution for those consumers. Savaii residents having difficulties accessing cash power vendors are encouraged to call the E.P.C. office to lodge their complaints. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] Suspended Assistant Chief Executive Officer of the Land Transport Authority, Mataafa Sepelini, has been given approval by the Supreme Court to travel to New Zealand. His Honour, Chief Justice Patu Tiavaasue Falefatu Sapolu, granted the application by lawyer Diana Roma who made the submission to the Court on behalf of her client. Leone Sua-Mailo of the Attorney Generals Office, who is acting for the prosecution, did not oppose the application. The Chief Justice, when granting the application, told the defendant that there are conditions that he had to adhere to. By consent the accused is granted leave to leave the jurisdiction for New Zealand on the 13th of October and return to Samoa on the 21st of October on the following conditions. Firstly, you are to provide the sum of $5,000 each to the satisfaction of the register. Secondly, upon your return your passport or any other travel document is to be surrendered to the register and thirdly your bail conditions are to continue when you return. Mataafa has been charged with alleged forgery and intent to obtain by deception. According to the police warrant, he allegedly produced a false document by altering the year of make of a vehicle (with the registration number T454) from 2000 to 2005, knowing it to be false, but with the intent to make it appear genuine. The offence allegedly occurred on February 19, 2018. The matter returns to Court on November 19. An information technology company is positioning itself to meet the challenges of transitioning into the digital age. Lelata-based company Connect IT is run by couple Dane Curry and Rosie Yen-Curry, who are the companys managing directors, and bring with them skills and experience in information technology and business systems management. They strive to improve business operations and government processes by offering innovative IT solutions. We are trying to help our clients from an I.T. perspective so we can improve their operations by utilising innovative I.T. solutions. Businesses need information technology every day and it is important for them to adapt to growing technologies in order to keep up with competitive demands. Right now, the mindset in Samoa is that I.T. is a business expense but looking at it from a financial point of view, we see it as an investment because technology saves a lot of time for the operations of a company which benefits the consumer overall, said Mrs. Curry. Mr. Curry says while technology in Samoa is still not up to date with countries like New Zealand and Australia, they still want to ensure that they deliver high quality services and professionalism in line with their company policy. This is why the company formed strategic partnerships with reputable international companies within the IT industry, such as Microsoft, VMware, Cisco and Dell EMC which enables them to deliver solutions which in the past would have required expertise from abroad. Mrs. Curry said: What makes us unique is with the systems we have in place, we project an international standard. We were both working in New Zealand for a period of time and implementing that through what we do here in Samoa, thats one point of difference with us. In terms of expertise and qualifications we have the most qualified senior IT technicians. Last month the couple attended the annual Dell E.M.C Partner Summit, which was significant for them as they were the first Samoan owned ICT company to be invited. The Dell E.M.C Summit gave us the chance to network as well as the opportunity to share with other Dell E.M.C Partners in the Asia Pacific about how Samoas IT standards had improved over the years, but theres still a lot of room for improvement. You could say that Samoa is a mile away from using such technology. While they were coy about some of the services they plan to offer, they were pleased to announce the opening of a branch in American Samoa, after the new Tui-Samoa Cable is fully operationalised. We have got a lot of things in the pipeline. With Connect IT we havent ever reached half of what we want to roll out and only because its limited to the internet. When the internet is stable and more affordable for a lot of people, the solutions we intend to give out to businesses, its going to be very beneficial for them, added Rosie. Dell E.M.C is a US-based technology company that offers products and services all areas of computing networking, storage, servers, virtualisation, cloud computing and other products and services that enable businesses to store, manage, protect and analyse data. A delegation from the Chinese Embassy in Apia, led by Ambassador Wang Xuefeng, was at Afega yesterday to celebrate the donation of 20 sewing machines to the women of the village. As part of an ongoing assistance campaign by the Chinese Embassy, Afega and four other villages received 20 sewing machines and will undergo three weeks of full-time training by experts from Hunan Province in China. During an ornate and humbling ava ceremony, the Afega Village Council welcomed Ambassador Wang Xuefeng, his wife Tong Xin and their colleagues. Mr. Wang said he hopes his Government can continue helping the people of Afega with assistance that touches ordinary peoples lives. We are trying to become your friends indeed, he said, and was met with applause. He said the Chinese national television channel C.C.T.V. was present to film the occasion and would broadcast their coverage in November, to millions of viewers in China. This is the second year China has invested in training women in sewing, donating machines and expert training in Faleasiu, Vaimoso, Lefaga, Vaimauga and Lotofaga. The Afega Womens Council members said they were really excited to be gifted the machines. Some of our women here they have no income at all, said Televine Lou Masefao. So we are grateful to have this support for low or no income people, which will benefit everyone the women, the men and the children. The 20 women selected to learn from the Chinese trainers will then be expected to train the rest of the women, and the machines will reside in a central place for everyone to use, said Televine. The programme, facilitated by the Hunan International Business Vocational College costs China T$1.2 million, spent on bringing the 100 sewing machines to Samoa, and five groups of three experts and their English language interpreters as well as lunches during the three weeks of training. Last years programme was warmly welcomed in the villages they chose, Mr. Wang said, so he was eager to continue. With the help of his friends across the country and in consultation with the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, the embassy chose the villages to take part this year. As well as learning how to use the sewing machines, trainer Su Qing Yu or Cherry, has brought spare parts and will teach the women how to repair and maintain the machines as needed. Project manager from the Hunan College, Zhou Lihong said these machines will provide direct economic benefits to Afega and the other villages. Businesswoman, Tofilau Fiti Leung Wai, urged over 200 girls attending a conference to have long-term goals on what they want to achieve in life. Speaking at the four-day Girls Leading Our World (G.L.O.W.) Conference at St. Therese, the President and C.E.O. of Samoa Stationery and Books spoke on the importance of education, having a career and her path to success. To actually tap into these girls at a very young age is very important. These girls needed to be instilled with the good values and also they need to be taught a lot of things at this young age so that when they grow up they become exceptional leaders. So getting people who are successful to come and talk to them will get them inspire to be like those who got the time to speak to them. I could see that the girls really grasp what I was trying to say and we have some really strong leaders coming out of this conference, she said. She encouraged the young girls to have long-terms goals and to always put God in all that they do as well as their plans. I wanted to tell them how great God is and how real he is. A lot of good things and works come from a good heart and the last part of my presentation is where I told them that they must always have a vision. And it also says in the Bible in Proverbs 29:18, it says where there is no vision people perish and George Washington also said when there is no vision, there is no hope, she added. Sustainability and Public Relations Coordinator for G.L.O.W Samoa, Karen Anaya, said issues such as domestic violence were also discussed in the conference. This event was planned with every Samoan girl and woman in mind, so that they can reach their full potential and play vital roles in the prosperity of their families, communities, their country and the world, she added. The conference was an initiative of the American Peace Corps, the UN Women, UNDP and the Australian Government. Samoa is preparing its sixth periodic state report to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (C.E.D.A.W.) Committee at the end of the month. The Convention is the international bill of rights for women, defining what constitutes discrimination against women and sets an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. As part of Samoas preparations, a three-day preparatory session and mock dialogue was held last week. It was led by UN Women and facilitated by the Pacific Community (S.P.C.), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (U.N. O.H.C.H.R.) in partnership with Samoas Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (M.W.C.S.D.). The session included a group of government and N.G.O. representatives. Guest speakers included the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (M.F.A.T.) Chief Executive Officer, Peseta Noumea Simi who spoke about the International Human Rights Framework and the National Human Rights Institutions (N.H.R.I.). She addressed the links between the principles of Faasamoa (the Samoan way of life) and Human Rights. Samoa was the first Pacific island country to ratify the Convention, on 19 September 1992 and, to date, has ratified five of the nine core human rights instruments. It reinforced its engagement with the international human rights community in the past years, through the Universal Periodic Review (U.P.R.), its reporting to the Treaty Bodies and by establishing a National Human Rights Institute housed in the Office of the Ombudsman. Our faasamoa embraces inclusivity, respect, peace, love, and protection which are reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (U.D.H.R.), said N.H.R.I. representative, Tracey Mikaele. It is important to ensure that international conventions are being contextualized so that the people of Samoa are able to connect with these instruments and have a full appreciation of them in practice. The Samoan Constitution, based on Faasamoa, provides for a bill of rights and solid ground to combat discrimination against women, guaranteeing equal rights before the law and prohibiting discrimination based on descent, sex, language, religion, nor preventing the advancement of women and children. M.W.C.S.D. is the focal point for the reporting and monitoring of C.E.D.A.W. but it is also our role to understand and promote the concepts of human rights within the context of our own culture, highlighting its relevance to the people of Samoa, said the Minister of M.W.C.S.D., Faimalotoa Kika Stowers-Ah Kau. For over a decade, Samoa has carried out significant efforts to address inequality, including, through legislation on equal pay in employment, on domestic violence as well as a constitutional amendment designed to improve womens representation in the national Parliament. Such progress is undoubtedly linked to the increasing number of highly qualified professional Samoan women at the top echelons of public service, private sector and civil society where 38% of C.E.Os and 60% of A.C.E.Os are women in the Public sector, and 74% of leadership in Civil Society is female. UN Women is honoured to have the opportunity to work closely with the Government of Samoa as well as Civil Society actors in providing the most robust and transparent C.E.D.A.W. reporting process possible. The on-going strategy of UN Women is to support C.E.D.A.W. reporting and implementation, including providing technical assistance for the implementation of the Concluding Observations of the UN C.E.D.A.W. Expert Committee. UN Women provides technical assistance and advisory services to the Governments and Civil Societies across the Pacific helping to strengthen national capacity to report on and implement C.E.D.A.W. committee recommendations. Think a minuteNeil Vanderbilt was spoiledbut he could afford to be. Starting at age 16, he had worked his way to the top and built one of the largest transportation empires in history. As one of the richest men in the world, Vanderbilt frequently ate at an expensive restaurant called the Moon Lake Lodge where many wealthy, powerful people went for fine dining. Back in that era there was a new food from France called French Fries that was popular among rich Americans. One night Vanderbilt ordered some at the Moon Lake Lodge. But the cook, George Crum, had not yet learned how to make French Fries, so he cut them too thick. Vanderbilt complained and the waiter returned the fries to George telling him that Vanderbilt demanded that he cut the potatoes thinner. To keep his rich customer happy, George made some more. But Vanderbilt sent them back again with the same complaint that they were still too thick. By now, George the chef was angry. So he decided he would teach his spoiled, demanding customer a lesson! He grabbed his sharpest knife and sliced the potatoes so thin they were like paper. Next he dipped them into boiling fat and poured heaps of salt on them. Then George himself personally served Vanderbilt these extremely thin, overcooked, over-salted potato pieces. But to his surprise, Vanderbilt liked them! In fact, Georges overcooked revenge on Vanderbilt later became a popular snack around the world: the potato chip. Even if you get off to a bad start, its how you finish that counts. A successful man says: Try fast. Fail fast. Learn fast. The great car manufacturer, Henry Ford, put it this way: Mistakes are simply the opportunity to start again with more knowledge and wisdom. Jesus can help you turn your frustrations and failures into success. But you must first ask Him to take charge of your way of living. Just like you cannot expect a doctor to help you if you do not do what he says and take the right medicine as he directed. It is not until you start living Jesus way every day that He can start working everything in your life, even your mistakes, for your good and benefit. Just think a minute 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. BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. Authorities discovered the body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova on Saturday in the northern town of Ruse near the Romanian border. Police said she had been strangled and her body was found in a park near the river. Marinova was a director of TVN, a small TV station in Ruse, and a TV presenter for two investigative programs. Journalists' groups and foreign officials, including Harlem Desir, the media freedom representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, demanded a "full and thorough investigation" into Marinova's death. A Bulgarian investigative online media site went even further, calling for an independent international inquiry, saying that a Bulgarian probe could be compromised by corrupt Bulgarian officials. But Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said Monday there was no evidence to suggest the killing was linked to Marinova's work. "It is about rape and murder," he said. Bulgarian police, however, said they are considering all possible scenarios and examining possible links to both her personal and professional life. Corruption is endemic in Bulgaria, a Balkan nation that joined the EU in 2007 and was ranked 71st on Transparency International's corruption list last year. Joining the bloc opened an enormous spigot of possible new EU funding for Bulgarian infrastructure projects or other programs designed to bring the nation up to EU standards funds that were very attractive to both government officials and criminal networks. Marinova's final show was a program about Attila Biro, an investigative journalist with the Rise Project Romania and a colleague from the Bulgarian investigative site Bivol.bg, Dimitar Stoyanov. The two men were briefly detained Sept. 13 south of Sofia, the capital, as they investigated a tip that documents connected to suspected fraud involving EU funds were being shredded and destroyed. Bivol.bg owner Assen Yordanov said he couldn't directly link Marinova's slaying to her work, but noted her Sept. 30 show tackled "our very sensitive investigation into the misuse of EU funds." "This is a topic on which no other Bulgarian national media dared to report on," he told The Associated Press on Monday. "To get to the truth, we are calling for an independent investigation.... we want independent European investigators to get involved because we believe the Bulgarian authorities are part of this country's criminal network." Yordanov said his journalists were getting threats to their safety for this reporting. Chief Public Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov arrived in Russia and announced Monday that authorities had no new leads on the motive for the slaying. "At this stage let's be careful, not because we don't have anything to say, but because every word uttered loosely could damage our work," he said. A vigil was being held for Marinova in the Bulgarian capital later Monday. Margaritis Schinas, spokesman for European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, said Monday that the commission expected "a swift and thorough investigation .... that will bring those responsible to justice and clarify whether this attack was linked to her work." He quoted Juncker as saying previously that "too many" journalists were being intimidated, attacked or murdered and "there is no democracy without a free press." The German government also sharply condemned the slaying, with the Foreign Ministry saying it's imperative "that there's a fast investigation and that this horrible event will be illuminated as comprehensively as possible." Sven Giegold, a German member of the Greens party in the European Parliament, said all of Europe should worry about Marinova's slaying. "First Malta, then Slovakia, now Bulgaria. It is unacceptable that in Europe journalists are getting killed again," he said, referring to the killings of two other investigative journalists in those EU countries. Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia , who investigated local government corruption, was killed in October 2017 by a bomb that destroyed her car. Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak was shot dead along with his fiancee in February in an attack linked to his reporting on ties between Slovak officials and Italian mobsters. In addition, Swedish journalist Kim Wall was tortured and murdered during a private submarine trip in August 2017. Danish submarine inventor Peter Madsen was convicted and sentenced to life in prison earlier this year. PORT-DE-PAIX, Haiti (AP) Thousands of people along Haiti's north coast dragged mattresses and chairs outside Monday, fearing new aftershocks after a 5.9 earthquake killed at least 12 and injured 188 over the weekend. Many wondered how they were going to rebuild from Saturday night's quake and a strong 5.2 magnitude aftershock on Sunday that had residents in the coastal city of Port-de-Paix and elsewhere worried about returning to their cracked cinderblock homes for fear they would collapse. Among them was Marc-Sena Docteur, a 24-year-old carpenter whose girlfriend died in the earthquake. "Now I'm left with a 9-month-old baby with no aid at all," he said. "I'm still crying. I don't know what I'm going to do without her." The walls of the room that the couple had been renting for a year collapsed, and he and the baby have been sleeping outdoors since the quake. Sunday's aftershock caused panic on streets where emergency teams were providing relief to victims after cinderblock homes and rickety buildings toppled in several cities. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the aftershock was located 9.8 miles (15.8 kilometers) north-northwest of Port-de-Paix. Haiti's civil protection agency said at least eight people died in Port-de-Paix and three people died in the nearby community of Gros-Morne in Artibonite province. Another person died in Saint-Louis du Nord, Communication Minister Eddy Jackson Alexis tweeted. Among the dead were a 5-year-old boy crushed by his collapsing house. Impoverished Haiti, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. A vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people. Etanvie Dimorne, a 50-year-old mason, said people have to rebuild stronger given the earthquakes that have hit Haiti. He lost his home in Saturday's quake and is now sleeping under a tarp in someone's yard. "Last night it rained," he said. "I have to sleep under difficult conditions." President Jovenel Moise urged people to donate blood and asked international aid agencies to coordinate with local agencies to avoid duplicated efforts. The government did not provide an estimate of the damages. The USGS said Saturday's quake was centered 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of Port-de-Paix, which is about 136 miles (219 kilometers) from the capital of Port-au-Prince. It was felt lightly in the capital, as well as in the neighboring Dominican Republic and in eastern Cuba, where no damage was reported. In Haiti, officials have struggled to shore up buildings despite the two major fault lines along Hispaniola, which is the island shared with the Dominican Republic. The damage from the temblors was visible. In Gros-Morne, one bed was covered in rubble, while the exterior walls of some homes were cracked. Others tilted at precarious angles. Pierre Jacques Baudre, a farmer and father of seven, said he was afraid to return to his home after one wall built with rocks and cement crumbled. "The house can fall at any time," he said. The civil protection agency issued a statement saying that houses were destroyed in Port-de-Paix, Gros-Morne, Chansolme and Turtle Island. Damage was also reported at the Saint-Michel church in Plaisance and the police station in Port-de-Paix. Parts of a hospital and an auditorium collapsed in Gros-Morne, where parliamentarian Alcide Audne told The Associated Press that two of the deaths occurred. Tech giants are funding the launch of a research lab at UC San Diego to unravel the mysteries around blockchain, a new way of writing software thats sweeping industries around the globe. The new academic center is called BlockLAB, and it includes about 20 individuals who will be digging into the technical, legal and business questions surrounding the fast-moving new technology. The laboratory is financially backed by tech titans like IBM, Dell and Intel, among others. Touted by some as a revolutionary concept, blockchain in its simplest form is a way to distribute data across lots of servers in a fixed, unhackable format (so far). The concept is alluring to many, as they say its a foundational way to exchange information without the help of third parties. For example, one day monetary transactions could be made through software without the help of banks, where one transaction is recorded across hundreds of computers and verified by dozens of servers instead of just one bank. This is already being modeled with cryptocurrency like bitcoin, but the implications of such an exchange is still not well understood. And currency is only the first application developers have found for blockchain. Startups and researchers around the globe are unveiling new ways to use the technology every day, from recording location data and transacting real estate purchases to establishing digital identity systems. Advertisement But the technology is still in its infancy. Much like the internet in the early 1990s, the blockchain is undergoing boom and bust cycles as companies, governments and individuals grapple with technologys complexities. Etienne de Bruin, the founder of a tech leadership group called 7 CTOs, says blockchain is still one big experiment. The internet incubated for 10 or 15 years before we found something useful for it, de Bruin said. Now we live in the information society, so were all a part of the blockchain conversation. James Short, lead scientist and co-founder of the Center for Large Scale Data Systems at the San Diego Supercomputer Center, largely agrees with de Bruins view which is why hes launched BlockLAB, serving as the research groups director. One of the oldest lessons we know of new technology is that the thing introduced is rarely the thing eventually adopted, Short said. The web is the obvious example of that. Were in the early stages (of blockchain) with limited understanding of implications of this technology. We want to be part of that evolution so we understand and contribute as it moves forward. Short said the academic lab will be studying the big questions surrounding blockchain, including taking a hard look at how blockchain will impact data architecture, its potential to replace shared databases and other technical implications. The lab will also interrogate the legal foundations of contracts, and the technical issues that might arise from algorithmic contracts. BlockLAB will also analyze the potential business and economic impacts of the evolving blockchain marketplace. These are all topics that are highly interesting to tech giants like the companies sponsoring this new lab. The industry has a lot of questions, Short said. Theres significant motivation for all companies to not be late on something that could have big promise. Companies that were late on the internet, for example, spent a lot of money to catch up. Short said BlockLAB will be holding a meeting Dec. 4 to discuss market formation in blockchain, among other topics. Although not open to the public, Short said interested parties can contact him about attending. Representatives from a handful of local blockchain startups attended their last meeting, Short said, including genomics blockchain company LunaDNA. Like most cities around the world, San Diego has an emerging blockchain community. Local startups using the tech as foundations for their business include Edge, Altcoin, XYO Network, LunaDNA, Polyswarm.io and eSmart Tech, among others. One of those startups, XYO Network, is hosting a blockchain conference in San Diego called Spatial Summit from Nov. 9-11. There, startups, developers, and industry folks will discuss hot topics within blockchain and see technology demos, the founders said. And its likely more blockchain talk will start bubbling up in San Diego. Greg Horowitt, a local venture capitalist with T2 Venture Capital, said hes part of a different effort at UC San Diego to launch an experimental program called the Blockchain Exploratory. The Exploratory is a platform to encourage and empower students, researchers and faculty at UCSD to design, test, implement and measure/monitor blockchain experiments on campus and in the community to advance the understanding/knowledge creation of, and social and economic impact related to this emergent and disruptive new paradigm, Horowitt wrote in an email. Business brittany.meiling@sduniontribune.com 619-293-1286 Twitter: @BrittanyMeiling Westin San Diego Gaslamp hotel workers, from housekeepers to banquet captains, began walking off the job this week, joining a nationwide protest targeting global lodging behemoth Marriott International. Members of Unite Here Local 30, which represents the Westins 162 workers, had already authorized a strike last month following stalled negotiations on a new contract. Workers at the Horton Plaza hotel have been working without a contract since April of last year. Chanting Local 30 on strike and wearing shirts emblazoned with One job should be enough, workers in red T-shirts walked continuously in front of the hotel and along the side, holding aloft their signs. The walkout marks the first hotel strike in San Diego County since 2000 when workers at the Hotel Del Coronado walked off the job for one day, according to the local union. Advertisement Nationally, Unite Heres organized job action has now grown to 7,700 workers across eight cities, including Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Detroit and Honolulu. In some cities, workers are striking in multiple hotels managed or owned by Marriott, now the worlds largest hotel corporation. None of us are going back to work until the contracts at all the hotels are resolved, said Mondala Wilkins, 45, a banquet captain and 22-year Marriott employee. I have to live all the way in South Bay in order to find less expensive rental housing and have been working all these years trying to buy a home. It can sometimes be paycheck to paycheck and if we dont have any business at the hotel like a banquet or meeting, we dont work. There are occasions, Wilkins said, when he works only one or two days a week because of a slowdown in business at the hotel. While he is paid $15 an hour, Wilkins said he made $49,000, including tips, last year. In addition to fighting for improved pay and health benefits, the union has raised concerns surrounding increasing automation that could potentially jeopardize jobs, as well as so-called green initiatives that let guests opt out of having their rooms cleaned. In some cases, such initiatives lead to hours being cut, and once guests do check out of those rooms, the union argues that there can be considerably more work involved to clean them. This is about workers being able to provide for their families and live in the city where they work, said Brigette Browning, Unite Here Local 30 president. Its about one job being enough, especially for workers of the largest, most profitable hotel company in the world. Marriott would not discuss the strike but offered a blanket statement saying it was disappointed that Unite Here had chosen to resort to a strike. The company added, During the strike our hotels are open, and we stand ready to provide excellent service to our guests. While we respect our associates rights to participate in this work stoppage, we also will welcome any associate who chooses to continue to work. In San Diego, workers are striking in shifts, almost around the clock, from 4 a.m. to midnight. Wilkins said he has heard that some organizations have canceled meetings at the hotel as a show of support for the workers. THIS IS AWESOME!! San Diego City Councilmember @ChrisWardD3 hopped on the picket line with the @WestinGaslampSD workers during his break at City Hall! This is REAL leadership, folks. Thank You Chris, for literally walking the walk with workers! #MarriotStrike #1Job pic.twitter.com/AauW3yklnz UNITE HERE Local 30 (@UNITEHERE30) October 8, 2018 On Monday, workers on the picket line received support from some of San Diegos elected leaders, including City Councilman Chris Ward and Assemblyman Todd Gloria, a former council member who tweeted that he had donated to the strike fund and urged others to do so. Marisol Villanueva, a housekeeper at the Westin hotel for the last three years and a mother of two, said she finds it hard to make ends meet, even with her husbands income as a driver. The only way to ensure they can pay their bills is if he works long hours, sometimes putting in as many as 12 hours a day on the job, she said. Sometimes we struggle because he doesnt always get overtime, said Villanueva, 33, who earns $14.25 an hour and cleans 15 rooms per shift. We will sometimes have to take money from our savings to pay our bills. During the off season when business slows, Villanueva says she will sometimes only work three days out of the week. Monthly parking downtown, which costs $75, also cuts into her take-home pay, she said. It is unknown how long the strike will last. Workers at some Marriott hotels began striking last week. Business lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-2251 Twitter: @loriweisberg For anyone over a certain age who worries about taking a nasty tumble, a report released this spring by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wasnt exactly comforting. It showed that for those 65 and older, falls are the number one cause of injury and death from injury. Plus, the number of falls is surging. Even after adjusting for the population growth of older adults, the agency found that the death rate from falls increased 31 percent from 2007 to 2016. Experts arent sure why such deaths are on the rise, though theres been some speculation that its related to the growing number of older adults living with chronic conditions and taking medications for them, says Elizabeth Burns, a health scientist within the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention of the CDCs Injury Center. Still, she says, its important to remember that falls are not an inevitable part of aging and many falls are preventable. With education and support, you can stay healthy and active for many years to come. Heres what you need to know now to stay on solid footing. Advertisement Calcium Is Out, Exercise Is In While it was once standard advice to boost your calcium and vitamin D intake to fend off fractures caused by falls, new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force back off from that approach after finding evidence that such supplements dont always do much for the general population, and that mega-doses (such as more than 5,000 IU per day) may actually cause harm. JoAnn Manson, M.D., chief of preventive medicine at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, recommends talking to your doctor about the pros and cons of supplements for you since extra calcium, say, may still be appropriate for those with known deficiencies or who are at high risk for falls. But the bigger point, she notes, is that you cant rely on popping calcium or vitamin D pills to prevent falls or fractures. There are other, more effective interventions. Chief among these? According to the task force guidelines, exercise is your No. 1 weapon against falls. Research shows simply staying active can reduce your risk of a tumble by 10 to 20 percent, and exercising more than three hours a week is linked to a 39 percent reduction in falls. You can take a group exercise classes, do yoga, walk or even clean the house as long as its something you can do consistently, says Eric Larson, M.D., vice president for research and health care innovation at Kaiser Permanente Washington and author of Enlightened Aging: Building Resilience for a Long, Active Life. The hard thing for many people when it comes to exercise is getting started and sustaining, he says. Make exercise like brushing your teeth something you do every day no matter what. Your exercise will be even more effective at preventing falls if you do the following: Add strength and resistance training. People on average lose about 30 percent of their muscle power between ages 50 and 70. That leads to weakness, which can increase your risk of falls and fractures. If you strength train, however, you can actually reverse age-related muscle loss, says Greg Hartley, a board-certified physical therapist in Miami and president of the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy. That doesnt have to mean lifting weights. Pilates, resistance bands and body weight exercises like push-ups or planks also build muscle. Strengthen your quads. While its best to strengthen every major muscle group, if you have time for only one, focus on the big muscles at the front of your thighs, Hartley says. Your quads carry your body weight when you walk and help you catch yourself if you trip, and studies show quad strength is a strong predictor of your likelihood of a fall. One easy exercise to start with: wall slides. Lean against a wall and slide down into a squat, and then stand up again, using the wall for support. Try to do at least two or three sets of 8 to e12 reps at least twice a week. Eventually, try squatting without wall support. Work on your balance. If youve been feeling a little wobbly, a physical therapist can work with you on exercises to improve your balance. Or look for a community balance program such as A Matter of Balance, Stepping On, Otago, Fallproof!, or Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL). Another great option is tai chi, a gentle Chinese practice that focuses on balance. It has been found to reduce falls in seniors by up to 43 percent In the short term (under one year) and 13 percent in the long term. Other ways to lower your risk of a fall While exercise is now the top advice for fall prevention, experts say that the following steps and we bet you havent thought of a couple of these are also important. Get your vision checked regularly (and rethink your bifocals). Poor vision increases your risk of falling, Manson says. Cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration make it harder to see objects in your path, and even small changes to your vision can make it more difficult to judge depth and distance. In addition, if you wear multifocal or bifocal glasses, research shows they actually put you at greater risk because they can make it harder for you to see the area around your feet (so its easy to miss a bottom step or a crack in the sidewalk). If you regularly take walks, navigate up steps or spend time outdoors, talk to your eye doctor about switching to distance-only lenses during those activities. One study indicates the switch could lower your risk of a fall by about 40 percent. Ask your doctor to check your meds for fall risk. Many medications have been linked to falls, including sleep aids, blood pressure medications, antihistamines, muscle relaxants and pain relievers. Drugs can interact with each other or cause fluctuations in blood pressure that can make you feel unsteady. If you sometimes feel lightheaded when you stand up, ask your doctor to test your blood pressure when you move from a lying or sitting position to standing, Manson says. A small dosing adjustment or change in medication may easily solve the problem. Choose the right shoes, and wear them in the house. Shoes that tie, buckle or close with Velcro are safer than those that slip on, Hartley says. And if you havent had your feet measured lately, do it. Aging feet flatten out and change size, and tight footwear makes it harder for you to respond to variations in the ground while youre walking. To prevent slipping, look for rubber soles like those on sneakers. If you must wear dress shoes with smooth soles, scuff them up first by rubbing them on a cement sidewalk. Also, dont leave your shoes at the door, Larson says. Research indicates that people are more likely to fall at home if they go barefoot, or wear only socks or slippers. Make your home safer. Six out of every 10 falls happen at home, according to the National Institute on Aging. With that stat in mind, go through your house or apartment removing clutter and tripping hazards. Pick up any throw rugs, including the ones in your bathroom and kitchen. (Replace them with mats that have rubber backing and dont slide.) Tuck electrical cords away, and install railings on both sides of any stairs. Use bright bulbs to create strong lighting throughout your house, and invest in a nightlight if you get up at night. Finally, add grab bars inside and outside your tub or shower and next to the toilet. Talk to a doctor about any dizziness. Dizziness is a common complaint among seniors, but dont assume you have to live with it. If you experience dizziness when you stand up or turn your head quickly, you may have a condition called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV. The result of age-related changes in the inner ear, BPPV causes about half of all vertigo cases, according to the Vestibular Disorders Association. The good news? A trained physical therapist or an ENT (ear, nose and throat) doctor can do a series of maneuvers that cures it in most people. Make sure youre using your cane or walker correctly. Using a walking aid can help you avoid falls, but if you dont have the proper fit or you use it incorrectly, it can actually cause you to stumble, Hartley says. If you borrow a device from a friend or family member, bring it to a physical therapist to get it properly fitted and to receive instruction in how to use it properly. The walker or cane should be about the height of your wrist when your arms are at your sides, Hartley says. If you use a cane, make sure it has a good rubber tip, and hold it on your stronger side (so if you have a weak left knee, hold your cane in your right hand). Otherwise, make sure youre stepping in to any walker you use, and dont let it get too far ahead of you. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. Alexis Taylor and Sienna Deponte added audio to their self-portrait poems, and enhanced the text with bursts of flames, confetti and rainbow-colored font. Their fourth-grade classmates Madison Wilson and Priyana Davis worked out math problems online, using a stylus to do calculations on the screen, and then self-checking their answers through the app. Students in Paul Ericksons classroom at Bernardo Elementary School are annotating text, writing essays, reading stories and doing math using the iPads issued through the Escondido Union School Districts one-to-one iPad program. Each student in grades three through six is assigned a personal iPad, fitted with a keyboard, for classwork and homework this year. The program, which started with fourth- and fifth-graders last year, will build outward to higher and lower grades until it encompasses the entire district. By 2021, district officials say, all Escondido Union students in grades K-8 will be using the mobile devices. Advertisement Tanner Lovejoy, 10, explained how he created his digital trading card of radness in Keynote by uploading a selfie, adding an audio button and customizing special effects. So how is this different than a construction paper assignment? You cant make fire come up and make something pop up on paper, he said. You cant have something move. Besides the bells and whistles available on the mobile devices, students gain the ability to personalize assignments, share their work with parents and classmates, and develop digital literacy. Although the online lessons are based on the same content and standards as paper textbooks, they are far more versatile and allow students a more active role in their studies, teachers in the program say. I dont think its just replacing paper, Erickson said. Parents can see the videos theyre producing in Keynote. Were using a lot of creativity and communication. And were doing more creating than consumption. For instance, a recent math assignment revised a standard math worksheet on converting liters and milliliters. Instead of asking students to do dozens of problems on the conversion, Erickson picked a handful of them, and asked the students to not only do the calculations, but to explain how they arrived at the answers, find images that demonstrate the quantities, and create a digital file of their work. Some kids found pictures of soda bottles to represent a liter. One boy wanted to take it a step further and use megaliters, the unit for a million liters. He picked a photo of an Olympic swimming pool, which holds 2.5 megaliters, Erickson said. When the student presented his project, his classmates were introduced to the concept of megaliters as well. The technology is flexible, said Chia Grossman, a technology teacher for the district. It allows students to choose options and use their creativity and problem-solving to create things that are different. The digital files also allow students to share and compare their work with classmates, and lets the teacher project it on a screen in class. It also allows parents to track their childrens progress and comment on their assignments. With their work on display, students receive immediate feedback, and are motivated to give their best effort, teachers said. The concept of sharing is so critical, said technology teacher Todd Mattox. They have this portfolio where their parents can see it, they can explain and show it to each other. Its more like the real work environment, where youre showing your thought process. So its far more dynamic than paper. Bernardo Elementary School fourth grader Crew Lalkin uses an Apple iPad to do his class work. (Howard Lipin) Although the one-to-one iPad is rolling out now, the district has invested in educational technology in its classrooms for a good decade. Earlier initiatives included the iRead program, which employed iPods to help elementary schoolers build reading skills, and iPad progams for research and writing in middle school English classes. Classrooms also had desktop computers, and shared mobile laptop carts. Counterintuitively, assigning an iPad to each student costs less than purchasing and maintaining various devices for them to share, because theres no longer a need for costly desktop computers, said Kathy Shirley, director of technology and innovation for the district. The district spent about $3.2 million on educational technology in 2014, $2.6 million in 2015 and $3.4 million in 2016. That dropped as the district began rolling out the one-to-one iPads last year, but will stabilize at a little over $2 million by 2021. At that point, all students will be using the devices, which are leased for four years and then replaced on a scheduled basis. Sending elementary school students home with the delicate devices might seem risky to anyone who has seen the wear and tear that kids wreak on a household. However, the rate of damage is relatively low. Out of nearly 4,000 devices distributed last year, Shirley said, about 60 came back with damaged screens. About 40 of those were hairline cracks caused by dust and debris -- not dropped or shattered screens. None of the electronics components were broken. Thats due partly to the military grade cases the iPads are housed in, and partly to the specific care and handling instructions that children learn before they take them home. We have this keyboard and we dont slam it, said Grace Braden, 9. We close it carefully. We dont leave our water bottles on the desk. And if we take it home, we dont get dust in it. If a device is lost or stolen, the district can place it on lost mode, to both pinpoint its location and render it useless to whomever picked it up. The devices also contain features to keep kids safe; they include content filters to keep students from accessing inappropriate material, and are routed through the schools server, even when used at home. For the teachers, theyre not only an instructional tool, but a key to educational equity between students with access to technology and those who dont. Its always bothered me that depending on what school a student attended or what teacher they have, that would determine their access to technology, Shirley said. Its leveling the field between the haves and have-nots. deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan Big pieces of a wooden railroad trestle splashed into the San Elijo Creek last week, as workers demolished the 1944 bridge to make way for a new link in the chain of transportation projects underway along the 60-mile North Coast Corridor. The disappearing trestle paralleled a new concrete railroad bridge that began carrying trains a few weeks ago, part of a $76.8 million project that adds a second set of tracks for 1.5 miles across the lagoon and into the Cardiff area of southern Encinitas. Planning for the project began in 2011. Construction started in February 2017 and is expected to finish early next spring. Other separate, but related efforts underway at the San Elijo Lagoon include building a wider, longer Interstate 5 bridge, and the $100 million environmental restoration of the entire lagoon, something planned for more than 20 years and expected to finish in 2020. Advertisement These projects take intense environmental studies, studies of the birds, the fish, and the cultural resources, said Bruce Smith, a principal engineer for the San Diego Association of Governments, the regional planning agency. Doing multiple projects at once promotes efficiency in planning and construction, saves time and money, and lessens the inconvenience for residents and travelers, he said. The new railroad crossing is assembled from pre-stressed, pre-cast sections of concrete made in Bakersfield and designed to last 100 years, Smith said. The sections can be replaced if damaged, and the entire bridge could be removed from its pilings and lifted to a higher level if, for example, sea-level rise proves to be greater than expected in 50 or 60 years. In addition to being more durable and longer-lasting, the new bridge has fewer support pilings in the water, which is an environmental benefit to the lagoon and its wetlands. Scientists planning the lagoon restoration studied all three bridges crossing the lagoon Highway 101, the railroad and Interstate 5 to determine the best ways to improve the water circulation needed for a healthy habitat. The railroad trestles thicket of support pilings, nearly 100, restricted water flow beneath the bridge, said Doug Gibson, executive director of the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, which is the lead agency on the restoration. Kelp would get wrapped around it, which decays and leads to other issues, Gibson said. With fewer pilings in the water, less vegetation and debris can get caught under the bridge and water flows more freely. The new railroad bridge is about the same length as the old trestle, which replaced the original one built about 1880. Building a longer bridge would do little for water circulation and would not have been practical because the railroad is so close to the Highway 101 bridge, Gibson said. Greater environmental benefits will be gained by making the Interstate 5 bridge longer, the studies showed. As a result, the new freeway bridge will be almost twice as long as the old one. The San Elijo railroad bridge is part of an effort by SANDAG, Caltrans, and other state and federal agencies to double-track the entire coastal route from San Diego to the Orange County border. Coaster commuter trains, Amtrak passenger trains, and BNSF freight trains use the route. Double-tracking allows trains to pass each other. That improves the speed and reliability of existing rail service and makes room for more trains as the areas population continues to grow. If they cant pass, they have to wait to clear a single-track area, said Jim Linthicum, SANDAGs director of mobility and management. As we add more and more trains, if something happens and one is off schedule by a couple minutes that is going to mess up everything, he said. We want to have regular service that people can count on. So far, about two-thirds of the entire San Diego County route has been double-tracked. Additional double-track projects already under construction or in design and environmental study stages should take the route to three-quarters complete, Linthecum said. Construction of each one generally takes 18 months to two years. The goal is to double-track 94 percent of the route by 2035, and all of it by 2050. A new double-track span crossing the Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad is in the final design and permit stages. Construction there could begin in late 2019 if money becomes available. One of the most difficult spots to double-track on the route is in Del Mar, where the single set of tracks follows the edge of the bluff. On one side is a cliff down to the beach, and on the other side are ocean-view homes. That leaves no room to build more tracks, and less room every year for the existing ones as the bluff erodes. A tunnel appears to be the most likely solution, though no route has been chosen, and much work is needed before the decision is made. Initial estimates show a tunnel will cost billions of dollars, and the money is not available. The entire North Coast Corridor program, with rail, freeway, environmental and other mobility projects, is expected to cost $6 billion. The funding comes from a combination of federal, state and local sources including the half-cent sales tax known as TransNet approved by San Diego County voters. philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl The Library Shop at the Central Library is coming up short again. Officials there are hosting the 2nd annual Matchbook Story Contest. Entries have to fit inside the cover of a matchbook. At 7 point type, that leaves room for about 50 words. The winner receives a $50 gift certificate to the Library Shop and gets the story printed on actual matchbooks, which will be sold in the Library Shop. The winner also receives 50 copies of the matchbook, publication of the story in the library newsletter and on the Library Shops website, and a temporary exhibit in the Central Librarys Hervey Family Rare Book Room in the tiny book section, of course. Advertisement Second prize is a $25 gift certificate and third prize is a $15 one. Last years inaugural contest drew more than 200 entries. The winner came from Tara Gilboy, a local creative-writing teacher and author, who spun her entry from the titles of short stories by two famous writers, with a couple of nods to social media: @ToBuildAFire replied to @TheLittleMatchGirl: These are junk. #JackLondon #HansChristianAndersen The judges said they were impressed by her use of real stories, and said because the Central Library is an Instagram junkie, the hashtags clinched it. The second-place story was written by Claire Hsu Accomando: My life in six words Cursed with happy childhood; No bestseller The third-place story was by Evy Potochny: January Thaw At last, skates off. Kicking, gliding, she Rocketed up toward the light, but she could Not find that broken surface in the ice. Here are the contest rules: Entries can be on any topic and in any genre, including poetry. They have to be the original work of the person submitting it. There is no word count, but entries must fit within the inside area of a standard matchbook, which is 1-5/16 inches wide by 1-4/16 inches high. There is a submissions form on the internet at libraryshopsd.org. Final formatting will be done by Library Shop staff. Entry fee is $5 per story. Writers may submit up to five stories. Entries can be submitted online or in person at the Library Shop, but physical copies will not be returned. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 1. The winners will be announced Dec. 15. john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com by Pankaj Yadav NEW DELHI, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- The two-day India-Russia annual summit ended in the Indian capital on Friday, during which the two sides formally signed a purchase agreement for the S-400 air defense missile system worth more than 5 billion U.S. dollars. In addition, the two countries signed as many as eight agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs), agreeing to strengthen cooperation in the fields of energy, aerospace, railway, economy, trade and agriculture. Addressing a press conference after the agreements' signing ceremony, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that in the ever-changing world, India-Russia bilateral relations had become more important. The India-Russia leaders' summit is the highest level of talks between the two countries. It began in 2000 and took place in rotation between the two countries. During Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India in 2010, the relationship between the two countries was upgraded from "strategic partnership" to "extraordinary strategic partnership." This summit was also the third meeting between Modi and Putin this year. In May the two held an informal summit in the Russian city of Sochi. Regardless of the U.S. warning citing Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), India and Russia signed the S-400 air defense missile system deal which remained the highest point of Putin's visit to India. According to the agreement, India will purchase the anti-aircraft missile system from Russia worth 5.43 billion U.S. dollars, which will be delivered to India by the end of 2020. The S-400 air defense missile system belongs to the fourth generation of the Russian air defense missile system, which can hit missiles and aircraft 400 km away, and the S-400 radar system can detect targets beyond 600 km. Before Putin's visit to India, the U.S. had warned that the Russian S-400 air defense missile defense system is the "key area" for the U.S. to determine sanctions. It also did not rule out sanctions against India under the CAATSA. However, after the deal was formally inked by India and Russia, the U.S. embassy in New Delhi made a cautious statement mentioning that the purpose of the U.S. sanctions against Russia was "not to undermine the military capabilities of allies or partners." As an exception, if an agreement does not threaten the security of the United States or its allies, and there is evidence that buyers have been cutting their defense imports and dependence on Russia, the U.S. president can grant an exemption to the country. At the same time, this exemption also needs to be approved by the U.S. Congress. New Delhi has been trying to convince Washington that it hopes to receive this sanction exemption. Besides the defence deal, India and Russia also strengthened cooperation in other areas like energy, as the two sides are studying the possibility of building a natural gas pipeline from Russia to India, and encouraging Indian companies to jointly exploit oil in Russia. The two countries also indicated that they will strengthen cooperation in nuclear energy and renewable resources. India has significantly increased its investment in the Russian energy sector in recent years, and Russia has become India's main natural gas supplier. In 2017, India's energy imports from Russia increased tenfold. According to one of the MoUs signed by the two countries, Russia will also help India in completing its first manned space mission and train astronauts for India. Only two months ago Modi announced in his Independence Day speech that India will complete its first manned space mission by 2022, becoming the fourth country after the U.S., Russia and China to achieve this feat. In the economic and trade field, the two sides indicated that they will hold the first strategic economic dialogue meeting in Russia this year, and increase bilateral investment to 30 billion U.S. dollars by 2025. In 2017-18, the two countries' trade volume reached 10.17 billion U.S. dollars, which is a 20-percent increase year-on-year. The two sides also agreed to strengthen coordination among multilateral organizations such as the UN, the BRICS, the SCO and the G20, and are committed to counter-terrorism cooperation to jointly tackle the threat of terrorism and drug trafficking. In an interview with Xinhua, Ashok Sajjanhar, the former Indian ambassador to Kazakhstan, pointed out that the India-Russia strategic partnership has stood the test of time and is an important pillar of India's foreign policy. Swaran Singh, a professor at the institute of International Relations at the Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), believed that the India-Russia strategic partnership is very important because both countries face major challenges. He pointed out that India's diplomacy, centered on "strategic autonomy," will continue to maintain a balance between all major powers. Russia has always been the most reliable partner in areas such as defense, space and nuclear technology. And then there were six. For years, lawyers from the San Diego-based California Innocence Project have been pushing for Gov. Jerry Brown to grant clemency to a dozen people the organization says have strong cases for innocence but have exhausted all of their legal avenues for relief. They are known as The California 12 a group of men and women convicted of crimes ranging from robbery to first-degree murder, for which they were sent to prison. Over the past five years, four men and one woman have been released from custody. Soon, one more member of the California 12 could win his freedom. Advertisement On Sept. 27, Quintin Q.T. Morris was granted parole by the state Board of Parole Hearings. He has not yet been released from Folsom State Prison. Morris, now 53, was sentenced to prison in 1994. He was convicted in Los Angeles County of three counts of attempted murder in connection with a 1991 shooting that targeted a group of teenagers returning home from a double date. But according to the Innocence Project, based at California Western School of Law in downtown San Diego, Morris conviction was based on faulty witness identifications both of the gunman and the getaway car. An appellate attorney found later that another man confessed to the shooting, prompting a judge to reverse Morris conviction. The Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office appealed that decision, and the appellate court ruled it was too late for Morris to raise the issue of the other mans confession because he could have but failed to do so at trial. The court also found that the witness identification of Morris was strong. Eventually, the California Innocence Project took up the case. About a week ago, project director Justin Brooks announced that Morris would be freed after 24 years behind bars. (Attorney Alissa Bjerkhoel represented him at the parole hearing last month.) On Sunday afternoon, Brooks stood on the steps of the state Capitol, where he led a rally his latest attempt to draw attention to the California 12 and persuade the governor to grant clemency to its remaining members. In 2013, Brooks and others who work with or support the Innocence Project walked more than 700 miles from San Diego to Sacramento to hand-deliver a dozen clemency petitions. Since then, Brooks has been tweeting Gov. Jerry Brown and the governors dog, Colusa Brown, who has a Twitter account daily. Hes been told that the governor has received the messages. In an acknowledgment of that 2013 march, and to mark Browns last 100 days in office, Brooks walked 100 miles from from the UC Berkeley campus to the Capitol, arriving Sunday. Videos posted on social media showed Brooks, dressed in a bright yellow T-shirt that read XONR8, shouting, Free the California 12! as they marched. Lets scream it loud so Jerry Brown can hear us! Brooks said into his megaphone. When Morris is let out of prison, he will be the sixth member of the California 12 to have won his release, according to the Innocence Project. The others are: Michael Hanline, convicted of first-degree murder in Ventura County William Richards, convicted of murder in San Bernardino County Alan Gimenez, convicted of second-degree murder in San Diego County Guy Miles, convicted of robbery in Orange County Kimberly Long, convicted of second-degree murder in Riverside County. We have freed four of the 12 through litigation and two through the parole process, Brooks explained via text message. Jerry Brown has 92 days left in office to look at these six remaining cases. I am confident that if he reads through the files and really examines the evidence we have gathered he will conclude that these six Californians are innocent and he will free them. Those remaining members are: Suzanne Johnson, convicted of assault on a child causing death in San Diego County Dolores Macias, convicted of second-degree murder in Los Angeles County Rodney Patrick McNeal, convicted of two counts of second-degree murder in San Bernardino County Kiera Newsome, convicted of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County JoAnn Parks, convicted of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County Ed Contreras, convicted of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County. dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @danalittlefield Nobody puts baby in a corner but the same cant be said for jail. A Florida woman found herself behind bars last month after an attempt to recreate a scene from Dirty Dancing in a liquor store backfired. Booking photo of Cindy Barrientos (Handout) Cindy Barrientos, 24, was arrested Sept. 17 and taken to the Martin County Jail after the allegedly drunken stunt, according to an incident report obtained by the Daily News. Advertisement The outlet reports that police were called to Total Wine & More in Jensen Beach, Fla. to tend to two women who appeared to be intoxicated and were causing a disturbance as they tried to reenact a scene from the 1987 film. It remains unclear which scene the two were trying to pull off, but one of the films most famous involves Patrick Swayzes Johnny Castle lifting Jennifer Greys Baby in the air to the tune of (Ive Had) The Time of My Life. The stores manager reportedly refused the women service, but they re-entered the store. Barrientos was eventually found in her vehicle and became belligerent when asked by police to hand over her keys. She was arrested for disorderly intoxication. Tropical Storm Michael strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm, which is expected to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle, could be as strong as a Category 3, with winds between 111 and 129 mph, by the time it hits the state. Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued a state of emergency for 28 counties Sunday and extended it Monday into the Tampa Bay area. Take this seriously and keep your family safe, Scott said Monday. We know that a storm like Michael can be devastating and deadly. Advertisement Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey also issued a state of emergency in anticipation of wide-spread power outages, wind damage and debris produced by high winds & heavy rain. As of the NHCs 2 p.m. update, Michael was about 20 miles southwest of the western tip of Cuba and 145 miles northeast of Cozumel, Mexico with sustained winds up to 75 mph. Forecasters have predicted between 3 and 7 inches of rain over western Cuba and 2 to 4 inches over the Yucatan Peninsula,Belize and northern Honduras through Tuesday. A hurricane warning is already in effect for the Cuban province of Pinar del Rio and a tropical storm warning for the Isle of Youth, as well as the coast of Mexico from Tulum to Cabo Catoche, including Cozumel. The most recent forecast predicts Michael moving into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico Monday night, then into the eastern Gulf and over the Florida Panhandle or Big Bend area by Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center warned that Michael could dump between 4 and 8 inches of rain in Western Cuba, the Panhandle and the Carolinas, which were just hit by Hurricane Florence. Florida State University and Florida A&M University in Tallahassee have already announced that it will close from Tuesday through Friday in preparation for the storm The Maine teacher whose body was found earlier in the week took her own life, the state medical examiners office said Sunday. Kristin Westra was reported missing Monday by her husband, who said shed disappeared during the night without her keys or her cellphone. Her body was found on Friday in North Yarmouth. My heart was crushed today, her husband Jay Westra wrote on Facebook. Advertisement Jay Westra said Kristin had experienced anxiety and was having trouble sleeping before she went missing. Kristins brother Eric Rohrbach told ABC News that when he woke up he realized she wasnt there. The thought of her doing this to her family is completely out of the norm, Rohrbach told ABC News. Kristin Westra, who taught at an elementary school, was a pillar in her community, her brother told the network. With News Wire Services The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating an outbreak of a rare, polio-like disease thats struck six children in the state since the middle of September. The MDH said in a statement that several kids from across the state were diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), which affects the nervous system and causes weakened muscles. The condition is rare, and the state typically sees less than one diagnosis per year. According to the Centers for Disease Control, just 362 cases across the country were reported from August 2014-2018. AFM is common in children, and the MDH said that all of the Minnesota cases involve kids under 10 years old. Advertisement In addition to limited mobility of arms and legs, symptoms include neck weakness or stiffness, drooping eyelids or a facial droop and difficulty swallowing or slurred speech. I cant give really good hugs anymore, but Im doing all of my exercises! one of the patients, 4-year-old Orville Young, told the Star Tribune. The condition can sometimes come on as a complication after a viral infection, or after a respiratory illness. A 2014 uptick in the number of cases coincided with the outbreak of a respiratory illness caused by eneterovirus D68. The MDH said its working with health care providers to learn more about each case, and is also teaming up with the CDC to swap information, as there is currently no specific treatment. SOFIA, Bulgaria Bulgarian police are investigating the rape and slaying of a television reporter and presenter whose body was dumped near the Danube River. Authorities discovered the body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova in the town of Ruse, northern Bulgaria, on Saturday. Police said she had been brutally beaten, raped and strangled. Her body was found in a park near the river. Journalist groups and officials in other countries have called for a full and independent investigation into her death after Marinova became the latest journalist to be killed in the European Union. Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said Monday there was no evidence to suggest the killing was linked to Marinovas work. Advertisement It is about rape and murder, he said. But a Bulgarian investigative online site owner called for an independent international inquiry. Bulgarian police, however, said they are working on all possible scenarios, examining possible links to both her personal and professional life. The media freedom representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Harlem Desir, called for a full and thorough investigation into Marinovas death. Marinova was a director of TVN, a small TV station in Ruse, and presenter of two investigative programs. Her final show was a program about Attila Biro, an investigative journalist with the Rise Project Romania, and a colleague from Bulgarian investigative site Bivol.bg. They were arrested in September south of Sofia during an investigation into the destruction of documents connected to suspected fraud involving European Union funds. Bivol.bg owner Assen Yordanov said that he couldnt directly link Marinovas slaying to her work, but noted her Sept. 30 show tackled our very sensitive investigation into the misuse of EU funds. This is a topic on which no other Bulgarian national media dared to report on, he told The Associated Press. He said his site had received operational information that hits against our journalists working on this story are being discussed and prepared. To get to the truth we are calling for an independent investigation.... we want independent European investigators to get involved because we believe the Bulgarian authorities are part of this countrys criminal network. A vigil will be held for Marinova in the Bulgarian capital later Monday. The German government has sharply condemned the killing, calling it a brutal and dreadful murder. A German Foreign Ministry spokesman said that its imperative that theres a fast investigation and that this horrible event will be illuminated as comprehensively as possible. Sven Giegold, a German member of the Greens in the European Parliament, said all of Europe should worry about the killing. First Malta, then Slovakia, now Bulgaria. It is unacceptable that in Europe journalists are getting killed again, he said, referring to the killings of two other journalists in those EU countries. Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia , who investigated corruption, was killed in October 2017 by a bomb that destroyed her car. Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak was shot dead along with his fiancee in an attack linked to his reporting on tax evasion in February this year. Swedish journalist Kim Wall was tortured and murdered during a private submarine trip in August 2017. Danish submarine inventor Peter Madsen was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. San Diego city officials are costing taxpayers money by allowing city workers to serve on juries more often than courts require and by not making workers document their jury service, according to an investigation by the city auditor. Because city workers get paid their normal wages while serving on a jury, it costs the city money to allow workers to serve more often than required by state and federal courts, the audit says. City employees summoned for jury duty in the state court can ask to be automatically excused if they served as a juror within the past three years, or reported as a prospective juror but didnt get selected in the last year. Recent service doesnt automatically excuse people from federal juries, but federal officials typically will grant exemptions to people who have served recently. Advertisement Between July 2012 and November 2017, city workers got paid for 307 more days of jury service than if city officials prohibited workers from serving more often than the minimum requirements. Those extra days of pay cost the city more than $61,000, a figure based on the salaries of the actual workers who completed more jury service than the minimum, the audit says. On requiring workers to document their jury service, the audit says the city is vulnerable to fraud because many supervisors havent been requiring workers to bring in time cards that jurors are supposed to get stamped at the courthouse. Supervisors also havent consistently used websites on which courts post the days a juror served for employers to verify, the audit says. Without stronger internal control procedures, employees could provide false confirmation information for jury service not actually performed, the audit says. The city also doesnt have a rule requiring workers to report to work after a partial day of jury service, which the audit says is costing the city money and productivity.. In response to the audit, which was prompted by a call to the citys fraud hotline, city officials agreed to start requiring documentation for jury service and to schedule refresher training courses for supervisors on handling jury duty requests. City officials were less receptive to prohibiting workers from serving more often than required, noting that tracking how often employees have served would require additional oversight work by supervisors. They also said that jury duty is an essential part of maintaining the civic infrastructure. david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick A gunman in the passenger seat of a black Chevrolet Camaro fired at a small group of people, striking and wounding one of them Monday afternoon in a southeastern San Diego residential neighborhood near Spring Valley, police said. The drive-by shooting was reported about 1:35 p.m. at Ashmore Avenue and Ashmore Lane, a few blocks south of Jamacha Road and west of state Route 125 in the Jamacha-Lomita neighborhood, San Diego police Lt. Ernesto Servin told OnScene TV. The 31-year-old victim was walking with two companions when the gunman fired at them, striking the victim in the lower right leg, Officer Sarah Foster said. The man was taken to a hospital with what was not expected to be a life-threatening injury. Police described the gunman as a man wearing dark clothing in the passenger seat of black Camaro, according to Servin. Advertisement Investigators spoke with at least two witnesses Monday afternoon, but additional witnesses or anyone with knowledge about the shooting was urged to call the San Diego Police Departments southeastern division at (619) 527-3524. Anonymous tipsters can also contact San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 or online at sdcrimestoppers.org. Twitter: @Alex_Riggins (619) 293-1710 alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com UPDATES: 4:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details. This article was originally published at 3 p.m. Four adults were displaced when a blaze broke out at a house in Chula Vista Monday morning, officials said. The fire was reported at about 7:20 a.m. on Caliente Loop near Buena Vista Way just west of Southwestern College, a Chula Vista Fire Department dispatcher said. Firefighters arrived at the scene and knocked down the flames shortly before 7:45 a.m., a fire dispatcher said. The fire burned a gaping hole in the homes upper level, NBC7 reported. It was not clear if anyone was in the house when the fire broke out, but no injuries were reported. Advertisement The American Red Cross was dispatched to assist four adults who were displaced by the blaze, a fire dispatcher said. The cause of the fire was under investigation. By Jiang Shan, Shi Kuiji BEIJING, Oct. 8 (ChinaMil) - The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark (Hull 866), which is on the Harmonious Mission 2018, arrived in Grenada's capital St. George's on October 2 for an eight-day friendly visit and providing humanitarian medical service. This is Peace Arks second visit to the country since 2015. Grenada, located at the southernmost tip of the Windward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, is the sixth stop of the "Harmonious Mission 2018". The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark arrived at the St. George's Port at 10 a.m. on Oct. 2, local time, and the Grenadian side held a grand welcome ceremony for its arrival at the port. The Grenadian Foreign Minister Peter David, Health Minister Nickolas Steele, Police Commissioner Edvin Martin, Chinese Ambassador to Grenada Zhao Yongchen, Chinese embassy staff, overseas Chinese, and representatives of Chinese-funded institutions welcomed the Chinese hospital ship at the port. At the welcome ceremony, David, on behalf of the Grenadian government and people, extended a warm welcome to the Peace Arks visit and expressed sincere gratitude to the Chinese government and Chinese people. He said this visit would push the friendly exchanges between the two countries to a new height and become a new milestone in the two countries' bilateral friendship. Steele said that during its first visit in 2015, the Peace Ark completed diagnosis and treatment, surgery, and physical examinations for more than 9,000 local people in just a few days, and it also held a variety of academic, cultural exchanges and charity activities, bringing great benefits to the people of Grenada. The visit in 2015 thus became a deed widely praised in the history of the two countries' bilateral relations and since then, the people of Grenada have been looking forward to seeing the Peace Ark again. The commander of the "Harmonious Mission-2018" said that the Peace Ark, loaded with the deep friendship of the Chinese people, traveled across the ocean to visit Grenada again, which has far-reaching significance. During the visit, the Peace Ark will carry out a series of activities such as medical services, community and off-island itinerant visits, and academic exchanges to deepen friendship, further enhance the two peoples' sense of participation and gain in developing bilateral relations, and make new contributions to the promotion of bilateral relations. Zhao Yongchen said in his speech that this is a friendly visit to carry forward the spirit of international humanitarianism, spread the concept of "peace, development, cooperation and win-win" and it reflects the Chinese people's sincere friendship towards the people of Grenada. China will always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of international order. China will always promote the building of a community of shared future for mankind and make positive contributions to the lasting peace and development of the world, said Zhao. Police were searching for whoever fired at least three gunshots at a 32-year-old man without striking him while he sat at a trolley station in the Lincoln Park area early Monday. The shooting was reported at about 12:55 a.m. at the 47th Street Trolley Station, east of Interstate 805, San Diego police Officer John Buttle said. The victim was sitting on the trolley station platform when he noticed a laser dot on him and saw sparks coming from the 400 block of 47th Street, Buttle said. The man ran from the platform to a nearby home, where a homeowner called police to report the man was in her yard. He was uninjured. Officers looking in the area located three shell casings. Advertisement Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call police (619) 531-2000 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com More than 100 people gathered on the steps of the Hall of Justice Sunday to protest Judge Brett M. Kavanaughs confirmation to the Supreme Court, with some attendees calling for a strong voter turnout in November. The protest began at 2 p.m. with a series of chants including Blame the system, not the victim, and Whatever we wear, wherever we go, yes means yes, and no means no. Similar demonstrations took place across the country in the wake of the embattled judges appointment. Claire Douglas, a member of the International Socialist Organization, said the bitter nomination fight and Kavanaughs subsequent confirmation left many people feeling disenfranchised and concerned about future decisions by the Supreme Court, which now has a conservative majority. She said demonstrations like Sundays were a way to give people a voice and to better rally around the rights of women, people of color and immigrants. Advertisement Regardless of who is sitting in the White House, regardless of whos on the Supreme Court, what actually moves things forward and what actually puts pressure on people at the top are the social movements from below that are actually applying that pressure, Douglas said. Organizers from the San Diego chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation also called for more sweeping government reform, like abandoning capitalism and abolishing the Supreme Court altogether, arguing the highest court in the land regularly acts against the interests of ordinary citizens. 1 / 13 Protestors on Sunday held a rally against Brett Kavanaughs confirmation as they stood on and near the steps of the Hall of Justice in downtown San Diego. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 13 Protestors holding posters marched from the Hall of Justice in downtown to the County Administration building . The group held a rally to protest the recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 13 Standing on the steps to the Hall of Justice, Matt Alarie held a protest sign describing how he feels about the recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 13 Rachel Howard held up her protest poster at the steps to the San Diego County Administration building. A group of more than 100 marched from the Hall of Justice to the County Administration building to protest recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 13 Protestors on Sunday held a rally against Brett Kavanaughs confirmation as they stood on and near the steps of the Hall of Justice in downtown San Diego. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 13 Standing on the steps to the Hall of Justice, Matt Alarie held a protest sign describing how he feels about the recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 13 Protestors on Sunday held a rally against Brett Kavanaughs confirmation as they stood on and near the steps of the Hall of Justice in downtown San Diego. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 13 Protestors marched from the Hall of Justice in downtown to the County Administration building . The group held a rally to protest the recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 13 Protestors marched from the Hall of Justice in downtown to the County Administration building . The group held a rally to protest the recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 13 Protestors marched from the Hall of Justice in downtown to the County Administration building . The group held a rally to protest the recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 13 Standing on the steps to the Hall of Justice, Matt Alarie held a protest sign describing how he feels about the recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 13 Protestors marched from the Hall of Justice in downtown to the County Administration building . The group held a rally to protest the recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 13 Anzy McWha passed out poster signs to a group standing on the steps of the Hall of Justice in downtown San Diego during their rally against the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) Attendees eventually took to the streets, blocking traffic on Broadway and North Harbor Drive as they marched. Many waved signs with slogans like Grab em by the midterms, Kavanope, a play on the name of the recently appointed judge, and I believe Ford. Several participants said although Kavanaughs confirmation was approved, it was still vitally important to speak out against the decision. For some, it was about standing with women and supporting womens rights. This is one way that I let my voice be heard, said 31-year-old Kohleun Adamson. ...I think this is one of those avenues thats bold and in peoples face. If nothing else, were expressing our distrust and our anger and were doing it in a nonviolent, safe way. People might listen and change their ways, and, if not, theyre still going to have to face us in the morning. For others, protesting was about encouraging people to keep fighting for their beliefs, and not just at the ballot box. You dont have the right to not come out and fight for democracy, said Barbara Emson of Vista. Do people think we want to be spending our Sunday out here? No. But I dont feel like I have the luxury to not be out here. Before the protest came to a close, some attendees joined a number workers from The Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter hotel who were on strike over wages. Twitter: @LAWinkley (619) 293-1546 lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com Bills signed by Gov. Jerry Brown this year made significant changes to juvenile courts, police personnel records and the states murder law, continuing the march by Brown and his legislative allies toward sweeping changes in the criminal justice system. The bills that Brown signed into law continue the criminal justice system reform trend that has brought sweeping changes to the state police agencies, courts and prisons. After more than two decades of increasingly harsh laws aimed at punishing offenders, be they youths or adults, the state under Brown has wrought changes that emphasize rehabilitation over punishment. On the last possible day of the session Sept. 30, Brown signed several bills that furthered the trend and cement his legacy of reforming large parts of the system. One bill long championed by reformers changed the states felony murder rule, which allowed someone who was part of a murder but did not actually kill anyone to be convicted and sentenced for murder. For example, a getaway driver of a liquor store holdup where the cashier was killed could be convicted of murder even if he never entered the liquor store. Advertisement Under the new law, only someone who is a major participant or aided the killing would be liable for murder. Current inmates will be allowed to ask courts to resentence them prosecution groups that opposed the bill said up to 1,000 inmates could be eligible for relief. While the felony murder law attracted the most attention, Brown signed other laws that will also change the face of the criminal justice system especially in juvenile court. One new law, Senate Bill 1391 bans prosecution of youths aged 14 and 15 in adult court. It marks a rejection of a law adopted in 1996 that lowered the age when someone could be tried as an adult from the then-threshold of 16 down to 14. It was the first of a wave of new legislation that cracked down on juveniles in the 1990s and early 2000s The first youth tried under that law was Tony Hicks of San Diego, who was 14 when he shot 20-year-old Tariq Khamisa who was delivering a pizza. The Jan. 21, 1995 killing occurred just three weeks after the law lowering the age became effective. Hicks remains in prison. The bill returns the law to where it was a generation ago, noted San Diego County Public Defender Randy Mize, who began his career as a defense lawyer in the juvenile courts in 1988 and became the head of the juvenile division in 1996. When I came to juvenile in 1996 all of a sudden 14- and 15-year-olds were being sent to adult court, he said. In 2001, another law change allowed prosecutors to directly file some charges against juveniles in adult court and not have to convince a judge first. That direct file provision was repealed by Proposition 57 in 2016, followed now by the raising of the age limit. Im happy the legislature has seen that two-and-a-half decade experiment was a failure, Mize said. Not everyone agrees. The San Diego County District Attorneys Office opposed the bill, signing on to a letter with the California District Attorneys Association and more than three dozen district attorneys from around the state asking Brown to veto it. The letter said the bills one size fits all approach doesnt work for some juveniles who commit particularly brutal crimes, and allowing those youths to remain in the juvenile system where sentences and punishment are shorter would put our communities at risk. In his signing statement, Brown said there were steps prosecutors could take that would keep youth offenders in custody beyond the time they are under juvenile jurisdiction, which is at age 25, but that provision has rarely been used. He also wrote there was a fundamental principle in the legislation: Whether we want a society which at least attempts to reform the youngest offenders before consigning them to adult prisons where their likelihood of becoming a lifelong criminal is so much higher. Opponents are concerned that the law, which does not go into effect until 2019, could be retroactively applied allowing offenders now serving sentences who were convicted when they were under 16 years old to petition courts for relief, said Jennifer Jacobs, spokeswoman for the statewide DA association. We remain deeply concerned about these bills, she said. Very dangerous inmates could be let out of jail. Brown also signed Senate Bill 439, a second juvenile justice bill that has not attracted much notice. This bill bans prosecuting anyone under 12 years old, even in juvenile courts. Advocates said it was needed because the state had no law specifying a minimum age for prosecuting children. In 2015, 874 children under 12 were referred to state juvenile courts for prosecution, according to the Bay Area Center for Juvenile and Criminal Justice. While most of those referrals were closed or dismissed before getting to court, the group said about 250 youths under 12 ended up being prosecuted that year. Such cases are rare in San Diego. In 2012, a 10-year-old boy stabbed to death 12-year-old Ryan Carter in unicorporated El Cajon and was charged with murder and assault. A judge eventually ruled the youth was not competent to stand trial and he was placed in a residential treatment facility while criminal proceedings were suspended. The governor also signed two bills opening up police records, which for decades have been shrouded in secrecy. One bill opens records from investigations of officer shootings and other use-of-force incidents in which someone died or was seriously injured. Also covered are records of confirmed cases of sexual assault while on duty. A second bill, Assembly Bill 748, calls for release of body camera footage from a use-of-force incident within 45 days. The footage can continue to be withheld if releasing it would interfere with an investigation. Twitter: @gregmoran greg.moran@sduniontribune.com Police were searching for a man suspected of stabbing a 39-year-old man in the abdomen in the Barrio Logan area Sunday night. The attack happened shortly before 6:15 p.m. on National Avenue near Cesar E. Chavez Parkway, near Chicano Park, San Diego police Officer John Buttle said. The suspect walked up to the man, who was sitting at a bar, and stabbed him in the abdomen for unknown reasons before fleeing, Buttle said. Police did not identify the bar. The victim was transported to the hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, Buttle said. Advertisement The suspect was described as a Hispanic man believed to be in his 30s, who was last seen wearing a plaid shirt and blue jeans. Detectives from the San Diego Police Departments gang unit were investigating the incident. Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com From the flower fields in Carlsbad to the boardwalk in Pacific Beach to porches in El Cajon, people across San Diego County on Sunday marveled at the sight of a Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from distant Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc. The SpaceX booster roared off the platform at 7:21 p.m., producing a white, green and blue plume that was visible across much of California. Fading rays of sunlight hit the rockets unspent fuel, causing it to glow brightly as the booster placed the SAOCOM 1A satellite into space. Advertisement The booster than returned to Vandenberg, where it made a safe landing, 230 miles northwest of San Diego, the Air Force said. Within minutes, people across San Diego County began emailing photos to the Union-Tribune. Many of them came from cellphones, but were crisp enough to show the rockets plume fanning out across the sky. By 8:55 p.m., the U-T had received images from everyone from beach-goers to people across inland foothills out for an evening walk. Images also were sent from as far away as Blythe, Temecula and Lassen. Images also arrived from Rebecca Agliano of Hemet, who said, My 11-year-old took the photos. It was my kids first launch as well as mine! Ive been trying to watch it take off for awhile now. Liz Fiorito of Pacific Highland Ranch capture this image of Sunday nights launch. (Liz Fiorito) WASHINGTON Picking up the pieces after a contentious nomination battle, the Senates majority leader said Sunday that the chamber wont be irreparably damaged by the wrenching debate over sexual misconduct that has swirled around new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. While Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Kavanaughs confirmation was a shining moment for the GOP heading into next months pivotal elections, GOP Gov. John Kasich of Ohio predicted a good year for Democrats and said he wonders about the soul of our country in the long term after the tumultuous hearings. McConnell, in two news show interviews, tried to distinguish between President Donald Trumps nomination of Kavanaugh this year and his own decision not to have the GOP-run Senate consider President Barack Obamas high court nominee, Merrick Garland, in 2016. McConnell called the current partisan divide a low point, but he blamed Democrats. The Senates not broken, said McConnell. We didnt attack Merrick Garlands background and try to destroy him. He asserted that we simply followed the tradition of America. Advertisement Vice President Pence announces the result of the vote for the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in Washington. (AP) The climactic 50-48 roll call vote Saturday on Kavanaugh was the closest vote to confirm a justice since 1881. It capped a fight that seized the national conversation after claims emerged that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted women three decades ago. Kavanaugh emphatically denied the allegations. The accusations transformed the clash from a routine struggle over judicial ideology into an angry jumble of questions about victims rights and personal attacks on nominees. Ultimately, every Democrat voted against Kavanaugh except for Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Kavanaugh was sworn in Saturday evening in a private ceremony as protesters chanted outside the court building. McConnell said the confirmation fight had energized Republican voters and he praised GOP senators, who he said had stood up to the mob in favor of the presumption of innocence. He signaled that a Republican-controlled Senate would act on a fresh Trump nominee to the Supreme Court in 2020 a presidential election year should a vacancy arise. The courts two oldest justices are Democratic appointees: Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 85 and Stephen Breyer is 80. Supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018. (Andrew Harnik / AP) Well see if there is a vacancy in 2020, McConnell said. Two years ago, McConnell blocked a vote on Garland, citing what he said was a tradition of not filling vacancies in a presidential election year. But when asked again Sunday about it, he sought to clarify that a Senate case in 1880 suggested inaction on a nominee only when the chamber was controlled by the party opposing the president. Republicans currently hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, with several seats up for grabs in November. Trump has now put his stamp on the court with his second justice in as many years. Yet Kavanaugh is joining under a cloud. President Trump, on board Air Force One, gestures while speaking to members of the travel press after watching a live television broadcast of the Senate confirmation vote of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP) Accusations from several women remain under scrutiny, and House Democrats have pledged further investigation if they win the majority in November. Outside groups are culling an unusually long paper trail from his previous government and political work, with the National Archives and Records Administration expected to release a cache of millions of documents later this month. Still, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said he believed it would be premature for Democrats to talk about re-investigating Kavanaugh or a possible impeachment if the party takes control of the chamber in November, stressing a need to help heal the country. Frankly, we are just less than a month away from an election, Coons said. Folks who feel very strongly one way or the other about the issues in front of us should get out and vote and participate. McConnell spoke on Fox News Sunday and CBS Face the Nation, Kasich appeared on CNNs State of the Union, and Coons was on NBCs Meet the Press. The Senates 50-48 vote Saturday to confirm federal appellate Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court followed a disastrous three weeks for a slew of American institutions failings that are likely to haunt our nation for decades to come. The Senate has never seemed more full of posturing partisans. Or more empty of people desirous of an actual vetting. Only perhaps six senators votes were ever in doubt from the moment Kavanaugh was nominated in July, before late-breaking allegations against him surfaced two months ago. The ensuing testimony of Bay Area professor Christine Blasey Ford about an alleged sexual attack by a drunken Kavanaugh at a Maryland home in 1982 when they were both teenagers was detailed, compelling and credible, even to some Republicans. Yet even when evidence emerged that Kavanaugh had lied about not being a hard drinker in high school, GOP senators only backed an FBI investigation of Fords claims when one of their own Jeff Flake of Arizona demanded it. To their detriment, many Democrats jumped on never-credible claims that Kavanaugh was involved in gang rapes absent a scintilla of remotely solid evidence. And Democratic senators flatly rejected the idea that it mattered that Fords allegations werent supported by those she said were witnesses. If the #MeToo movement embraces the notion that all allegations of sexual misconduct are always true with no examination of their plausibility then the scales of justice have tilted too far. Advertisement Just as bad, some media outlets abandoned basic standards of journalism in evaluating and reporting on allegations. The New Yorker published a story in which a Yale classmate of Kavanaughs, after several days of considering the matter carefully, decided that 30-plus years ago, Kavanaugh had exposed himself to her at a college party. Finding no evidence Kavanaugh was at the party after interviewing several dozen people over a week, The New York Times only reported the allegation after The New Yorker did. Theres a reason why distrust in the media is on the rise, and changing standards in tumultuous times like this will speed that up. As for Kavanaugh, his Sept. 27 Senate testimony will hang over him as long as he lives. Im never going to get my reputation back, he said, my life is totally and permanently altered. Its easy to understand his anger over having his previously good name trashed. But for this to translate into bitter, mocking responses to predictable, routine questions from Senate Democrats was an awful look. Aspiring justices normally aim for an even-keeled temperament, not a vengeful one, for a reason. Of course, the ugliness of this doesnt end there. President Donald Trumps cruel potshots at Ford at a rally were stomach-turning. The FBIs seemingly cursory investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh will renew concerns about its effectiveness. Sadly, only Ford wound up with her dignity intact, and the process turned her life upside-down. America has survived so much a civil war, 9/11, disastrous military campaigns, assassinations and more that worrying about its health may be an overreaction. But the America of 2018 seems diminished. Feeling angry? Melancholy is more fitting. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida has been sidelined again, and this time it might be a couple of weeks before he returns. By video, he suffered a left high ankle sprain on Sunday against the Cardinals. He tried to return but ultimately was ruled out. When he plays again will depend on how much swelling there is overnight. This is already his third injury this season. Advertisement Breida, who is averaging 7.6 yards a carry, had a scary-looking hyperextension injury to his right knee in Week 3 but continued to play through it. He was listed with a shoulder injury last week. Now the ankle. Sometimes, injuries beget injuries. At this point, it seems Breida will need to take a breather and get healthy before he returns to form. He will not need surgery, but look for a short absence. GRENADA, Oct. 8 (ChinaMil) -- Since the Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark (Hull 866) arrived in Grenada five days ago, it has undertaken diagnosis and treatment of 6,406 people-times, auxiliary inspection of 2,221 people-times, hospitalization of 15 patients and 13 operations. On the morning of October 6, accompanied by Chinese Ambassador to Grenada Zhao Yongchen and the commander of the Harmonious Mission 2018, Dame Cecile La Grenade, Governor-General of Grenada, made a special trip to the Grenada General Hospital to visit the Chinese hospital ship Peace Arks doctors who were there to provide medical support. The Governor-General of Grenada shook hands with Chinese doctors and inspected the medical services jointly provided by Chinese and Grenadian doctors. She thanked the Chinese doctors who had provided excellent and free medical support and bring hope and healing to the Grenadian people. On October 4, the Governor-General received the commander of the Harmonious Mission 2018 and his entourage in the governors palace. She praised the re-visit of the hospital ship Peace Ark and regarded it as a role model for friendly exchanges and cooperation between Grenada and China. On October 3, Dame Cecile La Grenade boarded on the hospital ship Peace Ark to visit the medical staff and patients and had a routine physical examination on the hospital ship. Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada, also met the commander of the Harmonious Mission 2018 on October 5, local time. Keith, on behalf of the government and people, expressed his gratitude for all the medical assistance the hospital ship Peace Ark have done and have been doing for Grenadian people. The commander of the Harmonious Mission 2018 also paid respective visits to the Grenadian Foreign Minister Peter David, the Health Minister Nickolas Steele, and Commissioner of Police Edvin Martin. 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. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have agreed to arrange a second U.S.-North Korea summit "as soon as possible." According to the U.S. State Department, Pompeo and Kim "refined options for the location and date of that next summit." State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said Sunday, "Secretary Pompeo and Chairman Kim also agreed to instruct their respective working-level teams to meet soon to intensify discussions on the key remaining issues to deliver on the Singapore Summit Joint Statement." She added U.S. President Donald Trump "looks forward to continuing to build upon the trust established with Chairman Kim in Singapore". The announcement Sunday came shortly after Pompeo arrived in Seoul, following his fourth visit to North Korea, where he met with Kim. South Korean President Moon Jae-in thanked Pompeo for his visit and expressed his well-wishes for the potential upcoming summit. The two leaders last met last June in Singapore. Trump tweeted earlier Sunday Kim and Pompeo "had a good meeting." "Progress made on Singapore Summit Agreements! I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future," he wrote. Prime Minister Theresa May appealed to wavering British voters on Sunday ahead of a defining few months in which she hopes to secure a Brexit deal and face down opponents who say her EU exit plan is too hard, too soft, or just plain wrong. May, tasked with delivering Britain's exit from the European Union after a 2016 referendum which continues to divide the country, must find a way through deadlocked talks in Brussels and then convince a skeptical parliament to back the outcome. On Sunday she launched an unusual plea for the backing of center-ground voters who had previously backed the Labour Party but felt alienated by a shift to the left under current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. "I want voters who may previously have thought of themselves as Labour supporters to look at my government afresh. They will find a decent, moderate and patriotic program that is worthy of their support," May wrote in an article for the Observer newspaper. Hot off the heels of a speech at her annual conference which polls showed was well received, May sought to reinforce her message that the end of over eight years of austerity was in sight, and that she was capable of delivering reform beyond Brexit. Labour called her message on austerity a con and said she was making "desperate pleas in an attempt to revive her failing administration." The amount is expected to increase further this year due to a weak Japanese yen and other factors encouraging Koreans to spend money overseas. The figure does not even include online shopping on overseas websites like Amazon and Alibaba or spending on business trips, meaning most of it occurred on holiday or during overseas study or training. A strong won and cheap airfares have resulted in Koreans spending a record W32 trillion overseas last year, according to the Bank of Korea (US$1=W1,130). That is an increase of 9.3 percent from a year earlier. Overseas spending still accounted for only 4.2 percent of the total private consumption of W759.9 trillion, but the growth rate surpassed the increase in income and domestic consumption, thereby contributing to the economic slump. According to the BOK, disposable income increased 14 percent and domestic private consumption 10.2 percent compared to three years ago, but overseas spending rose 39.4 percent. The central bank in a recent report blamed the strengthening won and cheap flights. Last year, budget carriers accounted for 38 percent of total outbound tourism, and the exchange rate fell 11 percent from W1,208 to the U.S. dollar early last year to W1,071 by the end of 2017. The Japanese yen also weakened from W1,036.8 to W949.1 per 100 yen over the same period. Those trends are continuing, raising expectations that Koreans will spend even more money overseas. The number of Koreans traveling to Japan is skyrocketing due to the increasing affordability of products and services there. A total of 5.22 million Koreans visited Japan from January to August of this year, compared to 5.8 million Chinese. Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroder married his Korean partner Kim So-yeon at a luxury hotel in Berlin, Germany on Friday. The couple plan another party at the Grand Hyatt in Seoul on Oct. 28. They met at a forum in 2015, where Kim was his interpreter, and already registered their marriage in Korea in May this year. They will spend their honeymoon in the former East Germany and in Korea, visiting the traditional village of Andong and the historic city of Gyeongju, both in North Gyeongsang Province. Schroder (74) has been married four times before and Kim (48) once. Japan has decided to skip the International Fleet Review on Jeju Island this year amid a spat over the Japanese Navy's continued use of the imperial flag. Seoul had suggested that Japanese warships refrain from flying the rising-sun flag during the fleet review rather than offend Koreans who have bitter memories of the flag, which is still the official banner of the Japanese Navy. Japanese Minister of Defense Takeshi Iwaya called an ad-hoc news conference on Friday and said, "Unfortunately, we have come to a situation where we have no choice but to pass on our participation in the international fleet review." He said that the rising-sun flag has been used by the Maritime Self-Defense Force since the 1950s and added it is "extremely regretful." Korea asked Japan to fly the modern Japanese flag instead along with Korea's national flag, but Tokyo called the demand "illogical and rude." Fourteen countries are participating in this year's International Fleet Review, and all have been asked to fly their own flag along with Korea's. Korea has been hosting the review every 10 years since 1998, and Japanese ships have taken part in the first two flying the rising-sun flag. But relations have since soured and social media have given a louder voice to Koreans who do not want to see the flag flying in their ports in peace or wartime. Only one Japanese warship was scheduled to participate in this year's review. Last month, Iwaya said, "Raising the rising-sun flag is mandatory under our laws." A military officer here said, "We can't force them not to use the flag since a foreign naval vessel falls under that country's sovereign jurisdiction. It's a festive event and a goodwill exchange, so it's a shame that Japan did not understand our position." Another military source said, "The controversy is likely to affect military cooperation in the future." Japanese Navy ships could have trouble entering Korean ports in the future if they take part in naval exchanges. Instead, Japan will send observers of the fleet review. Petrobras is the operator of the consortium developing the Libra area. Shell, Total, CNPC and CNOOC Limited are partners. Pre-Sal Petroleo S.A (PPSA) manages the Production Sharing Contract. The subsea production system will consist of 12 vertical subsea trees designed for Brazil's pre-salt, four subsea distribution units, three topside master control stations for the Mero 1 Guanabara FPSO and spare parts. The order also includes installation and commissioning support services. "We're pleased to become a key supplier to Petrobras and its partners for the first full production project of this major development," said Luis Araujo, ceo of Aker Solutions. "We have an extensive local workforce and over 40 years' experience in Brazil and look forward to continuing to play an important role in the development of the country's pre-salt resources," he added. Aker Solutions' subsea manufacturing facility in Sao Jose dos Pinhais and its subsea services base in Rio das Ostras will carry out the work. The work has already started and deliveries are scheduled for 2020. Installations are scheduled between 2020 and 2023. The subsea production system will be hooked up to the first full-scale floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for Mero, known as the Guanabara FPSO. Sign up for the seminar - Decommissioning of Offshore Platforms - at Seatrade Maritime Middle East The FPSO is scheduled to come on stream in 2021 and will have capacity to process up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day and 12 million cu m of gas a day. The ultra-deepwater Mero field is located in the northwestern area of the original Libra block, which is about 180 km south of Rio de Janeiro. First oil was produced in November last year. The companies are not disclosing the value of the contract. The order will be booked in the third quarter of 2018. The terminal operator is set to start the construction of berths 7 and 8 at MICT on 15 October. In a second phase slated for 19 February 2019, pending final approvals, ICTSI will start working building the full back-up areas for future berths 9 and 10 at the Manila terminal. The new berths will have a draught of 13.5 m to 14.5 m allowing the terminal to cater to larger boxships and the increased volumes they bring. The terminal will take delivery of 16 rubber-tyred gantry cranes next year and two super post-panamax quay cranes. Sign up for the - Smart Ports & Smart Carriers - session at the Seatrade Maritime Middle East Christian R. Gonzalez, ICTSI global corporate head: On top of our commitments, the construction of these berths is our response to the need for an increase in capacity and increased productivity over the longer term. We also need to accommodate system changes, such as the steady increase in vessel size, the consolidation of major shipping players, and the introduction of rail services. ICTSI has allocated capex of over $380m in 2018 including the expansion of MICT. Last week was a busy one in the world of maritime and shipping with the impact of regulations on business and operations continuing to dominate the agenda. With the worlds largest gathering for the ship refuelling industry the Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition (SIBCON) it was little surprise that fuels for 2020 and beyond were in focus. With the majority of owners set to comply with the IMOs 2020 sulphur cap by using low sulphur fuels the majors are starting to announce their compliant fuels ranges, including ExxonMobil, who took the time to try and reassure the industry over compatibility and availability concerns: ExxonMobil seeks to reassure shipowners on 2020 compliant low sulphur fuels Meanwhile standard bearer in using LNG as a marine fuel CMA CGM warned that more global bunkering infrastructure was needed: Global bunkering infrastructure still needed to make LNG viable as a marine fuel Meanwhile for those opting to use scrubbers developments continued apace and Stamatis Tsantanis, ceo of Seanergy Maritime urged owners at a conference in Greece to ensure that customers paid for the equipment: Seanergy Maritime urges owners to pass on cost of scrubbers to charterers Meanwhile Hong Kong saw the first gathering of the Global Maritime Forum, trying to shake off its previous national identity as the Danish Maritime Forum. The self-styled Davos of shipping assembled executives from across the world in Kai Tak Cruise Terminal to discuss the burning issues of the day. The result was some 34 top industry executives signing up to a call for action on climate change: Climate change call for action signed by 34 shipping industry leaders It will be interesting to see if this translates into real action. While the Global Maritime Forum called for action some other industry leaders, in particular outgoing Intercargo chairman John Platsidakis and Union of Greek Shipowners president, Theodore Veniamis, expressed exasperation with the international regulatory process for shipping and the way the industry is viewed. Intercargo chairman aims parting shots at regulators UGS president Veniamis attacks 'intense negativism' towards shipping In terms of the outlook for shipping there was mixed news with UNCTAD seeing improved seaborne trade growth and NYK president Tadaaki Naito warning that companies such as his own needed to adapt to the changing landscape of digitalisation and environmental pressures or die. Global seaborne trade expanding at improved 4% rate: UNCTAD At 133 years old NYK needs to transform or die chief warns The deputy head of the UN Command that oversees the armistice last week warned declaring a formal end to the Korean War could be a "slippery slope" to dispensing with the U.S. troop presence on the Korean Peninsula altogether. Lt. Gen. Wayne Eyre was quoted by Reuters on Saturday as making the remark at a seminar sponsored by the Carnegie Institute for International Peace in Washington. "You have to question why North Korea is pushing so hard for that end-of-war declaration," he added. "North Korea's push for such a declaration could be a ploy to divide the U.S.-South Korea alliance and secure the withdrawal of the 28,500 U.S. troops based in the South." Eyre, the first Canadian to hold the post, was appointed in May. The UNC usually refrains from commenting on South Korean government policy or inter-Korean issues. "The optimistic would say that [North Korean leader Kim Jong-un] needs it for a domestic audience so he can change his ways and have a new approach; the pessimist would say it's another way to split the allies apart," Eyre added. Eyre described the North Koreans as "experts at separating allies," but admitted that the current mood of detente and negotiation has given hope for a process of "moving forward towards a lasting peace.'" The researchers quickly dismissed their initial fear that the logs represented a malware attack. The communication wasn't the work of bots. The irregular pattern of server lookups actually resembled the pattern of human conversation conversations that began during office hours in New York and continued during office hours in Moscow. It dawned on the researchers that this wasn't an attack, but a sustained relationship between a server registered to the Trump Organization and two servers registered to an entity called Alfa Bank. Examining records for the Trump domain, Max's group discovered D.N.S. lookups from a pair of servers owned by Alfa Bank, one of the largest banks in Russia. Alfa Bank's computers were looking up the address of the Trump server nearly every day. There were dozens of lookups on some days and far fewer on others, but the total number was notable: Between May and September, Alfa Bank looked up the Trump Organization's domain more than two thousand times. "We were watching this happen in real time it was like watching an airplane fly by," Max said. "And we thought, Why the hell is a Russian bank communicating with a server that belongs to the Trump Organization, and at such a rate?" Only one other entity seemed to be reaching out to the Trump Organization's domain with any frequency: Spectrum Health, of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Spectrum Health is closely linked to the DeVos family; Richard DeVos, Jr., is the chairman of the board, and one of its hospitals is named after his mother. His wife, Betsy DeVos, was appointed Secretary of Education by Donald Trump. Her brother, Erik Prince, is a Trump associate who has attracted the scrutiny of Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Trump's ties to Russia. Mueller has been looking into Prince's meeting, following the election, with a Russian official in the Seychelles, at which he reportedly discussed setting up a back channel between Trump and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. (Prince maintains that the meeting was "incidental.") In the summer of 2016, Max and the others weren't aware of any of this. "We didn't know who DeVos was," Max said. The D.N.S. records raised vexing questions. Why was the Trump Organization's domain, set up to send mass-marketing e-mails, conducting such meagre activity? And why were computers at Alfa Bank and Spectrum Health trying to reach a server that didn't seem to be doing anything? After analyzing the data, Max said, "We decided this was a covert communication channel." ...In August, 2016, Max decided to reveal the data that he and his colleagues had assembled. "If the covert communications were real, this potential threat to our country needed to be known before the election," he said. After some discussion, he and his lawyer decided to hand over the findings to Eric Lichtblau, of the New York Times. Lichtblau met with Max, and began to look at the data. Lichtblau had done breakthrough reporting on National Security Agency surveillance, and he knew that Max's findings would require sophisticated analysis. D.N.S. lookups are metadata records that indicate computer interactions but don't necessarily demonstrate human communication. Lichtblau shared the data with three leading computer scientists, and, like Max, they were struck by the unusual traffic on the server. As Lichtblau talked to experts, he became increasingly convinced that the data suggested a substantive connection. "Not only is there clearly something there but there's clearly something that someone has gone to great lengths to conceal," he told me. Jean Camp, of Indiana University, had also vetted some of the data. "These people who should not be communicating are clearly communicating," she said. In order to encourage discussion among analysts, Camp posted a portion of the raw data on her website. As Lichtblau wrote a draft of an article for the Times, Max's lawyer contacted the F.B.I. to alert agents that a story about Trump would be running in a national publication, and to pass along the data. A few days later, an F.B.I. official called Lichtblau and asked him to come to the Bureau's headquarters, in Washington, D.C. At the meeting, in late September, 2016, a roomful of officials told Lichtblau that they were looking into potential Russian interference in the election. According to a source who was briefed on the investigation, the Bureau had intelligence from informants suggesting a possible connection between the Trump Organization and Russian banks, but no data. The information from Max's group could be a significant advance. "The F.B.I. was looking for people in the United States who were helping Russia to influence the election," the source said. "It was very important to the Bureau. It was urgent." The F.B.I. officials asked Lichtblau to delay publishing his story, saying that releasing the news could jeopardize their investigation. As the story sat, Dean Baquet, the Times' executive editor, decided that it would not suffice to report the existence of computer contacts without knowing their purpose. Lichtblau disagreed, arguing that his story contained important news: that the F.B.I. had opened a counterintelligence investigation into Russian contacts with Trump's aides. "It was a really tense debate," Baquet told me. "If I were the reporter, I would have wanted to run it, too. It felt like there was something there." But, with the election looming, Baquet thought that he could not publish the story without being more confident in its conclusions. A lot has happened in the last couple of years, so you'll be forgiven if you don't recall the story about the unusual link between a computer server at the Trump Organization and a Russian bank during the campaign.I first mentioned it in November of 2016 after Franklin Foer wrote an important piece on the subject for Slate, " Was a Trump Server Communicating with Russia? " and then mentioned it again in March of 2017 , when Pamela Brown and Jose Pagliery at CNN reported that the FBI was investigating the server connection, which Foer had described thus in his piece:As I said, if none of this is ringing a bell, you're surely not alone. Especially since the political press largely decided there was nothing to that particular story.Whooooooooooooops.Dexter Filkins at the New Yorker: Was There a Connection Between a Russian Bank and the Trump Campaign? There is much more at the link.Foer notes on Twitter that Filkins "lands at about the same conclusion I did a few years back: This wasn't random." And further : "Dean Baquet didn't run thestory on the subject and he slammed my piece on Alfa to @ErikWemple. But he now says, 'It felt like there was something there.'"In other words, thewho it should always be noted were running plenty of bullshit stories about Hillary Clinton's email server, decided not to run a critically important story linking Trump and Russia a week before the election, because editor Dean Baquet wasn't "confident in it conclusions," even though it "felt like there was something there."Because there was. Lack of competition in New Zealand's building materials market, inconsistent procurement processes, and no clear pipeline of future work are all factors putting off potential Australian infrastructure investors, Cabinet papers show. The issues emerged during Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones' trip across the Tasman in April where he went searching for ideas on how to improve management of New Zealand's major projects. Jones wants an independent infrastructure body to provide advice on the state of the nation's assets but ultimately leave decisions in the hands of ministers. He tasked officials to ensure New Zealand makes the most of investment opportunities from Australia, including getting closer to the market across the ditch. A Cabinet paper shows their ongoing commercial interest in providing New Zealand infrastructure was tempered by a number of negative perceptions, such as a lack of a clear and coherent pipeline of work beyond the transport sector. Among those concerns were inconsistent procurement processes and inflated project costs arising from New Zealand's highly concentrated materials sector, the paper said. Local government regulatory settings and the perception that having a New Zealand partner was an unofficial prerequisite also put investors off. A 2012 Productivity Commission report into housing affordability found there was a lack of competition in the local building materials market, which was compounded by firms' inability to achieve economies of scale due to their size. The government today called for feedback on how a new infrastructure body should be set up and where it should sit in the overall framework. The entity is likely to be up and running in the second half of next year. Treasury found institutional arrangements for managing infrastructure projects have improved in recent years, but there are still weaknesses, the consultation paper says. They include: a lack of integrated investment decisions, meaning reduced visibility for large projects; a focus on building assets rather than the outcomes they were intended to deliver; too few decisions based on evidence; and limited procurement capability. Submissions are open until Oct. 26. In the meantime, an interim infrastructure unit will be set up from Nov. 1 to support agencies with the planning and delivery of major projects. The existing National Infrastructure Unit that sits within Treasury was seen as effective at influencing policy but didn't have the resources or mandate to drive outcomes. Similarly, Treasury's public-private partnerships unit wasn't equipped to work on more than two or three projects at any one time. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's government procurement and property branch also had limited resources. The consultation paper says Treasury will work with other government agencies to see how the new entity should interact with existing infrastructure processes, such as the National Land Transport Programme. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Just Life Group Limited (NZX: JLG) Dividend Announcement Vector Limited (NZX: VCT) Launches Retail Bond Offer 15th November 2021 Morning Report Contact Energy Limited (NZX: CEN) Sets Interest Rate for Green Capital Bonds Rakon Limited (NZX: RAK) Upgrades Earnings Guidance 12th November 2021 Morning Report The Warehouse Group Limited (NZX: WHS) FY22 First Quarter Sales Update Infratil Limited (NZX: IFT) Interim results for the period ended 30 September 2021 11th November 2021 Morning Report Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) Delivers Interim Profit Before Tax of $570 Million Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Lakes, rivers, and streams should be cleaner within five years as a result of major freshwater policy announcements from the government today. However, long-stalled decisions on the allocation of both water and nutrient discharges are still some years away because of the need for a settled process to recognise Maori freshwater claims. To negotiate a way forward with Maori, the government intends to try a regulatory route that will give access to water for under-developed Maori land located in catchments where water is fully or over-allocated. This would create headroom for Maori water takes that currently dont occur and could include support for small-scale water storage schemes to allow such headroom to be available. While Labour ministers still see merit in using prices and trading mechanisms to allocate water, that is abandoned for now, in part because the coalition agreement with New Zealand First prevents it. The new approach also seeks to keep the Maori water rights issue out of the courts, while confirming the position of previous governments that no one owns water. The documents say there will be no pan-Maori freshwater settlement, but that issues will be dealt with on a catchment-by-catchment basis and that the headroom allocation approach would not create a property right at law. Key aspects of the strategy outlined today will be the third rewrite this decade of the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management and publication of a National Environmental Standard to drive early action on improving freshwater quality. Environment Minister David Parker said the NES would include controls on the excesses of some intensive land use practices, including restricting intensive winter grazing, feedlots, and hill country cropping. There would be Resource Management Act amendments within 12 months to let local government review resource consents to more quickly implement water quality and quantity limits and strengthen compliance tools. The new NPS would give stronger national direction setting limits for resource use and better protection for wetlands and estuaries than the existing NPS. The new NPS and NES will be in place by 2020, with Parker promising that in five years, there will be a noticeable improvement in freshwater quality. However, the Essential Freshwater policy document says that because every catchment is different, the time required for improvements to show up will be different. The document outlines a process that will prioritise at risk catchments first, with a view to first stopping further degradation and loss of freshwater quality, reversing past damage, and lastly addressing water allocation issues. A report on at-risk catchments is due by the end of the year, with urgent action prioritised either through existing rules, new regulation, or government assistance through the Provincial Growth Fund and the one billion trees forestry planting initiative. On addressing Maori issues, the Shared Interests in Freshwater document says the government is committed to considering how to better recognise these rights and interests in a contemporary system for freshwater management. The government would need to ensure that any re-allocation occurs in a way and at a rate that balances the need to provide for new users interests with the interests of those existing users, says a Cabinet committee paper included in todays policy dump. The documents also describe frustration among Maori about slow progress on freshwater issues, complicated by the range of views within Maoridom about who should exercise control over Maori water rights and interests: iwi/hapu or Maori landowners. The previously announced establishment of the Maori Freshwater Forum, Kahui-Wai Maori, would ensure wider consultation than in the past, where the Iwi Leaders Group was the primary vehicle for government-Maori policy discussions. Crucially, the government is seeking to overcome a building sense among Maori that there is no clear path ahead for the Crowns engagement on Maori water rights and interests. KWM will have access to and the ability to provide feedback on draft Cabinet papers and will require independent research funded by the Ministry for the Environment in order to do its job, the documents say. Also contributing to consultations will be an expert Science and Technology Advisory Group and a Freshwater Leaders Group involving people identified for their personal experience and commitment, not as representatives of any organisations. The groups represent a broad church of contributors, with the TAG including Mike Joy, a Massey University freshwater ecologist who has campaigned against dairy intensification and the KWM group including long-time Maori sovereignty activist Annette Sykes. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Just Life Group Limited (NZX: JLG) Dividend Announcement Vector Limited (NZX: VCT) Launches Retail Bond Offer 15th November 2021 Morning Report Contact Energy Limited (NZX: CEN) Sets Interest Rate for Green Capital Bonds Rakon Limited (NZX: RAK) Upgrades Earnings Guidance 12th November 2021 Morning Report The Warehouse Group Limited (NZX: WHS) FY22 First Quarter Sales Update Infratil Limited (NZX: IFT) Interim results for the period ended 30 September 2021 11th November 2021 Morning Report Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) Delivers Interim Profit Before Tax of $570 Million Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern effectively declared war on the petrol industry today saying "New Zealanders, in my book, are being fleeced". Stung by steeply rising petrol prices and politically exposed because of the government's regional fuel tax policy, she promised to rush legislation through Parliament that would compel industries to open their books to competition regulators and vowed personally to promote an inquiry into the price of transport fuel as a top priority. Ardern, speaking after Cabinet, pointed to a 39 cents per litre increase in the price of petrol during the past year, of which 22 cents was down to higher international oil prices, 6.8 cents per litre was new taxes, and an "unacceptable" 9.8 cents per litre was an increase in importer margins. Importer margins are the main way the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment tracks changes in fuel company profitability. "Given concerns about anti-competitive behaviour in the fuel market, we are going to be prioritising the passing of the Commerce Amendment Bill through second and third reading in the House when we resume next week. My expectation is it will complete all stages by the second sitting week," said Ardern. The amendment to allow so-called market studies has been wending its way through Parliament since March, with wide political support, and will allow the government's competition watchdog, the Commerce Commission, to compel petrol companies to open their books. Last year's petrol price inquiry was inconclusive, with investigators the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, Grant Thornton and Cognitus reporting that "we cannot definitely say that fuel prices in New Zealand are reasonable" but had "reason to believe that they might not be". That investigation was hampered by incomplete and variable disclosure of commercial information, with price-leader Gull reportedly unable to provide information in the format desired while Mobil was unforthcoming. Z Energy, whose chief executive Mike Bennetts has led an industry push to improve its profit margins since earlier this decade, supplied information as requested to the earlier inquiry. Bennetts rested his argument for higher margins on concerns the industry was not re-investing in vital transport fuel distribution infrastructure, with risks both to public safety and security of fuel supplies. He has also resisted making fuel tank storage space available to competitors, such as Gull, on uncommercial terms. However, Ardern said regulating for open access to fuel terminal facilities was amongst the options available to the government. She signalled a preference for regulation to improve competition rather than price control. A fuel price inquiry has been on the cards since the election of the coalition government last October although the coalition agreement between the Labour and New Zealand First parties only cited an inquiry into electricity prices. A full market study would be unable to report until some next year. However, Ardern will be expecting the politically sensitive transport fuels sector to moderate its pricing behaviour in light of the strong rhetorical attack she mounted today. "I am hugely concerned at the level of price that consumers are paying for fuel at the pump," said Ardern, who has faced mounting pressure from the National Party to axe the 3.5 cents a litre regional fuel tax operating in Auckland and a call for a one-day boycott of petrol stations by the Automobile Association. The 30 percent rise in the price of imported crude oil since the beginning of the year only partially explained the rise in petrol prices. Motorists are paying around $2.50 per litre for 91-octane petrol, a historic high. Drivers in Wellington and the South Island often pay higher prices than Aucklanders, largely due to the absence of Gull in those regions. In 2008, New Zealand had among the lowest pre-tax petrol prices in the rich countries club, the OECD. "It is now the highest," Ardern said. "Between 2008 and 2017, margins more than doubled from 7 percent to 16 percent. That represents a transfer of wealth to petrol producers from consumers to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars." "Pre-tax, as of today, New Zealand has the highest cost of fuel in the OECD and some of that cannot be explained," she said. Even if the government removed the recent excise increase, "I cannot guarantee that fuel companies would not simply absorb that themselves and that consumers would pay the same price", said Ardern. "We've got to look at what's happening with the fuel industry. They haven't opened up their books to us in the past. We are going to have to force them to do that." (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Just Life Group Limited (NZX: JLG) Dividend Announcement Vector Limited (NZX: VCT) Launches Retail Bond Offer 15th November 2021 Morning Report Contact Energy Limited (NZX: CEN) Sets Interest Rate for Green Capital Bonds Rakon Limited (NZX: RAK) Upgrades Earnings Guidance 12th November 2021 Morning Report The Warehouse Group Limited (NZX: WHS) FY22 First Quarter Sales Update Infratil Limited (NZX: IFT) Interim results for the period ended 30 September 2021 11th November 2021 Morning Report Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) Delivers Interim Profit Before Tax of $570 Million Rail traffic peaks as millions return from holiday trips From:ChinaDaily | 2018-10-08 07:42 China's railway traffic reached its peak on Sunday, the last day of the weeklong National Day holiday, with an estimated daily passenger flow of 15.2 million, China Railway Corp said. Domestic railways served 13.8 million passengers on Saturday, a 1.4 million year-on-year increase, with a growth rate of 11.5 percent, according to the company. Rail authorities arranged 814 extra train services nationwide to handle the rush of people returning home and back to work, the company said. In Beijing, 33 extra trains were in service from the capital's three main stations to meet the demand of an estimated 1.32 million outbound passengers on Sunday, according to China Railway Beijing Group Co. Meanwhile, 580,000 people were expected to arrive in Beijing on Sunday. More than 11 million left the capital by train in the nine days up to and including Sunday, up by 7.2 percent year-on-year, according to the company. China's high-speed rail system has grown to 25,000 kilometers, accounting for more than 60 percent of the world's total, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Deng Lingyu, who took a four-hour train trip back to Shanghai from his hometown of Nanping, Fujian province, where he visited for a holiday family reunion, said, "I often take trains, and I usually book early to get a seat during holiday rush." "The high-speed rail is on-time and fast, with clean, comfortable carriages and affordable prices. I can enjoy the country view through the train window and get back into a working frame of mind," he said. The high-speed rail network expanded to Hong Kong in late September, linking it with 44 stations in 38 mainland cities, a service that attracted many during the seven-day holiday. Shi Wenqi, of Xiamen, Fujian province, traveled to Hong Kong with her family during the holiday, "The permit check is simple. It takes only about four hours to get there, making it more convenient to get away for a short vacation." Xinhua contributed to this story. Kathmandu, October 8 A tourist bus service connecting Kathmandu with Lumbini, one of the main tourist destinations of the country, has come into operation for the first time. Travel Nepal Bus Services Pvt Ltd will run the service on the route. The company already runs buses from Kathmandu to Pokhara. The Kathmandu-Sunauli-Lumbini bus service came into operation on Monday. Company Proprietor Prahlad Lohani informed that they three buses will run on the route. The buses have comfortable sofa seat, a rest room and a smoking zone. The bus for Lumbini leaves from Gaushala of Kathmandu at 6.30 am. Tickets can be purchased through Travel Nepal online. RSS Hollywood star Will Smith visited the sets of Punit Malhotra's SOTY 2 and spent some time with the lead cast of the film which stars Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, and Ananya Panday. He visited the sets of Karan Johar's production project SOTY 2 and was seen bonding with the lead actors of the film. Dharma Productions official Instagram page shared a picture of Tiger with Will, writing, "There's a guest on the sets of #SOTY2 and 'will' you be able to keep calm after seeing these?" Will also shared a picture of him shaking a leg with Tiger, captioning it, "On Set in Bollywood!! Shout out to the Cast & Crew of Student of the Year 2. Thanx for Letting Me Play." Meanwhile, Ananya and Tara also posted selfies on their Instagram account with Will. Anaya captioned the photo, "This legend visited our set today!!" Will is currently in Mumbai for an event. Earlier, he also visited the sets of 'Koffee with Karan' and bonded with Karan Johar and Ranveer Singh over a dinner date later. He might be seen in a special appearance in the Kofee episode featuring Ranveer Singh and Akshay Kumar. Images: Instagram Text: ANI Yes, curiously, it also came to be known as the Rolls Royce trail as the first ever automobile (in 1934), and subsequently, others owned by the Kathmandus royalties, foreign dignitaries and aristocrats were transported by this routenot on wheels but shoulder-borne by porters. The villagers thronged to watch the spectacular sight as the porters carried the car balanced on bamboo poles to the rhythmic chanting of hoste-hainse (Nepali rallying cry). In 1940 porters numbering 60, carried a 1939 Daimler-Benz gifted to King Tribhuvan by the then German Nazi Leader Adolf Hitler. The vintage car is kept on display at the Narayanhity Palace Museum. Yet another antique car, the Hudson Phantom, made by the Hudson Motor Car Company, Michigan, Detroit, USA, and brought to Nepal in the mid-1900s ( believed to be Late King Mahendras), is on display at the National Museum, Chhauni. Some 70 years ago, my nonagenarian mother (93 years old now) walked along this ancient trail, when she was a young woman in her early twenties. She was on a long journey to India and back to meet my late father who was stationed in the Nepal Embassy, Delhi. So did everyone on this trail. For millenniums, even before the dawn of recorded history in Nepal, the trail was trodden by the traders, pilgrims, royalties, foreign dignitaries, monks and commoners alike because that happened to be the only route that connected the Valley of Nepal (Kantipur/Kathmandu, Bhadgaon/Bhaktapur and, Patan/ Lalitpur) with the Terai plains and neighboring India. The ancient trail In the mid-1900s, the journey began after a motor vehicle called a lorry shuttled the travelers to Thankot. Afterward, they hit the foot trail to the daunting heights of the Chandragiri hill, which traversed across beautiful villages like Chitlang, Markhu, Kulekhani (a suspension bridge spanned the river then), Chisapanigadi, and the last leg to Bhimphedi. After that, people clambered up a lorry again and left for the terai towns like Hetauda, Amlekhgunj, and Birgunj, the gateway to India. In 1956, this time-honored beaten path, trodden down for centuries by legions of travelers suddenly turned deserted and a deathly hush fell over the villages along this route. The once bustling settlements turned quiet and isolated . . . like ghost towns. All too soon, the centuries-old dusty footpath over the Mahabharat hills was forgotten and sadly ignored. In April 2018, Shayeet and I decided to go on a trip to Chitlang, planning to take the return route via Fakhel, and Pharping. We wished to do the ancient Thankot route but as the road widening work was in progress, it was closed for traffic. Instead, we chose the Mata Tirtha dirt road, which climbed to the Deurali Bhanjhyang (the adjacent ridge to Chandragiri) but eventually met with the ancient trail at Kulekhani. We did not foot it like our ancestors did but mountain biked instead. What with the traffic snarl-ups at Kalanki and convoys of heavy vehicles that seemed to bore down on us, the first leg to Gurujudhara proved tricky, needless to mention the quantity of dust and noxious exhaust fumes our lungs must have inhaled en route. Just horrible! At Gurujudhara, we took a left turn and sighed in relief as we headed out towards Mata Tirtha, a Hindu shrine thronged each year by devotees on the mothers day. The road though paved was rutted and in a bad shape. The ride began with a steep climb. Save for a few houses and tea shops, the signs of human habitation started thinning out after we pedaled a kilometer uphill. After some time the road turned into an off-road motor track. We were told that the rest of the forest-clad hill to the Deurali heights (2,100m) would be deserted, so we stopped for tea and snacks. I looked up at the towering forested hill and my heart sank. We had to slug it up to the steep dizzying height without a level ground in between. For Sayeet (only 18 years old) it would be like a fun ride but for me, aged 65, it would be punishing. Thats mountain biking! I was ready to take up the challenge! With nature The more we pedaled uphill, the denser the forests got. Tall pine trees spiraled up into the high hills. The lush vegetation appeared like a close-woven carpet of pale green and olive, while a dash of needle wood magenta foliage lent a floral motif to the pattern. The climb continued relentlessly and the going got tougher each second. Even the granny gear (the easiest gear) did not help, and I had to dismount at several places, regain my breath and walk the bike. On the other hand, Sayeet took it in stride. Must be age, I murmured to myself, my breath coming in gasps. We stopped now and then to sip water and gaze around. Several spots on the hill offered birds eye views of Kathmandu valleyonce a fertile bowl, now an untidy clutter of concrete, grey and dull to look at. The sight was patheticwhat with the haze and smog that seemed to smother the life of the valley, once so green and beautiful. It took us a grueling three hours from Mata Tirtha to crest the Deurali ridge. We stopped for lunch. Lying towards the west, we could see the Chandragiri ridge and the cable car station. The cable-car cabins were moving up and down. The north was overcast, the dull grey cloud denying us a view of the mountains normally seen on a clear day. In favorable weather, both the Chandragiri and Deurali ridges offer a sweeping view of Ganesh Himal, Langtang, Dorje Lakpa, Gaurishankar, and even the mighty Everest. It was time to hit the trail, as we had not made even half the journey. After Deurali the downhill was a breeze, freewheeling all the way down to Chakhel, a settlement dominated by the Tamangs. We hurtled down past small settlements and were surprised to find the terraced slopes bedecked with cabbages in full flower in an unbroken chain as far as we could see. Wow, it was indeed a pleasant sight! Apparently, the folks around the place seemed highly industrious in vegetable farming. Picturesque Markhu After Chakhel, at Mahadevsthan, we took the right fork on the Pharping-Phakhel road towards Kulekhani. After pedaling down and up for an hour and a half, we arrived at Kalanki, a bunch of teashops perched on a hillside that sharply dropped to the Kulekhani dam and the enormous reservoir that stretched north as far as our eyes traveleda breath-taking sight indeed. The road to our left dropped to the dam and the right headed towards Markhu. We stopped for tea, a little tidbit and a much-needed respite. It was already four in the afternoon. We soon left for Markhu, seven kilometers away. The Kulekhani reservoir kept us company all the way. Markhu, a cluster of roadside shops and tea houses appeared quite busy. The landscape around, however, took a dramatic change. We suddenly found ourselves amidst tall, evergreen trees, with the hills around dotted with small houses and terraced fields that dropped to the man-made lake. A picture postcard setting, indeed! The reservoir at Markhu turned into a beautiful wide lake called the Indrasarovar. The surrounding was so picturesque that we just could not help stopping, looking around and gazing at the big lake. Awesome! We could see a number of small rowing boats on the lake waters. A handful of restaurants and lodges marked the pleasant hillside. Markhu is known for a local delicacy too fresh fish from the reservoir. People from Hetauda, Birgunj and as far away as Kathmandu, make frequent visits to savor the fish, boat the serene waters and relax, informed one of the restaurant owners. A village elder told me that the suspension bridge across the Kulekhani river built by Chandra Shumsher, which people crossed while doing the ancient route, was submerged and almost 500 families were displaced when the dam and the reservoir (Kulekhani) was built in 1982-83. The entire villages on its course were inundated. The bazaar area also boasted an old Victorian style building built by the Rana Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher (1932-1945), which in the olden days served as a rest-house for Rana nobilities and foreign dignitaries traveling to Bhimphedi, the point from where they traveled to Birgunj in motor vehicles. Then, it started pouring after we had pedaled hardly a kilometer up from Markhu. We had to stop and take shelter under the overhanging eaves of a house. After something like 45 minutes, the rain seemed to slacken. We put on our rain-jackets and resumed our ride. I was afraid that we would not be able to make it before dark to Chitlang because it was still like 7-8km to our destination. The ride got moderate with a few steep inclines thrown in. Phew! My fears were not unfounded. The shadows lengthened as the sun went down and darkness soon crept in as we sped past tiny settlements. Lights started appearing in the distance. We fixed the lights on our bike handles and continued on. It was pitch dark when we arrived at a fork: the left went to Toukhel and the right to Chitlang. We saw a light, which appeared like a tea shop. Hello, how far is the goat-cheese homestay at Chitlang from here, bhai (bro)? I stopped to ask a young fellow. He looked at our bicycles and said, at least two hours. It was already seven and we were making very slow progress as the darkness was black as coal. The visibility was reduced to barely 10 feet, the bumpy road frequented by muddy pools and shallow trenches. Destination at last Saddle soreness is a horrible thing to happen to a biker but it does, no matter whom it is a pro or a beginner. A long time in the saddle causes the soreness and it sure hurts. Padded shorts specially made for mountain biking helps so does an application of Vaseline (petroleum jelly) to your perineum. We were pedaling in the saddle for almost 7 hours. We had our padded shorts on, applied a liberal quantity of Vaseline and often stood up on our bikes to give our butts a bit of a break and to restore blood flow. But it still hurt. Damn! After something like one-and-a-half hours of pedaling in the pitch-black night across spooky dark shadows of wooded hills with no settlements or lights in sight, I was a little worried. I kept asking Shayeet if we took a wrong turn somewherethere was no telling because it was just too dark and confusing. No, I dont think we ever came across a fork. Were dead on the track, he answered but sounded uncertain. Then, after doing a short downhill section, lights started appearing in the distance. Our faces lit up, Chitlang, at last! It was already nine at night. The streets were muddier along the deserted bazaar. We finally made it to the homestay at around 9.30pm after dodging potholes and deep ruts with heavy slush. Phew, we had done in excess of 120km that day! Since we had called the lodge earlier, we had no problem getting food and a room for the night. Deadbeat as we were, nothing could be more welcome than a hot meal and a cozy bed. We wasted no time and hit the sack after food. End of Part I. CORRECTED: Kim expected to meet 'soon' with leaders of China, Russia: Seoul Seoul, Oct 8 (AFP) Oct 08, 2018 South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Monday he believed North Korea's Kim Jong Un would soon meet with the leaders of China and Russia as part of an ongoing diplomatic effort to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula. It comes a day after the North Korean leader agreed to hold a second summit with US President Donald Trump "as early as possible", following a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang. "Separately from the second US-North Korea summit, Chairman Kim Jong Un's visit to Russia and President Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea are expected to take place soon," Moon told a cabinet meeting. The possibility of a summit between Kim and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is also "open", Moon said, adding: "A new order is being created on the Korean peninsula." Kim and Xi have met three times in China this year as the two countries seek to repair relations frayed by tensions over the North's nuclear activities and Beijing's backing of United Nations sanctions against its Cold War-era ally. The North Korean leader has yet to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has previously invited Kim to Moscow. Japan has historically taken a hard line on Pyongyang and stressed the need to maintain pressure on the regime. More recently, however, Abe has expressed interest in a face-to-face meeting with former international pariah Kim. The latest chapter in the diplomatic flurry comes as Trump sent Pompeo on a whirlwind trip to the region to rekindle stalled denuclearisation talks with Pyongyang. Pompeo tweeted Monday that he was heading to China to work on a "final, fully-verified" denuclearisation of North Korea. The first-ever summit between US and North Korean leaders was held in June this year -- a meeting critics say resulted in only a vague commitment by Kim towards denuclearisation. North Korea's vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui met with officials in Beijing on Saturday and is due to hold talks with Russian counterparts in Moscow followed by a trilateral meeting with China and Russia. 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(0x7f3fdbc9a7b8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdb740c40)', '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(0x7f3fdbc9a7b8)') 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(0x7f3fdb740c40)') 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(0x7f3fdbc782c0)') 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(0x7f3fdb740c40)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdb740c40)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdb742f28)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbc76780)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbc76780)') 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(0x7f3fdc05cf58)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc0789b8)', '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(0x7f3fdc05cf58)') 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(0x7f3fdc0789b8)') 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(0x7f3fdc068598)') 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(0x7f3fdc0789b8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc0789b8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdb741a30)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc0e1798)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc0e1798)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 All major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Monday have given the top priority to the report of an investigation committee on the rape and murder of Nirmala Pant in Kanchanpur district two and half months ago as the Ministry of Home Affairs made the report public yesterday. The newspapers have highlighted that the report, however, fails to pinpoint who committed the crime. Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting made some significant decisions including raising the minimum wage of journalists and appointing Executive Chairman of Gorkhapatra Corporation. These decisions have also been featured on the front pages of Kathmandu newspapers today. The front pages have also published reports about some other political, sociocultural and economic issues today. Important Pant murder probe panel claims police destroyed evidence The investigation carried out by the panel led by Joint Secretary Hari Prasad Mainali has claimed police officials destroyed the vital evidence while carrying out the investigations into the rape and murder. The panel has suggested further probe into the officials and action against them. Meanwhile, the countrys constitutional human rights watchdog, National Human Rights Commission, has directed the government to interrogate suspended SP Dilli Raj Bista and two women of the area, according to newspaper reports. Panel to fix sugar issue Gorkhapatra and Abhiyan report that the Cabinet meeting formed a panel to suggest solutions to the problem surfaced in the price of sugar in the market. National Planning Commission member Dil Bahadur Gurung heads the panel which includes representatives of Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, Ministry of Finance, sugar industry, consumer rights activities and sugarcane farmers as members, according to the report. 3 per cent capital spending in first quarter It is just one week before the completion of the first quarter of current fiscal year, but the government has spent just three per cent of total capital budget allocated for this year, according to a two column box story in Abhiyan. Meanwhile, the Finance Committee of House of Representatives has directed the government to increase capital spending from the beginning of fiscal year and end the tendency of exhausting budget in the last month, Annapurna Post reports in a three column story. Ignored 32 years is age ceiling for Nepali Congress student unions membership Nepali Congress decided that people crossing the age of 32 years cannot be members of its student wing, Nepal Students Union, according to Gorkhapatra. A meeting of the partys Central Working Committee held yesterday made the decision. The meeting, however, could not endorse the new statute for the organisation as leaders including Krishna Prasad Sitaula sought more time to study the draft, the report adds. Private firm assigned to print smart licences After its failure to distribute driving licences to applicants on time, the government has assigned a private company to print smart licences though it has its own equipment for the task, Nepal Samacharpatra reports in its lead story. A recent Cabinet meeting assigned Malika Incorporate to print the licences as the company has expressed its commitment to print licences for the applicants in the backlog within next 45 days, the newspaper quotes Department of Transport Management spokesperson Gokarna Prasad Upadhyaya. India, Pakistan dont want Nepal to extract petrol on its own KP Sharma Oli in his first premiership announced that Nepal would extract its own petrol in next two years. Two years have passed, but Nepal has done nothing about the extraction possibility, because its immediate neighbour India and Indias arch rival Pakistan do not want to do so, claims Nagarik in its lead story. Meanwhile, India might also object to Nepals efforts of extracting fuel with the assistance of China, claims report. Administrative court likely to be dissolved The National Assembly has proposed that existing Administrative Court be dissolved; and administrative benches be formed at all seven high courts to handle related cases, according to a brief story in Republica. If the bill is endorsed from the Lower House, the Administrative Court will cease to exist. The cases related to transfer, promotion and removal of civil servants or other related issues will be assigned to a special bench at the high courts in all seven provinces, the report quotes a member of the Bill Committee in the Upper House. Interesting Rukum East village fixes dates to harvest maize Farmers of Tak in Putha Uttarganga Rural Municipality-10 in Rukum East district are free to choose which species of maize they cultivate and at what time. However, they are not free to harvest it on their own, according to the anchor story in Kantipur. A panel of village leaders decides dates to harvest maize and those violating the decision will be punished, according to the report. 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(0x7f3fdbc667d0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdbe6bd48)', '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(0x7f3fdbc667d0)') 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(0x7f3fdbe6bd48)') 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(0x7f3fdbc7e878)') 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(0x7f3fdbe6bd48)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdbe6bd48)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdb740b80)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbe8f4a0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbe8f4a0)') 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(0x7f3fdbc993e8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc140d60)', '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(0x7f3fdbc993e8)') 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(0x7f3fdc140d60)') 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(0x7f3fdbc76f28)') 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(0x7f3fdc140d60)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc140d60)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdb742f70)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc12e580)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc12e580)') 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(0x7f3fdc120ac0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc0bdb48)', '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(0x7f3fdc120ac0)') 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(0x7f3fdc0bdb48)') 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(0x7f3fdc14c138)') 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(0x7f3fdc0bdb48)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc0bdb48)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdbb892c8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbff3878)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbff3878)') 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(0x7f3fdc0545b8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc091450)', '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(0x7f3fdc0545b8)') 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(0x7f3fdc091450)') 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(0x7f3fdc04f700)') 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(0x7f3fdc091450)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc091450)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdb741e20)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbec6ff0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbec6ff0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Home Just In Gandaki: NCP directs local leaders to keep next poll in mind Pokhara, October 8 The provincial committee of ruling Nepal Communist Party has directed chiefs and deputy chiefs of local governments elected from the party in Gandaki Province to expedite development activities keeping in mind the local level elections to be held after around four years. Organising a meeting of the leaders in Pokhara on Monday, the party directed them to formulate plans of action and implement them effectively in coordination with the party so that the party could retain its strength in the next polls as well. The provinces Chief Minister, also the NCP provincial incharge, Prithvi Subba Gurung, during the meeting said the local government should promote pro-people initiatives by abstaining themselves from corruption. He urged them not to give any space to the opposition for criticism. The provincial committee chairperson Hit Raj Pandey said elected representatives at the local level had an opportunity to enhance their performance with the unification of two parties into the NCP. Google says social network bug exposed private data San Francisco, Oct 8 (AFP) Oct 08, 2018 Google announced Monday it is shutting down the consumer version of its online social network after fixing a bug exposing private data in as many as 500,000 accounts. The US internet giant said it will "sunset" the Google+ social network for consumers that failed to gain meaningful traction after being launched in 2011 as a challenge to Facebook. A Google spokesperson cited "significant challenges in creating and maintaining a successful Google+ that meets consumers' expectations" along with "very low usage" as the reasons for the move. In March, a security audit revealed a software bug that gave third-party apps access to Google+ private profile data people meant to share only with friends. Google said it was unable to confirm which accounts were affected by the bug, but an analysis indicated it could have been as many as 500,000 Google+ accounts. "We found no evidence that any developer was aware of this bug, or abusing the API, and we found no evidence that any profile data was misused," Google said in a blog post. It was referring to application programming interface software for the social network. The data involved was limited to optional profile fields, including name, age, gender, occupation and email address, Google said. Information that could be accessed did not include posts, messages or telephone numbers, a spokesperson said. - Privacy pressure - Google did not specify how long the software flaw existed, or why it waited to disclose it. The Wall Street Journal reported that Google executives opted against notifying users earlier because of concerns it would catch the attention of regulators and draw comparisons to a data privacy scandal at Facebook. Earlier this year, Facebook acknowledged that tens of millions of users had personal data hijacked by Cambridge Analytica, a political firm working for Donald Trump in 2016. "Every year, we send millions of notifications to users about privacy and security bugs and issues," a Google spokesman told AFP. "Whenever user data may have been affected, we go beyond our legal requirements and apply several criteria focused on our users in determining whether to provide notice." The company said it determined its course of action based on the data involved in the breach, lack of evidence of misuse and challenges in accurately determining which users to inform. Google will wind down Google+ during the coming 10 months to allow people time to download pictures, videos or other data they want from their accounts. Meanwhile, Google planned to add new workplace-oriented features to enhance the appeal of Google+ as a "secure corporate social network" to be used inside business operations. "We have many enterprise customers who are finding great value in using Google+ within their companies," the internet firm said. "Our review showed that Google+ is better suited as an enterprise product where co-workers can engage in internal discussions." - Phones and email - As a result of the security audit, Google plans to allow users to more tightly control what data is available to applications that sync with Google accounts or its free Gmail email service. "Going forward, consumers will get more fine-grained control over what account data they choose to share with each app," Google said. Applications tailored to augment Gmail will also face new rules regarding data handling and be subject to security assessments, according to the company. Applications for use on Android-powered smartphones that seek phone or SMS data will need to conform to stricter rules when it comes to calls or text messaging, Google said. The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement Home Just In Paudel among others protests as Nepali Congress fixes age limit for student wing Kathmandu, October 8 Four members of the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee on Sunday have objected to the decision made by the CWC meeting on the age limit for members of the partys student wing, Nepal Students Union. Those expressing their note of dissent during the meeting on late Sunday night include senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel and influential leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula, who had contested against Sher Bahadur Deuba for the party presidency. Prakash Man Singh and Arjun Narsingha KC have also objected to the decision. However, the meeting set the upper limit at 32 years as the majority of members supported the proposal filed by partys Joint General Secretary Prakash Sharan Mahat. The dissident leaders have claimed the party did not follow due procedures while discussing the statute. Kim, Pompeo agree to 2nd US-North Korea summit 'at earliest date' Seoul, Oct 8 (AFP) Oct 08, 2018 Kim Jong Un has agreed to hold a second summit with US President Donald Trump as soon as possible, Seoul said Sunday, after Washington's top diplomat held "productive" talks on denuclearisation with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Kim on Sunday morning for around two hours of talks followed by a lunch in the North's capital, before flying to Seoul on a whirlwind diplomatic visit to the region. Pompeo said "he agreed with Chairman Kim to hold the second US-North Korea summit at the earliest date possible", South Korea's presidential office said in a statement, although no specific time or location has yet been agreed. Pompeo and Kim also discussed "denuclearisation steps that will be taken by North Korea and the issue of attendance by the US government," as well as "corresponding measures" to be taken by the United States, the statement said. The visit was Pompeo's fourth to North Korea. Trump met Kim in Singapore in June for the first-ever summit between the two countries, resulting in what critics say was only a vague commitment by Kim towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. Kim "expressed his gratitude to President Trump for making sincere effort" to implement the Singapore agreement, according to a report on the Pompeo visit by North Korea's state news agency KCNA. "Kim Jong Un appreciated the positively developing situation on the Korean peninsula... (and) explained in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearization issue," KCNA said. The North Korean leader also invited inspectors to visit the Punggye-ri nuclear test facility, which Pyongyang took apart in May, "to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled", the State Department said. Kim praised their "nice meeting", telling Pompeo via an interpreter following the morning's talks that it was "a very nice day that promises a good future... for both countries". - 'Gangster-like demands' - But since the Singapore summit, the road towards warmer ties has been bumpy. Washington and Pyongyang have sparred over the exact terms of the vaguely-worded agreement in Singapore, with the US pushing to maintain sanctions and pressure against the North until its "final, fully verified denuclearisation". Last month, the North's foreign minister told the United Nations there was "no way" his country would disarm first as long as tough US sanctions remain against his country. After a previous visit to Pyongyang in July, Pompeo had said the two foes made progress on key issues -- but within hours of his departure the North condemned "gangster-like" demands from the US, raising questions over how much the two sides really saw eye to eye. Another planned trip by Pompeo to Pyongyang was scrapped after what Trump said was insufficient progress towards implementing the terms of the Singapore declaration. An official on Sunday's latest visit to Pyongyang with Pompeo said the trip was "better than the last time", but added: "It's going to be a long haul." Following his arrival in Seoul from Pyongyang on Sunday, Pompeo said at a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he had "a good productive conversation" with Kim, in talks which represented "another step forward". The dovish Moon, who held three summits with Kim this year and also brokered the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore, said Sunday the "whole world" was watching with keen interest the outcomes of Pompeo's trip. "I hope your trip to North Korea and the upcoming second US-North Korea summit will provide a good opportunity for achieving irreversible, decisive progress in terms of denuclearisation and the peace process on the Korean peninsula." - Grand bargain - Analysts say Washington may now consider new options as China, Russia and South Korea seek to relax sanctions. "North Korea took some steps towards denuclearisation and the US will face criticism from the international community if it continues to demand complete denuclearisation without any lifting of sanctions," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. "We can't rule out the possibility that Washington... may move in the direction of partial easing of sanctions based on progress in denuclearisation," he said. 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 peace treaty -- but North Korea would stop short of delivering an exhaustive list of its nuclear facilities, she said. After Seoul, Pompeo ends 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-sah-sh/amz/rox/qan/boc Pompeo says Kim 'ready' to invite inspectors to nuclear site Seoul, Oct 8 (AFP) Oct 08, 2018 International inspectors will be allowed into North Korea's dismantled nuclear testing site, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday, after a meeting with Kim Jong Un in which he said "significant progress" was made towards denuclearisation. Pompeo met with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang on Sunday to rekindle stalled denuclearisation talks following a landmark summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in Singapore. "Chairman Kim said he's ready to allow them to come in" and see the dismantled Punggye-ri nuclear test site, Pompeo said. North Korea took apart the Punggye-ri facility in the country's northeast in May but has yet to allow international observers into the site to verify its claims. The facility, buried inside a mountain near the border with China, was the staging ground for all six of the North's nuclear tests. The inspectors will be allowed in as soon as the two sides agree on "logistics", Pompeo told reporters in Seoul before leaving for Beijing on a whirlwind diplomatic trip. Pompeo, however, did not comment on possible corresponding measures to be taken by Washington. Denuclearisation of North Korea is "a long process", Pompeo said, adding: "We made significant progress." The top US diplomat also said the two countries were "pretty close" to setting a date and location for the second summit between Kim and Trump. - 'A good meeting' - The visit was Pompeo's fourth to North Korea. Trump met Kim in Singapore in June for the first-ever summit between the two countries, resulting in what critics say was only a vague commitment by the North Korean leader towards denuclearisation. Kim "expressed his gratitude to President Trump for making sincere effort" to implement the Singapore agreement, according to a report on the Pompeo visit by North Korea's state news agency KCNA. "Kim Jong Un appreciated the positively developing situation on the Korean peninsula... (and) explained in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearization issue," KCNA said. The North's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper carried the meeting on its front page, with eight photos of the two men shaking hands and smiling broadly. Pompeo and Kim had "a good meeting", Trump tweeted, adding: "I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future." Washington and Pyongyang have sparred over the exact terms of the vaguely-worded agreement in Singapore, with the US pushing to maintain sanctions and pressure against the North until its "final, fully verified denuclearisation". Last month, the North's foreign minister told the United Nations there was "no way" his country would disarm first as long as tough US sanctions remain against his country. After a previous visit to Pyongyang in July, Pompeo had said the two foes made progress on key issues -- but within hours of his departure the North condemned "gangster-like" demands from the US, raising questions over how much the two sides really saw eye to eye. - Diplomatic strides - Moon said Monday that he believed Kim would soon meet with the leaders of China and Russia "soon" as a "new order is being created on the Korean peninsula". As Pyongyang continues to take big diplomatic strides, analysts say the US may soon be pushed into a corner to relax sanctions. "North Korea is bolstering its ties with China and Russia so although the US is maintaining the sanctions regime, it's on thin ice," said Hong Hyun-ik, an analyst at the Sejong Institute. "President Trump is very close to losing control," he said. China and Russia -- North Korea's traditional allies -- called for relaxed sanctions against Pyongyang at the UN Security Council last month, saying "steps ... toward gradual disarmament should be followed by an easing of sanctions." Iran has 'unclean hands' in world court battle, US says The Hague, Oct 8 (AFP) Oct 08, 2018 The United States accused Tehran Monday of having "unclean hands" as it fought an Iranian court bid to unfreeze billions of dollars earmarked by Washington for terror victims. Washington said Iran's "support for international terrorism", including bombings and airline hijackings, should rule out its case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Iran dragged Washington to the UN's top court in 2016 over a US Supreme Court ruling that the $2 billion should go to victims of attacks blamed on the Islamic republic. Iran said the case breached a 1955 "Treaty of Amity" between Washington and Tehran signed before Iran's Islamic revolution. Washington tore up that treaty last week after the ICJ in a separate case ordered the United States to ease sanctions reimposed on Iran by US President Donald Trump after he pulled out of Iran's 2015 international nuclear deal. "Iran comes to the court with unclean hands. Indeed, it is a remarkable show of bad faith," Richard Visek, a US State Department legal official, told the court. "The actions at the root of this case centre on Iran's support for international terrorism... Iran's bad acts include supports for terrorist bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, and airline hijackings," he said. Visek also accused Iran's "most senior leaders" of the "encouragement and promotion of terrorism" and "violation of nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missile and arms trafficking obligations". Iran's use of the 1955 treaty to lodge the case was an "abuse of process", he added. The ICJ was set up after World War II to rule on disputes between United Nations member states. Its rulings are binding but it has no power to enforce them. - 'Full reparations' - At Monday's hearing, a 15-judge bench is listening to US arguments over whether the ICJ can take up the case under its strict rules governing its procedure. The US Supreme Court ruled in April 2016 that $2 billion in Iran's frozen assets must go to American victims of terror attacks. These included the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut, in which 241 soldiers were killed, and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia. In total, the decision affects more than 1,000 Americans. Iran angrily accused Washington of breaking the 1955 treaty -- even though it was signed at the time with the pro-US regime of the Shah -- and called for the US "to make full reparations to Iran for the violation of its international legal obligations". A decision by the ICJ's judges could take weeks or even months before being made public. But Monday's showdown risks deepening the Trump administration's rift with international justice. Last Wednesday, Trump's national security advisor John Bolton announced the US was not only leaving the amity treaty but also quitting the international accord relating to the UN top court's jurisdiction. That followed Iran's shock victory last week when the ICJ ruled that the US must lift sanctions against Tehran targeting humanitarian goods like food and medicine. The step also came after the Palestinians went to the ICJ to challenge the US move of its Israel embassy to Jerusalem. Trump last month at the United Nations virulently rejected the authority of the International Criminal Court -- a separate court based in The Hague that the US is not a member of -- over a probe into US forces in Afghanistan. Kathmandu, October 8 Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that his recent visit to the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York to attend the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the trip to Costa Rica were successful. During the secretariat meeting of the Communist Party of Nepal on Monday, the party chair and Prime Minister said his address to the UNGA was fruitful in informing the international community of Nepals political changes and the peace process. During the meeting at the Prime Ministers official residence, Baluwatar, the Prime Minister said both visits were constructive in expanding the countrys bilateral relations with various nations, according to party Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha. The meeting was also informed of the recent China visit by party another chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepals China and Ghana trips, and the China visit by a delegation led by Spokesperson Shrestha. #drug trafficking Criminal organization charges filed against drug traffickers for 1st time Prosecutors have pressed charges of organizing and operating a criminal ring against 15 drug traffickers accused of distributing drugs via Telegram messenger, the first time such c... #urea solution S. Korea to import more urea solution to ease supply shortage South Korea said Monday local firms have inked deals to import urea solution from other countries, including Malaysia and Mexico, a move expected to help ease a supply shortage of ... Craig, who also won the title Arable Farmer of the Year, was one of 15 farming award winners presented with their trophies at a glittering ceremony in Londons Grosvenor House Hotel. A former agronomist, or crop doctor, Craig has managed to both raise yields and cut costs on 800 hectares of arable crops, by focusing on the health of his soils and making some bold changes to his pattern of crop rotations. Craig has adopted some of the latest precision farming technology, planting seeds and applying fertiliser at variable rates across his fields, to take account of variations in soil quality. Karl Schneider, Farmers Weekly Editor said: Craig is a first-class farmer, and its remarkable how much he has managed to achieve in just three years at Lockerley Estate. Hes also a great ambassador for British farming. The Lockerley Estate farm now grows winter wheat, winter barley, oilseed rape, winter oats, spring beans and spring barley. It employs five full-time and one part-time member of staff, shared between the farm and the estates forestry and shoot businesses. One of Craigs main challenges is to improve soil quality on the farm. He has halved the area devoted to oilseed rape and added the spring beans, winter barley and winter oats to widen the crop rotation to six years. He also adds lime and liberal amounts of organic matter to nurse the soil back to health. To adopt precision farming techniques, Craig has invested in some new farm equipment and in training for his staff, who now have the skills to perform multiple roles. A fan of the latest farming technology, Craig is currently hosting trials of three robots on the farm and is part of a project making use of satellite data to predict crop yields. The Farmer of the Year Award, the overall winner of winners, was sponsored by McDonalds. In addition, Arable Farmer of the Year sponsored this year by KWS UK. Writer, broadcaster, actor, and former Conservative MP, Gyles Brandreth, presented the awards in front of more than 1,000 guests in the Great Room at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Londons Park Lane. Vatican Risks Freedoms of Catholics with China Deal MEDIA ADVISORY, Oct. 8, 2018 / Standard Newswire / -- Imagine hearing that the leader of your faith reached a deal with your persecutors that will allow them to oppress you further. Photo: Chinese Christians praying That is what is happening to millions of Catholics across China, as the Vatican and China reached a deal in the past month, mending their previously severed relationship and allowing them to co-appoint clergy. In the past, the Vatican and the Chinese government separated over this as Chinese officials appointed bishops excommunicated by the Vatican and refused to ordain those recognized by the Holy See. Clergy approved by the Chinese government went on to oversee state-run congregations, which, while being China's only legal form of church, are censored and monitored, while those wanting to remain loyal to the Vatican were forced to operate illegally, leading to persecution. In response to the agreement, ChinaAid President Bob Fu said, "While we understand the eagerness of Vatican for searching more legitimacy in the eye of the Chinese Communist Party [CCP], this reported deal is nothing but a betrayal of both the millions of suffering persecuted Christians in China and the global Catholic Church. This could be a repeat of the 1940s Hitler's Germany, when the German state church consented to the persecution and slaughtered millions of Jews. Ironically, how can the Vatican respond with a good clear conscience for this appeasement deal while the CCP just launched a secret war vowing the wipe out of underground Catholics and Protestants?" Now, the Chinese government will be able to impose its strictures on these private churches, using the Vatican's backing as justification and subjecting them to increased persecution. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. Headteachers across the district are calling for urgent improvements to school funding amid concerns that children are being let down and standards may fall. Last week Steve Jefferies, headteacher at Henley High School, joined around 2,000 headteachers from around the country as they protested outside Downing Street on the issue. Worries about funding are nothing new for local schools, with ten secondary school headteachers in the district writing to Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi last year warning that the Conservatives pre-election pledge of an extra 4billion towards education was insufficient. For more on this story read the Herald here. German Unity day: Envoy assures Lanka of his countrys continued support By Rajitha Weerakoon View(s): View(s): A reception to mark the 28th year of German Unity was held at German Ambassador Jorn Rhodes residence last week. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Rhode, German Ambassador to Sri Lanka since 2016, assured Sri Lanka that Germany was strongly committed to supporting Sri Lankas democratic reforms, the reconciliation process and the economic modernisation agenda. Youth Affairs, Project Management and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayake, who represented the government, expressed Sri Lankas appreciation for Germanys valuable assistance in several fields. The minister spoke in both English and German. He had studied in Germany and when he spoke in the German language, he drew the applause of the invitees. The ambassador said he was particularly impressed by the progress made with regard to the return of the land taken over by the security forces to the people of the north and the commencement of the Office of Missing Persons measures that have brought results. But he noted that progress on other issues had been slow. The Ambassador jubilantly announced to the invitees the election of Germany to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member for two years. Germany, he said, would do its utmost to promote peace and security in the world in cooperation with its partners. Touching on Sri Lanka, he said, from 2017 onwards, trade relations in particular, between the two countries, boomed with bilateral trade going up to 1.25 billion euros an increase of 37 percent from 2016. Other milestones that marked German presence in Sri Lanka included the setting up of the Information Centre of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in 2017. The Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka commenced its operations in Colombo this year and it has connected relevant partners to promote business and investment opportunities. Minister Ratnayake spoke of how a Sri Lankan delegation of senior Buddhist monks and laity planted a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhiya at the Frohnau Buddhist Temple in Berlin in the presence of the Buddhist clergy, diplomats, trustees of the German Dharmadutha Society and Buddhist devotees. He said he hoped this would further strengthen the 65-year-old diplomatic ties between the two countries. Sri Lanka Medical Council turmoil: A solution in the British model Letters to the Editor View(s): View(s): As I have been very much involved with private medical education in this country, I decided to contact my good friend Prof. Sir Sabarathnam Arulkumaran during the SAITM issue regarding the functioning of the General Medical Council in Britain. Sir Sabarathnam Arulkumaran is the past president of Britains Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, past president of the British Medical Association and past president of the World Federation of OBGYN. He sent me the documents by email and I forwarded copies of them by email to the then SLMC president, Prof. Carlo Fonseka, but he did not take any action. However, when Prof. Colvin Gunaratne was appointed as president last year, I submitted the copies to him. Unfortunately, he was unable to carry out any changes and he resigned in disgust a few months ago. The Sri Lanka Medical Council was established by the then British Government on the lines of our parent body, the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom in 1926, almost 92 years ago. But this archaic, antiquated institution has not progressed like its British counterpart. The General Medical Council is a legal body established by the Privy Council, the highest judicial authority, to which it is answerable. The GMC consists of 24 council members, 12 of whom are from the medical profession and the others are lay people. The appointments are made by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) which is appointed by the Privy Council. The applications for the posts and the interviewing of the candidates are done by the PSA, and these appointments are sent to the Privy Council for confirmation. The Chairman of the Council is determined by the Privy Council from amongst the Council Members and the Health Department is informed of the appointments by the Privy Council. However, what the parent body has been doing over the years is not what is done in the SLMC. All members appointed to the SLMC are medical men. Applications are called and the appointments are made by voting of the general membership of doctors. There are eight deans of the eight medical faculties of the country and the rest are all medical men from the SLMC membership. It is obvious to anyone that we are not following the parent body. The SLMC being a legal body should be appointed by the highest court of the country, the Supreme Court. It is the Public Service Commission (PSC) like the PSA of UK that should call for applications for the posts in the Council as and when they arise and have the necessary interviews and inform the Supreme Court once the candidates are selected by interviews. I hope that this same procedure is adopted in Sri Lanka in the future, as it is fool-proof and transparent. Prof. Wilfred Perera Past president of the Sri Lanka Medical Association and past president of the Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists To mark its 15th anniversary, the Picasso Museum is planning special shows and activities, beginning with 'El sur de Picasso. Referencias andaluzas', an exhibition which starts on 9 October and coincides with the IV International Picasso Congress, which brings together 160 experts and collectors of the artist's work. The congress begins on the same day and continues until 11 October. These initiatives are sponsored by the Unicaja Foundation, the Almine Foundation and FABA in collaboration with the French Embassy. The exhibition at the MPM will include 100 of Picasso's works which are associated with southern Spain, the Mediterranean and the artist's Malaga origins. Visitors will also be able to see works by grand masters from earlier and later periods, such as Velazquez, Zurbaran, Goya, Murillo, Maria Blanchard and Juan Gris, among others. The congress is on the theme of 'Picasso and History', and will feature historic events which inspired some of his works. The belltower in the neighbouring San Agustin church marks the passing of time and tells us we have spent more than an hour in conversation with the artistic director of the Museo Picasso Malaga, Jose Lebrero, in the patio of the cafeteria there. Lebrero has been in the post for more than half of the 15 years since the museum opened and his experience makes him the ideal person to reflect upon the past, present and future of this cultural institution. The first question has to be: how do you see the 15 years of the Picasso museum's existence? Those who took the decision and had the ambition to make a Picasso museum possible in Malaga undoubtedly had a view of how its future would evolve. I imagine that with so much work involved they were very concerned with the present, though, because creating this space, building this museum, opening it, must have taken a tremendous amount of energy and effort. Nobody could have been sure that 15 years later Malaga would be as identified with the Picasso museum as it is, that Picasso would become, I think for the good but sometimes also for the bad, a sign of the city's identity. They couldn't have known that the inauguration would result in Malaga becoming known nationally as the city of museums. This is all good news. The city has been transformed. Maybe in the short or medium term we could imagine it without some museums, but imagining it without a Museum of Malaga or a Picasso Museum would be unthinkable. "We have to transmit Picasso's values to younger generations; it doens't seem enough to hang pictures in a gallery" You mentioned other museums. When the MPM opened, there was really only the CAC in Malaga but things are very different now. Do you think the museum should change its role because of that? Those of us in the world of museums and culture know that things are happening very quickly nowadays, processes are shorter. We know that a book can be written and within a year an unknown author can be a star. We know that economic factors govern part of the art world, and in a cruel way too, sometimes. We know we always have to be thinking about who the public are, what do the people who visit this type of museum want. History is being re-read and people are reacting. We know that today the Picasso Museum in Malaga is what it is, but tomorrow it will have to be something else. What should it be? I would like it to be a museum involved in the digital world. I think it would be a complicated challenge, but a very interesting one: to be able to translate the values of Picasso's work and the values of his time, from the late 19th century to the 1970s, and transmit those aesthetic values, and also some ethical values, to younger generations in a way they find attractive. It doesn't seem enough to me, although it is necessary and our raison d'etre, to hang some pictures in a gallery. If we want to be part of the contemporaneity we see around us, we have to be aware that sometimes those pictures on a wall might not attract a 17-year-old from Morocco or Helsinki as much as an interpretation that we could give of those values, those contents and those forms. It is a challenge, but it is also a necessity. With regard to young people and the need to attract their attention, is that why the museum has featured contemporary art under your management? The term 'contemporary' is a slippery one. What do we mean by contemporary? The Picasso Museum in Malaga at this time does not, as I understand it, have the priority function of highlighting what the best creators of the world are doing in response to the major questions of today. It is not a way of making a type of Contemporary Art Centre mark 2, as maybe some people may believe, think or not understand. It is a way of remembering that Pablo Picasso was very important for Jackson Pollock, a way of contrasting the masculinity of Pablo Picasso's work with the femininity of the work of Louise Bourgeois, a way of understanding why an artist like Andy Warhol was not particularly interested in Pablo Picasso, and that it was a sign that times were changing in the USA. All this is to do with a willingness to understand artistic work in a more anthropological way. The museum presented the Andy Warhol exhibition, which ended recently, as the most ambitious in its history but it attracted less than half the number of visitors as in Barcelona and Madrid. Why was that, do you think? They are three very different cities and the behaviour of visitors, or tourists, differs. We don't denigrate the term 'tourist' here, as it seems some places do... that's not us. We are delighted... Why do you believe some museums are not keen on tourism? I believe they don't really understand the function they need to develop, nor do they properly understand what the term 'tourist' means. A tourist isn't just a young man who comes to a European country to get drunk and throw up in the streets; 'tourist' also means something like those British romantics, or the travels of Matisse and Duchamp. I don't think it's the right way to understand tourism. Are we going to give the industry an ugly reputation? It shows a lack of reflection about handling a topic like tourism, especially among cultural institutions. Those who do not recognise that their work as cultural mediators is going to be more legitimised if more people visit the places where they are, have a rather particularistic view, shall we say, of the question. So do you consider the number of visitors to be a good indication of how well a museum is doing? Of course it is. Many people will go to one place, but not to another which is very similar. Let's analyse it. Why do fewer people go to see contemporary art? Why are more people going to see modern art? What are the museums offering? What tools do we provide people with? I believe we have to avoid maximalist statements, including demagogical ones in these matters. We have to be pleased that many people want to come, otherwise there is a danger to society, a danger of becoming slaves and victims of the banalisation and commercialisation of culture. That is what is happening to us. I believe we have lost the thread... We'll come back to the numbers for Warhol later, but to continue along these lines, as the director of a museum in the historic centre of Malaga, do you share the view that the oldest part of the city is being turned into a theme park for tourists? As the Museo Picasso Malaga we try to comply with our mission and mandate to be a rigorous cultural institution. What happens outside the museum is something that affects us as citizens. If the area deteriorates, becomes gentrified, becomes cheap in a banal way, if it is populated by speculators who are only interested in short term benefit, putting pressure on the tourists who come, we don't like that. Obviously we are not going to like it, whether we are residents or tourists. The danger in this city is exactly that, it is clearly evident. The danger lies in the wild feeding of a tourism bubble in which everything seems to be going well, but nobody can testify to the sustainability of the model. Maybe the city has been finding all that out, but let's talk about it. By listening and talking, maybe we can find ways of stopping the process of deterioration which is affecting the historic city centre. Speaking of tourism, how many visitors to the MPM live in Malaga? Fewer than 20 per cent of the total. It is not an optimal figure; our ambition has always been for as many people as possible to know the museum. We are working on a project to reach outside the city and into the province more. It is also true that on one hand the number of passers-by who visit a museum is increasing, but the number of residents who do so is not. There are indications that this is to do with the ability to surprise people, to offer them something different. Is that why the presentation of the collection has changed? Indeed, and as well as the temporary exhibitions, the cultural activities too. Under the agreement with the foundation created by Picasso's heirs, the collection changes every three years. Doesn't that model make the museum a sort of Picasso family franchise? No... I don't believe so. A franchise museum would have to close if there were a mother museum which took that decision. It seems unthinkable to me that the MPM would close because somebody just decided it should. Also, the Picasso museum has its own collection. Let's go back to what we were saying about the Warhol exhibition. Why didn't more people come and see it at the Picasso Museum? It comes down to figures. For example, the population of the three cities, Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga differs. Another factor is the type of visitors to these cities and the institutions which have hosted the exhibition. They are all different. Is Malaga more international? Malaga has fewer residents. We have a very large number of people who visit us from elsewhere. The main reason people come to the MPM is to see the work of Picasso. Long may that continue. Given that interest, have you thought about creating a single-ticket system as other museums in the world are doing? I hope I don't see that happen. I'm not in favour of it. I believe diversification is a positive thing. Not everyone is able to pay for everything. If we are in need of income, we should be more imaginative than that. There are other ways. I believe in diversified models. You say you hope you won't see that happen. Nothing is eternal. I say that because your contract has a year to run. I believe the museum works well and it isn't something we have considered. We are working on the programme for the next few years. It isn't on the table? No. Not at present. We have other priorities. What are they? To continue growing in quality and quantity. The museum is able to generate income. It has shown that it can grow and I believe it can do so even more, and qualitatively. What's important, I believe, is that it grows but grows well. We need to develop a critical spirit with regard to the institution itself. Being so pleased with yourself can lead to internal routines which result in a certain intellectual desertification. That can be avoided through growth. Ojen town hall has decided to change the name of Plaza Juan Hoffmann, which is opposite the German school in the La Mairena area. It comes after information came to light alleging that Hoffmann, founder of the school, was linked to Nazism. The mayor of Ojen, Jose Antonio Gomez, has said that the change is being made to avoid any controversy although nothing has been fully proven. It has been reported that Juan Hoffmann was number 37 on the post-war list of 104 Nazis living overseas and most wanted by the Allies. The research has been carried out mostly by historian Carlos Collado Seidel, of the University of Marburg. It also claims that the founder of the school was involved in the Spanish Civil War. In later life he was local German consul and died in 1998. Last year the school itself, run by descendants of Hoffmann but under the control of the German academic authorities, decided to drop its founder's name. The family denies the accusations. Now Ojen will make the same decision about the square outside after enquiries from SUR. The square will be called Plaza Alemania. Meanwhile, Marbella council has said it will review the name of the top part of the Avenida de Espana uphill drive towards La Mairena from Elviria, which falls within its borders and is also officially called Avenida Juan Hoffmann, although the name doesn't appear on maps. Airtificial's factory, in Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz, was this week the scene of the global unveiling of a prototype hyperloop train planned to travel at 1,200 km/h, almost the speed of sound. The Andalusian company has built the 30-metre-long vehicle from carbon fibre and it can take 28-34 people and will travel inside specially-built tubes. It will be handed to American clients, HTT, who will begin tests in France. China and Saudi Arabia are said to be interested. A rival, Virgin Hyperloop One, plans to do its testing in Antequera, Malaga. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mario Rustan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8, 2018 13:26 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087769ae2e 3 Opinion Brett-Kavanaugh,US,Supreme-Court,feminism,Sexual-assault,rape-victim Free When Donald Trump won the American presidential election, the world believed he would be a global laughing stock. It came true in September 2018, when he used the podium of the United Nations General Assembly to rant about his achievements, supposedly the best in American history. Another president would have used the opportunity to reaffirm American benign leadership, but not him. We might take it as another blunder from the most incompetent American president yet. The American ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, had to make an improbable excuse that the world laughed because they agreed with his honesty. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinta Adern seized the moment to rebut Trump with her message of openness and cooperation. Trump, meanwhile, nudged the president of Colombia to ask his agreement that Democrats and women are liars. Trump was clearly more preoccupied with his nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to join the United States Supreme Court. Two months ago, opposition against Kavanaughs confirmation was mainly an American feminist issue, as he might make it harder to access safe abortion services in the US, especially in less wealthy states. But now the nomination has become a global issue, and several Indonesians, not just feminists, share interest in the news. At least three women have accused him of participating in sexual assaults against them back in 1980s. The news brought back cosmopolitan Indonesians into the 1990s. In 1991, Clarence Thomas became the first African-American judge in the US Supreme Court, despite accusation of sexual harassment from his former assistant Anita Hill. Thomas claimed the accusation was racially motivated and remains the most conservative judge in the Supreme Court. In 1998, while we were dealing with the severe financial crisis and the implosion of the New Order, the running news from US was the investigation into president Bill Clinton, who was accused of having improper sexual relations with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Kavanaugh was in the investigation team. Some Europeans and Asians, especially before 2010, were confused about why American media and public were obsessed with the sex lives of their statesmen. It is because these cases were not only about extramarital sex, but also about integrity and abuse of power. Public judgment on Kavanaugh again splits Americans into Republicans and Democrats Republicans believe he should be confirmed immediately, while Democrats believe the FBI should investigate him. Democrats believe he cannot join the Supreme Court as his integrity is questionable. Indonesian progressives following the case say they believe the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Supporters of Kavanaugh from Indonesia dont join any online debate, but there seem to be three kinds of them here American Republicans residing in Indonesia, anti-feminist atheists, and conservative Christians who watch Fox News. These three groups do not necessarily talk to each other, but they share a similar worldview: The Western world is broken, and the left Social Democrats, Labor and Democrat voters, socialists, and Marxists are to blame. The American Republicans see Indonesia as their refuge from a burning US. The atheists dread the growth of feminism among middle-class Indonesians and are frustrated that the feminists dont share their Islamophobia. The Christians believe the West has abandoned Christianity while letting Islam flourish. These three groups also believe in the importance of masculinity, whatever their lifestyle or sexual orientation is. They believe men have to lead the family and of society, and a womans primary role is to support her man. Kavanaugh and Trump fraternity boys with political power - are their champions. The Republicans complain that (white) American women are no longer feminine, often comparing them negatively to Indonesian women. The atheists complain modern feminists are always demanding, even though women now can work and vote. The Christians believe Kavanaugh will check the feminists and their abortion and LGBT agenda. People around the world laugh at Trump and dont care about Kavanaugh, but choose their own champions of masculinity. Filipinos, Turks, and Italians have chosen leaders who promised blood and iron instead of compassion and inclusion. Many people worry Brazilians will vote an antithesis to Lula da Silva and Dilma Roussef, and our own test will come in half a year. The world is full of men who are angry that they are not in control anymore. They are not just workers betrayed by globalization and automatization. Many are white collar workers who still hold a career and lead a family. But in office they deal with confident women, and have to work with people from different backgrounds. In malls they see people from all over the world mingle together, and in television they see people from different races and faiths sharing their nationality. What about the women? Fifty-two percent of white American women voted for Trump, and many women around the world are fine with leaders who like to make sexist jokes and threaten female oppositions. In Indonesia, anti-feminist and Christian women generally support President Joko Jokowi Widodo, but they are also motivated by antipathy against Islam. Women who hate Jokowi, meanwhile, believe hes not manly and that he gives too much space to liberals. Why many women support the mad men is feminisms problem of evil how can such a thing happen? Perhaps these women believe that if they desert the patriarchs, their world will collapse as well. Perhaps they believe in organized religion, in capitalism, in racial supremacy, and in masculine leadership. Perhaps they just find progressive women annoying and harmful. American Democrats believe that even if Kavanaugh is confirmed, the rage of women would be evident in Americas midterm election in November. If Trumps victory emboldens macho populists around the world, then the expected Democratic womens victories will inspire women worldwide, including Indonesian women. *** The writer is a columnist for feminist website Magdalene.co Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8, 2018 09:02 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087768e5cc 1 Food sambal-koja,salam-koja,curry-leaves,Indonesian-food,sambal Free As we are familiar with the idea of plant-based food being fried and enjoying its taste, we are likely to be open to a new addition to this fried plant vocabulary. The Jakarta Post recently had an encounter with salam koja, which translates to curry leaves. Commonly used in Aceh cooking, salam koja are small and aromatic. Among the Aceh cuisine cooked with these leaves is ayam tangkap, fried chicken seasoned with various local herbs and spices. Those who love ayam tangkap, will also very much enjoy crispy fried salam koja alongside chicken. Considering that the leaves often stand out alongside ayam tangkap, JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta used the leaf as a base to develop a new sambal (chili sauce), hence sambal koja was born. According to a statement released by JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta, sambal koja was first introduced as their sambal of the month at Sailendra restaurant during the previous Ramadan month. It became so popular that the hotel came up with a new business model featuring sambal, namely Sambal of Sailendra, a series of sambal that can be purchased in jars. Undoubtedly, sambal koja was the first of the series to be launched, together with six dishes that include the sambal as an ingredient. Sambal koja is a multi-functional condiment that can also be used for seasoning when cooking a dish, said Adeza Hamzah, cluster director of marketing communications at JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta and The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan. Meanwhile, the six dishes that incorporate sambal koja offered at the hotel are ayam bakar (grilled chicken), telur begana (boiled eggs in yellow soup), bubur pedas (spicy meat and vegetables congee), nasi goreng kambing (lamb fried rice), lamb and chicken satay and a mix of anchovies, tempeh and nuts. These dishes are rotated through the daily buffet at Sailendra restaurant. Kalimantan style spicy meat and vegetable congee, or 'bubur pedas'. (JP/Muthi Kautsar) Read also: Three common myths about Indonesian sambal Adeza has fond memories of salam koja, which grew on a tree outside his childhood home, with almost all meals cooked at his house using the leaves. If ayam tangkap was served in the house, everyone could eat more chicken than me, but the fried salam koja was all mine, Adeza recalled, during a media luncheon at Sailendra restaurant, JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta. Sailendra restaurant has partnered with GrabFood to enable people to buy the sambal using the GrabFood app. The sambal is also available for purchase at several e-commerce sites, while a mini cookbook featuring six simple recipes with sambal koja will be available as a gift for every purchase of five jars. (mut) Editor's note: The first version of this article noted that the six dishes that incorporates sambal koja is available at the hotel. It has been corrected that the dishes are rotated through the daily buffet at the hotel's restaurant Sailendra. It was also noted that a mini cookbook will be available as a gift for every purchase of five jars of sambal koja. It has been corrected that the mini cookbook in question features six simple recipes with sambal koja. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Keshie Hernitaningtyas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8, 2018 13:37 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087769ba6d 1 Entertainment A-Man-Called-Ahok,ahok,basuki-tjahaja-purnama,Putrama-Tuta,biopic,Movie,local-movie Free Published on Sept. 6 by production company The United Team of Art, the official teaser trailer for A Man Called Ahok has been viewed more than 1.34 million times and liked by more than 5,200 users on YouTube by Monday morning. In most of the comments left on the video, users shared how they missed the former Jakarta governor, Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, and felt goose bumps or even shed tears when watching the teaser. "This is a drama, meaning it was designed for the audience to cry," said the film's director, Putrama Tuta, affectionally known as Tuta, during a recent interview at the offices of The Jakarta Post. Adapted from the best-selling novel of the same title by Rudi Valinka, A Man Called Ahok focuses on the role of Ahok's family in shaping his character since he was little. Modal keberanian seorang Ahok hanyalah kejujuran. Saksikan film A Man Called Ahok yang akan tayang pada 8 November 2018 @basukibtp #AManCalledAhok #filmAhok pic.twitter.com/xC67ZPz9DW The United Team of Art (@TutaFilms) October 6, 2018 "When I took this project, I had one requirement, which was that we don't glorify Ahok. I also refused to tell the part of Ahok being in Jakarta, [since] I think it's no use; everyone already knows that story. Those who want to know what happened can read about it on media outlets or watch YouTube. I only want to share Ahok's story from the point of view that people do not know -- how his character was built, Ahoks background. These are the important things we must know and convey to future generations," said Tuta. To accurately develop the story, the team conducted fact-checking research and interviews with Ahok's family members and everyone related to him. "To research the story, I myself stayed at Pak Ahok's house in Belitung for a few months, ate his mother's dishes. I went [to Belitung] several times; I visited everyone mentioned and not mentioned in the book to explore their characters' background," Tuta shared. Tuta said Ahok had provided some input for the script himself. "'My father did not behave this way when he was angry' or 'my mother never got mad like this', he told me when he read the script. Hence, we made adjustments accordingly." Read also: Ahok to be free in January Ahok was still the governor of Jakarta when the project started in early February last year. His term was supposed to end in October that same year, however, he was found guilty of blasphemy by the North Jakarta District Court for suggesting that some people had abused a Quranic verse to block his re-election bid. In early May 2017, the court sentenced him to two years in prison. "Since the premise is how a little boy became a man, the story of this film is not affected by whether Pak Ahok is a governor or not. I'm glad I didn't touch that story," said the 35-year-old director of Catatan Harian Si Boy (Boy's Daily Diary). Filming started in March 2018 and took 34 days, 98 percent was shot in Belitung, said Tuta. "We rebuilt [Ahok's family's] 1976 house, since it doesn't exist anymore. There are plans to turn the house into a museum." He added that the team had cast actor and TV host Daniel Mananta for the main role in November 2017. "The most fun part for me was shaping Daniel to become Ahok. There were many [actors] who wanted to play Ahok, however no one delivered the same enthusiasm as Daniel. I could really feel that he really wanted this role. What else can you expect from an actor? He will give you his best," said Tuta, adding that one of Daniel's biggest challenges for this role was to break with his natural voice. "Our biggest responsibility as directors is to make the actors believable. If Daniel is not believable, I'm done. Once one of our producers brought a married couple to watch our teaser. When the husband got out, he told me that he was initially grudging about Daniel portraying Ahok. However, after seeing the trailer, he said he couldn't think of anyone else to play the part." Set to be released in Indonesian cinemas on Nov. 8, Tuta said he never fussed over how people might respond to the movie about the rather controversial figure. "I don't care; I just want to make a good movie that doesn't glorify Ahok, that does not try to clear any facts and that tells things people don't know. If the movie is good, it will speak for itself." However, Tuta was flattered by the response of Ahok's family members, who have watched the film. "They all cried, and his mother said, boleh, boleh [go ahead]. That's enough for me." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hong Dam-young (The Korea Herald/Asia News Network) Mon, October 8, 2018 11:04 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877694ddb 2 Entertainment BTS,new-york,united-states,South-Korea,K-pop,music Free Every step of BTS in the US has been history-making, from its performance at Prudential Center in Newark to its heartfelt speech in front of the United Nations in New York. But maybe it was the highly anticipated show at Citi Field in New York that allowed the K-pop phenomenon to vault to the highest tier of pop superstardom in the US, where it also marked the end of the North American leg of its Love Yourself world tour. The enthusiasm for the acts first-ever stateside stadium concert, which began Saturday at 7 p.m. there, was off the charts. For the sold-out show, about 1,500 fans had camped out in the parking lot of the stadium for days and nights, with the first concertgoers lining up as early as Monday. And BTS stadium gig, which put the act in the company of pop stars like Beyonce and Lady Gaga, was everything any BTS fan could ask for. Amid ear-shattering screams and feverish chanting of over 40,000 in attendance including a diverse group of teens, parents and adult K-pop enthusiasts, BTS kicked off the set with its boisterous hit Idol from the recently released Love Yourself: Answer, clad in black marching band-style jackets and pants. The set list was similar to that in Olympic Stadium in Seoul back in August, except for Mic Drop, which was changed to the English remix version featuring Steve Aoki. After hyping the crowd with Idol, BTS greeted fans in English, starting with RM who shouted, Everybody make some noise! Hello we are BTS. Welcome to BTS world tour Love Yourself here in Citi Field. My name is RM. They continued expressing excitement over performing at the monumental stadium. From LA, now its the last night of North America tour. We are here in Citi Field. Can you believe it? said V, while Jungkook and Suga, respectively, added, So many dreams came true after our Love Yourself: Answer release, and Billboard No. 1 again, started brand new tour and the UN speech. RM said, It was really an honor. So everybody remember my speech? Id love to get to know every one of you. So will you Speak Yourself and tell me your stories? Wrapping up the talk time, the BTS leader belted out, This is way more than we expected. We are happy to be here with our Army (fan group) in New York. Before we start, for your safety, please be mindful of each other, your close neighbors. And we hope you celebrate with us until the end. Could you do that Citi Field? Now, lets move on to the next song. Read also: BTS talks about success in pop stronghold of US Bridging past and present, the nearly three-hour concert was filled with previous hits and recent songs from the Answer album. It was a culmination of everything the group has achieved, and fans walked down memory lane with BTS with beloved hits Save Me, I Need U, Im Fine and Run. Whether or not they were fluent in the bands native language, fans chanted back BTS mostly Korean lyrics and its name. Neither BTS nor fans palpable energies were lost in translation, with the crowd raising their voices even higher when BTS performed beloved hits Magic Shop, DNA and Fake Love, as well as a compilation of Boyz with Fun, The Rise of Bangtan, Fire, Crow Tit and Dope, songs that best represent the groups infectious stage presence. The crowd reached a deafening crescendo as the bandmates showed their distinctive charms and solo talents. Rappers J-hope, Suga and RM mesmerized fans with their hip-hop-spirited Trivia: Just Dance, Trivia: Seesaw and Trivia: Love, respectively. Smoothing the mood were Jungkooks breathy Euphoria, Vs Singularity and Jimins Serendipity, during which fans temporarily stopped chanting and listened to the artists smooth vocals, as well as Jins solo performance of Epiphany during which he played piano as he crooned the emotional melodies and lyrics. After the vocalists The Truth Untold and the rapper trios hip-hop laden Tear, the band exited the stage for the expected encore. With fans avidly chanting the individual members names for an encore, BTS jumped back up to the stage to perform So What and Anpanman, during which the stage was washed in colorful rainbow hues. Rounding out the concert was a memorable selfie time with fans and Love Myself: Answer, the ultimate concert finale anthem to send a heartwarming message of self-love. All the bandmates had communicated with fans entirely in English during the show, but at the very end, some shared their sincere gratitude for fans in Korean. After shouting out Citi Field, Jimin said in his own language, Id never thought that we would perform in Citi Field. I still cant believe it, and today will be unforgettable. There were so many things we wanted to show you, but I feel sorry for not being able to do so. With RM translating his words to fans, Jimin added with laughter, I think we should come next year again, can we? Suga also commented in Korean, While I said it was going to be our last concert in North America, its not the last, but a start. You know what I mean, right? I will just leave it to your imagination. Weve achieved everything we and you dreamed and imagined. See you next year. I love you. The seven-piece group will be in Europe from Tuesday to Oct. 20 as part of its ongoing world tour and will hold a dome tour of Japan that includes Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka in November. Topics : This article appeared on The Korea Herald newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8, 2018 12:47 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776988d0 4 Science & Tech LINE,#LINE,Line-app,Line-stickers,Palu,#Palu,Palu-Earthquake-Tsunami,#PaluTsunami,Donggala,#DonggalaEarthquake,Donggala-earthquake-tsunami,donation,charity,#Charity Free Japanese messaging app Line has reportedly launched a sticker collection to help earthquake and tsunami victims in Palu and Donggala, Central Sulawesi. The Pray for Indonesia collection features eight stickers and is available for download starting Friday. At Rp 12,000 (less than US$1), all proceeds from the sticker sales will be donated to support relief organizations helping disaster-hit areas in Central Sulawesi. Tempo.co reports that the sticker collection has also been launched in Japan, South Korea and Thailand, in addition to Indonesia. Read also: [UPDATED] How you can help Palu earthquake victims Line users worldwide can easily download the donation stickers through the app, said Line Indonesia managing director Dale Kim. Line Indonesia is also raising funds via online platform kitabisa.com. Line Indonesia is reportedly collaborating with Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT Indonesia), a charity organization that intends use the donations to provide food, clothing and shelters for the disaster victims. (jes/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Tue, October 9, 2018 05:01 1133 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776b5a90 2 Health insulin,thermometer,health,#health Free New research has found that due to fluctuations in fridge temperatures, diabetes patients may be unknowingly storing their medication at the wrong temperature in their fridge, which could affect its potency. Carried out by Dr. Katarina Braune from Charite Universitaetsmedizin Berlin in Germany in collaboration with Professor Lutz Heinemann and the digital health company MedAngel BV, the new study set out to investigate how often insulin is stored by patients at temperatures that fall outside the manufacturers recommended range. The researchers recruited 388 diabetes patients living in the United States and the European Union and asked them to place MedAngel ONE temperature sensors either next to their insulin in the fridge and/or in their diabetes bag for insulin carried as a spare. The sensors automatically measure the temperature every three minutes, which is up to 480 times a day, before sending the data to an app where it can be securely recorded. Temperatures were recorded for an average of 49 days. After analyzing 400 temperature logs, including 230 for refrigerated insulin and 170 for carried insulin, the researchers found that 315 (79 percent) were stored at temperatures outside of the recommended temperature range. On average, insulin stored in the fridge was out of the recommended temperature range 11 percent of the time, equivalent to 2 hours and 34 minutes per day, although insulin carried in diabetes bags was only outside temperature recommendations for around 8 minutes a day. Even more importantly, 66 sensors (17 percent) measured freezing temperatures below 0C, equivalent to 3 hours a month on average. Read also: Millions of Indonesians could have diabetes without knowing it The findings, presented at this years European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Berlin, Germany between Oct. 1 to 5, suggest that storing insulin in domestic fridges may be impacting quality. Many injectable drugs and vaccines are highly sensitive to heat and cold and can perish if their temperature changes even just a few degrees. Insulin must stay between 2-8C/36-46F in the refrigerator or 2-30C/30-86F when carried. Many people with diabetes are unwittingly storing their insulin wrong because of fluctuating temperatures in domestic refrigerators, says Dr. Braune. When storing your insulin in the fridge at home, always use a thermometer to check the temperature. Long-term storage conditions of insulin are known to have an impact on its blood-glucose lowering effect. For people living with insulin-dependent diabetes who take insulin several times a day via injections or continuously administer insulin with a pump, precise dosing is essential to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes, she added. Even gradual loss of potency introduces unnecessary variability in dosing. More research is needed to examine the extent to which temperature deviations during domestic storage affect insulin efficacy and patient outcomes. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mathew Scott (Agence France-Presse) Busan, South Korea Mon, October 8, 2018 20:07 1133 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776b09fb 2 Entertainment Busan-International-Film-Festival,film,film-festival,Japan,South-Korea Free Fears of a future clouded by nuclear fallout and state-sponsored mind control have been captured on film by a group of Japanese directors who were tasked with presenting their visions of where life in their country was headed. The Ten Years Japan omnibus has made its world premiere at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), the regions largest movie industry gathering, and it follows on from similar projects produced out of Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan. We have so many dimensions when it comes to social issues in Japan, we made it clear to the filmmakers we wanted their take on what exactly it is that they see as the problems, explained Japanese producer Miyuki Takamatsu, who instigated the pan-Asian project. The five-part Ten Years Japan imagines citizens living underground to escape nuclear fallout - but dreaming of life in the sun - as well as coping under constant surveillance and with messages being transmitted into their brains via an implant. It also looks at how Japan might end up dealing with its rapidly ageing population, while other chapters focus on a daughter tapping into her deceased mothers digital data, and on life in Japan during a future war time. The production features work from directors Chie Hayakawa, Yusuke Kinoshita, Megumi Tsuno, Akiyo Fujimura and Kei Ishikawa. We wanted to discover new talent, said Takamatsu. We thought it would be a good challenge to see who could produce films for this difficult topic and here we are, we have found them. The original film in the Ten Years series came out of Hong Kong in 2015 and painted a bleak picture of the city under Chinese control. It was fiercely political, coming on the back of the Occupy pro-democracy sit-in protests that brought the centre of the city to a standstill for 79 days in 2014. Despite a limited local theatrical release and condemnation by mainland Chinese authorities and their supporters in Hong Kong, the film was a major hit, picking up the top prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Ten Years Thailand, which premiered at the Cannes festival in May, drew on the talents of the likes of acclaimed director Aditya Assarat (Hi-So) and is primarily concerned with fears of censorship and state control, while Ten Years Taiwan debuted at the Taipei film festival and tackles social issues such as the threat of nuclear fallout and the hardship of rural life. Read also: Busan film festival seeks 'reunion' after ferry tragedy row The Japanese and Thai productions are slated for domestic release before the end of the year, while the Taiwanese film is set for a rollout in 2019. Ten Years Japan might lack some of its predecessors overtly politically charged bite but it taps into the talents of socially aware Cannes Palme dOr winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda -- who has his drama Shoplifters up for Oscar consideration -- and is onboard as executive producer. It reflects Kore-edas trademark languid style, often to chilling effect, even though Takamatsu said the director allowed the filmmakers full freedom in terms of subject matter and of style. Hong Kong had one specific problem as its focus, in Japan there are many things to think about, said Takamatsu. [Kore-eda] didnt make any rules or give advice during production but he was involved closely in reading the scripts and advising on changes, and on getting the money needed together. Veteran actor Jun Kunimura (know to Western audiences from Kill Bill: Volume 1) plays a role in Ten Years Japan and said the experience had opened his eyes up to the worries of Japans modern youth. The Ten Years project came to life over coffee at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, in 2015 when the team from Golden Scene, which had distributed the original Hong Kong film, had been surprised by the positive and inquisitive audience reaction to a screening. On Takamatsus suggestion, and with another producer in Lorraine Ma on board, they decided to take the idea regional and they are now considering extending the franchise into other Asian markets. Its a great platform for the filmmakers to imagine what they think of the problems of their countries 10 years later, said Golden Scenes founder and managing director Winnie Tsang. Different countries have different problems. Some of the problems maybe universal but we can see the different culture in each country. BIFF continues until Saturday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8, 2018 10:56 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877693b7c 1 City anies-baswedan,Jakarta-administration,urban-development,poverty-alleviation,poverty,poor-residents,jakarta Free Serving for almost a year as governor, Anies Baswedan and his administration has been applauded by the citys urban poor groups for involving them more in policies that affect them, but critics have questioned the effectiveness of his programs. For members of the Jakarta Urban Poor Network (JRMK), Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), Jakarta Pedicab Driver Union (Sebaja), Ancol Street Vendors Association (KOPEKA Ancol) and kampung residents, Anies, who will commemorate one-year since becoming the citys leader on Oct. 16, had made at least three achievements. In their joint statements read out to the public in Kampung Rawa, Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta on Sunday, they pointed out Anies village revitalization programs; establishment of pedicab waiting areas in Teluk Gong, North Jakarta, as well as mapping their operational routes in 16 areas; and guaranteeing security for KOPEKA vendors who operate inside Ancol Dreamland Park. For the kampung revitalization programs, Anies issued Gubernatorial Decree No. 878/2018 on village management that listed up to 21 city villages to be rehabilitated by the administration, 15 of which have had their community action plans (CAP) prepared since May. Anies for example had built the waiting areas in Kampung Kunir and Kampung Akuarium, two of the villages, whose residents were evicted in 2015 and 2016 respectively, while their villages are rebuilt according to the residents aspirations outlined in their CAP. JMRK coordinator Eny Rochayati said the group was satisfied with Anies tenure as governor, but sometimes the working units (SKPD) might not in sync with Anies. She said the administration had been trying to generate ideas from the residents themselves, although they were hindered by lower levels of bureaucracy. People in the lower bureaucracy, such as the district head or subdistrict heads sometimes say that there has been no instruction from above, [in turn] neighborhood unit and community unit heads also say there is no instruction from subdistrict head, Eny told reporters on Sunday. She said those officials were used to top-down bureaucracy. Now we are encouraging to switch to a bottom-up model, Eny said. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan who attended the event said he appreciated the acknowledgement by the urban poor groups, adding that his administration wanted to rehabilitate city villages together with their residents. We have achieved several things, although were not finished yet as it has only been a year. This is a good start. In the future, we will do everything that we have committed to one by one, Anies said. However, not all agree with the groups. An urbanist from Trisakti University, Yayat Supriatna, said the administrations flagship programs, such as the zero-rupiah down payment program, OK Otrip rebrand, city village rehabilitation or river naturalization project were still up in the air without concrete policies. So, we are waiting for Anies concrete and visible policies. The residents are waiting for that as well, Yayat told The Jakarta Post. He said the governor should speed things up and implement clear-cut policies, such as on the village rehabilitation program that he thought takes too long a process because of the multiple teams that work on them. Just make one example as the best practice [for village rehabilitation], he said, adding that the bottom-up paradigm that the administration tried in the village rehabilitation program might take too long to process because too many ideas needed to be taken into account. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8, 2018 08:08 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087768a38c 1 National Central-Sulawesi-earthquake,Palu-Earthquake-Tsunami,Donggala-earthquake-tsunami,#CentralSulawesiQuake,#PaluTsunami,#DonggalaEarthquake Free Survivors of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Central Sulawesi last month have started to return to their homes, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said on Sunday. After reaching a peak of 70,821 last week, the number of displaced people has fallen to 62,359 in 147 locations across the province. [The survivors] cannot stay for very long in the displaced persons camps because [the children] must return to school soon, BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said at a press conference on Sunday, adding that emergency schools may be set up using tents. Over 2,500 schools in Palu, Donggala and Sigi have been damaged in the disaster. Sutopo also said that over 8,000 evacuees had also left Palu through both air and sea transportation to Makassar, South Sulawesi; Balikpapan, East Kalimantan; Jakarta; and Manado, North Sulawesi. They are people who want to leave Palu temporarily to stay at their relatives houses in their respective cities, because they are still traumatized [by the quake] and struggle to meet their daily needs, he said. [They were] facilitated by the government [to leave] via air and sea. He added that some evacuees had also left Palu independently using their own vehicles, but their numbers were difficult to confirm. He said that a further 5,000 people were suspected to be missing in the Palu subdistricts of Balaroa and Petobo but that officials were still looking to verify the claims. If a victim is not found after 14 days, then they will be declared missing, he said. (kmt) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8, 2018 08:18 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087768af09 2 Business fruit,exports,increase Free Indonesias fruit exports increased by 24 percent in September from the same month last year, according to the Agriculture Ministry. The ministrys fruit and floriculture director, Sarwo Edhy, said that most export recipients were non-tropical countries, where demand had shifted toward organic fruits. Our top fruit exports included mangoes, bananas, snake fruits, oranges, mangosteen, pineapples and rambutans, said Sarwo on Friday as reported by kontan.co.id. At the same time, fruit imports have decreased almost 30 percent to US$91.5 million in September from $130.7 million in the same month last year. Our production is increasing and Indonesians generally dont fancy imported fruits other than, for instance, dates and grapes, he said. The ministry expects Indonesias overall fruit exports in 2018 to increase by 9 percent compared to 2017. Fruit exports already increased by 7.5 percent from 2016 to 2017. Concurring with the ministry, Hasan Johnny Widjaja, chairman of the Indonesian Fruit and Vegetables Export Association, said his organization had also enjoyed an increase in exports this year. Our exports to China have increased after it eased regulations, said Hasan. (nor/bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8, 2018 14:04 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087769cb43 4 Business Gaikindo,sedan,tax-cuts Free The Association of Indonesian Automotive Manufacturers (Gaikindo) has expressed its support of an Industry Ministry suggestion to decrease the added value-tax for luxury goods (PPnBM), particularly sedans, to increase sales both in domestic and international markets. Currently, there is no one producing sedans here because the tax is expensive. [The car] is difficult to sell, said Gaikindo deputy chairman Jongkie Sugiarto in Jakarta on Sunday as quoted by kontan.co.id. The Industry Ministry had reportedly proposed the tax cut to the Finance Ministry. Jongkie emphasized that the tax cut would not only boost exports but also production, which would be followed by a sales increase in the domestic market. He expressed his concern that the government is focusing only on developing multipurpose vehicles (MVP), while the international market is dominated by sedans. If we compare the situation to a restaurant, Indonesia only sells friend rice, while Thailand sells friend rice, soup and so on. Thailand produces sedans, SUVs [sports utility vehicle], MPV, pick-up trucks; the country produces nearly all kinds [of vehicles], Jongkie said. He added that Gaikindo had carried out a study on the issue with the University of Indonesias (UI) Public and Economic Investigation Institute and the results had been presented to the government in January. The study deals with four issues: emission excise, zero percent PPnBM for environmentally friendly vehicles, low carbon emission vehicles and a call for the government not to differentiate between tariffs for all kinds of vehicles. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin George Barber (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8 2018 The headline refers to an article in The Jakarta Post on Sept. 24, where the government is blaming state oil and gas company Pertamina as the main contributor for the countrys high trade deficit. The article goes onto say that Pertamina lacks aggression in exploration; whilst this is partly true, this can also be said about the whole country for all of its natural resources, including geothermal and minerals. Exploitation has been the action for so long, exploration has not been happening and the claim that the price of oil was too low is an excuse. Exploration to production takes time. Part of the problem is Indonesias Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). With conventional exploration methods the risk is high, which means that the success rate is low, which means that money will be lost; this is the cost of exploration, it is not a mistake. 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 News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8, 2018 11:16 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776955c5 1 Business International-Finance-Corporation,World-Bank,Komodo-green-bond,issuance,#IMFWBG Free International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has issued its inaugural Indonesian rupiah Komodo green bond, attracting strong investor demand and raising Rp 2 trillion (US$134 million) to combat climate change. The issuance of IFCs green Komodo bond underscores our commitment to support Indonesia in achieving environmentally sustainable economic growth, said Nena Stoiljkovic, IFCs vice president for Asia and the Pacific. The bond allows us to mobilize international funding into Indonesias climate-friendly projects and we intend to replicate and scale up this model to address the countrys climate challenges. This is the first such green Komodo offshore rupiah-denominated issuance by a multilateral development bank for investment into climate projects in Indonesia. The five-year green bond, which will be listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Singapore Stock Exchange, will support the local-currency market in Indonesia, funding the first-ever green bond issued in Indonesia by an IFC client, Bank OCBC NISP. The proceeds will finance underlying infrastructure and climate-related projects. Jingdong Hua, IFCs vice president and treasurer, said the first ever green Komodo bond issued in rupiah for climate investment in Indonesia was a significant milestone for IFC and for Indonesia to help the private sector manage foreign exchange risk through local-currency financing. Since launching the Green Bond Program, IFC has raised billions of dollars for clean energy, climate-smart cities, green buildings and green finance. As revealed in IFCs Green Bond Impact Report released on Monday, IFC issued 32 green bonds totaling $1.8 billion in the fiscal year that ended June 30. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefanno Reinard Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) Nusa Dua, Bali Mon, October 8, 2018 14:12 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087769f555 1 Business donation,IMF,bank-indonesia,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,Palu,Lombok,disaster,#IMFWBG Free The management and employees of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) plan to donate Rp 2 billion (US$131,026) to survivors of the earthquake and the tsunami in Central Sulawesi and to survivors of the earthquake in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, a statement says. IMF managing director Christine Lagarde was scheduled to deliver the assistance directly to the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and a number of NGOs, such as the World Central Kitchen and World Vision, said the statement, which was issued by the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings 2018 organizing committee. It also referred to other assistance provided by Bank Indonesia and Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut B. Panjaitan. BI Governor Perry Warjiyo said the central bank's Rp 500 million donation would be used to repair five damaged mosques and two schools in Lombok. He added that BI had also distributed basic needs to survivors of the Lombok earthquake. BI has also constructed permanent facilities like houses, prayer rooms, an information center and a counseling center, he said on Monday in Nusa Dua, Bali, where the IMF-WB meetings are being held. Meanwhile, Luhut had reportedly made a personal donation of Rp 500 million to the Lombok Disaster Relief Efforts scheme through the East Java branch of Nahdlatul Ulama. He had also provided other forms of assistance, including 241,000 elementary school uniforms. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Winny Tang (The Jakarta Post) Nusa Dua, Bali Mon, October 8, 2018 13:04 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877698e82 1 Business infrastructure,exhibition,IMF-WB-meeting,#IMFWBG Free The State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry on Monday welcomed participants of the International Monetary Fund-World Bank (IMF-WB) Annual Meetings 2018 in Nusa Dua, Bali, showcasing strategic projects and other information about the country at the Indonesia Pavilion, just across the street from the main venue, the Bali International Convention Center (BICC). The Indonesia Pavilion, organized in collaboration with a number of SOEs and ministries, offers information on strategic investment projects and tourist destinations, as well as an arts and crafts exhibit. The Indonesia Pavilion showcases Nawacita," said Sahala Lumban Gaol, a special staff of the SOEs Ministry, referring to President Joko Jokowi Widodo's nine-point development program. "We are presenting the progress in Indonesias infrastructure [projects]. The pavilion featured infrastructure projects to improve nationwide access and connectivity, such as toll roads, airports and seaports, on the hope that interested investors would emerge, he added. Meanwhile, visitors would find thematic rooms inside the pavilion, including the BUMN (SOEs) Hall, a workshop area, VIP lounge, investment lounge and mini theater. The Indonesia Pavilion also provides delegates with an opportunity to experience a beautiful and unique journey, Sahala said. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ben Dooley, Daniel Abelous and Pierre Pratabuy (Agence France-Presse) Beijing, China and Lyon, France Mon, October 8, 2018 08:28 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087768c234 2 World #China,#Interpol,Chinese,Interpol,chief,missing,resign Free Beijing announced Monday the Chinese head of Interpol, who vanished after returning to his homeland, was under investigation for possible criminal activity, and the world police organisation said he had resigned. The revelations came as Meng Hongwei's wife voiced concern for his life after receiving a final text message from his phone with a knife emoji. Beijing had remained tight-lipped about the fate of Meng, who is also China's vice minister for public security, since his disappearance was disclosed by French officials on Friday. The National Supervisory Commission, which handles corruption cases involving public servants, broke the official silence early Monday, saying in a one-line statement that Meng "is currently under investigation on suspicion of violating the law". Soon after, Interpol said it had received Meng's resignation "with immediate effect". 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. When -- or if -- they reappear, it is often in court. Meng, the first Chinese president of Interpol, was last heard from on September 25 as he left Lyon -- where the world police body is based -- for China. The agency's secretary general Juergen Stock, who oversees day-to-day operations, had said Saturday that it was seeking "clarification" on his whereabouts from Chinese authorities. French police had opened an investigation into Meng's disappearance last week, according to a source close to the inquiry. Meng, 64, had lived with his wife and two children in France since being elected Interpol president in 2016 for four years. The agency said it will elect a new president next month at its general assembly in Dubai for the remaining two years of Meng's term. - Danger emoji - Speaking to reporters in France on Sunday, Meng's wife Grace said she had received a message from his phone containing a knife emoji before his disappearance. That day, she said he sent a message telling her to "wait for my call", before sending the emoji signifying danger. "This matter belongs to the international community," she told a press conference. "I'm not sure what has happened to him," she said. Later, upon learning about the announcement from China's anti-graft commission, she told AFP that her husband's case will be under the watch of "international law and international public opinion", describing the situation as "political ruin". China's recently established National Supervisory Commission holds sweeping powers to investigate the country's public servants with few requirements for transparency. Although the commission did not detail the allegations against Meng, its mandate is to investigate corruption cases as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign. Some critics of the effort -- which has punished more than one million officials -- say it also functions as a tool for Xi to eliminate his political rivals. - Red notices - 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 that role, Meng has been entrusted with a number of sensitive portfolios, including the country's counter-terrorism division, and he was 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 website. During Meng's tenure, Interpol issued a red notice for fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, who threatened to reveal corruption at the country's highest levels. Authorities in China and Hong Kong have accused Guo, a real estate tycoon who resides in the United States, of laundering billions of dollars among other crimes. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Depok Mon, October 8, 2018 19:23 1133 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776aee8c 1 City Depok,bus-terminal,BPTJ-Greater-Jakarta-Transportation-Body,Transportation Free The Greater Jakarta Transportation Body (BPTJ) plans to have the Jatijajar bus terminal in Depok, West Java, fully operational by December. One of the features, which we aim to finish before the terminal becomes fully operational, is the ramps to the terminal, BPTJ head Bambang Prihartono said on Sunday as quoted by tempo.co. According to Law No. 23/2014 on regional administrations, Jatijajar is a type A bus terminal, which the central government administers. Because it is located in Greater Jakarta, it is being handled by the BPTJ. Bambang said they still needed to solve the problem of lack of public transportation at the terminal. Step by step, we will solve the problem. We need to cooperate with related stakeholders such as the regional administration, especially the Depok Transportation Agency regarding the rerouting of public transportation. He said the BPTJ was coordinating with the Depok administration so that all inter-city and inter-province buses used the terminal by October. (ami) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sunghee Hwang (Agence France-Presse) Seoul, South Korea Mon, October 8, 2018 08:48 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087768d185 2 World #USA,#NorthKorea,Pompeo,DonaldTrump,kim-jong-un,meeting Free Kim Jong Un has agreed to hold a second summit with US President Donald Trump as soon as possible, Seoul said Sunday, after Washington's top diplomat held "productive" talks on denuclearisation with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Kim on Sunday morning for around two hours of talks followed by a lunch in the North's capital, before flying to Seoul on a whirlwind diplomatic visit to the region. Pompeo said "he agreed with Chairman Kim to hold the second US-North Korea summit at the earliest date possible", South Korea's presidential office said in a statement, although no specific time or location has yet been agreed. Pompeo and Kim also discussed "denuclearisation steps that will be taken by North Korea and the issue of attendance by the US government," as well as "corresponding measures" to be taken by the United States, the statement said. The visit was Pompeo's fourth to North Korea. Trump met Kim in Singapore in June for the first-ever summit between the two countries, resulting in what critics say was only a vague commitment by Kim towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. Kim "expressed his gratitude to President Trump for making sincere effort" to implement the Singapore agreement, according to a report on the Pompeo visit by North Korea's state news agency KCNA. "Kim Jong Un appreciated the positively developing situation on the Korean peninsula... (and) explained in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearization issue," KCNA said. The North Korean leader also invited inspectors to visit the Punggye-ri nuclear test facility, which Pyongyang took apart in May, "to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled", the State Department said. Kim praised their "nice meeting", telling Pompeo via an interpreter following the morning's talks that it was "a very nice day that promises a good future... for both countries". - 'Gangster-like demands' - But since the Singapore summit, the road towards warmer ties has been bumpy. Washington and Pyongyang have sparred over the exact terms of the vaguely-worded agreement in Singapore, with the US pushing to maintain sanctions and pressure against the North until its "final, fully verified denuclearisation". Last month, the North's foreign minister told the United Nations there was "no way" his country would disarm first as long as tough US sanctions remain against his country. After a previous visit to Pyongyang in July, Pompeo had said the two foes made progress on key issues -- but within hours of his departure the North condemned "gangster-like" demands from the US, raising questions over how much the two sides really saw eye to eye. Another planned trip by Pompeo to Pyongyang was scrapped after what Trump said was insufficient progress towards implementing the terms of the Singapore declaration. An official on Sunday's latest visit to Pyongyang with Pompeo said the trip was "better than the last time", but added: "It's going to be a long haul." Following his arrival in Seoul from Pyongyang on Sunday, Pompeo said at a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he had "a good productive conversation" with Kim, in talks which represented "another step forward". The dovish Moon, who held three summits with Kim this year and also brokered the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore, said Sunday the "whole world" was watching with keen interest the outcomes of Pompeo's trip. "I hope your trip to North Korea and the upcoming second US-North Korea summit will provide a good opportunity for achieving irreversible, decisive progress in terms of denuclearisation and the peace process on the Korean peninsula." - Grand bargain - Analysts say Washington may now consider new options as China, Russia and South Korea seek to relax sanctions. "North Korea took some steps towards denuclearisation and the US will face criticism from the international community if it continues to demand complete denuclearisation without any lifting of sanctions," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. "We can't rule out the possibility that Washington... may move in the direction of partial easing of sanctions based on progress in denuclearisation," he said. 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 peace treaty -- but North Korea would stop short of delivering an exhaustive list of its nuclear facilities, she said. After Seoul, Pompeo ends 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8, 2018 09:20 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087768f5a1 2 Business bank-mandiri,loan,infrastructure Free State-owned lender PT Bank Mandiri has given out Rp 165 trillion (US$10.9 million) this year for infrastructure projects within Indonesia for the construction of, among other things, highways, train tracks and buildings. Mandiri risk management director Ahmad Siddik Badruddin said that the figure equaled around 15 percent of its total loans this year. State-owned companies play a very important role in national development, said Siddik during the Indonesia Business and Development (IBD) Expo in Surabaya, East Java, on Saturday as reported by Antara news agency. He said that Mandiri had also doled out another Rp 160 trillion for the agriculture sector one of the largest contributors to GDP to fund everything from transmigrant farmers to industrial agriculture production. Siddik cited his recent conversation with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Rini Soemarno, who said that the SOEs were one of two government arms that supported national infrastructure aside from the annual state budget. He added that the lender participated in the IBD Expo to attract and inspire millennials as a new generation of employees. Around 60 to 70 percent of our current employees are millennials, said Siddik. (nor/bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Vela Andapita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, October 8, 2018 12:46 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776987c7 1 City jakarta,Ok-Otrip,public-transportation,integrated-transportation-system Free The Jakarta administration has officially changed the name of its one-fare public transportation system from One Card One Trip (OK OTrip) to Jak Lingko. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan explained at a press conference on Monday that the word lingko was taken from farm irrigation system used in Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara. The system resembles a spiders web with an interconnection of water flow, he added. We wanted a name that can really represent the kind of system that we use. Jak Lingko aims to connect various buses in the city using one fare, he said. The programs name may have changed, but the system remains the same. It allows passengers to use angkot (public minivan) and then move on to Transjakarta buses or vice versa for one flat fare of Rp 5,000 (33 US Cent) within a span of three hours. As Jak Lingko, the program will expand its network to rail-based modes of transportation, namely the MRT and the light rapid transit (LRT). The city administration, Anies added, was currently attempting to promote Jak Lingko and invite Jakartans to create its logo. We welcome anyone to join the Jak Lingko logo making contest, which will be conducted this month. Well introduce [the new logo] to the public by the end of October, Anies said. Further information about the Jak Lingko logo contest can be found on the city administrations and PT Transjakartas official websites. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ola Cichowlas (Agence France-Presse) Moscow, Russia Mon, October 8, 2018 14:20 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776a2dd0 2 World #Russia,#Nazi,Russian,historian,nazi,photo,Stalin,mass-grave Free A team of Russian historians and archaeologists have used a Nazi bomber pilot's photograph to help them pinpoint the location of mass graves in Moscow containing the remains of thousands shot by Stalin's secret police. The existence of a mass grave in the Kommunarka district in southwestern Moscow first came to light in the dying days of the Soviet Union when the KGB opened up its archives. It was one of three killing fields in the city used by Stalin's NKVD secret police in the 1930s. Historians believe at least 6,609 people were shot and thrown into mass graves in Kommunarka between 1937 and 1941. The gated forested area was once used by NKVD chief Genrikh Yagoda, who had a holiday cottage there. But he fell foul of the regime and was removed from his post in 1936 and shot in 1938 -- with his body most likely also disposed of in Kommunarka. Until recently, the mass graves were believed to be located in one area of the forest, where victims' relatives put up a memorial. But historians now believe the graves' location was misidentified. - Using a Luftwaffe photo - No serious archaeological work has been done before in Kommunarka, said Roman Romanov, director of Moscow's Gulag History Museum, who co-led the investigation. "There was nothing (in Kommunarka) before, people used to pick mushrooms there." The area remains much less investigated than a larger Stalin-era killing field in Moscow's Butovo district, Romanov said. But with a planned opening of a new memorial at Kommunarka, he said historians wanted to check exactly where the bodies were. Romanov said they used ground-penetrating radar and historic photos to examine the area. "We had volunteers working to clear the area and a geo-radar following us looking for anomalies in the ground," he said. An aerial shot of Kommunarka taken by a Nazi pilot flying over Moscow in 1942 -- when the graves were "fresh" -- was key to the investigation. Crucially, it showed the height of the trees in the area at the time. Historians came to the conclusion that some of the trees had been planted over fresh graves -- a tactic often used by the NKVD to cover up its executions. The next step, Romanov said, is to identify in which specific pits the bodies of victims were placed. "In a small one there could be 30 people and in another there could be 100 -- we want to know who is buried where." - Mongolian government - Yan Rachinsky, a senior member of rights group Memorial that documents Stalinist crimes, estimates that around 30,000 people were shot in Moscow alone during Stalin's Great Terror between 1937 and 1938. During a brief period of openness during the Perestroika era in the 1980s, the KGB sent files on Stalin-era victims to journalists and Memorial, Rachinsky said. In some, the NKVD gives the place of execution as Butovo or Moscow's Donskoye cemetery. Others simply say that the victim's body is "in a pit". "We believe those with no (marked) place of execution are in Kommunarka," Rachinsky said. High-ranking officials and scientists were among those shot and hastily buried in Kommunarka. "Almost the entire Mongolian government is there," Rachinsky said. Mongolia was a Soviet satellite country. Many officials from the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia were also executed there after their countries were occupied by the USSR in 1940. - Missing names - Rachinsky said that over a thousand of those believed to be buried in Kommunarka remain unidentified after the Russian security services closed access to Soviet-era files. "Suddenly, they stopped sending us the files," he said, accusing the present-day authorities of a lack of interest in uncovering Soviet-era crimes. "Our country is still not ready to declassify the materials of another country: the USSR," he said. "The state is responsible for what happened here and it struggles to define its position," said historian Sergei Bondarenko, whose great-grandfather was shot in Kommunarka. He predicted that only a "middle-ranking" government official would attend the opening of a new memorial this month. "In my view it should be the president, because this was one of the biggest killing fields in Moscow," he said. - 'Necessary' process - But Gulag museum director Romanov was more optimistic. The opening last year of a memorial to victims of political repressions in central Moscow was attended by President Vladimir Putin, he pointed out. Romanov said he wants other regions to follow the "positive precedent" of Kommunarka to find the "exact borders" of their Stalin-era mass graves. "These places are still secret. People don't even know where (the bodies) are. Often all they know is that they are inside a huge forest," he said. The aim, he said, is to identify exactly "who is buried where in all Russian regions." "This might sound a bit Utopian. But it is necessary." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Tue, October 9 2018 Three men suspected of operating an online prostitution ring were arrested by Bekasi Police over the weekend at an apartment in Bekasi, West Java, allegedly used as the base of the illicit business. Investigators apprehended Mustakim, Saputra and Jenio along with 20 sex workers and one witness at the Center Point apartment building in South Bekasi district on Saturday. The three suspects allegedly offered sex services via social media platforms Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook, head of the Bekasi Police criminal unit Adj. Sr. Comr. Jairus Saragih said. Once a client expressed interest, they would meet in the [apartments] pool or lobby. After making a deal, the suspects would give the access card to the clients to go upstairs where the girls were waiting in the rooms, he said on Monday as reported by kompas.com. 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 Zhang Wenfang (China Daily/Asia News Network) Tue, October 9, 2018 01:07 1133 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776b4e6a 2 News breakfast,student,Education,health,#health Free Chinese researchers have analyzed big data to find that university students with better academic performance are more likely to eat breakfast in the cafeteria, especially on cold days, according to their findings published in a British journal. Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, they concluded there is a significant positive correlation between college students' academic performance and the regularity of campus daily life, in which having meals and taking a shower on time are two measuring factors. In contrast to Western countries, teachers and administrators in most Asian countries often ask students to be self-disciplined both in and out of class. "Do routines in life help a student get a better academic performance? We hope to answer this question," said Zhou Tao, one of the researchers. Researchers from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, collected about 30 million digital behavioral records of 18,960 UESTC undergraduate students in three years from 2012 to 2015. The behavioral records were on their campus smart cards, covering when they entered the library, took a shower, washed clothes, paid for meals in the cafeteria and other components of daily routines, The Beijing News reported on Monday. In most Chinese universities, every student owns a campus smart card with real-name registration, which can be used for student identification and serves as a payment medium on campus. Read also: Jakpost guide to breakfast spots "We applied the well-known Spearman rank correlation coefficient to quantify the correlation strength. The coefficient lies in the range of negative one to positive one and the larger the absolute value is, the higher the correlation is," said Cao Yi, who also participated the study. "The correlation coefficient for GPA and having a meal regularly is 0.128 and that for taking shower regularly is 0.157," Cao said. Both suggest a strong positive correlation between academic performance and regularity of campus daily life. "The students with better performance are prone to overcome difficulties and stick to their routine even on chilly mornings. The less the students are affected by weather conditions in keeping life routines, the more self-disciplined they are and the better grades they can get," said Gao Jian, another researcher on the study. "We are not aiming to ask all the students to live according to a same timetable, but to help school administrators detect undesirable, abnormal behavior and give them proper intervention in time. For example, students who are addicted to online games often have an irregular lifestyle and those who always live alone are prone to depression," Zhou added. Topics : This article appeared on the China Daily newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ramzy Muliawan (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru Mon, October 8, 2018 14:16 1134 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776a2850 3 News #2019PresidentialElection,2019-presidential-election,2019-elections,first-time-voters,Youth,democracy,voting-day,election Free The much-awaited April 2019 election is slowly approaching. For the first time, Indonesian voters will be electing their representatives and the president on the same ballot. The rematch between Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto for the presidency will be its main feature. As has been the case with our elections, the usual tensions and festivities have begun long before the party has arrived. Indonesia has been hailed by many outsiders as a model of an emerging democracy. The fact that this improbable nation of thousands of islands and hundreds of ethnic groups could become the worlds second largest democracy is undeniably impressive. Twenty years ago, we are still under the iron-fisted rule of a military general; today, we can vote for our subdistrict councilors and all the way up to our president. Next years election will be special for me, and I cant help but think of the millions of fellow 18- and 19-somethings that will be sharing the experience. This will be the first national election where we can exercise our right as a citizen of the republic: suffrage. For me, voting is a wholly personal experience. I was born a year after reformasi (reform movement), so I have no memories of the New Order's democracy (or lack thereof). I do not remember much about President Habibies years. I vaguely recall Gus Durs presidency. I recognize President Megawati from the posters that plastered the walls of my kindergarten, all smiles in her signature kebaya (Javanese blouse) among a bunch of men in suits and peci (cap). I do, however, clearly remember the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's rise to the presidency. My earliest memory of an election is going with my parents to a voting booth in 2004. I was 5 years old, but I remember Yudhoyono from his sleek hair and funny nickname. I was too young to grasp the significance of his being the first popularly elected president of the country, but I cheered anyway when we had to return for another round of voting. Maybe I just love going to places where they put ink on your thumb after punching holes in colorful sheets of paper and placing them in large boxes. We moved abroad three years later, and we were there when the 2009 election approached. I do not remember much about it, other than my father being part of the local election committee at the nearby Indonesian consulate-general. But I was 10 then, and knew much more than when I was 5. I knew, for example, that Yudhoyono was running for another five years and his former vice president, Jusuf Kalla, was challenging him, and that this was a normal thing in politics. The incumbent, of course, won another five-year term. The year 2014 was completely different. I had just graduated junior high school and was politically aware enough to grasp the concept. I couldnt vote, and I again accompanied my parents to the ballot. I had not developed enough opinions to influence how they voted. Suffice it to say, their preferred candidate was not elected. Read also: Insight: After 2018 simultaneous elections: What's next? Witnessing three elections as a kid made me realize a few things. First, Ive never lived under an undemocratic Indonesia; I have always lived under a democracy and played my part. I thought this had been the usual practice for years, until I started learning of the battles that brought down tyranny on our own doorstep. Second, I was lucky enough to grow up in a family that considered voting to be a sacred, civic duty. My parents were considerate enough to take me along as part of a democratic Indonesia, hoping that one day that I would play my own part in shaping it. I did not realize until much later that a democracy cannot be taken for granted. I moved abroad two years ago as an exchange student and witnessed the historic 2016 US election. Nobody expected the winner of the race, a man who was never shy about showing his contempt for democratic values. I remember canvassing for local candidates and met a kind elderly lady who told us that she was definitely going to vote and greeted me with "salaam" when we were about to leave. When Election Day had wrapped up, I could not help but wonder whether that lady had voted or not, because life would be tougher for people like her under the man now in power. I learned that many people could not afford the luxury of not caring about politics because their very life depended on the policies of the next government. They care because they have to; else, their interests would be in danger. Every person has their own interests, and they should be encouraged to participate in civil activity for that reason. Democracy, in its most ideal form, is a process. It is not an inherited set of ideals. It must not be complacent, and it must be guarded against the threats that could weaken it. Indonesians, 200-something million of us, cannot let our hard-fought democracy slip away. Some people simply cannot afford to, because they already suffered under an authoritarian system. First-time voters might find the choices unappealing, the political parties brazenly corrupt or feel that the election is a waste of time. Those might be valid reasons, but then again, a flawed democracy cannot be fixed by abandoning it. It requires repairing, and the voters hold the key to the toolbox. Golput (abstention) must not be an option for first-time voters. Elections are not the means, its just a tool. Voters have to actively hold their representatives accountable as long as they hold the people's mandate; to maintain the check and balances, as it were. Democracy is the consent of the governed, not of the government. These things are important for first-time voters, as we are now part of the electorate that determines the countrys future. Most of us were born after reformasi, so we have lived a single day under the New Order. We have lived in a democratic Indonesia since our births. We have the power to keep it that way hopefully for a long time, and we must vote with our hearts. (kes) *** Ramzy reads law at Andalas University in Padang. He is also a co-founder of Minangkabau Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Second-year Classics student, Kirsty Knell, was targeted with a needle at Rosies club on Broad Street on the 27th September during fresher's week. Image courtesy of Kirsty Knell. like n Kirsty, who was dancing with her boyfriend at the time of the assault, recalls feeling a sharp pain in her upper spine which caused her to move backwards into a pillar for protection. She was treated by the club medic, who advised her to visit her local GP. The following morning, the practitioner diagnosed Kirsty with a needlestick injury and referred her to Queen Elizabeth Hospital's Accident and Emergency department where she spent six hours in A&E undergoing multiple blood tests. Due to waiting times, she felt pressured instead to travel to Kettering Hospital's A&E, where her mother works as a nurse, a journey which takes over an hour by car.Speaking to The National Student, Kirsty says, When I went to the GP, he said that this type of incident has happened before. He seemed very sure it was a needle stick injury and not merely a safety pinmy friends had suggested." "There was no suggestion of what might have been on or in the needle," she says. Worryingly, the event, which forms a part of the official University of Birmingham's Fresher's Fest designed for first-year students, is only accessible by students showing both a government-issued ID and valid student ID. "Most of the people attending were UoB students, which makes me feel very uncomfortable about going on more nights out," Kirsty explains. In the same week, another University of Birmingham student was assaulted in a similar attack with a needle at the University of Birmingham's student night FabFresh, which takes place every Saturday on campus. The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, says that they were attacked on Saturday the 29th September during Fab 'n Fresh. Since the incident, Kirsty has been administered a course of Hepatitis B jabs as a precautionary measure. While the test results have come back as normal, she has been advised that other symptoms may take time to show up. Both students have reported the attacks to the University of Birmingham's Guild of Students and the police. The 13th Doctor, and the first woman to play the role, Jodie Whittaker's first line matched the hopeful tone of her arrival: "Oh, brilliant!" As the new season gets ready to begin, we have all the news and gossip you need to know about the biggest season of Doctor Who yet... Credit: Doctor Who Series 11 Episode 1 Yaz (MANDIP GILL), Ryan (TOSIN COLE), The Doctor (JODIE WHITTAKER), Graham (BRADLEY WALSH), Grace (SHARON D CLARKE) (C) BBC / BBC Studios Photographer: Sophie Mutevelian Places and Locations Talking to Den of Geek, Chris Chibnall described how his first season of Doctor Who will establish a sense of place which is really important. The first episode, 'The Woman Who Fell To Earth', is set and partly filmed in Sheffield, and as a result the first episode of series 11 will premiere there. Chibnall went on to say, It feels very important to connect Doctor Who to Sheffield. Youll see it again during the series. The reason being that Jodies Doctors homebase on Earth will be the city this year. Chibnall knows how cinematic" the city is and how it offers a "different humour, and hopes it will add something new to the hit show. Other locations will include South Africa which stands in for different worlds and landscapes and is described by Chibnall as, stunning. Villains and Recurring Characters Chibnall has promised that the series is a fresh start for new viewers. We can look forward to all new monsters. Recent and traditional baddies like the Daleks, the Master (Missy), the cybermen and weeping angels wont be in the new season, however. Neither will recent recurring characters like River Song and the Pasternoster Gang. Dont panic though! Chibnall told a worried young fan that It's not like a rule forever. Just an attempt to make this first season truly unique and new in the Whoverse. The Writers and Directors Alongside Chibnall, many writers new to Who are joining the crew. These include Malorie Blackman, known for the YA Noughts and Crosses series, Skins writer Ed Hime, Murdered by my Father writer, Vinay Patel, Pete McTighe and Joy Wilkinson. Jamie Childs, who oversaw the reveal of Whittaker, will take the directing role for the opening episode. Doctor Who? Small hints at what kind of doctor Jodie Whittaker will be have come out recently. BBC Drama controller Piers Wenge told The Radio Times that in Jodie, gone is the daffiness and idiosyncrasy of her predecessors in favour of a doctor with energy spark and relatability. Showrunner Chris Chibnall meanwhile asserts, shes absolutely the doctor, but theres a new calibration, a new mixture of Doctorishness. The Thirteen Doctor is incredible lively, warm, funny, energetic, inclusive. She speaks at a hundred miles an hour and has a similar energy to Matt Smiths 11thDoctor, new companion Mandip Gill has revealed. Oh and she has Jodies natural Yorkshire accent. As Ecclestones Doctor once said, Lots of planets have a North!. The Companions The companions are many this year! They include Ryan Sinclair, played by Tosin Cole, Bradley Walsh as Ryans step-grandad Graham OBrien, and Yasmin Khan played by Mandip Gill. Sharon D Clarke will have a returning role. Ryans character will be portrayed with dyspraxia, a condition impacting physical co-ordination. Meanwhile, Walsh had not seen the show since the 1960s until he was cast! Cole has expressed that he is excited to be a part of this journey, Gill says she is over the moon to join the Doctor Who family and Walsh is thrilled to be part of this whole ground-breaking new dawn for the doctor. The First Episode Our first trip with the new doctor is titled 'The Woman Who Fell to Earth', a play on both the Bowie film about an alien in 70s America, and the precarious situation Jodies Doctor found herself in as she fell out of her Tardis in 2017s 'Twice Upon a Time'. Written by Chibnail, the plot synopsis is We dont get aliens in Sheffield. In a South Yorkshire city, Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan and Graham OBrien are about to have their lives changed forever, as a mysterious woman, unable to remember her own name, falls from the night sky.Can they believe a word she says? And can she help solve the strange events taking place across the city? The New Tardis/Sonic Screwdriver/Theme Tune When each doctor changes so does their Tardis, theme and screwdriver. What news is there about Whittakers? A since deleted tweet by a DW concept artist, Darren Fereday, describes the Tardis production design ideas by new designer Arwel Wyn as, crazy. Meanwhile, the screwdriver has already been pictured in promotional images and some photographs might suggest the 13th Doctor builds this version. Finally on the theme, Chibnall in Doctor Who Magazine noted there is a new opening title sequence, and a new arrangement of the opening theme, by our brilliant new composer Segun Akinola. He teased however that youll have to wait until episode two[] Episode one starts slightly differently No opening title sequence for this is just another of the many new aspects of season 11. The Future of Doctor Who Anyone worried about the future of the show can breathe a sigh of relief as it's going to be here a good while yet A press release from last year revealed that series 11 will be followed by another four, with the show renewed until season 15. This probably fits in with Chibnalls supposed five-year plan for the show. The first episode, The Woman Who Fell To Earth, premieres this Sunday the 7th of October on BBC One at 6:45pm. 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 Poseidon Med II: LNG 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. You cannot print contents of this website. Sign in Welcome, Login to your account. Forget password? Remember me Sign in Recover your password. A password will be e-mailed to you. MBABANE The name Judah is a Hebrew name. In Hebrew the meaning of the name Judah is Praise and thats all what local artist, Judah was about last Friday at Alliance Francaise de Mbabane. The third lunch concert initiated by the Alliance Francaise was a blissful, successful one hour event, where they had a well-known vocalist who goes by the name of Judah Phumelela Silitshena. Silitshena left the crowd yearning for more and entertained with his unique voice and his new original hit songs. The Alliance Francaise de Mbabane has introduced a podium for local artists to showcase their talent once every month, where they have a lunch concert. Next week they will be having local well-known songbird Khole Shabalala. Siphilele Magagula, who is the cultural coordinator, said they were happy about the success of the event as people seem to be getting used to the idea and also growing in the number of attendance. Our main mandate is to support local artists, and our services, she said. The concert is all about local artists and if they are interested to be part of the concert, they can visit the Alliance Francaise desk, Magagula also confirmed that they are now fully booked for this year but they are still open for more applicants. The crowd was amazing as they sang along with the artist while performing with a different chilled and intimate environment. Vocalist Judah also expressed his enormous joy with the whole event, as he said he had a great experience with an intimate environment. He is known in the Jazz genre circle, but he surprised the crowd as he performed different genres including pop and soul. He also said their main mandate was to spread love through music, which is a diverse language for everyone. We are all about happy and love songs, we want to bring back love to the new generation, he said. He is currently working on his new album, which his manager Ndumiso confirmed that it will be available early next year, but they will release a single before the album. KASHOBA A simple please call me message is said to have sparked what ended in the brutal murder of the St Holy Ghost Grade VII pupil. Melusi Gamedze (18) was stabbed to death with a spear, allegedly by Thabiso Dlamini (31), who accused him (Gamedze) of having an affair with his wife. The pupil was in class when the Dlamini allegedly stormed the classroom and gruesomely pierced his back with the spear, as he attempted to escape through an open window. It has now been revealed that prior to the brutal murder; Dlamini (husband) had allegedly attempted to inflict harm on the pupil by hacking him with a bush knife. According to the deceased elder sister, a week before the murder incident, Melusi (deceased) was attacked with a bush knife, allegedly by the same suspect who is now accused of his murder. Fikile Gamedze told this publication on Saturday that the deceased pupil was doing laundry when Dlamini stormed the homestead armed with a bush knife. My brother was washing clothes under the tree. Fortunately, he saw him coming and immediately rushed into the house. Dlamini (allegedly) threw the bush knife at him but it missed him by inches and instead hit the ground, she said. She narrated that the deceased remained inside the house while the Dlamini (allegedly) called for him to get out of the house. Eventually, Fikile said, the alleged attacker (Dlamini) left the homestead disappointed that the pupil had locked himself inside the house. This bush knife attack incident was reported to Melusis father, who was away at work in Big bend. I immediately called lomfana (Melusi) and asked him if he was still in contact with Dlaminis wife. In response, he stated that it was the wife who had been trying to contact him. He told me the wife had sent him a please call message, said Elias Gamedze, the father of the deceased pupil. Elias believes that the please call message may have infuriated the alleged killer so much such that he decided to commit the brutal act. I told Melusi not to respond or call the wife when she sends him please call me messages, added Elias. He further said that before the bush knife attack, the family had been made aware of the allegations levelled against Melusi by Dlamini. He revealed that these allegations began early this year. I once called Dlamini (the husband and alleged killer) and told him that Ill come so we could meet. But the challenge was that, when he was around I would be away at work, said Elias. MBABANE In its quest to deliver a First World network, Eswatini Mobile has invested millions on network expansion. The companys Chief Technical Officer Wandile Mtshali made the announcement yesterday saying an expansion of its network coverage and quality improvements would be carried out over the next three months. He said the company was embarking on a project that would address key network coverage gaps as well and improve network quality. For Eswatini Mobile to continue delivering a First World Network, it is essential that our valued customers experience the best voice call quality and the best internet connection, Mtshali said. Even though he did not state the exact figure, Mtshali said tens of millions of Emalangeni would be spent on the companys network expansion needs. To date, the telecommunications company has about 100 base stations across the country and providing network coverage to about 62 per cent of the population. The Eswatini Mobile CTO mentioned that currently, network coverage was concentrated along the Mbabane Manzini corridor and all cities and towns in the country. Phase one of the network expansion project will increase the capacity of the network in Mbabane, Ezulwini, Matsapha and Manzini, focusing on the CBDs and residential areas. Our customers will experience a significant improvement in internet speed, which will also enable the company to ease on the limitations of downloads and uploads, he added. Elaborating, he stated that the second phase of the project would see the of construction of additional base stations across the country and that this would result in improved network coverage allowing above 75 per cent of the population to have access to the Eswatini Mobile network. 2G, 3G and 4G base stations will be constructed in the major towns such as Nhlangano, Simunye, Piggs Peak, Siteki and the major roads such as MR3 as part of this extension.We do expect that the intended expansion exercise, will address the different challenges that Eswatini Mobile customers have been experiencing in these areas, he explained. He expressed excitement at the fact that in the next three months customers will be delighted about Eswatini Mobile as they will experience a real First World network. Karen Roser, left, and Brenda Masiker pose with Bentley on Rosers property in Titusville, where the yellow lab was finally rescued on Sept 26. Formula 1 is gearing up to confirm the arrival of a Vietnam Grand Prix on the 2020 calendar following conclusive discussions between Liberty Media and the event's promoters in Hanoi. Vietnam, one of south-east Asia's fastest-growing economies, had set its sights on becoming a Grand Prix venue under the Bernie Ecclestone era. The plans were discarded however by F1's former supremo, because of the country's complete lack of motorsport heritage, but Liberty Media picked up the ball to revive Vietnam's F1 ambitions. On Sunday, F1 race director Charlie Whiting revealed that he had visited Vietnam's chosen site, located just on the outskirts of Hanoi, on his way to Suzuka last week. "There is no actual progress at building the track, but the site has been identified," he said. "It is in the advanced stages of design and I think, as far as I am aware, they are aiming for a 2020 Grand Prix. That shouldnt be a problem based on previous experience." Whiting added that Hanoi's circuit would include local roads as well as a purposely-built section. "It is mainly on the streets, but there is a section that is not yet built," he explained. "That is an open site where the pit buildings are going to be built. Part of the track will be built there, which doesnt exist at the moment. But it will become a road after that." Liberty Media, which could announce its deal with Vietnam as soon as next month, is looking at adding potentially two new races to the 2020 calendar, with Miami still in the works in addition to Hanoi. However, it is uncertain whether F1's schedule shall be boosted beyond its current 21-race programme or whether existing races may fall off the calendar. Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers "The Clumsies", on Praxitelous street in central Athens, and "Baba au Rum", also in the Greek capital's downtown, were listed at seventh and 22nd place, respectively Two Athenian establishments found themselves on a list called the "Worlds 50 Best Bars 2018", published by William Reed Business Media and based on voting by 500 international experts, as the latter noted. "The Clumsies", on Praxitelous street in central Athens, and "Baba au Rum", also in the Greek capital's downtown, were listed at seventh and 22nd place, respectively. London's "Dandelyan" was picked as the world's top bar in the survey. Read more at naftemporiki.gr RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: flickr.com ATHENS More than ever Greek officials and business leaders emphasize the importance of help from the Hellenic Diaspora for Greece to recover and thrive. Elias Spirtounias, Executive Director of the American Hellenic Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) and Grigoris Stergioulis, Chairman of Enterprise Greece, a government agency designed to attract and assist foreign investors, recently discussed the main matters with The National Herald. The issues brought up by potential investors include frustrating bureaucratic red tape, maddeningly-slow law courts, sluggish bank lending, and questionable growth prospects. Investors also emphasize the importance of the rule of law and stable conditions necessary for company forecasts, including tax rates and the regulatory environment, and they cite the long-delayed Hellenikon development as a litmus test for Greeces seriousness about generating large investments. We all have to understand that Greece is competing for investments with more than 100 countries. If we dont improve our business environment and make it more friendly to investors, it will not happen,said Spirtounias. Stergioulis knows well the pain of Greeces courtsfrom his days as CEO of Hellenic Petroleum, but this bothers all of us. Those problems are not characteristics of a serious country. There are good intentions and numerous politicians and ministers have attempted to improve the situation, Spirtounias said, but they are blocked by the whole political mechanism and the expectations of the people. He asked rhetorically who will come out to explain to the average citizen,guys, forget about the past. Up to now the state could feed you, but now it cannot. But as a business organization this is what Amcham tries to covey somehow. There are reports of progress, especially with tourism investments, and the success stories of young entrepreneurs suggest mindsets are changing. At a recent press conference on Mediterranean hotels and resortsI was shocked to hear that the Greek hotel sector will gain the lions share of new investments approximately 22 billion euros in the next six years, Stergioulis said. MAKING FAST TRACK FASTER Stergioulis says there can be special arrangements for the legal requirements of foreign investors, and regarding bureaucratic obstacles, I must note that Enterprise Greece includes a program called Fast Track. It began five years ago an initiative of the prior government and we are currently strengthening it. With Fast Track, every businessman will receive rapid answers regarding issues or problems with their investmentswe also make efforts to coordinate with other agencies at all levels of government so that it can truly be a one stop shopOur aim is to monitor and assist investments from start to finishwe know it is easy say thisnow we must show this, he said. These are crucial developments for Greeces future, and Spirtounias said speaking of American companies, they are not governmental driventhey are looking for profits. In order to make their investments here, they will check off all the prerequisitesthey will plug in the numbers and only if they are ok will they make investments. As Greeks we need to understand that. And Stergioulis agrees, saying investments illustrate all the issues with a countrys economic development, but Islands of excellence and people who get it do exist. ENTREPRENEURIAL DIAMONDS Spirtounias told TNH that as a chamber, we are in contact with all kinds of companies, including startups, and you cant believe how many diamonds we have here in Greece, especially in the periphery far from Athens. The Diasporas help is needed to educate foreigners of Greeces diversity of goods and services and Greek excellence in IT and other fields in science and technology, and about the successes of young entrepreneurs. Stergioulis noted that groups like The Hellenic Initiative (THI) have helped tremendously, but we must all help the startups. Spirtounias added there are great businesses that few people know about. We usually spotlight these kinds of businesses at Chamber events, especially with the diaspora, but he acknowledged that You cant think about Greek-Americans only when you need them, when there are catastrophes and disasters. He recently emphasized on Greek TV the importance of reaching out to the diaspora and bringing them closer to the motherland, for example, by giving them the right to vote. To strengthen the bonds with the second and third generation, its a matter of strategy, but we dont have that strategy. Stergioulis also emphasizes thatwe must address the bad perceptions of Greece in the diaspora, and they are correct, based on their experiences. They have lost money. We must be fair, because Greece cannot exist without the Diaspora. He has a personal incentive: my daughter lives in Los Angeles, so I know about the reality of the brain drain. I want to reassure the diaspora that we will protect their investments and guard their interests. But there are more positive things for Stergioulis to accentuate, like the tremendous potential of the agricultural sector where young people are pursuing opportunities and thought is being given to overcoming challenges like the sectors fragmentation and the predominance of small plots which interfere with marketsrequirements for large scale operations. The EU is funding a number of smart farming pilot projects in Greece through Greek companies like Intrasoft. Returning to recent tourism gains Stergioulis urges American investors not be left out, citing not only direct investments in five-, six-, and seven-star hotels, but the accompanying needs for food service, medical care, spas and other areas. Amcham has helped with its investment road shows to the U.S. in conjunction with the Athens Stock Exchange and its annual Greek Economy Conference in Athens which will be held December 3-4. Among the positive recent developments Stergioulis says is that Greek relations with the United States are the best ever, thanks to efforts of both countries, but he warnedwe must be careful to maintain them and the recent deepening and strengthening of relations with Israel is on all levels. 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 On Wednesday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras talked over the phone with US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, further to their meeting in New York last week. The US Secretary informed Mr. Tsipras of the decision of the US Department of Treasury to allow the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to expand its investment activity in Greece by 2025. According to an statement by the Prime Ministers Press Office, the goal is for the EBRD to invest more than 2 billion euros in the next five years in the sectors of energy, infrastructure and small and medium-sized entrepreneurship. 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 Orthodox wedding ceremony was held at a church in the village of Akovo, Arkadia, south west of Athens TRIPOLI, Greece Greek-American actress Maria Menounos and AfterBuzz TV founder Keven Undergaro have tied the knot for the second time, on Saturday in a small village in Arcadia, Greece. Their Orthodox wedding ceremony was held at a church in the village of Akovo, Arkadia, south west of Athens. Menounos told Page Six this week that she was heading to Greece for a traditional wedding celebration 10 months after getting hitched in New York and took to Instagram to explain why it was so special. I alway wanted to return to Greece and do our wedding here, Greece means so much to us, and our village and our roots, she noted in a selfie video. My friends said we dont need wedding planners, we have friends and we all love you and we want to help you. 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 The island is getting ready to welcome the athletes and their families, with the organisers promising "a brief summer within winter, prepared with love for the island's visitors" An event that was born in the cold seas of the north in the mid-2000s is to have its debut in the Aegean this autumn. The first-ever SwimRun in Greece will be held from 16 to 18 November on the popular island of Hydra. The event is part of the TRIMORE Multisports TOUR and is co-organised by the municipality of Hydra and Sailing Club of Hydra, ANA reports. Fifty couples will take part in the race's maiden appearance in Greece, a total of 100 SwimRunners. The sport is very demanding and requires full cooperation on the part of the couple, who remain tied together with a rope throughout the race. 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: dims321 License: CC-BY-SA India's top engineering and construction firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) said one of its units has been awarded Rs18.8 billion ($253 million) order for power infrastructure in connection with major housing projects in Kuwait. As per the deal, L&T's Power Transmission and Distribution Business will provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for a total of 22 132/11 kV substations in Kuwait. Thanks to these substation networks, the large housing projects being developed by the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) at South Al Mutlaa and South Abdullah Al Mubarak cities will receive reliable power supply, said a statement from L&T. The Ministry of Electricity and Water is the consultant for the project, it stated. L&T said additional orders have been received from ongoing transmission line projects in India and Egypt.-TradeArabia News Service Microsoft Bahrain recently highlighted the importance and benefits of artificial intelligence in the establishment of smart societies, mirroring the ambitions demonstrated by Bahrain Vision 2030, at an event which was held in the kingdom. Microsoft Bahrain participated as the Gold Sponsor of the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum & IT Expo 2018 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in Manama. The two-day event, organised by Bahrains Information & Government Authority (iGA), is operating under the patronage of Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology, said a statement. Now in its ninth edition, the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum has become a signature event in Bahrains business calendar. It is also the main platform for information exchange and collaboration for IT decision-makers and professionals from around the world. Mohammed Ali AlQaed, chief executive, iGA, said: The long cooperation between us and Microsoft Bahrain can be seen through the joint partnerships in IT programs and initiatives which support the strategic direction of Bahrain specifically during a period in which the country is anticipating advanced stages in the development and infrastructure agenda based on the strategic objectives of the Economic Vision 2030. The forum reflects the achievements and aspirations of Bahrain in promoting economic infrastructure that is based on the development of an information and data society, as well as enhance future economic plans, continued AlQaed. The 2018 edition is split between five tracks, designed to encapsulate the hot trends and critical discussion areas extant within the global technology sector: cloud computing, digital transformation, blockchain, data analytics and cybersecurity. Microsoft experts addressed forum delegates on the power of artificial intelligence and related technologies, and their ability to engage, empower, optimise and transform. Simon Bradford, Public Sector Industry Director, Microsoft Middle East and Africa, talked about how migration to the intelligent cloud and the range of advanced technologies it hosts can be advantageous to public-sector entities in pursuit of digital transformation and modernisation. Alessio Bagnaresi, Artificial Intelligence Director, Microsoft Europe Middle East and Africa, covered the more specific applications of AI and how its implementation can have a significant impact on the government sectors ability to innovate. Microsoft also showcased its broad range of AI solutions at the companys booth. Visitors gained the opportunity to get hands-on exposure to some of the most cutting-edge solutions in the industry. Microsoft also demonstrated the cognitive-reasoning and machine-learning capabilities hosted on its Azure platform, using industry-specific use cases such as face recognition, chatbots, emotion detection and object analysis. Microsofts partner Brainware demonstrated Pulses, its artificial intelligence platform that provides government decision-makers with multiple business-critical dashboards, detailing the satisfaction and happiness of citizens, and providing in-depth reports about the quality of services provided by employees. Pulse incorporates cutting-edge system design and combines it with deep-learning algorithms to analyse the full customer experience at service centres. Saif Hilal Al Hosni, general manager, Microsoft Bahrain and Oman, said: This platform offers the greatest of opportunities for us, and our partners, to demonstrate the power of artificial intelligence to government decision-makers. AI is playing an increasing role in digital transformation journeys delivering the power to engage citizens, empower public servants, optimise operations, and reinvent the way governments deliver key services to the public, he added. Bahrain is positioned 26th globally and fifth in Asia in the UNs latest eGovernment Report, and is ranked fourth worldwide in the Telecoms Infrastructure index a leap of seven places from the previous years rankings, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, will host its third annual Innovation Day under the theme Innovate for a Digital Middle East. The event will take place on the second day of Gitex 2018 (October 15) at the Sheikh Maktoum Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre. Huawei Middle East Innovation Day will highlight how emerging technologies in 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Smart Cities are driving economic growth and reshaping the Middle East, said a statement from the company. Innovation Day will start with the 5G Ecosystem Conference held under the theme 5G is Now, Sailing to New eMBB Horizons, it said. The conference will gather operators, regulatory agencies, vertical industry leaders and broader ecosystem advocates to discuss the 5G industry from the perspectives of business, technology, and policy. The aim of the event is to bring together industry leaders from different sectors and demonstrate how 5G will enable the transformation of vertical industries and promote regional economic development, it added. Industry leaders and luminaries will gather for a discussion and experience-sharing on how AI is enabling digital transformation and reshaping the world we live in. Under the theme Activate Intelligence, Huawei will use the event as an occasion to be regional first to launch full stack all scenarios AI solutions, besides of AI core technology from chipset, algorithm, platform and hardware, and display top AI commercial cases in sectors ranging from smart city, safe city, digital energy, smart transportation, digital finance, cloud and IoT security, and more. Guests will also be given the opportunity to experience live cloud and product demos that make use of brand-new AI technologies. Charles Yang, president of Huawei Middle East, said: Innovation Day is an opportunity for leaders in ICT, government, and industry to gather and discuss the best path forward to building a digital Middle East. At our company, we understand that emerging technologies from 5G to AI have the potential to help GCC governments reach their long-term development strategies to become diversified, knowledge-based economies through digital transformation, he said. We want to empower our partners and customers here in the Middle East to make the most of these new opportunities and forge ahead on the path to an intelligent world. We hope our guests will leave Innovation Day with a deeper understanding of how to harness ICT to drive forward development and economic growth, both within their organizations and in the Middle East as a whole, he added. The event will act as a platform for senior government officials to participate in keynote speeches and panel discussions, sharing their opinions on the future. The annual conference will also include MoU signings with government and ecosystem partners for 5G and AI innovation, and the unveiling of a new research paper conducted in partnership with Analysys Mason. Titled Unlocking Digital Opportunities with 5G, the White Paper makes public never-before-seen data and statistical analysis on the benefits of 5G for the GCC region, it said. Driven by customer-centric innovation and open partnerships, Huawei has established an ecosystem based broad portfolio ICT solutions portfolio that gives customers competitive advantages. Huawei is committed to bring its global expertise and latest innovations to Middle East region and creating maximum value for governments, telecom operators, enterprises and consumers, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Ooredoo has signed an agreement with Shell Oman Marketing, a top fuel marketing company in Oman to provide network solutions, as well as high quality and reliable telecoms services to their network of 187 retail service stations. Ian Dench, chief executive officer at Ooredoo said, We are delighted to be chosen as Shell Oman Marketing Companys digital partner of choice to offer tailor-made solutions covering both mobile and fixed technology. We are excited about starting this new journey with them to help grow their business with the right communications infrastructure. Continuing to help companies Be Digital, Ooredoo provides organisations of all sizes with a portfolio of cutting edge products and services. Ooredoo will provide Shell Oman Marketing Company with a range of dynamic solutions, including PBX services, Ooredoo internet leased lines (OIE), Shahry Business Packs and bulk SMS services. This will improve existing network connectivity and optimise costs, which will result in greater business operational continuity and efficiency. Dr Mohammed Mahmood Al Balushi, CEO of Shell Oman Marketing Company, said: Modern enterprises succeed when they adapt to industry and marketplace shifts and incorporate new technology into company culture and operations. Digital transformation is about bringing together the power of technology with a culture that embraces the shifts in customer behaviour and industry practices, and invites feedback and engagement. Our partnership with Ooredoo is meant to build a platform to work together towards such customer-centric approach, and drive us to the next level in our digital transformation, communications strategies and business objectives, he added.- TradeArabia News Service Al Dahra, a UAE-based international conglomerate, specialising in the agribusiness, has signed an agreement to acquire acquiring the assets of PKB Korporacija and its subsidiaries in Serbia for Euro 150 million ($172 million), through an asset sale model transaction. The acquisition is being undertaken as a result of Serbias objective to privatise PKB Korporacija, and follows a public tender issued in August 2018, reported Emirates news agency Wam. The sale and purchase agreement was signed by Khadim Al-Derei, vice chairman and managing director of Al Dahra, and Dragan Stepanovic, Serbian Deputy Minister of Economy, in the presence of Mubarak Saeed Ahmed Bershid Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to Serbia. The operations that will be acquired from PKB Korporacija cover several different agricultural and food sector activities. In terms of farming, Al Dahra will manage and cultivate more than 50,000 acres of farmland, which is spread across eight farms, strategically located at close proximity to Belgrade city centre. The different crops that will be produced include sugar beet 491 hectares; sunflower 2,136 hectares; wheat 3,552 hectares; corn 636 hectares; barley 1,454 hectares; soya 2,621 hectares; oilseeds 1,141 hectares; forage 2,322 hectares; silage 2,775 hectares; and a compound of feed and several vegetable varieties. Al Dahra will manage the dairy operation and livestock business, which sell to the milk and meat production industries in Serbia. Al Dahra has agreed, as part of the transaction, to invest Euro 30 million over the coming three years to enhance the farms, upgrade the irrigation infrastructure and modernize the dairy operation facilities. However, Al Dahra expects and is willing to invest a further Euro 15 million to optimise the farm and facilities. Al-Derei stated: "The signing of the agreement is a special day for the UAE and Serbia. The addition of the PKB assets to our existing portfolio reinforces our position in Serbia and our regional presence in Europe and complements our vertical integration strategy, allowing the group to further grow in the grains trading, dairy and livestock segments. Al Dahra is committed to capitalise on the expertise and knowledge of the existing PKB workforce and is equally committed to maintain PKB products as a source of supply for Serbian citizens, building on its tradition. "We believe that the privatisation of PKB and the investments that Al Dahra will be injecting to upgrade the existing operations and infrastructure, will enhance the commercialisation and internationalisation of Serbian crops and will ultimately benefit the Serbian farmers, traders and wider agricultural sector. Al Dahra looks forward to strengthening its relationship and ties with Serbia and the Serbian people through its investments in Serbia," he added. In turn, Al Dhaheri said that this agreement reflects the credibility and mutual trust between the UAE and Serbia, pointing out that the acquisition of BKP by Al Dahra is a culmination of the durability of the relationship between the two countries and a solid proof of the great reputation that Al Dahra has in the international market. For his part, Stepanovic valued the UAE-Serbian relations, particularly in the economic, trade and investment fields, saying, "We thank the UAE and Al Dahra in particular for choosing Serbia as an economical partner, as this is not a new initiative, the cooperation between the two countries are vast." He also emphasised the importance of this agreement which came as a result of the continuous hard work by the two parties, pointing out that Al Dahra is an important partner for the Serbian government and is capable to take this partnership to a global level. Al Dahra will be working jointly with Serbia to complete the transaction and assets transfer over the coming period; ensuring a smooth transition for all parties involved. Abu Dhabi will be hosting a key annual healthcare event from next year, as part of efforts to promote the emirate as a leading medical tourism destination, a report said. The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) to coordinate efforts to position Abu Dhabi as a world-class healthcare hub with the hosting of MTAs annual World Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress in Abu Dhabi every year, said a report in WAM. The globally recognised event brings together experts and organisations from more than 100 countries worldwide and regularly attracts more than 10,000 visitors, approximately 200 exhibitors and sponsors and up to 100 hosted VIP buyers. The MoU, which was signed by Saif Saeed Ghobash, undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, and Jonathan Edelheit, CEO of Medical Tourism Association and the chairman and co-founder of Global Healthcare Resources, opens a path for the two entities to strategically cooperate to further build a medical tourism opportunity for consumer markets in several key areas, including Russia, China, India and across the GCC, it said. The agreement also includes the opening of a new MTA office in Abu Dhabi, as well as the creation of a new Abu Dhabi Destination Guide, which will be used to further promote the destination for the targeted regions. The MTA partners with businesses seeking to establish a greater global presence in the healthcare, wellness and tourism industries, and the MoU, will see DCT Abu Dhabi and MTA co-ordinate their efforts in a variety of ways, including compiling an assessment of Abu Dhabis current medical tourism strategy as it looks to develop targeted markets, coordinating digital marketing initiatives, launching dedicated promotional roadshows across China, Russia and the GCC, as well as organising Familiarisation tours to Abu Dhabis state-of-the-art medical facilities for specific hosted buyers. These tours will also showcase the individual medical providers in Abu Dhabi, the quality of care provided, the strong regulations to safeguard the interest of the people who visit for treatments, the extensive range of treatments that are currently available, as well as the other tourism benefits that Abu Dhabi provides for patients and their companions during their visit, the report said. "This agreement between our two organisations is in line with our mandate to promote Abu Dhabi on the world stage and to support Abu Dhabis Economic Vision 2030, which is designed to guide our emirates growth and development. The experience and knowledge shared under this MoU will greatly enhance the emirates ability to appeal to our intended markets as we look to increase the contribution of medical tourism to the UAEs economy," the report cited Ghobash as saying. Oman's Ministry of Tourism (MoT) is hosting mobile promotional workshops during a five-city roadshow, which commenced on Sunday, beginning with Qatars capital Doha, said a report. The workshops, set to take place in Kuwait, Jeddah, Riyadh and Dubai as well, will see the participation of Omani tourism companies including Oman Air and SalamAir, a report in Muscat Daily said. The ministry has coordinated with its representative offices to invite about 100 tourist companies and institutions, in addition to the local media in the host countries. Introductory and promotional presentations will be made about tourism potential, services and products in the sultanate, besides conducting direct meetings between the invitees from the host countries and participants from Oman. In addition to promotional offers from the 16 participating companies, preparations are ongoing for the signing of contracts between Omani tourism companies and their Gulf counterparts, the report said. Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC), the new landmark venue and business hub in the sultanate, has appointed Said Salim Said Al-Shanfari as its new CEO to lead the organisation through its next phase of innovation and growth. Al-Shanfari has rich experience working in leadership roles in marketing and communications across Oman as well as in the region. He successfully completed Omans National CEO Program in 2017. The National CEO Program benefits individuals and corporations, preparing Omans brightest talent to compete in the global marketplace and aims to build the next generation of Omani leaders. With his leadership skills and experience from the CEO program, Al-Shanfari aims to promote Oman and OCEC as a hub for regional and international conferences and exhibitions along with live events, as well as showcasing the natural beauty and essence of Oman. Al-Shanfari brings with him a wealth of experience, holding various management positions during his eight-year tenure in Ooredoo Oman, where he was director of business marketing, and most recently as the general manager of marketing communication and performance at Omantel. Mohsin Bin Khamis Al Balushi, adviser at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and chairman of OCEC company - a subsidiary of Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran), stated: Oman is now on the world map as one of the top tourism destinations, and we are confident in appointing Said Al Shanfari to lead OCEC towards its vision of introducing Oman as a world-class destination for business events. We strive to continue our success in bringing international conventions whilst simultaneously ensuring we remain focused on delivering the very best service to our customers, delegates and stakeholders. A big part of Saids role is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers. We are delighted to have Said Salim Al-Shanfari on board as the new CEO for OCEC. His experience in various leadership roles will help us to elevate OCEC even further to new heights and will help us to align with the sultanates 2040 tourism strategy. I am fully confident that Said Salim and the team will create a sustainable development model that ensures the welfare of Oman and its citizens said Peter Walichnowski, CEO of Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran). Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre is at an exponential growth stage with new achievements and developments in the building project. OCEC has successfully won 22 International and Regional Congresses and is eager to host these prestigious events in the near future. Some of the most awaited events that the Centre looks forward to are the 2018 International Road Union Congress, the 2020 World Cancer Congress, and the 2020 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Congress. The Centre recently finished hosting the 2018 World Heavy Oil Congress and it proved to be a great success. Architecturally advanced in design and capability with 55 meeting rooms, 22,000-sq-m of column-free exhibition halls, and massive ballrooms, the centre has successfully been awarded the Leed Certification for its cost-saving and sustainable environment. OCEC is now all set to launch the state-of-the-art lyric style theatre with 3,200 seats that will cater to world-class entertainers and performers. - TradeArabia News Service Hotels in Oman saw their total revenues shoot up in the first seven months of the year, with three- to five-star hotels reporting over RO117 million ($303.3 million), up 8.8 per cent compared to RO108 million ($280 million) registered for the corresponding period in 2017, new data showed. According to figures released by Oman's National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), hotel occupancy rates also increased by 4.4 per cent to 57.2 per cent till the end of July 2018, against 54.8 per cent for the same period last year. However, the total number of guests in Omani hotels in the January-July period of 2018 declined by 5.3 per cent to 819,829 from 866,020 for the same period of 2017. Among the different nationalities, Europeans topped the list with maximum number of visitors at 297,677, which is a fall of 14.5 per cent over the same period of 2017. This was followed by Omani guests, which stood at 219,602, which is a declined by 5.8 per cent when compared to the same period of 2017. In the case of American, Oceanian and African visitors, the numbers went up by 4.3 per cent, 22.8 per cent and 33.6 per cent to 31,302, 8,983 and 7,263 guests, respectively, during the seven-month period, the data showed. Guests from other Arab countries fell by 4.3 per cent to 35,923 and those of other nationalities rose by 32.5 per cent to reach 14,408 until the end of July 2018. Omani hotels received 1.53 million guests and the hotels generated a total revenue of RO194.664 million ($504.7 million) in 2017, the NCSI report added. - TradeArabia News Service Smart Beta Interest Remains Piqued Smart Beta remains tops among the exchange-traded fund (ETF) investing public. Thats according to the latest survey from the EDHEC-Risk European ETF and Smart Beta and Factor Investing Survey, which aims to provide insights into European investors' perceptions, practices and future plans in the domain of ETFs and Smart Beta. This year, the survey also includes a special focus on Smart Beta product development, considering specific client demand in the fixed-income field. To summarize the main findings of the study: Appreciation has remained at high levels, especially for traditional asset classes, with a significant increase for equity ETFs and government bonds which now enjoy rates of 97% and 92%, respectively. About two-thirds of respondents (67%) used ETFs to invest in Smart Beta in 2018, a considerable increase compared to 49% in 2014. 50% of investors still plan to increase their use of ETFs in the future despite the already high maturity of this market and high current adoption rates. Top concerns for the respondents are the further developments of Ethical / SRI ETFs, emerging market equity and bond ETFs and Smart Beta ETFs, including multi-factor and smart bond indices. Respondents show a significant interest for Fixed-Income Smart Beta solutions and plan to increase their investment in them, but they do not consider there to be enough research in the area... The survey gathered information from 163 European investment professionals concerning their practices, perceptions and future plans. The respondents are high-ranking professionals within their organisations (37% belong to executive management and 33% are portfolio managers), with large assets under management (36% of respondents represent firms with assets under management exceeding 10bn).2 Respondents are distributed across different European countries, with 17% from the United Kingdom, 69% from other European Union member states, 13% from Switzerland and 1% from other countries outside the European Union. Analysis of responses to our survey allowed us to shed light on several important questions regarding investor perceptions on ETFs. Moreover, we gain insights into the perceived benefits and challenges with smart beta and factor investing strategies. In fact, we find that adoption of such approaches is still partial despite a decade of discussion in the industry, with the vast majority of adopters investing less than 20 per cent of their portfolio in such approaches It was therefore interesting to better understand the challenges investors face when analyzing such strategies. Our survey points to the important shortcomings of current smart beta offerings, which may explain the slow adoption by industry participants. For example, investors perceive a lack of transparency and difficulty in accessing information on such strategies, in particular on risk categories such as data-mining risks. In the case of fixed-income strategies, investors express doubts over the maturity of research results at this stage. Investors also see a need for further developments of long/short equity strategies based on factors, strategies that address client-specific risk objectives, and strategies that integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. Smart beta researchers and product providers doubtlessly have to work on improving their solutions for smart beta and factor investing strategies to make it into the mainstream. Below, we provide a summary of our results by emphasizing the key conclusions of our survey. For more information on related topics, visit the following channels: Over 4,000 Venezuelans enter Colombia every day looking to stay or continue their journey southwards. Thousands do it on foot, crossing Simon Bolivar International Bridge. Beneath an unforgiving sun, they drag worn-down suitcases, carry giant sacks on their shoulders or cradle young children in their arms. With their country facing a deteriorating situation, many are in need of international protection. The constant flow of Venezuelans entering Colombia generates monumental challenges to address their humanitarian needs, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi while visiting Villa del Rosario on Sunday. UNHCR is committed to intensifying our presence and help. Grandi is visiting Colombia and other Latin American countries to assess the needs of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, as well as the countries hosting them, and to discuss regional approaches to address the increasing outflow with more international support. Nearly two million Venezuelans have left their country since 2015. About one million are now in Colombia, where the government is seeking to ensure they can work legally and access social services, through issuance of a special permit. Nearly 400,000 Venezuelans have obtained permits to legally work and access social services in the country, according to the Colombian government. Venezuelans without access to a legal status are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking and discrimination, Grandi said. The constant flow of Venezuelans entering Colombia generates monumental challenges to address their humanitarian needs. Venezuelans say they are compelled to leave for multiple reasons. They include insecurity and violence, lack of access to food, medicine and essential services, as well as a loss of income as a result of the current political and a socio-economic situation. The North of Santander region is the busiest border crossing in Colombia, accounting for 75 per cent of all entries by land. National and local authorities are working with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration and other entities in the area to better address the most basic and immediate needs of those arriving, including Venezuelan refugees and migrants and 300,000 Colombian returnees. I am impressed by Colombias efforts to document, feed, shelter and care for thousands of Venezuelans arriving every day, Grandi said. This extraordinary solidarity needs more international support. Over 4,000 Venezuelans enter Colombia every day. Thousands do it on foot, crossing Simon Bolivar International Bridge. UNHCR/Fabio Cuttica During his visit to the international bridge Simon Bolivar, UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi met Yinaica Quintero and her 9-month-old daughter Shaina. They crossed to Colombia to access health care services. UNHCR/Fabio Cuttica UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi visited the international bridge Simon Bolivar and its facilities, where UNHCR supports a child care area. UNHCR/Fabio Cuttica UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi visiting a Venezuelan family in Las Delicias, Cucuta hosted by Colombian families who were themselves displaced by the armed conflict. UNHCR/Fabio Cuttica The first stop for many Venezuelans is the Divina Providencia community kitchen. It serves 3,000 free breakfasts and 3,000 lunches each day. Refugees and migrants start lining up as early as 6 a.m. By 11:30 am, there is rarely any food left. The centre relies on some 80 to 100 Colombian and Venezuelan volunteers. Among those Grandi met was Irene Navajo, 35, from Caracas. She explained how, after her husband lost his construction job, the family could not make ends meet on her salary as a cleaner at a health clinic. The couple crossed to Cucuta eight months ago, leaving their four children back in Venezuela, with Irenes mother. It is sad to abandon your country, but theres nothing else we can do, she said as she rinsed forks and spoons in a big blue plastic bucket. Shortly after reaching Cucuta, Irenes two suitcases with all her belongings got stolen. She and her husband slept on the streets for two months. Then a woman told her about Divina Providencia, and the morning after, at 7 a.m. sharp, she was lining up for breakfast. She now volunteers there, cooking and washing dishes, and has been made to feel welcome. I feel among family, she says. When I get nostalgic and think about my children, I feel that my family is here too. Beyond food, the centre also offers basic medical consultation and legal information services thanks to UNHCRs support. The growing number of Venezuelans has strained the regions health care services. To boost capacity, the UN Refugee Agency supported the creation of a new health centre in Villa del Rosario. It aims to provide first aid care and family planning services to some 300 people per day, including refugees, migrants and the local community. I lost everything I had, I arrived in a new place with empty hands. Now Venezuelans are going through the same that I went through. During his visit, Grandi also highlighted the solidarity of Colombians towards Venezuelans who had to leave their homes. He met with the neighbours of Las Delicias, where over 20 families of Colombians who were forcibly displaced by the armed conflict years ago are now opening their doors to Venezuelans. This was the case of Graciela Sanchez. More than a decade ago, she fled her home in Caqueta, in eastern Colombia, and arrived in Las Delicias in 2007. She came with nothing but her two daughters. Now 39, she is hosting five Venezuelan families in her hilly plot 18 people in total. I lost everything I had, I arrived in a new place with empty hands. Now Venezuelans are going through the same that I went through, Graciela told Grandi when he visited her home. We dont know what may happen tomorrow. It might be us too. Next to Simon Bolivar International Bridge, on the Colombian side of the border, hundreds of Venezuelans wait in line to get their passports stamped. For many, their official entry into Colombia inks the first step in a long journey towards other parts of the country, or even Ecuador or Peru, where they are looking for a better future for them and their families. In the coming days, the High Commissioner will follow the flow of Venezuelans in Argentina, Peru and Ecuador to assess the regional implications of their humanitarian needs and to discuss with the hosting countries best approaches for a coherent response. 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. Dushanbe, Oct 8 (UNI) President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday said India and Tajikistan have "convergence" of views on key regional and global issues and maintained that both the countries are also "determined" to counter all forms of terrorism and violent extremism. "India is committed to peace and development in neighbouring Afghanistan through an Afghan-led Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled peace process. Like Tajikistan, we too look forward to a peaceful Afghanistan which is able to achieve national reconciliation. I am happy that India and Tajikistan have convergence of views on key regional and global issues," President Kovind said in a press statement here. President Kovind and First Lady Savita Kovind embarked on a three-day visit to Tajikistan on Sunday, his first visit to the Central Asian country. During his stay, Mr Kovind has been interacting with top leaders including the President of Tajikistan, Emamoli Rahmon and the Prime Minister of Tajikistan Qohir Rasulzoda. "We live in a region which has unfortunately been beset with challenges posed by fundamentalists and terrorists. Both India and Tajikistan remain determined to counter all forms of terrorism and violent extremism which are a grave threat to international peace and stability," Mr Kovind said. He also thanked President Rahmon for his support for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the UN - which has been pushing with all earnestness. President said his meeting with President Rahmon was very "useful" and it saw "exchange of ideas". "I am certain that the roadmap that we have agreed to will further strengthen our Strategic Partnership. There is enormous potential for bilateral cooperation and collaboration in the fields of defence, trade and investment, tourism, health and development partnership. To take our ties forward, today we have signed key MOUs in the fields of political relations, strategic research, agriculture, renewable energy, traditional medicine, space technology, youth affairs, culture and disaster management," President Kovind said. "Connectivity is vital for realizing the full potential of our Strategic Partnership and economic relations. Together, India and Tajikistan can promote the International North-South Transport Corridor and other connectivity initiatives such as the development of Chabahar Port and the Ashgabat Agreement for smooth transport of goods," Mr Kovind said. UNI DEVN SNU 1543 India, Tajikistan have convergence of ideas on regional issues: Prez Kovind Dushanbe, Oct 8 (UNI) President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday said India and Tajikistan have "convergence" of views on key regional and global issues and maintained that both the countries are also "determined" to counter all forms of terrorism and violent extremism. "India is committed to peace and development in neighbouring Afghanistan through an Afghan-led Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled peace process. Like Tajikistan, we too look forward to a peaceful Afghanistan which is able to achieve national reconciliation. I am happy that India and Tajikistan have convergence of views on key regional and global issues," President Kovind said in a press statement here. President Kovind and First Lady Savita Kovind embarked on a three-day visit to Tajikistan on Sunday, his first visit to the Central Asian country. Kabul, Oct 7 (UNI) The Taliban militants killed ten policemen in central Afghan province of Wardak, amid ongoing fighting to wrest control of arterial highways, official sources said on Sunday. The Taliban set fire to a government building in Wardaks Sayeed Abad district and killed the district police chief along with nine other policemen on Saturday night, a senior police official said. Reinforcements from neighbouring provinces were deployed to regain control of contested highways, he said. Repeated assaults by insurgents on strategically important provinces, such as Wardak and nearby Ghazni have underscored how volatile security remains in Afghanistan two weeks before nationwide parliamentary elections, the Arab news reported. According to the officials, the Aghan forces had driven out Taliban insurgents from the highway that connects Afghanistans capital, Kabul, to the major southern city of Kandahar. Major power lines serving Wardak and Ghazni had been cut. The power cuts also affected parts of the nearby provinces of Logar and Paktia, Afghanistans power supply company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, said in a statement. The statement further said, teams would be sent to repair the lines as soon as security improves. The insurgents had taken the centre of Sayeed Abad in Wardak and all surrounding security checkpoints, killing numerous members of the security forces and seizing weapons, ammunition and vehicles,a statement from the Talibans main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said. UNI XC-JTS SNU 1749 Washington, Oct 8 (UNI) US State Department said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, have held a productive talk during his visit to Pyongyang. In addition, Kim invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled, the State Department said. According to a statement issued by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Pompeo "held productive discussions" with Kim on Sunday, when they "discussed the four elements contained in the US-DPRK Singapore Summit Joint Statement" signed by the two countries' top leaders, Xinhua reported. "They also discussed the upcoming second summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim and refined options for the location and date of that next summit," the statement said. Mike Pompeo and Jong Un Kim also agreed to instruct their respective working-level teams to meet soon and intensify discussions on the key remaining issues to deliver on the Singapore Summit Joint Statement. "President Trump looks forward to continuing to build upon the trust established with Chairman Kim in Singapore and anticipates meeting again soon," it added. In a related development, the DPRK is demanding the United States take steps to secure Pyongyang's trust before its denuclearisation. "Without any trust in the US there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," DPRK's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the UN General Assembly last week. This has been the third tour to the DPRK. While speaking with South Korean President Moon Jae-in before the media, Pompeo said that he and the DPRK side "had a good, productive conversation." "There are many steps along the way and we took one of those today, it was another step forward. So this is, I think, a good outcome for all," he noted. "What we all hope will be the denuclearisation and the change in the relationship here on the peninsula ...I'm confident together we can achieve the outcome that the world so desperately needs." For his part, Moon said that "I dearly hope that your latest visit, as well as the upcoming US-North Korea summit, which I hope will be happening soon, will make an irreversible and decisive progress in terms of complete denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula as well as the peace process." UNI XC RSU 0935 Sri Lankan delegates to reach Kuwait, bilateral trade on cards Colombo, Oct 8 (UNI) Sri Lanka sent an official delegation to Kuwait on Monday, to revive the bilateral trade between the two countries. The Sri Lankan official delegation, led by Minister Bathiudeen, comprises officials from the Ministries of Industry and Commerce, Finance, Megapolis Development, Foreign Affairs, Higher Education, as well as state agencies (Foreign Employment Bureau, Department of Commerce and Board of Investment), Colombo Page reported. ''We are reviving the Sri Lanka-Kuwait Joint Trade Committee after 21 years. This shall be a new turning point in the long-standing Kuwaiti-Sri Lanka relations,'' Minister Bathiudeen said on October 4 in Colombo. UAE announces flexible labour laws, to benefit thousands of Indian workers 15 Nov 2021 | 5:43 PM Dubai, Nov 15 (UNI) In a development that would benefit thousands of expatriate Indian workers, the UAE on Monday announced a new law for the regulation of labour relations, that seeks to offer more protection to employees from harassment and the unlawful seizure of documents. see more.. Liverpool blast a terror incident: Police 15 Nov 2021 | 5:39 PM London, Nov 15 (UNI) An explosion outside Liverpool Women's Hospital on Remembrance Day has been declared a terror incident by police on Monday. see more.. Poland deserves EU solidarity in migrant crisis with Belarus: German FM 15 Nov 2021 | 5:36 PM Berlin, Nov 15 (UNI/Sputnik) Poland "deserves" the solidarity of the European Union for the way it is handling the migrant crisis on the Belarusian border, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday, warning that new sanctions against Belarus are inevitable. see more.. At least 11 people killed in 2 armed attacks in Mexico's Guanajuato: Reports 15 Nov 2021 | 5:32 PM Mexico City, Nov 15 (UNI/Sputnik) At least 11 people, including two children, were killed in two armed attacks in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, media reported on Monday with reference to local authorities. see more.. Published: October 08, 2018 Stereotypes, College Majors and Moral Disengagement Up for Discussion at UT Ethics Hot Seat Oct. 10 On Wednesday, Oct. 10, guest speaker Suzanne N. Cory will be on the hot seat at The University of Tampas Ethics Hot Seat Speaker Series, hosted by the UT Center for Ethics. The event begins at 6 p.m. in the Crescent Club on the ninth floor of the Vaughn Center and is free with registration and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Cory is a professor of accounting in the Greehey School of Business at St. Marys University in San Antonio, TX. Her teaching specialty is financial accounting, and she has taught in numerous international venues, including Austria, England, Germany and Spain. Prior to beginning her academic career, Cory was employed in public accounting. The topic of the discussion will be Stereotypes, College Majors and Moral Disengagement. Cory will cover this material in an interactive discussion along with Robert Marley, director of the UT Center for Ethics and associate professor of accounting, and Deanna House, associate director of the UT Center for Ethics and assistant professor of cybersecurity. For more information, contact Jessica Luce at jluce@ut.edu or (813) 257-3039. Register to attend. ABSTRACT In 1883, W. M. Flinders Petrie noticed that the vertical thickness and height of certain stone courses of the Great Pyramid2 of Khufu/Cheops at Giza, Egypt markedly increase compared to those immediately lower periodically and conspicuously interrupting a general trend of progressive course thinning towards the summit. Having calculated the surface area of each course, Petrie further noted that the courses immediately below such discrete stone thickness peaks tended to mark integer multiples of 1/25th of the surface area at ground level. Here I show that the probable architect of the Great Pyramid, Khufus vizier Hemiunu, conceptualized its vertical construction design using surface areas based on the same numerical principles used to design his own mastaba in Gizas western cemetery and conspicuously used this numerical theme to mark the location of known spaces inside the Great Pyramid. The theme is not only consistent with some spaces proposed still awaiting proof but also suggests there are some still undiscovered. Keywords: Great Pyramid, Khufu, Cheops, Hemiunu, Egypt, Giza, Pyramid, Architecture, Hidden Chamber 1. Introduction Khufus pyramid (a.k.a. Cheops Pyramid, the Great Pyramid, Khufus Horizon) was constructed in the 26th century B.C.E. during the reign of Khufu according to the current historical model. Its likely architect was Khufus (half-) nephew and his early vizier Hemiunu. In a prior article, I presented evidence that essential architectural features of Khufus pyramid like its base length, height, angle, and concavity-creating indent were cleverly incorporated by Hemiunu into the original dimensions of his own mastaba Giza 4000 (G 4000) located in the western cemetery nearby, before a later remodel extended both its length and width (Seyfzadeh, 2018) . In addition, the scale-up factors five (5) and eight (8) appear to have carried special significance to Hemiunu. The Meydum Pyramids exterior dimensions compared to those of Khufus Pyramid are proportionally smaller by 5/8. Hemiunus mastabas original long side appears to have embedded 1/5 (i.e. 88 royal Egyptian cubits; abbr.: rc; 1 rc = 0.5236 m, 20.614 in) of the base length of Khufus pyramid at 440 rc. The later-extended long and short sides of G 4000 were likely designed to be five times as long as the length and width of the so-called King Chamber inside Khufus pyramid (20 10 rc). The basic horizontal architectural unit used was 11 rc which is 1/8 of G 4000 and the pyramids core masonry was likely designed with eight sides by indenting its faces by 0.92 m = 1.76 rc = 8 1/1000 220 rc ~ 1 rc 1 palm 1 finger (Seyfzadeh, 2018) . It therefore appears as if Hemiunu used his own mastaba as an architectural blueprint of the Great Pyramid. This numerical theme of five and eight may have astronomic and hence theological roots in ancient Egypt. The planet Venus appears low over the horizon at dusk and dawn with a near perfect periodicity of five inferior conjunctions per eight sidereal Earth years each observable as the period (~365 days) between two helical risings of the star Sirius. Evidently, both Venus and Sirius were alternate manifestations of the falcon god Horus (Krauss, 1997: pp. 216-222; Allen, 2005: p. 47, Recitation 172) . The numbers five and eight were also deeply embedded in Egyptian religious thought. In the cosmogony of Hermopolis, eight primordial gods created the world with a Lotus flower (which often possesses an eight-petaled inner calyx) rising from the cosmic sea giving birth to the sun. The upper priesthood of Hermopolis consisted of the Five of the House of Thoth and Hemiunu was their greatest, presumably presiding member based on inscriptions found in his tomb. In short, the numbers five and eight were likely of special significance to the ancient Egyptians of Khufus time originating from astronomic periods, converted to theological teaching, and possibly architecturally expressed in pyramids and mastabas. When W.M. Flinders Petrie, a British surveyor who investigated the Giza Pyramids in the late 19th century, examined and measured Khufus pyramid, the exterior facade of casing stones had long been stripped and only the core masonry remained as it still appears today. Among many measurements, Petrie determined the incremental and cumulative vertical thickness of the four, now denuded pyramid corners with each added course of limestone blocks and reported these data in 1883 (Petrie, 1883: Plate VIII) . He noted that the general trend of lesser elevation with each added level was periodically interrupted by a significantly thicker course followed by a series of gradually thinning courses. One such thicker course, the 35th, can easily be seen nowadays from all four sides of Khufus pyramid (Figures 1-3) and the periodic occurrence of this course height Peaking and Decay throughout its walls from bottom to summit creates the visual effect of a feathered texture (or waves; personal communication Jean-Pierre Houdin) when the pyramid is viewed from a distance. Petrie annotated Figure 1. Southwest corner of the Great Pyramid showing the position of the 35th course which runs immediately above the Queen Chamber's roof inside. The corner edge is one of four where Petrie made his measurement of course thickness up the 203 currently surviving course levels. Photograph taken by the author in February 2017; modified. Figure 2. The 35th course is marked in red on the east side of the Great Pyramid shown in the foreground. Its thickness visibly stands out relative to that of the courses immediately below. Khafres and Menkaures pyramids are in the background. Photograph taken by the author in February 2017; modified. Figure 3. The 35th course is marked in red on the north and west sides of the Great Pyramid. Photograph by Adobe Photostock, license # 102571012; modified. these thickness peaks at the top of his plot because he had realized that the pyramid levels immediately below had surface areas which were near round-number multiples of 1/25th the surface area of the pyramid at the base, i.e. (440 rc)2. The significance of these peaks and ratios however remains a mystery to date and it is not known if they were necessary architectural features, esoterically encode a message of the architect, or a random feature of how stones were cut and delivered to the construction zone from the quarries. However, since this series of thickness peaks on the way up the pyramid appears non-random and given that some amount of computation would have been required to generate a numerical sequence based on surface area ratios, I reexamined Petries data to see if they comport with what I earlier observed in the design of Hemiunus mastaba and if they may reveal heretofore unappreciated features of Khufus pyramid, for example as yet undiscovered passages, chambers or corridors. While hidden voids have been proposed to exist (e.g. Morishima et al., 2017 ), evidence is difficult to procure non-invasively and so numerical clues, especially when corroborated with architectural evidence, may guide researchers where to look with non-invasive means. Furthermore, the mere identification of voids does not prove they were intentionally made and data which suggest they exist may be still challenged as artifactual (e.g. Lightbody, 2018 ). In the absence of a blueprint by the architect unequivocally demonstrating intended design, a numerical theme associated with voids, on the other hand, especially when also found in the purported architects own tomb, is powerful evidence of what the architect meant to conceive. 2. Methods Petrie published vertical thickness (i.e. course height) data pertaining to the 203 nowadays remaining courses of Khufus pyramid as a composite column plot of 4-corner measurements (i.e. each column represents four measurements taken at the N.E., S.E., S.W., and N.W. corners making the column tops look striped) relative to the overall height of the course in the pyramid (Petrie, 1883: Plate VIII) . From this visual representation of successive pyramid layers heights, one can observe at least 23 discontinuous, sudden increases in the height of some courses within an overall context of generally decreasing thickness as one ascends the pyramid to the summit. Such distinct peaks are, with few exceptions, followed by a series of gradually thinning courses resuming the overall trend towards the summit. Consequently, some of these consecutive peaks have as few as one thinner layer between and some as many as eighteen. At the top of Petries plot, some but not all peaks show fractions of twenty-fifths (1/25th) explained in the legend: The levels of twenty-fifths of the area of the pyramid section are marked along the top, and appear to coincide with the thicker courses. Repeating Petries calculations it becomes clear that these notations refer to courses immediately below such peaks. For example, the thirty-fifth course (#35) is a much thicker course than the preceding courses #23-34 which show a gradual thinning trend interrupted by #35 (Petrie, 1883: Plate VIII) . Petries 16/25 written above refers to the ratio of the surface area of course #34 relative to that at the base, i.e. the squared length of the pyramid sides at ground level when they were fully cased (=440 rc). Therefore, The levels of twenty-fifths noticed by Petrie are numerically round integer fractions (16/25, 14/25, 10/25, 9/25, etc., as opposed to 15.65/25, 14.32/25 for example) denoting surface area ratios of those courses which immediately precede a suddenly thicker course going up the pyramid. I am going to refer to these courses as pre-peak (abbr. P.P.) in this paper. To recapitulate Petries computations in deriving these fractions and to apply this process to all courses immediately below the 23 thickness peaks observed, I used his cumulative height measurements on the X-axis of his plot marked N.E. and S.W. and generated an average between the two measured heights corresponding to these courses. After converting inch to royal Egyptian cubits at 20.613 inch per rc, I calculated the surface area in square cubits of each of these pre-peak courses using the known angle of the pyramid (known as the seqed in ancient Egypt) of 5 rc base recess (or run) per 7 rc rise in overall height4: P.P. Surface Area = [440 rc - (P.P. height in inch /20.614 in/rc) (5 rc/7 rc) 2]2 From these surface areas, the pre-peak surface area ratios (SARs) relative to the pyramids base at (440 rc)2 = 193,600 rc2 were computed and the resulting decimal ratios were converted to multiples of 1/25th as per Petries notation at the top of his plot and within the margin of error of 13 parts per 100 which thus includes course #34 at 16.11/25th. Petries representation of the data as multiples of 1/25th appears to be a good match of the data within this reasonable margin of error. Using 13 parts per 100 as a cut-off, I then defined all those peaks of the 23-total identified, which might belong to the sequence of round multiples of twenty-fifths. My inclusion criterion for the definition of round in this study of Petries data is therefore any number which is within 13 parts per 100 of an integer. 3. Results The choice of thicker courses was not random, but premediated. Below twenty-three observable peaks in stone course thickness, Petrie marked the pre-peak course of ten (Table 1). No mention is made of Petries exclusion criterion and why he excluded the other pre-peak SARs. However, the data show that four additional courses could be included using the criterion (13 parts per 100) employed in this study: Courses # 21, 117, 129, and 195. Their inclusion expands Petries set of ten to a total of twelve significant data points which conform to a sequence of integer multiples of 1/25th. The last two fractions close to the pyramid summit, 1/50th and 1/100th are not integer fractions of 1/25th (i.e. 0.5/25th and 0.25/25th) but instead represent successive halvings of 1/25th; this also appears non-random and so these courses are included in this analysis. The ratio 0.19/25 (Table 1) could also be interpreted as 1/125th, but this does not affect the conclusions of this paper. The fact that these ratios conform to a numerical sequence based on round number fractions with the common denominator 25 and that all of them mark the imminent occurrence of thicker courses suggests a premeditated design theme and not a random coincidence. The remaining nine courses immediately below thickness peaks number 6, 17, 46, 56, 83, 85, 107, 137, and 149 do not significantly conform to this sequence. Pre-Peak courses in the lower 2/5 of the Great Pyramid align with known structures inside the Great Pyramid and tend to be associated with ceilings. Figure 4 shows an illustration by Petrie (1883) with the position of all pre-peak courses, conforming to round fractions of twenty-fifths or not, in the lower 2/5th of the Great Pyramid. Course #6, whose SAR at 22.65/25th is not an integer fraction of 1/25th, is nevertheless associated with the ceiling of that part of the descending passage which joins the ascending segment (Figure 4). A similar illustration by Maragioglio and Rinaldi (1965: Tav. 3) confirms this position of course #6. Course 17s SAR at 19.79/25th (Table 1) does not fulfill the criterion of a whole number multiple of 1/25th and is not associated with the ceiling of a known pyramid structure. Course #21 (19/25th) is associated with the notch created by the lower pair of chevrons above the main entree in the north wall (Figure 5). This alignment is confirmed by Maragioglio and Rinaldi (1965: Tav. 2, Fig. 10; the top of #21 is marked with the number 19.12 (p)). Course 34 (16/25th) is associated with the peak of the ceiling rafters of the Queen Chamber and this is confirmed by Maragioglio and Rinaldi, C.A (1965: Tav. 3). Table 1. Great Pyramid Surface Ratios of Pre-Peak Courses expressed as Fractions of 25. Listed are the twenty-three courses immediately below noticeable peaks in Petries plot of course thickness as a function of course height. Surface ratios were calculated as described in the Methods section. The third column shows all those pyramid courses whose surface ratios closely conform to integer multiples of 1/25th. In the fourth column, four new courses were identified whose surface ratios relative to the pyramids square base also closely matches an integer multiple of 1/25th, or halvings thereof, but were not marked by Petrie. Course #43 has a SAR of 13.94 which rounds to 14/25th and it is this course which is noted in Petries plot to have a SAR expressed as a round number of twenty-fifths. Based on this papers definition of a pre-peak plot, i.e. the course immediately below a significant increase in thickness, it is listed as not Pre-Peak in this table. Its significance is discussed under Results. The cut-off criterion used was a deviation from a perfect integer ratio by equal or greater than 13 parts per 100 to include Petries 16/25 value for the pre-peak course #34 and course #129. Figure 4. Illustration showing the location of pre-peak courses in the lower 2/5th (below the 85th course of 210 presumed total) of the Great Pyramids north side. Pre-peak courses noted by Petrie on Plate VIII as inter fractions of 1/25th are marked with their respective ratios in red color and those proposed in this paper in addition to Petries are in blue. At the top in black is shown course #84, whose pre-peak course #83 is conspicuously absent (there is no course with a round SAR of 8/25th) in the numerical sequence of round twenty-fifths and coincides with the top of the granite tower structure above the King Chamber. The five ceiling-elevating chambers within the granite tower above the King Chamber are numbered in red. The proposed voids recently detected by muon scanning and their possible orientations are shown as grey zones within the body of the pyramid. Note that in this illustration the casing stones are represented even though they no longer existed when Petrie came to Giza. Illustration by Petrie, 1883 ; Plate IX, modified. For fine details of the original illustration see: http://www.ronaldbirdsall.com/gizeh/petrie/photo/plate9.html. Course #42 (14/25th) intersects the approximate center, both vertically and lengthwise, of the Grand Gallery where it crosses the north shaft of the Queen Chamber in the horizontal plane (the north shaft runs west of the Grand Gallery and these two structures only appear to cross paths in this vertical, two-dimensional illustration). Here, there is a discrepancy between the drawing of Petrie and that of Maragioglio and Rinaldi , C.A (1965, Tav. 3) who show course #40 to align with this architectural point (marked 34.77 in their figure). It is not clear if this discrepancy is due to an inaccuracy of either authors drawing or the inappropriate inclusion of course #42 in the sequence based on the criterion chosen. The SAR of #42 is 14.16/25th and since this is the value furthest removed from an integer fraction in the entire sequence of twelve, this course may not mark a specific ceiling point of significance after all. Figure 5. Main entrance to the Great Pyramid on its north wall. Shown in red are the course numbers and the tops of courses 17 and 21 are marked in red for orientation and to point to the thicker courses #18 and #22 immediately above. The thicker courses are immediately above in each case. Only #21 appears to mark a ceiling specifically the bottom notch of the lower pair of chevrons arching over the entree. Note that this photo shows the Great Pyramid in its current state without the casing stones. Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library: The Entrance to Great Pyramid created by William Vaughn Tupper (https://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/2469130012); modified. Creative Commons License. However, #43 though technically not a P.P. course, has a round-number SAR of 14/25th. This course does not have an association with a known ceiling inside the lower 2/5th of the Great Pyramid. However, Jean-Pierre Houdins model of the pyramids interior includes two Secret Rooms (see Dassault Systemes website at URL: https://blogs.3ds.com/perspectives/khufu%E2%80%99s-secret-rooms/). It is possible that #43 aligns with the base of the corbelled ceiling of these chambers proposed to rest a few courses above the Queen Chambers roof (course #35) and below the ground level of the King Chamber (course #50), although Muon scanning did not detect them, if they exist. It is also possible that #43 marks the ceiling of a different space from those proposed by Houdin and too small to be detected by Muon scanning or a space not in the path of the Muon stream measured. Courses #66 (10/25th) and #73 (9/25th) correspond to the approximate tops of the irregular ceiling rafters of ceiling-elevating chambers 2 and 4 in the granite tower over the King Chamber. Course #84 corresponds to the level immediately above the peak of the ceiling rafters of the granite tower. Course 84 is not immediately below a thickness peak but is itself a thicker course. The SAR of the course immediately below, course #83, is not an integer multiple of 1/25th. Therefore, the 8/25th SAR is conspicuously absent in the otherwise continuous sequence which begins at 10/25th and ends at 1/100th with the 195th course. The only other exception is the also conspicuously absent 5/25th SAR integer fraction. Pre-Peak and thicker courses in the upper 3/5th of the Great Pyramid are not associated with any known interior structures. There are six courses with SARs conforming to the continuous sequence of 1/25th in addition to two at 1/50th and 1/100th for a total of eight which are hence numerically non-random (Figure 6). No interior structure has ever been found in this part of the pyramid. However, an internal spiral ramp has been proposed (Brier & Houdin, 2008: pp. 139-143) . The architect of the Great Pyramid conceptualized the base as a square of 5 units of 88 royal Egyptian cubits and used one such unit to design his own mastabas. In a prior publication (Seyfzadeh, 2018) , I showed that the base dimensions of Hemiunus mastabas G 4000 in the western cemetery were designed to represent essential architectural features of the Great Pyramid providing evidence that Hemiunu was in fact its architect and used his own mastabas to enshrine the blueprint of his pyramid design. The original length of G 4000 before its Figure 6. Illustration showing the approximate location of pre-peak courses in the upper 3/5th (above the 85th course of the presumed total of 210) of the Great Pyramids north side. No known structures exist in the interior of the Great Pyramids corresponding to these courses. Illustration from The Great Pyramid: Its Divine Message by D. Davidson & H. Aldersmith, 1936. London: Williams and Norgate Ltd.; modified. Photo file courtesy of William Struse, http://www.countdowntothemessiah.com. For fine details of the illustration follow this link to page 97: https://archive.org/details/DavidDavidsonTHEGREATPYRAMIDLib.DavidsonTheGreatPyramidItsDivineMessage.pdf. later expansion was 89 rc 5 palms and 1 finger5 long (47.00 meters; 89 rc 5 palms 1 finger; Junker, 1929: p. 132 ). The evidence suggests that Hemiunu purposefully added the fractional cubit amount of 1 rc 5 palms 1 finger to 88 rc to enshrine both 1/5th of the length of the Great Pyramids base at 440 rc and the length of the indent of the four pyramidal faces (0.92 m, 1 rc 5 palms 1 finger). This indentation produces concavities of the core masonry on all four sides (the casing layer was not indented; Glen Dash, personal communication) and thus the appearance of an eight-sided pyramid in certain lighting once it was stripped of its casing stones (Seyfzadeh, 2018) . The apparently non-random sequence of courses with SARs conforming to whole number multiples of 1/25th suggest that Hemiunu conceptualized the base of the Great Pyramid as a square of five units (5 5 = 25), each 88 rc long to more easily plan the vertical growth of the structure. In this way, he was able to preconceive surface areas of higher-up courses of architectural significance as integer fractions of 1/25th, and perhaps also 1/50th, and 1/100th. Therefore, he used the same conceptual unit of 88 rc to design his own mastaba, the base of the Great Pyramid, and its vertical expansion. In the upper 3/5th of the Great Pyramid, the SARs 8/25 and 5/25 are conspicuously absent as integer multiples in the otherwise continuous sequence. The numbers five and eight were of significant astronomical, theological, and architectural significance during the era in which Hemiunu lived, i.e. the Old Kingdom. The fact that the design employed an otherwise continuous, non-random numerical sequence based on surface ratios marking ceilings and thicker courses inside the Great Pyramid but omitted these two integer fractions suggests that they were of special significance to Hemiunu. 4. Discussion Petrie observed that a comparison of successive heights of the 203 remaining courses of the Great Pyramid reveals a non-random pattern in whole-number multiples of twenty-fifths immediately below discrete reversals of a general course thinning trend. Adding to Petries insight that this pattern is based on surface ratios relative to the surface area of the base, four additional courses can be shown to expand the prior set of ten to fourteen. In the lower 2/5th of the body of the pyramid, these thickness peak-associated courses tend to mark the ceilings of known structures within and the thicker courses immediately following run above those ceilings. In the upper 3/5th, no known structures have been found to co-locate with these courses. In an otherwise continuous set of twenty-fifths from 10/25th to 1/25th, the courses whose surface area ratios could have closely conformed to 8/25th and 5/25th were not made large enough to generate these whole number ratios. Instead, two additional courses stand out at the top, 1/50th and 1/100th, which complete a set of ten marked courses in the upper 3/5th of the pyramid. This non-random sequence of twenty-fifths, fiftieths, and one-hundredths suggests that the base was conceptualized as a square of 5 units on its side and that each one unit represented a length conspicuously embedded in the length of the original long side of Hemiunus mastaba G 4000 (Seyfzadeh, 2018) . The present investigation corroborates Gantenbrinks (1997: Figs. 2-4) observation that architectural reference points of structures within the Great Pyramid were located at the ceiling level and not the ground. Gantenbrinks argument is as follows: Only lengths measured from ceilings produces round numbers of cubits. These round numbers conformed to a theme which involve multiples of 1/40th of the base of the Great Pyramid (i.e. 11 rc) or its height (i.e. 7 rc). Some lengths are based on prime numbers (Gantenbrink, 1997: Fig. 6) . However, it appears as if linear distances, either based on prime numbers or multiples of 7 and 11 royal cubits, were used mostly, with a couple of exceptions, to design the horizontal dimension of structures within the Great Pyramid. The exceptions relate to the design of the Ka6 passages (alternatively called star shafts or air shafts) emanating from the King Chamber and the 11 rc height of the ceiling joint where the descending passage meets the ascending passage (see Fig. 6 and 7 in Gantenbrink, 1997 ). 2 rc above this reference point is the top of course #6 whose SAR is 22.65/25th (Table 1). In other words, the cumulative height of the pyramid including the joint and the ceiling made up of course #6 is 13 rc. Therefore, at course #6, the two design principles appear to overlap. The height of the ceiling joint above ground between descending and ascending passages is both 1/40th of the pyramid base, 11 rc (Gantenbrink, 1997: Fig. 6 and 8) , and the stone course which covers that joint to a cumulative height of 278 inch (see Petrie, 1883, Plate VIII ; sixth course cumulative height in inch: N.E. = 278.1; S.W. = 278.4) to form the ceiling at that point is followed by the thicker course #7. Gantenbrink concluded that the architect worked on a 1/40 scale to design the Great Pyramid in units of either 7 or 11 rc and he observed that most lengths between architectural points could be derived as multiples of either unit (Gantenbrink, 1997) . The question remains, why did Hemiunu employ two design principles in determining ceilings, one based on 1/40th of the pyramids key dimensions and another based on surface area ratios in 1/25th? The answer to this question ultimately has to do with how a system of lengths fits into the overall theme of how Hemiunu conceptualized the pyramid as a three-dimensional structure. From Gantenbrinks analysis and knowing the pyramid angle, 5 palms per each one cubit rise, one might expect that successive courses rise by multiples of one royal cubit such that a proportional multiple of 5 palms could be let in from the two ends of each added courses base. Surprisingly, this is not observed reviewing Petries plotted data of course thicknesses. Most courses are less than two royal cubits thick, but there is a large variation in thickness both above and below that average value. The marked variation in thickness diminishes only above the 154th course though still interrupted by three more thickness peaks. Most courses are not a round number of royal cubits thick and so the seqed of the pyramid was probably not Hemiunus guide to the vertical growth of the pyramid with each added course even though this may seem counterintuitive at first. Why was the ease of conforming course thickness to round numbers consistent with the seqed sacrificed for an ostensibly haphazard theme of erratically varying course thickness? To solve this riddle, we must remind ourselves that Hemiunu appears to have employed a theme not based on lengths, as was the case for his design of horizontal dimension but based on unique surface ratios which conform to round fractions of twenty-fifths. At first look, this theme seems to contrast with the 1/40 scale proposed by Gantenbrink to have guided the interior design in two dimensions. However, the two numerical themes need not be mutually exclusive since they pertain to different aspects of the overall design of the pyramid, one mostly horizontal and one vertical. This was demonstrated in the lower 2/5th of the pyramid. Also, 1/40 = 25/1000. Numerically therefore, the two themes are related: 1/40 1/25 = 1/1000 and 25 440 rc/1000 = 11 rc! 1/1000 (written with the hieroglyphs Re/kh3) is also a factor which was evidently used to determine the aforementioned indent: 0.92 m = 1.76 rc = 220 rc 8 1/1000 ~ 1 rc 5 palms 1 finger (Seyfzadeh, 2018) . This factor numerically expresses the cosmogony of the Ogdoad taught at Hermopolis: The Sun over the Lotus. But an esoteric motive cannot fully explain the economic price paid by not conforming to the simple numerical rule expressed by the seqed in designing the rate of rise of each pyramid course. Interestingly, the vertical design theme proposed here shares a feature with its horizontal counterpart proposed by Gantenbrink, namely the insistence on round-number multiples. The other feature, suddenly thicker courses, can now be explained as well: The likely reason for placing a series of tapering thicker stone courses above a course which formed the ceiling of an interior space was to buttress and reinforce the voids roof to prevent stone block failure under pressure from above. If this was indeed the reason, then the presence of other courses of exceptional thickness higher up in the pyramid must mark the ceilings of yet unknown voids immediately below. The pay-back, so to speak, for sacrificing the seqed as a straight-forward building principle was the perceived enhanced stability of the interior spaces inside the pyramid. The very presence, therefore, of varying course thickness, whenever this can be observed, proves that at least six if not up to ten designed spaces exist inside the pyramid at those levels, because of the cost, i.e. custom-made instead of stereo-typical thickness quarrying, incurred by not using round numbers derived from the seqed, i.e. 5 rc per 7 rc. This is the main conclusion of this paper. The second conclusion is that not all spaces in the Great Pyramid seem to have been created equally. Some spaces appear to have an added, esoteric, importance. One cannot a priori assume that architectural design must only employ practical considerations to the exclusion of ideological, in this case theological, principles. In a prior publication (Seyfzadeh, 2018) , I argued that Hemiunu was indeed the architect of the Great Pyramid because its essential design features can be found in the design of both Hemiunus original mastabas G 4000 and the dimensions of the larger upgrade. Here, I find new evidence to further support the idea that Hemiunu was in fact the architect of the Great Pyramid. The vertical growth of the pyramid conceptualized in units of 88 royal cubits (i.e. 5 88 rc 5 88 rc = 440 rc 440 rc) is a length also conspicuously embedded in G 4000s original long side (as 88 rc + 1 rc 5 palms 1 finger). Furthermore, the numbers five and eight, which stand out indirectly by their absence in the numerical theme presented here based on SARs, also stand out at G 4000. Here, they are conspicuously absent from the sequence of round number fractions of twenty-fifths in the upper 3/5th of the Great Pyramid even though the courses with which these ratios are associated, #83 and #107, are below distinctly thicker courses, i.e. #84 (also #86) and #108, respectively (Table 1; Petrie, 1883: Plate VIII ). Of interest is that the thicker course above #83, course #84, aligns with the peak of the rafters above the granite tower structure over the King Chamber (Figure 4), which, once the pyramid grew past this level, was hidden from the view of even the builders since it was sealed with no access. #83 aligns with the rafters themselves. #83 also coincides with the approximate upper extension of a proposed void observed with Muon scanning called the Big Void ( Morishima , et al., 2017 Not representing the numbers five and eight as round numbers in the sequence of twenty-fifths could be coincidental or it might be intentional though this is difficult to prove without other examples. In ancient Egyptian belief, Heka magic was the annunciation of certain words to activate them with real consequences for those present including Ka spirits of the deceased who were instructed to use such spells by the Pyramid Texts as they proceeded through the chambers and passages of their pyramids (Seyfzadeh & Schoch, 2018: pp. 109-110) . Certain words were avoided or phonetically embedded within others to avoid inappropriate activation. Similarly, by not expressing five and eight as round numbers designing appropriately sized surface areas at courses #83 and #107, Hemiunu might have wished to seal and hide chambers roofed by these courses to leave them inactivated, but this remains speculation without further proof from other examples. My friend Nagui Guorgui, a native Egyptian, perhaps said it best in a recent conversation about this: You dont divide a sacred number. An alternative possibility to a Secret Chamber is that course #107 defines the ceiling of a corridor, for example part of an internal ramp as proposed by Brier and Houdin (2008: p. 139ff.) . This theory predicts period notching at the pyramids edges during construction, where contiguous, ascending ramp corridors make ninety degree turns (Brier & Houdin, 2008: pp. 130-132) . Even though these notches were later hidden inside the fully cased pyramid, the authors identify one curious stone defect of the Great Pyramids northeast edge easily visible today (Figure 7) which matches the position of the ninth notch in their internal ramp model and which, presumably due to internal failure and collapse at that spot, became exposed (Brier & Houdin, 2008: pp. 137 ff.) . Significantly, the floor of this notch measures 5 5 = 25 rc2, reminiscent of the concept of twenty-fifths apparently employed by Hemiunu to model the vertical design of the entire pyramid. Course #107, however, does not run through the ceiling of this notch, but closer to its floor, which is at the 104th course (Jean Pierre Houdin, personal communication). Also, Bob Brier was unable to detect airflow from a fissure inside the cavity causing the notch, in an area where a corridor might have been suspected based on the model. Therefore, it is not clear if this course does in fact define a corridor ceiling and if this notch indeed represents a remnant of a corner of the proposed internal ramp. Of course, it is possible that #107 is more closely associated with the ceiling of a lower notch, Figure 7. Northwest edge of the Great Pyramid showing the notch proposed to be an exposed turn of the internal ramp (Brier & Housing, 2008: pp. 137-138) . Indicated in red are the positions of courses #97, 107, and 117 with SARs shown in parenthesis. Course #107 traverses the notch approximately 3 courses above its floor. Photography (01/17/2011) by Peter Der Manuelian courtesy of Digital Giza, Harvard University; Creative Commons License. Direct link to photo: http://gizamedia.rc.fas.harvard.edu/images/GPH/PDM%202011/07%20Monday%20Jan%2017%202011/PDM_2011.01.17_235.jpg. for example the eighth corner in the ascending spiral presumably situated at the southeast corner. This point deserves further emphasis. Even though Petries measurements from all four corners suggest that the thickness of all 203 courses was uniformly varied across all stones making up those individual courses, the motivation for any variation, as it is argued here, may have been the ceiling of a space which often represents a comparatively small part of that course. The alternative of course would have been to only vary the thickness of stones above such spaces, build the rest of the course with regular blocks, and fill in the deficit with the next layer of stones. The implicit assumption of this paper is therefore that the measurable variation in the thickness of the courses based on the current exterior, accessible layer of stones are a proxy for architectural features which may reside deep in the core of the pyramid, far removed from this exterior layer and otherwise inaccessible. In other words, what one sees on the outside is a reflection of the inside. Altogether ten courses in the upper 3/5th of the Great Pyramid define levels below thickness peaks, whose SARs are round number multiples of either twenty-fifths, fifties, or hundredths. It is possible that these ten courses define the position of corridor ceilings, or the ceilings of corners were such corridors meet on the four pyramid edges, which are part of an internal spiral ramp and this ramp only commences at course #66 whose SAR is 10/25th. Interestingly, Houdins full, ground-to-summit internal ramp model predicts a total of 23 corner turns (Brier & Houdin, 2008: p. 131) and that is the total number of thickness peaks one observes from Petries data including all those peaks not preceded by courses with SARs which conform to the SAR sequence of round number multiples of twenty-fifths noticed by Petrie. Even though recent muon scanning did not detect an internal void consistent with an internal ramp (Morishima et al., 2017) , such narrow voids may have escaped detection. The positive control experiment involved the detection of the upper chamber of the Bent Pyramid, but its passages were not discernible in the actual data even though they were predicted to be observable in the simulation (HIP, 2016) . Therefore, any chamber smaller than the upper chamber of the Bent Pyramid relative to the length of the Muon path through solid stone may escape detection with this method. The distance traveled by incoming muons through less obstructing segments formed by any such hypothetical voids relative to the length of the path through solid stone towards the detector plates inside the Queen Chamber and in front of the pyramid at ground level was likely too short. In other words, there would not be enough difference in arrival time at the detectors between muons whether or not they traveled through a short segment of air caused by the height or width of a ramp corridor crossing the path of these particles. Alternatively, and if not marking the ceilings of an internal ramp, it is also possible that these ten courses mark ceilings over chambers and passages smaller than the Big Void found by Morishima et al. (2017) just as they do in the lower 2/5th of the Great Pyramid and were hence also missed in that study due to their relatively small size. One possible way to test these alternatives would be a new muon scan with detectors placed inside Campbells chamber, the fifth relieving chamber above the King Chamber, or inside the cavity which produces the notch on the northeast edge of the pyramid. By reducing the measured muon paths trajectories through solid stone, the signal-to-noise ratio will increase making such experiment a more sensitive probe of hidden voids in the upper part of the Great Pyramid than the previous one. Finally, a few more words about the theme of twenty-fifths apparently employed by Hemiunu to conceptualize the Great Pyramids vertical expansion. First, numerically simplifying a base of 193,600 square cubits (440 rc)2 to 25 units each to represent 7744 square cubits (88 rc)2 makes it easier to get a feel for the size of higher-up levels. This would have helped Hemiunu to estimate the number of stone blocks required at key levels of the growing pyramid. For example, if he was able to gauge the effort required to build a square of 88 rc, a length almost identical to the long side of his own mastaba, he could simply multiply this effort by an integer fraction of twenty-fifths to predict the time required to quarry and transport the necessary stone supply to build a given course. Second, the sequence of twenty-fifths noted by W.M. Flinders Petrie reveals a mindset which had long been established since the time of king Djoser, alive a century before Hemiunu: That the original Egyptian pyramid was a series of mastabas each successive one somewhat smaller than the one below. If indeed round fractions of twenty-fifths designated the ceilings of conceptualized mastabas in such a stack, then the idea that each of these mastabas contained a chamber is no longer inconceivable (Nagui Guorgui, personal communication). 5. Conclusion A renewed look at Petries data from his 1883 survey of the Great Pyramid has revealed new evidence that Hemiunu was its architect, that he computed surface area ratios and generated a sequence of round-number fractions of twenty-fifths to plan the placement of ceilings over voids in the lower parts of the pyramid, and possibly also in its upper parts. Besides this architectural application of the proposed numerical theme, he may have used numbers of theological significance in his time to mark certain areas inside the Great Pyramid where still-hidden chambers, corridors, and passages may one day be found at positions tagged with such numerical marks. These findings permit a fascinating glimpse into the methods and thinking of an ancient architect who designed one of the most sophisticated stone structures ever conceived. Numerical tags, while alone, do not prove the existence of undiscovered internal voids inside the Great Pyramid, and may assist future researchers to non-invasively probe its interior at certain target sites with a higher chance of success. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Jean-Pierre Houdin for reviewing the manuscript and for his helpful comments and critique. My thanks also to Nagui Guorgui for helpful discussions. Dedication To the People of Egypt. Conflicts of Interest The author declares no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper. Cite this paper Seyfzadeh, M. (2018). Hemiunu Used Numerically Tagged Surface Ratios to Mark Ceilings inside the Great Pyramid Hinting at Designed Spaces Still Hidden Within. Archaeological Discovery, 6, 319-337. https://doi.org/10.4236/ad.2018.64016 References 1. Allen, J. P. (2005). The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature. [Paper reference 1] 2. Brier, B., & Houdin, J.-P. (2008). The Secret of the Great Pyramid. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc. [Paper reference 6] 3. Dash, G. (2012). New Angles on the Great Pyramid. AERAGRAM, 13, 10-19. [Paper reference 1] 4. Gantenbrink, R. (1997). Ascertaining and Evaluating Relevant Structural Points Using the Cheops Pyramid as an Example. ORDO ET MENSURA CONGRESS VI-1997/DEUTSCHES MUSEUM MuNCHEN.http://www.cheops.org/startpage/publications/publications.htm [Paper reference 5] 5. Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute (HIP), ScanPyramids (2016). Results from the First Measurements Campaign in the Bent Pyramid. http://www.hip.institute/press/HIP_INSTITUTE_CP7_EN.pdf [Paper reference 1] 6. Junker, H. (1929). Giza I. Die Mastabas der IV. Dynastie auf dem Westfriedhof. Holder-Wien und Leipzig: Pichler-Tempsky A.-G. [Paper reference 1] 7. Krauss, R. (1997). Astronomische Konzept e und Jenseitsvorstellungen in den Pyramidentexten. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. [Paper reference 1] 8. Lightbody, D. I. (2018). Is the Great Pyramids Big Void in Fact Caused by Two Construction Space Zones Flanking the Grand Gallery? Looking for Plausible Interpretations of the ScanPyramids Data Set. Working Paper.https://arkysite.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/dlightbody20181.pdf [Paper reference 1] 9. Maragioglio, V., & Rinaldi, C. A. (1965). LArchitetturadelle Piramidi Menfite 4. Le Grande Piramide di Cheope. Tavole. Tipografia Canessa: Rapallo. [Paper reference 4] 10. Morishima, K., Kuno1, M., Nishio, A., Kitagawa, N., Manabe1, Y., Moto, M., Takasaki, F., Fujii, H., Satoh, K., Kodama, H., Hayashi, K., Odaka, S., Procureur, S., Attie, D., Bouteille, S., Calvet, D., Filosa, C., Magnier, P., Mandjavidze, I., Riallot, M., Marini, B., Gable, P., Date, Y., Sugiura, M., Elshayeb, Y., Elnady, T., Ezzy, M., Guerriero, E., Steiger, V., Serikoff, N., Mouret, J.-P., Charles, B., Helal, H., & Tayoubi, M. (2017). Discovery of a Big Void in Khufus Pyramid by Observation of Cosmic-Ray Muons. Nature, 552, 386-390. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature24647 [Paper reference 4] 11. Petrie, W. M. F. (1883). The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh. London: Field & Tuer, Ye Leadenhalle Presse; Simpkin Marshall & Co., Stationers Hall Court; Hamilton, Adams, and Co., Paternoster Row. New York: Scribner & Welford. http://www.ronaldbirdsall.com/gizeh/petrie/index.htm [Paper reference 7] 12. Seyfzadeh, M. (2018). Essential Design of the Great Pyramid Encoded in Hemiunus Mastaba at Giza. Archaeological Discovery, 6, 162-172. https://doi.org/10.4236/ad.2018.62008 [Paper reference 7] 13. Seyfzadeh, M., & Schoch, R. M. (2018). The Inventory Stele: More Fact than Fiction. Archaeological Discovery, 6, 103-161. https://doi.org/10.4236/ad.2018.62007 [Paper reference 1] NOTES 1URL: https://www.bu.edu/cgs/citl/institute-for-the-study-of-the-origins-of-civilization/. 2During the era of Khufu in the language of the ancient Egyptians, this pyramid was named khwfw akhet, Khufus Horizon. The pyramid of Khafre was named khaf-re wr, Great is Khaf-re. Even though the term Great Pyramid therefore more accurately refers to Khafres pyramid, the popular convention has been to use that designation for Khufus Horizon and for clarity I will adhere to that popular convention. 3This conversion from inch to royal cubits is based on Lehner and Goodmans (Dash, 2012) average exterior casing length measurements in meters combined with the generally held assumption that the base length was intended to be 440 rc and the conversion of 1 imperial inch per 0.0254 meters. 4The seqed was the ancient Egyptians method to construct the angle of a pyramid using a step-wise process in which the base length of each successive course was let in, i.e. made shorter, by a certain amount per one-cubit rise depending on what angle was desired. 5A royal Egyptian cubit was divided into seven palms. Each palm was further divided into four fingers. A cubit, therefore, was twenty-eight fingers long. It was ~0.524 meters or ~20.6 inch. 6In ancient Egyptian belief, the Ka was the life force of a person which left the body after death. Published: October 08, 2018 UTs Writers at the University Offers Readings by Jessica Anthony, Frank Gaspar Oct. 12 On Friday, Oct. 12, The University of Tampa will welcome authors Jessica Anthony and Frank X. Gaspar for a reading in the Scarfone/Hartley Gallery, 310 N. Boulevard. The reading, part of the Universitys Writers at the University series as well as the Other Words Literary Conference being held on the UT campus Oct. 1113, begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Anthony is the author of The Convalescent, an American Library Association Adult Notable Book and a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, as well as Chopsticks, a multimedia novel on which she collaborated with designer Rodrigo Corral. Chopsticks was called a 21st century novel by the Los Angeles Times, was an Amazon Book of the Month and also won App of the Year. Currently, Anthony teaches in UT's low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program. Gaspar is the author of five collections of poetry and two novels, implementing American themes or settings, particularly the Portuguese community in Provincetown, MA, where he was raised, offering an insiders view of the rich ethnic base of the Cape Cod town. His debut novel, Leaving Pico, was a Barnes and Noble Discovery Prize winner, won the California Book Award for First Fiction and a New York Times Notable Book. His second novel, Stealing Fatima, won MassBook of the Year in Fiction. For more information, contact Lynne Bartis, staff assistant for Graduate and Continuing Studies, at lbartis@ut.edu or (813) 257-3514. UW in the News State, national and international media frequently feature the University of Wyoming and members of its community in stories. Here is a summary of some of the recent articles: The Laramie Boomerang featured the monthlong Matthew Shepard 20th Memorial with a series of events, including a performance of Considering Matthew Shepard by the Grammy Award-winning choral group Conspirare. The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) published two similar articles. Shepards murder still resonates today, according to a USA Today feature. Several UW personnel reflected on Shepards death in Boomerang and Wyoming Public Radio features. Denvers 9News also featured the Conspirare concert in Fort Collins, Colo. The CS-T interviewed UW law Professor Stephen Feldman on the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court and the level of influence sparsely populated, largely conservative states have in appointing those judges. Among UW releases published on Sheridan Medias website were: four UW alumni being honored during Homecoming; David Bernhardt, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, being the keynote speaker for the Landscape Discussion on Energy Law and Policy in the Rockies at UW; annual Homecoming events; and UW research scientist Bethann Garramon Merkle and her colleagues publishing a paper on how poetry can help promote science. Dallas Innovates reported that a north Texas team won the WyoHackathon competition, a blockchain hackathon, at UW last month. The UW Police Department will plan events later this fall as part of the national Coffee with a Cop program, reported The Boomerang. Wyo4News published UWs release noting that UW accounting students will participate in an interactive program focusing on IRS criminal investigations. They will participate in the Adrian Project developed by the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS. Laramie Mayor Andi Summerville highlighted UWs annual Big Event -- a day of service by UW students in the community -- during her monthly radio interview with Laramie Live. UW Manufacturing Works Project Manager Gustave Anderson was interviewed by The Boomerang for national Manufacturing Day events last week. The Jackson Hole News and Guide gave Locust: The Opera a favorable review. Created by UW faculty members Jeff Lockwood and Anne Guzzo, the original stage piece premiered recently in Jackson. A similar article was published by Atlas Obscura. Zach Wallace, a Wyoming Natural Diversity Database research scientist at UW, discussed golden eagle conservation last week at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, according to The Billings Gazette. Wyoming Public Radio interviewed UW Associate Professor Lilia Soto about her new book, Girlhood in the Borderlands, which takes a deep look at the lives of teenage girls who grow up living between Mexico and the United States. Susan Dewey, a UW associate professor in the School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice, said there are significant differences in what lead men and women to prison, according to NTV ABC, of Axtell, Neb. Dewey was the keynote speaker at the 30th annual University of Nebraska-Kearney Criminal Justice Conference. Utah Public Radio interviewed Erick Robinson, a UW postdoctoral anthropology researcher, who is part of a team studying prehistoric waste to compare societal growth and decline. UW Professor William Missouri Downs latest play, Below the Navel Above the Knees, was featured in The Boomerang. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle profiled comedian Ken Jeong, who brought his brand of stand-up comedy to the UW campus last weekend. A couple years back I was invited to a wine tasting in Boston fully dedicated to the white wines of Lugana. It was quite a pleasant surprise to discover the beauty of these wines that arent often enough at the top of every winelovers list. Our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group is exploring what these wines are all about including the wide variety of styles and how ageworthy they are. Lugana is a wine region located on the southern tip of Lake Garda. Its in northern Italy and borders both the Veneto and Lombardy regions. Its comprised of the following towns: Sirmione, Pozzolengo, Desenzano, Londato del Garda and Peschiara del Garda, with the latter being the only to reside in the Veneto. Its a short trip from the major cities of Brescia and Verona. I ventured over to Peschiera del Garda for the first time on my last adventure to Italy over a year ago. The area of Lugana was once completely covered as a forest, known as Selva Lucana, probably hence where the name came form. When the glaciers came down from the alpine region it formed Lake Garda and created the unique morainic soils. Wines from Lugana are primarily made from the turbiana grape also known as trebbiano di lugana. There is a 10% allowance of other non-aromatic white grapes, but many producers are making these wines with 100% turbiana. The regular wines of Lugana can typically only be aged about 2-3 years, but the others including the superior and riserva wines have capabilities to be aged 10+ years. Turbiana grapes - Copywright of Selva Capuzza There are 5 different styles of Lugana: regular, Superiore, Riserva, Late Harvest and Sparkling. The regular wines of Lugana make up 90% of the production of the Lugana DOC. The wines made in the Peschiera del Garda area actually produce about 60% of the wines in the area. Im sharing one from the regular style Lugana and one from the late harvest, known as vendemmia tardiva. Copyright of Selva Capuzza Luca Formentini of Selva Capuzza - Copyright of Selva Capuzza Selva Capuzza 2013 Podere Selva Capuzza Lugana DOC is their wine they make with pride and is sourced from their highest and oldest vineyard. A wine that is fresh and rich with florals and fruit combined with mineral notes. 13% ABV SRP The wine from Lugana Im sharing today is fromin the Lombardy region. Its location is situated of the site of the important Italian battle, San Martino e Solferino, that took place in 1859. Theis their wine they make withpride and is sourced from their highest and oldest vineyard. A wine that is fresh and rich with florals and fruit combined with mineral notes. 13% ABV SRP Copyright of Selva Capuzza The other wine Im sharing is the 2011 Tenuta Roveglia Filo di Arianna Lugana Vendemmia Tardiva DOC. This wine is harvested late October to early November allowing the grapes to fully concentrate before they are hand picked. The wine is aged 12-14 months in oak barrels. Its a wine of full body with almond notes seeming silky on the palate. 13.5% ABV SRP Tenuta Roveglia was started by a Swiss businessman by the name of Federico Zweifel when he relocated to the area at the end of 19th century. Four generations later his family continues to carry on the production and traditions of the winery as it stands today. Copyright of Tenuta Roveglia Copyright of Tenuta Roveglia See what my fellow bloggers have to say about Lugana wine: Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe Under international law, the defense of the Syrian territory, even the parts occupied by anti-government, separatist terrorist groups, is the responsibility of the Syrian government. The same applies to Syrias territorial waters and its air space. Russia has been invited by the legitimate government of Syria to support the Syrian army in its fight against terrorists. But, even in this context, Russia is not arrogating to itself the right to replace the Syrian government as the holder of the sovereign right to defend its territory and its air space. In the past, going beyond the limits set by international rules and UN decisions, the USA and its allies (NATO in particular), have proceeded to a military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and have imposed a no-fly zone over Libya and Yugoslavia. In contrast, the Russian contingency in Syria is not an occupation force and accordingly, has not received from the Russian President, the mandate to occupy the Syrian territory or to create a no-fly zone over the entire country, even though it has the operational capacity to do so. The agreement that Russia concluded with the United States and Israel to avoid accidents which implies the accidental destruction of its planes, is limited to air spaces situated around the air base at Hmeymim, the Russian installations in the governorate of Latakia and the naval base near Tartus, including the installations located around the port of Tartus. This agreement has been respected and this is evidenced by the Russians never launching their AA missiles, except against the drones of the armed Islamists that threaten the air base at Hmeymim. On 17 September 2018 when the Russian airplane IL-20 was brought down, the Israeli F-16s were very close to violating the agreement with Russia by targeting objects situated in the prohibited area, only 10 km from the north of the Hyeymim air base. Despite this, the Israeli planes were not destroyed. The terrain situated on the Syrian-Lebanese border is mountainous so that radar detection of the Syrian AA defense and the direction of the Syrian AA missiles is impossible for targets flying at a low altitude in Lebanon or near the coast of Lebanon. Lebanon does not have any AA missiles. This is because its government depends on Saudi Arabia to fund its army. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia was the main provider of funding, new recruits, arms, weapons and training for the terrorists fighting against the Syrian national army. Either Saudi Arabia has no interest in arming Lebanon with its AA missiles prohibiting Israeli planes from flying over Lebanese territory or it has a very close political and military cooperation with Israel. In any event, Israel has often used the Lebanese air space to attack targets in Syria. On the eastern border, Northern Syria and the territory occupied by Daesh (including the governorate of Raqqa), there are no Syrian radar stations. The area is occupied by separatist Kurds and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported and armed by the US. Russia has deployed a radar plane A-50U (similar to the US AWACS) in Syria. This plane is maintained in the area of patrol for 9 hours and simultaneously pursues 150 air targets over an area with a radius of 350 km, without being affected by any type of relief. Up until now, the coordinates of these targets have not been transmitted to the Syrian terrestrial radars because the latter do not have a system of automatized management capable of communicating with the A-50U (the Russian radar plane). With the implementation of the Russian system of automated management, Polyana D4M1 in the Syrian army, the information collected by the A-50U planes, as well as the Russian observation satellites and radars of the last generation of the Russian S-400 batteries at Latakia will arrive at the command posts of the Syrian air forces and thus to all the Syrian AA missile systems. However no arm is infallible and Israel, following its custom, will seek and will find flaws in the system Polyana D4M1 that has been set up by the Syrian army. All the more since, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a vast number of Jews emigrated to Israel. Some of them were renowned scientists in the field of Soviet weapons and their integration into industry and defence has brought a substantial advantage to Israel. These Israeli experts, originally from the USSR, experts on Soviet techniques, knew that on 17 Sept 2018, the radar for surveillance of the air space and the radar for guiding the S200 AA missiles were situated near the launching ramp that is more than 100 km from the Russian plane. At this distance, the radar space of separation between the Russian plane and the false echoes of the F16 planes created by very weak systems of disturbance, is barely perceptible. That is, the systems superimpose, one on the other. These experts also know that if the Syrians respond to the attack, the S-200 missile would bring down the Russian reconnaissance plane and not the Israeli combat planes. Who has the most to lose? Until now, the Israeli air force raids in Syria have not caused great losses that could change the outcome of the battle. For the Israelis, it was more about projecting an image of prestige, to show international public opinion that they could strike military targets in Syria without Russia intervening. Astonishingly, Israel is not the big loser of the implementation of the automatized management of the Syrian airspace (which now includes the S-300 systems). Israel can avoid confronting the AA Syrian Defence, renounce attacking several targets in Syria. It can also, to maintain its image, strike by means other than the air force, the zones deprived of military targets after giving prior notice to the Russians. The biggest loser is the US. Both in the territories occupied by the Kurds of the SDF, and also at the border with Jordan, the US has illegally created military bases. Syria is a founder member state of the UN. In contrast to the Russian soldiers, the status of the US, British, French and Turkish is that of the aggressor, for they are acting in Syria either on the side of the groups fighting against the government or the independent troops. The US fighter planes that bought down the Syrian airplanes above Syrian territory on the pretext that they were threatening US troops were acting on Syrian territory on the side of anti-government groups. In the US military bases, there are some members of the Special operational forces, that is to say, a light infantry without the support of the artillery. These bases will not be able to resist a single attack on the soil by the Syrian army supported by the Air Force. If the US realize that its Air Force will not be able to pass through the AA Syrian barrage without suffering heavy losses, then any air intervention will become inopportune. When we speak of the barrage of the Syrian AA, we are referring to three things: a/the automatized system for the management of the Syrian air space; b/the systems of AA missiles and c/the equipment of interference: Krasukha-4 and R-330ZH Zhitel. The latter annihilates the command centres for the management of the fighter air force (AWACS), the systems for navigation, the centres for controlling the fire and guiding arms on board US fighter planes. The only solution left on the table, will be for the Pentagon to withdraw its troops from Syrian territory. Poldark Episode 2 Season 4 Episode 2 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next Photo: courtesy of Mammoth Screen for Masterpiece I see you, Poldark. I see you. After a few seasons of push-pull, will-they-or-wont-they romantic plots which havent particularly elevated the caliber of the show (as opposed to our blood pressure), were finally starting to see a more mature and more interesting set of marriages take shape. Marriage is a lot more interesting than falling in love. I didnt say it was more fun, mind you, but its what two people are left with when they have gotten to know each other well enough to realize that the person theyve signed on for is not really the same person who wakes up next to them every morning, but they still keep going. People are connected in marriage by shared responsibility, honor, commitment, children, and a heap of other things besides infatuation. Were watching Ross and Demelza fumble their way through this transition now, just behind George and Elizabeth. If Dwight and Pug Lady do have children, theyll be next in line. And its making Poldark darker and twistier and more enjoyable, at least for me. Theres only so far you can go with aristocratic classic beauty v. windswept warm earthy peasant girl, you know? In this most recent episode, when Georges greatest-ever setback at Rosss hands could have thrust a new wedge in between him and Elizabeth, you can tell theres a new strength between them. Elizabeth can be a fool, but shes very good at accepting things as they are and making the best of them. Ah, yes, the setback. Political machinations everywhere! George (eventually, after much fluttering and suspense) loses his seat in Parliament to one Captain Ross Poldark. What about Hugh, you may be asking? Well, it will come as little surprise to you that Hugh spends the vast majority of the episode on his deathbed, with the exception of the rest of the episode, in which he is simply dead. It was tremendously sad! Demelza was by his side, shooting down his final requests for some hope that they might be together (I think that was the right thing to do but I would be very conflicted in the face of a dying war hero who worshiped me). As Hugh weakened, Lord Falmouth decided that Dwights more modern approach to medicine wasnt cutting the mustard, and instead brought on a More Traditional Old-Timey Cornish Doctor, who immediately ran through the Prestige Drama Checklist for bad medicine: leeches, purging, cupping, vomiting, sweating, and, should we have time, trepanation. To Lord Falmouths credit, he called Dwight back into service just after the doctor got to trepanation. To no avail, of course, but thats brain fever for you. Seeing the writing on the wall, Lord Falmouth asks Ross to be his new candidate, pledging that Ross will have the freedom to make whatever moves necessary for the improvement of the lives of the poor and the powerless. Even with Lord Falmouths backing, Ross would have failed had Sir Francis Basset not switched his allegiance to him from George Warleggan at the 11th hour. Poor George couldnt believe it was happening until it was over. Its the prejudice, you see! People hate him not because hes a terrible person and a cruel magistrate, but because hes new money! Surely, they will grow to see his true worth. Speaking of fruitless endeavors, Sam Crane gets to have his own heart toyed with by a beautiful lady (a blonde who we suspect is no better than she ought to be, especially since shes hanging out with that crooked violent gamekeeper of Georges, Tom). Should Sam win, Blondie will come to church with him (why is he so good?) and also George will donate to a worthy cause (Ross to donate if otherwise). In keeping with such plots, the villain prevails, but only by cheating (eye-gouging, to be exact!). The sweet boy doesnt even care if Blondie is a virgin or not, because of how the angels will rejoice if she repents her sin! As she is less than repentant they part kindly, with a kiss. The evil clergyman (I sensed you were worried we wouldnt see as much of him this season!) is blissfully nomming on the toes of a woman of the night, who is barely bothering to feign interest in him, which I truly cherished. Dont be concerned; hes still got plenty of time to ruin Morwennas brief, chaste encounter with Drake Carne, not to mention the utter perfection of his run-in with Morwennas dear, sweet, crafty sister. Guys, this beautiful hussy lied about being pregnant in order to hassle him into giving her a dowry so she could marry someone she actually liked! The look of shock and disbelief on his face will keep me warm through many a cold night, I can assure you. Its a grim and sad duo that meet back up at the cottage that night. Demelza has cried her eyes out for Hugh, and Ross is finally starting to understand what having won his election means for his future and hers. For once, blessedly, they try to speak honestly and kindly to each other (you can tell its like getting a root canal for Ross, dear heart) and mostly succeed. Demelza says that she feels as she did when Julia died, and that her heart is broken by the misery of the world (oh, we have all been there). Ross is able to take on her sorrow and not get pissy, which is a lot for him! I am impressed. They part with a warm embrace, as Ross leaves for London. Whats left to be seen is how our central couple will cope with their new situation: months apart, the stresses and pressures of political life, and all of this on the heels of one of the most significant crises of their short marriage. With any luck, Ross will run over the evil clergyman with his carriage within minutes of arriving in London. The Deuce All Youll Be Eating Is Cannibals Season 2 Episode 5 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next Photo: HBO Late in All Youll Be Eating is Cannibals, Ashley, Dave, and Abby gather at a housing community where the pimps congregate to try to broker a deal between them and the residents regarding their illegal operations. Just as theyre getting into it, Ashley notices that C.C. has pulled up to watch the debacle and intimidate her. Though initially distracted by his presence, Ashley eventually confronts C.C. on the street, sarcastically thanking him for making her the woman she is today. C.C. throws it right back in her face, claiming that, if he wanted to, he could fuck her and have her working for him within minutes, and that her activist persona is just an act. Ashley calmly responds, Youre right. Because the real me, she just wants to see you buried. C.C. began the episode beating Lori for consulting with Kiki about being her manager, flexing strength when he has nothing else left as a means to control. But Ashley rattles him just by standing tall. She gets under his skin only by saying, No. Written by Richard Price and Carl Capotorto, All Youll Be Eating Is Cannibals features the women of The Deuce saying no, disrupting their routine for their own ends, standing up to the men in their lives, or finally realizing that they live in a cage that merely resembles freedom. The episode opens with Loris disturbing assault, but this rebellion filters through every facet of The Deuce. Flanagans mistress chews him out in the background of the Hi-Hat. Irene lies to Rodney about Shays whereabouts so as to make sure she stays clean and off the streets following her stint in rehab. Loretta, sporting a black eye from an abusive john, complains to Darlene that Larry doesnt fulfill his pimp duties now that hes caught the acting bug. Darlene forces a longtime regular to pay double just for merely suggesting they watch a porn film starring her on the rooms closed circuit TV during sex. While these examples might not represent a feminist tidal wave, the aggregate implies strong recognition of their oppression at the hands of the patriarchy. For the series main ensemble, however, true freedom comes with a price. Take Lori, whos falling apart after she finally learns that not only can she not reason with C.C. but that her professional success has amounted to nothing in her personal life. He will always view her as a whore, one that he can control with a fist one day and ply with gifts the next day. She breaks down in Candys apartment, finally articulating what she has fought so desperately to repress: She owns nothing. Everything she does belongs to C.C. and she doesnt have the luxury to walk away. She might land a big part in Candys Little Red Riding Hood movie, but shell never be Candy, with her large apartment and burgeoning film career. When Lori throws Candys privileged position in her face after she offers some glib advice, Candy argues that they both chose different paths, which is technically true, but doesnt account for her personal circumstances and her inability to escape. She might be on the rise, but shes still trapped. At the same time, Lori doesnt take into account the sacrifices Candy made and the suffering she endured by tricking without the protection of a pimp. She made that choice and shouldered violence and degradation as a result of it, and even now, when shes finally making headway in pornography, she still had to blow a studio exec for $10,000. Shes fighting every step of the way for funding, eventually bringing in Frankie and his $10,000 that he made from selling his short-lived dry cleaning business. The mayors office rejected her permit applications to shoot in the city because the context and subtext werent up to their standards. She might be living on easy street compared to Lori, but it wasnt easy then and its not easy now. Finally, theres Abby, who continues with her activism but grapples with the hypocrisy in her own backyard. After refusing to serve Bobby in the Hi-Hat following Kittys death and the police raid at the parlors, she tells Vincent that she wants him banned from the bar. What follows is one of the very best scenes in The Deuce, a difficult conversation about the seedy foundation of their shared life. Vincent makes excuses for Bobbys behavior, but when Abby confronts him about the envelopes he takes out of the parlors, Vincent weaves together a web comprising of lies and hard truths that conveniently exculpates him of guilt. The envelopes dont go to him, he says. They go to pay off the building inspectors and the health inspectors and the contractors and the cops and the various other invisible tollbooths that populate the city. Its a necessary evil for someone like Abby so that she can continue to support her artist friends and contribute to her causes. Yet when Abby finally asks if the Hi-Hat is backed by the mob, Vincent lies convincingly and tells her its not, and theres the rub. Abby isnt pure, but its largely because of Vincents actions. He might refuse a cut from Black Frankie and Big Mike after they rob an underground gambling joint in the Bronx, but theyre still conducting business in his club. Hes not just a bartender. Hes a co-conspirator, and hes tainted Abby as well. This isnt spoken of during their fight, but it informs everything thats said. Vincent refuses to ban Bobby because hes family and Abby walks out, rejecting the guy she loves and the establishment where she works, at least temporarily. She and Vincent are, as Bobby rudely claims, both hypocrites, people who believe theyre upstanding citizens while ignoring where their bread is buttered. Saying No is one thing, but cleaning up your house is another thing entirely. Other Tricks & Pricks The episode opens with Larry watching Paul Schraders debut feature Blue Collar in the theater and later practices Yaphet Kottos famous lifers against the new boys speech. (Blue Collar is one of my all-time favorite films and one of Schraders very best works. I expounded on it in Vultures ranking of Paul Schrader films.) Candy eventually goes to Jocelyn for help with the script after Matthew Beeman gave all the best lines to The Wolf and not the heroine. Jocelyn immediately understood Candys vision (Like an erotic Taxi Driver vibe) and was shocked that Candy even offered to pay her. Paul is in over his head and way over budget with construction on his new nightclub/lounge. After a fight with his boyfriend, he heads to a seedy part of town to an underground sex club and engages in anonymous sex. As much as The Deuce communicates the release Paul feels in that environment, its difficult to watch this scene and not consider the specter of AIDS that looms over this type of sexual liberation. Speaking of sexual liberation, Big Mike is apparently on the down low. He sleeps with a trans woman who turns out to be the inside person for his gambling heist. Shay speaks for many people this week: Dicks are assholes. Im so sick of dicks. If I never see another dick for the rest of my life, I swear The Asia Pacific Security Project of the World Customs Organization (WCO) handed over Raman Spectrometer handheld detection devices to the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh in a ceremony held at the NBR Conference Room, Dhaka on 10 September 2018. The donation of the devices was enabled by funding from the Government of Japan. Prior to the Handover Ceremony, the devices were tested as per specifications agreed between the WCO and the supplier. The NBR Member responsible for Modernization and International Affairs Khondokar Muhammad Aminur Rahman, was the Chief Guest at the ceremony and received the devices on behalf of the NBR. The Commissioners of Custom Houses in Dhaka and the director General Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate attended and spoke during the ceremony. In his remarks, Member Rahman expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the WCO and Government of Japan for supporting NBR with this high-tech equipment. He stressed that with the inclusion of Raman Spectrometers, NBRs capacity against illicit movement of precursor chemicals for explosives and drugs will be strengthened. After the Acceptance Test and Handover Ceremony, hands on training for the safety features and handling of the devices was conducted at the same venue. About 25 (twenty five) frontline Customs officials actively took part in the session which was facilitated by the representative of the supplier. The devices will be predominantly used for NBRs fight against transnational terrorism and movement of precursor chemicals that are and believed to be used in manufacturing the IEDs. The Asia Pacific Security Project is supporting WCO members in the Asia/Pacific region to bolster their border security capacity through the WCO initiatives: Programme Global Shield; Passenger Controls; and Air Cargo Security against Small Arms and Light Weapons. 3 October 2018, Geneva One of WTOs largest annual outreach events, the Public Forum took place this year from 2 to 4 October 2018 at the WTO Headquarters in Geneva, bringing together around 2500 representatives from civil society, academia, business, the media, governments, parliamentarians and inter-governmental organizations. The Public Forum was held under the theme of "Trade 2030" with the aim of exploring how technology is transforming our lives and our economies including the way we trade. In that context, the WCO organized a working session to discuss how latest technologies can improve the work of Customs and other border agencies to facilitate and accelerate trade. The session included speakers from Customs and the private sector and focused on the on-going work and benefits that the latest technologies, such as Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence, are having in the Customs and border management context and on some of the challenges in preparing for their use and impact. Mr. Matome Mathole, Customs Attache of South Africa in Brussels, in his capacity as the Moderator of the WCO Virtual Working Group on the Future of Customs, shared his insight on the ongoing work that the Customs community is carrying out in terms of exploring latest technologies and piloting their use for more effective border management and trade facilitation. Mr. Nicolas Buhmann, Commercial Manager at Maersk, Denmark talked about the TradeLens Joint Venture with IBM and the benefits of Blockchain technology towards building trust along the supply chain. Mr. Brice Lenain, Solution specialist at Microsoft Switzerland talked about the different ways in which artificial intelligence was making a difference in the work of Customs, including the importance of collecting and managing data for its intelligent use. And finally, Ms. Kelly Belanger, Director General for Travellers Project Portfolio Directorate, at the Canada Border Services Agency explained the importance of developing a strategy for introducing technologies in a world where they are evolving in an accelerated pace. The session was moderated by Mr. Luc De Blieck, Deputy Director for Procedures and Facilitation at the WCO. The session raised a lot of interest from the audience that enquired, amongst other, about how the different stakeholders in the supply chain could become players in Blockchain technology, but also about the policy interventions required in order to ensure widespread use of this technology. The WCO has been playing an active role in the WTO Public Forum in the past years by organizing working sessions, providing speakers and sharing information, with the aim of raising the profile of Customs an its relevance in cross-border trade. Some interesting reads for a Heroes Day... How the Myth of the 'Robber Barons' Beganand Why It Persists The widely-accepted "history" of America's Gilded Age was grossly inaccurate, but it told a compelling story that many fell for hook, line, and sinker. by Burton W. Folsom Capitalism Worked, but We Were Told It Didn't We study history to learn from it. If we can discover what worked and what didnt work, we can use this knowledge wisely to create a better future. Studying the triumph of American industry, for example, is important because it is the story of how the United States became the worlds leading economic power. Free markets worked well; government intervention usually failed. The years when this happened, from 1865 to the early 1900s, saw the U.S. encourage entrepreneurs indirectly by limiting government. Slavery was abolished and so was the income tax. Federal spending was slashed and federal budgets had surpluses almost every year in the late 1800s. In other words, the federal government created more freedom and a stable marketplace in which entrepreneurs could operate. Read the entire article here... Victims of capitalism? by Dr. Jaana Woiceshyn When the Canadian government recently announced its plan to build a monument to victims of communism, Elizabeth May, the Green Party leader (and the partys sole MP) tweeted: no mention of monument to victims of capitalism. While the government should not build any monuments by spending our money without our consent, Ms. Mays tweet warrants comment. It reflects widespread ignorance of capitalism, and not just among politicians. Read the entire article here... Dont Get Fooled Again: The Continuing Necessity of Anti-Communism by Murray Bessette If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit By WestKyStar Staff Oct. 07, 2018 | 08:42 AM | PADUCAH Anna Gwinnup, a loving wife, mother and grandmother, was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in September 2017. Within weeks, it advanced to stage 2, forcing her to undergo a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, which required blood products. Though she was a blood donor prior to her diagnosis, Gwinnup now has a new passion for the cause. I want to raise awareness about the need for blood to treat cancer, she said. Cancer patients may need red blood cell or platelet transfusions during chemotherapy, surgery or treatment for complications. Donors of all blood types are needed to help ensure a sufficient supply for patients this fall, especially after Hurricane Florence and subsequent flooding forced the cancellation of more than 6,000 blood and platelet donations last month. Make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). As a thank-you, those who come to donate blood or platelets in October will automatically be entered to win one of five $500 gift cards redeemable at hundreds of merchants. Learn more at RedCrossBlood.org/GoForGoal. Upcoming blood donation opportunities Oct. 16-31 Joppa High School, P.O. Box 10, Joppa, IL. 62953 10/29/2018: 12:45 - 5:45 p.m. Shawnee Community College, 8364 Shawnee College Road, Ullin, IL. 62992 10/24/2018: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Anna-Jonesboro Community High School, 608 S. Main St. Anna, IL. 62906 10/31/2018: 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Ballard County Cooperative Extension Office, 110 Broadway, La Center, KY. 42056 10/18/2018: 12:30 - 5:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 1601 Main St. Murray, KY. 42071 10/18/2018: 12:30 - 5:30 p.m. Carlisle County High School, 4557 State Route 1377, Bardwell, KY. 42023 10/16/2018: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. American Legion, 211 S. 7th, Mayfield, KY. 42066 10/23/2018: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Hickman County High School, 301 Cresap St. Clinton, KY. 42031 10/19/2018: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Calvert City Church of Christ, 4625 US Hwy. 62, Calvert City, KY. 42029 10/25/2018: 12:30 - 5:30 p.m. Paducah Blood Donation Center, 4635 Falconcrest Drive, Paducah, KY. 42001 10/16/2018: 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. 10/18/2018: 11:45 a.m. - 6:15 p.m. 10/19/2018: 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. 10/20/2018: 7:45 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. 10/21/2018: 7:45 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. 10/22/2018: 11:45 a.m. - 6:15 p.m. 10/23/2018: 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. 10/25/2018: 11:45 a.m. - 6:15 p.m. 10/26/2018: 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. 10/27/2018: 7:45 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. 10/28/2018: 7:45 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. 10/29/2018: 11:45 a.m. - 6:15 p.m. 10/30/2018: 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. Lone Oak Church of Christ, 2960 Lone Oak Road, Paducah, KY. 42001 10/17/2018: 2:30 - 7:30 p.m. Risco High School, 101 Locust St. Risco, MO. 63874 10/16/2018: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. To give blood, simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nations blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month the perfect time to give blood or platelets to support cancer patients and others. Man who went to space with Shatner dies in plane crash Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 08, 2018 | PADUCAH By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 08, 2018 | 11:56 AM | PADUCAH Local residents are being advised to watch out for letters and checks from a bogus sweepstakes company. The McCracken County Sheriff's Department says they were contacted Monday by a resident who received a letter and check from someone claiming to be from an international sweepstakes company. The letter instructed the person to deposit the check into their account to cover transaction costs associated with receiving the sweepstakes winnings, while returning part of the money back to the sweepstakes company. Deputies say the check was forged to appear for the account of a machine shop in Texas. The Department reminds everyone to be suspicious of any unsolicited funds received from unknown parties, as well as any type of instruction to return a portion of the funds to an unknown party, as they are most always scam related. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. SA's electoral system is weak on accountability We have heard it said many times before: the SA electoral system does not provide a sufficient link between the citizen and the elected representative. The daily protests across the country point to a failure of participatory democracy where citizens clearly do not believe their voices are being heard. After 24 years of democracy, state capture, other forms of corruption and a lack of care have created deep tensions within communities. Many have argued that our proportional representation-list system diminishes levels of accountability. Yet, we have also seen our local government system, which has greater built-in accountability, fail dismally in relation to links with citizens and accountability. So, its a tricky issue and one which South Africa has been grappling with for a number of years. Nevertheless, the South African electoral system is characterised by simplicity, inclusiveness and a strong sense of fairness. These characteristics have, arguably, helped to strengthen our democracy and ensure the legitimacy of democratic processes among South Africans. However, since the 1999 general elections, a significant weakness has emerged within the electoral system. South Africas use of proportional representation based on a closed party list system seems to generate a deficit in accountability, particularly in the context of one-party dominance. This weakness was most notable during the Arms Deal debacle of 2000 where it was clear that party loyalty trumped the need for accountability. Those Members of Parliament who stood their ground, like Andrew Feinstein, found themselves in the wilderness and ostracised by the ANC. Sadly there have been many examples since then of the ANC doing exactly the same - whether it was covering up for former President Zumas corruption in relation to Nkandla or on state capture in general, the party exercised its influence over those who dared to speak out. If the party owns the seat, the MP is pretty much beholden to the party, no matter what. Initially, the South African electoral system, as crafted in the interim Constitution of 1994, was welcomed. Near-perfect proportional representation (PR) with no threshold mirrored the national and provincial electorate, thus ensuring that the national and provincial legislatures were directly and widely representative and afforded a strong sense of inclusiveness. The system followed recommendations from comparative institutionalists, on design for divided societies. The results of the first election were widely accepted and therefore had a moderating effect in a potentially volatile time. In its founding provisions, the Constitution identifies Universal adult suffrage, a national common voters roll, regular elections and a multi-party system of democratic government, to ensure accountability, responsiveness and openness as essential components of any new electoral system. In 2002 the Cabinet appointed an Electoral Task Team (ETT) to formulate the new electoral laws for the 2004 elections and beyond. The task team was chaired by Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert and consisted of members of government and civil society. The ETT addressed whether or not an electoral system per se had the ability to guarantee accountability, as opposed to other institutional arrangements which govern representatives behaviour while in office like Chapter 9 Institutions. In a first-past-the-post system, representatives are individually scrutinised, but the party as a whole gets a less critical treatment. With further deliberation, the ETT proposed a system that they felt did not drastically change the electoral system in a manner that would completely disrupt the administration of the elections, and could be modified in the future to continuously increase accountability. This system was supported by a majority of the task team, although there was a minority dissent. The majority proposal, better known as the '69 constituency option', proposes expanding the number of multi-member constituencies from nine to 69. The number of constituents per representative is drastically decreased. Three hundred of the 400 total seats would be assigned by this method. The remaining 100 would be decided according to national closed lists, in order to regain proportionality. There were, of course, institutional constraints blocking the immediate implementation of these recommendations. The ETT pointed out the lack of time and funding available. The proposed model is sensitive to these constraints and presents itself as a compromise to ensure accountability. It is worth noting that within the course of the ETTs deliberations, an open list PR system was proposed to induce the correct balance between individual and party accountability. Voters would choose a party and then go on to rank candidates in the order in which they think they should be elected to Parliament, depending on the proportion of votes the party received. Candidates would be beholden to voters to rank them favourably. Proportionality would not be compromised. Challenges to an open list system arise with the sheer number of candidates (200+ in some cases), and the level of literacy required to vote in such a manner. The report was tabled in March 2003, and Parliament voted to revisit the recommendations after the elections. Nevertheless, Cabinet adopted the ETTs minority position, which was to not introduce any changes to the electoral system. The argument forwarded by Home Affairs Minister Buthelezi was that there was insufficient time before the 2004 election to implement the changes. This reason does not preclude the possibility for reform in the future, but the political possibilities for change are bleak. The recommendations have never been re-considered or adopted by Parliament. Attention was drawn again to the recommendations made by the ETT by the Report of the Independent Assessment of Parliament, who listed a reconsideration of the ETTs report first on their list of recommendations for Chapter 9 institutions. Overall, South Africas electoral system requires reform and the report by the ETT needs to be seriously addressed. The electoral system in its current form does indeed espouse and support democratic values of fairness and inclusivity, while maintaining its simplicity. But it is on the key democratic value of accountability where the system remains weak. The deficit in accountability found within South Africas electoral system has weakened key institutions and has enabled the emergence of a one-party dominant system and, more importantly, the dominance of party executives. As seen in the infamous Arms Deal, party interests in the current system trump the public interest. If South Africa is to further the consolidation of its young democracy, ensuring greater accountability between the electorate and political parties is key. This will lead to a strengthening of the democratic fabric of South Africas society and perhaps ensure more responsive governance. That is needed more than anything else right now. Judith February is based at the Institute for Security Studies and is also a Visiting Fellow at the Wits School of Governance. This article was first published online on https://ewn.co.za/. Last week, reporters at The New York Times broke a major story that President Donald Trump helped his father "dodge" taxes, including "instances of outright fraud." They're not done. Companies Crime, law enforcement and corrections Criminal offenses Donald Trump Fraud and financial crimes Government and public administration Investigations New York Times Co Political Figures - US Public finance Tax fraud Taxes and taxation Tax avoidance Government bodies and offices US federal government White House "We've got more leads and more string to pull. We're just going to keep going on it," investigative reporter Susanne Craig told CNN's Brian Stelter on "Reliable Sources" Sunday. "There's a lot of information that we've been given." Craig, who shared a byline on the story with David Barstow and Russ Buettner, said there hopefully would be a part two. According to the analysis by the Times, Trump helped "his parents dodge taxes" in the 1990s, including "instances of outright fraud" that allowed him to accumulate a fortune from them. Over his life, Trump has received at least $413 million in today's dollars from his father's real estate empire. Craig said the story "will have legs" and will take a long time for people to digest. "It sets down a factual narrative of his life that is very much in contrast with the one that's largely out there now," she said, referring to the image of Trump as a self-made billionaire. The reporters began by looking at the 2005 tax return that leaked out in March 2017. They started with some simple questions about how Trump made money that year. Craig said there wasn't a single moment when they realized they had a big story. She called the process a "real journey of discovery." "One thing kind of led to another, and then we started to reach out to sources and got an extraordinary amount of documents," she said. She and her colleagues spent a year and a half going through the materials. The study helped. Craig said the sources who spoke to the Times reporters could tell they knew what they were talking about. "They felt that the story that Donald Trump had peddled that he was a self-made billionaire and that he only got a very little help from his father was just wrong. A lot of the people we talked to knew Fred Trump and knew that was just a bald-face lie." Craig also said the Times would "love" to release Trump's tax returns if sources provide them. Trump has refused to release his tax returns. After Sunday's program, Craig tweeted out: "We are always in the market for more info on President Trump's finances." She reminded people that her mailing address is in her Twitter profile. The tax investigation ran on the front page of The Times on Wednesday. Some media critics suggested that the reporting was somewhat overshadowed by the crush of the Brett Kavanaugh controversy in early October. But Craig said it was published when it was ready -- and has already prompted followup probes by New York regulators. The paper took the unusual step of reprinting the 13,000-word report on Sunday as well. The editor said he could not think of another time when they've reprinted a special report like that. A 30-minute documentary about the reporting is also in the works. The same documentary crew that made "The Fourth Estate" for Showtime also tagged along on this investigation, and the resulting film, titled "The Family Business: Trump and Taxes," will air on Sunday night. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is ready to allow international inspectors into a key nuclear testing site, signaling a step forward in Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. After meeting with Kim in Pyongyang on Sunday, Pompeo told journalists in Seoul that the leader had agreed to open up the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site to inspectors, according to a pool report. North Korea claims to have destroyed the site. When asked for a date on the inspection, Pompeo responded: "As soon as we get it logistically worked out. Chairman Kim said he's ready to allow them to come in. There's a lot of logistics that will be required to execute that." Pompeo said he was hopeful that Kim would allow inspectors to visit a "missile engine test site," believed to be a facility in the town of Tongchang-ri that North Korea says it has begun dismantling. Pyongyang in May failed to follow through with its promises to allow inspectors to assess its demolition of Punggye-ri in what has become a roadblock in the country's denuclearization commitment, which was reiterated in June after a meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump in Singapore. Since Trump and Kim met, US-North Korea relations have stalled. Trump canceled Pompeo's planned trip to Pyongyang in August, citing little evidence that North Korea had followed through on any of its commitments to denuclearize. Pompeo told reporters that a second summit between Trump and Kim was "pretty close." "We are not quite there yet. But we will get there," Pompeo said. "We will be having more frequent and higher level working level group discussions than we have had in some time." Pompeo appeared alongside South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who said a second US-North Korea summit would provide a chance to take "a decisive step forward in the denuclearization and peace process on the Korean Peninsula." TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - The Indiana Fire Marshal Jim Greeson is encouraging Hoosiers to take fire safety seriously during Fire Prevention Week, October 7-13. This years theme, Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware fire can happen anywhere, which aims to remind Hoosiers that following a few simple steps can reduce the chances of a fire and help everyone evacuate safely. According to recent numbers, Indiana is on track for an increase in the number of fire-related deaths over the calendar year. The state has already recorded 67 fire-related deaths to date compared to 70 total fire-related deaths in 2017. Marshal Greeson has a few tips for ensuring a safe home: Replace electric cords that are worn, frayed or covered with clothing, blankets or furniture. Clean dryer lint traps out after every use Flammable items should not be closer than three feet from fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators or portable heaters Alarms should be replaced every eight to 10 years. Over time their sensors become less sensitive. Smoke alarms should be tested every month to make sure they are still working. Alarms should be placed at least 10 feet from a stove, as everyday cooking may be a trigger. Practice home fire drills twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with all residents. Practice using different routes to safety. If smoke, heat or flames block all established escape routes, stay in the room and call the fire department. Once outside, stay at the established meeting point. Never go back inside a burning building. Click here for more information on fire prevention and safety. WESTVILLE, Ind. (WLFI) WLFI will stream the first debate between Indiana's senate candidates ahead of the midterm election. Incumbent Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly, Republican Mike Braun and Libertarian Lucy Brenton will debate on the Purdue Northwest campus Monday night. Monday's debate is the first of two planned debates by the Indiana Debate Commission. The second debate is planned for Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in Indianapolis. News 18 will begin the stream at 7 p.m. on WLFI.com. A massive flooding event is underway in the Plains from Manitoba to Mexico. 10 states are under Flood Watches with nearly the entire state of Iowa covered. Heavy rainfall courtesy of the Pacific moisture & hurricanes, typhoon remnants & blocking ridge has led to days & days of rain & more is ahead. Nearly every substantial river system is in flood from Texas to northern Illinois. Here, we will just be near/record warm today & tomorrow with highs 85-90. I am forecasting 87 today at Greater Lafayette & 86 tomorrow. The records are 91 & 90, respectively, set in 2007. The nights will be near/record warm with lows of 67-72. I am forecast lows of 68 tonight & tomorrow night for Greater Lafayette. The record warmest night-time lows are 67 set in 1939 & 1904 for tomorrow & Wednesday mornings. Records go back to late 1879. Showers & storms are likely Wednesday. If we can get a break with some sun in the afternoon (between showers & storms), The squall line that develops with the cold front may end up with some severe weather. Wind would be the main threat. At this point, it appears that cloudy, wet weather ahead of it may hamper instability so much as to greatly limit severe risk. Given the wind profiles, if some sun & buoyancy can come to fruition, then some severe weather risk may occur. Regardless, locally heavy rainfall is possible. Given the MJO phase & the extremely balmy water in the Gulf I think Tropical Storm Michael could become a surprise MAJOR hurricane. This intensification would occur very rapidly. There is a window for this to occur where it peaks at Category 4. Could happen. Regardless, at least a 2 will occur. The flooding rains of the hurricane will head for the Carolinas, unfortunately. They are still recoving from the multi-billion dollar Florence disaster. So, note our Wednesday rainfall, the Plains flood, Hurricane Michael & the early-season Rockies/Plains snowstorm to blizzard & the complete breakdown of the southeastern/eastern U.S. subtropical hot ridge as the pattern completely breaks. Also note the the Arctic high setting up over the area by late week & the Hurricane Sergio racing toward a Baja California landfall. The last time we had such big floods in the Southwest from these multiple Pacific hurricanes in that area was the late 1970s. The remnants of Hurricane Sergio, along with a cold front, will bring a cold rain here Saturday night with 40s (after in the 50s to 60 Thursday & 50s Friday & Saturday). At first it looked like Friday night, but the pattern looks less progressive in regards to that rain at the moment. Another Arctic high will then dive back southward, re enforcing the cold. Note the snowflakes as far south as southeast Indiana October 15! A mix of lake effect rain & snow showers are likely, which may skim by our northeastern counties. I doubt we will even make it to 50 Monday or Tuesday of next week. Frost & freezing is possible Friday night, then Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday nights of next week (20s & 30s). INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 8, 2018--Purdue University Global announced today it has introduced an innovative bachelor of science degree in cloud computing, the first new degree program offered by Purdue Global since its establishment within the Purdue University system in April. Purdue Global also announced it has partnered with ManTech, a global leader in technology solutions, to offer the cloud computing program to its employees, supporting ManTechs portfolio of mission-focused solutions for national security, intelligence community and federal civilian agencies. Forrester Research reports that by 2020, 59 percent of the worlds consumer Internet population will use personal cloud storage, up from 47 percent in 2015. Were thrilled that ManTech has chosen Purdue Global as its partner in this fascinating and incredibly fast-growing area of study, said Dr. Jeffrey Buck, dean of Purdue Globals School of Business and IT. Our new cloud computing degree program is an example of how we can help organizations meet the demand for highly trained workers while creating a personalized, high-quality educational experience for students that fits their schedules. The new Purdue Global cloud computing program, developed with real-world requirements and input from experts at ManTech, will help students master the foundational goals of cloud computing. These include understanding cloud trends, recognizing best practices and evaluating different cloud providers and solutions. It also includes examination of some of the worlds most prestigious cloud service providers, including AWS, Azure and Google. We see strong synergy between this exciting new cloud computing education program and the CISSP cyber certification training we launched in 2017, said Kevin M. Phillips, ManTech president and CEO. As our customers pursue cloud-centric transformation and modernization, they can rely on ManTech people with proven expertise in cloud computing and cyber that take digital to the tactical edge, ensuring mission success, peak performance of new virtual systems, and end-to-end cybersecurity. Like other ManTech-sponsored employee education programs, the new partnership with Purdue Global provides extreme flexibility for participating employees. Course registration is open at least four times per year, and all training in vendor and service provider certifications is online and self-directed. Beginners start with basic concepts in cloud computing, such as cloud infrastructure administration and migrating data to the cloud. More experienced individuals with a deeper background can accelerate into advanced courses. As with other Purdue Global certificate and degree programs, the cloud computing degree program is built to accommodate busy schedules, enabling adult students to learn at their own pace. In addition, students can receive college credits for their on-the-job cloud experience and previous certifications through its innovative ExcelTrack program, which saves time and helps students complete their degrees faster. This breakthrough initiative leverages ManTechs proven technology expertise in a college-accredited program that will attract and train top-level talent, said Jeff Brody, ManTechs Chief Human Resources Officer. It enhances our tradition of helping ManTech people leverage their experience, build on it and advance their careers in new ways that help safeguard America. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Business rates scrapped for childcare providers in Wrexham under new initiative This article is old - Published: Monday, Oct 8th, 2018 Childrens day nurseries in Wrexham will be exempt from paying business rates from April 2019. The Welsh Government has announced it will provide all registered childcare properties with 100% rates relief. It is estimated that the scheme will provide an estimated 7.5m of additional support to childcare providers over three years and help develop and strengthen the childcare sector. The news has been welcomed by Wrexhams Assembly Member, Lesley Griffiths, who said the rate relief will encourage the childcare sector to grow. Lesley Griffiths AM said: Enhancing childcare provision across Wales is a key priority for the Welsh Government and introducing a total exemption on business rates will make a real difference. It will help childcare providers become more established, create new childcare jobs and encourage the sector to grow. Welsh Goverment Minister for Children, Huw Irranca-Davies said: The childcare sector has told us that a total exemption from non-domestic rates would make a real difference to their business confidence. Weve listened and taken action. In addition to the significant investment were making in childcare, and the support were providing the sector to grow, the announcement shows our commitment to developing a top-class childcare sector in Wales. By providing enhanced support for the childcare sector, we will further improve access to childcare places, supporting working families across Wales and make it easier for people to take up and retain jobs. The latest announcement follows last months decision to increase the pace of the rollout of the Welsh Governments flagship childcare policy. The Childcare offer, which is being implemented nationwide in phases, provides 30 hours a week of government-funded early education and childcare to working parents of 3 and 4 year olds for up to 48 weeks of the year. Whilst the offer is already available to certain Wrexham residents depending on where they live, it will be available to all by January 2019. Park & ride and on street ticket machines suggested to solve ongoing town centre street parking issues This article is old - Published: Monday, Oct 8th, 2018 Calls for Wrexham Council to create a Parking Masterplan have been made by councillors due to the continuous parking issues for residents who live in and around the town centre. Five councillors Adrienne Jeorrett, Marc Jones , Paul Jones, Alun Jenkins, Paul Roberts who represents wards around the town centre, have made the call in a topic-request form to the homes and environment committee. Parking issues in streets surrounding the town centre have been ongoing for sometime, with Wrexham.com reporting three years ago that traffic surveys were due to be carried out in the Ruthin Road area, near Bellevue Park, following a series of complaints. However such problems are not unique to that part of the town, with side streets in Rhosddu, Smithfield, Maesydre and even supermarkets and the Wrexham Maelor Hospital also seeing a spike in congestion. Within the topic-request it is noted a number of reasons are to blame for the parking issues, including: Number of cars per household ( families, renters and HMOs) and size of modern cars Low wage town centre workers parking in streets as they cant afford buses and car park costs Coleg Cambria students parking in side streets and town centre workers unwilling to pay for parking Car park prices council and private Lack of public transport ( recent Arriva bus cancellations) Anti-social working hours parking in streets, no buses to get to work or return home Disabled parking/ needs and street signage Problems of displacing cars on to other streets further out of town Streets not built to accommodate number of cars No park and ride for Wrexham As a result it is stated that councillors that represent the seven town wards are being contacted about are varied but are persistent problems that are getting worse. These include disabled residents not being able to park near their homes, residents with work vehicles having to park far from their home and having it broken in to HMOs and rented accommodation increasing the number of cars and public perception of lack of council interest in residents parking. It is also noted that the problems have got so bad in some places, that a number of residents will not use their cars during the day, are unable to park near their property until after 7pm and have considered moving from the area altogether. In a bid to improve the situation, the town councillors have called for the creation of a Parking Masterplan and also a review of the current residents parking scheme which was created in 2010/2011. As part of this it has been proposed that a task and finish group is established, a consultation is carried out between residents and community councils and even brought to full council for discussion. In their request, the councillors say: The residents parking scheme was written in 2010. It would benefit in being updated in view of changes to town centre and to buses. There are many different options across the UK to resolve the problems of parking problems for residents and town centre businesses. A Master Plan would also need to include public transport and active travel. A Master plan would be able to look at the economic benefits of designed parking to support businesses, organisations, local residents. It would mean that Wrexham could be a more easily accessible place for visitors, shoppers and residents. When it is easier to go to out of town shopping areas or supermarkets because it is easier to park then business will not be encouraged to come to Wrexham. Any master plan would fully compliment the Town Centre Master Plan. It is important to note that space is a commodity and that whilst there is the need for people to pay market value for it, there also needs to be a balance with business and the local community. The pricing is therefore a trial and error process which needs to be explored. An appendix document submitted alongside the topic-request outlines four potential options / suggestions for further discussion and research work. Such suggestions include the introduction of a park and ride for office works and a ban on non-resident parking / restrictions times parking in conjunction with the hospital. There have been calls for a park and ride serving the town centre for sometime, particularly in a bid to reduce parking issues at the Wrexham Maelor for sometime. Other suggestions include residents permits in the designated town area, with limited parking for non-residents and ticket machines in streets which are more expensive than using car parks for non-residents. However an officer comment featured in the councillors request warns that the council is not in a position to subsidise the cost of implementing and operating (enforcement) schemes in terms of permits for residents. The officer says: There are a number of reasons why RPS (resident parking permits) have not proceeded through to implementation, the main reasons being the cost (84.00) of individual permits together with the realisation that RPS cannot guarantee spaces will be available or that those spaces will be in close proximity to the applicants property address. Surveys undertaken back in 2010 highlighted that in many areas the demands from residents for parking exceeded the available space on street. These streets were simply not designed to accommodate the number of vehicles per household with the problem exacerbated by the increase in the number of HMO properties. Notwithstanding the level of resources required to undertake a review of residents parking including for additional feasibility work, the outcome will be the same as the Council is not in a position to subsidise the cost of implementing and operating (enforcement) schemes. That is unless additional sources of income can be found to offset the costs. Given the current financial pressures facing the department, subsidising RPS could not be considered a priority. The issue of on street parking and the creation of a Parking Masterplan is expected to be considered at a later meeting. You can read the initial request and appendix on the council website. Wrexham misses out on Business Improvement District funding Mold & Llangollen will benefit This article is old - Published: Monday, Oct 8th, 2018 Wrexham has missed out a share of 260,000 funding from Welsh Government as local businesses have not got their act together to access the pot of money. Ten partnerships will share over part of the 260k of Welsh Government funding to explore establishing Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Wales, to boost the local economy and to support regeneration efforts. A BID is based around a geographic area with a small extra tax levied and ringfenced to be spent by an independent BID company made up of businesses taking part the idea being a collective generates and spends the money how they see fit. A BID can be formed after a vote, and if passed can effectively be enforced on those who voted against or did not take part in the vote with some seeing it as undemocratic. As we reported in 2013 the Town Centre Forum requested that Wrexham Council put forward a request for funding from the Welsh Government to pay for a feasibility study for a BID in Wrexham. The request was kicked off by then Chairman Kevin Critchley, with the idea seemingly dropping off the radar under the chairmanship of Nigel Lewis, and more lately Alex Jones. It is possible the private Steering Group have had more recent detailed updates, however that has not been shared with Forum attendees. In 2016 we wrote how then Cllr Neil Rogers told us after the initial question several hundred letters were written to local businesses to gauge the appetite for a Wrexham BID however nearly no responses were received, but there has been no further progress we are aware of. We have written about town centre improvement spending and compared it to a BID set up in Chester, which sees a sizeable chunk of funding reinvested every year. In Fridays Welsh Government announcement, they outline possible spending of BID cash could include marketing, promotion and events, car parking, tackling anti-social behaviour, improving access to towns, or work to make the area more vibrant and viable. The towns receiving funding as part of the current Welsh Government programme are: Brecon Llangollen Newtown Barry Port Talbot Treorchy Aberdare Mold Funding is also being provided to Newport for an ICT and digital-focused BID and to Ebbw Vale for a BID focused on industry linked to the Enterprise Zone. Sector BIDs across the UK are increasing in number, and Welsh Government is keen to ensure they are encouraged in Wales. Minister for Housing and Regeneration Rebecca Evans said: We are seeing BIDs make a real difference to town centres across Wales, but setting them up takes time, effort and support, which is why we provide Welsh Government funding to get them off the ground. We are committed to creating lasting economic change in the South Wales Valleys through our Valleys Taskforce, and I hope the BID proposals in Aberdare, Treorchy, Port Talbot and Ebbw Vale, will play a significant role in this. BIDs can help to revitalise our town centres and promote regeneration. We have seen existing BIDs delivering increased street cleaning initiatives, tackling antisocial behaviour, reducing crime, offering bespoke business training courses and hosting numerous events and festivals. Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: Collectively, the 8 BIDs created in the last programme have generated over 5 million private investment to support their chosen activities. This is a significant return on our investment, helping drive local economic development and supporting our Welsh high streets. I am particularly pleased to see 2 innovative proposals come forward. The proposal from Ebbw Vale aligns with the broader work of the Enterprise Zone in that area and complements other initiatives, including the 100 million Tech Valleys Initiative. In Newport I am keen to see how a BID focused on the ICT and digital sectors can help support our more regionally focused approach to economic development. Workers at the Detroit Westin Book Cadillac hotel struck Sunday morning, joining thousands of other hotel workers on strike across the US. It is the first hotel strike in Detroit in 30 years. Workers picket Detroit Westin Book Cadillac Hotel One hundred sixty workers in Detroit who had been working since June without a contract walked out over economic issues, including pay and benefits. Meanwhile, 5,000 workers at Marriott hotels in five other cites, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Chicago and Boston, members of UNITE HERE, are continuing strikes. Strikers in Detroit include housekeepers, cashiers, servers, barmen and desk personnel. They are seeking a substantial wage increase to achieve at least parity with other Westin hotel workers in Detroit. While the Book Cadillac is the most profitable Westin property in the city, workers took a wage freeze in 2008 and have not had a substantial pay increase since then. Housekeepers start at about $14 an hour, a poverty wage that makes it impossible for many workers to live in the city, which has seen soaring rents due to property speculation downtown. Workers told the World Socialist Web Site that they wanted an immediate raise to at least $20 per hour. However, union officials contacted by the WSWS were not willing to spell out any specific demands. Picketers at the Detroit Westin Book Cadillac Hotel A UNITE HERE official reported that workers at the Book Cadillac have had a cumulative 70-cent per hour pay raise over the last 10 years. As a consequence, workers at the Book Cadillac now make $6,000 a year less than workers at the nearby Detroit Westin, Renaissance Center. On top of that health insurance premium costs amount to $50 per week, making it impossible for many workers to afford coverage. Detroit hotel workers are facing a management strikebreaking operation using supervisors and temporary workers. However, UNITE HERE has isolated the strike. There has been no call issued to other sections of workers, such as tens of thousands of Detroit area autoworkers, teachers, Amazon workers or others for support. Meanwhile, UNITE HERE members at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport hotel are continuing to work, even though they have been without a contract for more than a year. Workers will not receive strike pay, despite UNITE HERE having nearly 270,000 members in North America, with workers paying some $11 in weekly dues. We are their most profitable [Detroit] hotel. They are 100 percent sold out every other week, said Rikisha, a Book Cadillac housekeeper. She noted that a king room runs $300 a night and a top floor suite is $1,000. Yet I am barely managing. I work from paycheck to paycheck. Rikisha Brantley at the picket at Detroit Westin Book Cadillac I am the only night housekeeper. The normal is 16 rooms a night, but I may have as many as 21. It is hard to handle just by myself. I am supposed to get off at 11 p.m., but sometimes I work until 1:30 a.m. She continued, We want $20 an hour. We work too hard to get any less. Another Book Cadillac worker, Ruchelle, a steward, said, We want better wages and insurance. She continued, We put on a lot of banquets. They want us to meet their demands, they should meet ours. Shellena, another worker, said, Marriott says this is enough to live on? She pointed out that management has imposed an onerous workload in exchange for meager pay. One Sunday I had five suites and two double rooms, and they had all been trashed! Said Trina, You cant make it with a family. You work crazy hours, so you cant even get a second job. WSWS reporters also spoke to striking Marriott workers in San Francisco. Some 2,500 Marriott employees in downtown San Francisco walked off the job Thursday morning at seven hotels. The workers are fighting for higher wages, workplace safety and job security. The walkout followed an overwhelming strike authorization vote. One worker said, Its really tough for people who have a family and kids. The rent increases every month in San Francisco, and I only make $14 an hour here so I have to work two jobs. I started at $13 five years ago and have barely had a raise, while theyre cutting our work by about three hours a week. We just want to survive in this country and city. Striking hotel workers at Marriott Marquis in San Francisco Another San Francisco Marriott worker said, When the contract expired we lost our benefits. We werent asking for much, just a slight raise, but Marriott doesnt want to renew. Daily expenses in San Francisco are too high, and we only make $14.25 an hour. Ive heard hotel workers in Hawaii are going out next. We need to connect with workers at all the Marriotts. There is a broad sentiment among hotel workers for a determined fight after years in which wages have been suppressed while profits for the hotel chains have boomed. UNITE HERE has done everything it can to undermine solidarity, limiting strike action and cutting separate deals that leave workers isolated and divided. The union has done nothing to mobilize broader support in the working class under conditions where management is resorting to strikebreaking to maintain operations. The series of hotel strikes take place under conditions of a broad mood of militancy in the working class, reflected in massive strike votes by steelworkers at ArcelorMittal and US Steel as well as the 54 percent contract rejection vote by UPS workers of a sellout deal negotiated by the Teamsters. Nothing can be won on the basis of isolated, individual strikes. Hotel workers should form independent workplace committees to expand the strikes, linking up the struggles of workers in different cities as part of a broader mobilization of the working class. These committees must formulate demands that meet the real needs of workers for livable wages, full health care coverage and job protections. The resignation on October 2 of Gerard Collomb, the second-ranking minister in the government, under conditions without precedent in Frances Fifth Republic, has laid bare the extreme weakness and deep crisis of President Emmanuel Macrons government. After Macron initially refused Collombs resignation on October 1, Collomb submitted it again and forced Macron to accept it a day after having refused it. Macron, apparently taken by surprise, was forced to give the job to Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, while he looked for a replacement. Philippe was then forced to cancel a scheduled official visit to South Africa. Collomb had already announced last month that he intended to leave the government after the May 2019 European elections, supposedly to run in the municipal elections in Lyon in 2020. This announcement had effectively left Frances powerful interior ministry leaderless. The departure of one of the Macron presidential campaigns first supporters and the sudden collapse of the Macron-Collomb alliance, a pillar of the executive since Macrons election last year, has directly undermined the president. While it was expected, it has also staggered the entire French ruling elite. It underscores the instability of the government as it sets out to make many fundamental attacks on democratic rights and cuts to basic social programs, including pensions, health care and unemployment insurance created by workers struggles over several generations. The press was alarmed at the circumstances of Collombs resignation. In the second year of his term, the late Interior Minister defied the president of the Republic and made him back down. It is a first in the Fifth Republic whose 60th birthday we are celebrating on October 4, wrote Le Monde, adding: With his departure, the former ally of Emmanuel Macron has indeed unleashed a crisis of authority at the summit of the state. The newspaper also warned about the visible impotence of the head of government, Edouard Philippe, who will look like a fool in front of the deputies as he seems totally taken by surprise, although the constitution makes him responsible for nominating and firing ministers. Echoing broader media accusations that Collomb deserted his post, the paper adds that after Macron and Philippe, The third victim is Collomb himself, as one wonders if he understood very well the implications of his actions for what is known as the authority of the state. After his departure, Collomb immediately distanced himself from the president. He announced his intention to run in the Lyon municipal elections as an unaffiliated candidate, thus abandoning Macrons Republic on the March (LRM) party. And over the last several days, Collomb and his associates have made multiple biting or alarmist comments in the press about the viability of Macrons presidency. Collombs associates told La Depeche du Midi that shortly before his resignation, Collomb told them: Those who are still able to speak frankly to Macron are those who were there from the beginning: Ferrand, Castaner, Griveaux and me He will end up hating me. But if everyone bows down before him, he will end up being isolated, because occupying the Elysee presidential palace by nature isolates people. Collomb himself declared on LCI that his relationship with Macron exploded because I tried to bring him news of what is happening on the ground. He added on BFM-TV that Macron will be a victim of hubris ... the curse of the gods. When at a certain time, you become overly sure of yourself, you conclude that you will clear out everything in your path. There is a phrase that says that those whom the gods would destroy, they first strike blind. Above all, Collombs departure takes place amid persistent and broad-based protests and complaints among the police and domestic security forces. This already erupted into public police protests at the end of 2016 and in 2017, to which Collomb alluded in his resignation speech at the interior ministry on October 3, mentioning the ongoing revolt of the police. Thousands of policemen had marched multiple times in cities across France, demanding more funding and recognition for the repression of mass protests against the labor law that they were carrying out under the state of emergency and the so-called war on terror. This opposition also emerged in the Benalla affair this summer, which thoroughly destabilized the government. When it emerged that Alexandre Benalla, a close Macron aide, had beaten up peaceful protesters on May Day while posing as a policeman, much of Frances parliamentary opposition applauded the police against Macron. At the head of this operation stood Unsubmissive France (LFI) leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, who declared an open alliance with the right-wing The Republicans (LR) party on the issue and also worked in concert with the neo-fascist National Rally (formerly National Front) of Marine Le Pen. All of them took the opportunity to support the police repression on May Day. This episode has confirmed that Macron has indeed lost the support of significant sections of what has long been a key social base of the French government: the police forces. While the ongoing police protests are fertile grounds for various far-right provocations, Melenchon is trying to pass them off them off as progressive, and to pass off the police as democratic supporters of the Republic. In fact, faced with the unpopularity of the executive, the police are preparing stepped-up repression of workers struggles and working class neighborhoods. In his resignation speech last week, Collomb insisted on the need for greater police intervention in working class suburbs, saying the police had to ensure security and carry out a Republican reconquest of these districts. With Collombs departure, it is not simply one of Macrons longest-standing supporters that is leaving the sinking ship. It is the second top-ranked minister to resign in a month, after Ecology Minister Nicolas Hulot. After the rail strike and the privatization of the National Railways (SNCF), Macrons popularity ratings have evaporated. An Elabe poll found that only 6 percent of French people believe that his policies will improve their well-being. Collombs departure confirms the enormous weakness of the Macron government, which is fundamentally due to the enormous and growing social inequality in France, and the deep opposition in the working class to Macrons program. The rallying of LFI officials close to the union bureaucracy to the side of the police underscores the urgent need for the working class to make a new development in their struggle against Macron and the European Union. As the Socialist Equality Party has explained, to stop the drive to austerity and military-police rule, workers cannot fight within the straitjacket imposed by the unions, which they have already largely abandoned. The task is to build their own committees of action and prepare a movement that will raise the necessity of the transfer of power to the working class. This is the second part of a four-part series. The first part can be accessed here. The third part will be published Wednesday, October 10. Within weeks of the June 1995 election of Mike Harris Progressive Conservative Ontario government, Embarrass Harris protests erupted across the province. The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) stood aloof from these initial actions, which focused on the Tories brutal 21.5 percent cut in welfare benefits. By the end of the year, however, the OFL had changed course and was seeking to use its financial-organizational muscle to place itself at the head of the opposition movement, the better to politically control and contain it. Ontarios union apparatuses had been bitterly divided in the preceding years over their response to the anti-worker policies of the union-backed Rae NDP government, which under pressure from the Canadian and US banks and credit-agencies had imposed sweeping social spending cuts. Fearing that they would be utterly discredited in the eyes of their own members if they signed onto the governments wage- and job-cutting social contract, CUPE, the other public sector unions, and the Canadian Auto Workers (CAWnow Unifor) mounted an ineffectual protest campaign against the pay freezes and Rae Days(unpaid leave) that were imposed on a million public sector workers. Twelve major private sector unions, including the United Steelworkers (USW), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), and Machinists (IAM), the so-called Pink Paper unions, meanwhile, openly supported the social-democrats and denounced the worker opposition to their social contract. The bureaucrats at the OFL had no appetite to launch a militant fight against the Tory government, but, with significant protests erupting in the late summer and fall of 1995, felt it necessary to offer at least a fig leaf of opposition to safeguard their bogus claims to represent working people. As a November OFL convention convened, thousands of childcare workers staged a province-wide one-day strike. High sounding resolutions at that convention, and two subsequent OFL gatherings, mandated the leadership to organize a general strike. Predictably, no date was ever set, nor any other organizational initiatives ever taken toward realizing such a strike. As a CAW executive member present at the November 1995 convention reported in David Rapaports book No Justice, No Peace, The labour movement was dragged into [the anti-Harris protests] kicking and screaming. The vast majority wanted to do nothing except just educate our members to just vote NDP in the next election. That was more or less the consensus. But we had a strong sense that this was not going to work. We started out thinking we could organize a Day of Action and build it up to 3 or 4 or 5 events. But it was absolutely clear that we couldnt get the majority of unions, both public and private, on side and that it would be a challenge for us. To placate those delegates calling for a more militant posture, and more importantly to ensure the unions remained in control of a radicalizing working class, OFL President Gord Wilson backed a motion to organize a community protest. Lets do a community, he proposed, and see what kind of response we get. The city of London was subsequently chosen for a December 1995 day of protest. If turnout was sporadic, as union leaders postulated, they could always argue that London was never a bastion of working class militancy. The response from rank-and-file workers and students in that mid-sized Ontario city on a bitterly cold Friday two weeks before Christmas stunned the labour bureaucracy. Thirty thousand workers struck. Thousands of students stayed away from school. Picket lines spread across the city. Autoworkers at GM Diesel and, in outlying towns, at CAMI Ingersoll and Ford St. Thomas shut down production. About 20,000 marched through Londons streets. In January 1996, 40,000 teachers demonstrated at the provincial legislature in Toronto. In February, a second Day of Action was held in the union stronghold of Hamilton, Canadas Steel City. Some 30,000 workers walked off the job for the day, including many members of the Pink Paper USW, which had opposed any worker job-action. The following day, over 100,000 people marched in the city of 520,000. Crowds chanted, Mike. Mike. How would you like a General Strike! Autoworkers at Fords giant assembly plant in nearby Oakville sought union sanction to participate in the strike, but the CAW, which had joined with the OFL to oppose widening the days of action to regional strikes, squelched the mobilization. The union bureaucracies, hoping all along to ride the tiger, became increasingly concerned that the tiger might escape their control and ride them. In February, 55,000 civil servants in the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) began what became a five-week strike against the Harris governments demands for draconian contract concessions and job cuts. The strike witnessed the infamous Whack em and Stack em police riot in March to break picket lines at the provincial legislature. Fearing that the mass upsurge in the working class could develop into an outright fight to bring down the Harris government, the OFL left the public servants to fight alone. By early April, OPSEU called off the strike, having capitulated to the governments principal demands. Two weeks later, 10,000 workers received permanent layoff notices. Two decades on, with workers once again entering into a pivotal struggle against a Tory government, the pseudo-left, as part of their efforts to rehabilitate the discredited unions and provide them with a left cover, are deliberately falsifying the unions criminal role in the anti-Harris movement. Turning reality on its head, Sam Gindin, a former CAW research director and the principal leader, along with Marxist academic Leo Panitch, of the Socialist Project, argues in a recent article, Will the Ontario Labour Movement Return to Class Struggle? that the union bureaucracy led the anti-Harris movement and had to convince a reluctant rank and file to follow. Though the protests against Harris had begun among the social movements, writes Gindin, only [the labour movement] could effectively interrupt the daily functioning of workplaces and cities and the OFL proved especially adept at organizing these shutdowns. Later we will rebut Gindins claims that the OFLs Days of Action ran out of steam and that the anti-Harris movement should not be viewed as a defeat, even if, as he himself concedes, it left Harris and his neoliberal reforms in place. Here it should just be noted that despite some left sounding criticisms of contemporary unions for failing to articulate a social vision or strategy for addressing the power of the state, Gindin adopts the same hostile attitude as did the then OFL President Gord Wilson to a working-class challenge to the Harris government. In a bid to reassure Harris and the corporate elite that the unions were leading a protest movement with the double aim of keeping control of the working class and reaching an accommodation with Harrisnot developing an independent working-class political offensiveWilson emphatically declared, as the working opposition to the Conservatives swelled in the first half of 1996, that there was no question of the unions seeking to bring down the Harris government. I accept, said Wilson, that Harris has a constitutional mandate to govern. Gindin, for his part, cynically justifies the unions opposition to the especially uncertain terrain of a general strike. He claims the call for a general strike lacked traction since the unity among the unions such a strategy demanded was simply absent, and, in any event, the working class had not given a mandate for such a radical step. While opposing any struggle to force Harris resignation or new elections, the OFL leadership sought to create the impression that the reactionary policies of the Ontario government were simply the product of Harris political proclivities and personality. The demonization of Harris, who was depicted in union propaganda as the fount of all the attacks raining down on Ontario workers, played an important part in the union bureaucracys efforts to politically undercut the opposition movement. By focusing entirely on Harris, the unions obscured the real stakes in the struggle and sought to politically quarantine the increasingly militant Ontario workers from their class brothers and sisters elsewhere in Canada. The Conservative attacks were unprecedented, but they were only the advance column of a big business offensive in which parties of every stripe were conscripted. They occurred at the same time as the Chretien-Martin Liberal government was imposing the largest social spending cuts in Canadian history at the federal level. Moreover, while unions like the CAW and CUPE postured in Ontario as opponents of Harris attacks, in Quebec they openly supported the Lucien Bouchard-led Parti Quebecois government in its zero deficit campaign. This included helping draft an early retirement scheme that resulted in the permanent elimination of tens of thousands of education and healthcare jobs. In an attempt to deescalate the burgeoning working class movement, calls to move toward a general strike were ignored by the OFL. Instead, two smaller cities were earmarked for Days of Action, Kitchener in mid-April and Peterborough in June 1996. But with the provincial Conservative Party scheduling its convention in Toronto in October and workers still clamouring for an escalation of their struggle, the unions reluctantly called two days of protests, including a one-day strike, for Toronto, the countrys largest city. OFL leaders hoped that one final maneuver would bring Harris back to a round-table discussion with the unions on stabilizing the situation. In the interim, a three week autoworkers strike at General Motors Canada was consciously kept separate from the general mobilization against Harris. The CAW wound up that dispute two days before the Toronto action was due to begin. Going beyond the unions plans for the first day of protest, striking workers shut down the entire Metro Toronto transit system on Friday, October 25, while tens of thousands of workers struck their enterprises, called in sick or booked time off. Government agencies, including sorting at the countrys principal postal sorting facility, ground to a halt. Convoys of truckers staged rolling go slows on the highways. According to estimates, over a million Toronto commuters, unable or unwilling to go to work, stayed at home. The countrys financial institutions headquartered in Toronto, as well as the citys hospitals, were reduced to essential services. Television coverage likened the streets of central Toronto to a ghost town. So much for Gindin and the union bureaucracys blather about the lack of desire among workers for a general strike! The following day, one of the largest demonstrations in the history of Canada wound its way through the city. Crowd estimates varied between 150,000 to a quarter of a million participants. From his perch at the Toronto Convention Center, Harris took the measure of the trade union bureaucracy. It was a good show, he told reporters, A good parade. For his part, OFL president Wilson stayed away from the Toronto rally to attend an NDP fund-raising event in northern Ontario. The US Senate on Saturday confirmed Brett Kavanaugh as associate justice of the Supreme Court in a near-party-line vote of 50 to 48. Kavanaugh was sworn in only a few hours later by Chief Justice John Roberts in a private ceremony with no press in attendance. Kavanaugh will take his seat on the high court when it resumes work Monday, shifting the nine-member body even further to the right. With his elevation, there is a solid bloc of five extreme right justicesRoberts, Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trumps first nominee. All five were named by Republican presidents. The four-member minority of conservative-to-moderate liberals consists of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, all named by Democratic presidents. For the first time in modern US history, there will be no swing justice who oscillates to some extent between the two main factions. The seat now occupied by Kavanaugh was held from 1971 to 1987 by Lewis Powell, a conservative pro-business jurist who voted with the majority in Roe v. Wade. It was then held from 1989 to 2018 by Anthony Kennedy, another pro-business conservative who wrote several key gay rights decisions and supported abortion rights. Kavanaugh, equally right-wing on corporate interests and police powers, is an ultra-conservative Catholic who upholds Church doctrine on both abortion and gay rights. Besides being predisposed to provide the fifth vote to reverse the Roe v. Wade decision and the Obergefell decision on gay marriage, Kavanaugh compiled a far-right record as an appeals court judge on such issues as police violence, government spying on the American people, executive authority versus the legislative and judicial branches, and democratic rights in general. In one of his most notorious opinions, he backed the efforts of the Trump administration to deny an abortion to an undocumented teenager being held by the immigration authorities. The young girl, who had been raped, was able to obtain an abortion only because Kavanaugh was in the minority on a three-judge appeals court panel, and the young woman terminated her pregnancy before the Supreme Court overturned the lower court ruling. Kavanaugh is a rabid Republican Party loyalist going back to his days as a top attorney in the Kenneth Starr investigation, which witch-hunted President Bill Clinton for a consensual sexual relationship and laid the basis for his impeachment by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Clinton was subsequently acquitted in a Senate trial. The future Supreme Court justice joined another right-wing legal hit squad that was more successfulthe team of lawyers who successfully appealed to the US Supreme Court to block the counting of votes in Florida after the 2000 presidential election, handing the states electoral votes and the presidency to Republican George W. Bush, who had lost the popular vote. Kavanaugh was rewarded with a top job in the Bush White House, where he played a role in the drafting of legal permission for the CIA to torture detainees at secret overseas prisons, including Guantanamo Bay. Bush later nominated him to the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the second-highest federal court, which he joined in 2006. The margin of Kavanaughs confirmation, 50-48, was the narrowest for any Supreme Court justice in 137 years. Four of the five members of the right-wing bloc on the court have the four lowest total votes for Senate confirmation in modern history: Kavanaugh with 50, the bare minimum, Thomas with 52, Gorsuch with 54 and Alito with 58. Until a procedural vote on Friday, the announced Senate votes on Kavanaugh were evenly split, 48 to 48, with four publicly undecided senators: Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. They split 3-1 on the procedural vote, to limit debate on the nomination, which passed 51-49. The same lineup would have been in effect in Saturdays confirmation vote, but the lone Republican opponent, Murkowski, abstained to offset the absence of a pro-Kavanaugh Republican, Steve Daines, producing the 50-48 result. While Manchin did not make his intentions public until the procedural vote, he had conveyed his decision to support Kavanaugh to the Senate leadership and the White House on Thursday, according to a report in Politico. Flake had earlier sent a similar signal, while remaining publicly undecided. This means that well before the procedural vote and Collins much-publicized decision to vote for confirmation, the Democrat Manchin had made certain that Kavanaugh would receive at least the 50 votes he needed. Vice President Mike Pence would have broken a 50-50 tie by voting in favor of Kavanaugh, but that in the end proved unnecessary. The final Senate debate confirmed the completely right-wing character of the Democratic Partys nominal opposition to Kavanaugh, as senator after senator decried the nomination on the grounds of unproven sexual assault allegations against the judge, while remaining virtually silent on his ultra-right record as a political operative and jurist. Perhaps the low point came at 4 a.m. Saturday morning, when Democrat Jeff Merkley of Oregon devoted two hours to reading out the testimonies of more than 30 rape and sexual assault victims, none of them victims of Kavanaugh. The Democrats single-minded focus on the unproven sexual assault allegations allowed Republican senators to posture as defenders of democratic principles such as the presumption of innocence, even though they regularly trample on them when it comes to immigrants, refugees, victims of police violence or anyone caught up in the dragnet of the US war on terror. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pontificated about the presumption of innocence in his speech on the Senate floor urging confirmation of Kavanaugh. At the same time, he boasted of the long-term effects of the court-packing being carried out under the Trump administration, putting right-wing judges in a position to flout popular opinion for decades to come. He described the two Supreme Court justices and 26 federal appeals court judges nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate as the most important contribution we have made to the country that will last the longest. The leading pro-Democratic Party newspaper, the New York Times, suggested in its editorial that it would have readily backed a justice just as right-wing as Kavanaugh, if only without the sexual assault allegations, declaring regretfully, while Mr. Trump had plenty of qualified, highly conservative lawyers to pick among, he chose to insist on Judge Kavanaugh. The Times then went on to lament that the conflict over Kavanaugh had weakened the Supreme Court as an institution. The editors warned: The Court has had a majority of Republican-appointed justices for nearly half a century, of course, and its credibility has endured, despite controversial decisions like Bush v. Gore, which handed the White House to a Republican president. But the elevation of Judge Kavanaugh represents something new. This is a concern shared by both capitalist parties. Longtime ultra-right pundit William Bennettsecretary of education in the Reagan administrationcompared the current divisions in the United States to those in the period leading up to the Civil War. He told the Washington Post, This is the second most divided time in our history, and Im worried about the legitimacy of the court. What concerns spokesmen of all factions of the US ruling elite is that the Supreme Court is one of the pillars of class rule in the United States, long the bastion of the defense of property, wealth and the power of the military-intelligence apparatus against popular opposition. Like all the other institutions of bourgeois rule, it has been deeply discredited, not merely by the current political mudslinging over Kavanaugh, but by decades of reactionary, anti-democratic and thoroughly politicized decision-making, as in the notorious Bush v. Gore decision in 2000. Their concern is that the working class increasingly regards the Supreme Court, like Congress, the presidency, Wall Street and the corporations as a whole, as illegitimate and anti-democratic, part of a political and economic system rigged to protect the interests of the super-rich. A limousine crash on October 6 in Schoharie, New York, killed 20 people, making it the deadliest transportation accident in the US since 2009, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed in Buffalo, killing 50 people. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash, with initial reports indicating that a dangerous intersection contributed to the accident. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt told reporters Sunday: The fact that the NTSB is here indicates were very concerned about this. Ive been on the board for 12 years and this is one of the biggest losses of life we have seen in a very long time. The crash is the worst in the Albany-area Capital Region since the 2005 sinking of a tour boat on Lake George, which killed 20 people, many of whom were vacationers from Michigan. Family members of some of the victims have told the press that the limo passengers were traveling to a birthday party and came from multiple families. While the names of the victims have not been officially released as of this writing, some information has become public through relatives statements and GoFundMe pages. Among the deceased are two newlywed couples: Erin Vertucci and Shane McGowan, as well as Axel and Amy Steenburg. Vertucci worked at St. Marys Healthcare in Amsterdam, New York, as an administrative assistant. Employees of a local semiconductor manufacturing company, GlobalFoundries, were also among those killed. Saturdays crash happened just before 2 p.m., when the limo driver failed to stop at an intersection at the bottom of a hill, continued into the parking lot of Apple Barrel Country Store, hitting two people and an unoccupied SUV, then collided with an earthen embankment. All 18 people in the limo, as well as the two struck in the parking lot, were killed. As deadly as the crash was, it could have been even worse. Apple Barrel Country Store is a popular tourist destination during the fall, when tourists travel to upstate New York to see the foliage change colors. Jessica Kirby, the store manager, told the New York Times that the store was packed for Columbus Day weekend, which is usually its busiest. Most of her customers had arrived from New York City, the state capital Albany or New Jersey, she told the Times. The intersection, where State Route 30 and State Route 30A meet in a T, is notoriously dangerous. The two roads meet after descending steeply downhill, according to the Times. There is only a stop sign at the intersection, rather than a more visible traffic light. The speed limit leading into the intersection is 50 mph, according to a Google Maps Street View capture from August 2016. Kirby told the Times, Weve had three tractor-trailer type vehiclesthey come down that hill too fast, they go through our parking lot and they end up in a field behind our business. Schoharie Town Supervisor Alan Tavenner said that the state Department of Transportation worked on the intersection about seven years ago, although to no apparent effect. The Albany-based Times-Union quotes Tavenner saying, There have been tractor trailers that have come barreling down that hill and it was a miracle they didnt kill somebody. Tavenner told the Times, I honestly think it was a more dangerous intersection than it was before. Accidents are so frequent that Kirby immediately recognized the sound and called 911. Weve heard accidents before. You know that sound when it happens. The tragedy underscores the dangerous state of roads in the United States. Despite the intersections hazards being known for years, adequate measures were not taken, apparently contributing to the avoidable deaths of 20 people. It also underscores the semi-regulated nature of stretch limos. After a 2015 limo accident on Long Island that killed four people, a grand jury found serious safety issues with limos with aftermarket modifications. Aftermarket limousines are not subject to the same safety regulations as factory-made limos. According to the Associated Press, A grand jury found that vehicles converted into stretch limousines often don't have safety measures including side-impact air bags, reinforced rollover protection bars and accessible emergency exits. The main outcome of the 2015 crash was that the NTSB would investigate limousine crashes on a case-by-case basis. It is not clear as of this writing if the 2001 Ford Excursion in the crash had aftermarket modifications, although it did have 17 passengers in addition to the driver. Last week, Barack Obama endorsed several hundred Democratic Party candidates running in key state and congressional midterm races around the country. Today, Im proud to endorse Democratic candidates who arent just running against something, but for something, declared the former US president. Most politically significant among Obamas endorsements was Democratic Socialists of America member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is running for Congress in New York. In response to Obamas endorsement, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted a courteous Thank you, [Barack Obama]. Time to bring it home this November. Help us organize for healthcare, housing, education, and justice for all. This effective reverse endorsement by Ocasio-Cortez for Obama, whom she has never criticized, is also a declaration of solidarity with the Obama administrations policies. The administration oversaw the bailout of Wall Street and a massive transfer of wealth to the corporate and financial elite; an attack on health care fraudulently packaged as a reform; the deportation of 3 million immigrants, more than any president before him; and eight years of unending war, including drone assassinations and the expansion of the intelligence apparatus spying on the population. Obamas support for Ocasio-Cortez makes it absolutely clear, if further confirmation was necessary, that the DSA is nothing more than a subsidiary of the Democratic Party. It is an instrument created to expand the Democrats electoral base by convincing young people who would otherwise not vote for the Democrats that this right-wing, militarist party is moving to the left. Alongside Ocasio-Cortez, Obama endorsed several candidates with long histories in the US State Department, military and intelligence agencies. Among them is Elissa Slotkin, a former Central Intelligence Agency official running in Michigans 8th Congressional District; Max Rose, a former Army platoon leader running in New Yorks 11th Congressional District; and Abigail Spanberger, another former CIA officer, running in Virginias 7th Congressional District. These figures and others, whom the World Socialist Web Site has identified as the CIA Democrats, represent the largest bloc of candidates being fielded by the Democratic Party in the upcoming midterm elections. If the Democratic Party wins control of the House, this group will hold the balance of power in Congress. Since the election of Trump, the Democrats have sought to oppose Trump on the most right-wing basis possible. They have worked to demobilize mass hatred of the administrations anti-working class, militarist and anti-immigrant policies and direct opposition behind the anti-Russia campaign, including demands for greater military intervention in the Middle East. This has been combined with the promotion of the politics of racial and gender identity, pitched to privileged layers of the upper-middle class. The politics of the DSA, Sanders and the like is not in conflict with this right-wing agenda, but rather in conformity with it. The job of figures such as Ocasio-Cortez and the rest will be to provide political cover for the pro-war, pro-austerity and anti-democratic policies of the CIA Democrats, while working to strengthen the grip of Wall Street and the military over political life. Since winning the nomination in New Yorks 14th Congressional District in June, Ocasio-Cortez has already called for votes for right-wing candidates, while tweeting her solemn condolences at the passing of Senator John McCain, a vicious warmonger and war criminal, in August. In addition to Ocasio-Cortez, Obama endorsed progressives such as Ayanna Pressley, running for a congressional seat in Massachusetts, as well as the gubernatorial campaigns of Ben Jealous in Maryland and Andrew Gillum in Florida. Pressley has been endorsed by Ocasio-Cortez and other groups like the Justice Democrats and Democracy for America that orbit the Democratic Party, while both Jealous and Gillum have been endorsed by the Sanders wing of the Democratic Party and various trade unions. The new list follows earlier endorsements of candidates for state and federal office in August, whom he described as diverse, patriotic, and big-hearted. In September, Obama gave a speech at the University of Illinois campus at Urbana-Champaign in which he excoriated the sitting Republican President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans as radical and not normal while urging Republicans to adopt a tougher foreign policy on Russia. The logical conclusion to be drawn from his recent list of selections is that Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley and his other picks do possess the traits he finds lacking in Trump and the Republicans. In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, Obama infamously referred to the conflict between the Democrats and Republicans as an intramural scrimmage, with all sides on the same team. No matter how bitter their tactical conflicts, this assessment is in fact true. Both parties represent the corporate and financial elite. In the case of the DSA, its relationship to the Democratic Party establishment does not even rise to the level of a scrimmage. They are merely the Democratic Partys second-string, called up to play an assigned position. Or, to use another metaphor, they are political actors, petty-bourgeois careerists who put on a left face, the better to deceive the audience and distract attention from what is actually going on. Those who may be attracted to the DSA under the mistaken impression that it represents a socialist alternative should draw the necessary conclusions. If any more evidence was needed to prove the anti-working class character of the organizations that call themselves unions in the US, it has been provided over the past few days by the Teamsters. On Friday evening, after workers at United Parcel Service (UPS) voted down a pro-company contract pushed by the Teamsters, the union announced that it was nevertheless declaring the five-year deal covering a quarter-million warehouse workers and drivers to have been ratified. The reason, the Teamsters claimed, is an obscure, antidemocratic clause in the union constitution stipulating that if less than half of the membership votes (the official turnout was 44 percent), then two-thirds must vote no for the contract to be rejected. Regardless of this self-serving rationale, the naked fact is that the rank and file voted down the contract and the Teamsters union is despotically ignoring their vote and imposing it anyway. This action alone defines the organization as a tool of the bosses and enemy of the workers. As soon as it announced the agreement last July, the Teamsters dispatched officials to intimidate workers, threatening them with the loss of medical benefits and even lower wages if they rejected the deal and went on strike. The workers had voted by a margin of 93 percent to authorize a strike when the old contract expired on July 31. Workers are now justifiably skeptical about the unions figures on both the contract vote and the turnout. Many believe that the turnout was higher than the official figure of 44 percent and the no vote was greater than the reported margin of 54 percent against to 46 percent in favor. There is widespread anger and disgust. Workers want to fight against the conspiracy of the company and the union. And a fight must be waged. But this requires that the workers establish new organizations, their own organizations, organizations they democratically control and use to build up support for and prepare a nationwide strike to overturn this deal and reach out for support and joint action with workers across the country and around the world. The World Socialist Web Site, the Socialist Equality Party and the WSWS UPS Workers Newsletter propose that UPS workers form rank-and-file factory and workplace committees, completely independent of the company-controlled union. The issues facing UPS workers are universal. The vote against the UPS contractwhich coincided with the rejection of Teamsters-backed agreements by UPS Freight workers and mechanics at the UPS air cargo fleet in Louisville, Kentuckyis part of the growth of working class opposition across the United States and internationally. Hotel workers are conducting strikes in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and Detroit, and steelworkers and Los Angeles teachers have overwhelmingly voted to strike. A wave of teachers strikes earlier this year was followed by teachers strikes in Washington State last month and strike authorization votes in other parts of the country. Amazon workers, autoworkers, health care workers, service workersall are looking for a way to fight poverty-level wages and attacks on benefits, safety and working conditions. In recent weeks, beyond the borders of the United States, Ryanair pilots and cabin crews launched strikes across six European countries, workers in Argentina walked out against IMF austerity policies, and strikes and protests erupted in Africa, Asia and Australia. In every case, workers confront not only the companies, but also the corporate-controlled unions. The teachers unions isolated the struggles in different cities and states, imposing agreements that failed to meet teachers demands. The United Auto Workers has been exposed for taking millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for ramming through pro-company contracts. UNITE HERE is doing everything it can to separate hotel workers from each other and prevent a united struggle. The United Steelworkers is ignoring strike authorization votes as it prepares to push through pro-company deals. Over the past four decades, the unions have worked systematically to suppress any organized opposition to the social counterrevolution carried out by the American ruling class. Amidst historic levels of social inequality, the number of major work stoppages last year was the second lowest since 1947, when such figures were first compiled. In and around the union apparatus, there are many organizations and groups that insist the workers must accept the organizational domination of these company unions. The role of these groups is expressed in the response to Fridays developments at UPS by the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) and Teamsters United (TU). Over the past three months, the TDU and TU pushed the lie that a no vote would convince the union leadership, headed by James P. Hoffa, to negotiate a new contract. Now, as the Teamsters union tries to pull off its antidemocratic operation, the TDU and TU insist that workers accept its authority. In a groveling statement, TDU officials have urged workers to sign a petition calling on the unions General Executive Board to hold an emergency meeting to resolve this crisis, and that Hoffa remove the lead negotiator, return to the bargaining table, and order a contract vote once a new offer has been reached. The last thing they want is the preparation of a strike and a real struggle against both the company and the company union. We oppose this exercise in deceit and futility. We urge instead that workers form rank-and-file committees at every UPS location to discuss and implement a program of action. Workers should declare the contract illegitimate and null and void. Independent committees will build support for a national strike to shut down UPS until workers demandsto scrap the hybrid drivers scheme, turn part-time workers who so desire into full-time workers with full pay and benefits, and secure a substantial wage increaseare met. The initiative for rank-and-file committees must be taken forward, not only among UPS workers, but among all sections of the working class. Factory and workplace committees, democratically controlled by and answerable to rank-and-file workers, must be built to challenge the shop floor dictatorship exercised by the corporations, with the backing of the unions. These committees should take up the responsibilities long ago abandoned by the unions, including addressing grievances, opposing the victimization of militant workers, ending speedup and unsafe conditions, and fighting for industrial democracy. These new organizations of struggle will link up with every section of workers in struggle in the US and internationally against the decades-long erosion of living standards and working conditions, and the immense transfer of wealth to the billionaires overseen by Democratic and Republican administrations alike. This is a fight not against just one employer or union. It is a fight against the entire capitalist system, which subordinates the needs of society to the enrichment of the corporate and financial elite. That is why an industrial counteroffensive by the working class must be armed with a new political strategy: the fight for the socialist transformation of corporations like UPS and Amazon into public enterprises, collectively owned and democratically controlled by the working class itself. Socialist Alternatives response to New Yorks recent state primary elections has underscored the organizations role as an appendage of the Democratic Party. Since 2015, when Socialist Alternative formed #Movement4Bernie, it has been oriented openly to the Democratic Party and supposedly progressive figures within it, particularly the nominally independent Senator Bernie Sanders. This coincides with Socialist Alternatives support for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which is itself a faction of the Democratic Party. Socialist Alternative responded to the September 13 primary elections in New York in an article posted on its website under the headline After the Salazar victory in New York: Build a Movement to Demand Change. The article by Leon Pinsky argues for a movement in 2019 to compel the state legislature in Albany to pass the progressive legislation working people need. In other words, it calls for a pressure group inside and outside of the New York Democratic Party, whose record in the state legislature is marked by slavish subordination to Wall Street and pervasive corruption. Pinsky begins by hailing the fact that the elections saw the biggest voter turnout for a Democratic primary in more than two decades, providing further evidence of a blue wave coming for Trump this November. At the same time, Pinsky informs us, the primary also showed the potential for socialists and progressives to gain ground. The main evidence for this claim is the fact that DSA member Julia Salazar won the primary to become the Democratic candidate for state senator from New Yorks 18th State Senate District, which covers part of north Brooklyn. Pinsky writes, Socialist Alternative members were active in Salazars campaign, although they did not agree with Salazars decision to run as a Democrat. Socialist Alternative speaks of the decision to run as a representative of the Democratic Partya party of American imperialism up to its eyeballs in blood and criminalityas though it were a mere technicality of no great political significance. In reality, Socialist Alternatives active support for this Democrat masquerading as some sort of socialist defines it as an opponent of the political independence of the working class. That Salazar ran as a Democrat is key to the political role of her campaign as well as that of other DSA Democrats such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Their political function is to prop up the Democratic Party, funnel leftward-moving workers and youth behind it, and block the emergence of an independent political movement of the working class. Significantly, Socialist Alternative has nothing concrete to say about the demonstrable lies that were put out by Salazars campaign, instead denouncing [t]he highly publicized and coordinated smear attacks on Salazar in the last weeks of her campaign. Contrary to the claims of the DSA, the International Socialist Organization and Socialist Alternative that the Salazar revelations were merely a smear campaign, Salazar has been shown to have lied or misrepresented facts regarding her immigration status, her socioeconomic background and, most critically, her political history. Her campaign website boasts of her decade of experience as a local community organizer. In fact, she spent much of this time as a right-wing activist, playing leading roles in Zionist and anti-abortion organizations at Columbia University. She appeared on far-right TV host Glenn Becks show in 2012 and successfully campaigned to prevent mandatory student health insurance fees from being used to pay for students abortions. Her political and religious views apparently shifted drastically in the space of a year. She maintained relations with right-wing Zionists into 2013, but says she began attending Jacobin reading groups the following year before joining the New York City DSAs leadership. The most ambitious of Socialist Alternatives friendly suggestions to the DSA is to launch a socialist ballot line in New York and run independent candidates in local elections in 2020in other words, provide a facade of independence for their joint promotion of the Democratic Party. The rest of Pinskys article is a defense of the Democratic Partys so-called progressive wing, including actress Cynthia Nixon, who ran unsuccessfully against incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Nixon, according to Pinsky, also ran on a left platform and declared her support for socialism during the campaign. There was nothing socialist about Nixons campaign. Her platform consisted of mild reform measures that would have placed her, at the most, slightly left of center in the Democratic Party of the 1960s. Socialist Alternatives role in the New York primaries was of a piece with its previous interventions. Even before launching #Movement4Bernie, it formed an electoral alliance with Democratic City Council candidates in Seattle. In the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries, leading Socialist Alternative member Kshama Sawant stumped for Sanders, sharing platforms with the longtime Democratic Party operative. After Sanders conceded the primary race to Hillary Clinton, Sawant urged him to run as an independent in the general electionwith the caveat that he do so only in states that were not considered to be swing states, so as not to damage Clintons chances against Donald Trump. Since then, Socialist Alternative has urged the DSA to found a new, broad, democratic Socialist Party, which Socialist Alternative would enter. It has simultaneously urged Sanders to found a Peoples Party, overlooking his role as a leading figure in the Democratic Senate caucus. A recent article on the Democratic primary victory in Massachusetts of Ayanna Pressley, a longtime party functionary, spells out even more clearly Socialist Alternatives grotesquely opportunist trailing behind the Democrats, calling on working people and youth to apply pressure on progressive Democrats. Relentlessly carrying water for the DSA and Sanders has proven too much for some Socialist Alternative members. Leading members and at least one whole branch have resigned. Members have left to join Maoist and anarchist tendencies. Some have acted on the logic of the organizations lionization of the Democratic Socialists of America and boosting of the Democrats by joining the DSA. Socialist Alternatives coverage of the midterm primaries implies that the Democratic Party is moving to the left, even as it is running an unprecedented number of former military, intelligence and State Department operatives, whom the World Socialist Web Site has identified as CIA Democrats. This integration of the Democratic Party into the military/intelligence apparatus is of a piece with the reactionary political basis of its opposition to Trump. The Democrats are opposing Trump on the most right-wing basis possible. They are focusing not on his warmongering, his police-state assault on immigrants, his tax cuts for corporations and the richall of which are massively unpopular. Rather, they are opposing Trump on the grounds that he is soft on Russia and Putin and insufficiently aggressive in combating Russian-inspired fake news, i.e., in imposing Internet censorship against left-wing, anti-war and socialist views. This is combined with their #MeToo witch hunt against alleged sexual abusers, which rejects fundamental democratic precepts such as the presumption of innocence and due process. This is aimed at diverting attention from soaring social inequality and the fundamental class issues that are driving a resurgence of class struggle and sowing divisions in the working class on the basis of gender and sex. The promotion of DSA-linked phony progressives such as Ocasio-Cortez and Salazar by Socialist Alternative and the rest of the pseudo-left organizations is an effort to provide a left gloss to the Democratic Party as it lurches ever further to the right. The author also recommends: Ocasio-Cortez, Democratic Socialists of America candidate, covers for CIA Democrats [24 September 2018] The strange case of Julia Salazar, Democratic Socialists of America candidate for New York Senate [20 September 2018] The CIA Democrats [7 March 2018] 25 years ago: Clinton announces stepped-up intervention in Somalia US troops in Somalia US President Bill Clinton, in a nationally televised address October 7, 1993, announced that he was sending a total of 2,350 more American soldiers to Somalia, as well as an aircraft carrier task force with 3,600 naval personnel, including Marines who could be deployed onshore. The fresh infusion of troops doubled the number of American soldiers in the occupied east African country, in a military operation that had already killed thousands of Somalis and reduced much of the capital city, Mogadishu, to rubble. Within hours of the order for military escalation, press reports began to surface that American troops were ordering Somalis in the southern part of Mogadishu to evacuate their homes. All those who remained in the area would be assumed to be supporters of General Mohammed Farah Aidid, branded by the Clinton administration and the servile American media as a warlord, and dealt with accordingly. The character of the military hardware being shipped, even more than the size of the troop deployment, demonstrated that the purpose of the intervention was to wage war on the Somali people, not carry out a humanitarian mission, as Clinton claimed. The US was to send another 104 armored vehicles, including M-1 tanks, as well as new Blackhawk helicopters and two more AC-130 Specter gunships, armed with 105mm computer-guided howitzers capable of firing shells with overwhelming speed. The Clinton order also gave soldiers on the streets far more leeway in determining whether and when to shoot than American troops had ever been granted outside of combat zones. The brutality and oppressiveness of the US intervention had provoked unceasing protests among the Somali people, leading to a series of incidents in which US and allied troops carried out bloodbaths, gunning down youth and entire families chanting US out of Somalia! Throughout this period, Clinton had dispatched Army Rangers and Delta Force commandos on several raids seeking to capture or kill Aidid. The intervention begun at the end of the George H. W. Bush administration in the guise of providing relief for starving people had revealed its real purpose: exterminating all opposition to the US establishment of a puppet regime in a country in a key strategic position on the Horn of Africa, dominating the shipment of oil from the Persian Gulf through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to Europe. President Clinton claimed in his televised speech that the additional US troops would help impose a political settlement and create the conditions for a full US withdrawal. Nothing could more embody the hypocrisy of American imperialism than such a blatant lie, similar to those given by Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon during the American war of aggression in Vietnam, but this time delivered by the former antiwar protester, Bill Clinton. 50 years ago: Military officers overthrow Panamanian president Omar Torrijos (center) during the coup Just 11 days after being inaugurated, on October 11, 1968, Panamanian President Arnulfo Arias was overthrown by the military. The junta installed former National Guard commander Colonel Jose Pinilla as the new chief of state. It was the second coup in Latin America in the space of nine days. On October 3, President Fernando Belaunde Terry of Peru was deposed in a military revolt led by the army chief of staff. In Peru the Belaunde government was in the midst of implementing unpopular austerity policies dictated by the International Monetary Fund, including the imposition of a gasoline tax. The military used as the pretext for the coup the governments alleged mishandling of negotiations for the nationalization of oil fields belonging to Standard Oil of New Jersey. But in Panama, a group of younger military officers led by Colonel Omar Torrijos and Major Boris Martinez organized the coup. The military acted after Arias attempted to retire Colonel Pinilla, the deputy chief of the National Guard and a longtime opponent of the president. The junta declared a state of emergency, took control of the press and radio and dissolved the National Assembly. Troops positioned machine guns in the main intersections of the capital. There were scattered instances of firing against government troops as Arias fled to the American-controlled Panama Canal Zone, where he issued an appeal for resistance to the coup but found less sympathy than he hoped for. It was the third time in three decades that Arias had been removed from office by the Panamanian military. The latest coup came in the midst of a severe financial crisis. As one of his first actions on taking office, Arias was forced to negotiate an emergency loan from Chase Manhattan Bank to meet the state payroll. The United States expressed its concern over the Panamanian militarys action but disassociated itself from Ariass appeal for a popular uprising. Being indifferent to Democratic issues of an elected leader overthrown in a coup, US representatives stated their main priority was for tranquility in the strategically important region. In other words, as long as the United States was permitted to control the massively lucrative Panama Canal then it cares not who governs Panama. The Johnson administration soon resumed normal diplomatic relations with the new Panamanian regime. 75 years ago: Italy declares war against Nazi Germany King Victor Emmanuel (left) and Marshal Badoglio On October 13, 1943, the Italian government, led by King Victor Emmanuel and Premier Pietro Badoglio, declared war against its former ally, Nazi Germany, just three months after the fall of Mussolini and Italys surrender to the Allies. The United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union promptly recognized Italy as a co-belligerent state. From the military point of view, Italys entry into the war against Germany was of little importance to the Allies. The main aim of Churchill and Roosevelt was to use the state of war as an excuse for cracking down on the revolutionary movement of the Italian workers and maintaining Italian capitalism. Badoglio, himself a marshal under fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, admitted as much in an interview: After every war there is the danger of communism. If conditions are too bad and they are without hope, they turn to other presumed cures. The Allies must help us, in the press and in propaganda, so that communism does not stand a chance. On September 29, Badoglio had met with Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower and signed secret armistice terms under which Italy virtually lost its sovereignty. Under the new war measures, antifascists were forbidden to demonstrate, organize political parties or express their views in the media. Newspapers and radio stations were only placed in the hands of those who supported the US and British-backed regime. When antifascists attempted to organize and publish illegally, as they had done under the Mussolini regime, they were arrested. The Allied determination to avert revolution went to the point of hiring fascists. Neither the OSS (CIA forerunner) nor army counterintelligence had a spy apparatus in Italy, so they hired the SIM-CS, Italys counterintelligence operation, whose agents over the previous 20 years arrested and murdered antifascists. 100 years ago: British troops capture Beirut in Lebanon British cavalry entering Damascus The 7th Division of the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) occupied Beirut, the capital city in what is now Lebanon, on October 8, 1918, to secure roads toward Homs in Syria, The British encountered little resistance from the Turkish military in their occupation of the city. The region was a part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, Germanys ally in the first imperialist war, and had been the theater of several significant military conflicts between the Allies and Turkish and German forces since 1914. By the autumn of 1918, the EEF had degraded Turkish control in the Levant with the help of Arab allies, who were seeking freedom from Ottoman rule. The British had captured Palestine in the Battle of Megiddo on September 25, but the Turkish Yildirim Army Group, which was under German command, had retreated toward northern Lebanon and Syria. The British followed in what has come to be known as the Pursuit to Haritan, and by October 1, had occupied Damascus. The British were preparing to take Homs and Aleppo when the Armistice of Mudros on October 30 ended Turkeys participation in the war. British and Turkish troops were both stricken by the worldwide influenza epidemic and by malaria, losing more men to the illnesses than to battle casualties. Turkish prisoners were often treated brutally by the Arab fighters allied with the British. The British and French had planned to carve up the region between themselves in the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916. The Tsarist regime in Russia had been a minor partner in this secret imperialist plan, which the Bolsheviks made public after the 1917 October Revolution. Also included in the colonial machinations of the British was the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which sanctioned European Jewish immigration to Palestine and led ultimately to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Overall, the military successes of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in 1918 were critical in drawing the borders of the nation-state system of the Middle East which has lasted to the present day. The Arab bourgeois regimes that were formed under British and French tutelage after World War I adhered to the national borders carved out by the colonial powers under Sykes-Picot. Update 10/08/18 12:16 a.m. For almost three decades, two families have been looking for answers. As to who killed Betty Jones and raped Katherine Crigler. Michael DeVaughn | Photo: Starkville PD Bill Lott of Starkville PD cracks case. Bill Lott of Starkville PD cracks case. Michael DeVaughn | Photo: Starkville PD On Monday, a suspect appeared before a judge. "I was absolutely floored and just stunned," shared Jason B. Jones, the step-grandson of Betty Jones. "This has been a taboo story in my life since I was 10." Jason B. Jones is speaking on answers he has been looking for much of his life. The death of his relative Betty Jones. Betty Jones died after being stabbed on Labor Day in 1990. Her friend Kathryn Crigler later died after being raped in her own home. "My parents didn't want to talk about it because there was very little to tell," Jones told WTVA. He started the podcast, "Knock, Knock" with the help of his brother, in hopes of finding out more. Jones shared that his family was thrilled and relieved to hear suspect 51-year-old Michael Devaughn was arrested in the nearly three decades long case. "Zero credit goes to our podcast for the apprehension of this suspect. One hundred percent of the credit goes to the Starkville Police Department." His step-grandmother was stabbed in the neck and killed after answering her friend Katherine Crigler's door, according to original police reports. Crigler was left with several broken bones but she did manage to dial 911. She died months later from her injuries and deep depression. A sexual assault kit has now led authorities to Devaughn, through DNA phenotyping. Authorities say the suspect was a match to a semen based DNA profile. With a genetic genealogy from Parabon Nanolabs and the suspect's cigarette butt matching scene evidence, Devaughn was taken into custody. For former Starkville officer John Young, it's a welcome advancement to a lengthy case. "I happened to know both of them at the time, and my mind often reflects back to that day they were murdered," said Young. When Jones was asked his thoughts on the suspect now, he said he felt a sense of closure. "I'm sorry his life led him to feel like he had to make those types of choices. We always thought of this guy as being a monster," Jones shared. "He was the bogeyman, personified." Authorities say if convicted of capital murder, suspect Michael Devaughn will face death or life in prison. If convicted of sexual battery, he could face up to 30 years in prison. Correction: Former Starkville police officer was titled as John Smith. His name is John Young. Update 10/08/18 11:48 a.m. Starkville police have charged 51-year-old Michael Devaughn of Rienzi with capital murder and sexual battery. His total bond was set at $11 million. He was arrested in late-June in Tishomingo County on a meth possession arrest. See the original post below. STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - One man was taken into custody Saturday reportedly in connection with a nearly three decades old murder investigation. The Starkville Police Department arrested Michael Devaughn on capital murder and sexual battery charges as the suspect. PREVIOUS VIDEO: Labor Day murder unsolved in Starkville In the case, authorities investigated the death of Betty Jones and the assault of Kathryn Crigler on Labor Day in 1990. On September 3, 1990, a man entered the home of Kathryn Crigler, Starkville police report. Her friend, Betty Jones, was at Crigler's house. Jones opened the home door after hearing a knock. That's when a man entered and attacked her. She was killed. Crigler, who was in a separate room at the time, was raped and assaulted. She was able to dial 911 but died from her injuries and deep depression months later. (RNN) - Tropical Storm Michael is strengthening on its way north, becoming a hurricane, possibly a major one, before a forecast hit to northwest Florida. As of the National Hurricane Centers 8 a.m. ET Monday update, Michael was located 120 miles east-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Michael is forecast to become a hurricane later Monday and a major hurricane Tuesday night or Wednesday. The NHC forecasters said the storm has become better organized Monday morning, and the westerly wind shear that was supposed to curtail its strengthening hasnt had the desired effect. The storm is expected to continue northward through Tuesday night, during which time it will strengthen, helped by the favorable conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. Michael is forecast to become a hurricane later Monday and a major hurricane Tuesday night or Wednesday. The Florida Keys are expected to receive as much as 4 inches of rain through Tuesday. The Florida Panhandle and Big Bend areas are expected to receive as much as 12 inches of rain and may see flash flooding. Forecasters say Michael could move inland over the Florida Panhandle or Big Bend area Wednesday. It will bring dangerous storm surge, damaging winds and heavy rain. A hurricane watch is in effect for the Alabama-Florida border to the Suwannee River in Florida. A tropical storm watch is in effect for the Suwannee River to Anna Maria Island in Florida, including Tampa Bay, and the Alabama-Florida border to the Mississippi-Alabama border. Storm surge warnings are in place for the following locations: Indian Pass to Crystal River - 7 to 11 feet Crystal River to Anclote River - 4 to 6 feet Okaloosa/Walton County Line to Indian Pass - 4 to 7 feet Anclote River to Anna Maria Island, including Tampa Bay - 2 to 4 feet Navarre to Okaloosa/Walton County Line - 2 to 4 feet Before heading toward the U.S., Michael is expected to dump 4 to 8 inches of rain on western Cuba. In light of the storm, Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum suspended his campaign activity to address preparations for the storm, according to CNN. The storm is forecast to hit Tallahassee, FL, where Gillum is mayor. Scott, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, has not yet adjusted his campaign schedule but is working on the states response to the storm, including activating 500 National Guard troops. Tropical Storm Michael, the 13th named storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, formed near Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula on Sunday. The sixth named storm and first major hurricane, Florence made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane the morning of Sept. 14 at Wrightsville Beach, NC. It left at least 51 people dead across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, according to Reuters. The amount of damage, particularly from flooding associated with the storm, is expected to reach 11 figures. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Leslie is hanging around in the middle of the Atlantic. As of 5 a.m. ET Monday, Leslie was 990 miles east-northeast of Bermuda. It is moving to the east-southeast at 13 mph, with this general motion expected to continue for the next several days. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, and slow strengthening is forecast in the next few days. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect for Leslie. Copyright 2018 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-07 20:34:32|Editor: zh Video Player Close BANGKOK, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sunscreen lotions were found to have played their part in killing or damaging corals at a famed tourist bay, which has been closed indefinitely, in southern Thailand, a senior official said on Sunday. Authorities found that many tourists to Maya Bay in Koh Phi Phi islands off Krabi province had applied sunscreeen lotions on their skin before they took a swim or dive in the sea without knowing that such chemicals had eventually killed or seriously damaged the corals, according to deputy director general of the Department of Natural Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Chongkhlai Woraphongsathorn. In addition, Chongkhlai said that a large quantity of sand and sediments, which had been brought along the underwater currents made by ferry boats and humans from the beach area, had severely damaged the corals. As many as 180 ferry boats had shuttled visitors to Maya Bay daily. The department has indefinitely closed the tourist bay, pending a full recovery of its ecological condition surrounding the corals and other aquatic lives. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 02:28:53|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Sara Netanyahu (C), wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arrives for a court hearing at the Magistrate's Court in Jerusalem, on Oct. 7, 2018. Sara Netanyahu went on trial on Sunday for alleged crimes including fraud over misuse of public funds to pay for hundreds of gourmet meals. (Xinhua/JINI) JERUSALEM, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu, went on trial on Sunday for alleged crimes including fraud over misuse of public funds to pay for hundreds of gourmet meals. She arrived at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court to face the start of her trial, surrounded by her lawyer and security guards, and made no comments at the site. Sara Netanyahu, 59 years old, is charged with fraud and breach of trust. According to her charge sheet, she fraudulently obtained some 100,000 U.S. dollars of public funds for hundreds of meals supplied by well-known restaurants and chefs to the official Prime Minister's Residency in Jerusalem while falsely stating that there were no cooks or staff at home. Her lawyers have said she was unaware of the regulations that forbid her to do so and that the meals were ordered by an aide to serve visiting officials. She has refused a plea bargain, offered to her by the State Prosecutor's Office, in which she could plead guilty in some charges and return most of the money taken, in return for the cancellation of the trial. The long-time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is entangled in a series of criminal corruption investigations. He denies any wrongdoing and accused the investigations as part of witch hunt orchestrated by the "leftist" media and his political enemies. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 02:28:53|Editor: yan Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot ordered to reinforce forces in the West Bank on Sunday after a Palestinian gunman killed two Israelis and injured a third. The attack took place in the Industrial Zone of Barkan on Sunday morning, a settlement industrial compound in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israelis and Palestinians work side by side. Eisenkot decided to reinforce troops and take measures to ensure the safety of citizens, a military spokesperson said in a statement, adding that troops continue their activities to hunt and arrest the suspect. The military said it was "a severe attack that took place amidst widespread efforts to thwart terror activity in the Israeli-occupied West Bank." "In the context of these efforts, security forces routinely search for weapons, confiscate terror funds and arrest suspected terrorists as well as popular terror activists," the spokesperson said. Israeli Commanding Officer of the Central Command Nadav Padan said the army has confiscated over 300 weapons in the West Bank over the past few months. He said that the "widespread" manhunt for the suspect continues by the Israeli army, Shin Bet security service, and the police. The suspect was identified by the Shin Bet as a 23-year-old Palestinian man from the area of the West Bank city of Tul Karem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday morning. He added that he is "certain" that the security forces will apprehend the suspect and "we will deal with him to the fullest extent of the law quickly." The incident came amid tensions in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians have been staging daily rallies against the blockade imposed by Israel since 2007, and Israeli forces killed at least 190 people since the protest started on March 30. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 02:28:53|Editor: yan Video Player Close TEHRAN, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced on Sunday that its forces have seized one of the biggest hauls of heroin in Iranian northwestern province of West Azerbaijan. In a statement, the ministry said that the confiscated illicit drug weighs 1,075 kilograms, Tasnim news agency reported. The shipment was detected at Bazargan border region in northwest Iran before an international drug ring could smuggle it into Europe, the statement was quoted as saying. The smugglers had hidden the illicit drug inside the export commodities, the statement added. Iran has long suffered from drug trafficking, as it is at the crossroad of international drug smuggling from Afghanistan, the world's top opium producer, to Europe. Over the past decades, Iran's eastern and southeastern border have seen clashes between Iranian security forces and armed drug smugglers. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 02:28:53|Editor: ZX Video Player Close ARUSHA, Tanzania, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania is working to restore an ancient city, buried under rocks at Engaruka escarpments of Monduli District, to promote tourism in its recently launched geopark, according to an official from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA). John Pareso, an official with the NCAA, said on Sunday that efforts to excavate, restore and protect the ruins of ancient stone structures, which are thought to be of the 800-year-old "lost city of Engaruka," have started under the recently launched Ngorongoro-Lengai Geopark. "Remains of these stone buildings here have been scientifically proved to date back to between 500 and 800 years ago, indicating advanced civilization that may have existed in northern parts of Tanzania nearly one thousand years ago," he said. According to Pareso, the ruins also indicate that the people of that era ran a very efficient irrigation system, whose infrastructure can still be seen within the ruins. Archaeological experts are still trying to find out what caused the ancient Engaruka settlement to be abandoned or destroyed. Tanzania, with the support from the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) and through the Ngorongoro-Lengai geopark, is working to restore the ruins, which of late have started to attract researchers, scholars and tourists alike. The newly endorsed UNESCO geopark covers three northern districts of Arusha Region, Monduli, Longido, and Ngorongoro. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 02:58:08|Editor: ZX Video Player Close SARAJEVO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) voted on the general elections on Sunday, hoping for a better prosperity in both economic and political spheres. "At the elections, I expect the party with young, educated and persuasive people who are really ready to change the situation in the country to win," Enisa Prijic, a 23 years old student of Economics at the University of Sarajevo told Xinhua while waiting in a queue. She highlighted that she expects from the elected leaders to start working on the positive changes for BiH, in economic and political terms. Prijic believes that only with a strong economy, conditions will be met for young people to have a good perspective here and a chance to progress, and this is important for her, as a young person. "I think that BiH authorities have to first change the economy within the state in order to move forward to the European Union. This would be feasible and possible if the right people and experts in this area are chosen," Prijic explained. Voting began at 7 a.m. local time on Sunday at 5,794 polling stations across the country. The hope for a change was widely shared among voters. Four women who have worked for a state-owned company for 20 years expressed their hope to Xinhua. "We are working in the same company for two decades, and we came here to vote in order to change the future of our children. BiH needs changes from the roots, a change that will bring political stability, and prosperity to young people, future generations," said Ferida Kljujic. Fatima Fazlic, the 60 year-old pensioner, said that she hopes BiH people will understand that it is particularly them who are responsible for the situation the country is in. "I sincerely hope and wish that as many people as possible will vote for the new, educated people who care about this country," Fazlic said. According to the country's Central Election Commission (CIK), until 3 p.m. local time, 37.21 percent registered voters cast their ballots, 0.61 percent higher than the turnout in 2014 general election. More than 3.38 million BiH voters are eligible to vote to elect a new presidency and parliament. Fifty-eight political parties, 36 coalitions and 34 independent candidates are running in the elections with a total of 7,497 candidates running for 518 positions for all levels of government. Sefika Smajic, a doctor working in the main hospital in Sarajevo, hopes that after elections, BiH will show better results in terms of better foreign politics, and new executive and legislative branch will bring new plan that will bring BiH closer to the EU. "New authorities that will come after the elections are obligatory, by the previous contract with the EU, to answer the European Commission questionnaire," Smajic said, adding that some 85 percent of BiH citizens strive towards entering the EU. Smajic believes that becoming a EU member state will bring economic prosperity to BiH, especially when it has access to the EU funds. In one of the most complex electoral systems in the world, BiH voters will elect tripartite members of the presidency, which represents the three major ethnic groups of Bosnians, Serbs and Croats. They will also choose a president and two vice presidents of Republika Srpska (RS), one of BiH's entities, and its Assembly members. In addition, voters will choose members of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, Federation of BiH (FBiH) Parliament, and assemblies of ten cantons in FBiH. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 02:58:08|Editor: yan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. State Department said here on Sunday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday had briefed South Korea on his just concluded travel to the Democratic People' s Republic of Korea (DPRK). According to a statement issued by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Pompeo visited Seoul on Oct. 7-8 and met with the country's president and foreign minister "to give a readout of his October 7 trip to Pyongyang." Pompeo "briefed on his meeting with Chairman Kim, which included his introducing Chairman Kim to Special Representative for North Korea Biegun as his chief negotiator, plans for a second U.S.-DPRK summit, and discussions on achieving the commitments of the June Singapore Summit including the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK as committed to by Chairman Kim and President Trump," the statement read. In a related development, the DPRK is demanding the United States take steps to secure Pyongyang's trust before its denuclearization. "Without any trust in the U.S. there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," DPRK's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the UN General Assembly last week. Pompeo and his South Korean counterpart "also re-affirmed their commitment to the U.S.-ROK Alliance and continued close coordination with Japan on a unified response to the DPRK." According to an earlier statement also issued by Nauert, Pompeo, during his stay in Pyongyang, "held productive discussions" with the country's top leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday, when they discussed the four elements of the U.S.-DPRK Singapore Summit Joint Statement, the upcoming second summit between the two countries' top leaders, and options for the location and date of that next summit. Pompeo and Kim also agreed to instruct their respective working-level teams to meet soon to intensify discussions on the key remaining issues to deliver on the Singapore statement, and Kim invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled, the U.S. State Department said. "President Trump looks forward to continuing to build upon the trust established with Chairman Kim in Singapore and anticipates meeting again soon," it added. This has been his third tour to the DPRK since he became the U.S. secretary of state. He will also travel to Beijing, according to both China and the United States. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 03:28:20|Editor: yan Video Player Close YAOUNDE, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Voter turnout was "very timid" in the English-speaking region of Southwest as voting ended in Cameroon's presidential race, Divine Mewanu Mokoto, representative of Cameroon's electoral body, Elections Cameroon (Elecam), told Xinhua on Sunday. "In all, over 90 percent of polling stations were opened but voter turnout was very timid," Mokoto said. "We have had some hitches in the region (of Southwest). In Alou subdivision, separatist militias attacked the polling center. Government forces succeeded in pushing them out and voting continued," Mokoto said. In the Northwest, the other of the two anglophone regions, Elecam officials said voting took place in a tense atmosphere. "There were sporadic attacks in the region. The biggest success of this election is that election took place in all the subdivisions in the Northwest region." Northwest Elecam representative Nga Gasper Thairinyuy told Xinhua. Government forces killed two armed separatists who tried to disrupt the vote, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, Northwest governor, said. "We shall not allow terrorists to disrupt the election," Lafrique told reporters. About 6,600,000 people were voting in Sunday's race amid continued tension in the two English-speaking regions where armed separatists are fighting to create a new nation called "Ambazonia." According to Cameroon Electoral Code, the results of the election will be proclaimed by the Constitutional Council within no more than 15 days of the close of the poll. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 04:42:23|Editor: yan Video Player Close TUNIS, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- The public wage bill holds 14.1 percent of Tunisia's GDP in fiscal year 2019 based on the new finance law, Tunisian Institute of Strategic Studies (ITES) said on Sunday. A recent ITES study indicated the Tunisian public wage bill has increased significantly from 7.68 billion dinars (2.73 billion U.S. dollars) in 2011 to 13.7 billion dinars in 2017. The number of public service employees has increased to reach 690,000 employees. The International Monetary Fund has warned about the rise in the public sector wage bill in Tunisia, among the highest in the world. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 07:42:43|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close Gold medalist Grigorii Shamakov (C) of Russia, silver medalist Shahu Tushar Mane (L) of India and bronze medalist Aleksa Mitrovic of Serbia pose for photos during the awarding ceremony of the Men's 10m Air Rifle Final at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, Oct. 7, 2018. Grigorii Shamakov won the first gold of the games with 249.2 points. (Xinhua/Li Ming) BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian shooter Grigorii Shamakov clinched the first gold medal of the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympics on Sunday by winning the 10m boys' air rifle event. "I didn't have the best start but I was able to keep calm and improve," said Shamakov after he claimed gold with a score of 249.2 points. "I had a plan to prepare to win the gold medal and I'm very happy that I have managed to achieve that." Shahu Mane of India took silver with 247.5, while Aleksa Mitrovic of Serbia won bronze with 227.9. China's Zhang Changhong finished fourth with 205.6 points. "I didn't have the best start but I was able to keep calm and improve," Shamakov said. "I had a plan to prepare to win the gold medal and I'm very happy that I have managed to achieve that." "I feel very proud after winning silver and happy that I started the medal tally for India," said Mane, who finished 1.7 points behind Shamakov. But for some athletes, results were not the most important thing. "I am the youngest of the entire Peruvian team and even though I didn't shoot as well as I would have liked, I'm happy to be competing with so many talented shooters," Carlos Arze Tassara of Peru said after finishing 19th with 599.4. Host athlete Facundo Firmapaz, who finished in 12th place with 616.9, said: "I had a difficult start and that made things complicated, but I'm proud of how I was able to recover and fight back." "The fact I had my family and friends in the stands felt great and I didn't feel any extra pressure due to that," he added. The competition began with a 60-shot qualification round, from which eight progressed to the next stage. Athletes were then eliminated on a round-by-round basis before the final two contested the gold medal. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 08:22:19|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Riders participate in the "Distinguished Gentleman's Ride Chile" event in Santiago, capital of Chile, on Oct. 7, 2018. According to the local press, riders toured different zones of Santiago during the event to raise funds for the prevention and study of prostate cancer. (Xinhua/Jorge Villegas) Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 08:50:01|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close SYDNEY, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- One of Australia's most celebrated racing car drivers, Craig Lowndes, has ended his illustrious V8 Supercar career with a 7th Bathurst 1000 title. An iconic event on Australia's sporting calendar, the globally recognized race at Mt Panorama is considered one of motor-racing's toughest endurance battles -- and with difficult, hot conditions, last year's winner, David Reynolds, felt the pressure. Leading for most of the race, the defending champ struggled with leg cramps and by lap 135 of the 161-lap race, Lowndes was able to pass Reynolds to snatch the win for the Holden Commodore ZB team and his co-driver, Steven Richards. A devastated Reynolds told local media after the race, "It's probably the saddest day of my life, as far as my career goes I feel like it is." "When I first jumped in the car for that first stint, the car was very, very hot, and I was whinging on the radio and I think that just dehydrated me," he said. "And I was finding it very difficult to concentrate, all day it was very difficult to concentrate." "I ended up dehydrating myself and my mind was saying to go, my body was saying no." Gracious in victory, Lowndes spoke highly of his fellow competitor, praising his efforts. "It's a pity for Reynolds, he said. "I don't know what happened to him, but they were the benchmark the whole weekend." "But when we got the lead we didn't want to give it up!" When the chequered flag was waved, it was Scott Pye and Warren Luff who finished the race in second place, also in a Holden Commodore ZB. While Scott McLaughlin and co-driver Alex Premat made it to the podium in third spot in their Ford Falcon FG/X. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 09:02:26|Editor: ZX Video Player Close SYDNEY, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Almost half a ton of MDMA has been seized in Sydney, Australian Federal Police (AFP) revealed on Monday, following a joint operation with Australian Border Force (ABF). Three men, all in their 20s, have been charged in relation to the seizure, which has an estimated street value of around 40 million U.S. dollars. The drugs were concealed inside four industrial mincing machines, used for making sausages, and shipped in a container from Turkey to Sydney. "Our officers have the technology, skills and commitment to find these drugs and stop them from entering the country -- regardless of how criminals try to hide them," AFP detective superintendent Kirsty Schofield said. ABF officers targeted the container for screening, with their examination locating approximately 60 two kilogram packages of drugs, in each of the four mincers. After making the find, police switched the drugs for fake replacements and conducted a controlled delivery of the packages, which led to the arrests of the three men in Sydney's outer suburbs. "Had this drug seizure made its way to Australian streets, countless lives would have been affected -- whether it be users, health care workers that deal with drug issues each and every day, or the family that has been torn apart when deaths occur from illicit substance abuse," Schofield said. "Seizures like this don't address the issues of demand and why people are willing to risk their lives by taking drugs without accurate knowledge of what they contain, but stopping almost half a tonne goes some way to reducing the harm these drugs can cause our communities." Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 09:19:03|Editor: ZX Video Player Close CANBERRA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Australia's prime minister has rejected calls from conservative colleagues to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. Speaking ahead of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, Prime Minister Scott Morrison repeated his previous claim that Australia would meet its emissions reduction target "at a canter." Australia has committed to reducing its emissions by 26 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. Conservative members of the government have called on Morrison to abandon the emissions reduction target, claiming that abiding by it will lead to rising power prices. "When Australia puts its word to something, it means something," Morrison said. "This is an enormously important issue to our partners in the Pacific, who are strategic partners in the Pacific. The Opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) has promised to introduce a 45 percent emissions reduction target if victorious at the upcoming general election. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 09:26:50|Editor: Liu Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's presidential front-runners, right-wing Jair Bolsonaro and his left-leaning rival Fernando Haddad, are expected to face off in a run-off later this month, according to preliminary results. With 96 percent of the votes counted, Bolsonaro garnered 46.66 percent while Haddad secured 28.43 percent, according to results from the top electoral body Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Center-left candidate Ciro Gomes came in third with 12.52 percent of the votes, compared with 4.83 percent for Geraldo Alckmin of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB). Voter turnout was 79.67 percent, or more than 112 million out of some 147 million eligible voters cast their ballots, leaving the abstention rate at 20.33 percent. Voting is mandatory in Brazil. Some 91.22 percent of the votes cast were valid, while 2.67 percent of the ballots were left blank and 6.11 percent were nullified. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 10:14:15|Editor: ZX Video Player Close SYDNEY, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Australia's Victoria state capital Melbourne was forced to land in Perth Airport early Monday, with a medical emergency cited as the reason for the diversion, according to local media. Images onboard the MH149, Airbus A330 plane that landed at about 4 a.m. local time at the Western Australia capital Perth showed paramedics and security staff responding to the incident, reported the Nine News channel. The plane took off from Perth on to its destination just before 6 a.m. local time, reported the PerthNow news portal. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 10:18:59|Editor: ZX Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian Chief Prosecutor Raquel Dodge said Sunday that the Prosecutor's office is ready to take action against those who spread fake news in an attempt to influence voters. "It is not correct to use false information to bring intranquillity to the population and try to influence voters' will with fake news, much less shed doubt over the election system," she said. Dodge said that the Brazilian elections are safe and the electronic voting system is something Brazil should be proud of. Recently, leading presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro questioned the security of the electronic voting system and insinuated that if he does not win, it would only be due to fraud. Brazilian Public Security Minister Raul Jungmann said that the government investigated reports of fake news, including stories which surfaced in social networks about ballots casting votes for the wrong candidate. The minister said that people spreading fake stories in order to influence voters will be duly punished. Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) said Sunday that elections ran smoothly in the country, with few incidents. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 10:21:26|Editor: ZX Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- A rising political star of the Brazilian Workers' Party (PT), Fernando Haddad is expected to compete against the leading far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro in the second round later this month. With 96 percent of the votes counted, Haddad secured 28.43 percent in the first round, according to results from the top electoral body Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Haddad came to his first presidential race with the support of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. With Lula banned from running for presidency due to a corruption conviction, Haddad, who was his running mate, ascended to the position of the party's presidential candidate. Haddad was born in 1963 in Sao Paulo. He later got his master's in economy and doctorate in philosophy at Sao Paulo University, and became a professor at the university's Political Science Department. In 2001, Haddad started his political career at the Sao Paulo city government as the chief of staff at the finance secretariat. In 2003, following the election of Lula, he joined the planning minister's team as a advisor, and later became executive secretary at the Education Ministry. In 2005, Haddad became education minister, a position he held till 2012 when he left the ministry to run for Sao Paulo mayor and won. In 2016, Haddad lost his bid for re-election as mayor of Sao Paulo. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 10:32:58|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close MACAO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A forum on the youth's role in the development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was to be held in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Saturday, the Spokesperson's Office of the Macao SAR government said recently. The three-day event, with the theme of "new opportunities for the development of young people through the construction of the Greater Bay Area," includes thematic forums and five parallel sessions, and some other activities. Meanwhile, an initiative was to be signed by 30 representatives of young people on the youth's role in the construction of the Greater Bay Area. More than 1,000 representatives are expected to attend the forum. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 11:04:53|Editor: ZX Video Player Close by Abu Hanifah PALU, Indonesia, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government is planning to build a mass grave monument in western Palu's devastated village of Balaroa as chances to retrieve more bodies from muds mixed with debris of houses are running slim. The Balaroa village was sucked down into the earth due to liquefaction following the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that hit the Central Sulawesi's provincial capital of Palu on Sept. 28. The quake has made soil beneath the village liquifying, eventually sucking all houses and buildings above, buring alive the occupants. Indonesia Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Wiranto said that the option to end the search and build a mass grave monument in Balaroa had already been consulted with local government and religious figures. The Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency has announced that the search and evacuation of bodies would be called off on Thursday, Oct. 11. "If the search takes too long time, it would be not good for the people there. They might get sick from diseases (generated from the site)," Wiranto said. The other thing that leads up to the option was the risk for the searching activities as the muddy ground remained unstable and could drag down the excavators below the ground. Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency estimated earlier that at least 1,000 residents of the village were buried along with their houses deep in the ground. The figure came up from the estimated 1,000 houses affected by the liquefaction in the village, according to the agency. Wiranto said the government expected to complete the rehabilitation and reconstruction projects in the provinces' earthquake and tsunami-affected areas within two years. He also said that the government would build temporary houses for families for those loosing their houses from the disaster. "Those houses were for temporary use before we build permanent houses for them," he added. The multiple disasters in the province has severely damaged infrastructure, power and telecommunication networks, public houses as well as government buildings. The situation was worsened by the looting of stores, supermarkets and banks due to the lack of food and supplies, eventually paralyzing the economy in the city in the aftermath of the disasters. Indonesian foreign ministry said that the government has received fund assistance commitments conveyed by several foreign countries to help Indonesia in dealing with efforts to mitigate impacts of the disasters. Deputy Foreign Minister Abdurrachman Mohammad Fachir said that besides funds, the foreign assistances were also offered in the form of supplies and equipments. Fachir said the foreign fund assistance would possibly be allocated to finance the rehabilitation and reconstruction projects in the affected areas. Apart from the fund assistance, Indonesia also received aircraft assistance commitments from foreign countries. Indonesian Air Forces Commander Marshall Yuyu Sutisna said that 23 foreign planes would assist in delivery of supplies to Palu airport. They will fly those supplies from Jakarta and Balikpapan, and were expected to accelerate delivery process of those supplies. Of those committed planes 10 have already in service as of Saturday, he added. On Sunday, Indonesian authorities said that death toll recorded from the retrieved bodies had risen to 1,944, while 2,549 people were being treated in hospitals. The multiple disasters have displaced over 62,000 people, who are currently being sheltered in 147 locations, the Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 11:01:41|Editor: ZX Video Player Close SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Monday that mood and conditions were created to hold the second summit between top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump. Moon made the remark during a cabinet meeting, saying U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Pyongyang created the atmosphere and conditions for the second DPRK-U.S. summit. Pompeo met with Moon in Seoul, right after visiting the DPRK and meeting with the DPRK leader. Kim and Pompeo shared a view to hold the second DPRK-U.S. summit at an earliest possible date, according to the top U.S. diplomat. Moon told the cabinet members to closely cooperate and work with U.S. counterparts to let the second DPRK-U.S. summit be held as quickly as possible and make a big progress in the denuclearization and peace process on the Korean Peninsula. The first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit was held in Singapore on June 12. Under the joint statement signed by Trump and Kim, the United States would be providing security guarantees to the DPRK in return for Pyongyang's commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Moon made mention of expectations for the DPRK leader's trip to Russia in the near future, saying the possibility for the DPRK-Japan summit was open. It indicated a new order being created on the peninsula, which could lead to a new order in Northeast Asia, Moon noted. The South Korean leader said all the processes would help completely denuclearize the peninsula and build a lasting peace regime, vowing to make active efforts to cooperate with all parties concerned including the United States. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 11:23:06|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close By Fone Ying Kyu YANGON, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar is making preparations to hold a business forum in Mandalay, the country's second largest city in the north, on Nov. 9, aiming to promote trade and investment for the development of Mandalay region, according to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) Monday. Such forum is partly aimed at driving development more evenly among all states and regions. The forum will showcase business opportunities in the region, familiarize new business law and regulations and the investment environment of Mandalay region and widen network between foreign investors and local business community, said the organizer. High level speakers, officials from the government side and the leading personnel from the private sector will speak on the occasion, the organizer added. During the event, a site tour to some industrial zone, new Mandalay resort city project and national park as well as some potential investment areas will be arranged by the Myanmar Investment Committee and regional authorities. With a population of 1.2 million, Mandalay, which is a trading hub and logistic hub in northern Myanmar, has set its sight on further industrialization and enhancement of its economic condition . According to Mandalay Region Investment Committee, the regional government has granted five foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth 13.633 million U.S. dollars from August 2017 to June 2018. Myanmar government formed the Mandalay Region Investment Committee in July 2017, entrusting power to the regional authorities to approve FDI sought in the region which does not exceed an initial investment of 5 million U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, Myanmar recently reformed its investment commission and enforced a new companies law which took effect on Aug. 1, aiming to attract foreign investment, to allow companies to benefit from the new Myanmar Companies Law which has abolished the mandated system of submitting an authorized capital as well as the requirement of an article of association and a memorandum of association previously prescribed. Meanwhile, organized by the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), Myanmar is also planning to hold an investment summit in the capital of Nay Pyi Taw on Jan. 8-9, 2019, aiming to develop domestic economy, to promote local and foreign investment in the country's regions and states as well as to encourage public-private partnership in the country. Investors from countries including the United States, Britain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore and Thailand will also be invited to the event. The authorities are striving to seek investments from both home and abroad as well as employment in the country's major sectors, manufacturing, garment, electricity and energy, foodstuff, tourism, education, healthcare and land through the summit. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 11:36:21|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate of the right-wing Social Liberal Party, react after knowing the results of the first round of Brazil's presidential election, in Rio de Janeiro Oct. 7, 2018. Brazil's presidential front-runners, namely Jair Bolsonaro and his left-leaning rival Fernando Haddad, are expected to face off in a run-off later this month, according to preliminary results. (Xinhua/Daniel Castelo Branco/AGENCIA O DIA/ESTADAO CONTEUDO/AGENCIA ESTADO) RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's presidential front-runners, the right-wing Jair Bolsonaro and the left-leaning rival Fernando Haddad, are expected to face off in a run-off later this month, according to the official results of the first round of the election on Sunday. Brazil's Superior Electoral Court said the final results, available shortly before 9 p.m. local time, confirmed that voters will be heading to the polls again for the second round of the presidential election. The final tally showed Bolsonaro won 46.1 percent of the votes while Haddad had 29.1 percent. The elections were "clean, serene, transparent and agile," said Rosa Weber, president of the Superior Electoral Court. "The elections took place peacefully and the will of the Brazilian people was comprehensively respected," she added. Voter turnout was at 79.67 percent, or about 112 million out of 147 million eligible voters, leaving the abstention rate at 20.33 percent (or more than 28 million people). Voting is mandatory in Brazil. Some 91.22 percent of the votes cast were valid, while 2.67 percent of the ballots were left blank and 6.11 percent nullified. It requires over 50 percent of the valid votes for a presidential candidate to claim an outright win in the first round of the election. If none of the candidates secured an absolute majority, a second round will be held. The Superior Electoral Court said the elections on Sunday ran smoothly in the country, with few incidents. A little over 2,000 incidents were reported and 578 people were arrested, according to the National Integrated Command and Control Center (CICCN), which launched a program on Oct. 1 to ensure election security. Prosecutors opened an investigation after supporters of Bolsonaro posted images of themselves casting their votes while armed. Bolsonaro, a former military officer, is an outspoken proponent of deregulating gun laws so more Brazilians can arm themselves against potential criminals. Humberto Jacques de Medeiros, a member of the Superior Electoral Court, said officials were reviewing the online images. Brazilian law bars voters from entering the voting booth with mobile phones. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 12:12:37|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close BANGKOK, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- One Indian tourist was killed and another was seriously injured following a brief shoot-out in a busy district of Thailand's capital Bangkok on Sunday night, police said. A few adolescents had opened gunfire on a gang of teenagers from an alley next to a parking lot of Centara Watergate Pavilion shopping mall in Pratunam area but it hit the two Indian tourists and three others, said Metropolitan Police One commander Pol. Maj. Gen. Senit Samransamruatkit. The unidentified young men were believed to arm themselves with AK-47 assault rifles and fired on their enemies who were running for cover in the parking lot area. They incidentally killed the 42-year-old male and seriously wounded the 45-year-old male, according to the police general. Besides, two Thai males and one Lao male were injured by gunfire and rushed to hospitals nearby. The police have launched investigation into the rare street fight with the use of war weapons in Bangkok. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 12:41:20|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close SYDNEY, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Gold Coast in Queensland state is set to host two international film and TV productions, which authorities said are the first big budget projects of their kind lured to the region under latest tax incentives, an official statement said on Monday. The new measures are expected to help rake in more than 100 million Australian dollars (70.56 million U.S. dollars) for the economy. Hollywood feature film Godzilla vs Kong and Disney ABC International Television's Reef Break drama series are slated to begin production this year, tapping 16 million Australian dollars (11.29 million U.S. dollars) of funding provided under the incentive program, according to the statement from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's office. "These projects will bring hundreds of jobs to the Gold Coast and further cement its reputation as one of the best places in the world to make movies," said the prime minister. "I've visited some of the businesses that service the film industry on the Gold Coast and they are the best at what they do," he said. "This is one of the ways the government is boosting small business and creating the conditions for growth in the economy. These productions would not be investing in Australia without these grants. They will use the services of over 1,600 Australian businesses, as well as directly employing more than 1,300 Australians," said Minister for Communications and the Arts Mitch Fifield. Keli Lee, managing director, international content, platform and talent at ABC Studios International, which is part of The Walt Disney Company that brought the productions Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Thor: Ragnarok to the state, lauded the skills of Australian crew and actors and looked forward to "showcasing Australia's stunning locations to the world." Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 12:45:14|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close PYONGYANG, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States agreed Sunday to hold further negotiation for the second DPRK-U.S. summit at an early date. Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the pledge here to make the arrangement, DPRK's state-run news agency KCNA reported. "There was an agreement on the issue of holding the working negotiation for the second DPRK-U.S. summit talks as early as possible, and relevant procedure-related issues and ways were also discussed," it said. The talks were "productive and wonderful" at which mutual stands were fully understood and opinions exchanged, said the report. Progress is being made in implementing the June 12 joint statement agreed upon at the first DPRK-U.S. summit held in Singapore, said Kim, expressing his gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump for making sincere effort to this end. Kim also "expressed his will and conviction that a great progress would surely be made in solving the issues of utmost concern of the world" in the projected second DPRK-U.S. summit talks, according to the report. Kim believed that the dialogue and negotiations between the DPRK and the United States based on the deep confidence between the top leaders of the two countries "would continue to develop favorably in the future." Pompeo made a whirlwind visit to the DPRK for talks with Kim on the issues of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a peace regime. The top U.S. diplomat, who flew to Pyongyang from Tokyo Sunday morning and left for Seoul later in the day, will travel to Beijing for talks with Chinese officials on Monday. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 12:55:20|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday evening thanked voters for putting him in the second of the presidential election. Bolsonaro, who won over 49 million votes in the first round but fell short of an absolute majority, said on his Facebook account that he will work to get more votes in the northeastern region, where he lost in all nine states. In fact, it was only because the northeastern region gave the Workers' Party (PT) a massive lead that Bolsonaro did not get an outright victory in the first round. "We lost in the northeast, but our vote count there was very good and I am sure that God will help us during the second round," he said. Despite his notoriously aggressive stance, Bolsonaro claimed he is ready to unite Brazil. "We have everything to be a great nation; we must unite our people, unite the shards the past governments transformed us into," he said. "United, we will be a great nation. Nobody has the potential we have." Bolsonaro maintained his anti-left stance and said Brazil is on the verge of chaos and "cannot take another step to the left." He also reiterated his criticism of the country's electronic ballots, saying that he is sure that the electronic ballots are the only reason he did not have a first round victory. The final tally showed Bolsonaro won 46.1 percent of the votes while the runner-up Fernando Haddad had 29.1 percent. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 13:32:13|Editor: ZX Video Player Close MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least 28 Taliban militants have been killed in a series of airstrikes in northern province of Faryab, an army source said Monday. The strikes were launched by U.S.-led NATO coalition forces' warplanes in Qaysar and Dawlat Abad districts on Sunday evening, Hanif Rezai, spokesman of army Corps 209 Shaheen based in the region, told Xinhua. Among those militants killed in the strikes were two local Taliban divisional commanders named Qari Abdullah and Rahmatullah, the source added. Afghan security forces, backed by the U.S.-led NATO 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 for later this month on Oct. 20. The militant group has yet to make comments on the report. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 13:31:02|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BANGKOK, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A senior administrative official was arrested alongside 10 others on charges of slaying a bearcat in a national park in western Thailand. Authorities arrested the administrative official Sunday, identified as Watcharachai Sameerak, and his friends, including two local defense volunteers, on charges of illegally poaching and killing the bearcat, which was offiically categorized as a protected wildlife, in Saiyok national park in Kanchanaburi province, said an official of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Watcharachai is a deputy district officer of Dan Makham Tia district of the western province, which covers Saiyok district and the national park of the same name. Found in possession of the wildlife hunting suspects were four freshly-lacerated legs of the bearcat, a rifle with a silencer, two handguns, ammunition and six off-road trucks, the department's official said. Earlier this year, Premchai Karnasuta, president of giant contractor Italian-Thai Development Co., was arrested alongside three others on charges of poaching and killing a black panther in Thung Yai Naresuan wildlilfe sanctuary in Kanchanaburi. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 14:59:30|Editor: ZX Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian planters are looking forward to exporting fresh durians to China, durian plantation advisor Lim Chin Khee has said. In an interview with Xinhua, Lim said those planters even included palm oil planters who have recently diversified to durian farming. According to Lim, at least 10 companies are engaging with him for durian farming as they foresee great potential for the king of fruits, underpinned by strong demand from China. Lim foresees great potential for the premium tropical fruit as durian tours to Malaysia are gaining momentum among Chinese tourists, and more Chinese have recognized the quality of the fruit in the country. Malaysia's current durian production is not enough to accommodate Chinese need if the fresh durian export is opened up, as most farming are carried by small holders, according to Lim. "Thus, it is important for Malaysian planters to look into ways to improve durian plantation," he said, adding that it may not be an easy task. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 15:15:11|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close CANBERRA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Australia's new fleet of submarines are facing a crew shortage, and at least 1,500 submariners will be required for new fleet, according to a report published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) on Monday. The Royal Australian Navy's pool of submariners will need to be more than doubled to crew the 12 new French-designed Barracuda class submarines, the report said. The navy employs 600 submariners for the six Collins class vessels currently in service. The Australian government in 2016 awarded French shipbuilder DCNS the contract to build the 12 submarines at a cost of 56 billion Australian dollars (about 79.34 U.S. dollars) despite a German company offering to build them for 20 billion dollars (about 28.33 billion U.S. dollars). "One of the key risks is developing the workforce because if you don't get that right you've spent your billions and you've got your submarines, but you can't actually take them to sea," report author Marcus Hellyer told the Guardian Australia on Monday. Hellyer said that the vessels would cost Australia closer to 79 billion AUD by the time they were finished. The first of the new submarines is expected to enter rotation in the early 2030s with the last to be delivered in the 2050s. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 15:16:35|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close PARIS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- An animal rights group has launched a campaign in dozens of metro stations here, urging people to refrain from the "massacre" of rats amid the city's ongoing anti-rat movement. The campaign, launched by Paris Animaux Zoopolis that aims to defend all animals regardless of human preferences, showed pictures of cute rats on their posters that read rats "are sensitive individuals" that can "feel emotions." It urged the city to refrain from its ongoing fight against rats which authorities say is aimed at improving public health. "Rats should not be seen as synonymous with filth," Philippe Reigne, the group's co-founder, said, adding that rats in fact help reduce rubbish by eating some seven kilos of rubbish over their lifespan, according to The Telegraph. Paris is estimated to have a rat population of around 4 million, which easily outnumbers its human population. Rats can be seen scurrying through streets, parks, metro stations and other places especially when flooding occurs or major infrastructure works force them out of their usual haunts. Footage of rats infesting the city and scaring people is not unusual on social media. Authorities have long been fighting back against rats via various means, such as laying traps and poison and blocking off sewer entrances. In late 2016, multiple parks were even closed off to better wipe out rampaging rats. In January, authorities introduced a 1.7 million-euro (1.96 million U.S.-dollar) anti-rat plan to combat the proliferation of rats. Earlier, it presented the results of the plan, saying 4,950 anti-rat operations had been conducted as of July and 200 parks and 600 buildings had been treated against rats. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 15:32:32|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BRASILIA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's polarized presidential elections head to a runoff in late October between the front-runner of Sunday's initial round, the right-wing Jair Bolsonaro and runner-up Fernando Haddad of the left-leaning Workers' Party (PT). Bolsonaro handily won the first round with more than 46 percent of the votes while Haddad had over 29 percent, followed by center-left candidate Ciro Gomes with over 12 percent and center-right Geraldo Alckmin with nearly 5 percent. Since Latin America's largest economy once again became a democracy following a military dictatorship, no presidential election has been marked by such a major difference in ideology between the leading candidates. How did Bolsonaro and Haddad come to lead the polls? This polarization follows recent economic struggles, which culminated in the impeachment of ex-president Dilma Rousseff in 2016, and a string of corruption scandals. Code-named Operation Car Wash (Lava Jato), a long-running investigation uncovered a massive bribery and kickback scheme revolving around state oil giant Petrobras, and involved officials from practically all political parties, especially the then-governing PT. The combination of economic hardship and revelations of corruption created the kind of widespread discontent that can lead to more extremist views among voters, the rise of political outsiders and election upsets, said Paulo Kramer, a political observer at the University of Brasilia (UnB). "Operation Car Wash unleashed an overwhelming amount of information on corruption ... to that was added the worst economic crisis in our history, with gross domestic product falling 9 percent in just three years," said Kramer. Bolsonaro, a former military officer turned politician, has served as a lawmaker for years, but he is not a member of Brazil's major political parties, which made him the outsider many voters were looking for, Kramer said. While Bolsonaro champions a liberal economic policy that favors deregulation, he focused his campaign on other topics of interest to voters, such as fighting Brazil's high crime rate or defending traditional family values, a stance that contrasts with the diversity that the PT champions. Professor David Fleischer, who also teaches at the UnB, believes Brazil's changing demographics also played a role in the elections, with an increasing number of voters now over 60, nearly 18 percent of the electorate, compared to 15 percent between the ages of 16 and 24. "Polls showed that this group over 60 is more conservative," said Fleischer. Haddad, meanwhile, was somewhat handicapped by his late entry to the race, only after the PT's initial candidate, ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was disqualified due to his conviction for corruption. He nevertheless firmly garnered the support of women, securing more than 52 percent of the female vote, and solidly won Brazil's PT strongholds, the poorer north and northeast regions. Haddad also refrained from going on the offensive, as Bolsonaro spent most of the past few weeks in the hospital, recovering after having been stabbed at a campaign event. Brazilians are now bracing themselves for the campaigning to come, as the two jostle for voters in the days leading to the Oct. 28 runoff. Bolsonaro went into the second round with immense strength and political capital; almost 20 percentage points ahead of his opponent, he does not need much more votes to become president. Haddad, on the other hand, has an extremely difficult challenge: to overcome the massive rejection of the PT, which faces corruption and the conviction of the party's main leader, with the help of a partial media and justice system. He needs to gather the support of the center. Though Gomes has practically confirmed his support for Haddad, not all of Gomes' voters will automatically embrace Haddad. In fact, many of those who voted for Gomes did so because they did not want to vote for Haddad or Bolsonaro, according to observers. The last time the PT had such a small share of votes in a first round was in 1994, when they lost the election in the first round to Brazilian Social Democracy Party's (PSDB) Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 15:47:41|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KABUL, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has met with visiting U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan's peace and reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, on ways of reaching a lasting peace in the country, Presidential Palace said on Monday. They exchanged views on Sunday at the Afghan Presidential Palace on holding an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace talks, and how to reach an inclusive peace in the country, the palace said in a statement. The meeting was attended by high-ranking Afghan government officials. "Peace is a holy process and in this way, the government and people of America cooperate with the government and the people of Afghanistan," said Khalilzad. The U.S. diplomat, leading a delegation, arrived in Afghanistan after visiting Pakistan. He is expected to visit United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Saudi Arabia in a latest effort to bring about peace and accelerate Afghan reconciliation process. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 16:11:15|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MANILA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will attend the day-long meeting of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bali, Indonesia on Thursday, a Philippine diplomat announced on Monday. Foreign Assistant Secretary Junever Mahilum-West said Duterte will attend the meeting on Thursday afternoon and the working dinner that will follow. Mahilum-West said Duterte will "highlight the government's efforts to improve its performance in achieving the sustainable development goals, urge all parties to strengthen support for micro, small and medium enterprises development." Moreover, she added Duterte will also encourage deeper cooperation between the ASEAN, the UN, IMF and the World Bank so as to implement the ASEAN vision 2025 and the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 16:14:26|Editor: zh Video Player Close Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 8, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday met with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying that China and the United States should follow the right path of win-win cooperation, rather than go astray toward conflict and confrontation. Wang said Pompeo proposed his visit to China and the Chinese side was willing to arrange meetings. Recently the United States escalated its trade friction with China, took actions that jeopardized China's rights and interests on the Taiwan issue and unwarrantedly condemned China on its domestic and foreign policies, Wang said. Stressing that these moves have directly impacted on the mutual trust and cast shadows on the prospects of China-U.S. relations, Wang urged the United States to stop making negative remarks immediately. "I know that during your visit, you also want to exchange views with the Chinese side on regional hotspot issues including the situation in the Korean Peninsula," Wang said, adding that this demonstrates as two major powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and the United States should strengthen communication and cooperation, so as to live up to the responsibilities entrusted by the international community. Saying the two sides' cooperation should be supported by healthy and steady bilateral ties, Wang expressed his hope that Pompeo's Beijing visit will play a positive role in realizing the goal. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 16:16:34|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli high-tech company Electreon Wireless will examine and demonstrate its technology for charging moving electric vehicles with an electric bus of the Chinese company Higer, the Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday. The testing, due to take place within weeks in a special road segment in central Israel, will also involve the supermini electric car Renault Zoe. The new charging method, which allows the use of smaller and cheaper batteries, is expected to save high costs of installing charging spots throughout the cities and transferring power lines. The charging is carried out wirelessly as the deeply-installled coil infrastructure distances the radiation source from the road surface. Founded in 2013, Electreon Wireless recently entered the final stage in Sweden's first tender for the construction of an electric charging road. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 16:17:45|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 school children have been injured after a truck rammed into their school bus in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Monday, police said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 16:43:09|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. dollar has been maintaining its strength against Mongolia's national currency the tugrik, according to Mongolia's central bank. The Bank of Mongolia set the rate to 2,567 tugriks per dollar on Monday morning and private banks set the rate to 2,574 tugriks per dollar. The U.S. dollar exchange rate against the tugrik has reached a historical high in the past few days, with the exchange rate standing at more than 2550. "This rise of the U.S. dollar exchange rate is directly related to a 40 percent increase in imports in the first three quarters of this year compared to the same period last year," Batjin Narantsogt, a senior economist at the Bank of Mongolia, told local media on Monday. "The Bank of Mongolia has the obligation to manage foreign currency reserves. The central bank has supplied about 500 million U.S. dollars to private banks since June," Batjin said. The foreign exchange reserves in Mongolia decreased to 2.9 billion dollars at the end of last week from 3.26 billion dollars in May, which marked the highest since June 2013, according to the central bank. Protestors hold pictures of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a demostration in front of the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 5, 2018. (AFP photo) ANKARA, Oct. 8 (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. A demonstrator holds picture of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a protest in front of Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 5, 2018. (Reuters photo) 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| 2018-10-08 17:14:11|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close MACAO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The visitor arrivals in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) reached nearly 900,000 during the seven-day Golden Week holiday, up 7.2 percent year-on-year, the SAR tourism office said on Monday. Visitor arrivals from the Chinese mainland reached 73,4910 during the seven days, up by 14 percent year-on-year, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said. Meanwhile, a total of 14,7996 visitors arrived in Macao on Oct. 3, the peak day during the seven days, up 13.3 percent year-on-year. The MGTO had actively prepared for the arrival of the visitors by carrying out a series of tasks, including operation of tourism notification system, it said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 17:42:55|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close TEHRAN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian lawmaker said on Monday that the European Union renewed the call for opening an office in Iran's capital Tehran, Tasnim news agency reported. The call was first made by an Austrian envoy during a recent meeting of 26 ambassadors from European countries hosted by the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Tasnim cited the commission chairman Heshamtollah Falahatpisheh as saying. Austria currently holds the EU rotating presidency. A number of other ambassadors echoed the need for the EU to establish an office in Iran, Falahatpisheh added. However, Iran's foreign ministry played down the expectations, saying "no precise and comprehensive view" was reached, the report said. The EU had proposed opening an office in Iran a couple of years ago, according to Tasnim. In November 2017, Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri said the establishment of an EU office in Tehran could facilitate the implementation of bilateral agreements. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 18:06:06|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close WELLINGTON, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Minister for Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Kris Faafoi is encouraging everyone to take a few easy steps to protect themselves online this Cyber Smart Week, or cyber security awareness week that runs from Oct. 8-12. It is organized by New Zealand's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT NZ) which is collaborating with more than 70 public and private sector partners to help keep Kiwis safe online. The latest statistics from CERT NZ show that everyday New Zealanders lost almost 10 million NZ dollars (6.4 million U.S. dollars) to cyber-attacks in the last year, Faafoi said in a statement on Monday. "We live in an increasingly digital world, where everything and everyone is connected. Our relationships, our jobs, our finances, everything is online," said Faafoi. The CERT NZ is encouraging all New Zealanders to do a few simple things to protect themselves online, like making sure they use unique passwords, setting up two-factor authentication, making sure apps are up-to-date, and checking on privacy settings. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 18:32:35|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BEIRUT, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A delegation from Germany's Siemens arrived in Beirut on Monday to discuss the challenges facing Lebanon's electricity sector with caretaker Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil, a local news agency reported. The delegation will conduct week-long negotiations with the Lebanese minister and is expected to submit an offer for the construction of power stations in Lebanon, Lebanon Debate said. The delegation came following an audio going viral online, in which the lawmaker Yassin Jaber claimed the government refused an offer by Siemens to build power stations in Lebanon to solve the electricity crisis. Abi Khalil, however, later denied receiving such an offer from Siemens. Last month, Joe Kaeser, CEO of Siemens AG, confirmed in a tweet that Siemens did offer to help address Lebanon's electricity crisis during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Beirut in June. Lack of electricity has plagued Lebanon for many years, as the government is incapable of generating the needed amount of power. Successive governments failed over the years to build power stations to solve the electricity crisis in Lebanon, which costs the country about 2 billion U.S. dollars yearly. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 18:33:56|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close YAOUNDE, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon's presidential election unfolded here early Sunday amid despite domestic tensions between some separatists in the western region and government forces. The African Union (AU) observation mission expressed satisfaction with the polling process. There are over 6.6 million voters registered for the poll. President Paul Biya of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) who seeks to extend his 36 years in office by winning a new seven-year mandate cast his ballot at a local polling station. "We will win the election ... a vote for Paul Biya is a vote for the unity and prosperity of the country. He is the most experienced candidate to solve the problems of our country," CPDM member Essomba Jean said. Joshua Osih of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), the leading opposition candidate, also cast his ballot at Lycee Joss polling station in Douala, the country's economic capital. "Throughout this campaign we have presented a program for peace, stability and wealth for our country. I will do this for Cameroon. Tomorrow, Sunday, vote for change. We will win the election," Osih told supporters at a Saturday rally. Prior to the Sunday vote, one of the opposition candidates, Akere Muna of the People's Development Front, decided to withdraw his candidacy in the election for the benefit of Maurice Kamto, whom he urged his supporters to vote for. "Only a union of forces of the main candidates can overcome the Biya regime," Muna said, who announced a coalition with Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement in less than 48 hours to the polling day. The voting was not an easy one in the two Anglophone regions of the Southwest and Northwest as armed separatist forces there are fighting to create a new nation called "Ambazonia." In those regions, "most of the polling stations are not functioning because there are no voters yet. Officials are still trying to vote in some polling stations that are heavily guarded by government forces," Derick Jato, a local journalist, told Xinhua from Buea, Southwest region. Two armed separatists who tried to disrupt the vote were killed by government forces, Northwest's governor Adolphe Lele Lafrique said. Despite the regional tension, the AU said Sunday it was "satisfied" with the polling process. "We can agree that it (the voting) went well and we are satisfied," Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu, head of the AU observation mission for the election, told reporters. "I do not have an exact evaluation of how things unfolded but by information I obtained, we can say the situation was not too good (in the anglophone regions). In spite of that, I think my appraisal is positive," Ahoomey-Zunu said. Before the vote, the ruling party CPDM and the leading opposition SDF urged their supporters to maintain peace to ensure the polls are held in a peaceful environment. "This election is not about the candidate. What matters most for this election is what the future holds for the country considering the war going on in the country," Osih said after voting, indicating the significance of this vote as a fate-deciding moment for the West African country. According to the electoral code, the results will be proclaimed by the Constitutional Council within no more than 15 days of the close of the poll. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 18:41:51|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HARARE, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has started drawing down from the 500 million U.S. dollar lines of credit it recently secured to support the procurement of essential commodities, with the first disbursement of 41 million U.S. dollars being released for fuel procurement. A statement from the central bank on Monday said that the money to procure fuel was released Friday. The country has been experiencing erratic fuel supplies for several weeks, with motorists enduring long queues at filling stations. "The bank released 41 million dollar for the procurement of fuel on Friday, the 5th of October, 2018 and the fuel is currently being supplied and delivered to the various filling stations and supply points across the market," the bank said. It reassured the public that there was sufficient fuel in the country and there was, therefore, no need for panic buying of fuel and other basic commodities. Relevant essential commodities include fuel, electricity, wheat and raw materials for the manufacturing of cooking oil. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 19:28:07|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's general elections wrapped up late Sunday and the official final results showed that the right-wing Jair Bolsonaro and his left-leaning rival Fernando Haddad are headed for a run-off later this month. Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) said that the final results, available shortly before 9 p.m. local time (0000 GMT Monday), confirmed that voters will be heading to the polls again for the second round of the presidential election. The final tally showed Bolsonaro, from the Social Liberal Party, won 46.1 percent of the votes, while Haddad, from the Workers' Party, had 29.1 percent. The elections were "clean, serene, transparent and agile," said Rosa Weber, president of the TSE. "The elections took place peacefully and the will of the Brazilian people was comprehensively respected," she added. Voter turnout was at 79.67 percent, or about 112 million out of 147 million eligible voters, leaving the abstention rate at 20.33 percent (or more than 28 million people). Voting is mandatory in Brazil. Some 91.22 percent of the votes cast were valid, while 2.67 percent of the ballots were left blank and 6.11 percent nullified. It requires over 50 percent of the valid votes for a presidential candidate to claim an outright win in the first round of the election. If none of the candidates has secured an absolute majority, a second round will be held. On Sunday, Brazilians voted to choose a new president and vice president, 27 governors and vice governors, 54 senators, 513 federal representatives and 1,059 state representatives. The TSE said the elections on Sunday ran smoothly throughout the country, with few incidents. All Brazilian presidential candidates have already voted in the first round of the general elections. Bolsonaro voted on Sunday morning in Rio, accompanied by one of his sons, who is also a politician and is running for the Senate. As he left the voting site, the candidate told reporters that he was still not fully healed from the attack he suffered last month. Bolsonaro was stabbed in the gut on Sept. 6, as he campaigned in Minas Gerais state. The attacker was immediately arrested and put into jail. Preliminary investigations showed the attacker was a lone wolf, acting out of his own volition. Bolsonaro underwent two surgeries and is currently using a colostomy bag. He may have to undergo a third surgery in the near future to take it off. In his speech, the candidate reinforced the far-right discourse and made a reference to Venezuela. Though Brazil never actually had a socialist government, Bolsonaro has been using the neighboring country, which is facing severe economic and political problems, as a dire example of what Brazil could become if his rivals win the election. "We have had the support of important sectors of society: businessmen, merchants, evangelical leaders, good people in Brazil who want to move away from socialism and do not want to flirt with the Venezuelan regime," he said. "People who want a liberal economy, with less State presence, and who want to defend family values. People are realizing that Brazil cannot continue in the direction of socialism; we do not want Brazil to become like Venezuela in the future," he said. Haddad voted on Sunday in Sao Paulo, accompanied by his wife, Ana Estela. After casting his ballots, Haddad, who replaced iconic former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the PT ticket, told reporters that he had confidence in his presence in the second round of elections and criticized leading candidate Bolsonaro. Haddad said that in the second round, Bolsonaro will not be able to "hide behind his social networks." Bolsonaro is somewhat of a social media phenomenon, with millions of followers comparing him to a Messiah, especially after he was stabbed during a campaign event in early September. Even before the attack, Bolsonaro had declared he would not attend any debates, after some poor performances. After the attack, he was in the hospital and later recovering at home. Despite not going to debates, he gave several interviews and made a number of Facebook livestreams. "He has great difficulty in debates," Haddad said. "He would have great difficulties to debate in the second round. He has no team, he has no project." The Sustainability Network Party's Marina Silva voted in her home state of Acre, accompanied by her husband and sister. After voting, she talked about her campaign and criticized the excessive polarization of Brazilian politics, represented by the candidacies of Bolsonaro and Haddad, the two top-ranked candidates in polls. "Brazil is going through a very serious political, economic, social crisis, and a crisis of values as well. The two parties which are now engaging in this polarization are not an alternative for the Brazilian society," she said. Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB)'s Geraldo Alckmin voted in Sao Paulo, where he served as governor. He was accompanied by his wife Lu Alckmin and political allies. The Socialism and Freedom Party's Guilherme Boulos also voted in Sao Paulo and asked electors not to vote out of hate. "We cannot fool around with the country almost falling from a cliff. No more dictatorship," he said. "Do not put hate in the ballot. Put in your dreams and hopes." Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif leaves after a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at the EU Council in Brussels, Belgium, on May 15, 2018. (Reuters File photo) TEHRAN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian lawmaker said on Monday that the European Union renewed the call for opening an office in Iran's capital Tehran, Tasnim news agency reported. The call was first made by an Austrian envoy during a recent meeting of 26 ambassadors from European countries hosted by the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Tasnim cited the commission chairman Heshamtollah Falahatpisheh as saying. Austria currently holds the EU rotating presidency. A number of other ambassadors echoed the need for the EU to establish an office in Iran, Falahatpisheh added. However, Iran's foreign ministry played down the expectations, saying "no precise and comprehensive view" was reached, the report said. The EU had proposed opening an office in Iran a couple of years ago, according to Tasnim. In November 2017, Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri said the establishment of an EU office in Tehran could facilitate the implementation of bilateral agreements. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 19:31:47|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BERLIN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- German police have ended a widely-publicized operation to clear the occupied Hambach forest in North Rhine-Westphalia on Monday. "We have withdrawn entirely," a spokesperson for the Aachen police told press. The announcement marked the conclusion of one of the largest ever police operations in the western state of Germany which witnessed the removal of 86 treehouses built earlier by activists to prevent the forest's looming felling. The treehouse settlement in question has become a well-known symbol for resistance against coal power generation and deforestation across Europe. 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. The Essen-based company plans to begin cutting down a further 100 hectares out of 200 hectares of remaining woodland shortly. Although RWE has already obtained government approval to use the Hambach site for its mining activities, it has been confronted with long-standing protests from local residents and environmental activists. Up to 50,000 individuals from across Germany and beyond participated in a demonstration on Sunday to protest the destruction of a forest which they affectionately nicknamed "Hambi." Shortly before the march on Sunday took place, the dispute over the future of the "Hambi" took a surprising turn when the Muenster Higher Administrative Court approved an emergency appeal filed by the Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) environmental group to temporarily halt its scheduled felling. BUND was able to convince the judges that the presence of an endangered species of bats in Hambach meant that the area fulfilled the criteria of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in the European Union (EU). Due to a resulting risk of "irreversible damage" to local biodiversity, the court ruled that the case required further judicial and environmental scrutiny before being able to proceed with the felling. In response to the development, Herbert Reul (CDU), interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia decided to remove security forces from the area over the weekend. "I think the time has come for calm, peace and order to return to the forest," Reul said. At the same time, Reul appealed to activist not to begin re-erecting treehouse and barricades. German media reported on Monday that construction of makeshift dwellings has begun again in Hambach by around 100 activists who have returned to the only-briefly cleared area. According to a spokesperson for the Aachen police, security forces will continue to monitor the situation closely and assess the possibility of further clearance operations. Such a mission would have to be initiated by affected municipal governments requesting police assistance in removing the new treehouses. An opinion survey has recently found that 79 percent of people polled in North Rhine-Westphalia, including 71 percent of CDU supporters, are in favor of preserving the Hambach forest. Nevertheless, governor Armin Laschet (CDU) has told the public broadcaster "WDR" that his government would not tolerate "any abuse of the law" and could not "orient its policies exclusively towards surveys." Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 19:41:47|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close GABORONE, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi is traveling to London on Monday at the invitation of the British government to attend the 2018 London Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference. Scheduled for Oct. 11 to 12, the conference is expected to bring together global leaders to help eradicate illegal wildlife trade and better protect the world's most iconic species from the threat of extinction. "Botswana has, along with several other countries, committed to taking decisive and urgent action to tackle the illegal wildlife trade in endangered fauna and flora in recognition of the significant scale and detrimental economic, social and environmental consequences of the illegal trade in wildlife," a press release said. Masisi will share Botswana's experience and successes in dealing with illegal wildlife trade at the conference. Two cabinet ministers and senior government officials will accompany him. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 19:51:54|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KABUL, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Sixteen Taliban militants were killed after an improvised explosive device (IED) they were building accidently detonated in eastern Ghazni province early Monday, provincial police said in a statement. At least 11 security force members and 67 Taliban militants have been killed in clashes in five Afghan provinces as fighting rages elsewhere in the country, officials said Monday. 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 the parliamentary and district councils elections slated for later this month. During the upcoming Oct. 20 elections, more than 54,000 Afghan army soldier and police personnel would be deployed to provide security for 5,100 polling stations across the country. In latest clashes, in northern Jawzjan province, six Afghan army soldiers, two pro-government local militiamen and about 30 Taliban militants were killed and 19 militants and four security forces were injured after security forces repulsed a Taliban attack on an army camp and nearby security checkpoints in Quesh Tepa district overnight, deputy provincial police chief Kamaluddin Yawar told Xinhua. In western Badghis province, heavy clashes erupted after Taliban militants stormed Jawand district headquarter and security checkpoints around the district center Sunday night, Naqibullah Amini, provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua. "The fighting left one army soldier and six Taliban militants dead while 11 militants and one soldier were injured," he said. Eleven Taliban militants, including a senior local Taliban leader named Mullah Mutasim, were killed after Afghan army launched a special operation against a Taliban hideout in Saj village, Pusht Rod district of western Farah province late Sunday, Muhibullah Muhib, provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua. In southern Zabul province, four militants and a police officer were killed and three militants injured after Afghan police fought back attackers, who stormed remote Mizan district and tried to overrun the district government offices Sunday night, provincial government spokesman, Gul Islam Syyal, told Xinhua. On Sunday, 14 police officers, including a district police chief, and four Taliban militants were killed and several people were wounded after Taliban attacked Sayed Abad district in eastern Wardak province. Nearly 9 million registered voters, including 3 million women, out of some 12 million eligible Afghans, 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. Earlier on Monday, the Taliban militant group issued a statement and called on Afghans to boycott the elections. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 19:54:35|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A top official of Iraq's eastern province of Diyala said on Monday that over 10,000 families of displaced people are still unable to return home in the province because of security concerns and lack of infrastructure. "The number of displaced families who didn't return to their homes in the liberated areas in Diyala ranges between 11,000 to 13,000," Ali al-Daynee, head of Diyala's provincial council, told Xinhua. "Many homes of the displaced people had been demolished," he said. Meanwhile, some tribes accuse some of the displaced people of joining the Islamic State (IS) militant group, and prevent them from returning home, al-Daynee added. The provincial chief said it will take a long time to solve the issue in Diyala given the complications of tribal recrimination, revenge and sectarian strife. Diyala was liberated from IS militants in early 2015, but four camps of displaced people in the provincial capital city of Baquba, as well as the cities of Khanaqin and Udhaim remain in control of the militant group and suffer shortage in humanitarian aids. On Sept. 4, a statement by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the number of displaced people in Iraq has dropped below 2 million from 6 million since 2014, when IS militants took control of large swathes of Iraqi territory. Despite repeated military operations in Diyala, IS remnants are still hiding in some rugged areas near the border with Iran, and in the sprawling areas extending from the western part of the province to Himreen mountainous area north of Baquba. On Dec. 9, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:02:13|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KHARTOUM, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese pound (SDG) registered a sharp decline against the U.S. dollar on Sunday after the government slashed its value by more than half. To tackle its foreign exchange shortage, the government set a new exchange rate of 47.5 SDGs for one dollar, decreasing the value of the currency by about 63.8 percent from 29 SDGs for one dollar. However, currency dealers in the parallel market said the purchase price of the U.S dollar has reached about 50 to 51 SDGs. Sudan has been undergoing an economic crisis since the secession of South Sudan in 2011, due to which the country lost an estimated 70 percent of its oil revenues. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:05:50|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MADRID, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Maritime Rescue Services have saved almost 1,500 people attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Spain in about three days over the weekend. The rescue service agency confirmed Sunday night on its website that they had "rescued 1,181 people in 30 dinghies between yesterday (Saturday) and today (Sunday)." Up to "307 people in 12 dinghies were aided in the Straits of Gibraltar and 874 from 18 in the Alboran Sea (an area off the south-east coast of Spain)," the agency said, adding that "the emergencies were coordinated by the control centers in Tarifa and Almeria (southern Spain)." On Monday morning the agency said 230 people were rescued from five dinghies and taken to the port of Algeciras at roughly 6:30 a.m. An additional 83 people were rescued from another dinghy in the same area later in the morning. Recent mild weather across the Mediterranean encouraged the would-be immigrants and gave increasing pressure to the Spanish rescue services. Figures published by the International Organization for Migration on Tuesday showed that the first nine months of 2018 saw 36,654 immigrants cross the Mediterranean to Spain, which is 24,308 more than that in the same period of 2017. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:08:32|Editor: zh Video Player Close TAIPEI, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan's exports to the mainland, with Hong Kong included, expanded by 10.5 percent year on year to 102.83 billion U.S. dollars in the first three quarters, according to the island's finance authority on Monday. From January to September, Taiwan's total exports reached 250.1 billion U.S. dollars, up 8.1 percent from a year earlier, while imports increased 11.9 percent to 213.42 billion U.S. dollars. During the same period, exports to the United States, Europe and Japan were up 6.9 percent, 9.9 percent and 11.4 percent, respectively. Exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) expanded by a slight 0.8-percent year on year. In September alone, Taiwan's exports hit 29.62 billion U.S. dollars, an all-time monthly high and 2.6 percent more than a year earlier. However, exports of electronic components, Taiwan's major export goods, dropped 0.5 percent from a year earlier to 10.12 billion U.S. dollars. The island's imports in September were up 13.9 percent to reach 25.29 billion U.S. dollars. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:17:05|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- More than 450 people have been arrested by police for violent attacks on migrant workers in Gujarat that prompted a mass exodus of laborers, authorities said Monday. "We have arrested 450 people for the attacks on migrant workers from the eastern state of Bihar and the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. A probe report has also been submitted to the central government," Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja told the media. The attacks on migrant workers have been taking place in some five districts of the state -- Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Patan, Sabarkantha and Mehsana -- in the wake of a rape of a minor girl allegedly by a laborer, leading to a mass exodus of migrant workers from Gujarat. The state government has also urged migrant workers to return, assuring them of security. "It is our responsibility to provide security to those who come to Gujarat for employment from other states. We are very serious about resuming the law and order in the state," the state home minister said. The wealthy state of Gujarat is a popular employment destination for migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:16:02|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close TEHRAN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran's private banks have expressed readiness to establish a joint bank with their Iraqi peers, Eghtesad online news website reported Monday. "The groundwork for establishing a joint bank is ready. Despite the limitations, establishing such a joint bank is possible," said Yahya Al-e Es'haq, head of Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce. The bank would function under the regulations of central banks of the two countries to facilitate money transfer, Al-e Es'haq noted. According to the report, Iran-Iraq trade amounted to 4.56 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of the current Iranian fiscal year starting March 21, showing 31 percent of growth in value. Jaafar al-Rasoul al-Hamdani, head of the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce, said easing money transfer is one of the most important factors in boosting economic relations. Iraqi banks are willing to establish joint banks in collaboration with their Iranian peers, he added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:17:59|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BERLIN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- More than three million Germans are at risk of having to be re-settled from coastal areas if sea levels continue to rise due to climate change, the magazine Spiegel reported on Monday. Citing an unpublished study it obtained by the scientific research division of the German federal parliament, Spiegel reported that roughly 3.2 million citizens living in areas at an elevation no more than five meters above sea level on the North Sea coast, and three meters above sea level on the Baltic Sea coast, face a risk of flooding. The scenario is premised on a continued rise in average global temperatures and further losses of the already-rapidly thinning Arctic ice-shield as a result. Germany's maritime states have invested millions of euros in building new dykes and fortifying old structures during the past years in a bid to prevent low-lying coastal areas from becoming uninhabitable. However, the measures are not yet complete and come with a steep price tag. The state of Schleswig-Holstein estimates that raising just one kilometer of dyke to a higher, and therefore more secure, elevation costs between three and four million euros. In some coastal areas, authorities are building a new generation of "super dykes" with significantly broader bases and less-steep inclines. The "super dykes" are designed to offer a more effective barrier against the force of maritime waves and can also be more easily raised to a higher altitude when needed. "The figures are alarming," Green party (Gruene) leader Annalena Baerbock said about the Spiegel report on Monday. Baerbock said the data provided evidence that the "climate crisis is intensifying" and had reached Germany as well. "In order to assume our responsibility towards future generations, the federal government must finally start advocating ambitious energy and climate targets, rather than watering these down." Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:17:36|Editor: zh Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's rapid development is offering great opportunities for overseas hi-tech talents to start their careers and unleash their potential, a Chinese senior executive said Sunday in Silicon Valley. "More and more overseas Chinese hi-tech talents are showing greater interest in going back to China to start a business, particularly in the field of biology, mainly because of China's rapid development and its huge population," said Yongwei Zhang, chief operating officer of a Silicon Valley-based life sciences company. Biological technology's ultimate application is in the medical sector and there are more business opportunities in China as it has an enormous population, as well as greater chance of a large number of patients, said Zhang of Complete Genomics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), the world's largest genomics service company. Hundreds of Chinese and American representatives from science, investment and academic communities gathered here Sunday to attend the third China-U.S. summit at University of California, Berkeley. Eric Betzig, the 2014 Nobel Laureate of Chemistry for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy, delivered a keynote speech on the biological development in the past years. New advances in the past decade will help improve microscopy technology, which is "kind of a forgotten technology in basic biology and drug discovery," said Betzig. New technological progress will provide new opportunities to understand biological systems better and how to modify them through drugs, he said. Betzig advised young students not to blindly seek a hot field to enter, but "to find the new fields, the potentially exciting fields, and get in on the ground floor of those fields, just like the stock market -- buy low, sell high." Participants this year shared views on biological technology, artificial intelligence, blockchain, quantum computing and entrepreneurship at the annual on-campus conference, which is aimed to connect China's businesses and investors with the technology, engineering, and business innovation expertise on UC Berkeley campus and across the Bay Area. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:33:05|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's BingoBox, an operator of self-service stores, has tied up with Malaysian companies to bring in the unmanned retail technology powered by image recognition. The BingoBox Retail Technology was launched on Monday by Scientific Retail, a joint venture between BingoBox and its Malaysian partners. "We believe that this technology coupled with local enhancement will be ideal for the Malaysian market and we are delighted to be the first partner outside of China to introduce this technology," said Scientific Retail's chief executive officer Ng Seong Ping during the launching ceremony. He said the management was inspired by the growth of BingoBox, which launched its flagship store in 2016. To date, BingoBox has been installed in over 400 locations throughout China. "We have generated a lot of interest from various sectors for this technology, and we are looking forward to seeing about 500 retailers using our technology in Malaysia by the end of 2019," he added. Scientific Retail has collaborated with Shell Malaysia and Malaysia's e-wallet provider Boost to offer the integrated retail technology to Malaysians. The retail technology features a highly advanced image recognition system that can auto-detect products, and also has sophisticated monitoring and interactive systems, including facial recognition, patented artificial intelligence and theft prevention. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:31:35|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BUDAPEST, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian government strongly rejected the criticism of the French government on the violation of the rule of law in Hungary, according to official sources here on Monday. "The government will not retreat, but will continue to protect the security of Hungary with all its strength," Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said in a statement in response to the remarks on Hungary by Nathalie Loiseau, French minister on European affairs. In an interview with French news magazine "l'Obs", Loiseau said that France had to "fight a historic battle against the Hungarian government, because Hungary was on the wrong track and that European radicals had to be stopped". The French minister also warned of "real risks" of violation of the rule of law in Hungary, giving "reduction of the pluralism of the press, threats to the independence of the judiciary" as examples. In response, Szijjarto reminded that Hungary was not the colony of France. "The French politician wants to tell Hungarian people how to live, refusing to accept that the Hungarians voted for a third consecutive time for Viktor Orban and his government." The Hungarian minister also said that the battle for the future of Europe would be decided by European people at next year's European Parliament elections. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:41:32|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Various events are being held in Pakistan in connection with the 13th anniversary of the devastating earthquake of Oct. 8, 2005 that killed nearly 100,000 people and left millions homeless, mostly in northern areas of the country, local media reported on Monday. Special prayers, seminars, pictorial exhibitions, candle vigils and awareness walks are being held in schools, colleges, private as well as government institutions to remember the victims of the deadly earthquake and create awareness among the general public to reduce the loss of life and property damage. People representing all walks of life including social and political workers, lawyers, journalists and members of the business fraternity attended the ceremonies. The attendees pay tribute to Pakistan armed forces, people and government of Pakistan, the international community and donor agencies for their generous participation in relief and rehabilitation work. One-minute silence was observed at 8:53 a.m. in the morning and sirens were blown to pay glorious tributes to the victims of history's worst catastrophe. National flag was being hoisted half-mast on all public buildings of the state to mark the anniversary. Barrister Iftikhar Gilani, a minister from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, vowed to accomplish all ongoing reconstruction projects in education sector as early as possible. He said that "international donors have accomplished some international standard hospitals while work on others is speedily underway." The graveyards in the quake-hit areas were flooded with large numbers of people, who were there to offer prayers for the departed souls. Meanwhile, many people took to Twitter on the 13th anniversary to express their grief over the tragic disaster, with journalists sharing their stories of laborious coverage on the day of deadly earthquake of Oct. 8 in 2005. The 7.6-magnitude quake left tens of thousands injured and over 3.5 million homeless. Approximately 19,000 children were killed in the earthquake mainly due to collapses of school buildings, according to the figures provided by government. The earthquake also demolished over 600,000 houses, more than 6,000 educational institutions, health units and government buildings. Most of the casualties had occurred in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Also, at least 73 people were killed and 100 others injured in the country's capital city of Islamabad. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:50:44|Editor: mym Video Player Close Vietnamese artists perform with puppets at the 2018 Hanoi International Puppetry Festival, in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, on Oct. 8, 2018. The 2018 Hanoi International Puppetry Festival kicked off here on Monday, with the participation of 11 art troupes from eight countries. (Xinhua/Ngo Minh Tien) HANOI, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The 2018 Hanoi International Puppetry Festival kicked off here on Monday, with the participation of 11 art troupes from eight countries. The puppet troupes come from Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, France, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. They specialize in water, shadow, black light, hand or mask puppet. Besides performances at the festival in the capital city of Hanoi, some troupes will go to the two northern provinces of Vinh Phuc and Ninh Binh to perform before local audience. Among four Vietnamese puppet troupes at the festival, which is scheduled to conclude on Oct. 15, Hanoi-based Thang Long Water Puppet Theater is the most commercially successful with its revenues reaching 10 billion Vietnamese dong (434,000 U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year. In 2013, the Asian Record Organization recognized Thang Long Water Puppet Theater the only Asian water puppet show that performs every day of the year. Since then, the theater has held the record for five straight years, according to Vietnam's Agency for Performing Arts. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:52:28|Editor: zh Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- China has decided to initiate a campaign to regulate tax payment in the film and TV industry and promote its healthy development, according to a notice from the State Administration of Taxation. The notice demands all levels of taxation authorities inform the film and TV firms and relevant personnel with exorbitant casting fees to conduct self-examinations of their tax payments since 2016 from Oct. 10. The affected businesses include production companies, talent agencies, performing companies and celebrities' studios. Those who make remedial payments to taxation authorities before Dec. 31 will be exempt from administrative punishment and penalties, the notice said. The taxation authorities will then move in at the beginning of 2019, and those who still refuse to take action will be severely punished. The notice vowed to establish and improve the taxation system in the film and TV sector. The campaign also targets violations and dereliction of duty of taxation officials. In a recent case involving actress Fan Bingbing, the local taxation bureau in Wuxi, eastern China's Jiangsu Province, was criticized and called out for rectification, and relevant officials were imposed administrative sanctions of warning and record of demerits. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:53:54|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close CAIRO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian security forces killed at least 52 militants in restive North Sinai Province northeast of the capital Cairo, the armed forces said in a statement on Monday. A total of seven terrorist hideouts in northern and central Sinai were destroyed as part of the Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018, the statement said. The army killed 26 militants, and seized a number of automatic rifles, ammunition, hand grenades, explosive belts, wireless communication devices, and electric circuits. The remaining half were killed by the police in a preemptive operation in Arish, capital of North Sinai Province. The police seized 10 automatic rifles, four machine guns and two explosive devices, while destroying 26 vehicles and 52 unlicensed motorbikes used for transporting militants. The statement also said 28 terrorist vehicles were destroyed during their attempt to sneak into the western desert of Egypt from its borders with Libya, while 102 illegal immigrants were caught and 31 vehicles seized on Egypt's southern borders. The Sinai-based terrorist activities gained strength after the 2013 military ouster of Egyptian former Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in response to massive protests against his one-year rule. In February, Egypt launched the Sinai 2018 military campaign, which has so far killed over 380 militants and more than 30 soldiers. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 20:54:51|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close NANCHANG, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A sculpture exhibition with anti-war theme by Diana Williams, an Australian artist based in China, has attracted over 200,000 visitors since its debut on May 18. The exhibition, entitled Mother's Cry for Peace, was held in the China Ceramic Museum in the southeastern city of Jingdezhen, known as the "ceramics capital" of China. A total of 42 works displayed the cruelty of war, such as a pregnant lady leaning against a gigantic bomb with a baby crawling on it. Diana Williams, 64, settled in the city of Jingdezhen 14 years ago to study under Liu Yuanchang, a ceramic art master. She said her ideas for the exhibit were partly inspired by her feelings about Australia's involvement in the Iraq War. Williams said her works reflect upon the meaning of life and war via a sharp contrast between the lively images of mothers and their babies as well as the horror of war. "This exhibition is a presentation of what I've learned during the past 14 years and is my gift to the city," she said, adding that she expects to exhibit her works in other cities in China in the following years. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 21:01:04|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BERLIN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Jan Woerner, director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), has said that ESA welcomes more cooperation with China's space program, and several European astronauts are now learning Chinese for preparation. "I am very much in favor of international collaboration, and China is part of this world," Woerner told Xinhua, who added that Europe and China have a lot of cooperation in space science, and astronauts from both sides have done some training together in China. Matthias Maurer, an ESA astronaut with German nationality, told Xinhua earlier that he had learnt Chinese for over six years, and said that he hoped to fly work with astronauts from China and other countries in the Chinese manned space station, which was planned to be completed around 2022. "Besides Matthias, several of our astronauts are learning Chinese, It's a kind of preparation," said Woerner. China and EU signed an agreement in 2015 concerning the cooperation in manned space program, stipulating that the period from 2015 to 2017 was the stage of technological exchanges, and the two sides take part in each other's astronauts' training programs. Woerner said ESA is also discussing about using Chinese manned spacecraft Shenzhou to send European astronauts into space in the future. "Although it is not on the agenda, it's a possibility," said Woerner. Zhang Kejian, deputy minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, and head of the China National Space Administration, said at the International Astronautical Congress in Bremen that China is willing to cooperate with other countries in space program. Zhang also noted that Chang'e-6, China's second sample return lunar mission, will provide 10 kg of payloads on the orbiter and lander for international partners, an invitation for cooperation. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 21:46:38|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States agreed Sunday to hold further negotiations for a second DPRK-U.S. summit as quickly as possible. During his visit to Pyongyang on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held "productive" discussions with the DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un, according to a report by the DPRK's state-run news agency KCNA. The top U.S. diplomat said he and Kim shared the same view over holding a second U.S.-DPRK summit as quickly as possible, while the U.S. and the DPRK sides agreed to continue consultations to determine an exact date and venue for the second Trump-Kim summit. Pompeo and Kim also agreed to instruct their respective working-level teams to meet soon to intensify discussions on the key outstanding issues related to the Singapore Summit Joint Statement, said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert in a statement. Kim also invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled, the statement said. "President Trump looks forward to continuing to build upon the trust established with Chairman Kim in Singapore and anticipates meeting again soon," it added. "I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future," U.S. President Donald Trump twitted shortly after Pompeo left the DPRK. Progress is being made in implementing the June 12 joint statement agreed upon at the first DPRK-U.S. summit held in Singapore, said Kim, expressing his gratitude to Trump for making a sincere effort to this end, according to the KCNA. "Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction over the productive and wonderful talks with Mike Pompeo at which mutual positions were fully understood and opinions exchanged," said the KCNA report. Kim also "expressed his will and conviction that great progress would surely be made in solving the issues of utmost concern in the world" in the projected second DPRK-U.S. summit talks. Pompeo said that both leaders believe there is real, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit. "What we all hope will be the denuclearization and the change in the relationship here on the peninsula ... I'm confident together we can achieve the outcome that the world so desperately needs," he noted. In his following visit to South Korea on Sunday, Pompeo told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that the U.S. and the DPRK sides agreed to form working-level negotiation teams to discuss the denuclearization process and schedule for the second U.S.-DPRK summit. Moon told Pompeo that he would make every effort to ensure the second U.S.-DPRK summit is a success. The first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit was held in Singapore on June 12. Under a joint statement signed by Trump and Kim, the United States would provide a security guarantee to the DPRK in return for Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. However, U.S.-DPRK talks have been stuck in an impasse due to their differences over the scale of denuclearization, U.S. sanctions, and whether to issue a war-ending declaration. During his Sept. 18-20 trip to Pyongyang, Moon held talks with Kim and signed the Pyongyang Declaration, an advancement towards the Korean Peninsula's denuclearization and the ending of hostile acts near their shared border. Pompeo said later in response that the United States was ready to immediately transform its relations with the DPRK. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 21:47:27|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close by Eric J. Lyman ROME, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Marine Le Pen, head of French opposition party National Rally, said she wanted to "save the real Europe" from the European Union (EU), in a high-profile meeting on Monday with Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. The Rome meeting featured two of Europe's most vocal anti-migrant, Euro-skeptic populist politicians. Both voiced strong and dramatic language opposing the continued integration of the 28-nation bloc, saying that the interests of European citizens were different than the political interests of the EU. "We are against the European Union, but we represent Europeans," Le Pen said at a press event after the closed-door discussions between the two leaders. She argued the EU had become "totalitarian" and operated against the interests of the citizens it represents. "Together we will build a true Europe," she said. Salvini echoed that view, saying the European Commission -- the executive body of the EU -- were "enemies of the happiness of Europeans, barricaded in their bunkers in Brussels." Le Pen and Salvini said they want to help their brand of right-wing populism do well in the May 2019 vote for the European Parliament. The populist political philosophy Le Pen and Salvini represent is on the rise in many European countries, though Italy is the first to install a government based on such views. Salvini heads the League party, one of the two major parties supporting the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. The anti-establishment Five-Star Movement is the other party supporting the Conte government. Meanwhile, Le Pen's party finished second to Emmanuel Macron in the election for the French presidency last year. She is a member of the French National Assembly. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 21:43:58|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Almost all rebels' heavy weapons have been withdrawn from the planned demilitarized zone in northern Syria, a war monitor reported Monday. The heavy weapons have been pulled out from the areas in the southeastern countryside of Idlib Province, as well as the northern and northwestern countryside of the province of Hama, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. However, heavy weapons remain present in the northern mountains of Latakia Province in northwestern Syria, the London-based monitor said. The withdrawal of the rebels' heavy weapons comes as part of a deal established between Turkey and Russia late last month over the creation of a demilitarized buffer zone in northern Syria. The planned buffer zone is 15 to 20 km wide and should be established by Oct.15. The demilitarized zone will include areas in Idlib, which is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, as well as adjacent countryside areas of the provinces of Hama, Latakia and Aleppo. The Russian-Turkish deal has so far helped avert a wide-scale offensive in Idlib by the Syrian Army, which was planning to root out the rebel groups in the province. Throughout the more than seven-year Syrian war, Idlib has emerged as the main destination and stronghold for the rebels fleeing other parts of the country after deals or surrender. The Syrian government estimates that up to 50,000 rebels are located in Idlib. The al-Qaida-linked groups, including the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, otherwise referred to as the Nusra Front, are the most powerful among other rebel factions in Idlib. While the government has welcomed the Russia-backed deal to create a buffer zone, officials in Syria, including President Bashar al-Assad, said the deal is just a temporary measure as Idlib will inevitably return under the government control. This general view taken on Sept. 27, 2018 shows the destruction in the rebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan, in the north of the Syrian Idlib Province. (AFP photo) DAMASCUS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Almost all rebels' heavy weapons have been withdrawn from the planned demilitarized zone in northern Syria, a war monitor reported Monday. The heavy weapons have been pulled out from the areas in the southeastern countryside of Idlib Province, as well as the northern and northwestern countryside of the province of Hama, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. However, heavy weapons remain present in the northern mountains of Latakia Province in northwestern Syria, the London-based monitor said. The withdrawal of the rebels' heavy weapons comes as part of a deal established between Turkey and Russia late last month over the creation of a demilitarized buffer zone in northern Syria. A general view taken taken on Sept. 24, 2018 shows the destruction in the town of Binnish, in the rebel-held northern Syrian Idlib Province. (AFP photo) The planned buffer zone is 15 to 20 km wide and should be established by Oct.15. The demilitarized zone will include areas in Idlib, which is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, as well as adjacent countryside areas of the provinces of Hama, Latakia and Aleppo. The Russian-Turkish deal has so far helped avert a wide-scale offensive in Idlib by the Syrian Army, which was planning to root out the rebel groups in the province. Throughout the more than seven-year Syrian war, Idlib has emerged as the main destination and stronghold for the rebels fleeing other parts of the country after deals or surrender. The Syrian government estimates that up to 50,000 rebels are located in Idlib. The al-Qaida-linked groups, including the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, otherwise referred to as the Nusra Front, are the most powerful among other rebel factions in Idlib. While the government has welcomed the Russia-backed deal to create a buffer zone, officials in Syria, including President Bashar al-Assad, said the deal is just a temporary measure as Idlib will inevitably return under the government control. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 21:57:22|Editor: zh Video Player Close SOFIA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai-based Fudan Development Institute (FDDI) at Fudan University and the Economic Research Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (ERI-BAS) here on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding aiming to strengthen cooperation. The memorandum signed by ERI-BAS' director Alexander Tassev and FDDI's executive vice dean Zhang Yi aims to strengthen scientific capabilities of the two institutes, broaden and expand relations between their scientific communities and promote scientific cooperation in areas of mutual benefit. At the signing ceremony, Tassev said economic cooperation should be supported by serious joint research in the most promising areas. His institute was ready to share its experience in economic research, and had a strong interest in understanding the Chinese economy, Tassev said. In turn, Zhang said the world has stepped into a new stage of globalization. "We need to cooperate, to know more each other, to get trust and mutual understanding for this new world." Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 22:12:59|Editor: zh Video Player Close HANGZHOU, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- China saw strong consumption during the seven-day national holiday, which concluded yesterday, with an upsurge in online shopping, according to Alibaba, China's leading e-commerce giant, and other online retailers. Spending on smart products was the highlight, and intelligent appliances were the most popular online products, according to data released by Alibaba's Tmall. For example, the sales of smart robots and portable translators rose 332 percent and 361 percent respectively year-on-year. "Consumption during the national holiday was in line with Alibaba's market expectation since 2018," said Jin Ke, director of Alibaba's Taobao. "Online spending remains robust." Chinese people also spent more money on cross-border online shopping. NetEase, China's leading cross-border e-business platform, continued its double-digit growth. Maternal and baby products, cosmetics and household products remained the best sellers. Tmall's cross-border turnover grew over 100 percent year-on-year during the holiday. Chinese consumers pay close attention to the quality of products when placing orders. A survey of 4,000 NetEase users showed that 34 percent only buy high quality products while 66 percent consider price only after quality. In offline shopping, Yintai department store, a famous retail chain, saw surging sales. In the first three days of the holiday, customer volume and sales of Yintai's department stores across China grew by 30 percent annually. Freshhema's store in Hangzhou, a national seafood retail chain, welcomed 80,000 visitors on Oct 1. Total sales of Freshhema's stores across China were up over 500 percent. In addition to food consumption, other recreational spending across China also increased. For example, money spent on indoor amusement parks rose by 50 percent. Chinese people's spending during the holiday was geared towards younger consumers, diversified consumption and quality-driven shopping, according to Alibaba. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 22:43:41|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday exchanged congratulatory messages, commemorating the 15th anniversary of the establishment of China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) strategic partnership. In the message, Li said that China in 2003 acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and is the first country to build a strategic partnership with ASEAN. With the concerted efforts of China and ASEAN countries in the past 15 years, the development of bilateral relations have maintained a healthy and stable momentum, said Li, adding that the two sides have enjoyed deepening political mutual trust, closer economic and trade ties, fruitful mutual-beneficial cooperation and dynamic people-to-people exchanges. The premier said the development of China-ASEAN relations have brought tangible benefits to the 2 billion people of the two sides and promoted regional and global peace, stability and prosperity. Noting that China-ASEAN relations have entered the mature period for quality upgrading and are faced with new opportunities, Li said China has always regarded ASEAN as a priority in its neighboring diplomacy and is willing to be ASEAN's good partner for common development, jointly-building peace, openness and win-win progress, innovation, inclusiveness and mutual learning. China is ready to work with ASEAN to lift their strategic partnership to a higher level, build a stronger community with a shared future and bring their relations to an even brighter future, said Li. Lee, in his message, said that over the past 15 years, the cooperation between the two sides have been deepened and broadened around three pillars, namely political security, economy and trade, social and people-to-people exchanges. ASEAN and China are committed to enhancing their connectivity and promoting the alignment between the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the Belt and Road Initiative, Lee said. The prime minister is looking forward to the adoption of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Vision 2030 at the 21st ASEAN-China Summit, which, he hopes, will set the strategic direction for the future development of bilateral relations. Singapore is now the rotating chair of ASEAN. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 22:43:23|Editor: yan Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Poverty rate in Cambodia has fallen dramatically over the last two decades, said a joint statement released by Cambodia's Ministry of Planning and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday. The statement came after a meeting between Cambodian Minister of Planning Chhay Than and UNDP Resident Representative Pauline Tamesis on Friday. "They both agreed and affirmed that the proportion of people living below the poverty line in Cambodia is 13.5 percent which is measured based on the consumption expenditure concept using the 2014 data from the Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey," the statement said. "They agreed that Cambodia has achieved tremendous success in poverty reduction over the last two decades," it added. Provisional estimates suggest that the poverty rate is likely to have fallen below 10 percent, the UNDP said. The joint statement rejected a recent report, released by the Human Development Report Office based within UNDP Headquarters in New York, which claimed that around 35 percent of all Cambodians are multidimensionally poor. "The multidimensional poverty measures have not been adopted by the Royal Government of Cambodia as the official approach for poverty estimation in Cambodia, nor has UNDP Cambodia produced any such data," it said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 22:48:53|Editor: ZX Video Player Close ALGIERS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel said on Monday that a tripartite meeting with Egypt and Tunisia will be held in Cairo later this month to discuss the development in war-torn Libya, state radio channel I reported. The last tripartite meeting on Libya was held in Algiers in May 2018, when the three Arab countries agreed to continue supporting the implementation of the UN peace plan and the need to create adequate conditions to overcome the political stalemate in Libya. These meetings are part of the periodic consultation between the three countries to help neighboring Libya end its civil war, which has plagued the country for seven years. Since the fall of Libyan former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, militants have been gaining ground for lack of a unified army and security services. Several armed militias of different backgrounds emerge in Libya to fight for power, even after a peace deal signed by the warring parties in December 2015 in the Moroccan city of Skhirat. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:10:26|Editor: yan Video Player Close Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 8, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday met with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying that China and the United States should "follow the right path of win-win cooperation, rather than go astray toward conflict and confrontation." Wang said Pompeo proposed his visit to China, and the Chinese side was willing to arrange meetings. "Recently the United States escalated trade friction with China, took actions that jeopardized China's rights and interests on the Taiwan issue and unwarrantedly condemned China on its domestic and foreign policies," Wang said. Stressing that the moves directly impacted mutual trust and cast a shadow over China-U.S. relations, Wang urged the United States to immediately stop making negative remarks. "I know that during your visit, you also want to exchange views with the Chinese side on regional hotspot issues including the situation in the Korean Peninsula," Wang said. "This demonstrates that as two major powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and the United States should strengthen communication and cooperation, so as to live up to their responsibilities entrusted by the international community." Wang expressed his hope that Pompeo's Beijing visit would play a positive role in supporting healthy bilateral ties. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and the United States. "The past four decades have witnessed tremendous changes in both countries and substantial benefits from mutual exchanges," Wang said. "The most important lesson is that cooperation leads to win-win results while conflict ends up with a loss for both sides." He said current China-U.S. ties were at a critical phase, and China would maintain peaceful development and continue reform and opening-up, to realize rejuvenation while avoiding the "power leading to hegemony" stereotype. He called on the U.S. side to stop "groundless accusations against China and wrong actions undermining China's core interests." "China is committed to developing good relations with the United States, meanwhile, China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests," Wang stressed. Wang illustrated China's positions on trade friction with the United States, as well as the Taiwan issue and the South China Sea issue. He said a trade war would never solve problems and promised that China was still willing to negotiate with the United States "on the basis of equality, honesty and solemnity." "China completely respects all countries' decisions, and will never intervene in other countries' domestic affairs," Wang said. "China urges the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the regulations of the three China-U.S. Joint Communiques, stop official and military contact with Taiwan, revoke arms sales to Taiwan, stop unreasonable intervention in countries that have established or are hoping to establish relations with China, restrain 'Taiwan independence' forces, so as to maintain China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait through practical actions," he said. Pompeo said that despite obvious differences on many issues between the two sides, the United States does not mean to oppose China's development, and there is no policy to fully contain China. As the world's two largest economies and most powerful countries, the United States and China shoulder important responsibilities for world peace and prosperity, he said. Pompeo called for more communication, trust and cooperation based on rules and promised that the U.S. side adhered to the one-China principle. He also expressed his hope of facilitating communication and cooperation with China on major international and regional issues. He briefed Wang on his visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), voiced the U.S. side's appreciation of China's consistent position on the Korean Peninsula and its efforts on denuclearization, and expressed a willingness to continue related cooperation. Wang said China's position is "clear, consistent and will never change." He called on the U.S. to attach importance to the DPRK's reasonable demands for safety and development with positive responses. "China supports direct dialog between the United States and the DPRK, Wang said. "Based on mutual respect and accommodation of each other's concerns, China is willing to continue its unique and important role." Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:18:46|Editor: ZX Video Player Close BELGRADE, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Interoperability in international disaster response operations between Serbia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a good example of how to develop the partnership in the future, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and visiting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said here Monday. The two are in the Serbian capital to attend the opening of a three-day disaster response exercise of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC), which gathered 2,000 participants from 38 countries. Vucic noted that Serbia is a militarily neutral country and will remain so, but said it was ready to cooperate with NATO, disregarding a "painful and tough history for the sake of citizens", referring to the NATO bombing of what was formerly Yugoslavia in 1999. "We are here to show how successful we are in coordination, cooperation and readiness to share responsibility and help each other to cope with consequences of disasters, as well as to prevent them. Moreover, the experience of other countries in this area is of extreme importance for Serbia," Vucic said, according to a press release from his cabinet. Thanking Stoltenberg for organizing the exercise, Vucic stressed that there was no pressure during their conversations on Serbia's independent decision-making, and that Serbia wishes to nurture good relations with NATO, alongside its ties with Russia and China. NATO stated that the aim of the exercise taking place in and around the Serbian city of Mladenovac, until Thursday is "to improve interoperability in international disaster response operations" with earthquake as a choice scenario. Serbia and NATO began cooperation in 2006, and this exercise will strengthen their readiness to cope with disasters, as well as jointly develop new technologies, better communication channels, and joint command, Stoltenberg said. He reminded that the NATO-led mission Kosovo Force (KFOR) was protecting the security environment for all communities in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and Metohija that unilaterally seceded in 2008, saying KFOR "fully supports the normalization of relations" between authorities in Belgrade and Pristina through dialogue. Stoltenberg arrived in Serbia on Saturday and besides attending the exercise, he participated with Vucic in an event on "leadership for a secure future" of the soon-to-be-opened annual Belgrade Security Forum. Vucic and Stoltenberg exchanged opinions on the future development of relations between Serbia and NATO and agreed that with the disaster response exercise opened on Monday "the two sides demonstrated how they can work together and strengthen their partnership in the best possible way". Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:18:46|Editor: yan Video Player Close ALGIERS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel said on Monday that the Arab League in its current form is unable to find solutions to crises hitting the Arab region, state radio channel I reported. "Algeria believes that the Arab League in its current form is unable to provide solutions, which opened the door to imposing foreign solutions to conflicts plaguing some of its member countries," Messahel said, referring to the current crises in Syria and Yemen. "Therefore, we believe that reforming such bodies is a must for them to efficiently play their role in resolving conflicts," he noted. The Algerian diplomacy advocates "peace and negotiating solution between warring parties, and rejection of solutions imposed from abroad," the Algerian minister concluded. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:18:47|Editor: ZX Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday said that strengthening all-weather Pakistan-China strategic cooperative partnership is the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy. Presiding over a high level meeting in capital Islamabad, the prime minister said early implementation of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects would help realize the true potential of Pakistan-China economic relations not only for the two countries but also for the entire region, the prime minister's office said in a statement. The prime minister said that CPEC was a great opportunity to learn from the Chinese experience especially in the social sector, agriculture and other areas, adding that the agricultural output of the country, considered as the backbone of economy, can be enhanced manifold by learning from Chinese expertise and employing latest technologies and efficient methods. He said CPEC also offered opportunities to other countries to invest in CPEC projects and reap benefits in various sectors. Khan emphasized on the need to focus on early establishment of special economic zones in various parts of the country which would help the local industry to grow through industrialization and would also create huge employment opportunities for the youth. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:29:15|Editor: yan Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition on Monday took over "key military sites and training camps" from the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea coastal city of Hodeidah, a military official told Xinhua. The pro-government Giants Brigades carried out a swift operation and managed to achieve complete control over some sites and training camps from the hands of the Shiite Houthis, the Hodeidah-based military official said on condition of anonymity. Saudi-led airstrikes heavily hit the the training camps of the Houthis in Aljarahi district of Hodeidah and made it easier for the pro-government forces to advance on the ground, the source added. After securing the military sites in Aljarahi, the pro-government forces advanced to the adjacent areas and engaged in heavy fighting with Houthi rebels. Meanwhile, the Houthi-affiliated Masirah television network reported that several airstrikes were launched by the Saudi-led coalition against a farm used by beekeepers in Hodeidah. "The airstrikes by the aggression coalition killed five beekeepers in Al Haly district of Hodeidah," the TV channel said. The Yemeni government has been trying to expel Houthi rebels out of the strategic port city of Hodeidah militarily in recent days, despite warnings issued by international humanitarian agencies. The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014. Saudi Arabia led an Arab military coalition to intervene in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Iran-backed Houthi rebels forced him into exile. The United Nations has listed Yemen as the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with 7 million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera causing more than 2,000 deaths. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:29:16|Editor: yan Video Player Close KIEV, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian Armed Forces received about 3,500 units of domestically-produced weapons and military equipment so far this year, the country's state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom said on Monday. Ukroboronprom, which unites more than 130 enterprises from Ukraine's defense industry, said in a statement that the supplies included over 2,000 units of brand new or modernized military hardware. In particular, the Ukrainian manufacturers supplied the army with several hundreds of "Stugna", "Corsair" and "Barrier" anti-tank missile complexes, 30 aerial vehicles and two units of maritime equipment, the statement said. Ukraine's defense industry has witnessed significant growth since 2014, when an armed conflict began in the country's eastern Donbas region. In February this year, Ukroboronprom said that since 2014 it has supplied the Ukrainian armed forces with more than 18,600 units of weapons and military equipment, including armored vehicles, planes, helicopters, air defense systems, artillery systems and missiles. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:39:56|Editor: ZX Video Player Close DHAKA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's government on Monday approved the draft of "Narcotics Control Act-2018" with provisions for stringent punishment on drug offenders. The draft was approved at a cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told reporters. He said the proposed law stipulates that a drug offender will risk being sentenced up to 15 years in jail if he or she is found with less than five grams of the drug. The maximum punishment is death penalty for production, trafficking, distribution and use of over five gram of yaba, a drug often used for sexual stimulation and addiction, or 25 gram of heroin or cocaine, he said. In the wake of surging trade in drugs specially yaba, Prime Minister Hasina in May this year announced the launch of an aggressive war on illegal drugs in the country. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:39:57|Editor: yan Video Player Close MOSCOW, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia needs to restore its relations with the European Union (EU) and believes that many governments want the same, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. "There are already quite a few governments that understand the abnormal and unhealthy nature of the current situation," Lavrov said at a press conference after talks with his Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi. According to Lavrov, these governments "are not being guided by ideological considerations, not by Euro-Atlantic solidarity, but by the fundamental, deep-rooted interests of European countries." He said that one such government is the new Italian administration of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, which took office on June 1, a position Russia highly appreciates. The EU imposed a range of economic sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea, formerly part of Ukraine, in 2014 and its alleged role in the conflict in the south of the country. Moscow hopes that finally the interests of the European people will prevail, in particular because European businesses have suffered losses as a result of the sanctions and don't want to tolerate this situation any longer, Lavrov said. This is confirmed by the upward trend in trade turnover between Russia and the EU over the past two years, he said. Milanesi agreed that the EU and Russian needed to restore their relations. "We are interested in finding a way out of this situation. This is our aim, but we understand that this is not a simple process," he said at the press conference, speaking through an interpreter. Milanesi said that Italy is interested in playing an active role in restoring Russia-EU ties. Furthermore, both see eye-to-eye on a number of global issues, including the need to fight terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as in energy. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:57:22|Editor: yan Video Player Close BERLIN, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The use of many social media applications still contains data-safety related risk for consumers in spite of the recently-passed General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union (EU), a study published on Monday by a major German consumer protection group finds. Speaking at the presentation of the study in Berlin, the North Rhine-Westphalia consumer center criticized that default settings on many applications were not always designed in a way conducive to privacy protection. Earlier, the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that several German companies are considering an outright ban on the use of the popular social media applications such as WhatsApp and Snapchat on company-owned cellphones and tablets. The automotive supplier company Continental already decided to prohibit its employees from accessing WhatsApp and Snapchat back in June. WhatsApp and Snapchat both require users to grant the two services access to their digital contact data, including potentially confidential information about third-parties. Under the GDPR, consent must be obtained from all parties involved in order for companies to legally access and store such data. However, neither WhatsApp, nor Snapchat, enables users to prevent the social media applications in questions from receiving potentially sensitive data. On Monday, the North Rhine-Westphalia consumer center named Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn as social media applications which all requested users to provide access to their cellphone's contact information. The consumer rights group also expressed concern about a practice among networks to ask users for their own cellphone number, potentially revealing sensitive information about their identity. In relative terms, WhatsApp was praised in the study for its careful use of tracking data because the service does not use personalized advertising yet as a financing model. By contrast, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and YouTube were seen as not being privacy friendly. The North Rhine-Westphalia consumer center generally perceived "significant problems with regards to the response of social media service providers to the regulations of the GDPR." Even following the major regulatory overhaul which gave the EU some of the world's strictest data protection laws, consumers were still confronted with non-transparent use of their personal data and faced obstacles in regaining control over this information. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:57:22|Editor: yan Video Player Close DUBAI, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Asia-Pacific overtook North America to be the world's leading source region for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 2017, a consulting firm announced on Monday at the ongoing Dubai Investment Week Conference. In 2017, the Asia-Pacific region achieved a 33.8-percent global share compared to North America's 29.3 percent and Europe's 29.2 percent in terms of FDI. "This trend will remain in 2018, as China will retake the world's second rank from Japan in 2018," said Henry Loewendahl, CEO of Wavteq, a global FDI technology and consulting company from Turkey. "The sheer size of the region thanks to the rise of Chinese blue chip firms to the global top league in the last decades" has led to this result, Loewendahl explained. He said 60 percent of worldwide FDI came from six countries in 2017, namely the United States, Japan, China, Germany, France and Britain. In relation to FDI destinations, China's eastern province of Jiangsu ranked second in the period of January to July in 2018, behind Britain's southeastern region, but ahead of the city state Singapore. China's Belt and Road Initiative "has the potential to foster Asia-Pacific's lead, as firms have to invest overseas in order to expand and the Belt and Road Initiative is all about removing roadblocks of trade and investments along the new Silk Road," the CEO added. Proposed in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative, formally known as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Africa and Europe along the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:59:15|Editor: yan Video Player Close GAZA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement criticized on Monday the decision to convene the Central Council of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) "without a national consensus." Abdulatif al-Qanou'a, Hamas spokesman in Gaza told Xinhua that holding the Palestinian Central Council meeting without a national consensus "would certainly solidify internal division and promote secession." He said that the Central Council meetings "are worthless because of its loss of national consensus, and its reliance on councils and institutions that are lacking legitimacy, and this of course will not serve the Palestinian interest." Earlier on Monday, Salim Za'noon, speaker of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), the parliament in exile of the PLO, announced that the Central Council of the PLO will convene in Ramallah in late October. The PNC is the highest Palestinian establishment representing all the Palestinians all over the world. The Central Council is the mini-parliament of the PLO, which has an executive committee chaired by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "The council will discuss fierce attack on the Palestinian cause, which targets the national project and the legal rights of return and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," said Za'noon. Palestinian officials announced earlier that the PLO Central Council would make "decisive" decisions on the internal situation in light of the ongoing differences with the Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip since mid-2007. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-08 23:59:16|Editor: yan Video Player Close RIGA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Latvian lawmakers will soon be asked to approve an extra allocation to the national defense budget which has to be increased so that it reached 2 percent of GDP as required by NATO, Latvia's center-right government coalition said on Monday. Latvian Economics Minister Arvils Aseradens explained to reporters that the defense budget, which was adopted at the beginning of this year, no longer reached 2 percent of the country's GDP, which has been growing faster than expected. To meet its international commitments, Latvia has to increase defense spending by slightly more than 5 million euros this year, the minister said. "The financing necessary for reaching the 2 percent of GDP target was allocated at the beginning of the year, but the economy has been growing faster, resulting in a shortfall," Aseradens said. This year, Latvia's defense budget is 576 million euros, or 126 million euros larger than in 2017. (1 euro = 1.15 U.S. dollars) Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 00:12:45|Editor: yan Video Player Close NICOSIA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cypriot marine police rescued 21 migrants by towing their flimsy boat into port after receiving a report, the ministry of defense said on Monday. A ministry statement said a marine patrol boat was dispatched to investigate after a freighter informed the local search and rescue center that the migrant boat was drifting 40 nautical miles in moderate seas off the southeast Cape Greco, about 200 km from Syria or Lebanon from where they are believed to have sailed. A helicopter was also put on standby in the event sea conditions worsened. Police said there were 10 men, two women and nine children aboard. The boat was towed into Larnaca port six hours after the alert was raised Monday morning, where the migrants were processed before being taken to a refugee host center close to Nicosia. This was the fourth refugee boat which was spotted in the same area southeast of Cyprus, bringing the total number of refugees who arrived by sea to about 275 so far this year. Cyprus is home to about 15,000 refugees who have arrived in the last few years, a large number given relative to the population of the eastern Mediterranean island which is just over one million. The Cypriot government has alerted the European Union to the increasing influx of refugees, saying it has reached its limits to deal with the problem. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 00:21:57|Editor: yan Video Player Close ANKARA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned Saudi Arabian ambassador to Ankara for the second time after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance and demanded permission to search the consulate building in Istanbul, local media said Monday. Ankara conveyed expectation of "full cooperation" from Saudi Arabia during the investigation, Daily Sabah reported citing diplomatic sources. Turkish prosecutors launched the probe on the whereabouts of Jamal Khashoggi, 59, journalist and columnist for the Washington Post. The Saudi Arabian journalist has been missing since Tuesday afternoon after entering the consulate building to get several documents for his marriage. Some news outlets quoted Turkish police sources as saying that Khashoggi was likely killed inside the building which Saudi officials rejected. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 00:31:56|Editor: yan Video Player Close CHICAGO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ten people, including eight school children in U.S. city of Detroit, were sent to hospital on Monday following a collision between a school bus and a mini van. Local media reported the incident took place on the city's east side in the morning, when the school bus was rear ended by the van. Eight school children on the bus, an adult driver and a teenager on the van were transported to area hospitals, though it appeared no one was seriously injured, according to the Detroit News. Emergency staff sent the children to a hospital for evaluation for "precautionary reasons," Dave Fornell, deputy commissioner of the Detroit Fire Department, was quoted as saying. Local police have launched an investigation into the accident. Detroit is the largest and most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 00:31:56|Editor: ZD Video Player Close Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (2nd R, front) shakes hands with Anwar Ibrahim at a large campaign gathering in Port Dickson, Malaysia, Oct. 8, 2018. Mahathir Mohamad turned up late Monday in a show of support for his designated successor and former deputy Anwar Ibrahim for the latter's bid to return to the parliament through a by-election. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung) KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad turned up late Monday in a show of support for his designated successor and former deputy Anwar Ibrahim for the latter's bid to return to the parliament through a by-election. Breaking his decades-long practice not to campaign for by-election, Mahathir urged Malaysians to support Anwar at a large campaign gathering ahead of the polling day on Saturday. "I ask the voters to lend their support to the government and to Anwar in this by-election," he told the crowd. The 93-year old prime minister said being able to put aside past differences was key to the Pakatan Harapan's surprising electoral victory in the general election in May. "People know that me and Anwar have not been so good (with each other). We must not recall past animosity and if we do we would not have been able to unite," he said. For his part, Anwar lavished praises on the prime minister, calling him "the best man to lead Malaysia." The reconciliation between Mahathir and Anwar was essential for Pakatan's electoral victory. Mahathir has promised to hand over the premiership to Anwar, but the relationship between the two remains under close scrutiny given their fall out two decades ago, when Anwar was sacked by Mahathir from the post of deputy prime minister. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of the previous Member of Parliament for the Port Dickson constituency, paving the way for Anwar to return to the parliament. Anwar was granted a royal pardon on his sodomy conviction following Pakatan Harapan's victory. He has since won the presidency of his People's Justice Party party unchallenged. The by-election will see a multi-corner fight with Anwar facing one opponent from the opposition Pan Malaysian Islamic party and several independents, including his former aide who claims to have been sodomized by him that led to the his imprisonment in 2015. Anwar is widely expected to win but voter fatigue and the diluting effect of so many candidates is expected to sap his majority. Pictures of Saudi journalist Khashoggi are placed on security barriers during a protest outside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey October 8, 2018. (Reuters photo) ANKARA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned Saudi Arabian ambassador to Ankara for the second time after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance and demanded permission to search the consulate building in Istanbul, local media said Monday. Ankara conveyed expectation of "full cooperation" from Saudi Arabia during the investigation, Daily Sabah reported citing diplomatic sources. Turkish prosecutors launched the probe on the whereabouts of Jamal Khashoggi, 59, journalist and columnist for the Washington Post. The Saudi Arabian journalist has been missing since Tuesday afternoon after entering the consulate building to get several documents for his marriage. Some news outlets quoted Turkish police sources as saying that Khashoggi was likely killed inside the building which Saudi officials rejected. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 01:33:15|Editor: yan Video Player Close TASHKENT, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Special representative of the president of Uzbekistan on Afghanistan Ismatilla Irgashev and his counterpart Markus Potzel of the federal government of Germany for Afghanistan and Pakistan exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan on Monday. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, main attention was paid to the interaction in the implementation of the provisions and recommendations of the Tashkent Declaration, which was adopted on March 27 at the Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan. The two sides also discussed the issue of attracting financial resources for accelerating implementation of projects on construction of railway, power transmission lines and other infrastructure facilities in Afghanistan. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 02:44:10|Editor: yan Video Player Close VIENNA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Austria's climate strategies are "well on track", according to Sustainability and Tourism Minister Elisabeth Koestinger. despite an alarming report from world scientists on Monday. The experts from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that urgent action is needed to avoid serious environmental consequences as a result of rising global temperatures. In an interview with radio program O1 Mittagsjournal from state broadcaster ORF, Koestinger said the climate and energy strategies of her government show the right way in which CO2 emissions reductions can be brought about. "Now it is important that we also undertake implementation, particularly in the areas of transportation and buildings," she said, citing a shift away from oil heating as one example. Despite criticism from some experts that the government strategy is not ambitious enough and that a reduction in CO2 emissions of 36 percent will not be possible, Koestinger said she is "convinced that we can achieve this." The minister also said the government intends to simplify subsidies to promote environmentally-friendly practices. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 04:19:22|Editor: yan Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- UN Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) on Monday said that there are currently more than 192,000 internally displaced people in Libya who need more support. "Internally displaced persons (IDPs) need more support to cover their needs and to return home when conditions allow," UNHCR said in a statement. "There are currently 192,513 IDPs in Libya. UNHCR continues to support and provide assistance to IDPs across the country with non-food items, cash assistance and implementation of quick-impact projects," the statement added. Libyan authorities and international organizations have been unable to resolve the issue of IDPs over the past several years, as escalating violence and continued armed conflict cause more displacement in several cities. Each year, foreign humanitarian organizations demand international support for the displaced people in Libya. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 04:19:22|Editor: yan Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday urged the international community to recognize the Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory seized by Israel 51 years ago. "Israel on the Golan Heights is a fact that the international community must recognize and as long as it depends on me, the Golan Heights will always remain under Israeli sovereignty," Netanyahu said during an inauguration of a synagogue in the Golan Heights. According to Netanyahu, Iran and its proxy, the Lebanese-based military of Hezbollah, are "trying constantly to establish a force opposite us that would operate against the Golan Heights and the Galilee." He said that the Israeli presence in the Golan is "thwarting" Iran's ambitions of expansion and "is a guarantee for stability" in the region. The hawkish leader also reiterated that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to meet with him. He said he intends to discuss the Golan Heights and Iran with Putin in their meeting that will be held "soon." "I know that President Putin understands my commitment to the security of Israel and I know that he also understands the importance that I ascribe to the Golan Heights," he said. Netanyahu will also discuss with Putin the bilateral security coordination, which was put into question amidst the tensions between the two countries following the downing of a Russian plane in Syria. "I decided with President Putin on the important security coordination between the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and the Russian military, and of course together we have developed good relations between Russia and Israel," Netanyahu said. The meeting will be the first time the two leaders would meet since a Russian reconnaissance plane was mistakenly downed last month by anti-aircraft Syrian fire when Israel was conducting an airstrike on Syria's Latakia province at the same time. The plane's 15 crew members were killed. The Russian Defense Ministry said Israel holds the entire responsibility for the incident. According to the Ministry, the Israeli air force provided misleading information about the location of its airstrikes on sites in Syria, preventing the Russian aircraft which was in the area from flying to a safe zone. Israel seized the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it shortly later, claiming it as part of Israel, in a move never recognized internationally. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 04:42:04|Editor: yan Video Player Close SKOPJE, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Former Macedonian interior minister Gordana Jankulovska was sentenced to six years in prison for abuse of power and authorization on the procurement procedure of a luxury Mercedes C600, local media reported on Monday. According to the court decision that found her guilty for abuse of power and authorization, Jankulovska knew that the vehicle was an extremely expensive car and that it was supplied under unlawful procedures. Jankulovska's lawyer Sanja Aleksic, however, claimed that the court decision is unfounded. The trial for Jankulovska started at the end of August this year and it was separated from the other two defendants due to her pregnancy. In January 2017, the Special Prosecutor's Office in Macedonia launched the investigation named "Tank" regarding the purchase of the "Mercedes C600" worth about 600,000 euros (around 688,000 U.S. dollars). So far, for the same case, former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has been sentenced to two years in prison and former assistant minister at the Interior Ministry, Gjoko Popovski, with six years and six months in prison. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 04:42:04|Editor: yan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will depart for Indonesia on Monday for a series of high-level international meetings in Bali and a visit to the devastated Palu region where officials say more than 1,900 were killed by a recent earthquake and tsunami. In Bali, Guterres will first attend the Leaders' Gathering of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and then the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, said his spokesman Stephane Dujarric. The secretary-general will meet with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and other ASEAN leaders and high-level officials attending the meetings, Dujarric said. Topics on the table at the IMF and World Bank sessions are expected to include sustainable development, climate change and famine. On Friday, Guterres will be joined by Jusuf Kalla, vice president of Indonesia, for a visit to Palu on Sulawesi Island, struck by an earthquake and a tsunami at the end of last month. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said here that the Indonesian government is reporting more than 1,900 people have been killed, more than 10,000 injured and more than 800 people are still missing following the earthquake and tsunami on Sulawesi. "More than 62,000 people have been displaced, with many people having lost absolutely everything," OCHA said. The spokesman said aid is now being delivered by air to Palu airport and that many roads in the area are now functional with improved access to outlying areas. The government is leading the humanitarian response with support from national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), he said. The United Nations, NGOs and the Red Cross are on the ground and are distributing newborn baby kits, maternity kits, educational supplies and other items, Dujarric said. They are also helping children who have been separated from their families. The secretary-general, who is leaving here this evening, will be back in New York on Sunday, the spokesman said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 05:23:44|Editor: ZX Video Player Close People attend the Columbus Day parade on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue in New York, the United States, on Oct. 8, 2018. Thousands of people participated in the celebration of the Italian American culture and heritage here on Monday. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) NEW YORK, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Gloomy overcast skies on Monday did not stop thousands of people, mostly Italian-Americans, to march up the iconic Fifth Avenue of New York City to celebrate Columbus Day, which marks the landing of the Italian-born explorer Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean in 1492. The heart of midtown Manhattan was shut down for the 74th annual Columbus Day parade included bands, floats, performers and 35,000 marchers. And over a million people were estimated to have lined the streets -- from 44th to 72nd street, to watch the festivities that "celebrates the spirit of exploration and courage that inspired Christopher Columbus's expedition" and "the important contributions Italian-Americans have made to the United States," according to the organizers. "My grandparents were from Italy and I was raised with that heritage and the Italians believe in what New Yorkers believe in - education, discrimination of none, opportunity for all," said New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo who marched in the parade. However, Columbus, Ohio, the largest city named for Christopher Columbus, has called off its observance of the federal holiday this year. Mayor Andrew Ginther of Columbus recently announced that the city will stay open on Monday (during Columbus Day). The city of 860,000 would instead go on holiday for Veterans Day on November 12. The Ohio's capital city joined a growing list of U.S. states and cities that do not recognize Columbus Day and either recognize other holidays or practice non-observance. In recent decades, Native Americans and other groups have protested the celebration of the Columbus Day and called for replacing it with Indigenous Peoples Day in an effort to recognize the damage of colonialism in the Americas. Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Oregon, South Dakota and Vermont have officially replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, as cities include Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Cincinnati. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 05:23:44|Editor: yan Video Player Close CAIRO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian military court sentenced on Monday four defendants to death and 17 others to life in prison over terror charges, state-run Ahram Online news website reported. The prosecutor-general's office charged the defendants with joining a terrorist group, conspiracy, the use of weapons and bombs that resulted in the death of 20 police personnel and an employee at the authority of roads and bridges, as well as destroying public property. The case is known in the media as the "Giza Province" case. The court also handed down a 15-year sentence to two defendants, six years to ten, and five years to five defendants in the same case, while 17 defendants were acquitted in the same case, according to Ahram Online. Monday's verdicts can be appealed in a military court of appeals. The court also ruled that nine defendants are to pay compensation for damage caused to roads and bridges. The case involved the trial of members of a terrorist organization formed in Egypt's Giza governorate with links to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. Egypt's security apparatus has said that this group attempted to form a terrorist cell in Egypt's Giza governorate to be known as the "IS State in Giza." Officials have also said that this group targeted the Egyptian foreign ministry building and attacked the authority of roads and bridges in February 2016, which resulted in the death of an employee and the injury of several others. The terrorist organization was reportedly formed in August 2014. Terrorism rose in Egypt following the military ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group. Terror attacks gradually expanded from North Sinai province bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip to other provinces including the capital Cairo and started to target the Coptic minority via church bombings and shootings. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 05:31:30|Editor: ZX Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome said on Monday that confusion between freedom and anarchy creates mass destruction and human displacement. Teshome made the comments amid increasing ethnic-based clashes that are challenging the east African country's recent positive developments. Last week, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 70,000 people have fled their homes due to communal violence in western Ethiopia's Benishangul Gumuz regional state. Attacks late September also drove more than 15,000 people to flee and seek refuge in schools and other public facilities across Addis Ababa. "For centuries, Ethiopians have lived in peace and harmony even under difficult times," Teshome said, adding that "in recent years there has been confusion between freedom and anarchy." According to Teshome, this confusion has created "destruction of property, mass displacement of people and lawlessness." Teshome urged Ethiopians to refrain from destructive acts. "It is clear that the fate of a country without laws is social crisis, internecine and even fragmentation," he told a joint session of the two houses of the Ethiopian parliament. Over the weekend, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on Ethiopians from all walks of life to maintain the long-standing peace and togetherness and avoid misunderstandings that lead to conflicts. Ethiopia's ruling coalition, Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, during a congress meeting that concluded on Saturday, vowed to sustain ongoing socioeconomic and political reforms and effectively respond to conflicts and violence. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 05:56:04|Editor: ZX Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Tropical storm Michael, currently located off Mexico's Caribbean coast, has grown in intensity and danger to become a Category 1 hurricane, said the Mexican National Meteorological Service (SMN) on Monday. According to the SMN, at 10 a.m. Monday morning (15:00 GMT) Michael was located some 200 kilometers east of the tourist resort of Cancun, in the state of Quintana Roo, presenting winds of 120 to 150 kilometers per hour. The Quintana Roo government suspended schools along its coast on Monday, while the SMN has warned that Michael may also generate storms in the neighboring states of Yucatan and Campeche. The Mexican Navy has activated plans in three southeastern states, where military personnel are ready to assist potential evacuations ahead of heavy rains. In Cuba, the government announced a hurricane warning in the western provinces of Pinar del Rio and Isla de la Juventud on Monday morning. A hurricane alert was also established for other western areas including Artemisa, Mayabeque and the capital Havana, where heavy rains and severe local storms are predicted. "Taking into account the rapid evolution of this weather event and its proximity to our country ... the Information Phase is established," said Cuba's National Civil Defense. The agency also announced a warning for central areas of Cuba, saying that flooding is a possibility. According to the SMN, Michael will reach Category 2 power on Monday night. Michael will become a Category 3 hurricane, with wind speeds between 178 to 208 kilometers per hour, by Tuesday morning, when it will still be located in the Gulf of Mexico. Michael will then continue towards the United States decreasing in power as it moves, and will likely reach Florida as a tropical storm, said the SMN. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 05:56:04|Editor: yan Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Brazilians voted to put more conservatives in Congress, the results of Sunday's general elections show. The Social Liberal Party (PSL), whose right-wing presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro easily won the first round of elections with 46 percent of the votes, picked up scores of congressional seats in the 513-member lower house for a total of 52. For the first time, the PSL also won seats (four) in the 81-member Senate. Some political analysts dubbed the phenomenon "the Bolsonaro effect," saying the party's association with the presidential front-runner helped raise its profile among the electorate. The former military officer only recently joined the PSL in January of this year. Brazil's leading leftist group, the Workers' Party (PT), whose presidential candidate Fernando Haddad came in second with 28 percent of the votes, lost seats in both houses, though it still has more representatives in the Chamber of Deputies (56) than the PSL. In general, disaffected voters punished the traditional power brokers for Brazil's recent economic woes and corruption scandals. Two of Brazil's largest parties saw their congressional representation collapse: the ruling Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), the party of President Michel Temer, and the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB). Observers were expecting the MDB and PSDB to pick up seats lost by the PT, but voters instead swung to the right, drawn to Bolsonaro's personality as a political outsider. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 06:14:23|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close Stephanie Laura Scurrah Grundsoee of Denmark celebrates victory after the women's 10m air rifle final at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Oct. 8, 2018. Stephanie Laura Scurrah Grundsoee won the gold with 248.7 points. (Xinhua/Li Ming) BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Denmark's Stephanie Grundsoee overcame a late challenge by India's Mehuli Ghosh to win gold in the girls' 10m air rifle at the Youth Olympics on Monday. Grundsoee shot 10.4 with her final attempt, leaving her rival needing a 9.9 to win. However Ghosh could only manage 9.1, to finish just seven tenths of a point behind the Dane. Serbia's Marija Malic took bronze with 226.2 points. "It was a very nervous few seconds after my last shot," Grundsoee said. "I shot a 10.4 and I know that is a high score, but I also knew it was going to be difficult to win gold with that. I didn't hope that Mehuli did bad, but I'm happy I won the gold medal in the end." Ghosh was delighted with her performance despite a disappointing finale. "This is a very proud moment for me," she said. "It is a second medal for India in shooting in this Games, which is a pretty good feeling." China's Wang Zeru finished fifth with a total score of 185.8. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan holds a joint news conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (not pictured) in Budapest, Hungary, October 8, 2018. (Reuters photo) ANKARA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Saudi Arabian authorities have to prove that missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi had left the Istanbul consulate, reported state-run Anadolu Agency. "We have to get an outcome from this investigation as soon as possible. The consulate officials cannot get away by simply saying 'he has left' and relevant authorities are obligated to provide proof of this claim," Erdogan told a news conference in Budapest, Hungary, where he is on an official visit. "It is our humanitarian and political duty to closely follow the issue," said the Turkish leader. Several unconfirmed reports said that the prominent journalist could have been killed inside the Saudi compound. Saudi officials denied allegations as "baseless," insisting that the journalist left the consulate's premises, contradicting Turkish officials. Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador in Ankara on Sunday to urge "full cooperation" in the investigation of 59-year-old Khashoggi, known to be a critic of the Saudi leadership. Turkish broadcaster NTV reported on Monday that police has requested access to the Saudi consulate. Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, went missing last Tuesday while visiting the building to get documents for his marriage. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-09 06:19:08|Editor: ZX Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. social media giant Facebook Monday unveiled a pair of artificial intelligence-powered smart video chat devices, Portal and Portal +, which are designed to connect people and feel like being in the same room. Facebook said the new video communication speakers with tablet-size screens for the home can dramatically change the way people keep in touch and their built-in AI technology makes video calling easier and more like hanging out. The debut of the Facebook-brand-bearing electronic gadgets represents the social network's first bold entry into the fray in a competition of consumer hardware with other internet giants such as Amazon and Google, which launched their smart speakers years ago. The Portal, which is equipped with a 10-inch 1280x800 display, can let users video chat with their families and friends over Facebook Messenger, while the Portal + has a 15-inch 1920x1080 pivoting display. Facebook said the two speakers are powered by AI as well as smart camera and sound technology that let users have a better, more convenience and hands-free experience. The speaker's Smart Camera can sense the movement and action, and automatically pans and zooms to keep everyone in view. While the two Facebook-branded hardware makes consumers' home smarter and better connected with family members, there is growing concern about user privacy that could arise from internet-related technology, especially after Facebook has been questioned about its privacy policy since a data breach scandal earlier this year. Facebook has been extensively challenged about its security measures in protecting users' sensitive data since a British data mining firm Cambridge Analytica was accused of illegally accessing the data of 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was summoned to a hearing in U.S. Congress in April to explain the firm's privacy policies. Last month, Facebook reported vulnerabilities in its account login mechanism that could affect more than 90 million users, who risked having their private information including names and passwords accessed by hackers. The Budapest Corvinus University and Shanghais Fudan University are launching a joint MBA programme. The announcement was made at an event held in Budapest in preparation for the Shanghai Forum 2019 conference. National Bank of Hungary governor Gyorgy Matolcsy said the programme aimed to produce talented and highly skilled professionals. He said the scheme was a part of Hungarys support for Chinas Belt and Road initiative aimed at creating a new Silk Road of trade links between China and Europe. Hungary and the central and eastern European region form a bridge between Europe and China, Matolcsy said. The region has already proven itself as the European Unions small but well-functioning engine of growth in recent years, he added. The leaders of Hungarys central bank, Corvinus University and Fudan University signed a trilateral agreement at the event. MTI Photo: Kovacs Attila Hungarys Constitutional Court has annulled an amendment to noise protection regulations near car race tracks, citing breach of the right to a healthy environment. A judge ruling in a lawsuit brought against the state-owned company running Hungaroring, the venue of the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix, turned to the top court, which ruled that the amendment raised the threshold for acceptable noise pollution. According to the Hungarian constitution, legislation must not reduce already acquired levels of environmental protection, the top court stated. MTI Photo: Mathe Zoltan Addressing a conference, Speaker of Parliament Laszlo Kover said the Danube countries could only uphold sustainable regional development through cooperation. Hungary considers the European Unions strategy for the Danube region a key factor in central and eastern European political cooperation, Kover said in his opening address to the 5th conference of lawmakers from the Danube countries in Parliament. He said it was encouraging to see that policymakers, experts and residents of the Danube region were increasingly conscious about focused cooperation. Hungary has contributed a number of initiatives to the Danube strategy, Kover said. We have given coordinated responses to the shared challenges and we have been able to present results that are meaningful to the entire region. The speaker noted that the EU approved the Danube strategy during Hungarys presidency in 2011. In 2014, Budapest hosted the second conference of Danube country deputies. Last year, Hungary was in charge of carrying out the presidential duties of the strategy and Budapest hosted the annual Danube strategy forum with several non-EU prime ministers in attendance, he said, noting that in his opening address to last years forum, Prime Minister Viktor Orban had underlined the importance of allowing non-EU countries to join the strategy, as well as the need to increase funding for Danube region development projects. Hungary is committed to the successful implementation of the strategy and has always considered the strategys most important goals as its own, Kover said. Geography is stronger than any ideology, Kover said, emphasising the River Danubes role in both dividing and uniting the countries it flows through. The speaker added that although the Danube countries all benefit from the river, they must also cooperate in protecting themselves from floods, preventing industrial accidents and responding to the rivers waste pollution. The conference was attended by Serbias National Assembly President Maja Gojkovic, Slovenian Parliamentary Speaker Dejan Zidan, Ivo Bereka, the vice-president of the Czech senate, and Hungarian Socialist Party MEP Tibor Szanyi, among others. The participants adopted a joint declaration at the end of the event. Rata de infectare in Bucuresti a scazut sub 6 la mia de locuitori Incidenta cazurilor de COVID-19 in Capitala a ajuns, luni, la 5,78 la mia de locuitori. Este o scadere de 0,48 la mie fata de ziua de ieri, 14 noiembrie, si pentru prima data cand incidenta este sub pragul de 6 la mie, dupa data de 30 septembrie.Cea mai mare incidenta [citeste mai departe] Stiri pe aceeasi tema - The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, will have, on Monday, in Washington D.C., consultations with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as part of the visit he is conducting to the United States of America, on November 8 and 9, upon the invitation of his counterpart, MAE informs in a - President Klaus Iohannis announced on Thursday that the school holiday will not be extended, and that school children will return for in-person instruction where epidemiological and health safety conditions permit, adding that a prerequisite was introduced for the schools to be able to function normally, - Consumer goods represent the sector that was least affected by the pandemic crisis, and three out of four customers remain faithful to their preferred brand, according to a study made by Reveal Marketing Research, sent to AGERPRES on Thursday. The Reveal Marketing Research study analyzed the behavior - Seven out of ten Romanian drivers (70 percent) have fallen behind their car maintenance schedule due to the national lockdown, reveals a survey published on Monday by lubricant manufacturer Castrol. Also, almost two thirds (62 percent) of Romanian drivers are concerned that their vehicle may - Security and stability in the Black Sea region are in the national interest of the United States and are critical in terms of the security of the Eastern Flank, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said on Wednesday in a press conference with his Romanian counterpart Nicolae Ciuca, agerpres - Grupul Superbet continua sa atraga top manageri romani cu experienta in multinationale din diverse industrii. Anul acesta, dream team-ul managerilor care conduc operatiunile Superbet a fost completat de Adrian Comaneci, Paul Neagoe, Cristian Ciuca si Florin Iordache. Adrian Comaneci ocupa pozitia - Only 2.5% of the total number of Romanian students and pupils work during their studies, while the European average of pupils and students who have a job during their studies is 18%, the president of the Federation of the Hotel Industry in Romania (FIHR), Calin Ile, said on Tuesday in the context - The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Ludovic Orban, stated, on Monday, on the occasion of the Firefighters' Day, that, over time, Romanian firefighters successfully fulfilled complex and dangerous missions in fires, floods, snow-ins, calamities, being always there for people in need, and sent Stiri pe aceeasi tema - The total value of sales registered by 462 online stores in 25 industries between November 1 and 14 increased by 47.8% compared to the previous year and exceeded 6.9 million euros (plus VAT), through the marketing platform 2Performant, a company listed on the AeRO market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange - The High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ) rejected the action filed by former head of National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) Laura Codruta Kovesi against the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) regarding the recognition of the professional rank corresponding to the Prosecutor's Office attached - Former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase submitted, on Friday, to the High Court of Cassation and Justice a request for legal rehabilitation, in order to end several interdictions in place after he was released on parole in August 2014, agerpres reports. "Given that all conditions provided by the law - Minister of Interior Lucian Bode on Wednesday announced that the government is going to prolong the state of alert by 30 days. "Yesterday we became an interim government. During this interim period, the government will only issue the necessary normative acts for the administration of public affairs. - Approximately 700 people from all over the country, but also from Hungary and Germany, participate, on Friday and Saturday, in the Running Festival, an event organized by the City Hall of Miercurea Ciuc, under the patronage of multiple champion Gabriela Szabo, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Eduard - The Agriculture Ministry is interested in the transfer of technology for the development of the irrigation infrastructure from American partners, Agriculture Minister Adrian Oros told the new regional attache of the USA on matters of agriculture, Alicia Hernandez, according to a release sent by the - The interim Minister of Justice, Lucian Bode, announced on Thursday that he will endorse the Anghel Saligny Programme. "In what regards the Anghel Saligny National Investment Plan, this normative act draft was debated in first lecture in the Government nearly three weeks ago and, as it results from - O noua amenintare teorista a produs haos pe aeroportul din Kabul. Presedintele Statelor Unite ale Americii, Joe Biden, a avertizat in privinta unei amenintari specifice si credibile in apropierea aeroportului din Kabul, cerand astfel cetatenilor sa grabeasca procedurile de evacuare. Potrivit presei Minister-delegate Negrescu says alleged RO-EXIT doesn't exist, never discussed by Romania's decision-makers Minister-delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu stated on Monday that the "alleged RO-EXIT" doesn't exist and it has never been discussed at the level of Romania's decision-makers, being just an idea "launched precisely to spark controversy." "It's important to identify those solutions of the future, that can allow us to move pass the false topics launched sometimes in the public debate. And in this regard, I cannot stop referring to those false topics (...) and I am referring here to an alleged RO-EXIT, which, in fact, is out of the question at political level or at the level of Romania's Citeste articolul mai departe pe stiripesurse.ro Sursa articol: stiripesurse.ro Stiri pe aceeasi tema - Doi cetateni spanioli cu certificate digitale de vaccinare false au fost depistati la Aeroportul Otopeni. Cei doi veneau de la Istanbul si au prezentat pentru controlul de intrare in Romania documente care nu corespundeau cu datele din actele de identitate, potrivit unui comunicat al Politiei de Frontiera. - Romania's National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU) adopted at a Monday meeting new exceptions regarding access of unvaccinated persons to public bodies and shopping centres. Thus, CNSU Decision 94/2021 establishes that access to the premises of business operators trading non-food - PSD (Social Democratic Party) chair Marcel Ciolacu said on Monday that, so far, the party he leads "has had no negotiations to join or not to join the government," and that they only discussed with the prime minister-designate over the phone, on which occasion they told him what are the 10 priorities - Romania is in a region that represents "a centre of gravity" when it comes to the recent strategic decisions and actions, the interim Minister of Defence, Nicolae Ciuca, said on Monday, at the launch of the Romanian Security Barometer, the October 2021 edition, conducted by the Institute of Political - National chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Florin Citu said on Monday that the Liberals did not come up with a pick for prime minister at their consultations with President Klaus Iohannis. "We have not put forth any proposal for prime minister. (...) When we secure a majority, we - The PNL announced on Friday that it will not nominate a prime minister at consultations on Monday at the Cotroceni Palace after the fall of the Citu Government. "Given that, at this moment, we do not have a majority in the Romanian Parliament, at these consultations, PNL will not nominate a prime - Octavian-Alexandru Berceanu was released from the position of general commissioner, with the rank of state secretary, of the National Environmental Guard, by a decision of the Prime Minister Florin Citu published on Monday in the Official Journal. By the same decision, it was decided that Alexandru - Mai multi oameni care pretindeau ca sunt vaccinati anti COVID au ajuns la spital in stare grava, la Timisoara, in ultimele zile.Medicii timisoreni au anuntat ca pacientii le-au spus initial, dupa internare, ca au fost vaccinati si au aratat si certificate de vaccinare. Ulterior s-a dovedit ca documentele Axalta Coating Systems, based in Philadelphia, celebrated the Eagles Super Bowl victory by painting racer Alex Bowman s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the team colors, pictured here at Pocono Raceway Read more Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., the Philadelphia-based paint-and-coatings company, announced Monday that CEO Terrence Hahn has resigned after just five weeks on the job "by mutual agreement with the board, following an investigation by outside counsel into conduct by Mr. Hahn unrelated to financial matters that Axalta believes was inconsistent with company policies." The company says chief financial officer Robert Bryant is stepping in as acting chief executive. Hahn, who previously held senior jobs at two other industrial manufacturers, Honeywell and Allentown-based Air Products & Chemicals Inc., had arrived with recommendations for his experience with multinational sales from his predecessor, former Axalta CEO Charlie Shaver, who remains the company's board chairman. The company did not release details about the investigation and fast departure, or explain why the undisclosed conduct issue wasn't identified and dealt with before Hahn was hired. Bryant, who was also Axalta's executive vice president before his sudden interim promotion, called his fellow Axalta managers "resilient" and said they would "work tirelessly to put this distraction behind us" and focus on customer sales. Bryant "has the leadership skills and financial acumen, as well as the respect of the management team and employees," affirmed Shaver, who had stepped down from Axalta's top job to head the chemical group at Akzo Nobel, the Dutch paints and chemicals conglomerate that tried to merge with Axalta last year. In a brief statement, the departing Hahn said he wished "the best" to Axalta bosses and workers. He is off the Axalta board, also. "We won't speculate on the conduct issues, but view it as positive that Axalta took action if the issue warranted," Michael Harrison, an analyst at Seaport Global Securities, said in a note to investors. He said that he remained cautious because of cost challenges but that the landscape should improve next year. Axalta, which employs 14,000, earned $499 million in profits last year on sales of $4.6 billion. The company is building a $75 million headquarters and R&D center at the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia, and has bought a series of smaller companies in a bid to stay independent in the fast-consolidating global paints business, where Axalta's global rivals include AkzoNobel's paint division as well as PPG Industries. Interim CEO Bryant joined Axalta in 2013, the year the company was spun off by DuPont Co. and purchased by Carlyle Group, which later took the company public. (Carlyle is also helping separate Shaver's chemical group from the rest of AkzoNobel.) Axalta's recent share price of about $23 a share is significantly below its all-time high in 2014 of $36. The company has blamed disappointing sales abroad. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Christopher Perrella said the resignation should have little effect on the company's operation, given Hahn's short tenure. "Axalta should continue to execute on its long-term strategy," he said. On Monday, when major stock indexes were down, Axalta's shares closed up 51 cents, or 1.82 percent, to $28.60. Bryant was previously CFO at Roll Global and executive vice president at Grupo Industrial Saltillo SAB de CV. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and has an MBA from Harvard Business School. This article contains information from Bloomberg. People walk by Google offices in New York. Google is closing the consumer version of its long-spurned Plus social network after discovering a bug earlier this year that leaked some of the personal information about up to 500,000 people who still have accounts on the dying service. Read more Google kept quiet for more than six months after its discovery of a bug that put at risk the personal data of hundreds of thousands of Google+ users, the company said Monday, a delay that could spark a new round of regulatory scrutiny. Google found the bug in March and repaired it, according to a Google blog post. But the delay until October in revealing it could reignite long-standing complaints from federal and state lawmakers that tech giants such as Google are reckless with user privacy and not forthcoming enough when breaches and other incidents happen. Google discovered and made its decisions on handling the Google+ security bug in March, the same month that Silicon Valley rival Facebook was facing massive scrutiny over its role in allowing people affiliated with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica to collect data on 87 million users. The decision to not immediately report the software bug, which included briefing chief executive Sundar Pichai, was discussed in an internal document that expressed concerns about the company's reputation and the possibility of increased scrutiny from regulators, said a person familiar with decision-making at Google who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive matters. This person said the document, first disclosed by the Wall Street Journal, was not part of the official decision-making process at Google. Pichai recently agreed to testify before Congress, but a date has not yet been set. In its blog post Monday, Google announced that it will sharply curtail Google+, its failing social media offering, limiting it to only business and other enterprise customers. The company also announced new limits to the information, such as call logs, that outsider developers can gather on Android, the Google operating system used by most of the world's smartphones. And the company will impose new limits on the data shared about users of its popular email service, Gmail. The Google+ incident is different in several key ways from Facebook's scandal with Cambridge Analytica, which triggered federal investigations from multiple agencies. An internal Google company review, called Project Strobe, discovered the bug allowing outside software developers to potentially gain access to personally identifiable information on users, including names, email addresses, ages, occupations, and sex. But the company has said that no other information was put at risk and that it has no evidence that any of the data was improperly collected by outsiders. Google also said it was unable to determine whose data was exposed. A review of two weeks of data in March, the company said, showed that as many as 500,000 people may have had their information at risk to developers from 438 software applications. "This review crystallized what we've known for a while: that while our engineering teams have put a lot of effort and dedication into building Google+ over the years, it has not achieved broad consumer or developer adoption, and has seen limited user interaction with apps," said the company blog post. "The consumer version of Google+ currently has low usage and engagement: 90 percent of Google+ user sessions are less than five seconds." In the blog post, Google said it did not immediately announce the problems with Google+ because it was not sure which users were affected, whether the data had been misused, and what affected users could do to protect themselves. The decision was made by a standing company committee, the Privacy & Data Protection Office, before being reviewed by senior executives. Google's disclosure comes at a time when the SEC is putting increasing pressure on corporations to disclose data-security episodets and has reopened its cybersecurity unit. This year, the SEC fined the company formerly known as Yahoo $35 million for failing to tell investors about a massive cyber-breach for two years the first time the regulator has punished a company for such conduct. "This is the kind of disclosure situation that the SEC will absolutely investigate," said John Reed Stark, who spent nearly 20 years in the SEC's enforcement division and now runs a cybersecurity consulting firm. "The SEC enforcement staff are likely scouring Google's public filings and other statements to review all relevant disclosure." Even if a third party did not exploit the security vulnerability identified by Google, the SEC would likely be interested in whether investors were properly notified about the risks and about the incident, Stark said. Alphabet shares fell 1 percent to $1,148.97 at the close in New York, after earlier dropping to $1,135.40, the lowest intraday price since July 5. "This has been going on for too long," said Marc Rotenberg, president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "Companies like Google experience these breaches. They don't report them. They don't suffer consequences." The Federal Trade Commission needs to step up and start investigating the company's privacy practices, he said. The FTC, as the nation's chief privacy watchdog, has the authority to investigate data breaches. In 2011, it found that Google broke its own privacy policies when it introduced its Buzz social network a precursor to Google+. The company is still under a consent decree stemming from that incident that requires it to implement a privacy program. The FTC can fine companies when they violate terms of a consent decree. This article contains information from Bloomberg. Last week, Susan Collins displayed a courage that even a 9-year-old boy could understand. Sitting next to me, he watched her televised speech on Friday afternoon and wondered aloud, "Why is everything she is saying so important?" "Because she is doing something that a lot of people don't want her to do, and she might lose her job because of it," I told him. "Then why is she doing it?" he asked. And, with my eyes surprisingly tearing up, I said, "Because she believes that it is the right thing to do, as an American." He paused, and looked at me and said, "That's really brave." Out of the mouths of babes. Susan Collins probably ended her political career Friday afternoon when she announced that she would vote for Brett Kavanaugh to be confirmed as our next Supreme Court justice. >> READ MORE: Kavanaugh fight revealed how badly U.S. democracy is broken. Here's how to fix it | Will Bunch It's hard to see how she will be able to overcome the wave of political animus directed at her from women who oppose Kavanaugh and their male allies. Take, for example, Bill Palmer, owner of liberal political website The Palmer Report, who tweeted out to his 216,000 Twitter followers that Collins "just threw away her career, her reputation, and her ability to ever set foot in public again," and who ended his screed with a suggestion that she do something anatomically impossible. The tweet has since been deleted, but I can't imagine Collins will ever be able to find a way to reach Palmer and his ilk. It is hard to see how she will be able to communicate with her illusory base, those so-called moderate women who used to love her resilience and integrity and who, overnight, morphed into a brigade of shrieking, vengeful constituents. Joan of Arc must have known when she led her troops into battle that she would likely die on the battlefield or be captured by the enemy. I'm thinking that Collins must have had similar thoughts, only that her death would be political and symbolic. As that 9-year-old boy said, she was really brave. >> READ MORE: The silver lining of Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation | Opinion Many people disagree, because they view this whole debacle through partisan eyes, and, unfortunately, it seems that Kavanaugh's confirmation has only put another nail in the coffin of bipartisanship. The left is outraged that an accused sex offender will be on the high court. On Saturday, protesters gathered in Washington to voice their horror. They have, of course, skipped over the part where no one has even come close to proving that he did what he was accused of doing. The right is equally outraged that a good man has become the latest target of the #MeToo movement, a beast that has consumed men who have been accused of bad behavior on even the most flimsy and insubstantial grounds. Even when the right agrees that abuse happens, and that women have been victims, it is not enough for the supporters of #MeToo. They scream that we must "believe women." Their anger exists in a vacuum, and it seems to need no context or, in the case of Kavanaugh, no proof. I want to be optimistic that America will overcome this chasm between right and left, but it feels especially dismal right now. It's hard to believe that our country can overcome the hostility between the two sides of the political spectrum. But Collins' courage should inspire us all. >> READ MORE: Kavanaugh creates #MeToo moment for accused men | Christine Flowers Collins' act of independence, explained through an eloquent and extremely well thought out speech, should remind us of our better angels and our obligation to fairness and due process. She knew that she was risking the continuation of a life of dedicated to public service, as well as her good name and her tranquility. She is not a young woman. Hers is not a life at the beginning where these historic acts of rebellion can be forgotten, or that will dim with time. She will always be the senator, the female senator, the pro-choice, moderate female senator who allowed Brett Kavanaugh on the court. This will be her badge of honor, and her Scarlet Letter. In all of this madness and mayhem, all of this crying and screaming, belief and disbelief, the one truly authentic and spine-chilling moment was when Susan Collins said she would not betray her values. We should all be forever grateful to her for that inherent, unexpected bravery. First lady Melania Trump looks out over Nairobi National Park in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, during a safari guided by Nelly Palmeris. Melania Trump has fed baby elephants as she visits a national park in Kenya to highlight conservation efforts. The U.S. first lady also went on a quick safari. Mrs. Trump is on her first-ever visit to Africa and her first extended solo international trip as first lady. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Read more As the world knows, first lady Melania Trump took a safari in Kenya on Friday in a pair of slim-fitting khakis, knee-length boots, a crisp white shirt, and topping it all off a hard white hat of the type made popular by colonizers. The offending accessory has a name. It's called a pith helmet, and it shows up in pop culture all the time in stories like Tarzan, where Africans are depicted as savages tamed at the hands of Europeans. Laura Seay, an assistant professor at Colby College who studies African politics, told NPR that in some cases pith helmets were worn because colonialists were afraid of high levels of radiation in the tropics. (That unscientific theory, like many built on ignorance, was eventually debunked.) They were routinely worn by colonial military personnel. Cue the visceral reaction. Frankly, I'm tired of writing about the drama tangential to the Trump White House. As with the president's Twitter feed, we focus on the lady Trump's fashion and move away from the issues at hand. I want to ignore her. Why give this woman any more ink or, more important, any of my precious time? But the reality is we can't afford to look away because these outfits are costumes of white supremacy. And we'd be kidding ourselves if we didn't see them as such. The optics are important, and the first lady's handlers are keenly aware of this. They are yet another dog whistle for the white-supremacist fringe who'd prefer not to see people of color in "their" country, and if they do would rather they be the help. On Saturday, journalists asked Trump about her Friday ensemble. And standing in front of Egypt's Great Sphinx in yet another white hat this one more favored historically by segregationists rather than colonizers she told reporters "I wish people focus on what I do, not what I wear." Oh, for the love of God. This is from the first lady who carefully curates everything, starting with her appearance in a powder-blue Jackie Kennedy-esque ensemble at President Trump's inauguration and extending to that Zara drawstring jacket emblazoned with the words "I really don't care, do u?" READ MORE: Melania Trump's jacket: Does she really think we don't see the symbolism? So I won't no, I can't ignore this Columbus Day weekend choice to promote her "Be Best" campaign wearing khaki-hued ensembles inextricably linked to some of the world's most violent colonizers. Visiting the center of the slave trade, including Ghana's Cape Coast Castle, the former model posed as though she were in a fashion magazine center spread, wearing the outfits of men who'd committed some of world history's most awful monstrosities. But she wasn't in a make-believe world created by fashion directors to entice us to buy clothes. This were real life images embracing colonialism. Traditionally, it is the first lady who acts as the well-dressed conscience of the country. She represents what she wants America to be to the world. She is the country's face of kindness. She is what America aspires to be. God help us all. In case you missed it, your state legislature just did a (rare) good thing. And, shockingly, the thing involves firearms restrictions, which, as you may know, is out of character for your legislature genetically a gun-loving group. The good thing was passing and sending to Gov. Wolf a bill to better protect victims of domestic violence. It requires those convicted of certain domestic-violence crimes, or under a final PFA (protection-from-abuse) order, to surrender guns they own within 24 hours. >> READ MORE: Pa. Senate passes bill tightening gun rules in domestic-violence cases Current law allows such potential violent abusers to keep their firearms for 60 days, which seems a tad risky, no? Oh, and current law says one can give up guns to friends and family (like that's a foolproof safety measure). New legislation says the guns go to law enforcement, one's attorney or a licensed dealer. Wolf says he'll sign the bill. This common sense, more-safety-for-victims measure has been around for years. And necessary even longer. The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which has worked on the issue for a decade, says that of 1,262 people killed in domestic-violence cases (2007 through 2017), 699 died from gunfire. >> READ MORE: As marriage collapsed, Berks dad bought gun he used to kill his wife, 3 kids How many would be alive if lawmakers acted sooner? And, still, getting it through the legislature was a slog. "Believe me, it was a haul," says State Rep. Marguerite Quinn (R., Bucks), the bill's prime sponsor. "It was a heavy lift." Not so much on final passage the House approved it 131-62; the Senate 41-5 but during the process to get to a vote. Because, well, our legislature is pretty much a stag party (ranked 39th in gender balance, only 19 percent female, lowest among Northeastern states) and very much a gun club. Why did it pass now? It's an election year. The current political atmosphere, dominated by President Trump and by Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation as a Supreme Court justice, is seeded with ire over attitudes and issues disproportionately impacting women. It's "the year of the woman." Polling shows women, who for 30 years have outvoted men, leaning hard to Democrats. So, your Republican-run legislature might just be feeling more than a nickel's worth of nerves. All 203 House seats and 25 of 50 Senate seats are on the Nov. 6 ballot. Of those 25 Senate seats, 19 are Republican. Political survival is a good motivator. Though Quinn, who is running for a Senate seat, says there's more to it. "I don't know if it's the current political atmosphere so much as the current awareness of shooting after shooting," she tells me. OK, then does this open the door for further action related to gun violence? "I really can't tell," she says, "We have to see it implemented. People have to see it's not a gun registry, it's not against due process. People need to recognize you can do something without jeopardizing Second Amendment rights." Shira Goodman, director of CeaseFirePa, calls passage of the bill "significant." She thinks legislative support for it broadened after the Parkland, Fla., school shootings in February, and she believes it could presage more progress in gun-violence protection. "I certainly hope so," she says, "And I'm counting on it." Whatever reasons or politics prevailed, the fact that the legislature passed this thing is laudable a departure from its normal behavior, a trip it should take more often. Like right now. Having embraced victims of domestic violence, it should embrace victims of child-sex abuse. A House-passed bill sits in the Senate to open a two-year window allowing child victims abused decades ago to sue their abusers. Currently, such suits must be filed by age 30. >> READ MORE: Philly-area lawmakers emerge as key votes in battle over Pa. child sex-abuse bill Given grand jury findings of extensive abuse and cover-up by Catholic clergy over seven decades, significant reparations response from lawmakers (on behalf of anyone abused as a child by anyone, anywhere) should be required public service. Yet Senate response seems uncertain. Or something less than called for by the grand jury, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the GOP House and Gov. Wolf. Senate leadership should get on board. It did, overwhelmingly, on domestic violence. And one good thing deserves another. Kate Hanssen, standing, works with students on a lesson about the diversity of Native American groups sixth-grade history class at Germantown Friends School. Around Columbus Day, students learn about "Indigenous People's Day" and examine the complicated legacy of Columbus. Read more For some schools, Columbus Day is a day off, an occasion to commemorate Italian American heritage and the 15th-century voyage of a navigator who aimed to discover a new route to Asia but happened upon the Americas, instead. Others, such as Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School in Philadelphia, have opted to forgo the holiday, focusing instead on lessons about a polarizing historical figure who did not prove the earth was round or discover America as schoolchildren were taught for decades but who, scholars now say, brutally treated native people and spread colonialism. Kids at FACTS, as the Chinatown charter is known, replace normal classes with a daylong observation of "Many Points of View Day." Children start the day by singing a song called 1492: "In fourteen hundred and ninety two/Columbus sailed the ocean blue/It was a courageous thing to do/But someone was already here." They go on to sing the names of indigenous tribes: Inuit, Cherokee, Aztec, Menominee, Onondaga, Cree. "Our perspective is, 'Some people say Columbus is a hero, and other people say Columbus really hurt the people who were already here. What do you think?" said Lucinda Megill Legendre, a FACTS teacher and the school's social studies coordinator. Around the region and across the country, social studies education varies widely, said Eric Shed, a Harvard University lecturer whose work with teachers includes exploring how to challenge popular Columbus narratives. Schools and districts are not even in agreement over the basic principle of whether to close for Columbus Day; it's no longer a holiday for the Philadelphia School District, and others, but some districts still give students the day off. Columbus Day is still a federal holiday, as it has been since 1937, with municipal buildings around the region closed. (Nationally, Los Angeles, Seattle and Denver, among other cities, have stopped recognizing Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples Day. San Francisco honors both Columbus and Indigenous Peoples on the day.) And although some schools teach traditional lessons that focus on the importance of Columbus' voyages and might gloss over the darker parts of his legacy, generally, "we're becoming much more critical of Columbus' past, and that's filtering down into classrooms," said Shed, who appeared in Philadelphia Thursday as part of a Museum of the American Revolution celebration of Indigenous People's Day. The discussion takes place against a larger backdrop of cities and institutions grappling with whether some traditionally held heroes Confederate leaders, people who espoused racist views should be venerated at all. Shed's take? Schools shouldn't teach Columbus as a hero or ignore him altogether. For better or worse, he is an important historical figure who ought to be taught in an age-appropriate way. "He had a huge impact, shaping the world we live in today," Shed said. "It brings the past to life when you're getting kids to interrogate history and really think about it critically." Students in Kate Hanssen's sixth-grade social studies class at Germantown Friends School learn how civilizations survived in the early Americas. But around Columbus Day, there are specific lessons focused on Indigenous Peoples' Day, an alternative to Columbus Day celebrated by some states and cities. Students think about contemporary Native Americans, and examine the concept of sacred spaces and ongoing fights for Native American lands. The role of Europeans is not ignored, Hanssen said, but the curriculum is deliberately structured so students first consider the experiences of native peoples. (And Germantown Friends does not give students Columbus Day off.) "We want them to examine things with a little more nuance than they would if we started with these quote unquote explorers in a more traditional hero role," said Hanssen. "Part of it is tied to our Quaker identity and the role of social justice." Teaching about Columbus around the second Monday in October doesn't fit into the pacing of Ken Hung's world history class at Central High. But Columbus' legacy is a part of the curriculum later in the year, the veteran teacher said. Students examine primary sources, such as excerpts from Columbus' journal, and analyze not just Columbus but the lives of Native Americans and colonialism at large. "The point is not to attack or condemn Columbus, but to contextualize, to look at the big picture," said Hung. "For better or worse, we have this big new period of history, all these plants and animals and diseases and people immigrants, explorers, and slaves who are coming in large numbers to America." Bob Lendzinski, the social studies department chair at Lincoln High in Northeast Philadelphia, does not bring up Columbus in the contemporary issues classes he teaches. Some of his distant ancestors were Native people, Lendzinski said, and he's sensitive to the subject, but he also takes issue with the traditional teachings around Columbus. "Why would we celebrate someone who murdered, maimed and raped the Tainos people?" said Lendzinski. "Also, he did not discover America." At a school named for Columbus, it's a day without classes, said Ed Poznek, CEO of Christopher Columbus Charter School in South Philadelphia. "We are celebrating Christopher Columbus, our patron, by being off for the day," Poznek said. Pennsauken schools have the day off, too, but when students return to Fatima Hayes' eighth-grade civics class at Howard Phifer Middle School, Hayes will teach a lesson called "Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day?" examining myths and realities about the day from the perspective of both native and Italian American people, who rallied around the holiday after being persecuted. Hayes had mixed feelings when she first tackled the subject. "I consider myself active for racial and social justice I was very conflicted about how to present Columbus to my students in a classroom where I promise to tell the truth," she said. So she, too, takes the primary source route, letting students look at evidence themselves. The eighth graders conclude the assignment by writing a letter to officials stating why they believe Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day should be celebrated. Most, Hayes said, "side with the natives." Detail from atudy of the phoenix by Jim Kay, with detail from Medieval Bestiary (England, 13th century) Read more More in store for Potterheads Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is still wowing them on Broadway, with 100,000 newly released tickets for performances through June 9. And now the New York Historical Society presents the exhibit Harry Potter: A History of Magic, which debuted in London and opened in New York Oct. 5 (through Jan. 27). On display are rare books, manuscripts, and magical objects from the collections of the historical society and the British Library, along with material from Harry Potter publisher Scholastic and from J.K. Rowling's own archives. Highlights include Mary GrandPre's illustrations for Scholastic's original editions on display to the public for the first time plus costumes and set models from Cursed Child. Affiliated events include book group meetings, magic-themed workshops and talks, and owl walks in Central Park. Family Halloween activities are planned for Oct. 28. Details are at harrypotter.nyhistory.org. And for fans of the show's music, Imogen Heap's album The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: In Four Contemporary Suites will be released Nov. 2. The album assembles music from each of the four acts of the play into four suites. And speaking of books For a hundred years, the Drama Book Shop (40th Street near Eighth Avenue) has, heroically, provided the theater community with books and scripts. The shop's signs are hand-written. The chairs are beat-up (two scavenged from a demolished Philadelphia theater). People visit from all over the world. If you go in with a project, as I sometimes have ("I'm looking for plays about " ), any of the salespeople mostly young actors and directors can almost always supply you with a list. If they can't, the store's soft-spoken manager, Marcus Colleran, can. "People love theater," he says with an elegant British accent, "and there are so many acting schools around here, so you try to be as enthusiastic as they are." Upstairs is the children's theater company Story Pirates. Downstairs is a 50-seat theater that hosts speakers (I just missed Bernhardt/Hamlet playwright Theresa Rebeck) and that occasionally becomes a rehearsal space, as it was for Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights back when he was an unknown. Curtains rising There are a bunch of fall openings, of course: Opening in two weeks is the musical comedy The Prom (performances begin Oct.23), about a small town in Indiana where a girl is forbidden to take her girlfriend as her date to the prom and then Broadway stars come to the rescue. Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon) directs. For Cher fans, and you are legion, there's The Cher Show , a jukebox musical with three actors playing the star at various stages of her career. Performances begin Nov. 1. Preproduction photos are uncanny in their resemblance. For Cuba Gooding Jr. fans: he's back as Billy Flynn in Chicago . His Broadway run at the Ambassador Theatre started Oct. 6 and continues through Nov 18. Also highly anticipated is the stage adaptation by Aaron Sorkin of Harper Lee's beloved 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Jeff Daniels heads the cast as Atticus Finch. Performances start Nov. 1. Overnight sensation The "time-limited theater" group 24 Hour Plays brings its 24 Hour Musicals to Broadway Oct. 29 at American Airlines Theatre in Times Square. Here's how it works: A group of composers and writers meets at 9 p.m. on Oct. 28 with actors, choreographers, and musicians. The performers big names for this benefit performance include Savion Glover, John Mulaney, Bebe Neuwirth, and Molly Ringwald reveal something they've always wanted to do on stage, or some hidden talent. At 11 p.m., the composers and writers get to work. Overnight, they'll create a collection of mini-musicals running 15 to 20 minutes apiece. At 9 a.m., they'll meet with the performers, who then have one day to rehearse the 8 p.m. show. Various iterations of the 24 Hour creative madness have been going on for 10 years. This show celebrates women in musical theater and benefits the Lilly Awards Foundation. Show tunes for a cause The annual ACLU Broadway Stands Up for Freedom concert, an evening of Broadway tunes (and some new songs), will be held Oct. 15 at Town Hall (123 W. 43rd St.). George Salazar (Be More Chill), Kristolyn Lloyd (Evan Hansen original cast), and Caesar Samayoa (Come from Away) are among the performers. Aasif Mandvi hosts. Alan Cumming will be presented the 2018 Freedom Award for his contributions as an artist and activist for human rights. Tickets are $62. Broadway lingo (more to come) Like many communities, the theater world has its own language. For example: an "11 o'clock number" is a show-stopping production number late in the second act in which the main character comes to a big realization and we all weep, clap, and go nuts with musical comedy joy. Consider, for example, "Rose's Turn" in Gypsy and "Cabaret" in Cabaret. It's called an 11 o'clock number because shows used to start later than they do now, at 8:30 or 8:45 p.m., putting that blockbuster song at about 11 p.m. Prevention Point in Kensington with Jose Benitez and Ronda Goldfein, of Safehouse's board here in the "Drop in Room", Friday October 5, 2018. Read more In January, when Philadelphia health officials announced their plan to allow but not fund the opening of a safe injection site, we answered your questions about how these facilities function in other countries. They've existed for decades in Canada and Europe, but federal drug laws, community concerns, and an enduring stigma against drug use have prevented one from opening in the United States. Now, with the incorporation of Safehouse, a nonprofit whose aim is to open the city's first safe injection site in the coming months, here's what you need to know about how a site might work in Philadelphia. Who will run Safehouse? Former Gov. Ed Rendell is on the board of directors, along with Jose Benitez, director of Prevention Point, the city's only needle exchange, and Ronda Goldfein, executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania. The nonprofit has also set up an advisory board that includes some of the city's most prominent health and humanitarian leaders, including Ana V. Diez Roux, dean of Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health; Larry R. Kaiser, CEO of Temple University's health system; Thomas Farley, city health commissioner; David Jones, commissioner of the city's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services; and Sister Mary Scullion, president and executive director of Project HOME, a housing, poverty, and homelessness services organization. Where will Safehouse be located? The organization is still searching for a location, and advocates have long called for multiple safe injection sites around the city. However, Kensington is the most likely first location for a site; It's the epicenter of the city's opioid epidemic, has the highest overdose death rate in the city, and is home to nearly half of the city's homeless population, largely because of the opioid crisis. Will taxpayer dollars support the site? The city has been adamant that it will not fund a site, though health officials have indicated they'll help provide outreach services there for housing and drug treatment. Safehouse is looking to raise about $1.8 million to launch and operate the site in its first year. The site will require about $800,000 a year to operate after that. So far, the group has raised $200,000. Who will use Safehouse? Research indicates that the sites tend to be used by people who do not have stable housing. About 75 percent of Philadelphia's fatal overdoses in 2017 occurred in private homes. Early this year, University of Pennsylvania researchers surveyed people with addiction, who told them they would use the sites not only because of the health benefits but also because they don't want to use out in the open, especially where children might see them. Rendell has said that if a site exists, it could also attract people who have homes but who want the protection of using around other people. In 2016, the son a close friend of Rendell's died of an overdose after using heroin alone in his parents' house. His death is partly what's driving Rendell to back Safehouse. No one under age 18 will be allowed to use the site; Safehouse's website, safehousephilly.org, says staffers will refer minors to age-appropriate services. No smoking of any drugs will be allowed because of ventilation issues. Otherwise, Goldfein said, "we aren't assessing the drugs people use just protecting them from a fatal overdose." Safehouse will also ban drug dealing, drug sharing, exchanging money, and sharing of needles or other drug-consumption equipment. Participants won't be able to help each other use drugs, and staffers won't be able to help clients use drugs, either, though they can advise clients on how to inject without causing a skin infection. Staffers cannot handle any of the drugs participants bring in. Before leaving the site, participants will have to dispose of the needles they used in approved receptacles. What will happen when a client arrives? According to Safehouse, clients will have to register with the site but will not be required to give their names. Staff will, however, collect demographic data, what services users require, and how many eventually seek treatment the aim is to figure out how the site affects overdose deaths and access to treatment. ("Data collection and analysis will be conducted in a manner that respects and preserves client privacy and confidentiality," Safehouse officials wrote.) Then, clients who want to use drugs at the site will be sent to a "medically supervised consumption room" and given clean needles, as well as fentanyl testing strips. Since almost all of Philadelphia's heroin has been contaminated with the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl and sometimes with other adulterants, like the synthetic cannabinoid that caused two major overdose spikes this year this is crucial for users who want to reduce their risk of overdosing. Safehouse will not distribute "any opioid or narcotic" except FDA-approved opioid-based treatment medications like methadone and suboxone, which are considered the gold standard of treatment for opioid-use disorder. After clients use their drugs, they'll wait in a "medically supervised observation room." Anyone who overdoses will be revived with an overdose-reversing spray. There, they can get care for the dangerous abscesses that can form when an intravenous drug user misses a vein, and referrals to primary care, social services, and housing. Staffers will also offer them medication-assisted treatment that they can start on-site. On their way out, clients will again be offered treatment and other services, and they'll leave with a dose of an overdose-reversing spray. How will the site be policed? Safehouse officials have said they don't believe they'll be operating in defiance of federal law (though federal authorities disagree), because the site is a public-health measure designed to save lives. "Safehouse hopes to have a mutually beneficial, productive partnership with law enforcement, as we have a shared goal of making the community safer," the group wrote on its website. Police Commissioner Richard Ross has said he still has unanswered questions about how his officers will interact with a site. Inspector Ray Convery, head of the department's East Division, which polices Kensington, has said he's "neutral on the idea" and wants a better sense of how a site would operate. His police officers are all trained to reverse overdoses. Michael Nutter, shown here delivering his budget address as mayor in 2014, now is working for an insurance startup. Read more Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter wants to make his second act helping the city's seniors access health care, but patient advocates and policy experts say he's sending the wrong message. In an Oct. 2 opinion column in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Nutter wrote that "far too many seniors in Philadelphia are still struggling with paying their medical bills," and described "a solution for this dilemma" Medicare Advantage. "The problem," Nutter wrote, "is that not enough of our seniors sign up for Medicare Advantage." Specifically, he touted the Medicare Advantage offerings of Clover Health, a start-up insurance company that is new to Philadelphia's Medicare marketplace for 2019 and that has contracted Nutter as a paid adviser. With the annual Medicare open enrollment starting Oct. 15, marketing that targets seniors and their caregivers is in full swing. But patient advocates and policy experts took issue with the op-ed, which they said didn't adequately disclose Nutter's financial relationship with Clover and offered bad advice. "Medicare Advantage may or may not be the right choice for seniors, including low-income seniors. It really depends on their individual needs and circumstances," said Tricia Neuman, a senior vice president at Kaiser Family Foundation. Nutter said in an interview that he just wanted to tell people about the option. "There's a ton of information out there. Everyone's personal circumstance and situation is different," Nutter said. "I think everyone should at least check out Medicare Advantage and if you are interested in Medicare Advantage, I think Clover Health offers a plan that could very well be good for you." He learned about Clover Health from friends and said working with the company is a way to continue serving Philadelphia seniors. The idea to write a column came out of an early meeting he had with Clover leaders. Some Medicare enrollment specialists, however, think his column failed to emphasize that choosing a Medicare plan is a complex decision that depends on your preferences, location, health, income, the specialists you need, even the prescription drugs you take. "It's just so important for people to choose the right plan. It's a personal decision and there are a lot of factors to consider," said Diane Menio, executive director for the Center for Advocacy for the Rights & Interests of the Elderly (CARIE) in Philadelphia. Medicare Advantage plans are sold by private insurance companies as an alternative to original Medicare. They typically include prescription drug coverage and may offer other benefits, such as vision and dental. Many do not have a monthly premium, which can make them seem like a better deal and for some seniors, they may be the best choice. But Medicare Advantage plans manage their costs by giving customers access to a more limited network of doctors than traditional Medicare, which can be used anywhere in the country. Co-pays and other co-insurance costs also vary by plan. "You can't assume just because it's zero premium that it's the best plan," said Darlene Sampson, director of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging's APPRISE Program , which offers free health insurance counseling to seniors. "I would never tell someone one is better than the other because it's circumstantial," she said. People with traditional Medicare may also buy a supplemental plan to cover out-of-pocket costs and a prescription drug plan. Those can be costly. But many low-income seniors are eligible for federal subsidies that reduce co-pays for medications and, in some cases, cover the cost of premiums and deductibles entirely, which means that the more flexible option of traditional Medicare could actually be more affordable, Neuman said. During the annual open enrollment period for Medicare, insurers pump lots of money into marketing to try to attract new members or get people to switch plans, so seniors need to read carefully before signing up. A strong campaign is especially important for companies that are new to a competitive market, said Bill Melville, a principal analyst specializing in Medicare for Decision Resources Group, a health-care industry consulting firm. "Getting mentioned in an op-ed in a paper that's good publicity," Melville said. Clover has about 30,000 members in New Jersey, Georgia, Texas and Bucks County. Its 2018 New Jersey plans were rated three out of five stars by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; the Bucks County plans weren't star-rated last year. The company declined to discuss enrollment goals for Philadelphia. It's not unethical or uncommon for former public officials to endorse health-care products, said Arthur Caplan, a New York University ethicist who previously was at the University of Pennsylvania. But Nutter should have specified in the column that he is being paid by Clover. "He has to be a little cautious in how he moves on to selling health-care products to older people. They're likely to trust him as objective, when he may, in fact, be making money," Caplan said. Nutter declined to disclose his financial terms with Clover. Nutter was a natural partner for the company's expansion effort because he "has spent his entire career in public service advocating for better access to quality healthcare for all of Philadelphia's residents," Jason Alderman, Clover's chief communications officer, said in a statement. Four-year-old Zac Oliver has been getting chemotherapy to treat a rare, aggressive subtype of leukemia since his diagnosis in May Read more Last month, the national health-care system in England announced a deal with Novartis to make its expensive T-cell therapy Kymriah available to children with leukemia who have exhausted standard treatment options. Yet, the parents of 4-year-old Zac Oliver are desperately trying to raise more than $600,000 so they can leave England by next month and get Kymriah at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where it was pioneered in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania. English authorities say costly Kymriah is for use by children who relapse after conventional treatment stops working. That's the same as the approved U.S. protocol. But Zac's parents believe relapse would be a death sentence, because he has an ultra-rare, ultra-aggressive subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with an especially dismal prognosis. He is expected to relapse soon, because the chemotherapies he has been on since his diagnosis in May have not eradicated the blood cancer. "When it comes back, it usually ends in a rapid death," his mother, Hannah Oliver-Willets, an occupational therapist, said from Broseley, a small town northwest of Manchester. Zac's case illustrates the wrenching dilemmas shaping the real-world rollout of Kymriah and a competitor, Kite Pharma's Yescarta. These personalized, genetically engineered "CAR T-cell" therapies pose unprecedented challenges in terms of cost, production, toxicities, and access as well as uncertainties about the value of using them earlier in the disease course. All of which helps to explain why CHOP continues to study the drug and draw patients worldwide, despite Kymriah's approval last year in the United States and this year by the European Commission. Ten percent of kids treated with the T-cell therapy at CHOP come from other countries. "We get all these emails from parents across the world," CHOP oncologist Stephan Grupp, who led the pivotal clinical trial of Kymriah, said early this year. "We're trying to look at access. We're really interested in figuring out how to help patients who won't have access in their own countries, at least not for years." About 6,000 youngsters are diagnosed with ALL each year in the U.S. and Europe, and standard treatments chemo, radiation and stem-cell transplants cure 85 percent of them. But the outlook is grim for those who repeatedly relapse. And for the tiny fraction like Zac, who have ALL with chromosome alterations called near haploid or hypodiploid, treatment itself is often deadly, because it goes on for so long and does so much damage. "We will not watch him die. We will not wait for his little body to become weak from all the toxic chemotherapy before giving our little boy what could be a lifesaving treatment," Zac's father, Mark Garbett, a heating and plumbing contractor, wrote on the JustGiving website. CHOP would not discuss Zac's case, or confirm the plan to treat him. But in an email, a spokesperson said CHOP has successfully used Kymriah to fight Zac's type of ALL: "We have treated patients with rare, very high-risk ALL subtypes, including hypodiploid. We haven't yet published results from individual subtypes because the numbers are so small, but what we see broadly across these unfavorable subtypes is similar responses compared to ALL in general." For ALL in general, T-cell therapy has shown stunning effectiveness. In the global clinical trial of 95 youngsters that led to Kymriah's approval in the U.S., 80 percent went into remission, and more than 40 percent were alive a year later. The first child ever treated, Emily Whitehead, 13, of Philipsburg, Pa., remains cancer-free six years after her Lazarus-like rescue. Still, almost all children who receive the new therapy suffer serious or even life-threatening complications, a result of immune system overstimulation. The necessary intensive hospital care can inflate the cost of treatment with Kymriah priced at $475,000 in the U.S. to more than $1 million. (The negotiated price of Kymriah in England has not been disclosed.) Oliver-Willets said CHOP has agreed to cover the T-cell therapy and all medical care for $604,000. Family and friends have raised about half of that. Ideally, she said, Zac would get to CHOP by November, before he has time for a full-blown relapse, and begin the long, complicated treatment process. It would involve harvesting his disease-fighting T cells, genetically programming them to attack the leukemia cells, multiplying the T cells for about three weeks, then reinfusing them. Zac also would be enrolled in a CHOP study intended to reduce the toxicity of overstimulating the immune system, she said. While the ability to dramatically boost the immune response is a breakthrough, the response is so abrupt that at worst, it can send the body into shock and organ failure. Emily Whitehead almost died of the terrifying syndrome but was saved by the speculative use of a then-new rheumatoid arthritis drug that blunted the immune overreaction. The new study aims to optimize the timing of the arthritis drug by giving it earlier to children with lots of cancer in their blood, because a high tumor burden is believed to increase the risk of the syndrome. The syndrome "could be worse for Zac if he has lots of cancer," his mother said. In all, Zac's treatment and recovery in Philadelphia would take about four months. Oliver-Willets said the logistics and implications of uprooting the family, including Zac's stepfather and little brother, are still being worked out. "But we are going to try to get Zac into that tiny percentage that survive and are cured," she said. Antoinette and Kevin Patterson, a married couple and parents of two, continue to identify as polyamorous, meaning they maintain multiple relationships with the consent of everyone involved, and have since the beginning of their relationship 15 years ago. Read more Antoinette and Kevin Patterson thought they'd stop dating other people once their relationship got really serious. They didn't. Maybe, they said, after they got married. When that didn't happen, they assumed after they had kids. Not then, either. Today, Antoinette, 35, and Kevin, 38, still date other people. The parents of two continue to identify as polyamorous, meaning they maintain multiple relationships with the consent of everyone involved, and have since the beginning of their relationship 15 years ago. "I quickly and very early on realized that monogamy was just not my jam," Antoinette said from her home in Chester this month. "I struggled with it from day one. It was not something I was able to do." Polyamory, once portrayed as the sole realm of sexually open hippies, has a very real place in Philadelphia modern life, with participants of all walks of life navigating a complicated web of sex, relationships, marriages, and friendships among those who are in love or lust with romantic partners often dating each other. Philadelphia even has its own 1,000-member Facebook group: Polydelphia. Logistics are difficult (enter elaborate Google calendars), jealousy happens, and there's a coming-out process for people in polyamorous relationships that can open them up to criticism and judgment. But those who are able to make it work say the benefits of living and dating openly far outweigh the drawbacks. Antoinette, a physical therapist, and Kevin, a writer, now say polyamory is a fundamental part of who they are. They both have upper-back tattoos depicting a heart and an infinity sign a symbol and a constant reminder, Antoinette says, that they're "doing this poly thing forever." Now, it's about convincing others that rejecting monogamy doesn't make them all that different. "I'm not trying to freak the norms," said Kevin, who wrote a book about polyamory and race. "Like, I have a Netflix queue. I drive my kids to school every day. I am the norm." In addition to her husband, Antoinette currently has another boyfriend. Kevin can't say exactly how many people he's seeing that's always evolving. Sometimes it's five. Other times it's a dozen. For three years, he's dated Kay, his girlfriend who lives in Upper Darby. Kay, who is pansexual and open to all gender identities, has Kevin, plus her boyfriend and her nonbinary partner. She practices what's called "solo poly," meaning she isn't in a "primary" relationship with anyone. The words polyamory and nonmonogamy encompass a variety of relationships, including married couples in open relationships, people who practice solo poly, and people in "triads" or "quads," which are multiple-person relationships where everyone is romantically involved with one another. The common theme is the goal of remaining ethical to avoid hiding relationships. Early on in Antoinette and Kevin Patterson's relationship, the couple called themselves "swingers with an asterisk," because they weren't following "traditional swinger culture," which is based more on sex than relationships. Terri Conley, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and an expert in sexuality, said the general interest in swinging and nonmonogamy that took shape in the early 1970s died down in the '90s with the HIV health crisis. Since then, the idea of "consensual nonmonogamy" has reentered the public consciousness, and there's a documented growing acceptance of it. Meanwhile, the internet has allowed members of this niche community to coalesce, forming active presences on social media and fostering meetup groups in cities across the country. The Polydelphia Facebook page was created in January 2014 as a space for a couple of dozen poly friends to socialize. It has exploded in popularity since then, and recent efforts to increase privacy and be more welcoming to marginalized communities have contributed to the group's swelling in size, adding some 450 people in the last year alone, according to Kevin Patterson. "We live in a culture that very much values and prizes monogamy, and anyone who deviates from that is often stigmatized," said Justin J. Lehmiller, an assistant professor of social psychology at Ball State University. "My sense of it is that the stigma is lessening, but it's still there." Some studies suggest 5 percent of Americans are in consensual nonmonogamous relationships, but as many as one in five Americans has been in one at some point in his or her life. And though the reasons someone chooses polyamory vary some say it's a deep-seated part of their sexual orientation, others say it's more of a relationship-style preference the consensus among experts is that it's not a fear of commitment. Conley said, on the contrary, "these are people that really like commitment." "I'm not polyamorous because I'm avoiding commitment," Kevin Patterson said. "I'm making commitments with multiple people." Likewise for Shallena Everitt, who has two spouses. When she tells people she has a husband, Cliff, and the two have a wife, Sonia, the first question is almost always: "How does that work?" She responds simply: "It works like any other relationship. It's just more people." Shallena, 40, of East Lansdowne, identifies as bisexual. She and Cliff have been married for 18 years and have two children, and they met Sonia four years ago. The three fell in love and in April had a commitment ceremony a de facto wedding for the polyamorous triad, although Sonia's marriage to Shallena and Cliff is not legal. They now live in a blended house along with Sonia's three kids, and the relationship among the three of them remains open. "A lot of people say, 'How can you love more than one person?' " said Shallena, an administrator for the local chapter of the group Black and Poly, which she discovered about five years ago. "You love them for different reasons and they bring different things to you." Kevin Patterson, who sits on the steering committee of Polydelphia, said that it's unreasonable to ask someone to be "your everything," and that he explores different aspects of his personality with different romantic partners. One wife, two kids, and multiple partners makes for some busy days, and logistics are a challenge. Kevin swears by his Google calendar, which he shares with Kay and Antoinette. Kay's calendar is a rainbow of commitments, with color-coded blocks for when she'll see each partner. Though she's happy in her relationships, Kay admits "it can get really tiring." Kevin and Antoinette keep up with each other's romantic lives, including each other's sex lives. They don't necessarily need the details, but they do share with each other any relevant sexual health information. Still, they avoid exercising any control over each other's relationships. Kevin said if Antoinette's boyfriend (known as Kevin's "metamour") decides to sleep over, "they can have the bedroom" Kevin's just fine in his basement man cave. "I try to leave as much room as I can for their relationship to grow," he said, "without my influence." Elisabeth Sheff, a sex education consultant and author who's written three books on polyamory, said it's this mentality that can make a polyamorous relationship work. "If the metamours can't get along, the family does not make it," Sheff said. "If the metamours get along, then the lovers can make it through things that maybe would have otherwise broken them up." Others say they feel joy when their romantic partners are happy in other relationships. Tiffany Adams, a 30-year-old nurse who lives in Bensalem, identifies as polyamorous and pansexual. Today, she has three romantic partners: Phillip, Dan, and Huey. She said feeling truly happy for her partners can help keep her jealousy in check. "When my partner tells me they met somebody and they really like them or that their new partner told them they love them, it makes me feel really good," said Adams, who founded Polydelphia but no longer manages it. "I think having those things can counteract any jealous feelings." Paul Beauvais, a 44-year-old IT architect who lives in Overbrook and is a member of Polydelphia, said some people outside the polyamorous community assume he has it great say, when he mentions that over the weekend he went on dates with "both" of his girlfriends. Sure, Beauvais loves being polyamorous, but he makes sure to note that it includes all the "not so great" parts of a relationship, too. "Polyamory is really based on the idea that we shouldn't be running relationships in a resource model," he said. "Love is not a scarcity." Lawsuits, code violations, tenant complaints: Clashes between developers and municipalities aren't uncommon, but the years-long dispute between Abington and the former Colonade apartments has been an especially acrimonious saga. It started with resident complaints and code citations in 2012, escalated through debates over whether the complex needed a fire-safety upgrade during 2014 renovations, continued after a 2016 building fire, and was resolved with a settlement in July. The agreement, ending a slew of lawsuits, erased past code violations and exempted the owners from installing fire sprinklers, which the township had said were necessary under building code. It also bars the parties from speaking negatively about each other. Today, the owners of the upgraded 588-unit complex, renamed 100 York, declare it a success story. The township says the two buildings have passed all code inspections. But others question the buildings' safety. "The building should have been sprinklered. There's no way around it," said a person involved in the negotiations between 100 York and Abington who requested anonymity due to the non-disparagement clause of the settlement. "The residents of Abington deserve better from their elected officials. The people living in that building certainly deserve better. Their lives are at risk." Township Solicitor Michael Clarke said that the agreement was in the township's best interest and that the high-rise complex two buildings, one 12 stories and one eight stories, at the heavily traveled intersection of Old York Road and Township Line Road is safe for residents, neighbors, and first responders. Commissioners voting against the settlement suggested that it didn't resolve all problems and could endanger occupants. Meanwhile, some township employees who maintained that the state building code required 100 York to upgrade its fire system are no longer in their jobs, and some residents say they still have complaints. The settlement was passed by nine Democrats of 13 commissioners present, with Vice President Steven Kline, a Democrat, abstaining: He had been architect and project manager for the complex's renovation. Between April 2017 and February 2018, Township Manager Michael LeFevre departed; Fire Marshal Ken Clark retired while still fighting 100 York's federal lawsuit against him; and Building Code Officer Lisa Erkert was moved to another department and filed a whistleblower lawsuit, claiming that she was demoted for appearing before a grand jury investigating the matter. "Various township employees have made statements questioning the employment longevity of those who testified before the grand jury," she alleged in the lawsuit. "At least one witness was pressured into early retirement." Her lawsuit is pending. And despite references to the grand jury, the scope of its investigation and no charges or report were made public. Ken Clark declined to comment, citing the settlement's non-disparagement clause. His successor, John Rohrer, also declined. In an interview, Jeffrey Cohen, the building owner and CEO of Metropolitan Properties of America, said he is proud of the renovated complex. "This building," he said, "is as safe as can possibly be." Not a good idea The fire-safety clause in the settlement between Abington and 100 York reads: "The township further agrees that Old York's completion of the improvement project does not trigger the need for any additional work at the property, including but not limited to the installation of additional sprinklers or heat detectors, and/or the installation in individual apartments of smoke detectors that are interconnected with the fire-alarm system." The state building code classifies construction projects into different levels, depending on the size and nature of the work. Only the more complex projects require existing buildings to add sprinklers. The owners of 100 York contended that their plans did not reach the threshold as defined by the code; the township initially disagreed. (The first and lower floors, where new apartments were built, were an exception; sprinklers were installed there.) Regardless, said Ken Isman, a University of Maryland fire protection engineering professor, not putting sprinklers in high-rises is "not a good idea." "Once a building gets to be more than five or six stories tall, it becomes extremely difficult for the fire department to actually fight a fire in the building," he said. Sprinklers cost on average $1.35 per square foot. Owners often resist them, said Tracy Vecchiarelli, a National Fire Protection Association senior engineer, despite data and consensus among fire experts "that sprinklers are the best way to help suppress a fire and extend the time you have to get out of the building." The 100 York fire safety system underwent a $3 million upgrade as part of the $30 million renovation, said Cohen. He and his associates said sprinklers weren't necessary. "I always use the argument you could build a house that would withstand a nuclear bomb being dropped on it, but that doesn't mean that it makes sense to build that house," said Carl Primavera, Cohen's lawyer. "Putting water is, I guess, designed to protect the property, but the whole key as I understand it has to do with getting people out." The settlement was signed, he said, because the renovation was successful: "Everybody felt that whatever they needed to have happen in the litigation was able to be satisfied." But not all agreed. "Knowing that there may be some open violations and not knowing if these violations have been corrected, in good faith I cannot support this. [It's] our responsibility to protect every citizen in this township," Commissioner Dennis Zappone said at the July meeting, voting no with the board's two other Republicans. The settlement noted that then-fire marshal Clark did not concur with the fire-safety section. One resident at the public meeting, Lora Lehmann, said commissioners had voted against the citizens' interests: "Many people acted so badly and you're trying to settle it so that they would have no consequence whatsoever for their actions." Mixed views On Jan. 30 and Feb. 5 months before the settlement investigators found dozens of violations at 100 York, including water damage and dead smoke-detector batteries, according to a log and images obtained by the Inquirer and Daily News. Of 86 violations listed, 52 pertained to fire safety. No citations were issued, Clarke said. Several 100 York residents interviewed said heating and cooling problems, water leaks and damage, and communication difficulties with management have continued. In August, a leak dripped in the building lobby; above, a water stain spread several feet on each side of the second-floor door to an electrical room. Some fire doors were sitting open, one propped by a fire extinguisher. "They've had problems with, well, just having things work in general," said resident Brett Schimmel, who said his ceiling had flaking and dark spots, which maintenance staff painted over. Cohen, who bought the buildings in 1996, said the complex performs maintenance regularly. MPA, Cohen's company, also ran the former Marquis in King of Prussia before it was sold; officials deemed it unfit for habitation after troubles in 2011. News reports and court filings show the company has fought lawsuits, been cited for fire-code violations, or had damaging fires at other properties in Michigan, Ohio, and Texas. "I can't even speak to those," Cohen said. "My goal is to focus on 100 York." During a tour for a reporter last month, MPA managers highlighted the amenities center and a model apartment. Residents selected by Cohen for interviews praised the building. "100 York was my rescue," said Felecia Burton, 51. "The first year was a disaster," said Nestor Felix, 57. "But everything has turned around and it's really a lovely place to live." When Matthew Schuman, 28, decided to move into the renovated complex in August 2017, he said he expected the problems to be in the past. But within two months, he knew he didn't want to stay. "I felt trapped," he said, recalling the unpredictable heating system warming his apartment to 85 degrees and other complaints. Schuman moved out last month. "I would never recommend that anybody I know, even tangentially, move in," he said. This article was updated to amend a quotation. On October 9, 2018, Columbus Day, the sidewalk at the Columbus statue at Broad Street and Oregon Avenue had graffiti that read: "END COLUMBUS DAY, ITALIAN-AMERICANS AGAINST RACISM" Read more On Columbus Day, standing in front of the History of Italian Immigration Museum he cofounded, Joseph Rollo read an inscription engraved on a sidewalk tile at his feet: "Famiglia Grasso 1949 Famiglia Guzzardi 1947 From Italy & Carried To America Dreams of Hope & Created A Life A Family, A Legacy" "That's my parents," Rollo said. And then he pointed just above the tiles, toward white graffiti spray-painted on the sidewalk at 1834 E. Passyunk Ave.: "COLUMBUS = MUSSOLINI = RIZZO = TRUMP = FASCIST." And, outside the front door, a message including the words racism, slavery, and genocide. For the first time in more than 30 years, he said, the heritage group on Monday had to deal with ethnic vandalism. "It's symptomatic of the times," Rollo said, "and the divisive nature of our country." On Monday, when many government offices and several area school districts were closed for the federal holiday, taggers targeted the museum, along with a statue of Christopher Columbus in Marconi Park in South Philadelphia. The graffiti indicated that Columbus was viewed as a not particularly good guy. Yellow police tape was placed around the Columbus monument at Broad Street and Oregon Avenue, where sidewalk graffiti read: "END COLUMBUS DAY" and "ITALIAN-AMERICANS AGAINST RACISM." The base of the statue had been tagged "GENOCIDE" and "STOLEN LAND." According to Philadelphia police spokesperson Tanya Little, police discovered the museum graffiti at 9:06 a.m., and that on the the statue at 11:20 a.m. Surveillance footage was being reviewed, but police said they had no suspects as of 5 p.m. A Columbus monument at Penn's Landing was not vandalized, and a wreath was at its base Monday. In 1987, Rollo, a lawyer, cofounded the Philadelphia chapter of Filitalia International with Pasquale Nestico, a cardiologist, as a refuge for immigrants. In 2014, they opened the History of Italian Immigration Museum at their South Philadelphia location to help preserve the Italian language and culture in America. "And it was an attempt to coordinate efforts of Italian Americans, and a point of reference and to act together in this society," Rollo said. Filitalia means "Love for Italy." When the museum opened, members donated to memorialize relatives on the sidewalk tiles. In 2018, Rollo said, it's a different world. "Everybody wants a forum," Rollo said, "and sometimes they mistake Facebook-type posts for acts of civic importance." A man walks along railroad tracks in downtown Reading, which is in a state program for financially distressed communities. Read more Years after the city nearly went bankrupt and fell under state control, Harrisburg is finally in a good place financially, state and local officials agree. With balanced books, the commonwealth's capital thus is primed to exit the state's program for financially distressed municipalities commonly known as Act 47. Only it doesn't want to, if that means giving up the program's special taxing power. "I'm telling you point blank we can't have a balanced budget without it," said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. The city is due to leave Act 47 in September, when its five-year deadline expires. But "there is only one way out of Act 47 for Harrisburg," the mayor said: That would be by keeping its authority to raise taxes beyond the normal limits set by the state. Harrisburg is now lobbying the legislature to extend its taxing privileges, which it did for Pittsburgh. That city exited Act 47 last month. Seventeen municipalities across the state, including Chester and Colwyn in Delaware County, Reading, and Scranton, remain in Act 47. They and the state-appointed firms hired to guide them to solvency must decide within the next two years whether the communities are strong enough to leave Act 47 by the five-year deadline or whether they should seek a one-time, three-year extension. Before the legislature amended Act 47 in 2014 to include deadlines, municipalities such as the city of Clairton, outside Pittsburgh, lingered in the program. Clairton spent nearly three decades in Act 47 before getting out in 2015. But exiting by the deadlines and staying solvent will be a challenge for "quite a few" of them, said Gerald Cross, executive director of Pennsylvania Economy League Central Division. Harrisburg, which has one of the state's highest poverty rates, appears to be back on its feet financially. "If you look at our balance sheet," Papenfuse said, "you'd say, 'Fiscally healthy, has no business being in Act 47.' " The mayor said the city has pulled in an extra $11 million in revenue from higher rates on the local services tax on commuters and earned-income taxes on residents increases allowed because of authority granted by Act 47, formally known as the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act. Harrisburg is burdened by the fact that a majority of its real estate is owned by the state or is tax-exempt. Most Act 47 communities share common problems: flat tax bases, creative bookkeeping to get by, imprudent budgeting, neglected finance departments. Some, such as Harrisburg and Reading, are hubs of employment where a substantial share of daily workers are commuters who use resources but don't pay taxes. Unfunded pension liabilities are "one of the largest weights on their shoulders," which is why the state is considering municipal pension reform, said State Sen. John Blake (D., Luzerne), minority chair of the Senate's Local Government Committee. "The problems for a lot of these communities won't go away in eight years, because they've been decades in the making," said Gordon Mann, director of the Philadelphia-based financial firm PFM, which helped Pittsburgh out of Act 47 and is assisting Reading. "A lot of places will have a hard time, because what they are relying on is the thing they have to give up to get out," Mann said. "The question will be how they'll do once they're out." None of the 14 municipalities that have left the program have been in danger of reentering it, according to the state's Department of Community and Economic Development, which administers the program. But none so far have been forced to leave before they thought they were ready. Marita Kelley, deputy executive director of the Governor's Center for Local Government Services in the department, said the communities in the program are "all a little nervous" about standing alone post-Act 47. "We anticipate there will be some challenges once they get out, and we'll just have to see how those challenges play out," Kelley said, adding that communities that continue to struggle after leaving are eligible for other state assistance. Pittsburgh and Altoona, which exited the program in September after five years, are two cities worth tracking, according to PFM. Cross of the Pennsylvania Economy League said that municipalities need more taxing flexibility and that an overarching issue is "the failure of the local government financing system in Pennsylvania to adapt to modern times." Altoona, Blair County, was able to expand its taxing authority and shed other limitations from the state by asking voters to approve a change in the town's status from a third-class city to a home-rule municipality, said Omar Strohm, deputy city manager. Over the last several years, Altoona has moved from a deficit to a cash surplus of nearly $10 million last year, said Mayor Matthew Pacifico. The city's budget is roughly $32 million. "I know there's a certain stigma attached to being named a financially distressed community," Strohm said. "We look at it as a challenge to remain financially viable and to keep [a] frugal mentality with the finances of the city." Pittsburgh left the program last month after 14 years. A big reason why the city was able to leave was the state's decision to diversify the tax structure for cities of the second class, of which Pittsburgh is the only one. PFM, the state-appointed financial helper for Reading, is weaning the city off a reliance on its increased Act 47 tax authority, Mann said. Reading is "rightfully concerned" about its fate post-Act 47, because of its high concentration of poverty, Mann said, but he is "cautiously optimistic" the city will be able to leave next year. "The biggest challenge is going to be staying out," said Linda Kelleher, Reading's city clerk. "Because we still have the problem with the legacy costs that aren't going to be solved at all." Public safety is often a municipality's largest cost. Millbourne Borough, Delaware County, left Act 47 in 2014 after two decades primarily because it made its police part time. The borough no longer pays into pensions or health insurance for officers. Millbourne also began aggressively going after grants, said Nancy Baulis, assistant manager. Colwyn, which entered Act 47 in 2015, is on track to leave in 2019, just ahead of the five-year deadline, according to borough officials. On the path to solvency, the borough has hired a full-time experienced manager, hired a treasurer, outsourced code enforcement and engineering services, and developed a "realistic" budget, according to EConsult Solutions, the firm the state hired to help Colwyn. Chester's five-year deadline is up in two months, but the city is not yet ready to leave. Officials hope the state will grant a three-year extension. "There are benefits to being financially distressed but also constraints," said Nafis Nichols, Chester's chief financial officer. "We're going to make sure we here in Chester do everything needed to capitalize off of the next three years." When Harrisburg entered Pennsylvania's "distressed municipalities" program, the state gave it power to hike certain taxes to help pay its bills. As the city looks to exit the program, it would like to keep those tax increases. A bill pending in the legislature would allow that. Meanwhile, a state official tasked with helping Harrisburg has suggested another way for the city to increase taxes beyond the state's normal limits: The state capital could consider becoming a "home-rule" city. Municipalities have the right under Pennsylvania's Constitution to choose home rule, which grants certain limited powers. Of Pennsylvania's 2,560 municipalities, only 96 have done so, including 24 in the five-county region, according to the state's Department of Community and Economic Development. Philadelphia was the first to vote to accept a home-rule charter in 1951. Municipalities "don't like the limits that are in state law," said Joseph McLaughlin, director of the Temple University Institute for Public Affairs, but "most municipalities have considered [home rule] not to be worth the effort." What is a home rule charter? A home-rule charter is a local constitution that sets out the powers and structure of government. Home rule municipalities have some autonomy but have to to abide by the U.S. and Pennsylvania Constitutions and other state laws. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development calls home rule "limited independence." Most states, including New Jersey, allow for home rule. How does a community adopt home rule? A municipality or county can ask voters in a ballot question whether they want to form a commission that studies whether and how to create a home-rule charter. The home-rule process, which includes public hearings and expert testimony, can take 18 months or more. If the commission recommends switching to home rule, residents then vote to adopt or reject the new charter. How many municipalities in the Philadelphia region operate under home rule? Four municipalities in Bucks County; five in Chester County; eight in Delaware County; six in Montgomery County; and Philadelphia have home rule. Why would a municipality adopt a home rule charter? Towns choose home rule for two main reasons, said Jim Nowalk, president of the Pennsylvania State Mayors' Association and mayor of Allegheny County's Whitehall Borough: Money, and at least a sense of control. Because Whitehall has home rule, it was able to increase its wage levy from 1 percent, to 1.5 percent, generating an additional $1.9 million for its roughly $10 million budget. Coatesville and Norristown, both home-rule cities, also have wage taxes above the 1 percent state standard, as does the City of Chester, which has the region's highest municipal earned income tax for residents at 2.75 percent. "I'm just surprised that everybody isn't home rule just for that reason," Nowalk said. "You have great flexibility in terms of funding government services." Home rule also is an opportunity to customize local government instead of using the state's cookie-cutter options. Upper Darby Township adopted its charter in 1976 to create a "strong-mayor" form of government. The council creates policy, and the mayor chooses how to implement it. The setup helps cut through bureaucracy and cuts out the need for debate and consensus on minutiae, said Mayor Thomas Micozzie. The move "allowed the township to remain independent as a community" and helped it grow, he said. Delaware County also became home rule in 1976 and is the only county in the region to have done so and the only county that doesn't require minority-party representation in its governing body. The county formed a five-member council instead of the traditional three-member board of commissioners and implemented two-term limits for elected officials. Then-Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo tried in 1978 to get voters to amend the city's home-rule charter to allow mayors to serve more than two terms, but residents didn't go for it. Why dont most municipalities have home-rule charters? "There's a lot of misunderstanding," said Beverly Cigler, professor emerita at Penn State and author of the Pennsylvania entry in the 2000 book Home Rule in America: A Fifty-State Handbook. "It's not a free-for-all like you can easily think when you hear 'home rule.'" Adopting home rule to change the local government structure is one thing, Cigler said, but it is not a cure-all for municipalities. "The real problem for local governments is they need more fiscal autonomy," she said. "Home rule gives them a little bit but nowhere near enough to fix their issues." That would take the legislature fundamentally changing how states and local governments deliver services and who pays for what. Communities also may find cooperating with neighbors difficult if they all operate differently, Cigler said. Then there's the time and effort needed to adopt a charter. Braddock Mayor and Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman talks to fairgoers as he campaigns at the 163rd Bloomsburg Fair September 25, 2018. Read more TUNKHANNOCK, Pa. John Fetterman stood in front of a large American flag hanging from the wood-paneled walls of a Moose Lodge and cracked a joke about the crowd of more than 100 people gathered for the Wyoming County Democratic Party's annual get-out-the-vote breakfast. "Have you guys ever felt here in Wyoming County like you're the center of the political universe?" he asked and then waited for the laughter to die down. "It sounds like I'm a stand-up comedian, right? But look around. This room is jam-packed with people. It's not supposed to be that way. You're just another rural county in Pennsylvania. It's all about Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with our party. But that's not the way with our campaign." Fetterman, who became Gov. Wolf's running mate after defeating Lt. Gov. Mike Stack III in the May 15 primary election, is on the trail with what, in many election years, would be the heaviest of lifts kindling Democratic voter enthusiasm in counties controlled by the Republican Party. But in three stops across northern Pennsylvania last Saturday, Fetterman encountered something unusual: Crowded events and an activated party base eager to hear him. It might help that Fetterman, 49, is an unconventional candidate in an unusual time. The mayor of Braddock, a struggling steel town in Allegheny County, Fetterman drapes his 6-foot-8 inch frame with Dickie's short-sleeve work shirts that show his forearm tattoos. Fetterman played offensive tackle for Albright College in Reading, later attending Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. An AmeriCorps job took him to Braddock, where he stayed to start a nonprofit providing social services with seed money from his father, who runs an insurance agency in York. Fetterman rose to prominence with an unsuccessful 2016 primary bid for the U.S. Senate that played well with progressives. Many expect him to take another shot in 2022 at challenging U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican from Lehigh County. Along the way, Fetterman became a national lefty icon and celebrity, along with his borough of 2,100 residents on the Monongahela River. Levis made a television commercial about the town. The late celebrity television chef Anthony Bourdain came calling. The Washington Post sung the "ballad of Big John Fetterman." In Wyoming County, Fetterman tells the crowd he gets embarrassed when voters in rural areas thank him for showing up, as if they're "an afterthought" in the state's politics. "The key to a blue Pennsylvania is counties exactly like Wyoming," he tells them. "And we will never ignore you." Laura Dickson, the county's Democratic chairwoman, said her party was already mobilized by President Trump and his administration. And Fetterman's "dynamic" presence helped boost attendance at the event to a 10-year record, she added. "It's about time we had someone who looked like him, acted like him and did what he does," Dickson said of Fetterman. Tom Henry, one of a handful of Republicans in the crowd, was paying close attention. The chairman of the Wyoming County Commissioners, Henry said Democratic energy exceeds Republican interest in the area and Trump's constant presence in the news "definitely has a pull on what's going on." Republican voters outnumber Democrats nearly two to one in Wyoming County, about 117 miles north of Philadelphia. Trump took 67 percent of the vote here in 2016. Still, Henry said he was drawn to Fetterman's "audacity." Enough to vote for him? "We're not going to go that far," Henry said, but then added, "You know what? Maybe. I don't know. But I like him." Easy to become demoralized Fetterman and an aide jump into his black Ford F-150 new this year but the odometer hit 68,000 miles this day after so many swings across the state. The Susquehanna County Democratic Party's annual luncheon is already underway at an American Legion post when he arrives in Hallstead, a borough of 1,200 people three miles south of the New York border, on a bend in the river that bears the county's name. Party Chairman Rick Ainey senses a shift in sentiment. More Democrats are volunteering again to canvass for votes or make calls in phone banks. There are new faces. What drives that? "One word: Trump," Ainey said. The mood has changed since 2016, he said, recalling how Democrats manning a booth to talk to voters at the county fair were greeted with partisan ridicule from Trump fans. "People would come in and yell and scream at us. That hasn't happened in the last two years at the county fair. I don't think they're taking ownership of Trump." Fetterman alludes to Trump at times but saves his criticism for former State Sen. Scott Wagner, the York County Republican trying to defeat Wolf's bid for a second term. It's a well-honed hit-list Fetterman dubs, "the accidental genius of Scott Wagner." The rapid-fire litany hits Wagner on labor rights, abortion, expanding Medicaid in the state, funding public education, taxing retirement income, climate change and gay marriage. In each telling at three events that day, Fetterman warns Wolf is the guy moving things forward while Wagner is threatening to roll it all back. Fetterman and Wagner's running mate, developer Jeff Bartos of Montgomery County, appear to have a friendly relationship. They bantered before a debate in Pittsburgh Saturday. "I thought about asking for a 1-foot stool," the shorter Bartos said. "I thought about requesting a tie," Fetterman joked. Noted Bartos, "We actually get along." And, again, Fetterman notes that the state's Democratic Party has too often left rural supporters out in the wilderness. "If you feel ignored or underappreciated by the party in general you have a right to because we as a party, I have to say, didn't spend enough time hearing your concerns," Fetterman said. "When you're in a red county, it's easy to become demoralized." Republicans outnumber Democrats 2-1 in this county, where Trump took 68 percent of the vote. Ainey said Democrats should contest rural areas of the state, where every vote won by a Democrat makes a difference. On Election Day, he predicts, local Republicans will make one of two decisions. "They're either going to vote for the Democrat or they're going to stay home," he said. "There are a lot of Republicans who wouldn't vote for a Democrat. But I think they're ashamed or embarrassed enough that it will force them to sit home." Fetterman works the buffet line, too long, in fact, and later laments missing out on a chance to sample the green bean casserole. He has dropped 170 pounds in 15 months, cutting out grains and sugar. At a Wendy's lunch stop, Fetterman orders two hamburger patties, served on a black plastic plate with no bun or toppings. Were not asleep at the wheel Ed Bustin, the lone Democrat on the Bradford County Board of Commissioners, notes Wolf's quiet, almost academic mien and says Fetterman's scruffy populism "is a nice little counter to that." Wolf is six feet tall, but in campaign literature on the tables, Fetterman looms over the governor. The larger man is careful not to overshadow the top of the ticket, calling it "the Tom Wolf show." "I have always and will always recognize my role as subordinate," Fetterman said. "I'm here to take a bullet for my running mate and throw myself on any hand grenades." Bustin said voters are looking for "calm, moderate, intelligent voices from either side to try to bring some reason back into politics." Fetterman fits that bill, he said. "I think if the table's set right, Republicans could be attracted to Democratic candidates," he said. Here in Sayre, a borough of 5,500 that shares a border with New York, the annual Democratic dinner at an old train station converted to a busy bar and restaurant is sold out and organizers are talking about how they should have booked a bigger room. Wesley Smith was a committeeman who didn't attend meetings a year ago. Now he's the party chairman, talking about rallying the base, luring independents and getting Republicans to cross over. "I know we're not asleep at the wheel," Smith said. Fetterman mingles and jokes with the crowd before taking the microphone, praising them as "true believers." Trump took 70.5 percent of the vote in Bradford County. "It gets lonely, right?" Fetterman asks. He urges them to seek out Republicans with "buyer's remorse" from 2016. And, as in previous stops, Fetterman warns against the overconfidence that left Hillary Clinton's campaign shocked when she lost Pennsylvania by a .73 percent margin two years ago. "We can't let that happen," he said. "My biggest fear right now, other than Scott Wagner being governor, is the complacency of Democrats thinking we've got this in the bag in 2018. We can't have it." City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart released a report on the city's record high cash balance. It is unclear if Mayor Kenney will put the money in the city's empty rainy day fund. (File photo) Read more Philadelphia finished its most recent fiscal year with $769 million in leftover cash in its general fund, the highest amount in at least a decade, according to a report from the city controller. The surplus in the city's $4.5 billion operating budget is a result of overall economic growth and tax rate increases, the report released Wednesday said. City departments also filed for grant reimbursements from the state and federal governments in a more timely fashion, leading to a balance in the city's grant fund. In total, the city ended its fiscal year with a nearly $1 billion cash balance among all its funds. The Kenney administration said that figure doesn't account for payments it still needs to settle bills for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Officials expect that the general fund balance for 2018 will be $228 million, but the final number should be known by the end of the month, city spokesman Mike Dunn said. While $228 million would be a significant fund balance, it still raises questions about the city's ability to save for a rainy day. Since 2011, thanks to a bill sponsored by then-Councilman Kenney, the city has had a rainy-day fund. But the fund remains empty. Every year the budget is drafted, city officials predict too small of a balance to trigger deposits in it. When the city predicts it will have at least 3 percent of general fund appropriations left over at the end of a fiscal year, it is required by law to put 0.75 percent of fund revenues into the rainy-day account. For fiscal year 2017, the Kenney administration predicted that the fund balance would be $42 million, or 1 percent of expenditures, and therefore not enough to put into the rainy-day fund. That fiscal year ended up with a $189.2 million balance, 4.5 percent of expenditures. That money carried over into next year's budget, because the law requires savings based on projections, not cash on hand. For fiscal year 2018, the administration predicted a $75.5 million balance, which was again too low for a rainy-day fund transfer, but the expectation is it will be at least $228.5 million, or 5.1 percent of expenditures. And for this current fiscal year, the administration predicted a $139.5 million fund balance, 2.9 percent of expenditures, just under the rainy-day threshold. The city's low savings rate has a negative impact on its credit rating, making borrowing more expensive. The fiscal watchdog Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA) has been advocating since 2000 that the city have a rainy-day fund. It is unclear if Kenney will instruct his finance team to use some of the 2018 leftover cash to put money into a rainy -day fund for fiscal year 2020. "Once we close the books on FY18 (by month's end) we will better be able to determine the size of the projected fund balance and, therefore, we'd have a better sense of the likelihood of creating a rainy day," Dunn said in an email. "That conversation that will be part of the budget process for FY20, and we'll discuss it with Council at the appropriate time." City Council approves the annual budget. The problem with Philadelphia's rainy-day fund is the way it was designed to work. In general, funds based on forecasts of surpluses are "unlikely to trigger savings," said Mary Murphy, state and local fiscal health project director for the Pew Charitable Trusts, who has studied government rainy-day funds. Murphy said some governments make deposits to their rainy-day funds based on actual year-end surpluses. Even then, it could be tough to save. "We often advise states to think of other deposit triggers, just because, if you are leaving savings at such a low priority at that point in the budget year, it's challenging to build up a savings account," she said. "How can you look at your actual volatility experience and use those one-time spikes and set either that money or a share of that money aside." Of course, some argue that Philadelphia has many immediate needs that could use any extra cash. Councilman Allan Domb, a fiscal hawk, said that if there is any extra money in the budget, he would like to see it go toward pensions rather than a rainy-day fund. "It doesn't get any more torrential than that," Domb said, referring to the pension fund, which has a $6 billion shortfall in what it owes future retirees. City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart said she made her cash report in the interest of transparency and deferred to the mayor and Council on what to do with the balance. She warned, though, that at some point there will be another recession. "At a time when the economy is strong, it's good to put money aside," she said. Felicia Williams, a technician in radiology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) positions a 2,000-year-old child mummy for a CT, or "cat scan," on Sunday morning. A mummy obtained by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology goes through a CT scan test at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Sunday, October 7, 2018. The mummy is assumed to be a girl that lived around 270-280 CE during the Roman period in Egypt. The scans will be used to create a 3-D model for researchers to further investigate. Read more In the hushed early-morning hours Sunday, a team of anthropologists gingerly lifted a plain white box, roughly three-feet long, and slid it into the back of a staffer's SUV parked in front of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. There was nothing remarkable about the foam-core box. And that's exactly how the museum staff planned it, so as not to catch the attention of thieves. It held a 2,000-year-old treasure: a child mummy that had come to Philadelphia by way of Egypt. "Unfortunately, there's an antiquities market around the world. Things have value," explained James Mathieu, head of collections at Penn Museum on South Street, near 32nd Street. "You just have to be smart about not screaming out to the world, 'Hey, I'm a target.'" About 7:30 a.m., museum curators and anthropologists transported the mummified remains a short distance to a loading dock at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. There, they were met by Sabah Servaes, a pediatric radiologist who agreed to conduct a CT, or cat scan, on the mummy a first in the hospital's 163-year-old history. Penn Museum staff already knew some things about the ancient remains. They believe the remains are of a girl, based on the painted decorations on the plaster mask and linen shroud. She lived about 270 to 280 AD a "newer mummy," given that she was born roughly 1,000 years after King Tut. The style of her shroud indicates she lived in a region of Egypt under Roman control at the time near what is now the city of Luxor. An X-ray, taken about a year ago, revealed "skeletal abnormalities," anthropologist Samantha Cox noted. "She looks like she's the size of a 2-year-old, but her skeletal development, the growth of her teeth and bones, is more like a 5-year-old," Cox said. "Maybe a type of dwarfism." There was so much more to learn, and Cox and her colleagues hoped that a CT scan, which can produce a 3-D image, would help solve the mystery of how she died or whether she suffered from any disease. "It's likely she still has some organs," Cox said. She would soon find out. Ancient Egyptians practiced some form of mummification over a span of 5,000 years. "They believed that the person's life force would return to its own body after they died so they made every effort possible to preserve the body," said Jen Wegner, an Egyptologist and associate curator at the museum. Typically, the internal organs were removed and the body was "dried out" by packing it in salt for about 70 days. Then the body was "anointed with oils" and wrapped in layers of linen, which is painted with designs that protect the dead, said Wegner. At a CHOP loading dock, security guards rolled out a child-sized hospital gurney draped with a blue sheet. Wegner and Mathieu carefully carried the mummy from the back of the car to the gurney. The idea was to use a private elevator to bring the mummy up to the radiology department on the second floor, but they couldn't get it to work. The group maneuvered to a different back entrance. "She's been waiting almost 2,000 years so I guess she can wait a little longer," joked Yael Eytan, the museum's director of marketing and communications. "Is she cursed?" Wegner laughed, eyeing the box. "She's too little to be cursed," Cox said. Once upstairs in radiology, museum staff opened the box, removing bubble wrap and paper tissue to reveal the tiny mummy with an ornate mask and linen painted with images of Anubis, a funerary god in the form of a jackal, and Sokar, a god shaped like a falcon, along with lotus flowers, a symbol of birth and regeneration. The whole scene felt surreal to CHOP security guard Rachel Wherry, who volunteered to stand sentry over the mummy. "This is history right here," she said. CHOP radiologic technologist Felicia Williams, wearing purple rubber gloves, positioned the mummy and then went into an adjoining control room to run the CT machine, the outside of which was painted with colorful zoo animals. "We ready to rock-and-roll?" Williams asked radiologists. Unlike with a pediatric patient, doctors didn't have to worry about using the highest dose of radiation to produce the best details. Williams took 5,202 images in horizontal and vertical slices, which are then layered together to form a 3-D reconstruction. Within minutes, the team of radiologists and anthropologists huddled around computers said they could see that some of her organs were still there. Her ribs and teeth are mostly intact, but the girl's skull had collapsed into pieces. Cox said she is pretty sure the damage to the skull occurred long after death. "Basically, the way bone fractures once someone has been dead for a while is different than the way it fractures when people are alive," Cox said. "You can see the fracture patterns, and it doesn't hold its shape and it breaks a little more like glass does, so at a lot of right angles that are very sharp. When you are alive, it breaks more like a windshield on a car, like kind of rounded spider cracks, which we don't really see here." In fact, many parts of the skeleton appear to have been damaged post-mummification. (Archaeologists excavated her sometime in the late 19th century.) "You can see the knees don't quite line up the way they should and the feet are gone. They've actually been placed on top of the shin bones," Cox said, "and that whole disturbance is probably from even after she was mummified. It might be from when they excavated her and they kind of knocked things around." Cox and CHOP radiologist Seth Vatsky noted a curve in the girl's spine, an indication that perhaps the girl had suffered from scoliosis. Servaes, the other radiologist, pointed out what she calls "growth recovery lines," or dense lines in the bones that could mean the girl's growth development bounced back after an illness or injury. "It's a positive term," Servaes said. "In the living, we really like that." "Oh, I see. I'm not used to working with living people," Cox said, laughing slightly. They're called "Harris lines," or growth arrest lines, in archaeology. "It's basically if you had an episode where you aren't growing properly, maybe because you don't have proper nutrition or because you've been very, very sick, but something where your body has got to put all that energy into more surviving, than growing, but then recovers from it," Cox said, adding that it's hard to know whether the condition led to her death. Cox said they will continue to study the CT images closely in coming weeks to see what other mysteries or answers the mummy may yield. The public will have a chance to see the mummy when it goes on display at Penn Museum in February. Wedding party members on average spent $1,430 last year to be a part of a close friend or family member's wedding, according to wedding planning site The Knot. Read more Courtney Duffy made national news over the summer when she begged JetBlue to help her cancel a cross-country flight to be in a friend's wedding, telling the world the bride had asked her to "relinquish" her bridesmaid duties. A screenshot of the bride's passive-aggressive email, in which she indicated "the whirlwind nature of what your travel has become just won't work with the duties as a party member," went viral and sparked a conversation: In this day and age, what are those duties? Wedding planners and those who have studied the wedding industrial complex say the duties and expectations have reached epic proportions. Gone are the days when a night out on the town was sufficient for a bachelorette party instead, brides want four-day trips to Nashville, and some grooms think hiking in Colombia is a good way to celebrate their impending nuptials. There are more events leading up to the Big Day, like elaborate proposals, engagement parties, multiple bridal showers, destination bachelorette parties, and dress-shopping outings, and they're often longer than they used to be. Businesses are capitalizing on the changes, too, meaning there's more to pay for, from custom bridal shower Snapchat filters to matching bachelorette weekend T-shirts with phrases like "Wife of the Party" and "On Cloud Wine" in sparkly script. "The pre-wedding stuff has just gotten so spectacular and so expensive," said Laurie Essig, a professor of gender, sexuality, and feminist studies at Middlebury College. "It's so brilliant, because it's just more and more stuff to sell, and more and more stuff to buy. That's the marriage of capitalism and romance." There were always costs associated with being a part of a family member's or close friend's wedding, but those obligations have only increased, particularly as Americans are waiting longer to get married. The median age of a first marriage for women is 27 and for men, 29, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 1960, it was 20 for women and 22 for men. That means the betrothed and the attendants have more money and higher expectations. Alyssa Longobucco, an editor at wedding planning website the Knot, said that according to a survey the site conducted in the last year, the typical member of a wedding party spent $1,430 on the entire experience, a figure that includes travel and accommodations for each event, gifts, attire, and accessories. When you have three close friends getting married in the same year, you're well on your way to spending the equivalent of a down payment on a car. "It's a pretty steep number, and it is a little jarring," she said, "[but] the whole millennial outlook is paying for experiences, and we're finding a lot of people don't mind. The thought process is: She will do it for me." Or maybe they do mind. More than a dozen people who were recently in extravagant weddings declined to be interviewed for this article they didn't want to publicly shame their close friends. Plenty of people, though, are willing to call them out on Facebook in what have been dubbed "wedding shaming groups." The pages gained mainstream traction in August after a story from one of the groups about a bride who canceled her wedding after her guests refused to fund it went viral. Members of wedding parties frequently use the groups to post about their unnamed friends' expectations. "Is it me, am I showing my age, or are bridesmaids being expected to pay way too much?" one woman posted recently in a private group. "A coworker, who I know makes way less than I do, had to pay a total of $1,200 as a member of a wedding party In addition to paying for the dress, required tanning sessions, nails, makeup, the bridal party was told they had to pay for a wine tasting 'bridal shower,' which cost $600 per bridesmaid for wines selected by the mother of the bride." The post drew hundreds of comments, including: "I spent $5,000 to be in my best friend's wedding Custom made gowns from India, three nights at a five star luxury hotel, bachelorette week in Vegas Just the beginning." Christiane Lehman, owner of Truly You Events in Philadelphia, blamed bachelor and bachelorette parties for driving up costs for wedding party members, saying, "Everybody wants that cool picture, hashtag from their bachelorette parties." (There are even online bachelorette party hashtag generators.) Kelly Gallagher, a Philadelphia event planner, put it more bluntly. "More and more, what we're seeing is there's a lot of demand to do different stuff so that, I hate to say it," she said, "but so that their Instagram makes people jealous." "Different" means personalized, and going beyond visiting a strip club in Atlantic City. For the masses, it's a three- or four-day trip to popular hot spots like New Orleans, Vegas, Miami, Austin, or Nashville, said Gallagher, director of marketing for Bach Party Travel, a new group focused specifically on planning bachelor and bachelorette parties. But for those with the money to spend, the experiences are getting bigger and bigger, and Gallagher said it's the little details (that add up in price) like personalized bathing suits and raunchy T-shirts that mean a party is on a "distinct different level." It's the men who are routinely spending more, shelling out to party in Ibiza, drink at Oktoberfest in Munich, or go whitewater rafting in Central America, Gallagher said. The latest destination hot spot for the guys is Colombia. "You always hear about millennials wanting experiences over things," she said, "so this is a huge market, not just for millennials, but people getting married that are older that want to travel and almost use this as an excuse to travel with their friends." Longubucco said expectations vary, but generally, wedding party members should expect to attend a shower event, the bachelor or bachelorette party, the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding. She recommends brides and grooms have a frank discussion with their close family and friends about being in the wedding party before people accept. Outline hopes and expectations, and ensure friends feel comfortable disclosing financial constraints. And, she said, if a person can't afford it, involve him or her in the Big Day another way, perhaps by being an usher or a reader at the ceremony. Longobucco said that although she sees "a Reddit story about a demanding Bridezilla" every week, this isn't the norm. As some engaged millennials shell out thousands to be part of the umpteen celebrations, there's been a sense among others that simplification is the way to go. They respond to the razzle-dazzle by doing the opposite: being uber-conscious of managing their expectations so as not to drain their friends' bank accounts, or even eliminating bridal parties altogether. Essig, whose book Love, Inc.: Dating Apps, the Big White Wedding, and Chasing the Happily Neverafter drops in February, said fewer people are getting married in general, many of them resisting "the capitalist pull" of the wedding industry or unable to afford it. She guesses such resistance will only increase. But for some, "that's its own form of competition," Essig said. "Because they're like: 'Our love is so perfect, we don't need all this.' " Kate Hanssen, standing, works with students on a lesson about the diversity of Native American groups sixth-grade history class at Germantown Friends School. Around Columbus Day, students learn about "Indigenous People's Day" and examine the complicated legacy of Columbus. Read more If Philly feels a bit subdued this morning, it's probably due to the lingering disappointment (and maybe embarrassment?) over yesterday's Eagles loss. Or it could be that it's Columbus Day and some schools and businesses are keeping their doors closed. In schools that are open, some teachers will be struggling with how to teach the legacy of Christopher Columbus. My colleague Kristen Graham talked with local educators to find out how they're preparing to teach students about the controversial figure today. Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning. Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com) READ MORE: Is Christopher Columbus a hero? It's no longer a holiday for the Philadelphia School District, but many students in the region have off today for Columbus Day. For some, the day is an occasion to commemorate Italian-American heritage and the 15th-century navigator who happened upon the Americas. But for many teachers, a day named for a polarizing figure who brutally treated native people and spread colonialism means grappling with how to teach a complicated legacy. READ MORE: In Pennsylvanias Republican counties, John Fetterman is stirring Democratic interest Just this weekend, the candidates for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Jeff Bartos faced off in a cordial but lively debate. But it's Fetterman, the tattooed mayor of Braddock, who has been wooing the state's Republican counties of late. The unconventional candidate has become a bit of a left-wing icon in the last few years. Now, the enthusiasm is showing in the form of crowded events as he tours the state. READ MORE: As Bucks County fights homelessness, some entrenched camps hide in plain sight They're not easy to see, but they're there. Clandestine homeless camps are spread throughout lower Bucks County. The county's most vulnerable have been pushed deeper into the woods as more visible enclaves are broken up. The county has only one emergency shelter with just 82 beds and it routinely operates at or beyond capacity. Officially, street-level homelessness is down, but shelter workers say the problem isn't getting any better. What you need to know today Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly What a moody color palette, @ronkoch2. That millennial pink is very 2018. Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we'll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out! Thats Interesting Opinions "The worst potential consequence is the normalization of serious drug use in the name of harm reduction. Safe injection sites are essentially state-sponsored shooting-up galleries." Despite the controversy, Democrats may find a silver lining to Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation in conservative Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., write professors Lawrence Baum and Neal Devins. Kavanaugh's confirmation shows American democracy is broken, writes columnist Will Bunch. The way to fix it, he writes, includes abolishing the electoral college and banning gerrymandering. What were reading Your Daily Dose of | Mystery Anthropologists at the Penn Museum are currently investigating a 2,000-year-old child mummy from Egypt. It's probably not cursed. Probably. Sgt. Thomas Snowden (left) with Joseph H. Geeter III, National Public Relations and Legislative Officer for the Montford Park Marine Association Read more Sgt. Thomas W. Snowden, 95, of Philadelphia, among the nation's first black Marines, died Friday at the Chestnut Hill nursing home where he has lived for about five years. Mr. Snowden was among about 400 members of the Montford Point Marines who received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2012 for their service during World War II. The group trained at Montford Point, a segregated and substandard boot camp about five miles from all-white Camp Lejeune, N.C., from 1942 to 1949. "We lost another hero in Original Montford Point Marine Sgt. Thomas Snowden," said Joseph H. Geeter III, national public relations and legislative officer for the Montford Point Marine Association. "All of the Montford Pointers are heroes because of what they went through to just serve our country in time of war. I'm so glad that Sergeant Thomas lived long enough to receive his, and the Montford Pointers', long overdue recognition with the Congressional Gold Medal." Proud of his military service, Mr. Snowden wore his Montford Point hat daily at the nursing home and had his room filled with Montford Point pictures and posters, said his wife of more than 70 years, Louise Snowden. "He was proud of that," she said. "He loved the marines." Born and raised in Philadelphia, Snowden graduated from Overbrook High School and got a degree in architecture from Temple University, his wife said. He was a professional carpenter and did all the work in the couple's home. "If it was to be fixed, he could fix it," she said. He also spent 32 years working in sales for Bailey Banks & Biddle fine jewelers, she said. He was in the ammunition unit of the Montford Point Marines and served eight years, including a year in the reserves for the Korean War, according to an article in the Philadelphia Sunday Sun newspaper. "Sgt. Snowden served a lot of time in the Pacific during WWII and was an Iwo Jima survivor and went on patrols with legendary Montford Point Marine Sgt Major Gilbert 'Hashmark' Johnson in Guam after the main battle to ensure the remaining Japanese, who never fully surrendered the Island, didn't sabotage the newly established bases there," Geeter said. The Montford Point Marine Association, a nonprofit group, was founded in Philadelphia in 1965 after a group of Montford Point Marines, including the lawyer and civil rights activist Cecil B. Moore, a former drill instructor at Montford Point, held a meeting in a hotel in Center City. Chapters were later opened across the country. A viewing for Mr. Snowden will be held Tuesday, Oct. 16 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and services will follow at St. Paul's Baptist Church, 1000 Wallace St., Philadelphia. Gov. Tom Wolf speaks at a campaign rally for Pennsylvania candidates in Philadelphia, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. Read more In recent weeks, Gov. Tom Wolf has run a campaign ad stating that he is a small-business governor. As the legislative director of a professional association that represents nearly 14,000 small businesses across Pennsylvania, I know nothing could be further from the truth. Since taking office, Wolf has pushed income and sales tax increases, hikes in gross receipts taxes, and costly labor mandates that negatively impact small businesses in the state. His latest regulatory proposal to more than double the salary threshold for workers eligible for overtime in Pennsylvania would be unaffordable for many small businesses and nonprofits and have harmful consequences for many employees. It may sound good for workers, but Wolf's overtime proposal is not likely to result in increased pay for employees of many small businesses. Instead, companies that cannot afford the significant cost increase will be forced to reduce worker hours and limit opportunities for employees to rise to higher management, administrative, and professional positions. >> READ MORE: Tom Wolf says he's the 'small business governor.' Pa. business groups aren't so sure. The proposal will also be a killer for nonprofits and charities. The problems go beyond higher labor costs. This ill-advised proposal reduces flexibility for the employer and employee. Small businesses are leaders in offering flexible working arrangements, an advantage they use to attract and retain talented employees. Currently, salaried employees can often come in late or take time off, work from home, or stay home with a sick child to make up for busy times. They frequently get free training, paid meals, and travel expenses. These benefits will disappear when small businesses, operating on limited profits, are forced to reclassify these employees as hourly workers. Their time on the job will have to be limited and monitored. Employees who have worked hard to move up to managerial status, bigger responsibilities, and new experiences will likely feel frustrated to return to punching a time clock. Wolf's overtime proposal is also a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn't consider that new-manager salaries in cities are much higher than those offered by small employers in rural areas of the state. Plus, the initial increase in the salary threshold for overtime is extreme, and it increases automatically in the future even if we are experiencing an economic downturn. Former President Barack Obama proposed a similar overtime expansion in 2016. Small business and other groups argued the financial impact was devastating, and a federal judge in Texas issued an injunction. Now, the Trump administration is holding meetings around the country to get input from stakeholders. Why our governor wants to act on overtime thresholds now, before the federal government issues a national rule, is curious. In Pennsylvania, the concerns of many small businesses and nonprofits came flowing in during a recent comment period. After review, the state's Independent Regulatory Review Commission said much more must be done by the state to determine the proposal's fiscal impact and weigh the consequences. It seems the perfect opportunity for Wolf to pull this proposal off the table and finally act like a small-business governor. Rebecca Oyler is the legislative director for the Pennsylvania office of the National Federation of Independent Businesses. This piece originally appeared on PennLive.com. Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk is expected to miss five to six weeks due to a knee injury. Read more The early part of the Flyers' season just got a lot more challenging. James van Riemsdyk, the biggest free-agent signing of general manager's Ron Hextall's tenure, will miss five to six weeks with an injury suffered Saturday in Colorado, the club announced Monday. The 29-year-old left winger, playing in his second game in his second stint with the Flyers, blocked a first-period clearing attempt by the Avalanche's Mark Barberio and hobbled off the ice. He appeared to get hit on the inside of his right knee. "It's a big loss, but it's going to be other guys who are going to step up and fill some roles," center Sean Couturier said after Monday's practice in Voorhees. "It's just an opportunity for someone else." When the Flyers (1-1) play their home opener Tuesday against San Jose, Jordan Weal, who didn't play in the first two games, will take van Riemsdyk's spot on a third line that includes rookie Mikhail "Misha" Vorobyev and Wayne Simmonds. Oskar Lindblom will replace van Riemsdyk on the second power-play unit. Last season, Weal was a disappointment as he managed just eight goals. Van Riemsdyk scored a career-high 36 with Toronto. Weal, 26, has played on Simmonds' line in the past, but he will be with Vorobyev for the first time. "He seems like he's always in the right spot and making good plays," Weal said of Vorobyev. " It'll be good to work with those two." Weal said he had to "do what I do best that's creating plays, creating offense, and being strong all over the ice defensively. [If I] go out and do that, the team will have success and I'll have success." Van Riemsdyk, who signed a five-year, $35 million deal in the offseason, helped give the Flyers three dynamic lines and also balanced the power play. Now they will be without him until around Nov. 13, which means he would miss 15 games. The Flyers are 28-16-6 in home openers, including last year's 8-2 romp past Washington, the eventual Stanley Cup champion. "It'll be fun. Last year, we played really well there," said Weal, whose team had a 22-13-6 record at the Wells Fargo Center last season. "It's always fun to get the Flyers fans back behind you and get the crowd going." >> SEASON PREVIEW: What you need to know about this year's Flyers Breakaways Coach Dave Hakstol is flip-flopping Travis Konecny and Jake Voracek in the lineup. "We want a little more out of both of those units," Hakstol said. Voracek will move to the top line and be reunited with former linemates Claude Giroux and Couturier, while Konecny, 21, will drop to the young second unit with Nolan Patrick, 20, and Lindblom, 22. At practice, defenseman Radko Gudas was back with Travis Sanheim, so Christian Folin figures to be a healthy scratch Tuesday. Goalie Cal Pickard had his first full practice with the Flyers. He is expected to make his Flyers debut Wednesday in Ottawa. Flyers color commentator Steve Coates will be inducted into Michigan Tech's Sports Hall of Fame on Friday. He starred with the Huskies before playing pro hockey from 1973-80, including five games with the Detroit Red Wings in 1976-77. 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... ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will launch the 'Clean and Green Pakistan' campaign on Monday after the four provinces and the Centre agreed to undertake the new cleanliness initiative. A decision to this effect was taken during a recent meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), chaired by the Prime Minister after the four provinces and the Centre agreed to undertake the new cleanliness initiative The Prime Minister has earlier announced adopting austerity measures and launched a plantation drive. ''The cleanliness movement, which has been named as Clean and Green Pakistan, will be formally launched on October 8 by PM Imran Khan,'' Malik Amin Aslam Khan, the advisor to Pakistan PM on climate change, had told reporters. Aslam Khan said that the government will launch an aggressive campaign on all forms of media for educating people and motivating them for participation in the upcoming Clean and Green Pakistan campaign. We will appoint at least six national cleanliness ambassadors, one from each province, Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and will try to engage religious leaders, celebrities from sports, arts and any other fields to give impetus to Clean for Pakistan movement, after launch by PM Imran Khan, the PMs adviser said. We will request all Pakistanis, private sector, NGOs, religious seminaries, trade associations, workers associations and people from all walks of life to contribute by participating in this noble cause to ensure personal hygiene and to develop a better image as a healthy nation, the PMs adviser asked all the countrymen. In its first 100 days of governance, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government took another step for the well-being of its people as Prime Minister Imran Khan accorded an approval to a 5-year plan of eliminating polio from Pakistan. On Sunday, Premier Khan, while approving the 5-year plan, directed concerned authorities to implement all measure to battle the menace of polio virus. The restrictions imposed on Pakistan, due to polio, are distressing. I want to see a polio free Pakistan soon, PM Imran stated. On 2nd October 2014, PM Narendra Modi had launched a Swachh Bharat Mission across the length and breadth of the country as a national movement. The campaign aims to achieve the vision of a Clean India by 2nd October 2019. A clean India would be the best tribute India could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150 birth anniversary in 2019, PM Modi said as he launched the Swachh Bharat Mission at Rajpath in New Delhi. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is one of the most significant cleanliness campaigns launched by the Government of India so far. PM Modi led a cleanliness pledge at India Gate, which about thirty lakh government employees across the country joined. He also flagged off a walkathon at Rajpath and surprised people by joining in not just for a token few steps, but marching with the participants for a long way. PATNA: Nine persons, including a minor, have been arrested by police in connection with the horrific Supaul incident where more than 30 minor schoolgirls were brutally thrashed for resisting sexual advances of a group of men. Nine people arrested so far, one of them a minor, asked for matric certificates from others. Want to identify the rest, don't want any innocent to get caught, said Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) ASP Triveniganj. Girl students of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Supaul district's Darpakha village had reportedly protested against lewd comments written on a wall by boys. Following this the boys all minors from Middle School allegedly accompanied by their mothers and village members, barged into the school premises and assualted the girls. The incident happened on Saturday evening when the girl students of the residential school were playing within the campus, said police. "Both the schools are in the same campus with separate buildings and a common playground. The boys allegedly wrote some lewd comments on the wall of the girls school, which the minor girls resisted and beat up the boys before chasing them away," Supaul District Magistrate Baidyanath Yadav told PTI. He said 74 girl students were at the playground at the time of the incident and 30 of them received injuries. All the injured students were admitted to Triveniganj referral hospital, the DM said, adding, 20 girls were released after they were administered first-aid. The remaining 10 are still undergoing treatment and would be released in a day or two, Yadav said. PATNA: A teenager, who is one of those accused of thrashing over thirty minor girls of a school in Bihar's Supaul district for resisting their sexual advances, has denied any wrongdoing on his part. Talking to ANI, Mohan, who is one of the those accused in the case, said, ''Girls might be taking my name but I didn't do anything. They asked me if I did anything but I denied, hearing that they beat me up.'' Several people were detained after more than thirty minor girl students in Bihar's Supaul district were allegedly beaten up by a mob after they protested against lewd comments on a wall allegedly written by boys of a neighbouring school. Several minor girls were injured in the incident and were rushed to the hospital for medical aid. Three persons, including a woman, were later arrested in this connection. An FIR was also registered against nine persons naming them as accused, Superintendent of Police Mrityunjay Kumar Choudhary said. All the injured girls are students of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Darpakha village in Supaul under Triveniganj police station of the district. The incident happened on Saturday evening when the girl students of the residential school were playing within the campus. "Both the schools are in the same campus with separate buildings and a common playground. The boys allegedly wrote some lewd comments on the wall of the girls school, which the minor girls resisted and beat up the boys before chasing them away," Supaul District Magistrate Baidyanath Yadav said.. The Middle School boys, all minors, narrated the incident to their parents, following which their mothers teamed up with other villagers and entered the school premises and attacked the girls, Yadav said. He said 74 girl students were at the playground at the time of the incident and 30 of them received injuries. All the injured students were admitted to Triveniganj referral hospital, the DM said, adding, 20 girls were released after they were administered first-aid. The remaining 10 are still undergoing treatment and would be released in a day or two, Yadav said. (With Agency Inputs) PATNA: A day after the horrific Supaul incident where at least 30 minor school girls were assaulted by a mob including villagers for resisting sexual harrasment, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav questioned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's silence. 70 girls of Kasturba Gandhi Girls School in #Supaul get brutally assaulted by 150 hoodlums in their hostel rooms! 36 get hospitalized! CM Kursi Kumar maintains cunning silence over the matter as he did on the repeated rapes of over 40 helpless inmates of Muzaffarpur BalikaGrih! tweeted Yadav. 70 girls of Kasturba Gandhi Girls School in #Supaul get brutally assaulted by 150 hoodlums in their hostel rooms! 36 get hospitalized! CM Kursi Kumar maintains cunning silence over the matter as he did on the repeated rapes of over 40 helpless inmates of Muzaffarpur BalikaGrih! Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) October 8, 2018 The Supreme Court also expressed concern over the increasing reports of assaults against sexual assault in the Supaul and Muzaffarnagar shelter home case. All these newspaper reports are not good. Skeleton of girls found. 34 girls beaten up because they wanted to protect themselves from molestation. How could you treat children like this? These kinds of problems are arising day in and day out, said the Supreme Court. At least 30 minor girls Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Darpakha village in Supaul under Triveniganj police station of the district were assaulted by a mob after they protested against lewd comments on a wall allegedly written by boys of a neighbouring school. Nine persons, including a minor and a woman, have now been arrested in connection with this. In the Muzaffarnagar shelter home case, over 40 minor girls were allegedly raped and sexually abused over a period of time. One was allegedly killed and later buried to hush up the murder. The incident came to light after a report from Tata Institute of Social Sciences alleged sexual abuse of about 34 girls at the shelter home following which an FIR was subsequently registered by the Bihar social welfare department and 10 people, including Thakur, were arrested. Following a huge outcry, the Nitish Kumar government handed over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Last week, the CBI found human a skeleton at a cremation ground in district`s Sikandarpur area. New Delhi: Actress Priyanka Chopra, who has been shooting for Shonali Bose's 'The Sky Is Pink' has reportedly left for London to kick off the next schedule of the film. The actress was on Sunday clicked by the shutterbugs at the Mumbai airport. Take a look at her photos: (Photo courtesy: Yogen Shah) Firstpost quoted a source, close to the development, saying that after completing the first schedule in August in Mumbai, the crew will begin shooting major portions of the film in UK between 10 to 21 October, which is where Aisha has grown up. The director has apparently done the recce of the location and is currently preparing for the extensive shooting schedule. Last month, Priyanka shared a picture from the sets of the film in which she is seen in a Bengali bride avatar and a spot boy is styling her hair with a cloth iron. 'The Sky Is Pink' revolves around Aisha Chaudhary, to be essayed by Zaira Wasim, who was born with an immune deficiency disorder and was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis at age 13. As per reports, Priyanka will be joined in by Farhan and Zaira in London, who plays her husband and daughter respectively in the film. NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a closure report in the case of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed who has been missing since 2016. The court said that if Najeeb's mother Fatima Nafees wants, she can move trial court to get a status report in the case. The court added that she can raise her grievances before the trial court where the report is filed. Ahmed had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some other students, allegedly affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the previous night. The CBI had earlier told the court that after probing the case, it has decided to file a closure report. The central agency claimed that after examining the case from all angles, it does not think that any offence was committed against the missing person. The CBI had on September 4 told the court that it had not filed the closure report yet before the trial court concerned as it wanted to first bring it to the knowledge of the high court. However, objecting to the CBI report, Najeeb's mother had told the court that it was a "political case" and that the "CBI has succumbed to the pressure of its masters". Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Ahmed's mother, had said that neither the CBI has done its best in the case nor has it probed the matter in a fair manner. The petitioner had also sought setting up of an SIT comprising independent experts to enquire into the matter. Ahmed's mother had moved the high court on November 25, 2016, seeking directions to the police to trace her son. However, as the Delhi Police remained clueless about his whereabouts even seven months after he went missing, the probe was handed over to the CBI on May 16 last year. The Delhi Police had not opposed the handing over of the investigation in the case, saying that it has done its bit in the matter. New Delhi: The Delhi Minorities Commission has issued a notice to the North civic body over a circular issued by it for recital of 'Gayatri Mantra' in schools run by its education department. Chairman of Delhi Minorities Commission(DMC) Zafarul Islam Khan said the notice was recently issued to the education department of North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). The education department of NDMC has been asked to explain "why a circular has been issued to its schools to make students recite Gayatri Mantra in morning assemblies. "Is this not against our secular polity and will this not cause division in the ranks of students and teachers as many belong to minority communities who may not like to recite mantras of religious nature," the notice asks. NDMC authorities have defended the move, saying recital of 'Gayatri Mantra' at schools run by the civic body was not mandatory. The civic body runs 765 primary schools where around 2.2 lakh students are enrolled. Chairman of Education committee of the BJP-ruled municipal corporation, Ritu Goel said she had no information about the notice issued by the minorities panel on 'Gayatri Mantra' but added its recital was not mandatory. "We have already clarified its not mandatory in our schools," she said. Goel said the circular issued by the education department was not a stand-alone direction for the recital of 'Gayatri Mantra' and contained general directions to ensure personal hygiene and well-being of students. The circular issued on September 6 by education department provided for the recital of the national anthem, prayer, Gayatri Mantra besides patriotic slogans in morning assemblies in schools. It also had directions on personal hygiene, moral education, general awareness and physical exercise to be conducted in morning assemblies of schools. 'Gayatri Mantra' is a Rigveda hymn dedicated to Sun deity 'Savitr'. AHMEDABAD: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that he held talks with his Gujarat counter Vijay Rupani over alleged attacks on migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the southern state in the aftermath of a rape in the Sabarkantha district. Talking to ANI, Nitish said, ''I spoke to Gujarat CM yesterday. We're in touch with them. They're monitoring the situation. Those who've committed a crime should be punished but there should be no bias for others.'' I spoke to Gujarat CM y'day. We're in touch with them.They're monitoring situation.Those who've committed a crime should be punished but no bias should be harboured for others: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on violence against UP/Bihar migrants in Gujarat after a rape case in Sabarkantha pic.twitter.com/vrdnddlGW1 ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2018 It may be recalled that reports of attacks on migrant workers from UP and Bihar were reported following the arrest of a man from Bihar for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district last week. Meanwhile, the Gujarat government on Monday said that appropriate action was being taken against those suspected to be involved in the attack on migrants workers from UP and Bihar residing in the state. ''In the last 4-5 days, there have been attacks on people from UP and Bihar in Gujarat. We have taken action against people involved in these attacks,'' Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said. ''Police are interrogating the people who have been arrested for these attacks. Police are taking action wherever needed. We have registered three cases under the IT Act for spreading hatred on social media,'' the Gujarat Home Minister said. ''It is our responsibility to provide security to those who come to Gujarat for employment from other states. We are in touch with the Central government. We have submitted a report to the central govt regarding every incident,'' Jadeja added. It is our responsibility to provide security to those who come to Gujarat for employment from other states . We are in touch with the Central govt. We have submitted a report to the central govt regarding every incident: Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja pic.twitter.com/LLM7QvguYA ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2018 ''We have lodged 35 FIRs. In the last 24 hours, the number of attacks has decreased. We appeal to people to not be frightened as we are taking appropriate actions,'' Jadeja said. At least 342 people have been arrested across the state in lieu of the attacks on non-Gujarati people, Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) Shivanand Jha had said on Sunday. 17 companies and one platoon of SPRF have been deployed in most sensitive areas of Gujarat, he said. Places, where non-Gujaratis are residing and working are being given security," Jha said. According to reports, many workers belonging to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and other states were also forced to board home-bound trains. Elaborating about the total arrests and police complaints, the DGP said, "In total, six districts have been affected in this violence. Mehsana and Sabarkantha districts have been affected the most. In Mehsana, 15 cases have been registered in which 89 people have been arrested. Similarly, in Sabarkantha, 11 cases were lodged and 95 people were arrested." "Besides Mehsana and Sabarkantha, seven cases have been registered and 73 arrests have been made in Ahmedabad, three cases and 27 arrests in Gandhinagar, three cases and 36 cases in Ahmedabad rural, two cases and 20 arrests in Aravali and a case and two arrests in Surendranagar have been done," Jha added. He further said that six people have been arrested by the cyber cell for spreading hate speech on social media. "Spreading rumours is also a crime. Gujarat is a peace-loving state. It has the respect of its own. So, we will not let anyone play with the respect of Gujarat," Jha further said. New Delhi: Tejashwi Yadav on Monday pulled out a double-edged political sword with which he attacked BJP and the Nitish Kumar government on the issue of attacks on Bihari migrants in Gujarat. Thousands of workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have allegedly been threatened to leave Gujarat after a migrant was accused of raping a 14-month-old. While Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani appealed people to maintain calm, RJD leader Tejashwi trained his guns on the BJP leadership. "It is a big conspiracy being plotted by BJP to keep people from Bihar unemployed. A few days back, Gujarat CM gave a statement that 80% of jobs in factories will be reserved for people of Gujarat," he told news agency ANI. He further questioned the measures being put into place to ensure the safety and security of Bihari migrants in BJP-ruled Gujarat. A part of the ire, however, was also reserved by Tejaswhi for the Bihar CM - his staunch political foe. "People from Bihar who are living in different states across the country are being attacked. What has Bihar CM done to stop it?" he asked. "Whether its Gujarat or Bihar, we as Indians can go anywhere in country to earn livelihood." Even as Tejashwi questions what is being done to ensure safety of fellow Biharis, the Gujarat government has said that strict action is being taken against miscreants issuing threats. "In the last 4-5 days, there have been attacks on people from UP and Bihar in Gujarat. We have taken action against people involved in these attacks,'' Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said. ''Police are interrogating the people who have been arrested for these attacks. Police are taking action wherever needed. We have registered three cases under the IT Act for spreading hatred on social media." An employee of the Defence Research and Development Organisation was on Monday arrested for spying and passing the details of the BrahMos missile to Pakistan and United States of America. The employee has been identified as Nishant Agarwal. He was nabbed by Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror squad in a joint operation with the military intelligence unit. He was working in Brahmos unit in Nagpur. Nishant is currently under investigation. The agencies are also trying to ascertain the details that he might have shared with Pakistan. Brahmos Missile is a supersonic cruise missile and can be used against ship and land targets. It has a range of up to 300 kms. It is uniquely configured for installing in ships, submarines and aircraft and on ground vehicles. It has been flight tested twice during June 2001 and April 2002 meeting all mission objectives. Brahmos is a joint venture between DRDO and the NPOM of Russia. The highly versatile precision strike weapon has been operationalised in the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. It has established itself as a major "force multiplier" in modern-day complex battlefields with its impeccable land-attack and anti-ship capabilities along with multi-role and multi-platform abilities. MUMBAI: A day after reports of migrant workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh fleeing Gujarat emerged, Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam publicly addressed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reminding that he too will be back in UP someday. PM ke grih rajya (Gujarat) mein agar UP, Bihar aur MP ke logon ko maar-maar ke bhagaya jaayega toh ek din PM ko bhi Varanasi jana hai, yeh yaad rakhna (If people from the states of Up, Bihar and MP are ousted from PM's home state with attacks, remember, one day the PM too will have to go to Varanasi), said the former lawmaker. Varanasi ke logon ne unhe gale lagaya aur PM banaya tha (People of Varanasi had hugged him and made him the PM, said the senior Congress leader on Sunday. Later, he took to Twitter, saying, "DGP Gujrat saying that North Indians are going for festivals to their home town and not being forced to leave.Its big lie.Diwali & Chhath holidays will start after one month.Not now.#BJP is forcing them to flee and defaming Congress MLA. Modiji, stop this parochial politics" DGP Gujrat saying that North Indians are going for festivals to their home town and not being forced to leave.Its big lie.Diwali & Chhath holidays will start after one month.Not now.#BJP is forcing them to flee and defaming Congress MLA. Modiji,stop this parochial politics. Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) October 8, 2018 On September 28, a 14-month-old toddler, belonging from the Thakor community, was allegedly raped in a village near Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district. Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, was later arrested for the rape by police. Following the arrest, massive protests led by Kshatriya Thakor Sena broke out in parts of Gujarat. The protestors demanded that no migrant workers from other states should not be given jobs in Gujarat. Protestors also attacked migrant workers in Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha, Patan and Ahmedabad districts over the last one week. At least 170 persons have been arrested so far in connection to the attacks so far, said the police. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel Saturday said that he has written to Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy of the Gujarat High Court seeking speedy trial in the rape case of a 14-month old girl. Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor Sunday, who also heads the Kshatriya Thakor Sena which is behind the alleged mob attacks, took to reassure people following reports of workers leaving Gujarat. This is unfortunate, we have never advocated violence and only talked peace. All Indians are safe in Gujarat, he said. With agency inputs NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is celebrating its 86th anniversary on Monday. To mark the occasion, the IAF has organised a grand parade-cum-Investiture Ceremony at Ghaziabad's Hindon Air Force Station. Indian Air Force @IAF_MCC celebrates its 86th Anniversary today. To mark the occasion, a grand Parade cum Investiture Ceremony to be held at Air Force Station Hindan, Ghaziabad.#AFDay2018 pic.twitter.com/0ZiRy295hn All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) October 7, 2018 According to ANI, the 86th IAF anniversary celebrations have begun. Indian Air Force Day celebrations underway at Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad pic.twitter.com/eQnMgcOrca ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 8, 2018 Here's is how you can watch the IAF grand parade and investiture ceremony live. Praising the contribution of the IAF in defending the country, President Ram Nath Kovind said, ''On Air Force Day, we proudly honour our air warriors, veterans, and families of the Indian Air Force. They safeguard our skies with courage and commitment. The resilience, tenacity and zeal of our valiant air warriors is a source of pride for every Indian.'' On Air Force Day, we proudly honour our air warriors, veterans, and families of the Indian Air Force. They safeguard our skies with courage and commitment. The resilience, tenacity and zeal of our valiant air warriors is a source of pride for every Indian #PresidentKovind President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) October 8, 2018 Congress president Rahul Gandhi also saluted the Indian Air Force on its 86th anniversary celebrations. ''I salute the brave men and women of the Indian Airforce. Their valour and commitment is an inspiration for all Indians. Jai Hind,'' Rahul tweeted. On #AirForceDay I salute the brave men and women of the Indian Airforce. Their valour and commitment is an inspiration for all Indians. Jai Hind. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 8, 2018 Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, Chief of the Air Staff, is present apart from various other dignitaries and veterans. The parade began with the Air Warrior Drill Team showcasing their weapon handling skills. The IAF team then carried out diverse manoeuvers with their rifles. Following this, there will be a scintillating air show by various aircraft. The flypast would include the vintage aircraft, modern transport aircraft and frontline fighter aircraft. The air show began at 8 am with flag bearing skydivers of the famous AKASH GANGA Team dropping out of AN-32 aircraft. Flypast will comprise Mi-17 V5 and Rudra helicopters, Dornier, C-130J and C-17 transport aircraft, Jaguar, Bison, MiG-29, Mirage-2000 and SU-30 MKI fighter aircraft. Other aircraft in the flypast will be Dakota, Tiger Moth and Harvard of the IAF Vintage flight. After the flypast, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will carry out an aerobatic display in front of the audience. The Ambassadors of Indian Air Force, Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team (SKAT), comprising on nine Hawk 132 aircraft and the Helicopter aerobatics team, Sarang will put up a breathtaking aerobatics formation display. After the parade, all visitors will also get an opportunity to witness a static display of aircraft, weapon, radar and missiles systems of the Indian Air Force. The ceremony is scheduled to conclude at around 11 am. The aircraft will be flying at a low level. IAF confirmed in a release earlier. IAF notified about the areas where the aircraft will be flying. The areas are Wazirpur bridge Karwalnagar Afjalpur - Hindan, Shamli Jiwana Chandinagar Hindan, Hapur Philkua Ghaziabad Hindan. Urging people in the state of Gujarat to maintain calm in the aftermath of alleged attacks on migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, chief minister Vijay Rupani said on Monday that the guilty won't be spared. Migrant workers in Gujarat were allegedly targeted after a man from Bihar was accused of raping a 14-month girl in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district last week. This prompted an exodus of these migrant workers from the state and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath calling Rupani. "The situation is under control in Gujarat. I appeal to people to maintain peace and brotherhood," Rupani told news agency ANI on Monday evening. "The culprit of the rape case was arrested within 24 hours. We will ensure severe punishment for the culprit." Action against those responsible for attacks on migrant workers has also been assured. 'In the last 4-5 days, there have been attacks on people from UP and Bihar in Gujarat. We have taken action against people involved in these attacks,'' Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said. ''Police are interrogating the people who have been arrested for these attacks. Police are taking action wherever needed. We have registered three cases under the IT Act for spreading hatred on social media." Jadeja also said that 35 FIRs have been lodged and that incidents of attacks have come down in the last 24 hours. A day when Supreme Court has raised concern over incidents of assault on minors in Bihar, former poll campaign strategist Prashant Kishor, who recently joined the Janata Dal United (JDU), expressed his support to those who are appalled at such horrific incidents. Responding to tweets targeting Bihar government and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the incidents, Kishor said that the need of the hour was that the government acted in a more proactive manner and worked harder. Taking to microblogging site Twitter, the JDU leader wrote, Everytime a state fails to protect the most vulnerable of its people, it serves as a reminder for it to be more proactive and work harder. I join my voice with all those who are appalled at this horrific incident. Everytime a state fails to protect the most vulnerable of its people, it serves as a reminder for it to be more proactive and work harder. I join my voice with all those who are appalled at this horrific incident. https://t.co/GXTX5Rqjad Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) October 8, 2018 Prashant Kishor, however, dismissed the attacks on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying that the JDU chief did not require anyone else to wake his conscience. He also assured that the Bihar government was taking action to bring the perpetrators to justice. Having said that @nitishkumar does not require me or anyone else to wake his conscience. To the best of my knowledge, Govt. is taking necessary action to bring the perpetrators to justice. 9 people have already been arrested, he said in another tweet. This came even as the Supreme Court expressed concern over incidents of assault on minors. In its observation, the top court said, All these newspaper reports are not good. Skeleton of girls found. 34 girls beaten up because they wanted to protect themselves from molestation. How could you treat children like this? These kinds of problems are arising day in and day out. Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has been facing criticism over Muzaffarpur shelter home case, where at least 34 minor girls were allegedly sexually abused. In another instance, at least 30 minor girls Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Darpakha village in Supaul under Triveniganj police station of the district were assualted by a mob after they protested against lewd comments on a wall allegedly written by boys of a neighbouring school. NEW DELHI: India and Tajikistan several key Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) during President Ram Nath Kovind's three-day state visit to the Central Asian country. The MoUs were signed in the fields of agriculture, renewable energy, traditional medicine, space technology, youth affairs, culture and disaster management, tweeted Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. MOUs in key sectors including agriculture, renewable energy, traditional medicine, space technology, youth affairs, culture and disaster management agreed b/w #India and #Tajikistan . press statement at https://t.co/1EBaWbWITO. #PresidentKovind @presstj pic.twitter.com/d4nMQsmRGU Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) October 8, 2018 Addressing the media, President Kovind said, India and Tajikistan together have built a strong foundation for bilateral & multilateral cooperation. In 2012, we elevated our relationship to the level of Strategic Partnership. To take our ties forward, today we have signed key MOUs in the fields of political relations, strategic research, agriculture, renewable energy, traditional medicine, space technology, youth affairs, culture and disaster management. India also offered a grant of USD20 million to finance development projects and agreed to undertake feasibility study of solar projects in seven villages in Tajikistan. India remains committed to providing capacity building and development assistance support to Tajikistan. We are happy to offer a grant of USD20 million for financing development projects as identified by the Government of Tajikistan, said President Kovind. Before he starts his bilateral discussions with his counterpart, military honours accorded to President of India at Palace of Nation in Dushanbe. #PresidentKovind reviewed Guard of Honour along with President Rahmon #Tajikistan.@presstj pic.twitter.com/MfE7Gw7iEx Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) October 8, 2018 Earlier President Kovind was accorded top military honours. Before he starts his bilateral discussions with his counterpart, military honours accorded to President of India at Palace of Nation in Dushanbe. #PresidentKovind reviewed Guard of Honour along with President Rahmon, tweeted Kumar. Before he starts his bilateral discussions with his counterpart, military honours accorded to President of India at Palace of Nation in Dushanbe. #PresidentKovind reviewed Guard of Honour along with President Rahmon #Tajikistan.@presstj pic.twitter.com/MfE7Gw7iEx Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) October 8, 2018 This is President Kovind's first visit to Central Asia. On their arrival on Sunday, the President and First lady Savita Kovind were welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister Zokirzoda Mahmadtoir and First Deputy Foreign Minister Nizomiddin Zohidi upon their arrival at the Dushanbe International Airport, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet. NEW DELHI: A fresh plea has been filed in the Supreme court seeking full details of the India-France defence deal for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets, reports said on Monday. The plea has been filed by advocate Vinet Dhanda. Through his plea, the petitioner has sought directions from the top court to the government for disclosing the details of the deal, including the price of each Rafale fighter jet. The top court is due to hear a PIL filed earlier on the Rafale deal on October 10. Meanwhile, a third petition was filed on the Rafale deal by AAP MP Sanjay Singh. The petition filed by the AAP MP calls for setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the defence agreement between India and France. the Congress party has said that it will continue to press for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the alleged defence scam. Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma had on Sunday alleged that the Rafale fighter jet deal was the "biggest defence purchase scam" of the century and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was directly answerable. He also said the Congress would press the Comptroller and Auditor General to scrutinise the deal. ''This is the biggest defence purchase scam of the century. The Prime Minister is directly answerable. He talks on every subject on earth. But he goes on 'maun vrat' when we ask him on Rafale....The Prime Minister himself is complicit,'' Sharma alleged at a press conference. Referring to a delegation of the Congress, including himself, meeting the CAG over the Rafale deal and the party taking up the issue with the Central Vigilance Commission, he said once the auditor's report was received, Congress would insist on a Joint Parliamentary Committee to look into it. This was required to fix "accountability of the government and the Prime Minister over the deal," Sharma, the deputy leader of Congress in the Rajya Sabha, said. Congress has alleged that the government was "unforgivably guilty" of causing loss to the public exchequer worth Rs 41,205 crore in the purchase of 36 'Made in France' Rafale aircraft, 'off the shelf' without 'Transfer of Technology'. The government had said it does not think a JPC or a CAG audit is set up to satisfy the "ego of an ill-informed leader" who repeats lies with alarming regularity, in an apparent dig at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. (With Agency Inputs) Indore: Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday responded to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's allegation of agrarian distress in BJP-ruled states by commenting that the latter did not know the difference between paddy and wheat. The Union Minister of State for Agriculture claimed that farmers were getting the right price for their produce and this had strengthened the agricultural sector. "I am a farmer, an agriculturists' leader and their representative in the Central government. So I know the condition of the agricultural sector better," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. "It would not be appropriate to comment on the statements of a person who doesn't know the difference between wheat and paddy crops, who doesn't know the difference between a lamb and the offspring of a goat," the minister said when queried on Gandhi's remarks. Shekhawat further stated that the government was trying to increase the export of soyabean and other agricultural products seeing an opportunity in the ongoing US-China trade tussle. "In view of the ongoing China-US trade war, there is a huge opportunity for agrarian economies like India. So our government is making efforts to promote the export of agriculture-based products," he said. Shekhawat said previous Congress governments betrayed farmers as well as those in the food processing industry. This, he claimed, had led to an increased dependence on import of edible oil. "To reduce this dependence, our government increased the import duty on edible oil four times. We also increased the minimum support price of oilseeds so that farmers get the right price of their produce and more farmers get attracted to such crops." Speaking on the October 2 police action on protesting farmers marching towards Delhi, the minister said that the government would fulfil their legitimate demands but added that farmers were being "instigated" to reap political benefit in view of the upcoming Assembly polls. Farmers marching towards Delhi as part of the Bharatiya Kisan Union's (BKU) protest call over demands ranging from farm loan waiver to reduction in fuel prices were stopped at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border on October 2 with police using water cannons to disperse them. New Delhi: Days after the Supreme Court uplifted the century-old ban allowing women to enter Kerala's Sabarimala Temple, a review petition challenging the verdict was filed in the top court Monday. The petition was filed by National Ayyappa Devotee association who claim that those who filed the previous plea are not Ayyappan followers. On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by former Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, lifted the ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine. Protests by devotees of Lord Ayyappa, demanding the retaining of the age-old tradition, rituals and faith of the hill shrine, continued in several parts of the state following the top court verdict. Hundreds of Ayyappa devotees, especially women, took part in 'namajapa' (chanting the hymns of Lord Ayyppa) rallies at Tripunithura in Ernakulam and Tirunakkara in Kottayam districts, demanding the safeguarding of 'sanatana dharma', the tradition of Hinduism. In Tripunithura, the faithful started the march from a temple dedicated to Lord Dharma Sastha, an incarnation of Lord Ayyappa, at Tamarakulangara in the morning. The protests gained momentum after the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government made it clear that it would not go in for a review of the Supreme Court verdict. The opposition Congress and BJP had come out against the government stand and alleged the Left government was trying to implement the court order in haste without taking into consideration sentiments of the believers. With agency inputs NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Center and the Election Commission on a petition seeking the updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) with respect to the state of Tripura. The notice was issued by a top court bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi (CJI) and Justices S K Kaul and KM Joseph. The top court bench sought a response from the Centre and the Election Commission on the plea seeking implementation of the NRC in Tripura to identify illegal immigrants in the state. The petition has been filed by Tripura Peoples Front in the Supreme Court, urging that the NRC be updated with respect to the State of Tripura and illegal immigrants be deported from the State. The petition also calls for urgent fencing of Bangladesh-Tripura border and deportation of illegal immigrants. The petition claims to seek enforcement of the Rights under Articles 14, 15, 19, 21, and 29 guaranteed by the Constitution of India. The petition argues that there has been a huge uncontrolled influx of immigrants from Bangladesh over the past five decades, which has changed the demographics of the state. The petition states that Tripura, which was predominantly a tribal state, has become a non-tribal state following such influx. It calls for the establishment of an effective mechanism for the detection of illegal immigrants in the State, and to set up appropriate numbers of Foreigners Tribunal for the speedy and effective trial of the persons detected as illegal immigrants in the state. The Centre had on July 30 published a second draft NRC list of Assam in which out of 3.29 crore people, names of 2.89 crore people were included. The first draft of the NRC for Assam was published on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1. Assam, which has faced an influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having an NRC, which was first prepared in 1951. (With Agency inputs) SRINAGAR: Polling for the first phase of urban local body elections in Jammu and Kashmir is currently underway on Monday amid unprecedented security arrangements put in place by the state authorities and the election commission. Polling is being held in 422 wards spread over a dozen districts. The polling, which began at 7 AM, will seal the fate of 1,283 candidates - the highest in any phase - who are trying their luck from 247 wards in Jammu, 149 in Kashmir and 26 in Ladakh. According to ANI, polling began in 11 districts in the first of the four phases of urban local bodies elections. #JammuAndKashmir: Voting begins in 11 districts in the first of the four phases of urban local bodies elections; Visuals from Ward no. 48 in Jammu pic.twitter.com/V6QhmfWTLG ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2018 While the candidates have left no stone unturned to woo the voters in the Jammu and Ladakh regions, the campaigning has been a low-key affair in the Kashmir Valley, where threats, violence and boycott by the state's two main parties - the National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) - have cast a shadow over the polls. The first phase of polling will be followed by the second phase covering 384 wards on October 10, third phase covering 207 wards on October 13 and the last phase covering 132 wards on October 16. The counting of votes will be done on October 20. The last election to the municipal bodies in the state was held in 2005 through secret ballots and the five-year term expired in February, 2010. As many as 2,990 candidates are in the fray for the four-phased elections covering a total of 1,145 wards, including the municipal corporations for the twin capitals of Jammu and Srinagar. As many as 2,137 candidates are in fray from Jammu, 787 from Kashmir and 66 from Ladakh. As many as 244 candidates - 231 in Kashmir and 13 in Jammu - have been declared elected unopposed. Meanwhile, four-hundred additional companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed to augment the existing strength of the security forces deployed to provide a secured atmosphere to the poll process. Extra-ordinary security arrangements have been put in place in Srinagar where voting is scheduled to be held in three wards for the city`s municipal corporation. Scores of motorbikes were seized by the police at various check posts in the city on Saturday and on Sunday with incomplete documents or in cases where the bikers had violated traffic rules. All vehicles entering the city were being thoroughly checked. A senior police officer said these are basically area domination operations to ensure that mischief mongers are prevented from disturbing the poll process All contesting candidates have been lodged in secured accommodations provided to them by the authorities. "Areas around the polling booths have been sanitized to ensure free and fair poll on Monday," the officer said. Hi-tech electronic surveillance equipment is also being used to strengthen human intelligence in areas where polling is scheduled. In addition to three municipal corporation wards in Srinagar city, polling for municipal committees of Kupwara, Handwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Chadoora, Badgam, Khansahib, Achabal, Devsar, Kokernag, Qazigund and Kulgam in the Kashmir Valley, Leh and Kargil in the Ladakh region is scheduled for Monday. In the Jammu region, polling for municipal committees of Bishnah, Arnia, RS Pura, Akhnoor, Khour, Jurian, Rajouri, Thanamandi, Nowshera, Kalakote, Sunderbani, Poonch and Surankote will also take place on Monday. In addition, voting will also be held in wards of Jammu municipal corporation. The biggest challenge for the Governor Satyapal Mallik-led state administration is to ensure security for the voters. Mainstream political parties including the National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), CPI M, Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) headed by Hakim Yaseen and the Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN) headed by Ghulam Hassan Mir have decided to stay away from these polls. Separatists have appealed people not to participate in the poll process and also announced a Valley wide protest shutdown. (With Agency Inputs) The Congress on Monday hit out at the Centre over the timing of bypolls in Karnataka. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that due to elections, the rehabilitation work will be delayed in the flood-affected areas. "Some areas are facing drought, some flooded but due to Model Code of Conduct, no work can be done," Kharge said. He also said that the state government was not consulted before the announcement of election dates. "Assembly elections are important but announcing by-poll election without taking state government into confidence. Those who contest these will have to bear election expenses only for a term of 5-6 months. They could've stopped it but they've done this earlier too whenever they want, they postpone/pre-pone election. It wasn't needed," he added. The Election Commission had on Saturday announced that bypolls in three Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka will be held on November 3. The bypolls will be held for Shimoga, Billari and Mandya seats for which counting will be held on November 6. The seats fell vacant after the MPs contested and won the recent assembly polls. BJP members BS Yeddyurappa from Shimoga in Malnad region; B Sriramulu from Bellary in the northwest region; and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) S Puttaraju from Mandya in the old Mysuru region had resigned after their win in the May 16 election. The vacancy in the two assembly seats was created after the resignation of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy of the JDS from Ramanagaram and the death of Congress legislator Siddu Nyamagouda in a road accident on May 28 in Bagalkot district. He was newly elected from Jamkhandi in the state's northwest district. New Delhi: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of ''heavy to very heavy'' rainfall in south interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands in the next few hours. The IMD, in its bulletin issued at 1700 hours on October 7, said that south interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands will receive heavy rainfall at isolated places. ''Squally winds speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph are very likely over Lakshadweep area and southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea, west-central and adjoining south-west Arabian Sea, south-east and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal and Andaman Islands. Rough to very rough Sea Conditions are likely to prevail over above-mentioned areas. Fishermen are advised not to venture into these areas. Those who are out at Sea over the Bay of Bengal are advised to return to the coast,'' the IMD bulletin said. The Regional Meteorological Department of Tamil Nadu also said on Sunday that a well-marked low pressure has formed in the Bay of Bengal and is expected to intensify into a depression in the next 36 hours, "A new low pressure has formed North of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Southeast of the Bay of Bengal. This is expected to further intensify into a depression and move towards the Odisha coast in the next 72 hours," RMD Deputy Director General S Balachandran said. For the next 24 hours, moderate rainfall is expected in several parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry while places like Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Dindigul, Theni might receive heavy rainfall, he said. For Chennai and its neighbouring areas, there may be light to heavy rainfall in some places in the next 24 hours. The prevailing climatic conditions favour the onset of the north-east monsoon in the state, Balachandran said. The RMD deputy director general said the deep depression in the South Arabian Sea presently lay 920 km North West of Minicoy Islands of Lakshadweep and was expected to intensify into a cyclone in the next 24 hours and move towards Oman. In view of the IMD warning, the Coast Guard has put its formations on high alert and its Dornier aircraft and ships have been deployed off Kerala, Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands, and south Tamil Nadu seas. #WATCH: Indian Coast Guard formations have been put on high alert after issuance of warning by IMD regarding formation of low pressure in South East Arabian Sea on 1 October & likely development into depression. (Video source: Indian Coast Guard) pic.twitter.com/Bc4bfCmJGY ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2018 The sea condition would be rough to very rough during next 12 hours. An advisory has been issued to fishermen at sea to return to harbour, the Coast Guard informed on micro-blogging site Twitter. The weather office has meanwhile cautioned fishermen against venturing out to the South and Central areas of Bay of Bengal till October 9. The Coast Guard ships deployed off Tamil Nadu seas will continue to broadcast warnings on VHF and have also advised fishermen at sea to return to the shore. Disaster response teams have been formed at Kochi and Gemini lifeb oatsts have been kept on standby for deployment at short notice, the Coast Guard said. The Kerala government has sprung into action following the alert and is also closely monitoring the water levels in various dams in the state. As a precautionary measure, it has also opened shutters of nearly 22 dams including Malamapuzha, Neyyar, Kallada Cheruthoni and parts of Idukki. Earlier in August, Kerala was hit by worst floods causing massive destruction in the state. As per a report, 483 people have and thousands of houses were destroyed. Fishermen have been warned not to venture into the South and Central Arabian Sea till October 12. Mumbai: Wiping off early losses, benchmark indices rebounded to trade in the positive zone in late morning trade Monday as banking, oil and gas, auto, healthcare and FMCG shares witnessed fresh spells of buying and short-covering by investors. The BSE Sensex was trading higher by 118.92 points, or 0.35 percent, at 34,495.91 at 1125 hrs. The gauge had touched a low of 34,031.98 points in early trade. In the previous three sessions the gauge had plunged by 2,149.15 points. The broader Nifty also reclaimed the 10,300-mark by recovering 40.25 points, or 0.39 percent, to 10,356.70. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth Rs 1,902.07 crore on Friday, provisional data showed. Yes Bank emerged top Sensex gainer by rising 4.63 percent, followed by RIL gaining 4.08 percent. Other gainers include, Hero MotoCorp, Coal India, SBI, Asian Paints, Kotak Bank, ONGC, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Auto, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, ITC, Infosys, Sun Pharma and Adani Ports, rising up to 3.31 percent. In the auto space, Bajaj Auto, Tata Motors and M&M, too, were in keen demand largely on the back of encouraging sales data for September and gained up to 1.51 percent. The BSE oil and gas index gained the most by surging 2.86 percent, while PSU index rose 1.20 percent. Bankex, infrastructure, auto, FMCG, healthcare, capital goods, too, were trading in the positive terrain, rising up to 0.87 percent. Meanwhile, foreign investors pulled out over Rs 9,300 crore (USD 1.3 billion) from the Indian capital market in the last four trading sessions. Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 51.30 points, and Singapore benchmark SGX shed 21.80 points. Chinese markets which opened after a long holiday were also down, with Shanghai Composite Index and Taiwan trading lower. Ayodhya: Mahant Paramhans Das of Ayodhya's Tapasvi Chavni temple, who has been on hunger strike for last seven days, was detained by police on Sunday late night. He has been reportedly been taken to the hospital. Several saints from Ayodhya and other parts of the country went on an indefinite fast on October 1, demanding the immediate construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Earlier on Sunday, Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Satish Mahana met Swami Paramhans Das, requesting him to break the fast. Ayodhya: Mahant Paramhans Das who was on a hunger strike for last seven days seeking construction of Ram Temple, has been detained by the police. He is being taken to hospital pic.twitter.com/05BSSn4cCz ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 7, 2018 "I humbly requested Mahant Paramhans to break his fast. I have come here as an emissary of the chief minister. If he wishes to meet the chief minister (Yogi Adityanath) I will discuss it with him and will try to facilitate it tomorrow if required." Later, Mahant Paramhans said, "Minister Satish Mahana requested me to break the hunger strike. He told me that he will arrange a video-conferencing with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. I want to request Prime Minister Modi to facilitate construction of Ram Temple through the same route which was taken for construction of Somnath temple." Last month, the Supreme Court declined to refer to a five-judge constitution bench the issue of reconsideration of the observations in its 1994 judgment that a mosque was not integral to Islam which had arisen during the hearing of the Ayodhya land dispute. Following the judgement, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) working president Alok Kumar said that all options to pursue the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, including campaign, are open before the outfit. On October 6, a delegation of saints associated with the VHP met President Ram Nath Kovind demanding the immediate construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia Sunday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat accusing them of not fulfilling the promise of building Ram Temple in Ayodhya. With agency inputs BEIJING/PARIS: China said on Sunday it was investigating Meng Hongwei for suspected wrongdoing after the head of the global law enforcement organisation Interpol and Chinese vice minister for security was reported missing in France. The statement by a Chinese anti-graft body was the first official word from China about Meng since his disappearance was reported in France on Friday. Meng had been reported missing by his wife after travelling last month from France, where Interpol is based, to China. "Public Security Ministry Vice Minister Meng Hongwei is currently under investigation by the National Supervisory Commission for suspected violations of law," the Chinese anti-corruption body said in a brief statement on its website. Interpol said later that Meng had resigned as president of the organisation, and that South Korean national Kim Jong Yang would become its acting president, while it would appoint a new president at a Nov 18-21 meeting of the organisation in Dubai. Interpol said earlier over the weekend that it had asked Beijing to clarify Meng`s situation. "Today, Sunday 7 October, (at) the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France received the resignation of Mr Meng Hongwei as President of Interpol with immediate effect," Interpol said in a statement on Sunday. When asked about the Chinese announcement on Sunday, France`s Interior Ministry said it had no information. The French ministry said last Friday that Meng`s family had not heard from him since Sept. 25, and French authorities said his wife was under police protection after getting threats. HUSBAND`S WARNING TO WIFE? French police have been investigating what is officially termed in France a "worrying disappearance". Local French media broadcast a video which they said was from Meng`s wife Grace, in which she issued a brief statement from a hotel in Lyon to express her concerns. Reuters could not confirm the comments attributed to her. "As long as I can`t see my husband in front of me, speaking to me, I can`t have any confidence," Grace Meng was quoted as saying by French TV stations and Sunday newspapers. The websites of French papers broadcast video clips showing Meng speaking in a trembling voice, with her back to a TV camera in order to hide her appearance. "This is a matter for the international community. This matter belongs to my motherland," she added in the video clips. French media also reported that Meng`s husband had recently sent her a mobile phone message featuring a knife image, as a way of showing her that he felt he was in danger. Meng, 64, was named to the post of Interpol president in late 2016, part of a broader Chinese effort to gain leadership positions in key international organisations. Presidents of Interpol are seconded from their national administrations and remain in their home post while representing the international policing body. Interpol, which groups 192 countries and is usually focused on finding people who are missing or wanted, is run on a day-to-day basis by its secretary general, German national Juergen Stock. When Meng was named Interpol`s president, human rights groups expressed concern that Beijing might try to leverage his position to pursue dissidents abroad. Beijing has in the past pressed countries to arrest and deport to China citizens it accuses of crimes, from corruption to terrorism. Under President Xi Jinping, China has been engaged in a crackdown on corruption. The National Interest During the current day in Donbas, the pro-Russian occupational troops fired at the positions of Joint Forces 8 times. No losses among the Ukrainian servicemen reported, the press service of the Joint Forces Operation stated on its Facebook page. The enemy conducted aimed fire from grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms at positions in the Novotoshkivske, Katerynivka, and Shyrokyne settlements, used 122 mm barrel artillery, 120-mm mortars, and IFV weapons against defenders of Vodyane. In addition, the militants opened fire on the stronghold of our troops near Krymske with infantry fighting vehicles, attacked Hnutove defenders with a fire strike from mortars of 82 mm caliber, and opened sniper fire. There are no casualties among the Joint forces for today. We recall that over the past day, October 6, the militants violated the cease-fire 25 times, two Ukrainian soldiers were injured. Earlier, Russian warship was discovered not far from the coast of Latvia, in the exclusive economic zone of the country. It was reported by the press service of the National Armed Forces of Latvia on Twitter. The incident occurred yesterday, on Saturday, October 6th. "On October 6, in the exclusive economic zone of Latvia, at a distance of 14 nautical miles from the state border, the Russian military ship of the Steregushchy class was noticed," the military said. This is not the first such case. Earlier, on May 12, Russian ships of the SB-121 and Kashtan class, and six and a half sea miles from the territorial waters - the landing ship of the Ropucha class were detected in the exclusive economic zone of Latvia, 12 sea miles from the territorial waters of the country. A similar incident occurred on April 28, when a frigate of the class "Steregushchy" was discovered five nautical miles from the territorial waters of Latvia, as well as a tug of the Gorin class. Related: Fuel tank caught fire in Congo, killing 60 people Also, the members of the group provided the security of ex-head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk Peoples Republic Ihor Plotnytsky The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed that the Russian Federation has deployed the recruitment centers and small unit of the private military company Wagner in Luhansk region. Ihor Huskov, the Chief of the SBU staff claimed this as Ukrainian News reported. We spotted them (Wagner fighters) only at the territory of Luhansk region and they were present in Donetsk region only during the fights for Debaltseve, he noted. Also, the members of the group provided the security of ex-head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk Peoples Republic Ihor Plotnytsky. As for today, there are the recruitment centers in Donbas, while mostly citizens of Luhansk region come there. Also, we have the information on the place of the current deployment of the small unit from the membership of Wagner private military company but it does not surpass a few dozens of people, Huskov said. According to him, this unit deals with the murder of people in occupied territories who are undesirable by Russia. Earlier SBU claimed about the presence of the evidence on the involvement of the Russian mercenaries from Wagner Group in the murder of three Russian journalists Orkhan Dzhemal, Aleksandr Rastorguev, and Kirill Radchenko in the Central African Republic (CAR). The Wagner Group has been involved in Donbas conflict since May 2014 till August 2015. Then, they moved to Syria, assisting the Syrian army in a number of combat operations. Related video: An intense dispute between Hungary and Ukraine sparked by the notorious language question and fate of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine (see EDM, July 17) has now received powerful new impetus, threatening to seriously degrade diplomatic relations between the two countries (Eurointegration.com.ua, July 2). The current bilateral crisis goes beyond Budapest and Kyiv, however. It vividly highlights the problems faced by the European Union both internally and in relations with its immediate neighbors. On September 26, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin stated that if Hungary refuses to revoke its consul from Berehove (Zakarpattia Oblast), Ukraine would expel the diplomat unilaterally (Hromadske.ua, September 26). Earlier, Klimkin defined Zakarpattia as a region of high explosive potential in terms of hybrid risks, suggesting that some external actors might be willing to exploit this situation to their advantage. Namely, he stated, we are perfectly aware of how Russia is working with Romanian and Bulgarian minorities. Russia is capable of and will continue using hybrid methods (Eurointegration.com.ua, September 21). Klimkins series of remarks were motivated by an international scandal that had erupted between Hungary and Ukraine several days prior. In the western Ukrainian town of Berehove, a recognized cultural center of ethnic Hungarians residing in Ukraine, a series of videos came to light, on September 17, showing locals receiving Hungarian passports (at the local Hungarian consulate), with strict instructions not to inform Ukrainian authorities (Pravda.com.ua, September 19). It must be pointed out that the Ukrainian constitution does not allow dual citizenship. When asked about this, the Hungarian embassy in Kyiv reluctantly and rather dismissively claimed not to have any pertinent information on the matter. The scandal further escalated on September 23, when the names of five Transcarpathian Ukrainian officials, including the deputy mayor of Chop (a town located near the borders of Slovakia and Hungary), appeared on a list of enemies of Ukraine managed by the non-governmental organization Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) Center. The five individuals identities were revealed for allegedly concealing the fact that they possessed Hungarian passports (Pravda.com.ua, September 23). The details of this affair, coupled with Kyivs threats to deport Hungarian consular authorities, greatly infuriated Budapest. In his comments, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto threatened to undertake even more efforts to slow down Ukrainian integration with the EU, stating that Hungary will stand for the rights of each and every member of the Hungarian community in the entire Zakarpattia Oblast. He also added that even though Hungary seeks to maintain good relations with Ukraine [] Budapest will not tolerate growing anti-Hungarian sentiments in Ukraine as a part of President Petro Poroshenkos presidential campaign. Finally, Szijjarto warned that should Ukrainian authorities decide to deport Hungarian consular officials, Kyiv should expect symmetric steps taken by Budapest (Radiosvoboda.org, September 23). On October 4, the Ukrainian foreign ministry declared the Hungarian consul in Berehove persona non grata, and Budapest declared it would soon be expelling a Ukrainian consul in response (UNIAN, October 4). On the surface, the current crisis might appear to be an example of yet another dispute between Kyiv and Budapesttwo proximate countries, whose border territories are closely bound by virtue of history and cultural ties. Nonetheless, a closer look at the issue reveals the problem to be much more serious and far reaching. Several reputable Ukrainian sources have estimated the total number of Ukrainians currently holding Hungarian passports (only in Zakarpattia Oblast, with a total population close to 1.3 million) to be no fewer than 100,000 people (Radiosvoboda.org, September 21). This number is the result of systematic measures undertaken by the government in Budapest to, since 2010, issue Hungarian passports to Ukrainians en mass. This policy has been rigorously supported Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who benefits from the high electoral support from expatriate communities beyond Hungarys borders (Eurointegration.com.ua, September 20). According to Ukraines representative to the EU, Nikolay Tochitskii, these Hungarian policies are based on two main pillars that, he asserted, have absolutely nothing in common with the alleged oppression of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine: First, the Hungarian government seeks to demonstrate to the domestic public that Budapest is striving to protect the rights of ethnic Hungarians abroad, which serves an internal political purpose. Second, it aims to shift the focus from their [Hungarys] internal problems within the EU to the state of bilateral relations with Kyiv, thereby escaping potential sanctions for violating the main principles and values of the EU (Deutsche WelleRussian service, September 26). Meanwhile, the Hungarian argument hinges on three interrelated points (Eurointegration.com.ua, March 29, 2017). First, dual citizenship is widespread across the European Union (although, regulations across the EU vary); and since Ukraine is aspiring to become a part thereof, it has to accept this reality. Second, Budapest argues, Ukraine needs to explicitly clarify all legal instances when its citizens can and cannot hold dual citizenship. Finally, the government in Budapest contends, given the fact that ethnic Hungarians (holders of both passports) use their Hungarian documents only outside Ukraine, they are not violating any legal code of the country. Needless to say, Russia has viewed the ongoing confrontation between Hungary and Ukraine with noticeable glee. In his comments to the propagandist disinformation outlet Sputnik, political commentator Ivan Mesukho claimed that relations between these two neighbors will continue to plummet until Kyiv learns its place that Hungary has indicated Bereft of its sovereignty, Ukraine is unable to put up any sort of confrontation with Hungary Europe will always side with Hungary, Mesukho concluded (RIA Novosti, September 24, 2018). Strained relations with Ukraine are by no means the only example of controversial actions Hungary has been undertaking in recent months that could also benefit the Kremlin. In addition to accusing the EU of hypocritical behavior in early September (Pravda.com.ua, September 5), the Hungarian government has been arguing against automatically prolonging Europes anti-Russian sanctions, claiming that their effectiveness should be discussed first (Eurointegration.com.ua, September 22). The conflict between Kyiv and Budapest is shaped (and politicized) by issues related to ethnicity. But importantly, it is not purely localized, given the potential for hybrid-style efforts by outside actors (most notably Moscow) to exploit this situation. As such, it represents a much more complicated challenge for both Europe and the two countries involved than a more conventional military/security dispute. Read the original text here. Related video: The two reactors now launched are at the Tavria TPS near Simferopol and the Balaclava TPS near Sevastopol, though apparently a lot of work is still needed before they are fully operational Russia has launched the first reactors of two thermal power stations built in occupied Crimea with Siemens gas turbines provided despite European Union sanctions. The news comes 15 months after it became clear that the turbines had turned up in Crimea, and over three years after Siemens was first directly warned of the planned scam for bypassing sanctions. Despite the time that has elapsed, and individual sanctions imposed over the scam, there is nothing to suggest that Siemens Germany has been penalized for its role in the deception. The two reactors now launched are at the Tavria TPS near Simferopol and the Balaclava TPS near Sevastopol, though apparently a lot of work is still needed before they are fully operational. Crimea has always been heavily dependent on mainland Ukraine for its energy. After invading and annexing the peninsula in 2014, Russia announced that it would be building two new power stations in Crimea, though it did not have the turbines. All western countries were directly prohibited from selling the technology required. Siemens had a long history of collaboration with Russia, and Siemens CEO, Joe Kaeser made it fairly clear, through his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin just after Russias annexation of Crimea, that he wanted business as usual. Sanctions, nonetheless, were and remain binding on the company. The first report that Siemens Gas Turbine Technologies LLC, the St Petersburg subsidiary of Siemens, was to provide gas turbines for new power stations in Crimea was made in a Vedomosti report on June 30, 2015. Vedomosti explained that the deal had been reached in Spring with the Siemens turbines officially contracted for a station in Taman in Russia, but in fact destined for Crimea. Vedomostis unnamed sources suggested a conscious fiddle with a supposed power station in Taman used as a smoke screen. The turbines were to be purchased by Technopromexport, a subsidiary of Rostec which Russia had contracted a year earlier to build power stations in Simferopol and Sevastopol, with 25 billion roubles of the cost funded by the Russian state. Siemens only reaction was to assert that it complied with international sanctions. Then there was a Reuters news story from August 5, 2016, which stated, again quoting three unnamed sources, that a Crimea power project had finalized a plan to use Siemens turbines. Approached by Reuters for comment, Siemens Germany categorically denied the allegations and said that its joint venture is making turbines for a separate plant on Russias Taman peninsula. Reuters charitably asserted that there was no suggestion that Siemens knew of or condoned the planned transfer of its turbines to Crimea. The journalists went on to say that they had consulted three legal experts who said that there was no precedent for establishing whether Siemens would be in violation of the sanctions if its Russian joint venture built the turbines for Taman and then a third party sent them to Crimea. They did however warn companies to be cautious about technology that could end up in Crimea. Perhaps there was no precedent, but surely some hard questions were needed when Siemens could not fail to be aware that its Russian joint venture was providing gas turbines to a non-existent power station in Taman. In fact, a report by Ihor Maskalevych in Ukraines Dzerkalo Tyzhnya suggested back in December 2016 that the story about a Taman power station was a front from the outset, aimed at ensuring that Siemens was not accused of violating sanctions. There wasnt even that much pretence with a tender for building a Taman power station only announced in the summer of 2016, and ended due to the lack of any bids. Maskalevych set out in detail the ruse which he asserted was underway to help Siemens both provide the turbines and not be accused of sanction breaching. Essentially all the reports, including that from June 2015, proved to be correct Siemens had persistently responded with denial and its mantra-like repetition that it respected sanctions. It reacted differently only after Reuters and then others reported that two turbines had been seen in annexed Crimea in July 2017. Since there was no denying that the turbines were in Crimea, Siemens claimed then and continues to assert that it was duped. It has made all the right noises and doomed legal challenges by, for example, filing a law suit demanding that all four turbines be impounded. This was, predictably, dismissed by a Russian court in Moscow on November 28, 2017. In August 2017, the EU imposed sanctions on three more Russians, including Deputy Energy Minister Andrei Cherezov, and three Russian companies over the delivery of Siemens turbines to occupied Crimea. In reporting this, on August 4, Reuters noted that Siemens says it has evidence that all four turbines it delivered for a project in southern Russia had been illegally moved to Crimea. No mention was made of the fact that Siemens had been repeatedly warned of this plan from June 2015, but had gone ahead in sending turbines for an non-existent and not even seriously planned Taman power plant. Despite the Kremlins attempts to claim that Crimea was always Russian, the peninsula has always been heavily dependent on mainland Ukraines electricity, water and other infrastructure. With Russias mounting repression and persecution, especially of Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar leaders Mustafa Dzhemilev and Refat Chubarov initiated a civic blockade of Crimea in September 2015, with specific human rights concessions needed before the blockade would be lifted. When, in November 2015, electricity supplies were cut, initially for a short time, Dzhemilev stated clearly that Russia needed to free Crimean political prisoners, if it wanted electricity supplies from mainland Ukraine restored,. The human rights situation has worsened significantly, with over 70 Ukrainian political prisoners, most of them Crimea. Russias problems with electricity, water and other supplies to Crimea provided hope that Russia would be forced to end its occupation, or could at least be forced to free political prisoners, etc. Western collaboration in avoidance of sanctions props up Russias illegal occupation and is a treacherous blow to all victims of persecution in occupied Crimea. Read the original news here. Open source The EU asks Russia to duly treat Ukrainian political prisoner Oleg Sentsov - and eventually release him. Maja Kocijancic, the press secretary of the European External Action Service (EEAS) reported this as quoted by the service. 'Oleg Sentsov was jailed for alleged activities conducted on the Crimean Peninsula, the illegal annexation of which by the Russian Federation he strongly opposes. The EU considers the case to be in breach of international law and elementary standards of justice. Oleg Sentsov has shown incredible courage, determination and selflessness during his 145 days of hunger strike', the service reports. 'His health has now deteriorated to a critical state. In refusing to provide him with appropriate medical treatment in an institutionalized medical setting, the authorities of the Russian Federation have violated his human rights as well as their own human rights commitments under international law, namely the European Court of Human Rights interim measure of 25 July this year. The European Union stands in solidarity with Oleg Sentsov and, in addition to swift and appropriate medical treatment, expects his immediate release, along with all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens in Russia and on the Crimean peninsula. International human rights standards on the peninsula must be upheld', the statement concludes. As we reported, the Ukrainian branch of the Amnesty International considers it a torture to force-feed Oleg Sentsov, the Ukrainian political prisoner and film director. This is stated in the message of the organization on Facebook. 'We declare the inadmissibility of forced feeding, which is actually a form of torture, and we demand that Oleg receive timely and effective medical care,' the report says. As is known, Oleg Sentsov stopped the hunger strike. The Russian side officially announced the statement by Sentsov but did not name the reasons. According to the lawyer of Sentsov, the decision to end the hunger strike was made after Russian doctors and penitentiary facility workers issued an ultimatum to Sentsov, suggesting that he either voluntarily stop the hunger strike or agree to be force-fed. Related: Amnesty International considers forced feeding of Sentsov 'torture' Related: 'We are grateful to you', political prisoner Klykh wrote in letter to Sentsov Related: Russian doctors threaten Sentsov to make him vegetable The Head of the State stressed he believes in the effective work of the new members of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko claimed that Russia would actively interfere in the electoral process in Ukraine, using different methods, starting from disinformation ending with cyber-attacks. He claimed this at the meeting with the members of the staff of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine, broadcasted by 112 Ukraine. We already see, both from the point of view of the information of our special bodies, and from the point of view of the information of our partners that Russia plans to actively interfere in the electoral campaign through the disinformation systems, systems of electoral process falsification and systems of hacking cyber-attacks, in order to disrupt the elections, the President claimed. He noted he looks forward to the efficient work of the members of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine and effective means to counter the plans of Russia to protect the choice of the Ukrainian people. Another important position is the opposition to bribing voters. Today, this method, which is one of the forms of interference in election for money coming from Russia, I hope that both the decisive actions of the CEC and the need for changes in legislation, which make this process difficult, the Head of the State claimed and added that the relevant drafts of the legislative proposals are ready for consideration at the National Council of Reforms. As it was reported earlier, the Ukrainian Presidential Elections are scheduled on March 2019, in the autumn of the same year, Ukrainians will have to choose the new parliament. No official preliminary results have been made yet, but Dodik claims that he won 56 percent of the vote with his opponent Mladen Ivanic taking 44 percent On Sunday, October 7, Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik declared victory with over 85% of ballots as the Serb member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's inter-ethnic presidency, as Deutsche Welle reports. No official preliminary results have been made yet, but Dodik claims that he won 56 percent of the vote with his opponent Mladen Ivanic taking 44 percent. "This is victory as clean as a whistle and I proclaim this victory," he said. Yet, his opponent's party stated that the vote was still too close to call. The Bosnian Muslim party SDA declared victory for their candidate, Safik Dzaferovic. The Croat seat will go to Social Democrat Zeljko Komsic, who unseated incumbent Dragan Covic from the nationalist right, the news agency reads. Most of the countries voters cast their ballots on Sunday. The election officials described the voting as "extremely fair," yet, there were several incidents. The newspaper lists the seizure of small islands owned by Estonia as one of the possible variants of the Russian attack Open source The military of the U.K. considered the possibility of the holding of the extensive cyber-attack against Russia, in case, if the Russian Federation assaults West countries as The Sunday Times reported citing the high-level sources in the defense sphere. The sources say that they are concerned about the inequality of opportunity between Russia and the U.K. due to which the command has not enough weapons against Kremlins aggression, excluding the launch of Trident missiles with the nuclear device. In the result, the officials of the British government promised to develop its offensive cyber-potential, including the possibility to turn off light in Kremlin. According to the newspaper, the developing of the cyber-potential will provide more possibilities to the U.K. in countering Russia. The newspaper lists the seizure of small islands owned by Estonia, invasion of Libya to get control over the oil reserves and begin a new migration crisis in Europe and the use of the irregular forces to start the attack on the British troops or endanger new British aircraft carrier as the possible variants of the Russian attack. 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. Also, Germany has joined the British and the Dutch authorities in accusing Russia of instigating massive international cyber-attacks. Related video: Ukraine's Security Service note that Russian authorities and leaders of the Wagner Group try to conceal the involvement of it in this crime The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claims about the presence of the evidence on the involvement of the Russian mercenaries from Wagner Group in the murder of three Russian journalists Orkhan Dzhemal, Aleksandr Rastorguev, and Kirill Radchenko in the Central African Republic (CAR). Ihor Huskov, the Chief of SBU, staff claimed this as Ukrainian News reported. Information that we possess and which our colleagues share with us states that the Russian mercenaries in CAR are likely to be involved in this murder, the SBU claimed. Huskov notes that this is Wagner Group, not another unit, which is located in CAR. According to Ukraine's SBU, the Russian authorities and leaders of the Wagner Group try to conceal the involvement of it in this crime and spread fake information on the disbandment of the group. Earlier it became known that journalist Orkhan Dzhemal, film director Aleksandr Rastorguev, and cameraman Kirill Radchenko died in the Central African Republic. They filmed a documentary about the work of Wagner Group there it was the joint project of the Investigation Hub Office and Rastorguev. According to AFP, the bodies of the deceased people were found in 23 kilometers from Sibut city. Russia belies the involvement in this crime and claims that the journalists were killed and robbed by the local bandits. As we reported, SBU has published the names of three foreign mercenaries of the Wagner Group who fought in Syria. Two of them participated in the combat actions in Donbas on the side of the pro-Russian militants The Wagner Group has been involved in Donbas conflict since May 2014 till August 2015. Then, they moved to Syria, assisting the Syrian army in a number of combat operations. Related video: The military trained to shoot down the drones in situations when the use of surface-to-air missiles is inappropriate Ukraines army aviation and anti-aircraft defense units held the joint exercise, improving their skills in shooting down hostile drones. Ukraine-made Leleka UAVs were used to imitate the enemy devices. Helicopter pilots tracked them down, then opened fire from machineguns. This is the way to down the hostile UAVs in situations when the use of surface-to-air missiles is inappropriate. Last month, the Ukrainian military successfully tested Oskol, the domestically made non-guided missiles. During this round of field probes, Sukhoi Su-24 frontline bomber carried the ammunition and fired it. This particular modification of the ammunition lets the missiles explode in the air several meters away from the target, which releases more pieces of shrapnel on it. The missiles are supposed to effectively hit the armored vehicles and firing positions of the enemy. Previously, the ammunition was tested on Mi-8 helicopters. As 112 International reported, since Sunday morning, pro-Kremlin militants shelled the emplacements of the Ukrainian military 27 times. The government troops suffered no casualties in action, the HQ of the Joint Forces Operation reported. The enemy fired Minsk-banned weapons 11 times over the said period. Hungary decided to expel the Ukrainian consul in Budapest as a reaction to Kyiv's similar actions Open source The Ukrainian consul expelled from the Consulate in Budapest, returned to Ukraine, as Mariana Betsa, the Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine, said, Hromadske reports. Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin stated that the diplomat would be sent to Uzhhorod, as the local representation of the Ministry needs enhancement. Reportedly, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared the Hungarian consul in Berehove, Zakarpattia region, persona non grata and obliged him to leave Ukraine within 72 hours. In response, Hungary decided to expel a Ukrainian consul in Budapest as a reaction to the similar measures of Kyiv. Earlier, Ukrinfrom published a video where a few Ukrainians were receiving Hungarian passports and owed allegiance to Hungry in the Consulate in Berehove. The Hungarian diplomat recommended not to inform the Ukrainian authorities about receiving the new documents. Ukraine's Foreign Minister said that the video was checked on the authenticity. If it is authentic, the Hungarian consul will 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. Yuriy Lutsenko, Prosecutor General, claimed that Ukraine's Security Service investigates this case; however, the service denied this. Tamas Menczer, Hungarys Foreign Minister Spokesperson later reported that Hungary does not intend to withdraw its consul from Berehove due to the scandalous video about the issuance of Hungarian passports to the Ukrainians. In its turn, Ukraine claimed that if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary does not withdraw its consul from Berehove, Ukraine will offer him to abandon the territory. Related video: Open source The body of the lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was found in an abandoned lock-up garage on the territory of the military camp in Brovary city, Kyiv region. The press office of the Military Prosecutor's office of the Central Region of Ukraine reported this on Facebook. The investigation established that the deceased was assigned to daily duty from October 6 to 7 as an assistant of duty military unit in accordance with the order of the Commander of the military unit. On October 6 at 8 a.m., the serviceman didn't show up for the relief of the guard of the daily duty, accordingly, the commander of the military unit organized searches, reads the message. The 22-year-old officer was found hanged in the lock-up garage on the territory of the military camp. It is reported that a military examiner initially established that the death occurred following mechanical suffocation. No suicide note was found. The body was delivered to the Kyiv City Forensic Medical Bureau. Chief Military Prosecutor Anatolii Matios claimed with a reference to the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations that 33 militaries took their own life from the beginning of 2018. Most of the incidents occurred in the hostilities zone. Reportedly, 518 servicemen out of 313 thousand committed suicide. Open source A hacking incident occurred in Austria, where hackers got to the personal bank data of smartphone users; the perpetrators withdrew several thousands of Euros from each account and transferred them to Ukraine. Noe.Orf reported this on its website, referring to the local police. 'The police search for the unknown criminals who hacked two cell phones to get the data from the bank accounts of their owners. In both cases, the perpetrators withdrew money from the accounts and performed the transfer to Ukraine,' reads the message. The incidents actually took place in May, but the law enforcers only made the information public just now. At first, the malefactors hacked the smartphone of a 52-year-old woman in the town of Schwechat, getting the access to the online banking system. On May 16, they withdrew the money from the account twice, using a 'smart money' app, where no card is required, only a PIN code. Later, two money transfers were performed, with the money being sent to Ukraine. In the end, the bank account owner lost a four-digit sum in Euros. Another incident like this occurred in Vienna in May; a 55-year-old resident of the Austrian capital city had her smartphone hacked and the money siphoned off her account. The four-digit sum of money was moved to Ukraine as well. The company commander of the military unit has been looking for clients to buy two engines for Mil Mi-8 helicopters The officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained Ukrainian soldier who attempted to sell two aircraft engines from the military unit in Kyiv, the press office of SBU reports. The company commander of the military unit has been looking for clients to buy two engines for Mil Mi-8 helicopters. He offered the engines to the buyers through intermediaries (according to information, Russian citizens were among them) for $15 thousand. The market cost of the engines is ten times more. The officers of the Security Service of Ukraine have documented that the offender entered the territory of the military unit on truck, which he was going to use for the transportation the engines, reads the message. It is noted that the law enforcement officers detained the company commander under the procedural direction of the Military Prosecutors office of Darnytsia garrison right after the truck left the territory of the military unit. A preventive measure in the form of detention was chosen against the offender. A pre-trial investigation is continuing. The law enforcement officers detained the suspects of the attack on the activist of organization 'Automaidan Odesa,' the press office of General Directorate of Odesa National Police reports. The two suspects detained in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi city within several hours. They were delivered to the police department in Odesa. The investigation established that the armed conflict is connected with one of the lotto markets located in the city, reads the message. Related: Shooting in Kyiv: Man opens fire in trolleybus Currently, the investigation into the case is continuing. In particular, the law enforcement officers taking measures to identify and detain other individuals involved in the commission of the misdemeanor. Reportedly, October 6, a shooting incident took place on Lyustdorfs'ka Rd in Odesa, southern Ukraine. One person was injured in action. The investigation found out that a car approached one of the vehicles at the traffic light near a gas station; the unknown got out of the car, fired several shots and fled the scene. Related: Shooting in Kharkiv: Family of dead policeman gets compensation of $47 thousand According to the local outlet, the attack was directed against one of the participants of 'Automaidan Odesa' organization led by Yevhen Rezvushkin. He was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the lumbar area and thigh. Currently, an operational investigative unit and cynologists with dogs are working at the scene. Interception activity has been introduced in the city. Ukraine's citizens, accused of falsification of the documents and burglaries, detained at Ukraine's border with Poland and Hungary Three citizens of Ukraine, wanted by the law enforcement bodies, were detained at Ukraine's border with Poland and Hungary, as the press service of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported. Today in the morning, the border guards of Mostyska, Lutsk, and Chop units detained three Ukrainians who were wanted by the law enforcement bodies for the violation of the current legislation of Ukraine, the message said. During the check of the documents at the checkpoints Krakovets and Yagodyn, the border guards found two men and one woman was found at Chop checkpoint. There was the information on these people that they are on the wanted list. It is established that the citizens are accused of falsification of the documents and burglaries. Now, the detained were passed to the officers of the National Police. Earlier two Russians who tried to illegally cross the Ukrainian border and get to European countries were detained in Zakarpattia region. The violators were detained in 50 meters from the boundary line. The detainees had Russian passports with themselves. Also, officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) jointly with the Prosecutors office blocked the export of smuggled amber with the weight of more than one ton to the European countries in Zakarpattia region. Related video: The devices will be set in Kyiv and in many regions all over Ukraine Open source Since October 8, Ukrainian police will be monitoring the road traffic in Kyiv and in many regions across the country, using the TruCam surveillance systems. The patrol police of Ukraine reported this on Facebook. The TruCam devices will be set next to the road signs warning of photo and video recording of safety violations, on the certain sections of international highways and in the cities where the high level of road accident hazard is observed. Service transport vehicles with blue flash beacons will be there, too. During the first week, TruCam systems in Ukraine will be running in the test mode. The police added that the device employs the AES algorithm, which makes it impossible to meddle with the video records or interfere with the system's operation in any other way. The police press service also published a list of locations where TruCam devices will be present in Ukraine. In Kyiv, there are two such locations, at Mykoly Bazhana avenue and Peremohy Avenue. He will be rewarded with $8,9 thousand and a trip to Dubai on Global Education and Skills Forum 2019 Oleksandr Zhuk, computer science teacher from Zaporizhia, becomes the best teacher of Ukraine according to Global Teacher Prize Ukraine. This year, the winner gets a year of free education from Osvitoria HGO, $8,9 thousand and a trip to Dubai on Global Education and Skills Forum 2019, the message says. I am always happy with my occupation. When I see my classmates or groupmates, they ask: Are you a teacher, really? Why do you need that? And I reply proudly: I am the teacher, Zhuk told. Traditionally, teachers day in Ukraine is celebrated on the first Sunday of October. In 2018, education workers notes their holiday 7 Oct. Earlier, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko rewarded best teachers of the capital. Reportedly, Mariana Batiuk, a Lviv school teacher, was fired after she congratulated Adolf Hitler with his birthday. The schools principal personally gave the order for dismissal and a record of employment to Batiuk. As it was reported earlier, Mariana Batiuk, the history teacher and deputy director in Lviv school #100, published birthday congratulations to Adolf Hitler on Facebook. Later she deleted the post and said that her account was hacked. She also said that she considered Hitler a criminal. Kolesnikov from Yanukovych's Party of Region provided the official documents that prove that the accusation of the law enforcers are falsified The Regulatory Committee of the Ukrainian parliament considered the materials of the Prosecutor Generals Office for the lifting of immunity from MP Dmytro Kolesnikov. The lawmaker provided the official documents that prove that the accusation of the law enforcers are falsified as gazeta.ua reported. Particularly, the property of Precision Pipes Plant never related to State Property Agency and Ministry of Industrial Policy (Kolesnikov headed the ministry in 2010-2012). Moreover, it was passed to another ministry and sold out in 2005-2006. There is an obvious manipulation in the accusations. They even did not ask where I worked at that time. Such lie is crashed by simple facts. In 2005-2006 I worked in totally another sphere, at another industrial enterprise. And I headed the Industrial Ministry only in 2010 and this factory was governed by another ministry. And I was not able to know about the production of the precision pipes neither theoretically, nor practically, Kolesnikov said at the session. The MP provided the documents on the manipulations of the current authority in the case of the pass of the property of the Research and Development Institute of Pipe Industry named after Osada to the Dnipro city property. It turned out that Kolesnikov also did not participate in the pass of the Institutes property. The State Property Agency dealt with it where Kolesnikov did not work at that time. When he worked there, it was registered as a public institution. Lawyers Oleh Babych and Iryna Opanasenko emphasized that Kolesnikov is accused not only of the things he did not do but of things he theoretically could not commit as he did not work in the State Property Agency that time. Moreover, such decisions were made by thousands of times by Cabinet of Ministers and ministries so it is just a procedural issue, moreover, it is not a crime. Yes, and the property of the Institute was not passed to the private persons. It was a pass from the state ownership to the ownership of the city community, the lawyers said. The statements of the Prosecutor Generals Office are just an attempt to put pressure on the MP. Any court will make a positive decision on the falsified statements made by Prosecutor General, Babych emphasized. The Regulatory Committee considered the materials and passed them for the consideration to the Verkhovna Rada. As we reported Ukraines Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko presented a filing petition to the Verkhovna Rada on limiting immunity and prosecution of Oleksandr Vilkul, Dmytro Kolesnikov, and Serhiy Dunayev, the MPs of Opposition Bloc. Later the Verkhovna Rada Committee has recognized legal and grounded the appeal for the removal of immunity from the member of the Opposition Bloc Serhiy Dunaev. Related video: The final decision will be made by the Verkhovna Rada The Regulatory Committee of the Verkhovna Rada recognized the petition on the lifting of immunity of MP Olexander Vilkul from Opposition Bloc legal as 112 Ukraine reported. During the session, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yury Lutsenko described two episodes on which the lawfulness of action by Vilkul will be checked. The first case concerns the activity of Vilkul at the post of Chairman of Dnirpo Regional State Administration in 2011. According to Lutsenko, the current MP ordered to pass 15 hectares and a few smaller land plots of the allegedly land reserves but in fact of the lands of the collective ownership for the extension of the open pit in the interests of Ordzhonikidze Mountain-Concentrating Combine. According to Prosecutor General, due to this, the state sustained $17,000 losses. The second episode is about the illegal replacement of the lands of agricultural appointment to Artland Company for other commercial needs. The Prosecutor General claimed that Vilkul could give verbal orders on such replacement of the lands appointment and the state sustained losses in the sum of $183,000. Olexandr Vilkul claimed that in the first case the lands were and remained to be the state-owned, however, these were the lands of the reserves and then moved to the rent and the state got money for their rent. Talking about the replacement of the lands appointment, Vilkul said: Artland Company moved the lands of the agricultural appointment to the grasslands. It was not done by the regional state administration under my leadership but Dnipropetrovsk District State administration with which I had nothing to do. Vilkul claimed that in 2017 one of the courts gave a permission for the wiring of his phone number. Earlier the Regulatory Committee recognized the petition of the Prosecutor General for the lifting of the immunity from Dmytro Kolesnikov, the MP of Opposition Bloc legal. As we reported Ukraines Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko presented a filing petition to the Verkhovna Rada on limiting immunity and prosecution of Oleksandr Vilkul, Dmytro Kolesnikov, and Serhiy Dunayev, the MPs of Opposition Bloc. Later the Verkhovna Rada Committee has recognized legal and grounded the appeal for the removal of immunity from the member of the Opposition Bloc Serhiy Dunaev. Related video: Open source Fourteen peoples deputies propose the Verkhovna Rada to offer the National Security Council to deprive seven people of the title National Artist of Ukraine, in particular, Ani Lorak, Taisia Povaliy, Vitaliy Kozlovskiy, Filipp Kirkorov, and Mykola Baskov, as the text of the statement says. The draft bill proposes to appeal to the National Security and Defence Council offering to deprive the Ani Lorak, Taisia Povaliy, Vitaliy Kozlovskiy, Fillip Kirkorov, Mykola Baskov, Svitlana Loboda, Volodymyr Bortko of state honors. The explanatory note says that Ukraine is in a state of a military conflict with the aggressor state the Russian Federation. At the same time, not all the citizens can evaluate the true picture of the situation. The behavior of some representatives of Ukraines culture and show business causes outrage, in particular, those who have Ukraines honorary titles. Therefore, they have to understand their responsibility and remain loyal to the Ukrainian nation. The authors of the initiative stress that the performers go to Russia and thank Russians for welcoming them gladly. It was stated that such actions attest to the coincidences of the point of views of these artists with the separatists. The note says that the deprivation of the honorary titles is a logical continuation of the fight against separatism on all the levels. Some Russias national artists have found a courage to remain loyal to common sense despite of the indignation of the pro-Russian propaganda and did not bend to the changeable world, and our national artists did bend and are bending, like plastic puppets in the hands of the Kremlins propaganda, the note says. Earlier, in November 2017, a law, which obliges the managers of the tours to discuss the program with the Security Service concerning the participants from Russia, came into force in Ukraine. I ve wandered so far off the island, at this point, for those of you who are still stopping by, here goes nothing. Im fixated on this rel... NEWPORT BEACH, CA , Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE ADVANTIS CORPORATION (OTC PINK: ADVT) announced today that it is adding new strains to its current Amster-Can branded lineup of OG Kush, Gorilla Glue, and Blue Dream. The company CEO, Darren Cherry, says they the company just formed a new partnership with Master Win, a northern California master grower, who works with a medical cannabis research and cultivation organization. We package a number of different strains for different partners and clients, Advantis CEO Darren Cherry, said. We only have the three strains we package with Natural Elements that we put our branded Amster-Can label on. We expect this partnership with Master Win to add several more strains to our Amster-Can branded offerings. Cherry explained that Advantis had previously tested several strains from different partners before choosing Natural Elements OG Kush, Gorilla Glue, and Blue Dream as the highest quality options to put the Amster-Can name on. This new partnership with Master Win provides Advantis a new partner with a significant research background to bring new possibilities to the table. We obviously only want the highest quality cannabis associated with our brand name, Cherry explained. Master Win will not only provide us the finest quality flowers that we will brand with Amster-Can, he will also be working with us to further develop and distribute our branded extracts, sublinguals, and other Amster-Can branded offerings. To this point, Amster- Can has relied on Southern California mutual benefit company, Natural Elements, to grow and develop Amster- Can products. This new partnership is an effort to expand Advantis reach in addition to expanding its partnership with Natural Elements, itself. This new partnership will also result in expanding our partnership with Natural Elements, as we continue to build our existing product lineup with them. As the company continues to expand its offerings, it is actively working on improving its ability to market itself. We are gaining traction on our own and getting close to adding some octane to our marketing abilities, Cherry announced. Advantis is having UFC legend, Kimo, test certain pain-relieving products to ascertain which ones he wants to personally endorse and put his stamp of approval on. We are extremely excited to get Kimos opinion of the Amster-Can products he finds most effective. Kimo has much respect and quite a following that will value his endorsement. Cherry added that the company continues to expand its digital presence and is still working on finalizing the agreement with Herb N Works. We are firing on all cylinders, Cherry reflected. We have come a long way since we began this journey with Amster-Can. Our partnership with Natural Elements helped establish our footprint, Master Win will help us expand that footprint, and all our clients and partners continue growing together. I love having Kimo as part of our family advocating for what he truly feels is the highest quality brand in the marketplace. Advantis, Cherry concluded. Advantis wishes to thank Investors Hangout for mentioning the company in their podcast. Links to Advantis pictures and websites can be found on Facebook and Instagram pages, and at advantiscorp.com , rosin6.com , elixicure.com , and amstercan.com. About Advantis Corporation Advantis Corporation (ADVT) focuses on the development of innovative products that supply the medical, research, and pharmaceutical industries. The company additionally establishes partnerships with businesses that develop and sell proprietary pain management, and consumer products and services. Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements made by ADVANTIS CORPORATION. All such statements included in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these statements. The following risk factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in any forward- looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic conditions, changes in the law or regulations, demand for products of the Company, the effects of competition and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or represented in the forward looking statements. Forward- looking statements are typically identified by the words: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, and similar expressions or which by their nature refer to future events. The Company is not entitled to rely on the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 because it is not registered under either Act. San Francisco, Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InfluenceHR an exclusive B2B marketing conference for creative rebels and HCM marketing innovators has announced the winners of the 2018 InfluenceHR Awards. Each year, the InfluenceHR Awards recognize HCM brands and campaigns that achieve the highest level of creative excellence in B2B marketing. Wed like to thank all of our 2018 InfluenceHR award applicants for your amazing entries. The number of submissions and quality of work made this incredibly difficult for our judges throughout the evaluation process, said Mark Mitchell, partner for The Starr Conspiracy. The winners announced here today deserve an extra round of applause for breaking through the noise and standing out among the best of the best in HCM. Award finalists were celebrated during the annual InfluenceHR conference held at The Venetian Las Vegas, immediately preceding the HR Technology Conference & Exposition. Seven companies took home awards in the areas of brand, advertising, and promotion. Best New Visual Identity: Ceridian Best New Website: Waggl Best Video Ad: Viventium Best TV or Radio Ad: Paycor Best Printed Advertisement: Cielo Best Direct Mail Piece: Kudos Best Experiential Campaign: Viventium Best Integrated Campaign: Upwork Best Public Relations Campaign: Ceridian Scored by a panel of independent industry experts, the 2018 award recipients have produced work that showcases next-level creative ability while continuing to drive results. This years panel included Tim Jordan, Human Resource Executive and Jenn Steele, Madison Logic. For more information about the 2018 award winners, please visit InfluenceHR.com. About InfluenceHR InfluenceHR is a two-day event for creative rebels and HCM marketing innovators hell-bent on the systematic annihilation of the what weve always done mentality. Immediately preceding the 2018 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, InfluenceHR provides exclusive access to key influencers, analysts, and decision-makers from the brands making the most noise in the HCM industry. The HCM revolution is here and its time to propel brand awareness, drive leads, and eat market share like nobodys business. Are you ready? About The Starr Conspiracy The Starr Conspiracy is an integrated business-to-business marketing agency that helps HCM industry innovators propel brand awareness, drive leads, and eat market share like nobodys business. Were not your typical agency we meld digital advertising, brand innovation, and industry insights to change categories, industries, and yes even the entire notion of B2B marketing as we know it. Revolutionaries hell-bent on shaking things up are welcome. Conformists, please stay home (youll hate working with us, anyway). ### Attachment New York, NY, Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Tech Industries Group, Inc. (OTCPK: GTII), (GTII), a Nevada corporation, announced today that it is actively seeking to acquire a minority interest in another public entity trading on the OTC PINK market. The target company is a collection of brands and businesses promoting healthy lifestyles operating in the Health and Wellness, Cannabis Edibles, Hemp and CBD industries. GTIIs board of directors recently had committed the Company to exploring and investing in new opportunities in Healthcare, with a particula interest in businesses involved with cannabis products in its many forms. Mr. David Reichman, CEO and Chairman of GTII noted that this move is a logical continuation of that commitment, stating that this is the third such opportunity the company has been actively pursuing. Our idea is to get more assertive in this arena and attempt to explore more than one opportunity at a time. Our discussions, though preliminary in all cases, are moving forward. We are excited to be part of such a dynamic, vibrant, and fast-growing industry. Global Tech Industries Group, Inc. (GTII) is a publicly traded holding company, with subsidiaries and affiliates that hold intellectual properties, proprietary systems, and trade secrets in the bioscience, clean tech, and global health industries, as well as interests in energy-related businesses, and restaurant services. For more information on Global Tech Industries Group, Inc., please call 212.204.7926, see our website: www.GTII-US.com This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition to statements which explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements labeled with the terms "believes", "belief", "expects", "intends", "anticipates", projects "will", or "plans" to be uncertain and forward looking. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the company's reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SV Insight, a new media full-service transnational provider of industrial analysis and research, released a blockchain report following the consolidation, analysis, and measurement of 5,000 global ICOs this week. With Peter Qin, COO of SV Insight, presenting the findings at the San Francisco Blockchain Week Epicenter on Oct. 8th, Qin covered Global Blockchain Industrial Insights, Data, Policy, and Applications following months of careful consideration and research by SV Insights research team. The report was broken down into three parts: global mega trends for blockchain, blockchain applications in traditional industries, and blockchain policies and regulations. Comprised of analysis from 5,000 ICOs, the esteemed report presented the most updated industrial development trends from the past year in which blockchain was showcased in traditional industries. In particular, the report utilized three indices to evaluate the global ICO financing cycle, global ICO whitepaper sufficiency, and global ICO compliance level. Furthermore, the report generated a comparison between China and the U.S. in regards to blockchain adoption in industries. Following the reception of our report, we will publish the Blockchain Industrial Trends Whitepaper in the U.S. and China on October 15, said Qin. SV Insight will continue to work on global blockchain research from both a technological development and policy development perspective. We look forward to sharing our further findings. As one of the most prestigious blockchain events of 2018, the San Francisco Blockchain Week hosted industrial leaders like the creator of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, CEO and founder of AngelList, Naval Ravikant, CTO of Coinbase, Balaji Srinivasan, Co-Author of Plasma and Lightning Network, Joseph Poon, and President and Chief Scientist of DFINITY, Dominic Williams. Numerous renown professionals from top universities such as Silvio Micali from MIT and Dawn Song from UC Berkeley were also present at the event. More information coming soon at www.svinsight.com. About SV Insight Formerly known as a tech media company that connected the Chinese and American technology sectors, SV Insight recently went through an organizational upgrade. Today, SV Insight is a new media, full-service transnational provider of industrial analysis and research. Besides the new media business module, the company now has two additional business modules to provide services including industrial analysis and research. SV Insight also hosts Silicon Valleys well-known tech summit: Blockchain Connect Conference . Contact: Echo Zhang echo.zhang@svinsight.com Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. As is known, over 23 million Peruvians turned out at polling stations on Sunday to take part in regional and local elections across the Inca country. Below is a brief biography of the new capital city's leader. The virtual winner of Lima's election has dedicated his career to politics and public management while serving as mayor of Lima's residential Miraflores district. Jorge Vicente Martin Munoz Wells, the son of Julio Munoz Valdivieso and Molly Wells Leguia, was born in Miraflores on 12 April 1962. He attended Nuestra Senora del Carmen (Carmelitas) School in the same neighborhood between 1968 and 1979. The newly-elected authority joined Lima-based Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru (PUCP) Law School in 1980 and graduated in 1986. Additionally, he received a master's degree in land use planning and management from Universidad de Barcelona. After that, he joined Fernando Andrade's administration in Miraflores as part of Somos Lima partyrenamed Somos Peru for the 1996-1998 term. Munoz also served as a councilman in the aforementioned locality between 1999 and 2002. Later, he ran for mayor of the same district under the Somos Peru banner in 2010 and won. He was re-elected in 2014. By the end of 2015, while in office, he quit Somos Peru the political party where he served for almost 20 years. In 2017, the 56-year old lawyer joined Accion Popular as a pre-mayoral candidate for Lima. In 2018, he won the party's primary for mayor. He is currently the virtual winner after a tight race with Daniel Urresti and Renzo Reggiardo, who came second and third, respectively. (END) CVC/RMB Accion Popular party's candidate, Jorge Munoz, has defeated his opponents in Lima's mayoral race according to quick-count results to become Peruvian capital city's next mayor.Published: 10/8/2018 The agricultural sub-sector posted a 9% rise in August, supported by greater production of olives (366%; in Tacna), blueberries (67.2%; in La Libertad), paprika (62.1%; in Arequipa), tangerines (54.7%; in Ica and Lima), dry beans (50.3%; in Amazonas, Apurimac, and Arequipa), as well as parchment coffee (35.1%; in Junin, San Martin, and Cusco), among others. Meanwhile, livestock production grew 5.8% over the same month last year. Said result was mainly attributable to higher production of chicken (7.6%; in Lima, La Libertad, and Arequipa), laying hens (3.4%; in La Libertad and Arequipa), fattening turkeys (5.1%; in Lima), and other birds (1.8%, in Ica and La Libertad). On the other hand, the farming sector recorded its eighth consecutive month of growth in Jan-Aug at f 7.7%. During this period, the agricultural sub-sector saw a 9.1% rise, underpinned by higher production of olives (120%; in Tacna and Arequipa), blueberries (54.7%; in La Libertad and Lambayeque), paddy rice (20%; in La Libertad, Piura, and Lambayeque), as well as tangerines (19.4%; in Ica, Lima, and La Libertad), among others. Meanwhile, the livestock sub-sector expanded 5.3%. This result was due to the increased production of chicken (8.7%; in Lima, La Libertad, and Ica ), chicken eggs (6.1%; in Ica, Arequipa, and Lima), raw milk (2.5%; in Lima, Cajamarca, and Puno), and pork (1.7%; in Lima, Huanuco, and La Libertad). (END) CAN/RMB Perus farming sector expanded 7.5% in August and 7.7% in the first eight months of the year, spurred by an increase in agricultural and livestock activities, Agriculture and Irrigation Ministry (Minagri) said on Monday.Published: 10/8/2018 Party Barn Battle The war continues in Webster Township. by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds Published in October, 2018 Ryan Nixon is a fourth-generation Webster Township farmer whose property will achieve Centennial Farm status next year. "His great-grandfather bought the land in 1919," explains his mother, Cherie Nixon. When Cherie's husband, Bill, was diagnosed with a life-threatening neurological illness, the couple auctioned off their livestock and most of their farm equipment. "Others have 401Ks or pension funds. Farmers have their lands and equipment--and when we have an emergency, we have to turn to the land," she says. Three real estate development deals fell through. When the recession of 2007-2008 hit, it coincided with a boundary expansion of the Ann Arbor Greenbelt program. Bill and Cherie sold the development rights to their property--but Ryan held onto his own 330 acres. "Farmers nowadays face challenges that others just don't understand," Cherie observes. "Most farmers nowadays need to hold at least two jobs to support their families and their way of life. They have to be creative to make a living at farming." Her son is one of them. Ryan Nixon grows hay, pumpkins, produce, corn, soybeans, and trees on his own land and additional leased acreage. To supplement his crop income, he runs a corn maze and harvest activities in the fall. And in 2012, he renovated his family's century-old barn and opened it as a wedding venue, hosting up to sixteen events a year. The township didn't object at the time. But in 2013, Dexter businessman Dan Waitz opened his own event space, Cottonwood Barn. The township and three neighboring families sued him, arguing that hosting weddings in agricultural-zoned areas violated the township's zoning ordinance. After several legal rounds, the court allowed Cottonwood to continue for a time with restrictions on noise, hours, and lighting. But after losing an appeal in 2016, Waitz decided to throw in the towel. "I lost more money than I care to say over the situation," he says. "Certainly, I paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees alone." He and his ...continued below... wife recently sold the property to a family whose ambition had always been to live on a farm."I'm not happy about what Webster Township put us through," Waitz adds. "But it's a travesty what they're doing to Ryan Nixon."In October 2016, Webster sent Nixon a notice demanding that he stop hosting weddings. After the township's Zoning Board of Appeals upheld the prohibition, Nixon sued.At the time, Webster permitted loosely defined "seasonal agri-tourism" in agricultural zones. Nixon's attorney, Stephon Bagne, argued that definitions of agritourism used by the Michigan Department of Agriculture, the Michigan Farm Bureau, the Michigan Agritourism Association, and other groups include hosting weddings. The court agreed.The township then changed its ordinance, dropping the term "agri-tourism" and specifically prohibiting weddings. Nixon responded by going door-to-door with a petition calling for a public vote on the change. He collected more than enough signatures--but this August the township board amended its ordinance again, re-introducing the term "agri-tourism" but redefining it to specifically exclude weddings. The changed language made Nixon's petitions meaningless.Thanks to his court win, Nixon's weddings are grandfathered in. "I have the right--now--to host events," he says. "But I have to be honest with the people who call me." When he tells people making wedding plans about the township's efforts to shut him down, he says, some choose to go elsewhere.As the Community Observer went to press, he was considering another petition. "I'm fighting for farmers in the township who need nontraditional uses like this to keep their farms alive for future generations. That's my fight," Nixon says. "I'm a farmer stepping out of a traditional farmer's footprint. I want to remain a farmer and pass my family's land on to my children."My neighbors' property values have risen because my parents sold their development rights, and their land will remain forever green. But newcomers to the township are trying to restrict longtime farmers' rights to earn an honest income from our farms."Whatever the outcome of the next series of skirmishes, Nixon has an ace--make that four aces--up his sleeve. Webster may be able to limit farmers' nonagricultural businesses, but under Michigan's Right to Farm Act, it can't tell them how, or what, to farm.If he isn't able to host weddings, "I'll make some major changes," Nixon says. "I'm looking into turning my land into a hog farm."A new meatpacking plant has opened in Coldwater and is calling for local producers to consider hog raising."I wonder how my neighbors will feel if I bring in 5,000 hogs and build two new barns to accommodate them?" Nixon asks. "Will they remember that they objected to sixteen events a year in my century-old barn instead?" [Originally published in October, 2018.] STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Accompanied by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans spouse Anna Hakobyan, representatives of Russias public, political, literary and media sectors visited Artsakh within the framework of the Women For Peace campaign. "Dear, respected guests, Logically, I, certainly must begin by thanking you for being here now, in Nagorno Karabakh, essentially in a war zone, moreover in the frontline. But I cannot allow myself to say thank you to you, because what you have done was above any kind of thanks. You have come and reached the Karabakh frontline from Russia to say no to war, and in addition, each of you has the kind of biography that I consider myself very small to even thank you. When nearly two months ago I signaled the Women For Peace initiative in Moscows Tretyakov Gallery, I presented its meaning and goals and said that in order to make your voice more heard I would be better to voice it from the war zone, standing next to soldiers. But at that time I wasnt even sure that this goal will be possible to be realized, given that how many obstacles exist on its way. But now were are here, which was possible only due to your high motherly and human sense and great courage. What are we saying? We are calling on the parties and mediator countries involved in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict to spare the lives of the 18-20 year old Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers standing on this and the opposite sides of the border, not to make their parents and children sorrowful, not to play with the fates of hundreds of families, to reject the military solution of the conflict and seek the issues settlement exclusively around the negotiations table. We are calling on Azerbaijani women and mothers to join this campaign and address the same call on political decision-makers. However, in Azerbaijan they dont yet hurry to take this kind of step, which is truly strange. Does this mean that the mothers are indifferent for the lives of their sons there? Certainly not, such a thing cannot be. The reactions coming from Azerbaijan prove that they are simply approaching this initiative with distrust, and are seeking different political subtexts underneath it, and not only arent they joining this campaign, but they are also trying to refrain others from doing so. But in order for everything to be clear, I would like to once again emphasize we are not speaking about the origin of the conflict, or the options of its solution, we are with pleasure ceding this hard work to men, but we are confidently urging them to spare the lives of Armenian and Azerbaijani young people in this process and not to increase the mothers in black armies on both sides. For nearly 30 years now the conflict isnt being solved, dozens of soldiers are killed on both sides of the border every year, and in April of 2016 hundreds were killed. And what do we have as a result? Did the solution of the issue get closer for at least one centimeter? Of course not. From both sides we have interrupted young or not young lives, sorrowful families, mothers in black and a conflict, which is the same point it was a year ago, five years ago, ten years ago. And will anyone benefit if it were to continue for another thirty years, hasnt time changed the arrangement of things and thought of a new thing? On the other side of the border they have fears that the visit of the Russian women to the Karabakh-Azerbaijan border from the Armenian side means to support the stance of the Armenian side. I would like to once again stress that the Women For Peace campaign doesnt seek to enter the content settlement dimension. It seeks to exclusively protect the lives of both Armenian and Azerbaijani young people. And in order for misinterpretations not to happen in this issue, I suggest you also visit the opposite side of the line of contact and make the same call from there too. I understand that this is difficult, that you are busy women, that it was difficult to reach here, but if we will be able to save the life of even one eighteen year old. I am also informed that in this period you have been under pressure, and the fact that you overcome and didnt give in to these pressures deserves great respect. And I would like to hope that in the same way we will overcome the ban on appearing on the other side of the border and will be able to convey it from that side of the border. About pressures: I am informed, If I am not mistaken, I apologize that one of the women working at the Russian PTP channel also wanted to join this campaign but her superiors did not allow her. This, certainly is strange. It is also strange that Mir TV channel, Sputnik news did not allow their creative groups to visit and cover this visit. Overall, not a single Russian media outlet reacted and isnt here now to follow this visit of very famous women in Russian social circles, when the message of these women is peace. This is strange, because when war began in this same area in April of 2016, it was widely covered by Armenian, Russian, Azerbaijani and other foreign news media. The horror images of war remained on TV screens and pages of electronic and printed press. But here, the event which seeks the prevention of these wars, did not cause such interest. I understand that a possible new war will too bring sensational materials with itself, victims, decapitated bodies, scattered bodies, and the news media will engage in a fierce competition to report these images the first from the scene. But I would like to remind us all, that behind these sensational and exclusive images are human lives, distorted fates, sorrowful mothers and children. I would like to simply call on the news media to revise their priorities and carry out their professional duty equally in the event of both the cruel loss of human lives as well as in case of efforts aimed at saving these lives. After all, seemingly there is no lack of sensations based on human sorrow in the world. Dear guests, I want you to know, that you are the first who was in the Karabakh conflict zone with a peace call. And with this step you inspired me to continue the campaign with greater efforts. And I am sure that the common voice of the women and mothers cant not have its effect, and I believe that all bullets of the world will melt down before the cosmic love of mothers. For example, they will transform into the kind of jewelry that I am wearing now. The jewelry I am currently wearing is made out of melted bullets, she said. Women who join Women For Peace, a campaign led by Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyans spouse Anna Hakobyan, will receive ornaments made our of melted bullets. Anna Hakobyan announced the initiative at a visit to the frontline in Artsakh, adding that the jewelry will become the symbol of the Women For Peace campaign. It turns out there is a craftsman in Yerevan who is making jewelry out of melted bullets. I didnt know this, I only found out about this recently. I thought that these will become the symbol of the Women For Peace campaign, and any woman, who will join the campaign, will receive this kind of an ornament, she said. She said that all bullets of the world will melt down before the cosmic love of mothers. This means that the more women join the campaign, the more bullets will disappear from the world, the more bullets will lose their initial designation and will become simply jewelry, and this in turn means that that many lives will be possible to be saved. This, certainly, is a language of symbols, but not distant from reality, Hakobyan said. Anna Hakobyan announced the campaign on July 24 in Moscow. Today, on October 7, President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan received the participants of the campaign, who also visited the frontline. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The delegation of the United Arab Emirates, which includes a number of high ranking officials, attended the La Francophonie Permanent Council session in Yerevan. The session signaled the beginning of the La Francophonie events in the Armenian capital. The slogan of the XVII Yerevan summit is Living Together. Yerevan is hosting the XVII International Organisation of La Francophonie summit in 2018. The events, including the Permanent Council session and the Ministerial Session will take place October 7-12, with the summit scheduled for the final two days. 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. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The cooperation of Moscow and Yerevan continues, despite the domestic political situation of Armenia, Russian deputy foreign minister Grigory Karasin said in an interview to the Izvestia newspaper. Planned joint work is proceeding in specific directions of cooperation. The positive dynamics of mutual trade turnover is eloquent: in the first half of 2018 the growth comprised 23,4%, reaching 925,6 million dollars against the previous years same period, he said. The Russian deputy FM said that Armenia and Russia maintain intensive dialogue, just like before. In few months three meetings between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin took place, and two meetings with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Our leaders have talked on the phone for several times, he said. According to Karasin, the result of such frequent contacts between Moscow and Yerevan will be the further strengthening of relations between Russia and Armenia both in bilateral format and in common integration unions, within the framework of the EEU, the CSTO and CIS. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Diaspora Minister Mkhitar Hayrapetyans spokesperson Nune Aylanjyan has resigned. Dear friends, colleagues, I would like to inform that I am no longer the spokesperson of the Diaspora ministry. I have tendered my resignation. Me and the Diaspora Minister said goodbye to one another very warmly, wishing good luck to each other, she said. She was serving in the position since late May of the current year. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The incumbent government is planning to hold early elections of parliament in December, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told reporters today, adding that he will inform additionally on the remaining decisions. I believe certain events have taken place during the time when I was in Paris, which we will definitely take into account. During this time BHK [Prosperous Armenia Party] president Gagik Tsarukyan gave an interview, who, essentially, was in favor of the idea of holding elections in December. With the results of the interview I am planning to have a meeting with Gagik Tsarukyan to discuss scenarios for resolution. A meeting with Dashnaktsutyun [ARF] can also take place, in Paris Ive had a discussion with the ARFs Diaspora structure too, he said. Reporters asked whether the PMs announcement on intending to resign is still effective. The PM noted that the resignation is simply for ensuring the legal procedures. By the way, it seems there is a public wave of discontent. I dont want to be like the governments that persistently the public is demanding not to resign, but we do [resign]. We must act in a way that the process will be understandable for all with all its nuances. I wont do any action to jeopardize the peoples power, the PM said. Pashinyan said that Republicans continue not understanding the political situation: On one hand they say they are expecting an atmosphere of tolerance, and on the other hand they are doing everything for the public not to tolerate. It isnt a right path, you cant make an impression that there is a political force with a goal to disturb the people. It isnt a good role, he said. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. It doesnt bring honor to Republican lawmakers and our delegation at PACE that since the first day they are trying to misrepresent the developments in Armenia, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan told reporters today. As much as I talk with representatives of international structures, I havent yet heard any discontent. It doesnt bring honor to Republican lawmakers and our delegation at PACE that since the first day they are trying to misrepresent the developments in Armenia, and this is another argument that early elections of parliament must take place. I believe they must stop spreading lies about Armenia, he said. According to the PM, the Armenian delegation to PACE, essentially, doesnt represent anyone, it represents the former corrupt system. What they say shouldnt be trated seriously at all. At least when the co-rapporteurs will arrive to Armenia, essentially we wont have much to say to them. We will tell them to go out and talk to the people, reporters, NGOs, let them carry out monitoring, he said. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan While Mayor Bill de Blasio marches in today's Columbus Day parade, a group of activists will lead the third annual Anti-Columbus Day Tour through the American Museum of Natural History. The activities will begin at 3 p.m., and a flyer from the group Decolonize This Place promises "more than a tour this year." Last year, hundreds of people packed the museum's halls for the event. Back in January, the commission created by Mayor de Blasio to reevaluate controversial monuments across the city decided that the statute of Christopher Columbus in the circle that bears his name will stay where it is, but that "new historical markers" will be added to it, presumably to note the explorer's ties to the slave trade and his remarkable cruelty. The administration also promised to erect "a new monument, at a location in the city not yet determined, recognizing Indigenous peoples." The commission also ruled that the statue of Theodore Roosevelt next to the American Museum of Natural History, which depicts the former president on horseback flanked by an indigenous man and an African-American man, should stay where it is, and that the administration would "partner with the museum to provide additional context on-site through signage and educational programming, which can offer multiple interpretations of the sculpture," and "explore" the possibility of erecting a new statue nearby to "further these dialogues." Roughly half of the mayor's monuments commission felt that more research needed to be done on the statue, which was erected in 1939, while the other half felt it should be relocated. "An observation repeated several times by the Commission is that height is power in public art, and Roosevelts stature on his noble steed visibly expresses dominance and superiority over the Native American and African figures," the report states. "Some also see the monument as an image of racial hierarchy and linked this to the museums early-twentieth-century ties to the eugenics movement; the second and third International Eugenics Congress conferences were held at AMNH in 1921 and 1932, respectively." Last year, a few weeks after Columbus Day, activists doused the Roosevelt statue with red paint. New York City has the largest population of indigenous people in the country, with more than 111,000 Native Americans living in the five boroughs. Yet "in every representation of non-European peoples in the museum, there is a reinforced message of being placed in the past, and being contiguous with the earliest humans," said Jackson Polys, a Tlingit artist who is part of today's actions. "A part of the problem with that institution as a whole, is that it's contained by these reinforced messages of manifest destiny that permeate the museum," Polys says, noting the Roosevelt statue in particular. "People consider Roosevelt as being progressive for his advocacy of land conservation, but the issue with that conservation is that it first removed the native people from that land." This past weekend, the AMNH posted an Instagram video showing captions being added to a diorama from 1939, depicting the Dutch meeting with the Lenape, to correct "cliches and a fictional view of the past." Andrew Ross, a professor at NYU who is part of Decolonize This Place, called this a "baby step" in the right direction, while the museum renovates the 120-year-old Northwest Coast Hall. "Instead of re-conceiving the dioramas, what they're doing is adding plaques pointing out how the dioramas are fundamentally flawed, and if you do that was a whole, visitors are going to be very confused." "The Museum is very committed to working on issues of cultural representation in its halls," Roberto Lebron, the museum's senior director of communications, said in an email. "We are working on a complete renovation and reinterpretation of the Northwest Coast Hall. That work, along with the Stuyvesant Diorama context project, is part of a series of things that the Museum is doing to address aspects of our halls that are out of date." "Ultimately, you have to ask, why are these cultural halls in a Museum of Natural History in the first place? There are no European or settler halls there," Ross says. "Those tend to be in the Metropolitan Museum of Art across the park. Somehow the objects of these indigenous populations are of ethnographic interest, and are aside displays of animals and mammals...It reflects a Victorian conception of racial science, that these populations are very close to nature and haven't ascended to the rank of civilization." According to the release, today's events "will be fully participatory," and will culminate with a Peoples Assembly at 5 p.m. around the great canoe. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenian pop star Sirusho has released the music video for her 301 song from the Armat album. Sirusho performed the song live on March 28 at a concert in Yerevans Republic Square. The music video also features parts from the concert. 301 was released as a single in 2016. Sirusho represented Armenia at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. As of 2018, she has five albums and has received more than 2 dozen of awards. She is married to former President Robert Kocharyans younger son Levon. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The Nobel Prize in economics has been awarded to Americans William Nordhaus and Paul Romer for their contributions to understanding how economies can grow sustainably, CNN reports. Nordhaus, a professor at Yale University, is best known for his work on climate economics. Romer, who works at New York University, is a proponent of a theory that examines how the world can achieve sustainable growth. "This year's Laureates have designed methods for addressing some of our time's most basic and pressing questions about how we create long-term sustained and sustainable economic growth," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan today held a meeting with US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, who visited the parliament on the occasion of completing his diplomatic mission in the country. During the meeting the Speaker thanked the ambassador for his efforts aimed at developing the Armenian-American relations and the productive work, wishing good luck in his further activities. According to Speaker Babloyan, the bilateral cooperation developed upwards in the recent years, which was in the interest of the two countries, and significant achievements have been recorded in numerous areas as a result of coherent and targeted work. The Speaker emphasized that inter-parliamentary ties have an important place in bilateral relations, which have been rather active in the recent period. Babloyan praised the many years of US assistance for strengthening democracy and the reforms in different areas. The sides also addressed the latest domestic developments in Armenia. In this context Babloyan stressed that during international meetings, as Speaker of Parliament of Armenia, he is always calling on partners to assist the new government of Armenia for developing and strengthening democracy even more. I must continue making efforts in order for Armenia to proceed on the democratic path, and that all problems find a solution in an atmosphere of political dialogue, negotiations and discussions refraining the country from possible tremors, the Speaker said. The US Ambassador highly appreciated this stance of the Speaker. I highly appreciate the productive cooperation that has developed between our countries during my tenure. I am convinced that the US government will continue supporting the Armenian people in establishing a firm and independent parliament, the American Ambassador said, thanking the Speaker for warm words. As reported earlier, US President Donald Trump nominated Lynne Tracy as the new ambassador to Armenia. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called on citizens to encourage those Members of Parliament who are in favor of dissolving the incumbent parliament and holding early elections in December of the current year. Dear countrymen, it is necessary to encourage rather to accuse the lawmakers who are in favor of dissolving the incumbent parliament and holding early elections in December. Basically they are fulfilling your demand. Lets encourage everyone who is accepting that there is nothing higher than the peoples will. With courage! he said on Facebook. Earlier today independent lawmaker Arman Sahakyan, who was formerly representing the Republican faction, expressed support for holding snap elections in December. Republican (HHK) faction MP Gevorg Kostanyan, a former Prosecutor General, also supported Pashinyan and the government in an interview today. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received outgoing Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USA to Armenia Richard Mills. PM Pashinyan thanked Richard Mills for his work done in Armenia as the Ambassador of the USA and for his significant contribution to the strengthening of Armenian-U.S. cooperation. During your tenure the bilateral relations between Armenia and the USA in various spheres have continuously developed. I also want to thank you for your balanced position during the velvet revolution. The USA is an important partner for Armenia and I am confident that the Armenian-U.S. relations will continue to expand, Pashinyan said, wishing Richard Mills success in his future activities. The Ambassador of the USA to Armenia thanked PM Pashinyan for constructive cooperation, noting that he will continue to remain Armenias friend and will be glad to preserve his ties with Armenia and the Armenian people. My tenure comes to end as Ambassador of the USA to Armenia and I am proud to record the continuously developing relations between our countries in various spheres, from business to state administration and civil society. I am confident these relations will further develop during the upcoming years. Now, when the Government and the Armenian people are voyaging in this key period for the Armenian history, I wish you all the best, Mr. Prime Minister, Mills said. The interlocutors exchanged views on the agenda of the Armenian-U.S. cooperation, ongoing projects and prospects for future development. During the meeting the interlocutors also touched upon the recent domestic developments in Armenia. PM Pashinyan noted that after the velvet revolution Armenia confidently moves forward, pursuing the policy of the development of democracy, rule of law, transparency of state administration. Ambassador Mills welcomed the measures of the Government and the reforms in the mentioned directions. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is in a non-usual political situation and its the obligation of the political forces to try to overcome the existing situation through negotiations, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said in a meeting with President of Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik Tsarukyan. Mr. Tsarukyan, I want to emphasize that your interview gave such an opportunity. The content of the interview showed that we have something to discuss, at least some of our visions coincide. In fact, you supported the idea of holding early parliamentary elections in December. The goal of our todays meeting is to discuss that situation. I would like to listen to your vision on how to reach the implementation of that goal. I would also like to share my visions with you, ARMENPRESS reports Nikol Pashinyan as saying. Thanking for the reception, Gagik Tsarukyan noted that the Prosperous Armenia Party was a supporter of the revolution from the beginning of the movement. As a partner I am ready to stand with you for the development of the economy and prosperity of the country, Tsarukyan said, adding that no one could imagine that Serzh Sargsyan would resign. Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that the history of their partnership has been public, and hoped that it will be public in the future as well. Unfortunately, there were and still there are forces that continue to assess the situation in a non-sober way and spare no efforts to escalate the domestic political situation. Bu I have to say that the Government enjoys the support of 90% of the people and in this sense the situation cannot become tense, Pashinyan said, adding that partnership should become the main political culture. After the meeting Nikol Pashinyan and Gagik Tsarukyan signed a memorandum of holding early parliamentary elections in December. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation had a productive discussion with Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan at the Government, member of the ARF Supreme Council Arsen Hambardzumyan told the reporters. We had a productive discussion over a broad scope of issues. I think future discussions will give an opportunity to find the correct solutions to overcome the existing situation, ARMENPRESS reports Hambardzumyan as saying. He added that they will keep the public informed over future developments. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Australian auction clearance rates rebounded last week despite a sharp increase in the number of properties going under the hammer. Sydney and Melbourne both recorded preliminary clearance rates in the low-to-mid 50% region, a level that has typically coincided with price declines in the past. CoreLogic will release weekly price data from Australia's five mainland state capitals later today. Australian auction clearance rates rebounded last week despite a large increase in the number of properties going under the hammer. However, they still remain at levels that have typically corresponded with price declines in the past. According to CoreLogic, a preliminary clearance rate of 53.7% was achieved across Australia's capital cities, up marginally from the 49.1% preliminary estimate offered seven days earlier that was subsequently revised down to 45.8%, the weakest level since June 2012. The modest increase came despite a sharp lift in the number of auctions held across the country, lifting to 1,809 from 895 in the prior week. CoreLogic received results from 1,323 of the auctions that took place, equating to a preliminary reporting rate of 73.1%, up from 65.6% one week earlier. Of those results received, 717 properties either sold prior to, at or after auction. 606 properties failed to sell, including 107 that were removed from the market prior to going to auction. Maintaining the prevailing theme seen in recent months, preliminary clearance rates for units continued to outperform that for houses, standing at 56.4% and 52.6% respectively for the week. By individual capital, both Sydney and Melbourne -- the busiest individual auction markets across the country -- recorded preliminary clearance rates in the low-to-mid 50% region. After hitting the lowest level in a decade in the prior week, Sydney's preliminary clearance rate bounced noticeably, lifting to 53.5% from 49.2% a week earlier. That latter was revised down to just 43.8% following the receipt of tardy results, a level not seen since December 2008. Story continues "There were 606 Sydney homes taken to auction this week, virtually unchanged from the week prior," CoreLogic said. Suggesting Sydney's preliminary result is likely to be revised substantially lower, the group received results from just 381 of the auctions that took place. After a sharp slowdown caused by the AFL Grand Final in late September, auction activity in Melbourne rose sharply, increasing from 70 to 904 week-on-week. Despite the large increase in properties going under the hammer, Melbourne's preliminary clearance rate was largely unchanged, standing at 54.4% from 55.6% a week earlier. CoreLogic received results from 744 of the 904 auctions that took place across the city during the week. Nationwide, Adelaide recorded the highest preliminary clearance rate of any capital city at 66.1%, closely followed by Canberra at 63.9%. Both were marginally higher compared to the preliminary figures released a week earlier. Brisbane's preliminary result of 41.3% was also an improvement on the 36.1% figure of a week earlier. Later today, CoreLogic will release weekly home price movements from Australia's five mainland state capitals - Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. In the last week of September, median prices across these cities fell 0.1% in average weighted terms, led by modest declines in all cities apart from Brisbane. That result left prices in these cities down 3.9% over the past year, a result largely reflecting fall of 6.1%, 3.4% and 2.8% in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth respectively. Melbourne hosts Australia's first conference dedicated to graphene innovation The super-strong, super-conductive material has the potential to change our future. One of Silicon Valley's biggest accelerators is ready to work with Australian startups. One of the world's biggest startup accelerators is in Australia searching for people who want to work with the world's most promising material. Silicon Valley accelerator Plug and Play Tech Center, which has helped the likes of Google, Dropbox, PayPal and Zoosk develop their ideas into businesses, will be at the inaugural Graphene+ conference in Melbourne today, to announce its interest in setting up an Australian outpost. Also read: 5 reasons its a scary time to be paying off a mortgage Presented by the Australian Graphene Industry Association (AGIA), the conference has been developed to show how graphene might change the world, and the Australian companies that are already leading the world in developing applications for the superconductor. After nearly a decade of hype about indestructible armour for super soldiers, unbreakable smartphones, bionic devices attached to our brains and paper that's stronger than steel, it feels, to the regular reader, like graphene is in danger of slipping into the "Where's my hoverboard?" category. Most of the writing off stems from the perception that graphene -- in its pure form, an atom thin sheet of carbon -- is simply too expensive to use in any popular real-world application. Also read: How the third richest man spends his fortune You'll hear figures like $800 for a piece the size of a drinks coaster. And that's actually way, way down on numbers being thrown around even three years ago. But graphene manufacturing has come a long way since Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at the University of Manchester first isolated the raw material in 2004. And AGIA chairman Chris Gilbey says its time is finally at hand. Story continues Gilbey knows a good thing when he sees it. He has an OEM for his contribution to the music industry, which included telling the world about AC/DC, managing The Saints, and signing INXS to his record label. These days, he gets excited about single layers of bonded carbon atoms. In 2014, he founded and is CEO of Imagine Intelligent Materials, which built the first commercial graphene manufacturing plant in Australia. Also read: Linkedins co-founder shares his secret for success Gilbey says the "cost" of graphene is widely misunderstood. The agenda at the conference in Melbourne today deliberately avoids talk of mining and manufacturers and focuses instead on "taking the brakes off innovation" as we head into the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It's more important to first understand what we want from graphene, he says, rather than more talk about what graphene in its pure form is capable of. For example, in February, the CSIRO announced the development of "Graphair", a type of graphene made from soybean oil, that could make even Sydney Harbour's water drinkable. Imagine IM specialises in "fit for purpose" graphene that can greatly enhance the performance of current materials. In the age of the Internet of Things, that kind of instantaneous sensing and reporting will be essential. Material design can now be undertaken at a molecular level to deliver the kind of functionality you'd have to go to the movies to even imagine 20 years ago. In this age where more data is more power, imagine a carpet that tells you how much foot traffic is passing over it, or a water tank that knows it's about to spring a leak. How about a car seat that responds to the stroke of a hand? Textile Touch HMI Control System from Imagine Intelligent Materials on Vimeo. These are real products in development at Imagine IM. And Imagine, Gilbey says, is one of a surprisingly large number of small, innovative Australian companies pushing the boundaries of what graphene can do in its many forms, and drawing some $30 million in government research funding since 2009. Today, at Graphene+, Plug and Play's Vice President of New Materials & Packaging, Omer Gozen, will announce a huge opportunity for such a startup. Here's how it works: Plug and Play offers two accelerator programs each year in 14 different industry-specific verticals in Silicon Valley. They have a similar format in each of their offices outside of the USA. In these innovation platforms industry-leading corporations such as ExxonMobil, DuPont, PepsiCo, Avery Dennison, Dow Chemical task Plug and Play with finding specific technology based on their business priorities and challenges. In the Materials and Packaging vertical, around 1000 startups per year make submissions to Plug and Play. Plug and Play whittle those down to a "hottest 100" and the client gets to vote on what goes through to accelerator programs. Today, Gozen will announce he can offer the best Australian graphene-based startups a chance to jump the queue straight into the hottest 100, just like he did for Imagine Intelligent Materials, for a shot at the next accelerator program in Silicon Valley. Make it through and you'll be on exactly the same path as Gilbey and Imagine are on right now with Plug and Play. Last year, one of Plug and Play's corporate clients liked what Imagine IM was doing and pulled it from a field of some 5500 startups to take part in Startup Autobahn in Stuttgart, Germany, in June. The client was German engineering giant Daimler and the challenge it issued Imagine IM following Startup Autobahn was to further develop its advances in Imagine's smart sensing geo-fabric. As a Startup Autobahn finalist, Imagine IM was then named one of eight companies invited to present at the Industry 4.0 category to the Mondial Tech Startup Awards, to be held in Paris between October 2 and 6. "So you can see there's a pattern when you become a part of the Plug and Play ecosystem, Gozen says. "When you're successful in one location with Plug and Play then we like to keep you around and expose your offering in other parts of the globe. "Plug and Play is an investor in early stage startups but where we are powerful is with this global network that we have created and what we've done for Imagine, we can do for other Australian startups too." Plug and Play doesn't currently have an office in Australia. But Imagine IM's success within the Plug and Play ecosystem last year is the main reason Gozen is at the AGIA conference today -- and it might have huge implications for the Australian startup scene. Gozen was so impressed with advances in Australia, he's "seriously considering a partnership with government and local universities to help create an ecosystem for Australians startups so they can be exposed on the global stage", starting in Melbourne. And Plug and Play already has feelers out in Sydney to get a handle on the fintech scene. "My goal is to connect with the government and local universities and find these startups and ensure that there's a soft landing for them in Silicon Valley at Plug and Play," Gozen says. "And if you have what it takes, and that cutting-edge technology that you can actually deliver, then we're more than happy to work with you." Three men have been arrested after police and Australian Border Force officials seized methamphetamines worth $57 million, hidden inside imported meat grinders normally used to make sausages. Investigators were suspicious of a container that had arrived from Turkey. Inside, they found 496 kilograms of methamphetamine. The drugs were hidden among a range of other goods, including chocolate biscuits, air fresheners and detergents, police said. Police and Border Force have seized half a tonne of methamphetamines hidden inside imported meat grinders used to make sausages. Source: 7 News Police substituted the meth, then tracked the equipment to a supermarket in the Sydney suburb of Auburn, which was awaiting its regular delivery of goods. Three men, aged in their 20s, then took the four meat grinders to a commercial facility in nearby Clyde where police swooped. The owners of the family-run business told 7 News they were stunned by the amount of drugs delivered to the shop last Friday in a container. Police do not suspect the business was involved in the drug importation, which occurred directly across the road from the Auburn Police Station. Investigators tracked the equipment to an Auburn supermarket which was awaiting its regular delivery of goods, then tracked it to a commercial facility in Clyde. Source: 7 News That amount of MDMA, if pressed into pills, makes approximately 1.7 million pills with an estimated street value of $57 million, AFP Detective Superintendent Kirsty Schofield said. This is the latest in a string of massive seizures including 1.2 tonnes of ice, another 900 kilograms in Melbourne worth nearly $1 billion, and 500 kilograms of cocaine. That amount of MDMA, if pressed into pills, makes approximately 1.7 million pills with an estimated street value of $57 million. Source: 7 News A new illicit drug survey reveals cocaine use is at an all-time high in Australia and higher quantities of pure ecstasy are hitting the streets. Were always amazed at the thirst that we have in Australia for illicit drugs and 500 kilos is a significant amount to take off the street, said Det Supt Schofield. The three men will appear in court later this week and next week. A 24-year-old woman was fatally shot on a Brooklyn sidewalk Sunday night, and police are now searching for her ex-boyfriend. Sade Sanchez was reportedly walking with her mother and a male friend near St. Nicholas Street and Menahan Street in Bushwick when she was shot multiple times in the torso. Sanchez was taken to Wyckoff Hospital, when she was pronounced dead. This morning, the NYPD issued a release saying that they were looking for Gabriel Rivera, 26, in connection to the killing. Police confirmed that Rivera is Sanchez's ex-boyfriend; the pair had two young children and had apparently recently broke up. JUST IN: @NYPDnews searching for 26 y/o Gabriel Rivera, wanted for allegedly shooting & killing 24 y/o Sade Sanchez overnight in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The victim & suspect share two children together. Rivera has been arrested 4 other times, dating back to 2007. pic.twitter.com/BANanKizE6 Morena Basteiro (@morenabasteiro) October 8, 2018 A friend, Joseph Ayala, said to PIX 11, "She left behind two little boys. All and all [she] was a good soul." He also told NBC New York, "Deep down I think [Rivera is] really a good dude. I just think that love hit him the wrong way." Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential. Alaska Airlines has introduced a policy allowing travellers to bring miniature horses on board with them. The policy, introduced earlier this week, is an upgrade to the airlines travelling with trained service animal guidelines. Trained service animals are support for people with disabilities, health issues or other needs including PTSD, and while the old guidelines had cats and dogs accepted, they now include miniature horses. Miniature horses are typically between 86-97cm tall. Eric Lipp, executive director of Open Doors Organisation, which supports travellers with disabilities, said he only knows of three people in the US who use miniature horses as service animals. A new Alaska Airlines policy means miniature horses can be brought on board flight as service animals. Source: Getty Images (File pic) But they can perform functions like lifting, carrying, pulling, pushing, he told the New York Times. A dog or a horse is either going to pick stuff up for you, or its going to guide you. However, Miniature Horse World editor Melissa Powell said taking a miniature horse on a flight isnt the best idea because they prefer being outdoors or in herds. She added they are different to dogs. The policy originally had cats and dogs listed as animals but now includes miniature horses. Source: Getty Images In January, a passenger in the US wasnt allowed to board a flight with her emotional support peacock. In May, an autistic girl was left in tears after her service dog wasnt allowed to board a Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Sydney. A Jetstar spokeswoman told Yahoo7 the staff member in question had made a mistake and was undergoing training to remind her of their existing policies. Bosnia faced a political crisis Monday after an election left a pro-Russian nationalist holding the Serb seat in the three-way presidency and laid bare tensions between Croat and Bosnian Muslim leaders. Leaders warned that the results threatened the stability of the political system set up after the ethnic war of the 1990s which left 100,000 people dead. Voters cast ballots on Sunday to elect three members of the presidency, representing Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats and Bosnian Muslims, known as Bosniaks. Preliminary results indicated that nationalist Milorad Dodik had topped the vote in the Serb entity. Right-wing nationalist Dragan Covic lost out in his bid for the Croat presidential seat to his moderate rival, Zeljko Komsic. The Bosnian Muslim seat was won by Sefik Dzaferovic of the conservative SDA. He urged "everyone to respect" the constitution. - Russian support - The 1995 Dayton Agreement to end the war left Bosnia divided along ethnic lines into two semi-independent entities: Serb-run Republika Srpska and the Croat-Muslim Federation, with a loose central government. Opposed to the centralised system, Dodik has threatened to hold a vote on the Serb entity's secession. That would unravel the delicate arrangement that has kept peace since the 1992-95 conflict. Dodik has vowed to work "solely in the interest and for the benefit of Republika Srpska". He promised to ensure "support through his diplomatic contacts" -- in particular Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin during the campaign. "Dodik will be an obstructionist factor, but the presidency has limited powers," said Florian Bieber, a professor of southeast European studies at the University of Graz in Austria. "He can block, but not impose decisions." Dodik has called for the closing down of the office of the High Representative, an international entity overseeing peace in the country. He also wants to expel foreign members of the constitutional court. A political analyst in Sarajevo, Ranko Mavrak, told AFP Dodik will not be able to act as an "absolute ruler". But he cautioned: "Whether he will manage in that way is another matter, because Dodik is known as a short-tempered person not given to compromise." - Croat secession demands - Covic's nationalist HDZ party is also demanding Croats secede from the union with the Bosniaks. His defeat looked likely to fan tensions in the federation, as Covic and Croat media blamed it on Muslim voters. Covic complained that Bosnian Muslim voters appeared to have rallied behind his rival. Muslims "cannot chose legitimate representatives to Croats. It is a step backwards," Covic said. Komsic has promised to work for a "civic Bosnia" beyond ethnic divisions. But Covic said Komsic's victory threatens to spark "an unprecedented crisis in Bosnia". Croatian newspaper Vecernji List said in a headline: "Muslims have chosen for Croats: the defeat of Bosnia and Herzegovina." "HDZ has usually opted for escalation and confrontation when it lost in elections," said Bieber. "It is likely that they will engage in a similar strategy" now, the analyst added. - Turbulence ahead - Mladen Ivanic, a moderate Serb candidate defeated by Dodik, forecast "serious turbulence" in the Croat-Muslim Federation. He said it would only be resolved in the "long term". Sarajevo-based analyst Mavrak said he did not rule out that the rivals would end up joining forces in a multi-ethnic government, however. "When it comes to power, Bosnian politicians are much more ready to make a compromise than it initially seems," Mavrak said. But the negotiations to form one could take months, he warned. Voters cast ballots on Sunday to elect three members of the presidency, representing Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats and Bosnian Muslims, known as Bosniaks Bosnian Muslim presidential candidate Sefik Dzaferovic urged respect for the constitution Nationalist Milorad Dodik has vowed to work 'solely' for Bosnian Serbs Factfile on Bosnia-Herzegovina Dragan Covic's nationalist HDZ party is demanding Croats secede from the union with the Bosniaks A Romanian court announced Monday that an appeal by the head of ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), Liviu Dragnea, against a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence will be delayed until next month. The country's highest court of appeal had been due to start hearing Dragnea's appeal against the sentence for a fake jobs scandal on Monday. But the 55-year-old, who was not in court, asked for more time to find a lawyer, the court said. The case will now be heard on November 5. Dragnea -- one of Romania's most powerful politicians and thought to hold substantial sway over the government of Prime Minister Viorica Dancila -- was found guilty in June of using his influence to keep two women on the payroll of a child protection state agency, even though they were working for the PSD. Dragnea, who has repeatedly denied any wrong-doing, claimed the selection of the five appeal judges had been "illegal". "They want to put me behind bars by breaking the law," he said, alleging pressure was being put on the judges. Dragnea was also given a two-year suspended prison sentence for vote-rigging dating back to 2016, a sentence that prevented him from being made prime minister. The PSD has embarked upon a major shake-up of the justice system, but Brussels says it undermines the independence of the judiciary and weakens anti-corruption efforts. An appeal against a jail sentence by Liviu Dragnea, leader of Romania's Social Democratic Party (PSD), will now be heard next month Brazil's stock market soared Monday after far-right firebrand Jair Bolsonaro handily won the first round of the presidential election with a promise of sweeping economic reforms. While the results energized investors, the election has deeply polarized Brazil, leaving voters with a stark choice in an October 28 run-off that will now take place between Bolsonaro and leftist Fernando Haddad. At opening, Brazil's Ibovespa index jumped more than six percent. It later stabilized around four percent higher. An ultra-conservative former paratrooper, Bolsonaro easily beat out a dozen other presidential candidates but did not garner enough votes to avoid a second-round showdown with Haddad, the former mayor of Sao Paulo. Bolsonaro won 46 percent of the vote to Haddad's 29 percent, according to official results, which exceeded pollster's predictions. Bolsonaro charged that "polling problems" had cheated him of outright victory in the first round. His small ultraconservative Social Liberal Party also swelled considerably in Sunday's general election, going from eight seats to 52 in the 513-seat lower house and debuting with four senators elected to the 81-seat upper house. One of Bolsonaro's sons was elected a senator, and another was re-elected to the Chamber of Deputies. Analyst Sylvio Costa of the Congresso em Foco website called the result a pro-Bolsonaro "tsunami." If Bolsonaro ends up as president, he will be able to rely on allied conservative deputies to help pass legislation making good on his pledges to crush crime, tackle corruption and cut climbing public debt through privatizations. - Divided electorate - But Bolsonaro faces resolute opposition from a large number of Brazilians horrified at his comments in favor of torture and Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship. He is also reviled by many for remarks degrading women, making light of rape and slamming homosexuality. However. a big chunk of the electorate also rejects Haddad's Workers Party, once broadly popular for boom times under former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva but now blamed for a subsequent recession that was the country's worst on record. Whoever wins the presidency will be confronted with implacable hostility from a big part of the population of 210 million, making governing difficult. Deepening divisions between the wealthier south and the poorer north of the country appear inevitable -- and, some observers say, dangerous. Reviving the economy is seen as vital, and it's there that Bolsonaro has proved canny by tapping a respected US-educated neoliberal economist, Paulo Guedes, as his advisor. Guedes, who proposes a free-market shock treatment to upend Brazil's longstanding protectionism, is likely to be finance minister at the head of a "superministry" overseeing the economy, industry, trade, investment and planning. It was that prospect that spurred Brazil's markets. Surveys suggest Bolsonaro has the edge going into the run-off. Haddad was expected to close the big gap by picking up substantial support from the defeated candidates, but it was unclear by how much. "Bolsonaro is favored to win in a runoff and, as such, we are increasing his odds of winning from 60 percent to 75 percent," the Eurasia Group political analysis firm said in a briefing note. Political analyst Fernando Meireles of Minas Gerais Federal University said: "The probability of Bolsonaro coming out victorious seems pretty big right now." - Reaching out - Both candidates were starting to reach out to centrists in a bid to broaden their appeal. "We are going to speak with all the democratic forces in the country," Haddad said as he left a prison where he held his weekly consultation with ex-president Lula, who is serving a 12-year prison term for corruption. Haddad said he already spoke with the third-placed candidate knocked out of the race Sunday, center-left politician Ciro Gomes. "We are totally prepared to modify parts of our program so it is more representative of the democratic alliance we want to build," Haddad said. Bolsonaro, for his part, said on Facebook he wanted to "put politics at the service of Brazilians, and no longer put Brazilians at the service of politicians." Brazil's far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro will face leftist Fernando Haddad in an October 28 run-off A supporter of Jair Bolsonaro celebrates outside his home in Rio de Janeiro Workers Party (PT) candidate Fernando Haddad delivers a speech after coming in second in Brazil's first round presidential election Moscow said Monday that four Russians expelled as alleged spies by the Netherlands were on a "routine visit", insisting that the Dutch intelligence operation had failed to provide proof of any hacking plot. Russia summoned the Dutch ambassador in Moscow on Monday over the allegations that the four plotted to attack an international institution in The Hague. She reportedly demanded an end to such attacks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the expulsion of four alleged military intelligence agents from the Netherlands in April had been a "misunderstanding". "There was nothing secret about the trip by our specialists to the Netherlands, it was a routine trip," Lavrov told reporters. "They didn't hide when they checked into the hotel, or when they came to the airport, or when they went to our embassy," he said. "They were detained without explanation... and asked to leave. It looked like a misunderstanding." The Netherlands had not issued any diplomatic protest over the incident, he added. The Netherlands said Thursday it had expelled four GRU military intelligence agents in April for plotting a cyber attack on the world's chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague. Officials said the men entered the country on Russian diplomatic passports on April 10 and were caught on April 13 with a car full of electronic equipment in the Marriott Hotel next to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. A statement by the Russian foreign ministry cited by Russian news agencies said the equipment was "meant to test the (Russian) embassy information systems in order to analyse the embassy's computer networks due to more frequent attempts to infiltrate Russian institutions." The men's passports and other details, including a taxi receipt for a trip to a Moscow airport from a street containing a branch of the military intelligence agency, were shown to the Dutch media. Asked by reporters whether the Kremlin considered this evidence, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "no" and refused to further discuss "these topics" with the media. - US indictment - Western countries last week presented their latest allegations that Russian intelligence agents were operating to undermine international institutions. In a joint statement, British Prime Minister Theresa May and her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte accused the GRU intelligence agency of "disregard for global values and rules that keep us all safe". Britain's defence minister Gavin Williamson condemned Russia as a "pariah state" and promised further isolation of Moscow. The US announced Thursday that the four Russians expelled from the Netherlands -- Alexei Minin, Yevgeny Serebryakov, Oleg Sotnikov and Alexei Morenets -- were among seven people it had indicted over a global hacking conspiracy. The GRU hackers are accused of having interfered in the US presidential polls in 2016 and staged hack attacks on the world anti-doping agency (WADA), according to a US Justice Department indictment. They also hacked into the WiFi system of hotels housing sporting officials during the Rio Olympics to gather their credentials, later using them to leak details on world athletes' doping tests, the indictment alleged. - Envoy summoned - Emerging from the building after an hour-long meeting, Jones-Bos told journalists she insisted that the Netherlands will not permit attacks on international institutions located on its soil, and gave a clear signal that this should stop, Interfax news agency reported. Lavrov said that Russia had already discussed the incident with The Hague's but nothing "coherent" had emerged from the discussions. "We are dealing with a sort of loudspeaker diplomacy, a disregard for legal mechanisms" for resolving such disputes, Lavrov said. A Dutch intelligence briefing said the four Russian suspects carried diplomatic passports The Dutch briefing included details of the electronic equipment intelligence officers confiscated from the Russians A US indictment accuses seven Russia nationals of a range of crimes, including hacking and "disinformation campaigns" Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov fended off allegations that four Russians expelled from the Netherlands were spies An explosion and fire ripped through Canada's largest refinery Monday in what the company that owns it called a "major incident." Local media said there were only minor injuries reported from the blast and fire at the Irving Oil refinery in St. John's, New Brunswick. Images posted on social media networks showed intermittent flames and a column of black smoke rising from the refinery, the country's largest with a production capacity of 300,00 barrels of refined products a day. Rob Beebe, who lives near the refinery, told Radio Canada he felt his house shake, followed by a blast. The company that owns the refinery confirmed on Twitter that a "major incident" occurred there. "We are actively assessing the situation at this time and will share more information when available," it said. The large cloud of black smoke had however dissipated by early afternoon and television images appeared to show the fire under control. Police maintained a cordon around the plant, which is located in a residential area and close to a regional hospital. No cause for the explosion had been given in the immediate aftermath of the event. Fire and smoke at Irving Oil refinery in St. John's, New Brunswick Quake-hit Port-de-Paix was back to its daily routines Monday but in poor neighborhoods like l'Hopital, on a steep hill that looks out to the sea beyond the Haitian city, people's troubles are just beginning. Nearly all the flimsily built houses along the mudslicked corridor that runs up the hill through L'Hopital show damage from Saturday's 5.9 magnitude quake. "When a quake comes, there is always damage and losses," says Geraldo Mesadieu as he stands outside the one room dwelling he shares with his wife and four children. Not one of the room's four walls is intact. During the quake, Mesadieu's 20-year-old son Joel, his youngest, was seized by panic and ran down the hillside. He stumbled and fell onto a sharp metal object and was killed -- one of 15 deaths from the quake. "I should have gone to live some place else because the hillside is too steep here. I built a small wall below to support it a bit, but as you can see, all the walls are cracked," he said. "The problem is, down below, the land is too expensive," he said as he looked out to the sea. In a country where building standards are not respected, and urban planning is non-existent, a medium intensity quake is enough to cause loss of life and material damage. Saddened by the death of her neighbor, Limita Axius returned Monday to her home, but just for a change of clothes. "I can't sleep here with all the cracks in the walls. I'm sleeping in a church for now but I don't know how long I'll be able to," said Axius, who is 23. "To go somewhere else to live I need money, so I have to resign myself and return here, even if it is dangerous," she said. While Port-de-Paix's precarious hillside dwellings were the hardest hit by the quake, some buildings in the center of the city also were damaged. - An old house - Her gray hair arranged in small tresses, 77-year-old Virginia Vincent is a picture of vulnerability as she sits in a small chair set in the doorway of her house, on a corner in the center of Port-de-Paix. "The house has been here since president Estime," she said referring the 1946-1950 presidency of Leon Dumarsais Estime. "Two hurricanes have passed since I've lived here, and the house always stood straight. But look at it now, it wants to fall down on me." The old house's walls are cracked and crumbling, its wood frame apparently unable to hold their weight during the seconds that the quake lasted. "I no longer have a place to sleep, I can't go on," she said, suddenly bursting into tears as a neighbor tries to console her. "I have suffered every possible misery, even at my age. I have no children, no one who can come to help me." Shoe shine boys, a bread seller, the driver of a moto-taxi -- all are saddened as they pass to see the suffering of an old woman, but powerless to offer anything more than a consoling word. Aerial view of the city of Port-de-Paix, on October 7, 2018 after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 15 people A boy walks with a donkey in the city of Port-de-Paix, on October 8, 2018 A man named Joseph poses in front a house owned by Virginie(background) that suffered some damage after the earthquake that hit the city of Port-de-Paix, on October 8, 2018 A woman named Ifenis sits in her house that suffered some damage in the walls after the earthquake hit the city of Port-de-Paix, Japan would welcome Britain to the Pacific trade deal "with open arms" after Brexit, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said in an interview published on Monday. Abe told the Financial Times that Britain would lose its role as a gateway to Europe after Brexit, but would still be a country "equipped with global strength." Eleven countries circling the Pacific signed a slimmed-down version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP in March -- opting to proceed with the trade deal after it was left for dead when US President Donald Trump pulled out to pursue his "America First" agenda. The US president has since sparked fears of a trade war by levying steep tariffs and denouncing unfair trading practices. In the interview, Abe also urged Britain and the EU to make a compromise to avoid a no-deal Brexit. "I hope that both sides can contribute their wisdom and at least avoid a so-called disorderly Brexit," Abe said. "I truly hope that the negative impact of Brexit to the global economy, including Japanese businesses, will be minimised," he added. Negotiations between Britain and the EU are currently gridlocked after Brussels rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's post-Brexit plan, with the clock ticking down until departure in March 2019. Last month Japanese car giant Toyota warned that a no-deal Brexit would temporarily halt production at its plant in Derby, central England. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he hopes the negative impact of Brexit on the economy will be minimal A member of Brooklyn's Hasidic community was arrested for allegedly blocking traffic during an unauthorized religious procession through Borough Park on Sunday eveningleading to a chaotic scuffle and shouting match between outraged ultra-Orthodox Jews and several NYPD officers. A police spokesperson says that Joel Herskovitz was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration, after he allegedly blocked traffic and refused to move out of the street. The incident happened just before 7 p.m. on Sunday during the "Hachnosas Sefer Torah"a celebration centered around the dedication of a new Torah scroll. Video posted by Yeshiva World News shows several NYPD vehicles interrupting the ceremony at 51st Street near 16th Avenue and ordering pedestrians off the street and onto the sidewalk. When some participants refused the NYPD orders, a few officers attempted to forcibly move them out of the street. One noncomplying individual was chased down by police and pinned to the hood of a car, as onlookers shouted "He's not resisting!" and "What do you want from him?" "Were just shocked by the chaos, one Chassidic woman told the website Matzav.com. Everyone knows that our community and the NYPD have a remarkable relationship. To see conflict like this was just so out of the ordinary and simply astounding. We respect the police greatly, but we also hope that proper measures were taken and that no one was treated unfairly." Shame on #BoroPark Shomrim for calling police on Yiden just because "They" were not called to take care of Hachnuses Seifer Torah. #Rishes Kollel Niyes (@KollelNiyes) October 8, 2018 Both the NYPD and Shomrima controversial neighborhood patrol organizationare typically notified of the Torah ceremony by the local community board, according to Yeshiva World News, but were not given a heads up this time. Some members of the community have speculated online that members of Shomrim called the police because they were not asked to help direct traffic during the ceremony. In the aftermath of the arrest, a crowd of about 100 people gathered outside the 66th Precinct stationhouse to demand Herskovitz's release. The protests reportedly became unruly, with some in the crowd shouting "Nazi" in the direction of officers. New York City Councilman Kalman Yeger and New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind have also expressed concern about the arrest, with Hikind calling on the community to "exercise restraint." Herskovitz was released at 9:30 p.m. to cheers and singing from the crowd. He received a desk appearance ticket, police said. Jihadist factions including Syria's former Al-Qaeda branch have withdrawn heavy weapons from parts of a planned buffer zone in Idlib province, a monitor said Monday, two days ahead of a deadline. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham "and other less influential jihadist groups have withdrawn their heavy weapons from large areas of the demilitarised zone" ringing Idlib province, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The development comes ahead of Wednesday's cut-off date for all rebels to withdraw heavy arms from a 15 to 20-kilometre (9-12 mile) demilitarised area ringing the Idlib region. The creation of a buffer zone is central to an agreement reached last month by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, which is aimed at staving off a massive assault on Idlib by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. The deal also foresees radical groups leaving the area by October 15. HTS, which is led by former Al-Qaeda fighters, has yet to comment on its reported withdrawal or announce its stance on the buffer zone deal. According to the Britain-based Observatory, the pullout quietly began two days ago. "Until now, heavy weapons have been removed from northern Hama and eastern Idlib" located in the proposed zone, Abdel Rahman said. The Idlib region includes most of the province of the same name, as well as adjacent parts of the Hama and Aleppo provinces. - Jihadists 'ready and prepared' - In recent weeks, Turkey has deployed troops at "observation posts" it set up in rebel-held areas of Idlib and neighbouring Aleppo. A local source close to HTS said Ankara's actions demonstrated that neither Turkey, Russia, nor fellow regime ally Iran plan to break the deal. "The presence of Turkish forces and their posts will prevent any military action," the source said. "So (HTS), like other factions, is moving heavy weapons and reinforcing its positions according to the agreement." The source confirmed each faction "will remain in its position", indicating that HTS and the other groups were "ready and prepared" to rebel any attack by the regime. HTS and other hardliners hold a large part of Idlib province and the proposed demilitarised zone, while the National Liberation Front is the main Turkey-backed rebel alliance in the area. On Monday, the NLF completed withdrawing heavy arms from the zone, according to Turkish state media. The start of the NLF pullout was confirmed to AFP by its spokesman Naji Mustafa. Despite progress in implementing the terms of the deal, Assad on Sunday said the arrangement would not become permanent. "The agreement is a temporary measure through which the state has realised many achievements on the ground starting with stemming the bloodshed," he was quoted as saying by state news agency SANA. "This province and other Syrian territory still under terrorist control will return to the Syrian state," the president said, referring to both rebels and jihadists. Forces loyal to Assad have retaken swathes of territory in Syria since Russia entered in the war in September 2015. Air strikes attributed to Russia have killed more than 18,000 people since its intervention, according to the Observatory. The Syrian civil war has killed more than 360,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. A Turkey-backed Syrian rebel fighter drinks a coffee near the city of al-Bab, in the Aleppo province on the border with Turkey, on October 8, 2018 A Turkey-backed Syrian rebel fighter near the city of al-Bab on October 8, 2018, ahead of a deadline to create a buffer zone in the area A Syrian rebel fighter backed by Ankara aims his rifle near the city of al-Bab on October 8, 2018 A television journalist has been brutally murdered in Bulgaria's northern town of Ruse, prosecutors said Sunday, in a case that has sparked international condemnation. The body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova, whom authorities identified only by her initials, was found on Saturday in a park, Ruse regional prosecutor Georgy Georgiev said. The death was caused by blows on the head and suffocation, he added. "Her mobile phone, car keys, glasses and part of her clothes were missing," Georgiev said, adding that prosecutors were probing all leads -- both personal and linked to Marinova's job. Interior Minister Mladen Marinov later confirmed to journalists that the victim had also been raped. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov expressed hope that the investigation would succeed because of the "work that has been done. Thanks to the large amount of DNA material collected it is just a matter of time before the perpetrator will be found." Police sources told AFP that the crime did not immediately appear linked to her work. The OSCE's media freedom representative Harlem Desir condemned Marinova's killing on Twitter: "Shocked by horrific murder of investigative journalist Victoria Marinova in #Bulgaria. Urgently call for a full and thorough investigation. Those responsible must be held to account." Marinova was an administrative director of Ruse's small private TVN television and had recently launched a new current events talk show called "Detector". The first episode of the show on September 30 broadcast interviews with investigative journalists Dimitar Stoyanov from the Bivol.bg website and Attila Biro from the Romanian Rise Project, about an investigation of alleged fraud with EU funds linked to big businessmen and politicians. The pair were briefly detained by police, drawing condemnation from Reporters Without Borders (RSF). "We are in shock. In no way, under any form, never have we received any threats -- aimed at her or the television," a journalist from TVN told AFP under condition of anonymity, adding that he and his colleagues feared for their safety. In a statement on their Facebook page, Bivol.bg insisted for police protection of Marinova's colleagues. A journalist is killed on average every week around the world, according to figures compiled by RSF. Among the most high-profile recent cases were Malta's anti-corruption blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia who died in a car bombing outside her home in October 2017, and top Slovak reporter Jan Kuciak who was shot dead with his fiancee at their home in February. Bulgaria tumbled to 111th place in the annual RSF media freedom ranking in 2018 -- the lowest among EU member states. - Journalists face pressure, threats - Widespread corruption, shady media ownership and suspected collusion between journalists, politicians, and oligarchs have made objective reporting a constant obstacle course, RSF said. According to the Bulgaria-based Association of European Journalists, reporters from small regional and local media are particularly subjected to pressure from local businessmen and politicians and outright threats, often leading to self-censorship. Violence against women has also been widespread in Bulgaria, with several brutal killings of women by their ex-boyfriends and ex-husbands causing an outcry in the media recently. A candlelight vigil in Marinova's memory is organised for Monday evening in Sofia. Viktoria Marinova, a Bulgarian TV journalist, was raped and murdered, prosecutors and the interior minister said The rape and murder of a TV journalist has shocked a nation. Corruption-plagued EU member Bulgaria was under pressure on Monday to find the killer of a television journalist whose brutal murder at the weekend has shocked the country and sparked international condemnation. The body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova, who presented a current affairs talk programme called Detector for the small private TVN television in the northern town of Ruse, was found on Saturday. All leads are being looked at in the investigation including possible links to Marinovas professional activity, chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov said Monday. People take part in a vigil in memory of murdered Bulgarian TV journalist Viktoria Marinova in Sofia. Source: Getty Images Authorities earlier revealed that Marinova had been killed by blows to the head and from suffocation. She had also been raped. We are in shock. In no way, under any form, never have we received any threats aimed at her or the television, a journalist from Marinovas own TVN told AFP on condition of anonymity Sunday, adding that he and his colleagues feared for their safety. UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay condemned the murder. The use of sexual and physical abuse to silence a woman journalist is an outrage against the dignity and basic human rights of every woman, she said. Attacks on journalists erode the fundamental human right to freedom of expression and its corollaries, press freedom and free access to information. Some believe Marinova was murdered because of her investigations into political fraud. Source: AAP (File pic) Marinova is the third journalist to be murdered in Europe this year after Jan Kuciak in Slovakia in February and Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta in October 2017. Bulgaria is regarded as a laggard in the EU in matters of press freedom, ranking 111th out of a total 180 in this area, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Shocked by the horrendous murder of Victoria Marinova. Again a courageous journalist falls in the fight for truth and against corruption, the EU Commissions vice president Frans Timmermans tweeted late Sunday. Tributes for Marinova as motives for murder suggested Condolences poured in on social media for Marinova, who leaves behind a small child. Candlelight vigils were to be held on Monday evening in both Ruse and the capital Sofia. Story continues Some observers believe the murder could be linked to Marinovas work. The first episode of her program, aired on September 30, featured an investigation into fraud allegations against oligarchs and politicians. Women in the Bulgarian city of Ruse pay tribute at a candle-lit vigil. Source: Getty Images She interviewed the reporters behind the probe, investigative journalists Dimitar Stoyanov from the Bivol.bg website and Attila Biro from the Romanian Rise Project. Bivol.bg owner Asen Yordanov told AFP that Viktorias death, the brutal manner in which she was killed, is an execution. It was meant to serve as an example, something like a warning, Mr Yordanov said. The crime has sparked international outcry, with condemnation from the OSCE and the Committee to Protect Journalists. UNESCO has condemned the murder of Viktoria Marinova. Source: AAP (File pic) In Bulgaria, however, national TV networks gave scant air time to the case. And even some of Marinovas fellow journalists were not convinced that she was killed because of her reporting. The country has a bad image with regard to press freedom, but its possible that there is no link to this case, said Svetoslav Terziev, opposition media analyst and journalism teacher. Widespread corruption, shady media ownership and suspected collusion between journalists, politicians and oligarchs have made objective reporting a constant obstacle course, according to RSF. The Bulgaria-based Association of European Journalists said reporters from small regional and local media are under particular pressure and even face threats from local businessmen and politicians, often leading to self-censorship. Violence against women has also been widespread in Bulgaria. A Good Samaritan is fighting for his life after he was electrocuted while trying to save a stranger in danger. About two weeks ago Brandon Gann courageously tried to help a man out of a canal in Oklahoma City in the US when he was shocked. Wesley Seely, 23, had fallen into the Bricktown Canal after a light pole he was leaning against collapsed, pushing him into the water. Oklahoma City Police said the man attempted to grab the pole to help himself out but was electrocuted when he touched live wires. Brandon Gann was helping a man in trouble when he was shocked. Source: Facebook Mr Gann then jumped into the water to help save the man but was also electrocuted, 5 News reported, and could not save Mr Seely. Mr Gann had been married just a day before the incident on September 30 and he and his new wife were getting ready to fly to the Bahamas for their honeymoon. On a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for Mr Gann, friends said they were not surprised he risked his life to help the stranger. Thats just the kind of person he is, they said. Brandon and Taylor Gann were married a day before the accident. Source: Facebook Family and friends are hopeful he will recover and his wife Taylor Gann said he would require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for five to 10 days. We are really just waiting on his lung to heal, she wrote on Facebook. There is nothing more that they can do but give him antibiotics and wait. He is hooked up to a ventilator so doctors can continue to exercise his lungs. The mother of a British man who died after being bitten by a sea snake off the coast of the Northern Territory has revealed the phone call he made just hours before his death. Harry Evans, 23, from Dorset, died on Thursday off the coast at Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria when he was pulling up a fishing net while working on a trawler. He suffered puncture wounds to his thumb from the sea snakes bite. His mother, Sharon, revealed her son had been telling her how much he was enjoying living and working abroad. He just said he was having the best time of his life, she told The Sun. Harry Evans died after he was bitten by a sea snake off the coast of Northern Territory. Source: Facebook/ Sharon Evans She said her son, who has a twin brother, was not a backpacker and was planning to move to New Zealand within the year. He had contact with his family and friends at home regularly and couldnt have been any more loved. We couldnt have been prouder of him, she told Press Association. Mr Evans, who had been training as a boat builder, worked in two pubs part-time for extra cash. Mr Evans was working off the coast of Groote Eylandt on a fishing trawler. Source: Getty, file. The sea snake left a puncture wound in Mr Evans thumb. Source: Getty, file. His mother said she received a call on Thursday from authorities and immediately knew something was up. She had been told he didnt show the usual symptoms of a snake bite and brushed off the injury which he and crew believed was a scratch. Moments later, he began to fall in and out of consciousness. Being four hours from land, other boats off the coast rushed to his aid but he couldnt be saved. We just cant believe what has happened. He was unbelievably unlucky, Ms Evans said. The UK Foreign Office has confirmed it is supporting the family. A post mortem will be carried out after Mr Evans body is flown back to the UK. WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: A dog owner is desperately seeking answers after their pet was savagely attacked with what was believed to have been a machete or a sword. The dog was attacked on Point Nepean Road in Capel Sound on Victorias Mornington Peninsula on September 29 between 1pm and midnight. A witness told police he saw the dog, Bear, being attacked by two men after it was involved in a fight with their dog. Police said in a statement the witness said one of the men put their dog into their car before they attacked Bear with a sharp instrument. Facebook page Everything Mornington Peninsula posted the dog owners plea for witnesses to come forward as it is revealed the dog may never recover after being left to die. He was struck with such force on the forehead that it sliced his head open and left an indentation in his skull, the dogs owner said. He was also stabbed in the left foreleg. It was so deep it cut through the tricep tendon and muscle, all the way to the bone. He was then left to die. It is believed Bear was attacked with a sharp object on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. Source: Facebook The dogs owner arrived home about midnight the day Bear was attacked and searched everywhere for the pet. I noticed Bear was not in the backyard and the gate was open, they said. I was searching for him everywhere. Calling his name out but he was nowhere to be seen. I jumped in the car and drove up and down Point Nepean Road between Rye and Capel Sound in search of him. My fear was he was hit by a car. Bear came out from where he was hiding in the neighbours front yard after his owner called his name again. He could barely walk and was bleeding from his leg and foreleg, the owner said. I picked him up and rushed him inside. It was like a murder scene with blood dripping everywhere. The dog was attacked on Point Nepean Road in Capel Sound on the Mornington Peninsula. Source: Google Maps/file After rushing the dog to the vet it was revealed a sharp object had inflicted the horrific injuries. Bear was stabilised and given painkillers before undergoing surgery to reattach his severed tricep tendon and stitch up his cuts. He may never fully recover from these physical injuries and psychological trauma, the owner said. Story continues Bear is an incredible dog and is part of a breeding program from Garsova Kennels, who breeds dogs for the police. Victoria Police are investigating the incident and are calling for CCTV footage from the area on the night of the attack. Anybody with information should contact the Rosebud Police Station or call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. The Russian foreign ministry was to summon the Dutch ambassador on Monday after the Netherlands said it had foiled a cyber attack by Russians, state news agencies reported. "Due to the campaign of disinformation carried out in The Hague the Dutch ambassador will be summoned to the foreign ministry on Monday," a source in the ministry told RIA Novosti state news agency. The Netherlands said Thursday it had expelled four GRU military intelligence agents in April for an attempt to hack into the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. At the time of the alleged plot the OPCW was investigating the March poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English town of Salisbury. It was also probing allegations of a chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Douma by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Moscow. The suspected agents were travelling on Russian diplomatic passports. Moscow last summoned the Dutch ambassador Rene Jones-Bos along with the Swiss ambassador in September over over what it called "unsubstantiated accusations" that Russian spies had attempted to hack Swiss targets. Russia has dismissed accusations it has orchestrated a string of global cyber attacks as "spy mania". The Netherlands said it had expelled four Russian GRU military intelligence agents in April for an attempt to hack into the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons A community is outraged over a sickening Halloween display, accusing the homeowners of bigotry and racism. The controversial display featured what what appeared to be an African American man hanging from a noose on a tree in a front yard in Alabama, US. US woman Alexus Cumbie posted the image on Facebook, stating that the display looked like a fake display of a lynching of an African American person. According to the Tuskegee Institute, approximately 4743 people were victims of extrajudicial killing, or lynching, in the United States between 1882 and 1968. Many of these killings occurred by way of public hangings. A friend of mine was driving through Homewood, Alabama today and witnessed a sickening display in the front lawn of a home, Ms Cumbie wrote on Facebook over the weekend. The Halloween display (pictured) sparked outrage. Source: Facebook/Alexus Cumbie The owner of this display has refused to take this down. Im encouraging everyone to share this post until Birmingham news outlets cover this. Im not encouraging violence nor harassment on this homeowner. Lets not meet bigotry at eye level but also lets publicly condemn acts of racism in our beloved neighbourhoods. The post has been shared over 7000 times, attracting outrage from the neighbourhood. Just plain terrible and disgusting! one Facebook user posted. People are really sick in this world, another user wrote. The display (pictured) featured a noose. Source: The Birmingham News Mean-spirited and insensitive, one Facebook user commented. You can celebrate Halloween however you please but why ridicule and shame, disrespecting another race, that is beyond stupid, another wrote. The home owners, Jennifer and Marc Wolfe, claim that they only became aware of the public reaction on Sunday morning and promptly removed the display from the yard. Were not racist. Did I make a mistake? I guess so, Mr Wolfe told local outlet The Birmingham News. I can see their point but we just hung it because thats how it came. If they want to say were insensitive and should have known better, Ill own up to that. Story continues The couple told the outlet that when they bought the decorations, they assumed it was a white man who had been badly burned. It comes after a childrens Disney Princess Halloween costume caused controversy after parents claimed the outfit made fun of someone elses culture. Sachi Feris from Brooklyn, New York, urged parents to not allow their little girls to dress up as Disneys Moana character for Halloween because it is based on real history and a real group of people. We really screwed ourselves, perhaps irreparably, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has found. Presenting a wide-reaching report in Incheon, South Korea on Monday, the panel suggested that we may be hurtling toward global destruction, unless every country around the globe undertakes "rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society." The report, commissioned by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in accordance with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, synthesizes efforts from 91 authors and editors across 40 countries, who reviewed and analyzed more than 6,000 studies. The climate accord seeks to cap increases in the average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, previously regarded as the warming point of no return in terms of certain environmental catastrophe. The report's authors analyzed the potential effects of a lower temperature increase1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, above pre-industrial levelsand determined that the threshold for widespread devastation is much lower than scientists had believed. And furthermore, the way things are going, we may achieve 1.5 degrees by 2040. In terms of immediate impact, we might anticipate the death of all the coral reefs, ever more frequent and severe wildfires, drought, famine, exacerbated poverty, global damage to the tune of $69 trillion, and general chaos. Rising sea levels could also worsen coastal flooding, sending people fleeing from the tropics. "In some parts of the world, national borders will become irrelevant," Aromar Revi, director of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements and an author of the report, told the NY Times. "You can set up a wall to try to contain 10,000 and 20,000 and one million people, but not 10 million." Theoretically, bringing warming down to 1.5 degrees would be possible, climate scientists told the Times; practically, though, they have their doubts. "It's telling us we need to reverse emissions trends and turn the world economy on a dime," Myles Allen, a climate scientist at Oxford University and one of the report's authors, told the outlet. Heading off the apocalypse would require cutting those emissions 45 percent from their 2010 levels before 2030, and 100 percent before 2050. It would require slashing coal use, which today accounts for 40 percent of electricity use, to the 1-to-7 percent range by 2050. At the same time, we'd need to boost renewable energy sources from their current 20 percent to 67 percent. All of that seems like an untenably tall order when you remember that key world leadersahem, Donald Trumprefuse to accept facts as facts. Trump, for example, has gone after wind and solar energy to free up money for fossil fuel. He plans to officially withdraw from the Paris climate agreement as soon as possible, and repeatedly hammers upon his deep love of coal. So, basically, the long and the short of this is that we stand to be engulfed in flamesand relatively soon. And while you may want to take some small comfort in the fact that you (presumably) live in or around New York City, a metropolis that has announced its intent to stick with the Paris agreement, the government's commitment to combatting climate change seems halfhearted at best. Despite his fracking ban and his stated animosity toward greenhouse gas emissions, Gov. Andrew Cuomo seems loath to enact the types of measures that would mitigate them by 2030. .@NYGovCuomo remember when I met with you & you said t wasnt practical to shift to 100% renewables in 30 years? Well this report says we have TEN years to take drastic #climateaction or our planet will DIE. We dont have time for your practicality(excuse to sit on your hands) https://t.co/cdPN22CrWp Liat in BK (@Liat_RO) October 8, 2018 Mayor Bill de Blasio, too, has so far moved slowly on his proposal to shift $4 billion of city pension fund investments from fossil fuels to sustainable energy efforts within five years. In the meantime, the unreliable state of our dilapidated public transit systemand the looming shutdown of one very popular commuter linemay explain why people are increasingly seeking out private vehicle and ride-share transportation. First, private cars, trucks, and other vehicles account for about 23 % of the city's greenhouse gas emissions. And private vehicle use is rising, including ride shares and vehicle registrations. https://t.co/SCm7KszBNp pic.twitter.com/hSwwW19WwU Aaron W. Gordon (@A_W_Gordon) October 8, 2018 Stop driving to the gym everyday. Claw back parking placards. Do everything you can to promote transit use including clearing cars out of the way of buses. Expand bike lanes. Support congestion pricing. Then you can go off and sue oil companies for fun or w/e he's doing. Second Ave. Sagas (@2AvSagas) October 8, 2018 In any case, the country's leaders have no plans to reverse course. Reaffirming the administration's commitment to withdrawing from the climate accord, the State Department said in a statement to the Times that its "acceptance of this report ... does not imply endorsement by the United States of the specific findings or underlying contents of the report." Read the full report here. US sanctions on Iran will not impact Qatar Airways' flights to the Islamic republic, the airline's boss Akbar al-Baker said on Monday. Speaking at a high-profile business conference in the Qatari capital Doha, Baker said services to Iran would continue despite a tightening economic and political squeeze on Iran by Washington. "Aviation is not a sanctioned industry, Qatar Airways will continue to operate into the cities we are currently operating in Iran," he said. "Our flights to Iran will not be affected." Qatar Airways' Iran destinations include Mashhad and Shiraz, while the airline operates daily flights to Tehran, according to its website. Baker's comments come as US President Donald Trump's administration is expected to impose a second round of tough sanctions on Iran next month. A first tranche of punitive measures were introduced in August by the US after it withdrew in May from the 2015 international deal aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Washington has also warned foreign businesses to steer clear of Iran. Already, major European airlines including Air France and British Airways have stopped flights to Iran, following the sanctions' announcement. Qatar is also under scrutiny over its relationship with Iran, with whom it shares the world's largest natural gas field. Since June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed a sweeping embargo on Qatar, sparking the worst political rift to ever hit the Gulf, in part because of Iran. The four countries accuse Doha of seeking closer ties with Tehran, Saudi Arabia's arch-rival, as well as supporting radical Islamist groups. Qatar denies the charges, accusing its neighbours of seeking regime change. Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar al-Baker, pictured at a British airshow on July 16, 2018 French and Italian civil and military teams were working to contain a spreading oil spill in the Mediterranean Monday after a container ship collision off the island of Corsica that prompted France to launch an investigation into "maritime pollution". The accident occurred early Sunday when a Tunisian freighter rammed into a Cyprus-based vessel anchored about 30 kilometres (20 miles) off the northern tip of the French island. The ship's hull was pierced and at least one fuel tank began leaking into the sea off the holiday island of Corsica. French Environment Minister Francois de Rugy said some 600 tonnes of propulsion fuel had spilled into the sea. He condemned the "abnormal behaviour" of the Tunisian ship in a press briefing at Corsica's Bastia airport after surveying the affected area by helicopter. Officers of France's paramilitary gendarme police force had been airlifted to the ships to investigate the incident, but it was too early to say what had happened, he added. Italian anti-pollution vessels have begun pumping the slick, Rugy said, adding that while the collision occurred near the Cap Corse marine reserve, the spill remained outside the park and moving away from Corsica. The island is known for its pristine waters and beaches. "All means are mobilised, civil and military teams, French and Italian are working hard and doing everything so that this accident does not have ecological consequences," he said. "The first priority is to extricate the two boats," Rugy said, adding the operation was "very complicated", with the Tunisian boat wedged into the Cyprus-based CLS Virginia. An criminal investigation has been launched for "pollution" brought on by a "maritime accident", Marseille prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux said. Writing on Twitter, Corsica leader Gilles Simeoni said earlier he was determined to find what caused the accident, which occurred in relatively calm seas with good visibility. French police released a photo showing the Tunisian-operated Ulysee cargo ship, left, after it rammed the Cyprus-based CLS Virginia near Corsica on Sunday A team of Russian historians and archaeologists have used a Nazi bomber pilot's photograph to help them pinpoint the location of mass graves in Moscow containing the remains of thousands shot by Stalin's secret police. The existence of a mass grave in the Kommunarka district in southwestern Moscow first came to light in the dying days of the Soviet Union when the KGB opened up its archives. It was one of three killing fields in the city used by Stalin's NKVD secret police in the 1930s. Historians believe at least 6,609 people were shot and thrown into mass graves in Kommunarka between 1937 and 1941. The gated forested area was once used by NKVD chief Genrikh Yagoda, who had a holiday cottage there. But he fell foul of the regime and was removed from his post in 1936 and shot in 1938 -- with his body most likely also disposed of in Kommunarka. Until recently, the mass graves were believed to be located in one area of the forest, where victims' relatives put up a memorial. But historians now believe the graves' location was misidentified. - Using a Luftwaffe photo - No serious archaeological work has been done before in Kommunarka, said Roman Romanov, director of Moscow's Gulag History Museum, who co-led the investigation. "There was nothing (in Kommunarka) before, people used to pick mushrooms there." The area remains much less investigated than a larger Stalin-era killing field in Moscow's Butovo district, Romanov said. But with a planned opening of a new memorial at Kommunarka, he said historians wanted to check exactly where the bodies were. Romanov said they used ground-penetrating radar and historic photos to examine the area. "We had volunteers working to clear the area and a geo-radar following us looking for anomalies in the ground," he said. An aerial shot of Kommunarka taken by a Nazi pilot flying over Moscow in 1942 -- when the graves were "fresh" -- was key to the investigation. Crucially, it showed the height of the trees in the area at the time. Historians came to the conclusion that some of the trees had been planted over fresh graves -- a tactic often used by the NKVD to cover up its executions. The next step, Romanov said, is to identify in which specific pits the bodies of victims were placed. "In a small one there could be 30 people and in another there could be 100 -- we want to know who is buried where." - Mongolian government - Yan Rachinsky, a senior member of rights group Memorial that documents Stalinist crimes, estimates that around 30,000 people were shot in Moscow alone during Stalin's Great Terror between 1937 and 1938. During a brief period of openness during the Perestroika era in the 1980s, the KGB sent files on Stalin-era victims to journalists and Memorial, Rachinsky said. In some, the NKVD gives the place of execution as Butovo or Moscow's Donskoye cemetery. Others simply say that the victim's body is "in a pit". "We believe those with no (marked) place of execution are in Kommunarka," Rachinsky said. High-ranking officials and scientists were among those shot and hastily buried in Kommunarka. "Almost the entire Mongolian government is there," Rachinsky said. Mongolia was a Soviet satellite country. Many officials from the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia were also executed there after their countries were occupied by the USSR in 1940. - Missing names - Rachinsky said that over a thousand of those believed to be buried in Kommunarka remain unidentified after the Russian security services closed access to Soviet-era files. "Suddenly, they stopped sending us the files," he said, accusing the present-day authorities of a lack of interest in uncovering Soviet-era crimes. "Our country is still not ready to declassify the materials of another country: the USSR," he said. "The state is responsible for what happened here and it struggles to define its position," said historian Sergei Bondarenko, whose great-grandfather was shot in Kommunarka. He predicted that only a "middle-ranking" government official would attend the opening of a new memorial this month. "In my view it should be the president, because this was one of the biggest killing fields in Moscow," he said. - 'Necessary' process - But Gulag museum director Romanov was more optimistic. The opening last year of a memorial to victims of political repressions in central Moscow was attended by President Vladimir Putin, he pointed out. Romanov said he wants other regions to follow the "positive precedent" of Kommunarka to find the "exact borders" of their Stalin-era mass graves. "These places are still secret. People don't even know where (the bodies) are. Often all they know is that they are inside a huge forest," he said. The aim, he said, is to identify exactly "who is buried where in all Russian regions." "This might sound a bit Utopian. But it is necessary." Historians believe some 6,000 people were executed by the NKVD in Moscow's Kommunarka district Historians have used a Luftwaffe bomber's photo to pinpoint a more accurate location for the mass graves Relatives of those killed have erected monuments to the Stalin era purges The gated forested area was once used by NKVD chief Genrikh Yagoda who had a holiday cottage there The Taliban on Monday vowed to target government security forces in upcoming parliamentary elections, as US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with Afghan leaders to discuss ways to end the 17-year war. Describing the polls as a "malicious American conspiracy", Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the militants would pull no punches to disrupt the long-delayed ballot scheduled for October 20. "People who are trying to help in holding this process successfully by providing security should be targeted and no stone should be left unturned for the prevention and failure" of the election, Mujahid said in a statement published in English. The Taliban -- Afghanistan's largest militant group that was toppled from power in the 2001 US-led invasion -- typically issue inflammatory and hyperbolic statements about the Afghan government and its international backers. But this latest declaration comes just days before the parliamentary election, which is seen as a crucial dry run for next year's presidential vote and has already been marred by deadly violence. It also comes as Khalilzad meets with Afghan leaders for the first time since his appointment last month to steer peace efforts with the militants. Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan's equivalent of prime minister, welcomed the visit by Afghanistan-born Khalilzad in televised remarks on Monday. "We believe if more attention is paid to the (peace) process, there is a good chance of success," Abdullah said. Khalilzad -- a high-profile former US ambassador to Kabul, Baghdad and the United Nations -- is on a 10-day regional trip that also includes Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He met with President Ashraf Ghani and other top leaders on Sunday night to discuss "an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process", Ghani's office said in a statement. Afghan and international players have been ratcheting up efforts to hold talks with the Taliban. An unprecedented ceasefire in June followed by talks between US officials and Taliban representatives in Qatar in July fuelled hopes that negotiations could bring an end to the fighting. But a wave of violence involving the Taliban and the Islamic State group in recent months has poured cold water on the nascent optimism. The October 20 parliamentary election is seen as a crucial dry run for next year's presidential vote and has already been marred by deadly violence Fears of a future clouded by nuclear fallout and state-sponsored mind control have been captured on film by a group of Japanese directors who were tasked with presenting their visions of where life in their country was headed. The "Ten Years Japan" omnibus has made its world premiere at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), the region?s largest movie industry gathering, and it follows on from similar projects produced out of Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan. ?We have so many dimensions when it comes to social issues in Japan, we made it clear to the filmmakers we wanted their take on what exactly it is that they see as the problems,? explained Japanese producer Miyuki Takamatsu, who instigated the pan-Asian project. The five-part "Ten Years Japan" imagines citizens living underground to escape nuclear fallout ?- but dreaming of life in the sun ?- as well as coping under constant surveillance and with messages being transmitted into their brains via an implant. It also looks at how Japan might end up dealing with its rapidly ageing population, while other chapters focus on a daughter tapping into her deceased mother?s digital data, and on life in Japan during a future war time. The production features work from directors Chie Hayakawa, Yusuke Kinoshita, Megumi Tsuno, Akiyo Fujimura and Kei Ishikawa. ?We wanted to discover new talent,? said Takamatsu. ?We thought it would be a good challenge to see who could produce films for this difficult topic and here we are, we have found them.? The original film in the "Ten Years" series came out of Hong Kong in 2015 and painted a bleak picture of the city under Chinese control. It was fiercely political, coming on the back of the ?Occupy? pro-democracy sit-in protests that brought the centre of the city to a standstill for 79 days in 2014. Despite a limited local theatrical release and condemnation by mainland Chinese authorities and their supporters in Hong Kong, the film was a major hit, picking up the top prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards. "Ten Years Thailand", which premiered at the Cannes festival in May, drew on the talents of the likes of acclaimed director Aditya Assarat ("Hi-So") and is primarily concerned with fears of censorship and state control, while "Ten Years Taiwan" debuted at the Taipei film festival and tackles social issues such as the threat of nuclear fallout and the hardship of rural life. The Japanese and Thai productions are slated for domestic release before the end of the year, while the Taiwanese film is set for a rollout in 2019. "Ten Years Japan" might lack some of its predecessors? overtly politically charged bite but it taps into the talents of socially aware Cannes Palme d?Or winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda -- who has his drama "Shoplifters" up for Oscar consideration -- and is onboard as executive producer. It reflects Kore-eda?s trademark languid style, often to chilling effect, even though Takamatsu said the director allowed the filmmakers full freedom in terms of subject matter and of style. ?Hong Kong had one specific problem as its focus, in Japan there are many things to think about,? said Takamatsu. ?[Kore-eda] didn?t make any rules or give advice during production but he was involved closely in reading the scripts and advising on changes, and on getting the money needed together.? Veteran actor Jun Kunimura (know to Western audiences from "Kill Bill: Volume 1") plays a role in "Ten Years Japan" and said the experience had opened his eyes up to the worries of Japan?s modern youth. The "Ten Years" project came to life over coffee at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, in 2015 when the team from Golden Scene, which had distributed the original Hong Kong film, had been surprised by the positive ? and inquisitive ? audience reaction to a screening. On Takamatsu?s suggestion, and with another producer in Lorraine Ma on board, they decided to take the idea regional ? and they are now considering extending the franchise into other Asian markets. ?It?s a great platform for the filmmakers to imagine what they think of the problems of their countries 10 years later,? said Golden Scene?s founder and managing director Winnie Tsang. ?Different countries have different problems. Some of the problems maybe universal but we can see the different culture in each country.? BIFF continues until Saturday. The bleak "Ten Years Japan" film omnibus imagines a future of state-sponsored mind control and nuclear fallout The dystopian 'Ten Years' Hong Kong was the original film in the series in 2015 and painted a bleak picture of the city under Chinese control Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was given a warm welcome in Hungary Monday just weeks after Ankara's strained relations with other EU nations were thrown into sharp relief in a tense visit to Germany. The Turkish leader has had staunch support from Budapest even as EU relations waver, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban among the first to congratulate Erdogan on his re-election in July and one of the few European officials to attend the inauguration ceremony in Ankara. A fierce critic of what he sees as an undemocratic Europe, Orban has repeatedly hailed the "stability" that he perceives the Turkish regime offers. "Turkey's stability is the guaranty of our security," he said at a joint press conference with Erdogan, referring to the role of Turkish authorities in controlling migration into Europe. He urged Europe to put in place a "strategic cooperation with Turkey, at all costs". The visit comes after a sensitive trip to Germany at the end of September, as Berlin and Ankara face the daunting task of rebuilding relations and trust battered by a succession of disputes. Turkey's relations with Germany -- and other key EU states -- had hit historic lows in the aftermath of the 2016 failed coup to oust Erdogan as Berlin took issue with the scope of the remorseless crackdown afterwards that also caught up German nationals. Ankara needs the EU as relations with the United States deteriorate and the Turkish economy, very dependent on trade with Europe, is in difficulty. Erdogan's two-day visit to Hungary will also allow him to show his critics that "no, the EU hasn't completely turned its back on Turkey," said Tamas Szigetvari, economics professor at Peter Pazmany University in Budapest. "It's nice for him to visit an EU country where he isn't under fire for his record on human rights and democracy," the expert told AFP. - Turkey's 'cousins' - The Turkish leader and the Hungarian premier, who secured his third consecutive term in office in April, are perceived to be made of the same mettle -- democratically elected but with authoritarian and distinctly anti-liberal tendencies. Restrictions on freedom of expression in Turkey have come in for sharp international criticism, while Hungary risks sanctions from the EU over legislative changes seen as a threat to the rule of law and the bloc's values. Relations between Hungary and Turkey may currently be cordial, but the two countries' history has not always been so friendly, and Hungary was occupied by the Ottoman empire for a century and a half between 1541 and 1699. Nowadays, Erdogan professes nostalgia for the Ottoman empire, while Orban's government promotes so-called "turanist" theories, hotly disputed by historians and linguists, that see Turkish and Finno-Ugric languages, including Hungarian, as sharing a common origin. On a visit to Kyrgyzstan in September, Orban lauded Hungarian as a "strange and unique language related to Turkish languages". Tamas Szigetvari argues that such theories enable Orban to portray Hungary as a sort of distant cousin to countries in Asia that Budapest is wooing for economic reasons. But not everyone is happy about the cordial relations between the two countries: a small centre-left party said that a demonstration it had been planning to protest Erdogan's visit has been banned under a new law that came into force this month that restricts freedom of assembly. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had staunch support from Budapest even as EU relations waver Orban was one of the first to congratulate Erdogan on his re-election in July Turkey's president has demanded Saudi officials prove their claim that missing journalist and Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, as the US called for a thorough probe into his disappearance. Recep Tayyip Erdogan's comments on Monday came after media reports said his government sought permission from Saudi authorities to search the consulate premises in Istanbul. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, vanished last Tuesday after entering the consulate to receive official documents ahead of his marriage to a Turkish woman. "Consulate officials cannot save themselves by saying that he left the building... Don't you have a camera?" Erdogan told a news conference in Budapest. "If he left, you have to prove it with footage. Those who ask Turkish authorities where he is should ask what happened." US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement late Monday urged "the government of Saudi Arabia to support a thorough investigation of Mr Khashoggi's disappearance and to be transparent about the results of that investigation". Turkish police said at the weekend that around 15 Saudis, including officials, arrived in Istanbul on two flights last Tuesday and were at the consulate at the same time as Khashoggi. A Turkish government source told AFP at the weekend that the police believe the journalist "was killed by a team especially sent to Istanbul and who left the same day". Riyadh vehemently denies the claim and says Khashoggi left the consulate. Turkey on Monday sought permission to search the consulate premises, Turkish NTV broadcaster reported. The move came after the foreign ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador for a second time Sunday over the journalist's disappearance. A Turkish diplomat confirmed Monday that the Saudi envoy had met deputy foreign minister Sedat Onal. "The ambassador was told that we expected full cooperation during the investigation," the source said. The ambassador was first summoned to the ministry on Wednesday. Erdogan said Turkish police and intelligence were investigating the case. "The airport exits and entrances are being examined. There are people who came from Saudi Arabia," he said. "The chief prosecutor's office is investigating the issue." US President Donald Trump said he was "concerned" about the journalist's disappearance. "Right now, nobody knows anything about it. There are some pretty bad stories going around. I do not like it," Trump told reporters at the White House. - 'Awful crime'- Protesters gathered outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Monday with banners reading "We will not leave without Jamal Khashoggi", demanding to know what had happened to him. Yemeni activist Tawakkol Karman, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said it would be an "awful crime" if the claims of his death were true. "Killing him is like killing us. This policy is just a terror policy. There's no difference between the state terror and other terror actions," she added. Khashoggi went to the consulate to obtain official documents required for his marriage to Hatice Cengiz. Turkish police quickly said he never left the building as there was no security footage of his departure. The consulate rejected claims that the journalist was killed there as "baseless". Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously told Bloomberg that Riyadh was "ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search" the consulate, which is Saudi sovereign territory. "We will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do. If they ask for that, of course, we will allow them. We have nothing to hide," Prince Salman said in an interview published on Friday. Khashoggi had been critical of some of the crown prince's policies and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen in Arab and Western media. He compared the 33-year-old prince to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a column for the Washington Post in November 2017. "As of now, I would say Mohammed bin Salman is acting like Putin. He is imposing very selective justice. The crackdown on even the most constructive criticism ? the demand for complete loyalty with a significant 'or else' ? remains a serious challenge to the crown prince's desire to be seen as a modern, enlightened leader," he wrote. - 'Devastating impact'- Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a top Senate ally of Trump, warned of a "devastating" impact on the US alliance with Saudi Arabia if allegations are confirmed. Saudi Arabia launched a modernisation campaign following Prince Mohammed's appointment as heir to the throne with moves such as lifting a ban on women driving. But the ultra-conservative kingdom, which ranks 169th out of 180 on RSF's World Press Freedom Index, has been strongly criticised over its intolerance of dissent with dozens of people arrested including intellectuals and Islamic preachers. Protestors gathered outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, demanding to know what happened to missing journalist and Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi Graphic chronicling the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Instanbul A Turkish police officer stands in front of the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul after the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi Media reports said the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sought permission from Saudi authorities to search the consulate premises in Istanbul. Ukraine on Monday began a series of large-scale air force exercises with the United States and other NATO countries, the defence ministry said. The "Clear Sky 2018" war games, which will run until October 19, are being held in western Ukraine. Some 700 troops are taking part, half of them from NATO member countries including the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania. US aircraft including F-15C Eagle fighter planes and C-130J Super Hercules military transport planes and drones will train with about 30 Ukrainian aircraft, the ministry said. Polish and Romanian aircraft will fly in to work with their Ukrainian counterparts in what will be "the first time" they work together "in the air to protect the airspace," Ukraine air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said. The aim is "to enhance regional capabilities to secure air sovereignty and promote peace and security through cooperation," a US Air Force statement said. In recent years, concerns have risen about Russia's intentions in Ukraine, particularly after Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Kiev and the West have accused Russia of backing rebels in Ukraine's war-torn east and sending troops across the border, claims Moscow has repeatedly denied. The conflict has already killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014. US aircraft including F-15C Eagle fighter planes will train with about 30 Ukrainian aircraft Avoiding global climate chaos will require a major transformation of society and the world economy that is "unprecedented in scale," the UN said Monday in a landmark report that warns time is running out to avert disaster. Earth's surface has warmed one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) -- enough to lift oceans and unleash a crescendo of deadly storms, floods and droughts -- and is on track toward an unliveable 3C or 4C rise. At current levels of greenhouse gas emissions, we could pass the 1.5C marker as early as 2030, and no later than mid-century, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) reported with "high confidence". "The next few years are probably the most important in human history," Debra Roberts, head of the Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department in Durban, South Africa, and an IPCC co-chair, told AFP. A Summary for Policymakers of the 400-page tome underscores how quickly global warming has outstripped humanity's attempt to tame it, and outlines options for avoiding the worst ravages of a climate-addled future. "We have done our job, we have now passed on the message," Jim Skea, a professor at Imperial College London's Centre for Environmental Policy and an IPCC co-chair, said at a press conference. "Now it is over to governments -- it's their responsibility to act on it." Before the Paris Agreement was inked in 2015, nearly a decade of scientific research rested on the assumption that 2C was the guardrail for a climate-safe world. The IPCC report, however, shows that global warming impacts have come sooner and hit harder than predicted. - Pay now or pay later - "Things that scientists have been saying would happen further in the future are happening now," Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, told AFP. To have at least a 50/50 chance of staying under the 1.5C cap without overshooting the mark, the world must, by 2050, become "carbon neutral", according to the report. "That means every tonne of CO2 we put into the atmosphere will have to be balanced by a tonne of CO2 taken out," said lead coordinating author Myles Allen, head of the University of Oxford's Climate Research Programme. Drawing from more than 6,000 recent scientific studies, the report laid out four pathways to that goal. The most ambitious 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 also avoid an "overshoot" of the 1.5C threshold. A contrasting "pay later" scenario compensates for a high-consumption lifestyles and continued use of fossil fuels with a temporary breaching of the 1.5C ceiling. It depends heavily on the use of biofuels. But the scheme would need to plant an area twice the size of India in biofuel crops, and assumes that some 1,200 billion tonnes of CO2 -- 30 years' worth of emissions at current rates -- can be safely locked away underground. "Is it fair for the next generation to pay to take the CO2 out of the atmosphere that we are now putting into it?", asked Allen. "We have to start having that debate." - 'Hail of silver bullets' - The stakes are especially high for small island states, developing nations in the tropics, and countries with densely-populated delta regions already suffering from rising seas. "We have only the slimmest of opportunities remaining to avoid unthinkable damage to the climate system that supports life as we know it," said Amjad Abdulla, chief negotiator at UN climate talks for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). Limiting global warming to 1.5C comes with a hefty price tag: some $2.4 trillion (2.1 trillion euros) of investments in the global energy system every year between 2016 and 2035, or about 2.5 percent of world GDP. That amount, however, must be weighed against the even steeper cost of inaction, the report says. The path to a climate-safe world has become a tightrope, and will require an unprecedented marshalling of human ingenuity, the authors said. "The problem isn't going to be solved with a silver bullet," Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, director of the University of Queensland's Global Change Institute, told AFP. "We need a hail of silver bullets." The IPCC report was timed to feed into the December UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland, where world leaders will be under pressure to ramp up national carbon-cutting pledges which -- even if fulfilled -- would yield a 3C world. The week-long meeting in Incheon, South Korea -- already deep into overtime -- deadlocked on Saturday when oil giant Saudi Arabia demanded the deletion of a passage noting the need for global CO2 emissions to decline "well before 2030". The report was approved by consensus as soon as the Saudis backed down, participants told AFP. Concerns that the United States would seek to obstruct the process proved unfounded. The Trump administration has dismantled emissions reduction policies domestically, and vowed to ditch the Paris treaty. A cemetery in Majuro Atoll is flooded during high tide in the low-lying Marshall Islands, a Pacific atoll chain that sits barely a metre above sea level Principle conclusions of the NOAA "State of the Climate" report on 2017. Part of the Rhone Glacier is covered with insulating foam to prevent it from melting during the August 2018 heatwave that swept across northern Europe To have at least a 50/50 chance of staying under the 1.5C cap, by 2050 the world must become "carbon neutral" and dramatically reduce CO2 in the atmosphere, the UN says Global warming is on track to wipe out 70% of the world's King penguins by century's end, putting the regal birds on a path towards extinction, researchers have warned The American captain of a massive cruise ship faces trial in Marseille on Monday accused of using fuel with sulphur levels above European limits, as the Mediterranean port city grapples with the polluting effect of its drive to increase boat tourism. The Azura, capable of carrying more than 3,000 passengers, is one of the largest in the fleet operated by P&O Cruises, whose parent company Carnival is also being charged. Prosecutors in Marseille say it is the first time pollution charges have been lodged against a ship's captain on France's Mediterranean coast. The city has wrestled with increased smog in recent years, as it seeks to attract more lucrative cruise tourism. Authorities say shipping could be responsible for 10 to 20 percent of the damaging particulate matter in Marseille's air, which can cause respiratory problems and lung disease. A spot check onboard the Azura in March found it was burning bunker fuel containing 1.68 percent sulphur, above the 1.5 percent limit. High-sulphur fuel, which is cheaper than cleaner versions, produces sulphur oxides which contribute to acid rain and the acidification of oceans. The ship's 58-year-old captain, whose name has not been disclosed, faces up to one year in prison and a 200,000 euro ($230,000) fine. Tracked down by investigators a few days after the testing during a stop east of Marseille, he admitted using the fuel. But he did not appear at a previous court hearing in July, when Carnival lawyers argued that the company was not responsible. - Sulphur in crosshairs - Environmental advocates say shipping is particularly harmful in Marseille, with fine particle levels 100 times higher near the city's bustling port than elsewhere in the city. Even when docked at quai a single ship emits as much pollution as 10,000 to 30,000 cars, according to AirPaca, the regional air pollution monitoring agency. The UN's International Maritime Organization has been lowering the allowed sulphur levels in ships for years, with a new limit of 0.5 percent coming into force in 2020. But the NGO France Nature Environnement, which has welcomed the charges against the captain, says the new maximum is still too high. It cites a 0.1 percent sulphur limit enforced in the Baltic Sea and other designated Sulphur Emission Control Areas, including the North Sea and along coastlines in North America and the Caribbean. Marseille registered 1.55 million cruise ship visitors last year, and officials hope it will surpass the numbers in Venice this year to become the fourth-largest port of call for cruise ships in the Mediterranean. The city is aiming for two million cruise line tourists in 2020. The southern French city of Marseille has been wrestling with growing air pollution as it seeks more of the lucrative cruise tourism business The United States accused Tehran Monday of having "unclean hands" as it fought an Iranian court bid to unfreeze $2.0 billion dollars earmarked by Washington for terror victims. Washington said Iran's "support for international terrorism", including bombings and airline hijackings, should disqualify it from being heard at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Iran took Washington to the UN's top court in 2016 over a US Supreme Court ruling that the $2 billion (1.74 billion euros) should go to victims of attacks blamed on the Islamic republic. Iran said the case breached a 1955 "Treaty of Amity" between Washington and Tehran signed before Iran's Islamic revolution. Washington tore up that treaty last week after the ICJ in a separate case ordered the United States to ease sanctions reimposed on Tehran by US President Donald Trump after he pulled out of Iran's 2015 international nuclear deal. "Iran comes to the court with unclean hands. Indeed, it is a remarkable show of bad faith," Richard Visek, a US State Department legal official, told the court. "The actions at the root of this case centre on Iran's support for international terrorism... Iran's bad acts include supports for terrorist bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and airline hijackings," he said. Visek also accused Iran's "most senior leaders" of the "encouragement and promotion of terrorism" and "violation of nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missile and arms trafficking obligations". Iran's use of the 1955 treaty to lodge the case was an "abuse of process", he added. The ICJ was set up after World War II to rule on disputes between United Nations member states. Its rulings are binding but it has no power to enforce them. In Washington, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "We owe it to our fallen heroes, their families, and the victims of Iran?s terrorist activities to vigorously defend against the Iranian regime?s meritless claims this week in The Hague." And "we will continue to fight against the scourge of Iran?s terrorist activities in all venues and will continue to increase the pressure on this outlaw state," Pompeo said. - 'Full reparations' - At Monday's hearing, a 15-judge bench listened to US arguments over whether the ICJ can take up the case under its strict rules governing its procedure. The terror attacks whose American victims were to be compensated under the April 2016 Supreme Court ruling included the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut, in which 241 soldiers were killed, and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia. The decision affects a total of more than 1,000 Americans. Iran angrily accused Washington of breaking the 1955 treaty -- even though it was signed at the time with the pro-US regime of the Shah -- and called for the United States "to make full reparations to Iran for the violation of its international legal obligations". A decision by the ICJ's judges may not be made public for weeks or even months. But Monday's showdown risks deepening the Trump administration's rift with international justice. Last Wednesday, Trump's national security advisor John Bolton announced that Washington was not only leaving the amity treaty but also quitting the international accord relating to the UN top court's jurisdiction. That followed Iran's shock victory last week when the ICJ ruled that the United States must lift sanctions against Tehran targeting humanitarian goods like food and medicine. The step also came after the Palestinians went to the ICJ to challenge the US move of its Israel embassy to Jerusalem. Trump last month at the United Nations virulently rejected the authority of the International Criminal Court -- a separate court based in The Hague that the US is not a member of -- over a probe into US forces in Afghanistan. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague was set up after World War II to rule on disputes between United Nations member states. Its rulings are binding but it has no power to enforce them A woman returned home from work to discover she was the target of a bizarre burglary. Erica Sampson had finished her job at the Lincoln County Regional Jail in the US state of Kentucky on Saturday morning and became concerned when she did not hear her dogs barking when she got home. She told US news outlet LEX18-TV she was shocked to find a woman inside her house who had allegedly cleaned the home and fed her pets. Erica Sampson said she came home to discover her house had been cleaned by an intruder. Source: LEX18-TV When I went in the house, the house was clean and the dogs didnt bark and so I walked in and kind of listened and she came from out of the kitchen, Ms Sampson said. The tidy thief allegedly stole one of Ms Sampsons mobile phones and some jewellery. Ms Sampson told LEX18-TV she believed the intruder also had a shower and slept in her bed. Heather Owens was arrested over the burglary. Source: LEX18-TV Heather Owens was later arrested and charged with burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia. Ms Sampson told LEX18-TV her home had been broken into four times. A shocked mum has taken to social media claiming to have witnessed the worst racism shes ever seen while trying to buy a homeless Indigenous man a hot dog. Tanikka Murrell, 27, took to Facebook on Sunday to share an unsavoury encounter at a Darwin kebab shop over the weekend. Last night we witnessed the worst racism we have ever seen in our lives! she claimed. The professional photographer said after celebrating her partners birthday, the couple and a friend were approached by a homeless man who was asking for small change because he was hungry. Instead of giving him cash, Ms Murrell invited the man to go with them to a nearby kebab shop where shed buy him a meal. Yet on arrival, the mother of two who recently settled in Darwin with her young family after touring Australia in a caravan, claimed their visit didnt go as planned. Ms Murrell was shocked by the alleged treatment of a homeless man she tried to buy food for. Source: Facebook/ Tanikka Murrell Once we got to the counter we were waiting to be served but the lady behind the counter starts asking the people from behind what they would like? she explained online. Ms Murrell revealed more and more were served ahead of her and the homeless man until the store was empty. At this point she said she began to realise what was happening. I ask the lady at the counter, Are you going to serve this man?, she said in reference to the homeless man. Photographer Tanikka Murrell said she and the homeless man were asked to leave the store. Source: Instragram/ Tanikka Murrell She claimed the woman behind the counter ignored her before a security guard entered the store. The group, puzzled by his presence, asked why he had entered the store. Im just doing my job and making sure everybody is safe, Ms Murrell claimed the security guard said. She said the homeless man was eventually served a hotdog but moments later, more security guards turned up alongside two police officers. She said they asked what the issue was before telling her this happens all the time. We were shocked, upset and were in absolute disbelief that this was happening!! All of this because an indigenous man wanted to order a hotdog! she said. Her post has since been shared over 30,000 times and has been inundated with comments from users equally stunned by the incident. Story continues Thats absolutely disgusting and heart breaking. That man was lucky to meet someone as lovely as you, one user wrote. Yahoo7 News has contacted NT Police over the alleged incident. A New York State Senate employee was among the 20 people who were killed in a limousine crash in the town of Schoharie over the weekend, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan said Monday. Flanagan said Patrick Cushing was killed in the wreck. Cushing, an Amsterdam resident, was a member of the Albany-based Technology Services unit. "He was an extraordinary employee and a wonderful young man who was loved by all," Flanagan said. "He will be greatly missed by his Senate family." Cushing's girlfriend, Amanda Halse, was also killed in the crash. Cushing was born on June 19, 1987 in Amsterdam, according to his family. He attended St. Mary's Institute and Fulton Montgomery Community College. Kevin Cushing, Patrick's father, said his son participated in several sports and was "the ultimate teammate." Patrick Cushing was an avid dodgeball player, and competed in the world championships at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In a separate statement, Justin Cushing, Patrick's brother, remembered his sibling's love for family and friends. "That heart propelled him in each passion where he found a balance between his competitive drive and his caring spirit," Justin Cushing said. "His expressive personality and willingness to be emotionally vulnerable for the betterment of others has left an impact that we will always cherish. I have lost not just a brother, but my best friend." The fatal accident occurred Saturday at the intersection of Routes 30 and 30A in Schoharie. State police said a 2001 Ford Expedition limousine was traveling southwest on Route 30 when it failed to stop at the intersection. The limo passed through the intersection and crashed into a parked SUV. The driver of the limo and 17 passengers were killed. Two pedestrians were also killed in the crash. The state police established a dedicated phone line to assist the victims' families. The phone number is 1-877-672-4911. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has directed state agencies to provide resources to assist with the response. The state police is investigating the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Sunday that the Schoharie crash is the deadliest transportation incident in the U.S. since 2009, when 49 people died in a passenger jet crash outside Buffalo. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 0 The 50th Senate District is shaping up to be an expensive battle between Republican candidate Bob Antonacci and Democratic nominee John Mannion. Mannion reported receipts totaling $251,488.26 in the latest fundraising period. Antonacci raised $212,417.44. The GOP candidate has a larger closing balance $257,632.57 to $44,170.35. Mannion's campaign received considerable financial support from Democratic party groups and unions. His largest contributor was the New York State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, which gave $147,108. The same amount was paid to The Parkside Group, a political consulting firm, for television ads. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, a Washington-based group that supports Democratic candidates in state legislative races across the country, donated $11,000 to Mannion's campaign. He also received $12,000 from the United Federation of Teachers' political committee and $7,000 from 1199 SEIU, a union representing health care workers. Democratic state Sen. Liz Krueger, through her No Bad Apples PAC, contributed $4,000 to support Mannion's bid. Mannion's campaign spent $269,957. The largest expenditure was $147,108 on television commercials. He also paid $67,500 to GRSG Company, another political consulting firm, and spent $24,000 to conduct polling. To support his campaign, Antonacci received $11,000 from Friends of John Flanagan, the Senate majority leader's campaign committee. One of retiring state Sen. John DeFrancisco's campaign committees, Citizens for DeFrancisco, gave $7,000. Antonacci and Mannion are vying to succeed DeFrancisco, R-DeWitt, in the state Senate. The New York State Senate Republican Campaign Committee transferred $76,000 into Antonacci's campaign, records show. The funds were used to help pay for television commercials. Antonacci paid $76,050 to Political Communications Advertising in New York City for the TV ads. Downstate real estate interests also supported Antonacci's campaign. The Neighborhood Preservation Political Action Fund and the Rent Stabilization Association PAC, both based in New York City, each gave $10,000. Since launching their state Senate campaigns, Antonacci and Mannion have reported receipts totaling $697,442. Antonacci's campaign has $368,160.48 in receipts, including $116,718.04 that was transferred from his Onondaga County comptroller campaign committee to support his state Senate run. Mannion's campaign has raised $329,281.73. The campaigns have already spent more than $395,000 in the 50th district race. Mannion's expenditures total $285,111.38. Antonacci has spent $110,527.91. The 50th district race is expected to be one of the most competitive state Senate contests in New York. Both parties have made the race a priority. For Republicans, the goal is to retain a seat they have held for five decades. But with voter enrollment split in the district, Democrats view it as a pickup opportunity. Both parties agree that the race is crucial as they battle for majority control of the state Senate. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 AUBURN Dogs of all breeds, coats, sizes and barks gathered at Hoopes Park on Sunday for the annual Blessing of the Animals in Auburn. Although all pets are welcome at the blessing, a crowd of about 20 dogs and their owners were the only attendees this year. "I absolutely love this, it's so special. It just reminds us of the (spiritual) connection we have with our pets," said Carol Russell, the executive director of Finger Lakes SPCA of Central New York. As the sixth or seventh year of the Blessing of the Animals, Russell said it always happens this time of year because Oct. 4 is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi and he was the patron saint of animals. Russell said she brings her own dog, a Bichon Poodle mix named Alex, every year. She added that "he loves to participate" and said he got excited when she told him where they were going today. The blessing included both a call to prayer and a blessing over all animals and their owners. "Let us give thanks and praise to the creator, our Lord God. Lord, we ask for blessings upon these little ones and their caretakers," the Rev. Beth Malone, of Auburn United Methodist Church, said. Following her overarching blessing for all of the animals, owners who wanted an individual blessing over their dog lined up so Malone could lay hands on each dog and bless them one by one. She asked for each dog's name before praying over each animal uniquely, thanking God for their lives and praying for things like long, healthy lives. "Now and forevermore, go in peace," Malone said as she closed out the event with a prayer. The small crowd that stayed until the end of the ceremony responded with a loud "thank you." As her first time officiating a blessing of the animals, as she came to the Auburn UMC in July, Malone said it went "wonderfully." She said she views it as a way to thank and honor God for his creation, and recognize the the joy and companionship he allows animals to bring to our lives. Cathy Rudick, of Auburn, attended the blessing for the third year with her 9-year-old black Labrador retriever named Brinkley. "My pet is part of my family, so I like to have him blessed," she said. Staff writer Megan Ehrhart can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or megan.ehrhart@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @MeganEhrhart. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Brooklyn rapper and club promoter Frank Snyder was hosting a birthday party at a Queens bar this weekend when a gunman pulled up outside and opened fire, fatally shooting Snyder in what witnesses say seemed like a "targeted" killing. The NYPD received a report about a man shot at the Tavern Lounge on Jamaica Avenue at 3:13 a.m. on Sunday. Upon arrival, officers found 35-year-old Snyderwho went by the stage name Hollywood Playoutside, with gunshot wounds in his neck and leg. EMS transported Snyder to nearby Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Snyder Police said that Snyder was attending a birthday party at the bar, although his Instagram suggests he was the host. "He happened to go outside with a small group of people," an officer told Gothamist, at roughly the same time "a black sedan rolled up." The gunman started shooting from the car's passenger side, hitting only Snyder. "They targeted him," Snyder's sister and Tavern Lounge bartender Tiesajah Reynolds told the NY Post. "There was a couple other people outside. I feel like they had to wait for the right moment to get him. I don't understand, why him? Why come after him? They had to be waiting for him." Reynolds expressed a similar sentiment to NBC 4, but said she didn't know who the shooter was or why they'd seek out her brother. Snyder, a father of six, according to the News, reportedly put on shows and events at the lounge on a weekly basis. Authorities have not identified a suspect in the shooting, and said Monday that the investigation is ongoing. Snyder's friends and family, meanwhile, remain shocked. "When I woke up and saw [on social media] 'RIP,' I'm like, no, not my man Frankie. And my first thought was, damn, I hope he didn't pass away in a car accident," rapper Chedda Boss told the Post. "I would never have thought he'd gotten shot, because that's not the kind of life that he lived." Snyder's mother told the Daily News, "He was just a great son. He always came last. Everyone else came first. He was kind to everybody. They took somebody who was really good away from me. I saw him before he left last night. He told me, 'Ma, I know I don't talk to you enough, but I'll talk to you when I get home.' I said, 'OK, I love you.' And those were the last words I ever said to him." HANNOVER, Germanypjur earned three awards during the recent eroFarme trade show: one from Sign Magazine for Best European Lube Company; and two from EAN for Sexual Wellness Company of the Year and for Best Marketing Campaign. Once again, the awards are a fantastic recognition of our work, said Alexander Giebel, CEO and founder of the pjur group. We put a lot of heart and soul into what we do, particularly our 'pjur love gives you more' campaign. It's great that the committees have also recognised this and we are now able to call ourselves the best personal lubricant company in Europe! The pjur group's motto for the year pjur love gives you more was also reflected in the company's yellow booth at eroFame. Large poster walls showing images from the successful ad campaigns in Cosmopolitan, Playboy and GQ as well as two screens displaying the USPs of all pjur products and, of course, the traditional coffee bar with fresh espresso made the stand a real eye-catcher. The three new products pjur Woman Aloe, pjur Woman Vegan and pjur Woman After You Shave were a particular highlight. pjur Woman Aloe contains moisturising aloe vera and is tailored to the pH level of female mucous membranes. pjur Woman Vegan is a vegan personal lubricant developed specifically for women, and pjur Woman After You Shave was created to protect female skin from infections and razor bumps after intimate shaving. Our new products were extremely popular with visitors. Orders for the two new personal lubricants in particular significantly exceeded our forecasts. We've already had to start producing new batches, said COO Ralph Ehses. On Wednesday and Thursday evening, the company again made two winners of the traditional pjur competition very happy. This time, Stephanie Fedder from Orion Versand and Levente Kinter from Debra Net UFT each received a brand new GoPro Hero 6 camera. The entire pjur sales team plus three employees from the marketing department and Alexander Giebel were at the trade show in Hanover. The team was also supported by US Sales Manager John Marinello, who travelled from Miami to the show as well as the pjur Asia Team. Find out more about pjur at pjurlove.com. CHICAGOReps from Zalo have returned from Hannover, Germany, where they continued to expand their global success. We are happy to announce that we are now in five continents, Australia, Europe, Asia, South America and of course North America, said Zalo USA CEO Peter Ovsonka. Our goal is to be a complete global brand, but as soon as we return stateside, we are going to focus on visiting as many stores as we can until the Black Friday weekend. Our calendar is filling up with appointments, with that said, we welcome anyone to reach out to us. If you have a beautiful store, we will make sure myself or one of my sales team pays your store a visit. For more information on Zalo, follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or YouTube. South Cumbria-based Heron Corn Mill has received a National Lottery Grant of 52,500 to help it celebrate 800 years of milling. The Grade Grade II-listed 18th century working watermill in Beetham, near Milnthorpe, will use the funds towards a 1220-2020 project to showcase its medieval past. Local community groups and members of the public will be given the opportunity to learn how to bake in the way their ancestors did, grow flax to create linen and take home a modern loaf made using the mills flour as part of the activity, which will run for two years. The watermill, which operates on the first Friday of each month, processing approximately 150kg of wheat and spelt, still mills with traditional dressed stones. It is manned by two people, who also control the flour-making process As well as using the flour in their community bread-making schemes, the historic property supplies spelt flour to Peace & Loaf Bakehouse in Barrow-in-Furness. Their spelt loaves have won awards, Audrey Steeley, the mills creative projects manager told British Baker. We dont supply anyone else at present and, as a registered charity, we dont wish to become commercial we sell our flour for souvenir sales and for use in our community bread-making, as well as to bake artisan breads for sale at our events. In 2015, the mill converted a Shepherd Hut into a baking facility, with bread ovens and kitchen equipment, and set up its Bread of Heron bread-making collective. We began with one group, led by Nell Dale, and then expanded, Steeley added. We now have self-taught bakers Kate Maddock and Pete Taylor, who all run their own Bread of Heron groups from here. We teach local people to bake bread, and Kate also teaches cake-making. Petes speciality is sourdough and he runs specific courses each season for this. We have so much interest now in baking from the community; Nell teaches bread-making to mental health groups and looked-after children, and we are about to start another group due to demand. Bangor-based Heatherlea Bakery has partnered with two other Northern Irish companies to create a new Irish Oatcake. The bakery has collaborated with Irish Black Butter, from Portrush in county Antrim, and Whites Oats in Tandragee, county Armagh to produce Irish Black Butter Oatcakes. Notably, the oatcakes get their dark colour from the Irish Black Butter which is described as a unique savoury/sweet spread made from Bramley apples, treacle and spices with a hint of brandy. Paul Getty, MD of Heatherlea Bakery, and Alastair Bell, founder of Irish Black Butter, worked together to produce the NPD. Paul and his bakers have done marvellous job in creating a delicious hand baked Irish oatcake, a bakery product long synonymous with Ireland, said Bell. I see opportunities to market the oatcake as a traditional Irish product both here and in global markets. Northern Ireland has seen similar collaborations in recent months. In September, Belfast-based Ormo Bakery, which is part of Hovis, teamed up with prepared vegetable supplier Mash Direct and Ballyrashane Buttermilk to create a Buttermilk Wheaten Bread. The Crazed and Spooky Tales of One Oregon Coast Lighthouse Published 09/26/2018 at 4:44 AM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Cannon Beach, Oregon) - The truth behind this old lighthouse off the north Oregon coast is certainly weirder than fiction itself or any of its ghost tales, for that matter. The Tillamook Rock lighthouse has never been accessible to the public, and thus has always sparked the imagination with its mysterious silhouette lying more than a mile away. (Photos courtesy the Furnish family, circa 1970). As the Halloween season descends upon the Oregon coast, it seems like a prime time to spin the ol' yarns. Construction on this blob of rock began in the 1880s, after initial plans were scrapped to put it on a fog-prone, blind spot area atop Tillamook Head. Things did not get off to a good start. The first man to step on the rock to do some surveying drowned, creating an immediate public outcry that perhaps this wasnt a good idea. After the top was blasted, construction crews had to endure insane conditions, living under soggy tents and enormous waves that constantly knocked at them. The crews lived in rotating shifts on the rock, and there were so many casualties in these conditions that men waiting onshore to work there were actually sequestered away from the public and from talk of what went on there. These robber barons of old in charge of the project went to incredible lengths to keep construction workers away from the truth. They were housed in various places along the southern Washington coast, away from Seaside, and for a while even on a ship anchored just offshore. Once it was built, lightkeepers lived there in shifts too: four of them, usually a few months at a time. It was a brutal existence, and one keeper reportedly went mad from the solitude. A giant winch was used to bring supplies and personnel from visiting ships to the rock, which was a dangerous and unwieldy endeavor under even the best conditions. They were put inside an object called a breeches buoy which is essentially a giant pair of pants encircled by a floatation ring, attached to the cables overhead. Numerous men were lost doing this. The place was ripe for ghost stories. It didnt help that local tribes purportedly said it was inhabited by evil spirits. There are rumors of such paranormal tales over the years, including the claims of voices heard over the din of storms from the lens area and other isolated or dark parts of the lighthouse. Sometimes, stories about ghost ships appearing in the fog and drifting past are associated with the place as well, but usually these have foundations in actual events involving near misses from real ships. Indeed, a ship called the Lupatia nearly hit the lighthouse in dense fog, but was warned away just in time. However, it did soon after slam into Tillamook Head, killing all aboard except the ships dog. One local legend has it that you can sometimes still hear the dog howl in the night near Tillamook Head. Another almost spooky tale from the lighthouse comes from a keeper who felt something brush past his face in the dark while lying in bed. All of a sudden, he heard strange footsteps in the pitch black, and after a time, bolted towards the light switch, arms swinging wildly in an attempt to smack whatever trespasser was there. When he turned on the light, he found only an injured bird that had somehow made its way into his bedroom. The odd footsteps were its broken wing hitting the floor. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1957, with the last keeper, Oswald Allik, proclaiming I return thee to the elements. In the 80s, after numerous failed ownerships, a firm called Eternity at Sea bought the Tillamook Rock lighthouse property, and for a time it served as a columbarium a place for ashes of the dead. Rather comically, that firm ran ads in the early 90s or so offering free satellite TV for life if you reserved your resting place early. Presumably, they figured if you were making such arrangements you wouldnt be around too long. That firm was bankrupt and also deceased by the early 2000s, and no one or nothing is in charge of the old Oregon coast lighthouse now. Lodging in Cannon Beach - 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 A Dominion Energy spokesman told Carolina Journal roughly 85 percent of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will traverse existing utility right-of-way, including this area in Halifax County. (CJ photo by Don Carrington) Eight North Carolina school districts tapped to split $57.8 million from Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers aren't likely to see that money anytime soon.Pipeline partners haven't paid the state because a memorandum of understanding negotiated with Gov. Roy Cooper includes conditions that haven't been satisfied. Court challenges against pipeline construction filed by environmental groups threaten to prolong the wait.Duke Energy spokeswoman Tammie McGee told Carolina Journal by email. The first installment was due July 24.McGee said, once the terms are met.McGee said the agreement among Cooper and pipeline partners called for half of the $57.8 million to be paid to the state when construction authority was granted for the entire pipeline, and construction was not tied up by a court order or "a reasonable risk" of being halted by court order.McGee said.Dominion Energy and Southern Company Gas, also partners in the $57.8 million deal, haven't responded to questions about it. A fourth partner, Piedmont Natural Gas, is owned by Duke Energy.The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved construction of the $6.5 billion pipeline in late 2017. The 600-mile underground transmission line will carry 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily from West Virginia, through Virginia, to Robeson County in southeast North Carolina.Construction has been on again, off again amid regulatory and legal skirmishes.The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered construction halted on Sept. 24. Environmental groups sued to kill U.S. Forest Service permits to drill below the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail in Virginia. A three-judge panel Sept. 28 heard oral arguments on that challenge , as well as a second challenge to state water quality permits.said D.J. Gerken, senior attorney for theSouthern Environmental Law Center who argued the case before the three-judge panel.Gerken said.The pipeline partners don't have to make any payments until those matters are resolved, so the eight school districts in the pipeline's path won't see any money before then.The GOP-led legislature devised the school funding plan after saying Cooper's side deal was illegal. The mitigation fund Cooper set up bypassed a constitutional mandate requiring state revenues to be allocated by the General Assembly. Lawmakers passed House Bill 90 assuming control of the money, redirecting it to school districts.said Joseph Kyzer, a spokesman for House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland.Kyzer said.Cooper termed the multimillion-dollar side deal a voluntary contribution for renewable energy projects and economic development, and to offset habitat damage. But the deal was hammered out in secret among the parties, and details of its genesis remain elusive.CJ was the first media outlet in the state to question the unusual nature of the deal. It has reported extensively on the fund. (Find stories at this link .)Republicans suggested the deal was a political slush fund for the Democratic governor, saying a pay-to-play scheme could harm the state's business climate.State Department of Environmental Quality officials testified in a March meeting of the Joint Legislative Commission on Energy Policy the $57.8 million was not necessary for mitigation. They already negotiated an all-inclusive $6 million payment from pipeline developers to cover all repair costs due to construction, based on a standard formula used in granting state permits.At an Aug. 29 meeting the Joint Legislative Committee on Governmental Operations created an investigative subcommittee to delve deeper into the matter. The subcommittee was scheduled to meet Oct. 4, but the session was postponed until mid-November. The Cooper administration requested the delay so it could focus on Hurricane Florence recovery efforts. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford feared that coming forward with sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh would mean "jumping in front of a train that was headed to where it was headed" regardless of who stood on the tracks, and that she would be "personally annihilated" in the process. After the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh on Saturday, many survivors felt that train annihilated them, too. Ahead of the vote, some speculated that the Kavanaugh hearing would test the #MeToo movement's strength; on the other side, it's tempting to see the entire proceeding as a failure. Listening to Sen. Susan Collins praise a man credibly accused of serial sexual predation at the same time she pledged to do better by survivors of sexual violence; watching Republicans tout an FBI investigation they designed to be toothless; hearing the president openly mock a survivor, it seems clear that the people charged with protecting each and every one of their constituents failed. And as we approach #MeToo's one year anniversary, it's hard to fight the fear that the movement might fail, too: We stand near the same place we started, having not yet seen much-hyped reckoning forecasted last October. "I know it feels like we've been hit by a Mack truck: we kind of have. But we've survived worse," Tarana Burke, a longtime social justice activist and #MeToo's originator, told Gothamist. Still, she noted, "I think you build to a reckoning." Sitting in a dressing room at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan Sunday night, Burke was there to take stock of the #MeToo movement's progress with political commentator Karine Jean-Pierre, part of a progressive speaker series from 92 Y's XYZ free membership program. This time last year, Burke explained, the force of over 12 million people sharing their experiences of sexual violence, often for the first time, felt powerful. The fact of men finally being called out for their long-sustained abuse felt almost like accountability, and made that power more meaningful. Then came the now what; the backlash; the weaponizing of a hashtag by prominent men who (wrongly) viewed the imperative to believe survivors as an imperative to assume male guilt. The past two weeks have seen us stall in that space, but as Burke emphasized, no movement accomplishes its aims within 12 months, and all of them suffer challenges alongside the triumphs. Despite the obvious blow Kavanaugh's victory dealt, the response from those who stand with Dr. Ford strikes Burke as the first rumblings of a real reckoning. Throughout the confirmation process, she said, "We've seen the power of survivors collectively coming together around an issue that affects our lives and affects other people's lives and the lives of people we love. Even though it feels, for some people, like a loss, the win is in the galvanizing." When Kavanaugh officially accepted his post, he did so with swarms of impassioned protesters shouting on his doorstep, their chants"Hey hey, ho ho, Kavanaugh has got to go"almost certainly audible inside the Supreme Court. Protests were not confined to the capitol (where 300 participants were arrested last week), and they continued even after his swearing-in concluded. Demonstrators flooded the streets in New York City on Saturday; they rallied in San Diego, in Cleveland, in Pittsburgh, in cities across the country. At Saturday's protest in NYC. (David 'Dee' Delgado / Gothamist) When it first went viral, Burke recalled, #MeToo called attention to the overwhelmingly widespread nature of sexual violence. "But we still didn't see a focus on everyday people," she added: The stories that made national news consistently involved high-profile men at the top of their industries. "Now we can." And that, to Burke's mind, is the small sliver of good to be extracted from a dismal situation. Burke's appearance drew a crowd on Sunday night, a turnout she sees as a marker of progress in and of itself: 10 years ago, when she originated the Me Too concept, a talk about sexual violence could never have filled a roomful of seats. Back then, the news cycle did not feature appearance after appearance by experts analyzing the nature of stored trauma, memory, and the effects of abuse. "The whole idea of believing survivors," she explained, "takes into account the fact that people, by and large women, for many years felt like they couldn't ... come forward because they would not be believed." We've just begun staking out a public space for survivors to tell their stories, she continued, but until we can talk about accountability, we won't have a reckoning. And even as it drew a #MeToo community together, the Kavanaugh confirmation process harshly reminded anyone who watched just how far away that conversation remains. If Kavanaugh sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee and admitted something to the effect of, "My understanding of sexual violence has changed from 17 to now," Burke told the audience; if he acknowledged that he had a teenage drinking problem, and that he understands now where his past behavior crossed clear lines; if he had, in short, taken responsibility for his actions, apologized, then his confirmation may have been easier to stomach. Instead, he threw out an unequivocal, enraged denial. Senators accepted it: Lindsey Graham exploded in an equally affronted, apoplectic outburst at his peer's treatment, while Sen. Collins, who positions herself as a proponent of women's rights, highlighted a "silver lining" in an unpalatable outcome she helped precipitate. Collins hopes that the whole experienceDr. Ford's time on the train tracks and her (alleged) assailant's subsequent winwill encourage survivors to "press charges" in the aftermath of an assault. Collins seems to have forgotten the barrage of judgment and criticism and death threatsthe possibility of which have always kept survivors silentthat have followed Dr. Ford since she made her own report. "Republican Senators' response, that lets us know that we are not even ready for a conversation about accountability," Burke said. "The hearing was a chance to make amends for Anita Hill, but if you don't feel like you did anything wrong, then you don't feel like there's anything to make amends for." #MeToo's job now, she explained, is to keep having that conversation out in the open: To keep working on the most resistant minds and poking holes in the myths they hold about sexual violence and power. "For as many trolls and naysayers and doubters and disbelievers as there are, that simple act of [Dr. Ford] standing up and being as credible as she was, standing there and telling her truth, has definitely shifted folks' hearts and minds," Burke stressed. "It was absolutely not for nothing." "What we know: The power of #MeToo is in the numbers. It's in the people," she added. "[Dr. Ford] didn't get hit by that train alone. We're out here together." In the space of three weeks, Democratic fortunes have turned in a shocking way. Just three weeks ago, on September 13, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) came forward with an allegation of sexual abuse against Brett Kavanaugh; just three days later, Christine Blasey Ford herself came forward in an interview with The Washington Post. At that time, Kavanaugh's nomination fell into severe jeopardy. Democrats held an eight-point lead on the generic Congressional ballot according to the RealClearPolitics poll average. According to the latest Economist, Marist, and IBD polls, those numbers are now below six points. IBD has the race inside the margin of error; Rasmussen does as well. The enthusiasm gap for Democrats has essentially disappeared.So, what happened?Democrats woke the sleeping giant.In 2016, Republicans showed up to vote because they were afraid of Hillary Clinton. But that concern pales next to the concern Republicans now have about the possibility of Democratic governance. Republicans have been treated to a front-row seat in a display of Democratic willingness to do anything to damage conservatives. Anything.Republicans have known about lack of Democratic decency since at least 2012, when Mitt Romney was characterized as a potential slaver by Joe Biden and an emotionless, cruel sexist by many in the media. It's one of the reasons so many Republicans voted for Donald Trump, a blunt instrument unwilling to back down in the face of threats, to face off against Hillary Clinton.But Kavanaugh was one step further. Kavanaugh wasn't up for election - he was a career judge, on one of the most prestigious circuits in America. He was a political moderate, with the support of many of his liberal colleagues. He was establishment. What's more, he was a devout Catholic and a father of two.And Democrats decided to ruin his life. Feinstein decided to hold back Ford's allegations until the last minute, then drop them. Democrats decided to play up every weak, uncorroborated allegation, no matter how disgusting; they decided to promote the insane speculation of professional publicity whore Michael Avenatti. The media decided to endorse the idea that Kavanaugh, a respected federal public servant, was actually a secret gambler, alcoholic, ice-thrower, and gang rapist, throwing out their basic standards of journalism in the process.And Republicans watched. So did independents.What they saw scared the bejeezus out of them: a militant Left willing to ruin a man's life based on unverifiable and uncorroborated allegations, for purely partisan purposes. And those Americans began to think: would the Democrats do that to me?Because Democrats revealed that they have no standards. "Believe all women" isn't a standard - it's a call for mob justice. Allegations require evidence. "Respect my story!" isn't a standard - it's a call for mob justice. Just because something bad happened to you doesn't mean that a completely separate allegation is verifiable.isn't a standard - it's an excuse for destroying a man without having to go through the legal process to do so.We all watched. All of us. And we all hated every second of this disgusting s***show.How else can we explain the sudden appearance of Lindsey Graham 2.0 (R-SC), the moderate-turned-firebreather, calling "bulls***" on Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and blistering Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, shouting,? How else can we explain the utterly milquetoast, pro-choice Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), morphing into Grambo, spitting hot fire at Democrats who leaked Ford's account to the media and indulged every idle fantasy about Kavanaugh's supposed dark side?I have never seen the Republican Party so united. I have never seen conservatives of all stripes so united. All the Left had to do to walk away with the House and contend for the Senate in 2018 was act like human beings. They couldn't even do that. Professional drivers gathered in Washington Heights this weekend to mourn the death of Uber driver Fausto Luna, who became the seventh New York City for-hire driver to take his own life since November 2017, when he jumped in front of a Manhattan A train last month. Luna had driven for Uber for five years and received high ratings and consistent earnings, according to a company spokesperson. El Diario reports that he was depressed over a mounting debt he was unable to pay. Sunday's vigil was attended by a few dozen drivers, along with Taxi & Limousine Commissioner Meera Joshi. The commissioner is a frequent target of drivers and their advocates, who say that she has presided over an unsustainable influx of vehicles on city streets, and further hurt driver wages by imposing hefty fines for minor offenses. Earlier this year, US Rep. Adriano Espaillat called for Joshi to step down over her handling of the suicide crisis, blaming her for "untenable working conditions, excessive fines, and oversaturated market." Those frustrations came to a head on Sunday. Not long after Joshi arrived at the vigil, she was shouted down, then forced to flee the site as some frustrated drivers followed her through the streets of Washington Heights. NYC TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi is chased away from a @NYTWA-organized vigil for Uber driver Fausto Luna. Joshi said she came here to pay respect to Lunas life, attendees blame TLC inaction for the hardships of drivers. pic.twitter.com/c9GZAAk15G Vincent Barone (@vinbarone) October 7, 2018 Chanting "How many more?" and holding signs demanding Joshi's firing, a handful of drivers chased Joshi down Fort Washington Avenue, amNew York reports. She eventually retreated into the 175th Street subway station, but not before TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg fired back at the demonstrators, "You're doing this for politics." Fromberg later told the Daily News that a group with a "very political" agenda had "hijacked the vigil with some of the most hateful and divisive language Ive ever heard." The small gathering was organized by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, an advocacy group representing drivers across multiple sectors, including some Uber and Lyft drivers. According to the group, Luna is the seventh New York City driver, the first app-based driver, and the third Dominican driver to die by suicide in recent months. During a rally in front of City Hall last March, drivers stood in front of four caskets, representing the four taxi and livery drivers who took their own lives in recent months. Since then, three other professional driver have committed suicide. (Mary Altaffer/AP/Shutterstock) In a statement, Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, lamented the "working men and women who have fallen into despair because of a business model of low pay, saturation and predatory lending spread across the globe by Uber." "Every city needs to take a deeper look at what happens when you let Wall Street backed corporations use billions of dollars in capital to lock workers into a prison of poverty," she added. According to a report commissioned by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, the vast majority of app-based drivers make less than minimum wage. After years of inaction, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a sweeping legislative package this summer, which will create a first-of-its-kind cap on Uber and other for-hire vehicle licenses, while establishing a minimum pay standard among all drivers. Additional bills up for consideration in the City Council would require the TLC to provide a health benefits fund to for-hire drivers, as well as financial counseling and mental health services through "driver assistance centers" across the city. If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional. Under Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, kowtowing to wealthy American trophy hunting interests is now the norm, and the agency has enabled a stepping up of threats to some of Africa's most precious and endangered wildlife. Photo by iStockphoto 685 shares During her recent trip to Africa, first lady Melania Trump made more than a few headlines while spending time in the company of wild animals. She fed a baby elephant at an elephant orphanage and went on a safari in Kenya, snapping photographs of zebras, impalas, giraffes and hippopotamuses. Spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told reporters that the first lady thinks animals are precious and she doesnt like big-game hunting. The first lady is not the only person in the White House to express her distaste for trophy hunting. President Donald Trump has called trophy hunting of animals in Africa a horror show. One of his early actions as president in 2017 was to issue an executive order stating that it shall be the policy of the executive branch to strengthen enforcement of federal law, including laws on the illegal smuggling and trafficking of wildlife. These communications notwithstanding, President Trumps Department of the Interior has made it easier for American trophy hunters to import trophies of endangered and threatened animals. Under Secretary Ryan Zinke, kowtowing to wealthy American trophy hunting interests is now the norm, and the agency has enabled a stepping up of threats to some of Africas most precious and endangered wildlife, already under intense pressure from the activities of poachers and wildlife traffickers. Just last month, we saw this in action when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its intention to grant a Texas billionaire a permit to import the body parts of a critically endangered black rhino he killed in Namibia. Its not like we couldnt see this nightmare coming. In 2017, the Department of the Interior formed the International Wildlife Conservation Council, which looks less like an advisory board of experts than a trophy hunting trade association with high access to government. The IWCC is loaded with individuals associated with Safari Club International, the firearms and ammunition lobby, and professional and celebrity hunters. These folks are bad news for wildlife wherever they go, and they appear to be using the Department of the Interior to destroy any and all barriers to international trophy hunting and the import of trophy heads and parts by U.S. citizens, all at taxpayers expense. In August, the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, with a coalition of wildlife protection organizations, filed a lawsuit against Zinke and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to disband the IWCC on the grounds that it is operating in violation of federal law. In another move last year, the FWS adopted new rules allowing the import of elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and captive lion trophies from South Africa decisions the HSUS is also opposing in court. Most seriously, in July, the Department of the Interior proposed major changes to the Endangered Species Act that would greatly weaken this bedrock law for protecting endangered and threatened animals and their habitats. The proposed changes would make it harder to secure federal protections for endangered and threatened species and would also make the process of removing species from the ESA easier. Secretary Zinke and the trophy hunting enthusiasts are in a minority. Most Americans, including, it appears, President Trump and the first lady, do not support trophy hunting, and 90 percent support upholding the ESA, which has saved more than 99 percent of listed species from going extinct. We need our nations policies to enforce existing laws that protect wildlife, not jeopardize them. Trophy hunting is indeed the worst kind of horror show, and our Department of the Interior should focus on ending wildlife trafficking and poaching, not giving away the store to the very people responsible for killing animals all over the planet for fun. The EU's wide-ranging plan for indiscriminate internet censorship has progressed from a vote in the European Parliament and now reps from the EU will meet with reps from the 28 countries that make up the EU to hammer out the final text that will be put to the Parliament for what might be the final vote before it becomes law. Normally this next phase the "trilogues" would be completely secret. But a European Court of Justice recently ruled that the public has a right to know what happens behind the trilogues' closed doors, and Julia Reda, the German Pirate Party MEP who led the fight over censorship in the new Copyright Directive, has promised to publish all the documents from the trilogues. It's a European first. On EFF's Deeplinks, I describe the bare minimum work the trilogues should do make the the Copyright Directive coherent (it will still be terrible, but at least we'll know what it actually means). As MEP Reda publishes the trilogue documents, we'll be able to see whether any of the people behind this proposal have any intention of limiting the damage these terrible proposals will do to the internet. Ultimately, this is unlikely to survive contact with the European Court of Justice: mass surveillance and mass censorship are just not legal under the EU's constitutional framework, but that won't stop the rules from being imposed and wreaking havoc while we wait for the court to act. The trilogues have it in their power to expand on the Directive's hollow feints toward due process and proportionality and produce real, concrete protections that will minimise the damage this terrible law wreaks while we work to have it invalidated by the courts. Existing copyright filters (like YouTube's ContentID system) are set up to block people who attract too many copyright complaints, but what about people who make false copyright claims? The platforms must be allowed to terminate access to the copyright filter system for those who repeatedly make false or inaccurate claims about which copyright works are theirs. A public record of which rightsholders demanded which takedowns would be vital for transparency and oversight, but could only work if implemented at a mandatory, EU-level. What's Next For Europe's Internet Censorship Plan? [Cory Doctorow/EFF Deeplinks] The UN's International Panel on Climate Change is an interdisciplinary expert body comprised of leading scientists who study climate change; they issue periodic reports summarizing the best peer-reviewed science on climate change and making recommendations as to what must be done to avert the most catastrophic outcomes; their latest report is the gravest yet, where even the most optimistic projections of the panel predict disruption and hardship for tens of millions of people, within our lifetimes. That is the most optimistic projection, based on the assumption of an immediate, drastic retooling to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which will hold warming at 1.5' C. A median projection, with temperatures rising to 2' C, involves trillions more in damage and hundreds of millions more people having to migrate, facing extreme weather events and pandemics, and suffering through famines and water shortages. I have had stories about this report in my feed for days and haven't been able to bring myself to write about them, not even to read them in depth. It's hard not to read this and be gripped by despair. But something I heard recently made me feel hope. On the latest Intercepted podcast, NYU history professor Nikhil Pal Singh finishes an address on the history of American empire by saying that Trump and the looting, reckless, destructive ideology he embodies may not be the beginning of a new, bloodier era of American carnage, but the last blast of the dying regime, the turning point for a better world. That's not an automatic thing: the existence of a despicable, oligarchic politics committed to all forms of rape individual, planetary, workplace does not automatically lead to an uprising and a better world. Turning points aren't historical, they're human. They're made up of people taking action, sacrificing, paying attention, holding to account. We have a month until the midterms. There is no midterm outcome that will, on its own, avert climate change. But a midterm result that puts the entire political and ruling class on notice, that emboldens the people, might be the turning point that we look back on and say, "That was the day things started to change." A key point to remember is that while we talk about climate change in terms of averages, buried in those averages are extremes: more frequent and intense heat waves. More damaging storms. Higher oceans. These events can have a compounding effect that costs society far more than lost lives and damaged property from the disasters themselves. Coastal flooding can create a refugee crisis which in turn can drive armed conflicts, for example. That's why, as my colleague David Roberts explained, 2C of warming is way worse than 1.5C. It would increase sea levels by another 4 inches (10 centimeters) on average. It would knock down global wheat production by 7 percent. It would increase the intensity of severe rainfall events by 2 percent. "Adaptation is expected to be more challenging for ecosystems, food and health systems at 2C of global warming than for 1.5C," according to the IPCC. Zooming in to specific regions, 2C would cause freshwater availability drop by twice as much in the Mediterranean as it would under a 1.5C warming scenario. Some of the most densely populated regions of the world like Southeast Asia face far greater crop declines with an additional 0.5C of warming. By 2100, limiting the global average temperature increase to 1.5C would avert 150 million premature deaths. GLOBAL WARMING OF 1.5' C [IPCC] A major new climate report slams the door on wishful thinking [Umair Irfan/Vox] (via Naked Capitalism) It's Columbus Day: a holiday slapped together to celebrate a raping, murdering, plunder-horny opportunist that's been dead for hundreds of years. Columbus, Ohio? It was named after the gold loving bastard. Despite this, for the first time since the city's founding in 1812, Columbus Day won't be celebrated there. Instead, the city's government has opted to throw the days off that are typically allotted to the holiday at something far more important: honoring the United States' veterans. From AP News: Ohio's capital city, population 860,000, will be open for business Monday after observing Columbus Day probably "for as long as it had been in existence," said Robin Davis, a spokeswoman for Democratic Mayor Andrew Ginther. City offices will close instead on Veterans Day, which falls on Nov. 12 this year. "We have a number of veterans who work for the city, and there are so many here in Columbus," Davis said. "We thought it was important to honor them with that day off." And, she said, the city doesn't have the budget to give its 8,500 employees both days off, she said. The way that city of Columbus gave the shaft to Columbus Day is absolutely genius. According to the AP, instead of having a public vote over whether or not the city should abolish the observation of the holidaysomething that has, in other locales, drawn protests, and a whack of political moaningthey opted to announce, late last week, that they were shifting the city's stock of holiday hours from the contentious holiday to be used on Veteran's Day in November. No fuss, no muss. Despite Davis' insistence that the city's kicking Columbus to the curb wasn't done in reaction to the growing public opposition to the explorer's legacy of slaughtering and enslaving North America's indigenous peoples in the name of profit, we'll take any diminishing of a shitheel's glory that we can get. Image by Sebastiano del Piombo This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons by as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy, Public Domain, Link Huffington Post made good use of an old Spy magazine experiment: it called 16 of New York's most snobbish restaurants to find out if any of them would be willing to accommodate Harvey Weinstein and five guests for dinner at 8pm that evening, "something that, for those living outside of high society, is basically unheard of." Many of the restaurants said yes, and Huffington Post ran transcripts of the calls. Here are a couple: Masa: Yes. "I have to check with chef. I'm not 100 percent sure we have enough fish, as our fish is imported from Japan on a daily basis. Allow me a moment please." [Calls back.] "We can accommodate six guests this evening. However, in order to assure the table will be ready in a timely manner, we can accommodate at 9 p.m." Dinner for four at Masa could run you $3474.20 Minetta Tavern: Hell yes. "We can do 8:30." OK. "Can I have the last name you'd like on the reservation?" Weinstein. W-E-I-N-S-T-E-I-N. "And the first name please?" Harvey. H-A-R-V-E-Y. "And the telephone number you guys usually book with?" [NUMBER] "Do you guys usually book with the office number?" I'm a new assistant for him. "Oh, OK, OK, because we do see here that he's one of our preferred guests And I do see here that we're actually able to do that 8 o'clock for him. So he's all set. Six at eight o'clock, tonight for dinner, at Minetta Tavern. Harvey Weinstein." The lyrics from The Clash's "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" comes to mind: "If Adolf Hitler flew in today, they'd send a limousine anyway. Image: Photo of Harvey Weinstein taken by my wife Carla when we were at a Japanese restaurant in Aspen, CO in 2007. - Former members of the Economic Freedom Fighters accuse leader Julius Malema and Deputy President Floyd Shivambu of corruption - The two leaders are also accused of abusing women within the party - The EFF says these accusations are untrue PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see Briefly news on your News Feed! A lot of accusations are being thrown at the EFF leadership, including sexism and corruption. A group of people who say they are former EFF members from the John Taolo Gaetsewe district made it clear how they feel about the political party. The group quit as members on Thursday, according to a report by The Citizen. They accused Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu of corruption on their way out. Furthermore, the group claims that the leaders of the EFF take advantage of women in the party. PAY ATTENTION: Save mobile data with FreeBasics: Briefly is now available on the app Gabasale Mary Tongwane stated that she was beaten up by men who later became councillors in the party. She added that she was removed from her position without the proper steps being taken. There was a dispute about her taking leave. Olebogeng Leserwane shared a media statement on social media, outlining accusations against the EFF and its leaders. Leserwane claimed that the EFF is rotten with power-hungry corruption and greed. He accused Malema and Shivambu of using the party's money to buy themselves flashy cars. The former EFF member also said the two leaders exchanged girlfriends in the party and abuse and exploit women. Leserwane further accused Malema and Shivambu of taking 10% of party members' salaries as levies to the EFF. However, he said they cannot account for this money - almost R3 million every month. The EFF rejected the accusations as rubbish and lies. READ ALSO: Hero of the week: Security guard saves boy (5) from near drowning 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 the Animated Joke: Why Do Men Lie? and take a look at what else is happening on Briefly South Africa's YouTube channel. Source: Briefly.co.za News / National by Staff reporter PANIC-buying amid price hikes of basic commodities peaked at the weekend in response to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)'s monetary policy statement, which economists argued failed to stem public distrust in government's financial management systems.RBZ governor John Mangudya, in a statement yesterday, said the central bank had started initiating the price stabilisation plan by drawing down on the $500 million lines of credit aimed at bringing sanity to the economy."The bank has noted that increase of prices of certain goods has followed the spike in foreign currency parallel market rates, which is being caused by some people bent on duping the public of their hard-earned income," Mangudya said."The opportunists are manipulating foreign currency parallel market rates to cause unnecessary panic and despondency and destabilisation of the economy. Such counter-productive behaviour is unwarranted and should be condemned by all peace-loving Zimbabweans."The hikes, which saw the price of a 2-litre bottle of cooking oil jumping from $2,85 to about $10, were triggered by the US dollar premium on the black market, which spiked to 165% from 120% last Monday, according to traders.Mangudya indicated that the $500 million credit facility, which will be used to procure essential commodities, could keep prices low."As advised, the purpose of the facilities is to fund the procurement of essential commodities including fuel, electricity, wheat and raw materials for the manufacturing of cooking oil and packaging," he said."In view of these positive developments, the bank would like to assure the public that there is sufficient fuel available in the country and, therefore, there is no need for panic-buying of fuel and other essential commodities."Confederation of Retailers' Association president Denford Mutashu said they were working with government and industry to stabilise the prices and ensure they were brought down."Basically, it's a supply side issue. Retailers do not increase prices if the supplier does not increase, and also it's an issue of access to foreign currency, which is now found on the black market given that most products on the shelves are imported.We are engaging government for access to foreign currency," he said.Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries president Sifelani Jabangwe, however, said the measures would not curb price hikes since not all businesses were being allocated foreign currency.He expressed fear that the black market would continue to drive the exchange rate, forcing prices to "shoot through the roof"."Not all businesses are getting foreign currency from the RBZ, this was being prioritised for those producing the basic commodities.Everyone else has to go and fend for themselves, so the government is essentially turning a blind eye, where people go to the black market and again, we are saying this is not sustainable," Jabangwe said."There is now an exchange rate between the US dollar, the bond note and the RTGS [real time gross settlement] and the US dollar. This is what is now driving significant price hikes on the market, except those basic commodities."The price hikes were triggered by fears that the RBZ was seeking to reintroduce the Zimdollar through the backdoor after it announced the separation of US dollar foreign currency accounts (FCAs) from RTGS FCAs, but Mangudya yesterday dismissed the fears as unfounded."The bank would like to reassure the public that the multi-currency system will remain in use and the bank shall continue to secure lines of credit to supplement the country's foreign currency earnings from exports and diaspora remittances in order to support the entire economy," he said.Mangudya said the separation of nostro accounts from RTGS accounts did not mean that those with RTGS accounts would not have access to US dollars."What we are saying is that those with FCA accounts will not have to wait in the queue to access the US dollars.This will encourage people to bank their hard currency.Those with RTGS accounts will just have to wait in the queue to access the money at 1:1 with the US dollar," he said.Mangudya, who is out of the country seeking new lines of credit and foreign currency support, said the RBZ had already paid $40 million to buy fuel."The bank released US$40 million for the procurement of fuel on Friday, October 5, 2018 and the fuel is currently being supplied and delivered to the various filling stations and supply points across the market," he said."The bank is grateful to the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe for working round the clock to ensure that the fuel is delivered to the oil marketing companies across the country."Mangudya also warned illegal foreign currency dealers against manipulating the currency on the parallel market and forcing price hikes for speculative reasons, saying such actions were counterproductive. News / National by Simbarashe Sithole Three members of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) are on the run after absconding court last week at Concession magistrate court after reportedly assaulting three farm workers who denied them entry to a farm were they intended to illegally mine gold.Concession resident magistrate Ruth Moyo issued a warrants of arrest for the trio who were on $100 bail each.The state alleges that Aleck Kamudzinga (40), Victor Kufa (26) and Pardington Chitauro (23) were clad in military gear when they took turns to assault Lloyd Foya (21), Peter Kamutanda and Peter Nikirama who refused them entry into Sommersat farm in Concession.The soldiers assaulted the three farm workers with open hands and stopped after seeing the farm owner approaching them.The farm owner called the police who reacted urgently and the trio who were using a red Nissan Sylphy, that was emblazoned with President Emmerson Mnangagwa's poster tried to flee but plunched into a ditch and were arrested. By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Denmark's financial watchdog faces an inquiry by the European Union's banking supervisor into how it supervised Danske Bank (Copenhagen:DANSKE.CO - News), which last week said it was being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice over alleged money laundering. The European Banking Authority has powers to make recommendations that national supervisors must follow, as it did during a probe into how Malta's supervisor oversaw one of its banks. "We are doing preliminary breach of union law inquiries on ... the Danske bank case in Denmark," EBA Chair Andrea Enria told the European Parliament. He also told parliament on Monday that the EBA is launching a review into how all EU member states apply anti-money laundering rules. It will report by the end of 2018. Danske Bank's revelation last month that between 2007 and 2015 payments totaling 200 million euros ($230 million) flowed through its tiny Estonian branch, many of which Denmark's largest lender said were "suspicious", has prompted calls for an overhaul of bank supervision in Europe. The escalation in the Danske Bank case follows an admission in September by Dutch financial services group ING that criminals had been able to use its accounts to launder cash, a lapse which led to a 775 million euro fine. Enria also said EBA had opened a preliminary inquiry into how Latvia's financial watchdog supervised ABLV bank which went into liquidation this year after U.S. authorities accused it of laundering money for people from the former Soviet Union. EU PROBLEM Lawmakers on the European Parliament's economic affairs committee questioned whether EBA was doing enough to combat money-laundering. German lawmaker Wolf Klinz said a standalone anti-money laundering (AML) agency for the EU may be needed. "In order to contribute to more effective EU wide AML supervision, we urgently need more resources and greater clarity in EBA powers," Enria said. Criminal money was moving through member states but cooperation between the authorities was not up to speed, Enria said, adding that the European Commission had proposed just 10 extra staff for EBA to help with anti-money laundering work. Story continues "We do have an EU problem. The point is how to fix it," he said, adding that the framework for cooperation with the United States over money laundering issues was not working as well as it should. In Malta's case, EBA issued recommendations to Malta's financial market watchdog over its handling of Pilatus Bank, whose chairman has been indicted for money laundering. ($1 = 0.8711 euros) (Reporting by Huw Jones; Writing by Alexander Smith; Editing by Adrian Croft and Edmund Blair) By Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) - Irving Oil Corp shut its Saint John refinery in the Canadian province of New Brunswick on Monday morning after an explosion and a major fire that followed, with photos showing flames and smoke billowing from the complex. The company said on Twitter it was dealing with a "major incident" at the 320,000 barrel-per-day refinery, but that all of its employees and contractors have been accounted for, none of them seriously injured. Saint John Regional Hospital treated and released five people with minor injuries as a result of the explosion, according to Horizon Health, operator of the hospital. "I heard a loud bang that shook our house and rattled the windows," said Gordon Dalzell, who lives in Saint John near the refinery. He said he and others saw a "very large black sooty plume of smoke" from their street. Energy intelligence service Genscape reported the fire appeared to have occurred near the catalytic reformer. The crude section, catalytic reformer and a cogeneration unit were shut following the incident, Genscape reported, adding that multiple units were already offline for maintenance. The company shut most of the plant for planned maintenance in late September, but the smaller, 25,000 bpd gasoline-making units and the 125,000 bpd crude unit were still running, a source familiar with the plants operations said. The source said he believed the explosion was within the section of the plant that houses the hydrogen unit. More than one-half of the finished products from the refinery are exported to the U.S. Northeast, according to Irving's website. Reports of the fire sparked a rally in futures in refined products; gasoline was up about 2 percent following the reports but subsequently was only 0.4 percent higher. (Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Stephanie Kelly in New York and Eileen Soreng and Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio and Steve Orlofsky) (Bloomberg) -- The Department of Homeland Security said it has no reason to question denials by U.S. technology companies of a report that Chinese spies had used a microchip to hack into American computer networks. At this time we have no reason to doubt the statements from the companies named in the story, Tyler Houlton, press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said in an emailed statement late Saturday. The companies, including Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc., have denied that their systems were compromised. The infiltration of the computer systems, which stemmed from servers assembled by San Jose-based Super Micro Computer Inc., was investigated as part of an FBI counter-intelligence probe, according to national security officials familiar with the matter. DHS may not be involved in such inquiries, several people familiar with them said. Bloomberg Businessweek reported on Thursday that Chinese spies exploited vulnerabilities in the U.S. technology supply chain to infiltrate the computer networks of almost 30 U.S. companies, including Amazon, Apple, a major bank, and government contractors. Among the targets was a contractor that made software to help 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 Supermicro. The San Jose, California-based company is 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. In emailed statements, Amazon, Apple, Supermicro and the Chinese government disputed Bloomberg Businessweeks reporting. Story continues Representative Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Thursday that lawmakers are seeking further clarification from the intelligence community regarding this latest report and will be reaching out to the companies affected. 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, Schiff said in a statement. To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Dorning in Washington at mdorning@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Mike Dorning, Michael Shepard 2018 Bloomberg L.P. Sharlene Lange said it took just a few minutes for an act of violence to send her and her son's life into a tailspin. Lange's son has largely been left to fend for himself 15 years after a brutal beating that left him permanently disabled, she said. "My son was brutally brutally beaten, brain damaged like someone in a high speed car crash," Sharlene said of the 2003 beating of her son Kutler Lange. During a home invasion in Saskatoon, Kutler was attacked with a whiskey bottle, knocked down and then his head was stomped upon which rendered him unconscious. The beating stripped him of certain cognitive abilities, and left him barely able to walk at times during his rehabilitation. The man who assaulted Kutler was given a sentence of six years and 11 months back in 2005. "How do you live with a deliberate act of such extreme violence, that took everything from you?" asked Sharlene, who has long advocated for changes to how victims of crime are compensated. CBC 'Really hard to move on' Kutler Lange received $25,000 in compensation from the province, but Lange said that money was a drop in the bucket for his rehabilitation needs. Instead, she poured her own money and savings into his rehab, and became his caregiver. "I know people say, 'just move on, move on.' It's really hard to move on when you have physical and emotional impairments that are going to have barriers for you to even be able to look after yourself," said Lange. Her son can not drive, can not look after himself to go on trips and now can only watch as his friends get married, have children and go on with their lives. In 2014, the Government of Saskatchewan increased the compensation for anyone who suffered a long-term disability as a result of a violent crime. Now, people can receive up to a maximum of $100,000 for medical costs and lost earnings if they were not covered by any other programs, such as Social Services, Workers' Compensation, employment or health insurance. Story continues According to the Ministry of Justice, in 2017-18, Victims Compensation payments totalled $1.2 million. In that same time frame, 903 new victim compensation applications were approved. If you're working, and you think you have coverage through your job, check it out because you probably don't. - Charlene Klyne, victim of crime Lange said the increase in 2014 was an improvement, but was still imperfect. She noted for a young person like her son, who was not yet employed, or for a person living in poverty, the compensation for lost earnings would be virtually non-existent. She said she would like to see victims of crime receive compensation similar to what people would receive if they were a victim of a vehicle crash. "A victim of an impaired driver is exactly the same as my son," she said. "One gets put on welfare, and the other lives on [Saskatchewan Government Insurance] and can live adequately." Two life-changing minutes Charlene Klyne was among the victims of the La Loche shooting in 2016, which left her without vision in her left eye and with shotgun pellets still embedded in her body. "In the course of two minutes, he changed my life around totally," she said of the shooter, who has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 10 years. In August, the Saskatchewan Ombudsman concluded Klyne was not entitled to more compensation from the Workers Compensation Board, and that the government and WCB had provided her the supports they were able to. Submitted by Sharlene Lange Klyne described the decision as a joke. She and her husband, who was also in the school at the time of the shooting, have struggled with the burden of medical and living expenses as well as a drastic loss in income. "What do you want me to do? I did not plan this, it wasn't my fault," she said. People may not realize the devastation of being a victim of crime, she said, urging people to consider their own insurance policies in the event they too could be a victim of crime. "If you're working, and you think you have coverage through your job, check it out because you probably don't." Dont make these mistakes. (Getty Images) Whether youre a first-timer or a seasoned pro, cooking a turkey can be overwhelming but it doesnt have to be. There are several common mistakes that people make when it comes to making a holiday turkey from the prep to the cooking and even serving. Yahoo Canada spoke with Tom Fillipou, executive chef for Presidents Choice to learn about some common turkey-cooking mistakes you should avoid this holiday season and what things you should be doing so that your feast goes off without a hitch. Starting off with high heat Fillipou says that one of the biggest mistakes people make when roasting a turkey is starting the bird off at a very high heat in order to get a golden colour on their turkey. I know that a lot of bad recipes tell them to do that, so its really not their fault, he says, but the best thing you can do with turkey is to do it low and slow, and baste a lot. While there are many methods for preparing a turkey, from deep-frying to the paper bag method, Fillipou says theres no real magic trick for ensuring your turkey comes out juicy, aside from frequent basting. The Turkey Farmers of Canada website offers various times for ensuring your bird is perfectly cooked, depending on size and method of cooking. Keep in mind that several factors can influence the cooking time of any meat and you should always use a meat thermometer to ensure doneness. Cooking the turkey too far in advance Fillipou says another common mistake turkey cooks make is that they tend to cook their turkey too far in advance because theyre nervous about it being ready in time for the big meal, and it ends up getting dry or not being as warm as it should be. To fix that you basically want to, depending on how big your turkey is you want to figure out the timing, he says. Once you figure out the timing, the best thing to do is to maybe have the turkey done no more than an hour before the meal; to give it an opportunity to rest, and itll still hold its temperature and then you can start carving. Fillipou advises timing your turkeys finishing time between 40 and 60 minutes ahead of serving time. Story continues Be sure to keep proper food safety in mind. Leaving cooked turkey out at room temperature for longer than two hours ups the risk of your meat becoming a bacterial breeding ground. You can store cooked turkey in the refrigerator in a covered container, plastic bag or aluminum foil for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months. Promptly store any leftovers before the two hour window. An improperly working oven Fillipou says another mistake that could be causing stress when cooking your turkey is that your oven isnt regulated properly, so even though you think youre cooking at 350 degrees, you could be over or under enough that your food is either under- or over-cooked. Having your oven check by a professional and fixed if necessary will ensure all your cooking is back on track. Not stuffing the turkey safely One of the biggest tips people should know, says Fillipou, is that when youre stuffing a turkey is that both the bird and the stuffing should be cold. Health Canada advises that if youre going to stuff your turkey, stuff it loosely just before roasting, and make sure to remove the stuffing as soon as its cooked. Your stuffing should reach a minimum internal temperature of 74C (165F) on a digital food thermometer. Cross-contamination Cross-contamination is a big concern when preparing multiple dishes for large meals around the holidays. Planning ahead and keeping distractions to a minimum can help to prevent the spread of food borne illnesses, as can proper hygiene and food preparation. You want to make sure that you dont overwhelm yourself with doing too much and try to avoid having too many people in the kitchen, says Fillipou. He finds that using an option of a pre-stuffed turkey can help cut down on holiday stress and the potential for cross-contamination. All you need to do then is pop the bird in the oven, and worry about sides. Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Check out our brand new podcast, Make It Reign our hot takes on all things royals in a non-stuffy way on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. A far-right former army captain who expresses nostalgia for Brazil's military dictatorship won its presidential election by a surprisingly large margin Sunday but fell just short of getting enough votes to avoid a second-round runoff against a leftist rival. Jair Bolsonaro, whose last-minute surge almost gave him an electoral stunner, had 46.7 per cent compared to 28.5 per cent for former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad, Brazil's Superior Electoral Tribunal said after all the votes were counted. He needed over 50 per cent support to win outright. Polls predicted Bolsonaro would come out in front on Sunday, but he far outperformed expectations, blazing past competitors with more financing, institutional backing of parties and free air time on television. Ultimately, Bolsonaro's strong showing reflects a yearning for the past as much as a sign of the future. The candidate from the tiny Social and Liberal Party made savvy use of Twitter and Facebook to spread his message that only he could end the corruption, crime and economic malaise that has seized Brazil in recent years and bring back the good ol' days and traditional values. Calls for looser gun laws "I voted against thievery and corruption," said Mariana Prado, a 54-year-old human resources expert. "I know that everyone promises to end these two things, but I feel Bolsonaro is the only one can help end my anxieties." Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press The two candidates have painted starkly different visions of the country's past and future. Bolsonaro has portrayed a nation in collapse, where drug traffickers and politicians steal with equal impunity, and moral rot has set in. He has advocated loosening gun ownership laws so individuals can fight off criminals, giving police a freer hand to use force and restoring "traditional" Brazilian values though some take issue with his definition of those values in light of his approving allusions to dictatorship-era torturers and his derisive comments about women, blacks and gay people. Story continues He capitalized on Brazilians' deep anger with their traditional political class and "throw the bums out" rage after a massive corruption investigation revealed staggering levels of graft. Corruption revelations unfold like Hollywood script Beginning in 2014, prosecutors alleged that Brazil's government was run like a cartel for years, with billions of dollars in public contracts handed out in exchange for kickbacks and bribes. Revelations of suitcases of cash, leaked recordings of incriminating exchanges between power brokers and the jailing of some of the of the country's most powerful people, including former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, unfolded like a Hollywood script and then became one: Netflix released a barely fictionalized account of the probe this year. The Workers' Party was at the centre of that investigation, and it has struggled to stage a comeback with Haddad, who has portrayed a country hijacked by an elite that will protect its privileges at all costs and can't bear to see the lives of poor and working class Brazilians improve. Eraldo Peres/Associated Press Haddad has promised to roll back President Michel Temer's economic reforms that he says eroded workers' rights and increase investment in social programs. Both leaders ran on nostalgia Though they come from opposite sides of the political spectrum, both Bolsonaro and Haddad ran campaigns based on nostalgia for a better time. Bolsonaro frequently evoked the country's 1964-1985 military dictatorship amid promises of a return to traditional values and safer, simpler times. In one of his last appeals to voters before Sunday's voting, Bolsonaro tweeted that he would "defend the family and the innocence of children, treat criminals as such and not get involved in corruption schemes." The Workers' Party, meanwhile, pushed the narrative that a vote for Haddad would be a vote to bring back the boom years that Brazil experienced under the leadership of da Silva. On the eve of the election, da Silva tweeted: "Reach back into your memory, remember what my eight years of government were like." Andre Penner/Associated Press Bolsonaro's poll numbers have increased by about 15 per cent since he was stabbed Sept. 6. He was unable to campaign or participate in debates as he underwent surgeries during a three-week hospital stay, but instead brought messages directly to voters via Facebook and Twitter. "For a front-runner, the best thing to do is commit as few errors as possible," said Andre Portela from Getulio Vargas Foundation, a leading university and think-tank . "Getting stabbed helped Bolsonaro in that. He wasn't exposed to debate, to people questioning him." 'Path of crazy bipolarity' The campaign to run Latin America's largest economy, which is a major trade partner for countries in the region and a diplomatic heavyweight, has been unpredictable and tense. Da Silva led initial polls by a wide margin, but was banned from running after a corruption conviction. Bolsonaro's stabbing forced candidates, and Bolsonaro himself, to shift strategies and re-calibrate. All along, Brazilians have said their faith in leaders and their hopes for the future are waning. This election was once seen as the great hope for ending a turbulent era in which many politicians and business executives were jailed on corruption charges, a president was impeached and removed from office in controversial proceedings and the region's largest economy suffered a protracted recession. Leo Correa/Associated Press Instead, the two front-runners merely reflect the rabid divisions that have opened up in Brazilian politics following former President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment and the revelations emerging from the "Car Wash" graft probe. Caught in the middle are Brazilians who dislike both candidates and see them as symbols of a broken system. "I think we're going to continue with the same polarization," if either Haddad or Bolsonaro wins, said Victor Aversa, a 27-year-old massage therapist who voted for centre-left candidate Ciro Gomes, who had been polling third. "We've been on this path of crazy bipolarity. Haddad and Bolsonaro will both lead populist governments." By Gabriel Stargardter and Pedro Fonseca RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday he would stick to his hardline agenda on guns, crime and graft in the second round of the election due on Oct. 28, alarming senior statesmen and human rights advocates alike. Bolsonaro, a former Army captain and veteran lawmaker, nearly won the presidency outright on Sunday, taking 46 percent of votes against leftist Fernando Haddad's 29 percent, part of a swing to the right in Latin America's largest nation. As neither candidate won an outright majority, Bolsonaro will face Haddad, the former mayor of Sao Paulo representing the Workers Party (PT), in the second-round vote. Some Bolsonaro supporters called on him to moderate his message to ensure victory, but the candidate said he would not ease up on an anti-establishment message that has resonated with voters. The world's fifth most populous country has been roiled by years of rising crime, recession and graft scandals. "I can't turn into a Little 'Peace and Love' Jair, which would be betraying who I am," Bolsonaro said in a radio interview. "I have to keep being the same person." His words were a thinly veiled swipe at former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who dropped his fiery leftist rhetoric to win the presidency in 2002, dubbing himself the 'Peace and Love' candidate. Lula, who founded the Workers Party and was president until 2010, is serving 12 years in prison for a bribery conviction. Reflecting confidence that he will win the second round, Bolsonaro said he had already begun talks with other lawmakers in Congress to build an eventual governing coalition. That raised expectations of swift, market-friendly reforms. Brazil's benchmark Bovespa stock index <.BVSP> jumped 4.0 percent on Monday, led by double-digit gains in state-led oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA and state power companies which Bolsonaro advisers have said they will privatize. Markets have cheered Bolsonaro's advance toward the presidency since his recent conversion to free-market ideas under the tutelage of University of Chicago-trained economist Paulo Guedes. Signs that Bolsonaro could win enough support in Congress to push through his agenda added to enthusiasm. "Part of the market's excitement comes from the renovation in Congress. Regardless of party, that provides hope," said Pablo Syper, head of trading at Mirae Asset Global Investiments. Bolsonaro's popularity surged as exasperated Brazilians decided he represents the best chance to turn back a wave of violent crime and dismantle what prosecutors call the world's largest political graft scheme. But his track record of fiery anti-democratic rhetoric, calls for police to kill as many criminals as possible, and offensive comments on women and minorities have alarmed former presidents and observers across the political spectrum. [nL8N1WB6U0] 'NOT HIM' Former Ceara Governor Ciro Gomes, who split with the PT and garnered 12 percent of first-round votes with his center-left presidential campaign, stopped short of endorsing Haddad for the second round but said he would "fight to defend democracy." Asked whom he would endorse, Gomes referred to the slogan of anti-Bolsonaro protesters in recent weeks: "Not him, certainly." With the field reduced to two candidates, some analysts see Haddad as the natural inheritor of many of the centrist votes that will be up for grabs, but the scale of Bolsonaro's first-round success means that Haddad will have little room for maneuver. Political analysts said that to have a chance of winning the runoff, Haddad would need to move quickly to the center, distance himself from his political mentor, former President Lula, and denounce the corruption that flourished during his party's 2003-2016 run in government.. However, one of his first moves on Monday was to fly to the southern city of Curitiba for a meeting with Lula in his prison cell, a weekly encounter that Haddad is authorized to make as a member of the former president's legal team. At a news conference afterward, Haddad cast the second round as pitting Bolsonaro's "neoliberalism" against the social programs that the PT has promoted. Allies recognized the uphill battle he faces. "It's a tough situation, but God is with us. He better be, because just us isn't enough," joked Gilberto Carvalho, a former PT minister and senior party member. ALLIANCES IN CONGRESS Brazil's next Congress was also elected on Sunday, and in a seismic shift, Bolsonaro's Social Liberal Party (PSL) was set to become the second-largest force in the legislature. The party would still need alliances to push Bolsonaro's socially conservative policies and free-market reforms through Congress which was even more deeply fragmented after Sunday's election. Thirty parties won seats in the lower house, up from 25 represented there before the vote. The acting president of the PSL, Luciano Bivar, told Reuters he expected to attract lawmakers converting from other parties, expanding the PSL's ranks to overtake the PT as the largest party in the lower house. "We're going to have a huge caucus, perfectly governable, to pass the bills that the society is demanding to conclude the reforms that are underway," Bivar said, referring to stalled efforts to trim public pensions and close a budget deficit. Congressman Onyx Lorenzoni, the main political advisor to Bolsonaro, said his team was targeting individual lawmakers in parties opposed to the PT, including those in parties whose leaders do not yet support the right-winger. "We'll speak with anybody who wishes to talk with us now, which is interesting because many of them did not want to have a dialogue with us before the first-round vote," Lorenzoni said. Polling, issues and leading candidates in Brazil's election: https://tmsnrt.rs/2Ixe0NI (Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter and Pedro Foneseca in Rio de Janeiro; Additional reporting and writing by Brad Brooks and Brad Haynes in Sao Paulo, Ricardo Brito and Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia, Claudia Violante in Sao Paulo; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Frances Kerry) A malfunction in a diesel-treating unit at the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John is believed to be the source of an explosion and fire that sent several contractors to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, officials said. The fire, which started shortly after 10 a.m. AT Monday, is mostly extinguished, although there could be residual hydrocarbons in the unit so it's still considered a "hot zone," Kevin Scott, the company's chief refining and supply officer, told reporters during a news conference at 3:30 p.m. Area residents are being encouraged to remain in their homes, but no air quality issues have been reported, other than the lingering smoke from the fire, said Saint John's district fire chief Mike Carr. Air quality monitoring is ongoing, he said. Emergency crews are still at the scene and Grandview Avenue remains closed. Saint John Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) continues to monitor the situation. The Irving Oil facility is the largest refinery in Canada. It employs about 1,400 people and is capable of producing more than 320,000 barrels per day. Although it's Thanksgiving Monday, close to 3,000 people were working onsite when residents reported a "bed-shaking" blast that sent flames shooting an estimated 30 metres high and saw a plume of black smoke covering most of the city's east side. "The fact no one was hurt seriously or killed during this incident is something to be very thankful for," said Saint John Mayor Don Darling. Work at the refinery has been halted and Irving Oil has contingency plans to minimize any impact on customers, officials said. Saint John police responded to the refinery at 10:16 a.m., and were asking residents to avoid the area altogether. Several streets were closed but no evacuations were ordered. After the explosion was reported, the Saint John Regional Hospital went into "code orange," meaning it was prepared for a possible influx of patients. Story continues "We can confirm we have now treated five people with injuries from the refinery explosion at Horizon's Saint John Regional Hospital and all five have been discharged.," New Brunswick's Horizon Health Network said on Twitter shortly after 3 p.m. Submitted by Joseph Comeau EMO was reporting four people were treated in hospital. Irving Oil posted on Twitter around 2 p.m. that several contractors were being treated for non-life threatening injuries. "We now understand that all employees and contractors working on site have been safely accounted for," the tweet said. "As this is an active situation, we will be sharing more information as it becomes available." People lined the streets all morning to catch a glimpse of what was going on. Residents react to explosion Photo: Submitted Darling said on Twitter early after reports of the explosion emerged: "This is obviously a live event ... when we know more, you'll know more. Praying for the safety of all involved." Premier Brian Gallant tweeted he has reached out to the mayor. Gallant said the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization was engaging with the city and Irving Oil officials to assess the situation. "On behalf of all New Brunswickers, our thoughts are with the workers affected and with the community of Saint John," Gallant said. Bob McVicar, who lives in the area of the explosion, posted on Facebook that it felt like a "bed-shaking explosion." Residents across the city also reported on social media that they felt the effects. Not the first explosion Mark Melanson and Jocelyn Legassie were sitting at the Tim Hortons on Hickey Road, about three kilometres away from the refinery, when they heard a popping sound. They looked outside the window and saw black smoke and flames exceeding the height of the stacks at the refinery. Photo: CBC Melanson said he has seen explosions like this on YouTube at oil refineries around the world, but never seen anything like this in Saint John. Legassie agreed, saying: "I've lived in Saint John for 30 years and this is the first time I've seen something like this happen here." There was another explosion at the oil refinery in the fall of 1998, when flames and a huge cloud of black smoke hung over the facility. Rob Beebe felt Monday's explosion from his apartment on Martha Avenue, a few streets over from the refinery. "We felt the entire building move as if it wobbled." When he walked outside, he noticed black smoke coming from the refinery, so he hopped into the car, drove down the corner and saw fire about 30 metres high. Indonesia's disaster agency says the death toll from the earthquake and tsunami that struck Sulawesi island has risen to 1,763, with more than 5,000 people feared missing. Agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said most of the dead were in the city of Palu, and warned many more people could be buried in the rubble the tremor and tsunami left in their wake. In Palu's Petobo and Balaroa neighbourhoods, more than 3,000 homes were damaged or sucked into deep mud when the Sept. 28 quake caused loose soil to liquefy. "Based on reports from village chiefs in Balaroa and Petobo, some 5,000 people have not been found. Our workers on the ground are trying to confirm this," he said at a news briefing in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. Nugroho said that efforts to retrieve decomposed bodies in deep, soft mud were getting tougher and that some people may have fled or been rescued and evacuated. More than 8,000 either injured or vulnerable residents have been flown or shipped out of Palu, while others could have left by land, he said. Officially, Nugroho said only 265 people are confirmed missing and 152 others still buried under mud and rubble, nine days after the magnitude 7.5 earthquake and powerful tsunami hit Palu and surrounding areas. The government targets to end search operations by Thursday, nearly two weeks after the disaster, at which time those unaccounted for will be declared missing and considered dead, Nugroho said. Tatan Syuflana/Associated Press As searchers continued to dig through rubble on Sunday, central Sulawesi governor Loki Djanggola said local officials were meeting religious groups and families of victims to seek their consent to turn neighbourhoods wiped out by liquefaction into mass graves. He said on local television that survivors in the outlying villages in Petobo, Balaroa and Jono Oge could be relocated and monuments be built in the areas, which now look like wastelands, to remember the victims interred there. Officials have said that it is not safe for heavy equipment to operate in those areas and that they fear the risk of the spread of disease from decomposed bodies. Story continues While grappling with immediate relief needs, the government is also mapping out plans to help more than 70,000 people, including tens of thousands of children, who have been displaced by the disasters to rebuild their lives. Social welfare officials have set up nurseries in makeshift tents as stopgap to keep children safe and help them heal from the trauma. Local television showed children colouring in one such tent in Palu and staff using puppets to minister to affected kids. Market vendors have resumed business and roadside restaurants were open in Palu but long lines of cars and motorcycles still snarled out of gas stations. In Jakarta, volunteers walked around thoroughfares empty of cars collecting donations for earthquake victims during the weekly car free morning in the city centre. Survivors sifting through the rubble of their earthquake-toppled cinderblock homes in northern Haiti on Sunday were rattled by a magnitude 5.2 aftershock that caused panic and threatened to raise the death toll up from 12. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicentre of the aftershock was located 15.8 kilometres north-northwest of Port-de-Paix, the city hard hit by Saturday night's 5.9 magnitude earthquake. "It was an aftershock. It was at the same location," said Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the USGS. "This is the first significant aftershock." Dieu Nalio Chery/Associated Press The tremors caused panic on streets where emergency teams were providing relief to victims of Saturday's quake, which toppled cinderblock homes and rickety buildings in several cities. Haiti's civil protection agency said the initial quake killed at least seven people in the coastal city of Port-de-Paix and another three people in the nearby community of Gros-Morne in Artibonite province. Among those who died were a 5-year-old boy crushed by his collapsing house and a man killed in a falling auditorium. 'My life is not safe here' A total of at least 12 people were killed in the earthquake, Interior Minister Fednel Monchery told radio station MAGK9. Authorities said 188 people were injured. "I feel like my life is not safe here," said nun Maryse Alsaint, director of the San Gabriel National School in Gros-Morne, where several classrooms were severely damaged. She said that about 500 students would not be able to return to school on Monday. Dieu Nalio Chery/Associated Press Haitian President Jovenel Moise urged people to donate blood and asked international aid agencies to co-ordinate with local agencies to avoid duplicated relief efforts. By Sunday evening, the government had not provided an estimate of the damages caused by the tremor. The USGS said the quake was centred 19 kilometres northwest of Port-de-Paix, which is about 219 kilometres from the capital of Port-au-Prince. Story continues It was felt lightly in the capital, as well as in the neighbouring Dominican Republic and in eastern Cuba, where no damage was reported. In Haiti, officials have struggled to shore up buildings despite the two major fault lines along Hispaniola, which is the island shared with the Dominican Republic. Deep poverty and government instability have also rendered weaker homes and structures particularly vulnerable in earthquakes. In the town of Gros-Morne, one bed was covered in rubble, while the exterior walls of some homes were visibly cracked. Others tilted at precarious angles. Pierre Jacques Baudre, a farmer and father of seven, said he was afraid to return to his home after one wall built with rocks and cement crumbled. "The house can fall at any time," he said. Meanwhile, dozens of people could be seen sifting through debris before hauling away rebar to recycle and sell. Dieu Nalio Chery/Associated Press The civil protection agency issued a statement saying that some houses were destroyed in Port-de-Paix, Gros-Morne, Chansolme and Turtle Island. Among the structures damaged was the Saint-Michel church in Plaisance. Damage was also reported at the police station in Port-de-Paix, and parts of a hospital and an auditorium collapsed in Gros-Morne. Parliamentarian Alcide Audne told The Associated Press that two of the deaths occurred in the auditorium. Moise said on Twitter Sunday that civil protection brigades were working to clear debris and help victims. He also said the government had sent water and food. Impoverished Haiti, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is especially vulnerable to earthquakes. A vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people. The generation of Canadians who rocked out to the 1960s song Marijuana by Country Joe and the Fish are seniors now, and some of them are newly curious about the drug ahead of its legalization on Oct. 17. But seniors, many of whom take multiple medications, also have questions about how cannabis will interact with their prescription drugs and otherwise affect their health To try to address those and other questions, the Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health is developing cannabis guidelines to help clinicians advise older adults. Seniors' concerns include not just interaction with prescriptions but also the potential of the drug to increase heart rate and the risk of confusion and falls. And as with many health claims about cannabis, there hasn't been enough scientific research done to make definitive claims. "The marketing of marijuana has really overshadowed the science," said Rand Teed, a drug and alcohol counsellor and consultant in Regina who is part of the coalition. "The information that doctors have received so far has been quite confusing for them in many cases. Initially, Health Canada approved cannabis for use with anxiety, but in lots and lots of cases, cannabis increases anxiety." Uriel Sinai/Getty Images Teed is one of nine specialists from across the country looking to get to the bottom of how cannabis can affect seniors. Health Canada is funding the endeavour, and the specialists expect to release guidelines as early as the end of 2018. The coalition's goal is to help physicians run through all the possible risks and benefits with patients. Weighing risks and benefits Len Boser, a 65-year-old cannabis user in Saskatoon, said cannabis allows him to sleep better. "[With pot], I can get a full night's sleep," he said. Olivia Stefanovich/CBC Boser has used marijuana recreationally for 40 years. For the last three years, he's also had a prescription from his doctor for cannabidiol, known as CBD, which is a compound derived from cannabis that he takes orally in the form of a tasteless oil. Story continues Boser said CBD, which is currently only legal with a medical marijuana prescription, doesn't get him stoned. Rather, he uses it to treat his chronic foot pain, depression and anxiety. "It may not be for everyone, but I certainly encourage its use," Boser said. "It certainly helps." Preliminary studies have been published about the oil's potential health effects, but scientists have said that there is not yet enough evidence to make sweeping claims about its health benefits. "We don't exactly know how cannabadoil works in the body," Robert Laprairie, an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan's college of pharmacy and nutrition, told CBC News in May. "I think we really just need more research and more studies in order to demonstrate whether cannabidiol is or isn't effective as a treatment for different conditions." Health Canada has also expressed concern over some of the therapeutic claims being made about cannabidiol. 'Low and slow' The coalition suggests if physicians determine that a patient could benefit from cannabis, they should prescribe it in the form of CBD, not tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main psychoactive agent in cannabis. "Seniors are more at risk of experiencing harm related to cannabis simply because of age-related changes that they experience," said Dr. Amy Porath, the director of research at the Ottawa-based Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction who is leading the team creating new guidelines. "We hope this project puts the spotlight on this issue." Teed warns cannabis isn't a cure-all, especially in the case of seniors. "There's been some confusion between getting high and getting well," Teed said. "If you randomly start to use something without getting some decent information and decent advice, you're putting yourself at risk for creating some medical complications." Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press So far, one of the biggest pieces of advice Teed has is to take it "low and slow." He suggests that if clinicians determine that an elderly patient might benefit from cannabis, they should start them on small doses in part because the drug is more powerful now than it was when they may have tried it in their younger days. Spotting cannabis dependence Not everybody agrees that today's marijuana is necessarily more potent than strains of the plant consumed in the past, but Teed said some research indicates that in the '60s and '70s, marijuana buds commonly contained about six to eight per cent THC, while today, it can be between 20 and 30 per cent. "That is a phenomenally different drug than you might have smoked when you listened to Country Joe," Teed said about the '60s group, whose song's words include, "I like marijuana, I sure like to get stoned." "It can be emotionally dependent-forming very, very quickly." Teed is working on a screening tool to help medical professionals spot cannabis dependence. Chanss Lagaden/CBC Becoming reliant on marijuana is one of the biggest issues Dr. Meena Pole, a family physician, considers before recommending it. In her Regina medical office, older adults are frequently making appointments to ask her how they can use pot to relieve their symptoms, including pain. Using cannabis to cut down on medication In some cases, Pole said, patients can replace traditional painkillers, such as opioids, with medical marijuana. She said she has seen a significant improvement in seniors who have been able to use pot for chronic pain and severe anxiety, but she doesn't prescribe or recommend the drug lightly. "Is this going to relieve the symptoms that they're having?" Pole said. "Is it going to decreases the number of medications or painkillers? How is it going to affect their activities of daily living, and are they going to continue with their active lifestyle of day-to-day living?" The bottom line is that she would like more medical guidance and believes the recommendations from the Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health will be useful. "If they come out with definite guidelines, this will definitely help me," Pole said. "That can be helpful for many of the seniors to limit them asking us to prescribe for whatever they want." Rand Teed discusses potential effects of cannabis on the elderly on CBC Saskatchewan's Morning Edition: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made unspecified progress Sunday toward an agreement for the North to give up its nuclear weapons. But there was no immediate indication whether Pompeo had managed to arrange a much-anticipated second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump. Arriving in Seoul after several hours in Pyongyang on his fourth visit to North Korea, Pompeo tweeted that he had a "good trip" and that he and Kim "continue to make progress on agreements made at Singapore summit." Trump and Kim held a historic summit there in June that resulted in a vague agreement for the North to denuclearize. The top U.S. diplomat offered no details, and upon landing in South Korea, he briefed White House national security adviser John Bolton and Trump chief of staff John Kelly on his trip, officials said. Pompeo, on the third stop of a four-leg Asian tour that began in Japan and was to end in China on Monday, then met South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in. Moon, who has met twice with Kim, asked Pompeo to make public as much information as he could about the trip. Jung Yeon-je/Associated Press "I dearly hope that your latest visit, as well as the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit, which I hope will be happening soon, will make an irreversible, decisive progress in terms of the denuclearization as well as the peace process," Moon said. "Since we have the media present here, I would like to ask you to disclose anything that you can open to the public here." Keeping most details private Pompeo declined that opportunity. "I will certainly tell you in private about our conversation, but we had a good, productive conversation," Pompeo said. "As President Trump said, there are many steps along the way and we took one of them today. It was another step forward. So this is, I think, a good outcome for all of us." Moon's office said in a statement later that Pompeo told Moon that the North Korean leader had agreed a second summit with Trump "should be held as soon as possible," and that talks on the timing and location would continue. Story continues In Pyongyang, Pompeo and Kim met for about 3 hours, first in a business session and then in a 90-minute luncheon that the North Korean leader hosted at a state guesthouse, according to the pool report from the lone U.S. journalist allowed to accompany Pompeo on his Asia trip. 'Good future for both countries' "It's a very nice day that promises a good future for both countries," Kim told Pompeo through an interpreter as they sat down for the meal. "Yeah, so we had a great, great visit this morning," Pompeo replied. "Thank you for hosting, President Trump sends his regards. And we had a very successful morning so thank you and I am looking forward to our time here at lunch as well." On the North Korean side, Kim was joined at the lunch by his sister, Kim Yo-jong, and his former intelligence chief Kim Yong-chol, who has been Pompeo's chief interlocutor. Aside from Pompeo, the U.S. side included Stephen Biegun, the new U.S. special envoy for North Korea, and Andrew Kim, who heads a Korea working group at the CIA that Pompeo set up while he was running the agency. Kim Hong-ji/Associated Press Pompeo and Kim had exchanged pleasantries and appeared chummy while they walked into the banquet room. "It's good to see you again," Pompeo said as they shook hands. Pompeo placed his hand on Kim's shoulder and they both smiled. "So is everything OK?" Kim asked Pompeo. "Everything is great," Pompeo replied. "Everything is great. I am very much looking forward to our time together too." Other members of the two delegations ate their five-course meal which included delicacies such as foie gras, conch soup, steak, grilled pine mushrooms and chocolate cake, sweet red wine and soju in a separate room. Pompeo had planned to meet with Kim on Sunday's trip, but North Korean officials said Kim's participation in the luncheon had not been expected. Pompeo had not met with Kim on his last visit and Trump had abruptly cancelled Pompeo's plans to travel to North Korea last month, citing a lack of progress in the negotiations Pompeo earlier held talks in Tokyo with Japan's prime minister, and pledged that the Trump administration would co-ordinate and unify its strategy for denuclearization with its allies. Japan has been wary of the initiative, but South Korea has embraced it. Pompeo has repeatedly refused to discuss details of negotiations, including a U.S. position on North Korea's 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 North's main known nuclear facility. Limited progress since June summit 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. Since the denuclearization effort got underway with a secret visit to the North by then-CIA chief Pompeo in April, there has been only limited progress, even since the June 12 Trump-Kim summit that many had hoped would jump-start the effort. 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 has accused Washington of making "unilateral and gangster-like" demands on denuclearization and has insisted that sanctions should be lifted before any progress in nuclear talks. U.S. officials have thus far said the penalties will remain in place until the North's denuclearization is fully verified. BARKAN, West Bank (Reuters) - A Palestinian gunman shot dead two Israelis and wounded a third on Sunday in an industrial park next to a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said. The assailant, the military said, had worked in a factory where the shooting took place. Israel's national ambulance service said a man and two women were shot in the attack in the Barkan industrial area, where nearly 5,000 Palestinians are employed in Israeli-owned businesses. A military spokesman, in a conference call with foreign journalists several hours after the incident, said the man and one of the women had died of their wounds. The other woman shot in the incident was taken to hospital, where doctors said her injuries were not life-threatening. "This was a serious terrorist attack," the military said in a statement. It identified the gunman as a 23-year-old Palestinian from a West Bank village and said he was still at large. Surveillance camera footage broadcast on Israeli television showed a man armed with a rifle fleeing down stairs and running away from the factory. Barkan industrial park is next to the settlement of Barkan and was established in the early 1980s. Most countries consider settlements that Israel has built on land occupied in the 1967 Middle East war as illegal. Israel disputes this. (Reporting by Rami Amichay and Jeffrey Heller; Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Susan Fenton and Andrew Heavens) At some offices, dogs are more popular than people. On any given day, seven to 10 pups bounce around Benevity, a tech firm in Calgary. Workers play fetch with their pets or let them sleep at their feet. Sometimes the furry critters play with each other, livening up the already colourful, relaxed office in Bridgeland. "It just makes people happy," said people and programs manager Angie Duong. "I think you see people who are fiercely focused and they're just working away, and as soon as a dog comes into the picture, they just melt." People love their dogs, and businesses are booming as a result. There are pet stores and dog groomers, dog walkers and doggy daycares, and pet-friendly beaches, trails and parks and even so-called "pet-ternity," leave that owners can take after adopting a new animal. Danielle Nerman/CBC But a few are leading the pack by allowing their employees to bring dogs into the office. It may sound like a fun idea but can take quite a lot of organizing and consideration of health concerns. The trade-off, they say, is the less stressful, more relaxed environment that comes with a pet-friendly office. Benevity employee Jodi Stapley, who brings her dog two days a week, says she use to worry about leaving her dog home alone. "She's an old English sheepdog who really likes to just be with her person. That's a trait a lot of them have," she said. "She just laid under my desk, laid on my feet, and she was a perfect little angel, so I started bringing her in more and more often." Danielle Nerman/CBC The company has had this program since its inception a decade ago. It now provides doggie doo-doo bags at reception and dog-specific cleaners in the kitchens. Cats are allowed, too, but aren't as common. Wendy Giuffre, an HR consultant for Calgary small businesses, said she's encouraged companies to develop guidelines to avoid problems even if things appear to be running smoothly for now. "It's obviously got to be a well-behaved dog, and that's where we find some of the problems because that's very subjective," she said. "It's just like kids. Everybody thinking, well, my dog's well-behaved." Story continues Health risks no joke, doctor says Another key concern is allergies. Some people get sinus symptoms sniffles and watery eyes but in other people, allergies can trigger asthma. Anyone with an allergy should be avoiding the trigger entirely, not managing it through daily treatment, said Dr. Joel Doctor, a Calgary allergist. Prolonged exposure to a "trigger," like pets, can make an allergy worse. In allergy-induced asthma, animals could trigger a severe asthma attack, and that can be dangerous, Doctor said, so he struggled to see how a workplace could bring in pets while protecting employee health. "The benefit has to be weighed very carefully against the risk, and so the benefit is kind of questionable," Doctor said. "I'm not sure what the real benefit there is to having animals in the workplace, yet for some individuals, there is significant risk that would be involved." He said perhaps dogs could help in "some really niche workplaces," but he's confident the practice won't spread widely due to the health concerns. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health suggests there are potential benefits to dogs in the workplace, such as higher morale, productivity and attendance. But it notes research is preliminary and recommends employers consider all parties before adopting the practice. Danielle Nerman/CBC A director for Calgary-based Rogers Insurance says staff try to keep those people away from dogs. They say they're not scared of pulling the program if something arises, but, so far, it's worked smoothly. "It's invisible now. All the fears that some people had, people being afraid of dogs, people being allergic to dogs, we never have complaints," chief operating officer Bruce Rabik said. He first allowed in dogs after trying to scare pigeons off the deck at work. Then other employees were curious about bringing in their dogs. Now, the office has an internal notice announcing each day's pet guests with their photos and names, as all dogs are registered with human resources. It's so common, Rabik says, he forgets the dogs are there. "I walk around, give people tours of the office and I forget we have dogs, because a puppy will come running up," he said. Danielle Nerman/CBC As insurance brokers, however, Rabik said they do take "a conservative approach," so they banned three breeds, Rottweilers, mastiffs and pitbulls, based on research they found that indicates those are more aggressive breeds. Benevity says all potential employees are told it's a dog-friendly office. "We're really upfront during the interview process, everyone really understands that the dogs are really huge in our culture," Duong said. "So we make it really clear that if you have really adverse allergies or have huge fears of dogs, then this may or may not be the place for you." Giuffre said that's not a good approach and may be construed as discrimination against people with health issues. Instead, she recommends trying to find a solution. "I think you'd really have to take those case-by-case," she said. "It'd either be, abolish the policy or try and work around it in some way." Danielle Nerman/CBC She's helped several offices set up dog policies. In one case, the business moved the allergic person's desk far away and set up an air purifier. Other options might be to allow only dogs with little dander, or give employees the option of working on a dog-free floor. She suggests raising the idea with all employees to see if there's interest or opposition and then develop some sort of policy. Danielle Nerman/CBC Businesses may find their employees are keen. Roughly one in 13 Calgarians and one in nine Edmontonians owns a dog, according to pet registration data. Statistics Canada has found Albertans are the third-highest spenders on pets in Canada. In a "dog city" like Calgary, office pets can be a way to draw in employees, Giuffre said, a nice "no cost perk." "It does bring a different level of casualness to the business and, in most cases, it lightens the atmosphere, no different than comfort dogs," Giuffre said. With files from Mike Symington and the Calgary Eyeopener. With the church and state separated, there is a stigma regarding how involved Christians should be in politics. Ive often heard that Christians should not be involved in politics at all. This is absurd. God has never called Christians to have no say in politics. Jesus himself would comment on political matters. This false idea that Christians should not be political should be reversed to be the following: Christians not only can be political, but ought to be involved in politics. Interested in politics Over the past year or so I have become deeply interested in politics. After doing research into both parties and their agendas, I quickly knew which party I subscribed to. I also formed an opinion as to what party every other fellow Christian should belong to. Many developed nations government is built in a way where there are two major parties fighting for power. In America, there are democrats (left leaning) and republicans (right leaning). These two sides often differ on policies regarding guns and the control or lack of, immigration, taxes, and plenty more. Most of these issues are not moral issues at heart they have plenty of nuances, and to see which policies are the best for each nation, there requires intense debate and dialogue being backed up by logic, facts, and reason. The most frightening topic discussed is abortion. Sadly, abortion over the years has been disguised as a political topic, and not a moral one. The pro-choice side has said abortion is dealing with womans reproductive rights; they say woman should have the right to kill an unborn child. Killing an unborn child is not a political issue with pros and cons to be explored. Rather, it is a moral issue. Put simply, it is morally wrong. Each party in every country will obviously have flaws, the pro-life side will inevitably stand for things we dont care for; the politicians are not our God, and they will mess up, they will create legislation from time to time that we disagree with. Because of this, many Christians say they are undecided, in the middle, or independent. Balancing the pros and cons of each party is smart, but when one party supports abortions, the decision of who to vote for becomes clear. Abortion Abortions are surprisingly not rare. The statistics are scary and show that abortions are happening frequently. According to the Guttmacher Institute, from 2010 to 2014, 25% of all pregnancies worldwide ended in abortion; that is 56 million abortions every year to be put into perspective, that is more than 9 times the amount of Jews killed during the holocaust. This matter is not small or insignificant in any way; it must be combatted, protested, and in the very least, voted against. Pro-life With this being said, I belonged to the Republican Party in America. I belonged to the party that was against abortion, I always will be; no matter what country I live in. I will always support the party that is against abortion. We as Christians should make a decision on which candidate to vote for according to what party is pro-life. God calls his people to help and care for the less fortunate; to be like the Good Samaritan and sacrifice much for others. Not everybody is in a position to travel to poor countries and help famished kids in need the sacrifice for these people is massive as they often give up their own safety. The sacrifice to vote pro-life is almost non-existent. Voting is easy, but with time, could potentially save millions of lives. Voting for a pro-life party will not instantly enforce legislation banning abortion. The process of banning abortions and making them illegal will take time, no matter what country. As Christians, we should stand up for the innocent unborn children being slaughtered. We should vote for parties and candidates that are pro-life. Jackson Laninga is a student at Auckland University of Technology. He grew up in Arizona, but moved to New Zealand to study communications. When I first started seeing yoga classes advertised in churches, I lamented, Oh how blasphemous and lost is the modern church. My opinion was, that for a minister or congregation to allow that evil practice through their doors they must be backslidden indeed. After all, Yoga is a well-known Hindu practice that seems unable to be divorced from its pseudo spiritual roots. It became a common New Age practice in the 1980s and has reached new heights of acceptance in the last decade with widespread implementation in the West. While in the traditional scope it emphasizes connection with the divine and moksha (liberation), in the West the tradition is largely forgotten and yoga has about the same spiritual equivalent of going to the gym. What the body needs So, what changed my mind? It was coming across a documentary on Fascia which opened my eyes. Fascia is fibrous connective tissue which attaches, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs. Because it connects everything together, when you stretch and exercise one part of the body it sends a ripple effect over the whole system. Which shows the benefits of working certain parts of the body at a time. How this relates to Yoga explains how results of studies on the health benefits of Yoga have been mixed and inconclusive. Stretching and some poses of Yoga through the working of the fascia contribute to the health of the inner system. The dangers One or two yoga poses will generally not do any harm, but the sequences when used spiritually, it can be a gateway in a similar way to a Ouija board. There are actually quite a few concerning testimonies out there of demonic experiences due to yoga. One lady was shocked when she had deliverance ministry and the priest pinpointed a yoga attachment. I never went back to that class and to be honest, I havent thought about it for more than a decade. But during one of our last prayer sessions with the priest who was leading us through deliverance prayers, he looked at me and asked if I had ever practiced yoga. I was a little surprised, but I figured it was a lucky guess since I was a 34-year-old white girl living in Denver, and I said yes. (https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/mamaneedscoffee/2017/04/yoga-a-cautionary-tale) We cant pretend that there have not been spiritual occurrences that have come from the practice. Treading with caution Thankfully regarding yoga, many original meanings and historicity have been lost. Unless youre doing a series of poses meant to achieve a higher spiritual state of being, most yoga stretches should be harmless and somewhat beneficial to the health of your body. However, be wary of the intentions of yoga instructors. If you do decide to go to a class and they are treating it as a quasi-spiritual experience, just leave. If they are focused on the physiological side of your general well-being, thats great. I used to do the yoga poses myself on the Wii Fit, and found it built up my flexibility and bodily strength, plus it was a good way to challenge myself. I have been to one class before and while I wouldnt go back due to taking the spiritual dimension of things very seriously, I certainly have learned not to condemn other brothers and sisters who go. After all, Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind says Paul (Romans chapter 14, verse 5). Bridget Brenton is involved in Aboriginal and Islander based ministries, and enjoys tech stuff like making websites and making games in her spare time. Bridget Brentons previous articles may be viewed at: http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/bridget-brenton Photo - Tronson du Coudray art Overgrown A News.com report that the mass consumption of pornography is now a 'public health crisis' and this view is gaining considerable support. Perhaps its most telling lines are: There is going to have to be programs out there that get kids to understand how porn is manipulating them and again a public health issue, we can have success in the way that we had success with the issue of cigarette smoking. The Christian scene has expressed concern over this whole issue for ever and a day it seems. Christian news and Christian magazine on-line sites publish a continuum range of literature on the broad subject of sex and pornography. It's no puzzle mind you the Scriptures say our hearts are as filthy rags, and that generation after generation in the church are desperate to find ways to praise wholesome sex as a blessing and at the same time to protect our children and grand-children from falling victim of this 'curse'. So again I read with interest another such article. This time written by Jay Dennis for the Thomas Rainer web site on pornography and pastors. The first sentence of this article reads: Pastor, there are two truths I want to share: (1) Many of your fellow pastors are personally struggling with pornography and; (2) pastors must address the issue of pornography among the people they lead. According to this article, there are 10 things listed a trapped Pastor must do to once again become pure and then there is a list of seven things a Pastor must do in relation to leading his congregation out of such mire. So many Christian agencies write on this subject, and next week you'll find another article on all this published somewhere, that will be even more pure and list 20 things to avoid. The danger is that the negative gets overdone and over reaches. The home computer has been the hallmark for all things pornographic. It's all become so common now that a different study revealed that pornography is being ignored by most students on US college campuses a word for pornography - it's overdone. Boring .. Photo - Tronson du Coudray art Night Celebrations It's changed Many in the church have expressed concerns with more enlightenment now. The Song of Songs is said to be the most erotic and exciting book in Scripture. I can recall 19 years ago how several Australian Christian evangelicals and Pentecostals in line with fundamentalism were beside themselves with horror; aghast and baying for blood when the mildest of 'Christians and sex' websites (when compared to what is now available), explored this same subject on the Internet in an attempt to convey the joy of Christian marital sex to Christian young people. There have been astonishing changes since 1999 in all this that has bought about such a revolution in evangelical and Pentecostal thinking and writing. First, wiser heads within the evangelical and Pentecostal movement recognised that sex had to be raised and discussed within their Churches with an almost shocking openness, if a discussion with parishioners of all ages was to be maintained with credibility. Second, all young people now have access to sex education in the classroom, and many reasonable evangelicals and Pentecostals saw their participation in the education process as an absolute necessity. Sadly, some will always have their heads in the sand. A recent survey showed that 14-18 year olds had seen some form of on-line pornography. A trip to the movies reveal soft porn as the norm. Who's kidding who any longer? Third, although books on sex for Christians have had this type of information for decades, websites for Christian material on 'sex' was basically non-existent 15 years ago. This area has developed exponentially as more and more people of all ages and walks of life find the Internet a convenient (and sometimes indispensable) way to get information. Photo - Tronson du Coudray art Mist Now there is alarm at the growing number of Australian young women travelling overseas and returning with HIV one medical report says it's the furtherest thing on their mind when holidaying in seemingly exotic places. PSI young writers (PSI) Press Service International young writer program write on such topics and many speak openly about sex and co-responsibility. Casey Murray wrote one such article titled Sex Isn't My Fault which hit the top most popular list in Christian Today around the world. We're in a very different era from my generation. Churches and missions have young leaders coming through the system who are not-put-off by any of this, for by the time they're 15, social scientists tell us they've already seen multiple hours of cinematic pornography and its derivatives such as on the home PC. This new generation of Christian young leaders have a better grip on how to handle these issues with their peers and sadly in my view, what's more, it's not a boy-girl thing any more. Photo - Tronson du Coudray art The Team Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand. Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html MONDAY, Oct. 8, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- The gout drug allopurinol may offer some protection from kidney disease, according to a new study that upends traditional beliefs. Some doctors hesitate to prescribe the drug to patients because of concerns it may raise their risk for chronic kidney disease, even though there is a lack of evidence to that effect. As a result, many gout patients are undertreated, the Boston University School of Medicine researchers say. They say their findings show that taking allopurinol to manage this painful form of arthritis is not only safe, but also potentially beneficial in reducing risk of kidney disease. "Ultimately, we hope these results will be disseminated to [doctors] taking care of patients with gout," study co-author Dr. Tuhina Neogi said in a university news release. She's a rheumatologist and professor of medicine and epidemiology. Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis in the United States, affecting 3.9 percent of adults, or more than 8 million people. It's caused by urate crystals collecting within the joints, resulting in pain and swelling. Allopurinol (brand name: Zyloprim) is the most frequently used medication to manage the condition, the researchers said in background notes. For the study, Neogi and colleagues looked at more than 4,000 patients in the United Kingdom who took full-dose allopurinol to prevent painful gout flare-ups. After an average of five years using the drug, 12.2 percent had developed stage 3 chronic kidney disease, compared with 13.1 percent of patients who did not take allopurinol. The findings were published recently in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. More information The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more on gout. Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell claims that US President Donald Trump suggested Spain should build a wall across the Sahara desert to deal with the issue of migration from Africa.Borrell made the remarks during a lunch at Club Siglo XXI in Madrid, referring to the expected massive growth in the number of young Africans seeking work in the next two decades. He did not specify where Trump had spoken but described it as happening 'recently'.'You need to build a wall around the Sahara,' Trump said, according to Borrell. The minister impersonated Trump's voice as he spoke, according to an audio file heard by CNN.The White House disputed the account.'While we can confirm that the President has discussed migration challenges with Spanish interlocutors, we do not have record of this specific comment,' a senior White House official told CNN.According to the Spanish foreign minister, Trump, asked if he was aware of the size of the Sahara, replied: 'It can't be bigger than our border with Mexico.'Borrell continued: 'Well, yes, it is way bigger than the border with Mexico, and in any case it wouldn't be very useful to do that.'A spokesman for the Spanish Foreign Ministry confirmed to Borrell's comments to CNN but said the ministry had no further comment in relation to the minister's remarks.The Sahara desert extends for nearly 5,000 kilometres across the African continent.Around a dozen countries lie wholly or in part within the Sahara, including Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Egypt, Algeria, Chad and Niger. Spain is not one of them, so any wall would have to be built entirely on other nations' land.The US-Mexico border is a little under 3,300 kilometres long.Trump was elected in 2016 having campaigned on a promise to build a wall along the United States' southern border, which he said Mexico would pay for.Mexico has refused and funding for the wall remains mired in Congress amid opposition from Democrats.Immigration is a hot topic in Spain, as it is in much of Europe.Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faced criticism from some in June when he offered refuge in Spain to more than 600 migrants on a rescue ship after they were turned away by Italy's populist leaders.More than 33,000 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea so far this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration, a UN agency.That figure represents 43 percent of all irregular arrivals via the Mediterranean this year, the IOM said, putting Spain ahead of Italy and Greece, also popular destinations for migrants arriving by sea.Spain also has two tiny northern African territories which border Morocco, Ceuta and Melilla. They are Europe's only land borders with Africa.The enclaves, which lie on the Mediterranean coast, have long been popular transit points for sub-Saharan African migrants.Last month, several hundred migrants stormed a border fence to enter Ceuta, leaving more than 150 people injured.The number of migrants seeking to enter Europe illegally has fallen sharply from a peak in 2015, when the IOM recorded total arrivals to Europe by sea at just over 1 million. Altogether, around 77,500 migrants have reached Europe by sea illegally so far this year, according to the IMO. An 8-year-old girl skipping rocks at a lake in Sweden earlier this summer made a remarkable discovery that now has many locals joking she should be crowned the new queen, in a nod to tales of King Arthur.While wading in Vidostern lake in Tanno, Smaland, Saga Vanecek stumbled upon what she thought was 'some kind of stick' but, it turned out to be a sword dating back more than 1,000 years to the pre-Viking era.Experts are now working to preserve the delicate relic before it's eventually put on display at the Jonkopings Lans Museum.Though Vanecek found the sword months ago, the news was kept under wraps until this week to give researchers time to scour the area for any other artefacts that could be nearby, according to The Local.And in doing this, they found an ancient brooch from the same time period, as well as an 18th century coin.The 8-year-old Swedish-American girl, whose family just moved back to the country from Minneapolis last year and are huge Minnesota Vikings fans, came upon the submerged treasure entirely by chance as she played in the shallow water on her way to retrieve a buoy.It measures 33 inches (85 cm) long and has components made from metal and wood.'I was outside in the water, throwing sticks and stones and stuff to see how far they skip, and then I found some kind of stick,' she told The Local.'I picked it up and was going to drop it back in the water, but it had a handle, and I saw that it was a little bit pointy at the end and all rusty.'I held it up in the air and I said 'Daddy, I found a sword!' When he saw that it bent and was rusty, he came running up and took it.'The museum estimates the sword can be traced back to the 5th or 6th century.It will eventually be displayed to the public, but researchers say it will be several months before this happens.'The conservation process takes quite a long time because it's a complicated environment with wood and leather, so they have several steps to make sure it's preserved for the future,' Mikael Nordstrom from the museum told The Local.'Why it has come to be there, we don't know. When we searched a couple of weeks ago, we found another prehistoric object; a brooch from around the same period as the sword, so that means we don't know yet but perhaps it's a place of sacrifice.'Not only is the discovery exciting for its historical significance, but for the family, it's also a reminder of home.'The cool thing is that I'm a huge Minnesota Vikings fan, and this looks just like a Viking sword,' her father told The Local.Read more: Eight-year-old Swedish-American girl pulls pre-Viking era sword from lake - The Local A ferry with almost 300 people on board has become stranded in the Baltic Sea after the ship experienced engine failure, its Danish operator said.No injuries were reported and an evacuation wasn't immediately necessary.The breakdown aboard the Regina Seaways produced smoke, which triggered the ship's fire extinguishing system in the engine room, Copenhagen-based DFDS Seaways said.The vessel was in international waters off Kaliningrad, Russia's Baltic Sea exclave between Poland and Lithuania.'We are talking about a malfunction in the engine room that caused a lot of smoke,' DFDS spokesman Gert Jakobsen told The Associated Press.'Right now we are inspecting the engine room to find out whether the ship can sail on its own or needs to be tugged.'He said passengers had assembled at muster stations in preparation for a possible evacuation, but the 'situation is under control.'The ferry, which also had cars and trucks on board, was traveling between the ports of Kiel, Germany, and Klaipeda, Lithuania.'On these kinds of crossings we have people from Germany, the Baltic countries and Russia. We cannot say now who was onboard,' Jakobsen said.The ship is about 85km from Klaipeda, said Vaidas Klumbys, another DFDS spokesman.He said that on Tuesday afternoon 'we received the information from the ship that it was undergoing vibrations and smoke rising from the engines.'Russian state news agency Tass quoted Andrei Permyakov, head of the sea rescue coordination centre in Kaliningrad, as saying that rescuers from Lithuania, Russia and Poland responded.Lithuania's navy said one of its helicopters and three navy vessels were sent to the site in case an evacuation was necessary.Jakobsen wasn't aware of any rescue operation, saying there was no evacuation.'But in this kind of situation, everyone steps in,' he said.The Regina Seaways was built in 2010 and can carry up to 500 passengers. HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP A new bank has launched in Britain that is known on the continent for current accounts that customers can open 'within eight minutes.'N26, founded in 2013 by two Austrians, boasts more than 1.5million customers across Europe and is hoping to take a slice of the UK current account market.It becomes the latest foreign lender to enter Britain's digital banking space in recent weeks, after Marcus from US-based Goldman Sachs launched a 1.5 per cent savings account.The Berlin-headquartered mobile bank will initially be available to 'friends and family' of N26 staff before rolling out to a UK waiting list that the company says is 50,000-strong.The full public launch is set for November, although it currently has an early-bird sign-up form on its website.Looking for a better bank? This is Money's five of the best current accountsIt will operate under its European banking licence, but could seek a British licence further down the line, depending on the outcome of Brexit.A spokesman said: 'We have a German banking licence currently. If there comes a point at which that is not sufficient, we would do everything required of us to ensure we are still authorised to operate in the market.'The bulk of its UK operations will be managed from continental Europe, where N26 employs around 500 staff - but it has 10 staff who will split their time between London and Berlin.Its local team is expected to expand as UK services grow. It will be directly competing with relatively new fintechs already established in Britain: Monzo and Starling.Valentin Stalf, 32, N26 chief executive and co-founder, said: 'The UK is one of the most digitally advanced countries in the world.'At N26, we have redesigned banking for the digital age and as a result we're the fastest growing mobile bank in all European markets we operate in.'Backed by our state-of-the-art technology stack and an intuitive, user-centric design, today's launch is the first step towards delivering the best digital banking experience possible for UK customers.'N26 - backed by investors including Tencent, Allianz X and Earlybird Ventures - is now looking to launch in the US in the first half of 2019. It raised a total of $215million earlier in the year.It is not clear what the current account offering will be in Britain, but it currently offers two accounts in Europe a basic, free version, which offers free cash withdrawals in euros and free payments in any currency.A paid-for version, N26 Black, costs 7.90 per month and also offers these two features alongside free withdrawals worldwide and an Allianz insurance package.It says services and fees are for everyone who registers with an address in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia.The current accounts come with a Mastercard debit card. There are no imminent plans to launch savings accounts.James Blower, independent expert at website The Savings Guru, said: 'N26 has been somewhat of a fintech darling for a few years and what they've achieved in Europe has been admired by the UK fintech sector.'Its launch in the UK follows Monzo and Starling, who have already entered the current account market, with similar customer-centric focus and functionality looking to target a younger demographic and break the monopoly of the big four.'Both Monzo and Starling have been successful at acquiring customers with Monzo going over the one million mark last week.'While N26 will be looking to target the big four, they may find that Monzo has already stolen that ground and that they are actually in competition for those customers who have already moved to the new fintechs.'I don't see anything sufficiently different in their offering to make them a more compelling choice than Monzo or Starling.'It has also recruited very few people in the UK, which could also hinder their success.'Other banks entering the market here have found there are cultural differences and recruiting the right people in the local market can have a significant impact on the likelihood of success.'The N stands for number - it was shortened in the infancy of the bank.It explains that the number 26 is the number of smaller cubes in a complete Rubik's Cube.It says: 'The cube is complex, but if you know the correct sequence of moves, you can solve it quickly and elegantly.'We try to apply the same approach to banking, which has historically been a complex and sometimes frustrating consumer experience that's been short on innovation.'With the right approach and combination of moves, we hope to make banking fundamentally better.'Barclays Bank offers cash loyalty rewards as part of its Blue Rewards scheme including 7 per month for having two direct debits from your account. The feature comes with a 3 monthly fee and you must pay in 800 a month.First Direct's First Account offers a choice of freebies to sign up, including a 150 Expedia voucher , online development courses or free tech worth up to 170. It comes with a 250 free overdraft and requires a 1,000 monthly deposit to avoid a 10 monthly fee.Natwest's Reward Account pays 2 per cent cashback on your household bills - worth an average 83 per year. The banks will also waive overseas spending fees until the end of August. You need to pay in at least 1,500 per month and there is a 2 monthly fee.Nationwide's FlexPlus is one of our favourite package bank accounts . It pays 3% interest on up to 2,500 and comes with family worldwide travel insurance and breakdown and mobile cover for 13 per month. The account also comes with a 250-free overdraft.M&S Bank's Current Account has a 125 gift card for joining , plus you get an extra 5 a month top up for the year . It has a 100 fee-free overdraft and no miniumum deposit criteria. Sri Lanka: Norway welcome private sector cooperation to boost trade and investment, SDGs October 08,2018 | Source: Daily LK Recognising that Sri Lanka is well positioned to become a trading and maritime hub, Norway and Sri Lanka have welcomed private sector cooperation to enhance trade and investment between the two countries. A joint statement, issued by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Norways Prime Minister Erna Solberg at a press conference after their meeting in Oslo, Norway, on Friday, said the blue economy was a cornerstone of both the Norwegian and Sri Lankan economies, and both countries were committed to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Private sector engagement will be indispensable in the coming years, as innovative and knowledge-based partnerships, in particular with the private sector, are a prerequisite for successful implementation of the SDGs, the two leaders said. Norway and Sri Lanka will explore further cooperation in areas such as innovation and ocean-technology, fisheries and aquaculture, and sustainability of fish resources. Both countries also recognise the potential for enhanced private sector cooperation within the information and communications technology (ICT), renewable energy and maritime sectors. Commending Sri Lanka for cooperating with other states in the Bay of Bengal region and leading an international dialogue on the sustainable management of their ocean resources, Norway has invited Sri Lanka to participate in the Our Ocean Conference to be held in Norway in October 2019. The full statement is reproduced below: Joint Statement by Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway and Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, on the Occasion of the Official Visit from Sri Lanka to Oslo, 5 October 2018. 1. Norway and Sri Lanka have developed strong bilateral relations over many years based on mutual respect and cooperation. We share democratic values and are firm supporters of a rules-based global order, through multilateral cooperation, international law, human rights and the United Nations system, including the UN Security Council. 2. Norway and Sri Lanka are dedicated supporters of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and are committed to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Meeting the SDGs will require a coherent approach to global, regional and national development. The SDGs are universal, and all UN member states are committed to implementing them by 2030. Norway and Sri Lanka will continue to cooperate in implementing SDG number 16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. Innovative and knowledge-based partnerships, in particular with the private sector, are a prerequisite for successful implementation of the SDGs. Private sector engagement will be indispensable in the coming years to support initiatives that promote prosperity in general and job opportunities for young people in particular. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will be crucial for all future generations. Norway and Sri Lanka share a strong and common interest in the sustainable management and use of our oceans and the blue economy. Without the oceans, there would be no life on our planet. The oceans are essential in order to meet the future needs of the worlds growing population for food security, medicines, energy and minerals. Estimates show that ocean-based industries could more than double their contribution to the world economy by 2030. Norway and Sri Lanka share the conviction that safeguarding the fragile marine environment must be a priority, while at the same time, developing new industries and activities in a sustainable manner. 3. Norway and Sri Lanka encourage further scientific development, sharing best practices and achieving a common understanding of problems such as pollution, marine litter and micro plastics, as well as overfishing. Closer international cooperation is important in this regard. Clear rules and a stable framework are necessary for sound resource management and blue growth. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. This framework is of paramount importance as the basis for national, regional and global action and cooperation in the marine sector. The integrity of the Convention needs to be maintained. Norway and Sri Lanka both value the importance of free trade and open and secure access to international waters. In this context, both countries acknowledge the Parties commitment to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia. Norway and Sri Lanka are pleased with the recent mission of the Norwegian research vessel Dr. Fridtjof Nansen in Sri Lankan waters to carry out a resource mapping survey, at the request of the Sri Lankan Government. The survey will give Sri Lanka up-to-date data, which will be of great value in the management of the countrys fisheries resources in the years to come. Norway commends Sri Lanka for cooperating with other states in the Bay of Bengal region and leading an international dialogue on the sustainable management of their ocean resources. Norway has invited Sri Lanka to participate in the Our Ocean Conference to be held in Norway in October 2019. 4. Private sector cooperation between Norway and Sri Lanka and increased trade and investment are welcome. The blue economy is a cornerstone of both the Norwegian and Sri Lankan economies. Norway has a unique position in the global maritime industry, including some of the worlds leading ship-owners, shipping companies, shipyards, ship equipment companies, and a whole range of specialised marine and maritime services. Sri Lanka is a gateway to almost three billion people in South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, and is located close to some of the busiest trading routes in the world. Sri Lanka is well positioned to become a trading and maritime hub. Norway and Sri Lanka will explore further cooperation in areas such as innovation and ocean-technology, fisheries and aquaculture, and sustainability of fish resources. Both countries also recognise the potential for enhanced private sector cooperation within the information and communications technology (ICT), renewable energy and maritime sectors. The cooperation between the Sri Lankan and Norwegian ICT associations over the past two years has demonstrated the potential for profitable business partnerships in the areas of digitalisation, entrepreneurship and technology, which can create new jobs and offer new services. This successful cooperation suggests the potential to strengthen business cooperation in other sectors as well. Bangladesh: The World Bank approves $515m for three projects October 08,2018 | Source: The Daily Star The World Bank yesterday approved $515 million for three projects in Bangladesh, part of which will help host communities in Cox's Bazar who have been affected by the Rohingya influx. A World Bank (WB) statement said this will help alleviate poverty and create new livelihood opportunities, including for the local communities, in the Cox's Bazar district hosting Rohingyas who fled violence in Myanmar. The projects will improve coastal and marine fisheries, forest management and rural roads, the WB said. These three projects will create opportunities for the rural population and especially help lift vulnerable people out of poverty, said Qimiao Fan, World Bank country director for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. According to the WB statement, the $175 million Sustainable Forests and Livelihoods Project will help improve forest cover through a collaborative management approach involving the local communities. The project will support enhancing income through alternative activities for about 40,000 households in the coastal, hill and central districts of the country, said Madhavi Pillai, World Bank senior natural resources management specialist and task team leader for the project. This will include Cox's Bazar where nearly one million Rohingyas have taken shelter. The project will particularly help the host communities through its income generation activities -- improving the availability of wood for fuel in a sustainable way and reducing human-wild elephant conflict which has affected parts of the district, the WB said. The $240 million Sustainable Coastal and Marine Fisheries Project will help improve fisheries management, expand mariculture and strengthen aquaculture biosecurity and productivity. In 10 coastal districts, the project will set up community co-management associations with the fishing communities -- enabling them to adopt supplementary and alternative livelihoods. It will also empower female workers through alternative livelihoods support, skills development, and nutrition awareness. Fisheries are vital to the country's food security and the sector employs more than 18 million people, said Milen Dyoulgerov, World Bank senior environment specialist and task team leader for the project. The project will help improve fisheries management systems, infrastructure, and other value chain investments. This will result in better productivity and availability of fish. The project will also help expand the current fisher ID card system, which will be linked with the geographic information system platform. It will also improve vessel registration and licensing for fishing. The $100 million additional financing to the Second Rural Transport Improvement Project will help rehabilitate rural roads in 26 districts that were damaged from last year's heavy rainfall and floods. The ongoing project has improved and repaired more than 5,000km rural roads that helped millions of people access markets, hospitals, and schools. The financing will factor in climate-resilience in planning, technical design, implementation and maintenance of the roads. The World Bank has already signed an agreement with Bangladesh to provide $75 million grant for Rohingya people. This is part of $480 million grant announced in June. Foreign investors have massive interest in building Grade A office for lease in downtown Saigon due to high market demand. Photo by VnExpress Foreign investors currently own majority stakes in about 50 percent of high-end office buildings in downtown Saigon. A newly-released Savills Vietnam report said investors from Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Germany and Slovakia own stakes in nine Grade A office complexes in prime Saigon locations. Asian investors hold a bigger market share than that of European companies. Given the scarce supply of Grade A office space in the nations commercial hub, current occupancy rates in this segment are above 95 percent, and monthly rents have reached their highest in nearly half a decade at $50-70 per square meter. This has spawned many M&A deals in this property segment. Notable among these is the purchase of a 24 percent stake in Sun Wah Tower by Japan's Nomura Real Estate Company earlier this year. The tower is located on the Nguyen Hue walking street in District 1. With demand remaining high, many new real estate companies have entered the market. Alpha King, a Hong Kong based real estate company, announced its plan to construct a 35 storied Grade A office building on Tran Hung Dao Street in District 1, close to the Ben Thanh Market. Work on this building is expected to completed by 2020. Slovakian investors plan to build the Friendship Tower on Le Duan Street, also in District 1. Construction of the 21-story building began this May and is expected to finish by 2020. When complete, both Alpha King and Friendship Tower will respectively contribute 72,000 and 19,000 square meters of Grade A office space. Su Ngoc Khuong, investment director at Savills Vietnam, said there are many foreign investors in Group A projects because they are cash-rich while such projects require big investment capital. The limited amount land available in prime Saigon locations has also led to great interest among foreign investors looking to make profits from renting space to both foreign and local companies. Explaining why international corporations are boldly investing in grade A office buildings in Saigon in recent years and are likely to do so in the years to come, Khuong said that global economic integration will continue to increase demand for office space in the city, thus creating a sustainable and profitable cash flow for Group A office leasing projects. Four Vietnamese fishermen have been fined between $723 and $7,234 for illegally fishing in Bruneian waters. The fishermens vessel was found approximately 130 nautical miles off the coast of Brunei and they were apprehended by the Royal Brunei Navy September 27, according to a statement from the countrys Ministry of Defense, China.org reported Sunday. The unnamed vessel owner, 44, was fined $7,234, while the three crew members were fined $723 each. If they are unable to pay the fine, they have to spend between one to ten months in prison. This is the second time a Vietnamese fishing vessel was apprehended by the Bruneian navy this year. In May, 37 Vietnamese men, aged 18 to 52, were also found to be illegally fishing in Bruneian waters. Hundreds of Vietnamese fishermen have been charged with fishing violations in foreign waters in recent years. Vietnamese authorities have been trying to raise awareness about maritime boundaries and international maritime laws among Vietnamese fishermen. They have also increased the frequency of patrols to try and prevent potential violations. Last year, the European Union slapped a "yellow card" restriction on Vietnam for illegal fishing in foreign waters, warning that it could ban seafood exports from Vietnam unless Hanoi do more to tackle the issue. It was destiny: How Catherine Karnow became a household name in Vietnam National Geographic photojournalist Catherine Karnows unique works are well known, but not many know why shes drawn so much to Vietnam. American Catherine Karnow has been a household name in Vietnam for sometime now, but what kept her returning to the country for almost three decades has not drawn much attention. "It was literally because of General Giap that I came to Vietnam for the first time. I think it was duyen," Catherine said, using the Vietnamese word for fate. Catherine Karnow smiles at an interview with VnExpress International in Ho Chi Minh City on October 5, 2018. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen She was already a professional photographer working on assignments and editorial and corporate projects when she first came to Vietnam in 1990, but it was not until she began photographing General Vo Nguyen Giap that she rose to stardom in Vietnamese eyes. She had the privilege of getting close to Giap thanks to her father, Stanley Karnow, a journalist and a Pulitzer-winning author whose book "Vietnam: A History" changed the perspective of many generations of American people about the Vietnam War. Millions over the world learnt about Vietnam in the 1960s from Stanley Karnows writings. He was already a celebrated journalist when he did several interviews with Giap. General Vo Nguyen Giap and Catherine Karnow in 1994. General Giap, the first General of Vietnam Peoples Army was the mastermind behind numerous military strategies that defeated French and the U.S. armies. Photo courtesy of Catherine Karnow Catherine received Giaps exclusive invitation to be the only non-Vietnamese photojournalist to document his historic first return to the forest encampment in the northern highlands where he devised the legendary battle of Dien Bien Phu that ended French colonization. The family of Giap continues to cherish Catherine as a talented photographer and close friend of the family. They allowed her the same exclusive position at his funeral. Until today, General Giap remains the first and only Vietnamese political figure Catherine has spent substantial time with. "As a journalist, I never actually had a formal interview with General Giap. Ive learnt a lot about him from his family. Im still a close friend to Giaps grandchildren." This shot was taken casually in 1990, but it ended up being embraced by Vietnamese as a memory of Giap during his funeral. Catherine did not expect the photo would become so popular. "My friend was calling out to me, saying look, they are holding your picture, pointing at the ladies. "They have no idea the photographer capturing them is the same one who shot the picture they were holding," Catherine said. Photo courtesy of Catherine Karnow But there is something more to Catherine Karnows connection with Vietnam than her popular association with Vietnams revered war hero. Everyday epiphanies Karnows work on Vietnam has principally focused on its people and culture, and there is something magnetic about the country that kept bringing her back. "It is the little things, everyday epiphanies and coincidental discoveries that keep me coming back to this country," she said. One such event was with her "The Woman on the Train" picture which has been published countless times around the world. Tran Thi Diep and her children, captured in a photo by Catherine Karnow on a Saigon-Hanoi train in July 1990. The photo was taken on a train from Saigon to Hanoi in July 1990. It was moving past mountains in central Vietnam and Karnow was looking to take photos of people at the window and see the rest of the curving train when she saw the young mother with her children. Catherine lost the womans contact and did not hear from her until Rosalyn Vu messaged her on Facebook after she recognized her mother, Tran Thi Diep, in the photo. Catherine and Diep reunited after 20 years and naturally, Catherine was invited to Rosalyns wedding in September. Another time, in 1995, Catherine came across a woman in Hanoi and chased after her on a motorbike to ask to take pictures of her. She was featured on the cover of the Smithsonian magazine in January 1996. Years later, she managed to find the womans house and gift her the photo in print as well as a copy of the magazine. "The lady was thrilled because shed never received a photograph or a magazine before," Catherine said. A young woman that Catherine Karnow photographed on the street of Hanoi, and another photo of hers on the cover of the Smithsonian magazine. Even without her fathers trips to write his historic book about Vietnam, Karnows family had piled up a lot of Vietnamese memories. Before her parents got married, her mother had already lived in Vietnam. Shed spent 1953-1954 with her first husband, an American diplomat. He got sick in Saigon and passed away in a hospital in Manila, Philippines. Karnow feels the tug of destiny even in her current relationship with her boyfriend. His boys from a previous relationship are a quarter Vietnamese, since their mother is half Vietnamese and half French. Catherine Karnows father died the same year as General Giap, a couple of months earlier. "My father talked about Vietnam all the time with his Vietnamese journalist friends, and other friends who worked in Vietnam. "I was visiting Vietnam when I received the message that my father had passed away. I was there in Saigon, the city he loved and introduced me to, and I realized it was all meant to be," Karnow told the audience at a presentation she gave at the U.S. Consulate in Vietnam in HCMC on October 3. "I dont want to generalize Vietnamese people. But as time goes, the people I meet and run into here still have that marvelous sense of curiosity and interest in foreigners and warm hospitality," she told VnExpress International. A deep sense of loss Karnows voice acquires more than a tinge of nostalgia whenever Hong Kong is mentioned, as it is there that she was born and raised. Time-Life had asked Stanley Karnow to set up a bureau in Hong Kong. He did and worked as the bureau chief there. "I was wrenched away from Hong Kong, my motherland, when I was 10 years old, because my parents decided it was time to go back to the States. It was their home, but not really mine," Karnow said. "The loss of Hong Kong is at the core of my being," she added. The traumatic experience of losing her "motherland" affected all aspects of her life. "The Vietnamese have lived with loss for a length of history and it is that sense of loss that Vietnam and I have in common," Karnow said. "My friend Lady Borton, an academic who has lived in Vietnam for many years, taught me that the word buon in Vietnamese (sadness) means to find beauty in sorrow and it is so affirming to me. Sadness is the expression and look on so many people Ive photographed. I realized what this country means to me finally, is that I can find beauty in its sadness." Karnows commitment to Vietnam and the countrys role in giving her the profile she has now would not have been possible without several Vietnamese women who have formed a support team over the years. She has nothing but unreserved praise for them. "Helpful is a very poor word to describe them," she said, referring to current and former female assistants and producers in Vietnam as smart, sensible, positive and loving. "I dont even have the words to express how tenacious, hardworking, and committed they are. When you find Vietnamese women like them, its like hitting a jackpot." Ngan Do, Catherines current producer and assistant, said she values Catherines inner child, passion and can-do spirit, which makes every meeting they have seem like a casual yet insightful discussion. "Sometimes we only sleep 4-5 hours a day but its always so fun, full of adventure, and a rich life every day when were together," Ngan said. Cover of the book marking Catherine Karnows 25-year coverage of Vietnam, designed by Ta Quoc Ky Nam. Photo courtesy of Catherine Karnow Connecting with people Karnow describes herself as a documentary photographer focusing on people in Vietnam; and that remains her focus in the country. The celebrated photographer said she does not use any special camera technique in Vietnam. "A lot of people dont realize the art of photography has nothing to do with techniques. Yes, you must understand your camera and camera settings, but a piano player who knows all the keys doesnt necessarily make a good pianist," she said. The difference in Vietnam, Karnow said, was her substantial experience in the country, which lowers peoples guard and allows the foreigner access to their life and stories. "Thats the difference between photographing Vietnam and elsewhere. People here are more open to me because of my long commitment to their country," she said. She said among the missing pieces in her long documenting of Vietnam is the topic of ethnic minorities. She would definitely be looking into that in the future. Vietnams urban areas have been her major interest thus far, but she wishes to venture out to other terrains. Karnow said she is going to work more on Agent Orange, taking photos that tell the stories of the affected people. She said Agent Orange was a war crime that is very important for Americans to be educated about. "The U.S. is waking up to allocating funds to remedy these tragedies and I want the movement to keep going." Catherine Karnow believes that the challenges Agent Orange families face can be depicted in a positive light. Photo courtesy of Catherine Karnow Plans for a Vietnamese Grand Prix in 2020 look feasible, said F1 race director who visited the proposed site in Hanoi last week. Charlie Whiting told reporters at Sundays Japanese Grand Prix that the location for a street circuit had been identified, to the west of the capital and some 12km from the city center, even if building work had yet to start. Its in the advanced stages of design, said the Briton, who flew to Vietnam between races on successive weekends in Russia and Japan. As far as Im aware, theyre aiming for a 2020 grand prix, which shouldnt be a problem based on previous experience. Formula One management has expressed strong interest in a race in Vietnam, with Hanoi seen as the sort of destination city the sport is looking for. No signing has been confirmed, however, even if there has been plenty of speculation that a deal is done. Vietnam would be the first new race introduced by commercial rights holders Liberty Media, who took control in January last year and ousted former supremo Bernie Ecclestone. The Vietnamese government said at the end of August that it supported the idea of staging a Formula One race on the streets of Hanoi. The country is a growing market for sponsors such as brewer Heineken and would be a fifth Asian race on the calendar, making up for the departure of Malaysia. Whiting said the proposed layout mainly used existing streets, with one as-yet unbuilt section. Its an open site where the pit buildings going to be built, he said. Part of the track will be built there which doesnt exist at the moment. But it will become a road, I understand, after that. Tourists are seen at Terminal 21 shopping mall in Thailand's Bangkok capital in a file photo by Reuters. Thai police have detained two Vietnamese pickpockets said to be preying on foreign tourists at Bangkoks crowded shopping malls. Le Phuoc Thanh, 38, and Nguyen Van Ty, 36, were apprehended on Friday after being caught pilfering a wallet from a German tourist at the Terminal 21 shopping mall, a 20-minute drive from downtown Bangkok. The arrest came several days after local police received a complaint from the German tourist, whose name has not been revealed, saying a pickpocket gang had stolen his wallet at the shopping mall on July 13, the Bangkok Post reported on Saturday. The wallet, worth about 13,000 baht ($395), contained cash worth $2,648, the newspaper said, citing Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, acting chief of the Immigration Bureau. Following the tourists complaint, police officers checked the malls surveillance camera footage and identified the two suspects. Investigation found that the cutpurses often targeted foreign tourists at busy shopping malls and train stations, but got away with their crime because many foreigners did not file complaints after being robbed. There may have been other pickpocketing victims of the duo who have not reported their being robbed, Thai police said. A pickpocketing gang of 15 Vietnamese who changed their names and re-entered the country on fake passports, were arrested in a massive crackdown by Thai police last June. They had earlier been deported and banned from returning to Thailand. The number of Vietnamese visiting Thailand saw a 6.48 percent year-on-year increase in the first four months of 2018, putting Vietnam among the top 10 countries in the number of tourists visiting the kingdom, according to a recent report by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. HCMC jails two for smashing police bikes during SEZ protest Nguyen Van Tuan (L) and Truong Ngoc Hien at a trial in HCMC on Monday. Photo by VnExpress/Lan Ngoc A HCMC court Monday punished four men with varying prison terms for damaging two police motorbikes last June. Nguyen Van Tuan, 30, received the highest sentence of three years in jail and a fine of VND9.5 million ($406). Truong Ngoc Hien, 21, got two years in jail, while Nguyen Huynh Duc, 18, and Bui Van Tien, 17, received one-year suspended sentence. They are all charged with disturbance of public order. The indictment said that on June 10, the four men joined many others in a protest against Vietnams proposed draft law on special economic zones (SEZs). As they marched to the inner city, police tried to stop the crowd but were forced to retreat, leaving behind two motorbikes. Tuan, Hien, Duc and Tien then smashed the bikes and several public buses. Tuan told the court that he had received VND400,000 ($17) from an unknown woman to join the protest and was given sticks to damage property. Hien, Duc and Tien said they received invitations to join the protest on Facebook, and just followed the crowd. All four defendants told the court that they regretted their actions. The protest in HCMC was among several that erupted in Vietnam on June 10 and 11. Thousands of people also took to the streets in Hanoi, Da Nang and several provinces, with banners and signs calling for the SEZ draft law to be scrapped. They specifically objected a provision that would allow foreign investors to lease land for 99 years, saying that such a law would allow foreign countries to undermine Vietnams sovereignty. With Vietnam delaying passage of the Law on Demonstration several times, all acts to incite public protests are deemed illegal. Following the demonstrations, the National Assembly deferred the passing of the law for further discussions. Police have since detained hundreds of protesters and said they had uncovered evidence that the protests were anti-state actions incited by organizations based in other countries using false, distorted information about the draft law. Dozens of protesters have been imprisoned in Dong Nai, Binh Thuan and Khanh Hoa Provinces. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is welcomed at Haneda International Airport, Tokyo, on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Vietnam News Agency Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has called on Japan to enhance its role in promoting peace and stability in the region. Vietnam welcomes and shares Japan's view on the importance of diplomacy in advocating compliance with international law and peaceful resolution of disputes in disputed waters, Phuc told the Japanese press upon arriving in Tokyo for the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit. A statement from Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited Phuc as saying the international community was concerned about the complicated situation in the East Sea, internationally named as the South China Sea. He called on all parties involved to abide by international law, follow the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC), and take steps to finalize the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea. "We hope that Japan continues to demonstrate its role and responsibility, together with the international community, to support and contribute to the security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation, to maintain peace and stability, bringing prosperity to the East Sea in particular and to the Asia-Pacific region in general," the PM said. Phuc landed in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, to attend the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit on October 9. Japan is Vietnam's fourth largest trading partner with a combined trade turnover of $33.4 billion in 2017. The country is also Vietnams second largest foreign investor in terms of pledged investment capital, with more than 1,600 projects worth $42 billion licensed by the end of last year. Japan is also the largest official development assistance (ODA) provider to Vietnam and the two nations are implementing large-scale projects in Vietnam, especially in infrastructure and energy. Last month, Kuroshio became the first Japanese submarine to take part in a naval drill in the South China Sea, before docking at the Cam Ranh Port in south-central Vietnam. In a cramped 15 sq.m room, Le Xuan Giang is at home, intricately sculpting war and other historic events. I was inspired to find out more about military models after seeing bookstores selling about 10 years or so ago, said Giang, 32. After I looked deeper into it, I felt I could do better, create things in more detail. A platoon crosses a bridge. Giang makes two to three of such scenes a year. His works mostly deal with wars in Vietnam and elsewhere. It took him about six months to create this model of American soldiers on the Sherman tank (M4A3E8) headed to Berlin in 1945 during World War II. Giang does a lot of research to make his creations as authentic as possible. The work is meticulous. Since some of the designs are not available in the market, Giang uses clay to design them himself. "It can take me up to one month just to complete one figure since one wrong move can completely destroy the final work," he said. A scene from the Syrian conflict. This work on Reunification Day, the last day of the Vietnam War in April 1975 took the most time and effort, Giang said. He has also recreated a floating market scene in the Mekong Delta. Ukraine, China agree to boost grain shipments The parties also plan to sign a memorandum on new projects in November. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Ukrainian producers able to export apples to India Apples of the 2018 harvest can be exported to India if the established biosecurity standards are met. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Ukraine's Cabinet allocates US$4.8 mln in wages for miners The move is part of the government policy to support the domestic coal industry. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter UCOM keeps on supporting the 42 YEREVAN programming school Recognizing the One-Year Anniversary of the Ceasefire Declaration Between Armenia and Azerbaijan They should not be positioned near civilian communities neither in Armenia nor in Artsakh Humanitarian and human rights protection needed following the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh Google Ad Galaxy Group of Companies expands its activities in Belarus: a new TIME and Pandora store launched I think its a good moment to invest in Armenia. Head of Markets at Symbiotics Vincent Lehner Ameriabank has Raised USD 17.5M Tier 2 Capital UNIGHT TO UNITE. UCOM CELEBRATED ITS REBIRTH Ameriabank and HSBC Armenia to provide their customers access to each others ATMs without additional fees Ameriabank. 62.5% Growth in Taxes YOY Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans have provided 300 million AMD to overcome the infertility in Armenia UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13 Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide Google Ad 1217 new cases Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group At UCOM only: Tv sets at 10% discount + 1 month free UMIX package + 4k tv channel Ameriabanks Special Offer for New Clients of Hrazdan Branch "Fall forward": Gurgen Khachatryan, the Co-Founder of the Galaxy Group of Companies, addressed a message to young people in Armenia UCOM hosted interns of Russian CBOSS corporation for a month The 20-episode Bloody bet thriller to be broadcast on Ucom's Armenia Premium TV channel Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group UCOM offers affordable gadgets at bigger discount Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to New York Governments preventing publication of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper during state of emergency UCOM prolongs the unlimited internet offer for the level up 4700 and level up 5500 subscribers UCOM keeps on supporting the 42 YEREVAN programming school Recognizing the One-Year Anniversary of the Ceasefire Declaration Between Armenia and Azerbaijan They should not be positioned near civilian communities neither in Armenia nor in Artsakh Humanitarian and human rights protection needed following the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh Galaxy Group of Companies expands its activities in Belarus: a new TIME and Pandora store launched I think its a good moment to invest in Armenia. Head of Markets at Symbiotics Vincent Lehner Ameriabank has Raised USD 17.5M Tier 2 Capital UNIGHT TO UNITE. UCOM CELEBRATED ITS REBIRTH Ameriabank and HSBC Armenia to provide their customers access to each others ATMs without additional fees Ameriabank. 62.5% Growth in Taxes YOY Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans have provided 300 million AMD to overcome the infertility in Armenia UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13 Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide Google Ad 1217 new cases Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group At UCOM only: Tv sets at 10% discount + 1 month free UMIX package + 4k tv channel Ameriabanks Special Offer for New Clients of Hrazdan Branch "Fall forward": Gurgen Khachatryan, the Co-Founder of the Galaxy Group of Companies, addressed a message to young people in Armenia UCOM hosted interns of Russian CBOSS corporation for a month The 20-episode Bloody bet thriller to be broadcast on Ucom's Armenia Premium TV channel Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group UCOM offers affordable gadgets at bigger discount Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to New York Governments preventing publication of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper during state of emergency UCOM prolongs the unlimited internet offer for the level up 4700 and level up 5500 subscribers Ara Babloyan holds meeting with outgoing US Ambassador Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan today held a meeting with US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, who visited the parliament on the occasion of completing his diplomatic mission in the country. During the meeting the Speaker thanked the ambassador for his efforts aimed at developing the Armenian-American relations and the productive work, wishing good luck in his further activities. According to Speaker Babloyan, the bilateral cooperation developed upwards in the recent years, which was in the interest of the two countries, and significant achievements have been recorded in numerous areas as a result of coherent and targeted work. The Speaker emphasized that inter-parliamentary ties have an important place in bilateral relations, which have been rather active in the recent period. Babloyan praised the many years of US assistance for strengthening democracy and the reforms in different areas. The sides also addressed the latest domestic developments in Armenia. In this context Babloyan stressed that during international meetings, as Speaker of Parliament of Armenia, he is always calling on partners to assist the new government of Armenia for developing and strengthening democracy even more. I must continue making efforts in order for Armenia to proceed on the democratic path, and that all problems find a solution in an atmosphere of political dialogue, negotiations and discussions refraining the country from possible tremors, the Speaker said. The US Ambassador highly appreciated this stance of the Speaker. "I highly appreciate the productive cooperation that has developed between our countries during my tenure. I am convinced that the US government will continue supporting the Armenian people in establishing a firm and independent parliament," the American Ambassador said, thanking the Speaker for warm words. National Energy Company Ukrenergo has urged Ukraine's Energy and Coal Industry Ministry to announce a tender to build new highly maneuverable generating facilities to balance operation of renewable energy facilities, the company has said on its website. Ukrenergo recalled that in case of further rapid growth of green generation and an increase in its share, problems with its balancing may arise. "According to the results of the analysis, we modeled several scenarios for the development of events, provided that measures were not taken to properly balance green energy. In particular, the main negative consequences will be the restriction of renewable energy sources with the compensation of the feed-in tariff for unproduced electricity or the increase in the volume of coal generation and the restriction of nuclear power, given the need to increase opportunities for balancing. Both scenarios will be a significant obstacle to overcoming dependence on fossil fuels and improving the environment in the country," the company said. The company also said that any restrictions on the connection of renewable energy facilities and the provision of technical conditions are prohibited by the Transmission System Code, provided that the customer complies with the requirements of the Code. "The development of renewable energy in Ukraine is an indicator of the country's attractiveness to the international community. In this regard, the company expects to continue constructive cooperation with state security agencies in responding to potential threats to the Ukrainian energy system and supporting the initiative to build new highly maneuverable capacities," Ukrenergo said. Earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine, in a letter to the Prime Minister, expressed concerns about the destabilization of the country's energy system due to the "excessive" issuance of technical conditions for the connection of renewable energy facilities. The reformation of the emergency healthcare system that will start in 2019 with a pilot project in five regions will be a priority for the introduction of changes in the healthcare system, the press service of Ukraine's Health Ministry has reported. "The system of emergency medical care needs tangible changes. The ambulance reform is one of the priorities of the Health Ministry for 2019," the press service said. The ministry said that for systemic changes, first it is necessary qualification training of emergency healthcare brigades to the level of global standards and salary increases for professionals who have been trained in accordance with modern methods of saving lives. In addition, throughout Ukraine, it is necessary to form modern dispatching services united by a single electronic system, and also to provide the emergency healthcare system with new transport equipped with all the required equipment. According to the ministry, in general, these changes will cost UAH 10 billion for the national budget. The ministry also said that the first stage of changes in the emergency healthcare system starts in Donetsk, Odesa, Ternopil, Poltava, Vinnytsia regions and Kyiv city. These areas were chosen as pilot because they have all the necessary infrastructure and opportunities for retraining of medical professionals. In addition, they have demonstrated managerial effectiveness in reforming the primary care. The draft national budget for the next year envisages UAH 1 billion for the emergency healthcare reform. Earlier, Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman said that the same amount will be sent to the reform from local budgets. Commenting on the statement made earlier by member of the Verkhovna Rada health committee MP Iryna Sysoyenko, stating that the national budget for the next year provides funding only for five regions, the Health Ministry said that this information is not true. "The draft national budget for 2019 provides about UAH 6 billion for the financing of emergency healthcare through the mechanism of the subvention. Statements of the people's deputies that the national budget provides funding for emergency healthcare for only five regions and Kyiv are not true," the press service said. Ukraine has resumed imports of natural gas via Slovakia, suspended from October 2 through October 6 over the scheduled repair works. According to Slovakia's Eustream transmission operator, gas supplies on October 7 totaled 23.6 million cubic meters (mcm), which is slightly lower than average imports in September. The application for October 8 is also 23.6 mcm. As reported, according to the schedule of repair, the second section line of the Dolyna-Yuzhgorod-state border gas pipeline is being repaired, in particular, at compressor stations Dolyna, Rososh, KS-1 and KS-2 Yuzhgorod. Ukraine in January-September 2018 reduced import of natural gas by 24.7% (by 2.640 billion cubic meters, bcm) compared to the same period in 2017, to 8.065 bcm. Imports from Slovakia during this period amounted to 5.017 billion cubic meters of gas (36.4% less compared to January-September 2017), from Hungary to 2.509 billion cubic meters (27.9% more), Poland to 538.7 million cubic meters (37.4% less). Ukrtransgaz, fully owned by Naftogaz Ukrainy, operates a system of trunk gas pipelines and 12 underground gas storage facilities in the country. The Supreme Court has opened appellate proceedings on appeals by VTB Bank (Kyiv) and one individual against the decisions of the Kyiv Court of Appeals of September 5 and September 25 regarding the recovery of $140 million from the Russian Federation under the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration of The Hague on the lawsuit of the former head of PrivatBank. According to the court rulings register, the Supreme Court issued a relevant decision on October 1. As reported, the Kyiv Court of Appeals on September 25 recognized and permitted to implement the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague dated May 2, 2018 to recover compensation for the property of the ex-head of PrivatBank and 17 other companies in Crimea and ruled to issue the appropriate writs in favor of the plaintiffs. According to the report, the execution writs should be issued to the plaintiffs for about $130.5 million compensation for real estate, $9.2 million compensation for the costs of the trial, as well as interest on the specified amounts at a rate of 12-month LIBOR plus 1% of compound interest annually. Some 9.5 million citizens of Ukraine had used the right for free privatization of land parcels as of January 1, 2018, according to the World Bank statistical yearbook "Land Governance Monitoring in Ukraine: 2016-2017." According to the World Bank, the area of free privatized land amounted to 3.5 million hectares (excluding Vinnytsia and Kyiv regions, for which data are missing, as well as the temporarily occupied territories and the land plots allocated to private ownership during sharing collective agricultural enterprises). According to the monitoring information, the largest amount of land was privatized in Volyn (327,500 hectares), Ivano-Frankivsk (260,700 hectares) and Khmelnytsky (257,500 hectares) regions, the smallest one in Mykolaiv (1,400 hectares) and Sumy (200 hectares) regions. The largest area of land plots was privatized for personal agriculture (63.3%), for construction and maintenance of residential buildings, household facilities and structures (33.7%). According to the World Bank, in 2017 there were 79 cases of seizure of land for public use in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Rivne, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. The average area of an appropriated land plot was 0.95 hectares, while the average amount of compensation some UAH 56,000 per ha. According to the monitoring, in 2017 some 812 hectares of land located under real estate were redeemed from state and municipal property (2,500 cases of redemption). The average cost of such land was UAH 715,200 per ha. The document also notes that the number of trials in cases of emphyteusis in 2017 quadrupled. Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who was convicted in Russia and has now stopped his hunger strike, has begun working on a script for a film about life in prison, Russian Federal Penitentiary Service deputy head Valery Maksimenko said. "Of course, he [Sentsov] is now eating very little, mainly porridge and fermented milk products. He will continue to do so for some 20 days and then he will switch to regular prison food. Moreover, he has now begun writing a script for a future film. It will be a story about life in prison and inmates. Therefore, inspiration is not abandoning him," Maksimenko said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper published on Monday. "The Federal Penitentiary Service is constantly monitoring his health," he said. According to earlier reports, Sentsov said he had stopped his hunger strike from October 6 due to a risk of force feeding. Head of the National Police of Ukraine, 2nd rank general, Serhiy Kniazev, has taken part in the annual conference of the heads of the world's police departments, which takes place in Florida (U.S.), the Liaison Department of the National Police of Ukraine has reported. The conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police began its work on October 6. It will last for four days in Florida (U.S.). It is attended by police leaders of more than 100 countries. "The first day of the conference is devoted to the issues of marketing and recruiting, in particular, the use of the new personnel policy. Therefore, participants of the events were presented the newest strategies and technologies to attract qualified personnel to serve in the police," the National Police said. Foreign colleagues shared the experience of all stages of searching and testing candidates for police work. During the meeting, the attention of its participants was focused on various methods and ways to increase the motivation of police officers. In particular, the conference participants will consider a wide range of ways to encourage the best police officers. "The reform of personnel work, as well as of our entire department, is continuing. And foreign innovations in the field of personnel policy are very valuable for the Ukrainian police," said Kniazev. OSCE calls on Ukrainian authorities to refrain from sanctions against 112.Ukraine, NewsOne TV channels without adherence to legal procedure The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Desir, expressed his deep concern today about a decision by Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, that calls for sanctions against two Ukrainian television channels, which would eventually terminate their activities. "I would like to reiterate that freedom of expression and freedom of the media are fundamental commitments of the OSCE participating States, which should be respected and fulfilled," said Desir. According to him, any restrictions imposed on these rights, including in the name of protecting national security or countering propaganda, should be strictly limited in scope, proportional, and provide for adequate safeguards against abuse through an independent court system. "I am deeply concerned about any future decision of terminating or potentially blocking the regular functioning of media in Ukraine," he said. The Representative recalled that the best and most effective mechanism to neutralize the impact of propaganda is the existence of an open, diverse and dynamic media environment, and if propaganda amounts to incitement to hatred and violence, proper and proportionate measures may be applied using available judicial and human rights instruments. "I call on the Ukrainian authorities to refrain from taking disproportionately restrictive measures toward the media without following the proper judicial procedures, which would adversely impact the free flow and access to information, and impede the expression of diversity of opinions," said Desir. As reported, on October 4, 2018, the Rada recommended the NSDC impose sanctions against companies included in the holdings of the 112.Ukraine and NewsOne TV channels. Corresponding resolution (No. 9157) was approved by 229 parliament deputies during a plenary Rada session. According to the resolution, sanctions should apply to Ariadna TV LLC, Novy Format TV LLC, TV Vybir LLC, Teleradiokompaniya 112-TV LLC, Lider TV LLC, Partner TV LLC and Novyny 24 Hodyny LLC. According to information on the TV channels' websites, Novyny 24 Hodyny LLC is listed among the owners of NewsOne. The remaining six legal entities are included among the holdings of 112.Ukraine. The official representative of the European External Action Service (EEAS) said that he considers the imprisonment of Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov in Russia "a violation of international law and elementary standards of justice." "Oleh Sentsov has shown incredible courage, determination and selflessness during his 145 days of hunger strike. His health has now deteriorated to a critical state. In refusing to provide him with appropriate medical treatment in an institutionalised medical setting, the authorities of the Russian Federation have violated his human rights as well as their own human rights commitments under international law, namely the European Court of Human Rights interim measure of 25 July this year," a communique says posted in Brussles on Sunday evening. It says that the European Union stands in solidarity with Oleh Sentsov and, in addition to swift and appropriate medical treatment, expects his "immediate release." In August 2015, the North Caucasus District Military Court sentenced Sentsov, who was detained in Crimea in 2014, to 20 years in a high-security penitentiary on counts of forming a terrorist group in Crimea. Sentsov went on hunger strike on May 14, 2018, and demanded that all Ukrainians incarcerated in Russia be released. Earlier on Friday, Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) Deputy Director Valery Maximenko said that Sentsov had stopped his hunger strike that began in mid-May. Ukraine's SBU Security Service on Sunday released the personal data of 206 contractors from Russian military intelligence working for the private military company Wagner. They were previously identified fighting in Syria during February 2018. The list published on the SBU's website includes first names, patronymics and surnames, citizenship, dates of birth and home addresses, as well as information about how the contractors died. According to the SBU, eight of Wagner mercenaries who died during the so-called "Prigozhin attack" in Syria on February 7, 2018 "during 2014-2016 took part in military operations in Donbas as part of Russian-led military formations." Several of them actively assisted Russia to annex Crimea or assisted in carrying out attacks in Ukraine, the SBU said. The SBU said the number of Wagner contractors who died as a result of the February 7, 2018 attack in Syria already numbers 58. Viktor Yanukovych's lawyer, Oleksandr Horoshynsky, during a court debate on the ex-president's treason case, asked the court to declare invalid all procedural decisions and actions of the prosecution against his client as a suspect. "I ask the court during the adoption of a court decision in the deliberation room to recognize as inadmissible all procedural decisions and actions of the prosecution committed against Viktor Yanukovych as a suspect, in the absence of evidence of direct personal presentation to Yanukovych of the Code of Criminal Procedure and in compliance with the procedural rules," he said at the debates in Obolonsky district court of Kyiv on Monday. Horoshynsky insists that on November 28, 2016, Yanukovych did not receive the status of a suspect when Ukraine's Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko verbally informed him about the suspicion during a break in the session of the Sviatoshinsky Court of Kyiv in the case of ex-Berkut policemen, where Yanukovych acted as a witness via video link from the Rostov Regional Court of the Russian Federation. He also noted that in his appeal he raised the issue of closing the criminal proceedings in connection with the arguments given by the lawyer, namely "the expiration of the deadlines for the pretrial investigation." The defender asked to attach his appeal to the materials of the criminal case on state treason of Yanukovych. Ukraine, Moldova have signed a protocol to the bilateral agreement on international road traffic, which increases the number of days for staying vehicles on the territory of Moldova. According to the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the protocol was signed during the negotiations of Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman and Prime Minister of Moldova Pavel Filip during the GUAM Summit in Chisinau. "The protocol regulates the issues of regular international transportation and increases the number of days allowed for vehicles to stay in Moldova," the press service said. In the course of the negotiations between the prime ministers of Ukraine and Moldova they also referred to the continuation of the implementation of the road map of cooperation between countries, outlined during the previous negotiations of the heads of government. Groysman said that most of the issues that had not been resolved over the years have now been removed from the agenda: namely, the arrangement of joint checkpoints, the implementation of infrastructure projects, the interconnection of power systems and environmental issues. "We have created a road map of joint actions, and now there is a noticeable progress between our countries. Most of them are being implemented," the Ukrainian prime minister said. Philip, in turn, said that Ukraine and Moldova have "good times of relationship". "And I advocate their deepening," he said. The heads of government said that both countries should develop relations by implementing the existing road map, primarily in the field of transport, strengthening energy security, modernizing border infrastructure, and deepening cooperation in the environmental sphere. According to the Moldovan prime minister, environmental issues will be discussed at the expert level in the coming weeks. Filip thanked Groysman for the role that Ukraine plays in the settlement of the Transdniestria problem. In addition, Groysman said that Kyiv will not impede the movement of trains between Russia and Moldova. "Ukraine will never make a decision that could harm Moldovan partners," he said at a press conference after meeting with Filip, asked about whether Moldovans will suffer if Ukraine interrupts railway communication with Russia and will ban the transit of trains to Moldova. The prime ministers of the two countries said that trade exchange between Ukraine in the first half of 2018 increased compared to the same period in 2017 by more than 40%. They expressed satisfaction with the results achieved, adding that the volume of trade between the countries "has almost reached $500 million." Philip said that during the meeting an agreement was signed that allows Moldovans to stay on the territory of Ukraine more than 90 days a year. "This is a very important agreement for transport workers who do not fit within these deadlines. We expect that the signed agreement will soon be ratified by the Verkhovna Rada and come into force," the Moldovan prime minister said. He also said that significant progress has been made in the discussion of environmental issues, demarcation of borders and mutual recognition of property. Groysman said that in the GUAM member countries the question of introducing free trade is being discussed and worked out, which will also contribute to a simplified trade regime between commodity producers in four countries. Belarus is not interfering in the events in Ukraine, even though their influence on Belarus is very significant, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on Monday. "You know my position on the events in Ukraine. We don't want to interfere in the events in Ukraine in any way. To put it bluntly, it's not our business if we aren't asked. Although, I'll tell you honestly - and we'll talk about this - the events in Ukraine have a very considerable effect on us. We are especially concerned about the influx of weapons over the Ukrainian border. We've been seizing a lot of weapons," the Belarusian presidential press service quoted Lukashenko as saying. Some of these weapons have come to Belarus from Ukraine via Russia, he said. "When criminal cases are investigated, we've recorded such instance as well. And I've told the Russian president about this. This is what really worries us," he said. "But, frankly speaking, everything could have been much worse. And, to be sincere, there aren't hard feelings toward the Belarusians on the part of Ukrainians. There is no clash between the people's opinions, between the nations. This is the main thing. This is encouraging. This is the foundation of our good relations. There are quite a few problems, though, and I am ready to discuss these problems," Lukashenko said. He discussed Yushchenko's presidency in the context of relations between Belarus and Ukraine. "Compared with our times - I'm not only talking about Ukraine and Belarus - I mean also our interrelations in the former Soviet space. Surely, these were not the worst times, especially between our countries. With all our differences and different viewpoints, we could always reach a consensus and keep on building our relations," he said. "This doesn't only concern us. No matter how hard things got, we were able to find a common and mutually acceptable language with the Russian Federation and with other countries. All kinds of things happened, but, on the whole, we were able to achieve a positive result. And our trade grew at a high rate. On the other hand, it would also be unreasonable to complain now: our trade growth is 20%-30%. By the way, it's even higher in the CIS. We're seeing such growth for the second year. There was a significant drop, but now there has been considerable growth within the Eurasian Economic Union and within the CIS on the whole. The same is occurring with Ukraine, as well," he said. Militants violated the ceasefire in Donbas nine times on Monday, wounding two Ukrainian servicemen, the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) headquarters has said. "Today, from 07.00 to 18.00, Russian occupation forces violated the ceasefire nine times. At the same time, four cases of the use of weapons banned by the Minsk agreements were recorded," the JFO HQ said in a report on its Facebook page. The report notes that militants opened fire from grenade launchers, heavy machineguns and small arms on the positions of the Joint Forces near Krymske, Katerynivka, Troitske, Vodiane, and Lebedynske. KYIV. Oct 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Public activists have appealed to Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman with the request to expand the subvention program for the purchase of housing for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Russian-occupied Crimea. "We registered our appeal last week from the public council, as well as from the All-Ukrainian Platform of Donbas, the largest coalition that today participated in the formation of a public council at the Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories. We ask the prime minister personally to take responsibility for what is happening in the country with regard to housing for displaced persons," Chairwoman of the Expert Council of the Public Council under the Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Natalia Tselovalnychenko said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency in Kyiv on Monday. Chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons, co-founder of the All-Ukrainian Platform of Donbas Hennadiy Borysychev, in turn, added that activists propose expanding the procedure and conditions for granting a subsidy from the state budget to local budgets for purchasing housing for IDPs from Donbas and Crimea. "Some 50% [for the purchase of housing for IDPs] is allocated by the state and 50% by local budgets, by the territorial community where IDPs live. Now this program is valid only in Donetsk and Luhansk regions in some localities [...] What is the essence of our appeal to the prime minister? We offered the prime minister to expand the program to all regions of Ukraine," he said. In addition, activists are asking the premier to increase the budget of this program from UAH 34 million to UAH 150 million. According to Borysychev, IDPs received 238 apartments mainly in Mariupol and Pokrovsk, and the property is in communal ownership. After defending Serena Williams and twitting in support of Colin Kaepernick, Iran's hardline former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has zoomed in on the United Kingdom, lambasting London for meddling in the internal affairs of his country. In an open letter to the Islamic Republic's Interior ministry, Ahmadinejad has requested a permit to hold a protest assembly against Iran's chaotic economy as well as the UK meddling in the Islamic Republic. The protest rally permit is requested for Sunday, October 21, Ahmadinejad says. However, the ministry has repeatedly dismissed such requests by Ahmadinejad, and there is no reason why there would be an exception this time. Ahmadinejad, in the open letter published by a few websites still supporting him, said on Sunday, October 7, "Protesting Iran's messy and faltering economic situation, flawed decisions, obvious weakness in management, repeated mistakes in setting long term policies, particularly in the economic field, responding to the US actions and threats against the Islamic Republic, as well as Washington's "cruel sanctions" imposed on Iran are going to be highlighted at the rally," Ahmadinejad has written. Similar requests by Ahmadinejad and his allies have always immediately rejected by the Islamic republic's authorities. Nevertheless, the hardline former President who still hopes to hit the target this time, has focused on the UK and its "devastating role" in Iran's internal affair. "UK's overt and covert meddling in Iranian internal affairs and disclosure of Britain's deception against the Iranian nation, will be among the topics discussed at the rally," Ahmadinejad has promised. Apparently, Ahmadinejad and his allies have decided to push the US, as the Islamic Republic's "Great Satan" to the corner and replace it with Britain under the spotlight. Britain, once described as the "lesser Satan" in the Islamic Republic's vocabulary, has been apparently promoted by Ahmadinejad and his allies to an upper level since the former President's Chief of Staff, Esfandyar Rahim Mashaei openly accused London of directing the Islamic Republic's judiciary. Mashaei was arrested after he burned the court verdict against Ahmadinejad's deputy for executive affairs, Hamid Baghaei on March 15 in a symbolic move outside the British Embassy in Tehran. Without providing any proof, he claimed that the British queen, Elizabeth II, had instructed the judiciary to crack down on Ahmadinejad and his allies. Ahmadinejad has not presented any evidence to back up his conspiracy theory. Later, Ahmadinejad stressed, "If Mashaei had not burned the verdict, I would have gone and set it on fire, [outside London Embassy in Tehran]." Blaming Britain for conspiracies has been common in Iranian politics and mass imagination, going back to the 19th century when Britain was an empire stretching all the way to India and farther east. Although the Islamic Republic's judiciary has long filed a legal suit against Ahmadinejad, but, he has not yet been summoned to a trial. "I admit that the judicial system, for some reason or another, is lenient towards some individuals, but, rest assured that whoever commits a crime will be, sooner or later, confronted," said the judiciary spokesman, mid-ranking cleric Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, on Sunday October 7. Ahmadinejad is currently a representative of the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the influential Expediency Council. Alarming reports indicate an increasing number of university students are being detained and arrested in Iran, and many of them report inhumane treatment and even torture while in police custody. A journalism student at Tehrans Martyr Beheshti University, Sadegh Gheisari, was arrested February 19 while observing clashes between security forces and Gonabadi Dervishes in Tehran. A source familiar with Gheisari spoke with Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC), describing the appalling conditions in which Gheisari is being held. "Gheisari, who is not a Gonabadi Dervish, was severely beaten after his arrest, and he did not vividly recall what had transpired when he woke up at the detention facility of the police headquarters in Shapour Avenue, [Tehran]. He was transferred to the Tehran Penitentiary Complex in Fashafoyeh after two days, IHRDC reported. Gheisari was sentenced to seven years, 74 lashes, and banned from media activities for two years. It is not clear what the charges against him are. He has been on hunger strike since October 3, according to the Students Guild Councils of Iran. According to the IHRDCs source, Gheisari has been subjected to serious physical abuse in prison. The source says guards put him on the floor, put their feet on his back, twisted his arm, and forced him to sign a document with his other hand. Gheisaris glasses were taken from him and he could not read the document he was forced to sign. In addition to the forced signature incident, the source says Gheisari was also beaten in the head and one of his teeth is broken. Gheisari has reported seeing blood in his urine, and he believes he has developed kidney problems. Another students and women's rights activist, Najmeh Vahedi of Tehran's Allameh Tababaei University, has been in the custody of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Intelligence Organization (IRGCIO) since September 1. Ms. Vahedi is a sociologist who specializes in gender studies. Over the past few years, she has focused on the fact that millions of women in Iran work without wages and retire without pensions, issues that are increasingly attracting public attention, reports New York based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), adding, "Hundreds of young women and men have also participated in workshops organized by Najmeh and her colleagues on gender-based discrimination." In a letter to the university chancellor, student associations called for an immediate review of Vahedis case. Even the state-run IRNA news agency has reported a recent wave of students being summoned to security and intelligence office for questioning. IRNA has also reported a general trend of more severe treatment of student rights activists by authorities. One of the main promises Hassan Rouhani made while campaigning for president was to create an environment for the students where they can express their views freely and openly. He also promised to end the security services close monitoring of student activities. Nevertheless, the students' rights activists say he has not kept his word and that the pressure on the universities, particularly outside Tehran, has been intensified in recent months. The only response from the Rouhani's administration so far has been Science Minister Mansour Gholamis comment that students who have been detained will not be prevented by authorities from continuing their education after they are released. JERUSALEM, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin soon to discuss security coordination over Syria, amid friction with Moscow over Israel's air operations. Netanyahu made the announcement at a cabinet meeting, without citing a specific date for the talks with Putin. Russia said on Tuesday it had upgraded Syria's air defenses with the S-300 missile system, after accusing Israel of indirect responsibility for the downing of a Russian spy plane by Syrian forces as they fired on attacking Israeli jets last month. Israeli officials have said the new system could be defeated by Israel's stealth fighters and possibly destroyed on the ground, and they have pledged to press on with efforts to prevent military entrenchment by arch-enemy Iran in Syria. But since the Russian plane was shot down, there have been no reports of Israeli air strikes in Syria. The apparent pause has raised speculation in the Israeli media that Israel was either holding back at Russia's request or paused the attacks over concern they would fuel tensions with Moscow - the Damascus government's main military backer. Netanyahu said he had spoken by telephone with Putin "and we agreed to meet soon to continue the important security coordination between our armed forces". "Israel will constantly act to prevent Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria and transferring deadly weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon," he said, referring to the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim group allied with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In the midst of the most contentious period of U.S.-Iran relations, suddenly trade between the two countries has risen sharply. US exports to Iran in August 2018 stood at $149.8 million, equal to the whole export value of 2017. The August export value is the highest monthly U.S. export figure to the Islamic Republic since 1985 (except October 2008 when it reached $160.5 million), according to statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Oct.6. US exports to Iran during January-August tripled year-on-year and reached $245.1 million. Imports from Iran also increased by 71% to $67.3 million. Soaring exports in August happened, while Washington imposed the first round of sanctions on Tehran in mid-August, targeting mostly the industrial and financial sectors. Irans exports mostly include Persian carpets, dried fruit, pistachios, etc. It imports mostly medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural products from the United States. Washington imposed sanctions on imports of Persian carpets from Iran two months ago. US official statistics show a widening foreign trade deficit despite recently imposed tariffs on goods from some countries, especially China to support domestic production, employment and exports. The eight months figures indicate that the country exported above $1.676 trillion worth goods and services, which grew about 8.4% year-on-year, but the imports surpassed $2 trillion, creating a trade deficit of $391 billion. The deficit increased by $31 billion, compared to Jan-Aug 2017. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 23 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Oct. 8. Armenian armed forces were using heavy machine guns. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 By Leman Zeynalova - Trend: A meeting between the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan is scheduled for the end of 2018, spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva told Trend. "As the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs said, after the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers with the participation of the co-chairs at the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 26, the co-chairs' visit to the region and the foreign ministers' meeting are expected until the end of 2018," she said. 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. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, October 8 Trend: An event related to the creation of the Coordination Council of Azerbaijanis and the beginning of the activities of the Azerbaijani school "Karabakh" has been held in Switzerland, the Azerbaijani Embassy to Switzerland said in a statement October 7. At the first meeting of the Azerbaijani diaspora organizations operating in the city of Bern, an exchange of views on their activities, current issues and upcoming tasks has taken place. Speaking at the event, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Khanim Ibrahimova, appreciated the current activities of the Azerbaijani diaspora, noted the need for organized activities of compatriots to achieve the challenges and gave recommendations to compatriots for their future activities. The Chairman of the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora of Azerbaijan, Fuad Muradov, called on members of the diasporas operating in Switzerland to show solidarity. Muradov said that the definition of strategic directions in diaspora issues will make Azerbaijani diaspora organizations one of the strongest organizations in the world. Muradov spoke about the development of a new roadmap for diaspora work. The chairman of the state committee said that the main goal is to unite all Azerbaijanis. It was decided at the meeting to establish the Coordination Council of Swiss Azerbaijanis with the aim of even closer consolidation of compatriots living in Switzerland and coordination of the activities of diaspora organizations. The director of the Cultural Center of Azerbaijanis in Switzerland, Gasym Nasirov was elected coordinator of the Council Then the video clip entitled as "Homeland is Close" describing the diaspora movement, was presented. At the end of the event, the official opening ceremony of the Azerbaijani school "Karabakh" took place. This school is a joint project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora and has been established with the organizational support of the Azerbaijani Embassy to Switzerland. The school will teach Azerbaijani language, history, national dances and piano playing classes. The Swiss citizens and other foreigners can also study at the school. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: The autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is starting its work in Strasbourg Oct. 8. Azerbaijani delegation headed by chairman of the parliamentary committee on international relations and inter-parliamentary ties, head of Azerbaijans permanent delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov will take part in the session that will last until October 12. The delegation also includes chairman of the Azerbaijani parliamentary committee on cultural affairs Rafael Huseynov, MPs Sevinj Fataliyeva, Sahiba Gafarova, Ganira Pashayeva, Ulviya Agayeva, Asim Mollazade, Chingiz Ganizade, Elshad Hasanov, Sabir Hajiyev, Fazil Mustafa and Nagif Hamzayev. During the session, the participants will hear a report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee of the Assembly on the work done, and the results of the observation of the parliamentary and presidential elections in Turkey held June 24 this year will be discussed. The participants will also discuss the procedures related to the PACE mandate and voting, unlimited access to PACE, UN member states, including grey zones, by Council of Europe and UN human rights monitoring bodies, as well as issues of nuclear safety, Islam in Europe, radicalization and Islamophobia, and other issues. The session participants will also hear a report by a member of the Azerbaijani delegation Sahiba Gafarova on the topic Radicalization of Migrants and Diaspora Communities in Europe, and an exchange of views will be held on this topic. MPs will also speak on issues on the agenda. Samad Seyidov told Trend that despite there are no issues directly related to Azerbaijan at the session, the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as issues related to refugees and IDPs will traditionally be on the agenda this time, too. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 By Leman Zeynalova - Trend: A number of high-level meetings will be held in Azerbaijan within the framework of the country's presidency in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan Leyla Abdullayeva told Trend on Oct. 8. Abdullayeva added that, on October 25, 2018 Azerbaijan will host a meeting of the Transport Ministers of the BSEC countries, on December 4 - a meeting of the Communication and Information Technologies Ministers and for mid-December a meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs is scheduled. Azerbaijan assumed the BSEC presidency at the 38th meeting of the Organization's Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which was held on June 27, 2018. Azerbaijan will chair the BSEC until December 2018. The Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, which was founded in 1992, is an intergovernmental organization uniting 12 states of the Black Sea and Southern Balkans. The headquarters of the organization is located in Istanbul. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Baku, Azerbaijan, October 8 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: The biased opinion about Azerbaijan 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 testifies to his concern about the development of Azerbaijani-Russian relations, the Member of the Azerbaijani Parliament Aydin Huseynov told Trend October 8. The Azerbaijani MP reminded that Zatulin is a tool in the hands of Armenian circles and the Armenian lobby. "Apparently, Armenians and Zatulin are seriously concerned about the recent development of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, reciprocal visits of heads of state and documents signed in the framework of these visits to develop cooperation in various fields between the two countries, and Zatulin again fulfills the order of Armenians," Huseynov said. He noted that as a politician and a state official, Zatulin does not understand that his thoughts are contrary to the state policy of Russia. "Zatulin has always been known for his support of separatism and occupation. The Azerbaijani side declared him undesirable person after his participation in the 2010 election show of the illegal regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. It is no coincidence that earlier, in 2006, Ukraine also declared him an "undesirable person" for the escalation of situation with interethnic relations," the Azerbaijani MP said. Huseynov noted that the opinions of people like Zatulin cannot influence the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia. "Until now, the pro-Armenian position of Zatulin had no influence, and I think that neither Zatulin nor the Armenians standing behind him will achieve anything in the future as well and their concern and distress from the comprehensive Azerbaijani-Russian cooperation will grow," the Azerbaijani MP said. Baku, Azerbaijan, October 8 By Samir Ali Trend: Anna Hakobyan, the wife of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, acts according to the scenario of creating the image of peace-loving Armenia, the chief editor of the Baki Kheber newspaper, political expert Aydin Guliyev told Trend October 8. He noted that the populism begins to predominate in the political elite of Armenia after the velvet revolution. "This form of political behavior, which was seldom used in the times of Serzh Sargsyan, takes on a systemic nature during the Pashinyan regime. Pashinyan took some of the power through pressure, then, after realizing the impossibility of carrying out concrete work, he even further reinforced populism in political course," the expert noted. Guliyev also said that by sending his son to serve in the military of the illegal regime established in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, Pashinyan sought to present this to the Armenian public as an example of the most modern patriotism. The expert added that the arrival of Hakobyan in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and her appeal for peace, the purpose and direction of which are unknown, are a continuation of the new populist policy of the Armenian elite. It is impossible to understand the logic of Hakobyans appeal to Azerbaijani mothers for peace, despite the fact that the latter are representatives of the people who lost their historical territories. Hakobyans appeal to Azerbaijani mothers actually has such an absurd content as keep your children from protecting their homeland. The editor-in-chief added that despite the fact that Hakobyan brought a group of Russian women to Nagorno-Karabakh under the pretext of "peace mission", the essence of the mission is that this is a new form of aggression that disguises itself as peace. First of all, the participation of any representative of the Russian state in this action speaks to the fact that Russia also understands the essence of this action. Secondly, if Hakobyan really wanted peace, she would have prevented her son from going to occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Thirdly, if Hakobyan pursued the peace-loving goals, she would send her appeal not to Azerbaijani women, but to Armenian women and would not come to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan," the expert said. He noted that Hakobyan would have seemed more peaceful if, instead of making new illogical appeals, she acted in accordance with the appeal of Mehriban Aliyeva to Armenian mothers, to refrain from sending their children to the occupied lands of Azerbaijan Guliyev added that the appeal of Hakobyan is in fact an unsuccessful attempt to call on Azerbaijani women to surrender. The expert added that Hakobyan is playing her role according to the scenario of creating the image of a peace-loving Armenia. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 Trend: Information about foreign citizens who illegally visited the occupied Azerbaijani territories by grossly violating Azerbaijan's laws is being investigated, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a message on Oct. 8. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry was commenting on a visit of Armenian prime ministers spouse Anna Hakobyan together with a group of women from Russia to Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region occupied by Armenia. As soon as these foreign citizens are identified, the decision on adding their names into the list of foreigners whose entry to the Republic of Azerbaijan is denied will be made, the message said. Further to our already stated position on the Women for peace initiative of Armenia, we would like to reiterate that those who want peace would not continue the war, those who want to prevent the loss of lives would not keep the territories of other states under military occupation and those who invite women and mothers to peace would not send their sons to the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan for military service, the message said. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: Holding the Francophonie Summit in Armenia, a country dominated by fascism and ethnic strife, offends culture and humanism, Azerbaijani MP Hikmet Babaoglu told Trend October 8. "The international event is considered a kind of holiday for those who love the French language, culture and speak French. But Armenia is a mono-ethnic state, and not a single Frenchman is living there permanently. Generally, other nations do not live in Armenia. The reason is hatred and Armenian aggression against other nations. In 1988, Azerbaijanis living in Armenia were expelled with fascist cruelty, whereas the right to live on those lands belonged to Azerbaijanis," Babaoglu said. The Azerbaijani MP noted that the artificial state, called "Armenia", was established on the historical lands of Azerbaijan. "And now the summit of the Francophonie organization is held in Yerevan with the participation of representatives from more than 40 countries. No matter how contradictory it looks, the call of the 17th summit sounds like the preservation of coexistence, humane goals and diversity in the region. The Francophonie summit is held in a country where fascism and ethnic strife, insult of culture and humanism dominate. But there is also the political side of the issue. Armenia wants to receive a political dividend from this event, associated with the French language and culture. Armenians, who have been trying for many years to present themselves as one of the peoples close to the French culture, are communicating something that has never existed the 'French-Armenian historical ties'. In fact, the history of friendship between Armenians and the French people began with animosity against and betrayal of Ottoman Turkey by Armenians. Today, this is a kind of political message to Russia and a hint that Armenia is pursuing a pro-Western policy," the Azerbaijani MP said. Babaoglu stressed that it is impossible to hide Armenian fascism with such cheap shows. "Armenia is an aggressor who committed genocide against Azerbaijanis, and it will be punished for that crime," he said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: At the autumn session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA), held in Bishkek, Azerbaijan expressed concern about the current situation with the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani MP, Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Azay Guliyev said. He drew the attention of the session participants to the topicality of the problem. Guliyev stressed that at each session, the Azerbaijani delegation represented in the OSCE PA is trying to demonstrate maximum activity, bring issues that meet the national interests of Azerbaijan to the attention of colleagues, makes efforts for corresponding decisions to be made in the OSCE. "This session was not an exception, he added. The discussed issues covered the region and were devoted to ensuring peace and security in the region, the Central Asian countries, as well as cooperation with the regional countries in addressing global threats and challenges. Of course, the number one issue for us is the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Armenia is always trying to stop discussions on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, because the discussion of this issue is not in its interests, Guliyev said. "The reason is simple, he said. Each time during the discussions we expose the aggressor essence of Armenia. Each of our speeches is based on serious arguments and facts. We refer to the norms of international law, adopted UN resolutions, CoE and OSCE PA resolutions. Therefore our speech is full, comprehensive and justified. However, the Armenian side has no arguments, so all other delegations do not take their speeches seriously, Guliyev said. When we start speaking in the language of arguments, Armenians turn out to be in miserable and hopeless situation. In this respect, I think that OSCE PA has enough information on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. OSCE PA supports and respects our position and understands the essence of Armenias aggressive policy." The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 Trend: The UNEC rector, professor Adalat Muradov held meetings with students newly admitted to the university. The main goal of the meetings was to introduce the university to the first-year students more closely, to provide the detailed information about innovations, and as well as, to listen to issues that concern them, to achieve the operational resolution and to exchange views. Congratulating the first-year students on the occasion of getting the student title, the rector thanked them for choosing UNEC, the largest economy-oriented university in the region, teaching in 4 languages, and wished them success in their education. Noting that, the selection of profession is one of the most important stages of human life, Muradov said tht econoists were in need at all times. The rector emphasized the importance of becoming a worthy citizen, who loves his country and nation, along with perfectly mastering their profession. Noting that, in the recent years there was the considerable progress in the number of enrolled at UNEC applicants, scoring the highest points, the rector said that the choice of 63 percent of applicants scoring more than 600 points in the II specialty group this year was UNEC. He said that, he was proud of the fact, that UNEC was the first in the number of Presidential scholarships among the universities included in the structure of the Ministry of Education. Speaking about many innovations implemented at UNEC, the rector said that, the new standards had been introduced in Turkish language teaching from this year and the number of specialties had been increased. Pointing to the improvement of staff training in technical and technological specialties at UNEC, Muradov stressed that the number of qualifications in this direction can be increased. The rector recommended the students to make suggestions in regard with the teaching process and to be initiative. During the meeting the students were talked about the dual degree diploma programs of UNEC with London University/London School of Economics, University of Montpellier of France and, as well as, the exchange programs with European, Turkish and Russian influential higher education institutions. Stating that, the rich library was bases for the education of high quality, A. Muradov noted that the library, meeting the modern standards and working for 7 days and 24 hours would be available soon for the use of students at UNEC. The rector encouraged the students to be active in the social and public life of UNEC. He encouraged the students with a special talent to join the UNEC Creative Center to spent effectively their leisure time and to benefit the opportunities of the UNEC Radio. At the end of the meeting, the questions taken interest in the students were answered and the proposals were listened. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 Trend: Bakcell, the First Mobile Operator and the Fastest Mobile Internet Provider of Azerbaijan has taken an active part in at the Career Fair, organized on October 5 jointly by Baku City Circuit (BCC) Academy and American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan (AmCham) under the slogan of Small step to a great opportunity. Almost 40 leading companies of the country have participated at the event held at the BCC Academy to provide the young specialists with information about career opportunities and internship programs. During the event Bakcell representatives have provided extensive information about the job openings and internship opportunities at the companys sales and marketing departments, and held job interviews with the potential candidates. As usual, Bakcell stand at the career fair has attracted great attention of the participants. Overall, more than 900 students have attended the fair, a significant portion of which were ex-volunteers of Formula 1 Grand Prix Azerbaijan and other events. Well-known for its large-scale corporate social responsibility activities, Bakcell keeps the education and professional development of Azerbaijani youth in a constant spotlight, and contributes largely to increasing the employment rate among the young specialists. Only during the current year, Bakcell has participated in several job and career fairs, to announce new vacancies and hold job interviews. At the same time, the company has announced its summer internship program and successfully implemented other important projects, aimed at supporting the career and education of youth. Bakcell will continue its successful activities, aimed at supporting younger generation in their education and career building, thus contributing to bright future of Azerbaijani youth. Bakcell, the First Mobile Operator and Leading Mobile Internet Provider of Azerbaijan, offers a wide range of products and Services to users of modern mobile communications Services. The company provides its customers with the best-in-class 4G mobile internet. The 4G services of Bakcell are already available in Baku and Absheron peninsula, as well as central parts of more than 40 regions of Azerbaijan. With more than 7000 base stations, Bakcell network covers 99 percent of the population and 93 percent of the land area of the country (except for the occupied territories). In 2017, Bakcell network has been recognized as the Best in Test in Azerbaijan by P3 Communications, being one of the most trusted independent authorities in mobile benchmarking. Bakcell has also been recognized as the Fastest Mobile Network in Azerbaijan. This award, presented by world-famous Ookla company, recognized Bakcells commitment to delivering fastest speeds to customers all across Azerbaijan. For more information about Bakcell products and services, please visit www.bakcell.com or call 555. If you are not a Bakcell subscriber, but wish to find out about Bakcell and its products and services, please call 012 498 89 89 Baku, Azerbaijan, October 8 Trend: The Sumgait Technopark, successfully representing the "Made in Azerbaijan" brand, has set up export of a 110-kilovolt electrical cable to Kyrgyzstan for the first time. Some 2,384 meters of the electric cable were sent to Kyrgyzstan on October 4, 2018 by the order of the Kyrgyz ElectroSila company. According to the terms of the order, 7,140 meters of cable will be sent to the customer, and these deliveries will be carried out in two stages. The cables will be used in the construction of a new thermal power plant, which will provide electricity to the central districts of the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, and other residential settlements. Despite such strong competitors as Russia, Sumgait Technopark was chosen as the supplier. This example is a clear indication of the trust that is put in the products of the Sumgait Technopark on the international market. Some 28 types of cable are produced at the cable plant of Sumgait Technopark. The High-Tech Park has already concluded major contracts for the export of cable with Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The signed agreements are already being fulfilled. The Sumgait Technopark plans to expand operations in the Central Asian market, as well as to enter the markets of Western Europe and Africa. The Sumgait Technopark, being a pioneer in the creation of technology parks in the region, is a specialized giant complex of factories functioning in various production areas. The park was commissioned by President Ilham Aliyev on December 22, 2009. All plants of the Sumgait Technopark are equipped with modern European equipment. The raw materials used in the production process are also imported from leading European countries. All the plants of the park are equipped with laboratories made in Europe, accredited in accordance with the AZS ISO / IEC 17025-2009 standards, and all manufactured products have relevant certificates. Baku, Azerbaijan, October 8 Trend: According to the data of the State Committee on Statistics of Uzbekistan, the price for brick has gone within 9 months by 48.4 percent, for cement - by 24.7 percent, for wallpaper - by 16.3 percent, for slate - by 14.3 percent compared to last year, "Uzbekistan News" reported. While, the non-food products (clothing, shoes, fabrics and yarn, household textiles, foodstuffs, medicines, personal care products, tobacco products, fuel for cars), on average, have risen in price by 9.1 percent, the building materials have risen in price by 18.4 percent . Analysts believe the main reason for the decline in cement production is that the construction industry of the country took an energy pill resulting in price increases in 2018. For enterprises in the industry, the tariffs for gas and electricity consumption rose by at least 60 percent. Meanwhile, the ratio of 1.6 to the existing gas and electricity tariffs is applied to the enterprises for the production of burnt brick, asphalt and cement, which have introduced energy-efficient technologies and equipment, as well as to those using alternative fuels (coal), including the dry method of cement production Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 5 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: Kazakhstan and Russia have reached an agreement on the development of ferry service between the countries' ports on the Caspian Sea and along the Irtysh River, the Ministry for Investments and Development of Kazakhstan said in a message. This issue will be worked out by the end of the 1st half of 2019. This agreement was reached at the 13th meeting of the Subcommittee on Transport of the Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, chaired by the First Vice-Minister of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar and Russias Deputy Minister of Transport Sergey Aristov. During the meeting, a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation in the field of rail, road, water and air transport were discussed. Another agreement was reached in the sphere of railway transport on the continuation of joint work aimed at creating the "Eurasia" high-speed freight and passenger rail corridor. In motor transport, the parties agreed to prepare for signing a new agreement between Russia and Kazakhstan on international road transport by the end of 2018. The parties also reached an agreement in the field of civil aviation on simplified rules of entry, stay and departure for the crew members of Kazakh and Russian airlines who are foreign nationals of third countries. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: The Business Roadmap 2020 program will be extended until 2025, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said in his annual message to the people of Kazakhstan, Kapital.kz reported. "In 2010, we launched the Business Roadmap 2020 program. Within my visits to the regions, I have been convinced that it is effective. The program must be extended until 2025," he said. The president noted that it is necessary to provide at least 30 billion tenge annually for the implementation of this program. "This will make it possible to create at least 22,000 new jobs in three years. Due to this, 224 billion tenge of taxes will be attracted to the budget, and products for 3 trillion tenge will be produced," Nazarbayev said. In addition, he instructed to start a tax amnesty for small- and medium-sized businesses from January 1, 2019. The president noted that it is necessary to form stable sources of business growth, stimulate private investment and ensure the freedom of the market, as it is business that creates new jobs and provides the majority of Kazakhs with income. The purpose of Kazakhstan's Business Roadmap is to preserve the existing jobs and create new permanent workplaces, as well as to ensure sustainable and balanced growth of regional entrepreneurship in non-primary sectors of the economy. The program includes four main areas: support for new business initiatives of entrepreneurs, sectoral support for entrepreneurs operating in priority sectors of the economy and manufacturing industries, reduction of the currency risks of entrepreneurs, as well as non-financial measures to support entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.8 Trend: The collapse of price bubble in gold coin is being witnessed in Iran and it is expected that the coin will reach its real price in the coming days, the head of the Union of Manufacturers and Exporters of Gold, Jewelry, Silver and Precious Stones, Abdullah Mohammad Vali told Trend. "These days, we are witnessing a sharp fluctuation in the market", he said. Simultaneously with the decrease in foreign exchange rates and regain of rial, commencing as of Monday evening, other markets including gold have shown a green light to the prices decline. The rial has been undermined by the prospect of U.S. sanctions after Washington pulled out of an international deal on Tehrans nuclear program. U.S. measures targeting Irans oil industry are due to take effect in November. Due to fear about US sanctions, people in Iran started purchasing gold coins to protect the value of their capitals. Abdullah Mohammad Vali said that today, in addition to those who bought coins and gold to maintain the value of their capital, the traders have become anxious. Insecure market conditions say no one can now plan for the future. "Today, the gold and coins markets are in the hands of brokers and intermediaries", he said. "On the other hand, daily news will cause the change in prices." Asking what happened in the last three days that prices experienced such a fluctuation? Mohammad Vali said "Now, the coin and currency market is under control of 200-300 people" "If the policymaker's predictions do not come in the right direction, the market will hit. " Regarding the coin price, he said: the coins price bubble has burst and the coin`s price is approaching its real price. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 By Rashid Shirinov Trend: Kazakh companies will supply confectionery and agricultural products to Mongolia, Kazakh media outlets reported. The relevant agreements were reached at an event titled Trade and Economic Mission of Kazakhstan to Mongolia, which was held on October 4-5 in Ulaanbaatar. The meeting was organized by the Kazakh Ministry for Investments and Development, Embassy of Kazakhstan in Mongolia, National Chamber of Entrepreneurs Atameken, Kazakhstan Foreign Trade Chamber and the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Kazakh delegation consisted mainly of representatives of the food industry, in particular manufacturers of confectionery and fat-and-oil products as well as the construction industry. Representatives of more than 40 Mongolian companies took part in the meeting. Nuraly Bukeikhanov, Deputy Chairman of Kazakhstan Foreign Trade Chamber, noted that economic cooperation between the countries is strengthening. "Mongolia, as a country with a developing economy, has great prospects for the development of bilateral cooperation in the field of infrastructure, energy, as well as education and culture. Trade relations between our countries are becoming stronger," he said. "Kazakhstan Foreign Trade Chamber can assist Mongolian businessmen in finding reliable and bona fide partners in all sectors on the territory of Kazakhstan, Bukeikhanov pointed out. During the meeting, the business communities of the two countries discussed promising issues of bilateral cooperation in the field of investment, logistics and trade. Bayan Sulu food company and Eurasian Foods Corporation signed distribution agreements for the supply of confectionery and fat-and-oil products to Mongolia. Presently, Kazakhstan is one of the main suppliers of tobacco products and rapeseed to Mongolia. Moreover, Kazakhstan supplies flour and hygiene products and detergents to the country. The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $74.8 million in 2017, of which $72.5 million accounted for Kazakhstan's exports to Mongolia. During the five months of this year, the trade turnover reached $28.8 million, including Kazakhstan's exports of $28 million. Tehran, Iran, Oct. 8 Trend Iranian Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati said the country is exporting greenhouse tomatoes to Russia. In an interview with ILNA on October 8, Hojjati said recent fluctuations in the countrys foreign exchange market led to a price rise for tomato and potato. We have had no production decrease in the past months, he added. The unstable exchange market led to excessive exports of tomatoes and potatoes (to Iraq) and finally the price hike. The recent bans on exports (of tomatoes and potatoes) helped regulate the market, the minister said. He further noted that the country is currently exporting greenhouse tomatoes to Russia, which is not part of the announced ban. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 By Matanat Nasibova - Trend: Azerbaijani confectionery factory Ulduz plans to expand its exports in the near future, the company's director of sales and exports Sergei Spiridonov told Trend. Presently, the company's products are present in Georgian, Turkmen and Russian markets, he said. "We are currently working with Ukraine, Malaysia, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Our products are also represented in Iraq. We are currently negotiating with Iran in order to start exports to that country. We consider exporting our products to Iran. Taking into account not only the high demand, but also convenient transport route, the Iranian market is quite promising. In parallel, we are also negotiating with Belarus in order to export chocolates there. As for cooperation with Russia, we are particularly well represented in Dagestan and the Chechen Republic," Spiridonov said. He stressed that exports depend on the season - sales tend to grow as winter approaches, and during this period the main task of the enterprise is to increase production. "Export is interesting to us, first of all because it is foreign currency, additional investment that will come to our republic. And this means that due to the incoming money, we will be able to buy raw materials and pay to suppliers. Of course, we plan to increase our export potential, expand the geography of sales and increase the volumes," Spiridonov said. Baku, Azerbaijan, October 8 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: Azerbaijani rice producer the Astara Rice enterprise will soon begin exporting its products to Russia, the Deputy Director of the enterprise Etibar Salimov told Trend. The deputy director noted that the negotiations on the supply of Astara rice in the Russian direction are almost completed, and the products will be exported at the end of the harvest. "The harvest of rice currently continues and it should be completed by the end of November. We are planning to start export deliveries before the end of this year. The first export routes in the Russian direction are already known. These are Novosibirsk and Surgut. In the future, we intend to expand export opportunities and promote our products to new sale markets in Russia and other neighboring countries," Salimov said. The deputy director noted that Astara rice is an environmentally friendly product and meets modern quality standards. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 By Ilkin Shafiyev - Trend: The Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR is waiting for the decision of the Albanian government on the feasibility study of the general gas supply plan for the country, the head of SOCAR Balkan, Murad Heydarov told Trend. "The final document of the feasibility study of Albanias gasification plan has already been prepared by the consultant of the Albanian government, and we have assisted and made comments. The feasibility study has already been submitted to the government and needs to be approved," Heydarov said. "I emphasize that we are not a contractor of this project. Immediately after completing the approval procedure for the feasibility study, within its framework, as one of the priority projects, the Albanian government and Albgaz should build a gas pipeline between the cities of Fier, where the TAP pumping station is located, and Vlore, where the gas power station is located. In accordance with the bilateral commitments between the governments of Azerbaijan and Albania, we will carry out a detailed design of this project free of charge," he added. A memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the development of a general plan for the gasification of Albania was signed between Azerbaijan and Albania in December 2014. Albania is one of the European countries that will receive Azerbaijani gas within the framework of the Southern Gas Corridor. The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor project was held in Baku on May 29. The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. At the initial stage, the gas produced within the second phase of the development of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas and condensate field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. At a later stage other sources may be connected to the project. Gas under the second stage of field development will be exported to Turkey and to European markets by expanding the South Caucasus gas pipeline and building the Trans-Anatolian (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic (TAP) pipelines. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyev Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 By Fikret Dolukhanov Trend: Uzbek oil and gas company Uzbekneftegaz confirmed negotiations with Petronas, the national oil and gas company of Malaysia, about returning to the Uzbek market, the Uzbek company told Trend on Oct. 8. The Uzbek company, however, emphasized that its too early to talk about any certain results. Uzbekneftegaz added that company, in general, constantly conducts negotiations with new potential partners from different countries of the world and international companies. Some information is made public at various stages of the negotiation process only after achieving certain results and agreements. Prior to their achievement, such information is confidential, the company underlined. Representative of Petronas earlier told Trend that Malaysias national oil and gas company doesnt rule out possibility of re-entering Uzbekistan and is in constant search for new opportunities. In mid-September 2018 the Malaysian national information agency Berita Nasional Malaysia (BERNAMA) published an article about bilateral relations with Uzbekistan. Author of the article underlined that the relations can be expanded through increased trade, economic and investment cooperation, including through resumption of the presence of Petronas in the oil and gas sector of Uzbekistan. The company representative said that Petronas is always open for new partnerships. He, however, didnt comment on whether Petronas is currently holding any negotiations with Uzbekistans oil and gas company Uzbekneftegaz. Petronas regularly reviews its business portfolio group-wide and is always open to partnerships that can bring value and more opportunities that fit our business requirements, the rep said. The Malaysian company previously participated in implementation of a number of projects in the oil and gas sector of Uzbekistan. In 2008, Petronas and Uzbekneftegaz signed an agreement on the Surkhan investment block in the Surkhandarya region. In 2010, the government of Uzbekistan and Petronas signed a production sharing agreement (PSA) to develop oil and gas fields of the Boysun investment block for a period of 35 years. However, as early as May 2011, Petronas withdrew from the international consortium for exploration and development in the Uzbek part of the Aral Sea in the framework of the PSA, and in June 2011 reduced its share from 33.3 percent to 11 percent in the construction of a plant for production of synthetic fuel in the south of Uzbekistan. In April 2013, Petronas ceased exploration work on the investment block in the Surkhandarya region in the south of Uzbekistan due to optimization of business in the republic. In May 2014 the company withdrew from two PSAs in Uzbekistan - Baysun investment block and Ustyurt. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 By Huseyn Valiyev Trend: Azerbaijan has established close scientific ties with the structures of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and intends to further strengthen these ties, Elchin Babayev, executive director of the Science Development Fund under the president of Azerbaijan, told reporters in Baku on Oct. 8. For these purposes, the scientific potential of young personnel is planned to be used, Babayev said. The participation of young personnel in high-level trainings is one of the priorities. "This will allow them to continue their research at the international level, he said. A School on Space Weather (SW) of the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI) can serve as a springboard for that. At this school, young professionals will be able to establish close ties, which contributes to the development of intercultural dialogue and the scientific potential of the country." Presently, there are problems in the field of global navigation and satellite systems, Babayev added. In particular, over the past 10 years, scientists have been actively studying the effects of solar and geomagnetic activity on biological and technological systems. "Today, Azerbaijan is a member of the space club, he said. The School on Space Weather is of particular importance to us as the country uses various satellites for peaceful purposes. One of the important areas of SW is to train personnel. From Azerbaijan, specialists from the Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory, Azercosmos, the National Aviation Academy and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies are trained at the School on Space Weather. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @h_veliyev Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 8 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Myratniyaz Berdyev, who previously held the position of deputy chairman of the Board of the Dayhanbank State Commercial Bank of Turkmenistan, has been appointed its chairman, reads the Turkmen presidential decree. By another decree, Muhammet Nepesov was released from temporary duties of the head of the bank. The bank is focused on financing the agro-industrial complex, and provides loans for investment projects in industry, construction and other areas. Turkmenistan is in a transitional stage of its development. In recent years, for the first time, an article appeared in Constitution on the transition to market relations. The Caspian country has already carried out several reforms in monetary policy: the denomination of the national currency, the unification of exchange rates, and in 2014 the country switched to international accounting standards. The first hearing session of Iran's complaint against the US on freezing its assets opened at the UN highest court on Monday, IRNA reports. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is hearing the two sides' arguments for four days about the case of seizing Iran's two-billion-dollar assets in the US and the violation of the treaty of amity by Washington. The case revolves around the US claims on Iran's involvement in two terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. Under the pretext of the allegations, that Iran has rejected, the US Supreme Court ruled that the $2 billion assets should be handed over to the survivors and relatives of the terrorist attacks victims. At today's session the US lawyers will defend their position in two meetings that will be held before and after noon. The International Court of Justice is the main judicial body of the United Nations that settles the disputes between member states according to the international law and gives advisory information on queries referred to it from UN and specialized agencies. According to the treaty signed by the two countries in 1955, if any issue is not resolved between the two sides, it should be referred to the ICJ. It is also stipulated that the treaty will be valid unless it is officially cancelled in due procedure stated in the pact. The Hague-based court has already voted in favor of Iran in another case, and ordered the US to lift some economic sanctions Washington imposed on Tehran after leaving the landmark international nuclear deal in May. The ruling of the court released on October 3 said the US had been violating the treaty by its measures against Iran. Immediately after the ruling was announced, Washington declared it will withdraw from the treaty. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 8 Trend: The decision of the Financial Action Task Force (on Money Laundering) (FATF) cannot influence Irans foreign exchange market in a short time, Head of Irans Society of Currency Exchange Workers Reza Torkashvand said, ISNA reported. He was speaking at a press briefing on the situation in Irans foreign exchange market. November sanctions also influence the market, but there will be no substantial effects, he added. On Oct. 7, the FATF projects were investigated in the Iranian parliament and will be examined at the next session by the Guardian Council, he said. The market reacted positively to this decision, and the cost of $1, which was more than 13,000 Iranian tomans, decreased to 11,800 tomans. However, later, prices in the market rose again to 13,000 tomans. Torkashvand noted that the decrease in the currency price is partly related to the fact that the psychological situation in the Iranian market gave a different result. Thats because usually external pressure results in aggravation of psychological condition, he said. However, the approval of such projects by the FATF may lead to the decline in foreign currency prices. Generally, this decision has no serious effect on the market. Thats because it cant help to bring banknotes to the country or facilitate their transfer through bank in a short time. Torkashvand also answered the question why some of the currency exchange points refused to buy and sell currency given the Central Banks permission. Previously, the Central Bank of Iran played a key role in maintaining stability in the market and satisfied almost all the needs of the market, he said. But now, currency exchange points sell the currency they buy, he noted. Therefore, it is natural if a currency exchange point doesnt buy and sell currency or if there are no currency reserves for sale, he added. According to a statement from Tbilisi City Council, the street adjacent to the Dedaena Park in Tbilisi will now be named after the famous Italian architect Giovanni Scudieri, who made a significant contribution to the development of the Georgian capital, GeorgiaToday reports. An initiative to name one of the streets of Tbilisi in the name of Scudieri was made by the Ambassador of Italy to Georgia Antonio Enrico Bartolli. It was Bartolli and the chairman of Tbilisi City Council, Giorgi Tkemaladze whom opened the Scudieri street sign. "Giovanni Scudieri was an outstanding man of art of the 19th century, whose architectural structures are invaluable for our country. In order to honor his work and name, we decided to name this beautiful street after Giovanni Scudieri. I am glad that we had to do "- said Tkemaladze. The opening of the Scudieri street sign coincided with the holiday Tbilisoba - 2018, which took place this weekend in the Georgian capital. The Italian diplomat, in turn, stressed that he was glad that the ceremony was specifically timed with the holiday Tbilisoba. "This is a great honor. Giovanni Scudieri street opened in the place where part of his work is located. It is important that the younger generation know who Giovanni Scudieri was,"- said the Italian ambassador. Giovanni Scudieri was born in 1817 in the Italian city of Padua. In 1831, in Padua, he graduated from the Higher Imperial-Tsar School. In Tbilisi, he worked on projects like the Dry Bridge, Freedom Square, and the Military Temple which was built on Rustaveli Avenue, and later destroyed. In 1851, the first Transcaucasian theater of opera and ballet opened in Tbilisi, which was also designed by the Italian architect. Scudieri died on June 5, 1851 in Tbilisi. The death of the Italian architect was unfortunate, as he fell from the scaffolding during the construction of the Military Temple. Citizens of Ukraine and Georgia will be able to cross the border with only their personal ID cards, CivilGe reports. The respective agreement was signed by Georgian and Ukrainian Prime Ministers, Mamuka Bakhtadze and Volodymyr Groysman, on the sidelines of the GUAM summit. According to Georgian PMs press office, Mamuka Bakhtadze said this is a very huge step forward in deepening the two countries cooperation. Strengthening cooperation is not only economic decisions, but also human relations, PM Volodymyr Groysman was also quoted as saying by his press office. Georgia has had a similar arrangement only with Turkey. Brexiteers warned UK Prime Minister Theresa May that she could keep Britain within European Union customs arrangements only until 2022, Reuters reports citing The Times. May hopes to unlock talks that have become stuck over the so-called Irish backstop. The newspaper added that leading Conservative Leave figures said they were prepared to give May room for manoeuvre but that any extension could run only until the next election in 2022. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was saddened by the tragic loss of life and injuries caused by Saturday's earthquake in northwest Haiti, said his spokesman on Sunday, according to Xinhua. The secretary-general extended his condolences to the families of the victims and to the Haitian government, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement. The United Nations stands ready to support the government of Haiti in the response efforts, said the statement. A magnitude-5.9 earthquake hit Haiti late Saturday, killing at least 10 people. Japan would welcome Britain with open arms into a Trans Pacific trade pact, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Financial Times on Sunday, Reuters reported. Abe, one of British Prime Minister Theresa Mays closest international allies, also said he hoped both sides in Britains deadlocked Brexit negotiations with the European Union (EU) would be able to reach a compromise to avoid a disorderly Brexit. British Trade Minister Liam Fox said in July he would consult the public about a possible bid to join the Pacific trade group that includes Canada, Australia and Mexico, once Britain leaves the EU. Mays government has touted the freedom to strike new trade deals outside the EU as one of the main economic benefits of Brexit, but its ability to do so could yet depend on the outcome of negotiations in Brussels. Both sides are hoping to agree a deal by November, but the stalled negotiations have left some investors worried that Britain could end up leaving the bloc without a deal - an outcome that many say would damage the British economy. I hope that both sides can contribute their wisdom and at least avoid a so-called disorderly Brexit, Abe told the FT. Japanese firms have spent more than 40 billion pounds ($52.49 billion) in Britain, encouraged by successive governments since Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s promised them a business-friendly base from which to trade across the continent. Two tourists died and three other people were wounded overnight in a gang-related shooting near a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, Sputnik reported citing local media. A group of youths opened fire on rivals from what are suspected to be AK-47 assault rifles, The Nation newspaper reported. An Indian and a Lao man who were going to dinner at a mall restaurant as part of an Indian group were fatally wounded and died in hospital. Another Indian and two Thais were injured. Moscow and Pyongyang have agreed to work more closely on issues of regional security, the Russian foreign ministry said after a meeting between Russian and North Korean Deputy Foreign Ministers, Igor Morgulov and Choe Son Hui, TASS reports. "The two diplomats discussed in detail key aspects of the settlement of the situation on the Korean Peninsula," the ministry said. "An agreement was reached to continue to strengthen coordination between Russia and North Korea on issues of regional security in the interests of the soonest solution to the entire spectrum of sub-regional problems." Choe Son Hui is currently on a working visit to Russia. She will take part in a trilateral meeting of deputy foreign ministers of Russia, China and North Korea due to take place in Moscow on October 9. The consultations are expected to focus on issues of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and settlement of relations between Pyongyang and Seoul. Work is in progress on new contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but it is too early to talk about specific dates yet, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told, TASS reports. "As for Netanyahu, we do not rule out that such contacts (with Putin) can take place, but there are no specific dates yet," he said. On Sunday, the Israeli prime minister said at a weekly meeting of his Cabinet that during the recent telephone conversation with the Russian leader they agreed to meet soon "to continue important coordination" between the two countries armed forces. That will be the first meeting between Putin and Netanyahu after the Il-20 plane crash. Russias Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was downed over the Mediterranean on September 17 when it was flying back to the Russian airbase at Syrias Hmeymim. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the plane was shot down by a missile from a Syrian S-200 air defense system when it was firing at four Israeli F-16 aircraft attacking targets in the Latakia governorate. The Israeli pilots actually hid behind the Russian plane exposing it to Syrian missiles, the ministry stressed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that at the upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin he would raise such issues as international recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Iran's presence in Syria and the activity of Hezbollah, Sputnik reports. "Today we see what is happening over the border Iran's attempts to establish a military presence and the aggression of terrorist fanatics. We will continue to stand strong and determined against all of these Israel on the Golan Heights is a guarantee for stability in the surrounding area Israel on the Golan Heights is a fact that the international community must recognize and as long as it depends on me, the Golan Heights will always remain under Israeli sovereignty because otherwise we would have Iran and Hezbollah on the shores of the Kinneret," Netanyahu said during a trip to the Golan Heights. On Sunday, the Israeli prime minister said that he had agreed with the Russian president to hold a meeting in the near future. "We will continue to act with determination against Iran's attempts to open an additional front against us on the Golan Heights, and in Syria we will act against all attempts to transfer lethal weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon. I will discuss these matters with President Putin when I meet with him soon. I decided with President Putin on the important security coordination between the IDF and the Russian military, and of course together we have developed good relations between Russia and Israel," Netanyahu added. Netanyahu pointed out that Putin understood the level of importance of the Golan Heights for Israel's security. Israel occupied the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War, which involved Syria and annexed the territory in 1981. The international community has not recognized the Israeli annexation. Baku, Azerbaijan, October 8 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkish intelligence is investigating the issue of the disappearance of the Saudi reporter Jamal Khashoggi, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Turkish media reported October 8. Erdogan noted that this issue is currently under his personal control. On October 2, Khashoggi went to the consulate general of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul to register some documents. His bride was not allowed into the building, and five hours later she was informed that he had already left. She later stated that she did not trust this information and did not know where Khashoggi was currently located. In addition, his bride said, 15 specialists from Saudi Arabia arrived in Istanbul on two aircraft to investigate the circumstances of the incident, who had already visited the consulate general. At the moment, when they entered the building of the consulate general, Khashoggi was inside, the Turkish media reported. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was ready to allow international inspectors into the Norths nuclear and missile testing sites, one of the main sticking points over an earlier denuclearization pledge, Reuters reports. Pompeo, who met Kim during a short trip to Pyongyang, said the inspectors would visit a missile engine test facility and the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site as soon as the two sides agree on logistics. Theres a lot of logistics that will be required to execute that, Pompeo told a news briefing in Seoul before leaving for Beijing. The top U.S. diplomat also said both sides were pretty close to agreement on the details of a second summit, which Kim proposed to U.S. President Donald Trump in a letter last month. U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a good talk on Monday with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department official in charge of the federal investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and has no plans to fire him. There has been widespread speculation that Trump might oust Rosenstein, a frequent target of Trumps tweeted criticism, after a New York Times report that he had made remarks about Trumps fitness for office and offered to record conversations with him. Rosenstein traveled with Trump on Air Force One to Orlando on Monday, where the president gave a speech to police chiefs. Upon landing, Rosenstein was seen smiling and appeared at ease as he walked down the front stairs of Air Force One alongside Trumps chief of staff, John Kelly. It was not immediately clear whether Trump and Rosenstein talked about the controversy during their 45-minute-long conversation on the flight, where Kelly and another Department of Justice official, Ed OCallaghan, were also present. They talked about support for law enforcement officials, border security, crime in Chicago and general DOJ business, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said. The press wants to know, What did you talk about? Trump said at the start of his speech after he thanked Rosenstein for being there and noted the intense media interest. We had a very good talk, I will say. That became a very big story, actually. We had a good talk, Trump said. Rosenstein has denied the Sept. 21 New York Times report as inaccurate and factually incorrect. The article said that while Rosenstein had made the suggestions over concern about chaos in the administration, none of them actually came to fruition. As he left the White House for Orlando, Trump was asked by a reporter if he had any plans to fire Rosenstein. No I dont, no, he said. Rosenstein oversees Special Counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Russia denies interfering and Trump says there was no collusion between his campaign and Moscow. Firing Rosenstein before the Nov. 6 congressional elections could have political consequences. Democrats believe it would raise questions about whether Trump would shut down the Mueller probe, which could energize their voters in House and Senate races. Trump told reporters earlier on Monday that he has a good relationship with Rosenstein. I didnt know Rod before, but Ive gotten to know him, and I get along very well with him, he said. By Tomoyuki Tachikawa, KYODO NEWS - Oct 8, 2018 - 22:06 | World, All Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo leveled accusations against each other at talks on Monday, as ties between the world's major powers continue to sour amid an escalating trade spat. At the outset of the meeting in Beijing, which was open to the media, Wang urged the United States to stop "misguided" activities, criticizing Washington for attacking China's internal and external policies "with no reason." Wang also expressed fears that U.S.-China tensions would affect denuclearization negotiations with North Korea, saying "a healthy and stable bilateral relationship" is necessary to move them forward. "China and the United States should be on the correct road of cooperation and mutual benefit rather than in the wrong direction of conflict and confrontation," Wang said. Pompeo responded by saying, "We have a fundamental disagreement. We have great concerns about actions that China has taken," after Wang mentioned issues of trade restraints, Beijing's strategy with self-ruled Taiwan and North Korea's nuclear arsenal. Relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated further especially after U.S. President Donald Trump blamed China for attempting to meddle in the Nov. 6 midterm congressional elections. At a press conference in New York late last month, Trump said Beijing wants the U.S. president and his Republican party to "lose an election," as Washington has been ratcheting up pressure on Chinese President Xi Jinping's leadership to curb the huge U.S. trade deficit with China. As for Xi, Trump said, "He may not be a friend of mine anymore," indicating that he is reviewing their relationship, although the U.S. president had described his Chinese counterpart as a "great" leader since taking office in January 2017. Also last month, Washington invoked tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese imports. With this third round of tariffs, the United States is now imposing double-digit tariffs on around half of the products it imports from China each year. China immediately took retaliatory action, slapping additional tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. imports, which means Beijing has so far levied tariffs on more than 80 percent of all goods imported from the United States. Trump has become irritated with China's apparent unwillingness so far to make concessions on trade issues, foreign affairs experts say. A planned meeting between Pompeo and Xi was cancelled on Monday, according to Reuters. China and the United States have been also divided over Taiwan and the South China Sea, home to some of the world's busiest sea lanes, where Beijing and several Southeast Asian countries have overlapping maritime claims. In recent years, China has rapidly built artificial islands with military infrastructure in the contested water, while Washington has forged close ties with self-ruled, democratic Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province awaiting reunification. Pompeo visited Beijing after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Sunday to work out the details of a second summit between Washington and Pyongyang. The first-ever U.S.-North Korea talks were held on June 12 in Singapore. Before arriving in China's capital on Monday, Pompeo told South Korean President Moon Jae In in their talks in Seoul the previous day that the United States and North Korea have agreed to hold the second summit in the near future. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a press conference later Monday that U.S.-China tensions will not hurt denuclearization negotiations with North Korea. The two countries, as permanent members of U.N. Security Council, should "cooperate" to achieve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, he said. But Wang and Pompeo are at odds over how to deal with the North Korean nuclear issue. The United States has emphasized the importance of maintaining international sanctions designed to prevent Pyongyang from developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, until North Korea realizes "complete" denuclearization as promised. China, meanwhile, has voiced eagerness to ease some of the economic sanctions, now that Pyongyang has pledged to abandon its nuclear arsenal. North Korea has this year deepened its relations with China. Since March, Kim has visited China three times for summit talks with Xi. Pyongyang is believed to be aiming to promote negotiations with the United States with the backing of Beijing. China and North Korea fought together in the 1950-1953 Korean War against the U.S.-led United Nations Command. The two countries have been described as "blood brothers." On Monday, Pompeo also held talks with Yang Jiechi, a political bureau member of the Communist Party. KYODO NEWS - Oct 8, 2018 - 20:18 | All, World Japan opposes any withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Korean Peninsula in exchange for North Korea's denuclearization, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in an interview with the Financial Times published Monday. "It is my understanding that there is no such idea in the minds of the U.S. side nor in the mind of President (Donald) Trump," the British newspaper quoted the premier as saying. He made the comments as Washington and Pyongyang are considering a second summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, following their historic meeting in June. Slightly less than 30,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, a significant portion of the country's military presence in Asia. If the contingent were to be downsized, it would put a large burden on the 47,000 U.S. troops currently in Japan as well as the Japan Self-Defense Forces. On track to become Japan's longest-serving prime minister after winning his Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election last month, Abe is looking to use his final three years to achieve his long-sought goal of amending the pacifist Constitution to clarify the legality of the SDF. The 64-year-old said in the interview that he was aware of the political risks of initiating the public referendum that would be necessary for Constitutional reform. "I am aware of the British example, I am aware of the Italian example," he said, referring to votes in the two countries that led to the resignations of British Prime Minister David Cameron and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Cameron had said he would remain as prime minister and implement the result of the referendum on membership of the European Union in June 2016, but resigned the following day after the United Kingdom voted to leave. Renzi quit in December 2016 after the Italian public rejected his constitutional reform plans in a national referendum. "Of course, there are several risks in politics," Abe said. On the subject of trade, Abe said Japan is not asking the United States for reciprocal tariff reductions in recently started negotiations on a bilateral trade deal. "I don't feel there are excessive tariffs in so many sectors when it comes to trade between Japan and the United States," he said. Trump is seeking to reduce his country's trade deficit with Japan but has promised to shelve his threat of additional automobile tariffs while the negotiations continue. Abe also stressed that Trump assured him Washington would not push for greater access for agricultural products than Japan has given in other trade deals. By Tomoyuki Tachikawa, KYODO NEWS - Oct 8, 2018 - 22:04 | World, All North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed over the weekend on their two countries holding working-level talks "as soon as possible" to arrange a second summit meeting between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump, state-run media reported Monday. Pompeo told reporters in Seoul that the United States and North Korea are "getting pretty close" to forging an agreement on a second summit, adding that Trump and Kim are likely to make "substantive progress" toward denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. [KCNA/Kyodo] During his talks with Pompeo in Pyongyang on Sunday, Kim "expressed his will and conviction that a great progress would surely be made" at a potential second meeting with Trump, North's official Korean Central News Agency said. KCNA reported that Kim "explained in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearization issue and matters of concern of both sides," but the news agency did not elaborate. Kim also told Pompeo that he has thanked Trump for making "sincere" efforts to implement an agreement signed at their first summit, saying U.S.-North Korea talks are based on the "deep confidence" between the two leaders, according to KCNA. At their historic meeting in Singapore on June 12, Trump and Kim agreed that Washington will provide security guarantees to Pyongyang in exchange for "complete" denuclearization. Pompeo held "productive discussions" with Kim on Sunday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement, adding that they "refined options for the location and date" of the next U.S.-North Korea summit. Kim also invited inspectors to visit Punggye-ri, North Korea's only known nuclear test site, to confirm whether the country has "irreversibly" shut it down, Nauert said. In May, North Korea said it had "completely" dismantled the nuclear test site in the presence of foreign reporters. Experts such as those from the International Atomic Energy Agency, however, were not invited to observe the dismantling, raising fears that the actual condition of the test site after demolition will not be revealed. Pompeo's trip to North Korea, his fourth this year and first since July, was made to work out the details of the second summit, which might take place by the end of the year. {KCNA/Kyodo] Pompeo planned to visit Pyongyang in late August, but that trip was cancelled by Trump at the last minute amid lingering skepticism about North Korea's intention to abandon its nuclear weapons. With U.S.-North Korea negotiations stalled, Kim pledged in talks with South Korean President Moon Jae In in Pyongyang last month to permanently dismantle his country's major nuclear complex in Yongbyon if the United States takes reciprocal actions. The Rodong Sinmun of the ruling Workers' Party, North Korea's most influential newspaper, on Monday carried a photo of Kim and Pompeo smiling while shaking hands, giving the impression of a thaw in relations between Washington and Pyongyang. The United States and North Korea remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire. In the war, U.S.-led multinational forces fought alongside South Korea against North Korea, which was backed by China and the Soviet Union. Hostilities ceased with an armistice agreement signed on July 27, 1953, by the U.N. Command, North Korea's military and Chinese armed forces. After talking with Kim in Pyongyang for two hours, Pompeo visited Seoul to hold a meeting with Moon on Sunday night. At the outset of his talks with Moon, Pompeo said South Korea is playing an important role in the denuclearization process. Pompeo also told reporters in the capital of South Korea on Monday morning that he brought up the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North in the 1970s and 1980s. Later in the day, the secretary of state held telephone talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono to brief him on his Pyongyang trip. Speaking to reporters in his ministry, Kono explained that he and Pompeo reaffirmed policy coordination between Japan and the United States toward a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. Kono did not reveal Kim's response to the abduction issue. Prior to his phone talks with Kono, he traveled to Beijing and met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, the country's top diplomat and a political bureau member of the Communist Party. (Dahee Kim contributed reporting from Seoul.) The agricultural loss to due to rains in Kerala is estimated to be over Rs 400 crore. After 10 times rejection , Actress-producer Priyanka Chopra's film "Pahuna - The Little Visitors won two awards at International Film Festival in the ongoing film festival in Germany. The film had a special mention in the European Children's Film Awards and the Professional Jury Feature Film International category Awards. The film received tremendous response in the European premiere on October 2 and October 5. The story of "Pahun" includes three Nepali children, who, when separated from their parents, return to their homes with their courage, affection, strength and courage. The technicians working in this film are from Sikkim. Paakhi A. Tyrewala has directed this movie. The film is produced by Purple Pebble Pictures (PPP), a banner of Priyanka and her mother, Madhu Chopra. Priyanka Chopra's mother said that when we started filming, we did not think that it would be becoming very popular movie. Many people would prefer not only in India but all over the world. She thanked the SCHLINGEL children's film festival. Pahuna will always be a very special film for all of us at Purple Pebble Pictures. When we started the journey of Pahuna, we didnt anticipate the film to go this far. But God has been kind and the film has resonated with the audience not just in India but across the globe, Said Mrs. Madhu. She further added, Im grateful to SCHLINGEL childrens film festival for the recognition. We are looking forward to many more such milestones in our journey at Purple Pebble Pictures. Also Read: Kangana Ranaut accused Vikas Bahl of Sexual Assault, Sonam said, "It is difficult to take things seriously" Dilip Kumar admitted to hospital last night due to pneumonia - See details See viral Pics: Taimur Ali Khan clicked with his Nanny holding him tightly This is an unedited press release issued by Business Armenia. With the support of Business Armenia and an investment of several million dollars, a new factory is to be found in Armenia. The investment is made by the Ghalbourjian Group company aiming to start production of vegetable oils and other agricultural additives. In the first stage the firm is investing $500.000. See the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ8KkjUH2dU . The plant will be built in Masis, a city of Ararat province and will occupy about 6,000 square meter area. Over 40 new workplaces are to be created within the first phase of the investment. In the second stage, farmers will be involved to conduct the cultivation of sesame seeds. "The main production of the factory will be sesame oil. The export agreements with the Arab market partners have already been made" stated Mr. Hayk Mirzoyan, head of Business Armenia Businessmen Support team. "In recent years, the consumption of vegetable oil by the international market has substantially increased. Taking into account the high demand, target markets for this Armenian product will also include EAEU, the Middle East, some EU countries, Canada, etc.,'' mentioned the CEO of Business Armenia, Mr. Armen Avak Avakian. During the next stage of the investment program, it is planned to establish a machine-tool factory, which will supply the market with conveyors, containers, stainless steel mills to use in food, wine, mineral water, and other productions. "I want my grandchildren to move to Armenia. When I start my work and they see that it is possible to live a good life in here, they will definitely come" said Mr. Zohrab Ghalbourjian, the founder of Ghalbourjian Group company. Business Armenia has contributed to the registration of Ghalbourjian Group company, land and raw material acquisition, business plan development, state support, and other issues. PMs trip to Tokyo shows Vietnams respect for ties with Japan Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs trip to Japan for the 10th Mekong Japan Summit and a visit of the country demonstrates the importance that Vietnam attaches to its extensive strategic partnership with the Northeast Asian nation. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) welcomes Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Tokyo on October 8 Over the past years, relations between Vietnam and Japan have been developing rapidly and substantively in various spheres with high political trust. Japan is the first G7 member to have welcomed a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (in 1995), set up the strategic partnership with Vietnam (2009), recognised Vietnams market economy (2011), and invited the country to an outreach meeting of a G7 Summit (2016). In an official visit to Japan by then Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh in April 2009, the two countries agreed to lift their ties to the strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia. During a trip to Vietnam by then Japanese PM Naoto Kan in October 2010, they issued a joint statement on comprehensively developing the strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia. In a State visit by then Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang in March 2014, the two sides elevated bilateral relations to the extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia. In the official tour of Japan in September 2015, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe issued a joint vision statement on Vietnam Japan relations. Bilateral links have been enhanced even more strongly following a State visit to the Southeast Asian nation by Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko from February 28 to March 5, 2017, and an official trip by PM Abe in January 2017. The countries have effectively maintained dialogue mechanisms and supported each other at multilateral forums like the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM). Japan is currently a leading economic partner of Vietnam. It is the biggest provider of official development assistance (ODA) for and ranks second among foreign investors in Vietnam. Last year, it was the fourth largest trade partner of Vietnam. In the first eight months of 2018, bilateral trade reached 24.52 billion USD (up 13.7 percent year on year), in which Vietnams exports were worth 12.21 billion USD of (up 11.5 percent) and the countrys imports from Japan were valued at 12.31 billion USD (up 15.9 percent). In 2017, Japans direct investment in Vietnam hit a record of 9.11 billion USD, ranking first among countries and territories investing in the latter. By the end of last August, it had 3,865 valid FDI projects worth nearly 55.84 billion USD here, holding the second place. Regarding ODA provision, the Northeast Asian nation pledged about 30.5 billion USD in ODA loans for Vietnam from 1992 to the end of fiscal year 2016 (March 31, 2017). In the first half of this year, the two sides signed documents on two projects to be funded through non-refundable aid with total value of nearly 25 million USD. Japan has also committed a loan worth almost 16 billion JPY (142 million USD) for vocational training in Vietnam. Meanwhile, agricultural cooperation has witnessed breakthroughs since the State visit to Japan by then President Truong Tan Sang in 2014. During the trip by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in September 2015, both sides inked the long-term joint vision on agricultural cooperation. A revised version of the joint vision was signed in May this year. Vietnam has sent a large number of apprentices to Japan since 1992, raising the number of Vietnamese workers and apprentices there to about 120,000 at present. Cooperation in education and training has been expanded in various forms. Japan is one of the biggest suppliers of non-refundable aid in education for Vietnam. As of the beginning of this year, there were about 75,000 Vietnamese students in Japan. The G7 nation is also assisting Vietnam in upgrading four universities, developing the Vietnam Japan University, and teaching Japanese at some schools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In the first 7 months of this year, nearly 464,400 Japanese tourists visited Vietnam, rising by 3 percent from a year earlier and ranking third among foreign holidaymakers in the ASEAN country. Additionally, locality-to-locality connections have been strongly promoted. Many pairs of localities of the two countries have inked cooperation deals such as HCM City and Osaka city, Yokohama city and Nagano prefecture; Da Nang city and Sakai and Yokohama cities; Hanoi and Fukuoka prefecture; and Dong Nai province and Hyogo prefecture. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is leading a high-level delegation of Vietnam to attend the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit in Tokyo and visit Japan from October 8-10. The trip is hoped to help lift bilateral trade to 60 billion USD in 2020.Over the past years, Viet Nam-Japan trade relations have grown rapidly, and Japan has always been among the top four trade partners among more than 200 countries and territories exporting to and importing goods from Vietnam.The number of Japanese companies investing in Vietnam has been on the rise along with their investment scale. Economic ties between the two countries are opening more cooperation opportunities in many areas.After 45 years of establishing diplomatic relations, Vietnam and Japan have become increasingly important partners of each other in many fields. Since the two countries upgraded the bilateral relationship to the level of Extensive Strategic Partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia in 2014, Vietnam-Japan ties has developed strongly, comprehensively and practically.Statistics from the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, as of early October 2018, Vietnams total export value to Japan reached 13.82 billion USD, up 12.2 percent over the same period of 2017.Japan is also one of the four markets to which Vietnam's export turnover exceeded the 10 billion USD benchmark. Especially, Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus of 141 million USD in two-way trade with Japan so far this year.Vietnam's export staples to Japan in the reviewed period were garments and textiles (537 million USD); transport vehicles (365.2 million USD); machines and equipment (259 million USD). Remarkably, Vietnams main exports to Japan recorded a stable growth compared to the same period last year.According to a survey by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), up to 70 percent of asked Japanese enterprises want to invest in Vietnam and 66.6 percent of Japanese enterprises operating in Vietnam plan to expand their production and business activities.As of April 2018, Japan had 3,693 valid FDI projects in Vietnam with total registered capital of over 49.8 billion USD, ranking second among 116 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. This is a positive sign and a foundation to believe that the flow of of Japanese direct investment into Vietnam will continue to increase in the coming years.Hoang Quang Phong, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said that, to attract more Japanese investments, Vietnam needs to continue reforming its administrative procedures and improving competitiveness of enterprises, increasing labour productivity, and maintaining commitments among investors, and take full advantages of cooperation potential in new fields such as agriculture and tourism, human resources training and development, transportation and distribution.Together with the Japan-Vietnam Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA) and the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (AJCEP), along with the positive economic outlook of Japan, Vietnams export of agricultural products, and seafood are forecasted to see bright prospects in 2018.According to the VJEPA, the average tariff imposed on Vietnamese exports to Japan will gradually decrease to 2.8 percent in 2018.When the agreement takes effect, at least 86 percent of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products and 97 percent of industrial products of Vietnam exported to Japan will be entitled to tax incentives.In return, the average tariff levied on Japanese imports to Vietnam will be reduced to 7 percent by 2018.Over the last decade, under the agreement, Vietnam and Japan have basically completed the tax reduction roadmap to build a complete bilateral free trade area. Accordingly, 94.53 percent of Vietnamese exports turnover and 87.6 percent of Japanese exports will be exempted from import taxes.Vietnam and Japan need to promote economic cooperation by fostering cooperation in trade and investment, implementing effectively the VJEPA to realise the goal of 60 billion USD in two-way trade in 2020, Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said.During a meeting with Nishikawa Koya, Special Advisor to the Cabinet of Japan, Anh praised Japan as one of the first countries to ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) as well as the countrys role in leading and creating a driving force and strong influence on the ratification of the trade deal in other countries.He affirmed that bilateral relations between Vietnam and Japan have rapidly improved and developed strongly not only in economy and trade but also in other fields.In particular, when a series of new-generation free trade agreements have been signed, they will create a thrust to spur trade flows among nations and stakeholders, he added.Both sides should create favorable conditions for agricultural and aquatic products to enter each others market, he noted, adding that action plans of six selected industries in the Vietnam Industrialization Strategy within the framework of the Vietnam-Japan Cooperation towards 2020, vision 2030 should be implemented.Vietnamese enterprises should devise marketing strategies to promote exports to the Japanese market, Anh said, noting that this is a prerequisite for sustainable export to the Japanese market and contributes to boosting bilateral trade in the coming time.Experts from the Ministry of Industry and Trades AsiaAfrica Market Department warned that Vietnamese enterprises need to improve their business capacity and monitor quality standards of export goods, along with actively working on trade promotion to fully tap the potential from the Japanese market and make full use of advantages brought by the trade agreements.-VNA Armenian National Assembly President Ara Babloyan today hosted U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills who is finishing his diplomatic mission to the country. Babloyan thanked Mills for his efforts aimed at growing Armenia-U.S. relations and wished him well in his future endeavors. Referring to recent political developments in Armenia, Babloyan, according to a government press release, said: I must continue to take measures so that Armenia follows a democratic path. All questions will be answered in an environment of political dialog, of negotiation and discussion, keeping the country free from upheaval. I am certain that the U.S. government will continue to support the Armenian people in cementing a strong and independent parliament, Mills said. Photo (from left): Ambassador Mills, Ara Babloyan (Adds information from newspaper interview with CEO) SAO PAULO, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Brazilian airline Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA is looking to boost its international business and reduce fuel consumption to counter a weak local currency and fuel prices that likely took a chunk out of its third-quarter margins. In an interview with Brazilian newspaper Valor Economico, Chief Executive Paulo Kakinoff said the carrier would increase the number of seats it offers internationally by 40 percent in 2019, while domestic seating would grow by only 3 percent. As part of that strategy, the company is betting on the Boeing 737 Max-8 long-range airplane, which consumes 15 percent less fuel than Gol's current fleet, he said. Kakinoff's comments came as the airline said in a Monday securities filing previewing quarterly results that it was likely to report an operating margin, or EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) margin, of 5 percent to 5.5 percent in the third quarter, down 7 percentage points from the same period last year. The company has been hit hard by rising fuel prices and a serious depreciation of the Brazilian real currency . Increased international flights could decrease the percentage of revenue collected in reais, mitigating the negative impact of currency fluctuations on Gol's bottom line. Gol will launch at least one new international destination every quarter until 2021, Kakinoff said. This week, Gol will receive its third Boeing 737 Max-8, and 70 percent to 80 percent of the planes' flights will be international, he added. In the Monday securities filing, Gol said operating cash flow in the quarter will likely come to 450 million reais ($117 million) to 500 million reais. ($1 = 3.84 reais) (Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Steve Orlofsky) DUBAI, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Dubai rose 26 percent in the first half of 2018 compared with the same period last year, the government said on Saturday. The second-largest of the seven-member United Arab Emirates federation received 17.76 billion dirhams ($4.84 billion) in FDI in the the first half of the year, the statement said, citing Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The largest and wealthiest member of the federation is oil-rich Abu Dhabi. The United States, India, Thailand, Spain and the United Kingdom topped the list of the countries exporting capital to Dubai, the statement said. ($1 = 3.6729 UAE dirham) (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli Editing by Andrew Heavens) A U.S. Dollar note is seen in this June 22, 2017 illustration photo. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration COPENHAGEN/TALLINN (Reuters) - Banks doing business in Estonia, which has been at the centre of a money-laundering scandal involving Danske Bank, handled more than $1 trillion in cross-border flows between 2008 and 2017, according to the country's central bank. The European Union member country of just 1.3 million people has been rocked by revelations that banks there laundered money from Russia, Moldova and Azerbaijan via non-resident bank accounts. The scandal has forced lenders in Estonia and neighbouring Latvia to shut down. The data on cross-border flows, first reported by Bloomberg, suggests that the scale of the money laundering through the small Baltic country may have been larger then previously thought. The news sent Nordic banking shares sharply lower. The central bank said that between 2008 and 2017, cross-border transactions totalled 1.1 trillion euros ($1.27 trillion). The number includes all flows, including resident and non-resident transactions, a spokesman said. Estonia's entire economic output came to about $25 billion last year - roughly the same as that of Uganda or Nepal - suggesting that much of the money flow was not directly linked to economic activity in the country. The central bank did not say whether it considered any of the flows suspicious. Bloomberg on Wednesday reported figures from the central bank saying that Estonia handled about 900 billion euros in non-resident cross-border transactions between 2008 and 2015. The central bank later said the figure in the Bloomberg report doesn't relate specifically to non-resident transactions but to all flows in and out of the country, including imports and exports and routine financial transactions such as securities purchases. Story continues Estonia's imports and exports totalled 232 billion euros between 2008 and 2017, official data showed. The central bank said in a statement that non-resident flows "only make up one part of the sum," adding that it does not collect separate data for those transactions. "This is a surprising figure," said Copenhagen-based expert on money laundering Jakob Dedenroth Bernhoft. "This indicates that the Danske case is not a one-off affair and that the problem related to other banks as well." Sweden's SEB and Swedbank, which both have banking operations in Estonia, were trading 3.3 percent and 5.8 percent lower, respectively. The region's biggest bank Nordea was trading 2.9 percent lower, while Danske Bank, whose shares have lost one-third of their value since March, was down 1.5 percent. A trader says this is "clearly not good news in the light of Danske Bank, and the numbers they are talking about look to be bigger." Another trader notes Nordic banks are "very well owned" - seen as the best of a bad bunch among European financials and therefore vulnerable to bad news. Swedbank's Baltic operations account for nearly one-fifth of its total operating profit, with Estonia its biggest market. "We have worked continuously through the years together with authorities as well as correspondent banks to ensure that we have solid systems and processes concerning the fight against money laundering," a Swedbank spokesman said. "Let me underline that we do not recognise ourselves in Bloomberg's reporting. We are a retail bank with low risk," he said. Sweden's Swedbank is the largest bank in Estonia following its acquisition of Hansabank in 2005. It has 800,000 private customers and around 140,000 business customers in the country, according to its website. Its Nordic rival SEB also has major operations in the Baltics after acquisitions in the late 1990s. It had 920,000 private and 99,000 corporate customers according to its 2017 annual report. "We have very few if any customers that are not based in the Baltic countries," an SEB spokesman said. "We feel satisfied that our process concerning these issues works." Figures reflecting the possible scale of money-laundering through Estonia have been emerging gradually over the last few months. In May, data from Estonia's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) showed that more than $13 billion had been laundered through banks in the country from 2012 to 2016, with at least 7.3 billion of that going through non-resident bank accounts. Last month, Denmark's Danske Bank said in an internal report that payments totalling 200 billion euros, many of which it described as "suspicious", had been moved through its Estonian branch between 2007 and 2015. That scandal led to Danske's chief executive stepping down and prompted regulators across the European Union to question the oversight of the bloc's financial sector. ($1 = 0.8667 euros) (Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Teis Jensen in Copenhagen, Tarmo Virki in Tallinn; Additional reporting by Helen Reid, Stine Jacobsen, Johannes Hellstrom, Simon Johnson, Tommy Lund, Terje Solvik; Editing by Toby Chopra and Hugh Lawson) * General Motors Q3 China sales drop 14.9 pct y/y * First quarterly sales drop since Q1 2017 * Carmaker sells 835,934 vehicles in the quarter * Economic slowdown, trade war hitting auto market * Dealers say Buick engine shift hurting sales (Adds spokeswoman comment, details, pictures) SHANGHAI, Oct 8 (Reuters) - General Motors Co's quarterly sales in China fell for the first time in over a year, hit by faltering economic growth and a wider slowdown in the world's biggest auto market amid a whipsawing trade war with the United States. The U.S. carmaker sold 835,934 vehicles in the third quarter ended September, down a sharp 14.9 percent from a year earlier, which the firm said was due to a "softening" vehicle market and issues shifting to a new engine system with its Buick brand. "The major reasons are a softening market, slowing lower-tier cities, Buick's engine change-over and a strong Q3 last year," a Shanghai-based GM spokeswoman said. She added the fall was not linked to trade tensions. The fall marks the maiden drop since the first quarter of 2017, when GM's China sales fell 5.2 percent. GM switched to reporting only quarterly China sales earlier this year, scrapping monthly sales figures it had previously revealed. China's automobile sales have been falling more broadly in recent months, with a slowing economy and trade frictions making consumers cautious about spending, an industry body said last month. GM has been shifting its Buick cars to a new type of more efficient three-cylinder engine to meet emissions targets, which Chinese dealers told Reuters had hit sales because consumers were not yet convinced by the smaller engines. Story continues "Many consumers still have concerns because they read negative comments about three-cylinder technology online, which aren't really fair," said a sales manager surnamed Hu at a Buick dealer in Zhejiang province. China, the world's largest auto market, is critical for the U.S. carmaker. It sold over 4 million vehicles in the country last year, even more than it sold in the North Americas market. GM's sales in China inched up 0.7 percent in the second quarter of the year, slowing from an 8 percent rise in the January-March quarter. GM's joint venture in China, Shanghai GM, will also recall over 3.3 million Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles from Oct. 20 due to a defect with the suspension system, a Chinese regulator said earlier this month. China's main auto industry body, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), is set to reveal September auto sales later this week. (Reporting by Adam Jourdan, Norihiko Shirouzu and Yilei Sun; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Himani Sarkar) Blockchain Shift is excited to announce that the Grammy-award winning rapper and founding member of the Fugees Pras Michel will be coming to speak on the upcoming blockchain event in Miami, FL MIAMI BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / October 8, 2018 / Blockchain Shift is excited to announce that the Grammy-award winning rapper and founding member of the Fugees Pras Michel will be coming to come and speak on the music panel of the upcoming blockchain conference in Miami, FL. Pras Michel is launching a blockchain-enabled smartphone that lets users earn dividends on every purchase. The phone is part of Michel's digital platform Blacture, which was announced in a 2018 Super Bowl ad, and celebrates black culture through content and technology. The first retail move for Blacture is the launch of Motif, a $300 smartphone that hits stores this fall. About Blockchain Shift Conference Blockchain Shift is a one-of-a-kind event in the world of blockchain. The event will take place (next week Oct. 11-12) in Miami and aims to put the region at the center of the buzz about blockchain, financial technology (fintech) and crypto currencies. Our core mission is to raise awareness and educate the world on the power of this transformative technology. Blockchain Shift will welcome a diverse group of distinguished thought leaders and experts, including crypto and institutional investors, bankers, attorneys, government officials, service providers, as well as representatives of blockchain architected startups, projects working on tokenizing real assets (such as real estate, music and art), as well as valuable enterprise companies for an unparalleled series of discussions and networking opportunities. Blockchain technology brings a fundamental change in the approach to how companies conduct business and will forever alter industries globally. With thousands of applications, it promises a tectonic shift in technology development and our daily lives. For more information, visit https://blockchainshift.io/ Story continues About Pras Michel From Hip-Hop superstardom to tech entrepreneurship, Pras Michel is an innovator who pushes boundaries and shatters preconceived notions. The son of Haitian immigrants, Pras formed The Fugees' with high school classmates Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. After the success of their seminal work, The Score, Pras went on to forge a successful solo career with the international hit single "Ghetto Supastar," featuring Mya and the late Old Dirty Bastard. In 2006, Pras turned his attention to documentary filmmaking with Skid Row, Los Angeles, which shed light on homelessness. In 2016, Pras unveiled a documentary entitled Sweet Micky For President, which chronicled Haitian musician Michel Martelly's campaign to become President of Haiti and Pras' role in reshaping Martelly into a politician looking to fight corruption. During the 2018 Super Bowl, Pras Michel teased his latest endeavor, Blacture. The multifaceted platform will usher in a new era, illuminating Black brilliance globally through education and empowerment. One of Blacture's most exciting elements will be the Blacture M1, a blockchain-based smartphone that gives consumers incentives for use. The Blacture M1 will be the first blockchain-based phone to hit the US market. Along with Pras is Tech This Out senior on air personality Osei who will moderate the discussion with Pras. More info: https://prasmichel.com/ and https://blacture.com/ About Osei To know his name is to know his voice and the message he speaks Osei "The Dark Secret" Kweku is perhaps the 'stealth' golden voice of today's hip hop culture. Osei began his radio career in Philly, and since then, has interviewed Hollywood's Who's Who from Beyonce to the former President Jimmy Carter, from Janet Jackson to 50 Cent. He has cleverly mastered and merge his love for music, tech and philanthropy into a trans-continental culture exchange by way of digital media. Osei 'the dark secret' reppin' iHeart Radio. Contact Info: Name: Mike Valdez-Fauli Email: mvaldesfauli@parkcapital.io Organization: BlockchainShift.io Address: 1111 Lincoln Road, Suite 800, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States Phone: +1-305-615-1111 For more information, please visit https://blockchainshift.io SOURCE: BlockchainShift.io View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/513582/Grammy-award-winning-Fugees-founder-coming-to-speak-at-Blockhain-Shift-Event (Adds union quote) CAPE TOWN, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Toyota South Africa operations were halted on Monday at its Durban assembly plant and a Johannesburg warehouse because of a strike by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), a company spokesman said. "The strike has resulted in the suspension of operations today," Clynton Yon said in a statement. The union said it would continue the strike until its demands are met, adding that the action would spread to other Toyota factories over disputes on issues including staff recruitment, bonuses and transport allowances. "The strike which began today will affect all Toyota plants nationally. Our members are resolute and disciplined. They will not back down until all their demands are met," said NUMSA. Labour strife has hobbled the production of cars in Africa's largest automotive manufacturing sector, where Toyota, Ford , BMW and Chinese carmaker BAIC have invested heavily to boost output. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf Editing by David Goodman) In this Sept. 29, 2018 photo, Hadi Mohammed sits with his 9 year old son Mohammed Ghaleb, as he displays a photo of his son as a baby in Baghdad, in their Lincoln, Neb. apartment. Death threats drove Hadi Mohammed out of Iraq and to a small apartment in Nebraska, where he and his two young sons managed to settle as refugees. But the danger hasnt been enough to allow his wife to join them. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) WASHINGTON (AP) -- Death threats drove Hadi Mohammed out of Iraq and to a small apartment in Nebraska, where he and his two young sons managed to settle as refugees. But the danger hasn't been enough to allow his wife to join them. Mohammed, who worked as a security guard for the U.S. military in Baghdad, says he was initially told his wife would be reunited with him and the boys within a month. The wait has now dragged on for more than a year as she goes through stricter screening imposed by the Trump administration. Mohammed says it's been an agonizing wait, especially for his 9-year-old son. "Every night he cries about mom, I need mom," he said in halting English as he sat on a couch with the boy in their apartment in Lincoln, Nebraska. Tens of thousands of people are experiencing similar anguished waits as the number of refugees entering the U.S. falls to historic lows because of tighter scrutiny that administration officials say is necessary for security. Critics say it amounts to an abandonment of the country's historic humanitarian role and discriminates against certain groups, particularly Muslims. The U.S. admitted 22,491 refugees in the budget year that ended Sept. 30. That's one-quarter of the number allowed to enter two years ago and the lowest since Congress passed a law in 1980 creating the modern resettlement system. It was less than half the maximum that the administration had said it would allow, even with millions of people seeking to escape war and famine around the world. "It's unfortunate for the refugees who could have come this year and didn't," said Jen Smyers with Church World Service, an organization that supports refugees and immigrants. "But these low numbers also show the U.S. turning away from a global leadership role on this issue." Story continues Last month, the cap was set even lower, at 30,000, for the new budget year. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the time the U.S. remained "the most generous nation in the world when it comes to protection-based immigration" but that the government needed to work through a backlog of pending asylum cases and support efforts to resettle people closer to home, so they can eventually return. Behind the reduction are more stringent security protocols for citizens of 11 countries designated by the administration as presenting the greatest potential threat. People from four of them Iraq, Iran, Syria and Somalia made up 41 percent of refugees allowed into the U.S. in 2016 and 2017. Now, they make up just 2 percent as people such as Mohammed's wife, whose name he does not want to publicize out of fear for her safety, face much lengthier background checks. Mohammed, 52, provided security at American military bases in central Baghdad and just north of the Iraqi capital from 2008 to 2014. After a five-year wait, he received word that he had been approved to come to the U.S. as a refugee in June 2017 with his sons. The family was told the wife would be approved soon. In correspondence from the State Department, his wife was told that her application was undergoing "additional administrative processing" but gave little other information. "Unfortunately, we cannot predict how long this administrative review will take." Another Iraqi, who worked as a translator for the U.S. military and now lives in Utah, said he has been waiting for two years to get his mother and brothers to join him. "If my brother is killed ... I will spend the rest of my life blaming myself for putting my family in harm's way," said the 41-year-old man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he fears for his family's safety in Iraq. The State Department acknowledges that the screening and vetting procedures have resulted in fewer refugee admissions in 2018. The tighter screening of refugees reflects one of the signature issues for President Donald Trump, who imposed a travel ban on people from seven majority Muslim countries as one of his first actions upon taking office in January 2017. The Department of Homeland Security has since made it harder to enter the U.S. entirely, with more rigorous interviews and background checks. Administration officials say refugee applicants are now subject to strictest, most comprehensive background check process for any group seeking to come to the U.S. Officials collect more data on refugee applicants and conduct higher-level security vetting. Officers have been given training on how to determine credibility. Fraud detection and national security officers now come oversees with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services teams who are processing refugees. Officials say the security changes may lead to temporary slowdowns in admissions but it wouldn't be permanent and the U.S. continues to help the world's most vulnerable people. Administration officials say the U.S. remains at the forefront of helping those fleeing persecution, and they note that from the 2008 budget year to 2017, the U.S. gave lawful permanent resident status to 1.7 million people for humanitarian reasons. "We will continue to assist the world's most vulnerable while never losing sight of our first duty, serving the American people," Pompeo said last month. In his speech to the United Nations last month, Trump highlighted his administration's approach as he singled out Jordan, which has taken in at least 650,000 refugees from Syria since the war in their country started in 2011. "The most compassionate policy is to place refugees as close to their homes as possible to ease their eventual return to be part of the rebuilding process," he said. In choosing who can enter as a refugee, the administration is also showing a preference for people from countries that don't have a majority Muslim population. Refugees from Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo made up more than 46 percent of refugee admissions in 2018, compared with 22 percent in 2016. The number of Muslim refugees allowed into the U.S. also has dropped. Christians made up 63 percent of all refugee admissions in 2018, compared with 40 percent in 2017. Muslims, who had been 42 percent of all refugee admissions in 2017, were only 14 percent in 2018. There were 140 Iraqis accepted during the just-ended budget year, down from 6,886 the year before. Mohammed's son says his father is lost without his mother: He can't cook, he can't take care of the children very well alone and they need her. Plus, they're afraid of what will happen if she doesn't leave Baghdad. Mohammed worries she could be a target because he provided security at U.S. military bases. "For my family to be at peace, I need to know that my wife is safe," he said. "But I would never change my decision and return to Iraq. Coming to the United States was an answer to my prayers." ___ Associated Press data journalists Meghan Hoyer and Michelle Minkoff contributed to this report. Robust revenues across data service as well as stronger trading and clearing plus listing segments might drive Intercontinental Exchange's (ICE) Q3. However, rising expenses might be a drag. For Immediate Release Chicago, IL September 26, 2018 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Petrobras PBR, W&T Offshore Inc. WTI, Northern Oil and Gas Inc. NOG and Denbury Resources Inc. DNR. Here are highlights from Tuesdays Analyst Blog: Global Crude Oil Hits 4-Year High: 4 Top Picks On Sep 25, crude oil price reached its highest level in four-years as OPEC, the largest oil producing cartel, and its Russia-led allies rejected President Trumps demand to increase oil production in order to reduce price. Notably, oil prices were fueled further by concerns over U.S. sanctions on Iran, supply bottlenecks in the United States and strong global demand. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has issued a warning of a tight global oil market toward the end of the year. This is why the crude price is likely to remain robust in the near term. At this stage, investment in energy stocks engaged primarily in oil explorations will be a prudent move. Crude Oil Price Hits 4-year High On Sep 25, international benchmark Brent crude futures rose 0.6% or $0.49 to $81.69 per barrel on Londons ICE exchange, its highest since Nov 12, 2014. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 22 cents or 0.3% to $72.30 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. As a result of crude oil price surge, the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) was up 1.5% on Sep 24. Year to date, XLE gained 5.5%, positioning itself as the fourth best performing sector out of 11 broad-based sectors of the S&P 500 index. U.S. Sanction on Iran Approaching In May, the United States walked out of the Iran nuclear pact formed in 2015. Further, the Trump administration has threatened all countries with U.S. sanctions if they dont stop importing oil from Iran by Nov 4. Story continues According to J.P. Morgan and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, U.S. sanctions on Iran will result in a loss of around 1.5 million barrel per day (bpd) of crude oil. Commodity traders Trafigura and Mercuria have estimated that around 2 million bpd of oil will be evacuated from international market after Nov 4. Supply Shortage From Venezuela, Libya and U.S. At present, combined oil supply from Iran, Libya and Venezuela are at their lowest since January. Venezuela is plagued with economic instability and its oil production is not anticipated to reach normalcy till the end of 2018. Libya is yet to recover from civil war which drastically reduced its oil productions. For the last five consecutive weeks, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has been reporting decline in U.S. crude inventories. It is currently at its lowest level since early 2015. Subdued US drilling activity may result in a drop in output. Crude Oil Price Likely to Remain Firm The demand for oil remains robust. In July, OPEC estimated that total world oil consumption is anticipated at 98.85 million bpd and 110 million bpd in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Robust demand and supply crunch is likely to raise oil prices. Notably, J.P. Morgan has lifted its target for Brent crude price to $90 per barrel for the next few months. Trafigura and Mercuria forecasted that Brent could rise to $90 by Christmas and exceed $100 by early 2019. Our Top Picks Strong international demand for crude oil, tight global oil inventories and stabilization of oil production level will aid oil price rally in the near term. Consequently it will be lucrative to invest in good energy stocks. However, picking winning stocks can be a difficult task. This is where our VGM Score comes in handy. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum and the score is a weighted combination of these three scores. Such a score allows you to eliminate the negative aspects of stocks and select the winners. However, it is important to keep in mind that each Style Score will carry a different weight while arriving at a VGM Score. We have narrowed down our search to the following stocks, each of which has either a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and a VGM Score of either A or B. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras is an integrated company operating in exploration, production, refining, retailing and transportation of petroleum and its byproducts. It has expected earnings growth of 134.3% for current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 7.9% over the last 60 days. The company has a Zacks Rank of #1 and a VGM Score of B. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. W&T Offshore Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas explorer focused primarily in the Gulf of Mexico area including the deep water. It has expected earnings growth of 60.7% for current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 4.7% over the last 60 days. The company has a Zacks Rank of #1 and a VGM Score of B. Northern Oil and Gas Inc. is an oil exploration and production company with the Williston Basin as the core area of focus. It has expected earnings growth of 292.9% for current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 34.1% over the last 60 days. The company has a Zacks Rank #2 and a VGM Score of B. Denbury Resources Inc. operates as an independent oil and natural gas company in the United States. It has expected earnings growth of 242.9% for current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 20% over the last 60 days. It has a Zacks Rank #2 and a VGM Score of A. More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone! It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market. Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020. Click here for the 6 trades >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. 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 Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (PBR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Denbury Resources Inc. (DNR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. (NOG) : Free Stock Analysis Report W&T Offshore, Inc. (WTI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research STOCKHOLM The Nobel prize in economics was awarded Monday to Colorado native Paul Romer son of former Gov. Roy Romer and to William Nordhaus of Yale University. Romer has studied the economics of climate change, and Nordhaus research on technological innovation raised hopes that people are creative enough to do something about it. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the $1 million prize to Romer, of New York University, and Nordhaus for separate research. Romer, who has studied why some economies grow faster than others, has produced research that shows how governments can advance innovation. At a news conference Monday, he said his research has left him optimistic that society can solve even a threat as deeply challenging as global warming. Many people think that dealing with protecting the environment will be so costly and so hard that they just want to ignore the problem, Romer said. They want to deny it exists; they cant deal with it. I hope the prize today could help everyone see that humans are capable of amazing accomplishments when we set about trying to do something. He said he ignored two calls Monday morning, thinking they were spam, before the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences could get through to him. Romer teaches economics at New York University, where he founded the Stern Urbanization Project, which researches how policymakers can harness cities rapid growth to create economic opportunity and undertake systemic social reform. Romer also works with civic innovators as director of NYUs Marron Institute of Urban Management. The university says he founded Aplia, an education technology application where students have submitted more than 1 billion answers to homework problems. Reached by phone Monday, Roy Romer said he was surprised but very pleased to learn of his sons achievement. I know Paul has been doing some unusual work in economics for the last 30 years, and so I was excited to hear about it, said the elder Romer, the last Colorado governor to serve three terms, from 1987 to 1999. Roy Romer called his sons work very important Hes still making a contribution the world needs. I cant help but be very proud and very pleased. He said he had spoken to his son only briefly: I just congratulated him and he was, you know, very excited about it also. Didnt expect it. It was a short conversation. He had a busy day going. Nordhaus, called the father of climate-change economics, developed models that suggest how governments can combat global warming. He has endorsed a universal tax on carbon, which would require polluters to pay for the costs their emissions impose on society. By using a tax rather than government edicts to slash emissions, the policy encourages companies to find innovative ways to reduce pollution and their tax burden. Versions of a carbon tax have been used in Europe but have yet to be adopted in the United States. As economists, Nordhaus and Romer have worked independently of each other. But to some longtime followers of the Nobel committee, the decision to collectively honor their research seemed logical.Its an ingenious pairing, said David Warsh, author of a 2007 book on Romers research, Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations. Nordhaus has been concerned all along with repairing the damage to the global environment, Warsh said. Romer has been writing about the means at your disposal to address such a technological challenge. Indeed, the Nobel announcement came just one day after the United Nations scientific panel issued an urgent call for the world to take action to thwart climate change and explicitly cited Nordhaus work in asserting so. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change argued Sunday that preventing 1 degree of extra heat over the next few decades could make a life-or-death difference for millions of people and ecosystems on Earth. In their separate ways, Nordhaus and of Romer share an interest in what drives economic growth and how to respond when unregulated market forces fail to deliver desired results. In the 1970s, Nordhaus, already alarmed by the threat of climate change, began working on potential solutions. Gradually, he developed models to guide policymakers in balancing the economic costs and societal benefits of combating carbon emissions. Nordhaus concluded that the most efficient approach was the use of carbon taxes, applied uniformly to countries. Many economists since endorsed the idea. But adopting the regulatory frameworks globally has proved problematic, and the worlds political leaders are failing to meet it, the head of the United Nations said last month. Though many developed economies have adopted a carbon tax, the U.S. has not. Far from developing policies to reduce climate change, President Donald Trump has argued that the threat of human-produced climate change is a hoax concocted by China to hurt the American economy. Many Republicans in Congress also have expressed skepticism about whether or how much people contribute to global warming and whether the U.S. government ought to take steps to address it. Romer explored why some countries have enjoyed faster economic growth. Assessing the impact of technological innovation, he concluded that unregulated economies fail to encourage enough research and development to support lasting growth. Government policies are vital, he found. Examples include subsidies for research and development and patent policies that strike a balance between allowing inventors to profit from their ideas and allowing others to put the innovations to work. One of Romers insights was that ideas differ from other goods or services. Once you eat a Swedish meatball, for instance, its gone, noted Per Krusell, a Nobel committee member who is an economist at Swedens Institute for International Studies. By contrast, an idea say, a recipe for Swedish meatballs can be shared and used again and again, delivering continual economic benefits. In a 2015 appreciation of Romer, Stanford University economist Charles Jones wrote, Ideas are not depleted by use, and it is technologically feasible for any number of people to use an idea simultaneously once it has been invented. The economics prize is the last of the Nobels to be announced this year. Last years prize went to an American, Richard Thaler of the University of Chicago, for work on how human irrationality affects economic theory. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, shakes hands with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday. A homeowner in northeast Colorado Springs apparently shot and killed an intruder, Gazette news partner KKTV reports. The incident happened Saturday evening in the 2700 block of Flintridge Circle, on the citys northeast side, where police were called to a burglary after 8 p.m. It appears as though the homeowner was protecting his residence and family members when this incident occurred at the house, police Lt. Howard Black told the television station. KKTV reported that a woman in the house spotted the intruder and fled upstairs to call 911. A man in the house confronted the intruder and told KKTV he was attacked before he fired his pistol. The couple spoke with the station, which didnt report their names. KKTV said the intruder continued to fight after police arrived and was subdued with a stun gun. Police at first said the wounded man suffered serious injures. He died Sunday morning, police said. Investigators swarmed the house after the incident. It was an odd scene in a well-heeled neighborhood dotted with Halloween decorations. The 2700 block of Flintridge Circle will be an active scene through the early morning, police said on the departments website. Preliminarily, all individuals are accounted for. Officers are also asking the public for clues to the Saturday night incident. They asked those with tips to call the department at 444-7000. 636-4809 @leslie_m_james 636-4809 @leslie_m_james Colorado native Paul Romer won the Nobel Prize on Monday for good reason: He understands and advocates humanitys limitless potential to creat Sun Times photo of Pritzker homes on North Astor - on right is the toilet-less home DC - Illinois' seven Republican Congress members want Chicago US Attorney John Lausch, Jr to "fully investigate" the Cook County Inspector General's report concerning the Pritzkers' Chicago homes. The report suggests gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker may have been involved in "fraud and perjury" that cut the billionaires' property taxes by $330,000 over five years. "The facts described in the Inspector General's report appear to constitute fraud and perjury," the letter to Lausch says. "Since the imporeprly-obtained refund checks were sent to Mr. Pritzker through the US Mail, a violation of 18 USC 1341 (the Federal Mail Fraud Statute) may have occurred." Those signing onto the letter are Republicans Peter Roskam, Mike Bost, Rodney Davis, Randy Hultgren, John Shimkus, Adam Kinzinger and Darin La Hood. Erin Amsberry is a Colorado native and the Communications Manager for the American Energy Alliance. When one Colorado hospital reported 50 percent of babies born in a single month had marijuana in their systems, a public health hysteria took root, with the image of a statewide epidemic of high newborns embellished in each retelling. At best, the facts were unintentionally distorted, a Gazette inquiry has found. At worst, they were misrepresented for political effect. St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center in Pueblo reported in July 2016, when it still had a labor and delivery unit, that nearly half of the newborns born in March 2016 at St. Mary-Corwin who were drug tested due to suspected pre-natal exposure tested positive for marijuana. Newborns who were drug tested is the key phrase often absent from the statistic when it has been repeated in the community by politicians and anti-pot officials. Because what the numbers show is that of the 52 babies born at St. Marys that month, only 11 were drug tested, and of those 11, five were positive for THC. So while it may be true that 45 percent or nearly half of the babies tested at the Pueblo hospital that March were positive for marijuana, that subset is less than 10 percent of babies born that month. St. Marys argued that While a small subset the results are certainly indicative of a concerning trend, but they have no data to back up whether the percentage is higher or lower than other years. The hospital doesnt have records of positive tests before March 2016, and apparently didnt keep them afterward, either. The hospital initially indicated it did keep the records and was preparing to turn them over to The Gazette in response to a public records request, but after two months hospital spokeswoman Jillian Maes said it is simply not available We do not have any more recent data for babies. The number of newborns testing positive for marijuana statewide simply isnt known. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the states public health record keeper, said it does not receive or track data on THC-positive infants across the state because there is no consistency between the hospitals about who gets tested. However, in one of its survey from 2016, 7.8 percent of mothers admitted to using the drug at some point during their pregnancy. If a mother admits to using, every hospital requires urine and umbilical cord testing on her and the baby. Otherwise, testing is left up to each hospitals staffs discretion, based on perceived risk factors, signs of use or because the mother didnt participate in regular prenatal visits. El Paso County hospitals report In the absence of statewide data, The Gazette reached out to the three other hospitals that deliver babies in El Paso and Pueblo counties to see whether their data reflected an alarming trend of THC-positive babies, but their statistics are similar less than half of the babies born are tested, and those that are positive for marijuana account for 5 percent or less of the newborn population. Penrose-St. Francis Health Services doesnt track drug tests on babies, but medical social worker Jeanne Moore started keeping her records in March 2015. She only records positive tests results, but her records show that of 10,487 babies born at the hospital between March 2015 and June 2018, 248 of them or about 2 percent were positive for THC. UCHealth Memorials two hospitals began testing some newborn umbilical cords for cannabinoids in October 2015. It found that of the roughly 4,600 babies born at the hospitals in a given year, less than 1,000 are tested and of those, less than half are positive for any drug. In the years 2016 and 2017, for example, about 200 babies tested positive for marijuana, which equates to 30 percent or less of the babies tested and 4 percent of babies born. Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo has been tracking THC in newborns since at least 2013. Its records show that of the roughly 1,500 babies born there each year, less than 250 are tested a number that has doubled since 2013 but only about a third are positive for marijuana. The positives represent 5 percent or less of the newborn population. The number of infants tested continues to increase each year, as do the number of positive results, according to hospital data. At Memorial, the difference between its two full years of data in 2016 and 2017 is about 50 babies. Penrose-St. Francis didnt break down its number by year, but Moore said theyve held a steady pace of about 8 positive tests per month, which would equate to roughly 100 babies a year. Parkviews increase appears the most dramatic, spiking from 5 positive tests in 2013 to as many as 85 in recent years, but the number of positives remains below figures at the other two hospitals. I am always concerned about drug exposure but I dont think that its at a point where we need to be overreacting, Moore, a 28-year medical social worker, said of the figures. We need to be educational, prudent, informed, but we dont need to be hysterical. When you put it into context, there arent a lot of drugged babies being born in the state, Moore said. The problem is, few people who use the statistic put it into context. Industry, law enforcement dispute District Attorney Dan May is among the officials who cite the figure most often in news conferences and speeches to bolster his view of the negative impact marijuana has had on the state. The most recent case was over the summer during a joint announcement with area law enforcement on the exploding black market for marijuana. May said: In 2016, they asked all the hospitals, are you seeing more babies born with marijuana? Every hospital in the state of Colorado reported that it had an increase The hospital down in Pueblo reported 48 percent of the babies were born with marijuana in their system at birth. Thats 50 percent of babies in Pueblo. That narrative is demonizing cannabis and unfairly feeding reefer madness in the state, said Ashley Weber with Colorado NORML, a pro-marijuana organization that advocates for cannabis law reforms. Its not just the public opinion Weber says shes worried about. Marijuana at the federal level remains a Schedule I illegal substance, so Colorado law requires that parents whose babies test positive for the drug be reported to social services for investigation of child abuse. Most of the time those reports are quickly ruled unfounded, but Weber said more parents this year are calling frantic that their countys social services agency is threatening to remove their children from the home because they tested positive for marijuana at birth. She worries misleading information might be driving the trend. Cannabis is not grounds for bad parenting, Weber said. Social service agencies disagree with Weber, to varying degrees. The El Paso County Department of Human Services receives roughly 16,000 referrals a year alleging child abuse or neglect, less than half of which are assigned for deeper investigation and a smaller percentage of those are determined to be founded, Child Protection Manager Krystal Grint said. Its impossible to parse how many of the reports that escalate to full DHS cases involve newborns testing positive for marijuana. Hospital records show that roughly 100 babies in El Paso County tested positive for marijuana in the first few months of this year, which means there could be 100 DHS reports. But Grint said that in the first half of the year they opened only 68 cases related to drug use, though they cant say which drug or at what point the parent used. Either way, Grint said it would take more than a positive marijuana test at birth to initiate DHS action. It would have to be compounded by other issues that could really impact the ability to properly provide caregiving to the child, such as how often the parent uses, if they have a safety plan for their child while they use, if other family members are concerned about the childs safety, if other drugs are involved, if domestic violence is involved or if parents cant support the child financially. Susanna Prensner, a three-year medical social worker at Penrose-St. Francis, said that in Pueblo County marijuana use during pregnancy is so common that when they report a mother, the Pueblo County Department of Social Services tells them its not likely to follow up on it. Two program administrators with Pueblos social services agency called the allegation not necessarily true, because the office assesses each of its roughly 2,000 referrals a year. They didnt have figures readily available to show how many of their referrals or case reports involved drugs. Health department warnings Meanwhile, messaging by government agencies, pediatricians and others warn against marijuana use while pregnant or breastfeeding. The Colorado health department says on its website that using marijuana during pregnancy or while breastfeeding may make it hard for your child to pay attention and learn, especially as your child grows older. This would make it harder for your child to do well in school. The American Academy of Pediatrics this summer also doubled down on the same message after two studies published this year found that 70 percent of cannabis dispensaries in Colorado were recommending their products to expectant mothers with morning sickness, and that infant exposures across the nation increased 62 percent after legalization. The fact that marijuana is legal in many states may give the impression the drug is harmless during pregnancy, especially with stories swirling on social media about using it for nausea with morning sickness, a lead author of the latter study, Dr. Sheryl A. Ryan, said. But in fact, this is still a big question. Very little is known about the effects of marijuana exposure on infants. Most research depends on anecdotal information provided by parents after the fact. But Ryan says based on the limited data that does exist, as pediatricians, we believe there is cause to be concerned about how the drug will impact the long-term development of children. A University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus study this summer also associated marijuana use during pregnancy with a 50 percent increased likelihood of low birth weight. Memorial Hospital seems to support the studys correlation between marijuana use and low birth weight, but linking it to premature births. The hospital tests all mothers who give birth within the first 36 weeks of gestation full-term is 40 weeks when the labor is not attributable to some other cause, such as a car crash, an infection or pre-eclampsia. Though records reflecting how often that happens were not provided. Parkview also reports that in the last five years, up to 25 percent of the babies born there who tested positive for marijuana were delivered premature. Moore, with Penrose-St. Francis, said, There is no direct correlation between a babys size or gestational age and marijuana use. The hospital doesnt track premature births or birth weights for babies who test positive for the drug, she said. Unlike babies exposed to meth or heroin, marijuana babies show no immediate side effects, Moore said, but, like Ryan and Sabet, she suspects damaging consequences wouldnt present themselves until later in the childs life. She wondered why mothers would take the risk. We dont have anyone saying marijuana is harmful yet, but we will. Colorado NORML also doesnt recommend mothers consume any drugs while pregnant, Weber said, but it does believe cannabis would be the safest and most effective natural option if the mother needed medical treatment for severe issues with nausea, seizures or inflammation. Based on their research and anecdotal information from parents whose children are now 10 years old, early marijuana exposure doesnt even have an effect, Weber said. Contact the writer at 719-636-0362 or find her on Twitter: @njKaitlinDurbin. A Colorado Department of Transportation official looks at a sign posted at the Gillette Flats well promoting an online petition in protest of its scheduled closure next month. Thousands of Teller County residents use the well each year for drinking, bathing, cooking and watering pets and livestock. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MGX Minerals Inc. (MGX or the Company) ( CSE: XMG / OTCQB: MGXMF / FSE: 1MG ) reports that joint-venture partner A.I.S. Resources (A.I.S.) (TSX.V: AIS) has received the final TEM Geophysics report from Quantec. The report includes a detailed analysis and interpretation of the TEM profiles. Two major aquifer structures based on low resistivity have been identified. A.I.S. Exploration Director and CEO, Phil Thomas, undertook a 20 trench sampling program using a 321C Caterpillar excavator to trench down to 5 metres at each point selected at the Salinitas JV Project in the Salinas Grandes Salar, Salta Province, Argentina. The objective was to identify the types of sediments with a specific resistivity close to the surface and identify the porosity of this unit, eg stratigraphic units of green grey clays, sand, black volcanic sands or brown clays. The black sands have a porosity of 22-32% +/- 3%. Preparations have commenced to start a drilling program in the next two weeks subject to drill rig availability. Some drill pad preparation and roads have been upgraded and drill rig fluid pits have been dug at trench site 12 and 18 in preparation for drill hole 1, and if successful, drill hole 2. About the Salinitas Lithium Brine Project The Salinitas tenements are located in the lithium triangle at the Salar de Salinas Grandes, in the Province of Salta. The 4,308 hectare contiguous land package resides in the Puna region of northwest Argentina near the border of Chile, an area renowned for its lithium- and potassium-rich brine resources. MGX has partnered with A.I.S. Resources (TSX.V: AIS) on the Project and is currently earning an undivided 80% interest by incurring total exploration expenditures of at least US$1.2 million by May 31, 2020 and by making payments totaling US$3.2 million which are primarily due at that time. Rapid Lithium Brine Extraction Technology MGX has developed a rapid lithium extraction technology eliminating or greatly reducing the physical footprint and investment in large, multi-phase, lake sized, lined evaporation ponds, as well as enhancing the quality of extraction and recovery across a complex range of brines as compared with traditional solar evaporation. This technology is applicable to petrolithium (oil and gas wastewater), natural brine, and other brine sources such as lithium-rich mine and industrial plant wastewater. The technology was recently chosen as winner of the Base and Specialty Metals Industry Leadership Award at the 2018 S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards, held in London in May ( see press release dated May 18, 2018 ). Qualified Person Andris Kikauka (P. Geo.), Vice President of Exploration for MGX Minerals, has prepared, reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release. Mr. Kikauka is a non-independent Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards. About MGX Minerals MGX Minerals is a diversified Canadian resource company with interests in advanced material and energy assets throughout North America. Learn more at www.mgxminerals.com . Contact Information Jared Lazerson President and CEO Telephone: 1.604.681.7735 Web: www.mgxminerals.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Photos accompanying this announcement are available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/78b56d21-2d05-40e0-992e-4411e42bda8e http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/16b816b0-d60d-4c82-b472-6f23fb97d136 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/75466868-16a6-439e-b8b2-6ee5dc8a5e5e http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4fcf32a3-2ba7-4eb3-8664-bb4452caf039 SANTA ANA, Calif., Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ducommun Incorporated (NYSE: DCO) announced today that it will host its first ever Investor Day on Friday, November 9, 2018 at the Westin New York Grand Central Hotel in New York City. At that time the Company will provide an update on its corporate strategy, operations, and its views on market dynamics and industry trends. The event will begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time and feature presentations and a Q&A session with the Companys senior leadership, including the following: Stephen Oswald, chairman, president and chief executive officer Douglas Groves, vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer Dave Wilmot, vice president of Engineered Products and Electronics Jerry Redondo, senior vice president of Operations and vice president of Structures Suman Mookerji, vice president of Strategy and M&A Advanced registration is required and may be secured by contacting Ducommuns Investor Relations team at investorrelations@ducommun.com. The Company also will host a live audio webcast of the presentations, which can be accessed along with related presentation materials on the Investor Relations section of the Companys website. An archived replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days following the event broadcast at the same link. For further information about Ducommuns Investor Day event, please contact the Investor Relations team at the email address above. Event Details Date: Friday, November 9, 2018 Time: Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time (light refreshments will be served) Presentations begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time and are expected to last two hours. Location: Westin New York Grand Central Hotel, 212 East 42nd Street, New York, NY About Ducommun Incorporated Ducommun Incorporated delivers value-added innovative manufacturing solutions to customers in the aerospace, defense and industrial markets. Founded in 1849, the company specializes in two core areas Electronic Systems and Structural Systems to produce complex products and components for commercial aircraft platforms, mission-critical military and space programs, and sophisticated industrial applications. For more information, visit www.ducommun.com . Rapid City, South Dakota, Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Earlier in the year, Dr. Edward Picardi, MD, who is a general surgeon in Rapid City, South Dakota, completed his mission as a volunteer with the Samaritans Purse. The organization is a Christian humanitarian program that seeks to provide assistance to those in impoverished communities in Asia, Africa, and other places around the world. Having been in practice for more than two decades, Dr. Picardi decided to take up the challenge and volunteer in two of the poorest countries in Africa; Togo and Liberia. As a specialist surgeon, his skills were of great value to people in the remote areas of these two nations. Despite travel advisories advising Americans not to travel to the region, the doctor went to Liberia in May, then moved to Togo in June. Some of his friends had advised him not to go to these countries that were devastated by the Ebola outbreak only a few years ago. However, Dr. Picardi is not easily swayed, especially in situations where he can make contributions to the community by applying his expertise. Physicians and medical specialists like him who volunteer their services to these communities are driven by a sense of purpose that compels them to do something for the greater good. Dr. Picardi is now planning to focus on humanitarian work after completing his mission in the two West African countries. Part of what continues to inspire him is the idea of making a real impact in places where it is most needed. Serving the public is not something that is new to Dr, Picardi. He devoted 13 years of his life to the military. A decade of the years he spent in the military was devoted to active duty. His service to communities has shaped his career and life. After leaving the military, he partnered with his wife and they decided to dedicate their medical practice to help the needy. He has also taken time to publicly share his views on American health care policy, talking about issues many in his profession often shy away from. Serving some of the most impoverished communities has proven to be rewarding and life-changing for the doctor. Despite the challenges, his experience working with volunteers and the natives of these regions has changed his perspective and compelled him to dedicate more time to charitable causes. Dr. Picardi and his wife hope to continue providing assistance through their medical practice and taking part in humanitarian endeavors. Now, we have no way of knowing for sure whether T-Swift came to this feeling entirely on her own, or if the talented singer-songwriter was led in this direction by handlers upset at her general silence on politics in the past. Todays entertainment industry, despite being shaken by the #metoo movement, remains rooted in groupthink where politics are concerned. Swift, who has long had a broad following across the ideological spectrum, penned a social media screed that tarred Rep. Blackburn with the usual accusations that modern Democrats regularly level against Republicans: accusing her of supporting a patriarchy by taking positions that oppose women, LGBTQs, and other minorities. Last weekend, pop (formerly country) superstar Taylor Swift after years of carefully avoiding politics took to Instagram to issue a polemic against Congressman Marsha Blackburn, candidate for U.S. Senate in her home state of Tennessee. But heres what we do know, regardless of whether its the pop princess Taylor Swift spouting the claim or any more activist Democrat doing it: the claim itself is malarkey. In this area the area of sex and minority rights - the only significant issue on which the right and left disagree is on gay marriage. The left favors such a redefinition of marriage, while the right generally opposes legalizing such a union by granting it the word marriage. Thats really it. Outside of this issue, the right doesnt have a single position that is at odds with the best interests of any group of law-abiding US citizens. Male or female, rich or poor, urban or rural, the American right and the American left dont really split on these lines at all, no matter how much the left may try to claim they do. In fact, the rights positions are universally far better for women, for LGBTQs, and for blacks, Hispanics, and any other group you might choose to name. Consider these varied topics in the world of politics today (and please forgive me, but I will use some generalities here to illustrate my point; as the left wants to speak of people in groups, lets address the groups that way, but with greater honesty): The right stands for job creation. Unemployment in all demographics is down, as the post-Obama economic boom has given work opportunities to people of every color, age, ethnicity, sex and persuasion. Is the unemployed gay man, black single woman, or Hispanic single mother better served by a party that shouts I support your demographic group! or by the party that helps create the conditions that can lift them out of poverty with a path to a career? The right stands for law enforcement. In states that have instituted such conservative policies as certain jail time for criminals, and concealed carry for law abiding citizens, the streets are safe for everyone, not just for old white males. We want the mugger and rapist arrested, no matter what demographic their victims belong to. We want the home burglar arrested, no matter whether he's robbing the apartment of an actor or the apartment of a retail clerk. We want the drive-by shooter arrested, no matter whether he's shooting up a park full of black kids, white kids, Hispanic kids or Asian kids. When we crack down on the problems, we help everyone. When criminals are convicted and locked up, and when some percentage of law-abiding pedestrians might be armed, everyone is safer from the mother riding public transit to the gay man walking back to his car from a nightclub. The right stands for real borders, and a crackdown on the ongoing problem of illegal aliens flooding our job market and our government infrastructure. Its not the white upper class businessmen who suffer the most from millions of illegal aliens; its the neighborhoods where these illegals live. Americas legal blacks and Hispanics already suffer a more challenging job market because of their concentration in dying liberal cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, new York and Detroit. The influx of illegals has brought to our cities new drug gangs, expansion of already dangerous neighborhoods, unaffordable costs to our government healthcare infrastructure, and too much competition for scant jobs for those willing and eager to work. Do we help poor people, of any race or sex, by wearing a rainbow pin or ridiculous pink hat, or do we help them by making their streets safer, by helping them to get jobs and careers, by enabling their local emergency rooms to save them when they have heart attacks rather than being continually overwhelmed by victims of MS-13 shootings and drug addiction? In the final analysis, the question isnt why Taylor Swift was talked into helping out a desperate political party thats watching its long-planned blue wave go up in smoke. It really doesnt matter why one more celebrity was convinced to tout the party line, lending her questionable credibility to an ever more desperate cause. The real question is, Why on earth do any Americans continue to divide the nation into these groups, by color or sex or preference or heritage, at all, when our real problems are shared across demographic lines? The issues of the day the issues that truly matter, and which should be decided by elections like this Novembers are truly shared by all law abiding citizens. You don't have to be a middle aged white man to benefit from safety and economic growth, you know. Everyone benefits from safe streets, job growth, lower taxes, available hospitals... most of all, those who suffer the greatest challenges in these areas at first. The people who benefit most are those who live in dangerous neighborhoods, in jobless communities, in hospitals jammed with gunshot and stabbing victims... Who really benefits? the young woman on her way home to work, the choreographer on his way to the theater, the single mom running a daycare service, the nurse trying to help patients in an emergency room all these people benefit from conservative policies, no matter their color or preference. They all suffered from liberal policies, as well. Decades of leftist mismanagement are what drove jobs overseas, turned inner city schools into war zones, and taxed families out of healthcare, out of their farms, even out of their homes. The politics of division have no place in America. It is a pity that one more celebrity has taken up that cause and it would be that much greater a pity if any of her impressionable fans shut their eyes to the truth all around us, and listen instead to such hackneyed and unfounded demographic generalizations. Copyright 2018 John F. Di Leo John F. Di Leo is a Chicagoland-based trade compliance trainer, writer and actor. His columns on economics, history, and the political scene are regularly found in Illinois Review. Use the tool on the left margin of the web page to obtain a free subscription to Illinois Reviews article notices! February 2018 650 ( Q48, V31, IR6, AWA6) re-take Most important thing I learnt from my first attempt File comment: Attaching the tracker that I had found online and made a few modifications to suit my needs. Quants Main tracker (2).xlsm [401.03 KiB] Downloaded 51 times To download please login or register as a user During the Six-Year-Old and Older Cow Class the collective Coliseum audience held their breath as Judge Carl Phoenix motioned for the cow in first to pull to a stop and the cow in second to pull side-by-side. At that moment, the cow in second was Jacobs Lauthority Loana exhibited by Ferme Jacobs and Pat Conroy of Cap-Sante, Quebec, Canada. Phoenix took another look and tapped Loana ahead to first place in the class and thats where she stayed the rest of the day. Two beautiful cows we have before us. When you get these cows on the move, I prefer the slope to the rump on this cow in first, said Phoenix during his reasons in the Six-Year-Old and Older Cow Class. She has a little more height and pop to her rear udder. Loana, an Excellent-96 point cow, was just getting started as she was next paraded across the colored shavings to earn the title Champion Bred and Owned. Following that she was named Senior Champion with Weeks Dundee Anika, the cow she beat in the Six-Year-Old and Older Cow Class, was named Reserve Senior Champion and Reserve Grand Champion of the Holstein Show. She was exhibited by Milksource Genetics LLC of Kaukauna, Wis. Intermediate Champion was Erbacres Snapple Shakira-ET exhibited by Ferme Jacobs, Ty-D Holsteins, Kilian Theraulaz, Ferme Antelimarck, C&F Jacobs of Cap-Sante, Quebec, Canada who was the winning junior 3-year-old. The Reserve Intermediate Champion was Unique Dempsey Cheers exhibited by Budjon, Abbott, Vail, Woodmansee & Ferme Blondin of Lomira, Wis. Junior Champion belonged to Milksource Taelyn-ET exhibited by Milksource Genetics LLC of Kaukauna, Wis. Jm Valley, Fortale, and JP Proulx of Amqui, Quebec, Canada took Reserve Junior Champion honors with the winning fall calf Garay Doorman Blind Date. The Premier Sire of the show was Braedale Goldwyn, while the Premier Sire of the heifer show was Val-Bisson Doorman-ET. For the second year in a row, Ferme Jacobs was the Premier Breeder. Milksource Genetics LLC was named the 2018 Premier Exhibitor. Maggie Seiler The author is an associate editor. She covers feeding and nutrition, youth activities, and heads up the World Dairy Expo Supplement. Maggie was raised on a 150-cow dairy near Valley Center, Kansas, and graduated from Kansas State University with degrees in agricultural communications and animal sciences. 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 A new task force at Indiana University will provide education and enforce sanctions on hazing, alcohol and drug abuse, and sexual violence at campus fraternities and sororities. The Greek Task Force has ten members, all of whom are graduates of Indiana University and its Greek community. IU spokesperson Chuck Carney says the advisory body will provide the Provost with guidance on how to address issues within the community. Its just another voice that allows us to make sure were doing the right thing in certain areas, and bring up some new ideas that could help our folks that work with Greek life, Carney says. The task force will also assist in the implementation of initiatives to improve those issues. Proposed initiatives include mandatory monthly training and meetings for chapter advisers, and leadership requirements and reduced chapter sizes in individual chapters. Several IU fraternities have been suspended or lost their charters for their behavior in the past three years, including one in February. IUs Interfraternity Council imposed restrictions on social activities in March. Indiana University is distancing itself from a former school trustee who opposed racial integration. The IU Board of Trustees decided Friday to remove Ora Wildermuth's name from a building on the Bloomington campus. The decision came about 10 years after the push began to rename the Wildermuth Intramural Center. It was named in 1971 for Wildermuth, a judge from Lake County who served on the IU board from 1925 to 1952. In one 1948 letter, Wildermuth claimed the average intelligence of blacks was so far below whites that it was "futile to build up hope for a great future." IU President Michael McRobbie says Wildermuth's views were deplorable. IU Trustee Patrick Shoulders of Evansville opposed the change. He says he found Wildermuth's statements abhorrent but that they shouldn't be judged by today's standards. Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Thank you for your support! Associated Press Proves Trump is a Liar when it comes to African Americans WASHINGTON (AP) Facing pivotal November elections, President Donald Trump is misrepresenting the history of African-American voting and exaggerating his influence in boosting income and controlling prescription drug prices. He laments in campaign speeches on behalf of Republican candidates that blacks support for Democrats had become habit, having voted for them for 100 years, and insists his administrations policies are changing that. In fact, most African-Americans were effectively blocked from the right to vote until 1965. Much of the income gains he claims for blacks and other minorities came during the Obama administration. On drug costs, Trump says he is bringing them down. But few drugmakers have actually lowered prices as a result of his pressure. ADVERTISEMENT And in remarks at the hot core of the debate over his new Supreme Court justice, Trump distorted the testimony of Brett Kavanaughs accuser in a mocking turn on a rally stage before the Senate elevated the judge to the high court on the weekend. A look at the past weeks claims: BLACK VOTE TRUMP, on black support for Democratic candidates in recent elections: Its only habit. Its habit, because for 100 years, African-Americans have gone with Democrats. Kansas rally Saturday. THE FACTS: No, black Americans did not primarily vote Democratic for 100 years, or anywhere close to it. Most African-Americans for much of U.S. history were disenfranchised, then effectively deterred from voting via poll taxes and literacy tests until passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which outlawed racial discrimination in voting. ADVERTISEMENT African-Americans who could vote before then generally backed Republican candidates until the 1932 election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. His New Deal programs of economic relief won their support and helped spur a longer-term shift of black voting from Republican to Democratic. The Voting Rights Act eliminated literacy tests, clamped down on poll taxes that the 24th Amendment had banned in federal elections a year earlier and required a number of mostly Southern states with a history of discrimination to get advance federal approval to make changes to their election laws. Before that, only an estimated 23 percent of voting-age blacks were registered nationally, says the Library of Congress , but by 1969 that had jumped to 61 percent. MEDIAN INCOME TRUMP: How does your African-American, how do you vote for somebody else? Ive done more for them in two years And their median income is the highest. But not only for African-Americans, for Asian. Minnesota rally Thursday. THE FACTS: Hes wrong about median income now being the highest for African-Americans. He also exaggerates the economic gains hes accomplished for blacks and Asian-Americans. The median income last year for an African-American household was $40,258, according to the Census Bureau. Thats below a 2000 peak of $42,348 and also statistically no better than 2016, which was Democratic President Barack Obamas last year in office. Many economists view the continued economic growth since the middle of 2009, in Obamas first term, as the primary explanation for recent hiring and income gains. More important, there are multiple signs that the racial wealth gap is now worsening and the administration appears to have done little, if anything, to address this problem specifically. As to Asian-Americans, the median income for a typical household last year was $81,331. Thats no better than their median income of $83,182 in 2016. ___ Associated Press writers Linda Johnson in Trenton, New Jersey, and Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report. Cop who Killed Tamir Rice Returns to the Police Force in Ohio BELLAIRE, Ohio (AP) The former Cleveland police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice has been hired by a police department in a small Ohio village. The Times Leader reports Bellaires police chief confirmed Friday he hired Timothy Loehmann as a part-time officer. Richard Flanagan said Loehmann was never charged in Tamirs death and deserves a second chance. ADVERTISEMENT Bellaire is a village of about 4,000 along the Ohio River, more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) south of Cleveland. Tamir, who was black, was playing with a pellet gun outside a recreation center in 2014 when he was shot by Loehmann, who is white. A grand jury declined to indict Loehmann. He was fired last year after it was discovered he was previously deemed unfit for duty. Have you Heard of the Opelousas Massacre of 1868 where Black Folks Died for the Right to Vote? Postcard of the savage murders of Issac McGhie, Elmer Jackson and Nate Green in Duluth, Minnesota on June 15, 1920. OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) St. Landry Parish now has its first symbols of the Opelousas Massacre, a little-known racial clash in 1868 that claimed dozens of African-American lives. On the conflicts 150th anniversary, archivist and genealogist Marie Marcel gave certificates to current member of families who survived the event. ADVERTISEMENT Red ribbons adorned the certificates, symbolic of the ribbons their ancestors used to survive. After the Massacre, they wanted to save their lives, said Marcel. They decided to go away. They wore red ribbons on their arms to let the Democrats know they were no longer Republican. Im not saying there was no killing. But this event ended very peacefully. Certificates were given to descendants of the Mayfield, Clementine, Barnebe, Auzenne and other families at Commemorating the 150th Year of the 1868 Massacre, a panel discussion held at the South Park Civic Center in Opelousas. About 50 people listened to speakers that included St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court Charlie Jagneaux, who highlighted voting history in the United States. James Guidry, whos written articles about his youth in Opelousas, shared Massacre history he discovered during his research. But Marcels presentation was the main event, an effort to clear often-conflicting information thats been published. The Sept. 28, 1868 event was a voting rights clash between black Republicans and white Democrats, which included the Seymour Knights, a white supremacist group. ADVERTISEMENT African American Registry Photo Emerson Bentley, who was white and editor of the St. Landry Progress newspaper, reported the clash and urged blacks to remain Republican. Members of the Knights whipped Bentley, but rumors circulated that he had been killed. Historical accounts say blacks who took up arms, a violation of the local law, were arrested and many were executed. White attacks on blacks continued in the weeks that followed, with reports that as many as 300 were killed. But during her 12 years of research, Marcel obtained a copy of Bentleys journal in the Edith Garland Dupre Library archives on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. One entry states that less than 50 people lost their lives. It was bad, but not as bad as many have said, said Marcel. People managed to get away. The majority of them went to New Orleans. The other side went to Prairie Basse (near Grand Coteau). They did interviews and talked about people that survived. Marcel also traced photos of a hanging attributed to the Massacre to an execution in Paris, Texas. She challenged audience members to do more local research and suggested Creoles of Color in Bayou Country, a 1996 book by retired UL professor Carl Brasseaux, Keith Fontenot and Claude Oubre. Genealogist Etha Simien Amling also suggested Matthew Christensens The 1868 St. Landry Massacre: Reconstructions Deadliest Episode of Violence, a University of Wisconsin dissertation that can be downloaded online. Don DAvy, a local architect, told audience members that genealogy research shows his great-great-grandfather, Yves DAvy, was involved in the Massacre. Yves DAvys son, Francois DAvy, who was associated with the Republican-leaning newspaper and supported black voter registration, was shot by white supremacists on the day of the Massacre. He escaped to New Orleans, where he gave testimony to the U. S. Army about events in St. Landry Parish. Don DAvy has copies of his testimony. You can pick your friends, but you cant pick your relatives, said David, 71. Sometimes back there in the closet, you find things that youre not very proud of. But I love Opelousas. I love my neighbors. I love being a part of something like this. Marcel said she hopes citizens can share their own research at a future panel discussion. No date has been set for the event. ___ Senator Kamala Harris Statement on Confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on her vote on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court: ADVERTISEMENT When Judge Brett Kavanaugh was first nominated, I said that he represents a direct and fundamental threat to that promise inscribed above the Supreme Court, Equal Justice Under Law. In the weeks since then, the basis for my concern has been confirmed. Senate Republicans used raw power to rush an unfit nominee onto the Supreme Court when the American people have more questions than answers about Judge Kavanaughs suitability to serve. When Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward with serious and credible allegations of sexual assault, not only was she attacked by Senate Republicans, she was mocked by the President of the United States. The White House then prevented the FBI from investigating critical aspects of the allegations or interviewing key witnessesnot even permitting the FBI to interview Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford. As a former prosecutor, I have led investigations and I have tried these cases in a courtroom. I have spent countless hours with assault survivors. And when I look at what has occurred over these few days, we have fallen short in fulfilling our constitutional duty to fully evaluate Judge Kavanaughs nomination. This process has been a disservice to Dr. Ford. This process was a disservice to survivors everywhere. And this process has been a disservice to the American people. The Judge Kavanaugh the American people saw before the Judiciary Committee does not have the character, the temperament, or the judgment to sit on the highest court in our land. His own partisan, evasive, dishonest, and aggressive testimony demonstrates that we cannot trust him to be a fair and unbiased jurist. He is simply unfit. The Senate should have put partisanship aside and demanded better. ADVERTISEMENT Millions of Americans are rightly outraged at this hasty and unjust process, which threatens to cloud the legitimacy of the Supreme Court of the United States. And they are rightly fearful that Justice Kavanaugh will undermine Roe v. Wade, roll back access to affordable healthcare, and side with powerful and partisan interests over the most vulnerable. It is now up to each of us to continue to fight for justice and equality and hold our government accountable. The war in Afghanistan is having the greatest effect on the countrys civilians. Afghan women have often been the target of the violence. Years ago, the Taliban leadership banned music and education for girls. The Taliban also restricted outdoor activities when it was controlling much of Afghanistan. Today, some young Afghans are using music to spread a message of hope and peace. The young musicians are part of a new orchestra, known as Zohra. The group was created in 2014 as part of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul. Ahmed Naser Sarmast is the institutes director and founder of the orchestra. The name Zohra comes from a music goddess in Persian literature, he notes. Most of the orchestras members are young girls. They are using the power of music to help ease tensions and work in support of women's rights. Negin Khpolwak is Zohras first female conductor. She told VOA that Afghanistan has taken steps to support womens rights over the past 17 years. She said, I am hopeful because we need to stand up and we need to open the door for other Afghan girlsand fight for their rights." Sarmast noted that, year after year, the number of students in Zohra has grown. He said that more parents are bringing their children to the institute to study music. "I strongly believe without arts and culture there cannot be security and we are using the soft power of music to make a small contribution to bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan and at the same time using this beautiful weapon to transform our community." The orchestra has traveled overseas and performed in many countries. Recently, the group visited neighboring Pakistan for the first time. Some of Zohras members were born and raised in refugee camps in the country. Pakistan is still home to millions of Afghan refugees. "We strongly believe in the healing power of music. We are using the healing power of music to look after the wounds of the Afghan people as well as the Pakistani people. We are here with the message of peace, brotherhood and freedom." Im Jonathan Evans. Ayaz Gul reported this story for VOANews.com. Jonathan Evans adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story orchestra n. a group of musicians who play usually classical music together and who are led by a conductor conductor n. a person who stands in front of people while they sing or play musical instruments and directs their performance contribution n. something that is given to help a person or cause transform v. to change As trade tensions between China and the United States worsen, a debate is intensifying in China over the purpose of private and state-owned companies. The debate has even led to fears that the countrys communist-led government is preparing to nationalize private industries, observers say. Under Xi Jinpings leadership, the Chinese Communist Party has begun re-establishing its power over every part of society, including businesses. Party on top In June, the party announced that it was requiring that all companies listed on Chinese stock markets set up party organizations for their workers. Over the past two weeks, tensions with the United States have increased. During that time, a number of business-related stories appeared on the internet suggesting that it was time for private companies to step aside. The stories called on China to move toward a large-scale centralized economy in which private and public companies are mixed. In one article, financier Wu Xiaoping wrote: The private economy has accomplished its mission to help the public economy develop and it should gradually step aside. These ideas received some criticism even from Chinese state media. But the fact that the article was not immediately taken down was a sign that the government wanted to see how people would react, said Frank Xie. He is an associate professor of marketing at the University of South Carolina Aiken. In China, when there is something that the government doesnt want people to hear, it wont survive, as soon as it surfaces on the internetit will be deleted and removed, Xie said. And yet this thing, the call by this guy stayed there for so long. Critics were also unhappy with a more recent statement. It came from Qiu Xiaoping, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Personnel and Social Affairs. Qiu said that private companies need to be more democratic. He said they also should let more people serve in management positions and help strengthen the leadership of the communist party. Private guarantees Chinese officials have promised that private companies would be looked after. During a visit to Liaoning province last month, President Xi urged private companies to feel secure. Xi promised that the party would develop, support, guide and protect private industry. It is not clear if his comments meant getting more involved in the workings of private companies. Private business leaders are deeply concerned. They worry that Chinas economy will contract, noted Lu Suiqi, an associate professor of economics at Peking University. Also, some Chinese fear the countrys leaders may sacrifice private companies to keep state-owned businesses from failing. Lu said that even with the promises by Chinese officials, the power that state-owned businesses enjoy is unlikely to change. State enterprises have long controlled profitable industries in China. They also have long been considered centers of corruption. State-owned enterprises have rights to 70 percent of the countrys financial resources. Yet they are responsible for about 30 percent of the national economy. Private companies are responsible for 80 percent of all jobs in China and 60 percent of the economic growth. Many people inside and outside of China believe state-owned enterprises are slowing Chinas economic growth and are a barrier to free trade. They also are a main issue in the U.S. trade dispute with China. Yet the Chinese Communist Party is likely to continue its effort to expand the size of state-controlled businesses. Whether it is nationalizing private enterprises or making state-owned enterprises bigger, it is all about expanding control, said Darson Chiu of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. For Chinas government, Chiu said, expanding the state operated enterprises would make it easier to plan the economy. That is the opposite of what U.S. President Donald Trump is asking China to do. If China moves in that direction, the trade war between the countries will continue, said Frank Xie. Its only going to encourage Trump to move to the next step, with another $267 billion in tariffs, Xie said. Survive But China is facing serious risks, and it is not just the trade war. The value of share prices on Chinas stock market is at its lowest level in nearly four years. And, industrial growth has slowed in each of the past four months. Recently, the head of Chinas biggest real estate business Vanke made news when he announced that the companys main goal is to survive. Speaking at a private meeting, Vanke Chairman Yu Liang said China is currently at a turning point and no industry will be safe from unwelcome economic actions. I'm Mario Ritter. Bill Ide reported this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted his report for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story scale n. a set amount or numbers used to measure something accomplish v. to carry out or complete successfully mission n. an important job or project guy n. man gradually adv. moving or changing in small amounts; happening in a slow way over time management n. the act of controlling people or things contract v. an agreement meant to be enforceable by law encourage v. to give support or advice to tariff n. a tax on imports or exports real estate n. property in buildings and land We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. You probably have heard about the Trojan Horse. Tradition says the ancient Greeks used a large wooden horse to trick enemy forces and capture the city of Troy. Now, researchers say a similar plan of attack could help doctors destroy bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotic drugs. Scientists say the decreasing effectiveness of antibiotics is among the most critical problems facing modern medicine. Drug-resistant bacteria have become increasingly difficult to defeat in recent years. Scientists use the term superbug when talking about such bacteria. Learning to trick superbugs In the United States, researchers wondered if superbugs could be tricked into taking a molecule that looks like food but causes problems once inside them. The researchers are with the University of Washingtons School of Medicine. They studied a superbug called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes infections in wounds, the lungs and other body parts. It can be a problem in patients whose ability to fight infection is weakened by cancer or conditions such as AIDS. The researchers were interested in iron, an important nutrient for bacteria during infection. It causes the bacteria to grow and spread. The researchers looked for ways to limit and even stop the spread. Microbiology professor Pradeep Singh said they came up with the idea of using a chemical mimic to deploy an antimicrobial drug to fight the bacteria. The researchers decided to use gallium, another metal, because of its similarity to iron. In laboratory studies, bacteria developed resistance to gallium at low rates. The researchers found that galliums effectiveness was increased when it was used in combination with some existing antibiotics. These findings led the researchers to test gallium in mice and then in human patients. In the mice, the researchers found that a single dosage of gallium cured lung infections that usually killed the animals. The human tests involved 20 patients with the lung disease cystic fibrosis. Professor Christopher Goss told VOA the gallium was slowly given to the patients in a liquid solution over five days. And while the metal cleared from the blood, it moved to the lungs, helping the patients breathe easier for up to a month. An iron Trojan Horse Goss described gallium as a Trojan Horse. Gallium not only fails to nourish bacteria as iron would, it actually harms them, he said. The results are reported in the publication Science Translational Medicine. More research is needed to confirm galliums safety and effectiveness as a treatment. But the studys results suggest that the plan of attack that ended the Trojan War might be helpful in the modern-day battle against superbugs. Im Pete Musto. Faith Laipdus reported this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted the report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Quiz - Experimental Treatment Targets Drug-Resistant Bacteria Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story mimic v. to act like; to copy the actions of something antimicrobial adj. related to an agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth dosage n. a measured amount of something, such as medicine We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. About half of young people in the United States expect to be more financially successful than their parents, a new study finds. This may be a sign that the dream of upward mobility lives on, even if not everyone believes in it. The study comes from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs and the media company MTV. Researchers questioned 580 Americans from ages 15 to 26, as well as 591 parents of people in that group. The study found that around half of the young people think they will have stronger household finances than their parents. About 29 percent expect to do as well financially as their parents. Twenty percent expect to do worse. Parents were a little more hopeful: 60 percent think their children will do better than they themselves did. The 60 percent included parents of all earning levels. Twelve percent of parents said that they felt their children might do worse. It is no longer a guarantee that children will be able to improve upon the financial situation in which they grew up. In 2016, economist Raj Chetty and other experts released a study confirming this idea. They found that about half of the Americans born in 1984 earned more at age 30 than their parents, down from 92 percent in 1940. Jennifer Narvaez of Miami, Florida, believes she will be wealthier than her parents. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology and is planning on attending medical school to become an expert on the human heart. The 23-year old said she expects as a college graduate to have better chances to get a job and own a home than her parents. They were born in Nicaragua and immigrated to the United States. Narvaez is less sure about the future of the U.S. economy, especially as the nation appears to be heading into a trade war with China. Its a weird time, she told the Associated Press. I feel like its hard to predict what will happen because of the kind of administration we have. Alex Barner, 20, also felt hopeful that he might do better than his mother. She was 18 when she had him and raised him on her own. Barner is attending college in New Mexico and is considering a future career in business. Barner has some unease about the direction in which the nation and its economy are headed. Like Narvaez, he is concerned about U.S. trade policies. Barner also said he feels politicians need to pay more attention to issues that have an immediate effect on people like health care and student loan forgiveness. The study found young Americans are divided on their predictions for the nations economy in the year ahead. The most common opinion, at 41 percent, was that the economy would remain the same. Thirty percent of those questioned said they expect it to worsen. And 29 percent predicted the economy would improve. The parent group was also divided: 38 percent expect the economy to stay the same, 35 percent expect improvement and 27 percent expect conditions to get worse. Im Pete Musto. Sarah Skidmore reported this story for the Associated Press. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. How financially successful do you think you will be in the future? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story upward mobility n. the ability to move into a higher social or economic position undergraduate degree n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after four years of study graduate n. a person who has earned a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university weird adj. unusual or strange Researchers say they have developed technology that could predict heart attacks years before they happen. The researchers report using mathematical algorithms to examine computed tomography, or CT, images of a patients heart. A CT scan uses X-rays and a computer to make detailed pictures of bones, organs and other tissue inside the body. The new method was developed by researchers at the University of Oxford in England. A report on their study was published in the medical journal The Lancet. Also taking part in the study were teams from Friedrich-Alexander-University in Erlangen, Germany, and the Cleveland Clinic in the United States. Most heart attacks result from a build-up of fatty tissue inside arteries that carry blood from the heart to other areas of the body. Too much buildup can block this flow of blood and cause a heart attack. Currently, doctors use CT scans to learn when a sticky substance called plaque has already built up inside an artery. The new technology is designed to predict which arteries are at risk for future buildup. The researchers reported using computer algorithms to examine CT scans to measure how much fat is present around heart arteries. That fat changes when an artery becomes inflamed, serving as an early warning system for heart attacks. Charalambos Antoniades is a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Oxford University. He told the Reuters news agency he believes the research shows this method could be very effective in getting patients to take early steps to prevent future problems. Say your arteries are inflamed and a narrowing will be developed five years down the line. So maybe you can start preventive measures to avoid this formation of plaques, he said. If you are able to identify inflammation in the arteries of the heart, then you can say which arteries...will cause heart attacks. Antoniades added that researchers had yet to estimate exactly how many heart attacks could be prevented. But he said he believes the technique could help identify between 20 to 30 percent of people at risk of having one. He added that the new technology will make such predictions easier because it works together with existing CT technology. The research was based on two large, independent studies of 4,000 patients in Erlangen, Germany, and the Cleveland Clinic. A company with ties to Oxford University is developing a service to examine CT scans of patients around the world, Reuters reported. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. It was based on reports by Reuters and The Lancet. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story algorithm n. set of steps that are followed in order to solve a mathematical problem or to complete a computer process scan n. looking at the inside of something by using a special machine artery n. one of the tubes in the body that carries blood from the heart inflammation n. a swelling of part of the body narrow v. to limit, restrict or make smaller Brandon Alexander is a former Google engineer who is trying to change American agriculture through robotics. Alexander operates a machine-powered farm. He recently introduced his star robot named Angus to the Associated Press. The long, white robot weighs more than 450 kilograms. Like other robots, it is equipped with cameras and mechanical arms to automatically perform many different jobs. Angus is a major part of operations at Alexanders indoor robot farm about 40 kilometers south of San Francisco. The 743-square meter farm uses a hydroponic system that grows plants without soil. The plants grow inside equipment that provides a continuous flow of water. The indoor farm uses electrical light instead of sunlight. This kind of farm uses much less water and does not require human labor to run. The main job for Angus is to move thousands of plants around the farm, from small containers to larger ones as they grow. Angus also carries plants to another robot that does not have a name yet. Angus moves slowly to complete its work. But the robot is very strong and can lift about 300 kilograms. For now, the farm uses humans to collect vegetables and other crops when they are ready. But Alexander says he is working on a robot that will eventually take over that job too. Alexander helped start the company Iron Ox after leaving Google, where he worked on robotics at the companys Google X project. He teamed up with another former Google employee, Jon Binney. Together they founded Iron Ox. Before launching the company, the two men thought about how they could use their engineering knowledge and skills to do something more meaningful. If we can feed people using robots, what could be more impactful than that? Alexander said. Iron Oxs website says the hydroponic growing system uses 90 percent less water. It also said the growing method is up to 30 times more productive than growing crops on land. Alexander said growing food robotically throughout the year in major cities will provide a more consistent and fresh product. Most of the vegetables sold in the U.S. are grown in California, Arizona, Mexico and other nations. That means that many people in U.S. cities are eating vegetables that are nearly a week old by the time they arrive in stores. Iron Ox is currently negotiating with several San Francisco area restaurants that have expressed interest in buying vegetables, Alexander said. The company also expects to begin selling its products to local stores next year. And they are going to make the best salads you ever tasted, he said. Indoor farms operate all year and are not generally affected by bad weather. Iron Ox said this will permit the company to provide a steady flow of goods without major price changes. During the next few years, Iron Ox said it plans to open robot farms in other areas near U.S. cities. The plans call for the farms to be built inside greenhouses instead of large indoor spaces. These designs will use mostly natural sunlight to greatly cut electricity costs and save energy. Some environmental experts say robotic farming is also likely to grow because of population. The number of people living on earth is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050. The worlds population is currently about 7.5 billion. A report by the World Resources Institute says such growth will make it important to find ways to feed more people without further harming the environment. Im Bryan Lynn. Michael Liedtke reported on this story for the Associated Press. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story automatically adv. independent; without human control hydroponics n. method of growing plants in water, rather than growing them in earth found v. to begin or create impactful adj. having a powerful effect on a situation or person consistent adj. always behaving or happening in a similar way salad n. cold mixture of uncooked vegetables usually prepared with a meal It is common to see many different kinds of insects while spending time outside in the summer. Some of these tiny creatures do not bother people and can even add beauty to the natural environment. Examples of these are insects like ladybugs, butterflies and fireflies. Other insects can harm the environment or humans. Many are known to bite or sting. Some carry dangerous diseases. This group includes insects like mosquitoes, ticks and cockroaches. The population of these insects seems to stay large and healthy. But scientists say this does not appear to be true for some flying insects that serve an important purpose. There is growing evidence that these insects are decreasing across the world. Many of these insects are very important to plant growth and development. They also serve as a necessary link in the food chain and can help break down life when animals die. One researcher looking into the current insect population is Doug Tallamy, a professor at the University of Delaware. He worries that a continual drop in the number of helpful insects could lead to disastrous results. If the insects disappeared, Earths important life forms would begin to go away too, Tallamy told the Associated Press. This could result in a total breakdown of the ecosystem. How much worse can it get than that? he asked. Tallamy noted a statement by one of Americas best-known biologists, E.O. Wilson of Harvard University. Wilson once called insects the little things that run the world. Wilson is now 89 years old. He told the AP that he remembers walking through Washington, D.C., in the past when it was alive with insects, especially butterflies. Now, he said, the flying insects are virtually gone. Wilson said this point seemed to be confirmed during a drive he made last year from Boston, Massachusetts, to the neighboring state of Vermont. He was surprised that, during his trip, he counted only one insect that had hit the cars front window. Several other scientists have carried out similar tests by checking how many insects hit their cars while traveling. An insect researcher from the University of Florida, Philip Koehler, reported that far fewer insects hit his vehicle today than in the past. While researchers admit this method is not scientific, they say it can still help them understand the changing insect population. Scientists say there are likely many reasons for the drop in flying insects. Most are related to the destruction of insect habitat caused by things like insecticides, other animals, pollution and climate change. There have not been many studies done on the insect populations covering large areas. However, some international research suggests a downward turn. In 2006, a group of studies estimated there had been a 14-percent drop in ladybugs in the United States and Canada from 1987 to 2006. In Costa Rica, researchers have been studying the flying insect population at the La Selva Biological Station since 1991. One of the researchers is Lee Dyer from the University of Nevada, Reno. He told the AP his team has repeatedly examined a big trap that would have been covered with insects decades ago. Now, they find no insects in the trap. In Germany, a 2017 study found an 82-percent drop in the number of flying insects captured in 63 traps across the country, compared to levels recorded in 1990. This is the main insect population study carried out so far. Researchers say it is difficult making similar comparisons in other areas. That is because similar insect counts were not done decades ago. After the German study, other countries also started looking into the problem. Toke Thomas Hoye of Aarhus University in Denmark studied flies in a few areas of rural Greenland. He said he discovered an 80-percent drop in the insects since 1996. David Wagner of the University of Connecticut says other evidence leads him to believe the findings of the 2017 study are clearly not a German thing. Wagner has measured drops in moth populations in the northeastern United States. We just have to find out how widespread the phenomenon is, he said. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. His story was based on reports by the Associated Press and online sources. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story bother v. annoy, worry or cause problems for someone sting v. produce a small but painful injury by making a small hole in the skin ecosystem n. all the plants, animals and people living in an area considered their environment virtually adv. almost habitat n. the natural surroundings in which a plant or animal usually lives insecticide n. chemical substance used to kill insects phenomenon n. someone or something considered special because it is completely different or extremely unusual Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service. New Retirement Visas Could Be Game Changer for Expats in UAE DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesFor entrepreneur Farah Anwar, Dubai has always been home. The 30-something Indian expat has lived her entire life in the country and knew this place long before it became a glamorous tourist spot, expat haven, and business hub. Anwar, co-founder of Ashraf Electronics and board member of the Dubai Computer Traders Association, has a unique perspective, having witnessed the Dubai before and after its remarkable growth over the last 20 years. Her descriptions of the Dubai of her childhood and adulthood sound like a tale of two citiesone of a simple life in a small desert town and another of a bustling metropolis and melting pot of diverse cultures. Many UAE-born expats like Anwar are quite accustomed to living in a place with a transient population. However, more foreigners than ever who are coming to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for work are increasingly deciding to stay for the long term. A new visa to be introduced next year by the UAE government may make it easier for expat retirees to maintain their residency status. Residency Linked to Work Its not hard to see why the UAE continues to attract expat talent and businesses from around the world. The country enjoys political stability, abundant sunshine, while also offering several other advantages such as the lack of income and corporate taxes. Yet the immigration system currently in place functions in a way that requires employers to sponsor their expat employees, meaning that the residency status of foreigners and their families is completely dependent on their employment status. This can create some challenges, especially in the event that expats are no longer employed, or approaching retirement. There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for expats who want to stay longer, with the UAE government recently announcing the approval of a new five-year renewable visa for expat retirees over the age of 55. Currently, residency visas linked to employment are valid for two or three years, while visas for domestic workers are valid for one year. The cost and procedures associated with renewing and canceling visas have been highlighted by business owners as an area of challenge for some time. Also, under current laws, once someones visa is canceled, they have to leave the country within 30 days. Children born in Dubai take on the citizenship of their fathers, so those born to expats, like Anwar, are also subject to the same rules as newly arrived expats. We are already in a country that has second- and third-generation expats living in the UAE who know no other home. So it was about time a formalized process was introduced, Anwar told The Epoch Times. People need to be able to lay down roots here and not view it as a stop-gap destination to migrate somewhere else or a cool foreign work stint for a few years. Property Links With more expats than ever buying property with the intention of staying in the UAE for the foreseeable future, it is only natural that the regulations evolve to meet the demands of the countrys expats who make up more than 80 percent of the population. Keren Bobker, a senior partner at Holborn Assets, a UAE-based financial services company, says the introduction of the retirement visa demonstrates that the UAE is interested in a certain demographic staying in the country for the long term. For people who really do not want to return to a home country, for say political reasons, or due to conflict, then this may be an ideal solutionif they have the funds to fit criteria. It is, however, a positive start and I would expect to see changes to the legislation in future years, Bobker said. The criteria are the ownership of a real estate investment worth 2 million dirhams ($544,588) or savings of more than 1 million dirhams ($272,294), or proof of more than 20,000 dirhams ($5,445) monthly income. Encouraging more people to settle down in the UAE could reap economic benefits, especially within the real estate market, which remains an attractive destination for foreign investors but has seen a decline in recent times. When combined with additional measures, Craig Plumb, head of research at JLL MENA, a real estate and investment management firm, says the new visa for retirees could help support the UAEs property market in the medium to long term. While the Dubai property market is the most transparent in the Middle East and North Africa region, the emirate still has a long way to go to achieve the same level of transparency that exists in major cities such as London, New York, and Hong Kong. Future Prospects Geetanjali Kaul, an Indian expat and co-founder of Dubai-based startup TurtleCard, has lived in the UAE for 11 years. She says she expects more expats like herself will explore their options in the country before they decide on making a move or settling down in their home countries. Smaller companies and startups can find it difficult to constantly innovate to stay ahead of the competition, maintain sustainable growth, and bear the high costs associated with trade licenses and residency visas for their employees. Having the option of long-term visas, Kaul says, will help eliminate some of these obstacles and enhance the UAEs reputation as a top hub for global talent. Comments from the president of the Macau Lawyers Association (AAM) Jorge Neto Valente when announcing that he will rerun for another mandate for the presidency of the association have caused shockwaves among the legal community. Speaking to TDM, Valente announced he would be running in the elections, challenging the candidacy previously announced by lawyer Sergio de Almeida Correia. Almeida Correia announced at a press conference in mid-September that he decided to run for the top barristers post after Neto Valente asked for a total renovation of the AAMs board and, in an interview to Radio Macau earlier this year, hinted that he would not be running again. Valente reversed his previous stance on the matter by saying now that the reason leading to his decision to rerun is precisely the candidacy of Correia. The incumbent president is said to have been approached by several lawyers, who allegedly requested his rerun against Correia, whom Valente has said to be more known as political commentator and blog writer. Correias bid, he said, is one of rupture and confrontation, a fact that, according to Valente, his supporters think not to be appropriate at this moment. Dr Sergio Correia is not very well known among peers and does not have a significant legal practice, he added. Valente also attacked Correias career as commentator, saying, He is quite aggressive and corrosive with the comments he makes towards the Chief Executive and the Legislative Assembly President. Looks like he is angry with everybody, a reason that led Valente to say that his supporters fear that AAM will become a political party or a union- like organization. The personal attacks on Correia were fiercely criticized by lawyer Jorge Menezes. The AAM election reached a new moral low by the personal attack conveyed by the current president on Sergio de Almeida Correia, on TDM, he told the Times yesterday. Attacking the quality or size of the legal practice of a colleague is ethically unacceptable and should not have happened. The merits of a lawyer are not measured by his or her richness, but by their inner qualities, Menezes added. I hope that some of those in his team will come forward expressing that personal attacks and intolerance should not play a role in AAM, he said. The lawyer noted that as he accused Correia in his comments, Mr Valente has in the past publicly disrespected a legislator, judges and colleagues. This ethical failure must stop. Arrogance is a typical consequence of enjoying too much power for too long: power changes people. For Menezes, the harsh words of Valente could result from the fact that he has been running the association for too long a time, expressing wishes that the elections could serve, instead, the purpose of a wider discussion of the problems of the sector and ways to improve it. He has been the president for over 20 years. It seems that he wants to keep the job at any cost. This is not typical of democratic institutions, Menezes said. His incapacity to accept a challenge and to engage respectfully with those holding different views was an unnecessary show of weakness. The objective of these fierce personal attacks may be to make it difficult for Almeida Correia to find enough lawyers willing to be part of his team. There is a climate of fear among lawyers. In Menezes opinion, such attitudes can contribute to a democracy deficit and open discussion of topics of the interests of all professionals as lawyers who would welcome a change are shying away from voicing their preferences out of fear of retaliation. For the barrister who recently helped reinstate Sulu Sous mandate as legislator, regardless of the final results of the elections and who wins it, we are all already losing by this public show of intolerance. Contacted also by the Times, lawyer Miguel Senna Fernandes said that the fact that there are two candidates to lead the association is positive. It is the first time that this [has] happened and [the fact that there is challenging competition] shows the vitality of the Association, he said. Its good that we can prove that is false, the idea that there is nobody else [besides the current group] that is willing and committed to lead the managing bodies of the association and proves that the presidency is disputed. I can only praise the fact that this is happening. Regarding the comments of Valente on Correia, Senna Fernandes said, Obviously if we are talking about prestige, Dr Neto Valente is a lawyer with more prestige, at least because he has been the president of AAM, but this does not mean anything really, and specifically does not mean that the position is not disputed, he said. I understand that different candidates will for sure express different opinions on how to conduct the association, and [] that creates a kind of rupture but, what is important is that we dont have a total rupture. Senna Fernandes noted that it is also important to understand the local culture and the fact that the majority of the population [including of the lawyers] is from Chinese ethnicity. Senna Fernandes, who is also a commentator, said he is very familiar with Correias ideas and positions regarding several important public affairs, and said that he hopes he will receive some consideration, and that Correias candidacy can show consideration and weighing of the different interests and not just the personal opinions of the leader. Of a similar opinion is lawyer Frederico Rato, who said, Its a [positive thing] that there are different opinions and different perspectives and we wish that the association life is well-participated in. Rato noted also that it is very positive that all the members can know the candidates, the programs, opinions and finally can choose in conscience what they think is the best. The veteran lawyer, who heads the Advocacy Council, said that, despite of everything else, what he wishes is that the perspective, ideas and platforms can be known by the members. The fact that there are, for the first time, two candidates is a sign of the diversity of opinions that exist inside the association, Rato concluded. The bitter battle over Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Court has exacerbated the nations political divide and left many Americans emotionally raw. Its also given new definition to the high stakes of Novembers election. Until now, the fight for control of Congress has largely been viewed as a referendum on President Donald Trumps first two years in office. But the turmoil surrounding Kavanaugh has transformed the midterms into something bigger than Trump, with implications that could endure long after his presidency. The election is suddenly layered with charged cultural questions about the scarcity of women in political power, the handling of sexual assault allegations, and shifting power dynamics that have left some white men uneasy about their place in American life. Both parties contend the new contours of the race will energize their supporters in the elections final stretch. And both may be right. Republicans, however, may benefit most in the short term. Until now, party leaders Trump included have struggled to energize GOP voters, even with a strong economy to campaign on. The presidents middling job approval rating and independent voters disdain for his constant personal attacks have been a drag on GOP candidates, particularly in the more moderate suburban districts that will determine control of the House. But Republican operatives say internal polling now shows Kavanaughs acrimonious confirmation has given the party a much-needed boost, with GOP voters viewing Democrats as overzealous partisans following the public testimony by Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accused the judge of trying to rape her while they were both in high school. Ford said she was 100 percent certain that Kavanaugh was her attacker, while the judge steadfastly denied her allegations. Their strategy to capitalize on the Me Too movement for the political purposes backfired on them, Republican strategist Alice Stewart said of Democrats. The fact that they were willing to use Dr. Fords story that was uncorroborated to launch character assassinations on Judge Kavanaugh did not sit well with voters. A lot of people looked at this as a bridge too far. The surge in GOP enthusiasm could recalibrate a political landscape that was tilting toward Democrats throughout the summer. Though Democrats still maintain an advantage in competitive House races, the past two weeks appear to have shifted momentum in the fight for the Senate majority back to the GOP. In North Dakota, Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer has pulled comfortably ahead of Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, who voted no on Kavanaugh. GOP operatives say theyre also seeing renewed Republican interest in states like Wisconsin, where Democratic candidates for both Senate and governor have been polling strong. Its turned our base on fire, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Saturday, moments after the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh. To be sure, some tightening in the race was likely inevitable this fall. Wavering voters often move back toward their partys candidates as Election Day nears, and most of the competitive Senate races are in states that voted for Trump by a significant margin. With just over four weeks until Election Day, there is still time for the dynamics to shift again. And the political headwinds from the Kavanaugh confirmation are unlikely to blow in just one direction. To Democrats, Kavanaughs assent to the Supreme Court in spite of decades-old sexual misconduct allegations will only deepen the partys pull with female voters, including independents and moderates who may have previously voted for Republicans. Democrats point to the flood of women who have spoken out about their own assaults following Fords testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Party operatives also believe the optics of the all-male GOP panel that presided over the hearing struck a chord with female voters. Kavanaughs confirmation will leave a lot of outraged and energized women in its wake, said Geoff Garin, a Democratic pollster. Democrats argue that some of the same tactics that have helped energize Republican voters also motivate their base, particularly Trumps attacks on Ford. During a campaign rally in Mississippi, the president mocked Ford for not remembering key details of the alleged attack, including the date and location of the party she says she and Kavanaugh attended 36 years ago. Youve seen some shifts, but I still think that were in a strong place, said New Mexico Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, who heads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. I still think that it gives us a lot of enthusiasm on our side because there are a lot of people out there that are really upset, not just with the testimony that came from Judge Kavanaugh but the way the president was even mocking (Ford) days ago. Trump remains the fall campaigns biggest wildcard. White House advisers and Republican senators are encouraging him to keep Kavanaugh in the spotlight in the campaigns final weeks. But theyre well aware that the president often struggles to stay on message and can quickly overshadow his political victories with new controversies. Given that, Stewart said Republicans cant assume that this burst of momentum will sustain itself through Election Day. The question is whether this is the October surprise or the calm before the storm, Stewart said. Julie Pace, Washington, AP The president of animal rights group Anima is set to tender his resignation to the board today, following an announcement by the Civic and Municipal Affair Bureau (IACM) that only its workers will be permitted in the Canidrome premises to take care of the greyhounds. In July, Anima and the Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome agreed to an unexpected partnership over the accommodation and adoption processes of the greyhounds. Martins decision is not final and he will still be reflecting over the weekend as to whether he should keep his post. It is not final but I still would like Anima to replace me as we need someone now capable of doing things without being too compromised, too involved with difficult issues. I think I am now in a situation where I believe it is not the best for Anima, the president of Anima told the Times. Anima really wants to work in a way where we feel we are not only being used by IACM, but we are really adding some value to this process, he added. Martins was informed by the Canidrome on Saturday that they will not be allowed to enter the premises of the Canidrome, as it will be taken over by IACM. This was one of the main reasons why I decided to resign, said Martins, noting that he doubts the bureaus capability to handle the adoption processes, citing an instance where a recently adopted greyhound was found dead. According to him, they need to have a good control of all the adoption works in the kennel, and should carefully consider whether the greyhounds are still able to be exported or adopted. It caused me to believe that there is no human capacity to handle animal welfare because the vets cannot wait for those occurrences to come. This is really a big frustration for me. I do not believe that the government would pay the [medical] fees, said Martins. Although the Canidrome pledges to still support the transfer of the greyhounds to other countries, Martins doubts that they will continue to support the animals medical fees. The remaining greyhounds were supposed to be relocated to the new premisesa in Coloane last week, yet IACM announced that it failed to improve the soundproofing of the containers installed in the premises. Thus, the owner of the company, Angela Leong, is set to be fined for abandoning animals under the Animal Rights Law, which could range between MOP20,000 and to MOP100,000 per greyhound. Martins is set to meet with IACM next week. Maybe I will change my mind after talks with IACMs president, Jose Tavares, said Martins, noting that he was already contacted by the official yesterday morning. LV China has defended its decision to refuse to renew the work visa of a Financial Times editor in Hong Kong, in a case that has drawn concern over the shrinking space for free speech in the Chinese territory. The central government firmly supports the local governments rejection of Asia editor Victor Mallets visa renewal application, according to a statement from the foreign ministrys office in Hong Kong issued late Saturday. No foreign country has any right to interfere, the office said, in a response to expressions of concern from the British foreign ministry and the U.S. Consulate in the territory. Mallet is vice president of Hong Kongs Foreign Correspondents Club, which drew criticism from the authorities for hosting a talk by 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, allowing it to retain its limited democracy and rights to assembly and free speech that are denied on the Chinese mainland. Rights groups have called the visa rejection the latest sign of Beijings expanding restrictions on the territory, including legal cases brought against pro-democracy legislators and organizers of large-scale anti-government protests in 2014. In a statement dated Friday, Britains Foreign and Commonwealth Office asked for an urgent explanation as to why 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 statement said. The U.S. Consulate said the rejection was deeply troubling, especially since it reflected problems faced by international journalists in mainland China whose visas can be held up or refused because of political considerations. The London-based Financial Times said in a statement that it was given no reason why Mallets application was rejected. This is the first time we have encountered this situation in Hong Kong, it said. AP Brazilians are putting their young democracy to a political stress test, going to the polls deeply divided after years of corruption and recession have pummeled faith in their institutions. The 147 million voters in Latin Americas largest economy have until early today [Macau time] to cast ballots for a new president as well as most state and national officials. If none of the 13 presidential candidates wins a majority, there will be a second round Oct. 28. The final polls show the far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro having extended his lead over leftist Fernando Haddad, but still falling short of an outright victory. Brazilian assets have surged with Bolsonaros rise, as investors ignore his authoritarian streak and bet hell deliver on his pro-market stance. Haddad, by contrast, alarms money managers who fear a return to the statist policies pursued in the past by his Workers Party. It has been a bitter and even violent campaign that has divided families, seen Bolsonaro being stabbed by a fanatic, and then front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva being imprisoned and banned from running for office. Weve reached a point of madness, said Boris Fausto, a Brazilian historian who at age 87 witnessed two long dictatorships in Brazil come and go. Extremism has taken the upper hand, particularly the rise of an extreme right that has no commitment to democracy. Bolsonaro has questioned the reliability of the voting system and even authored a bill in congress demanding a printout of each vote. It was struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this year. During this election campaign, the former paratrooper has repeatedly raised the possibility of fraud by the Workers Party, without offering any evidence. Brazil is one of the few countries that uses an entirely electronic voting system. Voters type a number on a keypad and the corresponding candidates face appears on a screen, allowing Brazilians to check their choice before finalizing their ballot. The polling system is safe. With the biometric security, its impossible that the vote for one candidate goes to another, said Ayres Brito, a former chief justice who also headed the countrys top electoral court. Candidates and voters need to trust each other. The defense ministry is deploying 28,000 troops to provide logistical support for the election and to ensure Brazilians can vote safely. The federal police are responsible for the security of the voting machines. For the first time, a team from the Organization of American States, led by former Costa Rican president Laura Chinchilla, will monitor the vote, along with about 40 other international observers authorized by Brazils top electoral court. The logistics are far from straightforward in some of the more remote regions of the country. In Jacareacanga, for example, an indigenous village in the Amazonian state of Para, a helicopter will fly in two machines for the communitys 560 voters. The results will be transmitted by satellite or internet. If those options fail, election officials will retrieve the equipment by boat. With three time zones in the country, the final polls in the western state of Acre will close at 7 p.m. Brasilia time. After that results should flood in quickly, with urban areas usually filing first. Voting is obligatory between the ages of 18 and 70, on pain of a small fine and other administrative penalties. For Brazilians aged 16 to 17 and or 70 and over, voting is optional. Governors and state legislators are also up for election, together with a new congress and two-thirds of the Senate. MDT/Bloomberg Interpol said Saturday it has made a formal request to China for information about the agencys missing president, a senior Chinese security official who seemingly vanished while on a trip home. The Lyon-based international police agency said it used law enforcement channels to submit its request to China about the status of Meng Hongwei. Its statement said the agency looks forward to an official response from Chinas authorities to address concerns over the presidents well-being. France has launched its own investigation. French authorities say he boarded a plane and arrived in China but his subsequent whereabouts are unknown. Meanwhile, the disciplinary organ of Chinas ruling Communist Party said late yesterday that Meng is under investigation on suspicion of unspecified legal violations. The partys watchdog for graft and political disloyalty said that the Interpol president is suspected of violating the law and is currently under the monitoring and investigation of Chinas new anti-corruption body, the National Supervision Commission. In addition to his Interpol post, Meng is also a vice minister for public security in China. Previously, Interpol had said that reports about Mengs disappearance were a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China. Mengs duties in China would have put him in close proximity to former leaders, some who fell afoul of President Xi Jinpings sweeping anti-corruption campaign. Meng likely dealt extensively with former security chief Zhou Yongkang, who is now serving a life sentence for corruption. The Hong Kong newspaper said Meng was taken away for questioning upon landing in China last week by what it said were discipline authorities. The term usually describes investigators in the ruling Communist Party who probe graft and political disloyalty. Meng is the first person from China 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, Mengs absence may have little operational effect. The organization links up police officials from 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. Meng has held various positions within Chinas security establishment, including as a vice minister of public security since 2004. His appointment as Interpol president in 2016 alarmed some human rights organizations, fearful it would embolden China to strike out at dissidents and refugees abroad. His term as Interpol president runs until 2020. MDT/AP Wife says Meng sent knife image as danger signal THE WIFE of the missing president of Interpol says her husband sent her an image of a knife before he disappeared during a trip to their native China. Making her first public comments on the mystery surrounding Meng Hongweis whereabouts, Grace Meng told reporters in Lyon, France yesterday she thinks the knife was her husbands way of trying to tell her he was in danger. She says she has had no further contact with him since the message that was sent on Sept. 25. She says four minutes before Meng shared the image, he had sent a message saying, Wait for my call. She says she hasnt heard from him since and does not know what happened to him. Son Pou columnist Lei Kwok Keong declared that the central government should target real estate developers in light of the independence issue in Macau. In his recent column written for Son Pou, Lei argued that Macau independence has no future, and that support for the idea possibly lay within the real estate industry rather than within other groups. If, on the streets of Macau, any [] man shouts for Macau independence, [I] believe that [person] will be regarded as a fool. [] In terms of economics, politics, geography and humanity, there are no conditions [for Macau independence] and it is destined to fail, Lei writes. If [China] prohibits mainland tourists from going to Macau in order to gamble and laundering money, Macau will go bankrupt within one year, according to [the] Macau governments spendthrift habits, Lei column reads. Look at the opposition people who could be labeled as pro-independence. How can they subvert the power when their most powerful weapons are one pen and one mouth? Lei questions. On the contrary, look at those real estate developers who made a fortune through accumulating lands unscrupulously. They are the ones who have the most conditions and are most likely to rebel. If the central government wants to prevent independence threats, then the target should be [the real estate developers]. After all, history has proved, countless times, that father and son can [be on two sides of a war] any time when facing power and money, not to mention grandfather and son, Lei wrote. JZ The Philippine Consulate General in Macau celebrated its annual Migrants Day yesterday, honoring the overseas Filipino workers in the region. The event is aimed at strengthening the bond between these workers, as well as disseminating important announcements from the consulates several offices. Just to honor them for having sacrificed and continuing to sacrifice in providing a good life to their families and relatives back home, said Consul General Lilybeth Deapera. Representatives from different organizations came together and coordinated [the event]. They had their own responsibilities like physical arrangement[s], identifying their place, some prepared food and some encouraged their members to come over, she added. According to the consulates data, over 300 migrants were present at yesterdays event, coming from various Filipino organizations. Several participants expressed that participation in the event aims to promote unity and camaraderie. These events are helpful for us because its a time where we meet the community and bond with them. Eventually, to communicate [and have] one goal as migrant workers in Macau, and that is unity, said Brenda Embien, representative of the Hong Kong-Macau Alliance. According to Embien, the group is conducting a project whereby it collects used clothes and groceries to be sent to victims of the recent typhoon in Tuguegarao, one of the areas that was badly hit by the recent typhoon Mangkhut. Yesterdays event was co-organized with WelAnser Center. Secretary general of Caritas Macau, Paul Pun, noted that gatherings targeting the migrant groups can be significant to the wellbeing of these non-residents, particularly domestic workers. The overseas workers, [particularly the domestic workers] have different work places. Some work by themselves and they cant easily find friends so its good to have activities organized, said Pun. I believe that by having this cooperation [with the consulate], we can magnify the impact. We can reach out to more overseas workers. A few of them may encounter difficulty and they need to find channels to seek assistance; at least they know where to turn to, said Pun. Paul Pun hopes to commence migrants clinic soon The social clinic targeting the SARs low-income earners was supposed to commence operations last month. Yet, the clinic was affected by typhoon Mangkhut, thus its commencement of operations has been rescheduled. According to secretary general of Caritas Macau, Paul Pun, the clinic is still lacking volunteers yet have already found two volunteer-doctors. So we have two doctors. Hopefully its a way to serve the population who need support. I think its not good to wait [any] longer; we have to save some time to serve the targeted population, which is the domestic worker, said Pun. Although there is still no scheduled date, the secretary general has assured that the clinic will commence operations soon. This is a common concern amongst themselves, regarding the basic healthcare system. For domestic workers, they [call on] some stronger support for the salary system, and I believe that something [very] important is the healthcare. Psychological support is also important, he noted. Pun added that if the center acquires further resources, it will establish a mental health section in the center. Hong Kong has long marketed itself as the gateway into China for foreign businesses, especially the U.S. With a trade war now raging between the worlds two largest economies, thats precisely the problem. Having shifted its factories across the border decades ago to benefit from cheaper labor, Hong Kong now finds its role as a trade conduit to be a source of concern. Products destined for China and the U.S. passing through the city accounted for almost 10 percent of its roughly $500 billion in exports last year, according to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The import-export business overall represents almost a fifth of the domestic economy, and worsening sentiment on the mainland can spill over into the former British colony in other ways most obviously tourism spending. Add the trade war threat to an already-inflated property market, and Hong Kongs economy begins to look fragile. These are the two biggest traders in the world, and they trade through us with each other, said Nicholas Kwan, director of research at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. So when they are fighting, a lot of intermediaries get hurt, and we are the most prominent intermediary between these two. The immediate effect of the worsening of the trade conflict this year is hard to disentangle from already-slowing activity, but its clear that metrics such as container throughput will continue to suffer if the tariff war drags on. Gross domestic product grew 3.5 percent in the second quarter from a year ago, compared with a revised 4.6 percent in the first, according to government data. Looking forward, the Nikkei Hong Kong purchasing managers index slipped further into contraction territory in September. The HKTDC cut its forecast for Hong Kongs 2018 export growth to 3 percent from 6 percent after its latest quarterly export sentiment index reading for September plunged a record amount, from an expansionary 54.1 in the second quarter to 35.8 for the third. Readings below 50 indicate a majority of exporters expect contracting shipments. The results underscore the gloom surrounding Hong Kongs trade market, especially in the key electronics segment, which suffered the biggest overall drop to 35.4 from 55.2 in the prior quarter, the report said. The sector makes up almost 70 percent of total merchandise exports. The trade woes come at a tricky time as the city navigates the impact of a slowing economy in China while borrowing costs are likely to rise due to monetary policy being tied to a hiking Federal Reserve thanks to the citys currency peg. We cannot rely on monetary policy, said Iris Pang, Greater China economist with ING Bank NV in Hong Kong. We have to rely on fiscal stimulus, and now is the right time for the Hong Kong government to spend its fiscal money. Pang cut her 2018 economic growth forecast for Hong Kong to 3.6 percent from 4.9 percent in August due to the trade war, and may slash her 2019 and 2020 targets as well if the conflict continues, she said. Pang currently forecasts 2.6 percent growth next year and 2.5 percent in 2020. Standard Chartered Bank and United Overseas Bank have also lowered their forecasts for this year. Aside from the direct impact on ports and logistics industries, an extended trade war could also impact retail sales and employment, Pang said. Year-on-year retail sales growth has been surging at rates in excess of 10 percent for most of this year, on the back of similarly strong tourist arrivals from the mainland. Pang estimates as much as a third of economic activity in Hong Kong may be affected by the trade war, with local businesses running factories in China and exporting to the U.S. especially vulnerable. Edward Yau, Hong Kongs Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development told reporters last week that the city will have to prepare for an extended trade conflict as it doesnt appear the U.S. and China are headed for a speedy resolution. Bloomberg India signed a USD5 billion deal to buy five Russian S-400 air defense systems on Friday despite a looming threat of U.S. sanctions on countries that trade with Russias defense and intelligence sectors. The deal was signed in New Delhi during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss nuclear energy, space exploration and trade. India has requested that the U.S. grant it a waiver for the deal from sanctions prescribed by the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a U.S. law passed in August 2017 that is intended to punish Russia for its annexation of Crimea and alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. The U.S. did not spare China from sanctions last month for purchasing its own Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems and fighter jets. If the U.S. does impose sanctions on India, it is unclear how India could pay Russia for the military equipment, since the law bars dollar-denominated financial transactions. Vladimir Sotnikov, a foreign affairs expert at an independent research institute in Moscow, believes India could make the payment in a mixture of rupees and dollars to try to circumvent the sanctions. I do not think that India would succumb to U.S. pressure over the purchasing of the armaments from Russia, he said. India has a very sophisticated policy of separating the relationship between India and the U.S. and India and the Russian Federation. And India is in a good negotiating position right now. The National Security Council at the White House said in a statement that the Trump administration urges all of our allies and partners to forgo transactions with Russia that would trigger sanctions under the act, known as CAATSA. The administration has indicated that a focus area for the implementation of CAATSA Section 231 is new or qualitative upgrades in capability including the S-400 air and missile defense system. Our recent action to sanction a Chinese government entity for an S-400 delivery underscores the seriousness of our resolve on this issue. Officials with Indias external affairs and defense ministries confirmed the deal was signed after Putin and Modi made no reference to it during a news conference following their talks. An 11-page joint statement made only passing mention, saying that the two sides welcomed the conclusion of the contract. The deal will likely bolster the close relationship between India and Russia that dates back to the Cold War, when the U.S. tilted toward Pakistan, Indias neighbor and archrival. But it is also likely to strain ties with Washington. India is the worlds largest importer of military hardware, according to Mumbai-based think tank Gateway House, and has depended on Russia for political support as well as billions of dollars in military hardware. Nearly 70 percent of Indias present-day defense equipment was procured from Russia, according to Indias Defense Ministry. Indias acquisition of the S-400 long-range missile systems has been considered critical to countering a perceived threat from China, which is increasingly making economic inroads throughout South Asia, Indias traditional sphere of influence, according to military experts. It gives the capability to destroy targets inside another country. Its a very important capability, said retired Indian air force Air Marshal Nirdosh Tyagi. India has also developed closer defense ties to the U.S. in recent years with joint military drills and defense sales. India has signed more than $15 billion in U.S. defense contracts since 2008, including for C-130J and C-17 transport aircraft, P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, Harpoon missiles and Apache and Chinook helicopters. AP Search teams pulled bodies from obliterated neighborhoods in the disaster-stricken Indonesian city of Palu on Saturday as more aid rolled in and the government said it was considering making devastated areas into mass graves. Indonesias disaster agency said the death toll from the powerful earthquake and tsunami climbed to 1,649, with at least 265 people still missing, though it said that number could be higher. More nations sent aid and humanitarian workers fanned out in the countryside. The dead were still being recovered more than a week after the double disaster. Eight victims in black body bags of the national search and rescue agency were arranged in a row in the crumpled Palu neighborhood of Balaroa, destined for a mass grave. Relatives cried as people placed long pieces of white cloth, to represent a Muslim burial rite, inside the bags. Among them was 39-year-old Rudy Rahman, who said the bodies of his 18- and 16-year-old sons had been found. His youngest son remained missing. He watched as rescue workers unloaded the bags from a truck. His wife wept inconsolably. They were found in front of my brothers house opposite the mosque, Rahman said. They found them holding each other. These two brothers were hugging each other. Balaroa was one of the areas hardest hit by the Sept. 28 magnitude 7.5 quake, which threw homes in the neighborhood tens of meters and left cars upright or perched on eruptions of concrete and asphalt. Many children were in the areas mosque at the time of the quake for Quran recitation. An assistant to the Imam had said none survived. Indonesias top security minister, Wiranto, who uses a single name, said the government is mulling the possibility of turning Balaroa and Petobo, another neighborhood in Palu, into mass graves. Petobo disappeared into the earth as the force of the quake liquified its soft soil. Liquefaction also struck a large section of Balaroa. Wiranto said efforts to retrieve bodies are problematic in those neighborhoods, where homes were sucked into the earth, burying possibly hundreds of victims. He said its not safe for heavy equipment to operate there. Wiranto also said on local television that the government is discussing with local and religious authorities and victims families the possibility of halting the search and turning the areas into mass graves. The victims can be considered martyrs, he said. A Japanese Self Defense Force plane landed at Palus airport Saturday morning. Soldiers unloaded tons of supplies, including medicine and small portable generators, in boxes emblazoned with the Japanese flag and the words From the People of Japan. Several other nations have also sent planeloads of aid. Video showed the military dropping supplies from helicopters in places and a large Red Cross ship docked at a port in the region. In the dusty one-road village of Pewunu, excited children shouted Red Cross! Red Cross! as one of the aid groups medical teams arrived and set up a makeshift clinic in a field where evacuees were sleeping under tarps. One villager said they survived by ransacking shops. Volunteers laid out a big white tarp on a stage in front of the village office, plonked a green desk on it and interviewed people about their needs as dozens milled around. Doctors performed medical checks on elderly residents who emerged from tents and climbed the stages stairs with canes or others supporting them. People living in the camp said two residents died in collapsing houses in the village. They said they had clean water and noodles but not much else. There were supplies, but these were looted. All along the roads toward here, they were looted by outsiders, said Bahamid Fawzi. All this while in this crisis, we dont have water, we dont have food, he said. After that, we started ransacking the stores and the shops. Not because were thieves, but because we really needed it. Theres no water, no food like it or not, we had to do it. The earthquake and tsunami swept away buildings along miles (kilometers) of coastline and knocked out power and communications for several days. In a rare move, Indonesias government has appealed for international help to cope with the tragedy unfolding on Sulawesi island. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says $50.5 million is required to deliver immediate, life-saving aid. Stephen Wright, Tassanee Vejpongsa, AP This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo reported progress yesterday after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang amid high expectations that he can resolve details over a second summit with President Donald Trump. Pompeo returned to Seoul and was meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, with a written statement possible, according to the Blue House. The top U.S. diplomat is also expected to meet South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during his visit. We continue to make progress on agreements made at Singapore summit, Pompeo tweeted shortly after arrival at the Osan Air Base south of Seoul, thanking Kim for hosting him. A U.S. official told reporters traveling with Pompeo that the visit to North Korea was better than the last time with a long haul ahead. South Koreas presidential office expects Pompeos meeting with Kim to include discussions on a second U.S.-North Korea summit, local television channel YTN reported, citing an unidentified high-level official. The lightning trip signals Pompeo isnt likely to resolve critical issues over the next steps needed to get North Korea to denuclearize or make much progress on a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War. Kims regime has said it wants to focus on more than just its nuclear program, and that it expects the U.S. to show some flexibility with its demands. Pompeo and Kim met for about two hours and then had a 90-minute working lunch, starting with this exchange in front of reporters: Its a very nice day that promises a good future, Kim said, for both countries. Pompeo said: So we had a great, great visit this morning. Thank you for hosting, President Trump sends his regards. And we had a very successful morning. Pompeo landed in Pyongyang in late morning to meet Kim after visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday in Tokyo. Moons office said the meeting will determine how quickly the process for Pyongyangs denuclearization and establishing peace in the Korean peninsula will take place. Pompeo will continue traveling to Beijing and then return to Washington on Monday. In a sign of the modest objectives of the trip, Pompeo told a reporter en route to Japan that one of his goals would be to make sure that we understand what each side is truly trying to achieve, a comment that signaled the two countries were still a long way off from detailed negotiations on verified disarmament. Pompeo added that he hopes to develop options for both location and timing for a second summit between the two leaders but said that even that may not be settled when he leaves Pyongyang, even though Trump said last month he wants a meeting very soon. In Tokyo, Pompeo told Abe that the U.S. wanted to work closely on denuclearization talks and that he would raise with the North Koreans the issue of Japanese abductees held for decades by the regime. The Sunday stop in Pyongyang was Pompeos first chance to introduce his special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, to leaders there. Pompeo had hoped to do that in August, when he appointed Biegun and announced they would travel to the country. But Trump called off the trip a day later, saying North Korea hadnt made sufficient progress toward denuclearization. This is Pompeos fourth trip to Pyongyang and his first visit since July, when he spent the night and left with little to show for his journey. Soon after the secretary of state left the country on his last visit, North Korea issued a statement lambasting his gangster-like demands. Kim Song Hye, who went to the White House with Kim Yong Chol in June, at a staff lunch described Trump as generous and a leader. She also said she believed the two countries wouldnt be here without Trump. Despite public criticism from analysts that the U.S. has obtained little on the denuclearization front, Trump and his team point to a lack of nuclear and missile tests since late last year as signs that their strategy is working. Bloomberg Mexican environmental authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the death of a crocodile. The young croc was hung from a tree with a note that read: We are going to continue killing these disgusting animals unless they are brought under control. The office for environmental protection said Thursday that the reptiles carcass was found in the Pacific coast resort city of Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday. It was hung by its tail, and a stick had been stabbed into its head with the hand-written note. Authorities acknowledge that crocodiles sometimes wander around the tourist zone, but they have set up signs to warn people and are working to improve their emergency response. Crocs are a protected species in Mexico and killing them is a crime. Over 700 firefighters battled a wildfire yesterday in a national park west of Lisbon that forced Portuguese authorities to evacuate about 350 people. The fire that broke out overnight in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park that covers hilly terrain near the Atlantic coast injured 17 firefighters and one civilian, Andre Fernandes of Portugals civil protection agency said yesterday. Fernandes added that 300 people were evacuated from a campsite while another 47 were removed from their homes in the wooded area as a precaution. Firefighters on the ground were being supported by 225 vehicles and six aerial fire-fighting units as they tried to put out the blaze. Planes swooped low to dump water on plumes of smoke rising from densely wooded hills 40 kilometers west of the capital. Fernandes said firefighters were combating the fire on two fronts, and their efforts were being helped by a decrease in the winds that had previously fanned the flames. The first hours of the fire were very, very difficult, Fernandes said. Resident Francisco Reymao told The Associated Press that it was very windy, so the fire front came all the way down with an astonishing speed. The firefighters could only watch during the night because it was impossible to control the fire, Reymao added. Our luck was the start of the day when the aircraft were able to stop this [] it would have been a tragedy here in Charneca. Wildfires routinely blacken large areas of forest every year in Portugal. Last year they also killed 106 people in what was by far the countrys deadliest fire season on record. That was a wake-up call for authorities, who had been slow to react to demographic changes and a climate that was getting hotter and drier. This year the Portuguese government enacted a raft of preventive measures to reduce fire deaths, like employing goats to munch flammable undergrowth along key roads. AP The influence of the Portuguese community in Macau is declining rapidly, according to a Reuters report published on Friday. In spite of the governmental pledges to turn Macau into a focal point for triangular cooperation between China and Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries, Portuguese residents told the international news agency that there is a gaping disconnect between the speeches and reality. They say everywhere that [the] 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 lawyer Alvaro Rodrigues. Another local lawyer, Pedro Cortes, noted that the legislation that has been passed recently shows that there is a big influence from the first system [China] on the second system [Macau]. Perhaps the latest example of this influence, according to the report, is the dismissal of senior legal advisers in the Legislative Assembly, Paulo Cardinal and Paulo Taipa. Both of the jurists have for the past few years internally criticized some of the governments bills by stating, in their confidential legal opinions, that they breached the Basic Law, several of which the assembly ended up passing, lawmaker Pereira Coutinho told Reuters. The Reuters report also mentions cases of neglect of the Portuguese language, which is one of the two official languages in Macau. Experts said that courts rarely provide Portuguese translations and that the government is hiring only Chinese applicants for jobs as lawyers, advisers and jurists. The film star Arnold Schwarzenegger has been elected governor of California, ousting the incumbent, Gray Davis, three years before his term was due to end. It is the first time in the states history that a governor has been sacked mid-term. With most of the ballots counted, Mr Schwarzenegger has won almost 48 percent of the vote. In a victory speech before jubilant supporters, Mr Schwarzenegger thanked the people of California for giving him their trust. I want to be the governor of the people, he said. I know that together we can make this the greatest state in the greatest country in the world. He pledged to restore trust in Californias government and to re-impose discipline on the states out-of-control budget. Gray Davis has already accepted defeat, telling supporters voters had decided it was time for someone else to serve and I have accepted their judgement. The vote was triggered by Republican activists, frustrated at high levels of unemployment, struggling schools, and the states budget deficit, which now runs into tens of billions of dollars. In a two-part ballot, voters were first asked if they wanted to recall or sack Governor Davis. The only other governor in US history to be recalled was North Dakotas Lynn Frazier, in 1921. Then regardless of their answer to the first question they had to indicate who they preferred as an alternative among the 135 alternative candidates running. With 96.8 percent of the results in, 54.4% wanted a recall. Mr Schwarzenegger was running ahead with 47.9 percent support. His closest rival, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, was on 32.4 percent. The Austrian-born film star and former body builder who made his name in action films such as The Terminator and Total Recall galvanized the campaign when he announced he would be running on talk show host Jay Lenos television show earlier this year. Large crowds have gathered to see him at campaign speeches and rallies. But the political fight has been brutal at times, with Mr Schwarzenegger accused of sexually harassing a number of women, and allegations that he once praised Hitler. He has denied the allegations, although he made an apology for rowdy behaviour on film sets. Courtesy BBC News In context The final result was 55.4 percent in favor of a recall, with 44.6 percent opposing it. Arnold Schwarzenegger won a decisive victory with 48.7 percent support, 16 percent ahead of his nearest rival. He was sworn in as Governor of California on 17 November 2003. His first act was to abolish an unpopular car tax rise imposed by Governor Davis. He also formally ruled out tax rises one of the big question marks overhanging his campaign. Later policies, however, have caused controversy. In February 2004 he ordered his top legal official to act against the city of San Francisco for allowing gay marriages in defiance of state law, saying they represented an imminent risk to civil order. After weeks of wrangling with senators, Governor Schwarzenegger secured a last-ditch agreement on Californias $103bn (56bn) budget in July 2004. The budget neither raised taxes, nor cut spending too deeply, instead committing the state to borrowing heavily to keep its finances on track. Some economists have warned the policy only postpones and could exacerbate the states economic problems. Authorities in eastern China said two people were killed and 16 wounded after a knife-wielding man drove a vehicle into a crowd of pedestrians on Saturday night. The suspected assailant, identified only by his surname, Wang, was apparently enraged by a personal conflict when he committed the attack, the Beilun district government in the Zhejiang province city of Ningbo city said in a statement on its microblog. It said the case is under investigation and no other details were given. The incident follows an attack last month in which 11 people were killed and 44 hospitalized after a man drove an SUV deliberately into people at a plaza in the central province of Hunan, before jumping out and attacking victims with a dagger and shovel. The Hengyang city government said the suspect in that case had previous convictions for crimes including drug trafficking, theft and assault and, acting alone, had sought to get revenge on society. Such attacks generally blamed on mental illness, alienation from society or personal disputes continue to occur despite China having one of the worlds most extensive domestic surveillance and security networks. Many of the incidents have occurred at schools, including a chain of attacks in 2010 in which nearly 20 children were killed. In June, a man used a kitchen knife to kill two children in Shanghai, and last year, eight people were killed when a man set off an explosion at the front gate of a kindergarten in eastern China as relatives gathered to pick up children. AP Credit: Emma McDermott EUROCLAST Bone-related diseases are the most common cause of severe long-term pain and reduced quality of life for millions of people. They include osteoporosis, periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis the number of people suffering from these conditions is set to increase substantially as Europe's population ages. The EU-funded EUROCLAST project brought together over 30 specialists, including around a dozen Ph.D. students from 7 institutions and 2 companies, to examine cells known as osteoclasts. These cells are responsible for bone degradation which is important for skeletal renewal and repair. Most cells in the body have just one nucleus, but certain mononuclear cells fuse to form the super-large osteoclast cells which attach themselves to mineralised tissues such as bone and digest them. "All mineralised tissues can be digested by this cell," explains project coordinator Vincent Everts, a recently retired professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Investigating the precursor cells known as monocytes which fuse to form osteoclasts, "we found that osteoclasts differ according to the bone they digest or degrade. For instance, there is an osteoclast associated with the skull bone and a functionally different one associated with the long bones in the arm or leg," Professor Everts says. This is important in order to understand osteoclast effects in different disease states, occurring at different skeletal sites in the body. Osteoclast activity Osteoclasts lower the external pH (acidity) when attached to bone tissue which results in the mineral (calcium phosphate) being dissolved. This process is followed by the secretion of a number of enzymes that digest proteins in the bone. Too much osteoclast activity can result in lower bone density and brittleness as, for example, in osteoporosis patients. By contrast, decreased osteoclast activity results in high bone density, as seen in the disease osteopetrosis where the bone becomes denser and hardens. "While this disease is rare, many key regulators of osteoclast activity have been identified by studying this terrible condition," says Professor Everts. Researchers were able to visualise this cell type using new types of electron microscopes used in other fields, which, in effect, slice the cell into a large number of sections producing a series of micrographs. "Previously we were never able to visualise the inside of the cell in such detail but now we see what's happening at different locations within it," he says. A metabolic-labelling system was developed by the researchers to track how molecules and intracellular structures move and function within the giant cell, providing information on how bone degradation occurs, and which parts of the cell are actively involved in this digestion. Assays and cell discovery Special assays were developed to analyse osteoclast activity in human serumblood taken from patientsinvestigating the enzymes expressed solely by these osteoclasts. This specific enzyme analysis technique is now being commercialised for diagnostic use. The group's research also contributed to the discovery of cells that resemble osteoclasts. "The osteoclast is very difficult to culture and cannot be kept alive for very long," Professor Everts explains, "but if you have a cell that resembles the osteoclast, you can investigate osteoclast-like activity and the effect of inhibitors on these cells, or, alternatively, the effect of stimulating compounds, thus providing tools to investigate in detail how these cells function under normal and pathological conditions." Such insights could pave the way for new diagnostic tools and therapies. Explore further Choloroquine reduces formation of bone resorbing cells in murine osteoporosis Multiple myeloma affects the bone marrow, causing abnormal plasma cells (pictured) to build up and cause tumours around the body. Credit: Wikicommons/Nephron A small clinical trial has shown that a new drug has promise for targeting tumours in patients with an aggressive type of blood cancer. Multiple myeloma is a relatively rare type of cancer that develops in the bone marrow the spongey tissue inside the bone where new blood cells are produced often spreading to multiple sites within the body. Along with aching and exhaustion, patients can suffer from brittle bones which break easily and even cause fractures in their spine. Its insidious nature makes it difficult to tackle with standard treatments, and a poor prognosis for patients with aggressive forms of the disease means that more effective treatments are needed. Now a small, early-stage clinical trial involving three patients, has shown the first clinical evidence of an unlicensed drug selectively killing myeloma cells in the marrow, while leaving the healthy tissue of the patients untouched. The researchers, led by a team at Imperial College London, are cautious to speculate, but say if the initial results can be replicated in larger trials then the treatment has the potential to improve patient outcomes. "Our findings show that this compound could work for some patients with this aggressive form of cancer," said Professor Guido Franzoso, Chair of Inflammation and Signal Transduction in the Department of Medicine, who led the research. "Although we were only able to follow up the patients over a short period, this is the first clinical evidence that our compound can specifically target cancer cells in patients, whilst demonstrating no sign of toxicity." Myeloma typically occurs in older adults (over 60) and the disease is more prevalent in men than women. More than 5,500 cases of the condition are diagnosed every year in the UK, but while outcomes have improved in recent years, the disease cannot be cured in most patients. Patients are generally treated with a combination of chemotherapy, steroids and so-called 'novel agents' that target general biological processes which keep myeloma cells alive and make them spread throughout the body, but are also needed for the normal function of healthy cells. "We can now keep the disease under control for several years in most cases, but ultimately we almost always run out of treatment options," explained Dr. Holger Auner, a Clinical Senior Lecturer at Imperial and Consultant in Haematology, who was involved in the study. "While the findings of this pilot study must be interpreted with caution at such an early stage of clinical testing, they are nevertheless highly encouraging and strongly support the further development of this approach." At the heart of myeloma is a rogue signalling process, which causes cells in the bone marrow to replicate uncontrollably. The key is NF-B, a transcription factor which binds to DNA, affecting the activity of genes involved in cell survival and inflammation. For the past 30 years the pharmaceutical industry has worked aggressively to develop drugs to block the NF-B pathway, with the hope of treating an array of cancers and inflammatory diseases. Despite the huge investments in R&D, they have had little success. Hundreds of drug candidates designed to block the pathway have failed to make it through the development pipeline either from their ineffectiveness or, more commonly, having severe unwanted side effects or being toxic to healthy cells and tissues. A new way of tackling the disease Professor Franzoso's team took a different approach. Rather than looking to block the entire pathway, they broke it down into bite-sized chunks to focus on its individual components. Their early work uncovered a drug target made up of two parts a protein called GADD45b and the MKK7 enzyme which, when bound together, block the genetic instructions which tell a cell to commit suicide. This process, which is called apoptosis, is an important biological mechanism to stop cells from becoming cancerous and then spreading, where the cells 'sense' that they are abnormal and commit cellular suicide as a result. "We developed a drug that could block this signalling mechanism in cancers, but not in normal cells," said Professor Franzoso. "The study showed it worked as effectively as other drugs commonly used to treat patients, killing myeloma cells in laboratory tests and in mice; but unlike existing drugs, it had no toxicity and no detectable side effects." The compound, called DTP3, targets the GADD45bMKK7 complex, stopping the two from joining and so disrupting their action, ultimately causing cells to self-terminate. Encouraging results The latest findings, published in the British Journal of Haematology, provide the first evidence that the same mechanism seen in the lab also works in patients with multiple myeloma. According to the researchers, these early-stage clinical data suggest that the drug may be safe and effective for human use. In a pilot trial, three patients with progressive forms of advanced multiple myeloma were administered the treatment in the clinic. During the trial, patients received increasing doses of the drug intravenously, three-times a week. After a round of treatment (a total of 28 days), two of the three patients showed that the drug was able to activate the cell-suicide mechanism in myeloma cells, but crucially, not in their healthy cells. In one of the two patients, who had been treated with a higher dose of the drug, myeloma progression was halted for three months. Importantly, none of the three patients demonstrated any sign of toxicity or any unwanted side effects from the drug. While the analyses of blood and bone marrow cells from two patients revealed all the hallmarks of apoptosis showing that the drug had the same action as in the pre-clinical trials the third patient showed no sign of apoptosis in myeloma cells, indicating that the tumour was not responding to the treatment. According to Professor Franzoso, the lack of effect in the third patient is likely due to subtle genetic differences in the tumour. One possible explanation, could be an inactivity of the GADD45B gene, which contains the genetic instructions for making the GADD45b protein. Early analyses suggest the gene is 'switched on' only in the myeloma cells from the two patients who responded to the drug, but not in those from the third patient. The researchers believe that the activity of the GADD45B gene could be used in the future as a biomarker to identify those patients whose tumours are likely to respond to treatment. "Multiple myeloma is a disease with a complex genetic basis," explains Professor Franzoso. "GADD45b is not expressed or 'switched on' in all myeloma cells, and so it's the best biomarker we have at the moment. In the future, we may also have other biomarkers which could help us to predict which patients might respond to treatment." The researchers stress that while the clinical results from this initial trial are highly encouraging, more work is needed to determine if the drug could be an effective treatment for patients with multiple myeloma. "We have shown that this drug can work as expected from the pre-clinical studies, but so far we have only tested it in a small number of patients and only at relatively low doses," explained Professor Franzoso. "In the future, we hope to be able to conduct larger trials to establish whether the drug could be used in the clinic to benefit patients with multiple myeloma, but an effective new drug treatment may still be a few years away." Explore further New cancer drug to begin trials in multiple myeloma patients More information: Laura Tornatore et al. Clinical proof of concept for a safe and effective NF-B-targeting strategy in multiple myeloma, British Journal of Haematology (2018). Journal information: British Journal of Haematology Laura Tornatore et al. Clinical proof of concept for a safe and effective NF-B-targeting strategy in multiple myeloma,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/bjh.15569 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Researchers from The University of Western Australia, King Edward Memorial Hospital and Curtin University are investigating whether an old drug could be used to help very sick premature babies. In a study published today in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology the researchers examine the use of a drug called pentoxifylline in pre-term infants. The drug, also known as Trental, was developed in the 1970s and is currently used to treat adults with poor circulation. It has multiple positive effects including improving blood flow and reducing inflammation. UWA Clinical Senior Lecturer Dr. Sam Salman, from UWA's Medical School, said previous small studies suggested the drug could improve survival and disability when added to the treatment of premature babies with serious infections, but little was known about the right dose to use. "Although we have a good idea on the dose we need to treat adults there is little information to help us understand the best dose to give premature babies," Dr. Salman said. Working with Associate Professor Tobias Strunk, a neonatologist at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH), the research team is looking to solve that problem. The study examined the use of pentoxifylline in 26 premature babies born between 23 and 30 weeks and weighing between about 500g and 2kg who were being treated for serious infections. "Weight and organ function can be very different between these babies and is constantly changing, so we needed to know how these factors affect the concentration of the drug," Dr. Salman said. The study was able to show that not only did size impact the concentrations of the drug but that for every additional week of life there was a 30 per cent increase in organ function that metabolised the drug, resulting in lower concentrations of the drug. "We found that there was a sixfold difference in concentration of the drug despite dosing based on weight, suggesting that the current weight-based dosing may be improved by accounting for the age of each individual baby," Dr. Salman said. The study also found that the drug did not have an adverse effect on other medications the babies needed. The findings will support an ongoing international study of 1,800 babies in NICU, led by researchers at UWA and KEMH, which aims to prove the benefit of the drug in critically ill premature babies. Explore further Bacteria passed on in the womb is linked to premature birth and breathing difficulties More information: Sam Salman et al. Effects of maturation and size on population pharmacokinetics of pentoxifylline and its metabolites in very preterm infants with suspected late-onset sepsis or necrotising enterocolitis: a pilot study incorporating clinical outcomes, British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2018). Journal information: British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Sam Salman et al. Effects of maturation and size on population pharmacokinetics of pentoxifylline and its metabolites in very preterm infants with suspected late-onset sepsis or necrotising enterocolitis: a pilot study incorporating clinical outcomes,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/bcp.13775 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Today, a new blood cancer treatment was approved for use on the NHS in England. And in early September, NHS England announced another, similar treatment will be available to some children and young people with a different type of blood cancer. As with any new drug approval, these announcements are great news for the patients who may benefit. But these are no ordinary drugs. The two treatments called axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) and tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) respectively have attracted attention because of the ground-breaking way in which they're made and work. This makes their approval a fascinating live case study for an NHS that's attempting to position itself as a world-leader in cancer treatment. What is CAR T cell therapy? Yescarta and Kymriah are two of a new line of immune-boosting treatments called CAR T cell therapies. They involve extracting specialised immune cells, called T cells, from a patient's blood and altering them in the lab so they recognise and fight cancer cells. The modified T cells are multiplied a thousand-fold in the lab and then put back into the patient's bloodstream. The results from small trials have been promising, as the cellular engineering turns patients' own immune systems into precise anti-cancer weapons. And unlike standard chemotherapy, the treatment only has to be given once. CAR T cells are "the first truly personalised therapy, because the cells come from the patient," says Professor Karl Peggs, a Cancer Research UK-funded immunotherapy expert. He says this makes it a game-changer "in the small niche in which it is being licensed and used". In other words, while the technology is exciting, at the moment it will only reach a relatively small number of people, and that's unlikely to change any time soon. In fact, Peggs cautions against overplaying the potential for CAR T to turn blood cancer treatment on its head. For childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia one of the cancer types CAR T can now be used in he says only a tiny fraction of patients will benefit from the new treatment because "most patients are cured with conventional therapy". But for the few patients in whom chemotherapy hasn't worked, the approval of CAR T offers a vital new option. How effective is CAR T? Impressive results have been reported in clinical trials for some types of blood cancer where there are few other treatment options available. In one trial, around 8 in 10 patients saw their disease respond to the treatment, and for around half of those patients their cancer hadn't come back a year later. But, while the treatment has shown great promise, it doesn't work for everyone. According to Peggs, it's unknown why only some patients' cancers respond initially, and why others see their cancer come back later while some remain disease free. More research will help answer these questions, and the terms of the treatments' approval on the NHS state that data on their effectiveness can be collected along the way. This, again, is positive news. The potency of unleashing the immune system also brings with it the risk of serious side effects that need expert care. In one clinical trial testing Yescarta, 94 percent of patients experienced a side effect called cytokine release syndrome, and 1 in 7 of them needed treatment in intensive care. Despite the challenges, these treatments have attracted a lot of interest. The head of the NHS in England, Simon Stevens, has described CAR T therapy as "cutting edge" and "one of the most innovative treatments ever offered on the NHS". But the complexity of these treatments means they pose more of a challenge to the NHS than most new drugs. Is the NHS ready for CAR T therapies? "In many ways, this treatment is more akin to a stem cell transplant than traditional chemotherapy," says Peggs. NHS England has selected hospitals where staff have experience of procedures like stem cell or bone marrow transplants as the first locations to offer the treatment. The NHS is already in a strong position, as it has world-class facilities for carrying out these procedures. But those hospitals will also have to plan for patients' supportive care. To help monitor side effects, people having CAR T therapy will have to stay in hospital afterwards, and be within easy travelling distance for several weeks after they leave. This means the treatment will initially only be given to a few patients at a time across England, in a limited number of hospitals, to make sure the NHS can look after them properly. It's not yet clear whether patients in Wales and Northern Ireland will need to travel to hospitals in England to be treated. And in Scotland, on top of this uncertainty, these treatments would also have to be separately approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) before they can receive NHS funding. The SMC is due to decide on Yescarta in November, and on Kymriah in early 2019. Complexity aside, one of the major debates surrounding CAR T cell therapies has been their cost. The treatments are expensive, at around 280,000 per patient, though the NHS has negotiated significant discounts for both Yescarta and Kymriah. Both the NHS and the companies that develop these treatments, Gilead and Novartis, deserve huge credit for agreeing deals for these drugs. CAR T therapy is an extreme example of a general trend for the newest cancer drugs, which are more personalised and complex, but pricier as a result. This trend makes it vital the NHS explores new ways of paying for cancer drugs, which could make it easier to approve exciting new treatments in future so that patients can access them more quickly. We're working with partners in Greater Manchester to explore one approach called outcomes-based pricing, where the NHS pays a different price for the drug, based on the benefits it gives patients. What does this all mean for patients and the NHS? The NHS approvals of Kymriah and Yescarta are a huge leap forward for those patients in England with the very specific blood cancers they are approved to treat. But even for these patients, there are still unanswered questions about the drugs' long-term effectiveness, which patients are most likely to respond, and how to manage and reduce side effects. We, and others, are hoping to answer these questions through research. The NHS can rightly be proud that a small number of patients in England will be the first in Europe to have routine access to this highly complex technology. But the challenges presented by exciting new treatments like CAR T won't go away. Today's good news should be just the start, not the end, of the NHS's preparations for this shift. Explore further Engineered cell therapy rejected for aggressive adult lymphoma on NHS in England Credit: CC0 Public Domain With the FBI background investigation report now passed to the White House, a Senate vote could come as early as Friday on the future of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. His nomination has been under immense scrutiny following reports of sexual assault allegations that happened decades ago. Since coming forward, there has been much public discussion and dialogue about memory as it relates to trauma, and why it takes years for some survivors to report the crime. Afton Kapuscinski is the director at Syracuse University's Psychological Services Center and president of the Central New York Psychological Association. She says victim silence is often the byproduct of cultural messages that implicitly or directly blame those who come forward with allegations. Kapuscinski says, "In my clinical practice, I have met many sexual assault survivors. I am frequently the first person they have ever told about their experience, and relatively few pursue legal action. Feelings of shame and anxiety about telling their stories are common responses to sexual trauma for many women who do not report. "Their silence is in part the byproduct of cultural messages that implicitly or directly blame and doubt women who come forward with allegations. Women are aware that convictions are rare, while the cost of speaking up can be heavy. Only about 1 in 10 sexual assaults reported by police result in a conviction. "Survivors of sexual trauma are commonly haunted by intrusive flashbacks and nightmares emphasizing certain traumatic details that are vividly 'burned' into their memories while some aspects of the event are not recalled. "Following severe threats to our bodily integrity, changes immediately occur in our neurobiology that are intended to ensure survival by facilitating vigilance to cues associated with threat in the future. Survivors' memory systems prioritize details of the event that are perceived as central to the danger, and it would therefore be expected that some peripheral details, such as those occurring before or after the trauma, would not be recalled." Explore further Delayed reporting of sexual assault is no reason to discredit the accuser Credit: CC0 Public Domain The drug allopurinol used to manage gout may offer protection against the development of kidney disease, according to a new study. Traditionally there has been concern from physicians that this medication may increase risk of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), despite a lack of clear data supporting this relationship. As such, many patients find themselves undertreated, leading to poorer gout outcomes. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) utilized The Health Improvement Network (a general practitioner medical records database representative of the United Kingdom's general population) to evaluate kidney function in gout patients after starting allopurinol. They found that of the more than 4,000 patients started on full-dose allopurinol for prevention of gout flares, 12.2 percent had developed Stage 3 CKD after an average of five years of treatment, as compared to 13.1 percent of non-users over a similar period. The researchers conclude that the use of allopurinol in the management of gout is not only safe, but also potentially beneficial in reducing risk of kidney disease. Tuhina Neogi, MD, Ph.D., corresponding author of the study and professor of medicine and epidemiology at BUSM and BU School of Public Health, sees these results as an important step forward in the long-term treatment of gout. "Ultimately, we hope these results will be disseminated to PCPs and internists taking care of patients with gout (since the bulk of patients with gout are managed in primary care) so that allopurinol is not held or stopped when a patient experiences a creatinine bump," said Neogi, a rheumatologist at Boston Medical Center. Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis in the United States (affecting 3.9 percent of Americans, more than eight million adults. Gout flares are caused by the formation of urate crystals within the joints, leading to significant pain and swelling. Allopurinol is the most frequently used medication to manage gout, including the long-term prevention of gout flares by reducing the amount of urate circulating through the blood. These finding appear in JAMA Internal Medicine. Explore further Allopurinol dose escalation for gout doesn't improve mortality The wireless device naturally absorbs into the body after a week or two. Credit: Northwestern University Researchers at Northwestern University and Washington University School of Medicine have developed the first example of a bioelectronic medicine: an implantable, biodegradable wireless device that speeds nerve regeneration and improves the healing of a damaged nerve. The collaboratorsmaterials scientists and engineers at Northwestern and neurosurgeons at Washington Universitydeveloped a device that delivers regular pulses of electricity to damaged peripheral nerves in rats after a surgical repair process, accelerating the regrowth of nerves in their legs and enhancing the ultimate recovery of muscle strength and control. The size of a dime and the thickness of a sheet of paper, the wireless device operates for about two weeks before naturally absorbing into the body. The scientists envision that such transient engineered technologies one day could complement or replace pharmaceutical treatments for a variety of medical conditions in humans. This type of technology, which the researchers refer to as a "bioelectronic medicine," provides therapy and treatment over a clinically relevant period of time and directly at the site where it's needed, thereby reducing side effects or risks associated with conventional, permanent implants. "These engineered systems provide active, therapeutic function in a programmable, dosed format and then naturally disappear into the body, without a trace," said Northwestern's John A. Rogers, a pioneer in bio-integrated technologies and a co-senior author of the study. "This approach to therapy allows one to think about options that go beyond drugs and chemistry." Rogers is the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Neurological Surgery in the McCormick School of Engineering and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The research will be published Oct. 8 in the journal Nature Medicine. While the device has not been tested in humans, the findings offer promise as a future therapeutic option for nerve injury patients. For cases requiring surgery, standard practice is to administer some electrical stimulation during the surgery to aid recovery. But until now, doctors have lacked a means to continuously provide that added boost at various time points throughout the recovery and healing process. "We know that electrical stimulation during surgery helps, but once the surgery is over, the window for intervening is closed," said co-senior author Dr. Wilson "Zack" Ray, an associate professor of neurosurgery, of biomedical engineering and of orthopedic surgery at Washington University. "With this device, we've shown that electrical stimulation given on a scheduled basis can further enhance nerve recovery." Over the past eight years, Rogers and his lab have developed a complete collection of electronic materials, device designs and manufacturing techniques for biodegradable devices with a broad range of options that offer the potential to address unmet medical needs. When Ray and his colleagues at Washington University identified the need for electrical stimulation-based therapies to accelerate wound healing, Rogers and colleagues at Northwestern went to their toolbox and set to work. They designed and developed a thin, flexible device that wraps around an injured nerve and delivers electrical pulses at selected time points for days before the device harmlessly degrades in the body. The device is powered and controlled wirelessly by a transmitter outside the body that acts much like a cellphone-charging mat. Rogers and his team worked closely with the Washington University team throughout the development process and animal validation. The Washington University researchers then studied the bioelectronic device in rats with injured sciatic nerves. This nerve sends signals up and down the legs and controls the hamstrings and muscles of the lower legs and feet. They used the device to provide one hour per day of electrical stimulation to the rats for one, three or six days or no electrical stimulation at all, and then monitored their recovery for the next 10 weeks. They found that any electrical stimulation was better than none at all at helping the rats recover muscle mass and muscle strength. In addition, the more days of electrical stimulation the rats received, the more quickly and thoroughly they recovered nerve signaling and muscle strength. No adverse biological effects from the device and its reabsorption were found. "Before we did this study, we weren't sure that longer stimulation would make a difference, and now that we know it does, we can start trying to find the ideal time frame to maximize recovery," Ray said. "Had we delivered electrical stimulation for 12 days instead of six, would there have been more therapeutic benefit? Maybe. We're looking into that now." By varying the composition and thickness of the materials in the device, Rogers and colleagues can control the precise number of days it remains functional before being absorbed into the body. New versions can provide electrical pulses for weeks before degrading. The ability of the device to degrade in the body takes the place of a second surgery to remove a non-biodegradable device, thereby eliminating additional risk to the patient. "We engineer the devices to disappear," Rogers said. "This notion of transient electronic devices has been a topic of deep interest in my group for nearly 10 yearsa grand quest in materials science, in a sense. We are excited because we now have the piecesthe materials, the devices, the fabrication approaches, the system-level engineering conceptsto exploit these concepts in ways that could have relevance to grand challenges in human health." The research study also showed the device can work as a temporary pacemaker and as an interface to the spinal cord and other stimulation sites across the body. These findings suggest broad utility, beyond just the peripheral nervous system. Explore further Electrical nerve stimulation can reverse spinal cord injury nerve damage in patients More information: Jahyun Koo et al, Wireless bioresorbable electronic system enables sustained nonpharmacological neuroregenerative therapy, Nature Medicine (2018). Journal information: Nature Medicine Jahyun Koo et al, Wireless bioresorbable electronic system enables sustained nonpharmacological neuroregenerative therapy,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-018-0196-2 Credit: CC0 Public Domain Less-educated African American women who report experiencing high levels of racial discrimination may face greater risk of developing chronic diseases, says a new study by UC Berkeley researchers. The study of 208 middle-aged African American women from the San Francisco Bay Area is the first to examine the links between racial discrimination and allostatic load, a measure of chronic physiologic stress in the body that is a predictor of a variety of chronic diseases. Higher levels of educational attainment may buffer some of the negative health effects of discrimination, the team found. "Racial discrimination has many faces. It is not being able to hail a cab, getting poor service in stores and restaurants, being treated unfairly at work, being treated unfairly by police and law enforcement and being followed around in stores because of racial stereotypes," said Amani M. Allen, an associate professor of epidemiology and community health sciences in UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. "We found that experiencing racial discrimination repeatedly can create a state of biological imbalance that leaves certain groups of people more susceptible to chronic disease." Numerous studies show that African American women have higher levels of allostatic load, a collection of biological factors like high blood pressure and high blood sugar that collectively raise an individual's risk of developing chronic illness. African American women are also more likely than other racial and gender groups to experience chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. While previous research has linked racial discrimination to specific conditions, this study, appearing online this month in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, is the first to examine the association between racial discrimination and allostatic load. "We know that African American women suffer disproportionately from chronic disease, and we know a lot about what contributes to these diseasesdiet, physical activity, access to care and even genetics in some cases," Allen said. "However, these factors fall short of explaining the disparities faced by African American women. The goal of our study was to examine whether racial discrimination is in itself a type of stressor that may be related to higher levels of allostatic load, thereby increasing risk of chronic illness among this group." Education may be a powerful predictor of health Each participant completed a questionnaire rating their experiences of racial discrimination in different contexts, including finding housing, finding employment, at work, at school, getting credit for a bank loan or mortgage, and in healthcare settings. The team also gave each participant a physical exam, recording their height, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and measures of inflammation and other health indicators that can contribute to allostatic load. Study participants were provided with the results of their physical exams and given educational materials about health risks facing African American women. "It was important to us that this be an informative experience for them," Allen said. The team broke down the analysis by educational attainment and poverty status, unearthing some surprising trends. For African American women with a high school diploma or less, experiencing a high level of racial discrimination correlated with much higher allostatic load. However, this trend was reversed for highly educated women, for whom very high levels of racial discrimination correlated with lower allostatic load. The researchers hypothesize that these differences may be partly attributed to how women interpret the racial discrimination they face. "There are better health outcomes associated with those who attribute their racial discrimination experiences to systemic racism and do something about it as opposed to just accepting it and engaging in self-blame," said Marilyn D. Thomas, a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at Berkeley. "Since we found that less-educated women were less likely to report racial discrimination, we suspect that those who have higher education may be more prepared to acknowledge and report racism versus internalizing it and blaming themselves." While the relationship between racial discrimination and allostatic load also varied by poverty status, the trends were not as pronounced as they were for education level. The researchers stress that while education is a powerful predictor of health, it should not be seen as an antidote to the potential adverse health effects of racial discrimination. "We need to think about the determinants of health in different ways," Allen said. "They are not just access to care, genetics or even socioeconomic position. We need to look at the social conditions of people's day-to-day lives, and how we might improve those conditions so that every person, regardless of their race, their gender or anything else, has an equitable opportunity to live optimally. Unequal treatment is bad for health." Explore further Most prior research on discrimination looked at adults, study says More information: Amani M. Allen et al. Racial discrimination, educational attainment, and biological dysregulation among midlife African American women, Psychoneuroendocrinology (2018). Journal information: Psychoneuroendocrinology Amani M. Allen et al. Racial discrimination, educational attainment, and biological dysregulation among midlife African American women,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.001 A 'multisite de novo mutation' (MSDN) occurs when two or more defects occur adjacently in the DNA strands of 20 base pairs. Credit: Jean-Tori Pantel Soldiers at radar installations who were exposed to high doses of radiation during their service passed on more genetic alterations to their children than families without radiation exposure. This has been demonstrated in a pilot study by the research team involving Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin, the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), the Max Delbruck Centre for Molecular Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands) and the University Hospital Bonn, which has now been published in the journal Scientific Reports. The results of this pilot study will be reviewed in a larger scale study. Until the 1980s, military radar systems were often inadequately shielded against radiation emitted by radar amplifier tubes. Such rays can cause radiation damage to service and maintenance personnel. The Association for the Support of Persons Harmed by Radar Beams is a group of affected people. In 2003, a commission of experts made recommendations on compensatory payments. Since some children of former radar installation soldiers suffer from physical disabilities attributed to the radiation exposure of their fathers, their offspring are now in the spotlight. Whether radiation led to genotype damage in these children is debated. A research team from Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin, the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands) and the University Hospital Bonn have now investigated this question in a pilot study. "Through the latest methods of high-throughput sequencing, the complete genomes of parents and their children can now be studied within a short time. This allows us to determine the mutation rates after radiation exposure much more accurately than before," says first author Dr. Manuel Holtgrewe of the Core Unit Bioinformatics (CUBI) of the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) and Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin. A 'multisite de novo mutation' (MSDN) occurs when two or more defects occur adjacently in the DNA strands of 20 base pairs. Credit: Jean-Tori Pantel The scientists studied the genomes of 12 families of affected soldiers. The entire genomes of 18 offspring and their parents were sequenced. The exact radiation exposure of the soldiers cannot be determined retroactively. Researchers estimate, however, that a high dose of radiation emanated from the radar systems, as radar installation soldiers very frequently became ill, many from cancer. Scientists compared the mutation rates in the genomes of the soldiers' families with that of 28 offspring of parents who were not exposed to radiation. The focus was on so-called multisite de novo mutations (MSDN), which have already been associated with radiation in experiments with mice. An MSDN is present when two or more defects in adjacent DNA strands occur in a line of 20 base pairs. In the families without radiation exposure, only every fifth offspring had an MSDN; in radar soldiers' families, two out of three offspring were positive for MSDNs. Twelve MSDNs were found in the 18 offspring of the soldiers; one family had six MSDNs in three offspring. In addition, in two offspring, chromosomal alterations were also detected that had serious clinical consequences. The origin of these mutations could also be traced back to the paternal germ line and only rarely occur by chance. "The results of our pilot study suggest that an accumulation of certain genotype damage by radiation can basically be demonstrated in the next generation," says Prof. Dr. Peter Krawitz from the Institute for Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics at the University Hospital Bonn. The pronounced accumulation of genotype damage by radiation must be demonstrated by even larger studies involving a much broader database. A team including members from Krawitz is currently planning such a follow-up study with the Institute of Human Genetics of the University Hospital Bonn, the Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin and the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH). Explore further Computer-aided facial analysis helps diagnosis More information: Manuel Holtgrewe et al, Multisite de novo mutations in human offspring after paternal exposure to ionizing radiation, Scientific Reports (2018). Journal information: Scientific Reports Manuel Holtgrewe et al, Multisite de novo mutations in human offspring after paternal exposure to ionizing radiation,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33066-x NOTICE: TO BE CLEAR: WE HAVE OUTLINED UNDER OUR RECORD MAINTENANCE POLICY WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE A FAIR PROCESS FOR ALL. SIMPLY PUT: IF THE COURT SAW FIT TO EXPUNGE YOUR RECORD,SO WILL WE, FREE OF CHARGE. ARRESTS DO NOT IMPLY GUILT AND CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE MERELY ACCUSATIONS,EVERYONE IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW AND CONVICTED. FCRA DISCLAIMER: MUGSHOTS.COM DOES NOT PROVIDE CONSUMER REPORTS AND IS NOT A CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY. 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Netflix in South Africa With its low pricing and reasonable data requirements, Netflix has become very popular in the country. Just how many Netflix subscribers there are in South Africa, however, is not public knowledge. DStv parent MultiChoice stated that it believes Netflix has grown to between 300,000 and 400,000 subscribers in South Africa. Thats a significant number in two and a half years, MultiChoice South Africa CEO Calvo Mawela told MyBroadband. Netflix launched in South Africa in January 2016. Statistics portal Statista has also previously given estimates on Netflix subscribers in South Africa. It estimates that, in 2018, Netflix has just over 152,000 subscribers in the country. This is predicted to grow substantially through 2020. Figures for 2018 show that Netflix now has 57.4 million subscribers in the US, and 72.8 million outside of the country. It must be noted that subscribers can share their accounts, and while an individual may pay for a Netflix subscription, they can let friends and family share the service. This can distort the subscriber figure compared to the viewer figure. Massive traffic It is not only Netflixs subscriber numbers that have grown in recent years its original content lineup and the volume of shows watched have increased too. Networking company Sandvine recently released a report on the amount of the worlds Internet traffic taken up by Netflix streaming, and it is truly impressive. The H1 2018 report states that around 15% of worldwide downstream traffic is attributed to Netflix. This makes it the number one downstream application worldwide. Netflixs comment Netflix told MyBroadband it does not release subscriber numbers, and it declined to provide feedback on its South African subscriber numbers. The South African Post Office (SAPO) has very poor service levels, which include slow delivery times, lost packages, website downtime, and poor communication with clients. The Post Offices pathetic service was confirmed by a recent real-world experiment by MyBroadband. In this test, MyBroadband sent letters from across South Africa to the Lyttelton Post Office, and we tracked how long these letters took to arrive. Fastmail letters, which are supposed to be delivered within days, took between one and three weeks to arrive. The situation with ordinary mail was even worse. Only half of the letters arrived within a month, and the rest are still trickling in two months after they were sent. After publishing articles about the Post Office test, MyBroadband received numerous complaints from readers about lost packages and very slow delivery times. Many of the packages were linked to ecommerce purchases, where users had to wait for weeks for delivery. Lost packages were a particularly big problem, and without tracking and good communication from the Post Office users were left in the dark. A great alternative for ecommerce businesses One of the industries which are the hardest hit by the Post Offices poor service levels is online shopping. Good news is that there is a great alternative for ecommerce businesses in South Africa Pargo. Pargo is a smart logistics company that offers an alternative to the Post Office by allowing people to send and receive parcels at thousands of Pargo pick-up points throughout the country. Pargo has pick-up points in almost every town in South Africa, which completely removes the need to use the Post Office. For added convenience and ease-of-mind, Pargo tracks deliveries to a customers nearest pick-up point and notifies them when they are ready for collection. Through its advanced tracking system, Pargo makes sure there are no missed deliveries, delays, or disappointments. What makes the service particularly suitable for ecommerce businesses is its ease-of-integration into existing online shops. Ecommerce businesses can simply add the Pargo option to their check-out page by installing the companys free plug-in. With service guarantees and an average delivery time of between 2 and 5 days across South Africa, Pargo is a perfect solution for anyone looking for an alternative to the SA Post Office. For more information about Pargo, please visit: Pargo Website Elon Musks rocket company launched a commercial satellite for Argentina on Sunday evening, marking SpaceXs 17th mission of 2018 in the type of steady success that so far has eluded his electric-car maker Tesla Inc. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Californias central coast about 7:21 p.m. local time. About 8 minutes after liftoff, the rockets first stage returned and landed at Vandenberg in a first for a California-based SpaceX launch. The second stage deployed SAOCOM 1A, an Argentine Earth-imaging satellite, roughly 12 minutes after the launch. Having a rockets first stage return safely to Earth is part Space Exploration Technologies Corp.s strategy to reduce launch costs and win market share. SpaceX already has recovered rocket boosters several times, both on land in Florida and on drone ships at sea. Musk is the chief executive officer, chairman and largest shareholder of both SpaceX and Tesla, two companies that are pushing frontiers of technology while surrounded by different degrees of drama. Closely held SpaceXs valuation has climbed to about $28 billion as it racks up successful launches, making it the third-most valuable venture-backed startup in the U.S. after Uber Technologies Inc. and Airbnb Inc. SpaceX completed a record 18 missions in 2017 and is on track to exceed that number this year. Publicly traded Teslas value, meanwhile, has seesawed as Musk made bold claims about taking it private, only to draw a lawsuit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Musk ridiculed the SEC as the Shortseller Enrichment Commission in a tweet last week, rattling investors with a missive that could imperil the deal struck with the regulator just a week earlier. The settlement, which isnt final, bars Musk from serving as chairman of Tesla for three years as punishment for tweets he sent about taking Tesla private, but it allows him to remain CEO. Tesla shares fell about 7.1 percent on Friday. SpaceX has a contract to ferry American astronauts to the International Space Station as part of whats known as the Commercial Crew program with NASA, but the timeline for the first flights has slipped repeatedly. The latest schedule from NASA has SpaceXs first demonstration fight slated for January, and the first flight with astronauts on board slated for June. In August, SpaceX employees got a chance to meet the four astronauts who will fly on Crew Dragon, the craft SpaceX designed to ferry them safely to and from the orbiting lab. Last month, Musk announced that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa plans to fly around the moon on the companys BFR rocket in 2023. Falcon has landed pic.twitter.com/joqphUs1AO Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2018 Now read: SpaceX books private passenger flight around the Moon Rebuild Northbay Foundation has collaborated on a project to distribute 5,000 Go Bags across four counties in Northern California affected by last Octobers wildfires. Included in the bag are universal cellphone chargers from Comcast, N95 masks from Friedmans, hand-cranked flashlights from PG&E, and hygiene kits courtesy of Kaiser Permanente. Rotary Clubs of Sonoma Valley organized a volunteer effort to prepare the bags for distribution. The bags feature materials on preparedness from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the California Office of Emergency Services and the counties of Sonoma and Napa. The Go Bags will be distributed starting the week of Oct. 8 in all four counties. Napa County will give out the bags at community events. Starting Oct. 8, Rebuild NorthBay launched a new website with a resource library dedicated to rebuilding and long-term recovery in our region. The website address, www.rebuildnorthbay.org, is displayed on the bags. Napa County residents will be greatly served by Rebuild NorthBay Foundations donation, Napa County Supervisor Ryan Gregory said in a news release. The go-bags will help us continue to build on making Napa County more resilient and better prepared for future disaster. Rebuild Northbay Foundation was borne out of the ire disaster of October 2017 and represents Napa, Sonoma in the North Bay, plus Lake and Mendocino counties. The foundation is led by business, community, health, education, and environmental leaders brought together to rebuild back better, safer, greener and faster. Jose Ceja of Napa captured the day Saturday at the Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival Weigh-Off. His pumpkin weighed in at 2,138 pounds, a California state record. The former record holder was Josiah Brandt, of Rudolph, Wisconsin, who brought a 2,095-pound pumpkin to the weigh-off in 2017. The festival paid Ceja a cash prize of $14,996 $7 a pound for his winner. Ceja has been competing in the Elk Grove weigh-off for 20 years. He also took the title in 2004 with a 989-pound entry. Ceja said he felt relieved and happy when he saw the official weight on the scale. Its nice to have the biggest pumpkin in California after so much hard work. His pumpkin grew to be over one ton in just 106 days. It was not easy. Ceja said to grow giants like this, you need good soil, a good seed, and a lot of luck from God. Cejas family attended the weigh-off. We are so very proud and excited for him this year, his daughter, Elizabeth Ceja said in an email. He pours his heart and soul into these pumpkins and its nice to see all his work finally pay off. More than 50 gigantic gourds were carefully moved with a forklift to a special scale on Saturday in Elk Grove Regional Park. Pumpkin growers from all over California and beyond posed with their pumpkins for photos after the weights were taken. The pumpkin entries ranged in color, size and shape. Ceja nicknamed his pumpkin the camel because of the large hump on top. Brandt took second place with a pumpkin weighing 2,077 pounds. His pumpkin will be involved in another unique record at the festival. Three world-renowned pumpkin carvers will sculpt it into a giant jack-o-lantern for a Guinness World Records official attempt. A handful of the smaller, 600- to 1,000-pound pumpkins will be hollowed and carved into pumpkin boats for the festivals Pumpkin Regatta Sunday at noon. The Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival is organized by the Cosumnes CSD Parks and Recreation Department in partnership with many sponsors. A portion of festival proceeds benefit local youth and service organizations. In 2017, the festival attracted an estimated 50,000 people. The seven Rohingya immigrants, who were deported from Cachar Central Jail in southern Assams Silchar, finally reached their home at Kyauktaw of Rakhine state in Myanmar on Monday. Sources said the Myanmarese police handed them over to Rohingya Ulema leader Molvi Taher of Kyauktaw of Rakhine state. The seven Rohingya immigrants, who had been staying in Assam illegally, were deported to their country of origin Myanmar on Thursday. The illegal immigrants were detained in 2012 and since then they were lodged in Cachar Central Jail. They were handed over to the authorities of the Myanmar at Moreh border post in Manipur. Consular access had been given to Myanmar diplomats, who confirmed the identity of the immigrants. Earlier, the Supreme Court had allowed their deportation to Myanmar, saying they were found by the competent court as illegal immigrants and have been accepted by their country of origin as citizens. Azerbaijani opposition party member sentenced to 10 years in jail for criticizing the government Hraparak.am: Armenia army General Staff chief has been charged EU believes Brussels needs to negotiate with Moscow over price of natural gas Armenia ombudsman: Priority task is removal of Azerbaijan soldiers from near our villages, roads PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's brother dies from COVID-19 Lukashenko says migrants on border don't want to go back to their countries Ukrainian MPs visit Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex Armenia 2nd President's son: My father didn't meet with Nikol Pashinyan Armenia Deputy PM receives World Bank Vice-President Armenian side holding talks to resume search for remains of those fallen in Artsakh war last year Security Council: 4 combat positions of Armenia army were under Azerbaijan blockade 168.am: Armenia PM ex-spokeswoman to be appointed defense minister spokesperson PM: Azerbaijan troops have invaded Armenia territory Armenia deputy PM Suren Papikyan is appointed defense minister Fatal hit-and-run occurs in Yerevan Karabakh President visits Askeran region Commander of Russia peacekeepers in Artsakh participates in Geographical Dictation international education campaign Yerevan man, 54, found dead in house, there are traces of violence on his face Number of people over age of 18 vaccinated against Covid reaches about 1 million in Armenia Armenia to partake in CSTO special forces military exercises in Tajikistan 378 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Russia peacekeepers in Karabakh ensure over 4,000 vehicles safe passage through Lachin corridor in 1 month About 100 people injured in 2 earthquakes in southern Iran Armenia Central Electoral Commission issues preliminary results of local elections World gold prices going down 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 YEREVAN. While in Paris, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Armen Sarkissian discussed the present-day situation in Armenia. Pashinyan on Monday told about the abovementioned to reporters. We will again discuss the situation, he added, in particular. During my stay in Paris, some events have taken place [in Armenia], and which we will definitely take into account, the PM also said. In particular, Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyans [TV] interview; and in fact, he supported the idea of holding snap [parliamentary] elections in December. Also by the results of that interview, Im also going to meet with Mr. Tsarukyan (). I believe there will be a meeting also with the [Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)] Dashnaktsutyun [Party]. Pashinyan added that even though he will de jure resign as PM, he will not step down de facto. I see that now there is a huge public unease, discontent in that connection, the Premier stressed, above all. We need to see to it that this situationwith all its delicacieswill be comprehensible to the public, since I shouldnt do any action to put the peoples power at riskeven theoretically. But we have to do snap [parliamentary] elections () to pass from this barricade mode to everyday working mode, and achieve concrete results. YEREVAN. Yelq parliamentary group has been always ready for talks, both during the revolution and the election of Nikol Pashinyan, head of Yelq parliamentary group Lena Nazaryan told reporters. She considers it important that political forces should declare clearly whether they plan to nominate their candidate for the post of a PM or whether they agree that early parliamentary elections should be held in December. Of course, this happened on October 2, and it was a fraud against the goals of the Armenian government, she said referring to the amendments to parliaments regulations that were adopted last week. The Republican Party of Armenia has to be one of the first to give a clear response whether they are going to nominate a candidate after PM resigns. Len Nazaryan said they had not voiced any threats against political forces, but there is a call to assess the situation soberly. If they are nominated, they should understand that they are rocking the boat where they are sitting . This can have very serious consequences, she added. In collaboration with Tourism Armenia Association, six local tour operators presented Armenia at Top Resa 2018 tourism exhibition, from September 25 to 28, in Paris, France. Two members of the Association and four local tour operators have promoted the country under a single pavilion during the four days of the fair. Armenian DMCs and inbound tour operators have created a greater interest for the country in the circle of international partners and returned home with new business contacts. Prior to Francophonie Summit, when Armenia has the international publics full attention, its a priority to present our country and its tourism potential at the most important international events of the tourism industry, Top Resa 2018 travel fair among them, said Syuzanna Azoyan, the chair of Tourism Armenia Association. Top Resa is a profitable platform to meet new and existing partners thus attracting a bigger flow of tourists to Armenia, especially when we have direct flights operating between Yerevan and Paris. Historical and cultural heritage as well as wine, adventure, rural and eco tourism opportunities have been presented at the fair. This years highlights of the Armenian stand included Voskevaz Wine Factory showcasing Armenian wine tourism with an interesting ecosystem inclination, the National Center of Armenian Carpet with an emphasized attention on unique traditions of Armenian carpet making, and Jraghatsi Mot guest house with attractive products of rural tourism, and more. Tourism Armenia Association was founded by the industrys 13 leading DMCs and incoming tour operators with the aim of fostering public-private partnership and promoting Armenia as a MICE and organized tourism destination in the global marketplace. Former ruling Republican Party of Armenia National Assembly (RPA NA) faction member, ex-Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan, stated that he fully supports Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and noted that holding a snap parliamentary election is a necessity. He told RFE/RL Armenian Service that any reasonable person now must support Pashinyan. He is honest in his objectives, he is honest in his desires, Kostanyan added, in particular. As per the RPA MP, nominating any other PM candidate once Pashinyan resigns from this office would be artificial and full of dangers. Even though the ex-attorney general still believes that there is no legal need yet for conducting a snap parliamentary election in the country, the current political demand for dissolving the NA is more important. Last weekend, Kostanyan met with First Deputy PM Ararat Mirzoyan, and the RPA lawmaker stated that he had been revolutionized after that talk. I believed in the authenticity, honesty of those objectives, and, which is extremely important, in my view, in the consistency, he added, in particular. Interview of the UAE Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh with Armenian News - NEWS.am. What do you think about the development of cooperation between the two countries? First of all, I want to thank the Armenian government for the warm welcome. We are happy to participate in the summit in Yerevan, in one of the oldest cities of the world. Our goal is to participate in the summit, we have the same approaches, the same principles, we want to deepen cooperation with all countries involved in summit of La Francophonie. And at the same time, the goal of our participation is to develop cooperation with the Armenian government, in particular, taking into account friendly ties with the Armenian people. We would like to develop relations in different areas. Can you mention any specific programs? Currently, we can state a serious increase in trade turnover. If in 2014-15 it was only $ 25 million, then in 2017-18 it reached $ 250 million. The sphere of tourism is also developing, it can be stated that a large number of tourists travel from the United Arab Emirates to Armenia. There are many projects related to agriculture and tourism. Why the trade turnover is so high? Most of it comes from agriculture. Since Armenia is known for its fruits and vegetables, as well as cattle breeding. A meeting of the Armenian-UAE intergovernmental commission is planned in the near future, during which the areas of cooperation will be clarified. Are there companies with joint capital? Now I can not specify the exact number, but I can say that a large Armenian community lives in the UAE, which contributed to the development of the country. I also know that there are companies with such companies. Armenia, being a member of the EAEU and signing the Agreement with the EU, is trying to be a bridge between these two structures. Are the UAE interested in this direction? The relations with Armenia aren't exhausted by economic relations. We are united by friendship and warm relations, and we see the development of ties in this and other areas. We came here as part of the Francophone Summit, and one of the areas of cooperation is the development of common values YEREVAN.- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received outgoing Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USA to Armenia Richard Mills. PM Pashinyan thanked Richard Mills for his work done in Armenia as the Ambassador of the USA and for his significant contribution to the strengthening of Armenian-U.S. cooperation. During your tenure the bilateral relations between Armenia and the USA in various spheres have continuously developed. I also want to thank you for your balanced position during the velvet revolution. The USA is an important partner for Armenia and I am confident that the Armenian-U.S. relations will continue to expand, Pashinyan said, wishing Richard Mills success in his future activities. The Ambassador of the USA to Armenia thanked PM Pashinyan for constructive cooperation, noting that he will continue to remain Armenias friend and will be glad to preserve his ties with Armenia and the Armenian people. My tenure comes to end as Ambassador of the USA to Armenia and I am proud to record the continuously developing relations between our countries in various spheres, from business to state administration and civil society. I am confident these relations will further develop during the upcoming years. Now, when the Government and the Armenian people are voyaging in this key period for the Armenian history, I wish you all the best, Mr. Prime Minister, Mills said. The interlocutors exchanged views on the agenda of the Armenian-U.S. cooperation, ongoing projects and prospects for future development. During the meeting the interlocutors also touched upon the recent domestic developments in Armenia. PM Pashinyan noted that after the velvet revolution Armenia confidently moves forward, pursuing the policy of the development of democracy, rule of law, transparency of state administration. Ambassador Mills welcomed the measures of the Government and the reforms in the mentioned directions. SIU Clinical Center celebrates 60 years of training and service to the community by Hannah Erickson CARBONDALE, Ill. Providing quality training to students and exceptional service to the community was the mission the first day the Clinical Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale opened their doors. Sixty years later, that goal has not changed. The Clinical Center will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a reception set for 3-6 p.m. on Oct. 18. The celebration will take place at the Clinical Center, in the west wing of the Wham Education Building, 625 Wham Dr. The event will feature short statements from current and former directors, along with statements from Carbondale officials. The celebration is open to the public and will commemorate the work done for students and the community over the years. Celebrating 60 years of training and service The Clinical Center first opened in 1958 under the guidance of Delyte Morris, former president of SIU. From its beginning, the center focused on providing a training ground for graduate students earning degrees in one of the accredited programs on campus that require a clinical component. In addition to training the students, the Clinical Center serves a dual purpose of providing exceptional and affordable services to community members. Holly Cormier, director of the Clinical Center, sees the two-part mission of the center as the key to long-term success. Although our mission is training, it doesnt mean we dont prioritize service, Cormier said. You cant separate them. The clinics structure is set up similar to a training and research hospital, Cormier explained. While the graduate level students conduct the assessments and run the sessions, they are closely monitored and mentored by experienced faculty advisors. This pushes the students towards high levels of work. In order to provide our students with the best training and supervision experience as possible, it means that we watch everything that they do, Cormier said, This ensures that our clients are getting excellent care and service. The programs requiring clinical training are very rigorous and prepare students to excel after graduation. Those graduating from these programs: clinical psychology, communications disorders and counselor education, are some of the best in the field and leave SIU with elite internship and work opportunities already set up, Cormier explained. Clinical Center available to all The Clinical Center offers a variety of services to both students and community members. While the services do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, fees are based on a sliding scale with most charges $5 - $30. The Clinical Center provides evaluations and interventions for children and adults in these areas: Learning difficulties evaluations. Speech/language evaluations. Psychological diagnostic evaluations. Neuro-psychological evaluations. Family and couples counseling. Adult and child, individual and group counseling. Parent training. Speech and language therapy. Students, faculty and community members are all welcome to receive care. The Clinical Center is open 51 hours a week, with extended hours on some days to fit with each individuals schedule. While the Clinical Center focuses on education and research, no information about an individual or the services provided will be released without written permission (unless it is required by law). Media Advisory Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the anniversary celebration from 3-6 p.m. on Oct. 18. The Clinical Center remains true to its original mission of both training students and providing exceptional service to the southern Illinois community. For more information about the celebration or the center itself, contact Holly Cormier at 618/453-2361 or email cormierh@siu.edu. Partnering with the community For the last two years, the Clinical Center has partnered with Jackson County to waive fees for psychological assessments for those who qualify. Additionally, the center often works with DCFS on certain cases, along with receiving assessment and counseling cases by court order. The 60th anniversary celebration marks a time to commemorate these partnerships and valuable support, while welcoming community members to learn more about the many services available to them. For more information, contact Holly Cormier at 618/453-2361. Four students set to represent SIU at diversity and inclusion summit in Chicago CARBONDALE, Ill. The need for trained and equipped public relations practitioners is growing in the United States. Thats why Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Department of Communication Studies is sending four of their brightest students to The Plank Center for the Leadership in Public Relations Diversity and Inclusion Summit. This inaugural summit will be held in Chicago on Oct. 26. Speakers and attendees will include leaders from the public relations industry, such as The Interpublic Group (IPG), Weber Shandwick, HBO Latin America, Ketchum PR and the Chicago Urban League, along with educators and students. The four competitively selected students are: Aaliyah Locke, senior from Murphysboro, Illinois. Maggie Burke, junior from Bettendorf, Iowa. Mia Porter, senior from Champaign, Illinois. Nisa Fareeha, senior from Malaysia. Students learn from the industrys best The summit is an excellent opportunity for PR practitioners, educators and students to convene to discuss the state of diversity and inclusion in the industry. Barriers to diversity and inclusion and best practices will be the focus of the summit. Keynotes speakers are Heide Gardner, chief diversity & inclusion officer at the Interpublic Group, and Don Thompson, former CEO of McDonalds, current CEO and founder of Cleveland Avenue, LLC. The Plank Center at the University of Alabama is the leading global resource for practitioners, educators and students who are passionate about advancing their careers and the public relations profession. The Plank Centers mission is to help develop and recognize outstanding diverse public relations leaders, role models and mentors to advance ethical public relations in an evolving, global society. Summit provides practical training for students Two communication studies faculty, Nilanjana Bardhan and Denise McClearey, helped select the four deserving students. Bardhan, who serves on the board of The Plank Center, feels the experience is an important way to give students exposure to other professionals in the field. Its been exciting to be an organizer for this Summit. Diversity and inclusion are key concerns in the PR industry, and The Plank Center is taking a lead on addressing this matter, Bardhan said. Im so glad some of our students are able to avail of this unique opportunity to network and learn from diverse leaders in the profession. For Aaliyah Locke, a southern Illinois native, even brief access to a city and PR executives is significant for her future career development. It is hard to travel to larger cities such as Chicago and St. Louis for an internship due to the high costs associated with moving for just a few months, Locke said. This opportunity will finally allow me to hear from and network with people interested in increasing professional opportunities to young black women like myself. Maggie Burke hopes this summit will provide answers to important questions, while also setting her up for the future. Public Relations is a field unlike many others: it is dominated by women, Burke said. Women hold anywhere from 61% to 85% of all PR jobs; however, only 30% of all global agencies are run by women. If most public relations professionals are women, then why isnt this fact represented in the executive suite? Craig Engstrom, director of undergraduate studies, feels these motivated and thoughtful students are the rule rather than the exception in the Department of Communication Studies. We are delighted that we will be able to send four deserving students to the summit this year, Engstrom said. Diversity and inclusion are key values of our department. I only wish we could send more students. The number of new print magazines started in the U.S. fell by more than half in 2020 to 60, compared t (Bloomberg) -- MTN Group Ltd. and its bankers have provided more documents that may reduce Nigerias $8.1 billion claim on the South African wireless carrier, which could be resolved soon, Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele said. The central bank alleged in late August that MTN and four banks -- Standard Chartered Plc, Citigroup Inc., Stanbic IBTC Plc and Diamond Bank Plc -- illegally repatriated money from Nigeria and that the company should return $8.1 billion. The local regulator also fined the four banks a combined $16 million. Speaking to reporters in London on Sunday, Emefiele said he expected that the new information would help cut the size of the claim and that the matter would be resolved amicably. I dont think it will be at $8.1 billion having provided documents, Emefiele said, adding his staff is studying the documents and he hoped to make a decision on the matter in a couple of weeks. MTN sought an injunction in early September to buy itself time and fight the claim in its biggest market, which wiped as much as 36 percent off its market value within two weeks. Shares gained 1.9 percent Monday at 12:15 p.m. in Johannesburg. Amicable Resolution The central bank has asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to deny MTNs request and said the company should pay an annualized 15 percent interest on the dividends until the matter is ruled upon, and then 10 percent until the whole sum is paid, according to legal documents filed by the regulator. They will see they have been given a fair hearing, Emefiele said. More information has been provided and Im very optimistic that matters are going to be resolved amicably. Emefiele said the clash with MTN had taken a global dimension that it didnt need to and that he was keen to demonstrate to international investors how open the Nigerian market is, calling the MTN matter isolated and no reason for anyone to lose any sleep. This is not a matter that should have blown so openly, he said. Nigeria is a country that happens to be very, very open. Story continues The South African company should be humble in its dealings with the Nigerian government, Nigerias Aliko Dangote, Africas richest person, told a conference in London Monday, saying MTN was arrogant. MTN Chief Financial Officer Ralph Mupita said earlier this month the spat in Nigeria may cause the carrier to reconsider raising cash through an initial public offering of its local unit in Lagos. Instead, MTN may list the business by way of introduction, which places existing securities on the exchange. (Updates with MTNs share price in fifth paragraph.) --With assistance from Selcuk Gokoluk. To contact the reporter on this story: Simon Kennedy in London at skennedy4@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stephanie Flanders at flanders@bloomberg.net, Brian Wingfield, Sophie Mongalvy 2018 Bloomberg L.P. Who dat, who dat indeed... Reply Thread Link Underrated comment! Reply Parent Thread Link Lmfao Reply Parent Thread Link lmaoo Reply Parent Thread Link FUCK LMAO Reply Parent Thread Link LOL Reply Parent Thread Link OMG Reply Parent Thread Link Cant wait to get back to Vegas. So thankful I have shows for the rest of the year to look forward to... #YouWantAPieceOfMe Britney Spears (@britneyspears) June 29, 2015 Reply Thread Link damn beat me right to it!! Reply Parent Thread Link LMAO Reply Parent Thread Link lmaooooo Reply Parent Thread Link I find the sort of self-implosion of Iggy Azaleas career really fascinating tbh. When Work came out, and definitely once Fancy became a radio hit, she seemed to be everywhere & then it all kind of ended before it even really took off? Edited at 2018-10-08 06:23 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Thats what happens when you impersonate black people and dont actually have black fans backing you. Reply Parent Thread Link This sounds like it hits the bullseye. My friend likes her, but hes some Mexican gay boy/white passing gay. Reply Parent Thread Link i liked her when she first came out, but i quickly learned the error of my ways lmao Reply Parent Thread Link It is actually kind of amazing how many bad decisions she made. I don't think she was meant to last forever, but she could have made it last for longer, but it is like she and her handlers were actively trying to end her career as quickly as possible. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link she definitely would've lasted longer if she wasn't so defensive against the criticism people threw at her. i think if she acknowledged her privilege and talked more about her admiration for the genre instead of clapping back at everyone who had something to say, people would still be ok with her and they probably wouldn't have clowned her with those subtitled rapping compilations lmao Reply Parent Thread Expand Link That's the music industry payola. They can buy you a hit on the radio and magazine covers, but none of it matters if the general public doesn't support you. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Right? Summer 2014 you could not escape her, and then just crickets. Reply Parent Thread Link heres a rly good article on the rise n fall of hip hop Hillary https://www.google.com/amp/s/jezebel.com/the-making-and-unmaking-of-iggy-azalea-1797030869/amp Reply Parent Thread Link I don't care about Iggy's career, but it has to be hard to see pretty much every man in the industry constantly doing and saying things that are worse than what she did with zero consequences. I always think about that time Halsey defended Quavo being homophobic by attacking Iggy and using her as an example of where she would draw the line as far as who she would associate and work with while she was literally dating Machine Gun Kelly. Edited at 2018-10-08 06:25 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link halsey is such a hypocrite Reply Parent Thread Link Well now I'm reading about this Halsey/Quavo/Iggy thing and it's blowing my mind. Reply Parent Thread Link cupcakke dropped out of the tour a couple weeks ago because she originally signed on for 330k but ended up with 30K. i'm pretty sure one of the other acts dropped out too. iggy is simply not a touring act imo Reply Thread Link she could have been if she was willing to grind it out and build up, but ... clearly not. lol Reply Parent Thread Link Cupcakke deserves better Reply Parent Thread Link Idk why the I hope to see you all in person one day part makes me laugh so much. Its as if she knows its officially over for her. Edited at 2018-10-08 06:23 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link My local Walmart parking lot is open Reply Thread Link Keri Hilson is shook rn Reply Parent Thread Link lmaoo Reply Parent Thread Link lol Reply Parent Thread Link Good because mine has Tinashe schedule for the rest of the month. Reply Parent Thread Link lol stop Reply Parent Thread Link Better than Rita Ora who just cancelled at mine. Reply Parent Thread Link lmaooo but is it like the best of both worlds tour where you get Tinashe and Nashe? Reply Parent Thread Link lolol Reply Parent Thread Link hahahhahah jfc Reply Parent Thread Link can't help but remember all her smug fans who insisted she wasn't just a flash in the pan :/ Reply Thread Link Mte. Before she blew up I wanted her to blow up so badly. I loved all her early mixtapes but then...She got new people ghosting writing her stuff and it wasnt too good. She stopped being friends with peazy apparently. And well. She started putting her foot in her mouth. Reply Parent Thread Link What the hell made her think she could headline her own tour? Reply Thread Link YIKES... i mean why did she have her own tour anyways? Reply Thread Link EDIT: found it Edited at 2018-10-08 06:52 pm (UTC) Fuck I wish I could find that tweet where she's scolding her fans for not liking her tweets enough and not buying her musicEDIT: found it Reply Thread Link This makes me feel bad for laughing. Reply Parent Thread Link This is actually pretty funny and sad at the same time. Reply Parent Thread Link LMFAO Reply Parent Thread Link I can't lmaoooo Reply Parent Thread Link lol Love that you always use this gif. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I love the human version of the cackling geese gif Reply Parent Thread Link I love her self awareness Reply Parent Thread Link This reminds me of when Jeb Bush said please clap lmao. Reply Parent Thread Link LMAO Reply Parent Thread Link rita ora realness Reply Parent Thread Link the 7 retweets and 28 likes are killing me Reply Parent Thread Link omggg Reply Parent Thread Link "28 likes" lmaooo Reply Parent Thread Link You mean to tell me there aren't any country renaissance fairs this minstrel can perform at? Reply Thread Link Omg lmfaooo Reply Parent Thread Link Renewable power generation will come to account for a third of the total by 2023, the International Energy Agency said in its latest report on the industry, Renewables 2018. More widely, renewable energy growth will represent 40 percent of overall global energy consumption growth, the authority said. Surprisingly, the IEA expects the fastest-growing renewable energy source in the next five years to be bioenergy. Modern bioenergy is the overlooked giant of the renewable energy field, IEAs head, Fatih Birol, said. Its share in the worlds total renewables consumption is about 50% today, in other words as much as hydro, wind, solar and all other renewables combined. We expect modern bioenergy will continue to lead the field, and has huge prospects for further growth. Indeed, bioenergy has a brighter future because it is a lot more widely deployed in heating and transport than solar and windsomething that the IEA partially blames on lack of political support for solar and wind in heating and transport. The authority also sees a major untapped potential in bioenergy from waste as well as from the sugar, ethanol, and cement producing industries. Though not dominant in these two sectors, solar power is the fastest-growing renewable source for electricity generation. Last year, PV installations accounted for more than a third of total renewable electricity generation capacity additions, at 97 GW out of a total 178 GW. Over the next five years, the IEA forecast, solar generation capacity will grow by an impressive 600 GW, to reach 1 TW in 2023. This growth will be higher than the growth in all other renewable electricity generation sources combined, the authority noted. Wind, on the other hand, has been declining in terms of new installations, but it will remain the second-largest driver of total capacity growth, the IEA said, keeping its forecast for new wind capacity additions unchanged from last years forecast at 60 percent between 2018 and 2023. Offshore wind will grow the fastest, tripling over the next five years. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Yemeni Houthi rebels have detained 10 vessels, including fuel tankers, at the port of Hodeidah, and are preventing them from offloading their cargo, The National reports, citing Yemens state news agency Saba, which in turn quoted the chief of the countrys Supreme Relief Committee, Abdulraqeeb Fatah. The author could not find the original news report on Sabas website. The agency is pro-Houthi. According to the report in The National, the vessels waiting to unload at Hodeidah include an Indian-flagged tanker that arrived in late September with cargo of 10,955 tons of diesel fuel and 9.025 tons of gasoline. Some vessels, the National quoted Fatah as saying, had been held up at the port for as long as six months. The port city is currently a battlefield between the Iran-backed Houthis and the coalition of Saudi and Emirati forces that are trying to restore the elected president of Yemen at the helm. The war has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, but despite multiple similar warnings from a variety of organizations including the UN, there seems to be no end to the conflict in sight. What began as a civil war back in 2015 quickly escalated into a regional conflict after Saudi Arabia decided to join in, along with the UAE. The battle for Hodeidah, which according to many will tip the scales one way or the other, began in June. Yemens oil reserves have been estimated at 3 billion barrels. Even before the start of the civil war, the country wasnt a major oil producer, especially compared to the other countries in the Middle East. Yemens production peaked at 441,000 bpd in 2001, according to EIA estimates. Since then, the natural decline of maturing oil fields and frequent attacks on oil infrastructure led to Yemeni production dropping to less than 150,000 bpd in 2013. The year before the 2015 civil war started, Yemens crude oil production was estimated at around 100,000 bpd in March 2014, EIA data shows. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The market will never buy Saudi Arabias claim that it has been compensating for the loss of Irans oil exports, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Monday, adding that Saudi Arabia officials have been claiming they are able to offset Iranian losses under U.S. pressure. Such brags would only satisfy Mr. Trump but the market would never buy such a claim, Irans oil ministrys news service Shana quoted Zanganeh as saying, in response to last weeks remarks by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the Saudis were offsetting Iranian losses and even more. In an interview with Bloomberg last week, Crown Prince Mohammed said that: [A]ctually the request that America made to Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries is to be sure that if there is any loss of supply from Iran, that we will supply that. And that happened. Because recently, Iran reduced their exports by 700,000 barrels a day, if Im not mistaken. And Saudi Arabia and OPEC and non-OPEC countries, theyve produced 1.5 million barrels a day. So we export as much as 2 barrels for any barrel that disappeared from Iran recently. So we did our job and more, MBS told Bloomberg. According to the Saudi Crown Prince, the higher price of oil over the past month was not the result of the sanctions on Iran, but rather the consequence of lower production in other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Libya, and Venezuela. In reaction to the Saudi claim, the oil minister of Iranwhich continues to insist that its export cant be completely haltedsaid, as quoted by Shana: It seems that such remarks were made under U.S. pressure on Saudi authorities; otherwise in reality, neither Saudis nor any other countries could replace Irans exports. Related: US Demands For More Oil Could Backfire According to the Iranian minister, the higher Saudi supply to the market in recent weeks is the result of tapping its oil inventories rather than tapping into its spare capacity. The market and rising prices are the best evidence of concern that the market is in short supply and is rightly nervous about the severe shortage of oil in the coming months, Zanganeh was quoted as saying. Irans crude oil exports started to noticeably fall in August, continued their decline in September, and the latest tanker tracking data suggests that early October exports are further down from last month. Oil prices, however, fell by more than 1 percent early on Monday morning, on reports that the U.S. Administration might be considering waivers for countries that have been cutting their Iranian oil purchases. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Irans crude oil exports plunged to 1.1 million bpd in the first seven days of October, sliding further down from 1.6 million bpd in September as we are just four weeks away from the return of the U.S. sanctions on Irans oil, Reuters reported on Monday, citing tanker tracking data and an industry source tracking shipments. Tanker shipments may vary week to week in a month, but the very low volumes in early October may suggest that Irans crude oil exports are taking a hit and are falling faster than the market had expected just two-three months ago. According to Refinitiv Eikon tanker tracking data quoted by Reuters, not a single tanker headed to Europe in the first seven days of October. Irans tankers were bound for China, India, and the Middle East in the first week this month, according to the data. Irans crude oil and condensate exports started to drop noticeably in August and continued to fall through September and now October. According to preliminary tanker tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, observed exports of Iranian crude oil and condensate plunged in September to 1.72 million bpd, down by 260,000 bpd month-on-month and the lowest level since February 2016. Related: Profit Secrets of the Worlds Most Successful Energy Investors One tricky thing with observed exports is that while officially and publicly visible Iranian tanker movements show a steep decline, shipping and trading sources tell S&P Global Platts that ghost shipments may have already started to take place, with Iran thought to have been already switching off transponders on board of some tankers to conceal their destinations. According to S&P Global Platts trade flow data, some one dozen Iranian oil tankers may have shut off their position devices last month. Nearly 207,000 bpd of Irans oil exports that left Iranian oil terminals last month is reportedly unaccounted for, because of switched-off transponders. The data visible in tanker tracking flows shows that Irans exports in September dropped to all its key customers, including a 12.3-percent drop in shipments to China and a 16.7-percent decline in exports to India, according to Platts data. By Tsvetana Paraskova from Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oil prices cooled off in recent days as fears of an acute shortage of supply stemming from sanctions on Iran started to subside. At least two companies in India have lined up oil shipments for November, the month that sanctions on Iran take effect. The 9 million barrels of oil secured for next month translate into nearly 300,000 bpd of supply. Meanwhile, other reports suggest that the U.S. is softening its zero tolerance approach to sanctions, and could issue waivers to some importers who make significant reductions but struggle to cut imports to zero. Taken together, the oil market is not nearly as concerned about a supply shortfall as it was as recently as last week. In fact, the precise amount of Iranian supply lost to sanctions could determine quite a bit. If the declines in Iran exports are sooner and larger than our base case, it will be harder for other producers to offset them, Goldman Sachs wrote in a note last week. The uncertainty lies with the exact amount of supply lost from Iran, and the uncertainty over whether or not there is enough spare capacity to compensate. However, if Iranian supply declines by less than expected, then there is much more downside risk for oil prices, especially since there are other reasons to be a lot less worried about a supply crunch. While upside price risks will prevail for now, fundamental data outside of Iran has not turned bullish in our view, Goldman wrote, citing the surge in Saudi production over the last few months, which increased global inventories counter-seasonally. In other words, the market is heading into a softer demand season with larger stockpiles than otherwise would have been the case, offering some buffer in the event of a supply deficit. Also, some of the oil producers that have typically accounted for unexpected outages namely, Libya and Nigeria have actually restored output and have (so far) sustained those gains. Libyas production is reportedly up to as high as 1.25 million barrels per day. Our current production is 1.25 million barrels (per day). We have ambitions to increase it further, Mustafa Sanalla, CEO of the National Oil Corporation of Libya, told reporters on the sidelines of the Russian Energy Week. Taken together, Libya and Nigeria are producing 0.3 mb/d more than expected, Goldman Sachs estimates, which offsets a portion of the losses in Iran. Iraq too could add more supply. These production gains are always tenuous, but for now they are holding up. The futures curve also offers a bit of evidence to suggest that the market is not extraordinarily tight. Timespreads in the Atlantic basin have been declining, which suggests local oversupply, not tightness, Goldman wrote. Related: Mexican Pipeline Delays To Impact U.S. Gas Flows If the market can make it through the next few months, and Iranian supply does not fall as far as some fear, then we will transition into a softer period. For one, demand slows in winter months. But supply is also expected to pick up. U.S. shale will continue to add production, although at a slower rate. Spare capacity will also come back a bit, Goldman says. These arguments are all subject to what happens with the timing and the magnitude of the outages in Iran. The two key uncertainties the oil market has to grapple with are first the spare capacity to replace Iranian barrels and, second, the unknown magnitude of these lost volumes due to a lack of clarity from the U.S. administration, Goldman analysts wrote in their report. Our base case remains for a loss of 1.5 million b/d (4Q18 vs. 2Q18)Through end-September, 0.7 mb/d of Iran exports have been lost, compensated by higher production levels from other OPEC+ members. The next wave of losses could push the market into a deficit, perhaps as high as 0.4 mb/d. That isnt a necessarily a disaster because of the counter-seasonal build in inventories over the last few months, Goldman argues. As long as everything else holds up and there are not additional outages, prices may remain subdued. Its all a matter of timing, Goldman concluded. By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Irans condensate exports fell by 46 percent over the first six months of the Iranian year, from March to September, local news agency Isna reported, citing customs data. Quoting the Iranian-language source, Reuters reported condensate exports over the period totaled 4.644 million tons, compared with 8.629 million tons a year earlier. Condensate is a major export product for Iran, making up a large portion of its total oil and gas exports. Buyers of the superlight crude are under more pressure than importers of regular crude since there are few alternate suppliers. S&P Global Platts reported in August that South Korea was particularly concerned and eager to win a sanction waiver to be able to continue buying Iranian condensate. Reports about falling Iranian exports of oil and condensate abound, but there is one important detail: usually, these are reports about tracked tankers carrying Iranian oil and condensate. At the beginning of October, for instance, Bloomberg reported that Irans oil and condensate exports had fallen to a two-and-a-half-year low at 1.72 million bpd, but noting these were tracked exports. S&P Global Platts estimated Irans crude and condensate exports will drop to 1.1 million bpd this month, with the U.S. sanctions removing as much as 1.7 million bpd from markets from November on. There are serious doubts that this much Iranian crude will actually leave the market. TankerTrackers.com reported in September that Iranian tankers were switching off their tracking devices after leaving their home ports, and later said that probably half of Septembers exports were shipped with the trackers off. Meanwhile, just days after it emerged that India was set to officially import 9 million barrels of Iranian oil in November, Reuters reported that a U.S. government official had said the administration was considering waivers for some Iranian oil buyers. The waivers, the unnamed official said, would be for importers who had shown an effort to reduce their intake of Iranian crude. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The British military has staged war games featuring a large-scale blackout attack on Moscow as they fear a capability shortage amid allegations of Russian cyberattacks on both sides of the Atlantic in addition to the Skripal affair, the Sunday Times reports. Sources from the army told the Times that the speed with which a confrontation between the two countries could escalate had left some officials ashen-faced. If they sank our aircraft carrier with a nuclear-tipped torpedo, what is our response? Theres nothing between sinking their submarine and dropping a nuclear weapon on northern Kamchatka, one source said, adding, This is why cyber is so important; you can go on the offensive and turn off the lights in Moscow to tell them that they are not doing the right things. In addition to the cyber games, which are the latest demonstration of the growing importance of cyber capabilities for the military of any country, the UK army recently held its largest drill in a decade, involving more than 5,000 troops and six navy ships in the Omani desert. The exercise as apparently part of preparation for a conflict with unconventional Russian forces. Relations between the UK and Russia began deteriorating with Moscows annexation of Crimea in 2014, taking a turn for the worse this year after the alleged novichok attack against a double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter. Earlier this month, the UK officially accused Russia of the 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee, using the purposefully ambiguous phrase almost certainly with regard to Moscows involvement in the cyberattack that some argue led to Hillary Clintons loss in the presidential elections. As bilateral relations go from bad to worse, the UK is actively looking for an alternative to Russian gas. Even at 1 percent of its total gas imports, Russian gas is still more than 10 Downing Street is apparently willing to live with. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: About Me Oscar Bartoli Washington, DC, United States Avvocato, giornalista pubblicista, collabora con molti media italiani. Risiede negli Stati Uniti dal 1994 e vive tra Washington D.C., Los Angeles e Bangalore (India). Consigliere comunale per il Partito Liberale a Palazzo Vecchio (Firenze) porta ancora addosso i segni delle percosse che i 'compagni' comunisti di allora gli hanno dato per essere andato a parlare nelle piazze dove comandava solo il PCI. Ha lavorato per molti anni nel gruppo SMI,leader europeo nel settore metalli non ferrosi, successivamente nell'IRI come responsabile dei contatti con i media e in seguito direttore IRI USA. Ha insegnato per dieci anni alla scuola di giornalismo della Luiss e per due anni alla Catholic University di Washington DC. Tiene un corso sulla comunicazione nel Master di Relazioni Internazionali dello IULM di Milano. Rotariano da decenni ha contribuito a creare due Club a Roma, e' stato presidente del Cassia Romana ed attualmente fa parte del Washington Rotary Club. Da giovane, per pagarsi gli studi ma, soprattutto, perche' gli piaceva, ha lavorato come chitarrista - cantante suonando nelle case del popolo, circoli cattolici, night clubs, radio e televisione. View my complete profile Da non perdere "Lei non sa chi sono io" Oscar Bartoli- Prefazione Romano Prodi- Editore Ciuffa "Ed anche questa e' America", di Oscar Bartoli - prefazione Walter Veltroni Editore Luiss University Press "Mezzogiorno di Fuoco: duello all'ultimo spot" di Oscar Bartoli - Editore goWare "W.D.C (sotto traccia)" di Oscar Bartoli, Editore Luca Betti "DC Undercover" (Scarith Books/New Academia Publishing 2013) "Massoneria@FQA-Elogio dell'Informazione e della Comunicazione" di Stefano Bisi e Oscar Bartoli. Editore Luca Betti Potus-Sutop (Leo Rasco-Oscar Bartoli) Kindle Amazon Blog Archive FILE PHOTO: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. JOEY DALUMPINES/PCOO MANILA, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte will fly to Bali, Indonesia on October 11 to attend the ASEAN Leaders Gathering. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Junever Mahilum said the President will grace the occasion as per invitation from Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Among the activities, the ASEAN leaders will have two major engagements, they will hold the ASEAN Leaders Gathering proper in the afternoon of October 11 which will be immediately followed by the ASEAN Leaders Gathering dinner in the evening, Mahilum said on the program of the event. Among the issues the ASEAN leaders are expected to tackle is regional economic cooperation. The event is also an opportunity for the President to personally extend his condolences to the Indonesian President for the loss of lives in the recent tsunami in Sulawesi Island. ASec. Mahilum added that a ceremonial turnover of the Philippine governments financial assistance to the government of Indonesia is expected to take place during the event. This is a good chance for the president to personallyrelay to President Joko Widodo ang ating tulong under the One ASEAN, One Response program in disaster assistance, he ended. Rosalie Coz / Marje Pelayo The post Duterte to attend ASEAN Leaders Gathering in Bali, Indonesia appeared first on UNTV News. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe urged far-right Italian leader Matteo Salvini on Monday to drop his "posturing" on immigration and help find a European response to the issue. Salvini, Italy's powerful interior minister and deputy premier, has singled out French President Emmanuel Macron for criticism in recent weeks, as well as other EU leaders he considers too soft on immigration. Philippe promised to be "direct" in his conversation with the 45-year-old Italian, head of the far-right League party, over dinner on Monday night in the French city of Lyon where the two men, along with ministers from Britain, Germany, Spain, Poland and Morocco, met for talks on immigration. "I rarely use the same words or the same vocabulary (as Salvini) but that doesn't stop me being direct as well. I hope we'll have a frank and direct exchange," Philippe said. "Beyond the posturing, the issue of immigration cannot be solved with a national response. It requires coordination. It's a complex issue of common interest. "I think you have to tackle it with conviction, with respect for national interests, but also with the desire to build a common position that is the only way to find a solution." Philippe's statement came amid open conflict between the new populist Italian government, led by Salvini and the head of the Five Star movement, Luigi Di Maio, and Macron's centrist administration in Paris. Last week, an aide to the French president accused Salvini of "living off the migrant crisis" and blocking attempts to forge a common EU migration policy. Leaving the dinner, Salvini made no attempt to disguise his differences with the Paris government -- just hours after meeting French far-right leader Marine Le Pen in Rome, whom Macron defeated in last year's presidential election. "I had the pleasure of seeing Marine Le Pen this morning and talking with her about Europe, the future of young people, trade and work," he said. "I need to work with everyone, but I feel closer to the views of Marine Le Pen," he said. The talks in Lyon were an attempt to bridge differences between hardline anti-immigration EU member states such as Poland and Italy and others like France and Germany that are in favour of accepting refugees. The gathering, which continues for a second day on Tuesday focused on efforts to combat terrorism, precedes a larger meeting of European interior ministers in Luxembourg on Friday. Morocco's interior minister, Abdelouafi Laftit, was also invited to the talks amid rising concern in Europe about the increasing number of migrants heading to Spanish territory via Morocco. Spain has become the biggest port of entry for illegal migration into Europe. The issue of returning Moroccan migrants to their home country, particularly thousands of unaccompanied minors in Spain and France, was discussed on Monday night. "It's in the process of being resolved," Laftit told reporters. A team of Russian historians and archaeologists have used a Nazi bomber pilot's photograph to help them pinpoint the location of mass graves in Moscow containing the remains of thousands shot by Stalin's secret police. The existence of a mass grave in the Kommunarka district in southwestern Moscow first came to light in the dying days of the Soviet Union when the KGB opened up its archives. It was one of three killing fields in the city used by Stalin's NKVD secret police in the 1930s. Historians believe at least 6,609 people were shot and thrown into mass graves in Kommunarka between 1937 and 1941. The gated forested area was once used by NKVD chief Genrikh Yagoda, who had a holiday cottage there. But he fell foul of the regime and was removed from his post in 1936 and shot in 1938 -- with his body most likely also disposed of in Kommunarka. Until recently, the mass graves were believed to be located in one area of the forest, where victims' relatives put up a memorial. But historians now believe the graves' location was misidentified. - Using a Luftwaffe photo - No serious archaeological work has been done before in Kommunarka, said Roman Romanov, director of Moscow's Gulag History Museum, who co-led the investigation. "There was nothing (in Kommunarka) before, people used to pick mushrooms there." The area remains much less investigated than a larger Stalin-era killing field in Moscow's Butovo district, Romanov said. But with a planned opening of a new memorial at Kommunarka, he said historians wanted to check exactly where the bodies were. Romanov said they used ground-penetrating radar and historic photos to examine the area. "We had volunteers working to clear the area and a geo-radar following us looking for anomalies in the ground," he said. An aerial shot of Kommunarka taken by a Nazi pilot flying over Moscow in 1942 -- when the graves were "fresh" -- was key to the investigation. Crucially, it showed the height of the trees in the area at the time. Historians came to the conclusion that some of the trees had been planted over fresh graves -- a tactic often used by the NKVD to cover up its executions. The next step, Romanov said, is to identify in which specific pits the bodies of victims were placed. "In a small one there could be 30 people and in another there could be 100 -- we want to know who is buried where." - Mongolian government - Yan Rachinsky, a senior member of rights group Memorial that documents Stalinist crimes, estimates that around 30,000 people were shot in Moscow alone during Stalin's Great Terror between 1937 and 1938. During a brief period of openness during the Perestroika era in the 1980s, the KGB sent files on Stalin-era victims to journalists and Memorial, Rachinsky said. In some, the NKVD gives the place of execution as Butovo or Moscow's Donskoye cemetery. Others simply say that the victim's body is "in a pit". "We believe those with no (marked) place of execution are in Kommunarka," Rachinsky said. High-ranking officials and scientists were among those shot and hastily buried in Kommunarka. "Almost the entire Mongolian government is there," Rachinsky said. Mongolia was a Soviet satellite country. Many officials from the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia were also executed there after their countries were occupied by the USSR in 1940. - Missing names - Rachinsky said that over a thousand of those believed to be buried in Kommunarka remain unidentified after the Russian security services closed access to Soviet-era files. "Suddenly, they stopped sending us the files," he said, accusing the present-day authorities of a lack of interest in uncovering Soviet-era crimes. "Our country is still not ready to declassify the materials of another country: the USSR," he said. "The state is responsible for what happened here and it struggles to define its position," said historian Sergei Bondarenko, whose great-grandfather was shot in Kommunarka. He predicted that only a "middle-ranking" government official would attend the opening of a new memorial this month. "In my view it should be the president, because this was one of the biggest killing fields in Moscow," he said. - 'Necessary' process - But Gulag museum director Romanov was more optimistic. The opening last year of a memorial to victims of political repressions in central Moscow was attended by President Vladimir Putin, he pointed out. Romanov said he wants other regions to follow the "positive precedent" of Kommunarka to find the "exact borders" of their Stalin-era mass graves. "These places are still secret. People don't even know where (the bodies) are. Often all they know is that they are inside a huge forest," he said. The aim, he said, is to identify exactly "who is buried where in all Russian regions." "This might sound a bit Utopian. But it is necessary." Phuket, 8 October, 2018 The Pavilions Phukets New Zealand Wine and Food Showcase on 5 October was hailed a huge success by over 110 guests in attendance as they celebrated the launch of new Schubert Wine vintages to the island, thanks to Global Wines, paired with New Zealand cuisine at Firefly Pool and restaurant. The event marks the start of new and exciting experiences coming to the resort, with new Culinary Director, Executive Chef Rey, and new General Manager, Conor OLeary, joining the team to drive this mission. We were delighted by the turnout and the positive response from the local community, we are proud of the teams dedication to the new direction and look forward to more exciting events to come. Said Conor. Complimenting the event, Phuket based New Zealand author, Alistair Carthew, generously donated caricature portraits of iconic New Zealanders, with profits raised being donated to The Phuket International Womens Club. www.pavilionshotels.com/phuket Paul Romer, co-winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Economics, speaks at a news conference at the Stern School of Business of New York University, in New York, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Romer has studied the way innovation drives prosperity and has looked at ways to encourage it. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Just a day after a United Nations panel called for urgent action on climate change, the Nobel Prize in economics was awarded Monday to one American researcher for his work on the economics of a warming planet and to another whose study of innovation raises hopes that people can do something about it. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the $1 million prize Monday to William Nordhaus of Yale University and to Paul Romer of New York University. Nordhaus, 77, who has been called "the father of climate-change economics," developed models that suggest how governments can combat global warming. He has endorsed a universal tax on carbon, which would require polluters to pay for the costs that their emissions impose on society. Romer, 62, who has studied why some economies grow faster than others, has produced research that shows how governments can advance innovation. At a news conference Monday at NYU, Romer said his research left him optimistic that society can solve even a threat as challenging as the warming of the planet. "Many people think that dealing with protecting the environment will be so costly and so hard that they just want to ignore the problem," Romer said. "I hope the prize today could help everyone see that humans are capable of amazing accomplishments when we set about trying to do something." Yale University Professor William Nordhaus, one of the 2018 winners of the Nobel Prize in economics, listens to other speakers before commenting about the honor Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in New Haven, Conn. Nordhaus was named for integrating climate change into long term macroeconomic analysis. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) At a separate news conference at Yale, Nordhaus suggested that there was "pretty widespread acceptance" of climate change science outside the United States, and he expressed optimism that the United States would come around. Referring to the Trump administration's resistance, Nordhaus said: "I think we just need to get through what is a difficult period. But I'm extremely confident it will happen." Sunday's report from the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change declared that managing climate change could prove a matter of life and death. It argued that failing to prevent just one extra degree of heat could expose countless people and ecosystems to life-threatening conditions over the next few decades. Unlike Romer and Nordhaus, the panel of scientists who produced the U.N. report expressed little hope that the world will rise to the challenge. Still, in a 782-page document that explicitly cited Nordhaus' work, the U.N. organization spelled out the difference that a single extra degree of heat could make on this fast-warming planet. Yale University Professor William Nordhaus, one of the 2018 winners of the Nobel Prize in economic, listens to applause after finishing his remarks about the honor Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in New Haven, Conn. Nordhaus was named for integrating climate change into long term macroeconomic analysis. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) If world leaders could agree on ways to limit future human-caused warming to just 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit (a half degree Celsius), instead of the globally agreed-upon goal of 1.8 degrees F (1 degree C), the Earth's weather, health and ecosystems would be in far better shape. Half as many people would lack water. Fewer people would die or get sick from heat, smog and infectious diseases. Seas would rise nearly 4 inches (0.1 meters) less. There would be fewer heat waves, downpours and droughts. In the 1970s, Nordhaus, already alarmed by the threat of global warming, began working on potential solutions. Gradually, he developed models to guide policymakers in balancing the economic costs and the societal benefits of combating carbon emissions. Nordhaus concluded that the most efficient approach was to deploy carbon taxes, applied uniformly to different countries. By using a tax rather than government edicts to slash emissions, the policy encourages companies to find innovative ways to reduce pollutionand their tax burden. Versions of a carbon tax have been used in Europe but have yet to be adopted in the United States. Peter Salovey, President of Yale University, left, welcomes Yale University Professor William Nordhaus, one of the 2018 winners of the Nobel Prize in economics, before speaking about the honor Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in New Haven, Conn. Nordhaus was named for integrating climate change into long term macroeconomic analysis.(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) Many economists have since endorsed the taxing of carbon. But adopting the regulatory frameworks on a global scale has proven problematic, and the world's political leaders are failing to meet it, the head of the United Nations said last month. Far from developing policies to reduce climate change, President Donald Trump has argued that the threat of human-produced climate change is a hoax concocted by China to hurt the American economy. Many Republicans in Congress have also expressed skepticism about whether or how much human beings are contributing to global warming and whether the U.S. government ought to take steps to address it. The research of Nordhaus and Romer is united by an interest in what drives economic growth and how to respond when unregulated market forces fail to deliver desired results. David Warsh, a blogger who follows economic research and has written a book on Romer's work, said he thought it was no coincidence that the Nobel committee decided to honor Nordhaus and Romer at a time of escalating alarm over climate change. "Darn right they were sending a message," Warsh said. Yale University Professor William Nordhaus, one of the 2018 winners of the Nobel Prize in economics, arrives before speaking and addressing members of the news media about the honor Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in New Haven, Conn. Nordhaus was named for integrating climate change into long term macroeconomic analysis. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) In studying the relationship of innovation and growth, Romer discovered that unregulated economies generally failed to encourage enough research and development to support lasting growth. Government policies, he found, are vital. Examples include subsidies for research and development, and patent policies that strike a balance between letting inventors profit from their breakthroughs and allowing others to put those innovations to work. One of Romer's insights was that ideas differ from other goods or services. Once you eat a Swedish meatball, for instance, it's gone, noted Per Krusell, a Nobel committee member who is an economist at Sweden's Institute for International Studies. But an ideasay, a recipe for Swedish meatballscan be shared and used over and over again, delivering continual economic benefits. The economics prize is the last of the Nobels to be announced this year. Paul Romer, co-winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Economics, speaks at a news conference at the Stern School of Business of New York University, in New York, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Romer has studied the way innovation drives prosperity and has looked at ways to encourage it. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Paul Romer, co-winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Economics, speaks at a news conference at the Stern School of Business of New York University, in New York, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Romer has studied the way innovation drives prosperity and has looked at ways to encourage it. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) This undated photo provided by NYU Stern School of Business shows Paul Romer. Romer and Yale University's William Nordhaus have been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize for Economics on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Nordhaus was named for integrating climate change into long term macroeconomic analysis and Romer was awarded for factoring technological innovation into macroeconomics. (NYU Stern School of Business via AP) Explore further Climate, development tipped for Nobel economics prize 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Heads up all seasoned backpackers. Here's the scientific evidence you need to convince yourself and others that backpacking is about so much more than a whole lotta fun. Think backpacking is just about beer, beaches and dodgy hostels? Think again. New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) suggests backpacking is in fact an effective personal development tool. Confidence boost That's the word of ECU School of Business and Law Professor Sam Huang and his colleagues at Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou) and Shaanxi Normal University (Xi'an) in China. Using fancy scientific surveying methods, they asked 500 Australian, international and Chinese backpackers how backpacking had affected their resilience and self-confidence. They discovered that 91 percent of those questioned believed backpacking had bolstered their problem-solving skills. Yep, running out of cash and finding a backstreet youth hostel in the rain could actually help your personal development. Some 89 percent attributed backpacking to improved communication capability. That's right, kicking back with a beer and pondering philosophy with a Swede and a German may put you in good stead for boardroom negotiations later on. 88 percent said backpacking had increased their ability to overcome many challenges. You got itnavigating a packed London underground with a backpack may make you a stronger person. And 80 percent felt that they could perform well, even when things were tough. In short, those interviewed felt backpacking had made them more confident, more resilient and more capable. Not bad for something that's also a truckload of fun. Developing character Sam says the research indicates backpacking is a viable way to grow your character. "Normally, we see people develop themselves through the formal education system, and when you get into adulthood, you may develop through job opportunities, studies at TAFE or university," Sam says. "But this research shows backpacking may be a way of further developing your personality and enduring qualities." Antidote to stress Sam believes the research is important considering the mental health issues facing young people. "In Australia, we see many people, especially young people, who are so lucky," Sam says. "Everything is greateven the weather is goodbut we are having these mental health problems. "We see a lot of evidence of young people being under stress. "They are worrying about their future careers, house prices and finding their place in society. It increases their sense of capability. This is essential psychologically, creating confidence in themselves, relationships and future careers." But does it last? The next step? Furthering the research. Sam wants to see if travelling can generate long-lasting wellbeing through personal development, even after stashing your backpack and resuming 'normal' life. "I'd like to look further at the link to see if wellbeing can be enhanced by tourism and travel experiences like backpacking," Sam says. "It's a guess, but I suspect it will contribute to personal wellbeing, which in turn contributes to societal wellbeing." This research appeared in the paper "Backpacker Personal Development, Generalized Self-Efficacy, and Self-Esteem: Testing a Structural Model' by Ganghua Chen, Sam Huang and Xianyang Hu, published in the Journal of Travel Research. Explore further Seven sustainability lessons we can all learn from backpackers This article first appeared on Particle, a science news website based at Scitech, Perth, Australia. Read the original article. The ESA mission Euclid is supposed to gain new insights into fundamental questions concerning string theory. Credit: ESA/C. Carreau and CERN/J. Ellis, CC BY-SA 3.0 A new conjecture is the cause of excitement in the string theory community. Timm Wrase of the Vienna University of Technology has now published his much-discussed results on recent new developments. In string theory, a paradigm shift could be imminent. In June, a team of string theorists from Harvard and Caltech published a conjecture which sounded revolutionary: string theory is said to be fundamentally incompatible with our current understanding of dark energybut only with dark energy can we explain the accelerated expansion of our current universe. Timm Wrase of the Vienna University of Technology quickly realized something odd about this conjecture: it seemed to be incompatible with the existence of the Higgs particle. His calculations, which he carried out together with theorists from Columbia University in New York and the University of Heidelberg, have now been published in Physical Review D. At the moment, there are heated discussions about strings and dark energy all around the world. Wrase hopes that this will lead to new breakthroughs in this line of research. The theory for everything Much hope has been placed in string theory. It is supposed to explain how gravity is related to quantum physics and how we can understand the laws of nature, which describe the entire physical world, from the smallest particles to the largest structure of the cosmos. Often, string theory has been accused of merely providing abstract mathematical results and making too few predictions that can actually be verified in an experiment. Now, however, the string theory community all around the world is discussing a question that is closely related to cosmic experiments measuring the expansion of the universe. In 2011, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the discovery that the universe is not only constantly growing larger, but that this expansion is actually accelerating. This phenomenon can only be explained by assuming an additional, previously unknown dark energy. This idea originally came from Albert Einstein, who added it as a "cosmological constant" to his theory of general relativity. Einstein actually did this to construct a non-expanding universe. When Hubble discovered in 1929 that the universe was in fact expanding, Einstein described this modification of his equations as the biggest blunder of his life. But with the discovery of the accelerated expansion of the cosmos, the cosmological constant has been reintroduced as dark energy into the current standard model of cosmology. TU Vienna Timm Wrase. Credit: Vienna University of Technology, TU Vienna Like an apple in the fruit bowl "For a long time, we thought that such a dark energy can be well accommodated in string theory," says Timm Wrase from the Institute for Theoretical Physics of the Vienna University of Technology. String theory assumes that there are additional, previously unknown particles that can be described as fields. These fields have a state of minimal energymuch like an apple lying in a bowl. It will always lie at the very bottom, at the lowest point of the bowl. Everywhere else its energy would be higher, if we want to shift it, we have to exert energy. But that does not mean that the apple at the lowest point has no energy at all. We can put the bowl with the apple on the ground, or on top of the tablethere the apple has more energy but it still cannot move, because it is still in a state of minimal energy in its bowl. "In string theory there are fields which could explain dark energy in a similar way locally, they are in a state of minimal energy, but still their energy has a value greater than zero," explains Timm Wrase. "So these fields would provide the so-called dark energy, with which we could explain the accelerated expansion of the universe." But Cumrun Vafa from Harvard University, one of the world's most renowned string theorists, published an article on June 25, raising many eyebrows. He suggested that such "bowl-shaped" fields of positive energy are not possible in string theory. The Higgs fielda contradiction Timm Wrase of the Vienna University of Technology quickly realized the implications of this claim: "If that is true, the accelerated expansion of the universe, as we have imagined it so far, is not possible" he says. "The accelerated expansion would then have to be described by a field with quite different properties, like a tilted plane on which a ball rolls downhill, losing potential energy." But in that case, the amount of dark energy in the universe would change over time, and the accelerated expansion of the universe may one day come to a halt. Gravity could then pull all matter back together and assemble everything at one point, similar to the time of the Big Bang. But Timm Wrase, who had already dealt with similar questions in his doctoral thesis, found that this idea cannot be the whole truth either. "Cumrun Vafa's conjecture, which prohibits certain types of fields, would also prohibit things that we already know to exist," he explains. Wrase was able to show that the Higgs field also has properties that should actually be forbidden by Vafa's conjectureand the Higgs field is considered an experimentally proven fact. For its discovery, the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded. Wrase uploaded his results to the preprint website Arxiv, quickly sparking a lot of discussions in the string theory community. Now the work has been peer reviewed and published in the journal "Physical Review". "This controversy is a good thing for string theory," Timm Wrase is convinced. "Suddenly, a lot of people have completely new ideas which nobody has thought about before." Wrase and his team are now investigating which fields are allowed in string theory and at which points they violate Vafa's conjecture. "Maybe that leads us to exciting new insights into the nature of dark energythat would be a great success," says Wrase. The hypotheses that arise will (at least in part) soon be tested experimentally. In the next few years the accelerated expansion of the universe will be measured more accurately than ever before. Explore further Centenary of cosmological constant lambda More information: Frederik Denef et al. de Sitter swampland conjecture and the Higgs potential, Physical Review D (2018). arxiv.org/abs/1807.06581 Journal information: Physical Review D Frederik Denef et al. de Sitter swampland conjecture and the Higgs potential,(2018). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.98.086004 During the dry season, evaporating water leaves behind trona crystals growing on the Lake Magadi lakebed. The drilling rig used in this study towers above the dry lakebed in the background. Credit: Robin Renaut A progressively drying climate punctuated by variable wetter episodes may have precipitated the transition from our hominin ancestors to anatomically modern humans, according to research published on Oct. 8 in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). Since the discovery of a rich assemblage of human fossils as well as stone tools and other archeological evidence in the rift valley of East Africa, a region often referred to as the cradle of humanity, scientists have attempted to piece together the complex puzzle that is the history of our human origins, including the environmental context of that history. The study, based on lake sediment cores, is the first to provide a continuous environmental context for the diverse archeological evidence recovered from nearby localities in the rift valley basins of southern Kenya. The cores were sampled from Lake Magadi as part of the Hominin Sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project, or HSPDP, which is directed by University of Arizona professor Andrew Cohen. Lake Magadi, a shallow, periodically dry lake, is close to the Olorgesailie basin in Kenya, one of the most productive sites for archaeological evidence of human evolution in Africa. The authors suggest that the profound climatic changes may have been driving forces behind hominin evolution, the origins of modern Homo sapiens and the onset of the Middle Stone Age. While previous hypotheses have related hominin evolution to climate change, most prior studies lack regional-scale evidence for a link between environment and hominin evolution, the authors write in the paper, "Progressive aridification in East Africa over the last half million years and implications for human evolution." According to the study, a trend toward intense aridification in the area began 575,000 years ago. The change, not previously documented in continuous continental cores from East Africa, corresponds with faunal extinctions and a major transformation in stone tool technology documented in the Olorgesailie region. Study co-authors Veronica Muiruri (left), Anthony Mbuthia (blue shirt) and Andrew Cohen label a freshly sealed sediment core sample from Lake Magadi, Kenya. Credit: Anne Billingsley "Much evidence for human evolution has been gathered from the area, but linking those records to detailed environmental records was missing until now," said the study's lead author, Richard Owen, of Hong Kong Baptist University. "There is a big gap in the records between the last Early Stone Age tools 500,000 years ago and the appearance of Middle Stone Age tools about 320,000 years ago. Our results plugged that gap with a continuous environmental record." A critical transition occurred sometime during this gap, a period for which archeologists have unearthed evidence of a leap in early humans' abilities to make, use and trade stone tools. The cores from Lake Magadi provide the first detailed link between climate change and events known from the region's archeological record. "We have known for a while that the climate at the time was very varied, but the key here is that the records are in proximity to the archeological evidence for this transition," says Cohen, a professor in the University of Arizona's Department of Geosciences. "The older stone tools found at Olorgesailie did not change much between 1.2 million and a half-million years ago. And suddenly, after 500,000 and before 320,000 years agowe don't know exactly when, but in that timespanthere was a critical transition in archeology when tools became more sophisticated and were transported over longer distances." At the same time the lake core records point to the climate becoming drier and more variable, there is evidence elsewhere in Africa of the appearance of modern Homo sapiens, prompting much speculation whether the two are connected, Cohen said. Lake Magadi seen in the wet season. The lake periodically dries and floods in response to seasonal rains that cover the lakebed evaporites with up to 3 to 6 feet of water. Credit: Richard Owen "Whether the evolution of bigger brains goes hand in hand with new toolkits is not entirely clear," he said. "But the earliest modern Homo sapiens fossils from Morocco date back 325,000 years, the same time we see this transition of tools. And both happened around the same time that our core record indicates severe drying very close to the archeological sites." The deepest core drilled at Lake Magadi reached 200 meters (650 feet), penetrating all sedimentary layers down to the volcanic bedrock of the lake. The core samples, each about 10 feet long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter, are cut into manageable 5-foot segments, packaged and air-freighted to the National Lake Core Facility at the University of Minnesota for curation, analysis and storage. According to the hypothesis of variability selection, a rapidly changing environment creates selective pressure that forces species to adapt to rapid change, Owen said. Under that scenario, the larger brains of anatomically modern humans would have allowed our ancestors to adapt quickly to an increasingly less predictable world. "Now we have evidence that at the same time the toolkits were changing, the mammal fauna changed and the climate became more arid," Owen said. "So you have a series of coincidences that makes you think, 'This could be real.' Now we can say when the environment changed and then compare that to the archeological evidence of the region." Drilling at other nearby sites by HSPDP has been completed as researchers gather more of the region's climate data to continue studying the importance of environmental variability in the course of human evolution. Explore further African tools push back the origins of human technological innovation More information: R. Bernhart Owen el al., "Progressive aridification in East Africa over the last half million years and implications for human evolution," PNAS (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences R. Bernhart Owen el al., "Progressive aridification in East Africa over the last half million years and implications for human evolution,"(2018). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1801357115 This image provided by Facebook shows the company's product called Portal Plus. Facebook is marketing the device as a way for its more than 2 billion users to chat with one another without having to fuss with positioning and other controls. (Facebook via AP) Facebook on Monday launched a range of AI-powered video-calling devices, a strategic revolution for the social network giant which is aiming for a slice of the smart speaker market that is currently dominated by Amazon and Google. "It's been a big shift for the company," Facebook's vice president of consumer hardware Andrew Bosworth told AFP before the launch of "Portal". "We've seen a rise of video calling, on both Messenger and WhatsAppit has been a tremendous trend," he said. But the launch of a product putting a camera into people's homes is likely to raise privacy issues for the social media giant, which has suffered several major data breaches this year involving tens of millions of user accounts. The device, which will be available for pre-order in the United States from Monday, is designed to allow users to make video calls at home without having to stand immediately in front of the screen or hold a phone at arm's length. Although the social media giant acquired virtual reality headset manufacturer Oculus in 2014, this is the first time it has developed a consumer hardware product in-house. "At some point, we realised that if we want to continue to advance our mission, the hardware we're dealing with... is limiting, and so we find ourselves building our own hardware to try and accomplish that mission," Bosworth said. This image provided by Facebook shows the company's product called Portal. Facebook is marketing the device Portal, as a way for its more than 2 billion users to chat with one another without having to fuss with positioning and other controls. (Facebook via AP) 'Hey Portal' Offering hands-free voice control, Portal comes in two sizes, a 10-inch screen which retails at $199 (173 euros) and a 15-inch version will go for $349. And to start the call, all it takes is: "Hey Portal." During calls, it can also play music on Spotify or videos from Facebook Watch, as well as tell children stories via augmented effects app Story Time. And it also comes bundled with Amazon's voice interface "Alexa", enabling users to shop or control household appliances. During a conversation, the integrated camera can automatically zoom out to include a second person, or be instructed to follow a certain individual as they walk around, even picking out their voice over background noise. But Facebook has moved to quickly allay security fears, saying that by keeping the processes on the actual device rather than in the cloud, the risk of hacking is lower than with a smartphone or computer. Calls will be encrypted, and the AI technology runs locally on Portal, not on Facebook servers, with it only sending voice commands to the servers after hearing, "Hey Portal". The camera can be blocked by a cover and the device has a button for disabling both the lens and the microphone. In 2014, Facebook pushed into the world of virtual reality headsets with its acquisition of Oculus A guarantor of privacy? Security is a sensitive issue for Facebook which had 50 million of its user accounts breached by hackers at the end of last month in the latest privacy embarrassment. Earlier in the year, it was forced to admit that the personal data of tens of millions of users had been hijacked by Cambridge Analytica, a political firm working for Donald Trump in 2016. A British company, CA has been accused of collecting and exploiting users' personal data for political purposes without their consent. Facebook has since reasserted itself as a guarantor of privacy. "Frankly if we don't build the hardware, I do have concerns," Bosworth admitted, saying it was crucial to put "people first" whether delivering a platform for virtual reality or augmented reality. "You need to have abuse prevention very early on, you need to have security built in early on." A cautious welcome The company worked with a US film director in order to make the camera movements feel natural, said Nick Fell, marketing director for Facebook's Portal team. "We set out to try and make video calling so good that it feels like you're sharing the same physical space as someone else," he explained. Facebook representatives prefer to talk about their "mission" rather than business models and profits, but it is clear that wireless speakers and video calls represent a growing market. There were 17 billion video calls made on Messenger in 2017, double the number in 2016, according to official data. More than 60 million people in the US will use wireless speakers in 2018, a figure expected to rise to 76.5 million by 2020, according to eMarketer. But analysts reacted cautiously to the announcement. "Facebook is a little bit late to the market for smart speakers," said Tom Morrod, a research director for consumer electronics and telecoms at IHS Markit. "They're going to find that selling hardware scales quite differently from selling platform services." The social network does not intend to stop with Portal, promising to "invest very heavily, not just hardware through Oculus but also through Facebook," Bosworth said. Explore further Report: SEC probes Facebook privacy issues 2018 AFP Noise spots on the atomic scale; inside this superconductor some atoms appear to be noisier than others. Leiden physicist Milan Allan and his group have discovered an apparent paradox within a material that has zero electrical resistance. They report trapped charges, although charges should, in theory, keep flowing in the absence of resistance. The discovery could provide a missing piece of one of the big puzzles in physics todayhigh-temperature superconductivity. The results are published in Nature Physics. A material can either be insulating or conductive. In an insulator, an extra electron will get trapped. Thus, no electric current flows in insulators. In a conductor, extra electrons will immediately flow. The more conductive the material is, the faster the electrons will flow. The research group of Leiden physicist Milan Allan was therefore surprised to discover charge trapping in a material with zero resistance. Charge trapping is supposed to be a telltale sign of an insulator. Together with Leiden theoretical physicist Jan Zaanen, Allan's group found that the phenomenon could unravel a longstanding mystery about charge transport in a family of materials called cuprates. These poorly understood materials have no resistance, even at relatively high temperatures, and are therefore labeled high-temperature superconductors. The mechanism behind those is one of the big mysteries in physics today. Ph.D. students Koen Bastiaans and Tjerk Benschop, together with postdoc Doohee Cho, spent two years building a new microscope. On top of measuring the average signal, it determines the fluctuationsusually called noise. These fluctuations indicated the trapping of electrons in the insulating layers of the layered material that the researchers studied, and which was grown by scientists from the University of Amsterdam. The microscope registers noise at the atomic scale, which was vital for the discovery. Bastiaans says, "The noise centers only appear in very few, localized spots, as if some atoms are noisier than others. Our microscope helps us to understand not only these materials, but also the noisy impurity spots themselves." Explore further Melting of frozen electrons visualized More information: K. M. Bastiaans, D. Cho, T. Benschop, I. Battisti, Y. Huang, M.S. Golden, Q. Dong, Y. Jin, J. Zaanen, M. P. Allan, 'Charge trapping and super-Poissonian noise centres in a cuprate superconductor', Nature Physics. DOI: 10.1038/s41567-018-0300-z , www.nature.com/articles/s41567-018-0300-z Journal information: Nature Physics K. M. Bastiaans, D. Cho, T. Benschop, I. Battisti, Y. Huang, M.S. Golden, Q. Dong, Y. Jin, J. Zaanen, M. P. Allan, 'Charge trapping and super-Poissonian noise centres in a cuprate superconductor', Microscope image of the fabricated chimney-shaped nanopillars by researchers from Linkoping University and the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. Credit: Shula Chen, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Researchers from Linkoping University and the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden have proposed a new device concept that can efficiently transfer the information carried by electron spin to light at room temperaturea stepping stone toward future information technology. They present their approach in an article in Nature Communications. Light and electron charge are the main media for information processing and transfer. In the search for information technology that is even faster, smaller and more energy-efficient, scientists around the globe are exploring another property of electronstheir spin. Electronics that exploit both the spin and the charge of the electron are called "spintronics." Like the Earth, an electron spins around its own axis, either clockwise or counterclockwise. The handedness of the rotation is referred to as spin-up and spin-down states. In spintronics, the two states represent the binary bits and thus carry information. The information encoded by these spin states can be converted by a light-emitting device into light, which then carries the information over a long distance through fiber optics. The transfer of quantum information opens the possibility to exploit both electron spin and light, and the interaction between them, a technology known as "opto-spintronics." The information transfer in opto-spintronics is based on the principle that the spin state of the electron determines the properties of the emitted light. More specifically, it is chiral light, in which the electric field rotates either clockwise or counter-clockwise when seen in the direction of travel of the light. The rotation of the electric field is determined by the direction of spin of the electron. But there is a catch. "The main problem is that electrons easily lose their spin orientations when the temperature rises. A key element for future spin-light applications is efficient quantum information transfer at room temperature, but at room temperature, the electron spin orientation is nearly randomized. This means that the information encoded in the electron spin is lost or too vague to be reliably converted to its distinct chiral light," says Weimin Chen at the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM, at Linkoping University. Illustration of the conversion between the spin direction of the electron and the helicity of the chiral light. Here, the direction of spin of the electron in the nanodisk determines the rotation direction of the electric field of the chiral light, either clockwise or counter-clockwise when seen in the direction of travel of the light.Illustration of the conversion between the spin direction of the electron and the helicity of the chiral light. Here, the direction of spin of the electron in the nanodisk determines the rotation direction of the electric field of the chiral light, either clockwise or counter-clockwise when seen in the direction of travel of the light. Credit: Yuqing Huang Now, researchers from Linkoping University and the Royal Institute of Technology have devised an efficient spin-light interface. "This interface can not only maintain and even enhance the electron spin signals at room temperature. It can also convert these spin signals to corresponding chiral light signals travelling in a desired direction," says Weimin Chen. The key element of the device is extremely small disks of gallium nitrogen arsenide, GaNAs. The disks are only a couple of nanometres high and stacked on top of each other with a thin layer of gallium arsenide (GaAs) between to form chimney-shaped nanopillars. For comparison, the diameter of a human hair is about a thousand times larger than the diameter of the nanopillars. The unique ability of the proposed device to enhance spin signals is due to minimal defects introduced into the material by the researchers. Fewer than one out of a million gallium atoms are displaced from their designated lattice sites in the material. The resulting defects in the material act as efficient spin filters that can drain electrons with an unwanted spin orientation and preserve those with the desired spin orientation. "An important advantage of the nanopillar design is that light can be guided easily and more efficiently coupled in and out," says Shula Chen, first author of the article. The researchers hope that their proposed device will inspire new designs of spin-light interfaces, which hold great promise for future opto-spintronics applications. Explore further Spinning electrons open the door to future hybrid electronics More information: Shula Chen et al, Room-temperature polarized spin-photon interface based on a semiconductor nanodisk-in-nanopillar structure driven by few defects, Nature Communications (2018). Journal information: Nature Communications Shula Chen et al, Room-temperature polarized spin-photon interface based on a semiconductor nanodisk-in-nanopillar structure driven by few defects,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06035-1 This object is possibly the oldest of its kind ever catalogued: the hourglass-shaped remnant named CK Vulpeculae. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. P. S. Eyres Researchers from Keele University and an international team of astronomers have reported for the first time that a white dwarf and a brown dwarf collided in a 'blaze of glory' that was witnessed on Earth in 1670. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, the astronomers found evidence that a white dwarf (the remains of a sun-like star at the end of its life) and a brown dwarf (a failed star without sufficient mass to sustain thermonuclear fusion) collided in a short-lived blaze of glory that was witnessed on Earth in 1670 as Nova Cygni"a new star below the head of the Swan." It appeared abruptly as a star as bright as those in the plough, that gradually faded, reappeared, and finally disappeared from view. Modern astronomers studying the remains of this cosmic event initially thought it was triggered by the merging of two main-sequence stars on the same evolutionary path as our sun. This nova was long referred to as "Nova Vulpeculae 1670," and later became known as CK Vulpeculae. However, we now know that CK Vulpeculae was not what we would today describe as a nova, but was, in fact, the merger of two starsa white dwarf and a brown dwarf. By studying the debris from this explosion, which today appears as dual rings of dust and gas resembling an hourglass with a compact central object, the research team concluded that a brown dwarf merged with a white dwarf. Professor Nye Evans, Professor of Astrophysics at Keele University and co-author on the in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, explains, "CK Vulpeculae has in the past been regarded as the oldest 'old nova.' However, the observations of CK Vulpeculae I have made over the years using telescopes on the ground and in space convinced me that this was no nova. Everyone knew what it wasn'tbut nobody knew what it was. But a stellar merger of some sort seemed the best bet. With our ALMA observations of the exquisite dusty hourglass and the warped disc, plus the presence of lithium and peculiar isotope abundances, the puzzle fit together: In 1670, a brown dwarf star was shredded and dumped on the surface of a white dwarf star, leading to the 1670 eruption and the hourglass we see today." The team of European, American and South African astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to examine the remains of the merger and reported some interesting findings. By studying the light from two more distant stars as they shine through the dusty remains of the merger, the researchers were able to detect the telltale signature of the element lithium, which is easily destroyed in stellar interiors. Dr. Stewart Eyres, deputy dean of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science at the University of South Wales and lead author on the paper, says, "The material in the hourglass contains the element lithium, normally easily destroyed in stellar interiors. The presence of lithium, together with unusual isotopic ratios of the elements C, N, O, indicate that an astronomically small amount of material, in the form of a brown dwarf star, crashed onto the surface of a white dwarf in 1670, leading to thermonuclear burning, an eruption that led to the brightening seen by the Carthusian monk Anthelme and the astronomer Hevelius, and in the hourglass we see today." Professor Albert Zijlstra, from The University of Manchester's School of Physics & Astronomy, co-author of the study, says, "Stellar collisions are the most violent events in the universe. Most attention is given to collisions between neutrons stars, or between two white dwarfswhich can produce a supernovaand star-planet collisions. But it is very rare to actually see a collision, and where we believe one occurred, it is difficult to know what kind of stars collided. The collision here is a new one, not previously considered or ever seen before. This is an extremely exciting discovery." Professor Sumner Starrfield, Regents' Professor of Astrophysics at Arizona State University says, "The white dwarf would have been about 10 times more massive than the brown dwarf, so as the brown dwarf spiraled into the white dwarf it would have been ripped apart by the intense tidal forces exerted by the white dwarf. When these two objects collided, they spilled out a cocktail of molecules and unusual element isotopes. These organic molecules, which we could detected with ALMA, expanded measurably into the surrounding environment, providing compelling evidence of the true origin of this blast. This is the first time such an event has been conclusively identified. Intriguingly, the hourglass is also rich in organic molecules such as formaldehyde (H 2 CO), methanol (CH 3 OH) and methanamide (NH 2 CHO). These molecules would not survive in an environment undergoing nuclear fusion and must have been produced in the debris from the explosion. This lends further support to the conclusion that a brown dwarf met its demise in a star-on-star collision with a white dwarf." Since most star systems in the Milky Way are binary, stellar collisions are not that rare, the astronomers note. Professor Starrfield says, "Such collisions are probably not rare, and this material will eventually become part of a new planetary system, implying that they may already contain the building-blocks of organic molecules as they are forming." Explore further Binary white dwarf stars More information: S P S Eyres et al, ALMA reveals the aftermath of a white dwarfbrown dwarf merger in CK Vulpeculae, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2018). Journal information: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society S P S Eyres et al, ALMA reveals the aftermath of a white dwarfbrown dwarf merger in CK Vulpeculae,(2018). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/sty2554 Figure 1. a) Conceptual NIR-driven self-charging system including a flexible CQD PVs module and an interdigitatedly structured LIB. b) Photographic images of a conventional wearable healthcare bracelet and a self-charging system-integrated wearable device. Credit: The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) As wearable devices are emerging, there are numerous studies on wireless charging systems. Here, a KAIST research team has developed a permanent, wireless self-charging platform for low-power wearable electronics by converting near-infrared (NIR) band irradiation to electrical energy. This novel technology can be applied to flexible, wearable charging systems without needing any attachments. Colloidal-quantum-dots (CQDs) are promising materials for manufacturing semiconductors; in particular, PbS-based CQDs have facile optical tunability from the visible to infrared wavelength region. Hence, they can be applied to various devices, such as lighting, photovoltaics (PVs), and photodetectors. Continuous research on CQD-based optoelectronic devices has increased their power conversion efficiency (PCE) to 12 percent; however, applicable fields have not yet been found for them. Meanwhile, wearable electronic devices commonly face the problem of inconvenient charging systems because users have to constantly charge batteries attached to an energy source. A joint team led by Professor Jung-Yong Lee from the Graduate School of Energy, Environment, Water and Sustainability and Jang Wok Choi from Seoul National University decided to apply CQD PVs, which have high quantum efficiency in NIR band to self-charging systems on wearable devices. They employed a stable and efficient NIR energy conversion strategy. The system was comprised of a PbS CQD-based PV module, a flexible interdigitated lithium-ion battery, and various types of NIR-transparent films. Figure 2. Illustration of the CQD PVs structure and performance of the wireless self-charging platform. Credit: The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) The team removed the existing battery from the already commercialized wearable healthcare bracelet and replaced it with the proposed self-charging system. They confirmed that the system can be applied to a low power wearable device via the NIR band. There have been numerous platforms using solar irradiation, but the newly developed platform has more advantages because it allows conventional devices to be much more comfortable to wear and charged easily in everyday life using various irradiation sources for constant charging. With this aspect, the proposed platform facilitates more flexible designs, which are the important component for actual commercialization. It also secures higher photostability and efficient than existing structures. Professor Lee said, "By using the NIR band, we proposed a new approach to solve charging system issues of wearable devices. I believe that this platform will be a novel platform for energy conversion and that its application can be further extended to various fields, including mobiles, IoTs, and drones." Explore further Solar supercapacitor could power future of wearable sensors More information: Se-Woong Baek et al. A Colloidal-Quantum-Dot-Based Self-Charging System via the Near-Infrared Band, Advanced Materials (2018). Journal information: Advanced Materials Se-Woong Baek et al. A Colloidal-Quantum-Dot-Based Self-Charging System via the Near-Infrared Band,(2018). DOI: 10.1002/adma.201707224 Credit: CC0 Public Domain The formation of protein complexes is a highly organised process that does not begin with the "finished" proteins. Studies conducted by researchers at the Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH) and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) demonstrate that they form in a coordinated way when the protein subunits are synthesised. "Our findings fundamentally alter our understanding of how biologically active protein complexes form in the cell," reports Prof. Dr. Bernd Bukau. The results were published in Nature. Biological processes in cells are driven by thousands of different proteins that are assembled into functionally active protein complexes. The proteins are actually manufactured on the so-called ribosome, which catalyses protein biosynthesis. During the process, amino acids are assembled into chains and folded to form the protein. "Until now we assumed that the subunits of the protein complexes found one another through diffusion and random encounters," states Prof. Bukau, who heads the "Biogenesis and Quality Control of Proteins" research group at the ZMBH and the Division of Chaperones and Proteases at the DKFZ. Experiments conducted by Dr. Ayala Shiber on eukaryotes present a different picture, however. The growing protein chains are already bound by other subunits so that protein manufacture and the formation of biologically active protein complexes can be temporally and spatially coordinated. This ensures efficient complex formation, according to Dr. Shiber, the lead author of the study. The molecular biologist from Israel and Alexander von Humboldt fellow is a member of Prof. Bukau's research group and works at the "Cellular Surveillance and Damage Response" Collaborative Research Centre (CRC 1036) at Heidelberg University. Explore further How human cells can dissolve damaging protein aggregates More information: Ayala Shiber et al. Cotranslational assembly of protein complexes in eukaryotes revealed by ribosome profiling, Nature (2018). Journal information: Nature Ayala Shiber et al. Cotranslational assembly of protein complexes in eukaryotes revealed by ribosome profiling,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0462-y Two male Trinidadian guppies, showing the range of color patterns observed in the population. Credit: Dr Jake Morris (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment) Female guppies with smaller brains can distinguish attractive males, but they don't recognise them as being more appealing or choose to mate with them, according to a new study by UCL and Stockholm University researchers. The study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, adds weight to the link between mate preference and cognitive ability. "One of the biggest decisions a female guppy has to make in its life is choosing who to mate with. It is very important, so you might think they would all prefer a single most attractive male," said one of the study's senior authors, Professor Judith Mank (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment). "But we found that it takes a certain amount of brain-power to size up an attractive mate." The research team studied female Trinidadian guppies in two groups differentiated by brain size and mating preferences. The fish were exposed to males that were either colourful with long tails, which are more commonly attractive to females, or males that were less colourful. The researchers allowed the female fish to evaluate the males, keeping the fish in separate tanks so exposure was only visual. They then measured gene expression on the brain tissue of the females to gauge which genes were being actively expressed in two brain areas involved in processing visual signals and in integrating those signals to make complex decisions. The researchers found that all of the females exhibited similar patterns of activity in the sensory processing areas of the brain when they saw an attractive male, suggesting they can all see the difference between attractive and dull males. But only the larger-brained fish showed different patterns of activity in decision-making brain regions when they saw attractive or unattractive males. Among the females with clear mate preferences, the genes that were activated by seeing an attractive male were more strongly connected to decision-making pathways. "Guppies are an excellent example of ecological adaptation, and this raises questions about potential trade-offs with increasing intelligence," said the study's first author, Dr. Natasha Bloch (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment). "Brighter colours could attract predators, so there's an assumption that fish in environments with many predators would evolve to be less colourful, but there may be a more complex relationship involving predation pressure, female choice and cognitive ability," she said. "While the exact mechanisms behind female preferences in guppies require further investigation, we know that not choosing colourful and long-tailed males would be disadvantageous, as their sons would not inherit the optimal genes for appearance, and would thus have a harder time finding a mate," added co-author Dr. Alberto Corral-Lopez (Stockholm University). "By clarifying what happens in the earliest stage of female mate preference behaviour in animals with different cognitive abilities, we have shed light on the structure of the genetic networks underlying female mate preferences, adding to our understanding of how animals evolve different mating patterns," said co-senior author Professor Niclas Kolm (Stockholm University). Explore further Female guppy fish choose sperm from preferred males More information: Natasha I. Bloch et al, Early neurogenomic response associated with variation in guppy female mate preference, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2018). Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution Natasha I. Bloch et al, Early neurogenomic response associated with variation in guppy female mate preference,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0682-4 "We want things to happen for a reason," says U of T Professor Jeffrey Rosenthal. "Its a universal human need. I completely sympathize with that notion, but I also think that isn't how the world always works." Credit: University of Toronto When Joe Parker offered to take a photo of a vacationing family at a beach in Waikiki, he had no idea at first that he'd just met his half-brother. Rick Hill, the man he'd just photographed, had a noticeable Massachusetts accent, and Parker commented on it. They soon discovered that they grew up in neighbouring towns. Parker started throwing out some names, including his dad's, Dickie Halligan. To Parker's great surprise, Hill replied that Halligan was his father too. Was this impromptu family reunion just a lucky coincidence or did fate intervene? Or are surprise encounters like this one a lot more common than we think? The story of Joe Parker is one of many delightful anecdotes that the University of Toronto's Jeffrey Rosenthal, a professor at the department of statistical sciences, shares in Knock on Wood: Luck, Chance, and the Meaning of Everything. His new book explores the concept of luck in its various forms through the lens of a statistician. After the release of his first book on randomness and probability, Rosenthal says friends, colleagues and readers kept asking him whether he believes in luck or not. Unable to give an answer, he realized that there must be more to the topic than meets the eye. He embarked on a two-year research and writing journey that led him to collect countless stories, read piles of research papers and watch hours of Netflix who said research can't be fun? (He also coincidently discovered that he was born on a Friday, the 13th.) The result is a light-hearted, yet insightful analysis of the meaning of luck, its different faces, and how to tell the difference between "dumb luck" and the things we can control. Dee Keilholz of the department of statistical sciences spoke to Rosenthal about some of his findings. Do you believe in luck? I do. And when I say I believe in luck, I mean random things that are outside of our control. Luck plays a huge role in everybody's life, myself included. However, I realized after a while that when people ask me if I believe in luck, they often mean different things. Some people believe in fateful events and destiny and then there's lucky charms and astrology. There are these various forms of luck, depending on whom you talk to. I realized that it's hard to come up with a simple answer that explains what luck is. That's partly what my book is about trying to figure that out. If luck is this random, highly influential force in our lives, how do you suggest we deal with it? Should we let go of the illusion that we are in control of our life or should we "shape our own luck" and try to take things into our own hands? I think there are things in life that are in our control and others that are not. For example, somebody might t-bone your car, and that's just bad luck. Wrong time, wrong place. But there are also things you can do to drive safely: wear a seatbelt, drive within the speed limit, and so on. I made up a "luck version" of a popular serenity prayer: "Grant me the serenity to accept the random luck I cannot control, the knowledge to change the luck which can be modified, and the wisdom to know the difference." Knowing the difference is key. How can statistical thinking help us understand that difference between random luck and the things we can change? In my book, I use the term "luck traps," meaning times when people think that an event is more meaningful or surprising than it is, and there are certain ways of thinking that can help us understand why that is. One of the many principles I talk about in Knock on Wood is what I call the "Out of How Many" principle. Or, in other words, how many different chances were there for a certain event to happen? Let's take the half-brothers who met at that beach in Hawaii. There are more than 300 million people in the U.S., and a percentage of those have estranged relatives. Each of those people make countless decisions over the course of their lifetime about where to go and what to do. So, you could say that there were millions of "tries" and out of all these tries, one time a happy reunion happened. I mean, it's rare but not that incredible if you look at it like that. Why do you think we are so prone to seek greater meaning behind random events? M. Night Shyamalan, the director of the movie The Sixth Sense, once said that every great movie has some element of magic in it. That's certainly true for a lot of the films and literature we love. We want the good guys to win against all odds and the boy and the girl are destined to get together in the end. We want things to happen for a reason. It's a universal human need. I completely sympathize with that notion, but I also think that isn't how the world always works. Bad things can randomly happen to good people and love doesn't necessarily conquer all. Don't you find that sad? Doesn't this make the world a bit less magical? I don't think so. Our world in all its randomness is quite wonderful as it is. There are more than seven billion people on this planet and most of them are perfectly nice and fascinating to get to know. I believe we need to appreciate the world the way it works. It leads to better logical thinking and decision-making, while leaving plenty of room for incredible adventures. Dichotomies in art usually succeed brilliantly or fail dreadfully. Bringing together disparate forms is inherently risky: it challenges the artist, but even more so, it challenges the audience. In the case of Lobby Hero, Kenneth Lonergans 2001 play about four people whose lives collide in a random apartment building lobby, barebones productions has dropped this Aeschylus-like moral tragedy into the format of a Howard Hawks-style screwball comedy, and the results are stunning. Lonergan (an Oscar-winning screenwriter) is a master at evoking how people actually speakwhen they are actually listening to each other. This is a rare talent and lets the nearly two-hour show transpire so smoothly that youre actually disappointed when the intermission comes, as well as the ending. He foists no overwrought speeches or didactic proclamations which trip up so many contemporary dramatists. Thankfully, he lets the audience do the work it wants to do, without telling it what it should think. But this can be for naught if the acting doesnt meet the potential of the text. Director Melissa Martin has chosen a cast that is poignant and balanced. The four actors might have come from the set of a Mike Leigh filmas if they have been living their respective roles instead of just playing them. The characters they portray are the type of people you would never notice on the streeta security guard, his boss, a rookie female cop, and her veteran partner. And all of the action takes place in a non-descript, New York City apartment building lobby. Its the kind of set were accustomed to for a mid-century, philosophical dramalike Sartres No Exitwhere nothing is meant to distract us. In fact, its so monochromatica desaturated blue-greylike a Nouvelle Vague film, that you almost expect the Criterion Collection logo to flash when the lights go down. Technical director Douglas McDermott and lighting designer Andrew David Ostrowski have created this world with zen-like intensity. What they project is less real than it is not fake. The walls and doors dont wobble. And the marble and steel elevator (all the buttons and lights really work) has a gravity much like the gravity of the elevator in The Shiningwhen it opens it functions as a kind of portal to something sinister. Nothing good goes up or down. And the room with its vapid, saturnine art (like the finger paintings of a child with no imagination) and hospital-tile floor, is a place of decay: it sucks the life out of everything that passes through it. Even the fake plants seem to be dying. This is where we find Jeff (Gabriel King), asleep on the industrial divan, not even able to meet the minimal demand of consciousness his slacker job requires as a night-shift security guard. Jeff might as well be another fern in the lobby. He doesnt even take pride in his losernessyou can tell by his unkempt uniform, which is two sizes too big. (It makes him look like a boy whose parents think he will still keep growing). He sums up his inferiority complex by stating, My last girlfriend was a toll-both collector, and she intimidated the shit out of me. Actually, his ex-girlfriend was really a prostitute, he reads cheap paperbacks, and hes living in someone elses apartment. So when a few interesting things start to transpire in his lobby, he becomes all ears andto everyones consternationmouth. Jeff talks to people like a puppy humping the sofa. His only joy in life is getting any bit of attention he can, so he has become, by necessity, a genius at conversation. Playing this type of dynamic is a challenging task, but King does so brilliantly. (You may remember him from barebones Small Engine Repair three years ago, when he also brought great range to a quirky part). King may be the most comfortable person on stage since Groucho Marx. He uses his body like Jim Carrey uses his faceit can adapt to any situation. He is a master of postures, and will end up sitting, standing, or leaning on every object possible by the end of a performance. More important, his timing is voltaic. He makes even the most trivial dialogue fascinating by the way he listens, and instantly responds, to other actors. In the tradition of Aeschylus, most of the scenes in Lobby Hero involve only two characters, and all of the violence occurs off-stage, so the focus is really on the dialogue. From the first scene between Jeff and his boss, security captain William (Rico Romalus Parker) the words are lived, not recited. It takes synergy between player and author to pull this off. And director Martin helps by keeping the blocking mostly organic (there are only a couple of instances where the actors commit stage walkwhen its obvious theyre trying to hit proscribed marks). William has a very sensitive switch that gets flipped quickly when he is upset by something he cant control. Hes caught in a terrible moral dilemma (another Aeschylean trait) that has him on the edge of an existential crisishis brother may have committed a murder and needs an alibiand Jeff is just the man to trigger him one way, and then the other. Parkers psychic reflexes in deciding when to pull this switch have to be brutally sharp; a lesser actor would make it look contrived, but he elicits pathos even in his most bullying, reactionary moments. Director Martin has sped the delivery of Lonergans text, much as Howard Hawks sped the dialogue in films such as His Girl Friday. This is especially effective in the humorous scenes between Jeff and the other characters; the one in which he and Dawn (the female cop) speak over each other for an extended time is virtuosic, like hearing a sax and trumpet perform overlapping solos during a bebop jam. However, just as the accelerated dialogue enhances the comic effect of the play, it mitigates some of the emotional impact as well. Speed has its price; like chemotherapy, it eliminates everything it touches, including all of the spaces, pauses, and breaks that might have been left alone, open, and silent. Employed constantly as it is by the director, it serves to dampen the resonance of many moments that might have had the chance to unfurl in the minds of the audience. Imagine listening to Bach in a church which has no echo. A second dynamic arrives with the entrance of the two cops. Dawn (Jessie Wray Goodman) is a rookie still in her probationary period; she has everything to lose if she makes even the slightest mistake, yet earlier in the day she wacked a citizen over the head with her stick, sending him to the hospital. Bill (Patrick Jordan) is her partner, superior, and wants to be her lover. Hes been manipulating Dawns emotional vulnerability with the deceptive haze of romance; meanwhile hes a frequent visitor to this lobby as hes having another affair with a woman in the building. Of course, hes marriedthis kind of guy always is. Goodmans performance as a young woman fighting to survive in the macho world of big city law enforcement is masterfully restrained. She eschews cliches in building her personae (one can imagine Hollywood putting a young Jennifer Lopez-type in the role: chewing gum, smoking, acting like a jock, etc.). Goodman has evolved tremendously as an actor over the past several seasons (even from her stint as Julia in Prime Stages 1984 only a year ago), and shes now entered that rarified state where shes willing to do whatever she has to for the sake of a performance, even if it means being so subtle that the audience may not catch it. Her New York accenttight jawed and lurking in the back of the throatis two subway stops short of Queens. (This is something barebones excels in: the nuanced way they handled the variegated strains of Boston-speak in Small Engine Repair went largely unnoticed by Pittsburgh critics). Bill has the look of an outer-borough cop imagining he could be a Manhattan lothario if he can just get the mustache right. This guy is big, brash, and probably wears Old Spice because he thinks it drives the ladies crazy. At first Dawn falls for his donut-eating charm (we can only imagine the backstory of her daddy issues), but just when the plot starts to creep towards the conventional, Jeff the lonesome loser inserts himself into everyones business, and things fall apart, fabulously. Jordan (who is also the companys artistic director) is the kind of artist who likes to surround himself with other strong artists; this engenders a fearlessness which is contagious. No one is playing anything safe. And that makes for the most exciting form of theatre. You also get the senseand the thrillthat no two shows will be the same. The success of this and other barebones efforts partly stems from the nature of its intimate spaceperformances can be played more acutely, as they normally are for film, rather than broadly, as they usually are for the stage. Black box environments often mean cramped seating, poor lighting, and compromised productions, but here, instead, we find a sui generis atmosphere in which the cast and crew can fine-tune their work for discerning audiences like zealous audiophiles with the most sophisticated equipment. In the second act, Lonergans strength as a writer of dialogue betrays him, because the action starts to get so wordy that it devolves from showing, to telling. A good rule for drama is that the action should be reducible to a verb (e.g. kill the king, steal the money, find the child). If the thing that needs to get done can only be explained, then its not really drama any more. Its explication. (This is what makes plays such as Hamlet so sublime: as wordy as they may be, what fascinates us is trying to understand what was done and never explained). Thankfully, the excellence of the acting papers over these flaws in the script. Jeff is manic and comical in his self-deprecation, but hes not a clown, because he keeps the action moving forward, even if much of it is verbal. He grows from the doofus to the deus ex machina of the play, and becomes the source of resolution for each character, whether good or bad. Ultimately, there is something unimpeachable about the quality of this show that makes the ending very fulfilling: a raw, Cassavetes-type of honesty is projected by these characters who may be lying to each other, but are not lying to themselves. Lobby Hero doesnt end in comedy, or tragedy, but somewhere between these dichotomieswhere past is not prologue for these souls, but the thing that makes the future a risk worth taking. Barebones Black Box 1211 Braddock Ave Braddock, PA 15104 barebonesproductions.com 888-718-42538 Marley Fisher walked away from several overdoses during her six years of opioid addiction. The batch that finally killed her left her unable to even stumble out of the Point State Park bathroom stall into which she ducked to shoot up. In April of 2017, Fisher, 28, accompanied a friend to buy heroin from a dealer Downtown, according to text messages on her phone. The toxicology report showed that what they bought contained five types of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 30 to 50 times more potent than the average street heroin, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, and often mixed with heroin. The batch that killed Marley Fisher contained some carfentanil, a chemical analog 100 times stronger than fentanyl and nicknamed the grey death. Her friend overdosed in the park. Medics used the nasal-spray OD antidote naloxone to revive him. Fisher, alone in the stall when the drug overtook her body, died there. For her mother, Jeanna Fisher, a construction manager from Whitehall, it was a heartbreaking end to a six anxious years of zigzagging: When on drugs, Marley would go missing for weeks-long benders. She and a boyfriend once drilled into the family safe and stole her late fathers coin collection to pawn for drug money, Jeanna Fisher said. After stabilizing in rehab, Marley was a sweetheart and could keep a job and make progress towards her goal of working in veterinary medicine, she said. Marley was attending Community College of Allegheny College when she died. It was constant relapsing, constant being suspicious of where she was going, her mother said. Sometimes, we couldnt find her and she would reappear. Marley was probably self-medicating due to collapsed discs in her spine. She had the back of an 80-year-old. Her daughter once overdosed in her bathroom. Seeing her turn gray and vacant, Jeanna performed CPR. Marley confessed it wasnt her only OD in the past year, that friends had called paramedics to revive her. Jeanna came to fear her daughter would die of an overdose. But she is sure she died that particular April day because someone sold her a drug stronger and deadlier than she would have knowingly used. Marley was a heroin addict, she said. She was not a fentanyl or carfentanyl addict. Over the last five years, fentanyl has invaded the drug supply, making a deadly crisis deadlier. First synthesized in 1959 and used as a painkiller in emergency rooms and war zones, the drug has made its way into the black-market opioid market, often discreetly bundled with heroin. Its killing users who have survived years of addiction and stagnating progress against the tide of overdose deaths. Dealers and suppliers like fentanyl because it cuts costs. A small batch can be cut up and mixed with weak heroin and filler for a product that has all the strength users want for cheaper production costs. A lot of drug traffickers are selling it, says Patrick Trainor, public information officer for the DEAs Philadelphia field office. If its 50 times more potent than heroin, you can cut it up into 50 more times [than youd cut heroin] and sell it for the same. It has no growing season, unlike the poppy seed used to make heroin. Mexican and Chinese drug labs produce it and send to the U.S., through illicit shipments made over the dark web a series of internet channels unfindable to the average web user, said Trainor. A Ziploc bag of fentanyl can be as potent as a car trunk of heroin, making for easier transport. In its Analysis of Overdose Deaths in Pennsylvania for 2016, the DEA noted that fentanyl and substances that were chemically similar were found in 52 percent of deceased OD victims that year, more than any other drug category, and rising from a mere 14 percent in 2014. More surprisingly, the report stated that users are now seeking out fentanyl instead of unknowingly purchasing fentanyl disguised as heroin, and street-level traffickers are openly marketing fentanyl to customers instead of disguising it as heroin. For some advanced-stage addicts, its more important to stay high than alive, Trainor said. Theres no greater endorsement [for a dealer] than when his product kills someone. Dr. Mitchell West, medical director of addiction medicine at Allegheny Health Network, said that some of his patients have a preference for fentanyl, despite its lethality. It goes against all reason, West added. If there is a batch that people are overdosing on in clusters, thats the batch they seek out. They think, I have a high tolerance. Ill be careful. But many wind up in AHN emergency rooms from overdoses or at the coroners office. Its taken a bad problem and turned it into a nightmare, West said. We had people whoand Im using the term looselywere successful intravenous drug users. These are people who may have had their personal and professional lives halted by addiction, he said, but managed to stay alive, even as their usage mounted. I had patients who were using several bags of heroin a day. They will overdose on a single bag of fentanyl. This is a particularly strong batch The stamp bag is the main unit by which heroin is sold in the Northeast. The wax-paper packets contain about a tenth of a gram, a single dose to most users. They sell for as little as $5 each. This method of sale and packaging is so regional that posters on Facebook groups for former addicts sometimes have to explain references to stamp bags to people in other parts of the country. (Users on the West Coast, where black tar heroin reigned supreme, expect more purity in their product.) Traffickers sometimes stamp a name onto packages from a particular batch. DEA and other law enforcement officials are hesitant to give out these names, out of concern over publicizing a brand of sorts. A 2010 art show of stamp bags picked up off New York City streets showed names like Life, No Pain (with a graphic of a coffin) and Shooters (with a logo of two guns pointed at each other). There was a batch of the day and they found memorable ways to put insignia on it, said Jeremy, a former user who spent seven years of addiction in various locations in Pennsylvania and requested his name changed for this article. He recalls Crazy Train and Deja Vu. Some batches had a logo, like a thumbs up or Supermans S. Others were identifiable by the color of the wax paper: purple or blue or red. The colors of the product inside range from pure white to gray to sandy brown. Increasingly, these bags are not pure heroin, but mixes of drugs meant to have the same effect. Strengths vary and stamps become signals of potency. Ive had dealers tell me, This is a particularly strong batch, Jeremy said. Often, that means a pinch of fentanyl. I think a lot of street-level dealers have no idea what they are selling, Jeremy added. In [a] city, competing drugs dealers want to have the strongest stuff. As part of her dissertation, Kathleen Creppage, at the University of Pittsburghs Graduate School of Public Health, analyzed the contents of stamp bags taken as evidence by the Allegheny County Medical Examiners Office. The proportion of bags containing some fentanyl or an analog of it jumped from 2 percent in 2014 to 17 percent in 2016. Historically, heroin was the drug sold in stamp bags, so you didnt see fentanyl, Creppage said. To see it rapidly increase is alarming. Jeremy began abusing drugs as an undergrad at Duquesne University in 2009. Prescription painkillers were popular and easy to score, particularly if you bussed to Oakland with its large student population. Fentanyl was like a delicacy. Every so often, epidermal patches, the kind prescribed to severe chronic pain sufferers or to hospice patients, made their way into the black marketthe same way bottles of OxyContin or Vicodin did: Someone with a prescription sold them or a dealer obtained them through a break-in of a pharmacy or other medical supply inventory. It was not a common thing but everyone was excited when one came around, Jeremy recalled. That was how fentanyl was used illicitlyrarely and through misuse of pharmaceuticalsuntil around 2014, when foreign drug labs started producing it and traffickers bought it via the dark web to spike their heroin. (Trainor, of the DEA, said precursors are carefully controlled in the U.S. and China is the main illicit supplier.) Fentanyl then leapt from obscurity to become the drug most often present in overdoses fatalities, nationally and locally. Its killing people left and right, said Jeremy, who struggled at a few Pennsylvania universities before getting clean at the Ambrosia Treatment Center in Florida in 2016. Hes since stayed in Florida, but often hears of people back home dying. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the opioid epidemic unfolded in three distinct waves: an increase in deaths from overdoses on prescription painkillers starting in the late 90s, a spike in heroin overdoses starting around 2010 and the rise of synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, starting about 2013. Synthetic opioids other than methadone were present in 20,145 of the United States 64,000 drug overdose deaths in 2016, according to the CDC, outpacing heroin, which showed up in 15,466 deaths. The two categories were about even the previous year. Fentanyl was the most common drug in Allegheny County overdose fatalities in 2016, 2017 and, so far, 2018, according to data from the Pennsylvania Overdose Prevention Technical Assistance Center, a project of Pitts School of Pharmacy. Last year, it was present in 547 of the countys 737 OD fatalities, dwarfing heroin at 288. Before, fentanyl was a relative rarity, showing up in 30 percent of county deaths in 2015 and 20 percent in 2014. That 2017 total737 overdose deathsis an all-time high for Allegheny County. Drug deaths, which have been climbing across the U.S. since the 1990s, also continue to escalate nationally, from about 40,000 in 2009 to more than 64,000 in 2016. As a latecomer to a social issue that had already reached a crisis point, fentanyl is frustrating the efforts of officials who have worked to reverse the trend. Dr. Karen Hacker became director of the Allegheny County Health Department in 2013. She pushed police departments to carry naloxone and, in 2015, issued a standing order allowing any county resident to obtain the OD antidote from a pharmacy without a prescription. She sees progress in the number of users saved by the drug and increased emergency room usage. Despite increased awareness and preventative measures, both the U.S. and Allegheny County had record death tolls in 2017. How much of that is due to fentanyl? Most of it, I think, said Hacker. The challenge is that it is super strong and the user might not be aware of how much of [their drug] is cut with it. Naloxone can reverse a fentanyl overdose but the drug kills so quickly, there is often no time for the victim to signal for help or a medic or police officer to respond. A fentanyl overdose is one where we find the needle in the persons arm, said Jerry Overman, coroner of Indiana County, where fentanyl was present in 21 of the 39 overdose deaths in 2017. At least three users died from the same batch of carfentanil. Prevention Point Pittsburgh, a legal needle exchange program and safety resource for active users, began offering fentanyl detection strips last October. Despite the drugs lethality, Alice Bell, overdose prevention project coordinator, says the strips arent particularly popular. They only tell you yes or no, said Bell, whether or not there is fentanyl in the product, not how much. Only a few users want to test their products and refuse fentanyl at any dosage. Most of the users she encounters know they will get some fentanyl and are resigned to it. She never had a chance In response to Marleys death, Jeanna Fisher started Pittsburgh Wont Forget U, an advocacy group for the families of those who died of a drug overdose. Part of its mission is to encourage law enforcement officials to charge dealers with homicide because of the increasing lethality of their products. When I asked her to pass my name to anyone else in her organization who lost someone to fentanyl, she said, That would be everyone. Thats the drug thats been killing people. I received about a dozen Facebook messages, texts and phone calls that began with some variation of My son or My daughter died of a fentanyl overdose. Perhaps the cruelest twist of the proliferation of fentanyl is its tendency to kill people who have already survived years of their personal and our societal struggle against opioids. Catherine Slane, of West Deer, lost her daughter Alexandra at age 26 in October of 2016 to a fentanyl overdose. Alexandra had been using since age 16. Like many people susceptible to addiction, she struggled with chronic pain. She had scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine. Alexandra had overdosed at least five times prior to her death, including once in their family home on Christmas Eve. They kept naloxone at their house and sent her to several rehabs across the country, throughout a relapse/recovery cycle. At the time of her death, Alexandra was fresh from a stint of treatment and studying to become a nurse at CCAC. She called her sponsor for a ride to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting and then apparently injected a fentanyl-laced blend. Her sponsor found her slumped over on a sofa. She died before the ambulance got to her. Regardless of all of that, I know in my heart and soul that she would have beaten this awful disease, had it not been for her deadly encounter with fentanyl, said Catherine Slane. She never had a chance. Linda Esteps son, Jesse, died of a fentanyl overdose at age 28 in August of 2017. Both she and her son struggled with chronic pain: Linda from knee and back problems and Jesse from dental issues. He ended up with dentures at age 24, she said. She used to let him take Percocets from her purse, unaware of the addiction it would unleash. At the high point of his life, Jesse Estep owned a truck, was renting his childhood home in the Knoxville neighborhood from his parents and held a job as a custodian at Pittsburgh Public Schools headquarters in Oakland. He also was father to one daughter, Mia. He lost the vehicle, home and job and wound up in a court-ordered treatment program that curtailed his parental rights due to issues stemming from his addiction. At his lowest point, Jesse had sold his Play Station, hats and even his shoes to pay for heroin and crack cocaine. Before his fatal overdose, Jesse Estep neglected to attend a court-ordered drug test, Linda Estep said. He understood this to mean he would lose visitation rights to his daughter. She knew he later bought drugs to ease that emotional blow. Linda Estep saw him go to a familiar corner. I thought he was buying crack cocaine and I was grateful, at that point, it wasnt heroin, she said. During his period of being monitored by the court system, Jesse had developed a crack habit because it usually didnt trigger a positive drug test. He retreated to the basement suite where he lived with his parents. The next day, his father found him dead on the toilet, from a drug combo that included fentanyl. Like Marley Fisher and Alexandra Slane, he died before he could signal for help from people either a short distance or short car ride away. I dont know why I didnt check on him or why I didnt go to ask if he wanted something to eat, said Linda Estep, through tears. I just thought he wanted to be left alone. Overdosing is just part of the process of using fentanyl For every fatality, there are countless non-fatal overdoses, said Hacker. The spread of naloxone means that more people are walking away from overdoses, but also the spray is being used by friends, family and even passersby to revive opioid users in incidents that never make it into a police or coroner report. We know Pittsburgh is using it very frequently, based on the prescription fill rate, Hacker said. The current rate of overdoses is shocking and unprecedented to West, medical director of addiction medicine at Allegheny Health Network. In the past, for an experienced heroin user, an overdose was a rare occurrence, he said. Overdosing is just part of the process using fentanyl. West, a 20-year medical veteran who once worked at Gateway Rehab, said people shoot up and overdose in the bathrooms of the hospitals where he works, trying to stave off withdrawal symptoms in the short time before they receive methadone. Patients who dont die injure themselves from continual intravenous drug usage. Hes readying a patient for replacement of a heart valve into which she injected. In his patients, knee joints and parts of the spinal column are displaced because they are near infected injection sites. Hes seen permanent brain damage from lack of oxygen during an overdose and one of his patients had to endure the amputation of a leg into which he injected. It is beyond what I imagined, West said. This is what the face of this looks like. Its not what it looked like five years ago. He traces the state of affairs to fentanyl. This is because of a little powder, he said, where a little bit in the bottom of an envelope is enough for a thousand doses. Ann E. Cudd is provost and senior vice chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, supervising the academic and research operations of more than 700 full-time faculty and 7,000 students. A native of Gambier, Ohio, she comes to Pitt from Boston University where she served as an administrator and professor of philosophy for the past three years. She previously worked at the University of Kansas for 25 years in a variety of faculty and administrative roles, including vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies. Cudd has an undergraduate degree in mathematics and philosophy from Swarthmore College, and masters degrees in economics and philosophy and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. Elizabeth Farmer is the dean at the University of Pittsburghs School of Social Work. A native of Carlisle, Pa., she comes to Pittsburgh from Virginia Commonwealth Universitys School of Social Work where she was a professor and associate dean for research. Previously, she was on the faculty at Case Western Reserve University, Duke University and Pennsylvania State University. Farmers work in community-based settings includes serving as a treatment foster parent, respite care provider and group home parent. Her research in improving treatment and care for youth with mental health problems and in improving foster care resulted in an evidence-based model, Together Facing the Challenge, which is being implemented in more than 20 states. She earned an undergraduate and masters degree from the College of William an Mary and a Ph.D. from Duke University. Greg Schuler is the chief investment officer at the University of Pittsburgh. A native of Calgary, Canada, he comes to Pittsburgh from St. Louis, where he has been chief investment officer and treasurer for BJ HealthCare, a nonprofit health care integrated delivery organization. He managed investment activities covering $8 billion in assets and oversaw treasury activities related to debt, derivatives and cash management. He has an undergraduate degree and an MBA from the University of British Columbia. Earl Buford is the CEO of Partner4Work, the regions workforce investment board. He comes to Pittsburgh from his native Milwaukee, where he was president and CEO of Employ Milwaukee, the largest of Wisconsins 11 workforce boards. Previously, he served as the president/CEO of the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership/BIG-STEP. Considered a thought leader in the field of workforce development, Buford has an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Wisconsin. Anne Kraybill is the Richard M. Scaife Director of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. A native of Towson, Md., she comes to Pittsburgh from Bentonville, Arkansas, where she joined the team that was launching the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in 2011, ultimately becoming its director of education and research in learning. Previously, she held positions at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, the Center for Creative Education and the Norton Museum of Art, both in West Palm Beach. She has an undergraduate degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and a Masters in Museum Education from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a Master of Science in Instructional Technology, from East Carolina University. James R. Martin II is dean of the University of Pittsburghs Swanson School of Engineering. He comes to Pittsburgh from Clemson, S.C., where he has been chair of the department of civil engineering at Clemson University. Previously, he spent more than 20 years on the Virginia Tech civil engineering faculty and five years as director of the Disaster Risk Management Institute. He is internationally recognized for his research on earthquakes. He has a bachelor of science in civil engineering from The Citadel, and both a masters of science degree and a doctorate in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. Justin Gunther is the director of Fallingwater and vice president of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. He is returning to Fallingwater, where from 20072011 he was curator of buildings and collections. Most recently, he was the architectural historian at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, his hometown. Gunther also served as a professor and program administrator at Savannah College of Art and Design and manager of restoration at George Washingtons Mount Vernon. He has a master of fine arts in historic preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design and an undergraduate degree in biology from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he graduated summa cum laude. 1 hour ago Is Blink Charging or ChargePoint the Better Buy as the Infrastructure Bill Passes? Both companies will play a role in building out an electric vehicle charging network, but which stock is best to own now? Investors are looking at 2022 and positioning their portfolios to capture what is setting up to be a big year for electric vehicle (EV) stocks. Read Article Launching on 28-29 November 2018 at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Center, The Solar Show Sri Lanka 2018 will bring together policy makers, regulators, investors and financiers, leading utilities, power producers, project developers, renewable energy vendors, with the business owners, homeowners and land developers, both international local to discuss and learn about the potential of energy in Sri Lanka. Ms Sharon Roessen, Managing Director of Terrapinn, the event organizer, said: Sri Lanka has considerable potential for renewable energy, and has made a great start with its first 100mw of solar and the Battle for Solar Energy (Soorya Bala Sangramaya). The Solar Show Sri Lanka, taking place on the 28-29 November 2018 at the SLECC will help the Sri Lankan Government, investors and industry to continue to drive the renewable energy agenda forward. An island country at risk from the effects of climate change, Sri Lanka has ambitious goals of adding 200MW of solar by 2020, 1GW by 2025, and to be 100% renewable by 2050. The two-day exhibition and conference hopes to spark interest in the renewable energy industry in Sri Lanka. It also seeks to raise awareness about the variety of renewable energy solutions available for all sectors the power plants and utilities, the factories and manufacturing plants, the large-scale buildings, and homeowners. Some prominent speakers from Sri Lanka include Mr Damintha Kuramasinghe, Director General of Public Utilities of Commission of Sri Lanka, Mr. Harsha Wickramasinghe of the Sustainable Energy Authority Sri Lanka, Mr Ranishka Wimalasena of the Asian Development Board, Dr. B.M.S Batagoda of the Ministry of Power & Renewable Energy, and guests from the Board of Investment (BOI). Others offer international perspectives on the industry, with Canopy Power (Singapore), International Finance Corporation (World Bank), 8minutenergy India, and The Lantau Group (Hong Kong) and more speaking on topics such as grid stability and on-and off-grid systems, integrating energy storage, the energy transition process. Over 1500 industry attendees are expected to visit the show. Aside from the main conference, exhibitors will showcase the latest in energy technologies, ranging from home solar rooftop systems, energy-storage solutions, inverters, hybrid and intelligent systems and more. The show is expected to attract 50+ international and local exhibitors. Details of the 2-Day Show are as follows: The Solar Show Sri Lanka 2018 Free Admission 28 - 29November 2018 Sri Lanka Exhibition & Convention Center, Colombo End - About Terrapinn Terrapinn is a global events company. Our events promote innovation and technology that changes people's lives. We partner with the world's leading companies and innovators to make a difference. For more information, please contact: Amanda Kwok Marketing Executive Terrapinn Pte Ltd Email: amanda.kwok@terrapinn.com Telephone: (+65) 6322 2733 Andre Laury Exhibition Director Terrapinn Pte Ltd Email: andre.laury@terrapinn.com Telephone: (+65) 6322 2760 Monday, October 08, 2018 Pearce Again Plays Corruption Card In Guv Chase But He May Need A Higher Hand, Plus: PAC TV For Johnson And Herrell Fires At Xochitl's Gun Ad The dish Pearce serves up in his One problem with the ad is that Richardson doesn't ring the emotional bells he once did. He seems a somewhat distant memory. Perhaps the Pearce polling says otherwise. But after eight years of Governor Martinez the years of Big Bill, when the state and city were on the move, appear to be a high point not a nadir. The ad relies on controversies while Lujan Grisham presided as Secretary of Health under Big Bill and again cites MLG's involvement with the healthcare firm Delta Consulting that has become the centerpiece in the Pearce effort to cast doubt on her integrity. Large photos of Bill are displayed during the ad (but none of them with MLG) as if it were his name on the gubernatorial ballot. That worked when he was fresh in the memories of New Mexicans and his approval rating crashed to 33 percent. Voters craved a chance to rebuke him. But since those bad old days MLG has been elected to the BernCo County Commission and three times to the US Congress. Most of the charges--serious as they are--have been vetted (except Delta) in previous campaigns. The electorate is not going to be jolted unless Pearce comes with something new--a true October surprise that was teased but so far has not been delivered. BILL'S CRONIES The Pearce ad features four faces who are dubbed "Richardson's cronies" and who the ad says will make a corrupt comeback under Lujan Grisham. While the public at large has no idea who they are the political community is quite acquainted with these four horsemen of the GOP apocalypse. The ad dubs them the "Richardson Gang" and says they are "behind Grisham's campaign." Here they are: Gilbert Gallegos served as communications director and deputy chief of staff to Big Bill. He later found work with Rep. Lujan Grisham but left her staff to join the ABQ police department and is not working with her campaign today. Oldtimers will remember Gallegos as a political reporter for the now gone but not forgotten ABQ Tribune. Bill and Contarino Dave Contarino was a key member of Bill's inner circle, serving as his political adviser and chief of staff. The ad is on more solid ground pinpointing him as being involved with Lujan Grisham. The campaign confirms he worked for her as a paid consultant in the primary but is not now working for her in a paid position. However, it is well known in political circles that Contarino is indeed involved in the campaign, if not on a paid basis. To that the R's yell: "We told you so!" Deborah Armstrong is a former cabinet secretary and currently an ABQ Dem state rep who is a BFF of MLG. She served as director of Rep. Lujan's district offices. Together they founded Delta Consulting to provide insurance for high risk patients and won state contracts. Armstrong, an attorney, served as MLG's campaign treasurer but was recently replaced after the Delta story broke. Like Contarino she has influence with the candidate. Johnny Cope is a Hobbs oilman who made millions and then became a kingmaker in state Dem politics by forming close ties with Big Bill. He donated major dollars to Bill and other Dems and became head of the state Transportation Commission under Richardson. Cope is a colorful figure with a colorful past who has brushed up against he law. A full accounting is The chairman of the New Mexico Racing Commission has owned racehorses with two partners in a company that is competing before the commission for a license for the states sixth racetrack and slot machine casino. According to a national database of racehorse ownership, Ray Willis, a Roswell oilman who has been on the Racing Commission since 2006, has owned horses with Shaun Hubbard and Johnny Cope, investors in a company proposing a track and casino in the Clovis area. Cope, who made a fortune in oil field-related businesses, served as chairman of the state Transportation Commission under Gov. Bill Richardson. The Hubbard racing family have been donors to Governor Martinez. TRAIL DUST In other news of La Politica this Columbus Day, Libertarian US Senate nominee Gary Johnson is finally getting some air support. It comes from a PAC that supports Libertarians. The YVETTTE VS. XOCHITL Herrell led 49 percent to 45 percent, within the margin of error and 6 percent still undecided, according to a telephone survey of 400 likely voters from The Tarrance Group. The poll was conducted September 30 through October 2 and had a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percentage points. Both candidates are gaining name awareness, with over 50 percent of likely voters saying they knew both of them, according to the poll. Herrell led among that group 51 percent to 44 percent. Herrell was ahead 48 to 41 in the Sept 7-13 ABQ Journal poll. The Tarrance survey comes after the national Dems have pounded Herrell for weeks over an ethics charge. She has not responded to that ad and this survey may tell us why--it does not seem to be doing much damage. Torres Small came with Torress Small has our freedom in her sights. . . bankrolled by liberal extremists. . .Torres Small has gone hunting for Nancy Pelosi's support and they'll shoot down our values together. . . Herrell is the NRA endorsed candidate and isn't about to let Torres Small poach on her territory. Her ad also notes that Herrell has been endorsed by GOP Congressman Pearce who is expected to run strong in the Guv race in his home district. The Tarrance firm also polls for Pearce. That they have not released their latest polling on the Guv race tells you what you already know--Lujan Grisham continues to lead. THE BOTTOM LINES In a first draft of the Thursday blog we had appointed GOP NM Supreme Court Justice Gary Clingman voting not to allow the Secretary of State to reinstate straight ticket party voting. Actually, Clingman recused himself from the case because he is running for election this year. Straight ticket voting was unanimously rejected by the other high court justices. Clingman faces NM Court of Appeals Judge Michael Vigil in the November election. This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2018 At the beginning of the campaign they teased that there would be something new, perhaps something shocking, but instead of an October surprise Steve Pearce's camp is providing a predictable dish that will bolster his already strong GOP support but may do little to break down the Democratic brick wall in big Bernalillo County that Democrats are relying on to propel Michelle Lujan Grisham into the governorship.The dish Pearce serves up in his his latest TV ad is Republican comfort food, painting Lujan Grisham's past government service as riddled with corruption and inextricably tied to the corruption tinged years of former Dem Governor Bill Richardson. That was a recipe for GOP success in 2010 when Richardson was still in office and Susana Martinez easily surfed to victory on the wave of scandal. But that was then and this is now.One problem with the ad is that Richardson doesn't ring the emotional bells he once did. He seems a somewhat distant memory. Perhaps the Pearce polling says otherwise. But after eight years of Governor Martinez the years of Big Bill, when the state and city were on the move, appear to be a high point not a nadir.The ad relies on controversies while Lujan Grisham presided as Secretary of Health under Big Bill and again cites MLG's involvement with the healthcare firm Delta Consulting that has become the centerpiece in the Pearce effort to cast doubt on her integrity. Large photos of Bill are displayed during the ad (but none of them with MLG) as if it were his name on the gubernatorial ballot.That worked when he was fresh in the memories of New Mexicans and his approval rating crashed to 33 percent. Voters craved a chance to rebuke him. But since those bad old days MLG has been elected to the BernCo County Commission and three times to the US Congress. Most of the charges--serious as they are--have been vetted (except Delta) in previous campaigns. The electorate is not going to be jolted unless Pearce comes with something new--a true October surprise that was teased but so far has not been delivered.The Pearce ad features four faces who are dubbed "Richardson's cronies" and who the ad says will make a corrupt comeback under Lujan Grisham. While the public at large has no idea who they are the political community is quite acquainted with these four horsemen of the GOP apocalypse. The ad dubs them the "Richardson Gang" and says they are "behind Grisham's campaign." Here they are:served as communications director and deputy chief of staff to Big Bill. He later found work with Rep. Lujan Grisham but left her staff to join the ABQ police department and is not working with her campaign today. Oldtimers will remember Gallegos as a political reporter for the now gone but not forgotten ABQ Tribune.was a key member of Bill's inner circle, serving as his political adviser and chief of staff. The ad is on more solid ground pinpointing him as being involved with Lujan Grisham. The campaign confirms he worked for her as a paid consultant in the primary but is not now working for her in a paid position. However, it is well known in political circles that Contarino is indeed involved in the campaign, if not on a paid basis. To that the R's yell: "We told you so!"is a former cabinet secretary and currently an ABQ Dem state rep who is a BFF of MLG. She served as director of Rep. Lujan's district offices. Together they founded Delta Consulting to provide insurance for high risk patients and won state contracts. Armstrong, an attorney, served as MLG's campaign treasurer but was recently replaced after the Delta story broke. Like Contarino she has influence with the candidate.is a Hobbs oilman who made millions and then became a kingmaker in state Dem politics by forming close ties with Big Bill. He donated major dollars to Bill and other Dems and became head of the state Transportation Commission under Richardson. Cope is a colorful figure with a colorful past who has brushed up against he law. A full accounting is here . Cope is not employed by the Lujan Grisham campaign. His name just surfaced, however, as controversy erupted over the selection of a company to run the state's final racino. Take a look The Hubbard racing family have been donors to Governor Martinez.In other news of La Politica this Columbus Day, Libertarian US Senate nominee Gary Johnson is finally getting some air support. It comes from a PAC that supports Libertarians. The TV ad positions Johnson as a fiscal conservative who says while he served eight yeas as NM Governor "our state flourished" and that he prevented "reckless spending," leaving the state with a surplus. Johnson has been polling third behind Dem Senator Martin Heinrich and Republican Mick Rich. The race is now for second, with Johnson threatening to upend major party candidate Rich for the honor who has yet to air TV ads.This one keeps hopping. The latest is an internal poll from southern GOP congressional contender Yvette Herrell. It shows her prevailing over Dem rival Xochitl Torres Small by a margin of 49 to 45. Here's more Herrell was ahead 48 to 41 in the Sept 7-13 ABQ Journal poll. The Tarrance survey comes after the national Dems have pounded Herrell for weeks over an ethics charge. She has not responded to that ad and this survey may tell us why--it does not seem to be doing much damage.Torres Small came with a clever ad last week that earned national attention. It showed her out shooting as she positions herself toward the center in the conservative district, but the Herrell camp has some fun with that ad by using the video of Xochitl with her gun against her. In this spot titled "Don't Give Her A Shot," they fire away:Herrell is the NRA endorsed candidate and isn't about to let Torres Small poach on her territory. Her ad also notes that Herrell has been endorsed by GOP Congressman Pearce who is expected to run strong in the Guv race in his home district.The Tarrance firm also polls for Pearce. That they have not released their latest polling on the Guv race tells you what you already know--Lujan Grisham continues to lead.In a first draft of the Thursday blog we had appointed GOP NM Supreme Court Justice Gary Clingman voting not to allow the Secretary of State to reinstate straight ticket party voting. Actually, Clingman recused himself from the case because he is running for election this year. Straight ticket voting was unanimously rejected by the other high court justices. Clingman faces NM Court of Appeals Judge Michael Vigil in the November election.This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. 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Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. " " This iceberg in Antarctica flipped, most likely because of ice melt due to warming temperatures. Will Ng/HowStuffWorks/YouTube Screen Shot Icebergs those floating peaks that dot the North Atlantic, Antarctic and other waters seem pretty stable. After all, nine-tenths of their bulk is underwater, leaving only the tip visible. But every now and then an iceberg will tumble over. Even enormous ones the size of cities, with peaks hundreds of feet tall, have flipped. Advertisement Icebergs are born when a chunk of ice breaks off from a glacier, an ice shelf or another iceberg. Ice shelves, for example, form in cold areas such as Greenland when the edge of a glacier flows over the land and floats in the water, making the ice subject to cracking. The most likely time for an iceberg to topple is in its infancy. When a chunk breaks away, we say the glacier, shelf or iceberg has calved. After splitting away from the parent, the big icy babies may be irregularly shaped. They tip and roll as gravity pulls most of their weight underwater. Justin Burton, an assistant professor of physics at Emory University, likens ice shelf breakaways to toothpaste coming out of a tube. "A little bit of toothpaste comes out the tube, then it breaks off, and a little bit more comes out the tube, then it breaks off. So you get these really thin pieces of ice that flip over right when they've broken off." In other cases, melting ice can destabilize an iceberg. Because fresh water is much less dense than salt water, and because icebergs are generally formed from fresh water, their weight distribution changes as they melt. Burton said that climate change is causing more icebergs to flip, but it's rare for people to actually witness the phenomenon. Flipped-over icebergs can look quite different from the snow-capped peaks that we normally imagine when we think of icebergs. Filmmaker Alex Cornell saw a flipped iceberg that looked like a large blue-green jewel, according to Smithsonian magazine. The ice was likely very old and very dense from long-time compression. Such compression forces out the small air pockets that make ice look white. The ice then absorbs some red light, making the reflected light appear blue to our eyes. Now That's Interesting To truly qualify as an iceberg, a chuck of floating ice must be greater than 16 feet (4.9 meters) above sea level, the thickness must be 98-164 feet (30-50 meters) and the ice must cover an area of at least 5,382 square feet (500 square meters). The smaller chunks of ice you might see floating in arctic waters are known as bergy bits and growlers. An undercover cop must fight for his life when he becomes an unwitting participant in a deadly game of cat and mouse in writer-director Jimmy Henderson's ambitious follow-up to prison riot throw-down Jailbreak, reworking Pichel and Schoedsacks classic The Most Dangerous Game for the jungles of present day Cambodia. Gu Shangwei stars as Xin, a Chinese security officer working deep undercover in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. When the gang he has infiltrated is busted by the local authorities, Xin finds himself behind bars and at the mercy of Vithaya Pansringarm's corrupt jailor, known only as The Warden. Xins problems escalate when he is selected to participate in an illegal manhunt, in which rich underworld clients pay the Warden top dollar to hunt convicts through the jungle for sport. This tried and tested action movie formula has been revisited numerous times over the years, most notably in John Woo's Hard Target and Cornel Wilde's The Naked Prey. While Henderson's version doesn't really add anything new to the mix, its challenging locations and expanded palette of set-pieces are a notable progression from the confined setting of his previous film. Fight choreography is again provided by Jean-Paul Ly, who this time remains behind the camera after his starring role in Jailbreak. The film features a number of martial arts showcases, most notably a prison brawl instigated by the Warden early on in the film, to help his clients select their prey for the forthcoming hunt. There is also a beautifully staged showdown by a waterfall between Xin and one of his pursuers. The expanded scope of The Prey gifts Ly and his team with the opportunity to stage more elaborate action, including jungle chases, shootouts and even an explosive attack on a remote village. As was the case last time out, the films ambition often exceeds the abilities of those involved, while the films budgetary limitations are again evident to viewers used to more polished productions in the action arena. Characters are thinly drawn and dialogue can often be trite or overly expository, propelling the drama forward to where the filmmakers want it to go, rather than adequately justifying why things are playing out the way they are. Some plot strands, particularly a series of hallucinations one character suffers relating to a secret medical experiment, only confuse the otherwise simple premise. Veteran Thai actor Vithaya Pansringarm, who has enjoyed an impressive career boom since appearing opposite Ryan Gosling in Nic Winding Refns Only God Forgives, is far and away the most experienced performer on display and the material is elevated whenever he is onscreen. Gu Shangwei clearly has the technical chops for his lead role, but lacks a magnetic star power required to carry the film forward. The Preys roster of high-rolling sadists would have benefitted substantially from a crop of similarly seasoned character actors, to chew the screen alongside Pansringarm. As it is, Byron Bishop, Sahajak Boonthanakit and Nophand Boonyai - all of whom incidentally also appeared in Refns Bangkok-based thriller - do their best in their underdeveloped roles. As a no-frills late-night action indulgence, The Prey certainly delivers, but its lack of memorable characterisation and violent pay-offs may leave some viewers wanting. That said, the advancement of scale, scope, ambition and execution on display here between The Prey and last years Jailbreak cannot be understated. Jimmy Henderson was already a talent of interest, following in the footprints of Gareth Evans to create accessible crossover action pics in South East Asia that understand the demands of the international marketplace. The Prey displays a vision and hunger for bigger and bolder films to come. Whatever Henderson and his team do next should be hotly anticipated by action aficionados everywhere. 12500 N.E. Tenth Place Bellevue, WA 98005 JPFO.org 800-869-1884 info@jpfo.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 8, 2018 Contact Floyd Neeland Parkland High School Survivor receives David and Goliath Award We must go on the offense, he says Kyle Kashuv, a student thrust into the national spotlight after the tragic mass murders at the Parkland, Fla., high school he attends, is JPFOs 2018 David and Goliath Award winner, in recognition of his bold and courageous defense of liberty. Mr. Kashuv goes even further, seeing through and calling out controversial classmates at his school who, following the massacre, have been receiving substantial funding from dark-money donors and virtue-signaling celebrities, hyped up all the more by saturation media coverage promoting the all-too familiar, misguided gun-control agenda. In accepting the award, Mr. Kashuv emphasized his activism is for preserving the right of Americans to keep and bear arms, not about getting awards or being on a trendy teeny bopper tour. Other students from his school have accepted financing and accolades to join so-called March For Our Lives (aka March For Your Guns) and Never Again tours, publicity campaigns, and merchandise marketing. JPFO Advisor Dov Marhoffer, a Nazi Holocaust survivor, has rebuked that movement in the strongest terms for those who dare attempt co-opting the uniquely Jewish battle cry to arms as some cheap political stunt. At the podium, young Kashuv asked a mature and responsible question, Why are sporting events, banks, courtrooms, government buildings, and politicians all protected by people with guns? Do our youth not deserve equal protection? He said, It is unjust that politicians, who are protected by guns, reach for gun control, which makes our classrooms more vulnerable. The solution to school safety is not the erosion of the Second Amendment, adding, the hardening of schools, and armed guards [are important parts of] the best solution. With respect to protecting Americans right to arms, Kashuv stated, Defense isnt enough. Its time we go on offense. His speech was met with a standing ovation from the nearly 800 attendees. More than 115,000 people watched the conference online. The award, created by JPFO in 2012, was presented at the 33rd Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference in Chicago, to another standing ovation by the crowd. Past recipients include the investigative reporters who broke the Fast and Furious scandal (David Codrea and Mike Vanderboegh), the Washington Times columnist who documented Washington, D.C.s reluctance to obey its own gun laws (Emily Miller), and the author and attorney who linked Nazi gun confiscations directly to the Holocaust (Stephen P. Halbrook, Ph.D.). Kashuv has been honored for his work with an Oval Office meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump demonstrating the courage, tenacity and resolve to take on the opponents of freedom and who support basic human rights, including the right to arms and self-preservation. The statue of David represents the biblical character who, with his weapon of choice, a sling clearly visible, stood up against and defeated a giant deemed unstoppable. It is these selfless acts and their compounded results JPFO admires and encourages. An image of David, as sculpted by Gian Bernini in 1627, is 3D laser-engraved inside a heavy block of crystal, all under license to JPFO. Its remarkable seeing Kyle, so young, stand up so strongly for the Second Amendment, even after enduring the attack on his classmates and especially facing ongoing criticism and rebuke for his positions, said Alan Korwin, author and consultant to JPFO. With this award JPFO recognizes and appreciates Kyles passion for the Second Amendment, and at such a young age it shows great hope for Americas future. Kyle Kashuv Kyle honored by the President and First Lady Kyle receives his award from Alan Korwin ##### Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, http://www.jpfo.org is Americas most aggressive civil-rights organization, dedicated to destroying the notion of gun control as any kind of credible public-policy position. So-called gun control does not control guns and doesnt control criminal behavior. What it does do is disarm the innocent, leaving them helpless in the face of criminals, tyrannical governments and genocide. History repeatedly proves this fact. Founded in 1989 by Aaron Zelman as a response to the Holocaust, JPFO speaks with the moral authority and tenacious commitment of survivors of persecution, and knows that surrendering your personal and family safety to government protection courts disaster. You dont have to be Jewish to fight by our side, you just have to love liberty. Back to Top Researchers from Kaspersky Lab collected evidence that demonstrates overlaps between the activity of Russian APT groups Turla and Sofacy. In March, during the Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit held in Cancun, Kurt Baumgartner, Kaspersky principal security researcher, revealed the activity associated with Sofacy APT group appears to overlap with campaigns conducted by other cyber espionage groups. Baumgartner explained that the Sofacys Zebrocy malware was found on machines in Europe and Asia that were also infected with the Mosquito backdoor associated with the Russia-linked Turla APT. The researchers discovered that the delivery of the Turlas KopiLuwak malware is leverage a code identical to that previously observed in campaign distributing the Zebrocy tool. The delivery vector used in the recent spear-phishing campaigns conducted by Turla uses Windows shortcut (.LNK) that contained PowerShell code almost identical to that used in Zebrocy attacks. In mid-2018 a very small number of systems in Syria and Afghanistan being targeted with this new delivery vector. KopiLuwak was first spotted in 2016 while the APT was delivering it to at least one victim leveraging a document containing an official letter from the Qatar Embassy in Cyprus to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cyprus. The KopiLuwak uses multiple JavaScript layers to avoid detection, the malicious code gain persistence on the targeted machine by creating a registry key. Once infected a system, the malicious code is able executes a series of commands to collect information and exfiltrate data. Stolen data are temporarily stored in a file that is deleted after its encrypted and stored in memory. The KopiLuwak JavaScript malware is controlled through a collection of compromised websites, the IP address of those websites are hardcoded into the malicious code. The C&C can send arbitrary commands to the infected system using Wscript.shell.run(). Since 2016, the KopiLuwak JavaScript backdoor evolved and Kaspersky shared technical details on its changes. Experts also detailed the evolution of the Turlas Carbon backdoor and in the Meterpreter and Mosquito malware delivery techniques. Experts believe Turla will continue to improve its arsenal, they believe the nation-state actor could target organizations in Central Asia and related remote locations. Its very interesting to see ongoing targeting overlap, or the lack of overlap, with other APT activity. Noting that Turla was absent from the milestone DNC hack event where Sofacy and CozyDuke were both present, but Turla was quietly active around the globe on other projects, provides some insight as to ongoing motivations and ambitions of this group, Kaspersky concludes. From the targeting perspective, we see closer ties between the KopiLuwak and WhiteBear activity, and closer alignments between Mosquito and Carbon activity. Pierluigi Paganini ( Security Affairs Turla, Sofacy) Share this... Linkedin Share this: Twitter Print LinkedIn Facebook More Tumblr Pocket Share On China credits President Xi Jinpings massive infrastructure plan, the Belt and Road Initiative, with sparking a surge in the construction of railways, roads, bridges and ports across more than 65 countries and regions. Five years after its launch, however, a litany of risks and criticism and a changing strategic environment have the countrys top leaders wondering just how far this grand and ambitious enterprise can go. A new sense of urgency was palpable when Xi asked belt and road officials for their reports on the risks facing various projects, a source with knowledge of the gathering early this year told the South China Morning Post. Is this just the beginning of belt and road disputes between China and its partners? When officials attempted to impress Xi with descriptions of the progress being made on his pet programme, the president interrupted them, insisting they level with him about the risks and difficulties increasingly dogging it, the source said. When first unveiled in September and October 2013 during the presidents visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia, the strategy initially known as the One Belt, One Road initiative was promoted as a bid to enhance regional connectivity and embrace a brighter future. China watchers wary of Beijing, however, termed the proposal a push by the government to seize a larger role in global affairs via a China-centred trading network. Encompassing 65 countries with a combined gross domestic product of US$23 trillion and total population of 4.4 billion, the belt and road strategy was introduced as a way to advance Chinas political interests abroad while reducing its overcapacity problems at home. Focused on infrastructure, it was to be a model not only for developing countries, but also industrialised nations in Europe and North America that needed to replace ageing facilities and systems. Major projects include a US$5 billion China-Belarus industrial estate, a US$3.1 billion bridge and railway project in Bangladesh and a US$5.8 billion China-Laos railway. Story continues Other China-funded work in the initiative includes building a US$10 billion refinery in Saudi Arabia; a new city next to the Port of Colombo, the largest and busiest port in Sri Lanka with a total investment of US$13 billion over the next 25 years; and a freight route linking Chinas eastern coast with London. But Beijing has many barriers to overcome at home and abroad before it can realise its belt and road ambitions. At home, doubt has been voiced publicly about whether the belt and road can tangibly improve Chinas domestic welfare system. Outside the country, the initiative has been portrayed as Beijings attempt to lay a debt trap for smaller nations to increase their reliance on China. When the Belt and Road Initiative was launched five years ago, it mainly targeted the Eurasia region, said Wang Yiwei, an international affairs professor at Renmin University in Beijing. There was no expectation that it would expand to wider regions that also cover Africa. As the initiative grows in scope, Chinese companies and even some local Chinese governments have increasingly branded their projects as part of the belt and road strategy. This trend has sometimes hurt the stature of the overall endeavour. The reputation of the initiative is damaged as some people and organisations are trying to export bad assets outside China, and said they are doing it for the initiative, Wang said. In its effort to advance a development strategy focused on connectivity and cooperation, China also now faces competition from the United States and the European Union, both of which have been pursuing their own plans to counter Chinas expanding influence. In late July, the US expanded its infrastructure drive in the Asia-Pacific region with new investment programmes that doubled the global spending cap for a proposed merged agency, the US International Development Finance Corporation, to US$60 billion. The European Union also put forward its own connectivity programme with Asia last month. The EU programme emphasises sustainability and transparency two features that the belt and road strategy has been accused of lacking. Critics have warned that poor countries could be mired in huge debt by failing to resist the lure of Chinese money. It is obvious for all concerned that sustainable borrowing ratios have far exceeded the norm, said Abourahman Boreh, a former head of the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority. My view is that a diversified portfolio of foreign investors, as well as the continued development and sharing of benefit for the local population, is the only sustainable pathway for developing countries such as Djibouti. Sri Lanka borrowed heavily from China to build the seaport of Hambantota, which is still struggling to attract ships. In December, Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena handed over control of the port and 15,000 acres around it to Beijing on a 99-year lease. Developing countries along the belt and road are often vulnerable because of uncertainties in their legal, political and commercial systems. Problems are likely after any transition of power. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, for example, cancelled two China-financed mega projects in late August: the US$20 billion East Coast Rail Link and two gas pipeline projects worth US$2.3 billion. Mahathir said his country could not afford those projects and they were not needed. The recent change in leadership in Pakistan could also see a potential pullback on agreements for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship, multibillion-dollar belt and road project. But China will not give up the initiative. In a speech that opened the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing in September, Xi said China would offer US$60 billion in financial support for Africa, and would cancel unpaid debts for some poor African nations. Earlier this year, in a seminar to mark the initiatives anniversary, Xi said China was not seeking a geopolitical and military alliance through the belt and road. He also said Beijing needed to fine-tune the initiative to focus on high-quality projects that would benefit local people. Analysts said China would adjust the initiatives, with its foreign and commerce ministries offering policy guidance and the National Development and Reform Commission focusing on risk assessment. Authorities have already been boosting risk assessment and creating a set of data against which to evaluate the projects effectiveness. In 2016, a group of Peking University academics began to publish a Five Connectivity Index to evaluate Chinas overseas investment under the initiative. The effort was sponsored by the National Social Science Fund. Feng Zhongping, vice-president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations and one of co-creators of the index, said it could offer a scientific way to better understand progress in the connectivity process. The frequency of mutual visits to each others countries by leaders of China and belt and road nations, as well as political stability, the legal system, trade figures, currency swaps and tourist numbers are taken into consideration to measure the effectiveness of belt and road investment. For example, Russia, Singapore and Malaysia, as well as United Arab Emirates and central Asias Kazakhstan are listed as destinations that are best connected to the belt and road. Meanwhile, war-torn Yemen in the Middle East and Bhutan were ranked at the bottom, owing to weak policy communications. Zhixing Zhang, senior East Asia analyst with Stratfor, a US-based intelligence group, said China had to learn to surmount various obstacles to advance its overseas practices via the belt and road. The suspicions and strategic competitions as a result [of it] are also part of the strategic realities Beijing will inevitably face, he said. How well Beijing works to adjust its approach and to adapt to the changing strategic environment will ultimately shape the initiative in the future. Huong Le Thu, a senior analyst from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra, said Beijing needed to address such issues to avoid further damaging Chinas reputation as it pursued projects related to the initiative. If Beijing doesnt revise its model of the debt-driven project, it risks the Sri Lanka effect that is, the Hambantota port will become the belt and roads negative poster child, Le Thu said. This article Chinas Belt and Road Initiative: after five years, is the bloom off the rose? first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. Chinas Xi Jinping will make first visit as president to North Korea soon, says South Korean leader Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit North Korea soon, according to Seoul. South Koreas President Moon Jae-in told a cabinet meeting about Xis visit on Monday without disclosing further information. He was speaking as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeos tour of the region continued, including a meeting with North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un over the weekend. Xi has not visited North Korea since coming to power in 2013 although he sent Li Zhanshu, Beijings third-ranking Communist Party official, to Pyongyang last month for North Koreas 70th anniversary celebrations. Xi visited North Korea in 2008, when he was Chinas vice-president. Moon also said he expected Kim to visit Russia, adding that a North Korea-Japan summit was also possible. On Friday, Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the Russian senate, visited South Korea and told senior officials that talks about the details of Kims visit were underway. A new order is being created on the Korean peninsula, and that new order will lead to a new order in northeast Asia, Moon said, noting that the ongoing talks between the various parties were essential for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and the establishment of permanent peace. We will have to make an active effort to cooperate with the relevant countries, he added. North Korean state news agency KCNA described Sundays talks between Kim and Pompeo as productive and wonderful, adding that the two sides stances were fully understood and opinions exchanged. The US Secretary of State will conclude his tour of the region with a visit to China, were he was due to meet officials on Monday. Xis decision to visit Pyongyang may indicate a shift in Chinas US policy, towards a more hawkish stance against the US as conflict between the two countries moves beyond trade. Experts had noted Xis absence from North Koreas 70th anniversary last month as a possible demonstration of Chinas willingness to stabilise its relations with the US. At that time, President Donald Trump was accusing China of slowing down the denuclearisation process with North Korea. Story continues Now, however, China appears more willing to actively vie for greater influence on the Korean peninsula and consolidate its role, despite US backlash. Improved ties with Pyongyang would enhance Beijings bargaining power with the US, according to Zhang Baohui, a professor of political science and director of the Centre for Asian Pacific Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. China may have reached a different assessment that the Trump administration may be pursuing a containment policy against China regardless of what China does, he said. China would also be aiming to reserve its seat in the upcoming peace treaty on the Korean peninsula, according to Zhang. If the US is opposing Chinas participation on the peace treaty, Kim and Moon would be the leaders who can make a difference for China, he said. The Korean war ended in 1953 after an armistice was signed by China, the United Nations Command and North Korea. No formal peace agreement was ever struck. China still wants to be seated at the end of war declaration and will be actively looking to secure its participation during Xis visit to Pyongyang, according to Zhao Tong, a fellow at Carnegies Nuclear Policy Programme at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy in Beijing. The two Koreas agreed in April, at the heavily fortified border of Panmunjom, to actively pursue trilateral two Koreas and the US or quadrilateral meeting including China to declare an official end to the war by this year. There is no doubt that China would want to be in the loop, to voice its interests on the Korean peninsula via North Korea, especially amid the resumed denuclearisation negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, Zhao said. It would be unacceptable for Beijing for an end of war declaration to be announced by the two Koreas and the US only, without China What China cares about the most is the formality rather than the substance itself. It does not want to appear to be only superpower being left out in the process, he said. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a press briefing on Monday that China and North Korea were good neighbours and Beijing would carry on the tradition of friendship. This article Chinas Xi Jinping will make first visit as president to North Korea soon, says South Korean leader first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. The Chinese embassy in Ottawa has publicly condemned a poison bill clause in the new North American trade deal that gives Washington an effective veto over any attempt by Canada or Mexico to agree to a free-trade deal with a non-market economy a provision that is widely seen as targeting Beijing. The Chinese embassy said in a statement dated Friday that the article 32.10 in the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was fabricating the concepts of market country and non-market country outside the World Trade Organisation framework and was the excuse made by some countries to shirk their obligations and refuse to meet their international commitments. In the statement, the Chinese embassy hinted that Beijing was angry about Americas hegemonic acts and felt pity for Canada for surrendering part of its economic sovereignty. We condemn the hegemonic acts by related countries of publicly interfering with the sovereignty of other countries, and we feel sorry for the damaged economic sovereignty of the countries concerned, the embassys spokesperson, Yang Yundong, said in the statement. The statement was the first public response from a Chinese government agency to the clause since the USMCA deal was reached a week earlier. The new deal, which replaces the 24-year-old North America Free Trade Agreement, stipulates that any of the three parties to the deal has the right to be informed about any negotiations about a free-trade agreement with a non-market economy at an early stage, and can review any such deal signed by another member. If one of the three were to sign a free-trade deal with a non-market country, either of the other two would have the right under article 32.10 to terminate the trilateral USMCA with six months notice and form a deal on the same terms with the third party. The agreement needs to be approved by the governments of all three counties, including the US Congress, which is not expected to take it up until early next year. Story continues While the special clause does not name China directly, it could greatly impede Chinas future trade talks with Canada or Mexico because US has refused to classify China as a market economy under the WTO framework. US President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on nearly half of Chinese exports to the US as a way of pressing Beijing to change a number of trade practices that range from alleged technology theft to subsidising state-owned enterprises. The Chinese government has retaliated against Trumps tariffs and insisted that it has done nothing wrong, while painting itself as a defender of free trade and multilateralism. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Friday that the provision was a poison pill with China as the intended target and Washington may replicate it in trade deals with other trading partners, Reuters reported. The US is now in the early stages of talks with Japan and the EU about free-trade deals. Ross was quoted by Reuters as saying the provision was another move to try to close loopholes in deals that have facilitated Chinas trade practices. The clause would effectively end any prospect of a free-trade deal between Canada and China Canadas second-largest trading partner after the United States. The two countries agreed in 2016 to study the feasibility of such a deal, although it was not taken further and the Chinese government did not mention Canada in its latest comments about potential future free-trade deals. Chinas foreign ministry and commerce ministry has yet to make any public comments about the provision partly because last week was a major holiday period in China. The Ottawa embassy said Beijing would firmly open up to the outside world at its own pace and seek win-win trade with all countries that were friendly to China regardless of trade restrictions adopted by other countries again China. This article Chinese embassy in Canada condemns US veto clause in North America trade deal first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. Core Capital pairs up with Gobi Partners to launch new US$10M fund for Philippines It plans to fund seed stage and pre-Series A companies Core Capital, a new VC based in the Philippines, has teamed up with Malaysia-based VC Gobi Partners to launch a US$10 million fund that will target startups in its home country. Called the Gobi-Core Philippine Fund (or PH Fund for short), the fund will be managed by Core Capitals Co-founders Carlo Delantar, Jason Gaisano, and its managing partner Ken Ngo. Gobi Partners, on the other hand, will provide fund administration, advisory and support. This marks Gobis first entry into the Philippines in its 16-year history. PH Fund will focus on a few verticals including healthtech, e-commerce, B2B, PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service), and other e-services. The fund will be cutting check sizes of between US$200,000 to US$1 million and will take a five to 15 per cent equity in each startup. Beyond funding, startups will be able to leverage Cores strategic partnerships and networks within Philippines, as well as gain access to ASEAN and China markets through Gobi. PH Fund expects to see a healthy dealflow once it hits the market.We have warehoused four startups and have around eight in the pipeline once the fund is launched, Gaisano told e27. The post Core Capital pairs up with Gobi Partners to launch new US$10M fund for Philippines appeared first on e27. The largest newspaper in Louisiana is the latest entity to come out in favor of juror unanimity, which will be on the ballot next month when state residents vote on a constitutional amendment that prohibits the current practice of allowing 10-2 verdicts in criminal trials. According to the Times Picayune, "Constitutional Amendment 2 on the ballot Nov. 6 would require unanimous juries for serious felony offenses -- those where the punishment is imprisonment at hard labor. State law already requires unanimous juries in capital cases and for six-member juries in lesser felonies. If the amendment passes, it would apply to cases on or after Jan. 1, 2019." While Louisiana had originally required unanimous criminal juries, its constitution was modified post-Reconstruction in 1898. To read the Op-Ed go here. FILE PHOTO: Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announces grand jury indictments of 12 Russian intelligence officers in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, U.S., July 13, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo By Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton ORLANDO, Florida/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a "good talk" on Monday with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department official in charge of the federal investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and has no plans to fire him. There has been widespread speculation that Trump might oust Rosenstein, a frequent target of Trump's tweeted criticism, after a New York Times report that he had made remarks about Trump's fitness for office and offered to record conversations with him. Rosenstein travelled with Trump on Air Force One to Orlando on Monday, where the president gave a speech to police chiefs. Upon landing, Rosenstein was seen smiling and appeared at ease as he walked down the front stairs of Air Force One alongside Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly. It was not immediately clear whether Trump and Rosenstein talked about the controversy during their 45-minute-long conversation on the flight, where Kelly and another Department of Justice official, Ed O'Callaghan, were also present. They talked about support for law enforcement officials, border security, crime in Chicago and "general DOJ business," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said. "The press wants to know, 'What did you talk about?'" Trump said at the start of his speech after he thanked Rosenstein for being there and noted the intense media interest. "We had a very good talk, I will say. That became a very big story, actually. We had a good talk," Trump said. Rosenstein has denied the Sept. 21 New York Times report as "inaccurate and factually incorrect." The article said that while Rosenstein had made the suggestions over concern about chaos in the administration, none of them actually came to fruition. As he left the White House for Orlando, Trump was asked by a reporter if he had any plans to fire Rosenstein. "No I don't, no," he said. Story continues Rosenstein oversees Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Russia denies interfering and Trump says there was no collusion between his campaign and Moscow. Firing Rosenstein before the Nov. 6 congressional elections could have political consequences. Democrats believe it would raise questions about whether Trump would shut down the Mueller probe, which could energize their voters in House and Senate races. Trump told reporters earlier on Monday that he has a "good relationship" with Rosenstein. "I didn't know Rod before, but I've gotten to know him, and I get along very well with him," he said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Dan Grebler and Cynthia Osterman) By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union's securities watchdog said on Monday it was examining every initial coin offering (ICO) to see whether it should be regulated, mirroring moves by its U.S. counterpart. An ICO issues crypto currencies like bitcoin or tokens to raise funds for a start-up company, and regulatory warnings that investors could lose their shirts may be falling on deaf ears. Steven Maijoor, chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), said he was examining how ICOs fit into existing regulation and how they affect competition in the wider capital raising sector. ESMA and national regulators in the EU are assessing which ICOs come under existing securities rules on "case-by-case" basis. "Some of these ICOs are like a financial instrument. Once it is a financial instrument it comes under a whole regulatory framework," Maijoor told the European Parliament's economic affairs committee. "The subsequent question is what do we do with those ICOs that are outside the regulatory world. We will assess that as a board. We expect to report by the end of the year." ICOs, so far, have had "difficulty" showing their viability and what extra benefits they bring compared with traditional capital raising, Maijoor said. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton said in February he believed most of the sales of new tokens should be considered securities, but it has not classed which coins are securities. [nL2N1VX1VM] So far, EU regulators have limited themselves to issuing warnings to retail investors about crypto assets, but this may not be enough. Andrea Enria, chair of the European Banking Authority, told lawmakers he had been minded to let innovation like ICOs develop without a set of specific EU rules. "This is not working as expected," Enria said. Market developments and initiatives by national regulators in what is meant to be a single EU market mean that more regulation at the European level could be warranted, Enria said. "Consumer warnings don't seem to be sufficiently effective in raising awareness among consumers that there is a lack of safety net for these investments," Enria said. A report for EU finance ministers last month said the EU should adopt common rules on cryptocurrencies and scrutinize how digital units are distributed. [nL8N1VQ4Y5] (Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Mark Potter) The British journalist at the centre of a political storm after he was denied a working visa by the Hong Kong government has been given seven days to leave the city. Victor Mallet, Asia news editor for the Financial Times, will be allowed to stay for one more week on a visitors visa, even though British tourists can remain for up to six months a decision slammed by opposition politicians and welcomed by their pro-establishment counterparts. Mallet was grilled by immigration officers on his return to the city from Thailand on Sunday before being allowed to enter, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told the Post. I will defend press freedom but not allow independence talk, Hong Kong leader says This came as business leaders and global media groups raised concerns about the governments worrying move, warning it could damage Hong Kongs reputation and competitiveness on the world stage. While the government offered no reason for first rejecting Mallets visa renewal application last week, it has been widely linked to his role as acting president of the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC), where he chaired a pro-independence talk by Hong Kong National Party convenor Andy Chan Ho-tin in August, despite strong objections from the citys government and Beijing. Clearly, he is not welcome to stay Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, pro-establishment lawmaker Lu Kang, a spokesman for Chinas foreign ministry, on Monday said authorities had exercised their legitimate right to deny Mallet a visa, and handled the matter in accordance with the Basic Law. Lu added that the ministry did not believe the decision would hurt the citys reputation. However, in a strongly worded statement, the American Chamber of Commerce said the rejection of Mallets working visa sent a worrying signal, as business and trade could not be reliably conducted without a free press. Any effort to curtail press freedom in Hong Kong could damage Hong Kongs competitiveness as a leading financial and trading centre, the statement read. Story continues A day earlier the chambers president, Tara Joseph, told the Post businesses were more concerned with ensuring a level playing field for firms, but she would not comment directly on the visa controversy. International media also weighed in, with Reuters news agency saying: The ability of the press to operate freely and without fear of retribution is vitally important in every country. We are troubled by the reports from Hong Kong, and are seeking more information on the situation. The European Union has issued a stronger statement on Monday, saying the denial of Mallets visa renewal has set a worrying precedent. In the absence [of] a credible alternative explanation from the authorities, the decision appears politically motivated and therefore raises serious concerns about freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Hong Kong. It risks damaging Hong Kongs international standing and trust in the one country, two systems principle, its spokesman said. Journalists must be allowed to perform their work independently and without interference. The EU office in Hong Kong has said on Sunday it expected the government to clarify the reasons for the refusal to grant visa to a journalist and said the incident has raises legitimate questions about the freedom of press and expression in the city. But, pro-establishment lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a former Hong Kong security minister, said giving Mallet the short-term visa was reasonable. Clearly, he is not welcome to stay, she said. I think it is reasonable for immigration to allow him to stay for several days for him to wrap up his business and then leave. Lawmaker Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, leader of the opposition Civic Party, disagreed and called it an exceptional arrangement. Is this any way to demonstrate the tolerance of Hong Kong as an international city? he said. On Monday, Mallets employers in London said they were still seeking clarification from the Hong Kong government as to why his visa renewal had been rejected. Is this any way to demonstrate the tolerance of Hong Kong as an international city? Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, leader of the opposition Civic Party Ip, who is also an adviser to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in the Executive Council, said immigration officers made decisions based on the overall public interest of Hong Kong, which also took national interest into account. Mallets stay might not be in the public interest as he had offered a high-profile platform for independence advocates, she said, adding she believed the government had expected a backlash from the international media. The journalist was questioned on arrival because his work visa was no longer valid, and given a seven-day visitors visa. British tourists are normally allowed to visit for up to six months without a visa. In response to questions from the Post, the Immigration Department said: The Immigration Ordinance has stipulated that any immigration control officer may impose a limit of stay, or other conditions of stay, on a person given permission to land, or remain in Hong Kong. Po Wing-kay, chairwoman of the Bar Associations committee for constitutional affairs and human rights, also questioned the governments legal basis for essentially expelling Mallet. She pointed out that Mallet had only moderated the talk featuring Chan, a month before the HKNP was officially outlawed on national security grounds. Meanwhile, about a dozen representatives from journalist groups including the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) held a rally outside government headquarters at Admiralty, urging the authorities to give a full explanation, as they submitted a petition with 15,000 signatures. Asked whether the FCC would change the way it hosted events in the future, the clubs president, Florence de Changy, said: I dont see why. A French national, de Changy said she had no concerns regarding her own visa: Im not worried, it is useless to be worried. HKJA chairman Chris Yeung Kin-hing said the incident would only increase pressure on the media and lead to more self-censorship. But Tam Yiu-chung, the citys sole delegate to Chinas top legislative body, the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee, insisted it was reasonable for the Hong Kong government to reject Mallets visa renewal after he hosted the pro-independence talk. When people have expressed their opinions and you went ahead [with the talk], what can be done? Tam said, referring to the objections in advance raised by the Hong Kong government and Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hong Kong Immigration Assistants Union chairman Daniel Lau Yuk-fai said the duration of a visitor permit was subjected to change under immigration control policy. [British tourists] can stay for up to six months without a visa in general cases, but the duration can be shortened to two to three days, Lau said. [Mallets] application for a working visa was rejected and he was not allowed to work [as a journalist], whether paid or unpaid, under his stay as a visitor. Lau said the decision, in most cases, was made by a member of senior management after a dialogue with the person concerned. Additional reporting by Alvin Lum This article Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet allowed back into Hong Kong for seven days only even though British tourists can stay for six months first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. More from South China Morning Post: The young dust-covered rebel looked out warily from a dirt trench facing opposing regime forces as his unit pulled heavy weapons from a planned buffer zone in northern Syria. Squinting in the sun, he watched over the vast agricultural fields and web of dirt roads straddling opposition and government territory. In the coming days, this area will see the establishment of a demilitarised zone meant to avert a massive regime assault on the Idlib region, the last major rebel bastion in Syria. Under a deal reached last month by rebel backer Turkey and regime ally Russia, the U-shaped zone ringing Idlib would be free of heavy weapons and jihadists by October 15. On Monday, Turkish state news agency Anadolu said Syrian rebels had finished withdrawing their heavy arms from the zone. It took them just a few days. The National Liberation Front (NLF), the main Ankara-backed rebel alliance in Idlib, had started removing weapons at the weekend. No tanks or rocket launchers could be seen at the NLF's position on the Al-Eis hilltop, in the westernmost part of Aleppo province near Idlib. An older, bearded NLF commander walked through the maze of trenches in plastic sandals, a mustard-coloured scarf wrapping his head and a Kalashnikov swung across his back. Rusted barrels and loose cinderblocks littered the upper lip of the trenches, providing added protection. Another younger fighter scrambled into a tunnel dug into the hilltop and reinforced with sandbags and corrugated metal. "Pulling the heavy weapons will not affect our positions. We are continuing to reinforce and bolster them," NLF commander Abu Walid told AFP. "Our instructions are to remain in these areas and not retreat until the last drop of blood." - Turkish convoys - Government forces are stationed just five kilometres (three miles) away in the town of Al-Hader, but the front is calm. The two areas are connected by a trade checkpoint, and trucks of goods can be seen moving back and forth on the dusty road. As the deadline to establish the buffer zone nears, rebel ally Turkey has dispatched convoys of personnel carriers and troops into Syria on a near-weekly basis. It already operates more than a dozen monitoring posts around Idlib and Aleppo, and analysts expect the new deliveries to be distributed along what would become a "first line of defence" for opposition areas. "The entry of Turkish forces to these well-known positions is strengthening day after day," said Abu Walid. He said "soldiers, tanks, and heavy weapons" were being brought into the monitoring posts. But establishing the buffer still faces a major stumbling block: the jihadists who hold around two-thirds of the planned zone have yet to come on board. Current Al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Deen has rejected the deal outright, while Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance led by former Al-Qaeda members, has not yet taken a stance. Some analysts say that could indicate room for negotiation leading to an eventual approval from HTS. But the group itself has slammed any deals with the regime. Even rebels who have signed up to the accord have raised some objections. They say the deal demands too much of them, and fear that it could eventually pave the way for a regime takeover of their main remaining stronghold. Their wariness may be justified. On Sunday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the deal is just a "temporary measure" to halt bloodshed and that Idlib would eventually inevitably return to state control. Hong Kong investment firm Summer Capital has taken a stake in start-up SEBA Crypto AG, which aspires to be the first cryptocurrency investment bank, pending approval of its license application before Swiss authorities. Summer Capital spokesman Jack Chung said he expects SEBA, which is headquartered in the affluent Swiss municipality of Zug, to receive approval as a banking and securities dealer by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority. Approval by regulators will support the development of cryptocurrency banking services, enabling SEBA to subsequently extend its services to Asian blockchain companies struggling to access the traditional banking system. The investment is the first by Summer Capital in the areas of blockchain and cryptocurrency. Summer Capital, which manages more than US$1 billion, may also invest in an initial coin offering by SEBA, slated for 2019. We believe we could support SEBAs plan to expand into Asia, a region where digital asset trading and blockchain projects have been flourishing, said Chung. Summer Capital also invests in fintech, education, logistics and consumer technology companies. Another institutional investor in the series-A funding round, worth 100 million Swiss francs (US$100.8 million) is Swiss investment manager Black River Asset Management. Chung declined to say how much Summer Capital had invested. SEBA chief executive Guido Buhler, a former head of asset servicing at UBS, said the firm expects to receive regulatory approval in the second quarter of 2019. SEBA will initially focus on offering transaction banking, an area which many blockchain companies are dissatisfied with current services on offer. It has been tough for blockchain start-ups to grow their businesses as they are unable to access the traditional banking system. We are building infrastructure to allow companies to pay salaries in cryptocurrencies, and bridging the disconnect between fiat and cryptocurrency payment, he said. Story continues The company says its will build out its technology infrastructure, and more than double its headcount to 55, from 20 currently, by the end of the first quarter of 2019. Apart from banking services, it will also provide digital asset custody services to institutional clients. Zug, which is located 25 kilometres south of Zurich, is dubbed Crypto Valley due to its openness to blockchain innovations and start-ups. The city accepts bitcoin payments for government services, underlining its openness towards cryptocurrencies as a means of payment. There are over 400 blockchain and cryptocurrency companies active in Switzerland, according to the Crypto Valley Association. Buhler said going forward, SEBA will also provide liquidity services to various cryptocurrency- exchanges, including those that operate in Asia. Andreas Amschwand, SEBA chairman, was a former UBS global head of foreign exchange. This article Hong Kong firm Summer Capital joins fundraising for Swiss crypto-bank SEBA Crypto AG first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. Korean actors Jang Dong-Gun (left) and Hyun Bin attending the Busan International Film Festival on 4 October, 2018. (Photo: EFE/Yonhap) Korean movie stars Hyun Bin and Jang Dong-Gun will be in Singapore on 30 October to promote their new film Rampant. It will be their only international promotional visit for the zombie horror film, which opens islandwide on 1 November. The duo, along with director Kim Sung-Hoon, will be attending a public meet-and-greet event during their visit, as well as the films gala premiere. The actors are scheduled to appear at the meet-and-greet at Suntec City Malls North Atrium at 7pm. Their red carpet appearance at the gala premiere at Resorts World Theatre on Sentosa is scheduled for 8pm. This will be Hyuns first trip to Singapore since 2013, when he attended a fan-meeting event at Bugis+ mall. As for Jang, he last appeared in Singapore in 2005 for a promotional trip for The Promise, which also starred Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung. From the same producers of the hit horror movie Train to Busan, Rampant is set in medieval times in Korea, where undead demons are threatening the royal palace. Hyun plays Prince Ganglim, who reluctantly battles the demons and infected peasants while fending off his Minister of War (Jang), who has his eyes on the throne. This is Hyuns fourth movie in two years, while Jangs recent projects include TV series Suits and the thriller Seven Years of Night. This article was updated on 30 October 2018 with details of the meet-and-greet session and red carpet. Related stories: Singapores first zombie film Zombiepura hits screens in October Director shares what will be different with Train to Busan sequel After allegations of sexual misconduct, Prashant Jha steps down as Bureau Chief Jha, who is from Nepal, is just one of the influential Indian media, film and art personalities who has been accused of sexual harassment and misconduct in what is being seen as Indias long overdue #MeToo movement. Investigative group Bellingcat on Monday identified the second suspect in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal as a trained military doctor employed by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency. "We have now identified 'Alexander Petrov' to be in fact Dr. Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin, a trained military doctor in the employ of the GRU," the British-based group said in a report published on its website. Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned by a Soviet-designed chemical agent called Novichok in the English town of Salisbury in March. Britain accuses the Russian government of trying to kill Skripal in retribution for his ongoing work with European intelligence agencies. Russia flatly rejects the charge. The Skripal case and last week's revelations that the GRU also allegedly tried to hack into the world's chemical weapons watchdog in the Netherlands have further tattered Moscow's strained ties with the West. Bellingcat has long been a thorn in the Kremlin's side having detailed its alleged crimes in Syria and Ukraine. It worked with the Russian investigative team at The Insider to name the first of the two Skripal suspects as GRU agent Anatoly Chepiga. Bellingcast said Chepiga was decorated in 2014 with the nation's top award in a secret ceremony at the Kremlin. "While Alexander Mishkins true persona has an even sparser digital footprint than Anatoliy Chepigas, Bellingcat has been able to establish certain key facts from his background," it wrote. The group showed an alleged copy of his real national ID card -- called a passport in Russia -- from 2001. He was identified there as having been born in July 1979 in the northwestern region of Arkhangelsk. Bellingcat said Mishkin graduated from one of Russia's elite Military Medical Academies with the qualification to become a doctor for the Russian naval armed forces. "During his medical studies, Mishkin was recruited by the GRU, and by 2010 had relocated to Moscow, where he received his undercover identity -- including a second national ID and travel passport - under the alias Alexander Petrov," Bellingcat said. Three South Korean warships are to dock in the Japanese port of Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, later this month and take part in naval exercises with their local counterparts, a deployment the militaries of both nations hope will help resolve a diplomatic row over the flag of Japans Maritime Self-Defence Forces (MSDF). The three ships will dock with about 600 cadets from the South Korean navy, army and air force, according to the defence ministry in Seoul, before going on to make a port call in the Russian city of Vladivostok. Given the strained diplomatic ties between the two nations, analysts have suggested the South Korean defence ministrys decision not to embark the cadets on the Dokdo a 14,300-ton amphibious assault ship during the visit was wise. Dokdo is the Korean name for a pair of rocky islets about halfway between the mainlands of Japan and Korea presently controlled by South Korea. Tokyo claims the islands are part of its sovereign territory and should be known as Takeshima. Rising Sun flag puts Korean, Japanese navies on collision course The decision to go ahead with the visit to Sasebo, which is also an important US naval base, was made despite ongoing rumblings of discontent on both sides over Tokyos refusal to lower the MSDF ensign to take part in the five-day naval review. The flag a red sun with rays emanating from the centre is identified by many as an unpleasant reminder of imperial Japans invasion and brutal occupation of large parts of mainland Asia in the early decades of the 20th century. This is part of a broader pattern of rejection of symbols of Japanese imperialism and it sells well in South Korea Stephen Nagy, International Christian University Last week, Lee Seok-hyun, a politician with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, proposed a bill to ban vessels flying the rising sun flag from entering Korean territorial waters. The bill, if enacted, would also enable prosecution of anyone who produces, wears or sells anything that symbolises Japans colonial rule of the Korean peninsula, and for them to be fined up to 3 million won (US$2,600) or sentenced to up to two years in prison. Story continues This is part of a broader pattern of rejection of symbols of Japanese imperialism and it sells well in South Korea, especially when the focus at the moment is playing down tensions with North Korea, said Stephen Nagy, a senior associate professor of politics at Tokyos International Christian University. But at the same time, the security establishment has the very clear understanding Japan poses no security threat. Indeed, we are seeing South Korea moving towards a stronger stance vis-a-vis China, so the South Korean military understands the bigger challenge going forward is not Japan and there is a need to cooperate with Japanese forces. That racism is still there: film to relive 1923 slaughter of Koreans in Japan The solution will not, however, completely reconcile the two sides, Nagy added, as a Japanese warship will inevitably will be scheduled to visit a South Korean port in the future and Tokyo will once again refuse to bow to pressure to lower the ensign that is the internationally recognised flag for its military vessels. A similar situation has already arisen with China, which did not issue an invitation to the Japanese navy to take part in a similar international naval review in Qingdao in 2014. It was, nevertheless, the right decision for the South Korean navy to announce the Dokdo would not be taking part in the visit because it is needed to carry out operations in home waters, said Nagy, who is also a fellow of Canadas Asia-Pacific Foundation. The squadron of three South Korean warships will be made up of the 4,000-ton destroyer Dae Jo Yeong and two amphibious landing vessels, the Cheon Wang Bong and the Il Chul Bong. This article South Korean naval ships will dock in Japan, aiming to resolve row over rising sun flag first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. More from South China Morning Post: Authorities up border watch to stop infectious diseases The government has assured to increase surveillance in the border areas with India to prevent the spread of infectious diseases during the festival season. A Sri Lankan MP who called for the return of the outlawed Tamil Tiger rebel group because she said they were better at enforcing law and order than the police was arrested on Monday. In a speech earlier this year, Tamil lawmaker Vijayakala Maheswaran said people in northern Sri Lanka were safer under the Tigers, whose 37-year insurgency was marked by suicide bombings against civilians. Maheswaran, who represents Jaffna, the capital of the country's minority Tamils, said there was less violence against women and children in areas controlled by the Tigers before they were crushed in May 2009. The July remarks led to howls of protest from majority Sinhalese groups, which accused her of seeking to resurrect an organisation banned as a terrorist outfit. Maheswaran, who is a member of Sri Lanka's ruling party, was also forced to step down as State minister for Children's Affairs. "The Organised Crime Division took the MP into custody and she will be produced before a magistrate," a police statement said. She was released on half a million rupee ($2,900) bail and a further hearing was scheduled for December 7. Government forces crushed the Tamil Tigers in a no-holds-barred military offensive that ended their long-running guerilla war in May 2009. At the height of their power, the guerrillas controlled nearly a third of Sri Lanka and operated a parallel state with their own police and courts. However, the UN accused them of conscripting child soldiers and deploying suicide bombers to carry out indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets. More than 100,000 people were killed in the island's separatist war. aj/tom/hg/rox Hongkonger Patrick Ho was so pleased to receive his new mainland identity card that he took a selfie with it and posted his picture on WeChat, Chinas most popular mobile messaging application. One of the first to try the crabs, he boasted, using the Chinese expression for being the first to try something new. A university student in Zhuhai, Guangdong, he was among the first to apply for the residence permit which promises mainland residents from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan easier access to a wide range of social and public services. But when he tried to update his user information for Alipays mobile payment service using the smart card, he was told the system was not ready to accept his new permit. Like many other early users of the smart cards, Ho discovered that some private and government electronic systems are not yet ready for the new residence permits. An Alipay online customer service officer told him that its identity verification process relied on cross-checking by the mainlands public security authority. So far, however, the authority had not included the new smart card in its cross-checking service. To confirm the identity of clients not based on the mainland, Alipay accepts passports and travel permits to the mainland. A spokeswoman said the company, which has 870 million active users worldwide, was still preparing to add the new residence permit to its verification process. Alibaba also owns the South China Morning Post. Similarly, a Zhuhai Peoples Hospital staff member told the Post its online appointments system did not recognise the residence permit. Youll need to go to a counter in our hospital and have your permit linked with your account, the employee said. Ho received his permit four weeks after applying for it on September 1, the day applications opened. Mainland authorities have not disclosed the total number approved so far, but state news agency Xinhua reported on September 14 that Zhuhai received more than 2,100 applications, including about 1,000 from residents of neighbouring Macau. Story continues About 520,000 Hongkongers live in Guangdong alone and more than 15,000 Hong Kong students attend universities across the mainland. The residence permit is for people from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan who have been living, working or studying on the mainland for at least six months. The smart ID card is supposed to give them the same access as mainlanders to 18 public schemes and services, spanning employment, social insurance and housing fund schemes, as well as education and basic medical services. The smart cards 18-digit code, similar to that on mainland Chinese citizens ID cards, also allows easier access to various public and private services systems. The code starts with 810000 for those from Hong Kong, 820000 for those from Macau, and 830000 for those from Taiwan. Like others who applied early for the smart card, Ho was drawn by the convenience not provided by his home return permit, the cross-border travel document issued by mainland authorities for Hong Kong and Macau residents. For example, taking a train is much simpler for mainlanders who simply tap their smart cards at departure gates, whereas others must wait in long queues to get their tickets printed before boarding. Ho will have to wait to use his new smart card to take a train. New ticketing rules announced by the China Railway Corporation earlier this month stated that the residence permit was not yet accepted by its ticketing machines or for telephone bookings. But Michael Chen, 19, who is from Macau and studying in Beijing, got his permit authorised for ticketless boarding at Hangzhou East Station in Zhejiang province. I bought a high-speed train ticket to Beijing online with my permit and got the card authorised at a manual counter in the station, Chen said. It was his application for credit cards which ran into problems. Previously, card applications on the mainland were usually not accepted with home return permits. Chen had tried to apply for a credit card using his new permit on the first day of receiving it, at the Beijing branches of three state-owned banks the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank and Agricultural Bank of China. But none of the banks accepted his applications. Unlike Ho and Chen, Hongkonger Lau Yee-man, 22, a designer working in Guangzhou, was successful when she used the residence permit she received by mail on September 24, almost a week earlier than expected. The first thing she did was to apply for a driving course and her card was accepted by the school without any problems. The school will help me complete the registration for exams at the vehicle and traffic administration department, she said. Hongkonger Chan Sung-kuen, 22, was not as lucky when he arrived at his Guangzhou hotel after midnight on Tuesday at the start of a five-day holiday. He could not check in because his smart ID card was not accepted by the hostel. I was so disappointed, said Chan, who is a student in Beijing. Didnt the authorities say the permit was produced in the same way as the mainlanders ID card? Shouldnt the permit be recognised by card readers designed to read mainlanders cards? I was so disappointed ... Shouldnt the permit be recognised by card readers designed to read mainlanders cards? Chan Sung-kuen, Hongkonger His 18-digit code was rejected by the hostels registration system for being in the wrong format. The hostel asked Chan to obtain written proof of his identity from a nearby police station but officers there told him they could not locate his profile using both his residence permit and his home return permit. Systems of private companies might be late in terms of updating, but what excuse could police have? Chan asked. An officer at the station that Chan visited told the Post that normally their system should be able to locate a holders information with the residence permit number. But it may take a longer while, the officer said. The amount of data we have to update in the system is not small. The Ministry of Public Security in Beijing has not responded to inquiries sent by the Post on October 3. The hostel allowed Chan to stay for the night, but he had to cancel his reservation for the remaining four nights and pay 500 yuan (HK$570) more to move to another hotel which could accept his home return permit. Chan also ran into problems while trying to take high-speed trains on the mainland. He was told that if he wanted to update his information for the online ticketing system, he would have to nullify his existing account at a railway station and then go online to register a new account. He followed those instructions, but when he went online to register again with his new smart ID card, his application was rejected. Cheong King-yau, another Hong Kong student in Beijing, tried unsuccessfully to use his new residence permit to register an account with Jingdong, mainland Chinas second largest e-commerce company. When I put in the permit number, the system indicated it couldnt support that document yet, he said. Over in Zhuhai, meanwhile, student Ho remained patient and confident that life on the mainland would become more convenient. It has been only one month, many systems may not be ready, he said. I have just got the card and have not tried it out elsewhere. This article Users flaunt new ID card for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents in mainland China, but not all services updated to accept permit first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. Bouddha DSP arrested with bribe The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has arrested the chief of Metropolitan Police Circle, Bouddha, DSP Shyam Kumar Rai for accepting bribe. CAAN team to visit Delhi to resume talks A technical delegation from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is scheduled to visit the Indian capital of New Delhi on Thursday to continue the air routes talks started last June. According to CAAN officials, a five-member team led by Deepak Baral, director of air traffic management at CAAN, will hold discussions with officials of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) regarding two vital air routes: Nepalgunj in the midwest and Mahendranagar in the far west. Sen. Susan Collins thought at one point that Brett Kavanaugh would end up having to withdraw from being considered for a seat in the highest court of the land because of Dr. Christine Blasey Fords compelling and painful testimony. But ultimately Collins said she changed her mind in large part thanks to his forceful denial and the way he pushed back against the allegations. I was certainly undecided, and, after hearing Christine Fords very compelling and painful testimony, I thought, Oh my goodness, he perhaps needs to withdraw, Collins told CNN. But then when he came back with such a forceful denial, and the anger and anguish that he showed, and then the lack of corroboration, led me back to the fundamental issues that are fundamental to our legal system, a presumption of innocence and fairness. Collins also said that while she believes Ford was assaulted, she doesnt believe Kavanaugh was the assailant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Susan Collins: After hearing Christine Fords very compelling and painful testimony, I thought...'perhaps he needs to withdraw' but then he came back with such a forceful denial led me back to the fundamental issues that are fundamental to our legal system" pic.twitter.com/5W2yxM1Tkw CNN (@CNN) October 7, 2018 Susan Collins on CNN this morning: "I do not believe that Brett Kavanaugh was her assailant. I do believe that she was assaulted. I don't know by whom, and I'm not certain when, but I do not believe he was the assailant" pic.twitter.com/S8HGYIiyO9 andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) October 7, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Collins also dismissed the possibility of a challenge from Susan Rice, saying she doesnt live in the state of Maine. Everybody knows that. The senator also characterized it as ironic that back in 2009, when she was nominated to be ambassador of the U.N., she came to me, even though I did not know her back then at all, and pleaded with me to introduce her before the committee, which I was happy to do because her family had links to the state of Maine. Rice on Sunday retweeted a message that noted Collins had at one point praised Rice and her ties to Maine. Dr. Rices ties to our great state are the foundation of her character, Collins wrote in a newsletter. Her grandparents emigrated from Jamaica to Portland one hundred years ago. Collins had also praised her brilliance and nuanced insights. Advertisement Advertisement But the Internet archive remembers. Here is the press release:https://t.co/2q8MraJvAd Senator Susan Collins: "Dr. Rices ties to our great state are the foundation of her character. Her grandparents emigrated from Jamaica to Portland one hundred years ago." https://t.co/JmcoL97rz0 Sam Wang (@SamWangPhD) October 7, 2018 Advertisement Some of Collins Democratic colleagues were quick to criticize the senator from Maine for her rationale in choosing to support Kavanaugh. Sen. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, told CNN that the explanation of why she chose to vote for Kavanaugh was insulting toward Ford. She said that she thinks that Dr. Ford thinks that she was assaulted, which is even more insulting than saying that she gave a very credible account, Hirono said. Advertisement Former White House communications director Hope Hicks will soon take over corporate communications at Fox. Next year, Hicks will become executive vice president and communications director for the company that will be spun off after the Walt Disney Company finishes its purchase of most of 21st Century Fox. The new job marks quite a shift for the 29-year-old Hicks, who was barely known outside the Trump Organization before becoming press secretary to Donald Trumps presidential campaign. Many then marveled at her staying power as she managed to stay put at her job even as infighting engulfed much of the presidents cabinet in his first year in office. Advertisement Hicks new job solidifies the strong connections between the parent company of Fox News and the White House. In fact, Bill Shine, who took over for Hicks as White House communications director, left his job as Fox News Channel senior vice president to work for Trumps administration. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders sarah was among the first to celebrate the news, writing on Twitter that FOX wont find anyone smarter or more talented than Hope Hicks. So happy for my friend. They are beyond lucky to have you and the East Coast misses you already. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX wont find anyone smarter or more talented than Hope Hicks. So happy for my friend. They are beyond lucky to have you and the East Coast misses you already. https://t.co/mUQUlip5oc Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) October 8, 2018 Hicks will be working closely with Rupert Murdochs eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, who will be chairman and chief executive of the new Fox corporation, which will be in charge of Fox News, Fox Sports, and the companys broadcast network. The company announced last week that the new, smaller Fox will officially be called FOX, in all-caps. Hicks track record of working well with heirs to dynastic families was likely a desireable trait for the Murdoch clan, notes the New York Times. Days of mystery that had engulfed Interpol continued Sunday when Interpol said that a Chinese official who had been reported missing resigned from his post at the international police agency. Chinas ruling Communist Party issued a short statement Monday saying it is investigating Meng Hongwei, elected to lead the international police agency for a four-year term in 2016, for bribery and other crimes. The announcement came shortly after his wife, Grace Meng, told reporters in France that before her husband disappeared without a trace a few days earlier he had sent her a WhatsApp message with an emoji of a knife. She said she interpreted the knife to mean he is in danger. Advertisement China has so far only released a short statement on the detention, suggesting that the official could also be in trouble for political transgressions, notes the Associated Press. The inspection and investigation of Meng Hongwei is very timely, totally right, and very wise, Chinas ministry of public security said in a statement on its website. Meng only had himself to blame for the investigation, added the ministry, noting that There is no exception in front of the law. Interpol quickly said it regretted the move, noting it didnt have enough information about the investigation to evaluate what was really happening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mengs detention comes at a time when China is trying to increase its legitimacy on the global stage by taking key roles in international organizations. Now the governments actions over the past few days will only undermine the countrys efforts as it appears to confirm an increasingly authoritarian turn by Beijing as it continues on a broad anti-corruption campaign. The detention suggests the domestic considerations outweighed the international ones, said Julian Ku, a professor at Hofstra Universitys Maurice A. Deane School of Law. This has always been true for China, but perhaps not so obviously true as in this case. The detention serves to highlight that even as it surrounds its moves as part of a laudable campaign to combat corruption at every level of government, Chinas justice system is far from transparent. Making the president of Interpol suddenly disappear is embarrassing, but China no longer cares about losing face, said Zhang Lifan, a historian and independent commentator in Beijing. I think the authorities knew how big the discussion would be after this incident, but they just dont care. A stark new report from the worlds authorities on climate change warned that the planet is on the brink of failing at a broad effort to keep global warming to moderate levels. And while it is still possible to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, governments would have to take rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society. Making the changes necessary to prevent the severe consequences of climate change would require a transformation of the global economy at a scale and speed that has no documented historic precedent, the report issued on Monday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said. For now, the planet appears to be on track to reach that crucial threshold by as early as 2030. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The planet has already gotten two-thirds of the way to reaching the crucial level considering global temperatures have increased about one degree Celsius. This is concerning because we know there are so many more problems if we exceed 1.5 degrees C global warming, including more heatwaves and hot summers, greater sea level rise, and, for many parts of the world, worse droughts and rainfall extremes, Andrew King, a lecturer in climate science at the University of Melbourne, said in a statement. The report is seen as particularly concerning because scientists conclude that some of the most severe effects of global warming including worsening food shortages and wildfires would be felt with a warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Scientists might want to write in capital letters, ACT NOW, IDIOTS, but they need to say that with facts and numbers, Kaisa Kosonen, who was an observer at the negotiations from Greenpeace, said. And they have. Previous analyses had focused on estimating the effects of reaching two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Its a line in the sand and what it says to our species is that this is the moment and we must act now, said Debra Roberts, a co-chair of the working group on impacts. This is the largest clarion bell from the science community and I hope it mobilises people and dents the mood of complacency. Advertisement Advertisement Working to avoid that 0.5-degree difference would have huge consequences for the world at large as it would help hundreds of millions fewer people be exposed to climate-related catastrophe and poverty. To prevent warming from reaching that threshold, greenhouse pollution would have to decrease by 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, and 100 percent by 2050. Although possible to transform the world economy in the few years necessary to avoid this increase, the authors of the study concede it is unlikely. After all, under President Donald Trump, the United States, which is the worlds second-largest greenhouse gas emitter behind China, is going the other direction as the commander in chief has vowed to increase the burning of coal. Advertisement Advertisement Frankly, weve delivered a message to the governments, said Jim Skea, a co-chair of the IPCC panel and professor at Imperial College London. Its now their responsibility to decide whether they can act on it. Christiana Figueres, who was head of the U.N.s climate body for six years, writes in the Guardian that the report makes clear the determinants of whether we head for 2C or for 1.5C are mainly political; they are not technical or economic. Advertisement Others, however, said they were skeptical that it was even realistic to consider the possibility of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Even if it is technically possible, without aligning the technical, political and social aspects of feasibility, it is not going to happen, added Glen Peters, research director of the Center for International Climate Research in Oslo. To limit warming below 1.5 C, or 2 C for that matter, requires all countries and all sectors to act. Appalachian State University environmental scientist Gregg Marland, who isnt part of the U.N. panel, tells the Associated Press that the report is so unrealistic its akin to an academic exercise wondering what would happen if a frog had wings. I just dont see the possibility of doing the one and a half, he said, noting that for now even limiting warming to two degrees Celsius seem unlikely. On Oct. 11, in Washington, Future Tense will host a free screening of WarGames, followed by a discussion with Open Technology Institute director Kevin Bankston and sci-fi author Malka Older. For more information and to RSVP, visit the New America website. This year, John Badhams WarGamesone of the movies most beloved by hackers, techies, and tech policy wonks (like me!)celebrates its 35th anniversary. Though it may look a little kitschy now, it was notable for several firsts: It was the first popular film depiction of the now well-known hacker archetype. It raised the specter of an artificial intelligence starting World War III a year before James Camerons The Terminator did, and it introduced America to a young Matthew Broderick. WarGames is the alternately lighthearted and deadly serious tale of a wargaming A.I. at U.S. missile command that almost sparks a nuclear war after being broken into by a troublesome but well-intentioned teenage hacker. Some of the technology in WarGames is almost comically outdated, like the heros 1200 baud dial-up modem that connects to his cradle phone via an acoustic coupler, but it offers a jumping-off point for so many rich conversations about issues that are still relevant: A.I., autonomous weaponry, computer crime law, cybersecurity, and cyberwar. It is also one of the best examples of science fiction directly influencing policy in Washingtonjust one of several such examples during the Reagan years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ronald Reagan, a former Hollywood star, screened WarGames at Camp David the weekend it was released, and it freaked him out. As Slates Fred Kaplan described in his book Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War, Reagan brought it up a few day later at a White House meeting that included the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and asked, Could something like this really happen? Could someone break into our most sensitive computers? The answer came back a week later: Mr. President, the problem is much worse than you think. That led not only to a significant revamp of how computer security was handled at the Defense Department, but also passage of an anti-hacking law that would eventually evolve into our current Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Clips of WarGames were shown during the congressional hearings where lawmakers debated the need for hacking legislation. Advertisement Rather than an isolated incident, WarGames impact on Reagan is just one example of how science fiction influenced his administration and his life. Reagan grew up devouring fantastic sci-fi tales like Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter of Mars stories. He was also a huge fan of The Day the Earth Stood Still and its antinuclear war rhetoric, so much so that he had a habitwhich drove Gen. Colin Powell crazyof talking in public about how the U.S. and the USSR would certainly resolve their differences and unite if only aliens invaded. Reagan even brought this theory up in a private meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, which left his Russian counterpart flummoxed. Rather than an isolated incident, WarGames impact on Reagan is just one example of how science fiction influenced his administration, and his life. However, the biggest sci-fi influence on Reaganarguably the biggest example of sci-fi influence on policy evercame directly from a group of sci-fi writers and aerospace professionals. The Citizens Advisory Council on National Space Policy was primarily led by two sci-fi writers: Larry Niven, best known for the sci-fi classic Ringworld, hosted a council meeting of dozens of authors and experts at his home over a long weekend shortly after Reagans election. That meeting was organized and led by his friend and regular co-author Jerry Pournelle, who died in 2017. As Niven recently told me in a phone interview, the conservative cold warrior Pournelle was the beginning, the middle, and the end of the council and its proposals for the future of Americas presence in space. Several of Pournelles ideas were distinctly ahead of their timeideas about mining asteroids for mineral resources, or developing reusable rockets that could take off and land vertically just as God and [legendary sci-fi writer] Robert Heinlein intended, as he once put it. (Thats a phrase Sigma Forum founder Arlan Andrews Sr. first used in 1993 in the sci-fi magazine Analog.)* That proposal ultimately led to Vice President Dan Quayle supporting the development of the DC-X test rocket that Elon Musk has credited as a key predecessor to the reusable rocket systems now deployed by SpaceX. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One idea from the council particularly captured Reagans imagination. The president even took language directly from the reports prepared for him by the council for his 1983 speech unveiling a new initiative, an announcement Reagan made with little to no consultation with his own experts. According to the book Reign of Fantasy: The Political Roots of Reagans Star Wars Policy, an actual White House technical adviser later said, We were stunned. [T]he whole thing was just nutty, because it was content-freeit was a challenge to the scientific community to go invent something. So, what was this sci-fiinspired strategic military initiative from a celebrity president with no military or technical expertise? Space Force! Just kidding. It was the Strategic Defense Initiative, also derisively known as Star Wars: the notional orbital laser missile shield to protect us against the Evil Empire of the Soviet Union. The U.S. government would eventually spend billions of dollars on it, with very little to show for it in terms of effective interception of nuclear missiles. Pournelle thought that this star shield, as Niven called it when I spoke to him, could provide Mutually Assured Survival in the face of mutually assured destruction, though other expertsincluding sci-fi authors like Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarkecriticized it as a technically impossible boondoggle, and political and budgetary support for the idea collapsed by the 90s. Advertisement Advertisement Some have theorized that Reagan jumped at the idea of SDI because the central technology in his 1940 spy adventure movie Murder in the Air was a powerful death ray that could shoot missiles out of the sky. Others have wondered whether the five-feet-thick glass domes that protected Martians from bombardment in the John Carter books primed him for the idea of a global anti-missile dome. Whether or not these theories are true, theres no question that sci-fi writers like Niven and Pournelle directly influenced Reagans thinking on SDI, just as WarGames directly influenced his thinking on hackers. Advertisement Now, 35 years later, theres a think tank composed solely of sci-fi writers who consult with three letter agencies, the Marines are using sci-fi to better imagine the future of war, the Army Cyber Institute is modeling future threats using sci-fi graphic novels, and the sci-fi war thriller Ghost Fleet is being taught in military academies. Reagans Star Wars initiative may have fizzled, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act may be deeply flawed. But his approach here was ahead of its time, as science-fictional thinking has become a widely accepted tool for imagining the wargames of tomorrow. The centenary and the Slovak general, politician and legionnaire who died in a plane crash close to this airport was commemorated by the flight of five ultra-light aircraft from an Italian airport to Bratislava. News: Receive favorite authors articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Commemorating General Milan Rastislav Stefanik and marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Czechoslovakia was the leitmotif of the flight of five ultra-light aircraft from the Italian airport of Campoformido (near Udine) to M.R. Stefanik airport in Bratislava on October 7. The event was organised by Bratislava airport in cooperation with the Slovak Federation of Ultralight Aviation (SFUL), Bratislava airport spokesperson, Veronika Sevcikova, told the TASR newswire. Bratislava airport has been named after Milan Rastislav Stefanik since 1993, Sevcikova said, as quoted by the SITA newswire. The pilots of the five ultra-light planes made a group flight from the Slovak town of Lucenec on Friday, October 5. Via Fertoszentmiklos airport in Hungary, they then passed through Slovenia to Belluno airport in Italy where they stopped to re-fuel. They then continued to Nerveso where the last Caproni airport still in operation is located. It was on the Caproni Ca.33 plane that general Stefanik made his last flight from Italy to Slovakia, Sevcikova told SITA. The only existing replica of Stefaniks Caproni Ca.33 in the world has hung in the departure hall of M.R. Stefanik airport in Bratislava, since 2012. It is on loan from the Military History Museum in Piestany. Veterans and celebrities participated On their return on October 6, the planes made a low flyover above the airports runway before they landed, Sevcikova told the newswire. Laying wreaths at Stefaniks statue in the airports departure lounge was part of the commemorative event. The first Slovak astronaut Ivan Bella, the commander of the (Slovak) Sliac Aviation Base Colonel Vladimir Lisy, SFUL President Marian Sluk and aviation veterans participated in the event. Five planes also took part: two Tomark SD-4 Vipera, a SportCruiser, a Bristell and a Cessna 172. Who was Stefanik Slovak politician, diplomat and scientist Stefanik participated in organising the Czech-Slovak revolt outside the Austria-Hungarian Empire during the World War I and he was one of the key people in founding the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, along with Tomas G. Masaryk and Edvard Benes. His life prematurely ended on May 4, 1919. A plane carrying the first and at the same time the last Czech-Slovak war minister on-board suddenly crashed near the village of Ivanka pri Dunaji (Bratislava Region), with everyone on the plane being killed. More detailed causes or the course of the crash have never been fully determined. The condition is, however, that Slovakia uses the resources to buy army equipment from the USA. News: Receive favorite authors articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Most purchases for the Slovak army must be financed from the domestic budget but beginning in October, an unusual event has been announced. A foreign subsidy worth several million dollars, a unique feature, has been approved. The US Congress has recently passed the grant amounting to $50 million for Slovakia, the Dennik N daily wrote on October 8. Drawing the money has a condition, however. Slovakia will have to use it to purchase army equipment from the US, US Embassy Spokesperson Griffin Rozell confirmed. The money comes from the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme that US allies from all around the world can access. This grant should serve as an addition to national resources, Rozell explained, as quoted by Dennik N. What will the money be used for? The money should be used to purchase American technology that is in accordance with the standards of NATO and would help Slovakia get rid of obsolete technology of Soviet production. Asked by the daily about specific projects the money would go towards, Foreign Ministry spokesman Igor Skocek answered that this falls under the remit of the Defence Ministry. The latter ignored the questions. Dennik N deems it most probable that the resources will go to complete and update the equipment of the US Black Hawk helicopters procured in spring 2015 in the minimum version without arms and without systems of passive protection. Without these features, they cannot be deployed in war zones. Defence Minister Peter Gajdos announced earlier this year that they plan to buy additional equipment for the Black Hawks. The meaning and the motivation Military purchases are unique in that they cannot be financed from EU-funds. Thus, foreign sources used for financing army projects are rather exceptional. The financial aid amounting to $50 million is really unique in the Slovak environment, security analyst Jaroslav Nad confirmed, as quoted by Dennik N. Other countries, however, draw grants from FMF in much bigger volume. In 2017, according to Defence News, a total of $5.7 billion was allocated from this programme, mostly to Israel (3.1 billion), Egypt (1.3 billion) and Jordan (350 million). The allocation of this money is politically motivated, Dennik N wrote, adding that criteria including the perceived contributions and benefit of the due countries for US foreign policy. In the case of Slovakia, its location on the eastern NATO border and whose protection the US is trying to boost since the conflict in Ukraine may have played a role, analyst Nad opines, adding that Slovakia has also seemed to follow a quite sensible pro-western policy for some years which might also have impacted on the decision. CK Raut arrested The District Police Office arrested CK Raut, coordinator of the Free Madhes campaign, from Gaur, the district headquarters of Rautahat, on Sunday evening. Security personnel detained Raut as he came out of the Rautahat District Court. CM Raut rues lack of Centres support Province 2 Chief Minister Mohammad Lalbabu Raut on Sunday said it is difficult to run the provincial government due to a lack of provincial police administration and employees. In a Province Assembly meeting, CM Raut said the central government has not helped the provincial government to endorse three bills, including a Provincial Police Act. Crimes against humanity wont be tolerated: PM Oli Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said the government would not spare anyone involved in crimes against humanity on the name of conflict. Speaking at the launching of the book titled Awataran of media person Shuva Shankar Kandel in the Capital on Sunday, PM Oli asserted, There can be no impunity for perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Not so long ago we featured a video that detailed the countries with the 'best' passport, here we look at the countries that offer the most 'freedom' - or whatever that means. Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization, releases an annual report on global 'freedom'. 'How do you measure something that means different things to different people?', I hear you ask. Well, Freedom House suggest it is best done in terms of civil liberties and political rights. Data sourced and collected from media, research articles, government documents was put through the ringer and an in-house collective, comprising academia, think tanks, and human rights institutions resulted in the their recent annual report; Freedom in the World. This, they say operates from the assumption that "freedom for all people is best achieved in liberal democratic societies." The collective used the below measures as a barometer: Fair and free elections Political pluralism and participation Civil liberties Level of free and independent media Freedom of expression and assembly That data was then used to score a country's political rights on a scale of 0-40 and its civil liberties on a scale of 0-60. As such, the list was born. The full article is here. The TransGriot is available for speaking engagements, college lectures, panel discussions, media interviews, conferences or Trans 101 education efforts for your school, business or professional organizations. For local Houston area, Texas or national events, you can e-mail me at transgriot@yahoo.com For events outside the Houston metro area, I ask that my travel and lodging expenses be covered. This is separate from my speaking fee. If you are interested in having me appear as a speaker or panelist, you can e-mail me with the date and details of your proposed event. Please book as early as possible because my speaking and event calendar slots during the year rapidly fill up. Farwest faces malaria risk Residents of the Far Western region are at a high risk of malaria as migrant workers start returning home for Dashain and Tihar festivals from malaria-infested villages in India. Liang is a doctoral student at Sichuan University, China. His research is focused on Chinas relations with Nepal. Production is underway on a new animated telemovie for Nine, Alice-Miranda Shines Bright. The 80-minute drama comedy from SLR Productions (Guess How Much I Love You; The Skinner Boys, Captain Flinn and The Pirate Dinosaurs, Sam Fox: Extreme Adventures) is based on books by author Jacqueline Harvey, and targeted to the 6 to 9 year old audience. The telemovie begins as Alice-Miranda is about to become the youngest girl to ever attend the Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy. She is described as an extraordinary young girl determined to never give up, even when shes faced with challenges that seem impossible to overcome. There are teachers and students in urgent need of help, arch enemies, a frightening principal who hasnt been seen for ten years and a scary witch in the woods. SLR Productions CEO and Executive Producer, Suzanne Ryan, said, I am thrilled to bring this perpetually positive and beloved young heroine Alice-Miranda to the screen with esteemed partners, Screen Australia, Nine Network and ZDF Enterprises. Its an honour to work with Jacqueline Harvey the author of this incredible publishing property and to know that Alice-Mirandas loyal and dedicated audiences will soon be sharing in her awesome adventures on screen. SLR Productions all-female creative team including CEO and Executive Producer Suzanne Ryan, Script Editor Melanie Alexander and Director Jo Boag have crafted a smart and inquisitive protagonist in Alice-Miranda that young girls can look up to, said Sally Caplan, Head of Content at Screen Australia. Based off the success of the bestselling books, were excited to see this Emmy Award winning team bring this fantastical and inclusive story to screen as an animated adaptation. Alice-Miranda is a great role model for our audience and we are delighted to be working on this exceptional project with the team at SLR Productions. We know that Alice-Miranda has a great following with young readers and Jacqueline Harvey is one of Australias top female childrens authors. We believe all the right ingredients are in place for this dynamic, quality Australian childrens drama to be a huge success on Nine, said Nine Network Co-Head of Drama, Jo Rooney. Principal production funding from Screen Australia in association with Network Nine. Distributed internationally by ZDF Enterprises. Jodie Whittakers first episode of Doctor Who has drawn bumper ratings in the UK and a positive reception from critics. In its new Sunday slot the show saw an average of 8.2 million UK, the most-watched episode since David Tennants 2008 series opener (8.4 million). Hollywood Reporter said: Whittaker is more winning than I could have ever imagined her Doctor is loose and lively, cheeky and irreverent, sporting a deliciously homey Yorkshire brogue that will be catnip for anyone entranced by a Midlands accent. (Me!) She had me laughing aloud with impeccable comedic timing, able to deliver a doe-eyed barb without blanching. Youre interfering in things you dont understand, her foe threatens. Yeah, well, we all need a hobby. She immediately illuminates the space around her a carbonated, inquisitive, motormouthed Doctor in a cringe-worthy rainbow-and-suspenders getup that feels like a take on Mork from Ork. (Are they afraid that if they put her in a dress, people will remember all over again shes a woman?) Variety said: In acting the part, Whittaker immediately has to both inject her own personality into it and anchor the show. She might not be a brand new Doctor, but a new version of the same character that has fueled the show for decades. Striking the right balance has been a tall order for any new Doctor and showrunner to take on, as several pairs have done over the last decade, but the level of difficulty this particular team had to master is arguably the highest yet. The New York Times: But whether its Ms Whittakers performance or Mr. Chibnalls conception, this feels like a different Doctor friendlier, less angsty, more of a straightforward action hero. Perhaps the most important thing about the Doctor, until now, has been his alienness, the inhuman edge that Mr. Capaldi was so good at capturing. With Ms. Whittaker, the biggest change may turn out not to be that shes a woman, but that shes inescapably human. The Guardian said: Whittaker was great and will surely become even more so as the series goes on. At the moment she is a (deliberately calculated, I mean, not accidentally imitative) mixture of Capaldi and something new, as the doctor has not yet fully completed regeneration when the latest dastardly alien plot unfolds. She arrives on Earth without (ahem) a sonic screwdriver, but this lack of vital appendage is and let this be the shows wordless lesson to Redditors all rectified by the end of the first half of this two-parter. The Independent: After all the hype, hyperbole and inevitable internet hate, she acquits herself wonderfully in her full-length debut. In the Doctors new uniform of rainbow sweater and bright yellow suspenders (think Bay City Rollers by way of Robin Williams in Mork & Mindy), Whittaker is a force of breezy nature rambunctious, quirky but with a reassuringly familiar aura of Gallifreyan uncanniness. The Mirror said: Whittaker did more than enough to confirm there should never have been any kind of fuss about the Doctor being played by a woman. Her quirky and enthusiastic take was an instant hit in our house. It was as if Su Pollards Hi-De-Hi chalet maid Peggy had possessed a particularly trendy primary school teacher for the night. Speaking of which, it would have been nice to have seen Whittaker get into her charity shop chic costume a little sooner. Sadly, we had to wait until the final scenes for that piece of the regeneration puzzle to slot into place. The Australian editor-in-chief Paul Whittaker will become CEO of Australian News Channel replacing outgoing boss Angelos Frangopoulos. This appointment recognises Pauls extensive and proven journalistic leadership and his intimate understanding of the Australian political, business and evolving media landscape, as well as what drives and engages audiences, News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller said. Siobhan McKenna, group director of broadcasting, said: Pauls appointment recognises the importance of live news to the growth of News Corps broadcast businesses. Under the leadership of Angelos, SKY News has become Australias number one 24-hour news channel and Paul will have the opportunity to make further investment to continue expanding SKY Newss reach to more Australians. Whittaker, a three-time Walkley Award winner, was editor of The Australian from 2007 to 2011, and editor of The Daily Telegraph for almost five years before being appointed editor-in-chief of The Australian in 2015. Live news, like live sport, is a huge driver of audiences and future growth for our businesses, Whittaker said. The changes see Christopher Dore, current editor of The Daily Telegraph, appointed as editor-in-chief The Australian. Whittaker begins at SKY News on Monday October 15. Source: Mediaweek Whatever is in the energy drinks of Superwogs Theodore and Nathan Saidden should be bottled and resold, with strict warning labels. These two young comedians arrive as a knockabout duo following in the footsteps of irreverent Australian ethnic humour. With years of YouTube clip success behind them, their on-screen chemistry is evident even when they are whacking one another across the head with shovels (do not attempt at home). Thirty years ago our TV wogs were from Italy, Greece & Spain, but these brothers have Greek-Egyptian heritage. And like Kath & Kim one has to overlook the age similarities between the two leads, in order to believe they are father & son. To their credit, they make it work. Superwog (Theodore Saidden) is a spirited, argumentative and under-achieving teen who loves Scarface movies, Tupac, fast cars / food / girls. Appearing to be an only child, he lives at home in a suburban 3 bedroom brick veneer with his Wog Mum (also Theodore Saidden) and Wog Dad (Nathan Saidden). Wog Dad talks with his fists, knocking down doors (literally), blowing his fuse and berating his son for his constant failings. Wog Mum, who is torn between the two men in her life, is focussed on fashion, shopping and upgrading to business class holidays. The fourth key character is Johnny (also Nathan Saidden), Superwogs loyal best mate who makes his first appearance in the second episode. The anarchic comedy begins after short-tempered Wog Dad, in attempting to get keep Superwog in line insists I am your father. I made you with my penis, I can destroy you with my penis! Never to be outdone, Superwog confides of child abuse to his private school teachers, who soon place him with a perfectly conservative Australian family (Carla Bonner, Andrew Blackman). But Superwog proves to be a bad influence on their young son (Declan Barker), when he isnt leering at his hot new mum. Meanwhile Wog Dad and Wog Mum are getting a grilling from community services much of which involves Wog Dad smashing up an interrogation room. Throughout it all there are class observations, taking pot shots at a broad Australian lifestyle, from Home and Away to fairy bread and more, with the supporting cast all acting as straight men for the Saiddens larger-than-life performances. And large they are. Both Saiddens crank it up to 11 in this series, with anarchic, uncompromising performance style. There are lashings of physical comedy, and the second episode detours into a comedy of errors that was breakneck bliss. At their best, some of their moments are funnier than some of the big boy comedy on ABCs primary channel. While comedy is subjective (and Superwog will surely appeal to young males more than others), its hard to ignore the creativity of this duo. Not only have they written and starred in this series, but Theodore Saidden is also director, with Princess Pictures on board as producers. I found it distracting trying to work out why Melbourne locations were all doubling as Sydney, when neither city seemed fundamental to the story. I suspect it was a compromise by the Melbourne producers to fit with a long line of Sydney scenes on their hit YouTube channel. Overall, this is a promising start by a new comedy team. Stick around for the credits at the end too, the outtakes are some of the funniest things in Superwog and demonstrate how much these two are taking the piss the whole time. Superwog airs 9:30pm Tuesdays on ABC Comedy. * Eni (LSE: 0N9S.L - news) set to acquire 42.5 pct stake in BP's Libya contract * BP, Eni aim to resume exploration in 2019 * Move to boost country's oil, gas production (Adds detail, background) By Ahmad Ghaddar and Ron Bousso LONDON, Oct (Shenzhen: 000069.SZ - news) 8 (Reuters) - Italy's Eni has agreed to buy half of BP's 85 percent stake in a Libyan oil and gas licence with the aim of resuming exploration next year, the companies said on Monday. Eni will acquire the 42.5 percent stake and become the operator of the exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA) in Libya, in which the Libyan Investment Authority holds the remaining 15 percent, the companies said in a statement. The companies, along with state-owned National Oil Corp (NOC), signed a letter of intent in London on Monday paving the way for the final deal. They did not disclose financial terms of the transaction. NOC chairman Mustafa Sanalla said the agreement showed renewed confidence in the war-torn country's oil and gas sector. "This agreement is a clear signal and recognition by the market of the opportunities Libya has to offer and will only serve to strengthen our production outlook," he said. BP Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley hailed the deal as an important step "towards returning to our work in Libya". "We believe that working closely together with Eni and with Libya will allow us to bring forward restarting exploration in these promising areas," he said in the statement. The resumption of exploration would help boost Libya's oil and gas output which fell sharply in the years following a civil war that started in 2011, Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said. Libya is producing around 1.25 million barrels of oil per day (bopd), still below its pre-civil war capacity of 1.6 million bpd. BP does not produce any oil or gas in Libya. It signed the EPSA agreement in 2007 to explore onshore in the Ghadames basin and offshore in the Sirte basin. Its exploration programme was interrupted in 2011 when the civil war broke out and remains under force majeure. In 2015, the company wrote off $432 million from its Libyan activities. Story continues Eni, which has been operating in Libya since 1959, is currently active in six contract areas in Libya and its production in 2017 reached a record 384,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The EPSA includes two onshore areas in the Ghadames basin and one in the offshore Sirte basin, covering a total area of around 54,000 square kilometres. (Additional reporting by Stephen Jewkes in Milan; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Mark Potter) FILE PHOTO: The logo of commodities trader Glencore is pictured in front of the company's headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, November 20, 2012. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo By Melanie Burton MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator said on Monday the Port of Newcastle must reduce its charges for ships entering the port to carry coal for Glencore , in a big win for the global miner. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said Port of Newcastle Operations Pty Ltd (PNO) should cut its current rate by about 20 percent to A$0.61 (0.32 pounds) per gross tonne, backdated to 2016. The port said it would contest the decision. "PNO proposed large increases to the current price, but the ACCC found that a reduction in the price for using the shipping channel was appropriate," ACCC Commissioner Cristina Cifuentes said in a statement. In the course of the arbitration, Newcastle port told the ACCC that the charge for coal ships entering the port should be increased to $1.36 per tonne for this year. Glencore submitted the charge should be reduced to $0.41 per tonne. The port said it was disappointed by the decision. "We will use all legal avenues available to contest the decision. We will be lodging a request for review with the Australian Competition Tribunal," it said. Glencore declined to comment. The Port of Newcastle provides the only commercially viable means of exporting coal from the Hunter Valley region and is jointly owned by China Merchants Port Holdings Co Ltd <0144.HK>, which took a stake in February, and Australia's Infrastructure Fund. After being privatised in 2014, the port increased the charge for coal ships by around 40 per cent to $0.69 per tonne in January 2015, and later raised the charge to $0.76 per tonne. (Reporting by Melanie Burton; additional reporting by Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; Editing by Joseph Radford and Richard Pullin) STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - French hospital operator Ramsay Generale de Sante raised its cash bid for Sweden's Capio by almost 20 percent on Monday, valuing the company at around 8.19 billion crowns (688.8 million pounds). Ramsay Generale, 50.9 percent owned by Australia's Ramsay Health Care , lifted its bid to 58 Swedish crowns per Capio share. An initial bid of 48.50 crowns had been quickly rebuffed by Capio's board and several of its largest investors in July Capio's board said in a statement it would evaluate the new offer and give its formal opinion on it "in due course". Shares in Capio, which runs clinics and hospitals in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France and Germany, rose more than 11 percent to 56.60 crowns in Stockholm on Monday. Shares of Ramsay Generale were down 3.7 percent. Capio has said it is planning to focus its business on its core markets in the Nordics, a repositioning it believes will drive shareholder value. Healthcare remains primarily financed through taxes in Capio's Swedish home market but private players are increasingly involved in providing the actual services. R12 Kapital, Capio's second largest shareholder declined to comment to Reuters, while Swedbank Robur and the Fourth Swedish national pension fund, two other top investors, where not immediately available for a comment. Several media groups, including Reuters, had reported Ramsay was considering revising its bid. "Our revised offer is highly financially compelling for Capio's shareholders," Ramsay Generale CEO Pascal Roche said in a statement. "It also provides Capio's shareholders with an attractive alternative to the disposal of Capio France with certainty on valuation as RGdS(Ramsay Generale) offer is integrally in cash." Since the initial bid Capio has announced plans to sell its French business to Ramsay Generale's rival Vivalto Sante, but that deal, which has an upfront enterprise value of 425 million euros ($488 million), is partly subject to shareholder approval at a meeeting on Oct. 18. Story continues Ramsay said on Monday it had decided to waive a bid condition regarding clearances from competition authorities, while adding they expected clearance from the French Competition Authority to be obtained by October 15. Ramsay also said it reserved the right to waive one or more of the conditions for a completion of the bid, including to complete the offer at a lower acceptance level than 90 percent. The company is planning to use the funds from its proposed sale of Capio France to pay down debt, return cash to shareholders, and invest in areas such as digitalization. (Reporting by Johannes Hellstrom; editing by Jason Neely/Keith Weir) Government decides to raise minimum wage of journalists The government has decided to increase the minimum pay of working journalists by 25 percent. A Cabinet meeting on Sunday decided that all journalists and employees working in media houses would have their salary increased by 25 percent effective from October 18. Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab delivers his keynote address to the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, Britain, October 1, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville LONDON (Reuters) - British Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has no confirmed visit to Brussels this week, the Sun newspaper's Political Editor Tom Newton Dunn cited Downing Street as saying. "Theresa May appears to have put Brexit talks on go slow again," Dunn said on Twitter. "No. 10 (May's office) say: 1. No Raab visit to Brussels this week confirmed 2. PM wants 'a precise future framework' 3. There may not be a deal at the EU Council next week after all, only a commitment for one 'this Autumn'." (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Michael Holden) A fuel tank cap of a diesel car is pictured in Berlin, Germany, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke - RC1C5ECFB400 Thomson Reuters BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Commission fears that carmakers in Germany would seek to export old diesel cars removed from German streets under planned trade-off incentives to eastern European countries, Industry Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska said on Sunday. German carmakers and the government hashed out a compromise deal to cut pollution from diesel vehicles last week after environmental groups won a victory in February which allowed cities to ban older diesel cars. The government has asked carmakers to offer owners trade-in incentives and hardware fixes. Not all carmakers committed to the retrofits, as the hardware fixes are known, which would cost billions of euros. Most said the solution should be to encourage car owners to trade in their older diesel models for cleaner vehicles - which would bring a boost in sales, albeit at discounted prices. "Exports would mean pushing the air quality problem from the west to the east," Bienkowska told the Tagesspiegel newspaper in remarks to be published on Monday. "The German government's plan to avoid driving bans could intensify the problem." Germany's environment ministry has said it would try to overcome resistance from car makers to the expensive new exhaust filtering systems. Last year, Bulgaria imported more than 100,000 second hand cars from EU countries, more than a third of which were grossly polluting diesels, according to clean mobility group Transport and Environment. "It should be clearly determined what happens to the worn-out and poorly adjusted vehicles," said Bienkowska, adding that the issue was a European problem not a national one. Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday defended the compromise, saying it was essential to prevent driving bans in German cities, which would affect hundreds of thousands of diesel car owners who commute to work from the countryside to urban centers. But speaking at an event of the youth wing of her conservatives, Merkel also said car makers had "lied and cheated" by selling diesel cars that pollute more than the industry had said they would. Story continues Diesel cars have come under intense scrutiny after Volkswagen in 2015 admitted to using illegal software to cheat emissions tests, sparking a scandal that has cost it more than $27 billion in penalties and fines. "That people are becoming suspicious is the fault of the car industry not politicians," Merkel said in the northern city of Kiel. EU environment ministers will discuss more ambitious car emission reduction targets when they meet in Luxembourg on Oct. 9. EU lawmakers last month backed carbon dioxide reduction goals for fleets of cars and vans of 45 percent by 2030, ambitious targets that are unpopular with national governments. (Reporting by Joseph Nasr, Editing by William Maclean) See Also: The skyline with its financial district and the head quarters of the European Central Bank (ECB,C) is photographed on early evening in Frankfurt, Germany, October 5, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The European Central Bank has given euro zone banks until 2022 to limit their reliance on their London operations for booking trades and loans following Britain's exit from the European Union, the Financial Times wrote on Monday. The ECB, as the euro zone's top banking watchdog, has long said banks will have to phase out the so-called "back-to-back" booking of EU trades in London. It has now set a three-year deadline to do so, the FT wrote, quoting a banker saying the ECB expected "a lot of" back-to-back booking to be phased out even sooner. Reuters reported in July that banks had been told to agree to a two- to three-year window for moving staff and functions to the euro zone. A spokeswoman for the ECB declined to comment. Britain is formally due to leave the EU in March 2019. (Reporting by Francesco Canepa; editing by Jason Neely) Signage is seen at the UK border control point at the arrivals area of Heathrow Airport, London, September 3, 2018. Picture taken on September 3. REUTERS/Toby Melville LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Heathrow Airport has been fined 120,000 pounds by the country's data protection regulator for "serious failings" in securing personal data held on its systems. The breach by Heathrow, the busiest airport in Britain and Europe, came to light after an employee lost a USB stick last year which contained personal data on a small number of individuals including staff, which was not password-protected or encrypted. The regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), carried out an investigation as a result. "Data Protection should have been high on Heathrow's agenda. But our investigation found a catalogue of shortcomings in corporate standards, training and vision that indicated otherwise," the ICO said in a statement on Monday. Under new legislation on data protection, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, which has been introduced since the date of Heathrow's failings, the airport could have faced a much larger fine. Amongst the ICO's concerns were that only 2 percent of Heathrow's 6,500 staff had received data protection training. Heathrow is owned by Ferrovial, Qatar Investment Authority, China Investment Corporation and other investors. (Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Kate Holton) A damaged house is pictured following heavy rains in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera Thomson Reuters By Gustavo Palencia TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Torrential rain in Central America that caused floods and landslides have killed 12 people in just a few days, rescue and emergency authorities across the region said on Sunday. Heavy rains that began on Thursday have battered countries from Guatemala to Costa Rica, and prompted a landslide in Honduras that killed two children and their mother while they were sleeping. The rain destroyed houses and crops and forced thousands to leave their homes for temporary shelters. Six people were killed in Honduras and 7,000 evacuated their homes, local authorities said. In Nicaragua, the government said 23,000 people were affected and that a fisherman was killed after his boat overturned. Two others drowned in a river. The head of El Salvador's civil protection agency said two people were killed, one after a tree fell on a car, and 10 others were injured by a wall that collapsed. One person died in Costa Rica and a child disappeared in Guatemala. (Reporting by Gustavo Palencia in Tegucigalpa, Ismael Lopez in Managua, Nelson Renteria in San Salvador, Alvaro Murillo in Costa Rica and Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City; Writing by Christine Murray; Editing by Peter Cooney) See Also: From one of the worlds smelliest fruits to three-penis wine, a new museum in Sweden promises to showcase 80 of the worlds most disgusting foods. But far from trying to gross-out visitors, Malmos aptly-named Disgusting Food Museum is on a mission to challenge peoples basic assumptions about food and test the theory that disgust is cultural and contextual. I was thinking about how interesting it would be to dedicate a museum not to the most beautiful or tastiest food, but to the worlds most disgusting food, museum curator and chief disgustologist Samuel West told Lonely Planet. We hope that the museum can contribute a growing interest and acceptance of more ecologically sustainable protein sources, such as insects. Even though Hakarl (well-aged shark from Iceland) might sound gross, why not give it a taste? Or be adventurous and try the famously stinky Durian fruit. The museum opens October 29 and tickets will only set you back $20. Australian Federal police made three arrests and seized 496 kg of MDMA from a shipping container in Sydney on Saturday, October 6. After the containers arrival from Turkey at Port Botany on Friday, September 28, Australian Border Force (ABF) found concealed packages of MDMA inside four industrial mincing machines during screening. The consignment was then allowed to undergo a controlled delivery to its intended address in Auburn. On Saturday, AFP and ABF officers searched two businesses in Clyde and arrested three men, 24, 27 and 29. Additional searches were executed in Guildford, Auburn and Elizabeth Hills on Sunday. The arrested faced court on Sunday and were charged with a number of counts relating to the import and acquisition of commercial quantities of drugs. AFP Detective Superintendent Kirsty Schofield said that the amount of MDMA could have made over 1.7 million pills, at a street value of more than $57 million. Credit: Australian Federal Police via Storyful Protestors took to the streets of Montreal over Thanksgiving weekend to denounce racism and a law being proposed by Quebec's incoming premier that plans to ban civil servants from wearing religious symbols in the workplace. According to local media, protesters chanted "Legault has got to go" and "Francois, Quebec belongs to me" as they marched from Place Emilie-Gamelin along Rene-Levesque Boulevard, according to local media. Many held anti-racist banners and lit smoke bombs that sent red smoke into the air. Coalition Avenir Quebec won a majority in last week's provincial elections. A representative for the government said Wednesday that those who don't comply with the coming law could be re-assigned or lose their employment altogether. PALU, Indonesia (AP) The Muslim call to prayer had just started echoing across the Indonesian city of Palu when Musrifah's home began to shake violently. Family photos fell from the walls. Dishes and glasses crashed to the floor. A television smashed onto the white tiles of their living room, prompting Musrifah to scoop her 2-year-old son into her arms. Seconds later, the concrete sides of their one-story house cracked, then crumbled, filling the air inside with pale clouds of dust. "Mommy!" the terrified boy cried, his body trembling as his hands pressed into her back. "Don't worry," she told him. PETOBO, Indonesia (AP) When the violent shaking from a massive magnitude 7.5 earthquake finally stopped, Selvi Susanti stood up and realized something strange was happening. First, she saw the ground suddenly begin to sink. Then the pavement split beneath her feet like a broken dinner plate and started to rise. Terrified, she clung to a small sliver of asphalt and surfed a river of fast-moving mud as it swallowed entire neighborhoods, carrying her higher than coconut trees for a quarter of a mile. "What I saw oh my God! Houses were tumbling. They started to roll like waves. It's like a tsunami, but the difference was they were waves of soil," said Susanti, 38, weeping at the memory of seeing so many people simply disappear into the earth as they screamed for help. BEIJING (AP) Chinese authorities scrambled to contain a public relations mess over the disappearance of the former Interpol president during his trip home to China, saying Monday that he was being lawfully investigated for bribery and other crimes. But the government's announcement did little to address concerns raised about the risks of appointing Chinese officials to leadership posts in international organizations. On Monday, the acting Interpol president told The Associated Press the agency had not been informed in advance of the Chinese probe into Meng Hongwei, who is also China's vice minister of public security. On Sunday, Meng's wife made a bold public appeal from France to the international community to help locate her husband. Story continues DARWIN, Australia (AP) The commander of more than 1,500 U.S. Marines in northern Australia was relieved of his duties after police caught him driving under the influence of alcohol, the Marine Corps said Monday. Col. James Schnelle, 48, pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court on Monday to driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.102 percent after his breath was tested by police in the early hours of Sept. 30. The reading was more than double the legal limit in Australia of 0.05 percent. The commander of the Marine Rotational Force in Darwin was "relieved of his duties on Sept. PORT DICKSON, Malaysia (AP) Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is campaigning for his designated successor and former foe Anwar Ibrahim, urging voters to support Anwar's return to active politics. Mahathir's appearance at a late night political rally Monday marked the first time in two decades that the two shared the same stage, after setting aside a bitter political feud to form an alliance that won a stunning victory in national elections in May. Mahathir, 93, was elected a second time to the premiership, becoming the world's oldest leader in the Malaysia's first transition of power between parties since independence from Britain in 1957. BRISBANE, Australia (AP) A whale calf has been freed after becoming tangled in a shark net off the Australian east coast. Experts from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and Sea World Gold Coast worked for almost two hours on Tuesday morning untangling the humpback calf from a net about 500 meters (yards) off Greenmount Beach at Gold Coast city. The nets are suspended from buoys to protect swimmers at Gold Coast beaches from shark attack. "The calf had some superficial wounds form the entanglement, but nothing life threatening, and swam away with its mother when released," Sea World Gold Coast said in a statement. BEIJING (AP) Chinese officials appealed to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday to repair relations they said have been damaged by U.S. tariff hikes and support for Taiwan, as their governments press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. Pompeo said at the start of his talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi that Washington has a "fundamental disagreement" and "great concerns" about Chinese actions and looked forward to discussing them. Reporters were then ushered from the room. The polite but edgy tone underscored the plunge in U.S.-Chinese relations as the administration of President Donald Trump confronts Beijing over its technology policies and territorial claims in the South China Sea. ISLAMABAD (AP) Pakistan's Supreme Court postponed its ruling Monday on the final appeal of a Christian woman who has been on death row since 2010 after being convicted of blasphemy against Islam. The judicial panel listened to Asia Bibi's defense lawyer challenge statements by those who accused her of insulting Islam's prophet, an allegation punishable by death that can incite riots in conservative Pakistan. The three-judge panel, headed by Pakistan's Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, did not say why they reserved their judgment or when they would announce their decision. It ordered everyone present to refrain from commenting on the case, in an apparent attempt to avoid inflaming public opinion. ISLAMABAD (AP) Pakistan says it will seek a bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund to address a mounting balance of payments crisis. Finance Minister Asad Umar said Monday he will hold talks with IMF officials later this month. Analysts say Pakistan hopes to secure $8 billion in loans to avoid an economic meltdown. It also wants fresh loans from China, which has already invested heavily in roads and the energy sector. Washington, which recently suspended military aid to Pakistan over its alleged failure to crack down on the Taliban, has expressed concern about IMF funds being used to repay Chinese loans. PALU, Indonesia (AP) The death toll from the devastating earthquake and tsunami on Indonesia's Sulawesi island neared 2,000 on Monday, but thousands more are believed unaccounted for and officials said search teams plan to stop looking for victims later this week. The official toll hit 1,948, mostly in the hard-hit city of Palu, said Jamaluddin, an official from the disaster task force who uses one name. He corrected the number during a news conference in Jakarta after initially saying it was 1,944. He said a navy ship had docked in the area and opened a field hospital. Willem Rampangilei, head of the National Board for Disaster Management, said there could be as many as 5,000 victims still buried in deep mud in Balaroa and Petobo, two of Palu's hardest-hit neighborhoods. Government urged to implement rights bodys recommendations Stakeholders have called on the government to implement recommendations made by the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) for protecting the rights and safety of migrant workers. The EU is set to table a proposal that would involve checking goods destined for Ireland close to their source, rather than at ports, in a bid to try and avoid a hard border in Ireland and down the Irish sea. According to The Guardian, in a move designed to break the deadlock in Brexit negotiations, the proposed checks "away from the Irish border" and as near as possible to the source could take place across the country and not just at ports such as Holyhead or Liverpool. The proposal might help reduce the concerns of the Democratic Unionist Party regarding a border down the Irish sea that would separate Northern Ireland from the rest of the country. The DUP, whose support is essential for Theresa Mays government, threatened to vote against any Brexit deal that would single out Northern Ireland. This means that if the EUs backstop proposal, that would see Northern Ireland remain aligned with the EU after Brexit, is included in a potential Brexit deal the DUP would withhold its support in Parliament. Another option for the UK would be to remain aligned with the EU in some areas, such as a veterinary agreement that would reduce the need for health checks on food produce. Although until recently the possibility of any sort of alignment with the EU was opposed by Tory Brexiteers, who claimed the government would be acting against the will of the British citizens, it seems that Tory rebels are ready to give the PM some space to manoeuvre. According to the Times, Brexiteers warned the PM on Sunday that she could keep Britain aligned with the EU customs arrangements only until 2022 in a bid to unlock the stalemate in negotiations. If accepted by the EU, this could prove to be a temporary solution to the Irish border issue. The final Brexit deal proposal is set to be unveiled on 15 October, just days ahead of the EU summit on 18 October. Senior EU officials Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker said on Friday they believed a deal was within sight, hopefully as early as 18 October. Nevertheless, the UK government on the other hand, said there remains big issues to work through before a deal is inked. A Downing Street spokesman said on Monday: "It's worth me pointing out that there is a difference between people talking optimistically about a deal and a deal - including both a withdrawal agreement and a future framework - actually being agreed. "There remain big issues to work through and, as the PM has said, this will require movement on the EU side. There can be no withdrawal agreement without a precise future framework, he added. Morgan Stanley does not believe Tullow Oil s shares reflect recent gains in crude, and has upped its price target for the FTSE 250 producer. Analysts argued that with spot prices for benchmark Brent crude currently around $85 a barrel, Tullow could be debt free by the first half of 2022. Tullows current net debt is $3.1bn. In a note to clients dated Monday, Morgan Stanley said current leverage was a high" net debt-to-capital ratio of 55%. "But at current spot prices, this will likely disappear over the next four years, as the company will likely generate strong free cash flow, yielding [more than] 17% on average during the period." Morgan Stanley's analysts acknowledged that $85 over the long term is optimistic. "Our house view on Brent calls for oil prices to increase to $90 per barrel in 2020 but assumes a lower long-term oil price of $70 from 2021. Still, even after using our house view, we arrive at the same conclusion. Africa-focused Tullow said at its half-year results in July that it had produced 88,200 barrels of oil a day during the six months and upgraded its production estimates for the second half. Other factors behind Morgan Stanleys decision to increase its price target, by 9% to 355p, included clearer growth from 2019 onwards, as a number of factors such as production in the TEN field in Ghana ramping up to peak levels start to work in Tullows favour. Morgan Stanley also reiterated its overweight rating on the stock. Vodafone 's dividend is too generous for its operating prospects, said Jefferies, downgrading the mobile operator's shares to 'hold' from 'buy'. Vodafone "is structurally squeezed", Jefferies said, being neither a "national champion" deploying superfast fibre to customers' homes, "nor pay TV leader nor remedy-taking challenger". Jefferies said the "need to focus on debt reduction" means that even a large dividend cut "will not free up resources to invest more into projects that might enhance earnings growth organically" to deal with these structural inadequacies. Dividend cover for the FTSE 100 group hinges on free cash flow growth, but the deal to buy Liberty Global's Continental European assets elevates leverage for "modest" value accretion. Vodafone would require a 40% dividend cut to lower debt leverage to 2.5x by March 2023, analysts said. Even if the company sold its mobile towers this would not be enough, the analysts said, as it would merely replace financial debt with ongoing service fee obligations to the buyer, and potentially allow challenger rivals access to strategic sites. Another concern for the analysts was upcoming 5G spectrum, with the past four auctions including Italy suggesting it could face a cash outlay of 5.0bn in from 2019 to 2021. Commodities were trading on a mixed note at the start of the week with energy in particular in the spotlight. According to Bloomberg, US officials were said to be in talks with countries asking for exemptions from sanctions banning oil purchases from Iran which were set to go into effect on 4 November. In reaction to the news, West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures for prompt month delivery hit an intraday low of $73.07 a barrel on NYMEX and as of 1914 BST were down by 0.26% to $74.15 a barrel on NYMEX. Meanwhile, natural gas futures for November delivery were jumping by 3.82% to $3.26/MmBtu and trading at a 52-week high, amid reports that the EPIC natural gas liquids pipeline would temporarily shift towards carrying crude oil to help alleviate a bottleneck in the Permian basin. Precious metals on the other hand were under pressure as the US dollar gained altitude, with gold on COMEX slipping 1.27% to $1,190.30/oz.. December copper however was up by 0.31% to $2.7715 a pound. In he background, there was some 'market chatter' around speculation that European companies were pressing he US Treasury to dial back on sanctions against Russian aluminium producer Rusal. In the agricultural space, three-month ICE-traded cocoa was adding 3.06% to $2,086 per metric tonne while cotton #2 was up by 1.85% to $0.7751 a pound, although wheat was down by 1.39% at $5.1375 a bushel. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would welcome the UK to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal (TPP) with open arms after Brexit. Speaking in an interview with the Financial Times, the Japanese PM urged the UK government to avoid a no-deal Brexit as the country would lose its role as a gateway to Europe. I truly hope that the negative impact of Brexit to the global economy, including Japanese businesses, will be minimised, Abe said. The TPP is an agreement between 11 Pacific countries including Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Canada, Mexico and Australia. The deal also included the US but President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from the deal. If the UK were to join the TPP it would ensure free-trade deals with a fast-growing part of the global economy. To join, Britain would have to exit the EUs customs union and have the capacity to set its own tariffs. Japan has been a major investor in the UK since the 1980s, with more than 800 Japanese businesses employing more than 100,000 people in the UK. Some Japanese businesses, however, such as Panasonic, have decided to move away from Britain to the continent. The 2018 Nobel Memorial Prize for Economic Sciences has been won by William Nordhaus and Paul Romer for their work on climate change. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel Prizes, said the American duos research into sustainable growth addressed some of our times most basic and pressing questions". It continued: Their findings have significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis by constructing models that explain how the market economy interacts with nature and knowledge. Nordhaus, a pioneer on climate change, was the first person to create a model describing the interplay between the economy and the climate, while Romer demonstrated how economic forces govern innovation by companies. Despite the differences in their work, the Academy said that both macroeconomists were addressing the same long-term global issues. Nordhaus, a professor at Yale University, and Romer, of New York Universitys Stern School of Business, will receive 9m Swedish krona (841,000). The Nobel Prize is regarded as the biggest award in economics, though it was not one of the original endowed by Alfred Nobel. It was created by the Swedish central bank, with the aim of bringing more recognition to the often under-appreciated subject, and first awarded in 1969. At one level, this prize doesn't seem like an obvious combination -- both are somewhat related to modern growth theory, but not in any particularly coordinated or similar fashion. Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) October 8, 2018 But the Nordhaus-Romer pairing makes sense, because they each point to contradictions at the heart of capitalism. It's all about market failure. Left alone, markets will generate too much pollution (Nordhaus) and too few ideas (Romer). Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) October 8, 2018 Established in 2010, Caledonian supplies a range of proprietary equine drugs to practices in New Zealand and Australia. Dechra said the company's range of drugs will enhance its existing portfolio, which includes Osphos, and will establish Dechra as a leading equine pharmaceutical supplier in both Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the deal will enable Dechra to grow its market penetration of equine products in the Asian market. Chief executive officer Ian Page said: "We are pleased to have acquired the trade and assets of Caledonian which will be integrated into our existing Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) businesses. This will enable Dechra to leverage its position in the ANZ equine market." In the year to 30 June 2017, Caledonian generated revenue of NZD3.6m (1.8m). RBC Capital Markets said: "Manufacturing is all outsourced so there is little integration risk and the acquisition itself looks attractive on conventional multiples (EV/Sales of 2.4x and EV/EBIT of 8.8x) adding 0.5m of EBIT in a full year. "We like these small, low-risk acquisitions Dechra can make that i) expand its geographic footprint, ii) diversify growth and iii) could lead to an acceleration in underlying growth rates through adding more to the bag for Dechra (promoting more than one product in this field often has synergistic benefits for other product ranges). At 0937 BST, the shares were up 0.5% to 2,220p. London's FTSE 250 was down 0.97% at 19,725.23 in afternoon trade on Monday. Plastic packaging supplier RPC Group suffered heavy losses as investors fretted about potential suitors Apollo Global Management and Bain Capital's 1700 BST deadline to either announce a firm intention to make an offer for the group or walk away. RPC came out just on the dot of the close to say that discussions were continuing and there was a new deadline of 5 November. It added that revenues of 1.9bn had been generated by continuing operations in the first half of the year, including organic growth of circa 3%. Insurance company Lancashire tumbled after saying it expects to report third-quarter net losses following hits to its marine portfolio and exposure to natural disasters including US hurricane Florence, and Asian typhoons. The company said the marine losses were forecast to be $30m while the natural disaster estimated losses would be $25-45m. "Absent these events, the company would have been profitable for the third quarter. The company also expects to remain profitable for the first 9 months of 2018," said a statement from the company. Following the news, broker Numis reiterated its 'buy' stance on the company's shares and target price of 765p, though reduced its full-year profit before tax outlook by $52m to $81m and its dividend forecast from 46p to 28p. "We consider the spate of Q3 losses to be an unusual cluster of events that may add upwards pressure on rates in certain segments such as marine insurance. We remain positive on the shares based on stable to improving underwriting conditions and emerging growth opportunities," said the broker. Fellow insurers Beazley and Hastings were also among the fallers, with the latter also downgraded to 'reduce' at Investec. The big riser in Monday afternoon trading was Vivo Energy, a downstream petroleum company which is behind the Shell brand in Africa, despite oil prices waning as Washington said it may grant waivers to sanctions against Irans oil exports next month. Mediclinic was on the rise after being upgraded to 'buy' by Investec, who also dropped their target price for the company's shares from 592p to 490p. Investec argued that the company should recover from a period marred by NHS cost constraints and a mild winter slowing down Mediclinic's operations in South Africa. "We believe consensus now reflects the risks in Switzerland and see opportunity for upgrades if the UAE recovery gathers momentum. We upgrade to Buy ahead of the H1 trading update on 17 October, but caution that seasonality in Switzerland and the UAE, combined with the recent opening of Parkview Hospital in Dubai, will yield a stronger H2 versus H1," said a not from Investec. Assura continued its rise from Friday, when the real estate investment trust was up after reporting completion of a further three acquisitions for 50m, taking its total spend for the year to 158m. TalkTalk crept up as rival telecoms firm Vodafone was cut to 'hold' at Jefferies, with the broker stating that Vodafone is losing out having been neither a "national champion" of deploying superfast fibre to customers homes, "nor pay TV leader nor remedy-taking challenger". TI Fluid fell among worldwide concern among car parts manufacturers about a looming 25% blanket tariff from Washington. Market Movers FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,725.23 -0.97% FTSE 250 - Risers Vivo Energy (VVO) 124.04p 4.94% Fisher (James) & Sons (FSJ) 1,884.00p 3.63% Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (MLC) 526.00p 3.14% AA (AA.) 100.35p 2.71% Clarkson (CKN) 2,825.00p 2.54% Greencore Group (GNC) 204.30p 2.18% Mediclinic International (MDC) 453.10p 2.12% Stobart Group Ltd. (STOB) 241.00p 1.90% Assura (AGR) 55.62p 1.50% TalkTalk Telecom Group (TALK) 115.50p 1.49% FTSE 250 - Fallers TI Fluid Systems (TIFS) 219.80p -8.42% Electrocomponents (ECM) 694.60p -5.63% RPC Group (RPC) 771.00p -5.24% Lancashire Holdings Limited (LRE) 557.50p -5.03% Cranswick (CWK) 3,210.00p -4.86% RHI Magnesita N.V. (DI) (RHIM) 4,190.00p -4.77% Beazley (BEZ) 555.50p -4.06% Computacenter (CCC) 1,256.00p -3.98% Hastings Group Holdings (HSTG) 238.20p -3.95% Rotork (ROR) 316.75p -3.90% Mobile app for blood transfusion Blood for Rolpa, a mobile app, has come into operation with the objective to meet the blood demand in Rolpa district. Melania Trump wore a pith helmet in Kenya, Africa. Pith helmet reactions came on Twitter over what was a wardrobe malfunction in the "what to pack" stage of her trip. The only people who say "T.I.A" (This is Africa) are film stars in diamond movies and far-from-home expats. And mostly, the only white people who wear pith helmets in Africa are tourists heading for the world-famous Serengeti. One would have thought that those people who advise the First Lady, would have suggested the pith helmet get pitched in the bin where it belongs. Cringeworthy colonial clothing The history of the pith helmet is mistakenly identified as something that came from Britain to Africa. In fact, the Closet Historian notes that "the pith helmet was used by all European colonial powers, and for some time even by the United States." While the British did wear them in Africa, they and other countries like Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and France also used them as standard issue for Commonwealth troops across Africa and Asia. The ungainly looking headgear that was clearly associated with the subjugation of indigenous people faded away after the Europeans abandoned their colonial "assets." Civilians in colonial Africa wore them to keep off the sun while they watched over the workers in plantations and on ranches. Thankfully, outside of the military, they practically disappeared by the 1980s. Notably, though, Zimbabwe and some other units in Africa's military haul them out for ceremonial occasions. Why does it look hilarious when Melania Trump wears a pith helmet in Kenya, but not so funny when the Opening of Parliment in Zimbabwe escort still wears them? pic.twitter.com/DOq84QfvaO Jane Flowers (@zimkwacha) October 8, 2018 The cringeworthy aspects of wearing pith helmets are rooted in the fact that a), they are so old-fashioned, and b), people of all races who live in Africa in the year 2018 are well aware of the historical implications of white people wearing them. Discuss this news on Eunomia Over on Twitter, that issue was addressed very quickly. Screaming @ Melania serving couture Mrs. Cecil Rhodes on her trip to the continent pic.twitter.com/AGfkjXPvdY zoe samudzi (@ztsamudzi) October 7, 2018 Twitter comments on Melania Trump's helmet choice Melania Trump was a model once, and her trip to Africa seems to have brought an opportunity for the ramrod posture and stiff-face of the runway. Cool, clean and crisp whites are ideal for Africa, but that headgear brought reactions of hilarity and horror. @Afrisimi wrote, "Hate these types... Whether it's social obliviousness or "appreciation of colonial culture" it's blatant that the purpose for being anywhere in Africa with that attire signals your true intent for being there. Reminds me of the safari tourists in Arusha, Tanzania." Meanwhile, the "embarrassed for you lol factor" was pointed out by @lolacocacola34, who wrote, "Cecil Rhodes though? I am beyond dead lol (laughing emoji.)" That was in reply to another Twitter user who posted, "omg mrs cecil rhodes." Another commenter just had a long row of laughing faces. One person did like the outfit but their profile describes them as a "baffled Canadian." Politics applauding insensitive and cringeworthy clothing, perhaps. What do you think of Melania dressing up in a pith helmet in Africa? Was she ill-advised by US Ambassadors? Do you think it's a cultural insult to Africa, or just Melania Trump doing the cringeworthy tourist to Africa thing? When a veteran Hollywood actor like Clint Eastwood decides to direct a movie and also play the leading role in it, the occasion becomes a memorable one for all those involved in it. The movie is The Mule where Clint portrays the role of Leo Sharp, a drug mule attached to a leading drug cartel in Mexico. Leo was a WWII veteran who used to move cocaine for the Sinaloa cartel and was arrested in 2011. He was 87 at the time. Hot New Hip Hop reports that the movie is based on a true story and will be the latest screen appearance for Clint Eastwood. He will have along with him Bradley Cooper who worked with him in the 2014 war drama American Sniper. The first trailer for Clint Eastwoods THE MULE has been officially released. (Source: @TheMuleFilm) pic.twitter.com/6aeffAu4IT DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 4, 2018 The movie has its emotional moments In The Mule, Clint Eastwood is pitted against a DEA agent played by Bradley Cooper. A trailer has already been released. In it, the drug mule laments about the failures in his life and his desire to do one last job before calling it a day. In one of the scenes, his vehicle is seen pulled to the side of the road. The boot is loaded with the contraband, and when Clint sees an officer approaching, he tries to hide the cocaine. However, a dog enters the scene and spoils the show. Clint Eastwood is a versatile actor right from his days of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" (1967) to Dirty Harry" (1971). Those were action Movies of the past where the viewer could relate to the happenings around him. The actions were not generated through computer graphics but were real-action that the actors engaged in. Discuss this news on Eunomia Clints movies have always stood apart in the crowd and he has left a deep impression on his audience. The Mule is expected to be another movie that will bear his unique stamp. This could be Clints last movie as an actor According to IndieWire, The Mule is a Warner Bros. production and they announced that Clint Eastwood will direct it. The tentative release date is December 14, 2018, and it will be Clints second directing project of the year. The previous one was The 15:17 to Paris which was about a terror plot on a train. Anyway, The Mule will bring the 88-year-old Clint Eastwood back into the limelight. Mexican drug cartels are known to be ruthless and Leo Sharp had linked up with one of them. Others in the movie are Bradley Cooper, Dianne Wiest, and Michael Pena Incidentally, Clints last movie as an actor was Trouble With the Curve in 2012 and the last time he played a lead role was Gran Torino in 2008. His current movie could be his last as an actor. NC takes exception to govt decision to award Budhi Gandaki project to Gezhouba The main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC) has raised objection to the governments decision to award the construction of Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project to Chinese company Gezhouba Group. by Gerald Dworkin I am finishing the six months a year that I live in California. While here I have been working on the campaign, led by an organization called Compassion and Choices, to get a bill passed by the California legislatureSB128. This is a bill to allow medically-assisted dying in the state of California. It is modeled on the measure passed by referendum in Oregon in 1994 by 51% of the voters. A legal injunction halted implementation of that law until 1997 when the Ninth Circuit lifted the injunction. In 1992 Californians rejected a referendum legalising assisted-dying, and the legislature has rejected similar bills four times. Some form of medically assisted-dying is now legal in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont , and one county of New Mexico. This latter reminds me of Woody Allens view on the existence of God. He exists everywhere except in certain parts of New Jersey. The methods of legalization differed from state to state. Oregon was by referendum. Montana was a Supreme Court ruling. Vermont was by statute. Washingtons ballot initiative passed by 58% of the voters. My own interest in these issues has been long-standing. In 1998 I wrote, together with two other philosophers, a book called Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide. Two of us argued for its moral and legal permissibility; one against. I should note that the use of the term Physician-assisted suicide is now politically incorrect, for tactical reasons. I understand that the popular prejudice against suicide makes it more difficult to rally support for the bills I favor. And even some potential users of such measures object to their death-certificate reading suicide. But to list the cause of death, as many such bills do, as the underlying disease process seems to me simply a lie. What caused the person diagnosed with terminal cancer to die now, rather than somewhat later, is the secobarbital the patient took. But learning to keep silent about such terminological matters was only one of many lessons I had to learn. I continued to write on this and similar topicsone being the question of whether doctors ought to participate in lethal executionsover the years. But the closest I had come to being politically active was when I provided testimony to the British House of Lords when they were considering legalization. They did not pass such a bill but a similar measure is now before the House and is scheduled for a second Reading in July. Having attended two of the committee hearingsJudiciary and Appropriations both of which approved the bill, published an op-ed in the Sacramento Bee, gathered signatures at the local Farmers Market, and lobbied legislators I am fairly optimistic that this time the bill will pass. The most heartening news was that this week the California Medical Association became the first in the country to drop its opposition to such a bill. Not actually come out in favorthat would be much to expect but adopting a position of neutrality. Part of the quid pro quo , i.e. amendments to the bill, was that in addition to doctors not having to participate in such assisted-dying (this was, of course, already in the bill) they would not have to inform patients of the existence of such a possibility, nor to have to refer them to another doctor. But, lamentably, such compromises were not enough for the two physicians organizations which have most contact with dying patientsthe Association of Northern California Oncologists and the Medical Oncology Association of Southern California. They continued their opposition. One of the more interesting experiences I had was to talk to the lobbyists hired by Compassion and Choice. When I naively inquired why it was necessary to hire multiple lobbying firms the answer was that some of these are friendly with Republican legislators and some with Democratic. In addition, they provided me with a lot of useful information for specific legislators about what kinds of arguments to use. This guy doesnt want ethical arguments. All he wants is liability protection. Stress the fact that legalising this bill makes his protection from liability more firm than under the status quo. This one is in favor of keeping this in the 'grey area', i.e. let us do this our way when necessaryincreasing the morphine. Dont ask, Dont tell. I realized I was not in Athens anymore. Although there are clearly local factors that have made a difference in California the Brittany Maynard case being the most obvious it appears that we are in the middle of a major shift in legal policy with respect to medically-assisted dying. The CMA decision is clearly indicative. But in recent months we have seen a number of important indicators. In February the Supreme Court of Canada struck down laws banning physician-assisted suicide. It was a unanimous decision which reversed their 22 year old decision which upheld such laws. The Court held that The prohibition on physician-assisted dying infringes the right to life, liberty and security of the person in a manner that is not in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice, adding that an absolute ban was not needed to ensure that vulnerable people are not coerced to commit suicide at a time of weakness. This followed the August decision of the Canadian Medical Association to alter long-established opposition to doctors assisting in suicides. Its new policy allows physicians, within the bounds of laws, to follow their conscience when deciding whether to provide medical aid in dying. As with the Brittany Maynard case a video made a major impression in Canada. Gillian Bennett, the wife of philosopher Jonathan Bennett, delivered a passionate case for ending her life before having to suffer the indignities of full dementia. Recently a major story in the New York Times Magazine detailed a similar case. Ironically, since the requirements of all the assisted-dying laws require that the patient be competent to make the request of lethal medication, and to take it herself, this patient had to end her life some time before her condition became intolerable. Patients at an early stage of dementia are denied one of the main advantages of assisted-dying laws, i.e. that they can go on living knowing they have the possibility of ending their life if it becomes intolerable. It is significant that about 30% of the Oregon patients who request the medication never use it. In Massachusetts, where a 2012 initiative was defeated by a 51-49% margin, a recent poll by the Boston Globe showed 65% of the voters now favoring it. In New Jersey a bill has passed the House and a vote in the Senate is expected soon. If my expectations are correct, then we will soon be living in a society, like Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands in which assisted-dying will be legally permissible. For those who live in jurisdictions that have not done so it is essential that they know that they have a legal right to refuse food and hydration, and that such a death is not a difficult one. But, for better or worse, the return to philosophical reflection will not end. There are many ethical and legal questions that remain alive and well. Why require terminal illness? What about diseases which are not fatal but cause enduring and terrible suffering. For example, locked-in state where the only parts of your body you can move are your eyelids. Why not allow assisted-dying for any incurable, irremediable disease or medical condition that the patient experiences as incompatible with her fundamental values? What about patients who cannot take the medication by themselves because they cannot swallow, or cannot put the pill in their mouth? Is there a principled distinction between assisted-suicide and euthanasia when both are requested by a competent patient? How do we handle the situation of patients with dementia who know they are progressing to a stage when they will not be competent to make the request? We currently allow advance directives to specify that under certain conditions no food or water should be given a patient. But, with incompetent patients the conditions of assisted-dying cannot be met. The only possibility would be euthanasia when specified by a competent patient as part of an advanced-directive. How should we think about depression in patients with terminal illness? Should we require that one of the physicians certifying competence be a psychiatrist? Etc. by Lexi Lerner Like twins, light and heat are born from the same flame. Each has an attractive and destructive force. For light, its illumination and blindness. For heat, warmth and burning. What you experience when you approach a flame is a matter of proximity and duration. How long will you keep your eyes there, keep your hand there? To be a guest in this house means to know your place. Yet like moths, we cannot help but be drawn in. It sounds hedonistic, but oftentimes its sacrificial, to throw ourselves so passionately at what can enlighten or smite us. Perhaps self-indulgence and self-sacrifice are of the same coin. Perhaps we transgress what nature warns us because its what our nature instructs us to do. Maybe we dream of limitlessness, to benefit ourselves or others. The sun spots, the burn blisters, melanoma down the line mere slaps on the wrist, limitations of our anatomy. We need not be bound by that! We watch Icarus drown even chide him while hes sinking and continue to play with fire. Its an endearing foolishness. The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer established what we call today the porcupine dilemma: we want to huddle closely in winter, but cant because of our quills. Its frankly a miracle that on an interpersonal level we still attempt to fan each others inner flames, even with the risk of getting singed. Or that we cuddle at night when theres nails and fists and teeth and kitchen knives and drawer guns and just the right words to end each other in a heartbeat. But thats the point, isnt it? That all that is possible and yet we still. It wouldnt be worth it if it werent really worth it. I also say it like I know better than to approach the godly lantern. Ive heard countless stories of seekers losing parts of themselves in the process: Icarus, his wings; the Elric brothers, their bodies; or so many others, their minds. And recovery isnt a rewind. But I dont know better. Because its not just about light or heat, of course. Its that the burning of the wax around the wick isnt only on the table. Its also inside us, consuming and fueling us. And that common metabolism is the fatal attraction. Its what we crave in each other. The burning that reminds us why were alive. A fellow writer here, Leanne Ogasawara, recently elaborated on a concept from Japanese tearooms, ichi-go ichi-e (), which I learned as one moment, one experience: Life is, after all, constantly shuffling the deck, and each and every tea gathering was precious and unique; a once in a life time combination of people, utensils and experiences [I]t was all a unique moment. A heightened moment. A perfect unfolding of now.[1] How do you reckon with the anxiety that accompanies that knowledge that sacredness arises from unrepeatability? This is your life and its ending one minute at a time.[2] Once I read a short story about a man who, every waking hour, involuntarily destroyed everything outside his field of vision. Whenever he looked away from something, everything there died: quickly, violently, and completely. Buildings dismantled, bodies extinguished, blades of grass atomically exploded. If the man glanced over his shoulder, hed see for just a moment the wrecked world rebuilding into its exact same structures. The buildings would then appear fine, but the sentient beings would be shaken. Too terrified to weep. Looking around like they were gasping for air with their eyes. Like they had lost something they could feel but not say. It became normal and he became numb.[3] One day the man meets a woman in a bar. He doesnt take his eyes off her as they go to bed that night. Almost a year later, a baby presents itself on his doorstep. The man tries to stay awake as long as possible so as not to kill the baby. But when he falls asleep, the baby of course dies. Every night. A new baby reappears (regenerates?) each morning on the mans doorstep. He is not sure if its the same baby being rebuilt each time. So there is always a risk that he keeps accidentally killing his child. He decides on one last baby for whom he will make all sacrifice. The man stays awake for six days straight before his body gives out permanently.[4] Sure, there are some holes in the storys logic. But I cannot shake his bloodshot eyes fixed on that bundle that contained everything that ever mattered to him. If anything caused his glance to shift a loud noise, a slight distraction, a bug on the face the fragile reality he held in his arms would disappear irrecoverably. What stories can do, I guess, is make things present. I can look at things I never looked at. I can attach faces to grief and love and pity and God. I can be brave. I can make myself feel again.[5] Id call it a nightmare but I wasnt asleep: A willow tree over the world. Weeping. Millions of swords hanging, swinging by the temptation of fateful wind: a force which destabilizes, which passes fate into the greedy hold of gravity, making each sword more likely to fall. It will surely kill, it will possibly kill, or perhaps it merely hangs, poised and ready, over the head of the creature it can kill, at any moment, which is to say at every moment.[6] Yet we lounge in its shade. Call it beautiful. Take pictures. Picnic. Copulate on the soft lawn beneath its umbra. Light, movement in the foliage, an interplay of general, changing impressions that developed through detailed transitions.[7] The chanceness of what (be)falls. The world is always and decisively ending. I ask Google what the dangling swords of willows are called. It does not tell me. Instead People also ask: Are willow trees strong? How big do they grow? How long do they live for? There is something very different about the willow than the cherry blossom. The willow cries yet we delight. The cherry blossom delights and yet we cry. Mono no aware () the pathos of things. Perhaps all men, by the very act of being born, are destined to suffer[8] Pathos, pathology and empathy are all born from the same root. A 32-year-old died in an apartment fire four years ago. She was supposedly asleep when it happened, and it was supposedly the smoke, not the flame. She had been fighting with her landlord and was slated to leave the building at the end of the year. She wasnt slated to die from faulty electrical. Frankly, it was a lame deus ex machina to extinguish a person who had wrestled with anorexia nervosa for so long. I imagine she herself would dryly joke that the system was rigged. She was prideful, some might say, or proud, she would say. But maybe not. My smile is detached; it is part of my job, but I do not join the mirth I weave a tapestry.[9] I had to feel close to her from afar. Weve spoken more in her afterlife than we did before then. Family holidays never seemed like the right place to have the conversation we were meant to have. And I wasnt ready. The closest I came was in our last exchange, in which I told her I was accepted to university. She told me to believe in myself. Youll kill it. It carried a certain swagger. At least I think. I dont remember the words well enough to quote more or describe further. But I remember looking up to her physically too, since she was almost two feet taller than I was and feeling blessed to have similar blood in our veins. She was fascinated with the pseudo-word incapitated. Like we were all born decapitated chickens and it was time to sew our heads back on. Incapitated. She even wrote a book with that title. I tried to read it as a tween but wasnt ready for its self-description as a psychologically twisted erotic thriller. The books timeline starts when shes 22, the same age I am now. Its clearly autobiographical but she only reveals the protagonists identity as her own on the last page. The rest is written in third person, perhaps to be shoddily mysterious, perhaps to expose her truth at an oblique angle. But her choice to give thinly veiled name changes, often keeping the first letter of the persons name its clearly linked to, led to many hissed whispers of selfish, self-indulgent, malicious. Incapitated. Was it control she sought? Wisdom? What did it mean to her, having ones head on right? She deserved better than an apartment fire. She, not the flame, deserved to be spectacular. Three months ago, I wrote a poem about seeing her her doppelganger, really walk into a pizza parlor and sit with me. We talked for a while. you told me about how bile burns but nothing hurts quite like loneliness whisking a finger through the tea candles flame told me you would sacrifice a lot for warmth That was the last stanza. It might be over soon (two, two) Where you gonna look for confirmation? And if its ever gonna happen Within a rise there lies a scission It might be over soon[10] 22 stands for [the songwriter]. The numbers recurrence in his life has become a meaningful pattern through encounter and recognition The reflection of 2 is his identity bound up in duality: the relationship he has with himself and the relationship he has with the rest of the world.[11] I feel like a child sitting here. Yet there are spider veins creeping up my ankles. Cellulose congealing my thighs. Two gray hairs on my head. Cavernous pores, flabby arms, pudgy belly, decaying vision, receding hearing. Constantly checking my wrist for the time. Both times up and its not time yet. I still dont know enough. Ask questions. Change my mind. Read and reread. Dont sleep. Try. Pray. Learn. Fret. Ache. Burn. The Tower, the sixteenth Major Arcana card in tarot, is a tragedy to pull. A lightening bolt arrow strikes the monoliths crown off its head. Two people plunge from the windows; they wont land on their feet. Only flames and lightening illuminate the night. This is a card that follows a few after Death (number XIII) and emerges right before the bright celestial bodies (the Star, Moon, Sun XVII through XIX.) It is the darkest depth and most cataclysmic time-splitter of the 78-card series. There is no consensus on how to read the Rider-Waite-Smith deck upside down, however. Is a cards meaning weakened, negated, soured, sweetened, slowed, inverted? In the Reversed Tower, the two people ascend to a ceiling of solid ground, arms upstretched angelically.[12] Gravity swoops them out of electric danger. The flames of hell lick their heels, but these sinners-turned-saints keep floating. They still look blankly unhappy, frightened. The crown remains knocked off its monolith. The tower burns. Reversed or upright, the Tower never comes along without good reason.[13] And staring at the Tower, I cant help but think at least they have each other. Between the two worlds he was suspended One eye was opened wider than the other. The left eye delved narrowly into the past while the right gazed wide and affrighted into a future of blackness, error, and ruin. And he was suspended between radiance and darkness.[14] The nature of this darkness is a lack of coping, a split within the individual that makes for many difficulties,[15] for the bifurcated man who has one eye on the future and one on the past, the present is out of focus. He belongs in every time but this one, in every reality realer than what is here at hand. I heard about a doctor who was disappointed with his residents; so one day he brought them into a hospital ward and locked them in as patients for a week. You cant be a good doctor if youve never been a patient, he said. I agree: the best doctor is a bifurcated one, an amphibious one, whos experienced both the wisdom of pain and the innocence of health, whos communed with the harbingers of death and life. The new phase and the old phase exist simultaneously in him, and together they render him an experienced psychologist, a keeper of his brothers conscience.[16] The word duality is exactly one word. But bifurcation requires a person whos whole to balance on the edge of a knife. Can he handle it? Or will he slip? A Rinzai master once instructed that breathing is not a cycle of inhalation and exhalation, but rather one prolonged exhalation that keeps turning over on itself, like a leaf flipping along a road, or a wind spinner.[17] Are we fish hypothesizing that water isnt the only thing, even if weve never experienced an air bubble or an oil droplet? Is it futile to think there is anything else beside this? And if, as fish, we find ourselves not just swimming but swimming in water, will we drown? Then suddenly he felt a quickening in him For in a swift radiance of illumination he saw a glimpse of human struggle and of valour. Of the endless fluid passage of humanity through endless time A long, curved band of color stretched endlessly in either direction [the people] were living at the very moment with great emotion, in intricate detail, in their individual times and places, and they were dying and being replaced by ever more people, one by one, like stitches in which whole worlds of feeling and energy were wrapped, in a never-ending cloth.[18] His soul expanded. But for a moment only.[19] There seems to be a danger that the very thing whose value we have undertaken to assess may slip completely through our fingers.[20] A scuba diver at 30 meters underwater may have 45 minutes of oxygen. At 60 meters, 25 minutes. At 100 meters, barely 7 minutes. In writing this, how long do I have before the bush burns and blinds me, before the flame singes my wings or takes my body or mind, before exploring heights or depths causes me to black out The true sin is forgetting.[21] A woman is crying but forgets why. A man looks at the television, but a buzzer implanted in his skull goes off, painfully wrenching him from thought. The death of their son is being broadcast on the news. But, matherogod, was he a sensible man or was he not? And how could this terror throttle him like this when he didnt even know what caused it? And would he just stand here like a jittery ninny or would he pull himself together and be reasonable? For after all was he a sensible man or was he not?[22] Sharply he turned away.[23] That was a doozy.[24] And thus everything is in order. He is past the crisis,[25] feeling better right as rain.[26] Once you told me that when you gained awareness of your own breath, you couldnt breathe involuntarily anymore. You had to forget it to stay alive. Yet to tell me that story, you had to remember a little bit. Just enough to remember that you were supposed to forget it. Sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt.[27] She watched the willow tree caress the wind. Her tears were in front of her eyes. The only thing preventing them from spilling down her cheeks was waters cohesive property. But cohesion causes tension. She changed the subject. This is distraction, I said. No, she responded. Thats the point. [1] Leanne Ogasawara, Report From Salzburg, 3 Quarks Daily, 2018 [2] Fight Club, 1999 [3] Shep Jones, When I Turn Around You Will Be Gone, 2015 [4] Jones [5] Tim OBrien, The Things They Carried, 1990 [6] Simone Weil, The Iliad, or the Poem of Force, 1965 [7] Ernst Junger, Eumeswil, 1977 [8] Weil [9] Junger [10] Bon Iver, 22 (Over Sn), 2016 [11] Commentary by Trever Hagen, Bon Ivers friend [12] The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything, 1982 [13] David Cady, Change You Cant Avoid, 2016 [14] Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, 1940 [15] Czesaw Miosz, The Pill of Murti-Bing, The Captive Mind, 1951 [16] Miosz [17] The alternation of day and night Who can enumerate all the blessings we enjoy? Augustine, The City of God, 426 CE [18] Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, 1974 [19] McCullers [20] Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams, 1899 [21] Eliade [22] McCullers [23] McCullers [24] Kurt Vonnegut, Harrison Bergeron, 1961 [25] Miosz [26] The Matrix, 1999 [27] Virgil, Aenid, 29-19 BCE Nurses stage symbolic protest against rape, murder of Nirmala Panta (In photos) Youth Nurse Federation, Nepal on Monday organised a protest programme at Maitighar Mandala in the Capital demanding justice for Nirmala Panta, who was raped and murdered in Kanchanpur. by Jalees Rehman How should social media platforms address hate speech and abusive comments while also maintaining a commitment to freedom of expression? The platform Twitter, for example, evaluates whether posts by individual users constitute abusive behavior, which it defines as an attempt to harass, intimidate, or silence someone elses voice. Twitters rationale is that promoting dialogue and freedom of expression requires that all of its users need to feel safe in order to express their opinions, and that abusive posts by some users may undermine the safety of others. If users engage in abusive behavior, they may be asked to remove offensive posts, and if there is a pattern of recurring abusive posts, the offenders may be temporarily or permanently suspended. This rationale sounds quite straightforward, especially when a user specifically threatens or incites violence against other individuals. However, if the offenders post hateful comments denigrating members of a gender, race, sexual orientation or religion without specifically threatening individuals, then it becomes challenging to demonstrate that the victims of such hate speech are less safe. What is the impact of hate speech? Researchers have begun to address this important question and their results highlight the dangers of unfettered hate speech. Dr. Wiktor Soral from the University of Warsaw in Poland and his colleagues recently conducted multiple studies to investigate the impact of hate speech on shaping prejudice and published their findings in the paper Exposure to hate speech increases prejudice through desensitization. In the first study, the researchers examined the views of adult Poles (computer assisted face-to-face interviews of 1,007 participants, mean age 46 years) in regards to prejudice against Muslims and members of the LGBT community because both of these groups are frequently targeted by hate speech in Poland. Participants were first given a list of anti-Muslim and anti-LGBT hate speech examples such as I am sorry, but gay people make me feel disgusted or Muslims are stinky cowards, they can only murder women, children and innocent people. The researchers were asked to rate these statements on a scale of 1 to 7, from Not at all offensive (1) or Strongly offensive (7). The researchers then asked the participants how often they heard anti-LGBT and anti-Muslim hate speech. Lastly, the researchers then assessed the prejudice level of the participants by asking them to rate whether they would (or would not) accept a member of the Muslim or LGBT communities as a co-worker, a neighbor, or as part of their family. The researchers found that participants who were more frequently exposed to hate speech against minorities, had a higher likelihood of exhibiting anti-Muslim or anti-LGBT prejudice. Interestingly, the analysis of their data suggested that this increase in prejudice was linked to a lower sensitivity towards assessing the hate speech examples as offensive. Soral and colleagues interpreted this as a desensitization process. If one gets inundated with hateful comments against minorities, one no longer perceives them as offensive and this ultimately leads to an increase in prejudice targeting minorities. The research team then undertook a second study in a different group of participants (682 Polish adolescents, ages 16-18) and expanded their focus to include anti-immigrant and anti-refugee prejudice. The set-up of the study was quite similar to the prior study in the older participants but the hate speech examples provided to the participants included specific comments targeting refugees such as Let the refugees arrive to our country. What else will you burn in power plants? The rest of them you can always redo into dog food. The assessment of prejudice was expanded to specifically ask whether the participants endorsed anti-immigrant policies such as Due to the refugee crisis, the government should allow uniformed services to use direct coercion and violence against refugees. As in the prior study, the participants who exhibited the most prejudice were most likely to be regularly exposed to hate speech and they were also least likely to consider hate speech as being offensive. This again supported the notion of desensitization, however, as with the other study, it was difficult to draw definitive causal inferences. Did the regular exposure to hateful comments lead to desensitization and more prejudice? Or are individuals with greater anti-minority prejudice more likely to seek out hate speech comments? To definitely establish a cause-effect relationship between exposure to hate speech and its impact on prejudice, the researchers then conducted an experimental intervention. They studied 76 Polish undergraduate students who were told they were participating in a study on web design and memory. Unbeknownst to them, they were divided into two groups, and each group was given multiple pages of online comments to read (approximately 6 minutes of reading) that mimicked comments one would find on social media. The control group participants read general political or societal comments such as the further we will keep that state from our homemade windmills and panels, the better. First it was to supplement and then the horrendous taxes. The other group read hateful comments targeting Muslims, LGBT community members as well as other minorities which are commonly targeted in Poland such as Jews, Gypsies and Ukrainians such as I still think that the gypsies are thieves and sluts, members of the mafia and organized crime in theft and begging. The researchers then assessed the level of prejudice in the participants and their assessment of how offensive they would classify hate speech comments. The findings were quite remarkable. Just a few minutes of reading hateful comments increased the prejudice levels in the group which read the hateful online comments and it also decreased their assessment of how offensive the comments when compared to the group which read neutral political comments. When the researchers analyzed their data in a manner correcting for the sensitivity to hate speech, they no longer found a difference in the prejudice level, thus suggesting that the increase in prejudice was indeed related to decreased sensitivity. The experiment with the students exposed to standard versus hateful comments is the most interesting experiment conducted by the researchers because it suggests that a brief, well-defined intervention (exposure to online comments) can indeed alter sensitivity and prejudice. A limitation of the data presented is that it was not clear whether reading hateful comments targeting any one group would also increase prejudice against other minorities. It is very likely that the sample size of participants would need to be much higher in order to perform such an in-depth analysis. Another limitation of the study is that the observed effects on prejudice and sensitivity towards hate speech were statistically significant but quite modest in size. However, considering that this was such a brief exposure to hateful comments, it is not a surprise that the effects were not that large in magnitude. A study with repeated exposure to hateful comments over time may have resulted in even greater desensitization and increase in prejudice, and such a study would approximate the real world situation where one is repeatedly exposed to hateful comments. The research by Soral and colleagues on hate speech desensitization should sensitize us about the dangers of hate speech. The omnipresence of social media provides immense opportunities to those who want to engage in hate speech. If the desensitization theory holds true, then extremist political and religious groups can bring about a change in their audiences perception of what is hateful by repeatedly broadcasting hateful messages until they represent a new normal, and increase prejudice against minorities. Freedom of expression is a value that many of us cherish but we also need to be aware of how are minds can be manipulated by those who abuse this freedom. Reference Soral, W., Bilewicz, M., & Winiewski, M. (2017). Exposure to hate speech increases prejudice through desensitization. Aggressive Behavior, 44(2), 136-146. by Thomas Manuel According to Oxfam, 82 percent of the wealth generated last year went to the richest one percent of the global population, while 3.7 billion people that account for the poorest half of the world saw no increase in their wealth. In the US, the top 1% of families own more wealth than the bottom 95%. In India, 73% of the wealth generated in 2017 went to the richest 1% while the bottom 50% got a measly 1% of that wealth. To combat these inequalities, well have to upend or at least leverage the fundamental logic at the heart of capitalism that wealth breeds greater wealth so that it works for the benefit of the poor. One proposed solution that is gaining some mainstream attention is the idea of social wealth funds. Social wealth funds are essentially publicly-owned financial funds that hold income-generating assets and use the returns for the welfare of all. They offer one way of socializing and redistributing wealth. Probably the most famous and most ambitious proposal for social wealth fund is the one commonly called the Meidner Plan. Implemented in the 1980s, these funds were called wage-earner funds and were an attempt to create a system that would slowly transfer ownership of companies from their shareholders to their employees. It worked by mandating that large firms had to issue new shares worth 20% of the annual profit to these wage-earner funds which were maintained by trade unions. This stock could not be sold and the dividend from these stocks would be reinvested into more stock. As per the original estimate, the majority of the ownership of Swedish companies could pass to employees within 25 years. But while the Meidner Plan was tried out, a successive government shut it down. In his paper for the Peoples Policy Project, Matt Bruenig argues for the institution of a new social wealth fund in the US, using two modern examples: the Alaska Permanent Fund and Norways two Government Pension Funds. Bruenig writes this about the latter: Adding up all of the wealth collectively owned through the Norwegian state produces some truly staggering figures the Norwegian central government owned assets equal to 271 percent of the countrys GDP in 2016 The SOEs, gpf-Norway, and other local government funds combine to own a little more than one-third of all the equity listed on the Oslo stock exchange. This level of ownership is nearly 5 what the Meidner plan achieved before it was halted. Norways government pension funds are operated extremely efficiently, earn respectable rates of profit and essentially they just work. The Alaska Permanent Fund is also interesting. Funded by taxes on gasoline extraction, the Fund invests its receipts in a portfolio of income-generating investments and every year, pays out an annual dividend to every single citizen of the state. In 2017, Alaskas government paid out a dividend of $1,100 to 629,859 citizens In prior years, the dividend went as high as $2,072, or $8,288 for a family of four. Citing several studies, Bruenig argues that the fund has led to lower inequality, reduced poverty, did not lead to increased unemployment and, most of all, Alaskans love it. In India, there are a number of programmes that bear varying degrees of similarity to these social wealth funds. The Goencha Mati Permanent Fund proposed by the Goa Foundation in 2014 was extremely similar, in motivation at least, to the Alaska Permanent Fund. Other interesting examples would be the various state welfare funds formed under the Buildings and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996. These funds collect a cess of about 1% of the construction cost from every builder whose project is large enough to qualify. The collected monies are then distributed to construction workers in the form of a number of welfare benefits. These vary from state to state but include medical expenses, accident relief, marriage and funeral costs and so on. But the problem is that these funds never get disbursed. As of July 2017, almost 30,000 crore rupees remained unspent across these various welfare boards. Thats 5 billion dollars a lot of money. As of 2015, more than 2 crore workers had registered with these boards -though this might represent only 40% of the actual number of construction workers in the country. The National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Labour (NCC-CL) has been doing great work investigating the various ways the welfare boards fails their constituents. The NCC_CL has calculated that the average amount collected per worker per year is less than 500 Rs. This appears to be 1/8th of what wouldve been collected if the cess was implemented perfectly, implying the vast majority of construction projects are evading it. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour is reported to have been astonished to note that no efforts have been made to compare the collected Cess figure with the total construction activities carried out in respective States. The NCC-CL have also conducted a social audit of the Delhi welfare board that show that legitimate claimants find it hard to access these benefits while cronyism thrives. While these problems of implementation plague every single welfare programme in India, the failure of the construction welfare boards to fulfil their primary purpose the disbursal of welfare has surprisingly not led to any discussion of radical reform. The Indian government is currently drafting a new model welfare scheme for construction workers but the proposals seem to be uninteresting except for the fact that online registration of workers has been made compulsory. While this is reportedly done to ensure better delivery of services, its hard to see how it would solve the fundamental problem. The fact that the onus is on the worker to claim their benefit from the welfare board (instead of just receiving their benefits as a matter of course) seems to be a major challenge. And this is a problem that a traditional social wealth fund that pays an annual dividend might solve. Most of the benefits from the fund essentially involve a transfer of money, so prima facie the option seems to be worth exploring. It could operate as a kind of minimum wage or basic income for construction workers it is a distribution from construction companies to workers after all. It wouldnt be a large amount at the moment. Even if the undisbursed balance of approximately 30,000 crore rupees was invested with a return of 10-15%, given that there are 2-4 crore construction workers, the dividend would not be more than a few thousand rupees. But depending on the nature of assets of the fund, its management and increased additions to the corpus through cess collections, this annual dividend could easily grow much higher. Of course, an annual dividend would suffer from the usual issues of direct benefit transfers such as the problem of Indias poor banking penetration. Ive not found data on the number of construction workers who operate bank accounts but the number is probably small and highly variable from state to state. But one advantage is that unlike say an LPG subsidy, a switch to this kind of system would not involve a disruption of any current distribution system. Any improvement in actually getting the benefits to workers would be a positive. Image Credit: Satyendra Kumar on Flickr by Gerald Dworkin Three years ago I posted on this site California Dying about my experience in working for an assisted-dying bill in that state. That bill passed and while it has been involved in litigation by its opponents on a tactical issue of whether it was the right type of issue for a special session of the legislature, it is anticipated that it will survive intact. Since I have a residence in California I am eligible for such assistance should I need it. Since I live the other six months in Illinois I am now working to achieve a similar result in that state. Medical Aid in dying is now legal in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Vermont, Hawaii and DC. It is legal In Montana in the sense that physicians are immunized from prosecution as long as they have patient consent but there is no regulatory system in place. It is the law in all of Canada. Another important development is that a number of state medical societies are shifting from the AMAs stated opposition to assisted dying, to a neutral position. In 2015 the California Medical Association shifted to a neutral position. CMA has removed policy that outright objects to physicians aiding terminally ill patients in end of life options. We believe it is up to the individual physician and their patient to decide voluntarily whether the End of Life Option Act is something in which they want to engage. In 2016 the Colorado Medical Society did likewise.The board of directors of the Colorado Medical Society, out of respect for the strongly held divergent principled views of our colleagues regarding end-of-life assistance as proposed in Proposition 106, voted to take a neutral public stance. Similar stands have been taken in DC, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Minnesota and Oregon. Many national organizations have taken a similar neutral stance The American Public Health Association, American Medical Student association, American College of Legal Medicine. The New York State Society of Family Physicians (120,000 members) went further to endorse assisted dying. RESOLVED, that the NYSAFP support expansion of options for end-of-life care to include medical aid in dying by means of a patient-directed, patient administered prescription medication. There has even been some small movement in the AMA. This June a committee which had been studying the question of whether to change the existing policy opposing aid in dying recommended that the policy be kept but delegates at the AMAs annual meeting in Chicago instead voted for the organization to continue reviewing its guidance on the issue. This, in effect, meant the existing policy remained in force but did not explicitly re-endorse the policy. I had not thought very much about the general issue of neutrality except to welcome it as a first step towards full acceptance of assisted-dying. A search of the literature brought up as the first item: Physician-Assisted Suicide: Why Neutrality for Organized Medicine is Neither Neutral Nor Appropriate, Journal of General Internal Medicine August 2018 1394-99. It has five authors; two of whom, Kathleen Foley and Mark Siegler, I remembered from the time I was writing, with Ray Frey, my co-authored Physician-Assisted Suicide: For and Against. We were for. Sissela Bok was against. I want to consider the arguments they present arguing that neutrality is not either neutral or appropriate. They are clearly correct that the policy of neutrality is not itself a morally neutral position. While some might argue for neutrality without taking a stand on assisted-dying, e.g. simply arguing that the membership is divided or that it is not appropriate for an organization such as the AMA to take a position one way or the other, neutrality is in conflict with a policy that condemns assisted-dying an ethical judgment and therefore is itself one. It is true that arguments for neutrality such as the one that members may have different views about some issue, and therefore, the organization should not take a stand, do not appeal directly to the characteristics of assisted-dying, so they seek to avoid substantive moral discussion. But such an argument for neutrality on aid-in-dying is simply not convincing. Physicians have sharply differing views about single-payer, or whether they should participate in lethal injection, or the role of conscientious objection in medicine. I am not in favor of neutrality on any of these issues. I favor the view that physicians should not participate in lethal injection: Prisoners and Patients: the Ethics of Lethal Injection. This view is independent of my views about capital punishment. Even if I favored capital punishmentand I do notI would want it carried out by competent executioners and not by medical personnel. I do not, therefore, favor neutrality by the AMA but support their view that it is inconsistent with a doctor/client (condemned prisoners are not patients!) relationship. Having agreed that neutrality is not neutral I now turn to substantive arguments for neutrality about assisted-dying. The authors begin by stating correctly that any substantive argument for moving to neutrality must be a defense of assisted-dying against arguments which condemn it. One cannot be neutral about a policy which is morally evil. So moving to neutrality must show that the arguments given by those who condemn assisted-dying are not sound. The Authors state that their position depends on three factorsthe meaning of medical practice, the importance of the patient-physician relationship, and respect for the common good. Here is their claim about the meaning of medical practice. The Facilitation of Suicide is not a Healing Act. Medicines central task is to heal. Although healing is a much broader concept than curing, it makes no sense to claim that patients have been healed by having assisted them in ending their lives. Symptom relief heals, and forgoing treatment acknowledges the limits of healing, but PAS undermines the very meaning of medicine. This relies on a claim that medicine has one central task and that task is to heal. This seems to exclude palliative care from medicine. But this is immediately qualified and gets under the barrier because it acknowledges the limits of healing. What about taking a patient off life-supportat the patients requestresulting in the death of the patient? I assume this would be defended as a recognition of the patients right to autonomy. What about increasing the amount of morphine to relieve pain knowing it will result in the death of the patient? To handle this last lethal doses of pain medication they invoke,without actually mentioning, the principle of double-effect which maintains that there is a morally important distinction between intending death and foreseeing it as a result of what one does. This principle is essential for opponents of assisted-dying who want to justify the many things which physicians do that bring about the death of their patients. Doctors, at the request of patients, may indeed legally must or face battery charges take their patients off life-support knowing the certain result is the death of their patient. Doctors place patientsoften at the request of their loved onesin palliative, sometimes called terminal, sedation to relieve painful symptoms which cannot be handled in other ways. They sometimes accompany this by removing artificial nutrition and hydration. These two measures together guarantee the death of the patient. Even if sedation is not at issue they also must accede to removing artificial nutrition and hydration if that is what the patient, or her proxies, request. Again doctors know that their actions will lead to the death of the patient. Interestingly enough I have never heard of a physician who refuses these measures because it would be killing the patient which is contrary to the nature and purpose of medicine. Such a physician would have at least the virtue of consistency. But physicians instead say No. These are different. We are not intending the death of the patient. We only intend to control her pain. We merely know, or foresee, that death is coming. Now this distinction intend vs. foreseeif it is to be relevant to the discussion must have two features. It must be an intelligible distinction and it must have moral force in the cases in which it is invoked. I do not deny that the distinction is an intelligible one. There is a difference between yelling at you to wake you up, and yelling at someone else to warn they are about to fall down the stairs knowing, while doing so, that the yelling will wake you. And indeed it may be morally relevant in some cases to point this out as a way of re-assuring you that I was not trying to wake you, that I did not want to awaken you this early. But in both cases it is simply a fact that I did something that caused you to awaken. I woke you up. Turning to the increasing amounts of morphine case, it is a fact that I gave you a substance which, given the current circumstances, caused you to die. And if I caused you to die, by giving you an injection, I killed you. Did I want you to die? Perhaps not. Did I intend you to die? Perhaps not. Was I justified in killing you? I would think so. Did I do something that is counter to the meaning of medicine? No. Not if medicine is understood to include, in addition to restoring health, ending pain which cannot be controlled. My view is that while the distinction between intending and foreseeing death is an intelligible one, it cannot provide a plausible moral reason for distinguishing between assisted-dying and the other procedureslisted abovewhich doctors insist are permissible. Note that even if the distinction were significant it would also justify what the laws in question allow, e.g. the provision of lethal drugs to the patient. The doctor does not intend the patient will use them. He does not even foresee they will since we know many patients decide not to. What he does is makes it possible for the patient to take such a drug. This is, undoubtedly, a step which needs justification but it is at least as consistent with the nature of medicine as the use of morphine dosages that lead to the death of patients. The last argument is the slippery-slope argument. Here it is from the article. The Incremental extension of PAS Data from jurisdictions that have legalized PAS show year on year increases overall in the prescription of lethal drugs and in PAS deaths, suggesting a normalization of PAS as part of routine practice. Yet this is just the tip of the iceberg. Once PAS is legalized, on the strength of the argument that one must respect autonomy, it is a short step to say that those who are paralyzed and cannot self-administer drugs are being discriminated against on the basis of their handicaps, and that this requires a move from PAS to euthanasia. Moreover, since PAS can result in nausea and vomiting and the process can fail, legalizing PAS generates pressure to legalize euthanasia so that the process can be professionally controlled. Similarly, those who are unable to speak for themselves (such as children, the demented, and severely retarded) would need to be eligible for euthanasia on the basis of surrogate judgments to avoid treating them unequally. Those suffering from refractory depression and autism, and others who are not terminally ill also become candidates for PAS in order not to discriminate against these classes of patients; the evidence from overseas shows how this happens. There are different claims being made here. The first is that the number of PAS cases will increase. But, of course, they will. In Oregon from 1998 to 2011 they went from 16 to 71. As people learned more about the possibility of assisted-dying they increased their usage. Percentage-wise a large increase; in terms of the causes of death in Oregon an insignificant increase. It might also be noticed that, as of April, not a single DC resident has used the law passed 11 months prior. In any case one needs a separate argument to show increased usage is to be deplored rather than an outcome to be welcomed. The second argument is that there will be pressure to extend the law so as to allow children or the those with early dementia access to assisted-dying. But whether these extensions are a good idea requires separate argument. One can favor or oppose them while favoring the current law. A slippery-slope argument is only a reasonable one if there is agreement already that the end of the slope is a bad place to be. I think that the arguments about extending the law to allow advanced-directives for persons at an early stage of dementia are difficult and complex. But there is plenty of time for such discussion when every state allows assisted-dying. There is no political will behind such an extension on the horizon. Finally there is the claim that proponents of assisted-dying rely on a claim that autonomy is the only value used in their argument. Autonomy cannot be considered in isolation from the entire framework of ethical principles in medicine and in society. Patient autonomy is not the isolated exercise of will. Autonomy is relational the way one person behaves affects others. One persons autonomy must not undermine anothers. It does not mean I want, therefore I must get. Autonomy must be weighed against other professional principles such as beneficence, non-maleficence, the internal rationality of medicine, justice, and respect for the common good. This is simply a straw-man. Nobody has ever argued that simply from a principle of the value and importance of autonomy we can justify legalising assisted-dying. There is not a single footnote in the paper to an individual or group of individuals who makes such a claim. Even those who argue that it is autonomy in the context of intense suffering that is important do not deny the importance of considerations of general welfare. For example, they want there to be safeguards in place to ensure ill people are not coerced by relatives into requesting assisted-dying. They want there to be more than one physician certifying the mental competence of the patient who requests aid in dying. They even have a provision that the doctor not be present when the lethal drugs are taken to guard against subtle pressures. There are issues of the relation between autonomy and the ends of medicine which deserve serious consideration. Is cosmetic surgery to improve the look of a persons nose consistent with the notion of medicine as healing or symptom relief or curing? Another difficult case is body dysmorphia where a person suffers because he regards his leg as not a real part of his body and asks for amputation. Does autonomy come into conflict with the proper ends of medicine? But no sane person denies that it is a proper end of medicine to cope with the serious and terrible symptoms of people with terminal illness. The only issue is which causal paths to that end are legitimate and which are not. I do not believe that the arguments presented by the authors to distinguish what they take to be legitimate means from assisted-dying are valid. Do I then accept Neutrality? Only in the sense that I believe it is morally a step forward for the major national organizations of medicine not to condemn such laws as inconsistent with the nature of medicine and the professional obligations of its members. Obviously I would prefer the stronger position of affirming assisted-dying as promoting the ends of medicine. I look forward to the time when we all can live in a society which gives its citizens the option of ending their life in a fashion consistent with the way they tried to live their life autonomous and dignified. This certainly includes those who choose not to use such laws and to fight to the end to prolong their life, as well as the doctors who commit themselves to helping them do so. by Maniza Naqvi I write this as Saturday begins to wane on the long Columbus Day weekend while I listen on the radio to the speeches given by senator after senator prior to the final confirmation vote for Bret Kavanaugh as Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States of America. The vote is scheduled for 3.30 p.m. October 6, 2016. I listen to their conflicted words in the Senate of the United States pleading yes or no, or yes and no. Conjuring images, I am reminded of that Roman mythology and the artists rendition of it, of the Rape of the Sabine Women. The idea and basis of the State is illustrated by artists through a rendition of this mythology for its first founding. The idea of State as we know it is based on this concept and definition of family and marriage in which there are unequal members: some to be served and others to serve; some to consume while others to produce; some to own and others to be owned; some to rule and others to be ruled; some to be strong and continuously strengthened by all means necessary and others to be weak and be weakened by all means necessary. All this a must for the good of the Stateand the spirit vested into it through this definition of family. The sum of the few define for the total. Some. And all the others. There must be a trinity, the strong, the weak and the thingthat volition, that psyche that justifies it. It is this unspeakable immorality and violence that forms the basis of our beliefs of piety and morality vested then into the concept of State. It is thus through the violence done to the weakest, usually women and those indigenous to the place arrived at or later migrants, that the State demonstrates its unique sovereignty to be able to do whatever it wishesThe State demonstrates and vests into itself the power and ability to do violence on the weak and thus defines its strength and its self. And that is what it is. This idea is encapsulated in the Roman mythology known as the Rape of the Sabine Women. The word rape comes from the Latin word raptio which scholars and historians interpret as a word mean kidnapping and abduction and not sexual assault. No doubt most of these historians and scholars are probably not women. Artists and sculptors have illustrated these views in times when it would have been heresy and blasphemy to have done so. Their art as only art can do leaves it to our interpretation what history is about and what all of this means about the rules that govern us. For rules, which ever they are whether they are religious or secular, have been made by men and women who mimic them and so both terms, religious and secular mean the same for the business of states. It is Greek and Roman mythology that guides both. And their men and women got to be gods. But the rulers and makers of rules were men. Romulus along with his twin brother were raised by wolves. Romulus as the story goes much like Cane and Able, kills Remus. And the idea of pack of wolves, a wolf pack is really just another name for a family of wolves. The leaders of the pack are called the alpha male and female. These two animals are dominant over all the other wolves in the pack. The alpha male and female are the only wolves that breed and produce pups in the pack, and they also get to eat first at kills. There may be a reason why elite fraternities and sororities at colleges and universities in America are named for Greek letters Alpha beta this Alpha Pheta that. The Rape of the Sabine Women was an incident in Roman mythology in which the men of Rome led by Romulus the twin reared by wolves committed a mass abduction of young women from the other cities in the region. The History of the Romans as written in the 1st century BC by the historian Titus Livius Patavinius, or Livy as he was known, tells us how ancient Rome was founded in 753 BC by Romulus and his male followers. Romulus and his men had founded the nation of Rome and they could easily have lived happily ever after murdering each other if needed but there could be no future for Rome if there were no children. These Romuluss Romans needed to have women to produce sons and girls to produce more sons. A solution was found in the next village over. They went over to the village which had women and invited the Sabines to a party. Lots of food and lots of drink. After copious amounts of both of much feasting and boozing they made their suggestion to the Sabines: were here to get your young women, When the women refused the Romans took them against their will and the will of their men. Simply took them. I say simply because violence and plunder was pretty straight forward and simple. Banal. The Sabine women were abducted and against their wills made to produce Romans. This was the Rape of the Sabine women. (here and here) Of the Sabine women, the Roman historian Livy writes as translated by Henry Smith Williams: They, from the outrage on whom the war originated, with hair dishevelled and garments rent, the timidity of their sex being overcome by such dreadful scenes, had the courage to throw themselves amid the flying weapons, and making a rush across, to part the incensed armies, and assuage their fury; imploring their fathers on the one side, their husbands on the other, that as fathers-in-law and sons-in-law they would not contaminate each other with impious blood, nor stain their offspring with parricide, the one their grandchildren, the other their children. If you are dissatisfied with the affinity between you, if with our marriages, turn your resentment against us; we are the cause of war, we of wounds and of bloodshed to our husbands and parents. It were better that we perish than live widowed or fatherless without one or other of you. (here) As the final vote for the confirmation of Bret Kavanaugh as Associate Justice to the Supreme Court proceededthe overwhelming sounds during the roll call for Senators as it was called out to vote, was not the yes or the no of each but instead the anguished and panicked screams of STOP by women in the galleries, STOP, STOP, resounding through the Senate Chamber and reverberating far beyondpreserved and unheeded through the past and into the future. At one point I met a beautiful model who changed my life when she took me to the Rose Parade in Pasadena. I saw the equestrian units with their flamboyant embroidery and sequins and asked, Who does this elegant stuff? It turned out to be a woman named Viola Grae, and I went to work for her and learned the embroidery business. One day she introduced me to film costume designer Edith Head. So then I started doing movies. I dressed James Dean in Giant. I also created the look for Clint Eastwood in those spaghetti westerns. He was supposed to be a man from nowhere. What do you do with him? Hes not a cowboy from Texas; hes not a rancher from Colorado. I put him in a poncho made from an American Indian blanket. I dressed James Arness on Gunsmoke for 11 years, did Bonanza for 14 years, The Big Valley for four years. And musicians: I dressed Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, the Jackson 5, the Osmond Brothers, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Prince, David Bowie, Lady Gaga. So many people from all over the world. Eventually, I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, because of the lifestyle here. I still dress people from everywhere, but they come to Nashville for my designs. What I do more than anything is get into someones personality. I get to know how people talk, how they walk, how they express themselves. Its a collaboration. My artwork that goes on their body is what I feel. En espanol | Belinda Smith needed a new heart. Congestive heart failure had reduced the pumping power of her own ticker by 90 percent. I needed a heart transplant, but I couldnt wait that long, recalls Smith, now 50, a mother of four from Dayton, Ohio. Doctors gave me less than a year to live. New hearts arent easy to come by. There are about 4,000 people awaiting transplants, but just 2,500 donor hearts are available each year in the U.S. For people like Smith, though, theres new hope: a battery-powered implant that plugs into the wall at night. Smiths life was saved by one of these left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), which doctors installed in her chest in 2017. It does the work my heart cant do, pumping blood out into my body, Smith explains. I can do almost everything I did before I just cant get the cord and batteries wet. I have a waterproof bag for taking a shower, but I cant go swimming. Her LVAD is the size of a D battery and weighs less than a pound. This is a far cry from the kind of care we crave and deserve. I find the results of the study infuriating but, unfortunately, not surprising. Most of us like our own doctors, and we respect the scientific breakthroughs of modern medicine. But when we enter the health care system, we too often find ourselves dreading the experience and feeling powerless. This matters deeply to me. I have spent my career as a nurse and as a professor teaching nurses. Ive tried to teach the communicating and listening skills that are such an important part of patient care. And like so many of you, I have had disappointing experiences when dealing with health care professionals who lacked those skills. A few years ago, my late husband was in his 70s and had Parkinsons disease. We had an address in the Bronx, New York Citys poorest borough. When he appeared in an emergency room, they immediately started asking, Wheres your Medicaid card? Are you sure you can afford this? They looked at our zip code instead of talking with us. And by questioning our status, they instantly made us question their advice. It created a dangerous failure to connect. AARP would like to help open the channels between you and your doctor. Our goal is to create a standard of care in which an individuals health priorities and preferences are paramount, and questions and dialogue are welcome. Lets begin with you, the patient. Heres one great resource to help you tune in to your own health and get the most from interactions with health care providers: aarp.org/talkingtoyourdoctor. Nurses play a critical role in communication, so we are long-term supporters of an expanded role for them through the Center to Champion Nursing in America (campaignforaction.org). So much depends on your making sure that your doctor hears you and that you receive the message he or she is conveying. Lets work together to close that communication gap and increase everyones chances for a better health outcome. Raise Your Voice on Amazon Alexa and Google Home to get AARPs take on the issues that affect you. Dacotah Stampede Rodeo nominated for PRCA's best small rodeo Aberdeen's Dacotah Stampede Rodeo is one of five in the nation up for PRCA's award for best small rodeo of the year. Park team arrests rhino poacher A team from the Chitwan National Park (CNP) has arrested a fugitive who was convicted of poaching an endangered one-horned rhino from the CNP four years ago. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal Venture investment in New Mexico reached $128 million in 2017, its highest level since before the recession in 2008. On a per capita basis, the state placed 15th in the nation, and third in the Southwest region for venture activity, according to a year-end tally by Thompson Reuters. Thats a sharp jump for New Mexico, which has struggled to rebuild venture funding since the recession, when local activity nearly ground to a halt. Investments fell from a pre-recession level of about $120 million per year in 2007 and 2008 to just $22 million in 2009 as startups crashed and burned and investors concentrated on keeping existing businesses alive rather than fund new ones. Up through 2016, investments hovered at about $35 million per year. And the number of locally active venture firms shrank from about 15 before the recession to just half a dozen. But the industry is growing again, fed by new state efforts to attract more firms to the state, and to grow a sustainable local base for seed and early-stage capital through the Catalyst Fund. Statutes governing the State Investment Councils private equity investment program allow it to commit up to 9 percent of the $5.3 billion severance tax permanent fund to the local venture industry. That includes commitments to firms that invest in local companies, plus a Co-Investment Fund for direct SIC investments in businesses. The SIC stopped funding those programs after the recession. It started again in 2014, but the council has limited fresh spending to just 5 percent of the permanent fund. Even so, renewed SIC commitments are driving a new boom, with eight more funds now operating in New Mexico. That includes five new local funds with Catalyst backing, plus three out-of-state funds that received SIC investments to pump money into local companies. Theres no doubt were on an upswing again, said council member Harold Lavender. Were seeing a lot more good opportunities to invest in. New Mexicos emerging innovation ecosystem of accelerators, incubators and entrepreneurial programs that help startups launch and grow is key to attracting venture firms. That, combined with potentially marketable, cutting-edge technologies at the states national labs and universities, is driving enthusiasm about building New Mexicos venture industry into a sustainable source of funding for homegrown companies. Thats critical for early stage startups to mature into firms that offer stable jobs and enough return on capital for investors. But that cycle of wealth creation is difficult to build in a small, non-traditional market like New Mexico, which struggles to capture the attention of deep-pocketed, out-of-state investors. The jury is still out on whether we can build and sustain the momentum, said Cottonwood Technology Funds Managing Partner David Blivin. Prospects for sustainability are more promising today than before the recession, given the states newfound innovation infrastructure, which is helping to create a rich pool of entrepreneurial talent to build successful companies. And with Catalyst funding seeding more startups that can attract national-level investors as they grow, the future looks bright. Were building the foundation for a whole ecosystem of success and technology-based startups statewide, said SIC spokesman Charles Wollmann. Indeed, rapidly-growing startups drove last years investment levels. Later-stage investors pumped $30 million into Santa Fe-based data analytics firm Descartes Labs. Cybersecurity firm RiskSense got $7 million, and optics sensing technology startup Trilumina Corp. received $9 million. Those trends continue this year, but at a much slower pace. RiskSense, for example, got another $12 million in August, and chemical-production firm BayoTech received $12.5 million. New startups are also getting funded. Green Theme Technologies, for example, got $6 million last month for novel water-proofing technology for textiles. Theres a pretty outstanding level of capital now to deploy in New Mexico, said John Chavez, president of the New Mexico Angels and a general partner in Catalyst-backed NMA Ventures. A lot of good deals are getting funded. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal New Mexico State University is betting $100,000 on new technology that could kick up the heat in bitter winter while also lowering home heating bills. Las Cruces-based startup EVUS Inc. is building the technology into a drop-in device for existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC systems, at NMSUs Arrowhead Center, which manages all of the universitys technology transfer and commercialization programs. EVUS President and CEO Patricio Reygadas, a Chilean engineer who created the technology with partners in his home country, established operations in Las Cruces as a beachhead into the U.S. market, where 35 percent of all HVAC-related energy is consumed. Arrowhead is the perfect place to continue building our technology, Reygadas said. We have access to resources at NMSU, including students and faculty, and were close to the border where we can take advantage of the Juarez-El Paso manufacturing and logistics clusters. Arrowhead is helping us a lot. In August, NMSUs new Arrowhead Innovation Fund contributed $100,000 to a $700,000 round of seed capital to help EVUS complete its first product prototype for testing and certification in a private lab. Its the first investment made by Arrowheads $1.87 million fund, which received $800,000 last year from the New Mexico Catalyst Fund, a $20 million pool of money that the State Investment Council approved in 2016 to invest in startup innovation around the state. Microfunds like Arrowhead match Catalyst contributions dollar-for-dollar and are expected to invest the money over five years in homegrown companies like EVUS. This deal launches us into a four-year investment period, said Innovation Fund President and Managing Director Estela Hernandez. We hope to do up to three investments per year in a total of 12 pre-seed and early-stage deals. This is the first venture capital fund to operate in southern New Mexico, and we expect it to help spearhead the entrepreneurial system down here. Arrowhead is one of six New Mexico-based funds that have received Catalyst money to date. The recipients are now starting to invest that capital, with five startups in Albuquerque and Las Cruces receiving money since last year. Most of the Catalyst-backed funds had to first finish raising matching dollars before they could begin investing. But with that work largely done, investments are expected to gain momentum in coming months, said Brian Birk, managing director of Santa Fe-based Sun Mountain Capital, which manages Catalyst Fund commitments for the SIC. Catalyst Fund contributions are contingent on raising private capital, and a lot them had to wrap that up, Birk said. Many of them have now completed the process and are turning their attention to investments. I believe well see a noticeable acceleration in startup funding going forward. About $13 million in Catalyst money has now been committed to local funds. Apart from Arrowhead, that includes Cottonwood Technology, Tramway Venture Partners, NMA Ventures, BlueStone Venture Partners, and an investment fund set up by the ABQid business accelerator. BlueStone is the latest Catalyst recipient, with $3 million approved by Sun Mountain in August. We have two more fund commitments that are being finalized now, Birk said. We expect to close on at least one of them in November. A total of $40 million in capital could flow to some 50 startups under the program in the next few years, assuming each fund recipient invests in eight to 10 companies. In addition to Arrowheads commitment to EVUS, Cottonwood and Tramway have partnered on investments in two companies, including Armonica Technologies and BennuBio, both Albuquerque startups with University of New Mexico technologies that could greatly speed DNA sequencing and cell screening for diagnostics and drug development, respectively. Cottonwood also invested in Albuquerque-based BayoTech Inc., which is using Sandia National Laboratories technology to build modular, transportable production units to make hydrogen, ammonia and fertilizer. And ABQid invested in AdWallet, which is marketing a mobile app that helps advertisers guarantee customer engagement by paying people to watch ads. NMA Ventures, meanwhile, is finishing due diligence on its first investments. Were getting ready to close on our first investment in the next few weeks, said NMA Managing Partner Dorian Rader. Its been in the works for awhile. The Catalyst goal is to provide enough seed funding for fledgling startups to build prototypes of their products and services, assemble solid management teams, begin working with customers and start generating some revenue. That can get them past the infamous valley of death, where early stage companies lack the capital to achieve those milestones. Thats critical to attract larger rounds of funding from more established, out-of-state venture firms to allow companies to continue their march to market. We have many entrepreneurs coming out of Arrowhead programs and then hitting the valley of death, Hernandez said. Now, we can provide significant investments to help some of those companies move the needle to get to the next level. Catalyst-backed funding already helped BayoTech prove its technology to attract a large, $12.5 million investment this year, most of it from a fertilizer manufacturer thats now partnering with the company. After the Catalyst Fund investment, BayoTech received significant funding from one of the largest fertilizer makers in the world, Birk said. That wouldnt have happened without the Catalyst boost to first demonstrate its technology. I believe well see a lot more of that with other companies that get Catalyst-backed investments. Catalyst funding is also helping companies like EVUS to grow roots in New Mexico, rather than move to other states. Were now perceived as a New Mexico company, and well remain based here going forward, Reygadas said. The investment helps us grow our company in Las Cruces. And then there were three again. On Sept. 30, Canada and the U.S. announced that they had come to an agreement on the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. On Aug. 27, the U.S. and Mexico announced that they had come to terms on their end of the renegotiations, and it was feared that Canada would not join, thereby rendering NAFTA a two-nation agreement. The U.S. and Mexico agreed on a renewable 16-year agreement that will be reviewed in six-year increments. North American content in vehicles produced in the NAFTA region was raised from 62.5 percent to 75 percent. The agreed-upon points also include a provision that 45 percent of the content of pickup trucks and 40 percent of the content of light trucks would be built by employees earning more than $16 per hour. Other provisions of the new agreement, which is being renamed the United States-Mexico- Canada-Agreement, include stricter protections for intellectual property, easing the flow of digital trade, stronger protection for drug patents and a dialogue for environmental and labor standards. Two major sticking points that had held Canada back from becoming a party to the new agreement were its reluctance to further open its dairy market to U.S. producers and its unwillingness to do away with a third-party arbitration system when disputes arise. The Trump administration strongly wanted to do away this arbitration system and played hardball with Canada on this point. In terms of agriculture, Canada agreed to raise the access to its dairy markets to 3.59 percent, which is a little bit higher than the 3.25 percent that was being proposed under the Trans Pacific Partnership, from which the U.S. withdrew its participation. In fact, this slightly-raised access is similar to a deal that Canada struck in its trade talks with the European Union. Canada stuck by its guns for the third-party arbitration system, and while it will be slightly modified, it will remain in place. In commenting on the agreement, President Trump called the deal a new dawn for the American automakers. He also stated that USMCA will transform North America as a manufacturing powerhouse and allow us to reclaim a supply train that has been offshore because of unfair trade agreements. He concluded that companies will now have an incentive to return manufacturing to the U.S. Trump attributed the success of the renegotiations to his strategy of slapping steel and aluminum tariffs on Mexico and Canada, the status of which is still uncertain going forward. So, what is the verdict on the new USMCA? In a nod to my favorite Clint Eastwood movie, I see the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good is the fact that the 24-year-old trade agreement needed to be updated for the digital age and changes in the energy industry, especially in Mexico. The framework of the original NAFTA agreement is preserved, even if Washington is promoting the changes as being a complete revamping. The bad is the uncertainty about whether the changes in automotive content to 75 percent and the requirement that 40 to 45 percent of truck production be made with $16 per-hour labor will really happen. In an effort not to disrupt their supply chains, many companies will simply opt to pay an import tariff rather than shift more production to the U.S. They will tack this extra cost on to the final price of their product, which will ultimately be paid by consumers. If this occurs, it will work contrary to the intent of the Trump administration to raise the North American content in vehicles. Several changes seem to be overblown or oversold. As to the increased access to Canadas dairy market for U.S. producers from 3.25 to 3.59 percent, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates this will increase U.S. exports to Canada by $70 million or 0.0003 percent of U.S. GDP insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The USMCA also includes a provision preventing any partner from manipulating its currency in order to gain advantage for trade purposes. Not one of the partners has been accused of doing this in the past. The ugly is the way the North American neighbors were aggressively treated and accused by the Trump administration during the renegotiations. The agreement was tweaked, but does it come at the cost of damaged relations with our closest allies going forward? Does President Trump continue to invoke national security when justifying the imposition of tariffs on our allies? It will take time to rebuild trust among our North American trading partners, and only time will tell whether the changes will have any significant impact different from the original NAFTA. The USMCA now heads to Congress for approval. Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the International Business Accelerator, a nonprofit trade counseling program of the New Mexico Small Business Development Centers Network. He can be reached at 575-589-2200 or at jerry@nmiba.com. New Mexico is one of the most stunningly diverse states in the union, offering towering alpine mountains, miles of pinon forests and desert mosaics that dazzle the eye. Our outdoor treasures span national parks and monuments, U.S. forests, BLM lands and more, positioning New Mexico to lead the nation in the outdoor recreation economy. And yet, were not leading we lack a unified voice to advocate for opportunities from outdoor access and investment to youth engagement, and the corresponding public and economic health benefits that come with a stronger recreation industry. The Albuquerque Journal is correct in its assertion Sen. Jeff Steinborns and Rep. Nathan Smalls idea to create a state office of outdoor recreation deserves thoughtful discussion. I believe this discussion should focus on how best to organize, not whether to do it because as the Bureau of Economic Analysis just confirmed, outdoor recreation is one of the fastest growing sectors of the U.S. economy and contributes 2.2 percent to the U.S. GDP. Meanwhile, Outdoor Industry Association says nationally it contributes $887 billion in spending, while in our state it accounts for $10 billion and 99,000 direct jobs. N.M. should take advantage of this. In the (Sept. 22) editorial, the Journal asks why existing agencies (and) personnel cannot accomplish the goals of the newly proposed office. I get that but challenge the idea because an office of outdoor recreation here, if done right, could serve to increase these outdoor recreation economy contributions and reduce bureaucracy, break down silos within our state government and help unify departments to share information, ideas and collaborate for New Mexico. For example the office could work with the tourism office and local chambers to help local communities leverage their local outdoor recreation activities with our unique quality of life to increase workforce recruitment. Utah did this to attract tech firms. A new office could also integrate outdoor recreation economics and traditional economic development sectors, like agriculture and trade. Wyoming did this with its 20-year Economic Diversification Strategy. The office could pull information and expertise from local and national sources to collaborate on solutions to existing challenges. Again, Utahs office did this in advocating for an increase in the transient room tax to fund the Outdoor Recreation Grant Program. The possibilities are endless. As we have seen recently, national outdoor brands are looking west more and more, notably exemplified by VF Corp parent company of recognizable brands like The North Face moving its headquarters and bringing 800 jobs to Denver. This is due in large part to the fact that companies want to emulate the outdoor image their products evoke and attract employees who live the outdoor lives their products promote. There is no reason New Mexico, with our outdoor recreation opportunities, solid transportation system with much less traffic than Colorados front range and overall quality of life cannot compete with surrounding states. Perhaps the most vital role of a state office of outdoor recreation would be making it a major edict to promote the health effects of recreating outdoors. Working in tandem with communities, schools, neighborhoods and families, the office could coordinate messaging campaigns and activities to get more youth engaged in the outdoors and active, reducing obesity and helping to enrich lives. As New Mexicans, we are proud of our state, we do things our own way and we find our own solutions. That said, there is plenty to learn from other states about why they have created their own offices of outdoor recreation. A New Mexico office of outdoor recreation can and should be created in a manner that showcases the uniqueness of our state and the strength and diversity of our outdoors and people. If any place is in need of a superhero, surely its Albuquerque. So as if someone had heard our pleas, as if someone had seen a lighted signal in the night skies, here came word stapled on telephone poles across the city that Batman was in town to save the day. Holy Unexpected! But this Batman, if the fliers on the poles were to be believed, sounded nothing like the congenial Adam West TV version of the caped crusader. This was the Dark Knight, the psychologically conflicted, morose loner teetering precariously toward being more vigilante than do-gooder, more Ben Affleck than Christian Bale. Im sick and tired of the crime in Albuquerque, read the words under the darkened images of a pensive, abs-gifted crime fighter and his famed bat signal. Criminals that go unpunished, drug dealers, killers, rape, murders, DWI, overdose, corrupt politicians, kidnappings, children suffering, gangs, etc. Aside from some grammatical nits, who could argue with that? Just in the last few days, Albuquerque suffered its 54th homicide this year. A homeowner shot and killed a would-be burglar in his home. Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized more than 45 pounds of fentanyl in an Amtrak train stop. A state representative was convicted of aggravated DWI. A judge agreed to hold in custody a 15-year-old boy accused of beating a man to death, then setting his body on fire. And we learned that the Albuquerque metro area, as well as the University of New Mexico, ranks tops nationwide in auto thefts. So, yeah, I think its safe to say were all sick and tired of the crime in our city. Then the Dark Knight notice took a darker turn. But Im mostly disgusted with humans like you who wont do anything about it, the fliers continued. I am vengeance. I am light. I am Batman. And then: You have been warned. Reaction across social media platforms from NextDoor to reddit was a mix of disbelief, relief and horror. Um thats a bit creepy, one observer said. I mean, I understand the frustration so many in Albuquerque feel, but damn! Said another: Vigilantes are rarely better than the people they pursue. Not a healthy sign. Said yet another: Good lord! One person speculated that the fliers were a comic book nerd prank. Another thought, rather creatively, that the fliers were an edgy city campaign to deal with crime. Another suggested that the fliers were props for one of three productions now filming in the city. Social media folks said the fliers were prolific across the city, from Downtown to the Northeast Heights. And then as quickly as they appeared, they were gone at least I think so. I spent most of Thursday driving around the city, checking out location tips from social media posts. But Batman had apparently flown away. Maybe Gotham City just needed him more. It was good, though, to get out and about across this gritty city of ours, and I realize I dont do that enough. Most of us dont. So, yes, I saw a lot of blighted neighborhoods, shuttered businesses, clots of people strung out midday on the street corners, empty ART bus corridors. But I also saw gleaming new buildings and businesses, brewpubs, clean parks, revitalized old neighborhoods, the glorious Sandias and the golden aspens, people living lives under beautiful skies that are now filled with bright hot-air balloons. I thought about the real heroes in our city, like the children with serious life-threatening illnesses who participated in last weeks Hero Police Academy, which gave them the chance to experience their dreams of becoming police officers. Like the 29,136 New Mexicans who registered to vote or updated their registrations last month. Like the volunteers with the International District Healthy Communities Coalition who since May have taken 6,674 dangerous used syringes off the streets. Like the protesters, the committed citizens of Indivisible New Mexico, Moms Demand Action, New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, Defend Our Neighbors and other grass-roots groups unafraid to make their voices heard. Like the hardy souls who donate blood. Like the teachers, social workers, law enforcement officers and health care folks, the veterinarians and the veterans. Like the guy I saw in a safety vest picking up trash on Silver SW and the dad playing with his two children at Ernie Taylor Park. Like those of you who love Albuquerque and want to make this gritty city a place others love, too. With heroes like that, Id like to think that someday well be able to tell Batman, should he ever return, thanks but weve got this. UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, jkrueger@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor. Parties fail to represent 33 percent women None of the national political parties has complied with the Election Commission directive to ensure 33 percent representation of women in the central committee. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal Gov. Susana Martinez last week signed an order allowing certain professionals to operate without a state license as long as they have a consumers consent but the administration doesnt yet know which occupations will be affected. It appears the order was signed before anyone in that office or the state Department of Regulation and Licensing had compiled a list of professions that will no longer be required to have a license to practice. Instead, it will be up to the states 34 boards and commissions listed in the executive order to determine if the professions they license are exempt from the consumer choice order, the Department of Regulation and Licensing said in a statement Friday. The boards will do that based on whether state statutes require a license. The professions that are exempt meaning they still will require a license are required by statute to have one, and must therefore comply with specified training and other obligations. In contrast, licensing requirements that fall under state regulation rather than statute would be covered by the consumer choice provision, and state licenses would no longer be required. New Mexicos boards and commissions cover a wide variety of occupations, including architects, barbers and cosmetologists, body art practitioners, engineers, accountants, massage therapists and interior designers. Medical occupations are among those required by state law to have a New Mexico license. So are tattoo artists, according to the Governors Office. The office said the state boards would ensure public safety while using this executive order as a guide to prevent government overreach that is harmful to New Mexicans. Martinez spokesman Ben Cloutier did not respond to repeated requests by phone, text and email to name other professions affected by the governors order. Requiring fewer professions to obtain state licenses was part of a broader reform package the governor unveiled on Wednesday. It aims to streamline the process for professionals to transfer out-of-state licenses when they move to New Mexico, reduce certain license and testing fees and waive those charges entirely for state residents who receive public assistance. The order accuses the boards and commissions of frequently (using) overly restrictive licensure schemes to regulate certain professions. The changes will make it easier for people to enter the workforce or find new jobs by reducing artificial barriers to enter the workforce, such as testing, experience and education for entry-level positions, the governor said in a news release. Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, said Friday he supported a change making it easier for people moving to New Mexico to obtain licenses in the state. However, he questioned Martinezs timing on the order, noting that she will step down from office at the end of the year. It just strikes me (that) the timing of this would be all wrong when it might just be overturned by the next governor, he said. My impression is shes trying to earn brownie points with some group. Lee McGrath, senior legislative counsel for the Institute for Justice based in Arlington, Va., said his group worked with Martinezs staff on the issue, as it has in other states. The group, which describes itself as a libertarian public interest law firm, believes that occupational licensing has high costs in terms of unemployment and consumer prices, McGrath said. After the Journal reached out to the Governors Office for comment, it asked McGrath to call the newspaper to discuss the reasons for the new policy. State statutes that require licenses for certain professions include provisions on training, safety, education and experience levels. For example, the rules for tattoo artists cover how to maintain sanitary conditions and dispose of contaminated waste. Under current practice, regulatory boards also mandate such requirements, but the new policy would allow professionals to bypass those by having their clients sign a form acknowledging they are aware the person does not have a license. LOSING A LANE ON ALAMEDA: A Rio Rancho resident emails that driving east on Alameda, all of a sudden and with no signage, the right lane ends. It is hazardous to switch into the left lane to continue on Alameda; or to turn right onto Barstow and find a turn around place to get back on Alameda is a bit dicey also. Our reader adds that for this situation intersections, there usually are signs, for example: Right Lane Ends, Right Turn Only, Merge Left, or something! Since I dont go to that area often, I usually get caught in the incorrect lane. So far I have been lucky not to cause or be in an accident. Meanwhile, going west on Alameda the signs seem to be appropriate at this intersection. Johnny Chandler, public information coordinator for the citys Department of Municipal Development, says the department has looked at the intersection of Alameda and Barstow and we agree that a sign is necessary. The right turn only sign is scheduled to be installed by the middle of October. We are also looking at adding some striping in the future. AND LOOKING FOR THE PUPPY TRACKS: Meanwhile, Sarah emails that several major intersections in town Montgomery at Wyoming, Second at Montano, San Mateo at Academy are ones I am familiar with have had their puppy tracks worn off for quite a while now. Is the city ever going to repaint them? I fear for my car every time I turn left. FYI, puppy tracks refers to the dotted white lines that help drivers maintain their lane through an intersection. Chandler explains the city of Albuquerque this year has striped nearly all major arteries with long lines. Long lines refer to the yellow and white lines along the roadway. Next striping season, the Department of Municipal Development will start installing symbols. Symbols include the arrow markings on the street as well as puppy tracks. Striping roadways must be done when the average temperature is over 50 degrees. Most striping is done overnight and can only be done during the late spring, summer and early fall. WHY DOES AN MVD OFFICE TAKE ONLY CASH FOR ITS FEE? Katy asks this after visiting the locally run Motor Vehicle Division office in Bernalillo. She says that while the clerk would accept plastic to pay for the transaction, only cash was accepted to cover the offices $5 fee. Kevin Kelley, who handles information for Taxation and Revenue, MVDs parent agency, says Some municipal and county offices have local ordinances that enable them to assess a convenience fee on the transactions they process on behalf of MVD. Those fees generally are between $5 and $100, and are collected outside the MVD system and separately from MVD fees. And while each office can do business as it sees fit, Kelley offers up that cash does not entail cumbersome agreements with credit card processors or deal(ing) with credit card chargebacks and NSF checks. A DIP FROM A DRIP ON PROSPECT NE: Roscoe L. Champion emails that several weeks ago, I called 311 to report a pothole (on Prospect Ave NE about 40 yards east of Juan Tabo) that I thought had notable hazard, because it appeared to be getting deeper due to cars running over it. There is no break in the pavement, he says. It just dips significantly. It is right in front of a fire hydrant where the pavement has been patched in an area 2 yards by 2 yards. In the past three weeks there has been water present in the dip 24/7. We have had many days in a row with NO rain, so it could not be from rainfall. Runoff does not stay in a dip (without) being replenished enough to have water in it 24/7 for weeks. Roscoe explains he stuck with it and called 311 a second time, about 10 days ago, arguing my case again that I believe that this dip is because of an underground water leak of some kind that is eroding the dirt underground and allowing the dip to occur with water seeping up into the dip from below. The real concern is this is a severe accident waiting to happen when someone drives across this dip and one wheel goes in it with enough force to collapse it. If that happens, the undercarriage of the wheel will be totally torn up. Can you encourage someone to do something about this before the accident occurs? Crews from the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority jumped on the case. Patti Watson explained the day after she received Roscoes concern, Sept. 18, that Water Authority crews went out and investigated the area this morning, and there is a settlement. They are digging it up to see what the problem is. If its a Water Authority issue i.e., water or sewer line crews will fix it (within the week). It the issue is a storm drainage line, crews will turn it over to the city of Albuquerque. Either way, it will get addressed. Editorial page editor DVal Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M., 87103. One person was killed and another injured during an attempted robbery at a home in Deming, according to New Mexico State Police. Deming Police were dispatched to a home on Diamond Street after shots were fired, and they found two people with gunshot wounds. Eduardo Pena, 27, died later at a hospital, according to NMSP Lt. Elizabeth Armijo. A woman who was with Pena remains in critical condition. Armijo said in a news release that multiple people were at the home on Diamond Street when Pena and several others attempted to rob the occupants at gunpoint. An altercation ensued and Pena was shot by one of the occupants in the residence, Armijo said. No charges have been filed, she said. Mochi a pillowy, Japanese rice dough has been around for centuries. But now its one of the fastest-selling items in your grocerys freezer aisle. The popularity of the bite-sized treats is due in part to The Mochi Ice Cream Co. The company was founded three years ago after the private equity firm Century Park Capital Partners bought Mikawaya, a 105-year-old Los Angeles-based Japanese confectioner. Mikawaya is credited with inventing ice-cream filled mochi in the 1990s. The treats were sold in ethnic groceries, but Century Park saw an opportunity to expand. The companys new brand, My/Mo, is now in 12,000 U.S. and Canadian grocery stores. Some even have My/Mo-branded freezers in the deli department, where shoppers can grab individual mochi. My/Mos Chief Marketing Officer, Russell Barnett who was also the salesman behind Mikes Hard Lemonade and Popchips talks about whats next for My/Mo. The questions and answers have been edited for clarity and length. Q. Why did you think the time was right for mochi ice cream? A. What we set about doing was making mochi ice cream accessible to the masses by doing a couple of things. One: Keep the weird, man. Chewing your ice cream. Dough and ice cream is nirvana! And then, its getting rid of the things that are hindrances. I didnt grow up with the yuzu. I didnt grow up with the red bean paste. But I did grow up with vanilla, chocolate, strawberry. So we adjusted the flavor profiles. And then lastly, we gave it a name people could pronounce. Think about what Chobani did with Greek yogurt. Greek yogurts been around. Its not like it was new. Mochi ice cream is in exactly the right space. Its hand-held, naturally portion-controlled. Three bites, 110 calories and youre out. When I take three or four bites of something, all of a sudden, Im a snack. And youve got Millennials, who snack more than any other generation. They snack four times per day. They snack more than they eat. It was really just taking and triangulating all of the ideas that are happening in the world right now. Q. How will you keep sales growing? A. Were doing all this on still very, very low awareness of mochi ice cream. So theres a lot of runway there. The other piece of this is we really believed early on it was important to not just create a single product, but really create a snack platform. We came out with My/Mo mochi ice cream, which is a full dairy experience. We also knew that theres a tremendous amount of movement toward meatless and reduction of meat and traditional protein, so it was also important to come out with a non-dairy and vegan line. And then we thought, Why dont we deconstruct our ice cream as long as were at it. So a few months ago we launched our My/Mo ice cream with mochi bits. So thats how we continue this. Were an antsy bunch. And we love this stuff. Q. Youve had a varied career. Whats the common thread between selling mochi, Mikes Hard Lemonade and Popchips? A. All of them had a real vision, all of them had an exceptional management team and all of them had the belief that they were really truly creating more than just a product, and truly understood the responsibility of creating a new category. The other thing is, all of these brands celebrated lifestyle. Its really about taking all your cues not from what you believe to be the right answer, but really spending time with consumers. This year Im probably going to travel just about every week. Theres a lot of time being spent with our retail partners and a lot of time being spent with consumers, just observing. When you really take your cues from the consumer, its less about your own ideas. Q. What advice would you give to your younger self? A. Give yourself the chance to breathe. Because theres so many things to do. Youre never going to get caught up. Youre never going to be perfect. Inevitably theres something wrong. So for me, marketing is not about the right answer. Its more varying degrees of wrong. Its OK to make mistakes. Learn from them, because youre going to really, really expand upon that learning. SCHOHARIE, N.Y. The site of a devastating wreck that killed two pedestrians and 18 occupants of a limousine headed to a birthday party, including four sisters, is a known danger spot that has long worried locals, according to a manager of the store that sits at the intersection where the accident happened. The intersection had been redone in 2008 because of a fatal accident there, said Jessica Kirby, managing director of the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe, which is an institution in Schoharie and among the legions of leaf-peepers who take to the roads of upstate New York each autumn. Since the reconstruction, three tractor-trailers have run through the same stop sign authorities said the limo blew and into a field behind her business, she said. Officials worked with the state to outlaw heavy trucks, she said, but there are still accidents. And now this. More accidents than I can count, she said in an email. We have been asking for something to be done for years. Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a statement Sunday saying he has directed state agencies to provide every resource necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy. Autopsies were being performed, including on the driver to see if drugs were alcohol were a factor. Authorities didnt say whether the limo occupants were wearing seat belts, give the speed of the limo or speculate what caused the limo to run the stop sign and slam into a parked SUV. Relatives said the limousine was carrying four sisters and their friends to a 30th birthday celebration for the youngest. They did the responsible thing getting a limo so they wouldnt have to drive anywhere, their aunt, Barbara Douglas, said Sunday. She did not want to name them publicly but added: They were wonderful girls. Theyd do anything for you and they were very close to each other and they loved their family. Valerie Abeling, the aunt of victim Erin Vertucci, said her 34-year-old niece and her nieces new husband, 30-year-old Shane McGowan, were victims. She was a beautiful, sweet soul; he was, too, they were very sweet, Abeling said. They were two very young, beautiful people who had everything going for them. The 2001 Ford Excursion limousine was traveling southwest on Route 30 in Schoharie, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) north of New York City when it failed to stop at a T-junction with state Route 30A, state police said. It went across the road and hit an unoccupied SUV parked at the Apple Barrel Country Store and two pedestrians. The crash appeared to be the deadliest land-vehicle accident in the U.S. since a bus ferrying nursing home patients away from Hurricane Rita caught fire in Texas 2005, killing 23. And it is the deadliest transportation accident overall since February 2009, when a plane crash near Buffalo, New York, killed 50 people, said Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. The Board is investigating the crash, including whether the limo had any mechanical problems. The Apple Barrels Facebook page on Sunday reflected the concern around the accident in the tight-knit community. Yes, are open today. And could use your hugs, it read. We are doing our best to cope and grieve. We are a big family at the Apple Barrel, and part of the bigger family of Schoharie. We cope by being together. And that is why we are open. A vigil will be held Monday night in Amsterdam, where some victims lived. Grief counseling is being offered at the Amsterdam school district where victim Abby Jackson was a teacher. There were just 12 crashes involving large limos in the five years for which the agency has released statistics, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Twelve people were killed in limo crashes in that span, 2012 through 2016. Over the same period, 171,508 people were killed in 157,451 crashes involving all types of vehicles. There was no information Sunday on the limousine, its origin or its integrity. But safety issues on such vehicles have arisen before, notably after a wreck on Long Island in July 2015 in which four women were killed. They were in a Lincoln Town Car that had been cut apart and rebuilt in a stretch configuration to accommodate more passengers. The limousine was trying to make a U-turn and was struck by a pickup. A grand jury found that vehicles converted into stretch limousines often dont have safety measures including side-impact air bags, reinforced rollover protection bars and accessible emergency exits. That grand jury called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to assemble a task force on limousine safety. Limousines built in factories are already required to meet stringent safety regulations, but when cars are converted into limos, safety features are sometimes removed, leading to gaps in safety protocols, the grand jury wrote. ___ This story has been corrected to show the name of the town where some victims lived is Amsterdam, not New Amsterdam. ___ Salsberg reported from Boston. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo, Michael R. Sisak, Deepti Hajela and Verena Dobnik in New York; and John Kekis in Latham, New York. SANTA FE Today is the last day to register to vote and the first day to start casting ballots in the general election. New Mexicans who want to add their names to the voter rolls have until the end of the day today to register to vote. Its also the deadline for voters to update their registration if theyve moved or want to make other changes. Residents can head to county clerks offices across the state to register in person. Or they can visit NMVote.org to fill out the forms online. The web portal will ask for the voters Social Security number, drivers license or state identification number, and date of birth. The information must match whats on file with the state MVD. Online registrations are accepted until 11:59 tonight. People who arent sure whether theyre registered to vote can also visit NMVote.org to check their status, view their sample ballot or track their absentee ballot, if theyve requested one. Today is also the first day voters can cast ballots in-person at their county clerks office. The broader countywide early-voting locations open Oct. 20. Clerks will also begin mailing absentee ballots today to voters who have requested them. This years ballot includes races for governor, U.S. House and Senate, the state House and a variety of statewide executive offices, such as attorney general and land commissioner. More than 1.25 million New Mexico residents were registered to vote as of late September. DALLAS Emergency crews on Monday were searching for four men whose recreational vehicle was among those swept away from an RV park by raging floodwaters that prompted dramatic rescues by helicopters and boats in a small West Texas city. Heavy rains started falling Sunday night, causing the South Llano River to rise in Junction, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) west of Austin. Kimble County Sheriff Hilario Cantu said no fatalities had been confirmed but that all the RVs, everything, got swept away. Texas Game Warden Rachel Kellner said the four missing men worked together and were swept away before daybreak by the South Llano River. The city is located near where North Llano River and South Llano River converge to form the Llano River. Authorities said 19 people were rescued 15 by boat and four by helicopter. Kellner said two of the people rescued by air were in a tree with a dog. Kellner said all those rescued were checked out by medical emergency personnel, but it was unclear if any required hospitalization. Authorities said that right after the South Llano RV Park was overtaken with water, officials were able to rescue about 40 people by throwing them life jackets or ropes, but then the water got too high and they needed helicopters and boats for the rescues. Kellner said one woman rode about 18 miles (28 kilometers) down the river on debris before being rescued. She only sustained cuts and bruises. Cantu said state and local agencies were helping with the rescues. Authorities said the city of about 2,500 people had been without electricity earlier, but it was restored. National Weather Service meteorologist Aaron Woodward said radar estimates show that up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain has fallen in the area since Sunday evening. The bulk of the heavy rain fell over a several-hour period and it just lined up perfectly that all that fell into that river canyon and it built up and pushed a giant wall downstream, Woodward said. Thats what caused the extreme flash flooding. When you get that quick of a wall to rush down and you get that rapid of a rise in river depths, flash flooding is imminent. The river had gone down, but it was expected to rise again later. More rain was expected in the area late Monday night and into the overnight hours. Cantu said that while they know the four are missing from the RV park, theres a possibility that other campers they dont know about are missing. Cantu said the RV park is adjacent to a city park where people can stay overnight but its not regulated so he doesnt know how many people might have been there. The problem with the RV park, as far as getting accounting of people and getting information, the main office was also swept away, he said. So whatever records they had there are not accessible. Jamie McDonald captured one of the helicopter rescues on camera outside his hotel. McDonald, also known as Adventureman, is an author and motivational speaker and was visiting the city as he runs across America to raise money for childrens hospitals. McDonald said he heard people shouting and screaming and opened the hotel room door. He found people on the balcony and saw a man down in the water holding onto a tree. There was one guy just clinging on to dear life, he said in an interview Monday, describing the scene as heartbreaking. At one point, McDonald said the man became separated from a tree and it was uncertain whether he would make it out OK because the current was so strong. McDonalds footage shows onlookers worrying from afar. Get a hold of something, one person says. God help him please, another says. Later, the man was hoisted up from the water by helicopter and safely lowered down to a parking lot, McDonald said. He said the man, who was naked, appeared bruised and battered. I cant believe they actually rescued him, McDonald says on the video. That was incredible, just amazing support. The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission will look very different in January, when three of the five commission seats change hands. The June primary elections already determined a replacement for Lynda Lovejoy, the current Democratic commissioner for District 4 in northwestern New Mexico. Theresa Becenti-Aguilar, a former commissioner who left office in 2014, won the Democratic primary there, making her de facto victor in November, as no Republican is running. But two Republicans and two Democrats are running in southwest District 5 and eastern District 2. Sharp differences divide the District 5 candidates, where former Democratic state senator Stephen Fischmann is facing Ben L. Hall, a former PRC commissioner who lost his seat in 2014 to current Democratic commissioner Sandy Jones. But Jones lost this years Democratic nomination to Fischmann in a heated primary that had environmental and consumer-oriented political action committees spending heavily in Fischmanns favor and a new PAC backed by PNM Resources running ads against him. If Fischmann wins in November, his aggressive support for renewable energy and consumer advocacy could foreshadow a progressive regulatory bloc at the PRC, where he would join current Democratic commissioners Valeria Espinoza from northern District 3 and Cynthia Hall from central District 1. Im a passionate consumer advocate, Fischmann told the Journal. There are ripoffs all over, and I like ending themWe need to be fair to folks. Fischmann wants to create a comprehensive data base on prices and challenges related to energy to eliminate biased slants when comparing renewables with fossil fuels. That would get everyone talking on the same page with proper analysis upfront from utilities, Fischmann said. Hall said Fischmann ignores the true costs of alternative energy. The transition must be done in steps to not jeopardize power supplies or push bills so high people cant afford it, Hall said. We still need fossil fuels like natural gas and nuclear energy going forward. Hall said commissioners need to do more to balance interests. Theyre not representing the public like they should, and sometimes theyre not regulating utilities like they should. In District 2, Republican rancher and environmental engineer Jefferson Byrd is facing Democratic attorney Kevin Sanders. Neither has held public office before, although Byrd did run for the U.S. 3rd Congressional District House seat in 2012 and 2014 against Ben Ray Lujan, Democrat-NM. Byrd wants to reduce government regulation for businesses to create jobs and services. The big thing (at the PRC) is to regulate electric and other utilities to make sure prices are fair and services are reliable, Byrd said. For Sanders, competence and integrity and key. Many different interests come to the table at the PRC, and the commission needs to balance them, Sanders said. The commission has had chronic problems when it comes to professionalism and ethics, and we need to confront that. Q-and-As online: To find out most 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. Police arrest online harasser A man has been arrested for posting a nude photograph of a woman on facebook. Audio of radio interviews between longtime Trump ally Roger Stone and the radio host he claimed was his back channel to WikiLeaks recently came into possession of special counsel Robert Mueller's office, two sources with knowledge of the matter tell CNN. The interviews between Stone and comedian Randy Credico took place between August 2016 and April 2017 on Credico's radio show, which aired on local New York station WBAI. Stone has claimed that Credico served as his intermediary to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during the 2016 presidential election. Credico has denied the claim. 2016 Presidential election Continents and regions Donald Trump Eastern Europe Elections (by type) Elections and campaigns Europe Government and public administration Hillary Clinton Investigations Julian Assange Misc people Non-profit and NGO organizations Political candidates Political Figures - US Politics Randy Credico Robert Mueller Roger Stone Russia Russia meddling investigation US Federal elections US Presidential elections WikiLeaks The special counsel's office is currently investigating Stone's possible involvement in Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election and questions about the nature of his supposed back channel to WikiLeaks. CNN's KFile has obtained audio of the interviews, in which Stone and Credico repeatedly discuss WikiLeaks. In the interviews, you hear Credico ask Stone about the back channel and also cast doubt that the back channel exists. While the interviews do not rule out the possibility Credico served as the back channel, the former radio host told CNN he believes the content of the interviews back up his denials. "What you heard is what you heard because the radio doesn't lie," Credico told CNN. Credico is a progressive activist in New York and outspoken supporter of Assange and WikiLeaks. The news that the radio interviews are in the hands of the special counsel's office shows that Mueller's team still appears to be examining Stone's potential involvement with WikiLeaks, which released hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman during the 2016 presidential election. The special counsel's office declined to comment. Stone claimed during the election that he had communicated with Assange through a "back channel," "intermediary" or "mutual acquaintance." Stone has issued conflicting and often inaccurate statements on his knowledge about the timing and content of WikiLeaks disclosures. He's also offered conflicting information in public comments about his source's relationship to Assange, repeatedly commenting in 2016 his source spoke with Assange. In his November 2017 Facebook post outing Credico, Stone said that Credico never confirmed WikiLeaks information with Assange himself and instead had different WikiLeaks sources. Credico testified before the Mueller grand jury in September. He was subpoenaed to appear before the Senate's Russia investigation, but he has said he will assert his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and would only testify it the panel offered immunity. Stone did not respond to repeated emails seeking comments and hung up when called by CNN's KFile team prior to publication. In an email sent two days after the story published, Stone said, "Your story is a false, misleading and inaccurate smear. A hatchet job." Stone and Credico first discussed WikiLeaks publicly on August 23, 2016, where Credico asked Stone about his claims to be in touch with Assange. "What about the October surprise? I mean, you've been in touch and indirectly with Julian Assange. Can you give us any kind of insight? Is there an October surprise happening?" Credico asked Stone. "Well, first of all, I don't want to intimate in anyway that I control or have influence with the Assange because I do not," Stone said, adding he expects information to be released on the Clinton Foundation. "We have a mutual friend, somebody we both trust and therefore I am a recipient of pretty good information." Assange appeared on Credico's program two days later on August 25. The host asked him about Stone's claim, and Assange denied he ever spoke with him. "Roger Stone is a rather canny spinmaster and we have not had any communications with him whatsoever," Assange told Credico. Credico at the time told local New York radio he did not believe Stone had a back channel "I can tell you, Roger has no connection at all with them, other than the fact that he may say it off the top of his head," Credico said on September 30, 2016. "But you know him, he's a lot of braggadocio and this is an outrage that this guy would you -- because he could use it against me. I'm in London. I've had him on my radio show, am I an agent now?" In March 2017, Stone again appeared on Credico's program. Stone had started to come under increased scrutiny for his comments suggesting a knowledge about the dates of WikiLeaks disclosure. In that interview, Credico again raises the topic of the "back channel." At no point is Credico mentioned as this conduit. "You say you had a back channel to WikiLeaks," Credico asks Stone. "I've been completely honest about this. I described it various ways on the record in a speech to a large number of Trump supporters," Stone says. "I described it as a back channel. I think in another interview I may have said intermediary. In the third interview I said a mutual friend. They are all true. They're all consistent and what I learned from this person, and don't blame me if I had better sources than the mainstream media was very simply this, that Assange had a substantial of information on Hillary Clinton and he would drop it in October." Earlier in the same show, before speaking with Stone, Credico again said he did not know who the Stone back channel was. He questioned if Stone had a back channel at all. "I don't know who the back channel is," Credico said. "I don't think there is a back channel." In April, a month later, Stone again appeared on Credico's program. Stone was asked about the House Intelligence Committee's investigation. Stone denied knowing the details of the WikiLeaks content to be released, taking aim at Democratic House Intelligence Committee ranking member Adam Schiff, who had zeroed in on Stone's statements on WikiLeaks. "He claimed that I knew in advance about the scope and timing and content of Wikileaks disclosures in October of last year," Stone said. "You know, WikiLeaks themselves, Randy, tweeted on July 31 of last year that they had enormous amount of material and Hillary Clinton and they would release it in October. So I'm not sure what the big state secret was here." Update: This story has been updated with Stone's post-publication comment. CNN -- Rwanda's fierce government critic Diane Rwigara and her mother Adeline Rwigara have been freed on bail, according to her family. Rwigara appeared in court Friday facing charges of incitement and fraud. Her mother, who was also in court, was being held on charges of discrimination and sectarian practices and inciting insurrection. Africa Continents and regions Eastern Africa Elections and campaigns Government and public administration Paul Kagame Political Figures - Intl Politics Rwanda Law and legal system Law courts and tribunals Decisions and rulings Trial and procedure But three High Court judges ruled that the prosecution did not give credible reasons why they should be detained during their trial, according to local media The East African. They ordered mother and daughter, who have been in jail since September 2017, to be freed on bail. The court erupted in shouts as excited family members rushed to hug the pair on hearing the news. Her brother Arioste Rwigara told CNN: "We are overjoyed by this great news! We had faith this day would come soon. We thank God for it, and we are forever grateful to family, friends and all the other people who remained close to us during this hard time and showed us support." Arioste added that while Friday's result was a positive step, the future remains uncertain. Asked whether Friday's outcome could signal a dropping of charges, he said: "Nothing is certain at this point. But we hope they will be, because they never should have been charged with anything in the first place, let alone imprisoned." Diane Rwigara was the sole female challenger in last year's election that President Paul Kagame won with almost 99% of the vote. The 37-year-old accountant launched her election bid three months ahead of the August 2017 presidential vote. Shortly after she began her campaign, Rwigara was disqualified by electoral authorities. They said that she exaggerated the number of signatures needed to qualify and accused her of submitting the names of dead people, charges Rwigara denies. Her supporters say all the charges are politically motivated and highlight a lack of political and social freedoms under Kagame. Kagame shocked many in his country and around the world in September when he granted more than 2,000 prisoners an unexpected pardon. Among the 2,410 prisoners released was Victoire Ingabire, the 49-year-old leader of the opposition FDU-Inkingi party. She had served eight years of her 15-year sentence. Ingabire has long said her sentence was a result of her work as a prominent government critic and that the charges effectively criminalized her freedom of expression. International organizations such as Amnesty International and a 2017 African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights ruling have supported those views. Kagame won the 2010 election with 93% of the vote. By the time the next presidential election came around in 2017, Rwigara had entered the political scene seeking to run as an independent candidate after she was disqualified as a candidate. Rwigara launched the People Salvation Movement (Itabaza), an activist group to "encourage Rwandans to hold their government accountable." Shortly after its inception, she was arrested on charges of incitement and fraud. Read: She wanted to be president, but ended up jailed instead Ingabire shared a jail cell with Diane Rwigara at the end of her imprisonment and was present at the Rwigaras' hearing. Ingabire told CNN on Friday she was "glad" to hear the news and called it a "good step" in the "good direction," but stressed that many other political prisoners are still imprisoned awaiting trial, including nine members of her own opposition party, and she called for their release. "The Kagame government should not (just) release the opposition and think that is enough. It is a step but they should understand that what our country needs is a society with room for critical voices to speak freely and peacefully," Ingabire said. "We have to end the cycle of political violence in Rwanda and build it into a reconciled nation, hopeful of durable peace and prosperity," she added. Although Rwigara was unconnected with any political party or Ingabire herself, the parallels between the two women's cases are clear, according to Phil Clark, a political scientist at SOAS University of London who has studied Rwanda for nearly 20 years. "Really we're seeing the exact same thing with Rwigara as we saw with Ingabire in terms of the targeting of a woman political opponent," he told CNN. "The government will often lock up political opponents at the height of their powers and then strategically release them once they feel that they or their party has been neutralized," Clark said. Clark said that the High Court's decision to release the Rwigaras on bail Friday reflects an evolving dynamic within the judicial system. "I see this more in terms in an increasingly independent Rwandan judiciary... a trend in the Rwandan High Court and Supreme Court to hand down decisions that aren't entirely in line with the executive wishes." He cautioned against reading too much into the Rwigaras' temporary release, explaining that the pair could still be found guilty of their charges once evidence is heard in court. But what Friday's result does demonstrate, Clark says, is that the Rwanda's High Court "won't simply follow the expected script in this case." BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - Butte County and PG&E have reached a $1.5 million settlement over power lines that caused the Honey Fire in October of 2017. The settlement will be used to create an enhanced fire prevention and communications program to better monitor the utility's wildland transmission lines. It will be run by Butte County Cal Fire with the goal of preventing fires, like the Honey Fire, in the future. The Honey Fire was sparked by a tree branch falling on a power line in October of 2017. The fire burned 150 acres on Honey Road in Butte Creek Canyon, but no homes were damaged. This settlement averts prosecution of the misdemeanor criminal charge that was being considered by the Butte County District Attorney's Office. UPDATE 12:14 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 - The area around the Delta and Hirz fires is now 100 percent contained, meaning there is fire line around the entire perimeter. Though fire behavior inside the perimeter is minimal, warmer and drier conditions may cause larger fuels such as stumps and downed logs to burn, which may produce smoke visible from the Interstate and from people's homes. Crews will contine to mop up hot spots and patrol the perimeter. Incident Commander, Curtis Coots, of Nor Cal Team Incident Command Team 1 says they still have approximately 150 miles of suppression repair to complete on the Delta and Hirz fires. They will continue pulling back brush, chipping and building water bars to minimize soil erosion on dozer lines and hand lines, Coots said. Interstate 5 is open in both directions with short one-lane traffic areas between Lakehead and Mount Shasta City due to construction and hazard tree removal. Area Opening/Closures: To provide for public safety during suppression and repair, a Shasta-Trinity National Forest Closure Order is in place for the Delta Fire (order number 14-18-19). For specific recreation information, you can call the Weaverville Ranger Station (530) 623-2121, Shasta Lake Ranger District at (530) 275-1587 or the Mt. Shasta Ranger Station at (530) 926-4511. --- UPDATE 1:53 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018 - The Delta fire remains at 63,293 acres and is 97 percent contained. There are still nearly 900 firefighters battling the Delta Fire in Shasta and Trinity Counties. Firefighters are dealing with wet and muddy conditions that are affecting access to some areas. On I-5 there are short one-lane traffic areas between Lakehead and Mount Shasta city due to construction and hazard tree removal. The expected containment date has been pushed back to Oct. 8. --- UPDATE 8:53 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 - The Delta Fire has remained at 63,293 acres and is still 97 percent contained. --- UPDATE 7:15 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, 2018 - The Delta Fire is now 63,293 acres. It is still 97 percent contained. All evacuations and evacuation advisories have been lifted. Sunday morning command was transferred to a Northern California Type 2 Incident Command Team. Crews are still putting out hot spots that threaten the integrity of the fire lines. Due to increased humidity and rain, the fire activity is significantly reduced. --- UPDATE 10:15 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 - The Delta Fire grew to 63,093 acres and is still considered 97 percent contained. The estimated date for 100 percent containment is Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. Operations from the night shift report that the fire activity moderated overnight Friday under overcast skies. It had advanced to the northwest and is still at Slate Mountain Road and Dog Creek on the Trinity/Shasta county line. --- UPDATE 1:10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018 - The Delta Fire has grown to 62,159 acres and is 97 percent contained. There are new mandatory evacuations in Trinity County. (Click here for an article with evacuation updates) 20 structures were destroyed. 914 personnel are working on the Shasta Trinity National Forest Service fire team at this time. The human-caused Delta Fire Wednesday, Sept. 5, approximately 12:51 p.m. two miles north of Lakehead, California. The majority of the Delta/Hirz Fire showed minimal fire behavior Friday. However, the south-west corner of the Delta Fire was very active, and was categorized as 'extreme.' Spotting and group torching was observed. Containment lines on the ridge near Clear Creek were impacted and firefighters are actively engaged in suppression efforts minimizing growth while providing for firefighter safety. --- UPDATE 2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 - The Delta Fire is now 62,059 acres. With the increase in uncontained fire perimeter because of the spot fire in Bear Gulch, the containment is now at 97 percent --- UPDATE 9:21 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 - The Delta Fire is 62,504 acres and is 98 percent contained. Expected containment has been pushed back to Oct. 5. --- UPDATE 11:52 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018 - The Delta Fire is 62,504 acres and is 98 percent contained. U.S. Forest officials say the spot fire that sparked outside of the Delta Fire on Tuesday is estimated at 762 acres. Officials say retardant tankers made several drops to the north above Bear Gulch keeping the fire from moving in that direction. --- UPDATE 9:08 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018 - The Delta Fire is 61,715 acres and is 98 percent contained. The U.S. Forest Service observed a spot fire along the southern containment line that grew to around 10 acres. The fire is expected to be fully contained on Sept. 29. --- SHASTA-TRINITY NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. - The Delta Fire is 98 percent contained, as of Sunday morning, Sept. 23, 2018. Full containment is expected by Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018. Smoke from the fire is still visible from within the fire perimeter. Drivers on Interstate 5 will be able to see pockets of smoke over the next several weeks. Other areas with heavy smoke are near Dog Creek and Damnation Peak. The human-caused fire is 60,705 acres in size. It started on Wednesday, September 5, at approximately 12:51 p.m. A local Type 3 Incident Management Organization led by Incident Commander Paul Zerr of the Shasta McCloud Management Unit of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest assumed command of the Delta and Hirz Fires on Saturday. They will oversee suppression and repair efforts beginning in the Hirz Fire and work their way west to the Delta Fire. Firefighters will continue to mop up as they improve completed fireline along the southern edge of the Delta fire. Crews will extinguish burning or smoldering material on the fires edge and further into the fire area where needed. This labor-intensive activity is critical to keeping the fire contained. Crews will continue suppression repair activities on all affected areas. Firefighters use heavy equipment to move vegetation and other debris, pushed aside during fireline construction, back onto cleared areas to reduce erosion. Waterbars, or small ridges, are being built at angles across slopes to divert water. This repair activity significantly reduces and minimizes long-term impacts to roads and trails. Area Opening/Closures: To provide for public safety during suppression and repair, a Shasta-Trinity National Forest Closure Order is in place for the Delta Fire (order number 14-18-19). For specific recreation information, please call the Shasta Lake Ranger District at (530) 275-1587 or the Mt. Shasta Ranger Station at (530) 926-4511. FORT BIDWELL, Calif. - This is where the healing begins, said Anita Williams, the coordinator of the annual event created to honor the elders who used to attend the non-reservation Indian boarding school that was located on the site of a former military post in the Surprise Valley. The event has been held since 2009, to celebrate California Indian Day and honor the elders who attended the boarding school. The school operated on the Fort Bidwell property from 1898 to 1930. It was created for the Pauite and Modoc tribes and initially served just Paiute children, due to its location in Fort Bidwell. The Warner Mountain range was a barrier to easy travel for the Pit River students. Eventually, children from the Klamath, Miwok, Maidu and Concow tribes attended the boarding school, along with their Paiute and Pit River classmates. The elders who attended the school are aging, and many have already passed on. Williams, the coordinator on the event, is dedicated to bringing former students home to Fort Bidwell to share their experiences and their tribal histories with the younger generation. Students were forcibly removed from their homes to attend the boarding school, but many family members camped near the school to be close to their children. There are no schools in Fort Bidwell anymore. The children and teens are bused to Cedarville and Alturas for their education. The boarding school closed in 1930. The school was on the former grounds of Fort Bidwell, the center for the U.S. calvary when fighting the Modoc Wars and other regional Indian battles in Northern California, Southern Oregon and Eastern Nevada. The Fort opened in 1865 and closed in 1930. The Modoc Wars lasted from 1872-1873. The militarys Fort Bidwell was named after General John Bidwell, who in 1841 led one of the first emigrant wagon trains from Missouri to California. The farmer, statesman and prohibitionist also is known for founding the city of Chico, Calif. The Mount Bidwell California Indian Day Celebration and Fort Bidwell Indian Boarding School Reunion takes place Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October 7, 2018, starting at 9:00 a.m. each day. There is a parade on Saturday morning and a community potluck later in the day. The Fort Bidwell Reservation Tribal Office phone number is (530) 279-2784. (Photos courtest of Meriam Library Special Collections) The Trinity County Environmental Health Department says several banned pesticides found in an illegal marijuana grow may have contaminated parts of the Trinity River. The pesticides were found on a private parcel of land off Underwood Mountain Road in the Burnt Ranch area of Trinity County during the execution of a search warrant by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Tuesday. That's where environmental health officials found evidence suggesting the use of carbofuran. methamidophos, and avermectin b1 pesticides all of which are highly toxic and known to cause reproductive harm in humans. Horticulturist and licensed pest control advisor Leimone Waite says this is a problem across the state with illegal marijuana grows. Rains come and that leaks all down into our waterways, Waite said. So that can have a really devastating effect on all of the aquatic life that's in the streams. She said these the kinds of pesticides can also have a devastating effect on wildlife, contaminating plants growing along waterways and indirectly poisoning animals that eat plants or animals contaminated with the chemicals. Some rodent comes and eats the rodenticide or whatever, whether it's a mouse or a rat or something, and then something else comes along and eats that, Waite said. And there's such toxic levels in that, that it kills that animal as well. The chemicals found can cause a long list of health effects on humans including miosis, blurred vision, tearing, excessive respiratory secretions, salivation, sweating; abdominal cramps, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lightheadedness, weakness, exhaustion, chest tightness, epigastric pain, labored breathing, cyanosis, muscle twitching, incoordination, convulsions, unconsciousness, respiratory failure, skin irritation and possible effects on the immune system. Public health officials advise anyone who may have come in contact with these chemicals and is experiencing any of the symptoms to seek medical attention. Nearby residents are also advised to use a filter for their water. The Trinity County Environmental Health Department will be holding a meeting to answer questions and address concerns about the spill at the Burnt Ranch fire station at 9AM Monday. Police seize contraband Mahottari police on Sunday confiscated clothes and fire crackers worth Rs 200,000 while they were being smuggled from India via various border points in the district. DSP Khagendra Bahadur Khadka said the contraband items were seized as police had heightened vigilance at border points in view of the upcoming Dashain festival. WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) - The Latest on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh (all times local): 6:45 p.m. President Donald Trump says he is a "hundred percent" sure that the woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school named the wrong person. Kavanaugh was confirmed by the Senate on Saturday by a 50-48 vote. His Supreme Court nomination was roiled for weeks by allegations of sexual misconduct and drunken behavior when Kavanaugh was a high school and college student. Trump tells reporters on Air Force One that one of the reasons he chose Kavanaugh "is because there's nobody with a squeaky-clean past" like him. Trump also says he believes a rally speech in which he mocked Christine Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh proved to be a turning point for the nomination. The remarks drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. ___ 6:20 p.m. Brett Kavanaugh has taken the oaths of office to become the 114th Supreme Court justice, just a couple of hours after the Senate voted 50-48 to confirm him. The quick swearing in enables Kavanaugh to begin work immediately in advance of arguments at the court Tuesday in two cases involving prison sentences for repeat offenders. The court says Kavanaugh took the oath required by the Constitution and another for judges that is part of federal law in the same room where the justices meet for their private conferences. The 53-year-old justice's wife, children and parents were in attendance. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the constitutional oath and retired Justice Anthony Kennedy administered the judicial oath. Kavanaugh is replacing Kennedy on the bench and once served as his law clerk. ___ 6:05 p.m. Protesters are occupying the steps of the Supreme Court following the Senate's confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. The demonstrators went up the steps of the Supreme Court holding signs and chanting, "we believe survivors" and "hey hey, ho ho, Kavanaugh has got to go." Officers are blocking the doors to the court and are face to face with the protesters. Some of the demonstrators are hanging from the columns of the building, and women are sitting on the two marble statues beside the steps. Republicans have denounced the protests that have gripped the Capitol in recent days as "mob rule." Kavanaugh was confirmed as an associate justice Saturday in a 50-48 Senate vote. The Supreme Court says he will be sworn in as a justice later Saturday. --- 5:20 p.m. President Donald Trump flashed two thumbs up when the Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. He also criticized Democrats for what he called a "horrible, horrible attack" on Kavanaugh. Trump watched the vote Saturday in his private cabin aboard Air Force One as he flew to a campaign rally in Kansas. He invited reporters to join him as the votes were tallied. Trump predicted the appeals court judge would be a "totally brilliant Supreme Court justice for many years," and went on to praise Kavanaugh's "temperament, his incredible past, his outstanding years on the court." Trump blamed Democrats for the controversy over allegations of sexual misconduct when Kavanaugh was a high school and college student. He called it "a horrible attack that nobody should have to go through." --- 4:20p.m. Brett Kavanaugh will soon don his robes as a justice. The Supreme Court says he will be sworn in later Saturday. In a statement, the court says Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the Constitutional Oath and retired Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy will administer the Judicial Oath in a private ceremony at the Supreme Court. Both oaths will be administered so Kavanaugh can participate in the work of the court immediately. A formal investiture ceremony will take place at a special sitting of the court at a later date. ___ 4:15 p.m. President Donald Trump is hailing Brett Kavanaugh's ascension to the Supreme Court after an epic struggle to get him confirmed. Trump tweets his congratulations and calls the Senate confirmation vote "very exciting!" --- 4 p.m. The Senate has confirmed Brett Kavanaugh as an associate justice of the Supreme Court, putting a second nominee from President Donald Trump on the highest court in the land. Kavanaugh was confirmed 50-48 Saturday during a historic roll call vote in the Senate chamber. The two-vote margin is one of the narrowest ever for a Supreme Court nominee. The vote unfolded with protesters shouting from the gallery. The vote closes out a bitter struggle over Kavanaugh's nomination, inflamed by accusations that he sexually assaulted women in the 1980s. Kavanaugh forcefully denied the accusations in sworn testimony. --- 3:55 p.m. Protesters are disrupting the Senate's vote on Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court. Demonstrators began shouting "I do not consent" as the roll call on Kavanaugh began. Senators are seated at their desks for the vote. When Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona cast his vote in favor of Kavanaugh, one protester shouted, "You're a coward Flake, a total coward!" Vice President Pence, who is presiding, repeatedly called for the Senate sergeant-at-arms to restore order in the chamber. The protesters are being removed by gallery staff. ___ 3:50 p.m. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is praising Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as "among the very best our nation has to offer." The Kentucky Republican says Kavanaugh "unquestionably" deserves to be confirmed. He says the judge "will make the Senate and the country proud" as a member of the high court. The vote to confirm Kavanaugh as an associate justice began after McConnell's remarks. --- 3:45 p.m. A roll call vote is under way in the Senate on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Senators are seated at their desks for the historic vote. If it succeeds, Kavanaugh will soon join the court as an associate justice. Republicans control the Senate by a 51-49 margin, and the vote seems destined to be nearly party-line. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is the only Democrat expected to vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is opposed, but says she will vote "present" as a courtesy to another Republican who is out of town. ___ 3:40 p.m. Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer is decrying the expected confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court as "one of the saddest moments" in the history of the Senate and the U.S. The New York Democrat criticized Kavanaugh in a Senate floor speech, saying he is a nominee "who doesn't belong on the nation's highest bench." He said Kavanaugh is an "extreme partisan" who disqualified himself with testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The vote to confirm Kavanaugh as an associate justice is expected to begin soon. Senators have been advised to be in their seats for the vote. Kavanaugh is expected to win confirmation by a narrow margin. Republicans have a 51-49 majority in the chamber. Schumer closed his speech saying Americans opposed to Kavanaugh's confirmation need to vote in the midterm election. ___ 3:30 p.m. President Donald Trump says he's looking forward to the Senate vote that's vote expected to confirm his second Supreme Court nominee. Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a rally in Topeka, Kansas, that he thinks Brett Kavanaugh is "going to be a great Supreme Court justice for many years to come." He's also praising Republican Sen. Susan Collins for the speech she delivered Friday announcing her support for the nominee. And he says he thinks the week-long delay as the FBI investigated sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh was something positive. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegations. Trump is expected to watch the vote play out from aboard Air Force One as he flies to Kansas. He's says, "it's a very exciting time." ___ 3 p.m. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley is giving his closing argument for the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Grassley is praising Kavanaugh's judicial independence in a speech on the Senate floor and he says the judge won't be beholden to the man who nominated him, President Donald Trump. He accuses Democrats of doing "everything in their power" to make Kavanaugh's nomination about something other than his judicial record and qualifications. Kavanaugh faced accusations of sexual misconduct from Christine Blasey Ford and other women. Ford testified that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teens. Kavanaugh forcefully denied the accusations. The Senate is expected to vote soon to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Grassley says he's glad senators had the courage to "stand against the politics of personal destruction." --- 1:30 p.m. A final vote has been set for Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. The vote on confirming Kavanaugh as an associate justice will begin at roughly 3:30 p.m., and senators have been advised to be in their seats by the time the historic roll call begins. Republicans control the Senate by a 51-49 margin, and Saturday's vote seems destined to be nearly party-line. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is the only Democrat expected to vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is opposed, but says she will vote "present" as a courtesy to another Republican who will be absent for his daughter's wedding. A few hundred protesters are gathering outside the Capitol before the vote. A group of them climbed the Capitol steps, and some were led away by police. ___ 1 p.m. A large crowd has gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to protest Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. Pumping their fists and carrying signs, a few hundred people climbed the east steps of the Capitol for the demonstration. The crowd has been chanting, "November is coming!" and "Vote them out!" A much larger crowd of protesters is watching the demonstration from behind a barricade. In between, a line of Capitol police officers is standing with plastic handcuffs clipped to their belts. The Senate is expected to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Saturday afternoon. ___ 11:25 a.m. Deborah Ramirez says the Senate is "looking the other way" when it comes to her accusation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh exposed himself to her when they were students at Yale. Ramirez says in a statement released by her lawyers that the FBI refused to speak to witnesses who could corroborate her story. She says senators are "deliberately ignoring" Kavanaugh's behavior. The Senate is poised on Saturday to confirm Kavanaugh as an associate justice. The vote comes after Kavanaugh faced accusations of sexual misconduct from Ramirez and other women. Kavanaugh has denied the accusations. The FBI interviewed Ramirez as part of a background check investigation opened by the White House. The Senate Judiciary Committee says the FBI also interviewed two alleged eyewitnesses to the incident named by Ramirez and one of her college friends. ___ 10:15 a.m. The Senate vote on confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is certain to be close, even if the outcome is no longer suspenseful. Enough senators have indicated they will support him Saturday to put him over the edge, with a likely margin of two votes. That's barring a last-minute change of mind. But will the vote match the closest in history? The closest confirmation votes for a Supreme Court nominee were decided by a single vote. In 1881, Justice Stanley Matthews prevailed in a vote of 24-23. In 1861, nominee Jeremiah Black was defeated by a vote of 26-25. Among current justices, the confirmation of Clarence Thomas in 1991 was the closest, with a vote of 52-48. Eleven Democrats voted for Thomas, while two Republicans opposed his confirmation. The vice president can vote in the event of a Senate tie. That's never happened in a Supreme Court confirmation. ___ 9:30 a.m. Melania (meh-LAH'-nee-ah) Trump is offering some supportive words for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Here's what she tells reporters traveling with her in Egypt: "I think he's highly qualified for the Supreme Court." The first lady is wrapping up a four-country tour of Africa. Speaking to reporters near the Great Sphinx, she says she's glad that both Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey (BLAH'-zee) Ford, were heard. Without weighing in on the sexual assault allegations that Ford leveled against Kavanaugh, Mrs. Trump says victims of "any kind of abuse or violence" must be helped. Kavanaugh denies the accusation. The Senate is expected to confirm Kavanaugh on Saturday. ___ 8 a.m. Democrats don't seem to have the votes to keep Brett Kavanaugh from joining the Supreme Court, but that's not stopping them from taking to the Senate floor in a parade of speeches into the early morning against the conservative jurist. Hours before the expected roll call vote that would elevate the appeals court judge to the nation's highest court, Democrats are making clear their strong opposition. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (KEER'-sten JIHL'-uh-brand) of New York says there's one fundamental question for senators when they decide Kavanaugh's fate: "Do we, as a country, value women?" Gillibrand says women who've experienced sexual trauma are "tired of the same old scenario where the men are believed and the women are not." Allegations against Kavanaugh arose late in the confirmation process that he sexually abused women decades ago. He's emphatically denied the accusations. Gillibrand says that after the way Anita Hill was treated by the Senate during the Clarence Thomas hearings in 1991, "we said it would never happen again. But it did." ___ 12:30 a.m. Brett Kavanaugh seems assured of surviving a Supreme Court nomination fight for the ages after two wavering senators said they'd back him. The announcements Friday by Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia came after weeks of shocking accusations, hardball politics and Capitol protests. Their support makes Saturday's vote to confirm Kavanaugh an apparent formality after a battle that riveted the nation for nearly a month. Republicans control the Senate by a 51-49 margin, and Saturday's roll call vote seems destined to be nearly party-line, with just a single defector from each side. The vote caps a contest fought against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement and President Donald Trump's unyielding support of his Supreme Court nominee. (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press) UPDATE 9:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 - A witness providing information to Chico Police about a vehicle associated with the stabbing. The vehicle was found with five people inside in the 100 block of Oak Street in Chico Friday night, Oct. 5, 2018, at approximately 10:10 p.m. Witnesses and the stabbing victim were summoned to the scene, say police, to make an identification. They identified 24-year-old Amarion Lang of Sacramento as the stabber, and he was arrested. Two Sacramento men were arrested during a search for suspects in Chico party stabbing incident Two Sacramento men were arrested during a search for suspects in Chico party stabbing incident Another occupant of the vehicle, 20-year-old Angelo Craver, was found with a concealed and loaded .40 caliber pistol. He was a previously convicted felon and was arrested for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person prohibited from owning or possessing firearms and ammunition. --- CHICO, Calif. - The Chico Police Department is asking the publics help in finding five people linked to a stabbing that left one man injured Thursday night. According to Chico police, officers got a call about 11:15 p.m. that a 21-year-old man had been stabbed in his upper leg at the 600 block of West 6th St. Witnesses told law enforcement that three unknown black men and two black women tried to force their way into a private party in the area, but when they were denied entry, they allegedly began sucker punching random guests. Thats when a fight broke out, leaving a man stabbed during the altercation and losing a heavy amount of blood, according to Chico police. After the stabbing, all five suspects drove away from the area in a white Honda Civic. Authorities on the scene used a tourniquet to help stop the flow of blood, but the victim was later treated at a nearby hospital. Anyone with information about the stabbing or the suspects involved is asked to call Chico police at (530)-897-4911. In what can be called as another consecutive win, Arvind Jain, the CEO of NetBiz, a 360-degree digital performance-driven agency, was named the Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the 7th ACEF Asian Leadership Forum and Awards. Mr Jayant Shirsagar, Senior Director of Marketing, SAP India handed over the award to Mr Arvind Jain. Held at the Westin Hotel in Mumbai, the event was attended by the whos who of the advertising and marketing industry. The theme for the year was Integrated Advertising, Branding and Marketing Communications.Being the dynamic CEO of NetBiz Systems and a seasoned player in the digital marketing industry, the award is not only well deserved but comes at a time when the company has been skyrocketing to recognition thanks to Mr Jains continuous efforts. Speaking about this, Arvind Jain, CEO, NetBiz, said,It is indeed an honour for me to win the award for Young Entrepreneur of the Year and I am grateful for the same. Thanks to the incredible and hardworking team at NetBiz, the company has been winning accolades at the ACEF Awards consecutively for 3 years now and this year has been no different. This award is a reminder for me to strive towards putting my best foot forward in this domain always and I am sureit will only spur me to do better. Leading a spirited team of individuals, Mr Jain continues to set the pace establishing himself as a young and vibrant leader in the digital marketing space. With a firm focus on changing the mindsets of promoter-led businesses to embrace digital marketing, he holds the unique distinction of having successfully managed to create a niche for digital marketing in real estate -- a sector overshadowed by the more traditional methods of promotion. The ACEF Awards this year consisted of an experienced jury that cut across national borders to decide the winners in various categories.The Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in particular recognizes true leaders who continuously set the bar higher in running a business based on their core belief and vision. The award also seeks to highlight their inspirational leadership as they guide their organization towards positive customer perception and improve its value among stakeholders. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. 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. The oil-rich port city of Basra is feeling the heat of the intensifying conflict between the United States and Iran. Pro-Iranian armed groups that threaten the United States from time to time are active in the city. The US-Iran tension is expected to affect the economic situation in Iraq in general, and in Basra in particular. The US State Department announced Sept. 28 its intention to close its consulate in Basra and pull out its diplomats. This comes after three mortar shells targeted the US Consulate there. On Sept. 29, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Quds Force a special force unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its commander Qasem Soleimani of being behind the threats. The United States will respond promptly and appropriately to any such attacks, he said. The recent escalation got Iraq worried. The governor of Basra, Asaad al-Eidani, warned of the negative repercussions of the intensification of the Iranian-US conflict in Iraq in general, and Basra in particular. He pointed out on Sept. 29 that the closure of the US Consulate in Basra is the result of regional conflicts, stressing the bad repercussions of this closure on Basra. Hakim al-Zamili, a leading member of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's political movement, expressed concern Sept. 30 about the effects of the US-Iran escalation of tensions on Iraq. The heated and tense statements exchanged between Iran and the United States will certainly be felt in Iraq, he said. The closure of the US Consulate at this time is intended to fan the flames of the escalating US-Iranian conflict. We are afraid of the repercussions of this escalation on the Iraqi situation. It is well-known that the Sadrist movement has a hostile attitude toward the United States, but at the same time it is distancing itself from the Iranian axis in Iraq. On Sept. 27, just one day before the US Consulate closed its doors, US Ambassador to Iraq Douglas Silliman announced that the United States will partner with UNICEF to increase access to clean water for 750,000 people in Basra. He noted that his country will help organize a water conference to be sponsored by Iraq's General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to identify and prioritize quick action projects. The drinking water crisis was the spark that ignited massive protests early September. The presence of the US Consulate is a sign of safety in Basra, said Kazem al-Waeli, a former adviser to the US-led coalition fighting the self-proclaimed Islamic State. He told Al-Monitor that the US-Iranian conflict would surely affect Basras economic situation, pointing out that the closure of the US Consulate would shake the citys stability leading to an increase in the prices of insurance policies taken out by the largest companies in the oil sector. He added, This will increase the cost of oil production in Iraq. Basra has many oil fields, some of the largest in the world, operated by the largest international oil companies. It seems difficult, and even very unlikely now, that the United States sends any aid to the city after the closure of its consulate. Silliman had promised to help improve the living conditions of Basra residents, most notably by easing the drinking water crisis. Around $200 million have been allocated to the city of Basra by the US Agency for International Development for water projects and the construction of hospitals and schools in the city. These funds will not be disbursed and will be transferred back to the US Treasury, Waeli said. In a sign of escalation between the United States and factions close to Iran, the United States issued a new warning to its citizens on Sept. 28. US citizens in Iraq are at high risk for violence and kidnapping, the warning said. Meanwhile, Iraqi armed factions close to Iran denied responsibility for the attacks against the United States, considering the decision to close the consulate as an escalation against them. On the same day, the secretary-general of Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (Masters of the Martyrs Brigade), Abu Ala al-Wa'eli, had confirmed that the closure of the US Consulate was an American attempt to avoid being confronted with the fact raised by the brigades about the US involvement in burning state institutions in Basra. Several figures from the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) close to Iran, most notably deputy commander of the PMU Committee Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, had accused the US Consulate of setting fire to the headquarters of the PMU factions and the Iranian Consulate in Basra in early September. With the possibility of the United States freezing its development efforts and activities in Basra, the PMU, an ally of Iran, stepped up its service activities in the city in an attempt to win the support of the residents. The PMU deployed to Basra dozens of its high-level engineering officials and sent necessary equipment in an effort to alleviate the services crisis in the city that caused the outbreak of protests. We decided to exploit engineering efforts to solve acute problems, said Muhandis who visited Basra Oct. 3 and met with the PMUs military engineering executive staff in the city. We also decided to stay at least for a year. We will exert great efforts." On Sept. 20, Muhammad Turki, the PMU official responsible for engineering efforts confirmed that under the guidance of Muhandis, all military engineering efforts would be provided to Basra free of charge. However, if global engineering companies decide to leave Basra, it seems unlikely that the PMU can fill the ensuing vacuum. As the conflict between the United States and Iran intensifies in the region, the city of Basra, known as the economic capital of Iraq, could become a conflict and war center rather than a center for economic development and prosperity. This would further exacerbate its already ailing economic situation. For the moment, it is still unclear what will happen with the experimental balloon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu floated Sept. 16 regarding lowering the electoral threshold, which stands at 3.25% of the votes today. Im raising the possibility of lowering the electoral threshold by half a percent but this must be with everyones agreement, Netanyahu said seemingly offhand to his senior partners in the coalition the leaders of the right-wing parties and the ultra-Orthodox. In fact, there was nothing innocent or offhand in this statement, which made some of his partners sweat, each for his own personal electoral reasons. They, like Netanyahu, are examining the initiative with an instrumentalist outlook. Chairman of HaBayit HaYehdi and Minister of Education Naftali Bennett fears that lowering the electoral threshold will cause a split in his party and spur the most extreme element member of the Knesset Bezalel Smotrich to establish an independent party. The same applies to Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri. He also cant bear the thought that his bitter rival former Shas Chairman Eli Yishai, who heads the rival independent party Yachad would be elected to the next Knesset. (In the 2015 election, Yishais Yachad got almost 3% of the votes.) Deris opposition stands in spite of the possibility that lowering the electoral threshold would benefit him as well, since his situation in the polls is not stellar. The will to seek revenge on Yishai is probably what motivates him. But the same Yishai is the main motivation for Netanyahu in lowering the electoral threshold as part of the lessons he had learned from the last election. Netanyahu then hoped that Yishai, who was considered loyal to Netanyahu in previous governments, would succeed in getting elected to the Knesset. Yishai was indeed popular on the ultra-Orthodox street and the far right but failed in the election. About a year before the 2015 election, pressured by Yisrael Beitenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman, Netanyahu joined his initiative to raise the electoral threshold. The Election Law was amended in 2014, and the electoral threshold was raised from 2% to 3.25%. The explanation given to the public was that it was meant to improve governability by reducing the number of smaller parties. Liberman apparently thought he could thus electorally damage the Arab parties. In practice, the opposite happened. The Arab parties united in the Joint List, and their political power was not damaged. Liberman, in contrast, nearly found himself outside of the Knesset because of the revelation of a corruption scandal in his party that led voters to abandon him. And Yishai? He was the tragic figure of the last election. If they hadnt raised the electoral threshold, he would have made it into the Knesset with three to four seats. Yishai was very close: Only 11,000 votes separated him from entering the Knesset and participating in Netanyahus coalition. And Netanyahu needed him. After the election, Netanyahu found it difficult to form a coalition because of Libermans surprising refusal to join him and had to manage with a narrow coalition of 61 members of the Knesset (out of 120 Knesset seats). He was subject to the extortion of individual members of the Knesset who could have toppled him at any given moment. Now Netanyahu wants to fix this. The depiction above illustrates the lack of seriousness with which Netanyahu and leaders of his government are handling significant changes to the structure of the governmental system. The electoral threshold could rise and fall like a pendulum, supposedly for the sake of governability. The people involved dont even bother to hide their personal, cynical and instrumentalist motivations. If in 2014, when the law was changed and the threshold was raised, it was explained to the public as an initiative to bring stability to the political system, now everything is out on the table with no filters. As clay in the hands of the potter, so the Election Law has become an instrument in the hands of Netanyahu to ensure his survival. This time he thinks that lowering the threshold would help him enlarge the right-wing bloc and easily form a government, and he doesnt bother at all to look at the damage such frequent changes to an important law would cause. The electoral threshold should be raised and not lowered. This is whats right for the country, even if not for some politicians, Zionist Camp Chairman Avi Gabbay told Al-Monitor. He intends to lead his party in opposition to lowering the threshold if it comes to a vote in the Knesset. At the core of Gabbays opposition is the logic according to which a high threshold prevents the splintering of the political system, the loss of votes and extortion following the election in the process of coalition formation. In fact, this was the argument that in 2014 led to a dramatic increase of the electoral threshold. The current threshold is the highest it has ever been in Israel. The standard for entering the Knesset is now at least four mandates, while in past years even parties that received only two mandates succeeded in getting elected (and there were years when only one mandate was sufficient). Thus, there is no practical reason to lower the electoral threshold, aside from the explanation that Netanyahu is getting ready to call an early election and acting to create a comfortable coalition situation for himself. Raising the electoral threshold in 2014 turned out to be a good step in promoting governability. It forced the Arab parties to unite and diminished the phenomenon of splintering. The surprising advocate of lowering the threshold now is Meretz Chairwoman Tamar Zandberg, who argues that this would increase representation in the Knesset, and says that its a position of principle for her. In Meretzs case, the lower electoral threshold saved it from disappearing in 2009, when the important and longstanding left-wing party got only three mandates. This is a weighty argument, and to the credit of Meretz and Zandberg, they are consistent in their support of a low electoral threshold. Thus, its extremely important to make such a decision only after an in-depth public debate, and not casually. The electoral threshold at its current percentage has created a good process of smaller parties uniting with each other. Thus, it has reduced the number of parties in the Knesset and moderated the extortion capacities of small interest groups, said Yohanan Plesner, chairman of the Israel Democracy Institute, in conversation with Al-Monitor. As he sees it, its been proven to be a factor that consolidates the political system. Relative to nations that have a parliamentary democracy, were in a good place in the middle: In Germany, Poland, and even New Zealand, the electoral threshold is 5%. Raneem Nasser, a housewife, is reluctant to purchase Jordanian-manufactured products. Foreign ones last a longer time, she told Al-Monitor while shopping for household goods at SmartBuy in downtown Amman. Nasser is far from being the only member of her generation who prefers foreign appliances to household hardware made in Jordan, but an ambitious campaign aimed at younger generations hopes to counter this attitude and instill pride in locally produced goods. Musa al-Saket, a board member of the Amman Chamber of Industry, told Al-Monitor that the lack of confidence in Jordanian-made products and the general assumption that foreign goods are of better quality dates to the opening of the Jordanian market to imports in the 2000s. As the Jordanian market was a closed market [until the 2000s], Jordanian products were not subject to market competition with products from abroad. This lack of competition was not conducive to innovation, Saket said. When the Jordanian government opened the market after signing free trade agreements in the 2000s, only two options were available: either upgrade Jordanian products to be more competitive or shut down local factories. While the countrys business elite opted for the former, it was no easy task to get local consumers to choose Jordanian products over the available foreign imports. That is why the Made in Jordan campaign was launched in 2013. Saket, who chairs the campaign, said, [The goal is] to strengthen Jordanian citizens trust in domestic products and, consequently, boost local demand for them. Public and private enterprises and business groups have joined the campaign, including the Amman Chamber of Industry and the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO). The campaign's steering committee consists of representatives from the Military Consumer Establishment, Civil Service Consumer Corporation, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, Jordan Investment Commission, Jordan Radio and Television Corporation and Greater Amman Municipality. Five years along, the campaign was fine-tuned in August 2018 with the introduction of a focus on new generations of consumers. Aware that youths search for most information online, the campaigns website was revamped to feature Jordanian industries whose products excelled, list new brands and sectors and compare prices of local and imported products. The site also provides background on the importance of manufacturing industries for local employment. The campaign's messages mainly play on national pride, emphasizing the concept of meeting local needs locally and promoting self-sufficiency; the quality of the products made by Jordanian workers; and the need to boost the local economy and make Jordan attractive to international investment. It's banner slogan is Our Industry Is Our Pride. One aspect of the campaign is to push local success stories, such as the Jordanian Vegetable Oil Industries Company, which has developed a new, line of healthy oils. Video testimonies by satisfied consumers who use locally produced ovens, washing machines and domestic electronics have been produced and uploaded. Messages are shared on social media platforms, including on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and appear as newspaper, bus and outdoor advertisements. Another tool used to get the attention of today's youth are school field trips to Jordanian factories so students can learn about various industries, production lines and the quality achieved in recent years. Public and private schools as well as those run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency all take part in such trips. In September, campaign managers selected students from different age groups to be ambassadors, charging them with explaining the campaigns objectives to their classmates, teachers and their community, conduct activities related to the campaign in student clubs and associations and disseminate updated information about the campaign. Made in Jordan focuses largely on the younger generations, but it also more broadly targets Jordanians of all ages and categories in an effort to deepen their conviction in Jordanian products and boost their desire to purchase products made by local industries, Saket said. Saket believes that the campaign has indeed increased demand for local products. Any concrete gains and actual changes in attitudes will become clearer later in October, when the survey company Ipsos Stats conducts a survey about the campaign and local products. Yousef al Shamali, secretary-general of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, told Al-Monitor that his ministry and JEDCO provide 50% of the campaigns funds. The Ministry is a member of the technical committee responsible for overseeing the implementation of the campaign and its work, Shamali said. Part of the progress is due to the fact that the public and private sectors work together to spread a common message. The Made in Jordan campaign showcases a wide range of products and services that are a source of pride for the progress achieved by Jordanian industries in recent years and increased consumer confidence in these products worldwide. In addition to potentially instilling a sense of pride, local industries are also a source of much-needed employment. Figures compiled by the Amman Chamber of Industry indicate that 225,000 female and male workers, who support 1 million people (including themselves) from their labor, are employed in local factories. Local industry accounts for one-fourth of gross domestic product, and industrial exports account for 90% of total national exports, amounting to $7 billion a year, a considerable rise from $1 billion dollars in 1998, according to Saket. More than 125 countries import Jordanian products. Mazen Ershid, an economist, told Al-Monitor, The signing of free trade agreements took a heavy toll on local industry, which was unable to compete with better-quality products made in Turkey and China. Jordan should have waited until [local] industry got stronger before signing. According to Ershid, it is now crucial to support local products and industry to decrease the outflow of foreign currency, cut the trade deficit and increase local employment. Province 5 passes 15 bills A meeting of the Council of Ministers of Province 5 on Sunday passed 15 different bills including the bill relating to constitution of Province Police. After a month of bloody warfare among militias around Tripoli, an uneasy cease-fire is in place in Libya's desperate capital. The groups, all of which claim to support the Government of National Accord (GNA), agreed Sept. 26 to the cease-fire. The city's only functioning airport has reopened, though it had to close for a couple of hours Oct. 2 after a rocket fell nearby. Some displaced families are returning home. Cease-fire violations still occur here and there, but so far with limited scope. It took several meetings among the array of militias, with full participation of UN Special Envoy Ghassan Salame in the western city of Zawia, to reach the cease-fire. It's the first time any UN envoy has taken part in discussing security arrangements on the ground after a bout of fighting. The involvement of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), for the first time, in mediation efforts between the different fighting groups was an important step to calm hostilities. UNSMILs mandate only allows the mission to play a political role and does not mention military mediation between local militias. However, nothing is being said about who is responsible for the civilian deaths and destruction of private property. Libya's Health Ministry reported Sept. 23 that at least 115 people had been killed and almost 400 injured. UNSMIL documented about 40 civilian casualties in the month of September, but said it expected the number to grow. UNICEF put the number of displaced at well over 25,000. The latest round of violence in the Tripoli area started early Aug. 27, when sudden gunfire began around Mashrou al-Hadba, south of Tripoli, then spread to other districts including Khallet al-Furjan, Abu Salim and Salahaddin. It remains unclear what started the fighting. Ahmed Hassan, a relief worker with Libyas Red Crescent, described the violence as another round of many [more] to come." "Civilians are the real victims," he told Al-Monitor. "We hardly know who is fighting who and for what. What is confirmed so far is that the Seventh Brigade, based 90 kilometers (56 miles) southeast of Tripoli in Tarhouna, started the attack Aug. 27 on Tripoli. The Seventh Brigade took on two large and powerful militias in the capital: the Nawasi Brigade and the Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigades. Mohamed Abani, a parliament member representing Tarhouna, said in a press statement that the Seventh Brigade took action to liberate the capital from the militias that are robbing public funds and dominating the capital while paralyzing the government. In a rare media appearance right after the Seventh Brigade launched its attack on Tripoli, the group's military spokesman, Saad Hamali, said the action was aimed at militias that control Tripoli and prevent the government from functioning. He sought to reassure civilians and foreign diplomatic missions of their safety and that they are not targeted. In later statements, Saad Hamali reiterated that the Seventh Brigades main objectives include disarming militias in the capital and ensuring the return of civilian police and the army to take over government buildings and daily security matters, stressing that all militias should leave the capital. After relative calm returned to Tripoli and its southern districts, the GNA appeared to consider shifting UNSMILs mandate to include some active security aspects. Speaking before the UN General Assembly meeting Sept. 29, GNA Foreign Minister Mohammed Sayala said, We think it is important that the [UN] mission should be changed from a special political mission to one helping set up security and stability. This idea seemed to surprise Salame, who said during a TV interview Sept. 29 that he would discuss the request with Fayez al-Sarraj, who is GNA prime minister and chairman of the Presidential Council. This is not the first time Tripoli, home to about 2 million people, has come under attack without the perpetrators being held accountable. Neither the UN nor Libyan authorities have ever indicted a single person for such violence. Mabruk Ali, a communications engineer living near the front line who was forced to flee his home, summed up the situation to Al-Monitor, saying, As long as no one is held accountable and as long as the UN does not enforce its resolutions, this vicious cycle will continue forever and we, civilians, pay the ultimate price. Milad Saad, a university professor who was unable to visit his family outside Tripoli because of the fighting, criticized the GNA. He told Al-Monitor, If they [GNA leaders] cannot control their own people, what will they do? Both sides of the fight say they belong to the GNA, yet the GNA can't force them to stop. After signing the 1995 Oslo II agreement, Israel handed over the responsibilities of the Palestinian telecommunications infrastructure to the Palestinian Authority (PA) but granted itself total control of the Palestinian frequency spectrum in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Palestinians have repeatedly asked for the termination of this agreement, which was supposed to expire in 1999, but an Israeli approval remains in order. Al-Monitor secured a copy of a Sept. 25 document published by Paltel Group, the largest Palestinian telecommunications company. According to the document, eight Israeli cellular companies currently operate illegally in the Palestinian territories, accounting for 17% of the Palestinian market, with 600,000 Israeli SIM cards used by Palestinians. This figure, according to the document, is set to rise to 1 million by 2020. Chief among the Israeli cellular companies operating illegally in the Palestinian territories are Bezeq, Orange, Cellcom, Motorola and Pelephone. At the opening of EXPOTECH 2018, held in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sept. 25, CEO of Paltel Group Ammar al-Aker said the Israeli companies illegally operating in the Palestinian territories do not pay any taxes or fees to the Palestinian treasury. This, he said, led to losses worth 116 million shekels, about $32 million, in 2017 alone. Palestinians have used Israeli SIM cards since before the establishment of the PA, when the Palestinian territories were under Israeli occupation before 1993, and they continued to use them even after the establishment of Jawwal in 1997 and Wataniya Mobile in 2009. Should Palestinians continue to use Israeli SIM cards, this loss could amount to 217 million shekels by 2020. Palestinians using Israeli SIM cards pay 355 million shekels per year. Israeli SIM cards are either sold in shops across the Palestinian territories or secured through Palestinians working in Israel. PA efforts to confiscate or limit the sale of these cards have thus far been rendered dead in the water. Samir Abdallah, a senior researcher at the Palestinian Economic Policy Research Institute-MAS, told Al-Monitor, Israelis are turning huge profits as a result of their growing expansion in the Palestinian telecommunications market. In order to limit the Israeli invasion of the Palestinian telecommunications market, the only solution would be for the Palestinian telecommunications companies to create an atmosphere of competition to improve their provided services and reduce their prices. In August, Israeli cellular companies started expanding their networks in the West Bank by setting up 65 new broadcast towers. Settlers had complained about the difficulty of communicating with Israeli security forces to report Palestinian armed attacks. In Gaza, however, only a limited number of Palestinians use Israeli SIM cards because of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. While Israel imposes restrictions on the construction of Palestinian communication networks and relay stations in Area C of the West Bank under the pretext of security, the Oslo II agreement gave the Israelis the right to build and operate their networks across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Issa Mohammed, a Palestinian from Hebron, told Al-Monitor, I use an Israeli SIM card because it costs less and offers better quality than a Palestinian SIM card. I know that I am supporting the Israeli economy, but I do not have a choice, he added. Minister of Communications and Information Technology in the PA Allam Mousa announced Aug. 13 that the PA is preparing several memoranda to be submitted to international organizations, such as the International Telecommunication Union, in a bid to prevent Israel from continuing its expansion. Ghassan Khatib, the former Palestinian planning minister and the current head of the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center, told Al-Monitor, The Israeli expansion in the Palestinian market is linked to the Israeli desire to impose political, military and economic control over the Palestinian territories. Israel considers these territories a market for its economic products, which include telecommunication services. The Israeli invasion of the Palestinian market does not only entail economic and political repercussions. It also presents security risks. Palestinian use of the Israeli SIM cards prevents Palestinian legal authorities from pursuing any electronic crimes coordinated through such SIM cards. Islam Shahwan, a professor of security sciences at Gaza's Al-Awda College, told Al-Monitor, The Israeli security invasion of the Palestinian telecommunications market allows Israelis to reap huge benefits. [The Israelis] control Palestinian calls, monitor their movements, tap their phones and know in advance their plans to carry out armed attacks against Israelis and work on foiling them. The expansion of the Israeli telecommunications sector in the Palestinian territories is not an isolated measure. Other points need to be considered in this regard, including the current political situation and the current PA role, which continues to decline in favor of the Israeli Civil Administration. The Israeli Civil Administration has started issuing work permits for Palestinian workers inside Israel, thus isolating the PA and bolstering their calls for the annexation of the West Bank to Israel. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Palestine is expected to pass a law establishing its national protocol for preventing torture at the beginning of 2019. On Sept. 19, the Ministry of the Interior in Ramallah, the West Bank, met with several human rights and civil society organizations and the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) to discuss establishment of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). Developing this mechanism is one of Palestines obligations after President Mahmoud Abbas signed in March the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT). OPCAT specifies that participants will establish at least one body to visit and inspect prisons and other detention facilities to prevent "torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (hereinafter referred to as the national preventive mechanism). The NPM will be deemed a national human rights body tasked with combating torture and promoting human rights and public freedom. In the same context, the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in the Gaza Strip is discussing its final version of a draft law examined in August that provides for alternative punishments and sentences in line with the ratified international human rights conventions. These alternative sentences include house arrest, community service, restraining orders, electronic monitoring, and rehabilitation and training programs. Al-Monitor talked about the NPM with Haytham Arar, the head of Democratic and Human Rights at the Ministry of Interior. The protocol aims to establish a system of regular and unrestrained visits by independent international and national bodies to freedom-deprivation quarters," such as correctional, rehabilitation and holding facilities, shelters for battered women and mental hospitals. The inspections will be designed to "prevent torture and other cruel or inhumane treatment or punishment," she said. The establishment of the NPM will take into account the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and the nature of the current political system based on pluralism and respect for human rights. The NPM will be established as an administratively and financially independent institution to ensure its impartiality. The ministry plans to consult with relevant government authorities and civil society organizations about creating an independent organizational structure and management, Arar added. Abbas is expected to issue a decree appointing NPM members by Dec. 27 so the mechanism can be implemented in 2019. NPM members will visit all facilities where a citizen could be subjected to torture, she said, After the visit, NPM members will draft evaluation reports to be submitted to the concerned government bodies, including recommendations for the development and improvement of the detention centers to ensure the well-being of the persons detained there. Arar hopes to see Palestine free of torture policies so the rule of law and human rights are fully observed. She also noted that rapprochement between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip would facilitate NPM operations. The division is preventing Gazan citizens from enjoying their life and rights, she said. ICHR legal researcher Ammar Jamous told Al-Monitor that OPCAT urges its state parties to cooperate to ensure the right of every person not to be subjected to torture." He added, By signing OPCAT, Palestine became bound to deal with the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and to allow it to make unannounced visits to freedom-deprivation quarters in coordination with the Palestinian NPM. Jamous said cases of torture are increasing in the West Bank and in Gaza, according to the ICHRs 2017 annual report, despite all the international treaties and conventions Palestine has recently ratified. He called on government agencies to take appropriate measures to implement these conventions, stressing the need to enact criminal laws against all forms of torture. Jamous pointed to Palestine's slow implementation of its ratified conventions, as the Palestinian Authority hasn't convened the PLC for a regular session since the 2007 Fatah-Hamas internal division and the West Bank-Gaza split. Palestine is not adequately examining international conventions before their ratification. It isn't discussing the proper implementation methods and their suitability to the Palestinian situation. Ratifying a convention entails obligations," Jamous said. Some governing authority bodies in Palestine reject the idea of change. For example, the security services that practice torture in correctional facilities and rehabilitation centers will of course not be pleased by such conventions, since they still use torture to obtain confessions or to punish inmates. However, the state must put in place a mechanism that guarantees the independence of the NPM and its freedom of action without being subject to harassment. Nafez al-Madhoun, secretary-general of the PLC in Gaza, told Al-Monitor that PLC members there discussed a draft law on alternative sanctions to apply standards that respect human rights, and how to eliminate sanctions that restrict freedoms. These sanctions have proved to negatively affect inmates in correctional facilities and rehabilitation centers. It is necessary to amend and develop the penal code in force in the Gaza Strip," he said. A person could go to prison over a crime and come out having gained a whole new criminal culture. Detention centers are overcrowded with convicts having committed diverse heinous crimes. Madhoun pointed to the difficult economic situation in Gaza that caused detention centers to become overcrowded with inmates convicted of finance-related misdemeanors. According to the police department in the Gaza Strip, about 98,314 arrest warrants were issued there in 2017 for such offenses. Alternative sentences should be imposed on these convicts, he said, The type of this alternative punishment depends on the type of offense committed, as well as the behavior of the inmate. Madhoun added, "The draft law will be passed into a law soon, since it was accepted by the members of the Hamas-controlled PLC in Gaza and all competent authorities, including the public prosecution and the courts. Once it's passed, "this law will be applied immediately. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip released from custody on Sept. 27 several Fatah supporters, including students at Gaza universities and members of Fatahs Office of Mobilization and Organization. The Fatah supporters were arrested Sept. 24 for voicing support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who gave a speech to a session of the UN General Assembly Sept. 27. As Hamas arrested 70 Fatah supporters in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank embarked upon a similar campaign of arrests, targeting Hamas supporters and members of its student Islamic bloc at Birzeit University in Ramallah. Although the PA detained over 100 people, it did not state that the arrests were politically motivated. Muhannad Karajeh, an attorney at Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer), told Al-Monitor, Following the Hamas government release of detainees, the PA freed some of the lately detained Hamas supporters and brought others to trial Oct. 1 on charges of gun possession and obtaining money from illegal sources. He went on, We learned from our experience in presenting pleadings on behalf of the political suspects since the 2007 political divide that, sadly, the PA has been using these same charges against all of its political detainees. The Hamas internal security apparatus in the Gaza Strip arrested Mounzer al-Hayek, Fatahs media official in the eastern Gaza branch, three days prior to Abbas' speech at the United Nations. He was arrested for preparing pro-Abbas marches. Speaking to Al-Monitor, Hayek said, [Hamas] internal security apparatus summoned me Sept. 24 for an important matter, which the summons did not mention. Once I got to their bureau in eastern Gaza city, I was arrested [and detained] for three days. I was also interrogated about the pro-Abbas Facebook campaign on Fatahs page, of which I am the administrator, the partakers in said campaign, and whether or not it will turn into actual protests. I was released a few minutes before the presidents speech Sept. 27. So were all of the detainees. I learned later on that they amounted to 70 Fatah members who had joined the pro-Abbas campaign, he added. The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) members for Fatah in the Gaza Strip declined to make any comment to Al-Monitor on the political arrests. Nevertheless, a PLC member for Fatah who requested anonymity told Al-Monitor that Hamas still rules in the Gaza Strip and has the authority to arrest Fatah supporters there. We, as Fatah MPs, are unable to object to these arrests since we are doing the same thing in the West Bank, where the PA has the power and authority. Al-Monitor spoke to the mother of Uwais Ouri, who was arrested on charges of belonging to Hamas' Islamic bloc at Birzeit University. She said that Palestinian Preventive Security summoned her son the morning of Sept. 27 and he has not returned home since. The judge said at the courts hearing Oct. 1 that he is facing gun possession charges and that he is to remain under arrest for one more week," she said. "We still know nothing about the verdict. My son is a student supporter of Hamas and he is facing false charges. Fathi Qarawi, a PLC member for Hamas, told Al-Monitor that Palestinian Preventive Security and Palestinian General Intelligence in the West Bank summoned and detained Hamas supporters and members. He said the reasons behind the arrest campaign were vague. We do not have news about the detainees or the charges pressed against them, particularly since Hamas is a weak party in the West Bank," he said. "It neither has a genuine political presence nor does it organize events, unlike in the Gaza Strip. The only activities it organizes are limited to university students' blocs. He said, Sadly, the PA is targeting said bloc, arresting its members every now and then on different charges, mainly: partaking in anti-PA activities, gun possession and obtaining funds from suspicious parties. Qarawi said that political arrests intensify each time Hamas security apparatus in the Gaza Strip arrests Fatah supporters. Yet the PA and its security services constantly deny any reciprocal arrest campaigns on political grounds, he said. He recalled that the PA had arrested pro-Hamas journalists in August 2017 after Hamas arrested Fatah-affiliated journalists in the Gaza Strip. The PA freed the journalists once Hamas let the detained journalists go. A Birmingham father of three died after he was hit by a car while walking to the store. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Larry Williams III. He was 25. The crash happened at 10 a.m. Thursday at 54th Street and Jefferson Avenue. Williams was taken to UAB Hospital by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service where he was pronounced dead at 2:59 p.m. "This has devastated our entire family,'' said Williams' sister, LaResha Lyles. Lyles said her brother was at his father's house in that area when he went to walk to the store. He never returned home but it wasn't unusual for him to be gone for that amount of time. "His daddy didn't find any alarm in the situation,'' she said. Lyles said her brother wasn't carrying any identification, so the family didn't find out about his death until the following day. She said the hardest part is knowing he was alive and alone for hours at the hospital. "That was at least five hours that he was alive and fight for his life,'' she said. Family members later returned to the spot where Williams was hit and found one of his shoes and his cell phone. "We're trying to get answers,'' she said. Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams said he is trying to find out more details about what happened. It wasn't immediately clear whether any arrests have been made. Williams was the father a son and two daughters - the youngest just 5 months old. "My brother was the life of the party anywhere he went,'' Lyles said. "He was our laughter and our smiles. Our family won't be the same." "He was only 25 years old,'' she said. "I've been crying for days . It's so hurtful." This article is part of the Black Magic Project, which is a series of stories focusing on those who do inspiring things in the black community. If you're a Facebook user, you can join our Black Magic Project group, where we talk about stories and issues concerning black Alabamians. LaTonya Tate was recovering from surgery in her Birmingham home in 2001 when she got a call about her son's arrest. The news was a spiritual blow that tore deeper than her physical wounds ever could. Her son, who was raised in the church pews, was charged with robbery. For a family who has only been summoned to court for traffic tickets, Tate was thrown into a different world when her son was sentenced to 20 years in Jefferson County. Tate's son served eight years in prison and is currently on parole for the remainder of his sentence until 2021. As Tate watched her son weave in and out of the court system, she detoured from nursing to criminal justice as she started seeing glimpses of a system she wanted to change. "What intrigued me was that my son was a first-time offender. Why weren't there any alternatives for him? Why are there so many African American men going to prison?" Tate asked "But I learned throughout this journey there aren't any alternatives." In July, Tate and 15 other individuals from across the nation were given $1.4 million total to conduct their own deep dives into the country's criminal justice system. A trans filmmaker in New York is investigating how the system affects gender nonconforming and transgender communities. An Arizona journalist is publishing a multimedia project exposing violence against indigenous women and girls. Tate's will be using her $87,000 to create the Alabama Justice Initiative, an organization that will not only assist those adjusting to life after imprisonment, but will also provide support for their families. "You're out, but you're not free. You are still on some kind of supervision," Tate said Tate will be using her funds to integrate community-based practices into the Alabama's parole system. She will be talking to law enforcement officials to get an idea of the state's past and present practices. She's holding her first forum on Oct. 22 from 5pm until 8pm at St. Paul UMC in Birmingham, where political candidates will talk about the criminal justice system. She's also starting a social media campaign, which will educate the public about the state's probation and parole practices and amplify the stories of formerly imprisoned people with the slogan #NotFree. 'Where did I go wrong?' When her then 18-year-old son went to prison, Tate's main fear was for his safety. She heard stories from friends about family members getting jumped by inmates. Part of the safety problem in Alabama is the overcrowding. If every state was its own independent country, Alabama's incarceration rate would rank fifth at 946 people in jail or prison for every 100,000 people. That's lower than 987 per 100,000 in 2016, but higher than the United States' incarceration rate of 698. Health issues -- both physical and mental -- are also well known problems in Alabama's prisons. In 2017, a federal judge ruled in favor of groups who sued the state because Alabama provided constitutionally inadequate mental-health care for inmates. An agreement has been reached between the plaintiffs and the state to provide more responsive care. A meningitis outbreak at Ventress Correctional Facility in Barbour County last month left an inmate dead. The inmate's family is accusing correctional officers of providing "insufficient medical care." But while Tate was aware of the dangers her son faced in jail, she also made sure he knew the dangers of his actions by putting him in the victim's shoes. "I had to make him think like, 'What if that were your grandmother or me? Would you want somebody to rob us?" Tate said. "'What if somebody tried to rob me while me while you're in prison and there's nothing you can do. It would have devastated you.' He is sorry for his mistake." Tate was also shrouded in guilt. After having her son at 17, she made sure he was cocooned in support. Tate's mom and grandmother took care of him while she went to college and graduated as a licensed practical nurse in 1995. The family took him to church every Sunday, where he was baptized at an early age. Although he was going through a rebellious stage, she didn't see his arrest coming. "Spiritually, I was like questioning myself, 'Where did I go wrong?'" He said. While driving to visit her son in prison during a Saturday afternoon in 2006, she found herself teary-eyed and boiling with rage. She was angry at the court system and at God. After wiping her eyes and walking into the correctional facility, she found herself asking the question that gave her the clarity she needed. "I just questioned God, 'Why am I going through this?" Tate said. "God just spoke to my heart, 'Because I am going to use you to set the captive free. I'm going to send you on another journey." Following the calling The revelation was powerful enough to break her away from a career she loved since she was a child. She was working at the Jefferson County Health Department when her son was arrested. When she tried to go back to college to become a registered nurse, she said a calling stirred inside of her. She received her bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 2007 from the University of Phoenix and shortly after graduating, started working as a probation officer for the Florida Department of Corrections. As an advocate, Tate examines what happens to a person before, during and after imprisonment. Doing so could prevent individuals from either going back to jail or prevent them from being incarcerated in the first place. "Why aren't we getting to the root of what is causing these individuals to spin out of control?" Tate said. "Is it some type of mental illness? Is it some type of sexual abuse? Something has transpired in this person's life that made them travel down this road." As she was changing the trajectory of her profession, she rooted herself in her faith, family and friends to receive spiritual healing. The shroud of guilt she once wore before fell off of her as her brothers convinced her she didn't do anything wrong and her friends of over two decades encouraged her to keep her head up. "I have talked about what I have been through as a mother to release the hurt so I can heal and go forward," Tate said. "I believe all of that has led me to the journey I am on now." Her son's situation kept her dedication to the criminal justice field burning. She could change lives in this field, even if that meant moving to Enterprise, Alabama, and commuting 55 minutes to Walton County, Florida, where she was a probation officer. While Tate said her coworkers believed in jailing people as soon as they stepped out of line, she believed in adding a personal touch of care. If someone failed a drug test, she would offer long-term rehabilitation programs. If someone was homeless, she would go on a hunt for their housing. She taught GED classes in the jail. As the prison liaison, she educated inmates who were going to be released about the resources available in their home county. Between the commuting and the caring in 2008, Tate studied and received her master's degree. Becoming a probation officer and studying the field at the same time gave Tate a chance to see how the criminal justice system worked and the places where it could be flawed. "Every decision I made when I supervised a person on probation, I always put my son in the equation," Tate said. "I think we should do everything possible to find alternative ways and measures besides putting a person in jail. We need to get to the root of what is really transpiring. We need to see why these people are doing what they are doing." She retired in 2014 and moved back to Birmingham, where she advised others what to expect after a loved one was arrested or imprisoned. It was clear she wanted to do more in the field. So she applied for the 18-month long Open Society Foundation's Soros Justice Fellowship, which funds individuals desiring to build programs and projects geared towards criminal justice reform. "You're supposed to go to prison and be a model prisoner in an atmosphere with thousands and thousands of individuals, which is impossible," Tate said. "You put people in theses spaces while they were already having some form of mental illness. There are a lot of people coming out of prison with post-traumatic stress disorder." One of the main things she wants to attack are people's attitudes towards formerly imprisoned individuals. Tate wants people to see them as leaders in the community instead of criminals. She knows many individuals who tell their stories of imprisonment as they mentor children and teens. She plans to go to churches to educate pastors and their congregations about the hardships of reentry and why they shouldn't be afraid to talk to those who have been imprisoned before. "We know, especially in the South, people are not forgiving," Tate said. "We sit in church every Sunday and we don't forgive. We walk around like we are these perfect people living in this perfect world and we don't want to give people a chance." Tate said her organization will extend beyond the incarcerated individual to support their family members, the ones who are probably embarrassed by the conviction. She's creating support groups and wants to educate them about how to be criminal justice advocates. Tate remembers feeling embarrassed to talk about her son, who is now back in church and raising a daughter. It wasn't until she started telling her story in supportive environments that her healing begun, she said. She wanted to let other family members of imprisoned individuals know they don't have to break themselves down. They can build themselves up through advocacy work for their family and others. "You have to teach a family member that your son, your daughter or your husband may be in prison, but there are things you can do on the outside," She said. A 75-year-old man is being labeled a "disgusting sexual deviant" by police who say he sexually assaulted two young female family members. John W. Wilbanks Jr. became the subject of a Hoover police investigation Friday when officers responded to a home on a report of young girl who had been sexually assaulted by a family member, said Capt. Gregg Rector. An investigation was immediately launched by the department's Special Victim's Unit and Wilbanks was taken into custody at the scene. Rector said detectives and advocacy center employees worked the case throughout the day, looking at evidence and interviewing multiple people. It was during the investigation that they discovered a second victim. Because of the graphic nature of the alleged crimes and victims' ages - 3 and 4 - few details are being released by investigators. The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office in the Bessemer Cutoff on Friday afternoon filed formal warrants against Wilbanks. He is charged with two counts of first-degree sodomy - one for forcible compulsion and one for a victim under the age of 12 - and one count of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12. Under Alabama law, a person commits the crime of sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old if he or she, being 16 years old or older, subjects another person who is less than 12 years old to sexual contact. The law states that a person commits the crime of sodomy if he or she engages in deviate sexual intercourse with another person by forcible compulsion or engages in deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 12 years old. Wilbanks was transferred from the Hoover City Jail to the Jefferson County Jail Friday night and was released the following day after posting $150,000 bond. Rector said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about the case or Wilbanks is asked to call Special Victim's Unit Det. Brandon Harris at 205-444-7742. "This is undoubtedly one the most sickening and shocking cases that our officers have ever worked,'' Rector said. "John Wilbanks has shown himself to be a disgusting sexual deviant. There really are no adequate words to describe his actions." One man is dead, and another criminally charged after an incident Saturday night at a Calera home. Calera police responded at 7:40 p.m. Saturday to a residence in the 500 block of 11th Street on a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle on private property, Chief Sean Lemley said. Once on the scene, they found 68-year-old Ronald Darnell "Chief" Jones injured and unresponsive. Jones was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Lemley said Tommy Clarence Haynes, 61, was determined to be the driver of the vehicle that struck Jones. He was intoxicated and taken into custody at the scene. Police and family said Haynes and Jones were friends and were at a gathering at the home when the crash happened. The case was screened by the Shelby County District Attorney's Office which issued a manslaughter warrant for Haynes. He was released from the Shelby County Jail Monday after posting $30,000 bond. Lemley said the investigation is ongoing. Ronald Darnell "Chief" Jones Jones' niece, Tracy Pleasant, said her uncle was well-respected in Calera, where he lived. "He was always polite and would give anyone his last,'' Pleasant said. "He didn't deserve this." Jones' sister, Teresa Jones Moore, said her brother was a Vietnam veteran and a Purple Heart recipient. She said the family still has questions about what led to the deadly accident and asked that anyone with information to please call Calera police. "Drinking and driving is very dangerous and deadly,'' she said. A cow in the petting zoo at the Alabama State Fair in Pelham reported to be bleeding from its eyes and covered in feces was not found to be in that condition, police said on Monday. A video posted to social media over the weekend quickly spread as it was the second public complaint about poor condition of animals at the state fair, and police said they immediately began to look into the allegations. A fair-goer on Saturday night posted a video of the miniature cow with this concern: "How can I report animal abuse at the Alabama State Fair??? Besides the snakes and money who are obviously miserable and dying, this poor baby cow is legitimately about to die. The poor thing has released its bowels all over itself and blood leaking from the eyes. It can't even stand." Last week, a goat that reportedly lay dead in a bowl of food for hours at the Alabama State Fair in Pelham appears to have died from an accidental injury by a camel, not neglect or abuse, police said. An investigation was launched by the Pelham Police Department over the weekend after a fair-goer noted the small, black goat was unresponsive and appeared to remain that way for four hours in the event's petting zoo. Peyton Hill, her boyfriend Carter Johnstone and several others went to the event that Saturday night at the Oak Mountain Amphitheater. Hill, shaken by what she saw, posted her observations and a video on Facebook Sunday. She said her group stopped briefly at the petting zoo when they first arrived at the fair. At that point, she said, the fair had been going on for about eight hours and the animals appeared to be exhausted and without water. During the course of the three-day investigation, Police Chief Larry Palmer said in a statement, police determined the goat died as a result of an injury caused by another animal in the petting zoo. The camel fell on the goat, police said. "Officers have observed the animals several times since the incident, including on Sunday and today," the statement read. "At no time did they observe any without food or water, and none appeared to be in distress. Code enforcement has also reviewed the veterinary records for all of the animals. "We have determined this was an unfortunate accident,'' the chief said. Following the complaint about the cow, police on Monday released its second statement regarding the health of animals at the petting zoo. Palmer, in the statement, said from the time they received the first complaint about the goat, officers began to monitor the health and well-being of all the animals in the petting zoo. "Officers in uniform and plain clothes observed them several times a day,'' the chief said. "The animals always had food, water, shelter and bedding. At no time did our officers observe any animals being mistreated, abused or neglected that would rise to the level where we could take action under state law." The chief said once they received the complaint about the cow on Saturday, they immediately went to check on the cow. "It was not in the condition that was reported to us,'' his statement said. "It was standing, did not appear to have feces in its fur and its eyes were not red in any way." Police noted petting zoos are permitted under Alabama law. "If anything, these animals were overfed,'' Palmer said. "We want to reiterate that at no time did our officers observe any animals being mistreated, abused or neglected that would rise to the level where we could take action under state law." Nirmala Pant rape and murder: Report shows lapses in police probe Kanchanpur Police made several lapses while investigating the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Pant in Kanchanpur, according to a report submitted by a high-level probe committee formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. A 34-year-old Trussville woman is behind bars, accused of taking multiple vehicles for test drives and never returning them. Cynthia Kay Lord was taken into custody by Tarrant police on Sunday. She is charged with two counts of first-degree theft of property, and likely will face additional charges in other cities. Police said she has driven away in at least four to five cars from area dealerships and believe the most recent "spree" isn't her first. The thefts have taken place in Tarrant, Jefferson County, Pelham and Birmingham, said Tarrant police Det. Cpl. Jay Jenkins. The Tarrant case happened Wednesday, Oct. 3, at a car lot in that city. Jenkins said the woman - now identified as Lord - asked to test drive a 2010 BMW and gave them an Alabama driver's license. When she didn't return, the dealership called police and the investigation began. Tarrant detectives reviewed the business's surveillance video and investigated the scene. They were quickly able to determine that Lord provided a driver's license that was not hers. Detectives then contacted the Jefferson County Metro Area Crime Center, who told them there had been several cases involving the same person and the same driver's license around the metro area. In a joint probe, investigators were able to determine that Lord was the confirmed suspect, Jenkins said. Lord is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on $30,000 bond. Court records show she was arrested earlier this year on charges of fourth-degree theft, drug possession, marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. A week after he was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash, a man died at Huntsville Hospital on Sunday night, authorities said. Daniel Joseph Siciliano Jr. had been hospitalized since the crash happened the night of Sept. 30, according to Huntsville police. Siciliano was riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle eastbound on University Drive near Jordan Lane when it hit a concrete median, said Lt. Michael Johnson. Witnesses told officers Siciliano had just merged into the turning lane when his motorcycle encountered a raised concrete median. "He struck the median and continued over it, causing him to lose control and crash," police wrote in a report. Siciliano was taken by ambulance to Huntsville Hospital, where he died a week later. DC Blox data center on Diamond Drive in Huntsville. (Paul Gattis/pgattis@al.com) The non-descript building, perhaps by design, sits on Diamond Drive in Huntsville's Thornton Research Park toward the western end of a "mythical" city. In a place where ribbon cutting ceremonies are as routine as sunrises, the occasion last Wednesday to formally open the doors to DC Blox took on a different air when CEO Jeff Uphues walked to the podium. "To DC Blox, Huntsville is almost mythical," Uphues said. "The people, the hospital, the technological presence, the power of American ingenuity is beyond inspiring. Huntsville and Madison county define the spirit of the south. "The sheer number of accomplishments achieved by this great city are legendary and has a unique track record of firsts, which we are now proud to play a small part of what those are." And later, Uphues said, "This city is inspiring." Don't be surprised to soon see those words on a chamber of commerce brochure. Relatively speaking, DC Blox would be considered a small fish in the technological ocean of Huntsville. Then again, DC Blox would be considered a small fish of its own developments in Alabama - construction is underway on a $785 million flagship data center in Birmingham. But don't underestimate that small fish. DC Blox has the capability to quadruple in size at its Huntsville location and in 2018 and beyond, data storage centers can be invaluable. "We go to a lot of groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings," Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said. "We are in a prosperous time for our community. But as we look at it, what's going to continue to let us do that? What can keep and ensure we have the fundamentals in place to continue growing in the future? "I would tell you DC Blox is one of those companies we need to have in our area." The opening of the Atlanta-based company with the funny name (it's pronounced "blocks") attracted not only Huntsville's mayor but U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks and Madison County Commission Chair Dale Strong as well as representatives from Sens. Richard Shelby and Doug Jones and Gov. Kay Ivey. "The significant investment being made by DC BLOX to open this data center in Huntsville will not only create high-paying jobs but also bring another industry to the booming technology sector in north Alabama," Ivey said in the company press release. "We're committed to positioning Alabama for a technology-focused future and look forward to working with the company to accelerate that process." DC Blox is anticipating growth at that non-descript gray building behind a black chain-link fence. For now, though, Bill Thomson, the company's VP of marketing, said there will be about five or six full-time employees that could double in number as the center's data capacity grows. But unlike Google or Facebook - who are building giant data centers in Jackson County and Huntsville, respectively - DC Blox is not a large company building its own facility. After all, most companies are giants like Google and Facebook but still need data storage. Uphues described it as "Government grade, multi-tenant data center facility that serves the world's most innovative companies, government agencies and in close proximity to our friends Google and Facebook." DC Blox also has a facility in Chattanooga in addition to its home base in Atlanta. The Huntsville facility will target enterprise, hyperscale cloud, Software-as-a-Service, government, network and content providers. "Innovation was born in this city," Uphues said, "and we hope this facility provides infrastructure to continue the legacy." The Eufaula Police Department is asking the public's assistance in locating a missing senior who they say "may be suffering from a condition that may impair her judgment." Police are attempting to find Minnie Lee Hill, described as a 68 year-old black female, who was last seen wearing blue jeans and a dark shirt in Eufaula, around 2 p.m. on Saturday. Hill may be traveling in a 2011 bronze Kia Optima with Alabama plate 0410AH6. Her direction of travel is unknown. If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of Minnie Lee Hill, please contact the Eufaula Police Department at 334-687-1200 or call 911. For months, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine barely acknowledged his opponent Corey Stewart as the provocative Republican repeatedly called him "weak" and "ineffective" while falsely accusing the moderate Democrat of being part of the far-left antifa movement. But in the wake of Stewart's darker implication - also without evidence - that Kaine has been accused of sexual harassment, the usually upbeat ex-Virginia governor is punching back. A Kaine campaign television ad that began airing Monday calls Stewart, chair of the Prince William County board of supervisors, "dangerous," while highlighting the fact that Stewart skipped a vote last December for emergency funding of opioid prevention in the county in order to travel to Alabama to help Republican Roy Moore in his failed Senate bid. "That's who Corey Stewart helped instead of voting on opioid prevention," Maggie Hansford - a Democrat who plans to run for Prince William county supervisor in Brentsville next year - said in the commercial, calling Moore an "accused child predator" in reference to allegations of sexual misconduct toward teenage girls during the 1970s. Titled "Eliminate," the commercial - airing in the Richmond region, Roanoke and Norfolk - is Kaine's first negative ad in the race, where most polls show him up by nearly 20 points with less than four weeks to go before the Nov. 6 election. Through the ad, the Kaine campaign is seeking to further erode Stewart's support among moderate Republicans in hopes of getting those voters to either sit out the election or vote for Kaine and other Democrats running for Virginia's hotly contested House seats. The ad underscores Kaine's efforts to deal with the opioid crisis through a recently passed bipartisan bill he sponsored that, among other things, would boost federal funding for prevention, said campaign spokesman Ian Sams. The bill, which recently passed the Senate by a vote of 99-1, is awaiting President Donald Trump's signature. "If [Stewart] would prioritize supporting someone like Roy Moore over tackling the opioid epidemic in his own county, voters can imagine how dangerous he would be for Virginia as a U.S. Senator," Sams said in a statement. But the ad skews the facts behind the Prince William County funding measure for opioid prevention. The measure failed 5-2 after the board's Republican majority chose to wait to learn what the state would allocate toward the opioid crisis - an outcome that Stewart said he anticipated and, therefore, believed he could skip to campaign for Moore, who he argues was falsely accused. Stewart was present for another vote in April, when the board unanimously adopted a new spending plan that includes $430,000 to hire three therapists for addiction treatment. "I'm pretty proud of the county's response to the opioid crisis," Stewart said. "Nobody has been able to figure this out yet." To Stewart, the ad shows that the Kaine campaign is worried he is gaining ground on the senator amid a Republican backlash over the sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh that nearly toppled his Supreme Court nomination. "You don't attack your opponent unless you feel threatened by him," Stewart said. "If he felt he was way ahead, the last thing you want to do is to bring attention to the race and bring attention to your opponent." Sams said the Kaine campaign isn't worried about a backlash over Kavanaugh and doesn't believe the senator is losing ground to Stewart. During their two debates in recent weeks, Stewart called on Kaine to "release the names" of members of Congress who have settled sexual harassment claims, complaining that $17.2 million in tax dollars was used to defend lawmakers whose identities have been protected by confidentiality rules. The demand misrepresents payments made since 1990 to federal employees for violations of a wide variety of employment rules, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and regulations governing labor and sexual harassment. A "large portion" of those cases involved cafeteria workers, groundskeepers and Capitol Hill employees other than lawmakers and their staffs, according to the congressional Office of Compliance. Bob Holsworth, a former Virginia Commonwealth University political-science professor, said Stewart appeared to be getting under Kaine's skin during their most recent debate, where the senator gripped his lectern tightly while Stewart repeatedly implied - without evidence - that Kaine is among the accused harassers. But Kaine may be more concerned that Democratic voters are so confident he'll win that they won't bother to vote, which could hurt down-ballot candidates, Holsworth said. Voter complacency nearly cost Democratic Sen. Mark Warner his election bid in 2014, when he beat Ed Gillespie by less than one percentage point, he noted. Kaine's ad, which points out that Moore said the country was last "great" during slavery, may help motivate Democrats and moderate Republicans by reminding them of Stewart's own controversies over ties to white nationalists, Holsworth said. "Tim Kaine, by acting differently here, shows he is taking this very seriously," Holsworth said. 'He's running a campaign as if he were 16 points behind instead of 16 points ahead." Michael became a hurricane on Monday as it approached the Gulf of Mexico and was continuing to strengthen on Monday night. Michael is forecast to make landfall on Wednesday somewhere in the Florida Panhandle or Big Bend regions -- possibly as a Category 3 hurricane. [Other updates and radar imagery at al.com/hurricane] "This is a storm to definitely take very seriously," the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Fla., said Monday, calling it "potentially devastating." The hurricane center also shifted Michael's track slightly to the west earlier Monday and extended watches and warnings westward as well. "There still remains uncertainty with regard to the latest track and intensity of Michael, but the threat for impacts have increased across much of the forecast area," the weather service in Mobile said Monday. The weather service said on Monday that more westward shifts in the track are not out of the question and that everyone should keep up with the latest forecast information. A large area could and will be impacted by #Michael! Watches and warnings expand well past the forecast cone and impacts will NOT be confined to the cone. Everyone should be working to complete preparations. #BePreparedNotScared #BeWeatherAware https://t.co/SnC3MpG5N7 NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) October 9, 2018 The National Hurricane Center's current forecast track still puts Alabama's coastal areas on the west side of the center of the storm. If there is a "good side" of a hurricane, the west side would be it. There will still be effects from the storm, but they are not expected to be as severe as they will be on the eastern side. However, that may not be the case for southeast Alabama, which will be closer to where Michael makes landfall. Parts of southeast Alabama could see strong winds, heavy rain and a threat of tornadoes from Michael as it makes landfall in the Panhandle. There are several watches and warnings in place across south Alabama as of 7 p.m. Monday. The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for Geneva and Houston counties in southeast Alabama. A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning are in effect for Covington, Mobile, Baldwin, Coffee, Dale and Henry counties. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Baldwin, Butler, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Escambia and Monroe counties. 5pm (10/08) #Michael #2: Hurricane WARNING for all of northwest Florida. Tropical Storm WARNING & Hurricane WATCH in effect for coastal Mobile, coastal Baldwin, & Covington County AL. Tropical Storm WATCH for the rest of southeast Alabama (including inland Baldwin). (2/5) pic.twitter.com/O5dWRrRJVT NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) October 8, 2018 The National Weather Service cautioned that shifts in the storm's track remain a possibility, and Alabama will feel effects from the storm even if it doesn't make landfall in the state. The surf is already dangerous along the coast: Be careful at the beaches today as the surf is already increasing ahead of #Michael. HIGH SURF WARNING & HIGH #RipCurrent RISK at coastal Alabama & northwest Florida beaches. Red flags flying at most local beaches. https://t.co/PvA5nLo40j NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) October 8, 2018 The weather service said coastal Alabama could see coastal flooding of 1-2 feet from Michael. Alabama's coastal areas are not under a storm surge watch or warning like the Florida Panhandle. Forecasters also said there will be a risk for flash flooding across south Alabama, especially along and southeast of Interstate 65. Areas in southwest Alabama could get 1-3 inches. As coastal Alabama is expected to be on the west side of Michael's center, the tornado threat will be minimal, according to the weather service. One of the biggest concerns for southwest Alabama will be the potential for deadly rip currents. A high risk of rip currents will be in place along the Alabama and northwest Florida beaches through at least Thursday. Southeast Alabama may see more effects from Michael and should plan for hurricane conditions, according to the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, which issues forecasts for that region. A hurricane warning is now in effect for Geneva and Houston counties. Winds in the southeast corner of Alabama around the Dothan area are expected to be 40-50 mph with gusts up to 75 mph, according to the weather service. The weather service is expecting the worst winds from Wednesday morning until Thursday morning. However, forecasters cautioned that there will be the potential for hurricane-force winds depending on Michael's track and intensity as it nears landfall. Areas in southeast Alabama could get 2-4 inches of rain from Michael, with locally higher amounts. That southeast corner of the state will also have to be on the lookout for a few tornadoes as Michael's rain bands move onshore and inland over the area. Central and north Alabama won't see as many effects from Michael, according to the weather service. But there will be some. The National Weather Service in Birmingham said 3-4 inches of rain will be possible in central Alabama, mainly south of the Interstate 85 corridor. Wind gusts of 20-30 mph will also be possible. As for north Alabama, the National Weather Service in Huntsville said a "limited impact" from Michael's rain bands are expected across the Tennessee Valley, but locally heavy rain will be possible especially in northeast Alabama. See all the local hurricane forecasts from the weather service here. #Michael Tip - Know which NWS Office issues forecasts for YOUR AREA during hurricane season! It is also important to know the name of the county you live/work in. #mobwx Surrounding NWS Offices: @NWSNewOrleans @NWSJacksonMS @NWSBirmingham @NWSTallahassee pic.twitter.com/HzKkJEns1B NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) October 8, 2018 There will be one good thing to come from Michael as it departs the region. According to forecasters the counter-clockwise circulation around the storm will pull cooler, drier, fall-like air into the state later this week. Highs in the 70s and low 80s are expected across the state this weekend, with lows potentially dipping into the 50s as far south as Mobile. Should Hurricane Michael require a full emergency response in Mobile County -- which doesn't seem likely at this point -- officials finally will be able to gather in their new Emergency Operations Center. Meanwhile, potentially dangerous surf conditions seemed to be emerging as the biggest concern in coastal Alabama communities. That hadn't been the case in September, when Tropical Storm Gordon emerged as a possible weather threat. Local officials had dedicated a long-awaited new EOC back in June, at the start of hurricane season, but three months later the $10.5 million facility didn't have full data and phone service. County Commissioner Connie Hudson and others expressed frustration about AT&T's delay in completing the hookup. At the time, officials said the old EOC was functional and ready for use, and Gordon turned out to have little impact on the area. Hudson said Monday that the connectivity issue at the new EOC was resolved "very quickly" after Gordon. "If the need be, they'll be operating out of the new EOC" for Michael, Hudson said Monday. "We're very pleased that it's open, of course." Hudson said that officials were "continuing to monitor" Michael's development, though projections called for it to pass well to the east of the area. In a statement issued about noon Monday, the Mobile County EMA advised residents to keep an eye on the storm as well, and indicated that rip currents were the greatest immediate threat. "Hurricane Michael appears to be strengthening as it moves northward toward the Gulf Coast of Florida," said the MCEMA advisory. "Due to uncertainty in track forecasting we urge residents to continue preparations for tropical storm conditions and get frequent weather updates should this dangerous storm shift further to the west. Mobile County is included in a Tropical Storm Watch which means tropical storm conditions are possible within 48 hours. Due to the very high risk of dangerous rip currents residents are also advised to stay out of coastal waters. In coastal Baldwin County, surf was emerging as an issue. Gulf Shores spokesman Grant Brown said that single red flags were flying, meaning that beachgoers were strongly advised to stay out of the "significantly high surf." Conditions were conducive to rip currents, he said. On that point, the National Weather Service's Mobile office tweeted Monday that "knee deep is too deep" and surf conditions were becoming increasingly dangerous. Single red flags were flying in Gulf Shores as well, according to the city's Twitter feed. KNEE DEEP IS TOO DEEP! Stay out of the Gulf Waters ahead of Hurricane #Michael. Surf will continue to build & #ripcurrents are deadly!! https://t.co/NP9vE3zlRI NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) October 8, 2018 "It looks pretty ominous," Brown said of conditions in Gulf Shores. "I would anticipate by the end of the day we'll have double red flags up." That would mean swimming would be prohibited. On the bright side, Brown said, it appeared the storm would have no significant effect on the National Shrimp Festival taking place this weekend. "We're rolling full speed ahead with Shrimp Fest," he said. Organizers had delayed the setup of some smaller tents due to gusty winds, Brown said, but didn't anticipate any real impact unless Michael defied projections. On Dauphin Island, Mayor Jeff Collier confirmed reports that high tide and surf had pushed water under some houses and onto roadways. "We have had some saltwater flooding, some nuisance flooding, on the far west end," Collier said. He said that while rip currents were the biggest threat, he expected that minor flooding would continue off and on until the storm had passed but "ought to remain fairly minimal." Its film time again! Ive written about films that will inspire you to fall in love with London, England, Scotland, and Wales, and now I want to open it up to the wider world and write about travel films. There are so many great movies that have inspired me to plan everything from a weekend getaway to an epic journey, and I want to share that inspiration with you today. Travel Films The nice thing about films is that even if theyre not about travel they can still spark wanderlust and the desire for adventure. Every James Bond movie I watch makes me want to go to the places he spies from, and the Bourne franchise makes me feel the same way. The travel films that have made my list are ones that have had an impact on me personally. Theyve influenced my passion for seeing the world, and I hope theyre movies that inspire you to travel, too. 1. Wild Being from California, I have to start my list with Wild. Not only is Cheryl Strayeds story of walking 1,100 miles up the west coast of the US inspirational, but the film also has oodles of footage of spectacular scenery in my home state (Im not biased at all). The shots of the Pacific Crest Trail inspired me to take a trip back to California to go hiking in Yosemite a couple years ago, and it was everything I hoped it would be. If you love the outdoors, this movie is a great one for inspiration. 2. Eat Pray Love I read the book of Eat Pray Love when I first moved to London and it inspired me to travel to Rome, India, and Bali before the film even came out (and I did). But when the movie debuted, seeing those three places on screen made me even more eager to travel back to them. Something about Elizabeth Gilberts journey of recovery and self-discovery by eating her way through Rome, finding inner peace in India, and falling in love in Bali made me want to follow in her footsteps. If youre in need of some self-care, this is one of the great travel films that will inspire you. 3. The Darjeeling Limited Speaking of India, if theres one film that inspired me to travel there, it was The Darjeeling Limited. Watching the three brothers travel by train through the Indian countryside made me want to jump on a plane and join them in the temples, towns, and landscapes they journeyed through. In reality, I booked a trip to India the following year and traveled by train through Rajasthan. The trains werent nearly as glamorous as the film suggested they would be, but it was still a great adventure. If youre interested in visiting India, this movie will inspire you to travel there. 4. Before Sunset As a teenager I had a celebrity crush on Ethan Hawke. Even though it was a thing of the past when Before Sunset came out, I still knew I wanted to see the film. And Im glad I did. The footage of Paris is beautiful, and Jesse and Celines stroll through the city and along the Seine shows it at its best. If you love Paris (or love, for that matter), this is one of the top travel films to watch. 5. The Grand Budapest Hotel Theres something about a Wes Anderson movie that inspires me to travel. From The Royal Tenenbaums New York to Moonrise Kingdoms summer camp, I find myself longing for adventure every time I see his movies (hence my mention of The Darjeeling Limited). The Grand Budapest Hotel is no exception. This film was partly shot in Karlovy Vary, a spa town in the Czech Republic that I visited when I studied abroad in Prague. Not only does the film make me want to go back to Bohemia, but also to the golden age of grand hotels. If you love that period of history, this movie will inspire you to travel. 6. LAuberge Espagnol Speaking of study abroad, LAuberge Espagnol is one of the best travel films to inspire people to cross borders for education. The story of a French student who moves to Barcelona to learn Spanish, this movie covers all the life-changing experiences that studying overseas brings. I loved watching it after my experiences studying in Nice and Prague, and really enjoyed the shots of Barcelona. Its one of the great travel films to watch if you want to be inspired to study overseas or revive memories of when you did. 7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The Indiana Jones franchise has done more to inspire me to travel than almost any other set of films. I loved watching them as a child and seeing all the places this archaeologist-turned-rescuer-of-antiquities went. If theres one Indiana Jones movie that sparked my desire for adventure, it was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The scenes where he tracks down the Holy Grail in Petra inspired me to travel to Jordan, and I visited three years in a row after I moved to London. Walking through the Siq and seeing the ruins through the crack was every bit as amazing as I hoped it would be, and I felt like Indy the whole time. If you love adventure, this is one of the best travel films to watch. 8. Under the Tuscan Sun Its hard not to want to visit Tuscany, but if theres one movie that made me want to travel there even more it was Under the Tuscan Sun. The story of an American divorcee who buys a villa in Tuscany to start life over again, it has beautiful footage of this part of Italy. From golden countryside to charming towns, its hard not to fall in love with Tuscany as she falls in love with her new beau. If you want to travel to Italy, this film will convince you to book your trip without delay. 9. Amelie No movie inspired me to visit Paris like Amelie. This sweet story of a French girl who secretly orchestrates the lives of those around her has great shots of Montmartre and other parts of Paris. After seeing it I knew I wanted to spend more time in the French capital, and I ended up doing a summer internship there two years later. If you want Parisian inspiration in a movie, this is where to find it. 10. March of the Penguins I had never thought about traveling to Antarctica before I watched March of the Penguins. But following the journey of the emperor penguins and seeing the glacial scenery around them inspired me to want to visit. I still havent made it (I got as far as Chiles Punta Arenas once and saw the penguins in Seno Otway), but its a goal to get there someday. If you want some South Pole expedition inspiration, this is one of the best travel films to watch. 11. The Hundred-Foot Journey If I had to choose between French cuisine and French countryside, I would struggle. Thankfully The Hundred-Foot Journey combines the two. The family of an Indian immigrant and self-taught cook opens a restaurant in a French village. In doing so, they make an enemy of the local proprietress of an acclaimed restaurant 100 feet away. The story twists and turns while showing footage of both delicious food and scrumptious countryside along the way. If you love eating and travel, this film is for you. Movies That Inspire Travel There are a lot more travel films on my to-watch list, and I look forward to getting more inspiration from movies like Out of Africa as I work my way through it. I hope you found inspiration in my favorite movies. If you have recommendations for others to watch I would love to hear them. And if you want more travel inspiration, take a look at my blog post about road trip movies. New here? Join thousands of others and subscribe to the A Lady in London blog via email or Bloglovin. Pin it! Vanuatu foreign minister Ralph Regenvanu - "We achieved our [independence] and we will not forget our brothers-and-sisters-in-arms who have not got theirs (Vanuatu Daily Post) JAMES HALPIN | Pacific Media Centre | Extract AUCKLAND - Vanuatus Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu has called on New Zealand to get on the right side of history when it comes to West Papua. Reaffirming prime minister Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas remarks at the UN general assembly late last month, Regenvanu told Asia Pacific Report that the people of West Papua have never had the opportunity to exercise their right of self-determination, which is an unalienable right under international law, and they must be given that opportunity. Vanuatu was one of three countries four less than in 2016 whose leaders gave UN strong messages in support of West Papuan self-determination. Independence for Vanuatu was achieved from the co-colonisers France and the United Kingdom in 1980. West Papua had been a colony of the Dutch New Guinea but was annexed by Indonesia after a paratrooper invasion in 1962 followed by a UN-supervised vote in 1969 described by critics as fraudulent. Rumjatar airport to resume flight service Rumjatar Airport of Okhaldhunga is set to resume its flight service from Tuesday after two years. The sole airport in the eastern hill district of Province 1 will see operation of Kathmandu-Rumjatar flights once a week. The system is an upgrade to the S-300, which Syria recently purchased, with potential clients such as India and Turkey. Editors note: This article was first published on October 8, 2018 The Vostok-2018 war games in eastern Siberia last month marked Russias biggest military exercise in more than 30 years, with about 300,000 Russian, Chinese and Mongolian troops taking part. More than just an exercise, the war games were a public relations opportunity to showcase military hardware, Russias second-biggest source of income after oil. During Vostok-2018, Russia showed off the S-400 surface-to-air missile, one of the countrys most advanced and marketable weapons systems in recent years. The S-400 is a massive upgrade to the S-300, its predecessor which was recently sent to Syria. Because of its capabilities, several countries including China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India and Qatar have said they are willing to buy the S-400. Several countries including China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India and Qatarhave said they are willing to buy the S-400. [Vadim Savitsky/AP] Almost every government that announced it was planning to buy the system was threatened with some kind of diplomatic retaliation from the US, NATO or adversaries. The reason for this blowback, according to several experts Al Jazeera interviewed, is not only because the S-400 is technologically advanced, it also poses a potential risk for long-standing alliances. The S-400 is among the most advanced air defence systems available, on par with the best the West has to offer, said Siemon Wezeman, senior researcher with Stockholm International Peace Research Institutes (SIPRI) arms transfers and military expenditure programme. Its radars and other sensors, as well as its missiles, cover an extensive area the radar has a range of at least 600km for surveillance, and its missiles have ranges of up to 400km, Wezeman told Al Jazeera. Its precise and it manages to track a very large number of potential targets, including stealth targets. Other advantages are its modular setup and high mobility, meaning it can be set up, fired and moved within minutes. The S-400 is among the most advanced air defence systems available, on par with the best the West has to offer. Siemon Wezeman, SIPRI Its intended to be a one-size-fits-all missile system. It can be configured with long-range, semi long-range, medium-range and even short-range weapons systems, depending on how the individual user wishes to configure the S-400, Kevin Brand, military analyst working with the Council on Foreign Relations, told Al Jazeera. Its very rugged, its adaptable and its a road-mobile system, something many countries are seeking to evolve to. Turkey, a NATO member, is one of the most significant potential buyers of the S-400. Speaking at a graduation ceremony for military officers, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in August that Ankara would try to procure the missile system as soon as possible, which according to Russia will be in 2019. But Turkeys interest in the Russian missile system spooked its Western NATO allies, for technical and political reasons. Turkeys interest in the Russian missile system spooked its Western NATO allies, for technical and political reasons. [Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters] In the technological sense, the S-400 would certainly be a step forward [for Turkey], but its not necessarily in the best interest of NATO to have that weapons system integrated within its broader architecture, Brand said. The S-400 could lead to a potentially dangerous situation, Brand explained. When you look at the Russian S-400 system, especially in a NATO structure, theres a scale of difficulty when integrating it into the bigger defence system, Brand told Al Jazeera. If you take it as a very benign situation, the simplest scenario is that its data might not be able to be incorporated into the defensive architecture that is currently used by NATO. Thats probably the best worst-case scenario. NATO relies heavily on several systems working together in a larger network. [Adding the S-400] might complicate the picture, it might pollute the view that bigger system is giving you. But, potentially more harmful, there is the risk that Russia has ill intentions, Brand said. What kind of contracts would be in place with Russian technicians taking care of the S-400, for example, would Russian maintenance personnel have access to [NATO] data? {articleGUID} The worst-case scenario is that there might be vulnerabilities associated with that system that could be exploited by a potential adversary. Plugging it in could potentially actively compromise your own defensive network. For India, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who are not part of an alliance such as NATO, buying a system like the S-400 would lead to fewer technological issues, but they could risk diplomatic and economic repercussions from the US. In 2017, the US implemented the Countering Americas Adversaries Sanctions Act (CAATSA) in a response to alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential elections and military involvement in both Ukraine and Syria. CAATSA allows the US to act against individuals, companies or countries that are disturbing international security. The US is looking to isolate Russia following on from the events in Ukraine and beyond Charles Forrester, Jane's by IHS Markit The US Department of State has said Chinese purchases of SU-35 aircraft and S-400 surface-to-air missiles breached the CAATSA, only weeks after it said India might be subject to sanctions if it continues with purchasing the system. However, India decided earlier this week to buy the weapons system. India places top priority on ties with Russia. In todays fast-changing world, our relationship assumes heightened importance, India Prime Minister Narendra Moditold Russia President Vladimir Putin after they signed the $5bn deal. {articleGUID} According to SIPRIs Wezeman, the chances of the US following through on its threats of sanctions are slim, especially for countries like India or Saudi Arabia. The sanctions are not automatic and exemptions are possible if in the national interest of the US, he said. Sanctions are actually unlikely as India and others are too important as military and political partners for the US. Even limited sanctions would probably make those countries quite angry angry enough to hurt US interests. But even if economic sanctions are unlikely, upsetting the US could lead to a diplomatic spat. There is also a diplomatic issue here, as the agreement to sell sensitive technology to a country implies a wider alignment of a range of political issues, and that is why the US is looking to isolate Russia following on from the events in Ukraine and beyond, Charles Forrester, senior defence industry analyst at Janes by IHS Markit told Al Jazeera. For the US, these purchases form more than just a military threat they are about countering Russias involvement in global conflicts, but also about maintaining long-standing US diplomatic relations and preventing Russia receiving hard currency for its equipment, analysts said. Charles Forrester, Jane's by IHS Markit The US has been working at finding ways to strengthen its diplomatic responses on the world stage to countries that violate the global rules-based order, Forrester said. So why would Turkey, India or any other country risk diplomatic relations with the US? India does not like to necessarily buy from one vendor and be overly dependent on one country, so from an Indian perspective geopolitically it does make sense to buy some systems from Russia and some from the US, Brand said. India also has a long-standing relationship as far as buying hardware from Russia, so they have a lot of experience with this equipment. Another motive is sharing military technology, something the US is not eager to do, unlike to Russia. {articleGUID} Russia is willing to supply S-400 to probably about anyone and to share technology to some extent, Wezeman explained, although he added that it is unclear how far this sharing would go. And for Turkey especially, Wezeman said, the S-400 has become something of a vanity project. Not bowing to the US and NATO shows that Turkey is its own boss; that it can take on the US and NATO, Wezeman said. Sbu Zikode leads a shack dwellers movement and says city officials crack down on those who highlight a housing crisis. New York, United States Sbu Zikode, the leader of a shack dwellers movement in Durban, South Africa, said he received a tip-off from police in July that he was being targeted and his life was under threat. Since then, the Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) organiser has been living underground, away from his family, between safe houses. I had been receiving threats from a number of local ANC councillors via AbM members and others, warning me not to step into their communities the ANC have basically created no-go zones, Zikode told Al Jazeera on the sidelines of an event in New York on September 29 to raise awareness on his story. ANC is South Africas ruling party, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa. {articleGUID} Zikode says AbM members routinely face censorship, intimidation and even murder by local city officials as they attempt to pressure them into providing housing, improving living standards or preventing the violent eviction of people in informal settlements all charges the city denies. The police have confirmed that there is a hit on me and offered me state witness protection but I had to refuse because when I asked them for how long, they said until elections [in 2019]. This means that they will protect me in order to neutralise me from my work ahead of the election I couldnt do it, Zikode said. On Monday, AbM held protests in South African cities and New York against what it terms as state repression, threats and assassinations. A police spokesperson said around 3,000 people rallied in Durban, where AbM is headquartered. AbM says six of its members have been killed since 2017. It also alleges that three other members from the Eastern Cape have also gone into hiding, citing mounting threats on their lives. AbM says their requests to President Ramaphosa and General Bheki Cele, the minister of police, for a Commission of Inquiry into the killings of AbM members have gone unanswered. But a spokesperson for Zandile Gumede, the mayor of eThekwini, the metropolitan municipality including Durban, dismissed AbMs claims. The mayor is the regional chairperson of the ANC. This is an old, repeated, fabricated allegation by Abahlali they must approach relevant security agencies if they have evidence instead of the media, the spokesperson said. Making such a serious allegation without going to court will not assist anyone. The failure to report such is counterproductive and equivalent to defeating ends of justice, Gumede said. Colonel Thembeka Mbhele, a spokesperson for the South African Police Services (SAPS), confirmed to Al Jazeera that police had opened a case of intimidation in Durban, raised by the organisation, but said she had no knowledge of Zikode being tipped off by members of the police force. Bheki Ntuli, the ANCs regional spokesperson, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Axolile Notywala, general secretary of the Social Justice Coalition Since its inception in 2005 at the Kennedy Road settlement in Durban, AbM members say they have faced hostility from police and the ruling ANC government, particularly city officials. This is the fifth time Zikode has gone into hiding since the organisation, which now has 55,000 members, was formed. Activists working with poor and marginalised communities in KwaZulu-Natal, the province of which Durban is the capital, say that there is a history of systematic violence against the AbM. In 2016, two ANC councillors and a hired hitman were found guilty of murdering Thuli Ndlovu, an organiser with AbM. Ndlovu was shot dead in front of her daughter by a gunman who had been offered $1,000 and a home to kill her. In 2017, a court found a police officer guilty of killing 17-year-old AbM member Nqobile Nzuza during a protest in Cato Crest, an informal settlement 7km south of Durban. Abahali members have been killed over the years for their work because they do it outside of a political party or electioneering process, Axolile Notywala, general secretary of the Social Justice Coalition (SJC), told Al Jazeera. They have [direct] experience of corruption and lack of service delivery, therefore speaking out against the ruling party is dangerous, Notywala said. AbM focuses on impoverished and working-class communities, traditionally the ANCs voter base. We were not expected to be so vocal and radical and to speak against the ruling party. The ANC behaves like they own the poor. And when we speak, we offend them, because they have always claimed to champion us, said Zikode, the AbM leader. Since 2014, at least 100 people have been killed in politically motivated murders in KwaZulu-Natal, the home province of former president, the ANCs Jacob Zuma. Zuma was like a warlord in KZN, Zikode says. We dont have that much of confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa to change the economy but he might be able to tackle the violence unlike Zuma, he has some fear for international reputation. AbM keeps politicians on their toes With the heartbeat of the economy in urban centres, black South Africans have moved to cities in search of employment and opportunities. But the lack of affordable housing has meant millions resort to living in informal settlements, often on vacant land on the outskirts. According to the PEP, a non-profit organisation that supports communities living in informal settlements, around 12 million South Africans live without proper housing. In April, the World Bank said South Africa was the most unequal country on earth. More than half the country lives below the poverty line. Youth unemployment has also reached record highs. Two decades after the end of apartheid, land reform remains one of South Africas most divisive issues [File: Mike Hutchings/Reuters] As long as theres still poverty and exclusion, the [AbM] movement is here to stay since it plays a critical role in a political landscape they keep politicians on their toes, Baruti Amisi, CEO of KZN Refugee Council, told Al Jazeera. Zikode said people occupy land so they can get closer to dignity. Twenty-four years since the onset of democracy, most land remains in the hands of white South Africans, who make up less than nine percent of the population. In December, the ANC resolved to expropriate land without compensation, but Zikode said the ANC is using the issue to win votes. They have lost credibility; the question of land has been raised because the ANC wants to restore trust and confidence. After the elections, all of this will be put aside. As much as we agree with the concept [of expropriation without compensation] we have a lot of questions. For us, it suggests they will take land from white elites and give it to black elites, and this will not benefit landless, homeless and ordinary people, Zikode said. When it comes to the future of AbM, Zikode regrets that in the organisations 13 year-history, we havent been able to organise houses for our people. He hopes to build a larger base to push for change. But first, he has more immediate challenges. Reality will hit when I return to South Africa; I return to uncertainty, he said. Additional reporting by Lizeka Maduna Adel Abdul Mahdi will have a better chance of forging the political consensus that has eluded his predecessors. Adel Abdul Mahdi, Iraqs new prime minister, has embarked on the difficult task of negotiating a new government. After months of post-election deliberations and delays due to intra-Kurdish tensions, he was named premier by the newly elected Iraqi president Barham Salih. Abdul Mahdi is largely seen as Iraqs compromise candidate, approved by the two rival Shia blocs in parliament. His main challenge ahead would be to manage the competing interests of these camps, while also addressing the demands of the Kurdish parties and Arab Sunni forces. Most importantly, he will have to face a disgruntled Iraqi public which is increasingly demonstrating its rejection of establishment politics. Who is Adel Abdul Mahdi? Abdul Mahdis family hails from the Shia landed and clerical elites. In his youth, he was a fervent supporter of the Baathist Party before rejecting its ideology and leaving for France on a self-imposed exile. He settled in Paris where he studied economics and adopted communist views, eventually joining the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP). Then in the 1980s, Abdul Mahdi went through another political transformation, influenced by the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. He joined the ranks of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), which Ayatollah Khomeini had founded as an opposition group aimed at undermining Saddam Husseins rule. In the 1990s, Abdul Mahdi was SCIRIs representative in Iraqi Kurdistan. As tensions between Washington and Baghdad escalated, SCIRI also started working with the US against the Baathist regime. After the US invasion of Iraq, the organisation renamed itself to the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) and ran in subsequent elections in various coalitions. In the first elected cabinet, it took the interior ministry, incorporating many of the members of its military wing, the Badr Brigades, into the army and security forces (Badr eventually broke off and formed its own political coalition, headed by Hadi al-Amiri ahead of the 2018 elections). Abdul Mahdi became the finance minister in Iyad Allawis transitional government, installed by the Americans in 2004. In 2010 he was one of the candidates for the premiership, but Nouri al-Maliki was picked over him, and in 2014 he was selected as oil minister in Haider al-Abadis cabinet. In the 2018 elections, Abdul Mahdi ran as independent, as ISCI had disintegrated by then due to internal rivalries. Given his motley political background, he managed to easily position himself as a neutral figure after election results were announced and it became clear that a compromise would have to be made between the two major Shia blocs over the premiership. Abdul Mahdi is close to both the Americans and the Iranians. Hes Shia but has also maintained close contacts with prominent Sunni politicians. He is also not antagonistic to the Kurdish region and has in fact supported in the past Erbils demand for a referendum on the oil-rich city of Kirkuk going under its jurisdiction. He also seems to be on good terms with the two major Shia blocs in Iraqi politics one led by Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Haider al-Abadi and the other dominated by members of Shia militias and headed by al-Amiri. The Sadrists ran on a platform of embracing the 2015 street protests and calling for reform, having lobbied al-Abadi in 2016 to forge a technocratic cabinet to curb corruption. Al-Abadi failed in this regard, unable to overcome entrenched political interests. Given his previous work and ministerial experience and having run as an independent, Abdul Mahdi is able to present himself as a quasi-technocrat. His political background is also appealing to the other side. While the al-Amiri bloc would have preferred one of their own candidates to become premier, the fact that Abdul Mahdi is neither a Sadrist nor from al-Abadis Dawa party made him an acceptable candidate. Iraqs looming crises Over the next one month, Abdul Mahdi will be negotiating the formation of his government, trying to balance all competing interests in Iraqi politics. Given that hes not a member of the two major Shia blocs in parliament, he cannot be accused of favouring fellow party members in the allocation of posts. Ideally, this will make him more open to Sadrist pressure to allocate more ministerial positions to technocrats with practical expertise, who should be ideally more qualified to deal with Iraqs numerous social and economic problems. But beyond the herculean task of forming a government that all political forces approve of, he will also face a number of major challenges, including reconciliation and reconstruction in Sunni-majority regions in the northwest and winning the trust of Iraqs general public, which has become disillusioned with its political elite, recently expressed in violent protests in the countrys south. Abdul Mahdi has demonstrated sympathy for Iraqs Arab Sunnis in the past, recognising the reasons for their discontent. Perhaps he is better fitted to bridging sectarian divides in the country and bringing about reconciliation than his predecessors. If hes able to allocate more posts to technocrats and empower them to press forward with reforms, Abdul Mahdi might also be able to resolve some of Iraqs most pressing socioeconomic problems that are currently inciting the population in Basra. However, it is important to note that a technocratic cabinet is not a panacea for Iraqs problems. It will take more than one government to dismantle the countrys entrenched patronage networks embedded in all echelons of the state. What Abdul Mahdi manages to achieve over the next 30 or more days would define Iraqs near future and its ability to emerge from its ongoing political and socioeconomic crises. The composition of the cabinet will indicate whether the new premier has been successful in negotiating his way out of conflicting interests and ethno-sectarian politics. Regardless, the selection of Abdul Mahdi as Iraqs new prime minister offers some glimmer of hope in addressing these challenges. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. I am writing this with a deep sense of sadness and foreboding. If, as appears increasingly to be the case, the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead then I grieve the loss of a talented, deeply committed writer, a man who loved his country but was not afraid to speak out as a voice of thoughtful criticism. I have known Jamal Khashoggi for more than 15 years. From my first meeting with him in 2002 in Jeddah, when he was the deputy editor-in-chief of Arab News, the leading Gulf English language daily, I was struck by two things: his wonderful sense of humour at some of the absurdities of life that we all share and his commitment to work towards a more open Saudi Arabia where critical voices were not a threat but a contribution to the painstakingly slow process of building a civil society in a country that was desperately in need of change. His subsequent career underlined that commitment: he was sacked several times from editorial positions when he chose to push the envelope a little bit further than the ruling Al Sauds or the conservative religious elite was comfortable with. Still, he stayed true to what he saw as his mission. On October 2 Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and disappeared. Saudi claims that he left the consulate shortly after he went in have been debunked by the Turkish authorities. The fear is that he was set upon and murdered almost immediately and that his body was removed in a vehicle with diplomatic plates. {articleGUID} If this is indeed the case, then a new red line has been crossed by Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has a track record of abducting and forcibly repatriating members of the ruling family. It has a history of incarcerating critics, be they conservative or liberal. But until now it had never stooped to such a brazen act, using a consulate building in a foreign country as the place to murder a journalist. (The story is far different for the Saudi Shia Muslim minority who have been persecuted for decades and seen prominent members of their community, as well as ordinary citizens, executed.) I grieve for Jamal, for his family and for his fiance. But I have, too, a great sense of foreboding that this attack represents an appalling assault on freedom of expression and on the right to speak truth to power. Not just in the Arabian Peninsula but everywhere. There was a time not so very long ago when the British government would decry attacks on journalists and use its influence to try and ameliorate some of the worst excesses of authoritarian regimes. From the time that Jamal Khashoggi went missing, there was an opportunity for the government of the UK to speak up. The silence of my government is shameful. And if it finally does choose to speak, it will in all likelihood be far too late. I had no such expectations that Donald Trumps White House would say something on Jamal Khashoggis behalf. He had left Saudi Arabia for the United States in September of last year amidst a wave of arrests and soon found himself writing columns for the Washington Post. The Post, owned by the Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, has been a constant critic of Trump, part of what the president calls the fake news conspiracy supposedly aimed at bringing him down. Trump has called journalists who challenge him enemies of the people. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, bent on driving through Vision 2030, his radical remake of the Saudi economy, saw Jamal Khashoggi as not so much the enemy of the people but rather as his own personal enemy. Khashoggis was a voice that threatened this increasingly insecure leader and one that had to be silenced. His Washington Post columns were the sort of writing I had come to know him for: thoughtful, tough, critical but balanced. In his first column for the Post, he wrote on behalf of himself and others who had felt the need to leave the kingdom We want our country to thrive and to see the 2030 Vision realized. We are not opposed to our government and care deeply about Saudi Arabia. It is the only home we know or want. Jamal Khashoggi is a true patriot, a true Saudi and a great and courageous journalist. If he has been murdered by the Saudi authorities then the world has lost a voice of moderation and journalism has suffered a potentially lethal wound. Dictators in countries around the world will be further emboldened to silence their critics and crush free media. But equally those dictators will see that they, like the Saudi leadership, can reach beyond their borders with an impunity that has been recklessly invigorated by Donald Trump. And for Saudi critics living abroad and their families in the kingdom, suddenly and brutally they too have become much more vulnerable to attack. For their sake and for the sake of imperilled journalists everywhere, Jamal Khashoggi must not be forgotten. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Afghanistan water shortage displaces thousands in Badghis An Al Jazeera exclusive report on the drought forcing three million people into makeshift camps in Afghanistan. The disputed regions two main parties, NC and PDP, are boycotting the local elections. Srinagar, India-administered Kashmir The first local elections in Indian-administered Kashmir since 2005 have been marked by the withdrawal of candidates following threats and a boycott by two of the regions main, pro-India political parties. Despite 70 percent of seats remaining uncontested, the Indian governments decision to go ahead with the four-phase local polls beginning Monday saw 50,000 paratroopers deployed in addition to nearly 700,000 soldiers already stationed in the disputed region. Separatists and armed rebels have warned voters to stay away. At least 45 candidates have withdrawn their nominations amid threats from rebel groups, such as Hizbul Mujahideen, and the killing of two political workers last week. Of the 598 seats, votes are being cast for only 178 seats, while 236 seats only had one candidate nominate themselves to run and 184 seats had no candidates nominating themselves at all. With the regions biggest parties the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) boycotting the polls, they are a contest between Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress, as well as a few independent candidates. Threats, boycott On Monday, roads in the disputed region were deserted as large numbers of security forces guarded the streets and polling booths. Srinagar was dotted with checkpoints and barricades. In south Kashmir, authorities shut down the internet, claiming to have done so to ensure smooth polls in a violence-prone district. Last year, by-elections in two Kashmir districts witnessed just seven percent turnout and the killing of eight civilians as protesters tried to stop the polling. This year, the regions chief election office decided not to reveal the names of the candidates who are running. To ensure a smooth conduct of polls, a senior police officer told Al Jazeera that preventive arrests had been made, without specifying how many have been detained. We have detained some stone throwers and separatist leaders so that there is no untoward incident, the official said on condition of anonymity. #JammuandKashmir: Union Minister Jitendra Singh and former Deputy CM Kavinder Gupta cast their votes in Jammu during the first phase of local body elections. pic.twitter.com/f12N7xUREq ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2018 Article 35A The NC and PDP maintain they boycotted the election to safeguard an exclusive citizenship law, known as Article 35-A, which is currently being challenged in Indias top court. Article 35-A empowers the Jammu and Kashmir state legislature to define permanent residents and provides them with special rights and privileges. It also bars non-state subjects from purchasing property and having government jobs in the disputed region. Kashmiri politicians and activists fear a repeal of the law by Indias Supreme Court could end up changing demographics in the Muslim-majority state. Hearings in the case, which has triggered widespread protests in Kashmir earlier this year, have been postponed for two months in view of the current elections. We have stayed away from the polls because the government of India is not taking a clear stand to safeguard Article 35-A. The elections at this time are not in the interest of people. So many polling booths have no contestants, what does this mean? Ali Muhammad Sagar, a senior NC leader, told Al Jazeera. But insiders in the NC and PDP admit its not just their stand on 35-A that forced the boycott. It was also the fact that they could not find candidates to contest. {articleGUID} It was hard to get the candidates ready in a situation when it is life-threatening. We had multiple reasons and one of them was the security of candidates, a senior PDP leader told Al Jazeera. Rafi Mir, PDPs spokesperson, said the time was not conducive for the polls as the region is witnessing violence. We told the India government that the time is not right for elections as people will not participate. The election is happening but the candidates who are contesting are forced to stay in hotels, he said. The views were echoed by the NC, which called the local polls planted and manipulated. India-administered Kashmir state is currently under the direct rule of the federal government after a coalition between the BJP and the PDP fell apart in June this year. Withdraw or face the consequences We do not understand the point of this election. This is like holding elections under the barrel of a gun. It is enforcing elections here when people are not willing to vote or participate, said a local resident, Tariq Ahmad, 45. {articleGUID} India is enforcing its narrative and its democracy on Kashmiris. The candidates have been unable to do any public campaigning and have been kept in well-guarded hotels away from their homes amid threats from the rebels to withdraw or face the consequences. It is hard to go out and ask people to vote. We have been able to get some support and now we call people on their phones to vote for us, said Bhat, a candidate who did not want to reveal his first name. The people who have filed their papers to contest the elections are all in protective custody in police stations,security force camps or in homes with lots of security.Unfortunately my colleagues have become easy targets to send out a message to the candidates & potential voters. https://t.co/HpgxOsJzjm Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 5, 2018 2019 polls in mind? Speaking to Al Jazeera, Sheikh Showkat Hussain, an academic based in Kashmir, said that India is trying to gauge the mood of people and prepare the ground for 2019 parliamentary elections. It has been hard for India to conduct parliamentary elections. Last year, it was a big embarrassment for them in just two seats, he said. Hussain said: India will try to use the candidates of local polls for mobilising people in the upcoming 2019 parliamentary elections. How can they head these municipal bodies tomorrow when they are not able to approach voters? The governments decision to conduct elections seems to have boomeranged and casts a shadow on the upcoming polls, he said. Brazil elections go into second round after Bolsonaro missed the required 50 percent of votes needed to avoid a runoff. Sao Paulo/Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazils turbulent 2018 presidential election will go to a second round runoff between far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro and Fernando Haddad of the left-leaning Workers Party (PT). Bolsonaro nearly took Sundays election in the first round as he and his team insisted he would but in the end just missed the required 50 percent of votes needed to avoid a runoff, winning 46 percent instead. Haddad won 29 percent of the vote. The second round is scheduled for October 28, with much more drama promised in the meantime in a Brazil now seemingly more bitterly divided than ever. Bolsonaro, 63, a seven-time congressman for Rio, questioned the legitimacy of the results, alleging problems with Brazils electronic voting machines: an accusation he put forward throughout his campaign that was often repeated by his supporters. I am certain that if this hadnt happened, we would have known the name of the president of the republic tonight, Bolsonaro said in a live Facebook video feed, looking tired and dishevelled alongside his economic adviser and finance minister, Paulo Guedes. Jair Bolsonaro gestures after casting his vote, in Rio de Janeiro [Pilar Olivares/Reuters] Political wave Bolsonaros mistrust of the electronic voting system was contradicted before the vote by Laura Chinchilla, the head of an electoral observation mission dispatched to Brazil by the Organization of American States, who confirmed the systems security. The same system was also used to elect Bolsonaros eldest son Flavio to Brazils upper house Senate and to make another son of his, Eduardo, Brazils most-voted-for legislator in history after he received 1.9 million votes. Bolsonaros Social Liberty Party is now the second-largest in the Chamber of Deputies after jumping from eight to 52 legislators in the 513-seat lower house, second only to the much longer established Workers Party with 56. More than an individual victory, Bolsonaro has provoked a political wave that is changing the political party equilibrium of the country, said Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist and professor of international relations at Rio de Janeiro State University. Bolsonaro, 63, questioned the legitimacy of the results, alleging problems with Brazils electronic voting machines [David Child/Al Jazeera] For decades considered a fringe congressman, Bolsonaro has risen as Brazil Latin Americas most populous country and most powerful economy has been rocked in recent years by mammoth corruption scandals, a brutal recession, and rising violence. In Barra da Tijuca, one of Rio de Janeiros most affluent neighbourhoods, hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters of all ages gathered outside of the former army captains beachfront gated housing complex. Many sported Brazilian flags and chants of Him yes and Long live the military competed against the sound of fireworks launched metres from an inflatable balloon portraying former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in prison rags. Lula, who is currently imprisoned on corruption charges, was the PTs candidate until he was forced to step aside last month and hand over to Haddad after being barred from running by Brazils countrys top electoral court. Lucas Oliveira, 20, said Bolsonaro had united everyone who was divided. {articleGUID} His win means bringing people together. He brought back my familys belief in politics, which they had totally lost, Oliveira, a Rio de Janeiro-based military police officer, said. He is an outspoken admirer of Brazils military dictatorship, which was in power from 1964 to 1985, along with former Chilean strongman Augusto Pinochet, of whom Bolsonaro once said, [He] should have killed more. Without precedent Jose Roberto de Toledo, editor and columnist at the Piaui magazine, called Bolsonaro a defender of dictatorship and torture. We are entering totally unknown territory, one without precedent in the history of post-dictatorship Brazil. The risk that he represents to democracy is hard to quantify, but the risk he poses is infinitely higher than with any other candidate, Toledo said. If Bolsonaro wins, it is very likely that he will have to adopt populist measures to satisfy his electoral base. This could mean that he will go after minorities; it could mean that he will go after the PT or the gay population. We dont know yet, but some people will fall victim to this. Although Bolsonaro easily won the first round, surveys suggest the outcome of the October 28 is more uncertain [David Child/Al Jazeera] Although Bolsonaro easily won the first round, surveys suggest the outcome of the October 28 is more uncertain. Haddad is expected to come up almost neck-and-neck with Bolsonaro as he picks up support from other beaten candidates, such as third-placed Ciro Gomes, a centre-left former governor of the state of Ceara. We want to unite the democrats of Brazil, a broad and deeply democratic project, but that untiringly pursues social justice, he told crowds in Sao Paulo on Sunday, the city where he was mayor from 2012 -2016. Brazils strongman Bolsonaros disparaging comments about gays, women and minorities disgust many voters, but his proud political incorrectness and tough-on-crime posture have appealed to many others. In 2017, there were nearly 64,000 murders in Brazil and Bolsonaro pledged to give the countrys already deadly police more rights to kill suspected criminals. He is often described as a combination of US President Donald Trump of whom Bolsonaro has expressed his admiration and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte whose bloody war against drug dealers and addicts has left thousands dead. Other voters, such as 39-year-old Carina Correira Pinto, said they backed Bolsonaro on Sunday because of his clean record on corruption, another huge concern for Brazilian voters in this election as in recent years the country has been rocked by successive scandals including the far-reaching Car Wash probe that toppled dozens of political and business elites. The politicians only rob, and he wont do that, Pinto, a dentist, said. The significance of the Inter State Council When provincial and local disappoint, forums such as ISC become imperative to keep the ball rolling With second-round vote set for October 28, analysts say leftist Haddad has uphill battle against far-right Bolsonaro. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil After weeks of campaigning and sparring for support amid spiralling polarisation throughout the country, Brazils presidential race has been reduced from a field of 13 runners to a head-to-head race between far-right firebrand Jair Bolsonaro and leftist Fernando Haddad. Bolsonaro, of the Social Liberal Party, narrowly missed out on the outright majority required for first round election success on Sunday, winning 46 percent of the vote. Haddad, the Workers Partys (PT) last-minute replacement candidate for jailed former Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, trailed in second with 29 percent of support. Haddad must now reverse current electoral momentum within just 21 days, or watch the wave that swept Bolsonaro to a first-round victory carry the former army captain into office. But analysts said they were not betting on him turning things around for October 28s second-round vote. I think Haddad needs a bit of a miracle, it could be very, very difficult for him [to win the presidency], Oliver Stuenkel, a professor of international relations at the Brazil-based Getulio Vargas Foundation higher education institute, said. It depends on his capacity to move to the centre and show that he is his own man, that hes not a puppet [for Lula] [because] the anti-PT sentiment is so strong. Prior to Sundays first-round vote, about 41 percent of Brazils electorate said they would not vote for Haddad under any circumstances, according to the Datafolha polling institute. Bolsonaros rejection rate stood at 44 percent. Haddad can only win in the second round if he converts sceptics, galvanises Sundays vanquished centrist candidates and their supporters and goes after his opponent on policy issues such as crime and security which, until now, he has appeared unwilling to grapple with, analysts said. Haddad can reach out and surpass Bolsonaro but he will have a hard time doing that, he will have to get almost the totality of the vote of Ciro Gomes and bring in the blank voters as well as those who abstained, Thiago de Aragao, director at the Brasilia-based political consultancy Arko Advice, said. Fernando Haddad, presidential candidate for the Workers Party, campaigns in downtown Rio de Janeiro [File: Leo Correa/AP Photo] He will also have to try to attack Bolsonaro on issues that actually affect the mindset of the voter [and] to attack as hard and often as he can in order to break down the image of order and anti-establishment and discipline that Bolsonaro was able to create [in his campaign], de Aragao added. Ciro Gomes, another centre-left candidate, came in third place on Sunday with about 12.5 percent of the vote. Twenty percent of the eligible electorate nearly 30 million people abstained from voting. Bolsonaro in a growth curve But countering Bolsonaros narrative wont be easy, and could even prove counterproductive, Aragao said. In the past few weeks, every sort of attack against Bolsonaro was made and the only result was his growth, he added. Despite making several disparaging comments about the gay community, women and minorities which have appalled millions of Brazilians, his tough-on-crime posture, favourable remarks about Brazils former military dictatorship and self-styled anti-establishment approach have appealed to many others. Jair Bolsonaro gestures after casting his vote, in Rio de Janeiro [Pilar Olivares/Reuters] Critically, hes upended the traditional political campaign approach, staying clear of public debate over big policy issues and instead, mobilising social media to appeal directly to voters with plainly worded pledges. He was also stabbed last month, keeping him off the campaign trail for much of the lead-up to Sundays election. As Bolsonaro approaches the October 28 election, Aragao predicts his strategy will be to remain very calm and quiet. He will say as little as possible, not get into complicated issues and try to hold back people around his campaign from saying things that could be considered controversial, Aragao said. Bolsonaro has an advantage over Haddad, hes in a growth curve for him to lose from here, its not about Haddad getting it right, its about him making mistakes, he added. Haddads chance of victory depends much more on the performance of Bolsonaro than his own. Conservative or centre-right tsunami Indicators from Sundays results, aside from the 49 million votes Bolsonaro picked up, suggest that is the case and that prevailing public sentiment points towards him succeeding in the second round. Bolsonaros Social Liberal Party rose from relative obscurity to become the second-biggest party in Brazils lower house Chamber of Deputies, just four seats short of the well-established PTs 56 and far ahead of several traditional parties. During Brazils last election, in 2014, the PSL won one seat in the lower house. We are seeing a conservative or centre-right tsunami that has produced the biggest change in Brazils political landscape for the past few decades, Stuenkel said. Clearly, people are fed up with established parties. We have had a really significant number of bigwigs removed and to that extent, its a protest vote and a vote for change, he added. Not all of Bolsonaro voters are bigots or homophobic, a lot of them vote for Bolsonaro despite what hes saying he has mobilised a latent and existing discontent. A supporter of Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro is seen in front of Bolsonaros condominium at Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood [File: Sergio Moraes/Reuters] Many voters are deeply distrustful of the PT and the partys figurehead, Lula, as a result of their involvement in corruption scandals in recent years. Others are disenchanted with Brazils stagnant economy, in which nearly 13 million people are out of work, and a deteriorating security situation which reached a peak last year, when a record nearly 64,000 homicides were recorded. Aragao, for his part, said the election had been consumed by feeling, meaning discussion involving facts, figures and firm proposals on how to solve Brazils social, political and economic problems were being drowned out. This election in Brazil is highly emotional and, being emotional, many voters have very little interest in the details of policymaking that each candidate proposes, he said. Basically, what we have seen is voters positioning themselves based on [an emotional] rejection towards their opponent. Opposition candidate Maurice Kamto claims he has received a clear mandate from the people and intends to defend it. Cameroons opposition candidate has claimed victory in Sundays presidential polls despite a government warning not to announce unofficial results. I was charged with taking a penalty, I took it and I scored, Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC) candidate Maurice Kamto said at a news conference on Monday in Yaounde. I have received a clear mandate from the people and I intend to defend it until the end, he said. I invite the outgoing president to organise a peaceful way to transfer power, Kamto added. The opposition candidate did not give results to justify his claim, which was greeted by loud cheers from supporters as he made his announcement. But the deputy secretary general of the ruling-Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement, Gregoire Owona, has accused Kamto of breaking the law. It is not right at all to announce this. He hasnt won anything at all. Its totally illegal, he said, adding that it was too early to say if anyone had won. Kamto was not even represented at all the polling stations, (so) it was impossible for him to count all the votes, he added. By law, each polling station must submit its results after verification by the electoral commission, to the Constitutional Court which is responsible for announcing the official tally within 15 days. Ahead of the polls, Kamto formed a coalition with the marginal opposition Peoples Development Front (FDP) but was still seen as unlikely to threaten Preident Paul Biyas 35-year grip on power. The main opposition Social Democratic Front contender, Joshua Osih, did not participate in the coalition. The counting of votes has not been concluded in an election expected to return Biya for a seventh term. Biya, Africas oldest leader, has been in office since 1982. Results of the presidential election, marked by violence in Anglophone areas, expected within two weeks. Polls closed in Cameroon on Sunday evening and the counting of votes has begun in an election that will likely see the return of President Paul Biya for a seventh term. Voting ended at 17:00GMT amid fighting and threats from separatists that prevented residents in English-speaking regions from casting their ballots. Results are expected in two weeks. Biya, Africas oldest leader who has been in office since 1982, claimed the voting was peaceful across the country with more than 20 million people. I am satisfied after performing my civic duty and particularly satisfied that the election is taking place in calm and serenity and without fighting, Biya said after voting. {articleGUID} I hope that the calm will continue after results are proclaimed, he said. Cameroons fractured opposition was unable to rally behind a strong challenger to the 85-year-old leader. Main opposition Social Democratic Front party candidate Joshua Osih voted in the countrys economic capital, Douala, and called for transparency in the vote count. My wish is that the results of the ballot should not be tampered with. That transparency should be the watchword and that the choice made by the Cameroonian people be respected, he said. Violent election Even as the candidates spoke, violence had already marked the voting. The military killed two armed men in the English-speaking northwest town of Bamenda, according to Governor Deben Tchoffo of the Northwest region. We shall not allow terrorists to disrupt the election, he said. I salute the maturity of people who are braving the threats and carrying out their civic duties. We are informed that armed men are shooting indiscriminately to frighten voters, we shall not allow such a thing to happen. Gunfighting between the military and separatists began on Saturday in at least six towns and villages including Nkambe, Mamfe and Kumbo. Several buildings were burned, including residences where voting material was thought to have been stored. {articleGUID} Several armed men were also killed by the military in the southwest region, Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai confirmed. The wave of attacks will not deter us from doing our job, said Enow Abrams Egbe, chairman of the election commission. The Election Commission and government said they made provisions for displaced voters, but it was not clear if people came out amid threats by separatists. Cameroon is also battling Boko Haram fighters in its far north, where more than more than 230,000 people have been displaced. The 2018 Nobel Prize for economics has been awarded to US economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer for integrating innovation and climate with economic growth. Nordhaus, a professor at Yale University, and Romer, a former World Bank chief economist now at New York Universitys Stern School of Business, addressed some of our times most basic and pressing questions about how we create long-term sustained and sustainable growth, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement on Monday. It said the pair significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis by constructing models that explain how the market economy interacts with nature and knowledge. Nordhaus, 77, was specifically honoured for integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis. The 62-year-old Romer won for integrating technological innovations into long-run macroeconomic analysis. {articleGUID} Tipped as frontrunners for the award in recent years, the pair will share the nine million Swedish kronor (about $1.01m) prize. Hours before the award, the United Nations panel on climate change warned of the risks of more frequent heat waves, floods and drought in some regions as well as the loss of species without a radical rethink in how societies operate. Last year, the honour went to US economist Richard Thaler, cofounder of the so-called nudge theory, which demonstrates how people can be persuaded to make decisions that leave them healthier and happier. The Nobel economics prize wraps up the 2018 awards season, notable this year for the lack of a literature prize, postponed by a year for the first time in 70 years over a rape scandal that came to light as part of the #MeToo movement. Last week, after the prizes for medicine, physics and chemistry were announced, the most highly anticipated Nobel, that for peace, went to Yazidi womens campaigner Nadia Murad and Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege for their work in fighting sexual violence in conflicts around the world. As disappearance of Saudi critic nears one week, Turkeys president says he has no evidence at hand regarding the case. Saudi Arabian officials must prove that journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing since last week, had left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. We have to get an outcome from this investigation as soon as possible. The consulate officials cannot save themselves by simply saying he has left, Erdogan told a news conference in Budapest on Monday. The relevant authorities are obligated to provide proof of this claim, on this matter. If he left, you must prove this, you will prove this, even if its with visuals. Those who ask Turkish authorities where is he? should first be asking how did this happen?' Erdogan added. Turkish Airlines or (other) airport arrivals and departures are all being investigated. With these departures and arrivals there were certain people who came from Saudi Arabia. The chief prosecutors office is working on it, investigating, doing everything. And we have said especially to all our relevant agencies, our security forces, our intelligence agency, all of them, the foreign ministry work together and well see the reports our prosecution prepares. Khashoggi flew to Istanbul and entered the Saudi consulate to obtain documents [Reuters] Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate on October 2 to sort out paperwork and Turkish sources told Reuters news agency on Saturday they believed he was killed inside the building in what they described as a premeditated murder. Erdogan, who said he was personally following the case, added that Turkey had no documents or evidence at hand regarding the case. Turkey has formally requested access to the Saudi consulate for a full forensic search of the premises. Earlier on Monday, officials in Istanbul told Al Jazeera they expect [Saudi Arabias] full cooperation during the investigation into the fate of the missing journalist. {articleGUID} On Sunday, Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sedat Onal summoned the Saudi ambassador to Turkey to the foreign ministry for a second time since Khashoggis disappearance, sources at the ministry told Al Jazeera. An unnamed source inside the consulate was quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency as denying the claims, saying the accusations were baseless. A leading critic of the Saudi governments reform programme under the stewardship of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States for over a year. Speaking on Al Jazeeras UpFront earlier this year, Khashoggi said that there was no space for debate in Saudi Arabia with intellectuals and journalists jailed for questioning policies. As we speak today, there [are] Saudi intellectuals and journalists jailed. Now, nobody will dare to speak and criticise the reforms [initiated by the crown prince], he said, adding that it would be much better for him to allow a breathing space for critics, for Saudi intellectuals, Saudi writers, Saudi media to debate. Asked whether Saudi Arabia could ever become democratic under bin Salman, Khashoggi said: Not on his watch. I havent heard him make even the slightest inference that he would open the country for power-sharing, for democracy. In his writings for the Washington Post, the Saudi commentator criticised Saudi policies towards Qatar and Canada, the war in Yemen and the crackdown on dissent and the media in the kingdom. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil In political campaigns, a candidates name is all important; splashed across adverts, booed by critics or chanted by supporters and, ultimately, decided on by voters come election day. For Brazilian presidential contender Fernando Haddad, however, the name that appears to matter most to his election bid is not, in fact, his own. Instead, its Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. A jailed, yet widely popular, former president, Lula hand-picked fellow leftist Workers Party (PT) politician Haddad as his replacement last month. Lula was forced to step aside as PTs candidate after being barred from running himself because of a corruption conviction. Both men, it seems, have been desperate ever since for Brazilian voters to be aware of their connection. For Haddad, alignment with Lula means attracting the sizeable support among the electorate the previous leader still enjoys. For Lula, alignment with Haddad means a chance to govern again, albeit by proxy, and a possible presidential pardon from prison. Haddad will be Lula Haddads run for office, launched last month in the shadow of the police headquarters where Lula is imprisoned, began with a declaration that Fernando Haddad will be Lula for millions of Brazilians. The statement, written by Lula in an open letter to the Brazilian public and read out by PT officials at the event in the city of Curitiba, in southern Parana state, set the tone for his proteges candidacy, analysts said. Supporters of presidential candidate for the Workers Party, Fernando Haddad, during a campaign in downtown Rio de Janeiro [Leo Correa/AP] Brian Winter, vice president of policy at the Americas Society and Council of the Americas and editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, told Al Jazeera Haddads link to Lula was overwhelmingly beneficial for the formers chances of winning office. Lula is the entire base of his (Haddads) support, if it wasnt for Lula, Haddad would be polling at less than one percent, Winter said. The PTs approach has paid off, so far. Haddad, a former mayor of Brazilian metropolis Sao Paulo, won 29 percent of the vote in the first round of Brazils presidential election on October 7. The 55-year-old will now face a runoff vote against Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right firebrand candidate of the Social Liberal Party party, on October 28. Bolsonaro fell just short of avoiding the second round of voting with 46 percent. A relative unknown The PTs bid to fashion Haddad as something of a proxy for Lula has been helped by the latters limited public profile. Unlike Lula, Haddad was a relative unknown among large portions of the electorate outside of his native Sao Paulo prior to the first round vote. A mid-September poll by DataFolha indicated almost one-third of Brazils 147 million eligible voters didnt know who he was. Born to parents of Lebanese descent, Haddad initially began a career in academia at the University of Sao Paulo after years of studying law, economics and, lastly, philosophy at the institution. In 2001, he moved into politics as an undersecretary of finance and economic development for the municipality of Sao Paulo, before rising to serve as minister for education under Lula and his successor Dilma Rousseff from 2005-2012. Lulas divisive legacy But convincing voters that Haddad is Lula, Lula is Haddad, as the PT have tried, could prove as problematic an election strategy as it has seemed prudent until now. Although Haddads popularity among voters surged in the days after his candidacy was announced, his rejection rates also soared. Thats because Lula, a colossus in Brazilian politics since the countrys transition to democracy in 1985 after two decades of military rule, has become an increasingly divisive figure in recent years since leaving office almost a decade ago with personal approval ratings approaching 90 percent. For some, he is still revered as a working-class hero who rose from a humble background in the countrys rural northeast to help lift millions out of poverty while in office for two terms from 2003 through 2010. For others, however, the 72-year-old is a troubling embodiment of extensive high-level corruption and tainted by the economic bust that followed the commodity-driven boom of his tenure. Supporters of Fernando Haddad participate in an event in defence of work and education in Sao Paulo, Brazil [File: Fernando Bizerra Jr/EPA] Last year, he was sentenced to a decade in prison for accepting bribes in the shape of a luxury seaside apartment worth hundreds of thousands of US dollars from Brazilian construction company OAS while in office. In January, an appeals court upheld his conviction and extended the jail term to 12 years. People in poorer areas see the era of Lula as when they were doing best, the social transformation in Brazil under the PT governments was quite extensive and a lot of people feel they owe him a lot, Richard Lapper, an associate fellow at UK-based institute of international affairs Chatham House and independent analyst on Latin American politics, told Al Jazeera. On the other hand, large chunks of Brazil also think that the worst person in the world is Lula [so] it could be that people will vote for Bolsonaro simply to stop Lula, simply because hes the anti-PT candidate, he added. For Haddad, the challenge will be to translate Lulas popularity into votes for himself while also appealing to parts of the electorate with whom the former president is unpopular. Fernando Haddad, presidential candidate for the Workers Party, campaigns in downtown Rio de Janeiro [File: Leo Correa/AP Photo] Somewhat ironically, Lula himself may provide the best example of how to traverse that tricky electoral tightrope, according to Winter. It will be difficult but not impossible, Lula himself has walked that line before back in 2002 when he was first elected and was trying to maintain this leftist base that had been with him for years while also signalling to a more moderate population that he wasnt going to break the economy, Winter said. [And] part of the reason that Haddad was such a smart pick for the PT, was because he is arguably the most moderate, modern major figure in that party, he added. Opportunity amid polarisation Haddad has publicly adhered to the PTs election manifesto, which includes calls for tax cuts for the poor and higher taxes for the rich, and pledged to end government-enforced austerity and boost public spending if elected to office. But, according to Winter, in private conversations with business leaders and investors, Haddad has been eager to emphasise he is a moderate figure and responsible economic manager. He has told them, essentially, Dont listen too closely to what Im saying out on the campaign trail,' Winter said. But thats tough if youre talking out of both sides of your mouth, in todays modern world where wherever you go in the world voters are interested in authenticity just as much as anything else, its a risk, and if he mismanages that it could become a huge problem for him, he added. At a moment of bitter political polarisation in Brazil, however, Haddads push to present himself as a candidate seeking compromise may yet prove crucial in securing the majority of support required to win the presidency, according to Oliver Stuenkel, a professor of international relations at the Brazil-based Getulio Vargas Foundation. Haddad is somebody who can speak and engage with people across the aisle, whos essentially a moderate, Stuenkel told Al Jazeera. Its not by chance that Lula has chosen Haddad because, particularly in a race with Bolsonaro, he is able to project himself quite credibly as the centre candidate and has a good shot at the presidency [in running] against a radical. Lack of supplies and damage to hospital building, power outage and strong aftershocks in Port-de-Paix after quake. Hospitals in Haitis northwestern city of Port-de-Paix are labouring to cope with the fallout from an earthquake and strong aftershocks which killed at least 12 people. The city, which is about 219km from the capital, Port-au-Prince, was hardest hit by Saturdays quake, which authorities say injured 188 people. At the Immaculate Conception Hospital, doctors and nurses lack the supplies they need to treat those wounded by the magnitude 5.9 quake and efforts are further frustrated by electricity outages and damage to the hospital building. There was no electricity here, so we couldnt receive the huge numbers that came last night, Paul Miclaude, a doctor working in the emergency room, told the AFP news agency. It was really difficult for us to send them to another hospital. With time running out, some died here. {articleGUID} According to Haitian officials, eight of the 12 victims died in Port-de-Paix. Clearly, we arent ready for such a catastrophe, said Miclaude. By Monday, patients were receiving drips on mattresses lined up on the ground outside the hospital. With all the aftershocks, we cant really stay inside. Were putting up tents to receive the patients, said Polycarpe Saeely, the hospitals medical chief. Patients and residents are sleeping in the open, fearful of fresh aftershocks [Ricardo Rojas/Reuters] A strong magnitude-5.2 aftershock on Sunday followed the earthquake as several crates of medicine arrived from the health ministry, sending doctors and patients running from the hospital, fearful that part of the building would collapse. Everyone can see that we dont have a real hospital, said Francois Lubernsron, a 28-year-old Port-de-Praix resident. He is one of many in Haiti whose fear is turning into anger at the government, which has failed to make major improvements to the extreme poverty suffered by many Haitians. This shows we have no government, said Lubensron. Weve had enough of a small group privatising the country while we die. We are human beings. We have the right to live like those in all nations. I dont feel safe The earthquake struck on Saturday at 08:10pm local time (00:10 GMT Sunday) at a depth of 11.7km. It was felt lightly in Port-au-Prince, as well as the neighbouring Dominican Republic and nearby Cuba, where no damage was reported. Sundays aftershock caused panic on the streets where emergency teams had begun providing relief and toppled buildings in several cities. {articleGUID} Some in Port-de-Paix chose to sleep in the open on Sunday, wary of returning to their damaged homes and fearing more aftershocks. I dont feel safe even inside my house, Gary Joseph told the Associated Press as he laid mattresses for himself and his sons under a tree. I have to protect myself and my sons. President Jovenel Moise, who recently faced calls to resign over controversial fuel price increases, visited Port-de-Paix on Sunday. He urged people to donate blood and asked international aid agencies to coordinate with local groups to avoid duplicated efforts. Impoverished Haiti is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. Hispaniola, the island shared with the Dominican Republic, sits atop two major fault lines. The weekend tremors were among the strongest to hit Haiti since a massive magnitude-7.0 quake struck near Port-au-Prince in 2010, killing tens of thousands of people. Thirty-four girls, aged between 12 and 14, beaten up by boys and their parents in Supaul district. Campaigners are calling on India to protect girls in state-run institutions who are at risk of sexual assault and violence after 34 girls were violently attacked by a mob for fighting off sexual harassers in Bihar state. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, a residential school for girls in Supaul district, witnessed chaotic scenes on Saturday after some girls objected to sexual advances and lewd messages from a group of boys. A mob comprising the boys and their parents later entered the school where they beat and injured dozens of girls aged between 12 and 14. The girls were playing inside the school compound when some boys came in and tried to sexually harass them. The girls fought them off and there was an altercation. A mob then gathered with the boys parents who beat up the girls, Jagatpati Chaudhury, the District Education Officer in Supaul, told Al Jazeera. The girls were injured, shocked, in trauma and were rushed to hospital. These were scenes of havoc as most of the girls are in sixth and seventh grades. A video uploaded on social media by a local news website, The Bihar Post, showed a girl from the school after the attack. https://twitter.com/biharpostPatna/status/1049140917377019904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw They were beating up all the girls. They tore our clothes and took away our dupattas [scarves], said a young girl who was sobbing at the hospital. Police say they have arrested two people and detained four in connection with the incident. District magistrate Baidyanath Yadav said local boys used to write lewd messages on the school walls. Local media reports suggest the girls at the school were routinely harassed. Schools for Indias poorest The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya is a special school run by the government that provides residential elementary education to girls belonging to Indias most vulnerable communities: scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, religious minorities and families living below the poverty line across India. Activists point out that the state and the community have failed to protect girls in such schools, which were set up in places where female rural literacy rates are low. This case is especially alarming because it happened at a school. It has been an uphill task to get girls from marginalised communities into schools. In rural Bihar, projects to get adolescent girls on self-defence training programmes have worked very well. So this violent attack is a setback, Prabhat Kumar, head of child protection at the charity Save the Children in India, told Al Jazeera. Shockingly, when the boys came back to attack the girls, they were with their parents. Adults not guiding their children and the community not preventing such attacks is shocking and disheartening, he added. A child abused every 15 minutes A child is sexually abused every 15 minutes in India, according to the NGO, Child Rights. Violence against girls in Bihar has been in the spotlight since more than 30 girls were raped at a childrens shelter in July, a case that led to national anger over the management of care homes. The girls had told a local court that they were beaten, drugged, raped and scalded with hot water. {articleGUID} India has enacted strident anti-rape laws in response to nationwide outrage in the wake of a series of child rape cases. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been amended to introduce death penalty for the rape of children below the age of 12. There has been a relentless focus on enabling girls to resist acts of sexual violence. Our girls at the school are trained in judo and karate and they gave befitting response to the boys who passed lewd comments. It was only later when the mob arrived that they were beaten up, said Chaudhury, the government official in Supaul. According to Child Rights, crime against minors has risen more than 500 percent over the past decade. In 2016, police in India received 38,947 reports of rape compared with almost 35,000 in 2015, according to data collected by the National Crime Records Bureau. Campaigners say more needs to be done to protect Indias female children in far-flung areas. {articleGUID} As a country and a society, we have failed these girls. Stricter vigil needs to be kept about the building walls, guards and other security measures at schools like these, said Save the Childrens Kumar, who has worked extensively in Bihar. Reporting rapes since 2012 has increased but rates of convictions or punishments in cases of sexual violence has had no uptick. This reflects the culture of impunity, the feeling that perpetrators will not be punished, he added. Former army captain rides wave of discontent over corruption, crime and economic downturn to win presidency. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil To detractors, hes a dangerous cheerleader for dictatorship. To supporters, hes the leader capable of delivering salvation from Brazils political, social and economic crises. Jair Bolsonaro, a divisive far-right firebrand and self-styled political outsider, has been sworn in as the 38th president of Latin Americas largest democracy. Bolsonaro won 55 percent of the vote in a runoff against Fernando Haddad of the leftist Workers Party (PT) on Sunday. He previously suggested that he would not accept the result if he did not win the election. His running mate, former army general Hamilton Mourao, later walked back those comments. Remarkable rise Bolsonaro won a place in the runoff after topping a field of 13 candidates during the first-round vote on October 7 with 46 percent of the vote. The result marked a remarkable political rise for the 63-year-old after decades of relative political obscurity. {articleGUID} Bolsonaro has served as a congressman for Rio de Janeiro in Brazils lower house Chamber of Deputies since 1991, switching parties on numerous occasions. He was hardly known outside the city until 2014, however, when Brazil slid towards the economic malaise in which it now finds itself. He was always an unimpressive backbencher, he was never a party boss or had a programmatic agenda that was of any significance, Matias Spektor, a professor of international relations at the Brazil-based Getulio Vargas Foundation, told Al Jazeera. Until four years ago, Bolsonaro was not a household name in Brazilian politics. Seizing on crises According to political analysts, critical to Bolsonaros emergence was the convergence of several different crises within Brazil, which have slashed public faith in democracy and the countrys political class. The overall discreditment of establishment politicians resulting from the worst recession in 100 years, the biggest corruption scandal ever detected according to the US Department of Justice and this never-ending deterioration in crime and homicide have caused the rise of Bolsonaro, said Brian Winter, vice president of policy at the Americas Society and Council of the Americas and editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly. More than 12 percent of Brazilians are jobless, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, with the economy still struggling to recover from a seismic recession that dragged on for more than two years before officially ending in 2017. A supporter of Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro is seen in front of Bolsonaros condominium at Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro [File: Sergio Moraes/Reuters] Amid the downturn, several high-level corruption scandals erupted at the height of which was a major anti-graft probe known as Lava Jato, or Car Wash. Since 2014, more than 150 Brazilian business leaders, corporations and politicians have been prosecuted including former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as part of the investigation and other interlocking probes. The corruption scandals linked to Lava Jato are really quite revolutionary in Brazil, theres never been this range of action against politicians, public officials and businesspeople Its really shaken the establishment, Richard Lapper, an associate fellow at the UK-based institute of international affairs, Chatham House, and independent analyst on Latin American politics, told Al Jazeera. [And] Bolsonaro has identified with this move against corrupt politicians, he added. His great success is that hes been able to mobilise outside of the political system against traditional politicians. Hes used social media very effectively and so hes capitalising on the mood thats anti-political in Brazil. Crime and security While Bolsonaro has tapped into widespread discontent with the economy and political elites, hes also played on fundamental fears about security amid widespread violent crime. Violence has surged in many parts of Brazil, home to seven of the worlds 20 most violentcities, in recent years. {articleGUID} Last year, homicides rose to a record high figure of 63,880, up 2.9 percent from 2016, according to the Brazilian Forum of Public Security. Crime is a major popular concern and it is an issue across the country, which affects all social classes, although the poor most, Spektor said, adding that Bolsonaro had a message on crime and Haddad didnt. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has pledged to tackle the security crisis by militarising the police, cracking down on criminal offenders by allowing officers greater freedom to kill, and loosening public gun laws. Jair Bolsonaro greets supporters during a campaign rally in Brasilia [File: Eraldo Peres/AP Photo] His proposals are unlikely to prove successful, however, according to Spektor. The solutions he is offering have been shown to have no effect on troubling crime, on the contrary, the notion that a tough hand on crime works has been proven incorrect by existing evidence, he said. What there is evidence of is that the further militarisation of police increases very dramatically the number of homicides and killings. In Rio, Bolsonaros electoral stronghold, a military takeover of policing since February in response to acute violence throughout the city has coincided with a rise in homicide rates compared with the same period last year. Style, not substance According to Lapper, Bolsonaros appeal is not driven by well-considered policy ideas, but rather his ability to present simple answers to complex problems, regardless of their efficacy. In his more than two decades in Congress, Bolsonaro has only had two of his own bills passed into law, despite having proposed about 170 pieces of legislation. {articleGUID} Allesandra Maia Terra de Faria, a professor of social science at the Rio-based Pontifical Catholic University, said Bolsonaros strategy has never been about having a clear plan, or any kind of stability. Hes always got one phrase to sum up everything, but which also means nothing, de Faria said. This rhetoric, however, has enabled him to unite various voting blocs within the Brazilian right, according to Lapper. There are three bits of the right in Brazil: the nostalgia right, who yearn for the security of the military dictatorship; the social right, which is linked to this very big evangelical community in Brazil; and a liberal right, who are always railing about the hypertrophy of the Brazilian state, he said. All these things have come together in Bolsonaro. Rejection and resistance But while Bolsonaros bid for office proved successful, his candidacy also met forceful resistance from large sections of Brazilian society. The opposition to Bolsonaro has been driven by his numerous discriminatory comments on race, gender and sexual orientation, as well as remarks in favour of torture and Brazils former military dictatorship, in power from 1964 to 1985, which have angered and alarmed millions of Brazilians. Bolsonaro has described having a daughter as a weakness, told a congresswoman she was too ugly to be raped, claimed some black people were not even good for procreation, and said he would rather one of his four sons die in an accident than be gay. Demonstrators take part in a protest against Brazilian right-wing presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro [File: Nelson Almeida/AFP] In September, he was stabbed while campaigning in the city of Juiz de Fora, in southeastern Minas Gerais state. His suspected assailant told authorities he had been ordered by God to carry out the attack, which forced Bolsonaro to withdraw from the public campaign trail while he recovered from injuries sustained in the assault. On September 29, hundreds of thousands of people marched in cities throughout Brazil as part of the social media-driven and women-led #EleNao (#NotHim) protest against his candidacy. We have a society in transition and he represents everything that is old and more conservative in Brazil, de Faria said. This is the saddest thing about Bolsonaro. Hesham Ashmawi was sentenced to death in absentia for masterminding a string of deadly attacks in his native Egypt. An Egyptian former military officer accused of being behind a string of high-profile attacks in Egypt has been apprehended by Libyas eastern forces, a Libyan military spokesperson said. Hesham Ashmawi was arrested on Sunday in Libyas eastern city of Derna located some 300 kilometres west of the Egyptian border with Libya Ahmed al-Mesmari, a spokesman for the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) said on Monday. The LNA published a picture of Ashmawi with blood on his face, being examined before having bandages applied. It also posted a photo appearing to show his Egyptian military identity card. Another Exclusive Photo For Ashmawy the Former officer in the Egyptian Army. #_ pic.twitter.com/LMDdgwHP19 Mahmoud Gamal (@mahmouedgamal44) October 8, 2018 The terrorist Ashmawy was arrested in the Al-Maghar neighbourhood in the city of Derna and was wearing an explosive vest but was unable to detonate it, the LNA said. It said he would probably be handed over to Egypt after Libyan security officials had completed an investigation. Al-Mismari added that the family of another suspected fighter, also Egyptian, was being detained alongside Ashmawi. In December, an Egyptian military court sentenced Ashmawi and nine other suspected fighters to death in absentia for masterminding a string of attacks, including the 2014 targeting of a security checkpoint in Egypts Western Desert that killed 22 soldiers. Egyptian authorities say Ashmawi heads the Ansar al-Islam network, which they link to al-Qaeda and which they accuse of an assassination attempt on a former interior minister in 2013. Renegade General Khalifa Haftar, the Egypt-backed commander of the LNA, said in June that his forces captured the eastern port city of Derna from a coalition of rival armed groups known as the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council. Egypt has for years been battling an armed anti-government campaign in the rugged and thinly populated Sinai peninsula and elsewhere. Attacks against the government gained pace after the military overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013. Egypt launched a comprehensive military operation targeting the armed groups in February. Over the years, most attacks have targeted soldiers and police, but civilians have also been killed. Hundreds of people have died in the conflict so far. Two Nepali migrant workers robbed in India Two Nepali migrant workers have been robbed,allegedly by a group of Nepalis, at Chandigarh Bus Park in India while returning home to Dailekh for Dashain and Tihar festivals. Fierceness and scale of the disaster has had many survivors in disbelief how they cheated death. Palu, Indonesia Ayir! Ayir! (Water! Water!), people screamed in horror, pointing to the wall of water barreling towards Palu, just minutes after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck the central Sulawesi city on September 28. The water advanced like a speeding train and roared like thunder. Then waves as high as six metres slammed the coast with a force that ripped out trees, flattened buildings and swept many to their deaths. That Friday, Satna, 52, and her 31-year-old daughter Herne were at their usual spot by the eastern foot of the citys yellow arched bridge, Ponulele. For a year, they had been selling the chicken and coconut milk delicacy, utatadah, and some beverages from a bamboo stall by the sea. A paragliding event and cultural festival were scheduled that weekend, so heavy foot traffic was expected. Maghrib prayer had just begun and the last ray of the sun was still peeking through the Gawalise mountain range that looms more than 2,000 metres over the city of 350,000 people. The sky was clear and the wind was blowing comfortably. At 27 degrees Celsius, it was perfect for the festivities that night. Then the earth started rocking back and forth. The violence of the tremor quickly triggered a tsunami. An earthquake-related phenomenon called liquefaction also followed, turning the ground into rampaging mud that buried whole villages and their residents. Banjir lumpur, a flood of mud, locals referred to it with dread. Pockets of fire around the city were also reported. As of Monday, at least 1,944 people were reported killed, more than 2,549 injured, and an undetermined number still missing perhaps as many as 5,000, according to some estimates. A fifth of the citys population has also been displaced. Satna and her daughter managed to survive the tsunami disaster [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera] Water! Water! The fierceness and scale of the disaster had many survivors in disbelief how they cheated death. Some still shuddered at the thought of that fateful day, while wondering how they would recover from their trauma. Others have shown resiliency. When they felt the jolt, the first instinct of mother and daughter, Herne and Satna, was to get up and run like the others. Satna injured her right arm after falling three times while running with Herne, as the ground continued to sway underneath them. They said that during the tremor, the soil cracked, and fountains of water started bursting out. In fear, they rushed towards the bridge, the nearest high ground. But they could not move further. The deck of the bridge had collapsed in the earthquake, its two yellow arches twisted and toppled to one side. Suddenly, they heard people screaming, Water! Water! When they turned towards the sea, they saw the roaring waves. What they did not know was how high it would be. When a tsunami nears land, it starts to slow down, but it also increases in height as its largest waves crest. This must be what Apocalypse looks like, Herne thought to herself, recalling the moment to Al Jazeera. With her left arm, Herne wrapped her mother in an embrace, while locking her right arm as mightily as she could to the bridge railing. Her mother also held on tight to the steel. They were partially protected by the concrete parapet, a low, thick wall along the edge of the bridge. The ruined Ponulele bridge in earthquake-devastated Palu [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera] The torrent of water reached the bridges abutment, smashing those who sought shelter there, even though it was almost two storeys high. Herne and Satna turned away as the water hit them. At one point, both recalled being underwater, with the current threatening to drag them away. I could not tell you how much saltwater I swallowed, Satna told Al Jazeera. It really felt like it was the end of the world. When the waves receded, some of the people who fled with Satna and Herne to the bridge were gone. Further down, they saw bodies, some floating in knee-high water. As darkness fell, they fled from the coast, drenched and barefoot. Districts swallowed As the tsunami was striking Palus coast, floods of mud were swallowing up buildings and residents in at least two districts of the city called Balaroa and Petobo. Soil liquefaction takes place when the soil becomes saturated with water, turning it into mud, as a result of intense underground shaking. Inside their home in Petobo, high school student Pragati Wira Nur Sabina just finished her ablution, the ceremonial act of washing before Muslim prayers, for sunset worship. She had just arrived from school. Pragatis 17-year-old brother, Muhammad Sultan Prakas, was in the living room. Pragati, 15, said shortly after the earthquake, she heard roaring sounds outside. As she and her brother ran out, the walls of their home buckled. She watched with dread as houses in her neighbourhood tumbled, swept away by the flowing mud. It looks like a wave in the ocean, Pragati told Al Jazeera, adding she saw other people running away in horror, shouting their plea to God. It sounded like thunder when the houses were crashing on top of each other, she said. I just kept on running because the ground was also moving fast towards me. I felt like the ground was chasing after me like a mad dog, because it wont stop moving, she said, staring blankly as she recalled her ordeal. Herne managed to hold on to her mother and survive the raging tsunami waters [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera] The home Pragatis parents built was left in ruins and submerged in the mud. It was also uprooted from its original location and shifted 300 metres away, Pragatis father, Amirudin, told Al Jazeera. Amirudin, a member of Indonesias military, and his wife were not home when the disaster struck. According to authorities, about 1,700 houses were destroyed by liquefaction. The number of casualties remains unknown as some victims are feared to be buried deep under the mud and mountain of debris. On Sunday, Indonesias disaster management agency announced the government will stop searching for the dead on October 11. The local government also announced that people affected in those areas will be relocated. Psychological first aid As the affected areas begin the recovery phase, it is important that the government not only address basic services and infrastructure, but also the psychological impact of the disaster on survivors, Selina Sumbung, head of Save the Children in Indonesia, told Al Jazeera. In tragic events such as this, the emotional and psychological impact is very big, she said, adding children are the most vulnerable among the survivors. So, we focus on providing psychological first aid on them. Having their homes destroyed and losing family members, many children are struggling to cope with the aftermath of the disaster, Sumbung said, as she appealed for more financial aid. Many families are left looking for their missing children after the September 28 disaster [Ted Regencia/Al Jazeera] Save the Children is also helping parents and primary caregivers who have lost their children during the quake. Faizah is among those who lost a child. Her granddaughter, Hanaya, went missing when the tsunami inundated Palus coast. She and her daughter, Fauziah, were seen looking distraught, as they roamed around a Palu park, carrying Hanayas photo and pleading with anyone for help. Faizah and Fauziah had been taking care of Hanaya, whose mother died during childbirth. The national and local government has also set up trauma centres in Palu. But for most of the survivors, they are left to look after themselves. Satna and Herne, the food vendors who survived the tsunami, have decided to leave Palu with their entire family and settle temporarily in Surabaya, in East Java, to try to cope with their nightmare. I still dont know how we survived. When the waves were about to hit us, I just prayed, Its all up to you, oh God, Satna said, as they sat at the Palu airport on Saturday, waiting for their flight. Three days after the disaster, Herne went back to the Ponulele bridge to size up the damage. She told Al Jazeera it was also her way of trying to rid the nightmare experience from her mind. Standing at the edge of the collapsed bridge, Herne said she shouted at the top of her voice, Im still alive! I beat you out, tsunami! A previous version of this article stated that Jamal Khashoggi was an opinions editor for the Washington Post. This is incorrect. Khashoggi was a opinions contributor to the newspaper, as is now reflected below. Jamal Khashoggi was one of the most prominent Saudi and Arab journalists and political commentators of his generation, owing to a career that has spanned nearly 30 years. Saudi Arabia has admitted he was killed inside its consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul, saying he died in brawl, but made no mention of where his body is. Khashoggi was 59 years old when he was killed. He is survived by his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, and four children from a previous marriage. Born in Medina in 1958, Khashoggi was once close to the inner circles of the Saudi royal family, where he earned his reputation as a reformist by pushing the boundaries of critically questioning Saudis regional and domestic policies. The young Khashoggi studied journalism at Indiana University in the United States and began his career as a correspondent for the English language Saudi Gazette newspaper. From 1987 until 1990, he reported for the London-based and Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat daily. He also spent eight years writing for the pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper. {articleGUID} Khashoggi was best known for coverage of the events of Afghanistan, Algeria, Kuwait and the Middle East in the 1990s. He met and interviewed Osama bin Laden several times in the middle of the decade, before the latter went on to become the leader of the al-Qaeda group. In 1999, Khashoggi became the deputy editor for the Saudi-run newspaper Arab News, and remained in that position for four years. His next position as the editor-in-chief of the Al-Watan paper barely lasted two months before he was dismissed from the post without explanation in 2003. However, some hinted his editorial policy was to blame. The journalist then became a media adviser to Prince Turki bin Faisal, who was the former head of Saudi Arabias General Intelligence Directorate and served as the Saudi ambassador to the US from 2005 until the end of 2006. Khashoggi was reinstated as the editor of Al-Watan in 2007, but was fired again in 2010, for pushing the boundaries of debate within Saudi society according to his personal website. In the same year, Khashoggi was appointed as general manager of the Al Arab news channel, which was owned by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and operated out of Manama, Bahrain. The channel shut down barely one day after its launch in February 2015, with some speculating that the hosting of a Bahraini opposition member was part of the larger editorial issue with Bahrain. Khashoggi also served as a political commentator, appearing on a number of Saudi and Arab channels. Ordered to shut up Following the rapid rise through the ranks of Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), Khashoggi lent his voice to call out the crown princes policies at home, particularly after promises of reform were followed by a wave of arrests and repression. Princes, prominent businessmen, activists, and Muslim leaders were not spared from the crackdown, which was orchestrated by MBS. Khashoggi continued to write, and advocate for freedom of speech in his country, and in September 2017 he criticised the classification of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorists by Saudi Arabia. In a post on Twitter, he wrote: For a while now, I have found that anyone who believes in reform, change, the Arab Spring, and freedom, and those who are proud of their religion and their country is labelled as being part of the Muslim Brotherhood. It seems that the Brotherhoods school of thought is noble. Due to his candour, Khashoggis presence in the kingdom was becoming more precarious by the day and eventually, he moved to Washington, DC, after revealing that he was ordered to shut up. In the same month, he published an article with The Washington Post under the title Saudi Arabia wasnt always this repressive. Now its unbearable. Khashoggi shared it on Twitter and wrote, I was not happy to publish this article on The Washington Post, but silence does not serve my country or those detained. The post earned the ire of Prince Khaled Al Saud, the governor of Mecca province, who criticised him on Twitter. Our guided leadership does not need advice from you and your likes, Saud shot back. A few months later, in December, Al-Hayat newspaper ended its relationship with him and banned his writings, citing Khashoggis perceived transgressions against Saudi Arabia. Critiquing Saudi policies During his stay in Washington, DC, he participated in many activities to defend freedoms and rights. In his new role as contributor to the opinions page for The Washington Post, Khashoggi became more vocal about his criticism of MBS, likening him to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a May 21 column for The Washington Post, he wrote: We are expected to vigorously applaud social reforms and heap praise on the crown prince while avoiding any reference to the pioneering Saudis who dared to address these issues decades ago. We are being asked to abandon any hope of political freedom, and to keep quiet about arrests and travel bans that impact not only the critics but also their families. Unfortunately, the Saudi regime is such that it cannot stomach even moderate criticism and this is what they do to moderate critics. David Hearst, editor-in-chief Middle East Eye Khashoggi also called out MBS impulsivity as displayed in the debacle of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariris forced resignation from Riyadh (once back in Beirut, Hariri retracted his notice) to Saudis role in the Yemen war. In a September 2018 article titled Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Must Restore Dignity to His Country by Ending Yemens Cruel War he urged the kingdom to face the damage that resulted from more than three years of war in Yemen. He also wrote that Saudi Arabia cannot afford to pick fights with Canada, referring to a spat between the two countries over Canadas criticism of human rights in the kingdom. In his last column for the Washington Post, Khashoggi decried lack of press freedom throughout the Arab world, saying Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate. In his colleagues words On October 2, Khashoggi flew to Istanbul and entered the Saudi consulate to obtain documents that would seal his marriage to his Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz. The Saudi admission he was killed in the consulate has sent shockwaves throughout the world. The whereabouts of his body is not known. The Washington Post described Khashoggi as one of the eminent thinkers in their fields and countries. His colleague at the Post, Jason Rezaian, wrote that Khashoggi presented to readers insightful commentary and sharp criticism about the seemingly impenetrable country. Rezaian added: But despite his criticisms of his homeland, Jamal consistently expressed his love for it and his desire to return, always reiterating his belief that Saudi Arabia could and would do better. Karen Attiah, Khashoggis editor, said she was freshly angry all over again having worried for weeks sice he disappeared, and claimed the Saudis explanation that he died in a brawl was utter bull****. David Hearst, editor-in-chief of news website Middle East Eye, said that Khashoggi was a loyal Saudi. He did not consider himself a dissident, Hearst told Al Jazeera, describing Khashoggi as very moderate, mild with sensible things to say. He said you cannot have an economic reform unless you have a political reform. These are the views of a reformer, not a revolutionary. Unfortunately, the Saudi regime is such that it cannot stomach even moderate criticism and this is what they do to moderate critics, Hearst said. Bill Law, a Middle East analyst, praised his character, calling him a good man and a fine journalist. Milorad Dodik secured the job of the Serb member in the tripartite inter-ethnic presidency. Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik has claimed victory with 55 percent of votes over moderate incumbent Mladen Ivanic to take the Serbs seat at the presidency, according to preliminary results from Bosnias Election Commission. Meanwhile, the moderate Croat candidate, Zeljko Komsic, defeated nationalist Croat incumbent of Bosnias tripartite presidency, Dragan Covic, bagging 50 percent of the votes. Sefik Dzaferovic won the Bosniak seat of the presidency with 38 percent of votes. Sundays election saw more than 3.3 million Bosnians cast ballots to elect an array of institutions in the countrys complex governing system, which was created by a peace accord that ended the war 25 years ago. The country consists of two regional mini-states a Serb-run and a Bosniak-Croat entity with joint institutions in a central government. The ballot was seen as a test of whether Bosnia will move towards integration in the European Union and NATO or remain entrenched in rivalries stemming from the 1992-95 war, which left 100,000 people dead and millions homeless. Tense campaign The campaign was marred by divisive rhetoric and allegations of irregularities that heightened tensions. In a show of widespread popular discontent with Bosnias politicians, thousands rallied at anti-corruption protests on Friday in Sarajevo and in the main Serb city of Banja Luka. Bosnias Serbs and Croats want to move closer to their ethnic kin in neighbouring Serbia and Croatia, while the Bosniaks want to keep Bosnia together. The issue was at the core of the 1990s war. {articleGUID} The elections main focus was the Bosnian presidency because of the candidacy of Dodik, who advocates eventual Serb separation from Bosnia. He is a key Balkan ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his victory would mean stronger influence of Russia. The West has hoped prospects of EU and NATO membership would encourage nations in the Balkans to solve their disputes stemming from the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia. Russia opposes any more Balkan countries joining NATO. Serb opposition punished With Dodik advocating the eventual separation of Serbs from Bosnia, his election to the three-person presidency deals a blow to efforts to strengthen unity in the country. The will of the people leaves no doubt what they want, Dodik said, following the preliminary official results, adding that voters punished his opponent for his servile policies toward the West. No one can help [the opposition], not even a hundred American or British embassies, as they have been helping them so far. Therefore the will of people is unquestionable, Dodik said at a news conference on Sunday. Dodik shifted to the race for the Bosnian presidency because of term limits for his current job leading the Bosnian Serb regional mini-state, Republika Srpska. His ruling coalition hopes to maintain a firm grip on power in the Serb region. He urged the voters on Sunday to elect a compact and unified government that will preserve the unity of Republika Srpska and work to further benefit it. Nationalist Croat defeated Liberal candidates who back a civil society free of ethnic divisions have largely been pushed to the margins in Bosnias political landscape, but moderate candidate Komsic managed to defeat nationalist candidate Covic. Covic, who received 39 percent of votes, sought the formation of a third government body, a Croat mini-state that would spell further fragmentation for the fragile nation, dashing hopes for Bosnia to be strengthened as a multiethnic union. He had urged voters to deliver a clear, new message that they want to turn Bosnia into a country of absolute constitutional equality for all ethnic groups. Conceding defeat late Sunday, Covic warned of a never-seen-before crisis in the country. After widespread speculation, US president says he has no plans of firing official overseeing Muellers Russia probe. US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Department of Justice official in charge of the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. There has been widespread speculation that Trump might fire Rosenstein, a frequent target of Trumps tweeted criticism, after a New York Times report claimed that he had made remarks about Trumps fitness for office and offered to tape record conversations with him. Asked by a reporter if he had any plans to fire him, Trump said: No I dont, no. Rosenstein was flying with Trump on Air Force One to Orlando, Florida, where Trump was set to speak to police chiefs. It was the most extensive known meeting between the two since the New York Times report. Trump and Rosenstein were supposed to meet late last month, but the US president cancelled that meeting due to a hearing on the sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, who was recently confirmed to the US Supreme Court. Rosenstein has denied the September 21 New York Times report as inaccurate and factually incorrect. The article said that while Rosenstein had made the suggestions over concern about chaos in the administration, none of them actually came to fruition. We get along well Trump faces mounting pressure from the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into Russias role in the 2016 presidential election. Rosenstein assumed supervision of the investigation after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself [Leah Millis/Reuters] Rosenstein assumed supervision of the investigation after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself because of his own contacts with Russias ambassador to Washington while serving as a Trump campaign adviser became public. The US president had previously floated the idea of firing Rosenstein in April after FBI raids of the office and home of Michael Cohen, the presidents longtime personal lawyer, who has since pleaded guilty to several felonies and taken part in interviews with Muellers team. Trump told reporters on Monday that he has a good relationship with Rosenstein. I didnt know Rod before, but Ive gotten to know him, and I get along very well with him, he said. Saudi ambassador summoned to request full cooperation with probe into disappearance of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi. Turkey has formally requested access to search Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul as part of what Turkish officials say is a murder investigation into the case of missing Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi. Officials in Istanbul told Al Jazeera they expect [Saudi Arabias] full cooperation during the investigation into the fate of the missing journalist, amid reports that he may have been killed. Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate on October 2 to sort out paperwork, and Turkish sources told Reuters news agency on Saturday they believed he was killed inside the building in what they described as a premeditated murder. On Sunday, Turkish Deputy Minister Sedat Onal summoned the Saudi ambassador to Turkey to the foreign ministry for a second time since Khashoggis disappearance, sources at the ministry told Al Jazeera. Onal told the ambassador that Turkey expects Saudi Arabia to cooperate fully during the investigation process. On Monday, Turkey formally requested to be given access to the Saudi consulate for a full forensic search of the premises. Following the disappearance of Khashoggi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he is hopeful about the fate of missing Saudi journalist. Erdogan told reporters on Sunday that authorities were looking into all video surveillance footage of the missions entrances and monitoring all inbound and outbound flights since the writer disappeared on Tuesday. I am following the [issue] and we will inform the world whatever the outcome [of the official probe], Erdogan said. God willing, we will not be faced with a situation we do not want. I still am hopeful, adding that it is very, very upsetting for us that it happened in our country. {articleGUID} An unnamed source inside the consulate was quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency as denying the claims, saying the accusations were baseless. A leading critic of the Saudi governments reform programme under the stewardship of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States for over a year. Criticism of Saudi Arabia Khashoggi, a regular contributor to the Washington Post and former editor-in-chief of Al Arab News channel, has been an outspoken critic of the Saudi government. Speaking on Al Jazeeras UpFront earlier this year, Khashoggi said that there was no space for debate in Saudi Arabia with intellectuals and journalists jailed for questioning policies. As we speak today, there [are] Saudi intellectuals and journalists jailed. Now, nobody will dare to speak and criticise the reforms [initiated by the crown prince], he said, adding that it would be much better for him to allow a breathing space for critics, for Saudi intellectuals, Saudi writers, Saudi media to debate. Asked whether Saudi Arabia could ever become democratic under bin Salman, Khashoggi said: Not on his watch. I havent heard him make even the slightest inference that he would open the country for power-sharing, for democracy. In his writings for the Washington Post, the Saudi commentator slammed Saudi policies towards Qatar and Canada, the war in Yemen and the crackdown on dissent and the media in the kingdom. Breach of sovereignty Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeeras senior political analyst The incident, if proven true, will be interpreted as a major breach of Turkeys sovereignty. Turkish-Saudi relations will worsen, even though it is very hard to imagine how those relations could get any worse. For at least the past decade, certainly, for the past three years, these relations have deteriorated on nearly all issues relevant to both countries, regionally and internationally. Washington has huge leverage it could exert over Riyadh if President Donald Trump wants to use it. Unfortunately, he has hesitated since his visit to Saudi Arabia at the outset of his tenure. In fact, he considers them his best friends and has been giving them his full support. Saudi authorities barred Khashoggi from writing as a journalist when he was still in Saudi Arabia because he criticised Trump and his discourse towards the Muslim world. Al Jazeeras Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Istanbul, said Turkish authorities are trying to walk a fine line so as not to damage relations between the two countries further. There is an attempt by the Turkish government to try to find a way out of this whereby there isnt a full collapse of diplomatic relations, at least a temporary freeze between Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Because if, indeed, Turkish authorities can prove unequivocally that Saudi agents essentially murdered a journalist inside the consulate in Istanbul, it would require some sort of strong reaction. Earlier on Saturday, sources told Al Jazeera that a delegation of 15 Saudi officials arrived in Turkey the day Khashoggi, 59, disappeared. The Saudi officials flew into Istanbul on two different flights on Tuesday, Elshayyal quoted his sources as saying, adding that it was not clear if the Saudi delegation consisted of security or diplomatic officials. On Friday, Turkeys foreign ministry summoned Saudi Arabias ambassador to Ankara over the issue. Later that day, the crown prince said Saudi authorities would allow Turkey to search its consulate. {articleGUID} We will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do we have nothing to hide, bin Salman told Bloomberg on Friday. Saudi Arabia invited a group of journalists into the Istanbul mission on Saturday in an effort to show that Khashoggi was not on the premises. I would like to confirm that Jamal is not at the consulate nor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the consulate and the embassy are working to search for him, consul-general Mohammad al-Otaiba told Reuters. Khashoggi had entered the consulates premises at around 1pm (10:00 GMT) on Tuesday to secure paperwork in order to marry his Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz. Cengiz said she waited outside after Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate, but he never re-emerged. Following the initial announcement by Turkish sources of Khashoggis killing, she tweeted in Arabic her refusal to believe that is the case. ! #_ #__ pic.twitter.com/5SHyIEqqiT Hatice Cengiz / (@mercan_resifi) October 6, 2018 Translation: Jamal was not killed and I do not believe that he has been murdered! Abysmal new low Rights groups have condemned the alleged murder of Khashoggi. In a press release, Amnesty International said Khashoggis death would set an abysmal new low. Such an assassination within the grounds of the consulate, which is territory under Saudi Arabian jurisdiction, would amount to an extrajudicial execution. This case sends a shockwave among Saudi Arabian human rights defenders and dissidents everywhere, eroding any notion of seeking safe haven abroad, Amnesty Internationals Middle East Research Director Lynn Maalouf said. The Gulf Kingdom routinely uses draconian laws to crack down on peaceful dissent at home and has even arrested dissidents abroad in the past. But the enforced disappearance and now reported assassination of one of its citizens who had sought asylum abroad should set alarm bells ringing, Maalouf added. If the reports are true, they must immediately launch an independent investigation and those responsible, however high their rank or status, must face justice. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that if Khashoggi was indeed assassinated by Saudi authorities, it would constitute an absolutely unacceptable assault on press freedom. If Turkish reports that @washingtonpost journalist and US resident @jamalkhashoggi was killed in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Turkey are confirmed, this would constitute a horrific, utterly deplorable, and absolutely unacceptable assault on press freedom https://t.co/FS3HYrHntH RSF in English (@RSF_en) October 6, 2018 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also condemned the news, urging the Saudi authorities to give a full and credible accounting of what happened to Khashoggi inside its diplomatic mission. Khashoggis suspected killing may further strain relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, who are on opposite sides of the multination blockade of Qatar and other regional crises. US senators warn of souring Saudi relations While the White House has not yet officially commentated on Khashoggis case, a number of US senators have taken to Twitter to voice their concern for the Saudi national. Our thoughts are with #JamalKhashoggis family and colleagues at the @washingtonpost, Senator Bob Corker posted. I have raised Jamals disappearance personally with the Saudi ambassador, and while we await more information, know we will respond accordingly to any state that targets journalists abroad. Fellow Senator Lindsey Graham warned that in the event that Khashoggi was harmed, US-Saudi relations would suffer a hit. We all agree if there was any truth to the allegations of wrongdoing by the Saudi government it would be devastating to the US-Saudi relationship, and there will be a heavy price to be paid economically and otherwise, Graham wrote. Meanwhile the UK Foreign Office described the claims by Turkish security sources as extremely serious allegations. We are aware of the latest reports and are working urgently to establish the facts, including with the government of Saudi Arabia, a spokesperson said. The French foreign ministry issued a statement on their website, and said it was closely following developments in Khashoggis case. France is concerned about the disappearance of Mr Jamal Khashoggi, a recognized and esteemed Saudi personality, the statement said. We want his situation to be resolved as quickly as possible. Tawakkol Karman, the winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize called on the international community to pressure Saudi officials to reveal Khashoggis fate. If Khashoggi is being held, we demand his immediate release, Karman said, a human rights activist from Yemen, Saudi Arabias southern neighbor. The intelligence of the Saudi regime [is] responsible, she claimed, and vowed not to keep silent about what happened to Khashoggi. Air transport is usually the mode of last resort because it is expensive. The pandemic has turned that thinking upside During the battle over the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, we heard a lot of praise for Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, and even George W. Bush for their handling of the crisis, all for good reason. What we need to hear now is a round of applause for Chuck Grassleys superb handling of the nomination particularly after things got weird once the hearings closed. (We should also mention Rachel Mitchell, who also came in for unwarranted criticism.) Chuck Grassley has been criticized incessantly and repeatedly throughout the confirmation process. Take a look a selection from a single days comment threads on one conservative site: Get Grassly outta there then. They need a man to deal with the anitics that'll be'a'comin' for that show. Grassley needs placed out to a grassy pasture. Is Grassly going to allow the Soros loud mouth demons in the room to make a stink, like he has in former hearings? Grassley has weak knees. There is no way Grassley pulls this off. Imagine the therapy he will need! Grassley is taking his cowering one step at a time. The consensus appears to have been that Grassley was giving in to the Democrats for no reason at all, that he could easily put a stop to the whole circus and schedule a vote right this minute! with no problems or consequences. This is the product of an attitude widespread among too many conservatives particularly grassroots conservatives of the Tea Party/MAGA school that if a politician is not racing toward the cliff edge screaming Banzai! while waving a tattered Old Glory, hes not doing anything at all, and is a RINO, a traitor, and very likely a commonis as well. There exists some justification for thinking along such lines, for the simple fact that its often true McCain and Ryan spring immediately to mind. But its not always the case, and just as often, such conclusions are the product of ignorance of process, of the way that things are actually done, along with lack of understanding of strategy, tactics, and the function of politics. In truth, it shows absolutely no awareness that anything like strategy, tactics, etc., even exist. Just take a look at what Grassley along with the rest of the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee --were facing. A completely corrupt opposition party, fronted by gangsters such as Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer, who are capable of any action whatsoever to achieve their aims. An ideologized and mobilized feminist contingent, acting in near-hysteria under the #MeToo banner A complicit media At least four Republicans Jeff Flake (the most appropriate name since Archbishop Weakland), Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Bob Corker who could bolt for any reason or none. The technical term for this is overwhelming odds. To top it off, he had to factor in the upcoming midterms, which an evidently complacent Republican grassroots was willing to sit out under the impression that Trump will take care of it, while the Dems were growing progressively more energized. Grassley had to somehow navigate between the Charybdis of wrecking the nomination and the Scylla of giving the Democrats a flaming issue going into November. This required an extraordinarily deft touch, along with vast and detailed political knowledge and long experience. Grassleys strategy was simple: give em enough rope. The first accusation from Christine Blasey Ford was a strange farrago, full of inconsistencies, factual lacunae, and logical impossibilities that was immediately repudiated by every witness she named. But simply dismissing Ford was out of the question the corrupt legacy media, backed by the Dems and hordes of keening feminists, would have portrayed that as a second rape by vicious, unfeeling Republican white males, upending both Kavanaughs confirmation and, very likely, the midterms as well. Instead, Grassley posed as sympathetic and accommodating to all but the most unreasonable demands of Ford and her cohort while maintaining a tough front against the Democrats. The intent was to play the angles carefully in the hopes that the opposition would do something to hang themselves. And boy, did they. Thanks to Rosemarys Baby, we got the New Yorker accusation -- if anything, even more demented than Blasey Fords. Then Michael Avenatti, the worlds most eligible porn lawyer, leapt in, dragging Julie Swetnik behind him. Then came the anonymous letter over the transom, the Long Island Sound rape cruise, yet another anonymous letter. Everything but a troop of altar boys claiming that Kavanaugh had molested them when he was a priest. Its not enough to say that the Dems and their supporters jumped the shark, its more like they jumped every shark in the northern hemisphere and were last seen bouncing over the horizon in the direction of the Philippine Sea. This is what made Kavanaughs confirmation possible. The Democrats made world historical fools out of themselves (historians in times to come will marvel that a national political party ended up depending on a porn lawyer), the GOP RINOs were completely boxed in (the comments from Collins and Murkowski both had the air of women whining about being forced to do something theyd prefer to duck), and the MAGA grassroots was kicked awake out its torpor. Now the Democrats are facing a nightmare scenario: a confirmation defeat, a Supreme Court justice primed against them for decades to come, and an enraged populist right in war paint and with lit fuses stuck in its hair poised to strike in November. What exactly, is wrong with this result? What, precisely, would any of the critics do differently? And who is responsible for all this? Chuck Grassley, and none other. Grassley with his calm demeanor, his abiding respect for protocol, and his cold, unblinking gunfighters eyes. This acts as a serious rebuke to conservatives for whom the cry of RINO has become the default. If the world was as simple we wished, we could just make that wild-eyed charge against overwhelming odds that always wins the day. We could order the fleet to Tokyo Bay on December 8th, or schedule the D-Day invasion for 1942, with full confidence that somehow things would work out. But it isnt, and we cant. The master strategist Sun Tzu wrote, If you understand both yourself and your enemy, you need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles. The populist right needs to work on understanding its own side, it if wants to keep on winning those battles. Writ at SC against naming Godawari as Far-West province capital A writ has been filed at the Supreme Court (SC) against the decision to make Godawri as the Capital of Far-West Province. The Politically Correct Culture Police are at it again, and the insanity that defines what they call cultural appropriation has finally reached beyond simple comprehension. I first became aware of this when nonsensical snowflakes began condemning milk-white revelers even including young kids dressed up for Halloween as an Asian or South Seas princess from some Disney cartoon film. Somehow, even the children (but especially the adults) were stealing what it means to be Asian or Samoan or whatever, and this was wrong. As a phenomenon, cultural appropriation got worse when colleges began to cancel yoga classes because yoga is the exclusive domain of Indians (not "our" Native American/First Peoples Indians, of course, but "their" original, from-beyond-the-Indus Indians). To my shocked dismay, this insanity has now reached into my realm: the world of writers. More specifically, a blizzard of easily offended snowflakes are now busy condemning novelists for writing about characters who are not from their own narrow cultural corner. To make this clear, if some of the great authors writing in English were active today, Mark Twain couldn't write about Huck Finn's boon companion, Jim, the escaped slave. Rudyard Kipling couldn't write about Gunga Din or Kim. Shakespeare perhaps at the very top of the Ten Most Wanted Cultural Appropriators couldn't write about a Moorish general or a Danish prince. And let's not even think about Caesar or Romeo and Juliet after all, the Bard wasn't Italian. In this context, it might seem silly (well, honestly, in any context, it seems silly). But in the context of fiction, apparently it is impossible for a God-fearing white guy like me to write about: Women Blacks Hispanics American Indians Gays or other members of the ever expanding LGBTTQQIP2AA brigade Non-Christians especially Muslims Middle Eastern Islamic terrorists This causes me a bit of a problem, because my next novel actually includes people from a number of identity groups I don't belong to. Of these, the only one I can claim is the adopted character who might or might not be American Indian. He's someone I'm allowed to write about, because I am adopted, and I've been told I have Seminole heritage. However, I realize that since I can't prove this heritage, that American Indian bit might offend some snowflakes, even as they worship whitebread non-Indian Indian Elizabeth Warren for her claimed but never proved "other-ness." Apparently, all the rest of my primary and most of my secondary characters are cultural appropriations I'll have to purge from my book, lest I risk offending someone. I must do this because cultural appropriation is fast becoming at least a "career" (if not a personal) capital offense. English novelist Lionel Shriver pointed this out in a recent interview with Mark Steyn (she already has one strike against her for culturally appropriating what is largely deemed to be a masculine first name). She's guilty of igniting a firestorm of criticism by defending at a writer's conference, not a #MeToo rally a novelist's right to write about anybody and anything. With Shriver and the rest of my fellow novelists now firmly in the snowflakes' cross-hairs, we're fast approaching the stage where the only acceptable novel will be one that is, essentially, an autobiography, told narrowly in the first person. It can contain no characters other than in Shriver's case well educated and articulate Englishwomen of a certain and elevated social stratum. In my own case, in my future novels, I can write only about middle-class, middle-aged college-educated white guys with working-class roots. Even I find that boring. The First Amendment guarantees us, among other things, freedom of speech and of the press, two elements that essentially define the writing of a novel or, for that matter, even this essay into insanity. Yet the fast growing regiments of lockstep snowflakes are busy melting every time a serious author crosses the line into cultural appropriation. My novel will even include a romance between the lead character and his adversarially inclined (and thoroughly politically incorrect) new detective agency partner. She is, after all, a white, heterosexual woman, and therefore almost automatically politically incorrect. I had long hoped for the time when the radical, whack-a-doodle extreme cultural left would go too far, and I think, in the matter of cultural appropriation, they have finally achieved this goal. Before writing this essay, I ate at an Italian restaurant, secure in the certainty that my grandfather was Italian. However, while looking for a parking spot in that same strip mall, I'd considered several Mexican and Central American restaurants. However, I demurred, fearful that eating a burrito might make me guilty of cultural appropriation, and therefore not morally or ethically qualified to explain this situation to you. Henceforth, I'm apparently doomed to frequent whitebread American hamburger joints and funky Italian eateries. That's it. No more great egg fu yong at Wo Fat's, no more carne asada with to-die-for chunky salsa at Macayo's and, apparently, no more fictionalized gay black tech-wizards, pushy Hispanic broads, Marion Ravenwood clones, or murderous Middle Eastern Islamic terrorists, either. Ned Barnett is a writer and ghostwriter, writing coach, editor, and book-promoter who is currently helping to launch a new and not politically correct publishing company in Las Vegas. He can be reached at ned@barnettmarcom.com. Brett Kavanaugh is now a justice on the Supreme Court -- a tremendous victory for President Trump and America. Praise God! Last week, fake news media and the Democrats flooded the airwaves with their narrative that Trump cruelly mocked Christine Blasey Ford. Upon listening to what Trump actually said, I thought, For crying out loud. All Trump did was expose the unreported facts of the case. And this is called mocking? The truth of the matter is, the left's greatest weapon is its ability to dominate the airwaves with deceptions and lies which produce misinformed voters and Republican politicians fearful of telling the truth. I knew that Trump humorously explaining the absurdity of Ford's claim was a home run. First, he informed the public of the facts and second, he outraged the left, which told me Trump's explanation was effective. Leftists have laid down the rules of political battle which most Republicans and GOP advisers sheepishly obey. Leftists' rules says they are allowed to use any immoral gutter tactic they can conceive to defeat conservatives and Republicans. Meanwhile, any attempt by conservatives/Republicans to defend themselves is branded racist, sexist, homophobic, and an expression of white privilege. Against the advice of many, Trump broke the lefts rule by simply sharing the facts of the case with the American people. Brilliant! Remember, anti-Christian and anti-American leftist zealots are all about keeping the masses ignorant and deceived. Leftists' heads exploded because Trump dared to tell the people the truth. I wept during Kavanaugh's heartfelt and painful opening statement at his hearing. What the left was attempting to do to this good and decent man was an anathema to my sense of righteousness, decency, and justice. I knew many Americans shared my feelings which is why I knew Kavanaugh's speech was a home run. In essence, Kavanaugh simply informed the public of the facts; the truth. This shattered the lefts demonic scheme to destroy Kavanaugh based solely on Ford's emotional but evidence-free testimony. The entire American left immediately launched a campaign to mock and discredit Kavanaugh's powerful rebuttal. This told me that the left knew that Kavanaugh passionate defense was resonating with the American people. Like I said, leftists hate it when Republicans simply tell the public the truth. The lefts (Democrats, fake news media, and Hollywood) entire game plan is rooted in lies, deception and misinforming the public making emotions overrule facts and evidence. To give you an insight into the leftist propaganda machine we are up against, over 600 lawyers and law professors wrote that Kavanaugh's opening statement should disqualify him from the Supreme Court. Six hundred legal experts ignored Kavanaugh's peerless, outstanding career. Ponder that, folks. Depraved activists on the left attempted to brand this honorable husband and father of two daughters a serial rapist. These same evil activists are saying Kavanaugh should not have expressed his anger or hurt over their over-the-top outlandish attempt to smear him. Late cosmetic queen Mary Kay Ash said, The speed of the leader is the speed of the gang. In other words, as our nation's leader, Trump's strong leadership is trickling down. More Republicans are finally boldly informing the public of crucial facts; senators Chuck Grassley, Mitch McConnell, and Lindsey Graham, to name a few. I believe this is a new trend for Conservatives/Republicans. Many in the all-black congregation of the Baltimore church attended by my brother parroted leftists' lie that Kavanaugh lied about his drinking and assaulted Ford. My brother said he simply informed them of the facts; Ford's lack of evidence and Kavanuagh proving her accusation untrue. My brother asked his church members to imagine such unsubstantiated allegations launched against their fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons. My brother said suddenly, the group of Kavanaugh haters became silent. This proves my case that the left uses emotion, lies, and deception to fool the masses. This is why it is vital that our side become more outspoken about telling the truth about issues. I am elated and extremely grateful that both President Trump and Brett Kavanaugh had the courage to hang in there. Given the GOP's history of surrendering to negative media, dirty tricks, and screaming activists, Democrats and fake news media expected Trump to withdraw his nomination or for Kavanaugh to slink away in disgrace and fear. Thank God both men stood strong. In response to Kavanaugh's confirmation, fake news media is saying millions of women are outraged and the GOP will pay a huge price at the polls in November. The truth is the polar opposite. Americans are thrilled over Kavanaugh becoming the fifth conservative on the Supreme Court. The major task at hand is to get everyone to the polls who wants Trump's unique mission of putting America first to continue. My wife Mary and I just returned home to West Virginia from campaigning with the Conservative Campaign Committee in Texas for Ted Cruz. For several months, I've been building a screened-in room. It relaxes me. This week, we are flying back out to campaign for various Republican/Conservative candidates around the country. This is serious business, folks. We must keep the GOP in control of the house and Senate for Trump to continue making America great again. Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American Help Lloyd spread the Truth Scott Kelly is a NASA astronaut. That says a lot about him right there. To be selected as an astronaut, you must be the best of the best smart, fearless, and psychologically sound. So why does Kelly sound like an idiot here? Washington Examiner: Scott Kelly, a retired American astronaut with multiple space flights under his belt, apologized Sunday after quoting Winston Churchill and calling the 20th century British prime minister "one of the greatest leaders of modern times." "Did not mean to offend by quoting Churchill. My apologies. I will go and educate myself further on his atrocities, racist views which I do not support. My point was we need to come together as one nation. We are all Americans. That should transcend partisan politics," Kelly wrote on Twitter in the evening. Right the first time, Scotty. In 1940, Churchill took a battered, beaten nation after the British army was kicked out of France and rallied his people to resist the Nazi onslaught. Certainly, Hitler helped a lot by making several key blunders. But as a demonstration of peerless leadership, there are few modern examples to match Churchill. So calling Churchill "one of the greatest leaders of modern times" is a no-brainer. It is a statement supported by history and the facts. Yossi Gestetner tried to give Kelly a spine: You are disgracing yourself here. Please stop bending to the will of deranged online trolls. Yossi Gestetner (@YossiGestetner) October 7, 2018 To no avail, of course. Kelly thinks he has to "educate himself" about Churchill's racist views. While he's at it, he might want to educate himself about Churchill's colonialist, imperialist, and white supremacist views as well. When a Labor Party candidate for Parliament disparaged Churchill for these views, Churchill's grandson, Nicholas Soames, said simply, "You're talking about one of the greatest men the world has ever seen, who was a child of the Edwardian age and spoke the language of [it]." You can admire and praise Churchill for the things he accomplished while not admiring or praising some of his 19th-century views on race. In 1937, he told the Palestine Royal Commission: "I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place." Racist? Sure. White supremacist to the core, too. But I fail to see how a failing that was so common at the time he spoke those words could somehow negate achievements that changed the course of history. The British people speak English, not German today because of Winston Churchill. We don't hear calls from these trolls and their liberal allies to wipe the name Ted Kennedy from the history books. He was responsible for the death of a young woman and spent his entire adult life carrying out sexual assaults against women. Why are his crimes and behavior excused to the point that he is lionized as one of the greatest legislators of the 20th century while Churchill and Brett Kavanaugh, for that matter are not deserving of anything but the contempt of history? The point is simple: you must look at the totality of a man or woman's life and character to make any historical judgments about him. Anything less is shallow, stupid, and anti-intellectual. In Brazil today, Jair Bolsonaro, who just won the first round of Brazil's election by a gargantuan and "unexpected" margin, is called 'Tropical Trump.' Polls, after all, had Bolsonaro and his leftist rival, Fernando Haddad, running about even, and boy were they wrong. Bolsonaro beat his leftist rival, surprise, surprise, by two to one. Here's what you see when you Google Bolsonaro now: Tropical Trump indeed, and the media and its allies, of course, say that like it's a bad thing. The politician and the PSL have ridden a wave of rising anger at the Workers' Party, which their supporters blame for a prolonged recession, rising violent crime and widespread corruption in South America's largest economy. In his victory speech, broadcast live on Facebook and uploaded on to Twitter, he said Brazilians could take the path of "prosperity, liberty, family, on God's side" or the path of Venezuela. But the more astute observers of Latin America, such as Carlos Alberto Montaner, who's one of the authors of the excellent Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiot, Venezuela's estimable Pedro Burelli, both said the big issue was Venezuela and seeing firsthand how its rabidly leftwing path had led to such ruin. Apparently, Brazil's voters - who are seeing the mayhem and ruin and hearing the horror stories firsthand, given their proximity to the socialist hellhole and the spillover of its refugees, are walking over broken glass to make sure it never happens in Brazil. Here are a couple of their tweets (I am using screengrabs so that the translations are visible, but you can click the direct links here and here.) (Microsoft translation additional clarification: 'Ripe' means Maduro, d means 'of,' and q means 'that') The map here shows that all of the regions of Brazil which share a border with Venezuela voted for Bolsonaro. This, despite these being poor, often jungly regions, and the media claiming that these poor regions longed for more promised leftwing handouts like the old days under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva before a corruption scandal landed him in jail. No, it was Venezuela, and they didn't want to be the next Venezuela. The possibility of that was real, given the parlous state of Brazil's finances following 16 years of socialist spending, and the fact that whoever rules the place in the end will have no choice but to cut the size of its huge socialist government, according to this very good Economist analysis here. Electing lefties will get you financial ruin every time - and at a huge cost to jobs and prosperity. Been there, done that over in Brazil. The other thing was - the country could clearly see where that awfulness would lead -- next door to Venezuela and as a frontline state for Venezuela's millions of fleeing refugees. You can bet a Bolsonaro administration will put a stop to that. As the press kvetches, and calls the man a far rightist, Tropical Trump (the Guardian is despairing, go ahead and snicker) and all that - the rest of us pretty well know what happened. The political situation was so ensludgened, the Deep State was so deep and corrupt, and the Venezuelan-style leftwingery so spun out of control that all they wanted was their very own Trump to fight it. Along comes Bolsonaro with his pro-gun, pro-family, pro-small government, pro-free market ideas - and most important of all, his Trump-like willingness to fight, and the nation dropped everything and ran with him. As the media howls, (Foreign Policy called Bolsonaro 'Goebbels' to expand its Trump-is-Hitler theme) the rest of us see good stuff in store for Brazil: Given Bolsonaro's free market, small government, pro-family, and pro-gun ownership stances, along with his respect for history and his willingness to stand up to both Venezuela and what Venezuela standsfor, it's obvious Brazil has got at least a fighting chance of digging itself out of its leftist hole. Oh, and it's a revolution, not a pretty face. Bolsonaro did spectacularly well at the polls, and so did his party. As he takes office, he's bringing a whole congress along with him. His political party, known as the Social Liberal Party (PSL) had been a nothingburger until recently; today, it's looking to sweep a big majority in the legislature along with him. Think he's going to win at the final round in a couple of weeks? I think he's going to win. And yeah, let's all give a big hand to Trump of the Tropics for following the Trump example for some Trump results for Brazil. That's what happens, as we can testify, and we like it! Since the election of 2016, when Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, the left has been in a frenzy. From the moment that Trump won, liberals sought to overturn the election and invalidate his presidency. Now, as midterms approach, there's serious talk on the left about the possibility of impeaching the president simply because leftists don't like him. Rush Limbaugh stated that the left would never accept Trump, nor will leftists calm down and try to work with him. As we've seen and heard this past week with the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, Rush was right once again. After the election, many of the liberals' public tantrums were amusing pieces of performance art, from rage-induced screaming on the sidewalk the moment Trump was sworn in (my personal favorite): YouTube screen grab. ...to huge mobs of angry feminists in several major cities who donned pink knit hats to protest Trump and support "women's health and safety," as if he were a threat to both. It was generally harmless venting and loud shouting of tiresome rhetoric, but the anger and venom have increased to the point that I fear that violent, physical assaults and riots are the next step. In the past two weeks, Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings were ground zero for liberal rage, and the ensuing evidence-free accusations of a 36-year-old sexual assault became a national topic of conversation. It became clear to everyone watching that this spectacle was in response to the left's realization that its most precious and reliable law-creating tool, the Supreme Court, was in jeopardy of changing. Liberals mobilized their foot soldiers and dispersed their message with assistance from the corrupt and complicit news media, which then morphed into the all-out political media circus of the year...so far. TV-viewers observed unhinged screaming from a woman escorted by the co-executive director of the far-left, George Soros-funded "Center for Popular Democracy" as she confronted Senator Jeff Flake in an elevator. They heard equally deranged shouting in the halls of the Senate Friday outside Senator Susan Collins's office. Obviously, the protesters are more enraged now than after the 2016 election. Their world has been threatened, and they proved that they won't go quietly, nor will any defeat be unchallenged. In Frank Peretti's Christian fiction thriller This Present Darkness, a band of demons invade a small town and set about to drive out Christianity and replace it with new-age spirituality. A group of people confront the demons and, of course, the demons don't back down; rather, they increase their attacks until it's an all-out spiritual war. Although the account is fictional, Peretti described what the secular left does every time its missions meet with resistance; leftists' anger escalates, and they intensify their efforts, with increased outrage and threats of violence. What we're now witnessing from the angry leftist mobs is more than impotent angst. Property damage has followed some of their protests ("Take that, empty Starbucks store and newspaper boxes!"), and I believe that the next level of vitriol will be followed with outright physical violence against people. For the sake of our society, I am afraid. These angry subversives are hell-bent on accomplishing their mission, and the law-abiding people who hold other ideological views are merely obstacles they seek to eradicate. Yes, there are good and decent liberals who are upstanding citizens, who love this country, work within the law, attend church or temple, and strive to improve their community through peaceful means, but the liberals we see and hear screaming and destroying buildings and possessions are embittered anarchists who've essentially taken over the Democratic Party. Our Constitution means nothing to the hard-left protesters. Sure, they're quick to point out their civil rights of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, but their tactics are anything but civil, and they cherish excerpts of the Constitution only when they agree with it or when they can pervert the interpretation of it with their ideology. My advice for everyone who is appalled by this increasingly violent mob is to be vigilant, be careful, be prayerful, and realize that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). If you ever wondered why pricey San Francisco has become such a morass of homeless drug addicts, squalor, and city poop patrols cleaning up, look no farther than its left-wing policies on drug-dealers. It's absolutely the home of lenience to criminals, according to an excellent column on the problem by the San Francisco Chronicle's Heather Knight. In an interview with a cop, she wrote: "It's almost impossible to get convicted in this city," said Healy, who works in the Police Department's narcotics division. "The message needs to be sent that it's not OK to be selling drugs. It's not allowed anywhere else. Where else can you walk up to someone you don't know and purchase crack and heroin? Is there such a place?" The problem is getting bad: You can walk through the Tenderloin, Civic Center, South of Market and the Mission and easily spot men handing over little plastic baggies with drugs in exchange for cash like it's no big thing. In broad daylight. In front of pedestrians. Even in front of police. The column focuses on the fears homeless people have of drug-dealers as they occupy and take over their public toilets, their showers, and their places to pay rent checks. The lefty mayor, London Breed, has absolutely no plans to do anything about it. Oh, and surprise, surprise: the problem is growing. The drug-dealers are now rolling in from Oakland and Richmond to take advantage of the zero-consequences policies. One thing she doesn't mention, but that I know social services people will tell you: whenever you see a colony of homeless people, they almost always are there together because they have a queen bee of a drug-dealer supplying them. Considering the size and plague of homelessness on the city, it's obviously a lot of drug-dealers. It's their paradise. None of them ever seems to experience consequences for their illegal activity. Cops scoop them up, and lefty judges release them. The public calls for more funds for services for homelessness, and that brings more opportunities for drug-dealers to establish their berths as the clientele expands. The left yells racism any time a black drug-dealer gets arrested. Nobody has plans to do anything, and the problem gets worse. The complaints come and go, but the poop patrols continue. Is this the result of left-wingery or what? If San Franciscans don't like this, they probably had better stop voting Democrat. If they can't do that, well, they can watch the problem keep on expanding. They have found the golden ring for how to empower drug-dealers over the quality of life. What amazing stupidity it is to keep that problem going. Image credit: MethodShop.com, via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. If there's anything out there that signals the likelihood of a red tide come November, take a look at how the two parties are acting in the wake of the Supreme Court confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as midterms approach: Exhibit A, the Republicans: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who has never opposed another sitting senator in his decades-long tenure, vowed Sunday to hit the campaign trail to actively oppose sitting Democrats who voted against now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The Washington Examiner reports that the suddenly fiery senator from South Carolina has pledged to change how he approaches his colleagues on the left, telling Fox News Sunday that he will appear alongside Republicans in midterm battleground states to help hammer home exactly what's at stake in the 2018 elections. And this: Hey @LisaMurkowski - I can see 2022 from my house... Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) October 5, 2018 Then there's Exhibit B, the Democrats: Kavanaugh's victory leaves many on the left saying its time to get mad and even. With this passage: One key, some prominent voices say, is more willingness to behave rudely, even in the respectable parlors where Democrats historically have turned for validation. And this, from Instapundit's Ed Driscoll. Click here to enjoy the links from the screen grab: And this today from American Thinker contributing writer Howard Warner: Now, barely one day since Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation as an associate justice of the Supreme Court, some have begun the effort to remove him. And this, from President Trump: Trump slams Dems' 'rage-fuelled resistance' to Kavanaugh What am I seeing? On the Republican side, a willingness to jump into the political ring, campaign like heck for the causes they believe in, and persuade the voters of the merits of them. It's the American way: don't like something? Change it. And the Democrats? Something creepy and horrible: a desire to use force and muscle to get their ways, a desire to be "more ruthless," a "rage-fueled resistance" along with a longing to attack Republicans physically in mob rule, and a creepy inability to move on from defeats and get on with the business of winning voters over. "Never forget and never forgive," as House speaker wannabe Nancy Pelosi puts it. They don't think like Republicans. Do we see Dianne Feinstein and Amy Klobuchar declaring that they are all in for campaigning for fellow Democrats to help them win, now that their side didn't get what it wanted? Are they jumping in and pitching in? Not in the least. All we are hearing from this party are the thugs, angry pols, and creepy political operatives adept at dark money games saying they will take power next time and win. No jumping into the ring with gusto, as Lindsey Graham is doing, and getting out to rally the voters just rage, rage, and rage into the dying night. The whole thing is a study in contrasts the happy warrior hot pursuit of Graham and Palin and other Republicans and the vengeance politics of bitter Democrats, who actually expect to win voters over on that approach. Nope, not buying it that a big blue wave is upon us. Image Credit: Donkey Hotey, via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. I believe that Leonard Pitts has it 100% backwards in his column, "The Republican Party has clearly lost its way," about which party has lost its way. The Democrats' major issue on the Supreme Court is clearly abortion on demand. Few countries in the world allow late-term abortion, but Democrats demand 100% adherence to that view. Planned Parenthood continues to abort black babies at a much higher level than their percentage of the population. In the 1930s, both parties were responsible for the Davis-Bacon law, which was put on the books to prevent minority workers from taking white workers' jobs. Sadly, it is the Democrats who continue to support prevailing wage laws that have oppressed minorities and taxpayers for over eighty years. In the 1960s, the Great society and anti-poverty programs were passed that greatly encouraged the breakup of families. Instead of lifting people out of poverty, the programs encouraged single parenthood, relegating so many (disproportionally black) families to dependence on government. The number of kids born out of wedlock today is an embarrassment. Dual-parent families along with capitalism are great ways to lift people up. Dependence on government is not. The 1996 version of Bill Clinton sounded tougher on immigration than Trump does today. The Democrats and media cheered instead of calling him a racist and a xenophobe. Now they support lawless sanctuary cities and states. After years of neglect, this administration has taken a strong stand to stiffen the protection of our borders. We are increasing border controls by 50 percent. We are increasing inspections to prevent the hiring of illegal immigrants [sic]. And tonight, I announce I will sign an executive order to deny federal contracts to businesses that hire illegal immigrants [sic]. The Democrats for decades have supported the Clintons as they physically and mentally abused women. The media also supported the Clintons over the women as they sought to destroy anyone who got in their way. The media, Hollywood, and other Democrats even supported the Clintons in 2016 and absolutely ignored the women they abused. The Democrats supported President Obama as he sought to silence political opponents through the IRS. Free speech is meaningless to Democrats. Senator Durbin even wrote a letter to the IRS encouraging the targeting of conservative groups. In an Oct. 12, 2010, letter to then-IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman we have Durbin's press release, including his letter the senator urged an investigation of "several 501(c)(4) organizations that appear to be in violation of the law." But Durbin's letter only cited one group by name: Crossroads GPS, a conservative group that has spent heavily on advertising to promote fiscal responsibility, limits to government regulation and national security. The Democratic Party has devolved so far that people are now guilty until they prove themselves innocent instead of innocent until proven guilty. That is clearly a party that lost its way. It is the media and other Democrats who are responsible for ginning up hate and violence as they run unverified or false stories, including "hands up, don't shoot"; false rape stories at Duke and the University of Virginia; and these stories about Kavanaugh. Susan Collins needs more security and is getting threats because the media ran endless stories trashing Kavanaugh with no proof. The Democrats clearly support policies that make government more powerful and make more people dependent on government. They didn't mind manufacturing jobs leaving for good. They support policies that gave us the slowest economic recovery in 70 years instead of Trump's policies that have goosed the economy and brought unemployment for all races, both sexes, and all education levels to near record lows. We have been hearing about the blue wave for a long time and that Republicans need to change their ways or they will never win again. As we have seen these endless talking points, Republicans have taken over 1,000 seats nationwide since 2010. Two Mainers saved our republic, one hundred and fifty-five years apart. On July 2, 1863 Brewer native and Union Army colonel Joshua Chamberlain led the 20th Maine regiment in the legendary defense of Little Round Top at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863. On Friday, October 5, 2018, Caribou native and U.S. senator Susan Collins delivered a scholarly and meticulous exegesis from the floor of the Senate chamber on Judge Brett Kavanaugh's jurisprudence, and defense of the bedrock American rule-of-law centered on evidence, and presumption of innocence for the accused. Who would argue with Senator Collins's empathy for sexual abuse survivors while not conflating that status as a self-identified survivor or victim with being evidentiary or possessing objective truth? Merely asserting oneself a survivor suggests a misdeed by someone, someplace, sometime. But without direct evidence about whom, where, and when, an assertion remains an unperfected open-ended claim, having neither deed nor title. Who would argue with Senator Collins's stellar legal analysis of Kavanaugh's most important opinions authored on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Kavanaugh's perspective on the most important SCOTUS opinions over the last two centuries? Who would argue with her lesson in foundational principles forming our constitutional republic, guaranteeing fundamental rights of fairness, and due process? Who would argue with her appeal for decency and the right to free expression without fear of violence or retribution? Not Democrat Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island (J.D., Yale), famed prosecutor and litigator before the R.I. Supreme Court, who devoted his own piercing scholarship to pursuing silly high school yearbook scribblings when Kavanaugh was a teenager. Certainly not Democrat Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii (J.D., Georgetown) who declared Kavanaugh guilty of uncorroborated criminal allegations because he doesn't share her judicial philosophy. And where men's voices should be duct-taped and rendered illegitimate. How did Senator Hirono graduate from Georgetown Law, and pass the Hawaii bar, when she skipped GT Law courses Federal Rules of Evidence 412 and 415? Not New Jersey senator Cory Booker (J.D., Yale) who announced his opposition to Kavanaugh on the day Kavanaugh was nominated for SCOTUS because as a constitutional originalist, Kavanaugh was aligned with the Founders, who were rooted in racism and misogyny. And not Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal (J.D., Yale), and for 20 years the attorney general of Conn., who had the shameless nerve to lecture Kavanaugh about "falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus" while Blumenthal repeatedly lied about serving in the Marine Corps in Vietnam. Susan Collins would not be bullied by the tribal radical mob. She and her staff have endured weeks of the most vile, ugly, reprehensible, and despicable protests, mailings, phone calls, physical intimidation, and direct threats. Susan Collins would not be dragged into the world of medieval savagery where spectral evidence, mere innuendo, hysteria from bad dreams, and identity politics have replaced reason, logic, fairness, and objective equity. Seth Lipsky, editor of the New York Sun, had this to say in an editorial, "Susan Collins Game Changer," soon after Collins's brilliant oration: Yet what strikes us about Senator Collins' magnificent moment is that it is about more than courage it is a profile in substance. The Maine Republican is practically the only person in the Senate to approach this decision by reasoning out the substance of the constitutional questions that have the Democrats so panicked. She parsed the parchment's preambular purpose of a more perfect union. This didn't entirely surprise us. For we have twice or thrice encountered the senator in the dining room of one of America's greatest newspaper publishers, Alan Baker, back when he owned the Ellsworth, Maine, American. Those dinners were off the record, but we don't think it would violate the ground rules to say we came away from the table with an enormous regard for Ms. Collins' character. How that shone through. The senator touched on Brown v. Board of Education (which ended separate but equal), Griswold v. Connecticut (which found among the shadows and penumbras of the Bill of Rights an entitlement to privacy), and Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. She spoke of Judge Kavanaugh's articulation of the logic and constitutional glue of precedent. And where was Maine's other senator? Angus King (J.D., Univ. of Virginia), the self-anointed independent, was hiding behind Democratic party talking points, shallow and superficial, all drafted by Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer's press office. Susan Collins will be vilified by the rabble. The rabble, unable to comprehend her monumental lessons to the nation, may frustrate her re-election chances in 2020. But the rabble can never tarnish Susan Collins's finest hour as the stateswoman who stood alone, and saved the Union, at least for a while, from a descent into totalitarian bedlam. Fifty years after left-wing riots during the Chicago Democratic National Convention handed an election issue and victory to Richard M. Nixon, the left has handed a similar opportunity to President Trump in his efforts to maintain control of the House of Representatives and enhance the GOP Senate majority. Even before the disgraceful demonstrations on Saturday, with fanatics in the Senate Gallery sequentially screaming in an effort to disrupt a vote whose outcome they didn't like, and before demonstrators broke through police lines and pounded on the doors of the Supreme Court's Temple of Justice, President Trump spoke out against "mob rule" in his Topeka, Kansas rally on Friday. First he invoked compassion for the Kavanaugh family targeted by an "angry mob": What he and his wonderful family endured at the hands of Democrats is unthinkable. In their quest for power, the radical Democrats have turned into an angry mob with this screaming and the shouting, not from the 200 people, those people couldn't fit in the front row. Look what we have here tonight. Then he enlarged on the danger to Republic of the Democrats' reliance on "mob rule" (video here): You don't hand matches to an arsonists and you don't get power to an angry left-wing mob. That is what they have become. On Twitter, he followed Alinsky's last and possibly most potent law. The 13th entry in Rules for Radicals reads, "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." 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) October 5, 2018 In the person of George Soros, convicted felon and billionaire financier, Trump has the perfect Bond villain to act as the personification of the ruthless puppetmasters manipulating the politics for their own gain. It didn't take long for Trump to be labeled a "conspiracy theorist," but as it happens, this is a theory with a lot of supporting data. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, a much honored journalist, Asra Q. Nomani published an article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday laying out how "Saturday's protests and unlawful disruptions were brought to us by a well-funded network." I am a liberal feminist whose views on abortion and same-sex marriage align with the Democratic Party's. Yet while most demonstrators are not paid for their efforts, the protests at the Capitol Saturday, and the ones that have included stalking lawmakers inside and outside their offices, are organized by groups of which Mr. Soros is an important patron. I started following the money for the "resistance" when it was born, hours after Election Day 2016. I have organized my findings in a spreadsheet I have made public. At least 50 of the largest organizations that participated as "partners" in the Jan. 21, 2017, Women's March had received grants from Mr. Soros's Open Society Foundations or similar funds in the "House of Soros," as his philanthropic empire was once called internally. The number of Soros-backed partners has grown to at least 80. At least 20 of the largest groups that led the Saturday anti-Kavanaugh protests have been Open Society grantees. On Saturday I also studied the fine print on the signs as protesters waved them defiantly at the Capitol and the high court. They came from a familiar list of Democratic interest groups that have received millions from Mr. Soros: the American Civil Liberties Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Center for Popular Democracy, Human Rights Campaign and on and on. MoveOn.org, a Democratic organizing and lobbying group founded with Soros money, sent its army of partisan followers regular missives that led them to a Google form to ask for train tickets and places to stay. ... The agitators even have help with their handmade signs. Across the street from the Supreme Court, a woman uses supplies provided by UltraViolet Action to write, in Spanish: "No more rapists in power." Back on the Capitol lawn, people from Megaphone Strategies, a public-relations firm founded by former Obama adviser Van Jones, manage interview requests from USA Today and other news outlets. Women's March lieutenants exchange T-shirts for completed "Legal Support Sheets" with information in case of arrest. Suddenly everyone stands to walk in unison to the Capitol steps. When they arrive, the few Capitol Police officers on the scene silently watch them. The protesters walk up the stairs though they don't "storm" them, as the leaders have claimed. There are no barricades, no phalanx of armed police. Rethink Media created a "social media strategy sheet" back in August for anti-Kavanaugh protesters. One talking point: "Kavanaugh was hand-picked by dark money groups and their billionaire backers." Rethink Media is itself a Soros grantee, and Saturday's protests and unlawful disruptions were part of a well-funded, orchestrated network that books buses, hotel rooms and churches for such agitation. ... MoveOn.org announced that its call the night after Justice Kavanaugh's confirmation would feature Ana Maria Archila, the Colombia-born sexual-assault victim who cornered Sen. Jeff Flake in a Senate elevator last month and screamed "Look at me!" She is co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy. Her salary was listed as $156,333, with a bonus of $21,378, in a recent Internal Revenue Service 990 form. President Trump is campaigning hard from now until November 6, with several rallies a week planned. There is plenty more time to call out the Democrats for their turn to the hard left and their reliance on mob violence and their plans to disrupt the institutions of our democracy (Electoral College abolition or court-packing, anyone?). But Alinsky was right: you need a face of evil, and Providence has given Trump the best real-life version of Auric Goldfinger one could imagine. Hat tip: Ed Lasky 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 In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Papua New Guinea and Hawaii, there is a small island named Banaba belonging to a scattered group of islands called the Gilberts. Before European contact, Banaba was a beautiful coral island rich in animal and plant life and with a thriving community that shared close links to people of Kiribati. In 1900, a New Zealand prospector named Albert Ellis working for the Pacific Islands Company discovered that the surface of Banaba was made of petrified guano that had over the years metamorphosed into high grade Phosphate rock. Around the same time, phosphate in Nauru was also discovered. Nauru being a German territory at the time, and Banaba a British protectorate, the Pacific Islands Company joined hands with a mining company based on Hamburg and formed a new companythe Pacific Phosphate Company (PPC) to engage in phosphate mining in Nauru and Banaba, then known as Ocean Island. The serrated surface of the island of Banabathe result of 80 years of mining. Photo credit: Janice Cantieri It was agreed that Banabans would receive a paltry sum of 50 a year in exchange for exclusive mining rights for 999 years, although later the terms of the licenses were changed and the PPC also began paying royalties and compensation for mining damage. Within a few years, PPC became a very profitable company. In 1915, Gilbert Islands became a colony of the British, and four years later the Board of the British Phosphate Commission, a consortium involving the British, Australian and New Zealand governments, acquired the business of the PPC in Nauru and Banaba, and mining continued as before. When the Second World War began, Japan invaded Banaba and committed horrible atrocities on the island population. Most of the islanders were sent to intermittent camps, others were massacred. After the war ended, the islands surviving population of about one thousand was forcibly relocated by the British to Rabi Island in the Fiji group under the pretext that the Japanese had destroyed their houses, which was not true. Banabas resident population was the final hurdle in the path to total mining of the island. With this taken care of, the British resumed phosphate mining until the rock was depleted by 1979. By then 90 percent of the island's surface was stripped away reducing it to a wasteland of rocky pinnacles. The island of Nauru suffered a similar fate. The first photograph shows the island shortly before mining began. The second was taken soon after, and shows how the vegetation and soil of Banaba were removed to extract the phosphate rock. Photo credit: newzealand.govt.nz Satellite image of the mining area. In 1971, the Banabans sued the British Crown for its failure to replant their island, which they had promised, and the BPC for its failure to pay adequate compensation. The court instructed the British government to pay up following which the government placed 6.5 million in a trust fund for the Banabans, interest from which today provides the core funding for the administration of life on Rabi Island. In 1979, after Kiribati gained independence from the British Crown, about 250 volunteers moved back from Rabi Island to Banaba and have been living there since then, relying mostly on wages and funds from Fiji, although the island is a part of Kiribati. Unsurprisingly, a lot of political tension persists. The Banabans living in Rabi Island called for Banaba to secede from Kiribati and join Fiji, while others have called for Banaba to declare its own independence. There have also been talks about reopening the phosphate minea proposal that have generated considerable discontent among the Banabans. The island of Banaba. Many historical figures are celebrated for achieving great things but conveniently forgotten of all the terrible things they did to other people. Christopher Columbus is one prime example. A quick Google search will reveal dozens of beloved characters with shady personalities, but one story that is not told often is that of Arctic explorer Robert. E. Peary who is widely believed to be the first person to have reached the North Pole in 1909. This story, however, begins a lot earlier. About 10,000 years ago a large lump of extraterrestrial rock veered too close to the earth and got sucked into the planets gravitational field. As it slashed through the dense atmosphere, the intense heat generated weakened the structure of the iron meteorite and it exploded into several smaller pieces. Several pieces fell across Greenland embedding themselves in the vast ice sheet. Others fell in the ocean near Baffin Bay. The meteorite is estimated to have weighed 100 tones before it exploded. Robert Peary stands besides a large chunk of meteorite he salvaged from Greenland. Photo credit: National Geographic Thousands of years later, this meteorite became the only source of iron for the nomadic hunting tribes that lived on the barren north western coast of Greenland. Devoid of natural metal deposits and with no contact with the outside world, this small community of less than 300 individuals chipped away iron from this enormous space rock and fashioned them into knives, harpoons and other tools. This was nearly 300 years before Norse settlers from Iceland arrived in Greenland and brought iron with them to trade with the Inuit. The British explorer Captain John Ross was one of the first to learn about the existence of this meteorite in 1818. The Eskimos told him of a huge iron rock they used to make their tools, but they wouldnt tell him where the rock was located. Ross couldnt find the meteorite but he did collect some of the knives made out of it and returned to Europe. These artifacts became the first scientifically collected pieces of what became known as the Cape York meteorite. For the next seventy years many intrepid explorers tried in vain to located the meteorite until Robert Peary managed to convince a local to guide him to the prized rock. With the help the guide, Peary walked across the snow and ice for eleven days and arrived at two small meteorites, the Inuit called the Woman and the Dog, and another large piece known as the Tent. Each rock was surrounded by piles of hammer stones brought over hundreds of years by the Inuit to pound at the meteorites surface to extract iron from them. By the time Peary arrived, the rocks had lost its significance as the only source of iron, and Peary managed to coax the Inuit to help him load the meteorites onto his ship. It took him three years to plan and execute their extraction. Peary paid locals with rifles, pots and pans, saws, and knives to heave the meteorite across the island to the boat. Photo credit: National Geographic The meteorite finally secured on board. Photo credit: National Geographic In September 1897, Peary sailed into New York harbor aboard the Hope with the largest piece of the meteorite, the Tent, and six Greenland Eskimos. Noted anthropologist Franz Boas of the American Museum of Natural History had asked Peary to bring him one Eskimo so that he could be studied. Peary brought him six, promising them nice warm homes in the sunshine land, and guns and knives and needles and many other things. Among them was a young boy, six or seven years old, named Minik and his widowed father Qisuk. The next day, thousand of people swarmed aboard the ship, paying Pearly 25 cents to view the strange cargo. Eventually, the Eskimos were taken to the museum where they were constantly probed and measured by scientists like lifeless specimens. There are photographs in the museum's archives showing Qisuk and Minik standing naked on pedestals. Minik and his fellow Eskimos were kept in the museum's damp and hot basementconditions unfavorable to people from the cool and dry Arctic air. The idea was to keep them at the museum for a year and then send them back home. Unfortunately, most didnt even make it to the next spring alive. All of them fell sick to diseases they had no previous exposure to nor immunity. Four died of tuberculosisamong them was Miniks father. Only one survivor returned to Greenland, leaving Minik alone in the unfamiliar land. Minik in New York Peary distanced himself from the entire affair. In the two volumes he wrote about his Greenland expedition, he never mentioned the Inuit even once. Although Peary made a fortune from his many Arctic expeditions (he sold the Tent for $40,000, equivalent to nearly a million dollars in todays value), he refused to contribute to Minik's upkeep. Abandoned by Peary, Minik was adopted by William Wallace, the museum's building superintendent. Minik attended school and adapted fairly well to his new surroundings and completely forgot his native language and traditions. One day, while at school, Minik learned a terrible secretthe burial of his father that he had witnessed was staged with a log wrapped in furs. The real body had long been striped off its flesh, the bones cleaned and stored in jars in the museum. When Minik discovered the ruse, he began a life-long quest to get his fathers remains returned to him. In 1909, at the age of eighteen, Minik returned to Greenland on Pearys ship again. Before leaving, Minik is said to have bitterly told a reporter: Youre a race of scientific criminals. I know Ill never get my fathers bones out of the American Museum of Natural History. I am glad enough to get away before they grab my brains and stuff them into a jar! Minik posses for a photograph with three other Inuit who was brought to New York by Robert Peary. Minik tried his best to adapt to the conditions of his homeland. He even married a local girl, but the marriage failed. Soon he began to miss city life, and in 1916 he returned to the United States. He moved to Pittsburg in New Hampshire and became a lumberjack. And just when he finally seemed to find happiness, the 1918 Spanish flu swept through and Minik died. He was twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Miniks story was first brought to light in 1986 through the book ''Give Me My Father's Body,'' by Kenn Harper, an Arctic historian and businessman. Mr. Harper portrays Peary as egotistical and duplicitous, who grew rich selling artifacts to support his expeditions, and passing the sales off as donations. Mr. Harper also accused The Museum of Natural History for being complicit in all of this, in sponsoring and subsidizing the explorers and in pretending to show respect for the cultures and native peoples it studied. Media coverage of Mr. Harpers book eventually forced the museum to return the bones of Miniks father to Greenland. In 1993, they were interred in a church cemetery at Qaanaaq with a plaque that reads in the Eskimo language, They have come home. Hundreds of aboriginal skeletons, however, are still stored in American museums. Some of these Peary had dug up after they were buried and brought them to America to sell them. As for the meteorite, the largest piece named the Tent or Ahnighito, is still open for viewing at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. At 31 tons, it is so heavy that it was necessary to build its display stand so that the supports reached directly to the bedrock below the museum. Ahnighito, or the Tent at the American Museum of Natural History. Photo credit: Peter Roan/Flickr In short: Google+ dropped to a new usage low this month, AndroidHeadlines has learned, offering more context to Googles newly announced decision to discontinue the struggling social media platform. Over the last 30 days, the mobile version of the service had some 2.5 million daily active users on Android and iOS combined, according to mobile insight provider Apptopia. Over half a million of those were from the United States, with another 345,000 being German, analytics platform App Ape estimates. As far as U.S. distribution is concerned, Android users outnumber iOS ones 285,000 to 238,000. Background: Earlier today, Alphabets subsidiary described the low usage of Google+ as one of the main reasons for sunsetting the service, revealing that 90-percent of app sessions lasted less than five seconds. While that figure could be attributed to accidental launches, that doesnt appear to have been the case in the U.S. where users of both the Android and iOS version of Google+ opened the app nearly three times per day. The companys decision to discontinue Google+ came simultaneously with a late disclosure of a bug in People APIs that potentially compromised up to 500,000 users around the world by leaking their private profile fields to apps that had access to their public ones. While developers of 438 apps were able to take advantage of the bug, Google found no evidence of any one of them doing so or even being aware of it. However, due to the fact that the associated APIs only preserved two-week logs (ironically, for privacy reasons), the company isnt able to verify that the bug wasnt taken advantage of or find out how many users were actually affected if it was. Impact: While Google+ will live on as an enterprise service, the fact that Google will be pulling the plug on the consumer version of the platform by the end of August 2019 isnt surprising given how its usage numbers appear to be abysmal, fading in comparison to tens of millions of daily Twitter users and over a billion people that open Facebook at least once per day. In Short: A well-known tipster, Roland Quandt, has recently shared something rather interesting via his Twitter account, he suggested that Google may actually release the Bonito smartphone. In his post, he claims that someone has been testing the Google Bonito on GFXBench, along with HMD Phoenix, which would end up being the Nokia 7.1 Plus. In any case, theres a connection between these two smartphones, as both of them will be fueled by the Snapdragon 710, says Mr. Quandt. The Google Bonito is actually one of Googles rumored Pixel phones, a small one, not the Pixel 3, but an even smaller one, more on that in a second. Background: Google will introduce its new Pixel smartphones tomorrow, and the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are expected to arrive, as both phones have been leaking for months now, and we do have quite a few info when it comes to both of these phones. That being said, the Google Bonito smartphone rumor had surfaced recently, suggesting that the company may announce tiny smartphone as well, a phone that is smaller than the Google Pixel 3. If this rumor ends up being true, the Google Pixel Bonito will basically be in the category of the iPhone SE as far as size is concerned, though it remains to be seen if theres any truth to that, as the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are the only two phones that have been mentioned until a couple of days ago. Speaking of which, the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will both be fueled by the Snapdragon 845 64-bit octa-core SoC, both phones will ship with Android 9 Pie out of the box, and both devices will include a single camera on the back, and a fingerprint scanner back there as well. The Pixel 3 will not sport a notch, unlike its Pixel 3 XL sibling. Impact: If Google ends up releasing a tiny Pixel Bonito at some point, or as early as tomorrow, that would certainly be a surprise despite this report. The device will be inferior to the other two Pixel smartphones, and its not entirely impossible that may happen, as Google may want to test the mid-range market as well, though the device probably will not become official tomorrow. In short: Google is shutting down the consumer version of Google+ because the social media network isnt worth maintaining, the company said Monday. The decision stems from Project Strobe, an internal effort started earlier this year with the goal of reviewing third-party developer access to Android and Google Account data. In a prepared statement, the firm said its review confirmed what it was already aware of Google+ failed to capture a significant number of users and developers, so it consequently isnt worth keeping afloat. Besides low usage, Google+ engagement rates are also defeating, with 90-percent of all sessions lasting for under five seconds, according to Alphabets subsidiary. Google+ will be gradually discontinued over the next ten months, with the service being scheduled to completely shut down in late August of 2019. The company was careful to frame the decision as only affecting the consumer version of Google+, suggesting the data-tying component of the platform will continue to live on as an enterprise feature under the same name. The company described Google+ APIs and their consumer privacy controls as challenging to develop and maintain. To illustrate the point, it disclosed a bug that potentially compromised profiles of up to 500,000 Google+ users. The bug was found in the Google People APIs in March and while it was patched momentarily, the company did not publicly report it at the time, likely fearing public backlash after witnessing what Facebook was going through at the time with its Cambridge Analytica debacle. The bug allowed developers of up to 438 apps to access private profile fields of users and public profile fields of their friends who shared their public data via the APIs. That information included names, ages, genders, occupations, email addresses, and other static data one could have chosen to share with some of their Google+ circles. Google has no evidence any developer was aware of the bug or abused it but due to the fact it only keeps two-week logs of the said APIs data (which it describes as a privacy-focused decision), it cannot say that with certainty. The bug was in effect since the introduction of the said APIs in 2015 until this spring. Advertisement Background: Launched on June 28, 2011, Google+ was originally envisioned as a Facebook rival but later revamped into the center of Googles online ecosystem that tied various services such as Gmail and YouTube together, often to user annoyance. The social media network underwent a major redesign in late November of 2015, which ended up being its final refresh that Google described as a way to make the platform more intuitive to use. While Google did not label the People API bug as the main reason for discontinuing Google+, its decision to eventually disclose the major privacy vulnerability comes mere days after CEO Sundar Pichai met with stateside legislators in order to discuss numerous concerns, including digital privacy. The discontinuation of Google+ leaves YouTube as Googles only major social media effort and one that the company previously tried to tie with its failed social media network by requiring Google+ profiles from all YouTube users over a two-year period ending in October of 2016. Impact: Given the apparent lack of Google+ users, the fact that the platform is now being sunset likely wont affect many people, though tech enthusiasts remain one of its most avid users and the demographic that will be hit the hardest by the new development. Many tech communities, including the AndroidHeadlines one, are still active on Google+ on a daily basis but given the companys Monday announcement, it appears those were all just an outlier. In Short: AllAboutSamsung claims to know all the color variants that the Samsung Galaxy S10 will be available in. According to the most recent Twitter post, the Galaxy S10 will ship in Black, White, Green, Silver / Gray, and Pink color options. This more or less confirms a post that Ice Universe shared back in August, guessing those very same colors. That is more or less all the info that the source released thus far, though it is worth noting that the availability of these color variants will be market-dependent, as always, so not all colors will be available in all markets. Background: The Galaxy S10 is still far away from being released, the phone is expected to arrive in the first quarter of next year, quite probably during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, at the end of February, a year after the arrival of the Galaxy S9 series. We still did not see any Galaxy S10 leaks that would reveal a realistic design of the phone, but the company is probably planning to change things around a bit this time around, as the Galaxy S8 and S9 were really similar in terms of the design. Samsung is expected to trim down bezels on the Galaxy S10 even more, while the device probably will not ship with a display notch, same as its predecessors. The Galaxy S10 will probably be available in two SoC variants (market dependent) once again, as the company will look to release both Exynos and Snapdragon models. The Galaxy S10 is expected to arrive with at least 6GB of RAM, and its possible that well see an in-display fingerprint scanner built into the phone. Samsung will look to release at least two variants of the Galaxy S10 flagship, the Galaxy S10, and S10 Plus. Impact: The Galaxy S10 is expected to be a more notable upgrade from the Galaxy S9, than the Galaxy S9 was compared to the Galaxy S8, both in terms of the design and internals. The Galaxy S10 will probably be a 5G ready smartphone, which means that it will be able to take advantage of 5G connectivity once it becomes available (at the end of next year), and that is a significant improvement on its own. More notable Galaxy S10 leaks are expected to start popping up in a month or two, so stay tuned for that. The more discredited politics becomes, the more necessary it is. Given the events of this week, it is worth remembering Enrico Berlinguer, the Italian Communist Party leader nicknamed culo di ferro or iron ass for his perseverance and determination, who refused to leave a meeting until all possibilities had been explored, thus exhausting the other participants. Likewise, in Spain former Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez is said to have occasionally left the negotiating table to take a short nap, leaving everyone else to continue negotiating the Moncloa Pact [a far-reaching, cross-party accord in the Transition to democracy]. Negotiating requires skill and a cool head, which Catalonias coalition government partners failed to exhibit this week, exposing how fragile unity is on the independence camp. Clearly the situation is a complex one, and the substitution of MPs either in jail or in exile is a result of parliamentary interference due to the highly questionable rulings of Judge Llarena. Nevertheless, politics is all about overcoming hurdles. Berlinguers nickname can be traced back to Weber's ethics of responsibility and the pragmatism of Bismarcks German realpolitik and it is nothing less than the ability to evaluate the consequences of political decisions. It is opposed to the ethics of convictions, which puts values before consequences. Conducting politics means looking for strategies that adapt to the circumstances to achieve clearly defined goals, and this week there was a lack of politics and an excess of political posturing. JxCat and ERCs negotiators openly admit that during Thursdays gruelling meetings there was "an excess of testosterone". Such conflict can only be explained either by their "lack of ability", as some claim, or as part of a strategy to weaken the standing of the Speaker of the House by those who believe that the more people there are on trial or in prison, the closer the independence movement will be to a referendum. The postponement of the plenary debate on general policies until Tuesday has provided ammunition for those who doubt the viability of the current legislature. On Friday, President Torra and Vice President Aragones made some progress by holding a meeting and a subsequent public appearance, thus buying them some time. In the words of Quim Torra, "until the rulings are handed down". Torra spoke of "strengthening this terms strategic agreement". However, the government's strength has lost credibility thanks to Thursdays warning shots, the hasty ultimatums and the typical response from certain individuals to tweets by the religious police, who constantly keep an eye on the propriety and has a particular influence over politicians from civil society. Anyone who wishes the Catalan crisis to come to a speedy end has a long wait ahead of them, both in Catalonia and in Spain. However, there have been glimpses of a new political scenario, in spite of the black canvas that conceals the goings-on and directs peoples attention to the upcoming court cases. One may speak of pragmatists and legitimists, to both govern and resist or to enact prose or poetry. Call it what you will, but the fact is that the independence movement is experiencing internal tensions over the correct strategy to follow. The internal motto is to resist since no one is interested in calling a snap election and since the trial of the former ministers will bring about a public outcry that will need to be studied to see how it can be managed, and in a democracy crises are usually channelled democratically by holding elections. Madrid will stop at nothing A year ago Perez Rubalcaba, working behind the scenes, made it clear that the state had decided to "accept the cost" of carrying out its work in Catalonia. He was not only referring to 1 October and the operation by Spains security forces, but also to the Spanish state using every mechanism at its disposal to put an end to Catalonias independence bid. This is precisely what it did, and after having heard certain irresponsible PP politicians speaking of a corralito [referring to the informal name for the economic measures taken in Argentina in 2001] during the crisis, on 1 October it responded by applying even more pressure on businesses and financial institutions. Recent articles in this newspaper by Alex Font, Albert Martin, Natalia Vila and Albert Cadanet have explained how companies regulated by the ECB and banks that are dependent on it were forced to relocate their headquarters, in an extremely risky move, economically and financially speaking. They pulled out all the stops. The Spanish government set to work in an operation to apply pressure that politically and economically affected the Catalan government and Catalan society as a whole. A year later enough information is available to implement different strategies and to engage in politics. Independence supporters only have the mechanisms of majorities and grassroots action at their disposal to strengthen the internal calls for a referendum. The alternative is to prolong the stalemate in a justified outrage. Almost one third of the companies already committed to exhibiting are from the USA, including industry behemoths Gulfstream and Boeing Business Jets. This figure includes some first time exhibitors keen to increase their share of the lucrative market in the region such as Citadel Completions and Tronair. Embraers Market Outlook 2018 predicted the Middle East and Asia-Pacific will be the fastest growing markets by 2037, and in 2017 there were over 30,000 private jet flights out of Dubai alone. As the emirate approaches Expo 2020 it is expecting a significant increase in private flights and is already increasing FBO, MRO and other ancillary services at Al Maktoum International Airport to accommodate these. It is wonderful to see the business aviation industry around the world recognise the growing importance of the MENA market, said Ali Alnaqbi, Founding and Executive Chairman of the Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA). The MEBAA Show has grown every year since its inception, and again we are expecting an increase in both exhibitors and visitors. With the increased numbers in addition to our new features, MEBAA Show will again be the ideal platform for doing business in the region. The Middle East of course still represents the largest number of MEBAA Show exhibitors with companies such as Saudi Private Aviation from Saudi Arabia and Cedar Jet Centre from Lebanon, along with those from the UAE. In fact, this years MEBAA Show boasts a new platinum sponsor, UAE based Online Global Trip Support, who will be using the show as a platform to launch itself in the region and beyond. We have created something new and unique for the business aviation industry, said Munir Khalifeh, CEO Online Global Trip Support. Khalifeh continued We addressed the challenges facing Flight Operators today and created OGTS to provide them with a complete, one-stop online aviation service solution for any trip. The MEBAA Show is the perfect place to meet the key players in the business aviation market in the region and beyond, allowing access to the industry and potential for networking that simply cannot be found anywhere else in the Middle East. Returning to the show again from China will be Haeco Private Jet Solutions, while those travelling from Europe make up almost another third of the total and include Dassault from France, Sky Services from Italy and Comlux Aviation from the UK. The entire business aviation industry supply chain is represented at the MEBAA Show, from OEMS to maintenance providers such as Jet Aviation, fuel providers like AvFuel, airports such as London Biggin Hill, catering providers such as Executive Gourmet and FBOs such as Execujet. Serbia plans to buy a shipment of three-seat Chaborz M-3 cross-country vehicles developed by the Russian Special Forces University, which is located in Gudermes, Chechnya, Daniil Martynov, the University curator and an aide to the head of Chechnya for the power-wielding bloc, told TASS. Russian Chaborz M-3 buggy designed for special forces (Picture source: Army Recognition) "We have already supplied one cross-country vehicle to Serbia. We have struck a deal with them. We have recently organized a very big demonstration of our vehicles and the Serbian defense minister liked them very much. They are now preparing their technical design specifications. We will have to adjust it to their tasks. We will continue supplying cross-country vehicles to Serbia in future," Martynov said. He noted that China and Kazakhstan were also interested in buying the Chechen buggies. "A complete package of the M-3 (three-seat) cross-country vehicle costs about 1.7 million rubles. Everything depends on technical design specifications. It is multifold cheaper than foreign analogues," Martynov clarified. Light multirole cross-country vehicles are capable of carrying a crew of three men and up to 250 kg worth of cargoes in difficult terrain and on impassible roads in the steppe, in the desert and in the mountains. The Chaborz M3 buggies are developed by Russian designers and made of Russian components by 95%. They have undergone trials in most difficult conditions. The batch production is 30 vehicles a month. Establishing a representative office is the fastest and simplest way to establish a legal entity in Indonesia. Representative offices are forbidden to earn any revenue and their activities are limited to mainly market research, developing trade contacts, and gathering information on regulations and laws. Foreign investors can own 100 percent of this business entity. Opening a representative office (RO) is the fastest and simplest way of establishing a legal entity in Indonesia. This set up is a temporary arrangement as ROs are not allowed to engage in any commercial activities, issue invoices, sign contracts, or earn any revenue. Foreign investors, however, can own 100 percent of this business entity and do not have to contribute the same paid-up capital required by limited liability companies. The business activities of ROs are limited to market research activities, obtaining information on potential clients, developing trade contacts, and gathering information on regulations and laws. Types of Representative Offices There are four types of ROs which we explore below. General representative office (KPPA) A KPPA is a general RO, ideal for investors who are still exploring opportunities in Indonesia. The KPPA has two main responsibilities: Represent, supervise, and manage its parent company in Indonesia; and Prepare for the establishment of a limited liability company for the parent The KPPA must be incorporated in the capital of any Indonesian province and must be located in an office building. The KPPA permit is valid for an initial three years and can be extended twice for one year each time. Representative office for a foreign trading company (KP3A) A KP3A is similar to a KPPA but is more ideally suited for manufacturers or product owners looking to establish a network of distributors in the country. The KP3A is divided into the following categories: Can act as a buying/or selling agent for the parent company, performing liaising or promotional activities; or Act as a manufacturing agent with its activities also limited to market research and liaising. Unlike a KPPA, the KP3A does not have to be established in the capital city of a province; they can set up in any district or regency in the country. Foreign investors will also need to obtain a Foreign Company Trade Representative license (SIUP3A), which can be done through the OSS system of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM). The KP3A permit is limited to two months (temporary license) to a maximum of one year (permanent license). Representative office for a foreign construction company (BUJKA) A BUJKA is an RO for foreign construction companies, and unlike the KPPA and KP3A entities, a BUJKA can undertake projects in Indonesia through a joint venture with a local construction company. The BUJKA license is valid for three years and the local partner must be a limited liability company. Applicants must prove to the National Construction Services Development Board (LPJK) that they are classified as a large construction company, and they must have a service business license issued by the Department of Public Works. Representative office for a foreign oil and gas company (KPPA MIGAS) Foreign oil companies can set up a representative office through a KPPA MIGAS permit. The license is valid for three years and applicants will need to seek prior approval from the (BKPM). General set up requirements for ROs Register with the BKPM through their OSS online portal; The parent companys Article of Association legalized by a notary and the Indonesian Embassy of the parent companys country of origin; Letter of Appointment by the Indonesian Embassy located in the parent companys country of origin; Latest financial statements of the parent Letter of intent legalized by a notary and the Indonesian Embassy located in the parent companys country of origin; The number and details of local workers to be hired; Certificates demonstrating competency in the relevant industry or sub-sector; Recommendation letter from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (for KPPA MIGAS applicants); Lease agreements; Must be located in the capital of a province (unless it is a KP3A applicant); and A letter that states the RO will not engage in any commercial activities in Indonesia. Foreign investors looking to establish a presence in Indonesia may use the services of registered local advisors who can ensure their set up process application is accurate and complete. This article was originally published on October 8, 2018, and was updated on December 30, 2019. Do it yourself if you can We accept in principle that private equity can deliver (somewhat) excess returns over most other asset classes. But there are a lot of qualifications attached to that, and most of them are very relevant to whether and how pension funds should invest in private equity. Kardos Scanlan agreed to provide legal advice to the proposed listed investment company in relation to normal operations on a pro bono basis, charging legal fees only on the preparation of the companys prospectus. Webb Henderson also agreed to provide New Zealand legal advice to the company for the offer and for an address for service in New Zealand on a pro bono basis. Ashurst provided pro bono legal advice to the joint lead arrangers, while KWM has agreed to advise the Victor Chang Institute on corporate law issues on a pro bono basis. All of the firms are backing the float, which even the ASX is supporting by waiving annual fees, because Hearts and Minds has agreed to not charge any investment fees and invest a percentage of its net tangible assets, irrespective of performance, every six months to support Australian medical research organisations. The effort also involves the fund managers, directors, and other professional services firms agreeing to waive any fees. Designated charities of the company include The Victor Chang Institute, The Brain and Mind Centre, the Charlie Teo Foundation, and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health. Hi every one. I have a similar situation. My husband moved back to Australia last year in January after working in my home country for over 17 years. We have been married for 15years. I am Zambia and he is Australian. At time he moved back, I was on a 3 year multiple entry visa which was expiring in November 2017. So I came to visit him on that visa in June 2017. In August we both went out to Malaysia on holiday and I travelled back with him in September. In October I went to visit my daughter in Hong Kong. My visa expired while I was in Hong Kong. We applied for a visitor visa which was refused, but on appeal, was granted a 6 month visa and we were verbally advised to apply for a Partner visa. My visitor visa was granted in Feb.2018 and I visited my husband and stayed for about two months and I did that a few times, travelling between Perth and Hong Kong. At this point , we were ready financially to put in the Partner visa which we did. My 6 month visa expired in August 2018, and I was out of Australia already. So we applied for sub class 600 to enable me visit. This has now been refused main reason being that I am trying to establish residence in Australia on a tourist/visitor visa. It all appears like the officer feels I did not utilise my visas correctly and I do not satisfy the relevant imm clause and so must refuse the visa. I am surprised that she can say that because I believe I was allowed entry because my imm status was valid and I never overstayed in Australia. She also mentioned that ' I spent more time in Autralia than outside' whuch is totally incorrect. Other readon is that she thinks I have no intention to return to leave Australia. Can someone help me understand this please. Thank you. The Ingolstadt four-door and the Blue Oval weapon might no longer fit the "new arrivals" category, but they're as spicy as ever. So when these two get together for a battle, the good times are guaranteed.And the speeding compacts met on an airfield in Germany, as part of a drag racing event that took place earlier this year.Since we're talking about all-paw machines, none of the drivers had any issues with getting his machine off the line, so the standing start was supposed to be a delightful phase of the race.However, the driver of the Audi decided to keep the competition alive and give his rival a bit of a head start. And while this did deprive us of the privilege mentioned above, it did keep the audience on its toes for considerably longer.After all, the performance gap between the two (as well as the pricing distance) is noticeable.Keep in mind that the RS3 Sedan is animated by a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder motor, which allows the one behind the wheel to play with no less than 400 horses. And gearshifts are not a problem either, since the German toy packs a dual-clutch unit.As for the Ford, this is animated by a 2.3-liter turbo-four, which delivers 350 ponies. Nevertheless, the Focus RS comes with a six-speed manual and while this does a great job at keeping the driver engaged, it certainly doesn't help during a drag race.Note that the piece of footage documenting the battle of the two, which can be found below, also involves other drag races, with the said fight awaiting you at the 1:48 point of the clip. Scheduled to roll out through authorized Honda dealerships by mid-November 2018, the remedy hasnt been detailed by the Japanese automaker. According to Consumer Reports , the repair will be covered by the warranty and 2019 models will be rectified before going on sale.Something else Honda hasnt clarified is if all owners or only those who have experienced stalling issues will benefit from the remedy. The thing is, Honda took a lot of time to commit to fixing these cars, with the first complaints dating back to early 2017.Even if it turns out theres no specific safety defect, Honda still should take care of their customers and notify them to go to a dealership for a free repair, declared David Friedman, vice president for advocacy at Consumer Reports and former acting director of NHTSA For the 2017 and 2018 model years, the automaker has sold more than 500,000 examples of the CR-V in the United States of America with the 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo. According to one owner who took his compact crossover to the dealers out of frustration for the repeated stalling condition, the mechanic found out that gas was improperly leaking into the oil.The affected owner then decided to trade in his CR-V because Honda wasnt willing to fix the issue, choosing the Toyota RAV4 and losing $7,000 in the process. Adding insult to injury, Honda has recalled 380,000 Civic and CR-V models in China in February 2018 over a similar problem.Turning our attention back to North America, the automaker told Consumer Reports that U.S. models are affected primarily in the northern areas of the country during extreme cold weather conditions combined with short, intermittent driving. As much as this counts as statistical evidence, cases have been reported in hot-weather states like California and Tennessee as well. AMG The cars in question are the S 65 Sedan, S65 Coupe, and S65 Cabriolet. The V12 is featured in the Mercedes-Maybach portfolio as well (codenamed M277 in the S600), and the M158 is manufactured by hand in Affalterbach for the Pagani Huayra. The truth of the matter is, three valves per cylinder and a single overhead camshaft are not long for this world.Speaking to GoAuto.com.au , Tobias Moers has confirmed the 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 is on death row. We are going to move the S65 out of our portfolio, said the head honcho of Mercedes-. The 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 will carry the torch forward, in combination with an electrified powertrain.One of the first models to use this setup is the plug-in hybrid GT 4-Door Coupe, which is expected by 2020 with 816 PS (805 horsepower). Previewed by the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept from the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the newcomer would compete against the likes of the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.When it premiered, Tobias Moers said that the production version of the GT Concept would sprint from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than three seconds. Torque vectoring and a high-performance electric motor have been confirmed as well.Customers who want even more thrills can go ahead and order the ONE , except they cant because each and every single one has been sold. The Formula 1-inspired hypercar will start production next year in the United Kingdom, and the 1.6-liter hybrid power unit needs to be overhauled every 50,000 kilometers (31,068 miles).Moving further still, Moers concluded that AMG will get into the business of EVs at some point in the future because otherwise there will not be an AMG. kWh As a statement to the fact that it was not kidding, Opel said this week some of the design elements seen on the concept will make their way into production vehicles starting 2020.The most important two elements of the concept are the Compass and Vizor, namely the front end of the car as a whole and the new logo desing, both of which were drawn with past models like the Manta in mind, but with a twist for the future.The brand new overall look of the front end, called Vizor, includes the Compass, Opels logo, and presents itself as a widely stretched, single black module that includes the front lighting system.Since it is a closed front end, lacking any grille to cool the engine, the new Vizor is ideal, says Opel, for use in future electric and autonomous vehicles. Aside for the lighting system, the front end will also hide in production vehicles cameras and sensors of the assistance systems.Given the electric drive of the GT X Experimental [...] the area previously housing the grille no longer needs to allow cool air to flow into the engine compartment, says Opel.The new, distinctive Opel Vizor is set to be a hallmark design element for all Opel models later in the 2020s.Opel did not say what its first fully electric vehicle will be called. The GT X Experimental will likely carry over to production vehicles other technologies as well, possibly even some elements of the powertrain.In the concept, this is comprised of a 50lithium-ion battery with inductive charging whose range was not specified when the car was introduced. A Falcon 9 rocket took off from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on October 7, carrying the SAOCOM 1A satellite, part of the constellation for Earth observation developed by the Argentinian Space Agency CONAE. The hardware deployed in orbit this weekend will be used to gather soil moisture information.It took the rocket 12 minutes to carry its payload to orbit, but the spectacle was not in space, but took place on the ground. For the first time in history, the Falcon 9 booster that carried the cargo attempted and managed to successfully land on a pad on the West Coast.The landing pad is called Landing Zone 4 and is situated at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, on the site of Space Launch Complex 4W, from which Titan rockets were launched before they were decommissioned in 2005.The rocket used by SpaceX for this flight is at its second utilization. Back in July, it was deployd to carry to orbit ten Iridium communications satellites, managing to land without a problem on a drone ship located in the Pacific ocean.The Falcon family of rockets is slowly growing into the most successful reusable booster in history. While other private companies, like Blue Origin, are still testing their technologies, SpaceX is for a while now reusing its rockets and in the process revolutionizing space launch operations.Bauces rockets can be reused, SpaceX launches are cheaper. The compnay also manages a rather quick turnaround time, meaning each of the boosters recovered after one launch can be quickly used to launch once again.You can watch the launch of Falcon 9s latest mission in the video attached below. ECU National Highway Traffic Safety Administration According to Toyota, these cars could go into limp mode without prior notice. In addition to restricting the engines output, affected vehicles could also stall, increasing the risk of a crash. As opposed to the General Motors fiasco with the ignition switches, Toyota argues that the brakes and steering will still work in the worst case scenario.In rare situations, the vehicle may not enter the failsafe driving mode as intended, explains the automaker, who has instructed dealers to update the software at no charge to the customer. In addition to the Prius and Auris Hybrid, the Prius+ (a.k.a. Prius v and Prius ) is also affected.Most cars (1.25 million) were sold in Japan, while 830,000 are in North America. There is also Europe with 290,000 vehicles, and the United Kingdom accounts for 55,519 of those cars.In a separate recall announced on Friday, the Japanese automaker has announced that the 2019 Avalon, 2018 to 2019 Tundra, and Sequoia are suspected of inappropriate programming in the airbag control module. If the vehicle detects a fault erroneously during startup, thethen proceeds to disable one or more sensors used to detect crashes.In other words, a crash would result in the side and curtain airbags and/or front and knee airbags not deploying. This goes against the federal motor vehicle safety standard for this type of equipment, and alas, 188,000 vehicles have been recalled all across the world.168,000 of those were sold in the United States of America, where the Avalon, Tundra, and Sequoia are manufactured. In addition to the, Toyotas recall database is much obliged to confirm if your car is affected by running the VIN at toyota.com/recall . Last, but certainly not least, the dealer can do that for the customer if going online and typing 17 characters is too much for one's liking. Chinas first privately funded and developed aircraft had its first flight a couple of weeks ago but its not clear what the future holds. The Guanyi GA20 took a 26-minute hop around Nanchang Airport on Sept. 20. Its a low-wing composite design and while it might be Chinese in most regards, its powered by a Lycoming 0-320. It is however the first aircraft to make it from the drawing board to the air without state sponsorship or funding. That was all done in-house by Shanghai Guanyi General Aviation. There is other foreign content in the aircraft. Its chief designer is Jean-Paul Vaunois, a former senior designer at Airbus. The aircraft has a range of about 800 miles and 150-knot cruise on about eight gallons of fuel per hour. The factory in eastern China has built five of the aircraft and is also working on an autonomous cargo drone and a light twin. Police in Lyantonde are holding one of their colleagues for reportedly being involved in theft of car number plates. KasimuMukibi attached to Kyazanga police station has been arrested for being part of a criminal gang that terrorize vehicle owners in Masaka region by stealing car number plates. Mukibi ran out of lack after two of his accomplices Brian Muyanja and Simon Ssentamu both residents of Kyazanga town council in Lwengo district were arrested over the weekend. Preliminary police investigations indicate that the duo and their accomplices that are still on run are in a racket that steals car number plates from people in areas of Masaka, Sembabule, Lyantonde, Lwengo and Rakai among other areas. Lameck Kigozi the Southern Region Police Spokesperson has confirmed the arrest saying that police has recovered 4 number plates from the suspects home. He says that police has registered at least 20 cases since last month adding that the groups arrest is a break through which will help to bring other suspects to book. Kigozi has asked members of the public that lost their car registration numbers to go Lyantonde police station and check with police if their number plates are among those that have been recovered. He says that police will take the group to court if police investigations into the matter are completed. On Sunday, October 7, Brazils controversial right-wing populist candidate Jair Bolsonaro won a convincing 46% plurality of the presidential vote and came close to achieving a first-round upset, followed by left-wing candidate and former mayor of Sao Paulo Fernando Haddads 29%. Why it matters: The first-round results set up a stark ideological contrast for the October 28 runoff election, as the future of Brazil hangs in the balance. In addition to running one of the worlds top 10 economies, its next president will be an important interlocutor for the United States on global trade, the role of China in Latin America, and the political and humanitarian crisis in neighboring Venezuela. Where it stands: Despite being hospitalized for several weeks due to serious stab wounds from a September 6 attack, Bolsonaro dramatically extended his lead in the polls in the final weeks of the campaign. However, the highly contested field of 13 presidential candidates denied him the 50% majority required for an outright victory. In the runoff he will face Haddad, a Workers Party loyalist who was only named as a candidate on September 11, after courts barred former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from running. Moderate figures lost in the crowded race were former minister and ex-governor of Ceara state Ciro Gomes (12.5%), former governor of Sao Paulo state Geraldo Alckmin (4.8%), and business leader and political neophyte Joao Amoedo (2.5%). The backdrop: Brazil was once among the fastest-growing emerging markets, before entering a prolonged recession in 2014 that coincided with a sprawling corruption scandal known as Operation Car Wash that has ensnared dozens of officials and resulted in a 12-year prison sentence for Lula da Silva. Another former president, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached on unrelated charges in August 2016. For the past two years, President Michel Temer, Rousseff's former vice president, has struggled with low approval ratings, corruption scandals, rising crime and violence, a weak economy and an inability to move key pension and fiscal reforms through congress. Brazils next president will face the challenge of restoring fiscal health and attracting foreign direct investment while improving security and cleaning up corruption. What's next: The presidential runoff election will decide whether the government of Latin America's largest country will shift sharply to the right, and possibly become more allied with the Trump Administration, or to the left, as occurred in Mexicos recent election. Either outcome will have enormous implications for U.S. relations with the region. Daniel P. Erikson is managing director at Blue Star Strategies and a senior fellow at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement. Two men with large international profiles and powerful enemies vanished. Two repressive regimes were reportedly responsible. What we know: Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and insider-turned-critic who wrote a Washington Post column from exile, vanished after entering a Saudi consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday. Two days later, Interpol President Meng Hongwei was reported missing while traveling in China. It later emerged that the government was holding him. Did the Saudis kill Khashoggi? Khashoggi, 59, lost his marriage, his home and many of his possessions when he moved from Saudi Arabia, where he felt he was no longer safe, last summer. He had been increasingly critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and shared his concerns with his readers and followers (1.68 million on Twitter). According to the New Yorkers Robin Wright, he feared that criticism could cost him his life. Khashoggi planned to get married last week, and traveled to the Istanbul consulate with his fiancee to retrieve a necessary document. She says she waited outside for 11 hours. He never emerged. Turkish officials have privately told U.S. and international news outlets Khashoggi was murdered inside the consulate by Saudis sent specifically to kill him. At least one source said his body was dismembered. Where things stand: Prince Mohammed denied Khashoggi was even detained, and Saudi Arabia invited Reuters journalists to tour the consulate. Turkey hasn't presented any evidence to back the anonymous claims and publicly says it's still investigating. President Trump weighed in this evening: "I am concerned about that. I don't like hearing about it and hopefully that will sort itself out. Right now nobody knows anything about it. There's some pretty bad stories about it. I do not like it." Disappearance #2: Why did the Chinese arrest Meng? Meng, 64, became the first Chinese head of Interpol in 2016, a breakthrough for China on the world stage. A year later, a "proud" President Xi Jinping addressed the agency, the NYT points out. Meng's wife, with whom he lived in Lyon (where Interpol is based), last heard from him on September 25 when he texted a knife emoji an apparent signal he was in danger. She reported his disappearance to French authorities on October 4. Yesterday, after Interpol announced his resignation, China revealed it was holding him. Today, a government spokesman said Meng faces charges for corruption and other crimes. The State Department says it urges China to uphold international rules and norms, and to pursue an investigation that is based in transparency." That seems unlikely. A foreign ministry spokesman has indicated that China after detaining the leader of an international law enforcement organization and keeping it secret for days doesnt expect significant pushback: As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and as a responsible great power, China will continue playing the role that it should in international affairs, especially multilateral bodies. What to watch: If the reports prove accurate, both countries have sent a brazen message that no one who runs afoul of the government is safe. And two regimes with no tolerance for internal criticism seem to be risking censure from the world. Khashoggi's case poses a particular test for the Trump administration, which has cosy ties with the Saudis and doesn't consider promoting human rights a priority. Sen. Lindsey Graham is one of a few senators speaking out. He says there'll be "a heavy price to be paid" if the reports are accurate. Time will tell. Go deeper: Khashoggi disappearance could impact Saudi Arabia's business deals. Chris Christie told me on "Axios on HBO" that he and former President Trump haven't spoken since before Jan. 6, when Christie frantically tried to reach his friend of 20 years and Trump never picked up the phone. Driving the news: "I tried to call him ... to give him advice on what I thought he needed to be doing to stop the violence," the former governor told me during our hourlong interview at his home in New Jersey. Sunday marked 17 years of U.S. intervention in Afghanistan with no end in sight. Just last week, a 23-year-old American serviceman was killed by an improvised explosive device in Helmand Province. Expand chart Note: Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn lasted March 2003 to December 2011. Operations against the Islamic State in Iraq officially resumed in 2014 under Operation Inherent Resolve; Data: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress and the National Archives; Chart: Chris Canipe/Axios The big picture: No one believed the war would last this long when Operation Enduring Freedom began on October 7, 2001. Now, 17 years later, almost half of Americans believe the U.S. has "mostly failed." The timeline Afghanistan: Operation Enduring Freedom : October 7, 2001, December 28, 2014. : October 7, 2001, December 28, 2014. Operation Freedom's Sentinel: January 1, 2015 current. Iraq: Operation Iraqi Freedom: March 19, 2003 August 31, 2010. March 19, 2003 August 31, 2010. Operation New Dawn: September 1, 2010 December 15, 2011. September 1, 2010 December 15, 2011. Operation Inherent Resolve: October 15, 2014 current. What they've said President Obama said in 2014 that he planned to pull the last of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016. said in 2014 that he planned to pull the last of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016. President Trump admitted in 2017 that while his "original instinct was to pull out...[a] hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists including ISIS and al Qaeda would instantly fill." The bottom line: No one seems to want to stay in Afghanistan, but no one seems to know how to leave, either. Editor's note: The graph was corrected to show the specific dates of the beginning and end of each conflict (the initial graph relied on Congressional Research Service material defining broader periods of war that determined eligibility of veterans' benefits). 1 big thing: Scoop White House begins prepping for Dem legal storm Top officials inside the White House have taken their first steps to prepare for an onslaught of investigations if Democrats win the House. According to a source with direct knowledge: Chief of Staff John Kelly recently formed a small working group to start preparing for the possibility that Democrats will soon sic Congress' top investigators on Trumpworld. recently formed a small working group to start preparing for the possibility that Democrats will soon sic Congress' top investigators on Trumpworld. Senior White House staff have an offsite weekend retreat scheduled for late October. The agenda is expected to include a discussion of investigations under a Democratic-controlled House, according to the source. have an offsite weekend retreat scheduled for late October. The agenda is expected to include a discussion of investigations under a Democratic-controlled House, according to the source. To be clear: Team Trump is still trying to prevent a House flip from happening. They're ramping up political activities leading into the midterm including a blitz of rallies from the president to give Republicans their best chance of saving the House. Why this matters: Polls show Republicans will probably lose the House in November. And Trump's team, including the understaffed White House Counsel's Office, must batten down the hatches for an onslaught from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. White House officials have been telling us for weeks they were worried that Kelly hadn't been taking the threat seriously enough. This is the first time I've learned new information to suggest that they're preparing. According to three sources who attend senior staff meetings, when Kelly gathers the full White House senior staff in the Roosevelt Room several times a week, they never discuss the prospect of investigations. when Kelly gathers the full White House senior staff in the Roosevelt Room several times a week, they never discuss the prospect of investigations. "You'd think," one White House official told me, "we'd have a briefing or something to help us understand what's coming with subpoenas and investigations." What they're saying: Over the past month, my colleague Evan Ryan and I have been interviewing lawyers who worked in the Obama and Clinton White Houses. We wanted to find out what it's like being inside a White House when the opposite party controls Congress and trains its investigative fire on the president. A couple lawyers spoke on the record; most didn't. But what we learned from these conversations provides a map for Trump's likely future. "Subpoenas flowing into a White House create paralysis," said Neil Eggleston, who was Obamas White House counsel and an associate counsel in the Clinton administration. "The whole system stops while everyone tries to comply with subpoenas and prepare to testify." while everyone tries to comply with subpoenas and prepare to testify." "The White House doesn't operate optimally, and the policymaking process doesn't receive its due attention. Morale suffers, and energy is diverted to the crisis at hand." The big picture: Lawyers from previous White Houses mostly agreed on one thing: The better analogy for what's coming for Trump is not the Obama White House, but Clinton's. Obama's administration faced scandals from "Fast and Furious" to the IRS-Tea Party targeting to Benghazi. But his White House counsels managed to mostly keep the White House out of the picture; the agencies bore the brunt of the investigative onslaught. But Bill Clinton spent his entire presidency under a cloud of investigation, from Whitewater to Monica Lewinsky under the glare of Ken Starr. Staff who worked in the Clinton White House say it felt like there was a subpoena coming for them every day. The bottom line: For the most part, the staff who work in the Trump West Wing beyond the Counsel's Office have no idea what may be coming for them. But senior staff are now finally preparing for a tough new normal under House Democrats. Pakistan will begin talks with the International Monetary Fund this week to negotiate a bailout package, the Financial Times reports. The big picture: For months, Pakistan has lacked the foreign currency reserves necessary to sustain its high imports and low exports, currently running a monthly account deficit of more than $2 billion. It has, until now, hoped to avoid having to approach the Washington-based IMF for help, but the recent meltdown of emerging markets has worsened the Pakistani debt crisis and left its government with no alternative. In Brazils October 7 election, right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro, whose candidacy has further inflamed economic and social divisions, scored a first-round victory (46%). Though his hope of clinching the presidency off the bat fell short, Bolsonaro holds a commanding lead over center-left Fernando Haddad (29%) ahead of the October 28 runoff. The big picture: In Brazils second vicious presidential contest in a row, first-round voting reflected mass disillusionment with establishment politics and the endorsement of a strongman approach to turning around the worlds seventh-largest economy. With the margin of victory crucial to legitimizing a mandate, the second round will hinge on coalition-building. Bolsonaro has described the stakes as prosperity, liberty, family on Gods sides or Venezuelas path. Market cheer for Bolsonaro's ascendance may help him draw more support from centrist voters. Haddad, a former mayor who also served in former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas government and has been dogged by links to the Car Wash corruption scandal, will look to create an anti-Bolsonaro front. His coalition will likely include third-place finisher Ciro Gomes (12.5%) and will have to mobilize voters who sat out the first round. Haddad needs nonfirst round participants more than Bolsonaro, and though his campaign did save resources for a runoff, he will face an uphill battle to break through with voters hungry for fresh faces. In the previous presidential vote, turnout slightly declined in the runoff round, but those candidates had failed to enthuse the public. In this case, the public seems to perceive the stakes as much higher, even if disillusionment is rampant. Brazils political system is a hybrid between presidential and parliamentary rule, so the platform of the prevailing candidate will likely be moderated in forming a governing coalition. Bolsonaros Social Liberal Party (SLP) is poised to win just over 50 seats in the 513-seat lower house of congress, while Haddads PT is expected to win a few more seats than the SLP in the same body. Why it matters: Whoever wins, Brazil will remain bitterly divided and too weak to fulfill its dream of becoming a global power. A Bolsonaro government would also be on a collision course with Maduro, setting up a tense situation in which Venezuelas neighbors to the West and South take tougher lines toward Caracas. Michael McCarthy is a research fellow at American Universitys CLALS, an adjunct professor at George Washington University's Elliott School for International Affairs and the founder and CEO of Caracas Wire. Election officials in Romania said a referendum seeking to amend the countrys constitution to restrict the definition of marriage has failed to draw enough voters to validate the result on Sunday, reports the AP. The details: This is a major blow for the conservative Coalition for Family. While Romanias constitution does not allow same-sex marriage or civil unions, the conservative group sought to narrow the definition of marriage between a man and a woman instead of between spouses. The amendment required a turnout of at least 30% for the result to stand. Officials said only 20.41% of eligible voters participated, per the AP. We don't yet know what happened last week to Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who disappeared after visiting the Saudi Arabian consulate building in Istanbul. Turkish officials claim he was murdered, and that his body was removed, but the Saudis call such allegations preposterous propaganda, and that Khashoggi left unharmed shortly after arriving. Why it matters, beyond the obvious: If the Turks are right and that remains a big if it could have repercussions for some of the world's largest prospective financial deals. Aramco's IPO: The largest IPO in history was supposed to take place in 2018, but Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tells Bloomberg that the delay should not be misinterpreted as a cancellation. Instead, the new target date is 2020, with MBS saying a strategic decision was made to have Aramco first obtain a control stake in Saudi petrochemical giant Sabic, with the IPO to follow one year later (i.e., 2020). The largest IPO in history was supposed to take place in 2018, but Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tells Bloomberg that the delay should not be misinterpreted as a cancellation. Instead, the new target date is 2020, with MBS saying a strategic decision was made to have Aramco first obtain a control stake in Saudi petrochemical giant Sabic, with the IPO to follow one year later (i.e., 2020). SoftBank Vision Fund: MBS said in that same interview that the Saudi Public Investment Fund plans to commit another $45 billion or so to SoftBank's next Vision Fund. Both of these deals are, in part, predicated on beliefs in MBS as a reformer. Were the Turkish allegation substantiated, then it could become much tougher for Western bankers or exchanges to work on the Aramco IPO, or for Masayoshi Son to accept Saudi as the ongoing capital cornerstone of its evolution into an investment company. What's next: Expect more clarity on how this is playing among the global business elite in two weeks pending definitive resolution on Khashoggi's fate when we learn who chooses to attend Saudi's second annual Future Investment Initiative conference. Top officials inside the White House have taken their first steps to prepare for an onslaught of investigations if Democrats win the House. What we're hearing: According to a source with direct knowledge, Chief of Staff John Kelly recently formed a small working group to start preparing for the possibility that Democrats will soon sic Congress' top investigators on Trumpworld. Senior White House staff have an offsite weekend retreat scheduled for late October. The agenda is expected to include a discussion of investigations under a Democratic-controlled House, according to the source. To be clear: Team Trump is still trying to prevent a House flip from happening. They're ramping up political activities leading into the midterm including a blitz of rallies from the president to give Republicans their best chance of saving the House. Why this matters: Polls show Republicans will probably lose the House in November. And Trump's team, including the understaffed White House Counsel's Office, must batten down the hatches for an onslaught from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. White House officials have been telling us for weeks they were worried that Kelly hadn't been taking the threat seriously enough. This is the first time I've learned new information to suggest that they're preparing. According to three sources who attend senior staff meetings, when Kelly gathers the full White House senior staff in the Roosevelt Room several times a week, they never discuss the prospect of investigations. when Kelly gathers the full White House senior staff in the Roosevelt Room several times a week, they never discuss the prospect of investigations. "You'd think," one White House official told me, "we'd have a briefing or something to help us understand what's coming with subpoenas and investigations." What they're saying: Over the past month, my colleague Evan Ryan and I have been interviewing lawyers who worked in the Obama and Clinton White Houses. We wanted to find out what it's like being inside a White House when the opposite party controls Congress and trains its investigative fire on the president. A couple lawyers spoke on the record; most didn't. But what we learned from these conversations provides a map for Trump's likely future. "Subpoenas flowing into a White House create paralysis," said Neil Eggleston, who was Obamas White House counsel and an associate counsel in the Clinton administration. "The whole system stops while everyone tries to comply with subpoenas and prepare to testify." while everyone tries to comply with subpoenas and prepare to testify." "The White House doesn't operate optimally, and the policymaking process doesn't receive its due attention. Morale suffers, and energy is diverted to the crisis at hand." The big picture: Lawyers from previous White Houses mostly agreed on one thing: The better analogy for what's coming for Trump is not the Obama White House, but Clinton's. Obama's administration faced scandals from "Fast and Furious" to the IRS-Tea Party targeting to Benghazi. But his White House counsels managed to mostly keep the White House out of the picture; the agencies bore the brunt of the investigative onslaught. But Bill Clinton spent his entire presidency under a cloud of investigation, from Whitewater to Monica Lewinsky under the glare of Ken Starr. Staff who worked in the Clinton White House say it felt like there was a subpoena coming for them every day. The bottom line: For the most part, the staff who work in the Trump West Wing beyond the counsel's office have no idea what may be coming for them. But senior staff are now finally preparing for a tough new normal under House Democrats. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Monday that he has not yet decided when to step down and thus pave the way for snap parliamentary elections sought by him and his supporters. He insisted only that that the elections must be held in December. Under Armenias constitution, such a vote can be called only if the prime minister resigns and lawmakers fail to elect his or her successor in the next two weeks. Pashinian pledged to tender his resignation in the coming days when thousands of his supporters rallied outside the parliament building in Yerevan on October 2. They protested against a controversial bill that could complicate the dissolution of the National Assembly. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Pashinian was asked whether he has already made a decision on his resignation. No, I havent he replied. If it was just up to me I would have already resigned. But since the publics reaction is very vehement we need to once again think about that scenario. But the pre-term elections must be held in December, added the premier. Former President Serzh Sarkisians Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), which controls nearly half of the parliament seats, made clear, meanwhile, that it remains opposed to the holding of the elections in December. The HHKs parliamentary leader, Vahram Baghdasarian, said he can only guarantee that it will not nominate or back another prime-ministerial candidate if Pashinian agrees to delay the vote until next May or April. Baghdasarian also indicated that the former ruling party is open to compromise deals with the popular premier. We are inclined to resume the negotiation process from where it stopped And a negotiation means consensus, it means mutual concessions, he told a news conference. The HHKs stance on the election issue was backed until the end of last week by the second largest parliamentary force, the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK). The latter also said that political forces should have more time to prepare for the vote and amend the Electoral Code. But late on Thursday the BHK leader, Gagik Tsarukian, signaled his readiness to accept Pashinians demands. If the people want the pre-term parliamentary elections to be held in December then so do we, he said in televised remarks. Pashinian praised those remarks. He revealed that he and Tsarukian reached a common understanding at a meeting held on Sunday. He said that they will meet again later on Monday. One week after being driven out of Armenias governing coalition, Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) leader Gagik Tsarukian committed himself on Monday to helping Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian force snap general elections in December. In a joint memorandum signed after a meeting in Yerevan, the two men said they concur regarding the conduct of pre-term parliamentary elections before the end of this year. The document says that the BHK will therefore not nominate or endorse any other candidate for the post of prime minister after Pashinians widely anticipated resignation. The Armenian constitution stipulates that that the 105-member National Assembly, in which the BHK holds 31 seats, can be dissolved only if lawmakers fail to elect another premier in case of that resignation. Pashinian has pledged to step down to ensure that fresh polls are held in December. As recently as on October 2 Tsarukians party helped former President Serzh Sarkisians Republican Party (HHK) push through a bill that could complicate the success of Pashinians plans. The premier reacted furiously to the development, accusing the BHK and another coalition partner, Dashnaktsutyun, of involvement in a counterrevolutionary conspiracy. He also scrapped his power-sharing agreements with the two parties reached in May. BHK representatives said that the fresh elections should be held in May or June, rather than in December. Like HHK leaders, they argued that political forces need time to amend the Electoral Code and properly prepare for the ballot. Tsarukian signaled a change of this position in a televised interview aired early on October 5. If the people want the pre-term parliamentary elections to be held in December then so do we, he said. Pashinian hailed that statement at the start of Mondays meeting with Tsarukian. It was obvious from the content of your interview that we have something to discuss, he said in remarks publicized by his office. Tsarukian, who is also a wealthy businessman, stressed for his part that he and his party supported the Pashinian-led revolution that toppled Armenias previous government headed by Sarkisian. Nobody expected that Serzh Sarkisian will resign, the tycoon told Pashinian. I told the people then that I stand with you. Sarkisians HHK controls around half of the parliament seats. The former ruling party remains opposed to holding the elections in December. But it has yet to clarify whether it will try to install another prime minister if Pashinian tenders his tactical resignation this month. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 23 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Oct. 8. Armenian armed forces were using heavy machine guns. 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend A meeting between the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan is scheduled for the end of 2018, spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva told Trend. "As the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs said, after the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers with the participation of the co-chairs at the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 26, the co-chairs' visit to the region and the foreign ministers' meeting are expected until the end of 2018," she said. 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Anna Hakobyan, the wife of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, acts according to the scenario of creating the image of peace-loving Armenia, the chief editor of the Baki Kheber newspaper, political expert Aydin Guliyev told Trend October 8. He noted that the populism begins to predominate in the political elite of Armenia after the velvet revolution. "This form of political behavior, which was seldom used in the times of Serzh Sargsyan, takes on a systemic nature during the Pashinyan regime. Pashinyan took some of the power through pressure, then, after realizing the impossibility of carrying out concrete work, he even further reinforced populism in political course," the expert noted. Guliyev also said that by sending his son to serve in the military of the illegal regime established in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, Pashinyan sought to present this to the Armenian public as an example of the most modern patriotism. The expert added that the arrival of Hakobyan in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and her appeal for peace, the purpose and direction of which are unknown, are a continuation of the new populist policy of the Armenian elite. It is impossible to understand the logic of Hakobyans appeal to Azerbaijani mothers for peace, despite the fact that the latter are representatives of the people who lost their historical territories. Hakobyans appeal to Azerbaijani mothers actually has such an absurd content as keep your children from protecting their homeland. The editor-in-chief added that despite the fact that Hakobyan brought a group of Russian women to Nagorno-Karabakh under the pretext of "peace mission", the essence of the mission is that this is a new form of aggression that disguises itself as peace. First of all, the participation of any representative of the Russian state in this action speaks to the fact that Russia also understands the essence of this action. Secondly, if Hakobyan really wanted peace, she would have prevented her son from going to occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Thirdly, if Hakobyan pursued the peace-loving goals, she would send her appeal not to Azerbaijani women, but to Armenian women and would not come to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan," the expert said. He noted that Hakobyan would have seemed more peaceful if, instead of making new illogical appeals, she acted in accordance with the appeal of Mehriban Aliyeva to Armenian mothers, to refrain from sending their children to the occupied lands of Azerbaijan Guliyev added that the appeal of Hakobyan is in fact an unsuccessful attempt to call on Azerbaijani women to surrender. The expert added that Hakobyan is playing her role according to the scenario of creating the image of a peace-loving Armenia. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The biased opinion about Azerbaijan 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 testifies to his concern about the development of Azerbaijani-Russian relations, the Member of the Azerbaijani Parliament Aydin Huseynov told Trend October 8. The Azerbaijani MP reminded that Zatulin is a tool in the hands of Armenian circles and the Armenian lobby. "Apparently, Armenians and Zatulin are seriously concerned about the recent development of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, reciprocal visits of heads of state and documents signed in the framework of these visits to develop cooperation in various fields between the two countries, and Zatulin again fulfills the order of Armenians," Huseynov said. He noted that as a politician and a state official, Zatulin does not understand that his thoughts are contrary to the state policy of Russia. "Zatulin has always been known for his support of separatism and occupation. The Azerbaijani side declared him undesirable person after his participation in the 2010 election show of the illegal regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. It is no coincidence that earlier, in 2006, Ukraine also declared him an "undesirable person" for the escalation of situation with interethnic relations," the Azerbaijani MP said. Huseynov noted that the opinions of people like Zatulin cannot influence the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia. "Until now, the pro-Armenian position of Zatulin had no influence, and I think that neither Zatulin nor the Armenians standing behind him will achieve anything in the future as well and their concern and distress from the comprehensive Azerbaijani-Russian cooperation will grow," the Azerbaijani MP said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend An event related to the creation of the Coordination Council of Azerbaijanis and the beginning of the activities of the Azerbaijani school "Karabakh" has been held in Switzerland, the Azerbaijani Embassy to Switzerland said in a statement October 7. At the first meeting of the Azerbaijani diaspora organizations operating in the city of Bern, an exchange of views on their activities, current issues and upcoming tasks has taken place. Speaking at the event, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Khanim Ibrahimova, appreciated the current activities of the Azerbaijani diaspora, noted the need for organized activities of compatriots to achieve the challenges and gave recommendations to compatriots for their future activities. The Chairman of the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora of Azerbaijan, Fuad Muradov, called on members of the diasporas operating in Switzerland to show solidarity. Muradov said that the definition of strategic directions in diaspora issues will make Azerbaijani diaspora organizations one of the strongest organizations in the world. Muradov spoke about the development of a new roadmap for diaspora work. The chairman of the state committee said that the main goal is to unite all Azerbaijanis. It was decided at the meeting to establish the Coordination Council of Swiss Azerbaijanis with the aim of even closer consolidation of compatriots living in Switzerland and coordination of the activities of diaspora organizations. The director of the Cultural Center of Azerbaijanis in Switzerland, Gasym Nasirov was elected coordinator of the Council Then the video clip entitled as "Homeland is Close" describing the diaspora movement, was presented. At the end of the event, the official opening ceremony of the Azerbaijani school "Karabakh" took place. This school is a joint project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora and has been established with the organizational support of the Azerbaijani Embassy to Switzerland. The school will teach Azerbaijani language, history, national dances and piano playing classes. The Swiss citizens and other foreigners can also study at the school. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Azerbaijan has established close scientific ties with the structures of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and intends to further strengthen them, executive director of the Science Development Fund under the President of Azerbaijan Elchin Babayev told reporters on Monday. Babayev stated that for these purposes it is envisaged to use the scientific potential of young personnel, whose participation in high-level training is one of the priorities. This will allow them to continue their research at the international level. A springboard for this is the School on Space Weather (SW) of the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI). It is in this school that young specialists will be able to build close ties, which contribute to the development of intercultural dialogue and the scientific potential of the country, said Babayev. The Executive Director of the Fund mentioned that currently problems in the field of global navigation and satellite systems remain relevant. In particular, over the past ten years, scientists have been actively studying the effects of solar and geomagnetic activity on biological and technological systems. Today, Azerbaijan is a member of the space club, and the School on Space Weather (SW) is of particular importance to us, as the country uses satellites for various purposes for peaceful purposes. One of the important areas of SW is the training of industry personnel. Specialists from the Shamakhi Observatory, Azerkosmos OJSC, the National Aviation Academy, and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies are studying at the Space Weather School in Azerbaijan, Babayev said. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR is waiting for the decision of the Albanian government on the feasibility study of the general gas supply plan for the country, the head of SOCAR Balkan, Murad Heydarov told Trend. "The final document of the feasibility study of Albanias gasification plan has already been prepared by the consultant of the Albanian government, and we have assisted and made comments. The feasibility study has already been submitted to the government and needs to be approved," Heydarov said. "I emphasize that we are not a contractor of this project. Immediately after completing the approval procedure for the feasibility study, within its framework, as one of the priority projects, the Albanian government and Albgaz should build a gas pipeline between the cities of Fier, where the TAP pumping station is located, and Vlore, where the gas power station is located. In accordance with the bilateral commitments between the governments of Azerbaijan and Albania, we will carry out a detailed design of this project free of charge," he added. A memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the development of a general plan for the gasification of Albania was signed between Azerbaijan and Albania in December 2014. Albania is one of the European countries that will receive Azerbaijani gas within the framework of the Southern Gas Corridor. The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor project was held in Baku on May 29. The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. At the initial stage, the gas produced within the second phase of the development of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas and condensate field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. At a later stage other sources may be connected to the project. Gas under the second stage of field development will be exported to Turkey and to European markets by expanding the South Caucasus gas pipeline and building the Trans-Anatolian (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic (TAP) pipelines. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will enable the complete gasification of Albania, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Energy of Albania Enis Aliko told Trend. "Albania will have an exit point from TAP close to Fier, which will be built by TAP-AG, and will enable Albania to get gas from TAP. This will enable Albania to run the Vlora power plant on gas, once it is reinstated," he said. The deputy minister added that the pipeline will also enable Albania to supply two refineries with gas and a heavy-oil crude producer in the region of Fier. "Later, TAP will enable the complete gasification of Albania, in accordance with its Gas Master Plan, and the construction of other gas fired power plants, which will fulfill Albanias needs for electricity and will avoid electricity imports in times of dry weather and lack of sufficient rainfalls," said Aliko. TAP worth 4.5 billion euros is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries. 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. TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers). TAPs shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent). --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor Co.,Ltd (GAC Motor) might postpone the plan to deliver cars in the U.S. market due to the escalating Sino-U.S. trade dispute. "There may be a delay," said Yu Jun, general manager of GAC Motor, at the Paris Motor Show 2018 where the automaker unveiled its all-new Trumpchi GS5. He added that the company might wait until the first half of 2020 to step into the U.S. market. As part of GAC Motor's globalization strategy, the company had spent over 3 years studying the relevant laws and regulations about the North American market. GAC Motor was the only China's self-owned automaker that showcased cars at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. The automaker announced last November that it planned to sell vehicles in the U.S. at the end of 2019. At the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) kicking off on March 25 in Las Vegas, GAC Motor exhibited a product matrix consisting of the Trumpchi GS8, GM8, GA4 and GS4 and talked businesses with over 150 North American dealers on spot. However, the plan has to be cooled with the trade spat between two countries escalating. Yu Jun noted that GAC Group has a design center in Los Angeles and also deploys R&D centers in Silicon Valley and Detroit. The company is thinking of building a dealership network in the U.S. despite the current uncertainty of distribution tactics. GAC Motor is one of many automakers affected by the Sino-U.S tariff dispute. General Motor has warned that it may remove the China-made Buick Envision from its U.S. product lineup if it fails to gain a tariff exemption from the U.S. government. Last month, a report said Volvo Cars has asked the Trump administration to exempt the company's China-made mid-size XC60 SUV from additional tariffs. By Sara Israfilbayova Exports of polypropylene and high-density polyethylene from the SOCAR Polymer project, implemented in Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park, will increase exports of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan by 16 percent. Director General of SOCAR Polymer Farid Jafarov stressed that SOCARs annual sales of polypropylene and high-density polyethylene plants will amount to about $ 350 million, adding that about 75-80 percent of products will be exported. He went on to add that Turkey is selected as a priority market, further saying that exports to Russian and European markets are planned. The SOCAR Polymer project includes a polypropylene plant with a capacity of 184,000 tons and a plant for the production of high-density polyethylene with a capacity of 120,000 tons per year. The opening of the polypropylene plant was held on July 18 this year with the participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Italian President Sergio Mattarella. The plant for the production of high density polyethylene is planned to be commissioned in December of this year. SOCAR is a wholly state-owned national oil company headquartered in Baku, Azerbaijan. The company produces oil and natural gas from onshore and offshore fields in the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea. The company includes three production associations, one oil refining and gas processing enterprise, an oil flotilla, a deep-water base plant, two trusts, one institute, and 23 structures. SOCAR established joint companies (including Georgia and Turkey), alliances, operating in various sectors of oil and gas spheres. It has representative offices in Georgia, the U.S., Turkey, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Great Britain, Iran, Germany, Ukraine, Belgium and Canada. --- Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Sara Israfilbayova Preparations for the opening of the modular power station Lerik with a capacity of 16.5 megawatts are nearing completion. The Azerbaijani Energy Ministry told Trend that construction and installation work, as well as debugging work have already been completed. The ministry reported that the construction of two other power stations, Shimal-2 and Ordubad hydroelectric station, is also continuing. At the Shimal-2 power station, work continues in accordance with the schedule developed by Azerenergy OJSC. The construction of the second power unit of the plant, its integration with the first power unit, as well as the construction and debugging of the output channel of the refrigeration system, fire extinguishing system and installation for the purification of seawater, the ministry reported. At the same time, the construction of substations and switchgears was completed, their safety systems were installed, four 220-kilovolt power lines were built. The station is planned to be commissioned by the end of this year. Currently, the capacity of the power system of Azerbaijan is more than 6,000 megawatts. Throughout history, the power industry of Azerbaijan considered to be a dynamically developing industry, which plays a dominant role in the South Caucasus region. The electric power industry, along with the oil and gas industry, has a leading role in the economy of Azerbaijan. It also occupies an important place in the social infrastructure. To date, there are no settlements in Azerbaijan that do not have access to electricity. Energy development has always been one of the priority areas of the states economic and social policy, and sufficient funds have been allocated from the state budget for maintenance and construction of energy facilities. Earlier, it was reported that it is planned to commission a power plant in Lerik region with a capacity of 16.5 megawatts till the end of 2018. In 2017, 21.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity were generated in the republic, of which 20.2 billion kilowatt-hours accounted for thermal power stations and only 1.6 billion kilowatt hours for hydroelectric power stations. --- Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is starting its work in Strasbourg Oct. 8. Azerbaijani delegation headed by chairman of the parliamentary committee on international relations and inter-parliamentary ties, head of Azerbaijans permanent delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov will take part in the session that will last until October 12. The delegation also includes chairman of the Azerbaijani parliamentary committee on cultural affairs Rafael Huseynov, MPs Sevinj Fataliyeva, Sahiba Gafarova, Ganira Pashayeva, Ulviya Agayeva, Asim Mollazade, Chingiz Ganizade, Elshad Hasanov, Sabir Hajiyev, Fazil Mustafa and Nagif Hamzayev. During the session, the participants will hear a report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee of the Assembly on the work done, and the results of the observation of the parliamentary and presidential elections in Turkey held June 24 this year will be discussed. The participants will also discuss the procedures related to the PACE mandate and voting, unlimited access to PACE, UN member states, including grey zones, by Council of Europe and UN human rights monitoring bodies, as well as issues of nuclear safety, Islam in Europe, radicalization and Islamophobia, and other issues. The session participants will also hear a report by a member of the Azerbaijani delegation Sahiba Gafarova on the topic Radicalization of Migrants and Diaspora Communities in Europe, and an exchange of views will be held on this topic. MPs will also speak on issues on the agenda. Samad Seyidov told Trend that despite there are no issues directly related to Azerbaijan at the session, the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as issues related to refugees and IDPs will traditionally be on the agenda this time, too. ---- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The collapse of price bubble in gold coin is being witnessed in Iran and it is expected that the coin will reach its real price in the coming days, the head of the Union of Manufacturers and Exporters of Gold, Jewelry, Silver and Precious Stones, Abdullah Mohammad Vali told Trend. "These days, we are witnessing a sharp fluctuation in the market", he said. Simultaneously with the decrease in foreign exchange rates and regain of rial, commencing as of Monday evening, other markets including gold have shown a green light to the prices decline. The rial has been undermined by the prospect of U.S. sanctions after Washington pulled out of an international deal on Tehrans nuclear program. U.S. measures targeting Irans oil industry are due to take effect in November. Due to fear about US sanctions, people in Iran started purchasing gold coins to protect the value of their capitals. Abdullah Mohammad Vali said that today, in addition to those who bought coins and gold to maintain the value of their capital, the traders have become anxious. Insecure market conditions say no one can now plan for the future. "Today, the gold and coins markets are in the hands of brokers and intermediaries", he said. "On the other hand, daily news will cause the change in prices." Asking what happened in the last three days that prices experienced such a fluctuation? Mohammad Vali said "Now, the coin and currency market is under control of 200-300 people" "If the policymaker's predictions do not come in the right direction, the market will hit. " Regarding the coin price, he said: the coins price bubble has burst and the coin`s price is approaching its real price. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov While U.S.-Uzbek relations in economic sphere experience a rise in 2018, another important visit of American official is planned for October. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will visit Uzbekistan for the first time, Uzbek media outlets reported. During the visit, several large contracts in the sphere of economy and trade will be signed. A visit by an American official is scheduled for this month. The exact date of Wilbur Rosss visit to Uzbekistan is not reported yet. It is noted that the U.S. Commerce Secretary will take part in the U.S. and Uzbekistan Business Week scheduled for October 15-19. For the eight months of this year, the countries' trade reached almost $ 300 million, while for the whole of 2017 this figure reached only $ 210 million. The U.S. Business Week will be organized for the first time in Uzbekistan. During this week, a meeting of the Council of the Framework Agreement on Trade and Investment between the United States and the States of Central Asia (TIFA), the Central Asian Trade Forum and the Uzbek-American Business Forum will be held. This year, the focus of the Central Asian Trade Forum is on innovations and reforms in Central Asia, including e-commerce, rural development and policy reform. The Uzbek president, during his visit to New York on May 15-17, held a series of meetings with representatives of American companies and took part in a bilateral business forum. During the visit, over 20 major business deals between Uzbekistan and U.S. companies were signed, which, if fully implemented, will be worth more than $4.8 billion and could sustain more than 10,000 US jobs and open opportunities for billions of dollars in future contracts. The United States also ranked first among the countries investing in Uzbekistan's economy in the first quarter of 2018, according to the Central Bank. In 2017 the volume of trade turnover between Uzbekistan and the United States amounted to 210.2 million dollars. In the structure of Uzbek exports, the main share falls for services - 71.4 percent, mechanical equipment - 15.7 percent, dried pepper - 3.3 percent and fruit and vegetable products - 3.1 percent. In turn, pharmaceutical products, mechanical and electrical equipment, plastic products, optical instruments and devices, rubber, rubber products, vehicles, artificial fibers are imported from the U.S. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov A first meeting of the Ministries of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan chaired by the First Deputy Ministers of the two countries, Major-General Davron Nazarmuhamedov and Lieutenant-General of Police Vilayet Eyvazov, was held, Uzbek media outlets reported. In the course of the talks, the parties exchanged views, accumulated experience in the fight against crime and ensuring law and order. During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state and future prospects of the activities of the units of the parties to exchange information in the field of combating terrorism, extremism and illegal migration, cooperation in the fight against common crime and investigative activities, the state of interaction between the units of the parties in the area of transportation security, and ways to improve it. In conclusion, the parties signed a protocol on cooperation for 2019-2020. Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan were established on October 2, 1995. To date, more than 110 bilateral documents have been signed between the two countries. Thus, over the past period of 2018, both countries maintained active contacts in a wide range of areas. These include the visits to Azerbaijan of the delegations of Uzbekistan led by first Deputy Chairman of Senate of Parliament of Uzbekistan Sadiq Safayev, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Parliament Sarvar Otamuratov, Minister of Employment and Labor Relations Sherzod Kudbiyev, Defense Minister Abdusalom Azizov, Minister of Culture Bakhtiyor Sayfullaev, Interior Minister Pulat Babajanov and others. At the end of 2017, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $31.2 million, of which $26.2 million was accounted for exports of Uzbek goods and only $4.9 million fell for imports. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov French Total EREN and Uzbekenergo have agreed to jointly implement a project for the construction of a photopower station in the Samarkand region. "Our company is implementing projects in many parts of the world, including in the field of renewable energy sources. We are very pleased that we have the opportunity to implement a joint project with Uzbek partners. Our agreement on the development of solar energy is the first for the parties, but we are fully ready for its implementation. Uzbekistan has a huge potential for the development of wind and solar energy. We are sure that our joint project will contribute to the dynamic development of the republics economy," said Executive Vice President Fabienne Demol. Previously, it became known that the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, will support construction of a solar power station in Navoi region of Uzbekistan with a capacity of up to 100 megawatts. In addition, SkyPower Global (Cayman Islands) intends to invest $1.3 billion in the construction of solar power plants in Uzbekistan. The facilities are planned to be built in Tashkent, Samarkand, Navoi, Djizak, Surkhandarya and Kashkadarya regions. Uzbekistan this year suspended the construction of the first large solar station with a capacity of 100 MW, which was to be located in the Pastdargom district of the Samarkand region. In 2016, the tender for construction was won by the Chinese Zhuhai Singyes Green Building Technology. The project worth $275.8 million was to be financed through loans from the Asian Development Bank and by the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan and Uzbekenergo. Later, however, as a result of careful examination of technical and economic documents related to the project, it was found that the project should be revised, resulting in suspension of the construction of a solar power plant in the Samarkand region. Earlier, Uzbekistan announced its plans to build five solar photovoltaic stations with a total capacity of 500 MW and a preliminary cost of more than $1.1 billion by 2021. Experts estimate that the total potential of solar energy in the republic exceeds 51 billion tons of oil equivalent. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Textile and clothing production in Tajikistan for the eight months of this year increased by almost 30 percent, Avesta reported. Ministry of Energy and Industry of the country states that the amount of production of textile and clothing products during this period made more than 844.5 million somoni (more than $ 89.6 million). In the textile and clothing industry, the industrial production index increased by 29.1 percent due to an increase in the output of cotton fiber, fabric, carpets and carpet products, and hosiery. As statistics agency of the country reports, for the specified period, the textile exports amounted to more than $ 149.6 million, which is $ 71.6 million, or 92 percent more than the same period last year. Of the total exports, over $ 106.9 million is accounted for exports of cotton fiber. In light industry, an increase in food production is also observed - by 2.3 percent due to an increase in the production of flour, meat, sausages, canned goods, and so on. During this period, food production amounted to more than 2.7 billion somoni ($ 287 million). This sector of the economy has a long tradition, the origins of which date back to the heyday of the Great Silk Road. In the middle of the last century, a complete production cycle was organized, including the production of raw materials, spinning, fabric manufacturing, and the manufacture of garments and carpets. The main products are fabrics and garments made from them, denim pants, shorts, textiles, carpet and leather products. The country has a full value chain, starting with the production of raw materials to the production of finished products. The sector has modern enterprises for sewing clothes, shoes. The government considers this sector a priority industry. It is planned to increase the export potential on the basis of the modernization of production, stimulating the creation of new enterprises. Tajikistan is also successfully implementing the International Trade Center (ITC) program, aimed at supporting the development of the textile and clothing industry and improving the quality management infrastructure. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz American colleges and universities are in the grip of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel propaganda. Heres what Chabad leaders at Pittsburgh colleges have done to create a safer environment for Jewish students, and foster thoughtful conversation on campus. Its that time of year. Students are scouring websites and second hand stores for used textbooks. Theyre splashing college colors onto their dorm room walls and slapping decals onto binders and cars. The leaves are turning, and school pride is in the air. But theres another attitude edging onto campuses worldwide, and its a lot more insidious. These days, anti-Israel sentiment is as likely to show up in a course curriculum as at a tabling session. The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions against Israel) agenda has become familiar to students and faculty. Students say that university campuses nationwide are challenging the freedom for Jewish expression and life. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) corroborates: according to their tally, anti-Semitic incidents on campuses rose 60 percent in 2017. Now, some Chabad representatives want to change that. From the top down. Although bespoke tours to Israel for college students and members of academia are common, Rabbi Shmuel and Sara Weinstein planned one for senior administrators from Pittsburgh-area universities that would offer them the opportunity to experience the country from within. The intimate group explored the breadth of Israel geographically, culturally, and pedagogically. They visited the nations expansive institutes of higher learning and the tight crevices of the Old City; they met with Israeli and Palestinian workers at a tahini factory, and they heard Jewish and Arab prayers mingle near the Western Wall. Hiking the Masada For these select administrators and their spouses, this tour was eye-opening. Our mission on campus is not Israel advocacy, although the Land of Israel is intrinsically tied to our lives as Jews, Rabbi Weinstein says. We are here to ensure that Jewish life and the Jewish experience flourish. These days, the two intertwine more frequently than ever. Anti-Zionism, a politically-acceptable mask for anti-Semitism, flourishes on campuses around the world. This trip is the culmination of thirty years of nurturing relationships with college administrators, explains Sara, who directs Chabads efforts on nine local campuses with her husband. Though the universities in Pittsburgh are not at the center of anti-Israel or anti-Semitic action like other campuses, we had a tipping point three years ago. In that incident, which was widely reported in the national press, SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) hijacked Holocaust Memorial Day to promote anti-Israel propaganda. I had an epiphany, Sara recalls. There is a lot of effort towards Israel advocacy being put into different student groups on campus. But there is no major, concerted effort to show Israel itself to college policy makers. As the ones who largely set the atmosphere on campus, we believed it was important for them to see Israel for themselves. And so they did. Dr. Kathy Humphrey prays at the Western Wall in Jerusalem Dr. Kathy Humphrey is the Senior Vice Chancellor for Engagement at the University of Pittsburgh. This trip was a first for her. I hope that my experience will help me advocate for global experiences for our students and continue to promote informed, meaningful, and constructive dialogue about important global issues on campus, she says. The trip served as a stop on my lifes journey to reflect on all that has happened. It was a reminder that truth can be presented from many different perspectives. It was a reminder that we must all speak up for what we believe is good or right, and it was a reminder that our work requires us to be lifelong learners, always striving to gain wisdom. Before the eight-day trip organized by The Presidents Tour, Humphreys primary perspective on Israel came from the media. Such was the case for fellow participant Dr. Kenyon Bonner, who serves as the schools Vice Provost and Dean of Students. So much of what we know about a foreign land comes from what we read in the media, he says. But thats not entirely the whole picture. I feel like Im more informed about how life in Israel plays out on a day-to-day basis. My personal perspective was more informed by talking to people. The visit was no first for the Weinsteins, who met in Israel and lived there for several years before leading four Birthright trips for students. Despite their familiarity with the country, they report that every trip is a thrill. And this one did not disappoint. Being able to see the land through the eyes of our administrators was exciting and inspiring, says Sara. Months before touching down in Ben Gurion, Chabads campus couple met with the administrators to prep them for the trip. The administrators had been exposed to false depictions of Israel as an Apartheid state; in a state of of perpetual war; that any time Jews and Arabs were in proximity there was conflict, Shmuel explains. But when they got there, they saw the narrative wasnt playing out. The group poses before their first Friday night dinner in Israel On the trips official first daya Fridaythe group visited the Western Wall. They left the Old City at the same time as masses of Muslims were completing Ramadan prayers. Rabbi Weinstein remembers the groups surprise: We were all walking together and it was fairly quiet and solemn. There were no threatening exchanges between the two groups. The security patrol wasnt frisking anyone, and it was clear that they were there to keep everyone safe. We were there during Ramadan, shares Scott Mory, Carnegie Mellons Vice President for University Advancement. On Friday night, we ate dinner overlooking the Western Wall. We could see and hear Jews praying by the Wall and Muslims praying on the Temple Mount. They were so close to each other that if you closed your eyes, you couldnt tell who was who. To their surprise, the administrators witnessed many moments of peaceful coexistence as the week progressed. At the Achva factory, Israeli and Palestinian workers made tahini and halva together in identical working conditions for the same pay. During a visit with students at Ariel University, the college leaders met with Ethiopian, Arab, and American students who spoke about their joint research and training. Over dinner in Efrat, the citys mayor discussed how he collaborates with his Arab counterparts. Its that image of a peaceful coexistence most everyone aspires to, said Mory. The Weinsteins are working with other Chabad campus representatives to reproduce this experience. They shared their story at Chabads annual Campus Convention this summer, where they discovered that many Chabad campus leaders were eager to get the ball rolling at their own schools. Scott Mory enjoying his time in Jerusalem Rabbi Yosef Silverman, chairman of the Board of Chabad House on Campus and local business executive, has worked behind the scenes at Pittsburghs main universities for almost three decades. He joined the Weinsteins and the university administrators with his wife, Fraydi. Seeing is believing, Silverman says. It isnt enough to bring an Israel advocate to the people. We needed to bring the people to Israel. For too long, the issue has been dominated by hostile rhetoric, promoting misinformation that vilifies Israel and leaves Jewish students on campuses feeling besieged. Silverman is convinced that the tour made the fight against anti-Semitism more effective. Now, if student groups approach administrators with the argument that Israel is an apartheid state, the administrators will be in a better position to respond. Kenyon Bonner of the University of Pittsburgh explains: We encourage our students to engage in civil dialogue about a variety of issues, including contentious issues. He says that his tour of Israel enhances my ability to talk with our students and help them engage in meaningful, productive, and informed conversations about issues they are passionate about. Carnegie Mellons Scott Mory came away with a firm conviction and a plan. One of my takeaways is that in order to reach a peaceful state, we need to emphasize conversation. I intend to enhance that conversation starting with our own campus now. The group of administrators from Pittsburgh universities poses at the Western Wall Anna Smith writes a weekly column about Bakersfield. She can be reached at anna@sagebakersfield.com The opinions expressed are her own. More Information Hot spots What to watch for this week: The Northway (I-87), between Malta and Saratoga Springs: The Crescent Avenue and East High Street bridges are now open, but be on alert for off-peak lane closures underneath the bridges between Exit 12 (Malta) and Exit 14 (Saratoga Springs) as final bridge construction work continues. Hamburg Street, Rotterdam: Traffic open in both directions. Watch for flaggers and alternating traffic during continuing roadwork eastbound (Route 146). Michigan Avenue bridge, Schenectady: Left turns prohibited onto I-890. Detour by turning right onto eastbound or westbound I-890, then loop around at next exit. Columbia Street (routes 9 and 20) over South Street and railroad tracks, Rensselaer and East Greenbush: Reduced to two lanes through the fall for a rehabilitation project. Watch for lane shifts. Detour for tractor-trailers arriving from Route 9J over the Dunn Memorial Bridge to I-787 northbound, then I-90 eastbound to Exit 9, south on Route 4, and back to routes 9 and 20. Route 7, Brunswick: Watch for lane shifts, flaggers and workers between Leonard Avenue in Sycaway and Route 278 in Brunswick Center for work on ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps. County Route 9, West Berne: Bridge construction and rehabilitation will close the intersection of Dutch Settlement Road and County Route 9 through Thanksgiving. While repairs are made to the approach of the bridge over Fox Creek, a detour will run 16 miles along Rickard Hill Road and state routes 30 and 443. Thacher Park Road (Route 157): Closed through Nov. 27 to replace two culverts near the Thacher Park Visitors Center and Paint Mine Picnic Area. Posted detour to accommodate large trucks includes routes 157, 85 and 85A through Voorheesville, Route 156 through Altamont and then back to Route 157. I-87, from Route 378 in Menands to Tibbits Avenue in Green Island: Night paving work from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly through the end of October. Motorists should watch for single lane closures and ramp closures with signed detours. Route 67, Ballston Spa and Malta: Night paving work from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. between State Farm Boulevard in Malta and Route 50 in Ballston Spa. Traffic will be reduced to a single alternating lane controlled by flaggers through early October. WASHINGTON - Rage and frustration filled the streets of Capitol Hill before and after the U.S. Senate vote Saturday afternoon to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Protesters, voicing opposition and promising payback in November, arrived early and stayed late to express their anger with a process they viewed as deeply flawed and a new Supreme Court justice they find not suited for the seat. Chanting "We believe survivors!" "Vote them out!" and "Shame, shame, shame!" hundreds of demonstrators converged on the Capitol early in the afternoon, where they mixed with tourists and onlookers on the Capitol's East Front plaza. They had gathered, they said, to express their displeasure with senators who voted to confirm Kavanaugh despite the allegations of sexual assault made against him by Christine Blasey Ford and their belief that he was not truthful in his testimony before the Senate. "We'll remember in November," one sign read. "No Justice, No Seat," read another. The crowd grew and a large group of protesters marched up the Rotunda steps on the East Front of the Capitol. There, 150 protesters were arrested and charged with "crowding, obstructing, or incommoding," according to a statement from the U.S. Capitol Police. Later, police cleared the plaza, and demonstrators moved across the street to the front of the Supreme Court. On the Supreme Court steps, speakers addressed the crowd through a pop-up public address system, barreling through a roll call of those they blame for Kavanaugh's ascent, including Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. But the loudest howls of anger from the crowd came at the mention of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and what a speaker called her "garbage speech full of lies." The speakers exhorted the overwhelmingly anti-Kavanaugh crowd to take their anger to midterm voting booths on Nov. 6. Winnie Wong, senior adviser to the Women's March, one of several liberal groups that have organized opposition to Kavanaugh, said the protest was the first of several "coordinated disruptions" planned for the day. The group, she said, offered training in nonviolent protest tactics to as many as 1,300 activists. Many of them, she said, fanned out across the Capitol complex, with some seated in the Senate gallery Saturday afternoon. "There are a number of friendly senators who have provided passes to us," she said. "It's a clear message we are organized and we are not backing down," Wong said. "A women's wave is coming." When the voting began in the Senate chamber, a protester in the gallery shouted, "I do not consent!" Outbursts continued throughout the voting, causing Vice President Mike Pence, the Senate's presiding officer, to suspend the voting several times to instruct the sergeant-at-arms of the Senate to restore order in the gallery. Thirteen people were removed from the Senate galleries and arrested, according to Capitol Police. Outside, the crowd waited for the result of the voting. A parade of signs painted the recent history of Democratic Party frustration and anger with the Supreme Court nomination process. "Vote Yes on Merrick Garland." "The Investigation was a Sham" and "Jeff Flake lied to the women in the elevator." A few pockets of pro-Kavanaugh supporters were also present. When Kavanaugh's confirmation was announced, a small group of supporters cheered amid boos. Chris, who declined to give his last name because he lives in a liberal part of Maryland, said he had to come into the hostile crowd to mark the elevation of a justice he expects to protect the parts of the Constitution he holds most dear, the right to free expression and the right to bear arms. "I felt the need to come show some support," said the 33-year-old, who wore a black Sons of Liberty T-shirt. But Kavanaugh supporters such as Chris were vastly outnumbered. The chants continued. The shouts of "Shame!" grew loudest at 4:30 p.m. when the doors to the Senate opened and Pence came down the steps to his motorcade. He waved once. A few cheers and claps mixed with a chorus of boos. A few Make America Great Again hats were waved amid a sea of raised middle fingers. Nicole Beck, an attorney for Break the Cycle, a group aiding victims of sexual assault, carried a sign that read, "Add a Tally If You Will Donate to Susan Collins' Opponent." By 1:40 p.m., the sign carried 82 ticks. "As a woman, she has betrayed all of us," Beck said of her focus on Collins, who gave a 44-minute speech in the Senate on Friday defending Kavanaugh. Beck called the speech "disgusting" and dismissed the notion that Collins had been a swing vote. "I don't think she was undecided. I think she was holding out to have the appearance of impartiality." Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., came out to address the crowd. "Unfortunately, democracy failed today," Blumenthal said. "The United States Senate confirmed a dangerous and deeply flawed nominee only by breaking all the rules." Blumenthal urged the crowd to send a message in the November midterms. After the announcement that Kavanaugh was in the building, protesters took their time climbing the steps of the Supreme Court, to be escorted back down by Capitol Police. "One more!" the crowd chanted each time. "Arrest sexual predators, not protesters." Then dozens of protesters pushed past the police line and occupied the Supreme Court steps, chanting, pumping fists, one doing yoga poses. The steps were quickly filled. By evening, a Capitol Police official had begun moving through the crowd to address them in small groups. His message: If they got themselves arrested, in all likelihood they would remain in jail until Tuesday. Monday is a holiday - Columbus Day. Courts will be closed. - - - The Washington Post's Paul Kane and Clarence Williams contributed to this report. The disappearance and alleged killing last week of dissident Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi while he was visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul is only the latest challenge to a U.S.-Saudi relationship that both governments have diligently cultivated. The Trump administration has said little beyond expressing public concern over Khashoggi's fate, and the kingdom has sharply denied any knowledge of his whereabouts. In private, officials from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on down have been frustrated with the lack of a substantive response to direct high-level queries, according to administration officials. Confirmation that Khashoggi was killed - as some senior Turkish officials have charged - or even his disappearance at Saudi hands is likely to spark a new round of congressional pressure to reassess the relationship with Riyadh. "If this deeply disturbing news report is confirmed, the United States & the civilized world must respond strongly, and I will review all options in Senate," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted Sunday, among a number of similar comments. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, long suspicious of Saudi religious extremism and historic ties to terrorism, more recently have been highly critical of Saudi actions in Yemen and at home. Only last month, they were dissuaded by the administration from stopping U.S. military sales and assistance to the kingdom - the world's largest purchaser of American defense hardware and a key partner in White House plans to bring Iran to heel and to forge an Israeli-Arab alliance. Pompeo's certification that the Saudis were "undertaking demonstrable actions" to reduce civilian casualties in Yemen caused by airstrikes with U.S.-provided weaponry followed an earlier Senate hold on arms sales over the kingdom's dispute with Qatar, another U.S. ally in the region. Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist, has been in self-imposed exile for the past year after leaving the country under what he said was fear of arrest. His columns, appearing in The Washington Post and elsewhere, have infuriated the ruling Saudi monarchy, particularly because of his criticism of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the powerful son of King Salman. In his most recent column for The Washington Post, published Sept. 18, Khashoggi wrote that Prince Mohammed, widely known as MBS, "promised an embrace of social reform," including ending the Saudi ban on women driving. "But all I see now is the recent wave of arrests," he wrote, including of intellectuals and religious leaders who have dared to criticize the crown prince and activists who had pressed to lift the driving ban. The Saudis have been a willing recipient of President Donald Trump's courting, which began in earnest during his first presidential trip overseas, to Riyadh in May 2017. In addition to hailing Salman as a wise and beneficent king of his own people, Trump virtually proclaimed him leader of the Muslim world and America's closest Arab ally. The trip also marked a foreign policy shift in which the administration began clearly to equate the purchase of U.S. arms with the pursuit of American policy interests. Since then, Trump rarely meets with a foreign leader - particularly from the Middle East - without publicly raising the subject of American sales of what he has referred to as "lots of beautiful military equipment." The apex of that goal so far, however, remains what he touted as $110 billion in Saudi purchases pledged during last year's visit. Not all of those deals have yet worked out, however. Despite a 20 percent price cut, the Saudis let a Sept. 30 deadline to lock in the $15 billion purchase of a Terminal High Altitude Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system expire without signing on the dotted line. Administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the sensitive U.S.-Saudi relationship, expressed concern that the price for the missiles, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is now likely to go up, even as U.S. willingness to concede to Saudi-demanded co-production provisions is likely to decrease. A Saudi official, asked about the deal, said that the kingdom remained "highly interested" in the THAAD system, but "like any military purchase, there are negotiations happening which we hope will conclude in the quickest means possible." At the same time, the Saudis have resisted U.S. entreaties to disavow any interest in buying Russia's S-400 antimissile defense system and have continued talks with Moscow. Purchase of U.S. defense systems is one component, along with a coordinated stand against Iran and rapprochement with Israel, of Trump administration hopes of drawing the six members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt and Jordan into what the administration has called a new "Middle East Strategic Alliance" (MESA). A planned summit to solidify the alliance, currently scheduled for January at Camp David, has repeatedly been postponed over the past year as its putative members have questioned its purpose and squabbled among themselves. "I would characterize the reception as generally accepting the idea in concept," said retired Gen. Anthony Zinni, the administration's MESA point man. Zinni toured the region late last month to exchange ideas. "Some are ready to say, 'Sign me up right now.' Others, obviously, have a lot of questions," he said. "No one rejected it outright." Some countries would like to see a mutual defense pact, akin to NATO's Article 5, along with a broad free trade agreement - neither of which the administration is interested in providing. Others, including the administration, would like it to be a vehicle for resolving the dispute with Qatar, but the Saudis and United Arab Emirates staunchly oppose that. Qatar and Oman are wary of Saudi, UAE and administration aggression against Iran, and all the Arab members worry that the administration harbors plans to use them to solidify a peace deal with Israel against the Palestinians. "Some weren't sure this gives them more than they [already] have bilaterally" in their relations with the United States, Zinni said of his recent consultations. "Some are afraid" that it would establish a "first among equals - giving too much to the Saudis," he said. "Our point was, let's put it all on the table. We're not trying to hide anything." Confirmation of Saudi responsibility for Khashoggi's disappearance could complicate efforts to get the alliance off the ground if Congress decides to punish Riyadh and public opinion in the United States demands a response. Despite their frequent differences, the White House and the Saudis have gone out of their way to present a united front. After Trump insulted Salman at a political rally last week, saying he "might not last two weeks in power" without U.S. protection and calling on Riyadh to "pay for your military," MBS gently deflected the comments. "Friends will say good things and bad things," he said in an interview with Bloomberg published Friday. "You will have some misunderstandings. So we put that in that category." Trump, he said, was merely making a political statement to "his own people." "If you look at the picture overall, you have 99 percent of good things and one bad issue," the crown prince said. "One percent. I love working with him." At the same time, he reminded, far from the United States "protecting" Saudi Arabia, the kingdom has "bought everything with money." A move by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association to hike insurance premiums by 10 percent is insensitive and unnecessarily cruel, the Jefferson County Commissioners Court said in a resolution Monday condemning the proposed increase. The states insurer of last resort says rates for residential and commercial policies are insufficient and said the increase will ensure the association, which covers more than 207,600 property owners, can respond to future claims. Hurricane Harvey losses were estimated to be $1.61 billion as of March, according to TWIA. We understand a number of coastal Texans are undergoing extraordinary hardship after Hurricane Harvey. It is certainly not our intent to worsen or minimize that hardship, a TWIA spokesperson said in an email. At the same time, we have a responsibility to make sure we have the funds necessary to pay claims in future situations like Harvey, which is the purpose of moving toward rate adequacy. TWIA rates increased by 5 percent each year between 2011 and 2018, with the exception of 2017 when they remained unchanged. The insurance group said the rate changes are consistent with the boards desire to achieve rate adequacy through a series of smaller rate increases, minimizing the amount of increase affecting policyholders in any one year. Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan could approve or deny the rate increase by Oct. 15. If approved, the higher rate would go into effect on Jan. 1, affecting both residential and commercial properties. According to the Texas Insurance Code, the associations rates must be reasonable, adequate, and not unfairly discriminatory. The TWIA Board of Directors deliberated at length and certainly did not take lightly the decision to propose a 10 percent rate increase, the association said. Jefferson County commissioners countered Monday that other alternatives could be investigated to prevent such a hardship on policyholders. A 10 percent rate increase will be detrimental to our economic development as employees seeking to locate here find it too expensive, the resolution said. Homeowners in Jefferson and 13 other coastal counties in the Texas Department of Insurances designated catastrophe area are eligible for a TWIA policy if they have been denied coverage by at least one private market insurer. Most mortgage companies in these counties require windstorm coverage. All 254 (Texas counties) share in the risk of windstorm, said Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick, who said he believed the coastal county designations were artificial, as though the damage stops at the county line. Both Hardin and Orange Counties received damage in previous storms and hurricanes, but neither are designated as first tier. The Bastrop County Complex fire was the most destructive wildfire in Texas history, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The 32,000-acre blaze was factored into other insurance premiums across the state, Branick said. But they dont share in the loss from our hurricanes, Branick said of the 240 Texas counties not in the designated catastrophe area. The resolution also called for windstorm reform, citing the states vested interest in providing all Texans with a system of insurance coverage which is grounded in fairness and equity. Branick said he believed all of 14 counties would denounce the insurance hike. The insurance association currently has 207,661 policyholders in the 14 coastal counties, with 27,883 policies in Jefferson County, 60,050 in Galveston County and 4,442 in Chambers County. Phoebe.Suy@BeaumontEnterprise.com twitter.com/PhoebeSuy Guiseppe Barranco/The Enterprise A vacuum gas oil leak at Motiva in Port Arthur shut down Savannah Ave for hours Monday, according to a news release from the company. The leak was identified and contained by personnel. Former pain management physician Howard Gregg Diamond, MD, pleaded guilty Oct. 5 to federal drug distribution charges, KATC News reports. Here's what you should know: 1. Dr. Diamond pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, in addition to other charges. 2. He will serve 20 years in federal prison. 3. In 2017, a federal grand jury alleged Dr. Diamond conspired with others to unnecessarily prescribe drugs such as fentanyl, hydrocodone and morphine. The prescriptions allegedly contributed to the deaths of seven people in Texas and Oklahoma from 2012 to 2016. 4. Dr. Diamond acknowledged responsibility for one patient overdose, his attorney told the Dallas Morning News. 5. Dr. Diamond practiced at Diamondback Pain and Wellness Center in Sherman, Texas, Dallas News reports. The Texas Medical Board suspended him in 2017. A group of cardiologists trained at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City is opening a string of technology-infused preventive cardiology clinics across the city, CNBC reports. The group's medical startup, Heartbeat, recently opened its clinics to the public after first testing its innovative approach in January with an estimated 2,000 participants. The company currently has two clinics in New York and plans to open two more in the coming months. Here are six things to know about Heartbeat: 1. Heartbeat, which has raised $2.5 million in venture funding, aims to work with patients who are at risk of developing heart disease and other chronic conditions. 2. Jeffrey Wessler, MD, a cardiology fellow at Columbia University Medical Center, founded Heartbeat in 2016 with a team of cardiologists, data scientists and patient experience specialists. His goal was to help patients at risk for heart disease avoid the condition using lifestyle changes and medical interventions. "I wanted to figure out whether we could go from a reactive to proactive state," Dr. Wessler told CNBC. "To me, that's really the next wave of where healthcare is going." 3. Heartbeat's clinics look like a cross between a physician's office, startup workspace and gym, according to CNBC's digital health reporter Christina Farr, who visited one of the sites. On one wall, there's a sign that reads: "Not just a doctor's office." 4. At the clinics, patients undergo standard tests such as blood pressure, blood oxygen, heart rate, electrocardiograms and body mass index calculations. The clinics also boast robust care teams, including a nutritionist and exercise therapist alongside cardiologists. Patients can even sign up to go on a run with a physician in Central Park using the clinic's online system. 5. Heartbeat's cardiologists employ various digital technologies, such as offering to review heart rate data from a user's Fitbit or Apple Watch. One of the most successful uses of technology has been a cardiac ultrasound, which shows patients what their heart looks like while its beating, according to Dr. Wessler. "It's an out-of-body experience for some people," he told CNBC. "A lot of them will say that they need to take better care of their heart." 6. Today, Heartbeat's clinics accept Medicare and many major health insurers. A single visit costs $200 and an annual membership is $299 for those paying out-of-pocket. Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health, in partnership with GoHealth Urgent Care, plans to establish a large network of urgent care centers across North Carolina. The first phase of the project will include constructing 15 centers in Charlotte and Winston-Salem, N.C. The first urgent care centers will open in early 2019 and several other centers will pop up in the following 12 to 18 months. The centers will serve as an after-hours alternative to costlier emergency room visits. They will be equipped with onsite laboratory and X-ray services to treat non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries such as colds, flu, minor cuts, burns, fractures, sprains and strains. "For Novant Health, our choice to expand our services with GoHealth Urgent Care is based on our commitment to continue providing quality care that is accessible, affordable and convenient for patients," said Carl Armato, president and CEO of Novant Health. "This new consumer-focused healthcare concept will allow us to reach more patients and better meet their needs right where they live, work and play." Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic received a $10 million donation from The Louis Gerstner Jr. Fund at Vanguard Charitable to support several initiatives across the health system. The grant will support five initiatives at Mayo Clinic's various care sites in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida. Mayo said the money will be used to advance research into augmented human intelligence in cardiovascular care as well as regenerative medicine for spine care. In addition, the grant will support ongoing educational opportunities for nurse practitioners and physician assistants. "We are very appreciative to The Louis Gerstner Jr. Fund at Vanguard Charitable for their generous grant to Mayo Clinic that has provided us with the support needed to advance five focused initiatives across our three main locations," said Gianrico Farrugia, MD, president and CEO-elect of Mayo Clinic in Rochester and CEO of Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. "We are grateful for the support and trust in Mayo Clinic to do what we do best. That is putting the needs of the patient first in all we do, including work in research and education." Pauls Valley (Okla.) Regional Medical Center is soliciting donations from local residents with high net worth, including country music star Toby Keith, as officials look for a long-term solution to the hospital's financial troubles, according to the Enid News & Eagle. The cash-strapped hospital has received an outpouring of donations in recent months to help it avoid closure. Donors have contributed about $200,000 to the hospital, of which $4,000 came from a GoFundMe campaign, according to the report. The hospital is now soliciting donations from corporate partners and individuals in the area. However, officials said this is only a short-term solution. "Obviously, it's not a long-term strategy," Frank Avignone, CEO of Tulsa-based Alliance Health Partners Oklahoma, which took over management of the hospital in July, told the Enid News & Eagle. "There's no way we can run the hospital on a GoFundMe donation." In September, Mr. Avignone attributed the hospital's financial crisis to prior mismanagement, poor relationships with community physicians, low admission rates and other challenges facing rural hospitals. The hospital also owes $1.3 million in Supplemental Hospital Offset Payment Program payments, and is involved in a federal lawsuit over management fees and delinquent loans from the hospital's former management company, Austin, Texas-based NewLight Healthcare. More articles on healthcare finance: Kansas hospital to close by year's end 15 health systems with strong finances Memorial Sloan Kettering tells exec to turn over profits from biotech firm Lunaticoutpost.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program , anaffiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.Amazon, the Amazon logo, MYHABIT, and the MYHABIT logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.Don't be a pest to the forum.No profanity in thread-titles or usernamesNo excessive profanity in postsNo Racism, Antisemitism + HateNo calls for violence against anyone..This website exists for fun and discussion only. 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The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.In accordance with industry accepted best practices we ask that users limit their copy / paste of copyrighted material to the relevant portions of the article you wish to discuss (no more than 50% of the source material) provide a link back to the original articleIf you are a legal copyright holder or a designated agent for such and you believe a post on this website falls outside the boundaries of "Fair Use" and legitimately infringes on yours or your clients copyright please contact [email protected] This website is owned by :Marco ZwaneveldDrijfriemstraat 522516 XR The HagueNetherlands.I will not rent, sell, share or otherwise disclose your personal information to any third party.We might contact you from time to time regarding your purchases or the services (like forums and announcement lists) you have subscribed to.Some of the 3rd party advertisers on lunaticoutpost.com may use cookiesto track peformance and/or to serve relevant ads.If you wish to read more and/or opt out of such cookies, please visit: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/ In an op-ed for Forbes, Robert Pearl, MD, former CEO of Oakland, Calif.-based Permanente Medical Group, spoke with a number of physicians during his various conference appearances about the fears they have regarding their profession and the industry, and why they only share those concerns with other physicians. "The industry's pulse is racing with fear. I've observed that in just the past 12 months, the once-mild anxieties of American doctors have transformed into clear and present phobias," Dr. Pearl writes. Here are the five fears physicians expressed to him, according to Dr. Pearl: 1. The fear of being poor. While most physicians Dr. Pearl surveyed said they supported the industry's change to a value-based care payment model in theory, they are concerned about the real-life implications of such a change. One physician told him that initially, CMS' pay-for-performance reimbursement criteria sounded like a good idea. However, the initiative has resulted in finite funding, and the program is becoming cost-neutral instead of rewarding all physicians who improve. "No matter how well we practice, 50 percent of us will be in the lower half," another physician told Dr. Pearl. "I figured that if we all improved, we'd all be rewarded. But by raising the bar every year, CMS guarantees there will always be losers. It's just another way to pay doctors less." 2. The fear of change. Providers who spoke with Dr. Pearl reportedly said the industry is not, and has never been, known for cost efficiency. However, many expressed concern that the new operating models being touted at national conferences may force physicians to work even longer hours, further straining their personal lives and families. While technology like EHRs were designed to aid physicians, one physician told Dr. Pearl all the EHR does is "slow [him] down," the report states. 3. The fear of politics. Healthcare may be one of the top issues for voters during the 2018 midterm elections, but some physicians expressed concern that policies from both parties may not be in Americans' best interest Republicans' mission to lower healthcare costs by stripping back insurance coverage would impede many patients' access to care, while the most vocal proponents of "Medicare for all" would reduce physician payments by at least 10 percent, according to Dr. Pearl. Since physicians typically spend at least half their reimbursement on office overhead, they would see a roughly 20 percent cut to their take-home pay. 4. The fear of being blamed. According to Dr. Pearl, many physicians he spoke with discussed the tendency to be inappropriately scapegoated for healthcare's skyrocketing costs. One surgeon reiterated that physicians have no control over pharmaceutical industry pricing or hospital billing procedures. "Pharma companies raise their prices 1,000 percent for brand-name drugs and Congress does nothing. Hospitals can bill patients $1,000 or more for a CT scan that takes two minutes. If I say no to either, my patient will find another doctor," the surgeon said. "I'm not the reason healthcare costs are out of control, but I get all the blame." 5. The fear of failure. Failure is the No. 1 fear physicians have, according to Dr. Pearl, and the burden of avoiding failure hits before they even begin practicing medicine. "As the pace and pressures of being a doctor increase each year, so do the fears of making a mistake. Doctors fret over errors all the time and worry their patients will be hurt by something they failed to do," Dr. Pearl writes, adding that those pressures result in growing rates of depression, burnout and suicide among physicians. To access the full report, click here. Culbertson, Mont.-based Roosevelt Medical Center's decision to rehire a nurse convicted of receiving child pornography has drawn significant criticism from the local community, according to the Billings Gazette. Hospital officials decided to rehire Denise Carlson, RN, and posted the notice to the hospital's Facebook page. Ms. Carlson pleaded guilty to a single charge of receiving child pornography on her computer in June 2009. She also admitted to downloading sexually explicit images and videos of minors for nine years before federal investigators traced her activities on a file-sharing program in 2008, according to the Billings Gazette. She was released from federal prison in 2016 after serving more than six years. RMC held a meeting Oct. 3 to discuss the hiring decision with concerned members of the community. Few of the individuals who responded to RMC's social media post appeared to support the hospital's decision, the report states. Several people vowed to take their children elsewhere for medical care, citing Ms. Carlson's status as a registered sex offender. RMC CEO Audrey Stromberg defended officials' decision to rehire Ms. Carlson to the Billings Gazette Oct. 4, stating the nurse had worked at the hospital for seven years as a "casual status employee" and regularly picked up other nurses' shifts before her conviction. "[Ms. Carlson] provided good nursing care. None of the charges were directed at activity while she was working here," Ms. Stromberg told the publication. She also pointed to the fact that rural hospitals typically have difficulty recruiting and retaining its medical staff. "[Recruitment issues are] part of the issue. It's a definite consideration. But it is not the entire decision," Ms. Stromberg said. To access the full report, click here. The Tulare (Calif.) Regional Medical Center board of directors approved the resignation of a former board member and his wife's clinical privileges Oct. 3, the Visalia Times-Delta reports. Ousted board member Parmod Kumar, MD, and his wife, Parul Gupta, MD, held clinical privileges at the hospital but resigned them on Oct. 3. The couple still practice medicine and have offices in Tulare, according to the report. Dr. Kumar served as a board member for the hospital from 1994 until he was recalled in July 2017. His wife joined the hospital's medical staff in 2001. Officials plan to reopen the hospital by Oct. 15, roughly one year after it closed, through a partnership between Tulare Regional and Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health. On Oct. 3, the board also approved 863 hospital policies related to the hospital's operations during the interim management services agreement period of the hospital's operations. To access the full report, click here. Four of the largest for-profit hospital operators have each entered into several transactions in recent months. Some of the companies are selling off facilities to strengthen their hospital portfolios, while others are exploring ways to expand their reach. Here's a breakdown of the transactions the for-profit hospital companies have entered into so far this year. Community Health Systems After selling off 30 hospitals in 2017, Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems announced late last year it intends to sell a group of hospitals with combined revenue of $2 billion. The company has already made significant progress toward that goal. CHS completed the sale of Bayfront Health Dade City (Fla.) to Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based Adventist Health System on April 1. In June, CHS divested four Tennessee hospitals and one Louisiana hospital. The company completed the sale of 425-bed Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, Fla., on Aug. 1, and sold AllianceHealth Deaconess in Oklahoma City on Oct. 1. CHS is using the proceeds from the transactions to reduce its debt load. The company's long-term debt totaled $13.67 billion as of June 30, a decrease from $13.88 billion as of the end of last year. HCA Healthcare Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare has entered into a few transactions so far this year. In February, HCA expanded its market presence in Georgia when it acquired Savannah-based Memorial Health, which includes a 612-bed academic medical center and primary and specialty care network. In late March, HCA announced it was looking to expand into North Carolina with the acquisition of Mission Health, a six-hospital, nonprofit system based in Asheville, N.C. The two parties signed a definitive agreement in August. Under the proposed transaction, HCA would use Mission Health as its platform for growth and expansion across the state. In April, Austin, Texas-based St. David's HealthCare, which is jointly owned by HCA and two nonprofit foundations, acquired The Austin Diagnostic Clinic, a physician group with nine locations. In September, HCA expanded its Gulf Coast Division with the addition of North Cypress Medical Center in Houston. LifePoint Health Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Health has sold several hospitals this year and agreed to be acquired by a private equity firm. In March, LifePoint announced plans to sell three Louisiana hospitals to Allegiance Health Management in Shreveport, La. The company completed the sale in August, and now operates only one hospital in Louisiana: Teche Regional Medical Center in Morgan City. In July, LifePoint entered into a definitive agreement to be purchased by private equity firm Apollo Global Management. Under the proposed transaction, LifePoint will combine with Brentwood-based RCCH HealthCare Partners, which is owned by Apollo. Tenet Healthcare After reporting a net loss in the third quarter of 2017, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare launched a $150 million enterprisewide cost reduction initiative. In December, the company expanded the plan, which involves cutting jobs, renegotiating contracts with suppliers and vendors, and divesting hospitals in non-core markets. In January, Tenet announced plans to sell St. Louis-based Des Peres Hospital to St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo. That transaction closed May 1. Tenet entered into a definitive agreement to sell its last two Philadelphia hospitals to American Academic Health System, an affiliate of El Segundo, Calif.-based Paladin Healthcare, in 2017, and the transaction was completed in January. In March, Tenet divested MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, Ill., and sold its minority interest in four Texas hospitals In July, the company announced plans to sell its three remaining hospitals in the Chicago area: Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago; Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, Ill.; and West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Ill. More articles on healthcare industry transactions: Spectrum Health finalizes merger with 3-hospital system Tower Health to acquire 19 urgent care centers Is bigger better? Mega mergers return to health systems 3 thoughts Patrick Wodni, once a chef at a popular Michelin-starred restaurant in Berlin, now prepares gourmet hospital meals using local, organic food on a budget, according to The New York Times. Mr. Wodni left the restaurant industry because he grew weary of serving 10-course meals, sought better hours and "wanted to be doing something useful," he told NYT. After accepting a chef position at a local hospital in Berlin, Mr. Wodni used his food industry connections to access locally and sustainably grown organic ingredients for patient meals. Within seven months, Mr. Wodni secured nine producers and six food wholesalers, compared to the hospital's original three wholesalers. He uses these high-quality ingredients to create hospital meals with a budget of just $5.50 per patient per day. "When I started, I took the budget, and said, 'What's doable with what we have?'" Mr. Wodni told NYT. "When you make 500 meals a day, you can scale." Mr. Wodni also meets with physicians at the hospital to discuss food menus and makes as many things from scratch as possible. He said he hopes the initiative will help transform how large institutions like schools and hospitals source and prepare food to increase demand for more regional, organic farming. "It's a choice, to create change from within," he told NYT. More articles on patient engagement: Johns Hopkins researchers develop tool to predict patient no-shows Where do patients share physician reviews online? 5 survey insights Viewpoint: How to turn '10 minutes into 20' with a patient Sixty-six Indiana hospitals will have Medicare payments docked in 2019 by a total of about $12 million from 30-day readmissions up from $9 million in penalties three years ago, the Indianapolis Business Journal reports. Five things to know: 1. CMS outlined the latest penalties in a September report. Eighty percent of Indiana's hospitals are facing penalties. The state is ranked 29th nationally for percentage of hospitals penalized. 2. The fines come from readmissions between July 2014 and July 2017. They include Medicare patients originally hospitalized for heart failure, heart attacks, pneumonia, chronic lung disease, hip and knee replacements and coronary-artery bypass graft surgeries. 3. To curb readmission rates, hospitals are sending patients home with discharge instructions and a month's worth of medications. They are also sending nurses and aides to discharged patients' homes for checkups. Patients can also receive vouchers for cabs or van shuttles to travel to their primary care physicians for follow-up care. 4. The hospital facing the highest penalty in central Indiana is Community Hospital North in Indianapolis, which will see its Medicare reimbursements docked 1.56 percent over twice what it saw last year (0.74 percent). 5. Indianapolis-based Indiana University Health was the only statewide system with no hospitals among the 20 in the state with the highest readmission rates. Massachusetts' ballot initiative to mandate nurse staffing ratios could hinder care quality and patient safety efforts, according to an op-ed written by three emergency medicine physicians and published in SouthCoast Today. Here are the op-ed's authors: Jennifer Pope, MD, chair of the emergency department at New Bedford, Mass.-based St. Luke's Hospital Brian Tsang, MD, chair of the emergency departments at Fall River, Mass.-based Charlton Memorial Hospital and Wareham, Mass.-based Tobey Hospital Matt Bivens, MD, EMS medical director of New Bedford, Mass.-based Southcoast Health hospitals The physicians called the state's ballot initiative for mandated nurse-patient ratios "a disaster-in-waiting for Massachusetts, especially for emergency departments," according to the op-ed. Here are four reasons they oppose the ballot initiative: 1. Existing processes prove effective. The physicians said nursing leadership effectively runs Southcoast Health's emergency departments. "Nursing leadership has the bird's eye view of the entire department, and no one knows better how to allocate staffing resources for the safest and best patient care," they wrote, arguing it is insensible to abandon a process that "already works." 2. The mandate would force hospitals to cut their workforces. The physicians argued the cost of hiring additional nurses would force hospitals to let go of support staff such as technicians, transporters and other ED workers. While the ballot initiative forbids such actions, the physicians said it would be impossible to enforce. "If nurses will be seeing patients with fewer (or no) support staff, that means nurses will no longer be working at the 'top of their license' medically," the physicians wrote. "They might have fewer patients but they would also have to take over every aspect of care associated with those patients, including tasks like lifting, transporting, cleaning and toileting, that are now shared with other staff." 3. Nurse-patient ratios would fuel premature discharges. "It's highly likely that patients will be rushed in and out of the hospital more aggressively to make room for the next patient," the physicians wrote. 4. ED wait times would increase. The physicians called emergency nurses "experts at time management," saying some nurses can safely care for numerous low-acuity patients at once. "Once the government states that every nurse can only see four patients, this well-oiled machine grinds to a halt," the physicians argued. "We worry [mandated nurse-staffing ratios] will cost jobs of ancillary staff, burden nurses with more low-skilled work, block patients in waiting rooms, rush patients out of the hospitals early and break systems across the state that are already known for high-quality patient safety and care," they concluded. More articles on clinical leadership and infection control: 5 more Ebola cases confirmed in eastern Congo Viewpoint: Physician's gender affects treatment approach for female cancer Washington hospital program provides shelter for homeless patients in recovery Doreen Carvajal, a Paris-based journalist who was diagnosed with peritoneal cancer in fall 2017, highlighted the differences in her healthcare experiences with a male physician in the U.S. and a female physician in France in a recent op-ed published by STAT. Here are five things to know: 1. Ms. Carvajal said that when she asked her American physician at a community hospital about a prognosis for her cancer, he said, "Do you really want to know? Your cancer is incurable." 2. When she asked the physician about alternative treatments at other hospitals or new medical techniques, the physician told her every hospital follows the same standard treatment. However, Ms. Carvajal said she could not accept this answer. "I raged at the notion of being ushered toward a comfortable death by male doctors from a community hospital who confidently assured me that this was the sole treatment for a female malady," she wrote in the op-ed. 3. Ms. Carvajal researched studies examining treatment of female illnesses and found a 2013 survey of 13,000 women in California with ovarian cancer. The survey showed about two-thirds did not receive standard care.because they were being treated at hospitals that did not see many cases of ovarian cancer. "The lesson was clear: Low-volume hospitals may not have access to gynecologic oncologists who are aware of the latest treatments with better success rates," she wrote. 4. Ms. Carvajal went to stay with her family in Europe and started seeing a female oncologist just outside of Paris. The physician proposed treating her with an immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial with just six women participating, which proved successful. "To my amazement, I emerged as the poster girl for my tiny trial," she wrote. 5. Ms. Carvajal later received a hysterectomy as part of her treatment and is now cancer-free. She sent her medical charts to her initial physician in the U.S. to share with the next female patient he encounters with an ovarian-related illness. "Tell her to seek the research. Give her the latest information. Give her hope," she wrote in an email to the physician. More articles on clinical leadership and infection control: National Healthcare Supply Chain Week, sponsored by the Association for Healthcare Resource and Materials Management, recognizes the crucial role supply chain professionals play in delivering high-quality patient care while reducing costs for their organization. This year, the celebration takes place Oct. 7-13. The theme of SC Week 2018 is "healthcare supply chain: innovation through collaboration." AHRMM encouraged hospitals to submit a photo, infographic, video or article of their staff members embodying this year's theme of innovation and collaboration. Various content will be featured on AHRMM's website, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube pages throughout the week. The website also has a list of more than 15 ways hospital leaders can honor their supply chain staff this week. The following healthcare organizations shared hiring plans since Sept. 11: 1. Dayton Children's seeks hundreds of workers Dayton (Ohio) Children's Hospital will host a job fair to fill hundreds of positions. 2. UCHealth has about 285 job openings for Colorado hospital opening next year Aurora, Colo.-based UCHealth seeks to fill about 285 jobs for its 53-bed hospital under construction in Greeley, Colo. 3. Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, 18 other hospitals hiring nurses Here are 20 hospitals and health systems that recently posted job listings seeking nurses. 4. HCA listed among top companies hiring for $100K+ jobs Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare was one of the top 15 companies hiring for six-figure jobs in September, with more than 500 job openings, according to a report from job seeker resource website Ladders. 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 Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 1 Vote(s) - 5 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 453356 10-08-2018 07:40 AM Post: #1 Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities Advertisement Early arrival of sea ice Authorities in Canadas Arctic north are scrambling to transport critical supplies to three communities Paulatuk, Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay after the early arrival of sea ice prevented delivery barges from reaching the region. The three isolated communities, with a combined population of nearly 3,000, have been unable to receive shipments of food, fuel and lumber after ice sealed off the Amundsen Gulf. The government plans to airlift nearly 600,000 litres of diesel fuel to ensure sufficient reserves to weather the bitterly cold winter. The operation is expected to involve 50 to 60 flights. This is absolute ridiculous, said Joh Holland, a municipal representative from Paulatuk. Weve got people waiting for food. Weve got hunters waiting for vehicles. Ice so extreme even the icebreaker couldnt get through. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/o...e-supplies Grocery store shelves are quickly becoming bare._________________Early arrival of sea iceAuthorities in Canadas Arctic north are scrambling to transport critical supplies to three communities Paulatuk, Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay after the early arrival of sea ice prevented delivery barges from reaching the region.The three isolated communities, with a combined population of nearly 3,000, have been unable to receive shipments of food, fuel and lumber after ice sealed off the Amundsen Gulf.The government plans to airlift nearly 600,000 litres of diesel fuel to ensure sufficient reserves to weather the bitterly cold winter. The operation is expected to involve 50 to 60 flights.This is absolute ridiculous, said Joh Holland, a municipal representative from Paulatuk. Weve got people waiting for food. Weve got hunters waiting for vehicles.Ice so extreme even the icebreaker couldnt get through. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466796 10-08-2018 08:01 AM Post: #2 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities Bloody Global Warming ! LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466793 10-08-2018 09:00 AM Post: #3 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities LoP Guest Wrote: (10-08-2018 08:01 AM) Bloody Global Warming ! Yeah...the arctic melting sure fuckedd things up a tad. Yeah...the arctic melting sure fuckedd things up a tad. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466796 10-08-2018 09:06 AM Post: #4 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities LoP Guest Wrote: (10-08-2018 09:00 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (10-08-2018 08:01 AM) Bloody Global Warming ! Yeah...the arctic melting sure fuckedd things up a tad. Only on one side and has frozen on the other as the Earth HAS tilted ! You cant tax Earth tilt tho can you ? You sure can tax under arm deodorants and fuel for "man made climate change" tho cant you ! Only on one side and has frozen on the other as the Earth HAS tilted !You cant tax Earth tilt tho can you ? You sure can tax under arm deodorants and fuel for "man made climate change" tho cant you ! Pasta Lover Registered User User ID: 418981 10-08-2018 09:13 AM Posts: 9,463 Post: #5 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities Global cooling is what is happening. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466793 10-08-2018 09:19 AM Post: #6 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities Pasta Lover Wrote: (10-08-2018 09:13 AM) Global cooling is what is happening. And according to the big book of DERP global cooling is caused by global warming. And according to the big book of DERP global cooling is caused by global warming. Pasta Lover Registered User User ID: 418981 10-08-2018 09:27 AM Posts: 9,463 Post: #7 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities LoP Guest Wrote: (10-08-2018 09:19 AM) Pasta Lover Wrote: (10-08-2018 09:13 AM) Global cooling is what is happening. And according to the big book of DERP global cooling is caused by global warming. If only we had a round Earth. That would be awesome. If only we had a round Earth. That would be awesome. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466793 10-08-2018 10:07 AM Post: #8 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities Pasta Lover Wrote: (10-08-2018 09:27 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (10-08-2018 09:19 AM) And according to the big book of DERP global cooling is caused by global warming. If only we had a round Earth. That would be awesome. Yeah....such a shame its a cube. Yeah....such a shame its a cube. Natura Naturans Registered User User ID: 441875 10-08-2018 04:10 PM Posts: 13,155 Post: #9 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities https://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/12/16/n...ong-again/ I'm sorry, but I can't believe this, Al Gore said the Arctic melted in 2013. The highest activity a human being can attain is learning for understanding, because to understand is to be free. --Baruch Spinoza LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466793 10-09-2018 04:28 AM Post: #10 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities LoP Guest Wrote: (10-08-2018 10:07 AM) Pasta Lover Wrote: (10-08-2018 09:27 AM) If only we had a round Earth. That would be awesome. Yeah....such a shame its a cube. Its actually a triangle. Its actually a triangle. Pike Registered User User ID: 412570 10-09-2018 04:42 AM Posts: 1,609 Post: #11 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities Pasta Lover Wrote: (10-08-2018 09:13 AM) Global cooling is what is happening. You are dead on right. It is definitely getting colder. And the sun is reaching a solar minimum that will last a couple of years. BRRRrrrrrrrr.... http://www.spaceweather.com/ You are dead on right. It is definitely getting colder. And the sun is reaching a solar minimum that will last a couple of years. BRRRrrrrrrrr.... http://www.fromthetrenchesworldreport.com My Website: https://canadianrepublicradio.blogspot.ca/ LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466793 10-09-2018 05:05 AM Post: #12 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities Pike Wrote: (10-09-2018 04:42 AM) Pasta Lover Wrote: (10-08-2018 09:13 AM) Global cooling is what is happening. You are dead on right. It is definitely getting colder. And the sun is reaching a solar minimum that will last a couple of years. BRRRrrrrrrrr.... http://www.spaceweather.com/ But the experts say global warming is whats causing all the ice. But thats not suprising. They are all libs. Whats hot is cold. Whats good is evil. Whats up is down. But the experts say global warming is whats causing all the ice.But thats not suprising.They are all libs.Whats hot is cold.Whats good is evil.Whats up is down. Blastbeat Industries Registered User User ID: 453134 10-09-2018 05:08 AM Posts: 1,695 Post: #13 RE: Canada Extreme sea ice prevents crucial deliveries to isolated communities Hot Ice : liberal excuse or rockin' hair metal band? Kanye West used to be the real vice-president. Censorship is still un-American. Nashville Public Radio outlined five key trends for device company sales representatives in the orthopedic operating room. Here are the five trends: 1. Former Stryker sales rep and current Ortho Sales Partners member Chris Stewart saidsales representatives must obtain permission to observe surgeries. While they can't touch the patient or sterile instruments, he said, they can use a laser pointer to indicate tools or parts on the surgical tray to make the procedures as efficient as possible. 2. Washington, D.C.-based Georgetown University's Adriane Fugh-Berman said she feels sales representatives should be banned from the operating room. Based on her research and experience studying medical device sales, she is concerned about sales reps who are directed to tout the newest devices, which are often the most expensive, despite more evidence proving the effectiveness of older versions. 3. As hospitals and health systems become more cost-conscious, providers are analyzing all costs in the operating room and have become skeptical of whether the extra cost is worth the new device. Doug Jones, a former DePuy rep that now works with HealthTrust in Nashville, Tenn., said hospitals are aiming to "rightsize" the role of reps. Sales reps could make 10 percent to 25 percent commission on pedicle screws and rods, according to HealthTrust research. 4. HCA's TriStar Centennial in Nashville, Tenn., among others, have banned selling devices in the OR and only allow reps to "support" cases. HealthTrust's Brent Ford said hospital administrators are realizing the sales reps are making "too much money" on the cases and feels "that's why they want them out." In some cases, hospitals are purchasing equipment from smaller firms that don't require sales reps but offer devices similar to the ones offered by larger companies. 5. Orthopedic surgeons may rely upon sales reps to make sure their instrument trays are organized and set up correctly. The reps deliver those trays to the hospital in time for sterilization before cases. According to the report, hospitals that no longer have reps in the OR hired additional staff to help with the orthopedic cases. CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga (Tenn.) installed the Mazor X Robotic Guidance Platform, according to The Chattanoogan. With the installation, CHI Memorial Hospital is the first hospital in the region to offer robotic spine surgery. "The Mazor X is only available at a small number of hospitals across the [U.S.]," orthopedic surgeon Alex Sielatycki, MD, told The Chattanoogan. "As the first in the Chattanooga region to offer robotic guidance for spinal surgery, we are proud to bring the very latest surgical technology to this area to provide enhanced surgery care." In September, Medtronic began the process to fully acquire Mazor Robotics for $1.64 billion. Medtronic partnered with Mazor in May 2016 on a multi-phased strategic and equity investment. Then in August 2017, Medtronic became the exclusive worldwide distributor of the Mazor X. After the acquisition is complete, Medtronic aims to advance and accelerate the adoption of robotic-assisted spine surgery. Medtronic also anticipates the acquisition will generate a double-digit return on invested capital by year four. Former Seattle-based King County Correction Facility inmate Bryan Telford was awarded $1 million after he suffered a spinal cord injury that went untreated, according to The Seattle Times. Here are five things to know: 1. Mr. Telford fainted and fell in September 2016 while in custody. He saw jail medical staff later in the day and asked to be taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The jail staff declined his request, according to the lawsuit. 2. Ten days after the fall, Mr. Telford was taken to the hospital after symptoms worsened. During the 10 days he went untreated, Mr. Telford suffered another fall. When he reached the hospital, he could not walk or use the bathroom. 3. At Harborview Medical Center, Mr. Telford underwent spinal surgery. Surgeons addressed swelling and a compressed spinal cord, which required a vertebral fusion. 4. In his lawsuit, Mr. Telford argued King County Correctional Facility failed to meet the required standards for detainees' medical treatment by refusing to transfer him to Harborview Medical Center. 5. In the settlement agreement, the Washington country will pay Mr. Telford $1 million. However, the settlement does not require the correctional facility to change its policies. Reaching a Brexit deal is critically important for Northern Ireland, business leaders have said. They met European negotiators in Brussels on Monday for useful and constructive discussions lasting two hours. Little over a week remains before a heads of state summit which was once supposed to have resolved the vexed Irish border issue. Useful discussions with the EU Task force 50 at their invitation. Gives us a much better understanding of EU position on backstop. Now we need clarity from UK govt. Backstop is better than no deal. Aodhan Michael Connolly (@MichaelAodhan) October 8, 2018 Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Ann McGregor said: It is clear that no-deal is bad for Northern Ireland businesses, consumers and future job creation. The delegation of Northern Ireland businesses was invited to Brussels on Monday by Task Force 50 (TF50) to discuss their version of the Irish border backstop and to have a technical conversation about what this means for businesses who trade throughout the UK, into the EU and internationally. Task Force 50 is the organisation conducting the EUs negotiations with the UK. The backstop is to be introduced if no deal if struck between the EU and UK and has been interpreted by Europe as meaning Northern Ireland continuing to follow EU rules on trade to prevent imposition of a hard border. The Prime Minister and her DUP allies are opposed to any proposal which would see Northern Irelands regulations diverge from those in the rest of the UK, in effect creating trade barriers within the UK. The UK is expected to table fresh proposals in an effort to break the deadlock soon. Ms McGregor said: We had a good constructive conversation and TF50 were able to answer many of our questions. We left with some things to think about and challenged TF50 to look at certain areas. Useful discussions with the EU Task force 50 at their invitationRetailer Aodhan Connolly She added: We need to see a deal in place and we urge the negotiators on both sides to use the limited time ahead to reach a deal that works not only for the EU and the UK but critically for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland businesses and business representative groups who met with the task force were from agri-food, manufacturing, retail, construction, pharma, freight and services. Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium which represents large traders like Tesco, tweeted: Useful discussions with the EU Task force 50 at their invitation. Gives us a much better understanding of EU position on backstop. Now we need clarity from UK govt. Backstop is better than no deal. Christina Bennington with Andrew Polec in Bat Out of Hell, which is playing to packed audiences in London Christina Bennington with Andrew Polec in Bat Out of Hell, which is playing to packed audiences in London She is currently playing one of the top roles in the West End, as Raven in the rock musical Bat Out of Hell. And Christina Bennington, who is originally from south Belfast, owes landing the job of a lifetime to her parents back home. "I was very fortunate when it came to leaving school that my mum and dad allowed me to pursue my dream of acting," she explains. "As a former head girl of Methodist College in Belfast, there was a certain expectation on me to go down the academic route, to study something like law or medicine, but I always wanted to be an actress. "Luckily, my mum and dad supported my decision. They let me choose my own path. Thankfully, it paid off." After completing her A-levels, Christina was offered a place at Guildford School of Acting in Surrey. "It was one of the toughest transitions," she recalls. "Mum and dad came with me to my halls of residence the first time - I remember when they left me, I burst into tears. I felt so lonely and scared about what lay ahead, but it really was the best decision I ever made. "My life changed dramatically. Many people do not realise the discipline that's involved in acting school. "My days would start at 8.30am and go on until 9pm. It was very long and intense, but I learnt so much." Christina owes a lot of her skillsets, including her strong vocals, to the early training she received at Methody, where she was involved in every play and every choir. "At school, I learnt to sight-sing, which is singing a piece of music on sight," she says. "It's a very useful tool for theatre." Following her three years in Guildford, Christina had a small window in which to start looking for work. "It is a very competitive industry and everyone comes out of college fresh and ready for auditions," she says. "It was a very daunting but exciting time. You only really have the space of a couple of months to get yourself out there and to start applying for jobs. "I was very fortunate, because I got an amazing agent right away. "I think that is the key to getting ahead in this industry. You need someone who will fight for you and fight to get you into the room and be seen for auditions." The industry is not for the faint-hearted. You have to be prepared to work hard and take the highs with the lows."You need to realise that, as an actor, there might not always be work for you, but at the same time, you need to pay the bills and afford to live, so you have to learn to take jobs in between acting roles," Christina says. "It comes with the territory. I've worked as a nanny and a waitress while waiting on jobs to come up." Her first break in theatre came not long after leaving college, when she was offered a part in a production of A Christmas Carol at a theatre in Birmingham. "That was a real learning curve for me," she admits. "I learnt so much when I was working. I had a terrific cast around me who taught me so much." Next came a performance in a small theatre in London in a fringe production of Finian's Rainbow, in which she played the lead female role. Her other parts have included stints in productions of Sweeney Todd, Show Boat and Oklahoma. "This isn't an ordinary job or a nine-to-five role," she says. "It can be crazy climbing the ladder in acting - you tend to go up and down." When the role of Bat Out of Hell's Raven was offered to her, Christina had her doubts. "When my agent mentioned it, I was thought there was no way I could do it," she admits. "I couldn't sing rock every night - I was more used to classical-type theatre - but I decided to audition for the part anyway and see where it took me." Then came the call that the producers wanted to see her again. "They kept asking me to come back and I just thought, 'Well, if I am going to go for this, I better give it my all', so I went along for the ride and threw myself into it," Christina says. "I was delighted when I was offered the part "The casting team decided to take a chance on me. They could have gone with a 'name', with someone with a profile, but they said they liked what I brought to the role and how I made Raven come to life." Since then, Christina has been touring with the show in Manchester and Toronto, and is currently playing to a packed Dominion Theatre in London. "It has been a fantastic adventure and an amazing role to play," she says. "The sets and the show are larger-than-life and it is a tremendous privilege to be part of it all." The production is based on Meat Loaf's best-selling Bat Out of Hell album, which Jim Steinman originally wrote as a musical before turning it into a record. "It is hard not to be moved by the music," Christina says. "The songs speak to everyone. There is a real joy which comes from the music. "We have packed out shows every night and everyone is on their feet singing and dancing. "I still have to pinch myself every now and then - I am so fortunate to get to do this as a living. I have turned my passion and my hobby into a career and I feel very fortunate." Out of all the thousands of fans of the show, there are two very special seats in the audience on many nights. "My parents have seen every show I have ever been in, but I think they have fallen in love with Bat Out of Hell - they have been to see it about 20 times," Christina says. "I have a brother and sister at home who come over to visit me and come to see the show. I love knowing there are members of my family in the audience. "Due to my schedule, I don't get to go home very often, but my family come back and forth and see me all the time, and they always come to he show." She she has another huge fan in her partner, who is very proud of her, but Christina won't be drawn on any details of this part of her life. "I am very happy and very much in love, but I like to keep that side of my life very private," she says. "When you live your life out on stage, you like to keep some things precious to you. "The show has brought a lot of people together. We have a lot of fans who say they made real friendships through coming to see and being fans of the show. People just love it - the response has been amazing." Away from the stage, Christina loves to read, so she is trying to switch off all technology and learn to retrain her brain to focus on a book. She also listens to audiobooks of Harry Potter before going on stage every day as a way of calming down. "As an actor, you need to take care of your mental health," she says. "There isn't much stability in this industry, so you tend to latch on to things. I have got into health and fitness. I do Pilates and cardio every week. It is good for overall wellbeing." Right now, Christina is living her dream and doing a job she loves, but she is always on the lookout for the next thing. "This is my dream role, but I'm always on the lookout for interesting projects," she admits. "I would love to do film or TV because it would be a different world and different discipline again. "I always like to challenge and push myself and try things I have never done before. That's why Raven is so exciting and keeps me young at heart. Hopes of a breakthrough in Brexit talks continued to rise as the Republic said the chances of a deal were "good". Following on from positive remarks from European Council president Donald Tusk that an agreement could be reached within weeks, Ireland's Tanaiste Simon Coveney talked up the chances of an accord. Mr Coveney told Sky News: "The withdrawal treaty is already about 90% agreed in terms of text. "The issues that have not been signed off yet relate predominantly to Ireland, and what is needed now is the two negotiating teams need to lock themselves in a room for the next 10 days or so." Mr Coveney said the chances of a deal being cut were "good" ahead of a crunch EU summit on October 17. As the upbeat mood in the EU increased, hardline Tory Brexiteers had also begun to soften their stance in order to try to get Prime Minister Theresa May to abandon her Chequers proposals in favour of a Canada-style free trade deal. Senior members of the Conservatives' 60-strong European Research Group said they would support EU officials being stationed at UK ports after Brexit to break the impasse with Brussels. Prominent Brexiteers including former leader Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith and Jacob Rees-Mogg told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper they are ready to compromise in order to achieve a free trade deal with Brussels, rather than accept the closer relationship set out by Mrs May. Such a move would see them back proposals allowing EU officials to be stationed at UK ports after Brexit, and support the Government enforcing EU rules on goods exported to the bloc from UK firms, the newspaper said. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Duncan Smith said allowing EU officials at UK ports, as happens now with Eurotunnel, would answer concerns about the Irish border. He wrote: "We can (conduct) regulatory and customs checks together in a way that respects the EU's single market, by building on systems already in place at the channel ports. "The UK has long had arrangements with France under the Le Touquet Treaty where passports are checked by French officers at Dover and UK officers in Calais. "The UK should seek to build on this by agreeing a Le Touquet-plus system with the EU. "Any customs or regulatory checks could be made at juxtaposed controls with information-sharing and co-operation between the UK and the Republic of Ireland. "This would not simply answer concerns about keeping the Northern Ireland border open, it would also ensure the channel ports continue to provide as frictionless trade as possible." It was unclear last night how this Brexiteer move would play with the DUP, whose 10 MPs are vital in enabling Mrs May's Government to survive. Last night the DUP was staying tight-lipped ahead of its high-level crunch meeting in Brussels with EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier later this week. The DUP red line on the Brexit negotiation is to block any proposal which would create a border between Northern Ireland and Britain. Any EU checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Britain or vice versa would be a clear breach, but it could not be confirmed last night whether the party would regard EU officials in NI checking goods destined for export or transit to other EU countries as crossing its "blood-red" negotiating lines. A poll has found that the overwhelming majority of people in Northern who voted leave would be willing to see the peace process collapse to deliver Brexit. A new poll has claimed that the overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland who voted leave in the Brexit referendum would be willing to see the peace process collapse to deliver Brexit. 'The Future of England Study' from the Universities of Cardiff and Edinburgh found that 87% of NI's leave voters would see the collapse of the peace process as an acceptable price for Brexit. Read More It also found that 75% of English Conservatives would support the collapse of the peace process as long as Brexit is delivered. The polls were conducted by YouGov in England and Lucid Talk in Northern Ireland between 30 May and June 4 2018. It questioned 2,741 people in England, 2,016, 1,502 in Scotland and 1,089 in Northern Ireland. Do you agree or disagree with the poll's results. Vote in our online Facebook poll here. Northern Ireland voted against Brexit by 56% to 44%, but the whole of the United Kingdom is set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019 as the overall result of the Brexit referendum was 51.8% leave to 48.1% remain. The negotiations between the UK Government and the European Union over the Brexit withdrawal process have been beset by difficulties over the Irish border. PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton warned that the return of infrastructure to the Irish border could make border posts a target for dissident republican violence. The Northern Ireland peace process was the result of years of attempts to find a solution to Northern Ireland's Troubles, culminating in the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Stormont collapsed in January 2017 when then deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness resigned over the RHI scandal, Northern Ireland has now been without government for over 600 days. The study found that 79% of English Conservatives would support Scottish Independence and that in none of the UK's nations are a majority of taxpayers happy to see their taxes spent in other parts of the UK. Professor Ailsa Henderson led the project alongside Professor Richard Wyn Jones. Professor Henderson said that the research showed that unionists were more interested in Brexit than maintaining the Union. The data suggest that, in the pursuit of Brexit, Leave supporters across the UK would be relaxed about a fundamental transformation of the Union but this attitude is not confined exclusively to Leave voters," she said. "There is also evidence that Brexit is dislodging long-held red lines about the Union. If even Unionists in Northern Ireland care less about the territorial integrity of the UK than pursuing Brexit, then it really raises questions about the type of union were in, and indeed what Unionism means." Professor Wyn Jones said that the research showed that Brexit was shining a spotlight on the union's issues. An overwhelming majority of Conservative voters in England would prefer to see Scotland become independent and a breakdown of the peace process in Northern Ireland rather than compromise on their support for Brexit. But its not just Brexit. Half of English Conservative supporters want to stop Scottish MPs from sitting in the British cabinet altogether," he said. The bonds that have tied the Union together have frayed to such an extent that, frankly, its hard to imagine that the proposed festival of national renewal is going to do anything more than emphasise the extent to which we continue to drift apart. Police have appealed for information after the cows were stolen. Police have appealed for information after fourteen cattle were stolen from a Co Tyrone farm. Two Limousin and twelve Charolais were taken from the farm on the Camlough Road in Carrickmore between the hours of 6:30pm on Wednesday 3 October and 10am on Thursday 4. The cattle are valued at around 10k. Chief Inspector Robinson appealed for information. "I am appealing for anyone who was in the Carrickmore area between these times, or in recent days and saw any suspicious activity or vehicles to contact us on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 341 4/10/18," he said. "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." The cattles are all tagged with the below serials: 452264-1382-2 630550-1531-2 630550-1528-6 630550-1529-7 630550-1534-5 630550-1537-1 630550-1538-2 630550-1539-3 630550-1540-4 630550-1541-5 630550-1543-7 630550-1558-1 630550-1559-2 630550-1551-1 Christopher Reynolds claimed the allowance on the grounds that he was a carer A Northern Ireland man is facing a confiscation order for 14,786.29 over carer's allowance overpayments. Christopher Reynolds (51), of Belvedere Manor, Lurgan, claimed the allowance on the grounds that he was a carer and not earning in excess of the permitted weekly allowance. He failed to declare his true circumstances, resulting in overpayments over a three year period. In May 2018, Mr Reynolds pleaded guilty in relation to this claim to benefits. At the confiscation hearing, on October 5, Lurgan Crown Court granted an order in the amount of 14,786.29. The defendant must satisfy the order by January 5, 2019 or serve a four week prison sentence for non-payment of the order, which will remain payable. Post: #1 UPDATE p3: by English blackmailers !! Marie Antoinette of France was wrapped up Advertisement The UPDATE is on top of page 3 !!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- All the vile caricatures and pamphlets ... The pornographic propaganda that was used against Marie Antoinette https://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_...antoinette Marie Antoinette increasingly became the subject of countless cruel, and sometimes pornographic, pamphlets. Pornography in eighteenth century France took the form of crude caricatures, colorful cartoons, and even sophisticated etchings and engravings. This particular cartoon is called "The Queen's toy boat" alluding to her supposed promiscuity. ______________________________________________________________________ That's the point of Chantal Thomas' study. You have to draw a line between the real Marie Antoinette and her paper caricature. Unfortunately, these propaganda campaigns were very cleverly made. So that the French people eventually believed that the queen was as shown on those papers. This was a way to attack the monarchy through his weakest link, the Autrian woman but this awful alter ego really led poor Marie Antoinette to the guillotine. Remember her trial ! They accused her of incest for political reasons, a terrible, a montruous accusation for a mother ! Although, they did it. And this accusation was possible only because of those pamphlets and caricatures, that already showed a monstruous image of Marie Antoinette for long. We can say that this accusion of incest proves how much these propaganda campaigns were efficient. Alas ! You can find the pamphlets in Chantal Thomas' "Wicked Queen". ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are some of the caricatures, view with caution: https://www.pinterest.at/pin/83527768062305631/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most of the French revolutionaries were Freemasons including Voltaire, Marquis de Lafayette, Marquis de Condorcet, Mirabeau, Georges Danton, the Duke of Orleans, and Hebert ... The Lodge Les Neuf Surs was a prominent lodge attached to the Grand Orient de France that was particularly influential in organising French support for the American Revolution and later in the intellectual ferment that preceded the French Revolution. Ben Franklin was a member of this Lodge when he was serving as liaison in Paris. The Catholic Encyclopedia alleges that the Masonic book La Franc-Maconnerie, ecrasee in 1746 predicted the program of the French Revolution, and claims to quote documents of the Grand Orient of France where Freemasonry claims credit for the French Revolution. ----------------------------------------------------------------------All the vile caricatures and pamphlets ...The pornographic propaganda that was used against Marie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette increasingly became the subject of countless cruel, and sometimes pornographic, pamphlets. Pornography in eighteenth century France took the form of crude caricatures, colorful cartoons, and even sophisticated etchings and engravings. This particular cartoon is called "The Queen's toy boat" alluding to her supposed promiscuity.______________________________________________________________________You can find the pamphlets in Chantal Thomas' "Wicked Queen".-------------------------------------------------------------------------Here are some of the caricatures, view with caution:-------------------------------------------------------------------------Most of the French revolutionaries were Freemasons including Voltaire, Marquis de Lafayette, Marquis de Condorcet, Mirabeau, Georges Danton, the Duke of Orleans, and Hebert ...The Lodge Les Neuf Surs was a prominent lodge attached to the Grand Orient de France that was particularly influential in organising French support for the American Revolution and later in the intellectual ferment that preceded the French Revolution. Ben Franklin was a member of this Lodge when he was serving as liaison in Paris.The Catholic Encyclopedia alleges that the Masonic book La Franc-Maconnerie, ecrasee in 1746 predicted the program of the French Revolution, and claims to quote documents of the Grand Orient of France where Freemasonry claims credit for the French Revolution. A Co Antrim farmer and businessman has issued a warning for others to be extra vigilant after his bank account was emptied by online criminals. James Alexander, who runs a large beef and sheep farm near Toomebridge and a successful tractor sales business with his father Nelson, was helpless as criminals raided one of his business accounts and didn't stop until the full 150,000 had been swiped. However, James and Nelson were "disappointed" with Danske Bank as the money continued to be siphoned out of the account after initial smaller illegal withdrawals were recognised by the bank and the account subsequently locked. After two weeks of discussions with bank personnel, Danske Bank returned all of the money to the account - but has also issued its own warning to customers regarding the dangers of malware and the necessity for robust internet protection software. Two weeks ago the bank called James to see if he had authorised some payments out of his sterling account to the value of 8,500. This account is rarely used and a sister account is held in euros to facilitate transactions for tractors and 4x4s sold to the Republic of Ireland. The hackers were able to infiltrate the system and transfer all the funds from the euro account into the sterling account before withdrawing the funds from there. James said: "We do not use that sterling account frequently so when the bank called and asked if we had authorised large transactions it was a shock. "The bank was told immediately that this must be online fraud and we instructed them to stop all transactions immediately. "At that point we were locked out of the account and could not open it online but we had previously noticed someone had taken a couple of smaller amounts of 1,500 out of the account." Being locked out of his own account, James could not monitor what was going on and was later devastated to be told by the bank that the entire account had been cleared. "Even after we told the bank this was fraud and a hold was put on the account, the criminals managed to continue to take all the funds out of the account, which we could not understand," said James. "The most disappointing aspect was that the money was drawn out of the account after the original phone call at 3.30pm. By 7.30pm all money was gone and we were not informed of this for 10 days. "We only found out by accident after we asked the bank to release some euros to pay bills and the person on the phone said there were none. The bank should have told us the account had been cleared." James is urging all farmers and business owners to keep a close eye on their accounts. He said: "Check your accounts regularly and report any suspicious activity. Use the bank's suggested protection and take any advice onboard that they supply at the very least so that if it does happen the bank cannot shift blame. "We are now getting a standalone tablet just for internet banking with no email access as the virus was transmitted from an email." Robert McCullough from Danske Bank said: "We are aware of a cyber attack on the bank accounts of a local business and have worked with the owners to ensure that all security protocols are in place and up to date. "This type of an attack reflects the increasing activity and sophistication of criminal elements and underlines the need for all businesses to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to safeguard the online security of their systems, particularly in guarding against the introduction of malware. "Doing business online is a fundamental requirement for many of us in today's world and the digitalisation of how we work will only accelerate in the years ahead but making sure that proper security is in place and maintained is key." A homeless man on the streets of Belfast city centre in 2016. Nearly 150 people registered as homeless in Northern Ireland had their applications for social housing closed because they died. The figures, reported by The Detail website, related to the 11 month period from October 2017 to the end of August 2018 were 148 people died. This means an average of 13 homeless people per month had their housing applications closed due to death. The figures, obtained through freedom of information, were described as "brutally shocking" by Green Party MLA Clare Bailey. Of the deceased, 63% were aged 60 or younger, with the youngest person only 18-years-old. The majority of those who died were male. The cause of death for the 150 people is unknown. As well as those sleeping on our streets, the Housing Executive considers people living in temporary accommodation to be homeless. This includes people staying in the houses of friends or family, in hotels and in unsuitable conditions. While rough sleepers represent the most severe and visible form of homelessness, they make up a small minority of those people categorised as homeless under legislation. The Housing Executive said the 148 people who died need to be put into the context of the 11,877 applications it received for homelessness during the 2017/2018 financial year. Eoin Ryan, from homeless charity the Simon Community NI, told the Detail: Sadly, homelessness is becoming more and more prevalent in Northern Ireland. It could be the neighbour who lost their job and is worried about mortgage payments. It could be the colleague who has been thrown out of their home after a relationship breakdown. It could be the family moving in with relatives because they cant find a suitable home with reasonable rent. In fact, it could be any one of us in a situation where we are unable to maintain our own home. For a person to be statutorily homeless they must meet the NIHE criteria based upon eligibility, homelessness, priority need and intentionality. South Belfast MLA Clare Bailey, speaking to the Detail, said: I just think they are really brutally shocking statistics. I have never seen those numbers before. I have known homeless people who have died, either as rough sleepers or otherwise, but I certainly never would have envisaged that the numbers would have been so high. She added that homelessness is not just about not having a roof over your head and that society needs to understand it in its entirety. Rough sleepers are quite small in numbers, but that doesnt mean the homeless crisis is a small problem, its not," she said. A chef charged with attempting to murder a colleague by stabbing him at their east Belfast restaurant has been granted bail. Rahman Sazzadur was banned from any contact with the other man as part of his release conditions. The 45-year-old is accused of inflicting a knife wound in the kitchen of the premises in the Ballyhackamore area on September 28. Belfast Magistrates' Court previously heard the pair had allegedly rowed over paying taxes. Sazzadur, a Bangladeshi national of Devon Parade in the city, faces one charge of attempted murder. The alleged victim, also a chef, was said to have been stabbed in either the back or side. No further details about his injuries were disclosed. Defence lawyers said Sazzadur told police he was punched and had his neck grabbed by the complainant. He then allegedly punched back in retaliation, but was not aware of any stabbing. It was also claimed there had been a dispute between the accused and alleged victim over whether income should be declared and tax paid. The incident had a theological undertone to it, according to defence counsel. According to the defence team the angle or "mechanism" of the injury would be an important issue in the case. Sazzadur, who denies attempted murder, was refused bail at his first appearance a week ago. But a renewed application to live at another location outside Belfast was granted on Friday, the Courts Service confirmed. He must surrender his passport and report to police three times a week under the terms imposed. A Dublin man accused of money laundering offences is facing a real and immediate threat to his life, the High Court heard today. Lawyers for John Gilligan also insisted he has no intention of fleeing because of his ongoing involvement in litigation over a "vast property portfolio". Further details emerged as the 66-year-old's latest attempt to secure bail was adjourned. Gilligan, with an address at Greenforth Crescent, Dublin, was arrested at Belfast International Airport on August 23 as he was about to board a flight to Alicante. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said officers recovered around 23,000 euros from his luggage. He faces a charge of attempting to remove criminal property. Prosecutors previously opposed his release by claiming he had "sold up" and was leaving Ireland behind for a new life in Spain. All the cash in his suitcase was said to have come from family, friends and the sale of belongings. One man had allegedly purchased a watch from him for 5,000 euros, the court heard previously. But Gilligan's legal team insisted he only intended to rent a property in Spain for a limited period of time. With bail refused last month due to concerns the accused could abscond, he returned to the High Court in a bid to establish a change of circumstances. Opening the application, defence barrister Plunkett Nugent stressed the need to keep any subsequent living arrangements undisclosed. "It's common case there's a very real and immediate threat to the defendant's life," he said. Mr Plunkett argued that newly available documents show his client fully complied with bail terms in a separate case from the 1980s. Counsel also contended: "The defendant is involved in very, very major legal proceedings in relation to a vast property portfolio in the neighbouring jurisdiction of the Republic of Ireland. "Far from any notion of fleeing, he intends to pursue this to the nth degree." Questioning whether the necessary change of circumstances had been demonstrated, Lord Justice Deeny also cited the normal period of three months before fresh applications are mounted. However, he decided to adjourn the legal bid so that the original judge can make a new determination on a later date. Police failures identified in a report into an IRA bomb that killed three neighbours are "crying out" for examination by a new inquest, the Court of Appeal heard today. Lawyers for relatives of one of the victims of the so-called Good Samaritan attack in Derry claimed there is a legal obligation to hold a fresh tribunal. Eugene Dalton, 54, and Sheila Lewis, 68, were both killed in the explosion at a house in the Creggan area in August 1988. A third victim, 57-year-old Gerard Curran, died months after being pulled from the rubble. The attack became known as the 'Good Samaritan Bombing' because the three friends had gone to check on the whereabouts of a neighbour kidnapped earlier by the IRA. The paramilitary grouping later apologised, admitting it had planted the device in a bid to kill soldiers. Mr Dalton's daughter, Rosaleen, is challenging the Attorney General's decision not to order a new inquest following a report by Police Ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire. In 2013 the watchdog published findings that RUC officers had information about an IRA booby trap bomb in a house in the housing estate but did nothing to warn residents of the possible danger. Dr Maguire identified a failure in the police obligation to protect the lives of the public. Following his report Attorney General John Larkin QC decided a new inquest was not advisable at that time. But the Dalton family and their legal team claim it could help to establish responsibility for police failures. They contend that investigative obligations under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights were rekindled by the Ombudsman's findings. In March 2017 a High Court judge refused to quash Mr Larkin's decision, citing the financial and human costs of a further public hearing which would be unlikely to advance the goal of prosecuting the perpetrators. Challenging that ruling on behalf of the Dalton family, Fiona Doherty QC told the Court of Appeal: "The applicant says there is a plausible, credible allegation that the deaths caused by a major crime of grave public concern could have been prevented by police action. "The question for the court is what does the law, in particular the Human Rights Act, require by way of a response to the information that has been newly revealed by the Police Ombudsman report. "That information cries out for an explanation. This is a case about responsibility and accountability, and the need to ensure that the Article 2 obligation is satisfied. "In this case it requires the holding of the inquest." Following submissions Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan, sitting with Lord Justice Stephens and Mr Justice Maguire, reserved judgment in the appeal. The Governments draft proposals to unlock decision-making paralysis in Northern Ireland do not provide proper accountability, according to unionists (Niall Carson/PA) The Governments draft proposals to unlock decision-making paralysis in Northern Ireland do not provide proper accountability and are an invitation for legal challenge, unionists said. A recent court ruling that a civil servant acted outside his powers in a planning application for a waste incinerator in County Antrim has left officials unable to take major decisions without ministerial oversight. It will last as long as there is a High Court judgement against it, it is an opportunity for every lawyer in Northern Ireland to try to get a judicial review against itUlster Unionist Steve Aiken Northern Ireland has been without a devolved Government since early last year. Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley has promised to clarify the decision-making situation and shared her initial thoughts on draft laws with the main Stormont parties during meetings in Belfast on Monday. Ulster Unionist Stormont Assembly member Steve Aiken said: It will last as long as there is a High Court judgement against it, it is an opportunity for every lawyer in Northern Ireland to try to get a judicial review against it. It is not a way to go forward, the way to go forward is get all the parties back together, get the talks process moving and get on with it. Democratic Unionist deputy leader Nigel Dodds also expressed concern. We dont believe that it is in the right place yet. It does not provide sufficient certainty about decision-making. It does not provide proper accountability and I think more work needs to be done on that and we have left the Secretary of State with a list of concerns that she needs to address before this legislation is tabled. Expand Close DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the Northern Ireland Secretarys proposals on civil servant powers did not provide proper accountability. Michael McHugh/PA. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the Northern Ireland Secretarys proposals on civil servant powers did not provide proper accountability. Michael McHugh/PA. He added: We cannot have a situation where decisions are either deferred interminably or not taken, or the wrong decision has been taken, whilst those decisions have been taken for the rest of the UK. Stormont has not sat since early last year after Sinn Fein left the institutions in protest at the DUPs handling of a botched green energy scheme. Repeated rounds of negotiations have failed to bring about their resurrection. Sinn Feins deputy leader Michelle ONeill said she understood the need for decision-making. She added: However, it has to be under strict guidance and it has to be under limited circumstances. She reiterated her criticism of the Government over what she claimed was its lack of fresh thinking. Today was a bit of a groundhog day, and we did not hear anything new from Karen Bradley that would give us any kind of hope that her Government has any interest in prioritising the needs of people here. The leaders of the main churches in Ireland said building trust was important to help restore devolved powersharing. The religious figures representing the Catholic church and denominations of Protestantism said their meeting with Ms Bradley had been positive and encouraging. In a joint statement they said: Our discussions today came on the back of our meeting with the political parties a week ago, where we discussed our concerns over the impact of the absence of devolved government in Northern Ireland and the importance of relationships and building trust. Sex abuse victim Mairia Cahill staged a silent protest during a Sinn Fein civil rights rally in Londonderry on Saturday. The SDLP councillor, who alleges she was raped as a teenager by a republican and that Sinn Fein and the IRA tried to cover it up, stood in silence among members of the republican party to highlight what she calls their hypocrisy over her abuse claims. Sinn Fein politicians, including party leader Mary Lou McDonald and MEP Martina Anderson, led hundreds of marchers to commemorate the events of October 5, 1968 when violence broke out as police used batons and a water cannon to break up a banned civil rights march in Derry. Ms Cahill said: "I wanted to remind them that they still haven't managed to provide me with my basic human right of truth. "(Sinn Fein) say they have no information about an IRA investigation into my abuse, which they absolutely do, and until they admit that they are still covering it up. They are calling for dignity, equality and human rights today which they haven't afforded me. They can't simultaneously demonstrate for civil rights while denying them to people that they don't like." Meanwhile, the Irish President said yesterday that the reconciling vision and courage of civil rights leaders should be embraced on the 50th anniversary of the bloodshed. Delivering the keynote address at the Guildhall in Derry at the Civil Rights Festival, Michael D Higgins gave an award to one of the founders of the movement, Ivan Cooper, whom he praised for his "courage, leadership and the dedication to the cause of justice". He said: "The 5th of October march galvanised the movement for civil rights in Ireland. As we assemble today let us, above all, recall the vision of John Hume, so rooted in the experience of the civil rights movement. "A vision of a shared Ireland, one that recognises the unionist and nationalist traditions, one that is capable of reconciling communities, one that, North and South, preserves human dignity and vindicates and expands fundamental human rights." Mr Higgins added: "If we remain true to that vision, we can not only sustain peace on our island, but can, together, confront the shared challenges of the future with confidence and courage." Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Norglen Road area of Turflodge, west Belfast (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Norglen Road area of Turflodge, west Belfast (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Norglen Road area of Turflodge, west Belfast (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Norglen Road area of Turflodge, west Belfast (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) The office of a Sinn Fein MLA in west Belfast has been shot at during a paramilitary attack on Sunday night. The constituency office belonging to Pat Sheehan was hit during the incident, in which a man in his 30s was shot in the leg. The paramilitary-style attack happened in the Norglen Road/ Monagh Crescent area of Belfast at around 11.30pm on Sunday night. The victim is reported to have sustained life-changing injuries. Pat Sheehan said: "The people who carried out this attack have left a man with potentially life changing injuries. They then recklessly fired a shot across the road and through the window of my constituency office, endangering anyone who may have been in the vicinity. That is an attack on the democratically expressed wishes of the people of his area. Sinn Fein will not be deterred by this mindless attack from providing services to the people of Turf Lodge and west Belfast by the thugs who carried out this attack. And I call on anyone with any information on this attack to bring it forward to the police. A number of police vehicles attended the scene and cordoned off an area of the street for a time. Responding to the incident, SDLP councillor Tim Attwood said: Paramilitary style attacks have no place in our society and must stop immediately. Those taking the law into their own hands must themselves be brought to justice. People in west Belfast have the right to live free from this type of vigilantism that does nothing to right wrongs but merely causes more irreparable damage to our community. Detective Inspector McNally said: Enquiries are continuing but police believe the incident is linked to the paramilitary style shooting which left a man in his 30s with life changing injuries on Sunday 7th October. Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 467 8/10/18. 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. The world's top female chef has revealed how she became a Michelin-starred kitchen sensation by running away from her Co Antrim home when she was just 16 years old. Clare Smyth, described by Gordon Ramsay as "the Margaret Thatcher of cooking", told her parents she was going on a holiday to England, but she was in fact signing up to a culinary apprenticeship in Surrey. Despite her mum's desperate attempts to persuade her to return to the family dairy farm, the chef du jour remained committed to her calling "Mum came over to try and take me home but I refused," recalled Clare, who is also the first and only woman to run the kitchen of a three-Michelin-star British establishment, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. "I was so headstrong and, coming from a country background, ignorant of the dangers of the world." It has already been quite a year for Clare, who catered for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's evening wedding reception, and was named the number one female chef by the World's 50 Best Restaurants. Furthermore, just last week, the 40-year-old's first solo restaurant, Core, in west London's lavish Notting Hill, was awarded two prestigious Michelin stars at the first attempt, only 14 months after it opened. Following Ramsay's assessment of her, the racehorse trainer's daughter admitted that she's a "big fan" of the Iron Lady. Ms Smyth, who admits she gets up at 7.30am and goes to bed at 1.30am, told the Sunday Times News Review: "To do what I do for 18 hours every day you've got to be single-minded, very focused. It takes a lot of grit." During a career peppered with stints under Heston Blumenthal, the Roux brothers and Michael Caines, Clare was working at Ramsay's flagship restaurant in Chelsea by the time she was 24. After a spell at Alain Ducasse's Le Louis XV restaurant in Monaco, she was lured back by Ramsay to be his head chef in London, where she became the first female British chef to hold and retain three Michelin stars. Referring to Ramsay - who once said "women can't cook to save their lives" - in glowing terms, she added: "Gordon is definitely not sexist; he has one of the toughest kitchens in the world, and there are so many girls in there." A self-confessed perfectionist, Clare acknowledges that she used to be notoriously "harsh" on her staff - and she once admitted that she sacked "one person a week". In 2013 she was awarded an MBE and then two years later she tied the knot with financier Grant Heath. The couple live in Wandsworth, south-west London, and would like children, although she added: "I'm not sure I'm ready to stop just yet." Addressing her eatery's high prices - 65, 95 and 115 a head, excluding service and drinks - Clare is defiant: "If I was a lawyer with my reputation, can you imagine what I'd be charging per hour?" Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 1 Vote(s) - 5 Average 1 2 3 4 5 BUSTED! A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own han LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466868 10-08-2018 05:26 PM Post: #1 BUSTED! A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own han Advertisement As Chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, I am also concerned about the liberal indoctrination of students in public schools, which are meant to be an a-political place of learning, not a taxpayer-subsidized propaganda school. https://www.thecollegefix.com/philly-tea...in-school/ DiGiorgio alleges the material came from the head of the schools social studies department, Thomas Quinn. Two and half years ago Quinn took issue with a Central HS students column critical of college race protests going on at the time. Last month, Quinn was selected as The Philadelphia Citizens Citizen of the Week for his voter registration advocacy. As a politics and U.S. government teacherfor the last 10 years at CentralQuinn is uniquely poised to push the message of voting to his students. DiGiorgio has called for an investigation into who was responsible for the flyers. This is just one example of many where an educator has pushed their personal political beliefs on students. Its always a good idea to keep tabs on whats going on in your school. Luckily, the GOP Chairman was tipped off by a former classmate. A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own hands by passing out anti-Trump, anti-Republican flyersin school! Little did he know that the State GOP chairman Val DiGiorgio is an alumnus of the high school! State GOP chairman Val DiGiorgio was made aware of the flyers by a fellow former Central High School student.As Chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania,DiGiorgio alleges the material came from the head of the schools social studies department, Thomas Quinn. Two and half years ago Quinn took issue with a Central HS students column critical of college race protests going on at the time.Last month, Quinn was selected as The Philadelphia Citizens Citizen of the Week for his voter registration advocacy. As a politics and U.S. government teacherfor the last 10 years at CentralQuinn is uniquely poised to push the message of voting to his students.DiGiorgio has called for an investigation into who was responsible for the flyers. This is just one example of many where an educator has pushed their personal political beliefs on students. Its always a good idea to keep tabs on whats going on in your school. Luckily, the GOP Chairman was tipped off by a former classmate. Pinguu Registered User User ID: 466447 10-08-2018 05:31 PM Posts: 6,195 Post: #2 RE: BUSTED! A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own han LoP Guest Wrote: (10-08-2018 05:26 PM) A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own hands by passing out anti-Trump, anti-Republican flyersin school! Little did he know that the State GOP chairman Val DiGiorgio is an alumnus of the high school! State GOP chairman Val DiGiorgio was made aware of the flyers by a fellow former Central High School student. As Chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, I am also concerned about the liberal indoctrination of students in public schools, which are meant to be an a-political place of learning, not a taxpayer-subsidized propaganda school. https://www.thecollegefix.com/philly-tea...in-school/ DiGiorgio alleges the material came from the head of the schools social studies department, Thomas Quinn. Two and half years ago Quinn took issue with a Central HS students column critical of college race protests going on at the time. Last month, Quinn was selected as The Philadelphia Citizens Citizen of the Week for his voter registration advocacy. As a politics and U.S. government teacherfor the last 10 years at CentralQuinn is uniquely poised to push the message of voting to his students. DiGiorgio has called for an investigation into who was responsible for the flyers. This is just one example of many where an educator has pushed their personal political beliefs on students. Its always a good idea to keep tabs on whats going on in your school. Luckily, the GOP Chairman was tipped off by a former classmate. They teach that in Schools now...Bloody leftist Perverts.. They teach that in Schools now...Bloody leftist Perverts.. IF AT FIRST YOU DONT SUCCEED...CLAIM YOU ARE OPPRESSED.. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 376815 10-08-2018 05:53 PM Post: #3 RE: BUSTED! A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own han It's like every day now we see some story about some lib desperately clinging to their underhanded tactics. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466869 10-08-2018 05:53 PM Post: #4 RE: BUSTED! A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own han LoP Guest Wrote: (10-08-2018 05:26 PM) A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own hands by passing out anti-Trump, anti-Republican flyersin school! Little did he know that the State GOP chairman Val DiGiorgio is an alumnus of the high school! State GOP chairman Val DiGiorgio was made aware of the flyers by a fellow former Central High School student. As Chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, I am also concerned about the liberal indoctrination of students in public schools, which are meant to be an a-political place of learning, not a taxpayer-subsidized propaganda school. https://www.thecollegefix.com/philly-tea...in-school/ DiGiorgio alleges the material came from the head of the schools social studies department, Thomas Quinn. Two and half years ago Quinn took issue with a Central HS students column critical of college race protests going on at the time. Last month, Quinn was selected as The Philadelphia Citizens Citizen of the Week for his voter registration advocacy. As a politics and U.S. government teacherfor the last 10 years at CentralQuinn is uniquely poised to push the message of voting to his students. DiGiorgio has called for an investigation into who was responsible for the flyers. This is just one example of many where an educator has pushed their personal political beliefs on students. Its always a good idea to keep tabs on whats going on in your school. Luckily, the GOP Chairman was tipped off by a former classmate. Teachers have always pushed their views onto their students, this is part of the reason the USA came into being following the Great ejection of 1622 where lots of teachers and other really preachy know it all people got kicked out of their offices. ...... In terms of the Puritans and the USA, The Great Ejection led to the Great Migration to the Americas where they where free to preach at anything not running away really quickly, we still see this today throughout US society with the continuation of the witch hunts against this seasons fashionable enemy... Teachers have always pushed their views onto their students, this is part of the reason the USA came into being following the Great ejection of 1622 where lots of teachers and other really preachy know it all people got kicked out of their offices.......In terms of the Puritans and the USA, The Great Ejection led to the Great Migration to the Americas where they where free to preach at anything not running away really quickly, we still see this today throughout US society with the continuation of the witch hunts against this seasons fashionable enemy... 1110.00) lop guest User ID: 198896 10-08-2018 05:56 PM Post: #5 RE: BUSTED! A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own han Same goes for religion - or areligion. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466917 10-08-2018 11:03 PM Post: #6 RE: BUSTED! A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own han LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 450011 10-08-2018 11:04 PM Post: #7 RE: BUSTED! A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own han LoP Guest Wrote: (10-08-2018 05:53 PM) It's like every day now we see some story about some lib desperately clinging to their underhanded tactics. This This LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 412093 10-08-2018 11:10 PM Post: #8 RE: BUSTED! A Philadelphia teacher decided to take political matters into his own han The end, always justifies the means to the left. There is no law, or human action, that is off limits to them. Create division, at all costs. Without division, the dnc folds like a wet noodle. Prison warder Adrian Ismay, who initially survived a booby-trap bombing, joked with his wife Sarah Ann - "I don't think we will go to the rugby tonight" - as he instructed those who pulled him from his VW van how to treat and bandage his wounds. Belfast Crown Court also heard that the 52-year-old father of three, as if reading his wife's mind, "wiggled his feet" to show that he had not lost a limb in the no-warning blast outside their Hillsborough Drive home in east Belfast. Details of the exchange between husband and wife were given as former St John's Ambulance man Christopher Alphonson Robinson went on trial on Monday for the March 2016 murder of Mr Ismay who'd worked with him as a volunteer first-aider. The 48-year-old from Aspen Park, in the Poleglass area of west Belfast denies the murder of Mr Ismay, who was initially allowed home after treatment for shrapnel wounds caused by the undercar improvised explosive device. But just 11 days later, on March 15, 2016, he was rushed back into hospital where he died from a pulmonary embolism as a result of clotting caused by the blast sharpnel. However, in the days beforehand, Mr Ismay, confirmed in a witness statement that the two men had in past years worked together in St John's Ambulance, and that Robinson would have known he was a prison officer. In a detailed opening before Mr Justice McAlinden, the prosecution told the non-jury Diplock style trial that Robinson was "part of a joint enterprise" to plant the undercar device, allegedly transported to the area in Robinson's sister-in-law's Citroen C3 car. Robinson allegedly picked up the car keys from the hostel where his brother worked, and that the Citroen was captured on CCTV travelling through part of Belfast to the street of the prison warder's home. Footage taken from an undertakers' in the street, showed a Citroen car driving by, and then parking up, it headlights off. A man is also seen running and getting "oddly" into the back of the car, behind the driver. When seized two days later, two child seats were found strapped in the car, one in the front passenger seat, the other on the rear seat immediately behind. Expand Close Christopher Robinson appeared at Laganside Court on Monday. Photo Pacemaker Press / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Christopher Robinson appeared at Laganside Court on Monday. Photo Pacemaker Press The prosecution further contended, that when all of the "evidence is viewed in the round there is an inescapable inference that Christopher Robinson was involved in the joint enterprise to plant the device under Mr Ismay's car with the intention of killing or seriously injuring him". A senior Crown lawyer said while he "did not seek to ascribe a precise role to him ... we do not have to ... the court may, in due course, be satisfied as to that role .... in that he provided, at the very least, intentional assistance or encouragement to the joint enterprise, to plant the device, cause the explosion and murder Mr Ismay". In addition to the murder charge, Robinson also denies causing the explosion which initially injured Mr Ismay, who, the court heard, had confirmed in a statement prior to his death, that the two men had been in the St John Ambulance together, and that Robinson would have known he was a prison officer. Robinson also denies a third, alternative count, of providing his sister-in-law's Citroen C3 car, knowing or suspecting it would be used for the purposes of terrorism. The court also heard that in the weeks leading up to the booby-trap bombing, and three days before it was planted Robinson had allegedly looked up the profile of Mr Ismay, who was also a volunteer member of the Community Rescue Service. It was further claimed that Robinson had also emailed the CRS about volunteering, but failed to attend an arranged meeting in October 2015. Then in the hours and following the bombing, he had shown a high level of interest in the attack, visiting a number of internet news sites. The court also heard that during interviews between March 7, and 11, Robinson provided two prepared statements, and had given no comment answers to the questions asked of him. The prosecution claim that in the first prepared statement, he'd lied about his movements and whereabouts on the evening of March 3, while in the second he denied being a member of the IRA. The trial is expected to last several weeks, and continues on Tuesday. A Law Society spokesman explained its own scam alert relies on legal firms sharing information, and reports both successful and unsuccessful scams involving ransomware, phishing and mail-forwarding emails as well as bogus phone calls to the organisation (stock picture) Nearly 120 cyber-scam warnings over the interception of payments between prospective home buyers and their solicitors have been issued over the past three years by the Law Society of Northern Ireland. The organisation released the figure as it launches a new awareness campaign to prevent transfer scams tomorrow. Transfer scams occur when the borrower transfers the deposit or other payments in connection with their house purchase to their solicitor, but the money is intercepted and stolen. Consequently this has resulted in some home buyers losing significant amounts of money intended for their house purchase - with many never recovering their money. Between 2015 and September this year, 118 transfer scam alerts were sent out to Law Society members, with the organisation issuing 25 this year so far. The figure comes on the heels of a report by the Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) which suggested that teenage hackers cost victims in Northern Ireland nearly 600,000 last year. A Law Society spokesman explained its own scam alert relies on legal firms sharing information, and reports both successful and unsuccessful scams involving ransomware, phishing and mail-forwarding emails as well as bogus phone calls to the organisation. "This information is then shared via the society's 'Scam Alert' e-zine to all solicitor firms and information is also shared on communication platforms including the society's website and social media accounts," he said. He added that the society also engages with a number of organisations including the PSNI and law enforcement across the UK in an effort to reduce the impact of cyber-crimes on law firms and their clients. The society also hopes its latest awareness 'Call, Check and Confirm' campaign will thwart fraudsters by providing information and simple instructions to home buyers. Alan Reid from the Law Society said: "Our simple message to home buyers is that it is very unusual for a solicitor's firm to change its bank account details in the course of a conveyancing transaction. "So if you receive an unexpected email apparently coming from your solicitor asking you to lodge money or a deposit into a new bank account, simply call your solicitor, check with them and confirm that it is genuine." He also stressed that bank account details should not be shared via email as it provides an opportunity for criminals to intercept communications. Police are investigating after an arson attack on a flat in Greenisland. Shortly after 4pm on Saturday it was reported a ground floor property in the Glassillan Grove area had been set on fire. No one was inside the property at the time but considerable damaged was caused to the flat. Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service attended the scene and extinguished the fire. Anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area is ask to contact detectives on 101 quoting reference number 890 6/10/18. The fake letter has been circulated in the Strabane area. Credit: PSNI. A letter from BT circulated to homeowners that police warned was a scam turned out to be genuine, the PSNI has confirmed. The letter, shared by PSNI Strabane, was from BT and stated that customers may have spotted a mistake in their bill and encouraged bill payers to contact them if they have any questions. Police originally claimed the letter was a scam with the sole intention of innocent people phoning the number and passing on their financial details. "Please be aware that business letters don't usually start with 'Hello'," a PSNI spokesperson said. However, BT made contact with the PSNI and informed them that the specific letter they featured on their Facebook page was in fact genuine. A PSNI spokesperson said: "We are glad that, on this occasion, this individual was not being targeted by scammers however our advice still stands. The PSNI said not to pass bank details over the phone unless you are 100% sure who you are speaking to. The PSNI spokesperson added: "Genuine companies will be happy for you to confirm who they are and do not usually ask for personal information." An exam body has reported a record demand for transfer tests in Northern Ireland this year. The Association of Quality Education (AQE) is one of two bodies in Northern Ireland who arrange post-primary exams for entry to grammar schools. Stephen Connolly, AQE's joint chief executive, said 8,700 registrations had been received this year which he called an "unprecedentedly high figure". Read More The 34 member schools provide 8,100 places for primary seven pupils to sit the exam. The overspill of 600 has meant some parents received letters to say their children will sit the exam at South Eastern Regional College (SERC) in Lisburn. The arrangements have caused anger with some parents, according to Stephen Elliott from the Parental Alliance for Choice in Education (Pace). "Imagine if you're a 10-year-old in the greater Lisburn area; you get a letter from AQE to say you're assigned to Lisburn tech to take your tests," he said. "Not your primary school or the grammar school you hope to attend. "Parents are absolutely not requesting this. I was called by a mother and grandmother who were very upset about it." He continued: "When you then have something as vital as the AQE tests which cost schools nothing, AQE are arbitrarily deciding where youngsters, who are already anxious about the future, have to sit the exam." Mr Elliott said he believed part of the problem was difficulty in securing teaching staff to supervise exams held on Saturdays. Mr Connolly said he could well understand why some parents could have been "disconcerted" by the arrangements. "It would be very difficult to cope with the numbers even if the applications were evenly distributed across all schools," he said, "but, almost inevitably, the over-subscription is to be found in what I shall call rather loosely the greater Belfast area, in particular Lisburn." Mr Connolly said the high popularity of the Lisburn schools meant the available spaces for assessments filled up quickly. "It follows that they are not able to take candidates whose registrations are submitted late in the registration period," he said. "We always try to accommodate the parents' choices, which are ranked in order of preference from one to four, but the later in the registration period a registration is submitted, the more difficult it becomes to do that. "We try to make that clear on the registration form. "We then look at member schools who still have spaces left and would make our best endeavours to place a child in the nearest available." Last year, overspill arrangements meant some children had to travel 20 miles away to sit the tests in a different school. "We were faced with a small number of parents who did not feel able to accept a place in a school so far away, although the majority did so without protest," Mr Connolly said. "The situation was resolved when, making extraordinary efforts, schools in the required proximity released some additional spaces." Mr Connolly said the arrangements for an overflow centre with SERC were made to minimise inconvenience in the Lisburn area. Mr Connolly concluded: "In other words, while our wish is always to place any child in the centre of his or her choice, the scale of the registration has prevented us from doing that. "Our member schools do the very best they can, but their resources in rooms and staffing are not limitless and AQE has to achieve the best solution it can in those circumstances." Retired police officers have warned that the Government's plan to deal with the legacy of the Troubles must be "radically" changed or "risk creating a fiasco", it can be revealed. The Northern Ireland Retired Police Officers' Association (NIRPOA) also said that while the current arrangements for dealing with the past are "flawed", the "proposed changes would make matters significantly worse". NIRPOA has likewise castigated as "unfair, unlawful and unworkable" proposals surrounding so-called 'non-criminal police misconduct' - a term it said it finds "highly offensive". And it stressed that the organisation isn't looking for an "amnesty for anyone", including retired police officers suspected of past crimes. These are among the key points raised by NIRPOA, which comprises around 3,500 retired RUC and PSNI officers, in response to a Northern Ireland Office consultation paper. A consultation on how to deal with the past ended last Friday. The Government has suggested that a Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) - separate from the PSNI - would examine about 1,700 Troubles-related deaths over a five-year period. Referring specifically to the HIU, NIRPOA said the proposals "exhibit a total lack of balance, concentrating on supposed misdeeds by servants of the State who can be traced and who kept records". The organisation added: "NIRPOA agrees that the high standing of police officers in the community and the powers which they exercise calls for a high level of accountability, but that should not preclude fair and equal treatment under the law." The document from the NIRPOA states: "This submission is respectfully dedicated to the memory of the 302 members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary George Cross who, as a result of their public service and sacrifice, did not themselves have the opportunity to become retired police officers and thus to participate in this consultation process; and to their families, who remain both victims and survivors in their own right." Although the submission deals primarily with the concerns of NIRPOA members, it says it also "recognises that the wider community of victims will have other concerns". The document says that retired officers accept that government has "specific responsibilities under Article 2 of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), in relation to deaths within the jurisdiction". But, it added, "these responsibilities can be better discharged by methods other than those proposed in the draft bill". NIRPOA said its paper highlights the organisation's concerns "in relation to the draft bill in principle". Yesterday, former Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan said that a five-year timeframe for legacy investigations was "totally impossible". "You cannot deal with thousands of cases in such a short time," she told a crowd at Londonderry's Guildhall for an event marking 50 years since the Duke Street Civil Rights march of 1968. "It is not possible, and the government cannot put these limitations on us." Baroness O'Loan also said that while prosecutions may be very difficult, there is an obligation. She added: "It's important also to say that you can't, if you like, restrict from investigation cases which were investigated in a very, very unsatisfactory way in the past, and I think it's important not to put on the individual family the obligation to provide new evidence, because they don't have the resources or the access to do that." Tributes have been paid following the death of former sovereign grand master of the Royal Black Institution Millar Farr. Mr Farr (76), from Cookstown, passed away on Friday after an illness. The Royal Black Institution expressed its deep sadness and profound regret at his death. Sovereign grand master Rev William Anderson paid tribute to the former RUC detective inspector, who led the Royal Black Institution from 2008 to 2018, having only stepped down from the role in June. Rev Anderson said: "Millar was a hugely respected figure within our organisation and a role model for our members. He provided wise, progressive and stable leadership for the Institution over the course of the past decade, ensuring the organisation was true to its principles but also in the mainstream of wider community life. "As a person, he was a true gentleman; a model of courtesy and selflessness who was hugely respected by his peers. Millar also had a unique sense of humour and a turn of phrase, charming and enthralling all those who shared his company." The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland paid tribute, calling him an "honourable and decent man of the utmost integrity". Mr Farr was an active member of the Orange Order in Killyman, Co Tyrone, throughout his life. Also paying tribute was DUP leader Arlene Foster, who tweeted: "I had the utmost respect for him and for his quiet, determined leadership of the Royal Black Institution. "It is a great loss to his family and wider society." Sinn Fein have announced they are going to challenge a council decision to sell off the controversial Raymond McCreesh Park in Newry. It was revealed last week that Newry, Mourne and Down District Council were planning to dispose of the Ballybot park, which has caused controversy after it was renamed in tribute to the former IRA man in 2001. Read More Following a report into play park provision in the council area it had been decided to dispose of the park and replace it with a new park nearby. There are also plans to build 200 new houses in the area. However, Sinn Fein have announced they will challenge the decision through a 'call-in' procedure. A 'call-in' allows councillors to request that an issue be reexamined if they feel that it was not handled correctly or will have an adverse impact on a particular section of the community. Newry Sinn Fein councillor Liz Kimmins said that her party wanted a community consultation on the issue. The Council decision to dispose of Raymond McCreesh Park without community consultation is against with the wishes of local residents in the Barcroft and Ballybot areas," Councillor Kimmins said. At last Mondays meeting Sinn Fein opposed the disposal based on concerns raised by local residents and community groups and proposed a full community consultation. This was rejected by the SDLP and unionist parties which is hardly surprising given that they have always wished to remove the name of Raymond McCreesh Park. Expand Close Raymond McCreesh / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Raymond McCreesh Despite the fact that ten play parks in Newry & Mourne Council area have been declared as surplus assets, Raymond McCreesh is the only one that has been fast-tracked for disposal." Unionists and IRA victims had repeatedly called for the name of the park to be changed. The SDLP initially supported the renaming of the park, but have changed their stance in recent years. McCreesh, from Carnlough in Armagh, was reportedly in possession of a rifle used in the 1976 Kingsmill Massacre killings when he was captured later that year. 10 people were killed in the attack. McCreesh was one of seven IRA prisoners who died in the 1981 Maze Prison hunger strikes. Expand Close The 'hero' banner erected at the children's play park. Picture: Newraypics.com Newraypics.com / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The 'hero' banner erected at the children's play park. Picture: Newraypics.com His convictions included attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, possession of firearms with intent to endanger life and IRA membership. In April a banner was hung on a fence in the park declaring McCreesh "our hero". DUP leader Arlene Foster has warned it would be catastrophic to create a barrier between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as she travelled to Brussels for talks. Mrs Foster will meet the European Unions chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Tuesday to set out her red line on the issue, warning against any attempt to annex Northern Ireland. The UK Government has promised to set out further proposals on the backstop arrangement aimed at avoiding a hard border with Ireland, with speculation that it could involve regulatory checks on goods travelling between Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom single market must be protected with no new borders between Northern Ireland and Great Britain being createdArlene Foster The DUPs 10 MPs play a critical role in propping up Theresa Mays minority administration at Westminster and Mrs Foster said her partys only red line was the prevention of a new border being created in the Irish Sea. We want the June 2016 referendum result to be respected and implemented, she said. A majority of people throughout the United Kingdom voted to take back control of their money, laws and borders. Whilst many in Brussels may not agree with the referendum outcome, the result must be respected. The EUs proposed backstop would see Northern Ireland effectively remain in the customs union and single market while the rest of the UK shifts away from Brussels rules, something the Prime Minister has already said would be unacceptable. Expand Close The UK Government has promised to set out further proposals on the backstop arrangement aimed at avoiding a hard border with Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The UK Government has promised to set out further proposals on the backstop arrangement aimed at avoiding a hard border with Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA) Mrs Foster said: As we leave the EU, we should do so as one nation. The United Kingdom single market must be protected with no new borders between Northern Ireland and Great Britain being created. From day one this has been the DUPs only red line. This red line is recognising that Great Britain is Northern Irelands biggest market. Over 70% of all goods leaving Belfast port are destined for Great Britain. To create a barrier to that trade would be catastrophic. Northern Ireland must retain unfettered access to the British market and also be able to fully benefit from any new trade deals struck by the UK after Brexit, she said. Our red line also respects and protects Northern Irelands constitutional place in the United Kingdom, she added. Many who claim to respect the Belfast Agreement fail to respect the principle of consent which was part of that agreement. Indeed, they would happily redraw the border and annex Northern Ireland away from the rest of the UK. She called for a sensible Brexit which works for both the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley is to convene fresh talks with the Stormont political parties on Monday. Aaron Chown/PA. Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley is to meet Stormonts five main political parties on Monday. She will also hold talks with church leaders and the Irish Government in what she termed another important step forward in her clear plan to restore devolved government. Powersharing collapsed early last year and negotiations are at an impasse. Ms Bradley said: I am deeply committed and determined to see the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland at the earliest opportunity. She has not ruled out appointing an external mediator to help break the deadlock. The Northern Ireland Secretary has promised to cut Stormont Assembly members pay by more than 13,000 and clarify civil service powers, which have been severely curtailed in the absence of ministers. Steps are expected to be taken this autumn to allow for policing-related appointments and a Government consultation on addressing the legacy of thousands of conflict deaths has just closed after receiving a massive response. Today is another important step in that processNorthern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley Ms Bradley added: Since my statement in September, Ive continued to engage with the political parties and the Irish Government, as appropriate, seeking their views on both the legislation I will shortly be taking forward and the means of restarting talks aimed at restoring devolution. Today is another important step in that process. She said she was particularly pleased to be meeting church leaders and welcomed their recent initiative in meeting the political parties. She added: It appears to have been a constructive discussion and I am keen to encourage the church leaders to continue that dialogue as we strive to seek as wide a consensus as possible on the way forward. I believe that the people of Northern Ireland want to see a restoration of their political institutions and that is what this Government is committed to achieving. Stormont collapsed in a row over the DUPs handling of a botched green energy incentive scheme. Since then, endless rounds of negotiations have failed to engineer restoration of the institutions, with the two main parties the DUP and Sinn Fein fundamentally split over issues like Brexit. Expand Close Stormont collapsed in a row over a botched green energy scheme and repeated rounds of negotiations have failed to resurrect it (Steve Parsons/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stormont collapsed in a row over a botched green energy scheme and repeated rounds of negotiations have failed to resurrect it (Steve Parsons/PA) Sinn Fein is seeking guarantees around what it terms rights and equality issues like the use of the Irish language and claims the DUP reneged on a draft agreement. The DUP has accused its former coalition partners of damaging public services by walking away from devolved government. It has urged greater involvement of direct rule ministers from London as the hiatus stretches on. A series of important reforms have been delayed in the absence of ministers. A landmark court judgment said a senior civil servant over-reached his powers in granting planning approval for a waste incinerator in Co Antrim last year without ministerial approval. Colin Casey and Daniel Hegarty appeared before a sitting of the Special Criminal Court in Dublins Criminal Courts of Justice Two men have been charged in relation to the murder of Aidan ODriscoll in Cork almost two years ago. Colin Casey, 32, and Daniel Hegarty, 24, appeared before a sitting of the Special Criminal Court in Dublins Criminal Courts of Justice on Monday. The men were brought before the court to face four charges each in connection with the murder of Mr ODriscoll in the Blackpool area of Cork city on December 7 2016. A senior figure in the Real IRA, Mr ODriscoll, 37, who was also known as The Beast, was shot multiple times in the north side of the city. He was transferred to Cork University Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Casey, whose address was not given in court, was accused of collecting the alleged killers from the Redemption Road/Seminary Walk area of Blackpool after they arrived in a silver Nissan Almera and driving them away from that location in a white Vauxhall Astra. Casey was also charged with setting fire to the Nissan car and the Vauxhall car in which the alleged killers had fled the scene. Another charge of driving the alleged killers in a red Opel Astra was also laid against Mr Casey. Hegarty, whose address was also not specified in court, was charged with collecting and concealing a bag which had been used by the alleged killers in the Farranferris area of Blackpool in the city. He was also charged with concealing the bag at Ballygibbon, Blarney, and setting fire to a Honda CBR motorcycle that had been used to transport the bag given to him by the alleged killers. A charge of concealing and burning a red Opel Astra was also made against Hegarty. Neither men replied when the charges were laid against them. Mr Justice Tony Hunt sat with Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Ann Ryan. Mr Justice Hunt remanded the two men on bail with conditions to appear again before the court on November 12. The MoD confirmed that payments are being offered to former troops, but only in some cases, to those in specialist roles and ranks (stock picture) Former Army troops axed for drug offences are being paid up to 10,000 to return to service in "specialised roles", the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. The Mail on Sunday reported that the payments were being offered to former troops to "plug a shortage" in the fighting force. The MoD confirmed that payments are being offered to former troops, but only in some cases, to those in specialist roles and ranks. The newspaper's report claimed that soldiers expelled following drug offences were being contacted by MoD officials and told they can qualify for "golden hello" payments. The report continued that the troops could return to active duty at the same rank, but did not specify that the payments were only available to personnel rejoining in specialist roles. The Mail on Sunday reported that the drug offences involved cocaine, cannabis and ketamine. The Army said: "Neither the Army, or its recruiting partner Capita, have directly approached individuals to invite them to re-join the Armed Forces. However, we always welcome applications from individuals whose circumstances have changed since leaving our ranks. "Financial incentives to return have been offered to fewer than 10 people since the start of the scheme in April, and only where there is a clear need to fill highly skilled or specialist roles. In no way is this connected to an individual's reason for leaving the Army, and anyone applying to re-join after previously failing a drugs test must pass a new test in order to be accepted." Passengers line up to reboard the Stena Line vessel after PSNI officers gave the all-clear early yesterday morning A Lisburn man has said passengers were left "confused and panicked" after being evacuated from a Stena Line ferry in Belfast on Saturday because of a bomb scare. David Hull was scheduled to depart for Birkenhead with three others from a Liverpool FC supporters club when an alarm signal went off on board the vessel. All passengers were forced to return to the terminal while extensive searches were carried out on vehicles aboard the ship. Mr Hull was travelling to Anfield to watch the Reds play Manchester City in yesterday's top of the table Premier League clash. But shortly after boarding Stena Line staff ushered everybody off in an ordeal that lasted several hours. The PSNI said the ferry was held while it was searched, but nothing untoward was found. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph from outside the stadium yesterday, Mr Hull said passengers were "confused and unsure" about why they were being asked to leave as, in his opinion, it wasn't made clear to them by staff. "We were sitting there ready to go at around 10.30pm, then next thing we were told to get off," he said. "We got back on at a quarter to one in the morning." In a Twitter post released shortly after passengers were allowed to re-embark, the PSNI said: "Belfast Harbour Police and PSNI officers have carried out a search of a boat docked in Belfast following a report that a device had been left on board. "Nothing was found and passengers have been allowed to board the vessel again, which will shortly depart for Liverpool." Mr Hull said the experience was frightening. Some of those evacuated splashed out on last-minute flights, fearing that they would miss the top yesterday's big game. "A few guys ended up booking flights but weren't allowed to leave the terminal for some reason," he added. "We had rucksacks and things with us, but they weren't even searched. "I think one guy had paid 220 for a flight and he wasn't allowed to leave. "All of a sudden we were allowed back on." Free breakfasts were given out yesterday morning to affected passengers as compensation. "I travel with Stena Line a lot," he added. "We get the boat because when Liverpool is playing at home, flight prices go up to maybe 180-200." Mr Hull said the incident would deter him from travelling with Stena Line in the future. He said: "There were a lot of people worried, especially because there were so many police officers there." When contacted yesterday no one from Stena Line was available for comment. Hillary Clinton at Oxford University to honour the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Victoria Jones/PA) Hillary Clinton has said democracy is under siege and that she cannot understand why the press, public and political establishment are so reluctant to call out what the Russians have been doing. The former US first lady, who lost the race for the White House to Donald Trump in 2016, also said it is troubling to her that history has been, in her view, either obscured or lost. Mrs Clinton was marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at the University of Oxford. I dont understand why the press, the political establishment and the public are so reluctant to call out what the Russians have been doingHillary Clinton The former US secretary of state said on Monday evening: As we learn more about the role that (Vladimir) Putin, oligarchs around him, the Russian government particularly, the intelligence forces have played, we see that its not just what they did in our election in the United States. They have been actively supporting right wing political parties and politicians. Mrs Clinton added: I dont understand why the press, the political establishment and the public are so reluctant to call out what the Russians have been doing. What they did in Brexit, what they did in the United States. Expand Close Hillary Clinton was defeated by Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election (PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hillary Clinton was defeated by Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election (PA) The former first lady said: You have to understand what Putins goal is. He called the collapse of the Soviet Union the biggest catastrophe in history. Now, that takes some doing to think that was the biggest catastrophe in history. Mrs Clinton urged people to follow the money, and said: When the NRA spends more money against me than theyve ever spent against any candidate, more than 30 million dollars, and theyve been going to Russia? Expand Close Hillary Rodham Clinton at Oxford University (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hillary Rodham Clinton at Oxford University (Victoria Jones/PA) She also mentioned funding for the Leave campaign. You just might think it came from one of the Oligarchs at Putins direction, she said. Mrs Clinton said the list is really long now, adding: The internet has given them a great advantage because they are able to sow discontent, divisiveness and false information incredibly easily. She added: Its only going to get worse, and this is something that I think everybody needs to pay attention to. 'Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world said Eleanor Roosevelt, whose statue will be unveiled today by @HillaryClinton @MansfieldOxford @BonaveroIHR #udhr70 pic.twitter.com/zGkboYWXkW Bonavero Institute of Human Rights (@BonaveroIHR) October 8, 2018 The technology has advanced so much that its not only the false stories that the phony news services are now directing at your Facebook feed, it will be taking the words you say out of many different contexts and putting it together to say something you never said. Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, former Principal of Mansfield College, who was among those campaigning to bring the statue to Oxford, joined Mrs Clinton in conversation on the role that women have played in promoting and protecting human rights. Expand Close Eleanor Roosevelt (PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Eleanor Roosevelt (PA) During the event, Mrs Clinton said: Democracy is under siege, international cooperation is being diminished and dismissed, and we have to ask ourselves, how do we maintain the democratic experiment in self government and how do we find the cooperation around the world and stand against this tide that seems to be sweeping Europe and the United States that is really undermining the extraordinary work that was done. Mrs Clinton unveiled a statue of Americas war time first lady Eleanor Roosevelt outside the Institute and became an honorary fellow of Mansfield College. Confronting Illiberalism: The Role of the Media, Civil Society and Universities @BonveroIHR tomorrow brings human rights practitioners, academics & journalists together. @HillaryClinton will give the keynote on the rise of illiberalism. https://t.co/HfbISUT169 #udhr70 Bonavero Institute of Human Rights (@BonaveroIHR) October 8, 2018 The bronze statue, by artist Penelope Jencks, presents Mrs Roosevelt in a quiet and reflective pose and is a second casting of the statue that stands in Riverside Park, Manhattan. The event was billed An Evening Celebration Of Three Remarkable Women: Eleanor Roosevelt, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton & Baroness Helena Kennedy QC. Mrs Clinton will give the keynote speech at a conference on Confronting Illiberalism: The Role Of The Media, Civil Society And Universities on Tuesday. The two suspects in the Salisbury nerve agent attack (Met Police/PA) One of the suspects in the Skripal poisoning case is a military doctor, it has been claimed. Dr Alexander Mishkin has been identified by an online investigative group as one of the two men who carried out the deadly Salisbury nerve agent attack. It comes a week after his alleged accomplice was named as Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga said to be a senior officer in the Russian military intelligence service. Here is what we know so far: Suspects On September 5, the Prime Minister told MPs that two Russian nationals were suspected of travelling to the UK to murder former spy Sergei Skripal with the nerve agent Novichok. The man believed to be Mishkin used the alias Alexander Petrov, while Chepiga used the name Ruslan Boshirov. Expand Close Image issued by Bellingcat of the second suspect in the Skripal poisoning case, named as Dr Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin (Bellingcat/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Image issued by Bellingcat of the second suspect in the Skripal poisoning case, named as Dr Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin (Bellingcat/PA) CCTV images tracked their movements from arriving in the UK on March 2 until their return to Russia late on March 4, the day of the attack. Evidence gathered by intelligence agencies led the Government to conclude the men were officers from the Russian military intelligence service, also known as the GRU. Putins denial A week later, Russian president Vladimir Putin publicly denied the men identified by the UK were responsible. He said there was nothing criminal about the men and said they were civilians. Mr Putin made a surprise appeal for Petrov and Boshirov to appear in public to dispel doubt about their true identity. The interview On September 13, the men appeared on Russian state-funded news channel RT. In a bizarre interview Boshirov said they travelled to the wonderful Wiltshire city to see Stonehenge and Old Sarum after recommendations from friends. He told the interviewer he wanted to see the world-renowned Salisbury Cathedral, which is famous for its 123m spire and historic clock. Expand Close The suspects pictured on CCTV (Met Police/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The suspects pictured on CCTV (Met Police/PA) Boshirov acknowledged they may have been near Mr Skripals house but said they did not know where it was. He said his life had been turned upside down after he was named as a suspect. Bellingcat revelations On October 8 investigative group Bellingcat reported Alexander Petrovs true identity as Dr Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin a highly trained military doctor with the GRU. The 39-year-old was allegedly born in a village Archangelsk District in the north of European Russia and graduated from one of Russias elite military academies. He is said to have trained specifically for a life as a naval doctor and was allegedly recruited to the GRU during his medical studies and assumed his undercover identity in 2010. Mishkin is said to have travelled extensively under his new identity, including making multiple trips to Ukraine. On September 27, Bellingcat reported that Boshirovs real name is Anatoliy Chepiga, a 39-year-old married father-of-one. Expand Close An image said to be Anatoliy Chepigas passport photo from 2003 (Bellingcat/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp An image said to be Anatoliy Chepigas passport photo from 2003 (Bellingcat/PA) He is thought to be a highly-decorated colonel in the GRU, the group says. Born in Amur Oblast in far-east Russia, he joined an elite military academy at 18. The group said he graduated with honours and was assigned to a unit under GRU command. The unit played a key role in the second Chechen War and he was deployed to the country three times, Bellingcat said. According to the group he was given his pseudonym at some point between 2003 and 2010. The presidents man? The group said Col Chepiga was given the Kremlins highest state award, Hero of the Russian Federation, in secret in 2014. The awards are usually handed out by Mr Putin himself, meaning it is highly likely the president would have been familiar with Col Chepigas identity. Expand Close Such high awards are usually handed out by Vladimir Putin (PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Such high awards are usually handed out by Vladimir Putin (PA) What he was given the award for remains a mystery. In 2014 there were no military activities in Chechnya and Russia had not engaged in Syria. The only region where Russia is alleged to have been involved was Eastern Ukraine, where any mission would have been classified. Miushkins current military rank is unknown but based on the fact he graduated from a military medical academy, he would at least be a senior lieutenant. But 15 years have passed since he graduated, and Bellingcat believes he must now be either a lieutenant colonel or a full colonel. What has Russia said? A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry has previously dismissed Bellingcats claims, and said they were part of an information campaign to distract from the investigation into what really happened in Salisbury. What has the UK Government said? The Home Office said it could not comment on the revelations as it is still a police investigation. A spokesman for the Met Police, which is leading the investigation, said the force would not comment on speculation regarding the attackers identities. Bellingcat says it has assessed data from the Russian central passport database. The issue numbers on passports used by the men to travel to Britain differed by only three digits, making it implausible that they were issued through regular channels, the group said. 3 STREAMS OF INCOME BUSINESS SEMINAR: Dear Friend, Permit me to ask you this question, again. Are you still interested in... Pret A Manger announced last week that it will include full ingredient labelling on all of its products (Nick Ansell/PA) The second customer thought to have died after suffering an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger sandwich has been identified. Avon Coroners Office said dental nurse Celia Marsh, 42, from Melksham, died at the Royal United Hospital in Bath on December 27 last year. A spokesman said inquiries into her death were continuing and no date had yet been fixed for a full inquest hearing. Mrs Marsh is thought to have suffered the reaction after eating a super-veg rainbow flatbread containing a yoghurt which was supposed to be dairy-free but was later found to have traces of dairy protein in it. The firm blamed by Pret A Manger for supplying the yoghurt hit back at the food chain on Sunday, describing its claims as unfounded. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it investigated supplier CoYo, which later issued an allergy alert and recalled its coconut yoghurts. But CoYo denied the recall was linked to Mrs Marshs death and accused Pret of hampering its own probe by failing to provide vital information. Details of Mrs Marshs death emerged as Pret was facing scrutiny over the case of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who was allergic to sesame and died after eating one of its baguettes. Expand Close Natasha Ednan-Laperouse (Family Handout/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Natasha Ednan-Laperouse (Family Handout/PA) Mrs Marsh died after buying a sandwich in a Pret store in Stall Street, Bath. Pret said it had been mis-sold a guaranteed dairy-free yoghurt by CoYo that was found to contain dairy protein. CoYo, a coconut milk brand that has been endorsed by TV cook Nigella Lawson, recalled some yoghurts in February. But on Sunday, CoYo denied this was related, saying that product was supplied to it in January after the womans death. The dairy-free product we provided to Pret in December 2017, at the time of this tragedy, is not linked to the product we recalled in February 2018, a spokeswoman said. Prets inability to provide us with a batch code, despite several requests, has severely limited our ability to investigate this further. Bath Council alerted Pret to the incident and the chain said on Saturday it then withdrew all affected products, ended its CoYo contract and launched legal action. Subsequent testing by Pret and two independent authorities found that the CoYo dairy-free yoghurt contained traces of dairy protein, a Pret spokesman added. Pret announced last week that it will include full ingredient labelling on all of its products and the Government is considering a law change after the death of Natasha, from Fulham, south-west London. She collapsed on board a flight in July 2016 after eating an artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette she had bought in Heathrow Airport. Natashas parents, Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, have since campaigned for allergy awareness and a change in food labelling laws. We were incredibly saddened to learn of someone else losing their life from allergens in their food, they said in a statement on Sunday. A military doctor employed by Russias GRU intelligence agency was one of the two suspects accused of carrying out the Salisbury nerve agent attack, an investigatory website claimed. The two suspects in the attempted assassination of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal were originally named by the UK authorities as Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov although it was made clear that the names were aliases. The suspect identified as Petrov was actually Dr Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin, the Bellingcat group said. Expand Close An extensive investigation was launched into the nerve agent attack in Salisbury in March (Andrew Matthews/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp An extensive investigation was launched into the nerve agent attack in Salisbury in March (Andrew Matthews/PA) The 39-year-old graduated from one of Russias elite Military Medical Academies, the groups website said. During his studies he was recruited by the GRU military intelligence agency and by 2010 had relocated to Moscow, where he received his undercover identity including a second national ID and travel passport under the alias Alexander Petrov. Bellingcat has already identified Boshirov as Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga a highly-decorated officer in the GRU. Skripal suspect Alexander Mishkin was born on 13.07.1979 in the village of Loyga, in the Archangelsk District in Northern European Russia. pic.twitter.com/9NzBJzNTgb Bellingcat (@bellingcat) October 8, 2018 A spokesman for the Home Office said: We are not commenting as this is still a police investigation. Further details of Bellingcats investigation to unmask Mishkin will be released on Tuesday. The Press Association understands the reported identity is not disputed by UK security services. It comes after police are believed to have identified a third Russian accomplice alleged to have helped plan the Salisbury nerve agent attack. The man, from Russias military intelligence service the GRU, was reported to have visited Salisbury ahead of the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, according to The Daily Telegraph. The men identified as Petrov and Boshirov are believed to have smeared the highly toxic Novichok nerve agent on a door handle at the Wiltshire home of Mr Skripal on March 4. The attack left Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia critically ill, while Dawn Sturgess, 44, who was later exposed to the same nerve agent, died in July. The suspects were identified as GRU agents and Theresa May said their actions were not a rogue operation and would have been approved at a senior level in Moscow. The activities of the GRU have come under further scrutiny after the agency was accused of trying to hack the global chemical weapons watchdog which is investigating the Salisbury nerve agent attack. Officials in the Netherlands, where the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is based, said four Russians had been expelled after the alleged cyber strike. British intelligence helped thwart the operation which was launched in April, a month after the Novichok poisoning. The GRU has also been blamed for a string of cyber attacks targeting political institutions, businesses, media and sport. The Russian militarys attempted hack of the OPCW is part of a sustained pattern of hostile cyberspace activity. Their continued efforts to flout international law will be exposed and there will be consequences pic.twitter.com/kLmnGVDnsB Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) October 4, 2018 The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said a number of hackers known to have launched attacks have been linked to the GRU. The NCSC associated four new attacks with the GRU, on top of previous strikes believed to have been conducted by Russian intelligence. Among targets of the GRU attacks were the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), transport systems in Ukraine, and democratic elections, such as the 2016 US presidential race, according to the NCSC. The centre said it was almost certainly the GRU behind a BadRabbit attack in October 2017 that caused disruption to the Kiev metro, Odessa airport and Russias central bank. British soldiers deployed on the UKs biggest military exercise for almost two decades have said they are relishing the challenge of Omans searing heat and dusty, austere desert. Exercise Saif Sareea 3 officially began on October 5 and will see more than 5,500 UK personnel and 65,000 of their Omani counterparts poised to take part over the coming month. The extreme desert heat can hit soldiers and their weapons alike, while dust can cripple even the most expensive high-tech kit, a problem graphically illustrated during Saif Sareea 2 in 2001. Expand Close British soldiers take shade from the searing heat of the Oman desert (Ben Birchall/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp British soldiers take shade from the searing heat of the Oman desert (Ben Birchall/PA) Royal Tank Regiment Captain Will Baker, who is deployed on the 100 million tri-service training exercise, said the Challenger Two battle tanks are coping well in the conditions. The 26-year-old who is from Thirsk near York, said: You have got to nurture them through, this is an absolutely insane environment. You have got all the dust, so there will be minor problems. We want to see if we can do what we do out in one of the worst or harshest environments that there isSergeant Darren Thomas But in terms of catastrophic failures, we have not had that many, it is more about a bit of TLC, knowing when to stop and clear the filters. On his first overseas deployment on a large exercise, he said he is looking forward to working with his Omani colleagues, with the two set to begin training together in the coming days. The Challenger Two is obviously a British tank, they (the Omanis) are the only other country that uses it. So what we want to give to them is our little skills and drills, he added. Expand Close A soldier uses a makeshift toilet close to masses of covered vehicles (Ben Birchall/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A soldier uses a makeshift toilet close to masses of covered vehicles (Ben Birchall/PA) Hopefully they can reciprocate and show us how to operate in this environment and their tactics it is a wide-open terrain, it is difficult to sneak a battlegroup around. Asked whether he thinks the experience of Saif Sareea 3 is beneficial, Capt Baker said it absolutely is. If nothing else it is one hell of a life experience, coming out to the desert for six weeks operating on a tank with your mates, this is what it is about, he added. The UK Minister of State for Armed Forces, Rt Hon @MarkLancasterMK, visited Oman last week. Whilst there he saw the preparations for Exercise #SaifSareea 3 taking place and the Oman national exercise Al Shomoukh 2.#UKinOman# #_3 pic.twitter.com/CiOgf2WMuq Royal Air Force (@RoyalAirForce) October 8, 2018 Capt Baker was speaking after a manoeuvre involving B Company from the 1st Battalion, the Mercian Regiment, which the Royal Tank Regiment are operating alongside. Over the next four weeks, more than 18 Challenger Two battle tanks and 61 Warrior armoured vehicles will feature in the exercise, culminating in a live fire demonstration next month. Expand Close A Puma takes off behind a Challenger II Main Battle Tank (Ben Birchall/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A Puma takes off behind a Challenger II Main Battle Tank (Ben Birchall/PA) Corporal Tim Rogocake, who is from Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers that is attached to 1 Mercian, said so far his deployment has had its ups and downs. The 33-year-old who lives in Bulford, Salisbury Plain, and is originally from Fiji said: It is a bit difficult with the kit, obviously with the heat and the dust, it is a new environment for us. But you just have to adapt and go forward. He revealed that alongside the heat acclimatisation they undertook on arriving in Oman, they have been looking to carry out repairs or their work during the cooler hours. Sergeant Robert Coops Cooper, of B Company 1 Mercian, said he has seen the mercury rise to 47C (116.6F) during the time he has been in Oman. Expand Close A British soldier removes his boots (Ben Birchall/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A British soldier removes his boots (Ben Birchall/PA) The 39-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent said the Warrior armoured vehicles he operates in are doing well, but that the dust is horrendous. Once stopped, soldiers could often be seen brushing large gatherings of orange-tinted dust off the vehicles, with Sgt Cooper revealing the filters on the Warriors do get clogged up with it. Asked whether he thinks the exercise is important, he said it is, otherwise there becomes a skill fade issue, adding: When else would we operate in this environment? His colleague Sergeant Darren Thomas, 32, from Cannock, Staffordshire said they have proven they can operate on Salisbury Plain and Canada, but added: We want to see if we can do what we do out in one of the worst or harshest environments that there is. Research led by the University of Glasgow is to receive 10m in European funding (Danny Lawson/PA) Academic work to improve water quality and develop robots with a sense of touch is to receive more than 10 million in European funding. Three projects at the University of Glasgow have been awarded funding of 11.7 million euro as part of the European Commissions Innovative Training Networks (ITN) project. It aims to train a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative early-stage researchers. A collaboration between the universitys engineering school, geography and maths departments has been funded to develop new technology for monitoring water quality through sensor systems, autonomous underwater robots and drones. The NeuTouch project will also involve the university with colleagues in Germany, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland and Iceland to design sensing devices and algorithms to improve the tactile perception in robots and prostheses. The EVODrops project at the University of Glasgow has received backing of 3 million (3.5 million euro) to study directed evolution. Professor Franke said: The EVODrops project will use cutting-edge droplet-based microfluidics technology to improve the efficiency and scope of directed evolution approaches for accelerated protein engineering. Its an approach which has a lot of potential applications in a wide range of industries, and were looking forward to working with our partners on the project, which include Harvard and Hong Kong Universities, ESPCI Paris, and several major companies such as ThermoFisher and BASF. A total of 123 projects will share the Commissions 388 million (442 million euro) budget. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Daisuke Suzuki/AP) Chinas foreign minister has told visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Washington should stop what he called groundless attacks on his countrys policies. Wang Yi said he told Mr Pompeo during a meeting that a shadow has been cast over the future of China-US relations. China and the United States are at odds over trade and Beijings militarisation of islands it claims in the South China Sea. Mr Pompeo, who arrived from North Korea, told Mr Yi he wanted to discuss his meetings with its leader, Kim Jong Un, and efforts to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. Mr Pompeo met Mr Wang and Yang Jiechi, a senior Cabinet official and former foreign minister, after the talks on Sunday with Mr Kim. Mr Pompeo also visited Japan and South Korea, where he said Monday in Seoul that there had been significant progress toward an agreement for the North to give up its nuclear weapons. Mr Wang appealed to Mr Pompeo to cease actions that Beijing sees as threatening its interests in order to avoid disrupting cooperation over North Korea and other issues. Expand Close A meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chinas State Councilor Yang Jiechi (Andy Wong, AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chinas State Councilor Yang Jiechi (Andy Wong, AP) While the US side has constantly escalated trade frictions with China, it has also taken actions regarding Taiwan that harm Chinas core interests, Mr Wang said. In their later meeting, Mr Yang expressed Chinese frustration with Washington while avoiding specifics, telling Mr Pompeo relations are facing challenges. Washington and Beijing should and must make the correct choices, Mr Yang said. We hope the United States and China can meet each other halfway and conscientiously fulfil the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, Mr Yang said. In Seoul, Mr Pompeo said he and Mr Kim had agreed to soon begin working-level talks on details of denuclearisation and placement of international inspectors at one of North Koreas main nuclear facilities. Arrived in #Seoul to brief President @moonriver365 and FM Kang on my meetings in #DPRK with Chairman Kim. I look forward to working closely with our #ROK friends and allies to ensure progress on inter-Korean relations is in lockstep with progress on denuclearization. @StateDept pic.twitter.com/J2wpYvseIQ Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 7, 2018 Mr Pompeo said they came close to finalising a date and venue for the next Kim-Trump meeting. Its a long process, Mr Pompeo told reporters. We made significant progress. Well continue to make significant progress and we are further along in making that progress than any administration in an awfully long time. Mr Pompeo said he and Mr Kim had got pretty close to fixing the logistics for the summit but stressed that sometimes that last inch is hard to close. Most importantly, both the leaders believe there is real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit and so we are going to get it at a time that works for each of the two leaders and at a place that works for both of them, he said. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has distanced herself from former White House strategist Steve Bannon, saying only Europeans will save the continent. Ms Le Pen said, at a meeting in Rome, that she wanted to clarify lots of conjecture about Mr Bannons reported plans to set up a foundation, The Movement, to boost far-right parties in Europe. Speaking with right-wing Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini by her side, Ms Le Pen said Mr Bannon is not European, but rather an American who wants to create a think-tank to offer research to nationalist parties in Europe. But we, and we alone, are the ones who will shape the political force that is born from the European elections, she said, as Mr Salvini applauded. Because we are attached to our liberty, attached to our sovereignty and we together, the representatives of the different peoples of Europe, are the ones who will shape the political forces that aim specifically to save Europe. She added: So that things are extremely clear on this subject. Ms Le Pens distancing was significant given that Mr Bannon has been making the rounds in Europe of late as part of his push for a trans-national, anti-European Union movement. Ms Le Pen was in Rome to join Mr Salvini at a union conference where they showed a united front before the European Parliament election in May. Last month, Mr Bannon appeared at a rally in Rome organised by a small far-right Italian opposition party, Brothers of Italy, where he heaped praise on Italys populist, 5-Star-League government, and he was in Rome for the March 4 election that brought them to power. While he did not appear with Mr Salvini, who spoke at the rally earlier in the day, the two have met and Mr Salvini has purportedly signed onto The Movement, according to one of its proponents, Belgian politician Mischael Modrikamen. In March, Mr Bannon spoke at Ms Le Pens National Front party congress, which had been aimed at remaking the far-right partys image after it suffered a crushing defeat to the pro-globalisation forces that brought Emmanuel Macron to the French presidency. As part of the makeover, Ms Le Pen changed the party name to National Rally. Some in France had warned that Mr Bannons support could threaten Ms Le Pens efforts to cleanse the party of its racist stigma. President Donald Trump says he does not have any plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Mr Rosensteins job security has been under question since news reports last month that he had discussed possibly secretly recording President Trump to expose chaos in the White House and invoking constitutional provisions to get him removed from office. Mr Rosenstein joined the president on board Air Force One flying to an event in Florida, a likely indication that his Justice Department job is at least temporarily safe. President Trump told reporters that he has a very good relationship with Mr Rosenstein. Their meeting two weeks ago was postponed amid the Supreme Court nomination hearings. Mr Rosenstein oversees special counsel Robert Muellers probe into possible contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia. The Saudi ambassador to Turkey has been summoned to request Riyadhs cooperation in an investigation over journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week. A ministry official says Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal met with the Saudi ambassador on Sunday. Private NTV television said Turkey requested permission to search the consulate building. Expand Close People walk past the the Saudi consulate in Istanbul (Emrah Gurel/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp People walk past the the Saudi consulate in Istanbul (Emrah Gurel/AP) An official said that Turkey has deepened its investigation without providing further detail. Turkish officials claim the Washington Post contributor was killed at the consulate and that his body was later removed. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not confirm the alleged killing, saying he would await the result of an investigation. Saudi officials have denied the allegations as baseless. Sinn Fein march commemorating the anniversary of the civil rights rally in Derry in 1968 Another week in Sinn Fein's historical rewriting project brought us a major contribution from Gerry Kelly, one of the 1973 Old Bailey bombers. Mr Kelly is so proud of his terrorist past that he boasts publicly about such exploits as his shooting of a prison warder in the head during a mass escape. Last week Sinn Fein responded to the Government's legacy proposals with ill-concealed delight that the Northern Ireland Office is dancing to its tune, with Mr Kelly adding that during the Troubles the British had been "the main conflict protagonist". Since the Government seems happy to grant terrorist perpetrators moral equivalence with innocent victims, I suppose Mr Kelly thought this would hardly raise an eyebrow. But, strangely, some people made a fuss. Mr Kelly was all sweet reason the next day - explaining that it was "reasonable for me and for republicans to say that the British were the main protagonists", but he was prepared to accept "that political unionism, or British soldiers or whoever, wants to say the IRA were a main protagonist". Hey, Mr Kelly, just for the record, may I add that many of us think your campaign to achieve public acceptance of some moral equivalence between the murder gang you served and the security forces is an obscenity. Then, on Saturday, as part of what Eamonn McCann - a leading figure in the civil rights movement from the outset - described as "another instance of Sinn Fein trying to hijack history", Mary Lou McDonald spoke at an event organised by her party commemorating events of October 5, 1968 in Londonderry with which it had had nothing to do. Ms McDonald is a mistress of effrontery. "It is an honour to be here in Derry," she said. "The city of Martin McGuinness, John Hume and now of Elisha McCallion." If John Hume, who endured years of intimidation from physical force republicans as he tried to keep the civil rights movement peaceful, were not lost to dementia, he would be outraged. In fact, he was lucky to get a mention at all, since for some years Sinn Fein speakers have been trying to write him out of history. Let's get back to reality by considering some brutal truths about IRA terrorism that were acknowledged in the 6th Annual Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving held yesterday in the Presbyterian Church in Ballygawley, the scene in August 1988 of an atrocity that killed eight young men and maimed many others. Organised by the South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF), which is doing much to remind us all about the true victims, its purpose was to dedicate the fourth of its memorial quilts commemorating the 15 from British, German, Australian, Indian, Belgian and Dutch backgrounds murdered in mainland Europe by the IRA. Among those remembered were Heidi Hazell, the German wife of a British soldier shot dead in September 1989 at an Army base in West Germany. The IRA statement claiming responsibility did not apologise and warned civilians "to keep well clear of British military personnel". The following month, also in West Germany, Maheshkumar Islania of the RAF was shot while at a service station filling up a car containing his wife and infant daughter. The IRA statement expressing regret for the baby's death said the killer couldn't have known she was there. They produced another "oops" statement after mistaking two Australian tourists in Holland in May 1990 for off-duty British soldiers and killing them. The main suspect, Desmond Grew, was killed by the SAS a few months later in Armagh while on an operation. At his funeral,Gerry Adams pronounced him "a freedom fighter, a patriot and a decent upstanding Irish citizen". The memorial quilt also remembers 15 of the many hundreds of innocents murdered in Spain by ETA terrorists. A major part of SEFF's work these days is to encourage victims to work together across international borders, something terrorists have done for so many years. What is known as the Uniting Innocent Victims Project will be launched on October 16 in the EU Parliament in Brussels jointly by Northern Ireland and Spanish MEPs. As director of services Kenny Donaldson puts it, SEFF is dedicated to telling "the narrative of truth". It deserves the support of all decent people. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- The EV startup Faraday Future (FF) is seeking arbitration to terminate the stake transaction with Evergrande Health Industry Group Limited (Evergrande Health), the healthcare company announced on October 7. Evergrande Health, a subsidiary of the real estate developer China Evergrande Group, claimed in June that it has acquired 100% stake in the Hongkong-based Season Smart Limited (Season Smart) with HK$6.746 billion plowed. The latest announcement showed that Season Smart and FF's previous shareholder (a British Virgin Islands entity called FF Top Holding whose actual controller is Jia Yueting) signed an agreement on November 30, 2017, which said Season Smart agreed to pour a total of $2 billion in Smart King, a joint venture (JV) between Season Smart and FF Top Holding. The investment will be implemented in three installments, due in 2018 (for $800 million), 2019 (for $600 million) and 2020 (for $600 million) and will make Evergrande Health indirectly obtain 45% stake in Smart King. However, Evergrand Health revealed on the October 7's statement that Season Smart was requested by FF Top Holding in July to pay $700 million up front after the latter had run out of Smart Season's initial investment of $800 million. The Chinese healthcare firm said FF's previous shareholder has filed arbitration at the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre against Evergrande Health, saying payment conditions were not fulfilled. The filing also said FF Top Holding is seeking to deprive Season Smart of the right as Smart King's shareholder to approve relevant financing plans and intends to terminate all other terms. Nevertheless, Evergrande Health stressed that Season Smart has performed all obligations under relevant agreements, while Smart King's arbitration request has severely harmed the rights of Season Smart and its shareholders. It will take all necessary steps to safeguard its continuing rights under related terms. The only reason 'FF is trying to get out of the deal with Evergrande,' is because Evergrande has failed to live up to its end of the bargain and make the payments it agreed to make. This is a matter of basic, common-sense fairness- Evergrande shouldnt be permitted to withhold the funding and simultaneously prevent FF from accepting alternative financing or investments, FF delivered the explanation via its Twitter a few hours ago. The Trade Department said it intensified its investigation on the use induction furnace by steel manufacturers amid reports of proliferation of substandard products that pose serious safety hazards to homebuilders and consumers. Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said in a radio interview there would be no let-up in the investigation of steel companies using induction furnace, especially after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations advised its member countries to ban the use of induction furnace for steelmaking. We confiscate substandard materials. We test them on the spot, weigh them and measure their size. We also check on their labelsand issue notice of violation, said Castelo who also heads the Trade Departments Consumer Protection Group. We have two procedures in our investigation. It could be direct from small retailer and then go up to its supplier or from the supplier to where they distributeso were working on it as a whole approach, she said, adding that she has even visited an induction furnace plant. Steel manufacturers using induction furnace formed the group Philippine Induction Smelting Industry Association which counts among its members Real Steel Corp., Wan Chiong Steel Corp., and Melters Steel Corp. that are all based in San Simon, Pampanga; Metro Dragon Steel Corp. in Caloocan City; and Davao Mighty Steel Corp. in Davao City. The Asean Iron and Steel Council earlier issued a warning on member nations about the use of induction furnace which it called obsolete and outdated machinery as these have already been banned in China. It also raised concern that Asean would become a dumping ground of these equipment. AISC said that the adverse impact from the use of induction furnace could arise from production of substandard quality steel products, which could pose safety hazard as construction materials.Castelo said the department would soon wrap-up its investigation on the use of induction furnace even as she cautioned consumers who are buying construction materials to be vigilant and at least look for the labels on the steel products that they purchase. Our consumers may not know if the construction materials that theyre buying passed our standards but they should at least be aware of the labeling so that they know who are the manufacturers of these products, she said. In its paper, the AISC explained that unlike steelmaking using the electric arc furnace process, induction furnace lacks refining capability to remove harmful elements in liquid steel. It has been reported that 90 percent of the rebar produced in China with the induction furnace process were substandard with poor mechanical property in elongation and strength which could easily fracture during application, the group said. Local group Philippine Iron and Steel Institute also called for the ban on the use of induction furnace for steelmaking due to the dangers it poses to consumers and the local Philippine industry as well. The controversy surrounding the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court judge in America illustrates vividly the deep divisions in the country. The Senate confirmation vote was 50-48, which was the narrowest margin possible, but it will be taken as a major political victory for President Trump who nominated Kavanaugh, an arch-conservative. This move could have a profound effect on many issues in the USA, including abortion and gay rights, where Kavanaugh could tip the balance on a nine-member Supreme Court line-up and set the country on a conservative social trajectory. In normal times this would be a matter of little surprise, with a Republican President using his prerogative in favour of a Republican-leaning judge, with the US Senate rubber-stamping the appointment. However, these are not normal times in the United States, with Donald Trump proving to be one of the most polarising Presidents in history. The vote on Kavanaugh underlines there is little prospect of a move towards the centre ground. This particular appointment has received global attention because of the allegations of sexual misconduct made against Kavanaugh by three women, including Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of carrying out a sexual assault at a party they both attended many years ago as teenagers. These claims were strenuously denied by Kavanaugh, and some people expressed surprise that it took so long for Doctor Blasey Ford's claims of misconduct to surface. Many Republicans accused the Democrats of deliberately making this a political issue, and the resultant inter-party bitterness and distrust was exacerbated by television coverage of a Senate committee hearing where the judge and his accuser stated their case. In human terms this was an excruciating episode and a deeply painful experience for both the judge and Dr Ford. It was most unfortunate that what had been a confidential accusation was allowed to develop into a full public confrontation where there were no winners. This divisiveness was further highlighted by widespread public protests in Washington at the same time as Judge Kavanaugh's appointment was being ratified by the senate. The situation has not been helped by the public reaction of President Trump, who should have remained above the fray, as other recent Presidents most certainly would have done. One of the most worrying aspects of the whole affair is its effect on democracy itself. Unfortunately, mutual respect between Republican and Democrat representatives seems to have disappeared where a politician from "the other party" is regarded as an enemy rather than a professional colleague working for the public good. This also applies nearer home, where politics is in danger of reaching a new low. This is clearly seen in the UK where people on either side of the Brexit argument berate one another and there seems to be little or no common ground. In Northern Ireland our politicians are taking up entrenched positions to the point where they are unwilling to share power at Stormont and to make decisions which will help people from all backgrounds. A further distressing aspect of this deadlock is the way in which the DUP and Sinn Fein, routinely and parrot-like heap blame each other. It would be wrong, therefore, to point the finger at America alone. The proper operation of democracy by communities and politicians who differ, but respect one another, is the foundation of our free society everywhere - and if we ignore this we do so at our peril. A PRIMARY school principal in Northern Ireland who did not tell the parents of children in his care that they were claiming to be sexually abused has refused to reveal if he will resign. Eamonn Magee - head teacher at St Patrick's and St Brigid's in Ballycastle - answered "no comment" when asked by Sunday Life yesterday if he accepted his silence amounted to a cover-up which put other kids at risk. "I've no comment to make," was all he would say on the doorstep of his Portstewart home. The 65-year-old also declined to reveal if he intended returning an MBE, awarded to him by the Queen last year for services to education, or if he is going to apologise to the parents of the pupils who were abused. Mr Magee was heavily criticised in Antrim Crown Court on Thursday during a hearing involving paedophile postman Daniel Hill. The 68-year-old from Clare Road, Ballycastle, is awaiting sentencing for sexually abusing three girls on dates between 1995 and 2001. The victims were all pupils at St Patrick's and St Brigid's Primary School. The court was told that in 2001, a teacher intercepted a hand-written note being passed in class between some girls that said: "I hate Danny Hill; I hate him too; I hate the way he puts his hand down your pants." The note was given to headteacher Eamonn Magee but he did not show the contents to the parents of the young victims. The court heard how one of those abused only realised her father had not seen the note halfway through paedophile Hill's trial earlier this year. Criticising Mr Magee's silence for almost two decades, prosecutor Tessa Kitson said: "As a child of 10, right until this trial started, she had always believed that her father had been shown the note and decided to do nothing about it but brush it under the carpet. "This was in 2001, not the 1940s or 1950s or a Magdalene Laundry setting - any delay in this case lies fairly and squarely at the feet of Mr Magee... and that is something that Mr Magee should reflect on and address his mind to." At his home yesterday morning, Mr Magee confirmed he had read Ms Kitson's damning assessment of him, but refused to say whether he had taken her criticisms on board. On its website St Patrick's and St Brigid's Primary stresses its child protection credentials, saying: "Remember child protection is the responsibility of everybody. The child's care is paramount in all that we do." Principal Eamonn Magee is the school's current deputy-designated teacher for child protection and a member of its safeguarding team. St Patrick's and St Brigid's policy for reporting suspected child abuse is also published on its official website. It states: "The Principal will decide whether in the best interests of the child the matter should be referred. "If there are concerns that a child is at risk, the school is obliged to make a referral. Unless there are concerns that a parent may be the possible abuser, the parents should be informed." Locals in Ballycastle who spoke to Sunday Life yesterday were adamant that Eamonn Magee should resign as St Patrick's and St Brigid's principal and hand back his MBE award. One furious parent told us: "As school principal Mr Magee has failed those children who were sexually abused and their mothers and fathers. "It must have been galling for them to see him getting an MBE last year for services to education. He should give it back and resign." cbarnes@sundaylife.co.uk THIS is the Co Armagh Orangeman who was booted out of a Shania Twain concert in Dublin for his drunken dancing. Tandragee shopkeeper Paul Wilson (57), pictured here for the first time, was ejected from the country music legend's show at the 3Arena on Thursday, September 27. Read More During Twain's set security staff reported Mr Wilson's behaviour had begun "affecting" the enjoyment of his fellow country music fans. Mr Wilson admitted to standing in a seated area and swearing at security personnel but claimed he was stunned when garda officers escorted him out of the venue and believes his arrest and charge was over the top. After spending a night in the cells he appeared before Dublin District Court the following day where a judge told him he was "a bit long in the tooth to be carrying on like that" but spared him from a criminal record on the condition he donated 200 to charity. Expand Close Paul Wilson enjoying a slice of watermelon / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Paul Wilson enjoying a slice of watermelon Earlier this week Mr Wilson told the Belfast Telegraph: "I was just dancing, I was enjoying the music and a steward came up and told me to sit down. "There was a standing area at the concert and I was in the seated area but I wasn't in anyone's way or stopping anyone from seeing the concert. "It wasn't as if we were standing the whole time blocking people's views; we were up dancing during a couple of songs and then sat down again once the chorus was over. "That steward was a real jobsworth who took umbrage at me for some reason - there was overkill there, but what can you do? Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Shania Twain at the ACM Awards in Las Vegas Shania Twain A man has said he will plead guilty to stalking Canadian singer Shania Twain (AP) Shania performing on stage AP Shania Twain received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Shania Twain at an awards show in Germany Shania Twain at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shania Twain at the ACM Awards in Las Vegas "I probably reacted a bit stupidly, told him I was only enjoying the concert and I accept I probably used a swear word or two, but that was the height of it. He asked me to leave the concert and I told him I wasn't going to do that because I hadn't done anything wrong. He left and came back with the guards." A sergeant told Dublin District Court Mr Wilson was "difficult and obstructive". After being escorted from the venue halfway through the show, the Orangeman, a member of Ballyrea LOL 309, says he won't be going to any more gigs in Dublin. He added: "I never opened my mouth to them, never said a word to them. They took me down to the station, they put me in a cell. "When they let me out they told me I'd been charged and I'd have to go to court, it was a matter of a slap on the wrist and that will be it. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The Casey sisters from Ballymena, Maria Shauna, Ciara and Cathleen, Shania Twain fans at the SSE Arena. Picture Colm O'Reilly Sunday Life. Shania Twain at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Peter Acton and Jackie Campbell, Shania Twain fans at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Shania Twain at the SSE Arena. Picture Colm O'Reilly Sunday Life. Teresa Patterson, Anna Gallagher, Rosie Breen, Catherine Delacy and Carmel Magee, Shania Twain fans at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Shania Twain at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Shania Twain at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Gareth and Ashlynn Quinn with Louise Coyle and John McSherry, Shania Twain fans at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Shania Twain fans from Castlederg at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Shania Twain at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Shannon Magee and Michaela White, Shania Twain fans at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Shania Twain at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Shania Twain at the SSE Arena. Picture Colm O'Reilly Sunday Life. Tanya Lagan and Kirsty McEldowney, Shania Twain fans at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Shania Twain at the SSE Arena. Picture Colm O'Reilly Sunday Life. Gareth and Ashlynn Quinn with Louise Coyle and John McSherry, Shania Twain fans at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Shania Twain fans from Castlederg at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. Shania Twain at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. The Casey sisters from Ballymena, Maria Shauna, Ciara and Cathleen, Shania Twain fans at the SSE Arena. Picture Sunday Life. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Casey sisters from Ballymena, Maria Shauna, Ciara and Cathleen, Shania Twain fans at the SSE Arena. Picture Colm O'Reilly Sunday Life. "I said that was fine, so I went to court and suddenly there was a whole list of things being read out about disorderly, resisting arrest etc - all of which didn't happen but what could I do, you can't argue with what the guards say? "I know one thing, I'll never be at a concert in Dublin again, but it won't stop me from going to concerts or enjoying myself." A Muslim man holds a copy of the Quran as he shouts slogans during a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Feb. 24, 2012. Malaysias Islamic Affairs minister called Monday on the Sharia court system to seek a balance during sentencings by not focusing on mere punishment but striving to be more in line with the principle of Islam as a merciful religion. The philosophy of Rahmatan Lil Alamin (mercy to the world) as introduced in the Quran is necessary to counter the growing negative perception of the Sharia court system, Minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa said during a roundtable forum in Kuala Lumpur of the nations top Sharia court judges, Islamic law enforcers and NGOs. There must be a balance between retribution and rehabilitation in the implementation of the punishments under Sharia law, Mujahid said. The philosophy of the judiciary must shift away from punishing for its own sake, to a philosophy of restorative punishment that is more reformative in nature. Following Mondays roundtable discussion on the philosophy and procedures of Sharia criminal punishments toward achieving the aim of being a mercy to the world, the minister said participants had agreed with this new direction. Mujahid said such support was essential because under Malaysias system, the federal government has limited power in matters pertaining to Islam including the Sharia courts, which are overseen by the nations 13 states. This will eventually affect the method of the punishment being meted out, with the possible introduction of community work, bonds for good behavior, as well as others that fall into the restorative and reformative criteria, he said. While the Sharia court will retain its ability to order canings, Mujahid said he expected the exact method of carrying out the punishment to be reviewed. We will be looking into how the whipping is done, where it will be done as well as who gets to observe the punishment, said Mujahid. A second meeting was planned for Thursday at the Sultan Mizan Mosque in Putrajaya. Judge: Caning of woman like a fiesta Interest runs high among Muslims to witness canings, said Terengganu state chief Sharia judge Wan Mohd Zakri, who attended the roundtable. He said more than 800 people swarmed the courthouse in Kuala Terengganu earlier this month demanding that they be able to witness the punishment against a woman who had confessed to engaging in prostitution. It was like a fiesta with people selling food and drinks just outside the courtroom, prompting us to postpone the punishment and angering a lot of the people there, the judge told BenarNews. In early September, two other women were caned together in Terengganu after pleading guilty to charges linked to allegedly attempting to have sex in a parked car. Later, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad criticized their caning witnessed by more than 100 people, saying it tarnished Islams image as the nations new leader called for lighter sentences under Sharia law. Mondays roundtable and a press briefing by Minister Mujahid followed a weekend report in The Star that it has since clarified about comments he made regarding intrusion into the private lives of Muslims. The Stars report began with: No more knocks on the door in the middle of the night and no more breaking down of doors by the religious authorities investigating reports of khalwat (an unmarried couple being alone in a secluded place) or other alleged wrongdoings. The clarification showed that while Mujahid said that the khalwat had been exploited or misused, the federal government could not outlaw the practice because it fell under state courts. Reacting to the Stars original reporting, Riduan Mohd, who sits on the central committee of the conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), said the federal government was more concerned with upholding human rights rather than the moral requirements as dictated by the religion. Now comes fake scholars and leaders who are bringing this new narrative of a personal sin and a public sin, Riduan told The Star. This is a strategic effort by the enemies of Islam to make Muslims feel that sinning is not a serious matter. Mujahid addressed those concerns during a press conference following Mondays roundtable. He said officials must proceed cautiously in investigating khalwat and similar complaints. You must have very solid information because we do not want to be a peeping tom, he said. When you want to enforce something on moral values, you have to be very wary and concerned. Mujahid said he was speaking in his role as a government official while offering a message to the community. You as a Muslim, if you see your neighbor do something bad, it is your responsibility to advise your neighbor. Members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces carry an injured person during an amphibious landing exercise at the beach of the Philippine Navy training center in Zambales province, north of Manila, Oct. 6, 2018. A Japanese sergeant was killed in a car crash near a naval base where U.S. and Filipino troops were involved in joint military exercises, officials said Monday, in what Japans military confirmed was the first time that a member of its Ground Self-Defense Forces died during an overseas drill. Sgt. 1st Class Suguru Maehara, 38, died on Oct. 2 as Japan joined as an observer in this years exercises, codenamed Kamandag (Venom) and held at a Philippine navy base north of Manila, Department of National Defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong told reporters. The Department of National Defense extends its condolences to the family and loved ones of Sgt. Suguru Maehara who died in a most unfortunate vehicular accident while he was in our country, he said. Maehara, a member of Tokyos Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, was aboard a vehicle on an administrative mission when it collided with a truck at a highway in Subic, a former U.S. naval base north of Manila, according to the Philippine News Agency. The Japanese soldier was helping in the delivery of food supplies to members participating in the drill, officials said. The vehicle was driven by a Filipino civilian, while the other passenger was another Japanese soldier. Both were injured in the accident but have been released from hospital, Andolong said. The incident was confirmed by the Philippine military, which did not release any other details. Japanese military officials said Maeharas companion, a member of Tokyos central transportation command, suffered a broken rib and was discharged from the hospital where Maehara was also taken. Maehara and about 100 Japanese Marines were observing the 10-day exercises dubbed Cooperation of Warriors at Sea and involving more than 1,300 U.S. and Filipino Marines. The drills focused as well on humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief operations. Japanese armored vehicles, backed by a small contingent of Japanese soldiers in camouflage, played the role of wounded combatants during the drills on Saturday in what officials said marked the first time that Tokyos armored vehicles had rolled on foreign soil since World War II, according to the news agency AFP. Japan occupied the Philippines for more than three years after it launched an invasion on Dec. 8, 1941, about 10 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The occupation ended after Japan surrendered to Allied forces on Sept. 2, 1945. Demonstrators rally in the northern Philippine city of Baguio against what they called China's aggression in the disputed South China Sea region, May 1, 2018. Southeast Asian navies will hold maritime drills with their Chinese counterparts in China later this month, the Philippines said Monday, in their first joint naval exercises amid a festering South China Sea territorial dispute. The drills are to take place from Oct. 22 through 29 in the Chinese city of Zhanjiang, about 2,109 km (1,318 miles) south of Beijing, defense department spokesman Arsenio Andolong told reporters. The proposal for a joint ASEAN and Chinese exercise was submitted in February of this year, during a regional defense meeting in Singapore, Andolong said. He said Philippines top naval official, Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad, is likely to join, but the navy has yet to ascertain which of its two latest warships, retrofitted vessels obtained from the United States, would be used. In August, China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) staged their first computer-simulated drills in Singapore. It involved cooperation scenarios in search-and-rescue operations during a mock ship collision at sea. To avoid controversy, both sides agreed that the upcoming drills would take place far away from disputed areas of the South China Sea, the focus of long-seething territorial disputes between four ASEAN members and Beijing, which has transformed seven disputed reefs into man-made islands that now simulate military bases with surface-to-air missiles and runways. During the annual meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in Singapore two months ago, an agreement was announced on a first draft of a code of conduct, a set of rules aimed at reducing chances of accidental clashes in the disputed sea region, a strategic waterway through which more than $3 billion of ship-borne trade goes through each year. China and Taiwan have overlapping claims with ASEAN members Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines, some of which have sparred in recent years with Beijing. ASEAN diplomats considered the code of conduct as a milestone even as they said that negotiations were continuing for a final draft of the document that is seen as a development that would de-escalate tensions in the area. Western nations and other ASEAN members Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore and Thailand have called for disputes to be resolved peacefully, but China has accused Washington of meddling into an Asian dispute. The U.S. military has recently been conducting fly overs and freedom-of-navigation tours in the disputed region, and have reported receiving warnings from the Chinese side when its fighter gets and warships came close to Chinas artificial islands. China poses no threat, Manila says The Philippines has said it was monitoring developments in the region, but said that China posed no threat to its smaller neighbors, as long as Beijing is not directly challenged. There have been recent reports that Beijing has landed nuclear-capable jets on an island that it occupies, despite earlier agreeing not to militarize the islands it claims. Manilas foreign office has said it has filed several diplomatic actions against China, although it has not publicized them. President Rodrigo Dutertes government has been working behind the scenes, and has appeared to have gained advantage by its appeasement diplomacy than by directly confronting Beijing. Since becoming president in 2016, Duterte has made it a point to tighten relations with Beijing, which has been angered by a ruling of an international arbitration court favoring the Philippines. The previous administration of Benigno Aquino had taken China to court after its ships encroached in the Scarborough Shoal, which lies in the Philippines exclusive economic zone. After three years, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of Manila in July 2016, when Duterte was already the president. China, however, refused to comply with the courts decision and continued with its island-building activities in the region. Chelsea Logistics offers to develop Davao Sasa posted October 08, 2018 at 08:05 pm by Darwin G. Amojelar October 08, 2018 at 08:05 pm Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. said it submitted an unsolicited offer to the Department of Transportation to develop, operate and maintain the Davao Sasa Port for P16 billion. We already submitted a proposal for the development of Davao Sasa Port and we are waiting for the action of DOTr on that matter, CLC president and chief executive Chryss Alfonsos Damus said. Damus said his company planned to spend P16 billion for the Davao Sasa Port in phases.The phase one is rehabilitation of the existing port and the phase 2 is increasing the capacity, but it depends on the traffic, he said, adding the company proposed a 25-year concession period. If you look at the state of the port of Davao, it really needs a massive rehabilitation. Theres a lot of damaged areas that we have to rehabilitate and there is a limited equipment as to cargo handling. Those are the things that we wanted to do in the Phase 1, Damus said. COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section. By Bonnie Blankinship Since it was launched in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, the Peace Corps has been sending Americans around the world to serve others, and Bowling Green State University has been a rich source of volunteers. Now BGSU has teamed with the Peace Corps to expand opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. The new Peace Corps Prep program gives undergraduates who wish to become volunteers the skills and experience they need to be strong candidates for acceptance into the corps. BGSU is one of only two public universities in Ohio with the program. In addition, the BGSU Graduate College has expanded its participation in the Paul D. Coverdell program for returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs) to include all of its 58 master's degrees and all its 19 doctoral degrees making it possibly one of only three universities in the United States to do so. Coverdell offers significant scholarship assistance to these RPCVs in BGSU's case, a guarantee of at least 50 percent of their tuition cost. An informational session will be held from 4-5 p.m. Oct. 23 in 315 Bowen-Thompson Student Union for anyone interested in learning more about the benefits of the program. "Having both these programs, we can really say BGSU is a Peace Corps campus," said Dr. Margaret Zoller Booth, dean of the Graduate College. "Very few have embraced it as much as we have, and it's especially a rarity among public universities." Booth, herself a former Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, is the founder, in 2008, of BGSU's first Coverdell academic program, the Master of Arts in cross-cultural and international education (MACIE). This was followed by two additional expansions as more degree programs were approved for participation. In addition to its relevance to the Peace Corps, having a set of specialized skills along with an international perspective is an added bonus for students in today's increasingly globalized world, said Dr. Beatrice Guenther, Peace Corps Prep program co-director and International Studies director. "Although it's not a guarantee of acceptance to the Peace Corps, the program is an excellent preparation for any kind of international development field work such as NGOs (nongovernmental organizations)," Guenther said. "It prepares students to be global citizens and ambassadors for the United States, person by person." Peace Corps Prep includes four key areas: coursework to develop intercultural competence and foreign language skills, professional and leadership development and training, and experience in a work sector through coursework and community service. Open to students from any discipline across the University, the program allows students to focus their studies in the area that most interests them, including education, health, environmental issues, youth and community, and economic development. They must take five classes in those concentrations, and their classes also count toward their major or minor degree, Guenther said. In addition, if they choose to minor in International Studies, it will further signal their international preparation to both the Peace Corps and future employers. Through their coursework, students will begin to build a professional specialty, which will be enhanced by hands-on learning through the required 50 hours of volunteer or work experience in the same sector. An equally important learning objective of the prep program is for participants to become more self-aware in order to deepen their ability to shift perspective and behavior in regard to cultural differences and to learn to truly listen, Guenther said. This combination of academic, personal and field experience will further strengthen their candidacy for becoming a Peace Corps volunteer, while also preparing them for a career later. "The careers are there," Guenther added. For example, the Foreign Service and the United Nations "are always looking for smart, energetic, young, informed people. It's a fast way to a career." Even though they may have different majors, the undergraduate students will be part of a supportive cohort and receive guidance from faculty and from Coverdell program graduate students who are returned Peace Corps volunteers. The program provides a "road map" and a framework with which to build their college experience. Peace Corps Prep is a collaboration among the International Studies program, the Honors College, the Department of World Languages and Cultures, International Programs and Partnerships and the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE). The center will help organize participants' required 50 hours of service-learning. Two of its Civic Action Leader students are community-engagement specialists and can help Peace Corps Prep students find a good fit with their interests, said CCCE director Dr. V Rosser, co-director of Peace Corps Prep. The center staff will also now begin sharing the prep program with every student who comes in to inquire about volunteer and community engagement opportunities, Rosser said. "This will also encourage them to think about internationalizing their skills." On the graduate level, while the Coverdell fellows typically already have very specific ideas about what they want to do for their required internships with underserved domestic populations, Booth said, the CCCE can help identify possibilities and make connections. The returned volunteers already have international and foreign language skills and field experience, which they bring to their domestic service. They also bring their unique perspective to campus, and tend to use the organizing skills they honed abroad to develop and promote campus initiatives. Coverdell Fellow Molly Kosnak, a MACIE student from the Detroit Metro area, is a graduate assistant in the CCCE. She will be organizing events and coordinating communications among all the PCP and Fellows programs and the Graduate College. "We'll be helping to match Peace Corps Prep students with returned volunteers who can offer advice and share their experience," said Kosnak, whose Peace Corps service was in Mongolia as an English teacher. Her own experience there convinced her to go into education, she said, even though it was not in her original career plans. "It's a real benefit having a returned volunteer on our staff," Rosser said. Booth noted that the three goals of the Peace Corps are to help educate people abroad, to become educated oneself, and to bring back to the United States the cultural understanding gained during service. Kosnak is committed to those principles, and said the mutual "misinformation and miseducation" about the U.S. and other countries cannot be underestimated. In Mongolia, she found a deep lack of knowledge about the United States, and back home, almost no knowledge about Mongolia, for example. Rosser participated in a Peace Corps conference this year and was heartened to learn that the Peace Corps is very focused on diversifying its volunteers. "They want to help students see themselves as Peace Corps candidates racially, ethnically, LGBTQ students," she said. Kosnak said this will also help provide a truer picture of the United States through its volunteers. In addition, Rosser said, "We want low-income students to see it is a possibility for them, students who may not have thought so before. The strong message from the conference was that resilience, the ability to think on your feet and to work independently with an entrepreneurial energy are the personality traits that are most important." Being at the conference also gave her confidence about proceeding with Peace Corps Prep "because this is what we do every day. We already have a lot of the pieces in place. Being a Peace Corps Prep site is distinctive for a public university. It shows our commitment to thinking more broadly about international engagement." The European Commission decision was based on the evaluation of the effects of patisiran in hATTR amyloidosis patients with polyneuropathy and its safety profile as demonstrated in the APOLLO Phase 3 study, the largest-ever study in hATTR amyloidosis patients with polyneuropathy. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics company has announced that ONPATTRO (patisiran) is now available in Germany. ONPATTRO has been developed to meet a significant unmet need for patients with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis, a devastating, chronic and often fatal disease. Hereditary transthyretin (TTR)-mediated amyloidosis (hATTR) is an inherited, progressively debilitating, and often fatal disease caused by mutations in the TTR gene. ONPATTRO is based on Nobel Prize-winning science and is the first-ever RNAi therapeutic to be approved in the European Union. Alnylam plans to launch ONPATTRO in additional markets in Europe throughout 2018 and 2019. The launch of ONPATTRO in Germany, just over a month after being granted approval by the European Medicines Agency, is a demonstration of our commitment to deliver innovative medicines with the potential to transform the lives of patients suffering from hATTR amyloidosis and our recognition of the urgency of unmet medical needs in this patient community, said Hannes Schmeil, Country General Manager, Alnylam Germany. Up until now, patients in Germany lacked medical treatment options with the potential to halt the progression of their disease. ONPATTRO will provide physicians, patients and their families with a new treatment option that we hope will make a meaningful difference to patients lives, restoring their hope for the future. The European Commission decision was based on the evaluation of the effects of patisiran in hATTR amyloidosis patients with polyneuropathy and its safety profile as demonstrated in the APOLLO Phase 3 study, the largest-ever study in hATTR amyloidosis patients with polyneuropathy. Results from the APOLLO study were published in the July 5, 2018, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. The Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) includes data from APOLLO on primary and secondary endpoints, as well as exploratory cardiac endpoints. The SmPC allows for the administration of patisiran in the home setting under the supervision of a healthcare professional provided infusions are being tolerated well by the patient. The European Medicines Agency reviewed patisiran under the accelerated assessment procedure that is granted to medicines judged to be of major interest for public health and therapeutic innovation. Meenakshi Nevatia brings over 20 years of healthcare experience to new role. Stryker has announced the appointment of Meenakshi Nevatia as its new managing director of India. In her new role, Nevatia will be responsible for building Strykers business strategy and setting up the organization for long-term, sustainable growth in the Indian market. Additionally, one of Nevatias priorities will be to cultivate a strong commitment to Strykers mission and values in India. Customers and patients are at the heart of everything we do, and I look forward to bringing together our team to do more to improve lives in India, said Nevatia. I also look forward to creating an environment where our people, one of our core values, can continue to thrive and grow. Nevatia will also be responsible for building long-term partnerships with industry bodies and government organizations and driving transparency amongst stakeholders. Prior to joining Stryker, Nevatia had a successful 15-year stint with Novartis, where she served in various sales, marketing and business leadership positions across geographies. In her last assignment as the country president and pharma division head for Novartis in Thailand, Nevatia successfully led strong business performance. Prior to these roles, Nevatia had a successful track record of serving in various leadership positions at Novartis across Spain, Portugal, UK and Switzerland. Nevatias first work assignment was with McKinsey & Company where she led various projects in the Healthcare Practice in India, Singapore, U.S. and South Africa. Meenakshi Nevatia has a Master of Business Administration in Strategy and Finance from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and Bachelor of Science in Economics and Mathematics from the Presidency College, Kolkata. Signs MoU with SAMEER for development of an Indigenous 1.5T MRI system Wipro GE Healthcare (WGE), Indias leading medical technology company has announced a series of partnerships to strengthen its commitment to healthcare in India. MoU with Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER) for the development of an Indigenous 1.5T MRI system GE Healthcare and SAMEER (an R&D unit under Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Govt of India) will collaborate on research, design and development of a MRI Platform to include whole-body MRI, portable MRI and digital, to increase access to MRI technology in India. GE Healthcare has provided a magnet (one of the most critical components) around which a prototype is being designed. GE Healthcare will also provide SAMEER training on MRI technology and support the benchmarking of various subsystems, including gradient & radiofrequency amplifiers, coils, spectrometer and imaging software. The two partners will also collaborate to develop AI and machine learning based solutions. Commenting on the partnership, Kieran Murphy, President and CEO, GE Healthcare said, GE Healthcare has decades of know-how on MRI technology which is one of the most advanced and complex form of medical imaging. We are delighted to share this expertise, and partner with SAMEER in this exciting journey that will significantly enhance Indias capability and competitiveness in the field of medical technology. This program is strongly aligned with the Governments vision to boost research and Make in India, and will support Ayushman Bharat through availability of cutting-edge, yet affordable MRI technology. This program is part of Scan Era - a national mission program launched by Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Govt of India for indigenous development of MRI. The program is funded by the Government of India under the Hon. Prime Ministers Digital India initiative and SAMEER has received a first-round funding of $6.5 million to build the first prototype. Kickstarts MR localization in India to meet local demand GE Healthcare, a pioneer in medical technology started manufacturing in India in 1990. Today, many high-end subsystems such as X-ray tubes, high voltage generators, MR Amplifiers, power supplies and coils are manufactured in GE Healthcares three plants in India. India is also a CoE for MR electronics and high voltage generators for X-ray tubes. Leveraging these capabilities, GEHC will start to assemble, and test fully finished MR cabinets fitted with power supplies and gradient amplifiers which are made in India. Skilling partnership with Healthcare Sector Skills Council (HSSC) Skilling is a critical part of any sustainable healthcare system. Availability of skilled resources will also be critical to the success of the Ayushman Bharat program. This partnership will empower women by training 5000 community health workers and will be accelerating our ongoing skill creation initiative by training 3000 underprivileged young people in 2019. It will also help strengthen the HSSC partner network through use of GE Healthcares digital learning technologies. A group of tobacco farmers in Ilocos Sur have sought the help of President Rodrigo Duterte and lawmakers to investigate the still-unfinished farmers convention building in Vigan. Members of the Federation of Tobacco Growers in Ilocos Sur said the Farmers Convention Center in the provincial capitol is not even close to 10-percent completion despite the contract being awarded in 2008. In an open letter to Duterte and members of Congress, the tobacco farmers moaned about the unfinished convention center despite Ilocos Sur having tobacco funds through the provinces share of excise tax. Under Section 2 of Republic Act 7171 and Section 8 of Republic Act 8240, which created the National Tobacco Administration, 15 percent of the incremental revenue collected from the excise tax on tobacco products shall be exclusively utilized for programs to increase the income and productivity of tobacco farmers and to involve them in post-harvest and secondary processing such as cigarette manufacturing, the farmers noted. Though the group recognizes the health perils of the products they produce, they said the support fund they should receive, in the form of excise tax, is their saving grace and safety net. However, since the government wants them to shift from other equally or far more economically empowering agricultural produce and/or livelihood activities, the tobacco farmers badly need funds to assist them in such a transition. Our livelihood and existence are now threatened by the stricter policies against tobacco products, they said.The farmers also complained of the disinterest of local officials, especially the Office of the Provincial Governor, to compel the contractors to finish the project or penalize them for the delay. The funds used in Farmers Convention Center should have been allocated to projects that will benefit us directly, they said. The group appealed to Duterte, lawmakers, and state auditors to look into the validity of project. We are not well-schooled policy makers, but we know that the funding of these projects are grossly anomalous, the group stressed. The farmers are optimistic they will be granted prompt and favorable intercession from the Duterte administration, which is known for its stern anti-corruption campaign. Stiffening policies on tobacco products are aimed to prepare the funding of health services under the proposed Universal Health Care Bill. PR Newswire DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 8, 2018 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens and residents of Dubai will be able to make digital payments for school fees, bills and retail purchases with a stable, digital currency after a partnership between blockchain payment provider Pundi X, Ebooc Fintech & Loyalty Labs LLC (Pundi X's exclusive partner in Middle East & priority partner in Africa) and emcredit - Dubai's Credit Bureau. Consumers in Dubai, UAE will be able to use digital currency to make retail payments in-store, pay for government utilities, telecommunication, and school fees in government shopfronts via emcash Dubai's digital currency launched by emcredit, a state-backed subsidiary of the Dubai Department of Economic Development. The bespoke, Pundi X POS ("point of sale") device created for ebooc fintech & loyalty labs for the exclusive use of emcredit with their branding will be dedicated to running a stable, digital equivalent of the UAE dirham (AED). Ebooc - the first Emirati fintech company is the exclusive partner of Pundi-X and providing blockchain-based NexGen technology and loyalty solutions for the financial services sector. Today's announcement confirms Dubai's status as a global blockchain innovation centre and the first global capital to afford citizens the option to make essential payments on a digital currency. XPOS devices are expected be rolled out at shopfronts the region following today's deal with provisions for an increase in coming years. An emcredit spokesperson said: "We are committed to continuously improving the services we offer to our customers in accordance with the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. "To be the world's first city to offer blockchain-based payment solutions to our residents is an exciting moment for Dubai. It confirms Dubai's status as an international tech hub. Deploying cutting-edge technology such as blockchain is a key priority and is delivering benefits to our citizens in the form of convenience and securities to customers and merchants across Dubai". Zac Cheah the CEO and co-founder of Pundi X said: "Bringing blockchain-based payments technology into the government sphere is a major development for the technology. "But to be able to bring it to one of the great cities of the world and the most advanced economy in the Middle East makes today an historic moment for the real-world application of a technology that has promised so much potential until now. We are very proud to partner with emcredit and to support its vision for supporting its customers through technological innovation". Abdalla Al Shamsi, CEO DFP and Co-Founder ebooc said: "We are delighted to be a part of this historic partnership when Dubai launches the world's 1st first digital currency emcash. We also envisage consumers in Dubai being able to make real time payments using Dubai's digital currency for all their payment needs for shopping, paying for Government fees etc. ebooc is also looking at extending its reach as an exclusive POS partner of Pundi X". Sunil Malhotra, Managing Director Bchain and co-founder of ebooc said, "emcredit-ebooc Pundi X partnership will deliver a differentiated customer experience through innovative POS products and service for consumers in Dubai bringing together various service providers under one platform." Further details of the partnership will be announced following the development, testing and approval of the technology by government regulators later this financial year. Pundi X are shipping thousands of its payments devices to the global retail market, including retail partners in markets such as Singapore, Brazil, Africa and Korea, just eight months after raising $35-million in startup funding in a public token sale in January. This partnership brings world-leading, blockchain-based XPOS technology into a public sector environment for the first time and is the company's first deployment in the Middle East region. The company is targeting a rollout of more than 100,000 of its unique blockchain-based POS devices to the global retail in three years' time. About emcredit emcredit is the Dubai's first credit bureau which launched operations as a federal corporation established by the Ministry of Finance. emcredit is a 100% subsidiary of the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) and works with the UAE banks to provide real-time data on individuals and enterprises. About ebooc Fintech & Loyalty Labs LLC ebooc is the first Emirati fintech and loyalty company in Dubai and the region and aims to use emerging technologies to harness their power for the good of consumers. Ebooc provides blockchain loyalty programs, mobile digital wallets, NFC card products and a secure and seamless payment experience to clients and customers running on NexGen technology as a decentralized, distributed ledger which creates trust and improved efficiency levels. About Pundi X Pundi X is a multi-cryptocurrency point-of-sale ("POS") solutions provider for retail stores seeking to accept digital currencies in the world. Pundi X POS enables shops, cafes and convenience stores to facilitate blockchain-based transactions for the average consumer. To build a better cryptocurrency ecosystem in different countries, Pundi X is a founding member of XPOS Consortium and Indonesian Blockchain Association. The company is also a member of Singapore Fintech Association, Fintech Association of Hong Kong, ACCESS, and Swiss Finance and Fintech Association. For more information, please visit https://pundix.com/. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dubai-to-offer-digital-payments-on-pundi-x-technology-300726736.html SOURCE Pundi X PR Newswire LUXEMBOURG, Oct. 8, 2018 LUXEMBOURG, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Millicom announced today it is acquiring a controlling 80% stake in Cable Onda, the largest cable and fixed telecommunications services provider in Panama, Latin America's fastest-growing economy. The transaction values 100% of Cable Onda at an enterprise value of $1,460 million, with a cash consideration of approximately $1,002 million (subject to customary adjustments). The selling shareholders will retain a 20% equity stake in the company. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and consent from Cable Onda's bondholders, and it is expected to close by year-end 2018. Cable Onda is the leader in Panama's broadband internet, pay-TV, fixed telephony and B2B telecommunications markets, serving more than 500,000 customers using mostly its state-of-the-art Hybrid Fibre-Cable (HFC) network. For the half-year ended June 30, 2018, Cable Onda generated revenue of $195 million and EBITDA of $83 million, for a margin of 42.4%. Capex for the period was $46 million. The purchase price implies an EV/EBITDA of 7.9x and an EV/OCF of 14.9x based on 2019 management projections for Cable Onda, which has grown consistently over the last two decades. Management expects that the addition of Cable Onda will positively enhance Millicom's overall growth. Mauricio Ramos, CEO of Millicom said: "Our acquisition of Cable Onda is consistent with our strategy of accelerating the deployment of high-speed data networks in Central and South America. With the addition of Panama, we now have contiguous country operations from Guatemala to Colombia, which will significantly enhance our B2B capabilities, given the country's increasingly important role as a business hub for the region. We are excited about expanding to Panama, an investment grade country with a diversified, dollarized, and robust economy. Disposable income levels in Panama are now among the highest in Latin America, yet penetration rates for digital services remain comparatively low. We look forward to working with our strong local partners to extend the company's market leadership and bring Digital Lifestyle services to even more Panamanians and contribute to the ongoing socio-economic development of the country." Nicolas Gonzalez Revilla, CEO of Cable Onda commented: "For the past two decades, the dedicated employees of Cable Onda have built a world-class organization capable of competing, and winning, against some of the largest telecom service providers in the world. This is a true Panamanian success story that we can all be proud of, and this is also something that we have in common with Millicom, the clear leader in most of its markets. We are excited to partner with Millicom for this next step in Cable Onda's journey." Millicom will fund the investment with existing cash resources and new debt, and the company has secured funding commitments from a group of banks to help finance the acquisition. Proforma for the acquisition, Millicom's proportionate net debt to EBITDA as at June 30, 2018 would have been 2.2x on an underlying basis and 2.5x on a proportionate basis. As part of the transaction, Millicom and the selling shareholders have entered into a shareholder agreement which, among other items, grants to Millicom the right to acquire and to the selling shareholders the right to sell, the remaining 20% of Cable Onda's equity. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Millicom for this transaction. Millicom management will host a conference call for the global financial community on October 8, 2018 at 14:30 (Luxembourg/Stockholm) / 13:30 (London) / 08:30 (Miami). Presentation slides are available on the company's website at: www.millicom.com/investors. Dial-in information: Sweden: +46 (0)8-5033-6574 Luxembourg: +352-2786-1336 UK: +44 (0)330-336-9105 US: +1-323-794-2093 The access code is: 3699113 A replay of the call will be available for 7 days at: Sweden: +46 (0) 8-5199-3077 UK: +44 (0) 207-660-0134 US: +1-719-457-0820 Replay passcode is: 3699113 For further information, please contact Press: Vivian KobehCorporate Communications Director +1-305-476-7352 / +1-305-302-2858 [email protected] Investors: Michel MorinVP Investor [email protected] Mauricio PinzonInvestor Relations ManagerTel: +44-20-3249-2460 [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/millicom-international-cellular/r/millicom-accelerates-cable-expansion-with-acquisition-of-cable-onda-in-panama,c2636808 The following files are available for download: http://mb.cision.com/Main/950/2636808/922133.pdf Millicom accelerates cable expansion with acquisition of Cable Onda in Panama View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/millicom-accelerates-cable-expansion-with-acquisition-of-cable-onda-in-panama-300726724.html SOURCE Millicom International Cellular Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION PR Newswire HEFEI, China, Oct. 7, 2018 HEFEI, China, Oct. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- VariFlight, a leading aviation technology provider, has announced its partnership with Skyscanner, the global travel comparison platform, to provide real-time notifications of flight status on Skyscanner's mobile app. The feature, which is powered by VariFlight's technology, is currently available to Skyscanner's iOS and Android app users, and sends instant notifications of any flight status changes (including check-in counters, gates, estimated takeoff/landing time) when they have added a flight to their trip in the app. VariFlight has been an ardent supporter of aviation data sharing and has developed a variety of data products including a flight status API which Skyscanner are using, and Flight Happiness Index (FHI) to help partners optimize online air shopping satisfaction for end users as well online booking conversion rate across the whole air journey. "We are delighted to be chosen by Skyscanner as their flight status information supplier. We will continue to develop data-driven services for our worldwide partners with the hope that more people can enjoy an efficient air travel experience," said Mr. Zheng Hongfeng, Founder and CEO of VariFlight. About Skyscanner Skyscanner is a leading global travel search company, providing free searching of flights, hotels and car hire?around the world About VariFlight Founded in 2005, VariFlight - with a vision of "living on time" - is the leading brand providing aviation data services in the world. Inspired by the goal of addressing the problem of flight delays, VariFlight has spearheaded the realization of flight data transparency. In 2009, the company released the first version of the VariFlight app and achieved the milestone of 100% coverage on China's domestic flights. Since then, VariFlight has scaled across the globe, reaching 94% coverage of the world's commercial flights by May 2017. VariFlight's data is used by over 300 million travelers and thousands of class-leading businesses around the world. Visit us at: www.variflight.com Business Contact: [email protected] Web: www.VariFlight.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/VariFlight Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/variflight Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/variflight View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/variflight-partners-with-skyscanner-to-provide-flight-status-notification-services-300720760.html SOURCE VariFlight Citibank Europe has been fined 1.3m by the Central Bank for breaking lending rules. It has been reprimanded for six breaches of the bank's code of practice. The code requires banks and building societies to have proper systems, controls and oversight in place when it comes to loans to related parties such as directors or senior managers. Among Citibank's breaches were its failure to have such necessary policies and processes in place and a failure to report deviations from the code's requirements. - Digital Desk By Ann O'Loughlin A construction company has brought a legal challenge to the awarding of the 53m contract for the replacement of a wing of Limerick Prison and the building of a new women's prison. Glenbeigh Construction has however agreed to the lifting of an automatic stay on the awarding of the contract which kicks in once a legal challenge to a tender is initiated. This is because, the court heard, conditions in the prison are "extremely grave" and it is in the public interest that "slopping out", overcrowding, and risk of disease in the prison is ended. The contract for the prison improvement works, which will include a 103-cell wing to replace the existing men's B-wing, a new unit for women prisoners, and new probation service offices, was awarded to PJ Hegarty last June following a public competition. Glenbeigh then brought proceedings against the Minister for Justice and Equality for an order under EU public authorities' contracts regulations setting aside and/or permanently suspending the decision by the Irish Prison Service (IPS) to award the contract to PJ Hegarty. Glenbeigh says, among other things, that the Minister is in breach of those regulations and is wrongfully and/or unlawfully discriminating against Glenbeigh in favour of other tenderers. It also says the Minister failed to disclose to Glenbeigh all of the criteria/requirements that it applied in the evaluation of its tender. It says the outcome of the contract competition was vitiated by manifest error. It seeks a number of orders including the quashing of the decision and declarations including that the Minister failed to provide Glenbeigh with a summary of its reasons or adequate reasons for the decision. The case was admitted on consent to the High Court's fast-track commercial list today. Jonathan Newman SC, for the Minister, said when such a challenge is brought under EU regulations an automatic suspension on the awarding of the contract comes into force pending determination of the legal proceedings. However, counsel said, Glenbeigh had agreed to the lifting of that automatic suspension. This is in circumstances where there is an urgent need to deal with the slopping out and associated issues relating to a facility which was first built in 1821, he said. Mr Justice Robert Haughton made directions for exchange of papers between the parties and adjourned the case. Boosting the income-earning capacity of the lower paid through enhancing skills and promoting the creation of enterprises is the way to go, writes Kyran Fitzgerald Amazon boss Jeff Bezos has not for the first time put the cat among the pigeons, this time with his announcement that the minimum wage for all of his US employees will be raised to $15 (13) an hour, or around twice the US federal national minimum wage. Up to 350,000 workers, including around 100,000 seasonal workers, will be affected. The move has caused tremors across the US service sector but is not entirely unexpected. Retail and distribution rivals will be forced to dig deep to ensure that they can continue to attract and retain employees. The US economy, boosted by Donald Trumps tax cuts, is going full steam and the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since 1969. Demographics in the form of an ageing population and the ongoing crackdown on immigration have played their part in the decision. Economist David Neumark has summed the situation up: Low-paid workers, who get kicked the most in a recession, generally benefit later in a boom. Their time may have come, but will these same workers find that this new largesse is quickly snatched away in a downturn down the line? Retailers employ a sizeable share of lower-paid US workers and the picture is pretty similar in Ireland. There are plenty of parallels right now between the Irish and US economies. Ireland is close to full employment and is experiencing all the associated growing pains in the form of high housing, transport, and childcare costs. Here, much of the recent focus in Government in tackling in-work poverty has been on ensuring that a floor exists when it comes to the payment of wages. In January 2016, the national minimum wage was raised from 8.65 to 9.15 an hour. Earlier this year, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published a study aimed at addressing the question of whether the increase had resulted in job losses at the bottom end of the labour market. The ESRI concluded that this was not the case. This is an important finding. Last year, an estimated 7.5% of the workforce earned the minimum wage or less than it. This proportion, however, rises to almost 30% in the case of those working in accommodation and food, and 17% in the case of those employed in wholesale or retail. Governments enjoy hiking up the minimum wage. It looks good. It boosts employee spending power. It potentially reduces the drain on the State in the form of Family Income Supplement, or, to an even greater extent, rent and mortgage supplement. However, despite the ESRI findings, the Low Pay Commission is cautious when it comes to sanctioning further increases in the national minimum wage. It has suggested that such increases be gradual, given that our current national minimum wage is the highest in the EU in absolute terms (though the cost of living, here, is also very high). The commission has proposed an increase to 9.80 an hour. The most effective way of ensuring that the incomes of the lower paid are raised is to ensure employees get access to training and education, and access to alternative employment. Right now, it is of particular importance that jobs agencies, particularly those run by the State at the local level, function with maximum efficiency and that they target the efforts at those who have come to Ireland from overseas to work here. Many have skills which can be of benefit to a wide array of employers and many are highly motivated and willing to increase their skills. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe may likely seek to extend benefits in tomorrows budget for the self-employed. Such a move would be more than welcome. Typically, the discussion on low pay tends to focus on the position of employees, particularly those who are unionised, and those working in the public sector. However, a considerable proportion of people on modest pay are in self-employment, many of them either young or female with caring responsibilities. Our media culture is typically fairly neglectful, if not dismissive of the self-employed. The trade unions understandably perhaps target their activities at employees, not sole traders. However, the plight of many self-employed, including owners of firms, came to public attention during the cash when sectors such as construction imploded and multiple firms went to the wall on a daily basis. The number of people in self-employment fell from 349,000 in 2008 to 285,000 by late 2011, of which just under 200,000 were self-employed people without paid employees. Many struggled. The bald statistics do not capture the individual stories of heartbreak and family struggle, including breakup caused by financial pressures. Happily, the numbers in self-employment appear to have recovered to pre-recession levels, as construction ramps up and various service activities achieve buoyancy. However, serious anomalies exist when it comes to State supports for those working for themselves or running small businesses. But many businesses struggle, particularly during the start-up phase and of course, failure rates for businesses are high. The Citizens Information Board (CIB) has been to the forefront in highlighting the gaps in provision for entrepreneurs. It noted concerns over difficulties when it comes to securing eligibility for medical cards for the self-employed who are also not eligible for family income supplement, often a lifeline for low-paid earners. In 2017, almost one-quarter of male earners were self-employed compared to 8% of female workers. Thirty years ago, PRSI was introduced for sole traders who as a result, became eligible to receive pensions. This system has proved a boon for many. However, the self-employed in Ireland are not eligible to receive cover in the event of illness or incapacity. This contrasts with the situation in many EU states such as Germany, Italy, France, Denmark, and Poland. The minister is faced with serious constraints but he must surely begin to move to address such anomalies. Agencies such as Enterprise Ireland do seek to address the needs of entrepreneurs in high-growth industries but a large proportion of the self-employed, particularly outside large cities, tend to operate closer to subsistence levels. The problem of low pay is a complex one and it cannot be viewed in separation from the broader issue of opportunity. Trade unions exist to ensure that workers enjoy a reasonable set of rights including decent reward starting with a living wage. However, their reach is by its nature confined and as a result of trends over the past few decades, mainly concentrated in the public sector. Employees in Amazon have benefited from the largesse of Mr Bezos (though the company has withdrawn profit-share arrangements which benefited long-serving productive employees). We should, however, overly rely on the goodwill of a small number of business barons, however well-intentioned, or strategic. In the hard world of business, what is given is easily taken away. Far better to act to boost the income earning capacity of the lower paid through enhancing skills and promoting the creation of enterprises. By Sean McCarthaigh The energy regulator has dismissed a report by a group campaigning against the expansion of wind farms, which had questioned the benefits of the countrys growing reliance on wind energy. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) said a report by Wind Aware Ireland (WAI) contained misunderstandings. The CRU had been asked by the Dail Public Accounts Committee for its observations on the WAI report, which was published last November. It claimed the Governments energy policy was unsustainable, as at least 1.2bn was being spent on wind farms in Ireland annually, through a levy on consumers, without any proper cost-benefit analysis of its ability to reduce CO2 emissions. WAI said wind energy was highly expensive and irregular, as well as representing a poor return on investment, when it only reduced Irelands CO2 emissions by between 2.6% and 4%. At the time, there were around 1,400 onshore wind turbines here, with many more at the planning stage. The report criticised state bodies, including the CRU, for failing to conduct a serious analysis of alternatives for reducing the countrys CO2 emissions. WAI claimed it was misleading to assess the value of wind energy without calculating the cost of the complex and supporting infrastructure, hidden subsidies and services, which were required to put wind-generated electricity onto the national grid. The group had called on the Government to suspend all future developments of wind farms, in order to carry out an urgent review of its energy policy to determine the most cost-effective means of de-carbonising the Irish economy. However, the CRU said: The central argument of the WAI report is supported by a number of inaccuracies and misunderstandings of the regulatory framework. The CRU said it regulated electricity network businesses, Eirgrid, and ESB Networks, and would not advise the Department of Communications, Climate Change, and the Environment to change Irelands energy policy. By Ruth Doris As students settle back to school and prepare for next years State examinations, two Irish startups are providing solutions to help the students improve their grades. Co-founders of jumpAgrade, Ethan OBrien, David Neville, and Padraic Hogan met at a Google Startup Weekend and bonded over the shared desire to improve education. They were accepted into the New Frontiers Phase 2 programme in 2017, which helped them to develop their idea. A computer-engineering graduate, Mr OBrien previously worked as a systems architect for smart-grid technology provider Electricity Exchange. His co-founders are business graduates. Launched in October, 2017, the price is 25 per subject, per week, with a 20% discount for additional subjects. When a student signs up with jumpAgrade, they complete a needs analysis. Tutors then design personalised worksheets for each student. The process simulates a real exam, with students writing their answers on paper, as they do in the real State exams. They then upload photos of their answers to their account. A team of expert tutors corrects the work and returns it with detailed and personalised feedback for the student. Mr OBrien compares it to doing 100 mock exams, taking away much of the anxiety and the pressure for a high-stakes exam like the Leaving Cert. The feedback has been brilliant. He says that, basically, everyone who went through the jumpAgrade process has achieved or overachieved on their target grade. The key to accelerated learning is the personalised feedback, which shows students what they need to do to jump the grades, he says. Its personalised, so it can work for someone, whether theyre struggling in a subject or whether theyre going for top marks, Mr OBrien says. He says the tutors will have given grinds in the subject, they will have corrected State exams, or they could be doing a masters in the subject. Theyre vetted during recruitment and subject to continuous quality assessments. Mr OBrien says jumpAgrade can be easily adapted to any market where theres a demand for private tuition, because a key part of the business model is leveraging the local, private tutoring resources. The company has raised between 150,000 and 200,000 over the past two years, including LEO grants, a loan from Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, 100,00 from private investors, and self-funding. Currently taking part in a 12-week Google Adopt a Startup, jumpAgrade recently made it through to the regional finals of the Seedcorn competition. The company is looking to expand to third-level. Meanwhile, ExamLearn offers an alternative to grinds for students preparing for the State exams. It was set up in 2015, as JC-Learn, by Jack Manning, Johnnie Bell, and Eamonn Flannery, who had achieved 30 As between them in the Junior Cert exams. They subsequently added Leaving Cert subjects to the platform and relaunched in December, 2016 as ExamLearn. The companys initial website set-up cost 20, and they made 20,000 in the first 18 months. The business has been self-funded, to date, with any revenue earned put back into development. Mr Manning says the subscription price of 39 for access for one calendar year, for both Junior and Leaving Cert students, offers good value, as it works out at the cost of a single grind. ExamLearn has 20,000 users and covers 11 Junior Cert and 10 Leaving Cert subjects. Features include study notes and tips, sample exam questions and answers, online quizzes, and a function that allows users to search by topic. A unique feature is the Exam Builder, which allows users to create their own exams on their chosen topics, Mr Manning says. Having completed the Leaving Cert exams this summer, Mr Manning is studying management science information systems in Trinity College, while his co-founders are studying engineering at UCD. The three co-founders are working on another business project in education. The world's longest non-stop flight will be launched this Thursday by Singapore Airlines. The new direct route from Southeast Asia to the US is to run three times a week. The journey from Singapore Changi Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport will take just under 19 hours. The worlds longest flight on the worlds most awarded airline is back. Fly non-stop from Singapore to New York. pic.twitter.com/8S13aYq8tv Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) May 30, 2018 Perth to London holds the current record for the longest flight clocking in at 17 and a half hours. Flights will cover a distance of approximately 9,000nm (16,700km) and travel time will be up to 18hrs 45min. Singapore Airlines served the Singapore to Newark route until 2013, when services were suspended after the aircraft used at the time, Airbus A340-500s, were returned to Airbus. Singapore Airlines CEO, Mr Goh Choon Phong, said: Singapore Airlines has always taken pride in pushing the boundaries to provide the best possible travel convenience for our customers, and we are pleased to be leading the way with these new non-stop flights using the latest-technology, ultra-long-range Airbus A350-900ULR. The flights will offer our customers the fastest way to travel between the two cities in great comfort, together with Singapore Airlines legendary service - and will help boost connectivity to and through the Singapore hub," he said. The Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft used for the long haul flights make the cabin feel more like a room, with high ceilings, sophisticated LED lighting and almost vertical sidewalls. The airline stated on its website: "The A350-900ULR will offer customers a more comfortable travelling experience with features such as higher ceilings, larger windows, an extra wide body and lighting designed to reduce jetlag. "Its carbon composite airframe also allows for improved air quality due to a more optimised cabin altitude and humidity levels." - Digital Desk Irish Refugee Council has called on the Government to extend Child Benefit to children in Direct Provision in tomorrow's Budget. Their submission also calls for a rise in legal aid to increase the amount of time a solicitor can spend helping a person seeking asylum with their application. They are also calling for an increase in the Direct Provision payment to 38.74 a week, the amount recommended by the McMahon Report, published in 2015, and accepted by the Government. The CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, Nick Henderson, said: While payment is often understood to be a universal benefit, it is not universally applied because children living in Direct Provision are not entitled to it. "Instead, they receive a weekly allowance of 21.60 a week, an allowance that has only been increased once since Direct Provision was established in the early 2000s. Every year, over 330 million is paid in Child Benefit to households with an income above 100,000, while children living in Direct Provision are experiencing the very real and acute consequences of child poverty." He said the situation was unfair and urged the Government to rethink the policy. Policy and Advocacy Officer, Rosemary Hennigan, said: The benefit of a model based on early legal advice is it improves the quality of first instance decision-making while reducing the cost to the State of appeals and judicial review proceedings. "It also reduces the delays experienced by people awaiting a final decision which means less time spent in the Direct Provision system. By Gordon Deegan A judge told smooch.com swindler, Alan Custy that he is very, very lucky as the con-man was about to walk free from court. At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Gerald Keys made his comment after imposing a suspended three-year jail term on Mr Custy for ripping 18,950 off from a vulnerable, gullible, trusting woman he met online. Mr Custy (42) of Dun na hInse, Ennis hatched a scheme where he stole by deception around 18,950 from the vulnerable woman he met through the dating website smooch.com over five months in 2013. The 47-year-old Limerick woman, who lives alone, was the second online female victim of Custy who previously received a three-year suspended jail term in February 2012 for blackmailing a married woman who he met on connectedsingles.com. In that case, Custy posed as a Michael Lynch and in the smooch.com case, the father-of-two posed as an Alan Casey. In sentencing today, Judge Keys said that he regarded Mr Custys previous conviction for a similar offence as an aggravating factor in the case and viewed it as very, very serious. In relation to Mr Custys most recent offence, Judge Keys said that the way Mr Custy obtained the monies from the woman was "terrible and horrible. Counsel for Mr Custy, Pat Whyms BL said that his client has paid off the entire 18,950 to the woman and his final instalment was 750. Mr Whyms said that the 750 was 400 more than required but that his client indicated that the additional amount be paid to the woman. Mr Whyms said that his client has apologised for his behaviour. He said: Mr Custy is a working man and he has been working for the last three years to repay this debt. Judge Keys said that the mitigating factors in the case were that Mr Custy has pleaded guilty; has repaid all of the monies and has not come to the attention of the Gardai since his plea of guilty in 2015. Judge Keys said that he would suspend the three-year prison sentence for four years. Det Garda Claire OShaughnessy previously told the court that the female victim in the case lives alone and was trusting, gullible, had health problems and suffered from self-esteem issues when looking for romance online in June 2013. At the sentencing hearing in relation to the smooch.com case, Det OShaughnessy said that the victim had become suspicious of Custy and contacted Gardai in November 2013 after coming across an online newspaper account of his blackmailing case. However, by that stage, the woman had handed over 18,950 to Custy who said that he needed money to pay off the Revenue; the purchase of plant and machinery; for diesel and the payment of staff who were carrying out fictitious grass cutting contracts with Clare Co Council and Limerick Co Council. The womans victim impact statement read out by Det OShaughnessy said Custys abuse of my good nature completely shattered my confidence in men and people in general. I dont trust my instincts anymore and I have lost confidence in myself. She said: Before I took people at face value and built relationships easily. "I am now a nervous participant and suspicious of new people and getting to know them. I am not the same carefree vivacious person I was before I met him." She said: On a financial side, my act of kindness ended up with me having to borrow money to pay bills and mortgage, which I am still repaying and will be for a long time to come. Det OShaughnessy said that the Garda investigation involved going through hundreds of emails and text messages while stating that Custy and the woman met several times after making initial contact through smooch.com. A Dublin-based homeless charity will be presented with the European Citizen's Prize in Brussels tomorrow. Inner City Helping Homeless is being acknowledged for its work helping rough sleepers on the streets of the capital. Following nominations by all four Sinn Fein MEPs earlier this year, the charity's Anthony Flynn will accept the honour in the European Parliament. Speaking this afternoon, Mr Flynn said: "At home the issue of housing and homelessness is a serious one, one that is not being adequately dealt with by our government. We have a national emergency, an emergency that our government fails to address. "The Irish government, although stating it is an emergency, have yet to reach out to Europe for support. "My time in Europe will be spent requesting that the European Commission appoints a Special Rapporteur on housing and homelessness and force the Irish government to address the housing crisis with the urgency it demands." Digital Desk The solicitor who worked closely with the late Emma Mhic Mhathuna has asked why the state has not yet fully investigated why the CervicalCheck errors happened. 21 women affected by the CervicalCheck scandal have now died with Emma Mhic Mhathuna, a public face of the crisis, the latest. In paying tribute this morning her solicitor, Cian O'Carroll, said the pressure for a world-class screening service to be the legacy for all the women must now increase. Mr O'Carroll described Ms Mhic Mhathuna as a "strong, intelligent and funny woman" and revealed that there was a reason for her wearing the red dress on the day she made her settlement at the courts. He said: "She thought things through, she worked it out and there was a reason why she wore the red dress. Emma Mhic Mhathuna and her solicitor, Cian O'Carroll in June outside the Four Courts. "It was because she wasn't going to be seen as a victim and she looked remarkable that day walking through the Four Courts." Mr O'Carroll told the "Today with Sean O'Rourke" show on RTE Radio 1 this morning that Emma was adamant all the way through that she wanted accountability. He said that the National Screening Service has a primary obligation to send in HIQA to investigate why those errors happened, but he revealed: "they haven't done it". "You would think that the State would have had those slides and those errors investigated. They haven't, they've never been investigated. "In fact, none of the 221 errors have ever been investigated, even though the contracts with the laboratory specifically and clearly provides that if the State wants, it can send HIQA into that laboratory and find out why the error happened and has anything been done to fix the problem that caused it in the first place. "Non-disclosure did not kill that woman, failures in a laboratory in 2010 and 2103 did. "It is inexcusable that today following her death there is still not a clear and determined statement from the State saying that we will investigate why those slides and so many hundreds of others were critically misread in those laboratories in the US and in Ireland." Mr O'Carroll revealed that his last communication with Ms Mhic Mhathuna was last Thursday through text. He spoke of how it was clear that she did not have long to live, but it wasn't clear that it would happen so immediately. Mr O'Connor recalled ms Mhic Mhathuna asking about wheelchair access in the Four Courts. He told her not to worry, that she would be out of the wheelchair by the next time she was due at the Four Courts to which she replied: "It's not for my wheelchair, it's for my rollerskates". He paid tribute to her determination to get things done. Mr O'Carroll said: "She saw that things were wrong and didn't have to be the way they were, and that changed the way I look on things. "She challenged us who were working for us constantly... it meant that we were ultimately able to do a much better job for her." Meanwhile, RTE News are reporting that the two main laboratories who examine more than 260,000 smear tests a year have not yet agreed to sign new contracts with the HSE. The contracts are due to expire this month and it is understood a key issue in relation to agreeing new contracts is the laboratories securing new insurance to cover the backlog of CervicalCheck tests to be done given the controversy around CervicalCheck legal claims and settlements. - Digital Desk By Ann O'Loughlin A farmer has been jailed for a third time for being in contempt of a High Court order to remove livestock from his lands that are up for sale. Mr Justice Michael Twomey jailed Mr Eugene Costello for three weeks arising out of his failure to remove all livestock cattle from 90 acres of farmland at Coolfree, Taughmaconnell, Ballinasloe, Co Roscommon. Carlisle Mortgages Ltd brought proceedings against Mr Costello claiming he was trying to obstruct the sale of the land, which has been in Mr Costello's family for generations, by placing his cattle on it. Carlisle wants to sell the lands because it claims Mr Costello has failed to repay monies he borrowed from it in 2004 when Mr Costello was advanced 440,000 by Carlisle. The land was put up as security for the loan. Carlisle, which obtained a possession order in respect of the property in 2006, claims 1.4m remains outstanding on the loan. In a long-running battle, Mr Costello who repaid 91,000 to the lender has raised issues about the loan and has claimed it was fraudulent, which Carlisle denies. The case last came before the Judge in August when he placed a stay on the three-week committal order sought by Carlise for Mr Costello's ongoing failure to comply with court orders made in 2017. Mr Justice Twomey had adjourned the case to today's sitting of the court to allow Mr Costello time to remove the cattle from the lands by 25 August last. Jarlath Ryan Bl for Carlisle said there was "clear evidence" an "unrepentant" Mr Costello was in "brazen breach of court orders and undertaking previously given to the court." Counsel said his cattle were not removed by 25 August which Mr Costello had undertaken to do. Counsel said the sheep and horses that belonged to Mr Costello's relatives were also found to be on the land since the matter was last before the court in August. Counsel said that his client's agent had inspected and photographed the land on Monday morning and there was still livestock on the property. Mr Costello, counsel said had lied to the court, and at no stage had complied with undertakings. Mr Costello, represented by solicitor Robert Dore, accepted he had not complied with the undertakings given to the court last August. Mr Dore said that all of the cattle had been removed by the end of August. Sheep and horses belonging to Mr Costello's relatives, who Mr Costello said were not aware of the court orders, have been removed. However, Mr Dore said it is his client's case that the lands and the animals in the pictures taken by Carlisle and presented to the court were not Mr Costello's and asked the court to continue the stay on the committal order and that the situation could be monitored. Mr Dore said he had very recently come into the matter and asked the court to continue to stay. In his ruling Mr Justice Twomey said was not prepared to continue the stay on the three-week sentence imposed last August. The judge said he welcomed Mr Dore's involvement in the case, which he said would hopefully prevent Mr Costello being sent to prison for the fourth time. The order committing Mr Costello to prison was forwarded to An Garda Siochana who will then act on it. In 2014, Mr Costello was jailed after a High Court judge found he had breached undertakings previously given to remove his livestock. He was released some days later after he purged his contempt. Carlisle also obtained an injunction against Mr Costello in 2017 requiring him to remove the animals from the lands. He failed to comply with that order and last January was again jailed for a week for contempt. Last July, Carlisle brought fresh attachment and committal proceedings claiming Mr Costello had again put his cattle on the lands. By Tom Tuite A Dublin body-builder who competed at a high level internationally has been spared jail and a criminal record after he was caught with a toxic brew of medications. Father-of-three, Hans Vogel, with an address Cameron Court, Cork Street, pleaded guilty to eight charges under the Irish Medicine Boards Act following a substantial seizure of steroids at his home. Dublin District Court heard the case followed an investigation by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) who had him on their radar. Judge John Brennan had told him he was giving him a chance and had ordered him earlier to pay 1,000 in prosecution expenses. He noted today that the money had been paid and he applied the Probation of Offenders Act, sparing Vogel a criminal conviction and a sentence. Judge Brennan heard earlier that on May 26, 2015, Vogel had anabolic steroids, a weight loss medicine and Sildamax, a Viagra-like product containing Sildenafil. Vogels charges related to supply of six types of medicinal products which were regulated or prescription controlled. HPRA enforcement officer Alan Smullen told the court he identified Vogel as the supplier of anabolic steroids and he was granted a warrant to search his Cameron Court apartment. The HPRA is responsible for regulating medicinal and health products in Ireland. Mr Smullen was accompanied by gardai and another HPRA officer. Vogel pointed out the steroids and explained he was a body-builder. There were 300 Sildamax tablets, 1,500 Dianabol tablets, 20 vials of Testosterone Enanthate, 250 Rexebol tablets, 50 capsules of a product named DNP 200 and 250 Clenbuterol tablets. The HPRA officer told the court that the Testosterone Enanthate substance was not approved for marketing in Ireland and the court heard it potential for a range of side-effects. Mr Smullen said that Sildamax was for treatment of erectile dysfunction but could have certain consequences for people with heart problems. He said that DNP 200 which was used as a weight-loss agent but was not safe for human consumption and was used in dyes. In 2014 one person in Ireland died from using this substance and another person in the UK died from consuming it, however, the court was told that they were unrelated deaths, not connected to this investigation and prosecution. Mr Smullen said Rexobol had the potential for adverse side effects and has been off the market in Ireland for the past 15 years. Clenbuterol had been used in animal medicine to promote growth, the court was told. Mr Smullen said it was his opinion the products were not for personal use and he added that since 2009 Vogel had been on the radar in relation to the supply of steroids. During the search a number of diaries, receipts and handwritten notes were located which indicated the sale of these products to members of the public, the court heard. Mr Smullen agreed with prosecution counsel Brian Gageby that a number of Vogel's customers were identified and four witness statements were recorded in which they gave accounts of purchasing products from him. The diaries for 2014, 2015 and another undated diary which recorded individuals names, addresses and prices, were furnished to the judge. The accused was interviewed and made certain admissions. Dubliner Vogel was a former bus driver and who had got into selling gym wear, the court was told. Defence counsel Aisling Kelly told Judge John Brennan her client became a body-builder and competed at a very high level nationally and internationally. His explanation for the use of Sildamax, the medication for erectile dysfunction, was that he used six of them a week even though a GP would prescribe one a week, the court heard. His marriage broke down after the search of his home and recently months his mother, for whom he had acted as a full-time carer, had passed away, counsel said. He has ceased his involvement in body-building, Ms Kelly had said in pleas for leniency. His benefits were cut off in 2015 after the HPRA contacted the social welfare authorities. He now has a new job working in a shop and character references were furnished to the court. The offence, at district court level, can result in a one-year sentence. Judge Brennan had said it was an extremely serious matter and the evidence was that there was a toxic brew medications that could cause serious harm. However, he had noted Vogel had no prior criminal convictions and and had stopped his involvement in body-building and had turned his life around. He also noted Vogel had pleaded guilty and was otherwise of good character. By Ann O'Loughlin Garda Keith Harrison, who gave evidence before the Disclosures Tribunal, has brought a High Court action aimed at stopping an internal Garda investigation into alleged breaches of discipline by him. Garda Harrison, who denies the alleged misconduct, says the investigation has been brought on behalf of the Garda Commissioner following certain adverse comments made about him in an interim report by the Tribunal Chairman Mr Justice Peter Charleton. His lawyers argue the Tribunals comments cannot have any legal implications nor can they be relied upon by the Garda Commissioner to discipline Garda Harrison and the investigation should be prohibited. Last November the Disclosures Tribunal rejected allegations made by Garda Harrison and his partner Marissa Simms. The couple made allegations including that Ms Simms was compelled by gardai to make a statement against him which led to a Tusla referral. The Co Donegal-based garda also alleged he was the victim of a five-year intimidation campaign after arresting a fellow officer for drink driving in Athlone in 2009. In an interim report, Mr Justice Charleton said all of Garda Harrison and Marisa Simms allegations examined by the Tribunal were "entirely without any validity. Last July, Garda Harrison was informed that a Garda Superintendent has been appointed to conduct an internal investigation into alleged breaches of discipline by him. The misconduct alleged includes that the adverse commentary by Mr Justice Charleton about Garda Harrison brought An Garda Siochana into disrepute and that allegations made by Garda Harrison in a protected disclosure were found to be false and entirely misleading. It is also alleged that the motivation by Garda Harrison in making those allegations was malicious and vexatious and that his conduct in incidents outlined in evidence to the tribunal was unbecoming to a member of the Garda. Garda Harrison denies the allegations and his lawyers have called on the Commissioner to end what he claims is an unlawful investigation, which the Commissioner has failed to do. In his action against the Commissioner, Garda Harrison, represented by Mark Harty SC seeks declarations and orders including an order quashing the decision to appoint an officer to investigate alleged breaches of discipline by the Garda. Garda Keith Harrison and Marissa Simms He also seeks declarations that the decision to appointed an investigating officer is unlawful and by seeking to place reliance on the findings of a tribunal of inquiry the Commissioner has acted outside his jurisdiction and in breach of natural and constitutional justice. Counsel also told the court that it is Garda Harrison's case that in seeking to discipline his client on the basis of what was contained in protective disclosures the Commissioner is acting in breach of the 2014 Protective Disclosures Act. Permission to bring the action was granted, on an ex parte basis, by Mr Justice Seamus Noonan at today's sitting of the High Court. The case will come back before the court next month. Update: A standoff is continuing in Tipperary over a 1.7m six-house development outside Thurles. A group of Traveller families are refusing to move into the houses at Cabragh Bridge because they do not have stables for their horses. Tipperary County Council has denied any agreement was made to provide the stables. Local Sinn Fein Councillor David Doran says they should be allocated to someone else on the housing list if a way forward can not be found. "We have 900 people on the housing list in my district, we have six state-of-the-art houses built and there's an impasse or a dispute between the prospective families and the council," said Cllr Doran. "There's all rumours about what they are looking for and whatever else but what I'm saying is sort out their differences and in the meantime allocate those houses to people that would be very glad of them." Earlier: Refusal to move into new houses over horse dispute 'a kick in the teeth', says councillor A group of families in Tipperary have refused to move into new council-built homes because they do not have stables and extra land for their horses. The dispute centres on a 1.7m development at Cabragh Bridge outside Thurles where an extended Traveller family has lived for nearly 50 years. Tipperary County Council has built six new homes opposite their current settlement. But the families say they will not move in unless two stables and at least half an acre of land are included behind each house for their horses. Thurles councillor Jim Ryan, who is not impressed, said: "We as councillors are absolutely bemused over this because you have so many people in the area looking for housing, on the waiting list for many years, and for this to go on is a kick in the teeth for those people. It's also a kick in the teeth for the taxpayers of this country because 1.7m is a huge amount of money to spend on this development, the council have done their bit and yet the houses are completely vacant, and it's just not good enough. They were to be built with a half-acre behind each house, with two stables, Philip McCarthy, one of the residents of the site at Cabragh Bridge, told the Irish Examiner at the weekend. They [Tipperary County Council] changed it to a group project, like a mini-housing estate. The agreement was two stables and a half an acre for the horses, but they never came up with that. Our livestock is our culture, and a big, big part of our life. Well have to come to some sort of agreement, because otherwise its no good to us. "We have paddocks here and stables and stuff, which is not across the way [in the new development]. Its a beautiful project and were happy with the project, but theres no room for the livestock. Thats whats holding us up at the moment. They want us to drop our culture and throw it aside. "Its a very, very hard thing for us to do. Its in our life, were going back centuries." Former President and ex-UN envoy on climate change, Mary Robinson, has said that Ireland is a "laggard" on climate change and needs to become a leader. It comes after a UN-backed study said that countries must take unprecedented action to slash carbon emissions to zero by 2050. The report also said that the impacts of climate change, from droughts to rising seas, will be less extreme if temperature rises are curbed at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels than if they climb to 2C. The founder of the Mary Robinson Foundation, Climate Justice, said today's report speaks to the urgency of action, adding that future generations will not thank us if we do not take urgent action now. Ms Robinson told Today with Sean O'Rourke this morning that huge political will and international co-operation will be needed in order to cap temperature rises at 1.5 degrees. She said: "We need to become a leader on climate change," before adding that Irish people will have to change their behaviour which will require them to become at least "aspiring vegetarians". She told Sean O'Rourke that people will have to start eating less meat, saying: "I mean it, we have to be serious in this country and other countries. "It is not against the farming community because I'm all for diversity of what farms produce. We have to have a big debate now in this country and all countries. "I think the most important thing is that actions that are taken respect peoples' rights and livelihoods, so we need a just transition to the future." She said that she was doing her best to do the same, but admitted that she was very tempted by "lamb from the West of Ireland". "I'm someone who talks all the time about climate justice, so I have to change my own behaviour. "I'm very tempted by lamb from the West of Ireland, to be honest, that's the only red meat I'd consider. "But I know that by taking actions myself and reminding myself how important it is, that this is for my children and grandchildren. Carbon dioxide emissions need to fall about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and to net zero so no more is being put into the atmosphere than is being removed by measures such as planting trees by 2050, while other greenhouse gases will also need to decline steeply. "I have six grandchildren who will be in there 30s and 40s in 2050. The warning is that we have to do it by 2030." "It really is a very short window, but it's the only window humanity has, and our children and grandchildren will not thank us if we don't take every step we can take." Ms Robinson said that other efforts, such as moving towards electric cars, will have to be made saying that she has a hybrid at the moment, but her next one will be electric. In addition, she said, the report makes it clear that we will need to "re-forest rapidly" in order to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Governments must, she said, commit to moving countries out of fossil fuel by removing fossil fuel subsidies and instead support renewable energies. She said that Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement was "very unhelpful" and it was clear that the US President was "in the pocket of fossil fuel". However, she said that his views do not reflect the United States as a whole and that states and cities are working to meet the emissions target laid down under the Paris Agreement. Ms Robinson said she believed that young people and women would drive the changes. You can listen to her interview on this morning's "Today with Sean O'Rourke" show below. The assets of criminals across the EU will soon be open to freezing and confiscation. It is down to new measures adopted by MEPs, with victims set to be first in line to receive compensation under the plan. Revenue officers have seized over 24,000 cigarettes and 7,200 cash in Donegal and Galway. During an operation in Letterkenny last Friday, Revenue officers seized 13,400 cigarettes branded Mayfair, L&M and Pacific following a search of a residential property. 7,200 cash was also seized suspected to be the proceeds of, or intended for use in, criminal activity. A Polish man in his 30s was questioned. Today at Letterkenny District Court, officers were granted a three-month cash detention order to allow Revenue investigate further. Separately on Friday, Revenue officers in Galway City seized 10,800 cigarettes and 2.7kgs tobacco. The seized tobacco products were branded Marlboro, Winston, Golden Virginia and Old Holborn. A Lithuanian woman in her 20s was questioned at the scene. The combined estimated retail value of the contraband tobacco products is 16,000, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of 12,680. Investigations are ongoing. Digital Desk A post-mortem is due to take place today on the body of a man shot dead in Ballymun in Dublin on Friday night. The 45-year-old was killed when he answered the door to two gunmen at a house in Poppintree Crescent. Rent control proposition proving tough sell even to Democrats With the cost of housing driving Californias emergence as the state with the highest percentage of impoverished households, its easy to see the appeal of rent control to key Democratic constituencies starting with poor and lower-middle-income families, often minorities, who struggle paycheck to paycheck. This was why a diverse coalition was able to easily gather enough signatures to place Proposition 10 on the Nov. 6 ballot. It would repeal a sweeping 1995 state law known by the shorthand of Costa-Hawkins that grandfathered in some rent control laws but made significant new such laws difficult to impose. The most notable provisions of the law were its ban on rent control for units built after 1995 and for all single-family homes and condominiums. It also forbids whats known as vacancy control, which requires landlords to leave rents unchanged when a unit becomes empty. The eagerness to undo Costa-Hawkins was plain in July at a meeting of the California Democratic Party in Oakland, where 95 percent of the partys executive board voted to back the rent-control measure. That comes with a party commitment to send email and direct mail endorsements of the measure to as many as 2 million Democrats in the state, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Newsom splits with Democratic Party, opposes Prop. 10 But with less than a month to the election, this early momentum hasnt translated into strong support. The most important Democrat on the fall ballot Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the heavy favorite to succeed Jerry Brown as governor is against rent control. While most of what might be called the Bernie Sanders wing of California Democrats is all aboard the Proposition 10 bandwagon, a significant number of prominent and/or elected Democrats are in opposition. This includes Newsoms primary rival, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Assembly members Jim Cooper, Tom Daly, Adam Gray, Patrick ODonnell and Bill Quirk. A number of reasons appear to be driving Democratic opposition to a seemingly potent populist wedge issue. Newsom, who revels in his reputation as a policy wonk, has told newspaper editorial boards up and down the state that rent control actually would make the housing crisis worse. In economic circles, the belief that rent control is counterproductive is the overwhelming consensus of Keynesians, supply siders and nearly all the factions across the ideological spectrum. In 1992, a poll of the American Economic Association showed 93 percent agreed with the statement that rent control reduces the quality and quantity of housing. A Stanford University study of rent control in San Francisco released last December reached similar conclusions. Californians in communities with rent control dont need to be told by economists that it doesnt work well. As Ken Calhoon, an El Dorado County real estate broker, pointed out in a July commentary, Rent control has been a long-time ordinance in the following cities: Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Campbell, East Palo Alto, Fremont, Hayward, Los Angeles, Los Gatos, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, Thousand Oaks and West Hollywood. Its not a coincidence that the two most expensive rental areas in our state, the Los Angeles and Bay Area regions, happen to have every city that has enacted rent control policies. Also helping the No on Proposition 10 campaign is an unusually broad collection of groups that includes not just the usual business interests but several construction unions and seniors groups and a long list of organizations with ethnic or racial affiliations, starting with the California NAACP. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released two weeks ago showed Proposition 10 losing 48 percent to 36 percent, with 16 percent undecided. Among Democrats, it led narrowly, 46 percent to 43 percent. Rent-control foes stake claim to populist label In a state where even banged-up, aging two-bedroom apartments go for $2,000-plus a month in most urban areas, these results seem hard to fathom especially given that the Yes on Proposition 10 side is backed by such powerful, high-profile groups as the California Teachers Association, the California Nurses Association, several government unions and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, led by Los Angeles political activist Michael Weinstein. But this may be a case where money and superior strategy not the views of economists or Californias history with rent control is overcoming the populist inclination of voters. The No on Proposition 10 campaign, which has had at least a 2-1 advantage in fundraising so far, has been advertising for weeks. A Google search for Proposition 10 returns results that are topped with a paid No on 10 link. It goes to a page with the simple message that the measure is bad for veterans and seniors, doesnt reduce rent and doesnt provide funds for affordable housing. Some of these claims are solid and some are non sequiturs why would rent control be expected to reduce rent? But they make the case that this is not a simple attempt by moneyed interests to allow them to keep exploiting renters instead making a seemingly populist case for No on 10. Meanwhile, as an Oct. 5 story in the Ventura County Star noted, there may be high-profile supporters of Yes on 10, but only one is offering significant financial support. While the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has donated more than $10 million, the only other major contributors to the campaign are the California Nurses Association and the AFSCME 3299 union, which contributed $50,000 and $60,000, respectively. A new survey has found that most Irish people are very concerned about the Government's housing policies. Five thousand people were polled by AA Ireland, with 54% saying they are worried by the Government's lack of progress in developing new homes. Accounting software group MYOB Group says it is business as usual as it considers a $1.75 billion buyout offer from private equity firm KKR & Co, which prompted a 20 per cent surge in its share price in the first minutes of trade on Monday. MYOB told the market on Monday morning it was being courted by the multibillion-dollar investment firm with an unsolicited takeover offer pitched at $3.70 a share. MYOB chief Tim Reed. Credit:Peter Braig MYOB shares closed 19.1 per cent higher at $3.55 - levels not seen since January - to finish the day as the top mid-cap ASX gainer. KKR offered to buy the shares it doesn't already own in the cloud services provider after bagging a 17.6 per cent stake in MYOB from investment firm Bain Capital. It paid about $327.4 million, or $3.15 a share, for the stake from Bain to build its holding in MYOB to 19.9 per cent. In the 30 years he's worked at Alaska Airlines, Ray Prentice has never actually heard of a miniature horse boarding one of its flights. Alaska Air's service animal policy comes into effect this week. Credit:Bloomberg But with a new policy that went into effect this week, the airline has left the possibility open. Miniature horses have joined dogs and cats as one of the three animals expressly allowed on board as service animals, which are trained to assist someone with a disability. A miniature horse usually between 2 and 3 feet tall and weighing between 70 and 100 pounds would most likely be able to stand only in front of passengers seated in the front row of the cabin, said Prentice, the airline's director of customer advocacy. While the use of miniature horses as service animals is thought to be quite rare, some people may prefer them to other animals. The horses are sturdy, have longer life spans, can help those with mobility problems and have been known to guide people who are blind. Others may seek out the horses because they have religious objections to using dogs. Motorcycle tourism operator Nevermind Adventure is turning to the crowd, believing its fans are better placed than traditional investors to help raise $750,000. The company, which operates adventure projects across the globe, says besides expanding its global reach, the key area of investment focus is its home town of Geelong. Nevermind Adventure's Matthew Natonewski. The business began as a leather goods trader with operations based in Rajasthan, India, but its true scope was realised when founder Matthew Natonewski embarked on a novel bootstrapping exercise. Needing capital to pour into the business, he set up a motorcycle tour through Rajasthan to generate cash. ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenburys impromptu invitation to the organisers of a controversial music festival to bring the event to Canberra is, on the face of it, understandable. The festival, Defqon.1, has been banished from Sydney and NSW after two people died during the event last month, three were placed in critical care and hundreds of others needed medical attention due to suspected drug overdoses. NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian vowed to never again allow the rave to take place in NSW, so as to avoid needless deaths of young people as the result of illegal party drugs. Credit:The Canberra Times Many have since urged her to reconsider, citing the role Canberra has played in allowing the countrys first pill testing trial at the Groovin the Moo festival in April. A hang-glider has been rescued from 20 metres up a tree on a mountain south of Brisbane as rainy and windy weather closed in. Emergency services were called to Tamborine Mountain, 75 kilometres south of Brisbane and inland from the Gold Coast, about 12.30pm after a woman became stuck in a tree off Main Western Road. The QFES rescue team at Tamborine Mountain preparing to rescue the hang-glider Credit:Deon Savage - 7 News Gold Coast Queensland Ambulance Service Tamborine Mountain officer-in-charge Sean Breeden said rain and some windy weather was over the rescue site, making for an uncomfortable wait for the woman. "We have a female [hang-glider] who has fallen through the tree canopy and shes hanging from a tree at the moment. Shes talking to us, stating that she is uninjured and in no pain," he said. More than 70 domestic violence and sexual assault complaints have been levelled at Queensland Police staff in more than 18 months. Police Minister Mark Ryan on Monday confirmed 43 domestic violence complaints and 29 sexual assault reports have been referred to the Ethical Standards Command since January 2017. Queensland Police has refused to elaborate on how many officers and staffers were implicated in the complaints, and whether convictions have resulted. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 "She was too vulnerable to be in the community. Paige was beautiful, she wouldn't hurt a soul, but she was in so much pain all the time, she kept hurting herself." Paige Dent as a young girl. On Friday, hours before she died, Ms Foster said Paige had absconded twice from Dandenong Hospital. The first time was from a secure psychiatric unit, from where she reportedly travelled to her father's house in Hampton Park. Paige was returned to the hospital by police and kept in the emergency department but within 20 minutes she fled again. Her dad, Michael Dent, said he felt authorities had failed in their duty of care for his daughter. She was known as the escape artist of the Dandenong mental health system, he said. The police came to our house on Friday and knocked on the door and asked if Paige was here. She was bawling her eyes out, I could see the despair in her eyes... because she didnt want to go back to the hospital. Grieving father Michael Dent and his partner Mary Burnell. Credit:Eddie Jim Mental health patients leaving emergency departments before being treated is a common story. These patients are considered sicker than those who present with physical ailments (with 62 per cent considered emergency or urgent cases), yet take longer to be seen than those with less-urgent conditions, according to an analysis of Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data. They are languishing in Victorian emergency department for more than 12 hours on average, over five hours longer than the standard wait. The worst nightmare for any ED clinician is a patient who leaves before their care is finished, before assessment and management can be completed, who goes home to deteriorate, or is found dead in a ditch the following day, said a report from the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine released on Monday. Those familiar with Victorias mental health system also say understaffing of psychiatric wards is allowing regular escapes from hospital units. Jess Anderson from the Health and Community Services Union said because there were not enough staff rostered on to look over patients, people were finding ways to slip out of locked wards. Some push past cleaners or relatives, or jump outdoor fences, she said. When people leave, the majority of them actually just go home, but there are the minority who do suicide once leaving the inpatient unit, or find ways to [harm themselves], she said. It doesnt matter how much infrastructure you have, its the level of supervision [that matters]. And unfortunately the mental health system is in such a crisis with staffing level that we are struggling to have the eyes on. We make the fence higher, they will find another way to jump the gate. A young Paige Dent, in happier times. A Monash Health spokesman confirmed that a patient left Dandenong Hospital emergency department on Friday while receiving treatment. Staff immediately notified the police, he said. Our thoughts are with the patients family at this incredibly difficult time. Paiges family said someone should be held accountable for what happened. Nothing will bring Paige back, but we want to look after others and not have this happen to any other family," Mr Dent said. Neville Kirk Junior is not going anywhere. Hes climbed a tree, built a platform, and plans to live among the leaves until a decision to cut down 100 trees near the Brixton Street wetlands is reversed. Mr Kirk said he will stay in the tree until he is forced down. Credit:Kate Hedley The 31-year-old environmental activist set up camp over the weekend. He has food, water, and plenty of support from family members and community campaigners set on saving the wetlands. Australia risks a chronic shortage of young workers from any drastic cut to the annual migration intake, according to a new warning from a leading researcher as the Morrison government canvasses sweeping reforms to population policy. A severe cut to migration would deprive the country of up to 6.8 million workers by 2050 while scaling back economic growth, highlighting the danger of a steep decline in the intake. Australias economic output would be 12 per cent higher in 2053 in per capita terms with an annual intake of 180,000 migrants compared to a halt to the program, according to the findings from the Australian National University and the University of Melbourne. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The 12 per cent increase for every Australian would be higher than the entire growth in gross domestic product per capital in Australia over the past decade, concludes ANU emeritus professor of demography Peter McDonald. An opposition backbencher is under fire over allegations he killed a harmless snake. On Sunday night, Liberal National Party member for Oodgeroo, Mark Robinson, posted a photo of a dead snake on Facebook and said it had tried to attack him in his home at Sheldon, south-east of Brisbane. LNP MP Mark Robinson posted a warning about snakes on Sunday night after he said he was attacked. Credit:Mark Robinson/ Facebook "I think it's a brown snake. It leapt to bite me, but fortunately, it was not successful. And lucky it wasn't a big snake," Mr Robinson wrote. "It highlights that we need to be watchful as snakes become more active." Catholic and independent schools have been given a major pre-election promise, with the Andrews government pledging to boost their funding and cut red tape so that new schools can be built faster. Premier Daniel Andrews made the announcement at Corpus Christi Primary School in Glenroy. Credit:Jason South The Labor government said on Monday it would give $400 million over four years to the private school sector. The sum more than triples the $120 million the Andrews government has invested in non-government schools since 2014. It also spares the government a potentially damaging pre-election stoush with the Catholic sector, which recently accused Labor of starving it of funds for capital works. Washington: US President Donald Trump apologised to Brett Kavanaugh for the bitter battle over his confirmation to the Supreme Court and declared him innocent of the sexual assault allegations that nearly derailed his nomination. I want to apologise to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the incredible pain you have been forced to endure, Trump said before a ceremonial swearing-in at the White House on Monday, US time. You sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent. (Kavanaugh was officially sworn in as the 114th judge on the court immediately after a rancorous confirmation process on Saturday.) Earlier, Trump said it was an insult to the American public for Democrats to consider impeaching Kavanaugh and claimed the allegations made against him were a hoax perpetrated by people that are evil. Retired justice Anthony Kennedy, whose place Kavanaugh has taken on the court, administered the oath of office with Trump standing by them. Latest News Over half of Aussie borrowers in danger of mortgage stress if rates keep rising Over half of Aussie borrowers in danger of mortgage stress if rates keep rising, says survey What is behind the Big Four interest rate uncertainty? Last week saw 50pt hikes and 40pt slashes across the Big Four, with twists and turns The LoanBrix broker reflects on the career guidance that inspired her to break into the industry, and the lessons she has since learned since Q: Who inspired you to become a broker? A: I was inspired to join the industry by broker Trevor Giacometti. I started working as Trevors personal assistant in 2011 and he encouraged me to enrol to complete the diploma and become a broker myself. In May 2014 I qualified and Trevor mentored me for two years, during which time I grew and learnt even more until I could stand on my own two feet. I have also met and been inspired by other men and women within Finsure, and hopefully I will continue to grow and learn in this amazing industry. Q: Whats one of your recent career highlights? A: This year, a large proportion of my clients have been first home buyers, and Ive had a combination of customers buying homes and building their own. Buying your first home, or deciding to build it, can be quite a daunting experience. It forced me to take a step back as a broker and learn to explain different concepts in different ways depending on the knowledge of the younger generation and where they were coming from. Throughout the entire process I gave a lot more time and energy to the customer, as you become involved in each step of the way during construction, helping them to realise their dream home as it is being built. This did bring a special kind of reward, with genuine appreciation from customers who also consistently referred me to their friends. Q: If you won $1m, what would you do with it? A: I would take three months o work and travel around various parts of the world. My first stop would be Guatemala, then Bulgaria and Africa, and I would finish off with Antarctica. Then I would come home and complete my private pilots licence, buy a small plane and continue to work happily as a broker. Q: What do you wish youd known when you started out as a broker? A: Firstly, the power of making a connection when I first meet my customer, whatever form that may take. Then, the need to stay in touch and build on that connection to develop the relationship. Not all my customers convert into a loan immediately; some do, some take time, and some never work out at all and thats life! Its not personal Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC Hes in the clear. The Feds dropped their case to deport undocumented immigrant and former pizza delivery man Pablo Villavicencio on Oct. 5, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of New York confirmed. A spokesman from the Legal Aid Society said its lawyers cheered governments decision to drop its case against Villavicencio, whom they took on as a client after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained him when he made a pizza delivery to Fort Hamilton Army Base in June. The spokesman added that the Legal Aid Society would continue to represent Villavicencio along with lawyers from a private firm, Debevoise and Plimpton LLP in order to secure his legal right to stay in the U.S. We are glad that the federal government fully withdrew their challenge to Mr. Villavicencios hard-won release from immigration detention and his opportunity to pursue lawful status, the Legal Aid spokesman said. The U.S. Attorneys Office originally filed an Oct. 2 appeal challenging U.S. District Judge Paul Crottys July decision releasing Villavicencio from detention and staying his deportation to his native Ecuador, according to the New York Law Journal. But just three days later, the Feds withdrew the appeal for unknown reasons. Villavicencios case received national media attention after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained him while he was delivering food to Fort Hamilton Army Base on June 1, with critics charging that Villavicencios detention was the result of ethnic profiling. A spokeswoman for the base claimed that Villavicencio lacked the proper military identification to enter it, prompting a background check and the subsequent discovery of an active warrant from the federal immigration agency, which it issued after Villavicencio failed to leave the country by July 2010, as ordered by a judge. After he was detained, Villavicencio whose wife and two daughters are U.S. citizens spent 53 days at the Hudson County Correctional Facility in New Jersey until Judge Crotty ordered his release on July 24. Gov. Cuomo weighed in on Villavicencios case on Oct. 5, saying that the governments change of heart proved the delivery man did not deserve to be detained, and that he was targeted due to his immigration status. By dropping its appeal of a court order freeing Pablo Villavicencio, the federal government is admitting what we already knew that there was absolutely no legitimate reason to lock him up and take him away from his family, Cuomo said. ICEs arrest of Mr. Villavicencio while he was doing his job was an outrageous affront to our New York values and raised serious concerns of ethnic profiling. Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC Brooklyns lone Republican state senator wants term limits on state pols but not for him. State Sen. Marty Golden (RBay Ridge), who is running for his ninth term to represent parts of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Sheepshead Bay up in Albany, told a roomful of voters during a candidates forum on Oct. 3 that hed support term limits for a Democratic legislator with more than three decades under his belt, but that hes still got years of public service ahead of him. Id be in favor, we did term limits in the city Council, Id be in favor of term limits in the state legislature for offices paid in the state of New York, Golden said during the forum hosted by the Bay Ridge Inter-agency Council on Aging at the Fort Hamilton Senior Center. One of the supporters is Peter Abbate, hes got 36 years, its time to move on for him, not me, Im only here 16. A rep for Golden didnt respond to exactly how many years in office would suffice before the sitting pol was ready to step down, but said his boss does support putting a cap on the number of terms an elected official can serve, especially for leadership roles in Albany. Sen. Golden has always supported term limits, and still does, said Michael Tobman. Within the framework of what the law currently is, however, he will not unilaterally limit his public service. Goldens challenger for a second time, however, Bay Ridgite Andrew Gounardes said hed only back term limits for executive positions such mayor and governor, and that giving constituents the opportunity to kick politicians out of office through elections is good enough. We have term limits already and they are called elections, and they happen every two years, said Gounardes, who was endorsed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo after besting his competitor Ross Barkan in last months Democratic primary. We need to make it easier for people to participate in the voting process so they can hold their elected officials more accountable on a two-year basis. The three-hour forum during which candidates for the Bay Ridge Congressional race, and Bay Ridge and Coney Island Assembly races were also invited to speak nearly came to blows when Golden told constituent Mallory McMahon, who is a founding member of liberal political group Fight Back Bay Ridge, that he doesnt have time to meet with her because she is a Democratic operative. Im sorry, Im too busy for you, Golden said to jeers from the crowd, after McMahon questioned why his office has given her the run-around as she has tried since February set up a meeting. She agrees with me on nothing and I have a very busy office. But Gounardes said he would welcome meetings with all constituents, even if they dont see eye to eye. Thats just a no-brainer, even if someone doesnt agrees with me, were not all gonna agree on every single thing, said Gounardes to rounds of applause and he later clarified that McMahon has never volunteered nor worked for his campaign after such accusations following the heated exchange with Golden. But thats okay, thats the way the system is supposed to work, but whats not supposed to happen, were not supposed to ignore those who disagree with us, were not supposed to ignore those who make us feel uncomfortable. During their closing arguments, Gounardes urged voters to cast their ballots for him on the Nov. 6 if they are unhappy with the status quo, while Golden told the room that flipping the senate from red to blue would ruin lives. If we get the Democrats to take hold of the Senate it would be the worst thing to happen to us, and would be the worst thing to happen to our community, said Golden, who blasted Cuomo as corrupt on the heels of the governor backing Gounardes. This is what you want in Albany? This is what you want? Meanwhile, incumbent Rep. Dan Donovan (RBay Ridge) facing a stiff challenge from Democrat Max Rose, who was recently endorsed by former Vice President Joe Biden failed to make an appearance because he was at an important foreign affairs commitment in Washington, according to his campaign rep Jessica Proud, although social media shows he was on Staten Island for another event. And the Democratic nominee for the vacant Coney Island Assembly seat, Mathylde Frontus who beat out establishment-backed candidate Ethan Lustig-Elgrably in the primary by just 51 votes also had the floor to herself because her Republican opponent, Steve Saperstein, had just welcomed a baby girl the day before the forum. As part of its plan to evolve into an energy company rather than just being a miner, Coal India has signed an initial agreement with NLC India for the formation of a joint venture (JV) company which will generate 3000 MW of solar and 2000 MW of thermal electricity. In the proposed JV, both Coal India and NLC will have an equal stake and the total investment is estimated to be around Rs. 120 billion. In case this JV can generate the targeted solar energy, it will fulfill the coal ministrys target to Coal India which dictates it to become a Net Zero Energy company in the near ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor City-based Greenko Energy Holdings, a renewable energy company, announced Monday that it has signed a pact to buy the assets of Pune-based Skeiron Green Renewables in and Also, Greenko said it has already acquired Orange Renewables as was proposed in June, a senior official of Greenko said. The combined deal of Orange and Skeiron would add 1,300 MW of wind and solar power to the overall operational capacity of Greenko to 4.5 GW of wind, solar and hydroelectricity, a press release said. Greenko has an additional capacity of generating over 8 GW from integrated renewable energy projects, which would take the total operating capacity to about 12 GW to become a leader in the new energy sector in the country, the release said. "The deal will add nearly $ 200 million to EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) of Greenko in the first full year after close, with further accretion and growth anticipated thereafter," it said. The proposed acquisition of the assets of Skeiron and Orange Renewable was expected to drive capacity, revenue, EBITDA and overall earnings growth potential of Greenko and its stakeholders, the release said. Greenko has been focusing on building integrated renewable energy assets with storage, which can compete with conventional energy assets like thermal in quality, quantity and cost, the release quoted managing director and chief executive officer of Greenko Anil Chalamalasetty as saying. Bhavish Aggarwal-led Ola is planning to go to Amsterdam soon, it is learnt. The cab aggregator, which started its global foray with Australia early this year and then added the UK on the Ola map soon after, wants to reach 50 international cities by 2019. Ubers rival is looking at more than just geographical expansion. Its global ambition is an attempt to find a clutch of investors, who could help it raise another round of capital, people in the know said. Currently, Ola does not have an update on new launches, said an Ola spokesperson. Amsterdam, with a good public ... Russia's VTB Group is likely to bid alone for the debt-ridden Essar Steel. Earlier the Russian bank was making a plan to take over the company via Numetal Mauritius - which had a Ruia family interest. According to the Supreme Court order, both Numetal and ArcelorMittal will have to first clear all old dues and then bid for Essar Steel. The SC gave both companies two weeks time to cure their ineligibility by paying past dues to banks. This has made the cost of acquisition very high for both companies. The Section 29A of IBC bans promoters of defaulting companies to make a bid for ... China-based TV and consumer electronics maker would invest around Rs 20 billion in its proposed new manufacturing facility at Tirupati, in the first phase, a top company official said Monday. The company expects to start manufacturing from its first facility in India by October 2019. The unit will have a capacity to roll out 3 million TVs per year. TCL expects that the AP unit would also help it to strengthen its presence in the highly competitive Indian TV market, as it expects to sell around one million units in 2019. "In the first phase, we are investing Rs 20 billion (2,000 crore) at our plant," TCL India Country Manager Mike Chen told PTI. He further said:"We can expect that by Diwali next year, the product would come out from there. The factory would manufacture panel and full units of TV. It would be not just an assembling unit". According to him, this would be a true "make-in-India" plant as the company would manufacture TV and panel parts here. He informed that only glass cutting for the panels would be done in China while rest of the work would be done at the unit. Last week, TCL announced that it has inked a pact with the government to set up a manufacturing facility at Besides, the company is also looking to foray into segments such as washing machine, refrigerator and airconditioners next year as part of expansion of its product portfolio. "We would also include washing machine, refrigertaor, airconditioners and mobile phone," Chen said adding "we have not decided yet as which product we would start." When asked about the timeline for the second phase at the Tirupati plant, he said TCL would wait for the market response and then decide its future course. TCL would also cater to the OEM segment here from its Tirupati plant. Besides, TCL would expand its retail network and increase point of sales going ahead. As part of expansion of LED TV range, TCL today introduced google certified range of Android QLED 65X4. TCL has a physical presence in over 80 countries. During January-June 2018, TCL's global LCD TV sales volume reached over 13.17 million, growing 37.2 per cent year-on-year. Investigation into the mysterious disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from the university nearly two years ago, came to an end on Monday as the allowed CBI to file a closure report in the matter. The high court did not agree with the allegation of Ahmed's mother, Fatima Nafees, that CBI wanted to file the closure report due to "political compulsions". A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel also dismissed her allegation that the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was "tardy and slow". The bench said: "This court is, for the reasons discussed hereafter, not persuaded that the CBI is tardy and slow in the investigation or that it has not taken steps that are required to be taken in the matter. "In the present case, this court has in fact monitored the investigation thus far of the CBI and has not been persuaded to agree with the petitioner that the CBI has not acted fairly or that it has been under any influence or political compulsions in its decision to file a closure report." The CBI, which had taken over the probe on May 16 last year, after more than a year of investigation said it had looked into all the aspects of the case and was of the opinion that no offence was committed against the missing student. Ahmed had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the (JNU) here on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some students allegedly affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) the previous night. As the Delhi Police remained clueless about Ahmed's whereabouts even after seven months of his going missing, the probe was handed over to the CBI on May 16 last year. The Delhi Police had not opposed the handing over of the investigation in the case, saying it had done its bit in the matter. Fatima's counsel, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, had during the proceedings contended that under the Minnesota Protocol they were entitled to peruse the status reports filed by the CBI in the matter. Disposing of her habeas corpus petition, the bench said in the present case, at every stage of the hearing, Fatima was aware of the filing of the status reports -- initially by the Delhi Police and later by the CBI. The court said the status reports might also contain details of the case diary of the investigating agency and these are not shared with anyone, be it the suspect or the complainant. "It is to be perused only by the court. There is no requirement of sharing the details in the case diary with the complainant," the court said. The bench further said that once CBI files its closure report, the complainant may file a 'protest petition' opposing it and thereafter, she will be "provided with full excess to the closure report and the materials on which it is based". "Subject to terms with which the complainant (Fatima) would have to comply, the criminal court concerned will provide such access and perhaps also furnish copy of the entire closure report and such of the documents which formed the basis for the recommendation for such closure," it said and added that in this way the requirements of the Minnesota Protocol would be met. The Minnesota Protocoal is the revised United Nations Manual on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions. The bench, in its 34-page judgement, also rejected Fatima's plea for entrusting the investigation to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) whose work would be monitored by the high court, thus removing the CBI from the picture. It said it has monitored the CBI investigation up to the stage where the agency was in a position to file a closure report before the concerned trial court and what should happen after that was for the lower court to decide. "Consequently, the prayer of the petitioner (Fatima) that the court should constitute an SIT and monitor its work, thus removing the CBI from the picture, has to be declined," the bench said and added that it leaves it open to the student's mother to raise all the contentions available to her in accordance with law before the concerned trial court. Asserting that the is "ever-prepared" to meet any contingency, its chief said on Monday that the induction of 36 Rafale jets and S-400 missile systems would enhance the capabilities of the force. Amid instances of air crashes, Air Marshal Dhanoa said aerospace safety is one area where the force needs to maintain a constant vigil as "loss of aircraft in peacetime is not only expensive, but also diminishes the wartime capability". Efforts are being made to minimise accidents due to human error by providing best possible training to the air crew and technicians to meet the challenges of operating current generation fighters, as well as legacy aircraft and weapons systems. "The IAF is ever prepared to meet any contingency that challenges the defence of our country. In the year gone by, IAF has continued to grow from strength to strength and achieved a number of operational milestones," Dhanoa said in his address on Air Force Day here. He said it is the duty of the Air Force personnel to remain combat worthy and maintain combat systems operational for any contingency at a short notice. "Acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft, S-400 missiles systems, Apache attack helicopters and heavy-lift helicopters would further enhance our capabilities," he said. The ongoing induction of state-of-the-art precision weapons is a part of the IAF's larger modernisation programme, he noted. India and Russia last week signed the multi-billion air missile defence system deal. The deal to buy Rafale jets was signed with France in 2016. Dhanoa had last week termed the procurement of the 36 Rafale jets, the deal which is currently mired in controversy, and S-400 missile defence systems as the much needed "booster shots" to the Air Force. Speaking on 'Gaganshakti', the IAF drill that saw a mobilisation of 14,000 officers and 14,000 personnel, Dhanoa said it showcased the operational capability and readiness of the force. During the exercise, more than 11,000 sorties were flown, including approximately 9,000 sorties by fighter aircraft, he said. Elucidating on the role of Air Force in peacetime operations, he said during the Kerala floods this year, 23 aircraft and 25 helicopters of the IAF were pressed into the service. The IAF also provided timely assistance in fighting forest fires in Theni (Tamil Nadu), Katra (Jammu and Kashmir), Pathankot (Punjab), Kasuli (Himachal Pradesh) and even urban fires in Delhi, he noted. "In addition, airlifting relief material to Myanmar and Indonesia, fire fighting on an Indian Merchant Ship and CASEVAC of pilgrims stranded at Kailash Mansarovar and Amarnath Yatra were also carried out," Dhanoa said. The IAF, he said, has been actively supporting the government's initiatives for growth of regional air connectivity under the 'UDAAN' scheme. Forty-five new routes have been cleared through military airspaces while 33 defence airfields have been opened for joint use to accommodate civilian flights, he added. Malaysia is yet to take a call on extraditing controversial preacher to India and the matter could end up being decided by the country's courts, a senior Malaysian minister told External Affairs Minister Monday when she raised the issue during a meeting here. Naik, who left India in July, 2016, is wanted on terror and money laundering charges. In January, the (MEA) made a formal request to Malaysia to deport Naik. Malaysia's Minister of Human Resources M Kula Segaran, who is on an India visit, said Swaraj sought Naik's early extradition during a meeting here. "She was asking for the latest on Zakir Naik, whether he will be deported from Malaysia, I did say that no final decision has been taken by the Malaysian government," he told PTI. He also told Swaraj that the Malaysian government could also leave it to the courts to decide. Asked how the extradition request could progress according to Malaysia's laws, he said, "If the government decides to deport him, that is end of the matter for us, but can still challenge (it). If the government decides not to deport, we can refer it to the court and ask the court to decide the matter." Malaysia will ensure necessary "justice and fairplay" in the matter, he asserted. Asked if that means the court could end up deciding on his deportation, the Malaysian minister answered in the affirmative. He added that first the cabinet led by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will decide. Naik, who is in Malaysia, in a statement published in Malaysian newspapers in July, had thanked Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for examining his case from an "unbiased perspective". Mahathir, who had met the radical Indian cleric in July, had said that Malaysia will not deport Naik to India as long as he does not create problems in the country. The previous Malaysian government had granted Naik permanent resident status. India's Investigation Agency (NIA), that probes terror cases, had last year filed a charge sheet in a court against Naik for allegedly inciting youth to take up terror activities, giving hate speeches and promoting enmity between communities. It had first registered a case against Naik under anti-terror laws in 2016. Naik is also under investigation for issuing hate speeches that reportedly inspired a deadly terror attack on a popular cafe in Dhaka in 2016. Naik's Mumbai-based non-government organisation, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), has been declared an unlawful association by the Union Home Ministry. In a tweet, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Kula Segaran and Swaraj discussed ways to enhance capacity building and fostering people-to-people contacts. Executive Director Henrietta Fore has praised Prime Minister for investing the "political time and efforts" in issues like health and sanitation. She said people start looking around at other things that need improvement when they begin to feel that their community is doing better. "If you invest a dollar in sanitation solutions, the benefit will be four dollars in terms of health cost prevention, the (reduction in) number of visits you go to a doctor and in the medicines that you don't have to buy," Fore told PTI in an interview here. She was in the city to attend an event organised jointly by the ( Children's Fund) and the Stock Exchange (NSE) Friday. "The prime minister invested political time and effort and what it meant was people began picking up that story. They want to do it for Mahatma Gandhi, for their country and they felt pride in it," she said in an apparent reference to "Swacch Bharat" Mission. The flagship cleanliness drive, launched by the prime minister in 2014, aims to clean up the streets, roads and infrastructure of India's cities, towns, and rural areas. Modi had said the sanitation coverage in the country has increased from 38 per cent to nearly 80 per cent and asserted that the ' Mission' is playing a central role in creating a healthy India. Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron were recently awarded the UN's "Champions of the Earth" award for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of cooperation on environmental action. Fore said, "It (contribution to sanitation) doesn't have an economic return but when you begin to feel that your community is doing better, it makes you look around at the other things that need improvement". "It makes one think that does he have clean water and the solutions for open defecation for all animals in their village, is there a community healthcare clinic, is there enough nutrition for children; not just latrines, what about lighted pathways for all of the girls going to schools. It makes you improve your world," said the executive director. When asked about Unicef's view on the child mortality rate (CMR) in India during the past decade, Fore said it has shown improvement. "Since 1990s, when the numbers first began, there was a significant reduction in child mortality. Sanitation, clean India should bring numbers down further. What we don't know yet is how much further they should bring them down. But it's an exciting journey for India and we really are on the right path," she said. Fore feels that health is one of the challenges an emerging country like India could face in its journey towards a clean nation. "Clean water brings health benefits in a way that many other strategies cannot," she said. Fore said learning new skills is another challenge for a developing nation because many new industries are expected to flourish. "(Another challenge is to) How to get more women in labour force... The number of women in formal labour force is going down. If only a third of total women in India are in formal employment, it is not high enough to get all of ideas and energy of India," she said. The executive director acknowledged malnutrition as another challenge. "This is because if a young child does not get proper nutrition before the age of three and first thousand days, it could affect the development of her brain as well as body. It means they cannot be productive, it means the economy will not be doing so well," she said, adding employment gets affected ultimately because malnutrition denies children an opportunity. She further said public policy makes a difference in a developing economy. "So if you begin to look at all these areas a country can look at, India says it wants to skill it youth and (wants to) have a digital future. That vision for future India is what and generation unlimited is focused on," she said. Fore said if India gets it right for the age group of 10 and 24, it would mean that the country fares well in the decades to come. "If this young population is not caught between those ages, then it is next to impossible for a country to do well. India's outreach for these young people will be the tipping point for the developing country," she said. When asked if the Unicef sees the flagship programmes of the prime minister sustaining in future, Fore said, "People want areas like nutrition, health, education, sanitation, water protection etc. irrespective of political climate or which party is in power. "So it's up to every community, every household to put a value in it. I believe in terms of sanitation that where there is a room there is a toilet (and) most families would want to keep that. The challenge is to maintain and professionalise it so that people learn to maintain and service it," she said. "It's going to be on each one of us to keep those programmes going that we think benefit the health, education and nutrition in our communities," she said. Children's Fund (Unicef) is a agency headquartered in New York city that provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries. It is a member of the United Nations Development Group. India hopes to secure a waiver from US sanctions on Iran before they take effect on Nov. 4, as it had significantly cut Iranian oil imports before the deadline, officials said on Monday. The United States is imposing new sanctions on Iran's oil industry after Washington withdrew from a nuclear deal between Tehran and other global powers. Washington said on Friday it was considering waivers for nations that were reducing imports of Iranian oil. The announcement, the first indication Washington was considering such waivers, followed a Reuters report that India planned to ... Oil Minister Monday said two state refiners have placed orders for importing from Iran in November, the month when US sanctions on Iranian oil purchases take effect. "Two of our oil companies have made nominations to purchase Iranian oil in November," he said speaking at The Energy Forum here. "We do not know if we will get waiver (from US sanctions) or not." This is the first time Pradhan has spoken about India's stand on buying Iranian oil once the US sanctions on Iran come into force from November 4. Later, talking to reporters, he said India has its own energy requirements which it has to fulfill. "We will be guided by our national interest," he said. (IOC) Chairman Sanjiv Singh said his company is among the two which have placed order for November. "We have ordered for our usual quantity of oil," he said. IOC and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) together have placed order for 1.25 million tonne (MT) of from Iran. Singh said options for paying for Iranian oil are under discussions. US sanctions against Iran will kick in from November 4, which will block payment routes. Paying in rupee is an option. Iran can use the rupee to settle its imports of pharmaceuticals and other goods from India. "Even without sanctions also, Iran had been accepting payments in rupee. So let us see how it evolves," he said. While India wants to continue importing Iranian oil, albeit a reduced volume, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month stated that Washington would consider waivers on the embargo but made it clear that these would be time-limited, if granted. Singh said IOC is importing the "usual" monthly volumes of oil from Iran. It had planned to import 9 MT of Iranian oil in 2018-19 financial year or 0.75 MT a month. For rupee payments, oil companies could use UCO Bank or IDBI Bank to route oil payments to Iran, sources said. India had planned to import about 25 MT of from Iran in 2018-19, up from 22.6 MT imported in 2017-18. But the actual volumes imported may be far less as companies like Reliance Industries have totally stopped buying oil from Iran and others too are scaling it down in hope of winning a sanction waiver from the US. Nayara Energy, formerly Essar Oil, too is stopping import from the Persian Gulf nation. US President Donald Trump in May withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, re-imposing economic sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation. Some sanctions took effect from August 6 while those affecting the oil and banking sectors will start from November 4. Sources said Iran is open to accepting rupee payment for oil and may use the money to pay for equipment and food items it buys from India. UCO Bank and IDBI Bank have been identified to route the payment as the two have no exposure to the US financial system. UCO Bank had in the previous round of sanctions handled rupee payments. Currently, India pays its third largest oil supplier in euros using European banking channels. These channels would get blocked from November. During the first round of sanctions when EU joined the US in imposing financial restrictions, India initially used a Turkish bank to pay Iran for the oil it bought but beginning February 2013 paid nearly half of the oil import bill in rupees while keeping the remainder pending till opening of payment routes. It began clearing the dues in 2015 when the restrictions were eased. Besides, New Delhi sought to get around the restrictions by supplying goods including wheat, soybean meal and consumer products to Iran in exchange for oil. Sources said this time around the entire 100 per cent of Iranian oil import bill can be paid in rupees. Iran is India's third-largest oil supplier behind Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It was India's second biggest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11 but Western sanctions over its suspected nuclear programme relegated it to the seventh spot in the subsequent years. In 2013-14 and 2014-15, India bought 11 MT and 10.95 MT respectively from it. Sourcing from Iran increased to 12.7 MT in 2015-16, giving it the sixth spot. In the following year, the Iranian supplies jumped to 27.2 MT to catapult it to the third spot. Iranian oil is a lucrative buy for refiners as the Persian Gulf nation provides 60 days of credit for purchases, terms not available from suppliers of substitute crudes -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Nigeria, and the US. Besides blocking of banking channels from November, the absence of payment mechanism may pose a challenge to the transportation of the oil as Iranian crude is bought on a CIF basis and shipped on Iranian tankers. Under Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) mode of shipping, the seller assumes the responsibility of transportation and insurance. The liability and costs associated with successful transit are paid by the seller until the goods are received by the buyer. An hour after the Congress-led Opposition on Monday announced a state-wide protest seeking Kerala Excise Minister TP Ramakrishnan's resignation over the sanctions given to liquor businesses, Chief Minister said the licenses have been cancelled. "While we are seriously involved in the rebuilding of our state, the Opposition has been crying foul over a non-issue," Vijayan told the media after being targeted by Leader of Opposition for the past two weeks. The leader has been criticising the state government's sanctioning of three breweries in Kannur, Palakkad and Ernakulam and a distillery in Thrissur -- the first ever since 1999. Chennithala said no rules were followed while issuing the licences to four companies. However, Vijayan said: "We gave the sanction only after completing all procedures. The Opposition is raising a needless controversy. So, it has been decided to cancel the licenses given." He also made it clear that "it does not mean, no licenses will be issued in future. We will go ahead with the policy". After the cancellation, Chennithala said that this has been one of the biggest corruption cases that the Vijayan government has been in and only after it was caught red-handed that the licences were cancelled. "All of us saw Vijayan, last week, defending this issue. Then when more documents against the corruption surfaced, he cancelled it today." "He knows he will be in a soup if it is not cancelled." "Had we not taken this up, they would have gone ahead and even sanctioned micro breweries similar to ones in Bengaluru. This cancellation will not stop us. We will not rest till Ramakrishnan quits," said Chennithala. Two Indian companies have placed orders to buy Iranian oil in November, oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday, adding that India did not yet know if it would be granted a waiver from US sanctions on Iran. India, the world's third-biggest oil importer, will buy 9 million barrels of Iranian oil in November, Reuters reported on Friday, citing two industry sources. India was discussing its options to buy Iranian oil with all authorities, Pradhan said. US sanctions on Iranian oil purchases are due to take effect on Nov 4. Acknowledging that higher retail fuel prices ... In what could be a big relief to students seeking inspection of their answer-sheets through RTI, the Delhi High Court has ordered the Delhi University to allow the inspection of answer-sheet to a former student under RTI by refusing to stay the CIC order against which the varsity had approached the court. The high court in an order issued on September 24 refused to grant the stay asked for by the university against a Central Information Commission (CIC) order, according to which it was to allow the inspection of the answer-sheet to a student who had sought it under an RTI ... China on Monday reacted guardedly to Saudi Arabia's plan to invest in Pakistan, saying it is a "positive factor" if any other party would like to contribute to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation. After the recent visit of Pakistan Prime Minister to Saudi Arabia, it was announced that Riyadh will be the third "strategic partner" of the $50-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The is the flagship project of the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of President Xi Jinping aimed at enhancing China's influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects. However, Islamabad later clarified that the Saudi Arabian investments will not be under the CPEC, which will remain a bilateral project between China and Pakistan. Asked about China's reaction to Saudi Arabia's investments in Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing that "the is an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)". He said BRI projects followed wide consultations and shared benefits. "So such cooperation has always been open and transparent. If any other party would like to contribute positive factors to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation, I think this is a positive factor," Lu said. India has opposed the project and protested to China as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The invitation to Saudi Arabia to take part in the CPEC sparked concerns that it might upset Iran, a strategic rival of Riyadh. An article in Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said Pakistan is risking China's anger by courting Saudi Arabia. "Pakistan's decision to invite Saudi Arabia to develop a massive refinery complex at Gwadar (port) certainly suggests that the CPEC is being manipulated to serve ends other than China's," the article said. The Balochistan province, where Gwadar is located, borders Iran. "Riyadh must be salivating at the prospect of setting up a strategic oil reserve 120 km from Pakistan's border with Iran. Tehran, on the other hand, would be foaming at the mouth at this brazen attempt to undermine its flailing economy," the article said. On Sunday, Khan said Pakistan is reviewing the projects under the CPEC to safeguard the interest of the people in Balochistan province. Khan in the past had criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the lack of transparency and corruption in the CPEC projects. He said that Balochistan had a number of reservations about the mega project. "Balochistan will get its due share, whatever it may be, in the CPEC," he was quoted as saying by Dawn news. China had announced after the visit of Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Pakistan in September that the CPEC projects will be extended to western areas of Pakistan, which included Balochistan. US Secretary of State faced a testy exchange with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Monday, days after a blistering US denunciation of the Asian power's global and domestic policies. Pompeo and Foreign Minister Wang Yi highlighted the schism after the chief US diplomat arrived in Beijing on the final leg of an Asian trip focused on North Korea's nuclear issue. Meeting at the Diaoyutai Guest House, Wang told Pompeo that the United States has "stepped up rhetoric over trade tensions" after a raft of tit-for-tat tariffs on billions of dollars in US and Chinese goods. He also accused the United States of making "a series of moves" on Taiwan -- a self-ruling democratic island that Beijing considers a rebel province -- and "other issues" that hurt Chinese sovereignty. "These actions have affected the mutual trust between both sides, and has cast a shadow over the prospect of China-US relations, which completely go against the interest of our two peoples," Wang said. "We require that the US stop such misguided actions," he said, adding that the two countries should pursue cooperation "and not descend into conflict and confrontation." Wang and Pompeo met after US Vice-President Mike Pence delivered a searing speech on Thursday accusing China of military aggression, commercial theft and rising human rights violations as he cast the Communist regime as a villain bent on interfering in upcoming US elections. The United States has also angered China with arms sales to Taiwan and new rules allowing top-level US officials to travel to the island, though Washington still recognises Beijing over Taipei. Responding to Wang's remarks, Pompeo said he wanted to come to Beijing to "have discussions". "The issues that you characterised, we have fundamental disagreements," Pompeo told Wang. "We have great concerns over the actions that China has taken and I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss each of those today because this is an incredibly important relationship." Pompeo also invoked the cancellation of a meeting between US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart, which was supposed to take place this month in Beijing. "I regret that the strategic dialogue between our two countries is something you all chose not to undertake," he said. But Wang retorted: "The strategic dialogue was not called off by the Chinese. I am stating a fact." The two diplomats had warmer words regarding efforts to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions. China has backed United Nations sanctions on its Cold War-era ally, though it recently called for them to be eased. Wang said the North Korean issue shows that Beijing and Washington "can and should increase communication and cooperation". Pompeo said he expected to have "good, candid, frank conversations" with Wang about his meeting Sunday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. But unlike his last visit to Beijing in June, Pompeo did not have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He met with senior Communist Party foreign affairs official Yang Jiechi, who recalled that Beijing has lodged official protests with the United States to express its "dissatisfaction" over a series of US actions. "China and US relations are at an important juncture and facing challenges," Yang said. "We hope the US and China will be on the same page." Pompeo replied that it was "important that we listen to each other, work through and find constructive solutions so we can find a good outcome for both our countries." He later headed to the airport to return to Washington. US Secretary of State said Monday that he and North Korean leader made "significant progress" toward an agreement for the North to give up its nuclear weapons. While significant work remains to be done, he said he expected further results after an as-yet unscheduled second summit between Kim and President "It's a long process," Pompeo told a small group of reporters in the South Korean capital of where he travelled after meeting with Kim in Pyongyang on Sunday. "We made significant progress. We'll continue to make significant progress and we are further along in making that progress than any administration in an awfully long time." He would not be specific but said he and Kim had agreed to shortly begin working-level talks on the nuts and bolts of denuclearisation, on the placement of inspectors at one of North Korea's main nuclear facilities, and had come close to finalising a date and venue for the next Trump, tweeting from Washington shortly after Pompeo left North Korea, cited progress Pompeo had made on agreements he and Kim came to at their June meeting in Singapore and said, "I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future.' Pompeo said he and Kim had gotten "pretty close" to fixing the logistics for the summit but stressed that "sometimes that last inch is hard to close.""Most importantly, both the leaders believe there is real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit and so we are going to get it at a time that works for each of the two leaders and at a place that works for both of them," he said. "We are not quite there yet. But we will get there." North Korea's state-run news agency KCNA, meanwhile, said Monday that Kim had "expressed his will and conviction that a great progress would surely be made in solving the issues of utmost concern of the world and in attaining the goal set forth at the last talks with the projected second DPRK-US summit talks as an occasion." DPRK is the acronym for the country's official name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In an early Monday dispatch, KCNA called the talks "productive and wonderful" and said that "mutual stands were fully understood and opinions exchanged." In Seoul, before leaving for talks with Chinese officials in Beijing, Pompeo said Kim is expected soon to name deputy foreign minister Choe Son Hui as a counterpart for his new special envoy for North Korea, former Ford executive Stephen Biegun, who accompanied him on the trip. He and Biegun both said they expected meetings at the working level to begin soon and become quite frequent before the next summit. "We are starting to see a first wave of actions we can take on all four pillars of the Singapore communique," said Biegun, who will serve as Pompeo's pointman in negotiations with the North as well as work with South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and other countries that have an interest in the talks. In Pyongyang on Sunday, Pompeo and Kim met for about 3 1/2 hours, first in a business session and then in a 90-minute luncheon that the North Korean leader hosted at a state guesthouse, according to the pool report from the lone US journalist allowed to accompany Pompeo on his Asia trip. "It's a very nice day that promises a good future for both countries," Kim told Pompeo through an interpreter as they sat down for the meal. "Yeah, so we had a great, great visit this morning," Pompeo replied. Before visiting Pyongyang, Pompeo held talks in Tokyo with Japan's prime minister, and pledged that the Trump administration would coordinate and unify its strategy for denuclearisation with its allies. Japan has been wary of the initiative, but South Korea has embraced it. Pompeo has repeatedly refused to discuss details of negotiations, including a US position on North Korea's demand for a declared end to the Korean War and a proposal from for such a declaration to be accompanied by a shutdown of the North's main known nuclear facility. The US 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 and South Korea has suggested it may not be a necessary next step. Pompeo, however, played down the differences. "I've never been involved in an discussion where there weren't differences of view, not only between governments but inside of governments," he said. "But if you look at the approach, we are in lockstep with each of those two countries in terms of how we approach achieving the results that everyone is aimed at. And so there'll be tactical places where we'll have debates and disagreements, that is a necessary component of getting to the best deliverable." "But with respect to our relationship with the Republic of Korea and Japan on this issue, I have found that we are in lockstep on the most important issues and how to approach them," Pompeo said. Since the denuclearisation effort got underway with a secret visit to the North by then-CIA chief Pompeo in April, there has been only limited progress, even since the June 12 Trump-Kim summit that many had hoped would jump-start the effort. 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. Jack Poulson, a Google research scientist, recently became alarmed by reports that the company was developing a search engine for China that would censor content on behalf of the government. While Dr. Poulson works on search technologies, he had no knowledge of the product, which was code-named Dragonfly. So in a meeting last month with Jeff Dean, the companys head of artificial intelligence, Dr. Poulson asked if Google planned to move ahead with the product and if his work would contribute to censorship and surveillance in China. According to Dr. Poulson, Mr. Dean said that Google ... Indian aluminium makers including Hindalco Industries and Vedanta Ltd are boosting sales to Japan as US sanctions against Russia's Rusal and import tariffs shake up traditional supply routes. India's product has generally not been regarded as high enough quality by Japan's demanding buyers, who have preferred top-tier producers like Rio Tinto, Alcoa and South32 as well as United Company Rusal. However, imports of aluminium ingot from India doubled in the first eight months of 2018 from a year ago, Japanese trade data shows, while imports of alloy - which include ... Brazilian right-wing Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro won the first round of the country's presidential election, following one of the most polarising campaigns witnessed since the nation returned to democracy three decades back. As per tweets from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Bolsonaro won Sunday's poll with 46.5 per cent of the vote, ahead of left-wing ex-Sao Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad on 28.5 per cent. According to CNN, Bolsonaro's lead, in a field of 13 candidates, left him just short of the 50 per cent mark to win outright. A win in the second round for 63-year-old Bolsonaro would indicate a historic shift to the right in Brazil. The second round of polling will be held on October 28 if the 50-per cent threshold is not met by any of the candidates. Bolsonaro, the former army captain, had stirred controversy by making misogynistic and homophobic remarks and is often compared to US President Donald Trump and the Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte. The campaign made headlines last month when Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen during his campaign event in the state of Minas Gerais. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday hit out at the Centre over the timings of the Karnataka by-polls. Kharge stressed that the dates of elections would delay the rehabilitation work in the flood-affected areas in the state. "Now that the election dates are announced, the rehabilitation work will be delayed because of the Model Code of Conduct. There are many areas in the state that are still affected by the floods, while some are affected by the droughts. No work can be done because of the rules," Kharge said. Kharge also alleged that the Karnataka government led by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy was not even consulted before the announcement of the dates for elections. "Assembly elections are important, but announcing the dates without taking the state government into notice is not right. They could have stopped it but they have done this earlier, too. Whenever they want, they postpone or pre-pone election. It wasn't needed at all. However, we will fight the elections and not run away by giving excuses," Kharge added. On Saturday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had announced that by-polls in three Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka will be held on November 3. The by-polls will be held for Shimoga, Billari and Mandya seats for which counting will be held on November 6. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China has accused former chief of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Meng Hongwei, who has been detained in the country, of accepting bribes. The allegations came after an urgent midnight Communist Party committee meeting was convened, wherein Chinese officials expressed "unanimous support" for the probe against Meng and pledged "absolute political loyalty" to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the party's top brass, South China Morning Post reported. As per a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Security, a task force will be constituted to question Meng's associates. It further noted that Meng's insistence on "doing things in his own way means he has only himself to blame for being placed under investigation". The Ministry also stated that there was no scope for any "negotiation or bargaining with the party." The Interpol on Sunday received the resignation of Hongwei, who was missing since over a week. A statement from Interpol confirmed that as per the agency's constitution and internal regulations, the Senior Vice-President of Interpol's Executive Committee, Kim Jong Yang of South Korea, becomes the acting president. The General Assembly Session, to be held in Dubai from November 18 to 21 will elect a new president for the remaining two years of the president's term. Meng was elected as the Interpol Chief in November 2016, becoming the first Chinese official to hold the position. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A case was registered on Sunday following a complaint alleging that nearly 100 stray dogs were poised in Ghatkesar town of Hyderabad metropolitan area. The complaint was filed by an activist, informed Circle Inspector of Ghatkesar police station. "We have received a complaint from an Animal Activist stating about 100 street dogs have been poisoned near Infosys by local community persons. We have been to the spot but have not found any dog dead bodies. We are investigating the matter. If anyone is found guilty we will charge them under the appropriate offense," the official said. A case in this regard has been registered under the Animal Cruelty Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said that the Indian Government's mechanism to connect with overseas Indian community has been majorly changed in recent years, adding that India's emotional, cultural, economic and institutional relations with its diaspora have become stronger. Addressing the "Friends of India in Tajikistan" event, hosted by Somnath Ghosh, India's Ambassador to Tajikistan, here, President Kovind assured members of the Indian community that India will continue to give its cooperation to Tajikistan in capacity building and development. The President further instructed missions to promptly respond to diaspora members in need of assistance. He also appreciated the work of Tajikistan's Indologists and recalled that the Padma Shri, India's highest civilian award, had been conferred to famous Indologist, Professor Habibullo Rajabov, this year for his contribution in education and literature. The President landed at the Dushanbe International Airport in Tajikistan on Sunday afternoon, where along with First Lady Savita Kovind, he was received by Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan, Zokirzoda Mahmadtoir and First Deputy Foreign Minister, Nizomiddin Zohidi amongst other dignitaries. As part of his three-day visit to the country, President Kovind is scheduled to meet his Tajik counterpart Emamoli Rahmon. He will also be visiting the Tajik National University to deliver an address on 'Countering Radicalisation: Challenges in Modern Societies'. Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Subhash Bhamre and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Shamsher Singh Manhas are also part of the President's delegation on his first official visit to the Central Asian country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indonesia's military and disaster agency officials confirmed that the death toll in the earthquake and tsunami that struck Central Sulawesi has mounted to 1,944 on Sunday. "The officials said that the search and rescue operation is expected to be completed on Thursday," reported Xinhua. Meanwhile, Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency informed that the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami have started to return to their homes. The number of displaced people has come down to 62,359 in 147 locations across Central Sulawesi. According to the Jakarta Post, Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho at a press conference on Sunday said, "[The survivors] cannot stay for very long in the displaced persons camps because [the children] must return to school soon, adding that emergency schools may be set up using tents." Nugroho informed that over 2,500 schools in Palu, Donggala and Sigi have been damaged after the disasters hit the central province on September 28. The BNPB spokesman stated that over 8,000 evacuees had left Palu through both air and sea transportation to Makassar, South Sulawesi; Balikpapan, East Kalimantan; Jakarta; and Manado, North Sulawesi, and some evacuees had left Palu independently using their own vehicles. Sulawesi, an island in Indonesia, was struck by two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.7 and 6.1 on the Richter scale, and a tsunami on September 28 causing multitudinous loss of human lives and widespread displacement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajouri witnessed highest voter turnout of 55 per cent in 59 wards till 11 am in the first phase of municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. Poonch was in the second position with 47 per cent voter turnout till 11 am, while Jammu, Kargil and Leh recorded 34, 33 and 26 per cent respectively. Anantnag witnessed just a 5 per cent turnout in four wards. Bandipora recorded an abysmal 2 per cent turnout in 16 wards followed by Budgam and Baramulla with 3 per cent voter turnout each. While Budgam has one polling station and one ward going to polls today, Baramulla has 35 polling stations and 15 wards. "Proper security arrangements were made yesterday. The polling is going on smoothly. Mock poll has been conducted at all 584 polling stations. There were defaults in EVMs at four places. Those EVMs were immediately replaced. Voter turnout has been good so far and we expect it will keep getting better as the day progresses. Polling will be conducted till 4 pm," Jammu District Election Officer Ramesh Kumar told ANI. "There are 584 polling stations in total -- 504 for Jammu municipal corporation and other 79 are for municipal committees," he added. Amid terror threats and boycott calls by separatist groups and the two main regional parties, the Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polling for the first phase of municipal elections in 422 of the 1,145 wards began on Monday morning. Unprecedented security arrangements were put in place by the state authorities and the Election Commission to ensure peaceful polls. Also, all candidates have been provided with either cluster security in hotels or individually in the Valley. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 1,283 candidates are contesting in the 422 municipal wards today. This time, a large number of independent candidates are also in the fray. This municipal election is also witnessing two significant firsts. In a major development, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are being used for the first time in accordance with the rules that have been amended in 2016. In another first, the ECI is providing voting facilities to Kashmiri migrants by means of postal ballots. Since the migrants continue to be enrolled in their respective assembly constituencies from which the municipal committees or panchayats would derive the rolls, facilities will be provided for them to vote. The polling, which began at 7 am, will conclude at 4 pm today, and counting of votes will be done on October 20. In the wake of the polls, mobile internet services have been suspended in South Kashmir, while mobile internet speed has been reduced to 2G in other parts of the Valley. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Uttar Pradesh Anti Terror Squad (ATS) on Monday arrested a person from Nagpur for allegedly spying for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and passing details of the BrahMos missile. The ATS said that the accused, Nishant Agarwal, who was working with the Brahmos missile unit in Nagpur as an engineer, allegedly used to chat with Pakistan-based IDs on social media. "We arrested Nishant from his residence in Nagpur. He was also working as an engineer on a defence project. We also found evidence of him chatting on Facebook with Pakistan-based IDs. He was arrested after we gathered conclusive evidence," Aseem Arun, Inspector General of ATS, Uttar Pradesh told reporters. Agarwal will be presented before the district and sessions court in Nagpur tomorrow and then be brought to Lucknow, Arun informed. "We are also trying to ascertain on whether he received any money for passing the information and we will continue the investigation to find the answers. We also raided his family home in Roorkee and got hold of an old laptop that he used," he added. His personal computer was also seized during a raid at his local residence in Nagpur. The BrahMos missile, considered to be the fastest cruise missile in the world, is a medium-range supersonic missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land. It is also a joint venture between DRDO of India and NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM) of Russia. On September 20, Agarwal was awarded with the "Young Scientist Award" by the Indian Science Academy (INSA). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its order on a petition filed by senior Congress leader, Kamal Nath seeking proper verification of Voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT), voter list and others in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. A two judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and also comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan reserved the order. "We are reserving the order," the bench of the top court said. During the course of hearing, Kapil Sibal, senior lawyer appearing for Kamal Nath, told the apex court that the voter list of Madhya Pradesh should be given in the text format. "The voter list is in the PDF format, and it is very difficult to verify a voter in this format," he added. Sibal also submitted to the apex court that there are five crore voters in the state of Madhya Pradesh, adding, "it is very difficult to identify a genuine voter". He also told the apex court that there are approximately 68 lakh fake voters in the state. The advocate for the Election Commission of India (ECI), Vikas Singh submitted to the top court and admitted that there were earlier certain irregularities in the voter list, which was rectified later. "We have also deleted more than a lakh forged voters from the state voter list," he added. The ECI had on October 04, submitted to the Supreme Court that Kamal Nath's petition regarding discrepancies in the voter list in Madhya Pradesh was based on false evidence. Vikas Singh, had told the apex court that the list available on their website was tweaked which was presented before the court. On August 10, Kamal Nath filed the petition in the apex court seeking a direction to the ECI for transparency in the Madhya Pradesh polls. The petition also sought the apex court's intervention demanding a direction to the ECI regarding compulsory cross-verification of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) vote count with the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in the Madhya Pradesh polls. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday praised woman self-help groups (SHGs) of the state for timely repaying their bank loans. While addressing the Samaj Sudhar Vahinee Sammelan Program, Bihar chief minister said unlike big shots, who flee the country after defaulting on dues, these women are honestly repaying their loan. "Many high-profile people take millions and billions of loan money and flee from the country. But these women who are running Self-Help Groups (SHGs) make timely repayment of loans they take from banks. This isn't a small thing. The income of their family has increased," Nitish said. Over 8 lakh self-help groups have been formed in Bihar for helping poor women. Nitish said his government was relentlessly working to constitute at least 10 lakh SHGs to empower maximum number of poor rural women with the government-funded livelihood programme "Since the time I got first opportunity to work in Government in November 2005, we have been working for the upliftment of women. One of the first decisions that I as Bihar chief minister took was to provide reservations for women in Panchayat elections and thereafter in civic bodies. Bihar was the first state which gave 50% reservation to women in these polls. We believe that women who constitute half population must also get similar right to become public representatives." The chief minister also credited women for the success of alcohol ban in the state. Kumar said, "In July 2015, I was participating in a conference on women empowerment. Three women came to me and demanded that there should be a complete ban on alcohol. I assured that next time when I come, there would be a complete ban on alcohol and we got it done." "Children were asked to get a written statement from their parents that they would not drink alcohol. One crore 19 Lakh people gave a signed statement that they won't drink alcohol and won't let others have it as well. Many women told us that their family life improved a lot after their husband's got rid of alcohol addiction," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday urged people of Gujarat to stop attacking the non-Gujarati people, especially from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Bihar Chief Minister's statement comes after Non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were attacked in Gujarat following the arrest of a man from Bihar for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district last week. Talking about the backlash, Nitish Kumar told ANI, "I spoke to Gujarat Chief Minister (Vijay Rupani) and their Chief Secretary (J. N. Singh) yesterday. All people are in the loop. They are keeping an eye on whatever is happening in Gujarat." Kumar added, "The person, who committed the crime, should be punished, there should be strong actions taken against him. But, people should not have such notions about others. The Gujarat government is cautious and aware about all this. I would like to appeal to all the people to not have similar impressions for others on such matters." As many as 42 cases have been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 342 people have been arrested across Gujarat for allegedly attacking the migrants from other states, Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) said on Sunday. According to reports, many workers belonging to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and other states were also forced to board home-bound trains. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Speaking on the issue of the alleged attacks on people hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that he was informed by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani that no such incident has taken place in three past three days and that people are spreading rumours in this regard . He told ANI, "Gujarat Chief Minister has clearly told me that no such incident has taken place in last three days. People who are envious of development in Gujarat are spreading such rumours. Effective steps have been taken by the Gujarat government." Non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were allegedly attacked recently after a native of Bihar was arrested for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district recently. Meanwhile, Rupani appealed to people to maintain peace in the state and said, "The situation is under control in Gujarat. I appeal to people to maintain peace and brotherhood. The culprit of the rape case was arrested within 24 hours. We will ensure severe punishment for the culprit." Speaking on the matter, Deputy Superintendent of Police of Vadodara, Haresh Mewada said, "Labourers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar working in Param Industries and one another company were attacked after a message got viral, which said 'because of migrant workers, state people do not get work. So, make them move out of the state'", He further said that 13 people have been arrested in this regard. "On the basis of an FIR filed by the injured, a case has been registered. Four juvenile accused has been detained while 13 accused have been arrested. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Residents of Pura village of the district on Sunday staged a protest and threatened to boycott all upcoming elections demanding construction of roads in the village. The protestors took to the streets with placards reading 'No Road No Vote'. They even put up a banner saying, no politicians will be allowed to enter the village until their demands are met. Village head, Sunil Pandey, said, "There is no real road in our village and the path has turned into a big pothole. The people of this village have to face great inconvenience due to the pathetic state of the roads. I have personally met many public representatives including MP and MLA but nothing has happened so far. Now the whole village has decided that we won't vote until we get a road. We will completely boycott elections." Further crying foul over low funds allocated to him, he added, "I only get 15 lakh as fund and within that, I have to take care of small development work in three villages, the construction of this road requires much more fund." Expressing anguish over the state of affairs, a lady resident said, "A lot of governments came and gone but the problem of our road has not been solved. We have now decided that we will not vote until the road is are constructed." Another senior resident of the village, said, "It has become very hard to commute on this road. We fear that we might get injured. It has been more than two and a half decades since this road was last constructed. I am 75 years old and I have seen this road being constructed only once. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here and reiterated the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK) earlier demand to accord Bharat Ratna to former chief ministers of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa and C. N. Annadurai. "During the meeting with the Prime Minister today we reiterated our earlier demand to accord Bharat Ratna for 'Amma' (Jayalalithaa) and Aringar Anna (Annadurai). We also demanded to change the name of Chennai Central Railway Station as Dr MGR Central Railway Station," Palaniswami told media after his meeting with Prime Minister Modi. "We have also reiterated to expedite efforts in establishing of AIIMS Hospital in Thoppur in the Madurai district. The issue of fishermen going missing is a perennial problem of the state, therefore, we have requested Prime Minister to establish a permanent naval base in Kanyakumari, equipped with helicopters, which could help in locating missing fishermen," he added. The Chief Minister also requested Prime Minister Modi to "allocate the pending local body funds immediately to undertake welfare schemes." "We need to have finances to execute various developmental schemes. Recently, we implemented the 7th Pay Commission. There is a huge amount of wage to be paid to the transport department workers. So, after keeping all these things in mind, we will decide upon the issue," he added. On reduction of taxes on fuel, Palaniswami said a decision will be taken keeping the financial requirements of the state in mind. He also said that any decision regarding pre-poll alliance will be taken after the announcement of poll dates. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The saint who is on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the construction of Ram Temple here, was detained by the police on Sunday late night. Swami Paramhans Das, Mahant of Ayodhya's Tapaswi Chhawni has been fasting for the last seven days. The police have reportedly taken him to a hospital. The incident occurred hours after Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Satish Mahana met the Mahant. After the meeting the saint, minister Mahana said, "I humbly requested Mahant Paramhans to break his fast. I have come here as an emissary of the chief minister. If he wishes to meet the chief minister I will discuss it with him and will try to facilitate it tomorrow if required." Sharing details of this meeting with the UP minister, Mahant Paramhans told ANI, "Minister Satish Mahana requested me to break the hunger strike. He told me that he will arrange a video-conferencing with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. I want to request Prime Minister Modi to facilitate construction of Ram Temple through the same route which was taken for construction of Somnath temple." On October 6, a delegation of saints associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) met President Ram Nath Kovind demanding immediate construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Not making a profit since 1975! ...And since 2007, one of the Best Left-Wing Book & Culture Review Sites on the Net. Bollywood veteran Rishi Kapoor who recently headed off to the United States to seek medical treatment, was seen catching up with 'old friend', actor Anupam Kher here. Taking to social media, Kapoor shared a slow-motion video in which the 'Prem Granth' co-stars can be seen talking as they take a stroll on the busy streets of Manhattan, New York. "New York, Manhattan. "Kher-free" or is it "Care-free" on Madison Avenue with colleague and old friend Anupam Kher this afternoon!" read his caption. In a cryptic tweet last month, Kapoor wrote he was travelling to the US for a medical treatment. Before his well-wishers could jump onto conclusions, the 'Mulk' actor asked them not to speculate his leave of absence. He wrote, "Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. It's been 45 years "plus" of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon!" On the work front, Kher will next be seen as Dr. Manmohan Singh in 'The Accidental Prime Minister' which is based on the 2014 memoir of the same name, written by Manmohan Singh's media adviser Sanjay Baru. Directed by debutant Vijay Gutte and written by Hansal Mehta, the flick is set to hit the theatres on December 21. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The two-day voting in Romania to declare same-sex marriage as unconstitutional collapsed as it failed to meet the minimum 30 per cent voter turnout. According to figures from Romania's national election bureau, only 20.4 per cent Romanians turned up for the voting, Al Jazeera reported. The Romanian Orthodox Church and conservative organizations, which had called for the referendum, issued a statement, indirectly accepting defeat. They blamed political parties for their "general boycott" of the referendum for the low turnout. Romanian Prime Minister, Viorica Dancila said, "I voted for the values in which I believe. It is our civic duty to express our views." Currently, marriage is gender neutral in the Balkan country and is defined as a union between two "spouses." However, conservative groups wanted to amend its definition to a union between a man and a woman. Same-sex marriage in Romania was decriminalised in 2001. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking regulation of non-religious being imparted in Madarsas, Maktabahs and Gurukuls across the country. A bench, comprising of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta, declined to entertain the plea but allowed the petitioners to approach respective High Court. The PIL was filed by social activist Sunil Saraogi and advocate Akhruzzaman, seeking directions for the Centre and state governments to "take appropriate steps in a time-bound manner for regulating the being imparted at all Madarsas, Maktabahs and Gurukuls in India". The plea also sought direction for the Centre and state governments to establish uniform standards of proficiency and excellence with respect to being imparted by these institutes. For regulating of non-religious education imparted at Madarsas, Maktabahs and Gurukuls, recognised or otherwise, the PIL said that the Centre and state governments should bring all of them within a regulated and recognised legal framework by mandatory registration with them. The PIL claimed that more than 1.5 million young Indians are being educated at such institutes without any comprehensive and holistic framework, thus devoid of any standards of excellence and inhibiting their complete growth. The petition further claimed that there is no clarity with respect to the "recognition and status of the certificates issued by such institutes or their respective boards vis-a'-vis admission in Universities and eligibility for appearing in various competitive exams such as the Civil Services, Banks, Defense Services and other such examinations". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States-led International Coalition on Sunday airlifted a number of Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists from Syria's eastern Dier Ezzor province. Sources told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that an air landing near the town of al-Sha'feh - where ISIS terrorists are positioned in the province - was carried out by the US-led coalition's choppers. The terrorists were transported to a different location. This isn't the first time the US-led military coalition is transporting Daesh (ISIS) militants from war zones. Recently, the international coalition conducted similar drills outside the village of al-Mrashde, from where ISIS terrorists spread in the Dier Ezzor province, to transport ISIS leaders. In April, three Iraqi-origin ISIS commanders, and their families were evacuated from around the village of Tal al-Shayer, 20 kilometres southeast of al-Hasakah province's al-Shadadi. In December 2017, numerous ISIS militants were transported from the Dier Ezzor province to al-Hasakah, which is under the control of US-allied forces. Dier Ezzor was under siege by the ISIS since 2014, until government forces cleared them in 2017, Sputnik reported. ISIS had also targeted their operations in the province in May and June this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday hailed the Union Government for launching Ayushman Bharat which aims to provide health insurance cover to the poor and marginalized. He also appreciated the Centre for planning to establish one primary health center for every 5,000 population, while working to increase their number to 1.5 lakhs in the country. He made these remarks while inaugurating a free Medical Camp jointly organized by the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology and the Swarna Bharat Trust (SBT) in Hyderabad. Emphasizing further on healthy living he said that people must be made to pay greater attention towards their health and wellness as prevention is better than cure. He also asserted that a healthy nation can become a wealthy nation but not vice- versa and the expenditure on health care will naturally come down if people are healthy. Later, the Vice President also gave away 'Rytu Nestham' awards. In his address, he cautioned that there was a danger of farmers leaving agriculture unless farming was made profitable and viable. The Vice President said, "The emphasis should be on bringing down the input costs and not only on increasing productivity. The indiscriminate use of fertilizers, pesticides, electricity, and water also need to be curbed. Scientists must ensure research outcomes must directly reach the farmers from laboratories to land." He also outlined the benefits of natural farming and said that it would help in reducing costs and providing a stable income to farmers as well as would also protect the consumers from the ill-effects of pesticides. Advising farmers to diversify their activities to increase income he said, "There is a need to create awareness among farmers to diversify to allied activities to increase their income. A study has shown that there were no suicides by farmers who had diversified to allied activities like poultry, dairy, and fisheries." He also appealed to the private sector to increase investments in agriculture while asserting that Parliament, media, and NITI Aayog should also keep agriculture on top priority. He also lauded Union Government for introducing farmer friendly schemes like soil health cards and PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana. Emphasizing further on prioritising agriculture he said, "Agricultural research centers and Krishi Vigyan Kendras must make concerted efforts to make agriculture sustainable and profitable." Andhra Pradesh's former minister for health and medical education, Dr. Kamineni Srinivas along with other dignitaries were also present during the occasion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The central government on Monday informed the that it would take more time to file a detailed reply in the matter. The government's reply came after an NGO had moved to the apex court alleging that was not implementing certain laws. It also claimed that the company is not fully co-operating with the Indian agencies to crack the menace of fake news leading to crimes including lynching and other incidents. In its petition, the NGO also claimed that the government agencies were widely using the platform despite the company not complying with Indian laws. It has also been alleged that WhatsApp is not complying with the RBI guidelines. Additional Solicitor General (ASG), Maninder Singh, appearing for the Centre, told the apex court's two-judge bench headed by Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman that it would take some more time to file its detailed reply to the questions and issues raised in the petition. The petition further sought a direction to WhatsApp with respect to the appointment of a grievance officer, payment of taxes and complying with all the rules and regulations in Meanwhile, WhatsApp told the apex court that it has already appointed a grievance officer. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu said that India's trade relationship with China is unique and no other bilateral trading relationship evokes as much interest in India as the India-China trade relationship. From being a small trading partner of India in 2001, within a span of fifteen years, China has rapidly become India's biggest trading partner. Trade between the two countries has been expanding but India's trade deficit with China has been growing. Besides, there are opportunities arising for India out of US - China trade standoff with a detailed analysis of specific tariff lines on which tariffs have been levied by China on the US amidst the ongoing trade war and the potential for India to fill in the gaps left by America in the Chinese market has been covered, according to the study. While releasing the study the Minister said that most industry associations want the Government to pursue a defensive approach to Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and raise tariffs on the doctrine of domestic markets for domestic producers. Protectionist policies are on the rise globally. The global use of protectionist measures in 2018 was unprecedented with the trade wars looming between two of the largest economies of the world. A comparative analysis of the concessions ceded by China on 200 products in its Free Trade Agreements to India's competing countries like Peru, Pakistan, Australia, South Korea and ASEAN has been carried out by the Department of Commerce. Also the imports of China from these countries as well as China's Most Favored Nation (MFN) rates have been studied. This analysis helps in studying whether an FTA or tariff concessions by China to India (like China has yielded to India's competing countries in FTA) can be beneficial in increasing India's exports to China. The idea behind this exercise has been to identify whether tariff concessions by China to other countries impede raising the share of India's exports in the Chinese market. These lines can be taken up by India for negotiations with China under agreements like Asia Pacific Free Trade Agreement (APTA) in which both India and China are involved during the review exercise. Competing countries who have FTAs with China, limits the scope for Indian exports. This is due to higher tariffs faced by exporters as compared to competing nations who have secured tariff concessions under their FTAs. The top 200 items of China's imports from India (2017) wherein the tariff advantages available to India's competing partners in the Chinese market have been analyzed. The study also underlines the opportunity available for India in increasing its services exports to China. Indices like Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) and Trade Complementarity Index (TCI) have been used to analyse the extent of India and China's competiveness in this arena and the potential for the future. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The stock was trading higher by 1.67% at Rs 209.65 at 9:31 IST on BSE. Yes Bank said it finalised "search and selection committee" to find a new CEO. The board inducted TS Vijayan, former chairman of IRDAI and LIC, and OP Bhatt, former CMD of State Bank of India, as external experts in the committee. The internal members include Brahm Dutt, Mukesh Sabarwal and Subhas Chander Kalia. The bank has invited proposals from global leadership advisory firms specialising in banking, financial services and insurance. The first meeting of the committee will be on 11 October 2018. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 5 October 2018. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Retired Lt. General Zameer Uddin Shah, who led the Army troops in quelling violence in 2002 Gujarat riots, has described portions of the enquiry report by the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigative Team (SIT), related to the Army movement, as "a blatant lie". Shah has said in his upcoming memoir, "The Sarkari Mussalman" that after about 3,000 troops landed at Ahmedabad airfield at 7 am on March 1, they had to wait for a day to received transport and other logistical support from the state government in order to fan out to the cities and towns which were engulfed in violence. This delay happened despite a request by the Lt. General to the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi at 2am on March 1 in Ahmedabad, in the presence of Union Defence Minister George Fernandes. The SIT report, that had cleared Modi's name, had concluded that there was no delay "in requisition and deployment of the Army", based on testimony of Ashok Narayan, Additional Chief Secretary (Home). "The deployment of Army commenced at 1100 hrs on 01-03-2002, after a high level meeting of Chief Minister and Union Defence Minister along with the senior officers of the Army and State Administration", the SIT report said. "This is a blatant lie," Shah told IANS on Monday, maintaining that the 3,000 Army troops were kept stranded at Ahmedabad airfield for more than a day as the state government was said to be still "making arrangements" to provide them transport. The troops were moved by the Air Force from Jodhpur on orders of the then Chief of Army Staff, Gen S. Padmanabhan, following widespread killings in Gujarat on February 28. Shah's assertions have been backed by Gen Padmanabhan to whom the After Action Report on the army's action to quell the riots, was submitted by Shah in June 2002. "In this event, as far as I remember, the army troops must have landed by the middle of the night. If they landed in the middle of the night, what were they going to do? Start running around all over the place? The vehicles were not there. They were not provided by the state government. How will they function? So if he (Shah) has said that then he's certainly right. He was the man on ground," Padmanabhan told IANS over telephone from Chennai. The SIT never called the Lt General for questioning. It looks apparent from its report that the SIT did not look at Shah's After Action Report submitted to Gen Padmanabhan, which was later passed on to the central government. The SIT report further stated: "The deployment of the Army required additional logistic support by the Civil Administration in the form of Executive Magistrates, vehicles, liaison officers, guides and maps. The District Magistrtae, Ahmedabad provided 6 buses, 9 trucks and 15 jeeps for Army use by 0230 hrs on 01-03-2002. During the day on 01-03-2002, 39 other vehicles were also provided to the Army personnel." Shah refuted the SIT's findings and said "that never happened". He said that Fernandes came to the airbase at about 10-11 am on March 1 and addressed the troops. "We do not operate without the magistrates and the police guides because we don't know the way in the city. We can operate in the jungle but not in the city. So I told Mr George Fernandes about the problem and he said that he would do something," Shah maintained. "I got it (the transport) only on the 2nd (March 2002). Why would George Fernandes come and speak to us if the troops had been deployed?" he asked. Shah had told IANS in an earlier report that many more lives could have been saved had the Army got the transport and other support on March 1. The SIT Enquiry Report was submitted in the case of Zakia Jafri and Anr. VS State of Gujarat and Ors. Of the 30 allegations made by Zakia Jafri, widow of late Congress legislator Ehsan Jafri -- who was killed in a mob attack in Gulbarg Housing Society -- allegation No. XIV was that "there was an undue delay in requisition and deployment of Army". The SIT had rejected the charge in its closure report, which was made available to the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) through an order of the Magistrate's Court dated April 10, 2012 saying that "the allegation is not substantiated". Shah says he "could not be surer" about the events leading to the deployment of Army in Gujarat as he had mentioned every detail in the After Action Report on Operation Aman. "Every single thing is in the Report. This was around June 2002. I filed my report and gave a copy to Gen Padmanabhan. He was not there but I left it with his Military Assistant. He later told me he had read it and had handed it over to the government. (Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in) --IANS ss/vm/hs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police have filed 35 complaints and detained around 450 persons for attacking the migrant community residing in Gujarat, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said on Monday. After the rape of a toddler, there were widespread attacks on migrant labourer residents, especially from north India, believing that some from the community were responsible for the ghastly crime. "We have registered 35 FIRs for the violence on the north Indian migrants in the state. We have detained 450 persons and further interrogations are on," said Jadeja. "We have apprised the central government regarding the steps we have taken to stabilize the situation," Jadeja told reporters here. "Elements rejected by the Gujarat public can go to any lengths to achieve their political aspirations. The Gujarat Police is also trying to find who is behind this outrage," he added. "I appeal to people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains," Jadeja said. Although the Minister could not provide any data regarding the exact figures of migrants returning to their states, he assured that all those still in Gujarat would be safe. "We have asked the police personnel to inquire about the regular traffic to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya pradesh and Bihar and also the numbr of people travelling to such places during this week," Jadeja told IANS. The government deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of the migrants. The incidents of attacks on migrant labourers from north India spurred following the rape of a 14-month-old girl in a village near Himmatnagar town, around 100 km from Ahmedabad. The police arrested a labourer originally from Bihar, Ravindra Sahu, for the crime. Sahu is working in a local ceramic factory. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the situation was now under control. "No untoward incident has happened in the last 48 hours. The situation is under control. We are committed to maintaining law and order. We request people not to indulge in violence," he said in Rajkot. Jadeja added: "Migrant labourers and non Gujaratis working in the state need not fear. Your safety and security are our concern. We will not let the peace and sanctity be disturbed by a handful of elements who want to tarnish the state's image." --IANS desai/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey Sunday said he is closely monitoring investigations into the disappearance of a Saudi dissident journalist. The statement comes after Turkish security sources told Reuters they believed the political commentator who has gone into self-imposed exile in the US since last year had been killed. Erdogan told reporters that he is waiting for the conclusion of the probe into Jamal Khashoggis disappearance last week. Advocates of liberty and freedom of thought in Turkey will follow this case closely, said Erdogan, adding, I, as president of Turkey, personally follow this case closely as well. Khashoggi has gone missing since last Tuesday after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he wanted to get some documents on his divorce. He was reported missing by his Turkish fiancee and friends who alerted Turkish security authorities. The journalist has been living in Washington after he fled the kingdom over fears for his life. He had received threats following his criticism of the Saudi establishment. Erdogan described the journalist as a friend. The Turkish leader also noted that security authorities will analyze CCTV over entrances and exits of both the Saudi consulate and Istanbul airports. As soon as we have a conclusion, we will share it with the world, Erdogan said. Erdogans comments came after Turkish security sources told Saturday Reuters news agency that they believed Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate and his corpse carried in boxes out of the diplomatic mission. The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr. Khashoggi has been killed at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. We believe that the murder was premeditated and the body was subsequently moved out of the consulate, a Turkish official, told Reuters. Saudi Arabia blasted the report arguing that it was baseless allegations. A Saudi delegation of investigators arrived in Turkey to participate in the investigations, according to the Turkish official. At least four persons were killed and over 10,000 affected as heavy rains and strong winds lashed Sri Lanka over the weekend, the government said on Monday. Disaster Management Center (DMC) spokesperson Pradeep Kodippili in the latest update said the four deaths were reported from Kalutara and Galle. Heavy rains had caused flash floods in Badulla, Kalutara, Galle and Kegalle, from where thousands of families were evacuated. Dry rations were distributed to them, Xinhua news agency reported. Kodippili said waters were receding but more rains were expected in many parts of the island on Monday and Tuesday. Thunder showers are forecast in northern, western and eastern provinces and in Galle, Matara and Kalutara districts, the Met said. Heavy rains of upto 100 mm was expected in the Eastern, Southern, Central Sabaragamuwa, Uva and Western Provinces, the department added. On Monday, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena left for a three-day state visit to Seychelles, his office said here in a statement. --IANS in/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Monday moved the Supreme Court demanding an apex court monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into India's purchase of Rafale fighter jets from France. "A Criminal Writ Petition has been filed before the Supreme Court in the Rafale Deal, praying for the issuance of the Writ of Mandamus to constitute a Supreme Court monitored SIT to look into the reasons for cancellation of the deal for 126 Rafales, whether any criminal conspiracy was there to benefit the new offset partner and whether the government had required permission and sanctions for the purchase of 36 Rafales in flyaway condition. "Apparently, the government had not followed the rules made by it, the DPP," the MP said in a statement. Singh's petition questioned how the figure of 36 Fighter jets was arrived at "without the formalities associated with such a highly sensitive defence procurement". The MP demanded to know why Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd was removed from the deal. The petition said an investigation was needed to see if any "individual or intermediary company has/have influenced the decision making of the purchase of Rafale fighter jets at substantially higher prices in the backdrop of the statement given by the then President of French Republic". Singh sought restoration of the earlier deal for the purchase of 126 Rafale fighter jets which was cancelled on June 24, 2015 and to "bar" the Dassault-Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) from manufacturing the Rafale jets. Last month, Singh had sent a legal notice to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over alleged irregularities in the deal and threatened to move the court if he did not receive replies to his questions on various issues connected with the deal. --IANS nks/vsc/mr (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister on Monday called up his Gujarat counterpart to express concern over violent attacks on migrants from Bihar, and working in the western state. Adityanath urged Gujarat's to take strict action against those behind the attacks, an official said. The attacks began after a migrant worker from allegedly raped a 14-month-old girl in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district. The police arrested the accused, but enraged Gujaratis formed small mobs to launch attacks on the migrant workers, triggering their exodus. Rupani assured the Chief Minister that action would be taken and such attacks will be stopped, the official said. Rupani said that more than 300 people have been arrested for the attacks on north Indians. Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar spoke to Rupani expressing his concern over the violence. Both Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh are being ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, while the party governs in alliance with Kumar's Janata Dal (United). Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, who has petitioned the over the existence of a large number of duplicate voters in electoral rolls in and Rajasthan, on Monday asked all political parties to demand a flawless voters' list. "Every political party must demand a correct, flawless and sanitised voter list," Nath told the media here after a bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan reserved its verdict on his plea. Pointing to the fact that the had dropped 2,400,000 voters from the voter list published in January, Nath said the electoral roll should be prepared at least 30 days in advance from the date of the election notification. "Unless and until all political demand for a sanitised voters' list and the same is provided by the Commission, the elections can't be free and fair," he added. Nath, the Congress chief and his counterpart Sachin Pilot had moved the alleging duplication of voters in the electoral rolls in the two poll-bound states. Among the major demands made in the plea is publication of the voter list in text format instead of image format, and prohibition on deletion of voters from the voter list without intimation to political parties. The world's leading e-tailer Amazon is making special offers for the ensuing festival season to online shoppers from Wednesday, said the Indian arm of the US-based e-commerce major on Monday. "Our six-day Great Indian Festival Sale starts on October 10 at 12 a.m. and ends on October 15 at 11.59 p.m.," said the city-based firm in a statement. For Amazon's prime members, e-sale, however, will begin on Tuesday at noon. Dussehra and Diwali will be celebrated this year in October and November respectively. "Customers buying a smartphone during the festive sale will get free mobile screen replacement and one-year extended warranty for purchasing refrigerator, washing machine or television set," the statement said. For its new customers, the company will deliver free their first order of any amount on its e-portal. "We have expanded our selection by tying up with brands such as OnePlus, Xiaomi, IFB, Bosch, Philips, Marks and Spencer, LG, UnderArmour, Calvin Klein, and Just F among several others," the statement said. Like its Indian rival Flipkart, Amazon is also offering an option to purchase a protection plan for customers looking for insuring their mobile phones against accidental damage. To make shopping seamless, the company will allow customers to schedule an appointment as per their convenience for delivery and free installation of TVs and washing machines during the festive season. Customers can also save more with finance schemes such as Amazon Pay EMI, no-cost EMI on debit and credit cards and exchange on Amazon.in. The company has also created 50,000 positions in its national network of fulfilment centres, sortation centres, delivery stations and customer service sites for the festive sale. "The positions have been created in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and other cities across the country," said Amazon India Vice-President Akhil Saxena in the statement. --IANS fb/ksk/bg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rejected calls from conservative colleagues to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. Speaking ahead of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, Morrison repeated his previous claim that Australia would meet its emissions reduction target "at a canter", Xinhua reported on Monday. Australia has committed to reducing its emissions by 26 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. Conservative members of the government have called on Morrison to abandon the emissions reduction target, claiming that abiding by it will lead to rising power prices. "When Australia puts its word to something, it means something," Morrison said. "This is an enormously important issue to our partners in the Pacific, who are strategic partners in the Pacific. The Opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) has promised to introduce a 45 per cent emissions reduction target if victorious at the upcoming general election. --IANS pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid on Monday signed the Digital Security Bill 2018 into law amid objections from several media and rights organisations. The President's Press Secretary Md Joynal Adedin confirmed the signing to bdnews24.com. Several media organisations objected to numerous sections of the new law soon after the draft of it was made available. Parliament passed the bill on September 19, ignoring the protests. The Editors' Council, a media organisation, said it curbs freedom of expression and threatens the free press. Along with media organisations, several human rights organisations and members of the international community urged the government to consider changes to the new Digital Security Act, expressing their concern over various issues. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina dismissed the objections. "Journalists who are not opting for false news or wrong information have no need to worry about the new law. "But those who have readied write-ups against us and are waiting to publish them regularly should be concerned," Hasina said The new law also empowers the police to search, confiscate or make arrests without a warrant. It also has a provision that stipulates a maximum seven years of imprisonment or 2.5 million Bangladesh taka ($29,913) fine or both for illegally accessing any significant information structure. --IANS ksk/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Designer Anita Dongre, who has moved one step closer to her dream of empowering the women of India by opening the fourth tailoring unit in the village of Modgaon in Maharashtra, says there has been a sense of urgency within the industry to save the country's dying crafts. She feels there is a better understanding of Indian textiles and slow fashion on a global level today. "There has been a sense of urgency within the industry to save India's dying crafts. It's great to see not just the industry but also the government taking steps towards reviving handloom and making it relevant to the current generation," Dongre told IANS in an email when asked about her take on how the scene of handloom has changed over the years. "Handloom is finally getting its long due recognition but I still think we have a long way to go and a lot more to do," she added. The tailoring center located at village Modgaon, Dahanu Taluka, Palghar District, Maharashtra, is established under the aegis of Anita Dongre Foundation as part of its women empowerment initiative in collaboration with Tribal Development Department - Government of Maharashtra, Modgaon Gram Panchayat and Palghar District Collector Office. The House of Anita Dongre Ltd. deploys its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects through its non-profit arm Anita Dongre Foundation (Section 25 Company) in multi-stakeholder partnership and collaborative mode in order to improve the quality of life of its stakeholders - including inter alia communities. The foundation plans to have 50 such communities tailoring centers across the country in the next three years and is exploring opportunities to collaborate with like-minded and credible organisations. So where do you see handlooms and textiles moving from here on globally? "There is a better understanding of Indian textiles, crafts and slow fashion, on a global level today. It's amazing to see the progress we are making towards this as an industry. Social media also has been a huge enabler for us to tell our stories of Indian handlooms and textiles. "Grassroot as a brand was born out of this very need to tell India's craft story and make it relevant to the global consumer of today. It was always my dream to showcase Indian handlooms and crafts on a global platform and the launch of our flagship store in New York brings that purpose further to life," she said. Talking about the new tailoring unit, the designer said Anita Dongre Foundation works with the local governments and village gram panchayats to create local Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and bring livelihood or employment opportunities to their own villages. "Empowering the people of these villages by giving them access to a dependable source of income, in their locality is critical to arrest the tide of migration to cities. Modgaon is the fourth location where we have setup a community garment tailoring unit (in addition to Charoti, Jawahar and Dhanevari) in the Palghar District of Maharashtra. "There are no skilled artisans or weavers in these villages - the women from these villages are unskilled labour who we skill in garment tailoring on industrial sewing machines by setting up such training-cum-production centres, and this has been our key objective," she said. Added Dongre: "During the three months of training period, we train the women in basic and advanced skills of cutting, sewing and finishing garments and during this period every trainee is paid a stipend. Once the training is complete, we supply the center with fabrics and pay the women for the tailored garments on fair per piece rate basis so as to provide them with regular livelihood opportunities. "Through this initiative, we mobilise women to create opportunities for skill development, employment and entrepreneurship. We currently support livelihood for over 160 women." (Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in) --IANS nv/nn/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Boeing Company on Monday appointed the head of its India operations, Pratyush Kumar, to lead the defence major's F-15 fighter aircraft programme in the United States. "Kumar has been selected to lead our F-15 fighter aircraft programme and further its business in the US and globally," said Boeing in a statement here. Kumar said he was upbeat about his new US role to build business for the F-15 programme the world over. The company will, however, expand its local manufacturing, technology and innovations, products and people in the Indian sub-continent, he added. Boeing will soon announce Kumar's successor in India. During his five-year stint in India, Kumar advanced the company's business in commercial airplanes, defence, space, security, and global services. "We launched our engineering and technology centre in Bengaluru during his tenure to drive innovation, scaled up aerospace supply chain and have set up a joint venture in Hyderabad with Tata to make fuselages (main body section) for the Apache attack helicopter," the statement added. The US-based commercial jetliner maker also finalised the sale of Apache and Chinook choppers to the Indian military and also won additional orders for the P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft under Kumar's leadership. "I want to thank Kumar for his contribution to our business in India and for developing a stronger aerospace industry ecosystem across the country," said Boeing International President Marc Allen in the statement. As recently as on September 24, Kumar had met Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in the state capital to finalise the setting up of Boeing's electronics manufacturing and avionics assembly facility at an investment of Rs 1,152 crore. The facility is expected to be built over 12-18 months, and will create about 2,600 jobs. With 160 partners and $1-billion sourcing, Boeing employs 2,000 aerospace engineers in India. --IANS fb/shs/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a shocking development, a young scientist working with the BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd (BAPL)'s missile research centre here, was arrested on Monday on alleged charges of spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI and other countries, informed sources said. Scientist Nishant Agrawal has been working for the last four years in the BAPL, an Indo-Russian Joint Venture. Following a tip-off, he was placed under surveillance for the past few days by the Military Intelligence as well as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Police. Early on Monday, the BAPL officer was arrested and has been booked under the Official Secrets Act, the sources said. As per preliminary information, Agrawal was reportedly passing on certain highly classified information to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan as well as the USA. However, official circles here are not aware of what kind of access to sensitive information or the security clearance levels Agrawal enjoyed in the company. The young scientist had been living in rented home in Nagpur and married earlier this year. Among other things, the BrahMos Missile Research Centre (BMRC) is involved in manufacturing certain critical components for the BrahMos missile, considered the world's fastest cruise missile that can be launched from land, ships, aircraft or submarines. The Indo-Russian joint venture's recent development of the latest version of the BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile has elicited keen interest in global defence circles and several major political powers in the world. The missile -- successfully test-fired on July 16 from the Integrated Test Range at Balasore in Odisha -- is an outcome of a joint venture of India's Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia Corp (NPOM), since 2011. --IANS qn/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A judge Saturday imposed travel ban on a former presidential hopeful and critic of President AbdelFattah al-Sisi amid an ongoing investigation into funding for civil society groups. Khaled Ali was banned from leaving the country upon orders of investigating Judge Hisham Abdel Meguid. The ban, according to London-based The New Arab, is in connection with an ongoing investigation into funding for civil society groups. Egypt has been cracking down on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) claiming they receive foreign funding to destabilize countries. Several NGOs and their leaders have been locked under the regime of President Al-Sisi. The regime has been harshly criticized for the crackdown on civil society groups. Khaled Ali, a lawyer and rights activist ran for the first democratically held elections in the country in 2012. The elections were won by Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi, who was removed from power by the then defense minister al Sisi in July 2013 Far-right Congressman Jair Bolsonaro pulled off a thumping win in the first round of Brazil's presidential election but fell short of the majority required to avoid a second round runoff, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal has announced. The Tribunal said Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party won Sunday's poll with 46 per cent of the vote, ahead of leftwing former Sao Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party on 29 per cent, reports CNN. Behind Haddad came the Democratic Labor party's Ciro Gomes with 12.5 per cent. Bolsonaro will face Haddad in the second round on October 28. "We indeed are able to change the destiny of Brazil," Bolsonaro, 63, told the media late on Sunday night. "We cannot continue flirting with socialism or communism." Throughout his 27-year career as a congressman, Bolsonaro has stirred controversy by making misogynistic, racist and homophobic remarks and has often been compared to US President Donald Trump and the Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte. He has also been very vocal about his support for military rule. In a broadcast on the eve of the election, Bolsonaro echoed Trump with a call to his 7 million Facebook followers: "Let's make Brazil great! Let's be proud of our homeland once again!", the Guardian reported. Last month, Bolsonaro called for his leftwing political opponents to be shot. Two days later he himself was stabbed in an attempted assassination at a rally. But in the final days of the campaign, the far-right front-runner, forced to campaign from a hospital bed, tried to recast himself as a paragon of tolerance who would rule for all Brazil's 208 million citizens regardless of their skin, colour or faith. Meanwhile, Haddad, who spoke after making it to the second round, said he and the Workers' Party would "only use arguments, we don't use any guns", reports the BBC. Referring to Bolsonaro's lead, he said he felt "challenged by the results, which alerts us to the risks Brazilian democracy is facing. "We need to approach this with a sense of responsibility. We want to unite the democrats of this country, to reduce inequality and to achieve social justice," he told his cheering supporters. Haddad became the default Workers' Party candidate after his running mate and former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was barred from running by the country's highest electoral court. da Silva had been leading in the polls despite being in jail since April, where he is serving a 12-year sentence for corruption and money laundering. He has denied the charges. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro has won the first round of Brazil's presidential election following one of the most polarising campaigns since the country returned to democracy three decades ago, according to the country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal. Bolsonaro won Sunday's poll with 46.5 per cent of the vote, ahead of left-wing former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad from the Workers' Party on 28.5 per cent, CNN reported. Bolsonaro's lead, in a field of 13 candidates, left him just short of the 50 per cent needed to win outright and unable to avoid a runoff against Haddad on October 28. A victory in the second round for former army captain Bolsonaro would signal a historic shift to the right in Brazil. The Social Liberty party candidate has stirred controversy by making misogynistic and homophobic remarks and has often been compared to US President Donald Trump and the Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte. The campaign hit headlines last month when Bolsonaro was stabbed during a political rally in the city of Juiz de Fora, landing him in the hospital for several weeks. Opinion polls released before the campaign closed predicted Bolsonaro could capture 35 per cent of the votes. Thousands of people took to the streets throughout Brazil last week to voice their opposition to Bolsonaro, often comparing him to Adolf Hitler in posters and chants. He once told a congresswoman during a parliamentary hearing that she did not deserve to be raped because she was "very ugly", Brazil's TV Globo reported. He also said publicly that he would prefer to see his son "die in an accident" rather than a member of his family be homosexual. Political divisions have deepened in Brazil as the country suffers from a prolonged economic recession and extreme violence, with murder rates reaching a record high last year. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bulgarian authorities have launched a probe into the rape and murder of an investigative journalist in the city of Ruse, the third journalist to have been killed in the European Union (EU) this year. According to Bulgarian state media, the body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova was found on Saturday near a pedestrian alley in an area with heavy vegetation, CNN reported on Monday. Preliminary investigations showed the cause of death were blows to the head and suffocation. Bulgarian Interior Minister Mladen Mladenov on Sunday described the murder as "exceptionally brutal" and said Marinova was raped before she was killed. He said the country's top murder investigators had been sent to Ruse to work on the case. Ruse Regional Prosecutor Georgi Georgiev told the state that Marinova's mobile phone, car keys, glasses and part of her clothing were missing when her body was found. It remains unclear if Marinova's murder was related to her journalistic work. The state said that over the last year, Marinova had reported for the broadcaster TVN on an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption involving EU funds, CNN said. She also worked on a programme focusing on social issues and was involved with charity work. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China on Monday said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an open and transparent project and contribution by any country to the initiative will be a "positive factor". "Such cooperation has always been open and transparent. If any other party will like to contribute positive factors to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation, I think this is a positive factor," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said. He was reacting to Islamabad's announcement that Saudi Arabia will join the CPEC as a third partner, only to retract and say that Riyadh will invest in Pakistan and not in the project. "As for the specifics, I have no information," Lu added. India is opposed to the CPEC -- the mainstay of Chinese-funded Belt and Road Project -- as the initiative has been planned to be built through disputed Kashmir area claimed by Delhi but administered by Islamabad. --IANS gsh/tsb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China's top security official, who headed the Interpol until last week and went missing after he left France for China, is being probed for taking bribes, Beijing said on Monday. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the international community was free to make its own conclusion on the high-profile case, but the probe against Meng showed China's resolve to crack down on graft. Meng, the Vice Minister in the powerful Pubic Security Ministry, was elected as the first Chinese Interpol chief in November 2016. "The investigation against Meng Hongwei taking bribes and suspected violations of law is very timely, absolutely correct and rather wise," the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement. Meng's disappearance made news last week after his wife in Lyon - Interpol's headquarters in France - reported him missing for several days after he left for China. Interpol, which made a formal request to Chinese authorities to give information about his whereabouts, announced Meng's resignation on Sunday. Asked if Meng's sudden disappearance and investigation will affect the ability of Chinese officials to take top posts in international agencies, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said: "This (investigation) has shown Chinese government's firm resolve to crack down on corruption and crimes and it is also been made very clear that this case fully demonstrates that the party is firm in fighting corruption and anybody will be punished in accordance with law seriously if they violate the law." Asked further if China will propose another candidate for the presidency of Interpol, Lu said the agency will make arrangement according to its own rules. Lu said China will continue to cooperate with the Interpol in its fight against crimes. It was not clear if the alleged crime by Meng was committed during his chairmanship of the Interpol. Meng is being investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the watchdog of the Communist Party. Meng is the latest "tiger" to fall in the anti-corruption campaign launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Rising politicians, PLA generals and top-notch government officials have been jailed for corruption. Critics say that Xi is eliminating his opponents through this campaign. Last week, China's superstar Fang Bingbing was asked to cough up $130 million for evading taxes. She had gone missing earlier only to resurface later to confess her wrongdoing and sing praises of the Communist Party. --IANS gsh/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The proposal to hold a Goa Cabinet meeting in New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences ICU -- where Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is admitted -- amounts to humiliation of the state and its people, the Congress claimed on Monday. "By calling for a Cabinet meeting in the AIIMS intensive care unit, where Parrikar is admitted, and flying Ministers and bureaucrats to the national capital, the BJP-led coalition government is humiliating the people of Goa," Congress spokesperson Urfan Mulla told reporters here. His comments came a day after a section of the media reported about the Cabinet meeting on October 13 at the AIIMS. The Congress leader said: "We suggest that Parrikar relinquish charge for a day and appoint a Chief Minister in his place so that decisions related to the state are taken in the state itself." Parrikar, who is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer, was admitted to the AIIMS last month. The former Defence Minister has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New York and now Delhi for the last seven months, even as the Opposition has slammed him for "neglecting administrative responsibilities" on account of his illness, while also demanding his resignation. --IANS maya/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi government may go to the courts if the neighbouring states and the central government do not take steps to curb stubble burning, Delhi Minister Imran Hussain said on Monday. "We have seen reports in the media that stubble burning has started in some northern states, which will worsen the air quality of the national capital in coming days," Hussain said. He said that in case effective steps are not taken, "The Delhi government may be left with no option but to knock on the doors of appropriate courts of law to seek their intervention and directions for time-bound effective actions by the Centre and the state governments concerned." On October 5, Hussain had written to Union Minister of Harsh Vardhan, requesting him to direct the neighbouring states to stop burning the crop residue, which adds to pollution in Delhi. "I have been consistently writing to Minister Harsh Vardhan to convene a meeting with the Chief Ministers and Ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi to discuss the issue of stubble burning," Hussain said. --IANS sd/shs/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Veteran actor Dilip Kumar, 95, has been admitted to a hospital here and is being treated for recurrent pneumonia, a family friend said. Faisal Farooqui, who tweets on behalf of the thespian, gave a health update on the ailing actor via Twitter. "Want to inform you Dilip Kumar has been admitted to hospital last night. He is being treated for recurrent pneumonia. Praying. Will keep you updated on twitter," Farooqui tweeted on Monday. He was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here around 1 a.m. on Monday, Udaya Tara Nayar, compiler of the actor's autobiography, told IANS. "Dilip saab has chest congestion. Antibiotics through IV drip (are) required. He is stable now," Nayar said via Whatsapp. The nonagenarian was admitted to the hospital here last month too due to pneumonia. Last week, amidst reports of Dilip Kumar's deteriorating health, Nayar had told IANS: "He is as well as he can be at his age... He is well looked after by his wife Saira Banu." Dilip Kumar, one of India's most iconic actors, has appeared in some classics like "Kohinoor", "Mughal-e-Azam", "Shakti", "Naya Daur" and "Ram Aur Shyam". His last silver screen appearance was in the 1998 film "Qila". --IANS dc-rb/bg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Disappointed with the Delhi High Court accepting the CBI's request to file closure report in her son's disappearance, JNU student Najeeb Ahmed's mother Fatima Nafees on Monday said she has not lost hope about getting justice, and that she has full faith in the Indian Constitution. Speaking to reporters here after the court's hearing, Nafees strongly criticised the "shoddy" investigation by, first the Delhi Police and then by the country's premier Central Bureau of Investigation, which failed to find her son even after two years of his disappearance. "I am disappointed but have not lost hope. I would advise those who may be gloating over this (court's) decision because I will not relent," Nafees said. "There is no clue about my son's whereabouts even after two years. Why has no action been taken against the Station House Officer of the Vasant Kunj North Police Station, who tried to mislead me when I first went there to file the complaint? Why do people become deaf and mute when it comes to Najeeb? "I have full faith in the Indian Constitution... as our elders used to say that lie runs faster than the truth... however late, I will get justice," she said. She also spoke against the government, specifically against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, and accused it of pressuring the CBI, courts and the police for the shoddy work and adverse verdict. "I am not scared of anyone. BJP will see its rout soon. This won't last long. I also appeal to all those mothers whose sons are persecuted and killed in encounters to come and stand by me, and I will stand by them," she said. She also demanded resignation of CBI Director Alok Verma, criticising him for "bringing disgrace to the country". The Delhi High Court had earlier in the day allowed the CBI plea seeking permission to file its closure report into the disappearance of Ahmed, an M.Sc. student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who was reported missing from Delhi in October 2016. Earlier, on court's direction the case was transferred from Delhi Police to the CBI on Nafees' plea. Nafees had sought a Special Investigation Team (SIT) -- comprising non-CBI officers -- to further probe her son's disappearance from a JNU hostel in the intervening night of October 14-15. But the court declined the plea to form an SIT and monitor its work. According to witnesses, Ahmed was beaten up by a mob of students on the night of October 15 in Mahi-Mandvi Hostel, where he lived. After the brawl, Ahmed disappeared the same night. His mother, supported by students' union of JNU and other universities, will take out a protest march from Mandi House to Parliament Street on October 15 against the authorities' failure to locate Najeeb. -- IANS vn/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A former Sri Lankan Minister was arrested on Monday for calling for the return of the Tamil Tigers, a guerrilla group that waged a long civil war in the island nation. Vijayakala Maheswaran, who was arrestedwhen she went to testify to the Organized Crime Division of Sri Lankan police, had made the comments at an event in June when she was the Deputy Minister of Women's Affairs, a police source told Efe news. "When we consider our lives prior to May 18, 2009, today's circumstances call for the re-emergence of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). To enforce the safety of our children and women, to see them come home safely from their schools, LTTE governance must come into operation," Maheswaran had said. According to her, crime was almost non-existent in northern Sri Lanka during the guerrilla regime but started to rise since the conflict ended almost a decade ago. The comments had led to a political storm in the country, especially among Sinhalese nationalist politicians, including the supporters of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, who on July 3 interrupted a Parliament session demanding the ouster of Maheswaran. Parliament had referred the incident to the attorney general and the police had started a parallel investigation to determine whether the ex-minister's comments had jeopardised national security. Maheswaran had entered after her husband Thyagarajah Maheswaran - only member of the ruling United National Party to have been elected from Jaffna - was murdered in 2008. According to unofficial figures, the civil war in Sri Lanka between the army and the Tamil Tigers from 1983 to 2009, had killed between 60,000 and 100,000. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) @lesleyclark Donna Shalala is so well known in Miami she has to tell voters its really me when she makes campaign calls. Otherwise, she says, some people assume its a robocall. Shes big in Miami: the former University of Miami president who raised academic standards and billions of dollars, boosted the schools national profile and raided other universities to put the medical school on the map. She was famous even before she arrived, as a Bill Clinton ally and the longest-serving Health and Human Services Secretary in U.S. history. Outside the university, she eagerly promoted her adopted hometown: Shed show up herself, not just send the third assistant to the vice president, former Beacon Council president Frank Nero said of Shalala, who aided his efforts to lure companies to Miami. Shed come in and shed tell executives: I could have gone anywhere, but I chose to come to Miami. She became one of the best sales people we had for Miami-Dade. Yet Shalala finds herself in a tight race against a political rookie for an open congressional seat that Democrats figured would be theirs after Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, announced she is retiring. Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by nearly 20 percentage points in the Democratic-leaning district the highest margin of victory in the country for Clinton in a district currently held by a Republican. As recently as January, Republicans fretted they were unlikely to find someone for the seat that encompasses Little Havana, most of downtown Miami and Miami Beach. Ros-Lehtinen in 2016 had faced a close reelection against a largely self-funded candidate who did not have the backing of national Democrats. Now its Democrats who are worried: Two recent internal polls showed Shalala either losing or nearly tied with her Republican opponent, Maria Elvira Salazar, a telegenic former Spanish-language TV host who is well known in the district, where 63 percent of the voters are Hispanic. Shalala, who won a crowded Democratic primary in August, says early polls showed that people know her resume. But she says the race will turn not on her record, but her character. It cant be Im Donna Shalala and you ought to vote for me, Shalala said in a recent interview at a South Miami restaurant. You have to be out there, talking to people about what kind of a human being you are. But there are worries that Shalala, as accomplished as her record may be, isnt connecting on the trail, especially against a Spanish-speaking television anchor accustomed to the camera. Donnas a very no-nonsense person and that can come across as brusque because she likes to cut to the chase, acknowledges Katy Sorenson, a former Miami-Dade commissioner who created the Good Government Initiative at the University of Miami with Shalalas blessing. But shes someone who cares deeply, and thats reflected by her life and her career. Read more here. Popular Telugu star Jr. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) says he doesn't pressurise himself anymore for success as he believes the journey of working on a film matters to him more than its end result. Tarak, as he is fondly called by his fans and peers, said there is no pressure to do a hit film anymore. "I've reached a point in my career where I don't have to pressurise myself for success. More than success, what is really important is that I enjoy the journey of being part of a project. The end result will vary from one film to another, but it is important that the journey remains special," Tarak told IANS ahead of the release of Telugu action drama "Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava". The film, slated to hit the screens on Thursday, marks Tarak's first collaboration with director Trivikram Srinivas. "I have known Tarak for close to 14 years and we have wanted to collaborate for a long time. We have come together with very strong content and we enjoyed working together. There was no pressure of delivering a hit," Srinivas said, adding that the film offers a different take on how to stop violence and the importance of a woman in a man's life. Set against the backdrop of factionalism in Rayalaseema, the film also stars Pooja Hegde, Jagapathi Babu, Supriya Pathak and Sunil in crucial roles. Elaborating on the film, Tarak said: "So many films on faction backdrop have come and each one has offered a different solution on stopping violence. Violence need not be a vital part to talk about revenge but it is part of the navarasas and only when you've seen the bitter side of something, can you give a solution." Asked if the film offers everything audiences look forward to from a Tarak film, he said: "I really don't know the definition of a typical NTR film. Are you saying it should feature ten fight sequences and five songs? When I did 'Temper' and 'Nannaku Prematho', I didn't know if I would ever do such films and they worked. I'm not sure what more audiences want from me." Irrespective of the high expectations, he admits that audiences are slowly evolving and more importance is being given to good stories. "In recent times, films which have been narrated confidently have worked. We don't necessarily have to make commercially appealing films anymore. When Trivikram and I decided to work together, I told him not to make changes to the script to suit my image. I wanted to be part of his story and his style of storytelling. In 'Aravinda Samethaa', he has written some fantastic characters." Tarak underwent physical transformation for the film. He said getting fit introduced him to a healthier lifestyle. "After 'Jai Lava Kusa', I had gained weight. Trivikram wanted me to get fit for the role but I wanted to push more. I saw my wife push herself hard post pregnancy. It made me realise that being fit can be a lifestyle changing path. I worked with Lloyd Stevens and I think the process has made me disciplined," he said. Recently, tragedy struck Tarak's family when his father Nandamuri Harikrishna, actor and politician, passed away in a road accident. Describing it as the most difficult phase of his life, Tarak said: "When you're prepared for certain things, you know what to expect. But when you're unprepared and something happens, it hits you very hard. This was one such incident but life has to move on and it's something my father taught us. I'm still unloading the emotional baggage." Tarak will next join hands with Ram Charan for a yet-untitled Telugu project in S.S. Rajamouli's direction. "I'm really excited about this project. It'll be a proper Rajamouli film. That's all I'm allowed to say at the moment." (Haricharan Pudipeddi can be contacted at haricharanpudipeddi@gmail.com) --IANS hp/rb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jammu and Kashmir held its first municipal polls in 13 long years on Monday amid a visible Jammu-Kashmir divide, with voters largely boycotting the contest in the Kashmir Valley but taking part with enthusiasm in Jammu and Ladakh regions. But with tight security provided by thousands of police and paramilitary personnel, the electoral process went off smoothly in the Valley, with just one incident of stone-pelting reported in a Srinagar ward. There was no militant related violence anywhere in the state, whose new Governor Satya Pal Malik is determined to hold municipal and panchayat elections despite calls for a boycott by separatists and militant threats to candidates and officials. The Chief Electoral Officer said Rajouri district in Jammu region recorded the highest voter turnout at 81 per cent while the lowest in the troubled Valley was 3.3 per cent - in Bandipora district. Srinagar district recorded 6.2 per cent, Badgam 17, Anantnag 7.3, Baramulla 5.7, Kupwara 36.6 and Bandipora 3.3 in the Kashmir Valley. Leh saw 55.2 per cent voting, Kargil 78.1, Jammu 63.8, Rajouri 81 and Poonch 73.1 per cent. The overall voting percentage in the state was 56.7 per cent. Except for a sporadic clash in Bagh-e-Mehtab area of Srinagar city between youths and security forces, Monday's elections were peaceful -- from the time they opened at 7 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m. The second, third and fourth phase of the municipal polls will be held on October 10, 13 and 16. The vote count is due on October 20. Long queues of enthusiastic voters were seen in almost all the municipal corporation and committee wards in Jammu district. But the story in the Valley was starkly different, with most voters keeping away from the balloting centres amid a separatist called shutdown. The polls took place amid a boycott by the two key parties in the state -- the National Conference and People's Democratic Party. The CPI-M is also boycotting the polls, leaving only Congress and BJP candidates besides independents in the contest in the valley. In Ladakh region, a biting cold kept voters away early in the day. But polling picked up in both Kargil and Leh. A presiding officer was suspended at Aloosa in Bandipora district for allowing a woman to accompany a voter to the voting counter. Elections are being held in 422 of the state's 1,145 municipal wards. As many as 1,204 candidates are in the fray. --IANS sq/mr/vv (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday attacked the ruling government for the deteriorating health and security conditions in Rajasthan, with the confirmation of 22 Zika virus patients in the state. "Rajasthan in the last few years has been hitting headlines for all the wrong reasons," he told the media here. "The number of swine flu patients has been soaring year after year, and now Zika virus too has entered the Rajasthan borders. All this shows the callousness of the government towards sensitive issues plaguing the state," the All India Congress Committee General Secretary said. Gehlot noted that in 2017, a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Mandalgarh lost his life after becoming the victim of swine flu. Taking a jibe at security in the state, he said that even policemen are not safe under Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's rule as a station house officer (SHO) was gunned down in Sikar on Sunday by miscreants when the police was chasing them. He asked the Chief Secretary to start looking into the issues plaguing the state and said: "Now, Chief Minister's Gaurav Yatra has finished and hence you should perform your duties towards this state." --IANS arc/mag/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday said Germany and the European Union (EU) should make more contribution to the security and stability in the world. Maas said at the German Forum on Security Policy that the European pillar of NATO and the common approach in the EU, as with the Franco-German defence cooperation, should be expanded, Xinhua news agency reported. "Old certainties break away. This applies to the transatlantic relationship, but it also applies to cohesion within the EU, the Brexit, a topic we are struggling with these days," added Maas. He called for further development of civilian and military instruments together with the European partners. "Only with the appropriate skills can a strong and also a sovereign Europe give security policy. And you also have to be prepared to invest in this security," said the minister, demanding that the "rapid reaction capability" be increased both civilian and military. Europe must become faster in European operations. A means for this is the establishment of a European Centre of Competence for Civilian Crisis Management. In addition, "stabilization pilots" could quickly create a situational picture for the EU. Maas welcomed the proposal by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to extend qualified majority voting in the common EU foreign and security policy. Germany had decided to push this discussion forward. "We must finally make the EU capable of foreign policy," he said. It is "in our own interest that we Europeans should take more responsibility for security and also take over," said Maas. "It takes a lot of courage, because we know that these issues of security policy in public debate in our society -- and not only here -- are often extremely difficult to manage." --IANS pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dhaka born and New York-based hip-hop artist Anik Khan will be on a three-city tour across New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai from October 11-13 as part of beer brand Bira 91's Freeflow where musician-actress Monica Dogra will also perform. Bira 91 has announced the third edition of FreeFlow, a campaign that places its focus on hip-hop and hip-hop subcultures in India and globally. From rap to b-boying to graffiti and fashion, the event aims to become the one-stop resource for all things hip-hop in India, said a statement. Drawing from his Bengali roots and his upbringing in Queens, Anik has emerged as a unique voice in the hip-hop realm. He has emerged as a fresh, notable talent with his first release "I Don't Know Yet" in 2015. It was his critically acclaimed 2017 EP "Kites", however, that firmly cemented his presence: both in the hip-hop scene, and as a voice representing "the other" in the US. With his latest single and music video "Big Fax", he continues to spit fire at outdated immigrant stereotypes, albeit with a pinch of humour and irony. Joining him on the tour will be Monica Dogra, an American musician and actress of Indian origin. Anik and Monica will be joined by DJ MoCity here, playing a unique DJ set alongside the capital-based hip-hop duo Seedhe Maut and newcomer Roy. --IANS nv/rb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Close to 1,100 budding engineers interacted with industry experts, researchers and entrepreneurs at the twin Artificial Intelligence (AI) summits organised by IIT-Kharagpur and its alumni simultaneously here and at Bengaluru, the premier institute said on Monday. The summits, spread over Saturday and Sunday, brought together stakeholders engaged in cutting edge developments in AI or making use of AI applications in their field of work, an IIT-Kharagpur release said here. "Close to 1,100 budding engineers from these two cities delved into the challenges pertaining to illiteracy, hunger, disease, natural disasters, speech recognition, advanced transportation, consumer behaviour, market analytics etc. - and how AI can be used to solve them," the release said. The summits belong to the genre of outreach programmes conducted by the institute focused towards challenges and applications of AI which are directly going to impact people's lives significantly in the near future. The AI Centre of Excellence was launched at the institute earlier in 2018. Experts feel that following the IT wave of the 90s and the 21st century, AI could turn out to be the next key element for the economic development of India. "Adopting to AI on a large scale and for the masses is quite possible in India, given that the country already has a lot going for it by way of digital penetration, its huge talent pool, and its proven ability to scale up new technology. India stands to benefit from AI in a big way," said Pallab Dasgupta, Dean, Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC), IIT-Kharagpur. In the AI summit organised by the department of computer science and engineering and the Centre for AI here, researchers and industry experts demonstrated how AI was being used in their respective fields - be it retail, banking, healthcare, transport or In the two-day event at Bengaluru, Professor P.P. Chakrabarti, Director, IIT-Kharagpur discussed the roadmap of the Centre for AI with corporations, start-ups and industry experts. Many of them included the alumni of the Institute who have been successful proponents of various AI technologies. --IANS ssp/mag/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Even with an increase of little over one degree Celsius in global warming, India is being battered by the worst climate extremes. It is clear that the situation is going to worsen with an 1.5 degrees increase, and hence India must quickly get its act together -- now, environmentalists cautioned on Monday. The response of Centre for Science and (CSE) Director General Sunita Narain came on the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report in Incheon in South Korea. The IPCC, the biggest UN scientific body feeding climate science to policy-makers, released on Monday its special report on the impacts of global warming increase of 1.5 degrees. It documents glaring evidence of the devastating impact of climate change on the poor and developing countries. The CSE has done a detailed assessment of the findings of the IPCC report. Says Chandra Bhushan, CSE's Deputy Director General and head of its climate change unit: "The report makes it clear that the impact of 1.5 degrees increased warming is greater than what was anticipated earlier." "Accordingly, the world will witness greater sea level rise, increased precipitation and higher frequency of droughts and floods, hotter days and heatwaves, more intense tropical cyclones, and increased ocean acidification and salinity." He said that countries like India, with large populations dependent on agricultural and fishery sectors, would be highly impacted. While a 1.5 degrees rise in global temperature will be precarious, a two-degree rise would be catastrophic. The report points out that the risk transition from 1.5 degrees to two degrees is very high and that the effects at two degrees will be more devastating than what IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report had indicated. Coastal nations and agricultural economies like India would be the worst affected. Decline in crop yields, unprecedented climate extremes and increased susceptibility could push poverty by several million by 2050. Considering the grim warning of the IPCC report, the CSE has appealed to the world to focus exclusively on limiting warming to 1.5 degrees instead of two degrees, which is the upper limit of the temperature goal mentioned under the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement. "The world cannot afford a warming of two degrees above the pre-industrial era. A world warmer by two degrees will devastate economies and ecosystems and push hundreds of millions of people back into poverty," Bhushan said. The goal of climate change now must be firmly fixed at 1.5 degrees to give the communities and nations a fighting chance to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. India must take the lead in creating a global coalition in this endeavour, he added. The IPCC report also makes it clear that the current level of climate ambition, as set out under the Paris agreement, will lead to disastrous effects on the planet as it is not in line with limiting warming to even two degrees. With inadequate climate efforts, global warming is likely to reach 1.5 degrees between 2030 and 2052. If global emissions continue as per the commitments made under the Paris agreement, the carbon budget (amount of CO2 that the world can emit) for 1.5 degree warming will be exhausted by 2030. In order to limit warming at 1.5 degrees, the world will have to reduce CO2 emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 from the 2010 levels and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Responding to the publication of the IPCC report, Britain-based charity Christian Aid called for urgent action to bring rising temperatures under control. "The IPCC scientists have done an amazing job in synthesising over 6,000 scientific studies into a comprehensive report on how to limit climate change to manageable levels," Christian Aid's Global Climate Lead Kat Kramer said in a statement to IANS. "Distilled down to its essence, it gives two key messages: One of hope -- we can limit climate change to 1.5 degrees of warming and avoid the worst impacts of climate change, and another of urgency -- we need to decarbonize as much as possible, as fast as possible, including halving global emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050." The average temperature in India's national capital increased by one degree Celsius, by 0.7 degree in Mumbai, 0.6 degree in Chennai and 1.2 degrees in Kolkata in over a century and a half. These revelations were made by Britain-based CarbonBrief. Its newly-developed web app calculates the average rise in your city and regional temperature since 1871. --IANS vg/tsb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India needs to bring about a sense of "emotional integration" with the Northeast so that the people of the region do not feel alienated from the mainstream, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on Monday. The development of the Northeast was a prerequisite for the overall development of the nation, she said here at the inaugural event of the 17th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. "A transparent and accountable parliament is the very foundation for ensuring a robust and equitable growth of the nation while keeping the essence of democracy intact," she said. Women in the Northeast are more empowered than those in other parts of the country, she observed. "Women from the region are more empowered than their counterparts in other parts of the country and personalities like Mary Kom, Dipa Karmakar and Hima Das are the true embodiments of an enabling environment," she said. She also presided over the launch of the Northeast chapter of the Speaker's Research Initiative (SRI) at Assam Administrative Staff College here. Mahajan said that platforms such as the SRI would provide an opportunity to legislators and policy makers of the Northeast to find acceptable solutions to vexed issues such as insurgency and take the region on a path of rapid development. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that an effective parliament was a must for keeping a check on governments and ensuring transparency while promoting good governance. Sonowal expressed optimism that the common platform of SRI would help the policymakers of the region take a holistic view of the issues confronting the region. --IANS ah/shs/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actress January Jones shared a topless photograph of herself on social media in a bid to spread breast cancer awareness. She has urged women to go for mammography. The 40-year-old actress posted the image on Instagram to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month and urged women to get checked regularly. "This is a friendly reminder to get a mammogram! Love your mellons," she wrote in a message across her chest, along with a scarecrow filter in honour of Halloween. Jones also informed her fans that British fashion designer Tamara Mellon was offering free mammograms in a mobile recreational vehicle. --IANS dc/rb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Japan on Monday withdrew from an international fleet review this week over demands to remove its "rising sun" flag ensign, regarded by many Koreans as a symbol of Japanese militarism and colonial rule. The kyokujitsuki flag, used by the Japanese Imperial Navy in campaigns around Asia and the Pacific before and during World War II, features a red disc and 16 rays extending outwards and was adopted by the maritime Self-Defence Forces (SDF) in 1954, reports the Guardian. South Korea, the host nation, had asked all 14 countries sending vessels to the five-day event, which begins on Thursday at a naval base on the island of Jeju, to ensure they display only their national flags and the flag of South Korea. South Korea had conveyed its stance that "the Japanese side should fully consider the rising sun flag's emotional connotation to our people", Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said. But Japan, whose SDF were permitted to fly the flag during similar reviews in 1998 and 2008, said it had no choice but to withdraw. "When it comes to the ensign, domestic laws and regulations stipulate that it must be hoisted at the stern," Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya said. "Regrettably, we have reached the decision that we have no choice but to cancel our participation." Katsutoshi Kawano, the SDF Chief of Staff, said: "Members (of the SDF) take pride in the ensign, and there is no way we will go there without hoisting the flag." North Korea joined the South in demanding the flag be banned, the Guardian said. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Speaking with the tone of a rabbi giving a sermon, Andrew Gillum stood at the lectern of a Century Village Jewish Center Sunday in Pembroke Pines and decreed that, despite whats been said about him on the campaign trail, his relationship with the Jewish community needs no repairing. There are some who would like to misconstrue what my relationship is with the Jewish community, Gillum, the Democratic nominee for Florida governor, stated in front of a standing-room only crowd at Century Pines Jewish Center. But they dont know the stories I can tell about that relationship. Flanked by one of the most prominent Jewish members of Congress in Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Gillum cast for weeks by Republicans as anti-Israel said his bonds with Floridas substantial Jewish community need no defending. He has been attacked by Republicans and GOP nominee Ron DeSantis as anti-Israel, and criticized for surrounding himself with what opponents describe as anti-Semitic forces. DeSantis has also blasted Gillums running mate, Chris King, for a quote he gave 20 years ago following a failed bid for student government at Harvard University in which he criticized the Jewish members of the student newspapers editorial staff. King apologized Sunday in a taped segment with WPLG Channel 10 and stressed no ill intent. So, before heading back to the Panhandle to prepare for an oncoming storm, the mayor of Tallahassee walked into one of the most dependable voting precincts in South Florida wearing a yarmulke and touted his ties to Floridas Jewish community. In the company of the Jewish former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, Gillum delivered a short speech in which he spoke about his three trips to Israel during his time in office in Tallahassee and his familys history. Read the rest here. Unidentified robbers on Monday looted jewellery worth Rs 25 lakh from a businessman in Jharkhand's Ranchi, police said. The incident took place at Dhruva locality when Raj Kumar Burman, owner of Burman Jewellers, was busy opening the locks of his shop. Taking advantage of this, the bike-borne criminals snatched the jewellery from him. Police has launched an operation to arrest the criminals. Ranchi police is under the scanner over the law and order situation in the city. On Sunday, around Rs 3 lakh was looted from a gas agency official. Last week, a businessman was murdered at a main road here. --IANS ns/mag/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was optimistic about holding "sooner or later" another summit with US President Donald Trump, state media reported on Monday. Kim expressed satisfaction over the "productive" meeting he had in Pyongyang US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday, to whom he explained his "proposals for solving the denuclearization issue", the Korean Central News Agency said in its report. On his return from Pyongyang, Pompeo, for his part, said during a meeting on Sunday in Seoul with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that the talks had been "good and productive", adding that progress was made in denuclearization issues and that they had talks about holding "at the earliest date possible" a second US-North Korea summit, reports Efe news. Pompeo also said that Washington and Pyongyang agreed to set up working groups to plan the future summit and the denuclearization process, and noted that both parties will continue to negotiate to determine the date and place of the second meeting between Kim and Donald Trump. According to the KCNA report, Kim praised the "positively developing" situation on the Korean peninsula in the meeting, during which "mutual stands were fully understood and opinions exchanged" between both parties. Kim was convinced that "a great progress would surely be made in solving the issues of utmost concern of the world and in attaining the goal set forth at the last talks with the projected second North Korea-US summit talks as an occasion", the report added. Kim also expressed optimism about the continuity of "negotiations based on the deep confidence between the top leaders of both countries". Pompeo, meanwhile, said in Seoul that he had discussed with Kim the denuclearization measures that North Korea must carry out, possible visits of US representatives to North Korea and how the US could take corresponding measures. At the moment Washington does not want to disclose more details on the recent talks in Pyongyang, since Pompeo himself had indicated in previous days that he would speak "about the details of the negotiation" himself so as not to compromise the process. During the inter-Korean summit in September, Pyongyang said it would dismantle the Yongbyon plant, its main nuclear facility, if Washington adopted "corresponding measures" based on what was agreed in the first Trump-Kim summit in Singapore. Both countries agreed in the summit to work towards the denuclearization of the regime in exchange for North Korea's security. However, their dialogue has been stalled since then due to the discrepancies over the disarmament process. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday extended their greetings on the occasion of the 86th Air Force Day. "We proudly honour our air warriors, veterans, and families of the Indian Air Force. They safeguard our skies with courage and commitment. The resilience, tenacity and zeal of our valiant air warriors is a source of pride for every Indian," the President tweeted. Modi said: "A grateful nation salutes our valorous air warriors and their families on Air Force Day. They keep our skies safe and are at the forefront of serving humanity in times of disasters. Proud of the Indian Air Force!" He also attached a video of IAF jets along with the tweet. The Congress chief hailed the valour of the Air Force personnel saying their commitment is an inspiration for all Indians. The Indian Air Force which was officially established on this day in 1932, would display an air show at Air Force Station Hindon in Uttar Pradesh to mark the day. --IANS aks/in/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Superstar Shah Rukh Khan says he would love to speak to the students of Oxford University, adding that meeting Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, who has started her second academic year there, will be a privilege for him. Yousafzai on Sunday shared a tweet from the principal of Oxford University, who extended an invitation to Shah Rukh to talk to the students at the Lady Margaret Hall. The Nobel laureate, then wrote: "Still waiting! SRK." The "Chennai Express" star replied: "Most certainly would love to do it and meeting you will be a privilege. Will put my team to schedule it sooner than soon." In 2017, Yousafzai met another Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra, who was in absolute awe of her. --IANS dc/nv/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The #Metoo movement that has hit the film industry also singed the with journalist Prashant Jha stepping down on Monday as chief of bureau and political editor of Hindustan Times and the house looking into the allegations of sexual misconduct against him. The allegations concerning the have surfaced over the past few days with several names, including some prominent ones, being mentioned in the social media. Journalist Sidharth Bhatia issued a statement rubbishing allegations against him. Women journalists have taken to the social media with their accounts of harassment inside and outside the newsrooms and some of them have posted snapshots of Whatsapp chats using Metoo hashtag. Dinesh Mittal, Group general counsel HT media said that a sexual harassment committee was looking into the allegations made against Jha by a former colleague. "It is proper that for fair investigation, till time the investigation is complete, he (Jha) doesn't have any managerial position. A sexual harassment committee with an external member is conducting a probe into the allegations against him," Mittal told IANS. The allegations were that Jha sent inappropriate messages on WhatsApp to the accuser. Screenshots of the conversation with Jha were also posted on Twitter. Bhatia, a founder Editor of The Wire, said in his statement that he could not recall either the two women who had made the allegations or the incident they had mentioned. "I forcefully deny the allegations," he said, adding that if the complainant comes up with further details, he was prepared to face an inquiry. Several other allegations against senior journalists were made on the social media. Former DNA Editor-in-Chief Gautam Adhikari and TOI's Hyderabad Resident Editor K.R. Sreenivas also rubbished allegations against them. Allegations have also been made against Mayank Jain of Business Standard. Meanwhile, the Network of Women in Media in India (NWMI), an organisation comprising women journalists, condemned "the rampant sexism and misogyny in Indian newsrooms" and demanded media organisations probe allegations and take appropriate actions. "All media organisations, including journalism colleges and departments, journalist unions and press clubs, must take suo moto cognisance of the accounts of survivors, institute inquiries and take appropriate action," it said in a statement and encouraged more women to document their accounts without fear or inhibitions. It also demanded that media organisations and journalism colleges should have policies to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace and set up properly constituted internal committees. "In keeping with the Sexual Harassment Act, 2013, freelancers and stringers, who are among the most vulnerable to sexual harassment, given their job insecurity must also be brought under the purview of anti-sexual harassment policies and the jurisdiction of Internal Committees of the media houses they contribute to," the statement said. --IANS and-ps/hs/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Despite claims by a company executive that Microsoft tech support has the tools to help users recover the files deleted by the "Windows 10 October 2018" update, users have not yet been able to avail the facilities, a media report said. Microsoft on Saturday paused the roll-out of the software update after several users complained that installing the update was wiping off their data. Later in the day, the head of the Windows Insider program, Dona Sarkar tweeted that Microsoft tech support has the tools to recover the missing files and guided followers how to reach out for assistance. But the Microsoft tech support team appears to be clueless about these tools, the Bleeping Computer reported on Sunday. Numerous users who called the support number were told that the bug was still under investigation and that the agents were not aware of any tools, the report said. On Saturday, Microsoft advised users who manually downloaded the update to not "install it and wait until new media is available". "We will provide an update when we resume rolling out the Windows 10 October 2018 Update to customers," the post added. Earlier, some users complained that the update wiped out their profiles, including documents and photos. An alarming number of users took to social media forums and Microsoft's own support website to complain about the issue. The Windows 10 October 2018 update rolled out globally on October 2. --IANS gb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister Anupriya Patel on Monday faced the ire of BHU students, who raised slogans against her and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over restoration of a stringent provision in a law that seeks to protect the oppressed castes. Patel, who is a Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare at the Centre, was coming out from the Laxman Das guest house at the Banaras Hindu University campus, when protesters, mostly students, surrounded her vehicle, an official said. They raised slogans against the Centre's restoration of the provision of immediate arrest under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act that had been struck down by a March 20 Supreme Court verdict. There was a heated exchange between the minister's security personnel and her husband and the protesters. Soon, another group of students approached the Minister's vehicle, accusing the BJP-led central government of trying to dilute the SC/ST law. The minister was escorted out of the campus under extra police protection. Anupriya Patel's Apna Dal (S) is an alliance partner of the BJP. --IANS md/shs/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to consider setting up a national institute to study issues related to children, including victims of sexual abuse, other excesses and the juveniles in conflict with law. Asking the Ministry of Women and Child Development to "consider the possibility of setting up or strengthening some national institution for the benefit of the children", a bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta said: "The institution could be in the nature of a centre of excellence or some institutional body which can look into various aspects in the lives of disadvantaged children." These include "investigation into offences committed by or against children, trial procedures, punishment, psycho-social rehabilitation, physical rehabilitation, mental trauma, physical well-being, training to the prosecutors and counsellors etc etc." "Since the matter is of some urgency and is relevant to the lives of the children, we expect the government of India to act with necessary promptitude in this regard and give necessary instructions to the Ministry," the court ordered. The court was hearing the larger issues emerging from sexual abuse of around 40 girls at the Muzaffarpur shelter home in Bihar when it emerged that there was no national institute to study the problems of children. The court agreed to a suggestion by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Pinki Anand to strengthen and expand the scope of the existing New Delhi-based National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD). The Ministry said that a Child Protection Policy is on the anvil and it may take about two months before a draft is ready. Soon after the first draft is ready, it would be circulated to invite suggestions from stakeholders and others concerned. In the last hearing on October 4, the court had said that the prevailing mechanism to curb incidents of sexual abuse of children at shelter homes was inadequate and asked the MWCD to tell it on the formulation of the child protection policy. At the outset of the hearing, Ministry Joint Secretary Aastha Saxena Khatwani told the apex court that the Ministry was in the process of preparing/developing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to address the problems faced by children in childcare institutions. The court was told that the SOP process may take some time. Khatwani told the court that in the meanwhile, an interim advisory would be issued to all states/Union Territories giving a "protocol to be followed in situations where there is some destruction in the life of children in the childcare institutions and even other children who may have destruction in their life due to violence, sexual or otherwise." Khatwani said that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is conducting a study on the condition of childcare institutions, including facilities therein. The apex court was told that upon the receipt of the report, it would be examined by experts so that the process of providing good living conditions and facilities to children in childcare institutions was taken care of. Steps would be taken to accommodate children of such institutions that need to be shut on account of poor facilities. The court asked the MWCD to give a "status report on the existence of Child Welfare Committees and functioning of the Juvenile Justice Boards." The court directed further hearing in the matter on November 13. --IANS pk/tsb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ever since Jahangir Alam came to Delhi from his native West Bengal six years ago, he somehow managed to earn a living by driving an auto-rickshaw. Alam, 26, was murdered after a dispute with his passengers over the fare. His uncle feels that the murderers should not be spared just because they are juveniles. His uncle, Muneer-Ul-Islam, 40, woke up on Monday in his rented home in Zakir Nagar and saw on a TV news channel that an auto-rickshaw driver in the city had been killed. Minutes later, he got a call from the police informing him that the slain man was his nephew. Father of four, Alam was the only breadwinner in his family. "His family back in Harishchandrapur in Malda faces an uncertain future," Muneer-Ul-Islam told IANS. "His wife has never moved out of the small village like most of the women in our families. She doesn't understand the fast city life," Islam said, adding that his nephew's widow was "in a really bad condition". Alam was stabbed to death after his passengers fought with him over fare. Four minor boys have been arrested for their involvement in the murder. Deputy Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma said four boys aged between 16 and 17 had hired his auto-rickshaw from Delhi's Khanpur to Connaught Place area on Sunday night. On the way they had a disagreement with the driver on the extra charges with the fare for the night time and also for the fourth passenger. One of theboys stabbed him to death. "The boys who killed Jahangir could have taken away money from him or maybe his mobile phone -- the way it keeps happening. They could have run away without paying. How could they kill him?" Islam wondered. "They are juveniles, but were responsible enough to move out of their house late at night. Why can't they be held responsible for the crime they have committed," Islam said, adding: "We are poor. I know what will happen. Their families would want to compromise by offering a lakh or two." Islam said the accused needed to be explained that they had made a shameful mistake. "I would guide a kid in my family against injuring or hurting an elder. That's what we expect from the police and the court," he said. "I also drive an auto-rickshaw. If such an incident happened with Jahangir, it can happen to anyone...to me too," said Islam. --IANS mg/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) @alextdaugherty Donald Trumps first year in office forced Miami Republicans to step on the third rail of GOP politics: immigration. The president banned foreign nationals from seven majority Muslim countries from entering the country weeks after he took office, setting off protests around the country. He announced the end of an Obama-era program to prevent the deportation of immigrants who came to the U.S. as young children, calling on Congress to act. The Trump administration began separating families and children who crossed the border illegally, and some parents were deported while their kids remained in U.S. custody. And Trump canceled a temporary program that allowed immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras to live and work in the U.S. without the threat of deportation. The three Miami Republicans in Congress, Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Carlos Curbelo and Mario Diaz-Balart, were opposed to all of these policy changes. The trio have the largest shares of eligible Latino voters in their districts among all Republicans in Congress and have tried for years to overhaul the nations immigration system. They want to prevent their law-abiding constituents from being deported, but theyve been stymied by their own party. All three GOP-held seats are being contested by serious Democratic candidates. Former nonprofit fundraiser Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is running against Curbelo, former University of Miami president Donna Shalala is running for Ros-Lehtinens seat, and former judge Mary Barzee Flores is running against Diaz-Balart. Thats been my biggest disappointment, Diaz-Balart said about the lack of an immigration compromise in the past two years. In order to get that issue done, you need to put hyper-partisanship aside. You need to have the trust of everybody around the table. Republicans in Congress have been unable to overrule the presidents executive order, find a solution for the young immigrants known as Dreamers and help individuals receiving Temporary Protected Status. Instead, theyve been reliant on liberal judges to prevent deportations. Last week, a federal judge in California ruled against the Trump administrations decision to end TPS, and Dreamers remain in legal limbo weeks from Election Day. Such great news for our South Florida community! Ros-Lehtinen tweeted last week after the TPS decision. We have wonderful folks from these countries who have been here legally and their pending deportations would be heartaches for their familias! The Democrats seeking to replace the trio largely agree with the South Florida Republicans on immigration policy, though they likely wouldnt support handing Trump money for his border wall in exchange for protecting existing immigrants from deportation. Theyre arguing that a Democratic majority in Congress is the way to get an immigration solution. There isnt any evidence that Curbelo and Diaz-Balart, along with Maria Elvira Salazar, the Republican seeking to replace Ros-Lehtinen, could convince the majority of their party to come up with a solution should they all win on Nov. 6. Curbelo and Diaz-Balart were part of a small group of lawmakers who first negotiated with Democrats to find a solution for Dreamers, an effort that fell two votes short. Then, they tried to negotiate with conservatives in their own party, an effort that saw a conservative compromise immigration bill fail badly. Its truly disappointing that after months of broken promises from Speaker [Paul] Ryan for Dreamers, Congressman Curbelo caved so easily to House Republican Leadership and handed over every piece of leverage on DACA to the most anti-immigrant Republicans in Congress, Curbelos Democratic opponent, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, said shortly after Curbelos compromise effort failed this summer. More here. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday spoke to his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani following violence against migrants from Bihar. Violence against migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh was reported after the alleged rape of a toddler on September 28 in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district. "For a crime of one person, others should not be attacked. The culprit should be punished, not everyone," Nitish Kumar told the media here. Hundreds of frightened migrant workers have returned to Bihar in the last few days. --IANS ik/mag/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences 2018 was awarded on Monday to American economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer for designing methods that address fundamental and pressing issues including long-term sustainable growth in the global economy. The announcement was made by the Royal Swedish Academy here. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded in the memory of Swedish philanthropist Alfred Nobel. Nordhaus, who is also a Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, is being recognised for his work on the damage caused by climate change, according to the Nobel Prize committee. Romer, who served as the Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank until January 24 and the pioneer of endogenous growth theory, has examined how economists can achieve a healthy rate of economic growth. The models that Nordhaus and Romer have created have helped with the development of economic growth and with combatting climate change, the Committee said. They have taken macroeconomics to a global scale, to tackle some of the world's biggest problems, it added. A total of 79 individuals have been awarded with this honour from 1969 to 2017. --IANS ksk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US State Department has said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefed South Korea on his just concluded travel to North Korea. According to a statement issued on Sunday by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Pompeo visited Seoul and met the country's president and foreign minister "to give a readout of his October 7 trip to Pyongyang". Pompeo "briefed on his meeting with Chairman Kim, which included his introducing Chairman Kim to Special Representative for North Korea Biegun as his chief negotiator, plans for a second US-North Korea summit, and discussions on achieving the commitments of the June Singapore Summit including the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea as committed to by Chairman Kim and President Trump," the statement read. Pompeo and his South Korean counterpart "also re-affirmed their commitment to the US-South Korea Alliance and continued close coordination with Japan on a unified response to North Korea." According to an earlier statement also issued by Nauert, Pompeo, during his stay in Pyongyang, "held productive discussions" with the country's top leader Kim Jong-un on Sunday, when they discussed the four elements of the US-North Korea Singapore Summit Joint Statement, the upcoming second summit between the two countries' top leaders, and options for the location and date of that next summit. Pompeo and Kim also agreed to instruct their respective working-level teams to meet soon to intensify discussions on the key remaining issues to deliver on the Singapore statement, and Kim invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled, the US State Department said. "President Trump looks forward to continuing to build upon the trust established with Chairman Kim in Singapore and anticipates meeting again soon," it added. --IANS pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi here to discuss developments in North Korea's denuclearization amid escalating trade tensions between the world's two largest economies. Pompeo met Wang during the last stop of his Asia tour, which began in Tokyo and also took him to Pyongyang and Seoul, to prepare a new summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump following the one held in Singapore in June, reports Efe news. Pompeo and Wang will also discuss trade tensions between China and the US, which have seen both nations impose tariffs on imported goods. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said China hoped the meeting would help renew "mutual trust" between the two countries after "the wrongdoing of the US". "We believe the wrongdoing of the US on certain issues was not conducive for US-China cooperation, and we hope they will come back onto the right track of working with the Chinese side (towards) healthy relations between the two," Lu said. In addition to the escalating trade dispute, Trump recently accused Beijing of attempting to interfere in the US midterm elections scheduled for November. --IANS ksk/mr (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking on the BJP over the attacks on the migrant community in Gujarat, President on Monday blamed closed factories and unemployment in the state to be the root cause of the violence. "Nothing can be more frightening than poverty. The root cause of violence in is closed factories and unemployment there. The system and the economy are both deteriorating," Gandhi said in Twitter expressing his solidarity with the migrant labourers. spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi held Prime Minister and Chief Minister responsible for the attacks and asked them to take responsibility for it. "Modi continuously uses Uttar Pradesh and for political gains, while in Gujarat, people of and UP are being attacked. Modi, who was elected to Parliament from Varanasi (UP), what is he doing to protect the livelihood of these people," Chaturvedi told the media here. "I must provide the 'Ram Rajya' that they had promised. If they can't, they should quit," she added. Sanitation workers of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation on Monday gathered at Jantar Mantar to protest salary delays, and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being indifferent to their problems. The EDMC workers, gathered under the banner of the Swachhata Karmachari Union (SKU), demanded that the state and central governments immediately release their salaries, pensions and clear the arrears. SKU member Anil Kumar said: "Kejriwal uses broomstick as a party symbol only for votes. This is the reality. He does not care about sanitation workers." "Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives crores of rupees to Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya and helps them to escape the country, but he struggles hard to pay our monthly salaries," he charged. The sanitation workers have been on a strike since September 12, leading to a pile-up of garbage in localities falling under the EDMC. The protesters said that the President of the MCD Swachhata Karamchari Union, Sanjay Gehlot, has made it clear that the strike would continue until the EDMC Commissioner and the Delhi government give an assurance to meet the demands of the sanitation workers. On Thursday, they had protested at Kejriwal's residence, clashing with police when it sought to disperse the crowd. Last week, the Delhi government had claimed that it had released Rs 770 crore to the EDMC in less than six months of the current financial year. "How is it possible that the EDMC, which could pay the salaries in 2014 to 2015 in half the funds that it got from the Delhi government then, now says it is unable to do so when it is getting almost double the amount?" Kejriwal had said last week. On October 4, Kejriwal attacked the BJP-led central government and the BJP-ruled municipal corporations in Delhi, saying that both were playing 'dirty politics' with the sanitation workers. Rani Devi, 40, a sanitation worker at the EDMC, complained: "Both the Delhi and Central governments are playing with our lives. The two are feuding, and we are stuck with no salaries, affecting our families." The current protest by the sanitation workers is their ninth Since 2015, and the longest. --IANS sm/nks/shs/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The demand for introduction of NRC in BJP-ruled Tripura is gaining momentum, with a tribal party approaching the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the state in this regard, while another party on Monday said it would intensify agitation for bringing NRC in the bordering state. According to an official of the Tripura Law Department, the Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Union and state governments on the petition seeking introduction of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Tripura to identify illegal immigrants. "The standing counsel in the Supreme Court for Tripura, Gopal Singh, apprised the Law Department that the apex court issued notices to the Central and state governments, the Registrar General and the Census Commissioner of India and sought their views on the issue immediately," the official said. He said the Supreme Court issued the notices after the plea was filed by the Tripura People's Front, a tribal-based party. On the other hand, the state's oldest tribal-based party -- Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), whose leaders met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi last week over the NRC demand, on Monday announced that they would intensify their agitation to highlight the issue. "Home Minister assured us to look into the demand for implementation of NRC in Tripura after completion of the process in Assam," INPT president Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl told the media. Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who had earlier said there is no issue of NRC in the state, on Saturday said in Kolkata that he will go in for NRC in the state if the exercise is successfully implemented in Assam. The Supreme Court-monitored updation of the NRC is an exercise to identify genuine Indian nationals living in the state of Assam. The NRC is part of the Assam Accord of 1985. Millions of Bangladeshi immigrants are suspected to be living illegally in Assam and other northeastern states, and the NRC is an exercise to identify them as well. The final draft of the NRC released on July 30, created a furore, as it left out some 40 lakh people. --IANS sc/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A scientist working at the BrahMos Missile Research Centre (BMRC) here was arrested on Monday on charge of spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI and other countries, informed sources said. Nishant Agrawal has been working for the last four years in the Technical Research Section of the BMRC. He was arrested in a joint operation by the Military Intelligence as well as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Police following a tip. He is likely to be booked under the Official Secrets Act, the sources said. As per preliminary information, Agrawal was reportedly passing on classified and secret information to the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan as well as other countries. Among other things, the BMRC is involved in making certain critical components for the BrahMos missile, considered the world's fastest cruise missile that can be launched from land, ships, aircraft or submarines. --IANS qn/mag/tsb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Hindu seer who was on an indefinite fast to press for early construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya has been picked up from the temple town here in Uttar Pradesh and sent to a hospital in Lucknow, police said on Monday. "He was picked up by the police after his condition deteriorated after midnight," an official said. Mahant Praramhans Das' pulse rate dropped alarmingly forcing the police to intervene. He was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) where doctors treating him said that his condition was critical as the ketone level in the body was very high due to prolonged fasting. He has also suffered acute dehydration. SGPGI Director Rakesh Kapoor is supervising Das' treatment, a doctor told IANS. He has been kept in the critical care ICU and nobody is allowed to meet him. The seer has been on a sit-in protest for the last one week and had declared that he would not relent until assurances from the state and central government that the construction of the temple would be expedited. On Sunday, state Industry Minister Satish Mahana had met the seer and asked him to give up his fast unto death. He had also assured Das that he would soon arrange for a video call between him and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. There is anger against the police action and many from the seer's community have converged at the venue of his fast. Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Praveen Togadia has reached here and is trying to appease the agitated seers. --IANS md/in/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Pakistan Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, along with a journalist, appeared before the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday for a hearing on a petition seeking treason proceedings against them. As the hearing commenced, the court, which had in the last hearing placed Dawn Assistant Editor Cyril Almeida's name on the Exit Control List and issued non-bailable warrants for his arrest for not attending court proceedings, ordered that the journalist's name be removed from the no-fly list and the warrants withdrawn, reports Dawn news. Sharif, Abbasi and Almeida's attendance in court was noted and all three respondents were ordered to submit written replies to the court. Security has been ramped up around LHC premises, with a contingent of Rangers and police officials deployed outside the court, and greater vigilance at the entry and exit points of the court. Sharif, who was recently released from jail after receiving bail in the Avenfield properties case, did not attend the last hearing due to the demise of his wife, Kulsoom Nawaz. A civil society member, Amina Malik, had filed the petition on the basis of an interview given by Sharif to Dawn on May 11. According to the petition, the former leader spoke about cross-border militancy and the need to end it. After the publication of the interview, the National Security Council held a meeting to deliberate on the matter. Abbasi, who was prime minister at the time, called on Sharif to take him into confidence about the deliberations. According to the petitioner, Abbasi's action amounted to sedition as he had violated his oath of office. The hearing has been adjourned until October 22. --IANS ksk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A CBS Miami news anchor has apologized after referring to a congressional candidate and former journalist as a "postalita" and suggesting that she left the industry to run for Congress at least in part because her English wasn't "up to snuff." Anchor Eliott Rodriguez took to Facebook Sunday to say that Salazar, a veteran of Spanish-language journalism in Miami, didn't voluntarily retire as a reporter in January to campaign for Congress but rather ran for Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's open seat after Mega TV, her former employer, decided against renewing her contract. He said she spoke to him about looking for a new job in the field after leaving the station, but was turned down at English-language stations because her language-skills were lacking. Rodriguez also critically compared Salazar, 56, to her Democratic opponent, former University of Miami president and Human Health and Services secretary Donna Shalala, 77. Rodriguez has interviewed both on air about their campaigns. "There is a word in Spanish for Maria Elvira, it's 'postalita,' roughly translated it is someone who is all show and no substance," Rodriguez wrote. "And as a resident of the district I believe we need substance." Rodriguez appears to have taken down the musing and apologized for "a rambling, disjointed and rather incoherent Facebook post" after critics began blasting him on social media, suggesting that he'd inferred that Salazar's accent made her unqualified for Congress. Miami Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Salazar supporter, called the comments "shocking" from a "decent man and a serious journalist." And Salazar's campaign consultant, Jose Luis Castillo, called Rodriguez's comments "offensive," and "a slap in the face to our diverse South Florida community." In a statement Monday, CBS4 communications director Lori Conrad said "Eliott regrets his comments on social media." "As an experienced journalist, he knows he has a responsibility to report news objectively and avoid expressing personal views. We believe Eliott has learned from this experience and will uphold his and our journalistic standards going forward. He has interviewed Ms. Salazar, along with her opponent before, and has been fair to both candidates." Rodriguez, who said during an interview that ran early last month that he's known Salazar for roughly 30 years, has invited Salazar to come onto the station's 7 p.m. broadcast to discuss his comments. But Castillo, Salazar's campaign consultant, said she's very busy and an appearance is unlikely. "I don't see that happening any time soon," he said. The Taliban on Monday appealed to the people of Afghanistan to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections in the country, calling them an attempt to legitimise the presence of foreign troops. The campaign for the elections, set for October 20, began around 10 days ago and will continue for around three weeks, reports Efe news. "The Islamic Emirate calls upon the nation for the sake of protecting the broader national interests and for the prevention of this significant and decisive process being used for the malicious objectives of foreign occupiers, to completely boycott the whole procedure of these elections, and not to participate in it by denying its value and credibility," the Taliban said in a statement. "The bogus process of elections in countries under occupation is conducted for the sole purpose of legitimizing those stooges who are authorized by the occupying forces. In this way, the people are given a deceptive feeling of having free right casting their votes." In recent months, Afghanistan has witnessed dozens of attacks on election officials, candidates and voters. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Monday remained non-committal on an alliance between the ruling AIADMK and BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in the state and ruled out seeking the resignation of his Ministers facing corruption charges. "(Lok Sabha) elections have not been announced. We will decide on an alliance once the poll dates are announced," he told reporters in reply to questions after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chief Minister and the Prime Minister are believed to have discussed the political situation in the state where a political vacuum has followed the deaths of charismatic leaders J. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi. To a question about seeking resignation of Ministers facing corruption charges, the Chief Minister said: "If facing corruption charges is the ground for removal of a Minister, then nobody, not just in Tamil Nadu but in the entire country, can continue as a Minister. In such a situation, you just have to give a complaint of corruption and the Minister cannot continue." There are corruption charges against some Ministers in the Palaniswami cabinet including Health Minister C. Vijayabhaskar and Local Administration Minister S.P. Velumani. During the meeting, the Chief Minister handed over a memorandum to Modi seeking release of Rs 44,315,89 crore to the state under several heads including the remainder of the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (GST). He urged the Modi government to set up a permanent naval station at Kanyakumari or Kolachel by the Indian Coast Guard for carrying out search and rescue operations of fishermen on the high seas. Palaniswami requested Modi to facilitate the setting up of a dental college in Virudhunagar district and a medical college in Ramanathapuram. According to Palaniswami, Rs 5,426 crore was due from the central government towards the balance Integrated Goods and Servcies Tax for 2017-18 and the ad hoc settlement of IGST due for September 2018. As a permanent flood control plan for Chennai, the state sought Rs 4,445.84 crore towards the integrated storm water drain network in Kovalam and Kosasthalaiyar Basin as well as the restoration of water bodies and purchase of machineries as New Delhi's share so that necessary infrastructure required to encounter work to control floods will come up at the earliest. A sum of Rs 560.15 crore towards performance grants for urban and rural local bodies for 2017-18 and Rs 1,608.03 crore as first instalment for fiscal 2018-19 and Rs 985.78 crore as arrears up to 2017-18 towards post matric scholarship for SC/ST students was also sought. The memorandum demanded Rs 400 crore for establishing integrated fishing infrastructure in Kanyakumari district and Rs 2,000 crore as compensation for the unfair treatment the state got under the 14th Finance Commission. Under Green Climate Fund and National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change, Tamil Nadu has asked for Rs 4,544.77 crore and Rs 8,699 crore towards pending Grants-in-aid under various schemes. The memorandum also sought Rs 15,441.32 crore towards improvements in the irrigation systems in the Cauvery Basin. He said the total project cost was estimated at Rs 17,600 crore out of which Rs 2,158.68 crore has been sanctioned for one of the nine components of the project. Citing the vacant lands in the possession of Salem Steel Plant in the state, Palaniswami urged Modi to promote an industrial hub for defence products there. He sought central assistance of about Rs 205 crore towards communication and other equipments for fishermen. --IANS vj-aks/vsc/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Monday ruled out seeking the resignation of his Ministers facing allegations of corruption. "If facing corruption charges is the ground for removal of a Minister, then nobody, not just in Tamil Nadu but in the entire country, can continue as a Minister. In such a situation, you just have to give a complaint of corruption and the Minister cannot continue," he said. There are corruption charges against some Ministers in the Palaniswamy cabinet including Health Minister C. Vijayabhaskar in the gutka scam and Local Administration Minister S.P. Velumani, who is accused of awarding government contracts to benami companies. --IANS vsc/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump is set to shuffle his top generals as he needs to tackle a number of huge foreign policy challenges over the coming months, a media report said. Behind the scenes, the White House and Pentagon are looking for a new slate of senior officers to fill several key jobs with several senior military figures set to retire, CNN said in its report on Sunday. Defence Secretary James Mattis is playing a central role in making recommendations for nominations that will have to be confirmed by the Senate. But there were no information on the nominations yet. A key vacancy will be filled in early 2019, when the highly respected four-star Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, currently the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is scheduled to retire. As vice chairman, Selva holds significant responsibilities overseeing highly classified nuclear weapons procedures, as well as military oversight of billions of dollars in budgeting and new weapons acquisitions. Some defence officials believe Army four-star Gen. Vincent Brooks, who heads the US military command in South Korea, could be a leading candidate to replace Selva. Brooks is scheduled for rotation out of South Korea in the coming weeks, but in a potentially crucial signal, his retirement has not been announced, CNN said. Trump also has to pick a new chairman of the joint chiefs, the top military adviser to the president later in 2019. The current Chairman, Gen. Joseph Dunford, is scheduled to complete his second two-year term late 2019. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain will be welcomed into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal with "open arms" after it leaves the EU, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said. While the UK would lose its role as a gateway to Europe after Brexit, it would retain its "global strength", the BBC quoted Abe as saying. He also urged the UK and EU to use "wisdom" to avoid a no-deal scenario. The TPP is a trade agreement between 11 countries, including Japan, Canada, Australia and Malaysia. US President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the agreement in 2017, soon after entering the White House. Abe's comments were likely to be welcomed by Brexit supporters, who argue Britain would be able to strike trade deals more easily outside the EU. The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019. It would only be able to join the TPP bloc if it left the EU customs union and was able to set its own tariffs. Abe, speaking to Financial times, hoped that the negative impact of Brexit to the global economy would be minimised. Japan is a major investor in the UK, where more than 800 Japanese businesses employ more than 100,000 people, the BBC said. In the run-up to Brexit several Japanese financial firms have said they intend to move their main EU bases away from London, including electronics giant Panasonic who would move its European headquarters from the UK to Amsterdam. --IANS in/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday began a refresher course for its personnel aimed at their "behavioural correction" after a constable shot dead an Apple executive here on September 29. The 12-day course for a batch of 200 personnel got underway in the presence of Director General of Police O.P. Singh, an official said. Once the inaugural course ends, fresh batches would be enrolled for the programme. The police chief asked his men to ensure that their conduct was fair and just. The training module aims to sensitise the policemen about how to behave with people and function during normal and stressful conditions. It also aims to impart moral training, the official told IANS. The police will have to course-correct and set an example by their behaviour and conduct, Singh said. On September 29, Tiwari was dropping a former colleague home after the launch party of Apple's new iPhone model X Plus. The executive's car was intercepted by two motorcycle-borne police constables who asked them to come out of the car. Prashant Chowdhary, one of the constables, opened fire and hit Tiwari when he allegedly refused to stop the car. Tiwari died due to the gunshot wound. --IANS md/shs/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the midst of the #MeToo wave that has taken Bollywood by storm, actress Aditi Rao Hydari says she faced one "bad" experience initially in her career but she never settled for anything lesser than dignity and respect over opportunity and fame. Asked about the casting couch and if an outsider of the film fraternity faces it more often than a star kid, Aditi told IANS here: "I only can talk about myself and my experience. Honestly, working on your own terms is difficult for a newcomer but not impossible. I am an example of that. "My opportunities might become fewer, but I have to choose how I want to deal with it." Recalling her days as a struggler in the film industry, she said: "I had one bad experience and I stepped out from that, though I had a three-film deal. I was new and naive, but I have been brought up in a way where I know how to stand for my dignity. "So I let go of an opportunity if it requires me to do anything to compromise on my dignity." Aditi refused to generalise the film industry as an unsafe place for women. "In film business or any business for that matter, there are people with different mindsets. Some would be compassionate and respectful, some might just be the womaniser, but how can we generalise that? That is wrong, I guess... That way, in a male dominating society, shining is tough for women," said the "Wazir" and "Padmaavat" actress. Having made her debut in 2009 with the film "Yeh Saali Zindagi", Aditi has appeared in movies like "Bhoomi", "Rockstar", "Murder 3", "Delhi-6" and "Daas Dev". In the southern film industry, she has worked with legendary director Mani Ratnam and she is currently shooting for actor-filmmaker Dhanush's upcoming yet untitled project. While her screen presence and performance keeps getting appreciation, the audience does not get to see her as leading Bollywood heroine. What is stopping her from being number one? "I really do not have an answer to that, but I want to say that I am happy with the opportunities that I have got in the last few years across the regions in Indian cinema where I have worked with some iconic filmmakers. I admire them for their excellence in the craft of filmmaking. "So there is no regret and I see no reason to feel negative about it," added the actress, who believes that success is a matter of perspective. "For someone, success is to be the highest paid actress. For some, it might be the number of awards and for some, it is the number of films. Honestly, I feel privileged when a celebrated filmmaker offers me a role so that I can be a part of his vision. That is success for me." --IANS aru/rb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It was shocking to see the oil companies being asked by the government to bear a cost of Rs 1 per litre on petroleum products. By doing so, these companies will lose billions in market capitalisation and the shares may also fall by 35-55 per cent. Why did it happen? The governments move is being seen by the market as walking away from the deregulated oil price regime. As a result, the companies will lose margins. The same objective would have been achieved if the Rs 2.5 reduction was by the Central government and its loss was compensated by high dividends from oil ... Unlike the past few years, this Dussehra can be slightly better for your gold investment. Rising oil prices and risks in the global economy can help investors get better returns on gold. The upside, however, will be capped. In the past one week alone, the yellow metal gained 2 per cent in the domestic market, and 0.4 per cent in the international market after Italy increased its budget deficit target to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product. It led to a fall in the euro against the dollar, and investors resorted to gold, a safe haven. While many events should lead to a rally in ... @alextdaugherty Republicans are likely going to lose congressional seats in November, a trend that goes back decades when a new presidents party also controls Congress. But in an environment where incumbent South Florida Republicans are mostly playing defense on issues like healthcare, immigration and guns, theres one issue where they think action over the last two years can excite independents and the base alike: taxes. Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo was partially responsible for writing the GOP tax bill, the most significant legislation that the Republican-controlled Congress passed under President Donald Trump. Each of the three Miami Republicans in the House, Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen voted for the final bill, which cuts taxes for most individuals for the next eight years, cuts corporate taxes and gives a bigger child tax credit to families. The bill will also likely blow a massive hole in the federal deficit. I think our biggest accomplishment was to pass historic tax reform legislation that has allowed an economic recovery to include more Americans, Curbelo said. That doesnt mean everyone is in perfect financial shape in this country but without question since we passed tax reform, [employers] are investing more in American workers, businesses are coming back and foreign competitors are not beating us. The economy is also in an upswing, something that could bode well for Republicans campaigning on the tax bill. Unemployment is at a near 50-year low, though hiring and wage growth is sluggish. Republicans passed the bill on party lines and Democrats were left out of negotiations. A few Republicans from wealthier areas of New York and California voted against the bill because it capped the deduction on state, local and property taxes. Some notable opposition to one part of the tax bill came from Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who advocated for a slightly smaller corporate tax cut in exchange for an expanded child tax credit, though he is not up for reelection and ultimately voted for the final bill. Outside groups are touting the tax cuts, including a super PAC aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan that opened a field operation in Curbelos district nearly 18 months ahead of Election Day. In my district the median family of four got tax relief of approximately $2,000, Curbelo said. Some people think thats crumbs, but I know people who have said its the difference between taking a vacation or not or affording a car payment or not. Its given a lot of families and individuals relief after a decade of stagnant wages and low growth. Things are getting better in our country economically. But the average tax cut disproportionately benefits wealthy Americans. Households making $500,000 or more will see a 3.3 percent to 4.3 percent savings on their tax bill this year, while households making less than $75,000 will see a 1.6 percent savings at most, according to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan Washington think tank. Households making more than $1 million will see a 0.9 percent tax savings in 2027, after the tax cuts passed by Congress sunset, and households making less than $75,000 will see a slight tax increase. More here. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ally Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), leaders on Monday accused Gujarat Congress legislator Alpesh Thakor of fuelling the attacks on migrant workers, but the Congress said the attacks were a result of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani having recently said that 80 per cent of all jobs in the state should be reserved for the people of the state. We are committed to maintaining law and order, and people can call the police in case of trouble. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor A total of 1,495 children stranded in various railway stations in Tamil Nadu has been rescued and handed over to their parents this year as against 1,940 rescued in 2017, assistant director general of police (Railways) C Sylendra Babu said Monday. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a one-day workshop organised by the railways on 'Crime Against Women and Children in Railways: Investigation Skill and Development for Men and Women in Railways. The police official said 22 cases have been so far been registered this year for crime against women both on trains and railway stations and two people sentenced to three years imprisonment for such crimes. He claimed the railway police was the first to take step whenever crimes happened because of which the rate of crime has come down. "The travelling public has full trust in the railway police force as it takes immediate steps against crimes owing to which crime rate has drastically come down," he said. The official said the workshop was organised on how to handle such cases and how to proceed with the investigations. Asked about the strength of the police force to handle the case, he said the railway police has adequate number of personnel, both men and women. Recently, 200 personnel were recruited of whom 90 were women constables, he added. City commissioner of police Sumit Sharan was also present at the workshop. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a suspected hit-and-run case, a 13-year-old boy died on Sunday after allegedly being hit by a speeding car in outer Delhi's Nangloi area, police said on Monday. The incident took place on Saturday near Rohtak road when Amit, the victim, was going with his mother, they said. A case was registered in connection with the incident on the same day, police said. The victim was rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries, a senior police officer said. With the help of CCTV footage, the police identified the vehicle and seized it, he said. Police are trying to trace the driver who has been on the run, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sixteen Bangladeshi nationals were arrested while another four children detained in for illegally residing, police said Monday, adding that they were found in possession of several government identity cards, including Aadhaar. The were nabbed at a private plot in Kosi town under Kosikalan police station on Sunday evening, they said. "On the basis of a tip-off, the local intelligence wing and police in a joint operation nabbed 16 residents of Bangladesh along with four children who had been living illegally in Kosikalan for over two years" SP (Rural) Aditya Kumar Shukla said. One of the two persons harbouring immigrants has also been arrested while the other is absconding, he said. He said the immigrants were in possession of Aadhaar card and other documents. According to Shukla, they used to pay Rs 8,000-10,000 for crossing the border. He said they were working as ragpickers. Efforts are on to nab the other accused, Shukla said. Seven mobile phones, eight Aadhaar cards, one PAN card, a driving license and Rs 500 in Indian currency were recovered from their possession, police said. Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have seized here 19 exotic birds of various species which were allegedly smuggled into India for sale, an official said Monday. The seized avians include 15 birds of species Agapornis, commonly known as 'Love birds' of African origin, one Sun parakeet, two great Billed parrot of Philippines origin and one white cockatoo of Indonesian origin, he said. The birds were seized from the premises of one Dominic Sequira, a resident of Vadgaon Sheri, the DRI official told PTI. "On the basis of specific information, the Pune unit of the DRI, with assistance of officers of the Pune Customs Commissionerate, on October 7 recovered illegally imported foreign exotic birds," he said. The birds were handed over to the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park here for safe custody. "The above mentioned live exotic birds command very high price, as they are sold in illegal markets after being smuggled," said the officer. All these birds appear to have been illegally imported into India without declaration or through illicit routes, he said. Apart from section 111 of the Customs Act, sections 48 and 49 of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 prohibits trade or commerce in Wild Animals or Animal Articles or Trophies, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two men were arrested for robbing a man of his car and mobile phone at gunpoint after hiring his vehicle, police said on Monday. The accused, identified as Nawada-resident Rohit alias Raman (29) Abhishek Singh (24), a resident of Bharthal, were arrested from southwest Delhi within an hour of filing of a complaint on Sunday, the police said. According to the complaint filed by Ajay Yadav, Rohit booked his car for a ride from Nawada to Jhajjar in Haryana. "He picked the passenger from Nawada and when he reached Bijwasan, Rohit threatened him with his country-made pistol and asked him to follow his instructions. "Rohit took Yadav to Jhajjar, Rohtak and Kharkhoda in Haryana. Later he asked Yadav to take him to an area near Palam Airport where one of his associates met and boarded the car. Thereafter, the accused persons pushed Yadav out of the car and robbed his mobile and sped away towards Chhawala," a senior police official said. Devender Arya, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest), said, "After receiving the information, the police team conducted several raids and at around 6.15 pm, one I-20 car was spotted coming from Jhajjar side towards Chhawala drain. The team signalled the car to stop for checking but instead of stopping, the driver tried to speed away." However, after a brief chase, the accused were apprehended. During interrogation, they confessed that they had committed the robbery, the DCP said. The car along with a mobile phone and a country-made pistol have been recovered from their possession. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two colliery workers were killed after a portion of the roof fell on them in Pandabeswar in West Burdwan district, police said on Monday. The deceased - Chandrasekhar Giri (50) and Kaleshwar Mahato (42) - were working at the Khottadih colliery of Eastern Coalfield Ltd when the chunk of the roof collapsed around 4 am on Sunday, a police officer said. Giri and Mahato had died by the time they were recovered from the rubble, he said. Fellow colliery workers staged a protest against the incident, demanding compensation for their family, before the ECL management assured them of adequate ex gratia, the officer said. A member of the workers' union alleged that ECL - a subsidiary of mining major Coal India Ltd - did not follow safety norms at the collieries. He, however, said that the management will offer employment to one family member of both the deceased and pay Rs 7 lakh each as compensation. The management of the company could not be contacted for comment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A limousine carrying four sisters, other relatives and friends to a birthday celebration blew through a stop sign and slammed into a parked SUV outside a store in upstate New York, killing all 18 people in the limo and two pedestrians, officials and victims' relatives said Sunday. The weekend crash was characterised by authorities as the deadliest US transportation accident in nearly a decade. The crash turned a relaxed Saturday afternoon to horror at a rural spot popular with tourists viewing the region's fall foliage. Relatives said the limousine was carrying the sisters and their friends to a 30th birthday celebration for the youngest. "They were wonderful girls," said their aunt, Barbara Douglas, speaking with reporters Sunday. "They'd do anything for you and they were very close to each other and they loved their family." Douglas said three of the sisters were with their husbands, and she identified them as Amy and Axel Steenburg, Abigail and Adam Jackson, Mary and Rob Dyson and Allison King. "They did the responsible thing getting a limo so they wouldn't have to drive anywhere," she said, adding the couples had several children between them who they left at home. The 2001 Ford Excursion limousine was travelling southwest on Route 30 in Schoharie, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) north of New York City, when it failed to stop at 2 pm Saturday at a T-junction with state Route 30A, State Police First Deputy Superintendent Christopher Fiore said at a conference in Latham, New York. It went across the road and hit an unoccupied SUV parked at the Apple Barrel Country Store, killing the limousine driver, the 17 passengers, and two people outside the vehicle. The crash "sounded like an explosion," said Linda Riley, of nearby Schenectady, who was on a shopping trip with her sisters. She had been in another car parked at the store, saw a body on the ground and heard people start screaming. The store manager, Jessica Kirby, told The New York Times the limo was coming down a hill at "probably over 60 mph." In an email to The Associated Press, she complained that the junction where the crashed occurred is accident-prone. "We have had 3 tractor trailer type trucks run through the stop through our driveway and into a field behind the business," Kirby wrote. "All of these occurred during business hours and could've killed someone then." She added that the state Department of Transportation has banned heavy trucks from the intersection but there are constant smaller crashes. "More accidents than I can count." The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. "This is one of the biggest losses of life that we've seen in a long, long time," NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said. It's the deadliest transportation accident since February 2009, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing 50 people, Sumwalt said. And it appears to be the deadliest land-vehicle accident since a bus ferrying nursing home patients away from Hurricane Rita caught fire in Texas 2005, killing 23. At the conference, Fiore didn't comment on the limo's speed, or whether the limo occupants were wearing seat belts. Authorities didn't release the names of the victims or speculate on what caused the limo to run the stop sign. Autopsies were being conducted. Speaking through tears on the telephone, Valerie Abeling said her 34-year-old niece Erin Vertucci was among the victims, along with Vertucci's newly wed husband, 30-year-old Shane McGowan. "She was a beautiful, sweet soul; he was too," Abeling said. The couple was married in June at a "beautiful wedding" in upstate New York, Abeling said. "They had everything going for them." Vertucci, who grew up in Amsterdam, New York, was an administrative assistant at St Mary's Healthcare in Amsterdam, Abeling said. The vehicle was an after-market stretch limousine, according to an official briefed on the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official was not authorised to discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and thus declined further identification. Safety issues on such vehicles have arisen before, most notably after a wreck on Long Island in July 2015 in which four women on a winery tour were killed. They were in a Lincoln Town Car that had been cut apart and rebuilt in a stretch configuration to accommodate more passengers. The limousine was trying to make a U-turn and was struck by a pickup. A grand jury found that vehicles converted into stretch limousines often don't have safety measures including side-impact air bags, reinforced rollover protection bars and accessible emergency exits. That grand jury called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to assemble a task force on limousine safety. Limousines built in factories are already required to meet stringent safety regulations, but when cars are converted into limos, safety features are sometimes removed, leading to gaps in safety protocols, the grand jury wrote. On Sunday, New York's senior US Sen, Chuck Schumer, noted he asked NTSB to toughen standards after the 2015 crash. "I commend the NTSB's immediate aid on scene and am very hopeful that we will have concrete answers soon," Schumer said. Limousine accidents remain rare, according to NHTSA data. They accounted for only one death crash out of 34,439 fatal accidents in 2016, the last year for which data is available. Cuomo on Sunday released a statement saying, "My heart breaks for the 20 people who lost their lives in this horrific accident on Saturday in Schoharie. I commend the first responders who arrived on the scene and worked through the night to help ... I have directed state agencies to provide every resource necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy." ___ Salsberg reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Mike Balsamo in New York City, John Kekis in Latham, New York, and David Klepper in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 20 children were Monday injured when a truck rammed into a school bus in Shaktinagar area here, police said. The bus was carrying over 50 children of Central School, they said. The injured students were rushed to a hospital, where their condition was stated to be stable while the bus driver was stated to be critical. Police is probing the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from Gujarat Police on a plea by former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, who has been sentenced to 21 years in jail in the Naroda Patiya massacre case in which 97 people were killed by a mob during 2002 Gujarat riots, seeking bail on health grounds. A bench of justices Kurian Joseph and S Abdul Nazeer issued notice to the police on Bajrangi's plea in which he has claimed that he was in "unsound physical condition", having permanent blindness and had undergone bypass surgery recently. While seeking bail, he has also challenged the Gujarat High Court's April 20 verdict in which his conviction in the case was upheld and the life term awarded to him by the trial court was reduced to 21 years' rigorous imprisonment without remission. The apex court, while issuing notice on his plea, said it was on the aspect of bail only. He has claimed in his plea that the high court order convicting him merely on an alleged extra-judicial confession was "erroneous". The high court, while upholding his conviction along with others, had noted about "extra judicial confessions" made by Bajrangi and two convicts during a sting operation. In his plea before the top court, Bajrangi has claimed that a sting operation, conducted eight years after the incident, was "not even a direct evidence" as per the Indian Evidence Act. He has also alleged that the case against him was "highly doubtful" as there were many contradictions in the evidence and depositions recorded in the court. The high court had upheld the conviction of 12 out of 29 accused who were pronounced guilty on various charges by the trial court and had acquitted 17 others, including former BJP minister Maya Kodnani. The rioting had taken place on February 28, 2002, in the Naroda Patiaya area of Ahmedabad where a mob had killed 97 people, most of them from a minority community. The massacre had taken place a day after the torching of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, which had triggered state-wide riots. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum speaks to the media in advance of Hurricane Michael on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (Lawrence Mower - Tampa Bay Times) Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum says the city has asked for hundreds more linemen in advance of Hurricane Michael's landfall, addressing one of the chief criticisms in his campaign for governor. Gillum said the city has asked for between 500 and 600 more linemen, six times what the city's electric utility normally has on staff. He said the city expects at least 100 linemen to be ready before Michael makes landfall Tuesday night. The city manager is responsible for running the city, while the mayor's position is mostly ceremonial. But Gillum touted the efforts of the city following Hurricane Hermine in 2016, which left the vast majority of the city's residents without power for days. Gillum has been criticized for not accepting help from Florida Power and Light utility crews after that storm. The decision was made by the city's utilities director. After Hermine, Gillum said the city started signing mutual aid agreements with private utility companies, something that he said did not exist in 2016. "We broke that wall down following Hermine, where you now get much more quick coordination between the public and the private utilities," Gillum said following a Monday afternoon press conference. He said that the city is still a second-tier priority to private utility companies like FPL. "The privates (utilities) have to first respond to other privates," Gillum said. "Once those supports are exhausted ... they then become available to us. We're still secondary in support. Michael appears to be a much more menacing storm than Hermine, which was a Category 1 when it made landfall in 2016, the first storm to hit the area in three decades. Michael is already a Category 1, with projections that it could become a Category 3 before it hits the Florida Panhandle. A drug peddler was arrested Monday and a vehicle seized after recovery of 240 kg of poppy from it in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district, police said. Acting on specific information, a police party intercepted an SUV coming from Kathua side on the highway at Tapyal, they said. During checking of the vehicle, 240 kg of poppy was recovered. The vehicle and the contraband item were seized and the drug peddler was arrested, they added. A case was registered at Ghagwal police station against the driver and owner of the vehicle Maskeen Ali and a probe has been initiated, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four persons died while 10 others, including a woman, were injured as the vehicle in which they were travelling skidded off road and plunged on the down road near Zuketsa under Pfutsero sub division of Phek district on Monday. Confirming the incident, Phek police sources said that 14 persons were travelling in Bolero pick up when the accident occurred. The actual cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained but it is suspected that the vehicle might have lost control while trying to negotiate steep turn on the mountainous road. Sources said that three persons died on the spot while one succumbed to injuries on the way to hospital. All the victims are from Leshemi village under Pfutsero sub-division in Phek district, police said. Travelers and police rushed the injured to different hospitals in Kohima. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As many as four students of an aided inter college here claimed they were attacked by some people at the behest of its authorities for complaining that singing "Vande Matram" and chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai" were not allowed in the institute, police said. According to a complaint lodged by class XII student Anuj Kumar Gaur, he and his three friends were attacked outside the GMAM Inter College gate in the afternoon, ASP Vijay Pal Singh said. On Friday, some members of social welfare organisation Manas Mandir had visited the college on Bilthara Road and they found that the students were being punished for singing "Vande Mataram" or chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai" after school prayers. Manas Mandir manager Shiv Kumar Jaiswal said that not only the students, but teachers also complained about the same on camera. The organisation had sent a complaint in this regard, along with the video recordings of the students and teacher's statements, to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. According to Gaur's complaint, college's principal Majid Nasir and some teachers were not happy about this and they got him and his friends attacked, ASP Singh said. Gaur has alleged that around 20-25 people attacked them with lathis and "Pakistan Zindabad" slogans were also raised, the police officer said. The principal and teachers allegedly instigated the attackers when the four cried for help, the ASP said, citing the complaint. He said that additional forces have been deployed in Bilthara Road area as a precautionary measure and the matter is being investigated. The students said that "Bharat Mata ki Jai" slogan was raised by the students after the prayers Monday morning which led to tension on the campus. Earlier, the video of the students and teacher's statements complaining about the alleged ban were uploaded on the social networking site by the organisation. After that, District Magistrate Bhawani Singh Khangaraut had directed District Inspector of School (DIOS) Narendra Dev Pandey to look into it. On Saturday, principal Nasir had claimed the complaint that singing "Vande Matram" and chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai" were not allowed was a conspiracy to defame the institution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five persons were arrested on Monday for their involvement in a dacoity and killing of a 60-year-old salesman of a liquor shop at Jagadalpur village in Ganjam district, police said. The incident took place under the jurisdiction of Berhampur Sadar police station, on Wednesday, October 3, the police said. The deceased was identified as Bijaya Kumar Dakua (62) and he was a resident of Jagadalpur village, a police officer said, adding, the salesman's body was recovered on Thursday morning. The five accused are also residents of the same village, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Berhampur Sadar, A K Mohanty, said. They looted Rs 20,000 from the liquor shop and killed the salesman before leaving it, Mohanty said. The accused have confessed to their crime, the Inspector-in-Charge (IC) of Berhampur Sadara police station, Siba Shankar Mohapatra, said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 300 people would be industry-ready and trained in 5G technology with a Central-government funded '5G test bed' becoming fully operational by 2021, national coordinator of the project Bhaskar Ramamurthi has said. Ramamurthi, a professor of communication technology and also IIT-Madras director, said the first version of the 'test bed' would be ready by 2019-end and the final version by 2021. "Already nearly 170 people are working on this. By the time we are through with this, 300 to 400 persons of various profiles will be trained in 5G so that they can join the (mobile network) operators," Ramamurthi told PTI. "It is an ongoing process and the test bed would facilitate training more professionals to meet the demand," he added. India is aiming to rollout 5G services simultaneously with other countries, unlike its previous networks 3G and 4G which were deployed much later. As part of the effort, the Centre launched a three-year project 'Building an End-to-End 5G Test Bed' to advance innovation and research in 5G. With a budget of Rs 224 crore, the programme has been awarded to IIT Madras, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT), Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. The test bed, located partly in all these institutions, envisages close collaboration between the universities and startups and create an ecosystem that closely resembles a real-world 5G deployment. The final version of the test bed would be fully compliant, which means "anyone's handset should work with anyone's base station (institutions)," the director said. The test bed is already collaborating with around 12 startups working on 5G. Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan has said auction of spectrum for 5G services is likely to happen in the later half of 2019. Telecom minister Manoj Sinha has said government has approved financial grant for the project to set up Indigenous 5G Test Bed' in India by Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institute of Science. The project entails setting up of an 'open 5G Test Bed' for Indian companies, academia and is likely to enhance the national capability in telecom technology and manufacturing and create Intellectual Property (IP), according to him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scientists -- including one of Indian origin -- have created an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that can accurately predict whether a person's cognitive decline will lead to Alzheimer's disease in the next five years. Researchers from the University of Toronto in Canada designed an algorithm that learns signatures from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), genetics, and clinical data. According to the study published in PLOS Computational Biology, the algorithm can help predict whether an individual's cognitive faculties are likely to deteriorate towards Alzheimer's in the next five years. "At the moment, there are limited ways to treat Alzheimer's and the best evidence we have is for prevention. Our AI methodology could have significant implications as a 'doctor's assistant' that would help stream people onto the right pathway for treatment," said Mallar Chakravarty, an assistant professor in McGill University in Canada. For example, one could even initiate lifestyle changes that may delay the beginning stages of Alzheimer's or even prevent it altogether," said Chakravarty. The researchers trained their algorithms using data from more than 800 people ranging from normal healthy seniors to those experiencing mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease patients. "We are currently working on testing the accuracy of predictions using new data. It will help us to refine predictions and determine if we can predict even farther into the future," said Chakravarty. With more data, the scientists would be able to better identify those in the population at greatest risk for cognitive decline leading to Alzheimer's. Worldwide, around 50million people have dementia and the total number is projected to reach 82 million in 2030 and 152 in 2050, according to the World Health Organization. Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, may contribute to 60-70 per cent of cases. Presently, there is no truly effective treatment for this disease. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One of the founding members of group AIB, Gursimran Khamba, has been accused by a woman of misconduct but comedian has categorically denied "any violation of consent". The woman, who requested anonymity, posted her statement through the Twitter handle of a journalist. She said she and the comedian had "hooked up two-three times, consensually and continued being friends" but things escalated when on two separate occasions, Khamba tried "repeatedly to make out with me while we were hanging out". "He lay down on top of me on the couch, I had to physically shove him away, turn my face or push his. He would then stop. And we would hang out, ignoring the entire thing. I continued being friends with him." The woman said the comic later realised he had feelings for her but by that time she was already in a relationship. "This led to drunk calls, threat to ruin friendships, emotional blackmail and (emotional) abuse that went on for five months. In 2016, in Delhi, when we hung out, he wanted to come over, I said no. He said he didn't want to do anything, just spend time with me. I don't disbelieve this. But I said no. This was followed by him being angry and nasty and abusive. "My equation with him has led to incredible stress, anxiety and a burden I carry even today in terms of how I conduct myself and navigate relationships, trust and general insecurity issues," she said. The woman said she decided to come forward because she was sick of the hypocrisy when he is "lauded as a smart, level headed woke" man. "It makes me sick to see people celebrate him when they don't know the context and costs." Khamba acknowledged misbehaving on being rejected but said he never violated her consent. "I am aware of the person who's stated the incident... in 2015 we had hooked up consensually multiple times. But I categorically deny the incident mentioned in October and December. I was not forceful. "It is true that I developed feelings for her while she was dating someone else. During that time given our friendship and history I felt rejected and was angry and did not behave appropriately at all. It had become a toxic relationship and I'd like to apologise unconditionally for it like I had done in the past. That behaviour was extremely uncalled for. She rightly stopped talking to me," Khamba said. He said the woman reached out to him and they tried being friends again, but he was already in a relationship with his now wife. "She was uncomfortable with our past history because of which I stopped talking to her. I'm sorry for my bad behaviour and all he hurt it caused her but I categorically deny any violation of consent," he added. The revelation comes in the wake of a former member of AIB company, Utsav Chakraborty being accused by multiple women of sending his unsolicited nude pictures. AIB had said last week that it has decided to de-list every video featuring the comedian. Utsav had apologised for his behaviour in a series of tweets and said he has "no excuse" for it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) on Monday paid Rs 1 billion to state-owned oil marketing to partly clear dues related to purchase of jet fuel, a senior official said. In September, the asked debt-laden to clear its dues towards daily billing amid rising The national carrier lifts jet fuel from three oil marketing firms -- Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Ltd -- worth Rs 6 billion per month on an average. A senior official said such notices are "not unusual" and that the paid Rs 1 billion on Monday to the oil marketing According to an official, a notice has been sent to Air India asking it to clear the dues. Air India group, which comprises Air India, and Alliance Air, operates 475 flights per day to 78 domestic and 44 international destinations. It is the only domestic carrier which flies long and ultra-long haul flights or flights which are up to 16 hours duration. The airline, whose debt is more than Rs 500 billion, is grappling with financial woes and the government is working on ways to bolster the carrier's fortunes. In May, efforts for strategic disinvestment of Air India failed to take off. Dues amounting to about Rs 9.70 billion are pending against various in the country in lieu of providing security to them, a top official of the paramilitary force said Monday. Director General (DG) Rajesh Ranjan said during an interaction here that while an amount of Rs 8.80 million is pending against 'joint venture' or the privately-run facilities, about Rs 900 million is due against those which are operated by the Airports Authority of (AAI). Out of the Rs 8.8 billion amount, the maximum Rs 7.88 billion is pending against the (IGIA) in the national capital, run by the DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited), he said. "We have communicated this to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the as they are the expert ministries to figure out (the solution)," the DG said. Ranjan added that any call on withdrawal of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) from these airports, owing to the dues, can be taken by the two ministries as they are "authorised to take a call on that." The is tasked as the security force to guard civil airports in the country but as of now only 60 such facilities are under its cover. Asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) with strong capital backing would be able to evolve their models successfully in the near to medium term and remain relevant, a report said Monday. ARCs will play a significant role in resolution of mid-sized assets that would be commensurate to their capital, India Ratings and Research said in its report. "ARCs that are backed by large groups with strong capital commitment, capability to evaluate transactions using group synergies and ability to find equity investors would be able to evolve their models successfully in the near to medium term," the rating agency said. It said ARCs are very critical to the country's economy as they have significant expertise in dealing with micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) businesses. "The ARCs' increased focus on mid-sized assets would also free up the bandwidth of banks to focus on larger cases that contribute to a greater proportion of the NPAs on their books," the agency said. According to the report, relative to pre-2012 period, ARCs have reported a worse cumulative average recovery for the security receipts (SRs) issued during 2012-2017. The average recovery amount on the SME debt acquired for the recent vintage (2012-2017) SRs has been just a third of the average recovery observed for SRs issued in the 2006-2011 period, it said. The report said ARCs paid more than twice the price in 2012-2017 relative to that paid in 2006-2011 vintage, resulting in a much worse redemption track record on the SRs backed by SME loans. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) @martindvassolo @alextdaugherty Maria Elvira Salazar is trying to hug her way to Congress. The telegenic former TV host turned Republican candidate is at Las Mercedes senior center in West Dade, a campaign stop full of elderly Cuban-American voters who helped fuel the GOPs dominance in Miami for the last 40 years. Everyone recognizes her. Most do not speak English. Salazar works the room, hugging dozens who are eager to chat with someone they saw on TV for years. One asks her how shes in such good shape for a 56-year-old. I dont eat dairy, Salazar replies with a laugh. She is seeking to pull off an upset in the countrys most Democratic-leaning district currently under GOP control in a year where Democrats are poised to make gains in Congress. Her opponent is former University of Miami president and Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, one of the most experienced first-time congressional candidates ever. In an era where President Donald Trump shouts fake news at unflattering news coverage and belittles journalists who ask him tough questions, the Republican Party is putting its faith in a woman who touts her 35-year career in news reporting and has vowed to serve as a centrist not beholden to the conservative wing or the president. Republicans need to keep 24 seats from flipping blue if they want to maintain the House of Representatives for the latter half of Trumps first term in office. Salazar, who voted for Trump, is running in Floridas 27th Congressional District, one that Trump lost by more than 19 percentage points in 2016, the largest margin of defeat for the president in any district held by a Republican. But Salazar has the support of retiring Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen who won reelection in 2016 by 10 percentage points despite Trumps presence on the ballot and local Republicans like Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Carlos Curbelo. Being a journalist for 35 years its very difficult to stop being one, Salazar said. I covered the first year of [Trumps] presidency so there is my record. Ive always covered the issues, not on the fluff or on the words. Salazar is campaigning as Ileana 2.0. Shes indicated an openness to a ban on assault weapons, backs Curbelos new carbon tax proposal and says shell fight for comprehensive immigration reform if elected. And shes aware of the potential challenges Trump poses to her candidacy. The Republican Party, its values, the values that are entrenched are bigger than the president, Salazar said. I understand that Trump is an unconventional guy, I get that sometimes his words are not the proper ones, but I see what hes done for the country, and what hes done for China and North Korea no other president did. Salazar insists that shes seeing a path to victory, and polling shows a closer-than-expected contest between Shalala, a former Clinton administration official and Clinton Foundation executive who does not speak Spanish, and Salazar, a known presence on Spanish-language television. Surprise! she says when asked about her potential to steal what should have been a Democratic layup. I cant tell you the secret but the path to victory is there. Read more here. Top Army commanders will deliberate on operational challenges and various reform initiatives during a week-long conference starting Tuesday. During the Army Commanders' Conference, to be held from October 9 to 15, a host of issues ranging from operational, administrative, logistics and human resources will be discussed, an official statement said. As part of the conclave, commanders and directorates at the Army Headquarters will in a collegiate deliberate on important studies that have been ordered to meet future operational challenges, it said. There are four studies examining the operational and optimisational issues of the Army and the headquarters as also human resources management aspects. These studies aim to improve the teeth to tail ratio, with the purpose of strengthening the structures within the Army, to make it combat ready for the future, the statement said. Various issues related to reform initiatives in the force will also be discussed during the conference, sources said. Last month, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat and top commanders held detailed deliberations on ways to make the force "leaner and meaner", which included carrying out an extensive organisational restructuring and downsizing of the force. The Defence Ministry has already announced a series of reform measures for the Army which include redeployment of nearly 57,000 officers and other ranks as well as ensuring better utilisation of resources. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Men and women passengers flying out from the city airport will soon no longer have to stand in separate queues during security screening. In a first in the country, Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) Monday said it has signed an agreement with UK-based technology developer L3 Macdonald Humfrey to roll out a new security system by December, which will screen men and women together. The new system is also expected to reduce the wait time for passengers drastically. BIAL has signed an agreement with L3 Macdonald Humfrey (Automation) India to introduce a Smart Security Lane with Automated Tray Retrieval System (ATRS), the company said in a release. Work on the security hall enhancements will begin with the first automated lanes being installed in the domestic and international check points by the end of 2018, it said. Replacement of existing manual lanes will be undertaken in a phased manner to ensure minimal disruption to airport operations, the release said, adding the project is due for completion by March 2019. Once fully operational, the passenger screening capacity will rise by over 50 per cent, it said. The smart lanes with ATR will automatically return empty trays to the preparation area for passengers to place their bags and belongings, ending the hassle of looking for trays and also prevent empty trays from piling up. In addition, the automated rollers will enable the trays to automatically move into the screening machine, without the need for passengers or staff to push their trays/ bags into the X-Ray machines. This advanced technology will dramatically bring down wait time for passengers at the security check point at the Bengaluru airport, the company said. Also, according to BIAL, men and women will no longer need to be security screened in different locations and will be screened together. The airport operator also said that it had conducted a successful trial run early last year prior to signing the pact with the airport security and automation firm. "With the new proposed system, we can now process more passengers in a secure and controlled environment, improving overall operational efficiency and enhancing safety and security. In addition, passengers will benefit from a quicker passage through security checkpoints," said Javed Malik, chief operating officer, BIAL. BIAL is the joint venture company that operates Bengaluru's Kempegowda international airport. Canadian firm Fairfax holds 54 per cent stake in the JV, Siemens Projects Ventures 20 per cent, while the central and state governments hold 13 per cent each through AAI and KSIIDC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Authorities in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district seized around 2,000 bags carrying images of state Finance Minister Jayant Malaiya in connection with the implementation of the model code of conduct in the poll-bound state. The election code of conduct came into force in Madhya Pradesh Saturday after the Election Commission announced poll dates for five states. MP will go to polls on November 28 and counting of votes will be carried out on December 11. Following a complaint, a team comprising police and district authorities Sunday seized 2,000 bags, containing sanitary pads and soaps among other things, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ravindra Choukse said. These bags carried an image of Malaiya, the official said, adding that such articles could not be distributed as it would violate the model code of conduct that has come into force in the state. He informed that they were meant for a centre run by the Madhya Pradesh State Rural Livelihoods Mission that imparts training to members of self help groups (SHGs). These bags were seized from different places and a case under relevant sections of the Public Representative Act and IPC has been registered against SHG manager Akhilesh Shukla and driver Lalchand Ahirwar. The two were carrying 600 such bags to a village, the SDM added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A bank employee unions' federation has called upon bank unions to hold demonstrations Tuesday to protest against the merger of three state-run lenders --Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, a union leader said Monday. "The sit-in will take place after office hours Tuesday. All our unions are requested to hold protest demonstrations in all state capitals and in all other towns on October 9," C H Venkatachalam, General Secretary of All India Bank Employees' Association said. The demonstrations are against the government's proposal to merge Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, he added. The demonstration has been called under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU). AIBEA in a statement said that it has learnt that the board of these three banks have approved the agenda and hence they may proceed further. "The issue as discussed in the UFBU meeting held on September 29, 2018, and it has been decided to call upon all our unions to hold protest demonstrations," it said. AIBEA said that the issue will be further discussed in the ensuing UFBU meeting to be held on October 12 in Mumbai and the further course of action will be decided upon. Separately, the National Organisation of Bank Workers (an industrial federation of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh), in a statement said that it will hold demonstrations across the country tomorrow to protest against government's decision to merge the three banks. It said the union do not agree with the government's stance of creating six-seven large banks by merging existing banks. Consolidation by way of merger will not solve the problem of non-performing assets in the banking system, it added. The boards of three state-run banks Dena Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Vijaya Bank have approved the proposed merger. The amalgamation of these three banks will create country's second-largest PSU lender by assets and branches. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Italian premium bikes maker Benelli Monday announced lowering its after sales service costs by more than a third for its customers in India. The company in a release said it has revised the service intervals from every 4,000 kms or four months periodic service to 6,000 kms or six months periodic service. With the change in service schedule, the cost of servicing has dropped up to 34 per cent and this benefit is offered to all existing customers owning Benelli TNT25, TNT 300 TNT 302R TNT 600i TNT 600 GT and TNT 899 models, it said. Owned by China's QianJiang group, the bike maker had in August said that it plans to launch a total of 12 models by next year. It had recently signed an initial pact with Telangana-based Adishwar Auto Ride International (AARI), a subsidiary of Mahavir group, to market its products and set up a local manufacturing facility near Hyderabad. "Our on-going national service camp has allowed us to connect with Benelli owners from all over the country and we intend to make further changes to improve the overall Benelli ownership experience," said Vikas Jhabakh, managing director, Benelli India. The company said that its focus on localising 25 to 30 per cent of the components remains intact, adding that it is looking at vendor development initiatives and a huge expansion of supply chain management across the country. Established in 1911, Benelli is one of the oldest Italian motorcycle manufacturer and has a presence in over 60 countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police have arrested all the nine accused, including three women, named in the FIR in connection with beating up of minor girl students of a state-run school here, a senior police official said Monday. Thirty minor girl students in Bihar's Supaul district were beaten up by a mob after they protested against lewd comments on a wall allegedly written by boys of a neighbouring school. The incident happened on Saturday evening when the students of the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), a residential school meant for SC, ST and OBC, were playing in the campus located at Darpakha village in Supaul under Triveniganj police station of the district. All the nine persons, who were named in the FIR, were arrested by Sunday night, Superintendent of Police Mrityunjay Kumar Choudhary said. The FIR was lodged following a complaint by KGBV's hostel warden Reema Raj. The accused have been identified as Mohan Kumar, Hariom Sardar, Munna Sardar, Madhwa Sardar, Ajit Kumar, Vijay Kumar, Paro Devi, Arni Devi and Gavita Kumari, the SP said. Three out of the nine were arrested by Sunday evening and the rest six were held by night, the officer said. A section of police force has been deployed at the girls hostel for their security, Choudhary said. Darbhanga zone Inspector General Pankaj Kumar Darad said he was keeping a close tab on the case. Supual District Magistrate Baidyanath Yadav had said on Sunday that both the schools were in the same campus with separate buildings and a common playground. The boys allegedly wrote some lewd comments on the wall of the girls school, which the girls resisted and beat up the boys before chasing them away. The middle school boys, all minors, narrated the incident to their parents, following which their mothers teamed up with other villagers and entered the school premises and attacked the girls, the DM said. He said 74 girl students were at the playground at the time of the incident and 30 of them received injuries and were admitted to Triveniganj referral hospital for treatment. The remaining 10 are still undergoing treatment and will be released in a day or two, Yadav had said. Meanwhile, politicians made a beeline to the school. Congress' Supaul Lok Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan, BJP MLA Niraj Kumar Bablu and his MLC wife Nutan Singh visited the girls hostel and also met the victims at the hospital and enquired about their well-being. Ranjan criticised the Nitish Kumar-led state government, terming the incident as "very unfortunate" and said the incidents of atrocities against women and girls have witnessed a sharp increase during the so-called "Sushashan government", a nomenclature often used by the chief minister to highlight his governance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A engineer with theBrahMos Aerospace unit near here was arrested Monday for allegedly leaking "technical information" to Pakistan, an official said. Nishant Agrawalwas nabbed in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) at BrahMos' Wardha Road facility, an official said. The engineer was living in a rented accommodation on Wardha Road since the last year, his landlord Manohar Kale said. Kale said police team arrived at the building at 5.30 am and was there till 5 pm. Kale said Agrawal hails from Roorkee and got married two months ago. "He was staying with his wife here and had given his Aadhar card copy and a certificate from his employer to me while moving in," he said. was formed as a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the 'Military Industrial Consortium' 'NPO Mashinostroyenia' of Russia. The company was established in India through an inter-governmental agreement signed on February 12, 1998, between India and Russia. The name BrahMos represents the fury of the Brahmaputra and the grace of the Moskva rivers. An engineer with the BrahMos Aerospace unit near here was arrested Monday for allegedly leaking "technical information" to Pakistan, an official said. Nishant Agrawal was nabbed in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) at BrahMos' Wardha Road facility, an ATS official said in Nagpur. ATS sources in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow said a computer was seized from his Nagpur residence which contained secret documents. They said such documents should not be present on a personal computer. The sources said an old computer was also seized from Agrawal's residence in his native town, Roorkee, and its contents were being investigated. They said since a jawan was arrested in September after allegedly being honey-trapped by the ISI, the ATS was keeping a close watch on fake Facebook accounts of women, being operated from Pakistan, which were in touch with people working in sensitive places. They said the ATS had come across two such Facebook accounts and there was evidence that Agrawal was chatting with them. It was being investigated what was shared through these accounts, they added. He would be brought to Lucknow on transit remand for further investigation, the sources said. The engineer was living in a rented accommodation on Wardha Road since the last year, his landlord Manohar Kale said. The police team arrived at the building at 5.30 am and was there till 5 pm, he said. Agrawal had got married two months ago, he said. "He was staying with his wife here and had given his Aadhaar card copy and a certificate from his employer to me while moving in," he said. BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the 'Military Industrial Consortium' (NPO Mashinostroyenia) of Russia. The company was set up through an inter-governmental agreement signed on February 12, 1998, between India and Russia. The name BrahMos represents the fury of Brahmaputra and the grace of Moskva rivers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In an unusal protest, hundreds of dogs and their owners marched through central London in a mass "Wooferendum March" to call for a second vote on Brexit, amid fears that leaving the European Union will the UK's estimated 54 million pets. The organisers of the so-called 'Wooferendum March', which culminated in a rally in Parliament Square on Sunday, said they were "howling on behalf of the millions of people in the UK who believe Brexit is a huge mistake". Labour MP Stella Creasy and actor Peter Egan were among the speakers at the protest, which was organised in response to fears that leaving the EU will harm the UK's estimated 54 million pets. Political writer Alastair Campbell was among the crowd with his five-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy Skye, who was attending her first ever rally, Evening Standard reported. "It's a very British sort of thing - people love their animals and there are serious animal welfare concerns with Brexit, but the reason I wanted to come is that I do think the people's vote has got to happen," Campbell said. "They know the will of the people is changing, if Theresa May can't even unite her party around this vision of Brexit, how is she going to unite the country?" he said. The organisers say leaving the EU is likely to result in a suspension of the EU Pet Passport scheme - a programme that allows more than 250,000 animals to travel overseas with their owners. There are also fears that Brexit will see a shortage of skilled vets and vet nurses from the EU as well as rising costs for animal health and pet food products. Many of the signs on show used canine-themed puns, including "Brexit's barking mad" and "paws Brexit paw-ever". Several dogs were caught in the act of urinating on photographs of ex-UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, key face in the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign. "I think this is a nice idea for a protest, it's a clever way of doing it because dogs make light of politics and bring people together. People can relate to each other more with their dogs," said Tiffany Haynes who attended with her Welsh Collie Megan. David Elkan, the founder of Wooferendum, started the campaign a year ago as a "secret protest" by taking photographs of dogs with campaign signs and putting them up in public places. "So many people don't speak out when it's a tough, dry topic, but if people don't [speak out] politicians don't hear it," he said. Britain voted by a margin of 52 to 48 per cent to leave the EU on June 23, 2016. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Members of the Bru community, currently lodged in six relief camps of Tripura, will be exercising their franchise in Mizoram when it goes to polls on November 28, a top state election department official said Monday. The tenure of the 40-member Assembly expires on December 15. "The Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed officials in the state to make poll arrangements in Mizoram for displaced Bru families," Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) SB Shashank told reporters here. The ECI, however, was yet to issue detailed guidelines on the process that needs be followed to move Bru voters to Mizoram for the polling exercise, he said. "Of the 11,232 Bru voters in Tripura - 8,777 are from Mamit district, along Mizoram-Bangladesh-Tripura border, 1,732 from Kolasib district of the state, along Assam border, and 723 from southern Mizoram's Lunglei district," the CEO said. During the 2013 assembly elections, Bru members were able to cast votes from their respective relief camps. The following year, too, displaced voters had exercised their franchise for parliamentary election from Tripura. An election department official said on the condition of anonymity that making adequate arrangements for Bru voters to cast votes in their respective polling stations would be a "herculean task". He suggested establishing designated polling stations at a border town inside the state for the displaced people. "Setting up designated polling stations at a border town, like Kanhmun, where Bru voters can exercise their franchise, might be the best bet," he added. The voters' list in six Tripura relief camps were updated recently along with rest of the state amid protests by members of civil societies, who demanded that the process be undertaken after the final repatriation process. Thousands of Bru refugees from Mizoram fled to Tripura after ethnic violence of 1997. The clashes broke out after a forest official was killed by Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) militants. The Centre, in association with the governments of Mizoram and Tripura, had been trying to repatriate displaced Brus in phases. The final repatriation process, however, fizzled out as only around 50 of 5,4007 families shifted to Mizoram between August and September. Bru members have cited "unsatisfactory repatriation package" as reason for not returning to their home state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cameroon voted on Sunday in a presidential election marked by deadly violence in the country's English-speaking regions and the cancellation of voting in at least one affected area over security fears. Cameroon has been rocked by a separatist insurgency from within its anglophone minority, who number around five million, since last October with many thousands displaced which will affect turnout in English communities. They accuse likely election winner President Paul Biya, 85, of oppression and are concentrated in the northwest and southwest of the majority-francophone country. Polls closed at 1700 GMT and the final results must legally be announced within 15 days. After voting got under way Sunday, security forces shot dead three suspected separatists who had allegedly fired at passersby from a motorcycle in Bamenda, the main city in the northwest region, a local official said. In Buea, capital of the southwest, three separatists of the so-called Ambazonia Republic separatist movement were gunned down on Friday and a priest was executed by soldiers on Thursday, according to witnesses. Gunfire was heard in the town throughout the day and a car belonging to the state-run Cameroon Tribune newspaper came under fire. The army confirmed that voting could not be held in at least one district of the southwest, Lysoka village. "This area is dangerous. It's calm but it can erupt at any moment," a police officer told AFP at the scene. A heavily-armed convoy had attempted to deliver ballot boxes, signs and voting papers to the village but commanders decided it was too risky and withdrew. Separatists hold a "significant" amount of territory, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank, and had threatened to disrupt the vote. The violence in the anglophone regions has killed at least 420 civilians, 175 members of the security forces and an unknown number of separatists, according to the ICG. Sunday's vote, in which 6.5 million voters were eligible to cast ballots, followed a last-minute opposition unity bid to dislodge Biya, one of Africa's longest-serving rulers. Biya and his wife Chantal, who wore a matching canary yellow skirt, jacket and handbag along with her signature brown bouffant hair, voted in the Bastos public school in the capital Yaounde surrounded by heavily-armed soldiers. "The election campaign was conducted peacefully... as president, it would be satisfying to be reelected to see that the people trust me," Biya told journalists as he left the voting booth and returned to his Mercedes-Maybach limousine. Voter Ulrich, 26, said he wanted a president "who can keep the country peaceful" after casting his ballot at the same polling station as Biya. The far north of the oil and rubber-producing country is also mired in insecurity, as Nigeria-based Boko Haram fighters mount attacks despite US efforts to equip and train Cameroon's military to battle the jihadists. Tens of thousands have been displaced by that conflict, and 246,000 people have fled their homes in the southwest and 25,000 have left the country altogether for Nigeria, according to UN figures. The sheer number of displaced people, who it is thought will have been unable to cast ballots because of hometown voting requirements, would likely depress turnout, analysts said. "As expected, turnout in the English regions has been particularly low with virtually all the returns we have seen suggesting less than five percent," said ICG analyst Hans de Marie Heungoup. Only a handful of voters cast ballots at a polling station in downtown Buea, according to the AFP team at the scene. That could favour Biya's bid for another seven- year term as anglophones have traditionally backed the Social Democratic Front (SDF) party of his rival Joshua Osih. In a rare coordinated political manoeuvre, a key opposition frontrunner, Maurice Kamto, agreed late Friday to a unity deal between his Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC) and the People's Development Front (FDP), meaning he stood for both parties. However, it is unclear whether the eleventh-hour deal, which Osih and other opposition barons did not join, will have swayed the vote -- especially as voters were still able to cast ballots for the FDP candidate. Kamto's MRC previously warned that a "massive fraud" was under way to secure a Biya win. "We're not preparing for war, but wherever there is fraud, there will be a firm response," said MRC spokesman Paul-Eric Kingue. The government hit back saying that it would "not tolerate any disorder before, during or after the presidential vote". The opposition has long accused the authorities of giving unfair advantage to Biya who enjoys support from Washington and Paris. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court Monday directed police to complete investigation and file a final report within three months in connection with a case filed against film director S A Chandrasekar for his alleged derogatory remarks against Hindus and their beliefs. Meanwhile, Principal Sessions Judge Subhadevi granted anticipatory bail to Chandrasekar, the father of popular Tamil actor Vijay, in the case. The case was registered against him after Hindu Makkal Munnani activist V G Narayanan lodged a complaint that Chandrasekar had made derogatory statements about Hindus and their beliefs during a speech in November last year. Being a Christian, Chandrasekar "has no right to interfere with the beliefs of Hindus," he had said in his complaint to police. Apprehending arrest, the film-maker filed an anticipatory bail application before the sessions court and when it came up Monday, it was granted by the sessions judge. Chandrasekar had also filed a plea in the high court seeking to quash the proceedings before the sessions court. When it came up, Justice PN Prakash directed the police to complete the investigation and file the final report before the trial court within three months. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The mother of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from the university nearly two years ago, accused the CBI on Monday of carrying out a "biased" investigation into the case. The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed CBI to file a closure report in the matter, bringing an end to the investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Ahmed. It did not agree with the allegation of Ahmed's mother, Fatima Nafees, that CBI wanted to file the closure report due to "political compulsions". In view of the judgement, Nafees said she will now appeal to the Supreme Court. She also appealed to all mothers "who have faced the pain of losing their children" to march to Parliament Street on October 15. Nafees was addressing a press conference along with the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union office-bearers at the campus after the High Court allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a closure report in her son's case. "I am saddened because the CBI carried out a biased investigation and its sole objective was to shield those who assaulted my son before he went missing. I have bene facing injustice right from the first day," she said. She alleged that a sub-inspector at the Vasant Kunj (North) police station asked her not to name the persons, who had assaulted her son, before he went missing. "The sub-inspector at the police station told me on the first day, 'We will find Najeeb in 24 hours. But if you name people in your complaint, we cannot give any guarantee'. I agreed with what he said but it has been two years and I have no clue about the whereabouts of my son," she said. Nafees also raised doubts about the Delhi Police's investigation into the case, before the Delhi High Court transferred it to CBI. The case was transferred from district police to the crime branch in November 2016. "The crime branch had claimed to have found an auto-rickshaw driver who had taken Najeeb from JNU to Jamia and floated the theory that Najeeb had left on his own. Their theory about the auto-rickshaw driver fell flat after the CBI said the driver had been forced to give a false testimony," she said. She claimed that her son had not left the campus on his own but there was a "conspiracy behind his disappearance". She said she will appeal to the Supreme Court and is discussing it with her lawyers. She gave a call to mothers who have faced "apathy at the hands of the government" to join her in a protest march from Mandi House to Parliament Street. "People are not safe under the central government. Vivek Tiwari was killed in Lucknow. My son went missing from a university in Delhi but there are many mothers whose children have gone missing from their houses and colonies. Mothers are losing their sons in encounters. "All the investigating agencies are working under pressure. I am appealing to other mothers who have faced this pain to join me," she said. "I just want to know my son is safe. I know he will come back one day. I have to put up a brave front in front of my ailing husband and my children. The CBI said they have found people who went missing five years ago. Why could not they find my son?" she said. JNUSU president N Sai Balaji raised questions on the police and CBI investigation in the case and said there was an attempt to shield Ahmed's assaulters, who belong to the ABVP. Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid called the High Court's decision a "travesty of justice". "The Delhi High Court accepts CBI's plea to close Najeeb Ahmed's case. Complete travesty of justice. CBI closed the case without even once interrogating in custody ABVP goons. This is time to extend complete solidarity to Fatima Nafees, who is going to challenge it in the Supreme Court," he posted on Twitter. The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's JNU unit welcomed the verdict and said the nine students, accused of assaulting Ahmed, have been found to be "innocent". "The family life and career dreams of these nine students have been shattered due to the petty politics of AISA and its allies. The underprivileged background of these students was a big factor for Left to target them as scapegoats in this case," ABVP'S JNU unit said in a statement. The ABVP has always maintained that Ahmed's disappearance was an "internal conspiracy" of Left-backed All India Students' Association to create "Muslim issue" for the Uttar Pradesh elections in early 2017. As soon as the elections in Uttar Pradesh were over, the whole issue was forgotten by the Left, they alleged. They demanded a fresh probe in Ahmed's disappearance. "We demand that a fresh inquiry be constituted to check the roles of the then JNUSU President Mohit Pandey, AISA leader and Ahmed's roommate Md. Qasim ( who is also the last person to have seen Ahmed) and Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students' Organisation (BASO) leader Umar Khalid," they said. Ahmed had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the JNU here on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some students allegedly affiliated to the ABVP the previous night. Nafees had moved the high court on November 25, 2016, seeking directions to the police to trace her son. However, as the Delhi Police remained clueless about Ahmed's whereabouts even after seven months since he went missing, the probe was handed over to the CBI on May 16 last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CBI has taken over the probe into the police firing in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu on May 22 and 23 during the anti-Sterlite protests that claimed 13 lives, officials said Monday. Acting on a batch of petitions related to the police firing, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had on August 14 asked the premier investigative agency to probe the incident. In its report, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has included a local police FIR filed on the complaint of P Sekar, Deputy Tehsildar who had allegedly ordered the firing. The police action came on the 100th day of protests as locals turned violent demanding the closure of Sterlite copper plant, a unit of Vedanta group over purported pollution concerns. The 13 deaths drew widespread condemnation by opposition political parties, led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the state. The petitions which sought relief for the victims, registration of murder case against police officers for allegedly deploying snipers, a probe by a high court judge and the CBI, were heard by a division bench of Justices C T Selvam and Basheer Ahmed. "It can hardly be expected that any investigation either into the wrong doings of the protesters or of the police or administration would inspire confidence if entrusted to agencies of this state," the bench had said. "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion and not only must justice be done it must also be seen to be done," it had added. The bench had further said that the state government was liable to answer certain questions over the firing as it noted that the absence of the district collector was rather unusual in the face of definite input of anti-social elements infiltrating the 100th day protest, which prompted promulgation of ban orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in the area. Also, the bench had said that police firing was ordered by an official who was not a jurisdictional executive magistrate and admittedly on his assuming powers which he did not possess. The bench had also quashed the detention of six members of Makkal Adhikaram under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) for allegedly instigating violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Competition Commission has dismissed a case alleging unfair business practices against Fangs Technology, engaged in business of trading and distribution of 'Vivo' mobile handsets, with regard to distributorship agreement. Noting that "no contravention of either section 3 or section 4 of the Act is made out" against Fangs Technology Pvt Ltd, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered the closure of the matter. While Section 3 deals with anti-competitive agreements, Section 4 pertains to abuse of dominant market position. The ruling came on the complaint filed by Tamil Nadu Consumer Products Distributors Association alleging unreasonable and unfair conditions imposed on distributors after entering into ''Vivo distributorship agreement" with Fangs Technology. For the case, the fair trade regulator considered the 'market for smartphones in India', as the relevant one and also observed that Fangs was not in dominant position in it. On the allegation with regard to Fangs imposing restriction on its distributors in doing business with 'Oppo' and 'Honor', CCI said the conduct is not "anti competitive" as the agreement allows its distributors to do business with other competing brands except the two and that several distributors are dealing in other competing brands as well. Regarding other allegations like resale price maintenance, prior approval for appointment of a retailer by a distributor, no credit facility been given to the distributors, distributor to perform corporate sales only after prior intimation, the regulator observed that no evidence has been adduced by the complainant to substantiate them. Further the complainant "has failed to show that the clauses of the distributorship agreement have anti-competitive effects in the market," CCI said in an order dated Oct 4. Accordingly, CCI held that no contravention of either section 3 or section 4 of the Competition Act is made out against Fangs Technology and thereby "closed" the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The former Chinese head of Interpol, who went missing last month, has been placed under investigation for accepting bribes, China's public security ministry said Monday. Meng Hongwei, who resigned on Sunday, "accepted bribes and is suspected of violating the law", the ministry said in a statement, adding that any others who took bribes would be investigated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following is the chronology of events in JNU student Najeeb Ahmed's disappearance case: -Oct 14, 2016: Najeeb goes missing after altercation with some ABVP students. -Oct 18: JNU seeks CBI, NCRB's help to trace missing student. -Oct 20: Home Minister Rajnath Singh asks police to set up special team to trace JNU student. -Oct 24: Delhi Police declares Rs 1 lakh reward for information on Najeeb. -Nov 25: Najeeb's mother moves Delhi HC for tracing son. HC issues notice to Delhi government and police asking them to explain their stand. -Nov 28: Delhi Police raises reward for information on Najeeb to Rs 10 lakh. -Nov 28: HC asks city police to "cut across all political barriers" and to find Najeeb as no one can just vanish from the heart of the national capital. -Dec 9: HC slams cops for failure to trace Najeeb as police clueless about him even after 55 days. -Dec 14 : HC orders police to scan the entire JNU campus, including hostels, classrooms and rooftops, of the varsity by using sniffer dogs. -Dec 19: More than 600 cops, sniffer dogs search JNU campus to get clues on Najeeb. -Dec 22 : HC asks Delhi police to do everything possible to find Najeeb and suggest to the police to conduct lie-detector test on his roommate and the nine suspects in the case. -Jan 28, 2017: Najeeb's family alleges harassment by Delhi Police by conducting pre-dawn searches at their house at Badaun. -Feb 13: HC "foxed" by lack of information on Najeeb's whereabout; family seeks to handover probe to some other agency. -Mar 30: Magisterial court rejects nine suspect students' plea against polygraph test and summons them to appear on April 6. -May 3: Sessions court sets aside the magisterial court order. However, allows police to send them a fresh notice. -May 15: Police files charge sheet in case related to making ransom call to relatives of Najeeb demanding Rs 20 lakh for his release. -May 16: HC transfers missing JNU student case to CBI with immediate effect and the probe to be supervised by an officer, not less than the rank of a DIG. -Nov 14: CBI tells HC it has sent suspect students mobile phones to its forensic lab and was awaiting the report of analysis. -April 2, 2018: HC pulls up CBI's forensic lab in Chandigarh for laxity in examining the suspect students' mobile phones. -May 11: Nearly a year after being handed over the probe, CBI tells HC that no evidence found to show any crime was committed. -July 12: CBI tells HC it was seriously contemplating filing a closure report in the missing case. -Sep 4: HC reserves judgement in the case after CBI says it has investigated the case from all possible angles and has not got any clue on Najeeb. The agency said it wants to file a closure report. -Oct 8: Nearly two years after he went missing from JNU, the Delhi High Court allows CBI to file closure report in the investigation. HC disposes of Ahmed's mother's plea seeking directions to police to trace her son. HC also declines her plea to set up a SIT and monitor investigation. It says she can raise all contentions before trial court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Monday alleged that crimes against women were on the rise in BJP-ruled states and said they will give a befitting reply to the party in the forthcoming elections. Expressing concern over recent incidents in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi alleged that they reflected the ruling party's mindset and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should answer when such violence would end under his rule. She alleged that in Bihar, 34 school girls were attacked by two dozen boys, when they resisted eve teasing in a Supaul school, leading to serious injuries to the girls. Terming it as a serious case of mob-violence and backlash, the opposition party demanded a judicial probe. Chaturvedi raised the incident in Muzaffarpur where 42 girls were sexually assaulted at a shelter home and said this exposed the hollow claims of the Nitish Kumar-led JDU-BJP Government. "NDA Government in Bihar has given a 'free license to oppress' women. High time there is a judicial investigation in the entire incident and the culprits are brought to book," she told reporters. "The issue of 'beti bachao' is now becoming 'beti bachao from BJP' (Save daughters from BJP)," she alleged. She cited incidents of Unnao in UP to Kathua in J-K to the recent horrific rape of a 14-month-girl in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat. "Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi fasts for nine days of Navratra, we want to ask nine questions to him, on women security.... "Women of India will give a befitting reply to PM Modi and the BJP in the forthcoming elections," she told reporters. Chaturvedi claimed that a girl is only entitled to just 5 paisa as budgetary allocation under Modi Government's "much hyped" Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme and wanted to know from the PM whether it was true that only Rs 825 crore have been used by government out of the Rs 3,600 crore Nirbhaya Fund' in the last 4 years. "'Modi government promised One Stop Centres' for rape survivors in every district. Later this was reduced to just 36. Not even a single proper One Stop Centre' has been set up in the last four and a half years," she claimed. "Is it not true that Crime Against Women' is at its highest amongst BJP ruled states? Is it not a fact that BJP MPs and MLAs have serious cases of violence against women registered against them," she asked. "The commitment to security for women has been breached," she said. She questioned the "silence" of prime minister on incidents of crime against women and alleged, "PM brazenly used Nirbhaya incident to campaign in 2014 election while his silence on Kathua, Unnao, Mandsaur and Naliya has exposed his politics of opportunism". "In the PM's own constituency girl students in the women's hostel of Banaras Hindu University were beaten by male police officers and the PM remained silent. Why is PM Modi silent on all these crimes against women?." She also alleged that the Ujjwala Scheme failed on the ground as the poor did not have money for refilling the cylinders. "Despite an absolute majority in Lok Sabha and an assurance of support from Indian National Congress, the Women Reservation Bill has been locked away. Why has PM Modi got cold feet on the National Women's Policy 2016. Has it been stalled because it recommended the Women's Reservation Bill?" she asked. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Prakash Jarwal had a mixed day on Monday with a Delhi court convicting him of intimidating a woman in one case, while acquitting him in another case of allegedly outraging a woman's modesty. Additional Sessions Judge Samar Vishal convicted Jarwal in a 2017 case for the offence punishable under 352 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation) and 506(1)(criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code. The court will hear on October 22 the arguments on quantum of sentence where the politician can get a maximum of two years in jail. According to the FIR filed at Sangam Vihar police station, on July 14, 2017 the accused along with his associates went to the house of the complainant and assaulted her with an intention to outrage her modesty and intimidated her and her husband. A charge sheet was filed under sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC. In another case lodged under sections of 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 and 506 of IPC, the court said the prosecution's claims were suffering from "lacunas and discrepancies" and acquitted Jarwal, an MLA from Deoli Assembly seat in Delhi. According to the FIR lodged at Greater Kailash police station on June 3, 2016, the complainant went to Delhi Jal Board office to complain about water problem in her locality where Jarwal and his supporters allegedly abused her, outraged her modesty and threatened to kill her. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress Monday termed the recent reduction in petrol and diesel prices as a mere "jumla" (rhetoric) and said the "loot" of the Modi government has been continuing unabated even during the festival season. The opposition party alleged that "looting" people's pockets through taxes on petrol and diesel has become the primary duty of the BJP-led government and reiterated its demand for bringing petrol and diesel under the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). "The Modi government is continuously looting the public on petrol and diesel. Looting people's pockets is the primary duty of the BJP. In the last three days, prices of petrol have risen by 53 paisa and diesel by 87 paisa in Delhi. The loot of Modi government is continuing unabated during the festivals," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter. Petrol and diesel prices were cut by a minimum Rs 2.50 on October 5 when the government's only second cut in excise duty of Rs 1.50 per litre and state-owned fuel retailers providing a Re 1 per litre subsidy came into effect. Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced a reduction of Rs 1.50 in excise duties on petrol and diesel, but rise in prices of petrol and diesel subsequent to it clearly shows that fuel price reduction has turned out to be a mere "jumla". Asked about Congress chief ministers not favouring bringing petrol and diesel under the GST, she said there was no dichotomy in the Congress's stand on the issue. "Our stand is clear that petrol and diesel be brought under the GST ambit. There is no dichotomy within the party on the issue. Currently, the BJP is in power in 21 states and if they want, petrol and diesel prices can be brought under GST," she told reporters. She said the chief ministers and finance ministers of states ruled by the Congress are on board on the issue, but there may have been differences over some issues about revenue sharing with states that can be sorted out. The party has last month gone on the offensive on the rising petrol and diesel prices and observed a day-long 'Bharat Bandh' on the issue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Emergency Response Centre (NERC), under the Home Ministry, has cautioned the Odisha government against a looming cyclonic storm in the next two to three days, official sources said. In an advisory to Chief Secretary AP Padhi and Special Relief Commission B P Sethi, the NERC said Monday a depression formed over southeast Bay of Bengal was likely to move northwestwards towards Odisha coast over the next 72 hours. "The depression is likely to intensify by tomorrow (Tuesday) and turn into a cyclonic storm in the following hours. It is very likely to move northwestward towards Odisha and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh coast during the next 72 hours," the advisory said. The state government should take appropriate precautionary measures under such circumstances, it added. H R Biswas, the director of meteorological centre in Bhubaneswar, also confirmed in the morning that a "depression has been recorded at a distance of around 720 km from Gopalpur coast in Odisha". The state was likely to experience heavy rainfall on October 10 and October 11, he stated. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi said he was in touch with the Indian Meterological Department headquarters in New Delhi on the matter. The state government would issue alert to districts well in advance, he said. The IMD, in a special bulletin Monday afternoon, said Odisha could expect heavy to very-heavy rainfall at isolated places in the coastal areas for four days, beginning on October 9. Squally winds reaching a speed of 45 to 55 km per hour, gusting to 65 km per hour, were also likely to prevail along and off north Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal coasts from October 9 afternoon, it said. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into central Bay of Bengal from October 8 to 10 and northern part of the sea from October 9 to 11, the IMD bulletin added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Finance Minister Monday met RBI Deputy Governor B P Kanungo to discuss RBI's norm for global financial technology companies. The Reserve Bank in April gave six months time to global payment companies to store transaction data of Indian customers within India. The RBI's norms will come into effect from October 15. The meeting was also attended by Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, Financial Services Secretary and IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney. Officials, however, refused to comment on the deliberations in the meeting. Global financial technology companies have reportedly sought an extension of the October 15 deadline. A final decision on this would be taken by the RBI. The RBI in April said in order to ensure better monitoring of payment service operators it is important to have unfettered supervisory access to data stored with these system providers as also with their service providers/intermediaries/third party vendors and other entities in the payment ecosystem. All system providers shall ensure that the entire data relating to payment systems operated by them are stored in a system only in India, it had said. The RBI further said data should include the full end-to-end transaction details, information collected/carried/ processed as part of the message/payment instruction. The HRD Ministry has appointed Delhi University professor Bidyut Chakraborty as the vice chancellor of Visva-Bharati, official sources said Monday, in a move that could mark an end to troubles on the central university campus in West Bengal's Santiniketan since 2016. Chakraborty was embroiled in a sexual harassment row in 2007, which is believed to have impacted his prospects of being considered for the top post at Delhi University. However, he was exonerated of the charges later. The university, set up by Rabindranath Tagore, has been running without a permanent head since 2016 when then Vice Chancellor Sushanta Duttagupta was sacked on ground of irregularities by then HRD Minister Smriti Irani. "The President has given his approval for Bidyut Chakraborty's appointment. An official order will be issued soon," a source said. President Ram Nath Kovind had earlier scrapped a panel of names proposed for the post by the Prakash Javadekar-led HRD Ministry. A fresh selection panel was then set up and new names were short-listed. Chakraborty teaches at Delhi University's Political Science department and has a Ph.D from London School of Economics. When contacted, Chakraborty said he has no information about his selection for the top post of Visva-Bharati yet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Early signs of type 2 diabetes can be identified more than 20 years before diagnosis, according to a study. Researchers, including those from Shinshu University in Japan, tracked over 27,000 non-diabetic adults (average age 49 years) between 2005 and 2016. They found that increased fasting glucose, higher body mass index (BMI) and impaired insulin sensitivity were detectable up to 10 years before the diagnosis of diabetes as well as prediabetes. "As the vast majority of people with type 2 diabetes go through the stage of prediabetes, our findings suggest that elevated metabolic markers for diabetes are detectable more than 20 years before its diagnosis," said Hiroyuki Sagesaka from Aizawa Hospital in Japan, who led the study. Previous research suggests that risk factors like obesity and elevated fasting glucose may be present up to 10 years before someone is diagnosed with diabetes. However, the time point at which individuals who go on to develop diabetes and those who don't first become substantially different from each other was not known until now, researchers said. Sagesaka and Mitsuhisa Komatsu, a professor at Shinshu University, assessed the trajectories of fasting blood glucose, BMI, and insulin sensitivity in individuals who developed diabetes and prediabetes separately. At the start of the study, 27,392 non-diabetic individuals had a fasting glucose and average blood glucose (HbA1c) measured and were followed until a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, or the end of 2016, whichever came first. Over the study period, 1,067 new type 2 diabetes cases were identified. Findings showed that on average, several risk factors were more common among individuals who went on to develop type 2 diabetes compared with those who did not. In particular, BMI, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance were increased up to 10 years before diagnosis, and these differences widened over time. Of 15,778 individuals with normal blood glucose at the initial health exam, 4,781 went on to develop prediabetes over the study period, and the same abnormalities, although to a milder degree, were present at least 10 years before diagnosis of prediabetes. The research has important implications given that an estimated 425 million adults (aged 20-79 years) were living with diabetes in 2017, and this is predicted to rise to 629 million by 2045, researchers said. "Because trials of prevention in people with prediabetes seem to be less successful over long term follow up, we may need to intervene much earlier than the prediabetes stage to prevent progression to full blown diabetes. A much earlier intervention trail, either drug or lifestyle related, is warranted," said Sagesaka. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Days after Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit alleged that crores of rupees exchanged hands in the appointment of vice-chancellors to universities before he took over, DMK chief M K Stalin said on Monday that his party would urge him to take appropriate action in the matter. "It is not a joke but a thing of anguish that the governor himself has spoken about corruption to the tune of several crores of rupees in the appointments of vice-chancellors," he told reporters here. The DMK leader, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, said his party has sought an appointment with Purohit to urge him in person "to take speedy, appropriate action" in the appointments of vice-chancellors. "Corruption was reigning supreme not only in appointments of vice-chancellors, but in all departments," Stalin alleged, adding that his party had approached the governor on such graft charges and filed petitions before the Madras High Court, which were pending. "The Election Commission deferring announcing the dates for holding bypolls in Tirvarur and Tiruparankundram constituencies showed the extent to which the ruling AIADMK is afraid to face elections," he claimed. Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat had said Saturday that the dates for the bypolls would be announced later since the state government had cited weather forecast of very heavy rains during the monsoon season. On October 6, Purohit addressing an event here had alleged that in the "appointment of vice-chancellors ...exchanging (of) money in crores, I could not believe that, then I decided things have to be changed." Reacting to his remarks, the ruling AIADMK had said it had no role to play in the appointments of vice-chancellors. He added that the people of Tamil Nadu would appreciate that "till date I have selected nine vice-chancellors, purely on merit, nobody can raise a finger (against him)...from vice-chancellors to primary school teachers -- all appointments should be clearly on merit". Higher Education minister K P Anbazhagan had said that he was duty bound to clarify that the government has no role in the appointments of vice-chancellors. He dubbed Purohit's remarks "surprising," since the recommendations to the Governor to make appointments of vice-chancellors were made by search committees over which the government had no control. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors at a city hospital have reconstructed the nose of a gunshot victim from Afghanistan using over 2500-year-old techniques described by Sushruta, the father of surgery. Shamsa, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was shot four years ago. Though she was fortunate to have survived the attack, she lost most part of her nose and the ability to breathe and smell, Ajaya Kashyap, Medical Director of KAS Medical Centre and MedSpa said. She was suffered the injury when she was 24-years-old and was about to get married and settle down. The family later travelled all the way to India so that she can undergo a plastic surgery for her nose, the doctor said. Explaining the surgical approach Kashyap said, "We often fail to take pride in the fact that some of the most advanced and modern surgical procedures, like plastic surgery, have their roots in India like Sushruta's techniques." "They are so precise and scientifically accurate that they could be used even today for nose and ear reconstructions. All we have to do is to modify them to sync with latest treatment modalities," he said. In this case, the doctors took skin from Shamsa's cheeks for the surgery, held on October 8, and followed the techniques described by Sushruta. However, considering the complications usually involved in such cases, the procedure required great precision and expertise, Kashyap said. Explaining the challenges faced during the surgery, he said when it came to facial reconstruction surgeries, along with addressing associated medical issues, there was a need to take care of its cosmetic aspects. In this case, the challenge was to reconstruct a major part of the nose without creating further scars, he said. "To avoid this, we had to take tissues from inside of the cheeks to reconstruct flaps for nasal septum and nasal passage which is a tedious procedure. But all the effort was worth taking as we managed to give the patient the exact results she wanted," he said. Shamsa shared her experience taking help of a translator. "Shootings are fairly common in our country. For survivors it is always hard to get over the psychological and physical trauma, especially if it comes with the added horror of disfiguration and amputation," she said. "I cannot express in words how blessed I feel today to be able to talk, smell and breath normally after four years. This surgery changed my entire life. I believe it may also motivate many others back home to take such expert medical help," she added. The technique used by Kashyap in the operation was first introduced by Sushruta, over 2500 years ago. In his treatise on medicine 'Sushruta Samhita', the ancient Indian physician addressed aspects of general medicine along with various surgical techniques and procedures, particularly nasal reconstruction. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Punjab Police on Monday arrested an alleged drug peddler in Amritsar and recovered four kilograms of heroin. Police Commissioner S S Srivastava said initially two kg of heroin was seized from the suspect when his car was intercepted at a police check post in the city. During the interrogation following his arrest, Zorawar Singh, a resident of Amritsar revealed that another two kilograms of heroin was kept in his house, he said. Zorawar Singh was deported from Canada and had recently started peddling drugs, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A women's collective on Monday began an all-night protest at Delhi University's Arts Faculty demanding curfew-less nights for women's hostels. Pinjra Tod had last week submitted a charter of demands to the Vice-Chancellor of the University demanding removal of curfew timings and allowing 24-hour entry into women's hostels, abolishing the concept of local guardians for students and keeping a provision for an emergency local contact. They had threatened to stage a protest if the demands were not met within a week. On Monday evening, around 100 students with placards staged a sit-in outside the Arts Faculty while some of them even tried to scale the gates but their attempts were thwarted by the security personnel. They later tried to block the nearby Mall Road for some time as some of the protesters jumped in front of oncoming vehicles, the police said. However, the police intervened and and facilitated a discussion between the agitating group and the Proctor, Deputy Proctor and Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University. As the administration failed to pacify the crowd, the protesters, insisting that their demands be agreed to immediately, launched their all-night agitation. The protesters also accused the police of physically assaulting them, a charge denied by the police. The student's collective further demanded a new women's hostel for differently-abled students and the setting up of an internal complaint committees against sexual harassment in all colleges and institutions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that the early implementation of the USD 50 billion CPEC projects will not only help realise the true potential of the economic relations of Pakistan and China, but also for the region. Khan chaired a high-level meeting with his Cabinet colleagues and discussed his maiden tour to China during which matters related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is to be discussed, an official statement said. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Khan will embark on his first visit to China next month. The meeting was also attended by Pakistan's Finance Minister Asad Umer, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Planning and Development Minister Khusro Bakhtiar and Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed, inlcuding the senior officials, it said. The Prime minister said that "strengthening all-weather Pakistan-China strategic cooperative partnership is the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy." The two countries had launched the controversy-hit USD 50 billion CPEC in 2015 under which a network of roads, railways and energy projects, linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea, has been planned. Khan said that the CPEC was a great opportunity to learn from the Chinese experience especially in social sector, agriculture and other areas. He said that the agricultural output of the country, considered as the backbone of the economy, can be enhanced manifold by learning from Chinese expertise and employing latest technologies and efficient methods. The Pakistani prime minister emphasised on the need to focus on early establishment of the Special Economic Zones in various parts of the country, which would help the local industry to grow through industrialisation and would also create huge employment opportunities for the youth. Khan said that the flagship the CPEC under BRI initiative of President Xi Jinping also offered opportunities to other countries to invest in the CPEC projects and reap benefits in various sectors. Khan in the past had criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the lack of transparency and corruption in the CPEC projects. Chairing a Cabinet meeting of the Balochistan province during his first visit to the restive province as the prime minister on Saturday, he said that Pakistan was reviewing the projects under the CPEC to safeguard the interest of the Baloch people, who say the projects were not beneficial for them. Last month during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Khan had said that the Pakistan government was committed to the implementation of the CPEC projects. Wang had also conveyed the desire of the Chinese leadership to work with the new government of Khan for further enhancing the strategic partnership between Pakistan and China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It was a curious sight to see a Wall Street Journal op-ed call for social engineering to change the way families choose to raise newborn babies. It was more curious yet to see right-leaning Catholics endorse the notion in the name of conservative family values. This is especially true, as Europe shows the manifest failures and harmful effects of their chosen policy. Joanne Lipman opened the debate with her op-ed titled, Want Equality? Make New Dads Stay Home. She highlighted the case of Humanyze, which obliges all fathers to take 12 weeks paternity leave. While she featured this private corporate policy (as Ramesh Ponnuru noted in his critique at NROs The Corner), Lipman also insisted the core issue is that the U.S. is the only industrialized country in the world that doesnt require paid family leave and that the mandatory piece for men is key. Taking extended maternity leave reduces lifetime earnings and makes women less likely to receive promotions, Lipman notes. She advocates that men be forced to take long periods of compensated leave, achieving equality by equally hampering mens careers. The policys proponents admit interfering in parenting decisions is, in the New York Times phrase, perhaps the most striking example of social engineering. Yet some see it as a boon for the family unit. Patrick Deneen, professor of political science at Notre Dame, wrote, I endorse this proposal 100% in the name of conservative family values. Aside from unwarranted meddling in decisions about how to parent, there are warnings from Europe that this policy fails to meet its goals, costs parents money and autonomy, and leads families from the nursery to the divorce court. Mandatory leave increases divorce Paternity leave activists idolize Sweden. Prior to 1995, parents could choose to divide their (generous) allotment of parental leave however they wished. In practice, women took the vast majority of leave as in every other OECD nation in which they are offered a choice. Then, the Swedish government carved out one month of paternity leave exclusively for fathers, in the name of gender equality and to increase the father-child bond. The government responded to disappointing results by extending a second month in 2002 and a third in 2016. Swedish politicians now propose a fifth daddy month to accomplish the outcomes promised successively by the first three. The most significant problem with mandatory paternity leave is that it increases the odds of destroying the family it putatively aims to preserve. A study published in the October 2018 issue of the American Economic Journal found that the introduction of the 1995 reform increased the take-up of fathers leave but also increased their probability of separation compared to unaffected couples. (Emphasis added.) Children of divorce are between two and three-times as likely to end up in poverty. Researchers also discovered the policy decreased earnings for both fathers and mothers. Since the government redistributed part of their paid leave to men, women compensated for the decreased paid parental leave with additional unpaid leave, leading to a lower total income for the household. As the New York Times reported, Women who thought they wanted their men to help raise baby now find themselves coveting more time at home. Since the law compensates parents at 80 percent of their normal salary, and fathers earn more money on average than mothers, the family takes a greater economic hit when it loses one-fifth of his income. The researchers believe lower incomes drove up divorce rates. The experiment also failed on another account. Fathers share of care for sick children essentially remains unchanged, according to a 2005 study. There is a deeper difference in the way parents order their work-life balance. The Fatherhood bonus Lipman rightly notes that a 30-year longitudinal study of 12,686 people [revealed] that womens earnings decrease 4% after the birth of each childa motherhood penaltywhile new dads receive more than a 6% bump, known as a fatherhood bonus. Fatherhood boosts mens wages (and a host of other measures of well-being), and according to the Trades Union Congress, their earnings increase even more with a second child. But to simply ascribe this to employer biases, as Lipman does, overlooks the facts on the ground. The Pew Research Center found in 2013 that fathers with children under the age of 18 work seven hours a week more than men with no children at home. Yet mothers spend less time in paid work than working-age women without children at home on average, three hours a week (and 13 hours a week less than fathers). Scholars argue over the reason. Faithful fathers may even be motivated by the apostolic exhortation, If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel (I Timothy 5:8). But fatherhood and a willingness to work harder go hand-in-hand. New mothers also work harder but their burdens are distributed between work and home. Women have told numerous surveys they would prefer flexibility and time-off to higher pay. Even after the Great Recession, 40 percent of women said they would take a pay cut in exchange for more job flexibility to better order their competing obligations. Social engineering hurts women, men, and children Some women may value corporate advancement more than spending time at home with their children. Acts of misogyny on the job, like all forms of employment discrimination, should be stamped out. But women should not be penalized if they hold traditional values and prioritize time with their children and family above pursuing the corner office. This is a familys decision to make. Since no two families are identical, the government (or an employer) cannot impose a one-size-fits-all solution without disadvantaging families, disregarding their parenting choices, and making their lives more difficult. Families in Sweden, which imposed a much less restrictive policy than Lipman and Deneen advocate, find the leave has not kept its promises and harmed the family unit. Integralists tempted to follow Lipman should heed G.K. Chesterton, who said, The family is the test of freedom; because the family is the only thing that the free man makes for himself and by himself. True family values means valuing the family enough to guard it from social engineering and outside interference into their most private and cherished parenting decisions. (Photo credit: Public domain.) The Congress and the Election Commission Monday sparred in the Supreme Court over the pleas by two senior Congress leaders alleging duplication of names in the voters' lists for the upcoming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. A bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan reserved its verdict after concluded the hearing of the pleas during which senior lawyers Kapil Sibal and Vikas Singh traded charges over conduct of the polls. Sibal is representing Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Sachin Pilot while Singh is the counsel for the Election Commission of India (ECI). The two leaders also sought random verification of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines in the two states. Singh said attempts have been made to malign an important constitutional institution like the Election Commission and get favourable order by fabricating documents by alleging discrepancies in voters' lists. "I stand by what I had said earlier," the senior lawyer said, adding the poll panel had taken note of the allegations of the Congress party and undertaken corrective measures with regard to discrepancies in the voters list which was evident from the EC's communication of June 8 this year. Despite this, the Congress party alleged discrepancies in their petition in September and this was a clear attempt to malign the institution, he said, adding the leaders have "casually filed something" to "malign" and "denigrate" the poll panel. Observing that free and fair polls is the "essence of democracy", Sibal strongly rebutted the submissions of the poll panel and referred to alleged discrepancies and duplication in the voters list, giving illustrations of four assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh. Giving an illustration, Sibal said 36 voters have different details, but their photographs are the same and this assumed significance against the backdrop of 60 lakh fake voters having been found in Madhya Pradesh alone. Also, 24 lakh names have been deleted from the list by the poll panel, he alleged. The plea filed by Nath through advocate Varun Chopra said directions should be issued to publish the voters list in a "text format as per rules", instead of the PDF format and expeditious decisions be taken on all complaints before its final publication. Nath also said a direction should be issued to the poll panel to randomly verify VVPAT slips with Electronic Voting Machine(EVM) votes at 10 per cent of randomly selected polling stations in every constituency. On September 18, the poll panel in its affidavit justified providing the draft electoral rolls in PDF format in Madhya Pradesh without any pictures of voters and said it was done to prevent manipulation of the electors data. It had sought dismissal of the petition filed by Nath alleging duplication of names in the voters list as "not maintainable", "completely frivolous" and "an abuse of the process of court". Earlier, the top court had agreed to examine the pleas of Nath and Pilot and had sought response of the ECI and state poll panels of of the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. It was alleged that as per a survey, in Madhya Pradesh there were over 60 lakh fake voters and similarly, in Rajasthan, there were over 41 lakh duplicate voters. In Rajasthan, the poll panels have added 71 lakh new voters, the plea said, adding that directions be given to remove inconsistencies and conduct free and fair elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) EDMC sanitation workers, who are on strike for the last three weeks, Monday staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar here, during which "mild force" was used by police personnel to disperse the crowd after it went out of control, police said. A senior leader of the sanitation workers' union alleged that the police also resorted to "lathicharge" during the agitation, a charge denied by the police. "The protesters, who were agitating at the Jantar Mantar, tried marching towards Ashoka Road and tried to break barricades, and also indulged in stone-pelting. Five police personnel were injured in stone-pelting," a senior police officer said. President of MCD Swachhata Karmchari Union Sanjay Gahlot, however, countered the allegation, claiming that "some anti-social elements had joined the group of protesters and resorted to stone-pelting to malign us". "The police resorted to lathicharge and some of the workers got injured in it," he alleged. Denying the charges, the senior officer said, "Police personnel only used mild force to contain the protesters." The employees are on strike since September 12 demanding regular payment of salaries and regularisation of workers. Meanwhile, the BJP-led East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) on Friday had issued a circular directing all the sanitation workers to resume work from October 6. "All the sanitation workers are directed to resume work from October 6, failing which they will be removed from their post," the circular said. Gahlot said the strike was on and added that an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was burned during the protest at the Jantar Mantar. The Delhi government recently had told the Supreme Court that it would release Rs 500 crore within two days to civic bodies, which will help resolve the crisis that has arisen due to the ongoing strike by sanitation workers of the EDMC. On October 4, the sanitation workers had protested outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence over the issue. "We are going to gherao the mayor's office tomorrow in Patparganj," Gahlot said. The EDMC has around 16,000 workers, half of whom are permanent employees. On September 26, it had decided to begin the process for permanent employment of contractual sanitation workers who were recruited after March 31, 1998. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Egyptian military court has sentenced four jihadists to death over attacks which killed 20 police officers, a judicial source said Monday. They were found by the court to be members of the Province of Giza, a branch of the Islamic State group, and involved in a series of deadly attacks last year, the source said. Sixteen others received life sentences of 25 years, while 15 were jailed for five to 15 years. "The defendants used arms, explosives and bombs" in the attacks, the head of the military court said, quoted in the government newspaper Akhbar al-Youm. Those convicted have the right to appeal their sentences at the military supreme court, an army official told AFP on the condition of anonymity, confirming the convictions reported in state media. Seventeen defendants were acquitted in the military trial. Since the ousting of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, hundreds of police officers, soldiers and civilians have been killed in jihadist attacks. The Egyptian army launched a large-scale "Sinai 2018" operation in February, at the request of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, aimed at ridding the peninsula of IS militants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 38-year-old elephant, released into the forest nearly two years after being captured, died within hours of being hit by a private bus at Mattigod in Kodagu district early Monday, a forest department official said. The police said they had seized the private bus involved in the accident that occurred near the hilly Madikeri area. "The elephant, 'Rowdy' Ranga, met with an accident in the morning and passed away subsequently. We have asked the jurisdictional police to book a case against the driver," Karnataka Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (head of the Forest Force) Punati Sridhar told PTI. Tragically, Ranga, caught in 2016 and sheltered at the Mattigod elephant camp, was released into the forest only on Sunday and met with the fatal accident within hours. The elephant had earned the nickname of "rowdy" as it had trampled to death a few people and was caught near here in December, 2016 by a forest team. The accident again brought to the focus the demand of wildlife enthusiasts for a ban on vehicular traffic in forest areas at night. "It is a sad There should have been speedbreakers on the elephant corridors as a short-term measure, whereas the long-term step should be to ban vehicular movement in the forest areas at night," wildlife enthusiast D Rajkumar said. However, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) C Jayaram said the accident took place in spite of the presence of speedbreakers in the area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking note of protests by police personnel against the arrest of their colleagues in connection with the killing of a tech company executive here, the Uttar Pradesh Police Monday said it has taken steps to thwart such agitations. The executive, Vivek Tiwari, was shot dead allegedly by constables at the Gomti Nagar locality in Lucknow when he refused to stop his car for checking on September 29. Two constables, Prashant Chowdhury and Sandeep Kumar, were arrested after an FIR was lodged on the basis of a complaint by Tiwari's colleague Sana Khan, who was travelling with the executive. "We have taken cognizance of rumours that some messages are being circulated on various social media platforms urging police constables to boycott work on October 10," Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Anand Kumar said. "We have also taken note of reports in this regard and taken steps to ensure that nothing of this kind happens. As for rumour mongering, action has already been initiated," he said. Kumar said whenever reports of indiscipline are being received, action such as suspension, removal or arrest is being taken. "We are identifying people who have either protested or instigated others to do so. We are identifying their role, and accordingly action will be taken," he said. Directives have also been issued to officials concerned to collect information about inciting messages. On Friday, the state police had ordered a probe after pictures of constables wearing black ribbons on their arms in support of the two arrested constables were found trending on the social media platforms. This also led to suspensions and transfer of certain policemen in different parts of the state including Lucknow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An explosion and fire ripped through an Irvine Oil refinery on Monday in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, local media reported. It was not known if there were casualties. The company confirmed on Twitter that a "major incident" occurred at its refinery in St John's, New Brunswick. "We are actively assessing the situation at this time and will share more information when available," it said. Images posted on social media networks showed flames and a column of black smoke rising from the refinery. Rob Beebe, who lives near the refinery, told Radio Canada he felt his house shake, followed by a blast. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Kerala government Monday cancelled the sanction accorded for setting up new breweries and a distillery in the state over which corruption charges have been levelled by the Congress-led UDF opposition. Days after rejecting the charges, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the government cancelled the sanction to avoid further "confusion" over the issue at a time when everybody had to stand united for rebuilding the state after the devastating floods. The CPI(M)-led LDF government's decision came hours after the United Democratic Front (UDF) announced a state-wide agitation over the issue, alleging "nepotism" and "corruption" in awarding sanction for the breweries and distillery. The UDF has alleged that corruption to the tune of crores of rupees had taken place in sanctioning the breweries and distillery, and demanded a comprehensive probe into it. However, the chief minister reiterated there was nothing wrong in sanctioning the new breweries and distillery, and accused the Opposition of trying to create a "smokescreen" and tarnish the image of the government over the issue. Vijayan, who had last week strongly defended the grant of the sanction, made it clear that the government would continue its policy of giving permission for new breweries and distilleries. It was not in violation of the declared liquor policy of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), he said. "It has been decided to cancel the sanction given for new breweries and distillery in the state. But, it does not mean that the government will step back from allowing such facilities in the state," he told reporters here. At present, 40 per cent of total beer requirement and eight per cent of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) needed for the state are procured from neighbouring states, the chief minister said. "So, the government still feels that new breweries and distilleries are essential...interested parties can apply for sanction which will be given after the necessary technical inspection," he said. Terming the controversy over the new breweries as "baseless" and "unnecessary", Vijayan alleged the opposition had attempted to create suspicion among the public. Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala welcomed the government decision but stood by his allegation of corruption in the grant of the sanction. He said the Left government had been exposed on the issue. The government had decided to cancel the sanctioning of breweries and distillery as it had been "caught red-handed" for "corruption", he said. Chennithala also wanted a comprehensive probe into the grant of the sanction and said the agitation demanding the resignation of Excise Minister T P Ramakrishnan would continue. He had earlier alleged that the new breweries and distillery were sanctioned through the "back door" without making any changes in the LDF's declared liquor policy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A team of the (FATF) is set to hold meetings with top Pakistani officials on Monday to discuss the measures taken by so far to counter money laundering and terror financing. The nine-member delegation, comprising members of FATF's Asia Pacific Group (APG), arrived here on Sunday on a 12-day visit to see the implementation of the action plan had issued earlier this year, official sources said. The team includes experts from British Scotland Yard, US Department of Treasury, Financial Intelligence Unit of Maldives, Indonesian Ministry of Finance, Peoples' Bank of China and Justice Department of Turkey. was formally added to the 'grey list' of countries involved in providing monetary assistance to terrorism and related causes after a meeting in Paris in June. The is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the financial system. Sources in the finance ministry said that "Pakistan has done its homework" and the delegation will be briefed about the measures to curb terror financing through money laundering and illegal remittances. The team will carry out on-site inspections in order to see the systems and mechanisms put in place while its three members will stay for a longer period to review progress on the 10-point action plan agreed with Pakistan. Pakistan and negotiated a 10-point action plan to be implemented by September 2019 to get out of the grey list. Already, a team of FATF visited in August to identify deficiencies in Pakistan's anti-money laundering/counter-terror financing laws and mechanisms. During the current visit, the experts will meet officials from ministries of Interior, Finance, Foreign affairs and Law. They are also likely to meet officials of State Bank of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, National Counter-Terrorism Authority, Federal Investigation Agency, Federal Board of Revenue, National Accountability Bureau, Anti-Narcotics Force, Financial Monitoring Unit, Central Directorate of National Savings and provincial counter-terrorism departments. Monday said the Reserve has approved proposal to sell up to 45 per cent stake in arm Fedfina to private equity firm True North. Earlier in May, the board of the private sector had approved 26 per cent strategic investment by True North in Fedbank Financial Services Ltd (Fedfina). "True North can further acquire additional equity shares of Fedbank Financial Services Ltd, constituting up to 45 per cent of the share capital in the company," said in a regulatory filing. The lender said that Reserve Bank earlier last week gave approval for the proposed transactions. Fedfina is a 100 per cent fully owned subsidiary of the bank. FedFina is engaged in providing loans to individual and corporate borrowers, against the security of assets like gold and real estate property, for meeting personal and business expense and investment needs. The operations of the company are in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Maharashtra. stock closed 2.78 per cent up at Rs 70.20 on BSE. Former first daughter Barbara Bush has gotten married. Her father, former President George W. Bush, escorted his daughter down the aisle while her grandfather, former President George H.W. Bush, watched the ceremony at the family's Walker Point compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, on Sunday. The 36-year-old married 37-year-old screenwriter Craig Coyne. Her twin sister, Jenna Bush Hager, told NBC's "Today" show on Monday Barbara wore something borrowed a bracelet her grandfather had given to his wife on their 70th wedding anniversary. Her namesake and grandmother, former first lady Barbara Bush, died at age 92 in April. The bride is the co-founder of public health nonprofit Global Health Corps. The couple will live in New York. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) LT Hrangchal has formally joined the ruling Congress on Monday and would be a party candidate in the November 28 assembly election, sources in the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee said. Hrangchal may contest from Chalfilh seat which is currently represented by Dr H Ngurdingliana of the Congress, the sources said. He is likely to be pitted against Lalrinliana Sailo, who quit the Congress and joined the Mizo National Front (MNF) last week. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan Monday said gender was an important policy matter at government as well as non-government levels, stressing that women's contributions deserve due recognition. Inaugurating the 17th Annual Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region, Zone III, she expressed concern over incidents of ethnic clashes and insurgency in North Eastern region. Speakers and Deputy Speakers of all eight northeastern states were present in the conference. "Women are fountainhead of life. Women constitute half of the world's population. That is why gender is an important policy at government and non-government levels," Mahajan said here. Women are hard working and sometimes, they are the main bread earners in the family, she said. "Their (women's) socio-political contributions deserve due recognition. I firmly believe they should be given due respect. The Parliament and parliamentarians are contributing towards progress of women," Mahajan said. "Insurgency in North East is a theme of great relevance...Collective, cooperative and coordinating approach is needed," she said. During the event, the Lok Sabha Speaker also launched the North East chapter of Speakers Research Initiative (SRI). "Launching of SRI in North East is a significant step. This region is rich in natural resources and cultural heritage. It is different and we call it a God's place. It is one of the most diverse places of Asia," she said. Mahajan also asked the lawmakers to be updated with information and exercise good governance by ensuring transparency, openness and accountability. "It is essential to take help of experts in their respective domains for formulating effective policies. We must realise that we are not experts in all fields, though we may have a bird's eye view of most subjects," she said. Earlier, delivering the welcome address, Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami expressed concern over less number of women representatives in the electoral system. "I would like to point out that in the NE region, we have very less number of elected women representatives in the Assemblies and even in some Assemblies, we have no women representative at all. I think, this is a matter of concern," he said. The CPA recognises gender equality and women's empowerment as essential components of human development and basic human rights, Goswami said. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal urged Mahajan to explore the possibilities of taking SRI to urban bodies and panchayats for making the democratic foundation at the grassroots stronger. "It will give an opportunity to the elected representatives to debate and discuss matters at that level. If that happens, entire benefit will got to the people of Indian democracy," he asserted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Goa government Monday appointed Deputy Inspector General Parmaditya to head the Special Investigation Team probing cases of illegal mining in the state. The Goa Crime Branch's SIT is probing half a dozen cases of illegal mining in which several politicians, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, government officials and mine owners have been named in charge sheets. The Supreme Court-appointed M B Shah Commission had in its report in 2012 stated that illegal mining to the tune of Rs 3,000 had taken place in Goa between 2005 and 2012 and had named several persons who are currently being investigated by the SIT. Parmaditya's appointment order was issued Monday by Goa's government Under Secretary (Personnel-II) Shashank Thakur. DIG Jaspal Singh has been relieved as head of SIT, the order added. Parmaditya will also supervise the work of the Superintendents of Police of North and South Goa districts. The mining industry in the state has come to a standstill after the Supreme Court, in its order in February, quashed 88 mining leases. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Goa government will hire an international agency to check fish and ensure that hazardous chemicals like formalin are not used as preservatives, state Food and Drugs Administration Minister Vishwajit Rane said Monday. A high level committee comprising Goa Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai, Fisheries Minister Vinod Palyekar, besides Rane, met in Margao Monday to discuss the issue. "There are fears being raised about use of formalin in fish. We have decided to address it by hiring an international agency which will test the fish that is imported in Goa from other states," Rane told reporters after the culmination of the meeting. He informed that the state government would finalise the name of the international agency within 24 hours and it would be invited to work along with the state's FDA in this regard. He said that the decision to invite the international agency was taken after consulting Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The FSSAI, a Central body, is responsible for making regulations and setting standards, import of food, notifying labs and ensuring cooperation with the states. The issue of formalin or formaldehyde, a potential cancer-inducing chemical, as a preservative in fish has rocked Goa for several months now. Rane said that unlicensed fish traders will not be allowed to operate in Goa after October 15. Goa Town and Country Planning minister Vijai Sardesai said Monday's meeting discussed measures to ensure highest standards are adopted so as to make fish safe for consumption. Sardesai alleged that the opposition Congress was creating doubt in the minds of the people about fish being consumed in Goa and added that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had been apprised of the issue. Parrikar is admitted in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi reportedly for a pancreatic ailment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has set up a panel, headed by NSA Ajit Doval, to assist the National Security Council, which advises the prime minister on matters of national security and strategic interests, officials said Monday. The Strategic Policy Group (SPG) will assist the National Security Council and undertake among other tasks, a long-term strategic review of country's security affairs. It will be the principal mechanism for inter-ministerial coordination and integration of relevant inputs in the formulation of national security policies, a top Home Ministry official said. The SPG will be chaired by National Security Advisor (NSA) Doval and its members include the NITI Aayog vice chairman, the cabinet secretary, the chiefs of the three defence services, the RBI governor, the foreign secretary, the home secretary, the finance secretary and the defence secretary. The secretary of the Department of Defence Production and Supplies, the scientific adviser to the defence minister and the secretary (R), Cabinet Secretariat will also be members of the panel. The other members are secretary, Department of Revenue; secretary, Department of Atomic Energy; secretary, Department of Space; director, Intelligence Bureau and secretary, National Security Council Secretariat. Representatives of other ministries and departments will be invited to the meetings of the group as and when necessary, another official said. The NSA will convene the meetings of the SPG and the cabinet secretary will coordinate implementation of the group's decisions by union ministries and departments, and state governments. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Monday appealed to people not to engage in violence, even as an outfit claimed over 20,000 Hindi-speaking migrants fled the state in the last one week after a spate of attacks following a rape incident. Rupani claimed that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, while state Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants. Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have seen sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, police had said. The government said more than 400 people have been arrested in connection with the violence which started after a migrant worker from Bihar was nabbed in the rape case. Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. "Over 20,000 migrants from these states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in different parts of the state. All non-Gujaratis should not be seen as culprits for the misdeeds of one person," he said. Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police. "Due to intense efforts by police, the situation is under control and no untoward incident has happened in the last 48 hours. "We are committed to maintaining law and order, and people can call police in case of trouble. We will provide them security," Rupani said in Rajkot. Minister of State for Home Jadeja, at a press conference Monday in Gandhinagar, said the Centre had been apprised of the steps taken by the Gujarat government to bring the situation under control. He said 431 people have been arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks on Hindi- speaking people. Without naming opposition Congress, Jadeja said efforts were underway to find out whether "it is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years". "The attack on migrant workers is highly condemnable. The chief minister has instructed us to take all necessary steps to stop the attacks. "I also appeal people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains," Jadeja said. He said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants. "Only a handful of people are involved in this. We have deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of migrants. "We have also decided to set up points (camps) for the State Reserve Police (SRP) and increase patrolling in such areas," Jadeja said. While police have arrested several members of the Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and also mentioned the outfit's name in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor alleged that youth from the community were being falsely implicated. Jadeja, responding to a query on Thakor's allegations, said action will be taken against anyone who disturbs peace. "Police is not harassing any innocent person from a community. But we will take action against those who are disturbing Gujarat's peace," said Jadeja. Hours after the rape of the toddler in a village near Himmatnagar town, around 100km from Ahmedabad, police arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Additional forces were deployed in industrial areas in Gujarat for the security of Hindi-speaking migrants after attacks on them sparked their exodus that prompted the state government on Monday to make an appeal for their return. Assuring security to the migrants, the Gujarat government said 431 people were arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks, as Chief Minister Vijay Rupani appealed to people not to engage in violence. Claiming that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police. "We are committed to maintaining law and order, and people can call police in case of trouble. We will provide them security." he told reporters in Rajkot. Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar--Yogi Adityanath and Nitish Kumar-- and Union minister and BJP ally Ram Vilas Paswan, who hails from Bihar, spoke to Rupani to voice their concern over the attacks. Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have witnessed sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, police said. Police have arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime. Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. "Over 20,000 migrants from these states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in different parts of the state. All non-Gujaratis should not be seen as culprits for the misdeeds of one person," he said. A political dimension to the attacks was also injected with a leader of the JD(U), which is headed by Nitish Kumar, dashing off a two-page open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, blaming his party for the violence against Biharis. "You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena is driving out migrant Biharis," Neeraj Kumar, JD(U) MLC and spokesman, alleged. Without naming opposition Congress, Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said efforts were underway to find out whether "it(attacks) is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years". Jadeja said it is the responsibility of the state government to provide security to those who come to Gujarat for employment from other states and appealed to those who have fled to come back to the state. He said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants. Jadeja told a press conference in Gandhinagar that the Centre had been apprised of the steps taken by the state government to bring the situation under control. "The attack on migrant workers is highly condemnable. The chief minister has instructed us to take all necessary steps to stop the attacks. "I also appeal to people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains," Jadeja said. Jadeja said only a handful of people are involved in the violence. "We have deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of migrants. We have also decided to set up points (camps) for the State Reserve Police (SRP) and increase patrolling in such areas." While police have arrested several members of the Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and also mentioned the outfit's name in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor alleged that youth from the community were being falsely implicated. Condemning the rape incident, Nitish Kumar said the guilty must be punished but an entire community must not be tarred with the same brush. "Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister yesterday. Our Chief Secretary and DGP are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat," Kumar told reporters in Patna. "If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people must not generalize and hold a grouse against an entire state." Adityanath said the Gujarat chief minister told him that his government has ensured the safety of all and that are all welcome. Rupani also informed there had not been any incident since the past three days and he has also appealed to people against paying any heed to rumours, Adityanath told reporters in Lucknow. Adityanath said Gujarat is a peace loving state and a model of development and that those do not want development spread rumours. "Some North Indians living there had called me and I have told them also not to pay heed to the rumours.," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Monday defended party MLA Alpesh Thakor after members of an outfit which he leads were arrested in connection with the attacks on Hindi-speaking migrants in Gujarat, and alleged that the BJP government was trying to politicise the issue. Since the rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28 and the arrest of a labourer hailing from Bihar for the crime, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have seen sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people. Gujarat Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja, without naming the Congress, said on Monday that efforts were underway to find out whether "it is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years". While police have arrested several members of the Kshatriya Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and also mentioned the outfit's name in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor has alleged that youths from the community were being falsely implicated. Speaking to media in Bharuch on Monday, Patel, a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, said that Jadeja was trying to politicise the issue. "I think he was trying to politicise the issue. The way he was saying it, I wonder if there was a conspiracy behind what is happening" Patel said. "Alpesh Thakor has clearly denied his role in these attacks on migrant workers" said Patel. Patel said the Gujarat government should probe why people were fleeing the state and warned that these incidents may happen in other states as well. "Innocent people must not be harassed as they are also Indians. If such things happen in one state, then it may also start in other states too. We have seen what happened in Mumbai. We should not target everyone for the sins of a few," Patel said. Gujarat Congress chief Amit Chavda claimed that there was a perception among people that the state government was protecting those who are indulging in violence. "Despite heavy deployment of police, such attacks are still happening. It proves that the perpetrators have been given a free hand by the state government" Chavda alleged. "People are having a perception that the BJP and its government here are promoting such attacks to divert attention from party's imminent loss in the upcoming Assembly polls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh," Chavda claimed. Meanwhile, the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has urget Chief Minister Vijay Rupani to step in to restore peace in the state. GCCI president Jaimin Vasa claimed that 50 per cent of migrant labourers had stopped coming to work at factories in many industrial estates in Gujarat. "The Vibrant Gujarat Summit as well as Diwali are approaching. We have urged the government to work together and re-establish industrial peace in the state. Around 50 per cent of migrant workers have stopped coming in many industrial estates in Gujarat" said Vasa. According to G K Patel, president of Dediasan industrial estate in Mehsana, around 1,000 migrant workers have gone back to their native states. "There are around 400 factories in this estate. These factories employ around 2,000 migrant workers. Out of these, some 1,000 have left work and have gone back to their native places" claimed Patel. Earlier Monday, Gujarat-based outfit Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad had claimed that over 20,000 Hindi-speaking migrants had fled the state in the last one week after a spate of attacks following the rape incident. Hours after the rape of the toddler in a village near Himmatnagar town in Sabarkantha, police had arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court Monday termed as "gender discrimination" the Indian Army's practice of having only women in its nursing service. "It is gender discrimination, only other way round," a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao observed after it was informed that male nurses were not recruited into the Army's nursing branch. The court gave the Centre two months time to take a decision on the issue and listed the matter for hearing on January 21, 2019. The central government's lawyer sought six months time to take a decision on recruiting male nurses saying that each Army base has to be communicated and their views taken. Denying the request, the court said, "We are in a digital world. Get everyone on video conferencing and take a decision". The Centre also placed before the court an August 2018 office order to convene a board of officers to study the feasibility of the proposal to induct male nurses in the Indian Military Nursing Service. According to the office order, the board proceedings are to be completed and a report submitted by October 31. The court was hearing a society's PIL alleging "blatant discrimination" in recruitment for the Indian Military Nursing Service. In its plea, the Indian Professional Nurses Association, has said that there were several thousand males trained and qualified as professional nurses in India and their omission from nursing corps of the Army was "unjustifiable and unconstitutional inasmuch it deprives them of an avenue of employment and professional advancement". "The said omission also deprives the military and the nation of a large pool of committed professionals," the petition, filed through advocates Amit George and Rishabh Dheer, said. The PIL has challenged the provisions of the Military Nursing Service Ordinance 1943 and the Military Nursing Service (India) Rules 1944, to the extent they provide only for appointment of women. It has also contended that the Ordinance and the Rules "also perpetuate the stigmatisation and ostracism of male nurses, by singling them out and making them feel unwanted". It has said that such discrimination is contrary to the constitutional scheme and is, therefore, "ex-facie unconstitutional, illegal and arbitrary". The petition has sought quashing of the words "if a woman" in the Indian Military Nursing Service Ordinance and to place male nurses at par with their female counterparts. The court had earlier termed the practice of recruiting only female nurses as "antiquated" and "stereotyped". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Monday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a closure report in the case related to missing student The bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel said Ahmed's mother, who had moved the court for a direction to the police to trace her son, could raise her grievances before the trial court where the report was filed. The court said if Najeeb's mother wanted the status report of the probe, she would have to move the trial court. Ahmed had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the (JNU) here on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some students allegedly affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) the previous night. The Delhi High Court Monday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a closure report in the case of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from the university nearly two years ago. A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel "declined" the plea of the missing student's mother, Fatima Nafees, to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and monitor the probe, thereby removing the CBI from the investigation. The bench said Nafees, who had moved the high court in November 2016 seeking directions to the police to trace her son, "can raise all contentions available to her before the trial court" and disposed of the plea. The court had reserved its verdict in the case on September 4. The CBI, which had taken over the probe on May 16 last year, had after more than a year of investigation said it had looked into all the aspects of the case and was of the opinion that no offence was committed against the missing student. Ahmed had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some students allegedly affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) the previous night. The lawyer for Nafees had contended before the court that it was a "political case" and that the "CBI has succumbed to the pressure of its masters". Nafees had moved the high court on November 25, 2016, seeking directions to the police to trace her son. However, as the Delhi Police remained clueless about Ahmed's whereabouts even after seven months since he went missing, the probe was handed over to the CBI on May 16 last year. The Delhi Police had not opposed the handing over of the investigation in the case, saying it had done its bit in the matter. The counsel for Nafees had earlier said nine students were named in a complaint filed by 18 students, who were eyewitnesses to the alleged assault on Ahmed, yet they were not interrogated. The nine students named in the complaint have denied all the allegations against them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nearly two years after JNU student Najeeb Ahmed went missing from campus and the police as well as the CBI unsuccessfully investigated his disappearance, the Delhi High Court Monday allowed filing of a closure report in the matter, saying the probe by the premier investigative agency was not "tardy and slow". A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel while disposing of the habeas corpus petition moved by the student's mother, Fatima Nafees, said the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was not "tardy and slow" as was contended by her and rejected her claim that it wanted to file the closure report due to "political compulsions". "This court is, for the reasons discussed hereafter, not persuaded that the CBI is tardy and slow in the investigation or that it has not taken steps that are required to be taken in the matter. "In the present case, this court has in fact monitored the investigation thus far of the CBI and has not been persuaded to agree with the petitioner that the CBI has not acted fairly or that it has been under any influence or political compulsions in its decision to file a closure report," the bench said. The CBI, which had taken over the probe on May 16 last year, after more than a year of investigation said it had looked into all the aspects of the case and was of the opinion that no offence was committed against the missing student. Ahmed had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some students allegedly affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) the previous night. As the Delhi Police remained clueless about Ahmed's whereabouts even after seven months since he went missing, the probe was handed over to the CBI on May 16 last year. The Delhi Police had not opposed the handing over of the investigation in the case, saying it had done its bit in the matter. Fatima's counsel, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, had during the proceedings contended that under the Minnesota Protocol they were entitled to peruse the status reports filed by the CBI in the matter. Dealing with the argument, the bench said in the present case, at every stage of the hearing, Fatima was aware of the filing of the status reports -- initially by the Delhi Police and later by the CBI. The court said the status reports might also contain details of the case diary of the investigating agency and these are not shared with anyone, be it the suspect or the complainant. "It is to be perused only by the court. There is no requirement of sharing the details in the case diary with the complainant," the court said. The bench further said that once CBI files its closure report, the complainant may file a 'protest petition' opposing it and thereafter, she will be "provided with full excess to the closure report and the materials on which it is based". "Subject to terms with which the complainant (Fatima) would have to comply, the criminal court concerned will provide such access and perhaps also furnish copy of the entire closure report and such of the documents which formed the basis for the recommendation for such closure," it said and added that in this way the requirements of the Minnesota Protocol would be met. The Minnesota Protocoal is the revised United Nations Manual on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions. The bench, in its 34-page judgement, also rejected Fatima's plea for entrusting the investigation to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) whose work would be monitored by the high court, thus removing the CBI from the picture. It said it has monitored the CBI investigation up to the stage where the agency was in a position to file a closure report before the concerned trial court and what should happen after that was for the lower court to decide. "Consequently, the prayer of the petitioner (Fatima) that the court should constitute an SIT and monitor its work, thus removing the CBI from the picture, has to be declined," the bench said and added that it leaves it open to the student's mother to raise all the contentions available to her in accordance with law before the concerned trial court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court Monday dismissed a petition seeking reservation in educational institutions for children born to physically challenged people. A division bench of Justices S Manikumar and P T Asha said "the rule does not provide any reservation for children of the physically handicapped." According to petitioner, three per cent of the total available seats for admissions will be "horizontally reserved for differently-abled children as per provisions of the Disabilities (Equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation) Act, 1995. "Though the reservation is available, these seats are not filled which is the ground reality," he said. It is very difficult for physically challenged parents to give moral support to their children as well as to assist them, especially at the primary and secondary school level, the petitioner said. "Unlike normal parents they are unable to take their children to school, tuition and to play ground. This is causing serious repercussions and rather create inferiority complex at the earlier stage of the lives of children," he said. Hence, the petitioner sought an instruction directing the Centre to provide some reservation for the children born to physically challenged parents. Dismissing the petition filed by L K Venkat, the court said the direction sought for is "contrary to the very object of the statute... (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court Monday sought affidavits from three top Puducherry officials on a petitioner's claim that he had obtained confidential reports through RTI, using which he challenged the recent appointment of a retired IAS officer as OSD to Lt Governor Kiran Bedi. Petitioner P Saravanan, who has sought to quash the appointment of G Theva Neethi Dhas as the officer on special duty, filed, along with a PIL, confidential reports and documents in the form of typed set of papers, claiming he had obtained them through the Right to Information (RTI) Act. He alleged the appointment of Dhas, who had retired as the secretary to the Puducherry Lt Governor, was made in violation of rules and by keeping the chief minister in the dark and it was a colourable exercise of power by Bedi. When the PIL came up for hearing, a bench comprising Justice S Manikumar and Justice P T Asha observed how the confidential documents, reports and demi-official letters such as file notings with the signatures of the chief secretary and other officials were obtained. It directed the Puducherry chief secretary, principal finance secretary and the secretary to the Confidential and Cabinet Department to file separate affidavits setting forth the details whether any application was made under RTI by the petitioner for the reports and documents. The matter relates to the appointment Dhas as OSD for a period of two years from July 1, 2018 at a contractual fee of Rs 1,16,737 per month. The petitioner claimed the chief minister had written to the Lt Governor to name the successor of the Dhas a day before he was to retire. It later came to light that the Confidential and Cabinet Department had on June 26 itself issued a letter of proposal pursuant to which Dhas was appointed OSD, he submitted. The procedure for appointment of retired government officials as consultants shall be on submission of a proposal before the Consultancy Evaluation Committee consisting of department officials concerned, but in this case, the procedure was violated, the petitioner contended. Moreover, there was no such post as officer on special duty to Lieutenant Governor and such posting was illegal and liable to be quashed, he said. When quite a number of officers senior to Dhas had been waiting to get such a post, his appointment as OSD was illegal, incorrect, biased and violative of principles of natural justice, the petitioner claimed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court Monday took a serious view of a government advocate unable to answer certain queries while it was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the land acquisition for the Chennai-Salem greenfield highway project. The advocate was not able to answer certain queries towards "illegal" felling of 109 trees near the site of the proposed project. A division bench of Justices T S Sivagnanam and Bhavani Subbaroyan orally observed, "The government is insensitive towards the issue....". When the advocate was unable to answer on the status of anticipatory bail applications moved by the accused who felled the trees, the court said, "If you do not have instruction, please do not come to the court". Referring to the installation of unauthorised digital banners in the city, reportedly with the pictures of special government pleader C Thirumaran, in connection with the recently concluded 'MGR centenary celebrations', the bench observed, "How can a law officer of this court flout its own orders? We cannot give an audience to such a law officer. "Whoever may have appointed him? But once, he enters the office of a law officer, he should maintain the dignity of the post," it said. Since Thirumaran was not present in court during the hearing, the bench asked the government advocate to inform him about the court's observation. The government advocate immediately sought instructions from the police department and informed the court that of the five persons, accused of illegal tree felling, two were absconding. Recording the submission, the bench wondered whether the accused were "cross-border terrorists or ordinary woodcutters". Noting that there was something fishy in the entire incident of tree felling, the court said it would ultimately find out the truth. The forest department informed the court that over 500 saplings have been planted in the site where 109 trees were cut down and 500 more would be planted soon. Noting that it was the duty of the department to take good care of the saplings, the bench posted the pleas to Tuesday for further hearing. The court had on August 21 restrained the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government from dispossessing people of their lands to be acquired for the project, which has run into opposition from some quarters including a section of farmers, till further orders. The petitioners have challenged the land acquisition for the Rs 10,000 crore project. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) HCL Technologies Monday conducted the ground-breaking ceremony for its Global Development Centre, which will be a production house for high end new age technlogies, in the capital region Amaravati. State Information Technology Minister N Lokesh performed the 'bhumi puja' for the project at Kesarapalli village opposite Vijayawada airport in the capital region. This is the first of the two development centres HCL Technologies will be setting up in the Amaravati region at an aggregate investment of Rs 700 crore over the next 10 years. The two centres are expected to create over 7,000 jobs in the next decade. HCL and the Andhra Pradesh government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2017 to set up the development centres, but land allocation issues delayed the project, though the company was supposed to operationalize phase-1 by August 2018. The first phase of the Global Development Centre,which will be a production house for high-end new age technologies, is expected to become operational in January 2020 with about 1,200 employees, according to HCL Technologies Executive Vice-President Srimathi Shivashankar. "Recruitment of staff would happen parallel to the development of infrastructure here and they will be trained on projects in Chennai and Bengaluru. We will be creating an innovation lab and a skill development centre in the Vijayawada campus," she said. "This project is part of our New Vistas programme where we are expanding into emerging cities. The thrust is on leveraging local talent and creating more employment opportunities for the local youth, not just engineers, but also science graduates," she told PTI. HCL has set up similar development centres, under 'New Vistas,' in Lucknow, Nagpur and Madurai that became operational in the last two years with over 7,000 employees. "We are in the third year of this initiative and now we are here in Vijayawada. This also goes along with our campaign 'Come Back Home'. Getting people who have left Andhra...who would like to come back to be with their families, we want to get such people back to Vijayawada," Shivashankar said. The company's major focus, the EVP said, was to get women who would like a career to be in Information Technology as HCL believed in getting more women at work. "Also, women engineers who moved to this city and like a second career and late starters as well. We would like to invite them also (for employment)," she added. HCL Corporation CEO Roshni Nadar Malhotra, HCL Healthcare Vice-Chairman Shikhar Malhotra, state IT Principal Secretary K Vijayanand and others attended the ground-breaking ceremony. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) IT services major Technologies Monday said it will set up a Global IT development centre at Gannavaram in Andhra Pradesh, which will help create more than 5,000 jobs. The state government had signed an agreement with Technologies for the project last year. Spread over 29.86 acres, the new centre is envisaged as part of Andhra Pradesh's drive to create a new IT hub. As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), will invest over Rs 7 billion to develop two facilities in the state -- in Vijayawada and Amravati -- in phases over the next few years, HCL Technologies said in a statement. A skill development centre with a 1,000-seat capacity will also be developed as part of the pact, it added. Nara Lokesh, Minister for Information Technology and Communications in government, said the state will provide all the required support to HCL to help the company quickly set up their campus and grow it into one of their largest delivery centres across the globe. ALSO READ: HCL Technologies eyes financial services and retail to boost income "The creation of this Global Centre is aligned with our strategic vision to expand and create opportunities in the emerging cities. We are confident that HCL Global Centre in Vijayawada will be one of the best IT centres in the industry in the coming years," Executive Director and CEO of HCL Corporation Roshni Nadar Malhotra said. Through its 'come back home' campaign, HCL plans to attract talent who belong to Vijayawada and provide them with careers in areas of application and product development, including new technologies on demand. The company will invest in creating a training centre for fresh engineering graduates from local colleges, the statement said. Meng Hongwei, the Chinese head of Interpol, who vanished mysteriously late last month, is being investigated for alleged corruption, China announced Monday, the latest high-profile target to be ensnared in a sweeping anti-graft campaign led by President Xi Jinping. Meng, who was also a vice minister of public security in China, was first reported missing in late September after travelling from Interpol's Headquarters in France to China. Interpol is the global policing agency that coordinates between police forces around the world, including searches for missing and wanted persons. Concerns over Meng's whereabouts were first raised by wife, Grace, who reported him missing to French authorities in the city of Lyon, where the couple live, last Thursday. Grace has revealed that Meng, the first Chinese head of Interpol, sent her a text message with a knife emoji on the day he went missing, indicating that he was in trouble. Meng, 64, has been accused by the Chinese government of accepting bribes and committing unspecified other crimes. "(Meng) insisted on taking the wrong path and had only himself to blame (for his downfall)," the country's top law enforcement official, Zhao Kezhi, was quoted as saying in a statement Monday. Chinese authorities had previously remained tight-lipped about the whereabouts of Meng, following his sudden disappearance last month after he flew from France to China. In a separate development, Interpol said it had received Meng's resignation from the international police agency with "immediate effect" according to statement posted Sunday. It made no mention of the former Interpol president's whereabouts or the Chinese investigation. Monday's statement on the ministry of public security's website provided no details about the bribes Meng allegedly took or the other crimes he has been accused of, but indicated that he was also being investigated for political lapses. The South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based newspaper known for its connections within the Chinese government, said Meng was "taken away" for questioning upon landing in China last week. Meng is the latest high-profile target to be ensnared in a sweeping anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by President Xi, who assumed power in 2012. The Chinese president promised it would catch both "tigers and flies" -- the powerful as well as ordinary citizens -- and has brought down top officials like ex-Politburo Standing Committee member and former security tzar Zhou Yongkang. In the statement on Monday, Chinese authorities alluded to ties between Zhou and Meng, who rose through the government's security apparatus under Zhou. The statement said Meng's fall highlighted Xi's resolve in cleaning up the ruling Communist Party and stressed the importance of political loyalty to the Party's leadership under Xi. The widely-publicised arrest of Meng came after another prominent Chinese figure on the world stage appeared to vanish after falling foul of Beijing. One of China's best-known actresses, Fan Bingbing, reappeared following a lengthy disappearance in the past week, admitting to tax evasion and promising to pay a large fine. Meng has lived in Lyon, where Interpol is headquartered, since assuming the role of president in 2016. In an emotional press conference on Sunday, Grace told reporters that concern for her husband is a matter that "belongs to the international community." "Although I can't see my husband, we are always connected by heart," she was quoted as saying by CNN. In a statement Friday, the French Interior Ministry confirmed that it was looking into the situation and that a "suitable police mechanism" had been put in place to guarantee Grace Meng's safety. Following Meng's resignation, Interpol announced South Korea's Kim Jong Yang would serve as acting president until the organisation's general assembly picks a permanent president next month in Dubai. When Meng was chosen as the next President of Interpol in 2016 it was warmly welcomed by Beijing, who said China was ready to "take on bigger responsibility and make greater contribution to push for global law enforcement." Meng oversaw the agency's executive committee, which sets overall strategy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said Monday that he had to travel about nine km daily to reach his school at Bagsiad but the state has made rapid stride in the field of since and is second only to Kerala in terms of literacy rate. He said Himachal Pradesh now has educational institutions even in the remotest areas of the state. Launching the ambitious 'Akhand Shiksha Jyoti-Mere School Se Nikle Moti' scheme, the 53-year-old BJP leader said the government has started 30 new schemes in the budget of 2018-19 for the welfare and development of the state. The scheme was launched from the Government Senior Secondary School Bagsiad in Seraj area of Mandi district. Under this scheme, names of the old students would be written on the roll of honour board, to be displayed in their schools to motivate the students to work hard and excel in life. Thakur said the 'Akhand Shiksha Jyoti-Mere School Se Nikle Moti' scheme was launched to honour the old students who have earned their name in different walks of life. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Monday announced that the Haryana government will set up an anti-terrorist force (ATF) comprising specially trained recruits from the state police, to deal with present day security challenges. "We have decided to set up an anti-terrorist force. This force will be named 'Kavach'. Select Haryana police recruits will be trained by the National Security Guard (NSG). I have already spoken to the NSG in this regard," Khattar told reporters in Gurgaon, adding that some states have already set up such a unit. When asked on the need for such a force, Khattar said the ATF will deal with "security challenges in general which we face in the present day". Clarifying that the decision to form this force had nothing to do with any specific threat being faced by the state, the CM said, "Prevention is better than cure." When attacks in Pathankot and Mumbai occurred no one knew them from before, the idea is to be better prepared (in the future)," he explained. The finer modalities for setting up the ATF are being worked out, the CM said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chartered accountants' apex body ICAI has entered into a pact with the IFRS Foundation in relation to copyrights of accounting standards. The foundation issues International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the foundation, a release said Monday. "This MoU will formalise the mutual understanding and acceptance about the rights of each of the parties in the copyrights in IFRS Standards and Ind AS," it added. Ind AS or Indian Accounting Standards are converged with the IFRS. According to the release, the Corporate Affairs Ministry has authorised the ICAI to sign an MoU with the Foundation on its behalf. Besides, the institute has entered into three other agreements with the foundation relating to sharing of IFRS knowledge data base and its copyrighted materials with ICAI. As per the Companies Act, 2013, certain class of companies are required to comply with IFRS-convergent Ind AS. Presently, 39 Ind AS have been notified by the government for compliance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Idiocracy -- a government formed of people considered ignorant or idiotic -- is among 1,400 new words, senses, and phrases added in the latest update of the The dictionary records over 100 words derived ultimately from the Greek suffix -cracy, meaning 'power' or 'rule'. The new addition idiocracy, refers to a society consisting of or governed by people characterised as idiots, or a government formed of people considered stupid, ignorant, or idiotic. Words like democracy and aristocracy originated in ancient Greek, but by the 18th century, -ocracy was being added to English words, as in statocracy and mobocracy. In the 19th century, the trickle of such formations became a flood, with many of the new words being terms of ridicule, a tradition to which idiocracy belongs; the earlier terms foolocracy (1832) and idiotocracy (used by Ambrose Bierce in 1909) express a similar concept. Idiocracy itself is first attested in 1967, but it owes its current prominence to the title of the satirical 2006 film Idiocracy, which depicts a dystopian future in which the human race has become extremely ignorant, stupid, and anti-intellectual. The quarterly update also added the term 'trapo'. In Philippine English, trapo which describes a politician perceived as belonging to a conventional and corrupt ruling class. Trapo's is an abbreviation of the English phrase 'traditional politician', but with punning allusion to the Tagalog word trapo ('rag'), which in turn is borrowed from Spanish. Another new item from Philippine English is the adjective bongga, borrowed from Tagalog, which means extravagant, flamboyant, impressive, stylish, or excellent. The undergoes revision four times every year. Apart from new words and phrases, new senses are added to existing words. Some new entries are in fact extremely old, that were not identified in previous editions. This update sees the addition of bedunged -- that has been soiled with or covered in dung -- which is first recorded from the early 15th century. It persists in modern use, but is now considered archaic or used self-consciously for stylistic effect, as in a newspaper article from 2000 that referred scornfully to 'the Young British Artists with their bedunged Madonna and mutilated mannequins'. The Bombay High Court Monday issued notices to a BJP corporator from suburban Andheri and seven of his supporters seeking to know why civil and criminal action should not be initiated against them for allegedly assaulting a civic official when he was removing an illegal hoarding in the area. A division bench of Justices A S Oka and M S Sonak was hearing an application filed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) seeking action against corporator Muraji Patel and his supporters for contempt of court. According to the civic body, Patel and others obstructed officials implementing the high court's order on illegal hoardings. The high court had, in January 2017, while hearing a PIL, ordered all municipal corporations and district councils in Maharashtra to ensure that no hoarding is erected without requisite permission. The court Monday issued notices to Patel and seven others asking why they should not be prosecuted under relevant civil and criminal provisions of the law for allegedly obstructing a civic official from doing his duty. The bench has directed the eight persons to file their affidavits within three weeks. The BMC, in is application filed last week, said that its officers of the K (East) Ward in suburban Andheri had received a complaint on their website in January this year regarding an illegal hoarding erected on a public road. The officers concerned visited the site and started removing the hoarding and banners. At that time, several persons came to the site and started allegedly threatening the civic officials and abused and assaulted them.The BMC later lodged a case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Green bodies Monday expressed concern over the findings of the latest IPCC climate change report, saying India is one of the most vulnerable countries for extreme weather events. Reacting to the latest report from the Inter-governmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), the Centre for Science and said the impact of 1.5 degrees Celsius warming is greater than what was anticipated earlier while the impacts at 2C are "catastrophic" for the poor and for developing nations like India. Avoiding global climate chaos will require a major transformation of society and the world economy that is "unprecedented in scale," the IPCC said in a landmark report that warns time is running out to avert a disaster. At current levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the 1.5 C marker can be breached as early as 2030 and no later than mid-century, the UN's IPCC reported with "high confidence". The US is the "biggest" obstacle to forming a global coalition to fight climate change and the world needs to unite against the "obstructive approach" of the US, the CSE said, while asserting that Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) cannot be the only way ahead to address the climate change. "The world needs a 'Plan B' to address climate change. India must take the lead in forming a global coalition for a 1.5C world to save its poor and vulnerable population," the CSE said. "Even at a little over 1.0C warming, India is being battered by the worst climate extremes - it is clear that the situation at 1.5C is going to worsen. The new report from IPCC has served us a final warning that we must get our act together -- now and quickly," said Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE. CSE Deputy Director General Chandra Bhushan said the report makes it clear that the impact of 1.5C warming is greater than what was anticipated earlier. Greenpeace, a non-governmental environmental organization, also expressed concern over India's vulnerability to climate change. "India is one of the most vulnerable countries for extreme weather events due to climate change. The IPCC report points out how regions in India will be exposed to extreme heat waves," said Nandikesh Sivalingam, campaign manager, Greenpeace India. "As per the report, climate change will significantly hamper GDPs of developing economies like India. India's long coastline is already dealing with the effects of sea level rise, which will increase if the we fail to keep temperature rise below 1.5 Degree Celsius," he said "The country's current push towards electrification of transport has given us a unique opportunity to transform both, our electricity and transport systems. Energy transformation is on the horizon, from a majorly fossil fuel-powered economy, we are moving to a future powered by renewable energy. But for that to happen effectively, India needs to re-look at its investments on coal and oil," Sivalingam added. To meet the 1.5 degree target, coal consumption would need to be cut by at least two thirds by 2030 and fall to almost zero in electricity production by 2050, Greenpeace said. "Renewables would supply 7085 per cent of electricity in 2050, with trends showing even higher potential. The report finds that the substantial improvement in solar, wind and electricity storage technologies could be a sign that a system transition has already started," it said in a statement. Avoiding global climate chaos will require a major transformation of society and the world economy that is "unprecedented in scale," the IPCC said in its report that warns time is running out to avert a disaster. At current levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the 1.5 C marker can be breached as early as 2030 and no later than mid-century, the UN's IPCC reported with "high confidence". The US is the "biggest" obstacle to forming a global coalition to fight climate change and the world needs to unite against the "obstructive approach" of the US, the CSE said, while asserting that Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) cannot be the only way ahead to address the climate change. "The world needs a 'Plan B' to address climate change. India must take the lead in forming a global coalition for a 1.5C world to save its poor and vulnerable population," the CSE said. "Even at a little over 1.0C warming, India is being battered by the worst climate extremes - it is clear that the situation at 1.5C is going to worsen. The new report from IPCC has served us a final warning that we must get our act together -- now and quickly," CSE Director General Sunita Narain said. CSE's Deputy Director General Chandra Bhushan said the report makes it clear that the impact of 1.5C warming is greater than what was anticipated earlier. "Countries like India, with large populations dependent on the agricultural and fishery sectors, would be highly impacted," he said. Coastal nations and agricultural economies like India would be the worst affected and decline in crop yields, unprecedented climate extremes and increased susceptibility could push poverty by several million by 2050, the report said. The CSE said the current level of climate ambition, as set out under the Paris Agreement, will lead to disastrous effects on the planet as it is not in line with limiting warming to even 2.0C. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India does not have a "clear vision" and "ecosystem" in place for the promotion of electric cars, a senior official of European car manufacturer Volkswagen said here on Monday. "India needs to have a political framework and a clear vision for electric cars. The vision is loose. For (promotion of electric cars), there has to be a lot of subsidies," director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars (India), Steffen Knapp, said here. Knapp, who was here to mark the company's 10 years of its association with Automark Motors, one of its leading dealers in the country, said it does make sense for the company to sell electric cars in India in the absence of a clear vision on part of the government. He said government will require to give a lot of subsidies to make it viable for the company to invest in electric cars in India. "There needs to be a clear guidance. We are not in a position at the moment. It is about standardisation of charging stations, which is not clear," he said. He said the industry representatives are in talks with the government regarding the same and things are in process. "Our concept for going from classical combustion diesel and petrol engine to electrified car is really massive. We will launch in coming years around 70 (electric vehicle) products," Knapp said. He also said that the company has announced Rs 8,000 crore investment for development in Indian products in the next five years. "The first product will come out in 2020. In July we had announced the investment. He said a development centre is coming up in Jharkhand which will manufacture compact SUVs, which he said is the fastest growing segment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India on Monday offered a grant of USD 20 million to Tajikistan for financing development projects in the resource-rich Central Asian country as President Ram Nath Kovind and his Tajik counterpart held talks and reaffirmed their determination to counter all forms of terrorism and violent extremism. President Kovind, who is here on a three-day state visit to strengthen India's ties with the country, reviewed the Guard of Honour along with Tajik President Emamoli Rahmon before the start of bilateral discussions. "This is my first visit to Central Asia. Tajikistan is our nearest neighbour in Central Asia. I have, therefore, decided to make my first call in Dushanbe," Kovind said. India has historical ties with Tajikistan. Poets and philosophers like Rudaki, Amir Khusro and Bedil are household names in India and Tajikistan, he said. "Their works bear testimony to our shared values of humanism and tolerance," the president said. He said India recognises Tajikistan's great contribution to combating radicalisation and terrorism, promoting peace, stability and a progressive way of life in the country. "India's membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which was strongly supported by Tajikistan, has opened a new vista in our strategic partnership," Kovind said. India last year became a full member of the SCO which was founded in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Tajikistan signed key Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) in the fields of political relations, strategic research, agriculture, renewable energy, traditional medicine, space technology, youth affairs, culture and disaster management, he said. India remains committed to provide capacity building and development assistance support to Tajikistan, he said. "We are happy to offer a grant of USD 20 million for financing development projects as identified by the Government of Tajikistan. "We will undertake feasibility study of solar projects in seven villages in the country as requested by our host. We are also happy to provide two English language laboratories for Tajik Military," Kovind said. Together, India and Tajikistan can promote the International North-South Transport Corridor and other connectivity initiatives such as the development of Chabahar Port and the Ashgabat Agreement for smooth transport of goods, he said. "We live in a region which has unfortunately been beset with challenges posed by fundamentalists and terrorists. "Both India and Tajikistan remain determined to counter all forms of terrorism and violent extremism which are a grave threat to international peace and stability. I thank President Rahmon for his support for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the UN," Kovind said. India had proposed a draft document in 1996 on the CCIT at the UN but there has been no consensus among the UN member states on its adoptation. India is committed to peace and development in neighbouring Afghanistan through an Afghan-led Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled peace process, Koind said, adding that like Tajikistan, India too looks forward to a peaceful Afghanistan which is able to achieve national reconciliation. Kovind said he has extended an invitation to President Rahmon to visit India at an early date. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prominent Indian-American NGO SEWA International USA has received a grant of USD 15,000 to help at-risk high school students improve their grades in science, math and english. This is the third consecutive year that Eaton Charitable Fund has awarded the grant of USD 15,000 to support Sewa International's ASPIRE (Active Student Participation Inspires Real Engagement) Tutorial and Mentoring Program in Cleveland. Sewa International has one of the lowest overhead expenses of a charitable organisation in the country as its leadership takes no salary, and most of the work is done by volunteers, Rogerio Branco, executive vice president at Eaton, said. He presented the check to Dr Hira Fotedar from SEWA International USA, at a ceremony in Beachwood, Ohio. Although the Sewa ASPIRE program began by assisting Bhutanese refugee children in 2009, the programme has seamlessly been adapted to the needs of the high school students of Cleveland, many of whom are from economically disadvantaged homes and communities, Branco said. Praising the Sewa International team for excellent progress achieved by ASPIRE in the last two years at the Euclid High School and the Garfield Heights High School, Branco said 10 students, who received tutorial help to improve their grades, graduated from high school and went to college with scholarships. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's celebrated rallyists have a tough fight on their hands in the 20th edition of the Raid de Himalaya, with the inclusion of a formidable team from the Border Roads Organisation. Col Pradeep Sharma of BRO's Project Vijayak at Kargil will lead the team's challenge in a Maruti Gypsy in the Raid Xtreme 4X4 category and will have Lt Col Sanjay Rathee of Project Hirak from Uttarakhand as his navigator. They will drive for Team DGBR (Director General Border Roads), an organisation within the army that specialises in constructing and maintaining roads in high altitude areas and extreme weather conditions, where few dare to go. "We are competing in this year's Raid because of the initiative of the Director General Border Roads (DGBR), Lt Gen Harpal Singh. He believed that we can take on the country's best competitors, and challenge them on our own roads, in the toughest category Raid Xtreme," Col Sharma said, in a matter-of-fact manner. The iconic Raid de Himalaya officially got underway here on Monday, with the scrutiny of the vehicles. The racing will begin on October 10 and finish on October 14, after traversing through some of the highest-altitude routes in Kargil, Zanskar and Ladakh. Col Pradeep Sharma has been decorated with the Ati Vishisht Sewa Medal (AVSM) and the Vishist Sewa Medal (VSM) by the Army. The awards are given for distinguished service, and for achieving the pinnacle of excellence in the service of the nation. Col Sharma revealed that a key reason for participating in the Raid was to get feedback from the people who use these roads in extreme conditions. "We are champions of road construction. We want to face the toughest conditions and get feedback from champion drivers on ways to make our roads even better," Col Sharma added. Col Sharma pointed out that the BRO opens the Zojila pass every year, which is the lifeline of Ladakh. "We open this pass under the most difficult conditions, so that civilian traffic movement is possible. Similarly, we open the most difficult passes in all parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the North-East, in the most treacherous terrain. "Our men work above 5,500 meters plus, in conditions that people cannot imagine. The highly sensitive border roads in Punjab and Rajasthan are also made and maintained by BRO," Col Sharma disclosed. "Our Director General Lt Gen Harpal Singh wanted to highlight the presence of our department in the toughest terrain," Col Sharma revealed. President of Himalayan Motorsport, the organisers of the Raid, Vijay Parmar welcomed the BRO into the Raid. "BRO has been the major but unknown stake-holder in the Raid de Himalaya since 1999, the year we introduced the rally. Their cooperation has always been well above the call of duty. This year, they decided to field a team, and we are more than happy to welcome them here," said Parmar. Team Army has an impressive presence at the Raid 2018, with teams competing in Raid Xtreme (4X4), in Raid Adventure (Time-Speed-Distance format), and three teams in Raid Adventure (Time-Speed-Distance format). One of the competitors in Raid Adventure is Major Renuka, a woman officer. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nobel laureate and children's rights activist has sought an international legally binding UN convention on child sexual abuse, terming it a "moral epidemic" while noting that the online has become a whopping $8 billion industry. Satyarthi, who was in New York recently to attend the high-level session of the 73rd UN General Assembly, said there was no control over online "We are pushing for an international legally binding UN convention on and pornography. Some countries have laws here and there but there is no control over online A legally binding convention is lacking," Satyarthi told PTI in New York. is a "moral epidemic" growing across the world, he said, adding that online child pornography has become a $8 billion industry. He said the demand for a legally binding global convention against online was made by the group Laureates and Leaders for Children, a platform inspired and founded by Satyarthi that brings together Nobel Laureates, global leaders, and youth from around the world to inspire, collaborate and act to protect the most vulnerable children. Satyarthi, 64, said since there is no legal binding convention to combat this scourge, it is not getting the level of attention it deserves. The issue of child pornography is "creating so many evils in India and as well as in many other countries, including the US," he said. The Laureates and Leaders had adopted the 'Dead Sea Declaration' during their summit in March this year in Jordan, demanding several measures to ensure child safety, including a legally binding global convention against online child sexual abuse. The declaration also calls for the creation of an online policy tracker that monitors legislation on trafficking, child labour and abuse as well as enforcement of that legislation. It was handed over by the Panamanians government to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Satyarthi said some countries had some laws dealing with online child pornography but they were not enough as in general there is no control over such content online. "You can block a website but if the service providers are ready to provide the content, that content again flows through different channels. So technically it is not too difficult for them," he said. He pointed out that the legally binding convention should also be supported by the formation of new global and inter-agency task force to focus on issues of child pornography, child sexual abuse and child trafficking and to provide victims with holistic support. Satyarthi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 jointly with Pakistani girls' education activist Malala Yousafzai, said 50 million children had been uprooted and are on the move, driven by war, violence, lack of opportunity and climate change. About 152 million child labourers toil for the profit of others at the expense of their own freedom, education and childhood; and millions are trapped in modern-day slavery. The issue of refugee children "is largely ignored in the broader political discourse of refugee crisis. A child-centric approach in the refugee issue is lacking," he said. Satyarthi said the problem of sexual abuse against children and women should be tackled conclusively now "instead of 5-10 years later when a woman comes forward and shares what happened to her 10 years ago. It should be stopped now". Satyarthi said the voices of those oppressed and suppressed in any form were "becoming louder and louder and that is a very positive and promising change in the world". "Whether it is through MeToo or the Youth Resistance, this is a positive step. These voices should be responded with political work and urgent action which is still lacking". Satyarthi also highlighted that in India, many more people were coming out and speaking about sexual harassment. "That is a positive sign. If the number of registration of sexual abuse cases is increasing, I take it as a positive sign," he said. Satyarthi said he is also focusing on making the problem of child abuse, rape and children going missing a political issue in the upcoming elections. "Every political party should be compelled to take up the issue," he said. "If our children are in danger, then the democracy is in danger...I am working strongly that it should become a political issue," he said. The IPCC report makes it clear that the world will witness greater sea level rise, higher frequency of droughts and floods, and heatwaves and countries like with large populations dependent on the agricultural and fishery sectors, would be highly impacted, an environmental think-tank Monday said. The IPCC report makes it clear that the impact of 1.5 degrees Celsius warming is greater than what was anticipated earlier while the impacts at 2C are "catastrophic" for the poor and for developing nations like India, the Centre for Science and (CSE) said. Avoiding global climate chaos will require a major transformation of society and the world economy that is "unprecedented in scale," the UN said Monday in a landmark report that warns time is running out to avert disaster. At current levels of greenhouse gas emissions, we could pass the 1.5 C marker as early as 2030, and no later than mid-century, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel for (IPCC) reported with "high confidence". The US is the "biggest" obstacle to forming a global coalition to fight and the world needs to unite against the "obstructive approach" of the US, the CSE said while asserting that Paris Agreement and the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) cannot be the only way ahead to address the climate change. "The world needs a 'Plan B' to address climate change. must take the lead in forming a global coalition for a 1.5C world to save its poor and vulnerable population," CSE said. "Even at a little over 1.0C warming, is being battered by the worst climate extremes it is clear that the situation at 1.5C is going to worsen. The new report from IPCC has served us a final warning that we must get our act together -- now and quickly," said Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE. CSE Deputy Director General Chandra Bhushan said the report makes it clear that the impact of 1.5C warming is greater than what was anticipated earlier. "Accordingly, the world would witness greater sea level rise, increased precipitation and higher frequency of droughts and floods, hotter days and heatwaves, more intense tropical cyclones, and increased ocean acidification and salinity. "Countries like India, with large populations dependent on the agricultural and fishery sectors, would be highly impacted," he said. The report points out that the risk transition from 1.5C to 2C is very high and that the effects at 2C will be more devastating than what IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report had indicated. Coastal nations and agricultural economies like India would be the worst affected, the report said, adding decline in crop yields, unprecedented climate extremes and increased susceptibility could push poverty by several million by 2050. "The world cannot afford a warming of 2C above the pre-industrial era. A 2C warmer world will devastate economies and ecosystems and push hundreds of millions of people back into poverty. "The goal of climate change now must be firmly fixed to 1.5C to give the communities and nations a fighting chance to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. India must take the lead in creating a global coalition in this endeavour," said Bhushan. CSE said the report also makes it clear that the current level of climate ambition, as set out under the Paris Agreement, will lead to disastrous effects on the planet as it is not in line with limiting warming to even 2.0C. With inadequate climate efforts, is likely to reach 1.5C between 2030 and 2052. If global emissions continue as per the commitments made under Paris Agreement, the carbon budget (the amount of CO2 that the world can emit) for 1.5C warming will be exhausted by 2030, the CSE said referring to the report. In order to limit warming at 1.5C, the world will have to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 from the 2010 levels and reach net-zero emissions by 2050, it said. "Though it will be very difficult in the current global economic system to limit warming to 1.5C, but it is not impossible. This will require acting on all fronts to rapidly reduce emissions by 2030. "Without an active participation of the US, this will be impossible. In totality, how the rest of the world handles the climate rogue behaviour of the will decide whether the world meets the 1.5C goal or not," Bhushan pointed out. CSE said by refusing to endorse the findings of the IPCC's 1.5C Report, the US has again given a clear signal that it would continue with its "climate regressive agenda", which includes obstructing the work of the UNFCCC and promoting fossil fuels like coal and gas. "Considering the urgency to rapidly decarbonise, the world needs a 'Plan B', as the Plan A -- the Paris Agreement -- will push the world towards catastrophic warming. "India must take the lead in forming a global coalition for a 1.5C world to save poor and vulnerable populations across the world including its own, Bhushan said. Narain said the focus must now be on how the world can build a coalition to support the massive transformation required to achieve the 1.5C target. "The developed countries must take the lead by rapidly de-carbonising their economies as well as by reducing consumption. The developing countries will have to pursue low-carbon pathways more vigorously and should limit the addition of fossil fuel assets," Narain pointed out. Israeli security forces raided the village of a Palestinian suspected of shooting two Israelis dead, the army said Monday, making arrests while the assailant himself remained at large. Ashraf Naalwa, 23, from the northern West Bank village of Shuweika, has been named by the Israeli army as the Palestinian behind Sunday's attack in the occupied West Bank industrial area of Barkan where two Israelis were killed and a third wounded. Soldiers, as well as police and Shin Bet internal security officers "operated in the village of Shuweika, north of Tulkarm, from which the terrorist originated," the military said. It said security forces "arrested" an unspecified number of people "suspected of aiding the terrorist" while a manhunt for the gunman was still underway. A spokesman for the Shin Bet said they had arrested Naalwa's brother, while his sister was "detained, questioned and released", declining to provide further details. Naalwa was employed at the same plant in the northern West Bank site as his two victims -- Kim Levengrond Yehezkel, 28, and Ziv Hagbi, 34. The industrial zone is located next to the Israeli settlement Barkan and near the settlement of Ariel in the north of the West Bank. Palestinians work side by side with Israelis in the industrial zone. A third woman also shot in the attack was hospitalised in stable condition. Levengrond Yehezkel, who was buried late Sunday, had been bound to a chair by Naalwa with cable ties before being shot, according to her father. Naalwa used a homemade gun, known locally as a "Carlo", according to the army, in what security forces believe was a "lone-wolf attack," meaning he was not part of a militant organisation or acting on its behalf. The army called the shooting a "terrorist attack", adding however that other unspecified factors were involved. A wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis broke out in 2015, but they have since become sporadic. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) Monday called upon media houses to establish institutional mechanisms to redress complaints of sexual harassment. Expressing concern over the spate of instances of sexual harassment faced by women journalists, the IWPC urged them to take recourse to the redressal system to have their grievances addressed. "The IWPC extends its support to all the women journalists and women employees in the media who have faced sexual harassment by their co-workers and superiors and have had the courage to speak out. "The fact that many of the complaints have gone unheard despite being brought to the notice of the appropriate authorities is disturbing and a matter of grave concern," IWPC president TK Rajalakshmi said in a statement. Following Hollywood's #MeToo movement, which has seen several women there having spoken out about sexual harassment faced by them, many people are referring to actress Tanushree Dutta's statement on Nana Patekar as the beginning of a similar campaign in Bollywood. Dutta has accused Patekar of behaving inappropriately with her on the sets of a film called 'Horn Ok Please' in 2008. Following her allegations, women across various spheres, including journalists, have taken to social media narrating their ordeal. Rajalakshmi said, "It is also reflective of a systemic malaise where despite the enactment of the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, the committees required to address these complaints and grievances are either not properly constituted or simply do not exist." The IWPC pointed out that all media organisations have a legal obligation to set up internal complaints committees in every branch office and disseminate information about what constitutes sexual harassment as well as the venues to seek redressal. "The phenomenon of many women journalists speaking out through the social media has arisen precisely because of either the absence or the abject failure of robust institutional grievance redress mechanisms that ought to have been readily available to the complainants in the first place. "The emphasis, within the Act, is on prevention rather than punitive action, therefore the measures for such prevention have to be in place as a matter of conscious organisational policy. "There ought to be zero tolerance for any form of inappropriate behaviour towards women employees," the statement said. The IWPC also called for regular sensitisation of employees on what constitutes "welcome" and "unwelcome behaviour" as a prerequisite for a safe and secure work environment. "Every woman employee has the right to work in an atmosphere free from any kind of harassment and hostility and employers have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of women employees in particular," the statement said. It has been recognised that such harassment has health, economic and social consequences apart from affecting the productivity of the aggrieved employee at the workplace, it said. "Given the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in the media, we demand that employers set up the institutional mechanisms mandated under the law so that every woman employee in every media organisation has recourse to redress as and when the occasion arises," the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The boycott of urban local body polls by several political parties, including the PDP and the NC, failed to dampen the spirit of voters in the Jammu and the Ladakh regions as they came out in large numbers to vote in the first phase of elections on Monday. Long queues of enthusiastic voters were seen outside the polling stations in Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri districts of the Jammu region and Leh and Kargil in Ladakh the areas of the state which are almost militancy-free and have always ignored boycott calls given by separatists. Adequate security arrangements have been made for peaceful conduct of elections across the state and officials said polling was going on smoothly. There was no major poll-related violence reported from anywhere, they said. The National Conference and the PDP, the two parties with large support bases in the region, along with CPI(M) and BSP have stayed away from the polls in protests against Article 35A of the constitution being challenged in the Supreme Court, and also over deteriorating law and order in the Valley. Voting is underway in 321 municipal wards spanning 11 districts -- three in the Jammu region, two in Ladakh and six in Kashmir valley -- to decide the political fate of 1,204 candidates. In this phase, 78 candidates 69 in Kashmir and nine in Jammu region - have already been elected unopposed. In the first eight hours of voting, which started at 7 am, the Kargil district, which has an electorate strength of 6,069 in 13 wards, is leading the turnout chart with 77.3 per cent followed by Rajouri at 76.9, out of its 25,675 voters. Jammu, having 4,42,180 electorates in 153 municipal bodies, including 75 wards of Jammu municipal corporation, has recorded a voter turnout of 60.6 per cent till 3 pm, while the 26 wards of Poonch district witnessed a turnout of 70.9 per cent, out of 15,976 voters, according to officials. The Leh district, with strength of 14,156 eligible voters, has recorded 51.6 per cent turnout, one hour before the scheduled closure of the polling at 4 pm, officials of state election commission said. The last elections to the municipal bodies in the state were held in 2005 and its five-year term expired in February 2010. Enthusiastic voters started turning up at the polling stations across the Jammu and Ladakh regions early to exercise their democratic right. "By 10 am, long queues of voters were visible in almost all polling stations, whether in the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri or along the International Border in the Jammu region," an official said. Rampal, a resident of Arnia along the International Border, told PTI, "Voting is my democratic right and I have exercised my franchise to pick up the best candidate who could address local issues like lack of drainage, repair of roads or street lighting to the best satisfaction of the residents." He said the election has provided them an opportunity and it is not right to waste it. Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed in strength across 820 polling stations - 150 in the Kashmir division including Ladakh, and 670 in the Jammu province, the officials said. They said basic minimum facilities have been ensured in all the polling stations across the state for voting. He said the government has also declared holiday on the day of poll in the municipal areas going to polls so as to enable the voters to cast their vote. In today's phase, voting took place in 75 wards in the Jammu municipal corporation, 79 in seven municipal committees in the Jammu district, 63 in five municipal committees in Rajouri, 30 in two municipal committees in Poonch and 13 each in municipal committees in Leh and Kargil. The second phase of polling covering 384 wards will be held on October 10 followed by third phase covering 207 wards on October 13 and the last phase covering 132 wards on October 16. The counting of votes will be done on October 20. As many as 2,990 candidates are in the fray for the four-phased elections covering a total of 1,145 wards, including the municipal corporations for the twin capitals of Jammu and Srinagar. As many as 2,137 candidates are in fray from Jammu, 787 from Kashmir and 66 from Ladakh. In all the four phases, as many as 244 candidates -- 231 in Kashmir and 13 in Jammu -- have been declared elected unopposed. There are 16,97,291 eligible voters in the municipal polls. The Kashmir Valley has the highest number of 598 wards and an electorate population of 10,32,498, while Jammu has 521 wards with 6,44,568 voters. The Ladakh region has 26 wards with a 20,225 electorate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of Jamia Millia Islamia students called off their hunger strike on Monday after the administration gave them written assurance to meet their demands of appointing Turkish teachers and shifting language programme to MMAJ Academy of International Studies. According to the students, the administration had accepted their demands verbally last week, but they wanted a written assurance. The students of the Faculty of Humanities and Languages demanded that Turkish teachers be appointed and the language programme be shifted from the existing faculty to MMAJ Academy of International Studies. One of the students started a hunger strike on Saturday and was joined by 16 others on Monday. By the evening, they received a written reply from the administration. The letter said the classes of Turkish languages programme shall continue to be held in the Humanities and Languages building but will be supervised by the director, MMAJ Academy of International Studies. The students called off the hunger strike after receiving the letter from the administration. Five Turkish teachers joined on Monday, said a varsity spokesperson. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pro-Kannada activists staged a protest Monday calling for a ban on Bollywood actor Sunny Leone's show here on November 3, saying it was against Kannada culture. The event titled 'Purity and Expression' is being organised by Time Creations at the Manyata Tech Park in the city. Members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Yuva Sene (KRVYS) burnt an effigy of the former adult film star and claimed that the show was "against Kannada culture." "We staged a demonstration against the event... It is not just about the show here. There is much more to it... The actress is going to play the lead role in a period film based on a woman warrior from south India," KRVYS, president, K Harish said. "How can an actress like her be allowed to portray the legendary woman worshipped by everyone?" he asked. On December 31 last year, a new year's eve show featuring Leone, organised by Time Creations, was cancelled following protests by the KRVYS and denial of permission by the authorities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 16-year-old son of a Nagpur-based industrialist was rescued from his kidnappers by officials of Madhya Pradesh crime branch from Rajgarh district of the state, the police said Monday. Harshit Pal was kidnapped recently from Wadi near Nagpur by four persons who demanded ransom of Rs one crore for his release, said Pachore police station in-charge SS Chouhan. The kidnappers took the teenager to Betul, Bina and Sironj before taking him to Pachore town in Rajgarh district, he said. On a tip-off, the crime branch team intercepted a car at Mitthanpur on Mumbai-Agra national highway Saturday night and rescued the teenager, the official said. A person travelling along with Pal, identified as C J Chandran, was arrested. Police seized five mobile phone handsets and a pistol from the car, he said. Inspector General (IG), Bhopal range, Jaideep Prasad told PTI that Nagpur DCP had sought help of MP police to trace Pal. Nagpur police were informed about the rescue. When asked about the circumstances under which Pal was kidnapped from Wadi and other details, an official said investigation is underway by Nagpur police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India captain Virat Kohli and speedster Jasprit Bumrah maintained their respective top positions in the latest ICC ODI rankings released Monday. Kohli led the batsman's list with 884 points while his deputy Rohit Sharma with 842 ranking points maintained the second position. The other Indian batsman in the top-10 was Shikhar Dhawan, who is placed fifth in the list with 802 points. Among the bowlers, death overs specialist Bumrah with 797 points was on top while left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav with 700 points is third in the list. Afghanistan star Rashid Khan is second with 788 points while leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (11th position) is knocking on the doors for a top-10 entry. In the team ranking, India are currently placed second with 122 points behind England's 127. The top team ranking will potentially be up for the taking depending on how the Sri Lanka and England series pans out. In the England versus Sri Lanka series, which starts in Dambulla on October 10, England will have to win the series to retain their number-one ranking. Their failure to win the series, will give India a sniff at the top spot when they will take on the West Indies in the five-ODI series from October 21. However, if both England and India win all their matches in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka and the West Indies, then they will gain a point each to finish on 128 and 123 points respectively, thus retaining a difference of five points. Bangladesh will also have an opportunity to add another point to their tally when they will feature in a three-ODI series against Zimbabwe from October 20. The only way Bangladesh can drop behind Sri Lanka in eighth position is if Zimbabwe and England win 3-0 and 5-0, respectively. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios exited the Shanghai Masters in ignominy for the third year running on Monday, appearing to lose heart during his first-round defeat. The 23-year-old was on the end of a surprise loss to the American qualifier Bradley Klahn, the world number 104 winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The talented but temperamental Kyrgios, who is ranked 38th in the world, has a chequered history with Shanghai. Last year he was fined after he stormed off mid-way through his first-round match, with jeers and boos ringing in his ears from the crowd. Two years ago he argued with spectators and was accused of giving away points in another defeat. The fiery Australian was fined and suspended on that occasion. Another high-profile name to go out at the first hurdle was three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka. The 33-year-old Swiss star, who has had injury problems, was defeated by 13th seed Borna Coric. The Croatian, 21, won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and will play Klahn in the next round. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court should be the last court only for specialised subjects like interpretation of the Constitution, and not for every litigation, retired SC judge N Santosh Hegde has said. "Supreme Court (SC) should not be the last court for every litigation; it should be the last court only for some specialised subjects like interpretation of the Constitution like the American Supreme Court," the former Solicitor General of India told PTI. "Let the High Court and other courts deal with it (other subjects); let the matter stop (at HC and other courts; let it not go to SC)", the former Karnataka Lokayukta suggested. High Courts also, he advocated, should be a little more careful and reduce the number of intake (of cases). "All matters should not be taken up as a matter of routine; there should not be right on every citizen to have a hearing by the High Court or Supreme Court," Hegde said. It would be easier for the Apex Court if it was made a "constitution court" or "some such thing", he said, noting that today every matter which starts in the first court goes to the Supreme Court. Hegde, who had also served as Advocate General of Karnataka, noted that the law profession has become a sought-after and well-paid one over the years from once being a "last resort of an unemployed graduate." When he joined the law course, it was a last resort of an unemployed graduate, the 78-year-old said. But today, it's the most sought following the advent of the five-year course and National law schools in different parts of India. "It's really, really a well-paid profession", he said, adding, law professionals today have multiple career choices, including positions such as company law secretary and law director. "During my time I only have to practise or keep quiet. Now, it's not like that. So many law firms are there; today law is a very sought-after profession and also it's well-paid profession," Hegde added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A life convict from Gujarat's Sabarmati Jail who escaped in April while being taken to a hospital has been nabbed by Mumbai police, a senior official said Monday. Shiraz Pathan (32), alias Udta Kabutar, had been sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping and robbery and was lodged at Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Central Jail, he said. In April this year, Pathan had escaped while Gujarat police was taking him to Ahmedabad civil hospital for treatment, the official added. Acting on a tip-off, Mumbai police Sunday evening nabbed Pathan from near the Western Express Highway Metro station in suburban Andheri, the official said. "Based on the information, officials of Crime Branch Unit III laid a trap and arrested Pathan at around 9:30 pm on Sunday. He was handed over to Gujarat police on Monday," Dilip Sawant, deputy commissioner of police (detection), said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday slammed the Centre, saying it would have "immediately waived loans" of "a few rich people" but not giving money for poor municipal sanitation workers who were on strike for the last three weeks. The BJP accused the Kejriwal of "lying" over the funds given by the Centre to the EDMC. The sanitation workers of East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) went on strike on September 12 demanding payment of their dues including salaries and regularisation of contract-based workers. The Delhi CM claimed the municipal corporations have to be paid Rs 5000 crore by the Centre. "Last week Delhi government on the advice of Supreme Court paid Rs 500 crore to the MCD. The Centre today denied to pay Rs 500 crore, despite advice of the Supreme Court, although it has to pay Rs 5000 crore to the MCD. Is BJP responsible to Delhi like this? Then why should Delhiites vote for you (BJP) in LS election," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. "It is so sad. If it were loans of a few rich people they (Centre) would have done it immediately but not paying money for sanitation in Delhi and poor sanitation workers," he said in another tweet. Leader of opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta charged Kejriwal of lying on the issue. "Delhi Chief Minister has lied big that EDMC was given Rs 950 crore. The reality is Rs 350 crore of this amount is loan on which Delhi government is charging interest at 10.50 per cent rate from the helpless EDMC," Gupta said in a tweet. The Delhi government has "deliberately hidden" the facts and it is "dishonest" on its part to project "inflated figures" as grant-in-aid which in fact include loan amount and interest thereon, the BJP leader said Senior AAP leaders Dilip Pandey and Atishi Marlena also attacked Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, saying his mathematics was "weak" and he should apologise for saying that Delhi government was paid Rs 48,000 crore by the Centre. "Tiwari's mathematics is weak. If he has any papers in support of his claim he should show us," Marlena said. Recently, Tiwari had stated in a tweet that Delhi government which was getting Rs 36,776 crore from the Centre in 2014 was now getting Rs 48,000 crore from it. "The Delhi government received only Rs 325 crore from the Centre while it paid at least thrice the funds to EDMC in comparison to what was being paid to it in 2013-14," the leaders said. The civic body got Rs 287 crore in 2013-14 and Rs 396 crore in 2014-15, Marlena claimed. "However, the Kejriwal government gave Rs 948 crore to it in 2016-17 and in the current year, Rs 772 has been given so far," she said. Pandey reiterated Kejriwal's claim that Centre has to pay Rs 5000 cr to the municipal corporations. "The Centre pays Rs 488 per person to the municipal bodies in the states but the same was denied to Delhi on the pretext that it was a union territory," he said. The Delhi government recently had told the Supreme Court that it would release Rs 500 crore within two days to civic bodies, which will help resolve the crisis that has arisen due to the ongoing strike by sanitation workers of the EDMC. On October 4, the sanitation workers had protested outside Kejriwal's residence over the issue. The EDMC has around 16,000 workers, half of whom are permanent employees. On September 26, it had decided to begin the process for permanent employment of contractual sanitation workers who were recruited after March 31, 1998. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Threats from militant groups kept a majority of people away from polling booths in Kashmir Valley where the turnout was a paltry 8.3 per cent, whereas in Jammu and Ladakh divisions over 65 per cent of the electorate voted in the first phase of urban local body polls on Monday, officials said. Polling on Monday was by and large peaceful in the four-phase election to urban local bodies, which has been boycotted by two main regional parties -- the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In Kashmir Valley, Bandipore recorded the lowest turnout at 3.3 per cent and Kupwara the highest at 36.6 per cent. With no election rallies taking place before the first-phase polling in 58 wards in Kashmir Valley, the fear of militant groups was evident as many of the booths wore a deserted look and at certain places people tried to hide themselves from the assembled mediapersons. In the election to 238 wards in Jammu division, the turnout was recorded at 65 per cent. In Ladakh division's Leh and Kargil districts, 55.2 and 78.1 per cent of the electorate respectively cast their votes till 4 PM, when the voting ended. Polling began at 7 AM. Militant groups such as Hizbul Mujahideen had threatened to "throw acid" at candidates and asked people to remain indoors and not cast their ballots. Streets in Kashmir Valley wore deserted look and shops and business establishments were shut. Two National Conference workers were gunned down last week, barely two days before elections. However, there was no poll-related violence reported in any part of the Valley barring a small incident in which a BJP candidate was caught in a minor stone-pelting incident. "Only 7,057 voters of the 84,692 eligible persons turned up to vote in the wards which went to polls (in Kashmir Valley) on Monday. The polling was by and large peaceful," one of the officials said. The polls to urban local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in four phases. In North Kashmir, Kupwara Municipal Committee recorded a high voter turnout of 36.6 per cent, while 27.8 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise at wards of Handwara Municipal Committee. Out of the 30,074 voters in three wards of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, 1,862 turned up at heavily-fortified polling stations. Budgam recorded a turnout of 17 per cent, Anantnag 7.3 per cent, Baramulla 5.7 per cent and Bandipora 3.3 per cent, the officials said. Of the 150 polling stations in Kashmir division, 138 polling stations were categorised as "hypersensitive". The polls were announced last month but two major political parties -- the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) -- boycotted the elections accusing the Centre of not taking a firm stand on the protection of Article 35A of the Constitution which is facing a legal challenge in the Supreme Court. Article 35A accords special rights to permanent citizens of Jammu and Kashmir. Militant groups had issued threats to anyone participating in these polls, prompting candidates to stay away from campaigning and not hold rallies. In several wards, especially those in south Kashmir, no candidate filed nomination papers for the polls. For ensuring security of candidates, they were moved to safe locations and their details were not made public. The election authorities also kept the identities of the contesting candidates from the valley secret due to security reasons, prompting the people to term these polls as "secret elections". In Jammu, which witnessed elections to 238 wards, saw 56.7 per cent of polling with 3,32,255 exercising their franchise. The second phase covering 384 wards is scheduled for October 10, the third covering 207 wards on October 13 and the last phase covering 132 wards on October 16. The counting of votes will be done on October 20. The last election to the municipal bodies in the state was held in 2005 through secret ballots and the five-year term expired in February, 2010. Expressing satisfaction on the successful outcome of the first-phase polling, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that time is running out for politicians and political groups who thrived on militancy. "The leaders who have been dissuading people from participating in the election process are the ones who have, over the last several decades, sought to project their indispensability by intimidating the genuine democratic forces. Nevertheless, however much they may try to thwart this phenomenon, even though unsuccessfully, there is going to be no looking back now," Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, said in Delhi, in apparent attack on the NC and the PDP. He said the common people, particularly the youth, including those from Kashmir Valley, have seen through the hypocrisy and duplicity of such leaders who demand "dynastic" autonomy for themselves, but do not support "democratic" autonomy for duly-elected local representatives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The resignation of BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh has been accepted by Speaker Haribhau Bagde, days after he announced his decision to quit the state legislative assembly over "poor" performance of the Central and state governments headed by his party. Deshmukh, who is a staunch supporter of separate Vidarbha state, had announced that he would switch over to the Congress. In a letter addressed to Election Commission of India (ECI) Monday, the administration of legislative assembly has stated that Deshmukh's resignation has come into effect from October 6. Deshmukh, who represents Katol assembly constituency in Nagpur district in east Maharashtra, had accused the BJP government of ignoring the plight of farmers and youths in the country and indulging in "divisive and vote bank politics". He is the son of former president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee Ranjeet Deshmukh. He had met Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on the sidelines of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held in Nagpur on October 2. Deshmukh had also announced that he was resigning from the primary membership of the BJP. He has been demanding that Vidarbha--a region in east Maharashtra comprising 11 districts--be carved out from Maharashtra. Pro-Vidarbha activists have been claiming that the region remained backward due to "discriminatory" treatment meted out to the area by successive governments in Maharashtra. Deshmukh had said, "The situation of farmers and the youth has worsened in the last four years but the government is indulged only in the of vote bank for wining elections and dividing the nation". In the elections held in 2014 to elect the state Assembly, the BJP had won the highest number of seats at 122, followed by the Shiv Sena 63. The Congress and the NCP had won 42 and 41 seats, respectively. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister of State for Mahesh Sharma Monday asked children to play a leading role in the protection of wildlife and the environment, while asserting that relationship with the natural world must be based on cooperation. Sharma said the persistence of children can really be utilised to further the objective of wildlife conservation. "Urging children to play a leading role in the protection of wildlife and environment, Sharma said that our relationship with the must be based on cooperation," an official statement quoted him as saying. He was addressing a gathering of schoolchildren at the conclusion of Wildlife Week at the National Zoological Park. Sharma told the children that it is only in India that rivers, forests and animals are worshipped. Director General of Forests Siddhant Das asserted that no programme can succeed without people's participation while emphasising that though India has only 2.5 per cent of land of the world, it is home to about 18 per cent of wildlife population while adding that tiger, lion, rhinoceros and crocodile are surviving and thriving in the country. Das also underlined the difference between in-situ conservation, where species are conserved wherever they originate and ex-situ conservation, where animal species are shifted out of the national park to a zoological park for their conservation. Earlier, Sharma inaugurated a bio-methanation plant, set up in partnership of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and the Ministry. The capacity of the bio-methanation plant will be to process three metric tonnes (MT) of organic material per day. The minister also planted a sapling on the premises of National Zoological Park and also carried out a cleanliness drive under Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan along with the children. Wildlife Week is celebrated every year from October 2. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi Monday urged the Delhi Police to completely remove child beggars from the streets and rehabilitate them and make the national capital a "mirror" for rest of the country. At a meeting with four women DCPs of Delhi - Aslam Khan, Meghna Yadav, Monika Bhardwaj and Nupur Prasad, Gandhi urged them to remove all the children begging on the streets and put them in shelter homes. "They should be put up for adoption or in shelter homes where proper care can be taken of them," she told reporters. "Many of the children are drugged with opium and can be found lying on the streets. There is no certainty if the people who are claiming to be the parents of these children are actually their parents," she said. She urged the Delhi DCPs to make Delhi a "mirror for the rest of the country" by setting an example. The minister said the DCPs assured he of timely outcome. "I requested them to initiate action towards making their districts Child-Begging Free. The personnel assured me timely outcome in this regard. Compassion is a critical part of a woman's DNA. I asked them to retain this unique quality while serving in police," Gandhi said. She also deliberated with them on how the idea of 33 per cent reservation to women in police will positively impact the security framework and make the force more sensitive. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) found over 600 children begging or selling at 36 traffic signals across Delhi. But that is just a sampling with the real number being exponentially higher, said an official. Many of these children are asked to beg and sell pens, flowers or balloons among other things at traffic signals by their parents while many have been trafficked to Delhi, the official said. NCPCR member Yashwant Jain said the child rights body has written several times to various officials as well as the chief minister to step up the rehabilitation plans for children at signals, but to no result. Another issue faced by NCPCR teams is determining the veracity of those claiming to be the children's parents. "It is very difficult to determine the origin of the child. The child might have been trafficked or stolen from somewhere else and might not know that the people claiming to be his parents are actually his traffickers," another NCPCR official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 37-year-old man and his two accomplices have been arrested for allegedly killing his father for refusing to give him money for gambling, police said on Monday. Gaurav Khera and his accomplices -- Vishal Garg (23) and Sadiq alias Suhan Khan (22) -- were arrested from Delhi's Azadpur area on Sunday. According to the police, Anil Khera, a businessman and resident of Model Town, went for a business meeting at Rajindra Nagar in Uttar Pradesh's Sahibabad on May 21. At around 5 pm, when he came out from the factory, he was gunned down by two assailants riding a motorcycle. After firing multiple shots at him from close range, they fled from the spot. Anil was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Thereafter, a case was registered at Sahibabad police station and investigation was taken up. The nearby CCTV cameras were scanned. "On Sunday, police received information that the victim's son had organised the killing. Later, a trap was laid and the trio were apprehended. The motorcycle used in the crime was also recovered," said Ajit Singla, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime). During interrogation, Gaurav told police that his relationship with his father strained after the latter refused to give him money for gambling. Gaurav had suffered substantial losses in gambling recently, the police said. "Unable to repay his dues, Gaurav decided to eliminate his father. He roped in Vishal Garg, Shamsher and Sadiq to kill his father," Singhla said. "Being the only son, Gaurav had promised Vishal 25 per cent partnership in the chemicals business that his father ran. The killers had demanded Rs 5 lakh for the job," Singhla added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi Monday said she has asked the Law Ministry to not keep any age limit to report child sexual abuse, allowing people to complain about what has happened to them even "10-15 years later". Noting that anger at molestation and sexual abuse never goes away, Gandhi also said she is "very happy" that the #MeToo campaign has started in India and encouraged women to come forward to complain against sexual harassment. "One always remembers the person who molested you and we have written to the Law Ministry that one should be allowed to complain without any time limit," Gandhi told reporters. Under Section 468 of the CrPC, any offence, including child abuse, which can lead to a prison term of three years has to be reported within three years of the incident. According to Section 473 of the CrPC, a court may take cognisance of an older case if it is in the "interest of justice" or if the "delay has been properly explained". However, victims of child sexual abuse often face problems in registering an FIR once they are 18 or more. Gandhi said she has proposed that people can complain even "10-15 years later". "It doesn't matter how much later. If you're going to complain the avenue is open," she added. Gandhi had earlier proposed that child sexual abuse victims be allowed to register complaints until they are 30. Discussing the #MeToo movement, the minister warned that it should not be used to "target people who have offended us in some way". "I hope it does not go out of control in a way that we target people who have offended us in some way but I think women are angry at sexual molestation," she said. Gandhi had earlier expressed her support for actor Tanushree Dutta, who has levelled allegations of sexual misconduct against Nana Patekar during the shooting of a film 10 years ago. She had said harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. Citing Harvey Weinstein, she had said last Tuesday that when the first victim came out and reported against the Hollywood film producer, people asked her all kinds of questions, including why she took so long to speak out. "But I know when your body is abused, you remember it always. I don't care when the complaint is filed but action should be taken," Gandhi said last week. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Students of Manipur University on Monday staged a sit-in protest in reaction to acting Vice-Chancellor Prof K Yugindro's remarks that compared them to "terrorists", a students' union leader said. Yugindro, in a letter to the MHRD on October 3, had sought immediate steps from the Centre to "save" the university from the hands of "terrorist-like" agitators. The agitators also sought withdrawal of the "baseless" FIR lodged by him on September 20, followed by a midnight raid by security forces, which led to the arrest of 89 students and teachers. Of the 89, the police had released all but 15 whom Yugindro had named in the FIR for "wrongful confinement, illegal detention and attempt to murder", when he assumed charge as the acting VC on September 20, M Dayamand, president of Manipur University Students Union, said. The protests come amid the pending second round of talks between the chief secretary, and three prominent tribal student bodies over imposition of economic blockade for five days from October 9 on all highways of the state. Talks between the Manipur government and a 16-member delegation of the All Manipur Tribal Students Union (ATSUM), Kuki Students Organisation (KSO) and All Naga Students Association (ANSAM) had failed to arrive at a decision on Sunday over the proposed blockade. ANSAM president Joseph told PTI that the decision on the economic blockade will be decided after the second round of talks with the chief secretary on Monday afternoon. The ANSAM along with ATSUM and KSO had resolved on October 3 that it would impose the blockade over the "failure of the concerned authorities" to resolve the crisis at the central university. Irked by Yugindro's comments, over 200 students had tried to barge into his residence at Wangkhei area in Imphal East district on Saturday, prompting police personnel to lob tear gas shells to disperse the agitators. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Manipur University's acting Vice Chancellor's remarks that state Governor Najma Heptulla extended "overt support" to agitators during a recent stir at the varsity has not gone down well with Raj Bhavan authorities who termed the comments as "unfortunate". In a communication to Prof K Yugindro Saturday, the Raj Bhavan said his statement made on October 3 in a letter to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, may amount to defamation as well as non-observance of protocol and propriety. "The Hon'ble governor is upset and surprised by your utterances which are misdirected and misleading...The governor was naturally disturbed and concerned with all that was happening on the campus, causing academic loss to thousands of students," the Raj Bhavan communique said. Yugindro, in his letter to the MHRD, had sought immediate steps from the Centre to "save" the university from the hands of "terrorists-like" agitators. "I would like to request the Centre to do the needful immediately in order to save the University from the hands of terrorists like agitators...," he had said in his letter. The Saturday communication from the Raj Bhawan said, "The governor feels it very unfortunate that you used the term 'terrorist' in the context of students and teachers, and such indiscretion will lead to further worsening of the situation on the campus," Yugindro had claimed that Heptulla questioned his taking charge as VC of the central university and expressed her support in favour of the agitators, during a meeting on September 21. The university has been on the boil for several months. After a 85-day strike by students, it had opened on August 23. The agitators had been demanding removal of the then VC A P Pandey for alleged administrative and financial lapses. President Ram Nath Kovind, in his capacity as the Visitor of the university, recently placed Pandey under suspension as an inquiry was underway into the allegations of irregularities against him. Yugindro was appointed as the acting VC soon after the suspension of Pandey. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Students and teachers of the Manipur University Monday hit out at Acting Vice Chancellor K Yugindro for his remarks comparing agitators to terrorists even as a five-day economic blockade in the state called by tribal students bodies from Tuesday was "suspended" after talks with the government. Students had staged a sit-in protest Monday protesting against the acting VC's remarks, M Dayamand, president of Manipur University Students Union, said. Professor I Tomba, an office bearer of the Manipur University Teachers Association (MUTA), said its members would not cooperate with Yugindro for his use of words like "terrorist-like agitators" in his October 3 letter addressed to the Ministry of Human Resource Development. "I would like to request the Centre to do the needful immediately in order to save the university from the hands of terrorists like agitators...," Yugindro had said in his letter. Tomba said the teachers would go for a mass casual leave on October 10 to protest the delay in releasing the arrested teachers and students as well as withdrawal of the FIR, based on a complaint by Yugindro, against some of them. The FIR was lodged on September 20 which followed a midnight raid by security forces led to the arrest of 89 students and teachers. Of them, the police had released all but 15, whose names were in the FIR for "wrongful confinement, illegal detention and attempt to murder" when he assumed charge as the acting VC on September 20. The economic blockade called by three prominent tribal students bodies was suspended following talks with Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Chief Secretary J Suresh Babu, All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) leader Micah told PTI. The ATSUM, the Kuki Students Organisation and the All Naga Students Association Manipur had proposed to observe the blockade on national highways of Manipur. Micah said they have placed two demands -- restoration of normalcy in the Manipur University and upgradation of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (Regional Campus) into a full-fledged of a central university. The organisations had alleged that the government failed to resolve the crisis in the university. The university has been on the boil for several months. After a 85-day strike by students, it had opened on August 23. The agitators had been demanding removal of the then vice chancellor A P Pandey for alleged administrative and financial lapses. President Ram Nath Kovind, in his capacity as the Visitor of the university, recently placed Pandey under suspension as an inquiry was underway into the allegations of irregularities against him. Yugindro was appointed as the acting VC soon after Pandey's suspension. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Meghalaya government is yet to take a call on cutting value-added taxes (VAT) on fuel, at par with other BJP-ruled states in the region, as it was battling financial crisis at the moment, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said Monday. The Centre, last week, slashed petrol and diesel prices by Rs 2.50 per litre, following which 12 BJP-governed states, including Assam and Tripura, announced matching cuts. Talking to PTI, Sangma said, "It is a tough call and we are taking a bit of time to ensure that we make the right decision after taking into consideration all aspects. The state is facing huge financial crisis at present." The CM, however, expressed hope that a decision was likely to be taken at the next cabinet meeting as "people have been suffering due to the rise in prices". "A decision on fuel price cut might be taken at the cabinet meeting, which will be held in a day or two. We need to balance it out" he said on the sidelines of a programme at Don Bosco Museum here. The CM also said that senior officials have warned him against the consequences of cutting VAT on fuel prices. Slashing VAT by Rs 2.50 per litre could have an adverse effect on a small state like ours, a senior government officer said on the condition of anonymity. "The monthly revenue loss that the state's exchequer will have to bear due to VAT reduction will be more or less sufficient to run at least one district for that same period," he said. The state had faced a huge setback in 2014 when coal mining and transportation from Meghalaya was banned by National Green Tribunal owing to various reasons, including unscientific extraction methods and illegal practices. "Roughly the state experiences a loss of about 400-600 crores annually due to the ban," the officer added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A fresh security clearance proposal for DMK-backed Kalaignar TV is being examined by the Home Ministry following a recommendation of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, officials said Monday. This is for the first time that Kalaignar TV will be evaluated under the revised National Security policy, adopted by the Home Ministry in 2015. Based on the inputs being received from various security agencies, a decision will be taken on granting security clearance for 10 years to the Kalaignar TV, a Home Ministry official said. Permission for uplinking or downlinking of TV channels is granted by the central government only after providing security clearance to the company, its promoters, directors and key executives. The security clearance procedure will take into account their involvement, if any, in any case that might have adverse implications on national security, another official said. The decision whether to grant the security clearance is taken by the Home Ministry and it is shared with the concerned administrative ministries to enable them to take appropriate decision, as deemed fit, in accordance with their rules, policy, procedure, guidelines, the official said. Set up in 2007, Kalaignar TV is a Tamil satellite television channel, backed by the DMK. Late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi was nicknamed as Kalaignar for his work in Tamil literature. When contacted, a DMK leader, requesting anonymity, said in Chennai they have no knowledge about it as no formal communication was received from the government. "In case of any communication from the Home Ministry, Kaignar TV would respond to the media queries," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Russian foreign ministry was to summon the Dutch ambassador on Monday after the Netherlands said it had foiled a cyber attack by Russians, state agencies reported. "Due to the campaign of disinformation carried out in The Hague the Dutch ambassador will be summoned to the foreign ministry on Monday," a source in the ministry told RIA Novosti state agency. The Netherlands said Thursday it had expelled four GRU military intelligence agents in April for an attempt to hack into the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. At the time of the alleged plot the OPCW was investigating the March poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English town of Salisbury. It was also probing allegations of a chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Douma by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Moscow. The suspected agents were travelling on Russian diplomatic passports. Moscow last summoned the Dutch ambassador Ren?e Jones-Bos along with the Swiss ambassador in September over over what it called "unsubstantiated accusations" that Russian spies had attempted to hack Swiss targets. Russia has dismissed accusations it has orchestrated a string of global cyber attacks as "spy mania". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said Mumbai will come to a standstill and its people will not even get food to eat if the north Indian community in the metropolis decides to stop working, drawing sharp reactions from the Shiv Sena and the Raj Thackeray-led MNS. However, the community should not be forced to take such a step, the Mumbai Congress president warned, without naming any individual or political party. He said the north Indian community had always expressed gratitude towards Mumbai and Maharashtra. "It is the north Indian community which runs the lives of or shoulders the burden of the people of Mumbai," Nirupam said at an event of north Indians here Sunday night. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shatrughan Sinha also attended the event. Nirupam said the members of the north Indian community were supplying milk, newspapers and vegetables to the people of the megapolis, besides providing autorickshaw and taxi services. "If the community decides to stop work for a day, life in Mumbai will come to a standstill. None will get roti (bread), vegetables, milk and auto, taxi, truck and tempo (services). "It happens sometimes, but it should not be done. (The community) should not be forced to take such a step," the former Member of Parliament added. The Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) attacked Nirupam over his remarks. The Shiv Sena stressed the city belonged to the 'Marathi Manoos' (sons of the soil), while the Raj Thackeray-led party challenged the Congress leader to bring the financial capital to a standstill. Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai South-Central, Rahul Shewale said Nirupam was running out of issues and hence, the comments. "The Congress cannot win even the gram panchayat polls. Hence, Mumbaikars will show Nirupam his place in the upcoming polls," Shewale added. MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande said on Twitter, "Challenging Congress's Bhaiyya (Nirupam) to bring Mumbai to a halt". Meanwhile, a poster by an MNS worker surfaced on social media showing Nirupam as a "stray dog" and charging him with making controversial statements with an eye on votes of Hindi-speaking people. Asked about the poster, Deshpande said it was not the party's official position. The MNS, established over a decade ago to champion the cause of the sons of the soil, has in the past launched agitations against north Indians in Mumbai. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Nana Patekar, who has been accused of sexual harassment by Tanushree Dutta, was to address the media Monday but the press conference has now been called off. A message was sent out to the media last night by Nana's son Malhar, stating the press conference would not take place. "Sorry to be messaging at this hour, just wanted to inform that there's no press conference tomorrow, please pass on the message to your colleagues in the media. Will let you know about the further proceedings soon, regards," the message read. There was no response from his lawyer when contacted. The 67-year-old actor's lawyer has sent a legal notice to Dutta for allegedly making false accusations against him in an incident that dates back to a decade. Dutta has said that Patekar had harassed her during the shooting of a film in 2008 and she had spoken out about the incident but nothing happened and she was even thrown out of the film. Dutta has also filed a complaint with the Mumbai police against Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya and the director and producer of the 2008 film. Patekar, who was shooting for upcoming film Housefull 4 in Jodhpur with actors Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon and others, returned to Mumbai on 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 had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NASA's New Horizons probe is on course to flyby the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule this New Year, an event that will set the record for the most distant object ever visited by a spacecraft, scientists say. The spacecraft has successfully performed the three and half-minute manoeuvre on October 3 to home in on its location, NASA said in a statement. The manoeuvre slightly tweaked the spacecraft's trajectory and bumped its speed by 2.1 metres per second keeping it on track to fly past Ultima -- officially named 2014 MU69 -- on January 1, 2019. "Thanks to this manoeuvre, we're right down the middle of the pike and on time for the farthest exploration of worlds in history -- more than a billion miles beyond Pluto," said Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of the Southwest Research Institute in the US. At 6.6 billion kilometers from Earth, Ultima Thule will be the most distant object ever visited by a spacecraft. New Horizons itself was about 6.35 billion kilometres from home when it carried out Wednesday's trajectory correction maneuver (TCM), the farthest course-correction ever performed. This was the first Ultima targeting maneuver that used pictures taken by New Horizons itself to determine the spacecraft's position relative to the Kuiper Belt object. These "optical navigation" images -- gathered by New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) -- provide direct information of Ultima's position relative to New Horizons, and help the team determine where the spacecraft is headed. The New Horizons team designed the TCM by determining the current trajectories of the spacecraft and its target, and then calculating the manoeuvering required to put the spacecraft at the desired "aim point" for the flyby -- 3,500 kilometres -- from Ultima at closest approach. "The recent navigation images have helped us confirm that Ultima is within about 500 kilometres of its expected position, which is exceptionally good," said Fred Pelletier, New Horizons navigation team chief, of KinetX Aerospace, Inc. Confirming that Ultima is at its expected location is an important and somewhat unique aspect of this flyby. "Since we are flying very fast and close to the surface of Ultima, approximately four times closer than the Pluto flyby in July 2015, the timing of the flyby must be very accurate," said Derek Nelson, New Horizons optical navigation lead, also from KinetX. "The images help to determine the position and timing of the flyby, but we must also trust the prior estimate of Ultima's position and velocity to ensure a successful flyby," said Nelson. "These first images give us confidence that Ultima is where we expected it to be, and the timing of the flyby will be accurate," he said. The spacecraft is just 112 million kilometres from Ultima, closing in at 51,911 kilometres per hour. The team will eventually have to guide the spacecraft into an approximately 120 by 320-kilometre "box" and predict the flyby to within 140 seconds. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister Ashwini Choubey said on Monday that there is a need to empower nurses and midwives as they play a vital role in providing basic medical services. The MoS for Health also said they need to be perceived as equal partners in the health care sector. "To meet the future needs of the growing health care sector and constantly increasing disease burden, there is a need to empower our nurses and perceive them as equal partners in health care," Choubey said after inaugurating the second BRICS Nurses Forum hosted by Indian Nursing Council here. He said the government was committed to develop the capacities of health care professionals, especially nurses and has taken several necessary steps towards improved governance in India's public health system, through establishment of robust recruitment, selection, promotion and transfer policies for our nurses. "The government is determined for making significant improvements in nursing and midwifery education and services in the light of recommendations proposed under the 12th five year plan and National Health Policy 2017," the minister said. He said the objective of the conference was to enhance the communication and understanding among the BRICS nations on contribution of nursing sector towards achieving universal health coverage in relation to nursing policies and practices. "It is pertinent to note here that BRICS nations represent more than 40 per cent of worlds' population and about 40 per cent of global burden of diseases, playing an important role in the global health affairs," Choubey said. "The nursing cooperation of the BRICS nations will be of significance to the global disease prevention and improving people's health in the BRICS nations. This will be beneficial as we face many common health challenges," he said. This conference aims at creating a platform for enabling networking of institutes, learning from best practices in BRICS countries and creating avenues for inter-professional collaborations and research. It will see deliberations on nursing education regulation practice in the BRICS nations. Around 30-40 delegates from professional nursing associations from BRICS countries i.e. Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa are part of the second BRICS Nurses Forum along with 150 nursing professionals from India. China hosted the 1st BRICS Nurses Forum in 2016 and BRICS nurses' associations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding nursing co-operation for the BRICS countries in Beijing in 2016. The objective of the MoU is mutual learning and respect for cultural differences. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The next generation needs to be developed to continue spreading Mahatma Gandhi's message of peace, his granddaughter Ela Gandhi said on Monday. The world's biggest challenge is the inequalities across the world, with rising friction among the wealthy and poor, she said. "In some areas there is so much poverty and elsewhere there is wealth just flowing. In a situation like that, there is bound to be friction," said Ela Gandhi who lives in South Africa and plans to visit India at the end of the year. "We are trying to build the next generation to follow up. We are trying to have succession, so that other people can begin to take the message across," Gandhi told PTI after a keynote address and interaction with students of the Global Indian International School here. At this stage, the Gandhi Development Trust is focusing a lot of attention on the pre-school level of children, "because we believe if you teach the lesson of peace and values at early age it would be good," she said. Gandhi stressed that the wealthy should help the poor and deprived, the elderly and orphaned children who are just managing a meal a day, and called for a stop to exploitation of the poor. She delivered her grandfather's messages of peace to the NRI community here on Sunday and will be addressing Singapore's multi-racial community on Tuesday as part of the Mahatma's 150th birthday celebrations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With a large number of migrant workers from Hindi-belt states leaving Gujarat following alleged attacks on them there, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam has targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it must be remembered he has to contest election from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Mumbai Congress chief also said that the people of Varanasi had embraced Modi and "made him the prime minister despite his lies". Modi, who was chief minister of Gujarat before becoming prime minister, is now a Lok Sabha MP from Varanasi. A large number of Hindi-speaking people have come under attack in Gujarat by some local groups after a migrant labourer from Bihar allegedly raped a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28. Following the attacks, a large number of people from Hindi-belt states including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have reportedly fled Gujarat over the last one week. "I condemn the rape incident. But you can't defame the entire community because of a person's crime. You cannot look at the entire community from a particular angle," Nirupam said. Speaking at an event of Hindi-speaking people in Nagpur on Sunday, Nirupam said the entire north Indian community is under attack and they are being forced to flee. "It (Gujarat) is the home state of the prime minister... It should be remembered the prime minister has to contest polls (again) from Varanasi," Nirupam said. The Congress leader said the people in north Indian states think on national lines and not on regional basis. "We are into politics in Maharashtra. We are asked what we have got to do there. But do you know George Fernandes contested election from Bihar?" asked Nirupam, who also hails from Bihar. Fernandes, founder of the Samata Party and a former Union Minister, was born in Karnataka and moved for job to Mumbai, where he became a prominent trade unionist. He later contested Lok Sabha polls from Bihar. Since the alleged rape case in Sabarkantha, at least six districts have seen sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, according to police. The state government said more than 400 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks. Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar have already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said Monday he has spoken to his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani and expressed concern over attacks in the western state on non-Gujarati people, including those from Bihar. Condemning the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl, which triggered the violent attacks, Kumar said the guilty must be punished but an entire community should not be "tarred with the same brush". "Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister Sunday. Our chief secretary and director general of police are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat," Kumar told reporters here. "If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people should not generalise and hold a grouse against an entire state," he said. Non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have been targeted by locals following the alleged rape of the girl by a native of Bihar, in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district on September 28. The attacks intensified following the circulation of hate messages on social media. Police have arrested 342 people from various parts of Gujarat for allegedly attacking non-Gujaratis. Meanwhile, a JD(U) leader in a two-page open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, blamed the grand old party for the violence against Biharis. "You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena is driving out migrant Biharis," Neeraj Kumar, a JD(U) MLC and spokesman, alleged. He also took potshots at the Congress alliance with the RJD, saying the Rashtriya Janata Dal is "headed by a convicted person (Lalu Prasad) whose son (Tejashwi Yadav) is also facing corruption charges". Reacting to the JD(U) MLC's charge, Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra said instead of writing a letter to Gandhi, Neeraj Kumar should speak to his boss Nitish Kumar who is running a government in alliance with the BJP which rules Gujarat. Madhepura MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav expressed strong resentment over the humiliation Biharis have to face everywhere in the country, Gujarat being only the latest instance. He asked the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi to intervene and ensure that attacks on Biharis in Gujarat are stopped. "If that does not happen, we will ensure that no Gujarati is able to enter Bihar for any purpose whatsoever," Yadav, who has been known for using strong arm tactics in his three-decade-long political career, said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Innovation is no longer a luxury but a necessity for a country like India and institutions like NITs should focus on innovation in a big way, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said Monday. Naidu,who was speaking after inaugurating the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of National Institute of Technology (NIT) at Warangal in Telangana, appreciated the institution for its initiatives to promote technological and scientific research. The Vice President insisted that technological institutions such as NITs focus extensively on innovation. Innovation should be the onemantrathat leads the institution forward, he said. He remarked that innovation was no longer a luxury for a country like India, but an urgent necessity, an official release quoted him the Vice President as saying. Observing that the country is committed to build "a five trillion-dollar economy by 2025",he said the India growth story has taken the world by surprise and that a number of foreign businesses wished to invest in the country. The country needs to go on an 'innovation overdrive' for the growth to be sustainable, he said. "The innovation should keep the coming 20 years in mind and it should also be clean and green", he said. "Innovations help in combating corruption and pilferage of subsidies. Innovation makes it possible to overcome the most pressing problems of our time efficiently and effectively," Naidu said. The Vice president said that as the country is prepared to cut red tape and lay the red carpet for the world, it needs to focus on simplify and make procedures transparent. Naidu emphasised the need for institutions like NIT to have linkages with industry, as well as with its alumni. He said that in the present era of growing materialism, education was a must to lay the foundation to build a society rooted in strong values and morals. The Vice President hoped that engineers passing out of premier institutions like NITs would use their knowledge and capabilities to address societal problems related to drinking water, health, transportation and education to improve the lives of people, especially in rural areas. Noting that Warangal had a very unique character for being a 'smart city', as well as a heritage city, he said the story of the city urges society to embrace modernity, but hold on to the good things that the country's ancient culture and traditions teach. He urged town planners and civic authorities to take steps to conserve native architectural structures like monuments, water flow systems and heritage sites in smart cities. Naidu also asked them to keep spaces for construction of affordable housing, the release said. He stressed the need to create livable, eco-friendly urban spaces, keeping in mind the growing demand of infrastructure requirement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The main accused in the killing of a Bajrang Dal functionary in Noida last week surrendered himself in a local court Monday, police said. Ajay Chaudhary, 24, was killed point-blank range allegedly by armed men near his house in city's Sector 8 on the night of October 4, they said. His death followed two protests the next day by right wing groups, including the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, demanding compensation for the family and an accommodation. The protests witnessed traffic snarls along with law and order situation, prompting the police to use baton and tear gas shells to quell the mob. An FIR for murder and related offences was registered against eight people, six of them named and two unidentified, at the Sector 20 police station with the police nabbing three accused within 12 hours. "Jeetu Yadav, the main accused turned himself in at the Surajpur court today," Circle Officer 1st, Noida City, Awneesh Kumar said. He said the police will now appeal in the court for his custody, while searches were underway to arrest the other accused in the case. According to Chaudhary's family, he was killed for repeatedly complaining to the police about illegal activities of the accused identified as Shehzaad, Ashraf, Zafar, Sartaj, Rafeeq, Jeetu Yadav, Sitabuddin Ansari, and two unidentified men. Three of them -- Zafar Ali, Sitabuddin Ansari and Sartaj Khan -- were arrested on October 6, the day scores of protesters staged a demonstration at Sector 20 police station, alleging "police inaction" in the matter. According to Vijay Chaudhary, his brother Ajay had made several complaints with the police as well as local authorities about the accused running betting racket, illicit liquor trade, drug trafficking and other illegal businesses. The police had initiated a departmental inquiry into the allegations of inaction and suspended the in-charge of a police post, according to officials. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Normal life was hit in the Kashmir Valley Monday due to a strike called by the separatists against the holding of the local bodies' polls, the first phase of which began Monday morning across the state. Shops, business establishments, private offices and fuel stations remained closed here in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. They added that public transport was off the roads, while a few private cars, taxis and autorickshaws were seen plying in some areas of the city. Similar reports of shutdown were received from the other district headquarters of the valley, the officials said. They added that while there were no restrictions anywhere in the valley, security personnel were deployed in strength in the vulnerable areas to maintain law and order. The separatists, under the banner of the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), had called for a shutdown on Monday against the holding of the local bodies' polls in the state. The JRL -- comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik -- asked the people to observe a complete strike against the "so-called elections". Voting for the first phase of the four-phased local bodies' polls began Monday morning across the state. The authorities had placed Mirwaiz under house arrest on Sunday, while Malik was taken into preventive custody earlier this month. Geelani continues to remain under house detention for some time now. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A farmer allegedly committed suicide on Monday in Odisha's Jajpur district with his family claiming that he was under stress due to debt burden, police said. Sisir Khatua (38) was found hanging from a beam in his house at Digambarpur village under the jurisdiction of Dharamsala police station. His family members took him to a nearby hospital whre doctors declared him dead on arrival, Inspector In-Charge of Dharamsala police station Umakanta Nayak said. Khatua's family claimed that the farmer had taken loan from private money lenders for farming on 4 acres of land but was unable to repay the money. "My husband was under mental stress due to loan burden as he had taken over Rs 1 lakh loan from private money lenders," said the wife of the deceased. Police sent the body for post-mortem examination, the IIC said. "We are investigating into the case from all angles," he said. Jajpur district Collector Ranjan Kumar Das said he has asked the local Tehsildar to probe the incident. This is the second such incident in Dharamsala block in the last fortnight. Gauranga Bala (45), a debt-ridden farmer of Mangrajpur village, had allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself on September 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's oilmeal exports rose 9 per cent to 14.03 lakh tonne during the first six months of the ongoing financial year, driven by sharp increase in shipments of rapeseed meal, according to industry data. The country exported 14,03,382 tonne during April-September 2018 as against 12,84,788 tonnes in the same period last year, the data compiled by Mumbai-based Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) showed. Rapeseed meal exports doubled to 6,01,105 tonne in the reported six months from 3,00,627 tonne in the year-ago period. South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand were major importers. However, exports of soybean meal fell to 3,92,736 tonne from 4,89,926 tonne during the period under review. As per the data, exports to Vietnam rose 24 per cent to 2,77,406 tonne during the first six months of 2018-19. Thailand imported 1,67,101 tonne during April-September 2018 as against 76,895 tonne in the year-ago period. Exports to France more than doubled to 76,704 tonne from 35,520 tonne earlier. Germany imported 85,100 tonne from India during the period under review from 42,612 tonne in the year-ago six months. Exports to South Korea rose marginally by 3 per cent to 4,41,119 tonne from 4,27,126 tonne in the year-ago period. "The ongoing trade dispute between the US and China has created a lot of uncertainty and is forcing China to look out for other origins for their requirements of soybean and oilmeals. This has compelled China to relook its ban imposed for importing of oilmeals from India since 2012," SEA said in a statement issued last week. The association expects China to soon lift the ban for import of rapeseed meal from India. "Prior to the ban in 2012, China used to import nearly half a million tonne of oilmeals viz. rapeseed meal 3.5 to 4 lakh tonne and 1 lakh tonne of soybean meal from India," SEA said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Favourable conditions for onset of the North East monsoon in Tamil Nadu have receded with the movement of a cyclonic storm to the Oman coast and a depression in the Bay of Bengal heading towards Odisha, the office here said Monday. Speaking to reporters, Chennai Deputy Director General of Meteorology, S Balachandran said the state is also likely to receive lesser rains in the coming days. He said this was due to the northward movement of cyclone Luban in the Arabian sea to the Oman coast and a depression in the Bay of Bengal that is likely to develop into a cyclone while moving towards Odisha. Two days ago, the India Meteorological Department had predicted favourable conditions leading to the onset of monsoon from October 8. "As of now, there are no favourable conditions for onset of North East monsoon. Only after lifecycles of these two phenomena end will we be able to assess the onset of the seasonable wind," Balachandran said. "These circumstances has resulted in changes in distribution of moisture and wind speed, and would delay the onset of the monsoon," he said. Also with lesser moisture in atmosphere, there are chances of Tamil Nadu receiving lesser rains in the coming days, Balachandran said. In the next 24 hours, many parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are likely to experience moderate rainfall, while a few parts of north Tamil Nadu will receive heavy rain. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea, he said. Meanwhile, state Revenue minister R B Udayakumar listed precautionary measures taken for the monsoon. He said already 6,812 relief camps have been set up across the state and authorities are monitoring the situation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Priyanka Chopra's maiden Sikkimese production, "Pahuna" ("The Little Visitors") bagged two awards at SCHLINGEL International Children's Film Festival in Germany. Written and directed by Pakhi A Tyrewala, the film won the trophies for Best Film (Jury Choice) and Special Mention by Professional Jury in The International Feature Film Category. Produced under Priyanka and her mother Dr Madhu Chopra's banner Purple Pebble Pictures, "Pahuna" received an overwhelming response at the European Premiere of the film festival held on October 2 and 5. "Pahuna" ("The Little Visitors") revolves around three Nepali children who get separated from their parents, escape the Maoists agitation in Nepal and flee to Sikkim. Madhu said the film will always be very special film for the production house. "When we started the journey of 'Pahuna', we didn't anticipate the film to go this far. But God has been kind and the film has resonated with the audience not just in India but across the globe. "I'm grateful to SCHLINGEL International Children's Film Festival for the recognition. Looking forward to many more such milestones," the co-producer said in a statement. "Pahuna" had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police in Pakistan's Punjab province on Monday arrested a cleric, who claimed himself to be the 11th Imam of Islam, and booked him under blasphemy laws. Police booked Farhan Ahmed, who is in his late 40s, on the charges of blasphemy after a video in which he claimed himself to be the 11th Imam of Islam went viral on social media. Ahmed is a resident of Sahiwal, some 200-km from Lahore, the provincial capital. According to police, an FIR has been registered against Ahmed under section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code and section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order. Police said Ahmed told his followers that Sufi saints had already foretold about his "appearance". "The prime minister and the army chief should swear their allegiance to me," said Ahmed, who was flanked by his disciples in the video. He also claimed that he was the guardian of the appearance of Imam Mahdi. He invited the youth of Pakistan to join him, urging them to take oath of allegiance to him. Police are also investigating whether he made this claim because of any mental impairment. Police also recorded the statements of some of his followers. An imam is the head or leader of an imamate. Imam Mahdi, according to the Islamic belief, will appear on Earth before the Day of Judgment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Pakistan premiers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, along with a prominent journalist, appeared before the Lahore High Court on Monday for hearing on a petition seeking treason proceedings against them in a case related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Journalist Cyril Almeida, Assistant Editor for the Dawn newspaper is also a respondent in the case being heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi, The Express Tribune reported. In the last hearing, Almeida was put on 'Exit Control List' and issued non-bailable warrants for his arrest for not attending previous court proceedings. The petition was filed against Nawaz for defaming the country through an interview on the Mumbai terror attack and against Abbasi for supporting the former prime minister's stance and sharing minutes of the National Security Council's (NSC) meeting in violation of his oath, the report said. The petition contended that Nawaz had not only disclosed sensitive secrets but also expressed his views against sensitive national institutions, it said. Contending that Nawaz had betrayed the nation, the petition stated that a treason case should be instituted against him for giving the controversial interview and allowing it to go on air. According to the petitioner Amina Malik, a civil society member, Abbasi's action amounted to sedition as he had violated his oath of office. The security was beefed up around the court premises and a large crowd of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) supporters had gathered by the main entry point. The hearing has been adjourned until October 22. Sharif, who was recently released from jail after receiving bail in the Avenfield case, had been absent from previous hearings as he had been receiving condolences over the death of his wife Kulsoom. Earlier, Almeida had been put on 'Exit Control List' after he wrote a front-page story about a rift between Pakistan's civilian and military leaderships over militant groups that operate from Pakistan but engage in war against India and Afghanistan. Exit Control List is a system of border control maintained by Pakistan government under an ordinance which allows it to bar people whose names appear on the list from leaving the country. The Foreign Office had vehemently rejected the report and termed it "speculative". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's Supreme Court Monday started hearing the final appeal against the execution of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death in a blasphemy case. Asia Bibi was accused of committing blasphemy in 2009 and was convicted in 2010. Her appeal against the death sentence was rejected by the Lahore High Court. She had filed the final appeal to the Supreme Court against the original conviction. A special three-member bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel took up the appeal of mother of five against the execution. Asia Bibi's lawyer Saiful Mulook briefed the court that the case based on verbal clash between Bibi and a group of Muslim women was filed by a prayer leader of Katanwala in Nankana Sahib. He said the June 14, 2009 incident was reported on June 19. "Are these things on the record?" the chief justice asked. Mulook said no permission to file the FIR was taken from the district coordination officer or the district police officer, which was against the law. The lawyer also highlighted the contradictory statements of the Muslim women witnesses. "What we can conclude from your statements is that the prayer leader himself did not witness the incident as it happened," Justice Khosa observed. "No blasphemous language was uttered in the presence of the prayer leader." "According to the prayer leader, a panchayat [to discuss the matter] was held in a house. It was said that 1,000 people were gathered for the meeting," Dawn reported, quoting the chief justice. Asia Bibi and two Muslim women had a heated exchange, the lawyer told the court. The reason behind it was that the women had refused to drink water from the same dish as Asia Bibi. The statements of the Muslim women, Asma and Isma, are contradictory, the lawyer said. Chief Justice Nisar wondered whether the assistant superintendent of police's probe could be relied upon, to which the lawyer replied that police had wrongfully registered the case, according to Asia Bibi. "The witness testimonies did not state that she had used blasphemous language for the Quran," he said. "No blasphemous words were used at all. Asia, in her statement, said that she could not even conceive of committing blasphemy," Mulook was quoted as saying by the paper. "She simply had an argument with two women. During that argument, they exchanged harsh words," the lawyer said. Asia Bibi's case hit the headlines after former Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who spoke out in support of her, was killed in 2011 in Islamabad by his police guard Mumtaz Qadri who was executed in 2016 for murder. Asia Bibi's supporters maintain her innocence and insist it was a personal dispute, and the Vatican has called for her release. The apex court last time took up her appeal in October 2016, but had to adjourn it without hearing after one of the judges recused himself. If the apex court bench eventually upholds Asia Bibi's conviction, her only recourse will be a direct appeal to the president for clemency. If that fails, Asia Bibi could become the first person in Pakistan to be executed under blasphemy laws which were enacted by former military ruler Zia-ul Haq in 1980s. Asia Bibi has already spent eight years in prison and her family has been subjected to continuous threats and harassment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's Supreme Court Monday reserved its judgement on the final appeal against the execution of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death in a blasphemy case. Asia Bibi was accused of committing blasphemy in 2009 and was convicted in 2010. Her appeal against the death sentence was rejected by the Lahore High Court. She had filed the final appeal to the apex court against the original conviction. A special three-member bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel reserved the verdict on the appeal of mother of five against the execution. Chief Justice Nisar cautioned the media against commenting on or discussing the case until the detailed judgement has been issued. No date has been announced by the court about when it will announce the verdict on the appeal. Earlier, Asia Bibi's lawyer Saiful Mulook briefed the court that the case based on verbal clash between Bibi and a group of Muslim women was filed by a prayer leader of Katanwala in Nankana Sahib. He said the June 14, 2009 incident was reported on June 19. "Are these things on the record?" the chief justice asked. Mulook said no permission to file the FIR was taken from the district coordination officer or the district police officer, which was against the law. The lawyer also highlighted the contradictory statements of the Muslim women witnesses. "What we can conclude from your statements is that the prayer leader himself did not witness the incident as it happened," Justice Khosa observed. "No blasphemous language was uttered in the presence of the prayer leader." "According to the prayer leader, a panchayat [to discuss the matter] was held in a house. It was said that 1,000 people were gathered for the meeting," Dawn reported, quoting the chief justice. Asia Bibi and two Muslim women had a heated exchange, the lawyer told the court. The reason behind it was that the women had refused to drink water from the same dish as Asia Bibi. The statements of the Muslim women, Asma and Isma, are contradictory, the lawyer said. Chief Justice Nisar wondered whether the assistant superintendent of police's probe could be relied upon, to which the lawyer replied that police had wrongfully registered the case, according to Asia Bibi. "The witness testimonies did not state that she had used blasphemous language for the Quran," he said. "No blasphemous words were used at all. Asia, in her statement, said that she could not even conceive of committing blasphemy," Mulook was quoted as saying by the paper. "She simply had an argument with two women. During that argument, they exchanged harsh words," the lawyer said. Asia Bibi's case hit the headlines after former Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who spoke out in support of her, was killed in 2011 in Islamabad by his police guard Mumtaz Qadri who was executed in 2016 for murder. Asia Bibi's supporters maintain her innocence and insist it was a personal dispute, and the Vatican has called for her release. The apex court last time took up her appeal in October 2016, but had to adjourn it without hearing after one of the judges recused himself. If the apex court bench eventually upholds Asia Bibi's conviction, her only recourse will be a direct appeal to the president for clemency. If that fails, Asia Bibi could become the first person in Pakistan to be executed under blasphemy laws which were enacted by former military ruler Zia-ul Haq in 1980s. Asia Bibi has already spent eight years in prison and her family has been subjected to continuous threats and harassment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Monday successfully test-fired Ghauri ballistic missile which is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads up to a distance of 1,300 kilometers, bringing many Indian cities under its range. The launch was conducted by Army Strategic Forces Command and was aimed at testing the operational and technical readiness of Army Strategic Forces Command, said the Inter Services Public Relations, the media wing of the army. "Ghauri Ballistic Missile can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads up to a distance of 1,300 kms," it said in a statement. Army Strategic Forces Command chief Lt Gen Muhammad Hilal Hussain "appreciated the standard of training and operational preparedness of Army Strategic Forces," it said. Senior officials and scientists of the Strategic Plans Division were present to witness the launch. President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan appreciated the scientists and engineers on the successful conduct of the missile test. In April, Pakistan successfully test fired an enhanced version of the indigenously-built Babur cruise missile that can deliver conventional and non-conventional weapons with a range of 700 kilometres. The 'Babur Weapon System-1 (B)' is a low-flying, terrain-hugging missile, which carries certain stealth features and is capable of carrying various types of warheads. The missile incorporates advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy, the army claims. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A multi-stakeholder meeting has been called by civic authorities Tuesday to decide whether a plot of land in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar should be used as a park or a parking lot, officials said Monday. SDMC's area councillor Nandini Sharma said, "The plot should be developed as a park and even local people wish the same. The engineering department want to use the site as a parking lot." "In the meeting, we would suggest them to use an alternate plot for the parking lot, instead of using this space in New Market area, which we have intended to use as a park in consonance with an overall greening project," she told PTI. Deputy Commissioner of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Nidhi Srivatava said the issue will be discussed in the meeting with all stakeholders, including civic authorities and members of RWAs, to resolve it. "Let us see what comes out of the meeting," she said. Malviya Nagar has two marketing spaces - the Old Market and the New Market, and greening and beautification work is already over in the Old Market area while it is underway in the new one. Members of the New Market Association had sent a letter to SDMC Commissioner P K Goel in September, seeking usage of the plot as a park. "As members of the New Market, we want to have a park developed there and not a parking lot. We hope good sense will prevail in the meeting," Amarbir Singh, a member of the association said. "The work had already started on the park, out of the local area councillor's fund, but the authorities has later asked to discontinue it," he alleged. Councillor Sharma is also against the idea of having a parking lot at the site where the park is intended to be developed. "The approach road is very narrow, and so it will lead to traffic jam if used a parking lot. Instead, we have suggested to the engineering department, an alternate site, like the taxi stand nearby, for constructing the parking lot. "We want to take the park proposal forward, as part of the overall greening project of the two market areas," Sharma said. The councillor said as part of the greening project, green belts are being created, and Victorian-style benches and lamp posts have been installed on the pavements on both sides in the market area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved is now focusing on the agriculture and food processing sector as it looks to bring out several products from the segment in the coming future. The company, which is working with farmers on the ground, is encouraging them to go for organic farming among them. "Now we are focusing more on agriculture and solar energy sector. The agriculture has a wide scope and Patanjali would work in several directions in the sector," Baba Ramdev told PTI. He further added: "We would encourage organic farming and we are going to bring many products based on it. We are also working on food processing and we will make our efforts in this." Patanjali Ayurved last month entered into the cow milk segment by launching cow milk and milk-based dairy products and also has plans to launch its apparel brand 'Paridhan'. "We are trying to open at least 100 stores before March 2019," Ramdev said here on the sideline of an event organised by FICCI Ladies Organisation, the women business wing of the trade body. On being asked about Patanjali's bid to acquire the debt-ridden firm Ruchi Soya, where it was competing with Adani group firm Adani Wilmar, Ramdev declined to comment saying that matter is now subjudice. "That is now pending with the court (NCLT Mumbai)," he added Adani Wilmar and Patanjali group have been engaged in a long-drawn battle to take over Ruchi Soya. While Adani Wilmar emerged as the highest bidder with a Rs 6,000 crore offer, Patanjali group came second with a Rs 5,700 crore bid. Patanjali, which had recorded multi-fold growth in recent years, witnessed a marginal growth only last fiscal hit by the implementation of the GST regime finishing around Rs 12,000 crore. In the 2016-17 financial year, Patanjali clocked a turnover of Rs 10,561 crore, registering a 111 per cent growth. On being asked about the growth this year, he said:" We expect this year to be good." "Rs 12,000 crore is a decent amount and we would grow forward from here. We are aiming to make Patanjali as one of the leading FMCG company globally," Ramdev added. Ramdev also clarified that Patanjali would not go for foreign equity and not be listed on any stock exchange, as it is a charitable firm. "Patanjali will not allow foreign equity or go in for a public issue," he said Ramdev, who had actively campaigned for the BJP in 2014 general elections said that he would be neutral in the coming general elections of 2019. "I will also not campaign for any party and will remain neutral during the coming Lok Sabha elections in 2019," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court Monday said it was "unfortunate and tragic" that the Centre was not prepared to "make any payment at all" to resolve the crisis arising out of the strike by sanitation workers of East Delhi Municipal Corporation over regular payment of salaries. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta noted that the court had expected the Centre to "graciously reciprocate" to the offer of the Delhi government which agreed to release Rs 500 crore to civic bodies on humanitarian grounds. "Unfortunately and tragically, the central government has now filed an affidavit that it is not prepared to make any payment at all," the bench said. It noted in its order that on October 3, the Delhi government had submitted in the court that for tiding over the sanitation crisis, an amount of Rs 500 crore would be released by them within two days without prejudice to their rights and contentions. Advocate Rahul Mehra, appearing for the Delhi government, told the court that the amount has been released. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Maninder Singh, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that it was "not possible" for them to release money in this regard. The bench, after hearing the brief submission, posted the matter for further hearing on October 24. On October 3, the top court had asked the ASG as to whether they could also release similar amount, as offered by Delhi government, to "tide over the present crisis". The bench had noted in its order that since sanitation workers were abstaining from work in East Delhi, there was a huge amount of garbage that has piled up in the area. The issue of agitation by sanitation workers of East Delhi Municipal Corporation over regular payment of salaries and regularisation of workers had cropped up before the court which is seized of the matter related to solid waste management in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking review of the Constitution bench judgement which lifted the ban on entry of women into the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. The plea, filed by Shylaja Vijayan, president of National Ayyappa Devotees Association, said the September 28 judgment which had allowed entry of women of all ages in the hill-top shrine is "absolutely untenable and irrational, if not perverse". A five-judge constitution bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, had in its 4:1 verdict, said that banning the entry of women into the shrine is gender discrimination and that the practice violates rights of Hindu women. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bus maker PMI Electro plans to invest Rs 500 crore in Uttarakhand to build infrastructure and other support system for electric vehicles, a top company official said. The company signed an agreement for the proposed investment with the state government during the two-day investor summit at Dehradun, the official stated. "The memorandum of understanding is a first step towards reducing pollution in the hill state. Under the agreement, PMI Electro Mobility Solution plans to invest Rs 500 crore for plying 500 electric buses and developing associated charging infrastructure," PMI Electri Managing Director Satish Jain said in a statement. PMI and China-based Beiqi Foton Motors have partnered for the marketing and sales of buses in India. "Foton PMI electric bus can withstand heavy ridership and steep hills with a long design life of 15 years. PMI aims to be a zero emission commercial vehicle manufacturer within next five years," Jain said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Monday decided to protest inside Parliament against the arrest of party president and Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif on charges of corruption, as former prime minister Nawaz Sharif resumed his political activities, nearly three weeks after his release from jail. The decision to launch protests inside Parliament was taken during a Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting of the PML-N chaired by Nawaz Sharif, the elder brother of Shehbaz, who is accused of corruption in a Rs 1,400 crore housing scam. The meeting, held in Model Town, Lahore, was attended by the party's CEC members, Geo reported. During the meeting, the party members decided to protest against Shehbaz's arrest last Friday and Sunday's press conference by Prime Minister Imran Khan inside Parliament. This was the first formal party meeting that Nawaz Sharif, 68, chaired since after his release from Adiala jail in Rawalpindi last month. The former premier, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Mohammad Safdar were released from prison on September 19 after the Islamabad High Court suspended their sentences in the Avenfield corruption case. The Islamabad High Court has suspended their sentences and granted them bail till the disposal of their appeals. Since then, Nawaz Sharif stayed away from media and political activities and the party leaders defended him by claiming that he was in a state of mourning over the death of his wife Kulsoom in London and that he would soon start his political activities, Dawn newspaper reported. However, the PML-N leaders now claim that due to the "sudden arrest" of his 67-year-old younger brother, the three-time former premier has been forced to jump into the political arena in order to boost the morale of the party workers. On Saturday, an accountability court granted the National Accountability Bureau a 10-day physical remand of former Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case. According to PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, the party believed that Shahbaz was arrested as part of the policy of Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to victimise its political opponents. "Shahbaz Sharif's arrest just before by-elections on October 14 is unacceptable," she said. "Such actions will no more be tolerated." She said that after in-house consultation and discussion, the PML-N would consult other pposition parties to take them into confidence as well. The opposition members also urged the Speaker to issue production order for Shahbaz Sharif under rules to enable him to attend the National Assembly session. Dawn also reported that PML-N leaders were also in touch with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and were hopeful of getting a positive response. Only last week, the two parties had announced their decision to field joint candidates in the October 14 by-elections. During an informal chat with reporters on Saturday, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had said the procedure adopted for the arrest of Shehbaz Sharif, the Opposition leader was improper, adding that it appeared prima facie that the law had not been followed in the matter. Bhutto said his party had no issues with accountability, but there must be no political victimisation in the name of accountability. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A policeman was shot at and injured by a youth near the main gate of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) here Monday, police said. Two youths who were on a motorcycle were signalled to stop at a checkpost near the DMCH by constable Davinder Singh, the police said. The two were asked to produce papers pertaining to the vehicle following which an argument ensued between the duo and Singh, they said. Leaving their motorcycle on the scene, the two fled from the spot and when Singh chased them, one of the two youths opened fire, the police said. Singh somehow managed to arrest one of the two accused persons while the other person escaped. The constable was rushed to a nearby hospital, the police said, adding that a probe into the matter was underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada was awarded the Underwater Warfare Suite Upgrade (UWSU) contract to upgrade and maintain underwater sensors on the Halifax-class frigates for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada was awarded the Underwater Warfare Suite Upgrade (UWSU) contract to upgrade and maintain underwater sensors on the Halifax-class frigates for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). General Dynamics Mission SystemsCanada image. Together with Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems and Nautel, General Dynamics will offer the RCN an improved ability to detect and track underwater threats, while continuing to develop technologies that generate economic impact for Canada. General Dynamics is pleased to continue its proud tradition of supporting Canada in anti-submarine warfare as we embark on this ambitious upgrade program, said David Ibbetson, vice president and general manager of General Dynamics Mission SystemsInternational. Not only will UWSU benefit the RCN, it will also create and sustain jobs across Ontario and the Maritimes for years to come. Much more than a simple sonar upgrade, UWSU will provide the RCN with an integrated, multi-sonar capability that will profoundly change the ships operational capabilities. The Halifax-class frigates will be able to detect quieter targets at increased ranges, while improved automation will allow sonar operators to improve their underwater warfare performance work and to focus on other priorities. With political temperatures soaring in Rajasthan in the run-up to the December 7 assembly elections, major parties in the state have deployed social media "warriors" to reach out to people on digital platforms. Keeping in mind the role social media played in the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2004 general elections, the Congress has also decided to make full use of the mass communication tool. The BJP's Rajasthan social media cell in-charge Hirendra Kaushik said the party has deployed one IT cell worker each at 51,000 booths, and 10-member IT teams have been constituted at the division level to reach out to people through WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. These "social media warriors" are making the electorate, especially youths and women, aware of the achievements of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state, Kaushik said. The party is connected to nearly 14.5 lakh people through WhatsApp and around 6.5 lakh people via Facebook, he said, adding close to 35 lakh people follow Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on her Facebook page. The Congress is also making its social media team ready to fight the poll war. Congress media in-charge in Rajasthan Archana Sharma said the party's social media cell was inactive in the last assembly election and it has taken steps to reach out to people on digital platforms considering the role the mass medium has played in recent polls in other states. She said social media is an effective medium to connect with people and its use has increased after 2013. The BJP used it to spread negativity against the Congress and its leadership, she alleged, adding her party will use it in a positive manner. The AAP, which is fighting its first elections in Rajasthan, has appointed social media managers for their probable candidates. Devendra Dev, the social media in-charge of the AAP, said the party has appointed a social media manager for each candidate to share activities on social media. A WhatsApp helpline has also been started on which suggestion for the party's election manifesto would be sought. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Polling was underway Monday for the first phase of four-phased municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir amidst stringent security arrangements put in place for smooth conduct of the elections. For the first phase, 78 candidates have already been elected unopposed out of which 69 are from the valley. Polling began at 7 am this morning and would end at 4 pm, officials said. They said voting will take place at 820 polling stations across the state. 150 polling stations have been designated for voting in Kashmir Division and 670 in Jammu Division. In Kashmir Division, 138 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive while in Jammu Division, 52 polling stations have been categorised hypersensitive, the officials said. They said 1,204 candidates are in the fray for 321 municipal wards, including 83 in Kashmir division and 238 in Jammu division. The total electorate for the first phase is 586064, the official said. They said massive security arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the polls. Municipal elections, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh, are being held in four phases. A total of 3,372 nominations have been filed for 1,145 wards. The next phases take place on 10th, 13th and 16th October. National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and CPI(M) have boycotted the polls due to the legal challenge to Article 35A of the Constitution in the Supreme Court. The government has declared holiday on the day of poll in municipal areas going to polls so as to enable voters to cast their vote. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Top diplomats of the US and China on Monday had "frosty" exchanges as they met here amid deepening trade war and intensifying tension over Beijing's militarisation of the disputed South China Sea. The two countries were at war of words since June when President Donald Trump slapped the first round of additional tariffs on Chinese exports, demanding Beijing reduce the trade deficit worth over USD 335 billion. China retaliated with its own set of tariffs on the US exports. Since then, they have slapped additional tariffs on billions of dollars of export goods on each other. Visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held five hour-long talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and senior ruling Communist Party official Yang Jiechi over simmering tensions between the two countries. Pompeo, who reached here in the last leg of his current East Asia tour during which he visited South Korea, North Korea and Japan, began his Beijing visit with Wang, who is also the State Councillor. Reporting on their meeting, state-run CGTN TV described their discussions as "frosty exchanges" as both came out with firm statements in their opening remarks. In his remarks, Wang asked the US to immediately stop its misguided comments and actions regarding trade fictions, Taiwan issue disputes over the South China Sea. He didn't avoid talking of escalating tensions, the report said, adding that such opening remarks by Wang are rare in his opening meeting with any foreign dignitaries. Wang said he told Pompeo that a shadow has been cast "over the future of China-US relations". The US should work with China to pursue the path of a win-win cooperation instead of taking the wrong approach of conflict and confrontation, he said. While escalating the trade frictions between the two countries, the US has taken a slew of actions undermining the rights and interests of China on issues such as Taiwan, and made unwarranted accusations against China's domestic and foreign policies, official media quoted Wang as saying. The US moves have directly impacted on the mutual trust and cast shadows upon bilateral ties, he said. "We demand the US stop the unwarranted accusations and wrongdoings against China immediately," Wang said. Pompeo, who arrived from North Korea, spoke about his talks in Pyongyang and efforts to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. In his opening remarks, Pompeo said: "we have grave concerns about the actions that China has taken, and I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss each of those today because this is an incredibly important relationship". He also said: "I do want to share with you my visit with Chairman (of North Korea) Kim Jong-un yesterday and the progress we've made, and to make sure that we are working together on our joint mission that we've talked about before: the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula". "I regret that the strategic dialogue between our two countries was something that you all chose not to undertake. It would have been an important opportunity for us to have a discussion about these longer-term, important issues that present opportunities for the people of our two countries," Pompeo added. China claims almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress in Maharashtra has said the Rafale fighter deal will be a key election issue for the party and hit out at the NDA government over the rising prices of diesel and petrol. Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the party will fight the upcoming assembly and Lok Sabha polls on Rafale and other issues of public interest. The main opposition party has alleged irregularities in the purchase of Rafale fighter jets from France, a charge vehemently denied by the BJP-led government. Addressing a public meeting at Bhaji Market ground here in North Maharashtra Sunday evening, he said the country's economic condition has become weak under the present government. The former Union minister said the government has earned crores of rupees through the rising prices of fuel, but has not provided any substantial relief to common people. The meeting was organised as part of the Congress' 'Jan Sangharsh Yatra' that arrived here Sunday. The opposition party launched the state-wide yatra in August to highlight "failures" of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra. Speaking on the occasion, state Congress chief Ashok Chavan said the BJP-led government in Maharashtra has been unsuccessful in solving the problems being faced by the people of the state. Ashok Chavan, a former chief minister, said the party will dislodge the ruling BJP from power in the next assembly polls in Maharashtra due in the second half of 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Air Force is "ever-prepared" to meet any contingency and the procurement of 36 Rafale jets and S-400 missile systems would enhance its operational capabilities, Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa said on Monday as the force celebrated its 86th anniversary. In his address to IAF personnel at Hindon, the Chief of the Air Staff said the force needs to maintain a constant vigil in the aerospace safety area as "loss of aircraft in peacetime is not only expensive but also diminishes wartime capability". The IAF has been grappling with incidents of accidents involving its frontline aircraft and military choppers in the last few years. The Air Chief Marshal said efforts are being made to minimize accidents caused by human error by providing best possible training to the air crew and technicians operating current generation of fighter jets as well as "legacy aircraft" and weapons systems. "The IAF is ever prepared to meet any contingency that challenges the defence of our country. In the year gone by, IAF has continued to grow from strength to strength and achieved a number of operational milestones," Dhanoa said in his address on Air Force Day here. He said it is the duty of the Air Force personnel to remain combat worthy and maintain combat systems operational for any contingency at a short notice. "Acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft, S-400 missiles systems, Apache attack helicopters and Chinook heavy lift helicopters would further enhance our capabilities," he said. The ongoing induction of state-of-the-art Tejas precision weapons is a part of the IAF's larger modernisation programme, he noted. India and Russia last week signed the multi-billion air missile defence system deal. The deal to buy Rafale jets was signed with France in 2016. Dhanoa had last week termed the procurement of the 36 Rafale jets, the deal which is currently mired in controversy, and S-400 missile defence systems as the much needed "booster shots" to the Air Force. Speaking on 'Gaganshakti', the IAF drill that saw a mobilisation of 1,4000 officers and 14,000 personnel, Dhanoa said it showcased the operational capability and readiness of the force. During the exercise, more than 11,000 sorties were flown, including approximately 9,000 sorties by fighter aircraft, he said. Elucidating on the role of Air Force in peacetime operations, he said during the Kerala floods this year, 23 aircraft and 25 helicopters of the IAF were pressed into the service. The IAF also provided timely assistance in fighting forest fires in Theni (Tamil Nadu), Katra (Jammu and Kashmir), Pathankot (Punjab), Kasuli (Himachal Pradesh) and even urban fires in Delhi, he noted. "In addition, airlifting relief material to Myanmar and Indonesia, fire fighting on an Indian Merchant Ship and CASEVAC of pilgrims stranded at Kailash Mansarovar and Amarnath Yatra were also carried out," Dhanoa said. The IAF, he said, has been actively supporting the government's initiatives for growth of regional air connectivity under the 'UDAAN' scheme. Forty-five new routes have been cleared through military airspaces while 33 defence airfields have been opened for joint use to accommodate civilian flights, he added. An impressive aerial acrobatic show by the IAF's frontline fighter jets and choppers were also on display at the Hindon airbase. In the evening, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa hosted an 'At Home' event at his official residence which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat and Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba. In a special gesture, the IAF chief also invited his drill trainers at the National Defence Academy to the 'At Home'. The 86th anniversary of the IAF was also celebrated at various bases of the force across the country including at the air force stations at Tambaram, near Chennai and in Thanjavur. Celebrations were also organised at air force station in Chandigarh and bases in nearby areas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president will address a 'Sankalp Rally' in Rajasthan's Bikaner city on Wednesday, state party chief said Monday. Gandhi will visit Dholpur on Tuesday during his two-day tour to Rajasthan, Pilot said. The Congress president will attend first meeting in Mania then in Badi, Basedi, Bayana and Vair, he said, adding that Gandhi will also visit Bharatpur and Dausa districts on Tuesday. Pilot said the party president will rest in Mahua and will take part in two different events in Jaipur on Wednesday. The Assembly polls in are due later this year. The compound wall of former Chief Minister Narayan Rane's farmhouse was Monday demolished as part of road-widening work on the Mumbai-Goa Highway. Officials said that the compound walls of two farmhouses, owned by Rane and his wife Neelam respectively, are to be demolished to widen the highway. The two structures, spread over 890 square metres and 1,320 square metres, are located in Tara village in Panvel taluka of Raigad district, around 40 kilometres from here. "The government has already paid compensation of Rs 83 lakh and Rs 43 lakh. We began demolishing the two compound walls on Monday morning," a Raigad collectorate official said. An official said that local residents had earlier complained about authorities not acquiring Rane's land despite compensation being paid for it, which in turn was delaying the road work. Around 475 kilometres of the Mumbai-Goa Highway runs through Maharashtra of which a 84 km stretch between Indapur and Panvel is under the National Highway Authority of India while the rest is maintained by the state PWD. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seeking to woo women voters for the December 7 assembly elections in Telangana, Congress Monday announced various promises, including a grant of Rs one lakh each to Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the state. "For the six lakh groups, women (Self Help) groups... in Telangana,the next Congress government will provide a grant of Rs one lakh to each DWCRA (Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas) group," state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said, addressing a meeting of women organised by the party here. He said Rs 10 lakh bank loan would be arranged for each SHG and its interest would be paid by the state government. Reddy promised that all members of women SHGs would be given accidental and health insurance of Rs five lakh each. Claiming that Congress governments in undivided Andhra Pradesh had strengthened women SHGs by giving them grants and others, Reddy alleged that the TRS government has completely neglected the groups. He said the TRS government has 'insulted' women by not giving them any representation in the state cabinet. Reddy expressed confidence that his party would emerge triumphant in Rajasthan and other states where elections will be held along with Telangana. Telangana will go to the polls on December 7. The assembly polls in Telangana were originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections next year, but the Assembly was dissolved last month as per a recommendation made by the state cabinet. Congress will be contesting the elections in alliance with TDP, CPI and others and talks are on among the parties parties on seat-sharing and a Common Minimum Programme (CMP). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj has dared Congress president Rahul Gandhi to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls against him, saying he will leave if he defeats him. "I challenge Rahul Gandhi to contest the 2019 general elections against me (from Unnao). I will leave if he wins, but if he loses, he should leave (India) for Itay," the BJP MP told reporters here Sunday. The Unnao MP also attacked Gandhi for undertaking Mansarovar Yatra in early September this year, allegedly without maintaining "purity". "We are not opposing his yatra. Why will the BJP do so? But it is written in 'shastra' (scriptures) that purity is needed for such yatras (pilgrimage). He should have become pure before doing the yatra. No one enters a temple without (maintaining) purity. Darshan is not justified after having non-veg foods," said Sakshi Maharaj. "He sometimes wears 'topi' (skull cap) and then becomes 'Shiv Bhakt'..", he said taking a dig at Gandhi. The BJP MP said he would welcome if Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav builds a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu in Saifai (Etawah). On whether Ram temple will be a poll issue in the 2019 polls, Sakshi Maharaj said "As of now the issue is 'sabka saath sabka vikas' but in 'yudh' (war), the issue depends on situation." The BJP MP also claimed the Opposition's fear of defeat from the BJP is the reason behind their efforts to forge a pre-poll alliance. "The opposition is afraid of the BJP and that is why they are talking of grand alliance," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Moss Point police are investigating the death of 58-year-old Betty Lewis-Vaughans of Moss Point after she was struck by a vehicle and died on Thursday. Details are limited, but she was well loved by those in the community. (Facebook) MOSS POINT, Miss. -- An arrest has been made in the death of 58-year-old Betty Lewis-Vaughans, according to Chief Brandon Ashley. Octavius Montego Black, 31, currently residing in Moss Point has been arrested and charged with capital murder. Black was located in Prentiss, Miss., after turning himself in to the Prentiss Police Department early Saturday morning. After issuing a BOLO for the missing 2003 beige Cadillac Escalade, the vehicle was also found in the north Miss., jurisdiction. According to Ashley, the vehicle and Black were transported back to Moss Point Saturday evening and further investigation of the vehicle yielded probable cause to charge Black with capital murder. It is unclear how Black and Vaughans know one another, however, a connection has been made and Ashley said that information will not be released at this time. Police received a call just after 7 a.m. Thursday morning stating Vaughans was laying in her driveway dead, according to a family member. Black is currently being held at the Jackson County Adult Detention Center. Anyone who has information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Detective Kimberlee Snowden or the Moss Point Police Department at 228-475-1711. You may also contact Crime Stoppers at 800-787-5898 or visit the Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers website at mscoastcrimestoppers.com. regulator has put in place revised norms for recovering of investors' money, wherein a registered professional will be appointed as administrator to undertake sale of assets. The regulator has revised the procedures to be followed for refunding the investors' money pursuant to failure of complying with disgorgement or refund orders passed by it. In case an entity is not traceable or is not complying with directions, the recovery officer can appoint an administrator for the purpose of selling the properties attached, the regulator said in a notification dated October 3. Only an entity registered with the IBBI as resolution professional would be considered eligible for appointment as administrator. The and Board of India (IBBI) is implementing the Insolvency and Code. Under the norms, no person will be appointed as an administrator where such an appointment may be objected to on the grounds that give rise to justifiable doubts as to the independence or impartiality of such a person. Any question involving issues of conflict of interest in the appointment of an administrator will be decided by the recovery officer. "The administrator shall provide an undertaking to the board of absence of any conflict of interest with the defaulter, its directors, promoters, key managerial personnel and its group entities," the regulator noted. The expenses pertaining to the administrator would be borne by the defaulter or come from the sale proceeds of the entity's assets. According to Sebi, the terms and conditions of appointment including remuneration will be specified on case to case basis, after taking into consideration the quantum of work, the number of investors and the quantum of money involved. While discharging the functions, the administrator can appoint an independent chartered accountant to verify the details of money raised, including payment already made to investors. The norms would be applicable in relation to recovery of disgorgement amount ordered by the regulator. In case the proceeds realised by way of sale of properties of the defaulter is in excess of the money due, the excess money will be paid to the defaulter after completion of three years from the date of completion of the refund process. The new regulations (Appointment of Administrator and Procedure for Refunding to the Investors) has come into effect from October 3. Investigative group Bellingcat on Monday identified the second suspect in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal as a trained military doctor employed by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency. "We have now identified 'Alexander Petrov' to be in fact Dr Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin, a trained military doctor in the employ of the GRU," the British-based group said in a report published on its website. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP chief Amit Shah would attend two separate meetings of party functionaries from parliamentary constituencies in Telangana when he visits the state on October 10. Shah would speak to booth committee presidents and other leaders of Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Malkajgiri and Chevella Lok Sabha constituencies at the Exhibition Grounds here, BJP's state general secretary Chinta Samba Murthy said in a release Monday. Shah would also participate in a meeting of party functionaries from Mahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Bhongir and Nalgonda Lok Sabha seats, the release said. In the afternoon, the party chief would address a public meeting for the December 7 Legislative Assembly elections at Karimnagar, it added. Shah had kicked off the party's election campaign with a meeting at Mahabubnagar last month. BJP has decided to go it alone in the assembly elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A former Sri Lankan minister and Tamil member of parliament has been arrested for allegedly making controversial remarks favouring the banned outfit LTTE, police said on Monday. Vijeyakala Maheswaran, who was Sri Lanka's lone Tamil woman minister, during an event in Jaffna in June had said that the law and order situation was fast deteriorating in the northern province and its people felt that they were better off under the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when they ran a parallel administration. She said that there was no social crimes during the LTTE time. The LTTE had run a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. Maheswaran, who was working as a State Minister of Child Affairs from the northern Tamil region representing the ruling United National Party (UNP) led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, had resigned in July after her controversial remarks that led to an uproar in Parliament. Maheshwaran was asked to appear before the police's organised crime division on Monday to record her statement on the alleged remarks. Following pressure from the nationalist opposition of the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maheswaran was stripped of her state ministerial position and was subject to an inquiry. The probe was to establish if she had endangered the national security by openly promoting banned terrorist organisation LTTE. The Speaker was asked to remove her from the parliament by opposition members who disrupted the sittings early July. Later a police inquiry was ordered and the opinion of the Attorney General was sought. Maheswaran had publicly explained her comments saying she was moved by the rising crime against the women in the north and the police's inability to tackle them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The apex consumer commission has asked the Delhi state fora to re-consider a case of alleged medical negligence against Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here, which resulted in the death of a patient. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) was hearing an appeal against the Delhi state consumer commission's order which said the case does not come under its jurisdiction. The appeal was filed by Maharashtra resident Vimla against the hospital and a doctor employed there, claiming that his illegible writing led to a pharmacist issuing the wrong medicine which allegedly resulted in the death of her husband Shiv Narayan Gupta. "We do not agree with the state commission's observation that 'this is not a consumer dispute.' In our view, this is a case of alleged medical negligence (resulting in death), alleged deficiency in service," said a NCDRC bench comprising presiding member S M Kantikar and member Dinesh Singh. The plea claimed that the doctor had prescribed a medicine 'Ketosteril' for her husband's kidney ailment but the pharmacist at the hospital wrongly gave a painkiller Ketorpol-DT'. It was alleged in the complaint that her husband suffered several complications, because of wrong medicine, that resulted in his death. Vimla moved the state commission which had held that the case does not come under the consumer fora's jurisdiction and asked her to file the case before the appropriate authority. The apex commission has now directed both the parties to appear before the state commission on November 19. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that a strong bilateral relationship with China is the cornerstone of the Pakistan's foreign policy. Khan chaired a high-level meeting with his Cabinet colleagues and discussed his maiden tour to China next month during which matters related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is to be discussed, the Express Tribune reported. The meeting was also attended by Pakistan's Finance Minister Asad Umer, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Planning and Development Minister Khusro Bakhtiar and Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed. China is an all-weather ally of Pakistan. The two countries launched the controversy-hit USD 50 billion CPEC in 2015 under which a network of roads, railways and energy projects, linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea, has been planned. Khan, chairing a cabinet meeting of the Balochistan province during his first visit to the restive province as the prime minister on Saturday, said that Pakistan was reviewing the projects under the CPEC to safeguard the interest of the Baloch people, who say the projects were not beneficial for them. Khan in the past had criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the lack of transparency and corruption in the CPEC projects. Last month during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Khan had said that the Pakistan government was committed to the implementation of the CPEC projects. Wang had also conveyed the desire of the Chinese leadership to work with the new government of Khan for further enhancing the strategic partnership between Pakistan and China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tata Motors-owned (JLR) on Monday revealed plans for a two-week shutdown of its West Midlands plant at the end of October to cope with weakening global demand for its luxury vehicles. JLR, however, stressed that it would not mean any job losses at the plant in Solihull, with workers continued to be paid during the shutdown period. "As part of the company's continued strategy for profitable growth, is focused on achieving operational efficiencies and will align supply to reflect fluctuating demand globally as required," a statement said. "The decision to introduce a two-week shutdown period later this month at Solihull is one example of actions we are taking to achieve this. Customer orders in the system will not be impacted and employees affected will be paid for the duration of the shutdown," it said. The Solihull plant, where the Tata Group company produces its and Jaguar models, will close from October 22. It follows a move to a three-day week for around 2,000 workers at the firm's Castle Bromwich plant and an announcement in April to lay off 1,000 workers across its West Midlands' units. Describing of the two-week shutdown as "deeply troubling", Unite the UK's biggest union for car workers blamed the government's incompetence over its policies around diesel vehicles and Brexit negotiations for the continued stress on the country's "Over the past decade workers have worked tirelessly to turn the carmaker's fortunes around. Ministers now risk turning them and their colleagues in the supply chain from hero to zero," said Unite national officer Des Quinn. "The government must secure their future by getting a Brexit deal that secures frictionless tariff free trade with At the same time ministers must repair the damage done over diesel by supporting a just transition' to electric and alternative power vehicles as part of an industrial strategy," he said. The of the shutdown came as released its September sales figures, which marked a12.3 per cent year on year drop. Sales in declined by 46.2 per cent, which the UK's biggest car-maker blamed on ongoing market uncertainty resulting from import duty changes and continued trade tensions. "As a business we are continuing to experience challenging conditions in some of our key markets. Customer demand in in particular has struggled to recover following changes in import tariffs in July and intensifying competition on price, while ongoing global negotiations on potential trade agreements have dampened purchase considerations," said Felix Brautigam, Chief Commercial Officer. The company said it expected lower tariffs on UK imports to be beneficial over the course of the year, with Brautigam highlighting positive customer response to new Jaguar products. "The all-electric I-PACE and the sporty E-PACE compact SUV in particular, which have only recently joined our line-up in China, are driving demand globally," he said. For Land Rover models, the company highlighted strong customer demand for the new Velar and and Range Rover Sport Plug-in Hybrid variants. Expressing satisfaction over the voter turnout in the first phase of ULB polls in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Jitendra Singh Monday said time was running out for politicians who thrived on unrest and militancy in the valley. "We congratulate the people of Jammu and Kashmir for polling in high numbers in the first phase of local body elections in the state. The message is loud and clear that time is running out for political groups which over the last 20 to 30 years thrived on militancy and an atmosphere of vacuum where there was no democratic competition", Singh told reporters here. After casting his vote at a polling booth in ward no 53 of Trikuta Nagar, Singh said no force on earth could hold back the people of Jammu and Kashmir as they want to be part of new India's development journey led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders who have been dissuading the people from participating in the election process are the ones who have over the last several decades sought to project their indispensability by intimidating the genuine democratic forces, Singh said. They may try to thwart this phenomenon (democratic process), but they will be unsuccessful, he averred. Singh said the common people, particularly the youth, have seen through the "hypocrisy and duplicity" of leaders who demand "dynastic" autonomy for themselves, but do not support "democratic" autonomy for duly elected local representatives. The union minister said through the ballot box the youth of Kashmir have reiterated their aspirational urge. Speaking on the recent trend of Kashmiri youths faring well in prestigious All-India examinations, including civil services, IIT-JEE, NEET, he said the youths do not wish to miss out on the opportunities available in contemporary India. The substantial turnout of women voters in Kashmir Valley was an endorsement of Modi's revolutionary pro-women reforms, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 11:03 With the #MeToo movement finally taking off in India, several men across industries are being demolished. The latest alleged abuser to be called out is Indian film and television's very own 'sanskari babuji' Alok Nath. Filmmaker Vinta Nanda, in a long Facebook post, without naming Nath alleged that he had raped her, sexually harassed lead actress of her 1990s TV show Tara and got her sacked when she complained. Later speaking to IANS, Vinta confirmed that it was Alok Nath and said: "It is Alok Nath. I thought saying 'sanskaari' would do the needful." In the post, Nanda, who virtually identified Alok Nath as being "known as the most #Sanskaari (Cultured) person in the film and television industry", said that his wife was her best friend and they had been part of the same circle over the years. "His wife was my best friend. We were in and out of each other's homes, we belonged to the same group of friends, most of us from theatre, slowly making our arts shine in the content renaissance, which had taken place because of the satellite television revolution of the 1990's." She further said, "He was an alcoholic, shameless and obnoxious but he was also the television star of that decade, so not only was he forgiven for all his bad behaviour but many of the guys would egg him on to be his worst. My lead female actor was being harassed by him. He would mess with her on the sets and everyone would be silent. When she complained to us, we decided to let him go." Narrating how her four shows, which were all doing well on TV at the time, were unceremoniously pulled off air after Nath's sacking, Nanda said, "We were called by the newly appointed CEO of the channel on the Monday of the following week and told to shut down the show, along with all our other shows. I was insulted and humiliated by the CEO, asked to get out of his office and told that women like me should be thrown out of the country. All our shows went off air with immediate effect and my production company was made to shut down." Nanda says the night she was raped, she had gone to a party at Nath's house, which was also attended by several of their common friends. "I was invited to a party to this man's house, his wife, my best friend was out of town. It was usual for our group of friends from theatre to meet regularly so there was nothing unusual about my going to the party. As the evening flowed, my drinks were mixed and I began to feel strange. Then at around 2am I left his house. Nobody followed me or offered to drop me home, which was what was rather unusual. All I knew at the time was that I had to get home. I could sense it wouldn't be right for me to stay there any longer. "I started to walk home on the empty streets although the distance to my own house was long. Midway I was accosted by this man who was driving his own car and he asked me to sit in it and said he would drop me home. I trusted him and sat in his car. I have faint memory after that. I can remember more liquor being poured into my mouth and I remember being violated endlessly. When I woke up the next afternoon, I was in pain. I hadn't just been raped, I was taken to my own house and had been brutalised. I couldn't get up for my bed." Several celebrities have taken to Twitter to support Nanda and shame Nath. Comedian Mallika Dua tweeted screenshots of Nanda's post and wrote, "#Babuji My ass. This is so terrifying. How must she have dealt with this alone in the bloody 90's. Thank god for social media." Student activist Shehla Rashid tweeted, "Oh my God! This is very serious and needs to be reported to the police. Shame on you @aloknath." The Tamil Nadu government Monday said it may 'consider' reducing taxes on petrol and diesel, but pointed out its spending on various initiatives, including implementation of the seventh Pay Commission recommendations. When asked if his state would cut taxes on petrol and diesel, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami highlighted the requirement of funds for various welfare measures. He was speaking to reporters here after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek Central assistance for various initiatives in the state. "In Tamil Nadu, as far as the Amma (late Jayalalithaa) government is concerned, funds are required for various departments," he noted. While the state had recently okayed the implementation of 7th Pay Commission recommendation for its employees, arrears for Transport department staff was also being disbursed, he said. "Welfare initiatives are happening in various departments. After creating the fund source, government will consider your plea," he told media when asked if his government would axe the tax on fuel. The Centre had last week announced a Rs 2.50 a litre cut in petrol and diesel prices, factoring in excise duty reduction of Rs 1.50 per litre and asking oil companies to absorb another Re 1. Many BJP- ruled states had taken a cue from this and announced tax cuts. Earlier too, Palaniswami had said his government would consider reducing the state tax on petroleum products even as he had put the onus of slashing taxes on the Centre. "Only the Centre can reduce.. The Centre is only increasing the prices, not the state (government)," he had said last month, in an apparent reference to Oil Marketing Companies' daily revision of petrol and diesel prices. Pointing to the difficulties in fund allocation for various projects, he had said: "We need sufficient funds but the government will consider the plea (on tax cut)". On reports about mining firm Vedanta Ltd being allotted oil blocks in Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami said, "any project adversely affecting people will not be allowed". The firm's copper smelter unit in Tuticorin in the state, had earlier been ordered by the state government to be permanently closed following a public outcry over pollution concerns. An anti-Sterlite protest on May 22 had turned violent, with 13 protesters being killed in police firing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a significant development, the United States State Department announced that it is sending one of its top diplomats to Maldives and Sri Lanka. During her three-day trip from October 9 to 11, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells, will reiterate the strong US commitment to its partnerships with Sri Lanka and Maldives and their shared interests in a prosperous and open Indo-Pacific region, an official statement said Sunday. In Mal, Wells will meet with Maldivian government officials, the President-Elect, and civil society leaders. "She will offer congratulations on the country's successful national elections and convey US interest in expanding bilateral cooperation," the State Department said in a statement. In Colombo, Wells will meet with Sri Lankan officials and will emphasise the importance of the US-Sri Lanka relationship to shared Indo-Pacific goals, with the growing bilateral defense relationship as an area of particular promise. "She will also urge continued progress on constitutional reform, human rights, reconciliation, and transitional justice and accountability," the State Department said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Hubble space telescope, which has been in orbit since 1990, has temporarily suspended operations because of a gyroscope failure, the US space agency has said. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said Hubble went into "safe mode" on Friday. "Hubble entered safe mode after one of the three gyroscopes actively being used to point and steady the telescope failed," NASA said in a statement Monday. "Safe mode puts the telescope into a stable configuration until ground control can correct the issue and return the mission to normal operation," it said. "Hubble's instruments still are fully operational and are expected to produce excellent science for years to come," NASA added. Hubble is equipped with six gyroscopes to orient the telescope. Hubble is currently down to two working gyros and needs at least three for optimal operations. But it can continue to provide observations with just one functioning gyroscope. Dr Rachel Osten, the deputy head of the Hubble mission, said it had been a "very stressful weekend." "First step is to try to bring back the last gyro, which had been off, and is being problematic," Osten said on Twitter. NASA said staff at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the Space Telescope Science Institute were conducting tests and analysis to get the gyro working again. NASA said if they are unable to recover the malfunctioning gyro Hubble will resume science operations using just one device. "While reduced-gyro mode offers less sky coverage at any particular time, there is relatively limited impact on the overall scientific capabilities," NASA said. Hubble has made numerous outstanding observations of the cosmos since it was deployed in 1990. The James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to Hubble, is scheduled to be launched in March 2021. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States President Donald Trump has said he was "concerned" by the disappearance of a Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor allegedly killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. "I am concerned. I don't like hearing about it. Hopefully that will sort itself out," Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. "Right now, nobody knows anything about it. There are some pretty bad stories going around. I do not like it," the president said. Jamal Khashoggi, who is an opinion page contributor at the Post, disappeared after visiting the kingdom's consulate. A Turkish government source said he was killed inside, but Saudi Arabia says that the journalist left the building. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said that Saudi Arabia must "prove it with footage. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Donald Trump said Monday he does not plan to fire the deputy attorney general in charge of an explosive probe into alleged collusion between the president and the Kremlin. Rosenstein had appeared close to being fired following US media reports -- which he denied -- that he discussed secretly recording Trump and using the 25th constitutional amendment for removing presidents found to be unfit for office. "No I don't, no," Trump told journalists at the White House when asked whether he plans to sack Rod Rosenstein. The pair spoke at length during a flight Monday to Florida, according to the White House. "The president and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein met for about 45 minutes aboard Air Force One," spokesman Hogan Gidley said. "They discussed various topics," including border controls, violent crime in Chicago and "general" Justice Department business, the spokesman added. Trump also indicated that he was ready to keep working with Rosenstein, saying "I actually have a good relationship." The president used the occasion to again insist that "there's been no collusion, folks, no collusion" with Russia. The Republican real estate billionaire is infuriated by what he calls Special Counsel Robert Mueller's "witch hunt" into whether Moscow conspired with his campaign in the shock 2016 election win. Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller, has so far been steadfast in trying to protect the investigation as it digs ever deeper into Trump's inner circle. So Rosenstein's departure -- possibly putting someone more pliable in his place -- would set off alarm bells over the future independence of a probe that could rock the entire presidency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkey sought permission Monday to search Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul after a prominent journalist from the kingdom went missing last week, media reports said, amid claims he was murdered. Ankara asked to search the consulate where Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi vanished last Tuesday after entering the building, Turkish NTV broadcaster reported. A Turkish government source at the weekend said the 59-year-old had been killed. Riyadh vehemently denied the claim and said Khashoggi had left the consulate. Ankara's search request was made after the foreign ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador for a second time Sunday over the journalist's disappearance. A Turkish diplomatic source confirmed Monday that the Saudi envoy had met deputy foreign minister Sedat Onal. "The ambassador was told that we expected full cooperation during the investigation," the source said. The ambassador was first summoned to the ministry on Wednesday. Protesters gathered outside the Saudi consulate on Monday with banners reading, "We will not leave without Jamal Khashoggi", demanding to know what had happened to the reporter. Yemeni activist and 2011 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Tawakkol Karman, said it would be an "awful crime" if the claims of his death were true. "Killing him is like killing us. This policy is just a terror policy. There's no difference between the state terror and other terror actions," she added. Khashoggi went to the consulate to obtain official documents ahead of his marriage to his Turkish fiancee. Turkish police quickly said he never left the building as there was no security footage on his departure. The consulate rejected the claims that the journalist was killed there as "baseless". Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously told Bloomberg that Riyadh was "ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our premises", which is Saudi sovereign territory. "We will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do. If they ask for that, of course, we will allow them. We have nothing to hide," Prince Salman said in an interview published on Friday. Khashoggi had been critical of some of the crown prince's policies and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen in Arab and Western media. He once compared the 33-year-old prince to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a column for the Washington Post in November 2017. "As of now, I would say Mohammed bin Salman is acting like Putin. He is imposing very selective justice. The crackdown on even the most constructive criticism - the demand for complete loyalty with a significant 'or else' - remains a serious challenge to the crown prince's desire to be seen as a modern, enlightened leader," he wrote. In his first comments over the disappearance, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said he was awaiting the results of an investigation. "We hope to have results very quickly," Erdogan said. "I am waiting, with high hopes." Erdogan also said police officers were examining CCTV footage of entrances and exits at the consulate and Istanbul airport. But Haytham Abokhalil, an Istanbul-based Egytian presenter at Al-Sharq TV, said supporters wanted "strong action" from Erdogan. Abokhalil and conflict expert Mohamed Okda, both friends of Khashoggi's, demanded explanations from Prince Mohammed over the disappearance. "We demand the international community to pressure Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Salman to tell us exactly what happened inside the consulate... and to tell us every detail of who was involved in this crime," Okda told AFP. Saudi Arabia launched a modernisation campaign following Prince Mohammed's appointment as heir to the throne with moves such as lifting a ban on women driving. But the ultra-conservative kingdom, which ranks 169th out of 180 on RSF's World Press Freedom Index, has been strongly criticised over its intolerance of dissent with dozens of people arrested including intellectuals and Islamic preachers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons drowned in the Hooghly River on Monday while offering prayers on the occasion of Mahalaya, a police officer said. While one of them lost balance and drowned at a ghat in Uttarpara, the other person was swept away by river currents at Seoraphuli, he said. Their bodies have been recovered by divers and handed over to the family members, he added. Devotees were seen thronging river ghats across the city and its surrounding areas since morning to offer homage to their departed ancestors on the occasion. The state administration has deployed River Traffic Police personnel and Disaster Management Group officials in large numbers along the ghats for security reasons. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A British court has blocked a suit against on allegations that it had collected personal data on some 4 million users Britain's High Court was ruling Monday on whether a mass legal action could proceed against the internet giant for allegedly collecting sensitive information from some 4.4 million users. The legal challenge claimed had bypassed settings on the iPhones between August 2011 and February 2012 to scoop up data for advertisers. The suit by campaign group You Owe Us hoped to win 1 billion pounds (USD 1.3 billion) in compensation. A lawyer for the campaign group told Judge Mark Warby that the activity was exposed by a PhD researcher in 2012 and Google has already paid millions to settle claims in the United States. Ukraine on Monday began a series of large-scale air force exercises with the United States and other NATO countries, the defence ministry said. The "Clear Sky 2018" war games, which will run until October 19, are being held in western Ukraine. Some 700 troops are taking part, half of them from NATO member countries including the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania. US aircraft including F-15C Eagle fighter planes and C-130J Super Hercules military transport planes and drones will train with about 30 Ukrainian aircraft, the ministry said. Polish and Romanian aircraft will fly in to work with their Ukrainian counterparts in what will be "the first time" they work together "in the air to protect the airspace," Ukraine air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said. The aim is "to enhance regional capabilities to secure air sovereignty and promote peace and security through cooperation," a US Air Force statement said. In recent years, concerns have risen about Russia's intentions in Ukraine, particularly after Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Kiev and the West have accused Russia of backing rebels in Ukraine's war-torn east and sending troops across the border, claims Moscow has repeatedly denied. The conflict has already killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former VHP leader Pravin Togadia on Monday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of "waging a war" against Lord Ram. Lashing out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state for detaining Mahant Paramhans Das, who was on hunger strike demanding a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Togadia asked if it was a "sin" to ask for a temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram. "The Uttar Pradesh government has waged a war against Ram... Is it a sin to peacefully demand a temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi? Togadia who reached Ayodhya on Monday said. The (UP) government has done a barbaric act (by detaining Das)... It is behaving like Mughal emperor Babar," he added. The firebrand leader has threatened to lead a march from Lucknow to Ayodhya from October 21 if the Centre failed to bring an ordinance to build a grand temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. The 61-year-old, who had floated a new outfit-- Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) after leaving VHP, also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. "We have started mobilising Hindu masses against the Ram-virodhi sarkars (anti-Ram governments) of Modi and Yogi. BJP will get a lesson in coming elections as the Hindus will show black flags to BJP leaders in all five poll bound states, said Togadia. "The BJP government of UP is treating Ram bhakts like criminals. While arresting Mahant Paramhans Das, the police and magistrates abused him along with other sadhus (seers) and assaulted them with batons," Togadia alleged. "They forcefully locked the sadhus in a room and dragged away Mahant Param Das like a criminal," he said. Togadia warned the Adityanath regime to keep in mind that Hindus had voted for the BJP as the party had promised to built a Ram temple in Ayodhya. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi government's public works department has directed officials concerned to upload details of government houses on its website, an official has said. The move came after the department found out that a number of government houses were not being allotted due to non-availability of centralised data in the city. The decision was taken at a recently held meeting chaired by the engineer-in-chief. "Directions were issued to all officials concerned to upload details of government houses on the PWD's website. Officials have been asked that regular and effective updation is required," the official said. The PWD constructs government flats and maintain them in the national capital. It also has the responsibility of allocating houses to entitled officials and officers of the Delhi government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States should "demand answers" from Saudi Arabia about the disappearance and alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post said late Sunday -- and punish the kingdom if cooperation is lacking. Khashoggi, a contributor to the Post who has been critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, vanished after an appointment with Saudi officials on Tuesday at the consulate in Istanbul. A Turkish government source has said that police believe the journalist was murdered -- a claim denied by Riyadh. "The United States must now make a concerted effort to determine all the facts about Mr Khashoggi's disappearance," the Post said in an editorial, imploring Washington to "demand answers, loud and clear." Noting that President Donald Trump has treated Prince Mohammed as a "favored ally," the newspaper said the kingdom now should reciprocate with information about Khashoggi's whereabouts. "If the crown prince does not respond with full cooperation, Congress must, as a first step, suspend all military cooperation with the kingdom," the Post said. The newspaper called on Turkey to reveal any evidence that it has about Khashoggi's alleged murder, and to "spare no avenue to investigate." It also said that Riyadh should explain the presence of about 15 Saudi nationals, some of them officials, who travelled to Istanbul and were at the consulate at the same time as Khashoggi. "We are hoping against hope that Mr Khashoggi is unharmed and will soon return to his writing desk," the Post said. "If the reports of his murder prove true, grief must be accompanied by accountability for those who carried out the murder and those who ordered it." Khashoggi, 59, is a former government advisor who has criticised some of Prince Mohammed's policies and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. He has lived in the United States since last year to avoid possible arrest, and has written a series of columns for the Post on Saudi affairs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A union of Usha Martin has raised concerns about irregular payment of salaries and sought government's intervention for sale of the company's wire rope manufacturing facility in Jharkhand to Tata Steel. Hind Mazdoor Sabha affliate Engineering Labour Union of Usha Martin Ltd has written a letter to Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das over the issue, weeks after Tata Steel announced the acquisition of the steel business of Usha Martin Ltd (UML) for Rs 4,300-4,700 crore. "We the workers of Usha Martin Ltd, Tatisilwai, Ranchi (Jharkhand) want to draw your attention towards the exploitation meted out to the workers of the company by the management of the company...From the past two to three years the company is not paying the salaries to its workers on time," the letter noted. The union has also urged the government that company should be acquired by the Tata Steel so that the future of the employees is secure. Usha Martin Ranchi facility is spread across an area of more than 100 acres, and employs more than 1,700 people. The wire ropes produced in this plant are used in oil & offshore, mining, crane, elevator, aerial ropeway, and bridges, as per the company website. Tata Steel, in September, said it has executed definitive agreements for acquisition of the steel business of UML through a slump sale on a going concern basis. The deal is expected to be completed in 6-9 months, it had added. Usha Martin is amongst the largest wire rope manufacturers in the world and a leading speciality steel producer in India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka BJP president B S Yeddyurappa on Monday rubbished reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the state, terming it "far from the truth". He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates for the November 3 Assembly and parliamentary by-polls in the state will be finalised at the party's core committee meeting on Wednesday. "All this is far from the truth, unnecessarily such news is being spread. There is no substance in it," the former chief minister told reporters in response to a question about Modi contesting from Karnataka. There were reports in certain sections of the local media that with an aim to increase BJP's influence in the South, Modi was likely to contest from one of the southern states, most probably from Karnataka along with Varanasi, the seat that he currently represents. BJP is presently not in power in any of the south Indian states. Karnataka is the only state where the party has considerable presence and has had its government in the past. Yeddyurappa, who has been meeting several party leaders regarding finalising candidates for the Lok Sabha and assembly by-election, ssaid it would be finalised by Wednesday. "Day after tomorrow (Wednesday) evening, we have called a core committee meeting where we will finalise our candidates for the three Lok Sabha constituencies and two Vidhan Sabha constituencies and send it to our national president for approval," he said. Discussions have taken place about candidates for almost all constituencies that would go for the by-polls, the BJP leader said, adding, "We will hold further discussions today and tomorrow before finalising the names". The Election Commission on Saturday had announced the bye-elections in three Lok Sabha constituencies (Shivamogga, Ballari and Mandya) and two assembly constituencies (Ramanagara and Jamkhandi). The elections will be held on November 3 and counting of votes will take place on November 6. The by-elections had been necessitated after BJPs B S Yeddyurappa (Shivamogga) and B Sriramalu (Ballari), and C S Puttaraju of JD(S) (Mandya) resigned as MPs on their election to the assembly in May last. Bypolls to Jamkhandi assembly seat was necessitated following the death of Congress MLA Siddu Nyamagouda, while Ramanagara fell vacant as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy gave up the seat and retained Channapatna, the other segment won by him in the assembly elections. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Monday he had called up his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani over the reported attacks on north Indians in the western state and was assured that the government there would ensure the safety of all. The Gujarat chief minister told me over the phone there was no incident in the past three days and that he had appealed to people against paying heed to any rumour, Adityanath said here. "Gujarat is a peace loving state and a model of development. Those who do not have any issue (to criticise the state government) spread such rumours. Those who do not want development spread rumours," Adityanath said. Some north Indians living in Gujarat had called me and I told them also, not to pay heed to the rumours, and on keeping the local administration and government in confidence, Adityanath said. He asked everyone to cooperate with the state government while hailing the steps taken by the Gujarat chief minister for maintaining peace and normalcy, an official spokesman said. Non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were reportedly targeted in several parts of the state following the arrest of a Bihar native for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district last week. The attacks took place after hate messages against non-Gujaratis, particularly those from Bihar and UP, were circulated on the social media, according to officials. On September 28, a 14-month-old girl was allegedly raped in a village near Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district, around 100 km from Ahmedabad. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also said Monday that he spoke to Rupani and expressed concern over the attacks on non-Gujaratis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar Monday said the youth would vote the BJP back to power in Rajasthan. Youth play an important role for political parties and they will vote the saffron party to power in the state, said Javadekar, who is BJP's Rajasthan poll in-charge during a meeting of BJP's Yuva Morcha here. Rajasthan BJP president Madan Lal Saini said the Yuva Morcha had played a significant role in major movements and forming of governments. Youths have the capability to work day and night and they will contribute in BJP forming the government in the state, he said. Stating that the Congress does not have strong leadership, BJP general secretary (organisation) Chandrashekhar said the BJP has provided "good" leadership in the state and the centre which will help the party to come to power once again in Rajasthan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Company insider Guillaume Faury was set to be named as Airbus's next chief executive on Monday, giving him a mandate to fill key posts and address industrial problems at the dominant jets division, people familiar with the matter said. The 50-year-old Frenchman will replace German-born Tom Enders who is due to retire in April 2019, with an announcement from the Airbus board expected later on Monday, they said. The timing of the formal handover was not immediately clear. Airbus declined to comment. The European aerospace firm's board met on Monday to discuss the ... By Tim HepherPARIS (Reuters) - Planemaking boss Guillaume Faury was named as the next chief executive of Airbus on Monday, ending months of uncertainty over the leadership of Europe's largest aerospace group and underlining the dominance of its commercial jet arm.The 50-year-old Frenchman will replace German-born Tom Enders when he retires at the next shareholder meeting in April 2019, the Franco-German-Spanish company said in a statement.Chairman Denis Ranque, a Frenchman, will step down when his own term expires in 2020, it added.The announcement came after the board brought forward ... By Krishna V Kurup and Sankalp PhartiyalBENGALURU/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Amazon's Indian business has denied accusations that it favours select merchants and brands, responding to a complaint lodged by an Indian lobby group.The All India Online Vendors Association (AIOVA) on Friday filed a petition with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) alleging that the online retailer favours merchants that it partly owns, such as Cloudtail and Appario.The company said on Monday that all sellers on its platform are treated equally."Amazon has an equal relationship with all the sellers on our ... BERLIN (Reuters) - German industrial output unexpectedly dipped in August for the third consecutive month, data showed on Monday, and the Economy Ministry said production had suffered a weak summer overall.Data from the ministry showed industrial output fell by 0.3 percent, confounding a Reuters forecast for a rise of 0.4 percent. The fall came after a downwardly revised drop of 1.3 percent in July and was driven by a drop in construction activity.The ministry said one reason for the weaker data was slower production in the auto sector related to difficulties adjusting to a new pollution ... By Nidhi VermaNEW DELHI (Reuters) - India hopes to secure a waiver from U.S. sanctions on Iran before they take effect on Nov. 4, as it had significantly cut Iranian oil imports before the deadline, officials said on Monday. The United States is imposing new sanctions on Iran's oil industry after Washington withdrew from a nuclear deal between Tehran and other global powers.Washington said on Friday it was considering waivers for nations that were reducing imports of Iranian oil. The announcement, the first indication Washington was considering such waivers, followed a Reuters report that ... By Henning GloysteinSINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude oil prices fell more than 1 percent on Monday after Washington said it may grant waivers to sanctions against Iran's oil exports next month, and as Saudi Arabia was said to be replacing any potential shortfall from Iran.International benchmark Brent crude oil futures were at $83.26 per barrel at 0352 GMT, down 90 cents, or 1.1 percent, from their last close.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 54 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $73.80 a barrel.U.S. sanctions will target Iran's crude oil exports from Nov. 4, and Washington ... By Rajendra JadhavMUMBAI (Reuters) - India's cotton production in 2018/19 is likely to fall 4.7 percent from the previous season to 34.8 million bales, as scant rainfall and an attack of pink bollworms are expected to squeeze crop yields, the head of a leading trade body told Reuters.The drop in output could limit exports from the world's biggest producer of the fibre amid rising demand from top consumer China and in turn support global prices, which are hovering near their lowest level in more than nine months hit last week."In Gujarat, we are expecting a big drop in production due to dry ... By Michelle MartinBERLIN (Reuters) - German industrial output dipped unexpectedly in August for the third time in as many months, data showed on Monday, suggesting Europe's largest economy lost steam in the third quarter.Data from the Economy Ministry showed industrial output fell 0.3 percent in August, confounding a Reuters forecast for a rise of 0.4 percent. It followed a fall of 1.3 percent in July, itself a downward revision of an earlier, stronger number.Jennifer McKeown, economist at Capital Economics, said the weak reading, combined with a recent downturn in retail sales, indicated the ... Hours after Indian TV channels flashed that the country was deporting seven Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, Sahidullah said he received a call from his nephew: "Uncle, please get us out of here. They will send us back too." Sahidullah, a Rohingya living in the far north of India after fleeing what he called persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2010, said his relative, Sadiur Rahman, 40, was lodged in one of several detention centres for illegal immigrants in the distant northeastern state of Assam. Rahman, he said, had been incarcerated with his brother and eight ... The central government has deactivated around 18 lakh director activation numbers (DINs) after the 20-day extended deadline on KYC (Know Your Customer) finally ended on October 5. These accounts, however, can be reactivated after paying a fine of Rs 5,000. The current measure will force the erring companies to take compliance seriously or it could affect their functioning. The step has been taken to curb black money and shell companies. Those barred for failing to comply with the KYC norms will not be able to sign any compliance document on behalf of their company until they furnish these KYC details. The remaining 14 lakh directors have fulfilled the KYC forms, reported Business Standard, adding that only 3 lakh directors completed their KYC verification during the extended deadline. Providing leeway to the directors who failed to comply with the requirement, the government has allowed directors to submit requisite KYC details by paying a reduced fee of Rs 500 till October 5. A DIN is a unique number that is allotted to those who are directors on the boards of the registered companies. Last year, the government had barred over 3 lakh directors from holding directorship over their failure to furnish KYC details. In June, the government asked company directors, including those who were disqualified too, and designated partners in LLPs (limited liability partnerships) to submit their KYC details by furnishing the DIR-3 KYC e-form. The last date for complying with the new norms by way of submitting form 'DIR-3 KYC' without fee ended on September 15. But only around 12.16 lakh directors completed the KYC process till the last date, following which the government deactivated around as many as 21 lakh DINs but later extended the deadline. The ministry had received several complaints regarding glitches in government portal - MCA21 -- for KYC compliance, following which the 20-day extension was provided. While filling in details in the DIR-3 KYC e-form, directors need to mandatorily enter the unique personal mobile number and personal e-mail ID. The directors of Indian origin are asked to furnish their PAN, Aadhaar, permanent residential address, and their passports. The step has been taken to curb the creation of shell companies and dummy directors. The KYC details will also stop people from fleeing the country in case of any wrongdoing. Homegrown ride-hailing giant Ola wants to foray into as many as 50 global cities by 2019, with prime focus on high-end European and Gulf markets. The company's global expansion started with Australia earlier this year, which followed its entry in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The next destination of the SoftBank-backed company is the Netherlands. Its capital, Amsterdam, is a central location for catering to the markets in Central, Northern and Eastern Europe and even North Africa. To meet its expansion targets, the company is seeking more investment, Business Standard reported. Right now, Ola's major shareholders include SoftBank Group (26.1 per cent), Tiger Global (15.94 per cent), Tencent (10.39 per cent), Matrix Partners (8.57 per cent), and DST Global (6.72 per cent). Ola's biggest competitor, Uber, has also been using Amsterdam as its prime location for operations across the European Union. Though these countries have an efficient transportation system, the cab services at competitive fairs could give Ola a major boost in its foreign expansion. Both Ola and Uber are backed by SoftBank. Apart from Uber, Ola will compete with Taxify, which is headquartered in the Northern European country Estonia. Taxify is Europe's leading ride-sharing platform and has transport operations across 25 countries. Ola is also vying for space in Dubai's high-end market and South America, the newspaper reported, adding that plans for Dubai operations are at a much more advanced stage. Its competitor Uber is already building its presence across the Gulf country, where it is planning to buy its Dubai-based rival Careem Networks FZ. Though Ola has a strong presence across India -- with users across over 110 cities of India and 10 lakh driver-partners -- it is Uber that rules most of 600 plus cities across the world. Though SoftBank wants Ola to merge with Uber, Ola is hunting for a bigger investor who could buyout SoftBank's 26 per cent share in the company. According to its announcement, Ola is aiming to expand across the United Kingdom by the end of 2018. Ola's approach in the UK is slightly different. It will not only offer passengers the option to book private hire vehicles (PHVs) but also black cabs. They are also planning to add other modes of transport on the same platform in the future. The company has already obtained a licence in South Wales and Manchester. Edited by Manoj Sharma Housing finance company Aavas Financiers listed at a discount of 7.67% on the BSE today. The stock made its debut at 758 level and fell to intra day low of 710 on BSE. At 10:35 am, the stock was trading 11.66% lower to 724.50 compared to the issue price of 821 level. Compared to the opening price, the stock was down 4.49% or 34 points. The market capitalisation of the housing finance firm rose to Rs 5,655.01 crore. The firm raised Rs 1,734 crore through the initial public offering (IPO) route. The IPO, which was open from September 25-27, was subscribed 97 per cent at a price band of Rs 818 to Rs 821 per share. The IPO involved fresh issue of up to Rs 400 crore and an offer for sale of up to 1,62,49,359 equity shares, including anchor portion of 63,36,439 equity shares. ICICI Securities, Citigroup Global Markets India, Edelweiss Financial Services, Spark Capital Advisors (India) and HDFC Bank were the merchant bankers to the issue. Jaipur-based Aavas Financiers offers housing loans to customers from low and middle-income segments in semi-urban and rural areas. The IPO period saw opening of bids amid concerns over the liquidity of other housing finance firms which led to weak market sentiment. Jaipur-based Aavas which is backed by homegrown private equity firm Kedaara Capital and Swiss investment company Partners Group filed its IPO draft prospectus in June. The IPO involved sale of fresh shares worth Rs 400 crore and a sale of 16.24 million shares by the private equity firms as well as members of Aavas' management. Kedaara and Partners Group sold 15.21 million shares in the IPO, or one-fourth of their stake in the company. Ten days after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the data of 50 million users had been exposed following a massive security breach, it is yet to disclose the full impact on Indian users. Last week, the IT Ministry had to ask to the Silicon Valley firm for an update on country-specific impact. On the other hand, in adherence to the stricter privacy laws in the West, Facebook had reportedly reached out to regulators in the US and Europe immediately to report the hack. Citing experts, The Economic Times reported that although the domestic IT Act requires intermediaries such as Facebook to report any cyber-attack, these provisions are not being implemented. Moreover, a data protection law in the country would have deterred companies from delaying the information to the government in this manner. "Any breach that impacts Indian users have to be reported immediately to the regulator, in this case CERT. The existing IT Act has those provisions," Pavan Duggal, cyber law expert, who worked on India's cyber law, told the daily. He added that while the right to privacy has been mandated by the Supreme Court, it is applied only for state actors and not private entities such as Facebook. "A privacy law would make it all encompassing bringing all private companies that has any connection with an Indian user," said Duggal. Facebook has an India entity and is governed by local laws of the country. According to the Irish Data Protection Commission, less than 10% of the 50 million users in the region have been impacted in the breach. But given that India is Facebook's biggest user market with 270 million users - around 13% more than the next biggest market, the US - the impact could be wider at home. According to the daily, Facebook has not disclosed how many Indian users have been impacted in the breach as it is still investigating the matter. "We are still working through the details of impacted users in India and will release more information once we have concluded our investigations," a Facebook spokesperson told PTI last week. "We are in touch with Government of India, to share preliminary information about the security issue we announced on September 28. We have taken immediate action and informed all our users, advertisers and secured their accounts." It logged out the 50 million affected users and an additional 40 million after the revelations. In a conference call with reporters late last month, Zuckerberg had disclosed that the company's engineering team discovered the security breach on September 25. "The attackers exploited a vulnerability in the code of the 'View As' feature, which is a privacy feature that lets people see what their Facebook profile would look like to another person," he explained, adding that the hackers had tried to access profile information fields like name, gender and hometown, but "we do not yet know if any private information was accessed that way". Earlier in the year, too, Facebook had courted controversy when data mining firm Cambridge Analytica was accused of illegally harvesting personal data of 87 million global users of the platform to influence polls in several countries. The company had drawn flak from policymakers across the world for this. The Indian government had shot off two notices to Facebook over the incident and in response to the first one, Facebook had admitted that nearly 5.62 lakh people had been "potentially affected" by the breach. With PTI inputs There's just two days to go before the biggest festive showdown of the year between Flipkart and Amazon kicks off. The latter will launch its five-day Great India Festival on October 10, the same day that Walmart-backed Flipkart kicks-off its four-day Big Billion Days event. The flagship events, in fact the entire festive season, not only promise exciting offers for shoppers, but have also given a huge boost to job creation. According to Mint, in the last few months, Flipkart and Amazon have collectively hired about 80,000 people, including temporary workers, to handle the massive spike in orders during the sale season. The number of new jobs runs into a few lakhs if indirect jobs are also taken into account. For instance, the Bengaluru-based homegrown etailer has hired 30,000 people to bolster its supply chain and logistics unit in the last few months. Most of the new hires are delivery boys and those managing deliveries in warehouses and hubs. Moreover, Flipkart estimates that its seller partners have added over 5 lakh indirect jobs in packaging and warehouse management. Incidentally, the company also partners these sellers for providing the right training to the hired talent. According to the company, the "hiring and upskilling of the newly recruited staff - all of whom undergo training in supply chain processes for their respective function - is in line with the government's National Skill Development Mission", and will provide a "major boost" to local employment and the economy. The training prepares new employees to work in tech-driven supply chains, food-tech and other allied industries. Flipkart has also bolstered its infrastructure network by adding a total of 16 flex fulfilment centres and 15 mother hubs to its supply chain network. "Along with ensuring that our customers have a seamless shopping experience, we want the economy to benefit from the increased activity. By generating employment and enabling our sellers to scale their businesses during this time, we're playing an important role in driving the industry and subsequently the economy," Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy told the daily. Not to be outdone, Amazon India has reportedly hired around 50,000 temporary workers to pick, pack, ship and deliver orders in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Pune. A number of these seasonal recruits are working in its call centres across 16 cities. Amazon India Vice-President (India customer fulfilment) Akhil Saxena told the daily that the company had more than doubled the number of seasonal associates in its fulfilment network and customer service sites compared to the previous festive season. The ramped up recruitment drive is a part of the company's ongoing infrastructure and delivery network augmentation exercise. Amazon boasts more than 50 fulfilment centres across 13 states and close to 150 delivery stations across the country. Significantly, the company has not only recently launched its Hindi version, but is also offering call centre support in several regional languages such as Tamil, Kannada and Telugu. "Over 1 lakh people are working in the e-commerce sector on the payroll, and during the festive season, the requirement just doubles to 2 lakh. Also, ecommerce companies see at least 5X [five-fold] growth during the festival season beginning October and it goes on till the middle of January," Lohit Bhatia, CEO, IKYA Human Capital Solutions, A Quess company, told Deccan Herald. About 20 million people are expected to shop on various e-commerce platforms during the festive sale next month, translating into sales of around $3 billion for players like Amazon and Flipkart, according to a report by research firm RedSeer. After spending Friday with the officials from the revenue department, at state's capital Chandigarh, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has called them to the national capital Delhi to help him seek solutions. During the weekend, these officials were asked to do a comparative study of the fuel prices and the impact on the revenues of the state, before the chief minister can take the final call. He also received a presentation from the state's finance minister, Manpreet Badal on the impact. Apart from meeting these officials, Singh is expected to meet senior leadership of his political party Indian National Congress to seek the political solution as well. He foresees a major crisis of diversion of revenues, if state persists with the price difference. Similarly, Delhi's CM Arvind Kejriwal, too, is worried about the diversion of revenues. Both these states, along with the non-NDA states in South, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and in east Odisha and West Bengal, dissented the call from the union finance minister Arun Jaitley to forgo Rs 2.5 a litre from state government's VAT collection on the sale of petrol and diesel. Following the cues, the NDA ruled states followed suit. On Thursday, union Finance Minister announced the decision to cut excise duty on both petrol and diesel by Rs 1.5 a litre and further asked oil marketing companies to reduce the price by Rs 1. These two states are surrounded by BJP governed states, where the fuel rates are now lower and steep differences in taxes could lead to higher diversion of revenues to these states. The southern and eastern states governed by the opposition still can afford the dissent. On Saturday, five states - Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telengana, Mizoram - went for polls for their respective state assemblies. At present, Punjab and Puducherry are the only Congress ruled states (Mizoram went for polls and Karnataka party is junior partner to JDS), and will require dissenting Punjab to develop political discourse. The opposition's governments are blaming the centre for playing 'smart', by cutting excise duty and not additional excise and special excise, where states don't have the share under devolution of funds. This means, with Rs 1.5 a litre cut the states will not get their Rs 0.67 a litre from centre under the 42 per cent formula accepted for devolution offunds. Plus Rs 1 cut by OMCs means further reduction in the VAT collection. But FM Jaitley doesn't buy this argument. He said that the states charge VAT ad valorem and their collection increase with hike in the prices; unlike the centre's share where the excise is fixed. In this poll season the debate will go on, but economically the dissent is costly for both Punjab as well as Delhi, where the diversion of revenues because of price difference is a bigger risk. For instance: the prices of petrol and diesel are Rs 89.70 and Rs 75.46, respectively in Punjab and in neighbouring Haryana it is roughly priced at Rs 79 and Rs 71 and in Himachal these products are priced at 79.5 and Rs 70, respectively. Punjab is relatively small state, and the centres of major economic activities; Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Pathankot, Patiala, Bathinda and Mohali are very much nearer to state borders. Along with this, the fear of strengthening of the 'oil mafia' also looms large. Captain Singh is worried, though the Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal and his finance minister Manish Sisodia haven't shown any urgency. The bureaucrats in Delhi say, both these leaders believe that the relief is temporary and the prices of petrol and diesel will increase in days to come. But the petrol and diesel dealers in the state believe a large diversion of revenues and loss of business. Separately, they were lobbying with the Delhi government to cut the VAT by 5 per cent to increase the revenues from neighbouring states, but now the situation for them has become worrisome. Both Kejriwal and Sisodia have asked the centre to take a larger cut. Singh in Punjab still has to work out the loan wavier of the farmers, as committed in his election manifesto. Plus he may have to spend more to motivate the farmers not to burn the paddy straw after the rabi harvest. For last one decade, since the taxes collection exports fizzled out of the state's kitty, the VAT collection on fuel remained a money spinner and has highest slab for VAT in the northern region at 34.86 per cent and 16.62 per cent ondiesel. It grew from Rs 4,179 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 5,658 crore in 2017-18. Finally, India decided to go against US sanctions on Iran instead of bringing the crude oil imports from the country to zero by November 4. This date is a deadline set by the US establishment led by President Donald Trump to set in the sanctions on Iran. Following this, Washington ratcheted up the pressure on Delhi along with other consumers of Iranian crude to slash their oil imports to zero. In first week of October, two Indian companies placed orders for crude oil delivery next month. India was negotiating window out of these sanctions, similar to waivers under the Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act, or CATSA on Russia to buy S-400 missile systems. Indian diplomats say the US is yet not clear about waivers on Iran. These diplomats told Business Today that India must not wait endlessly since these sanctions are neither backed by the United Nation nor by any other community. From 2012 to 2015, US along with EU and United Nations pushed sanctions on Iran, forcing India to reduce the imports as well. Bringing the imports to naught neither suits Indian economically nor geo-politically. The indications from Tehran suggest that the diplomats may link the Chahbahar port with the oil exports to India. Iran hasn't withdrawn a single penny out of the line of credit worth $500 million extended by India a year back, via EXIM bank. All this India can ill-afford. Meanwhile, the state-backed refiners -- IOCL and MRPL -- placed orders of 6 million barrels and 3 million barrels, respectively from the Iranian exporters. On October 8, Indian petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan came on record to say that India will continue with its purchases. He also confirmed that country is evolving a different payment system to transact in rupees. India expects that this will help in circumventing the US sanctions on transactions in US dollars. Many of the Indian oil companies, like IOCL make most of their payments in euros. In May this year, the Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj sat with her Iranian counterpart Javed Zarif to exchange notes on rupee-riyal trade. India along with other regional guzzlers of imported crude oil like Japan and South Korea are reducing their dependence on Iran, but the Chinese plans are still not clear. On the trade front, China is already fighting a battle with the US establishment. Along with this, China is trade positive with Iran, and is comfortable in convincing the Iranians to execute deals in yuan. This may force India to concede their space to their bete noire in case of bringing the crude oil to naught. There are challenges for India, especially to arrange the insurances for the vessels and product; where the US-based companies are dominant. Apart from this, India was unable to replace the crude despite the Washington's assurance of additional supplies from Saudi Arabia and from their own coasts. There is economics as well; Saudi Arabia charges premium on cargoes heading towards east, whereas Iran offer deeper discounts. Although the diplomats in Washington are continuously telling their counterparts that they are pushing the OPEC members to increase their output to mellow down the crude oil prices, yet on ground situation hasn't improved. In September first week, at first 2+2 dialogue -attended by external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman and US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo and secretary of defence Jim Mattis-India pushed the case of Indian interests in Iran in ensuring the regional balance of powers. The crucial Chahbahar port in Iranian province Sistan-Baluchistan is nearing completion and India doesn't want the sanctions to have any impact on the same. To make the intentions clear, India also hosted Iran's Roads & Urban Development Minister Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi in Delhi, during the same time when the US lawmakers were doing the dialogue. He made it clear that Iranian establishment is ready to honour the commitment of handing over the the Shahid Beheshti port or phase 1 of Chabahar in few weeks to India Ports Global Ltd, or IPGL-an Indian company. IPGL will take over the operations of the port. New Delhi looks at the port as a gateway to the International North-South Transport Corridor that will link India to the landlocked Central Asia and Russia as well. At present, India's trade with these countries, especially to CIS countries and Afghanistan is dependent on a pass through from Pakistan, and the hostile relations between New Delhi and Islamabad affect the trade and make it uncompetitive with their Chinese counterparts. The Chabahar port has the potential to become a regional transit hub for Afghanistan and Central Asian countries as well. After domestic payments companies like Paytm and PhonPe, law enforcement agencies have also come out in support of the Reserve Bank of India's data localisation norms. The RBI has set October 15 as the deadline for following the data localisation rule, which makes it mandatory for all payments firms to store and process payment details of Indian users 'only' in India. Global payments companies like Google, Amazon, Visa, MasterCard, have raised objections on some of the clauses of the rule but domestic e-payments companies have openly backed it, slamming foreign companies for trying to find ways to avoid taxes and scrutiny. Now the enforcement agencies have said if data would be processed in the country, it would help them track transactions and social media details during inquiries. The development is significant as it will not only put more pressure on foreign companies to comply with the norms at the earliest but also make the RBI case much stronger. The data processing in India will allow security agencies to speed-up the inquiry process in cross-border investigations. The security agencies believe that during their recent probe in the fraud case against diamond merchants Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, who allegedly perpetrated one of the biggest banking scams in India, they could have dug deeper if their financial details were available in India. This data processing in India will also help the agencies in keeping a track on terror funding into the country. Security experts also agree that storing data in India will provide the agencies with an edge on "national security concerns" as the country moves forward with its Digital India initiative. Some of the biggest tech companies, Apple, Microsoft, Google, PayPal, MasterCard, American Expres, Uber and Nokia had expressed concerns over some of the provisions like "forced localisation requirements" in the draft bill that they claim would neither benefit their business nor assure guarantee of user data. They claim once the Indian government will pass the controversial data security bill, it will automatically curb cross-border transfer of information. These companies have major investment interests in India and believe that there should be 'free flow of data' across the world. Meanwhile, top e-payments companies like Paytm and Flipkart-backed PhonePe have repeatedly said the data localisation will benefit the country in terms of national security and better tax compliance. Paytm has time and again picked up fights with global tech giants like Facebook and Google for cashing in on the relaxed data norms in India. Recently, it accused Google Pay of 'sharing' consumer data with the affiliate companies and third-party users of the tech conglomerate for monetary gains through advertisements. Paytm even approached the National Payments Corporation of India to probe the matter. PhonePe also slammed the foreign payments firms for making a hue and cry over the RBI's April 6 circular, saying they have been avoiding processing data in India as they don't want to pay taxes. Edited by Manoj Sharma As winter approaches and Delhi braces for the debilitating pollution that comes along with it, the transport department has started its bid to curb vehicular emissions. The Delhi transport department started a drive on Monday to confiscate, deregister and scrap diesel vehicles that are more than 15 years old. As per the new Delhi Scrapping of Vehicles Rules, 2018, the seized vehicles will not be returned to the owners. According to a report in Hindustan Times, a transport official said that the vehicles will be handed over to state-run MSTC Limited for scrapping. Delhi Police has also been asked to impound such vehicles if found plying on roads. Additionally, municipal corporations and transport department enforcement teams will also impose fines and impound such vehicles. "Stubble burning in neighbouring states has begun and, as winters set in, pollution levels will worsen. Hence, we are starting a fresh drive of seizing diesel vehicles that are over 15 years and are parked in public spaces. For other vehicles, our enforcement teams have been directed to intensify checking pollution under control (PUC) certificates and impound visibly polluting vehicles until Diwali," said Kailash Gahlot, transport minister. According to government data, Delhi has over 10 million registered vehicles, out of which 3,70,000 are older than 15 years. The data also shows that 2,23,000 diesel vehicles have been deregistered since January 2016 in compliance with the National Green Tribunal order that disallows diesel vehicle older than 15 years to run. According to the NGT order such vehicles cannot even be parked in public spaces. It must be mentioned that most houses in Delhi do not have their own parking and hence resort to parking in public spaces. Owners can, however, give away old cars and two-wheelers to empanelled dealers against an assured amount, the city's scrapping policy dictates. The policy also states that scrap dealers with scrapyards of at least 1,000 square yards in non-residential areas in Delhi-NCR certified by the Delhi Pollution Committee must be issued licences. Owners can also sell these vehicles outside Delhi where the policy is not implemented. In a study in 2016, IIT Kanpur said that vehicles contribute 20% of PM2.5, the ultra-fine pollutant in Delhi's air. It also adds up to 11% of PM10 levels in Delhi. Diesel vehicles are far more polluting in terms of gaseous emissions like nitrogen oxide, a Class-1 carcinogen. The transport department has already issued 311 challans - 153 for PUC vehicles and 158 for 'visibly polluting' vehicles. Gahlot urged citizens to get their PUC certificate and fitness certificate renewed on time. (Edited by Anwesha Madhukalya) Indian street food experience could soon undergo a massive change if Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI) plans follows to fruition. FSSAI is implementing a "clean street food hub programme" so that you can enjoy your chaats and gol guppas without bothering about hygiene. The autonomous body has identified 144 clusters across the country that would be audited by FSSAI along with state authorities for cleanliness and hygiene. Such clusters would be encouraged to keep up with certain practices and standards and the ones that meet the criteria will be given a clean street food hub certificate. Ahmedabad's Kankaria Lake area is one such example. In July, the area that has 66 vendors became India's first Clean Street Food Hub, as mentioned in a report in The Economic Times. There is a FSSAI certification on display in the area that is visited by 1.2 crore people every year. Arbind Singh, national coordinator of National Association of Street Vendors of India said that such certified street vending zones provide safe, tasty and affordable eating options for citizens and tourists, along with the local ambience and flavour, as mentioned in the daily. Not only hygienic environs, this will also provide better employment opportunities. This initiative will improve the prospects of around 20 lakh street food vendors in India as well as give tourism a boost. But all in all, this is only part of FSSAI's larger game plan that seeks to ensure that all food business operators adhere to certain standards and hygiene. FSSAI also wants food served in schools, offices and hospitals to come under its initiatives. FSSAI will, however, have to make sure that vendors have access to clean water and garbage disposal system. They have also started a massive training programme in Delhi across 40 locations, covering 23,000 vendors. The organisation is also redefining its role as a mere licensing and testing body to an organisation that addresses the core issues of health and nutrition in the body, the daily mentioned. They also want FMCG and food companies to reformulate their products to address the issue of nutrition and health in the country. As part of this move, the organisation also ordered online delivery platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy to delist restaurants and food business operators that do not comply with its regulations. (Edited by Anwesha Madhukalya) A 'pakoda' seller in Punjab's Ludhiana seems to be making a killing if the amount he has paid as income tax is any indication. Though there's no clear idea how much he's earning per day, the Panna Singh 'pakorewala' shop owner, Dev Raj, certainly can give most white collar top executives a run for their money. Reports suggest Dev Raj, the owner of two 'pakoda' outlets in Ludhiana, submitted Rs 60 lakh as the annual tax liability after the I-T department sleuths conducted surveys at his shops located at Gill Road and Model Town and took notes of his earnings. The I-T Department took action after receiving a tip-off that he might be hiding his actual income. The search was conducted under Principal Commissioner DS Chaudhary. The officials scrutinised all his financial records as well as his daily sales. On verifying it with his annual tax returns, the department officials asked the shop owner to submit Rs 60 with the department as an undisclosed income. The famous shop was established in 1952 by late Panna Singh who soon turned it into a favourite destination for 'paneer Pakoda' and 'Dhahi Bhalla'. The shop also made him famous in others parts of Punjab as well. The TOI reported his admirers include politicians, bureaucrats, cops and renowned businessmen. 'Pakoda' had become the talk of the town a few months back when PM Narendra Modi suggested selling 'pakodas' should be counted as a employment. "If someone opens a 'pakoda' shop in front of your office, does that not count at employment? The person's daily earning of Rs 200 will never come into any books or accounts. The truth is massive people are being employed," he had said. Edited by Manoj Sharma Dehradun, Oct 7 (PTI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat Sunday urged business leaders to invest in the state, saying the government and investors will be partners in its development and prosperity."I assure you that ours will not be the usual government-investor relationship. We shall be partners in the development and prosperity of the state," Rawat said at the inaugural session of thetwo day investors summit here in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.This summit is being held to present Uttarakhand's view on issues like economic development, employment generation, balanced regional and inclusive growth, Rawat said.Highlighting the steps taken by the state government to promote investment, he said, ten new policies have been approved in just one month.These policies incorporate suggestions made by investors and business leaders during roadshows held in different metropolises in the run-up to the event.A sound law and order scenario, cheap availability of power, top position in ease of doing business rankings among the hill states, growing connectivity and proximity with Delhi, besides a single window clearance system, were flaunted as the main reasons why investors should select Uttarakhand as their destination.Investment proposals worth over Rs 70,000 crore have already arrived ahead of the summit. PTI ALM BAL India's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki's long time best-selling hatch back Swift has scored a poor two stars for adult and child occupant protection, in a latest crash test conducted by UK based independent organization Global NCAP. The new Swift that was launched at the Delhi Auto Expo in February earlier this year comes with some active safety features like dual airbags in the front as standard. The two star rating for the car is an improvement over a similar test that was conducted on the previous generation version of the car in 2014, which did not come with dual airbags. Even then, it is a step back for the Indian car maker as the new Swift is the worst performer among cars that have been tested by Global NCAP in India that come with at least 2 airbags. Other small cars like the Volkswagen Polo, Toyota Etios Liva or compact sedans like Tata Zest and Ford Aspire have scored four stars in their dual airbag variants. "The two star result for adult occupants is due to high compression to the driver chest, unstable structure and poor protection for the feet explained by pedal displacement on the driver side," Global NCAP said in a statement. "The Child Occupant Protection of only two stars is explained by the forward facing positioning of the 18 month old dummy in the test offering low protection and also the low protection offered to the chest of the 3 year old dummy." The poor results also seem to reiterate a perception that is gaining ground that Maruti Suzuki is compromising on safety at the altar of high fuel economy and low price. It has also been criticised for differential treatment to consumers from different markets and taking recuse under lax safety norms in India. "In comparison to its predecessor tested by Global NCAP in 2014, the new Swift offers two standard airbags and I-size approved anchorage points for CRS which demonstrated a two star performance in safety tests. However, comparing it to its twin model for the European market, the Indian version underperformed in the frontal crash test and is offering less safety features like side body and curtain airbags and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) that are standard for Europe, but in India are not even optional," Global NCAP said. Ironically only last month, Maruti's best selling compact SUV Vitara Brezza that is based on the same platform as the Swift and Dzire, scored four stars in the tests. "Maruti Suzuki proved with the Brezza that they can produce locally models with high safety performance," said Alejandro Furas, Global NCAP Technical Director. "They should do the same with the Swift and at least make it available in the model range added safety features available as standard in the European and Japanese version." The NGO that has been advocating doing away with zero star rated cars altogether, first grabbed headlines in India on the eve of the biennial Delhi motor show in January 2014, when it tested five Indian cars. All of them -- Tata Nano, Maruti Alto 800, Hyundai i10, Ford Figo and Volkswagen Polo, fared miserably and scored a zero. Since then it has given heart burn to Indian car companies on numerous occasions. Ten months later, Datsun Go and Maruti Swift could not muster pass marks. In 2016, the base variants of the Kwid, Hyundai Eon, Maruti Celerio, Eeco, Honda Mobilio, Tata Zest and Mahindra Scorpio, all scored zero stars as well. Last year, the Renault Duster and Chevrolet Enjoy also joined that list. "The latest version of the Swift sold in India has improved and it is good to see dual airbags as standard. This confirms the beneficial effect of the Indian Government's new crash test regulations," said David Ward, Global NCAP Secretary General. "But the performance of the Swift sold in Europe and Japan shows that a better safety performance is still possible so Global NCAP would like to see Maruti Suzuki aim higher." US-based aircraft-maker Boeing has named its India president Pratyush Kumar to lead the iconic F-15 fighter jet program in the United States and the world. Kumar, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, completed his BTech in mechanical engineering in 1989 and later went on to study Materials Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In a statement, Boeing said Pratyush Kumar has been selected to lead the F-15 program in the United States and he will focus on furthering the F-15 business in the US and the rest of the world. Boeing International President Marc Allen described Kumar as an exceptional leader who has demonstrated his ability to respond to global customers and to empower his team to collaborate and deliver results. The aviation major is expected to announce Kumar's successor in India. Kumar is also a vice president in Boeing International. Boeing said during his five-year tenure in India, Kumar advanced the company's business in commercial airplanes, defence, space, security, and global services. Under Kumar's tenure, Boeing launched a engineering and technology centre in Bengaluru to drive innovation and scale up its aerospace supply chain. It also established a joint venture in Hyderabad with Tata to manufacture fuselages for the Apache attack helicopter, established Boeing Defense India to serve customers locally, finalized the sale of both Apache and Chinook helicopters to the Indian military and converted options for the P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft to firm orders. Kumar said he was upbeat about his new US role to build business for the F-15 programme the world over. The company will, however, expand its local manufacturing, technology and innovations, products and people in the Indian sub-continent, he added. Born in a remote village in Bihar with no electricity or road connectivity, he was homeschooled by his grandfather. "At that time my ambitions were limited and all I wanted was to be able to go to a regular school. The first time I discovered a city and even a television set for that matter, was when I moved to Delhi at the age of 11," Kumar had told India Today in 2016. Kumar has worked at companies such as McKinsey & Company and General Electric in the US. Between 2001 and 2003 he co-founded two technology start-ups Coventor and Cytonome in Boston. The European Union and Britain will reach a deal on Brexit in November if they do not do so this month, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker told Austrian newspapers. Juncker, whose optimism was echoed on Saturday by European Council President Donald Tusk, said that the potential for a rapprochement had grown in recent days, confirming what diplomatic sources have told Reuters. EU Brexit negotiators believe a deal with Britain on leaving the bloc is "very close," the sources said, in a sign a compromise on a major sticking point - the future Irish border - might be in the making. "We are not there yet. But our will to reach an understanding with the British government is unbroken," Juncker was quoted as saying by Der Standard and Kurier and Der Falter. EU Brexit negotiators told ambassadors of the 27 states remaining in the bloc on Friday that there was no breakthrough on the Irish issue and much would depend on what the British bring to Brussels next week. Britain is due to leave the EU in March, but talks on managing the unprecedented split have been stalled over differences on how to avoid border checks between EU-member Ireland and Britain's province of Northern Ireland. "We have to get away from this no-deal scenario. It wouldnt be good for Britain or for the rest of the (European) Union," Juncker was quoted as saying. Britain's Brexit ministry said on Friday that the country's integrity would be preserved as part of any deal and that there would be no new regulatory barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK unless the province's executive agree. "We will continue to work at pace to conclude these negotiations in the autumn," a British government spokesperson said on Saturday. Britain and the EU are trying to push for the divorce deal, as well as an agreement on post-Brexit relations, in time for two leaders' summits scheduled for Oct. 17-18 and Nov. 17-18. "My assumption is that we will reach an accord which will achieve the conditions of the withdrawal treaty," Juncker said, adding that it was not possible to predict whether there will be a conclusion to the Brexit negotiations in October. "If not, then we will do it in November." Tusk also said it was possible to agree a deal with Britain on leaving the European Union by the end of 2018. "I have hope close to certainty that we will manage to reach an agreement both on exit and on best possible future relations ... I hope that it will be possible to avoid major losses on both sides," he said on the sidelines of a conference in Krakow, Poland. "We will try for it in October ... and I think there is a chance to have an accord by the end of the year," he added. Juncker told the Austrian papers that a political declaration on future relations between Britain and its former European partners was needed to accompany the Brexit deal. "You can't absolutely keep separate the withdrawal treaty and the declaration of the future relationship between the United Kingdom and Europe," he said. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie The European Union awaits new proposals from London this week on the biggest hurdle in Brexit talks - keeping the 500-kilometer border between the bloc's member Ireland and British province of Northern Ireland open after Brexit, due next March. The EU set out its negotiating position in a paper circulated on Friday among the 27 states that are remaining in the bloc. Following is a summary of the main points in that document, which was seen by Reuters. * "Brexit creates two distinct customs and regulatory spaces between the EU and the UK. The only land border between these two spaces is on the island of Ireland," the paper says. EU proposals for the so-called 'backstop' solution, which would take effect if no other agreement is made, are aimed at "keeping the land border invisible." * The EU must know that any goods entering its space comply with rules on health and security, as well as the bloc's international obligations, including at the WTO. The EU hence wants to ensure it has "information about what is entering the EU's space; controls of what is potentially most dangerous for public health (live animals, animal-derived products); the possibility to carry out controls on all other goods," the document says. "These are the basic requirements for controlling not only the EU's external border, but any border between countries with distinct customs and regulatory regimes," it adds. * The EU says its own backstop proposal, which requires alignment between Northern Ireland and the rest of Ireland, "strictly limits" those rules to what is necessary to avoid a hard border: legislation on goods, customs, VAT and excise; sanitary rules for veterinary controls; rules on agricultural production and state aid. "The backstop does not cover issues such as immigration, services, healthcare, social and environmental policy, social welfare etc," the document says. * "This selective approach gives part of a non-member state, Northern Ireland, benefits which no other non-EU member state has... It is tailored to the unique circumstances on the island ofIreland, and cannot be applied anywhere else," it says. * The EU says its own proposal has been pragmatic, built on existing health checks on animals and agricultural goods between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, and provides flexibility to simplify other controls - including regulatory and VAT - away from Irish Sea ports. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie An Irish national on Friday pleaded guilty to U.S. charges that he helped run the now-defunct Silk Road, an online black market where illegal drugs and other goods were bought and sold. Gary Davis, 30, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman to conspiring to distribute illegal drugs. Davis said his work for Silk Road included "helping the site run smoothly" and providing customer support. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Davis was indicted by New York federal prosecutors in 2013, but fought extradition in Irish courts. He said he suffered from Asperger Syndrome, depression and anxiety, and argued that incarceration in the United States could hurt his mental health and endanger his life, violating his fundamental rights. Ireland's Supreme Court rejected those arguments, and he was extradited to the United States. Prosecutors have said Silk Road was used in the sale of more than $200 million worth of illegal drugs and other contraband. Silk Road was shut down in 2013 when authorities seized the website and arrested its creator, Ross Ulbricht, who was tried and convicted of drug trafficking charges, and sentenced in 2015 to life in prison. Davis was indicted along with two others accused of working on the site. Peter Nash, an Australian, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served after 17 months in jail in 2015. Andrew Michael Jones, an American, also pleaded guilty but has not been sentenced. In June, prosecutors announced the extradition from Thailand to the United States of another defendant charged in connection with Silk Road, Roger Thomas Clark. Clark, a Canadian national, has been accused of acting as Ulbricht's "right-hand man." (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie The Australian Financial Review, an authority on business, finance and investment news in Australia, has entered into a content-sharing partnership with Caixin Global on October 8th, to establish a mutual content-sharing mechanism and long-term cooperation relationship. This cooperation will allow both publications to use their respective advantages in global business and financial reporting to share their valuable content, so as to bring more comprehensive and in-depth stories to their readers. Over the past decade, China has gradually become Australia's largest trading partner, the largest source of overseas students and tourists, and the fifth largest source of direct investment. However, affected by protectionist practices of some countries, the China-Australia economic and trade relationships have experienced some waves in the past 12 months. Finding ways for constructive communication and for seeking win-win results has become urgent for the two countries. As the media group dedicated to providing financial news and wire services, Caixin has been active in the English-speaking world for years and has won unanimous recognition from major global media. At present, Caixin has cooperated with more than 20 overseas top-tier media in content-sharing, such as the Wall Street Journal, CNBC and BBC. With rising global interest in China, we are bringing our original, investigative journalism to international readers through enhanced English language offerings, as well as building collaborations with international partners in key markets to provide Chinese readers with high quality reporting and fresh perspectives, said Hu Shuli, the founder and publisher of Caixin Media and Chairwoman of Caixin Global. The tie-up with the highly respected Australian Financial Review is an important step in this endeavor. The Financial Review is delighted to be able to bring Caixin's unique brand of investigative business and financial journalism to Australian business readers as the Australia-China relationship is entering a new phase and amid the challenges to the global trading system, said Michael Stutchbury, editor in chief of the Financial Review. Caixin Media is a media group of professional journalists and editors who generate high-quality original content, and are dedicated to providing financial and business news through integrated multimedia platforms, including websites, mobile apps, periodicals, video programs, books and conferences. Caixin Media is regarded as the most credible Chinese media overseas and an essential reference for the international community to understand China. As Caixins English-language outlet, Caixin Global delivers fast-paced, reliable business and financial news about China to the outside world. It also has an intelligence arm that offers policy analysis, industry monitoring, and in-depth research with insight into Chinas economic policy-making and its financial markets. Caixin Globals editors, who come from The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters and Agence France-Presse, can provide valuable and professional news for overseas readers. Caixin Global also uses artificial-intelligence technology to extract daily data and market dynamics to form quick news for readers. Established in 1951, the Financial Review is Australia's first national newspaper. It now owns the traditional masthead website, afr.com, along with weekday and AFR Weekend print editions and magazines such as the award-winning AFR Magazine and BOSS. Since its beginning as a weekly newspaper, the Financial Review has become the essential read for executive decision markers, sophisticated investors and those who promote national prosperity. Its influential and authoritative reports have dominated Australia's direction in the setting of a national agenda. For more details, please contact: Ma Ling Tel0108590-5204 Emaillingma@caixin.com Websitewww.caixin.com U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo (left) meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday. Photo: U.S. State Department Chinese officials urged American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during meetings in Beijing to repair damage to U.S.-China relations caused by recent trade and political disputes. Pompeo, who visited Beijing briefly Monday after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, engaged in unusually pointed exchanges with Chinese counterparts amid deteriorating bilateral ties. The remarks come amid heightened tensions and trade frictions. In a joint appearance before a meeting, Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for the U.S. to stop continuously escalating trade frictions with China and to cease making groundless accusations against Chinas domestic and foreign policy, according to a statement published on the Foreign Ministrys website. Wang said U.S. actions have damaged Chinas rights and interests, undermined mutual trust and cast a shadow over China-U.S. relations. We urge the U.S. to immediately stop its misguided comments and actions, Wang said. In response, Pompeo said the two countries have a "fundamental disagreement." The U.S. has great concerns about the actions that China has taken, he said. But Pompeo added that he looked forward to discussing the matters with Wang as the two countries have an "incredibly important relationship," according to his remarks as published on the website of the U.S. Department of State. In a later meeting Monday, Pompeo met Yang Jiechi, a senior cabinet official and former foreign minister. The two officials struck a softer tone but again highlighted recent frictions. Yang said China and the U.S. must expand political cooperation to achieve mutual aims. China will take necessary measures to safeguard its rights and interests, Yang said. Pompeo said there are many issues on which Washington and Beijing disagree but it is important that both sides listen to each other. Last week, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence made a series of allegations, including accusing Beijing of attempting to interfere with the November congressional elections. Earlier, the two countries engaged in tit-for-tat rounds of punitive tariffs on hundreds of billions dollars of products. The past few weeks have also seen the cancellation of planned bilateral trade and security talks and a naval standoff. A U.S. decision to sell $330 million of military equipment to Taiwan on Sept. 26 and a four-page supplement, sponsored by the official China Daily newspaper, published in Iowas Des Moines Register on Sept. 30 further ratcheted up tensions. The supplement included headlines like Duel undermines benefits of trade and Dispute: Fruit of a presidents folly. Pompeo's trip to Asia began Saturday in Tokyo, where he met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. On Sunday, he met with North Koreas Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Seoul. Contact reporter Teng Jing Xuan (jingxuanteng@caixin.com) Chinas top banking and insurance regulator Monday named the key officials of its 26 functional departments, concluding a major overhaul of the countrys financial regulatory system. Several sources close to the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) told Caixin that the leadership appointments were announced at an internal meeting Monday, the first working day after the week-long National Holiday. Some department heads remained in place and others were promoted, transferred or removed. Reshuffling and official appointments at local CBIRC offices are expected be completed by the end of this year. The current heads of local offices will meet in Beijing in a few days, sources told Caixin. The CBIRC is one of the first agencies to complete its reorganization under a broader government revamp approved by the cabinet in March. As part of the overhaul, the CBIRC was created by merging the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC). The creation of the CBIRC is the biggest reorganization in Chinas financial regulatory system since the CBRC was spun off from the central bank in 2003. It is a major effort to fix flaws in Chinas fragmented regulatory system, built around the central bank and three regulatory commissions overseeing banking, insurance and securities. The old regulatory structure faced increasing problems dealing with financial institutions exploiting gaps and loopholes to carry out risky and sometimes shady business practices. Caixin reported in August that the CBIRC unveiled detailed plan to reorganize its departments and personnel. The plan clearly defined the leadership, institutional structure and organizational responsibilities of the commission. In the combination of agencies, the CBIRC consolidated the 37 departments of the former CBRC and CIRC into 26 functional departments. The CBIRC is still dealing with the aftermath of the downfall of former CIRC Chairman Xiang Junbo and former CBRC Assistant Chairman Yang Jiacai, which affected the candidates for certain key positions, sources said. As previously reported, the CBIRC will no longer have an assistant chairman, but instead has appointed four chief officers, overseeing risk control, inspection, legal affairs and accounting. Xiao Yuanqi, former director of the CBRCs prudential regulation bureau, was named the chief risk officer; Yang Liping, former director of the CBRCs large-scale bank department, was appointed chief inspection officer; Liu Fushou, former legal affairs head of the CBRC, will be the chief legal counsel; and Ma Xueping, former chief accountant of the CIRC, was designated the chief accountant of the CBIRC. Xiao was also appointed director of the general office of the CBIRC, which oversees the commissions daily administrative operations. Yang remains the director of the CBIRCs large-scale bank department. Liu also serves as the director of the CBIRCs Beijing Office to replace retired director Su Baoxiang. Among officials who were removed, Yu Longwu, who was involved in Yang Jiacais corruption case, was replaced by Zhao Jiangping as the director of joint-stock banking department. Caixin has learned that Yu submitted his official resignation before the National Day holiday. In July, Yang Jiacai was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment for taking bribes and amassing enormous assets that cant be accounted for. He informed investigators of the misconduct of other officials, Caixin learned. Some CBRC officials who were close to him have been assigned to other posts outside the regulatory system, sources with knowledge of the matter told Caixin previously. news, latest-news The University of Canberra does not have clear policies or data about sexual violence on campus, more than a year after a landmark report threw down the gauntlet to Australian universities to overhaul their responses. An independent review led by former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick found that, while some students felt safer at the university compared to previous years, survivors still faced major barriers to reporting. There are no specific policies on sexual harassment and assault for either staff or students, and "despite a number of requests", the university could not provide auditors with any data on incidents of sexual violence. Some staff also described a sexist culture of bullying at work, which had seen women "mobbed" during meetings, talked over and put down by their male colleagues. One staff member said they had witnessed men in senior positions "being absolutely horrible" to women, making snide jokes or "going after someone". "You know ridiculing them ... in at least once instance reducing a very talented, conscientious, well-regarded [woman] to tears," they said. Others reported bullying and sexual harassment by male stuff as a "great concern" to women on campus. "It's like boys in packs," one said. While the review noted there had been a range of initiatives at UC aimed at reducing gender inequality and sexual violence, many students still did not know where to go for help. Some were even unaware of the Australian Human Rights Commission survey, the driver behind such reforms, which found that 54 per cent of UC students surveyed had been sexually harassed in 2016, and 7.2 per cent had been sexually assaulted in 2015 or 2016. Vice-chancellor Deep Saini, who has vowed to implement all of the review's recommendations within the next year, said the findings were an "eye-opener" and any story of bullying, harassment or assault was one too many. While he said he was going to investigate the bullying claims, he did not believe they reflected a widespread culture at the university. "I would have found out about it before now, but that doesn't mean it's never happened," he said. "We're going to go through all our policies, there's still a lot of work to do." Professor Saini dismissed criticism about the timing of the review, which had lagged behind audits done at a number of other universities, saying it was important to take a "deep dive so we don't miss anything". Releasing the review on Monday, the university listed its reporting service as "complete" but Professor Saini confirmed work was still ongoing to create a trauma-informed "one stop shop" for survivors. Currently, students reporting online are directed to a "hazard portal", which limits details of an assault to just 300 characters and warns injuries must be reported within 12 hours. Leading victims rights campaigner Sharna Bremner of End Rape on Campus Australia slammed the portal, saying it had already put off and confused survivors at the university. There were serious discrepancies between the progress the university was publicly reporting, and what the Broderick review had revealed, she said. 'Why has this review taken so long in the first place? Not having data, after 14 months, is really concerning," Ms Bremner said. "There's still no clear policy around the consequences of [sexual violence]. Compared to other universities, UC is lagging behind the eight-ball." As per the review's recommendations, Professor Saini said he would be directing more funds and resources into overhauling the university's policies, with much of the work to be completed in the next six months. "I can't imagine a more important investment at a university than making people feel safe," he said. He confirmed voluntary training modules on consent would become mandatory in the near future and campus security, which had already been beefed up in the wake of the commission's report, re-examined. But, while the review recommended increasing guard staffing following student reports they were often delayed responding to a high volume of calls, Professor Saini said he thought staffing was adequate. He also noted strong female representation in the higher echelons of the university executive, reflecting a campus-wide push for equality. That cultural change was reported by some students to auditors but others felt it was still not uniform across campus. The vice-chancellor admitted one "surprise" in the review was the concerning reports of students facing bullying and sexual violence off campus, while on internships, and a lack of guidelines for staff responses. "About 80 per cent of our students go on placements, so we need to take it really seriously," Professor Saini said. Creating a central repository of data on incidents was an "immediate" priority for the university, he said. The report also urged UC to commit to disciplinary action around sexual harassment and assault, regardless of whether or not police were involved, and to ensure all staff had working with children checks. On Monday, the university's student representative council said they were disappointed there was still no proper reporting tool in place for survivors, but were hopeful this would now be rectified. Ms Broderick also said she was optimistic the university would create "meaningful and lasting change" on campus. Despite barriers to reporting, once connected to the director of student life, students reported their complaints were handled sensitively and expeditiously, the review found. "However, [we're] concerned that all students may not easily access the director ... and that the positive responses owe more to the current office holders deep dedication and commitment, rather than a system that is responsive to the experiences of students," it read. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or family violence, call the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525. Nationally, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. In an emergency contact 000. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/2ade0804-fb97-444d-a401-4cea67681e00/r0_292_5472_3384_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news Happiness Is ... Canberra Dance Theatre. Artistic director: Jacqui Simmonds. Various choreographers. The Street Theatre, Friday, October 12 and Saturday October 13 at 7pm and Sunday, October 14 at 5pm. thestreet.org.au. More about CDT: canberradancetheatre.org/. In 2018. Canberra Dance Theatre is celebrating 40 years of teaching, performing and creating dance in the ACT community. To celebrate its 40th year, CDT is presenting Happiness Is ..., a program of short works at The Street Theatre. It's a reflection of past glories as well as celebrating the present and looking towards the future. Jacqui Simmonds, who's been CDT's artistic director since May last year, thinks the company has survived for four decades because people - ranging from adolescents to retirees - like to get involved and occupy themselves physically and mentally as well as enjoying the social element and working with dance professionals. And, she says, those involved have a real desire to perform. "People love to see performances and love to do it themselves." She says CDT has "a wonderful sense of inclusivity, community and diversity", adding, "The sense of community dance is there all the time: people are there to have a great time." Simmonds says of CDT's classes and productions, "We always look for a high standard, of course, but we invite anyone ... People do it because they want to do it." Many of the current participants will be dancing in Happiness Is... and there will be returning or past artists whose work will also be performed. Stephanie Burridge, who was CDT's first artistic director, is returning to perform a solo work, Fragile, that explores space and time. She first choreographed and performed it in Singapore in 2001. Simmonds says, "It's danced to the music of The Swan by Saint-Saens." Burridge has also contributed what Simmonds calls "the interestingly ambiguous" MIST featuring Anca Frankenhaeuser with live violin accompaniment by Kailin Tong. Frankenhaeuser is also co-choreographer with Patrick Harding-Irmer of the duet Handsong, which they will perform together. Another former artistic director, Liz Lea, set up the GOLD (Growing Old Disgracefully) dancers as a group for older people during her tenure. The GOLDs will be featured in The Green Fuse, choreographed by Carol Brown, a work based on the imagery of energy and destruction in Dylan Thomas's poem The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower. Woman of the River, a solo piece by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, who founded Australian Dance Theatre in Adelaide, was the first solo show she choreographed for CDT in 1988. "It was inspired by her time in Italy," Simmonds says. Young dancer Amanda Tutalo will perform it in this show. Yet another solo is Amalia Hordern's Pamoja, created in 2004 to a score by Jacinta Dunlop, has a solo excerpt taken from it and remounted by Philip Piggin performed by Grace Bannister-Tyrrell. Other pieces include A Maze In Day, a contemporary ballet work by Tokyo's K-Ballet Company star Fusako Skelton performed to music by Scott Joplin, and a restaging for The Street Theatre of Leas Australian Dance Award-winning Annette with the GOLDs. Some of CDT's performing groups will present new work including choreographers Rachael Hilton and Melissa Lee's The Other I, a group work about struggling with loss in the contemporary dance Hilal style created by Suraya Hilal. Miss Burlesque ACT 2016 Jazida, who was an invited performer at the 2018 Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, has drawn on her expertise with fans and veils to choreograph two works, Because I Love You and Spice World. There's more to discover but it's worth mentioning the title work, Happiness Is ... . which has been choreographed by Emma Saunders as the finale of the show. Simmonds, who is performing "just a little bit" in this section, says the 13 dancers come from CDT's various programs - ballet, contemporary and the GOLDs. The participants have worked together one day a month all year to explore dancing and movement together and talking about what "happiness" means to them, in order to create the work. "We wanted to invite people from across CDT to take part," Simmonds says. CDT grew out of the National University Dance Ensemble, established by plant biophysicist Graham Farquhar in 1970 as a creative outlet during his PhD studies. By 1977 NUDE was led by Diana Shohet and Lorna Marshall as well as Farquhar. In 1978 a new organisation, Canberra Dance Ensemble, was created and Burridge joined the team. Burridge became artistic director later that year, a position she held until 2001. CDE was incorporated in 1981 and in 1989 its name was changed to Canberra Dance Theatre to indicate a theatrical broadening of its vision. Hordern (2002-06), Megan Millband (2007-10) and Lea (2010-16) followed Burridge. Simmonds, who came last year, had her secondary education in Canberra and studied at the Brian Lawrence School of Ballet. Her most recent job was associate dean of students and services at the Australian College of Physical Education. She had previously been head of the dance program there. Farquhar is now patron of CDT. He was awarded the Prime Ministers Prize for Science in 2015 and the Kyoto Prize in 2017 and was named Senior Australian of the Year for 2018. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/49205705-39c3-491b-892b-f8cb25bef986/r0_281_5326_3290_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news There's been an extreme start to the allergy season in Canberra with several days of high-pollen levels recorded, and experts are warning there could be more to come. According to data from air monitoring app AirRater, Canberra saw more than 10 days straight of extreme pollen levels since September 19. A high-pollen day is classed as 100 grains of pollen in a cubic metre of air. During the 10-day period, five of those days recorded a pollen count of more than 600 and two had a count of more than 1000. The highest pollen count recorded in Canberra during the 2017 season was 287. Pollen expert from the Australian National University Simon Haberle, who runs Canberra Pollen Count, said grass pollen levels are expected to pick up during the second half of spring. "Most of the pollen comes from trees in August and September, and now that's coming to an end, we're moving into the grass pollen season, which starts around this week," Professor Haberle said. "We've had some really extreme days in terms of total pollen so far this year, and most of it relates to European trees. "If you're suffering from hay fever and asthma at the moment and feeling the effects of it, it's probably relating to tree pollen because it's quite prominent." Professor Haberle said compared to other capital cities, Canberra is more susceptible to high levels of pollen due to it being inland. While there may be several days of high-pollen levels ahead, Professor Haberle said grass-pollen conditions aren't expected to be as severe as previous years due to the drought. "The tree pollen is very strong, but we anticipate grass pollen won't be as bad this year because we had a dry summer last year and a dry winter," Professor Haberle said. "However, we have had some recent rain so we don't know how the rest of the season will turn out." Judi Wicking from the National Asthma Council of Australia said the recent high-pollen conditions have been a reminder for asthma suffers to update their contingency plans. "Hay fever and asthma symptoms can happen to anyone at any age, and at this time of year, the symptoms can be problematic," Ms Wicking said. "No matter what is happening, it's important for anyone that suffers from these symptoms to be prepared." /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/a28f4ce8-1409-42e1-af55-4d5a36a9e4d3/r0_329_3672_2404_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news An independent lawyer is investigating claims by whistleblower doctors that ACT Health's recruitment of Canberra Hospital's director of medical imaging was handled inappropriately. A public interest disclosure written by two senior radiologists at Canberra Hospital - including one on the selection panel - was sent to the ACT government in February this year. It alleged the position was revised in favour of now director of medical imaging Mark Duggan, despite a candidate with superior qualifications and experience applying. The radiologist on the selection panel was concerned about the prospect of a racial discrimination lawsuit, as the failed candidate was considered far more qualified and was from an ethnic minority. Mr Duggan was at the time acting in the role and had no formal tertiary qualifications or health qualifications. He initially joined ACT Health as a temporary project manager in 2016 and was subsequently appointed acting manager of medical imaging. There is no suggestion that Mr Duggan was unable to properly perform his role or at any time posed a risk to patients. Mr Duggan maintains he has at all times been appropriately skilled to carry out his role. He strenuously denies having been unqualified for his job or undeserving of it, and The Canberra Times makes no such allegations against him. Mr Duggan was given the ongoing role of director of medical imaging over a candidate described in the interviewing process by a panel member as "one of the most qualified radiographers in the country", with extensive public hospital medical imaging management experience in Victoria and the ACT. The job of director of medical imaging was initially advertised in March 2017 at $137,415 then re-advertised in June, at $237,944. Do you know more? Email daniella.white@fairfaxmedia.com.au confidentially Mr Duggan applied in June but did not meet the mandatory requirements including tertiary health qualifications and membership in a professional organisation. The then deputy director general, Chris Bone, and chief medical officer, Jeffrey Fletcher, both acted as referees and panel members at the time - with Mr Bone also the panel chair and delegate - recommending him as the preferred candidate. The position was readvertised later in October 2017, but without the mandatory requirement of a health care tertiary qualification. The whistleblower radiologists alleged in their public interest disclosure that it was advertised "significantly in favour of internal candidate" to the extent the preferred candidate seemed a foregone conclusion. The disclosure stated there was an external candidate that applied for the position in October, who met all the mandatory and desirable criteria of the June and October advertisement. He had a bachelor in radiography, masters in radiography, health management and health administration, and more experience being a manager in a large hospital. The disclosure alleged the point scale was favourable towards Mr Duggan, with few points being attributed to qualification and experience, and disproportionate weight given to "continuity in the position". Mr Duggan also did not provide references from former employment and no enquiries about his previous employment were made, the disclosure said. Two of his references, Dr Fletcher and Mr Bone, were respectively on the panel and the delegate for the second recruitment process. Mr Bone was replaced as a panel member at the time of the interviews due to being on leave, but remained a delegate. Mr Duggan was chosen as the preferred candidate, the decision stating his ability to keep continuity in the department and his answers to written questions. Dr Fletcher told the radiologist on the panel the candidates needed to be assessed by "what was written on the application not what we know is occurring", according to the disclosure. The radiologist on the panel said in the disclosure he had a "desire to avoid potential discrimination as the external candidate satisfied every mandatory and desired criteria with greater experience, extensive qualifications and was a minority of ethnic origin". Through a letter to the Australian Medical Association seen by The Canberra Times, ACT Health confirmed an independent lawyer was investigating claims about inappropriate recruitment practices. The disclosure was provided to The Canberra Times by one of the radiologists. The radiologist provided the documents after receiving legal advice that it was legal to forward them to a journalist because ACT Health had not dealt with the disclosure according to the legislation. Mr Bone and Dr Fletcher were contacted for comment but did not respond. In response to a list of questions sent to Canberra Health Services, a spokesman said he was unable to comment on any of the matters raised. If there was a public interest disclosure, CHS would be unable to divulge any information about it, as to do so would be an offence under section 44 of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012," he said. CHS is also unable to disclose any personal information about any individuals, as to do so would breach its obligations in the Information Privacy Act 2014. We stress that recruitment processes across the hospital and our health services are based on merit, fairness and open competition, with all selection processes following the principles outlined in the Public Sector Management Act 1994 and the Public Sector Management Standards 2016. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/c2e40326-983e-4d4e-bc90-2bc78f29b095/r0_116_2000_1246_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news In the middle of a furore over a planned promotion for The Everest horse race, the head of Racing NSW has revealed that he wanted to use the Sydney Harbour Bridge until the state government suggested the Opera House. Chief executive Peter V'landys said he had been negotiating with "at least four government departments" for more than a year to use the bridge to promote the race next Saturday. "Only at the last minute did we learn that approval had not been given," he said. "The Opera House was the alternate venue put forward by the NSW government, which wanted to support the promotion of the event internationally, as it had done for other sporting events." Premier Gladys Berejiklians controversial decision on Friday to allow a promotion for The Everest to be beamed onto the world heritage-listed building overturning the decision by Opera House chief executive Louise Herron after a hostile interview by broadcaster Alan Jones on 2GB has attracted strident opposition from those who believe it cheapens the globally recognised icon and promotes gambling. Prime Minister Scott Morrison backed Ms Berejiklian and called opponents of the promotion "precious". In her first public comments since intervening, Ms Berejiklian defended her decision and said she was "absolutely confident" the display was "the right thing for Sydney". In a column for the Herald, Mr V'landys said Racing NSW never intended to use the sails as a billboard for the barrier draw on Tuesday. "We just wanted what other sports, and cultural events, had been afforded as a way to highlight to the world that Sydney is a seriously great place for events" he said. "The idea was to incorporate a Sydney [and an Australian] iconic landmark in a way to showcase The Everest the richest race in the world on turf to a world audience and with an outcome that was beneficial to all parties, or so we believed." But Mr V'landys defended using the sails, insisting it was to promote "a unique Sydney event" rather than gambling. "The Opera House sails have been used to promote other events," he said. "Gambling is also conducted on these events, such as the Ashes and rugby union. "The sails have also been used to promote the Mardi Gras and photos have been displayed on the sails for a Samsung phone promotion. "It should also be highlighted that the construction of the Opera House was partly funded by the Opera House lottery. The rest was funded by the NSW taxpayer." Mr V'landys said the promotion would be considerably less than the displays for other events. "The actual promotion, which is a barrier draw, goes for just 10 minutes," he said. "The majority of the time is devoted to a light show, which has nothing to do with the event. "The original proposal has been significantly wound back after negotiations. Firstly, the logo is now not included; the name of the horse is now not included; the actual race field is now not included; all that is left is the trophy, the colour of the jockey silks and the barrier the horse has drawn." Speaking after visiting the Bathurst 1000 motor race, Mr Morrison said The Everest was one of the biggest events of the year and generated "massive opportunities" for the city and the state. "Why not put it on the biggest billboard Sydney has?" he said. Mr Morrison, who was formerly managing director of Tourism Australia, said he would "put the Bathurst 1000 on the Harbour Bridge if I thought it was going to get more people there. Its just common sense and I don't know why people are getting so precious about it. Sometimes I think people have just got to have a bit of a lie down on this sort of stuff. They can get all very unctuous about it. Mr Morrison rejected suggestions The Everest promotion supported gambling. We're talking about an event that is one of the big money spinners for the state. It creates jobs. This isn't about advertising a packet of chips. This is about advertising one of the biggest events that NSW holds. Frankly, I thought it was a no-brainer. I can't work out what all the fuss is about. A petition circulated via Change.org in support of Ms Herron had gathered almost 120,000 signatures at the time of publication. At a media conference about cyber bullying reforms, Ms Berejiklian denied she had caved in to pressure from Jones. She said the approved design was the result of weeks of negotiations and the government had reached a compromise with Racing NSW after rejecting numerous earlier proposals. "The version that is going to be displayed on Tuesday is much toned down from what the government was first presented with," she said. "What we've arrived at [is] a compromise, I believe a good compromise under the circumstances and that's why the government proceeded. "There'll be no logos, no names, the only words on there are actually the words of the trophy itself and that is consistent with what has happened in the past. "I say to people, have a look on Tuesday before you judge it." Ms Berejiklian said the "vast majority of the display is artistic" with three or four minutes that included the trophy image. Among widespread criticism of the Premier's decision, Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore labelled the promotion "blatant commercialism" and the Australian Institute of Architects criticised what it called the exploitation of "perhaps the greatest building of the 20th century". NSW chapter president Andrew Nimmo said the Opera House's world heritage listing meant a responsibility to treat the building with respect and dignity. "We are disappointed that the NSW government has intervened and instructed [the Opera House], against their policy, to allow its sails to be lit up with commercially driven material," he said. "It is not an advertising billboard." The Herald revealed two of Jones business partners in the horse racing industry have contenders in the race, while a horse part-owned by him had also vied for a spot. State Labor transport spokeswoman Jodi McKay, who was tourism minister when the Opera House sails were first lit up for Vivid, hit out at the "simply shocking" way Jones spoke to Ms Heron on radio. "I just found the comments and the way that Louise was treated was just abominable," she said. "Anyone doing their job should not be in that situation where they're being attacked personally like that over a decision they've made which obviously is within the guidelines that are set." Ms McKay said she supported events being advertised on the sails - "having colours and promoting like we've done with Mardi Gras and other events is appropriate" - but said there needed to be clear guidelines about what is and is not allowed to avoid the current confusion. Asked whether it was concerned about the impact of the furore, race sponsor Tabcorp issued a statement saying it was "delighted to [be] partnering with Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club" for the second Everest and was "looking forward to the barrier draw". /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/b918ae62-6765-4118-a44d-d018279eb6f7/r0_155_2000_1285_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has released an employment notification calling out aspirants to apply for the posts of Driver, Nurse, Technician, Stenographer and Assistant. Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. Qualifying candidates will have to undergo a training for a period of two years. Upon completion, they will be employed into one of NPCIL's hospitals. Selected candidates can earn up to INR 44900 per month. The last date to apply for this government job is Oct 25, 2018. NCL Recruitment 2018: Apprenticeship Offered For Welder, Electrician And Fitter NPCIL Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Driver, Nurse, Technician, Stenographer and Assistant Organisation Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited Educational Qualification Bachelor's degree for Stenographer and Assistant; Class 12 passout with diploma in relevant field for others Experience Desirable Skills Required Technical skills Job Location Gujarat Salary Scale INR 10500 to INR 25500 Industry Power Application Start Date October 15, 2018 Application End Date October 25, 2018 Age Limit: 21 to 28 years for Stenographer and Assistant; 18 to 24 years for others Also Read: CLRI Recruitment 2018 For Junior Secretariat Assistants How To Apply For NPCIL Recruitment 2018 In order to apply for NPCIL Recruitment 2018, follow these steps: Step 1: Log on to the NPCIL official website. Step 2: Click on the CAREERS tab. Step 3: The list of recruitments will be displayed on the screen. Step 4: Click on the application link against Recruitment of Stipendiary Trainees at RR Site. (The link will be active from Oct 15, 2018 only.) Step 5: Follow the subsequent pages and complete the application process. Follow the link - https://npcilcareers.co.in/KAPS2018/documents/advt.pdf to read the detailed official notification. A new lime plant for Crescent Published 08 October 2018 With precise calcining, energy conservation and emissions control as key production parameters, Nuberg EPCs team significantly improved operations at Crescent Chemicals lime plant in Bangladesh. By Nuberg EPC, India. Lime is a mineral that is the oxide or hydroxide form of calcium. Hence, the two major sources or forms of lime are calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide in their respective states. However, limestone is a general term that is used to represent any rock that has as much as 80 per cent or more of magnesium and calcium carbonates. This includes dolomite, chalk, marble, oolite, marl, calcite, ankerite and corals. Each of these contains varying levels of impurities and the quality of limestone is a function of the level of impurities, including its clay content. Demand drivers Lime is used in a range of applications, including: construction as a pH control for many industrial processes agriculture metallurgical flux. However, construction- and building- related activities account for the majority of global lime consumption. With advancing urbanisation and an increased need for potable water as well as food, there is no doubt that the demand for lime will continue to rise. Therefore, many activities in the world depend on lime production going forward. Lime production In 2015 over 350Mt of lime were produced. China accounted for almost two-thirds with 230Mt. Other key producing-countries are: USA (19,000t), India (16,000t), Russia (11,000t), Japan (7800t), Germany (6900t), South Korea (5000t) and France (3800t). The production process There are several processes involved in lime production, including crushing, pulverising, heating and hydrating. Raw material extraction The limestone is first extracted from the rock deposit by mechanical excavation or blasting. In most cases, the choice of method depends on the hardness of the limestone deposit. Following extraction, the limestone is crushed and sieved to the required size. Calcination This includes heating the limestone (mainly CaCO 3 ) in vertical shaft kilns (VSKs) or rotary kilns at temperatures of >1100C to obtain burnt or quicklime (CaO). At the end of this stage, quicklime is discharged as a solid from the bottom of the kiln, while CO 2 is collected from the top of the lime kiln by a CO 2 blower. CaCO 3 + heat 1100C CaO + CO 2 Lime slaking In the next step, the quicklime is slaked by adding water. The volume of water added depends on the type of slaked lime specified. It is very important that the resulting hydrated lime is of uniform size and therefore, if necessary, the hydrated lime is crushed to the required size. CaO + H 2 O Ca(OH) 2 Lime carbonation During carbonation the slaked lime passes through a series of carbonators where it reacts with CO 2 . To ensure that the slaked lime only absorbs water-borne CO 2 , the process parameters must be set correctly. Carbonation is a slow process and takes place continuously until the slaked lime has absorbed as much CO 2 as possible to form the lime putty. Ca(OH) 2 CO 2 = CaCO 3 .H 2 O Drying At this stage the lime putty is a slurry containing 20 per cent precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and 80 per cent water. The water is removed as the slurry passes through the settling tanks after which it is fed to the rotary vacuum filter (RVF) where the moisture is regulated to around 50 per cent. The final stage of the drying is carried out in the film dryers at about 200C. The idea is to maintain uniformity in the particle size as well as to ensure that there is no contamination. The boiler serves as the heat source during the drying process. Production challenges In addition to precise calcining, energy conservation and the control of emissions such as O 2 , CO, CO 2 and NO are key production parameters. To achieve a satisfactory performance and play its part in mitigating global climate change, the lime industry has come under increasing pressure to improve its production technologies, reducing not only energy consumption but also SO 2 , CO, CO 2 and NO emissions. Therefore, to meet these environmental requirements, Nuberg EPC applies the latest lime production in its installations across the world. Case study: Crescent Chemicals Ltd (CCL), Bangladesh Gazipur-based Crescent Chemicals Ltd (CCL) aims to deliver high-quality products at competitive prices. To deliver this mission CCL contacted Nuberg EPC, who was awarded the contract for a new 60tpd lime plant as well as upgrading the programming and SCADA of the old lime plant at Karmtala (see Figure 2). The plant needed to meet PCC requirements, such as: assay: >98.5 per cent CaCO 3 colour: white solubility: completely insoluble in H 2 O moisture content: one per cent max pH: 10.5 max bulk density: 0.43-0.45g/ml iron: 700ppm max brightness ISO: 92 per cent min. Following its brief, the Nuberg EPC team applied its expertise to the key steps of the lime plant project. Site observation After carrying out a thorough site inspection, Nuberg EPC discovered that the PCs as well as the software (New PC- DELL-OPTI-3050) were no longer functioning. The team procured the necessary PCs, software and carried out the installation of the new equipment. As per the clients instruction, all the DCS panel wiring of the old lime kiln was checked and fixed where necessary. All the required SCADA and logic were updated for the subsequent expansion of the PCC. Equipment Major equipment installed in the plant included: limestone silo a vertical limestone silo with a square top and conical bottom was installed. The new 27t silo was designed taking into account the available space and according to the following dimensions: 15m height, 2.1m conical height and 4m2 surface area. vibrating feeder Nuberg EPC procured a state-of-the-art 10t vibrating feeder to transport the limestone feed over different conveyor lengths. The 1000x400m feeder operates using electromagnetism. VSK internals and insulation - due to the high operating temperatures, VSKs require the correct installation of internals and insulation. Therefore, Nuberg EPC supplied and installed the necessary insulation and internals using wear-resistant materials. These materials included Sprag, insulation bulk (LK) Hysil, asbestos fluff, ceramic wool and board, refractory castables, insulation bricks and SS-310 plate. cyclone separator - the plants current cyclone separator required an upgrade to maintain strict emissions compliance. As a result, Nuberg EPC procured and installed a new cyclone separator to intercept particulate matter emissions. Additional equipment included: cable schedule, UPS drawings and manuals, burner panel drawings, CO 2 washer, column circulation pump, water drain tank and manual damper. Conclusion Lime production that meets todays strict environmental standards in terms of energy consumption and emissions requires state-of-the-art production technology. Crescent Chemicals of Bangladesh awarded the contract for the upgrade of its old lime plant and the construction of a new 60tpd lime plant at Karmtala, Gazipur, to Nuberg EPC. The India-based EPC and turnkey project management company delivered not only the required equipment but carried out the project from concept to commissioning. After a very successful pre-commissioning, the CCL lime plant was fully commissioned and now contributes to the global lime requirement with technology that ensures precise calcining, reduced energy consumption and improved emissions control systems. Sagarmatha Cement accused of underpayment ICR Newsroom By 08 October 2018 Sagamartha Cement in Dang, Nepal, has been receiving complaints from workers that reported being paid NPR400/day (US$3.36), instead of the minimum wage of NPR517/day (US$4.34). "Middle persons are exploiting the workers labour with the support of the industry," said Bharat Bhattarai, a worker interviewed by Setopati. Workers have also not received contracts of employment and the 200-strong workforce have warned of strike action if the minimum wage is not guaranteed. Published under Holcim to help Philippines with plastic waste ICR Newsroom By 08 October 2018 Holcim Philippinese is planning to increase its consumption of residual plastic wastes as alternative fuel in cement production to help the Philippine government in its waste management drive. "Holcim Philippines is a committed partner in the country's development and we are contributing more beyond building materials," said John Stull, president and CEO of Holcim Philippines. The Philippines, China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam account for more than 50 per cent of plastic wastes that end up in bodies of water worldwide, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Since the creation of Holcim's waste management unit Geocycle in 2010, Holcim Philippines has co-processed over 25,000t of plastic wastes from different industrial partners and local governments. Our Geocycle business is a clear example as it helps alleviate the country's waste-management challenges, which is expected to grow along with the economy, Mr Stull said. "Geocycle is stepping up engagement with the private sector and studying possible collaboration with a number of local governments on providing its coprocessing services," he added. Holcim's waste-management arm is looking to have pilot projects with a number of localities in 2019 to show the advantages of its waste-management service over current alternatives such as landfilling. Published under Power Cement expects real estate to increase sales 08 October 2018 While other southern cement producers have been wary of a slowdown, Power Cement Ltd (PCL), owned by the Arif Habib Group, has a need for expansion. "The Power Cement plant will start production on full capacity in June 2019 and it will produce 7700tpd of clinker and 9600tpd of cement," said Kashif Habib, the company's CEO. PCL, formerly Al-Abbas Cement, has developed its business through the construction of high-rise buildings and housing in Kerachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Kotri and outher southern cities, which have helped to raise cement demand. It has relied on the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and Bahria Town, Pakistan's largest private sector real estate developer, for business. "Bahria Town was the big developer over the last 8-10 years, and they developed major projects during that time," said Mr Habib. "The constructed high-rise buildings, smaller houses, and infrastructure. Now, as construction at Bahria Town tapers off, it is ramping up in DHA City, and we expect it will hit its peak in the next few years. "If the government starts the construction of large dams in the northern parts of the country, the domestic consumption of cement would increase manifold," said Mr Habib. "All cement companies are hoping for a big boost to infrastructure spending by the government." While PCL saw cement dispatches increase YoY by three per cent to 504,000t in the fiscal year ending 30 June 2018, revenue for the period fell by 0.5 per cent. Net profits also declined by 10.9 per cent. Although exports may also benefit Power Cement when its new capacity cones on-stream, it is hoped that the government will improve incentives for cement exports. "Cement factories are paying 30 per cent of the cost of cement in sales tax, federal excise duty, and customs duties. These huge taxes make us uncompetitive in the international markets," said Mr Habib. FY18 results Power Cement has announced its financial results for FY18 recently by declaring of decrease in profit to PKR311m (US$2.52m) from PKR460m in the same period last year. It decreased by 32.39 per cent YoY. Net sales of the company during the period stood at PKR4.34bn from PKR4.48bn in year ago period. It incurred a distribution cost of PKR115m against 106m in the same period last year. The administrative expenses stood at PKR131m compared to PKR76m incurred in the same period previous year. The company has a production capacity of 945,000tpa of cement in Nooribad, Dadu in Sindh. Published under JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi -- The body of a 32-year-old Vancleave man was recovered Monday morning from his vehicle after it plunged into deep water in Parkers Lake, Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said. The man, identified as Matthew Sloan of Vancleave, had been reported missing after he left his home to go to the store about 10:30 Saturday night and never returned. Ezell said it appeared Sloan's Jeep Cherokee hit a guardrail along the bridge over Parkers Lake, located between the Vancleave and Hurley communities, and then went into the water. The Jackson County Sheriff's Flotilla and Marine Unit searched the area of the Pascagoula River ranger station and sonar from a nearby boat helped locate the submerged vehicle. Divers from the Gautier Police Department found Sloan's body inside the vehicle once it was pulled from the lake. Mayor creates order for all new city employees to be vaccinated LAHORE, Pakistan, October 8, 2018 (Morning Star News) More than six months after doctors and hospital staff members killed a Christian at a government hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, none of the suspects has been arrested, the victims brother said. Anil Saleem, brother of Sunil Saleem, told Morning Star News that police efforts have been lax in the Catholic familys quest for justice for the father of four, beaten by doctors and security guards at Lahores Services Hospital on March 26 after objecting to a doctors refusal to tend to his sister as she suffered labor pains. Police registered a case against 14 doctors, 20 security guards and 10 male nurses but none has been arrested, he said. Moreover, the police exonerated the main accused, Dr. Saira, in the initial investigation, even though she was the one who had instigated her colleagues and the security guards to attack us in the hospital ward, Anil Saleem said. Though police rejected a counter-case filed against the family by the hospitals administrator, officials have been reluctant to move against the medical personnel due to threats by the Young Doctors Association (YDA) to launch protests in hospitals across the province and leave their duties as part of a boycott, he said. We think that the police were told by the provincial government not to arrest the doctors to avoid confrontation with the YDA, Anil Saleem told Morning Star News, adding that all of the accused had been able to secure anticipatory bail and never even appeared before police for questioning. Asked if the named suspects had approached them for an out-of-court settlement, Anil Saleem said they had offered the family money. They have made several attempts to settle the case through money, offering up to 2 million rupees [US$26,905], but I have refused to take the money, said Anil, the complainant in the case. No money can heal the wound we have suffered. I have told the accused that I will not withdraw the case until all of them, including Dr. Saira, are put behind bars. The accused and their supporters have not threatened or pressured the family to settle, he said, noting that a trial court is hearing the case. A postmortem report stated the cause of death as multiple rib fractures, which led to haemopneumothorax, or air and blood in the chest cavity. The report revealed at least two liters of blood in Sunil Saleems chest cavity, indicating how brutally he was beaten, his brother said. Teach These Christians a Lesson Sunil Saleem on March 26 took his sister Kiran Kashif to the emergency labor ward of the Government Services Institute of Medical Sciences (commonly known as Services Hospital), but Dr. Saira would not tend to her as she was playing on her cell phone and sipping tea, Anil Saleem said. Dr. Saira told her to wait outside until she finished her tea, and after waiting for some time while she was in severe pain, the pregnant woman again went into the ward requesting immediate attention. As soon she approached Dr. Saira, the doctor started cursing her for not waiting and told a nurse to attend her, he said. When his sister protested, Dr. Saira started slapping her, throwing her on the floor, asking her how dare a Chuhri [a derogatory term for Christians] question her order, Anil Saleem said. On hearing the commotion, Anil Saleem, his brother and other relatives entered the ward, but as soon as she saw them, Dr. Saira shouted to the other doctors and security guards to lock the wards doors from the inside and teach these Christians a lesson, Anil Saleem said. Some 15 to 20 paramedical staff and security guards and eight to 10 young doctors lunged at them with iron rods, chairs, leather belts and other items and began beating them, he said. Sunil, a police constable in the National Highway and Motorway Police, tried his best to placate the assailants, but they continued to beat him mercilessly, kicking and punching him in the groin and chest until he fell unconscious, he said. Anil Saleem and the three other men tried to defend themselves, but they were greatly outnumbered and were saved only when police arrived, he said. After a delay in treatment, Sunil Saleem died for lack of timely emergency medical assistance, he said. Most of the doctors fled after the incident, while those who were present paid no attention to our cries to help our dying brother, Anil Saleem said. Sunil Saleem left behind his wife and four children the eldest son 10, and the youngest barely 3 months old. Investigating officer Khurram Ali Shah was unavailable for comment. Police declared Dr. Saira innocent on the basis of CCTV footage that shows she was not involved in the altercation between the family and medical staff members, he said. How can they just absolve Dr. Saira, when it was she who had instigated the attack in the first place? he said. The court has directed the police to re-investigate the case, but they are delaying presenting the report on one pretext or the other. Despite police indifference, he still hopes the court will give justice to the family, he said. Pakistan is ranked fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors 2018 Word Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews. org/resources/aid-agencies/ fo r a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/ donate/ ? Jewish and Catholic leaders agreed with a plan devised by the secretary-general of the Muslim World League for leaders from the three Abrahamic religions to travel to Jerusalem in what he called a peace caravan. In an interview with Fox News, Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Alissa, said, They should be Muslim, Christian, and Jewish, and they should visit all the holy sites. They should meet everyone and find common ground, and they should provide fertile ground to find solutions for peace. Alissa believes the contingents should not represent any particular nation or political ideology. He said, They will be more influential without a political agenda because they are independent. He also added that This visit is not from Saudi Arabia, his homeland, but rather, It comes from the Muslim world, the Christian world, and the Jewish world. It has no relevance to any country whatsoever. Leaders from all three faiths, meeting at the Conference for Cultural Rapprochement Between the United States and the Muslim World, agreed with Alissas vision. The executive president of the New York Board of Rabbis, Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, said the current situation in the region can no longer be ignored and that a new way must be found to bring peace. He said, Peace cant be reached by more fighting. Palestinians are not going anywhere, and Israelis are not going anywhere, and therefore a way has to be found to allow these two peoples to live together. Marwan Faouri, secretary-general of the Global Forum for Moderation expressed his hope that a peace caravan could bring a uniting force to the region. He said, The peace caravan can help bridge the hate gap that exists on both sides. The associate superintendent of schools in the Archdiocese of New York signaled his desire to include the next generation in the effort. He remarked, We need to find a way to train children so that they can fill the caravan for peace. This can only be done through education. Alissa expressed his reasoning behind the conference and his hopes for how it can change the dialogue between the Muslim world and the West. He said, The chief role of this conference is to keep extremists from taking any advantage of any intellectual holes that they can use to promote their extremist ideologies and have the opinions of well-established scholars. The extremists are not happy with this conference. We encourage civilized dialogue with the United States, and this does not make the extremists happy. We are here to thwart this extremism." Observers see Alissa as an ally of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salam, who they believe is moving Saudi Arabia towards moderate Islam. Saudi Arabia and Israel have quietly worked together in recent months out of their common concern over the threat Iran poses to the region. Scott Slayton is a pastor and writer. Visit his blog One Degree to Another. Photo courtesy: Unsplash/John T. Christine Blasey Fords recent testimony added fuel to an already heated discussion on how we should respond to abuse allegations. Regardless of politics, pastor and author Ed Stetzer called for caution in how we speak about abuse so that we dont harm victims within our own communities. Research confirms that victims stay silent because of a negative community culture toward abuse and often dont receive emotional support. According to therapist Connie Baker, herself a sexual abuse survivor, our response as a church community can make tragic situations worse or they can help with the healing process. Rachael Denhollander, the attorney who spearheaded the fight to take down Larry Nassar for sexually abusing hundreds of young female gymnasts, experienced both damaging and healing responses from her church communities. Before she came forward, she recalled the kind of church culture that had previously silenced her. During a youth group discussion, Denhollander remembers a student asking whether they could consider King Davids misuse of power toward Bathsheba as sexual assault, and their teacher said no, opening the floor for others to give their opinions. (You can read why it is assault from a theological viewpoint here.) A friend of Denhollanders raised his hand to share: I think it had to have been her fault, because she could have chosen to die rather than have sex with him. This immediately told me I would be better off dead than a rape victim. And if I didnt fight to my death, its my fault, Denhollander recalled. The Impact of Silencing Research indicates that when abuse victims feel like they cant or shouldnt talk about their experiences, their trauma can worsen. It does appear that withholding disclosure, or not telling about abuse or assault when one wants to tell is related to worse psychological symptoms, as is delayed disclosure, according to University of Chicago criminology professor Sarah E. Ullman, in her book, Talking about Sexual Assault: Societys Response to Survivors. Indeed, many victims suffer in silence, since studies indicate that only one half to two-thirds of adult women disclose their sexual assault experience to someone at some point in their lives. Baker, who has worked with sexual and spiritual abuse victims for many years in her private practice, told me that when victims are silenced, The horrible impact cannot be overstated. [The silencing] is the majority of the [long-term] trauma most of the time. Baker underwent her own healing journey years ago after her pastor abused her when she was a young adult and used threats of suicide to keep her silent. When the pastor finally confessed, Baker hoped other church leadership would give her protection and support. Instead, she learned, I was to be the brunt and focal point of their anger, their hurt, their outrage. I was it. She was forced to confess her sin to her church and leave the area so that the church could eventually restore her abuser to ministry. Part of why silence is so bad for us is because we're not made to do trauma in isolation. Those in pain should be surrounded with support by their communities, the way they do when death or other tragedies strike. This community support, she said, is good for our brain and neurology. It's how we cope. Unfortunately, most victims dont get support, and that isolation brings continued shame and confusion. When We Blame the Victim Ullmans research also shows that 80 percent of victims report some form of blaming. Baker pointed out, along with problematic views about women and a history of blaming women in general, the power structure of many communities makes it risky for congregations to side with victims. Frankly, she said, It's easier to dismiss or blame the person with less power. Article continues below It's essential to view this problem as a systemic problem. A leader or congregation that blames a victim does not happen in a vacuum. When the abuser is a respected person in the community, such as a pastor, the communitys knee-jerk response can be, Is she lying? Please tell me she is lying, because the stakes are so high for the community if it were true. This can lead to interrogating the victim with questions that imply guilt or cast suspicion onto the victim. She gave examples of minimizing comments often made to victims, such as the victim took it wrong, was too sensitive, they are reading into things, or they are exaggerating. Other blaming responses can include comments such as they dont dress modestly enough, they tend to flirt, or it takes two to tango. Both Christians and non-Christians questioned Denhollander: Why didnt you fight back? and How could you not know? Beyond Blaming: Harmful (Sometimes Well-Meaning) Reactions In her research, Ullman explored common social reactions to a victim disclosing sexual abuse, finding several negative reactions besides blaming the victim, including taking control of the victims decisions, treating the victim differently, distraction from the abuse, or an egocentric response (such as concentrating on their own anger over the abuse, instead of the victims pain). The line between positive and negative responses is, at times, thin. For example, many victims appreciated empathy but found pity unhelpful as it made them feel stigmatized or weak. Distraction from the abuse included encouraging survivors not to talk about the abuse anymore or to move on before they were ready, implying that they were overreacting or not healing quickly enough. Bakers story of church leadership taking over her decisions is a glaring example of a controlling response. Survivors in Ullmans research listed clergy as some of the least supportive and helpful, and other research on clergy responses to sexual abuse is mixed as sample sizes have been small. An early study in 2002 concluded that many pastors blame victims and believe rape myths that deny and justify male sexual aggression, especially those who ranked higher on a five-point fundamentalist scale (whether they agreed to a literal interpretation of the Bible). However, a 2016 study sought to replicate those findings, with some adjustments, and found no link between fundamentalism and negative attitudes toward victims among pastors. The authors also pointed to other research where victims found faith communities to be healing post-assault. When victims arent supported in their church, it can deepen their trauma, according to Baker, who said in her case, the sexual abuse was 25 percent of her trauma, while the spiritual abuse she experienced was 75 percent. Denhollander linked improper theology to why churches mishandle abuse, blame victims, dont report abuse, or re-victimize through counseling. She continued, The church does a lot of other damage to victims in the way they handle grace, repentance, forgiveness, and minimizing of abuse. I have certainly seen that as well as sin leveling [i.e., making all sins equal]. The impact on victims faith can be catastrophic because wrong theology uses the only place that should be safe, she said. It uses your faith; it uses your Savior; it uses everything you rely on like a weapon. And when it uses that, you have nothing left. Article continues below Denhollander also said that when conservative churches get their theology wrong about abuse, they interpret criticism as being persecuted for following Scripture. So what happens is that they actually tighten down more. They become more protectionist. This is problematic because it then becomes almost impossible to dialogue with them on the topic. As an evangelical Christian, Denhollander wants people to understand the Bible better, not give up on it. When the Church Gets it Right Ullmans research didnt only look at negative social reactions but positive ones as well, including tangible aid or actions, emotional support, such as expressions of love and caring, information support, and validation of abuse or believing the victim. Research found that these responses can buffer trauma in female victims. Denhollander shared that in her life, her mom and dad were some of her earliest supporters. She credits their compassion and love, as well as their modeling a healthy marriage, with being a vital part of her healing process and giving her a healthy view of marriage and intimacy. She also told me that having a husband that listens, who is compassionate, who reminds me of the truth and is able to deal with the impact of the effects of abuse in a way that is loving and grace-based is an incredible gift. While Denhollander experienced many of the negative silencing effects in earlier church experiences (read some of her other experiences here and here), her current church actively supported her during the court case against Nassar. They did a phenomenal job supporting us in very tangible ways. Praying with us, grieving with us, keeping up to date on the case, supporting us very practically. She gave examples such as helping care for her kids and bringing them meals and groceries when they were having to travel during the trial. We were just cared for incredibly compassionately in very practical, meaningful ways, and that was amazingly healing for all of us. Denhollander cautions that you usually only get one chance to be a safe place for a victim, so both she and Baker emphasized the need for pastors to become educated on abuse. One resource Denhollander recommended was a conference on sexual abuse led by Brad Hambrick, a pastor of counseling at The Summit Church. Baker pointed out that it is critical to recognize that trauma can cause memory gaps and a shifting story, not because victims are lying, but because of the effects of trauma. No one should force a victim to further explain, justify, or defend their abuse story. She also recommended pastors give power back to victims as much as possible, as abuse can make survivors feel powerless. In a nutshell, you model Jesus, you show them Jesus, which means you weep with those who weep, and you love justice, and you love holiness. You recognize that what was done to that woman or to that victim deserves justice and is an affront to Gods holiness, and you treat it like that, said Denhollander. To survivors who currently feel silenced, Denhollander encourages them to find one safe person to whom they can disclosesomeone who can help them reclaim their voice, who can grieve with you, and who can affirm the truth to you when it's too difficult to hold on to it yourself. Yet both underscored that victims should know that no one is entitled to their story and not everyone is worthy of trust. The choice to disclose and when is theirs alone. Finally, Denhollander noted the importance of recognizing the pain of sexual abuse and grieving freely, even when others insensitively lecture, You put a smile on your face. God is going to bring good out of it. She cautions, Scripture doesnt shy away from how broken the broken things are, and we shouldnt either because when we diminish the brokenness, when we diminish the darkness, we diminish the contrast of God's light and Gods beauty. Kimi Harris writes at kimiharris.com and is the wife of worship leader and music teacher, Joel Harris. They live in beautiful Portland, Oregon, with their three girls and a cat. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Many atheists are keen to identify indoctrination within Christian (or other religious) communities. Not surprisingly, however, they typically fail to recognize the extent that indoctrination can occur among atheists. In this article, I am going to take a look at indoctrination in the contemporary resurgence of atheism known as "the new atheism."[1] I can already hear the atheist retort: "Indoctrinated?! How can an atheist be indoctrinated? After all, atheism simply is the rejection of theism!" It is true that atheism is not a unified ideology, let alone an institution. But that does not mean that self-professing atheists are automatically exempt from the danger of indoctrination. In fact, the lack of formal institution, creed, or leader may, ironically enough, cultivate a false sense of intellectual independence and liberation among atheists that can render an individual even more vulnerable to indoctrination. What is necessary for indoctrination is not a magisterium or sacred text but simply a set of beliefs that inhibit critical thought, and in this article, I will argue that the new atheism is broadly characterized with these kinds of indoctrinational beliefs. One of the most effective ways to inure an ideology from critical appraisal is by convincing those who hold it that it is not a set of beliefs in need of defense but rather a common-sense conclusion that should be recognized by any rational person. After all, common-sense surely needs no defense! With that in mind, it is not surprising that a number of new atheists stress that atheism is precisely nothing more than good sense. This is how Sam Harris puts it: "Atheism is not a philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is simply an admission of the obvious. In fact, 'atheism' is a term that should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a 'non-astrologer' or a 'non-alchemist.' We do not have words for people who doubt that Elvis is still alive or that aliens have traversed the galaxy only to molest ranchers and their cattle. Atheism is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs." [2] If atheism is simply "an admission of the obvious," then it needs no defense. Furthermore, those people who are foolish enough to deny atheism are de facto standing in direct opposition to common-sense. David Mills argues along the same lines when he observes: "atheists have no obligation to prove or disprove anything. Otherwiseif you demand belief in all Beings for which there is no absolute dis-proofthen you are forced by your own twisted 'logic' to believe in mile-long pink elephants on Pluto, since, at present, we haven't explored Pluto and shown them to be nonexistent."[3] Like Harris, Mills aims to demonstrate that the atheist is not obliged to defend anything. Rather, in his view, atheism is simply common-sense. Meanwhile, theistic belief is manifestly absurd. These convictions concerning the radically different status of atheism and theism effectively establish a powerful binary opposition between the irrational theist (or, as Richard Dawkins says, the "faith-head") and the rational atheist. And that, in turn, places core atheistic assumptions beyond the realm of serious critical scrutiny. It's critical to recognize that placing one's beliefs beyond critical scrutiny is the most important step toward indoctrination. In this new atheist view, the religious individual is bound by the cognitive chains of irrational dogma, while the atheist-skeptic is unencumbered by any dogmas and thus is free to countenance the evidence without bias. Consequently, new atheists could hardly be more withering in their assessment of religious conviction. The depth of the binary opposition is captured in the following statement from Robert Pirsig that Richard Dawkins quotes with approval: "When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called Religion."[5] Similarly Sam Harris describes "the history of Christian theology" as "the story of bookish men parsing a collective delusion."[6] And if the notion of religion as a collective delusion were not bad enough, Dawkins also claims that religion is like a mind virus which co-opts and corrupts the mind of its host like a parasite.[7] Thus, while the atheist is supposed to be the liberated free thinker, the religious believer is enslaved to a mass, collective delusion that borders on insanity. Not surprisingly, given that new atheists assume that the religiously devout suffer from a cognitive delusion, the reflections of religious people on metaphysical questions are to be taken with no greater seriousness than the mental patient mumbling in the corner of the sanatorium. With this assumption, atheists can dismiss with staggering glibness the entire discipline of theology. For instance, Dawkins refers to the ontological argument for God's existence, an argument that has fascinated many of the most astute philosophical minds for the last eight hundred years, merely as "infantile."[8] Moreover, he claims that "the notion that religion is a proper field in which one might claim expertise, is one that should not go unquestioned. That clergyman presumably would not have deferred to the expertise of a claimed 'fairyologist' on the exact shape and color of fairy wings."[9] Needless to say, it is a waste of time to get into a debate with somebody who insists on the existence of fairies (even if they happen to claim expertise in those matters). In the paperback version of The God Delusion Dawkins responds directly to the charge that he had been inappropriately dismissive of theology. In reply, he writes: "I would happily have forgone bestsellerdom [in The God Delusion] if there had been the slightest hope of Duns Scotus [a medieval Christian theologian] illuminating my central question of whether God exists."[10] Needless to say, Dawkins assumes that there is literally no hope that so eminent a theologian as Duns Scotus (the famed "subtle doctor" of the thirteenth century) could have anything enlightening to say on the question of God's existence. These sharp binary categories enlightened atheist vs. irrational Christian are effective for perpetuating atheistic indoctrination, for they allow even the most novice atheist to dismiss the most senior theologians as deluded fools and irrational know-nothings. So we have David Mills, commenting: "Nor, in my opinion, is it even possible to change the religious views of those who perceive themselves as ethically superior because they belong to the one 'true' religion. Their ears and eyes and minds are closed forever. No amount of science or logic will make any difference to them."[11] Note how Mills categorically dismisses anybody who assents to a formal religious faith as hopelessly beyond the reach of rational argument. Other examples of this strategy of marginalization are easy to find. In his bestselling book, God is not Great, Christopher Hitchens asserts, "Religion comes from the period of human prehistory where nobody . . . had the smallest idea what was going on."[12] This sweeping statement allows Hitchens to conclude that "all attempts to reconcile faith with science and reason are consigned to failure and ridicule."[13] So the same binary opposition that enables Dawkins to dismiss theologians as idiots empowers Hitchens to ignore anybody (scientists included) who would seek to reconcile science with religion. You might as well attempt to reconcile science with alchemy.[14] We certainly find ample evidence for the first two dimensions of indoctrination in the new atheists given their dichotomy between "irrational faith" and "reasonable common sense". But there is one final factor that is especially powerful in perpetuating indoctrination: the perception of a crisis situation. In short, the person facing a crisis is more apt to set aside careful nuance and embrace the security and order of stark binary categories. And that is definitely the case with teh new atheism. To begin with, we need to understand that the new atheism is a post 9/11 phenomenon spurred on by the fear that the unchecked growth of religion will lead to increasing violence, intolerance, and oppression. This crisis justifies the new atheist in adopting a new level of stridency against religion. Dawkins thus explains his animus toward religion like this: "[S]uch hostility as I or other atheists occasionally voice towards religion is limited to words. I am not going to bomb anybody, behead them, stone them, burn them at the stake, crucify them, or fly planes into their skyscrapers, just because of a theological disagreement."[15] Critics of religion like Dawkins appeal to this fear of imminent violence and oppression arising from the teeming hordes of the religiously devout as the justification for forgoing nuance and charity. (You don't mind your 'p's and 'q's when you're in a life-or-death struggle with the glazed-eyed religious zealot.) At the beginning of his book Breaking the Spell (the spell being religion), philosopher Daniel Dennett provides a revealing admission: "Perhaps I should have devoted several more years to study [of religion] before writing this book, but since the urgency of the message was borne in on me again and again by current events, I had to settle for the perspectives I had managed to achieve so far" (emphasis added).[16] So presumably Dennett's often blunt treatment of religion should be excused because he did not have the luxury of more in-depth study, given the state of crisis posed by fundamentalism. The predictable result of new atheist indoctrination is an inability to take the views of the religiously devout person with intellectual care and charity. We find ample evidence of this in Dawkins' book The God Delusion. For instance, Dawkins described his puzzlement with religiously devout scientists as follows: "I remain baffled, not so much by their belief in a cosmic lawgiver of some kind, as by their belief in the details of the Christian religion: resurrection, forgiveness of sins and all."[17] Nor can Dawkins understand those theists who believe God could have used evolution to create: "I am continually astonished by those theists who, far from having their consciousness raised in the way that I propose, seem to rejoice in natural selection as 'God's way of achieving his creation.'"[18] Dawkins is even mystified that some Christians could actually be highly educated: "Why any circles worthy of the name of sophisticated remain within the Church is a mystery at least as deep as those that theologians enjoy."[19] Dawkins' mystification carries over to the high levels of religious observance within the American population: "The religiosity of today's America is something truly remarkable."[20] Note the terms I italicized in these quotes: baffled, astonished, mystery, remarkable. In these less-than-subtle ways, Dawkins marginalizes the religiously devout person as a bizarre phenomenon that resists rational explanation. And this incomprehension, this inability to understand people on the other side of your comfortable binary framework, is a result of indoctrination. Over the last fifteen years, I have engaged in extensive dialogue with atheists through written and spoken debates in books, blogs, radio and podcast exchanges and formal university debates. In that time, I have encountered a number of thoughtful and reflective atheists. But I have also encountered a disturbing number of atheists who reflect this same inability to engage with the Christian person with intellectual sophistication and charity. As one atheist candidly put it in a crass question to me following an apologetic presentation: "how old were you when you were first indoctrinated?" That is what the indoctrinated atheist mindset looks like. Note: This article is adapted from a section of my book You're Not as Crazy as I Think: Dialogue in a World of Loud Voices and Hardened Opinions. [1] The new atheism is a strident, anti-religious form of atheism that has emerged as a force in popular culture since 9/11 and which is represented by its four leaders, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens. [2] Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006), 51. [3] David Mills, Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism (Berkeley: Ulysses, 2006), 29. [4] Barbara Ehrenreich, "Give me that new-time religion," Mother Jones (June/July, 1987), 60. [5] Cited in Dawkins, The God Delusion (Boston: Mariner, 2008), 28. [6] Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation, 5. [7] See "Viruses of the Mind," in A Devil's Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2003), 128-151. [8] Dawkins, The God Delusion, 104. [9] Dawkins, The God Delusion, 37. [10] Dawkins, The God Delusion, 14. [11] Mills, Atheist Universe, 21. [12] Hitchens, god is not Great: how religion poisons everything (New York: Twelve, 2007), 64. [13] Hitchens, god is not Great, 64-5 [14] Not to be outdone, Sam Harris claims that "the central tenet of every religious tradition is that all others are mere repositories of error or, at best, dangerously incomplete. Intolerance is thus intrinsic to every creed." The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (New York: Norton, 2006), 13. [15] Dawkins, The God Delusion, 318. [16] Dennett, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon (New York: Penguin, 2006), xiv, emphasis added. [17] Dawkins, The God Delusion, 125, emphasis added. [18] Dawkins, The God Delusion, 143-144, emphasis added. [19] Dawkins, The God Delusion, 84, emphasis added. [20] Dawkins, The God Delusion, 26, emphasis added. Ben Affleck takes break from rehab to go to church with Jennifer Garner Hollywood actor Ben Affleck took a break from rehab to attend church with his estranged wife Jennifer Garner. Affleck was seen walking out of church last weekend in Pacific Palisades with Garner, their son, Samuel, and their two daughters, Violet and Seraphina. As seen in recent paparazzi photos taken by TMZ, the Batman actor seems to be responding well to treatment and is looking healthier than he has in recent months, when spotted out partying and buying large amounts of alcohol. Five weeks ago, Garner staged an intervention for the father of her children by visiting his home with a Bible in hand. Following her visit, she personally drove Affleck into an inpatient rehab facility. Photos of the actress show her walking into Affleck's house clutching a Bible and what looked to be a journal. Affleck has reportedly been in the facility ever since and, according to the website, the location is a "state-of-the-art private-pay treatment program housed on 120 beautiful acres near the Malibu coastline." The California native and Garner were wed in 2005, but announced their separation in a joint statement in 2015. In April, they filed for divorce but the Los Angeles Superior Court had postponed the couple's divorce proceedings because they hadn't yet filed their paperwork. Following her lead role in the faith-based film "Miracles From Heaven," Garner has been seen attending church regularly with her children. Despite their separation, Affleck has also been in the past spotted going to church with Garner and their children from time-to-time. Climate change panel issues 'final call' on global warming as global disaster threatens A 'final call' on the need to control global warming has been issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Their report says the world is heading for a rise of 3 degrees C above pre-industrial levels and that this needs to be kept to 1.5C in order to avoid catastrophic change. It says global emissions of CO2 need to decline by 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030, that renewables must provide 85 per cent of global energy by 2050 and that global net emissions should be zero by then. The scientists warn that failing to take widespread and expensive action will lead to catastrophic sea level rises, the death of coral reefs, the ability to grow staple food crops and areas of the earth becoming uninhabitable. The Church of England's lead bishop on the environment has said the report reveals a 'critical risk-level' for global communities. Speaking from the European Churches Environmental Network in Katowice, Bishop Nicholas Holtam, Bishop of Salisbury, urged the UK government to commit to a target of net zero emissions by 2050. 'The evidence published by the IPCC today shows that the risk level of climate change is now critical. Ours is the first generation to know and understand this and probably the last to be able to do something meaningful towards climate justice,' he said. 'This year has been the hottest on record. Extreme weather events happen with increasing frequency, and the poorest are most vulnerable to the impact of climate change which affects us all. 'For Christians, striving to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustaining and renewing the life of the earth is at the heart of what we believe. We have a narrow window now to act if we are to protect God's creation for generations to come as individuals, communities and as a global family.' He added: 'We can, and we must do more to pick up the pace of change. This is a holistic and positive change, with benefits for the way we live together.' Stephen Beer, chief investment officer at Epworth Investment Management Limited, which manages the money of the Methodist Church and other Christian charities said of the IPCC report that it made 'grim reading'. 'It shows how time is not on our side,' he said. 'It is important that we take action across society to limit carbon emissions. For churches and charities that means taking action on investments too. We are already reviewing our approach to fossil fuel companies but we have always said it is about companies in every sector of the economy. What is their contribution to stopping climate disaster, or are they part of the problem? We need to see action.' Former bishop Heather Cook seeks early release from prison Former Episcopal Church bishop Heather Cook, who ran over and killed a cyclist while she was texting and driving drunk, could be freed from prison as early as next month if an appeal succeeds. Cook, formerly Bishop of Maryland, killed software engineer Thomas Palermo on December 27, 2014. He was 41 years old and married with two young children. Cook was sentenced to seven years in prison the following year. However, she has asked for the prison time she serves on two of the charges for which she was convicted to be served concurrently rather than consecutively, according to the Baltimore Sun. That could reduce her prison time by two years, and as she has earned remission by participating in prison programmes she could be released on November 5 rather than next August. She has previously sought early release. A request last year to serve the remainder of her time in home detention was refused. Alisa Rock, Palermo's sister-in-law, told the Sun: 'Each of Cook's attempts to reduce her sentence traumatizes my sister and her family anew. It's maddening... This trauma will affect them all for the rest of their lives, and it's only appropriate that Heather Cook serve out her original sentence, not only for killing Tom, but for leaving him there, for abdicating responsibility for what she did.' New Episcopal Church resolutions on 'leadership impairment' unfitness for office due to alcohol and substance misuse and behavioral addictions, introduced in the wake of the Cook case are to come into effect in January 2019. Sexual assault linked to higher rates of infertility in women Women who have experienced sexual assault may be more likely to suffer from infertility, a new study has found. The findings of the study, which looked specifically at female veterans, are to be presented at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine's conference in Denver this week. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Iowa, who were surprised to find a link between sexual assault and rates of infertility. The researchers interviewed 1,000 female veterans and concluded that sexual assault was a major factor in distinguishing the infertile study participants from the fertile ones. Out of the 1,000 interviewed, one in five were found to be infertile (18 per cent), but to the surprise of the researchers, those who were infertile were far more likely to have been sexually assaulted compared to the fertile participants. While 45 per cent of the fertile group reported experiencing sexual assault, this figure rose to 60 per cent in the infertile group. Catherine Racowsky, PhD, vice president of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, said the numbers of female veterans who had experienced sexual assault was 'strikingly high'. 'This study reinforces our understanding that infertility is often related to other health conditions,' she said. 'A crucial finding here is the strikingly high number of our female veterans who have suffered from sexual assault, and its potential to impact on their fertility.' The study participants were American women between the ages of 21 and 52 who had served in the armed forces. Researchers found that the infertile group also had a higher rate of cancer, with 14 per cent having suffered from the illness, compared to only eight per cent of the fertile group. They were also more likely to experience chronic pain - 65 per cent compared to 54 per cent. The infertile group were also more likely to smoke, be older and come from non-white ethnic groups. The Word on depression: Three Bible passages One of the most commonly stated reasons people with mental health issues struggle with church is the relentlessly upbeat tone from the pulpit and the song sheet. God has triumphed over sin and death and so will you! Praise the Lord! When you are already feeling like an abject failure, being reminded of the absence of joy in your salvation can take you into deeper darkness. When did you last deliver or hear a sermon on Lamentations or Job? Have you lingered at the end of Jonah lately, or gone past the beginning of Acts where it's all new and exciting to the bit where they start being martyred and fighting with each other? King David wrestled with doubt and despair; Hannah, the mother of the great priest Samuel was utterly distraught by the long years of infertility (1 Samuel 1:710); and the apostle Paul at times 'despaired of life itself' (2 Corinthians 1:8). If we are not addressing the full range of human experience in our preaching and our sung worship, it is not because the Bible doesn't give us material to work with. Here are three passages which weave together the twin realities of agonising suffering and the goodness, mercy and love of Emmanuel, God with us. Even the best of us: 1 Kings 19 The story of Elijah is a powerful affirmation that God sees, uses and cares for us, even when we are at our lowest and most broken. The biblical picture of humanity has not been photoshopped and things get pretty blurry, chaotic and dark at this juncture, even as the glory of God flashes, flames from heaven illuminate the sky and false gods come crashing down. Elijah lived in the northern kingdom of Israel under King Ahab who, with his wife Jezebel, led the people into idolatry. Elijah is one of the greatest prophets and miracle workers in the Old Testament he stopped the rain for three years, raised a widow's son to life and parted the Jordan. In 1 Kings 19 Elijah is fresh from a literal and metaphorical mountain-top experience on Mount Carmel a stand-off with 450 prophets of Baal ending in a mass acknowledgement of the superiority of the God of Israel, fire from heaven, and a bloody massacre. He runs from the scene, faster than a horse, and then collapses; spent and miserable. This giant of the faith is afraid (19:3), suicidal (19:4) and exhausted (19:5). Depression, anxiety and mental anguish are not signs you are a bad Christian. Christians can be the worst at knowing how to help and what to say in the presence of a depressed person. Do they need to repent of sin? Perhaps God will heal them miraculously after a heartfelt prayer or two? The help God gives Elijah here is simple: food and water (19:6 -8), his presence and calling (19:11), and someone to keep him company and share his workload (19:15-21). Elijah's effectiveness for God doesn't end under the lonely broom bush. There is more to be done and God plans to use Elijah to do it. People with shoddy mental health can wonder if they have anything to offer. They have and they need to hear that loud and clear from the pulpit. Preaching on this passage is one of the ways you can get the message across. Worshipping from the bottom of the pit: Psalms 42 and 43 Two questions: Can we worship when we are depressed, angry, in pain, despairing? And if we can, what does that look like? How do we do it? Psalm 42 and 43 give a resounding yes in answer to the first question, and show that with suffering comes the potential for deeper, more intimate worship. Here we have a man who feels the absence of God painfully in his experience of suffering. Rather than accept the reality of the void, he throws himself into the pursuit of God's presence: 'My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?' (42:2). If we are able to understand our need as being primarily for God (as opposed to alcohol, human acceptance, more money, or the other things we can use as temporary comfort) then our suffering has the potential to deepen our relationship with him. Second question: How do we worship in sadness? Let's look at the characteristics of the psalmist's worship in these two psalms. What stands out most vividly is his honesty. The author of these psalms is an example of breath-taking honesty. He is at rock bottom, tearful, downcast, disturbed, feeling forgotten and oppressed and even in physical pain. All these things he brings into his song. God can take it. We might sometimes feel we need to put on a brave face to God. Many of us are taught to begin our prayers with a thank you. That might be good practice, but it can lead to pretence. It is acceptable to be real, and actually it is a bit absurd not to be, given that God knows the state of our hearts better than we do. If we start from where we really are, the process of communing with God may well move us to somewhere different, but for that to happen we must be relating truthfully with him from the outset. The psalmist also worships reverently. He never forgets who God is, and his awe and respect for God infuse the psalms. He calls him 'the living God,' 'the mighty one', 'the God of my life', 'God my rock', 'God my stronghold.' When we worship in sadness we mustn't let our sadness obscure the reality of God's greatness and majesty. And he worships hopefully. He remembers the goodness of God in the past. Psalm 42:4 says'These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One'. In 42:8 he acknowledges the comfort of God in the present: 'By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me' and shored up by these thoughts, he has confidence to ask for God in 43:3 to 'send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me, let them bring me to your holy mountain'. I know that without doubt all of us will have evidence in our lives of God's faithfulness and love and presence. It is a good practice to bring these to mind regularly, and to let them give us confidence to ask him to help us through times of trouble. Lastly, he worships with discipline. He takes himself firmly in hand, and commands himself to 'put your hope in God', (43:5) to continue to praise him whatever the reality he faces, and however much the evidence seems to point to God's abandonment. There are times when we will have to worship out of obedience rather than an overflow of joy and love. God remains the same, and he is just as worthy of our adoration and worship when we are sad as when we are joyful. The long view: Revelation 21:1-5 One of the most biting satires ever written was the 17th-century French philosopher Voltaire's novel Candide, in which the eponymous hero continues to declare 'all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds' in the face of extreme and mounting evidence to the contrary. False hope is no hope at all. Drowning people have no use for platitudes they need something to hold onto that will stop them sinking beneath the water. The desire to comfort is commendable, but make sure the comfort you offer has substance. Some will never in this life be well, dogged to their death by debilitating depression, perhaps at their own hand. Some relationships won't be restored. Some grief will never fade. All might not be for the best and suggesting it will be is unhelpful at the least and has the potential to undermine faith in a good God. This is not to say there is no comfort to offer. The Bible is as much as anything a story of comfort: the story of a God who sees and hears and rescues. God is with us in deep waters and fiery furnaces (Isaiah 42:3). He gives us sustenance in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:5). He knows what it is to be abandoned, betrayed and in physical and emotional agony (Matthew 27:46). His Spirit brings incomprehensible peace (Philippians 4:7). And then there is the Great Hope, the final redemption, the eternal joy and wholeness and glory of heaven. This is what makes the story make sense. This is why we press on, one foot after another, day after day as best we can. Most people today won't have read much apocalyptic literature. We don't have an intuitive feel for how it works and so it can be confusing or alienating. The book of Revelation is a riot of colours, images and pronouncements that scholars and lay-readers alike have struggled to interpret over the centuries, but we are poorer without it and it deserves its place in our canon. Writing to early followers of Christ undergoing unimaginable suffering for their faith, John's vision of heaven is a reminder of what the world will be like under the complete reign of its king, when 'the old order of things has passed away' (Revelation 21:4). As Paul wrote, 'For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known' (1 Corinthians 13:12). The reality of God's kingdom is for today; his presence is a current reality. But there is more to come, so much more. Hold up this hope from your pulpit. Preach on heaven. Call your hearers to engage their imaginations and their hearts in what God has 'prepared for those who love him' (1 Corinthians 2:9). There will be an end of all suffering we just need to hold on a little longer. Jo Swinney was the founding editor of Preach. She is now Director of Church Communications for CPO and a freelance writer, editor and speaker. Her first book, 'Through the Dark Woods' (Monarch, 2006) is a personal account of her struggles with depression. She blogs at www.joswinney.com. This article first appeared in the October edition of Preach magazine, which focuses on mental health, and is reproduced with permission. World Mental Health Day 2018 is on October 10. Trump's evangelical supporters hail Kavanaugh confirmation Evangelical backers of President Donald Trump have hailed the Senate's confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice on Saturday. Kavanaugh's appointment was dogged by controversy after he was accused of sexual misconduct by a number of women including Christine Blasey Ford, who said he had attempted to rape her when they were both teenagers. He strongly denied the accusations and public opinion divided sharply on party lines. Evangelicals largely favoured Kavanaugh, whose appointment tips the bench decisively in a conservative direction. Conservatives will now have a five-four majority in any future legal battles on contentious issues such as abortion rights, immigration, transgender rights, industry regulation and presidential powers. Franklin Graham tweeted: Congratulations to #SCOTUS Justice Brett Kavanaugh! He didn't deserve to be treated the way he was in this process no one deserves that. I'm thankful that God overruled. Let's pray for him & his family in this critical appointment. I'm confident he will do a great job.' Pastor Paula White-Cain praised Trump for 'once again keeping his promise to appoint a defender of the Constitution, as the Evangelical community voted with this as a priority'. 'Not only is the new Justice Kavanaugh a good and decent man, but he is also one of the most respected legal minds of his generation. I believe he will serve our nation with distinction, just as he has done for the last 28 years of his legal career. God bless the entire Kavanaugh family, as they can finally begin this new and exciting chapter.' Jason Yates, chief executive of My Faith Votes, said the Kavanaugh appointment process was 'the most raucous, partisan and unseemly affair to come out of Washington in recent memory perhaps ever'. He placed the blame firmly on the Democrats, saying opposition to Kavanaugh was 'a hijacking of the legitimacy and intent of the #MeToo movement for political expediency' and a 'shallow tactic'. 'Now is a time for Christians to pray,' he said. 'Justice Kavanaugh has been afforded the rare privilege to serve on the highest court in the land, and his decisions will impact Americans for generations. So let us pray for him, that his service to this nation would be the epitome of impartiality, integrity and an unswerving commitment to the Constitution.' He added: 'Let us also pray for our nation, that the seething anger and discord of our politics of late would no longer drive us apart.' Pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie said: 'Whatever your politics, it is difficult to look back on the last weeks in Washington with anything other than exasperation and sorrow. It hasbeen a circus.' He urged Christians to 'pray for Judge Kavanaugh, that his time on the Supreme Court would be full of wisdom and integrity, and that God himself would guide ALL OUR JUSTICES'. Dr Ronnie Floyd, president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, urged national unity, saying: 'Whatever your inclination on the whole issue whether Judge Kavanaugh should or should not have been confirmed to the Supreme Court our infighting has left America worse off than it was before. Once again, we are more divided, more hurt, more tribalized and more cynical. When our opinions become more important than people, we all lose.' The church, he said, should be 'a force of unity, love and civility both within and without'. Rev Dr Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, described the confirmation hearings as 'one of the ugliest and most controversial' in US history and also called for unity. 'It is in that spirit that I respectfully pray for Justice Kavanaugh, that he will emerge as a great asset to the nation in the preservation of life, the advancement of religious liberty, the defense of the Constitution and ultimately in the service of racial, spiritual and cultural reconciliation.' The contentious confirmation took place in the shadow of the forthcoming mid-term November elections. Democrats must gain at least two Senate seats and 23 House seats at the elections to claim majorities in each chamber, enabling them to block Trump's agenda and investigate his administration. The Democrats are seen as having more chance of winning control of the House of Representatives than the Senate. Vatican takes off gloves, accuses Archbishop Vigano of 'calumny, defamation' A top Vatican official on Sunday issued a scathing open letter accusing an archbishop who launched an unprecedented attack on Pope Francis of mounting a 'political frame job devoid of real foundation'. Cardinal Marc Ouellet said in the detailed, three-page letter that calls by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano for the pope to resign because he had allegedly covered up sexual misconduct by a senior American churchman were 'calumny and defamation'. Ouellet, who heads the Vatican's powerful Congregation for Bishops, issued the letter in response to a bombshell statement on August 26 by Vigano in which he accused a long list of current and past Vatican and US Church officials of covering up for Theodore McCarrick, 88, the former archbishop of Washington, DC, and called on the pope to resign. Vigano said the pope knew for years about sexual misconduct by McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, DC, with adult male seminarians but did nothing about it. Ouellet's stinging letter, unusually blunt between churchmen, was a point-by-point rebuttal of Vigano's statements. He said Vigano, who is in hiding and has issued his accusations exclusively through conservative Catholic media which are traditionally antagonistic towards the pope, had let himself 'be convinced of this monstrous accusation'. Ouellet, a Canadian, said: 'I conclude, therefore that your accusations are a political frame job devoid of any real foundation.' He urged Vigano to 'come out of hiding, repent for your revolt and return to better feelings towards the Holy Father instead of worsening hostility against him'. He added: 'Should not ministers of the truth above all stay away from calumny and defamation?' Church in turmoil Vigano's statement, combined with a recent spate of sexual abuse crises in several countries, has thrown the Catholic Church into turmoil. In July, McCarrick became the first cardinal to resign in nearly 100 years after American Church officials said allegations made in a separate investigation that he had sexually abused a 16-year-old boy almost 50 years ago were credible and substantiated.. That investigation was not related to the accusations that McCarrick, who rose to be a key power broker in the American Church, had engaged in sexual misconduct with adult males for years. McCarrick has said he had no recollection of alleged abuse of the minor, but has not commented on the allegations of misconduct with the seminarians, which allegedly took place mostly at a beach house in New Jersey when he was a bishop in that state. Vigano alleged that former Pope Benedict, who resigned in 2013, had placed sanctions on McCarrick because of his sexual misconduct with adult males and had ordered him to retire to a life of prayer and penitence and refrain from public ministry. Vigano claimed that Francis had lifted the sanctions, effectively rehabilitating McCarrick. Ouellet said this was 'false'. In his letter, Ouellet said there had been no formal sanctions against McCarrick, who had been retired for seven years by the time Francis was elected in 2013. But Ouellet acknowledged that he had told Vigano that McCarrick should adhere to 'certain conditions and restrictions because of rumours regarding his past behaviour'. He also denied Vigano's assertion that McCarrick had become a 'great counsellor' to Francis. 'I find it abhorrent that you take advantage of the clamorous scandal of sexual abuse in the United States to inflict an unheard of and unwarranted' attack on the pope, Ouellet said. He was referring to a grand jury report in Pennsylvania in August that found that 301 Catholic priests in the state had sexually abused minors over the past 70 years. Western countries must give Asia Bibi asylum, say Christian campaigners Christians campaigning for the release of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman on death row for blasphemy, are calling upon Western countries to offer her asylum. The call was made as a final appeal against her death sentence was heard in court on Monday in which a decision was reserved by the judge. Bibi was sentenced to death in 2010 and Pakistani Christians have been praying for her release ever since. However, they fear that even if the sentence is overturned, she will be killed by extremists upon release. Monday marked the final hearing in a lengthy appeal against her death sentence. Leighton Medley, of the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) said the court hearing was like 'D-Day' for Bibi, who has spent the last decade in prison, separated from her husband and children. 'We must have faith that God can intervene in this situation and this mountain will be removed, it is very much like going into the lion's den,' said Medley. 'It truly is D-Day for Asia, this is the final countdown and we will soon know whether the extremists win or lose and whether there will be peace and justice in Pakistan or just more hatred, prejudice and intolerance which sadly has come to typify Pakistan today.' The BPCA said that radical Muslims renewed calls for Bibi's death in the run-up to Monday's appeal hearing. Chairman of the BPCA, Wilson Chowdhry, said Western nations need to hold Pakistan to account and ensure asylum is offered to Bibi in the event of her release. 'Asylum must be automatic and immediate safe haven for this family [sic] and Western nations need to be holding Pakistan to account for how or whether they in fact protect minority groups,' he said. 'These charges have been proven false time and again and it is time for her to return home to her family. Clearly she will need asylum in a Western country where she can live out the remainder of her days in peace.' He said it was not safe for Bibi to remain in Pakistan if she is freed and that further delays to a final ruling on the appeal would only place her in more danger because of the 'draconian' conditions in prison. 'The longer she is in Pakistan, the longer she is a trigger for unwarranted violence by extremists,' he said. Bibi's family were in the UK this month to raise awareness of her plight. Her husband Ashiq Masih said at an Aid to the Church in Need event in Lancaster last week that his wife was staying strong despite her ordeal. 'She is psychologically, physically and spiritually strong,' he said. 'Having a very strong faith, she is ready and willing to die for Christ. She will never convert to Islam.' San Antonio-based engineering firm Raba Kistner has added Conroe-based Timber Creek Environmental as part of its environmental division, the company announced. The acquisition expands the firm's services in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, and strengthens its position in the industrial sector. Timber Creek Environmental president Charles "Dude" Hall established the company in 2013 as a provider of environmental compliance, geosciences and natural resource management services. The firm will transition to the Raba Kistner name over the next 90 days. "They are a great cultural fit for Raba Kistner, as a result, and will support multiple components of Raba Kistner's strategic growth plan," Raba Kistner environmental division senior vice president and chief operating officer Tom Burr said in an announcement. The combination also gives Raba Kistner a regional/national presence through services provided to a select number of large industrial clients, the company said. RELATED: U.S. oil and gas mergers top $30 billion in third quarter "TCE's background with the manufacturing/industrial sector and with major national clients strengthens our position in this sector," Raba Kistner chief marketing officer and senior vice president Joe Irizarry said. "We have served industrial clients for almost 50 years. TCE expands our range of environmental services and gives us even more ways to provide solutions for our clients." Hall said the deal expands Timber Creek Environmental's client base, as Raba Kistner has offices in Texas, Utah, Nebraska, Mexico as well as project offices throughout the United States. "We are able to bring some critical new environmental services to assist with their client base," Hall said. "In addition, we can expand the suite of services we offer to TCE clients by including geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, and program management services." Before the acquisition, Raba Kistner employed 71 in the Houston area. Timber Creek Environmental has 14 employees. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Sept. 24 At 12:07 a.m., Officer Ortega observed a white Volkswagen 4 door parked in front of the park past curfew hours in the 800 block of Jaquet Drive. After further investigation, the occupants of the vehicle were placed into custody for possession of marijuana <= 2oz in a drug free zone. Officer Norman assisted in this case. At 6:45 a.m., Officer Trujillo was dispatched to 4747 Bellaire Blvd. in reference to a criminal trespass. Upon arrival, Officer Trujillo spoke with the reportee who stated when she went into their locked storage room she found the suspect inside going through their medications. Upon further investigation the suspect was found in possession of stolen medications and charged with 3rd degree felony theft. At 5:21 p.m., Officer Schwausch was patrolling the 9000 block of Interstate Highway 610 WSR in Houston when he observed a silver Kia traveling in front of him with an invalid Texas Temporary Tag. Officer Schwausch initiated a traffic stop on the Kia and made contact with the driver for the traffic violation of no valid registration. The suspect driver was found to be driving with a suspended license and no proof of financial responsibility. The front passenger was found to have 4 confirmed Houston Police Department warrants. Both were placed into custody and transported to the Bellaire Jail without incident. Officer Liccketto assisted with this investigation. At 9:52 p.m., Officer Schwausch was patrolling the 4700 block of Bellaire Boulevard when he observed a black Chevrolet in front of him with expired registration. Officer Schwausch initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and found the driver was driving with a suspended driver license and without proof of financial responsibility. The driver was arrested for driving while license invalid - enhanced. The front passenger was found to have a warrant out of Harris County Sherriffs Office. Both were transported to the Bellaire Jail without incident. Officer Liccketto assisted with the investigation. Sept. 25 At 9:05 a.m., Officer Carson was dispatched to the Bellaire Fire Department in regards to meeting with a victim of identity theft in the 5000 block of Mimosa Drive. The victims information was used by unknown suspect(s) to open an account. At 11:45 a.m., Officer Carson was dispatched to the City Hall Lobby of the City of Bellaire to meet with a victim in regards to her seeing a male pleasuring himself inside his vehicle while looking at her. Victim advised the incident occurred for about four to five minutes while she sat in traffic waiting for the train to clear the roadway. The suspect was identified and later arrested on Oct. 3. At 6:49 p.m., Officer Delgado was patrolling the 6700 block of IH 610 ESR in behind a white 2010 Dodge Avenger. Officer Delgado conducted a traffic stop for obscured plate on this vehicle. Officer Delgado made contact with the driver who provided his name and date of birth and was unable to provide any proof of financial responsibility. The driver was shown to be driving while license invalid enhanced and was placed in custody. At 9:21 p.m., Officer Liccketto was patrolling the 4500 block of Bellaire Boulevard Eastbound and observed a white Dodge truck with expired motor vehicle registration. During the course of the investigation, the driver was found to be driving while intoxicated and a felon in possession of a firearm. The driver was arrested and transported to the Bellaire Police Department for booking and processing. Officers Guerra, Delgado, Clisham, Quimby, and Sergeant Hollie assisted with the case. At 8:51 p.m., Officer Delgado was patrolling the 4700 block of Bellaire Blvd behind a silver 2015 Kia Forte. Officer Delgado conducted a traffic stop for expired motor vehicle registration on this vehicle. Officer Delgado made contact with the driver who provided her Texas Driver License and an insurance card. The driver was shown to be driving while license invalid and was placed in custody. Through investigation the Texas Liability Insurance Card was shown to be fictitious. Sept. 27 At 3:41 p.m., Officer Guerra was patrolling the 5200 block Bellaire Boulevard when he observed a blue Chevy Equinox in front of him with defective right brake light. Officer Guerra initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and found the driver was driving with a suspended driver license with prior convictions for DWI. The driver was arrested for driving while license invalid - enhanced and transported to the Bellaire Police Department without incident. At 5:59 p.m., Officer Schwausch was dispatched to HEB at 5601 Bissonnet Street in reference to a male subject who was currently detained by employees after shoplifting multiple items. Officer Schwausch arrived and after further investigation, the subject was placed in custody for theft. Officer Delgado assisted in this incident. Sept. 28 At 4:33 p.m., Officer Schwausch was dispatched to 5002 Bellaire Blvd. in reference to a subject blocking traffic in the Walgreens parking lot. Officer Schwausch arrived on scene and located the suspect. The suspect was subsequently charged and arrested for criminal trespass. At 11:46 p.m., Officer OSullivan was dispatched to a report of a disabled vehicle on the freeway in the 5900 block of IH 610 northbound. Officer OSullivan contacted Harris County Motorist Assistance Program Deputy Bowers. The driver of the vehicle was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. At 7:13 p.m., Officer Guerra was dispatched to 4400 Bellaire Blvd. On 09/28/2018 between 1840 hours and 1900 hours an unknown suspect broke the front passenger side window with an unknown object. The unknown suspect reached in through the broken window and stole multiple items. At 6:18 p.m., Officer Guerra was dispatched to the City of Bellaire City Hall Lobby in reference to a report of theft in the 5300 block of Pine Street. The investigation indicated the incident was an instance of identity theft which occurred at the above location. At 6:35 p.m., Officer Schwausch was dispatched to the Bellaire United Methodist Church at 4417 Bellaire Blvd. in reference to a wallet stolen from a purse. The investigation indicated this incident was a theft. At 4:56 p.m., Officers were dispatched to a shoplifting in progress occurring at 5000 Bellaire Blvd. Officers were able to locate the suspect and the suspect was placed into custody for theft. Officers Younger, OSullivan, and Barber responded to this call. Sept. 29 At 9:01 a.m., Officer Vorhees was dispatched to a report of a male sleeping on a residents front porch in the 4800 block of Bellaire Boulevard. Officer Vorhees made contact with the male sleeping on the residents front porch. The male was identified and arrested for an ICE Detainer. After further investigation, he was charged with possession of a controlled substance, and forgery of a government document. Officer Barber assisted with this investigation. At 11:30 p.m., Officer Bellard was doing a property check at a business located in the City of Bellaire. Officer Bellard conducted a computer query on an unoccupied gray Jetta which returned stolen out of Houston Police. The suspect entered the vehicle and left the scene without Officer Bellard noticing. Officer Bellard was able to locate the vehicle at 20230 Cypress Rosehill in the city of Tomball. After further investigation the suspect was observed in the vehicle and placed into custody for felony theft. Harris County Sheriffs Deputies assisted in this case. At 11:56 p.m., Officer Clisham initiated a traffic stop in the area of 8400 Chimney Rock Road on a vehicle after he observed the vehicle speeding. After a vehicle search and further investigation the driver was placed into custody for possession of marijuana and unlawful carry of a weapon. Sept. 30 At 3:02 p.m., Officers responded to 5130 Bellaire Blvd. in regards to a shoplifting in progress. The suspect was located and placed into custody for theft and warrants. Officers Younger, Schwausch, and Delgado responded to this call. At 8:09 p.m., Officer Schwausch was patrolling the 8000 block of Alder Drive in Bellaire when he observed a silver Hyundai traveling in front of him with expired registration as of 12/17. Officer Schwausch initiated a traffic stop on the Hyundai and made contact with the driver for the traffic violation of expired registration. The suspect driver was found to be driving with a suspended license and no proof of financial responsibility. Further investigation found the driver to be in possession of a controlled substance (synthetic cannabinoids). At 4:38 p.m., Officer Younger was dispatched to 5320 Bellaire Blvd. in regards to a criminal mischief report. When Officer Younger arrived on scene he observed that an unidentified suspect had thrown a rock through one of the front windows to the lobby. Oct. 2 At 4:31 a.m., Officer D. Norman was dispatched to a minor accident with one of the vehicles leaving the scene of the accident in the 5900 block of IH 610 SB. The reportee was following the suspect vehicle until Bellaire Officers were able to arrive on location. Upon further investigation, the driver of the suspect vehicle was placed in custody for fail to stop and give information. The suspect was transported to the Bellaire Police Department Jail for processing. Officers J. Trujillo, J. Clisham and Corporal D. Clawson assisted in this case. At 11:55 p.m., Officer D. Norman observed a vehicle pull into the parking lot of Wells Fargo located in the 5100 block of Bellaire Blvd. Officer Norman then observed a female wearing a red dress exit the vehicle and walk toward the walk-up ATM. Officer Norman observed the female squat down in front of the ATM and began to urinate on the sidewalk. At this time, Officer Norman drove into the Wells Fargo parking lot and made contact with the female and four other occupants in the vehicle. Upon further investigation three of the subjects were arrested for public intoxication, one of the subjects was arrested for evading, possession of a fictitious government document, and fail to identify to a police officer. Two missing female juveniles and one missing male juveniles from Charlotte, North Carolina were identified. Officers Y. Ortega, J. Clisham, Corporal D. Clawson, and Sergeant D. Hollie assisted in this case. Sept. 29 At 2:26 a.m., an officer observed a vehicle travelling westbound in the 4000 block of Bellaire fail to maintain a single marked lane. A traffic stop was conducted and upon further investigation, it was discovered that the driver was operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. The driver was arrested for the offense. An officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in regards to an individual who had warrants with the City of West University Place Police Departments. The individual was taken into custody and booked in for the warrants without incident. An Officer was dispatched to the 6400 block of Westchester in reference to a Welfare Check. Officers made contact with the subject and after further investigation, determined that the subject was intoxicated. The subject was arrested for public intoxication and transported to West University Place jail. Sept. 30 At 7:17 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 2700 block of Talbot in regard to a Fraud incident. At 9:52 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 3100 block of Bissonnet for a report of a suspicious person sleeping on the front step of a residence. On arrival, the officers discovered the suspicious person left the original location and entered another residence next door. Officers were on scene when the suspect exited the residence and he was taken into custody at that time and charged with Burglary of Habitation. Oct. 1 An officer observed in the 2600 block of Rice a vehicle with the driver side rear door standing open in a moving lane of traffic and a subject sleeping in the rear seat. Contact was made with the subject and upon further investigation, it was discovered that the subject was intoxicated. The subject (James Rassinier) was arrested for Public Intoxication. At 11:36 a.m., a Police Officer was flagged down in the 2600 block of Sunset and was informed of a burglary of vehicle that had already occurred. At 1:21 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby, in regard to a walk-in report of a minor accident. Oct. 2 An officer was dispatched to the 6300 block of Community in regards to a Burglary of a Habitation that had already occurred. Oct. 3 At 7:43 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop in the 2900 block of University. During the course of the traffic stop, the driver was discovered to have multiple warrants from Houston Police and Precinct 5 Constable. The driver (Tristan Gilmore) was placed in custody for the warrants. During the arrest, a small amount of marijuana was discovered and brought to evidence for destruction. An officer was dispatched to meet a City of Pearland officer, who had a subject with outstanding warrants with West University. Officer arrived and took custody of the subject, and brought him to the West U jail facility. Oct. 4 An officer was dispatched to meet with a Bellaire officer who had an individual detained for outstanding warrants with the City of West University Place Police Department. The individual (Richard Knox) was taken into custody and booked into jail for the warrants without incident. 3 1 of 3 Billy Calzada /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 2 of 3 William Luther /Staff file photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Two drilling companies are set to merge in a deal valued at nearly $800 million. Precision Drilling Corp. will buy Trinidad Drilling Limited in a deal valued at $793 million, according to news releases Friday. Both companies are headquartered in Canada. Fears that crude oil exports will become the next bottleneck for booming U.S. oil production may be overblown, a new report said. The report, by the financial services firm, Raymond James said some temporary bottlenecks may emerge because of the need to build new docks able to handle larger oil tankers, but the oil and gas industry should be able to meet the rising demand for more oil export capacity. Exports have asurged 50 percent so far in 2018, from 1.2 million barrels a day through July 2017 to more than 1.8 million barrels a day through this July, the Raymond James report said. Continued oil production growth in the U.S. is expected to drive the need for exports, as U.S.-based refineries are geared more toward heavier crude oil types compared to the light sweet crude oil types that are produced out of American oil fields. That production growth could top 1.2 million barrels a day in 2018 alone, pushing the United States to 11.2 million barrels a day. The report expects the same level of production growth in 2019, which would bring U.S. oil production to around 12.4 million barrels a day. The report expects almost all of the added supply over the next few years will be destined for the export market. By the end of 2020 Raymond James expects exports to be above 4 million barrels a day. The analysis says that current estimates for U.S. crude oil export capacity put it around 5 million barrels a day, but that it would be unlikely that companies could sustain that levels of exports for a sustained period of time. In order to meet this rising demand ports and companies across the Gulf Coast are ramping up plans to build new docks to handle the growing export volumes. But only one facility -- the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, or Loop -- is able to handle Very Large Crude Carriers or VLCCs, among the largest crude oil tankers with a capacity of 2 million barrels of oil. VLCCs are a preferred method for exporting crude because their scale comes with cost savings that some have said are around 75 cents a barrel, or $1.5 million per load. Several companies and port authorities have announced plans to build VLCC-capable crude oil export terminals. Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners has proposed building a VLCC-capable offshore crude oil export terminal 80 miles offshore in the region near Galveston. Swiss commodities trader Trafigura is proposing to build its own VLCC-capable offshore oil terminal around 13 miles offshore from Padre Island, near Corpus Christi. The Port of Corpus Christi -- which is evaluating its own plan to build an onshore VLCC oil export terminal on Harbor Island, just a few miles inland from the Gulf -- has filed a pair of complaints against Trafigura's plans, which would circumvent the Port of Corpus Christi. 3 1 of 3 MANDEL NGAN /AFP /Getty Images Show More Show Less 2 of 3 John Davenport /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Retired Admiral William McRaven, the former chancellor to the University of Texas system, has been elected to serve on the board of directors of Houston-based oil giant ConocoPhillips. McRaven had a 37-year career in the U.S. Navy that ended when he retired in 2014. He left the military as head of the Special Operations Command, and was credited with the planning of the raid that killed Osama bin-Laden in Pakistan. 3 1 of 3 Kristi Nix Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy Show More Show Less 3 of 3 NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care won this year's Dream Big Small Business of the Year award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The award came with a $25,000 cash prize and national recognition at a summit in Washington D.C. Brennan Linsley/Associated Press Oil fell to a one-week low in New York amid signs that Iranian supply disruptions may not be as severe as expected. Futures declined as much as 1.7 percent on Monday after approaching a four-year high last week. U.S. government officials were said to be in talks with countries seeking exemptions from American sanctions that will ban crude purchases from Iran in a matter of weeks. Saudi Arabia and allied producers already have raised output to mitigate any drop in Iranian exports. Even though Beijing hasnt sanctioned American oil imports yet, Chinese buyers arent taking any chances. The worlds second largest economy halted purchases of U.S. crude in August for the first time since September 2016, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Friday. In July, Chinese buyers received nearly 12 million barrels of crude from the U.S. Beijing, once an enthusiastic buyer of U.S. crude after Washington lifted its restrictions on exports in December 2015, has even jockeyed with Canada for the position of top importer at times. Yet, Chinas interest in American oil has diminished amid the escalating trade spat between the two nations. RELATED: China tariffs could impede U.S. LNG exports In June, Beijing threatened to slap a 25 percent tariff on crude imports in response to U.S. President Donald Trumps $50 billion levy on Chinese imports. Chinas largest refiner Sinopec then suspended its incoming shipments of U.S. crude, yet eventually resumed some purchases after crude was removed from that list. The future of American crude shipments into China remains uncertain and there is still no guarantee that threats of a U.S. crude tariff wont resurface as the trade conflict persists. American oil producers, particularly those who operate in the key Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico, risk feeling the pain from the ongoing tensions as they increasingly look to foreign shores to market their supplies, as local demand becomes saturated. 2018 Bloomberg L.P. The Cleveland City Council held a special board meeting on Thursday to vote on the submission of a Texas Community Development Block Grant Program Application to the Texas Department of Agriculture for the Texas Capital Fund. The max award for the grant is $250,000. The board voted and approved to continue the process with the application. I think its very important that we move forward with revitalizing the downtown area said City Manager Kelly McDonald. As were experiencing the growth with more residential units and commercial units, our downtown needs to look appealing. The project limits are along N. Travis Street from E. Houston Street north to Booth Street. Improvements include replacing the existing sidewalk, installing new sidewalk, ornamental street lighting, updated signage and new striping. A lot of times we have people drive through the downtown area and we want to make sure that its cleaned up properly. We want to make it more accessible for the pedestrians. It shows the community that we care what our city looks likes. The grant provides funds to small, rural cities with populations less than 50,000, and to counties that have a non-metropolitan population under 200,000 and are not eligible for direct funding from HUD. marcus.gutierrez@chron.com Twitter: @MarcG14Line The NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt will be making its home at Houston's Eleanor Tinsley Park near downtown for Monday's evening news broadcast, the network has announced. While NBC had been previously said that Holt and crew would be broadcasting from Houston this week, the network didn't have an exact location in the city until this weekend. An announcement posted Oct. 4 to Facebook signaled an abrupt halt to a long-debated proposal for a multimillion-dollar carousel project in Stevenson Park. Notice of the cancellation of efforts for the project were posted to the Facebook page of Brett Banfield, board president for Friends of Downtown Friendswood Association, a civic group dedicated to the beautification and revitalization of the citys downtown. After more than two years of tireless effort from our dedicated volunteers, it is with regret that I announce on behalf of the (association) that FDFA is canceling the Friendswood Carousel Park project and halting all planning and efforts regarding the Carousel, read Banfields post. Unfortunately, the Carousel Park Project has become a far too divisive issue, which has undermined our mission and vision and placed undue burden on those who serve, work and volunteer in this great city. 'A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION:' Friendswood City Council OKs new downtown plan City officials on Sept. 10 had discussed a possible memorandum of understanding with the association related to the carousel idea. At that meeting, Mayor Mike Foreman closed discussion on the agenda item by saying more discussion is needed. Dozens of people responded to Banfields Facebook post, some happy, others disappointed. In the final analysis, those of us on the board for FDFA decided that the opposition to this idea was just too great and that maybe this project should be set aside, association board member Lonnie Moffit said in a post. FDFA is a great organization and will continue to look for ways to improve Friendswood. It was amazing to watch a group of volunteers work on this project with such enthusiasm and dedication. I highly recommend that those who opposed this project get involved in FDFA and help provide a positive vision to Friendswood. Resident Philip Ratisseau wrote that he was happy that the association listened to those in the community who did not support the proposal. I know that this was a tough decision after all off the work, time and effort the FDFA and supporters put into it, wrote Ratisseau, who ran an unsuccessful campaign as a City Council candidate for last May election. We have been saying for a long time that the Citizens opposed to the carousel was way more than just a `small vocal group on social media! SHELL'S SHARED HISTORY: San Jacinto Museum of History exhibit explores connections with local community He said he looks forward to other efforts by the association. I believe we all want our City, Citizens and businesses to thrive, to be a community we all love and are proud to call our hometown! Ratisseau said. Plans for the facility had included a large, prominent carousel with hand-crafted horses, a performance stage, possibly a concession stand Proponents of the carousel had said that the project would not incur any cost to the city and that the construction would be funded solely through donations. But critics countered that there was no clear plan to pay for repairs, upkeep or costs associated with accidents or injuries on the equipment. We know that not all ideas will take flight and be given the chance to succeed, Banfield continued in his Oct. 4 post. We are truly grateful to those who joined us at the drawing board to foster and implement revitalization ideas and have helped us craft what would have been a stunning piece of artistry, a larger than life addition to Stevenson Park that would have reminded all, that Friendswood is a place focused on family. We will continue to focus our passion and efforts on projects such as the Texas Music Fest, the Downtown Murals, the Scarecrow Contest, the Ice Cream Social and other initiatives yet to be announced, Banfield wrote. Texas Department of Transportation officials estimate that plans to widen a section of FM 1960 to six lanes between Humble and Atascocita will be submitted for bids by contractors during summer 2020. Jeanne Javadi, TxDOT Houston District Project Manager and Chris Orosco, Chief Information Officer for Entech Civil Engineers spoke at the Humble BizCom a meeting facilitated quarterly by the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce at Humble High School on Thursday and told the crowd the designs for the project is about 60 percent complete. This 5.1-mile project will start from FM 1960s intersection with BF 1960 A to the east of Twigsworth Lane in Atascocita. The proposed roadway expansion will take FM 196 from a four-lane undivided thoroughfare with a two-way turn lane into a six-lane divided roadway with raised medians, according to TxDOT officials. TxDOT plans for this project to go out for bid in 2020. We are expecting to (submit the project for bids) on May 2020, which gives us a little time for the right-of-way acquisition and for the utility relocations, Javadi said. TXDOT UPDATE: U.S. 290 main lanes to finish completion by end of 2018 Orosco, who also serves as the project manager for this project, added the lane addition will also have raised medians and 5-foot sidewalks on both sides of FM 1960. Regarding traffic control, the plan right now is to build temporary pavement on the south side of FM 1960 along the project. Well leave that temporary pavement for the next phase when we find a shift traffic halt to the south of FM 1960, well construct half of the roadway on the north side, Orosco said. For the final phase of the project the medians will be constructed. We cant really build the raised medians during traffic control because were moving traffic back and forth, Orosco said. Orosco estimates the widening of FM 1960 to be a 2-year project. Entech submitted 60 percent of their plans in September and estimated it will submit 90 percent of their design plans to TxDOT by February 2019 and submit their completed plans by July 2019. This schedule could change a little bit with the right-of-way acquisition and environmental clearances, Orosco said. HEADS UP: Land being cleared in Kingwood for HEB-anchored development After Orosco gave his presentation people in the crowd had questions as to when construction would be completed and if the widening of the state highway would affect any businesses losing their parking spaces. There are some businesses that will be affected and thats why they hire (right-of-way) professionals, Javadi said. I do know that this project impacts businesses and thats part of the negotiation. TxDOT estimates construction for this segment of FM 1960 should be completed in 2022. TxDOT is also working on another project on FM 1960 where they will also widen from 5 lanes to 6 lanes with raised medians and a 4-lane overpass at West Lake Houston Parkway. This 2.6-mile project will start east of Twigsworth Lane to the west of the San Jacinto River Bridge. kaila.contreras@chron.com The U.S. Army military recruiter was right when he told the 22-year-old young woman that she would travel if she enlisted. Sonja Edgington of Katy served a total of 15 years as nurse in the U.S. Army, including a year in Vietnam, two years in Hawaii, a year in Denver, three years in Germany and four years in Louisiana. Her service to her country in Vietnam also opened the opportunity for her to travel to Washington, D.C., as part of Honor Flight Houstons first All Vietnam Veteran Honor Flight on Oct 19-20. She is the only woman veteran among the 28 veterans and three staff members, who also are Vietnam veterans, participating in the flight. According to the Vietnam Womens Memorial Foundation, an estimated 11,000 military women were stationed in Vietnam during the war. Ninety percent of the women, who were nearly all volunteers, served as military nurses. They were not sending women into combat at that time, said Edgington, 74, whos lived in the Katy area for 34 years. After learning about the honor flight a year ago from Jessica Nelson, president/executive director of Paws for Heroes, Edgington applied and learn about a month ago that she had been accepted. I think this is a wonderful thing they do for the vets. I think its really great. Im really honored that I was picked to go. I think its going to be emotional especially when I get to the Vietnam Memorial. I think it will be really wonderful. She will be accompanied by her sister, Jennifer Klueh of Mobile, Ala. Edgington went to Washington,D.C., in high school and when she lived in Charlottsville, Virginia, they would go up to the capital every now and then. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and the Vietnam Womens Memorial werent there when she last visited the city. She attended school and grew up in Laurenceville High School in Illinois. Living in a small town in Wisconsin with two roommates, recruiters came to their house and gave their spiel. The three of us decided to join. Then one backed out. They told us we could have any assignment we wanted and travel. Pay was not that great but there were bonuses like housing. We thought it would be fun and exciting. Joining the military in 1967, she was sent to Vietnam the next year. She started out working at a convalescent facility at Cam Ranh Bay, where she stayed for a few months. They she was transferred to an evacuation hospital at Cu Chi. Veterans were brought there from the battlefield where they had surgery and as much medical care as possible. They would stay two or three days until they were well enough to transfer, she said. They would go back to Japan or The States for their full recovery. Vietnam was all kind of a blur, it was so busy, she recalled. She worked mostly nights and remembers one New Years Eve clearly though. When you went to the restroom, you went to the barracks. They locked them at 10 p.m. It was early in the morning and I needed to go to the bathroom. I went to the outhouse with my flashlight. (Flashlights had red lights so the enemy wouldnt see them.) I laid the flashlight down. Something did not look right. I shined the light. There was a man laying under the seat. I thought someone was dead. I ran back to the (hospital) ward and a corpsman went out. I later learned that the Viet Cong had tunnels under Cu Chi. It was very scary. After her service in Vietnam, Edgington left the army but then decided to go back. Receiving a grant/scholarship, she earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing at the University of Virginia. Her last assignment was four years at Fort Polk in Louisiana. She and her friends would come to Houston from Fort Polk and she saw the billboards advertising the relatively inexpensive housing in the area, which is how she ended up settling in Katy. She spent the bulk of her medical career in Houston 22 years in neonatology at Houston Methodist Hospital at the Medical Center. karen.zurawski@chron.com Hay now! The master-planned community of Cross Creek Ranch is once again hosting its yearly scarecrow festival this time with a superheroes theme. Join thousands of others at the all-ages free 10th annual Scarecrow Fest in Fulshear on Saturday, Oct. 20 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. to see your favorite superheroes, including Spiderman, Thor and Batman, said Carrie Roehling, Marketing Director at Johnson Development community at Cross Creek Ranch. Harmony Public Schools, a leader in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education, has been awarded an $8 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Innovation and Improvement to pioneer a new, early-education STEM program for elementary students. Dubbed LEAF to STEM (Launching Elementary Academic Foundations to STEM), the new program will build upon Harmonys project-based learning STEM model for Grade 6-12 students by introducing similar curricula to students in Grade K-5, and by creating a system of support and professional development for elementary school teachers. [October 08, 2018] 8x8, Inc. Announces Executive Leadership Appointments 8x8, Inc. (NYSE:EGHT), a leading provider of cloud voice, video, collaboration and contact center solutions that transform business communications for over a million users worldwide, today announced the appointments of Steven Gatoff as Chief Financial Officer, and Mary Ellen Genovese as Managing Director of European Operations, and the retirement of Kevin Scott-Cowell as Managing Director of UK. Mary Ellen Genovese will remain as Chief Financial Officer through the Company's Form 10-Q filing for the second quarter of fiscal 2019 and will host 8x8's (News - Alert) second fiscal quarter earnings conference call on October 29, 2018. These changes will enhance 8x8's global strategic and operational capabilities to drive continued growth and optimize business performance. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005753/en/ Steven Gatoff (Photo: Business Wire) Steven Gatoff will join 8x8 on October 15, 2018, and will report directly to Vik Verma, Chief Executive Officer. Gatoff will work with Genovese in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition to the role of Chief Financial Officer. Gatoff will be a member of the Executive Leadership team with responsibility for the Company's global finance, accounting, financial reporting, audit, procurement, tax, investor relations and capital planning functions. "We are excited to welcome Steven to 8x8 as our new Chief Financial Officer," said Vik Verma. "Steven has a poven track-record at multiple high-growth SaaS (News - Alert) companies and brings extensive financial, operational and strategic experience to 8x8. His demonstrated ability to scale technologies, manage growth and drive organizational excellence will be invaluable to 8x8 as we accelerate revenue growth and capture a greater share of the $40 billion enterprise communications market." Gatoff has more than 25 years of experience as a financial executive across a broad range of finance, accounting and management disciplines, primarily within information technology and software-as-a-service (SaaS) industries. Prior to 8x8, Gatoff has been Chief Financial Officer at Elementum, PagerDuty, Rapid7 and iPass. Prior to these positions, Gatoff held senior finance roles at United Online, Sterling Commerce (News - Alert) , and VeriSign. Earlier in his career, Gatoff was an investment banker at several Wall Street firms including Bear Stearns, Credit Suisse, and Morgan Stanley. Gatoff began his career as an auditor with Deloitte (News - Alert) & Touche. Gatoff holds an MBA from Columbia University, a BS degree from the University of Vermont and is a CPA. "8x8 offers a powerful value proposition and delivers differentiated customer experiences that drive greater productivity and return on investment," said Steven Gatoff. "I'm thrilled to join the 8x8 team and look forward to supporting the continued and impressive growth of the business and building long term shareholder value." Mary Ellen Genovese, who has served as 8x8's Chief Financial Officer since November 2014, has been appointed as Managing Director of European Operations. Genovese succeeds Kevin Scott-Cowell, who will be retiring on October 31, 2018, after serving as 8x8's Managing Director of UK since 2013. Genovese will be responsible for expanding global operations including overseeing the Company's over 400 European employees. Genovese will continue to report to Verma and will assume this role effective on the date Gatoff starts as Chief Financial Officer. "I want to thank Kevin for his leadership in the successful integration of our two European acquisitions and the establishment and growth of our European headquarters in London. We wish Kevin all the best in his retirement," said Vik Verma. Continued Verma, "Mary Ellen has been an integral member of 8x8's executive leadership team having presided over Finance, Human Resources and Legal functions during a period of significant revenue growth and business transformation from small businesses to large enterprises. Her financial acumen, business expertise and deep knowledge of our organization will allow her to play a valuable role in accelerating our plans to scale, drive global expansion and bring innovation to new markets." About 8x8, Inc. 8x8, Inc. (NYSE:EGHT) communication solutions help businesses transform their customer and employee experience. With one system of engagement for cloud voice, video, collaboration and contact center and one system of intelligence on one cloud communications platform, businesses can now communicate faster and smarter to exceed the speed of customer expectations. For additional information, visit www.8x8.com, or follow 8x8 on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005753/en/ [ Back to the Next Generation Communications Community's Homepage ] Bunker Hill Villages status with the Village Fire Department is in question following its city councils rejection of funds for improvements to the fire station. The council voted Sept. 28 to approve the departments operating budget but declined to approve its $665,000 share of $3.5 million proposed for renovations and the reconstruction of the firehouse. The votes came just ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline for each of the six Memorial Villages to approve the departments 2019 budget or effectively leave the department. For several months, Bunker Hill has been considering options to improve emergency response times to its community, including pushing to consolidate dispatches, adding a second station and exiting the fire department to start its own service. A letter obtained by the Houston Chronicle sent from the Village Fire Commissions attorney to Bunker Hills mayor and council gave the city an Oct. 15 deadline to let the commission know whether it plans to leave the department by Dec. 31, 2018 or Dec. 31, 2019. No Village has ever attempted a partial approval of the Budget and there has always been a single, unified Budget. Article 6.02 of the Interlocal states that Failure of any such city to approve such budget by such date shall constitute notice of termination of this agreement by such city, the letter read. PLANS APPROVED: Champions ESD to construct second fire station Bunker Hill Village Mayor Jay Williams responded to a concerned resident in a letter emailed to the Chronicle saying that the city is working hard to produce better response times and that it would like to do so by continuing its relationship with VFD. Williams cited a study commissioned by VFD that recommended putting an additional fire station in Bunker Hill and said it would not add additional costs to the other five Villages. Williams said the decision to vote down the reconstruction funds was largely due to a lack of information. The Council supports the need for improved facilities for the VFD, however the request did not include an architectural plan, a schedule, or a budget. He said. Even more concerning is it did not include any plans on how or where the VFD was going to temporarily operate during the renovation or reconstructionIn other words, the VFD wants us to give them the money now and they will come back to us in the future and tell us how they are going to spend it. We cannot in good conscience approve city funds for an unknown project. Bunker Hill has been a part of the Village Fire Department since its founding in 1947. VFD is one of .01 percent of departments in the United States with a ISO Class 1 ranking, according to Village Fire Chief David Foster. Hedwig Village Mayor Brian Muecke said Bunker Hills decision concerned him for his neighbors there. DWI ARREST: Memorial Villages Police Department weekly report I am disappointed for my friends that live in Bunker Hill that their elected leadership has taken deliberate action to terminate their membership in the Village Fire Department, he said. I wish them well in their journey down this uncharted course. Muecke said he and his community would continue to stand behind the department and its outstanding performance. I speak for every member of Hedwig Village leadership when I voice our citys full-throated political, financial and operational support for the Village Fire Department and its employees, who provide outstanding service to us and our other partner Villages, Muecke said. Williams said he and the Bunker Hill council would continue to try to resolve the issue and provide better services to its residents. We are continuing our efforts to work with the Village Fire Department to meet our goals and improve services in our City, he said. However, any attempt by neighboring cities or the fire commission to remove us will be met with fierce opposition by our council. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com Hunters Creek 10/3/18 at 1700 Hours. Hunters Creek. Missing Person. A 68-year old resident went for a bicycle ride and failed to return home as expected. The family contacted the MVPD who in-turn provided information about the overdue party to area law enforcement agencies. At approximately 0130 hours the individual was located by law enforcement approximately 30 miles west of the Villages. The resident was reunited with family. Piney Point 9/28/18 at 1345 Hours. 11100 Block of Country Squire. Fraud. Victim reported that she learned that unknown person(s) had accessed her foreign bank that is housed in Spain and withdrew several thousand Euros from the account. The victim has not recently been in Spain and has not accessed the account. The withdraws occurred between 9/15/18 and 9/25/18. Information was obtained about the accounts and provided to detectives for their follow-up investigation. 9/29/18 at 1930 Hours. 8500 San Felipe. Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Officer initiated a traffic stop after observing a traffic violation. Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer could smell the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle located a bong and small amount of marijuana. The driver was cited for the infraction and the items were seized as evidence. 9/30/18 at 1200. 11100 Block of Greenbay. Officers were dispatched to Chappelwood church after security personnel had found a male subject in the choir room stealing items from choir members purses. Officers arrived and took custody of the suspect and began an investigation. It was determined that the suspect was a former choir member and knew about the locations of the purses. He entered the room without permission and removed cash from at least 2 womens purses. The money was recovered on the suspect. The 19-year old male was booked into the Harris County Jail and the money returned to the victims. 9/30/18 at 2115 Hours. 11300 Block of Bothwell. Telephone Harassment. Victim reported receiving harassing and threatening phone messages from an acquaintance. The victim requested documentation of the incident should the situation escalate in the future. The victim was instructed to block the phone number to limit further communications. 10/4/18 at 1215 hours. 400 Block of Gingham. Victim reported that he had placed outgoing mail in his mailbox and raised the red flag in the morning. After running an errand, he went to check on the outgoing mail to find that one of the pieces of mail was missing (the red flag was still up). A check with a neighbors housekeeper revealed that a white male driving on a red moped with a box on it, had stopped at the mail box and was seen looking at the mail. It is believed that this subject took the missing mail. Information about the suspect was obtained and provided to detectives for their follow-up. (Note: It is believed that this suspect was looking for mailboxes with the red flag as a sign that there was outgoing mail present. Officers will be closely watching mailboxes with out-going mail items) Bunker Hill 10/2/18 at 1500 Hours. 400 Block of Strey. Theft. Victim reported that when checking her jewelry box, she was unable to locate 2 watches that were stored there. The victim checked with her family members all of whom had not seen or moved the watches before notifying police of the theft. Over the past several months, there have been contractors who have been working at the home, and who had access to the area of the home where the watches were kept. The victim provided serial numbers of the watches that were entered into the National Data base of stolen property. Additional information was obtained and provided to detectives for their follow up investigation. 10/3/18 at 0100 Hours. 11900 Block of Memorial Drive. Driving while Intoxicated. Officer was traveling on Memorial Drive when he observed a vehicle to drive off the pavement and onto the shoulder of the roadway before driving back into the lane. The officer initiated a traffic stop and upon approaching the driver observed several signs of intoxication. The driver subsequently failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. The driver submitted to a breath test that showed him to be twice the legal limit. The 28-year old male was booked into the Harris County Jail. Like many young mothers, Victoria Lara longed for a chance to attend college, but lacked the resources for childcare. So, when Victoria learned about online classes at Houston Community College, she jumped at the opportunity to begin her college career. I thought to myself I have a laptop, I have wifi. I cant go on campus, but if I have access to the internet, why not take a class or two and get started, Victoria recalls. I had my second child when I started taking classes at HCC. I actually had to nurse my kid while I was typing papers on the sofa in the comfort of my home. Victorias perseverance paid off. She eventually found child care, took some on-campus courses and graduated from HCC with an associate degree in communications. Her husband and parents could not have been prouder. I was the first in my family to earn a college degree and so it was very important for me to do it, not only for me and my children, but for my whole family, Victoria says. The HCC alumna then enrolled at the University of Houston and graduated in May, 2018 with a bachelors degree in communications. Victoria now works with her husband and parents at the family business, Impact Stone Design. She is not sure where her career will take her, but credits HCC with making a brighter future possible. HCC has helped me gain confidence and knowledge that I needed to start networking and to help grow my parents business and to show my children that education is very, very important, Victoria says. Margaret Ford Fisher, president of the HCC Online College, points to Victoria as a model example of what is possible for other busy adults in the Houston community. As Victorias testimonial illustrates, she was prepared academically for online courses at HCC that were convenient, affordable and transferrable, Ford Fisher says. HCC and the University of Houston helped Victoria to achieve her educational goals. HCC last week launched its new online college offering more than 30 degrees and certificates fully online. By this time next year, there will be more than 60 fully online certificates and degrees. Victoria says she will always be thankful to HCC. Thanks to HCC, I was able to get my education, become an active citizen, help out in my community, and earn my degree. For information on HCCs Online College, go to hccs.edu/online. Members from the Grand Parkway Infrastructure were on hand during the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Cleveland City Center to discuss the continued expansion of the Grand Parkway last Thursday. The next phase is an $894 million project that will be the largest highway loop in the United States when it is completed, Texas Department of Transportation officials said. Upon competition of the Grand Parkway in 2022, drivers will be able to travel from Baytown to League City in a loop that pas through New Caney, Spring, Tomball, Cypress and Sugar Land. The construction began five weeks ago and will help the region prepare for continued population growth. This phase of the project will be broken into three segments, which are H, I-1 and I-2. TXDOT UPDATE: U.S. 290 main lanes to finish completion by end of 2018 The $1.28 billion toll road project spans more than 50 miles around the Greater Houston area and falls within Chambers, Harris, Liberty and Montgomery counties. All three segments will be worked on at the same time and will cause some traffic delays. More Information For more information on the State highway 99 Grand Parkway Contruction Project visit www.sh99grandpkwy.com. See More Collapse Well obviously we will try to minimize the delays, Martin said. You cant build a project this size without having some delays. We take into consideration the safety of the public with every decision we make. We will try our best to make sure everything runs smoothly. The design-build project includes new tolled two-lane controlled access facility, with four sections for direct connection from Hwy. 59 north in New Caney past Liberty to I-10 East in Mont Belveu. The project features four additional toll lanes from FM 1405 to SH 146 in addition to upgraded tolling equipment added to the existing tolled four-lane facility from I-10 to FM 1405. AN ENTERTAINMENT HUB: Plans announced for new Valley Ranch development There will be 74 new or substantially reconstructed bridges built and nearly 25 million cubic feet of earth will be moved as part of the project. Acquisition of easements through 275 land parcels will also be included with upgrades to the visual appearance of the corridor through enhancements and landscaping improvements. marcus.gutierrez@chron.com A Houston man is being held in jail on a total $1 million bond after allegedly running over and killing a sleeping homeless woman during a high-speed chase early Sunday. Julian Marcelino Sosa has been charged with felony murder related to the 34-year-old womans death. He is also charged with felon in possession of a weapon and evading arrest in a motor vehicle. CAN'T HIDE: Found hiding in backyard, driver faces DWI charges A judge found probable cause in the case on Sunday night, setting bond at $500,000 for the murder charge. Bond for the other two charges were each set at $250,000. Deputies with the Precinct 1 Constable's Office started chasing Sosa's Cadillac after he sped past them on Interstate 45 around 6 a.m. Sunday, officials said. At certain points, he was driving 100 mph, according to arrest records. The man, who is 22, allegedly refused to pull over and made a U-turn beneath the overpass in the 13100 block of Rankin. He lost control during the 46-second chase and crossed all seven lanes of Rankin Road, authorities said. He then hit a utility box and allegedly ran over a homeless woman sleeping in front of it, according to the sheriff's office. The woman, later identified as Heather M. Jackson, had to be pulled out from under the vehicle by Houston firefighters. She was rushed to the hospital, where she later died. The driver took off running, but deputies caught him about a block away on the feeder road. When they searched his car, deputies allegedly found a handgun and marijuana. Precinct 1's pursuit policy states that any chases should begin only after weighing "the totality of the situation," including the nature of the offense, road conditions, traffic conditions, weather conditions and the availability of other units to assist. "Fresh pursuits should only be initiated when an actual or suspected law violator clearly exhibits the intention of avoiding a vehicular stop and/or arrest," according to the policy, which was obtained by the Chronicle. "Actual or suspected violator does not mean that the Deputy must have grounds for arrest." He showed signs of impairment on the scene, including watery eyes, slurred speech and unsteady movement, a prosecutor said in Harris County Probable Cause Court Sunday night. Sosa has a prior felony conviction of burglary of a habitation, according to Harris County District Clerk records. He was sentenced to three years in prison, starting in 2015. The puddles left behind by two rapid Sunday showers that streaked across Houstons Northside just gave Taylor Rogers something else to play in. As people eased out from under awnings and umbrellas to participate in another Cigna Sunday Streets, this time a community gathering along Irvington, Rogers, 5, blazed his way through the shallow waters on his bicycle. His mother Cindy urging him to take it slow, lest he splash someone with his wake. Sunday Streets is an extension of efforts by city officials and local groups to encourage healthier lifestyles, lure people out to support local businesses and promote alternatives to driving. For the Northside, all of the options interact in neighborhoods with deep heritage, but also changing conditions. Reinvestment has brought many new neighbors, and once-vacant storefronts are returning to activity along with institutions that have lasted generations. NORTH HOUSTON: Driver charged with murder after allegedly killing woman during chase Today is giving the new people and the long-time residents a chance to meet, said JC Cortez, a native of the neighborhood and director of the local YMCA. The event also offered a showcase of the Northside to others. Playing a bean bag toss game along the street, Tom Rudd said he was lured from his apartment in the central business district simply because he wanted to know about the area. There are so many places in Houston, its kind of daunting actually, to think of all the interesting places, Rudd said. It was so close to me, I figure why not go check it out. Getting crowds out on Irvington provides a chance to show interest in walking in the neighborhood, local officials said. Long-neglected sidewalks and bike lanes line many Northside streets, making them an obstacle to other efforts, such as connecting to the Metropolitan Transit Authority light rail line along Fulton. Sunday Streets Houston's late 2018 schedule has two more planned, the first Sunday of the next two months. Rice Village: noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 4 Downtown: 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 2 Source: City of Houston See More Collapse Bike advocates created a temporary bike lane protected from traffic by parking spaces, showing what could be built, albeit for just a few hours. Even Irvington, a major corridor for the neighborhood, has spots with inadequate or even missing sidewalks in front of stores and businesses. It is a great opportunity to show what we can do to make this a complete street, said Rebecca Reyna, executive director of the Greater Northside Management District. City officials identified Northside as one of its five Complete Communities where they are working to rethink upcoming plans to encourage economic development and improvements in areas. The two storms stymied festivities from time to time, but also showed the resilience of the crowd to support the efforts. Though huddled under trees, the crowd remained in place awaiting the sun. When it reemerged, so did the bikes, scooters and walker. This is Houston, we dont let a little water get us down, said Paula McHam with Cigna South Texas. A limousine crash that claimed the lives of 20 people in New York on Saturday became the deadliest land-vehicle accident since 2005, when 23 Bellaire nursing home residents died in a fiery bus while evacuating Hurricane Rita, according to the Associated Press. RELATED: Settlement over Hurricane Rita bus fire brings closure Saturday's crash was also the deadliest overall transportation accident in nearly a decade. It killed two pedestrians and 18 limo occupants on the way to a birthday party, including sisters, brothers and newlyweds. The tragedy likely hits home for the family members of the 23 Bellaire nursing home resident who were riding in the bus that caught fire 35 miles from its destination in Dallas. The bus was one of two ordered by the Brighton Gardens nursing home during Hurricane Rita, according to previous reports. Residents were evacuating to a sister facility in Dallas on Sept. 23, 2005. The bus was carrying 37 patients, six health care workers and one staffer's relative when it caught fire on Interstate 45. One survivor told the Houston Chronicle that the fire department pulled him out before the bus "blew up like a Roman candle." Authorities later said the bus exploded when the flames reached one passenger's oxygen tank. After the fire, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration determined the bus's rear axle overheated and caused a fire in the wheel well that quickly filled the bus. The agency said the likely cause was insufficient lubrication of the rear axle, earlier reports state. RELATED: Schoharie limo crash deadliest in US in nine years The families of the victims later sued the nursing home's corporate parent, claiming the company and its bus broker failed to screen the the vehicle before contracting with them. Years later, the families reached an $80 million settlement with the nursing home and several parties involved in designing, manufacturing and operating the bus. Its just helping us have closure, Susan Elledge, whose mother and aunt both died aboard the bus, told the Houston Chronicle in 2009. I hope the companies involved will change the way they do things. Do a little more towards safety on the buses. In Saturday's crash, the 2001 Ford Excursion limo was traveling about 170 miles north of New York City in Schoharie when it failed to stop at a T-junction on a state highway, the Associated Press reported. It hit two pedestrians and an unoccupied SUV parked at the Apple Barrel Country Store. It then slammed into an embankment, killing all occupants. Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message. Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com SEWARD, Ill. An ammonia leak at an agriculture plant sent a noxious white cloud wafting over this small northern Illinois town, sickening at least 10 people and forcing residents to evacuate, authorities said. Sgt. Aaron Booker of the Winnebago County sheriff's department said early today that the leak had been stopped. A mandatory evacuation had been issued for the town's less than 1,000 residents, who were told to go to one of two high schools in the nearby villages of Pecatonica and Winnebago, both less than 8 miles away, authorities said. A voluntary evacuation was later issued for those villages. It was not immediately clear how the voluntary evacuations affected those seeking shelter in the high schools, but Booker said fewer than 50 evacuees were at either building late Monday. Workers were transferring anhydrous ammonia from a Seward Agricultural Supply Inc. storage tank to a tanker truck late Monday when the hose burst open, State Police Sgt. Mark Nytko said. The storage tank holds 9,000 gallons, but it was unclear how much ammonia was in it at the time of the accident, he said. Ten people, including at least one firefighter, were hospitalized with respiratory problems, a Rockford Memorial Hospital spokesman said. As many as eight patients were expected to be treated and released, and none of the injuries were considered life-threatening, he said. A strong smell of ammonia was in the air and a white cloud could be seen drifting from the scene, the Rockford Register Star reported on its Web site. Seward residents were told to leave their homes as a precaution because the chemical drifts along with the wind patterns, Nytko said. Police blocked traffic around the town. "It's a small town surrounded by farm community," he said. "It's a low-lying area and that's the beauty of that chemical, it likes to sit low." Anhydrous ammonia can be extremely toxic and may be fatal if inhaled. The vapors are irritating and corrosive, according to the federal Emergency Response Guidebook. Seward is about 100 miles northwest of Chicago. UPDATE: All northbound lanes of the Grand Parkway are open. Original Story: Five people were lifted from the Brazos River Monday morning after the car they were traveling in flipped off the Grand Parkway at Stavinoha Bridge in New Territory, falling 40 feet and onto the steep embankment below. The five are in the process of being transported to local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, said Sugar Land Police Spokesman Doug Adolph. The incident occurred just before noon when the Toyota SUV was traveling northbound on the Grand Parkway near the New Territory Boulevard exit, Adolph said. OUT OF CONTROL: Houstons roads, drivers are nation's most deadly That's when the vehicle left the road, hit the guardrail and landed on the embankment, he said, adding that the car is not in the river. "The car dropped at least 40 feet," he said. "There were five people in the Toyota SUV. They could not walk out of the embankment on their own. It was that steep. We had to pull them back up. " Out of precaution, authorities dispatched a Life Flight helicopter ambulance for at least one of the injured, but Adolph said he was not sure whether it was used. It is unclear when the northbound lanes of the Grand Parkway will reopen, he said. This story will be updated as new information becomes available. Check back for updates. Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message. Brazilian markets have rallied on the prospect of Bolsonaro stopping a return to power by the Workers Party, which investors blame for plunging Brazil into its worst recession in 2015-2016. Nonetheless, support for him has surged in recent days - with some observers saying that he could even win the presidency in the first-round ballot, with the left-leaning vote split between Haddad and a clutch of other candidates. If no candidate gets a majority, the race will go to a second-round run-off between the two top vote-getters on October 28. "Let's avoid a second round", he appealed to supporters in a live Facebook feed, asking them to convince relatives and friends to vote for him. The former Sao Paulo mayor is the PT candidate after former PT president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was barred from the election by the country's Electoral Court. But perhaps more tellingly, Bolsonaro's share of valid votes shot up to 42.6 percent from 35.3 percent, putting him tantalizingly close to Brazil's first initial-round electoral victory since 1998. Haddad will campaign on Saturday in Bahia state in the northeast of Brazil where Lula is still a hero because his government did much to relieve poverty. Datafolha's poll confirmed an Ibope survey released on Monday that showed Bolsonaro's advance since last week. Last week he asked his economic adviser, Paulo Guedes, and his running mate, retired General Hamilton Mourao, to hold off on making public statements after contradictions emerged over economic policy. A Bolsonaro government would speed up the privatisation of state companies to reduce Brazil's budget deficit and relax environmental controls for farming and mining. An admirer of Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, Bolsonaro has won massive support from the fast-growing evangelical community by vowing to block the legalization of abortion, gay marriage and drugs. The Datafolha firm had Bolsonaro up one point at 36 percent and Haddad unchanged at 22 percent. Hydroelectric dam projects on the Tapajos river in the Amazon basin that were stopped due to environmental concerns would be discussed again, Ferreira said. PARIS - Viktoria Marinova, a 30-year-old Bulgarian journalist who had recently become the anchor of a talk show focused on investigative reporting, was raped and killed on Saturday in a case that has sent shockwaves through Europe. The motivation behind her killing remains unknown, and Bulgarian authorities say they have yet to establish a link between her death in the northeastern city of Ruse and her work as a journalist. But because Marinova is the third reporter to be killed in Europe in the past year, the news stoked anxieties about the safety of journalists on the continent. "Again a courageous journalist falls in the fight for truth and against corruption," Frans Timmermans, vice president of the European Commission, said Monday in Brussels. The European Union pledged its support for Bulgarian authorities as they continued their investigation. Bulgarian officials emphasized that there was no evidence yet to connect Marinova's killing to her work. "It's about rape and murder," Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said. Bulgarian media reported Monday that the park where Marinova was killed is adjacent to a psychiatric facility and authorities were investigating whether a patient could have been Marinova's attacker. "The best criminologists have been sent to Ruse - let's not hurry them," Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said. "A large amount of DNA has been obtained." Marionva, a former lifestyle journalist, was a television presenter for TVN, a popular channel in northeastern Bulgaria. Last month she began anchoring a program called "Detector," which focused on political investigations. Only one segment of the relaunched program aired before her death. It featured the work of two journalists investigating the alleged misuse of public EU funds by a network of corporations in the region. The journalists - Dimitar Stoyanov, from the Bulgarian website Bivol, and Atilla Biro, a Romanian journalist from the Rise Project - were briefly detained by local authorities in mid-September. Transparency International, a global corruption watchdog, has identified Bulgaria as the most corrupt member state in the EU. Meantime, Reporters Without Borders ranked it 111 out of 180 countries in its annual world press freedom index, the lowest in the European Union. Atanas Tchobanov, the editor-in-chief of Bivol, said in a telephone interview that he was skeptical of the government's response. "We cannot downplay any possibility and any version, but if you are investigating the killing, you are looking for a motive," he said. At the same time, he clarified that Marinova was a television presenter and technically not an investigative reporter. "She wanted to make investigative reporting," he said. "Who knows? Probably she would be a good investigative reporter one day, but she's no longer here." Marinova's killing - as a random act of violence or as a targeted hit - comes after two other cases that provoked concerns about press freedom in Europe. In October 2017, Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese reporter who specialized in government corruption and money laundering, was killed by a car bomb near her home. And in February, Jan Kuciak, a Slovakian journalist who also reported on government corruption, was shot and killed along with his financee, Martina Kusnirova. Also on the minds of press freedom advocates is the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi critic and Washington Post contributor, who vanished last week after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish authorities have asserted that he was killed upon entry. - - - The Washington Post's Dimiter Kenarov in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Quentin Aries in Brussels contributed to this report. He picked up 47 percent of votes, against 28 percent for his nearest rival, left-wing candidate Fernando Haddad, electoral authorities said after counting ballots from 93 percent of polling stations. Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, far-right lawmaker and presidential candidate of the Social Liberal Party (PSL), react, in Sao Paulo, Brazil October 7, 2018. Bolsonaro, 63, was accompanied by a nurse as he cast his vote on Sunday, a month after a near-fatal stabbing at a campaign rally that required two emergency surgeries. He had appealed via social media for voters to hand him a first-round victory with a 50 percent result. Bolsonaro, a former Army captain who praises dictatorships and vows a brutal crackdown on crime and graft had surged in opinion polls in the past week on a wave of antipathy toward Haddad's Workers Party, who leader is in jail receiving bribes. While those comments have disgusted many, Bolsonaro has capitalized on Brazilians' deep anger with their traditional political class and "throw the bums out" rage after a massive corruption investigation revealed staggering levels of graft. Supporters waved the green-and-yellow national flag, chanting "Our president!". "Bolsonaro is an example of honesty". "I am certain that if this hadn't happened, we would have known the name of the president of the republic tonight", Bolsonaro said in a live Facebook video feed. Haddad's campaign headquarters in a Sao Paulo hotel broke out in cheers when exit polls showed that the race would go to a runoff. "If the PT is voted into power and there is a military intervention, I would support it". Bolsonaro, who appears to favor dictatorship, has an active support from a group of retired generals who stand opposed to the 2003-2016 rule of the Workers Party. "We want to unite all the democrats in Brazil". An exit poll also showed one of Bolsonaro's closest aides, former police Major Olimpio Gomes, scoring a surprise win in the Senate race in Sao Paulo state. Haddad has promised to roll back President Michel Temer's economic reforms that he says eroded workers' rights, increase investment in social programs and bring back the boom years Brazil experienced under his mentor, da Silva. Many analysts thought Mr Bolsonaro would win the first round of voting but face a runoff between the two top vote-getters which he would he lose. That and upset victories in the Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais governor races underscored a wave of enthusiasm for Bolsonaro's allies and a backlash against the political establishment. "Bolsonaro will have to set aside his hate speeches and straighten out contradictions between his aides", Santoro said. CAIRO - Libyan forces have captured one of the region's most dangerous Islamist militants, a former Egyptian special forces officer with ties to al-Qaida who authorities say made it his mission to target Egypt's security forces and destabilize the country. Hisham al-Ashmawy, described by some security officials as Egypt's most wanted man, was taken into custody on Friday in the eastern Libyan city of Derna, a spokesman for the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army said in a statement posted on Facebook. The LNA also posted a photo of a bloodied Ashmawy, apparently taken after his arrest. LNA forces, led by an eastern-based strongman opposed to the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, have been fighting Islamist militants in Derna for months. Ashmawy had been using Derna, about 165 miles west of the Egyptian border, as a springboard to cross into Egypt and launch attacks. Egyptian security officials on Monday confirmed the capture of Ashmawy and called for his extradition, according to local media reports. "This would be a very big deal if true," H.A. Hellyer, a senior nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, wrote in a tweet. "Al-Ashmawy's profile in both Libya and Egypt has been substantial." Egyptian security officials consider Ashmawy the leader of Ansar al-Islam and another militant group, al-Mourabitoun. Both groups have ties to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, the terrorist network's North and West African affiliate. A year ago, Ansar al-Islam asserted responsibility for an ambush in Egypt's Western Desert that killed at least 16 security personnel. Egypt also blames the group for an assassination attempt against the then-interior minister in 2013 and the killing of Cairo's top public prosecutor in 2015, among other attacks. Ashmawy, a former Egyptian special forces commando, was fired from the military after he became radicalized. He joined a militant group in Egypt's northern Sinai that emerged after the 2013 coup that ousted elected President Mohamed Morsi and the subsequent crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood party. But when the Sinai group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, Ashmawy split off and formed his own outfits, which would later link with al-Qaida. His network recruited many disillusioned Egyptian troops, analysts said. Ashmawy and his cohorts also were competing against the Islamic State in Libya and Egypt for influence; in Libya, both sides have battled each other. His arrest, analysts said, offers a much-needed boost to Egypt's counterterrorism campaign. Militant attacks are a key reason the country's tourism industry, the main source of foreign currency, has declined since the 2011 Arab Spring revolution that ousted longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. But few analysts expect Ashmawy's arrest to have a huge effect on militancy in Egypt. His group, while still considered a threat, has not staged any large-scale attacks this year. President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi has more pressing problems against the Islamic State's Sinai affiliate, which asserted responsibility for downing a Russian passenger plane in 2015 as it left the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people aboard. In February, Sissi launched a major offensive against the Islamic State in northern Sinai. Since then, hundreds of militants have been reported killed, including 52 on Monday. Still, most analysts say Egypt's military continues to face steep obstacles against the Islamic State - which is also known as ISIS - in Sinai. "Certainly, this could be seen as a morale boost for Egypt, after blaming Ashmawy for major attacks - especially against force and government officials - for over five years," said Zack Gold, a Middle East analyst. "However, it's unlikely to have any impact in the short term on Egypt's counterterrorism fight. Egypt still faces its biggest threat from ISIS, which itself was battling Ashmawy in Libya." - - - The Washington Post's Heba Farouk Mahfouz in Cairo contributed to this report. Officials of St. Louis City and County have come together to announce the AC Next Gen Project, which will update and expand the Americas Center Convention Complex to secure its place as an economic and employment driver for the entire region. The need to expand the Complex has never been more urgent as cities across the country are making large investments in their convention centers and luring lucrative meetings and events to their communities. It is time for the St. Louis region to come together and invest in Americas Center that is critically important to the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County and the State of Missouri. The Complex is an anchor to an entire subsector of the Citys downtown bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the metropolitan area every year. The Complex hosts roughly 100 events annually, with more than 600,000 attendees, 300,000 hotel room nights and generating $265 million of new direct economic spending for the community according to Johnson Consulting. Most importantly, the facility supports more than 3,300 full-time jobs for residents across the St. Louis region. Im excited to announce a joint commitment between St. Louis City and St. Louis County in Americas Center, said Mayor Lyda Krewson of the City of St. Louis. This investment has paid off for the St. Louis region in the past and it will continue to do so in the future. At present, Americas Centers prominence and value to the region are threatened because its amenities have not kept pace with competing facilities in other cities. The Cervantes Convention Center was originally built in 1977, and is in need of modernization, including expanded, contiguous and consistent quality exhibit space, improved loading dock access to the exhibit halls, the addition of a sizeable multi-purpose space, improved service access to exhibit halls and meetings areas, as well as other improvements. The total cost of implementing the AC Next Gen Project is estimated at approximately $175 million and will include the following elements: Addition of 92,000 square feet of highly usable exhibit space, which enhances the exhibit hall layout of the Complex allowing the facility to host larger events. A 65,000 square feet signature multi-purpose ballroom and meeting area with 20,000 square feet pre-function event space for clients, positioning St. Louis dominantly in its competitive set. 22,000 square feet of new support space to improve service access to current and new exhibit halls and ballrooms. The construction of 26 new loading docks and renovation of existing 12 docks that will all be enclosed to enhance access and aesthetics of the building and surrounding areas. An outdoor pavilion to serve the needs of convention attendees and improve the convention center district ambiance for residents and area workers as well. Refurbishment of the central Washington Avenue entrance, which serves as St. Louis front door for the hundreds of thousands of event attendees who visit the Complex. The Dome will remain a flexible multi-purpose venue for meeting planners and other clients hosting large-scale events and activities. Upon completion, these enhancements will stabilize the current decline in event bookings and potentially create nearly 36 percent growth according to the most recent estimates by Johnson Consulting. This is a good deal for County taxpayers as the proposed revenue will be paid from out of town visitors who stay in our County hotels and motels, said County Executive Steve Stenger of St. Louis County. Through the support of legislation proposed by elected officials in both St. Louis City and County, the project will be funded by the extension of payments from the designated fund set up through the hotel and motel taxes collected in St. Louis City and County, which was initiated to build The Dome at Americas Center. There will be no new tax on local residents, as this is only paid by people staying in area hotels, as has been the case since the construction of The Dome began. Ordinances detailing the financing packages are to be introduced shortly in both St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The Americas Center plays a critical role as an economic driver for the entire region. The Complex is truly a window for the hundreds of thousands of event attendees who visit us and are hopefully inspired to return here for future leisure or business event purposes, stated Kathleen Kitty Ratcliffe, President of Explore St. Louis. On an annual basis, St. Louis hosts over 25 million visitors who spend more than $5.8 billion in our community. Expanding and upgrading the Americas Center will help us build on these visitor numbers and the 88,000 local jobs they help support throughout our regions hospitality industry. The competitive landscape for meeting and events keeps increasing as cities throughout the Midwest continue to invest in their facilities. Recent investments include in Indianapolis ($275 million), Nashville ($623 million), San Antonio ($325 million), Columbus ($125 million) and Louisville ($207 million), with new projects underway in cities like Lexington ($230 million) and Oklahoma City ($288 million). All of these cities, and more, are taking aggressive steps to bring meeting and convention business to their regions and making it more difficult for St. Louis and the Americas Center to remain a world-class destination for these clients and their attendees. Explore St. Louis is the driving force behind St. Louis $5.8 billion convention and tourism industry, the official destination marketing organization of St. Louis City and County and operator of the Americas Center Convention Complex. With less than a month before the midterm elections, technology companies are fighting to prove they can adequately shore up their platforms and products against foreign influence. Their success may mean the difference between getting to police their own house and having lawmakers do it for them. Election Day could be a tipping point for Silicon Valley titans, who are increasingly in Washington's harsh glare following revelations that disinformation campaigns linked to Russia were widely disseminated on their platforms ahead of the 2016 elections. Tech moguls like Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter's Jack Dorsey were dragged to Capitol Hill to give mea culpas for their past practices and publicly pledge to do better next time. The companies contend they have learned from their missteps during the 2016 election and are improving their election-integrity efforts as other elections have taken place around the world. They've promised to do more to identify and stamp out fake accounts, and they have increased transparency around political ads. Facebook opened a 20-person war room on its Menlo Park campus aimed at quashing disinformation and deleting fake accounts. At the same time, tech moguls acknowledge they're in an arms race against bad actors who are continuing to misuse their platforms ahead of the 2018 midterms that will determine which party controls Congress next year. Major failures will undoubtedly lead to more calls for tighter control of the industry from Washington. California Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat who represents parts of Silicon Valley, is already calling for an "Internet Bill of Rights " tackling data breaches and privacy of consumer information if Democrats retake the majority next month. "The jury is still out," said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., ranking minority-party member on the Senate Intelligence Committee that investigated Russian interference in 2016, in an interview. "The companies are moving - whether it's with enough focus is still an open question." Election integrity has become a companywide priority at Facebook, said Katie Harbath, the head of global politics and government outreach. She said the company is working round-the-clock to prevent bad actors from exploiting its platform in elections around the world. "We know how important elections are and the role that Facebook plays in them," she said. "We can never be perfect, but we're continuing to improve every day." Facebook believes artificial intelligence can be used to support its efforts to identify bad actors, Harbath said. The company has said its technology can block millions of accounts a day as they are being created, before they spread fake news or inauthentic ads. The urgency of Silicon Valley's war on disinformation was underscored this summer when the typically secretive technology players made announcements that they detected and removed fake accounts tied to Iran - a sign that other adversaries are learning from Russia's playbook. In August, Facebook, Twitter and Google removed 994 accounts. Facebook also said it deleted an unspecified number of accounts with ties to Russia. The announcements were also a reminder of the challenges the companies face as they engage in a never-ending game of whack-a-mole with bad actors. Facebook has repeatedly made announcements about removing accounts aimed at sowing political discord that display activity similar to that conducted by Russia's Internet Research Agency in the 2016 election. In late July, Zuckerberg said on his personal Facebook page that the company removed 32 accounts and pages engaged in a "coordinated inauthentic campaign," which was organizing events like a protest against the "Unite the Right" event. Facebook now includes statistics on fake account removals in its transparency reports, where it also lays out the number of data requests it received from law enforcement. The company disabled 1.27 billion fake accounts between October 2017 and March 2018. Twitter has also updated its policies to better reflect how it identifies fake accounts. The companies can't just look for behavior from bad actors that they've seen before. "We're having to look for a whole host of other potential behaviors and manipulation attempts," said Del Harvey, Twitter vice president of trust and safety. She said the company is being more proactive and trying to monitor unusual behavior that could signal bad actors are trying to work their way into communities and sow division. Yet it's not even clear if Twitter has been able to crack down on accounts already known to be sowing fake news for more than two years. Most Twitter accounts linked to disinformation in the 2016 election are still active, according to a report from the Knight Foundation, in partnership with researchers at George Washington University and social media research firm Graphika. Twitter pushed back on the report. Harvey said in an emailed statement the report doesn't take into account any action the company takes to remove automated or spam accounts from being viewed by people on Twitter because of the technical method the researchers used to gather the data. Google has been less transparent with lawmakers in how it's tackling its own disinformation problems. The company told Congress last year that it found more than 1,000 videos that appeared to be posted by accounts associated with Russian bad actors. Links to those videos were frequently shared on other social media sites, the company said. Google said at the time that activity on its platform appeared to be more limited than other ones because it does not offer the "kind of targeting or viral dissemination tools" that these actors prefer. Google has tried to steer clear of the spotlight as lawmakers raise the issue of election integrity, which has stoked fears the company is not taking its role in the situation seriously enough. When Twitter Chief Executive Dorsey and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg testified on Capitol Hill about their companies' efforts to combat election interference, Google refused to send an executive senators deemed senior enough. Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai did visit Washington in late September to defuse tension, meeting with lawmakers, members of the Trump administration and Pentagon officials. During the trip, Pichai spoke with lawmakers about alleged bias against conservatives at Google, and he spoke with Pentagon officials about a recently severed defense contract. But Warner criticized the company for not being more proactive on election security - and suggested there could be consequences. "Google is just AWOL," Warner said. "I think they are making a huge mistake in judgment and a huge mistake in policy for not treating these issues seriously." Google did not make an executive available for an interview or respond to a list of questions from The Washington Post about its efforts aimed at safeguarding the election cycle. A spokesperson said the company has protected elections around the world from cyberattacks for a decade. "As we approach the midterms, we remain committed to providing people with accurate, up-to-date information about their elections," the spokesperson said. Warner warned that if the midterm elections expose uncontrolled activity from bad actors, the era of self-regulation could be at its end. "I hope this is the last cycle we have without guardrails," Warner said. ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded Monday that Saudi Arabia prove that journalist Jamal Khashoggi left the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on his own, as Saudi officials have repeatedly asserted, after he disappeared last week while inside the mission. Erdogan's comments were his most direct suggestion yet of potential Saudi culpability in Khashoggi's disappearance. But other Turkish officials have said they believe that Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents inside the consulate. "Do you not have cameras and everything of the sort?" Erdogan said of the consular officials. "They have all of them. Then why do you not prove this? You need to prove it." Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador to urge "full cooperation" in the investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance, the official Anadolu news agency said Monday. The ambassador was called to the ministry in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Sunday, the agency said. It was the second time Turkey summoned the ambassador since Khashoggi failed to emerge after a visit to the consulate on Oct. 2. Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi, 59, a critic of the Saudi leadership and a contributor to The Washington Post's Global Opinions section, was killed by a team of 15 Saudis flown in specifically to carry out the attack. Saudi authorities have called the allegation "baseless." In his first remarks about the disappearance, President Donald Trump told reporters Monday afternoon that he was concerned. "I don't like hearing about it. Hopefully that will sort itself out. Right now, nobody knows anything about it, but there's some pretty bad stories going around. I do not like it," Trump said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a statement issued late Monday, said that "we have seen conflicting reports on the safety and whereabouts" of Khashoggi. Repeating Trump's expression of "concern," Pompeo, who had returned just hours earlier from a trip to Asia, called on the Saudi government "to support a thorough investigation of Mr. Khashoggi's disappearance and to be transparent about the results of that investigation." Turkey has yet to make any evidence public. The private Turkish broadcaster NTV reported Monday that police had requested access to the Saudi Consulate. It was unclear whether the police were granted access or whether they would search the diplomatic mission in Istanbul's Levent district at a later date. A report Monday in the daily newspaper Sabah said investigators were also focused on a convoy of diplomatic vehicles that departed from the consulate on the day Khashoggi vanished. A U.S. official said that Turkish investigators believe Khashoggi was probably dismembered and his body removed in boxes and flown out of the country. Members of Congress, where there has long been bipartisan skepticism about Saudi Arabia, have issued statements and tweets demanding answers from Riyadh. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a string of tweets Monday that "if there is any truth to the allegations of wrongdoing by the Saudi government it would be devastating to the US-Saudi relationship and there will be a heavy price to be paid-economically and otherwise." Graham, who played golf Sunday with Trump at the president's course in Sterling, Virginia, said that he had consulted with Senate Foreign Relations Committee members Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Ben Cardin, D-Md., over their "shared concerns regarding the whereabouts and treatment" of Khashoggi. In a statement sent to journalists Monday, Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi ambassador to Washington, said that reports the kingdom had detained or killed Khashoggi were "absolutely false and baseless . . . I don't know who is behind these claims, or their intentions," he said, "nor do I care frankly." "What we do care about is Jamal's wellbeing and revealing the truth about what occurred," the ambassador said. "Jamal has many friends in the Kingdom, including myself, and despite our differences, and his choice to go into his so called 'self-exile,' we still maintained regular contact when he was in Washington." The Saudi government, he said, was "fully cooperating" in the Turkish government's investigation. "Jamal is a Saudi citizen whose safety and security is a top priority for the Kingdom." In a meeting Sunday night with The Post's publisher, Fred Ryan, the ambassador said it was "impossible" that such a crime could be covered up by consulate employees "and we wouldn't know about it." Khalid told Ryan that Khashoggi, who was once close to the ruling family in Saudi Arabia, had "always been honest" and that his criticism of the current Saudi leadership "has been sincere." During the meeting, Ryan expressed The Post's "grave concern" about Khashoggi's disappearance, and said the news organization would view any Saudi government involvement in his disappearance as a flagrant attack on one of its journalists. Bulgarian television reporter Viktoria Marinova has become the third journalist to be murdered in the European Union in the a year ago and the fourth since the start of 2017. However, Bulgarian media reported that Marinova recently interviewed Romanian journalists who were investigating politicians and businessmen for alleged corruption of European Union funds. Ms Marinova was a director at TVN, a small TV station in Ruse, and presented two investigative programs. That episode featured two journalists - Dimitar Stoyanov from the Bivol.bg website and Attila Biro from the Romanian Rise Project - and their investigation into alleged fraud between Romanian politicians and business people, according to the Guardian. The Ruse prosecution office and local police stated at a press conference today that they would look at "all versions" of the murder, according to Balkan Insight. The OSCE's media freedom representative Harlem Desir condemned Marinova's killing on Twitter: "Shocked by horrific murder of investigative journalist Victoria Marinova in #Bulgaria". Interior Minister Mladen Marinov later confirmed she had also been raped. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Sunday he is personally looking into reports that Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian journalist for the Washington Post, may have been killed while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week. Swedish freelance journalist Kim Wall was murdered in a gruesome case in Denmark a year ago by Danish inventor Peter Madsen. He said Marinova was linked to bivol.bg's investigations because its reporters had appeared on her show. Margaritis Schinas, spokesman for European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, said Monday that the commission expected "a swift and thorough investigation. that will bring those responsible to justice and clarify whether this attack was linked to her work". "A large amount of DNA has been obtained". Those responsible must be held to account'. "With tremendous pain and overwhelming grief, the editorial staff is experiencing the loss of our beloved colleague". Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who investigated corruption, was killed in October 2017 by a bomb that destroyed her auto. But it sparked immediate worldwide condemnation with the OSCE's media freedom representative Harlem Desir writing on Twitter: "Shocked by horrific murder of investigative journalist Victoria Marinova in #Bulgaria". Last October, Daphne Caruana Galizia, Malta's best-known investigative journalist, was killed when a powerful bomb blew up her vehicle and Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak was shot dead in February. But media focused on her recent work. Vigils for Marinova, mother of a seven-year-old daughter, were planned in Ruse and the northern cities of Vidin and Pleven, as well as the capital Sofia. He couldn't continue his streak of five successful tiebreakers, however, as Nishikori ran away with the decider 7-2 nearly an hour into the match. Medvedev served 12 aces to Shapovalov's four, with the young Canadian also serving five double faults throughout the match as he struggled to stay with the big-hitting Russian. "I managed to break him, so I came out on top". I played my best level. Once Nishikori, a former US Open runner-up who reached the NY semi-finals last month, bagged an early break in the second set, French resistance faded and he put Gasquet out of his misery with a sizzling backhand down the line. "This gave me good confidence". "I'm feeling 100 percent", added Nishikori. Canada's Denis Shapovalov was ousted from the Japan Open on Saturday with a semifinal loss to Daniil Medvedev, holding off the teenager's latest attempt to make his first tour-level final. "I will miss this handsome country so much!" Nishikori followed up his last-16 win over Benoit Paire with a straight-sets triumph and will now prepare to take on eighth seed Gasquet on Saturday after he beat Kevin Anderson in their quarter-final, 7-6 7-6. Nishikori broke Tsitsipas for a second time to nudge ahead 4-3 before closing out the first set with an acrobatic backhand volley. "Sometimes it just happens", Gasquet said of his tie-break prowess so far this tournament. Third seed Nishikori, who won the last of his 11 career titles in Memphis two years ago, completed a clinical 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 victory in 89 minutes and will be hot favourite to win the title for a third time. "I hope I can make it three out of three this year". He reached his first two ATP finals this year in 2018, losing both times to Rafael Nadal in Barcelona and Toronto. FOXBOROUGH -- The best team in the AFC is coming to town Sunday. With a victory, the Patriots would complete their bounce-back from a dreadful 1-2 start. Defensively, they've already initiated a major turnaround. But the place Kyle Van Noy wanted to start while speaking to reporters Monday inside the locker room was the diamond. Offering unsolicited support for embattled Red Sox pitcher David Price, Van Noy said he caught most of the Red Sox's first two ALDS games against the New York Yankees over the weekend. The Patriots were off, having played Thursday night in a 38-24 win over the Colts. With Van Noy watching Saturday, Price didn't last two innings during his start in Game 2, a 6-2 Boston defeat. His performance drew widespread criticism -- except from the veteran linebacker. "I believe in him. I think we all do," Van Noy said of Price. "Anytime you've got a professional player that plays for the city that does stuff for the community that puts on for his team and suits up and goes out there and tries to do his best, you've got to do represent him and respect what he does." Post-game, Price said he remains confident despite continuing struggles in the postseason and against New York. "My spirits aren't down," Price said Saturday. "My confidence isn't down. I'm looking forward to getting back out there and getting another opportunity." Van Noy added he didn't make it out to Fenway Park, where the Red Sox would return for a Game 5 Thursday if necessary. "Those tickets cost a little bit," Van Noy smiled. "They're a little too much." But Price and the Sox were nonetheless a major part of his rare weekend off. "Had to step out for the night and enjoy myself a little bit. It can get kinda crazy here, you know what I mean?," he smiled. "Gotta enjoy some family time, have family in. So it was good." Jamal Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Khashoggi's fiancee waits outside the building for several hours and the long delay prompts her to call police. The Washington Post chose to leave a blank space where Khashoggi's column would have been in its Friday edition in support of the missing writer. "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 Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch. The Post cited one anonymous official who said investigators believe a 15-member team "came from Saudi Arabia". Khashoggi maintained ties with Saudi elites, including those in its intelligence apparatus, and launched a satellite news channel, Al-Arab, from Bahrain in 2015 with the backing of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Erdogan told reporters that authorities were examining camera footage and airport records as part of their investigation into the disappearance last week of Khashoggi, who had been increasingly critical of Saudi Arabia's rulers. Since fleeing his native Saudi Arabia in 2017 amid a clampdown on opposing views to the Saudi regime, Khashoggi later took up a position as columnist at the Washington Post. The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was alarmed by reports Khashoggi may have been killed inside the consulate. "Jamal is not at the consulate nor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the consulate and the embassy are working to search for him", the consul-general, Mohammed al-Otaibi, was quoted as saying. Saudi Arabia says he left the consulate on Tuesday after completing his paperwork. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he would await the results of an investigation. "If true, this would be an abysmal new low". The statement goes on to say that Saudi Arabia "routinely uses draconian laws to crack down on peaceful dissent at home, and has even arrested dissidents overseas in the past". The two regional heavyweights and U.S. allies have engaged in a delicate balancing of shared interests and opposing positions, sometimes teaming up to oppose President Bashar Assad in the Syrian conflict, for example, while sparring over Saudi Arabia's campaign to isolate Qatar and its regional fight against political Islam. The move comes as Turkey also summoned Saudi ambassador Sedat Onal for a second time in recent days on Sunday, asking the diplomat for his "full cooperation" in the investigation. Prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing Tuesday has been killed inside his Saudi Arabia's consulate in Turkey, unnamed sources told media outlets Saturday. "My sense is that he has been killed". Erdogan's comments were his most direct suggestion yet of potential Saudi culpability in Khashoggi's disappearance and came after other Turkish officials have said they believe that he was killed by Saudi agents inside the consulate. Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, said he first went to the consulate at September 28 to obtain a document related to their upcoming wedding and he returned Tuesday with concern he wouldn't be allowed to leave. "Do you not have cameras and everything of the sort?" A Tarrant County judge called off the upcoming execution of Emanuel Kemp, a Fort Worth killer once deemed too insane to be put to death. But his scheduled punishment was canceled not over concerns about his sanity, but in light of a need for further DNA testing, according to court filings. Kemp was scheduled to die on Nov. 7 for a decades-old crime. The high-school dropout had been out of prison for just five days when he hijacked a public transit bus at knifepoint in 1987, forcing the driver to drive around town while he raped and murdered the only passenger, Johnnie Mae Gray. The 34-year-old died from nine stab wounds to the chest and throat according to Texas prison records. The driver was stabbed in the neck but lived. Kemp was arrested three days later and sent to death row the following year after a whirlwind six-day trial. In the years after his conviction, Kemp was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, according to his attorney, Greg Westfall. "He has been very psychotic to entirely utterly out there since about 1990," Westfall said. By the mid-90s, one court deemed Kemp incompetent for execution, though a higher court later reversed that decision after years of medication. Since then, his attorneys raised claims of bad lawyering, violations of due process, questions about jury selection and denial of funds to get mental health experts. After he lost in federal court in the early 2000s, according to Westfall, the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office under another administration agreed not to seek another death date - so the decision to schedule a November execution came as a surprise to defense counsel. READ MORE: Texas court stays Fort Worth man's execution over claims of intellectual disability "It was agreed that he was too insane to execute," Westfall said earlier this year. "Since then, the leadership there has changed and now they have sought an execution date. It was really out of the blue." But on Friday, the trial court greenlit an order withdrawing the execution date "so that matters related to his Motion for Forensic DNA Testing Can be fully litigated," according to court filings. The state, according the paperwork notes, has agreed to the motion. Neither Westfall nor the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office could be reached Monday for comment. The canceled execution is now the second death date called off from Tarrant County in the past week. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday stayed an October death date scheduled for Juan Segundo, who was sent to death row in 2005 for the cold case murder of 11-year-old Vanessa Villa. The order opens the door to investigate claims that he's too intellectually disabled to be put to death. With Segundo's date called off, Kwame Rockwell - also from Tarrant County - is the next prisoner scheduled to die. The Lone Star State has executed 10 men so far in 2018. There are another six death dates on the calendar in the coming months, including two in 2019. Ahead of a Monday meeting with Pope Francis, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston echoed his call for a review of how the Vatican handled the rise of a Washington D.C. cardinal amid sex abuse claims. DiNardo, who leads the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is slated to meet with the Pope a second time since Sept. 11 when a Houston-area priest was arrested on four counts of indecency with a child. In a statement from Rome on Sunday, DiNardo seconded Pope Francis pledge to study the Vatican archives to determine how the Catholic Church addressed allegations that former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was sleeping with seminarians and priests. The claims were reported as early as 2000. ARRESTED IN SEPTEMBER: Galveston-Houston Archdiocese housing former Conroe priest accused of sex abuse at retirement community DiNardo applauded the Pope for taking steps to ensure the faithful are protected from the evil of sexual assault. While the cardinals remarks do not cite McCarrick or anyone else by name, the statement refers to the Popes Oct. 6 request for the internal review of claims against McCarrick, who resigned in 2006. The truth will ensure terrible sins of the past are not repeated, DiNardo wrote. The courage of abuse survivors who first brought the horrific truth of sexual abuse to light must continue to be matched by our courage as pastors to respond in justice. Additionally, DiNardos statement did not reference the criminal investigation into Manuel La Rosa-Lopez, the priest formerly assigned to Richmonds St. John Fisher Church. La Rosa-Lopez, is accused of molesting two young parishioners of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Conroe. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston did not respond to a request for comment following DiNardos remarks. Michael Norris, of Houstons chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, took exception to DiNardos overseas trip and failure to address the accusations against one of his own. He has a lot of nerve, Norris said Sunday night. Hes got his own issues in Houston that need to be addressed, not being off in Rome. La Rosa-Lopez has been accused of assaulting a teen boy and girl from 1998 to 2000, according to investigators in Montgomery County. By DiNardos arrival at the Houston archdiocese in 2004, La Rosa-Lopez had been ordered to undergo sex addiction therapy and assigned to the parish in Richmond, about 70 miles to the southwest of Conroe. Before reporting La Rosa-Lopez to the police, both victims said they met with DiNardo but in their view he did not take them seriously. A third accuser came forward last Thursday to allege that La Rosa-Lopez inappropriately touched him on multiple occasions in the mid-1990s while he was an altar boy at a Houston church. Jay B. Sauceda, better known as one of the brain and CEO behind the popular Texas Humor web store, has a new book out. It's not a collection of photos of smiling Texans in some of the prideful T-shirts he's help design, but a book about what the state looks like from way, way up high and it helps that Texas is pretty as hell. LONE STAR LORE: Rare photos show Texas' historical moments While Texas Humor's M.O. is to celebrate Texas pop culture, history, and community, "A Mile Above Texas" is about what we look like from the wings of a single-engine Cessna thousands of feet in the air. Being a trained pilot, like La Porte native Sauceda happens to be, has its perks. Sauceda's last book was "Y'all: The Definitive Guide to Being a Texan" which earned praise by Texans and those not lucky enough to be Texans alike. Jay B. Sauceda Released by University of Texas Press on Oct. 3, the 200-page photo book comes with 142 aerial photos that Sauceda took in 2015. In all he would take over 44,000 images over a nearly 4,000-mile odyssey, logging 36 hours in the air and stopping at 12 airports. His plane makes the odd cameo as a shadow on the ground. THIS IS HOUSTON: Rarely-seen photos from Houston's past will dazzle history buffs "I used a total of seven of cameras, including a handful of GoPro cameras," Sauceda said this week, taking time out at the State Fair of Texas. "A few times I would open a window up and shoot with a handheld camera." Some of the sights that Sauceda captured might seem mundane on the ground. But in the air take on a whole new shade of meaning. "I had to remind myself to shoot photos sometimes because I was so in awe of what I was taking in," Sauceda said. There's Surfside, decimated during Hurricane Ike, seen beginning to blossom again almost a decade after disaster. A vast green, wooded wilderness along the border of Texas and Louisiana is shown. An oil field in Perryton at the edge of the Panhandle humming with profits creates a patchwork design on a prairie. An Edinburg citrus grove looks almost painted by man. There's solitary homes on the outskirts of farmland and shrimp boats in the middle of Matagorda Bay. ARLEN OR BUST: The best fictional Texas cities we wish we could visit "I really didn't have a goal to photograph anything in particular. I knew where I was going and landing but outside of that I wanted to cruise around and see what I could find," Sauceda said. He listened to a classic Texas honky-tonk playlist along the way, soundtracking with his travels. Jay B. Sauceda Rick Bass from Texas Monthly, who chronicled Sauceda's journey first in April 2017, has even compared the collection of photos to T. R. Fehrenbach's epic Texas history book "Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans" for its fresh, breath-taking views of a familiar landscape. HOUSTON IS WEIRDER: Houston should rightfully be called the weirdest big city in Texas "That's a pretty lofty compliment," Sauceda said. "I grew up enjoying that book too." Sauceda's photo book is the kind that you don't download onto your tablet but one that gets a prominent place on the coffee table next to copies of a Willie Nelson autobiography. Sauceda wants people to devour this book with their eyes. "I tell people that we think of ourselves as conquerors of the earth but at the height I flew I discovered how much nature still dictates what we do," Sauceda said. From Jan. 26, 2019 through June 16, 2019 gallery-sized prints of Sauceda's work will be on display at The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. Interactive components of the exhibit will put visitors in the plane with Sauceda along his Texas trek. Craig Hlavaty covers Houston history and pop-culture. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | craig.hlavaty@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message A link to the online voter registration application on the Texas secretary of states website was down almost all day Saturday, just three days before the voter registration deadline for the Nov. 6 elections. Around noon Saturday, the office tweeted an alternative link to the form, which can be filled out online but must be printed and submitted. The Texas Democratic Party called Saturdays technical problem at the Secretary of States Office unacceptable. Voting should be easy and accessible for everyone, said party spokesman Josh Stewart in a statement. With three days left to register to vote, Texans deserve better. Its unclear how many people tried to access the form over the weekend, according to a spokesman for the Secretary of States Office. He was also unable to provide data on how many people typically download the form in the days leading up to the registration deadline. The glitch comes just days after the Secretary of State said more than 2,000 Texans will have to re-submit voter registration applications. Vote.org, a nonpartisan group, said it helped thousands of people from Dallas, Bexar, Cameron and Travis counties submit voter registration applications that use digital photographs of their signatures. The Secretary of State said those applications do not comply with Texas law because the signature cannot be a copy, digital signature or photograph of a signature. James Dickey, chairman of the Texas Republican Party, encouraged Texans to register to vote in person. We encourage those who are seeking to be registered to stop by their local GOP office so that a deputy voter registrar may help them register to vote, Dickey said. This is one of the most important elections in recent history, and it is crucial that every Texan exercise their Constitutional rights. RELATED: Post-primary surge pushes Texas voter registration to 15.6 million The deadline to register to vote in the November elections is Tuesday, Oct. 9. To register, Texans should fill out the voter registration application, print it and mail it to the voter registrar in their county of residence. Mail-in applications must be postmarked by Oct. 9. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres estimated at 90,000 the population held against their will in the Polisario-run camps in south-western Algeria, a figure that is much lower compared to the inflated count put forward by the separatists and their mentor. In a report to the Security Council, Guterres said the UN Humanitarian Agencies have continued covering the needs of the Tindouf camps populations through the monthly distribution of 125,000 food rations. This number of food rations corresponds to the figure of 90,000 people living in the Tindouf camps, adopted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Program (WFP) in 2005. The 35,000 additional rations were added in 2006 following the floods that hit the camps. The UNHCR had said that they will keep these estimates until a census is conducted. Morocco and the UN have repeatedly called for a head-count of the camps population but the Polisario and its mentor Algeria refuse to allow the operation. The EU had decided to reduce aid sent to the Polisario-run camps in a bid to curb humanitarian aid diversion. Following a report by the EU anti-fraud office (OLAF) denouncing the embezzlement of humanitarian aid by the Polisario leadership and Algerian officials, the European Commission decided to cut aid commensurately with the estimated number of 90,000 people instead of the inflated 165,000 people put forward by the Polisario and Algeria in an attempt to sell the idea of the existence of a Sahrawi People with a republic in exile Some independent Algerian media had said that the number of Moroccan Sahraouis in Tindouf camps does not exceed two-thirds of the 90,000 camps inhabitants, with the rest being Mauritanians and Sub-Saharans who were forced to stay in the camps as part of an Algerian scheme to inflate numbers. Carrying out a head-count of the population held in Tindouf will enable international aid agencies to assess the needs of the population and will also pave the way for the camps dwellers to obtain the refugee status, which will grant them the right to return to their homeland Morocco or at least the right to freely choose their country of asylum. Algeria and the Polisario dread the most such options as they continue to trade in the suffering of Sahraouis living in abject conditions. Data is the new gold. And like gold, it needs to be mined and processed to become valuable. Gold that sits in the ground is free for anyone who finds it. But only after excavated and used to make jewelry or industrial equipment will its potential value will be realized. Data is the same. It is everywhere, but until it is captured and analyzed it holds no value. The real value comes from the insights that are generated from analyzing the Big Data. These insights help organizations optimize their performance. Business can make better investment decisions, uncover new markets, optimize processes, and deliver products faster and more reliably. Governments can tailor services for individual citizens, significantly reduce overhead, shorten process time, and increase information security. While Big Data analysis provides tremendous opportunities, it also comes with certain challenges and requirements. Here are four challenges that are particularly relevant for government organizations: Eliminating Data Silos Governments accumulate all kinds of information about their citizens, such as birth certificates, drivers licenses, car registrations, tax return, property deeds, and more. All of this data is stored in different departments and cannot always be shared easily. Isolating data in this way can help to protect privacy; however, sharing information is often necessary. For example, when different departments store similar information about the same individual, if the information is not synchronized it can result in confusion, additional work and potentially big problems for the citizen. It is therefore better to have only one version of each data element (a single source of the truth) and to share or reference this data across the various departments. Eliminating data silos is a complicated and sensitive process whereby no data can get lost and duplicate data entries are resolved. Eventually a single database will exist from which all government departments can draw information and where all new Big Data is stored. Creating a Nationwide, Unified Platform In addition to unifying data storage, government departments must have access to this data and to each other; this requires a secure and intelligent national e-government network. Thanks to the benefits of cloud computing, a unified platform can be established where departments can access data, communicate with other departments, use applications, and perform other tasks. A unified national system will be easier to manage, at a lower cost. Instead of each local organization trying to secure, manage and optimize the local IT, a centralized team can more efficiently provide a better service. Establishing a set of regulations for Big Data While the ability to access data from everywhere is great, the data should not be accessible by everyone. Citizens data is sensitive and can cause serious harm if it gets into the wrong hands. Well organized and experienced criminal organizations are constantly looking for ways to access private data. Also, government staff should only have access to the data that is relevant to their job, to prevent them from looking at sensitive data out of curiosity. To properly manage the data, the first step is to understand the nature of the data and decide which data should be accessible by whom, and how it should be managed. By creating a set of regulations based on these decisions, it will be clear the data should be handled under particular circumstances. The applications can be configured or developed to strictly follow these regulations, as well as all other parts of the IT system that impact data security. Ensure ongoing optimization of the platform Designing and building the Big Data platform is an obvious first step, but equally important is the ongoing management and optimization of the platform. This includes the data storage facilities, analysis software, network connectivity, applications and of course the data itself. Intelligent tools will help to ensure that the platform and the data is secure, available, reliable and accurate. Over time the amount of data will grow rapidly, and new technologies will become available. An ongoing optimization process will ensure that the data will be manageable and meet the regulatory requirements, while ensuring the performance of the data access. Huawei Big Data Service for Smart Cities In several locations in China, the government is building Smart Cities. With urbanization proceeding quickly, the Chinese government is investing heavily to provide a high quality of life for its citizens. Sometimes expanding existing cities is not the best solution, so new cities are built from the ground up. They are typically located where they provide the biggest economic benefit for the region, and advanced technology is used to make peoples lives citizens more comfortable and safe. A particular Smart City development in the center of China has defined a Big Data Sharing and Exchange Platform project with the following requirements: To build a security system for the Big Data sharing and Exchange Platform to ensure reliable, stable and accurate operation of the platform; Build data management tools for data collection, integration, quality assessment, cleaning, quality, consistency, standardization, etc. Construct the data resource pool according to the standards of the government data model, establish the appropriate data model, build the data buffer, transfer the source data library, integrate the base library, historical database, unstructured database, and ensure that the imported data and the incremental data are stored according to the automated scheduling process. Customer value This project supports the development of the Smart City, and the e-Government, which will greatly improve the quality and efficiency of government services for the people. It also has important strategic significance for the information development and government transformation in the area. This is reflected in the following main aspects: Realize safe management of government information. The project utilizes all the capabilities of cloud computing, virtualization, on-demand, and dynamic expansion to provide compute, storage and information services for various departments. The result is a centralized deployment of software and hardware, sharing of common infrastructure, and information sharing. Through the centralized and high-standard management and maintenance of core systems and data, the security and control will be guaranteed. Serve the government and society to realize information services The platform offers a full range of information services to the government and to society. The Data Resource Sharing and Exchange platform will provide fast information inquiry and information release services, manage the government affairs for people's livelihood, and realize the accurate information, to benefit the people. Improve government work efficiency and office quality The city government will improve efficiency, reduce costs, and simplify many processes. Through the government Big Data Sharing and Exchange platform, benefits are realized for the people, and services are made more convenient. Fundamentally, it realizes the transformation of government from simple management to management services. Huawei Services is currently planning, implementing and optimizing this Big Data Sharing and Exchange Platform, based on the Huawei Big Data hardware and software solution. Huawei aspires to be the partner of choice for enterprises and governments around the world; only by delivering world-class service we can accomplish this vision. We want our service partners to grow with us, and thrive equally while we enable the Digital Transformation of many companies. These are exciting times, and we are humbled by this challenge, but proud to be at the center of a global business revolution. To learn more about Huawei Services, please go to http://e.huawei.com/en/services; or contact your local Huawei Service representatives or Certified Service Partner. More and more business leaders realize that digital transformation is not an option, but the only way to survive. According to IDC's forecast, by 2020, 46% of companies around the world will have digital business as the top priority for their strategy. Organizations that already have a digital transformation strategy, often identified similar objectives: improve customer experience, competitive differentiation, intelligent and agile business operation, and cost reduction. Technologies such as cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence all play an essential role in achieving these objectives. Planning and implementing a Digital Transformation strategy requires a tremendous amount of resources and expertise. The expertise has to come from different backgrounds and disciplines, and together design and execute the strategy that is right for the company. Smart Tools are an essential asset to facilitate this process. Tools can free up resources that are currently engaged in IT operation to join the transformation team. Tools can be used for fast and intelligent simulations, accelerating the planning and design process. Traditional tools are often stand-alone and un-connected. For example, the design of a cloud data center requires designs for the IP-SDN network, storage network, high-performance computing and disaster recovery backup. This requires more than five design tools, plus the manual application of different systems. Because traditional tools are not connected, or build on a common platform, they do not share the underlying data. This is very inefficient and has a great impact on the quality of the design. If these tools would be built on a cloud platform they would be easier to manage, accessed from anywhere and share all the project data. A good example is the Huawei ServiceTurbo Cloud: an integrated, cloud-based tool platform, designed to assist with specific scenarios such as safe city, smart transportation, public safety, IT support, wireless network, cloud computing. It combines a large number of online tools such as eLTE planning and design, DCN planning and design, network inspection, and unified operation and maintenance. Because users can access these tools online, it eliminates the need for software installation, upgrades, backup, etc. Customers and partners are moving away from stand-alone tools and applications, and are adopting cloud based tools. Cloud based tools also offer the possibility of collaborative development, whereby partners develop applications or features that connect to the cloud based platform. In the future competition is competition between ecosystems. ServiceTurbo Cloud is an open platform, it brings together a lot of expertise and experience. It is open to partners and customers through APIs, and 3rd party applications can be made available through the Application Market. Service partners can use the existing tools but also develop and publish their own applications, and share them with Huawei to form an ecosystem and achieve win-win. If you want to learn more, visit us at Huawei Connect 2018 and experience the ServiceTurbo Cloud yourself. For more information about Huawei Enterprise Services, please visit: http://e.huawei.com/en/services, or contact one of our account manager. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the new force driving industrial transformation. It is changing economic activities from distribution, to trading and consumption and reshaping many industries, such as healthcare, finance and public safety. According to CCW Research, Chinas leading IT market research and consulting company, the growth rate of the Artificial Intelligence market in 2017 was significant. They estimate the annual market size for AI in China is currently close to 21 billion USD, and it is expected to reach 150 billion USD in 2020. The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence has also driven an increase in the global demand for AI professionals. In fact, the need for AI talent is not confined to the IT industry; many other industries are also recruiting AI engineers. According to the English edition of the People's Daily, Zhou Ming, the deputy director of the Education and Testing Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that the AI talent gap in China exceeds 5 million. In order to bridge the talent gap the Ministry of Education in April 2018 launched the Artificial Innovation Action Plan for Higher Education Institutions. This plan proposes to accelerate development of AI talent training in colleges and universities, and strengthen the relationship between universities and enterprises for technological innovation. Huawei is launching the AI certification in China In response to Chinas Ministry of Education initiative, Huawei launched an AI program to promote not only AI training, but also to provide a solid cooperation between the industry and academic institutions in China. The program includes 4 elements: the development of an AI curriculum, industry-university cooperation, teacher and student training, and AI specialist certification. As part of the AI curriculum development Huawei will provide technical experts to support university scholars in developing no less than 10 online high-quality courses or textbooks; Huawei will make the latest AI software and hardware products available for educational purposes within the program. Huawei will also establish more than 50 AI-related projects whereby the industry and universities can cooperate. Huawei will recruit AI experts to provide training for more than 100 teachers in the field of artificial intelligence. Through the Huawei ICT Academy, Huawei will train and certify within the next three years more than 10,000 Chinese students to become Huawei Certified Artificial Intelligence Engineer. In order to further strengthen the exchange between industry and education, research has to be conducted in both the enterprises and academic institutions. This will promote the synergy between science and technological innovation, industrial and talent development. Huawei pledges to further deepen the cooperation with colleges and universities, strengthen the integration of industry and education, promote the innovation of talent training and assist universities to educate more AI talents. Huawei aspires to be the partner of choice for enterprises and governments around the world; only by delivering world-class service we can accomplish this vision. We want our service partners to grow with us, and thrive equally while we enable the Digital Transformation of many companies. These are exciting times, and we are humbled by this challenge, but proud to be at the center of a global business revolution. To learn more about Huawei Services, please go to http://e.huawei.com/en/services; or contact your local Huawei Service representatives or Certified Service Partner. The international development sector is growing six times as fast as the UK charity sector as a whole, and big aid charities are growing even faster, according to a report published today by Bond. Bond published its Financial trends for UK-based INGOs report today, which showed that the total income for the international aid sector in the 2015/16 financial year was 3.891bn. Drawn from the accounts of 305 of Bonds member organisations, the report analyses the decade between 2006 and 2016. It found that Bonds members overall income collectively grew by 59 per cent in that time, compared to just a 10 per cent growth in terms of the wider charity sector. The report distinguishes between government contracts and government grants as distinct income streams, but put together government funding was the largest source of income for aid charities, worth more than 1.2bn. Individual giving from the public represented the largest single source of income for aid charities, accounting for over 1.17bn or 31 per cent of the 3.8bn raised in 2015/16. Graham MacKay, chief operating officer at Bond and the reports author told Civil Society News that the data definitely shows however that the growth has not been evenly spread across the sector. The sector has grown about 1.3bn over the last 10 years and the vast majority of that has clearly gone to the larger organisations. The 20m-plus-a-year organisations. "So theres a clear relationship between the scale of an organisation, its ability to invest and ability to deliver results that these kinds of organisations have been able to demonstrate over the last decade, that the smaller ones maybe havent been able to. Large charities growing disproportionately fast The report showed that international development charities with annual turnovers in excess of 100m have been growing disproportionately faster than the rest of the aid sector. MacKay however doesnt believe this is necessarily a problem for the sector as a whole. If youre big then you have the resources to innovate and take risks, invest, build up strong skill sets in particular niche areas," he said. "Those are the sorts of things that, when youve got that large baseline of reserves and investment, thats the sorts of things one can do. Smaller organisations just find it more difficult when everything is a bit more hand-to-mouth. There are some things that smaller organisations can do [to grow] but the important thing is that theres a role for organisations of all sizes. We would never recommend growth for growths sake. One of the key arguments Im trying to get across is about finding your niche, and delivering that niche well. That might be at scale, or it might be small. It might be a very select constituency, or specialised area. The point is in gearing it around what you do well. Safeguarding scandal affects brand and identity While the data used for the report came from before this years safeguarding scandals, MacKay said he did anticipate them affecting the collective income of the international development sector in the future. He said that brand and identity are the most important things for a charity in the aid sphere. Brand and identity are incredibly important to any organisations. Its how they project what theyre good at. I think its probably quite a banal point to say that a strong brand is a very precious asset for any organisation to have, but it connects them with the world around them and their support and income. Its obviously not about the logo. Its about adhering to the values that you want the organisation to be known for. The report can be read in full on Bond's website. Civil Society Media's international aid conference NGO Insight is taking place on 27 November 2018 in London. For more information and to book, click here. Last Tuesday, the exiled Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi entered his countrys consulate in Istanbul to get documents he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. As a prominent critic of his countrys newly powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Khashoggi was aware that any encounter with Saudi officialdom could be risky, even overseas. Nonetheless, Khashoggi appears not to have been afraid ahead of his appointment. According to The Guardian, he told a friend, the most they can do is interrogate me. Over the weekend, unconfirmed reports suggested something much worse happened. After Khashoggi failed to emerge from the consulate, the voices of friends and press freedom advocates swelled with concern for his well-being. Then, on Saturday, anonymous Turkish officials leaked that Khashoggi had been killed, alleging that a 15-strong gang of regime henchmen traveled from Saudi Arabia to torture and murder him. Related: Saudi Arabia coverage confronts its own heartland problem So far, no evidence has been provided to back these claims. The Saudi government has strongly denied any wrongdoing, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has thus far stepped on eggshells to avoid deepening a major diplomatic crisis. Nonetheless, the murder reports are plausible and extremely worrying. Khashoggi had become a consistent and high-profile critic of the Saudi regime in recent times. He left the country in June 2017 after officials banned him from writing, and had since mainly covered the kingdom in an opinion column for The Washington Post. CJR spoke with Khashoggi in March for an article about US media coverage of Saudi Arabia in general, and the contentious reform agenda of Mohammed bin Salman in particular. At the time, Khashoggi warned that, despite the longstanding climate of censorship in the kingdom, freedom of the press had substantially deteriorated of late. To mark Khashoggis disappearance, CJR is reproducing that March interview in full. The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Im a believer in free journalism, despite all the limitations we had. I always pushed the envelope, I always wanted to have more space. Youre in self-imposed exile, if thats the right way of putting it. Can you maybe explain what came about that meant you had to leave Saudi Arabia, and your current living situation? Last June, I decided to leave Saudi Arabia for safety. I felt that whatever space I had was getting narrower and I decided to leave. A few weeks after I left, arrests began to happen, and that made me appreciate [being] out. We never had freedom of the press in Saudi Arabia, its true. But also we were never ordered or told to impose certain ideas, and if you do not say those ideas you will be judged. This is new. Many of my colleagues kind of disappeared from the media: They just want to be left alone. So basically, that is the reason I left. It is for my safety I was under the risk of either being banned from travel, which would be suffocating, or being physically arrested, just like many of my colleagues. So, youre saying that while press freedom in Saudi Arabia has never been good, youve seen a difference recently in terms of what youre allowed to say, what ideas youre allowed to espouse. How do you see the role of Mohammed bin Salman in that turn? Hes a transformer, and he thinks he should get everybody aligned with ideas and views, and suppress any counter ideas. I dont know where he got that idea: Its totally unneeded, totally hurtful, especially because [there] isnt a strong opposition in Saudi Arabia that he should fear. Basically, he wants to control the whole scene. Hes a transformer, he wants to have a monopoly on the narrative, on the ideas that are being exchanged in Saudi Arabia. Total control. And right now he does have total control of the narratives in Saudi Arabia. How do you feel his reform program has been covered in Western media, especially in the US? Has the coverage been too lenient? No, its not too lenient. For example, even mewho has friends in jailI have conflicted feelings, mixed feelings about his reforms. I like [some of] his reforms, and they are needed. I called for them; in fact, I lost my jobs [in Saudi media], twice, because I was pushing for those kind of reforms. But at the same time, Im worried very much about two things, that some American media arent concentrating on. Number one, intimidation. Hes increasing intimidation throughout Saudi Arabia by arrests and threats. And number two, monopoly on power, one-man rule. Those are things to worry about. And thats what I think the American media should concentrate on. They should not see the cup half fullsee only the reform. Yes, hes fulfilling a promise to purge radicalism in Saudi Arabia. But at the same time hes not allowing any form of expression, except expression that supports him. That is not good for the country. America has been complaining, since 9/11, of radicalism coming from Saudi Arabia. [So America] is celebrating his reforms, because he is doing exactly what the Americans have been asking the Saudis to do, to stop supporting radicalism. Hes doing that. This is a plus, its reform. But again, its a glass half full. There are other things which should be seen. Do you think there are any particular issues missing from Western coverage of Saudi Arabia that would significantly increase peoples understanding of how it works and the reforms that are going on? Freedom of expression, the arrest of intellectuals. [But] I dont have a problem with American media as much as I have a problem with the policymakers. Theres a neglect of what is happening, not only in Saudi Arabia but throughout the Arab world. Arabs are very much under attack. We are killing each other, authoritarian rules are spreading everywhere in the Arab worldincluding in my country. The Arab Spring is dying. And I dont see much attention among the policymakers. The media is doing a good job in highlighting those failures in the Arab world. I like what some American media is doing. It is doing a good job. Most of the news about [corruption perpetrated by Mohammed bin Salman] was reported by American newspapers, particularly The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. And Saudis were getting their information from those papers, not from their own local papers. Can you guide me through your career when you were a journalist and editor in Saudi Arabia? I was a reporter for a number of newspapers, covering the war in Afghanistan, the Gulf War. I became a specialist in political Islam and I had many exclusive stories. Later, I became editor of Al Watan newspaper. I worked also in diplomatic circles, as an adviser to the ambassador in the UK and the USA. I tried to set up a news channel. I failed. I set it up and it broadcast for 11 hours, and it was ordered to be shut down. Im a believer in free journalism, despite all the limitations we had. I always pushed the envelope, I always wanted to have more space. When you were at Al Watan, in particular, what was your relationship with the regime? What pressures did you feel? I had a good relationship with them. I knew there were ups and downs, I knew my limitations. But there was plenty of room to maneuver. Even though I was under pressure, I was never arrested, I was never banned from writing. Yes, there was a time when I was fired from my job. But I never experienced being banned from writing. I was banned from writing for six months before I left the country [last year]. I was so insulted when the royal court called me and told me that I am not allowed to write. That was a major reason for me to leave the country. I was so insulted. In America, you take freedom for granted. But, if you can imagine, how would you feel if you were told by somebody that you are not allowed to write? It is so insulting, for a writer. ICYMI: Marking one year of #MeToo coverage Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. Toyota Tsusho Corporation, supported by CFAO, its subsidiary, has won a $44 million contract to supply Morocco an oceanographic and fishery research vessel. The building of the research boat is expected to be completed in 2020 while delivery is scheduled for 2021. It will be built at the Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding Tamano Shipyard in Japan. The new research vessel is a project of Moroccos National Institute of Fisheries Research. It will be used to conduct conventional surveys, study deep-sea marine organisms and environments. Fishing is an important export industry in Morocco. About 170,000 persons are directly employed in this sector and a total of about 500,000 are indirectly employed. Octopus, squid, tuna, and other fishery products are exported to Japan and other countries, but since the 2000s, catches have become unstable and long-term management of fishery resources has become an issue. As a result, improvement and enhancement of fishery resource research is needed, and the aging of research vessels and a lack of research facilities have made the acquisition of a new vessel a necessity. Toyota Tsusho Group has been involved in automotive, healthcare, and other industries in Morocco for many years. Journalists are idealists. We get into this business because we want to right wrongs, call out bad guys, and help underdogs. Yet these days, so much of what we do is either ignored by a public who no longer reads us or dismissed by a political class intent on casting us as partisans. If journalism doesnt seem to have much immediate impact, is it still effective? Does journalism have to have an effect to matter? It certainly doesnt help morale, or our own sense of justice, when it doesnt, as was the case in coverage of Brett Kavanaugh, who has been sworn in to serve on the Supreme Court. He was approved by the Senate, defended by President Trump, and embraced by supporters, despite an extraordinary push by journalistsat The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and elsewhereto prove that Kavanaugh was, at worst, a sexual predator and, at least, a liar with a drinking problem. ICYMI: Kavanaugh hearing highlights the power of photo editors The journalistic output was clearly important, giving voice to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and other assault survivors while forcing the (old, white, male) Republican leadership in Washington to reckon with a #MeToo case that they could not wave away. But if the goal of reporters was to persuade the majority party and their constituents to doubt Kavanaughs credibility and his qualifications as a justice, they failed. The evidence of that is in the vote, along predictable party lines, and held on the anniversary of the Times epic story unmasking Harvey Weinstein as a serial abuser. Trump has moved brilliantly to stoke our most existential fearsthat we dont matter or arent believed or are declining in audience, resources, reach, whatever. (It is a fear that is reinforced every time another local newsroom closes its doors or another one of our colleagues loses his or her job.) Last week, in addition to Trumps dismissal of the Kavanaugh reporting, he stayed on message when it came the Times report on the finances of his family business. I praised that pieceseismic, irrefutable, and exhaustive proof that the Trump empire was built on fraudand soon after it was published, a number of local and state authorities in New York (all, by the way, led by Democratic elected officials) announced investigations of the schemes described. But Trump called it old, boring and often told and Sarah Sanders, his press secretary, said the story was a totally false attack. Having careful work rebuffed this way is exasperatingand it compounds a frustration we feel every time a story that we think is important is ignored or ridiculed, while so many othersincluding intentionally false stories from party hacks or Russian trollsgarner a more meaningful response. On Monday, Alan Rusbridger, the former editor of The Guardian, vented via a long Twitter thread about a press obsession in the United Kingdom with a scandal involving a pair of reality-TV starsall while, editors ignored a terrifying new United Nations report about the rapid acceleration of the global climate-change threat. Editors will argue that climate change doesnt sell newspapers. Which may or may not be true, he wrote. This argument says: Our business model doesnt allow us to do journalism in the public interest. If so, then we urgently need to reinvigorate the conversation about how to sustain journalism that does contribute to the public interest. If we think about our work on a social-media time frame, or in terms of cause and effect of the kind favored by corporate shareholders, then were going to end weeks like the last one profoundly disappointed. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Given the political and media climate, I fear its going to be increasingly difficult to see immediate, conclusive impact from the stories we do. For every Harvey Weinstein or Eric Schneiderman or Elizabeth Holmes investigation, there are dozenseven hundredsof others that dont receive the responses they deserve. More often than not, investigative stories that merit direct, substantial reaction from officialsor at least a wave of readerswill instead be either ignored or, as was the case with Kavanaugh, met with public relations hedging and little sincere attempt to reckon with journalists findings. Heres the bottom line: We do these stories because we believe in something even bigger than what will become of them. We do them because we are convinced that they are important, that our readers deserve to know them, that they get us a tiny bit closer to some kind of truth. We do them because theyre the right thing to do. The results of our work are completely out of our control; justice, even karma, sometimes moves fast, but more often moves slow and sometimes not at all. This is what journalism as a public service is about, and all of usreporters and editors, as well as investors, publishers, funders, and shareholdersneed to understand that this is the business were in. Adjust your expectations for returns accordingly. With an informed citizenry as a measure, then, last week doesnt look as bad as you might think. ICYMI: Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi reportedly killed in preplanned murder Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Kyle Pope is the editor in chief and publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review. The disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last Tuesday has drawn the attention of the media world. His reported murder at the hands of Saudi government agents at the kingdoms consulate in Istanbul threatens to spark an international incident. For those who knew him, the uncertainty surrounding his fate is excruciating and his situation serves as a devastating reminder about the perils of speaking out in the face of oppression. Khashoggi, 59, left Saudi Arabia in June of 2017, going into self-imposed exile after fearing for his freedom amid crackdowns by the Saudi government. He has contributed to The Washington Post for the past year, and his editor there, Karen Attiah, told CNNs Brian Stelter that Khashoggi just wanted to write. She says that its important for people who knew him to speak out about who he is, what his work meant to Saudi Arabia and to the region as a whole, what it meant to us. And I think its really important to know that Khashoggi, Jamal, he didnt want to be known as a dissident. He didnt want to be this opposition figure. In writing about repression in his home country, however, Khashoggi became one of the most prominent Saudi voices on the international stage. His work for the Post highlighted the downsides of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans agenda, and gave lie to the overly credulous reporting on MBSs image as a reformer. We never had freedom of the press in Saudi Arabia, its true. But also we were never been ordered or told to impose certain ideas, and if you do not say those ideas you will be judged, Khashoggi told my colleague Jon Allsop earlier this year. RELATED: Jamal Khashoggi, feared murdered, on press freedom in Saudi Arabia On Saturday, the Post reported that Turkish investigators believe Khashoggi was killed in a preplanned murder. If the reports of Jamals murder are true, it is a monstrous and unfathomable act, Fred Hiatt, editorial page editor for the Post, said in a statement. Saudi Arabia has denied any involvement in Khashoggis disappearance, insisting that he left the consulate shortly after he arrived, but no evidence has been provided to back up this claim. The incident takes place against the backdrop of an international PR campaign by Salman to cast himself as a reformer, and has the potential to complicate US-Saudi relations at a time when President Trump has closely aligned himself with the crown prince. Khashoggi saw the danger of crackdowns early, writing in his first column for the Post, I have left my home, my family and my job, and I am raising my voice. To do otherwise would betray those who languish in prison, Khashoggi wrote in September 2017. I can speak when so many cannot. I want you to know that Saudi Arabia has not always been as it is now. We Saudis deserve better. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Below, more on Khashoggi and his work. Other notable stories: ICYMI: Marking one year of #MeToo coverage Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon. AKRON, Ohio - When City Council reconvenes Oct. 15, members are expected to resurrect talks about possibly expanding the use of unmanned traffic cameras to catch speeders. The city now uses unmanned cameras only in school zones, but council members are revisiting the idea of stationing the cameras in neighborhoods where speeding continues to be a problem. They will face resistance from Mayor Dan Horrigan, who opposes citywide use of unmanned cameras because Akron could lose some state funding, spokeswoman Annie McFadden wrote in an email to cleveland.com. That's because House Bill 410, the Ohio General Assembly's latest attempt to shut down the use of the controversial cameras. The bill, which is still pending, proposes to penalize communities using the unmanned cameras by reducing the local government funds the communities receive from the state by the same dollar amount as the fines they collect from the cameras. "Obviously, this gave Mayor pause, as we don't want to do anything to jeopardize our [local government fund] allocation, which has been greatly reduced over the past decade and has reduced our ability to devote manpower to things like speed enforcement," she wrote. Horrigan also is working with the sponsor of HB 410 to not penalize cities that only use the unmanned cameras used in school zones. Akron police also recently added 12 hours per day of radar enforcement in city neighborhoods, McFadden wrote. The unmanned-camera issue resurfaced during Public Safety Committee meeting this week, when Public Safety Deputy Mayor Charles Brown appeared with Akron Police Sgt. James Hentosz to explain the city's request to buy 10 Stalker II radar guns, which are manned devices. The city is asking City Council to okay $18,000 for the guns, which would replace aging devices. The new guns can by mounted on the dashboards of cruisers, or held by hand, Hentosz told the committee. That flexibility in design would expand the city's capability to catch speeders, which council members say is a constant source of resident complaints. Some council members questioned why the city wants to pay for the Stalker II devices, when about a year ago, DragonCam radar guns, which issue tickets through the mail, were offered free of charge. Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Blue Line Solutions offered to provide free training and upgrades for the DragonCam radar guns, provide free representation in court if speeders dispute tickets, and pay for any overtime accrued by Akron police officers, Councilwoman Marilyn Keith said. Keith acknowledged that she isn't an expert on radar guns, but questioned why the city wouldn't revisit use of DragonCams because of "all the time and attention and push we have given this." The city wants to use the Stalker II devices because they are the next generation of the technology the city has used for years, Hentosz said. "It's the equipment we're used to, trained on and basically we're trying to keep it simple," he said. Kilby said he supported the Stalker II legislation but doesn't support issuing unmanned citations because there's no immediate feedback for the speeder. "The trouble with these tickets sent through the mail is you might get them a week or 10 days later and you didn't even know you were doing anything wrong for a week or 10 days," he said. They also issue tickets to cars, not necessarily the driver who was speeding, he said. Ward 1 Councilman Rich Swirsky said speeding is a "persistent problem" in his ward and near schools, and he supports any technology that protects kids walking to school. Ward 7 Councilman Donnie Kammer, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said he wants to see the Stalker II devices in action via video. Brown has invited council members to ride along with Akron police to see the technology at work. BATH, Ohio - Old Trail School and Countryside, formerly Countryside Conservancy, have launched the "Farm Project," designed to teach and inspire students while supporting a sustainable local food system. The project will use Old Trail Farm, an 11-acre organic farming area on Old Trail property that was once farmed in partnership with Hattie Larlham, which has served Summit County adults and kids with developmental disabilities for more than 50 years. In the Farm Project, a Countryside Farm Educator and Countryside farming interns will grow produce to meet the needs of the Old Trail School kitchen, said Annie Preston, Countryside's sustainability and special programs coordinator. Students, in grades two through eight, will learn things like companion farming, in which certain vegetables grow better when planted together. The interns will come from Countryside's Beginning Farmer Intern program launched last year for people interested in farming as a career. Crops at the Old Trail Farm will benefit from an aquaponics system, which relies on fish and aquatic life to create nutrient-rich water that's then used to water the crops. The crops will also be featured in Old Trail's edible education program, which enables kids to taste vegetables they aren't familiar with. Students will also work with a composting system as a sustainable farming practice. "We are so excited to partner with Countryside on the Farm Project," said Old Trail School's Head of School Sarah Johnston in a news release. "We are looking forward to deepening our relationship with Countryside that has existed for several years. We are happy to have such a committed partner to help us take our agriculture and entrepreneur curriculum programs to the next level." As for livestock, animals won't be grown for consumption, Preston said. Students will grow only what's known as heritage breeds, which are breeds that are threatened and no longer commonly grown, Preston said. The program will start out with students breeding heritage sheep at the historic Hammond-Cranz Farm on Ira Road, which is part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park system. The program will help students learn how breeding livestock works, while increasing the population of endangered livestock breeds, Preston said. Laying hens will also be farmed to produce eggs, but not for meat. Old Trail School's facility and equipment combined with Countryside's skills and resources bring benefits to both organizations, said Countryside CEO Tracy Emrick. "This is a great partnership," she said in the release. "Not only do we get to share our mission with the students, connecting them to where their food comes from, it's a win-win for everyone. We couldn't be more thrilled." Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. AKRON, Ohio - Akron is offering free two-hour parking downtown to keep people coming to businesses affected by construction during the $31 million Main Street Corridor project. The parking is expected to remain free throughout the work, which is planned to wrap up in 2020. You can park free: at the State Street deck. in the Buchtel Lot. on the street south of Cedar Street, which includes a portion of the lot in front of Spaghetti Warehouse. "We're thrilled with the progress happening in downtown Akron, but we're fully aware that it's inconvenient," Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a news release. "We are doing everything we can to communicate and promote that Main Street is still open for business and that it is simple and easy for patrons to get there. We hope that the community will still support our downtown businesses during this transition to a new and vibrant Main Street." To help people navigate downtown for the next two years, the city has posted signage in the lobbies of office buildings and installed "walk this way" dots to show the best routes around construction areas. The city's Drive Akron website posts regular updates about the project and offers maps and other project information. Phase 1 is focused on the Main Street infrastructure between Cedar and Mill streets and includes: placing the street pavement and sidewalks and adding new lanes added for parking, buses, delivery vehicles and bikes; updating the underground utilities, traffic signal equipment and lighting, and storm water system; building a roundabout with a water feature at Main and Mill streets; and rebuilding the State Street Bridge. To fund the project, about $13 million came from two federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants and $7.5 million was awarded in Federal Bridge funds. The city's matching contribution to the TIGER grants is about 44 percent. To keep the community informed during the work, the city and Downtown Akron partnership will host a series of meetings and activities. For more information, call Heather Bolestridge at 330-375-2501, visit Drive Akron or send an email. Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. BROOK PARK, Ohio -- During their Oct. 2 regular meeting, Brook Park City Council members heard strong opinions expressed by two advocates for responsible sex offender residency laws. City Council has proposed an ordinance tightening restrictions on where registered sex offenders can live by adding parks to the 1,000-foot perimeter list. It also would prohibit two offenders from living together in the same dwelling. "These laws are counterproductive and cause many unintended consequences," said Shelley Cernin, a volunteer with Ohio Rational Sex Offense Laws. "Residency restrictions don't work. Let's make sure we are passing laws that do more than just make us feel good." Barb Wright of Ohio RSOL and the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws agreed with Cernin. In addition, she maintained that Brook Park's ordinance goes against Ohio's Home Rule statutes. "This is just another -- as our president likes to say -- witch hunt," Wright told council. "We're looking for the bad guy, but we're looking for him in the wrong places." She followed up the next day with an e-mail to council members stating her belief that they will make their decision "based upon hysteria." "Brook Park is not the first city to make that mistake, nor will it be the last," Wright said. Residents previously voiced concern about three registered sex offenders staying at the Howard Johnson by Wyndham hotel on Brookpark Road. An Oct. 5 interview with Police Chief Jim Foster indicated that there was no cause for alarm. "They stayed for the number of days they were registered for ... and then they moved on," Foster said. "It was just that simple. There was a public perception they were moving in there permanently." Councilman Brian Poindexter said he wants "the strictest ordinance ... that won't be overturned by legal challenges," while Law Director Carol Dillon Horvath offered her assistance to make sure the city's law is "fair and rational." "It's imperative we do something to protect the innocence of the children and protect the future of the city," added Council President Mike Vecchio, originator of the ordinance. The legislation received its second public reading and then was placed in Safety Committee for further discussion. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Would you be more likely to try your luck at the lottery if you could do so from your cell phone anywhere in Ohio, skipping the line at the local gas station or convenience store? The people behind a mobile app called Jackpocket believe so, especially for the under-35 crowd. Their goal is to begin operating in Ohio next year. For now, it takes going to a handful of other states to play the lottery with a mobile phone. Jackpocket in late June introduced the mobile option in Minnesota. Two weeks later, a 20-year-old Concordia University student won $1 million playing Powerball. His winning ticket was purchased not using cash, but rather promotional credits for referring a friend to the app. Here's how it works: A player pays a 7 percent fee to load money to an online account, and then uses the app to buy tickets at any time while physically in the state, confirmed by GPS. Preferences can be set for automatic purchases once a jackpot reaches a certain amount. There is a $100 per day limit. Scratch-off tickets are not sold; only other plays. Technically, the player is placing an order; not buying a ticket. Jackpocket then buys a physical ticket at a retailer and sends a scanned image to the player as confirmation. In Minnesota, Jackpocket owns the retailer, Mike Zipper's Fun Merchandise in St. Paul. Jackpocket went through no special licensing with the state lottery beyond what is normal for other retailers. Winnings, unless over $600, are automatically transferred to the player's account. The player can then transfer that money to their bank account. Because of tax laws, when prizes are larger than $600, the player is provided a ticket to personally cash out. "The reason this is legal is that they are actually purchasing the ticket from the actual lottery retailer," said Adam Prock, spokesman for the Minnesota State Lottery. "They are working as a courier service." Brandon Stevenson won $1 million in July after using the Jackpocket mobile app to obtain his Minnesota lottery ticket. (Minnesota State Lottery) Critics have argued that this amounts to unauthorized online gambling in Minnesota, but nothing has been done by the legislature or other authorities to stop the business. The lottery asks that Jackpocket follow all its standard regulations, the state lottery's Prock said. Jackpocket began operating in New Hampshire late last year, added Minnesota this year and will launch soon in New Jersey and New York, Chief Executive Officer Peter Sullivan said. Danielle Frizzi-Babb, spokeswoman for the Ohio Lottery, said state lottery officials have not attempted to answer legal questions because they haven't gotten to the point to consider a proposal from Jackpocket or anyone else. "Vendors come here all the time pitching to us. They did come forward about a year ago," Frizzi-Babb said. "We did not move forward and have not at this point." Sullivan said he wants to work with the administration of the next governor, who will take office in January. The Ohio Lottery director and the lottery commission members are appointed by the governor. Without a formal arrangement, Sullivan said he believes Jackpocket could still expand into Ohio. Orders could be completed by buying tickets through a licensed Ohio Lottery retailer, as is done in Minnesota, he said. A spokeswoman for the the company clarified Monday to say Jackpocket did not plan to enter the Ohio market without some agreement or legal understanding. Asked if this type of arrangement would be legal, Dan Tierney, spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General's office, said: "Ohio law in general does not prohibit someone getting a lottery ticket for you. People participate in lottery pools all the time. There is no statutory prohibition on that." Tierney, however, said he was limited in how much he could say now because the attorney general is the lottery's legal representative. Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, covers casinos and the lottery. Follow on Twitter @RichExner. See cleveland.com/casino for other Ohio gambling industry news. Note: this story has been updated to reflect that the company said Monday it did not intend to move forward in Ohio without reaching an agreement or legal understanding with state officials. AKRON, Ohio -- A 75-year-old man is accused of fatally shooting his son. Leon Portis Sr. of Akron is charged with murder. He is in the Summit County Jail awaiting his first court appearance on Tuesday. The shooting happened about 2 p.m. Sunday at Portis' home Silvercrest Avenue in the city's Kenmore neighborhood, police said. Portis Sr. told police that he and his son fought and that his son. He pulled out a gun and fatally shot his 45-year-old son, according to police. Police found the 45-year-old man dead in the driveway of the home with a gunshot wound. The Summit County Medical Examiner is performing on autopsy on the 45-year-old man. His identity has not yet been released. To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments page. PARMA, Ohio -- A 5-month-old girl suffered serious injuries after her 31-year-old father led Parma police on a short chase after he was suspected of shoplifting food and beer, police said. Robert Jones, 31, of Cleveland died after crashing into a garbage truck. His car burst into flames and officers quickly extinguished it before discovering the child and the child's grandmother were inside the car, Parma police spokesman Sgt. Dan Ciryak said. The 48-year-old woman, the baby girl and the garbage truck driver were taken to MetroHealth. Their conditions are unknown. "At the time the officer didn't know what crimes he may have committed before this and didn't have information whether or not anyone else was in the car," Ciryak said. "We believe the officers followed protocol but are still looking into that. The chase reached speeds of 60 mph, Ciryak said. The 48-year-old woman could face charges in connection with the shoplifting, Ciryak said. The incident began about 5 a.m., when Jones and his mother separately went into Giant Eagle. Jones loaded up his cart, left some items and walked out with steak, lobster tails and beer without paying, Ciryak said. An officer pulled up behind the car, a Chevy Malibu, at the intersection of Ridge Road and West Ridgewood Drive. Jones sped up, turned on several side streets and returned to Ridge Road. He turned right on Pearl Road, skidded and slammed into the garbage truck, according to police dashboard camera video. The driver's side door slammed into the truck at the end of the two-minute, two-mile chase. Officers ran to the car, which quickly burst into flames because of a gas leak. One officer's pants caught fire and he stomped out the fire. Several officers used handheld fire extinguishers to quell the blaze and realized Jones was dead. They also spotted the 48-year-old woman in the front passenger seat and the 5-month-old in a car seat. Officers pulled the woman from a car. It took police and firefighters about seven minutes to pull the baby out of the car, Ciryak said. Ciryak said the car Jones drove was registered to someone else. The owner of the car told police he lent the car to a woman with a child because the child was hungry, according to police dispatch records. Ciryak said Jones did not have any active warrants and that it appeared he was speeding from police to avoid getting arrested or cited for shoplifting. "It's sad this was a choice he made," Ciryak said. It's a minor offense, but he chose to run. Look at all the lives he put in danger." Ciryak praised the officers. "They did a great job and probably saved two other lives because they acted so quickly," he said. A 31-year-old man died and his 5-month-old daughter and 48-year-old mother injured in a Monday police chase and crash in Parma. To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments page. NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio -- North Olmsted police officer Jim Carbone was recently named the Ohio School Resource Officers Association's 2018 School Resource Officer of the Year. "I think there are a lot of school resource officers in the state of Ohio doing great things," Carbone said. "This year, I was nominated. I do believe I work hard. I have a lot of programs for the kids. I do a lot of things in the schools, from diversity to training and leadership." Carbone was nominated for the award by North Olmsted City Schools Superintendent Michael E. Zalar and North Olmsted Police Chief Bob Wagner. "Officer Carbone is a worthy recipient," Zalar said. "For the last 17 years, he has demonstrated honesty and integrity in building relationships with our students and staff. "He has gone above the call of duty in his role as a school resource officer and developed numerous leadership programs involving our students that serve our community. Officer Carbone is an outstanding role model for our students and staff. We're fortunate to have him as part of our team serving and protecting our schools and community," Zalar said. Carbone, who comes from a law enforcement family, grew up in Strongsville and knew at an early age that he wanted to become a police officer. In fact, as a teenager, he was in a leadership position as a Strongsville High School D.A.R.E role model talking to young kids about the dangers of drugs. After joining the North Olmsted Police Department in 1994, Carbone was later named school resource officer in 2001. "I never thought I would get into the position so early in my career, but the officer that was at the school passed away and the opening became available," Carbone said. "Knowing we're in a smaller department, if I didn't take it then, I may not have had the opportunity for a very long time." Carbone said there's something about wearing the police officer uniform that commands attention and respect from students. "When you're in that uniform and you're talking to them about the importance of, say, reading or doing homework, you're making an impression," Carbone said. "I guess the most special part to me receiving this award was being able to share that with my young kids. "I have an 8-year-old, 6-year-old and a 4-year-old. I remember telling my son Michael. He said, 'Dad, you are the best.' And then he gave me a hug. That was the most meaningful thing." IOM, the UN Migration Agency, reports that 84,345 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2018 through 3 October, with 38,451 to Spain, the leading destination this year. The data show a drop in the regions total arrivals compared with 139,677 arrivals across the region through the same period last year, and 312,153 at this same point in 2016. Deaths on the Mediterranean remain high, at 1,777. However, that figure is well below fatalities recorded at this time last year (2,749) or in 2016 (3,682). IOMs Missing Migrants Project notes that at least 1,777 people have died or gone missing on migratory routes across the Mediterranean region during the first nine months of 2018 and into October 3, which marks the fifth anniversary of the October 2013 Lampedusa shipwrecks that claimed 368 victims. In Italy, October 3 became the official Remembrance Day for those migrants formally titled National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Immigration. However, despite the pledges made then by the international community to avoid further death at sea, 14,736 migrants have lost their lives on the Central Mediterranean Route trying to reach Europe, the IOM said. IOMs Missing Migrants Project notes that over 60 per cent of migrant deaths worldwide in 2018 have been recorded in the Mediterranean. Most recently, a shipwreck between Morocco and Spain occurred on October 1. Eleven bodies have been recovered from the capsized patera while another 23 people remain missing, according to testimonies from 26 survivors. A child and an infant are among the 34 dead or still missing. Also, in the Western Mediterranean, the body of a sub-Saharan African woman presumed to be a migrant was found on Cabo Negro beach, Morocco, last Sunday. In a report relayed Sunday by Libyan media, IOM also said that more than 600,000 illegal migrants of different nationalities are currently in Libya In July and August 2018, the organization identified at least 669,176 migrants in 100 municipalities in Libya, the report said, noting that the migrants are from more than 41 countries. The five main nationalities identified are from Niger, Egypt, Chad, Sudan and Nigeria, the UN Migration Agency added. The reception centers in Libya are filled with thousands of migrants who have been rescued at sea or arrested by the Libyan security services. Libyas IOM office is implementing a voluntary humanitarian return program in cooperation with local authorities. Some 12,819 people were repatriated under this program. The top four countries of return are Nigeria, Niger, Mali and Guinea. Returnees also went home to The Gambia, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Senegal, and Pakistan. In another development, the Spanish coastguard announced Sunday to have rescued in the Mediterranean, in the past 48 hours, nearly 1,200 migrants who were trying to reach Spain. Spain has become the first gateway to illegal immigration to Europe this year, after Italy has largely closed its borders under pressure from its far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini. More than 43,000 migrants have fled to Spain since the beginning of the year, including more than 38,000 by sea and nearly 5,000 by land, through the enclaves of Sebta and Melilia, according to IOM. COLUMBUS, Ohio--Senate Republicans' successful push to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday was a "sham" and a "disgrace," Democratic U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California told Ohio Democrats on Sunday night. "Let's speak the truth that it was a denial of justice for the women of this country and sexual assault survivors, men and women," said Harris, a potential 2020 presidential contender whose profile was raised in recent weeks by her questioning of Kavanaugh in the Senate Judiciary Committee about accusations of sexual assault. "What we have been witnessing is a display and an exercise of raw power," she continued. "Power that is being exercised not just to win, but to demean, and deflate, and defeat. And we are better than this." Harris was the keynote speaker at the Ohio Democratic Party's annual state dinner. With the November midterms just 30 days away, she urged the crowd of more than 1,000 Democrats to channel their emotions into helping Democrats win the November midterms. "Let this last week and all that we have experienced in terms of our frustration and our anger and our sadness - let's use this week to give us all that extra energy that we know we have that the bottom line is that they may have the power right now, but we need to take it back," Harris said to applause. Harris' strong words against the Republicans came in contrast to the first few minutes of her speech, when she delivered a line she often gives in her speeches - that even in an era of political polarization, most Americans still have the same worries, priorities, and fears. "In this moment in time where there are such powerful voices that are trying to sow hate and division among us, I believe this is one of those times where we have to hold on, with faith and belief, that the vast majority of us as Americans have so much more in common than what divides us," said Harris, whose speech at times seemed to echo Barack Obama's now-famous speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Harris' visit to Ohio is sure to stoke speculation about whether she will run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. Harris is also planning a trip to Iowa, another key battleground state, later this month. Asked on Sunday afternoon whether Kavanaugh's confirmation affects her 2020 plans, Harris waved off the questions. " I'm thinking about '18 and what we need to do around these races," she said. "And then I'll, you know, seriously take a look at things after that." Republican National Committee spokeswoman Mandi Merritt, in a statement, called Harris an "obstructionist" and said Democrats "continue to show that they value resistance over results. "Kamala Harris may energize the Democratic Party's resist-at-all-costs base, but Republicans' winning message and resume of results will carry us forward to victory in November," Merritt said. During her speech, Harris offered many words of praise for a potential 2020 presidential competitor -- U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Harris called Brown "a leader among leaders" in the Senate. In his remarks, Brown, who's running for re-election this year, didn't mention GOP opponent Jim Renacci. But he spoke at length against Mike DeWine, the Republican running for governor in a neck-and neck race against Democrat Rich Cordray. CLEVELAND, Ohio - It's crunch time in the Ohio governor's race on Monday as Republican Mike DeWine and Democrat Richard Cordray face off in the final gubernatorial debate in the run-up to the Nov. 6 election. The two candidates running to succeed term-limited Ohio GOP Gov. John Kasich will meet tonight at Cleveland State University. The debate starts at 7 p.m. and is sponsored by the Ohio Debate Commission, a group of scholarly organizations, news outlets and civic groups aimed at securing debates among statewide debates. Cleveland.com/Advance Ohio are among the founding members of the Ohio Debate commission. The public radio and television's Statehouse News Bureau's Karen Kasler, the Cincinnati Enquirer's Jackie Borchardt and Columbus 10TV News anchor Jerry Revish will moderate the hourlong forum. Cleveland.com will livestream the debate as well pre-and post-debate analysis in conjunction with Spectrum News. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. The livestream is posted above. The race between DeWine and Cordray - two candidates widely considered boring - has turned into arguably the ugliest and most hotly contested matchup in the state. Democrats are looking to Cordray to take back the governor's office for only the second time since 1990, while Republicans are hoping to hold on to control in the age of Republican President Donald Trump. The race is especially important given lawmakers will redraw congressional and legislative district lines in 2021. Public polling consistently shows a tight race between DeWine and Cordray, who, along with political PACs, have blanketed the state's airwaves with campaign commercials. The race has also been marked by divisive issues like health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and Issue 1, the ballot initiative aiming to reduce sentences for low-level drug crimes. Read more gubernatorial coverage: Here's what Mike DeWine and Richard Cordray talked about during the cleveland.com editorial board meeting Mike DeWine, Richard Cordray set fundraising record in Ohio governor's race Mike DeWine on the Ohio Matters podcast Barack Obama and Donald Trump are now in a proxy war for the heart of Ohio Richard Cordray is pursuing an unlikely constituency: John Kasich voters Rotunda rumblings Don't forget: The deadline to register for the Nov. 6 election is Tuesday, and early voting begins on Wednesday. The election is 29 days away. Also: The third debate of the Ohio governor's race is tonight. Democrat Richard Cordray and Republican Mike DeWine will face off at 7 p.m. in Cleveland. Go to cleveland.com to watch live and for analysis throughout the evening. 2020 watch: U.S. Sen Kamala Harris of California came to Columbus to address Ohio Democrats Sunday, the day after Brett Kavanaugh's controversial confirmation as a U.S. Supreme Court justice. "Let's speak the truth that it was a denial of justice for the women of this country and sexual assault survivors, men and women," said Harris, the keynote speaker at the Ohio Democratic Party's annual state dinner. Cleveland.com's Jeremy Pelzer reports that Harris, a potential presidential contender in 2020, also used her speech to praise Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, whose name has also been mentioned as a potential candidate for 2020. It's a bird, it's a plane: Wadsworth Rep. Jim Renacci, the Republican Senate candidate, on Friday defended flying in a strip-club owner's single-engine plane across the state, cleveland.com's Andrew Tobias reports. While trying to deflect questions on the topic, he seemed to confirm he flew on the plane to an Oct. 2 meeting with Scioto County faith leaders, while criticizing a reporter's interest in the subject. Renacci is challenging Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Kasich on CNN: Ohio Gov. John Kasich made his regular appearance on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday. He fielded questions from Dana Bash on Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, among other topics. He also predicted Democrats will have a good election, but maybe not a "big wave." Brown criticizes FBI investigation: In a floor speech, Brown said the FBI was "straightjacketed" in its investigation into allegations involving Kavanaugh's conduct when he was younger, and criticized Kavanaugh's record, cleveland.com's Sabrina Eaton writes. Portman defends Kavanaugh: In his own floor speech, Republican Sen. Rob Portman decried the "poisonous" process surrounding Kavanaugh's confirmation, and said the Kavanaugh he's known for 15 years "has always treated women with decency and respect," according to Eaton. Jordan huddles with evangelicals: As Kavanaugh was confirmed, Urbana Rep. Jim Jordan was among the conservatives who appeared at a weekend summit in Virginia with prominent evangelical leaders to plot out the conservative movement's path forward, writes The Intercept's Lee Fang. 2020 watch: Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti continues to make the rounds in Ohio Democratic circles, appearing Friday at the Hamilton County Democratic Party's fall fundraiser, writes the Cincinnati Enquirer's Scott Wartman. "Some of you may be asking, what is some porn lawyer doing here in Cincinnati talking to us about our republic?" Avenatti told the crowd of 300, according to Wartman. "Well, in normal times, I'd be at home in L.A. enjoying my life. But these are not normal times." A view from the inside: Agri-Grow Ohio LLC showed video of medical marijuana being harvested at its cultivation facility in Meigs County. Cleveland.com's Laura Hancock explains the harvesting and the company's estimated timeline to have product ready. Dettelbach nabs PD/cleveland.com endorsement: In its endorsement article, our editorial board wrote that Democratic state attorney general candidate Steve Dettelbach was the best of "two compelling options." The ECOT scandal was the tiebreaker that helped him edge out the win over Ohio Auditor Dave Yost, the Republican candidate. Four Pinocchios: Republicans have blasted myriad Democratic congressional candidates -- including Ohio's Aftab Pureval in OH-1, and Betsy Rader in OH-14 -- for backing Bernie Sanders' "Medicare for All," even if those candidates support a relatively moderate public option instead. Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler gave that broad-brush attack a "four Pinocchios" rating in a Saturday column. ICYMI: Cleveland.com's Sabrina Eaton wrote about Joyce's ad's claims about Rader's views last month. Discuss: Pureval has an unusual new campaign ad. Featuring him standing in a doorway with an impossibly thick stack of cue cards, it pays homage to Love Actually, the 2003 romantic comedy. Good idea? Bad idea? Great idea? Price check: Ohio State University's investigation into sexual misconduct allegations involving deceased former university physician Richard Straus has cost the state nearly $1.5 million so far, writes the Columbus Dispatch's Jennifer Smola. Full disclosure Five things we learned from the April 7 financial disclosure of Aziz Ahmad. Ahmad, a Democrat from Strongsville, is running for Ohio House District 7 against Republican Rep. Tom Patton. 1. Ahmad reported earning $44,000 for teaching in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. 2. Ahmad didn't report any investments. 3. At some time in 2017, Ahmad owed over $1,000 each to Capital One USA, Discover Financial Services, Ally Financial, Huntington National Bank, Department of Education/Nelnet and Baldwin Wallace College. 4. He didn't report receiving any gifts from lobbyists valued at over $75. 5. He didn't report receiving any meals, food or beverages totaling over $100 last year from lobbyists. Birthdays Ex-U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich Straight from the source "Look, it's both sides. A pox on both houses for the way this was conducted." -Ohio Gov. John Kasich, in a Sunday appearance on CNN, describing the process surrounding Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free. SEVEN HILLS, Ohio -- In an effort to update residents on everything from upcoming ballot issues to ongoing Rockside Road development, City Council ward members have scheduled individual community meetings for next weekend at City Hall. "Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation floating around social media, so we're just trying to encourage all of our residents to attend these meetings for an update on our city projects, with ward information and ballot issues," Council President Pro Tem Stacey L. Kelly said. "All of this information affects our residents one way or another, so this is a great way to come together." The meetings will be hosted by Ward 1 Councilman Anthony D. Biasiotta (10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13), Ward 2 Councilman Bob Wrobel (noon Saturday, Oct. 13), Ward 3 Councilman Thomas J. Snitzky (10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 14) and Ward 4 Councilman Randolph Greenwald (noon Sunday, Oct. 14). Council At-Large representatives Kelly, Patrick Elliott and Leslie Stager are expected to be present at all of the meetings. Also in attendance will be Parma City Schools Superintendent Charles Smialek. "I'm looking forward to meeting more residents," Smialek said. "It's always important to connect with as many of our stakeholders as possible as we work to improve our sense of transparency across our district. "I'll discuss the progress we have made toward our three district goals -- practice fiscal responsibility, improve student achievement and increase transparency -- in our communities and address any questions or concerns about our upcoming levy." Considering that some residents are unable to attend caucus and council meetings on weekdays due to work and family schedules, Kelly said the ward weekend event may be more accessible. "I would like to see these types of meetings done more frequently," Kelly said. "It's a great way to reach the residents. There are so many projects going on, and a lot of great things happening for our city. We want people to be informed. "I think this will be really beneficial. Going forwards, I definitely would like to see the meetings happen more than once a year." ksu.jpg Kent State University is offering a course centered around the #MeToo movement, which offers students a chance to explore feminism, misogyny and the seriousness of sexual assault. (Karen Farkas, cleveland.com) KENT, Ohio -- Kent State University English professor Vera Camden hopes her students take away a few big ideas from her course on the #MeToo movement this semester. Feminism is not a bad word. Misogyny is real. Sexual assault is an epidemic, and victims should not be silenced. The students -- about 10, including two men -- taking the course this semester are studying books about misogyny and feminism, Beyonce's "Lemonade" album, the "Jessica Jones" series on television -- and of course, current events. "I'm always interested in this question of women's voices and the way that women, their stories become known," Camden said. "And it seemed to me that what was really interesting about the #MeToo movement is this almost burst of narrative. This burst of storytelling, where I will not be silent about this event that occurred to me. I would rather speak about it." The students have read articles by #MeToo reporter Ronan Farrow, and watched a video related to pop star Kesha's alleged sexual assault. Camden adjusted her syllabus to discuss the sexual allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. "We might for instance be saying, OK, today we're going to look at these fascinating proliferation of women's comics," she said. "So that's on the curriculum, but then boom the weekend comes and the Kavanaugh thing hits the media and I walk in and I'm like, 'We have to talk about this. We have to watch these videos. We have to watch these debates. Let's take some time to discuss it.'" The class is always in flux, due to the continuing news and discussion surround #MeToo, she said. "That's part of being in a class that is based on cultural phenomena," she said. Taylor Swift usually stays out of the political fray, but this year, with just a month to go until midterm elections, the pop superstar is getting involved in a big way. Swift stunned the pop culture and political worlds Sunday night with a lengthy, impassioned Instagram post in which she endorsed Democrats Phil Bredesen and Rep. Jim Cooper in their Tennessee U.S. Senate and House races, respectively. "In the past I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now," Swift wrote. She has 112 million followers on Instagram. Cooper represents the state's 5th congressional district, and is considered to be in a safe seat. Bredesen, however, is trying to flip a red seat to blue. Democrats are defending more Senate seats than Republicans this fall, particularly in states President Donald Trump won in 2016. A win in Tennessee would go a long way in preventing the GOP from expanding its thin 51-49 margin in the Senate. Swift, 28, has taken the heat in recent years for avoiding political controversies as pop music peers such as Beyonce, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Pink and Kanye West have spoken out on issues or campaigned for politicians. Last year, Swift became one of the more famous faces of the #MeToo movement, when she successfully sued a Colorado disc jockey for groping her. She only sought $1 in damages because she wanted to send a message. Swift's Instagram post Sunday keyed in on several hot-button social issues. "I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG," she wrote. "I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent." SpaceX launches the SAOCOM 1A satellite for Argentina's Space Agency on October 7 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It happened again: SpaceX launched a rocket from the coast of California at dusk on Sunday, and the atmospheric conditions created a stunning visual display. Social media lit up in response, as people across Los Angeles took in the rocket's glowing plume, which was visible from hundreds of miles away. The U.S. Air Force released sonic boom warnings to California residents ahead of the launch, as this was also the first time SpaceX landed its rocket back near the West Coast launch site. On its return a few minutes after launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket created a sonic boom that could be heard in several California counties. Despite the advance warnings, Angelenos took to social media to speculate over the glowing cloud that appeared above the city. @NathanBoucaud: UFO... only in LA @ezass: I just nearly had a heart attack watching the SpaceX rocket separate from its booster right above the LA skyline LA Mayor Eric Garcetti explained in a tweet that the glow was "definitely not aliens." "What you're looking at is the first launch and landing of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the West Coast," Garcetti said. @MayorOfLA: Nope, definitely not aliens. What you're looking at is the first launch and landing of the @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the West Coast. The rocket took off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 7:21 p.m. and landed safely back on Earth. This phenomenon has happened before. In December, SpaceX launched the Iridium-4 mission just after sunset, which also created a highly visible plume in the sky. That launch caused similar reactions of shock and confusion across LA. Theres hope for change. Photo: Alex Edelman/Getty Images For a while now, a large plurality of Americans have been telling pollsters that they would like Democrats to regain control of the House next year. As of this writing, 49.2 percent of voters say theyre pulling for Team Blue this November, while just 41.4 percent are back the GOP, according to FiveThirtyEights poll of polls. But (as anyone who was sentient on November 8, 2016, is well aware) in American elections, the party that wins more votes does not necessarily win more power. And the generic congressional ballot is an especially crude metric for gauging the likelihood of a Democratic takeover. Due to the heavy concentration of Democratic voters in urban centers and severe Republican gerrymandering in many states Democratic candidates could win far more votes than GOP ones this fall, and still fail to secure House control. Thus, it hasnt been clear exactly what constitutes a good generic ballot poll for Democrats. Prognosticators disagree over precisely how large a popular-vote victory Democrats will need in order to win a majority of House seats. Such speculation hinges, in large part, on where one assumes Democrats polling support is coming from if the party is simply running up the score in already blue territory, then even an eight-point popular vote victory could be insufficient to knock the House gavel out of Republican hands. But now, a new survey has provided us with a 2018 poll composed exclusively of voters in the 69 battleground House districts and Nancy Pelosi will like the results. The Washington Post, in partnership with the Schar School, polled the 69 districts that were rated as toss-ups, lean Republican, or lean Democrat by the Cook Political Report this past August and found that voters in such areas prefer a Democratic Congress by a margin of 50 to 46 percent. By contrast, in 2016, these same districts collectively favored Republican candidates by a margin of 56 to 41 percent. The Democrats four-point lead in these battlegrounds might look perilously thin on first blush. But of the 69 districts polled, 63 are currently held by Republican incumbents; and to take the House, Democrats need to flip just 23. Which is to say: Pelosis party can afford to lose far more than half of these contests, and still get her the Speakers gavel. If Democrats win the popular vote across these battlegrounds by any margin at all, they will almost certainly win control of Congresss lower chamber. Should that happen, Democrats will owe college-educated women some thank-you cards. Demographically, the House battlegrounds are 7 percent more white than America as a whole; in previous elections, this dearth of African-American and Hispanic voters has rendered Democrats uncompetitive in most of these districts. But the battlegrounds are also 4 percent more college-educated than the country writ large and in the Trump era, few things are more threatening to Republicans than a woman with a higher education: White, college-educated women in the battleground districts favor Democrats over Republicans by a whopping 62 to 35 percent margin, while white women without such diplomas back Republicans 49 to 45 percent. Meanwhile, the Post poll further confirms that favorable economic conditions are unlikely to bail out the GOP next month: Although 77 percent of battleground voters say the economy is excellent or good, 57 percent nevertheless think the country is moving in the wrong direction, economy aside. The Post polls findings comport with the results from recent district-level polling, and the Cook Political Reports latest House race ratings all of which suggest a Democratic takeover is highly likely. And yet, as of Monday, Republicans still have a better chance of keeping the House, than Democrats do of capturing the Senate. According to FiveThirtyEights forecasts, Team Blue now has a mere 2 in 9 (21.4 percent) chance of taking the upper chamber, while Republicans boast an approximately 1 in 4 chance of retaining the House. This years Senate map is even more unfavorable for Democrats than the House one. For much of the past year, it looked like a blue wave just might lift Democratic candidates to victory in some of Americas reddest states. But in the most recent batch of surveys, Republican voters have begun to come home: Democratic incumbent Heidi Heitkamp now trails Kevin Cramer by double digits in North Dakotas Senate race, while Republican congresswoman Marsha Blackburn has pulled ahead of former Democratic governor Phil Bredesen in Tennessee. Meanwhile, Rick Scott is still breathing down Bill Nelsons neck in the Sunshine State, and Ted Cruzs small lead over Beto ORourke is looking sturdy. It is still possible that pollsters are systematically underestimating Democratic turnout, and thus, that voters will deliver the Senate to Chuck Schumer in November. But for the moment, that prospect appears a bit less likely than Republicans finding a way to maintain unified control of the federal government, even after a large majority of voters register their opposition to GOP rule. Former New York City Mayor and founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies Mike Bloomberg Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images A super PAC funded almost entirely by billionaire and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has opened up its coffers to seven women running to unseat veteran Republican incumbents in the House of Representatives. The super PAC, called Independence USA, has spent just more than $2 million this month in backing the Democratic challengers, according to a new Federal Election Commission filing submitted late Friday. Election Day is Nov. 6. The candidates include: Jennifer Wexton, a Virginia State Senator running to unseat Rep. Barbara Comstock in the state's 10th District. The PAC spent slightly more than $343,000 to back Wexton. Kim Schrier, a pediatrician looking to flip a seat that's been held by seven-term Republican Rep. Dave Reichert in Washington's 8th District. The PAC spent more than $600,000 on internet ads to back Schrier and oppose her GOP rival, Dino Rossi. Former Obama administration official Haley Stevens, who is looking to replace outgoing Rep. Dave Trott in Michigan's 11th District. The group spent $593,000 on an internet ad buy. Most of the seven candidates are in districts favorable to Democrats, who are trying to flip the House out of GOP control. Nonpartisan political analysis site Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball marks only one of them as a toss-up: Michigan's 8th District, where former Obama official Elissa Slotkin is running against GOP Rep. Mike Bishop. The others are in areas considered "lean" or "safe" Democratic. Before the PAC's most recent investment, it had spent $568,982 for Democrats and $1.4 million against Republicans, according the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Aaron Fritschner, a spokesman for the Wexton campaign said gaining support from independent groups such as Bloomberg's is the latest sign their message is resonating with those from within and outside their district. "The Wexton campaign is focused on fighting for every vote until polls close on November 6th," Fritschner said. "While we cannot coordinate these decisions with outside organizations which take an interest in the race, the desire to change representation in Virginia's 10th District for the better is undoubtedly resonating," he added. A spokesman for the PAC did not return requests for comment. Representatives for the the other Democratic campaigns also did not return requests for comment. The efforts by the Bloomberg-affiliated PAC come as record numbers of women run for office in this year's midterm elections. Overall, 256 women have qualified for the November elections who are running for House or U.S. Senate seats. The vast majority of the women who made it through the primaries are running on the Democratic ticket. Republicans hold majorities in both the House and the Senate. Experts peg Democrats as tentative favorites to win back the House. The GOP, meanwhile, is expected to hold on to or expand its slim margin in the Senate as most of the seats up for grabs are held by Democrats. Ten of them are in states President Donald Trump won in 2016. Bloomberg's spending blitz Bloomberg, who has held office as a Republican and an independent, announced in June that he would be spending $80 million to support Democrats in the upcoming elections. At the time, he criticized Republicans for achieving little while they've controlled the government. "Republicans, who control both houses of Congress, have done little to reach across the aisle to craft bipartisan solutions not only on guns and climate change, but also on jobs, immigration, health care, and infrastructure. As a result, Congress has accomplished very little," he said in a statement. The filing about the donations also came the same day as Republicans Susan Collins and Jeff Flake announced they would vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh was under scrutiny because of sexual misconduct accusations that related to his high school and college years. The Senate confirmed Kavanaugh on Saturday by a vote of 50-48. Bloomberg himself made controversial remarks about the #MeToo movement in a recent interview with The New York Times. When discussing veteran host and interviewer Charlie Rose, who had been accused of sexual harassment, Bloomberg seemed to question the validity of some of the claims. Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate for the Social Liberal Party (PSL), celebrate after polls closed during the first round of presidential elections in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Bolsonaro shot into the lead in Brazil's presidential vote in one of the most divisive elections in the country's history, the first official results showed. Photographer: Dado Galdieri/Bloomberg via Getty Images Brazilian stocks rose sharply Monday after far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro left his opponents in the dust in the first round of voting. The benchmark Brazilian Bovespa index gained 4.6 percent on Monday. The iShares MSCI Brazil exchange-traded fund (EWZ) jumped 6.74 percent its biggest one-day gain since May 19, 2017, when it rose 6.75 percent. Bolsonaro garnered 46.7 percent of the votes in Sunday's first round, much more than any other candidate. Former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad, the candidate came in second with 28.5 percent. Polls leading up to Sunday's vote predicted a Bolsonaro victory, but the former army captain far outperformed those forecasts. A second voting round will be held Oct. 28 because no candidate received more than 50 percent. "This is very similar to the U.S. election in 2016," said Danilo Kawasaki, chief operating officer at Gerber Kawasaki. "You had a far-right candidate come out of nowhere and win." Kawasaki also said "the stock market doesn't want Haddad's Workers' Party in power," noting a victory for Haddad would lead to a sell-off in Brazilan equities. Investors have recently cheered Bolsonaro because they favor his economic platform. Throughout his campaign, Bolsonaro said he wants the Brazilian central bank to be more independent and to privatize state-run companies. Bolsonaro has also promised to take a tough stance against corruption. Meanwhile, investors fear a Haddad victory would maintain the types of policies that that have pressured Brazil's economy. Haddad became the Workers Party candidate after a court banned former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from running again. Da Silva, better known as Lula, is serving a 12-year sentence for corruption. Lula's government along with that of Dilma Rousseff, his successor led to a ballooning fiscal deficit and contributed to an unsustainable pension system. China's stock markets tumbled on Monday, as investors were unnerved by the central bank's decision to slash the amount of cash that the country's lenders must hold as reserves, in a bid to help spur economic growth. The announced measures on Sunday to cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) or the amount of cash that most commercial banks need to set aside at the central bank. The move, the central bank's fourth in 2018, came amid concerns about the economic impact of Beijing's ongoing trade war with Washington. The RRR currently stands at 15.5 percent for large institutions and 13.5 percents for smaller banks, and will be cut by 100 basis points from Oct. 15, the central bank said. One economist said the move was not really a surprise. "We were expecting that we would see a triple-R cut in October for a number of reasons," Sian Fenner, senior economist at Oxford Economics, told CNBC's "Street Signs" on Monday. "They clearly want to boost liquidity," she said. "This month we've got tax repayments, we've also got some maturing of some debt but also, they want to make sure that they're increasing their credit growth which has been quite sluggish ... because of earlier deleveraging of financial risks." It is important for Beijing to manage those risks for longer term growth, she said, adding that "the focus is now on growth." With the increase in U.S. tariffs likely to start "being a drag" on Chinese exports, Fenner said Beijing wants to "shore up and provide some support for domestic demand." Other market observers, however, said the cuts were bigger than expected. A cut of 1 percent by the Chinese central bank was unexpected because it would "release something like 700 billion yuan (approximately $101.72 billion)" into the country's banking system, Francis Lun, the CEO of Geo Securities, told CNBC. "That is quite a lot of money going around," Lun said. "I think ... the government's really worried that the economy will slow down and the stock market will tank." On the back of the central bank's announcement, China's mainland markets traded in negative territory for much of their first trading day following the Golden Week holiday. Both the Shanghai composite and the Shenzhen composite fell more than 3.7 percent by the end of the trading day. The Shanghai composite usually sees gains after the week-long holiday. According to Chinese financial services firm Wind Information, the Shanghai composite has closed higher on the first day of trading after the national holiday for the past five years. In all, seven out of the last 10 years saw higher closes on the first post-holiday session. Shares of all the major Chinese banks also fell in the aftermath of the PBOC decision. At the end of the trading day, the was lower by 3.64 percent, tumbled 4.28 percent while lost 2.57 percent. Commenting on the market moves, Lun said the Chinese stocks were playing "catch-up on last week's falling market," with Hong Kong's Hang Seng index falling by around 1,216 points while other Asian emerging markets "fell sharply." CNBC's Evelyn Cheng and Reuters contributed to this report. Fiat Chrysler (FCA) said on Monday it had kicked-off preparations for the production of a plug-in hybrid version of the Jeep Renegade as the carmaker pushes ahead with its electrification drive to meet tougher emissions rules. The world's seventh-largest carmaker said in June it would invest 9 billion euros ($10.3 billion) in electric and hybrid cars over the next five years to become fully compliant with emissions regulations across regions. It also pledged to phase out diesel engines in European passenger cars by 2021. The Jeep Renegade plug-in hybrid, expected in the market in early 2020, will be produced at FCA's Melfi plant in southern Italy, which is already churning out the combustion engine version of the model and the Fiat 500X crossover, FCA said. More than 200 million euros will be spent on the new engine, the company said, adding workers would be retrained for the new technology and the plant modernized. By 2022, FCA plans to offer a total of 12 electric propulsion systems, including battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and full hybrids, it said, adding thirty different models would be equipped with one or more of these systems. Former FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne had long refused to embrace electrification, saying he would only do so if selling battery-powered cars could be done at a profit. He even urged customers not to buy FCA's Fiat 500e, its only battery-powered model, because he was losing money on each sold. But Tesla's success and the need to comply with tougher emissions rules forced Marchionne to commit to what he used to refer to as "most painful" spending. Marchionne died unexpectedly in July after succumbing to complications from surgery, but his successor, Mike Manley, vowed to continue the strategy laid out in June. Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks on stage during the annual Google I/O developers conference in Mountain View, California, May 8, 2018. Stephen Lam | Reuters Google is hosting a press event Tuesday in New York, where the company will likely announce its next-generation Pixel- branded devices, including a new smartphone. Here's what you can expect Google to talk about at the 11 a.m. ET event. Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL phones Mario Queiroz, Vice President of Product Management at Google, speaks about the Pixel 2 phone during a launch event in San Francisco, October 4, 2017. Stephen Lam | Reuters Google is almost certainly going to announce two new smartphones, the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL, which will succeed last year's Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Over the weekend, Engadget discovered a Pixel 3 XL for sale in China, and found that it seems to have a lot of the same hardware as most recent Android phones, including Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 845 processor. It also runs Google's new Android 9.0 Pie software. Google might have new software features to talk about on Tuesday, however, and we still don't know the price of the phone or if Google has new carrier partners lined up. Google Pixel Slate tablet Google Pixelbook Google Google is also expected to announce its first ChromeOS tablet. ChromeOS is the software that powers low-cost Chromebook computers, but so far only two companies Acer and HP have sold tablets that run the operating system. A site named MySmartPrice leaked images of the so-called Pixel Slate over the weekend, and it appears to operate similarly to an iPad Pro. You can use it in tablet mode when you want to, but you can also plug it into a keyboard if you need to type longer documents. It also appears to support a stylus. Last year's Pixelbook (pictured above) started at $999, so Google could cater to a broader audience with a lower price this year. Smart display CNBC | Todd Haselton Google's partners, including Lenovo, already sell so-called Google smart displays. The devices use Google Assistant and work like Amazon's Echo Show, providing information about your commute, recipes, the weather and more all on a touchscreen interface. Google hasn't announced its own smart display, but another leak from MySmartPrice suggests Google will unveil a 7-inch Home Hub on Tuesday. More Google Home Source: Google There's room for Google to talk about more products, but we don't know what they might be. Remember: Google is now competing in the home against Amazon, Apple and Facebook. Amazon recently announced more than 15 smart products during a press event in Seattle. Facebook announced its first smart speaker, the Portal, on Monday. And Apple started selling its HomePod smart speaker earlier this year. Last year, Google launched its PixelBuds, which weren't very good, so it could have a successor for them. Also, Google recently absorbed its sister company Nest, the smart home company that makes gadgets like security cameras and connected thermostats, and put it into the same hardware division that makes all its other gadgets. It's possible Google will use this event to announce new Nest products. Finally, Google could introduce a new Google Home speaker one without a display to succeed the original Google Home, which hasn't been updated in two years. Google did not initially disclose a Google+ security bug when it first discovered it this spring because it feared regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing documents and people briefed on the incident. Google wrote in its own blog post on the incident that it determines when to notify users about privacy and security bugs based on the type of data involved, whether it can accurately identify who to inform, whether there is evidence of misuse, and whether there is any action that a user can take in response, and that based on that criteria it didn't immediately alert users of the Google+ bug. However, a memo prepared by Google's legal and policy staff and seen by the Journal shows that leadership was also concerned about causing a potential privacy scandal. The memo allegedly warned senior executives that news of the bug would cause "immediate regulatory interest" and draw comparisons to Facebook's Cambridge Analytica data scandal. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, founder of space venture Blue Origin and owner of The Washington Post, participates in an event hosted by the Air Force Association September 19, 2018 in National Harbor, Maryland. Alex Wong | Getty Images Amazon's ad business is booming. Some advertisers are moving more than half of the budget they normally spend with Google search to Amazon ads instead, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, according to execs at multiple media agencies. Some of these execs requested anonymity as they are not authorized to discuss their clients' expenditures in public. Amazon's growing success could pose a rare threat to Google parent company Alphabet, which generated $95.4 billion in ad revenues last year, 86 percent of its total revenue. Google is the dominant digital advertising platform in the U.S., and will take in an estimated 37 percent of digital ad budgets in 2018. Although Alphabet does not disclose the breakdown of its ad revenue, most estimates believe the vast majority comes from search ads approximately 83 percent in the year to date, according to research from eMarketer. Alphabet has remained somewhat insulated from the threat so far, and its overall ad revenue growth actually accelerated in the first half of 2018 compared with last year. Not all categories of brands are shifting money to Amazon most of the movement is coming in consumer packaged goods, while huge and lucrative advertising categories such as automotive and travel are not yet moving to Amazon. Also, while Google search may be flattening, advertisers are moving parts of their ad spend from other media to different Google properties, particularly YouTube. Nonetheless, Amazon appears to be emerging as the most credible threat to Google's cash cow advertising business since Facebook conquered mobile advertising beginning shortly after its 2012 IPO. Amazon and Google did not respond to requests for comment. However, a manager in Google's ad sales organization, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that he's not seeing clients shift search budgets to Amazon, but is increasingly seeing clients come up with separate brands to sell exclusively on Amazon. "Leadership is definitely concerned, but [it's] not a huge threat right now," this person said. Google search ads are almost "quaint" Executives at six media agencies confirmed Amazon is making huge inroads in advertising, supporting the recent eMarketer report that the tech giant has become the third-largest U.S. digital advertising platform behind Google and Facebook. One exec from a large agency said some brands find Google search ads "quaint" and want their budgets moved to Amazon because it directly correlates to sales. About 49 percent of product searches begin on Amazon, according to Survata. Another said clients appreciate Amazon is a seamless shopping experience. Using a Google search ad to lead to a purchase may require a person to set up an account and input their credit card information with a separate website. Especially for smaller brands, there's not really an advantage between selling direct to the consumer versus selling through Amazon. Those budgets have to come from somewhere. While some of the dollars are being siphoned from print, TV and programmatic display advertising, one executive at a large agency said some clients who sell products on Amazon are moving between 50 and 60 percent of their allocated Google search ad dollars specifically to Amazon. The shift amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars a year, he noted. Another exec at a different large agency said some brands that they handle are shifting 50 percent of their Google search budgets to Amazon in certain worldwide regions. These moves also amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Mark Douglas, CEO at ad tech firm Steelhouse, said some of its clients have discussed moving large portions of their ad budgets directly from Google Search to Amazon. For all of these advertising firms, the brands in question mostly fall in the consumer product goods category. Chris Apostle, executive vice president and head of performance for North America at Havas Media, said his agency is seeing 20 to 30 percent of its clients shift 50 to 70 percent of their total search budgets to Amazon. Companies are realizing the more they spend with Amazon, the more they can add other bells and whistles such as content or reviews that can help encourage more sales. In general, Apostle's clients have increased their Amazon budgets by 300 percent since last year, and he expects them to increase an additional 200 to 300 percent next year. "Over 90 percent of searches for products that start on Amazon end with a purchase, even though that user may end up on social channels," agreed Apostle from Havas. "The bang for your buck is where people are ultimately going to buy." An exec from a third large ad agency, who requested anonymity, said Amazon budgets among its clients had grown 300 to 400 percent from last year. "Every company I know that sells on Amazon is basically moving budget to Amazon because they have no choice," Douglas said. According to IPG Mediabrand's Reprise, the majority of the new Amazon budget is coming from a mix of sources, including programmatic display ads such as banner ads, or ads bought directly from media companies not Google specifically. Still, Amazon is growing overall, while Google budgets have remained "flat," according to Joseph McConellouge, who leads e-retail ad buying for Reprise. "In many cases we see Amazon is the better performer and by a significant margin," he said. "If those numbers are true, we will recommend for a specific client." "Google's challenge is they have to find more money every year" Months after leaving the White House, Hope Hicks will head to Fox to become its new chief communications officer. Hicks is best known as one of President Donald Trump's most trusted aides. She served as White House communications director and director of strategic communications for Trump until she left in April of this year. The company, which will be spun off after Disney completes its $71 billion takeover of 21st Century Fox, will be home to Fox News, the conservative-leaning news and commentary network. Trump is an outspoken fan of Fox News, often promoting their programming on his Twitter feed. Hicks' move represents a swap of sorts. After she left the White House, former Fox News executive Bill Shine took over a role similar to hers, as deputy chief of staff for communications. Hicks' new role could well strengthen Trump's already-firm ties to Fox News. Both Hicks and Shine left their previous jobs under clouds of controversy. Hicks had been dating former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who at the time had been accused of spousal abuse. Hicks also admitted during testimony to the House Intelligence Committee during its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election that she had told "white lies" for Trump. Similarly, Shine was pushed out at Fox News over his handling of sexual harassment scandals that engulfed the network during the Roger Ailes era. In addition to the Hicks appointment, Fox said it named Danny O'Brien head of government relations. He is currently at General Electric, where he serves as a senior government affairs and policy executive. O'Brien previously served as chief of staff to Democratic Sens. Joe Biden and Robert Menendez and worked as staff director on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Hope and Danny are proven leaders and world-class public affairs professionals. Together they will define and project Fox's voice to our relevant communities," Viet Dinh, Fox chief legal and policy officer, said in a statement. The appointments take effect upon close of the Disney transaction. The deal is expected to close during the first half of 2019. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders applauded Hicks' appointment in a tweet: "FOX won't find anyone smarter or more talented than Hope Hicks. So happy for my friend," Sanders said. Tweet Danish energy business Orsted has entered into an agreement with the U.S.-based D.E. Shaw Group to buy a 100 percent equity interest in its offshore wind developer Deepwater Wind. In a statement Monday, Orsted said that the purchase price for the deal was $510 million. Rhode Island-based Deepwater Wind is responsible for the only operational offshore wind farm in the U.S., the 30 megawatt (MW) Block Island facility. Orsted said that Deepwater Wind's portfolio had a total potential capacity of approximately 3.3 gigawatts (GW), including offshore wind development projects in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland and New York. Orsted's offshore wind portfolio in the U.S. amounts to around 5.5 GW. Martin Neubert, Orsted's CEO of offshore wind, welcomed the deal, stating that it would create the "number one offshore wind platform in North America." The transaction, Neubert added, would merge "Deepwater Wind's longstanding expertise in originating, developing and permitting offshore wind projects in the U.S., and Orsted's unparalleled track-record in engineering, constructing, and operating large-scale offshore wind farms." While offshore wind is still relatively new to the U.S., it is well established in other parts of the world. Europe is home to several huge offshore wind projects, including the Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm. Situated in the Irish Sea, that facility has a total capacity of 659 MW and is capable of powering nearly 600,000 homes in the U.K. Once the Deepwater Wind transaction which is subject to clearance by U.S. competition authorities is closed, the new organization will be called Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2018, Orsted said. Soybeans are harvested with a Deere & Co. combine harvester in this aerial photograph taken above Tiskilwa, Illinois. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images Soybean farmers in the Dakotas are on track to post a bumper crop, but that's little consolation given they are paying a heavy price in the ongoing trade war with China. Last year at this time, a grain elevator just south of Hillsboro, North Dakota, had filled three trainloads of soybeans headed to the Pacific Northwest in a single week to meet orders from China. This year it's a different story, due to Beijing's 25 percent retaliatory tariffs on American soybeans that went into effect July 6. "Now that China isn't buying any U.S. beans or very little of it, it's all backing up especially in the Dakotas, where they've really expanded soybean acres over the years," said Terry Reilly, a senior commodity analyst at Futures International in Chicago. North Dakota soybean farmers are especially exposed in the U.S.-China trade dispute because of their dependence on China. The state's production of soybeans has soared more than 70 percent in the past five years, fed by China's demand and rail infrastructure that allows the commodity to travel to ports in the Pacific Northwest. "There have been no signs of demand coming back," said Nancy Johnson, executive director of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association. "We still have seen no bids at the Pacific Northwest, which is where most of our soybeans are exported out of." Then again, some reports suggest China might be buying U.S. beans but through backdoor channels such as Argentina, which has been a large buyer of American soy this year. Argentina had a poor crop of its own this year due to unfavorable weather, so it's been gobbling up U.S. supplies. "Seventy percent of the soybeans leave our state for the [Pacific Northwest], and virtually 100 percent of that goes to China," said soybean grower Joe Morken, chairman of the North Dakota Soybean Council. With the lack of soybean demand at Pacific Northwest ports, that has meant local grain elevators in the Dakotas have been lowering cash prices for beans. The price partly reflects higher transportation costs getting the product to processors and export markets. 'Refugee' soybeans "You've got these [grain] elevators in North Dakota, where all of a sudden their market they basically established themselves based upon China is now closed," said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition, a trade group. "They call them 'refugee' soybeans because they don't really have a home anymore." The price paid to soybean farmers is calculated on what's known as basis, which is the difference between the futures market price on the Chicago Board of Trade and what the local grain elevator is willing to pay. The basis has widened dramatically in the past year for North Dakota soy farmers, going from about 70 cents to $1 per bushel to closer to $1.55 to $2 per bushel. "We always have a bad basis up here because of our location," Morken said Friday. "But we're probably 60 cents worse than a normal year plus what the market has gone down at the Chicago Board of Trade since the trade war has gone on." Morken, who farms in Casselton, North Dakota, has harvested about a third of his soybeans and plans to store the vast majority of it to wait out the trade war. There's always a risk the trade war could last well into 2019 and leave farmers like Morken with full bins during the next harvest. "If this is still going a year from now, I don't know what happens, because I'm not going to have room for them, my elevator is not going to have room for them, and nobody is buying them," he said. Michael Langemeier, agricultural economist at Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture, said the net benefits of storing soybeans this winter are attractive right now. "There's a strong price signal to store now, and part of that is the high yields expected from the current harvest," he said. Soy farmers in other areas, including Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, also have been adversely affected by the trade fight with China, given that the commodity has fallen about 17 percent in price on the decline in the soybean futures market since China announced the tariff. But because Midwest states are more diversified in terms of customers, the basis widening tends to be less pronounced than in the Dakotas. On Monday, Arthur Cos in the Arthur, North Dakota, area had a cash bid for soybeans of $7.03 per bushel, according to data on AgWeb.com. That was 89 cents per bushel below, or about 11 percent less than, what Ramsey Grain in Rochester, Illinois, was paying for the commodity. Last year, the U.S. exported about $20 billion of agricultural products to China, and soybeans accounted for more than $12.2 billion of that amount, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. China buys about two-thirds of the world's soybean exports, using most of it for soy protein to feed roughly 700 million pigs in the country or to make cooking oil. The soy also is used for feeding poultry and to support the country's fish farming sector. Redirected beans Lisa Murkowski hasnt let the disdain of fellow Republicans bother her much in the past. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images When Alaska Republican senator Lisa Murkowski announced she would break with the rest of her party on Brett Kavanaughs confirmation, the chairman of the Alaska Republican Party did not hide his dismay: [T]he chair of the Alaska Republican Party, Tuckerman Babcock, says he was surprised by Murkowskis decision, saying he heard about it while he was making coffee at 5:30 Friday morning when his phone started ringing. Its significant enough that Im going to convene the whole state central committee, which is about 80 grassroots volunteers around the state, and well start drafting what our response should be, Babcock said. Now the possibility of a more aggressive reaction is on the table, according to the Associated Press: Alaska Republican party leaders plan to consider whether to reprimand U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski for opposing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaughs confirmation. Party Chairman Tuckerman Babcock says the committee could decide to issue a statement. Or he says it could withdraw support of Murkowski, encourage party officials to look for a replacement and ask that she not seek re-election as a Republican. He says the party took that more extreme step previously with state legislators who caucused with Democrats. The idea of denying Murkowski renomination is a bit far-fetched at the moment, since shes not up for reelection until 2022. And its unlikely shes that terrified of the state GOP, since she managed to get herself reelected in 2010 as a write-in candidate after losing the Republican primary to right-winger Joe Miller. Alaska Republicans should also consider whether they are in danger of overreacting. Nastiness from conservatives has in the past pushed Republican senators into a party-switch notably Vermonts Jim Jeffords in 2001 (which flipped control of the Senate to the Democrats for a while), and Pennsylvanias Arlen Specter in 2009. Given the narrow GOP margin of control of the Senate, Republicans really cant risk throwing away a Senate seat in a fit of pique. And its not like Murkowski is some raging liberal: according to FiveThirtyEights calculation, she has supported Donald Trumps will on 83 percent of Senate votes. For some conservatives, though, Murkowskis pro-choice position is all that matters (after a couple of House retirements at the end of this year, she and Susan Collins will be the last pro-choice Republicans in the entire Congress). And voting against the Supreme Court nominee most Republicans happily expect to help erode reproductive rights must seem like the final straw. Nelson Peltz David A. Grogan | CNBC Wall Street's top activist investors are raising lots of cash and gearing up for battle over the next year, a new report shows. The group see more opportunity to disrupt the consumer discretionary sector, which includes retailers, than in any other industry, according to the study from corporate law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel, Activist Insight and Okapi Partners. Consumer products companies will continue to be in the crosshairs, the survey showed, amid multiple high-profile contests in the last year at household names like Procter & Gamble and Campbell Soup. But in order, activists believe consumer discretionary, financials, industrials and telecommunications represent the areas where management will see the most activity in the coming months. The report, a result of an August 2018 survey of activist funds that have engaged almost 300 companies since 2013, found that 72 percent of respondents expect to raise "some" or "a lot" of new capital over the next year. And more than half expect the size of assets allocated to activist strategies to grow over the next 12 months. Source: Schulte Roth & Zabel, Activist Insight and Okapi Partners "Activism remains an attractive asset class and, particularly with the increase in co-invest vehicles, more capital will be deployed in campaigns," wrote Ele Klein, SRZ partner and co-chair of the firm's global activism group. The latest findings come amid a resurgence in activity by activists at some of the country's largest consumer products titans. In one such battle, renowned activist investor Nelson Peltz took aim at Procter & Gamble, the largest U.S. company by market cap to have faced a proxy contest. The two parties which ultimately spent at least $60 million on the dispute debated for weeks over the most effective business model before Peltz was ultimately elected to the board in one of the closest shareholder voters in the history of Wall Street. Peltz, who took his seat on the board March 1, said the company needs to streamline it businesses into three global units and rekindle innovation to drive brand development. Meanwhile, fellow activist investor Third Point is in the middle of its own crusade against a longtime consumer name. In a move reminiscent of Carl Icahn's early career, manager Dan Loeb launched a campaign to replace the entire Campbell Soup board earlier this year after the company's plans to sell assets failed to satisfy the investor. Loeb joined forces with George Strawbridge a descendant of the Campbell Soup founder after the company announced it would sell its international and fresh food businesses despite CEO Denise Morrison's efforts to establish footholds in healthier options. South African Minister of Finance Nhlanhla Nene delivers the 2015 budget speech at the National Assembly in Cape Town on February 25, 2015. South Africa's rand was weaker early on Monday, after the Business Day newspaper cited government sources as saying that Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene had asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to sack him. The rand was more than 1 percent weaker at 14.9200 per dollar at 0736 GMT. Business Day said Nene requested Ramaphosa to relieve him of his duties after he admitted to visiting the home of the Gupta brothers, friends of scandal-plagued former leader Jacob Zuma. Nene had been under pressure to resign after his testimony at a corruption inquiry last week. Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: General Electric Barclays upgraded shares of GE to "overweight" from "equal weight," writing that "even the most hardened skeptic might want to re-consider following" GE naming Larry Culp as chairman and CEO. The firm has a 12-month price target of $16 on shares of GE but also laid out a "blue sky" scenario for how the stock can rise if Culp can aggressively improve profitability. Petrobras J.P. Morgan upped its rating of Petrobras to "overweight" from "neutral." The potential for the Brazilian oil giant is driven by volume growth and reduced political risk, among other factors, and J.P. Morgan raised its price target on Petrobras shares to $17. Apple A top Apple security officer told Congress in a letter that the tech company found no sign that it had been penetrated by a sophisticated Chinese attack on its supply chain. Apple said it has repeatedly investigated the claims made in a Bloomberg Businessweek article and found no evidence chips sold to Apple by Super Micro Computer allowed for backdoor transmissions. Walmart The retailer is partnering with movie studio Metro Goldwyn Mayer to produce content for Vudu a video streaming service. Walmart bought Vudu eight years ago and is looking to boost viewership to compete head-to-head with those such as Netflix and Hulu. Amazon Merchants and brands are increasingly worried about competing directing with Amazon's private label business. The e-commerce company is aggressively expanding its private label business, ramping up the number of its own brands sold exclusively on its website. Ensco The offshore drilling contractor will acquire Rowan in an all-stock deal. The combined company will have an enterprise value of about $12 billion. Boeing The European Union cleared the joint venture agreed to by Boeing and Adient, a manufacturer of automotive seats. The aerospace joint venture, announced in January, will give Boeing a greater footprint in outfitting record numbers of airplanes its selling. Google The London High Court blocked blocks mass legal action against Alphabet's Google, according to a report by Sky News, rejecting claims the tech company collected data from iPhone customers. , , Onex Corp., and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board are in a bid to buy the aluminum products maker, according to a report by Reuters. Disclosure: Comcast is the owner of NBCUniversal, parent company of CNBC and CNBC.com. Comcast is also a co-owner of Hulu. A judge handling the settlement has ordered Musk and the SEC to write a joint letter explaining why the court should approve the deal. This is not a terribly unusual move for the judge, but it leaves open the possibility she will reject the settlement. Musk stoked more controversy last week when he sent out a tweet referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission as the "Shortseller Enrichment Commission" after settling fraud charges with the agency for making allegedly misleading statements about having the funding needed to take Tesla private. Tesla CEO Elon Musk's recent tweet mocking federal regulators may be a sign that Tesla's board of directors can't control his behavior no matter what the consequences, a former federal securities attorney said Monday. The behavior at such a critical time suggests Tesla's board of directors may not be able to rein Musk in. "The judge may have real concerns Tesla won't be able to do anything about his tweets, and social media is difficult to pre-clear or approve in advance unless he's willing to cooperate," former SEC enforcement attorney Alma Angotti said Monday on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." "This is kind of a signal that he may not be willing to cooperate." Angotti is the co-head of global investigations and compliance at Navigant in Washington, D.C. Under the terms of the proposed deal with the SEC, Tesla has to create some kind of mechanism to monitor Musk's public communications related to Tesla. Corporate governance expert Betsy Atkins told "Squawk on the Street" she is skeptical Musk is going to stop tweeting. That puts the board in a difficult spot. "The board of Tesla is in a Catch-22. If they remove Elon Musk, the stock goes down 30 percent. If they leave him in, he continues to violate the SEC agreement. So they have a tough decision," she said. Tesla shares were trading down 3.3 percent Monday morning. WATCH: Three experts on future of Tesla following SEC settlement David Eisman, Goldman Sachs partner. Source: David Eisman David Eisman built his reputation off sealing a $13.7 billion merger between Amazon and Whole Foods last year. A crucial part of the Goldman Sachs partner's success: Going local. Months before that transaction was announced, Eisman's relationship with Amazon got closer when the Los Angeles-based investment banker decided to uproot his family and move 1,350 miles to Seattle, where the retail giant is based. As part of a new regional push, Goldman announced last year that Eisman and three other senior bankers were starting or expanding offices in Seattle, Atlanta, Dallas and Toronto to shrink the distance to clients. This is the new Goldman Sachs: hungrier and perhaps ever-so-slightly more humble. The banker moves are an effort by Goldman to drum up another $500 million in revenue by 2020. It's a key component of a bigger plan by Chief Executive Officer David Solomon to boost revenue by $5 billion by broadening its banking and trading client base, finding growth in smaller markets and pushing into retail products like personal loans. Solomon's main challenge is to improve results that have been stung by a multiyear downturn in trading revenue. The new strategy puts it in direct competition with J.P. Morgan, which decided in 2012 to place investment bankers in regional offices to pitch commercial banking clients. Dimon's gambit worked: J.P. Morgan boosted investment-banking fees for the segment to $2.3 billion from $800 million. They hope to reach $3 billion in revenue within 3 years. Goldman has from six to 15 bankers in each of these new offices, according to Matt Gibson, co-head of the bank's global investment banking services. While the firm already had outposts in San Francisco, Houston and Chicago, the vast majority of bankers work from the firm's New York headquarters. "There's that much more trust that your interests are aligned because you don't want to screw it up if you're going to have to answer to someone who's effectively a neighbor," Eisman said. "There's a level of comfort that you're going to be accountable and have their side of the equation. It only increases the closer you are in proximity and the more time you spend together." Goldman figures that if it can embed its people into communities where executives and board members live, they can win more business with big corporations they already cover and smaller public and private companies that the bank has historically ignored. How the Whole Foods deal came about For half a decade, the Goldman partner had quietly been in discussions with Amazon about a radical, category-defying deal that would mark a series of firsts. It would be the e-commerce giant's first big move into physical stores. The potential acquisition would give Amazon scale in grocery, a $5.7 trillion category that had mostly eluded it. And it would be the biggest takeover that Jeff Bezos had yet to attempt. But Eisman, 47, was still surprised to get the call from Amazon on a Sunday afternoon in May 2017: it wanted Whole Foods. Things were moving quickly after activist hedge fund Jana took a stake in the organic food chain weeks earlier. Suddenly, the years Eisman and his colleagues had spent courting Amazon were about to pay off: Goldman Sachs became the sole adviser and lead financier for the deal announced that June. From casual discussions Eisman had with Amazon over the years to the actual takeover talks, discretion was paramount, he said. "As much as everybody thinks they know everything, this is a company where they don't assume they know everything, and they spend a lot of time studying," Eisman said. "We spent years working with them on retail, and these are sensitive topics. If Amazon telegraphed to the world that it was thinking about physical retail, it would've sent shock waves years before the deal happened." While Eisman thinks he would've gotten the nod even if he hadn't moved his family to Seattle, it solidified the relationship with Amazon, he said. Living closer to clients results in more meetings and social interaction, including a night out with Amazon's mergers chief, Peter Krawiec, and their wives, he said. Goldman probably earned about $55 million in fees from Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods, according to an estimate from Jeff Nassof, a director at Freeman Consulting Services. Eisman doesn't have deep roots in Seattle. He grew up in Southern California and attended UCLA. He left law firm Sullivan Cromwell in 1998 to join Goldman Sachs, spending a decade in New York before moving his family to Los Angeles to cover West coast-based companies including Nike. Still, he had one thing working for him when he got to town: his business card says "Goldman Sachs." The 149-year old investment bank is still the pre-eminent brand in investment banking, despite the company's trading-related struggles and the rise of new competitors, including J.P. Morgan. The aura translates into real dollars: Goldman is the world's top merger advisor, with a hand in $1.02 trillion worth of deals so far this year, according to Dealogic. That's ahead of Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan. Goldman gets paid when a company buys or sells itself or a target or taps capital markets to raise money, but its real product is access. The connections its bankers have, in combination with their expertise in industries, leads to a virtuous cycle of more introductions and deals. First Seattle conference Florida patients with serious conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder are increasingly opting for medical cannabis over opioids, the CEO of the state's first and largest fully licensed medical marijuana company told CNBC on Monday. "We're seeing a huge transition," Kim Rivers, the CEO of Trulieve, told "Mad Money" host in an exclusive interview. "That's actually one of our initiatives in front of the [Florida state] legislature this upcoming session, to introduce policies to say instead of only having opioids as an alternative, why not medical cannabis?" With over 80,000 patients and 17 retail locations in Florida, Trulieve offers 90 cannabis-based products that help treat a range of health problems, including seizure conditions, cancer and AIDS. A bulk of Trulieve's patients also suffer from PTSD, given Florida's large veteran population, Rivers said. The company, which is vertically integrated and thus cultivates, manufactures and distributes its own products, makes products with varying levels of both THC and CBD, marijuana's main active compounds. And with its position as Florida's top medical cannabis producer, Trulieve is on the front lines of helping cannabis-based alternatives to opiates become more mainstream, Rivers told Cramer. "There have been a number of recent studies that have come out that have shown that in states where medical cannabis programs are robust, the number of opioid prescriptions reduces dramatically," the CEO said. "We also know from just firsthand true stories, which we have on our website every Tuesday, that a number of our patients are transitioning from opioids to medical cannabis very effectively, and it's a much safer and effective alternative," she continued. In a move becoming commonplace among cannabis producers, Trulieve went public in Canada via a reverse takeover with a former mining company, which Rivers described as a limited-liability "shell" that Trulieve now owns. "There are some complications with being a cannabis company in the United States and having primary operations in the United States. So an RTO was the way that we needed to go," she said, adding that "we're very comfortable that that is a clean shell that we now own." And while Trulieve's license in Florida prevents the company from expanding to other states, its newly public status has opened some doors for the medical cannabis cultivator. "We are looking to go elsewhere," Rivers told Cramer. "And we can't go elsewhere now with our current license in Florida, so we would need to make acquisitions, which is one of the reasons and one of the main drivers that we decided to go public a couple weeks ago." Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Trulieve makes an assortment of products with varying levels of THC and CBD. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017. Nicholas Asfouri | AFP | Getty Images President Donald Trump is trying to "de-globalize" the U.S. and Chinese economies, the former head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) told CNBC on Monday. Trump has imposed tariffs on Chinese goods since the start of the year in an attempt to reduce the U.S.'s trade deficit. The controversial policy is intended to reduce the attractiveness of Chinese products, given that they become pricier with tariffs imposed on them. But the decision to impose tariffs on China has led to retaliatory measures from Beijing, which has also increased the price of U.S. imported goods for Chinese consumers. The ongoing dispute will make both economies less "entwined" and thus less globalized, Pascal Lamy, former director-general of the WTO told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe." "The U.S. is trying to push back on China and Donald Trump's view is that the U.S. and the Chinese economy are too much together, and they need to be more separated. The purpose is a sort of de-globalization of the U.S. and China, which he thinks it is necessary to contain China's rise," Lamy, who is President Emeritus of think tank, the Jacques Delors Institute, said. He explained that this separation between the Chinese and the U.S. economies "will have trade consequences." "My own expectation is that these economies will be disentangled slowly but surely We will have a less homogenous globalization, that's the real issue, which we have to take care of in the short-term," he added. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he makes his way to board Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House on May 23, 2018. President Donald Trump on Monday said he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, despite feverish speculation two weeks ago that Rosenstein was on his way out. "I get along very well with him," Trump said of Rosenstein. "I didn't know Rod before [becoming president], but I got to know him," the president told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House. Trump added that he and Rosenstein "actually have a very good relationship." Trump's comments came exactly two weeks after official Washington was rocked by a series of reports that Rosenstein had been fired, that he had quit, or that his firing was imminent. But none of this came to pass, and instead the White House announced that Trump would meet with Rosenstein on Sept. 27 to discuss his future at the Justice Department. That meeting was postponed, however, so as not to conflict with a Senate hearing into allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The significance of Rosenstein's departure would have been massive, however, given that he oversees the special counsel's Russia probe. Rosenstein assumed oversight of the Justice Department's investigation into Russian election interference after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from it in 2017. Asked Monday about the postponed meeting with Rosenstein, Trump said he would talk to the deputy attorney general aboard Air Force One en route to Florida. Rosenstein was expected to attend a speech Trump was giving to law enforcement officers later in the day. "We'll be talking on the plane," Trump said. "I actually have a good relationship [with Rosenstein] other than there's been no collusion, folks, no collusion. But I have a very good relationship, we'll see." Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia, which the president has consistently denied, and Russian meddling in the election. Ever since the special counsel's Russia probe was launched in May 2017, it has driven a wedge between Trump and his Justice Department. The original speculation about Rosenstein's departure was prompted by a Sept. 21 report in The New York Times that Rosenstein had suggested he would wear a wire to secretly record the president during their conversations. Immediately after the Times story was published, several Justice Department officials said Rosenstein had been joking about the wire. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 20, 2018 Mike Segar | Reuters President Donald Trump on Monday touted so-called stop and frisk policing tactics, telling attendees at a chiefs of police convention that he has instructed the Justice Department to work toward reinstating the practice in Chicago. The city's police department voluntarily agreed to rein in its use of "stop and frisk" in 2015. "'Stop and frisk' works and it was meant for problems like Chicago," Trump said during his speech at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida. As evidence of how successful random police searches of suspicious-looking individuals have been in the past, Trump noted the record of his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City. "Rudy Giuliani, when he was mayor of New York City, had a very strong program of stop and frisk, and it went from an unacceptably dangerous city to one of the safest cities in the country and I think the safest big city in the country, so it works," Trump told the police chiefs. "Got to be properly applied, but stop and frisk works." The 2015 agreement reached between the ACLU and the Chicago Police Department, he said, "ties law enforcement's hands." While it's difficult to isolate the effect of one policing tactic, the crime rate in New York City continued to drop even after stop and frisk was abandoned, suggesting it may not have played a significant role. Tough on crime Ever since launching his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump has portrayed himself as a law and order candidate, making support for law enforcement officers a pillar of his stump speeches. As president, Trump has drawn criticism for encouraging law enforcement officers to treat suspects harshly, up to and including what sounded to many like support for violating constitutional rights. In April 2017, Trump told a group of law enforcement officers on Long Island, New York, "Please don't be too nice," when detaining suspects. "Like when you guys put somebody in the car and you're protecting their head, you know, the way you put their hand over?" he said. "You can take the hand away, OK?" The comment received applause and laughter from his audience, but swift pushback from law enforcement associations. Trump's support for tough policing tactics has also been reflected in policy decisions by his administration, such as the Justice Department's relaunch of the war on drugs in 2017. On Monday, Trump announced an additional $42 million for what he said were innovative programs to combat the nation's drug epidemic. More recently, Trump used his administration's detention of families caught illegally crossing the U.S. border as an example of how tough he is on crime. The policy resulted in thousands of children being separated from their parents and held in detention starting in the spring of this year. Several federal judges have since ordered that the Trump administration must reunite these children with their parents. During his speech Monday, Trump attacked Democrats, saying the party's members had vilified law enforcement officers, especially those with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A double standard? The decision by China's central bank to cut the amount of reserves held by banks is an indication that authorities in the world's second-largest economy are getting nervous about a long-drawn trade war with the U.S., experts said. China insisted last month, in a 71-page paper, that its economy is "highly resilient" and Beijing is not afraid of a trade war. At the World Economic Forum in Tianjin, China in September, an official from the country's securities regulator said there was nothing President Donald Trump's administration could do to make a significant dent in the Chinese economy. Fang Xinghai, vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said that the worst that could happen is the U.S. imposing levies on all Chinese imports, but that would only hit 0.7 percentage points of China's growth. But the central bank's move to ease some pressure on the banking sector signals that the situation in China is perhaps not all rosy, experts noted. "China is probably facing its worst period since the global financial crisis. All news is against it," Fraser Howie, an independent analyst who has written books about China and its financial system, told CNBC's "The Rundown" on Monday. "They certainly want to play down any talks of panic or near panic ... but they're clear it's not business as usual in China," he added. The People's Bank of China announced on Sunday a 100 basis points cut to the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for most banks, which will result in an injection of 750 billion yuan ($109.2 billion) in cash into the banking system. But the central bank maintained that its monetary policy is still prudent and neutral not accommodative. A neutral monetary policy means the central bank is neither trying to slow nor stimulate the economy. When policy is said to be accommodative, it means the central bank is making it cheaper for businesses and households to borrow in hopes that they will increase spending and lift the economy. Despite the PBOC's official stance that its monetary policy is not yet accommodative, the fourth RRR cut of the year came as trade tensions between China and the U.S. escalate and will likely drag longer than many expect, analysts noted. A prolonged trade war as the U.S. economy appears strong may lead to more investors pulling money out of China. Beijing is therefore taking pre-emptive steps to avoid massive outflows of investor money from its financial system, analysts said, adding that could deal another blow to its economy which is already experiencing slower growth. "At the beginning of the year, I think (the RRR cuts) had more to do with kind of smoothing out the deleveraging process, just providing liquidity to the banks that might have been experiencing a credit crunch as they were trying to clamp down in shadow banking and some of the other more volatile activities," Cindy Ponder-Budd, an analyst from research firm View from the Peak, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday. "Economic growth in China is slowing and you're starting to see the government more proactive in terms of trying to provide stimulus," she added. 'China is a bit nervous' PBOC's latest move came at the end of a week-long national day holiday in China. When Chinese markets were closed last week, Hong Kong stocks fell for four consecutive days as investors grew increasingly concerned that the impact of the trade war is starting to show. Experts had expected the sell-off to spill over to the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets when they re-open on Monday. But the RRR cut did little to calm nerves when stock markets in Greater China stumbled at the start of the week's trading. Stocks in Shanghai and Shenzhen were down almost 3 percent on Monday morning, while Hong Kong was down close to 1 percent. "China is a bit nervous. There is so much headwinds towards it now and I think it's right to prepare for the worst and expect the best," Gareth Nicholson, head of fixed income at Bank of Singapore, told CNBC's "The Rundown" on Monday. But Nicholson noted that if the trade situation deteriorates further, China will have a number of levers to save its economy because President Xi Jinping has "political capital." "I mean President Xi, if you think about it, he doesn't have to worry about another election in six months, 12 months, 18 months. He has that kind of stability that if he needs to turn the taps back on, he doesn't need to worry about saying 'this pushes the budget out too much, too much debt,'" Nicholson added. "He can worry about the debt problems three, four, five years down the line," Nicholson said. CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report. WATCH: Bank of Singapore says China is right to prepare for the worst Photo: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist and self-exiled critic of Saudi Arabias regime, walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday to obtain a government document, and no one has seen or heard from him since. Not his Turkish fiancee, who waited for him outside the consulate for more than ten hours and then returned the next morning, nor his colleagues at the Washington Post, where the D.C. resident writes a monthly column nor anyone, anywhere. The 59-year-old journalist simply vanished, and the mystery regarding his disappearance and if Turkish authorities are correct, his brutal murder at the hands of the Saudi government has become a full-blown international incident that could have major implications around the globe. Heres everything we know. Needing a Document, Khashoggi May Have Walked Into a Trap Khashoggi reportedly told friends that they shouldnt worry about his visit to the consulate, but it clearly made him nervous enough to do some due diligence. The visit on October 2 was actually Khashoggis second trip to the consulate; he had gone the previous Friday and was told to return the following week. The document he sought was the confirmation of his divorce from his previous wife whom he had left behind in Saudi Arabia when he fled the country in 2017 so he could legally marry his Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz. She and Khashoggi met at a conference in Istanbul this past spring, and he had been splitting his time between Turkey and Washington ever since. He told friends that his previous visit to the consulate in Istanbul had gone well, and that its staffers were just ordinary people who had treated him very warmly. Khashoggi, a former insider with the royal family who was once a member of the Saudi elite, had also met several times over the past year with officials at the Saudi embassy in Washington. Those uneventful visits and Khashoggis lack of experience as an outsider, his friends told the Washington Post, may have left him with a false sense of security, even though Khashoggi knew as well as anyone and often wrote about how steep a price Saudis could pay for criticizing the regime. He also seemed to understand that he was one of the critics the regime would most want to silence, thanks to his scathing, high-profile columns for one of the worlds most influential newspapers. In last months column, he condemned Saudi Arabias cruel war in Yemen and called on the countrys de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to bring an end to the violence and restore the dignity of the birthplace of Islam. Khashoggi reportedly told a friend that the crown prince, who is referred to as MBS, had recently reached out to him to ask him to return to Saudi Arabia and become an adviser an offer Khashoggi rejected. In the end, according to friends, Khashoggi seemed to have been more excited about getting married than he was worried about his visit to the consulate. But he was still wary enough to leave his two phones with Cengiz before entering on Tuesday, and telling her to contact Turkish officials should he not come back out. His fiancee did call Turkish authorities, and after Khashoggis disappearance, she and his friends and colleagues and human-rights groups accused the Saudi regime of kidnapping him, something it has done to dissidents abroad in the past. Protesters began assembling outside the consulate to demand his release, and journalists, including his co-workers at the Post, began investigating what had happened to him. Saudi Arabia denied that they had abducted or detained Khashoggi, and said he was neither in the consulate nor in their custody elsewhere. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman weighed in on the story himself last week, claiming that Khashoggi had soon left the consulate under his own free will soon after he arrived. The image-obsessed prince, who was a regular target of Khashoggis criticism both before and especially after the journalists self-exile, also insisted his government had nothing to hide and invited Turkish authorities to search the consulate. The Saudis did not provide any evidence, like security camera footage of Khashoggi leaving the consulate, to support their claim, and have advanced no credible theories for Khashoggis disappearance. Turkish authorities, meanwhile, said they saw no evidence that Khashoggi had left the building, presumed he was still inside, and opened an investigation into the incident. The Saudis allowed Reuters reporters to tour the consulate on Saturday to prove that Khashoggi was not there, but also improbably claimed that their security cameras showed only live video feeds, and those feeds were not recorded, so they could provide no footage of Khashoggis exit. Khashoggis Alleged Assassination On Saturday night, a stunning and more gruesome theory regarding Khashoggis fate emerged. Unnamed Turkish authorities told Reuters and the Washington Post that Turkish police had concluded that Khashoggi had not only been detained inside the consulate he had been murdered. A 15-man Saudi hit squad, Turkish sources believed, had carried out the premeditated assassination. Turk-Arab Media Association director Turan Kislakci, a friend and colleague of Khashoggis, said that authorities had told him the Saudis had brutally tortured Khashoggi before dismembering his body and removing it from the building in pieces. Turkeys Anadolu news agency, a semi-official outlet for the government, also reported on Saturday that 15 Saudi citizens, including some diplomats, arrived in Istanbul on two separate planes on Tuesday, and were at the consulate around the same time Khashoggi was, and then later left the country. The Saudis were not identified. On Monday, Turkish officials told one of their U.S. counterparts that the pieces of Khashoggi had been carried out of the compound in boxes, then flown back to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi consulate quickly put out a statement calling these accusations baseless. The Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where Saudi officials say the security cameras, clearly visible in this image, do not record footage meaning they cannot prove Khashoggi left the building. Photo: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images As of Monday, Turkish authorities have produced no evidence to back up their allegations, and have not released any footage from the considerable number of security cameras monitoring the area around the consulate. An unnamed Turkish official told the New York Times that the evidence will only be released once the investigation is complete, so as to avoid inflaming what is already a strained diplomatic relationship between Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Turkish journalist and European Council on Foreign Relations fellow Asli Aydintasbas said that officials told her they did not have hard evidence, but still believed Khashoggi was dead. Then, on Sunday, Turkey began making their allegations on the record: Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called the evidence in the Khashoggi investigation concrete, vowed that the case would not go unsolved, and, along with other officials, demanded that Saudi Arabia make a convincing statement about what happened to the journalist. The BBC also reported that Taha Ozhan, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Turkeys parliament, said that we are sure Khashoggi was murdered, and that Turkish police would soon be releasing more details about what they had discovered. Turkish president Erdogan, however, did not release any new information or offer any official confirmations during a press conference on Sunday. Turkeys longtime leader told reporters that he considered Khashoggi a friend and found the veteran journalists disappearance very, very upsetting. Erdogan said he was following the incident, chasing it, and whatever the conclusions, we will inform the world about it. The Turkish president added that authorities were going over security camera footage and were monitoring the countrys airports as part of their investigation, and that he was still hoping for a positive outcome. On Monday, with international attention continuing to grow, the Turkish government officially asked the Saudi government to let law enforcement personnel conduct a search of the consulate, while President Erdogan demanded that Saudi Arabia produce proof that Khashoggi left the building alive. In the meantime, nothing about what happened to Khashoggi other than his disappearance had been confirmed as of Monday afternoon. Cengiz posted on Twitter on Saturday that she did not believe he was dead, but told the Times that she was still following the reports and was waiting for an official confirmation from the Turkish government. ...! #_ #__ pic.twitter.com/5SHyIEqqiT Hatice Cengiz / (@mercan_resifi) October 6, 2018 The Reaction and Saudi Pushback Many media organizations, journalists, politicians, and activists from all over the world have expressed outrage and concern over Khashoggis fate. Many theories have also emerged about what happened to him, particularly since neither of the governments at the center of the story can usually be trusted. Erdogans increasingly autocratic government is hardly a credible source when it comes to investigations with any political implications, and is the worlds number-one jailer of journalists. On the other hand, few regimes are more hostile to dissidents, critical journalists, or even low-level political activists than Saudi Arabias royal dictatorship. Both regimes regularly traffic in disinformation and promote scapegoats to influence their citizens; both have brazenly involved themselves in the foreign affairs of neighboring countries; both have cracked down on political opponents, social reformers, and democracy advocates; and both typically dismiss international attempts to rein in their worst practices. Erdogan and MBS have also taken very public shots at each other in recent years. Erdogans support for Qatar, one of Saudi Arabias chief rivals in the region, has opened a large rift between the two Middle East powers. Erdogan has called Saudi Arabias efforts to isolate Qatar inhumane and against Islamic values. For his part, MBS claimed earlier this year that Turkey is part of a triangle of evil with Iran and Islamist terrorists. Some have wondered if Turkey is floating the murder story in order to attack its Saudi rival, or to pressure Riyadh to admit it detained Khashoggi, or, as the Guardians Martin Chulov speculated on Sunday, to give the economically struggling Turks some leverage to get something out of the Saudis. Another theory is that the Saudis are feeding misinformation to Turkish authorities in order to ultimately embarrass Erdogan. Elsewhere, Saudi partisans on social media have advanced a hashtag blaming Qatari intelligence agents for Khashoggis alleged murder a campaign likely conducted by Saudi-backed internet trolls. As the Huffington Post reported Monday, additional social media campaigns, undoubtedly orchestrated by the Saudis and their Gulf allies, soon followed. On Sunday, the Saudi-owned news organization Al Arabiya provided a representative look at how the regime was working to defend itself. The site reported that Khashoggis prominent family in Saudi Arabia had released a statement declaring their trust in and support for the Saudi government, and criticizing the objectives behind electronic media and frenzied news outlets that attack our country for negative purposes. (The idea that the media was sensationalizing the story was a popular frame for much of the Saudi-aligned pushback.) The site also interviewed Khashoggis oldest son, who said he had never heard of his fathers Turkish fiancee and told her to stop talking to the media, then insisted the issue was simply a missing person case. The unofficial state-media site further highlighted how Saudi Arabia holds the safety and well-being of its citizens wherever they are, and had, with Turkeys permission, sent a team of investigators to Istanbul to help find Khashoggi. Another article published on Sunday passed along a range of unsubstantiated theories from observers indicating that the entire story was a plot to discredit the Saudi regime, like a false-flag operation; or the work of the regimes evergreen bogeyman, the Muslim Brotherhood; or that many fingers continue to point at [Khashoggis] fiancee as the perpetrator. Another rumor on social media, that Khashoggis body had been found in Istanbul on Sunday, was also unfounded. President Trump meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the oval office in March. Photo: Kevin Dietsch - Pool/Getty Images The U.S. Response After the State Department said it was investigating the reports of Khashoggis murder, the Washington Post reported on Sunday night that U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have been frustrated with the lack of a substantive response to direct high-level queries. On Monday, six days after Khashoggis disappearance, the State Department said, We are not in a position to confirm these reports, but we are closely following the situation. Then, President Trump commented. On Monday afternoon, he said, in response to a reporters question: I am concerned about it. I dont like hearing about it. Hopefully that will sort itself out. Right now nobody knows anything about it, but theres some pretty bad stories going around. I do not like it. In a foreign crisis like this one, the U.S. ambassador to the country in question would normally take on an important role. But the almost two-year-old Trump administration still hasnt named its ambassador to Turkey. Imagine what State Dept. would be saying if there were reports of this journalist being abducted, murdered, and dismembered inside an Iranian consulate https://t.co/H1r9XY7SVC Robbie Gramer (@RobbieGramer) October 8, 2018 Considering Trumps well-established favor toward the Saudi regime, its not clear how the U.S. would react should the Saudis be found responsible for abducting, harming, or assassinating Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia is, as it has often been, central to U.S. foreign policy in the region, and Americas best customer when it comes to arms sales. Last year, Trump announced that the U.S. had arranged to sell $110 billion in weapons to the regime, and though his characterization of the deal may have been a Trumpian exaggeration, it was still the largest-ever arms agreement between the two nations. The U.S. also refuels Saudi warplanes during their missions to bomb Yemen, and has accepted at face value the regimes less-than-credible word regarding its (unsuccessful) efforts to avoid civilian casualties. Political and international pressure over Saudi Arabias ongoing bombing of Yemen has been building, including bipartisan criticism from U.S. lawmakers, but it has yet to have much impact. By Monday, numerous members of Congress on both sides of the aisle had issued statements expressing alarm over Khashoggis alleged fate and calling for a significant response. But since Trump has almost completely turned a blind eye to Saudi Arabias rising aggression and political crackdowns thus far, and the U.S. is literally fueling the regimes ongoing war atrocities in Yemen, even Khashoggis alleged murder might not draw extraordinary attention unless the president is moved by the media coverage or gets some stern advice from Fox News anchors. The other problem regarding the imposition of American leverage is that the U.S. and Turkey have been at odds since the trade-warring Trump doubled tariffs on the economically struggling nation last month, supposedly because Turkey has refused to release an American pastor who has been held captive in the country for almost two years. Our relations are not good with Turkey right now, Trump himself said at the time. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. Photo: Nicolas Asfouri - Pool/Getty Images Saudi Arabias Well-Earned Reputation One thing many analysts who cover foreign affairs and the Middle East seem to universally agree on is that they wouldnt be at all surprised if the Saudis did orchestrate Khashoggis execution. The regime has a long-standing reputation for crushing dissent both in and outside its borders, and its gotten even worse under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In recent years, the Saudi regime has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of restraint when it comes to its foreign and domestic policy. MBS may have savvily convinced many leaders and pundits that he is a Western-friendly reformer on social issues and the Saudi economy, but he has embraced increasingly aggressive and brutal tactics at the same time. He has already undertaken a stunning power grab in the Kingdom, rounding up and imprisoning numerous political rivals and fleecing Saudi businessmen under the guise of an anti-corruption campaign. And under MBS, Saudi Arabia has become more and more of a hostile, sometimes unstable, player on the world stage, all in order to gain more control over the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is currently waging a brutal and bloody proxy war in Yemen fought with U.S. supplied weapons which has devastated the already reeling country and resulted in the deaths of countless civilians. The Saudis tried to dominate their Gulf rival Qatar last year by leading a multi-nation economic blockade of the country under a far-fetched pretense. The Saudi government has also kidnapped and robbed the prime minister of Lebanon, hysterically tried to cut off all relations with Canada after it criticized the regime for arresting a prominent Saudi womens rights activist, and initiated a crackdown on political freedoms and dissent within its borders. In addition, the countrys government already held one of the worlds most dismal records when it comes to respecting human rights, has kidnapped and repatriated other dissidents in the past, and employs torture, long-term imprisonment, and even capital punishment in its persecution of political activists. The Saudis brazenness increased following the election of Trump an autocrat-admirer who always swoons at demonstrations of strength, and who last year effectively told Saudi Arabias King Salman, MBSs father and chief backer, that he considers him the leader of the Muslim world. Previous administrations particularly President Obamas have tried to at least somewhat contain Saudi aggression though none have stopped supporting and enabling the regime with arms sales. But Trump doesnt just look the other way he and his advisers, like son-in-law and MBS friend Jared Kushner, are cheerleaders for the royal familys power moves. The Trump administration also considers the Kingdom a crucial part of the administrations efforts to confront Iran, suppress Palestinian self-determination, and institutionalize U.S. Islamophobia. The last two years have seen what happens when Saudi Arabia no longer feels it has to ask the U.S. for permission to do anything. So it would make sense that MBS could also now believe he could get away with executing a high-profile Washington Postemployed journalist within the borders of a NATO member country. The Nobel economics prize was awarded to Americans William Nordhaus and Paul Romer this morning for reshaping the understanding of long-term growth factors, including climate and technology changes. (NY Times) Oil prices were dropping about 1 percent this morning, pressured by expectations that some Iranian exports will keep flowing even after the U.S. re-imposes sanctions next month. Two companies in India have ordered barrels from Iran in November. (CNBC) Brazilian stocks rose sharply in premarket trading this morning after far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro left his opponents in the dust in the first round of voting. But he didn't get enough votes to avoid a run-off later this month. (CNBC) U.S. stock futures were under pressure this morning, in step with global equities in Europe and Asia, and in a continuation of last week's slump on Wall Street. The 10-year Treasury yield on Friday hit its highest levels since 2011. U.S. bond trading is closed today for Columbus Day. (CNBC) * Italian bonds yields hit 4.5-year highs as the populist government clashes with the EU over budget targets (WSJ) A ceremonial swearing-in for Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh will be held tonight. Kavanaugh was technically sworn-in after Senate-confirmation Saturday, solidifying conservative control of the high court for years to come and ending a bitter battle over his nomination. (USA Today) Taylor Swift usually stays out of politicals. But this year, with just a month to go until the midterms, the pop superstar made an impassioned Instagram post to her 112 million followers endorsing Tennessee Democrats in there U.S. Senate and House races. (CNBC) In what could be a midterm election boost for Republicans in the nation's farm belt, President Trump is expected to announce the lifting of a federal ban on summer sales of higher-ethanol blends of gasoline tomorrow ahead of a trip to Iowa. (Reuters) * Wall Street is booming under Trump, but many of its donors are embracing Democrats (NY Times) Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, and the president planned to travel to Florida together on Air Force One this morning, a week and a half after the two were scheduled to discuss remarks Rosenstein had made about the president's fitness for office and an offer to secretly tape conversations with him. (NY Times) The nations of the world have a narrow path to preventing global temperatures from overshooting the most ambitious target in the Paris Agreement on managing climate change, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning U.N. panel said in a new report. (CNBC) A tropical storm that rapidly formed off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula has gained strength and could become a dangerous Category 2 hurricane with an expected midweek strike on the Gulf Coast in the Florida Panhandle. A state of emergency has been declared for 26 counties. (AP) A limousine blew a stop sign at the end of a highway and plowed into a parked and unoccupied SUV, killing all 18 people in the limo and two pedestrians in the deadliest transportation accident in the U.S. in almost a decade, officials said. (AP) Apple's (AAPL) top security officer told Congress the tech giant repeatedly investigated and found no evidence for the main points in last week's Bloomberg Businessweek article, which said Chinese tiny spy chips were found in Apple hardware. (Reuters) SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has landed back at its California launch site after carrying an Argentinian satellite into space. The Elon Musk-led company has previously landed rockets after Florida launches but never on the West Coast. (AP) Walmart (WMT) is partnering with movie studio Metro Goldwyn Mayer to create content for its video-on-demand service, Vudu, which the retailer bought eight years ago. Vudu's monthly viewership remains below rivals Netflix (NFLX) and Hulu. (Reuters) In a weekend of Hollywood counterprogramming, the comic-book movie "Venom" shrugged off bad reviews to shatter the October box-office record with an $80 million debut, while Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's "A Star Is Born" remake soared to $41.3 million. (USA Today) The Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots total an estimated $752 million for this week's drawings on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, respectively. The breakdown is $470 million on Mega Millions and $282 million on Powerball. (CNBC) Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. You must be logged in to participate in the Show Me the Errors contest. Brazils Social Liberal Party candidate Jair Bolsonaro. Photo: MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP/Getty Images Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right presidential candidate in Brazil, won nearly 47 percent of the vote in Sundays election, falling just short of an outright victory and setting up a runoff later this month with leftist Workers Party candidate Fernando Haddad, who won 29 percent of the vote. A former Army captain and seven-term congressman, Bolsonaro looks well positioned to win the presidency on October 28 given the strength he showed in the first round and the history of Brazilian runoffs. In the more than 30 years since military rule ended in Brazil, every election that has gone to a second round was won by the leader of the first round. Haddad, a former education minister, will attempt in the next few weeks to emerge from the shadow of former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The 72-year-old leftist was leading in polls earlier this year but could not run for president after a conviction on corruption charges. Haddads second-place finish Sunday was in no small part due to Lulas endorsementFrom now on, Haddad will be Lula for millions of Brazilians, the former president wrote to his supporters but hes also fashioned himself as more of a moderate than Lula as he tries to build a coalition to defeat Bolsonaro. Often compared to Donald Trump, Bolsonaro sold Brazilians on a message of law and order after a 2017 that saw a record 63,880 murders in the country. Bolsonaro himself was the victim of an attack last month, when he was stabbed at a rally. Hes promised to root out corruption and put people back to work in a nation where unemployment is more than 12 percent. Bolsonaro has also made guns a campaign issue, vowing to loosen restrictions in response to high crime rates. Some of his supporters showed their support for that stance by taking handguns into the voting booth and using them to cast their vote for Bolsonaro. Olha esse video , o eleitor votando no Bolsonaro usando arma de fogo. pic.twitter.com/yWUVSYPxHV Erlan Bastos (@erlan_bastos) October 7, 2018 Like Trump, Bolsonaro has won praise from supporters, and derision from opponents, for his unfiltered mouth. A gay son is the result of a lack of beatings, he once said. He told a female member of Congress that she was too ugly to rape. Hes called immigrants scum. Bolsonaro supporters even talk about him like Trumps supporters talk about the U.S. president. Even if he is a little crazy, someone needs to bring change, a 63-year-old woman told the Washington Post. Women protest Bolsonaro. Photo: MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP/Getty Images His detractors, whove taken to referring to him as the thing on social media, have showed up in the streets in recent weeks to declare #EleNao, or #NotHim. A rally on September 29 drew hundreds of thousands, most of them women. This conservative wave, which has really always existed in Brazil, needs to come to an end. Feminism needs to become more prominent in our society. Women need to be seen and treated as complete and equal people, a 37-year-old demonstrator told the L.A. Times. Like Trump, Bolsonaro is adept with social media. Hes built his following with the help of WhatsApp and Facebook, which he took to Sunday night to question the election results and use language that might sound familiar: Lets make Brazil great! Lets be proud of our homeland once again! The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form IBM today announced the commercial availability of a blockchain-based electronic distributed ledger that can track and trace food supply chain data from farm to store self. In development over the past 18 months, IBM's Food Trust ledger will allow food retailers, suppliers and growers to see supply chain data in near real time, enabling a more transparent and efficient method of determining the origin and safety of produce. Along with announcing the availability of its Food Trust tracking network, IBM said several food retailers and suppliers have joined those piloting the blockchain technology, which is based on the Hyperledger Fabric open-standards protocol. Those retailers include Topco Associates LLC, representing 15,000 stores; retailer-owned cooperative Wakefern, representing 50 member companies and 344 stores; and other suppliers including Beefchain, Dennick Fruit Source and Smithfield. French global superstore Carrefour also announced it will use the IBM Food Trust to strengthen its own food supply chain tracking system. With more than 12,000 locations in 33 countries, Carrefour stores will initially use the blockchain ledger to "increase consumer confidence" in a number of Carrefour-branded products, the company said. It expects to expand the use of the ledger to all Carrefour brands worldwide by 2022. "Being a founding member of the IBM Food Trust platform is a great opportunity for Carrefour to strongly accelerate and widen the integration of blockchain technology to our products in order to provide our clients with safe and undoubted traceability," Laurent Vallee, general secretary of Carrefour, said in a statement. An early adopter of blockchain technology, Walmart recently announced it will begin requiring its leafy green suppliers to enter their data into the IBM Food Trust. Walmart has worked with IBM to advance the business case and technology requirements for enhanced food traceability since 2016. IDG Earlier this year, Walmart completed two pilots of the distributed ledger technology using suppliers of mangoes and pork; after a proof-of-concept, the food-tracking blockchain network is now in use. As of this week, Walmart already has 25 products (or SKUs) from 10 supplier companies on the permissioned blockchain. The products range from poultry and berries to yogurt. Walmart's pilots have shown the amount of time it takes for the company to trace a food item from store to farm was cut from seven days to just 2.2 seconds. Being able to trace the origins of food will help Walmart be more proactive in tracking down food-borne illnesses when they occur to prevent the spread of tainted produce, perform a root analysis of what went wrong, and ensure safety checks are being done along the supply chain, according to Frank Yiannas, Walmart's vice president in charge of food safety. Yiannas had been a blockchain skeptic before researching the technology and then embracing it. The problem Yiannas wants to solve is how to track the origin of every piece of fruit, meat or vegetable sold by a worldwide retailer of food with 12,000 stores and tens of thousands of suppliers. "What we're trying to do is create the equivalence of FedEx tracking for food; that at each point in the farm-to-food continuum when there's a traceability event that occurs a pass off the information about that product is recorded in the blockchain network," Yiannas said. Walmart, MIT, IDG Frank Yiannas, Walmart's vice president in charge of food safety, explains how blockchain cut the time to track the origin of a package of mangoes from a week to 2.2 seconds. A 'truth' problem blockchain could solve Suppliers and their manufacturer customers have performance scorecards that are compared against service-level contracts that enable those in an ecosystem to see how they've fulfilled and paid for orders over time. The formats for those scorecards, however, vary greatly, according to IDC research director Simon Ellis. The ability to use blockchain and a commerce network to identify a single version of performance "truth" would not only save time and effort but standardize how supply chain participants rate each other. "One thing you find happening with distressing frequency in the supply chain is somebody needs to buy something and they go outside of the normal contract. They buy it from someone they're not supposed to buy it from," Ellis said. "That creates problems because you then don't meet your contracted volumes with your contracted vendor." Because blockchain creates an immutable, transparent ledger that can be seen by all authorized participants, any deviation from an SLA is readily apparent, Ellis explained. "So, the potential for using blockchain...is potentially game changing," he said. "Now, I say 'potentially' because there are lots of things people say will be game changing that ultimately wind up being somewhat less than game changing. But it has at least the potential to really improve the way companies interact from a service level agreement perspective." While Food Trust may be its first live commercial implementation, it's not IBM's first blockchain effort. After launching a proof of concept earlier this year, IBM and Maersk unveiled TradeLens, an electronic ledger for tracking global shipments; the companies say they have 94 participants piloting the system, including more than 20 port and terminal operators. The jointly developed electronic shipping ledger records details of cargo shipments as they leave their origin, arrive in ports, are shipped overseas and eventually received. Maersk Ninety percent of goods in global trade are carried by the ocean shipping industry each year. A new blockchain solution from IBM and Maersk will help manage and track the paper trail of tens of millions of shipping containers across the world by digitizing the supply chain process. IBM first began working with blockchain technology in 2014 through IBM Research. The IBM Blockchain business unit was formed in January 2017, and its Food Trust blockchain cloud service was introduced in August 2017. At the time of its launch, a consortium of retailers and suppliers signed on to test the platform, including Walmart, along with Dole, Driscoll's, Golden State Foods, Kroger, McCormick and Company, McLane Company, Nestle, Tyson Foods, and Unilever. IDC's Ellis said he's not aware of any blockchain services as large or widely tested as IBM's. Still, it's early for blockchain-based supply chains and without buy-in from suppliers and retailers, it could collapse "like a house of cards." "Most of the work is in a pilot or skunkworks level," Ellis said. "I'm not aware of anything as big as IBM's yet, but I think 'as big' as also requires some reference as well because it's still early days for IBM even though they've named folks like Carrefour and Walmart. They still have to get a bunch of growers signed on. "It certainly is the most interesting of these kinds of initiatives I've heard of and, as far as I know, it's the earliest to come to market," said Ellis, formerly a supply chain futurist who worked for Unilever. SAP and Oracle are the other two largest supply chain software vendors now piloting blockchain services, Ellis said. SAP has created a consortium of business partners to help it craft applications for its cloud-based blockchain platform that can track goods from creation to shipment to manufacturer as part of an automated supply chain system. The software giant is piloting its SAP Cloud Platform Blockchain with 16 farm-to-consumer produce suppliers such as Maple Leaf Foods, Johnsonville, Naturipe Farms, Tate & Lyle and Natura. SAP's blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) provides an abstraction layer that supports open standards, offers built-in integration with SAP applications. IBM is one of more than a half dozen technology vendors to offer blockchain as a service to enterprises. Along with SAP and Oracle, Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce and VMware are also part of a growing ecosystem of blockchain service providers. The blockchain-as-a-service marketplace is expected to reach $7 billion, according to Bank of America research analyst Kash Rangan. As enterprises look to deploy distributed ledgers, the industry's largest IT providers have launched BaaS efforts as a way to test the technology without the cost or risk of deploying it in-house and without needing to find in-house developers, which are in hot demand. IBM is currently offering three Food Trust SaaS modules with pricing that is scaled for small, medium and global enterprises beginning at $100 per month. Suppliers can contribute data to the network at no cost, IBM said. Trace - The trace module allows members of a food ecosystem to more securely trace products in seconds to help mitigate cross-contamination, help reduce spread of food-borne illness and reduce unnecessary waste - a process that often takes weeks using other methods. - The trace module allows members of a food ecosystem to more securely trace products in seconds to help mitigate cross-contamination, help reduce spread of food-borne illness and reduce unnecessary waste - a process that often takes weeks using other methods. Certifications - The certifications module helps verify the provenance of digitized certificates, such as organic or fair trade. It also enables participants across the ecosystem to easily load, manage and share food certifications, digitally speeding up certificate management by up to 30%. - The certifications module helps verify the provenance of digitized certificates, such as organic or fair trade. It also enables participants across the ecosystem to easily load, manage and share food certifications, digitally speeding up certificate management by up to 30%. Data entry and access - The data entry and access module allows members to securely upload, access and manage data on the blockchain. BaaS is a booming marketplace IBM is working with services and technology providers to contribute supply-chain provenance, testing and sensor data to the blockchain network. Through a library of IBM Food Trust APIs, the data is currently being captured on the network by three technology companies: 3M is working with IBM to enable its food safety diagnostic equipment to communicate with the blockchain, should a food manufacturer choose to enable the capability Centricity, a grower-owned company, enables the collection and sharing of agronomic and compliance data between systems and trading partners regardless of formats Trellis framework, an open standard and API service, will enable real-time connections between companies to exchange food safety audit data For example, Dole is working with Centricity, to connect audit data to the blockchain by leveraging the Trellis framework. "By simplifying on-farm and front-office reporting and putting data on the blockchain, IBM Food Trust has helped Dole unlock the value of compliance data across our suppliers and partners in a cost-effective way," Natalie Dyenson, Dole's vice president of food safety and quality, said in a statement. May has nine days to save her plan as cabinet ministers give her final chance to sell Chequers to Brussels Key Brexiters give May room for manoeuvre as long as customs arrangement is ended by 2022 Theresa May has been given nine days to save her Chequers plan. The Cabinet will give the Prime Minister one last chance to sell her proposals to EU leaders at a summit next week. But ministers have warned they will demand a Plan B if there is a repeat of the humiliating rejection she faced in Salzburg last month. European Union negotiators have been talking up the chances of reaching an agreement at the meeting next Wednesday on issues such as the Irish border. But they are still refusing to accept the proposals set out in Mrs Mays Chequers plan on how a future trade deal would work. The European Commission is expected to offer the UK a supercharged free trade deal later this week, but will reject about 60 to 70 per cent of the Prime Ministers blueprint, including the demand for frictionless trade. Daily Mail Brexiteers warned Theresa May last night that she could keep Britain within EU customs arrangements only until 2022 as negotiations with the bloc entered a vital week. The prime minister hopes to unlock talks that have become stuck over the so-called Irish backstop with a commitment to keep all of the UK in the European Unions present customs arrangements after the transition period ends in December 2020. The concession was condemned by Jacob Rees-Mogg as a serious breach of Brexit after it was reported by The Times last week. Yesterday, however, leading Conservative Leave figures said that they were prepared to give Mrs May room for manoeuvre. They warned, though, that any extension could run only until the next election in 2022. After that we cant know who will be in charge, so we must be fully out by then, a senior Brexit supporter said. The Times Here are the recent positions of various key eurosceptics Daily Express They claim theyre not plotting to bring down the government The Sun Apparently, whips threatened Brexiters with election just before Johnson speech Daily Express Comment: It seems theres no imminent threat to May Andrew Pierce, Daily Mail Ambiguity must be king on the border impasse Raphael Hogarth, The Times Conservative whips and ministers have been enacting ingenious plan to persuade 25 Labour MPs to vote for Chequers in December May has drawn up plans for a secret charm offensive Guardian Davis: Chequers is less popular than the poll tax. The EU is ready to go for Canada +++ Ministers are in talks with as many as 25 Labour MPs to force through Theresa Mays Chequers Brexit deal risking open warfare with the partys own MPs. The Governments whips office has spent recent months making contact with the MPs as a back-up option for when Theresa Mays Brexit deal is put to a vote in Parliament in early December, The Daily Telegraph has been told. News of the wooing operation has infuriated Eurosceptic Tory MPs who are now threatening to vote against elements of the Budget and other money bills to force Mrs May to drop her Chequers plan. Eurosceptic Conservative MPs back a looser Canada-plus free trade deal with the EU over the closer vision agreed by Mrs Mays Cabinet at her Chequers country home in the summer. Daily Telegraph So Donald Tusk, the wily European Council president, has let it slip. He has tweeted: From the very beginning, the EU offer has been a Canada+++ deal. Much further reaching on trade, internal security and foreign policy cooperation. This is a true measure of respect. And this offer remains in place. It was always clear they would use time against us. So we had to have a Canada+++ type deal to put on the table and to get them to explain why they had not offered one to us, as they had to other nations. Regrettably No 10 has played right into their hands, and we have ended up with the Chequers compromise. It fails to take back control of our laws, money, borders and trade as it proposed a common rulebook, a facilitated customs arrangement and de facto subjugation to the European Court of Justice. Thats why Chequers is less popular than the poll tax and now effectively dead. President Tusks comments prove that we could easily switch strategies to Canada +++. There is even a version of the plan ready the excellent Plan A+ published by the Institute of Economic Affairs. The EU is saying it is ready to make that deal although the Irish border is raised as a red herring. Daily Express Brexit is not on the agenda for this weeks Cabinet meeting Coveny speaks of Irish respect for May Cabinet members are not expecting to discuss Brexit at their scheduled meeting this coming week, despite the looming deadline of the European council meeting next week. Brexit does not feature on copies of the agenda for the meeting on Tuesday, even as British officials rush to finalise the UKs negotiating position in time for the next summit on 17-18 October. Instead the papers indicate the cabinet discussion will be dominated by a presentation on the budget by the chancellor, Philip Hammond, which is due at the end of the month. Ministers expect to discuss Brexit in a weeks time when some hope that Downing Street will have clarified how the UK proposes to handle cross-border regulatory checks if no progress is made on agreeing a free trade deal with the EU. Guardian Simon Coveney has said there is a lot of respect in Ireland for Theresa May facing down those who dont prioritise the border issue in the ongoing Brexit talks. He was speaking as hopes of a breakthrough in the talks between the EU and the UK increased saying the deal was 90% done. He said said no one was out to humiliate anyone. Im not sure Theresa May was humiliated in Salzburg, he told Sky News, clearly there was political disagreement. Theresa May has a lot of respect across the EU and Ireland because she has faced down many people in the British political system who dont want to prioritise the issue of Ireland and Northern Ireland who want to press ahead with a Brexit that would cause a lot of damage to British/Irish relations. Theresa May has faced that down and refused to accept that approach. Belfast Telegraph Comment: She could still get it right Nick Ferrari, Daily Express >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: Lewis says there must not be a hard border Sturgeon says SNP MPs would vote for a second Brexit referendum She speaks of risk of cobbled together deal FT Meanwhile, senior SNP MP says IndyRef2 not necessarily needed for Scotland to leave Daily Telegraph Nicola Sturgeon has said her MPs will vote for a second referendum on Brexit after a new poll showed the vast majority of SNP members want one. The First Minister has previously said she would not stand in the way of a so-called Peoples Vote on the final Brexit deal Theresa May brings back from Brussels. However on the opening day of the SNP conference in Glasgow, Ms Sturgeon said her 35 MPs would vote in favour of a Peoples Vote in the Commons, rather than abstain. A YouGov poll this weekend found 89 per cent of SNP members backed a Peoples Vote and 79 per cent said they wanted SNP MPs to support it in the Commons. Herald Editorial: May mustnt forget about Scotland Guardian >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: Sturgeon claims Scottish independence is inevitable Abe claims Britain would be welcomed into TPP with open arms Britain would be welcomed into the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal with open arms in a further British Brexit boost, the Japanese PM insisted yesterday. Japans premier Shinzo Abe described the UK as a country equipped with global strength as Theresa May bids to win over the EU on her Brexit plans. Mr Abes comments to the FT will also encourage Brexiteers as the PM has a weeks respite to sell Chequers at a crunch EU summit next week. The Cabinet are unlikely to move against her ahead of the meeting but if it is again rejected by EU leaders she will be forced to come up with a Plan B. The TPP is a wide-ranging trade agreement between 11 Pacific countries, including Japan, Australia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Canada and Mexico. Trade Secretary Liam Fox held talks earlier this year with overseas officials about joining the TPP. Currently around eight per cent of British exports are sent to those countries. The Sun Munchau: Ok. No deal is better than a really really bad no deal There are good reasons not to wish for a no-deal Brexit. It would disturb manufacturing supply chains on both sides of the English Channel. Brexit could become the symbol of Europes new political division. It could drive a wedge between the two European members of the UN Security Council. And it would weaken our ability to fight terrorism. But this series of unpleasant events only pertains to an extreme version of a no-deal Brexit the no-deal version of the no-deal Brexit. While many Brexit outcomes are possible at this point, I confidently predict that this particularly lethal version will not happen simply because disruption would invariably threaten the Irish border the main issue preventing an agreement as well. FT More Brexit Local mayors want control over funding to replace EU money FT Comment: Macron, the wannabe Brexit-fighting Jedi Henry Newman, The Times The establishment wont get a kicking from Brexit. The poor will Clare Foges, The Times Editorial: Juncker hates the UK press. We hate him too The Sun Hammond now expected to cut pension tax relief to fund health service boost Pension tax relief will be cut to pay for the NHS, Philip Hammond is expected to announce in the Budget. Last week the Chancellor gave his strongest suggestion to date that he will raise taxes to fund the Governments 20billion funding boost for the health service. This will include stripping back the benefits from tax-free pension contributions, a senior Treasury source told the Daily Telegraph. The cost of pensions tax relief to the Treasury is 39billion a year, according to the latest official figures. The source said this amount has been considered to high not to be used to fund the NHS pledge. Daily Telegraph Hes considering Onwards good landlord seller tax break Guardian >Today: Education select committee to call for improvements to apprenticeship system Apprenticeships are the key Robert Halfon, Daily Telegraph Johnson: We must focus on girls education globally A system similar to that used by universities should be introduced for technical education, further education and apprenticeships to spread course information and make applying easier, say MPs. In a report on apprenticeships the Commons education committee said that not enough young people were getting the high-quality training they needed. The MPs recognised good work being done by many further education colleges and independent training providers, but called for clearer oversight of training and assessment and a tougher approach to poor-quality training. The number of approved providers of apprenticeship training has tripled in recent years, leading to concerns about the quality of what is offer. The Times So bring on that tide of holy feminist rage and let it wash this horror away. Let the dam burst, and end the injustice to women that I am afraid in some parts of the world is actually growing. Look at the figures for female illiteracy and you see a vast arc of shame from Africa, to the Middle East and to South Asia. You dont have the figures? Let me give you a selection, in ascending order of cruelty. In Egypt 33 per cent of the female population cannot read or write; in India it is 35 per cent; Congo 44 per cent; Yemen 45 per cent; Nigeria 50 per cent; Pakistan 58 per cent; Liberia 68 per cent; Burkina Faso 70 per cent; Benin 73 per cent; Central African Republic 75 per cent; Afghanistan 75 per cent. In every one of these countries these illiterate women are prevented from achieving their potential, and in every one it is the male children who get the care, the attention and the investment with the result that there is a massive gender imbalance. Daily Telegraph More Conservatives Enquiry into Johnson burka comments could be expanded The Times Mays Observer piece is seen as pitch to wavering Labour supporters. Blunkett says its a trap Guardian Griffiths could be banned for long enough to trigger a recall petition The Sun Tugendhat says Prince Harry should be ambassador to US Daily Mail Comment: Mays swerve to the centre tested credibility Matthew dAncona, Guardian It was Blair-like Peter Oborne, Daily Mail >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: Wright says the whole world needs to wake up to digital threats and challenges >Today: ToryDiary: Good luck, Prime Minister, with your plan to split the Left. Just dont split the Right as well while youre at it McDonnell 1) He calls for an end to iniquitous universal credit Field says ministers knew reforms would leave poor families worse off The Sun John McDonnell has called for universal credit to be scrapped and accused Theresa May of falsely declaring an end to austerity amid reports that millions of families could lose up 200 a month when the new benefit is rolled out nationally. The shadow chancellor hit back at the prime minister, who had claimed in a newspaper article that the end is in sight for the squeeze on public sector spending. McDonnell warned that the benefits system was no longer providing a proper safety net. Hardening the partys position on the universal credit, McDonnell said in a television interview: Weve looked and looked, we cant see that either governments or other proposals could reform it. Its in a shambles, and its actually iniquitous as well. Guardian >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: McDonnell Universal Credit is not a system that can work any more McDonnell 2) He says Labour is looking at proposing four-day week Labour is considering offering a four day week to voters to win the next general election, John McDonnell has said. The shadow chancellor said Labour will look at the working week as part of an examination of working practices ahead of drawing up the partys manifesto for the 2022 election. The news comes after Frances OGrady, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, last month said a four-day week should be an ambition for unions. Labour is already said to be looking at how the rise of robots and artificial intelligence can be used to benefit workers rather than just those at the top of companies. Daily Telegraph More Labour McDonnell hits back at Dearlove after Corbyn comments The Sun >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: Dearlove is worried by Corbyns past associations News in Brief Will Tanner is Director of Onward and a former Deputy Head of Policy in Number 10 Downing Street. Housing was the standout issue of last weeks Conservative Party Conference, but the announcements largely neglected the group that the Party needs to attract most private renters. If you rent your home rather than own it or live in social housing, you are nearly twice as likely to vote Labour as Tory. In 2017, Labours lead among this group grew by 12 points, as turnout amongst renters surged by 10 per cent and turnout amongst owner-occupiers stayed the same. Matters have not improved since. According to polling for Shelter two weeks ago, the Conservatives trail Labour by an average 22 points amongst private renters in the 60 most marginal constituencies, and 61 per cent of voters in those seats do not have confidence in the Governments housing offer. This is troubling enough for Conservatives. But it is made more so by the extraordinary growth of the private rented sector, which doubled in size in the last two decades to more than 20 per cent of all homes. Onwards research has shown that by 2022, there will only be 88 parliamentary seats in whih homeowners comprise more than 70 per cent of all homes, down from 330 in 2001. If the Conservative Party wants to win a majority, it needs a retail offer for private renters. To date, Ministers have rightly focused on giving renters longer and more secure tenancies, and they recently consulted on the introduction of mandatory three-year deals for tenants. But there is another way of achieving a similar end and, in doing so, helping nearly a million people move from renting into ownership in five years. Our proposal is relatively simple. We argue that the Government should reward landlords who give long-term tenants the Chance to Buy the rented home they live in. This would be achieved through a capital gains tax break for properties sold to sitting tenants of three or more years continuous residency, with the gain from the relief split evenly between the landlord and tenant. Since capital gains tax on second homes is currently 28 per cent for higher rate taxpayers, this would generate a significant windfall for landlords, and give tenants thousands of pounds towards their deposit. The policy would simultaneously provide a real incentive to landlords to offer long-term tenancies and support tenants with an average contribution of 8,000 towards their deposit. We estimate that up to 88,000 landlords would make use of the relief each year, meaning that just under half a million homes would transfer into ownership over five years, affecting a million people. Just as Right to Buy helped hundreds of thousands of council tenants own their home previously, a renters Chance to Buy could give a new generation of insecure tenants an opportunity to own. These changes would cost around 1.32 billion a year, according to our estimates. However, the vast majority of the cost could be covered by tightening other buy-to-let tax reliefs which currently allow second homeowners to significantly reduce their capital gains liability, often to zero. Ministers could raise 1.12 billion a year, for example, by abolishing the 40,000 Lettings Relief given to landlords who have previously lived in their second home, and by reducing the Private Residence Relief grace period from 18 to six months. Both deserve attention in any case. In Britain, we like to think of ourselves as a property-owning democracy. But the truth is we have consistently failed to create new homeowners for the last 15 years, with major political implications. Nine in ten people say they prefer home ownership over renting and two-thirds of 18 to 40-year-olds who currently do not own, hope to do so one day. It is time to help people make their rented house their home. Six years ago, the TaxPayers Alliance reported that in the last year, five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories. Since then, the figures have varied, and some Conservative members or supporters have been selected to fill important posts. Nonetheless, it remains the case that, since it took office in 2010, our Party has punched beneath its weight when it comes to public appointments. One of the reasons seems to be that Tories simply dont apply in the same number as Labour supporters. To help remedy this, every week we put up links to some of the main public appointments vacancies, so that qualified Conservatives might be aware of the opportunities presented. Social Work England Non-Executive Board Members The Department for Education and the Department of Health & Social Care are looking to appoint two additional, high quality, non-executive members to the Board of Social Work England. Do you have expertise and ability in data technology or audit and risk? If so, wed like to hear from you. In addition to having specific skills in one of these areas, you will have a commitment to equality, inclusion and user engagement; the ability to set strategic direction and work collaboratively as part of a team; and previous experience as a non-executive director. You will be required to think strategically and have the ability to positively and constructively influence decisions at senior Board level. You will also be expected to establish consultative relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders including other regulators, professional associations, training providers and employees, as well the social work profession and users of its services. Time: <15 days per annum. Remuneration: 350 per diem plus expenses Closes: 12 October Office for Nuclear Regulation Chair The Chair of the ONR Board must be able to demonstrate excellent communication and strong and effective leadership qualities. The Chair will shape and support the delivery of strategic objectives. The successful candidate will be accountable to the Secretary of State and have responsibility for ensuring that ONR delivers efficient and effective regulation of the nuclear industry in line with its statutory purposes. The Chair is also responsible for ensuring that ONRs policies and actions support the responsible ministers and the Governments wider strategic policies and that the ONR Boards affairs are conducted with probity. Essential criteria: knowledge, understanding and experience of a highly regulated industry (high hazard and/or major infrastructure) with large-scale investment and long-term deliverables; strong and effective leadership skills with the ability to shape and support the organisation during a period of significant change Time: Eight days per month. Remuneration: 52,800 per annum. Closes: 14 October Big Lottery Fund England Committee Chair The Big Lottery Fund is established as a non-departmental public body by an Act of Parliament. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is our sponsor department within government and sets policy directions for our funding in England and across the UK. The Board is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the Fund, as set out in its Strategic Framework, People in the Lead. It operate across all four countries of the UK, with the Board delegating oversight for funding in each country to a committee. A fifth funding committee has oversight of its UK funding. Chairs of the country portfolio committees ensure that funding strategy supports the delivery of the Funds Strategic Framework and each portfolio reports annually to the Board on its performance. Time: ~10 days per annum. Remuneration: 24,000 per annum plus reasonable expenses. Closes: 15 October Cabinet Office Crown Representative for Small and Medium Enterprises The Small Business Crown Representatives task will be to help government get best value from small businesses, measured through the governments target that one third of spend on goods and services should go to small businesses directly and indirectly by 2022. The Crown Representative will work with the Crown Commercial Service, Small Business Panel, departments and other Crown Representatives to identify opportunities to drive up direct and indirect spend with small businesses. He or she will also act as an advocate promoting the agenda internally and externally. This role requires an individual with significant leadership experience in one or more small businesses and an excellent grasp of commercial issues including procurement good practice. Time: Two days per annum. Remuneration: 500 per diem. Closes: 19 October BPDTS Ltd Chair BPDTS Ltd (BPDTS) supplies DWP with specialist digital services. BPDTS works with experts in DWP and its partners to build and run, in innovative and cost effective ways, secure and reliable digital technology that is used by millions of people each and every day at key points in their lives, as they look for work, deal with illness or disability, support children after separation, or plan for retirement. The company employs more than 500 staff, co-located with experts from DWP in six main hub locations geographically dispersed across England. BPDTS experts include: technical architects, infrastructure engineers, software and testing engineers, agile delivery managers, business analysts, database analysts and IT service managers. BPDTS was set up in 2016. This year it appointed a dedicated Chief Executive in January 2018 and, more recently, a Non-Executive Director (NED). It now wishes to appoint a Non-Executive Chair to lead the Board. Time: 20 days per annum. Remuneration: 10,000 per annum. Closes: 19 October Darwin Expert Committee Chair The aim of Darwin Plus is to help deliver long-term strategic outcomes for the natural environment in the UKs Overseas Territories (UK OTs). Biodiversity in the OTs is globally significant. The UK OTs boast some of the worlds most delicate and complex ecosystems and habitats. The UK Government is working to improve our understanding of the full value of these unique environments, and through the Blue Belt programme 4 million km2 of ocean around the OTs will be protected, further conserving vital habitats and species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. It is estimated that the OTs contain an estimated 90% of the biodiversity found within the UK and the Territories combined. With their vast marine areas, the OTs offer an opportunity to lead the world in marine protection. Time: Two terms, three years each. Remuneration: Yes. Closes: 22 October HS2 Ltd Non-Executive Directors As Non-Executive Director, you will champion the HS2 vision and objectives, challenging Board decisions where appropriate to maintain the aspired strategic direction and culture of the organisation whilst holding the leadership team to account for effective and efficient delivery against the agreed strategy and business plan. This will include offering alternative perspectives to the sector norm, with the ability to consider strategic, complex and often sensitive issues from an informed and balanced perspective. You will need recent and relevant Executive Board or Non-Executive Director experience with the tenacity and interpersonal skills to operate in a high profile organisation tasked with delivering against demanding objectives. Time: Two days per month. Remuneration: 950 per diem. Closes: 01 November Met Office Non-Executive Directors The Met Office employs around 1900 people in sites across the UK and overseas. It operates as a Trading Fund, meaning that, whilst it is sponsored by HM Government, it self-funds through the services it provides to its diverse client base. The Met Office steering Board has a vital role in advising and supporting the Chief Executive and the Executive Team to deliver the organisations strategic priorities and ensuring that resources are allocated effectively for their delivery. The Board reviews the management and performance of the Met Office and ensures high standards of corporate governance are maintained As a Non-Executive Director (NED) on the Met Office Board, you will have an important and demanding role and will provide a valuable external perspective to the organisation. This includes providing influence and access to networks which the organisation would otherwise not have. Time: 27 days per annum. Remuneration: 15,000 per annum. Closes: 05 November The Patriots churned the bottom of their practice squad Monday, releasing third-year defensive tackle Vincent Valentine and rookie running back Ralph Webb as they added linebacker Calvin Munson and defensive tackle Frank Herron. NESN's Doug Kyed first reported Munson's signing, while the Boston Herald broke Webb's release and ESPN's Mike Reiss reported Valentine had been let go. Valentine, a third-round pick in 2016, was released on Sept. 1 as part of the team's 53-man roster cutdown, then rejoined the team after clearing waivers. Webb signed as an undrafted free agent in April and starred in New England's preseason opener, but hasn't been heard from much since. The Patriots now have an opening on their 53-man roster and two on their practice squad, with defensive back Cyrus Jones getting let go over the weekend. Jones could return as a member of the team's practice squad should he clear waivers. Patriots making some moves on their practice squad today, as DT Vincent Valentine has been informed that he is being released, per a source. Also, as @KevinRDuffy first reported, RB Ralph Webb is being released from the practice squad. Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 8, 2018 Munson arrives having spent last year with the Giants an undrafted rookie free agent out of San Diego State. He made 55 tackles and collected two sacks in 14 games, five of which he started. Munson is listed at six-foot, 241 pounds. In New England's preseason finale at New York on Aug. 30, Munson had six tackles. He was released in early September and worked out for the Patriots last week, per Reiss. Munson joins Dont'a Hightower, Elandon Roberts, Kyle Van Noy, Nicholas Grigsby and Brandon King in New England's linebacker room. Hightower, Roberts and Van Noy have seen the great majority of defensive snaps at the position, though Van Noy's moved down to defensive end the last two games. Originally signed in May as an undrafted free agent out of LSU, Herron stuck through New England's training camp until he received his release on Aug. 31. He totaled nine tackles in the team's preseason. The Patriots return to action Sunday against the Chiefs. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. This man will probably be a member of the worlds greatest deliberative body next year. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call,Inc. Last month, Republican congressman Kevin Cramer argued that, even if Christine Blasey Ford were telling the truth and Brett Kavanaugh really had once pinned her to a bed, grinded his hips against her, and tried to remove her bathing suit while muffling her screams of protest with his hand the judge would have done nothing seriously wrong. These are teenagers who evidently were drunk, according to her own statement, the GOPs nominee for Senate in North Dakota told a local radio news program. They were drunk. Nothing evidently happened in it all, even by her own accusation. Again, it was supposedly an attempt or something that never went anywhere. One week later, Cramer modified this stance, telling an NBC News affiliate that what happened to Ford should never happen in our society but also, that committing one little attempted rape (and then lying about it under oath) shouldnt prevent a man from ascending to the Supreme Court after 36 years of a record where theres nothing like that again. Now, following Kavanaughs confirmation this weekend, Cramer is taking an even bolder stand against Big Sexual-Assault Survivor: In an interview with the New York Times, Cramer suggested that women who identify with the #MeToo movement arent as tough as his wife and daughters: North Dakotans, [Cramer] said, appreciate the value of saying what a lot of other people dont dare say but think. Asked for an example of what he meant, he ripped into the #MeToo movement. That youre just supposed to believe somebody because they said it happened, Mr. Cramer said, alluding to Christine Blasey Ford who has accused Justice Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers and, more broadly, women who have come forward to claim that they were sexually abused or assaulted. Invoking his wife, daughters, mother and mother-in-law, Mr. Cramer said: They cannot understand this movement toward victimization. They are pioneers of the prairie. These are tough people whose grandparents were tough and great-grandparents were tough. Suggesting that the #MeToo movement had created a backlash as the left tried to torpedo Justice Kavanaughs nomination, Mr. Cramer added, The world got to see close up how ugly it can be when you go too far. Kevin Cramer currently leads Democratic incumbent Heidi Heitkamp by an average of nearly nine points a polling advantage that increased markedly over the past two weeks, as the congressman was pushing his make attempted rape okay again message. Nevertheless, Heitkamp persisted in her opposition to Kavanaugh. Despite the perils of defying the president in a state he won by 36 points, the senator declined to vote for the judges confirmation even after it was clear that her vote would make no practical difference either way (which is to say, even after Susan Collins gave a certain other red state Democrat his cue to join the winning team). In a statement explaining her decision, the senator expressed solidarity with sexual assault survivors. And when Heitkamp got wind of Cramers latest reflections on #MeToo Sunday, she didnt mince words. Heres the Times again: The better part of my career in public life has been working with victims, said Ms. Heitkamp, a former state attorney general. Did you ask him how many victims during this process he actually sat down with, and survivors he sat down with, and visited with personally? Then Ms. Heitkamps voice grew thick with emotion. I think its wonderful that his wife has never had an experience, and good for her, and its wonderful his mom hasnt, she said. My mom did. And I think it affected my mom her whole life. And it didnt make her less strong. With tears welling in her eyes, Ms. Heitkamp stared intently at a reporter and continued: And I want you to put this in there, it did not make my mom less strong that she was a victim. She got stronger and she made us strong. And to suggest that this movement doesnt make women strong and stronger is really unfortunate. Ms. Heitkamps mother, Doreen, died in April at 88 on what would have been her 66th wedding anniversary. The senator said her mother was sexually assaulted as a teenager. Alas, in North Dakota, indignation on behalf of sexual assault survivors doesnt play as well as unflinching loyalty to Donald J. Trump. The Roughrider State is much whiter, and a bit less college-educated, than America as a whole and 59 percent of white voters without college diplomas found Kavanaugh more credible than Ford, according to a Quinnipiac poll released last week. But, for her part, Heidi Heitkamp would rather lose a referendum on #MeToo than remain strategically neutral on the question of whether the women who make up that movement are tough. Lord Flight is Chairman of Flight & Partners Recovery Fund, and is a former Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Voters are clearly utterly fed up with Brexit negotiations, and either want a sensible deal, or for the Government to walk away. They are far less keen than politicians on forking out 39 billion: for what? As regards domestic politics, the Conservative Party is benefitting from voter fears of a communist, Jeremy Corbyn-led, Government, while Labour is benefitting from perceived Conservative poor handling of Brexit and government. So far, there is some polling evidence to suggst that fear of Corbyn is the more powerful of these two forces the Conservatives are six per cent ahead of Labour in one poll but domestic politics have undoubtedly become volatile. The Prime Minister now needs to get a move on in resolving Brexit. I hope that she realises (the point could hardly have been made more forcefully to her at Salzburg) that her Chequers proposals are unacceptable to the EU. She would be wasting her time in continuing to argue for it, and likely only attract even more EU rudeness than she has already experienced. She needs to move the discussion on to a Canada Plus Deal. It is clear that the options are of either this, or letting the WTO to structure a UK/EU trading regime. A major plus for Canada Plus is that it would appear that the EU side of table is supportive, including Michel Barnier and Donald Tusk. For this reason, I do not see it that would be difficult to craft an acceptable deal for the island of Ireland, in relation to which the ERG has already submitted its proposals. What will be needed is to negotiate Heads of Agreement on all main counts by the spring, to be fleshed out thereafter into a detailed agreement. Most of the relevant documentation for a Canada Plus deal can be copied and adapted as required from the Canada deal. I also make the specific point that to the extent that a Canada Plus deal can deliver no tariffs, the easier is the Ireland issue to solve, as there would be no duties to collect. If the Prime Minister does not get on with switching to a Canada Plus deal and continues to labour her Chequers agenda, she is likely to be under pressure to stand down sooner than otherwise. By contrast, leading a successful Canada Plus deal would be likely to command support of the Commons and a majority of the Conservative Party, and would boost the Prime Ministers support substantially. That mainstream domestic UK politics is largely frozen by Brexit is helping to give credence to the Communist agenda proposed by Corbyn and John McDonell. Margaret Thatcher would rightly have been horrified that any credence at all is given to such an agenda. For various reasons, it is difficult at present for the Conservative Party to kill off the Corbyn agenda. I think it would be worthwhile paying for a leading PR firm to construct and run a campaign designed to destroy the dangerous Corbyn nonsense before people and organisations who ought to know better start to treat it more seriously. The Conservatives need Labour votes thats to say, support from some of those who backed Jeremy Corbyns party last year. It needs them in much the same way that it needs Liberal Democrat, Green and UKIP votes, not to mention the backing of those that dont vote at all. But there is an important difference between Labour and the other political parties. It took nearly 13 million votes, more than any other rival political organisation. Thats a huge pool of potential supporters to fish in. We were baffled by the exclusive focus of some during the Coalition years on UKIP, which never had more than two MPs at any one time, when Labour after 2010 had over 250. It goes almost without saying that there will always be a limit to the number of red voters that a blue party can attract. But it isnt mission impossible to win a significant slice. At the last election, the Party picked up Mansfield, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, North East Derbyshire, Stoke-on-Trent South, and Walsall North, former Labour seats all. The local government election results of the previous month suggest that Theresa May would have won even more Labour-held constituencies were it not for her disastrous election campaign. The Conservatives missed out in Bishop Auckland by 502 votes, in Ashfield by 44, and in Newcastle-under-Lyme by only 30. As our columnist James Frayne argues regularly on this site, in his Far from Notting Hill column, the road to a future Tory majority runs through midlands and northern marginals. Margaret Thatcher wouldnt have won three-figure majorities in 1983 and 1987 without the backing of former Labour voters who had used the Right to Buy scheme to purchase the council homes they lived in. So we welcome the Prime Ministers raid behind Labour lines in yesterdays Observer. And if it spins Momentum into a tizzy, so much the better. But there seems to be more at play in her gambit than an appeal to the partys voters. So having agreed that its essential to make a pitch to Labour voters, lets put aside for the moment the policy questions involved, with one exception. Namely (and inevitably), Brexit. May is looking for votes from Labour MPs to help get any deal she reaches through the Commons. There a history to this particular quest. There was a kerfuffle last July when it emerged that Gavin Barwell was planning to brief Labour MPs. The suspicion among Brexiteer Tories was that the Prime Minister was preparing to push through a softer Brexit with their support. Who might these MPs be? The answer looks problematic for Downing Street. First, one must assume that Corbyn and his front bench will vote against anything put up by the effing Tories. Rule Number One of opposition is to do anything one can to undermine the Government, and dynamiting Mays Brexit plan would be a spectacular demonstration of the principle. Then there are the pro-EU Blairites, together with a sprinkling of Brownites. Yes, they might back the Prime Minister rather than risk No Deal. But no, they might not because our friends at the second referendum campaign would urge them to vote May down, so that Parliament could then manoeuvre to get No Brexit rather than No Deal: in other words, postpone moving Article 50. Finally, there is the threat of deselection. What Labour MP with a sense of self-preservation would vote with the Tories? The Prime Ministers best chance is with anti-Corbyn Labour MPs who dread No Deal, feel a sense of duty to the nation and plan to retire before the next election. Up yours, Momentum! But the more blatant her pitch is to Labour MPs, the more she risks riling Conservative ones. Number Ten is playing a dangerous game. None the less, it is one with strategic purpose. Never forget that a tranche of Labour MPs believe that Corbyn is unfit to become Prime Minister. If they could be peeled off into some sort of National Labour or Democratic Labour pool in Parliament, then May could do what Thatcher did after the formation of the SDP: divide and rule gaining the elusive big majority that has eluded the Conservatives since, well, those very Thatcher years. The Brexiteering Right could thus be marginalised. Some in Downing Street would welcome that. Never under-estimate, though, the cultural resistance of Labour MPs to the Conservative Party. They know their recent history, too: memories of how the Left divided during the 1980s are very raw. And there is another wrinkle. Its no use splitting a rival party if one simulaneously splits oness own. The prospect of an anodyne Budget 2018 with no IR35 reform whatsoever has been raised. Advisers on IR35, unnamed press sources and comments by the hard-line European Research Group all suggest that a bland, inoffensive Budget is due because of Brexit. In particular, stalemate on Britains departure from the EU may mean chancellor Philip Hammond is unable to make many of the bold moves that he or his Treasury wanted. 'Vote down' The unnamed sources thinking is that unveiling bold policy is unworkable, as a Brexit deal or no deal casts two very different fiscal pictures which Mr Hammond cannot draw. And just one big policy change (IR35 reform would upend a law in place since 2000), could be enough for hard Brexit-supporting MPs to vote down the Budget unless they get their way. The ERG has indicated exactly that, threatening to the Sunday Times that MPs will vote down Budget motions (IR35 reform was recently described as inevitable), to stop them becoming law. 'Spring Statement 2019' The safer course for the chancellor is to put little of provocation in his Red Book, thereby giving MPs no grounds to sabotage it, and instead reform IR35 at Spring Statement 2019. That would undermine Mr Hammonds showpiece move in 2016 to ban big tax changes in March, yet submissions for small, popular changes are now already doing the rounds for October 29th. A call to increase the Annual Investment Allowance to 1million, for example, and a leaked plan to waive CGT for landlords when they sell to tenants with over three years tenancy. 'Little revealed' A populist plan to hit digital giants over their perceived inadequate tax payments to HMRC has also surfaced, and notably with more detail than when it has been envisioned before. Combined with the signs that Brexit will still be in the air after this months Budget, it all smacks to one IR35 adviser of private sector reform looking destined for the shelf. With regard to Brexit, there may be little revealed by the Budget, as apparently there will be a further meeting in November, said Qdos Contractor. So one wonders how far reaching this years Budget will actually be, given such uncertainty. For this reason alone, HMRC may decide to delay implementing further reform of the IR35 rules due to the effect this could have on the economy. 'Intent' The only caveat, added Qdos CEO Seb Maley, is that given HMRC is yet to issue a Summary of Responses to the IR35 consultation, such a summary could be published close to the 29th. The former tax inspector said publishing it this way before the Budget would not be unlike the Revenue, and is his hunch if they are intent on pushing through the IR35 reform. CORNWALL, Ontario For those looking for a new career, there was plenty to choose from at the fourth annual Cornwall and Area Job Fair. There were 40 different employers, and 17 service providers offering around 400 jobs and there were many local residents at the show eager to apply for them. The job fair opened at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3, but according to Social Development Council (SDC) Executive Director and event organizer Carilyne Hebert people were lined up since 9 a.m. The Employability Network of the SDC is a big part of putting this event together, said Hebert. She explained that the network meets monthly to address issues surrounding employment in Cornwall and the surrounding area. This years job fair had nearly twice as many employers attend as previous years. Hebert said that probably nearly 400 people had gone through the job fair by the end of the morning and hoped to see at least 1,000 by the end of the day. Some of the employers present at the fair included the Canadian Coast Guard, Sigma Point, who are looking to fill 10 jobs in Cornwall, Walmart Logistics who are looking to fill 150 warehouse and leadership positions in Cornwall and Leclerc. Leclerc, a cooking company who recently announced that they are brining a new production facility to Cornwall, were by far the busiest booth on Wednesday morning, with three lines from their table, to the back of the room. Local Problems, Global Tech A farmer in the Upper West Region of Ghana looks at his crops. Most Ghanaian farms are very small, which has made access to buyers difficult. Photo: Merten Snijders/Getty Images/Lonely Planet Image Farming is never easy, but beyond the long hours, uncertainty, and physical labor, farmers almost always feel like the smallest, least powerful point in the line from seed to consumer. In the U.S., that can come from monopolies of companies like Bayer-Monsanto and John Deere: You buy your seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides from one company, and sell to large blocs of purchasers who have all the power to decide pricing. In Ghana, the problem is access: access to reliable ways or the money to transport crops to market, access to finance to expand from typically small plots of land, access to buyers. The lack of access has kept Ghanaian farms extremely small. According to Ghanas Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the average farm size in the country is 0.4 hectares, or a little less than one acre. Just for comparison, the average farm size in the U.S. is over 175 hectares, literally hundreds of times larger. From the Ministrys website: The small farm size constitutes a remarkable barrier to agriculture and makes efficient production difficult, as it does not encourage the establishment and maintenance of economic layout. The majority of Ghanaian farms are subsistence farms, to keep the farmers fed; any extra harvest is sold. But to whom? The lack of an access to a structured market results in smallholder farmers being forced to sell to middlemen who buy at ridiculously exploitative prices, writes the team at AgroCenta, a mobile marketplace for Ghanaian farmers, on its website. Ghanaian farmers dont have access to buyers in faraway cities, or access to truckers who can transport their goods to a central market. The middlemen provide a service, but it hardly benefits the farmers at all. The middlemen have all the power, and with a largely illiterate population of farmers, all the leverage. AgroCenta, founded by two former employees of Esoko, a financial assistance app, is a sort of Swiss Army knife of tools to help address those issues. Its not cutting out the middlemen, not yet, but it places some more power in the hands of farmers, with the goal of increasing that power. Within that knife are four platforms: AgroTrade, AgroPay, Truckr, and AgroInfo. AgroTrade is a marketplace app, with buyers in the cities able to browse through all of the commodity farmers on the app. (The farmers are primarily growing staples, like rice, maize, soy, and millet.) Instantly, the small farmers have access to buyers. Truckr aims to solve the transportation of goods problem; AgroCenta partnered with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, a huge national organization of commercial drivers, to ensure that farmers can contact and book a driver quickly to get their goods to market. AgroInfo is an educational news service, delivering crop price updates, weather advisories, that kind of thing. And AgroPay creates a paper trail albeit a digital one of financial transactions for farmers, which theyve never had before. Essentially it turns these sales into a sort of bank statement, a verified history of transactions which can be used to show banks or other lenders more about a farm. Previously, with sales to middlemen done free of records and in cash, it would be very difficult to show a bank that a farmer is a reliable producer; AgroPay creates a record. AgroCenta isnt exactly cutting out the middleman, because it sort of is the middleman, at least for now. Ghanaian farmers need some assistance to get this whole system set up, say the companys founders. So AgroCenta has a team of agents who travel out to farms to help create an account and make trades. At the moment, they work on sales commission, which is theoretically better for farmers; its in the agents best interest to make the farmer as much money as possible. But AgroCenta is also attempting to educate the farmers about how the whole process works, and through a combination of technologies voice tech is a major help in this case hope to transition to a more automated system where the farmers take care of all this themselves, at which point AgroCenta will make money through a subscription fee. Ghanas agricultural issues, like the agricultural issues in every country, are massive and systemic, and apps arent going to solve them all. But to put more power in the hands of those who had little, thats a step in the right direction. The news is good in New Zealand as the Ports of Auckland are expecting what it calls a significant increase in cruise ship calls this coming season, 131, up from 113 a year ago. We are predicting over 285,000 passengers for the current season and would expect to see this rise to over 320,000 next season, said Leigh Robins, manager, marine and cruise operations. Among the highlights will be the Majestic Princess, which will become the largest ship to ever visit Auckland, with Princess also using the port for a full turnaround operation. Shorepower discussions are ongoing, said Robins, adding there is also continued discussion in terms of adjusting infrastructure to accommodate larger vessels. The first phase of that will be when the port gets the go-ahead from the Auckland Council for two new mooring dolphins which will enable ships over 330 meters in length to dock. Our biggest challenge at the moment is infrastructure and the desire for cruise lines which want to deploy their larger ships into this region, Robins continued. Auckland is currently the only port unable to accommodate the (larger) cruise ships alongside. Hopefully within the next two to three years this challenge will be resolved. We more or less operate on a first book, first serve basis in regards to which cruise terminal the vessel is given, continued Robins. Queens Wharf is our primary cruise terminal and Princess Wharf the secondary terminal. Both have full passenger processing facilities. There are some vessels that can only go to one terminal due to gangway positioning and therefore the schedule is worked to accommodate those requirements. Royal Caribbean Cruises and Silversea Cruises today announced agreements to build three new ships for Silversea Cruises, including two luxury vessels as well as a single expedition ship for the Galapagos. Silversea signed a memorandum of understanding with Meyer Werft to build two new vessels in a new "Evolution Class." The first Evolution-class ship is expected to deliver in 2022, according to a statement. Silversea also signed a contract with Dutch shipbuilder Shipyard De Hoop to construct a new expedition vessel, the Silver Origin, that will serve the Galapagos Islands itinerary currently sailed by Silver Galapagos. The new ship is expected for delivery in March 2020, according to a press release. "We are delighted to have entered into an agreement with Meyer Werft on the Silver Evolution series and De Hoop for Silver Origin," said Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, Silversea's Executive Chairman. "With our guests in mind, we are pushing the boundaries of ultra-luxury cruising, as well as expedition cruising in the Galapagos Islands and beyond, redefining the concept of immersive travel." "We are excited to get to work helping Silversea grow and realize its ambitions," said Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which finalized its two-thirds acquisition of Silversea earlier this year. "There is tremendous potential in the ultra-luxury and expedition markets of the cruise industry, and we believe discerning travelers will embrace the exciting designs Silversea is imagining for them." "We are very happy to build these new ships for Silversea Cruises. Together with Silversea we will create a new generation of environmentally friendly ships in the ultra-luxury cruise market," said Tim Meyer, Managing Director of Meyer Werft. "We are excited and proud to receive this order," said Patrick A.B.M. Janssens MA, CEO, Shipyard De Hoop. "It is not only about building the best small expedition cruise vessel, but also about building and maintaining a high-quality partnership with Royal Caribbean and Silversea." The agreements are subject to certain contingencies which are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2019, Royal Caribbean said. I spent the early part of this week in Orlando, attending Splunk .Conf 2018. Here are a few of my take-aways: Splunk articulated a vision of security analytics/operations for 2020 that included 10 areas: Data ingestion. Collecting and processing a growing body of security telemetry. Detection. Finding and blocking known threats Prediction. Using advanced analytics to identify new attacks and then spreading the warning around to all connected customers. Automation. Automate all pedestrian tasks and accelerate more complex tasks. Orchestration. Use APIs to connect security controls together for investigations and remediation actions. Recommendation. Monitor and record security operations and then recommend proven actions to the SOC team. Investigation. Provide intuitive tools to figure out what cyber-attacks are happening and why they are happening. Collaboration. Offer a workbench for security operations while connecting to collaboration tools like Slack. Case management. Deliver a security-centric tracking system that spans security incident management lifecycles. Reporting. Providing a central place to measure all aspects of reporting. I would add integration (i.e. SOAPA functionality for data management services, software services, etc.) and outsourcing (i.e. choosing which security operations tasks to delegate to partners), but Splunks list is pretty complete. With the addition of Phantom, Splunk talked a lot about the OODA loop (i.e. observe, orient, decide, and act). This is a military technique for decision making based upon data analytics. OODA is a good framework for the Splunk/Caspida/Phantom triad. Using Phantom (or other security automation/orchestration tools), Splunk customers are automating as many security processes as they can, as quickly as they can. There is a short-term focus on automating mundane tasks. As one presenter said, I dont want to automate an hour-long task we do once a week. I want to automate a task that takes 10 minutes that we do hundreds of times every week. Its worth noting that with the acquisition of Phantom, Splunk is much more focused on security operations processes and best practices than it was in the past. Splunk now presents its security architecture in three layers: a data layer, analytics layer, and operations layer. This model is like ESGs security analytics and operations platform architecture (SOAPA) capture security data, analyze security data, act upon security data. Splunk security benefits from some other core Splunk capabilities, including stream processing, data fabric search, Splunk mobile, Splunk TV, etc. It seems like every other security vendor (except for competitors) has a Splunk application or integrates with Splunk. There were user-led session on valuable integrations between Splunk and Palo Alto Networks, Symantec, etc. Splunk promotes and welcomes this industry cooperation. Its always interesting to see how customers are building new use cases on top of Splunk. I attended sessions that used Splunk for risk scoring, adversary emulation testing using the MITRE ATT&CK framework, integration with Apache Kafka, etc. Splunk is also opening its machine learning tools so customers can write their own algorithms or fine-tune those provided by Splunk. Splunk doesnt talk much about cloud implementation, but it is a growing part of the business. My guess is that most customers will run core Splunk in the cloud within the next three years. Splunk works with hundreds of MSSPs and has a healthy and growing business in this area. Who knew? System integrators such as Accenture and PWC have thriving Splunk businesses, but I believe they are just scratching the surface on basic opportunities today. There is an opportunity for these and other system integrators to help customers assess security processes, establish best practices, and help resource-constrained customers extend Splunk similar to leading customers. Strong Splunk community If you look at Splunk solely as a technology company, you are missing the big picture. The Splunk user base has become a community with its own language, culture, and rituals. Splunk deserves a lot of credit for creating and facilitating this dynamic and believe me, it aint going away anytime soon. Splunks customer relationships are much more than savvy marketing, totems, and funny hats, however. Splunk continues to listen to and work with its customers at a level that other vendors dont understand and cant possibly execute. Its appropriate that Steve Wozniak was a keynote speaker at .Conf this year. While Wozniak may be best known as a co-founder of Apple Computer, the Woz was also the brainchild behind the US festival, a 1980s music event intended to encourage the integration of community and technology. In its own geeky way, Splunk .Conf accomplishes this goal on an annual basis. Who needs ransomware to say bye-bye to data that was not backed up when theres Windows 10? Microsoft has now slammed on the brakes, pulling the rollout of Windows 10, version 1809, as many users reported the deletion of personal files such as those in Documents and sometimes even Pictures, Music and Videos. Although Microsoft downplayed the number of users affected, it did confirm the data-loss and paused the rollout on Saturday, Oct. 6: We have paused the rollout of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809)* for all users as we investigate isolated reports of users missing some files after updating. Most of the affected users lost their files stored in their Documents folder, and the only sure-fire way to recover those files are from a backup. Most of the other reported recovery attempts have failed with the exception of some success via Recuva software. To make matters worse, it seems the problem had been reported to Microsoft at least three months ago via the Windows Insider Feedback Hub. The complaints were not upvoted and apparently got buried in the noise. U.S. companies hotly deny Chinese spy chip story Bloomberg Businessweek blew open a can of worms on Thursday when it reported that Chinese intelligence agents had implanted tiny, disguised spy microchips, the size of a grain of rice, onto Super Micro motherboards that were used by 30 U.S. companies and government agencies. Although the report cited 17 unnamed intelligence and company sources, it was hotly denied by Apple, Amazon, Super Micro and even the Department of Homeland Security. Justice Department name-shames 7 Fancy Bear hackers The Department of Justice played the name/shame game on Thursday by announcing that a federal grand jury indicted seven Russian GRU Fancy Bear hackers for a plethora of cyber attacks, including those on anti-doping agencies and officials. The full indictment is here (pdf).The FBI posted photos of the Fancy Bear hackers, adding that a federal arrest warrant was issued for each of the men who should be considered armed and dangerous. The indictments may be better than nothing, but it is doubtful the Russian hackers will ever stand trial. Yes, this is the same Justice Department that is suing California for daring to protect Net Neutrality. Meanwhile in California smart device security California is also blazing a trail in smart device security, as a new law which kicks off in 2020 will require internet-of-things devices to have reasonable security features and a way to change crappy default passwords. Speed display signs spying on you When you drive by a road sign with a digital readout of your speed, smile for the camera. According to a story on Quartz, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is expanding its nationwide surveillance network by concealing license plate readers in the speed signs. Beware Face ID to lock iPhone The FBI reportedly forced an iPhone X owner to unlock his phone with his face. Its the first known time law enforcement has gone this route, although the same thing has been done in the past when a suspect was forced to provide a fingerprint to unlock TouchID. Its a good reminder to use a passcode instead of biometrics to lock your devices. $1 million Banksy art shreds itself after being auctioned On the lighter side, the anonymous artist Banksy may have pulled a fast one by shredding his Girl with Balloon piece immediately after it was auctioned off for over $1 million. Banksy's post is here. Im very dubious of the recent Bloomberg report stating that several American companies were compromised by spy chips inserted secretly by the Chinese on U.S.-used computer motherboards. The Bloomberg article should be used as a starting point for a very real, serious, and long overdue discussion of supply chain risks, but Id rather start with the facts supported by evidence instead of anonymous claims that have been unsupported for over three decades. We know for sure that the Chinese government has broken into thousands of U.S. companies, both over the internet and using human spies, and stolen nearly every secret that was worth stealing. If China wanted to learn about something, they did. It is a national tragedy from which we will never be made whole again. Im not saying that Bloomberg didnt do a good job of researching the claims. I love Bloomberg and read its website every day. However, Im dubious of these particular claims involving secretly installed Chinese chips. Heres why: A brief history of Chinese digital espionage Ive been hearing some form of the Chinese are spying on us using computer chips for decades. Early on, the story was that the White House had found secret Chinese spying chips in its computers and had confidentially been telling government contractors not to buy Chinese-made computers. In some cases, Chinese-made computers were not allowed into government contractor businesses. I consulted at several U.S. government contactors that would not allow me to bring my Lenovo laptop into their facilities. I had to leave it in my car. In a few cases, the threat was deemed so risky that I could not even have it in my rental car on the companys property. I had to leave it at home or in my hotel. Each person telling me that I couldnt use my Chinese-made laptop claimed to have a friend who had seen the top-secret White House document with the evidence to back up the claim. After decades of trying to see a copy of that document, I never talked to a person whom I trusted had seen a real document. It was always a friend-of-a-friend story. I first wrote about, and discounted, this dubious accusation against the Chinese almost ten years ago in an article entitled China is not selling bugged hardware. That article was written only after a decade of hearing private accusations against the Chinese. At the time, I was frustrated with the seriousness of the claims without any real evidence to back them up. Ive seen nothing to change my mind in the intervening ten years. Why keep Chinese spying quiet? Maybe it happened, but if so, wheres the real evidence? What possible reason could the White House or any government entity have for hiding that they have found a spy chip on computers sold in the U.S.? Are we supposed to believe that American computers are full of Chinese spy chips, but for reasons we cant explain, its better not to let the rest of American businesses know? It strains credulity. Every purportedly compromised company denies the claims Every company mentioned in the Bloomberg article is saying it didnt happen. Apple went so far to say that not only didnt it happen, but that it is not under a national gag order preventing it from telling the truth. Again, what is the benefit of those companies lying to us? Many would have you believe that these companies are worried about customer and consumer trust if they were to reveal the breach. Please!!! All of these companies have been compromised by foreign adversaries over and over. Billions of our records are stolen each year. There isnt a man or woman (and increasingly, a child) that hasnt had their personal information compromised dozens of times in the last ten years. The existing narrative is that we are compromised all the time, often by foreign adversaries. How would one more announcement of a data beach harm that narrative? If the Chinese spy chip story were true, it would shock no one. Heck, most of America already believes it. Most chips are foreign-made Underlying all this likely nonsense is the obvious fact that almost every computer chip in the world is made outside of the U.S., often in Asian locations. I used to laugh when I was told that I couldnt bring my Lenovo laptop in, but I could bring in my Dell laptop, which itself was full of nothing but Asian-made chips. If you are worried about supply chain threats, and you should be, its not just one little purported spy chip you should be worried about. You cant find a computerized device in the U.S. that doesnt have foreign-made chips. There isnt some secret U.S. government agency that goes around inspecting all those chips for security holes or backdoors before they get put into all our computers. To me it is a hilarious idea that the Chinese would have to insert a specialized, tiny spy chip when it would be far easier to put an intentional weakness or backdoor into any of the hundreds of chips that are used in every computer on the planet. It would be far easier to hide in the weeds than to create a dedicated spy chip that any hardware expert would notice and question. The U.S. has done it I do know of a powerful nation that has implanted spy chips and software backdoors into domestically produced computer equipment that was then shipped to other countries. Yep, the good ole USA. I love America. Im a patriot in every sense of the word, but it would be hypocritical to discuss this topic without mentioning the fact that the only country that I know of that has implanted spying hardware or software into computers destined for foreign lands is ours not once, but many times, and thats just what we know of. Americas intelligence agencies and law enforcement routinely compromise encryption hardware headed to foreign counties to enable spying on groups who think they are using the worlds best cryptography to protect their digital communications. This type of cyberwarfare was used by the U.S. and its allies against Middle East terrorists and South American drug cartels. The U.S. intercepts encryption cards and cell phones headed toward groups it is monitoring, to either record the included secret keys to decrypt their encrypted communications or disable the protection altogether. Its also hard to turn a blind eye to the time that the US and UK broke into Gemalto, the worlds largest producer of cell phone SIM cards and stole the basic encryption codes used by cell phones around the world. It probably includes your cell phones SIM card. In the most famous recent case, the National Security Agency (NSA) implanted Cisco equipment with surveillance programs and backdoors. Cisco says it was not involved in or aware of this intrusion, and I trust that's true. Lets not even bring up the several cases where the U.S. government intentionally weakens our own recommended and required cryptography (e.g., DES and Dual_EC_DRBG) to let it spy on its own people. The supreme irony of what is being claimed is that while the U.S. government is warning all the world to avoid using Chinese-made phones, especially those made by Huawei and ZTE, the NSA was caught implanting backdoor software in Huawei servers with a goal of spying on Huawei and its customers. Allowing spy chips in its products would be corporate suicide When it was announced that the NSA implanted backdoors into Cisco network equipment, Cisco said it was unaware of the unauthorized modifications and condemned the NSA. It had to. Like most network and computer companies, Cisco is a global supplier. It relies on foreign companies for much of its revenues. If it was determined that Cisco knew of the NSA scheme, it would severely damage Ciscos reputation abroad. Im sure some foreign customers will not buy Cisco products because of the revelation. It could take Cisco decades to reclaim those lost customers. No company wants this type of bad press. The same is true of China. If Chinese companies were found to have placed chips on equipment bound for the U.S., it would devastate the Chinese economy. The world would stop buying Asian chips, and any ascension into ranks of the worlds top financial leaders would be over in an instant. It would be incredibly foolish to spy using hardware chips, because it would be more easily discoverable and be real evidence. It would be even crazier to do it when the Chinese have broken into every company they need to break into using traditional methods that wont compromise its dominant chip industries. Chinese hackers are already as successful as they need to be without risking the financial stability of their country. Today, according to Statista, some 22 percent of the worlds population is on Facebook, and a whopping 93 percent of Pinterest users are reaching for their credit cards to make online purchases. When people hear these numbers, they don't wait long before they too dive in head-long, eager to have their own slice of the huge pie. Typically, they open one social media account after another, in the hopes that one or two platforms will somehow convert and compensate for their overall investment of time and money. Related: The ROI of Social Media (Infographic) But is the more the merrier approach delivering the desired social media returns? Social media success has little to do with the number of profiles you have, the photos you like or the people you follow -- just as the success of your dating life isn't based on how many Tinder profiles you swipe right on. With so much content out there and just so much time in the day, the mindshare of the consumer is becoming more and more competitive among brands. It is no longer just a numbers game. Quality over quantity will win every time, which all comes down to your content and how you make it resonate with your target audience. So, create content you know your audience wants to see on their feeds. Its not about you or your company; its about them. How an online product could be the focus of a "share-able" joke Just as happens in real life in our efforts to meet that special someone, most of us also go on a blind date with social media: We settle for the "one-night stand" of a few likes and reciprocated follows, then hope to find true love with great returns. Related: 15 Ways to Get More ROI From Social Media This Month But true social media success stories are not developed over a night. They are built with strong foundations and strategies in place for sustainable, value-adding content creation that engages with target audiences. Imagine how much more successful you could be on those blind dates if you had your dates entire life history pulled up in front of you to stir conversation, instead of awkwardly sitting there for half the night twiddling your thumbs. In todays world, you dont step into the batters box hoping to hit a home run, you step in with a strategy based on the limitless data at your fingertips, expecting to hit one. Successful content opportunities dont just pop out of thin air into your lap, they are facilitated. If you take the time to understand not only who your target audience members are, but their correlated interests and passions, you'll be on your way to effectively preparing a unique content-creation strategy that will lead you to those returns on social everyone is buzzing about. So, if you're not seeing enough returns on your social media efforts, here are three possible reasons why: 1. Not telling your brand story Stories are powerful, because they engage the mind. If well-scripted, they can attract visitors to your product or service, engage their emotions and get them doing exactly what you want -- without being salesy or downright "in your face." If you sell umbrellas, for instance, you could post a picture of your product and say, Buy this umbrella now. But no one would like that post. However, what if you took a picture of a man opening an umbrella for his date and helping her out of her car? You'd be telling a story that aligns with your product in a way the consumer can relate to: This months forecast calls for rain, and lots of it and as our fathers used to say, 'Always keep protection handy in your car; you never know when you might need to use it, but shell appreciate it.' Without directly asking people to buy your umbrella, the picture you paint with words generates the feeling of desire for the umbrella. If you're targeting single men, they'll chuckle at the witty spin on sexual protection and put themselves in the situation most have been in when their date asks, Do you have an umbrella? And because the answer is typically "no," next thing, they'll be clicking "Purchase" and sharing the joke with friends. The message? Compelling, brand-optimized stories that your target audience can relate to are key. A brand that does this well: Warby Parker doesn't sell just glasses, but fashionable glasses that dont break the bank, especially for the millennial generation. To do this, Warby Parker turns every post on social media into a story, and allows customers to relate and see themselves in the product, illustrated by this recent Instagram post showcasing the brand with kids. A brand that's missing the mark: Lincoln Motors sorely misses the mark on its marketing, especially in telling stories. Lincoln is not always top of mind in many car-buyers' decision process, in contrast to its parent company, Ford. If class and high-end appeal are Lincoln's goals, storytelling will be how the brand reminds the market it still exists -- and let itself be a consumer's "second thought." In contrast, Ford dominates, because of how its creative team connects with consumers through social strategy efforts. 2. Not engaging consistently Consider the expression Out of sight, out of mind. In that context, any business with a when I can approach to engaging online customers will eventually see its brand buried. The reason is that even more crucial than crafting persuasive content is consistent content. In the fast-paced social media space, you must consistently push out compelling content (by developing a content marketing strategy and sticking to it). The message? If you post content today, then skip several days or weeks before posting the next one, your overall online engagement efforts will fail to deliver desired returns. A brand that engages its audience consistently: Look at Wendys Twitter feed to see how consistent the brand is in engaging with fans. These tweets are the humorous go-to source for laughs, and often get into play fights with other brands. All eyes are on Wendys because it "gets" engaging consistently. A brand that's missing the mark: American Airlines had an automatic responder go out on Twitter to all that mentioned the company. But this was a big error because many tweets looked out of place and responded to offensive messages. The automatic responder wasnt doing any favors for the brand, which clearly needed to have a real person engaging the audience. 3. Missing out on paid advertising opportunities Captivating copy + consistent posting = successful engagement, but are you engaging the right online audience? Facebook, alone, has an impressive 2.2 billion active users daily, but that's just traffic if youre not targeting and generating the right leads (those more likely to buy from you). Paid advertising offers a great opportunity to target your ads. For as little as $1 a day, you can advertise effectively and affordably on a platform of choice like Facebook. But 62 percent of small businesses still fail with Facebook Ads. This is because (a) the target audience isnt spending time on Facebook; (b) The business doesn't understand its audience; or (c) The business doesn't have the right hook. Related: A Simple 3-Step Approach to Successful Social Media Advertising Again, busineses must tell a story that gets into the heart of the audience, and tell it strategically and consistently. To do this, they should take advantage of paid ads on social media. This can result in impressive returns on ad efforts almost immediately. The message? If you arent continually testing new content ideas behind your ads, you will lose to a competitor who is. A brand that does a great job with Facebook ads: One of our own advertising success stories centers around the product Gorilla Bow. With creative content, the mix of perfect targeting offered by our Facebook advertising manager together with a team making sure the product was stocked and ready to resulted in a 3.5x return on ad spend, a 350 percent increase in total sales and a 450 percent decrease in cost-per-click. A brand missing the mark: This would be any brand on Facebook now that doesnt have an advertising budget. With Facebooks limits on your business pages reach, businesses are left with no air space on the Facebook feed. If you have a product or service worth sharing, then paid advertising on Facebook is a must. Related: 3 Reasons You're Not Seeing Tangible ROI With Your Social Media Efforts 7 Game-Changing Social Media Tips From Gary Vaynerchuk to Grow Your Business The How-To: Leveraging Facebook Groups To Find Your Customers' Pain Points Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved JERUSALEM - A relaxed and smiling Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appeared before a Jerusalem judge Sunday, the first hearing in a long-anticipated trial that will likely shed light on what critics often describe as her and her husband's opulent and self-indulgent lifestyle. Netanyahu, together with former deputy director of the prime minister's office, Ezra Saidoff, is accused of ordering meals from private chefs and catering companies, tallying up a bill of some $100,000 in public funds between 2010-13, even though a full-time chef was already employed at the residence. The prime minister is not directly named in the case but a very public trial against his wife could have far-reaching implications for his political standing and could harm his image at a time when he is said to be considering an early election. There will also be echoes from his first term as prime minister, 1996 to 1999, when his wife was under constant scrutiny for her behavior. Even during his current term in office, Sara Netanyahu, who often appears at his side during important political and diplomatic events, has faced damning testimony from former employees describing extreme temper tantrums and an unhealthy obsession with cleanliness. She is often portrayed by the media as a kind of Marie Antoinette. Less than three years ago, a former chief caretaker at the official residence successfully sued the couple for abusive treatment, winning about $43,735 in damages. During his testimony, Meni Naftali revealed intimate details about her, including a taste for pink champagne and other luxuries. Another trial, stemming from allegations of abuse filed by a former cleaner, is slated to begin later this month in Jerusalem's labor court. Seeking to downplay the charges against her, Sara Netanyahu's legal team released a statement Sunday saying this was the "first time in history that an indictment has been filed against the wife of a world leader for ordering trays of food." The statement highlighted previous claims that it was Naftali, the former caretaker, that had ordered the outside catering, against Netanyahu's wishes. It also said that the food was used for official purposes and reiterated her legal defense that it was up to the parliament to "determine the expenditure procedures at the prime minister's residence." In the hopes of avoiding a public trial, Israel's Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit did offer Netanyahu a plea bargain deal if she agreed to repay all the money in question and admit wrongdoing. She reportedly rejected the offer, a legal strategy that prompted two of her lawyers to quit and led to a full-on trial. Though Sunday's hearing was only to determine if her case should be heard by a single judge or by a panel of judges, Netanyahu was required to attend. She did not speak during the hearing, which was not televised as is the regulation in Israel. Journalists were, however, allowed to inside the courtroom. According to the indictment filed last June by the Israeli police, Netanyahu and Saidoff falsified documents so that food from outside companies and private chefs could be used. Investigators also found evidence that she had asked other employees to hide the fact that she used outside chefs and was aware that ordering meals from outside was a violation of the rules. As Sara Netanyahu faces the possibility of a drawn out and potentially embarrassing trial, her husband has his own legal woes. In February, the police recommended that he too be indicted, in two separate corruption cases. The first, dubbed Case 1000, raises suspicions he was involved in giving political favors for gifts worth around $280,000; the second, Case 2000, alleges he cut a deal with a newspaper publisher in exchange for favorable coverage. The prime minister was questioned for the twelfth time Friday by police investigators. His office immediately downplayed the investigation saying in a statement, "now, after the 12th round of questioning, it has been made absolutely clear that not only is there is no meat in the prime minister's investigations, there isn't even a bone." Analysts questioned whether Sara Netanyahu's trial would impact the prime minister's grip on power. "There is no doubt that it is going to be embarrassing but the real question is how this will impact Netanyahu politically." said Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz journalist and author of the recently published, 'Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu.' "The political atmosphere is very polarized and although this may be embarrassing, it could in fact bolster him among his right wing supporters, those who say this trial is persecution by the legal system, the police and the left-wing media," said Pfeffer. China Compromises Tech Companies With Malicious Microchips An investigative report from Bloomberg says that the Chinese military has successfully implanted malicious microchips in motherboards used by almost 30 US companies as well as intelligence agencies. Implanting microchips is a hardware hack that literally adds a piece that shouldnt be there, opening a door for further attacks. The Bloomberg report is, however, disputed by several of the US technolgy companies allegedly affected. What did the microchips do? The specific components added by a unit of the Peoples Liberation Army allowed the motherboards to communicate with and be controlled or modified by an outside computer. That meant that these systems were pre-programmed to accept modifications, including, for example, manipulation of the requirement for a password. Bloomberg quoted Joe Grand, a hardware hacker, as saying that Having a well-done, nation-state-level hardware implant surface would be like witnessing a unicorn jumping over a rainbow. How did they get there? The motherboards with the malicious chips were manufactured in China for the US company Supermicro. That company assembles its products in the US, but its main product, motherboards, is manufactured in China. Supermicro, although not a household name for many Americans, supplies the hardware, often custom-built, for a wide range of companies and government agencies. That means that compromising the motherboards manufactured by Supermicro was an easy way to give China uninhibited access to key American industries and government operations. Thats exactly what happened. More specifically, the microchips themselves were manufactured by the Chinese military. Its officers then approached Chinese factories making motherboards for Supermicro and, with bribes and threats, had those microchips inserted during production. Those motherboards then became part of servers sold by Supermicro and used in US data centers. How was the problem discovered? As Bloomberg reports, the problem was discovered when Amazon looked into acquiring video compressing and formatting start-up Elemental Technologies. As part of its review, Amazon had a third-party security firm analyze Elementals servers. That review found that within the motherboards used in the companys servers was a tiny microchip that wasnt part of the original design. Amazon reported this to US. authorities. Elemental's products, in addition to working on commercial projects like streaming the Olympics, also were used by the Department of Defense, CIA drone operations, and Navy warships. How big was the problem? The problem was much bigger than Elemental and affected almost 30 companies. Thats because it wasnt just Elemental who used Supermicro motherboards, but more than 900 companies in 100 countries in 2015. The supply chain itself had been compromised. When did we learn about it? Intelligence sources had long said that the Chinese were attempting this sort of hardware attack, but the first report of activity targeted at Supermicro came in 2014 in a report made to the Obama White House. Washington was limited in its response because no attack had been reported and they had few details to act on. In May 2015, Apple reported suspicious activity to the FBI but kept the details quiet. Apple quietly cut ties with Supermicro soon after. The Amazon report to the FBI seems to have been much more cooperative and allowed better government understanding of the supply chain breach. After that, Amazon also worked to cut ties with its data center in China and eventually sold it off. The full investigation, however, is still ongoing. What was China after? According to the Bloomberg report, Beijing wanted long-term access to high-value corporate secrets and sensitive government networks. Consumer data does not appear to have been the target. What do the companies involved have to say? Amazon, Apple, and Supermicro have all disputed the findings of Bloombergs report. Those statements, however, are disputed by the series of interviews, documents, and other information provided by both industry insiders and government officials involved in the matter to Bloomberg. What are some key takeaways? For one thing, this report undermines the long-held confidence that China wouldnt want to try a hardware hack because it might hurt international trust in Chinese products driving lucrative manufacturing away from the country. It also means that although the US has been focused on software attacks, added vigilance on imported hardware is also necessary. Additionally, this means that China already likely has much, much more information on both US industry and military operations than was previously thought, and that Beijing is willing to aggressively and illegally go after this information. Finally, for President Trumps promise of a better trade deal with China, it lends more credibility to claims of improper behavior on the part of Beijing, and perhaps justifies domestic production of key industries not steel, but perhaps motherboards. Washington Post: Bloomberg: You Might Also Read: New Microchip Increases Military Intelligence: Modern Fiction: A Novel Is Required Reading At The Pentagon: For Subscribers How big a problem is violence against referees in high school sports? Verbal abuse is consistently listed a major reason people don't want to officiate youth sports. Is physical violence also a consistent problem? WASHINGTON After Sen. Susan Collins announced on the Senate floor Friday that she would cast her deciding vote to confirm Brett M. Kavanaugh, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., rose to liken her to another Republican from Maine, Margaret Chase Smith, the first member of the United States Senate to take on Joseph McCarthy this demagogue and the tactics that he employed. If the Republican leader was too subtle, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham, R-S.C., speaking next, left no doubt: This is as close to McCarthyism as I hope we get in my lifetime, Graham said of the Democrats, whom he accused of mob rule. It was an insult to the memory of Margaret Chase Smith, whose heroic and patriotic 1950 speech, a Declaration of Conscience, was a lonely denunciation of the demagogue who dominated her Republican Party. Collinss speech, ignoring the new demagoguery that has overtaken her party while criticizing the other side, was the very opposite. Hers was a Declaration of Convenience, a Declaration of Capitulation. We are Republicans. But we are Americans first, Smith said 68 years ago. I dont want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry and Smear. Collins offered a nuanced defense of Kavanaugh on the sexual assault allegations: She could not conclude that Christine Blasey Fords allegations were false, but she didnt see enough evidence to block Kavanaugh. Fine. Reasonable people can disagree. But she entirely blamed Democrats and liberal interest groups, offering not a peep about the vile disparagement of accusers offered by President Trump (which Collins previously criticized) and her Republican colleagues who are now horsemen of calumny. She offered wishful thoughts that centrist Kavanaugh wont outlaw abortion, wont champion executive power and will work to lessen the divisions in the Supreme Court. Unlikely. Kavanaugh campaigned for confirmation via right-wing outlets: a Fox News interview and a Wall Street Journal op-ed. He testified about Democrats smears and political hit seeking revenge on behalf of the Clintons. He threatened that what goes around comes around. Collins offered no complaint about that, nor about Trumps mockery of Ford at a political rally, nor Trumps tweet saying the assault couldnt have been as bad as she says because she didnt call the police, nor his belittling Al Franken for resigning under misconduct allegations like a wet rag. (Collins called for Democrat Franken to resign without an investigation.) Collins made no mention of McConnell ignoring the Merrick Garland nomination for nearly a year, deploying the nuclear option to deny minority influence over Supreme Court confirmations and saying he would plow right through despite the Ford allegations, which he called a good smear with a complete lack of evidence. She properly lamented the great disunity, extreme ill will and loss of common values. Certainly, there is much to regret about the confirmation process, and the late emergence of assault allegations (although Democrats reluctance to introduce an anonymous allegation and their insistence on an investigation was the opposite of McCarthyism). But how can Collins talk about ill will while ignoring its primary author? To be worthy of Margaret Chase Smith, Collins would have to take a personal risk and use her pulpit and her vote to denounce the misogynist who leads her party and her colleagues who enable him. Without that, her message is a Declaration of Cowardice. Dana Milbank is syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group. WEST CHESTER-With a good amount of communication, a solid and immediate plan of action and a little bit of luck, student Lisa Hamp survived the April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting. Hamp and others barricaded a door and waited 11 minutes for police to secure the school. A shooter killed 32 and wounded 17. It was the longest 11 minutes of my life, Hamp said. Time is a funny thing. As part of the regular speaker series, Hamp will be speaking at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, Tuesday, Oct, 16. Hamp will talk about when bullets flew through that door, her long-term denial and lessons learned from the tragedy. A mass shooting wont happen to me, she said. Not at my school, and not in my community. Thats what I thought. Hamp lived through the worst school shooting in history. The truth is its always someones loved ones and someones community, she said. Hamp returned to Virginia Tech and graduated. The married, 32-year-old is raising a 5-month-old and a 2-year-old. Its a mix of emotions, she said. It was difficult to go back but it was therapeutic. Going back helps me process what happened. And does she worry about her kids? Today I dont, she said. But when they get to elementary school I think I will. Active shooter events hurt a community long-term. At the speaker series, Hamp will talk about preparations. Its not guaranteed safety, you have to take precautions, she said. You have to have a plan for places you are whether its school or work. Uptown! Knauer Performing Art Center is conveniently located near parking, shopping and restaurants at 226 N. High Street in West Chester. Tickets for the Tuesday, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m. speaker series event are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Go to uptownwestchester.org or call 610-356-ARTS for tickets and information. At first sight it looks a brilliant stroke by Theresa May. Writing in the Left-wing Observer newspaper, she launched a direct appeal to disillusioned Labour voters. Her Tory Party, claims the Prime Minister, is the natural home for traditional Labour supporters horrified by Jeremy Corbyns lurch to the Left. I want voters who may previously have thought of themselves as Labour supporters to look at my government afresh, wrote Mrs May. They will find a decent, moderate and patriotic programme that is worthy of their support. Conservative Party Leader and Prime Minister Theresa May, pictured at conference last week, has launched a direct appeal to Labour voters How fascinating. How audacious. And how very revealing. First and foremost, this latest manoeuvre is an indication that Mrs May is preparing for the possibility of having to fight an emergency general election in just a few weeks time. The Prime Minister still thinks she is on the verge of striking a Brexit deal with Brussels. This could, believes Mrs May, be in place in time for the European summit being held in nine days, although it may have to wait until November. However, the Prime Ministers great fear is that her master plan will then be voted down in the House of Commons by a combination of Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party, Nicola Sturgeons SNP and Tory Brexiteers who are unwilling to compromise in their pursuit of a clean break from the EU. Were that to happen, I understand from a senior source within Number 10 that Mrs May intends to break the constitutional deadlock by calling a general election. This is why she is aiming to portray herself as Mrs Moderate the only sensible alternative between Jeremy Corbyns hard-Left Labour Party and the hard Brexiteers in her own party. It is a strategy, as Mrs May well knows, which was used brilliantly by Tony Blair against John Majors failing Tories in 1997. Blair deliberately positioned New Labour as the halfway house between the rancid Tory Right on one side and the unions and Labours hard-Left on the other. He won with a mammoth majority of 179 seats and Labour stayed in power for the following 13 years. Mrs May is hoping that she can repeat the Blairite triumph, and I can see why. But there are large dangers. There is always the chance that Labour voters tempted by the ersatz socialism on offer from Mrs May will decide that they prefer the real thing offered by John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn. However, an even greater risk is that in her desperation to win over Labour supporters she alienates traditional Conservative voters. This is exactly the same judgment made by Tony Blair when he mounted his audacious bid for middle-class votes, shifting his partys focus from its traditional working-class base In her Observer article yesterday, Mrs May repeated the promise made in her party conference speech last week to end austerity. Though she did not say so, that will inevitably have to be paid for by higher taxation anathema to the hard-pressed Tory voters of middle England. Her calculation is that these hardline Tories have no one else to vote for, and that rather than abstain or switch allegiance to parties such as Ukip they will suck their teeth and conclude that anything is better than Corbyn. This is exactly the same judgment made by Tony Blair when he mounted his audacious bid for middle-class votes, shifting his partys focus from its traditional working-class base. Blairs adoption of the centre ground was so effective that following the election he was able to add two Tory defectors to the enormous numbers crowding Labours benches, with Peter Temple-Morris and Shaun Woodward crossing the floor within two years. How our Prime Minister would love a Labour MP to come over to the Tory side. Former shadow cabinet minister Chuka Umunna, who has signalled his opposition to Corbyn, is one potential Conservative target. There is talk he may even be offered a Cabinet job as an inducement, though his strong opposition to Brexit means he may decide to stay put for now. These are strange times indeed. While the Tory leader copies Blair, in the Labour Party the triple election winner is regarded as a pariah. On the edge of what may yet be the third general election in three years, we have entered a period of political cross-dressing. Only hours before Theresa Mays keynote Conference speech last Wednesday, a backbench Tory MP announced hed submitted a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister. At a private dinner the night before, one former minister told me he had lost patience with the PM and was also going to submit a letter. Everywhere you went in Birmingham the main conference hall, fringe meetings, receptions the air was buzzing with similar gossip. At a private dinner the night before her conference, one former minister told me he had lost patience with the PM, above, and was also going to submit a letter Under Tory Party rules, if 48 MPs 15 per cent of the Parliamentary party submit letters to the chairman of the 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady, they trigger a debate of no confidence. So how reliable are claims of a growing dossier against the PM? Brady, the soul of discretion, never talks about the leadership election process, but he has now given a mischievous hint of whats really going on. Speaking at a conference event held by think-tank the Centre for Social Justice, he suggested that the difference between what colleagues say they might have done and what they have done can be considerable. Everywhere you went in Birmingham for the conference, held in Birmingham, above, the air was buzzing with similar gossip. Centre is Michael Gove Brady added that he was well aware of various Tory MPs saying they had sent in letters which they hadnt . . . or that theyve withdrawn letters that they had never sent in the first place. There is, it seems, no imminent threat to Mrs May, whom Brady, the MP for Altrincham and Sale West, meets regularly. How well does he get on with her? David Cameron used to kick off his shoes and put his feet on the table. 'Theresa doesnt do that. Enough said. Being p-p-picky, we've just had a people's vote Quote of the week comes from Lord Ashcroft, the Brexit-backing Tory grandee, who said: They want a Peoples Vote. So what was 2016 then? A penguins vote? Brexit backer Lord Ashcroft pictured at the Conservative conference earlier this month London Tube Strikes In his London Mayoral manifesto in 2016, Labours Sadiq Khan pledged to ensure there were zero strikes on public transport. He said the 35 days of strikes during Boris Johnsons eight-year tenure as mayor were a disgrace, and any strike was a failure of government. On Friday, London endured its 15th strike on the trains since Khan became Mayor. If the industrial action carries on, at this rate the number of strikes on his watch will be double the number on Boriss. In his London Mayoral manifesto in 2016, Labours Sadiq Khan, above, pledged to ensure there were zero strikes on public transport [File photo] 'Woke?' Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames has little patience with millennials and their oh-so-right-on concerns. I have just been told I am not WOKE. Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames, pictured above, has little patience with millennials and their oh-so-right-on concerns [File photo] Please, will some kind person tell me WTF that means? tweeted Winston Churchills grandson. Well, Sir Nicholas, its millennial jargon to describe someone who is alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice. Of course, in Winstons day, woke was a regrettable intrusion into a post-lunch snooze. Johnson's Memoir Alan Johnson, the former Labour Home Secretary, has written a memoir of his extraordinary rise from poverty to political prominence. Now he tells The Lady magazine: Im writing a romantic thriller that Ive been thinking about for a while. Writing a best-selling novel that is translated into 20 languages and turned into a high-grossing movie is what would improve the quality of my life. Theresa May, above, dancing onto the stage at her conference speech earlier this month Mamma Mia! It wasn't me.... On a personal note, I want to put paid to other Conference rumours, this time about me and Mrs May, and that show-stopping entrance on stage to the irresistible strains of Dancing Queen. Yes, Im a well-known ABBA devotee. Yes, I was an infatuated extra in the Mamma Mia! stage show in March, a bucket-list experience I shared with Mail readers. But the PMs hoofing was nothing to do with me. Anyway, Id have advised her to waltz on to The Winner Takes It All. A mother whose child transitioned at the age of 16 has revealed how her family's story is the inspiration behind new ITV drama Butterfly. Three-part mini-series Butterfly is the first fictional drama to tackle the story of a young child who wants to change gender. Anna Friel takes on the role of the boy's mother, Vicky, who sets about trying to support and protect her 11-year-old son Max (Callum Booth-Ford) after learning he wants to express himself as a girl to the wider public. Susie Green, 50, from Leeds, whose own daughter Jackie (right) - born Jack - had gender re-assignment surgery in America aged 16 advised on new ITV drama Butterfly In Butterfly, Anna Friel takes on the role of the boy's mother Vicky, who sets about trying to support and protect her 11-year-old son Max (Callum Booth-Ford) after he reveals he wants to live as a girl The story mirrors the life of Susie Green, 50, from Leeds, whose own daughter Jackie - born Jack - asked to live as a girl while she was still at school. At 16, Jackie had gender affirmation surgery in America, becoming the youngest person to ever do so at the time. Now, a decade on, Jackie is 25 and is happily working on a private yacht in the South of France. However, her mother Susie, who worked closely with Butterfly's producers, has revealed the trauma - including horrific bullying - that her daughter was subjected to after her peers found out. The unrelenting and often vicious abuse - from children and adults - led Jackie to attempt suicide seven times. Susie, a former IT manager, is now CEO of the charity Mermaids, and worked as a consultant on the show along with other families who are part of the charity. WHO IS JACKIE GREEN? ONE OF THE YOUNGEST TO UNDERGO SEX AFFIRMATION SURGERY Aged 16, Jackie Green became the youngest person in the world to undergo transgender surgery in 2009. At 16 Jackie Green, pictured in 2012 on This Morning, became the youngest person in the world to undergo gender affirmation surgery At 19, Jackie made history once again by becoming the first transgender Miss England finalist, and appeared in a BBC3 documentary that followed the teen's mission to become a beauty queen. Jackie, who was born Jack, spent her childhood trying to persuade her parents she had been born in to the wrong body. When Jackie was aged just four she told her mother Susie: God has made a mistake, I should be a girl. Trapped in a body she hated, Jackie first overdosed aged 11 and made six more suicide attempts before she was 15. Medicines were locked in a safe and knives had to be hidden away. She threatened to mutilate her genitals. And so, aged 16, Jackie Green became the youngest person in the world to undergo transgender surgery. Jackie was diagnosed with gender identity disorder (GID) aged seven after being referred by her GP to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. Thanks to her supportive parents, she was started on hormone drug treatment at 14, which meant she never underwent male puberty, her voice never deepened, and she never grew masculine proportions or features. After gender affirmation, blockers are no longer needed, although transgender people must take cross-hormones for life. Susan took Jackie to Boston every six months for treatment until she had her surgery at 16. Jackies treatment and trips to the US over three years cost 15,000, which, along with the 13,000 gender-reassignment surgery, meant Susan had to use equity in her home to pay for it. In the UK, gender reassignment cannot be performed until the patient is 18, but Susan discovered a surgeon in Thailand willing to do the operation when Jackie was 16 (Thailand has since adopted the international guideline of 18). Eighteen months of discussions with the surgeon followed and on her 16th birthday she underwent a seven-hour operation. She returned to Thailand when she was 18 for 2,000 breast augmentation surgery, and now has a body she is delighted with. Advertisement A decade on from surgery, Jackie is 25 and happily working on a yacht in the South of France Susie, a former IT manager, and now the CEO of the charity Mermaids, worked as a consultant on the show advising producers and the cast, including Anna Friel (pictured) Susie told the Mirror how she felt 'out of her depth' when her then four-year-old son said he felt like he was in the wrong body, believing instead that her 'effeminate' son was gay. Susie recalled the moment Jackie first shared her feelings, telling her: 'Mummy, God's made a mistake and I should have been a girl.' Admitting that she just wanted to find a way to support her child, Susie encouraged her son that it was perfectly fine to like girly things but still be a boy. However, over the next decade Jack remained firm on his belief and started to live as a girl named Jackie after his parents, Susie and Tim, sought advice from the NHS. Jackie was diagnosed with gender dysphoria aged seven and faced a difficult adjustment period with her family and friends having to learn to accept her as a girl. During her school years, Jackie was at the receiving end of cruel abuse from bullies and attempted suicide seven times Most of her fellow primary school classmates accepted her, but others around the school she attended would hurl cruel abuse at her and she was even attacked by two adult men. Susie recalled in the interview: 'When she was 13-years-old, she was walking home from a friends house and got beaten up by two 40-year-old guys. She had an egg cracked on her head by a girl in the middle of the street. 'It was daily abuse. One boy spat full in her face. She was walking down a corridor with a teacher and another kids called her a tranny and the teacher did nothing.' The abuse lead to Jackie self-harming and attempting suicide, her mother saying she would repeatedly search her bedroom to remove paracetamol that she may have intended to overdose on. 'Her seven overdoses were always preceded by abuse of some sort,' Susie explained, saying that on one occasion, she was called into school because Jackie was threatening herself with a pair of scissors to her stomach. Susie, whose charity Mermaids supports gender diverse and transgender children, explained that similar to the Butterfly storyline, she and her husband Tim, 54, split up, but it wasn't because of Jackie. Butterfly, which is set to air next Sunday, October 14th, follows the story of Max - who expresses his desire to live permanently as a girl, after years of dressing up at home They now enjoy a healthy friendship and both support Jackie wholeheartedly. It's been a difficult road for her - she explains that she has even been called a child abuser - and realises that there will no doubt be backlash to the ITV series but hopes that it will help to change the conversation around transgender children. Butterfly, which is set to air next Sunday, October 14th, follows the story of Max - who expresses his desire to live permanently as a girl, after years of dressing up at home. The series focuses on his mother Vicky, played by Friel, and the battle she endures trying to work out how best to 'support and protect' her child through the decision - while struggling with her broken relationship with Max's father, Stephen. It's said Butterfly will cover the early stages of Max's choice to live as a girl and his family's attempts to deal with it, instead of focusing on the aftermath of his transition. 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If they want to hold a sit-in, I am even ready to provide them a container they are also most welcome to protest in the assemblies, but I want to make it clear that no corrupt element will be spared at all because I have promised with the nation that the corrupt will be held accountable during PTIs government, he added. They are staging dramas that the democracy is in danger. Bilawal [Bhutto] has also said that he is ashamed over the arrest of Shehbaz Sharif. All the corrupt elements unite when you arrest any of them and same is the case here, the prime minister said. I revealed a long ago that both PML-N and PPP are brothers and now they have proved me right as both are contesting the by-election jointly against the PTI, he added. Imran said allegations are being levelled against him that he is doing the politics of victimization but the reality is that all these cases of corruption were registered against them some 10 months back when they themselves were in power. The prime minister said that he had a difference of opinion with the NAB chairman on the issue of action against those who are contesting the election. Any crime demands prompt action and it doesnt matter whether someone is contesting election or not. There would have been 50 arrests so far if NAB worked under me they all should be thankful that I am not heading the NAB, he said. The pace of NAB taking actions is quite slow the government is ready to provide whatever assistance it requires from us, he added. Painting a gloomy picture of the state of countrys economy, Imran said the current deficit was at two billion US dollars in 2013 which has now climbed up to $16 billion. The circular debt in power sector ballooned to Rs 1,200 billion in 2018 from Rs 480 billion in 2013. Pakistan Railways is under debt of Rs 37 billion, while Pakistan International Airlines(PIA) has a total debt of Rs 360 billion. Gas sector is also under debt of Rs 157 billion, he said, adding that the previous governments are responsible for the current state of economy. The debt would further increase if we do not increase the prices of gas and electricity we have been left with no option but to increase the prices, he said. The prime minister said a unit including people from the State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue and the Federal Investigation Agency has been set up in the PM office for the recovery of looted wealth. He said recently 10,000 properties worth Rs 900 billion owned by Pakistani nationals had been detected in UAE and an investigation is this regard was underway. He said details of 895 properties have been sought so far whereas 300 people had been put on notice. He said the government was working to broaden the tax net but it would take time. The prime minister said the government was still having deliberations on approaching the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Given the circumstances, we may have to approach the IMF, he opined. There is only one option that can help us not increase prices: if we manage to bring back the looted wealth of Pakistan stashed in foreign banks, he said, adding a strategy in this regard is also being made. Imran Khan once again defended the appointment of Usman Buzdar as chief minister of Punjab. Buzdar is the symbol of change that PTI promised with the nation, he said. The expenses of CM House have come down from Rs 5.5 million to just Rs 0.8 million in a month under Buzdar. I am sure that Buzdar will prove himself as most successful CM of Punjab, he added. Twitter went into overdrive on Sunday morning, as music lovers shared their nail-biting experiences trying to purchase Glastonbury tickets. The passes, costing an eye-watering 248 each plus a 5 booking fee, went on sale at 9am with a record-breaking number of people trying to buy the estimated 150,000 up for grabs for next year's festival. Unfortunately they sold out in just 36 minutes, leaving many failed festival-goers in mourning. One heartbroken fan tweeted: 'Glastonbury letting me down more than any boy has ever done'. Twitter went into overdrive on Sunday morning, as British music lovers flooded shared their nail-biting experiences trying to purchase Glastonbury tickets. Twitter user Aman T shared a picture of his three laptops, iPad and iPhone as he attempted to buy tickets for the 2019 festival The tickets, costing an eye-watering 248 each plus a 5 booking fee, went on sale at 9am with a record-breaking number of people trying to buy the estimated 150,00 tickets up for grabs for next year's festival. Music lover Jimthony Jonestano shared a Lord Of The Ring meme during the tense moments as he tried to purchase tickets Just half an our earlier anxious users shared their experiences trying to purchase the coveted tickets to Twitter, as they waited in the website's queue. Battling with the site crashing multiple times, and the agonising decision over whether to refresh the page and risk being relegated in the queue, as well as many using multiple devices, it surely made for a stressful Sunday morning. Optimistically, user Daniel Gibson wrote: 'Right then, coffee made, phones charged, laptops plugged in, registration numbers written out ready for each person, refresh finger exercised, all set for the chaos which is inevitably the Gibson household trying to buy Glastonbury tickets.' Another added: 'It's war!' while one shared a scene from Lord Of The Rings, and wrote: 'And so it begins.' Anxious users shared their experiences trying to purchase the coveted tickets to Twitter, as they waited in the website's queue. User Tom Coulson shared a meme of a skeleton at a computer with the caption: 'You will be held at this page until there is a free space' Meanwhile music lover Naomi Rediman shared a snap of her two laptops and one iPad as she tried to purchase tickets for Glastonbury festival 2019 Even writer Caitlin Moran joined in, tweeting: 'I can hear people on laptops and phones in every room in my house pressing 'refresh' and screaming. THIS IS WHERE YOU START PAYING. IN SWEAT.' In the tense moments that followed, many more flooded the social network, with user Daniel Gibson writing: 'Do I refresh or leave it or try again or slaughter a goat to appease the lord eavis? #Glastonbury2019.' Flooding the site with memes, one shared a gif of a cat hysterically typing, writing: 'Trying to get Glastonbury tickets, like..' Unfortunately many were unable to get the tickets, sharing their disappointment moments later. Even writer Caitlin Moran joined in, tweeting: 'I can hear people on laptops and phones in every room in my house pressing 'refresh' and screaming. THIS IS WHERE YOU START PAYING. IN SWEAT.' 'Just put all our details in and card in hand ready to pay to be sent to a screen saying tickets sold out', devastated user Kate Hurdman wrote, as many shared similar experiences. The festival's organiser Emily Eavis said it appeared that 'record numbers' tried to get tickets. There was no event this summer, with Glastonbury, at Worthy Farm, Somerset, having a 'fallow year', allowing the ground to recover. Sir Paul McCartney is among the musicians rumoured be on the bill in June next year. Unfortunately many were unable to get the tickets, sharing their disappointment just moments later. 'Just put all our details in and card in hand ready to pay to be sent to a screen saying tickets sold out', devastated user Kate Hurdman wrote In the tense moments that followed, many more flooded the social network, with user Daniel Gibson writing: 'Do I refresh or leave it or try again or slaughter a goat to appease the lord eavis ? #Glastonbury2019'. Half an hour after putting tickets on sale, Eavis wrote on Twitter: 'Tickets have now all sold out! We are blown away by the huge demand, looks like record numbers tried. 'Thank you for your patience and incredible support and for those of you who missed out'. The festival posted online that it wished 'we could squeeze everybody in' but there will be a resale of any returned tickets in the spring. Glastonbury Festival requires ticket-buyers to register before purchasing, in a bid to tackle touts. And with many unable to purchase the reported 150,000 tickets on sale, user Samantha Cullum shared a verse from Simon and Garfunkel's A Sound Of Silence along with a screengrab showing the site was at maximum capacity The popular festival, which will include more than 3,000 performances across more than 100 stages, has yet to reveal any of its acts. However, a number of names have been rumoured, including Kylie Minogue and Sir Paul McCartney. Minogue recently said she would love to fill the headline slot at the festival after having to pull out of the bill more than a decade ago due having treatment for breast cancer. Flooding the site with memes, Danny shared a gif of a cat hysterically typing, writing: 'Trying to get Glastonbury tickets, like..'. Sharing their frustration, user Zara Tyler told how she had been left on the refreshing page for 33 minutes before it showed as sold out When asked by the Press Association if she would like to be offered another chance to close the night at next year's festival, she said: 'When I was supposed to do it I think I would have been the first solo female to headline in however many years it was, so I was really proud of that at that time. 'Obviously it didn't happen. So yes, it would be amazing and very emotional to be standing there and doing what I didn't get to do all those years ago, for sure.' Earlier this year, festival co-organiser Emily Eavis told BBC Radio 2 that Sir Paul is at the 'top of our list' of desired acts. Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran and Radiohead were last year's headliners. Half an hour after putting tickets on sale, Eavis wrote on Twitter: 'Tickets have now all sold out! We are blown away by the huge demand, looks like record numbers tried' Pippa Middleton is expected to give birth in the same hospital as sister Kate - after being spotted visiting the 7,500-a-night Lindo Wing with husband James Matthews. The Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister, 35, is thought to be due to give birth to her first child later this month. Pippa confirmed she was pregnant in her Waitrose column in June, where she admitted she was 'lucky' to not suffer from the same severe morning sickness condition as her sister. The birth of her first child will come just six months after Kate, 36, welcomed her third child Prince Louis in April. Pippa Middleton (pictured in west London in September) is expected to give birth in the same hospital as sister Kate, after being spotted visiting the Lindo Wing with husband James Pippa and husband James, 43, were spotted visiting the exclusive Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, which is close to their 17million Chelsea mansion, on Tuesday. The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to all three children at the hospital, posing outside the doors of the wing shortly after each birth. The hospital is known for going above and beyond to provide a premium service for its discerning clients. Patients are each given a private room with their own en suite bathroom, as well as satellite TV offering 'major international channels'. The Duchess of Cambridge (pictured outside the Lindo Wing with Prince William and baby Louis in April) gave birth to all three children at the hospital, including Prince Louis in April The exclusive Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital is known for going above and beyond to provide a premium service for its discerning clients Gourmet food is also available via the wing's extensive menus, while new parents are also offered a wine list - including Champagne - to celebrate their new arrival. A standard room at the Wing would cost parents 5,900, while a deluxe room starts at 6,275. The price for a stay in one of the unit's suites - where Kate believe to have given birth - is available on request, but it thought to be closer to 7,500. Pippa appears to have taken her pregnancy in her stride, keeping up her fitness regime throughout. Pippa (pictured with husband James at Louis' christening in July) confirmed she was expecting her first child with James in June She recently also revealed how she had turned to meditation to help her maintain her calm as she prepares to welcome her first child into the world. Writing in her Waitrose Weekend column, Pippa explained: 'I signed up to a beginners meditation class recently to master the tools essential for performing it effectively. This involved learning to meditate twice daily, ideally for 20 minutes, chanting a mantra, while sitting upright, eyes closed and focused. Our teacher stressed that we should ensure we always make time for this because theres always an excuse not to. She previously revealed how she had been turning to barre-style workouts and swimming during pregnancy. Meghan Markle sent Missoma sales soaring when she was pictured wearing its stacked rings, priced at just 59 each, in February. And the Duchess has continued to champion the affordable British brand Missoma after she was seen wearing its 85 gold 'Open Heart' signet ring during her first official visit to Sussex last week. Since her appearance, the 18-carat gold ring has already sold out in four sizes, prompting fans to look elsewhere for even more purse-friendly options. And, quick to take the lead from the 'Meghan effect', the high street has an array of similar versions on sale, starting at as little as 5. Scroll down for video Meghan Markle was pictured wearing an 85 gold 'Open Heart' signet ring by British band Missoma during her first official visit to Sussex last week, and it has already sold out in four sizes Meghan's ring is described as an 18ct Gold Vermeil Matra Open Heart Signet Ring with a white topaz stone. A symbol of love, it is said to represent 'emotions of love, passion and friendship', with the website description adding: 'One to wear close to the heart'. And Missguided is selling a similar ring, entitled the 'Diamonte circle engraved ring', for just 5, made from 'gold look' metal and featuring a diamonte ring. Meanwhile Argos is selling a 9 carat gold signet ring in the shape of a heart, adorned with a small diamond and engraved with detail to the sides. Since her appearance, the 18 carat gold ring by one of Meghan's favourite British brands Missoma (seen) has already sold out in four sizes, prompting fans to look elsewhere for even more purse-friendly options Missguided is selling a similar ring to Meghan's Missoma one, entitled the 'Diamonte circle engraved ring', for just 5, made from 'gold look' metal and featuring a diamonte ring Meanwhile Argos is selling a 9 carat gold signet ring in the shape of a heart, adorned with a small diamond and engraved with detail to the sides Elsewhere Asos is selling a collection of three engraved signet rings for just 7, while Topshop is also selling a similar trio for 7.50. Urban Outfitters have even reduced its heart-shaped signet ring to just 3, originally priced at 12. Meghan was first spotted wearing jewellery from the brand in a resurfaced post from her now inactive Instagram account, where she wore a 18ct gold vermeil engraved Bar necklace with inset diamond, costing just 125, engraved with her name. Elsewhere Asos is selling a collection of three engraved signet rings for just 7, and it looks remarkably similar to Meghan's 85 signet ring by Missoma Topshop is also selling a similar trio for 7.50, and like Meghan's Missoma gold signet ring, it has sold out in two out of three sizes Urban Outfitters has even reduced its heart-shaped signet ring to just 3, originally priced at 12, and it looks similar to Meghan Markle's 85 Missoma ring Then, in February of this year Meghan was spotted wearing one of their delicate stacked rings while out shopping for flowers near Kensington Palace. A spokesman for the brand confirmed to the Mail: Meghan has been wearing Missoma for a few years now and has long been a fan of the brand. The brand was founded by Marisa Horden ten years ago and makes a variety of jewellery from 18ct gold vermeil or sterling silver, starting at a modestly priced 39 and going up to a maximum of 250. It is stocked by Harvey Nichols and Selfridges and has been worn by stars including Jennifer Lopez, Claudia Schiffer and Cheryl Cole, but it considered to be quite a cool, under the radar brand. According to sources Meghan likes the range because it is so delicately pretty but is largely comprised on pieces that you can easily treat yourself to without feeling guilty. Meghan was first spotted wearing jewellery from the brand in a resurfaced post from her now inactive Instagram account, where she wore their 18ct gold vermeil engraved Bar necklace with inset diamond , costing just 125, engraved with her name TV doctor Hilary Jones has revealed women with breast implants should find it easier to check themselves for cancerous lumps than those without. Speaking on Lorraine today, Dr Hilary, 65, explained the implants are always placed behind the breast tissue, pushing it towards the surface of the breast. This means women should find it easier to feel through the skin to the tissue and identify the changes that can be a sign of breast cancer. Speaking on Lorraine today (pictured), Dr Hilary Jones explained implants are always placed behind the breast tissue, pushing it towards the surface of the breast. This means women should find it easier to feel through the skin to the tissue and identify any lumps Dr Hilary, who is taking part in Lorraine's Know Your Breast campaign, clarified the situation in response to a viewer's question. Speaking via video link from Birmingham New Street station, Dr Hilary said: 'It makes it easier to examine your breasts if you've had an implant. 'Implants are either placed behind the muscle tissue, on the breast wall. Or in front of the breast muscle and pushing the breast tissue forward. 'So the implant is always behind the breast tissue so it is more likely you will feel, when you self-examine, any change in the breast tissue, any lumps. Dr Hilary, who is taking part in Lorraine's Know Your Breast campaign, explained the process of self-examination is the same whether or not a woman has implants. The TV doctor shared his 12-step guide online to allow viewers to check themselves properly at home 'It's the normal technique with breast implants and it should make it easier.' Presenter Lorraine Kelly, 58, launched the Know Your Breast campaign last Monday to coincide with the start of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Last Friday the ITV programme drew widespread publicity over a segment which showed a topless woman checking herself for lumps. Lorraine drew widespread publicity last Friday over a segment which showed a topless woman checking herself for lumps. Dr Hilary Jones helped guide a model (pictured) through the self-examination in a bid to show viewers exactly what they should be doing at home Dr Hilary Jones helped guide a model through the self-examination in a bid to show viewers exactly what they should be doing at home. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime but more than 50 per cent of women say they don't know the early signs of the disease. While some viewers praised the bold move, others criticised the programme saying it was too early for such nudity. Kate Moss' daughter Lila's first major modelling contract as the face of Marc Jacobs Beauty has just been announced, days after her 16th birthday - and now she's predicted to be a millionaire by the time she's 18. The daughter of Kate Moss and magazine editor Jefferson Hack largely grew up out of the spotlight, but in recent years she's made tentative steps into the world of modelling - appearing on the cover of Italian Vogue with her mother at the age of 13 Mischa Joslin, Managing Director of PR, branding and influencer marketing agency, edencancan.com now predicts that Lila could easily earned her first million by the age of 18. Moreover, her burgeoning career as a model provides her mother Kate, 44, with the chance to become relevant to a new generation of fans who are too young to remember her own modelling heyday. Crucially, Lila is signed to her mother's Kate Moss Agency and she's adopted her mother's surname for work, rather than using Hack. 'Lila can tap into Kates amazing network and prestige to create a halo effect across her own career, but Kate can tap into Lilas youth and relevance to give her own career a new surge for a new generation,' Mischa explained. Kate Moss' daughter Lila, 16, is the new face of Marc Jacobs Beauty and now she's predicted to be a millionaire by the time she's 18 after signing with her mother's own agency Kate with Lila and Stella Jones, the daughter of The Clash musician, Mick Jones, at London Fashion Week in 2017 'The power of them as a duo together is also incredibly appealing to brands. I can see designers wanting to book them together to create campaigns that will appeal to a wider audience.' With or without her mother, Lila's future certainly looks bright if the example of someone like Cindy Crawford's daughter Kaia Gerber is anything to go by. 'I can see Lillas career having the same upward trajectory,' Mischa said. 'Kaia is rumoured to earn around 360k a year, but this Marc Jacobs campaign kick-off will have Lila working her way to that figure quickly. 'The sky is the limit, and I can see her earning around 500k in her first year as a model, with that number jumping as her profile grows further. Not bad for a 16-year-old.' Beauty: The brand shared a behind the scenes video from Lila's shoot, which shows her modeling several different looks. Throwback: Makeup artist Diane Kendal shared a behind-the-scenes shot of herself giving then 15-year-old Lila a bold cat-eye for the shoot, which took place in New York City in July In fact, Mischa predict that Kaia could earn as much as her mother, if not more, in the long term because 'capitalise on the currency of social media, which didnt exist when Kate started out'. 'Promoted content across social is a huge earner for models, and is something that Lila will be looking to make the most of.' Indeed, the aspiring model joined Instagram at the end of September although she's only posted three images so far - two from her Marc Jacobs campaign and her cover shoot for AnOther Magazine. In addition, being signed to her mother's agency and the Moss name gives her unequalled clout in a fiercely competitive industry. Kate and Lila leaving Lottie Moss' birthday party at La Famiglia restaurant in Chelsea in January this year. Mother and daughter are a very attractive prospect to brands who would be interested in joint shoots to capitalise on their broad appeal 'Kate can get her foot in the door with any designer or brand, so those initial meetings are a hell of a lot easier for Lila than they would be for another aspiring model,' Mischa said. 'Not to mention, Lilla would have grown up with these designers around her, so they have a personal connection to her and will want to work with her as a result. 'However, the agency aside, I think her name alone gives her clout. Celebrity offspring are so in demand at the moment think Hayley Baldwin, Paris Jackson, Lily Rose Depp, Kaia Gerber, Lilly Collins. They have all been able to leverage their famous parents to make waves in the industry and get the attention of big casting directors. A clip from a video from Lila's campaign with Marc Jacobs Beauty, posted to her new Instagram account. She's expected to use social media to capitalise on her burgeoning profile after growing up largely out of the spotlight Lila made a rare public appearance as a bridemaid to her mother when she married Jamie Hince in 2011, but she has largely grown up away from the limelight Lila could be set to emulate the success of Cindy Crawford's daughter Kaia Gerber, pictured with Karl Lagerfeld and Paris Fashion Week, who is one of the fashion world's most in demand models at the age of 17 'Naturally, their name is just a foot in the door and they need to show talent after that point, but its certainly a strong calling card in the first instance.' On top of all that, Lila hasn't been overexposed throughout her childhood making her an even more interesting prospect. 'The fact Lilas childhood has been kept relatively private to date definitely gives her added appeal. Everyone wants to know more about her and in fashion this intrigue and mystery is definitely appealing. Showing off her early fashion prowess! Lila attending the wedding of Leah Wood and Jack MacDonald with her mother Kate in 2008 'Brands will want to be the one that "discovered" her and the lack of media coverage and social insight of her to date makes it more exciting for them. 'Kate is also fiercely private, and that has always fuelled her image. However, we do live in different times and in a world where social media is king, Lila will need to cultivate her Instagram presence and grow her own following by showing her personality. Does Lila provide a way for Kate to stay relevant? Shes still very successful but theres a whole generation of people in their teens now who didnt grow up with her. Is Lila in a sense the next stage of Kates career? The suspense is already proving too much for some fans of The Cry, who have admitted to turning to the book the gripping BBC thriller was based on for answers. Episode two of the mysterious drama, which follows anguished mother Joanna, played by Jenna Coleman, and her husband following the disappearance of their baby son, ended with a twist - as a snatched conversation between the couple made it clear they have lied to police about what happened. Viewers had previously seen Joanna panic as she and her husband Alistair returned to their car after popping into a shop, to find that baby Noah had vanished from his car seat in the back while they were gone. But at the end of Sunday night's episode, after Alistair was seen urgently telling his wife 'we've done the right thing', the scene was played again, only this time the camera panned back to reveal that baby Noah wasn't in his car seat when his parents arrived at the shop - and the couple staged his disappearance. 'I'm going to have to download and read the book right now!' one fan tweeted as the credits rolled on a twist that put Noah's parents firmly in the frame over his disappearance. In a snatched conversation at the end of episode two of the BBC One drama, Joanna asked her husband if they would have done 'anything differently' if they could go back in time. He reassured her that they were doing the 'only thing that makes sense' Suspense: Viewers have admitted to downloading the book in search of answers, as they were struggling to know who to trust in the TV drama 'Just downloaded the book to read because I can't wait for the next episode,' another chimed in. They were among dozens of fans who admitted they'd given into suspense by downloading or googling the plot of the Australian author Helen Fitzgerald's 2013 novel, which inspired the big-budget adaptation. 'I'm ashamed to admit it but I've just Googled the ending to the book... if the program [sic] has the same ending as the book then I'd never have guessed it!' The closing scenes in the second episode of BBC drama The Cry, left viewers even more confused over the fate of missing baby Noah, as it became clear Alistair and Joanna are not telling the truth about what happened to their baby boy Dozens of viewers tweeted to say they'd given into suspense and downloaded the book, or googled its plot, to find out exactly who is responsible for baby Noah's disappearance Fans have turned to the 2013 book the drama is based on, by the Australian author Helen Fitzgerald, for answers The show has been keeping fans guessing from the start, courtesy of a non-linear narrative that jumps backwards and forwards in time - taking viewers from the early days of Joanna's romance with married Alistair one minute, to their fraught flight to his native Australia with their new baby Noah the next. Throughout, the flashbacks have been interspersed with scenes of Joanna in a courtroom, apparently on trial - although what exactly she is accused of remains unclear. While the first episode saw both Alistair and Joanna behaving in ways that viewers branded suspicious, the finger of blame appeared to be pointing towards his ex-wife, Alexandra, who had taken their daughter, Chloe, back to their native Australia triggering an acrimonious custody battle. The opening episode saw Alistair and Joanna on the long flight to Australia - with an incessantly crying Noah in tow - to confront his ex-wife. Given that Alexandra's ex-husband cheated on her with Joanna, the fact viewers know she set up a fake Facebook profile so that she could stalk his new partner online, and that she was seen acting suspiciously around Alistair and Joanna's holiday cottage before they arrived, she seemed the most likely candidate to be behind Noah's disappearance. But Sunday night's cliffhanger suggested she could be innocent and that her ex-husband is deliberately trying to frame her, with Joanna seen telling Alistair that 'Chloe, Alexandra... they don't deserve this'. When Noah's 'disappearance' first aired, viewers saw Joanna (played by Jenna Coleman, pictured) follow her husband Alistair into the shop, then return to the car and panic when she realised Noah's car seat was empty But the scene was played again in Sunday night's episode, and the camera's panned back behind Joanna after the car pulled up outside the shop, to reveal that baby Noah had never been in there at all The frequent flashbacks, suspicious characters and multiple red herrings have seen fans flood Twitter with their own theories over what happened to missing Noah At first the finger of blame appeared to be pointing squarely at Alistair's ex-wife Alexandra, but Sunday night's cliffhanger ending suggested her former husband could be trying to frame her for his baby son's disappearance Fans have flooded Twitter with their questions following the latest twist - as well as their own theories for what happened to baby Noah. Many said the couple were deliberately setting up Alexandra to take the fall so that Alistair could gain sole custody of their daughter, Chloe. 'Oh my god they've set up the ex-wife to get his daughter back? Are they in it together?' one tweet said. Other fans pointed out that baby Noah had not actually been seen alive on camera since the young family disembarked their stressful flight from the UK to Australia, prompting some to speculate that Joanna's desperate attempts to soothe her screaming baby on the plane had actually led to an accidental overdose. One fan posted: 'They're in on it! Did the baby die on the plane, did they kill him, was it an accident?' Another viewer pointed out that as the courtroom scenes from Joanna's trial indicate it's being held in Scotland, it doesn't have anything to do with Noah's disappearance, which occurred in Australia. 'This hasn't got anything to do with the missing baby or the trial would be in Australia,' they said. The Cry returns Sunday at 9pm on BBC One Advertisement Barbara Bush is married. The 36-year-old daughter of former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura tied the knot in an 'intimate' ceremony at the family's estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, after keeping her five-week engagement to writer and Vanderbilt graduate Craig Louis Coyne, 37, a closely-guarded secret. A beaming George W. proudly walked his daughter down the aisle at the event, where the bride wowed in a stunning custom Vera Wang gown, while family members including her twin sister Jenna and her grandfather George H. W., watched on. Celebration! Barbara Bush and fiance Craig Louis Coyne tied the knot at her family's Maine estate over the weekend (pictured), after keeping their engagement under wraps Family: Barbara's twin sister Jenna Bush Hager (second from left), 36, was Barbara's matron of honor. Her daughters Mila (front, left), five, and Poppy (front, right), three, were both flower girls. Pictured left is Jenna's husband Henry Chase Hager, 40, center are Laura Bush, 71, and George W. Bush, 72 Proud father: A beaming George Bush walked Barbara down the aisle during the intimate ceremony that took place at the family's compound in Maine Together: Barbara posed for a sweet photo with her grandfather George H. W. Bush, 94 The wedding, which was officiated by Barbara's aunt, Dorothy Bush Koch, comes just six months after Barbara's grandmother, and namesake, former first lady Barbara Bush, passed away. Barbara paid tribute to her late grandmother by wearing a piece of her jewelry - a bracelet that had been given to her by George H. W. on their 70th wedding anniversary - as her 'something borrowed'. Both of Barbara's nieces, five-year-old Mila and three-year-old Poppy, the daughters of Barbara's twin sister Jenna, participated in the ceremony as flower girls, with Poppy also acting as the ring bearer - and stealing the show in the process. 'Poppy realized that the box was empty so she ran to the front and she kept holding it open, like 'This is fake, this is fake,'' Jenna told her Today colleagues on Monday morning over the phone. 'And at one point we were all praying and Poppy ran and almost tackled Barbara and gave her a huge hug.' Barbara and her groom wanted to tie the knot in Maine because that is where Barbara's grandfather resides, Jenna told Today. The bride's twin sister served as matron of honor during Barbara's nuptials - a natural gesture, given that Barbara was her maid of honor when Jenna tied the knot with Henry Chase Hager, now 40, in 2008. 'I'm crying 24 hours later,' Jenna said on Today on Monday. 'There were so many happy tears.' The matron of honor said the 'elusive' bride and her groom kept the ceremony on the down-low and focused on making it a family occasion. 'It was a very secret wedding, a little bit like my elusive sister,' Jenna added between tears. 'But also, just family in a place that means family love, and it was just beautiful.' Romantically, Craig proposed in the same spot where Barbara's grandparents got engaged. The groom, too, had his sibling by his side during the ceremony: his brother Edward Coyne III served as his best man, while his parents, Darlene, 63, and Edward James Jr., 65, were also in attendance - as was his sister Kathleen, 32, who is known as Katie. Reunited: The bride and groom (center) posed for a group photo with their loved ones, including Laura, George H.W., George W., Jenna, Henry, as well as some of Craig's family members. Pictured back row, right is Craig's brother Edward Coyne III, who served as the groom's best man, and his wife Amanda, while Craig's mother Darlene, 63, is pictured in the blue dress sitting next to George W., his father Edward James Jr., 65, is pictured sitting to the left of Laura, and his sister Katie, 32, is pictured back row, third from left Touching moment: Jenna and Barbara are known to be especially close, and Jenna served as her twin's Matron of Honor, after Barbara served as hers at her 2008 wedding to Henry Hager, now 40 Family affair: The ceremony was incredibly intimate, with only a few family and friends present Location: Barbara and her groom wanted to tie the knot in Maine because that is where Barbara's grandfather resides; the pair also got engaged at the same place that Barbara and George H.W. (pictured right) got engaged Both Katie and Kathleen did readings during the ceremony. Barbara and Craig are now planning to live in New York, which is where Barbara is based. For much of their relationship, the couple was doing long-distance because Craig was living in Los Angeles. Jenna and Barbara's grandmother, who died in April this year, was honored during the reception when Jenna read a letter that George H. W. wrote her years ago. 'I ended with a letter that my grandfather wrote to my grandmother because I searched all the romantics and Shakespeare just wasn't doing it. He was sitting right next to me as I read it,' Jenna told Today. Jenna paid tribute to her sister in an emotional Instagram post on Monday morning. She shared a photo of herself embracing her sister and wrote next to the shot: 'Happy tears, heart exploding as I watched this beautiful girl get married in the place that means love and family. I'm so proud to be this beauty's sister.' Barbara's father also took to social media to mark the happy occasion. He shared a photo of himself walking Barbara down the aisle and wrote: 'Barbara is named for a unique and strong woman - and rightly so, because she is unique and strong. @laurawbush and I are so proud of our compassionate, daring, fierce, kind, intelligent, loving daughter. And we're thrilled to welcome Craig Coyne to our family.' George W. previously opened up about his daughter's discreet personality in a segment for Today that aired again on Monday to mark Barbara's nuptials. He recounted how Barbara and Jenna once joined their grandfather for a political rally in Texas around the age of three, and how the sisters' respective personalities were clearly showing even at such a young age. 'Barbara was an observer, Jenna was a participant. Barbara is more reserved and Jenna is pretty outgoing. It was a reflection of their little personalities,' he said. Jenna previously paid tribute to her sister on the show as well, praising Barbara's 'huge heart' and caring personality. 'She's gentle, she's creative, she's a great artist, and she's brilliant,' Jenna said in the archive segment. The bride wore a pair of earrings from Jenna as her 'something blue' during the ceremony. Aftermath: On Monday morning, Jenna took to Instagram to share photos of Mila (left) with George H.W.'s service dog Sully, and Poppy (right) at the family's Maine compound Memories: Jenna posted photos of the residence the day after the ceremony, along with the words: 'Remnants of a beautiful night' Sisters: Jenna (pictured left with Barbara, right, in an Instagram shot) was clearly moved when she discussed the wedding with her Today colleagues on the phone on Monday morning Looking back: George W. previously told Today how Barbara and Jenna joined their grandfather on the campaign trail around the age of three, and how Barbara already displayed a more reserved personality than her sister Barbara and Craig were set up on a blind date by friends in November last year and officially became an item by New Year's Eve. Craig proposed to Barbara just five weeks before they tied the knot, during a family gathering in Maine. 'It's just been a very sweet romance,' Barbara told People. 'And we've been long-distance for most of it - he's been in LA and I've been in New York - but we've gotten to spend a lot of time together.' Sweetly, George H. W.'s service dog Sully, a yellow Labrador who has been at the former president's side since June, attended the ceremony as well. A photo of Sully during the ceremony was posted on his Instagram account, with a caption reading: 'Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. I've never seen my best friend so happy.' Who is Craig Coyne, the man who stole Barbara Bush's heart? The world was stunned when former first daughter Barbara announced that she had wed in an intimate ceremony over the weekend - but just who exactly is the man lucky enough to win her hand in marriage According to a statement from the Bush family, Craig Louis Coyne, 37, is a writer who originally hails from Georgia, and a graduate of Vanderbilt University. He is the son of Edward James Jr. and his wife Darlene, and has two siblings - older brother Edward James III, and a younger sister, Kathleen. As well as boasting credentials as a writer however, Craig has also worked as an actor, appearing in a handful of movies, including Jarhead (2005) and Unlovable (2018), as well as the web series Lonelygirl15 (2006) according to his IMDB page. Craig was cast by director Sam Mendes for Jarhead, which is based on the memoir of US Marine Anthony Swofford and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead. The website for Craig's agent - Independent Talent - also reveals that he once worked as a Page in the U.S. House of Representatives. Pages in this position typically serve in their junior year of high school, meaning Craig likely worked as a page between 1997 and 1998, when Bill Clinton was in the White House. Since turning his hand to writing, Craig has worked on a live-action show for Comedy Central, and an original series with Parks and Rec star Jim OHeir, which is said to be in post-production. The groom, who creates web content and series with producers located in Los Angeles and in the UK, has also written a play, Delusions of Grammar, which has him a spot in the selection of the 2016 William Inge Theatre Festival in Kansas. Craig first met Barbara after the pair were set up on a blind date in November last year, and they then got engaged over the summer - in the same place that Barbara's grandfather popped the question. Advertisement Barbara has long been more reserved than her twin sister. While Jenna has 611,000 followers on her Instagram account and regularly shares snapshots of her family life with Today viewers, Barbara does not have an official account on the platform and has worked as the co-founder of Global Health Corps, a nonprofit focused on public health. Meanwhile, Coyne is a writer and former actor who appeared in a handful of movies, including Jarhead (2005), and Unlovable (2018), as well as the web series Lonelygirl15 (2006). Craig was cast by director Sam Mendes for Jarhead, which is based on the memoir of US Marine Anthony Swofford and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead. Unlovable is an upcoming dramedy about a woman struggling with sex addiction. The Vanderbilt University alumni considers himself the 'world's biggest Chick-Fil-A fan' according to a website for one of his films. After graduating from Vanderbilt, the groom worked as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives before moving to Los Angeles. Pages in this position typically serve in their junior year of high school, meaning Craig likely worked as a page between 1997 and 1998. The president at the time was Bill Clinton, and Craig's new father-in-law George W. didn't enter the White House until January 2001. As a writer, Craig has worked on a live-action show for Comedy Central, as well as an original series with Parks and Rec star Jim O'Heir called Ask Play, which he also directed and which is said to be in post-production. The groom, who creates web content and series with producers located in Los Angeles and in the UK, has also written a play, Delusions of Grammar, which has him a spot in the selection of the 2016 William Inge Theatre Festival in Kansas. Reports that Barbara might be getting ready to tie the knot first surfaced last week however - despite the family's best efforts to keep the ceremony a secret. On Wednesday, Page Six reported that close friends and family of the bride and groom had been sent an invitation via Paperless Post to 'toast Barbara and Craig' at a Tribeca loft this coming Friday, just five days after the wedding took pace. The gathering is reportedly being hosted by Jenna and her husband Henry, and guests were told of the dress code: 'Sequins highly encouraged to get your groove on.' A friend of the couple said another party for 'only about 20 people' will then be held for just the close family and friends of Bush and Coyne on Saturday, however it is not known whether the source was in fact referring to Barbara's intimate wedding celebration. Barbara turns 37 years old November 25 and less than two years ago the Greenwich Village resident was believed to be dating filmmaker Andrew Jenks. The pair had been at a Rangers Game and Chris Gethard comedy show at the Lynn Redgrave Theater in December 2016. She was reportedly seeing Ping-Pong club SPiN business partner, Franck Raharinosy prior to that and the venue was often the location of events she hosted. A single woman who grew tired of being asked when she was getting married has made the extraordinary decision to tie the knot to herself. Oxford student Lulu Jemimah, 32, was fed-up of her family lecturing her on the importance of settling down with the right man. But marriage is the last thing on her mind as she studies a masters in creative writing at the prestigious university. So, in a bid to get her parents off her back, she decided to stage a mock wedding and sent formal invites out to her nearest and dearest. She hired a dress, walked through the venue to the traditional wedding march and even gave a speech to her guests explaining the lack of a groom. Lulu Jemimah got 'married' to herself in Uganda in August (pictured) after she grew tired of being asked when she was going to find a husband and settle down Lulu on her 'wedding' day. The student arranged the last-minute ceremony at Quepasa Bar in the Ugandan capital Kampala on August 27 - her 32nd birthday Lulu previously worked as a freelance journalist and a communications consultant for the International Organisation for Migration. She is currently studying at Oxford University Lulu admits her Ugandan parents are baffled by her decision - but said she feels it was the perfect commitment to herself and her studies. The entire day cost just 2 - for her taxi to the pub venue - as she managed to get the rest of her big day for free or as gifts from friends. Proud singleton Lulu said: 'I have a strong passion in life and I am committed to achieving my goals at becoming an academic. 'But all my family wanted to ask me was when I planned to get married - which is very important back in Uganda - followed by when I would be having children and starting a family. 'My father wrote my wedding speech when I turned 16. Every birthday my mother prayed for me and in recent years this has included a plea for a good husband. The blushing bride on her wedding day. Lulu admits her Ugandan parents are baffled by her decision - but said she feels it was the perfect commitment to herself and her studies Lulu says she decided to 'marry' herself because in spite of her success, all her parents could think about when she was going to get a boyfriend and tie the knot, she claims 'But I just didn't want to think about walking up the aisle. It's not the thing which keeps me up at night.' Lulu previously worked as a freelance journalist and a communications consultant for the International Organisation for Migration. But in 2013 she received a BA Media (film) scholarship from Macquarie University in Australia. After completing her undergraduate degree, she turned her attention to the UK and applied to Oxford University to do a masters, which she started in August 2017. 'I could not believe that they had chosen me,' Lulu said. 'I still can't believe it.' However in spite of her success, all her parents could think about when she was going to get a boyfriend and tie the knot, she claims. Lulu on her big day. One friend played the roll of the vicar as Lulu staged a mock exchanging of vows with herself in front of around 30 guests Lulu returned home to Uganda for her birthday in August and was planning a 'low key' celebration, until friends convinced her otherwise. She joked she'd 'show up in a wedding dress' - and the idea stuck. 'One of my closest friends Karin reminded me that I had a lot to celebrate this year like getting into Oxford and I joked that I would show up in a wedding dress,' she said. 'We had been talking about this marriage pressure and she loved the idea so much that she offered to get me the wedding gown. 'Then I decided, you know what weddings seem so important here - I will marry myself.' Lulu arranged the last-minute ceremony at Quepasa Bar in the Ugandan capital Kampala on August 27 - her 32nd birthday. Lulu (pictured in the UK the first time she saw snow) returned home to Uganda for her birthday in August and was planning a 'low key' celebration, until friends convinced her otherwise A friend who works as a web designer made and printed her invites, and her friend paid to hire her dress, while her brother baked her cake. Lulu added: '[As soon as] I sent these out I immediately received phone calls asking who the groom was. I told people it was a surprise. 'It's shocking the price of wedding gowns in Uganda but when I told them I was marrying myself they offered to find me their cheapest dress. 'I did feel a bit crazy trying on the dress and explaining that I was marrying myself. There was a kind of dismissive tolerance from the girls in the bridal shop. 'I had to leave an ID card behind and when they saw my Oxford university card they screamed and were so impressed. I tried a few on and I almost cried. 'It really is a special moment and I understood more than I had the excitement around weddings.' Oxford student Lulu is currently crowdfunding to help pay for her tuition. She explained: 'I constantly tried to look for scholarships, grants and [have] even contacted embassies and government bodies' A friend did Lulu's makeup in the loos at the venue, and the bar owner - also a friend - played the wedding march as she exited the toilets and walked into the venue. 'I then spent a few minutes talking to friends and awkwardly explaining that there was no groom - most of them knew by this point,' she said. Another friend played the roll of the vicar as Lulu staged a mock exchanging of vows with herself in front of around 30 guests. 'I was extremely happy,' she said. 'So many friends showed up, as well as international and local journalists, film directors and feminist entrepreneurs. 'Marriage is an expression of love and commitment, however for many people back home, it is still considered the only way to guarantee a woman's financial security.' 'I had worried about coming off as stupid but to have such a strong intellectual group of friends behind the idea, that was all the validation I needed for the choices I have made.' Her parents didn't attend the big day but she did go and see her mother to explain her choice. In her element: After completing her undergraduate degree, Lulu turned her attention to the UK and applied to Oxford University to do a masters, which she started in August 2017 'When we talked the next day she was a bit confused and slightly hurt, but explained that by even wearing a wedding dress it proved I was ready for marriage,' she said. 'My father still maintains that he doesn't know what to say.' The wedding wasn't legally binding - as you can't legally marry yourself - and Lulu is currently crowdfunding to help pay for her tuition. 'I constantly tried to look for scholarships, grants and [have] even contacted embassies and government bodies. 'I considered taking out a loan but was told, as an international student, I was not eligible. 'From the generosity of 279 people (many friends, most strangers), I managed to secure the first year's tuition. I am now crowdfunding to pay for my full second-year tuition.' To support Lulu's GoFundMe, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/kzysnz-this-is-my-love-story A teenage dancer with scoliosis who wowed on Britain's Got Talent today performed a new routine in honour of the upcoming royal wedding. Julia Carlile, of Liverpool, was 15 when she appeared on the 2017 series of the ITV talent show as part of youth dance troupe MerseyGirls. She spoke movingly of how her dreams of being a professional dancer had been threatened by a scoliosis diagnosis and how she hoped to win the competition so she could use her share of the 250,000 prize money to pay for spinal surgery. While MerseyGirls failed to take home the crown, the show was still life-changing for Julia as judge Simon Cowell was so touched by her determination he pledged to personally stump up the 175,000 needed for her corrective operation. Aspiring dancer: Julia Carlile, of Liverpool, made headlines on BGT in 2017 after she revealed she had scoliosis. Simon Cowell was so moved he offered to stump up the 175,000 needed to send the teenager to the US for a corrective procedure not available on the NHS Big dreams: After making it to the BGT finals, Julia told how she hoped to win the competition so she could use her share of the 250,000 prize money to pay for spinal surgery. Cowell later paid. Pictured, Julia (front right in pink) with the MerseyGirls after their stunning audition Royal tribute: The story also caught the attention of Princess Eugenie, who was diagnosed with scoliosis in childhood. The royal invited the MerseyGirls to her royal wedding in Windsor. As a thank you, the MerseyGirls choreographed a new dance as a wedding gift for the bride-to-be. A video of the new routine was shown on This Morning today, pictured The story also caught the attention of Princess Eugenie, who was diagnosed with scoliosis in childhood. The royal wrote to Julia and the MerseyGirls to wish them luck in the competition and recently invited them to the Royal Wedding. Today Julia and the MerseyGirls paid tribute to Princess Eugenie's kindness by performing a new dance, which was choreographed as a wedding gift, on This Morning. Presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield told how the teenagers had come up with the routine as a way to mark the nuptials of Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. The ballet-inspired routine is set to Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding, who is a close friend of Eugenie's and is expected to be among the guests at the royal wedding on Friday. A full version of the video is available on the This Morning app. Touched: Princess Eugenie, who was diagnosed with scoliosis aged 12, watched the MerseyGirls' BGT audition and wrote to wish them good luck. The royal, pictured with fiance Jack Brooksbank at their engagement shoot, later invited them to visit Buckingham Palace Major surgery: Julia was able to fly to the US to undergo a pioneering procedure called Anterior scoliosis correction (ASC) to correct the curve in her spine. Pictured, in hospital Scoliosis is a condition that causes the bones in the spine to curve out of shape. It can affect people of any age but most often becomes visible between the ages of ten and 15. The causes are unknown but most commonly it is a result of abnormal growth of the spine, which sometimes runs in families. Despite suffering from the spine deformity, Julia stood proudly alongside her friends and delivered a Britain's Got Talent performance so powerful they won a standing ovation from the judges. Alicia Dixon was so impressed she hit the 'golden buzzer' and fast-tracked them to the finals. Princess Eugenie, who was diagnosed with the condition aged 12, was watching and wrote to the MerseyGirls at the time. Back in action: In February this year determined Julia (far left) appeared on This Morning to show how she was now able to perform a 'perfect' walkover following the surgery How do you perform Anterior scoliosis correction to straighten the back? Scoliosis causes the spine to curve to the side instead of running straight down the back. The curve can affect any part of the spine and there can be more than one curve. Anterior scoliosis correction (ASC) aims to reduce the degree of the curve and untwist it using screws and a flexible cord. Doctors access the front of the spine via a 3-4in incision made in the side of the patients body. A titanium screw is inserted via this incision into each vertebra affected by the curve. In very large rigid curves, the discs between vertebrae and the ligament running down the spine are abnormally stiff, restricting flexibility, and may require cutting. This allows the spine to untwist and straighten better. A flexible cord is then inserted vertically down the spine and held in place by the screws. This is pulled tighter from the top vertebra to the bottom vertebra of the curve, pulling the spine straight. Advertisement 'I wanted to send you a small note to wish you so much luck in the final,' she wrote. 'I was watching on Thursday. I was so happy you got through. Your performance was amazing, so very well done. 'I bet youre all going to be so nervous but remember you have so many people rooting for you and you are inspiring people all across the country.' After her diagnosis, Eugenie underwent an eight-hour operation which saw medics insert eight-inch titanium rods into each side of her spine and one-and-a-half inch screws at the top of her neck. However this operation was not suitable for Julia, as it would have left her back too rigid for the flexible bends needed to become a professional dancer. Fortunately, after being moved by her story, Cowell stepped in and offered to pay the 175,000 needed to send Julia to the US to undergo a pioneering procedure - called Anterior scoliosis correction (ASC) - which is currently not available on the NHS. In February this year the determined dancer appeared on This Morning to show how she was now able to perform a 'perfect' walkover following the surgery. Julia and the MerseyGirls were also invited to be among the well-wishers and charity representatives who will soak up the atmosphere within the grounds of Windsor Castle when Eugenie ties the knot with Jack Brooksbank on Friday. She hit the headlines for her many holidays after being released from prison, but former 'Peru Two' drugs mule Michaella McCollum has swapped Spanish beaches for something a little more mundane since becoming a mother. Michaella, 24, from Belfast, Northern Ireland who gave birth to twins Raphael and Rio in May was spotted on a shopping trip at her local Tesco, with her baby boys in tow. While many mothers find a trip to the supermarket rather fraught with even one young baby, Michaella looked remarkably unflustered as she pushed her trolley stocked with essentials for the boys including nappies and formula. She carried one twin strapped to her chest in a sling, while the other remained in his car seat in the trolley. Former 'Peru Two' drugs mule Michaella McCollum, 24, from Belfast has been spotted picking up nappies for her twin boys on a shopping trip at her local Tesco She has her hands full! Following the shopping trip Michaella settled one twin back into his car seat after carrying him around the store in a sling And the new mother managed to look impossibly glamorous for the outing with her blonde locks tumbling around her shoulders and a full face of make-up. The former jailbired nailed the smart casual looks in a pair of sporty checked leggings with stripes down the side, teamed with a yellow and white striped top. Arriving at her car, she took one baby out of his sling and settled him in his car seat before getting both twins back in the car. Michaella, who shot to notoriety in 2013 when she and her friend Melissa Reid were arrested in Lima for smuggling drugs and dubbed the Peru Two in the press, has never revealed who the father of the twins is. Michaella kept her hands free by carrying one of her baby sons around the store in a sling while his brother remained in the car seat Mum on the go! Michaella unpacked her shopping into the boot of her car while one twin rested in his car seat and she held the other in a sling The mother-of-two headed out to the shops to stock up essentials for her two boys, including a stash of Pampers nappies Former jailbird Michaella added a touch of glamour to her outing with a Chanel handbag, spotted in the boot of her car But she has posted snaps on Instagram with a mystery man - thought to be her boyfriend - omitting his face from the pictures. Reid and McCollum met in Ibiza in 2013 where they were employed by a drug-dealing gang. They were sentenced to spend six years and eight months inside a grim jail in Lima, after they were caught at the airport trying to smuggle 1.5M worth of cocaine. From beaches to babies! Michaella became known for her many holidays after being released from jail in Lima, but these days she is focusing on being a mother to her five-month-old twins Michaella showed off her toned post-baby figure in a pair of checked leggings with sporty stripes down the side and a pair of black slip-on trainers Doting mother! Michaella seems to have taken to motherhood with ease after welcoming her twin boys Rio and Raphael in May this year However, they were released after serving three years, with Michaella returning to Northern Ireland in June 2016. Since her release from prison, Michaella has become something of a public figure, attending events and escaping the chilly British weather on a string of sun-kissed holidays last summer. By contrast her former accomplice Melissa Reid, landed a charity job at Citizens Advice after she was released from jail in South America in June 2016. Michaella McCollum spotted at a branch of Tesco in Belfast with her twin boys. She's never revealed the identity of her children's father, but hinted at having a mystery boyfriend on Instagram Mum goals! Michaella looked calm and unflustered as she navigated a trip to the supermarket with her two young babies After strapping her boys into the car in their seats and packing the car boot, Michaella returned her empty trolley before heading home Busy mama! Michaella took the opportunity to pop into Tesco to stock up on essentials for her twin boys who were born in May this year Michaella was also reportedly offered 250,000 for a tell-all book deal detailing her criminal exploits and time behind bars in Lima, although no details of the publication have been released. On confirming her pregnancy earlier this year, her agent said: Michaella is looking forward to her journey into motherhood. 'Couple this with the excitement of her book release and 2018 is set to be an amazing year for Michaella.' The mother-of-two, recently announced on Instagram that she was hiring employees for an unspecified 'global' social media business Micahella swept her hair off her face using a free hand as she pushed her trolley full of baby essentials to her waiting car It's a balancing act! Busy mother Michaella has a lot on her plate with two young babies but seems to be taking to motherhood like a natural Mum on duty! Michaella took her twins out of the car and then pulled out a baby sling so that she could carry one of them and keep her hands free Busy mother-of-two Michaella strapped on her baby sling so that she could easily carry one of her twins around the supermarket She's a Yummy Mummy! Michaella showed off her prowess for casual dressing in figure-hugging checked jeggings and a striped top She advertised the job opportunity through an Instagram story that outlined the benefits of 'being your own boss'. McCollum explained: 'Starting my own business working with social media and award winning products on a global level was the best decision for me and my circumstances.' The exact nature of the business is not clear but it is thought it might be linked to cosmetics. McCollum has also previously promoted self-tanning products on Instagram The mother-of-two made sure her sling was strapped on securely as she prepared to head into Tesco to stock up on essentials for her two boys PML-N called emergency meeting of CEC The top leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) has called an emergency meeting of the central executive committee (CEC)of the party for Monday (today). The CEC of the party will meet at 11am in Lahore and will be chaired by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The meeting has been called to devise a strategy in the aftermath of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharifs arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). During Sundays meeting at Jati Umra, the PML-N termed the arrest of former Punjab chief minister days before October 14 by-polls as unacceptable. Hamza Shehbaz and Salman Shehbaz briefed Nawaz Sharif on his brothers physical remand. Maryam Nawaz also attended the meeting in which several other political matters were also discussed. The NAB had arrested the PML-N president in Rs14billion housing scandal on Friday. An accountability court on Saturday granted 10-day physical remand of Shehbaz to the NAB. Ousted premier Nawaz Sharif along with other members of Shahbazs family met the opposition leader at the National Accountability Bureaus (NAB) Lahore office on Sunday, two days after he was taken into custody by the bureau in the Ashiana Housing Scheme case. Shahbazs wife Nusrat, and his sons Hamza and Salman were present during the meeting which reportedly lasted an hour and 15 minutes. According to reports, the meeting was arranged after the approval of NAB Director General Irfan Naeem Mangi at the bureaus Lahore office where the PML-N president is being kept under custody. Sharing a name with a famous person can prompt endless jokes and comments but in these particularly politically-charged times, having the same name as a political figure can be especially tiresome. That's something a young man from Kentucky named Brett Kavanagh has learned only too well in recent weeks: On Friday, Brett, 27, complained about the recent woes of having his name, prompting others with famous names to commiserate. Women named Siri and Alexa, and men named Michael Jackson and Bruce Lee, all tweeted about how hard it is to have a well-known name. Different guys! A man named Brett Kavanagh has complained about having the same name as new SCOTUS judge Brett Kavanaugh Viral: This Brett, from Kentucky took to Twitter to talk about the unfortunate coincidence His tweet inspired others to chime in, including this person who pointed to a Scottish man named Steve Bannon who is not the same as Breitbart's Steve Bannon Not the famous one! A man named Bruce Y. Lee knows the struggle This Brett, who works in customer service and lives in Louisville, spells his last name differently from new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but it seems their nearly-identical names has caused him some trouble. Tough times: Brett (pictured) doesn't spell his name the same way as the judge, either 'This is a terrible time to be named Brett Kavanagh,' he tweeted. Though he is obviously not thrilled, a million Twitter users found the problem amusing enough to like the tweet. And several chimed in, pointing to the problems of their own names. 'My parents could never have guessed what would happen with my name,' wrote a woman named Siri Ellis, who was named Siri long before Apple introduced its assistant. Women named Alexa had similar complaints which were highlighted when other Twitter users started asking them questions. 'My middle school child lives with this pain. "Alexa... play Despacito!"' wrote one mother. Hey Siri! When this woman's parents named her Siri, it was years before Apple named its AI assistant She doesn't have all the answers! Women named Alexa can relate, thanks to Amazon Not robots! Siri (left) and Alexa (right) are used to jokes about their names Someone pointed to the Twitter account @SteveBannon who is actually not Breitbart's Steve Bannon, but a Scot living in England whose Twitter bio defiantly states, 'Nothing to do with US politics or running the White House etc.' Others chose to look on the bright side, like a man named Michael Jackson. He wrote: 'Just gotta embrace it for the icebreaker and conversation starter that is. Plus it helps people to remember you more easily.' A man named Bruce Y. Lee chimed in, '"My name really is" is a phrase I know well.' 'You know how many times Ive been asked if I have a peanut farm?' tweeted a man named James Carter who pointed out that he purposefully does not go by Jimmy, like the former President. Also complaining were people named James Brown, Alex Jones, Susan Collins, and Thomas Edison. But it seems the man named Brett is having a particularly hard time these days given how divisive the other Brett Kavanaugh is. A pain! Men named Alex Jones (left) and Steve Bannon (right) share names with famous people, too The prez: This man added that he doesn't go by 'Jimmy' so he won't get confused with the former President Conspiracy slinger: This person does not like being named Alex Jones Positive attitude: This man named Michael Jackson just embraces is Kavanagh said he couldn't take it when his name became the hottest topic of conversation last week and his phone was inundated with Twitter notifications. He's been tagged in mean tweets and criticized for his judicial philosophy by angry Twitter users bombarding his account, as the real judge does not have a Twitter profile. Phew! Bruce Y. Lee (pictured) has it a bit better since his counterpart isn't a political figure 'Dude, it was literally like a machine gun. It was like my phone caught a virus. It was constantly vibrating,' Kavanagh said to the Louisville Courier Journal. 'I had a couple of beers and I was like 'You know what, I'm just going to throw this out there. I thought to myself, "This is a terrible time to be named Brett Kavanagh,"' he added. On Saturday, Kavanaugh was confirmed and sworn in as a justice on the Supreme Court, a lifetime appointment that many experts say will swing the Court to the right for a generation to come. The confirmation came after particularly tense hearings, in which a former acquaintance of Kavanaugh, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school. Her gripping testimony led to an emotionally-charged rebuttal from Kavanaugh, who denied her charges, and then an abbreviated FBI investigation into the claims. On Saturday, the Senate voted 50 to 48 to confirm the judge the lowest-ever number of votes a SCOTUS justice has received. A woman who confessed to the murder of a man she claims raped her 42 years ago, but was branded a 'con artist' by police, may be telling the truth according to a top psychologist. Janet Holt, now 69, underwent intensive therapy which she said brought back 'memories' of shooting dead her business partner Fred Handford, then 56, after he allegedly raped her twice. She claims she went on to bury Handford on Ball Beard Farm in Buxton, Derbyshire, where she lived - but extensive police searches have never found his body and the case remains open. In new ITV documentary Am I A Murderer? Janet's statements are re-examined by psychologist Jamie Hacker Hughes who debunks any suggestion of false memories. 'Her recall of the two rapes leads me to feel, yes, this is something that actually happened,' he said in the programme according to the Sun. Janet Holt, now 69, was 26 at the time when she claimed she shot Fred Handford after he raped her twice. According to her rediscovered memories she then put him in a wheelbarrow and buried him in a shallow grave on Ball Beard Farm in Buxton In 1976, residents of New Mills in Derbyshire were shocked by the sudden and mysterious disappearance of farmer Fred Handford (pictured). Police launched a missing persons investigation, but he was never found and detectives concluded that he had taken his own life Janet visits memory expert and former president of the British Psychological Society, to find out if he thinks her claims might be credible and he says that while her memories of the murder are vague the details of the rapes are compelling. Janet says in the documentary: 'Why would my memory have invented this story? What possible purpose? What could it be based on? And what purpose does it have?' She adds: 'Im absolutely certain my memories are true. Ive no doubt whatsoever. But well see what the expert has to say I know thats a possibility that you can have false memories, but I dont believe that these are.' But, despite her admission of guilt, police investigating the murder insisted she was innocent and has ulterior motives for her claim. Det. Insp Paul Cullen said: 'She has tried to con police and a psychologist to try and make financial gain.' Further doubt was cast on Janets story after an investigation into her background revealed she was a thief and a convicted fraudster. Then they discovered that Janet was working with a local journalist, Helen Parker, who was writing her autobiography. The police concluded that Janet had made up her story in order to sell her book. Helen said: 'When I read it I did want to know what was causing her nightmares. And I did want to know what had happened to Fred. 'And my initial thoughts were Janet must've been so traumatised by something that had happened with Fred that had caused the nightmares.' In November 2011, Janet Holt called the police and made her extraordinary confession pointing them in the direction of the shallow grave (pictured above). She told detectives that she had been raped by Fred and fearing he would do it again, she shot him at point blank range Ball Beard Farm in Derbyshire, where Janet still lives, police excavated part of the field where Janet claimed to have put Freds body - but found nothing Fred Handford's daughter Lynette Chapman firmly believes that Janet Holt murdered her father but not in self-defence but for monetary gain In the documentary Freds daughter Lynette Chapman also casts suspicion on Janet's story; she firmly believes Janet murdered him for monetary reasons, not rape. 'Ive read far too many murder mysteries and watched far too many crime thrillers,' she said. 'Who actually benefited the most from it all? And theres only one person I think thats Miss Janet Holt. 'If he'd committed suicide, surely some remains would have been discovered at some point because I don't really think it's your priority when your committing suicide to hide your body. 'So, unless you're in some really obscure place I can't see how a body can be hidden.' While Lynette doesn't believe her father raped Janet, she admits in the documentary that she 'once had to defend herself against her violent father with a knife, and he once attacked her mother'. Further doubt was cast on Janets story after an investigation into her background revealed she was a thief and a convicted fraudster Police discovered that Janet was working with a local journalist, Helen Parker, who was writing her autobiography. They believed that Janet had made up her story in order to sell her book For more than 30 years Miss Holt, who worked with him at Ball Beard farm in Buxton, Derbyshire, had no clue what happened to Fred Handford. But she had repeated unexplained nightmares about Mr Handford and underwent therapy to see if there was something locked deep in her mind. Miss Holt said the recollection was terrifyingly clear - she shot Fred after he twice raped her, then put his body in a wheelbarrow and buried him on their farm. Police arrested and interviewed her in 2011 after she went to officers and told them where she believed she buried the body. But after extensive searches of the 50-acre farm, he was never found and she was released and the case remains open. WHO DID JANET HOLT CLAIM SHE HAS MURDERED AND WHY? Janet Holt claims that after hypnotherapy to try and help her nightmares she discovered buried memories In November 2011, Janet called the police and made her extraordinary confession. She told detectives that she had been raped by Fred Handford and fearing he would do it again, she shot him at point blank range and dumped his body in a shallow grave. For more than 30 years Miss Holt, who worked with him at Ball Beard farm in Buxton, Derbyshire, had no clue what happened to Mr Handford. But she had repeated unexplained nightmares about Mr Handford and underwent therapy to see if there was something locked deep in her mind. Miss Holt said the recollection was terrifyingly clear - she shot Fred after he twice raped her, then put his body in a wheelbarrow and buried him on their farm. Police arrested and interviewed her in 2011 after she went to officers and told them where she believed she buried the body and police carried out extensive searches of the 50-acre farm. Police launched a missing persons investigation, but he was never found and detectives concluded that Fred had committed suicide. She was released and the case remains open. Janet claims that she had been raped by Fred Handford and fearing he would do it again, she shot him at point blank range and dumped his body in a shallow grave. But his body has never been found Advertisement In 1976, residents of New Mills in Derbyshire were shocked by the sudden and mysterious disappearance of farmer Fred Handford. Police launched a missing persons investigation, but he was never found and detectives concluded that Fred had committed suicide. Since Freds disappearance his business partner at Ballbeard Farm, Janet Holt, had been plagued by nightmares and eventually sought the help of a psychotherapist. It was during this treatment that Janet began to remember what happened on the day Fred disappeared and she was convinced she had committed a brutal murder. In November 2011, Janet called the police and made her extraordinary confession. She told detectives that she had been raped by Fred and fearing he would do it again, she shot him at point blank range and dumped his body in a shallow grave. Janet says she always feels like she will have the murder hanging over her until it is proved she either did or didn't commit the crime: 'Its so frustrating when you feel that people are not even beginning to believe you and youre left with no other way of convincing them other than just repeating the truth all the time' She says: 'I thought he was going to do it again. And he had a shotgun and it was leaned against the wall in the corner where I was sat. So I picked it up and I pointed it at him and I pulled the trigger. And I shot him.' Former duty detective inspector Shaun McElheron realised that there could be something in her claims after she was interviewed by his officers. He says: 'As the evening progressed, the more I got back from the officers, the more I thought there could well be something in this or certainly Janet knows a lot about the case that not many people would have known.' Police excavated part of the field where Janet claimed to have put Freds body - but found nothing. Janet, who still lives on the farm, says: 'They took about two foot off the top of the field and then brought me back to show me that there was nothing there.' In the documentary shares her frustrations over the entire case: 'Theres always the thought, of that possibility of a knock on the door in the future. But Ive done everything I can - and I cant do any more. 'Its so frustrating when you feel that people are not even beginning to believe you and youre left with no other way of convincing them other than just repeating the truth all the time.' Am I A Murderer? airs on ITV Wednesday at 9pm Barbara Bush has tied the knot during an intimate, secret wedding with Craig Louis Coyne, a comedy writer, having kept her new beau hidden from the public eye since they first met in November last year. The former first daughter, 36, wowed the public when she announced that she had tied the knot with 37-year-old Craig on Sunday at her family home in Kennebunkport, Maine, having kept her relatively-short engagement a closely-guarded secret. So just who is the man who won Barbara's hand in marriage? Nuptials: Barbara Bush, 36, tied the knot with Craig Coyne, 37, on Sunday in Kennebunkport, Maine, in an intimate, secret ceremony Credits: Craig, who is now a writer, has worked as an actor and starred in several movies and short films. He is pictured in I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell in 2009 Although he has been living in Los Angeles for the past few years, Craig is originally from Georgia, where he was raised by Family Nurse Practitioner Darlene Coyne, 63, and Edward James Coyne Jr., 65, along with his two siblings, Edward James III, 38, and Kathleen, 32. He went on to study at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennnessee - his mother's alma mater - before moving to California; he is now set to live with Barbara in New York, after wooing his new wife from afar for much of their relationship. Interestingly, Craig has come close to the White House; one of his earliest jobs saw him work as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives, a role that is typically occupied by those in their junior year of high school, meaning Barbara's husband would have likely served from 1997 to 1998. The president at the time was Bill Clinton; Craig's new father-in-law George W. didn't enter the White House until January 2001, while his grandfather-in-law George H.W. finished his presidency several years before, in 1993. Craig, who is described as 'a small-town Southerner' on his agency's website, received his first acting credit in 2005, when director Sam Mendes cast him in his biographical war drama Jarhead. The movie is based on the memoir of US Marine Anthony Swofford, with Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead. Craig plays a young Swofford in the movie. Craig's acting credits also include the web series Lonelygirl15, which aired between 2006 and 2008, as well as Unlovable, an upcoming dramedy about a woman struggling with sex addiction. Career: The writer has also starred in several short movies, including Adrift in 2010 Past: In 2012, Craig (center) appeared in Look At Me, a romantic dramedy that tells the story of seven twenty-somethings and the difficulties they face while dating and living in New York Roles: Craig (pictured in headshots) appeared in the web series Lonelygirl15, which aired between 2006 and 2008 Reunited: The bride and groom (center) posed for a group photo with their loved ones, including Laura, George H.W., George W., Jenna, Henry, Barbara's cousin Georgia Kotch (back row, second from right), as well as some of Craig's family members. Pictured back row, right is Craig's brother Edward James III, 38, who served as the groom's best man, while his mother Darlene, 63, is pictured in the blue dress sitting next to George W., and his sister Katie, 32, is pictured back row, third from left Back in 2009, Craig starred as a man named Logan in the comedy I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell, which focuses on a botched bachelor party and its consequences. While Craig's scenes as Logan were cut according to his IMDB page, a clip of Craig in the movie is still available online. His character can be seen being mocked by two other men while out at a bar on a date. The sequence sees the two men making fun of Logan's presumed fitness routine as well as his status as a 'frat rat'. Craig also starred in several short movies, including Adrift in 2010. In 2012, he appeared in Look At Me, a romantic dramedy that tells the story of seven twenty-somethings and the difficulties they face while dating and trying to live their lives in New York City. As a writer, Craig developed a live-action show for Comedy Central. He also wrote and created a TV series called Ask Play starring Parks and Recreation star Jim O'Heir, which is now said to be in post-production. Craig regularly creates web content and works on original series with producers located both in Los Angeles and in the UK. He was also written a play called Delusions of Grammar, which earned him a spot in the selection of the 2016 William Inge Theatre Festival in Kansas according to the website of his agency, Independent Talent. The Vanderbilt University alumni considers himself the 'world's biggest Chick-Fil-A fan' according to a website for one of his films. Part: In Lonelygirl15 (pictured), Craig played Carl Adams, a member of the cultish organization Hymn of One Path: Since his appearance on Lonelygirl15 (pictured), Craig has starred in several movies and short films Changes: Craig (pictured in Lonelygirl15) has turned his hand to writing and has also worked as a director Craig first met Barbara after the pair were set up on a blind date in November last year by a friend. They officially became an item by New Year's Eve and got engaged over the summer in the same place that Barbara's grandfather popped the question. During the ceremony, Craig's brother Edward, an attorney in Wilmington, North Carolina, served as the groom's best man. Reports that Barbara might be getting ready to tie the knot first surfaced last week - despite the family's best efforts to keep the ceremony a secret. Acting: Craig (pictured in the short film Adrift) developed his acting career before focusing on his writing On Wednesday, Page Six reported that close friends and family of the bride and groom had been sent an invitation via Paperless Post to 'toast Barbara and Craig' at a Tribeca loft this coming Friday, just five days after the wedding took pace. The gathering is reportedly being hosted by Jenna and her husband Henry, and guests were told of the dress code: 'Sequins highly encouraged to get your groove on.' A friend of the couple said another party for 'only about 20 people' will then be held for just the close family and friends of Barbara and Craig on Saturday, however it is not known whether the source was in fact referring to Barbara's intimate wedding celebration. Barbara and Craig tied the knot in Maine because that is where the bride's grandfather George H. W. Bush, 94, lives, Barbara's twin sister Jenna told Today. Jenna served as Barbara's matron of honor while her daughter Mila, five, and Poppy, three, served as flower girls, with Poppy taking on the additional duty of ring bearer. During the ceremony, the bride paid tribute to her late grandmother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, who died in April aged 92, by wearing a bracelet George H. W. gave his wife on their 70th wedding anniversary. The Blackstone Paddock Limited Release chardonnay 2017 won a prize for the best chardonnay in Western Australia An incredibly cheap wine from Aldi has won a prestigious award, beating out drops more than five times the price. The Blackstone Paddock Limited Release chardonnay 2017, which sells for $14.99 at the humble supermarket, won at the Western Australia Wine Show. It was a hot contender but had fierce competition with famous wines like Vasse Felix Heytesbury, which is $85 a bottle, Flametree SRS Wallcliffe, Xanadu Stevens Road and Deep Woods Estate SV, all taking part. The show is the biggest competition for WA wines and this year there were 834 entrants. This isn't the first time an Aldi drop has stolen the best in show prize. Last year One Road Coonawarra cabernet Merlot 2015, $6.99, won wine of the year and Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut No. III, $20, picked up a medal for the best champagne in the world. Chief judge Samantha Connew, a Tasmanian winemaker, told the West Australian the results showed the diversity and strength of vintages in WA. 'The 2017 chardonnays were very strong and world class as always and with the cooler vintage showing through in tighter, more coiled wines, these will provide good drinking for some time to come,' she said. An incredibly cheap wine from Aldi has won a prestigious award, beating out drops more than five times the price (stock image) 'Another standout for me and the judging team was the exceptional 2018 rieslings with six gold medals being awarded out of a field of 44 wines. These wines show a breadth of different styles from classic linear purity to funkier, slightly worked wines.' Interestingly rieslings are being tipped by Aldi's Buying Director for Wines and Sparkling, Jason Bowyer, as the drink for summer. 'Prosecco and Rose are all on trend at present, driven by consumers wanting refreshment and simplicity in their wine consumption,' Mr Bowyer told WHIMN. 'Like Prosecco and Rose, I believe that Riesling also deserves its moment - as it's appetising, racy and refreshing - a delicate nature just perfect for what consumers are chasing in white wine for the summer months.' Fraud will keep rising if the NHS doesn't crack down, officials have warned Fraud is costing the NHS nearly 1.3 billion each year, an official report has revealed. Patients are conning the health service out of around 341.7 million, while its own staff are cheating it of 94.2 million. And the money being lost could be enough to pay the wages of 40,000 nurses or buy 5,000 ambulances, experts say. The NHS Counter Fraud Authority, set up in November last year, announced the damning numbers in its first annual report. Officials have warned the amount people are stealing from the NHS will rise if action isn't taken to stop it. NHS staff are defrauding their employer out of around 94 million a year, but patients are thought to be conning the health service out of a huge 341.7m, a report has revealed Money is being lost from across the health service, the body said: dentists are defrauding around 126.1 million, opticians 79 million and GP surgeries 88m. Around 111 million is being lost to local pharmacies, and 35 million to people claiming healthcare in England which they're not entitled to, The Times reported. Other fraudulent activities involve the pensions of NHS staff, student bursaries, and legal claims. There were 45 criminal investigations being carried out at the end of March to try and prosecute fraudsters. Last month, a dentist from Swansea Elizabeth White was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence for stealing at least 24,000 from the health service. NHS CUTTING SERVICES TO SAVE MONEY Juggling a growing, ageing population with a tight budget has meant the NHS is tightening its purse strings and having to cut some services in order to save money: Patients will be denied hip or knee replacements unless their pain is so severe they cannot sleep through the night. In May many medicines stopped being available on NHS prescription. These include cough mixture, eye drops, laxatives, sun creams, paracetamol and anti-dandruff shampoo. Other proposals unveiled in March 2017 include new health tourism rules for GPs to ensure they record all EU patients and enable the NHS to claw back money from their home countries. Fresh bed-blocking targets were set for hospitals to free up a set number of beds currently occupied by elderly patients who should be at home. There are plans to ensure that NHS managers stop hiring expensive locum doctors who earn up to 200,000 a year. Advertisement She repeatedly claimed money from the NHS for work she had never done, or split multiple procedures from the same appointment into separate claims to increase the amount she was paid. Ms White paid 34,000 back to the NHS for the 398 false claims she had made. Sue Frith, the interim chief executive of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, said: 'Fraud always undermines the NHS, with every penny lost to fraud impacting on the delivery of vital patient services. 'If fraud is left unchecked, we believe losses will increase.' The report said there was no such thing as a 'typical' fraudster in the NHS, and added staff may be afraid of reporting fraud in case it gives the health service a bad reputation. Simon Hughes, the authority's interim chairman, said: 'Ensuring public money pays for services the public needs and doesn't line the pockets of criminals means we all benefit from securing NHS resources.' In March, a locksmith working for Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals in London was sent to prison for six years for conning the NHS out of nearly 600,000. Andrew Taylor, 55, from Southwark in London, was the new authority's first conviction and was found to have been massively overcharging the NHS for his services. And a neurology nurse, also from Southwark, was jailed for 16 months for doing shift work while she was on sick leave from her main job. Vivian Coker, 53, was paid 32,000 from her salary during 21 months of sick leave in 2014 to 2016, but was paid for other work during that time. Figures released earlier this year revealed the NHS has been 'haemorrhaging' nurses as 33,000 quit in the space of one year. One in 10 nurses leave their position in England every 12 months, the data showed - enough to staff more than 20 hospitals. Of those who have quit, more than half are under 40. Many cited stress and rising workloads behind their decision to leave. It comes after Prime Minister Theresa May promised the NHS would receive an extra 384 million a week after Brexit. In a major announcement to mark the 70th anniversary of the health service, the PM said it would receive an additional 20 billion a year in real terms funding by 2024. Taxes and borrowing are expected to rise to pay for the cash boost, and resources will be redirected from the more than 9 billion a year the UK currently pays into the EU. A nurse left with a bald patch the size of a grapefruit on the top of her head after she couldn't stop pulling out her hair has undergone an incredible transformation. Siobhan Kenny, from Downton in Wiltshire, dealt with her embarrassing problem using a unique mesh therapy. After diagnosing herself with trichotillomania also known as trich she has had a special type of wig attached to her hairless patch which has stopped her pulling her hair. She believes the breakdown of her marriage and the stresses of single motherhood triggered the condition. Ms Kenny first paid 1,600 for the therapy in March and it costs an extra 150 every six weeks. But the mother-of-two says it's worth it because she's 'got her mojo back' and has been able to start dating again. Siobhan Kenny, a cancer nurse from Wiltshire, compulsively pulled out her hair until she was left with a bald patch the size of a grapefruit (left) but has managed to kick the habit and 'get her mojo back' thanks to a mesh wig covering the hairless section (right) Ms Kenny's hair loss was caused by trich, a compulsive disorder in which people feel an uncontrollable urge to pull out their hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. The cancer nurse was left with no hair in the centre parting of her head but with long strands on either side. She said: 'I self diagnosed myself with trichotillomania about one year ago after I started pulling at my scalp. 'I was pulling my hair out most days and I was left with a huge bald patch on the top of my head. 'It took ages in the morning to try and cover it with my remaining hair. 'I hated people standing behind me and if it was windy outside I was worried my bald patch would be on show.' Doctors don't know exactly what causes the hair pulling disorder, but think it can be triggered by stress or anxiety, or be a chemical imbalance in the brain similar to OCD. Ms Kenny believes her trichotillomania began due to the pressures of being a single mother, her divorce, and anxiety and depression. She added: 'I felt so isolated at first as I didn't realise it was a condition others also suffered from. 'When I was a teenager I suffered a brief spell of anxiety-induced hair pulling, but this was short-lived and appeared to be a one-off episode. Ms Kenny, 48, believes her trichotillomania began because of the pressures of being a single mother, her divorce, and anxiety and depression (pictured before) Thanks to a 1,600 mesh woven into her hair and has patches of hair regularly replaced, Ms Kenny has got a full head of hair again and regained her confidence (pictured now) 'However, five years ago the habit returned. WHAT IS TRICHOTILLOMANIA? Trichotillomania, also known as trich, is an impulse control disorder which causes sufferers to impulsively pull out their hair at the root. Sufferers often feel a high level of tension and a strong urge to pull, followed by pleasure or relief when it is done. The condition may be caused by anxiety or depression and can result in baldness. Females are most commonly affected with the condition and it usually starts between the ages of nine and 13. Treatment focuses on therapy which records what an individual's triggers are and discusses how to overcome them. Source: OCD UK Advertisement 'During a period of immense difficulty and depression that arose as a result of problems at work and the breakdown of my marriage I unknowingly started pulling my hair again. 'I suffered hair loss on the crown and top of my head as well as on the front right-hand side, which as you can imagine made me feel extremely self-conscious as it was so close to my face.' But now Ms Kenny wears a type of mesh which covers just the bald patch and has hair woven into it to match up with her own. And if her own hair grows back it will grow through the mesh, called an Intralace System and made by the company Lucinda Ellery. Ms Kenny has since stopped pulling her hair and has a full head of hair with no bald patches. 'It wasn't until last year that I realised it wasn't just me who had the condition and I came across Lucinda Ellery. 'The initial appointment for the mesh treatment cost around 1,600 it was worth it to have my confidence back. Ms Kenny lost her confidence and would be worried to have people standing behind her because she had lost so much hair and had to try and style her remaining hair to cover it up (pictured five months into her treatment) Ms Kenny had suffered from trichotillomania when she was 15 but thought it was a one-off, until it returned after her marriage broke down (pictured five months into her treatment) 'I have the mesh reinserted every six weeks and this is another 150 per time. 'I can't recommend the company enough, they have been amazing and now I look completely different. 'I love my new hair and enjoy swishing it around! I have felt confident enough to start dating again and friends and family have noticed both my improved hair style, and that that my "mojo" appears to be back.' Ms Kenny's Intralace system is made of a breathable mesh which is placed between her existing hair and scalp. Panels made out of ultra fine mesh containing human hair are then added to disguise her hair loss. African American women have lower success rates from IVF - despite yielding more eggs and embryos than white women. Most believe that the most important number to look for is how many eggs and embryos are retrieved. But new research shows that there may be other factors at play, especially for black patients, who have a 14 percent lower live birth rate than white women, according to data from a large clinic in Washington, DC. Some of the discrepancy can be explained by the fact that the African American patients were more likely to be older, with a higher BMI. However, the researchers of the study warn much of it is likely caused by biological factors that we don't understand because black women are under-studied in medical research. Black women responded better to treatment but had fewer pregnancies and higher risk of miscarriage (file image) The paper, being presented today at the conference for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Denver, is an analysis of 36,000 patients that were treated at Shady Grove Fertility between 2004 and 2016. They showed that, in this cohort (unlike the general population), African American women were less likely to suffer uterine disorders, and they responded better to the ovarian stimulation given to extract eggs. They produced more eggs and more healthy embryos were fertilized. Pregnancy rates, however, were significantly lower in black women - 42 percent compared to 49 percent of white women. The rate of women who miscarried was much higher - 26 percent compared to 18 percent. And the live birth rate was 31 percent, compared to 40 percent for white women, a relative percentage difference of 14 percent. 'This important research points out the urgent need to better understand the factors that may contribute to these racial disparities,' said Christos Coutifaris MD, PhD, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. 'Improved knowledge of biological and other factors contributing to successful implantation and placenta development could lead to higher success rates and save patients from the heartbreak of a failed cycle or pregnancy loss.' It is hardly the first study to highlight the racial gap in results. In 2016, a study by the University of Chicago of 4,000 women found black women were half as likely to conceive. The same year, a study by Columbia University Medical Center found the same even when using donor eggs, and even when controlling for uterine disorders: black women were much less likely to get pregnant than white women. The new research paper being presented at ASRM sought to dig deeper at the underlying causes - and what they turned up did more to confirm the racial gap in medical research than identify concrete issues to work on. The NHS is urging 40,000 more black people to give blood and organs to meet an 'urgent' need for the life-saving donations. Fewer than 1.4 per cent of people from black backgrounds regularly donate blood, figures show, and just 25 black people donated organs after they died last year. Transplants and transfusions work better when donors and patients have the same ethnicity, but there are not enough black donors for the size of the population. NHS Blood and Transplant claims its research shows black people are less likely to donate because they may not discuss the issue openly, are more likely to be wary of the NHS and are more likely to fear needles. The health service is now making its appeal for thousands more donors as part of Black History Month throughout October. Davinia Caballero, 33, needed a kidney transplant from her brother because of sickle cell disease, and had regular blood transfusions during her treatment she is now urging other black people to sign up to be donors 'Donors save and improve lives,' said Sally Johnson, interim chief executive of NHSBT. 'More than 2,300 people from the black community are alive today thanks to an organ transplant. 'More black people are saving lives in these ways. 'But there is still an urgent need for people in the black community to help others who depend on a match with a donor from a similar ethnic background.' NHSBT said more black people are donating blood and organs than five years ago, but there is still an urgent need for extra supplies. Last year, 31 black people died while waiting for a transplant and 632 people are currently on the waiting list. The shortage means black people wait an average of at least six months longer for a kidney transplant than white people. People of Caribbean or African heritage are also more likely to have a vital blood type - Ro - used to treat patients with sickle cell disease. Only 1.37 per cent of black people are regular blood donors, according to NHS Blood and Transplant figures, but they are more likely to develop sickle cell disease, which requires regular transfusions WHAT IS SICKLE CELL DISEASE? Sickle cell disease is the umbrella term for a group of inherited conditions that severely affect red blood cells. Around 15,000 people in the UK are sufferers and it is particularly common in people of African or Caribbean descent. Healthy red blood cells - produced by stem cells within bone marrow - are biconcaved discs that can bend and flex easily. However, in those with sickle cell disease, faulty stem cells produce red blood cells which are crescent shaped. They are rigid, unable to squeeze through smaller blood vessels and prone to causing blockages that deprive parts of the body of oxygen. Sickle cell sufferers can have a shorter life expectancy and treatment mainly focuses on alleviating symptoms, such as pain and infections, through blood transfusions and painkillers. But some people with milder forms of the illness can live longer lives. Advertisement Black people are more likely to need an organ transplant because they are at higher risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, which can cause organ failure. Transplants and transfusions are more successful when people receive donations from donors who are the same ethnicity as them, NHSBT said. The body said its research has shown people of African or Caribbean backgrounds are less likely to donate because it is not openly discussed in their communities. And black people are more likely to have a fear of needles, and more likely to be apprehensive about trusting the NHS or tackling their own health problems, according to the NHSBT. Davinia Caballero, 33, from Brixton in London, needed a transplant after her kidneys were damaged by sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is a condition in which blood cells cannot carry oxygen properly, and can cause pain, an increased risk of infection, lungs and stroke. She relied on dialysis and needed blood transfusions during her treatment when she Davinia received a kidney from her brother, David, through living donation in 2017. 'I was lucky. Without my brothers generosity I may have faced years on dialysis because of the lack of donors, particularly from black backgrounds. 'People in our community dont talk enough about organ donation and that needs to change,' said Ms Caballero. 'More black people need to step up as blood donors too. Blood transfusions helped me through dialysis and I have friends with sickle cell who rely on regular transfusions just to stay alive. 'Many people think blood is only needed in emergency situations, but it is important in many other ways too. 'This October we celebrate our black heroes of history, but donors are heroes too.' To sign up as a blood or organ donor go to the blood or organ websites. A six-year-old boy who suffered a catastrophic brain injury after contracting herpes has won a record 37 million NHS compensation payout. Following his birth at Watford General Hospital, the youngster was infected with the virus, which developed into a devastating brain fever, a court heard. The infection 'should have been but was not detected and acted upon' soon enough, according to his barrister Henry Witcomb QC. Treatment was delayed by two days, resulting in 'catastrophic damage to his brain', he told London's High Court. The boy, who cannot be identified, suffers from eyesight and communication problems, as well as cognitive, movement and behavioural issues. A six-year-old boy who suffered a catastrophic brain injury after contracting herpes has won a record 37 million NHS compensation payout. Following his birth at Watford General Hospital, (pictured) he was infected with the virus, which developed into a brain fever, a court heard Mrs Justice Lambert said the late diagnosis delayed the youngster from being treated with the anti-viral drug Acyclovir. 'The effects of the negligence have been tragic both for the boy and his family,' the judge added. The family's lawyers sued West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, for damages. Mrs Justice Lambert said the trust admitted liability for what happened to the boy at an early stage and agreed to settle his case. The boy will receive a lump sum payout, plus annual, index-linked and tax-free payments to cover the costs of the 24-hour care he will require for the rest of his life. The capitalised value of the settlement, calculated over the boy's lifetime, comes to more than 37 million, Mr Witcomb said. This is believed to be by far the biggest ever award in a clinical negligence case, the previous record being around 20 million. John Whitting QC, who represented the trust, said its chief executive wrote a letter of apology to the boy's family in May last year. He added, on behalf of the trust: 'The care which he received was not of an appropriate standard and for that we are acutely sorry.' 'Lessons had been learned and steps taken to make sure 'nothing similar will ever happen again'. Mrs Justice Lambert praised the 'quite astonishing care and devotion which has been shown by both parents to the boy, at very considerable cost to their own physical and mental health'. She paid tribute to their 'unstinting care and devotion to their son' and the 'personal sacrifices' they had both made. 'I am pleased to approve the order,' added the judge, who wished the family 'the very best for the future'. The boy's solicitor, Paul McNeil, from the law firm Fieldfisher, said after the hearing: 'We are grateful to the courts for approving a settlement in this long-running, catastrophic child injury case that has devastated the family. 'The settlement will ultimately enable the family to access funds to pay for vital care, education and therapies for life. 'While we recognise that this is the highest award ever made against the NHS, our hope is that such accidents will never be allowed to happen ever again in the future.' This comes just a week after an 18-year-old woman was awarded almost 20 million in compensation, which was at the time believed to be a record payout by the NHS. The teenager suffered catastrophic brain injuries after being starved of oxygen as a baby when doctors failed to properly ventilate her. The woman, who cannot be named, developed complications at five months old following an operation to correct a malformed oesophagus. Thousands of NHS patients have been asked if they would pay 10 to see their GP more quickly. And the 79-question survey emailed to 300,000 patients last week asked what people's views are on privatising the health service. It was sent by the company which runs Patient Access, a website run for the NHS where people can book GP appointments and order prescriptions. But experts have criticised the 'dubious' survey, which also asked about online GP consultation apps, for testing whether people can be targeted by private companies. The questions have been sent out at a time when 2.5 million people are in danger of losing their GP surgery, the NHS is offering doctors thousands of pounds to move from Australia, and millions are having to wait more than a week for an appointment. A 79-question survey was emailed to 300,000 patients by the company which runs a website on behalf of the NHS which allows patients to book GP appointments or order repeat prescriptions EMIS Health, which runs the NHS's IT systems, sent out the survey from its website Patient Access to people who signed up to its mailing list. The company says the survey will be used to 'understand our users and their attitudes towards healthcare', according to GP magazine Pulse. It asks whether people are in favour of privatising services, and if they've heard of online providers such as the mobile apps GP at Hand, Evergreen and My GP. Patients were also asked: Would you be interested in a service that for a small fixed monthly fee (under 10) allows you to avoid long waiting lists for medical consultations, diagnoses and treatments?' People who have signed up for Patient Access will already have entered personal details which the company may have access to. NHS GP SHORTAGE IS A 'DESPERATE SITUATION' Official figures showed in February that 41 per cent of GPs around 10,000 doctors are 50 or over and are expected to quit within the next five to ten years. And 2.5 million patients are at risk of their local GP surgery closing because so many are relying on doctors who are close to retirement, it was last week revealed. At the same time, fewer young doctors are choosing to specialise as GPs and are opting for other career paths as surgeons or specialists. Many GPs are retiring in their 50s, moving abroad or leaving to work in the private sector, increasing the pressure on those who still work in the sector. Appointment waiting times are getting longer and more people are going to A&E for minor illnesses because they can't see a doctor. Despite an NHS a plan to recruit 5,000 extra GPs by 2021, numbers of family doctors are falling. And 762 GP practices across the UK could close within the next five years, according to the Royal College of Nursing. Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, last week told The Times: 'This is a desperate situation with potentially serious consequences for patients.' Advertisement This recent marketing survey ... seems to be a way to determine brand penetration of some online providers,' Dr Alan Woodall, the chair of campaign group GP Survival, told Pulse. While the data may be anonymised, it will no doubt deep mine their age, geographical location, income and preparedness for exploitation by private online consultation services. I find that ethically dubious at best, not in the spirit of patient sign up, and hope that NHS IT commissioners and the [Information Commissioner's Office] look carefully at this situation. Dr Neil Bhatia, a GP in Hampshire who runs a website about patient data sharing, added: 'If I was answering the survey, I would be very concerned with what Patient Access intend to do with all this information provided by me, and whether this was going to be passed on to a third party.' Jason Keane, CEO at Patient Platform Limited which hosts the Patient Access service said: 'This survey is part of ongoing work by Patient Access to understand more about our users and their attitudes to healthcare. 'This survey was sent to users of Patient Access who had opted in to receive communications from us, including surveys. 'The results are confidential, and the data is for internal use only at Patient Platform; it will not be shared with any third parties, or used to target individuals.' Earlier this year the British Medical Association turned down the idea of charging patients to see their GP in order to fund the NHS. But concerns are growing about the state of GP surgeries. Figures recently revealed 762 practices might close in the next five years because they're relying on doctors who are close to retiring. Millions of patients are waiting longer than a week to see a doctor, and as many as five per cent of people have been told to wait for more than three weeks. And the NHS is offering doctors in Australia 18,500 each to leave the country and come to work for the UK health service. Officials say the NHS is 'pulling out all the stops' to try and recruit more doctors because so many are leaving the health service. Salman Sufi won 2018 Mother Teresa Award Salman Sufi, the former director general Strategic Reforms Unit of Punjab, has won the 2018 Mother Teresa Award. Sufi's efforts for women empowerment in Pakistan include the Women-on-Wheels campaign through which around 700 women were handed over keys to motorcycles. On winning the award, Sufi told reporters: "This award is for millions of abused women of Pakistan and India who strive to get justice but are denied because unfortunately our priorities have been to strengthen arms race instead of people. Its time to change that." "I dedicate this award to the women victims of violence and pledge to keep working for them," he wrote. On late Sunday, Sufi took to Twitter to announce the news and said that he was "humbled" to have been nominated for the award alongside the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nadia Murad. "Its time to make women masters of their destiny so the fate of Pakistan and India can change for the better, they hold the key, we ignore them at our own peril," he added. In a second tweet, Sufi said that the projects he launched for women's empowerment, "were not possible without the political support provided by [Shahbaz Sharif] and civil society that stood by us". "The fight for equality is far from over. Lets keep the momentum going." Since 2014, Sufi worked voluntarily for the Special Monitoring Unit (SMU), which was renamed to the Strategic Reforms Unit (SRU) in August 2016, on law and order to implement various reforms in fields such as womens empowerment, minority rights, graveyard reforms, law and order and excise and taxation. He was instrumental in the passage of the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act 2016, established the Violence against Women Centres, created Punjab Women Protection Authority, started the Women-on-Wheels campaign in collaboration with Punjab police and district administration providing free motorcycle training and subsidised bikes in Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan and Rawalpindi. He also led the SRU to draft and include chapters on gender sensitisation in Pakistan Studies textbooks for classes IX to XII, among several other initiatives. The morning after pill has saved the US more than $6 million a year thanks to fewer women going to hospitals for emergency contraception, new figures reveal. A policy change in 2006 allowed American women over 18 to get levonorgestrel EC (sold as Plan B) over-the-counter without prescription, and broadened insurance coverage for general contraceptions like the Pill. A new analysis by the University of Michigan shows that move triggered a sea-change, with a 95 percent drop in rates of women seeking emergency contraception at the ER between 2006 and 2014. Much of that drop was seen in the last year of the study, after the FDA agreed to drop the aged limit to 15. Crucially, the decrease drastically cut the amount Medicaid shells out yearly to cover emergency contraception, dropping from $6.2 million a year in the early 2000s to $0.65 million in 2014. A policy change in 2006 allowed American women to get levonorgestrel (sold as Plan B) without prescription, and broadened insurance coverage for general contraception like the Pill Policy changes have important real-world impacts, said Christos Coutifaris MD, PhD, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Making contraception more easily available and less costly increases its use. This not only has served to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies, he explains, it also provides enormous savings to the healthcare system. The debate to get emergency contraception available without prescription went on for years. Plan B, a progestin-only pill which costs around $50 for one pill, can be taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex to prevent a pregnancy. It was first approved for prescription use in 1999. From that moment, family planning advocates were petitioning to cut the need for prescription. In 2005, the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) filed a lawsuit against the US government to make emergency contraception available over the counter. In 2006, the FDA lifted the prescription requirement for women over 18. The ruling prompted another lawsuit to lower the age limit to 17, the legal age for sexual intercourse in most states, which was passed in 2009. But this was overruled 2011 by Kathleen Sebelius, then-Secretary for Health and Humans Services, in an unusual move backed by President Obama. Sebelius said she took the rare decision to veto an FDA decision because she feared more liberal restrictions could mean that girls as young as 10 could get hold of the drug, and end up having an adverse effect. The move sparked a legal brawl. The CRR relaunched its lawsuit against the FDA. Finally, in 2013, a judge ruled that there are risks to many over-the-counter drugs, many more severe than emergency contraception, and that removing all restrictions on the drug does more good than harm, by cutting the rate of unwanted pregnancies, particularly among young women and those without insurance. The latest findings by Dr Shani Chibbers team show another benefit from the perspective of hospitals. Evidence does not support statin use for conditions other than heart disease, research suggests. Statins are a group of drugs that lower a patient's cholesterol to reduce their risk of a heart attack or stroke. Past research suggests the medication may also slow cancer and even dementia. But scientists from the University of Edinburgh argue that after reviewing more than 270 studies, there is insufficient evidence to support these claims. They add statin-prescription guidelines should not be changed away from patients at a high risk of heart disease and stroke. Evidence does not support statin use for conditions other than heart disease (stock) The researchers analysed 256 studies that investigated the benefits of statins in 278 non-cardiovascular conditions. Results suggest the controversial drugs can help to prevent deaths from kidney disease, which is already recognised. But no studies supported statins improving kidney function. Although evidence suggests the drugs can slow tumour progression, more research is required before they are prescribed to cancer patients, the scientists argued. It is also unclear how effective statins are at easing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and Alzheimer's, they add. The findings were published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. According to the researchers, the lack of convincing evidence supporting statins in non-cardiovascular diseases suggests prescription guidance for the drugs should remain unchanged. The study review opens up the controversial statins debate, with some experts arguing the cholesterol-lowering drugs should be more broadly prescribed. However, others claim the cheap pills are being unnecessarily 'medicalised' and offer no medical benefit. This comes after research released in July last year suggested statins should be prescribed to all men over 60 and women older than 75. The study claimed almost 12 million adults in England ought to take the pills. Yet, 6.3 million are not using the drugs even though they are considered to be at a high risk. However, on the same day of the research's release, the Royal College of GPs warned statins are being 'needlessly doled out' and called for an end to the 'blanket prescription', arguing otherwise healthy people are being unnecessarily 'medicalised'. The body added that if 100 people with a 10 per cent heart disease risk within 10 years took the cholesterol-lowering drugs, as recommended by NICE, only four would be protected against the condition. Statin side effects can include muscle pain, liver damage, an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and hair loss. An NHS review of scientific studies suggests one in 50 people who take statins for five years will avoid a 'serious event', such as a heart attack. And only one in 10,000 patients experience a 'potentially dangerous' complication. Rising rates of obesity and antibiotic resistance could spur a future flu pandemic, a shocking new study warns. Researchers at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Australia looked at the factors that played a role in the flu pandemic of 1918 that infected 500 million people and killed as many as 100 million. Although the team says the world is far better equipped to handle a flu pandemic than it was 100 years ago, new challenges have arisen. An increase in chronic diseases and secondary bacterial infections that can't be treated due to antibiotic resistance could aggravate a deadly outbreak. The researchers add that if a similar pandemic were to occur today, it could kill as many as 147 million people. An increase in chronic diseases and resistance of antibiotics to secondary bacterial infections could aggravate a deadly outbreak similar to the 1918 flu pandemic, researchers warn. Pictured: The Oakland Municipal Auditorium with volunteer nurses during the 1918 pandemic HOW THE 1918 FLU PANDEMIC BECAME SO DEADLY The 1918 flu pandemic, known colloquially as the Spanish flu, lasted between January 1918 and December 1920. Although historians are not actually sure where, geographically, it began, it is known that the pandemic was caused by an H1N1 virus that spread from birds to humans. It infected 500 million worldwide and caused between 50 and 100 million deaths - between three and five percent of the world's population In the US alone, close to 28 percent of the general population became infected and anywhere between 500,000 and 675,000 died. 'We always wondered why some people can effectively control viral infections while others succumb to the disease,' said Dr Katherine Kedzierska, a professor at the University of Melbourne in Australia. One reason for the severity was the 1918 viral strain itself, which studies have shown spread to other tissues beyond the respiratory tract and caused more damage. Additionally, the close quarters of troops in World War I likely helped the virus spread quickly and helped the bug to mutate so it could transmit between humans more easily. Those suffering from malnutrition or underlying diseases such as tuberculosis - rates of which were high at the time - were more likely to die after being infected. EVEN WITH MODERN MEDICINE, A SIMILAR PANDEMIC COULD HAPPEN AGAIN Even with the advent of modern medicine, the scientists say that a pandemic of similar proportions could occur again. Public health was an important factor in the 1918 pandemic and it is a concern today as well. Millions died not from the flu itself between 1918 and 1920, but because of secondary bacterial infections. The first antibiotic was not developed until 1928 - years too late to treat those who were sickened by the Spanish flu. 'We could be going back to 1918,' Dr Caroline van de Sandt, a post-doctoral researcher at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne told The Telegraph. 'More and more bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics, which could greatly increase the burden of disease.' Additionally, a recent study from the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that obese adults who become infected with the flu are not only at a greater risk of severe complications but remain contagious longer. Although it is unclear why obese adults are more contagious, scientists believe it may be that that obesity changes the body's immune response and leads to chronic inflammation. This means that obesity is tied to an increased risk of flu transmission. With 75 percent of US adults predicted to be overweight or obese by 2020, this could result in a loss of thousands more more lives to the flu. Climate change could also play a role in a future pandemic due to crop losses and malnutrition, which could make people more susceptible to infection. Th'Climate changes affect animal reservoirs of influenza viruses and bird migration patterns. This could spread viruses to new locations and across a wider range of bird species,' said Dr van de Sandt in a press release. This means that more birds are likely to have the virus and, in turn, come into contact with more humans and infect them. The researchers agree that education on how to lower disease transmission is key to surviving a pandemic. 'Until a broadly-protective vaccine is available, governments must inform the public on what to expect and how to act during a pandemic,' said Dr van de Sandt. 'An important lesson from the 1918 influenza pandemic is that a well-prepared public response can save many lives.' HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST THE FLU TODAY The American Academy of Pediatrics released its flu vaccine recommendations for the 2018-19 season last month saying everyone six months old or older should be vaccinated before the end of October. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 2017-18 season was one of the most severe on record. Across the US, 179 children died and thousands were hospitalized. The CDC said 80 percent of the children who died were not vaccinated. The CDC recommends getting the vaccine either in the form of a shot or a nasal spray. For those who choose to go with the injectable, there are two options. The first is a trivalent vaccine, which protects against two influenza A strains, H1N1 and H3N2, and one influenza B strain. The second option, the quadrivalent flu vaccine, protects against the same strains as the trivalent vaccine, as well as an extra influenza B virus. In a recent interview, Dr Jean Moorjani, a pediatrician at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, told Daily Mail Online that it's 'a complete, 100 percent myth' that you can get sick from the vaccine. 'If I get the flu vaccine and a kid sneezes in my face that same day, I'm going to get sick because the kid sneezed in my face, not from the shot,' she said. She did note, however, that it is still possible to get the virus even if you get the flu vaccine. 'Getting the vaccine doesn't mean you won't get flu that year - it does lower your chances - but if you get it, it helps your body fight it off sooner,' she said. Viruses that target the brain can also lead to permanent digestive problems, a new study has warned. Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri, say their findings could explain why people report abdominal pain as a common symptom of these viruses. In a study conducted on mice infected with West Nile and Zika viruses, immune cells killed infected neurons in the gut, which contract so that waste flows properly through the digestive tract. This led to disrupted bowel movements and intestinal blockages that, even after they cleared, flared up again after an unrelated illness or stress. The team says it hopes that other scientists are more apt to try to develop a vaccine to prevent this condition. A new study from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri, has found that viruses that attack your brain infect neurons in the intestinal walls, which are then killed by immune cells (file image) First author Dr James White, a postdoctoral researcher at Washington Univeristy, has long studied mice infected with West Nile virus, a disease spread through the bites of mosquitoes that become infected after feeding on infected birds. He noticed that some of the intestines of the infected mice were packed with waste higher up and empty farther down, implying there was some kind of blockage. Dr White and his colleagues discovered that the phenomenon didn't just apply to West Nile virus but similar viruses that also attack the nervous system: Zika, Powassan and Kunjin viruses All these strains caused the intestines to expand and slowed down how quickly waste flowed through the gut. To confirm their theory, they also examined mice infected with chikungunya virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes but does not target the nervous system, and found that these mice did not have bowel dysfunction. Further research showed that when the West Nile virus was injected into a mouse's foot, it entered the bloodstream and infected neurons within the intestinal walls. These neurons send signals to muscles that contract so that excrement can properly flow through the intestines. However, after they become infected, immune cells attack the virus - but end up also destroying the neurons. 'Any virus that has a propensity to target neurons could cause this kind of damage,' said co-senior author Dr Michael Diamond, a professor of molecular microbiology and of pathology and immunology at Washington University. 'West Nile and related viruses are not very common in the US. But there are many other viruses that are more widespread, such as enteroviruses and herpesviruses, that also may be able to target specific neurons in the wall of the intestine and injure them.' Dr Diamond added that the disrupted bowel condition, known as chronic gastrointestinal motility, can be managed but not prevented or cured. After eight weeks, the digestive tracts of the infected mice mostly recovered but, when the mice were infected with an unrelated virus, their bowel problems returned. While gut flare-ups can also be triggered by stress or illnesses, they can occur without an obvious cause. 'It's amazing that the nervous system of the gut is able to recover and re-establish near normal motility, even after taking a pretty big hit and losing a lot of cells,' said co-senior author Dr Thaddeus Stappenbeck, a professor of developmental biology at Washington University. 'But then, it's really just barely functioning normally, and when you add any stress, it malfunctions again.' The authors said for future research, they would like to study the effect that damage to the gut neurons has on the microbiome, the collection of bacteria lives in the body. Businessman Melvin Taylor is a happy individual. This weekend, he is better off to the tune of more than 228,000 because 17 months ago he had the foresight to go out and buy a copy of The Mail on Sunday. It is a return on his investment far better than any envisaged in his wildest of dreams. Melvins rich bounty is a direct result of reading an article in the Personal Finance pages about the protracted battle two brothers endured in getting insurance companies to pay up on disputed claims. Melvin Taylor, right, was helped in his battle against Scottish Provident by Andy Macpherson He was so inspired by their David versus Goliath story he was persuaded to reopen a financial protection claim against an insurance company that four years earlier had politely but robustly told him to get lost. A claim based on the same type of cancer that the brothers had experienced, albeit years apart, and insisted their insurance covered. Although the insurer in question, Scottish Provident, played hard ball for a while, Melvin was determined to get financial justice. Assisted by Andy Macpherson, one of the two brothers featured in our May 2017 report, and supportive urological surgeons who refused to water down their assessments of Melvins medical condition, he took his dispute to the Financial Ombudsman Service. It arbitrates in unresolved disputes between companies and customers and eventually Melvin triumphed. Ten days ago, he received 228,203.55 from Scottish Provident, part of financial giant Royal London. But not a whiff of an apology, just a perfunctory letter followed two days later with another one offering sincere apologies for a miscalculation that meant he had been underpaid by 100. So, 228,303.55, not 228,203.55. Please remember we are here to help, its final correspondence read. Customer service par excellence? No way, par gutter level. Although Melvin, 58, is seething at the way he has been treated by Scottish Provident while it has batted away his claim, he has nothing but praise for Macpherson, surgeon Stephen Payne and The Mail on Sunday. Case: The Mail on Sunday tackled a case involved HSBC's critical protection cover last year On Friday, he said: I would like to say a great big thank you to The Mail on Sunday for its article of May 14, 2017. If I had not read it, I would have gone to my grave never realising Scottish Provident had wrongly rejected my original claim. Timeline: the insurer initially refused to payout before finally handing over money But my case begs a bigger question: How many other people has the life insurance industry done this to who sadly are no longer with us and unable to fight for the justice they deserved all along? Just as importantly, he urges anyone who has had a financial protection claim rejected by their insurer to challenge the decision if they have lingering doubts over whether they were hoodwinked. If unsuccessful, he says, they should take their case to the Ombudsman. Melvins battle with Scottish Provident started in 2012 when he triggered claims on two critical illness policies which he had paid premiums on for many years totalling some 190 a month. This followed radical treatment including chemotherapy for two bladder tumours, one of which Payne described as the most aggressive cell type of bladder cancer. Such insurance policies are sold on the basis they will pay out a pre-determined tax-free amount in Melvins case 200,000 on diagnosis of a serious illness such as a stroke, cancer or heart attack. They are meant to provide financial comfort at a time of stress and uncertainty. So Melvin, from Stockport in Greater Manchester, was surprised in early 2013 to be told his cancers were not covered because they were not invasive in plain speech, not serious enough. He did not complain. I assumed its decision was right and I let it be, he recalls. I was more interested in getting better and praying the cancers would not spread. He continued to receive excellent ongoing care from the Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle where his cancers were detected. Then in May last year, he bought a copy of The Mail on Sunday which ultimately would change his financial life for the better and force Scottish Provident into an embarrassing U-turn. On Page 93 was an article describing how Andy Macpherson had helped his brother Alistair overturn a rejected claim for bladder cancer on an HSBC critical illness policy. Like Melvin, Alistair was told by the insurer that his cancer was non-invasive and so not covered. But his brother Andy knew better, because 15 years previously he had gone to war with HSBC over the same issue after being diagnosed himself with bladder cancer and having his claim rejected. He challenged and won. Over the coming months, Andy, who runs a successful recording studio, helped Melvin prepare a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Although Andy and Alistairs past success suggested Melvin would win, it took a while for the service to decide in his favour. Scottish Provident warned that if Melvin won it would open the floodgate for more people to come forward and ask for rejected claims to be reviewed. Finally, in late August, the Ombudsman upheld Melvins complaint. It said he should be compensated for the sums assured on both policies (200,000), be refunded all premiums paid since his original 2012 claim plus receive an element of interest. Although the Ombudsman can only require a company to pay up to 150,000, it recommended Scottish Provident pay additional compensation as recommended. To its credit, the insurer obliged. Last week, The Mail on Sunday brought together Andy and Melvin for the first time. Two mighty Davids who took on faceless insurers and against the odds won. Hurrah. Toyota has issued a global recall for 2.43 million hybrid vehicles over potential problems with stalling. The company said that in rare cases vehicles might fail to enter a 'failsafe' driving mode - better known as 'limp model' among Britons. Cars could then lose power and stall. Examples of the Prius, Prius+ and Auris Hybrid built between October 2008 to November 2014 are affected, with 55,000 UK models estimated to be susceptible to the issue. Hybrid recall: Models affected include the immensely popular Prius (pictured), which could stall even when the car is being driven at high speeds Toyota said power steering and braking would still work if a car was to stall, though if it occurs while the vehicle is travelling at a high speed could increase the risk of a crash. These same models have already been subject to an earlier unrelated recall, but will need to be returned to dealers yet again to fix this latest problem. Of the impacted models, 1.25 million are in Japan, while another 830,000 are US based. Of the 2.4 million, just 290,000 are in Europe and 55,519 are in the UK. The Japanese car maker says the fix is straight forward, with each model needing a software patch administered by dealers for free. Toyota said it had received three reports of the issue related to the problem by the end of September - though only in Japan - and reported them to the transport ministry. None of the three instances resulted in crashes. Of the 2.4m affected cars, 55,000 are owned by Britons. It includes the Auris Hybrid pictured The seven-seat Prius+ MPV is also one of the cars being recalled. It only affects models built between October 2008 to November 2014 The company would not comment on incidents outside Japan, saying it was difficult to be certain about actual cases. The recall is the second in the space of a month for Toyota and its hybrid models. The previous issue was linked to potential fire risks in the hybrid systems of the C-HR Hybrid SUV and current Prius hatchback though the limp-home mode recall affects previous-generation examples of the Prius. The recall mainly affects vehicles in Japan, though owners in the US and Europe will also have to take their cars back to dealers to rectify the problem In a statement, the car maker said: 'Toyota is conducting a safety recall which in the UK involves the Prius, Prius+ and Auris Hybrid models. There are 55,519 vehicles affected which were produced from October 2008 to November 2014. 'The involved vehicles were designed to enter a failsafe driving mode in response to certain hybrid system faults. 'Toyota has found that in rare situations, the vehicle may not enter a failsafe driving mode as intended. 'If this occurs, the vehicle could lose power and stall. Power steering, braking and auxiliary systems such as turn signals would remain operational. 'Toyota dealers will update the software for all involved vehicles at no charge and the recall will be conducted in accordance with DVSA guidelines.' British luxury car company Rolls-Royce is to recruit 200 more staff as it ramps up for more exports of its luxury cars beyond Brexit. It will take the total workforce at the firm's boutique Goodwood factory in Chichester, Sussex, to a record 2,000. That is six times the original total when the company first opened the plant 15 years ago to launch the first Phantom built under German parent-company owners BMW. Rolls-Royce's biggest export market is USA, with China starting to bounce back after a dip It comes as the prestigious UK car maker celebrates the launch of its new 250,000 Cullinan SUV the firm's first ever purpose built 4X4. Order books are already full for the next 12 months' production run. Altogether the factory builds around 4,000 super-luxury cars a year, of which around 95 per cent are exported, including the new flagship Phantom, Ghost, Wraith, convertible Dawn and now the new Cullinan off-roader. Biggest export market is USA, with China starting to bounce back after a dip. Rolls-Royce announced recently that it was bringing forward to April its annual shutdown to reduce the risk of any short-term disruption to supplies in the event of a hard Brexit at the end of next March. Bosses at parent company BMW have also warned of the challenges to their MINI plant in Oxford if there is a no deal exit from the EU. Ray Massey driving Rolls-Royce new Cullinan SUV the firm's first ever purpose built 4X4 But announcing the jobs boost for production in the UK, Rolls-Royce's chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos insisted the jobs bonanza reflected growing confidence in the business, the workforce and the future of their cars being built in the UK noting: 'We remain fully committed to luxury manufacturing at our home here in Great Britain.' The firm will be putting up posters in Portsmouth and elsewhere to recruit the 200 staff with skill and potential to be trained to handbuild the luxury limousines. Ironically, recruitment has been tough as many employers are chasing a tight pool of talent. Rolls-Royce bosses said the new job are available across all skilled production areas, including wood, leather, assembly, test & finish, paint and logistics. The firm stressed: 'The successful applicants will undergo extensive training before hand-building the company's model family members, including Phantom, Ghost, Wraith, Dawn and Cullinan'. Chief executive Mr Muller-Otvos said: 'I am delighted to announce our new recruitment programme. This reflects not only the success of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars to date, but also our confidence in the future of our business. Skilled: New positions are available across many areas throughout the company 'Rolls-Royce continues to strive for long-term sustainable growth and we remain fully committed to luxury manufacturing at our Home here in Great Britain.' Rolls-Royce recently announced half year sales up 13 per cent compared to the same period in 2017. It said: 'Demand for all Rolls-Royce models remains strong in most regions around the world.' Sales of the new Phantom were 'excellent' while demand for 'Black Badge' variants of Dawn, Ghost and Wraith aimed at a younger market - continued to 'surpass expectations'. The global launch of the new Cullinan is being held in the USA Rolls-Royce's biggest market - near the exclusive resort of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It plays second home to some of the world's rich, famous, and powerful from world-leaders and business titans to music megastars and Hollywood royalty. Its well-heeled residents and visitors make Teton County, in which it is located, the wealthiest corner per capita of the United States. It also hosts the annual gathering of Central Bankers at the Economic Policy Symposium. Last week chief executive Harald Krueger of BMW- which owns Rolls-Royce Motor Cars at Goodwood, MINI in Oxford, and the Hams Hall engine plant near Birmingham - said it was vital to conclude a Brexit deal that maintains free trade 'to make the business safe for the future in the UK.' He told the BBC at the Paris Motor Show that BMW might have to transfer some MINI production to Holland, noting: 'We clearly need free trade and BMW is an ambassador of free trade trade. 'Free trade between European countries is important to be competitive. This is also valid for the UK. 'There are certain things we need to achieve to make the business safe for the future in the UK.' He said this included no tariff barriers, and freedom of movement of people between the UK and the EU. 'It's something about which we talk openly with politicians in the UK as well as the European Union.' He noted that BMW was looking at the long term: 'I'm sure there will be a pragmatic solution. 'We hope that it will happen because both sides need that, otherwise nobody benefits.' Job hunters seeking more details of the jobs on offer and who may wish to submit an application should visit: www.uk.gigroup.com Some Unilever investors are said to be keen for Paul Polman to accelerate his retirement plans Unilever boss Paul Polman looks stranded following the firms botched relocation to Rotterdam. Some investors are said to be keen for him to accelerate his retirement plans, which were expected to be announced toward the end of next year. Perhaps globetrotting Polmans celebrity chums will rally to his defence. When Unilever faced a 100billion takeover bid from Kraft last year, U2 crooner Bono offered to compose a soaring ditty to help see off their US rivals. Deutsche Bank commissioned artist and erstwhile enfant terrible Tracey Emin to curate an exhibition at last weeks Frieze Art Fair celebrating female empowerment. Oh dear. Remember when Tracey was considered anti-establishment? Is the IMF managing director job cursed? Former chief Rodrigo Rato had a four-and-half-year jail sentence confirmed last week for misusing funds while president of Spanish lender Bankia. His successor, wolfish tombeur de femmes Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was arrested for sexual assault, for which he was later cleared. The incumbent, Gallic gazelle Christine Lagarde, was found guilty of negligence in a long- running fraud case in 2016, though has been allowed to remain in post. Why Bank of England governor Mark Carney is so keen on the role is anyones guess. The chief executives of four of Americas biggest defence firms Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and Boeings defence division are all women. Hows that for carpet bombing the glass ceiling? Its London Metal Exchange week, always a lively few days when the global metal industry conjugates in the City for their annual jamboree. LME brokers are at the rougher end of the finance spectrum, where trading is interceded with 12-hour lunches and evening trips to the local table-dancing emporium. Youll be unsurprised that Nigel Farage describes his two decades working there as some of the best years of his life. Irish journalist Matt Coopers unauthorised biography of gobby Ryanair boss Michael OLeary has shot to the top of the Amazon bestseller charts. But would it have done so if OLeary hadnt taken the trouble to declare the book fake news? Discuss, as owlish university dons are wont to say. Nan Fung has bought a majority stake in London property developer Endurance Land STAKE BOOST Hong Kong investor Nan Fung has bought a majority stake in central London property developer Endurance Land. Endurance Land chief executive Jonathan Fletcher, who founded the company in 2006, said: Having a shareholder of such strength as Nan Fung Group will be a major benefit to the continued growth and success of Endurance Land. PLANES PLAN The former second-in-command at Ryanair has launched a venture aiming to raise 191million on the stock market to invest in second-hand aeroplanes. Howard Millars Sirius Aircraft Leasing Fund will float on the London Stock Exchange in early November. It will buy aircraft which are already leased to airlines around the world, as fewer companies now purchase their own fleet. The fund will aim to provide its investors with a return of 10pc each year. VISION CASH Saudi Arabia will plough almost 35bn into a second mega-sized vision fund that is being raised by Japanese software group Softbank. The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund previously invested a similar amount in Softbanks first vision fund to back tech start-ups, which attracted more than 70bn from backers. TV TIE-UP BT and Apple are reportedly considering a pay-TV partnership on set-top boxes. The pair are reportedly looking at a deal that would see EE, the mobile brand owned by BT, distribute Apple TVs video streaming devices. FUND BOSS Former HSBC chairman Sir Douglas Flint who headed the board when the bank was hit with a 1.5billion fine after laundering money for Mexican drug barons is reportedly a front-runner to become chairman of fund manager Standard Life Aberdeen. BREXIT PLAN Wall Street lender Citibank is setting up a British subsidiary to run its UK operations after Brexit. Until now, Citis London office was managed via Citibank Europe in Ireland. BAD REPUTATION The name of bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland could be changed to move away from its toxic reputation, chairman Sir Howard Davies has said. PENSION DEAL Insurer Legal & General Group has completed its buyout of the collapsed telecoms group Nortel Networks UKs pension plan, which covers approximately 15,500 pensioner members and 7,200 deferred members, for 2.4billion. IMF boss Christine Lagarde defended the decision to hold the conference in Bali The head of the International Monetary Fund has defended holding a week-long conference in the luxury Indonesian resort of Bali. Christine Lagarde said IMF staff would donate at least 100,000 to help with recovery efforts after a tsunami elsewhere in Indonesia killed at least 2,000 locals. She added that the fund's annual meeting is an opportunity to show off the country to the world, and cancelling it in the wake of the disaster would have been a waste of money. The week of talks will see world leaders, top economists and central bankers rub shoulders at the Bali International Convention Centre, which features seven restaurants and bars offering 24-hour service. Nestled in Nusa Dua in southern Bali, it is linked to a 334-room hotel arranged around a swimming pool. The complex backs directly on to a sandy beach surrounded by tropical coral reefs. Relief and recovery efforts continue following the Indonesian Tsunami that killed at least 2,000 people On a visit to Bali's neighbouring island Lombok, Lagarde said: 'Three years ago, when we decided to organise our 2018 annual meetings here in Indonesia, we did not know the country would be hit by these terrible natural disasters. 'What we did know was that Indonesia would be the best place to hold our annual meetings. And Indonesia remains the best place. 'Cancelling was not an option because that would be a tremendous waste of the resources that had been committed over the past three years and lose the great opportunity to showcase Indonesia to the world, and to create opportunities and jobs.' The 62-year-old, who expressed her deepest sympathies for the victims of the disaster, earns a tax-free salary of more than 379,000 a year, plus a 68,000 supplement to maintain a standard of living equal to the job. Luxury: The IMF conference is being held at Bali International Convention Centre, which is linked to a 334-room hotel arranged around a swimming pool In addition, the IMF which is funded by taxpayers around the world covers all 'reasonable' work expenses and pays for first-class travel on all trips. A former French politician, Lagarde was convicted last year in a corruption trial in Paris but let off without punishment and allowed to keep her job. Her predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, another Frenchman, was forced to step down in 2011 after allegations of sexual assault against a hotel maid which he eventually settled out of court. Spaniard Rodrigo Rato, who held the post before Strauss-Khan, had a four-and-a-half- year sentence for embezzlement while running Spanish banks confirmed by the country's supreme court yesterday. Shah Mehmood urged UN secretary-general to probe Indian atrocities Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday exhorted the United Nations to set up an inquiry commission to probe atrocities being committed by Indian occupation forces in the Held Kashmir based on the recent report presented by the UN Human Rights Commission. Addressing the media in Multan, the foreign minister said that the Kashmir issue had been in the limelight ever since the UNHRC rolled out the report earlier this year, Radio Pakistan reported. Commenting on his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Qureshi said that he urged the secretary-general to probe the Indian atrocities. When asked about Pakistans relations with its neighbours, the foreign minister said Pakistan wanted good relations with India and other countries in the region. He added that restoring peace talks with India was the best option to resolve all issues, including poverty, education and construction of dams. Indian backtracking on foreign ministers meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly is regrettable as it has spoiled an opportunity of bringing the two countries together. Qureshi said that he had observed a change in the attitude of the US administration, adding that, relations between Pakistan and the United States were improving gradually. To another question about the arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, he said: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the judiciary are independent institutions and cases against the opposition leader are not initiated by the PTI government. Storm clouds are gathering over two of Britains leading car makers. In a worrying sign for the motor industry, Jaguar Land Rover said it will close its plant in Solihull for two weeks this month because of a slump in demand in China. And shares in Aston Martin fell again, taking losses since it listed on the stock market last week to 15.8 per cent. The rout has wiped 684million off the value of the luxury car maker. Breakdown: Shares in Aston Martin fell again - taking losses since it listed on the stock market last week to 15.8 per cent. The rout has wiped 684m off the value of the luxury car maker Jaguar warned that US President Donald Trumps trade war with China was beginning to bite, with its sales in the country down by nearly half. Flagging global demand helped to push overall sales down to 57,114 in September, 12.3 per cent lower than the same time a year ago, Britains biggest car firm said. The turmoil came as tensions between China and the US continued, with the Chinese foreign ministry criticising Trumps misguided actions. Felix Brautigam, Jaguar Land Rovers chief commercial officer, said the dispute was making it more expensive to sell cars. Sales in China dropped 46.2 per cent in September. In the UK they dropped 0.8 per cent and in North America they were down 6.9 per cent. As a result, the firm is planning a two-week shutdown of its West Midlands plant. Brautigam added: We are continuing to experience challenging conditions in some of our key markets.' Des Quinn of the Unite union, however, blamed the Government for the troubles. Ministers trashing of diesel, despite the UK making some of the cleanest engines in the world, combined with their shambolic handling of Brexit, is damaging the UK car industry and the supply chain, he claimed. Aston Martin suffered another torrid day on the stock market in its first day of full trading. Its shares fell 5.9 per cent, or 100p, to 1600p down from its float price of 1900p after a previous week of losses. Aston is worth around 3.6billion, compared to around 4.3billion when it listed. It has led some observers to suggest the firm was over-valued. Jordan Hiscott, chief trader at Ayondo Markets, said: As much as the brand is prestige, investors are a harder crowd to please and many will look with trepidation that in its 105-year history the company has technically gone bust seven times. Packaging company RPC went into reverse as investors began to lose faith that its private equity suitors would make a bid. Major buyout houses Apollo and Bain Capital were likely to either table an offer or throw in the towel after the market close. But just before the 5pm deadline struck, RPC said it had asked for the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers to extend the cut-off point. In a statement to the market it said discussions remain ongoing with Apollo and Bain. The two potential bidders have until November 5 to confirm whether or not they will make a formal offer. Takeover talk: Major buyout houses Apollo and Bain Capital were likely to either table an offer for packaging company RPS or throw in the towel after the market close Plastics specialist RPC had soared last month when it revealed it was in separate takeover talks with both Bain and Apollo. On the day it notified the market of their interest, shares shot up 17.6 per cent. But yesterday they fell 4.2 per cent, or 34p, to 779.6p, reflecting shareholders disappointment they might not be able to cash in on a buyout. RPC also released a trading update as the markets closed for the day, which showed revenues hit 1.9billion in the first half of the year. Investors had been relying on it to deliver revenue growth, excluding the benefit from newly acquired businesses, of around 3 per cent. RPC confirmed growth was around this figure. Stock Watch - Amino Technologies Media technology company Amino, which helps firms such as Vodafone deliver video and TV content to their customers, issued a profit warning as it said trade conflicts were beginning to bite. Profits would be around 8.8million, only just higher than the 8.6million it made last year. Amino blamed instability in emerging markets delaying customer orders, trade tariffs in the US, change in the industry and increasing component prices. Shares crashed by 33.6 per cent, or 71p, to 140.5p. Shareholders also wanted to see that RPC was making progress in integrating the smaller businesses it had bought after incurring hefty exceptional costs in buying them. There were worries that RPCs successful acquisition programme is actually just masking a poor operating performance, artificially boosting revenues at the expense of profit, said Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Nicholas Hyett. His colleague George Salmon added that it was particularly important for RPC to get its business in order given the political heat facing plastic packaging. The business said it was benefiting from the acquisition of Plasgran, which creates recycled materials, as these are becoming increasingly popular, but it gave no further details. TI Fluid Systems, a FTSE 250 company which develops mechanisms to push fluid around cars, left its board and analysts scratching their heads as it became the indexs biggest loser. The group sank a sizeable 10.5 per cent, or 25.2p, to 214.8p, even though it released no news, was not mentioned in the days broker notes and no unusually large trades occurred. It was a mostly negative day for the FTSE 100 too, which ended the day down 1.2 per cent, or 85.21 points, at 7233.33. Melrose Industries, the turnaround investor which recently bought components manufacturer GKN, slipped the most amid an investor flight from the engineering sector. It sank 5.5 per cent, or 10.45p, to 181.3p. Fund manager Neil Woodford, who has run into criticism over the past year for his lacklustre performance, had a day of ups and downs. Hvivo, a company which helps drugs businesses discover cures for infectious diseases in which Woodford has built a 29.1pc stake, announced it had won two contracts with a global biopharmaceutical company. Hvivo will allow the unnamed firm to study the lifecycle of a particular cold-like virus in humans. Shares went up 8.5 per cent, or 5p, to 63.5p. But IP Group, in which Woodford has a 19.9 per cent stake, had worse news. The company, which helps turn ideas founded in universities into businesses, owns a majority stake in pharmaceutical company Diurnal, which plummeted 57 per cent, or 61p, to 46.5p after announcing a drug Chronocort had not passed late-stage trials. The drug is designed to treat congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a disease caused by a deficiency of the hormone cortisol which may stunt growth. Unilever faces a backlash over fat cat pay just days after it was forced to abandon plans to axe its British headquarters. The consumer goods group, whose brands include Marmite, Domestos and PG Tips, handed 10million to chief executive Paul Polman (pictured) last year. MPs on the business select committee have summoned executives to Parliament to explain its pay policy amid mounting concerns over boardroom excess. Royal Mail has also been called to give evidence after 70 per cent of shareholders voted against pay at the postal service in one of the biggest investor rebellions in British corporate history. Unilever chief executive Paul Polman earned 10m last year The hearings will take place on Tuesday next week. Committee chairman, Labour MP Rachel Reeves, said: 'Excessive executive pay undermines public trust in business. 'Chief executives being awarded stratospheric salaries while average worker pay continues to be squeezed is not good for business or society. Recent revolts on pay awards, including at Unilever, show that shareholders are increasingly sharing the frustration at unjustifiable pay awards.' She added: 'Executive pay must match performance.' Polman faced humiliation last week after his plan to close Unilever's London headquarters and base the company solely in the Netherlands was abandoned following fierce opposition from major shareholders. Investors have also rebelled against proposals that could hand the 62-year-old a pay packet of up to 12.65million. Unilever, whose brands include Marmite, Domestos and PG Tips, saw more than a third of shareholders vote against rules for executive pay at the firm's AGM in May At Unilever's annual general meeting in May, more than a third of shareholders voted against rules for executive pay that could see Polman handed 11.2million in bonuses and 1.45million in fixed pay. One investor cited an article from 2015 where Polman was quoted as saying he was embarrassed by his salary and that he would work for free. Unilever's executive vice-president for reward, Peter Newhouse, will be grilled by MPs next week about the pay deals. Also appearing will be Orna Ni-Chionna, chairman of Royal Mail's remuneration committee, following the summer's pay revolt. Investors objected to the golden goodbye worth up to 2.7million for departing boss Moya Greene and a golden hello worth up to 6million for her successor Rico Back. Last week, Royal Mail shares plummeted after Back, who is leading the company while living in Zurich, warned profits would be up to 194million lower than last year wiping more than 1billion off the company's stock market value. Polman's judgment has been seriously called into question after Unilever had to backtrack last week on plans for a single head office in the Netherlands following a shareholder revolt. It has raised questions about whether he should step down sooner than his intended departure date of next year. Advertisement The commander of a US aircraft carrier has said he 'doesn't lose sleep' over the threat posed by Russia in the Atlantic as his 1,092-foot vessel 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. USS Harry S. Truman carrier on its way to Portsmouth on Saturday where thousands of US sailors spent the weekend Rear Admiral Eugene H. 'Gene' Black (pictured) said he doesn't lose sleep over the threat of a Russian attack in the Atlantic A sailing boat passes the American Aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman as it arrives at Portsmouth in Hampshire F-18 jets line the deck on board the US Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman following its arrival in Hampshire 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 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 don't lose sleep over them. 'I'm 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.' The US Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman, following its arrival into Stokes Bay, Hampshire A view of the flying deck of the USS Harry S Truman carrier in Portsmouth where the warship has moored for the weekend US Navy personnel at work at the Harry S. Truman carrier in Portsmouth after it arrived on the south coast on Saturday Describing his ship's 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 group's 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 navy's new aircraft carrier. The 1,092-foot U.S vessel USS Harry S Truman arrives in thick fog on the Hampshire coast on Saturday morning U.S. Navy personnel prepare to go ashore in the USS Harry S. Truman after it moored at Britain's south coast on Saturday A Navy officer stands on the flying deck of the USS Harry S. Truman in the harbour at Portsmouth today 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 it's wonderful to have the Royal Navy sailing alongside you because they are as good as they come.' 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 can't comment either way about the F35s.' Captain Nicholas Dienna, the carrier's 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. A member of the USS Harry S Truman crew studies a map on board the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier on Saturday afternoon Aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman can just be seen through thick fog as it arrives at Portsmouth on Saturday 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.' The 1,092-foot USS Harry S Truman arrived in thick fog on the Hampshire coast on Saturday morning as part of a North Atlantic voyage to 'foster co-operation' with Washington's NATO allies. Britain's new naval giant HMS Queen Elizabeth Weight: 65,000 tonnes Length: 932 feet Propulsion: Two Rolls-Royce Marine 36MW MT30 gas turbine alternators and four 10MW diesel engines Speed: 25 knots (29mph) Range: 10,000 nautical miles (11,500 miles) Ship's crew: Currently 700, will increase to 1,600 Aircraft carried: Up to 36 fighter jets and 14 helicopters Armament: Three Phalanx guns, four 30mm calibre guns Advertisement The U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered USS Harry S Truman Weight: 105,000 tonnes Length: 1,092 feet Propulsion: Two Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors and four steam turbines Propellers: Four Speed: 30 knots (35mph) Range: Unlimited Ship's crew: 3,200 Aircraft carried: 90 fixed wing and helicopters Armament: Sea Sparrow, RIM-116 Missile and three Phalanx guns Advertisement Capable of carrying 90 aircraft, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier - named after America's 33rd president who led the country at the end of World War II - returned to sea late last month and has moored near Portsmouth for the weekend. With the vessel docked at Stokes Bay south of Gosport, local ferry firms have been offering sailing trips to see the aircraft carrier with planes on display on the deck. After the ship arrived on Saturday morning, queues of hundreds of sailors built up in the hangar as they waited for ferries to take them ashore. Once on land, the sailors were met by staff from local nightclubs handing out flyers hoping to attract the young crew members into their establishments later on. Launched in 1996, the vessel can hold up to 5,500 people, and is home to Black Hawks and a twin rotor Osprey V22 aircraft. The ship is part of the U.S. Navy's Sixth Fleet which has a mission to 'advance security and stability in Europe and Africa' in co-operation with its allies. It previously docked on Britain's south coast in July to provide backup when President Donald Trump made his first visit to the UK since he was elected. The Sunshine State is bracing for another hurricane as Tropical Storm Michael prepares to slam the Gulf Coast this week. On Sunday, Florida Gov Rick Scott warned that the storm headed for the Florida Panhandle could become a Category 2 hurricane with winds up to 100mph by the time it makes landfall Tuesday night. Scott issued an order for a state of emergency for 26 counties in the Florida Panhandle and the Big Bend area. The declaration will free up resources for storm preparation. The Sunshine State is bracing for another hurricane as tropical storm Michael (pictured) prepares to slam the Gulf Coast with possible 100mph winds this week The US National Hurricane Center on Sunday upgraded Michael (seen in this satellite image) from a tropical depression to a named tropical storm, saying Michael had winds of up to 50mph 'This storm will be life-threatening and extremely dangerous,' Scott said after receiving a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center. The governor warned that storm surge could affect areas of Florida not in the storm's direct path. 'If this storm hit Panama City, Tampa could still have storm surge,' said Scott, referring to two Florida cities about 375 miles apart by highway. 'Every family must be prepared.' Scott also activated 500 members of the Florida National Guard ahead of the storm. The US National Hurricane Center on Sunday upgraded Michael from a tropical depression to a named tropical storm, saying Michael had winds of up to 50mph. The storm could strengthen into a hurricane by Monday night or Tuesday as its center moves over the Yucatan Channel, crosses the Gulf of Mexico and nears the Florida Panhandle coast sometime Wednesday. Forecasters advised residents along the northeastern and central US Gulf Coast to monitor the storm's progress. The north Florida city of Tallahassee on Sunday opened two locations where residents could get sandbags in case of flooding. On Sunday, Florida Gov Rick Scott (pictured) warned that the storm headed for the Florida Panhandle could become a Category 2 hurricane with winds up to 100mph by the time it makes landfall in the middle of the week Scott issued an order for a state of emergency for 26 counties in the Florida Panhandle and the Big Bend area The storm could strengthen into a hurricane by Monday night or Tuesday as its center moves over the Yucatan Channel, crosses the Gulf of Mexico and nears the Florida Panhandle coast sometime Wednesday 'While the impacts are still uncertain, our area could experience increased wind activity and heavy rainfall, which could cause localized flooding and downed trees,' Tallahassee officials said in a statement. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who is the Democratic nominee for governor, had planned to campaign in South Florida Monday and Tuesday, but he said he would return to Tallahassee to help with storm preparations. The city of Pensacola tweeted to residents: 'Be sure you have your emergency plan in place.' The storm was located about 130 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, by 5pm Sunday afternoon. It has been moving to the north-northeast at about 3mph. The storm is also expected to cause flooding to expand across the Carolinas later this week. The Carolinas were devastated last month when Hurricane Florence left parts of the states completely flooded. Millions were forced to evacuate and hundreds more lost their homes to flooding. North Carolina is thought to have suffered most, with $22billion in losses, followed by South Carolina with $5.5billion and about $1billion in Virginia. The storm is also expected to cause flooding to expand across the Carolinas later this week. The Carolinas (Fayetteville, NC, pictured) were devastated last month when Hurricane Florence left parts of the states completely flooded Millions were forced to evacuate and hundreds more lost their homes to flooding North Carolina is thought to have suffered most, with $22billion in losses, followed by South Carolina with $5.5billion and about $1billion in Virginia According to AccuWeather, Michael can deliver around 4-8 inches of rain from the Florida Panhandle into parts of the Carolinas later this week. Tropical storm winds extended out 205 miles, primarily east of the storm's center. A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth as well as the coast of Mexico from Tulum to Cabo Catoche. A warning indicates tropical storm conditions are expected, in this case, within 24 hours. The hurricane center warned that the storm could produce a foot of rain in western Cuba, potentially triggering flash floods and mudslides in mountainous areas. An Air Force hurricane hunter airplane was sent into the storm to investigate, the hurricane center said. Hundreds of families were evacuated to shelters in Honduras as heavy rains from Michael drenched the Central American country on its way to Florida. The Permanent Commission of Contingencies said Sunday that at least 260 homes have been damaged, mostly in southern Honduras, and that more than 6,000 people have been impacted by the rains. School was canceled nationwide Monday. Images on social media showed families wading through thigh-high water, rivers rushing onto streets and roads to communities cut off by mudslides. Local media reported several deaths. Homes in Honduras that are built close to waterways or wedged precariously on hillsides are vulnerable to being washed away by rain. Michael is the 13th named storm of the 2018 hurricane season, according to hurricane center spokesman Dennis Feltgen. Advertisement French and Italian boats are today racing to contain a 12-mile fuel spill after two container ships collided in the Mediterranean Sea. The oil has been spreading since a Tunisian tanker carrying trucks rammed into an anchored Cypriot container ship 20 miles north of Corsica on Sunday morning. It is not clear why the crash in clear conditions happened but the most likely cause is thought to be human error. Collision: A Tunisian vessel carrying trucks rammed into Cypriot container ship off Corsica in clear conditions on Sunday Pollution: The spill created a trail of pollution 12miles long and several hundred meters wide as boats battled to contain it Two French ships were sent to the area and specialists were helicoptered in after the crash as investigations into the collision began No-one was injured in the collision, which smashed a huge hole in the hull of one of the ships, causing the fuel spill into the nearby Cap Corse and Agriate marine reserve which was created just two years ago. The spill created a trail of pollution 12miles long and several hundred meters wide, heading away from Corsica to the northwest, toward the French and Italian mainland. The spill created a trail of pollution 12miles long. Pictured: The collision An estimated 40 to 200 cubic metres (1,400 to 7,000 cubic feet) has spread, authorities said. Both France and Italy have sent two boats to the site, where an inflatable boom has been deployed to stop the spread of a slick. Another boat from each country is expected to join them soon. 'Pushed by the wind, the spill has spread and is breaking up', a spokesman for maritime authorities said Monday. As of 1pm, it was not clear if fuel was still leaking from the Cyprus-based CLS Virginia, and officials were still evaluating how to separate the two ships and bring them to port. Writing on Twitter, Corsica leader Gilles Simeoni said he was determined to find what caused the accident, which occurred in relatively calm seas with good visibility. He also called for 'absolute vigilance in preventing eventual pollution, especially since the collision occurred within the Cap Corse and Agriate marine reserve.' The wind was pushing the spill toward the northwest away from the French island which is known for its pristine waters and tourist beaches. French Environment Minister Francois de Rugy was on his way to the site Monday afternoon, his office said. A photo released by the French navy showed the bow of the Tunisian ship smashed up against the side of the other ship. Catherine Loquias (pictured), who told a court she was the de facto partner of a pilot killed in a plane crash, is accused of lying about their relationship to take control of his estate A woman who told a court she was the de facto partner of a pilot killed in a horror plane crash is accused of lying about their relationship to take control of his estate. Jayson Spencer, 44, died at the helm of a light aircraft which was found in a field near Bathurst, west of Sydney, in June 2017. The following month, Catherine Loquias filed documents in the Supreme Court which stated she had been in an 11-year on-off relationship with Mr Spencer and lived with him for more than two years before his death. But after winning a bitter legal battle to organise and attend Mr Spencer's funeral, Loquias, 34, now stands accused of perjury and fraud - with prosecutors alleging she was not the pilot's partner. She is accused of dishonestly gaining Mr Spencer's estate, falsifying a Vodafone bill and producing a false invoice for rings, The Courier Mail reported. Another charge relates to allegations she unlawfully gained nearly $7,000 in Mr Spencer's goods. After Mr Spencer's death, Loquias had been told by the pilot's family she could not organise or even attend his funeral. Jayson Spencer (pictured) died at the helm of a light aircraft which was found in a field near Bathurst, west of Sydney, in June 2017 The family also demanded she vacate Mr Spencer's home in the Brisbane suburb of West End. 'Catherine is not welcome to attend the funeral,' a letter read written to Loquias' lawyer read. 'Catherine is to vacate the property at West End immediately.' Loquias won the right to attend Mr Spencer's funeral along with her late partner's family and to hold a private wake - which the family would not attend. Letters of administration of Mr Spencer's estate were granted to his mother in October last year. Loquias is on bail awaiting a hearing. She said Conservatives had patriotic programme as she tried to claim the middle ground of politics Downing Street may need Labour support for Chequers gets to Parliament Tory whips hope as many as 25 Labour MPs could vote with them to get Theresa Mays Chequers Brexit plan through the Commons, it was claimed last night. As the Prime Minister made a pitch to the centre ground and Labour voters, it was reported that her whips office had made contact with more than two dozen Labour MPs. Downing Street may need Labour support for Chequers when Parliament is given a meaningful vote on the deal, if one is agreed, before Christmas. Theresa May said that in an era in which traditional political allegiances counted for less, the Tories had a responsibility on our shoulders to offer a home to millions of former Labour voters who were uneasy about the partys lurch to the Left under Mr Corbyn It came as Mrs May appealed to Labour voters to abandon Jeremy Corbyn and switch to her moderate party. She said the Conservatives had a patriotic programme as she tried to claim the middle ground of politics. Writing in The Observer, Mrs May said the party had a new emphasis on building homes, adding: I want voters who may previously have thought of themselves as Labour supporters to look at my Government afresh. They will find a decent, moderate and patriotic programme that is worthy of their support. Mrs May said that in an era in which traditional political allegiances counted for less, the Tories had a responsibility on our shoulders to offer a home to millions of former Labour voters who were uneasy about the partys lurch to the Left under Mr Corbyn. Tory Brexiteers last night denied claims they were threatening to bring down the Government if Mrs May forced through a deal on the back of Labour votes in the Commons. Theresa May said she wants to offer a home to millions of former Labour voters uneasy with the party's lurch to the left under Jeremy Corbyn The Sunday Times reported that a group of Tory MPs was prepared to vote against the Government on the Budget on October 29 unless Mrs May toughened her stance with Brussels. The newspaper quoted Sir Bernard Jenkin telling a WhatsApp group of Tory MPs: Make no mistake a soft/non Brexit pushed by the Conservative establishment but put through with Labour support will look like we are abandoning our supporters and remove any sense of obligation among Conservative-Brexit supporting MPs to continue to support the Government. Last night, Sir Bernard said the message had been misinterpreted. More than a dozen Cuban migrants who traveled to the Florida coast in a makeshift wooden boat with hopes of a better life have been rounded up, hours after they landed and jumped from the ship in search of cover. The U.S. Coast Guard said that 27 migrants, including some children, made it to the Virginia Key, Miami coast around 1.30pm on Sunday then made a run for it. According to the migrants, they started their journey on September 27 and traveled for 10 days in the tiny boat and got lost along the way before they finally made it to the U.S. shore. On Sunday 27 migrants landed in Miami, Florida after spending days traveling in a rickety, wooden boat from Cuba. The migrants made a run for it, but 15 were detained hours later Police were alerted and an air and land search was launched for the migrants. As of Sunday evening 15 of the 27 were detained. Medics seen tending to migrants on the beach above Police made their arrests shortly after the migrants landed at Virginia Key around 1.30pm on Sunday after spending days in the ocean The U.S. Coast Guard said 15 of the 27 were arrested and a search is ongoing for the others 'Theres like 20, 30 people inside the boat and they are all getting out. Those people have been out there for eight days,' witness Juan Montoya told local news station WSVN, although according to migrant accounts they had been traveling for 10 days. 'They got lost and they were thinking about turning back, they actually turned back. And after like a day they were like you know what, lets turn back around and just see where we can get,' he added. The boat they traveled in was tiny and painted red and took three weeks to build by hand. Inside the craft water was seen on the floor as well as strewn clothing items, empty water bottles, and a shoe - objects left behind as the migrants rushed onto the beach. After they hit land, they were spotted by people along the coast and police were alerted soon afterwards. The migrants departed from Cuba on September 27 in a small boat that took three weeks to build and despite getting lost they managed to make it to the Florida shore A look inside the boat reveals the grim and dirty conditions they traveled in with the hopes of making it the U.S. with the hopes of a better life U.S. Border Patrol announced that they had arrested 15 of the migrants by Sunday evening Police and U.S. Border Patrol launched a massive search effort deploying helicopters and K-9 officers to hunt for the migrants Some witnesses on the scene sat and ate with migrants. Local Alex Fernandez and his friends even put two migrants in their car and tried to drive them to safety before they were caught. A massive search conducted by multiple agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Miami police shut down the Virginia Key area and searched for the migrants by land and air with helicopters and using K-9 officers. Thirteen migrants were immediately detained and treated on the beach by paramedics from the Miami Fire Rescue. None were transported to hospitals. By Sunday evening 15 of the 27 were caught and held in Dania Beach Border Patrol Station where they will be processed then likely deported back to Cuba. 'Everybody comes here for a better opportunityjust for a better life,' Montoya said. The pastor who guided two of the Bali Nine ringleaders before their execution has issued a chilling warning to Australian tourists, after revealing the pair's final moments. Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were convicted of attempting to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin out of Indonesia and into Australia in 2005, and were sentenced to death for their leadership roles in the ring before being executed in 2015. Christie Buckingham fears the increasing number of cheap flights to South East Asian nations will mean more 'irresponsible' Australian travellers tempted by drug trafficking. Bali Nine pastor Christie Buckingham (pictured) has urged Australian travellers to be more careful According to Ms Buckingham, 3.5 million Australians each year visit eight neighbouring countries that still execute criminals. The Australian government warns tourists to exercise a high degree of caution in Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines, because of drug laws and fears of terrorist attacks. 'We are talking about a lot of irresponsible young adults, or irresponsible older people who go there because alcohol is inexpensive and everything is permissible,' Ms Buckingham told The Herald Sun. 'Then they have unrealistic expectations of the embassies. They are not there to get you out of trouble that you are not insured to be in.' Sukumaran and Chan spent 10 years on death row, and were widely believed to be rehabilitated when they faced the firing squad in 2015 (pictured at Sukumaran's funeral) More than 10 per cent of Australia's population each year visit neighbouring countries that still execute, including Bali. Pictured is the Pura Ulun Danu Beratan Hindu temple in Bali Sukumaran and Chan spent 10 years on death row, and were widely believed to be rehabilitated when they faced the firing squad in 2015. Ms Buckingham, who was a pastor in the prison, who led and worked with both men during their journey toward rehabilitation but ultimately their death. The Christian leader saw Sukumaran become an accomplished artist and teacher within the prison and watched Chan follow in her footsteps to become a pastor as well. She lobbied tirelessly to get the men off death row, but Indonesia was firm in its decision, and her pleas went unanswered. Ms Buckingham was with Sukumaran in the minutes before he was killed. Myuran Sukumaran (pictured) was convicted of attempting to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin out of Indonesia and into Australia in 2005 Sukumaran and Chan (pictured) were sentenced to death for what the courts determined to be their leadership roles in the ring She put her hand over his heart in the moments before she had to step out of the way, and was astonished by how calm he was. She said he had accepted his fate, and was at peace with what was about to come. Her last words to Sukumaran before he died were: 'You have a good heart. Ill see you on the other side.' Ms Buckingham portrays herself in the film 'Guilty', which will be released to coincide with a United Nations vote to put pressure on countries who still impose the death penalty. The film documents the last 72 hours of both men's lives. It hopes to draw awareness to the implications of making potentially deadly mistakes in foreign countries, particularly at a time when holiday packages to Indonesia are so cheap. If You Enjoy My Articles, Please Consider Supporting My Writing By Giving A Donation Of Any Amount. Thank you! Russell Crowe has led the tributes pouring in for beloved entertainer and disability activist Quentin Kenihan who died suddenly at the age of 43 on Saturday. Crowe inspired Kenihan to keep fighting despite coming 'close to death 15 or 20 times' and telling the world he didn't want to fight anymore in a heartbreaking 2010 tweet. The Gladiator actor led a list of entertainers and politicians paying tribute to Kenihan, who was nicknamed the 'little Aussie Battler' as he struggled throughout his life with a debilitating bone condition. Russell Crowe has led the tributes pouring in for beloved entertainer, disability activist and politician Quentin Kenihan - who died suddenly at the age of 43 on Saturday Posting to Twitter on Sunday, Crowe paid tribute to his 'little mate'. He said: 'Devastating news. My little mate, the bravest bloke I ever met ... gone. We will meet again. 'Between your interviews, your book, your one man show, your zany little movies - what a creative and productive life.' Posting to Twitter on Sunday, Crowe paid tribute to his 'little mate' - saying he was 'the bravest bloke I ever met ... gone. We will meet again.' Earlier this year Kenihan detailed how Crowe helped get him the role in the movie Mad Max: Fury Road - for which he is perhaps best known. 'He (Crowe) told me to get off my a**e and stop whining about dying and when you've got the Gladiator calling, you listen,' he told Woman's Day. Kenihan described the movie as a turning point in his life - saying 'I'm not known as 'that brave little boy' anymore - people say 'that's that dude from the movie'. Earlier this year Kenihan detailed how Crowe helped get him the role in the movie Mad Max: Fury Road - for which he is perhaps best known. Former prime minister Julia Gillard led the world of politics in remembering the entertainer, crediting him for teaching 'us about the strength of the human spirit' 'I'm not just seen as a person in a wheelchair but as an actor, which is what I've always wanted.' The pair's closeness was shown again in March when the Hollywood star helped Kenihan purchase a $55,000 oxygen concentrator following a fundraiser. Comedian Wil Anderson also posted a light-hearted tribute to Kenihan on Twitter. Comedian Wil Anderson also posted a light-hearted tribute to Kenihan on Twitter. The comedian recently performed at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and published his autobiography Not All Superheroes Wear Capes (pictured) The South Australia entertainer was cast as Rictus Erectus in Mad Max: Fury Road - with him later saying that to be known as an actor and not just a disabled person was what he always wanted He said: 'Sad news about Quentin Kenihan - always a delight to catch up for a chat when I ran into him (or in one case when he ran over me, I think on purpose) and a real supporter of the Australian arts too. Former prime minister Julia Gillard led the world of politics in remembering the entertainer, crediting him for teaching 'us about the strength of the human spirit and what we can do with the support and love of family, friends and the community.' Kenihan was also well-known for a show about his life on Channel 10. He first rose to prominence as a child in a series of interviews with Mike Willesee about his brittle bone disease osteogenesis imperfecta. Due to the congenital disorder, he has suffered more than 570 broken bones in his life. However, his death was believed to be from an asthma attack. The comedian recently performed at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and published his autobiography Not All Superheroes Wear Capes. Kenihan's last Twitter post was just the day before his death as part of his campaign for Adelaide City Council, for which he nominated in July. He suffered from brittle bone disease osteogenesis imperfecta, causing his small stature and confining him to a wheelchair More than 120,000 Australians have signed a petition protesting plans to turn the World Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House into a light-show billboard for a horse race. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian's directive to Opera House management to display Racing NSW promotions for The Everest sparked a popular change.org movement. The event at Royal Randwick this Saturday is the world's richest horse race with $13million in prizemoney and will feature a performance from One Direction's Liam Payne. Petition author Mike Woodcock's campaign had attracted 123,550 signatures on Monday morning, three days after he protested against the sidelining of Opera House chief executive Louise Herron. More than 120,000 Australians have signed a petition protesting against plans to turn the World Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House into a light-show billboard Petition author Mike Woodcock's campaign had attracted 123,550 signatures on Monday morning, three days after Opera House chief executive Louise Herron was sidelined It came after Sydney radio 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones savaged her for arguing the Opera House was not a billboard. 'Let's remind Alan that the Opera House truly does belong to everyone, by supporting Louise Herron's staunch defence of one of our city and country's few instantly recognisable heritage landmarks,' the petition said. He had plenty of support, with petition signer Catherine Ellis dismayed at Danish architect Jorn Utzon's architectural icon being used for advertising. 'The Opera House is not a billboard, it is a national landmark,' she said. The Royal Randwick event this Saturday is the world's richest horse race with $13million prizemoney and will feature a performance from One Direction's Liam Payne He had plenty of support, with petition signer Catherine Ellis dismayed at Danish architect Jorn Utzon's architectural masterpiece being used for advertising Another woman was upset the Opera House was being used to promote gambling The idea of advertising on the Opera House was described as a 'debasement of a national icon' Another woman was upset the Opera House was being used to promote a sport heavily entwined with gambling. 'Disgusted that the Opera House is to be used to support racing,' she said. The idea of advertising on the Opera House was described as a 'debasement of a national icon'. 'The Opera House is not the 'largest billboard' it's a space for art and should not be used to sell a commodity that harms our society,' Joanne Faulkner said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a former head of Tourism Australia, didn't agree and said advertising events on the Opera House would generate economic benefits. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a former head of Tourism Australia, didn't agree arguing advertising events on the side of the Opera House would generate economic benefits 'This is one of the biggest events of the year why not put it on the biggest billboard Sydney has,' he said on Sunday. 'I don't know why people are getting so precious about it. Frankly I thought it was a bit of a no-brainer. On Friday, Alan Jones - who lives adjacent to the Opera House - demanded the resignation of Opera House chief executive Louise Herron. 'We have a policy that protects our World Heritage status,' Ms Herron told Jones. 'We have said yes to the request to put the jockeys' colours on the sails. 'We have no problem with that. What we won't do is put text or videos of horse running or horses' numbers or names or the Everest logo on the Opera House. It's not a billboard'. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday denied she caved into bullying from 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones. 2GB radio host Alan Jones (pictured) urged Louise Herron to resign from her Sydney Opera House role and said he would sack her if he was NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian A fired up Jones replied: 'Who said? You. Who the hell do you think who do you think you are?' Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday denied she caved into bullying from Jones. 'There'll be no logos or names - the only words on there are the words on the trophy itself,' she said. 'I'm absolutely confident the Sydney Opera House will continue to be the icon that it is globally and for us locally.' Sydney Opera House chief executive Louise Herron (pictured) has come under fire after she refused a proposal for text or branding to be projected onto the landmark's sails to promote The Everest horse race Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys said he had been negotiating with the state government for more than a year and initially wanted to use the Sydney Harbour Bridge to promote the Everest race. 'The Opera House was the alternate venue put forward by the NSW government, which wanted to support the promotion of the event internationally, as it had done for other sporting events,' he wrote in The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday. 'We are promoting a unique Sydney event, The Everest, not gambling.' Mr V'landys also said a 'vast majority' of the negotiations happened before Jones got involved last week. 'Call me naive but I certainly didn't expect there would be such a reaction to us using the Opera House sales for 10 minutes to promote The Everest event internationally.' The son of Peter Hall, the architect who oversaw the completion of the Opera House, described the plan as a 'desecration'. 'My father would have been sickened by it ... he would not have condoned advertising on the building in any way, lucky he's not around to see the desecration of our beautiful iconic masterpiece,' Willy Hall told Fairfax Media. A protest, Defend The Opera House, is being held at Bennelong Point tomorrow at 8pm. U.S. Army sergeant Martin Balleza, 40, was sentenced to 99 years in jail for abusing several young girls while on active duty A decorated U.S. Army sergeant has been found guilty of continually sexually abusing several young girls but his lawyer maintains that his accusers are lying and trying to smear his reputation, citing Judge Brett Kavanaugh in her closing arguments. Martin Balleza, 40, was sentenced to 99 years behind bars without a chance of parole and an additional 10-year sentence for the sexual assault of a child. He will serve the sentences consecutively. His lawyer Monica E. Guerrero told jurors that his accusers are lying, referencing the #MeToo movement and the sexual assault allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, which the FBI found to be groundless. 'We need proof,' Guerrero told jurors, according to MySanAntonio. She explained there was no DNA evidence to confirm the assaults took place. She said the state brought 'a parade of witnesses to say he did this, he did that' - meaning the case was hanging on the word of the young victims. His defense attorney Monica E. Guerrero said Balleza's accusers are lying citing the #MeToo movement and Judge Brett Kavanaugh who's been accused of sexual assault by multiple women yet the FBI failed to find evidence to corroborate those claims A nine and 11-year-old child shared their accounts to jurors describing oral sex, fondling, and attempted assault by Balleza. A 16 year old also appeared before jurors to testify how she fought off Balleza on one occasion. 'They have nothing. No medical evidence, no physical evidence, nothing. Give me a break,' she added. Guerrero said the accusations of assault are an attempt to ruin his esteemed reputation. 'This guy gave up his life to go to Iraq, to Afghanistan, hes a decorated sergeant. Youre talking about taking away someones liberty,' she said. Comparing Balleza to Judge Kavanaugh spurred anger in the court room. 'Supreme Court? Kavanaugh? Really. His military service does not mitigate what he did; his service didnt mean hes telling the truth,' prosecutor Daryl Harris said in his closing rebuttal. Balleza's lawyer Monica E. Guerrero (above) said there was no DNA evidence to prove he abused the victims. Three victims spoke before jurors He added that DNA tests were conducted but nothing was found as they were taken days after the alleged incidents. However Balleza's brother Steven told the jury his brother confessed to some of the allegations against him. Martin Balleza joined the army in 1997 and worked as a chemical operations specialist. He was deployed to Afghanistan three times and once to Iraq, earning him several medals of commendation. He was an active-duty staff sergeant working at the 201st Military Intelligence Battalion at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston at the time of the alleged abuse. When Balleza was accused of sexual abuse, his brother says he tried to kill himself. Steven Balleza flocked to his brother's side after hearing of the suicide attempt, leading to his confessions. 'That (the confession) was his only attempt at being decent. He says everybody is lying. Real men dont hide behind children,' Prosecutor Daryl Harris told jurors. An article on April 16 included Stop the Labour Purge member Ed Whitby among Labour activists who have expressed anti-Semitic views. We are happy to make clear that Mr Whitby has not expressed such views. In fact, he has said he is against anti-Semitism and we apologise for any contrary impression given. To report an inaccuracy, please email corrections@dailymail.co.uk. To make a formal complaint go to www.dailymail.co.uk/readerseditor. You can also write to Readers Editor, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or contact IPSO directly at ipso.co.uk Politicians have cost taxpayers about $365,000 in just six months by forcing government planes to fly empty to pick them up. Royal Australian Airforces five special-purpose planes took off without passengers to pick up federal government ministers 74 times in the last six months of 2017. The bill for the 'ghost flights' to retrieve politicians, their staff and family members jumped by $40,000 compared to the first six months of last year, News Corp reported. Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) had 32 empty planes fly to pick him up in the last six months of 2016, costing $77,554 Topping the list of the priciest empty flight was from Canberra to Perth for then-trade minister Steve Ciobo which cost taxpayers $20,700. That was followed closely by a flight from Canberra to Nhulinbuy, in the Northern Territory, for Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion costing $20,240. An empty plane flew from Canberra to Darwin to get Senator Scullion in November last year. The flight, which would cost about $300-$400 on a commercial flight, set taxpayers back $19,780. Topping the list of the priciest empty flight was from Canberra to Perth for then-trade minister Steve Ciobo (pictured with his family) it cost the taxpayer $20,700 Malcolm Turnbull had the most ghost flights. Empty planes flew to pick-up the then-Prime Minister 32 times, costing $77,554. Former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce had 15 empty planes fly to pick him up. A spokesman for Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said the 'fly in and out' model significantly reduced the total number of aircraft required to provide the special-purpose capability. The special-purpose aircrafts operate from the Fairbairn airbase in Canberra and are only supposed to be used when a commercial flight is not a viable option. Kim Kardashian has asked California Governor Jerry Brown to retest DNA evidence in a quadruple murder case from the 1980s to help a man on death row Kim Kardashian is fighting to help prove a death row inmate is innocent with a new DNA test over claims that cops framed him. The reality TV star successfully advocated for the release of 63-year-old grandmother Alice Johnson after meeting with President Donald Trump. Now the 37-year-old is turning her support towards the case of Kevin Cooper, who has been on death row for 33 years and will face the lethal injection for the murders of four people, including two 10-year-old children. The KUWTK star today urged California Governor Jerry Brown to allow the retesting of the prisoner's DNA on Twitter. In a tweet, the mother-of-two said: Governor Brown, please add Kevin Cooper to your legacy of smart, fair and thoughtful criminal justice reforms." She retweeted an opinion article from the New York Times titled 'Justice Delayed, With a Life on the Line'. The piece argues that Cooper might have been framed for the heinous crime. He is currently on death row at San Quentin, and Kristof says an advanced DNA test could exonerate him. Kevin Cooper was sentenced to death in 1985 for the brutal slaying of Douglas and Peggy Ryen, their 10-year-old daughter Jessica, and 10-year-old Chris Hughes, who was staying at their house in the Los Angeles suburb of Chino Hills. Kardashian took to Twitter today, just months after she helped 63-year-old Alice Johnson be commuted from her life sentence after 20 years behind bars Brown was arrested in 1983 and convicted in 1985 for the gruesome murders of two children and two adults - but he has always maintained his innocence Their eight-year-old son Josh was the only survivor, even though he had his throat slit, and his account of that night would be the key to the prosecution's case. Initially, police were looking for three white or Mexican men, based on Josh's recollection of the horrific killings and evidence which suggested there were multiple people involved in the crime. Advocates argue that the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department tampered with DNA evidence to frame Cooper and that this evidence found on a t-shirt Cooper says he never wore should be retested. Witnesses also said they had seen three white men driving - what was believed to be the family car - away from the home, but cops focused on Cooper instead. Cooper had recently escaped from a minimum security prison and was hiding in a house nearby and prosecutors claimed to have found a footprint of a prison issued shoe at the slain family's property. Officers also said they found cigarette butts with his DNA on and Josh later changed his version of events to say he had seen a black man at the scene. Cooper was sentenced to death in 1985 but appealed and during the retesting of evidence, it was found that a t-shirt said to belong to the killer had test tube preservation on it. Cooper and his legal team believe he was wrongly convicted and evidence was planted to incriminate him. In 2014, he was just three hours from facing the death penalty before Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger urged a review of his case Kardashian met Trump (pictured) to highlight the case of Alice Johnson who was released It also contained the DNA of at least two people, indicating that the blood on the shirt had been put there after the murders possibly by someone else. Cooper's attorney David Alexander, who managed to save his client from execution in 2014 with just three hours and 20 minutes, has previously asked Governor Brown to review the case without success. Evidence of another man being involved in the killing is overwhelming - Jessica, the 10-year-old girl who was murdered, died with a chunk of light hair in her hand, and the ex-wife of a convicted murderer who lived nearby said the man had come to her home covered in blood and there was a hatchet missing from her home. Family photo of Peggy, Doug, Jessica and Joshua Ryan, who was the lone survivor of a hatchet attack in 1985 He has demanded new DNA testing and says his client would be "happy to speak or meet with Ms Kardashian" after 33 years of being "wrongfully incarcerated". I think support from any people who are interested in justice is important,' he said. 'I don't know her from Adam, but I believe her speaking out and gathering other people in Hollywood to speak out, or anyone who is interested in criminal justice - speaking out and telling this Governor to have moral leadership - to have courage - to be better than his best excuses - [is a positive thing].' Kardashian made headlines in June after meeting with President Donald Trump following months of campaigning for the release of Alice Johnson - a 63-year-old woman who was sentenced to life behind bars for her minor role in a drug trafficking syndicate. Johnson, who had been behind bars for 20 years, had her sentence commuted earlier this month - and Kardashian was widely credited for her release. As the internet erupted with fury over the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court - one man with nearly the exact same name as the Judge wrongfully received a whole lot of flack. Kentucky man Brett Kavanagh, 27, doesn't have a whole lot in common with the controversial judge, except for his name. As the Judge's nomination to the Supreme Court dominated headlines, the clothing store supplier said he was mistaken for the politician on Twitter and mercilessly attacked. On Friday Kavanagh said he reached a breaking point and tweeted: 'This is a terrible time to be named Brett Kavanagh. Kentucky man Brett Kavanagh, 27, (left) has revealed the downside of sharing the same name as the controversial newly sworn in Judge Brett Kananaugh, 53 (right) On Friday he tweeted: 'This is a terrible time to be named Brett Kavanaugh', which went viral with one million likes at 161,000 retweets His hilarious tweet instantly went viral racking up a million likes and 161,000 retweets. Kavanagh said he couldn't take it when his name became the hottest topic of conversation last week and his phone was inundated with Twitter notifications. He's been tagged in mean tweets and criticized for his judicial philosophy by angry Twitter users bombarding his account, as the real judge does not have a Twitter profile. 'Dude, it was literally like a machine gun. It was like my phone caught a virus. It was constantly vibrating,' Kavanagh said to the Louisville Courier Journal. 'I had a couple of beers and I was like 'You know what, I'm just going to throw this out there. I thought to myself, "This is a terrible time to be named Brett Kavanagh,"' he added. Even his boss said the online crazy got out of control. 'I told him, "You've got to be kidding me." It started with a joke here or there. But then it became crazy as the process went on,' Kavanagh's boss Landon Wade said. Now Kavanagh, a salesman, says he has to change his whole pitch following the Supreme Court nominee's scandal. 'The first thing I say is my name is Brett Kavanagh. And literally the first reactions is "Wait, what did you just say." I have to stop and explain its been a crazy couple of weeks,' he said. Not the Judge: The clothing company salesman says he's even had to change his pitch after he'd say his name and customers would get confused But he isn't alone. Twitter users who share the pain of having the same name as politicians rallied behind Kavanagh A Twitter user named Michael Cohen - sharing the same name as Trump's controversial personal lawyer - said: 'How's it going fellas' in reply to Kavanagh's tweet A Twitter fan named Paul Ryan joined the mix saying: 'Are you guys coming to my retirement party?' A woman named Susan Collins - just like the Republican Maine senator who voted to confirm Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court - said 'I feel your pain!' A woman named Anne Cutler said 'Ugh...samesies' referring to how she's often mistaken for conservative commentator Ann Coulter But it turns out he isn't the only one to suffer from sharing a politician's name. A Twitter user named Mike Pence - just as the Vice President - responded to Kavanagh's tweet saying: 'Welcome to the club, brother'. Another user named Michael Cohen - like Donald Trump's former personal lawyer - responded saying: 'How's it going, fellas'. Yet another Twitter fan named Paul Ryan, just as the Speaker of the House, tweeted: 'Are you guys coming to my retirement party?' Kavanagh says he's awestruck with going viral. 'I never use Twitter. I had 127 followers. Now, I see that celebrities on Instagram are screenshotting it and my phone is just blowing up,' he said. However he says he doesn't really have an opinion on Kavanaugh who was confirmed onto the Supreme Court on Saturday. 'I dont know the guy. We have the same name, our hair is kind of parted in the same direction. Thats about it ... oh, and we both like beer,' he said. Dean Webber had no idea what hit him when three burly men ripped his screen door off its tracks and stormed the scrawny teen's home. Seconds later they grabbed him 'round the throat, lifted him off the ground and then threw him to the floor where all three men set upon him'. A photo taken by police after his arrest in Alva Beach, North Queensland, last Sunday night shows a deep red hand print on his neck and a cut on his forehead. The 19-year-old only survived by allegedly thrusting a 15cm kitchen knife into the darkness, stabbing two of his assailants three times, according to police. A photo taken by police after Dean Webber's arrest shows a deep red hand print on his neck and a gash on his forehead from when three men stormed his home, grabbed him 'round the throat, lifted him off the ground and then threw him to the floor' Corey Christensen, 37, and Tom Davy, 27, then staggered from the house on Topton Street and bled to death on the lawn and in the gutter outside. One was stabbed twice in the chest and the other through the armpit, severing a major artery and causing massive blood loss. Mr Webber also suffered a wound to the back of his left thigh in the bloody brawl, and was seen painfully hobbling as he led police through the crime scene after he was released without charge last Tuesday. The traumatised teenager didn't even know he had stabbed anyone until he saw the blood on his hands when he called police. Then he put the bloodied knife on a chopping board in the kitchen, where the melee occurred, and lay on the ground with his hands behind his head as police arrived. Chilling photographs taken at the Webber home on Thursday show blood drops staining the concrete veranda of Webber's family home Mr Webber opened his home (pictured) to a terrified Candice Locke, after she begged for shelter Mr Webber never signed up for a violent home invasion that would change his life forever. He just had a few beers watching the NRL Grand Final and fell asleep on the couch. He awoke suddenly to Candice Locke, 29, banging on the door of his family's holiday home in the sleepy beach town, hysterical and begging to be let in. 'Don't let them get me, they are very bad people,' she pleaded. Soon after, four men showed up in a car and Mr Webber hid Ms Locke on the kitchen floor, turned out the lights, and called 000. He was told the Ayr police station had no one who could come because they had people in custody with only one officer to guard them, and just to sit tight. Father-of-three Corey Christensen, 37, was allegedly stabbed after storming Mr Webber's home with Tom Davy and a third, unnamed man Thomas Davy, 27 (pictured) was fatally stabbed by Dean Webber in the early hours of Monday morning The car left, but returned soon after, this time with seven men, and Mr Davy, Mr Christensen, and a third man ripped the screen door off its tracks and stormed in. 'We've got you now, you little p***k,' they said as they approached, a source close to the investigation told the Courier Mail. The chain of events that led to the bloody brawl is still not entirely clear as Ms Locke is yet to give a statement to police as she recovers in hospital. The young woman, daughter of former Cowboys NRL player Martin Locke, had surgery on a badly dislocated shoulder and is still in hospital. Ms Locke and her boyfriend Mr Davy were watching the Sydney Roosters thrash the Melbourne Storm in Alva Beach and met Mr Christensen. They bonded over their love of rugby league and shared more than a few drinks together. Mr Webber, 19, was heroically protecting Ms Locke when he blindly stabbed at the men who had stormed his house, police sources said Candice Locke, 29 (pictured) begged Mr Webber for help after knocking on his door in the early hours of Monday morning Ms Locke and Mr Davy argued about whether they should kick on at an after party in a vacant block next to Mr Christensen's home and over the road from the local surf club. The young woman was eventually persuaded and they ended up at the sandy beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The trio, along with others, were drunkenly driving quad bikes around the beach, and Ms Locke told Mr Webber she was pushed off one of them and hurt her shoulder. Ms Locke wanted to call an ambulance for her busted shoulder, but Mr Davy, Mr Christensen and others insisted she should hold off. They were worried that whoever was driving the quad bike she fell, or was pushed, from could be charged with drink driving, police sources said. It is believed Dean Webber, 19 (pictured) was acting in self-defense when he grabbed the small kitchen knife Paul Webber, the uncle of Dean Webber, outside his Ayr home, says his nephew is upset Ms Locke was not convinced and took off running, looking for somewhere to call for help and wait for a ride to hospital. She happened upon Mr Webber's home, the first house she saw with its lights on, and ran up to the door in a panic, begging whoever was inside to let her in. The apprentice fitter and Air Force cadet is now with family at an unknown location trying to recover from the incident that police sources say 'destroyed' him. The teenager's uncle Paul Webber admitted his nephew was understandably feeling guilty about what happened. 'He's pretty upset as you'd imagine, our whole family is devastated,' he told Daily Mail Australia from his home in nearby Ayr. 'I've only seen him for a few minutes, I gave him a hug and that's about it 'I don't really know how it all happened, I've been trying not to think about it.' The young woman who was killed when her BMW sliced into three after colliding with a power pole has been remembered for her bright and bubbly personality. Paige Dent died when her car crashed into the pole on the Nepean Highway in Cheltenham, south-east Melbourne, about 5.30am on Saturday. Devastated family and friends have paid tribute to the 25-year-old, who was the only person in the vehicle and died at the scene. Scroll down for video Tributes are flowing for Paige Dent (pictured) after she died in a horror crash early on Saturday morning Ms Dent was killed in a smash which saw her blue BMW sliced in half after hitting a power pole in Melbourne's south-east 'She was always such a bubbly person, she was very bright and was always on the ball,' Ms Dent's father, Michael, told The Age. 'She was such a funny girl, we used to have lots of fun and lots of laughs, she was just so full of potential.' Her step-sister, Shannon Burnell, told the publication Ms Dent's death has 'been traumatic for everyone'. Ms Dent's father added to Seven News his daughter 'just had this wicked sense of humour'. Ms Dent was driving a blue BMW crashed into a pole on Nepean Highway, in Cheltenham, south-east of Melbourne about 5.30am on Saturday Ms Dent (left) was 'always such a bubbly person', her father, Michael (right) said 'She was full of life and you just couldn't stop her,' he said. Debris from the car was scattered across the highway close to Southland Shopping Centre, near the intersection of Bay Road. 'It's an incredible scene and I've been in the police force for 30 years,' Senior Sergeant Warren Francis-Pester told Nine News. 'I've never seen debris spread over six lanes of highway.' Authorities were yet to determine how the accident unfolded but police believed speeding, drugs and alcohol were factors. Both directions of the Nepean Highway were closed for several hours as police launched an investigation into the accident. Japan would welcome Britain into the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact 'with open arms', its country's prime minister has said. Shinzo Abe also urged the use of 'wisdom' during Brexit talks in order to avoid a no-deal withdrawal from the European Union. Mr Abe said the UK would lose its role as a gateway to the EU after Brexit, but would still be a country 'equipped with global strength'. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (above) said his country would welcome Britain into the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact 'with open arms' and urged the use of 'wisdom' during Brexit talks The TPP is an 11-nation trade agreement which includes Japan, New Zealand, Canada, Australia and Mexico. US President Donald Trump withdrew America from the pact soon after entering the White House. Mr Abe's comments are likely to be seized on by arch-Brexiteers as the UK would be able to join the bloc only if it was outside the EU customs union and was able to set its own tariffs. Referring to withdrawal talks between London and Brussels, the Japanese prime minister told the Financial Times: 'I hope both sides can contribute their wisdom and at least avoid a so-called disorderly Brexit. Speaking to the Financial Times about the withdrawal talks between London and Brussels he said: 'I hope both sides can contribute their wisdom and at least avoid a so-called disorderly Brexit' 'I truly hope the negative impact of Brexit to the global economy, including Japanese businesses, will be minimised.' Nicola Sturgeon says her party will back a second EU referendum given the option. The SNP leader claimed her 35 MPs in Westminster would vote for another poll if no Brexit deal was agreed. She told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'In those circumstances, sensible MPs of all parties should come together to look at the alternative. 'SNP MPs would undoubtedly vote for that proposition.' Four days after releasing him to clear a roster spot for Julian Edelman, the Patriots re-signed running back Kenjon Barner. Barner has now signed with New England three times in the last four weeks. He's rushed three times for 11 yards, having only seen the field in mop-up duty. Barner was originally signed before the Patriots' Week 2 trip to Jacksonville, then received his release less than two weeks later and brought back before being let go again last week. He is the third running back on the roster after Sony Michel and James White. Barner, a sixth-year back out of Oregon, also provides depth on punt return, as Cyrus Jones did prior to getting waived Saturday. In his last action with the Patriots, Jones returned five punts for 45 yards against Miami in Week 4. #Patriots re-sign RB Kenjon Barner; Make practice squad moves: https://t.co/rzDt7HVEjN New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 8, 2018 Having been claimed off waivers by the Ravens on Monday, he is now back in Baltimore. This is Jones' second stay with the team. A Baltimore native, Jones was claimed in early September after he failed to make New England's 53-man roster on cutdown day. The Patriots then signed their former second-round pick off the Ravens practice squad and brought him back to Foxboro on Sept. 19 on a two-year deal. Without Jones, the Pats' secondary is down to six cornerbacks. Jones played only 10 defensive snaps in Weeks 3 and 4. He also saw time in practice at safety. Iran Resorts To Ill-Defined Packages, Rationing To Tackle Impact of Sanctions 09/09/18 Source: Radio Farda The head of Iran's Planning and Budget Organization, Vice-President Mohammad Baqer Nobakht says his organization will introduce five economic packages to tackle the impact of renewed US sanctions and to control drastic fluctuations of the exchange rate. Satire by Iman Khaksar, Iranian daily Ghanoon Meanwhile, administration-owned daily newspaper Shahrvand on Saturday August 9 has quoted Anoshirvan Mohseni Bandpey, the caretaker of Iran's Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare as saying that the government is considering several plans including the introduction of "electronic coupons" to help the "fair" distribution of essential commodities; euphemism for "rationing." The Iranian government has allocated 13 billion dollars to providing 25 essential commodities to low-income people during the rest of the current Iranian year in till March, Nobakht told the Iranian Students News Agency on Friday. The amount would be spent on purchasing essential commodities from abroad based on a subsidized rate of exchange. However, he did not say whether the government is going to purchase the goods, in which case speaking of a rate of exchange would be meaningless, or private companies are going to get the subsidized foreign currency to import the goods. The latter case, would inevitably give rise to corruption and mishandling of funds in the same way well-connected profiteers benefitted from the foreign currency allocated for imports during May to July 2018, as reported by Iranian media. Rice, sugar, meat, bread and dairy products are the most important items on the list of essential commodities. Iranians have been complaining about the shortage and extremely high prices of everyday household necessities in recent weeks. Although Iran's controlled media say very little about the daunting impact of sanctions, Iranian on social media have been venting their frustration about shortages and high prices in numerous posts that found their way to foreign-based Farsi media, making everyone aware of the seriousness of economic and financial problems in Iran. Radio Farda receives dozens of messages daily from Iranian citizens via social media and telephone about the skyrocketing prices and lack of goods. According to Nobakht, the five packages will help low-income workers, government employees, contractors and producers to cope with the impact of sanctions. However, he did not elaborate on the nature of groups vaguely defined as "contractors" and those working for "institutions," probably meaning the armed forces and the religious bureaucracy. Two more packages are to help producers and government employees cope with fluctuations in the rate of exchange, he said. In the absence of further details this also seems to be a too broad target and can simply mean subsidizing everything while the oil money lasts. Just a week earlier, Iran's central bank chief had announced that the oil income and the bank's foreign reserves should not be spent on subsidizing the national currency. After that announcement, the rial took a further beating on the open market and prices of every-day goods went up. Nobakht added, "There is also going to be another package to help low-income individuals," adding that the details of this package have not been determined yet. What the caretaker labor minister revealed in Shahrvand newspaper, could be what Nobakht was talking about, although it could well be yet another plan that would add more ambiguity to the chaos surrounding the Rouhani administration's ad hoc attempts to counter the impact of US sanctions on the economy. The key to the Labor Ministry's plan is introducing electronic coupons which would enable everyone to buy their ration of essential goods. Last week the parliament ruled out a plan to introduce paper coupons probably fearing the psychological impact of reminding people of the coupons and rationing during Iran's eight-year-long war with Iraq in the 1980s. "It is on our agenda to issue electronic coupons to everyone in society to enable them to provide for their essential needs," the caretaker minister said. Earlier, other Iranian officials had talked about cards with microchips; a smarter way to introduce rationing while looking modern. Read article by Ghanoon daily Following the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran in May, U.S. President Donald Trump re-imposed the sanctions against Iran that were lifted after the deal was signed in 2015. More sanctions are to come into effect after November 4, targeting Iran's oil and gas exports and banking transactions. It is not clear whether and how the sanctions would affect the banking operations that would be part of Tehran's effort to import essential commodities. An unprecedented rise in the rate of exchange of the U.S. dollar against the Iranian currency, the rial, during the past eight months has made life harder for many Iranians and has led to waves of protests that also had political undercurrents. A grieving mother has won her bid to introduce a 'toppling furniture' bill to parliament following the tragic death of her toddler who was crushed by a wardrobe. Skye Quartermaine lost her 21-month-year-old son, Reef Kite, when he was tragically pinned underneath a wooden chest of drawers in Perth in 2015. Ms Quartermaine has used the past three years to push for legislative change in the hope no child has to suffer like her son did. Scroll down for video Skye Quartermaine (pictured, right) has won her bid to introduce a 'toppling furniture' bill to parliament following the tragic death of her toddler (pictured, left) who was crushed by a wardrobe Ms Quartermaine has used the past three years to push for legislative change in the hope no child has to suffer like her son, Reef Kite (pictured), did On Sunday, Acting Commerce Minister Fran Logan announced the 'toppling furniture' bill would go before Western Australian parliament sometime during the week, with Ms Quartermaine by his side. 'This is just a really big win for us,' Ms Quartermaine told 9NEWS. The bill will allow tenants to affix furniture to walls, preventing them from toppling over. A landlord would only be allowed to refuse the request if there is asbestos in the house or if the property is heritage listed. 'The small damage it might make to a landlord's home is a very very little price to pay in order to protect a child's life,' said Acting Minister Logan. Ms Quartermaine moved into the Yokine home two-months before Reef died from asphyxia caused by 'crush injuries' after the 1.25 metre wooden chest fell on him. Ms Quartermaine moved into the Yokine home two-months before Reef died from asphyxia caused by 'crush injuries' after the 1.25 metre wooden chest fell on him On Sunday, Acting Commerce Minister Fran Logan announced the 'toppling furniture' bill would go before Western Australian parliament sometime during the week The incident occurred after the landlord refused Ms Quartermaine's request to bolt the wardrobe to the wall. 'It absolutely baffles me because I put in property value over a child's life and I don't want any other parent to be in the situation I am in,' Ms Quartermaine said on Sunday. Video footage captured by police the day after Reef was killed shows how easily the wardrobe could topple over. Acting Minister Logan said furniture is a key child safety issue as 22 Australian children under the age of nine have died from toppling furniture since 2001. 'It absolutely baffles me because I put in property value over a child's life and I don't want any other parent to be in the situation I am in,' Ms Quartermaine said on Sunday. 'Anchoring furniture can save a child's life,' he said. 'Some of these changes are long overdue so I'm pleased the McGowan Government will be able to introduce them to Parliament this week. 'The bill amends outdated penalties in a range of Acts and ensures they remain in line with community expectations and continue to provide an effective deterrent.' Chinese investors have injected $40.4 billion into the Australian economy in the past four years, despite a sudden slump last year, a newly launched public database has revealed. The Chinese Investment in Australia Database, the first extensive public register tracking the flow of Chinese foreign investment into Australia, was unveiled on Monday and showed it represented 42 percent of all investment in the country. Compiled by the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research at the Australian National University in Canberra, the database aims to help provide a better understanding of 'who' is undertaking investment activity. Mining is a key sector for Chinese investment in Australia, according to the new Chinese Investment in Australia Database (stock image) Of the 262 transactions made, 222 involved a privately-owned investor and 70 per cent were worth under $100 million. Of the $40.4 billion poured into Australia by Chinese investors between 20I4-17, almost half ($19.2 billion) came from Chinese government-backed companies, according to the figures. New South Wales ($15.546 billion) and Victoria ($12.488 billion) were by far the biggest beneficiaries of investment while mining, real estate and transport were the key investment sectors. Around 80 per cent of investors made just a single investment over four years. 'These investors' investments accounted for 42 per cent of total recorded investment activity,' researcher Susan Travis wrote. 'Three investors have made more than four investments in these four years. 'These three investors' investments have accounted for almost A$2.5 billion, or 6 per cent of total investment during this period.' Chinese investors have injected $40.4 billion into the Australian economy in the past four years, despite a sudden decline last year, according to a new database (stock image) 'There has been a significant diversification of Chinese investment in Australia,' Asian Bureau of Economic Research project leader Professor Peter Drysdale (pictured) said Investment was at its peak in 2016 at $14.9 billion before it sharply declined to $8.9 billion in 2017. The decline follow the federal governments' crackdown on foreign investment on Australian infrastructure assets and its reluctance to support Chinese President Xi Jinping's foreign policy initiative. Database project leader Professor Peter Drysdale described the decline as 'unusual' and called on Australia to be 'clear-eyed' about investment. 'Rather than close off Chinese investment in infrastructure, both countries need to frankly sit down and talk about how to manage the risks,' Professor Drysdale told the Australian Financial Review. 'There is a strong appetite for infrastructure investment funds and it can't all be sourced domestically. China is the largest source of new capital in international markets by a significant margin.' The mining sector attracted more than 50 per cent of the total investment poured into Australia by the Chinese last year (stock image) The mining sector makes up more than half of the total value of transactions in 2017, despite a declining share with the health care and financial technology sectors are starting to attract interest. 'There has been a significant diversification of Chinese investment in Australia,' Professor Drysdale said. His researchers are currently collating 2018 data. Amazon is funding an 'extremist' charity whose founder supports child marriage and stoning people to death as punishment for adultery, it emerged last night. Under its charitable scheme Amazon Smile, the tech giant donates a percentage of customers' money to the Muslim Research and Development Foundation (MRDF) described as 'the main Salafist organisation in the UK'. The Salafi movement promotes a hardline interpretation of Islam and is linked with jihadism. Haitham al-Haddad (pictured at Leytonstone Islamic Centre) founded the Muslim Research and Development Foundation - described as 'the main Salafist organisation in the UK' MRDF founder Haitham al-Haddad, 52, from Saudi Arabia, has been described as 'one of the most dangerous men in Britain' by the head of the Quillam Foundation, an anti-extremism think-tank. Despite this, the charity has become one of 6,000 including the British Red Cross, Barnardo's and Cancer Research UK to join the Amazon Smile programme, which was launched in the UK in November last year. The scheme allows shoppers to select a charity they want to donate to when buying a product. The retailer then sends 0.5 per cent of the purchase price to the charity. Dr Haddad has been criticised for his chilling opinions on punishments for adultery and leaving the Muslim faith. He once said being gay was a 'scourge' and a 'criminal act'. Dr Haddad has been criticised for his chilling opinions on punishments for adultery and leaving the Muslim faith. He once said being gay was a 'scourge' and a 'criminal act' In 2012, Dr Haddad, who has a doctorate from SOAS, University of London, said women who committed adultery should be stoned to death. Speaking of a woman's role in a marriage, he said: 'In Britain they keep saying equality, equality, but at the end of the day you are a female. You have certain rights; you cannot do certain things.' Dr Haddad said the Japanese tsunami in 2011, which killed more than 15,000 people, was a just punishment for the country not being Muslim. On child marriage, he said: 'The earlier the better, especially for girls, but you have to be careful of the legal issues.' When a Muslim MP voted for gay marriage, he said: 'If they have rejected Islam, hellfire awaits and their families should cut all ties.' Haitham al-Haddad's charity has become one of 6,000 including the British Red Cross, Barnardo's and Cancer Research UK to join the Amazon Smile programme Emma Webb from the Henry Jackson Society's centre on radicalisation and terrorism said Amazon had been 'wildly irresponsible' by donating to the group. She told The Times that Amazon was 'channelling ordinary shoppers' money to the hands of intolerant extremists. That's wildly irresponsible. It's giving charities like MRDF a veneer of respectability they don't deserve.' Sara Khan, the Government's counter-extremism commissioner, said: 'Haitham al-Haddad's views are misogynistic, racist and homophobic.' Amazon said all of their charities were approved by the Charity Commission, but added: 'Due to the serious nature of these concerns, we have referred these allegations to the commission and will be conducting a full review.' A spokesperson for Amazon told MailOnline: 'We rely on the Charity Commission, the official charity regulator in England and Wales, to determine which organisations are eligible to participate. If a charity no longer has charitable status because that organisation supports, encourages or promotes intolerance or discrimination and has been removed from the Commission's register, we will remove them from the service. The four organisations in question are approved by the Charity Commission, however, due to the serious nature of these concerns, we have referred these allegations to the Commission and will be conducting a full review to ensure they do not violate our policies.' A spokesman for Dr Haddad said it would be inaccurate to portray him as 'an extremist hate preacher'. His words, the spokesman said, had been taken 'out of context'. A burqa-wearing Muslim preacher who covers up her face in public has criticised Islamic woman who wear the hijab as a 'sexualised' fashion statement. Umm Jamaal ud-Din, a convert from western Sydney, railed against colourful headscarves designed to make someone look pretty. 'When you look at the new hijab fashion industry that's come out, we can see that the concept of hijab is becoming very distorted,' she said on Friday night. 'We're finding that the hijab is actually becoming sexualised now.' Scroll down for video Umm Jamaal ud-Din (pictured), a Muslim convert from western Sydney, railed against Muslim women who wore attention-seeking colours and patterns as head scarves A burqa-wearing Muslim preacher who covers up her face in public has criticised Islamic woman who wear the hijab as a fashion statement (Muslim fashion label MOGA's rainbow hijab to promote same-sex marriage) The fundamentalist Sunni religious instructor, a former Christian previously known as Mouna Parkin, told her female audience the hijab went from being an item designed to conceal a woman's beauty to being 'reduced to a piece of cloth'. 'It doesn't have the same meaning behind it,' she said. 'We are actually making the hijab into something which is all about how pretty you are.' Her 49-minute sermon, titled 'Are We Losing Our Concept Of Hijab?', criticised Muslim women for failing to be sufficiently submissive to Allah in their choice of clothing. London-based, Brisbane-raised Muslim youth activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied regularly wears colourful headscarves and even hosted an ABC program on Muslim fashion, Hijabistas 'It's going away from being like that to becoming more of an expression of identity,' she said. 'Now the problem when you do that is that it's no longer about doing it for Allah but ... it's more about myself. 'It's more about who I am and who I identify myself as.' Under Islamic Sharia law, women are required to be dressed modestly and covered up so men aren't sexually aroused by them. Last year, the woman who wears a niqab covering her face and ears, declared it was a 'major sin' for women to pluck their eyebrows because this displeased Allah. A Muslim fashion label, MOGA, last year created a rainbow headscarf to show their support for same-sex marriage Her morals crusade continued on Friday as she slammed Muslim women who wore high heel shoes and skirts to go with their designer hijabs. 'They're dressed but they are like naked,' she said. 'And when they walk, they walk with a swinging gait - maybe wearing high heels. 'It's sad to say, you see it. Maybe they're wearing a bit of cloth on their head. 'You can see her bottom with the new hijabi fashions, they're actually cut to show her shape and she's walking and you can see her bottom moving from side to side.' They made more of the colourful hijabs in February in the lead-up to Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Several high-profile Muslim women do not share her view, with London-based, Brisbane-raised Muslim youth activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied regularly wearing colourful headscarves. She even hosted an ABC television program earlier this year called Hijabistas, exploring stylish interpretations of the Muslim religious attire. A Muslim fashion label, MOGA, last year created a rainbow headscarf to show their support for same-sex marriage, which fundamentalist Sunni and Shiite Muslims reject. They made more of the colourful hijabs in February in the lead-up to Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The last Club 18-30 holiday will depart from Manchester to Magaluf in Majorca on October 27. Travel operator Thomas Cook announced earlier this year it would be exploring options for the brand. But the firm has now confirmed it will wind up the business, saying no viable offers have come forward. Club 18-30 was notorious for its booze-fuelled breaks. There were still 45,000 of its holidays booked this summer but this was a drop from the 110,000 people a year at its peak Ingo Burmester, its UK chief executive, said: We are increasingly focused on our core own-brand hotel portfolio and feel that Club 18-30 no longer fits in with our wider programme. Thomas Cook launched Cooks Club in April to replace it and believes tamer offerings, including vegan food, will appeal more to millennials tastes. Club 18-30 was notorious for its booze-fuelled breaks. There were still 45,000 of its holidays booked this summer but this was a drop from the 110,000 people a year at its peak. Smaller online travel operators and a specialist stag and hen do organiser had shown interest in buying it. Academics are too frightened to discuss the benefits of the British Empire in case they are shunned by colleagues and students, an Oxford historian said. Professor Nigel Biggar launched a course called Ethics and Empire last year, in which students explored both the positive and negative effects of the empire. He was hounded by critics who accused him of attempting to whitewash history. Professor Nigel Biggar (pictured) launched a course called Ethics and Empire last year Trevor Phillips (pictured) said universities were scared of tackling questions about empire One academic only agreed to come to a conference on the topic on the condition of anonymity, Professor Biggar said, fearing the reaction of colleagues and students if they found out he attended. In the discussion at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, the former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Trevor Phillips said universities were scared of tackling questions about empire. He added that the Stalinist imposition of one reading of history would lead to the suppression of free speech. The police tip line is buzzing as public interest in crime is at an all time high - thanks in large part to podcasts. The popularity of true crime podcasts has seen the number of tip-offs to Crime Stoppers in Australia skyrocket and has led to 24,630 charges this year. Podcasts like Hedley Thomas' The Teacher's Pet have captured the world, leading to a 91 per cent jump in the number of charges from tip-offs in seven years, according to ABC. Podcasts like Hedley Thomas' The Teacher's Pet have captured the world. Thomas' investigation looks at the disappearance of Sydney woman Lyn Dawson Thomas' investigation looks at the disappearance of Sydney woman Lyn Dawson and the relationship between her husband Chris Dawson and student Joanne Curtis. The cold-case unfolded 36 years ago but has shot to the top of the charts, captivating wannabe sleuths. Crime Stoppers Queensland general manager Jonathon Cowley said those podcasts have made the community more aware of what could be a crime and what information might be required by police. 'The community cares about safety and the old 'You don't dob on a friend' is fine in the schoolyard but [when] we look at things like drugs then it's not 'dobbing' as such,' he said. He said a tiny bit of information could be what is needed to solve a crime. Mother-of-two Lynette Dawson, 33, (pictured) was reported missing from her home in Bayview in January 1982 The popularity of true crime podcasts has seen the number of tip off to Crime Stoppers in Australia skyrocket and has led to 24,630 charges this year 'Anything that sets off our 'inner detective' and we've all got it; it's when you just don't feel right, you look at something.' 'You don't have to know everything about a crime but you might just know that one little piece of the puzzle that police need to solve a crime.' However, Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Lindsay advises caution, as he doesn't want people breaking the law in the hope of catching a criminal. He said if you go into someone's backyard without permission you are trespassing. He also warned of the risk capturing possible criminals on camera. He said people might be putting themselves at risk by recording the possible offender. The BBC ignored how migration was affecting millions of its viewers, Robert Peston has admitted. ITVs political editor, who spent nine years at the corporation, accused the BBC of not being impartial and said it had neglected the effect the EU was having on British families. I love the BBC but I did feel that during the Brexit campaign they slightly got confused about what impartial journalism meant, said Peston, who left the BBC in 2015. Robert Peston, pictured during his ITV show last week, says the BBC ignored how migration was affecting millions of its viewers For too long, people like me had a particular view of the benefits of globalisation and we simply neglected the effect it was having on millions of our citizens. He said that journalists including himself had patronised viewers by failing to listen to their worries about migration. When we have all that migration from eastern Europe, people like me focused too much on the economic benefits in terms of the rates we were growing, and not enough on the experience of communities who were changing rapidly as a result, he told the Cheltenham Literature Festival. In a way, we were slightly patronising. People like me were basically saying dont you know this is making the country richer? ITVs political editor, (pictured with Andrea Leadsom on his ITV show) who spent nine years at the corporation, accused the BBC of not being impartial and said it had neglected the effect the EU was having on British families Peston said that journalists including himself had patronised viewers by failing to listen to their worries about migration 'In fact, it was also dislocating hundreds of thousands to millions of lives, and those peoples lives had been radically changed by immigration. 'It is not, in my view, racist to be concerned if the composition of your community changes by something like 10 or 15 per cent over a very small number of years. A woman has contracted herpes and chlamydia after she was raped by a man she met at a bus stop at the age of 14. The then teenager was assaulted in Orelia, in Perth, in February 2010 while travelling home with friends. The group came across the man and his dog at a bus stop before walking to his home, where they drank alcohol and smoked marijuana, WAtoday reported. The woman was assaulted in Orelia, in Perth, in February 2010 while travelling with some friends She was drifting in and out of consciousness and had passed out on the bed until she woke up to the man assaulting her (stock image) While at the man's home, the 14-year-old became intoxicated and locked herself in the toilet after becoming sick. She later emerged undressed and began washing herself in the shower. She drifted in and out of consciousness before passing out on a bed. She awoke to the man assaulting her, according to the publication. She left the house and did not report the incident. However, the following year the woman was allegedly shoved to the ground by the same man after she stepped off a bus. Following the second alleged attack, the girl reported both incidents to WA Police. The man was found guilty of sexually penetrating the appellant and was convicted in the Perth District Court in October 2012, the paper reported. At the time of the conviction, the woman was awarded $23,705 in compensation for injuries and losses. Following the conviction, she began struggling with anxiety and depression and had quit her job. She had also contracted chlamydia and genital warts. 'While she was not then suicidal or self-harming, the appellant remained unable to attend to all her activities of daily living,' court documents read. Her lawyer applied to appeal the court's decision because the woman did not believe the compensation took into consideration the 'significant weight to the psychiatric evidence of her depression and anxiety, or her physical injuries'. During an appeal hearing last week, the judge awarded the woman $75,000 in compensation. 'I have had regard to the fact that the appellant's symptoms have not diminished over time even though it is now some eight years since the assault,' the judge said. A social worker who died after allegedly being stabbed by a mental health patient on an after hours callout had only been in her role for a few months. Jacqueline Herbert, 50, was allegedly attacked after arriving at a patient's apartment at Rockingham, south of Perth, late on Saturday evening. A 37-year-old man was charged with Ms Herbert's murder and was due to face Rockingham Magistrates Court on Monday. According to Ms Herbert's Facebook she had been working for private mental health organisation Neami National since January, with her death leading many to question why she was allowed to attend the unit alone. Jacqueline Herbert (pictured) was allegedly attacked after arriving at a patient's apartment in Rockingham, south of Perth, during a call out late on Saturday evening Ms Herbert (pictured right, with her daughter) was reportedly stabbed in the neck multiple times, but managed to escape the apartment and drive to a nearby cafe in search of help After entering the complex to assist the client, Ms Herbert was allegedly stabbed in the neck multiple times. But the critically injured and bloodied woman was able to flee the apartment, then drove down the road to the Dome Cafe where she stumbled inside, desperately seeking help. She collapsed on the floor of the eatery and was assisted by staff before an ambulance was called. Photos from the scene show pools of blood and piles of paper towels on the floor of the cafe. Ms Herbert was rushed to Fiona Stanley Hospital but later died from her injuries. Armed police knocked down the front door of the man's apartment later on Saturday and placed him under arrest. He was taken in for questioning before officially being charged on Sunday. 'There should of been two of them visiting, this is very sad,' a woman commented on an online report. Patrons and staff at the Dome Cafe tried to cover the wound with paper towels (pictured) until paramedics arrived and rushed her to Fiona Stanley Hospital where she later died A 37-year-old man has been charged by WA Police with Ms Herbert's murder (Pictured is the crime scene) 'RIP to this poor lady who was just doing her job - she shouldn't be going alone,' one commenter wrote. Friends of Ms Herbert paid tribute, remembering her as a selfless woman who wanted to help others. 'She was amazing, strong, courageous and had a beautiful spirit. Our friendship was too short in this lifetime,' her friend Zsuzsana Davidson wrote 'I will never forget the day we met and how we connected. Me thinking how beautiful this woman is inside and out, most of all her kindness to me.' The cafe owners issued a statement to their Facebook page, announcing their store would be closed while police investigated the death. A bloodied Ms Herbert drove 700 metres to the Dome Cafe (pictured) after escaping the man's apartment In a statement, Neami National's CEO Arhur Papakotsias offered condolences to Ms Herbert's family. 'It is with deep sadness that we can confirm that a member of our Rockingham rehabilitation and support team died tragically over the weekend,' the statement read. 'As police are investigating the circumstances that led to her death there is little more we can say at this point, other than to offer our sincere condolences to her family. 'We are offering counselling and support to our Rockingham team and will assist police and other authorities as they further their investigations.' Khamenei tells Putin Iran, Russia can cooperate to contain US 09/09/18 Source: Press TV Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the developments in Syria and the US defeat in the Arab country show that Washington can be contained. The Leader made the remarks in a Friday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Ayatollah Khamenei (R) with Russian President Vladimir Putin Tehran on September 7, 2018. (Photo by khamenei.ir) Putin had traveled to Tehran to participate in a key trilateral summit on Syria, hosted by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and also attended by Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Cooperation between Iran and Russia on the Syrian issue is a prominent example and a very good experience of bilateral cooperation," the Leader said. Ayatollah Khamenei added that the two countries can expand cooperation on global issues, saying, "One of the cases that the two sides can cooperate with each other is to contain the US, because it is a danger to humanity and it is possible to contain it." The Leader stated that the Americans suffered a real defeat in Syria and failed to achieve their goals. Ayatollah Khamenei also said sanctions imposed by the US on Iran, Russia and Turkey are a very strong common ground for strengthening cooperation, and urged Tehran and Moscow to develop political and economic relations and follow up on the agreements of the summit in Tehran. The Leader stressed the importance of pursuing non-dollar transactions in trade. Europeans did not fulfill JCPOA commitments: Ayatollah Khamenei Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran has so far remained committed to a multilateral nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015. "But the Europeans did not carry out their duties, and it is not acceptable that we completely fulfill our commitments within the JCPOA while they don't," the Leader pointed out. The Leader praised the Russian president's approach to the nuclear deal, adding that the Islamic Republic would adopt a stance on the JCPOA which would meet its national interests. Although the US now raises Iran's missile program and regional developments, their problem with the Islamic Republic relates to issues beyond them, Ayatollah Khamenei said. The Leader added that the US has been seeking to topple the Islamic Republic over the past 40 years, but Iran has managed to make substantial advancements during this period. "The resistance of the Islamic Republic and its advances are another successful example that the US can be contained," Ayatollah Khamenei said. The Leader also pointed to the deplorable situation of the Yemeni people and their killing at the hands of Saudi Arabia, adding, "The Saudis will definitely fail to achieve a result in Yemen and will not be able to bring the resilient Yemeni people to their knees." During the meeting, which was also attended by Iranian First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri, the Russian president said he held very fruitful and good negotiations with President Rouhani on mutual issues of interest, including the situation in Syria. Iran and Russia discussed the expansion of relations in all fields, particularly in the economic and trade sectors, Putin added. He said the US is putting obstacles, including banking restrictions, in the way of the development of Tehran-Moscow relations, and added that Washington is making a strategic mistake by limiting financial transactions. The Russian president expressed regret that the remaining sides to the JCPOA failed to fulfill their commitments under the deal after the US withdrawal. He said although the Europeans announce that they are seeking ways to keep the nuclear accord alive, they are following the US due to their dependence on Washington. Muslim countries' unity, vital need of Muslim world: Khamenei tells Turkey's Erdogan Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says closer relations and synergy among Muslim countries are the most important needs of the Muslim world. The Leader made the remarks in a Friday meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Khamenei (R) with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tehran - September 7, 2018. (Photo by leader.ir) "Unity and cooperation among Muslim countries will definitely prepare the ground for the settlement of regional countries and this is the reason that the Arrogance, led by the US, is concerned about cooperation and closeness among Muslim countries and the formation of an Islamic power," Ayatollah Khamenei said. The Leader added that this concern is the reason behind the US enmity and grudge against powerful Muslim countries. "The Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey are two dignified and powerful regional countries and have common interests in the Muslim world. So, the two countries' cooperation in political and economic fields must be further expanded," Ayatollah Khamenei stated. The Leader pointed to the positive cooperation between Tehran and Ankara and stressed the importance of strengthening common grounds between the two sides. Ayatollah Khamenei hailed Erdogan's stance on the issue of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and added that Palestine is always an "important" topic which should not be overlooked. During the meeting, which was also attended by Iranian First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri, the Turkish president said the Middle East is currently faced with a critical situation. Erdogan said lack of coherence among Muslim countries is among the factors leading to the ongoing issues and expressed hope that regional woes would be solved through cooperation. He added that the situation in the region has greater sensitivity due to the West's approach toward independent Muslim countries and called on Iran and Turkey to further develop cordial relations. A CNN reporter has come under fire after her old tweets where she used gay slurs have resurfaced. White House reporter Kaitlan Collins was heavily criticized for posts from 2011 where she used the word 'f*g' and says she wouldnt want to share a room with a lesbian. She took to Twitter on Sunday to apologize for her posts that she condemned as ignorant and from her college days. CNN White House reporter Kaitlan Collins apologized for her old homophobic tweets after they were flagged by conservative LGBTQ group Log Cabin Republicans on Sunday Under fire: The offensive tweets date back to 2011 and use the homophobic slur 'f*g' In another tweet from that same year she says: 'I don't know if I wanna room with a lesbian' 'When I was in college, I used ignorant language in a few tweets to my friends. It was immature but it doesnt represent the way I feel at all. I regret it and apologize,' she wrote. The tweets predate her journalistic career but were dug out from her Twitter profile by Log Cabins Republicans, which describes itself as the nations largest Republican organization dedicated to representing the LGBT community. The Washington Examiner was the first to report those controversial tweets. In one tweet from 2011 she wrote: 'Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, you f*g' in reply to a Twitter User. In another she wrote: 'Idk if I wanna room with a lesbian'. CNN hasn't commented on the old offensive tweets. Collins joined CNN in June 2017 and worked at conservative website The Daily Caller, according to the Hollywood Reporter. She was banned from a White House event in July after asking President Donald Trump questions that were deemed 'inappropriate' while reporting for CNN. In that meeting she asked 'Did Michael Cohen betray you?' and 'Are you worried about what is on the other tapes, Mr. President?' and 'Why is Vladimir Putin not accepting your invitation?' After CNN reported that Collins was barred from covering an event Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders fired back saying she was banned on account of her 'bad behavior'. 'Actually a @CNN reporter disrespected @POTUS & PM May during their press conf. Instead of rewarding bad behavior, we decided to reprioritize the TV appearances for administration officials.' Apology: On Sunday she said her old tweets were ignorant and immature Staff members at a popular retail store have been filmed attacking an alleged shoplifter. Footage shared on social media shows three employees surround a man sitting on the ground outside a Warehouse store in Hamilton, on New Zealand's North Island. The woman who filmed the incident voiced her concern when one of the workers appeared to land a brutal kick to the alleged thief's torso. 'This guy on the ground got caught stealing - he's getting a hiding. These guys are beating him up,' the witness said. 'He's not allowed to kick him like that! Gonna get fired mate... Don't worry bro it's all on video.' Scroll down for video Staff members at a popular retail store have been filmed attacking an alleged shoplifter The alleged shoplifter was heard complaining about his treatment while protesting his innocence. The Warehouse said it was investigating the incident, which the store alleges occurred after the man was caught stealing. 'We called the police and are co-operating with their inquiries,' a Warehouse spokesman said. 'We're also fully investigating the incident ourselves, with urgency.' A New Zealand Police spokeswoman said the force was aware of the incident and was making enquiries. The Warehouse said it was investigating the incident, which the store alleges occurred after the man was caught stealing (stock) Teigan and Alex McKinnon have announced the birth of their baby daughter. The former NRL star, 26, who was left paralysed and wheelchair-bound after a devastating on-field incident in 2014, revealed the news on social media on Monday. 'Harriet Anne Mckinnon, 7-10-2018,' McKinnon posted on Instagram alongside a picture of the couple's newborn daughter. Teigan, 24, shared a snap of the happy family which she captioned: 'When 2 became 3.' Teigan and Alex McKinnon announced the birth of their baby daughter on Monday afternoon 'Harriet Anne Mckinnon 7-10-2018,' Mckinnon posted on Instagram alongside a picture of his daughter Harriet was born just one day before the couple's first wedding anniversary. 'Happy Anniversary @teiganmckinnon,' McKinnon wrote, adding a love heart emoji. The former Newcastle Knights forward - who suffered a spinal chord injury and was left quadriplegic - previously spoke of his hopes of one day having a baby. 'One of the first things Alex wanted to know after the accident was whether we could have kids one day, because he didn't want to miss out on that,' Teigan previously said. To couple announced via social media in March that they were expecting their first child McKinnon fulfilled his promise and stood from his wheelchair when the pair married last year The former Newcastle Knights forward (pictured on his wedding day) suffered a devastating spinal chord injury in 2014 'So we went to see a fertility specialist and it seems there's a great chance, because he still creates sperm.' McKinnon proposed to his long-term partner from his hospital bed just days after suffering the injury and vowed to be on his feet when they married. He kept his promise when they wed in the New South Wales Hunter Valley last year. Teigan has shared progress of her husband's rehabilitation and, just days before their wedding, shared a video of McKinnon walking with the help of a frame. 'So proud of all the hard work Alex McKinnon puts into his rehab,' she said. Teigan Power and Alex McKinnon arrive ahead of the Dally M Awards at The Star on September 27, 2017 McKinnon, who played 49 NRL games for St George Illawarra and the Knights, has rarely spoken publicly since the life-changing moment in 2014, but said last year he considered himself lucky. 'A lot of people with spinal cord injuries aren't improving three years down the track,' he told Fox Sports. McKinnon revealed he had long carried 'hate' and 'frustration' over the on-field incident, but had moved on from the matter as he continued his physical rehabilitation. He said he wanted to meet with Melbourne Storm player Jordan McLean, after forgiving him for the tackle that left him wheelchair-bound. A man who spent nearly a week on the run after brutally beating to death a mother-of-three has pleaded guilty to murder. Travis Kirchner, 43, appeared at the South Australian Supreme Court for the first time on Monday where he admitted to killing Sally Rothe, 54, at Murray Bridge, east of Adelaide, in February. A dog-walking neighbour rang police after spotting a man trying to kick Ms Rothe's door in on Sunday February 4. Travis Kirchner (pictured), 43, appeared at the South Australian Supreme Court for the first time on Monday where he admitted to killing Sally Rothe, 54, at Murray Bridge, east of Adelaide, in February A dog-walking neighbour rang police after spotting a man trying to kick Ms Rothe's (pictured) door in on Sunday February 4 Police responded to the disturbance and found Ms Rothe's body shortly after 8pm. Detective Superintendent Des Bray said the pair were known to each other and Ms Rothe's body was discovered with 'significant injuries'. Kirchner fled the scene and a manhunt across South Australia and Victoria ensued with police searching more than 100 properties. Kirchner's sister, Tracy, said she was worried about what happened and appealed for him to hand himself into police. Detectives said there was 'no doubt' Ms Rothe had been murdered and pleaded for the public's help finding heavily tattooed Kirchner. He was arrested five days later in the Melbourne suburb of Doveton after a tip-off. Kirchner fled the scene and a manhunt across South Australia and Victoria ensued with police searching more than 100 properties He was arrested five days later in the Melbourne suburb of Doveton (pictured) after a tip-off In court on Monday, prosecutors said sentencing submissions would refer to the post-mortem report on Ms Rothe as well as crime scene photos. The court heard a number of victim impact statements would also be read. Family and friends had previously described the mother-of-three as 'very spiritual'. Kirchner has been remanded in custody and sentencing will begin on October 29 when he returns to court. The emergency stop button on the control panel of a Dreamworld ride on which four guests died was not subject to regular maintenance checks, an inquest has heard. The inquest into the deaths of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi resumed on Monday at the Southport Coroners Court. The four guests were killed at the Gold Coast theme park in October 2016 while on the Thunder Rivers Rapid ride. Maintenance supervisor Stephen Murphy told the inquest he had never used the emergency stop button on the main control panel of the ride. The inquest into the deaths of four guests on Dreamworld's Thunder River Rapids ride in October 2016 resumed on Monday Cindy Low (top right), Kate Goodchild (bottom left), her brother Luke Dorsett (bottom right) and his partner Roozi Araghi (top left) tragically lost their lives in the incident Maintenance supervisor Stephen Murphy (pictured) told the inquest he had never used the emergency stop button on the main control panel of the ride Mr Murphy said he had no idea what the button exactly did and despite using other emergency stop buttons during his daily checks, he had never pressed the control panel button. 'That button was not a part of our pre-operational checks,' Mr Murphy said. The inquest also heard Mr Murphy had no knowledge of previous incidents on the ride in 2001 and 2014 when rafts had collided in similar circumstances to the fatal incident in 2016. He said he did not believe at the time of the incident that the rafts colliding was an obvious risk on the ride. Barrister Matthew Hickey, representing the family of Ms Low, asked what would happen if rafts did collide on the ride. 'We all know the consequences once that did happen,' Mr Murphy replied. 'Did you know it had happened before?' Mr Hickey asked, with Mr Murphy simply replying 'no'. The inquest also heard Dreamworld rides were allowed to break three times a day before they were shut down. Mr Murphy said he did not believe at the time of the incident that the rafts colliding was an obvious risk on the ride The breakdown policy had been changed in the lead-up to the fatal accident following a directive from management. Rides previously had to be shut off after two incidents, with Mr Murphy asked why the change had been made, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported. 'It was passed down from the management meeting that we would do it that way,' Mr Murphy told the inquest. On the day four guests were killed, the ride had already broken down twice prior to the tragedy unfolding. Mr Murphy said he could not remember when the new policy was implemented and added no explanation had been provided for the change. The inquest into the fatal Thunder River Rapids ride resumed at the Southport Coroners Court in Queensland on Monday Matthew Low (left), husband of victim Cindy Low, and barrister Matthew Hickey (right), representing the family of Ms Low, arrive at the Southport Magistrates Court on Monday The first two weeks of the inquest in June heard from ride supervisors and engineers who either worked at the park on the day of the tragedy or in the preceding days. The second portion of the inquest will hear from more senior park management including those in charge of engineering, maintenance and policy. Former Dreamworld employee Stephen Buss, who was fired after the 2014 incident, was expected to give evidence on Tuesday. Dreamworld general manager Troy Margetts was also expected to be called to give evidence during the two-week window. Dreamworld chief executive Craig Davidson resigned following the opening fortnight of the inquest. Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson (pictured right) resigned during the first inquest. Ardent Leisure chairman Gary Weiss (pictured left) said Dreamworld was 'committed to ensuring Dreamworld becomes recognised as Australia's global benchmark for theme park safety' Since Mr Davidson's resignation Ardent Leisure, the parent company of the theme park, had announced Nicole Noye as acting CEO alongside new executive appointments Phil Tanner as director of safety and former Queensland police inspector Mike McKay as director for culture, community and external relations. Ardent Leisure said in August the inquest had hampered efforts to encourage visitors back to the park. The company reported a net loss of $90.7 million for the year to June 26, with attendance dropping to 1.658 million visits in 2017/18 from 1.663 million the year before. 'We are committed to ensuring Dreamworld becomes recognised as Australia's global benchmark for theme park safety - the Ardent board has no greater priority,' Ardent Leisure chairman Gary Weiss said in a statement. A pet dog was found bloodied by his distraught owner after being stabbed in a savage attack and left to die last month. Damien Browne was terrified when he couldn't find his German Shepherd, Bear, at his Mornington Peninsula property, south of Melbourne. On September 29, just before midnight, he arrived home and found that Bear wasn't in the backyard, but his property's gate was open. Damien Browne was terrified when he couldn't find his German Shepherd, Bear (pictured), at his Mornington Peninsula property, south of Melbourne A witness reported the attack to police, saying that he saw two men attacking Bear (pictured) after it had been involved in a fight with his dog After calling out the dog's name and searching the property, Mr Browne decided to search the surrounding area. 'I jumped in the car and drove up and down Point Nepean road between Rye and Capel Sound in search of him,' he said in a post to Facebook. He searched for over half an hour, thinking Bear had been hit by a car, but was relieved to find the dog when he got home. Bear had managed to walk himself out of where he was hiding in the front yard of Mr Browne's neighbour. 'It was like a murder scene with blood dripping everywhere,' Mr Browne wrote. He rushed the dog to the vet, who established that Bear couldn't have been hit by a car, as it was clearly not a blunt object that caused his injuries. A witness reported the attack to police, saying that he saw two men attacking the dog after it had been involved in a fight with his dog. According to the witness, after the fight, one of the men put their dog into the car before they both attacked Bear with a sharp instrument. He was then left to die. Mr Browne (pictured, left) searched for over half an hour, thinking Bear had been hit by a car, but was relieved to find the dog when he got home Horrific images show the dog's injuries. He was hit with such force on his head that his skull was indented. Bear's leg was also attacked, with one laceration going all the way through the tendon, muscle and bone. 'Bear has had to undergo surgery to stitch his forehead and foreleg, as well as re attached his completely severed tricep tendon,' Mr Browne said. 'He may never fully recover from these physical injuries and psychological trauma.' Bear is currently being confined and isn't able to walk, but Mr Browne hopes he will make a full recovery. A hundred-strong Rebels meet-up is the start of a new crisis between two of Australia's most notorious bikie gangs, a top cop has warned. Police formed a ring of steel around the Rebels clubhouse in Melbourne at the weekend as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of their Victoria chapter. Armed police officers along with the Public Order Response Unit monitored the Rebels' base throughout the weekend, located in Sunshine West 15km from Melbourne's CBD, and forced members through rigorous vehicle and bag searches. Scroll down from video West Australian police commissioner Chris Dawson said tensions between the Rebels and the Comancheros (pictured) were on the increase in the state While the weekend event passed without police reporting any arrests, West Australian police commissioner Chris Dawson said tensions between bikie gangs were on the increase. He told Perth's 6PR radio station on Friday: 'We've got some warnings out for our officers to take particular care because these tensions are emerging.' 'What concerns me and should concern the community is when firearms are being used out in public, as we've seen, and people being injured.' Mr Dawson described the gangs as criminal operations driven by 'greed and power'. 'They're involved in drug distribution, extortion and a whole range of matters.' He added that while 12 bikie gangs in the state were under police radar, the tension between the Rebels and the Comancheros was the biggest concern. His words of warning came after a Perth court heard earlier this month members of the two gangs had 'bash-on-sight orders' against each other. The rivalry between the groups in the West Australian capital came to a head last month in a drive-by shooting in the southern suburb of Calista. WA Police suspect the bitter rivalry was also behind a spate of fire-bombings in Perth between March and September. The state's bikie warfare had already led to the conviction of 300 bikies for crimes carrying prison sentences of more than five years. A series of elaborate checkpoints were set up and roads blocked off with lines of witches hats for the event in Sunshine West Rebels members donned branded black and white shirts commemorating their slain fellow members at the celebration over the weekend. One member was photographed wearing a shirt which read 'Rest in Peace Simon Rasic, Mickey D and Matty King' - all late members of the outlaw motorcycle gang. Simon Rasic - who was known as 'The King' - was sergeant-at-arms of the Rebels. Rasic held one of the lead positions within the Rebels for more than a decade, overseeing around 2,000 gang members from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Malta. At the time of his death from natural causes, Rasic, 43, was tipped to become the motorcycle clubs national president. The father-of-four had been a member of the gang for 20 years. His son Alex has kept close with members of the gang and leads a luxurious life filled with designer clothing, exotic holidays and expensive purchases such as planes as well as boats. Michael 'Ruthless' Davey - also known as the Prince of Penrith - was assassinated outside of his home in Sydney's west on March 30, 2016. Only months ago, Alex took a trip to Perth with infamous bikie Chris Rymer. On Saturday, a series of Harley-Davidson convoys blazed up and down the highway outside their industrial unit base ahead of the Melbourne-based celebration. Bikies seen gathered at the site, located in an industrial area 15km outside of the CBD, appeared to be under strict instructions not to talk to the media. One member of the notorious gang told Daily Mail Australia he was looking forward to a weekend away with his friends. Those inside the Fairbairn Street base looked like they were in the mood to celebrate, with one member driving a car loaded to the roof with beer into the building in the middle of the afternoon. 'We're just here to have a good time and catch up with mates we haven't seen in a while,' he said. Scores of gang members travelled across the country - some as far as Western Australia - for the weekend event with fellow Rebel bikies. An Australian federal senator has sparked a war of words following accusations about China's economic cooperation with Pacific Island countries. Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has come under fire following a column she wrote in The Australian last Friday, where she claimed that China was using 'debt-trap diplomacy'. The Canberra-based Chinese Embassy hit back on Monday, where it slammed the senator's comments as 'unwarranted invective and blatant slander against China'. Ms Fierravanti-Wells expressed concerns about the escalated borrowing by Pacific nations from China in recent years. Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (pictured) has increased tensions between Australia and China following a newspaper column She called for a clear-cut China strategy that 'confronted the realities of the growing threats in our region.' 'Today, the sovereign threat is less confrontational but the debt-trap diplomacy just as insidious,' the senator wrote. 'Pacific countries need to use limited government reserves to meet their loan commitments to avoid defaulting. Domestic spending and important social programs are jeopardised. 'Consequently, the internal stability of these countries may be affected and greater demand is placed on overseas development assistance from countries such as Australia.' Ms Fierravanti-Wells also claimed China had not demonstrated the credentials of a good international citizen and called on the country to 'get on with business and fair trade.' The embassy described her comments as a 'ridiculous and absurd allegation, filled with cold-war mentality, reflected the senator's prejudice, arrogance and ignorance.' The Chinese Embassy in Canberra (pictured) has slammed the senator's comments as 'unwarranted invective and blatant slander against China' 'One can never win respect by smearing others,' a spokesperson on the embassy's website states. '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.' The embassy spokesperson added that operations between China and Pacific Island countries was transparent and open. Senator Fierravanti-Wells (pictured) also claimed China had not demonstrated the credentials of a good international citizen '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,' the statement said. It's not the first time this year she has sparked a war of words with China. Earlier this year, Senator Fierravanti-Wells accused China of building 'roads that go nowhere' and 'useless buildings' in the Pacific. The embassy described those comments as 'irresponsible claims, which were questioned and refuted by many Island countries.' Senator Fierravanti-Wells was the minister for international development and the Pacific in the Turnbull Government but stood down to relocate to the backbench in August after she backed Peter Dutton in the recent Liberal leadership battle. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the senator for comment in relation to the embassy's statement. A toddler has been shot dead in Chicago after an individual fired into a crowd outside a party. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office identified the boy as Julien Gonzalez, 2. Police said he was on the sidewalk outside a home on Chicago's northwest side around 10.15 pm Saturday when shots were fired. He was with an 18-year-old man who was shot in the leg and survived. The scene (pictured) where a boy, 2, was shot dead and a male, 18, who was with him was also shot in the leg, bringing to ten the total number of people shot in Chicago this weekend Two women had been fighting in the alley between Kilbourn and Kenneth Avenue when the shots were fired in their direction, police said. The boy and his minder were at the mouth of an alley in the 2200 block of North Kilbourn when the shots were fired, police and the Cook County medical examiners office said. Gonzalez, who lived in the Clearing neighborhood, was struck in the neck and rushed to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11.39 pm, authorities said. Yellow police tape zigzagged across the alley early Sunday as officers secured the crime scene. In a separate incident on Saturday, James Garrett, 18, was fatally shot while attending a vigil on the city's far South Side. Police said about 100 people were at the vigil when an argument broke out and two people started shooting. Garrett, 18, suffered a gunshot wound to his back when a male and female pulled out guns and opened fire during an argument in the 13200 block of South Prairie, according to authorities. James Garrett, 18, (pictured) was fatally shot while attending a vigil in Chicago's far South Side He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and pronounced dead just over an hour later. Also wounded was a 48-year-old man who was shot in his body and a 20-year-old woman who suffered a gunshot wound to her arm, police said. The man was also taken to Christ and the woman was brought to University of Chicago Medical Center. Their conditions have since been stabilized. A number of other shooting incidents happened in the city over the weekend. Gonzalez was the youngest person to be fatally shot in the city this year, according to the Chicago Sun Times. Jane Jara-Martinez (pictured) said the area where Saturday's shooting happened is usually peaceful Previously, 10-year-old twins who were shot to death by their father before he turned the gun on himself at their West Rogers Park home were the youngest victims. Jane Jara-Martinez, a member of the board of directors of the Hermosa Neighborhood Association, told the Chicago Sun Times the corner on which the shooting occurred has proven to be the exception in a usually peaceful neighborhood over the past few months. Police and local officials knew about the situation on the corner, according to Jara-Martinez. But to resolve the problems, the people living around the corner need to make their presence known, Jara-Martinez said. 'Start watering your lawn when you see [trouble-makers on the corner],' Jara-Martinez said. Let them know its your street, too'. Alderman Gilbert Villegas (36th) will host a 'roll call' of neighborhood residents, police and aldermen of nearby wards near the shooting at 6pm Monday as part of an effort to 'stand unified and take back our streets,' Jara-Martinez said. Teenagers attending Schoolies celebrations up and down the country next month have been urged to get vaccinated as fears mount of a mass measles outbreak. Dr Vicky Sheppeard from NSW Health said 28 per cent of students failed to take up the government's school-based vaccination program against meningococcal and measles last year. She added that 'high levels of social mixing' as can be expected during Schoolies events will dramatically increase the risk of exposure to the infectious diseases. Teenagers attending Schoolies up and down the country next month have been urged to get vaccinated as fears of a mass measles outbreak mount (stock image) 28 per cent of students failed to take up the government's school-based vaccination program against the infectious diseases last year (stock image) Meningococcal is found in the throat meaning that it could be spread not only through sexual contact, but even via 'loud talking' in a nightclub. 'There has been a lot of education centred around the risks of sex, drugs and alcohol, but the threat of infection and disease is very real,' Dr Sheppeard said. 'The threat of infection and disease is very real,' said Dr Vicky Sheppeard, NSW Health NSW Health has advised that those attending Schoolies should book in a check-up with their GP at least two weeks before travelling to make sure they have up to date meningococcal and measles vaccinations. Vaccines for both measles and meningococcal are free for students who have missed their routine doses. The NSW Government has invested $17 million in the Meningococal W Response Program since 2017, and a further $22.75 million on statewide immunisation programs this year.' 'Schoolies travelling overseas should also check with their GP if they need other vaccines such as hepatitis A and B, typhoid or a tetanus booster,' Dr Sheppeard added. NSW Health has also advised that students pack an effective insect repellent in order to protect themselves against mosquito-borne infections such as Dengue Fever and Ross River virus. Indonesia sits along the world's most tectonically active region, and its 260 million people are vulnerable to earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. Palu: The Indonesian government says it will end search operations in the natural disaster and tsunami damaged city of Palu, on Sulawesi island, by Thursday and turn the worst hit areas into a mass grave, at which time those unaccounted for will be declared missing and considered dead. "We have to be very careful to avoid contamination", Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for Indonesia's search and rescue effort, told AFP from Palu. Sergeant Syafaruddin, from an army unit in Makassar south of Palu, asked for a body bag to be brought to a spot near where the remnants of an Islamic school now stands. Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho says an estimated 5,000 people from Petobo and Balaroa - two villages where homes were sucked into a sinkhole during the September 28 quake - remained unaccounted for. The quake had caused loose soil to liquefy and turn to mud which engulfed buildings, and the data of persons missing corresponded to the neighbourhood of Petobo in Palu - the provincial capital - where some 2,050 houses were buried under the mud, reports Efe news. A woman in the front pew wept. "We are so relieved to be alive but sad because so many of our congregation died", said Dewi Febriani, a 26-year-old economics student, after a service in a tent set up outside her damaged church. "That was very unusual to me". Meanwhile, Mr Sutopo said as many as 5,000 people may still be missing from two hard-hit areas in Palu. Indonesian rescuers recover bodies from the debris in Balaroa Indonesian rescuers recover bodies from the debris in Balaroa He said religious leaders are discussing holding inter-faith prayers but nothing has been agreed yet. The announcement came after the official death toll from the 7.4 magnitude quake and a tsunami it triggered on Sept 28 rose to 1,763. The province has a history of violent conflict between Muslims and Christians, though tensions have calmed in the past decade. Bodies are still being recovered, especially from the ruins of buildings in the small city of Palu and from neighborhoods hit by liquefaction, a phenomenon that turns the ground into a roiling quagmire, in the south of city. People attend an outdoor church service in the natural disaster damaged area of Jono oge village, in Sigi district, south of Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia October 7, 2018. Hundreds of bodies are believed buried in deep mud in these areas, but officials have said it is not safe for heavy equipment to operate there and also they fear the risk of the spread of disease from decomposed bodies. The focus will then shift to a relief operation, to help the at least 70,000 people displaced by the disaster. In the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, volunteers walked around thoroughfares empty of cars collecting donations for natural disaster victims during the weekly auto free morning in the city centre. Rangers have blown the title race wide open says Steven Gerrard Guardiola said on Friday playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, out since August with a knee injury, would be assessed ahead of the game . With the ball, again the timing was not good because we felt under pressure when there was no pressure. Murio la hermana de Beatriz Olave, la madre de El Potro Rodrigo Tanto para Rodrigo como para Ulises , la hermana de Betty Olave fue como una segunda mama y aposto a ellos desde el momento cero. Quien tambien expreso su angustia por la partida de Telu Olave , fue Romina Olave , su hija y la prima de los Bueno. Rwanda court grants bail to Kagame critic, Diane Rwigara Diane Rwigara (centre) being escorted by police officers to the court in Kigali in this photo taken on October 9, 2017. Diane Rwigara will return to court on November 7 over charges of forgery and insurrection. Maine Senator Susan Collins, who cast one of the key votes that led to Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation, defended her decision Sunday and said there is little chance the judge would overturn Roe v. Wade, despite bipartisan belief. The moderate Republican senator sat down for a 60 Minutes interview with longtime CBS anchor, Scott Pelley, whom she discussed the matter into further detail with. Despite being lambasted by protesting Democrats over the weekend, Collins revealed she feels 'very comfortable' with her decision following thorough review as well as her own personal consultation with the judge. The pro-choice politician spent an ample amount of time questioning Kavanaugh about his views on abortion rights. Pelley initiated the conversation with Collins and said: 'There are many who believe that judge Kavanuagh will be the vote that results in abortion becoming illegal in the United States... and I wonder if you are concerned about that?' Collins said confidently that she is not concerned - and admitted she 'could not vote for a judge who had demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade' - adding that it would 'indicate a lack of respect for precedent.' Scroll down for videos Maine Senator Susan Collins sat down for a 60 Minutes interview Sunday when she defended her vote in favor of Brett Kavanaugh Collins, who cast one of the key votes that led to Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation, said there is little chance the judge would overturn Roe v. Wade, despite bipartisan belief She said Kavanaugh is the first of six Supreme Court nominees who expressed the importance of precedent. 'He views precedent - not just as a legal doctrine - but as rooted in our Constitution, and he reveres our Constitution,' Collins said in the 60 Minutes interview. 'I asked him, "Is it sufficient? if five current, sitting justices believe that Roe should be overturned?"' He replied, according to Collins: '"No, it would have to be the only case for overturning a long-established precedent is if it was grievously wrong and deeply inconsistent." 'Those are pretty high bars,' the senator added. 'He described Roe as having precedent upon precedent, because it was reaffirmed.' The Maine Senator also said in a Friday speech that Kavanaugh places high importance on previous court decisions. Collins told the Senate: 'To my knowledge, Judge Kavanaugh is the first Supreme Court nominee to express the view that precedent is not only a practice and a tradition, but rooted in Article 3 of our constitution itself.' (L-R) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Vice President Mike Pence pose for photographs in the US Capitol July 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. The Senate voted 50-48 to confirm Kavanaugh this weekend The senator failed to mention a 2003 email statement written by Kavanaugh, in which the White House lawyer advised against calling Roe the 'settled law of the land.' Kavanaugh, who had been serving as a lawyer during the Bush administration, said in an email made public by the Senate Judiciary Committee: 'I am not sure that all legal scholars refer to as the settled law of the land at the Supreme Court level since Court can always overrule its precedent, and three current Justices on the Court would do so.' Last month, the judge responded to Senator Dianne Feinstein when asked about the topic. Kavanaugh once again referred to the law as 'precedent upon precedent.' Kavanaugh said: 'I understand the importance that people attach to the Roe v. Wade decision, to the Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision.' He did not specifically say whether he supports a woman's right to abortion, but rather, his support of the Constitution. Collins (R-ME) arrives at the Office of Senate Security, which houses a 'sensitive compartmented information facility,' or SCIF, to review Kavanagh probe documents. She cast a key vote to advance the nomination Friday Flake said he would vote for Kavanaugh 'unless something big changed' The Senate voted 50-48 to confirm Kavanaugh, following another political saga that gripped the nation. Collins, alongside Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, spent hours reviewing 45 pages of interview notes from the FBI investigation into the judge. Collins and Flake made multiple trips to a secure facility in a Capitol basement to review the results of the FBI's fast-paced background investigation. The FBI interviewed nine people and reached out to ten, speaking to people including those identified by Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her decades ago. Collins gave the White House a reason to be optimistic when she told CNN she found it to be a 'very thorough investigation.' Both Collins and Flake voted with their party to cut off debate Friday and move ahead with a vote on Kavanaugh's nomination. Within hours of the Friday morning vote, Flake went further, revealing he would vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation 'unless something big' happens. Collins (2nd R), Republican of Maine, walks to a room to read the report on the FBI investigation into Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on October 4, 2018 The secure facility houses 45 pages of FBI interview notes and 1,600 pages of calls to their tipline Christine Blasey Ford charged that Mark Judge, Kavanaugh's friend from Georgetown Prep, was in the room when she claims Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed, groped her and covered her mouth when she screamed during a high school party in the 1980's. Among the transcripts, is one of an interview with Judge. Judge said in a statement he did not remember the incident but FBI agents spoke to him for three hours during their investigation. Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the Judiciary Committee chairman, said the documents were exculpatory as soon as he was briefed on them. 'These uncorroborated accusations have been unequivocally and repeatedly rejected by Judge Kavanaugh, and neither the Judiciary Committee nor the FBI could locate any third parties who can attest to any of the allegations,' Grassley said. 'There's also no contemporaneous evidence.' Democrats charged that the White House prevented the FBI from doing a thorough probe that might have run down leads, and multiple Yale classmates of Kavanaugh's tried to contact the FBI but say they were not interviewed. An American passenger who 'became aggressive' on a flight prompted the Dutch air force to send two F-16 Fighter jets to escort the plane to its destination. The passenger, who has not been named' started a fight onboard KLM airlines Saturday flight from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam while they were flying over Germany about 30 minutes before the plane was set to land at Schiphol airport. Joanna Helmonds, a spokeswoman for the country's border police, said: 'A 29-year-old American man became aggressive after being asked by a purser to return to his seat'. A passenger who became agressive onboard a KLM flight bound for Germany prompted the Dutch air force to send two F-16 Fighter jets to escort the plane to its destination The incident happened about 30 minutes before the plane was set to land at Schiphol airport 'A scuffle broke out and the cabin crew, together with other passengers managed to restrain the man,' she told The Straits Times. Herlmond said multiple passengers were wounded on the flight, including two who were given black eyes during the altercation. The plane was given special clearance to land immediately at the airport, where police came to meet them. The man was arrested and was examined at the airport, where he appeared disorientated. Straits Times reports the man was admitted to a psychiatric institution for further evaluation. A spokeswoman for the airline told news agency AFP that KLP 'regretted the unpleasant incident,' and that 'passengers and crew have laid a complaint against the man'. The Airbus was then given special clearance to land immediately at Schiphol airport with police arresting the man shortly afterwards. Although on high alert, Dutch fighter jets - which are armed with air-to-air missiles - are only scrambled in highly unusual cases, the Dutch air force said on Saturday. The F-16 Fighting Falcon (pictured) was originally made in the United States in the seventies The Airbus A330-200 has a capacity of around 250 passengers and has a range of almost 13,500km. It was not known how many passengers were on the flight from Abu Dhabi. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Over 4,500 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. In addition to active duty in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard units, the aircraft is also used by the USAF aerial demonstration team, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and as an adversary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy. The F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations, including Holland. A pervert farrier, who filmed himself having sex with a cow before helping a miniature horse to penetrate him, has been jailed. Richard McNair was working as a farrier at a local farm between October 1, 2016 and October 1, 2017, when he filmed himself having sex with a young female cow. At some point between August 2017 and October 2017, he then allowed a miniature horse to have sex with him, the NZ Herald reported. Richard McNair (pictured) filmed himself having sex with a cow before making a miniature horse penetrate him and has been sentenced to prison McNair, 50, from Waikato, New Zealand, also possessed more than 20,000 pornographic images featuring both children and animals. He was jailed for three years five months, today, for bestiality and possessing and distributing child and bestiality pornography. In an apology letter to Hamilton District Court, McNair explained he wouldn't dream of afflicting abuse on a child. But Judge Merelina Burnett did not accept any claims of good character and refused to accept the defendant's apology. She told him: 'This begs the question as to whether you understand the nature and consequences of child pornography and the abuse of children. 'Your conduct, by definition, has someone else abusing these children for you,' Judge Burnett said. McNair was arrested after police received a tip that he was sharing child pornography online, he was sentenced in the Hamilton District Court (pictured) on Monday McNair was arrested after police received a tip he was sharing and trading youthful pornography online. The former farmer belonged to the worldwide child pornography sharing group Peer to Peer. Over one week in June last year, investigators caught McNair sharing two videos and 317 images from his extensive porn collection online. After searching McNair's home police found more than 20,000 pornographic images, including 7554 sexual images of children as young as two. Many of his personal items including a laptop, USB sticks, GoPro, cellphones and tablets have been confiscated and his excessive organisation of the material revealed by the New Zealand Police's Online Child Exploitation unit (Oceanz). The ex-farmer used labels such as child nudity, nudism, cartoon, fantasy and bestiality to categorise the content in his significant collection. Counsel for the offender, Sheila Cameron, said McNair had a tough childhood, sexual abuse as a child claims, bullying and torment. She said: 'He struggles with adult relationships, he's never had an intimate relationship, he lives in a form of extreme social isolation.' Although he has undergone counselling since his arrest in October last year he was not able to return to work with the animals. The offender was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and avoidant personality disorder. Retired astronaut Scott Kelly felt compelled to apologize for quoting Winston Churchill after some social media users criticized him for endorsing the 'racist' former British Prime Minister. But he also came under fire for apologizing from critics who accuse Kelly of caving into a Twitter hate mob and point out that Churchill is one of the greatest figures in history and helped defeat the Nazis. On Sunday, Kelly tweeted: 'One of the greatest leaders of modern times, Sir Winston Churchill said, "in victory, magnanimity." I guess those days are over.' Retired astronaut, Scott Kelly (left), has apologized for quoting Winston Churchill (right) and pledged to 'educate' himself on Churchill's 'atrocities and racist views'. But many have questioned why he needed to say sorry for praising the iconic British Prime Minister, who has long been credited with helping defeat the Nazis Following his tweet (pictured), Kelly, who has commanded three International Space Station on Expeditions, was mercilessly trolled on Twitter by users urging the engineer to educate himself Some modern day critics despise Churchill for his racist colonial views and acts including blaming him for a famine in India that killed 3 million in 1943, the use of mustard gas on the Kurds and Afghans in 1919 and frequent racist statements such as claiming whites were a 'stronger, higher-grade and a more worldly wise'. However others take a more nuanced view that Churchill was a product of his era, when racist views were widespread and his defining act of defeating the Nazis means he should be admired as one of the greatest figures in history. Was Churchill racist? Controversial acts of one of Britain's greatest leaders Winston Churchill is regarded as one of the greatest leaders of all time for uniting Britain during the Second World War and playing a pivotal role in defeating the Nazis. But he had racist views that were common in the British Empire during the early 1900s and has been blamed for several controversial episodes in Britain's history. - He took little action when in 1943, India, then still part of the British empire, experienced a famine in which 3million people died. Churchill even appeared to blame Indians for the famine, claiming they 'breed like rabbits'. The famine was sparked by the Japanese occupation of Burma the year before. - He also despised Gandhi calling him a 'seditious fakir' and describing him as 'half-naked'. - In 1937 he said he had no sympathy for Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia, who were enslaved and succeeded by whites. He said: 'I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place.' - Churchill advocated the use of chemical weapons, particularly against the Kurds and Afghans. In a 1919 war memo he wrote: 'I cannot understand this squeamishness about the use of gas. I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes.' - After attending Sandhurst, a prestigious military academy, he embarked on tours in India and Sudan. While in the north-east African country he bragged about killing three 'savages'. - He also once said: 'I hate Indiansthey are beastly people with a beastly religion' and also referred to Palestinians as 'barbaric hordes who ate little but camel dung'. - Early in his career as a junior member of parliament, Churchill encouraged plans for further wars and conquests. He was known to be a supporter of British imperialism and said it was for the good of the 'primitive' races and that in conflicts the 'Aryan stock is bound to triumph.' Advertisement However, Kelly, who has commanded three International Space Station Expeditions, still felt the need to remove his Tweet and publicly apologize following a deluge of criticism from Churchill's detractors. The astronaut was mercilessly trolled on Twitter by users who said he needed to 'educate himself' on the man who helped win the Second World War. 'Churchill was a mass murderer and a racist, Scott,' one user tweeted. Kelly eventually caved and tweeted his apology. In it, he wrote: 'Did not mean to offend by quoting Churchill. My apologies. I will go and educate myself further on his atrocities, racist views which I do not support,' Kelly tweeted. 'My point was we need to come together as one nation. We are all Americans. That should transcend partisan politics,' Kelly added. His apology drew even more criticism from dozens who felt he didn't need to respond. Twitter users said it was 'disgusting' for Kelly to apologize for quoting Churchill, who 'had the guts to stand firm against the Evil Empire of Hitler'. 'Its disgusting that you felt the need to apologize,' one user tweeted. Another tweeted: 'Dont apologize. Churchill was the right man, in the right job, at the right time in history. The world is a better place because of him.' 'What a disappointing climb-down. Winston Churchill stood up to Adolf Hitler and his courageous leadership saved the whole world from Nazi conquest. When he did so, in 1940 (a year before the US entered the war), only Churchills Britain stood in the way of the Axis winning WW2,' another user wrote. Scholar Christina Sommers replied to Kelly's post saying: 'Please dont apologize. Winston Churchill, like all of us, had serious human failings. But unlike most of ushe possessed genuine greatness. 'And that greatness may have saved freedom & democracy. Ask the Twitter scolds to name a hero or heroine who didnt have serious flaws.' Another wrote: 'You are disgracing yourself here. Please stop bending to the will of deranged online trolls.' After his initial tweet admiring Churchill, critics were quick to slam Kelly's comments and picked out some of the more controversial moments from Churchill's past. A user wrote to him: 'I'm embarrassed for you. I mean really embarrassed for you.' One Twitter user expressed her 'surprise' that Kelly endorsed a 'racist bigot'. Her remark was referring to Churchill's handling of the 1943-44 Bengal famine when between one and three million Indians died of starvation. When Mahatma Gandhi launched his campaign of peaceful resistance, Churchill said that he 'ought to be lain bound hand and foot at the gates of Delhi, and then trampled on by an enormous elephant with the new Viceroy seated on its back'. Churchill also said: 'I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion.' As those three million people starved to death, British officials begged Churchill to send food and supplies to the region. One Twitter user said that Churchill is not one of the greatest leaders of modern times Several referred to Churchill as being racist because of the role he played during the Bengal famine of 1943 But he refused, raging that it was their own fault for 'breeding like rabbits' and that the plague was 'merrily' culling the population. Churchill was an immensely divisive figure, from his role in the disaster of Gallipoli where British troops were forced to retreat in 1916 and his outspoken opposition to Indian independence to his treatment of strikers, suffragettes and anti-imperial rebels, as well as his general belligerence and egotism. Facing a Kurdish rebellion in what is now Iraq, he once wrote: 'I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes. And contemplating the possible rise of China, he urged its partition and colonization by the European powers. 'The Aryan stock,' he explained, 'is bound to triumph'. Churchill led Britain between 1940 and 1945 - and again from 1951 to 1955. He also served in the British Army in India, Sudan and South Africa while commanding a battalion in the First World War after resigning from the Cabinet. Churchill is also the only British Prime Minister to have won the Nobel Prize in Literature and was granted the rare honor of a state funeral after his death in 1965. As an aristocrats son who fought in Africa, India and Europe, Churchill served as a Conservative MP, Liberal Home Secretary and Conservative Chancellor and warned of the dangers of appeasing Hitler. Kelly eventually apologized (pictured) for quoting Churchill, who was glorified for stopping the Nazis Blind Australians are the first to get their hands on the new $50 note with features specifically tailored to assist the visually impaired. While the new $50 note may appear the same, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) have implemented features to make counterfeiting the notes virtually impossible but easily identifiable for blind Australians. RBA shared the $50, from the new series of notes, with Vision Australia clients in Melbourne on Monday morning before it goes into circulation on October 18. Scroll down for video The new $50 dollar banknote was revealed at Vision Australia in Melbourne on Monday (pictured) The portraits on the note remain the same with Australia's first published Aboriginal author and inventor David Unaipon and the first female member of an Australian parliament Edith Cowan (pictured: the old $50 note) The portraits on the note remain the same with Australia's first published Aboriginal author and inventor David Unaipon and the first female member of an Australian parliament Edith Cowan. All new $50 banknotes have four tactile dots along the long edge to help blind or low-vision people distinguish between denominations. The $5 note, released in September 2016, has one dot and the $10, released in September 2017, has two dots. The new $50 note also has the top-to-bottom clear window that includes a reversing number and flying bird. There is also a patch with a rolling colour effect and microprint featuring excerpts of Unaipon's book Tales of the Australian Aborigines and Cowan's maiden speech to Western Australian parliament. All banknotes in the new series will feature a native Australian wattle and bird. All new $50 banknotes have four tactile dots along the long edge to help blind or low-vision people distinguish between denominations The $50 note displays the Acacia humifusa and the Black Swan, which appears to fly when the note is tilted While it is not known why the $20 note was skipped, the $50 note is the most commonly used and the most prone to counterfeiting, according to the RBA (pictured: the old $50 note) The $50 note displays the Acacia humifusa and the Black Swan, which appears to fly when the note is tilted. While it is not known why the $20 note was skipped, the $50 note is the most commonly used and the most prone to counterfeiting, according to the RBA. RBA Assistant Governor Lindsay Boulton said the new features make it extremely difficult to counterfeit, Seven News reported. 'This latest and important upgrade not only marks a hugely significant step towards equal access to society for people who are blind or have low vision, but also incorporates new, innovative security features that further protect against counterfeiting,' Mr Frydenberg said. RBA shared the $50, from the new series of notes, with Vision Australia clients in Melbourne on Monday morning before it goes into circulation on October 18 RBA has implemented innovative security features on the new series of notes to crackdown on counterfeiting 'The application of the tactile features to the $50 note is particularly important given that it's the most widely circulated banknote, with 46 per cent of all banknotes in circulation being the $50 note. 'I believe, the implementation of the tactile features would have made David Unaipon and Edith Cowan proud.' RBA has implemented innovative security features on the new series of notes to crackdown on counterfeiting. A New York rapper was shot dead in front of a Queens club where he was hosting a birthday party, cops say. Brooklyn-based artist Frank Snyder, 35, who raps under the name 'Hollywood Play' and was friends with Cardi B, was just leaving Tavern Lounge in Queens when shots rang out at 3.15am Sunday morning. Cops say a black sedan drove by and a gunman exited and shot towards the lounge, hitting Snyder once in the neck and once in the leg outside of the club on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven. New York rapper Frank Snyder, known as Hollywood Play, was shot dead Sunday morning outside of Queens club Tavern Lounge where he was hosting a birthday party The 35-year-old hip hop star walked out of the club around 3.15am when a gunman exited a passing black sedan and opened fire, hitting him in the neck and in the leg He was taken to Jamaica Hospital and pronounced dead soon afterwards. Witnesses on the scene believe that Snyder was the intended target of the shooting. No one else was hurt in the incident and Snyder was the only one shot. 'They targeted him. There was a couple other people outside. I feel like they had to wait for the right moment to get him. I dont understand, why him? Why come after him? They had to be waiting for him,' bartender Tiesajah Reynolds said Sunday morning to the New York Post. She added that after shots were fired, the car sped away from the scene. But authorities aren't sure if he was the intended target. He was hosting a birthday party at the Tavern Lounge on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven and exited the building at 3.15 when he was fatally shot He was a regular at the Tavern Lounge, the interior pictured above, where he hosted weekly events His friend Cardi B paid tribute to him Sunday evening sharing an old video of the two of them together and writing 'Rest Easy'. He shared that same video on his Instagram profile back in December 2016 He was attending this event at the Tavern Lounge Saturday evening into early Sunday morning before shots were fired According to ABC, Snyder was a regular at the club and staged events at the lounge each week. He's also well known in that community and in Brooklyn. On Sunday family, friends, and fans mourned the sudden passing of the artist. Cardi B paid tribute the rapper Sunday evening sharing an old video of the two of them and writing: 'Rest easy @Hollywoodplay'. 'When I woke up and saw [on social media] "RIP," Im like, no, not my man Frankie. And my first thought was, damn, I hope he didnt pass away in a car accident. I would never have thought hed gotten shot, because thats not the kind of life that he lived,' friend rapper Chedda Boss said to the Post. 'My son was a good to everybody and he wasn't a bad person. For them to do this to him was very bad. I just want to know why--and who did this to my child,' his mother Debra Snyder said to News 12. Advertisement Elon Musk on Sunday celebrated the successful launch of a rocket carrying a satellite into space days after he was forced to settle the SECs fraud lawsuit. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried an Argentinian Earth-observation satellite into orbit and for the first time landed a first-stage booster back at its California launch site. The primary purpose of the mission was to place the SAOCOM 1A satellite into space, but SpaceX also wanted to expand its recovery of first-stage boosters to its launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 130 miles north-west of Los Angeles. Elon Musk on Sunday celebrated the successful launch of a rocket carrying a satellite into space The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried an Argentinian Earth-observation satellite into orbit California residents were treated to a light show in the sky as the rocket was blasted into space Bright blues and oranges painted the sky when the space craft took off about 130 miles from Los Angeles SpaceX had previously flown first-stage rockets back to land after Florida launches but had not done so on the West Coast. The Air Force last week advised residents on the central California coast they might see multiple engine burns by the first stage and hear one or more sonic booms as it returned. SpaceX also has successfully landed Falcon 9 first stages on so-called drone ships off the coasts of Florida and California, all as part of its effort to decrease the cost of space launches by reusing rockets rather than allowing them to fall into the ocean. The satellite is the first of two for Argentinas space agency, Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, and will work in conjunction with a constellation of Italian space agency satellites. Two streaks in this long exposure photo show a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base The company successfully landed a first-stage booster back at its California launch site SpaceX had previously flown first-stage rockets back to land after Florida launches but had not done so on the West Coast. Pictured: The rocket separates from its launch vehicle Its name is short for Satelite Argentino de Observacion Con Microondas. SAOCOM 1A carries a high-resolution instrument called a synthetic aperture radar that will be used for emergency management during disasters and for land monitoring. The second satellite will be SAOCOM 1B. The launch comes just days after Elon Musk was fined $20million and told he must resign as chairman of Tesla after reaching a settlement on fraud charges. Musk was accused of posting 'false and misleading information' to Twitter about taking his company private at $420 a share on August 7. The acclaimed engineer told his followers he'd secured funding and only needed a shareholder vote to proceed. The SEC claims Musk's tweets had no factual basis, and caused chaos in the stock market, which hurt investors. A woman caught taking her neighbour's post on CCTV has given her accuser a convenient excuse for her actions. The excuse is the latest development in a saga that began in July when Melbourne comedian Lucy Gransbury claimed she never received her package containing $360-worth of Clinique cosmetics. After contacting Australia Post, Ms Gransbury was told the parcel had in fact been delivered and left on top of letterboxes in her apartment building. A woman caught taking her neighbour Lucy Gransbury's (pictured) post on CCTV has given her accuser a convenient excuse for her actions The CCTV vision pin-pointed the robber as someone very close to home: one of Ms Gransbury's own neighbours (pictured) She revealed Clinique had sent her expensive cosmetics haul to her again and even included some freebies in the package That's when the Melbourne-based comedian realised she 'definitely had a thief on (her) hands'. The revelation persuaded Ms Gransbury to investigate further, and she paid hundreds of dollars to access the footage from her building's body corporate. But the CCTV vision pin-pointed the robber as someone very close to home: one of Ms Gransbury's own neighbours. Ms Gransbury had been told by Australia Post the parcel had in fact been delivered and left on top of letterboxes in her apartment building by an Australia Post worker (pictured) Shocked and startled, she took to Facebook to air her grievances - and vowed to track the brazen thief down. Posting the latest update to her blog, where she has been chronicling her on-going battle to apprehend her mysterious parcel thief, Ms Gransbury revealed she had now confronted the neighbour - albeit via a letter slipped under her door. Five days later, her fiance got a call from the neighbour offering what Ms Gransbury referred to as a 'flawless' version of events. She wrote: 'Her defence was flawless. She didn't take the parcel. She moved it from the lobby to in front our apartment door - where there are conveniently no CCTV cameras.' Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Ms Gransbury said she believed her neighbour's version of events - and has not involved the police in the matter. Lamenting the fact her trails had gone cold in her pursuit of the elusive thief, Ms Gransbury revealed however there was a silver lining to her cloud. Signing off her latest blog post, Ms Gransbury (pictured) said: 'This story does have a happy ending after all. 'My lips have never felt so good. Thanks, Clinique - I love you.' She revealed Clinique had sent her expensive cosmetics haul to her again and even included some freebies in the package. Signing off her latest blog post, Ms Gransbury said: 'This story does have a happy ending after all. 'My lips have never felt so good. Thanks, Clinique - I love you.' The heartbreaking final Facebook post that newlywed Amy Steenburg made to her husband just days before their were killed in a horrific limo crash has been revealed. Amy, who married Axel Steenburg on June 30 this year, wrote the gushing post on October 3, thanking her husband for 'being so kind and loving'. 'I just wanted to say Axel Steenburg I love you more than words can say!' read the post. 'You are such an amazing man and entertain all my crazy ideas. Even when I move a couch just to move it back to the original place. Thank you for being so kind and loving xo'. Amy, who married Axel Steenburg on June 30 this year, wrote the gushing post on October 3, thanking her husband for 'being so kind and loving' Amy, 29, and Axel Steenburg, 29, had hired the limousine to celebrate Amy's 30th birthday The touching message, which was accompanied by a smiling selfie of the couple, was to be Amy's last Facebook post. Three days later, while on route to celebrating her birthday with her husband, family and friends, their party limo lost control and went careening over an intersection and hit a parked car outside a small country store in the town of Schoharie, near Albany, on Saturday afternoon. The crash killed all 18 people in the white limousine, including the driver, and two pedestrians. All 20 victims were adults. Witnesses said they saw pedestrians who had been hit trying to enter the Apple Barrel during the crash The party limo which crashed killing 20 was a last-minute substitute for a hire van. Pictured is the limo being hauled out of the ravine it drove into on Saturday New York State Police said the 2001 Ford Excursion limousine failed to stop at the intersection of State Route 30 and State Route 30A around 1.55pm on Saturday in Schoharie, near Albany Amy, 29, and Axel Steenburg, 29, had hired the limousine to celebrate Amy's 30th birthday. The couple, who only got married at St. Stephen's Church, Hagaman, in June this year, had met in the summer of 2015. Axel, who worked in senior technology and development technology at Global Foundries, a semiconductor manufacturer, took Amy, who was studying nursing at the time, lived together in upstate New York with their bull mastiff puppy Lady. According to their wedding website, they loved trying new breweries and traveling, planning to visit Ireland for their honeymoon. She is the youngest sister of the four who were all killed in the Saturday afternoon crash. A family ripped apart; Pictured are sisters Allison King (back row, second from left) Abby Jackson (front left), Amy Steenburg (front right) and Mary Dyson (back row, on the right of Allison) were all killed in the Saturday crash The couple, who only got married at St. Stephen's Church, Hagaman, in June this year, had met in the summer of 2015 Steenburg's older brother Rich, 34, was also among those killed, the Times reported. 'It is beyond devastating for everyone who knew them all,' Andrea Hojohn Orokos wrote of the brothers on a GoFundMe page for the siblings. Lester Andrews, stepfather to Axel and Rich Steenburg, said when he went to pick up Axel's dog on Saturday night, he saw dozens of cars parked in front of his stepson's house. A decision by the NSW government to allow horse racing advertising to be projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House could be illegal, according to experts. The state government is standing by its decision to force Opera House management to promote the $13 million Everest horse race at Royal Randwick on Saturday. National Trust NSW conservation director Graham Quint says projecting commercial material onto the sails contravenes state laws. 'They've gone with a decision that we think probably is not legal,' Mr Quint told AAP on Monday. 'It may be in breach of the Heritage Act.' More than 120,000 Australians have signed a petition protesting against plans to turn the World Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House into a light-show billboard Mr Quint says the legislation makes clear that projecting colours and images onto the sails should be 'confined to exceptional, non-commercial occasions of brief duration'. A petition against the plan to use the Opera House as a billboard has reached 170,000 signatures in three days. Left-leaning think tank the Australia Institute has written to Premier Gladys Berejiklian and federal Environment Minister Melissa Price suggesting the light show could also breach commonwealth environment laws. The event this Saturday is the world's richest horse race with $13million in prizemoney and will feature a performance from One Direction's Liam Payne. Petition author Mike Woodcock's campaign had already attracted 123,000 signatures by Monday Morning, three days after he protested against the sidelining of Opera House chief executive Louise Herron. It came after Sydney radio 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones savaged her for arguing the Opera House was not a billboard. Petition author Mike Woodcock's campaign had attracted 123,550 signatures on Monday morning, three days after Opera House chief executive Louise Herron was sidelined 'Let's remind Alan that the Opera House truly does belong to everyone, by supporting Louise Herron's staunch defence of one of our city and country's few instantly recognisable heritage landmarks,' the petition said. He had plenty of support, with petition signer Catherine Ellis dismayed at Danish architect Jorn Utzon's architectural icon being used for advertising. 'The Opera House is not a billboard, it is a national landmark,' she said. The Royal Randwick event this Saturday is the world's richest horse race with $13million prizemoney and will feature a performance from One Direction's Liam Payne He had plenty of support, with petition signer Catherine Ellis dismayed at Danish architect Jorn Utzon's architectural masterpiece being used for advertising Another woman was upset the Opera House was being used to promote gambling The idea of advertising on the Opera House was described as a 'debasement of a national icon' Another woman was upset the Opera House was being used to promote a sport heavily entwined with gambling. 'Disgusted that the Opera House is to be used to support racing,' she said. The idea of advertising on the Opera House was described as a 'debasement of a national icon'. 'The Opera House is not the 'largest billboard' it's a space for art and should not be used to sell a commodity that harms our society,' Joanne Faulkner said. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a former head of Tourism Australia, didn't agree and said advertising events on the Opera House would generate economic benefits. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a former head of Tourism Australia, didn't agree arguing advertising events on the side of the Opera House would generate economic benefits 'This is one of the biggest events of the year why not put it on the biggest billboard Sydney has,' he said on Sunday. 'I don't know why people are getting so precious about it. Frankly I thought it was a bit of a no-brainer.' On Friday, Alan Jones - who lives adjacent to the Opera House - demanded the resignation of Opera House chief executive Louise Herron. 'We have a policy that protects our World Heritage status,' Ms Herron told Jones. 'We have said yes to the request to put the jockeys' colours on the sails. 'We have no problem with that. What we won't do is put text or videos of horse running or horses' numbers or names or the Everest logo on the Opera House. It's not a billboard'. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday denied she caved into bullying from 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones. 2GB radio host Alan Jones (pictured) urged Louise Herron to resign from her Sydney Opera House role and said he would sack her if he was NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian A fired up Jones replied: 'Who said? You. Who the hell do you think who do you think you are?' Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday denied she caved into bullying from Jones. 'There'll be no logos or names - the only words on there are the words on the trophy itself,' she said. 'I'm absolutely confident the Sydney Opera House will continue to be the icon that it is globally and for us locally.' Sydney Opera House chief executive Louise Herron (pictured) has come under fire after she refused a proposal for text or branding to be projected onto the landmark's sails to promote The Everest horse race Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys said he had been negotiating with the state government for more than a year and initially wanted to use the Sydney Harbour Bridge to promote the Everest race. 'The Opera House was the alternate venue put forward by the NSW government, which wanted to support the promotion of the event internationally, as it had done for other sporting events,' he wrote in The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday. 'We are promoting a unique Sydney event, The Everest, not gambling.' Mr V'landys also said a 'vast majority' of the negotiations happened before Jones got involved last week. 'Call me naive but I certainly didn't expect there would be such a reaction to us using the Opera House sales for 10 minutes to promote The Everest event internationally.' The son of Peter Hall, the architect who oversaw the completion of the Opera House, described the plan as a 'desecration'. 'My father would have been sickened by it ... he would not have condoned advertising on the building in any way, lucky he's not around to see the desecration of our beautiful iconic masterpiece,' Willy Hall told Fairfax Media. A protest, Defend The Opera House, is being held at Bennelong Point tomorrow at 8pm. About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profile The family of four men who vanished at sea during a fishing trip have spoken of their heartbreak over the tragedy and the 'huge holes which can never be filled'. Uock Pham, 50, launched his small fishing boat off the coast of Western Australia on Wednesday night along with his son, his brother and his 31-year-old son-in-law. They were meant to return the next day but never did. The bodies of Jacob Pham, 24, and Justin O'Neill, 32, were discovered in the water on Friday. The family (pictured) of four men who vanished on a fishing trip have spoken of their heartbreak after two bodies were found Uock Pham, 50, and his brother Tuan Pham, 40s, are still missing. The family is devastated after losing the 'sweetest young man' and a 'much loved father and partner'. Three small boys have been left without a father. 'Justin leaves behind his fiance Ashleigh Hough and their three little boys William, 10, Jackson, 8, and Zach, 3,' the family wrote on a GoFundMe page. 'Jacob Pham leaves behind an adoring mother Andrea Henning and two sisters, Ashleigh Hough and Jiordy Pham.' 'Both losses leave huge holes in our family which can never be filled.' Uock Pham (right) and his 24-year-old son Jacob (left) were reported missing by daughter Jiordy last week The family is still holding out hope of finding the missing pair but the search has been scaled back. Belle Howard, a family friend, told Perth Now, the tragedy was shocking. 'It's not just one person, a whole family has been broken apart and damaged in this. It is no one's fault, but it is a tragedy nonetheless.' Debris, a backpack and clothing believed to be from the boat was recovered over the weekend. A father and son duo (pictured right) are among four relatives missing after a family fishing trip went wrong Friends collected the groups abandoned car and trailer from the car park at Woodman Point on Saturday. Family friend Jeff Tiedtke told Seven News the incident was devastating and little hope remained. 'What can you do, you know? We're hopeful and we know that the chances are slim, but there is a chance,' he said. The 5.5metre vessel, called 'Yeah Buoy', was equipped with flares and life jackets. The family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral costs. A body has been discovered during a frantic search for four missing fishermen. Pictured: the boat they were on The United Nations fears 90 per cent of Australia's Great Barrier Reef will disappear unless the world phases out coal-fired power stations within 32 years. The world body's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change called for 'unprecedented changes' to limit global warming to 1.5C by 2050, which would threaten one of Australia's most lucrative exports, coal. The U.N.'s Special Report on Global Warming predicted 70 to 90 per cent of the world's coral reefs would already decline if world temperatures rose by that amount. The United Nations fears 99 per cent of Australia's Great Barrier Reef (pictured) will disappear unless the world phases out coal-fired power stations within 32 years It forecast 99 per cent of coral populations, like the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, disappearing if world temperatures rose by 2C or more, as sea ice melted in summer once every decade. The report, approved in South Korea on Saturday, said achieving a 'net zero' increase in global temperatures by 2050 would require 'rapid and far-reaching' transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities'. This would also require a 45 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, compared with 2010 levels, to save Australia's World Heritage-listed tourist attraction. 'Limiting warming to 1.5C is possible within the laws of chemistry and physics but doing so would require unprecedented changes,' the IPCC's working group co-chairman Jim Skea said. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change called for 'unprecedented changes' to limit global warming to 1.5C by 2050 - and preserve Green Island near Cairns (pictured) The U.N.'s Special Report on Global Warming predicted 70 to 90 per cent of the world's coral reefs would already decline if world temperatures rose by 1.5C, with 2C rises likely to wipe out 99 per cent of reefs In August alone, coal was Australia's second biggest export behind iron ore, in dollar terms, with a market worth of $5.5 billion, Australian Bureau of Statistics international trade figures showed. The Minerals Council of Australia predicts it will overtake iron ore in the 2018/19 financial year to become the biggest export earner, generating $58.1 billion. Australia's resource exports have doubled since the 2006-07 financial year, despite the global financial crisis. Exports of minerals, metals, coal and petroleum hit a high of $220 billion in 2017-18, up 11 per cent from the previous financial year. Raw materials account for 55 per cent of Australia's export of goods and services, with China, India, Japan and South Korea among the major customers of coking and steaming coal. Advertisement Scott Lisinicchia, 53, was driving the limo which crashed in upstate New York on Saturday, killing 20 including himself. Questions have been raised over the condition of his vehicle, though cops have not commented on the cause of the crash This is the limo driver who was at the wheel when his stretch SUV plowed through a stop sign and crashed, killing 19 people and himself after his passengers texted relatives to say the vehicle was barely roadworthy. Scott Lisinicchia, 53, was killed alongside a group of 17 relatives, friends and neighbors on their way to a surprise 30th birthday party when his limo ran out of control across a junction and into a ditch. Along the way it struck two pedestrians, who also died. Among the dead were four sisters - Allison King, Abby Jackson, Mary Dyson, and Amy Steenburg, whose birthday they were celebrating. The women's aunt, Barbara Douglas, said the family are 'overwrought' at their deaths and that her brother, the girls' father, 'cannot wrap his head around' the tragedy. Questions are mounting over the cause of the accident, which happened in the town of Schoharie around 2pm on Saturday, and whether the condition of the limo was to blame. The vehicle had been brought in as a replacement after a bus meant to transport the party broke down. It belonged to Prestige Limousines and Lisinicchia was one of two drivers employed by the company. In the last two years, it has had four vehicles taken out of service upon inspection, documents from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that were obtained by DailyMail.com on Monday reveal. Twenty minutes before the crash, passenger Erin McGowan who died alongside new husband Shane texted aunt Valerie Abeling to say the limo was 'in terrible condition', the Washington Post reports. Abeling said the group had rented 'some kind of bus' to take them to the party venue, but it had broken down. The same company then sent a limo to take the group the rest of the way. Witnesses said the limo was traveling around 60mph when it blew through a stop sign at the bottom of a steep hill opposite a store, which is known to locals as an accident hotspot. Trucks were banned from using the road in recent years after several lost control while coming down the steep gradient, the state Department of Transportation said. Police say they will not comment on the cause of the accident until their investigation has been completed. The crash is the deadliest transport accident in America since 2009, when 50 people died in a plane crash. Lisinicchia's identity was confirmed at the scene by his twin brother Keith, and reported on Twitter. Little else is known about Lisinicchia, who is believed to live in Lake George, around an hour's drive from the town of Amsterdam, where the group he was carrying lived. His wife did not respond to DailyMail.com's inquiries on Monday morning. Crucially, it is not clear what company he was working for when the accident happened. The vehicle had been rented by newlyweds Axel and Amy Steenberg, who were both killed. The group had been on their way to celebrate Amy's 30th birthday. Eighteen of those killed were riding in the limo and part of a group of relatives, friends and neighbors traveling to a surprise 30th birthday party. The vehicle was coming down a steep road at around 60mph, witnesses said, when it ran out of control, across a junction and ended up in a steep ditch As it plowed across the junction the limo struck an empty Toyota Highlander along with two pedestrians, who died from their injuries, before leaving the road and heading into the ditch (pictured) The accident happened around 2pm in Schoharie, upstate New York, at a junction at the bottom of a hill which is known locally as an accident hot spot. Witnesses inside the Apple Barrel CountryStore, which was packed with visitors at the time, said the vehicle was going around 60mph at the time of the crash This is the view across the junction where the limo failed to stop. Transport chiefs said truck were banned from using the road in recent years after several failed to stop at the bottom of the incline. The ditch where the limo ended up is hidden behind bushes at the far side of the junction Police have not identified any of the victims - who were instead named by loved ones on social media - and say they will not be commenting on the cause of the accident until their investigation is complete Just days before the crash Amy had uploaded a post gushing about husband Axel, whom she married in June, to Facebook which read: 'I love you more than words can say.' Amy was one of four sisters who died in the accident, along with Mary Dyson, Allison King, and Abby Jackson. The group were celebrating Amy's birthday when the crash happened. Also killed were Adam Jackson and Robert Dyson, Abby and Mary's husbands. Rich Steenburg, Axel's brother, was among the dead, along with Patrick Cushing, Erin's cousin. Matthew Coons and his girlfriend Savannah Devonne also died. Matthew had been a groomsman at Amy and Axel's wedding in June. The sisters' aunt Barbara Douglas said the family were devastated by their loss. 'One just got married and that's what this was: her new husband was giving her a surprise birthday party,' she told the New York Post. 'They did the responsible thing getting a limo so they wouldn't be driving,' Douglas added to NBC News. She described all four sisters, who were aged 35 to 30, as 'beautiful girls, full of life' and said two were mothers. 'They had their whole lives ahead of them,' she said. What we know so far Friends and family of Amy Steenburg were killed en route to celebrate her 30th birthday, Saturday in upstate New York when their 2001 Ford Excursion stretch limousine crashed Witnesses say they saw the vehicle doing 60mph shortly before it lost control and careened across the intersection of State Route 30 and State Route 30A, running a stop sign It shot into the parking lot of Apple Barrel County Store in Schoharie, where it hit a parked, unoccupied 2015 Toyota Highlander The Toyota was sent spinning into two pedestrians standing nearby who were struck and killed All 17 passengers, and the driver of the limo, were killed National Transportation Safety Board said it was the deadliest transportation accident in the US since a 2009 plane crash in Buffalo killed 50 people Victims include sisters Abigail Jackson, Mary Dyson, Allison King and Amy Steenburg, and their husbands Adam Jackson, Robert Dyson and Axel Steenburg Newlyweds Erin and Shane McGowan, Amy Steenburg's brother-in-law, Rich Steenburg, and Matthew Coons, Savannah Devonne also died The driver is 53-year-old Scott Lisinicchia A family ripped apart: Pictured are sisters Allison King (back row, second from left) Abby Jackson (front left), Amy Steenburg (front right) and Mary Dyson (back row, on the right of Allison) were all killed in the Saturday crash. The group were on their way to a surprise 30th birthday for Steenburg (front right) Abby Jackson and her husband Adam are seen, left. Her sister Amy, whose birthday it was, is pictured right with her husband Axel (on the left) and his brother Rich (right). Rich was also killed in the crash Robert Dyson and his wife Mary, the oldest sister, were among the victims of the crash. The pair had been married since 2009 and had a young son. Sister Allison King (right) also died Newlyweds Erin and Shane McGowan (pictured together left and at their June wedding, right) were among the 20 people who were killed in a horrific limousine crash in upstate New York on Saturday. They got married in June, the same month as Amy and Axel Matthew Coons, a US Army veteran, and his girlfriend Savannah Devonne also died in the tragic accident on Saturday. Coons had acted as a groomsman at Amy and Axel's wedding. Patrick Cushing (right), Erin's cousin, also died as did his girlfriend, Amanda Halse (seen together, right) Douglas spoke of the family's tragedy while visiting the scene of the wreck. 'My brother (the sisters' father) told me that when [the police] called him they didn't know if the brakes went out or what, but they were all dead,' she said. 'My brother and his wife are just overwrought,' she said. 'I don't know how to say it. Can't wrap your head around such a tragedy where you have four of your daughters die.' Matthew Coons, a US Army veteran, and his girlfriend Savannah Devonne also died in the accident. A local official warned that the road had been an accidental black spot for years. 'There have been tractor trailers that have come barreling down that hill and it was a miracle they didn't kill somebody,' Schoharie Town Supervisor Alan Tavenner told the Albany Times Union. The manager of the country store where the crash happened said they had been begging officials to do something to reduce the danger for years. '[There have been] more accidents than I can count. We have been asking for something to be done for years,' Jessica Kirby, the store's manager, said. The limo was driving at 60mph, 10mph over the 50 limit. The state Department of Transportation did make improvements seven years ago but locals say it did little to improve the safety. 'If I was the apple barrel owners I would be demanding some sort of barriers to protect my business and customers,' Barb Bender wrote on the Schoharie Co. Fire Wire Facebook page. New York State Police said the 2001 Ford Excursion limousine was travelling south on State Route 30 when it failed to stop at the intersection with State Route 30A around 1.55pm on Saturday. It traveled across the intersection and into the parking lot for the popular Apple Barrel County Store in Schoharie, where it hit a parked 2015 Toyota Highlander that was unoccupied. Two pedestrians standing nearby were struck and killed. Anthony Vertucci, Erin's uncle, spoke of the 'darkness and devastation' that had hit his family and shared photos of his daughter's wedding day in a heartbreaking tribute. 'My heart has stopped,' he wrote. 'Unspeakable tragedy that I can't comprehend and will never come to terms with.' 'I just wanted all of you to see pictures of Erin and Shane, these two beautiful and amazing people, on the best and happiest days of their lives. Lauren Lemos, a cousin of four of the victims, couldn't hold back tears as she told Spectrum News that they were: 'Wonderful people.' 'They are just wonderful, kind, loving...' she said. 'You couldn't have met better people than they were. 'They were all very active parents and involved in their children's lives.' Susan Minicki McGowan, Shane's mother, also shared a photo and tribute to her son and daughter-in-law. 'Our family will never the same after the tragic deaths of our son Shane and daughter Erin,' she wrote. A GoFundMe campaign was launched for Archer and Elle after they lost both parents in the crash. 'Adam and Abby were amazing parents to these girls and taken much too soon,' the description reads. 'While families will step in and provide loving care for these girls, there will be expenses that we can help with during this time when we otherwise feel so helpless.' Lester Andrews, stepfather to Axel and Rich Steenburg, said Axel and Amy - who only tied the knot this summer - rented the limo. Two vehicles were involved in the crash, which occurred just before 2pm at the intersection of State Route 30 and State Route 30A on Saturday The SUV-style stretch limousine traveled across the intersection and into the parking lot for the popular Apple Barrel County Store in Schoharie, where it hit a parked 2015 Toyota Highlander that was unoccupied Local officials said the limo was speeding down a hill and crashed into bystanders in front of the popular Apple Barrel County Store (pictured) in Schoharie Debris from the crash could be seen scattered at the site of the horrific accident on Sunday afternoon, including a tire from one of the vehicles DANGERS OF STRETCH LIMOS The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating today's tragic crash but it's not the first time officials have probed the luxury vehicles over their safety record. Police investigated in 2015 after a wreck on Long Island in which four women on a winery tour were killed. The Lincoln Town Car that had been cut apart and rebuilt to create a stretch limo that could take more passengers. The limo was making a U-turn when it was hit by a pickup truck. A court later heard evidence that converted stretch limos often lacked basic safety measures such as side-impact air bags, reinforced rollover protection bars and accessible emergency exits, because of the process of cutting and rebuilding. The jury in the case later called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to crack down on rebuilt limos - which are banned in many European countries. When limousines are built in factories they must meet tough safety guidelines. But when they are built by slicing two cars together, there is little safety oversight, leading to concerns that there is a dangerous loophole in the law. The authorities have not confirmed that the limo in Sunday's crash was rebuilt, but records show that model car does not appear to be a limousine, suggesting it had been rebuilt . On Sunday, Cuomo released a statement: 'My heart breaks for the 20 people who lost their lives in this horrific accident on Saturday in Schoharie. I commend the first responders who arrived on the scene and worked through the night to help. 'State police are working with federal and local authorities to investigate the crash, and I have directed state agencies to provide every resource necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy.' Advertisement When Andres went to pick up Axel's dog on Saturday night, he saw dozens of cars parked in front of his stepson's house. He said investigators used the license plate to help identify victims who were in the limousine. Initial reports claimed the limousine was traveling to a wedding, but family members of the victims have since said that's not the case. Andrews said he did not know why the group rented the limousine, and a sister-in-law of one of the victims said it had nothing to do with a wedding. Valerie Abeling, the aunt of one of the victims, said the limo was on its way to a birthday celebration. Erin Flaherty was friends with a number of the victims, who she said were 'together multiple times a week' and 'always hanging out'. Bridey Finnegan, who lives near the crash site, said she heard a 'loud bang' when the two vehicles collided in front of Apple Barrel, a store popular with tourists. 'I heard a loud bang, I came out my front door to see what was going on,' she told WTEN. 'I saw a lot of people here at the Apple Barrel out in the parking lot. Then I heard screaming.' 'Then I saw this large van, a very unusual looking vehicle out here in Schoharie in the bushes and really wrecked, hit a tree.' Finnegan said she watched as first responders broke windows to try and rescue people inside. And witnesses said several bodies could be seen on the ground outside the store. Jessica Kirby, the manager of Apple Barrel, said the limo was 'coming down that hill probably over 60 miles per hour'. 'I don't want to describe the scene. It's not something I want to think about,' she told the New York Times. The Schoharie County Sheriff's Office, New York State Police, and emergency crews from the Red Cross all responded to the scene. Six ambulances, three fire companies, and two helicopters were at the accident site, according to the Albany Times Union. Witnesses also saw people running out of the Apple Barrel cafe to try and help after the accident. Two women broke into tears as they placed flowers at the scene of the horrific accident on Sunday afternoon A politician is under fire for killing a snake he claims attacked him in his own home before penning a bragging post on Facebook showing a photo of the dead reptile. In a Facebook post that was swiftly deleted Sunday evening, Liberal MP Mark Robinson shared a photo of the dead serpent he says 'leapt' at him in his family home in Brisbane's south-east. Believing the snake to be dangerous, Mr Robinson wrote he was fortunate the snake didn't bite him before he could kill it. But the MP is under legal scrutiny after a snake-catching body shared the post, saying he had broken a little-known law. In a Facebook post that was swiftly deleted (pictured), a Liberal MP has said he killed a snake in self-defence Under Queensland state legislation, it is an offence to kill, injure or take snakes from the wild. The law protects the predators because of the role they play in the maintenance of the number of cane toads. In particular, Redland's Snake Catcher's Facebook page was quick to pounce on the politician, saying the snake he believed to be deadly was in fact harmless. In the original post, Mr Robinson wrote he thought it was a Brown snake, an extremely venomous snake native to eastern and central Australia. But the snake catcher says it is actually a Keelback, known for exclusively eating cane toads. A local snake catcher pointed out legislation that makes the killing of snakes illegal (pictured) Under legislation, anyone who comes across a snake is urged to call a catcher, a sentiment the Redland's page agreed with. But Mr Robinson, in a follow-up post to Facebook, said he wishes he could have. 'In the split second that I had as it struck to bite me it looked like an Eastern Brown,' he wrote. 'I had no choice but to fend off its aggressive attack in that moment. 'The alternative was to let it bite me, try to capture it and then pray it wasn't an Eastern Brown.' In the original post, Mr Robinson (pictured) said the purpose of sharing his confrontation was for locals be 'more watchful as snakes become active' leading up to summer In the original post, he said the purpose of sharing his confrontation was for locals to be 'more watchful as snakes become active'. But in the second post, published on Monday afternoon, he says he was hoping to 'encourage local Redlanders' to call snake professionals. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Robinson's office for comment. A pizza delivery boy faces 18 years in jail after he was caught on camera apparently spitting on a customer's food in Turkey. CCTV footage shows the 18-year-old, named as Burak S, opening up a pizza box outside a customer's home and leaning over it as he filmed himself on his phone. The boy then walked up to customer Huseyin Alyuz's fifth-floor flat, in the city of Eskisehir in north-west Turkey, to deliver the meal. Mr Alyuz's nephew, Cagatay Ehe, saw the CCTV footage and told his uncle who complained to the police and the pizza company. Burak S. said he was only checking the pizza for damage but has been sacked and is now on trial. He is charged with 'endangering the lives of persons by putting poison or spoiling the food with other means' which carries a sentence of two to 15 years in prison. He also faces a consumer court charge of 'damaging goods and endangering customer's health' which carries a sentence of between four months and three years behind bars. Burak S. told the court that he did not spit on the pizza and had only opened the box to ensure it was not damaged as he had been in an accident en route. He said: 'I found out that the person who ordered the pizza had cursed my colleague Aylin. I knew he was a problem customer. 'I opened the box of the pizza to check for any problems, to check whether the pizza was still intact. A pizza delivery boy faces 18 years in jail after he was caught on camera apparently spitting on a customer's food in Turkey 'I took a picture of the pizza with my mobile phone and sent it to my friend Aylin. I absolutely did not spit when I opened the box.' Mr Alyuz told the court: 'I called the pizza shop and ordered a pizza. It was a two-minute conversation and I did not curse anybody. 'The suspect delivered the pizza to me. I opened the box and took two slices of pizza. Cagatay Efe who lives in the same building, send me a text message saying 'do not eat the pizza'. 'I called Cagatay, he told me the delivery boy had spat on the pizza. When I checked the security camera footage I realised the suspect had spat on my pizza.' The criminal court has adjourned the case until next February while forensic experts assess the risk of disease from the pizza. The consumer court case is still pending. The PM (pictured at Downing Street today) is facing a torrid week with Brexit negotiations reaching a critical stage The PM today warned there are still 'big issues' to settle in the Brexit talks as she accused EU leaders of talking up the prospects of a breakthrough to heap pressure on the UK. Downing Street voiced caution over 'optimism' coming out of Brussels as it insisted the bloc must 'move' on demands over the Irish border. In another fresh development, DUP leader Arlene Foster is travelling to Brussels tonight to hold talks with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier amid warnings that her 'red lines' cannot be crossed. Senior figures including Jean-Claude Juncker and Leo Varadkar gave distinctly up-beat assessments in the run-up to a make-or-break summit next week. Eurocrats are also said to be considering holding back hard-line papers on the shape of future trade relations and plans for no-deal, as it hypes up expectations ahead of the leaders' gathering. But the deadlock over the Irish border still seems entrenched with both the UK and EU insisting the other must make concessions. Ahead of her talks tomorrow, Mrs Foster warned that her 'red lines' that no new barriers are put up within the United Kingdom must not be crossed. The DUP leader holds the balance of the power in the talks as her ten MPs are propping Theresa May up in No10 in a confidence and supply deal. If she does not agree to the deal then she could pull support for the PM and send her Government crashing down The bloc is also holding its line that key parts of Mrs May's Chequers plan are unacceptable while No10 says there must be a 'precise' outline of future trade relations before any final divorce deal can be done. Dismissing the idea of so-called 'blind Brexit' - where Britain leaves without any detailed picture of future trade terms - the PM's spokesman said: 'There can be no withdrawal agreement without a precise future framework. 'It's worth me pointing out that there's a difference between people talking optimistically about a deal, and a deal including both the withdrawal agreement and the future framework, actually being agreed. DUP leader Arlene Foster (pictured last week at the Tory party conference) is travelling to Brussels tonight to hold talks with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier 'There remain big issues to work through and, as the PM has said, this will require movement on the EU side.' And Mrs Foster also warned that her 'red lines' have not softened as the crunch negotiations enter the final crucial phase. She said: 'We want the June 2016 referendum result to be respected and implemented. A majority of people throughout the United Kingdom voted to take back control of their money, laws and borders. Jean-Claude Juncker appears to mock May by dancing on stage As the lights came up at a summit, Mr Juncker swung his arms around and grinned broadly Jean-Claude Juncker risked fuelling Brexit tensions today by appearing to mock Theresa May's dancing. The EU commission chief sparked laughter by doing some PM-style boogying before delivering a speech in Brussels. As the lights came up at the event with a theme tune playing, Mr Juncker swung his arms around and grinned broadly. The moves looked like an attempt to mimic Mrs May's performance to Abba's 'Dancing Queen' as she arrived for her keynote speech to Tory conference last week. With just over a week until a crunch EU summit on Brexit, Mr Juncker then started his speech to the regions and cities event by delivering another swipe. His apparent mockery comes amid Brexit tensions as the PM today warned there are still 'big issues' to settle in the talks. And she accused EU leaders of talking up the prospects of a breakthrough to heap pressure on the UK. Advertisement 'Whilst many in Brussels may not agree with the referendum outcome, the result must be respected. 'As we leave the EU, we should do so as one nation. The United Kingdom single market must be protected with no new borders between Northern Ireland and Great Britain being created. 'From day one this has been the DUP's only red line. 'This red line is recognising that Great Britain is Northern Ireland's biggest market.' She said that it would be 'catastrophic' to create barriers to trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. She added: 'We want to see an exit deal which means Northern Ireland has unfettered access to and from the GB market but also fully beneficiaries of any new trade deals with the United Kingdom after Brexit. 'Our red line also respects and protects Northern Ireland's constitutional place in the United Kingdom. 'Many who claim to respect the Belfast Agreement, fail to respect the principle of consent which was part of that Agreement. Indeed, they would happily redraw the border and annex Northern Ireland away from the rest of the UK. 'Finally, I want to see the United Kingdom exit the EU in a sensible manner which works for each part of the UK but also importantly in a way that works for our nearest neighbour in the Republic of Ireland.' Mrs May is preparing to table revamped proposals for a 'backstop' to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic in the coming days. There are expected to be concessions on how regulations can be enforced - although Mrs May will hold the line that the province cannot be split from the rest of the UK's customs jurisdiction. A key part of the compromise plan is thought to be keeping the whole UK in the customs union for longer, to ensure a comprehensive trade deal can be fully implemented that the UK hopes will mean the backstop is not needed. The premier is preparing to table revamped proposals for a 'backstop' to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic in the coming days. There are expected to be concessions on how regulations can be enforced - although Mrs May will hold the line that the province cannot be split from the rest of the UK's customs jurisdiction. EU negotiator Michel Barnier (pictured right with Irish PM Leo Varadkar) has been making more optimistic noises about the prospects for a deal A key part of the compromise plan is thought to be keeping the whole UK in the customs union for longer, to ensure a comprehensive trade deal can be fully implemented that the UK hopes will mean the backstop is not needed. However, senior Tories are insisting there must be a specific end date to the customs extension - and it must be before the general election scheduled for 2022. 'After that we can't know who will be in charge, so we must be fully out bu then,' a Brexiteer told The Times. There are also serious doubts over whether the DUP will support Mrs May's new backstop proposals, after leader Arlene Foster insisted she had a 'blood red' line against extra checks within the UK. The European Commission had been expected to offer Britain a 'supercharged' free trade deal later this week - but reject about 60 to 70 per cent of the Prime Minister's Chequers proposals, including the demand for frictionless trade. However, there are rumours that the paper could be delayed in order to avoid a repeat of the Salzburg summit, which descended into acrimony after EU leaders unexpectedly savaged the Chequers plan. DUP leader Arlene Foster (pictured centre at Tory conference last week) has warned she has 'blood red' lines against extra checks between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland Another potentially hard-hitting paper on the EU's no-deal plans could also be delayed, according to the BBC. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has been expected to head to Brussels for talks with Michel Barnier on Thursday - but No10 refused to confirm that the trip would go ahead. Brexit has been kept off the agenda for tomorrow's Cabinet meeting, where ministers will instead discuss the Budget, racial equality, world mental health day, the UN General Assembly and this week's illegal wildlife trade conference. A source said: 'The Budget is an easy topic to keep everybody talking about anything other than Brexit. Every department will be making their case for more money.' However, Mrs May is expected to present her latest thinking on Brexit including a revised proposal on how to resolve the Irish problem at a Cabinet meeting the following Tuesday, before she flies to Brussels. Hopes of a breakthrough in Brexit talks continued to rise yesterday as Ireland said the chances of a deal were good. Dublin's deputy prime minister Simon Coveney told Sky News: 'The withdrawal treaty is already about 90 per cent agreed in terms of text the issues that have not been signed off yet relate predominantly to Ireland and the two negotiating teams need to lock themselves in a room for the next ten days or so.' The optimistic remarks came after both European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and his counterpart at the European Council, Donald Tusk, delivered unusually upbeat messages at the weekend. Mr Juncker said: 'I have reason to think that the rapprochement potential between both sides has increased in recent days.' Mr Tusk said the EU was trying to agree a deal this month, adding: 'I think there is a chance to have an accord by the end of the year.' Meanwhile, prominent Tory Brexiteers Iain Duncan Smith and Jacob Rees-Mogg yesterday said they would be willing to allow EU officials to be stationed at UK ports after Brexit. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, former Tory leader Mr Duncan Smith said the compromise would answer some of the concerns about the Irish border. He said: 'We can... (conduct) regulatory and customs checks together in a way that respects the EU's single market, by building on systems already in place at the channel ports.' A No 10 source said: 'We have always said we are working hard for a deal this autumn. However, there remain big issues to work through, and as the Prime Minister has said, this will require movement on the EU side.' Hope: Asia Bibi, 54, a Pakistani mother of five, has been on death row since 2010 for allegedly insulting the Prophet Mohammed Pakistan's Supreme Court will begin hearing the final appeal of a Christian mother on death row for blasphemy, a notorious case which could see her become the first to be executed under the controversial laws. Asia Bibi, a mother of five, has been on death row since 2010, following a conviction over an argument about a water bowl during which she allegedly insulted the Prophet Mohammed If the the three-judge Supreme Court bench uphold the 54-year-old's conviction, her only recourse will be a direct appeal to the president for clemency. Her case has outraged Christians worldwide and been a source of division within Pakistan, where two politicians who sought to help Bibi were assassinated, including Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who was shot by his own bodyguard. Hardliners in Pakistan regularly call for her execution, including in Islamabad's Red Mosque. One of the most vocal groups, the ultra-religious Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), has vowed to attend the hearing and warned of 'terrible consequences' if she is granted leniency. The TLP, which makes punishing blasphemy its main campaign rallying cry and lionizes the bodyguard who killed Taseer, warned the court against any 'concession or softness' for Bibi. 'If there is any attempt to hand her over to a foreign country, there will be terrible consequences,' TLP said in a statement. TLP won over 2 million votes in the July 25 elections, though it has no parliamentarians in the National Assembly and only holds two provincial seats. But it wields outsized influence due to street power of its die-hard supporters. Family: Ms Bibi's daughters, Esha, Sidra and Ashum, are seen holding a photo of their mother outside their home in Sheikhupura, Punjab in 2010 The allegations against Ms Bibi date back to 2009, when she was working in a field and was asked to fetch water. Muslim women she was labouring with allegedly objected, saying that as a non-Muslim she was unfit to touch the water bowl. The women went to a local cleric and accused Ms Bibi of blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed. Bibi has always denied blaspheming and her representatives have claimed she was involved in a dispute with her neighbours and that her accusers had contradicted themselves. Blasphemy is charge so sensitive in Pakistan that anyone even accused of insulting Islam risks a violent and bloody death at the hands of vigilantes. Hearing: The Supreme Court in Pakistan will hear the final appeal of a Christian woman on death row who has been accused of blasphemy The charge is punishable by a maximum penalty of death under legislation that rights groups say is routinely abused by religious extremists as well as ordinary Pakistanis to settle personal scores. The law does not define blasphemy and evidence might not be reproduced in court for fear of committing a fresh offence. 'Aasia Bibi has become a symbol of all that happens to religious minorities where class and prejudice intersect and a dysfunctional justice system is unable to protect Pakistan's non-Muslim citizens,' the English-language Daily Times said in an editorial on Monday. But calls for reform have regularly been met with violence and rejected. Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan launched a wholehearted defence of the laws during his election campaign earlier this year, vowing his party 'fully' supports the legislation and 'will defend it'. The former president of Interpol, who has been reported missing while on a visit to his native China, is being investigated for bribery and other crimes, Beijing announced today. Meng Hongwei, who only resigned as head of Interpol yesterday, vanished after sending his wife a WhatsApp message with a knife emoji two weeks ago. Beijing said Meng, who is also China's vice minister for public security, is being investigated due to his own 'wilfulness and for bringing trouble upon himself', but remained tight-lipped regarding his whereabouts. The revelation that China's system of shady and often-arbitrary detentions could ensnare even a senior public security official with international stature has cast a shadow over the image Beijing has sought to cultivate in recent years as a modern country with the rule of law. Beijing said Meng Hongwei is being investigated due to his own 'wilfulness and for bringing trouble upon himself', but remained tight-lipped regarding his whereabouts A journalist holds Grace Meng's mobile phone, showing what she says is the last message exchanged with her husband: a text reading 'wait for my call' followed by a knife emoji The Chinese Ministry of Public Security released a statement on Monday, saying the investigation is a result of Meng's 'insistence of doing things his own way' and he 'only has himself to blame'. They said the investigation into Meng's suspected acceptance of bribery and violation of law was 'very timely, completely correct and very wise' and 'fully demonstrates that anyone who violates the law must be severely prosecuted and severely punished'. Meng's unexplained disappearance in China late last month had prompted both the French government and Interpol to make their concerns for his wellbeing known publicly, which put pressure on Beijing. On Sunday, Chinese authorities confirmed that Meng is being investigated over suspected violations of the law, and hours later Interpol confirmed Meng had resigned as president of the international police organisation. 'Today, Sunday 7 October, (at) the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France received the resignation of Mr Meng Hongwei as President of Interpol with immediate effect,' Interpol said in a statement. Grace Meng read a statement during her press conference in Lyon but would not allow reporters to show her face, saying she feared for her safety and the safety of her two children Grace Meng, the wife of missing Interpol President Meng Hongwei, who does not want her face shown, consults her mobile phone in the lobby of a hotel in Lyon on Sunday Interpol said South Korean national Kim Jong Yang would becomes its acting president, while it would appoint a new president at a November meeting of the organisation in Dubai. Earlier on Sunday, Meng Hongwei's wife Grace Meng revealed she has not heard from her husband since September 25. Making her first public comments on the mystery surrounding Meng's whereabouts, she told reporters in Lyon, France - where Interpol is based - that she thinks the knife was her husband's way of trying to tell her he was in danger. She said four minutes before Meng shared the emoji of the knife, he sent a message saying 'wait for my call'. She said she has had no further contact with him since the message that was sent on September 25. Interpol said on Saturday it has used law enforcement channels to inquire with China about Meng's status. Grace Meng refused to speculate on what might have happened to him or whether he had been arrested, saying: 'In China, what happened, I'm not sure.' Meng's wife said he had traveled back to China for work, after a visit to the Nordics. 'His job is very busy,' she said. 'We connected every day.' She read a statement during her press conference in Lyon but would not allow reporters to show her face, saying she feared for her own safety and the safety of her two children. French police investigating the 64-year-old's disappearance have placed his family under special protection. The country's interior ministry said they were under police supervision in Lyon after Meng's wife was threatened over the phone and on social media. A source familiar with the investigation said the working assumption was that Meng had antagonised Chinese authorities and had been detained as a result. Previously, Interpol had said that reports about Meng's disappearance were 'a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China.' The organisation went out of its way to say that its secretary general, not Meng, was responsible for the day-to-day running of the agency. Meng is now the latest high-ranking official, and one with an unusually prominent international standing, to fall victim to a sweeping crackdown by China's ruling party. In a sign of how seriously the authorities regard the case, Zhao Lezhi, the minister for public security, chaired a meeting in the early hours of Monday morning with senior officials of the ministry's party committee to discuss it. A statement on the ministry of public security's website provided no details about the bribes Meng allegedly took or the other crimes he is accused of, but it suggested that he is also being investigated for political lapses. News of Meng's apparent disappearance comes after Chinese officials announced that Hollywood star Fan Bingbing (pictured) had been ordered to pay millions of dollars in taxes It indicated that Meng, a member of the Communist Party, may have somehow been tainted by the former security chief and ex-Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang, who is now serving a life sentence for corruption. 'We should resolutely oppose corruption and resolutely eliminate the pernicious influence of Zhou Yongkang,' it said. Meng's various jobs likely put him in close contact with Zhou and other Chinese leaders in the security establishment, a sector long synonymous with corruption, opacity and human rights abuses. Zhou and other senior figures prosecuted in Chinese president Xi Jinping's anti-corruption crackdown were mostly convicted of corruption but officials have since also said they were accused of 'conspiring openly to usurp party leadership'. At Monday's meeting, officials were told that they 'must always maintain the political quality of being absolutely loyal to the party', the statement said. News of Meng's apparent disappearance comes after Chinese officials announced that Hollywood star Fan Bingbing, who also vanished without a trace several months ago, has been ordered to pay millions of dollars in alleged back taxes and penalties. Fan took to social media for the first time in months on Wednesday to apologise to fans and the Communist Party for tax evasion, shortly after news broke that authorities had ordered her to pay nearly $130 million in back taxes and fines. The 36-year-old took to China's Twitter-like Weibo to acknowledge her wrongs, beg for her supporters' forgiveness, and apologise to 'society, the friends who care about me, the public and the national tax authorities.' 'Without the Party and country's good policies, without the loving attention of the masses, there would be no Fan Bingbing,' she wrote to her 62 million followers. The actress, model and producer had been a ubiquitous household name in China for years and tasted Hollywood success with a role in the 2014 blockbuster 'X-Men: Days of Future Past.' But she disappeared from the public eye and her once active social media presence went silent in May after allegations emerged that she had evaded taxes on a lucrative movie shoot, charges her studio called 'slander'. A woman with a disability who claimed a co-worker sexually harassed her to the point she feared for her life has won a $10,000 discrimination payout. The employee complained after a colleague told her he owned a gun, admired the killer from Wolf Creek and owned excavation equipment so 'it would be easy for me to bury a body', The Guardian reported. She claimed a male colleague at Marriott Support Services in Melbourne made several inappropriate comments including telling her she was employed based on her sex and disability rather than merit. The incidents transpired last year while the woman was working on a level crossing removal project as part of the company's job program for adults with disabilities. A woman with a disability who claimed a co-worker sexually harassed her while working on a level crossing (stock pictured) last year has won a $10,000 discrimination payout She said her co-worker made comments like how it was 'a hard job all day long if you get what I mean' when referring to women pedestrians who wore sheer blouses. After telling the man his comments made her uncomfortable she complained to her employer, but was told his behaviour was to be expected and she was being 'oversensitive'. Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal senior member Bernadette Steele found the woman was caused 'significant' hurt and distress from her employer's reaction. She noted the discriminatory treatment was amplified by her being a person with a disability entering the workforce and ordered the company and staff member pay her $10,000 compensation. 'The ongoing hurt, humiliation and distress to the applicant were significant,' Ms Steele said. The discrimination was found not to have worsened an existing mental illness, but it caused her anxiety and affected her confidence and enjoyment at work in the following months. Wolf Creek killer Bradley John Murdoch is serving a life time prison sentence after being found guilty of killing British backpacker Peter Falconio in Alice Springs on July 14, 2001. Murdoch's crime inspired the movie Wolf Creek, which was loosely based on true events. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Marriott Support Services for comment. A teenage boy has appeared in court today charged with the rape and attempted murder of a 10-year-old girl. The boy, 16, was arrested after a member of the public found the girl in a 'distressed' state following what police described as a 'shocking' and 'extreme' attack in Exmouth, Devon last Thursday. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before magistrates in Exeter, Devon today and was remanded in custody after being arrested on Friday in connection with incident. The boy, 16, was arrested after a member of the public found the girl in a 'distressed' state in Exmouth, Devon. Pictured, police at the scene It is alleged the girl was sexually assaulted and left in a brook. The boy spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth during the hearing, which lasted about 10 minutes. As details of the offence were read to him he stared impassively at the court legal advisor. The defendant will appear again at Plymouth Youth Court before a district judge, who will decide whether to send the case to crown court. Police said the girl 'remains in the care of her family and health experts', supported by officers from the force's public protection unit. Officers also warned local people not to publish rumours about the attack on social media. Officers have warned local people not to publish rumours about the attack on social media. Pictured, forensics on the scene in Exmouth A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police said: 'Anyone who is alleged to be a victim of a sexual crime are automatically granted anonymity for life; regardless of their age and regardless of the outcome of any subsequent criminal trial. 'Any suspect under the age of 18 is also by law not allowed to be identified. 'We therefore remind the public that it is vital that they do not speculate on the identity of either the victim or the suspect in this case.' Police Commander, Supt Matt Lawler, added today: 'We are able to confirm that the little girl at the centre of all our thoughts has now been discharged from hospital and is being cared for by her family. 'The family have asked me to say on their behalf that 'we would like to thank the community for their help and understanding in the ongoing police investigation. 'Since the afternoon of October 4, the residents of Exmouth have come together. 'Clearly the events of the last few days have affected the entire community, and in particular young people and their parents.' The boss of a multi-billion pound mining company who posed with animals killed as trophies while on hunting trips in Africa has quite the board of a wildlife conservation board his was sitting on. Mark Bristow, who is the CEO of mining company Randgold, was photographed posing next to dead elephants, antelope, gazelle, a hippo, lion, buffalo, zebra, and a leopard. The pictures of the dead endangered animals were used as part of a newsletter for Hunters & Guides Africa - a hunting tour operator based in South Africa. Mr Bristow appeared in the promotional material between 2005 and 2014 while on hunts in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. In one picture the CEO is seen sitting next to a dead elephant carcass alongside his young son. Mark Bristow posing next to a dead leopard in Mozambique despite being on the board of big cat conservation charity, Panthera Last year the 59-year-old was appointed to the conservation council of Panthera, a global charity dedicated to the conservation of wild cats. But yesterday Mr Bristow resigned from the board after the pictures of his hunting trips came to light last week. Dr Thomas Kaplan, chairman of Panthera, said he knew Mr Bristow was a hunter when he asked him to join the organisation but did so because he wanted 'varied voices that could add new dimensions'. He added: 'Mark has engaged in legal trophy hunting, and, understandably so, howls of outrage have accompanied pictures that show him with trophies of various animals, including cats. 'Panthera does not support or advocate for trophy hunting as a conservation tool. It never has, and never will. 'Mark and I have argued passionately and loudly about hunting over the years. We know where we each stand on the issue and let me state this clearly I alone own any of the controversy that we see today regarding his membership on Pantheras Conservation Council. There are thought to be just around 415,000 African elephants left. Mr Bristow with a elephant after a kill in Zimbabwe in 2006 'I knew Mark was a hunter when I invited him to join a body that is, for the most part, my creation. I wanted to create a big tent for our efforts, with multiple and varied voices that could add new dimensions and further reach to our mission. 'The Council therefore was built with the explicit intention to seek diversity of views as well as commitment. I made it a point to populate this assembly with people who do not simply echo my own sentiments or validate my personal positions. 'I sought out leaders who could, in one way or another, help me make Pantheras impact even greater.' There are thought to be only around 415,000 African elephants left in the wild and around 130,000 African hippos. The 5bn Randgold mining company agreed to be bought by Canada's Barrick Gold last week in an all-share deal that will make Mr Bristow boss of the world's largest gold miner. South African-born Mr Bristow, who now lives in London with his wife and two sons, has been CEO of Randgold since 1995, making him the longest serving FTSE 100 boss. The mining company CEO even posed a dead hippo even though there are only around 130,000 African hippos left Randgold has a partnership with the Mali Elephant Project, which seeks to protect the world's only two remaining desert elephant herds. Mr Bristow is also known for charitable work including his initiative, a cross-Africa motorbike safari that raises cash for Randgold's independent benevolent foundation. Hollywood actress Glenn Close is chair of the Panthera charity and actor Jeremy Irons, author Wilbur Smith and other business leaders, diplomats and wildlife experts are also involved in the organisation. Dr Thomas Kaplan said that legal hunting has a 'positive role to play' in stopping wild cats from being completely wiped out. Mr Bristow pictured in Zimbabwe in 2005 with a fellow hunter after killing a buffalo He added: 'I strongly believe that legal hunting has a positive role to play in parts of the African ecosystem and that, in some instances, the community buy-in it generates is actually the primary reason why wild cats are not simply exterminated. 'I understood and respected why Mark felt it was best for him and, more importantly, for Panthera, to resign. Yet I accepted his resignation with deep gratitude for the various contributions he made and, yes, with a measure of regret. 'Whatever one may think of hunting, it is a fact that the use of Marks considerable stature in West Africa has been helping us secure a vital hunting-free lion landscape in Senegal with the potential to sustain 50 lions and their prey, truly one of the last remaining prides in a region that once teemed with thousands of lion. Despite his company's work with the Mali Elephant Project, Mr Bristow was pictured alongside an endangered African elephant 'I will always be grateful for being in common cause with Mark and for his friendship. And I sincerely hope that following his example in Senegal, there will be others, and not just in my own group of friends, who will feel inspired to act and choose to help us save as many big cats as we possibly can before it is too late.' Will Travers, president of the Born Free wildlife charity, said he hoped shareholders and investors in Randgold would share his disgust at the pictures. He added: 'Mark Bristow is obviously fond of big numbers. His company, Randgold, just bought by Canada's Barrick Gold, is worth at least 5 billion. 'But there are other numbers he may be less willing to discuss. Mr Bristow shoots African elephants there are about 415,000 left. The South African-born executive posed for promotional newsletters for a specialist hunting tour company 'Mr Bristow shoots African hippo there are about 130,000 left. He also shoots zebra, antelope, gazelle and leopard. 'He will claim that it supports conservation and development but evidence suggests that only around 3 per cent of what people like Mr Bristow spend on their deadly predilection ends up in local communities. 'Trophy hunting is not illegal. It is, however, deeply controversial. Large donations to conservation organisations (shame on them) do nothing to mitigate the horror that will surely be felt by many investors, shareholders and the general public, who will share my sense of disgust and abhorrence at people of wealth and privilege who kill the natural treasures of the world for fun.' Shoe chain Office has been accused of 'capitalising' on the #MeToo movement after it named a range of stilettos 'Me Too'. The high street retailer was criticised by shoppers for trying to monetise the feminist movement by selling the high-heeled shoes. The British giant claims the line was introduced before the #MeToo movement but has still removed the brand name from its site, renaming it as 'Mojo'. The stilettos are available in various shades and are made of leather and suede, costing 85. Shoe chain Office has been accused of 'capitalising' on the #MeToo movement after it named a range of stilettos 'Me Too' Ingrid Stone, who posted about them on Facebook, said: 'Is it just me or is the "Me Too" name of these shoes from Office a tad awful?' Rose Rouse replied: 'Beyond bad...bad taste and commercially capitalising on something that should not be commercially capitalised upon and more.' Debra Watson said: 'Seriously... facepalm.' Tiffany Thorne added: 'Just called customer services and finally got through by choosing option 5 (sales!) to speak to someone directly to register my extreme disquiet and spoke to a poor young man named Billy.... it's a shocker this one. Should carry a trigger warning.' Replying to Tiffany, Ingrid added: 'Well done for calling Tiffany - it is an absolute shocker. Think I might write to Office HQ.' Lili Free added: 'Disgusting!' A source at the chain's HQ said: 'Unfortunately the connotation of continuing to use the original name was missed.' The high street retailer was criticised by shoppers for trying to monetise the feminist movement by selling the high-heeled shoes Office did not want to comment. The Me Too movement is a campaign against sexual harassment and sexual assault. It spread virally in October 2017 as a hashtag used on social media in an attempt to demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment. A number of A-listers became involved following sexual misconduct allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein. Tarana Burke, an American social activist, began using the phrase 'Me Too' as early as 2006, and it was later popularised by American actress Alyssa Milano on Twitter. Several American celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lawrence, and Uma Thurman, then followed suit by using the phrase. Office first began trading in 1981 with a concession in the 'Hyper Hyper' store in Kensington, opening its first standalone shop three years later. It now has around 105 stores and 47 concessions. A father-of-two has been left with a hole in his leg after he was bitten by a false widow spider while he slept. Damian Ellis brushed the spider off, mistaking it for a midge after it bit him in his bed in Droylsden, Greater Manchester. But 24 hours later the 44-year-old businessman's leg had become red and inflamed, and oozing pus from the bite wound. Damian Ellis brushed the spider off, mistaking it for a midge after it bit him in his bed in Droylsden, Greater Manchester Mr Ellis has now issued a warning to others to be more wary of the spiders after being left with a scar on his leg. Although false widows do have a venomous bite, the venom is not particularly potent. Pain can last between one and 12 hours, and rarely for more than 24 hours although a secondary infection is possible if the wound is not kept clean. The businessman did not seek medical help but applied antiseptic cream to the infected skin and changing the bandages regularly until it healed. He said: 'One of my friends looked at it the next day and said it was a spider bite - I just laughed it off. 'But it got more and more inflamed and I had a constant burning feeling in my leg. 'It was just like when you have a very painful blister, you knock the top off it and the air first hits it. 'I Googled my symptoms and saw pictures of false widow spider bites and the redness - and it looked exactly like my leg.' Mr Ellis has now issued a warning to others to be more wary of the spiders after he was left with a scar on his leg The businessman did not seek medical help but applied antiseptic cream to the infected skin and changing the bandages regularly until it healed. He added: 'At first I thought it was a midge bite although it soon started to feel quite sore. 'It must have been in the early hours of the morning while I was in bed that I was bitten as I was fine before I went to bed at 11.30pm. 'The next day it started to become inflamed and there was a red mark which started to travel up my leg. 'As the infection got worse I researched it online and decided to treat it with antiseptic cream and hope for the best. 'I'm one of those people that tend to leave stuff like that until it gets me into trouble. 'A few days into me self-treating it the bite became the size of a 50p piece and round the edges it looked like the infection was eating my flesh as the hole got deeper and deeper. The businessman did not seek medical help but applied antiseptic cream to the infected skin and changing the bandages regularly until it healed 'At that stage I did worry a little bit and start to wonder whether I should go to the doctors as it looked properly infected, but the antiseptic cream started to work and it began to heal over. Two months on it's left a scar on my leg. 'I think I saw the bugger the next morning. It scuttled around and when I got a closer look at it it looked like pictures of false widow spiders I'd seen online.' He added: 'I never used to be bothered by spiders. Years ago my cousin had a tarantula and I'd happily have it on my shoulder, but I don't think I would do it now. 'Spiders never really bothered me but if I see one now I'll give it a wide berth as I'm not going through that again. 'I'm 44 and up until then I'd never been stung by a wasp, bitten by a dog or anything like that and the only time I get bitten is by a spider in Britain.' A female prison guard who recently quit her job has been pictured on holiday with a former inmate. Kristi Davidson, 24, stopped working at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian in July at the same time as prisoner Jamie Bunting, 31, was released. The pair shared intimate snaps on social media of them enjoying a holiday in Turkey together just two weeks after leaving the jail. Kristi Davidson, 24, and Jamie Bunting, 31, pictured on a two week holiday together in Turkey Miss Davidson quite her job at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian at the same time Bunting was released from prison A source told The Sun: 'The fact they are clearly an item and got together so quickly after they both left the jail makes it look like something may have gone on while she was working. 'She left the job within a day or so of him being released and then they were spotted on holiday. 'She even had a picture of them kissing on her WhatsApp profile. How stupid can she be? 'It seems she thinks it's funny and has escaped any probe. Some folk at the prison have stopped speaking to her.' The former prison inmate captioned one of the photos on Instagram saying: 'Best two weeks of my life ever' Miss Davidson worked as a prison guard at HMP Addiewell (pictured) in West Lothian, where Bunting served time as a prisoner Bunting posted photos on his Instagram of them cuddling at the poolside with the caption: 'Best two weeks of my life ever.' Miss Davidson replied to the post saying: 'Love you.' HMP Addiewell said they 'do not comment on individuals'. Miss Davidson has failed to respond to a request for comment. A source said that Miss Davidson had a picture of them kissing on her WhatsApp profile This comes after eight trainee prison officers at Addiewell prison were sacked after throwing a cocaine-fuelled party. Prison bosses were informed that the group had taken the illegal drug when celebrating at a hotel room after ten weeks of training. Police were called to the prison and their contracts were terminated. Advertisement The owner of an attraction dubbed 'the world's sickest museum' has revealed how he obtained Rose West's underwear and visits Britain's scariest prisons in his hunt for macabre mementos. Andy Jones, 57, set up the Crime Through Time Museum at Littledean Jail in Gloucestershire in 2003, and since then has amassed a huge collection, from Myra Hindley's will to suits worn by the Kray twins. He claims to have visited notorious criminals such as Charles Bronson in prison, and even has notorious killers contacting him directly to hand over some of their possessions in the sick hope of gaining 'immortality'. Andy Jones, 57, (left) set up the Crime Through Time Museum at Littledean Jail in Gloucestershire in 2003. His exhibits include a banner of Britain's neo-Nazi 'Imperial Fascist League' Also in the collection is a decorative heart cushion made by Rose West (left) and given to Linda Calvey. This empty chocolate box (right) was also gifted to Calvey by Myra Hindley Mr Jones, who lives above the reportedly haunted building with his wife and six children, insists he has never done anything illegal to obtain any of his artefacts. And while he will not reveal how much money he has spent on the exhibits which include Amy Winehouse's extensions and trademark ballet slippers he claims they are DNA tested to prove authenticity. The former builder, who bought the jail from an insurance company, said: 'This collection is all sourced by me personally, my family have no interest at all - they lead a different life. 'People know I'm a collector for the dark tourist industry, and when you get to know other collectors, it opens many more doors.' Mr Jones claims he is one of few people allowed to visit Class A jails across the UK to contact some of the most feared prisoners. He also said many of the 'best' items in his collection have come from his friendship with infamous gang member Reggie Kray - who also introduced him to Charles Bronson. Mr Jones, a former builder who lives above the reportedly haunted building with his wife and six children, insists he has never done anything illegal to obtain any of his artefacts. Seen here is a statue with a KKK badge on the arm (left) and a blue and red dress worn by Myra Hindley in prison Mr Jones, who bought the jail from an insurance company, said: 'This collection is all sourced by me personally, my family have no interest at all - they lead a different life. Pictured: Linda Calvey's bra Mr Jones claims he is one of few people allowed to visit Class A jails across the UK to contact some of the most feared prisoners A set of stocks next to a film poster about notorious hangman Albert Pierrepoint are among the exhibits at Littledean Jail 'I visited Reggie and Ronnie a number of number of times. Reggie Kray introduced me to Charles, he said 'oh, have you met Charlie?' 'I've known Charlie for many years since, and has introduced me to a lot of his friends. He's a really nice fella, I still love him to bits but sadly he's not had the rehabilitation to get him released. 'I have the famous boiler suit worn by Charlie, it was given to me by one of the screws who shouldn't have given it away. He's more mischievous than bad, he's not a gangster.' Mr Jones' dark exhibits also include the spade, shovel, trowel and knife used by notorious serial killers Fred and Rose West - as well as Fred's tie. He took the clothing and tools from Cromwell Street himself after climbing in through the roof - but claims he was given permission from family members to do so. 'I actually took the clothes and tools from Cromwell Street myself,' he said. 'I was allowed into the house through the family, the family were giving access through the roof as they were selling things from the house. 'I got the tools, Rose's underwear, country records and Fred's work boots. We didn't know it was such a big case at the time otherwise I'd have taken more.' Mr Jones said many of the 'best' items in his collection have come from his friendship with infamous gang member Reggie Kray - who also introduced him to Charles Bronson. Pictured: The outside of the former jail A charcoal self-portrait by Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and a photograph of Mr Jones meeting Charles Bronson in prison (right) This image shows the Nazi collection, which includes letters signed by Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler and newspaper articles about the Holocaust Mr Jones unearthed Yorkshire Moors killer Myra Hindley's prison files and will after he says he was given the items from somebody within the prison. He also has a letter to Hindley from Yorkshire playwright Alan Bennett, a friend of the late Winnie Johnson, who never got the chance to find out where her son Keith Bennett was buried at the hands of Moors murderer Ian Brady. The letter, in which Bennett appears eager to befriend her to discover the location of the body, states: 'I do not seek revenge for Keith, just to have his body found and for the natural grieving process to take its course. 'I hope your leg is getting better and you are on the mend in general, if there is anything I can do to help your Mum, let me know.' Also on display at the museum are unseen letters sent by the late Princess of Wales from Kensington Palace - asking friends of hers to visit her despite the late Princess saying, 'traffic can be grim on a Monday morning'. Littledean Jail, which was built in 1788, is described as one of the most haunted places in Gloucestershire. Pictured: Newspaper articles about celebrities lining a wall The museum includes exhibits relating to the Iranian Embassy Siege of 1980, during which SAS troops freed all but one of a group of hostages still remaining in the building Mr Jones, author Andy McNab and SAS hero Bob Podesta appear in a signed photo that hangs on the wall of Littledean Jail Mr Jones is also the proud owner of a tracksuit owned the serial paedophile Jimmy Saville, which he claims he bought from somebody who originally purchased the item at an auction held by his estate. Littledean Jail, which was built in 1788, is described as one of the most haunted places in Gloucestershire. Mr Jones said: 'I didn't actually pay for Myra Hindley clothes, they were given to me by somebody from inside the prison who didn't like her after Myra gave the clothing to this individual. 'I was offered Lady Diana letters, by another private seller. It was a very tragic tale. I believe in royalty myself.' Also on display for the first time is the suit worn by Ronnie Kray to the funeral of his mother, Violet, in 1982 as well as his famous grey overcoat which was worn by Kray at his wedding to Elaine Mildener in 1985. The museum at Littledean Jail also includes film posters featuring stars like Helen Mirren and an area dedicated to gay celebrities The museum has been running for more than 15 years, and recently drew attention from across the world after Netflix documentary Dark Tourist visited the former jail A certificate for convicted murderer Linda Calvey that she was given by staff at East Sutton Park Open Prison on April 10, 2008 Mr Jones said: 'A lot of our visitors are teens and young adults, and surprisingly 70 to 80 per cent of them are young women since the Netflix episode. We do get the odd stalker, however' Speaking of his friendship with the Krays, Mr Jones said: 'Reg Kray contacted me initially and a number of other notorious villains got in touch. 'We've had serious killers contact the jail that want to be immortalised. I used to visit Reg, but I don't condone what any of these villains have done. 'I was told by a relative of E for Ernie, as referred to in Ron's 'My Story', that he had a suitcase of clothing belonging to Ron, so I went down with no intentions of buying anything. 'It was going to auction because the brother didn't want anything to do with them. The wife asked for a ridiculous sum, I offered an amount and she said it was insulting. 'The suits were just going to be thrown out, so I had to have them. I've got all of his files and pictures from when he was released.' The museum has been running for more than 15 years, and recently drew attention from across the world after Netflix documentary Dark Tourist visited the former jail. Mr Jones said: 'A lot of our visitors are teens and young adults, and surprisingly 70 to 80 per cent of them are young women since the Netflix episode. We do get the odd stalker, however.' Mr Jones, owner of Littledean Jail, posing with some documents relating to Myra Hindley that he is making available to the public for the first time This is a signed bra supposedly owned by a Page 3 glamour model who was a 'close and loyal friend' of the Kray gangster family Speaking of his friendship with the Krays, Mr Jones said: 'Reg Kray contacted me initially and a number of other notorious villains got in touch' Colonel James Schnelle, 48, was relieved of his duties last month for drunk driving The head of a contingent of United States Marines based in Australia was relieved of his command after police caught him drunk driving on a night out. Colonel James Schnelle, 48, was relieved of his duties last month 'due to a loss of trust and confidence,' immediately after reporting the incident to superiors, the spokesman, First Lieutenant Jose Uriarte, told Reuters. About 1,587 US Marines are stationed in the tropical city of Darwin, strategically located on the coastal doorstep of Indonesia, as part of an annual rotation that begun in 2011 as part of President Barack Obama's military pivot to the Asia-Pacific region. Colonel James Schnelle was relieved of his duties last month 'due to a loss of trust and confidence,' immediately after reporting the incident to superiors, the spokesman, First Lieutenant Jose Uriarte, told Reuters. Schnelle had been drinking at an Irish-themed bar on the city's nightclub strip until the early hours of Sept. 30 when he was pulled over and breath-tested, Australian Broadcasting Corporation said. He blew more than double the legal limit in Australia of 0.05 percent, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.102 percent. He was the head of 1,500 United States Marines based in Darwin, Australia, and blew more than double the legal limit when he was breathalyzed by police Police found him over the legal alcohol limit, the broadcaster said, and he walked the 2.1 miles home and told his superiors. He pleaded guilty, was fined $353 and banned from driving for six months, a court spokesman said. 'I am personally responsible for the poor judgement exhibited in the early hours of Sunday, 30 September,' Schnelle said in an emailed statement. 'The one extremely poor personal decision I made ... should not overshadow the significant accomplishments made by (the Marines' deployment) over these past six months.' The Marines' presence, in a city that has long supported a garrison of thousands of Australian troops, has largely been free of the tension stoked at times in Okinawa, Japan, where soldiers' bad behavior has been a lightning rod for resentment. Lieutenant Colonel Jeramy Brady will replace Schnelle in charge of the Darwin Marines' contingent, which is scheduled to leave Darwin this month, and the matter is being investigated internally, Uriarte said Kidney doctor Iain MacDougall has been allowed to keep his job despite telling a patient she was 'sexy' A kidney doctor who told a patient she was 'sexy' and said he was 'a bit infatuated' with her is to keep his job after insisting it was 'banter'. Iain MacDougall, a Professor of Clinical Nephrology at King's College Hospital in London, repeatedly called a patient who was trying to give up alcohol. The 57-year-old told the woman: 'You kind of slightly got under my skin - you should take it as a massive compliment that you attract doctors.' In a phone call, he said: 'If I was single and you were single I would have asked you out on a date and we would go for dinner in a fantasy world. I fancied you, I liked you.' He also described the woman as 'sexy' and compared himself to a 'child liking ice cream and chocolate at the same time.' The patient said she was left in tears by the comments and reported Prof MacDougall to the hospital. The 62-year old woman later died in unrelated circumstances, a Medical Practitioners Tribunal heard. Prof MacDougall, whose wife of 14 years is also a doctor, admitted making the comments but was cleared of sexually motivated misconduct. He called the woman three times in three days and also left two voicemails. She recorded some of the calls. Prof MacDougall was recognised by the Royal College of Physicians and National Institute in 2016 for Health Research for his 'outstanding research leadership in the NHS' During the various conversations, the professor said: 'I'm going to be honest with you, I am a bit infatuated by you, yes, but I have to be sensible about it. I've been married for 14 years and I don't go with other women. 'If I'd have been single and you'd have been single I'd have asked you out on a date and had a great time, and would have had dinner with you. It was just a bit of a fantasy world and I just lived in a fantasy world which I had no right to be in. 'I realise now that I should never have been in a fantasy world. I fancied you, I liked you. I didn't know what I was doing really. I don't have affairs with women. I thought stupidly that I would be able to banter with you and you would banter with me.' Descrbing his feelings, he added: 'Imagine a five year old kid with an ice cream and the ice cream is really nice and they love it and you come along with a bar of chocolate and ask if they want the chocolate.' The tribunal heard he was going through 'devastating personal circumstances' at the time, though no further detail was given. He admitted being 'foolish and unprofessional' but told the hearing: 'I was just desperately trying to keep her ok. I enjoyed that conversation, I felt I had a benefit from it and I thought she felt a benefit from it too but the comments I made were because I cared about her. I wanted to try and boost her up again. 'To me they were banter, to me they had no meaning behind them. I had no sexual gratification from this. I didn't want a sexual relationship. I was concerned about her. These are flattering comments I made to her. As she was vulnerable I thought I could help her. I didn't think at the time it could harm her or harm me. I stupidly thought bantering with her would help her. I should have put the patient first. I'm very sorry.' Prof MacDougall works in the renal department of King's College Hospital, pictured MPTS chairman Ms Melissa Coutino said MacDougall had pursued an 'emotional relationship' with Patient A and said his fitness to practise medicine was impaired. But she added: 'He has provided an alternative motivation that he was pursuing emotional support and escapism from his circumstances at that time - the Tribunal accept this. Prof MacDougall will still have to work under supervision for the next three years due to the 'inappropriate' content of the calls. The professional standards hearing, held in Manchester, was told Prof MacDougall had previously been warned for inappropriate and 'unwelcome tactile behaviour' with two female patients in 2003 and 2008. Graphic footage has surfaced of a gang of thugs violently beating two men as they laid defenceless in the car park outside a Melbourne council building. The attack, believed to be racially motivated, unfolded at a library in Broadmeadows, 16 km north-west of the city, about 5pm last Monday. Hume councillor Steve Medcraft watched as the aggressive assault took place, likening the perpetrators to a 'pack of hyenas', Nine News reported. Graphic footage has surfaced of a gang of thugs violently beating two men as they laid defenceless in the car park outside a Melbourne council building 'Like a pack of hyenas they were, just attacking these defenseless guys. These kids could have got seriously damaged or killed,' Cr Medcraft said. Sickening video showed neither victims fighting back as the two main attackers delivered powerful kicks and punches to each of their heads and backs. The aggressors had earlier allegedly propositioned their two victims to a fight, with one alleged to have been wielding a knife. Sickening video showed neither victims fighting back as two main attackers delivered powerful kicks and punches to each of their heads and backs A man could be seen charging towards the attack with a pole, appearing to scare the thugs away as they scattered from the car park. A victim was taken to hospital for treatment and the incident was reported to police, however authorities have called on the public's assistance to identify the attackers. Once the thugs had cleared a small group of people could be seen comforting one of the victims seated on the bitumen with his hands covering his head. Two men have been jailed over the dramatic carjacking of a teenage girl. Eddie Wells, 31, and Damien Grimsy, 24, were sentenced on Monday after being found guilty for forcing 19-year-old Taylor Hall out of her red convertible in Melbourne's south-eastern suburb of Frankston in January this year. Ms Hall had been driving to the beach with a friend in the passenger seat and her rescue puppy in the back, when the two men yelled at her to get out of the car. The horrific robbery culminated in Ms Hall trying to get her dog out as the thieves drove more than 50 metres down the road with the distraught teen still hanging out of the car. Two men have been jailed over the horrific carjacking that left a teenage girl with horrific injuries (pictured) 19-year-old Taylor Hall (pictured) was screamed at until she got out of her red convertible in January, before the carjackers drove 50metres with her still hanging out the window Ms Hall was only freed from the car when it clipped the kerb, causing her to lose her grip and launching her face first onto the asphalt, Nine News reports. Ms Hall was left battered and brused, covered in cuts and grazes, losing one tooth and smashing the vaneers on another. She fractured one of her toes and had to undergo a number of surgeries, resulting in her deferring her university studies. 'She notes, ironically, that she had to delay starting her dental assistant course,' County Court Judge Mark Gamble said on Monday as he sentenced the carjacking pair. Eddie Wells (right) and Damien Grimsy (left) were jailed on Monday over Ms Hall's shocking carjacking Wells was sentenced to six years and four months in jail, with a non-parole period of four years and three months. His accomplice, Grimsy, was sentenced to three years and ten months, with a non-parole period of two-and-a-half-years. Both men pleaded guilty to carjacking, firearm possession, resisting police and other offences. Wells' stricter sentence is due to also admitting guilt for recklessly driving, resulting in Ms Hall's injuries. Ms Hall says her priority was making sure her eight-month-old puppy Luna (pictured) was safe Ms hall and her passenger suffer from flashbacks and anxiety after the nightmare drive. She says her dog, Luna, is also suffering. 'My dog has been affected terribly - too scared to be taken in cars,' she wrote in a statement previously read in court. Luna was only eight-months-old at the time of the inciden but was fortunately unharmed and quickly reunited with her owner. Britons have less money in their pockets to spend compared with last year because they have been slapped with higher taxes, figures out today reveal. The average amount of disposable income someone has in the bank dropped 0.1 per cent from April to June this year compared with the same period 12 months ago. This is mainly because Britons are sending more of their pay cheque to the taxman - with on average an extra 37.20 being sent to the Treasury - and the wage squeeze. The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics today, is a blow for families who have faced years of squeezed budgets as wages have remained broadly stagnant. Britons have less money in their pockets to spend compared with last year because they have been slapped with higher taxes, figures out today reveal And it means that they have less money to either spend, put into savings, or invest in business and the markets. The average Briton had 4,813 of disposable income between April and June this year - some 159 less than it was in its peak in 2015. They are also being hit with an increase in the amount they have to pay on their interest payments on their mortgages and loans. Britons are also feeling gloomier about their economic prospects compared with 12 months ago, the findings show. It comes amid growing fears that Britain will crash out of the EU without a Brexit deal in March next year. Theresa May is facing a frantic few weeks as she tries to broker a deal which she can get past her warring Tory MPs and the EU. She has got just nine days before a crunch EU summit in Brussels where EU leaders are demanding that significant progress has been made. If the talks go well, then the PM will hope to get a deal agreed to at another specially convened Brexit summit in November. The gloomy figures are a blow for Theresa May (pictured yesterday going to church in Maidenhead) and comes amid growing fears that Britain will crash out of the EU without a Brexit deal in March next year But she is facing an insurrection from her own Tory backbenchers who are upping their campaign to pile pressure on her to get tougher with the EU. While Remainers are also gearing up their campaign to try to stop Brexit by holding another referendum on the deal - a move SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon dramatically backed yesterday. Today's figures also show that while people have less money to spend, household wealth actually went up 4.2 percent between 2016 and 2017, mainly driven by a rise in the value of property. The findings are contained in a report which uses a range of measures to sketch out how well-off people living in the UK are and feel. The economic well-being assessment found that the country is broadly getting wealthier, even if many people are not feeling the benefits of it. Gross domestic product - how much the country earns - per person has gone up by 0.2 per cent in the second quarter of the year compared to the first, and is up 0.6 per cent on the same period last year. Advertisement Never-before-seen photos have emerged of Edward VIII touring a car factory during his notorious trip to see Adolf Hitler in 1937. The Duke of Windsor, who was widely considered to be a Nazi sympathiser and once described the dictator as 'not a bad chap', can be seen looking around the Mercedes-Benz plant in Stuttgart. Huge crowds turned out to glimpse the former King as he walked through a guard of Nazi henchmen giving Hitler salutes before inspecting rows of gleaming cars on the factory floor. These never-before-seen photos of Edward VIII touring a Mercedes-Benz factory in Stuttgart during his notorious trip to visit Adolf Hitler in 1937 have emerged after being put on auction in Dorset. Huge crowds turned out to glimpse the former King, who walked out of the factory through a guard of Nazi henchmen giving Hitler salutes before inspecting the factory floor Edward went ahead with the trip despite being told not to by British officials, who were concerned about appearing to endorse Hitler's regime at a time of poor relations with Germany. Here, he is seen receiving a gift from Daimler chairman Dr Wilhem Kissel (middle) while a senior Nazi official stands on his right Edward's apparent sympathies with the fascist cause have long been known, and he once described Hitler to a friend as a 'good chap'. He seemed to enjoy the visit to the car factory, and is seen in this image smiling as he inspects a row of Swastika-wearing soldiers A packed ceremony was held inside the factory where Nazi and Mercedes-Benz banners were draped side by side. The Duke was accompanied to Germany by his new American wife Wallis Simpson, who he had wanted to experience a state trip. He was shown around by Robert Ley, a member of Hitler's inner circle and the man in charge of the unofficial Royal visit, which took place two years before the start of World War II. In other photos, Edward is stood alongside Wilheim Kessel, the boss of car manufacturer Daimler-Benz, and an SS intelligence officer. During the trip, the Duke had a private meeting with Hitler at his retreat in Berchtesgaden and gave a public speech declaring the Nazi economic model to be 'a miracle'. He was also infamously photographed giving Nazi salutes. The visit left a lasting impression on the Duke. 'I never thought Hitler was such a bad chap,' he reportedly told a friend in the 1960s. The Duke notoriously gave several Nazi salutes during the 1937 trip, including on this occasion when he was standing outside the entrance to the mine. The above photograph is not included in the new selection that is going on sale in Dorset later this week The Duke's dalliance with Nazi Germany was a prominent storyline in Netflix series 'The Crown', with Edward portrayed as a traitor who so loathed his country he encouraged Germany to bomb Britain. This screengrab shows Edward - played by Alex Jennings - raising his hand to greet a Nazi-saluting officer A packed ceremony was held inside the car factory where Nazi and Mercedes-Benz banners were draped side by side. The German car manufacturer was long tainted by its Nazi associations, as was its rival Volkswagen, which was founded on 28 May 1937 by Hitler's German Labour Front The Duke arrived in a fleet of cars as hundreds of workers and other onlookers watched on. His visit to Germany convinced him of the economic success of the Nazi regime, and after meeting Hitler he gave a public speech declaring Hitler's industrial model to be a 'miracle' The authorities in Stuttgart were keen to put on a show for Edward, as befitted a member of the British royal family. In this image, crowds gathered on Daimler Strasse watch on as an official addresses the audience from a raised podium. Edward is located somewhere behind the speaker Edward was shown around by Robert Ley, a member of Hitler's inner circle and the man in charge of the unofficial Royal visit, which took place two years before the start of World War II. The ranks of gleaming cars shown in this photograph were intended to project an image of Nazi economic might Edward VIIIs Nazi links: How the former king visited a concentration camp and called Hitler 'not a bad chap' Edward VIII faced numerous accusations of being a Nazi sympathiser, and once told a friend Adolf Hitler was 'not a bad chap'. He had ascended the throne in January 1936 but abdicated in December so he could marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. Edward VIII, then Duke of Windsor, was repeatedly accused of Nazi sympathies, and is seen here meeting Hitler on his visit to Germany in 1937 In 1937 the couple visited Germany and met the Fuhrer despite British officials strongly advising them not to go because of tensions between the two countries at the time. The dukes guide on the visit where he saluted the Nazi officials was Robert Ley, a violent anti-Semite who Hitler had put in charge of the German labour front. Two separate sequences capture Edward giving the Nazi salute one on the steps to a building, presumably the mines main office, and another as he leaves his car and walks past onlookers. Edward had ascended the throne in January 1936 but abdicated in December so he could marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson (seen in an undated photo arriving at a London airport) As well as touring industrial faculties and meeting Hitler at his mountain retreat, Edward visited a concentration camp whose guard towers were apparently explained away as meat stores. The duke met and dined with dozens of senior Nazis including Hitlers deputy Rudolf Hess and his foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. He also met Hitlers propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, who was so convinced of his fascist sympathies he described him as a tender seedling of reason. Edwards wife is said to have lapped up adulation and curtsies at every turn, with Hitler remarking of her: She would have made a good queen. It is thought that the couple who had been given the titles Duke and Duchess of Windsor earlier that year would have been installed as puppet monarchs had Germany taken over Britain. Footage of the future Queen giving a Nazi salute emerged in 2015. The footage, recorded in 1933, shows the then seven-year-old Princess Elizabeth playing with a dog on the lawn at Balmoral with her sister Margaret, before raising her arm in a Nazi salute. Her mother, the future Queen Mother, and Edward are also shown in the pose. Her uncle appears to be showing them how to perform the Nazi salute. Historians have stressed that Hitler was the subject of much derision and that the film appears to show the Queen Mother making fun of the Nazi salute. She became one of the heroes over the war, staying in London to face the Blitz and famously said when Buckingham palace was bombed: 'Now I feel I can look the East End in the face.' Princess Elizabeth would have been too young to understand the gesture. Advertisement The Duke's dalliance with Nazi Germany was a prominent storyline in Netflix series 'The Crown', with Edward portrayed as a traitor who so loathed his country he encouraged Germany to bomb Britain. The fascinating photo album has been put up for sale by a private collector with auctioneers Duke's, of Dorchester, Dorset. It is tipped to sell for 2,000. Julian Smith, specialist at Duke's, said: 'The photos document the Duke of Windsor's visit to Nazi Germany in 1937 and his specific visit to the Mercedes-Benz factory. 'It is a unique piece of history completed at a time when the Nazi war machine was preparing for European conquest and the systematic slaughter of millions of people. It is an amazing album.' Edward became King in January 1936 but only months into his reign he caused a constitutional crisis by proposing marriage to Simpson, a divorcee. When it became apparent he could not marry Simpson and remain King, Edward abdicated after just 326 days on the throne. The fascinating photo album has been put up for sale by a private collector with auctioneers Duke's, of Dorchester, Dorset, where it is tipped to sell for 2,000. Edward is pictured here leaving the factory alongside Dr Kissel (right) and a number of other high-ranking Nazis The trip came just two years before the outbreak of World War Two, and is a shocking example of the friendly relationship that had developed between Edward and senior Nazis. In this image, he leaves the factory while an SS intelligence officer (left in the black coat) watches on Dr Kissel, who is seen standing next to the Duke, showed him the new models produced by the Stuttgart factory. At the time, Hitler's regime was keen to demonstrate its increasing industrial might, prompting the Fuhrer to form close relationships with major manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz A Nazi official makes a speech inside the Mercedes-Benz factory alongside Nazi banners and an orchestra. The event was carefully planned to leave the Duke with a positive impression Last year it was revealed that Winston Churchill tried to block the release of secret documents revealing Nazi plans to put Edward back on the throne. Captured telegrams showed a German plot to allow the former King to become monarch again if Britain was forced to make peace in the Second World War. In the aftermath of the war, historians sought to publish the telegrams but Churchill intervened to protect Edward's reputation, according to files released by the National Archives. The documents also revealed Germany's foreign minister believed Edward strongly favoured peace with the Nazis. The sale takes place on Thursday. Edward (second from left with Dr Kessel) would have been made king by the Nazis in the event of a peace treaty with Britain, according to recently released files. In the aftermath of the war, historians sought to publish the telegrams but Churchill intervened to protect Edward's reputation The Duke and his entourage were treated to tea after the factory visit, which provided an excuse for more speeches praising German manufacturing. Nazi officials wore smart suits while workers dressed in their best overalls in an attempt to leave the royal with a positive impression Google was accused of a massive privacy breach by harvesting data from iPhone users Google today saw off a 3billion High Court claim by British iPhone users who said their data was secretly ripped off and sold for profit. The tech giant was accused of spending six months secretly tracking the internet activity of more than 4million people. The giant US search engine allegedly bypassed iPhone privacy settings in 2011 and 2012 to 'collate and use' personal data then sold on for cash. They divided people into categories for advertisers, it was claimed, including by racial or ethnic origin, physical and mental heath, political affiliations or opinions, sexuality and sexual interests and social class. The litigation was brought by campaign group Google You Owe Us, led by former Which? director Richard Lloyd, who said each of the 4million-plus iPhone users should get approximately 750 each. But the case, brought under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), was today stopped in its tracks by judge, Mr Justice Warby. He said there was 'no dispute' that Google's alleged role in the collection, collation, and use of data obtained was wrongful, and a breach of duty. But he said there was no basis for claiming compensation, adding even if it could be proved that Google broke the law, it had not been shown that iPhone users suffered any 'damage'. Google has stopped campaigners starting a compensation battle with the US company arguing they had 'no chance of success' Richard Lloyd, Former Which? director now head of Google You Owe Us, lost his case, pictured left today outside the High Court after the ruling by Mr Justice Warby (right) Google argued in court in May that it is not possible to identify those who may have been affected and the claim had no prospect of success. Lawyers for the California-based company said there is no suggestion the Safari Workaround resulted in any information being disclosed to third parties. Google was alleged to have used a software loophole to illicitly gather data from iPhones. Although Richard Lloyd was the only named claimant in the case, his lawyers said his experience was mirrored by those of millions of other iPhone users. They said those affected should be awarded damages for the violation of their rights and their loss of control over their personal data. The number of those who potentially had 'more than nominal' damages claims against Google was put at between 5.4 and 4.4 million. Based on profits Google was claimed to have made from the alleged data misuse, lawyers said each iPhone user would be due about 750. 'Google's estimate of the potential liability, if some of the claimant's per capita figures for damages were accepted, is betwen 1 and 3 billion,' the judge told the High Court. He added: 'There is no dispute that it is arguable that Google's alleged role in the collection, collation and use of data obtained via the Safari Workaround was wrongful, and in breach of duty.' But the judge said that Mr Lloyd and the vast cohort of other iPhone users did not claim to have suffered any 'financial loss or distress'. Even if they succeeded in proving their complaints against Google, there was 'no basis for claiming compensation under the DPA', he ruled. The case could also not be heard as a group action because it was 'impossible to reliably ascertain' all those iPhone users affected. Not all of them would, in any event, have the 'same interest' in the litigation, he added. The case was effectively stymied by the judge's refusal to grant Mr Lloyd's lawyers permission to serve legal papers on Google in America. Mr Lloyd said: "Today's judgment is extremely disappointing and effectively leaves millions of people without any practical way to seek redress and compensation when their personal data has been misused. "Google's business model is based on using personal data to target adverts to consumers and they must ask permission before using this data. The court accepted that people did not give permission in this case yet slammed the door shut on holding Google to account. "People are only now beginning to realise the implications of losing control of their personal data in this way. Closing this route to redress puts consumers in the UK at risk and sends a signal to the world's largest tech companies that they can continue to get away with treating our information irresponsibly. "This is an analogue decision in a digital age. There now seems no alternative but for the government to fill this gap by legislating to give groups of consumers the right to affordable collective redress." Judge Martin Huseyin praised the 47-year-old soldier for his 'exemplary' military service A former high-flying soldier has been spared jail despite downloading child sex images. Timothy Murfitt used search terms such as 'toddler', 'kids' and 'baby girl pics' when he searched for more than 10,000 disturbing images of children. Maidstone Crown Court heard the 47-year-old former soldier was working in London when police went to his home in Sevenoaks, Kent, in April last year. But Murfitt - who also had pictures of adults having sex with animals - was spared jail by a judge who praised him for his 'exemplary' military service. It also emerged that Murfitt's partner had sent Prince Harry a letter asking for help with his mental health problems. Judge Martin Huseyin said: 'Your history is remarkable. Your military record seldom reaches the levels of considerable praise that you have from those who dealt with you. 'This is utterly out of character. Nothing like this should happen again. Given your cooperation and other factors, I am prepared to suspend the sentence.' Police spoke to the former royal bodyguard by phone, who said he had his laptop and hard drives with him, and an arrangement was made for him to hand them over. Maidstone Crown Court (file picture) heard he had searched for disturbing images of children Mary Jacobson, prosecuting, said Murfitt initially claimed he had only looked at adult pornography - but images of child sex abuse were then found on the hard drives. More than 10,000 images were discovered including more than 170 in the highest category and almost 80 of the next serious classification. More than 380 extreme images showing adults having sex with animals were also uncovered at Murfitt's home, in Sevenoaks. Miss Jacobson said: 'The children were very young. The moving images were over one hour in duration.' Miss Jacobson said Murfitt was open and honest when interviewed by police and said he had been sent images of children and continued to search for them. He denied having a sexual interest in children and was believed to be suffering with post traumatic stress disorder at the time. The prosecutor said: 'He said he had trauma from active service. He said it didn't excuse him from looking at the images.' Rebecca Nieto, defending, said such offences caused great harm and Murfitt was 'absolutely deeply ashamed of this behaviour.' Miss Nieto said: 'There is a deeper psychological issue here. He has tried to get help with his mental condition, but has not received much. 'He got so desperate that his partner actually wrote to Prince Harry. There was very little help for soldiers. 'This is an unusual case. It is not something that is frequently seen in the context of this offending. There is unique mitigation that accompanies this sort of offending. 'He clearly has serious ongoing PTSD. The harm he poses is very low. He has become entrepreneurial. He employs 11 people in his company.' Judge Huseyin said he was persuaded that his sentence 'should be suspended.' The judge said: 'It is very sad to see someone with your history standing there, particularly for this kind of offence. Some of the images are really appalling. 'What drives that is people are prepared to watch them. If there were not consumers, they would not be produced and it would not happen. 'You spent a great deal of your life protecting people from harm. You had an exemplary military career, you put your own life at risk. 'Equally importantly, you spent a lot of your life working very hard to protect other soldiers from harm. 'It is particularly inappropriate and sad you should end up committing offences for which particularly vulnerable young children are at the centre of the creation of those images.' Murfitt was sentenced to six months suspended for two years with 160 hours unpaid work. His name will appear on the sex offenders' register for seven years and a sexual harm prevention order was made. An NSPCC spokesman told MailOnline: 'There are no excuses for looking at child abuse images. Children suffer horrific abuse in the real world in order for them to be made and those who access them help fuel this vile online trade. 'The NSPCC wants tech companies, government and law enforcement to continue to work together to find solutions to the proliferation of online abuse images and cut this sickening material off at source.' This is the bizarre moment a man believed to be 'Britain's biggest moaner' had a mild-mannered stand-off with police in a public car park. Stephen Bradbury, from Huddersfield, was banned from entering any Kirklees Council buildings in 2011 after sending thousands of complaints to the council. The argument, filmed by what appears to be a chest camera, began when a man who later identified himself as Mr Bradbury was approached by a police officer travelling in a video van. Stephen Bradbury, from Huddersfield, was banned from entering any Kirklees Council buildings in 2011 after sending 10,000 complaints to the council The officer initially just asked the driver to roll down his window - but he refused. When asked why, the pensioner said: 'Am I under arrest? I don't take orders from you.' The police officer calmly repeated his request - but to no avail. Mr Bradbury then began criticising the bemused officer for not 'knowing the ways of the road.' The police officer then asked him what he was doing, to which the man stubbornly replied 'it's none of your business.' The argument began when Mr Bradbury (pictured in 2014) was approached by a police officer in a public car park And when police asked him to exit the car, he again refused, responding 'for what reason?' to every request. One of the two officers then walked away from the window momentarily, warning the driver that they would follow him if he drove away. The six-minute video, believed to be filmed in Huddersfield, continued as the Mr Bradbury refused to even tell the officers his name. He said: 'I don't answer questions.' Mr Bradbury then held a letter up to his car window and tapped on the glass to get the officer's attention. The police officer said: 'Unbelievable, you're unbelievable.' He eventually identified himself to police, and insisted that he wasn't causing a block because he was still in a car park. Mr Bradbury was then told to 'clear off', and ended the Facebook video by stating: 'This is West Yorkshire police at their very best.' It is so far unclear why Mr Bradbury was stopped by police but the pensioner is barred from entering council-owned libraries, leisure centres, or even the town hall due to his seven-year-old ban. The police officer initially just asked the driver to roll down his window - but Mr Bradbury refused Mr Bradbury refused to answer any police questions or even confirm his name, merely showing the two officers a copy of a letter Mr Bradbury, dubbed Britains most prolific complainer, began the feud after his bins were not collected for three weeks in 1988. He is said to often wear a chest camera to capture confrontations such as this on video. The pensioner allegedly wrote and made roughly 10,000 separate letters, phone calls and furious visits to his local authority over 30 years. The retired property landlord even featured in the Channel 4 series The Complainers, which documented his feud, in 2014. Kirklees Council in West Yorkshire estimated four years ago that it spent around 11,000 a year dealing with his requests despite banning him from its offices in 2011 because staff said they found him intimidating. West Yorkshire Police has been contacted for comment. The Turkish government has asked to search the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after claiming a missing Saudi journalist was assassinated in the building. Jamal Khashoggi, a former Saudi Gazette and Washington Post reporter who is notoriously critical of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, has not been seen since he entered the consulate on Tuesday. In an extraordinary accusation that risks diplomatic crisis, Turkish officials said the 59-year-old was 'tortured, murdered and cut to pieces' in a targeted hit by the Saudi government. Khashoggi's disappearance was first raised by his Turkish fiancee but his family in Saudi Arabia have now claimed via a lawyer that they've never heard of her, according to local press. The Saudis have denied the claims that Khashoggi has been murdered and the Consul General even showed reporters around the consulate, bizarrely opening cupboards as if to prove the journalist was not being held in the building. Missing: Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist critical of the Saudi government, has not been seen since Tuesday Devastated fiance or lying Turkish pawn? Questions have been raised about the journalist's Turkish fiance Hatice Cengiz, 36 Look, he's not in here: This is the bizarre moment Saudis consul General in Istanbul, Mohammad al-Otaib, showed reporters around the consulate as if to prove the journalist was not there Turkish President Recep Erdogan today said Saudi Arabia must prove its claim that the journalist went missing after he left the consulate. 'Consulate officials cannot save themselves by saying that he left the building,' Erdogan told a news conference. 'If he left, you have to prove it with footage. Those who ask Turkish authorities where he is should ask what happened.' This afternoon, Turkish officials demanded permission to give the consulate a thorough search and summoned the Saudi ambassador in Ankara to request 'full cooperation'. Khashoggi apparently went to the consulate to get a document certifying he had divorced his ex-wife so that he could marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz, 36. But on Monday his eldest son said he has never heard of the woman, implying she was either an imposter with 'an agenda' or part of a Turkish political plot to smear Saudi Arabia. 'I do not know this woman and I have never heard of her except through the media,' Salah Khashoggi told private Saudi news website Al Arabiya. The family lawyer said: 'We do not know her, we do not know from where she came and she is not connected to the family, and her statements and presence might be to push her own agenda.' Bizarre: Consul General of Saudi Arabia Mohammad al-Otaibi gives a tour of Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul as if to prove the missing journalist was not there In an extraordinary accusation that risked diplomatic crisis, Turkish officials said the 59-year-old was 'tortured, murdered and cut to pieces' in the consulate (pictured) Turkish police erected barricades outside the Saudi Arabia Consulate last week Criticising Turkey, the lawyer, Motasem Khashoggi, added: 'We know the objectives behind electronic media and frenzied news outlets that attack our country for negative purposes. We tell these people to remain silent as their purposes and intentions have failed.' 'We trust the government and the actions taken by it and all the efforts being made in the case of Jamal Khashoggi. There's coordination with the government and the embassy in Ankara.' It is not clear if the family has been put under any pressure by Saudi officials to say that they trust the government. Today a Turkish official said Saudi Arabia's envoy to Ankara had been summoned to the foreign ministry for a second time on Sunday and had been asked by Turkish diplomats for 'full coordination' on the matter. Turkish police believe Saudi journalist and critic Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, a government source said, but Riyadh denied the claim Khashoggi had been a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's policies Over the weekend, Turkish police said they believe Khashoggi was murdered inside the consulate. The Saudis said the journalist disappeared after leaving the building on Tuesday afternoon. Khashoggi, who has been a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's policies, was brutally tortured before he was murdered, a police source claimed to Middle East Eye. 'Everything was videotaped to prove the mission had been accomplished and the tape was taken out of the country,' the source said. Police said earlier that around 15 Saudis, including officials, arrived in Istanbul on two flights on Tuesday and were at the consulate at the same time as Khashoggi. 'Based on their initial findings, the police believe that the journalist was killed by a team especially sent to Istanbul and who left the same day,' a government source said on Saturday. Ankara announced on Saturday it had opened an official probe into his disappearance. Turkey is closely monitoring the Saudi Consulate and Istanbul's airports, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. Mr Erdogan said he is still hopeful that Mr Khashoggi is alive. 'God willing we will not be faced with the situation we do not desire,' he added, calling Mr Khashoggi a 'journalist and a friend'. Khashoggi reportedly went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, but never came back out again Officials leave the Saudi Arabian Consulate following accusations that Khashoggi was murdered inside the building earlier this week Saudi officials gather outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul today The state-run Saudi Press Agency quoted an unnamed official at the Istanbul consulate as denying the reports of Khashoggi's murder. 'The official strongly denounced these baseless allegations,' the agency wrote. It said a team of Saudi investigators were in Turkey working with local authorities. Reacting to the news, the journalist's Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, said on Twitter she was 'waiting for an official confirmation from the Turkish government to believe it'. Officials seen leaving the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul on Sunday. A friend of the Saudi journalist said officials told him to 'make your funeral preparations' In his newspaper columns for the Washington Post, Khashoggi has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. The former government adviser, who turns 60 on October 13, has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year to avoid possible arrest. Writing in the Washington Post in February this year, he stated that 'writers like me, whose criticism is offered respectfully, seem to be considered more dangerous than the more strident Saudi opposition based in London'. He also said that the campaign for the country to back the Crown Prince's 'Vision 2030'- the policies he hopes will usher in a more prosperous future - 'has sucked the oxygen from the once-limited but present public square'. Fred Hiatt, the director of the Washington Post's editorial page, said if the reports were true 'it is a monstrous and unfathomable act'. 'Jamal was - or, as we hope, is - a committed, courageous journalist. He writes out of a sense of love for his country and deep faith in human dignity and freedom,' Hiatt said in a statement on the US newspaper's website. Yasin Aktay, an official in Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) who was close to the journalist, said Khashoggi had made an appointment in advance with the consulate and called to check the documents were ready. Support: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 'God willing, we will not be faced with the situation we do not desire', and described Khashoggi as a friend In his opinion articles, Khashoggi has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen 'His friends had warned him, 'Don't go there, it is not safe,' but he said they could not do anything to him in Turkey,' said Aktay. He added that he still hoped the reports of his friend's death were untrue. Britain 'must stand up to Saudi Arabia', says shadow chancellor Britain must stand up to Saudi Arabia after a journalist was allegedly murdered in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said. Labour's Mr McDonnell told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: 'If the information that's coming out is true, it is absolutely appalling. It's unacceptable. 'We, along with other nations now, should stand up to the Saudi government and make sure they know it is unacceptable, and if this means taking action in some form, we should take those actions. 'I've been on a number of demonstrations when the Saudi regime have sent representatives here because of human rights abuses and if this is another example of that, we've got to be much firmer.' Advertisement Prince Mohammed said in an interview published by Bloomberg on Friday that the journalist had left the consulate and Turkish authorities could search the building, which is Saudi sovereign territory. 'We are ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our premises,' he said. 'We have nothing to hide.' Turkey's foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned Saudi Arabia's ambassador over the issue. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists demanded Riyadh give 'a full and credible account' of what happened to Khashoggi inside the consulate. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Twitter that if reports of his death were confirmed, 'this would constitute a horrific, utterly deplorable, and absolutely unacceptable assault on press freedom'. OSCE media freedom representative Harlem Desir said on Twitter that he was 'shocked' by the claims. 'If confirmed, that's an unprecedented crime against journalists. I trust Turkey authorities will unveil details. Those responsible for this horrific crime must face justice,' Desir added. A spokesperson for the US State Department said it could not confirm the reports but was 'closely following the situation'. The British Foreign Office said in a statement it was 'working urgently' to verify the 'extremely serious' allegations. Turan Kislakci (right) head of Turkish-Arab Media Association talks to members of the media regarding his missing friend Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi Khashoggi fled from Saudi Arabia in September 2017, months after Prince Mohammed was appointed heir to the throne, amid a campaign that saw dozens of dissidents arrested including intellectuals and Islamic preachers. The journalist said he had been banned from writing in the pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper, owned by Saudi prince Khaled bin Sultan al-Saud, over his defence of the Muslim Brotherhood which Riyadh has blacklisted as a terrorist organisation. He has also criticised Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen, where Riyadh leads a military coalition fighting alongside the government in its war with Iran-backed rebels. Saudi Arabia, which ranks 169th out of 180 on RSF's World Press Freedom Index, has launched a modernisation campaign since Prince Mohammed's appointment as heir to the throne. The ultra-conservative kingdom in June lifted a ban on women driving. But it has drawn heavy criticism for its handling of dissent. Khashoggi's criticism of Prince Mohammed's policies have appeared in both the Arab and Western press. Ankara announced Saturday it had opened an official probe into Khashoggi's disappearance Death threats, protests and a viral petition over the planned light show promotion of a horse race on the Sydney Opera House has forced police to beef up security at the national landmark. Backlash has continued to deepen over plans to run a six-minute display on the Opera House's sails on Tuesday night to promote Sydney's The Everest horse race. Police are planning to upgrade security measures around the Opera House in response to potentially violent protests. 'Some people have issued death threats and violence - we can have differences of opinion but I don't think it's necessary to resort to that type of thing,' Racing New South Wales CEO Peter V'landys told The Daily Telegraph. 'This is not a permanent display - it's six minutes,' he added. The lights display at the Opera House (pictured) will showcase the horses participating in the world's richest race and an image of The Everest trophy Despite protests, the state government stood by its decision to force Opera House management to promote the $13 million Everest horse race at Royal Randwick last Saturday Police have been monitoring Facebook groups and a Socialist Left protest in Newtown that could move on towards the Opera House, according to The Daily Telegraph. Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese supported the Opera House promotion, saying it would be good for Sydney's tourism. 'What I have said as Shadow Tourism Minister is that its reasonable that we promote major events in Sydney,' Mr Albanese said. Mr Albanese added that the Opera House was previously used for promotional purposes, including rugby union tests, World AIDS Day, World Diabetes Day and even for Samsung. The state government stood by its decision to force Opera House management to promote the $13 million Everest horse race at Royal Randwick last Saturday. The event was the world's richest horse race with $13 million in prize money. Despite this, a petition against the plan to use the Opera House as a billboard has reached over 230,000 signatures as of Monday night. 'Let's remind Alan that the Opera House truly does belong to everyone, by supporting Louise Herron's staunch defence of one of our city and country's few instantly recognisable heritage landmarks,' the petition reads. 'Let's remind Alan that the Opera House truly does belong to everyone, by supporting Louise Herron's staunch defence of one of our city and country's few instantly recognisable heritage landmarks,' the petition said A petition against the plan to use the Opera House as a billboard reached nearly 230,000 signatures on change.org (pictured) The New South Wales government has also been repeatedly slammed for promoting a horse race on the Sydney Opera House at the same time as the launch of a Responsible Gambling Awareness week. Social media users took to Twitter to criticise the government's bad timing and its decision to use the Opera House for advertising purposes. Many said the government's message was contradictory, given that they were promoting an event that encouraged gambling. 'Surely this is a joke? The week after you approve a horse race to be advertised on Australia's most famous landmark it is Responsible Gambling Awareness week. Talk about mixed messages,' Twitter user Dom Costello said. 'Launching Responsible Gambling Awareness Week while simultaneously projecting a gambling ad on the Opera House is a new low for the NSW Government,' Keep Sydney Open tweeted. The New South Wales government has been slammed for promoting a horse race on the Sydney Opera House which coincided with the launch of the Responsible Gambling Awareness week Social media users took to Twitter to criticise the government's bad timing and its decision to use the World Heritage site as a billboard Others expressed similar sentiments on the social media platform, with some adding Sydney Opera House memes to poke fun at the government. An Opera House meme popped up with various brands on it, with one post calling out New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian: 'Well done @GladysB. Maybe we can get a few more icons up on the old sails...Whaddaya reckon?' Other memes included a photo of Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the Opera House, along with the lines, 'The Reject Shop: The savvy way to shop'. Another user tweeted a mock-up photo of a 'Gambling check-in tool', saying, 'This Responsible Gambling Awareness Week the government has released a nifty tool to help you understand your gambling habits'. The Opera House was the first to be ticked under the question, 'What devices do you use to gamble?' The Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, which will be held from 8th to 14th October this year, aims to promote responsible gambling and raise funds to provide support to research and awareness campaigns. The event has been held annually since 2006. 'This Responsible Gambling Awareness Week the government has released a nifty tool to help you understand your gambling habits,' someone tweeted, posting a mock-up photo showing a 'Gambling check-in tool' (pictured) One meme called out on New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian: 'Well done @GladysB. Maybe we can get a few more icons up on the old sails...Whaddaya reckon?' (pictured) Other memes included a photo of Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the Opera House, along with the lines, 'The Reject Shop: The savvy way to shop' (pictured) Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a former head of Tourism Australia, didn't agree and said advertising events on the Opera House would generate economic benefits. 'This is one of the biggest events of the year why not put it on the biggest billboard Sydney has,' he said on Sunday. 'I don't know why people are getting so precious about it. Frankly I thought it was a bit of a no-brainer.' On Friday, Alan Jones - who lives adjacent to the Opera House - demanded the resignation of Opera House chief executive Louise Herron. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a former head of Tourism Australia, didn't agree arguing advertising events on the side of the Opera House would generate economic benefits 'We have a policy that protects our World Heritage status,' Ms Herron told Jones. 'We have said yes to the request to put the jockeys' colours on the sails. 'We have no problem with that. What we won't do is put text or videos of horse running or horses' numbers or names or the Everest logo on the Opera House. It's not a billboard'. 'There'll be no logos or names - the only words on there are the words on the trophy itself,' she said. 'I'm absolutely confident the Sydney Opera House will continue to be the icon that it is globally and for us locally.' Two people were killed in south-west China after a massive sinkhole swallowed four pedestrians on Sunday afternoon. The gaping hole, measuring an area of nearly two square metres (21.5 square feet), appeared after the tiled pavement collapsed outside a local hospital in Dazhou city, Sichuan province at 2:30pm, swallowing the four victims. Rescuers were still searching for a man and his grandson in the two metre (6.5 foot) -deep sinkhole on Monday. Two people were killed in south-west China's Sichuan province after a massive sinkhole swallowed four pedestrians on Sunday afternoon. Two others remained missing The gaping hole, measuring an area of nearly two square metres (21.5 square feet), appeared after the tiled pavement collapsed outside a local hospital in Dazhou city at 2:30pm CCTV images from a nearby shop show the victims unable to reach safety before the ground beneath their feet suddenly collapsed. A young boy fell into the sinkhole after the collapse, but was rescued by passers-by. He only sustained minor injuries. Video footage of the accident's aftermath shows firefighters desperately searching for the victims. A second collapse around the same spot sent a cascade of concrete into the pit while the rescuers were still inside it. A young boy fell into the sinkhole after the collapse, but was rescued by passers-by Video of the accident's aftermath shows firefighters desperately searching for the victims A second collapse around the same spot sent a cascade of concrete into the pit while the rescuers were inside it. Luckily they were wearing safety harnesses and were pulled to safety The pair, equipped with safety harnesses, managed to scramble to safety as the ground continued to cave in. Ten hours later at around midnight, a female victim was rescued but was later pronounced dead at hospital, according to CCTV. At about 9:36am, a male victim was found but was declared dead by paramedics on scene. According to CCTV, rescuers have significantly widened the search area using excavators, while the exact cause of the collapse is still being investigated. Two people were killed after falling into the gaping hole while two others were still missing Rescuers have significantly widened the search area using excavators Video of the accident's aftermath shows firefighters desperately searching for the victims A mystery UFO-like object that washed up on a South Carolina beach left residents mystified at the weekend. The large cylindrical object, described as being soft and feeling like foam, was found by Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network who are usually deployed to deal with animals struggling on the shoreline. After finding the large object on Thursday on Seabrook Island, they posted the image to Facebook, saying: 'Look at this mysterious object that washed ashore on Seabrook Island today! What do you think it is?' The large cylindrical object was described as being soft and feeling like foam Naturally, the open-ended question led to many theories, some grounded, some more out of this world. The most likely explanation is that it's a dredge pipe float or part of a buoy. Philip Folk said the mystery object looked like a satellite part with Alicia Silva saying it may be The Death Star from Star Wars. It washed up on Seabrook Island and officials with the city of nearby Charleston came out to investigate the object before taking it away. The mystery object washed up on the shore of Seabrook Island, not far from Charleston, SC Kathy Kinslow May said: 'There was something similar on Kiawah today too!' Kawiah Island is the island separated only by a narrow river from Seabrook. Kathy Kinslow added: 'I wish Id taken a pic. No one could figure out what it was. We finally thought it must have been part of a marine buoy.' Sandy Behrens had a more outlandish theory, she said: 'Aliens! It does look like something from Cape Canaveral. I remember seeing something similar in St. Lucia.' Military munitions are known to have been dumped in coastal waters around the Maritimes in Nova Scotia, Canada. These may have floated down the coast all the way to South Carolina. A young woman has revealed how she felt like a prisoner in her own home while she was living with a controlling and abusive ex-boyfriend. Shannon Wall says she still wakes up screaming in the middle of the night after years of being locked in her Perth home by her partner of four years, Mitchell Walsh. During their relationship, Wall says he was never physically abusive but tormented her in other ways. Scroll down for video Shannon Wall (right) has revealed how her ex-partner Michael Walsh (left) tormented, abused and raped her after she had broken up with him 'He would deadbolt the front door and carry the key around so I couldn't get out, and lock me in rooms and stuff like that,' she told Channel Nine's A Current Affair. She was told she had no other choice and was frequently cut off from the outside world. Walsh would try and limit contact with her family and friends, until the feeling of being a prisoner in her own home became too much. It wasn't easy for her to leave. She was forced to text her mother behind her tormentor's back and ask her to call police. Police came and took the distraught young woman away, where she hoped she would never hear from him again. Wall (left) says Walsh (right) held a knife to her face before raping her after they broke up She moved into a ninth-floor apartment with her new partner, Adam. Before long, Walsh reached out to her again, asking if she wanted to pick up her belongings. They agreed to meet at McIver Train Station, where Walsh demanded she get in his car, driving her back to the home she knew as a prison. When she walked in the door, he shut the blinds. She thought she was only there to collect the items she left behind when she ran away, and was surprised when he told her to sit on the couch. 'Why?' she asked. With one simple word, Walsh launched himself at the defenceless young woman, repeatedly punching her in the face and holding a knife to her face. 'Did you really think that I wouldn't hurt you?' she says he asked her. She says she begged him not to, before he choked her with a bag strap and sexually assaulted her. After that, Walsh demanded she take him to Adam, who was still asleep at their apartment. Walsh watched over her shoulder as she texted her boyfriend, and hid out of view when he came to let her into their apartment. Brandishing a 30cm knife, Walsh leapt out from the shadows as soon as the door opened, swinging the blade at the shocked boyfriend. Before she knew it, the two men were rolling on the floor, fighting over the knife. Wall ran outside and waved down a passer-by, who called police. By the time they arrived, Walsh had fled with Wall's phone, as well as her partner's phone and their house keys. Police soon after found Walsh trying to hide evidence at his home, quickly arresting him. During Walsh's sentencing, Wall (pictured) says she felt like she was the one standing trial Walsh was convicted on charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm, deprivation of liberty, two counts of aggravated sexual assault, aggravated burglary, stealing and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was sentenced to seven and a half years in jail by the WA Supreme Court, but only has to serve four and a half before becoming eligible for parole, which would be in 2020. 'The last two years have been like torture for me, and I guarantee it's going to take more of my life than that,' Wall said. During the court proceedings, Shannon said she felt like she was the one on trial, as criminal lawyers went through her personal belongings, including her diary. Patricia Ferreira, 26, was caught bringing the family through Harwich International Port, Essex A people smuggler who covered a campervan in chilli powder in an attempt to prevent sniffer dogs at a port from finding an Iraqi family hidden in the vehicle's luggage compartment has been jailed. Patricia Ferreira, 26, was caught bringing the family through Harwich International Port, Essex in the locked rear luggage compartment of a hired camper van. After admitting in court that she tried to smuggle the family into the country in February 2016, Ferreira went on the run but was detained by German police on June 19 this year under a European Arrest Warrant. The smuggler was extradited on August 7 to the UK for sentencing after skipping her previous hearing in November 17. Stuart Cooper, from the Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation team, said: 'Ferreira may have thought she could avoid her sentence, but as this case demonstrates we never stop looking. 'My officers are determined investigators and our work with international partners means we have a very long reach when it comes to those who try to evade justice.' Following the smuggling attempt Ferreira of no fixed UK address was detained by Border Force officers alongside French national and co-conspirator Skelly Monpierre. They had been stopped after disembarking a ferry from the Hook of Holland in Harwich, Essex. The family of four, including two young children, who were found hiding under a sheet, were passed to immigration officials. Ferreira covered the campervan (left) in chilli powder (right) in an attempt to stop sniffer dogs from finding the family of four who were hiding in the luggage compartment The pair were arrested on suspicion of assisting unlawful immigration and the investigation was passed to Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation officers. They were then both charged with the offence. Text messages on Ferreira's mobile suggested arrangements for the pick-up and payments for the crime had been made in advance of the trip. Following her extradition, Ferreira, of no fixed address in the UK, was sentenced to two and a half years in jail at Chelmsford Crown Court in Essex on September 25. The Iraqi family (pictured) were found hiding under a sheet and were passed to immigration officials Chilli powder was smeared all over the campervan including on a door frame and a bed Mr Cooper added: 'The people smuggling offence in this case was driven by profit and, as demonstrated by attempts to prevent sniffer dogs from finding the family, was planned and premeditated. 'There is no excuse for those who are prepared to abuse our immigration laws and this case should serve as a warning that we will catch you and make sure you face justice.' Monpierre, of Lincoln, denied the assisting unlawful immigration charge and was jailed for three years last November after he was found guilty following a four-day trial. Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 anonymously or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org The 22-year-old man accused of paedophilia, murder and cannibalism has told a Russian court how he gouged out the eye of his victim, boiled it and ate it with a 12-year-old girl he refers to as his 'girlfriend'. Arkady Zverev also confessed to putting the severed head of murdered Alexander Popovich, 21, in a microwave and turning it on the highest setting for three minutes. He then calmly told the court that he and his alleged schoolgirl accomplice, only known as 'Valeria', had eaten the man's cooked brains. Allegations: The 12-year-old schoolgirl, only known as 'Valeria', whom Arkady Zverev refers to as his 'girlfriend' is pictured arriving at court in Kirovsky District, St Petersburg, Russia Groomer paedophile: Arkady Zverev, 22, has admitted to killing Popovich, and confessed to having a sexual relationship with the underage girl Zverev, pictured arriving in court, said he microwaved the severed head of their victim Alexander Popovich, 21, for three minutes, before eating his brains But he pleaded with the judge from a metal cage at a custody hearing at Kirovsky District Court near St Petersburg to banish journalists from the hearing, declaring: 'I do not want fame.' The court went into closed session due to the young age of 'Valeria' who state investigators say took part in killing and eating Popovich. A pale and dishevelled Zverev was detained in custody for two months to allow further investigations of the macabre case in which he has confessed to axing and dismembering his victim. Valeria was remanded in a hospital for one month for psychiatric tests, but as she is below the age of criminal responsibility she will not face charges, 47news.ru reports. Zverev faces charges of murder, abusing a dead body and sex with a minor, say law enforcement officials. Accused but not charged: As the 12-year-old is below the age of criminal responsibility she will not face charges, but has been remanded in a hospital for one month for psychiatric tests Revelations: Zverev is pictured during his court appearance in St. Petersburg Shocking: The 12-year-old, identified only as Valeria, told police that she cut meat from the chest of victim Alexander Popovich Murdered: The dismembered remains of Alexander Popovich was found in his home in a village 60 miles from St. Petersburg Evil: Zverev told police he had been the first to stab Popovich, after the two men started a row over the rent for the flat in Novinka village near St Petersburg Paedophile: The 22-year-old Zverev referred to the 12-year-old Valeria as his 'girlfriend' Zverev reportedly also told the judge he had seen the brains of his 'previous girlfriend' after she 'fell out of a window' and died hitting the pavement. Since then he had been 'curious about the taste' of brains, he told the judge. He remembered cooking and eating Zverev's brains, he said. He also claimed he had been on holiday in Black Sea resort Sochi and took Valeria away from her home city to St Petersburg after she told him she had fallen out with her parents. They used an online carpooling service to drive 1500 miles - avoiding train or plane checks on why he was travelling with an underage girl. Accused: The 22-year-old man admitted to raping a 12-year-old girl who is also accused of murdering and dismembering victim Alexander Popovich Brutal: Police say Alexander Popovich had been murdered with an axe which had been used to mutilate his body Evidence: The pair had reportedly tried to cook the brains of the victim and covered up his body with a white quilt Officials report that the 22-year-old and the 12-year-old were living with the victim in his flat as lodgers Missing: The girl had been reported missing by her parents ten days earlier in her home city of Sochi some 1,500 miles away, say police The 12-year-old girl, seen here on CCTV, has been taken into care and placed at an institution called Centre for Underage Criminals of St Petersburg They then moved to a village after Popovich - who they met in a KFC restaurant - offered them a cheap rent. He claimed there was a dispute over money after which they killed, dismembered and ate some body parts. The girl's mother has refused to travel to St Petersburg to see her in the wake of the murder and cannibalism reports, say the media. Last week, it was revealed that Valeria had told police officers she had taken part in the killing and cannibalism. She told detectives how she used a frying pan to cook and eat Mr Popovich's heart but that she had found the taste 'too sweet', and that his brains 'turned out to be much more tasty'. The 12-year-old child told officers she had stabbed the man - in whose flat they were lodging - after he went to bed. Then she opened his abdomen with a knife because she 'always wanted to see what was inside there', according to 47news.ru. Next she says she cut meat out of his chest which she fried, and Zvarev used an axe to behead their victim, and chop off his arms. Mystery death: Zverev's ex girlfriend Olga Semibokova, whom he started dating when she was a young teen, died two months ago after 'falling out of a window' Death: Olga's family are demanding that the investigation into her death at age 18 be re-opened as they do not believe it was an accident Zverev, from the Altai mountains in Siberia, previously had a relationship with another underage girl called Olga Semibokova who died after falling from a window, it was alleged today. This girl was 15 when they began having sex and died two months ago when she was 18. Her family today claimed her death had not been properly investigated - and asked for the case to be reopened in the light of the cannibal killing. Tatiana Semibokova, aunt of the dead girl, said Zverev 'took her away from her family. 'He seduced a small girl, she thought it was her first love and was devoted to him.' She absconded with him and lived in Novosibirsk, a city hundreds of miles from her home, she said. 'How such a monster could attract our girl, we do not know,' said the aunt. 'Olga understood that he was a cruel person, but she always justified his behaviour. 'She said: 'He lacked parental warmth, I can warm his heart'.' Detectives are on the hunt for a stranger who spoke to a mystery informant decades after a man was bashed to death. A secret call forgotten about for 12 years may be the key to crack the 1989 murder case of South Australian man, Peter Seaford. The call allegedly exposed details crucial to heating up the cold-case, but the identification of the informant remains a mystery. A secret call forgotten about for 12 years may be the key to crack the 1989 murder case of South Australian man, Peter Seaford (pictured) A mystery caller rang the stranger and asked for the pivotal details provided to be passed on to Crime Stoppers in August 2006. Detective Sergeant John Schneemilch told 9 News: 'It is quite pivotal to the inquiries we're making at the moment. 'So we're really asking that person to come forward.' Seaford, then 31, was murdered in his Whyalla unit at 4.45am on March 12, 1989. The case has undergone a recent review leading investigators to further explore the mystery call. It is believed the deceased man was coaxed to his workplace after an alarm was triggered by an object being thrown through the window. Seaford, then 31, was murdered in his Whyalla unit (pictured) at 4.45am on March 12, 1989 The alleged killer stole up to $1000 from the South Australian property before bashing to death the service station proprietor returning from the false alarm. He was the part owner of Mobil service station at the corner of Essington Lewis Ave and Elliott St, Whyalla. Operation Persist sparked the review as the police unit targets unsolved murders in South Australia and has been successful in recent weeks. Police do not doubt the Seaford case can be brought to justice just like the recent arrests for the alleged murders of Martin Meffert in 2005 and Colleen Adams in 1973 under the same operation. Seaford's family are hoping the investigation finally cracks the murder. 'We're actively following lines of investigation. That includes the re-examination of all forensic exhibits,' Det. Sgt Schneemilch said. Anyone with information about the murder of Peter Seaford is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. The last time U.S. congressional elections were held in this central Virginia district, Meg Sneed voted for the Republican incumbent, Representative Dave Brat. Her friend, Cheryll Lesser, did not vote at all. Last week, the two women sat in the second row at a campaign event in a martial arts' studio listening to the Democrat running against Brat, Abigail Spanberger. They nodded in agreement with much of what she had to say. But the real reason they were there was basic: Donald Trump. They don't like the president, and they weren't about to vote for anyone, like Brat, who supports him. 'More than the policy, it's the animosity he is fostering within the country,' Sneed said of Trump. Voters such as Sneed and Lesser are a significant reason why Democrats now believe that in the Nov. 6 congressional midterm elections, the party can win more than the 23 seats they need to seize control of the U.S. House of Representatives. All about him: Democrats believe that anger among women at Donald Trump can propel them to flipping the House GOP hail Mary: Republicans think that anger at the conformation process for Brett Kavanaugh can drag vulnerable candidates over the line Vulnerable: Virginia Congressmen David Brat and Scott Taylor are among those who Democratic operatives are targeting Some predict Democrats could take as many as 40 seats by flipping districts like Brat's in Virginia. Earlier this year, Brat's seat was considered safe. But if a so-called 'blue wave' materializes, it would roll through a district like his, which includes pockets of suburban voters who increasingly have been turning away from Republicans. 'Republicans are playing defense in more and more places,' said Doug Heye, a former official at the Republican National Committee. 'The Democrats' map continues to get bigger. The Republicans' map continues to get smaller. Thats a real problem.' Democrats have poured resources not only into Brat's district, but others that have come onto their battleground list, in places such as Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Southern California and other parts of Virginia such as the district currently represented by Republican Scott Taylor. They have been backed in the effort in Virginia by deep-pocketed advocacy groups such as House Majority PAC, which started running anti-Brat television ads last month, and NextGen, funded by California billionaire Tom Steyer, which decided this summer to launch efforts to turn out young voters in the district. In response, the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican political-action committee, is running ads attacking Spanberger, a sign that the party is genuinely worried about losing the seat. Brat is a high-value Democratic target for several reasons. In 2014, he shocked the political order by beating then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a Republican primary. Since taking office, he has aligned himself with the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, which has become a reliable ally of the Trump White House. Last year, as protesters crashed his events in the midst of a House push to repeal former President Barack Obama's healthcare program, Brat remarked that 'women are in my grille no matter where I go.' Those words have followed him ever since. In September, Brat held his first town hall in a year and did so with supportive audience of older veterans. Sarah Montgomery, a librarian for the U.S. Department of Defense who attended Spanberger's event in Spotsylvania, said that after Brat's district was re-drawn in 2016 to include her home, she researched him, and the video of his 'grille' remark was the first thing she found. 'He obviously has no respect for women,' she said. The firestorm over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual assault while in high school, came at a perilous moment for Brat, given his already difficult reputation with some women voters. Trump has played a part. Both Sneed and Lesser were angry that he chose to attack Kavanaugh's accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, at a rally last week. 'It was disgusting,' Lesser said. Kavanaugh was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Saturday. Democratic activists hope discontent with his nomination will linger through November. Republicans, however, see the Kavanaugh fracas as galvanizing conservatives who have been looking for a reason to come out and vote in November's elections. 'It has mobilized and energized Republican voters in a way that only a Supreme Court nomination can,' said Matt Gorman, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the arm of the party that supports House candidates like Brat. Brat has been a solid supporter of Kavanaugh, even though the House served no role in his nomination, and reasserted that support last week in a Facebook post. His campaign rejected the notion that he is not supportive of women, pointing to his efforts to combat human trafficking and the opioid epidemic and the passage of tax reform last year. Blue wave? Abigail Spanberger, the Democrat running for Virginia's 7th District, is an-CIA officer who the party believe can claim a major GOP scalp thanks to suburban women Anti-Trump: NextGen, funded by California billionaire Tom Steyer, is one of the 'Congressman Brat has worked hard on issues affecting women since day one,' said a spokesperson, Katey Price. A 39-year-old former officer for the Central Intelligence Agency, Spanberger looks like she could be the face of the Resistance, the woman-driven protest movement against Trump. But she has been careful to not alienate the independent and moderate voters she needs to win the district. At the Spotsylvania event, she didnt mention Trump, Brat or Kavanaugh, focusing on domestic-policy issues such as healthcare and education. Asked for her position on Kavanaugh's nomination, her campaign declined to comment. Instead, Spanberger touched on the thing that attracted voters such as Meg Sneed to her: turning down the volume in the civic discourse. 'Weve reached a place where we need to restore a level of civility to our conversations,' she told the crowd. Tom Davis, a former Republican congressman from Virginia, said it remains Brat's race to win, and that Kavanaugh may be the issue that pulls him over the finish line. 'It's still a southern district,' Davis said. 'Theres nothing like a good fight to keep your base in line.' Pregnant Sarah Bramley has been jailed for inciting an offence by sending a photo of herself performing a sex act on a man, who was then murdered A pregnant mother-of-two who sent a photo of herself performing a sex act on a man - who was then murdered by her jealous ex - will serve just two months in jail for inciting the attack. Sarah Bramley, 29, sent a photograph of herself performing oral sex on Michael Lawson to violent David Saunders, with the message: 'Feel free to smack the c***.' Saunders flew into a rage and stabbed Mr Lawson to death in Darlington as he walked home from Bramley's house after she ordered him to leave. Saunders was jailed for life last year and Bramley was ordered to serve four months today - meaning she should be released before she has her baby. Bramley admitted inciting an assault after it was accepted she could not have foreseen her goading of Saunders would lead to Michael's murder. Bramley will be entitled to automatic parole half way through her four-month jail term. Mr Lawson's uncle Ray Scaife said after the hearing: 'We're glad she went to jail, it's the only fair sentence, she deserves to be in prison, it's a shame it couldn't be longer. 'She knew she was winding up a violent man and at the very least she knew that Mike was going to get a good hiding.' Sarah Bramley sent a photograph of herself performing a sex act on Michael Lawson (pictured together) to her former partner David Saunders, who then stabbed Lawson to death Saunders (left), who killed Mr Lawson after Bramley's text, has already been jailed. The judge in his case said her text has been sent 'to wind him up' Explaining the charging decision in court, prosecutor Nick Dry said: 'It was never the Crown's case that Bramley had intended or encouraged that tragic outcome, rather that messages had contributed to the chain of events which ultimately led him to do as he did.' It was the culmination of a 'love rivalry' with Bramley in the middle, the court heard. Mr Dry said: 'She was involved in an on-off relationship with both men over a period of months.' She continued to see Saunders despite her gaining a non-molestation order against him, and knowing he was capable of violence. Mr Dry said: 'Their text messages revealed a love-hate relationship involving sexually explicit messages of love mixed with highly offensive personal abuse. 'At the same time she continued to see Michael Lawson, a kind, mild-mannered man with whom she had previously holidayed abroad. 'Bramley declared her love to Saunders and then revealed she had recently slept with Mr Lawson. She appeared to revel in the drama and attention of the situation.' Bramley revelled in the drama of having David Saunders and Michael Lawson vying for her attention, the court heard Both Bramley and Saunders were drinking as they exchanged unpleasant texts that night and into the early hours, and Saunders threatened to go round to attack Mr Lawson. The argument continued and he sent a female friend of Bramley - who was with her at the time - a video of him and his ex having sex. Bramley responded by sending him a photo of her performing oral sex on Mr Lawson taken that night, causing Saunders to become enraged and he got a taxi close to her home. He arrived a short time after Bramley had got Mr Lawson out of her house and he was stabbed following a short chase. Bramley had sent a text at around 3.30am telling Saunders his rival was outside and 'feel free to smack the c***'. She was later to tell the police she turfed Mr Lawson out because she feared what would happen if Saunders came to her house. Within days she left to go to Australia and was arrested on her return to the UK in March. Robert Newcombe, defending, said: 'Miss Bramley had lost her moral compass at the time she was affected by substance abuse and alcoholism.' He made an apology on her behalf to the court and to Mr Lawson's family, who sat in the public gallery. Bramley kicked Mr Lawson out of her house after sending the photo because she feared Saunders might attack him at her property Judge Stephen Ashurst said: 'Although you did not contemplate that Saunders would go on to kill Michael Lawson, I take the view it is hard to conceive a more serious case of encouraging the commission of a commons assault.' He noted that the sexual contact between Bramley and Mr Lawson and the messages she sent Saunders that night were done when her two young sons were in the property. Bramley did not visibly react as she left the dock. Speaking after Bramley pleaded guilty, Michael Lawson's mother Anne Satterthwaite, 61, said: 'As far as I am concerned she has got away with murder because without her my son would still be here. 'I hate the lad who put that knife into my son but I hate her more because she caused it to happen. 'She's a narcissist who liked the idea of two men fighting over her, it's twisted but she's going to get away with it. 'She knew what she was doing, she knew that man was violent and had at least some idea he might have a knife. 'Michael had no idea what was about to happen to him when he left her house, he was like a lamb to the slaughter.' The daughter of high profile Sydney lawyer Richard Horsley allegedly used the family home as a hub to buy and sell drugs under her internet alias 'Gucci Grey'. Genevieve Horsley, 20, allegedly made deals on a Facebook group that used the name of vegetables like broccoli and capsicums as code words for drugs. She was allegedly mid-way through a deal when police raided the family's palatial Alexandria terrace, south of Sydney, in August, Nine News reported. Genevieve Horsley (pictured), 20, allegedly made deals on a Facebook group that used the name of vegetables like broccoli and capsicums as code words for drugs Horsley was charged with seven drug supply offences relating to MDMA, and one of cultivating a prohibited plant. Her father, who retired from working as a barrister for Eight Wentworth Chambers just weeks before the police sting, picked her up from Downing Local Court on Monday. There is no suggestion he or any other member of his family had any knowledge of his daughter's alleged illegal dealings. Her father (left), who retired from working as a barrister for Eight Wentworth Chambers just weeks before the police sting, picked her up from Downing Local Court on Monday In an online announcement revealing his retirement, Mr Horsely stated he felt he was no longer a 'barrister or even an Australian legal practitioner'. Horsley was arrested by Redfern police in the late night bust, with police officers understood to have been attending the home for a separate matter. The 20-year-old is a University of Technology student who worked at an inner-west pharmacy. Gordon Ramsay has been blasted by Baywatch icon Pamela Anderson for 'cruelly' selling foie gras at his restaurants and called on him to banish it from his menu. The 51-year-old vegan actress has written a letter to the TV chef urging him to stop selling the dish at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, his flagship eaterie in London. Although the production of foie gras, or fat liver, is illegal in Britain it is still legal to import it into the country. In some cases it is made by force-feeding geese and ducks, either in factory farms or by hand, until their livers swell to up to ten times their normal size. Gordon Ramsay (left) has been blasted by Baywatch icon Pamela Anderson (right, in Marseilles on Sunday) for selling foie gras at his restaurants and called on him to banish it from his menu The 51-year-old vegan actress has written a letter to the TV chef urging him to stop selling the dish at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, his flagship eaterie (pictured) In the letter, she writes that foie gras is 'nothing more than a diseased liver produced in a real-life Hell's Kitchen'. She adds: 'Given your exceptional talent, I have no doubt that you can create dishes to impress that don't involve this cruelty.' Foie gras: Culinary delight or just plain cruel? Foie gras is made of duck or goose liver. By French law, it is defined as the liver of a duck fattened by force feeding corn. Outside France it is sometimes produced using natural feeding. The technique, known as gavage, dates back as far as 2500 BC when the ancient Egyptians kept birds for food and deliberately fattened them through force feeding. By French law, foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck fattened by force-fed corn France is the largest producer and consumer of foie gras but it is made and consumed around the world - especially in Europe, America and China. In France, foie gras comes in various forms such as whole foie gras which is made of one or two whole liver lobes, or as pieces of livers mixed together. Advertisement Anderson is spearheading a campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the animal rights charity. The former Baywatch star angered some French politicians in 2016 when she appeared in the National Assembly in Paris to support a ban on foie gras. Many claimed it was inappropriate for an unelected Canadian-American known for appearing nude in Playboy to be interfering in the democratic process. The anti-foie gras campaign has previously been supported by celebrities such as Kate Winslet, Ricky Gervais, Ralph Fiennes and the late Sir Roger Moore. PETA's Director of Vegan Corporate Projects, Dawn Carr said: 'Pamela Anderson is a long-time champion of animals, including the birds who are abused to produce foie gras. 'Over the past few years, she has written to London department store Fortnum & Mason urging it to ditch the vile pate and called on the French National Assembly to ban the force-feeding of geese and ducks. 'On foie gras farms, workers repeatedly ram pipes down gentle birds' throats and pump huge amounts of grain into their stomachs, often tearing holes in their necks and sometimes rupturing their internal organs. 'Foie gras production is so cruel that it's illegal in the UK and more than a dozen other countries, and the majority of the public is rightfully sickened by this horrific industry. 'Consumers have the power to take a stand against foie gras by refusing to buy this 'torture in a tin' and instead choosing one of the many healthy and cruelty-free vegan vile pate's available.' Although the production of foie gras (pictured) is illegal in Britain it is still legal to import it into the country American doughnut chain Krispy Kreme has scrapped the 24/7 opening hours at its Dublin location, just one week after opening its first Irish franchise. Complaints from residents about the noise from customers visiting the doughnut shop in Blanchardstown, Dublin, forced Krispy Kreme to introduce a closing time. Video footage reportedly filmed at 2.30am shows dozens of cars lined up for the drive-thru, beeping their horns in anticipation. Going dough-nuts: Hundreds queued up outside the first Irish Krispy Kreme Blanchardstown Centre in Dublin before it opened its doors at 7am on September 26 Krispy Kreme said that they will no longer offer deep-fried sweet treats overnight, and instead shut at 11.30pm. The famous doughnut chain opened its doors to its first franchise in Ireland on September 26, and hundreds were seen queuing out the door on the first day. However, the hype did not die down, and local residents complained of shocking levels of noise from customers waiting in the car park in the early hours of the morning. 'Weve listened to our neighbours and were making changes,' he Dublin Krispy Kreme franchise said in a statement on its Facebook page. 'We will be closing our 24hr drive thru which will now be open between the hours of 6am and 11.30pm.' Video footage reportedly filmed at 2.30am shows dozens of cars lined up for the drive-thru at the newly opened Krispy Kreme in Blanchardstown, Dublin Residents complain that the cars were beeping their horns and making noise as they waited to purchase doughnuts from the Krispy Kreme drive-thru 'We anticipated a warm welcome for Krispy Kreme in Ireland and have long wanted to open a store here, but the response has been way ahead of our most optimistic expectations so thank you for your patience.' Krispy Kreme said they would be working with the local council and police force to find a long term solution to the queues. One local resident who filmed the pile-up of noisy cars below their flat at 2.30am on a Sunday morning wrote on their Facebook that they had been dealing with the noise since the grand opening. There seems to be people chanting and egging the cars to keep honking, the resident was quoted as saying by the Irish Times. Also for the people saying, "Well its your fault for living next to the centre" have you seen the centre at this hour before? Its a ghost town. This isnt expected and it should never be expected, theres literally no defending this sort of behaviour.' A student in central China has been ordered to destroy her phone with a hammer after being caught using it during class, sparking debate online. In the trending 10-second clip, a man believed to be a teacher watches on while the student repeatedly strikes her phone with a hammer on the floor in front of her classmates. Another instructor had filmed the punishment and uploaded the video to social media, hoping to make an example out of her. A student in central China's Henan province has been ordered to destroy her phone with a hammer after being caught using it during class, sparking intense debate online The incident took place at Guanying Middle School in Xinxiang city, Henan province on October 5, according to Chengdu Business News. One of her classmates, who was not named, told video news site Pear: 'We are not allowed to bring our phones to school. Our classmate was caught using her phone, and she was ordered to smash it.' The school has not released a statement about the incident, which has drawn both criticism and support from the public. Net users, many of whom are parents themselves, said the teacher was being too hard on the girl while others said he did the right thing. 'The teacher has no right to order the student to destroy her phone,' Abren Guanxianshi commented. The incident took place at Guanying Middle School in Xinxiang city, Henan province on October 5. It has drawn both criticism and support from the public 'I understand that the girl has violated school rules, but asking her to destroy her phone seems such a waste and a little too extreme,' Stussy_Ry said. 'I believe there is a better way to administer punishment regarding the matter.' 'Xiaoran Forever' said: 'I'd never send my kids to Guanying.' Others supported the teacher's actions, saying that the student 'had it coming'. 'You should bear the consequences if you had violated the school rules,' Jiaotang Qiduo 1024 said. 'How rude of the student to play on her phone during class! She should be expelled, in my opinion.' 'Wang Dadaddalu' wrote: 'Don't bring your phones to school. You'll have plenty of time to play after you graduate. I don't like what the teacher has done, but he had no choice.' 'As a parent, I fully support and agree with the teacher's decision!' Sophiehu0727 said. Last month, two students at The No. 2 Middle School of Dao County in Hunan Province also destroyed their phones after being caught using them during class. The local education bureau claimed that the two boys had slammed the phones willingly to show their remorse. The devil is alive and well and working overtime to undermine the Roman Catholic Church, according to Pope Francis. He said that Satan is to blame for the sexual abuse crisis and has asked Catholics around the world to recite a special prayer every day in October to try to beat him back. '(The Church must be) saved from the attacks of the malign one, the great accuser and at the same time be made ever more aware of its guilt, its mistakes, and abuses committed in the present and the past,' Francis said in a message on September 29. The devil is alive and well and working overtime to undermine the Roman Catholic Church, according to Pope Francis (pictured on Saturday in the Vatican City) Since he was elected in 2013, Francis has made clear that he believes the devil to be real. In a document in April on holiness in the modern world, Francis mentioned the devil more than a dozen times. 'We should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea. This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable,' he wrote in the document. The Church has recently been hit by one sexual abuse scandal after another, from Germany, to the United States, to Chile. At the same time, a deepening polarisation between conservatives and liberals in the Church has played out on social media. Francis' use of the term 'the great accuser' to describe Satan hit a raw nerve with one of the pope's harshest conservative critics, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Vatican's former ambassador to Washington. In an 11-page statement published on August 26, Vigano launched an unprecedented broadside by a Church insider against the pope and a long list of Vatican and US Church officials. Pope Francis talks as he meets youth and the Synod Fathers at the Pope Paul VI hall in the Vatican He accused Francis of knowing about sexual misconduct by a former US cardinal with male adult seminarians but not doing anything about it. Vigano, concluding that his former boss had singled him out as the devil in disguise, complained in his next statement that Francis 'compared me to the great accuser, Satan, who sows scandal and division in the Church, though without ever uttering my name'. On Sunday, a top Vatican official issued a scathing open letter accusing Vigano of mounting a 'political frame job devoid of real foundation' and contesting his accusations against the pope point by point. Francis is so convinced that Satan is ultimately to blame for both the sexual abuse scandals and the divisions within the Church that he has enlisted the aid of St Michael the Archangel. Michael is mentioned several times in the Bible as the leader of the angels who ousted Lucifer, the fallen angel, from paradise. Catholics are being asked to recite the rosary daily in October and conclude it with a prayer to St Michael that was said after Mass until 1964 but then fell into disuse. The prayer reads: 'St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defence against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.' The former head of Scotland Yard today described watching PC Keith Palmer being murdered as he locked himself in his car and was driven away in the chaos. Sir Craig Mackey, who was then acting as Commissioner of the Met, told the inquest into Khalid Masood's death that he saw his officer stabbed in front of him on March 22 last year. Sir Craig, who will retire at Christmas, was briefly in charge of Britain's biggest force after Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe left in the February and Cressida Dick did not take over as Commissioner until the April. He had been meeting Policing Minister Brandon Lewis when he heard a 'loud bang' as Masood's 4x4 smashed into the fence under Big Ben before the terrorist sprinted through security gates and stabbed PC Palmer with a kitchen knife. Masood's movements as he entered the Palace of Westminster during the sickening attack CCTV from the scene shows the Met Chief in his vehicle, circled, as it was swept away The police officer, who was knighted this year, said he went to get out of the car, which was passing through the vehicle barrier just inside the gates, but was told: 'Shut the door' and locked it. PC Palmer staggered past Sir Craig's car, pursued by Masood, who was then shot dead by a close protection officer working for then Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon. Sir Craig was then swept away around 30 seconds after Masood, who murdered five people that day, was gunned down. Deputy Commissioner Sir Craig Mackey, who was then acting as Commissioner of the Met, watched in horror as Khalid Masood stabbed PC Keith Palmer in front of him The inquest into Masood's death at the Old Bailey heard that Sir Craig, his police driver and his chief of staff, who were both civilians, all locked their car doors. Sir Craig said: 'I had no personal protective equipment, no radio, two colleagues with me who were quite traumatised by what they had seen, so we moved out and I began co-ordinating the response. 'My instinct was not the right response. I was in shirtsleeves, with no radio, I didn't know if the attack was on going.' The bang when Khalid Masood crashed his car was heard by Sir Craig, who was at Parliament meeting a minister Hugo Keith QC, for the Metropolitan Police said: 'It may seem obvious that had you not locked the car and had you got out would have presented yourself as a further target?' He replied: 'Yes, anyone who got in his way would have been a target.' Describing the attack, Sir Craig said: 'I could see one of the officers move forwards, PC Palmer, then he appeared to go backwards and then I saw the male who had come in and I saw two stab attempts into the torso of PC Palmer. 'It was below my sightline so couldn't tell if they connected but they were two absolutely determined stab movements. 'It seemed to happen very quickly. The thing that still shakes me is how ever many seconds it was in total. It didn't feel like that, it felt like an awfully long time. 'He had one of those looks that they were coming after you, he seemed absolutely focused on coming and getting anyone who got in his way. I was absolutely concerned for any individual that got in his way.' Mr Mackey had been at a meeting with Brandon Lewis, the Policing Minister, between 2.15pm and 2.45pm, but they had arrived and left early. He was due to return to Scotland Yard, around the corner on the Embankment, driven by a police driver and accompanied by his chief of staff. Sir Craig said he went to get out of the car, which was passing through the vehicle barrier just inside the gates, but was told: 'Shut the door' and they drove off as the carnage unfolded Masood's attack lasted less than two minutes from mounting the pavement until he was shot dead by the then Defence Secretary's security team Sir Craig said: 'I was leaning back to talk to my colleague in the rear of the car, to talk about the meeting and there was a very, very loud bang which came from the direction of Westminster Tube and we both went, "What on earth was that?". Security risk of 'vulnerable' Parliament gate was flagged up years before attack Khalid Masood, 52, was shot dead after stabbing Pc Palmer, 48, to death and ploughing into four pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in a rented 4x4. A security review two years before PC Keith Palmer's death concluded that the gate where he was stationed was 'vulnerable' because it was manned by unarmed officers. But the Houses of Parliament threat assessment was never passed on to police on the ground, the inquest heard. On the day of Khalid Masood's attack, no firearms officer was seen near Carriage Gates for almost an hour before PC Palmer was knifed. Instead, marksmen prioritised the Members' Entrance which was used by ministers and MPs to attend Prime Minister's Questions. A tactical assessment published in early 2015 found that armed officers should be able to quickly respond to an attack at Carriage Gates. But PC Lee Ashby, one of the firearms officers on duty that day, said he was unaware of the concerns raised. He said it was impossible to provide effective cover for all the gates on his patrol and admitted the system left unarmed officers unprotected 'more often than not'. He said he would have shot Masood if he had been at the gate. Firearms officers used to be stationed behind Carriage Gates until 2012. PC Ashby said he had to cover three other entrances and the fence line, admitting he could not be at 'more than one place at a time'. Advertisement 'I looked towards the gate and I could see officers looking in that direction and my recollection is one officer talking on the radio. 'I genuinely didn't know what had happened. It was an unnatural sound. I did think it might have been an explosion at that point, it was so loud and unnatural. 'The officers were in their usual position just inside the gateline. Everyone started moving on the pavement, everybody is running towards the House of Lords end, some are running into the gates. 'The gates were open and people were coming in and all of a sudden I became aware of a large male and thought, 'Oh my god he's got a knife'.' He described the man as 6ft tall, very thick set, with a shaved head and wearing dark clothing. 'He was 8ft to 10 ft into the gates. My focus was very much what I saw in his right hand, it was a butcher's knife, like you get in a wooden block, a carving knife. 'I didn't know at that point if it was connected to the bang or not. Clearly the way that male came in and the purposeful way he came in that was a clear threat. 'I had an officer in the front of the car with me and a colleague in the car had seen what happened and locked the door. 'We had no protective equipment at all, no communications, we had been in a ministerial meeting.' Masood, 52, killed four people on the bridge - American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31 - and seriously injured 29 others. He also murdered PC Palmer after dumping his car. Temporary Chief Inspector Paul Sheridan, an expert in training firearms officers, told the court it is 'not like in films' when someone is shot. In the first seconds after being hit, no blood may be visible and the person may not realise they have been shot, he said. Massod used this knife during his fatal attack on PC Keith Palmer who died at the scene The jury was shown footage of Masood, armed with two bloodied knives, lumbering after officers as they fled following the attack on Pc Palmer. Two close protection officers can be seen aiming their pistols before Masood crumples to the ground. In Mr Sheridan's assessment, the use of lethal force by the marksman who shot Masood three times was 'entirely justified'. Chief Coroner Mark Lucraft then told the jury the inquest will adjourn until Wednesday when the two close protection officers will give evidence. More than 30 girls have been hospitalised after a mob of young men and their parents broke into their boarding school in Bihar, India, and beat them up. The girls said they had been sexually harassed by a group of local boys, and admitted to having to resort to violence to fight them off. The boys responded by going to fetch their parents, who descended upon the school and beat the female students, some reportedly as young as ten. The girls had reportedly fought off a group of local boys who sexually harassed them, who then went to fetch their parents who descended on the school in Bihar, India and assaulted the girls Many girls suffered serious injuries, with 34 forced to seek treatment at a local hospital following the mob attack on the boarding school Triveniganj, Supaul district in Bihar state, northeastern India. Local news report that the girls had often complained of being harassed by boys and young men living near the school, saying they would approach them, make lewd comments and scribble rude words on the walls of their school. This reportedly came to a head on Saturday, when some of the female students caught a group of local boys sneaking onto school property. 'The girls asked them not to write vulgar messages. The youths later sexually harassed them. The girls beat them up,' Supaul District Magistrate Baidya Nath Yadav told Times of India. 'Later, the boys called their parents from the village and thrashed the girls'. The local boys had reportedly been caught writing vulgar messages on the walls of the all-girls boarding school The mob, made up of the local boys, their mothers and other relatives, reportedly barged into the school at around 5pm on Saturday. Eyewitnesses say they started beating up the pupils, aged ten to 16, and trashed the school. Several teachers who tried to defend their students were also injured, according to Hindustan Times. So far, four people have been arrested, but local police say more will follow in the coming days. Mr Barton, who lives at sanctuary, has been performing for animals since 2011 This is the incredible moment a classical pianist played music for injured and elderly rescue elephants in the Thai jungle. Paul Barton has been putting on his unique performances since 2011, and said he believes Bach and Beethoven can help rehabilitate animals who have lived stressful lives. The elephants at Elephants World, a sanctuary near Kanchanaburi, appeared mesmerised by Mr Barton's music recitals in a series of clips of the pianist. Paul Barton has been putting on his unique performances since 2011, and said he believes Bach and Beethoven can help rehabilitate animals In one video, a young elephant is seen chomping on sticks he found below the piano stool as classical music played above him. The calf then decided to join in with Mr Barton - his trunk landing loudly on the piano keys as he explored the mystery instrument. Mr Barton, from East Yorkshire, came across Elephants World while making a video about the River Kwai bridge. He said he liked the sound of what was seen as a retirement home for the animals, and decided to pay the sanctuary a visit, asking the manager if he could bring his piano along. Elephants at Elephants World, a sanctuary near Kanchanaburi, Thailand, were mesmerised by Mr Barton's music recitals in a series of clips Mr Barton, from East Yorkshire, came across the sanctuary while making a video about the River Kwai bridge Elephants World is a sanctuary for more than 30 old, sick, abused, retired or rescued elephants, most of whom have 'lived very hard lives,' according to their website. The first elephant Mr Barton played to was Plara, a blind elephant who stopped eating his breakfast of bana grass and stood motionless when he first heard the sound. He said: 'Almost all elephants react to music in a visible way. There's a sudden movement when the music begins. 'The elephants are free to walk about around the piano, they are not chained or tethered in any way. If they didn't like the music then they could simply wander off. 'Some elephants get very close to the piano of their own accord, they might drape their trunk over the piano even. 'Some younger elephants can get very surprised by the sound and will run suddenly around the piano curious about it.' He said he liked the sound of what was seen as a retirement home for the animals, and decided to pay it a visit with his piano The pianist usually plays slow, classical numbers to the elephants, he said, removing the parts that he believes will not hold their interest. Each elephant has different tastes, and in total there are 28 that Mr Barton plays to. Sometimes, wild monkeys also come to watch the pianist perform, sitting in groups on a nearby rock. Mr Barton decided to learn piano after hearing an impromptu by Franz Schubert as a child. As he didn't have a piano at home, a young Mr Barton learned on other people's instruments. Elephants World is a sanctuary for more than 30 old, sick, abused, retired or rescued elephants, most of whom have 'lived very hard lives' Mr Barton, his wife Khwan and their daughter Emilie now live at the sanctuary in Thailand He then studied fine art at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, and 22 years ago, moved to Thailand to teach piano. That teaching expedition was supposed to be short, three-month trip, but Mr Barton soon met his now-wife, Khwan, a wildlife artist with whom he has a daughter, Emilie, three. The family now live at Elephants World, helping out with chores and playing with the animals that live there. Mr Barton said: 'The piano is out in the mountains, so it's completely free - the elephant can do what it wants. 'These elephants are standing close to you, and there's kind of a connection that you can't explain in words.' French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has distanced herself from former White House strategist Steve Bannon, saying only Europeans will 'save the continent'. At a meeting in Rome today Ms Le Pen said she wanted to clarify 'lots of conjecture' about Mr Bannon's reported plans to set up a foundation, The Movement, to boost far-right parties in Europe. Ms Le Pen said Mr Bannon, who has been seen as the mastermind behind Donald Trump's rise to power, is not European, but an American who wants to create a think-tank. She said: 'But we, and we alone, are the ones who will shape the political force that is born from the European elections, because we are attached to our liberty, attached to our sovereignty and we together, the representatives of the different peoples of Europe, are the ones who will shape the political forces that aim specifically to save Europe.' former White House strategist Steve Bannon holds a press conference with National Front party leader Marine Le Pen in Lile in March Far-right leader Marine Le Pen and Italian Interior Minister and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini at a meeting in Rome today She was speaking with right-wing Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini by her side, who applauded at Le Pen's words. Le Pen added: 'So that things are extremely clear on this subject.' Le Pen's distancing was significant given Bannon has been making the rounds in Europe of late as part of his push for a trans-national, anti-European Union movement. The Front National leader was in Rome to join Salvini at a union conference where they showed a united front before the European Parliament election in May. Last month, Bannon appeared at a rally in Rome organised by a small far-right Italian opposition party, Brothers of Italy, where he heaped praise on Italy's populist, 5-Star-League government, and he was in Rome for the election on March 4 that brought them to power. Marine Le Pen has distanced herself from Donald Trump's former strategist by saying only Europeans can 'save Europe' While he didn't appear with Salvini, who spoke at the rally earlier in the day, the two have met and Salvini has purportedly signed onto The Movement, according to one of its proponents, Belgian politician Mischael Modrikamen. In March, Bannon spoke at Le Pen's National Front party congress, which had been aimed at remaking the far-right party's image after it suffered a crushing defeat to the pro-globalisation forces that brought Emmanuel Macron to the French presidency. As part of the makeover, Le Pen changed the party name to National Rally. Some in France had warned that Bannon's support could threaten Le Pen's efforts to cleanse the party of its racist stigma. Bannon had praised the extreme version of the National Front embodied by Le Pen's more hard-line niece and rival, calling her one of the most important people in the world. On Friday one of Marine Le Pen's daughters and her cousin were beaten up by two men at a student party in Paris. At this stage, it is unclear if the assault is linked to Le Pen as the two alleged attackers are not thought to have known that the 19-year-old woman was her daughter. Nicola Sturgeon today seized on Brexit to try to renew her bid to push through a second Scottish independence referendum. While her Westminster deputy Ian Blackford vowed to cause 'maximum disruption' to Theresa May's government and to vote down her Chequers Brexit plan. In a fiery speech to the party's conference in Glasgow, he railed against the Tories for treating Scotland as a 'second class nation'. The two leading SNP politicians put Number Ten on notice that they plan to unveil their fresh push for an indyref2 once the PM comes back with her Brexit deal - in what could be a matter of weeks. And they lashed the PM for pursuing a Brexit plan which pulls the UK out of the EU's single market and customs union. Mrs Sturgeon, the SNP leader, said another referendum to break up the United Kingdom could be held by 2021 - despite Scots voting against it in 2014. She said Britain's looming departure is likely to lead to such a dramatic change in circumstances that an indyref2 should be held. But Scottish Tories blasted the SNP leader for trying to 'weaponise' Brexit to push through her own nationalist political ambitions. Scroll down for video Nicola Sturgeon (pictured today on Good Morning Britain) has seized on Brexit to try to renew her bid to push through a second Scottish independence referendum The SNP leader (pictured in Glasgow today) says Scotland faces being thrown out of the EU against the will of voters there who backed Remain The Scottish First Minster (pictured in Glasgow today) said she will lay out her own plans for a vote to break up the United Kingdom once Theresa May comes back with a Brexit deal Nicola Sturgeon (pictured today at her party conference in Glasgow) said another referendum to break up the United Kingdom could be held by 2021 - despite Scots voting against it in 2014 The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford (pictured today at the SNP part conference in Glasgow) vowed to cause 'maximum disruption' to Theresa May's government Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain today she said the SNP only 'narrowly' lost the 2014 independence vote but Brexit has changed things 'markedly'. She said: 'During that referendum one of the key arguments of the no campaign was that if we voted for independence we would get thrown out of the European Union. SNP's Westminster leader threatens to unleash 'maximum disruption' on May's government The SNP's Westminster leader today threatened to cause 'maximum disruption' to Theresa May's government. Ian Blackford accused the PM of treating 'Scotland as a second class nation'. And addressing the SNP's party conference in Glasgow, he said he is putting No10 'on notice' that the SNP will try to wreak havoc in Parliament. He said Mrs May is on 'a reckless mission to trash our economy' with what he branded as 'self destructive policies on Brexit, austerity and immigration threaten serious and lasting harm'. He hit out at the 'turmoil and terrifying damage' that leaving the European Union will bring to Scotland. He said: 'Let those in Westminster hear this - if contempt continues to be shown to the people of Scotland and our Parliament - SNP MPs will not hesitate in causing maximum disruption to this Tory Government's agenda when and where Scotland needs us to.' He added: 'We will not sit back and allow Scotland to be dragged out of the single market and customs union against its will. 'We will not be complicit in a blind - or a no deal Brexit. 'When the time comes to vote on the Brexit deal, the only deal we will accept is one that keeps Scotland in the single market and the customs union. 'Any other deal will sell us short.' Advertisement 'Now we face being taken out of the European Union against our will. 'So circumstances change and when circumstances change I would argue that people in a democracy have the right to change their minds.' Asked by ITV News if there will be a indyref2 before the next Scottish election in 2021, she said: 'That's possible. 'I'd like there to be a second independence referendum yesterday and failing yesterday tomorrow but it's not just down to what I want it's down to what is in the best interests of the country as a whole.' She added: 'Anything remains possible.' And she said that she will set out her plans for another vote in 'perhaps a matter of weeks.' Meanwhile, her Westminster deputy angrily tore into the PM in his conference speech and warned her that the SNP's 35 MPs will wreak havoc to her policy plans in Parliament. He said Mrs May is on 'a reckless mission to trash our economy' with what he branded as 'self destructive policies on Brexit, austerity and immigration threaten serious and lasting harm'. He hit out at the 'turmoil and terrifying damage' that leaving the European Union will bring to Scotland. He said: 'Let those in Westminster hear this - if contempt continues to be shown to the people of Scotland and our Parliament - SNP MPs will not hesitate in causing maximum disruption to this Tory Government's agenda when and where Scotland needs us to.' He added: 'We will not sit back and allow Scotland to be dragged out of the single market and customs union against its will. 'We will not be complicit in a blind - or a no deal Brexit. 'When the time comes to vote on the Brexit deal, the only deal we will accept is one that keeps Scotland in the single market and the customs union. Scots would vote for independence if the UK crashes out of the EU with no Brexit deal, but they would back to stay in the UK if a vote was held tomorrow, a Survation poll out today finds 'Any other deal will sell us short.' He added 'I put the Prime Minister on notice here today - we will not support any deal that threatens Scottish jobs and living standards. Scots would back independence if there is a no deal Brexit, poll finds Scots would vote for independence if the UK crashes out of the EU with no Brexit deal, a poll out today finds. But they would vote against the break up of the United Kingdom if the referendum was held tomorrow, according to the Survation survey. And if the UK leaves the EU as planned in March next year then they voters are split 50:50 the poll found. According to the survey, if there is a referendum held tomorrow then 54 per cent of Scots would vote 'No' and 46 per cent voted 'Yes'. But if Theresa May does not get a Brexit deal and a vote is held then the result switches, with 'Yes' narrowly winning by 52 percent to 48 per cent. The poll of 1,013 people was carried out between October 3 and 5 this year. Advertisement 'Let me be very clear - the SNP will not cave to ultimatums from the Prime Minister. 'We will not follow the Tories through any lobby that leads to economic destruction for citizens across Scotland and the UK.' The fiery interventions come after Mrs Sturgeon turned up the heat on Mrs May yesterday by announcing that the SNP will back a second Brexit referendum if it goes to a vote in Parliament. In a significant intervention, she said that her 35 MPs in the House of Commons will throw their support behind the so-called People's Vote campaign. And speaking today she reaffirmed her threat. She said: '[In the] 2016 Brexit vote, Scotland in that referendum didn't vote to leave the EU, we voted to remain in the EU. 'So if there is an opportunity and I don't know if that opportunity will arise for Scotland to reaffirm that view, then yes SNP MPs will vote to take that.' Scottish Tory Ross Thomson, MP for Aberdeen South, accused the Scottish First Minister of using the Brexit debate to try to push through her life ambition to create an independent Scotland. He told MailOnline: 'The SNP have desperately tried to weaponise Brexit for their nationalist ends, alienating 600,000 of their own supporters in the process. 'When it comes to Nicola Sturgeon it's always independence, independence, independence at all costs.' He also slammed the SNP leader for suggesting that the Brexit vote could be re-run, but if Scotland backs independence the vote should not be reversed. She insisted the plan for Scotland to quit the UK is detailed, whereas the Brexit campaign was based on 'the lie on the side of the bus and nothing more' - a reference to the pledge to spend 350million a week on the NHS after Brexit. Mr Thomson said: 'Nicola Sturgeon just doesn't do democracy when it doesn't give her what she wants. 'To demand a second EU referendum, but to say any vote for Scottish independence should be respected whilst at the same time ignoring the clear decision of Scots to stay in the UK is breathtaking hypocrisy though in no way surprising.' Scottish Conservative chief whip Maurice Golden MSP said: 'The SNP just simply cannot accept the outcomes of legitimate votes. 'Rather than accept the results of the EU and independence referendums, they want to call for endless re-runs until they get the result they want. 'Instead of endless demands for a rematch they should get on with trying to improve Scotland's economy and public services.' A cruel owner who kept 30 dogs in such appalling conditions that three had to be put to sleep, has been jailed for 14 weeks. Elaine Erskine kept the animals in a property in Fenwick, Ayrshire, which was deemed 'unfit for human or dog inhabitation'. Two emaciated German Shepherds and a Jack Russell terrier which were found 'extremely distressed' among rubbish and faeces, unable to lift their heads and covered in open sores across their bodies, were euthanized. Horrific photographs show the appalling conditions the German Shepherds were found in The emaciated Jack Russell terrier was covered in painful open sores and had to be put down Unemployed Erskine was banned from owning animals for life, after admitting causing unnecessary suffering under section 19 of the Animal Health & Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on October 2. She was sentenced to 14 weeks after an investigation by the Scottish SPCA. German Shepherds, Rosie and Arti were so malnourished they were 'on the brink of death' and were put to sleep alongside a female Jack Russell terrier. Horror photographs show the floor of the house coated with animal waste and piles of rubbish. Scottish SPCA Inspector Jade Cumming said: 'The flooring was not visible due to the amount of rubbish and faeces, and the smell of ammonia was overpowering. 'It was clear the property was not fit for dog or human inhabitation. 'The female Jack Russell was in a horrendous state when we arrived. She had wounds to both back legs and the bones in both legs were clearly visible. 'This dog, which was given a body count score of 1/9 by a vet, was extremely emaciated and in a great deal of pain and distress and we made the unfortunate decision to euthanise her. 'We also discovered two adult German shepherds, Rosie and Arti, in a small porch area where they were being housed. Pictured, the dogs found at Elaine Erskine's home. She has now been banned from owning animals for life 'Both of these dogs were emaciated, had a body score of 1/9, and on the brink of death. 'Rosie was unable to even lift her head and both dogs had open sores and were extremely distressed, covered entirely in faeces and urine with mounds of faecal material and urine fluids in a pool below and around them. 'Unfortunately, once again a decision was made to euthanise both dogs to prevent further suffering and distress. She added: 'We welcome the 14 week custodial sentence handed to Erskine as this sends out a strong message that abusing an animal is a criminal offence and the courts will take action. 'In addition, we are pleased Erskine has been banned from owning, keeping or taking possession or care of any animal for life.' A woman has been charged with cocaine possession after police allegedly watched her boyfriend snort a white powder off her fingertip. The alleged incident occurred in Sydney's south on Saturday night, right in front of police, who were sitting in their patrol car. Sutherland Shire Police noticed the 23-year-old woman while stopped at a red light at 10:15pm on the Kingsway in Cronulla. A woman has been charged with cocaine possession after police allegedly watched her boyfriend snort a white powder off her fingertip (stock image) A Sutherland Shire Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia a woman was charged with prohibited drug possession on the Kingsway on Saturday night. The woman was allegedly with a man about three meters from the police vehicle when she reached into a handbag, the Shire Standard reported. A powdery white substance was allegedly on her fingernail as she withdrew her hand from the handbag in the officers' sight. The man allegedly inhaled the white substance from the woman's finger up his nose. Police allegedly watched her boyfriend snort cocaine off her fingertip on the Kingsway in Cronulla (stockj image) Police approached the pair and searched the handbag to find a resealable bag of white powder, alleged to be cocaine. The woman will appear in the Sutherland Local Court on November 1 and face drug possession charges. According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, incidents of drug offenses in the Sutherland Shire have risen between 2016 and 2018. For the year to June 2018, there were 1,036 drug offences, 44 of these were for the use or possession of cocaine and 410 for the use or possession of cannabis. Facebook has been handed its biggest ever UK tax bill - but the tech giant has already managed to slash it by millions by claiming tax relief, it was revealed today. The social network's corporation tax demand from the Treasury tripled to 15.8million in 2017 but it only had to pay 7.4million, new accounts show. The reduction came despite British revenues going up a third from 842million to an extraordinary 1.2billion last year and record profits of 62million in those 12 months up from 58million. The company, run by Mark Zuckerberg, managed to cut its tax bill by 46 per cent after it awarded shares to its employees. Its 2017 tax bill is still its highest ever - up from 5.4million in 2016 - but at just over 0.5 per cent of its UK revenues critics say it is still not enough. Labour MP Margaret Hodge, former chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, said today: 'Absolutely outrageous that Facebook's UK tax bill is 0.62% of their revenue here; on an income of 1.2 billion they really should be paying much more than 7.4 million'. Facebook has said despite huge revenues its profits were curbed by 758million in 'costs of sales' and 444million in 'administrative expenses'. Facebook has paid its biggest ever UK tax bill in 2017 - but it was almost half the initial amount after claiming a tax credit, it was revealed today Labour MP Margaret Hodge called the situation outrageous and backed tech giants to be taxed on revenues not profits because of the way they shift money It insists it pays all its taxes in the UK - but it is in a long line of tech giants accused of not paying enough. Amazon, Apple, Starbucks and Google and many more US tech giants use complicated tax arrangements to reduce their UK tax bills. Several use a loophole allowing them to close international sales in countries like Ireland and Luxembourg where they benefit from lower tax rates than in Britain. They then send the cash on to offshore tax havens. In 2016 Amazon, Facebook and Airbnb paid just 6.8million combined in the UK, according to company documents, despite their vast scale and global valuation of more than 1trillion between them. Mark Zuckerberg's business has been widely accused of avoiding tax in the UK But the businesses argue they have created thousands of tech jobs in Britain, which brings in millions for the Treasury in income tax and NI. Facebook's head of Northern Europe Steve Hatch said: 'The UK is home to our largest engineering base outside the US and we continue to invest heavily here. 'By the end of 2018 we will employ 2300 people in the UK and we are doubling our office space in London's King's Cross with capacity for over 6,000 workstations by 2022. 'We have also changed the way we report tax so that revenue from customers supported by our UK teams is recorded in the UK and any taxable profit is subject to UK corporation tax.' Last week Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged to hit internet giants with a new tax so they are forced to pay their fair share. The Chancellor said Britain is ready to introduce its own levy on tech firms as talks on taking action at an international level have stalled. Treasury officials are looking at a tax based on the revenues of online firms, such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, instead of their profits. Britain's high streets have faced a bloodbath with some of the country's best known brands forced to shut shops with the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. In his keynote to Tory conference in Birmingham, Mr Hammond predicted a 'deal dividend' for the UK economy once an EU withdrawal agreement has been reached with Brussels. The Chancellor said he expected a boost will come as companies unlock investment put on hold since the referendum and households regain the confidence to spend. Mr Hammond detailed his plans for a 'digital services tax' as he set out how the Tories need to 'regenerate capitalism' to tackle the challenges of the modern world and renew the appeal of the free market to a new generation. 'The best way to tax international companies is through international agreement,' said Mr Hammond. 'But the time for talking is coming to an end and the stalling has to stop. If we cannot reach agreement, the UK will go it alone with a Digital Services Tax of its own.' Retail bosses and campaigners have long complained about how shops are being crippled with rising bills, while online firms such as Amazon pays lower rates on its out-of-town warehouses. Earlier this year, it emerged that Amazon's main UK subsidiary paid just 1.7m of tax on profits of more than 72m last year. Storm Michael has been upgraded to a hurricane as it continues to strengthen across the Gulf and barrels toward the the Sunshine State, threatening to make landfall as a Category 3. Michael is currently a Category 1 hurricane whipping 75mph winds 20 miles off the coast of Cuba as it moves across the Caribbean at a rate of 7mph. Florida Gov Rick Scott has issued a state of emergency for 35 counties in the Panhandle, warning it could bring winds up to 111mph when it makes landfall early Wednesday. Residents in parts of Panama City Beach have been issued mandatory evacuation orders starting Tuesday morning. According to AccuWeather, the storm will deliver around 4-8 inches of rain from the Florida Panhandle into parts of the Carolinas later this week, threatening to flood areas still reeling from Hurricane Florence last month. Tropical Storm Michael is strengthening as it carves its way up through the Caribbean and is expected to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle in the middle of the week The map above shows rainfall estimates across the East Coast as Hurricane Michael passes The satellite image above shows the storm's location south of Florida as of 9am EST Monday The Federal Emergency Management Agency mobilized resources from the federal government to assist in preparation early Monday. Scott also activated 500 members of the Florida National Guard ahead of the storm. 'This storm will be life-threatening and extremely dangerous,' the governor said after receiving a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center. The governor warned that storm surge could affect areas of Florida not in the storm's direct path. 'If this storm hit Panama City, Tampa could still have storm surge,' said Scott, referring to two Florida cities about 375 miles apart by highway. 'Every family must be prepared.' Florida Gov Rick Scott (pictured) issued a state of emergency in 26 counties on Sunday The US National Hurricane Center upgraded Michael from a tropical depression to a named tropical storm on Sunday. The storm could strengthen into a hurricane by Monday night or Tuesday as its center moves over the Yucatan Channel, crosses the Gulf of Mexico and nears the Florida Panhandle coast sometime Wednesday. Forecasters advised residents along the northeastern and central US Gulf Coast to monitor the storm's progress. The risk of damaging winds will gradually lessen after Michael makes landfall, meteorologists say, but heavy rains will likely continue to expand across the South and the mid-Atlantic, threatening areas of the Carolinas devastated by Hurricane Florence last month. The graphic above shows the projected path of the center of the storm, the strongest part The risk of damaging winds will gradually lessen after Michael makes landfall in Florida but heavy rains will likely continue to expand across the South and into the Carolinas The storm was located 90 miles off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico, early Monday morning A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth as well as the coast of Mexico from Tulum to Cabo Catoche. A warning indicates tropical storm conditions are expected, in this case, within 24 hours. The US National Hurricane Center warned that the storm could produce a foot of rain in western Cuba, potentially triggering flash floods and mudslides in mountainous areas. An Air Force hurricane hunter airplane was sent into the storm to investigate, the agency said. Tropical storm winds extended out 205 miles, primarily east of the storm's center. Hundreds of families were evacuated to shelters in Honduras as heavy rains from Michael drenched the Central American country on its way to Florida. The Permanent Commission of Contingencies said Sunday that at least 260 homes have been damaged, mostly in southern Honduras, and that more than 6,000 people have been impacted by the rains. School was canceled nationwide Monday. Images on social media showed families wading through thigh-high water, rivers rushing onto streets and roads to communities cut off by mudslides. Local media reported several deaths. Homes in Honduras that are built close to waterways or wedged precariously on hillsides are vulnerable to being washed away by rain. Michael is the 13th named storm of the 2018 hurricane season, according to hurricane center spokesman Dennis Feltgen. The father of a woman killed when her BMW was sliced in three in a horror crash has taken aim at the hospital his daughter was supposed to be in the care of at the time. Paige Dent, 25, died when her car crashed into a pole on the Nepean Highway in Cheltenham, south-east Melbourne, about 5.30am on Saturday. The day beforehand she reportedly ran away twice from Dandenong Hospital, the first time from a secure psychiatric ward and the second from the emergency department. Her father, Michael Dent, said he believed the system had let his daughter down because the hospital allegedly knew of her tendency to escape from care. The father of Paige Dent (pictured) who was killed when her BMW was sliced in three in a horror crash has taken aim at the hospital his daughter was supposed to be in the care of at the time Her father Michael Dent (left with Ms Dent's mother) said he believed the system had let his daughter down because the hospital knew of her tendency to escape from care 'Over five years it has happened about 20 times. I would ask questions about why she was able to escape like this and the hospital said security has a hands-off policy,' Mr Dent told The Age. 'They had a duty of care, if they had been doing their job this wouldn't have happened, this girl would still be alive. You can't just walk out of a jail but she was able to do that here.' After her first escape on Friday, it was believed Ms Dent travelled to her father's home in Hampton Park before police arrived to take her back to hospital. 'The police came to our house on Friday and knocked on the door and asked if Paige was here. She was bawling her eyes out, I could see the despair in her eyes... because she didn't want to go back to the hospital.' After her first escape on Friday it was believed Ms Dent travelled to her father's home in Hampton Park before police arrived to take her back to hospital - hours later she was dead Ms Dent (pictured), 25, died when her car crashed into the pole on the Nepean Highway in Cheltenham, south-east Melbourne, about 5.30am on Saturday Ms Dent had escaped from the emergency ward just 20 minutes after arriving back at hospital, and within a matter of hours was dead. Her mother, Robyne Foster, who is terminally ill, also thought the hospital system was lacking in its ability to cope with patients like her daughter. She described Ms Dent as 'beautiful' and harmless to everyone except herself, and said she was 'too vulnerable to be in the community'. For five years Ms Foster was forced to watch as her daughter took a downward spiral with her mental health after initially being admitted for drug-induced psychosis. Jess Anderson from the Health and Community Services Union said patients found creative ways to break out of hospitals like with cleaners, relatives or over fences. Ms Dent was killed in a smash which saw her blue BMW sliced in half after hitting a power pole in Melbourne's south-east Metres of debris from the car was scattered across the highway close to Southland Shopping Centre, near the intersection of Bay Road, due to the force of the collision Ms Anderson said the result was too often devastating news of death or injury and hospitals being too short-staffed were to blame. She added most inpatients fled hospital to return home to their family, while a minority left to harm themselves or take their own life. Devastated family and friends have paid tribute to the 25-year-old, who was the only person in the vehicle and died at the scene. 'She was always such a bubbly person, she was very bright and was always on the ball,' Mr Dent said. 'She was such a funny girl, we used to have lots of fun and lots of laughs, she was just so full of potential,' adding that she 'just had this wicked sense of humour'. Her step-sister, Shannon Burnell, told the publication Ms Dent's death had 'been traumatic for everyone'. Devastated family and friends have paid tribute to the 25-year-old (pictured), who was the only person in the vehicle and died at the scene Debris from the car was scattered across the highway close to Southland Shopping Centre, near the intersection of Bay Road. 'It's an incredible scene and I've been in the police force for 30 years,' Senior Sergeant Warren Francis-Pester told Nine News. 'I've never seen debris spread over six lanes of highway.' Authorities were yet to determine how the accident unfolded but police believed speeding, drugs and alcohol were factors. Both directions of the Nepean Highway were closed for several hours as police investigated the accident. Liam Kenneally feared he would lose the 166 he had paid for his flight from London Gatwick to Krakow He had already waited three hours and 20 minutes to cancel his flight over the phone, having sat through endless repeats of Ed Sheeran songs. But things got even worse for easyJet customer Liam Kenneally, from London, when his call was cut off - and he feared he would lose the 166 he had paid for the journey. The IT worker failed to cancel his flight from London Gatwick to Krakow in Poland within the 24-hour window required, having made three calls to the airline totalling more than five hours. Mr Kenneally tweeted easyJet today to ask: 'How am I supposed to meet the cancellationwindow - or is that the plan?' He booked his flight on Saturday afternoon before realising the following morning that he could not make it. But he read that easyJet had a 24-hour cancellation policy whereby customers only have to pay the cancellation fee. He made a first call of just over an hour and failed to get through. His second effort, of a similar duration, also failed. After his third call - which lasted nearly an hour longer than the two hours and 30 minutes that a flight to Krakow would have taken - he took to Facebook. He told the airline: 'I have been on hold for three hours, tweeted on Twitter and thought I would go true omni-channel and give you a message on Facebook. 'This is my third call today, all of which have exceed one hour. If you add all these calls up and your obfuscation of the 'Cancel flight' option. How am I supposed to meet the 24 hour cancellation window? Or is that the plan?'. Mr Kenneally tweeted this morning around 10.30am and added: I would still like to cancel my flight, easyJet. If you would like to get in touch that would be great. What is on the easyJet holding music playlist? Rag'n'Bone Man - Human Clean Bandit - Rockabye The Weeknd - I Feel It Coming DJ Snake - Let Me Love You Kygo & Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me The Chainsmokers & Coldplay - Something Just Like This Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl Ed Sheeran - Shape of You Bruno Mars - ShowTime Maroon 5 - Don't Wanna Know Martin Garrix & Dua Lipa - Scared To Be Lonely Zayn & Taylor Swift - I Don't Wanna Live Forever Advertisement 'I would rather not spend three and a half hours on hold again to be disconnected'. He added that there was a 30 cancellation fee by phone, and a 25 fee online - but he said that he had so far been unable to find the option on easyJet's website. Mr Kenneally added: 'I was expecting to lose the 30 booking fee, as the booking error was my fault. 'But the fact that it seems that the ability to cancel a flight is made intentionally difficult is wrong. It is more of the principle now, over the fact of the money'. He continued: 'I would avoid personally booking through easyJet wherever possible in future. Unless absolutely unavoidable. 'Honestly, after the first 20 minutes, it became more of "How long will they keep me on hold"? The music was the best of the customer experience'. A spokesman for easyJet confirmed that the airline had refunded Mr Kenneally's 166. He said: 'We provide a comprehensive customer support service offering various ways for customers to contact us which includes our live chat, online and through our contact centres which are open 8am-8pm seven days a week. 'If a customer calls the call centre near the closing time all the calls in the queue will be answered even if this is after the call centre closes. We are sorry that this didnt happen on this occasion and have apologised to Mr. Kenneally. As a result we reviewing the current system to ensure this doesnt happen again.' Blundering hospital staff left a unsuspecting family at the bedside of their loved one for 10 minutes before telling them he had died an hour earlier. An inquest heard Karen Dobbins was talking to her partner Andrew Dale, 62, and stroking his 'still warm' hand. Karen and their two children believed he was simply unconscious but he had died after a fall from his bed during the night caused a fatal internal bleed. Karen Dobbins, Andrew's partner (second from right), and the couple's children Vanessa Dobbins-Dale (far right) and Emily Dobbins-Dale (centre) were at his hospital bedside for 10 minutes before discovering he died an hour earlier. They are pictured with some of their other family members including Julie Dulwich (second from left) Andrew died after a fall from his bed during the night caused a fatal internal bleed After spending time in the room with their dead relative, they were given the news of his death by two nurses, who believed the family had already been informed that Andrew, a keen cyclist had died. Hospital officials have since apologised 'unreservedly' for the blunder. A tearful Ms Dobbins, 58, told the inquest: 'We thought he was still alive. His hands were warm. 'We were talking to him thinking he was alive even though there were no monitors on the wall. 'Then two nurses came in and started talking about what happened during the night and that he went for a CT scan. 'I asked them 'what happens now?' because they didn't actually say anything. Then they said he has passed away. 'They were stunned that I had asked that question. I was in shock. I had no idea. I just cried.' Mr Dale had been admitted to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on January 5, 2017, after being struck by a rare auto-immune disease, which caused his muscles to waste away and his health to decline. Hospital officials have since apologised 'unreservedly' for the blunder. Pictured, Andrew with his twin, Julie on their 60th family birthday party in Richmond Park, in Richmond, London After spending 19 days in the hospital the retired groundsman, from Fareham, Hampshire, fell by his bed. The inquest heard medics treated him for a head injury but doctors and nurses failed to spot he had also ruptured his spleen. This fatal bleed led to him having a heart attack more than four hours later which killed him. The inquest heard that had medics spotted Mr Dale's internal bleed they would have have been able to stop administering anticoagulant clexane, a drug he was taking which stops blood clotting. Ms Dobbins said when she and her family were called to the hospital on the morning of January 24, they were oblivious to her partner's fate. A breakdown in communication at the hospital meant staff believed their colleagues had broken the tragic news to the family, the inquest heard. Speaking at the two-day hearing at Portsmouth Coroner's Court, Ms Dobbins told how she stroked her long-term partner's hand and spoke to him, thinking he was only in a coma. The distressing error is one of several hospital shortcomings highlighted during the court hearing, which sparked a serious investigation by QA. Pathologist Dr Adnan Al-Badri conducted a post-mortem examination and was 'shocked' to find a small tear in the spleen - an injury more commonly associated with a high-impact trauma like a car crash. He added a possible diagnosis of sepsis was 'not unreasonable', and said: 'I have never seen someone have a ruptured spleen from a fall. 'That would have been at the bottom of my diagnostic list.' He said the cause of death was an inter-abdominal haemorrhage due to a ruptured spleen caused by trauma to the abdomen. Karen and their two children believed Andrew was simply unconscious and was 'still' stroking his warm hand' Pictured, keen cyclist, Andrew (centre) at a running event with daughter's Emily (right) and Vanessa (left) Coroner Lincoln Brookes recorded a narrative verdict and said: 'Such an injury is rarely seen from this type of fall and Mr Dale initially had no obvious pain that medics would normally expect from such a condition. 'The blood results gave cause to consider this diagnosis but this did not happen. Nor was the case escalated in accordance with the hospital's policy. 'Had this occurred there may have been a very small chance of preventing the death through the critical care/surgical teams.' Dr John Knighton, medical director at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs QA hospital, said significant improvements had been made following Mr Dale's death in January 2017. He said: 'I unreservedly apologise to the family and friends of Mr Dale and send my sincere condolences.' Dr Mark Rowland, who conducted the investigation into Mr Dale's death, said the breakdown in communication had occurred due to confusion at the time of staff handover. He added that because staff were handing over from the night shift, the day shift staff might have been under the assumption the family had already been told. A family has barricaded themselves inside a property they believe still rightfully belongs to them despite it being sold at auction six months ago. The Illoski family erected a tent, cyclone fencing and a demountable building on the block in Greenvale, north of Melbourne, after early stages of construction of three units was bulldozed by a man who bought the block in April. They even bought a guard dog and set up security cameras to make sure no-one entered the site without them knowing, a measure the new owner has taken legal action against. Scroll down for video The Illoski family has barricaded themselves inside a property they believe still rightfully belongs to them despite it being sold at auction six months ago The family took out an $890,000 loan in 2008 to fund the development of three townhouses which they planned would ultimately house the extended family. But the block was repossessed by the bank in 2014 due to outstanding debts, according to A Current Affair. The lot was then sold for $700,000 at auction in April to a man who was stunned by the behaviour of the Iloski family following his demolition of their construction. The new owner (pictured) has taken legal action against the Illoski family 'You're a lunatic,' he told Mr Illoski during a heated confrontation, adding he thought the measures the family had taken were 'insane'. 'It's my land, I can do whatever I want to it,' he told the program. Mr Illoski said he was shocked when he drove past the lot a few weeks ago and saw the beginning phases of his future home had been completely cleared away. 'I was gutted, it's unexplainable. This is our land and we're not moving,' he said. The family having been taking shifts at keeping watch and vowed never to give up fighting for the property their family first acquired for $70,000 in 1972. 'We bought it, we paid it off. That's all I can say,' Mr Illoski's emotionally distraught mother said. The statistics watchdog today issued a stern rebuke to Damian Hinds accusing his department of misleading the public over school funding and standards. The UK Statistics Authority blasted the education department for spinning the figures to make it look like schools are doing better than they are. Chairman David Norgrove has written to the Education Secretary to express his 'serious concerns' about his use of the numbers. It is the fourth time in just a year that the watchdog has intervened to rap the department for misleading the public by misusing statistics. Sir David said the behaviour risks 'undermining' trust in Whitehall and he demanded reassurance that the department is still signed up to the code of practice for using the statistics. His intervention comes after Labour complained that government officials were spinning the figures to paint a far rosier picture of how schools are performing. Sir David highlighted two recent cases where he said education department officials had misled the public. The statistics watchdog today issued a stern rebuke to Damian Hinds (pictured last week at the Tory Party conference in Birmingham) accusing his department of misleading the public over school funding and standards The first was when Education Minister Nick Gibb said that the ability of nine-years-olds to read 'leapfrogged up the rankings last year, after decades of falling standards, going from 19th out of 50 countries to 8th'. The watchdog chairman said this was flatly wrong and that England nudged up a far more modest two places over five years - from 10th in 2011 to 8th in 2016. He also slammed the department for posting a blog and tweet in which 'school spending figures were exaggerated' via a misleading graph. He said: 'In the blog about government funding of schools (which I note your Department has now updated), an international comparison of spend which included a wide range of education expenditure unrelated to publicly funded schools was used, rather than a comparison of school spending alone. 'The result was to give a more favourable picture. 'Yet the context would clearly lead readers to expect that the figures referred to spending on schools.' In his letter he demanded the department improve its use of statustics. He added: 'I urge the Department to involve analysts closely in the development of its communications, to ensure that data are properly presented in a way that does not mislead,' he said. Angela Rayner Labour's shadow education secretary, said: 'This is a humiliating rebuke for Tory ministers. The Education Secretary has not even been in office for a year, yet this is the fourth time he has been caught by the government's own watchdog making a claim that is wildly misleading or blatantly false. 'They need to come clean and stop deceiving the public in a desperate attempt to cover up their shocking record. Angela Rayner Labour's shadow education secretary (pictured at her party conference in Liverpool two weeks ago) said the intervention is a 'humiliating rebuke for Tory ministers' 'They have used misleading figures on school funding to hide the fact that they have cut billions of pounds from school budgets, leaving head-teachers forced to beg for donations from parents to pay for books and stationary. 'And their claims on school standards are now in tatters. Instead of relying on discredited statistics they should use the Budget to invest in schools and genuinely improve standards.' 'The next Labour government will fairly fund all schools, as part of a National Education Service for the many, not the few.' A Department for Education spokeswoman said: 'The most recent volume of the OECD's Education at a Glance report said in 2015 among G7 nations, the UK Government spent the highest percentage of GDP on institutions delivering primary and secondary education. 'This is one of several statistics in the OECD report that demonstrate the UK is among the highest spenders on education at primary and secondary level, whether you look at spend as a share of GDP, spend as a share of government spending or spend per pupil. 'Other independently verified statistics show the Government is investing in schools the IFS found that real-terms per pupil funding in 2020 will be over 50 per cent higher than it was in 2000. 'It is true to say that the OECD has ranked the UK as the third highest for education funding this includes tertiary and private education for every country.' Daniel Wood (pictured outisde court), fought back and in the scuffle burglar Paul Robertson was killed Armed burglars who held a family hostage in a botched raid which left one of their gang dead have been jailed for 58 years. Christopher Salvador, 31, Joseph Pearl, 28, Harrison Fryer, 24, and Jerome Johnson, 36, dressed as police as they stormed the flat above a launderette in Grays, Essex. Armed with imitation guns, claw hammers and axes, they put the family 'though a living hell in their own home,' threatening to cut off their victims' head and feet as they held them captive. They bound victim Daniel Wood with cable ties and held a gun to his head before turning it towards his four-year-old son as they demanded cash and valuables. But their accomplice Paul Robertson, 39, was killed during a scuffle with Mr Wood, who fought back in a bid to protect his partner and children. Pearly, Fryer and Johnson screamed 'armed police' as they burst into the family living room, above the launderette premises, around 9.45pm on December 4, 2017. After threatening the family they ransacked the property for cash, before taking a diamond engagement ring from Mr Wood's finger. The court heard how Mr Wood had stored up to 2,800 in 10 and 20 pound notes in his wardrobe in the run-up to Christmas to buy gifts for his children, aged five to 17 - money which was later stolen. From left: Harrison Fryer, 24, Jerome Johnson, 36, and Joseph Pearl, 28 He was alerted to the break-in when his older child said 'did you hear that', at which point he stood up and heard a man shouting 'armed police, armed police', he told the court. Within moments he said he was wrestled to the ground and had his hands cable-tied behind his back. Mr Wood was assaulted but managed to break free from the cable ties before being told to lie on the floor while an axe was swung around his feet, the court heard. Christopher Salvador, 31, - who planned the raid - was jailed for 14 years But during the raid the gang saw flashing lights outside and mistakenly thought police had arrived. Pearly, Fryer and Johnson ran to a waiting van while Robertson waited upstairs holding an axe and imitation firearm. But as a scuffle ensued with Mr Wood, Robertson suffered serious wounds to his wrists and head and died at the scene. Mr Wood was arrested on suspicion of murder but later released. Detective Chief Inspector Martin Pasmore, from Essex Police, said: 'These men put an innocent family though a living hell and subjected them to violent threats in their own home - a place many of us consider as a place of safety. 'A woman and two children were forced to watch as a loved one had their hands bound by the men and what appeared to be a firearm put to his head. 'Fearing for his own safety and the safety of his family, he managed to challenge Robertson, who died of his injuries sustained during a struggle. 'Two of the victims have been forced to relive the ordeal in court and bravery gave evidence.' The gang screamed 'armed police' as they burst into the shop and tied up Mr Wood while holding a gun to his head. Pictured, police at the scene in Essex last December Police tracked the van from the crime scene back to Milton Keynes and the three raiders were arrested on January 31. Salvador was arrested on March 8 after it emerged he helped plan the raid. Pearl and Fryer were jailed for 12 years for aggravated burglary and three years for possessing an imitation firearm, to run consecutively, after they admitted both charges. Johnson was jailed for 11 years for aggravated burglary and three years for possessing an imitation firearm, to run consecutively, making a total of 14 years. He had also previously admitted both charges. Salvador was jailed for 14 years after previously being convicted of aggravated burglary on Wednesday, September 19. Kentucky police have captured two inmates who escaped a Louisville jail by hiding in trash cans. Justin Stumler and Jeremy Hunt escaped Saturday night by hiding 'in the food waste trash cans that were then taken outside the facility for disposal,' according to a statement by Metro Corrections. Stumler was captured Monday without injury about seven miles from the correctional facility while his co-escapee remained at large. But the manhunt ended that afternoon when Hunt was captured and arrested, but was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police say it was a tip that led directly to their arrests. Justin Stumler and Jeremy Hunt escaped Louisville Metro Corrections Saturday by hiding in the trash before being taken outside of the jail Justin Stumler is pictured being taken into custody after escaping Saturday Jeremy Hunt led police in a pursuit before they arrested him, pictured on the ground Both of the men are considered 'minimum security inmates' and were working in the jail's kitchen at the time of their escape. A witness said he saw the pair getting out of the trash and notified a corrections officer right away. Both of the fugitives were seen around Jeffersontown High School late Saturday night, according to police. The Spencer County Sheriff's Office said the pair were spotted again around 10am Sunday in the area of King's Church Road. Police has previously warned that they could be armed and urge the public not to approach them and instead call 911. Hunt was arrested in June by Louisville police on several burglary charges. Stumler was arrested by Jeffersontown police in August on charges including motor vehicle theft, felony drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. Video courtesy WDRB Ryan Wynne, 25, flew to the States last summer for a three week holiday but is still there more than a year later because concerned doctors refuse to let him fly. A Brit has been stranded in the US for over a YEAR after he was banned from flying home because of his uncontrollable panic attacks. Ryan Wynne, 25, flew to the States last summer for a three week holiday but is still there more than a year later with concerned doctors refusing to let him fly. Former sales assistant Ryan, 25, is now in thousands of dollars of debt and has lost his job at WHSmith, a UK stationery chain. Ryan, from Whitchurch, Shropshire, said: 'I thought I was coming for a summer holiday - I had no idea I would be away from my home, friends and family for over year. 'My medical bills now come to $15,000. I've lost my job. I just want to go home. 'I am worried that I might die if I get on a plane. I get panic attacks around big groups of people and if I had one on a plane, I might not get the medical attention I need. 'My heart races when I'm in the grip of an attack. I just couldn't take the risk.' Ryan, who has a heart murmur, flew to Havertown, Pennsylvania, on 15 June 2017 to see friends. Former sales assistant Ryan, 25, is now in thousands of dollars of debt and has lost his job at WHSmith, a UK stationery chain What are panic attacks, and what causes them? A panic attack takes place when the body experiences a rush of intense psychological and physical symptoms. These can make people feel an overwhelming sense of fear, along with nausea, sweating, trembling and a sensation of a irregular heartbeat. Some people with the condition of panic disorder may have one or two attacks each month, while others can have several a week. Possible causes including traumatic life experiences, neurotransmitters, genetic links, increased sensitivity to carbon dioxide or catastrophic thinking. The NHS advises a panic attack can be 'very frightening and intense, but it is not dangerous'. Doctors say it is not possible to die from a panic attack alone. But there have been examples of panic attacks exacerbating another condition that can be fatal, with one previous incident in the US in 2010. Then, Danielle Goldberg, 26, got stuck in a lift in New York, and suffered a panic attack that made her heart beat so wildly that it went into cardiac arrest. She lost consciousness and died in hospital - but already had a congenital heart condition, meaning it was not the panic attack itself that killed her. NHS medics also say panic attacks should not cause people any physical harm and it is unlikely that they will be admitted to hospital if they have had one. Ryan's anxiety and proneness to panic attacks increases his chance of suffering a real heart attack. On planes there is an increased risk in cardiac problems posed by being confined to a high-altitude environment where there is lower oxygen. Patients can experience difficulties including shortness of breath, lightheadedness and chest pain caused by reduced blood flow. Advertisement He said: 'Everything went normally and I was having a lovely summer holiday. 'Then on 30 June I went to the Franklin Institute, a science museum in Philadelphia, with my friend's daughter, Samantha.' As crowds surged in the tourist hotspot, for a moment Ryan lost sight of Samantha. The shock triggered a terrifying panic attack. He said: 'All I could think was: If I don't find her daughter, my friend is going to kill me. My body went into shock. I was struggling to breathe. 'The next thing I knew I was in an ambulance going to Bryn Mawr Hospital, Pennsylvania. 'My heart was racing at 168 beats per minute. Healthy adults usually have a heart rate of between 60 to 100. 'After six hours in hospital, I was discharged but I was put on a no-fly list. I was fine for a couple of days but then I had a similar panic attack and I ended up in ER. 'Thank goodness I had travel insurance. I was discharged again and prescribed Valium and Ritalin but 24 hours later I was back in ER.' This pattern continued and Ryan was told he was still not well enough for the eight-hour flight back to the UK, booked for 4 July 2017. He said: 'They said it was too dangerous. A pilot can't exactly turn the plane around halfway over the Atlantic.' Mr Wynne says he had a panic attack and doctors now advise him against flying. US immigration authorities say he can remain in the US because of his medical condition Ryan told his mum Vicky, 47, that he couldn't come home and she was shocked but told him not to worry. He claims his bosses at WH Smith were not so understanding and demanded specific medical notes that US doctors couldn't provide. Ryan contacted the UK embassy in New York for help. He says officials told him that he couldn't fly if doctors advised against it. He contacted US immigration and was informed that he would not be deported as long as he had medical notes explaining his stay in the US. In February, Ryan was let go from his position at WHSmith and said that he is now struggling with debt. He said: 'To this date, my medical bills are about $15,000. 'My travel insurer Union Reiseversicherung stopped paying after October so I've had to use all my savings to pay them out. This has ruined my life. 'I've been staying with my friend Abby ever since June last year. In just 12 months, I've lost 40 pounds. 'I am so frail that Abby had to get me a walker - the kind of thing elderly people use to help them walk. 'She has to come in with me when I shower because I'm too weak to wash myself. 'I'm bedridden and anything can trigger my anxiety. I have to take valium every day and there is not a day that goes by without a panic attack. 'My doctor is refusing to let me fly until I see a psychiatrist. 'I miss my friends and family. It's been incredibly emotional. When Christmas came and I was still in the US, I felt so low. 'At times I've questioned why I'm even still alive. 'I just want to get home and be with my family and hear English accents and eat fish and chips again.' A spokesperson for Union Reiseversicherung said: 'Due to data protection restrictions, we are unable to release specific details surrounding this case. 'However, in response to your concerns please be advised that we have at no stage refused liability and can confirm that our medical team are working hard to ensure he receives the best medical outcome as a priority. 'We are comfortable that this has not been compromised at any stage.' A spokesperson for WH Smith said: 'We would never comment on a staff member whether current or former. Eleanor Wilson was in an fractious relationship with her boyfriend and believed he was the father not the schoolboy, Bristol Crown Court has heard A physics teacher accused of sleeping with a 16-year-old pupil was in an 'extremely dysfunctional relationship' with her on-off boyfriend and believed he was the father of her child, a jury was told today. Eleanor Wilson's friend from the University of York, Alex Knight, came forward as a character witness after reading about her trial at Bristol Crown Court. Mr Knight said he met Wilson's former boyfriend Andrew Hall several times while studying and claimed they rowed often and after one she appeared 'terrified'. He told the jury: 'There were lots of arguments. I would also see him, after a night out, coming home and shouting at her in a fit of rage telling her she was stupid and worthless. 'I felt very uncomfortable and felt a lot of time at university feeling for Ellie. She was like the sister I didn't have, she was like the younger sister everyone cared for'. On one occasion he said his friend had finger marks on her arm and a red mark on her face when he found her crying in her student room and they decided to lock the doors and window in case he returned, the court heard. He said he later saw police at his student home and assumed they were investigating an incident involving Wilson and Mr Hall. Mr Knight, who said he hadn't spoken to Wilson since late 2016 or early 2017, said that she had also confided in him that she was pregnant. On what he described as 'the weirdest shopping trip ever', they went out to buy two pregnancy tests, some beers and some biscuits. Wilson has said she felt isolated in her relationship with Mr Hall, whom she claims told her, 'You'd better not be pregnant sort that out'. Wilson is accused of having unprotected intercourse with the teenager on the British Airways flight home from a school trip to Swaziland, southern Africa The prosecution claims she had unprotected sex which led to her becoming pregnant with the schoolboy's child - leading her to arrange an abortion behind her then-boyfriend's back. Mr Hall says he couldn't have been the father because their sex life 'couldn't have been any worse' at the time. Wilson has denied having sex with a student in the toilets of a plane as they returned from a school trip. During her defence last week she rejected accusations she was bored with her own boyfriend and had a crush on the 'good looking young lad'. Bristol Crown Court heard the pair also regularly exchanged text messages, including wishing each other happy new year and a happy Valentine's Day. Wilson is on trial accused of having sexual intercourse with the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on a British Airways flight home from an overseas camping trip in August 2015. Eleanor Wilson has said she was wearing size 10 hiking boots and black jeans - making it 'impossible' to have sex on the plane It is alleged the teacher, then aged 26, kissed and cuddled the boy before 'beckoning' him into the toilet where they had sex. She is also accused of seeing the boy outside of school where they allegedly kissed and cuddled on three separate occasions. Giving evidence for a second day, Wilson said she discussed with the boy being pregnant and having an abortion as her then partner of eight years, Andrew Hall, was violent and controlling and was not ready to start a family with her. 'I wanted to conceal it because he would have beaten it out of me. You don't know what he's like,' she said. The defendant, who is an able seaman in the Royal Navy Reserve, conceded it had been 'inappropriate' to tell the boy she was pregnant, but added: 'I didn't have anyone else and I wanted someone to feel sorry for me.' Virginia Cornwall, prosecuting, suggested Wilson's relationship with Mr Hall had become 'dull' as there was a lack of intimacy and not a lot of sex. 'You were bored with your life and [the boy] you had noticed before the trip. He was a good looking young lad? Did he remind you of Andy when you got together aged 17?,' she asked. Miss Cornwall suggested Wilson had drunk more than a 125ml glass of wine and a gin and tonic on the flight home. 'You became aroused because your inhibitions had been loosened because you had been drinking? You fancied him?,' she asked. Wilson replied: 'I don't and still don't.' She said she thought the boy 'cared' about her - but described him as 'so desperate that he made the baby his [in his mind] - but it has nothing to do with him'. She said the baby was conceived just before the trip to Africa, when she and ex-partner Andy Hall woke in the night and had sex. Wilson admitted her days out with the boy to Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire, and Ashton Court Estate, Bristol, were against school policy and that she didn't tell anybody about them because she was 'ashamed and afraid of losing my job'. Wilson, who denies all charges, was a respected teacher and head of Key Stage Four at a secondary school in Bristol which cannot be named for legal reasons. Anna Midgley, defending, asked Wilson why she told the boy she was pregnant. Wilson agreed it had been 'inappropriate to tell him'. She added: 'My guard was down and I was upset. I wanted someone else to understand how I was feeling.' She told how she felt isolated in her relationship with Mr Hall, saying he made a cruel remark after commenting that her breasts seemed to be getting bigger a month after the flight. The teacher told the court: 'He said, 'You better not be pregnant - sort that out'.' She added: 'When we first moved to Bristol, a friend had just had a baby and I asked what would happen if we had a baby. 'Andy scathingly said I 'would find myself having tripped down to the bottom of the stairs' and said he'd use a 'coat hanger to remove it'.' This afternoon the jury retired to consider their verdicts. Judge Peter Blair QC, The Recorder of Bristol, told the jury of six men and six women they should strive to reach unanimous verdicts. 'The prosecution case has brought the case to this court so the prosecution have the burden of proving the case. 'The defendant does not have to prove or disprove anything,' the judge said. 'Something is proven as fact by the prosecution if, and only if, you are sure about it with all the evidence you have heard on that topic. 'Examine the evidence on each charge in turn and decide whether that charge has been proven by the prosecution.' Wilson, of Dursley, Gloucestershire, denies four charges of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust. The trial continues. The parents of a young man fighting for his life after a vicious attack outside a pub left him critically injured have begged for the attacker to hand himself in to police. Jarryd Dixon, 27, hit his head on the pavement after being punched in the jaw and is now suffering from a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain. The suspect changed shirts immediately after fleeing from the pub in King Street, Perth. His discarded white shirt was seized by police, according to 9 News. In a tragic twist, it was revealed on Monday that Mr Dixon had endured a tough childhood after being diagnosed with cancer as an eight-year-old. Scroll down for video Jarryd Dixon, 27, (pictured) is fighting for life after a vicious one punch attack outside a pub His parents and wife have been pleading for justice as the search investigation for their son's attacker continues 'He's the most beautiful boy, he wouldn't hurt anyone, he's been through so much, he had cancer when he was eight [but] he's fought back,' his father, Clint Dixon, said. 'He's the toughest boy I've ever met and we love him so much'. The alleged blow occurred late on Saturday night in front of a Perth bar, after the victim and his brother got into an argument with another patron. The man and his brother were leaving the pub when they were confronted by the alleged attacker. After a short shouting match, the one punch attack connected, leaving the victim sprawled on the sidewalk. The alleged attacker ran from the bar, with a friend of the victim chasing him. The man almost caught up with him, before the accused assailant took a swipe at him and fled. 'He's the most beautiful boy, he wouldn't hurt anyone, he's been through so much, he had cancer when he was eight [but] he's fought back,' his father, Clint Dixon (pictured), said Police are hunting the alleged attacker, releasing CCTV footage of a man they believe can help with their inquiries Paramedics tended to the victim out the front of the King Street pub. They eventually rushed him to Royal Perth Hospital for serious head injuries, where he remains in a critical condition. Police are hunting the alleged attacker, releasing CCTV footage of a man they believe can help with their inquiries. The man is believed to be around 20 to 25 years of age, slim and medium build with short dark hair. He was wearing a long sleeve white shirt, dark long pants and dark shoes. A Jamaican who moved to America to start a family with her husband 29 years older says their age gap makes no difference, despite strangers confusing their kids for her younger siblings. Tiffaney Ward, 35, fell in love with 64-year-old Don, of McDonough, Georgia, USA when he was visiting her country and was a customer in the nightclub where she worked. They were married two months after meeting, but it was a year before she relocated to the states. Tiffaney, now a stay-at-home mum, has always been attracted to older men and believes that maturity is more important than age in a relationship. Tiffaney Ward, 35, fell in love with 64-year-old Don, of Georgia, when he visited her country When the couple are with their children in public, ranging from age seven to 18, strangers assume that she is their older sister. When Don and his wife are out in public alone, people think they are father and daughter. The pair are never bothered by the comments or rude stares because they know 'God wanted them to be together'. Tiffaney said: 'Because of the way we met, he felt like a customer at first, but as I got to know him better, I fell in love with him. They married two months after meeting, but it was a year before Tiffaney moved to the states 'I was looking for an older man at the time, so he was exactly what I wanted. 'I like that he has a lot of knowledge and experience. A younger person wouldn't have that. He's also a gentleman and he treats a woman with compassion and love.' Don, a chef, said: 'I was typically looking for someone around my age, but when I met her, I thought her knowledge and intellect was very advanced for someone in their early 20's. Don said: 'The absolute worst stereotype is that I'm trying to take advantage of her' Don's mum didn't even meet his wife until their 10th wedding anniversary in 2016 'I was more attracted to her than any of the other exotic dancers. I loved her eyes, her smile, her petite body and her accent. 'I love her personality and the way she thinks. She makes me feel at ease. I always thought about the age difference in the back of my mind, but she made me realise that age is truly just a number.' Tiffaney said: 'We don't have time to get involved with peoples' rubbishness. We're not going to waste our time trying to convince everyone that we're truly in love. Tiffaney said Don is a gentleman and he 'treats a woman with compassion and love' The chef, 64, says a lot of people assume he is trying to take advantage of Tiffaney, 35 'We don't give into that foolishness. We're living our lives with our commitment to God and that's all that matters.' Don believes the most ignorant comment was when a woman approached them in public and called him a 'cradle robber.' The chef says a lot of people assume he is trying to take advantage of another woman, but he knows that is not the case. He said: 'The absolute worst stereotype is that I'm trying to take advantage of her. Don said he was looking for a woman his age until he fell in love with 35-year-old Tiffaney Don said the most ignorant comment was when a woman called him a 'cradle robber' in public 'You can't get upset about things like that though. You have to just laugh and walk away.' Don even received criticism from his own family, with his mum refusing to meet Tiffaney and others telling him that he didn't have enough money to marry a younger woman. His mum didn't even meet his wife until their 10th wedding anniversary in 2016, when she finally was able to accept their marriage. Don said he quit drinking and smoking when they met and plans to live until age 120 Tiffaney said: 'When I came to America to live with Don, his mother was so disappointed that she didn't even want to meet me. 'When we had our 10th anniversary celebration, she finally came to meet me and apologised.' While many have also brought up the idea Don dying long before his wife, the couple says that is not guaranteed. He also quit drinking and smoking when they met and plans to live until age 120. Tiffaney said: 'Anyone can die at any age. You never know what's going to happen.' Her husband added: 'I cut out all my vices and I'm hoping to live until I'm 120.' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi aired their grievances in the open on Monday during a brief visit to Beijing by Washington's top diplomat amid worsening relations between their two countries. While the exchange included typical diplomatic pleasantries, and the two officials emphasized the need for cooperation, their remarks before journalists at the start of their meeting at Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guest House were unusually pointed. Wang made no secret of Beijing's frustration with Donald Trump's wide-reaching tariffs on Chinese goods. And he hinted at the communist country's irritation at Trump's election interference charges and long-running disputes over the South China sea. 'Recently, as the U.S. side has been constantly escalating trade friction toward China, it has also adopted a series of actions on the Taiwan issue that harm China's rights and interests, and has made groundless criticism of China's domestic and foreign policies,' Wang said at a joint appearance with Pompeo. 'We believe this has been a direct attack on our mutual trust, and has cast a shadow on China-U.S. relations,' he added. 'We demand that the U.S. side stop this kind of mistaken action.' IF WE MUST: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi aired their grievances in the open on Monday during a brief visit to Beijing by Washington's top diplomat amid worsening relations between their two countries Pompeo, who was briefing Wang following his visit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, told Wang 'we have a fundamental disagreement' on key issues Wang also urged the United States to stop selling arms to Taiwan and to cut off official visits and military ties with the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement. Pompeo, who was briefing Wang following his visit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said, 'The issues that you characterized, we have a fundamental disagreement. 'We have grave concerns about the actions that China has taken, and I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss each of those today because this is an incredibly important relationship.' Pompeo and Wang openly disagreed over which side had called off a two-way security dialogue that had been planned in Beijing this month during the stopover on the way back from North Korea. The U.S. secretary of state later downplayed the friction in a tweet that cast them as 'productive meetings in Beijing today' that furthered the United States' goal of 'constructive, results-oriented relationship with China.' Pompeo said that President Trump 'has made clear -- we want a relationship where our prosperity and security grow together, not apart.' Beijing was already on thin ice with Trump prior to the trip for alleged intellectual property theft and unfair trading practices he's tried to even out with some $250 billion in tariffs on Chinese exports. Trump has also accused China of election meddling that the U.S. president says was intended to hurt him. He hit China with the accusation at a U.N. Security Council meeting, where Wang sat three seats away. His administration has pointed to advertisements in U.S. newspapers paid for Chinese state media deriding his tariffs when asked for examples of the mid-term interference. Wang told Trump and other members of the security council, of which it is a permanent member like the U.S., that China has and will continue to stay out of foreign nations' domestic affairs. Last week, Vice President Mike Pence stepped up the U.S. pressure campaign against Beijing, going beyond the trade war by accusing China of both 'malign' efforts to undermine Trump ahead of next month's congressional elections. He also accused Beijing of reckless military action in the South China Sea. Pompeo did not bring up those charges as he spoke to reporters alongside Wang. He hinted that they could talk privately about ad buys earlier, though in remarks to his traveling press. 'Well explore all the places were working well together and all the concerns that each country has,' he said in response to a question about the United States' unhappiness with the level of assistance that China is providing in nuclear talks with North Korea. Pompeo did not have a scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a fact that a senior U.S. State Department official on the trip said was not strange, even though top U.S. officials often meet Chinese heads of state on visits. It was especially odd after Pompeo wished Xi a happy birthday when the two met on a trip to Beijing in June. The senior U.S. official said the United States still expected cooperation with Beijing on efforts to denuclearize North Korea, whose chief ally is China. 'I would certainly expect so,' the official said. 'That's a very important issue, and they recognise that, and accept that, and realize that.' If ties between the two countries continued to deteriorate, there could be 'profound changes' in the strategic environment for such regional issues as North Korea, China's state-backed Global Times tabloid warned in an editorial. 'For Asia, the severity of China-U.S. frictions is taking up much attention and is, to some extent, diluting attention paid to the Korean peninsula issue,' it said. Pompeo told Wang that he stopped by Beijing on his way back from trip to Pyongyang 'to make sure that we are working together on our joint mission that weve talked about before: the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 'So I know well have good, candid, frank conversations with respect to that issue and the broader set of relations between our two countries,' he said. In an open affront to Wang he told him in front of press: 'I regret that the Strategic Dialogue between our two countries was something that you all chose not to undertake. It would have been an important opportunity for us to have a discussion about these longer-term, important issues that present opportunities for the people of our two countries.' A read-out of the meeting provided by State Department Press Secretary Heather Nauert said that human rights and the South China sea were specific topics of discussion. The also 'reafirmed their shared resolve' to Korean Penninsula's denuclearization. 'The United States and China remain unified on our pressure campaign,' Nauert said, 'and are committed to a bright future for the DPRK if Pyongyang denulclearizes quickly.' Kim Jong Un agreed to allow international inspectors to examine the country's nuclear testing site after meeting Pompeo, the U.S. said on Sunday. Officials will be taken to the Punggye-ri testing site, buried inside a mountain near North Korea's border with China, once the two sides have agreed on 'logistics,' the U.S. secretary of state announced. Kim claimed to have destroyed the site with a series of explosions last year, though there have been doubts cast over how badly damaged it is and whether it could be easily restarted. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had a good meeting with Kim Jong Un in North Korea President Trump said he's looking forward to another meeting with Kim soon Disarmament experts have also expressed concerns that North Korea dismantled the site away from prying eyes in order to hide traces of its activity. Pompeo also said he is 'close' to setting the date for a second meeting between Trump and Kim after their historic first meeting in Singapore earlier this year. President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, who is helping with negotiations and met with Pompeo after his summit with Kim on Sunday, said there will be another meeting between the two leaders as soon as possible. The diplomat announced the news as he left Pyongyang for Beijing on a whirlwind diplomatic tour, saying the two sides had made 'significant progress.' He again refused to comment on what steps the US might take in return. We 'had a good, productive conversation,' Pompeo said of his time in Pyongyang. 'It was another step forward. So this is, I think, a good outcome for all.' He met with Kim for two hours before flying to South Korea Sunday afternoon for a short stop there. An American official who accompanied Pompeo said the North Korea trip was 'better than the last time,' referring to the secretary's trip there in July, according to a State Department pool report. But the official added: 'It's going to a long haul,' according to The New York Times. When Pompeo was in North Korea in July - his last visit there - Kim would not even meet with him. Trump cancelled a follow-up conversation this summer after North Korea accused the U.S. of 'gangster-like' demands until he Kim wrote him a letter asking to meet his American counterpart again. On this, Pompeo's fourth visit to Pyongyang, he and Kim had lunch together before Trump's pointman on denuclearization left for South Korea. Officials said this meeting with Pompeo and Kim went better than Pompeo's last trip when Kim would not meet with him President Trump has praised Kim as an ally, saying they 'fell in love' Trump, meanwhile, said on Sunday that progress was being made on the agreement between the two nations originally signed in Singapore and added that he is looking forward to another meeting with Kim. '.@SecPompeo had a good meeting with Chairman Kim today in Pyongyang. Progress made on Singapore Summit Agreements! I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future,' he tweeted on his Sunday morning. Pompeo was expected to lay the groundwork for a second summit between Kim and Trump during his trip. The two leaders met for the first time in June in Singapore. Trump has praised Kim as an ally and even noted the two 'fell in love' in private notes that the leaders have not made public. North Korean officials who dined with members of Pompeo's staff in a separate room pushed for Trump to visit Pyongyang for a second summit. The U.S. president has not ruled the location out and has even suggested he could one day have Kim over to the White House. Since Trump and Kim met in Singapore, relations between their nations have stalled and questions have emerged about the accord they signed, which had no timetable and no measurable factors to show North Korea was denuclearizing. Trump canceled Pompeo's planned trip to Pyongyang in August, citing little evidence that North Korea had followed through on any of its commitment to denuclearize, only to say it was back on in September after Pompeo met with his North Korean counterpart on the sidelines of the United Nations. A Mexican woman alleging to be a 'racist' and showering Donald Trump with praise has drawn the ire of the Latino community after a video of her screaming and shouting at a recent rally went viral. The Trump supporter also attacked former United States president Barrack Obama and backed Trump's 2020 re-election bid as she argued back and forth during a standoff with anti-White House protesters. The woman, who identifies herself as 'Karina', jumped up and down and declared she was a 'true Mexican sellout' during the two-minute rant that posted on social media. 'Karina', pictured, is a Mexican woman who infuriated the Hispanic community after she declared to be 'a Mexican racist' during a rally to support President Donald Trump An image captured during a recent rally where a Latina Trump sympathizer said she is 'a Mexican racist' and blasted former president Barrack Obama, labeling him a 'deception' 'You are so stupid. My name is 'Karina'. I am a Mexican racist,' the Trump supporter emphatically told a person filming the exchange. 'All you zombies, you're so dumb, wake up, wake up,' she added. Sporting a blue, pro-Trump hat with the 'Make America Great Again' campaign slogan, 'Karina' skipped around chanting 'Donald Trump, 2020, Donald Trump, 2020', an apparent nod to the sitting president's re-election bid towards a second term in the White House. The Trump sympathizer then took out her rage against the previous White House administration and blasted the undocumented immigrant population, a hot button issue that has dominated Trump's presidency. "Obama is the greatest deception in American history. Watch the Obama deception', she fired off. 'If you're illegally here, you're illegally here. What's so hard to understand,' she added before telling a Trump protester they should take up their concerns with their local congress member. The location of the incident location and date is unknown but it was originally share on Saturday night. DailyMail.com reached out to Adrian Garcia, the Facebook user that shared the video, for comment. Her opinions were quickly repudiated by Hispanics on the Facebook post that has been shared over 170,000 times. 'And even worse things are to come,' Garcia wrote as the video's caption. 'Unfortunately, a Latino's worse enemy is another Latino!!' While another Trump supporter paced around with a megaphone, 'Karina' got a bit worked up when she was accused of selling out the Hispanic community. She did agree. A Donald Trump supporter identified as 'Karina' defended the United States president of previous racist allegations fueled against him, claiming 'He is not a racist. You are enslaved' 'I am a sellout. I am really am a Mexican sellout,' she screamed. 'What are you? You are an ignorant You don't know what you are talking about.' Prior to and since having taken office, the Republican commander in chief's often offensive rhetoric towards the Hispanic community at times has been described as racist, a notion 'Karina' fought to dismiss during her exchange in Spanish with an anti-Trump demonstrator. 'He is not a racist. You are enslaved,' she retorted. 'Stop watching CNN. Stop watching CNN. Look there is a way to enter and it's legally.' Three men from Sydney's west have been charged with smuggling close to half a tonne of ecstasy worth an estimated $57 million inside four industrial meat mincers. A halal-friendly meat merchant and his two alleged accomplices were arrested after the machines arrived in a shipping container from Turkey last month. Fatih Adalis, 27, his co-accused Samuel Tobias Gerrey-Burgess, 24, and Justin Martin Murray, 29, were arrested at a meat warehouse in the city's west on Saturday. If convicted of the serious drug charges, the men could face life behind bars. Three men have been charged with smuggling 496 kilograms of MDMA - worth $57million - inside meat-mincers (pictured) After the shipment containing the meat mincer, air freshener and chocolate biscuits was intercepted by the Australian Border Force, police put a decoy substance in the walls of the mincer Australian Federal Police found more than 60 packages of the brown substance, enough MDMA to make 1.7 million ecstasy pills, inside each of the four machines. In total, 248 packages were found stashed in the meat mincers on September 28. After the shipment containing the meat mincer, air freshener and chocolate biscuits was intercepted by the Australian Border Force at Sydney's Port Botany, police put a decoy substance in the walls of the mincer. The container was delivered to the Auburn supermarket where it was originally addressed, the Daily Telegraph reported. The meat mincers were then taken from the supermarket and moved to the warehouse in Clyde. The three men faced Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday. If convicted their charges could give a maximum penalty of life imprisonment Authorities described the haul as a 'sophisticated concealment'. 'Chocolate biscuits, air freshener and detergents so there was a whole range of things to try and disguise it' ABF Commander Garry Low said. 'We've had a whole range of ways that they're disguised, we've had milking machines for cows, we've had car parts, we've had all sort of things.' If the drugs had hit the streets it could have made over 1.7 million pills, AFP Detective Superintendent Kirsty Schofield said. 'Had this drug seizure made its way to Australian streets, countless lives would have been affected. 'Whether it be users, health care workers that deal with drug issues each and every day, or the family that has been torn apart when deaths occur from illicit substance abuse,' Detective Superintendent Schofield said. The three men faced Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday. If convicted their charges could give a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. President Donald Trump says that he has no intention of firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein after their 'great' conversation on Monday aboard Air Force One. Trump told reporters as he arrived back at the White House from a day trip to Orlando, 'We just had a very nice talk. We actually get along. Really good talk. 'Im not making any changes,' he said. 'Youd be the first to know.' The president and Rosenstein mended fences during a trip to Florida and back on Monday, where Trump was speaking at a police chiefs conference. Trump said when he arrived in Orlando that they had a 'great' conversation and a spokesman for the president confirmed that he had not sacked Rosenstein. President Donald Trump said that he had a 'great' conversation on Monday aboard Air Force One with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Rosenstein followed him off the aircraft through the front entrance of the plane while most of the president's senior staff deplaned through an entrance at the tail RELIEVED: Rosenstein, who wasn't seen boarding the plane, looked relieved as he arrived in Florida with the president White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Rosenstein deplaned in unison as the president spoke to Florida's governor and attorney general on the tarmac At the police chiefs conference he and Rosenstein were in Florida to attend, the president said, 'The press wants to know what did you talk about,' the president said to laughter. 'We had a very good talk At the police chiefs conference he and Rosenstein were in Florida to attend, the president addressed the elephant in the room, noting that he and the deputy AG flown down from Washington together. 'The press wants to know what did you talk about,' the president said to laughter. 'We had a very good talk.' Trump thanked Rosenstein for attending the conference with him as he opened his remarks to law enforcement officers. 'That became a very big story, actually, folks. We had a good talk,' he repeated. The president had said earlier in the day that he had no intention of firing Rosenstein, despite reports that he floated the idea of engineering a soft coup by using the 25th Amendment to make a case that the president is unfit to lead the country. Asked on the South Lawn of the White House whether he had plans to let Rosenstein go, Trump said: 'No, I don't. No.' The president lifted off by helicopter to Joint Base Andrews, where Rosenstein was waiting for him on the presidential aircraft. The pair flew to a Florida conference for police chiefs alongside Kellyanne Conway, Jared Kushner and other members of the president's senior staff. Rosenstein ignored questions from reporters as he left Joint Base Andrews on Monday at the conclusion of their trip 'I look forward to being with him. That will be very nice,' Trump said as he left the White House. 'We'll be talking on the plane. ... I have a very good relationship. We'll see.' In Florida, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Rosenstein deplaned in unison as the president spoke to Florida's governor and attorney general on the tarmac and worked a ropeline. Back in Maryland Rosenstein exited the plane from behind and left without answering journalists' questions. Trump and Rosenstein had spoken since the story surfaced about Rosenstein's alleged 25th Amendment plot and a separate news cycle about a claim that he suggested secretly recording the president in his more heated moments to bolster the idea that he's out of control. Monday's flight, however, was their first face-to-face conversation in the wake of the embarassing reports about Rosenstein. President Trump said Monday outside the White House that he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein They talked for roughly 45 minutes in flight, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said. Gidley told reporters riding AF1 that Rosenstein would keep his job but he offered no further details about the nature of the conversation. He said in a statement later that Kelly and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Ed OCallaghan were in the room for the talk. 'They discussed various topics including the International Chiefs of Police event later today, support for our great law enforcement officials, border security, how to better address violent crime in Chicago, and general DOJ business,' Gidley said. The president and the deputy attorney general were supposed to meet weeks ago following conflicting reports that Rosenstein planned to resign. Rosenstein showed up at the White House one day expecting to be fired by Kelly, only to find himself chairing a meeting that Attorney General Jeff Sessions couldn't attend. President Trump intended to meet with Rosenstein himself several days after, upon his return from New York City. But the scheduled Oval Office chat was repeatedly postponed while the president battled allegations that his Supreme Court nominee sexually abused women in his youth. With the Brett Kavanaugh saga eating up nearly all of his time, the fate of his deputy attorney general remained in the air. The high-stakes Supreme Court confirmation fight finally ended with the approval of Kavanaugh by a vote of 50-48 on Saturday night. It was initially unclear why Rosenstein was flying with Trump to Orlando. A Justice Department spokesperson tied the ride-along to the fact that the president was addressing the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Rosenstein had remained in a holding pattern since September and wasn't expected to be fired after denying claims that he considered wiretapping the president in a quest to prove he's mentally unstable. He also rejected a claim that he considered approaching the president's Cabinet for help in having Trump removed. Several of Trump's secretaries have stated on the record that they never spoke to Rosenstein about the president's mental health and wouldn't have sided with him if he'd asked them to invoke the constitutional amendment that gives the Cabinet the power to remove Trump from office. Secretary of State and former CIA chief Mike Pompeo called the reports 'ludicrous' at a news conference where he said he'd 'never heard anyone talk about it.' Trump spoke to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, saying for the first time that Rosenstein's job is safe even though the embattled lawman expected to be pink-slipped last week and prepared to offer his resignation United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley flat-out rejected that conversations had ever taken place about Trump's mental health, as well. Both U.S. officials have been in the Trump administration since its beginning. Trump said during a press conference at the conclusion of the United Nations that he would rather keep Rosenstein than fire him. 'I would much prefer to keep Rod Rosenstein,' the president told reporters near the United Nations in New York. Although, he said, 'Many people say I have the right to absolutely fire him.' The next day he was due to meet with the deputy attorney general but pushed the meeting off. 'The President spoke with Rod Rosenstein a few minutes ago and they plan to meet next week,' White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters in a statement at the time. 'They do not want to do anything to interfere with the hearing.' Trump had said that he might call Rosenstein 'and ask for a little bit of a delay to the meeting' so it wouldn't 'compete' for the media's attention. 'Weve had a good talk,' Trump said in New York. 'He says he never said it, he doesnt believe it, he gets a lot of respect from me. Hes very nice, and well see.' Rosenstein was expected to quit or be fired but he hadn't been let go as of Monday. He's seen here at the White House on Sept. 27 After Rosenstein told Kelly at the end of September that he was ready to resign, it looked like he could remain at his post at least through the November midterm elections. One White House official told DailyMail.com at the time that the Rosenstein situation was 'very much up in the air, and it could go either way.' The president seemed to retreat after Fox News host Sean Hannity told him not fire Rosenstein. Another high-profile Justice Department dismissal could inspire Special Counsel Robert Mueller to start sniffing around. Leaving Rosenstein in his job keeps him in charge of overseeing Mueller's expansive Russia probe, which Democrats hope will find evidence that Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with the Kremlin to meddle with the presidential election. House Speaker Paul Ryan refused to step in the middle of the controversy as other conservatives urged Trump fire the Justice Department official. Former George W. Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer also sounded the alarm on Twitter. 'The last thing POTUS should do is fire Deputy AG Rosenstein,' Fleischer tweeted. 'That story about the 25th amendment/wearing a wire read like Andy McCabe trying to get revenge for being fired. I hope POTUS doesn't fall for it.' Some in the Republican Party believe former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe planted the stories as payback for his firing this year. The 25th Amendment allows a majority of the Cabinet, along with the vice president, to engineer a soft coup by certifying to Congress that the sitting president is incapable of fulfilling his duties. Rosenstein has denied everything, saying that he 'never pursued or authorized recording the president and any suggestions that I have ever advocated for the removal of the President is absolutely false.' But last month he was so certain he would be fired that a Justice Department press aide drafted a farewell statement for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to issue. 'Rod Rosenstein has served the Department of Justice with dedication and skill for 28 years. His contributions are many and significant. We all appreciate his service and sincerely wish him well,' it read. Republican senators had signaled that they are inclined to believe Rosenstein's denials, hinting that they want him to remain atop the Mueller probe as a steady hand who operates as independently of the Oval Office as a Justice Department official can. 'If theres any attempt to fire or force out Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein, that would be a huge red flag and very problematic,' Maine Sen. Susan Collins told The Wall Street Journal. Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy also downplayed the controversy, calling it 'just another sideshow in the circus.' Sessions has recused himself from the Russia probe, to Trump's great frustration, and left the duties of overseeing the investigation to Rosenstein. After Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel to take over the investigation. Rosenstein is acting in Sessions' place to oversee the probe and has the power to fire Mueller. Rosenstein makes nearly all the pivotal decisions in the Mueller investigation, including signing off on indictments. In an investigation kept decidedly out of the public spotlight, it has been Rosenstein, not Mueller, who briefs the president and stands before microphones when indictments are announced. If Rosenstein were to depart, Mueller and his investigators would be losing the oversight of an official who has protected their work despite the relentless attacks of Trump and his congressional allies. There is little likelihood that a successor would be nearly as familiar with the specifics of the Mueller investigation as Rosenstein has been from Day One. There is also no guarantee that Rosenstein's successor would be able to withstand political pressures and be similarly supportive and protective of the work of Mueller's team. Jean-Claude Juncker risked fuelling Brexit tensions today by appearing to mock Theresa May's dancing. The EU commission chief sparked laughter by doing some PM-style boogying before delivering a speech in Brussels. As the lights came up at the event with a theme tune playing, Mr Juncker swung his arms around and grinned broadly. The moves looked like an attempt to mimic Mrs May's performance to Abba's 'Dancing Queen' as she arrived for her keynote speech to Tory conference last week. With just over a week until a crunch EU summit on Brexit, Mr Juncker then started his speech to the regions and cities event by delivering another swipe. His apparent mockery comes amid Brexit tensions as the PM today warned there are still 'big issues' to settle in the talks. And she accused EU leaders of talking up the prospects of a breakthrough to heap pressure on the UK. The moves looked like an attempt to mimic Mrs May's performance to Abba's 'Dancing Queen' as she arrived for her keynote speech to Tory conference last week (pictured) As the lights came up at a summit, Mr Juncker swung his arms around and grinned broadly After performing his bop on stage, Mr Juncker dove straight into taking a swipe at the English language. He said: 'I will not express myself in English. I will do it, I do it again and again, but English is not the only official language of the EU.' Theresa May warns there are still BIG issues to resolve on Brexit The PM (pictured at Downing Street today) is facing a torrid week with Brexit negotiations reaching a critical stage The PM today warned there are still 'big issues' to settle in the Brexit talks as she accused EU leaders of talking up the prospects of a breakthrough to heap pressure on the UK. Downing Street voiced caution over 'optimism' coming out of Brussels as it insisted the bloc must 'move' on demands over the Irish border. The barb came after senior figures including Jean-Claude Juncker and Leo Varadkar gave distinctly up-beat assessments in the run-up to a make-or-break summit next week. Eurocrats are also said to be considering holding back hard-line papers on the shape of future trade relations and plans for no-deal, as it hypes up expectations ahead of the leaders' gathering. But the deadlock over the Irish border still seems entrenched with both the UK and EU insisting the other must make concessions. The bloc is also holding its line that key parts of Theresa May's Chequers plan are unacceptable while No10 says there must be a 'precise' outline of future trade relations before any final divorce deal can be done. Dismissing the idea of so-called 'blind Brexit' - where Britain leaves without any detailed picture of future trade terms - the PM's spokesman said: 'There can be no withdrawal agreement without a precise future framework. 'It's worth me pointing out that there's a difference between people talking optimistically about a deal, and a deal including both the withdrawal agreement and the future framework, actually being agreed. 'There remain big issues to work through and, as the PM has said, this will require movement on the EU side.' Advertisement 'And with things as they are I will express myself in French, maybe in Luxembourgish, but by respect for the public I will concentrate on the French language.' Mr Juncker also took aim at Eurosceptic 'populists' who are saying 'stupid' things. 'In Europe, there is an increasing number of Eurosceptics and they tend to be promoting sceptical opinions,' he told the audience. 'But I think we need to talk to them. I would like to distinguish between those Eurosceptics who have questions to ask and opinions to make and those stupid populists. It's not the same thing. 'We need to distinguish between those stupid populists and the nationalists who have an opinion to put forward.' Mr Juncker did not comment on his dance steps or mention Mrs May in his speech. Mrs May demonstrated a rarely-seen sense of humour last week by sashaying on to 'Dancing Queen' by Abba - emulating her famous moves from a trip to Africa over the summer. In a reference to last year's conference debacle when letters fell off the set behind her, she then joked that she had been up late sticking the backdrop together with superglue. Mr Juncker's spokesman Margaritis Schinas played down his dancing mockery, insisting the commission president had 'great respect' for Mrs May. Writing on Twitter, Mr Schinas said Mr Juncker's dance moves were 'not directed at anyone' but were an 'improvisation on the moment as the music kept playing before he could start his speech'. He said the commission president's respect for the Prime Minister was 'repeatedly stated in public and demonstrated in practice'. Quoting from Abba's Thank You For The Music, Mr Schinas quipped: 'Without a song or a dance what would our life be?' However, the banter today contrasted with signs that the Brexit standoff is deepening. Downing Street has warned there are still 'big issues' to settle, accusing EU leaders of talking up the prospects of a breakthrough to heap pressure on the UK. The PM's spokesman voiced caution over 'optimism' coming out of Brussels as it insisted the bloc must 'move' on demands over the Irish border. Dismissing the idea of so-called 'blind Brexit' - where Britain leaves without any detailed picture of future trade terms - the PM's spokesman said: 'There can be no withdrawal agreement without a precise future framework. As 'Dancing Queen' by Abba played last week, Mrs May emulated her famous dance moves from a trip to Africa last month and received rapturous applause from the party faithful 'It's worth me pointing out that there's a difference between people talking optimistically about a deal, and a deal including both the withdrawal agreement and the future framework, actually being agreed. 'There remain big issues to work through and, as the PM has said, this will require movement on the EU side.' The barb came after senior figures including Mr Juncker and Leo Varadkar gave distinctly up-beat assessments in the run-up to a make-or-break summit next week. Eurocrats are also said to be considering holding back hard-line papers on the shape of future trade relations and plans for no-deal, as it hypes up expectations ahead of the leaders' gathering. But the deadlock over the Irish border still seems entrenched with both the UK and EU insisting the other must make concessions. The bloc is also holding its line that key parts of Mrs May's Chequers plan are unacceptable while No10 says there must be a 'precise' outline of future trade relations before any final divorce deal can be done. Heather Duquette said she was 'blown away' by her father's moving gesture But he spent months of painful rehabilitation to surprise her on the big day Told daughter Heather cancer had left him too weak to walk her down aisle This is the moving moment a cancer survivor defied all the odds to walk his daughter down the aisle. Ralph Duquette's battle with leukemia which had confined him to a wheelchair, robbed him of his sight in one eye and even left him in a five-day coma. But he was determined that the cancer would not steal something even more precious from him - the chance to walk his daughter Heather down the aisle. This is the emotional moment cancer survivor Ralph Duquette defied all the odds to walk his daughter down the aisle Heather said that her father walking her down the aisle had made her wedding to long-term boyfriend Dan Casoria even more special Ralph had previously told Heather that he wasn't up to the task as underwent extensive chemotherapy. But in reality, he endured months of painful rehabilitation in secret to teach himself to walk again as a surprise. By the time the big day finally came around on October 10 2015, the loving father was ready to give Heather a wedding gift she would never forget. Touching footage of the moment showed the bride as she walked down the steps of Joseph's By the Sea, in Old Orchard Beach, where her 75-strong wedding party were waiting. Touching footage of the moment showed the bride as she walked down the steps of Joseph's By the Sea, in Old Orchard Beach, to see her father being helped out of his wheelchair To Heather's complete shock and delight he then came to join her as she walked down the aisle Unsteady on his feet, the pair took it slowly and at one horrible moment it appeared Duquette was ready to fall But, with the help of Heather, he managed to finish walking his daughter down the aisle and even performed the ceremony To her complete shock and delight, her father was helped out of his wheelchair and came to join her as she walked down the aisle. Unsteady on his feet, the pair took it slowly and at one horrible moment it appeared Duquette was ready to fall. But, with the help of Heather, he managed to finish walking his daughter down the aisle and even performed the ceremony. 'I was blown away and completely speechless,' said the stunned bride, who later shared a father-daughter dance with Ralph. Heather and Dan, from Waterville, Maine, had met online and had their first date - dinner and a movie - on New Years Day in 2013 'I was blown away and completely speechless,' said the stunned bride, who later shared a father-daughter dance with Ralph Romantic Dan, a maintenance worker at Hid'n Pines Family Campground, had popped the question a year-and-a-half later during a fireworks display at Disney world, Florida WHAT IS LEUKEMIA? Leukemia is cancer of the blood. There are around 54,000 new cases each year in the U.S. and about 24,000 deaths due to leukemia. Leukemia, which can be acute or chronic, makes up about 3 per cent of all new cancer cases. Leukemias are classified as myeloid or lymphoid, depending upon the type of white blood cell that makes up the leukemia cells. Advertisement 'All I could do was cry and hope and pray we made it safely,' she told TVNZ. Heather said that her father walking her down the aisle had made her wedding to long-term boyfriend Dan Casoria even more special. The couple, from Waterville, Maine, had met online and had their first date - dinner and a movie - on New Years Day in 2013. Romantic Dan, a maintenance worker at Hid'n Pines Family Campground, had popped the question a year-and-a-half later during a fireworks display at Disney world, Florida. A Maine elementary school teacher's body has been found a week after she left her home in the middle of the night and committed suicide Kristin Westra, 47, disappeared early on Monday morning in North Yarmouth, a town of about 3,600 residents in Cumberland County, Maine, and local police ruled that the cause of death was suicide after finding her remains on Friday. Her body was found in the woods near her home where she lived with her husband Jay, her 9-year-old daughter and 16-year-old stepson. She was described as a 'pillar of her community' by her brother Eric Rohrbach. Mrs Westra disappeared early on Monday morning in North Yarmouth, Maine Rohrbach said his sister had been under 'some stress' due to work and home renovations but described her disappearance as 'very abnormal,' and said she didn't do drugs or drink alcohol Mrs Westra's husband, Jay Westra, posted 'My heart is crushed today' to his Facebook page on Friday after the discovery. It was he who reported her missing after noticing she wasn't in bed at 3:30 am on Monday morning. Mrs Westra disappeared early on Monday morning in North Yarmouth, a town of about 3,600 residents in Cumberland County, Maine Chebeague Island School grades 3-5 teacher Kristin Westra helps a student get ready to leave Rich Brewer, a retired Marine and friend of Kristin Westra's family, searches Tuesday morning for the missing North Yarmouth woman Later on in the morning, Jay realised his wife still hadn't come home and he called his friend to take his daughter to school while he went out and searched for his beloved wife. He said she had been struggling with anxiety but since seeing a practitioner they had a plan and Kristin told him she was feeling better. Describing the early morning his wife went missing, visibly heartbroken Jay Westra told news crews outside his home: 'In the middle of the night, I could tell she felt restless, and I think she was trying not to wake me because I work the next day. Dep. Ray McIntire, of Cumberland County Sheriffs Office, emerges from the woods with a multi-agency group after searching for missing Kristen Westra last week Volunteers gather before searching the Lufkin Road area of North Yarmouth for Kristin Westra Regan Goan, commander with emergency services for Cumberland County, readies search team to look for missing elementary school teacher, Kristin Westra 'And after that restlessness, at 3:30 [a.m.], I looked at the phone because she wasn't in bed, and I just thought, she's an extremely considerate person and thoughtful; and I thought, maybe she had gone to another room to another bed to sleep, or I thought she had gone downstairs to write her thoughts like she was asked to if she had racing thoughts.' Later on that morning Jay began to feel 'really worried' when he realised his wife wasn't at home when he checked the spare room and she wasn't there. Teacher Kristin Westra helps a third grader in the grades 3-5 classroom in January 2016 Jay Westra (right) became worried about his wife when she wasn't at home Monday morning He said: 'I pretended to go out and walk the dogs so I could look a little bit. It was rainy, cold. I couldn't see where she would be. 'Her keys were here. Her purse was here. Her phone was here. Her car was here. 'After that, I started to walk in a few places that I could think of. I got in my car and drove to a few places that I could think of, places where she would go for a run in the neighborhood. 'And after that, I stopped and I went [sic] in the center of town there's a small park, and I stopped and I asked a sheriff to help us. And after the sheriff started helping us he followed me back.' The Cumberland County Medical Examiner ruled Kristin Westra's death a suicide after she was found around 500 ft away from a road in the woods. Dozens of volunteers searched for Kristin Westra earlier this week. Cumberland County Sheriff's Capt. Craig Smith did not disclose who located the remains or in what condition they were found. If you or anyone you know is in need of confidential support, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website here. Advertisement A past review of Hasy Limousine, another name for Prestige Limousines, reveals the company's history of dangerous driving and shoddy customer service Incriminating past reviews of the limousine company involved in Saturday's horror crash which claimed 20 lives have revealed a history of dangerous driving and shoddy business practices. Prestige Limousines, also known as Hasy Limousines and Saratoga Luxury Limousines, is the company whose modified 2001 Ford Excursion plowed into the parking lot of a country store in Schoharie, New York, on Saturday. All 17 passengers who were in the vehicle on their way to a 30th birthday party died as did the driver Scott Lisinicchia, 53, and two pedestrians who were hit in the parking lot. The company has had four vehicles taken out of service in the last two years and the limousine that was involved in the crash was not fit for service. It failed a safety inspection a month ago and Lisinicchia did not have a license to carry commercial passengers. The company was cited for not having proper anti-brakes systems in place, inoperative horns and windscreen wipers that do not work. In the last year, two of its limousines have been found to have insufficient tire depth tread. Coupled with the fact that the crash site is a known hotspot for accidents, Saturday's tragedy was the perfect storm of fatal components. And a brief review of descriptions given by previous customers of the limo company suggest it was only a matter of time before it happened. In June, a woman described on Yelp how she and her friends 'prayed for their lives' when a driver, who she did not name, took them to a party. 'Terrible and downright dangerous service are the norm with Hasy limousine,' she said. The driver showed up late, shouted at the party to get into the vehicle then sped, 10mph over the speed limit as it suspected in Saturday's crash, nearly running over children in the street on his way. 'When we all packed into the limo, the driver sped way over the 10mph speed limit to the point where a father in the community went to the road to stop our driver and yell at him for almost hitting his children on the way in,' she wrote. 'At this point, we all were just praying to arrive to our first destination (only 8 minutes away!) safely,' she went on. Jessica Kirby, the manager of the country store where Saturday's crash occurred, said afterwards that it was only a matter of time before an incident this tragic occurred. '[There have been] more accidents than I can count. We have been asking for something to be done for years,' she said. The crash happened at the intersection of State Routes 30 and 30A in Schoharie, New York. Instead of stopping, the limousine plowed past the Apple Barrel Country Store and crashed in its parking lot The stop sign was erected in 2008 after a similar crash claimed another life. Details of that accident are unclear but the store owner says it was not enough to stop other vehicles from slowing down when they approached the junction. Three tractor trailers have gone careening into the parking lot like the limousine did despite the sign The limousine went careering towards the country store then veered off to the right and crashed into a ditch, killing all 18 people in the vehicle and two others In 2008, an accident at the same spot claimed at least one person's life. While details of that incident are scarce, it prompted local officials to erect a stop sign on State 30. However, in the last 10 years, it has been ignored on at least three separate occasions. Kirby told of three tractor trailers which have barreled down the hill towards her store, hurtling past the sign and coming to a crashing halt in her parking lot after realizing, too late, that they were meant to stop. Driver Scott Lisinicchia,(left), 53 died in the crash on Saturday. The limousine company owner is Shahed Hussain (right), a former FBI terror informant. He has not been reached since the tragedy and workers at the motel he also owns in Saratoga Springs say he is in Dubai 'It was a miracle they didn't kill somebody,' she said. She estimated that the limousine was driving 60mph when it crashed. Neither the police nor the National Transportation Safety Board has commented on why they think the crash occurred. There has so far been no official comment on the driver's condition or that of the vehicle but Kirby, who returned to work on Sunday despite the tragedy on her doorstep, said it was 'strange'. Prestige's owner is Shahed Hussain, a former FBI terror informant who came to the USA illegally in 1994 after being arrested for murder in Pakistan. He owns the Crest Inn Suites and Cottages near Saratoga Springs in New York. A woman identifying herself as the property manager told DailyMail.com on Monday: I dont even know a Shahed Hussain. 'The people that run this place are called Malik, and Ive never even met them either. There are certainly no limos run out of here, she added. LIMO COMPANY OWNER WHO IS A FORMER FBI TERROR INFORMANT Shahed Hussain, 62, is the owner of Prestige Limousines, the company involved in Saturday's crash The owner of the limousine company behind Saturday's horror crash which killed 20 people is a former FBI informant who went undercover to record alleged terrorists in mosques after fleeing to the US from Pakistan in the 1990s where he'd been accused of murder, DailyMail.com can reveal. Shahed Hussain, 62, is named as the owner of Prestige Limousines, aka Hasy Limos and Saratoga Luxury Limousine, in Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration documents. In the last two years, the company has had at least four cars pulled out of service because they failed safety inspections. The most recent was the modified 2001 Ford Excursion limousine which was carrying 17 passengers when driver Scott Lisinicchia crashed on Saturday, killing himself, all those on board and two pedestrians in the parking lot he came screeching into after running a stop sign in Schoharie, New York. Ford has confirmed to DailyMail.com that if never manufactured the vehicles in limousine form so the one operated by Prestige had to have been modified unofficially. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday that the company was now under investigation and is no longer allowed to operate. Despite repeated attempts to make contact with Hussain, he has not commented on the tragedy and the company's websites are now disabled. But 2010 court documents from the terrorism trials of four men who plotted to blow up the synagogues in the Bronx and shoot down planes coming out of Newburgh airbase reveal Hussain's past ties to the FBI. He is shown in footage obtained while he worked as an informant in the DMV after being caught running a scam where he secured unqualified drivers licenses for a fee In 2002, he convinced the bureau to take him on after being caught running a dangerous DMV scan which helped prospective drivers cheat on their tests. Hussain arrived in the United States in 1994 after fleeing his native Pakistan where he had been arrested for murder. After his father bribed local police to let him go, Hussain fled the country, using a British passport to leave Pakistan, enter Moscow and then travel to Mexico. From Mexico, he entered the US through El Paso in Texas. From there, he traveled to Albany. Hussain then contacted an immigration lawyer who was then able to get him legal status by applying for political asylum. It enabled him to start working for the DMV where he was a translator. There, he started a racket where he offered prospective drivers guaranteed pass-marks in their road tests or safety quizzes for a fee by ensuring they went to corrupt examiners. In 2002, the FBI arrested him for the scam. Rather than go to jail, he took a plea deal which involved him working as a confidential informant and he spent the next several years recording other conversations in the DMV for their benefit, incriminating his friends and colleagues. Four years later, after filing bankruptcy and buying his son an Audi with money he claimed he'd been given by Pakistan's then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, he bought the hotel in Gansevoort which became the Crest Inn. James Cromitie (left) and David Williams (right) were both convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 after Hussain recorded them plotting to blow up two Bronx synagogues He then was put to work by the FBI to infiltrate mosques, specifically in Newburgh, New York, and look for what he described as 'radicals'. The FBI paid him a salary of $96,000 for the work. 'He was sent there per a number of reasons regarding other FBI investigations but I always ask him to keep his ears open if he heard individual speaking radically, including everyone has free rights to speech, but if it's regarding possible threats, I wanted that information,' FBI Agent Robert Fueller testified. His work in the Newburgh mosques, particularly the Masjid al-Ikhlas led, in part to the arrests of James Comitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen. They plotted to plant bombs at synagogues in the Bronx - Riverdale Temple and nearby Riverdale Jewish Center - and they also plotted to shoot down military planes at Stewart Air National Guard Base. The three men were arrested when Hussain drove them to the Riverdale mosque with explosives. Authorities were waiting for them. However valuable his undercover work was, he came under scrutiny as a witness and reliable informant during the trial when it was suggested he had turned off his recording equipment during crucial moments of conversation with the suspects. He also failed to disclose to the FBI that he was the beneficiary of a $500,000 trust fund in Pakistan while collecting a salary from the bureau and claiming bankruptcy. This is the motel Hussain runs in Gansevoort, New York, outside Saratoga Springs. He bought it in 2006 while working as an informant for the FBI There were also claims of entrapment and even the judge who convicted the four men ruled in her verdict that Hussain's behavior as an informant was 'troubling'. He met Comitie first and then together they recruited the three others. Hussain, who was known also as Shahed Malik, was not at the motel in Gansevoort on Monday. A staff member told DailyMail.com she had never heard of Shahed Hussain, instead saying: 'The people that run this place are called Malik. Ive never even met them either. There are certainly no limos run out of here. Were just here to collect the money and stop the guests killing each other,' she said. Advertisement In the last two years, four of the company's vehicles have been taken out of service by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration In the last year alone, Prestige Limousines has been cited for 22 vehicle violations by state regulatory bodies. Above is its laundry list of violations which include not having proper anti-lock brake systems or properly functioning horns Were just here to collect the money and stop the guests killing each other.' There was no answer at the phone numbers listed for the motel, Hasy Limos or Prestige on Monday when DailyMail.com tried to make contact with the business owner. The Crest Inn which has a garish purple statue of a horse outside gets panned online. Cant believe this place is open, one reviewer said on Trip Advisor, while another simply said: Hazardous Inn. Of 29 reviewers, all but four gave the Crest the lowest grade of terrible. Paula C. from Boston wrote: this place was absolutely disgusting. horrible rooms, not clean, and cock roaches!!! no shampoo, no iron. The only positive review, going back to 2012 was from Joseph B of Sutton, Massachusetts, who headed his review Not a Dump, and called the place this quaint 1960s hotel. Even he admitted there was no light in his bathroom. I cannot believe that people are so disgusted with this place, he wrote. The limousine company's address is listed to Crest Inn Suites and Cottages, a seedy motel in Gansevoort, New York, a suburb of the horse racing town, Saratoga Springs The limousine was a stretch 2001 Ford Excursion. It remains unclear whether it was manufactured by Ford or had been modified, as many other stretch vehicles are, to make give it its size. Ford has not commented on the tragedy and Prestige Limousines, which owns the vehicle, has not either. Its website is now disabled and the company's phone number is no longer valid One of Marine Le Pen's daughters and her cousin were beaten up by two men at a student party in Paris. The woman, 19, was approached by two men outside a bowling alley in the western suburb of Nanterre at 2am on Friday. They molested her by rubbing her body while claiming she looked cold, according to the teenager's male cousin. The 18-year-old intervened to stop the two men but they beat him up before attacking Le Pen's daughter. Marine Le Pen's daughter and her cousin were attacked by two men at a student party in Paris. Pictured: Marine Le Pen in Italy today She was repeatedly kicked and punched in the face and left with a broken nose while her cousin also suffered severe injuries. The two youths were taken to hospital where Le Pen's daughter was advised to avoid physical activity for five days. Two men aged 32 and 47 have been arrested and are due in court on October 23. At this stage, it is unclear if the assault is linked to Le Pen. The two alleged assailants are not thought to have known that the young woman was her daughter. The men, who were drunk when arrested, deny the crime, according to local media. Le Pen said today: 'There was no fight there was an assault, a gratuitous assault on two young people aged 18 and 19. 'But this is not inevitable. This is, I believe, the consequence of political choices that have been made for a number of years.' Le Pen has two daughters with her first husband Franck Chauffroy, Mathilde Chauffroy, 19, and Jehanne Chauffroy, 20. It comes as the former French presidential candidate distanced herself from former White House strategist Steve Bannon, saying only Europeans will save the continent. At a meeting in Rome, she said that she wanted to clarify 'lots of conjecture' about Bannon's reported plans to set up a foundation, The Movement, to boost far-right parties in Europe. Le Pen said Bannon is simply an American who wants to create a think tank. She said: 'But we, and we alone, are the ones who will shape the political force that is born from the European elections, because we are attached to our liberty, attached to our sovereignty and we together, the representatives of the different peoples of Europe, are the ones who will shape the political forces that aim specifically to save Europe.' This is the shocking moment a bull takes revenge on six bullfighters during an event in central Portugal. Video footage shows the animal charging at the bullfighters, throwing them left, right and centre, and causing one of them to have a seizure in the arena. The man is aided by his team-mates and bystanders, and the footage shows him being carried out of the arena with the bull still fighting in the background. Final act: Towards the end of a Portuguese bullfight, a group of eight fighters called 'forcacos' aim to take the animal down unarmed after provoking an attack Suit yourself: Unsurprisingly, the angry bull charges at the group of men, sending them flying Unexpected twist: One of the bullfighters suffers a seizure during the battle in the arena Local media reports that the man, named as Fabio Francisco was taken to hospital, but later recovered from the incident, allegedly caused by a head injury. Unlike in Spanish bullfighting tradition, the main Portuguese bullfighter battles the animal while on horseback. The rider tries to stick a significant number of colourful sticks with sharp metal ends - known as bandarilhas - into the animal's back, specifically to cause pain and bleeding to tire out the animal. Mess with the bull: As some jump over the fence to help, the man's fellow bullfighters are run over by the powerful animal You'll get the horns: Some of the man's fellow bullfighters can be seen covered in blood after being attacked by the bull Aid: The fighter was rushed to hospital and has since been released to recover at home, according to a local news website The video, from Chamusca, central Portugal, appears to show the moment towards the end of the fight, called the 'pega' which involves a group of eight bullfighters called 'forcacos'. The 'forcacos' - unarmed men on foot - provoke the bull in the hope it will charge at them, with the man seen in a green hat in the video jumping onto the bull's head after which the others surround the animals. They then hope to be able to hold on until the bull is subdued. A traditional Portuguese bull-fight does not end with a death in the arena - the bull is either slaughtered by a butcher afterwards or restored to full health and allowed to be used for breeding. Programs focused on helping schools to improve instruction in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, were big winners in the latest round of the Education Innovation and Research grants . In fact, of the 18 winners, at least 11 appear to have some sort of STEM twist. EIR, a $120 million program, is intended to help test out and scale up promising practices at the state and district levels. The STEM focus with this years round of grantees is no surprise. In fact, Congress told the Education Department to funnel at least $50 million of EIRs funding to STEM in fiscal year 2018, which covers this round of grantees. Lawmakers upped that to $60 million in fiscal year 2019, which will cover the next round of applicants. The Trump administration had wanted to make the entire EIR program STEM focused, but Congress nixed that idea. Even though U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has made school choice a priority , none of the winners appear to be working on private school vouchers. But grants centered around some other favorite Trump administration issues did show up on the list, including a program aimed at apprenticeships and internships. More background on EIR: EIR is the successor to the Obama administrations Investing in Innovation grant program. The program got a makeoverand a new namewhen Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. Among the changes made: States can now apply for the grants, not just districts. And states or districts can partner with for-profit companies, not just nonprofits as under i3. (More on i3 in this explainer .) So who were the winners? Expansion grants for going big on a proven idea: The Regents of the University of California in Irvine got $14.7 million for a program to help English-language learners at the secondary level with academic writing, with an assist from the nonprofit National Writing Project. The Waterford Institute in Sandy, Utah, got $14.2 million for a program to help with preschool access in rural areas. WestEd, a research organization in San Francisco, got $14.7 million for an early math initiative to help prepare children for elementary school. Midphase grants for ideas with some evidence to back them up: The American Institutes for Research, in Washington, D.C., got $7.8 million for a program to support teachers. It is working with other nonprofits, including the Danielson Group, Learning Forward, and Educopia. The Education Development Center, Inc., in Waltham, Mass., got $7.8 million for a mathematics professional development professional development program to support teachers working with kids in kindergarten through 5th grade. Harmony Public Schools, a charter management organization in Houston, received a $7.8 million grant to help elementary school educators teach STEM. Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit in Boston, Mass., received to help high schoolers in Texas with computer science. The New York Hall of Science, in Corona, N.Y. got a $2.7 million grant to help middle-schoolers in high needs areas learn physics. Early Phase Grants to test out promising ideas: The Childrens Literacy Initiative in Philadelphia got $3.9 million for a kindergarten readiness program. The Community Training and Assistance Center in Boston got $3.9 million for STEM-centered curriculum project. ExpandED Schools in New York City got $3.6 million for a STEM-focused internship and apprenticeship program. Independent School District 625 in St. Paul, Minn., got $3.9 million for a program to improve school climate and student behavior. Knox County Schools in Knoxville, Tenn., got $2.4 million for a STEM-based workforce preparation program. The National Math and Science Initiative in Dallas, Texas got $3.9 million for a program to help enroll more rural students in Advanced Placement STEM courses. Sonoma State University in Rohnert, Calif., got $3.9 million to expand STEM-work based learning experiences for rural students, and improve STEM and computer science curriculum and instruction. SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif., got $3.9 million for a math work-based learning program for middle schoolers. The Curators of the University of Missouri Special Trust in Columbia, Mo., got $3.9 million for a program focused on student behavior. The Urban Arts Partnership in New York City got $3.9 million for a personalized learning computer science program for needy students. Image: Getty Images Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . The heartbroken community of Huntersville, North Carolina, held an emotional funeral on Friday for Maddox Ritch, a missing six-year-old boy with autism who was found dead late last month after he ran away from a local park under his father's watch A father who drew suspicion in the death of his six-year-old autistic son after he claimed the boy ran away from a North Carolina park has thanked first responders for their search efforts at the boy's emotional funeral. The desperate search for Maddox Ritch that gripped the small town of Huntersville ended in tragedy on last month when his body was discovered in a creek, five days after his disappearance. Maddox had been playing in Rankin Lake Park under the watch of his father, Ian Ritch, and a friend on September 22 when the boy ran off, and his dad was unable to catch up to him due to diabetes foot pain. A park worker who helped search for the boy claimed that Ritch did not appear to be a 'concerned parent' as he looked for Maddox. One week after the boy's body was found, the Huntersville community gathered to remember him at a private service on Friday. Maddox's parents Carrie and Ian are seen center outside the funeral home after the memorial A custom portrait sits inside the funeral home alongside a bouquet of white flowers In a statement on the back of the funeral program, Maddox's parents Carrie and Ian Ritch thanked law enforcement and the community for their support throughout the five-day search. 'A special thank you to all the agencies, both federal and local, who tirelessly searched for our beautiful little boy. 'Your heartfelt perseverance throughout this very difficult time, will never be forgotten. We love you now and always,' the note states. 'A special thank you to everyone in the community whose hearts were touched by our little Maddox. We realize that, our prayers are your payers also ... that our tears, are your tears too. 'There are no words that we can offer to adequately express our love and appreciation to all of you.' The funeral home was decorated with photos of Maddox and his family (above with mom) Maddox's aunt Delores Lindley expressed her gratitude to law enforcement and the community as she spoke to media through tears outside the funeral home Maddox's aunt Delores Lindley echoed the parents' gratitude speaking with media outside the Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home, which was decorated with photos and a handmade portrait of Maddox along with bouquets of flowers. 'We realize that our prayers are your prayers also,' Lindley told Fox46 through tears. 'And that our tears are your tears too. There are no words that can adequately express our love and appreciation to all of you.' She said of Maddox: 'He had a contagious smile. And he was a happy child.' The funeral was held under two weeks after Maddox went missing, a period that one attendee described as 'pure hell'. Amanda Wallace, a family friend who said she knew Maddox his entire life and was at the hospital the day he was born, said it was 'days upon days of agony of not knowing, and then, finally getting the news that he is gone. It's anybody's worst nightmare.' She added: 'He is in a far better place than we are.' Maddox's parents pictured speaking at a press conference four days after the boy went missing on September 22. Maddox's body was found the following day Police have not released information about how Maddox died as they await autopsy results. Ian Ritch told authorities that Maddox, who is nonverbal with strangers, was playing about 30 feet away from him when a jogger ran by and the boy suddenly broke into a sprint. 'He likes running,' Ritch at a press conference the day before Maddox was found. 'I couldn't catch up with him. I feel guilt for letting him get so far ahead of me before I started running after him.' Ritch said the boy looked back at him and laughed, adding that he would slow down and then speed up again. The father drew a small degree of suspicion after he waited an hour to report his son missing to police. He said that he delayed the call because he thought he would find his son and there was no reason to alert police. Park employee Rick Foxx, who called 911 on September 27 to report Maddox missing and who initially helped with the search, said he does not believe the child was ever at the park. Foxx also claimed Ian Ritch did not seem very concerned about his special-needs son in the immediate aftermath of the boy's disappearance. Maddox was remembered by friends and family as a happy child with a contagious smile The five-day search ended in tragedy when Maddox's body was found in a creek September 27 Ritch expressed his grief in a lengthy statement on Facebook, writing that he 'loved that lil boy, he was my best lil buddy'. He went on to say Maddox was his only child, and he would never have another one, before launching into a retelling of the devastating week from his point of view. 'I wasn't so worried about him when all this started on Saturday because I expected to find him right off,' he said. 'Over time I got more and more scared and worried. Once Sunday morning came that's when it starts me thinking I had something to worry about. 'Now today I found out I'm not a dad anymore. I had big plans with my son. I wanted us to go fishing play ball go camping. 'I wanted to be his heroe [sic]. I wanted him to say I was more than Superman or Batman to him. I wanted people to ask him who his heroe [sic] is and him say my daddy. 'Now I'm no heroe [sic], I couldn't save him or protect him at all. I would give anything to go back and save him.' A stray cat was seen refusing to leave the lifeless body of its baby kitten on the street in central China. In a heart-wrenching video, the white-and-yellow feline was seen biting onto the scruff of the dead kitten and carrying it to safety. The cat was found under a parked vehicle in Henan province's Luoyang city. However, the cause of the cat's death remained unclear. A stray cat was seen refusing to leave the lifeless body of its baby kitten on the street in China The dead cat was found under a parked vehicle in Henan province's Luoyang city The grieving moggie is also seen nudging and licking the kitten in an attempt to revive it Video of the mourning cat shows it pacing back and forth near the motionless kitten, meowing incessantly. The grieving moggie is also seen nudging and licking the kitten in an attempt to revive it. The mother cat refused to leave, seemingly distraught at its dead offspring. The mother cat refused to leave, seemingly distraught at its dead offspring The video ends after the mother cat was seen carrying the motionless kitten to safety Both cats were not wearing collars. 'When I first saw the kitten, I thought it was sleeping,' a female resident told video news site Pear. 'Upon taking a closer look I realised it was dead.' 'Animals share the same emotions as humans,' she added. 'I think the mother is refusing to accept the fact that its baby has died.' The video ends after the mother cat was seen carrying the kitten to safety. NATO is gearing up for its largest troop simulation in more than a decade to prepare for an invasion of Europe in the wake of Russia and China's huge show of military strength last month. The Trident Juncture exercises in Norway, which are due to start later this month, will involve 45,000 troops, 150 aircraft, 60 ships and 10,0000 vehicles from the 29 NATO nations. The war games, which are the biggest since 2002, will follow the massive Vostok 2018 joint military exercises between Russian and Chinese forces last month. Held in Siberia in eastern Russia, they involved nearly 300,000 Russian troops, which is nearly a third of the country's one-million-strong military. Armoured personnel carriers from the German army bound for the Trident Juncture exercises are parked before being loaded onto ships in the port of of Emder in Emden, Germany NATO troops take part in a massive amphibious landing during the Exercise Baltic Operations in Lithuania earlier this year KFOR (Kosovo Force) soldiers serving in a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo stand a top of armoured vehicles US and Polish army soldiers attend an official welcoming ceremony American troops deployed to Poland as part of NATO build-up in Eastern Europe in Zagan, Poland in January last year Sweden and Finland, which cooperate with NATO but are not members, will also take part in the simulations. The upcoming drills aim 'to ensure that NATO forces are trained, able to operate together, and ready to respond to any threat from any direction', NATO said in a statement given at a briefing at the Pentagon last Friday. Last week, a United States envoy warned Russia it must halt its covert development of a banned cruise missile system or it will seek to destroy it before it becomes operational. US Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said Washington remained committed to a diplomatic solution but was prepared to consider a military strike if development of the medium-range system continued. German military vehicles are loaded onto a ship in Germany bound for the Trident Juncture war games in Norway NATO troops conduct a massive amphibious landing during the Exercise Baltic Operations in in Nemirseta on the Baltic sea in Lithuania June German soldiers serving in the NATO peace keeping mission in Kosovo line up during a farewell ceremony in the town of Prizren on Thursday Russia has not accepted an invitation for it to send observers to the military drills, but the admiral expects them to turn up. Admiral James Foggo, the top US admiral in Europe said Trident Juncture, 'will have a deterrent effect on anybody who might want to cross those borders, but one nation in particular. '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.' NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there was concern about Russia's military interference in Ukraine and Georgia, support for Syria's Bashar Assad, and the buildup of Russia's naval forces in the eastern Mediterranean. Portuguese soldiers in the 2015 Trident Juncture NATO exercise. Next months war games are set to the biggest NATO exercise since 2002 NATO servicemen take part in the joint multinational military exercise Noble Partner 2018 at Vaziani training centre, outside Tbilisi NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian minister, said NATO wants to avoid a return to Cold War days Russian, Chinese and Mongolian troops during the military exercises of Vostok 2018 in Eastern Siberia last month He said: 'When we have serious disagreements, when we see increased tensions, when we see more military presence close to our borders, it's actually even more important to have dialogue. 'At least to manage a difficult relationship, to avoid miscalculations, misunderstandings that can trigger really serious incidents or accidents and make sure that if they happen, make sure that they don't spiral out of control.' Stoltenberg said NATO wants to avoid a return to Cold War days, but noted that the alliance is deploying battle groups to its eastern members for the first time. He also said NATO was stepping up its presence in the eastern Mediterranean and will soon hold the biggest exercise in the Norwegian Sea in a generation - Trident Juncture - involving land, air and naval forces. Stoltenberg said he told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of NATO's concerns about Russian aggressiveness abroad, and that they discussed Trident Juncture and Russia's recent Vostok military exercises - their biggest in recent history. A man has been charged with murder after the horrific death of a new mother, who was found with her throat slashed in her own home as her son slept in the next room. Bhanu Kirkman, 29, was arrested near a train station in Maitland, in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, on unrelated charges at about 4pm on Monday afternoon. He was taken to Maitland Police Station for questioning, and hours later was charged with the murder of 39-year-old single mother Kristie Powell. Mr Kirkman, who police earlier described as an ex-employee of Ms Powell, was also charged with drug, fraud, resisting arrest and weapons charges. Bhanu Kirkman (pictured) has been charged with the murder of mother Kristie Powell Ms Powell (pictured) was found dead in her home in the early hours of Friday morning Powell's body was found at her home in Bellambi, an hour south of Sydney, early last Friday morning. Her five-month-old baby son named Slater was unharmed in the bedroom next to her when a friend discovered the scene at 1am. A day after the grim discovery, police announced they were hoping to speak to Kirkman in relation to the alleged murder. He was found hiding under a railway bridge in the Hunter region on Monday. The arrest comes after Wollongong detectives and the NSW Homocide Squad formed Strike Force Renehan to investigate the tragic death. Kirkman was refused bail and will appear in Maitland Local Court on Tuesday. Her five-month-old son Slater was only metres away, found unharmed in the next bedroom Kristie Powell's sister-in-law Michelle posted the first photo of Slater (pictured) since he was rescued from the house where his mother died in the early hours of Friday morning Slater will be staying with Ms Powell's brother Ryan and his family for the foreseeable future. Ryan's wife Michelle posted the first photo of Slater since he was rescued from the house where his mother died on Monday. 'You are loved, you are safe, we are blessed,' she wrote next to it. Michelle thanked dozens of friends and family who offered support in the days after Ms Powell died and told them Slater was 'doing so well'. Michelle's most recent post, made about the same time Mr Kirkman was arrested, showed a more grim reality as she asked friends for spare packing boxes, presumably to help pack Ms Powell's house. Modern day school teachers are 'demoralised' and standardised testing is doing more harm than good, according to former teacher Gabbie Strout. In an emotional plea on Monday's QandA program on ABC, Ms Strout called on the government to stop pushing kids into a 'champagne education on a beer budget'. She campaigned for more value to be placed on teachers as a rapid number were struggling and leaving the job due to becoming 'burnt out'. Modern day school teachers are 'demoralised' and standardised testing is doing more harm than good, according to former teacher Gabbie Strout (pictured) Ms Strout noted it wasn't just teachers battling against the structure but students too, who she said were 'succeeding in spite of the system, not because of it'. A student currently in Year 12 revealed to panelists many of her classmates were stressed out, depressed and took medication for their mental health. 'I think we're seeing a time where education in Australia, we must be getting close to rock bottom, because I think there are teachers that are suffering, there are students that are suffering, and what you're saying is just exactly that,' Ms Strout said. 'And I just want to say I'm so sorry, I'm sorry that you and your peers feel like that, because that's not what it's meant to be like. Ms Strout noted it wasn't just teachers battling against the structure but students too, who she said were 'succeeding in spite of the system, not because of it' (NAPLAN test pictured) Ms Strout took aim at NAPLAN, a controversial nationwide testing system, and called on more individualised testing for students to increase engagement and learning outcomes. 'The students are disengaged. The teachers are struggling and something needs to change. What we're seeing now are our students are disengaged, they're disheartened. They're not excited to come to school. They're not enthused about their learning. And this is the effect that NAPLAN's having,' she said. Her speech was well received both in the studio and online, attracting applause and a flurry of supporters commending her message via Twitter. 'Too many good teachers leaving the profession due to feeling demoralised, not valued and over-worked,' someone wrote. Her speech was well received both in the studio and online, attracting applause and a flurry of supporters commending her message via Twitter (stock classroom pictured) Another agreed, writing 'Teachers are at their best when they are joyfully engaged in planning exciting lessons. Pretty hard to do when you are running on the smell of an oily rag'. Ms Scrout was a teacher for 10 years before resigning in 2014 due to ongoing feelings of despair and frustration. She wrote an essay titled Teaching Australia in 2016 which went viral after being published in the Griffith Review. A family of four were delivered a devastating blow to their dream Disney holiday when they were told they would not be allowed to fly to the US as they waited in the departure lounge at Manchester Airport. Liz Unay, 44, and her Turkish husband Kazir had spent more than a year planning the 6,000 trip for her daughter Leyla, nine, and son Burak, 17. However, their hopes were dashed when they were told they would not be allowed to board the plane because of a 'change in circumstances' to their visa waiver, known as an ESTA. Liz, 44, from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, told the Daily Record the family were quizzed at the airport just hours before take-off on Saturday. The mother-of-two said that at first everything seemed fine as the family faced customary questions as to why they were travelling to America. Liz Unay and daughter Leyla, nine, were left heartbroken after their dream Disney holiday turned into a nightmare Liz said that everything seemed fine as the family faced customary questions from officials She said: 'Leyla was standing there so excited with her Mickey Mouse ears on and told him she was going to Disney World. 'When they said we couldn't go, we were all devastated and Leyla was in tears.' 'We had our ESTA visas approved in January but we're being told to contact the US Embassy in London because they've been revoked and we need full visas. It takes two weeks to even get an appointment.' Most British passport holders can enter the US as a tourist with an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) through the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP). However, those who are not entitled must apply for a full visa. Turkey is not one of the 38 nations eligible for the scheme. 'If we'd been told in January we needed full visas, we'd have applied for them then,' Mrs Unay said. After the ruined trip the family are attempting to make their way to Disneyland Paris - which will cost the family thousands. Mrs Unay told the Daily Record: 'I can't disappoint this wee lassie any more. 'She told all her pals she was going to Disney World. It's all she's been talking about for a year and now she'll need to tell them she didn't get to go. 'It's going to cost 2,500 to go to Paris and we need to get flights from Liverpool. 'That means we're going to need to get there and fork out for a hotel but all I want to do is make my girl smile again.' The family weren't able to travel to Disney World in Orlando after being blocked by officials US officials in Manchester Airport (pictured) cited a 'change in circumstances' How has the Trump administration changed the US visa waiver rules (ESTA)? ESTA is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Authorization via ESTA does not determine whether a traveler is admissible to the United States. Instead, US Customs and Border Protection officers determine admissibility upon travelers' arrival. The ESTA application collects biographic information and answers to VWP eligibility questions. However, the system was changed under the Trump administration. Trump put new requirements in place for the 38 countries participating in the program. Changes including tightening overstay pentalies and forcing member states to use US counterterrorism data to screen travelers, including those from third party countries. As of April 1, 2016, you must have an e-passport to use the VWP. An e-Passport is an enhanced secure passport with an embedded electronic chip. You can readily identify an e-Passport, because it has a unique international symbol on the cover. Months after the initial changes Turkey and the US hit a deadlock over visas, according to the ESTA website. In October 2017, both nations stopped issuing visas to each other's citizens. Advertisement Former Thomas Cook employee Liz booked the holiday after being made redundant by the travel firm last year. She said: 'We've spent a year planning this holiday but now it's 6,000 down the drain.' Thomas Cook said: 'We understand Mrs Unay and her family are disappointed. 'Valid travel and visa documents, however, must be in place to enter the United States, so we have advised Mrs Unay to obtain the documents that she will need to go to Florida.' A spokesman for US Customs and Border Protection declined to discuss the family's claims. The spokesman said: 'Privacy concerns prevent US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from discussing individual cases of travellers arriving at US ports of entry and pre-clearance locations.' A New York man is suing Disney World for ruining his marriage proposal after he got into a fight with a female worker moments before he popped the question. Marc Rubin, who was arrested after the altercation in 2015, is now bringing legal action against the theme park, claiming he never touched the employee. The 57-year-old was scouting out a location in front of Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom to propose to his future wife three years ago. Marc Rubin, 57, had an altercation with an employee outside of Cinderella's Castle (pictured) When a Disney employee, 24, asked him to move back from the park's parade route, an argument broke out between the two. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the employee told police that Rubin screamed and grabbed her. A park manager also claimed Rubin argued and grabbed him as well. The Long Island man denies both incidents. With his proposal ruined, Rubin was taken to the park's security office and was later arrested by the local sheriff. He pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and was fined $100 plus court costs. Rubin is suing Disney for negligence and claims the park did not release its surveillance video because it proved he didn't touch the employees. A Disney spokesperson told MailOnline: 'The safety of the people who work in and visit our parks is very important to us. We will respond to the allegations as appropriate in court.' A woman had to be whisked to safety by helicopter after she was bitten by a suspected brown snake while hiking in a national park. The 20-year-old woman was walking in Mount Coolum National Park in Queensland when she was attacked by the highly-venomous snake. She was mid-way through the trail when she was struck by the reptile on Monday, Seven News reported. Scroll down for video. A woman who was bitten by a deadly brown snake while hiking in a national park had to be rescued by helicopter (pictured) An off-duty paramedic was only metres behind the her when she was attacked and saw the snake, which appeared to be a brown snake, slither away. The quick-thinking paramedic called emergency services and kept the woman conscious while medical professionals trekked up the mountain to reach her. Within moments, the RACQ LifeFlight hovered over the woman and winched her safety in a dramatic rescue from the mountain. The woman clung to her saviour has she was pulled on to the helicopter and flown to the Sunshine Coast Hospital. the RACQ LifeFlight hovered over the woman and winched safety in a dramatic rescue from the mountain The hiker is in a stable condition at the Queensland hospital and the venom didn't get into her bloodstream She is in a stable condition at the Queensland hospital and the venom didn't get into her bloodstream. The recent snake bite is stark reminder to be aware of the animal as the weather gets warmer. Paramedic Denise Boyd - who attended the snake bite on Mount Coolum - said it's important 'to keep nice and still' if you have been attacked. 'The important thing is to keep nice and still, nice and calm, and not move until help arrives,' she said. The brown snake is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. Bill and Hillary Clinton will embark on a 13 city, post-election tour with tickets going up to $750 a seat in a nation-wide junket organized by the same company that does events for Beyonce and Michelle Obama. The former first couple will headline 'An Evening With The Clintons,' billed as a conversation with their 'unique perspective on the past, and remarkable insight into where we go from here.' The events are being produced by tour promoter Live Nation, the company behind former first lady Michelle Obama's upcoming book tour as well as tours for Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars and other music heavyweights. Bill and Hillary Clinton after voting in Chappaqua, N.Y. in 2016; they'll embark on a post-midterm nation-wide tour Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton at one of her campaign rallies in North Carolina during the 2016 election The couple hits the road on November 18 in Las Vegas, a few weeks after Americans vote in the midterm election. The Clintons will be at the Park Theater, where Cher was in residence and where Lady Gaga will be later this year. Tickets will be available for up to $228 a piece and go on sale Friday at 1 pm ET. They'll make stops in both Canada and the U.S. throughout their tour. From Vegas, they travel to Toronto, Montreal and Sugar land Texas, where tickets to their talk at the Smart Financial Center on Dec. 4 top a whopping $699 each. They will visit Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on Nov. 27 and Montreal's Bell Centre on Nov. 28. Their tour takes up again in 2019 with events in New York; Detroit; Philadelphia; Wallingford, Conn.; Washington D.C.; Boston; Vancouver; Seattle; and Los Angeles. Former First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah in Washington D.C. in June Beyonce on tour in Vancouver Their New York talk takes place on April 11 at the Beacon Theatre, where the 2016 Tony Awards were held. Tickets to their Boston event at the city's opera house top $745.50 and tickets go for up to $750 at the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford. LiveNation is also producing Michelle Obama's upcoming book tour for her memoir 'Becoming.' The former first lady will visit 10 cities, kicking off in her hometown of Chicago on Nov. 13, the day of the book's release. A Chilean woman who climbed to the top of a tree to retrieve her mother's stranded cat needed to be rescued herself by the local town firemen. Paulina Cuevas received a call from her 82-year-old mom on Friday after Mandy, one of her two pet felines, ran out and strolled up a tree next to the octogenarian's new first-floor apartment in the upper-middle class town of Las Condes. Local law enforcement authorities in the capital city of Santiago were made aware of four-year-old cat's situation atop the 20-foot tree, but could not rescue her due to a number of emergencies they were occupied with. On Sunday afternoon, Cuevas decided to bring down the worried cat after various failed methods. Firefighters then had to save her from falling from the tree herself, according to Las Ultimas Noticias. Chilean firefighters were called on Sunday to retrieve Mandy (pictured), who was stranded up a tree Paulina Cuevas climbed up a tree on Sunday in the Chilean town of Las Condes to retrieve her mother's cat but firemen were later called after she was unable to scale down to the ground A fireman assists in the rescue of a Chilean woman and her 82-year-old mother's cat on Sunday 'My worried mother called in the morning because the cat was desperate and crying atop the tree,' Cuevas said. 'I then went to the fire station and they told me they couldnt do anything because the policemen first had to intervene and authorize them. When I went to the precinct, I was told there was an assault, a dead body and they could not handle it at the moment. I understood but I knew I had to do something.' She grabbed a pool cleaning pole and tried to scoop up the cat with the netting but her attempts were fruitless. Her next and only choice was a rather dangerous option. As she saw her mother watch in anguish, she proceeded with her valiant effort, scaling up the tree but the branches started to break apart. 'I decided to climb myself because I thought the cat was going to die,' Cuevas said. A cat in the upscale town of Las Condes was crying for help after it climbed up a tree on Friday. During Sunday's rescue mission, it plunged down to a pool but survived 'She was already there for two days and a half. I saw her gasping and crying.' A fireman placed a 20-foot-long ladder against the tree and used a chainsaw to cut some of the tree's branches. Cueva was the first one to come down from the tree. The fire fighter climbed up a bit higher but during the rescue attempt, Mandy plunged down to the pool with some other loose branches. She did survive. A Florida college student is claiming that she feared for her life while being attacked by her boyfriend last month in her Tampa apartment. Melissa Gentz, 22, has released audio from the alleged attack on September 23, which is when she claims boyfriend Erick Brentz, 25, brutally beat her in a fight mover her Instagram posts. Gentz then recorded part of the fight, in which she can be heard crying while her millionaire heir boyfriend screams: 'Why are you so dumb? Stop being stupid, see . You have no more notion of p ... none. I already told you, see. Stop being dumb!' He then goes on to state: 'You do not accept the man who has more dominance than you. You do not accept, you think you're the man of the relationship. But you're not, you're a woman, you see , you have to accept that!' A report filed with the Tampa Police Department later that day detailed the alleged attack. Gentz then made the decision to share photos of her bruised and bloody eye as well as the other injuries she claimed to have suffered on social media, a move that has prompted Bretz's billionaire family to say they will sue the college student. Bretz's lawyer told DailyMail.com that 'he domestic violence injunction filed by the victim was dismissed after a hearing by Judge Perrone. In addition, the state prosecutor dropped the charge of tampering with a witness.' That lawyer then added: 'Unlike the victim who is trying her version of the events through social media; we have advised our client to pursue his position in a court of law that is designed to settle disputes through the legal process. Ultimately, the court will decide what really happened and what should be done about it. We are confident that Erick will be vindicated.' Scroll down for videos Horrifying:L Melissa Gentz, 22, has shared audio from her alleged attack at the hands of Erick Bretz, 25, who she claims brutally beat her at his Tampa apartment (Gentz above after the alleged attack) Happier times: 'You do not accept the man who has more dominance than you ... you think you're the man of the relationship. But you're not, you're a woman,' he screams (Gentz and Bretz above in September) Victim: Gentz can be heard crying in the audio, which she released along with photos of the alleged bruising caused by her boyfriend of two months (Gentz above after the attack) Gentz told police that the pair were at Bretz's apartment a little after 4am when he took some 'Patz,' a medication similar to Ambien he is prescribed for insomnia. 'The defendant became argumentative and jealous after he consumed his medication and approximately four beers and three fourths a bottle of wine,' states the police report. Bretz was reportedly angry over a photo posted by his girlfriend to Instagram, which prompted him to berate the victim according to the report. That is when Gentz tried to hit and punch Bretz, who she believed had taken her cell phone. Bretz responded by physically assaulting Gentz she alleged to police. 'The defendant then proceeded to grab the victim and throw her onto the floor. He then kicked her in the face and began to strangle her with his legs,' read the police report. 'The victim advised she could not breathe while he was strangling her with his legs.' That was just the start of the attack though, with Gentz claiming her boyfriend continued to assault her by 'grabbing her hair and striking her in the face multiple times with a closed fist.' In the middle of this, Bretz also allegedly hit Gentz in the face with a bottle of Pedialyte. Gentz's first attempt to find safety however failed when Bretz allegedly knocked down a door to get to her as she tried to hide. 'The victim was able to enter the bathroom in attempt to call 911 but the defendant kicked open the bathroom door to prevent her from contacting 911,' said the report. 'She attempted to run out of the bathroom but the defendant continued to restrain her.' She was finally able to flee the apartment and get to the doorman, who called authorities. Horror scene: Bretz was arrested that night while sleeping at the apartment, and booked on charges of Domestic Battery by Strangulation and Tampering With a Witness (Getz's hair from after the alleged attack) Battle: Bretz's billionaire family, who own a supermarket chain in Brazil, now say they will sue the college student (Bretz on left and Gentz on right) Break down: Bretz allegedly kicked in the door to his bathroom in order to get at Gentz at one point (above) Protective order: Bretz has entered a plea of not guilty and is prohibited from having any contact with Gentz, who he had known since high school but only been dating for two months Bretz was arrested that night while sleeping at the apartment, and booked on charges of Domestic Battery by Strangulation and Tampering With a Witness. He was then released two days later after posting his $60,000 bail and agreeing to surrender his passport. Gentz was soon joined by her family in Florida, who arrived to provide emotional support as she shared her story with the world. In a post on Instagram, Gentz wrote: ' I'm reposting this photo because my ex boyfriend deleted it without my seeing it. He said that woman with boyfriend could not have photo "showing her breasts" in instagram. 'I ask ALL women to have the strength and courage to end abusive relationships like my last. It started with complaints of my photos on Instagram, after the comments in the photos, messages I received at WhatsApp ... until he got me through the hair and said that I needed to accept my reality because I was the woman of the relationship.' She closed out the post by stating: 'A man who treats you like that does not respect you and does not see you as a human being. He will not change. Put yourself first of all before it's too late.' This has prompted the family of Bretz to say that they will be suing Gentz for slander over the claims she is making about their son, who they claim was simply trying to defend himself from an aggressive girlfriend. Brazils Ministry of Foreign Affairs is monitoring the case. Bretz has entered a plea of not guilty and is prohibited from having any contact with Gentz, who he had known since high school but only been dating for two months. Gentz is trying to recover from her injuries in order to complete her degree by december as she had planned to do prior to the attack. She is working toward her biology degree at the University of Southern Florida. A massive 'bed shaking explosion' happened at Canada's largest oil refinery on Monday morning and now police are advising residents to avoid the area. Irving Oil released a tweet saying 'We can confirm that a major incident has occurred at our Saint John refinery this morning.' 'We are actively assessing the situation at this time and will share more information when available.' The massive plant can refine as much as 320,000 barrels a day of gasoline, diesel heating oil, jet fuel and other petroleum products. Flames shot 100-feet into the sky Monday morning after a massive explosion at Canada's largest oil refinery which is one of the largest importers of oil to the US Northeast Residents in the area say they felt their beds shake when the explosion occurred A massive plume of smoke could be seen for miles after the explosion at the Irving Refinery More than half of that is exported to the United States, with the refinery being one of the most important in terms of importing fuel to the Northeast. Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at Oil Price Information Service told CNBC 'We probably import more gasoline from that single refinery than any other single refinery around the world,' he said. Crude oil and gasoline futures moved higher after the reports of the explosion. The blast could be felt from blocks away. 'We felt the entire building move as if it wobbled,' said Rob Beebe who lives a few streets over from the refinery, according to CBC News. He added when he walked outside he saw thick black smoke billowing so he hopped in his car to take a closer look. Irving Oil says a 'major incident' has occurred at its Saint John refinery, with residents taking to social media to share photos of the frightening scene Residents near the refinery in Saint John shared disturbing images of a huge cloud of smoke on social media When he drover down the corner he saw flames shooting into the sky about 100-feet high. 'We're sitting here and watching it burn right now,' he said. 'It's getting larger.' Saint John police are responding as are fire officials. Streets in the area have been closed as authorities monitor the situation. Home Secretary Sajid Javid feared 'outrage' from the Trump administration if he retaliated against any attempt by the US to execute two suspected Islamic State terrorists. Mr Javid feared there was a risk of angering 'key US political appointees' if he sought a guarantee that Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, allegedly members of the terrorism cell known as the Beatles, will not be executed, High Court judges heard. Details of Mr Javid's decision were outlined on Monday and showed that he had agreed to hand evidence to American authorities without assurances that the pair would not face execution if convicted by the US. Edward Fitzgerald QC, who represents Elsheikh's mother, Maha Elgizouli, said Mr Javid was advised that a request for a death penalty assurance would 'provoke something close to outrage'. El Shafee Elsheikh (left) and Alexanda Kotey (right) were members of the ISIS execution squad known as the Beatles The barrister added that the UK's ambassador to the US, Sir Kim Darroch, advised that 'they will wind up the President and he will hold a grudge'. Maha Elgizouli's son, El Shafee Elsheikh, is accused along with Alexanda Kotey of belonging to a brutal four-man cell of ISIS executioners in Syria. The quartet were nicknamed The Beatles because of their British accents and were responsible for killing a number of high-profile Western captives. The pair were captured in January, sparking a row over whether they should be returned to the UK for trial or face justice in another jurisdiction. Ms Elgizouli is challenging Home Secretary Sajid Javid's decision to share 600 witness statements gathered by the Metropolitan Police with US authorities under a 'mutual legal assistance' (MLA) agreement - without seeking assurances the men would not face execution if they were extradited and tried there. Her lawyers told Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett and Mr Justice Garnham on Monday that Mr Javid's decision was 'unprecedented and unjustified' and put the suspects at risk of an 'inhuman punishment'. Kotey and Elsheikh, who were raised in the UK, are believed to be detained by Kurdish forces in Syria and have been stripped of their British citizenship. They are said to have been members of the cell which also included Mohammed Emwazi - known as 'Jihadi John' - who was killed in a US air strike in 2015, and Aine Davis, who has been jailed in Turkey. Emwazi appeared in a number of videos in which hostages, including British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning and US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, were killed. Mother Maha Elgizouli said her two sons Shafee (right) and his younger brother Mahmoud went to fight for ISIS. She was told last March last year that Mahmoud (left) was killed in Iraq Edward Fitzgerald QC said Mr Javid's decision was taken 'against advice from officials' that an assurance should be sought. The barrister said it was influenced by the 'anticipated outrage' of members of the Trump administration if the UK asked for assurances that the pair would not face the death penalty. He told the court: 'We say that, in taking those steps, he wrongly exposed the suspects to the very real risk of an inhuman punishment. 'We say this country should not facilitate the imposition in another country of a punishment which we ourselves recognise as inhuman and unlawful. 'He took those steps in large part because of the anticipated outrage of certain political appointees in the Trump administration if the UK insisted on death penalty assurances. 'We submit that the anticipated outrage of those US officials was not a proper consideration as a matter of law.' The other members of 'The Beatles' were Mohammed Emwazi, aka Jihadi John (left), and Aine Davis (right), who has been jailed in Turkey Mr Javid faced intense criticism over his decision after a letter he wrote to US Attorney General Jeff Sessions was leaked, with MPs accusing him of breaching the UK's long-standing opposition to the death penalty. Mr Fitzgerald said the case was 'not about the rights of Elsheikh' but about the Government being held to its own previous policy regarding death penalty assurances. Prime Minister Theresa May supported Mr Javid's original decision, which was also backed by Boris Johnson when he was foreign secretary. But the MLA sparked widespread criticism in Westminster from across the political divide. The hearing is due to last for two days. Adorable footage shows the moment a young boy throws a tantrum in a Costco shopping mall after his father won't buy him a box of tupperware. The video starts as the cute young boy points at the colourful box of plastic lunch boxes on the floor of the store in Utah. His father asks why he wants a box of tupperware to which he replies 'because I like it'. Adorable footage shows the moment a young boy has a tantrum in a Costco after his father refused to buy him a box of tupperware The toddler clutches onto the box which he says 'all works and demonstrates on the box with the diagram The father refuses to let his son have it saying it's 'weird'. The boy then starts to scream and shout, refusing to let the box go The young boy continues to scream until his dad manages to take the box from him and put it back on the shelf The child explains that he wants the tupperware because it 'works' and demonstrates on the boxs' side how the plastic all fits together. The child's head flies back and he starts to cry as his father tells him he can't have it because it is as he described 'weird'. The child continues to scream as the dad tries to prise the box from his hands. A drugs gang who forced people to hand over their homes to run a 24/7 dealing ring has been jailed. Ten members of the bullying criminal network which supplied heroin and crack cocaine into Stafford, West Midlands are now behind bars for more than fifty years after a major bust for police. Kyle Stewart, 23, Shaquille Reid, 22, Jordan Baker, 21, Rickel Rawlins, 22, and Ashley Clowes, 21, of Stone are now behind bars. Stafford men Mark Rogers, 39, Christopher Edwards, 31, Westley Walton, 40 and Jordan Wheatley, 20, were also jailed for their roles in the gang. The youngest member of the network was 19-year-old Tyon Gordon, aged 19 from Hockley, Birmingham who was also jailed last week. Gang members had been involved in 'cuckooing' which is the practice of acquiring accommodation through intimidation and coercion. To avoid police the men imposed themselves on vulnerable people and took over their homes, turning them into drugs dens. Tyon Gordon (left) Mark Rogers (right) were both jailed after police caught the drugs supplying network. Gordon was jailed for 1 year and eight months while Rogers will spend five years and three months behind bars Christopher Edwards (left) will spend three years behind bars and Westley Walton (right) was jailed for 2 years 8 months They also took it in turns to man the drugs phones - meaning there was access for users all hours of the day and night. The men were jailed for a combined total of 53 years at Stafford Crown Court on October 2 and 3. Eight of the men had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply heroin and cocaine, while two others, Mark Rogers and Shaquille Reid, were found guilty following a trial. Judge Jonathan Salmon, sentencing, said: 'This was a large scale County Lines and cuckooing operation whereby Stewart, Rawlins, Reid and Baker set up a drug supply from the West Midlands area into Stafford.' The court heard the gang were involved in 'county lines' crime which is a kind of criminal exploitation whereby gangs exploit vulnerable people to sell drugs, often children. What is county lines crime? County lines crime involves the exploitation of vulnerable members of a community, usually children. Often these children are made to travel across counties, and they use dedicated mobile phone lines to supply drugs. The Childrens Commissioner estimates there are at least 46,000 children in England who are involved in gang activity. It is estimated that around 4,000 teenagers in London alone are being exploited through child criminal exploitation, or 'county lines'. Advertisement A police investigation began when Kyle Stewart was arrested in Stafford twice, in August and September 2015, in possession of heroin and crack cocaine. Stewart had entered into a partnership with Rickel Rawlins, Jordan Baker and Shaquille Reid from West Bromwich, to supply drugs to Stafford. They began using street dealers and expanded their operation to provide a 24/7 supply. In January 2016, Ashley Clowes and Jordan Wheatley were arrested in possession of drugs and, the following month, Stewart and Baker were arrested in possession of heroin and crack cocaine in Derby. Stewart was remanded in custody and subsequently received a six-year sentence for drug offences. Following Stewart's prison sentence, Rawlins had possession of the 'drugs line' phone used to supply the drugs and Rawlins and Baker took charge of the drugs supply network. Typically, a drug user would contact the drugs phone line, that phone number would then contact the relevant street dealer to pass instructions on how to supply the drugs, the court was told. Those operating the drugs line phone would work 'shifts' to maximise profits from the operation. Westley Walton was the next to be arrested for possession of drugs. What is cuckooing? Cuckooing is a type of crime in which a drug dealer befriends a vulnerable individual who lives on his or her own. The dealer then moves in and takes over the property before turning it into a drug den. Cuckooing became an increasingly common problem in the South of England. Advertisement On February 17 2016, officers stopped a car on the M6 near to Stafford. Baker and Rawlins were arrested and a number of mobile phones, including the drugs line were seized. There were also scales with traces of cocaine on them found in the vehicle. In April 2016, officers seized a new drugs line phone and arrested Baker. Police also attended an address in Stafford where Mark Rogers and Tyon Gordon were arrested. The following month, Christopher Edwards was arrested in possession of drugs. All could be linked to the wider group and drugs supply operation. Stafford man Jordan Wheatley (left) and Rickel Rawlins (right) were jailed for their parts in the drug ring Kyle Stewart (left) will spend 10 years in prison and Shaquille Reid (right) was jailed for 9 years 9 months Jordan Baker (left) from London,was jailed for 8 years 6 months and Ashley Clowes (right) was jailed for 2 years 4 months Thousands of pounds of cash and large quantities of crack cocaine and heroin were seized during the investigation. Inspector Melissa Byrne of Staffordshire Police said: 'This was a sophisticated operation, the group had the capability to supply heroin and crack cocaine around the clock, with offenders working shifts. I am very proud of the investigation conducted by my team, which has seen the drugs network dismantled and those responsible handed lengthy prison sentences. 'Vulnerable people have been protected from this group and I hope that these sentences act as a warning to anyone who thinks they can come from other areas to deal drugs in Staffordshire. We will not tolerate drug dealing in any form.' If you suspect drug dealing in your community please call Staffordshire Police on 101 or the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through their Anonymous Online Form at www.crimestoppers-uk. This is the moment an Arizona woman opened fire on law enforcement officers who chased her for a suspected carjacking, showing no regard for her own safety or that of her 13-year-old son who was with her. Authorities have released body cam footage from the July 5 incident where fire was returned to Sylvia Marie Bejarano, 33. She later died in hospital after efforts were made to save her. A video clip from ABC News also shows law enforcement used a taser gun on Jose Manuel Gonzales, 45, the driver of the vehicle they were suspected of stealing, as he tried to flee the scene. Scroll down for videos Sylvia Marie Bejarano, 33, (pictured after arrested for previous offenses) died after law enforcement returned fire when she shot a police car July 5 Law enforcement have released body cam footage of the incident in Phoenix, Arizona where Jose Manuel Gonzales, 45, was subdued with a taser gun in the suspected carjacking chase He was subdued and taken to a Maricopa County jail. No officers were hurt in the shootout and the child was found to be safe after the incident that began at Arizona's La Quinta hotel around 6.30pm. Detective Lily Duran said Tempe Police confronted the pair on the Thursday evening near 48th Street and Southern Avenue but Gonzalez behind the wheel rammed into the police car blocking him in and took off collecting Bejarano's son along the way. The K-9 Unit eventually caught up with them on 47th and Pecan Road where the woman got out of the car and shot, hitting a police vehicle in the process. No officers were hurt in the shootout and the 13-year-old child was found to be safe after the incident that began at Arizona's La Quinta hotel around 6.30pm Tempe police are investigating after an officer-involved shooting near 48th Street and Southern BREAKING: Tempe police are investigating after an officer-involved shooting near 48th Street and Southern. One woman is extremely critical, no officers were injured. STORY: https://bit.ly/2KMg2Nv Posted by ABC15 Arizona on Thursday, July 5, 2018 An obituary for her found online describes Bejarano as a homemaker who had three children Samuel Rodriguez, Joshua Rodriguez, and Zariah Bejarano Phoenix Police Department has been leading the investigation into what happened that night. It's the 47th shooting involving law enforcement in the county this year and of those people 26 victims have died. Public records show Bejarano was arrested and jailed January 8 for failure to pay a fine and another count of driving without a licence which could have been suspended, revoked or canceled. An obituary for her found online describes Bejarano as a homemaker who had three children Samuel Rodriguez, Joshua Rodriguez, and Zariah Bejarano. She survived by her parents Salvador Bejarano and Winfred Pablo, and grandmother Deanna Bejarano. Bejarano also had 11 siblings Angela, Andrew, Melissa, Simone, Salina, Jae'Lynn, Salvador Jr., Y'sara, Aaliyah, Salano, and Sossa. A flyer for her wake on July 12 and funeral July 13 had a note for attendees not to bring any alcohol or drugs and instructed guests not to wear gang attire for the church service. Russian voters' trust in President Vladimir Putin has plunged 20 per cent in a year amid popular discontent over a rise in the retirement age, a poll revealed today. It is the lowest rating for Putin since 2014, before he enjoyed a surge in popularity over the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The survey by the independent Levada Centre found that trust in Putin has fallen to 39 per cent - a drop of nine percentage points since June and 20 percentage points since November 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the India-Russia Business Summit in New Delhi, India, on Friday Still, only 13 per cent of Russians said they definitely did not trust Putin, according to the poll carried out between September 20 and 26. Analysts did not speculate on whether the Novichok scandal in which two Kremlin hitmen poisoned a double agent in Salisbury contributed to the decline in trust. Hours after the poll result was announced, the Levada Centre's website was down, with a message reading: 'Error establishing a database connection'. Moscow Times journalist Pjotr Sauer speculated the Kremlin hacked it due to 'Putin's obsession with ratings.' The veteran Russian leader last week signed into law a bill that will gradually increase the state retirement age to 60 for women and 65 for men, the first such increase since the 1930s. Most Russians are deeply opposed to the reforms, which sparked rare street protests. 'People think the government is trying to solve its problems at the public's expense. It has made an attempt to take something people consider to be theirs: pension savings,' Levada Centre director Lev Gudkov told the Vedomosti business daily. He said social tensions have been building since the end of last year because of a variety of factors including a fall in real earnings and rising prices. While Putin easily won the March presidential election with more than 76 percent of the vote, public discontent about the pension reforms meant 'all elements of concern (about him) were lumped together', Gudkov said. Putin shakes hands with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the India-Russia Business Summit in New Delhi This led to a fall in trust not only in Putin but also in his allies: Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, he added. Putin's personal style of rule means he 'cannot hand over responsibility to someone else' for unpopular decisions, political analyst Dmitry Orlov told Vedomosti. Putin's lowest ever rating in such a Levada poll was in August 2013, when just 30 percent named him as a trusted politician. He had suffered a long period of decline in support after the 2008 economic crisis and a wave of protests in 2011-12. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment to Vedomosti on the latest poll. The father-of-two asked the 'girl' if she had a boyfriend A pervert was trapped by a gang of paedophile hunters after trying to entice a girl with an explicit image of a snake. Domino's Pizza worker Jitender Kumar, 38, sent the extremely pornographic photo on WhatsApp. Kumar thought he was sending the image to a 13-year-old girl called Molly but he was snared in a sting set up by a paedophile hunter group called 'Stolen Youth No More'. The father-of-two asked the girl if she had a boyfriend and if she had started her period yet, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard. John Evison, prosecuting, told the court: 'He sent her a picture of a bedroom with a teddy bear on the bed. 'He told her to get the train to Paddington or Euston.' Kumar said he would send an image of his credit card and asking Molly to come visit him. Six months later on July 6 Kumar messaged her again, sent her a photo of his face and then forwarded her the explicit image - which he called a 'China special'. Kumar was tracked to his place of work, a Domino's pizza takeaway in east London, by the paedophile hunters Stolen Youth No More' on July 21. They held him there until police arrested him and brought him to Brixton police station. Kumar said that he thought the profile was a prank organised by colleagues and that he sent the image of the snake to test them. Picture shows Jitender Kumar A pervert was trapped by a gang of paedophile hunters But the pizzaman then pleaded guilty to all three charges at the earliest possible opportunity. Jonathan Underhill, defending, said: 'This is a man still coming to terms with the desires he suffers from. 'He has lost his good character in the worst possible way. 'He has completed an online course to help those who suffer from it. He has sought help independently.' Judge Neil Sanders told Kumar: 'You are 38-years-old with no previous convictions. 'As far as you were concerned it is quite clear that you thought that (the girl) was 13 years old. 'There were quite clear requests by you to meet up. 'The obvious suggestion is that that should result in sexual intercourse between you. 'Bearing in mind that there was no meeting, there was no child, and the meeting could not have taken place.' Kumar of Thorngrove Road, Upton Park, admitted attempting to meet a child under 16 following grooming, sexual communication with a child, and possession of an extreme porn image. He was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months, a 60 day Rehab Activity Requirement, 100 hours of unpaid work, and a five year sexual harm prevention order. A publishing house has temporarily stopped selling a textbook which claims men in Caribbean families are 'largely absent' after it was dubbed racist. The GCSE Sociology textbook, which was officially approved by the AQA exam board, has been accused of enforcing negative stereotypes. The passage, contained in a chapter of the sociology of families, reads: 'In Caribbean families, the fathers and husbands are largely absent and women assume the most responsibility in child-rearing. Publishing house Hodder has temporarily stopped selling a textbook which claims men in Caribbean families are 'largely absent' (pictured) after it was dubbed racist Concerns about the textbook were raised by freelance photographer Eddie Olaleye who tagged in a number of people to his tweet including MPs David Lammy and Diane Abbott 'When men and women live together, it is usually in cohabiting or common law relationships that reproduce the traditional patriarchal division of labour. 'The family system is also characterised by child-shifting, that is, the passing of children to other relatives or acquaintances if the parents find themselves unable to take care of them. 'As a result, multiple women are involved in childhood socialisation.' The passage can be found in the textbook AQA GCSE (9-1) Sociology by Rosie Owens and Ian Woodfield - which was originally published in 2014 by Hodder Education. Concerns about the textbook were raised by freelance photographer Eddie Olaleye, who challenged the exam board provide 'the empirical data' backing up the statement. Tottenham MP David Lammy also expressed disappointment about the textbook on Twitter. In a tweet to AQA and Hodder, he posted: 'Why are sweeping generalisations about African Caribbean people that stereotype communities like this in your GCSE sociology textbook? 'Sometimes it feels like little has changed since I was at school in the 80s.' On Twitter, Jamie Care added: 'Absolutely shocking sweeping statements here! What other bigoted nonsense is being taught to children in 2018?' And Abraham Glover said: 'The joke is this is so poorly written they have summed up the Caribbean and African families in two paragraphs that's over 70 countries with multiples more ethnic groups. 'Racism through ignorance.' Binta Sultan added: 'This is absolutely abhorrent. How is it allowed to be used for 'education'? It's one of the most racist pieces of writing I have seen in a long time. 'There are pretty terrible things written about African, Caribbean and Chinese communities in this excerpt alone.' According to Runnymede, the UK's main race equality think tank, 59 per cent of black Caribbean, 44 per cent of black African, and 61 per cent of children in mixed race households grow up in single parent families, with nine out of ten headed by a woman. Hodder Education says it has stopped sale of the book whilst a review is underway The overall proportion of children in the UK living with a lone parent is 22 per cent. Now Hodder Education says that it has stopped the sale of the book whilst a review is underway. On Twitter, the official account said: 'We are taking this feedback very seriously; we will be working with the authors and reviewing the entire textbook as a result of the concerns raised. 'Meanwhile we have stopped supplying the book for sale.' An AQA spokesman said it had raised concerns with Hodder Education following the outrage. He said: 'We don't agree with any stereotypes and there's nothing about Caribbean families in our actual GCSE Sociology syllabus. 'We don't produce textbooks ourselves - but we'll speak with the publisher of this book about these concerns.' The reward being offered for information leading to the arrest of a Chicago masked gunman who killed two men at random has ballooned to $18,000. The money has been contributed to assist police in finding usable tips as they hunt for the masked gunman who appears to be behind the random attacks in Chicago's Rogers Park. Ballistics evidence has revealed that both men were shot dead, at point-blank range, with bullets from the same gun. The ATF's Chicago Filed Division and community activist Raul Montes Jr. announced Saturday that they were contributing $5,000 and $2,000, respectively, to the reward pot, bringing the total to $18,000, the Chicago Tribune reported. Terror alert: A masked gunman (above on September 30) murdered two people by shooting them in the head at point blank range in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood Video footage of the suspect showed that he runs and walks with his toes turned out The fund had previously contained $10,000 from the Jewish Federation of Metro Chicago and $1,000 from the Cook County Crime Stoppers. The shootings occurred over the course of two days. Neither of the victims were said to have had any connection with each other. Douglass Watts, 73, who lived in the neighborhood with his partner, was shot in the head while walking his dogs on September 30, shortly after 10am. Thirty-six hours later, just after 10pm on October 1, Eliyahu Moscowitz, 24, a member of the Orthodox Jewish community, was also shot dead with a bullet to the head. He was found by a local pastor soon after he was killed. None of the victim's belongings had been taken from them and the killer quickly fled the scene, actions that have some concerned that there may be a burgeoning serial killer walking the streets. Douglas Watts, 73 (left), was shot dead on Sunday morning while walking his dogs Thirty-six hours after Watts was killed, Eliyahu Moscowitz, 24, was also murdered Blocks away: These fatal attacks occurred within 36 hours of one another on Sunday and Monday, leading to fears that there could be a serial killer on the loose Following the shootings, the Chicago Police Department flooded social media with video and images of the man they believe to be responsible, who was captured by surveillance cameras. Authorities said witnesses described the shooting suspect as a black male with a thin build, wearing dark clothing. It is unclear how any eyewitness was able to describe the color of the shooter's skin, given that he was wearing gloves and a mask. The Tribune reported that police have investigated nearly 200 tips and 'sightings' of the suspect, who is shown in the videos to walk and run with his toes pointing out. Authorities are still combing through nearby building and private surveillance camera footage for additional clues to the suspect's identity. They believe he is a resident of Rogers Park. The ATF and FBI have also joined in on the search for the shooter. Any person with information about either incident is urged to call the Area North Bureau of Detectives at (312) 744-8261. Anonymous Tips can be submitted to CPDTIP.COM. The great-granddaughter of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst sees great parallels between the battle for women's right to vote 100 years ago and the #MeToo and Time's Up movements of today. Dr Helen Pankhurst said the suffragettes fought for many years to win universal suffrage and that change did not happen overnight. And she urged the women of today to take inspiration from the suffragettes. Dr Helen Pankhurst attends the Harvey Nichols event, smashing its window to mark the centenary of women's right to vote at the shop in Knightsbridge on September 13 this year Dr Pankhurst says the suffragettes fought for many years to win universal suffrage and that change did not happen overnight, and she urged the women of today to take inspiration 'They were persistent and they were resilient and they kept at it. They supported it and it was very difficult. They had to keep at it,' Dr Pankhurst said. 'I think there is something about knowing this struggle has been there for the millennium and it will continue... things are shifting very slowly - but they are shifting.' Dr Pankhurst was speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival to discuss the impact of the #MeToo campaign against sexual harassment and abuse. Emmeline Pankhurst, a founding member of the Women's Social and Political Union, being arrested by police outside Buckingham Palace, London, in 1914 Emmeline Pankhurst (left) with daughters Christabel (centre) and Sylvia (right) at Waterloo Station, October 1911. Emmeline was leaving for a lecture tour of the US and Canada It is 12 months since the campaign was launched when the first women came forward to make allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Dr Pankhurst said the world was in middle of a resurgence of 'dinosaurs', but equally this was being challenged by people believing in equality. 'Right now we are poised in a world with the resurgence of the dinosaurs, with the ideas of male power and entitlement and a single person's view should dominate,' she said. Statue of Emmeline Pankhurt, leader of the women's suffragette movement, in London 'We have got that globally getting more and more power. 'On the other hand, more and more people are believing in equality and understanding that equality is across the board. 'It's colour, it's gender, it's sexuality, it's all these "isms". 'I think that (it's about) understanding we have to work together across our issues and that we just can't talk about women's rights without addressing intersectionality. Pictured: Women's vote campaigner selling the Suffragette Magazine in London, 1900 'For me, the lesson is the major force is not the disagreements within us, it's a world balance between those that believe in entitlement and those that believe in equality. 'We have to work together if we want to ensure change.' She said that #MeToo was important in not just challenging violence against women but also other inequalities. Dr Pankhurst asked: 'To what extent is the feminist movement when it is talking about #MeToo is it challenging just violence against women? Is it challenging the whole power structure that underlies the reason why this happens? 'What's the cause and effect of this? Is it fundamentally challenging unequal power? Is it just challenging that from a gender perspective or from a wider perspective, from a citizen perspective?' Dr Pankhurst also called on more men to speak up against violence and abuse on women. 'It seems to me we are only hearing one voice and we need to hear both,' she said. William Tyrwhitt-Drake pictured outside Portsmouth Magistrates Court today. His shooting events allegedly disturb neighbour Dr Charles Gillies O'Bryan-Tear An aristocrat estate owner with links to Sir Francis Drake has shooting parties that are so loud his millionaire neighbours cannot enjoy tea on their patios, a court heard today. William Tyrwhitt-Drake's prestigious shooting events allegedly disturb wealthy Dr Charles Gillies O'Bryan-Tear, who can hear 'significantly loud' shots from the patio of his 2 million home. Tyrwhitt-Drake owns the stunning 2,500-acre Bereleigh Estate, nestled in the heart of Hampshire's countryside in the picturesque South Downs National Park. His family have lived on the estate for around 50 years. But Mr Tyrwhitt-Drake's land borders Dr O'Bryan-Tear's large 2million seven-bedroom home, where he says he is disturbed by the noise of the gun shots. Public records suggest he moved into his house in either 2005 or 2006, since which time he has been upset by the sound of the shoots. The pair are at loggerheads over the issue which has now resulted in pharmaceutical executive Dr O'Bryan-Tear taking out a private prosecution following a period of 'animosity'. Dr O'Bryan-Tear objects to 'persistent' gunshots which 'disturb the tranquil South Downs'. It was today claimed they are loud enough to cause stress - 'like when someone comes up behind you and shouts boo.' The court heard Tyrwhitt-Drake - who has family links to Sir Francis Drake - ran noisy events up to three times a week at his stunning Estate, popular for its clay pigeon and game shooting. The court heard Tyrwhitt-Drake - who has family links to Sir Francis Drake - ran noisy events up to three times a week at his stunning 2,500-acre Bereleigh Estate (pictured) It was said there had been a 'breakdown in the relationship' between Tyrwhitt-Drake and University of Cambridge-educated Dr O'Bryan-Tear. Tyrwhitt-Drake, 76, is fighting a noise abatement order brought about by Dr O'Bryan-Tear, whose large seven bedroom property sits on the edge of Bereleigh Estate in the heart of Hampshire's countryside in the picturesque South Downs National Park. A sound expert told today's hearing 'every time you are there on your patio with your cup of tea you are getting shots that are significantly loud' and said the shots are loud enough to cause stress. Dr Charles Gillies O'Bryan-Tear pictured outside Portsmouth Magistrates Court today, objects to 'persistent' gunshots which 'disturb the tranquil South Downs' Portsmouth Magistrates' Court, Hants, heard a recording measured gunshots heard from 63-year-old Dr O'Bryan-Tear's patio at 71 decibels, with the average range between 58 and 63. Shots can be heard up to three times a week during the five month-long shooting season every year. During one 30 minute period, 16 gunshots were recorded. Solicitor Toby Riley-Smith, representing nobleman Tyrwhitt-Drake, said there is 'animosity' and 'history' between the two. Details about the fallout are not yet clear. Tyrwhitt-Drake, whose ancestor was godson of English sea captain Sir Francis Drake, hosts a variety of shooting events at Bereleigh Estate with relatives Thomas and Edward. Groups, parties and businesses flock from cities - many from London - to the prestigious rural retreat in East Meon, near Petersfield, Hants, so they can enjoy country pursuits, considered among the finest in the country. Dr O'Bryan-Tear, who has over 30 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry and now acts as an leading expert adviser to huge firms across the world specialising in the field, has filed for a noise abatement order to prevent Tyrwhitt-Drake creating noise levels which are a 'nuisance'. Portsmouth Magistrates' Court has heard the complaints relate to noises between July 2016 and January 2017 following shoots on the estate in quiet East Meon. Sound and acoustics expert Peter Rogers today said the noise levels could cause stress. He said: 'The range of the shot levels go as high as 71 [decibels], average shot noise was 58 to 63. 'Every time you are there on your patio with your cup of tea you are getting shots that are significantly loud. Dr O'Bryan-Tear, who has over 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry, and lives next door (pictured) says the 'persistent' gunshots which 'disturb the tranquil South Downs' 'The noise is persistent and above the level residents can reasonably expect while enjoying their premises. 'Every single week during shooting season you can expect these shots to happen. It's five months of the year. 'You might hear shooting on a Friday and then potentially again on a Monday..' His technical report read: 'The character of the sound is disturbing and likely to cause a startle effect because it is sudden. 'It may result in the chemical release of the stress hormone in the body unconsciously.' He explained in court: 'This is like when someone comes up behind you and shouts 'boo!'.' Mr Riley-Smith, cross-examining him, said: 'Are you an expert or psychologist and able to provide expert advice about the effect of gunshots and the chemical release on the body?' Mr Rogers replied: 'I'm not, but I'm a medical physicist and in a position to say this would happen and the evidence supports this. 'It's all to do with what we call psycho-acoustics, as well as gunshots you measure the noise of traffic and planes and look at the effects it has on your body. 'When you are there, there are birds and a number of natural noises, it's what we call a high-quality soundscape. These gunshots would have disturbed the tranquility. 'During one period there seemed to be a shift in the proximity of the shooting nearer [Dr O'Bryan-Tear's house].' He was also asked if he was 'aware of the animosity and history' between the two parties. He said: 'I was aware there was history between the two parties, I was surprised at the extent of it.' Pictured today: Sound and acoustics expert Peter Rogers, who gave evidence today, and is pictured outside Portsmouth Magistrates Court Tyrwhitt-Drake argues noise levels are reasonable. He previously told a magazine 'game shooting has never been more popular', adding that a 'growing number' of groups and businesses 'want to spend money' on a day's shooting. Edward Tyrwhitt-Drake, 31, runs 'Bereleigh Sporting' which offers simulated game days from 300 per person where customers shoot clay pigeons. Thomas Tyrwhitt-Drake runs 'The Sporting Agency', a separate business which uses the estate for highly sought after shoots. Sir Francis Drake was godfather to the Tyrwhitt-Drake's ancestor, Richard Drake, who was an equerry to the court of Queen Elizabeth in the late sixteenth century. The shoot is regularly described as one of 'the 20 best pheasant shoots in the UK' while the estate boasts 'unrivalled' game and clay pigeon shooting. It also offers camping and 'glamping', has residential lettings and produces beef. In 2016 the Tyrwhitt-Drake family made headlines after they announced they were selling the painting of Elizabeth I - 400 years after it was first owned by Sir Francis Drake. Dr O'Bryan-Tear holds the title of M.D and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, a medical organisation with professionals from the three Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom. Around a decade ago he became Chief Medical Officer of a Norwegian biotech company - later bought for $2.9 billion - where he worked on the development of a radiopharmaceutical for prostate cancer. A spokesperson for the Tyrwhitt-Drake family said: We are obviously extremely pleased, and indeed relieved, to have won this case which we have had to fight for the past 2 years. 'We are also very pleased that the Judge, having listened to a great deal of evidence very carefully, recognised that the allegations simply couldnt be sustained and therefore ruled in our favour. We as a family are very glad that the matter is now at a close.' The trial continues. This is the shocking moment an alleged thief celebrates after his gang broke into a house and successfully robbed cash and jewellery. The gang had allegedly broken into a flat in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, on October 7. They reportedly made a quiet exit with their loot without waking up the residents. But one of them was filmed covering himself with a blanket and breaking into an impromptu dance. He looks up at the camera then covers his face and waves his arms about while jumping on the spot in celebration. The gang was perhaps unaware that there were CCTV cameras in the flat and made no attempt to conceal their faces. One of the thieves dances around in a sheet after successfully robbing a flat in India The police said the gang had broken into another house on the same night and had stolen cash and jewellery worth thousands of rupees. The Sector-7 police of Gandhinagar have lodged two complaints of burglary against the unknown individuals and are probing the case. Advertisement Scott Lisinicchia, 53, was driving the limo which crashed in upstate New York on Saturday, killing 20 including himself. Questions have been raised over the condition of his vehicle, though cops have not commented on the cause of the crash The limousine in Saturday's upstate New York crash which killed 20 people had failed a safety inspection just last month - and its driver did not even have the correct license to drive it. Scott Lisinicchia, 53, was killed alongside a group of 17 relatives, friends, and neighbors on their way to a surprise 30th birthday party when his limo ran out of control across an intersection and into a ditch. Along the way it struck an unoccupied car and two pedestrians, who also died. Lisinicchia was one of two drivers who worked for Prestige Limousines, also known as Saratoga Luxury Limos and Hasy Limos. Authorities say he lacked the required 'passenger endorsement' on his commercial driver's license. He had been busted twice for drug charges during the past eight years, once during a traffic stop while driving in Saratoga Springs on Nov. 22, 2013. Lisinicchia was charged with possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of marijuana and an equipment violation over the stop. Lisinicchia was also charged with unlawful possession of marijuana in Saratoga Springs on July 2, 2010. Prestige Limousines is owned by Shahed Hussain, a former FBI informant who went undercover to record alleged terrorists in mosques after fleeing to the US from Pakistan in the 1990s where he'd been accused of murder. Since 2016, four of the Hussain's five vehicles have been taken out of service upon inspection, according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration documents obtained by DailyMail.com. That puts the company at a whopping 80 percent failure rate, compared to a national average of 20.72 percent. Violations from past vehicle inspections included inoperative horn, no or defective bus emergency exits, brake connections with constrictions under vehicle, flat tire or audible air leak, inoperative or defective windshield wipers, and failure to correct defects noted on a previous inspection report. One such inspection also found that the number of defective brakes was equal to or greater than 20 percent of the service brakes on the vehicle. New York Gov Andrew Cuomo confirmed on Monday that the state is seeking a cease-and-desist order so that the company cannot operate while it's under investigation. 'The owner of the company in my opinion, because there will be legal consequences, the owner of the company had no business putting a failed vehicle on the road,' Cuomo said while speaking at the NYC Columbus Day Parade. 'I don't know if this a situation where we can find a new law or a new regulation. Sometimes the issue is the law worked fine and the regulation worked fine. They were just broken.' He said that he vehicle's chassis, suspension and brakes were all unsafe. Cuomo said Lisinicchia 'did not have the appropriate license to be operating' the 2001 Ford Excursion stretch limousine. 'That vehicle was inspected by the New York State Department of Transportation last month and failed inspection and was not supposed to be on the road,' he added. Eighteen of those killed were riding in the limo and part of a group of relatives, friends and neighbors traveling to a surprise 30th birthday party. The vehicle was coming down a steep road at around 60mph, witnesses said, when it ran out of control, across a junction and ended up in a steep ditch As it plowed across the junction the limo struck an empty Toyota Highlander along with two pedestrians, who died from their injuries, before leaving the road and heading into the ditch (pictured) In the last year alone, Prestige Limousines has been cited for 22 vehicle violations by state regulatory bodies. Above is its laundry list of violations which include not having proper anti-lock brake systems or properly functioning horns Lisinicchia's stepson, Cicero Richards, branded Prestige's fleet of cars as 'pieces of cr*p.' 'They were junk,' Richards, 27, told New York Daily News. 'The last time I talked to him was 6 o'clock in the morning before that (the crash) happened. We were talking and chatting and stuff and he said he didn't really want to do the job.' Prestige lists its address as Crest Inn Suites & Cottages in Gansevoort, which serves as transitional housing. Crest Inn resident, Laken Prosser, 31, said Hussain once kept limos at the business, which he also runs. He echoed Richards' statements about the state of the cars. 'There were like four or five limos. They were junky, very very junky. I know they let people drink alcohol and do drugs in them because I found drugs in them,' said Presser, who said he occasionally cleaned the cars. Lee Kindlon, a lawyer for Prestige, said the company has voluntarily removed all its vehicles off the road while it conducts an investigation. 'We are performing a detailed internal investigation to determine the cause of the accident and the steps we can take in order to prevent future accidents,' Kindlon said. And Ford has since confirmed to DailyMail.com that the company does not make stretch limo versions of the Ford Excursion. When limousines are built in factories they must meet tough safety guidelines. But when they are built by slicing two cars together, there is little safety oversight. This has led to concerns in the past that there is a dangerous loophole in the law. Ford said it currently does not have any information about the vehicle involved in the accident but said the company is 'ready to cooperate with agencies who are investigating'. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt said the crash - the most deadly transportation accident in the US since 2009 - was a much needed 'wake-up call' for limousine safety. 'Here we have 20 lives that have been lost tragically. We do need to learn from this,' Sumwalt told CNN on Monday. Among the dead were four sisters - Allison King, Abby Jackson, Mary Dyson, and Amy Steenburg, whose birthday they were celebrating. The women's aunt, Barbara Douglas, said the family are 'overwrought' at their deaths and that her brother, the girls' father, 'cannot wrap his head around' the tragedy. Questions are mounting over the cause of the accident, which happened in the town of Schoharie around 2pm on Saturday, and whether the condition of the limo was to blame. The vehicle had been brought in as a replacement after a bus meant to transport the party broke down. Twenty minutes before the crash, passenger Erin McGowan who died alongside new husband Shane texted aunt Valerie Abeling to say the limo was 'in terrible condition', the Washington Post reports. The accident happened around 2pm in Schoharie, upstate New York, at a junction at the bottom of a hill which is known locally as an accident hot spot. Witnesses inside the Apple Barrel CountryStore, which was packed with visitors at the time, said the vehicle was going around 60mph at the time of the crash This is the view across the junction where the limo failed to stop. Transport chiefs said truck were banned from using the road in recent years after several failed to stop at the bottom of the incline. The ditch where the limo ended up is hidden behind bushes at the far side of the junction Police have not identified any of the victims - who were instead named by loved ones on social media - and say they will not be commenting on the cause of the accident until their investigation is complete Abeling said the group had rented 'some kind of bus' to take them to the party venue, but it had broken down. The same company then sent a limo to take the group the rest of the way. Witnesses said the limo was traveling around 60mph when it blew through a stop sign at the bottom of a steep hill, known to locals as an accident hot spot, opposite the Apple Barrel Country Store. Trucks were banned from using the road in recent years after several lost control while coming down the steep gradient, the state Department of Transportation said. A local official warned that the road had been an accidental black spot for years. 'There have been tractor trailers that have come barreling down that hill and it was a miracle they didn't kill somebody,' Schoharie Town Supervisor Alan Tavenner told the Albany Times Union. Jessica Kirby, the manager of Apple Barrel, said there have been 'more accidents then I can count'. 'We have been asking for something to be done for years,' she added. The state Department of Transportation did make improvements seven years ago but locals say it did little to improve the safety. Police say they will not comment on the cause of the accident until their investigation has been completed. Lisinicchia's identity was confirmed at the scene by his twin brother Keith, and reported on Twitter. Little else is known about Lisinicchia, who is believed to live in Lake George, around an hour's drive from the town of Amsterdam, where the group he was carrying lived. His wife did not respond to DailyMail.com's inquiries on Monday morning. The vehicle had been rented by newlyweds Axel and Amy Steenberg, who were both killed. The group had been on their way to celebrate Amy's 30th birthday. Just days before the crash Amy had uploaded a post gushing about husband Axel, whom she married in June, to Facebook which read: 'I love you more than words can say.' What we know so far Friends and family of Amy Steenburg were killed en route to celebrate her 30th birthday, Saturday in upstate New York when their 2001 Ford Excursion stretch limousine crashed Witnesses say they saw the vehicle doing 60mph shortly before it lost control and careened across the intersection of State Route 30 and State Route 30A, running a stop sign It shot into the parking lot of Apple Barrel County Store in Schoharie, where it hit a parked, unoccupied 2015 Toyota Highlander The Toyota was sent spinning into two pedestrians standing nearby who were struck and killed All 17 passengers, and the driver of the limo, were killed National Transportation Safety Board said it was the deadliest transportation accident in the US since a 2009 plane crash in Buffalo killed 50 people Victims include sisters Abigail Jackson, Mary Dyson, Allison King and Amy Steenburg, and their husbands Adam Jackson, Robert Dyson and Axel Steenburg Newlyweds Erin and Shane McGowan, Amy Steenburg's brother-in-law, Rich Steenburg, and Matthew Coons, Savannah Devonne also died The driver is 53-year-old Scott Lisinicchia A family ripped apart: Pictured are sisters Allison King (back row, second from left) Abby Jackson (front left), Amy Steenburg (front right) and Mary Dyson (back row, on the right of Allison) were all killed in the Saturday crash. The group were on their way to a surprise 30th birthday for Steenburg (front right) Abby Jackson and her husband Adam are seen, left. Her sister Amy, whose birthday it was, is pictured right with her husband Axel (on the left) and his brother Rich (right). Rich was also killed in the crash Robert Dyson and his wife Mary, the oldest sister, were among the victims of the crash. The pair had been married since 2009 and had a young son. Sister Allison King (right) also died Newlyweds Erin and Shane McGowan (pictured together) were among the 20 people who were killed in a horrific limousine crash in upstate New York on Saturday. They got married in June, the same month as Amy and Axel Matthew Coons, a US Army veteran, and his girlfriend Savannah Devonne also died in the tragic accident on Saturday. Coons had acted as a groomsman at Amy and Axel's wedding. Patrick Cushing (right), Erin's cousin, also died as did his girlfriend, Amanda Halse (seen together, right) Amy was one of four sisters who died in the accident, along with Mary Dyson, Allison King, and Abby Jackson. The group were celebrating Amy's birthday when the crash happened. Also killed were Adam Jackson and Robert Dyson, Abby and Mary's husbands. Rich Steenburg, Axel's brother, was also among the dead, along with Patrick Cushing, Erin's cousin, and his girlfriend Amanda Halse. Amanda Rivenburg, a friend of Amy's, was identified on Monday as another victim of the crash. Amanda Rivenburg, a friend of Amy's, was identified on Monday as another victim of the crash She worked as a social worker at Living Resources, an organization for disabled New Yorkers. Her boss Frank Prevrati told the Times Union she was a 'young superstar' who was 'dedicated and wonderful and kind.' Rachael Cavosie, 30, of Waterford, was also in the stretch limo when it crashed. Her cousin Alyssa Cavosie paid tribute to a 'soul that touched so many lives.' She gave me so much guidance, and even though she was the younger cousin, I looked up to her and often sought her advice through out my life,' Alyssa wrote, noting that they were just three months apart in age. Matthew Coons, a US Army veteran, and his girlfriend Savannah Devonne also perished. Matthew had been a groomsman at Amy and Axel's wedding in June. The sisters' aunt Barbara Douglas said the family were devastated by their loss. The pedestrians who were killed in front of Apple Barrel have been identified by family members as Brian Hough, 46, and his father-in-law James Schnurr, 71. 'One just got married and that's what this was: her new husband was giving her a surprise birthday party,' she told the New York Post. She described all four sisters, who were aged 30 to 35, as 'beautiful girls, full of life' and said two were mothers. 'They had their whole lives ahead of them,' she added. Douglas spoke of the family's tragedy while visiting the scene of the wreck. 'My brother [the sisters' father] told me that when [the police] called him they didn't know if the brakes went out or what, but they were all dead,' she said. 'My brother and his wife are just overwrought,' she continued. 'I don't know how to say it. Can't wrap your head around such a tragedy where you have four of your daughters die.' Anthony Vertucci, Erin's uncle, spoke of the 'darkness and devastation' that had hit his family and shared photos of his daughter's wedding day in a heartbreaking tribute. 'My heart has stopped,' he wrote. 'Unspeakable tragedy that I can't comprehend and will never come to terms with.' 'I just wanted all of you to see pictures of Erin and Shane, these two beautiful and amazing people, on the best and happiest days of their lives. LIMO COMPANY OWNER WHO IS A FORMER FBI TERROR INFORMANT Shahed Hussain, 62, is the owner of Prestige Limousines, the company involved in Saturday's crash The owner of the limousine company behind Saturday's horror crash which killed 20 people is a former FBI informant who went undercover to record alleged terrorists in mosques after fleeing to the US from Pakistan in the 1990s where he'd been accused of murder, DailyMail.com can reveal. Shahed Hussain, 62, is named as the owner of Prestige Limousines, aka Hasy Limos and Saratoga Luxury Limousine, in Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration documents. In the last two years, the company has had at least four cars pulled out of service because they failed safety inspections. The most recent was the modified 2001 Ford Excursion limousine which was carrying 17 passengers when driver Scott Lisinicchia crashed on Saturday, killing himself, all those on board and two pedestrians in the parking lot he came screeching into after running a stop sign in Schoharie, New York. Ford has confirmed to DailyMail.com that if never manufactured the vehicles in limousine form so the one operated by Prestige had to have been modified unofficially. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday that the company was now under investigation and is no longer allowed to operate. Despite repeated attempts to make contact with Hussain, he has not commented on the tragedy and the company's websites are now disabled. But 2010 court documents from the terrorism trials of four men who plotted to blow up the synagogues in the Bronx and shoot down planes coming out of Newburgh airbase reveal Hussain's past ties to the FBI. He is shown in footage obtained while he worked as an informant in the DMV after being caught running a scam where he secured unqualified drivers licenses for a fee In 2002, he convinced the bureau to take him on after being caught running a dangerous DMV scan which helped prospective drivers cheat on their tests. Hussain arrived in the United States in 1994 after fleeing his native Pakistan where he had been arrested for murder. After his father bribed local police to let him go, Hussain fled the country, using a British passport to leave Pakistan, enter Moscow and then travel to Mexico. From Mexico, he entered the US through El Paso in Texas. From there, he traveled to Albany. Hussain then contacted an immigration lawyer who was then able to get him legal status by applying for political asylum. It enabled him to start working for the DMV where he was a translator. There, he started a racket where he offered prospective drivers guaranteed pass-marks in their road tests or safety quizzes for a fee by ensuring they went to corrupt examiners. In 2002, the FBI arrested him for the scam. Rather than go to jail, he took a plea deal which involved him working as a confidential informant and he spent the next several years recording other conversations in the DMV for their benefit, incriminating his friends and colleagues. Four years later, after filing bankruptcy and buying his son an Audi with money he claimed he'd been given by Pakistan's then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, he bought the hotel in Gansevoort which became the Crest Inn. James Cromitie (left) and David Williams (right) were both convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 after Hussain recorded them plotting to blow up two Bronx synagogues He then was put to work by the FBI to infiltrate mosques, specifically in Newburgh, New York, and look for what he described as 'radicals'. The FBI paid him a salary of $96,000 for the work. 'He was sent there per a number of reasons regarding other FBI investigations but I always ask him to keep his ears open if he heard individual speaking radically, including everyone has free rights to speech, but if it's regarding possible threats, I wanted that information,' FBI Agent Robert Fueller testified. His work in the Newburgh mosques, particularly the Masjid al-Ikhlas led, in part to the arrests of James Comitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen. They plotted to plant bombs at synagogues in the Bronx - Riverdale Temple and nearby Riverdale Jewish Center - and they also plotted to shoot down military planes at Stewart Air National Guard Base. The three men were arrested when Hussain drove them to the Riverdale mosque with explosives. Authorities were waiting for them. However valuable his undercover work was, he came under scrutiny as a witness and reliable informant during the trial when it was suggested he had turned off his recording equipment during crucial moments of conversation with the suspects. He also failed to disclose to the FBI that he was the beneficiary of a $500,000 trust fund in Pakistan while collecting a salary from the bureau and claiming bankruptcy. This is the motel Hussain runs in Gansevoort, New York, outside Saratoga Springs. He bought it in 2006 while working as an informant for the FBI There were also claims of entrapment and even the judge who convicted the four men ruled in her verdict that Hussain's behavior as an informant was 'troubling'. He met Comitie first and then together they recruited the three others. Hussain, who was known also as Shahed Malik, was not at the motel in Gansevoort on Monday. A staff member told DailyMail.com she had never heard of Shahed Hussain, instead saying: 'The people that run this place are called Malik. Ive never even met them either. There are certainly no limos run out of here. Were just here to collect the money and stop the guests killing each other,' she said. Advertisement Two vehicles were involved in the crash, which occurred just before 2pm at the intersection of State Route 30 and State Route 30A on Saturday The SUV-style stretch limousine traveled across the intersection and into the parking lot for the popular Apple Barrel County Store in Schoharie, where it hit a parked 2015 Toyota Highlander that was unoccupied Local officials said the limo was speeding down a hill and crashed into bystanders in front of the popular Apple Barrel County Store (pictured) in Schoharie Debris from the crash could be seen scattered at the site of the horrific accident on Sunday afternoon, including a tire from one of the vehicles Karina Halse talks to reporters about her sister Amanda Halse who died in Saturday's fatal limousine crash with her boyfriend Lauren Lemos, a cousin of four of the victims, couldn't hold back tears as she told Spectrum News that they were 'wonderful people.' DANGERS OF STRETCH LIMOS The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating today's tragic crash but it's not the first time officials have probed the luxury vehicles over their safety record. Police investigated in 2015 after a wreck on Long Island in which four women on a winery tour were killed. The Lincoln Town Car that had been cut apart and rebuilt to create a stretch limo that could take more passengers. The limo was making a U-turn when it was hit by a pickup truck. A court later heard evidence that converted stretch limos often lacked basic safety measures such as side-impact air bags, reinforced rollover protection bars and accessible emergency exits, because of the process of cutting and rebuilding. The jury in the case later called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to crack down on rebuilt limos - which are banned in many European countries. When limousines are built in factories they must meet tough safety guidelines. But when they are built by slicing two cars together, there is little safety oversight, leading to concerns that there is a dangerous loophole in the law. The authorities have not confirmed that the limo in Sunday's crash was rebuilt, but records show that model car does not appear to be a limousine, suggesting it had been rebuilt . On Sunday, Cuomo released a statement: 'My heart breaks for the 20 people who lost their lives in this horrific accident on Saturday in Schoharie. I commend the first responders who arrived on the scene and worked through the night to help. 'State police are working with federal and local authorities to investigate the crash, and I have directed state agencies to provide every resource necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy.' Advertisement 'They are just wonderful, kind, loving...' she said. 'You couldn't have met better people than they were. They were all very active parents and involved in their children's lives.' Susan Minicki McGowan, Shane's mother, also shared a photo and tribute to her son and daughter-in-law. 'Our family will never the same after the tragic deaths of our son Shane and daughter Erin,' she wrote. A GoFundMe campaign launched for Archer and Elle after they lost both parents in the crash has since raised more than $60,000. 'Adam and Abby were amazing parents to these girls and taken much too soon,' the description reads. 'While families will step in and provide loving care for these girls, there will be expenses that we can help with during this time when we otherwise feel so helpless.' Erin Flaherty was friends with a number of the victims, who she said were 'together multiple times a week' and 'always hanging out'. Katie Kent, Brian Hough's aunt, said the family was 'absolutely devastated' at their 'incomprehensible loss'. 'My nephew was an accomplished professor, an amazing husband, and daddy,' she wrote. 'Our family is trying to make sense of this.' Bridey Finnegan, who lives near the crash site, said she heard a 'loud bang' when the crash occurred. 'I heard a loud bang, I came out my front door to see what was going on,' she told WTEN. 'I saw a lot of people here at the Apple Barrel out in the parking lot. Then I heard screaming.' 'Then I saw this large van, a very unusual looking vehicle out here in Schoharie in the bushes and really wrecked, hit a tree.' Finnegan said she watched as first responders broke windows to try and rescue people inside. And witnesses said several bodies could be seen on the ground outside the store. Kirby said the limo was 'coming down that hill probably over 60 miles per hour'. 'I don't want to describe the scene. It's not something I want to think about,' she told the New York Times. The Schoharie County Sheriff's Office, New York State Police, and emergency crews from the Red Cross all responded to the scene. Six ambulances, three fire companies, and two helicopters were at the accident site, according to the Albany Times Union. Witnesses also saw people running out of the Apple Barrel cafe to try and help after the accident. Two women broke into tears as they placed flowers at the scene of the horrific accident on Sunday afternoon Meghan McCain returned to The View on Monday, marking her first appearance on the ABC daytime show since the death of her father back in August. It was an emotional return for McCain, who found herself in tears just seconds into the broadcast as she thanked the women at the table and people around the country for their support in recent weeks. McCain first spoke about her father's diagnosis and revealed how she dealt with the news. 'Abby [Huntsman], when my dad was first diagnosed I got wasted with you,' said McCain, who had a laugh while thinking back to the moment. 'And I drank so much. She was heavily pregnant and she watched me down Jack Daniels after Jack Daniels and then I threw up and her sister held my hair back.' Her talk then took a political turn in the wake of the recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, with McCain delivering a stirring and passionate speech about the country and American democracy. Difficult day: Meghan McCain found herself in tears just seconds into her return to The View on Monday, her first time back since her father's death Close friend: She recalled how she got drunk on Jack Daniels and threw up with a pregnant Abby Huntsman when she first learned her dad had cancer (Huntsman hugs McCain above) 'My father's farewell address, he said that we're Americans and we can never surrender,' said McCain while looking out into the audience. 'We can never surrender to what is happening in the country right now. I understand how divided and how scared a lot of people are and it looks like the fabric of democracy is fraying. We do not surrender.' She then declared: 'I'm not surrendering. You don't do it either so you have to join me in not surrendering. Okay. Because I'm still here fighting and I want all of you to fight with me.' McCain then took some time to acknowledge two men who were crucial in getting her back on her feet after the tragedy. 'And I have one more final thing and then I will get off my soap box. God is real. I wouldn't be here without my faith but I also wouldn't be here without Joe Biden and Joe Lieberman,' said McCain. Dad: 'My father's farewell address, he said that we're Americans and we can never surrender,' said McCain, who asked everyone to 'keep fighting' with her (McCain and her father in 2008) Sisters: 'I understand how divided and how scared a lot of people are and it looks like the fabric of democracy is fraying,' added McCain (above with her sister Bridget at their father's funeral) 'Those two men have carried me through this. And I just want to thank them for being uncles to me, really gone above and beyond.' She added: 'I'm sure they're like I didn't realize when I became friends with John McCain his daughter's drama would be mine as well. They really carried me through this and my mother and my family.' McCain took some time to speak about the funeral, and how much her father would have been honored by the outpouring of love. 'From the second that my father passed and immediately after he passed the media knew and I had to get in a car in a motorcade behind his hearse and from the very moment I left there were people in the country all races, all age, all creeds out there with American flags waving, saluting, praying, everyone, he would have loved it. Loved it. The entire time,' said McCain. 'I cried the entire way, veterans were talking in the poorest areas of Phoenix to presidents at the cathedral. 'Everyone came out and celebrated him with love and it made me so inspired that the ideals that my father espoused to in his career are the ideals of America and I think there was a lot of talk about what died with him and I am here today to tell you it didn't. It is alive and well.' She then took a not-so-subtle jab at the current president, who initially refused to fly the flag at half-staff in her father's honor. 'He believed America is the greatest country in the history of the world. He believed that when your candidate's opponent says something racist in a rally, you push back,' said McCain. 'That is John McCain and that is what America is.' Family: 'Those two men have carried me through this. And I just want to thank them for being uncles to me, really gone above and beyond,' said McCain of Joe Biden and Joe Lieberman Holding back tears: McCain spoke of how much her father loved Whoopi Goldberg (above on Monday) and thanked Sunny Hostin for her support Lineage: 'In this moment I want you to know that everything that was in him is in you and this is your moment in time,' said Yvette Nicole Boran (above) McCain went around the table to thank each of the women on the show. 'On a personal note the women at this table all of you, I just want to start with you, Whoopi, my father loved you,' said McCain, who instantly became overwhelmed with emotion. 'He loved you. He really loved you.' She then took some time to gather herself and regain her composure before saying: 'And this woman has let me cry in her dressing room all year last year. I would go in before the show and she would let me cry on her shoulder. She wears white blouses all the time. I have ruined it with mascara more times than I can say. 'Your daughter is like my sister. He wanted me to come back here which is why I'm here.' Yvette Nicole Brown, who was guest hosting the show, shared some words of her own with McCain. 'In this moment I want you to know that everything that was in him is in you and this is your moment in time,' said the actress. 'You are here for a moment such as this. He has passed the torch to you. The mantel has been passed to you and the you are the perfect person to carry on everything that he began. You hear me?' That resulted in more tears from McCain. Americans will soon have a chance to make their voices heard in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections if theyre registered to vote. Voting deadlines vary by state across the U.S., making it critical for Americans to know when their own state deadline is if theyre looking to cast their ballot in November. Heres a look at the 2018 voter registration deadlines as well as when the 2018 midterm elections will be held and current polling information about them. Voter registration deadlines vary by a state-by-state basis in the United States, making it critical for voters to know when their state deadline is ahead of the 2018 midterm elections Voter registration deadline 2018 The voter registration deadlines for 2018 vary by state and are as follows: Alabama: October 22 Alaska: October 7 Arizona: October 9 Arkansas: October 9 California: October 22 Colorado: November 6 Connecticut: October 30 Delaware: October 13 Washington, D.C.: November 6 Florida: October 9 Georgia: October 9 Hawaii: November 6 Idaho: November 6 Illinois: November 6 Indiana: October 9 Iowa: November 6 Kansas: October 16 Kentucky: October 9 Louisiana: October 9, online October 16 Maine: November 6 Maryland: October 16 Massachusetts: October 17 Michigan: October 9 Minnesota: November 6 Mississippi: October 9 Missouri: October 10 Montana: November 6 Nebraska: October 26 Nevada: October 18 New Hampshire: November 6 New Jersey: October 16 New Mexico: October 9 New York: October 12 North Carolina: October 12 North Dakota: None, ID required to vote Ohio: October 9 Oklahoma: October 12 Oregon: October 16 Pennsylvania: October 9 Rhode Island: October 7 South Carolina: October 17 South Dakota: October 22 Tennessee: October 9 Texas: October 9 Utah: October 30 Vermont: November 6 Virginia: October 15 Washington: October 29 West Virginia: October 16 Wisconsin: November 6 Wyoming: November 6 The 2018 midterms will soon give Americans a say at the Congressional, state and local levels How to register to vote in the U.S. To register, voters must be 18 years of age by Election Day and also meet any specific state requirements. Convicted felons and noncitizens are not permitted to vote in the U.S. Voter registration can be done at Vote.gov via completing a brief form. The site can also be used to record both address and name changes while also offering services to U.S. military service members stationed abroad and for U.S. citizens living abroad to vote though absentee ballots. In addition, voter registration services are also available at local Department of Motor Vehicles offices, armed services recruitment centers and at local election offices. Prospective voters can also complete and mail in a National Mail Voter Registration Form. When is the 2018 midterm election? The 2018 midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, November 6. Democrats are hoping to regain at least one chamber of Congress in the upcoming election Midterm elections 2018 polls Currently, most polls peg Democrats as favorites over Republicans with the election less than a month away, though whether the results will be a blue wave that will swamp the Republicans in Congress and at the gubernatorial level or more modest gains remains to be seen. According to Real Clear Politics as of October 8, a number of critical Senate races could swing either way. In Florida, Democratic nominee Senator Bill Nelson currently holds a slim 2.4 per cent lead over his Republican rival, Governor Rick Scott. In Tennessee, Republican nominee Representative Marsha Blackburn also holds a narrow lead of two percent over her Democratic opponent, Governor Phil Bredesen. In Missouri, incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, is currently locked in an extremely close race with Republican challenger, the states Attorney General Josh Hawley, who holds a very narrow 0.4 percent lead in the polls. Arizona is also the site of another very close Senate battle as Democratic nominee, Representative Kyrsten Sinema, holds a modest 3.4 per cent lead over her Republican opponent, Representative Martha McSally. In West Virginia, a state President Donald Trump won easily in the 2016 election, Senator Joe Manchin, the only Democrat to cross the aisle recently to vote in favor of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, holds a fairly comfortable 9.4 per cent lead over his rival, Republican state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. Another key state to watch is Texas, where incumbent Senator Ted Cruz currently holds a modest six percent lead over his Democratic opponent, Representative Robert Beto ORourke. Beto O'Rourke, above, is taking on Senator Ted Cruz in a closely-watched battle in Texas For the House of Representatives, Real Clear Politics pegs the Democrats with a 6.6 per cent lead on the generic ballot, a good sign for the party hoping to retake the chamber. FiveThirtyEight, likewise, also gives the Democrats a 73.6 per cent chance to take back control of the House of Representatives in November, though their odds have dipped slightly in recent weeks. The Democrats currently need a net gain of 24 seats to gain control of the chamber, though some have suggested that the blue wave could largely fail to materialize for the election, as Republican voters have grown increasingly energized during Kavanaughs bitter confirmation battle. At the gubernatorial level, a number of races have emerged as critical to watch. In Florida, Democratic nominee and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum holds a slim lead over his Republican opponent, Representative Ron DeSantis, a vocal proponent of Donald Trump, with a 3.7 percent edge in the polls. In neighboring Georgia, the states Secretary of State Brian Kemp is clinging to a narrow 0.5 percent lead over Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams, a former state representative aiming to become the first African-American woman elected to a governorship in the U.S. In the perennial swing state of Ohio, Democrat Richard Cordray, a former state official and Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from 2012 to 2017, holds a modest three percent lead over former Senator and incumbent state Attorney General Mark DeWine. A 15-year-old girl has been accused of abducting a nine-month-old boy and holding him for eight hours while police carried out a manhunt. Authorities say Ty'Kariah Smith was staying at a family's home in Dayton, Ohio, when she took infant IZyion Reese without permission and fled around 3am Monday. The pair are reportedly not related in any way. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office issued an AMBER Alert at 10.30am Monday and within 45 minutes they had located Reese and Smith. Ty'Kariah Smith, 15, has been accused of abducting nine-month-old IZyion Reese from his home in Dayton, Ohio, early Monday. The suspect and infant were located eight hours later 'There's nothing more traumatic than a child missing. Especially a nine-month-old who has absolutely no way of communicating or caring for itself,' Lt Jason Hall said of the incident after the baby had been found. Hall said Smith has been taken into police custody and could face charges. The teen's motives in the alleged kidnapping are unclear. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Dayton Police Department for more details. Shahed Hussain, 62, is the owner of Prestige Limousines, the company involved in Saturday's crash The owner of the limousine company behind Saturday's horror crash which killed 20 people is a former FBI informant who went undercover to record alleged terrorists in mosques after fleeing to the US from Pakistan in the 1990s where he'd been accused of murder, DailyMail.com can reveal. Shahed Hussain, 62, is named as the owner of Prestige Limousines, aka Hasy Limos and Saratoga Luxury Limousine, in Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration documents. In the last two years, the company has had at least four cars pulled out of service because they failed safety inspections. The most recent was the modified 2001 Ford Excursion limousine which was carrying 17 passengers when driver Scott Lisinicchia crashed on Saturday, killing himself, all those on board and two pedestrians in the parking lot he came screeching into after running a stop sign in Schoharie, New York. Ford has confirmed to DailyMail.com that if never manufactured the vehicles in limousine form so the one operated by Prestige had to have been modified unofficially. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday that the company was now under investigation and is no longer allowed to operate. Despite repeated attempts to make contact with Hussain, he has not commented on the tragedy and the company's websites are now disabled. But 2010 court documents from the terrorism trials of four men who plotted to blow up the synagogues in the Bronx and shoot down planes coming out of Newburgh airbase reveal Hussain's past ties to the FBI. In 2002, he convinced the bureau to take him on after being caught running a dangerous DMV scan which helped prospective drivers cheat on their tests. Hussain arrived in the United States in 1994 after fleeing his native Pakistan where he had been arrested for murder. After his father bribed local police to let him go, Hussain fled the country, using a British passport to leave Pakistan, enter Moscow and then travel to Mexico. From Mexico, he entered the US through El Paso in Texas. From there, he traveled to Albany. He is shown in footage obtained while he worked as an informant in the DMV after being caught running a scam where he secured unqualified drivers licenses for a fee Hussain is pictured in other undercover footage showing a rocket launcher to one of four men who were convicted on terror charges. He served as an informant for the FBI after being caught running a DMV scam Hussain then contacted an immigration lawyer who was then able to get him legal status by applying for political asylum. It enabled him to start working for the DMV where he was a translator. There, he started a racket where he offered prospective drivers guaranteed pass-marks in their road tests or safety quizzes for a fee by ensuring they went to corrupt examiners. In 2002, the FBI arrested him for the scam. Rather than go to jail, he took a plea deal which involved him working as a confidential informant and he spent the next several years recording other conversations in the DMV for their benefit, incriminating his friends and colleagues. Four years later, after filing bankruptcy and buying his son an Audi with money he claimed he'd been given by Pakistan's then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, he bought the hotel in Gansevoort which became the Crest Inn. He then was put to work by the FBI to infiltrate mosques, specifically in Newburgh, New York, and look for what he described as 'radicals'. The FBI paid him a salary of $96,000 for the work. James Cromitie (left) and David Williams (right) were both convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 after Hussain recorded them plotting to blow up two Bronx synagogues Onta Williams, a third suspect, was also jailed as was Laguerre Payen (not pictured). Their defense was entrapment; they said Hussain set up the plot and put it in motion by manipulating them 'He was sent there per a number of reasons regarding other FBI investigations but I always ask him to keep his ears open if he heard individual speaking radically, including everyone has free rights to speech, but if it's regarding possible threats, I wanted that information,' FBI Agent Robert Fueller testified. His work in the Newburgh mosques, particularly the Masjid al-Ikhlas led, in part to the arrests of James Comitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen. They plotted to plant bombs at synagogues in the Bronx - Riverdale Temple and nearby Riverdale Jewish Center - and they also plotted to shoot down military planes at Stewart Air National Guard Base. The three men were arrested when Hussain drove them to the Riverdale mosque with explosives. Authorities were waiting for them. However valuable his undercover work was, he came under scrutiny as a witness and reliable informant during the trial when it was suggested he had turned off his recording equipment during crucial moments of conversation with the suspects. This is the motel Hussain runs in Gansevoort, New York, outside Saratoga Springs. He bought it in 2006 while working as an informant for the FBI This is Hussain's last known address in Loudonville, upstate New York. He was not there on Monday He also failed to disclose to the FBI that he was the beneficiary of a $500,000 trust fund in Pakistan while collecting a salary from the bureau and claiming bankruptcy. There were also claims of entrapment and even the judge who convicted the four men ruled in her verdict that Hussain's behavior as an informant was 'troubling'. He was sent there per a number of reasons regarding other FBI investigations but I always ask him to keep his ears open if he heard individual speaking radically, including everyone has free rights to speech, but if it's regarding possible threats, I wanted that information He met Comitie first and then together they recruited the three others. Hussain, who was known also as Shahed Malik, was not at the motel in Gansevoort on Monday. A staff member told DailyMail.com she had never heard of Shahed Hussain, instead saying: 'The people that run this place are called Malik. Ive never even met them either. There are certainly no limos run out of here. Were just here to collect the money and stop the guests killing each other,' she said. Another person told The New York Post that the limousine company did used to operate out of the hotel's parking lot but said it moved 18 months ago. 'From what Im told, they operated out of the back parking lot. They dont operate here anymore,' Arnie Cornett said. He added that state police went to the hotel on Sunday night looking for Hussain to talk to him. Cornett claimed he lives in Dubai. Hussains last known address is a massive $1.8 million home set on more than three acres on a quiet cul-de-sac in prosperous Loudonville close to Albany. A pile of trash, that a neighbor said has been there since last Monday, stands rain-soaked at the end of the drive. The six-bedroom, 10,000 sq. ft. yellow clapboard home boasts five full and four half bathrooms and comes with a four-car garage and its own tennis court and sauna. It now sits empty with not a stick of furniture inside. The water in the large indoor pool is discolored from stagnation. The limousine in Saturday's crash failed a safety inspection a month ago and its driver did not have a license to carry commercial passengers It was at this home that Hussains lawyers, Tabner, Ryan & Keniry, successfully served him papers earlier this year in a $32,000 suit. The law firm claimed it had been chasing him for the money for eight years. The Loudonville neighbor said the family rented the home and he had heard that they have now moved abroad. Records reveal that he has been sued multiple times, including once by his own lawyer. A past review of Hasy Limousine, another name for Prestige Limousines, reveals the company's history of dangerous driving and shoddy customer service Hussain has been involved in dozens of lawsuits in Albany County going back to 1997, records show. In most cases he eventually paid up after dragging the matter out for years. In 2016 Hussain was sued by local law firm Tabner, Ryan and Keniry over unpaid bills which escalated to $42,139 including interest before Hussain finally paid them off in April this year. He paid $1,757 to the Memorial Hospital in Albany after it sued him and $35,000 to a company called Klein Candy Co after it took him to court. Others who have sued Hussain include the Albany based Proskin Law Firm, a mini mart, the New York state liquor board and Western Union financial services Hussain has changed the names of his businesses frequently and his companies include Wonderland Tire Co, Luxury Taxi, H A Hospitality, Martins Bicycle, Dream Enterprises Hussain also has several addresses listed on the lawsuits, some of which are different to his addresses on his public records profile. One of the many addresses the limousine company is listed to is the same Albany address Hussain gave when he was caught in his DMV scam in 2002. The Crest Inn which has a garish purple statue of a horse outside gets panned online. Cant believe this place is open, one reviewer said on Trip Advisor, while another simply said: Hazardous Inn. Of 29 reviewers, all but four gave the Crest the lowest grade of terrible. Paula C. from Boston wrote: this place was absolutely disgusting. horrible rooms, not clean, and cock roaches!!! no shampoo, no iron. The only positive review, going back to 2012 was from Joseph B of Sutton, Massachusetts, who headed his review Not a Dump, and called the place this quaint 1960s hotel. Even he admitted there was no light in his bathroom. I cannot believe that people are so disgusted with this place, he wrote. On Monday, Governor Cuomo said Hussain had 'no business' putting it on the road. 'The owner of the company had no business putting a failed vehicle on the road.I think the owner of Prestige has a lot of questions to answer,' he said. This is the bizarre moment a dog whips its tongue underneath a dog to get some treats. The German Shepherd named Zeus had spilled treats on to the floor and had to be locked into another room while they were cleaned up. But cunningly, the pup licked up the spilled treats from the other side of the closed door at his home in Ohio, America. Owner, Jay Malyuk, posted the hilarious video of his dog on Twitter showing off how cheeky the dog can be. He commented: 'Zeus gets plenty of food, but I do have to limit his treats! Hes a good boy and I didnt want him sick!' Zeus' tongue can be seen peering underneath the door to lick up spilled treats after his owner shut him in another room as they were cleaned up The video which has since gone viral has been compared to the hungry hippo game. One user commented: 'It's like the hungry, hungry hippo.' Owner, Jay Malyuk, (pictured) posted the hilarious video of his dog on Twitter showing off how cheeky the dog can be. Donald Trump claimed Monday that the emotionally draining Brett Kavanaugh saga was a 'hoax' perpetrated by 'evil' Senate Democrats involving some intentionally faked claims of sexual assault that were designed to derail the newest Supreme Court justice. The president told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House as he left for a speech in Florida that House Democrats are 'thinking about impeaching' the new Supreme Court justice if they take over control of the lower house of Congress next month. He described Kavanaugh as 'a man that did nothing wrong, a man that was caught up in a hoax that was set up by the Democrats, using the Democrats lawyers.' 'The American public has seen this charade, has seen this dishonesty by the Democrats,' Trump said. Hours later in Orlando, Florida, Trump told a convention of police chiefs that the weeks of constitutional limbo that put Kavanaugh's career in jeopardy and mobilized feminist groups 'was a disgraceful situation brought about by people that are evil, and he toughed it out.' President Donald Trump said Monday that 'evil' Democrats set up a 'hoax' with claims of 1980s-vintage sexual assault in a failed bid to derail Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court Evil? California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein provided most of the congressional muscle behind efforts to thwart Kavanaugh's rise to the nation's highest court Justice Kavanaugh (center) joined the Supreme Court on Saturday after a contentious campaign against him that fell short when the Senate voted 50-49 to confirm him 'He's a great person, and it was very, very unfair what happened to him,' Trump said. 'False charges, false accusations, horrible statements that were totally untrue, that he knew nothing about.' Trump didn't name his devilish opponents, but he has been critical of Senate Democrats and others who brought Kavanaugh's accusers forward and used them as levers of political pressure. Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats gave a global platform 11 days ago to Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of forcibly groping her and trying to undress her when they were both teenagers. Republicans in Washington, most notably females, have said they believe Ford was sexually assaulted in the early 1980s, but also find Kavanaugh's unequivocal denials convincing. Sen. Susan Collins, whose 'yes' vote turned the tide in Kavanaugh's favor, said Sunday on CNN that 'I do not believe that Brett Kavanaugh was her assailant. I do believe she was assaulted, I don't know by whom, and I'm not certain when. But I do not believe he was the assailant.' Evil? Lawyer Michael Avenatti (left) publicly advocated for client Julie Swetnick (right), who accused Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge of spiking teenage girls' drinks and participating in gang rapes; her claims were the most aggressive Kavanaugh faced, and some Republicans believe they saved Trump's nominee because they tainted the more credible ones Christine Blasey Ford testified in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on September 27 but couldn't proivide any corroborating witnesses to her claim that a drunken teenage Brett Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and forcibly groped her during a high school party in 1982 But Monday marked the first time Trump has assigned a motive to Democrats or suggested the claims of any of Kavanaugh's accusers were intentional fiction. The president had a special level of scorn for Julie Swetnick, a woman who claimed Kavanaugh and his friends spiked teenage girls' drinks to incapacitate them and participated in gang rapes during the 1980s, 'Take a look at the last one,' he said. 'The things they said about him! I dont even think he ever heard of the word. It was all made up, it was fabricated, and its a disgrace.' Lawyer Michael Avenatti brought Swetnick forward as a client and insists her stories are real. He also represents pornographic actress Stormy Daniels, the woman at the center of a hush-money arrangement related to an alleged sexual affair with the future president a decade ago. Avenatti is carrying on his own dalliance with the prospect of running for president in 2020 but some Republicans believe his attachment to the most implausible allegations against Kavanaugh tainted the more credible ones. President Trump said Monday morning as he left the White House that the three women's claims were an intentional 'hoax' Trump continued defending Kavanaugh on Monday, saying the newly minted justice 'did nothing wrong' and correctly noting that investigations found 'no corroboration of any kind' from witnesses to what Ford, Swetnick and Deborah Ramirez claimed to remember from more than three decades ago. He predicted during his morning White Hous departure that midterm voters will reward Republican lawmakers who supported Kavanaugh, defying conventional wisdom that suggests Democrats have momentum fueled by resentful protesters. 'I think its an insult to the American public,' Trump said of the organized opposition to Kavanaugh. 'And I think youre going to see a lot of things happen on November 6 that would not have happened before.' Himachal also reduces VAT on petrol, diesel Himachal Chief Minister reiterates pledge to fight against Corona Petrol, diesel cheaper in Haryana with VAT reduction 'Chhath' festival ends after 2nd 'argha' on Thursday Diaspora Bibi Jagir Kaur honored by World Peace Diplomacy Organization USA for her outstanding performance in the SGPC Aparna Satheesan receives National Natya Shiromani Award in USA Sahaita partners with Atam Pargas to support 70 families of farmers who have passed away in Delhi protest Hillary Clinton says democracy is 'under siege' and is pointing to Russia as the perpetrator behind today's political turmoil. The former First Lady slammed Vladimir Putin's administration saying they've meddled in American and British politics - aiding Trump to win the 2016 presidential election over her. She questioned why the public and press are 'so reluctant to call out what the Russians have been doing', while speaking at the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) at the University of Oxford on Monday evening. 'Democracy is under siege, international cooperation is being diminished and dismissed, and we have to ask ourselves, how do we maintain the democratic experiment in self government and how do we find the cooperation around the world and stand against this tide that seems to be sweeping Europe and the United States that is really undermining the extraordinary work that was done,' she said. Hillary Clinton accused Vladimir Putin's regime of meddling in democracies around the world during a talk on Monday evening at Oxford University for the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights During her speech she accused Vladimir Putin of Russia of supporting right wing politicians across the globe, meddling in the U.S. presidential election in 2016 and of funding Brexit Then she pointed her finger toward's Russia's intervention in the world of democracy. 'As we learn more about the role that Putin, oligarchs around him, the Russian government particularly, the intelligence forces have played, we see that its not just what they did in our election in the United States,' she said. 'They have been actively supporting right wing political parties and politicians,' she added. Addressing the press, politicians and the public she said: 'What they did in Brexit, what they did in the United States... You have to understand what Putins goal is.' 'He called the collapse of the Soviet Union the biggest catastrophe in history. Now, that takes some doing to think that was the biggest catastrophe in history,' she added. She urged people to 'follow the money'. She called out the NRA for going to Russia for funds and splashing out more than 30million dollars against her during her presidential campaign in 2016 against Donald Trump She warned the public, press, and politicians to speak out against Russian intervention in other countries saying: 'Its only going to get worse, and this is something that I think everybody needs to pay attention to' 'When the NRA spends more money against me than theyve ever spent against any candidate, more than 30million dollars, and theyve been going to Russia?' she noted. She also pointed towards the funding behind the UK's Leave Campaign that successfully pushed for a membership referendum vote in 2016 and resulted in Great Britain breaking away from the European Union. 'You just might think it came from one of the Oligarchs at Putins direction,' Clinton said. Clinton warned that Russia's list 'is really long now' and the internet has given Putin's regime a 'great advantage because they are able to sow discontent, divisiveness and false information incredibly easily'. 'Its only going to get worse, and this is something that I think everybody needs to pay attention to,' she said. 'The technology has advanced so much that its not only the false stories that the phony news services are now directing at your Facebook feed, it will be taking the words you say out of many different contexts and putting it together to say something you never said,' Clinton warned. Along with Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, the former Principal of Mansfield College, the two shared a conversation about the role of women in promoting and protecting human rights. At the talk they also unveiled a statue of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt outside of the Institute. 'Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world said Eleanor Roosevelt, whose statue will be unveiled today by @HillaryClinton @MansfieldOxford @BonaveroIHR #udhr70 pic.twitter.com/zGkboYWXkW Bonavero Institute of Human Rights (@BonaveroIHR) October 8, 2018 The Miss America Organization has struck back against a revolt by dozens of states this summer against the national leadership of the pageant headed by former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson. Four states have had their licenses terminated, meaning current leaders must be replaced. They can appeal to a Miss America executive committee. About 15 states have been threatened with probation, and some have been thanked for supporting national leaders including former Fox News Carlson, who is the chairwoman for the organization. Gretchen Carlson (pictured in August) and the Miss America Organization, is striking back against state pageant groups who revolted against the national leadership in the run-up to this year's competition Georgia and West Virginia are among the states notified in recent days that their state licences were being terminated, said Paul Perkins, a lawyer representing both states. Pennsylvania pageant official, Chet Welch, confirmed his state has also had a termination notice Georgia and West Virginia are among the states notified in recent days that their state licences were being terminated, said Paul Perkins, a lawyer representing both states. Pennsylvania pageant official, Chet Welch, confirmed his state has also had a termination notice. One other state has been terminated, according to state officials and a former national board member, but its officials did not respond to messages seeking comment. 'They are upset, but now they are scared too,' said Jennifer Vaden Barth, a former national board member and a former Miss North Carolina. 'This just validates why people are upset and why they felt the need to speak out in the first place.' A state organization that has its license terminated can no longer claim to be affiliated with the Miss America Organization and must, among other things, turn over bank accounts with scholarship money to the national leadership. Vaden Barth formed a GoFundMe account called the Miss America Organization Leadership Change Fund that has raised more than $22,000 to help states defend themselves and advocate for new leadership. When this years pageant was held last month, 46 of the 51 state pageant organizations (the District of Columbia is included) had called on the two to resign, along with 23 former Miss Americas. It followed the release of a remarkable letter from the outgoing Miss America, Cara Mund, in which she said she had been marginalized and bullied by top pageant leaders. An investigation commissioned by the Miss America Organization found no evidence to back up that claim, but investigators did not interview Mund for the report. Carlson, who was Miss America in 1989, has said that the decision to eliminate the swimsuit competition (pictured in 2017) has made the pageant more relevant and has been praised by many supporters who considered the pageant outdated and demeaning to women Carlson, who was Miss America in 1989, has said that the decision to eliminate the swimsuit competition has made the pageant more relevant and has been praised by many supporters who considered the pageant outdated and demeaning to women. But many state officials say their dissatisfaction stemmed not from swimsuit elimination, but by the way Carlson and CEO Regina Hopper run the organization. Carlson said in August that the organization needed to heal a rift that saw more than a dozen state groups call for her and other top leaders to resign. At the time, Carlson said Miss America officials at all levels need to be 'on the same page'. She also dismissed critics as 'a noisy minority' unhappy over the elimination of the swimsuit competition from this year's nationally televised broadcast and resistant to change in general. Last month, 22 state-level pageant officials signed a letter expressing no confidence in Carlson, president and CEO Regina Hopper and the current board, claiming 'Miss America 2.0 is simply a new title for the same old tactics of obfuscation and fear-based governance'. At least 30 former Miss Americas have voiced confidence in the current leadership. Hopper said critics are unhappy that Miss America is eliminating the swimsuit competition, a staple of the pageant since it debuted in 1921. She said the reinvention of Miss America is a turnaround that would typically take two to four years in the corporate world but had to be done in eight months, forcing people to come to terms with it much quicker than usual. Carlson and Hopper were among a wave of female leadership swept into office after emails from former pageant leaders denigrating the appearance, intellect and sex lives of ex-Miss Americas surfaced last December. But many state officials say their dissatisfaction stemmed not from swimsuit elimination, but by the way Carlson and CEO Regina Hopper run the organization. Nia Franklin (pictured), of New York, was crowned the 92nd Miss America in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 9 But the decision to drop the swimsuit competition and the way opponents say it was presented to them led many to rethink their initial support for the new regime. Many opponents say Carlson and others presented the swimsuit elimination as an ultimatum, coupled with a threat that the pageant would lose its national television broadcast if swimsuits were retained. 'We were told we had a choice - it was either swimsuit or TV,' Leah Summers, executive director of the Miss West Virginia Organization, said at the time. 'I heard from Regina Hopper and Gretchen Carlson that sponsors and networks will not come if we had swimsuit,' Jennifer Vaden Barth, a former board member and former Miss North Carolina, also said at the time. Vaden Barth said when she and others questioned that, 'they said, "No, no, no, we didn't mean ABC, we were talking about production companies."' An ABC spokeswoman said the network never threatened to cancel the broadcast, and Hopper confirmed that in January, months before the swimsuit decision was made, ABC agreed to broadcast the pageant. Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell said the decision to eliminate swimsuit was presented as a fait accompli. 'I thought it would be like, "Hey, what's y'all's opinion?"' she said in August. 'But, no. It was, "I have taken away swimsuit and we expect your support." If they had taken a poll, they would have gotten a resounding "no."' Critics say the swimsuit decision was not the genesis of their opposition to Carlson and her team but rather was a symptom of poor management and poor communication. Hopper said state officials and former Miss Americas were given a voice in the future direction of Miss America but have confused that with veto power. 'Just because you have a voice doesn't mean your particular opinion gets accepted,' Hopper said. 'States are licensees. If I'm a McDonald's licensee and the corporate office decides, "We're going to serve chocolate french fries" and I'm sitting here saying, "I don't want to serve chocolate french fries," well, you're going to serve chocolate french fries.' Nia Franklin, of New York, was crowned the 92nd Miss America in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 9. Lee was with girlfriend Katie Szczepaniak who managed to hide her phone and call and ambulance which arrived in minutes Police in Minneapolis are on the hunt for a man who shot a member of a local rock band in the lower stomach shortly before he was due to play a gig Friday, leaving a bullet lodged in his leg bone for life. Aaron 'Hix' Lee was with girlfriend Katie Szczepaniak on the busy junction of 13th Avenue and 4th Street NE when the assailant stepped out of a car and approached them from behind. 'The only words I remember him saying were, "Give me your phones and your wallets",' Szczepaniak told Star Tribune about the incident nearby the 331 Club at 10.30pm. The bullet entered his stomach, under his navel, nicked his colon, severed his iliac vein before lodging in his leg bone. Red Daughters keyboard-player Aaron 'Hix' Lee was shot on 13th Avenue and 4th Street NE in Minneapolis after being robbed last Friday The couple had dropped off the band's equipment in preparation for the Red Daughters' show and were heading back to her apartment when they were approached. Although they complied with the order, the man who Szczepaniak said she could tell was holding a gun that was loaded due to his shaky demeanor - started to walk away but then changed his mind. 'The guy turned around and just shot him,' she said, noting: 'He seemed like a loose cannon.' Strangers rushed over to help when the shocked woman called out on the well-lit block which has the lowest percentage of violent crime in the city for 2018 so far. 'My boyfriend's been shot!' she recalls yelling before someone came with a towel to mop up the blood and others gathered to help until emergency services arrived within minutes. Lee's girlfriend still had her phone and called the ambulance, the New York Post reports. The incident occurred nearby the 331 Club at 10.30pm on a well-lit and busy street The suspect who Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder describes as a black male in his 40s who wore a dark jacket with a hood sped off in his vehicle and a white SUV may be involved in the incident. While on Sunday Lee was expected to survive, he reportedly will have to keep the bullet which traveled from below his belly button, nicking his colon and severing his iliac vein into his leg bone, in his body for the rest of his life. Lee has undergone two surgeries and will have to stay in hospital for up to two weeks under supervision. It means he'll miss out on earning money from the other bands he plays in, as well as jobs he does as a commercial painter and electrician on commercial boats. Lee is described as 'our favorite bearded, cowboy hat wearing, key-pounding, jalopy driving, band mate' and is not covered by health insurance in his various jobs The musician who also works as a server at Pizza Nea is loved in the community and the venue's owner Michael Sherwood is holding a fundraiser Saturday to help raise $100,000 Plus Lee described as 'our favorite bearded, cowboy hat wearing, key-pounding, jalopy driving, band mate' - is not covered by health insurance. His friends set up a GoFundMe page to help raise $100,000 to cover medical costs and by Monday afternoon they had already reached more than $42,000. The musician who also works as a server at Pizza Nea is loved in the community and the venue's owner is holding a fundraising event to help relieve the financial strain in the journey to recovery. 'Everybody loves Aaron,' owner Michael Sherwood told Star Tribune. 'He just glows with happiness and warmth. There's no finer human being.' Szczepaniak added: 'Its overwhelmingly amazing. We're beyond thankful.' In a tightly controlled interview, 95-year-old Marvel creator and mogul, Stan Lee along with his daughter and her attorney, discussed his former advisers who were reportedly taking advantage of him. Lee, along with his daughter J.C. and her attorney Kirk Schenck, the son of NCIS executive producer, George Schenck, spoke to The Daily Beast in an apparent effort to set the record straight on allegations of elder abuse lodged against J.C. and to denounce his previous handlers who had made the claims against her. After Joan, his wife of 70 years passed away in June of 2017, and while Lee was battling pneumonia, several people had emerged in an disturbing alleged grab for power over Lee, as well as control of his vast fortune that is estimated to be between $50 million and $70million. One-by-one Lee fought back against three figures. He filed suit against Jerry Olivarez, a former business associate of his daughter J.C.'s. Lee accused Olivarez of manipulating him into signing over power of attorney following his wife's death, and who it is alleged, pushed through a $300,000 payment to a sham charity. In a tightly controlled interview, Stan Lee discussing his former associates who had allegedly went for a grab of power, and his money, while J.C. (pictured together) defended herself against claims she was verbally and physically abusive to the Marvel mogul During the interview, J.C. and her attorney, Keith Schenck (right) both defend themselves against allegations that he had supplied Lee's daughter with drugs Lee was granted an elder abuse restraining order against his former manager, Keya Morgan, who was a friend of J.C.'s and was accused of making phony 911 calls in an apparent effort to keep the mogul's friends and family away from him. Additionally, Lee's long-time road manager Mac 'Max' Anderson was kicked out of Lee's inner-circle over allegations he had been ripping the comic-book legend off for years. Before the interview begins in earnest, J.C.'s lawyer, Schenck says to DB about her relationship with Lee: 'They yell at each other sometimes, but she is the love of his life, and she has gotten a bad rap because there's four guysMax Anderson, Jerry Olivares, Keya Morgan and Brad Herman. All of them have been kicked out, because she is essentially the only one forcing the bad guys away from him.' During DB's interview, there are several phones recording audio and video, with J.C. hovering close by and interjecting often. Lee says 'As far as I'm concerned, we have a wonderful life. I'm pretty damn lucky. I love my daughter, I'm hoping that she loves me, and I couldn't ask for a better life. If only my wife was still with us. I don't know what this is all about.' He is asked about the allegations of elder abuse at the hands of J.C., and, seemingly jests: 'I wish that everyone would be as abusive to me as JC,' with his daughter quickly jumping in 'He wishes everyone was so abusive.' 'She is a wonderful daughter. I like her. We have occasional spats. But I have occasional spats with everyone. I'll probably have one with you [to DB reporter], where I'll be saying, ''I didn't say that!'' But, that's life.' They discuss Morgan's allegations of elder abuse that he lodged against Lee's only daughter. 'I found out that he wasn't really what I signed on for. So, I let him go,' Lee responds, and then is asked again pointedly if he is surprised Morgan has alleged the mogul's daughter was abusive. 'But it wouldn't surprise me, no,' adding 'He was a guy helping me. I can't do everything. I thought he'd maybe help J.C. It didn't work. In fact, he turned out to be quite a disappointment. I think he was wanted by the police, but I'm not sure.' The interview moves onto allegations about Anderson ripping Lee, and his intellectual property, off. 'No, not any more. He was doing that for a while,' Lee responds. Then it moves back to Morgan, who had video-taped Lee talking about J.C.'s relationship with her attorney Shenck, and how her now attorney had supplied her with drugs, while Lee is asked if he had been prompted to say those things about his daughter. 'Well, I heard that he had been saying things against her. But that doesn't surprise me, because there is so much of that happening in Hollywood. When you stop working for somebody, you can have an unfriendly misalliance,' Lee says. J.C., trying to guide the interview, says to her father: 'Daddy, this is what he's saying: Keya. Bad-ass Keya said terrible things about me, and also about Kirk. And he's just saying, to set things straight, ''Do you really think Kirk is supplying your daughter with drugs and is this bad person?'' He's not. Kirk helps me out.' Lee jumps in and says 'My daughter has a friendship with Kirk for 30, 40 years.' Bad actors: J.C. had introduced Keya Morgan (together, left) to her father to help him with things following her mother's passing. Additionally Jerry Olivarez (right) was accused of manipulating Lee into signing over power of attorney to him- he was a former business associate of J.C.'s previously Lee also ousted his long time road manager, Mac 'Max' Anderson, who he believes had been ripping him off for years With J.C., now annoyed, jumps in 'No, a few years! What are you sayingthirty, forty years? I've been friends with Kirk for four or five years. The interviewer again clarifies that it was Lee who said these things about his daughter and Kirk's relationship. I must have been talking about someone else. People are always talking about people here. Maybe somebody mentioned that to me at the time, but it's never something I would say,' Lee says, clearly still confused there is video of him talking about his daughter's relationship with her now attorney. Next J.C. is in the hot seat, being asked if she has ever yelled at Lee. 'Unfortunately, I didn't until the last ten years or sonever before. Having someone not being able to hear, and also having a strong personality thatyou know, he's a strong guy. But, you know, he can't hear. We're not alone, and there's always other people and influences, and I find that, yes, I've been raising my voice for several years,' J.C. explains. 'And I've had these horrible people in my family's home, telling my parents the worst things: ''Do you know what Kirk does? He's buying them drugs!'' Everyone is talking dirt like you've never heard. This poor man is worried about his only daughter. He's sitting up here, and Keya had him so afraidhe was calling 911! It's all about divide and conquer. Divide, conquer, destroyand it's been a horrible situation. 'And they turn my father so against me that he didn't know he had a daughter. He thought he had a son named Keya! I was never a child that ever yelled, but I also have to say, I've been damn angry. I've had Keya, and Max before him, take over this house, where they're not allowed to talk on the phone with me. Scientology. Don't want to mention it, but you better believe, it's right there,' she adds. She also defends herself against the allegations of elder abuse against her parents, saying: 'As long as I've lived, I have never touched my mother, my father, or a dog. Never. How that ever happened between us, my mother was very ill. She was on major drugs and drink for the pain. And she didn't make it really easy. And people said things. Nothing was touched. And she was a little off, to say the least. And these people from this cult or whatever, were trying to get everything. Ask me how much they did get.' Then she adds: 'It was a terrible situation. There was never physical violence in this house. Never. I will take anything from anyone, anytime.' J.C. also admits her father takes care of her financially but says allegations she's blowing through six-figures-a-month are untrue. Lee does admit she will sometimes ask for more money than she was originally given, but that its okay because he is leaving it all to her anyway. It is estimated Lee is worth between $50 and $70million. Pret a Mangers fresh baguettes are made in a French factory and can keep for up to a year, the Mail reveals today. The sandwich chain regularly describes its products as natural and boasts of baking bread throughout the day in-store with wonderful bakers ovens. Of its baguettes, Prets website says: The fresher the better. However they are made on an industrial estate near Rennes by the global food giant Bridor. Part-baked and frozen to -18C, they are shipped to Pret stores where best before labels suggest they can be kept in freezers for up to 12 months before use. The Bridor Bakery in Servon-Sur-Vilaine, near Rennes, France, where baguettes are made Part-baked and frozen to -18C, the baguettes are shipped to Pret stores where best before labels suggest they can be kept in freezers for up to 12 months before use Staff finish cooking the bread in ovens before adding fillings. I cant believe the bare-faced cheek, said Chris Young of the Real Bread Campaign. They merely use their ovens as loaf-tanning salons. This is downright misleading. To now learn that the factory isnt even in the UK is simply shocking. The revelation follows news that a second Pret customer had died following an allergic reaction. She was named yesterday as Celia Marsh, 42. The mother of five died last December after eating a super-veg rainbow flatbread containing a yoghurt that was supposed to be dairy-free but contained milk. Staff at Pret stores finish cooking the bread in ovens before adding fillings Pret was already in the spotlight because of last months inquest into the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse from an allergic reaction to sesame seeds in a baguette that did not have specific allergen warnings on the label. The firm has pledged to review its labelling methods following criticism from the coroner. The Bridor plant in Servon-sur-Vilaine that supplies Pret dominates an industrial estate just off the E50 arterial motorway across Europe. The complex is surrounded by a large security fence, with its financial success only alluded to by an adjoining glass building housing the headquarters of its multi-billion parent company, Group Le Duff. Mother of five Celia Marsh, 42, died last December after eating a super-veg rainbow flatbread containing a yoghurt that was supposed to be dairy-free but contained milk Bakers leaving the factory over the weekend were reluctant to speak and Bridor did not respond to requests for comment. However one worker in the firms head office confirmed the factory provided bread to Pret in Britain. Bridor also has a base in Camberley, Surrey, staffed by young bakers from Eastern Europe, France, Italy and even China, all working round the clock. The Mail has seen a label from a box of 30 part-baked frozen Bridor baguettes which were in use at a central London Pret last week. The date of production was September 6 2018 and the best before September 6 2019. Bridor is not believed to Prets only bread supplier. George Fuller of the Craft Bakers Association said: Their products could easily be made in Britain, which is quite frustrating. Their decision to describe their products as fresh and natural has the potential to annoy our members. There is no legal definition for this, as such, so you end up in a situation where they can call their products what they want. The demise of the high street baker is a serious concern to us and the fact a chain with such a big presence in Britain is making their bread abroad is a worry. Pret was already in the spotlight because of last months inquest into the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse (pictured) from an allergic reaction to sesame seeds in a baguette Earlier this year, Pret was at the centre of a case involving the Advertising Standards Authority about the descriptions it uses for its products. As a result it was told to stop using the word natural in its marketing and on its website because of the use of several additives in its supplier-made bread. The Real Bread Campaign had found E-numbers in its bread which were not labelled on packs. However, Pret was allowed to keep saying its bread was freshly-baked as the ASA said customers would not necessarily think that meant it was made from scratch. Yesterday, Pret did not dispute that it used Bridor as a supplier. When asked specifically about describing frozen products as fresh, it referred the Mail to the ASA ruling. The Pret statement said: The ASA ruled that consumers were unlikely to interpret baked in store to mean only products that were made from scratch using basic raw materials such as flour and butter. A statement from Pret said the ASA ruled consumers were 'unlikely to interpret baked in store to mean only products that were made from scratch using basic raw materials...' We considered that consumers were likely to interpret it to include products which were cooked from frozen raw dough or from part-baked dough. Pret also said: Once the bread is fully-baked in shops it is sold on the day or given to charity. There is no suggestion that Bridor was in any way responsible for Natashas death, a point made by a Pret a Manger spokesman. Boxes of baguettes sent to Pret a Manger from Bridor, which is said to make products for coffee chains Starbucks, Costa and Caffe Nero, clearly label all ingredients and allergen information in four languages. One artisan baguette label seen by the Mail also listed the potential allergens wheat, gluten and nuts. The founder of Bridor is billionaire Frenchman Louis Le Duff, known as the pastry king. He made his fortune after founding French cafe chain Brioche Doree in 1976. It now has more than 600 bakeries around the world, with Le Duff vowing that it would have a turnover of one billion euros a year by 2020. One of the last relatives of Adolf Hitler was to marry a Jewish woman but the engagement fell through when she learnt of his shocking family history, it has been revealed. Alexander, Brian and Louis Stuart-Houston are the last surviving great-nephews of the Nazi dictator and have spent their lifetimes concealing their controversial lineage from the world. In his first newspaper interview in more than a decade, Alexander, the oldest of the brothers, and whose middle name is Adolf, broke his silence to say rumours the trio agreed to remain unmarried and childless so the Hitler line would die with them were b******t. Alexander Stuart-Houston pictured talking to a reporter at his Long Island, New York home He revealed that one of the brothers, who he would not name, had in fact planned to marry his Jewish girlfriend, but the relationship soured when she learnt of the familys history. Alexanders denial of any pact between them runs contrary to comments he made to the British journalist David Gardner in 2002 in which he said that his brothers may have made an agreement without his knowledge. He said: Maybe my other two brothers did [make a pact], but I never did. Alexanders brothers Louis, left, and Brian. Alexander revealed one brother, who he would not name, had been engaged to a Jewish girlfriend until she found out about his family secret The brothers' father, William Patrick Hitler, was the nephew of the late Nazi dictator. He is shown (left), as he received his discharge from the U. S. Navy in Boston. William Hitler came to the U. S. from England in 1938 A fourth brother, Howard, who worked as a tax inspector, was married to a woman called Marie, but died in a car accident on Long Island in 1989. He had reportedly been determined to start a family, but it is not thought he had any children. Most of the brothers neighbours in the small town of Patchogue, Long Island, where they all live, know nothing of their unusual family tree. Their father, William Hitler who Alexander described as a good man was the Fuhrers nephew. Their grandfather was Alois Hitler, half-brother to Adolf, who married an Irishwoman he had met while working as a waiter in Dublin. The brothers' father, William Hitler who Alexander described as a good man was the Fuhrers (pictured) nephew It is a secret the brothers have guarded closely all their lives, declining media interviews and even shelving plans for their own book. We discussed it and changed our minds, Alexander, 68, a retired psychotherapist, told Bild, the German newspaper. We wont do it. Not for all the money in the world. Their father, who was born in Liverpool and known as Willy, ended up moving to the US. He even joined the Navy and fought against the Germans Hitler against Hitler was a coup for American propaganda. After the war he withdrew to Long Island with his German wife, Phyllis, trying to spare his four sons the curse of the family name. In 1946 it became Hiller, and later Stuart-Houston the name now used by Alexander and his brothers. The Mail revealed yesterday that Alexander is a staunch Republican, like his brothers, but does not approve of Donald Trump, who he called a liar. He told Bild: Some things that Trump says are all right Its his manner that annoys me. And I just dont like liars. Postal services are something that people all over the world often take for granted, but the day to celebrate them and recognize their contributions to modern society and the global economy is almost here. World Post Day will soon be celebrated worldwide, marking the anniversary of a key date in postal history and giving people around the world the opportunity to partake in fun activities designed to commemorate the day. Heres all you need to know about what World Post Day is, when it is, what the theme for 2018 will be and some ideas for activities to celebrate it. The United States Postal Service and other postal service play a key role in the global economy What is World Post Day? World Post Day is an annual event designed to highlight the importance of postal services around the world and to raise awareness of them and their contributions to society and the global economy. The event was first declared at the 1969 United Postal Congress in Tokyo, Japan and is celebrated annually on October 9, marking the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union on that date in Switzerland in 1874. The creation of the Universal Postal Union, now a body of the United Nations, helped to make the delivery of postal letters and packages much more efficient, simple and coordinated, greatly improving communications throughout the entire world. When is World Post Day 2018? World Post Day 2018 will be held on Tuesday, October 9. The event occurs on October 9 on an annual basis. What is the World Post Day 2018 theme? Every year, a new theme is chosen to mark the holiday. The theme for World Post Day 2018 will reportedly be: Imagine you are a letter travelling through time. What message do you wish to convey to your readers? World Post Day activities To celebrate World Post Day, a number of fun activities can be held for people of all ages throughout the world. Just a few ideas include starting a stamp collection, writing letters to a pen pal, writing a letter to your future self detailing what life is like at your current age, attending workshops and lectures on postal history and much more. An exotic pet collector who kept a 4ft crocodile and 23 snakes in appalling conditions has been jailed. Lee Thompson held the South American spectacled caiman in a shallow pen in his bedroom in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. When police raided the rented home they also found 16 live snakes, including two albino cobras, four spitting cobras, a rattlesnake, python and scorpion. Lee Thompson, above, 36, known as 'snake' because of a tattoo on his neck, was jailed for 26 weeks after failing to attend his trial at Basildon Magistrates' Court in August Inside the bedroom, RSPCA inspectors said they found the crocodile, seen above right, contained only in tarpaulin and flimsy wooden boards, the court heard The snakes had no food, water or heat source and were kept in poorly-ventilated plastic boxes. Seven of the snakes were dead and had been left to decompose, with the survivors taken into the care of the RSPCA. RSPCA inspector Rebecca Benson told the court: 'Before we even entered the room we could smell a strong scent of faeces and rotting flesh. 'Inside the bedroom, we found the crocodile contained only in tarpaulin and flimsy wooden boards. 'The crocodile had no clean water and its heat lamp was unsecured and the animal could have easily knocked the lamp. 'None of the snakes had access to food or clean water and were being kept in plastic boxes with holes in them.' Thompson, 36, known as 'snake' because of a tattoo on his neck, was jailed for 26 weeks after failing to attend his trial at Basildon Magistrates' Court in August. The court was told the crocodile, above, had no clean water and its heat lamp was unsecured. The crocodile was contained only in tarpaulin and flimsy wooden boards. He was convicted in his absence of four counts of animal cruelty. Police finally caught up with him in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, on September 11 and he was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court last Wednesday. He was given a ten-year ban from keeping dangerous wild animals without a licence in 2009. Thousands of new immigrants will be forced to live outside Sydney and Melbourne for their first five years in Australia as part of a major shake-up of the federal government's population policy. Immigrants will be granted restricted visas to counter growth in those cities, which has outstripped forecasts by 100 per cent in the past decade, Population and Urban Infrastructure Minister Alan Tudge will tell the Menzies Research Centre on Tuesday. 'The main factor driving our growth has been net overseas migration, accounting for 60 per cent of population growth over the last decade, while the remaining growth has been due to natural increases,' Mr Tudge will say, according to The Australian. Thousands of immigrants will be forced to live outside Sydney and Melbourne for their first five years in Australia. Pictured: The Melbourne city skyline from Box Hill 'This is a serious challenge for families and a serious economic challenge for the nation. There was insufficient infrastructure built in the early 2000s, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney, to cater for forecast growth, let alone the actual growth. 'While the overall population of Australia has been growing at the rapid rate of 1.6 per cent per annum, our three large population centres have been some of the fastest-growing cities in the world.' Mr Tudge will tell the Menzies Research Centre Melbourne's population grew by 2.7 per cent in 2017, south-east Queensland by 2.3 per cent and Sydney by 2.1 per cent. The government hopes to claw back some of the $25billion a year in lost economic activity due to city congestion, Mr Tudge will say. Multi-billion dollar fast rail projects to ease urban congestion are also being considered. The lines being considered include from Newcastle to Sydney, Shepparton to Melbourne - as well as from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane. Canberra will work with the states to implement new infrastructure planning and population controls under its proposed population policy. Meanwhile, Bill Shorten has unveiled Labor's election manifesto in a five-point policy agenda, drawing the battlelines for the next federal poll. In a major speech which smacked of an election campaign launch, Mr Shorten told party faithful at the Revesby Workers' Club in western Sydney about Labor's 'fair go action plan'. Population growth has outstripped forecasts by 100 per cent in the past decade, Population and Urban Infrastructure Minister Alan Tudge (pictured) will say on Tuesday The plan includes improving schools and hospitals, standing up for workers, easing pressure on family budgets, ensuring a strong economy and investing in cleaner and cheaper energy. 'We want to hand on a better deal to the next generation than the one we received. It's in the Australian DNA, and it's in Labor DNA,' Mr Shorten said. Mr Shorten's speech came after he last week revealed a $1.75 billion preschool policy which would extend subsidised early childhood education to three-year-olds. 'It's as profound as raising the school leaving age,' he said. Mr Shorten claimed dysfunction within the Liberal Party, who dumped Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister in August and replaced him with Scott Morrison, had increased pressure on Labor. 'The narcissistic self-obsession we've seen from the Liberals and the Nationals actually creates a bigger challenge for us on the Labor side,' he said. He said Labor now faced the task of restoring Australians' faith in democracy and politics. The Morrison government is also considering funding multi-billion dollar fast rail projects to ease urban congestion. Pictured: A new housing estate at Oran Park in Sydney 'Let's make the next election a contest about a fair go for every Australian and their family, regardless of their gender, their postcode or their wealth,' Mr Shorten said. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Mr Shorten would pay for spending promises through hiking taxes. 'I will tell you what Bill Shorten's five-point plan is - more tax, more tax, more tax, more tax, more tax,' Mr Morrisons said. 'More tax doesn't grow the economy. All it means is more tax dragging the economy down taking more of what Australians earn.' Mr Morrison said the election would be next year, with the poll due by May 2019. Likely voters in 69 key House districts prefer to vote for Democrats in this November's election, a new poll revealed on Monday. The results are a red flag for Republicans a month out from Election Day as more and more independent political prognosticators predict Democrats will take control of House of Representatives. President Donald Trump is fighting to keep his party in power on Capitol Hill, traveling multiple times a week around the country to rally the voters who put him power, while Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi are urging Democrats and their voting groups - union, women, and minorities - to turn out in November and return them to power. President Donald Trump is fighting to keep his party in power on Capitol Hill Democratic Leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are urging Democrats and their voting groups - union, women, and minorities - to turn out in November and return them to power Democrats need to gain 23 seats in order to take control of the lower chamber. And, in the RealClearPolitics polling average, led by 6.6 percent on the generic congressional ballot. And Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball says the election environment 'remains treacherous for Republicans.' Early voting begins soon in many states and a new Washington Post-Schar School survey shows that likely voters in these districts favor Democrats by a slight margin: 50 percent prefer the Democratic nominee and 46 percent prefer the Republican. In comparison, in 2016 these same districts favored Republican candidates over Democratic ones by 15 percentage points, 56 percent to 41 percent. The results also reflect the gender divide that engulfed the country after Trump's election and flared up again during Brett Kavanaugh's contentious Supreme Court confirmation process. Women supported Democrats by 54 percent to 40 percent in the poll while men in the House districts favored Republicans by 51 percent to 46 percent. The poll was conducted Sept. 19 through Oct. 5, while Capitol Hill was consumed with the confirmation battle. The survey spoke to 2,672 likely voters in the 69 districts and has a margin of error of +/- 2 percent. The poll was conducted when Brett Kavanaugh's bruising confirmation process was going on Both sides hope to rally their base after the bruising fight to get Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court although it remains to early to tell his final affect on the ballot box. Meanwhile Trumps approval rating remains below 50 percent despite a steady economy, low unemployment and a rising stock market. The 69 House districts included in the poll were spread across the country, 63 are held by Republicans and six are held by Democrats. Trump won 48 of these districts and Hillary Clinton took the other 21 in 2016. In the districts won by Trump, likely voters are split 48 percent for the Democratic candidate and 47 percent for the Republican. In the districts won by Clinton, Democrats have a 10-point lead: 53 percent to 43 percent. Moscow court upholds detention of Dagestan antimonopoly official Yevgeny Odinokov 17:15 08/10/2018 MOSCOW, October 8 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court has upheld extended detention of the Federal Antimonopoly Services Dagestan Directorate chief Kubasay Kubasayev charged with taking over 2.5 million rubles ($45,500) in bribes, the press-service of the court has told RAPSI. The defendant is to stay in detention until November 22. The official is charged with taking a bribe and may stay for 15 years in prison if convicted. Kubasayev was first detained in March. According to investigation, between 2013 and 2015, Kubasayev received money, Swiss watches and a sporting gun for a total of about 2.6 million rubles from Shamil Kadiyev, the director of the republics state public institution Office of the Single State Customer - Developer. In return, he did not obstruct the holding of auctions by the organization for the right of concluding government contracts. Prison officers will be armed with police-style pepper spray as part of a major crackdown on violence in jails. Guards at 91 prisons are to be issued with the canisters at a cost of 2million, prisons minister Rory Stewart will announce today. The sprays, which incapacitate their victim by causing severe eye pain, will help officers keep control of chaotic inmates, Mr Stewart said. Until now, pepper sprays have only been given to cyclone squads sent in to break up prison riots. As part of a major crackdown on violence in jails, prison officers at 91 prisons across the UK will be armed with police-style pepper spray, prisons minister Rory Stewart has announced. (Stock photo) The announcement comes as another damning prison report revealed inmates at Exeter jail are attacking wardens with a mixture of boiling water and sugar. Synthetic pepper spray or PAVA is used by some police forces instead of CS spray. After a trial at four jails, it will now be handed to all prison officers guarding adult males in England and Wales. Ministers are also considering whether to give the spray to guards in juvenile and womens prisons. Last night Mr Stewart said the move would help improve control of chaotic inmates and added: Prison officers ability to keep control of prisons is vital to ensuring everyones safety. Violent individuals are as much of a danger to other prisoners as they are to prison officers. Until now, the sprays, which incapacitate their victim by causing severe eye pain, have only been given to cyclone squads sent in to break up prison riots. (Stock photo) Safer prisons means dealing effectively with a dangerous minority, while allowing more offenders into education and work and reducing the likelihood of them reoffending. The Prison Officers Association welcomed the move, and warned their members were working in the most hostile and violent workplace in Western Europe. Chairman Mark Fairhurst said: The POA have campaigned tirelessly to ensure that our members receive the protective equipment they so desperately require to quell violence and keep themselves and prisoners safe. Standards in Britains jails have been brought into sharp focus by a series of shocking disclosures this year. In August, a report found that staff had lost control of Birmingham Prison, one of the biggest in Britain. It said inmates were openly taking drugs, carrying out assaults and behaving with near impunity. Justice Secretary David Gauke took the dramatic step of moving the jail back into Government control for at least six months. It was run by G4S on a 15-year, 30million private contract. says staff see drugs and appalling conditions as normal. After a surprise visit to the Victorian jail in May, Mr Clarke used an emergency procedure to demand action from the Ministry of Justice. In the full report he identifies a concerning trend of prisoners throwing boiling water mixed with sugar at staff. This had happened at least 25 times in the six months before his visit and there were eight incidents in May alone. Mr Clarke reported that there had been six self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection, and another soon afterwards. Self harm was up 40 per cent and the number of assaults on prisoners had doubled. Six in ten inmates said it was easy to get drugs and a quarter tested positive for illegal substances. The jails CCTV system was also ineffective as prisoners had scratched camera lenses. Two former Tesco 'generals' cooked the books in a bid to boost the value of their own shares in a move that wiped 2 billion off the company's share value, a court heard. Chris Bush, 52, and John Scouler, 50, encouraged workers to log future profits in a bid to inflate the perceived value of the company, it was said. They did this to boost the value of their own multimillion pound share packages and to secure their jobs in the face of fierce competition from discount European supermarkets like Ali and Lidl, Southwark Crown Court heard. Christopher Bush (pictured left) and John Scouler (pictured right) pictured outside court, encouraged workers to log future profits in a bid to inflate the perceived value of the company, it was said Sasha Wass QC, prosecuting, told jurors: 'This case involves what is commonly referred to as as white collar crime. 'It concerns fraud and false accounting that was carried out by these two defendants who were working as senior managers working for the Tesco supermarket chain.' She said on the 29 August 2014, the company released a half-yearly report into the financial state of the company. This report included statistics that were provided by, and confirmed by, the two defendants. But less than a month later, on 22 September 2014, the company released a second statement that revealed that: 'The group profits from the six months to the 23rd August was overstated by an estimated 250 million. 'This public announcement that we have just looked at caused shockwaves to run through the stock market. 'Not only did Tesco shares fall by nearly twelve percent, wiping off two billion of the total share value, but the credibility of the stock market itself had been put at risk.' Ms Wass explained that Tesco had put in place extremely high targets, backed up by healthy compensation packages, in order to motivate staff. 'When margins couldn't be met people would pull forward income from the future,' said the prosecutor. She explained that 400 of the 600 buyers working under Bush and Scouler were implicated in this practice of pulling forward profits that had yet to be realised. 'The buyers were only executing what they had been told to do. 'When they objected, these subordinate employees were pressured or coerced into carrying out this process. 'They are, what the prosecution are going to call, the foot soldiers of the company. But the two defendants that are on trial here, they are not the foot soldiers that misconducted themselves - they are the generals. 'The generals are in a position of trust and they were paid huge compensation packages in order to safeguard the reputation and financial health of the company.' Ms Wass said Bush, who worked as the UK managing director, had a total benefits package worth an annual 2,871,641 of which around 2 million of that were performance related shares. Scouler, who worked directly under Bush as the commercial director of food, was paid 1,424,891 a year and nearly 700,000 of that was in shares. 'The prosecution case is that this provided a motive for Mr Bush and Mr Scouler to keep the share value high,' said the prosecutor. 'The losers would have included pension funds, held by numerous private investors - real people lost real money. 'The prosecution case in a nutshell is that the defendants, together with Mr (Carl) Rogberg, were aware that income was being wrongly included in the financial records of the company. 'They were aware that this was being done in order to meet targets so that the company would look financially healthier than it was. 'They were aware that this wrongly included income would result in Tesco's trading profits and share price being overstated.' The case is a retrial after the first trial, involving a third Tesco finance director Carl Rogberg, 51, was halted earlier this year. The judge, Sir John Royce told jurors: 'This case is a retrial. A trial of this case began in December last year, unfortunately at the last stage of the trial, after the evidence had been called but before the jury retired to consider any verdict, the jury had to be discharged.' Bush, from Radnage, High Wycombe, and Scouler, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, both deny fraud and false accounting. Rogberg is not before the court. The trial continues. President Donald Trump is marking Columbus Day with no mention of the Native Americans who were present when explorer Christopher Columbus landed in the new world. For the second year in row, Trump's proclamation leaves out the native population that suffered in the wake of Europeans arrival - losing their land, being subject to slavery, and suffering from diseases brought over from the continent that they had no natural immunity for. 'Christopher Columbus's spirit of determination & adventure has provided inspiration to generations of Americans. On #ColumbusDay, we honor his remarkable accomplishments as a navigator, & celebrate his voyage into the unknown expanse of the Atlantic Ocean,' Trump tweeted Monday morning with a link to the official proclamation. For the second year in a row, President Trump marked Columbus Day without mentioning Native Americans His proclamation honored the work of Italian Americans The White House proclamation notes Columbus was a native of the Italian City of Genoa and it honors the 'important contributions of Italian Americans to our country's culture, business, and civic life. We are also thankful for our relationship with Italy, a great ally that shares our strong, unwavering commitment to peace and prosperity.' It also emphasizes the values Americans share with him: 'On Columbus Day, we commemorate the achievements of this skilled Italian explorer and recognize his courage, will power, and ambition all values we cherish as Americans.' Columbus Day has become the most controversial federal holiday in the United States with some saying it should be replaced with Indigenous People Day to honor Native Americans. A dozen U.S. cities - including San Francisco and Cincinnati - have stopped celebrating Columbus Day and will instead celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, according to CNN. As will states like Alaska, Vermont, Minnesota and Oregon. Some cities and states have stopped celebrating Columbus Day and will instead celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day Columbus' own 1492 'discovery' of America is controversial itself with some pointing out Viking explorer Leif Erikson arrived long before the Italian. Others note Columbus actually arrived in the Caribbean and not in America. The White House sent out a second proclamation Monday afternoon declaring Tuesday, Oct. 9 'Leif Erikson Day' but again making no mention of native Americans. Instead, the proclamation recognized 'the descendants of immigrants from Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland for the tremendous role they have played in developing the indomitable spirit that defines the American people.' Columbus Day was officially established as a federal holiday in 1937 under President Franklin Roosevelt. Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, acknowledged the pain of Native Americans in his 2016 proclamation: 'As we mark this rich history, we must also acknowledge the pain and suffering reflected in the stories of Native Americans who had long resided on this land prior to the arrival of European newcomers.' Presidents typically write proclamations for every major American holiday. Mrs May has warned allies she does not expect to strike a deal until next month Theresa May last night warned she will not sign a 39billion Brexit divorce cheque unless the EU resolves big issues on future trade links. Downing Street played down the prospect of a breakthrough at next weeks Brussels summit, saying there would be no deal without movement on the EUs side. And it dismissed the idea that Mrs May could sign up to a blind Brexit saying the terms of a future trading partnership would have to be spelled out in precise detail. After months of stalling, senior EU figures have made positive noises about the summit, described by EU president Donald Tusk as the moment of truth. As the lights came up at a summit, Mr Juncker swung his arms around and grinned broadly After months of stalling, senior EU figures have made positive noises about the summit, described by EU president Donald Tusk as the moment of truth. Irelands deputy prime minister, Simon Coveney, claimed at the weekend that a deal was 90 per cent there. But Mrs May has privately warned allies she does not expect to strike a deal until next month at the earliest. Her official spokesman said she would not sign off on the withdrawal agreement which includes a 39billion divorce payment until the EU agrees the terms of a future trade deal. As 'Dancing Queen' by Abba played last week, Mrs May emulated her famous dance moves from a trip to Africa last month and received rapturous applause from the party faithful This appears designed to allay the concerns of some MPs that EU leaders may agree a blind Brexit. That would mean Parliament being asked to approve the withdrawal agreement including guaranteed rights for expats and a new arrangement for the Irish border with no clear idea of future EU-UK relations in areas such as trade and security. Asked about the positive noises emerging from the EU, Mrs Mays spokesman said: There is a difference between people talking optimistically about a deal, and a deal including both a withdrawal agreement and a future framework actually being agreed. There remain big issues to resolve and, as the Prime Minister has said, this will require movement on the EUs side. There can be no withdrawal agreement without a precise future framework. DUP leader Arlene Foster, pictured above at this month's Conservative conference, will travel to Brussels for talks with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier Today, DUP leader Arlene Foster will travel to Brussels for talks with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier on his demand for customs checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Mrs Foster, whose ten MPs prop up the Government, warned last week that her opposition to customs and regulatory checks was a blood red line. The DUP is set to be consulted on British proposals for the Irish border later this week before they are published. No10 yesterday denied reports the new plan could include the UK staying in a form of customs union with the EU indefinitely. EU sources also confirmed that plans to publish a formal response to Mrs Mays Chequers proposals which is expected to reject large parts of them have been delayed until next week at the earliest. President Donald Trump argued Monday for the use of 'stop and frisk' policing to stem Chicago's street violence epidemic, five years after a federal judge ruled that the way New York City employed the idea was unconstitutional because it was applied largely to blacks and Hispanics. 'It works, and it was meant for problems like Chicago,' the president told police chiefs at their annual convention in Orlando, Florida. Trump also called Democrats 'anti-police' for launching 'political attacks on our courageous police officers.' President Donald Trump argued Monday for the use of 'stop and frisk' policing to stem Chicago's street violence epidemic President Trump spoke to police chiefs at their annual convention in Orlando, Florida Police can legally use variations of 'stop and frisk' as long as they don't combine it with racial profiling Nearly 2,400 people have been shot in Chicago this year; police investigated the scene of a road-rage shooting last month whose victims included a 6-month-old infant boy and a 13-year-old girl 'Politicians who spread this dangerous anti-police sentiment make life easier for criminals and more dangerous for law-abiding citizens, and they also make it more dangerous for police, and it must stop, and it must stop now,' he said. Trump has in recent weeks used public rallies to repeatedly brand Democrats 'the party of crime.' He said Monday that former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who now serves on his personal legal team, 'had a very strong program of stop and frisk. And it went from an unacceptably dangerous city to one of the safest cities in the country, and I think the safest big city in the country. So it works. It's got to be properly applied, but stop and frisk works.' The idea behind stop-and-frisk policing is to temporarily detain, question and sometimes search civilians for weapons, drugs and other illicit items on street corners and in other public places. Trump insisted several times during his 2016 campaign that Chicago should adopt it with gusto. Hundreds of other jurisdictions rely on versions of stop and frisk known as 'Terry stops.' But federal judge Shira Scheindlin ruled in 2013 that New York's approach unfairly targeted minorities. she did not invalidate the idea of 'stop and frisk' as unconstitutional, but ruled that New York's version was impermissible Opponents of the New York Police Department's 'stop-and-frisk' policy rallied in 2012 before the court decision changed the policing landscape in The Big Apple Michael Bloomberg was mayor of New York City when the court decision struck down the NYPD's version of 'stop and frisk'; he appealed the ruling and was expected to prevail, but his successor Bill de Blasio withdrew the appeal shortly after taking office 'I think Chicago needs stop-and-frisk,' he told Fox News Channel interviews in September 2016. 'People can criticize me [but] you have to do something. ... If they see a person with a gun or they think they have a gun, they'll look and they'll take the gun away.' In Chicago 2,346 people have been shot since January 1. That's on a pace to undercut the total of 2,976 in 2017, but will still likely come to 48 or more shootings per week. 'The crime spree is a terrible blight on that city, and well do everything possible to get it done,' Trump said Monday. 'I know the law enforcement people in Chicago, and I know how good they are. They could solve the problem if they were simply allowed to do their job and do their job properly.' Hundreds of other jurisdictions rely on versions of stop and frisk known as 'Terry stops.' But federal judge Shira Scheindlin ruled in 2013 that New York's approach unfairly targeted minorities. Terry v. Ohio was a 1968 Supreme Court case, decided 8-1, that gave police the power to stop and frisk a person they reasonably suspect is illegally armed or committing a crime, or about to commit a crime. Rudy Giuliani, pictured as mayor in 2001, argues that stop-and-frisk policing works well to reduce crime rates; he is now part of President Trump's personal legal team Al Sharpton and other racial justice movement leaders got involved in 2012 to argue that the city made thousands of racially discriminatory street stops When Trump advocated during a 2016 presidential debate for a renewed emphasis on stop and frisk strategies, Hillary Clinton claimed it had been declared unconstitutional. NBC News moderator Lester Holt took her side. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published the following day, Giuliani argued that Scheindlin had only objected to the way his mayoral successor, Michael Bloomberg, expanded the program from about 100,000 stops annually to more than 600,000, 'the vast majority being of African-Americans.' The judge, he wrote, found that the practice was 'not unconstitutional in general but unconstitutional as applied' in New York. Police seized contraband from at least 30 per cent of people stopped by New York City police before Scheindlin issued her ruling. But nine out of 10 of those stopped were minorities. After the Bloomberg administration appealed Scheindlin's ruling, appellate judges allowed the city to continue stop-and-frisk policing and removed Scheindlin from the case after determining that she tried to steer the case to her own courtroom. The appeals court also found that allowing Scheindlin's decision to stand would cause 'irreparable harm' to city residents. After Mayor Bill de Blasio took office, his administration withdrew the appeal. Last month The New York Times asked Bloomberg whether, stop-and-frisk in his era came with civil rights problems, he replied: 'The courts found that there were not.' This is the sickening moment a doctor pulled a 'strange creature' out from the inside of a man's nose. The creature was still alive and wriggling erratically when it emerged from the man's right nostril earlier this week. A video of the procedure was later uploaded to YouTube, with the stomach-churning vision leaving viewers stunned. Video has emerged online of a man having a 'strange creature' pulled from the inside of his nose at a medical facility in Vietnam The footage was said to have been captured on Monday at a medical facility in Lao Cai, a province in north-west Vietnam. 'An ear, nose and throat doctor pulling a strange creature out of a man's nose,' a caption which accompanied the online video said. The man sat calmly in a chair as the doctor started to prod around his nose, before he removed the live creature and held it up for the camera. The patient then appeared to laugh on camera after the doctor showed him the creature which had become lodged up his nose. Those who watched the video online speculated on the type of creature which was pulled out alive. One viewer said 'that's a leech', while another added 'How the heck did a leech... is that a leech? Omg!'. Long before Sunday's election that saw Jair Bolsonaro get 46 percent the vote in the first round of the presidential race, many observers flirted with the idea that the far-right congressman was a 'tropical' Trump. Bolsonaro, who will now compete in a second round runoff on Oct. 28, presented himself as someone who tells it like it is while promising to dismantle a dysfunctional political system and seeking to capture the imagination of many citizens afraid of losing their place in an increasingly diverse and inclusive society. While Trump and Bolsonaro have many differences - before running, Trump was a billionaire businessman while Bolsonaro was long-time congressman with few legislative victories - many tactics used in their campaigns were remarkably similar. Thumbs up for the Tropical Trump: Jair Bolsonaro, of the Social Liberal Party, left, accompanied by his son Flavio Bolsonaro 'STRAIGHT TALK' Perhaps the biggest similarity and likely the one that initially gave rise to the comparisons between Bolsonaro and Trump is that neither man appears to measure his words. In the 2016 U.S. elections, Trump often billed himself as the man who wasn't afraid to say what everyone else was thinking. Bolsonaro shares the same lack of filter. Some of the comments that have gotten him in trouble reflect longstanding ideological positions, like his repeated praise for Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship. Other comments may be more off the cuff and a wink at his reputation for shunning the 'politically correct,' like when he told an audience that he had a daughter 'in a moment of weakness' after four sons. Both men 'enjoy being outrageous and making statements for shock value,' said Paulo Sotero, the director of the Brazil Institute at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington. BASH MAINSTREAM MEDIA Bolsonaro and his three oldest sons, who are also politicians, have hammered away at Brazil's main media organizations, accusing them of everything from telling outright lies about the candidate to ignoring his rise in the polls and endorsements from other politicians. Like Trump, they accuse the media of propping up the country's traditional elite and of trying to derail a campaign that might threaten it. Carlos Bolsonaro, who is a city councilman in Rio de Janeiro, recently tweeted that the media and a major pollster 'ignore growing rallies in favor of Bolsonaro, including in the farthest corners of Brazil, and they try to create a narrative of Bolsonaro's stagnation (in the polls). They really believe the population is blind and stupid!' Similarities: President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up during a rally in Kansas SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGING For candidates who don't trust the media, social networks provide the perfect outlet. Bolsonaro, like Trump, has made heavy use of Twitter and Facebook to talk directly to voters. That became especially important after the candidate was stabbed on Sept. 6 and confined to the hospital for more than three weeks. Last week, even after being released from the hospital, Bolsonaro skipped the most important televised debate on major network Globo, citing his doctors' orders. Instead he held nightly Facebook live sessions with political allies and did interviews with friendly stations. 'The idea that you would skip the debate on health grounds but then have three 10-minute interviews with a friendly TV networks is very Trumpian at its core,' said Matthew Taylor, associated professor of Latin American politics at American University, adding that for both men such a heavy reliance on social media helped them overcome initial resistance to their candidacies. FLOATING FRAUD Bolsonaro has raised the specter of fraud and said it could rob him of the election. A week before the vote, he told a television station he would not accept any result but his own victory, implying that the size of support he had seen at street rallies indicated he would win, even though the polls were close. A few days later, he backed off those comments, saying he would accept the election results but wouldn't call his rival to concede. Sound familiar? Trump trod a very similar path. 'Bolsonaro is essentially saying, 'Fairness means that I win. Anything else is fraud,'' said Jason Stanley, author of 'How Fascism Works: The politics of us and them.' USE OF PROXIES Similar to how Trump's campaign had Donald Trump Jr. and other children sometimes speak for their dad, Bolsonaro has often depended on his three eldest sons to float ideas, deny critical press reports and make outlandish claims. The latest example: On Sunday, while Brazilians were going to the polls, Flavio Bolsonaro, who is running for the senate, shared a video on Twitter that purportedly appeared to show a voting machine that had been tampered with. Within hours, the country's electoral court announced that it was a false report. However, by then it had surely been seen by millions of people on Twitter and the messaging group WhatsApp. 'The technique is to use people who speak for you but don't speak for you,' said Taylor. 'Trump or Bolsonaro can always say, 'I didn't or would never say that.'' Winston Churchill is regarded as one of the greatest leaders of all time for uniting Britain during the Second World War and playing a pivotal role in defeating the Nazis. But he had racist views that were common in the British Empire during the early 1900s and has been blamed for several controversial episodes in Britain's history. - He took little action when in 1943, India, then still part of the British empire, experienced a famine in which 3million people died. Churchill even appeared to blame Indians for the famine, claiming they 'breed like rabbits'. The famine was sparked by the Japanese occupation of Burma the year before, which affected rice supplies. - In 1937 he said he had no sympathy for Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia, who were enslaved and succeeded by whites. He said: 'I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place.' - Churchill advocated the use of chemical weapons, particularly against the Kurds and Afghans. In a 1919 war memo he wrote: 'I cannot understand this squeamishness about the use of gas. I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes.' Edward VIII faced numerous accusations of being a Nazi sympathiser, and once told a friend Adolf Hitler was 'not a bad chap'. He had ascended the throne in January 1936 but abdicated in December so he could marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. Edward VIII, then Duke of Windsor, was repeatedly accused of Nazi sympathies, and is seen here meeting Hitler on his visit to Germany in 1937 In 1937 the couple visited Germany and met the Fuhrer despite British officials strongly advising them not to go because of tensions between the two countries at the time. The dukes guide on the visit where he saluted the Nazi officials was Robert Ley, a violent anti-Semite who Hitler had put in charge of the German labour front. Two separate sequences capture Edward giving the Nazi salute one on the steps to a building, presumably the mines main office, and another as he leaves his car and walks past onlookers. Edward had ascended the throne in January 1936 but abdicated in December so he could marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson (seen in an undated photo arriving at a London airport) As well as touring industrial faculties and meeting Hitler at his mountain retreat, Edward visited a concentration camp whose guard towers were apparently explained away as meat stores. The duke met and dined with dozens of senior Nazis including Hitlers deputy Rudolf Hess and his foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. He also met Hitlers propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, who was so convinced of his fascist sympathies he described him as a tender seedling of reason. Edwards wife is said to have lapped up adulation and curtsies at every turn, with Hitler remarking of her: She would have made a good queen. It is thought that the couple who had been given the titles Duke and Duchess of Windsor earlier that year would have been installed as puppet monarchs had Germany taken over Britain. Footage of the future Queen giving a Nazi salute emerged in 2015. The footage, recorded in 1933, shows the then seven-year-old Princess Elizabeth playing with a dog on the lawn at Balmoral with her sister Margaret, before raising her arm in a Nazi salute. Her mother, the future Queen Mother, and Edward are also shown in the pose. Her uncle appears to be showing them how to perform the Nazi salute. Historians have stressed that Hitler was the subject of much derision and that the film appears to show the Queen Mother making fun of the Nazi salute. She became one of the heroes over the war, staying in London to face the Blitz and famously said when Buckingham palace was bombed: 'Now I feel I can look the East End in the face.' Princess Elizabeth would have been too young to understand the gesture. 'United States law presumes that he is innocent until proven guilty by a jury. The law provides the process where the testimony of witnesses and the introduction of evidence is presented to a jury for consideration and analysis. Ultimately, the jury will make a determination if Mr. Bretz has committed any crime. 'What has been portrayed in the media is not an accurate or a complete version of the facts and physical evidence. The media has sensationalized the allegations of Melissa Gentz and created Fake News. His attorneys will present testimony of witnesses and evidence demonstrating Ericks innocence. 'Some of the indisputable facts and evidence supporting Ericks innocence are: 1. Tampa police officer, Charles Eason, interviewed Melissa Gentz about her claim of domestic violence. In his report he documented that Melissa Gentz told him that she push and attempt to punch him after she believed he took her cellphone. 2. Melissa Gentz claimed she was strangled and struck in the face multiple times. However, physical evidence reveals no sign of trauma to her neck. His hands have no signs consistent with striking someone multiple times. 3. Erick Bretz has no history of ever committing violence against women. 4. Tampa police never gave Erick Bretz an opportunity to explain what happened. 5. Evidence will show that Melissa Gentz was drinking and consuming drugs prior to the incident she has alleged. 6. Evidence will show that Melissa Gentz attacked Erick Bretz sending him to a hospital. 'The evidence in this case clearly dictates that Ms. Gentz was the aggressor. Erick and his legal team will bring all the facts of this incident to light and expose her account as simply untrue and that Erick is innocent. In the end, Mr. Bretz and his family will prosecute Ms. Gentz for her slanderous and libelous actions. They will seek to recover damages for the harm to his and his familys outstanding reputation.' Moscow courts refusal to seize ex-Probusinessbank managers assets appealed RIA Novosti, Maksim Blinov 09:59 08/10/2018 MOSCOW, October 8 (RAPSI) The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals will hear an appeal of Russias Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) against the Moscow Commercial Courts denial to seize property belonging to nine former governing board members of Probusinessbank, the court ruling reads. The appeal hearing has been set for November 12. Overall, the assets in question are evaluated as high as 68.5 billion rubles ($1 billion). The asset seizure motion has been lodged by the DIA as part of a petition for recovery of the banks debts from ex-top managers. On August 29, the Moscow court ruled that the claimant had not furnished proof of necessity to adopt seize the defendants assets. According to the DIA, the banks bankruptcy examination revealed that Probusinessbank top managers funneled fluid assets out of the organization by lending companies, which did not carry on business consistent with credit levels and did not have their own property and corresponding incomes. Moreover, the bank management did not take measures to prevent the financial organizations bankruptcy. In August 2015, the Russian Central Bank revoked the license of Probusinessbank, acting upon the results of an inspection revealing that the banks management carried out large scale operations having markings of assets stripping of the bank. In April 2017, ex-chief of the banks corporate finances department Nikolay Alekseyev was given 4 years in prison for embezzling 2.4 billion rubles (about $35 million at the current exchange rate) from the bank. Additionally, he was fined 1 million rubles (nearly $15,000). A court also granted a lawsuit filed by Probusinessbank seeking to collect over 2.4 billion rubles from the defendant. In June 2017, ex-head of Probusinessbank department responsible for interaction with shareholders and subsidiary companies Marina Krylova was sentenced to 3.5 years in a penal colony for assisting with embezzlement of 2.4 billion rubles. In December, Moscows Ostankinsky District Court returned the case against former vice-president of Probusinessbank Vyacheslav Kazantsev and 7 other persons allegedly involved in embezzlement to prosecutors. According to investigators, from September 2014 to July 2015, the defendants conspired to embezzle funds belonging to Probusinessbank. Accomplices are believed to be unidentified managers and employees of the bank. They allegedly used their office positions to enroll their subordinates, employees of the financial group Life, and heads of sham companies. Shahed Hussain, 62, is the owner of Prestige Limousines, the company involved in Saturday's crash The owner of the limousine company behind Saturday's horror crash which killed 20 people is a former FBI informant who went undercover to record alleged terrorists in mosques after fleeing to the US from Pakistan in the 1990s where he'd been accused of murder, DailyMail.com can reveal. Shahed Hussain, 62, is named as the owner of Prestige Limousines, aka Hasy Limos and Saratoga Luxury Limousine, in Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration documents. In the last two years, the company has had at least four cars pulled out of service because they failed safety inspections. The most recent was the modified 2001 Ford Excursion limousine which was carrying 17 passengers when driver Scott Lisinicchia crashed on Saturday, killing himself, all those on board and two pedestrians in the parking lot he came screeching into after running a stop sign in Schoharie, New York. Ford has confirmed to DailyMail.com that if never manufactured the vehicles in limousine form so the one operated by Prestige had to have been modified unofficially. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday that the company was now under investigation and is no longer allowed to operate. Despite repeated attempts to make contact with Hussain, he has not commented on the tragedy and the company's websites are now disabled. But 2010 court documents from the terrorism trials of four men who plotted to blow up the synagogues in the Bronx and shoot down planes coming out of Newburgh airbase reveal Hussain's past ties to the FBI. He is shown in footage obtained while he worked as an informant in the DMV after being caught running a scam where he secured unqualified drivers licenses for a fee In 2002, he convinced the bureau to take him on after being caught running a dangerous DMV scan which helped prospective drivers cheat on their tests. Hussain arrived in the United States in 1994 after fleeing his native Pakistan where he had been arrested for murder. After his father bribed local police to let him go, Hussain fled the country, using a British passport to leave Pakistan, enter Moscow and then travel to Mexico. From Mexico, he entered the US through El Paso in Texas. From there, he traveled to Albany. Hussain then contacted an immigration lawyer who was then able to get him legal status by applying for political asylum. It enabled him to start working for the DMV where he was a translator. There, he started a racket where he offered prospective drivers guaranteed pass-marks in their road tests or safety quizzes for a fee by ensuring they went to corrupt examiners. In 2002, the FBI arrested him for the scam. Rather than go to jail, he took a plea deal which involved him working as a confidential informant and he spent the next several years recording other conversations in the DMV for their benefit, incriminating his friends and colleagues. Four years later, after filing bankruptcy and buying his son an Audi with money he claimed he'd been given by Pakistan's then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, he bought the hotel in Gansevoort which became the Crest Inn. James Cromitie (left) and David Williams (right) were both convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 after Hussain recorded them plotting to blow up two Bronx synagogues He then was put to work by the FBI to infiltrate mosques, specifically in Newburgh, New York, and look for what he described as 'radicals'. The FBI paid him a salary of $96,000 for the work. 'He was sent there per a number of reasons regarding other FBI investigations but I always ask him to keep his ears open if he heard individual speaking radically, including everyone has free rights to speech, but if it's regarding possible threats, I wanted that information,' FBI Agent Robert Fueller testified. His work in the Newburgh mosques, particularly the Masjid al-Ikhlas led, in part to the arrests of James Comitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen. They plotted to plant bombs at synagogues in the Bronx - Riverdale Temple and nearby Riverdale Jewish Center - and they also plotted to shoot down military planes at Stewart Air National Guard Base. The three men were arrested when Hussain drove them to the Riverdale mosque with explosives. Authorities were waiting for them. However valuable his undercover work was, he came under scrutiny as a witness and reliable informant during the trial when it was suggested he had turned off his recording equipment during crucial moments of conversation with the suspects. He also failed to disclose to the FBI that he was the beneficiary of a $500,000 trust fund in Pakistan while collecting a salary from the bureau and claiming bankruptcy. This is the motel Hussain runs in Gansevoort, New York, outside Saratoga Springs. He bought it in 2006 while working as an informant for the FBI There were also claims of entrapment and even the judge who convicted the four men ruled in her verdict that Hussain's behavior as an informant was 'troubling'. He met Comitie first and then together they recruited the three others. Hussain, who was known also as Shahed Malik, was not at the motel in Gansevoort on Monday. A staff member told DailyMail.com she had never heard of Shahed Hussain, instead saying: 'The people that run this place are called Malik. Ive never even met them either. There are certainly no limos run out of here. Were just here to collect the money and stop the guests killing each other,' she said. Facebook users have been been getting a hoax message thats trying to convince them their account has been compromised. The hoax comes just over a week after the social media giant admitted that a security breach had resulted in 50 million Facebook accounts being hacked, including the accounts of Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg. However, the October 2018 hoax does not have a virus attached to the message. The fake message tells the user their account has been cloned, which means that someone has created a new account that uses all of their personal information and photos to impersonate them on the social network. Facebook users have been receiving hoax messages warning about cloned accounts Hi....I actually got another friend request from you yesterday...which I ignored so you may want to check your account, the hoax message reads. It then tells the users to pass on the message to all of their Facebook friends. Hold your finger on the message until the forward button appears...then hit forward and all the people you want to forward to....I had to do the people individually. Good Luck!' the rest of the message reads. A spokesperson said: 'We've heard that some people are seeing posts or messages about accounts being cloned on Facebook. 'It takes the form of a "chain mail" type of notice. We haven't seen an increase in incoming reports of impersonation (cloned accounts). 'The volume of these types of posts isn't a good measure for how often impersonation is actually happening.' With Facebook security a hot topic at the moment, heres how you can tell if your Facebook account has been hacked, and how to protect and deactivate your account. How to tell if your Facebook account has been hacked If you think your Facebook account has been hacked or just want to stay on top of your account security, first go to the Settings section of the Facebook site. Then click on the Security and login tab. This will tell you where and from which device your Facebook account has been accessed. If you spot some locations or devices that you dont recognise, you can flag them up as suspicious by clicking Not You button on the right of the information. You should also keep an eye out on posts appearing on your account that were not written by you or suspicious friend requests. Other signs that your account has been hacked include friend requests being sent out from your account, and your personal information and passwords being changed. How to protect your account The first way to protect your Facebook account from a hack is to frequently change your password. See here for more information on what are the best types of passwords to use. Another way to protect your account is to enable a two-factor authentication, which adds a code texted to your phone on top of your normal password. You can also protect your apps by setting special passwords that are not your Facebook login details. In the event you are ever locked out of your account you can select three to five friends to contact, which will help you log back in. Setting up alerts about unrecognised logins is another way to stay on top of your Facebook security. If you've been logged out of your account and asked to sign back in, its because we've discovered a security issue and are taking immediate action to protect people on Facebook. Learn more https://t.co/XLcHGYFBu2 Facebook (@Facebook) September 28, 2018 How to deactivate your Facebook account Deactivating Facebook is not the same as permanently deleting your account. Deactivating your Facebook account means for a temporary amount of time (which you can set manually to reactivate after one to seven days) that no one else can see your profile, photos or posts. To deactivate your account, go to the General tab in Settings. In the Manage account section there will be the option allowing you to deactivate your account. You will then be asked to give a reason for the account deactivation. Choosing This is temporary. Ill be back option will lead to Facebook automatically reactivating your account after 1-7 days. Facebook points out that deactivating your Facebook account will not automatically mean that your Messenger is also deactivated, which requires its own deactivation protocol. Social media is fuelling a new type of addiction driven by an obsession with ourselves. Being 'addicted to yourself' is a condition with parallels to serious alcohol, drug or gambling addiction, according to a new study. The rise of social media has allowed the issue to multiply as websites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram encourage us to obsess over how we are perceived by others. Social media is fuelling a new type of addiction driven by an obsession with ourselves. Being 'addicted to yourself' is a condition with parallels to serious alcohol, drug or gambling addiction, according to a new study (stock image) The new theory has been developed by University of Derby researcher Dr William Van Gordon, who says it explains a third 'missing' type of addiction. He said: 'It is generally accepted among the scientific community that there are two forms of addiction; chemical, such as addiction to drugs and alcohol, and behavioural, for example, addiction to gambling or computer games. 'However, this new theory proposes that there is a third type of addiction called ontological addiction the addiction to how we believe we exist. 'Being addicted to ourselves becomes exhausting after a certain amount of time and causes us to miss out on the truth and wisdom of reality.' Dr Van Gordon's theory draws on evidence from various disciplines of scientific enquiry. He said research has largely overlooked the possibility of ontological addiction, despite it missing all of the criteria for a genuine form of addiction. The rise of social media has allowed the issue to multiply as websites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram encourage us to obsess over how we are perceived by others (stock image) For example, people with the condition will often experience withdrawal symptoms if they try to overcome their addiction. 'The tendency to become addicted to self is probably something that human beings are born with,' he said. 'However, we cement or weaken our ego and belief in selfhood, depending on how much we live out our lives through the lens of "me, mine and I".' Dr Van Gordon said social media was an example of how people can become more addicted to themselves. He added: 'Problematic social media use can cause people to be drawn further into the condition and its associated negative consequences. HOW SEVERE IS SMARTPHONE ADDICTION? With the average age for a child to get their first phone now just 10, young people are becoming more and more reliant on their smartphones. Worrying research from Korea University suggests that this dependence on the technology could even be affecting some teens' brains. The findings reveals that teenagers who are addicted to their smartphones are more likely to suffer from mental disorders, including depression and anxiety. Other studies have shown people are so dependent on their smartphone that they happily break social etiquette to use them. Researchers from mobile connectivity firm iPass surveyed more than 1,700 people in the US and Europe about their connectivity habits, preferences and expectations. The survey revealed some of the most inappropriate situations in which people have felt the need to check their phone during sex (seven per cent), on the toilet (72 per cent) and even during a funeral (11 per cent). Nearly two thirds of people said they felt anxious when not connected to the Wi-Fi, with many saying they'd give up a range of items and activities in exchange for a connection. Sixty-one per cent of respondents said that Wi-Fi was impossible to give up more than for sex (58 per cent), junk food (42 per cent), smoking (41 per cent), alcohol (33 per cent), or drugs (31 per cent). A quarter of respondents even went so far as to say that they'd choose Wi-Fi over a bath or shower, and 19 per cent said they'd choose Wi-Fi over human contact. Advertisement 'For instance, when using social media, people can construct another layer of selfhood that feeds on likes, shares and followers for its existence, but that does not reflect an accurate portrayal of the individual's true nature. 'If we interact with social media and technology mindlessly and are used by them, they tend to draw us away from the present moment.' He said a mixture of meditation and a move to broad our awareness of ourselves can help solve the problem. 'To know whether a person has ontological addiction, they would need to be honest with themselves and investigate the extent to which their ego governs their thoughts, words and actions,' he said. 'For example, when performing an act of kindness, a person could ask themselves whether deep down they are actually hoping for some kind of gain, reward or recognition.' Working alongside robots will be part of a new university course aimed at students entering careers as carers, therapists and social workers. The new university programme is designed to help people get comfortable working with 'social robots' that will be their colleagues in the future, researchers say. A recent survey found that almost 40 per cent of people are afraid that robots will steal their jobs. Earlier this year NHS officials announced that robots will carry out dementia care within 20 years. Scroll down for video Working alongside robots will be part of a new university courses aimed at students entering careers as carers. Pictured is a robot from WALL-E, a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film about a lonely robot that spends his days tidying up the planet Scientists from Sligo Institute of Technology in Ireland are testing a 'Paro' robot seal that reacts to petting and conversation. 'There is growing evidence that the emotional intelligence possessed by social robots in the future will enable them to make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable people in society', said Dr John Pender from Sligo Institute of Technology. Scientists say the technology to make 'social robots' has been around for decades. However, lots of people are uncomfortable about the idea of working with them. The three-year project has just started and scientists say they hope that by the end students who have worked with the robots during their degree will be prepared to work with them when they start their career. 'How are robots going to change our jobs? And for us in education how do we prepare for that?' Dr Penny Share from Sligo Institute of Technology told the Journal. 'To link robot researchers with lecturers in early childhood and social care and students. These professions rarely talk to one another,' she said. Similar to therapy, it is hoped the robots will help relax patients and give them something to care for. Scientists say they want people to get more comfortable with the idea of working with robots as them joining the workforce is a question of 'when' and not 'if'. They are particularly likely to work with carers, therapists and social workers (stock image) Early results suggest the robots help people who are in the middle stages of dementia. Researchers have handed over Paro to an Alzheimer's charity to see how useful it is in real-life scenarios. Earlier this year it was revealed the NHS is planning a major expansion of artificial intelligence across the health service for routine operations and treatment. The technology will also be used to 'nudge' patients towards having healthier lifestyles, particularly if they have diabetes or heart conditions. Jeremy Hunt announced a 215 million ($280m) investment towards what has been termed the 'next generation of innovative treatments.' The Health Secretary wants academics and technology firms to come up with new ideas to improve surgery, treatment and long-term care. Jeremy Hunt announced a 215 million ($280m) investment towards what has been termed the 'next generation of innovative treatments.' HOW WILL ROBOTS CHANGE THE WORKPLACE BY 2022? The World Economic Forum has unveiled its latest predictions for the future of jobs. Its 2018 report surveyed executives representing 15 million employees in 20 economies. The non-profit expects robots, AI and other forms of automation to drastically change the workplace within the next four years. By 2022: Jobs predicted to be displaced: 75 million Jobs predicted to be created: 133 million Share of workforce requiring re-/upskilling: 54 per cent Companies expecting to cut permanent workforce: 50 per cent Companies expecting to hire specialist contractors: 48 per cent Companies expecting to grow workforce: 38 per cent Companies expecting automation to grow workforce: 28 per cent Advertisement His announcement coincides with a review commissioned by the Department of Health which calls for a revolution in artificial intelligence and technology. It predicts that virtual consultations will soon be routinely used in GP surgeries and A&E and 'may eventually supersede' face-to-face appointments. The review said: 'We know that genomics, digital medicine, artificial intelligence and robotics will have an enormous impact on patients and the workforce over the next two decades.' At the same time, the use of robotics will be expanded in areas such as 'minimally invasive prostate cancer surgery' which involves fewer surgical incisions and radiotherapy treatment for cancer. Dr Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine and cardiologist who was commissioned by Mr Hunt to lead a review into technology, said: 'We desperately need innovation in healthcare. 'Artificial intelligence is already in every aspect of our lives from navigation to voice recognition and will now be applied to healthcare, the next frontier.' NASA has announced the first crewed flight by a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) is expected to take place in June 2019. It will be the first manned US launch to the orbiting research laboratory since the space shuttle program was retired in 2011, forcing US astronauts to hitch costly rides aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft. A flight on Boeing spacecraft is set to follow in August 2019. SpaceX will use its Falcon 9 rocket to launch its Crew Dragon capsule - simulator pictured here - to the orbiting International Space Station WHEN WILL THEY FLY? Boeing Orbital Flight Test (uncrewed): March 2019 Boeing Crew Flight Test (crewed): August 2019 SpaceX Demo-1 (uncrewed): January 2019 SpaceX Demo-2 (crewed): June 2019 Advertisement The timetable for both launches has already been postponed several times, but NASA said Thursday it would now be providing monthly updates on deadlines. 'This new process for reporting our schedule is better; nevertheless, launch dates will still have some uncertainty, and we anticipate they may change as we get closer to launch,' said Phil McAlister, director of Commercial Spaceflight Development at NASA Headquarters. 'These are new spacecraft, and the engineering teams have a lot of work to do before the systems will be ready to fly.' Both missions are considered tests: the two astronauts transported in each flight will spend two weeks aboard the orbiting ISS before returning to Earth. In the long term, NASA will use SpaceX and Boeing to take astronauts to the ISS for regular missions, which last about six months. WHAT IS ELON MUSK'S CREW DRAGON? The capsule measures about 20 feet tall by 12 feet in diameter, and will carry up to 7 astronauts at a time. The Crew Dragon features an advanced emergency escape system (which was tested earlier this year) to swiftly carry astronauts to safety if something were to go wrong, experiencing about the same G-forces as a ride at Disneyland. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule measures 20 feet tall by 12 feet in diameter, and will carry up to 7 astronauts at a time. However, the manned flight will have four astronauts on board It also has an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) that provides a comfortable and safe environment for crew members. Crew Dragon's displays will provide real-time information on the state of the spacecraft's capabilities, showing everything from Dragon's position in space, to possible destinations, to the environment on board. Pictured is the Crew Dragon spacecraft simulator. The Crew Dragon features an advanced emergency escape system to swiftly carry astronauts to safety if something were to go wrong Those CRS-2 Dragon missions will use 'propulsive' landings, where the capsule lands on a landing pad using its SuperDraco thrusters rather than splashing down in the ocean. That will allow NASA faster access to the cargo returned by those spacecraft, and also build up experience for propulsive landings of crewed Dragon spacecraft. Advertisement SpaceX will carry out an uncrewed test in January 2019, and Boeing in March 2019. SpaceX will use its Falcon 9 rocket for its launch with a Crew Dragon capsule attached on top. The capsule measures about 20 feet tall by 12 feet in diameter, and will carry up to 7 astronauts at a time. The Crew Dragon features an advanced emergency escape system (which was tested earlier this year) to swiftly carry astronauts to safety if something were to go wrong, experiencing about the same G-forces as a ride at Disneyland. It also has an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) that provides a comfortable and safe environment for crew members. Crew Dragon's displays will provide real-time information on the state of the spacecraft's capabilities, showing everything from Dragon's position in space, to possible destinations, to the environment on board. BOEING'S STARLINER SPACE TAXI The Starliner is part of NASA's operational Commercial Crew mission to bring astronauts to the International Space Station. It will be launched from a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, and crewed tests are set to begin in 2018. The missions will be able to take up to four astronauts at a time, with Eric Boe, Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley and Sunni Williams now in training. In February, it was revealed that Boeing has hired a small company to make about 600 3D-printed parts for its Starliner space taxis. Advertisement Those CRS-2 Dragon missions will use 'propulsive' landings, where the capsule lands on a landing pad using its SuperDraco thrusters rather than splashing down in the ocean. Boeing's Starliner ship will be propelled into space by an Atlas V rocket made by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture with Lockheed Martin. NASA is depending on the success of both missions as its contract with the Russian space agency expires in November 2019. A worrying new WhatsApp hack could give cyber criminals access to your account. Scammers attempt to gain access to a user's account by taking advantage of weakly secured voicemail inboxes, according to Naked Security, a blog run by British security company Sophos. The attacks became so prevalent that Israel's National Cyber Security Authority issued a nationwide warning. Scroll down for video A new WhatsApp hack could give cyber criminals access to your account. Scammers attempt to gain access to a user's account by taking advantage of weakly secured voicemail inboxes To start, attackers try to install the WhatsApp app on their own phone using a legitimate user's phone number. WhatsApp attempts to verify the login attempt by sending a six-digit verification code via text message to the victim's telephone. Hackers try to do this when the victim may not be checking their phone, such as nighttime. WhatsApp then gives users the option to send the six-digit code via a phone call with an automated message. Since the user isn't checking their phone, the message ideally goes to their voicemail. The scammer then takes advantage of a security flaw in many telecommunications networks, which provides customers with a generic phone number to call and retrieve their voicemails. For many voicemails, users only have to enter a four-digit PIN, which if they haven't changed it, is typically an easy password such as 0000 or 1234 by default. Hackers enter the password and gain access to the victim's voicemail inbox, thereby allowing them to listen to the pre-recorded message from WhatsApp that contains the six-digit code. They enter that code into their own device, giving them complete access to the victim's WhatsApp account. Experts recommend users turn on two-factor authentication on their account, which adds an extra layer of security, as well as make sure they have a strong PIN on their voicemail inbox Making matters worse, particularly savvy hackers can set up two-factor authentication for the WhatsApp account, which requires users to enter a unique PIN code if they want to re-verify their phone number. This prevents the victim from regaining control over their own phone number, Sophos noted. The attack was first documented by Ran Bar-Zik, a web developer at Oath, but resurfaced again in a new report by ZD Net. Israeli security officials have warned that the attack has been on the rise in recent weeks. They recommend that users turn on two-factor authentication on their account, which adds an extra layer of security to your account. 'Using application-based 2FA...mitigates a lot of the risk, because these mobile authentication apps dont rely on communications tied to phone numbers,' Sophos researchers explained. Users can do that by navigating to Settings in WhatsApp, then tapping 'Account.' Navigate to the 'Two-step verification' heading and tap 'Enable.' Further, experts say users should make sure they have a strong PIN on their voicemail inbox. NASA has revealed a stunning animation that reveals a 3D view of Hurricane Maria. Two days before Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the NASA/JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory satellite captured a 3D view of the 2017 storm. 'At the time, Maria was a category 1 hurricane, and the 3D view reveals the processes inside the hurricane that fueled the storm's intensification to a category 5 storm within 24 hours,' NASA said. Scroll down for video Two days before Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, a NASA satellite captured a 3D view of it, giving scientists a new insight into how megastorms form Hurricane Maria, which flattened much of Puerto Rico, cost $90 billion. It became a Category 3 storm Sept. 18 after doubling in strength in just 24 hours. Then it maintained its rapid growth, becoming a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 175 mph Sept. 19 after making its way through the Leeward Islands. It smashed into the Caribbean island of Dominica, causing what Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit called 'mind-boggling' devastation in a region already devastated by Hurricane Irma. NASA'S FLIGHT INTO HURRICANE MARIA: WHAT IT SHOWS The precipitation satellite has an advanced radar that measures both liquid and frozen water. The brightly colored dots show areas of rainfall, where green and yellow show low rates and red and purple show high rates. At the top of the hurricane, where temperatures are colder, blue and purple dots show light and heavy frozen precipitation. The colored areas below the dots show how much rain is falling at the surface. As the visualization progresses, the dots transform into numbers, which are the observed millimeters of precipitation that fall in an hour. The rates in this storm vary from less than 0.5 mm/hr to more than 150 mm/hr. The visualization next transforms these precipitation rates into ellipsoids to show higher (wide, red or purple) or lower (spherical, green or yellow) rainfall rates and snowfall rates (purple to blue colors). In addition to rain and snowfall rates, the satellite can also measure the sizes of tiny precipitation particles and how they are distributed throughout the storm. The visualization transforms these precipitation rates into ellipsoids to show higher (wide, red or purple) or lower (spherical, green or yellow) rainfall rates and snowfall rates (purple to blue colors). Toward the end of the visualization, big drops are depicted in dark blue and small drops in light blue and white. Looking at drop sizes and rainfall rates provides a key part of the equation in understanding hurricane intensity. Factors such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and clouds influence the size of precipitation particles, which in turn affects how much rain falls and how a storm grows. These advanced satellite measurements are critical for improving forecasts of how these powerful storms may intensify and where they may go. Advertisement Maria was the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in Dominica. 'We have lost everything that money can buy, and that is a fact,' Prime Minister Skerrit said. The French island of Martinique escaped Hurricane Maria largely unscathed, while the French island of Guadeloupe experienced widespread power outages. This satellite image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Maria at 1130 UTC on September 19, 2017 Maria then directly hit Puerto Rico as a Category 4 with 155-mph winds, making it the third-strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S. It was even stronger than Hurricane Irma when it roared into the Florida Keys Sept. 10. Maria the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years destroyed homes, roads, and bridges; knocked out power across the entire island; and triggered heavy flooding. Maria the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years destroyed homes, roads, and bridges; knocked out power across the entire island; and triggered heavy flooding. An independent study revealed that an estimated 2,975 people died in the months following Hurricane Maria as a result of the storm, with the elderly and poor among the most impacted in Puerto Rico. The long-awaited research ordered by the U.S. territory's government contradicted the official death toll of 64. The government's previous estimate of how many could have perished was 1,400. Hello? Yes, Sergeant, this is Ramsgill 347 theres been a murder! Its the vicar we found him face down in the muesli. Dont panic, this bucolic corner of the Yorkshire Dales has seen no such nefarious deeds. But as I settle into my splendid bedroom at The Yorke Arms, the vintage telephone and reconditioned pre-war radio remind me of a set from a Sunday night murder mystery drama. After a 30-minute drive from Harrogate, the approach to Nidderdale takes you along the banks of the Gouthwaite Reservoir, before arriving in the hamlet of Ramsgill, where youll find the ivy-clad exterior of this restaurant-with-rooms next to the green. Gourmet retreat: The Yorke Arms, writes Will, is elegant, grown-up and a real destination for foodies as Michelin-starred chef Frances Atkins is in the kitchen Most of the ground floor some of which dates from the 11th Century is taken up with space for dining, either in the Little Dining Room or the grander main restaurant. Theres nothing trendy here: its elegant, grown-up and a real destination for foodies as Michelin-starred chef Frances Atkins is in the kitchen. She creates culinary magic for nightly five or eight-course tasting menus. There is also a warmly furnished lounge on the same floor with a roaring fire for bracing autumn days, best enjoyed clutching a pint of Black Sheep Ale from Masham, or a glass of Harrogate gin. There are 18 bedrooms, recently redesigned, with names such as Old Trout, Ey Up, Jowett and Rhubarb that reference the Yorkshire heritage. There are big tubs in which to soak, as well as toiletries by Paris-based Yorkshireman James Heeley, super-comfy beds, TV, wi-fi and Nespresso machines. One of Ms Atkins' tasty dishes. She rustles up 'imaginative British fare' And those retro pre-war radios? Theyre authentic but have been given a 21st Century once-over so your own music can be streamed via Bluetooth. Forget the vicar the only thing being murdered is my waistline, but frankly thats down to my lack of willpower. I vow to put on my walking boots and get some fresh air after one more scone. The USP: A restaurant with rooms in a picturesque spot for a relaxing gourmet weekend. The rooms: Theyre luxurious but homely with retro and modern touches. The food: Imaginative British fare. Try the smoked hare or charred venison. Make sure you leave room for a hearty breakfast of kedgeree, devilled lambs kidneys, kippers with lemon butter, or a Yorkshire grill. This is why drinks are served on board aircraft after take-off. Remarkable footage has caught the moment that a plane belonging to Dublin-based Ryanair was dramatically buffeted by Storm Ali winds as it took off at Birmingham Airport. The filmmaker described the plane as performing an Irish jig when it left the ground. Remarkable footage has caught the moment that a Ryanair plane was dramatically buffeted by Storm Ali winds as it took off at Birmingham Airport Filmed on September 19, the footage - posted online by YouTuber 'flugsnug' - shows the Alicante-bound plane heading down the runway in standard straight-line fashion. But as it takes to the air, the dance begins. The plane lurches to the left and the nose wheels and right wheels leave the ground. It then continues to lurch to the left but then tips to the right as the left wheels leave the ground. The filmmaker described the plane performing an Irish jig as it left the ground A serving long-haul captain told MailOnline Travel that the pilot didnt get the take-off quite right, but stressed that there was nothing unsafe about it After the wobbling it powers up into the sky. A serving long-haul captain told MailOnline Travel that the pilot, in his opinion, didnt get the take-off quite right, but stressed that there was nothing unsafe about it. He said: I would say that the pilot didnt have enough into-wind aileron [wing panels that adjust roll] applied - hence the rock and roll at the take-off point. But taking off in big crosswinds is often a bit rocky without being intrinsically dangerous. The British Airline Pilots' Association agreed that while scary to look at, the footage does not show something unsafe taking place. The pilot didnt have enough into-wind aileron applied - hence the rock and roll at the take-off point A serving long-haul airline captain A Balpa spokesperson said: 'Pilots are specifically trained to fly the aircraft in all the situations in which they might be expected to operate, including strong winds. The technique for taking off in windy condition varies from aircraft to aircraft but the general aim is to predict how the aircraft will want to react to the wind as the aircraft speed increases and apply control forces to keep it straight with the wings level. 'However, in very strong crosswind conditions you can actually end up looking at the runway through the side window and these tend to be the images that are popular on video sharing sites. While it looks scary, its something pilots are routinely trained for and no cause for alarm.' Ryanair said: 'This flight from Birmingham to Alicante (19 Sep) departed as normal (in windy conditions) and the flight continued without incident.' Storm Ali left hundreds of thousands of people without power and battered the British Isles with gusts of up to 102mph. A Ryanair pilot was pictured trying to land at Dublin Airport after arriving from Brussels, before sharply pulling up due to the high winds. Advertisement A country farmhouse lived in every day for over 500 years shut its doors for a 4m makeover - and has now reopened to holidaymakers who can take a trip into history. The stone and timber manor was one of the longest continuously occupied houses in Britain - it had been a home from 1480 to 2014. Brothers Trevor and Lyndon Powell were the last of generations of farmers to live in the Grade I listed house. A country farmhouse lived in every day for over 500 years shut its doors for a 4m makeover - and has now reopened to holidaymakers who can take a trip into history. Pictured here is the house before the restoration The stone and timber manor was one of the longest continuously occupied houses in Britain after being a home since 1480. This is a pre-restoration shot of one of the rooms What a difference a 4million restoration makes: This is the farmhouse after the Landmark Trust spruced it up Conservationists said Llwyn Celyn, meaning Hollybush in English, is one of the most remarkable surviving medieval houses in Britain But the siblings were forced to move out in 2014 when it became so run down it was being held up by scaffolding. The house, called Llwyn Celyn, also suffered more destruction when a stream flooded through the ground floor due to heavy rains. It has now been lovingly restored by the Landmark Trust charity, which rescues important buildings. Conservationists said Llwyn Celyn, meaning Hollybush in English, is one of the most remarkable surviving medieval houses in Britain. The house at Cwmyoy, near Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, remains a rare example of a complete medieval manor house. The house at Cwmyoy, near Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, remains a rare example of a complete medieval manor house It has its original floor plan and much of its medieval joinery and decorative features Landmark patron Prince Charles gave his backing for the restoration when he visited the farmhouse It sleeps eight people in two twins and two double beds and costs from 880 for a four-night break It has its original floor plan and much of its medieval joinery and decorative features. Landmark patron Prince Charles gave his backing for the restoration when he visited the farmhouse. The impressive building has now been opened to guests - so they can 'holiday in history'. It sleeps eight people in two twins and two double beds and costs from 880 for a four-night break. The mammoth renovation took more than a decade in the planning and culminated in over two years of complex restoration work. The mammoth renovation took more than a decade in the planning and culminated in over two years of complex restoration work Dr Anna Keay, director at Landmark Trust, said: 'It is Landmark's 200th building, but also testament to the monumental enthusiasm and expertise of everyone involved. From the craftspeople who pieced it back together using traditional skills, to the supporters, volunteers and National Lottery players who made it all possible. Thanks to all of them a precious piece of our past has been secured and will now be with us for all to enjoy and understand for centuries to come' The trust says it was one of the most complex restorations it has ever undertaken. Dr Anna Keay, director at Landmark Trust, said: 'It is Landmark's 200th building, but also testament to the monumental enthusiasm and expertise of everyone involved. 'From the craftspeople who pieced it back together using traditional skills, to the supporters, volunteers and National Lottery players who made it all possible. 'Thanks to all of them a precious piece of our past has been secured and will now be with us for all to enjoy and understand for centuries to come.' The house was built on the edge of the estates of the Augustinian Abbey of Llanthony. It cost 4.2m to restore the site - including a 2.5m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Former Ergobank chairman appeals 8-year sentence for embezzlement RIA Novosti, Sergey Pyatakov 11:59 08/10/2018 MOSCOW, October 8 (RAPSI) - Ex-board chairman of Ergobank Vyacheslav Barmin has filed an appeal against his 8-year prison sentence for embezzling 750 million rubles ($11.4 million), the spokesperson of the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow Anastasia Dzyurko has told RAPSI. Barmin was convicted and sentenced on October 1. The court found that on December 31, 2015, Barmin, acting as the chairman of Ergobank board, embezzled 750 million rubles located in the financial organizations repository. Later, he used money for his own purposes. The defendant pleaded not guilty and said that he took money to buy real estate for Ergobank. The court, however, held that there were no documents proving his version of events. Barmin later claimed that there was no money in repository anyway while his lawyer noted that some of the evidence against him was forged and some testimonies by witnesses were also false. In January 2016, the Central Bank of Russia revoked the license of Ergobank. Strictly Come Dancing isnt all glitz and glamour. Competing on the show requires hard work and often draws competitors away from their families, creating rifts between loved ones. This phenomenon is known as the Strictly curse and has led to divorces, breakups, called off engagements and more. And it seems this season is no different, after comedian Seann Walsh and his pro dancing partner Katya Jones were spotted kissing passionately in public over the weekend. Strictly Come Dancing has been known to have a negative effect on couples, giving way to what's known as the Strictly curse Since we're barely into this season of Strictly Come Dancing, it seems the curse is a real thing and not just reality TV folklore. With Katya and Seann claiming the kiss was a 'one-off drunken mistake', it remains to be seen if their romantic partners Neil Jones and Rebecca Humphries will stand by them. Heres what you need to know about the Strictly curse. What is the Strictly Come Dancing curse? The Strictly Come Dancing Curse is seen when one or more members of a couple compete on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing. The couple is typically torn apart by time-related issues or one partner's attraction to another person on the show, which often leads to infidelity. Couples who have been affected by the Strictly curse Katya Jones and Seann Walsh Katya and Seann are the most recent dance partners to be struck with the curse, after they were seen passionately kissing in public on Wednesday, October 3. Katya, who is married to Neil Jones, was the first to issue an apology, saying it was a 'one-off mistake after some drinks'. Comedian Seann Walsh, who is dating Rebecca Humphries, also called it a 'drunken mistake'. It remains to be seen if this results in them splitting from their partners. Katya and Seann are the most recent dance partners to be struck with the curse, after they were seen passionately kissing in public on October 3 Karen and Kevin Clifton Karen and Kevin Clifton were the couple to feel the effects of the Strictly curse last season of the show. In 2017, a source told The Sun: Kevin has spoken to some of those close to him and admitted things arent going well between them at the minute. Kevin himself said: Strictlys a hard few weeks for everyone. Karen and I have found this years particularly hard as weve been in different places since the start her in Manchester and London and me in Glasgow. Rumors continued to swirl into 2018. At first, Karen maintained that she and Kevin were happy together. In March, however, everything changed. The couple announced that they were taking a break. Kevin told This Morning: 'There was a big elephant in the room and normally you would deal with that privately and we're positive people in general so we thought we would just get on top of it and ride it.' Karen was still wearing her wedding ring at the time. She explained it was because they were 'not divorced yet'. Speaking with MailOnline, Karen said: Its important to be open to all possibilities. I havent given up on it. I saw my parents break up and I didnt like it. I think the best thing for now is to behave like adults and take a break. She added: You never know whatll happen; maybe even in a couple of yearsits just that right now this is what we need. Louise and Jamie Redknapp After placing second in the 2016 iteration of Strictly Come Dancing, reports surfaced claiming that Louise Redknapps nearly two-decade old marriage was in a state of disaster. The Sun revealed in December 2017 that she and husband Jamie filed for divorce. The time apart was said to be too much for their relationship. A source said: They have come to a mutual agreement that divorce is the only option. Louise has filed the paperwork and theres no going back. They were granted a quick divorce in December 2017. Court documents obtained by Celebs Now stated that 'unreasonable behavior' was the reason for their split. Joanne Clifton and Joe Edward-Bader The Strictly Curse doesnt just affect married contestants. In February 2017, The Sun reported that Joanne Clifton and Joe Edward-Bader broke up weeks after she won Strictly Come Dancing. Theyre said to have been planning a life together, but their relationship couldnt withstand the pressure that came with the show. Around the time theyre said to have broken up, Joanne shared a photo of a man aiming a gun at Cupid. She captioned the image #GoAway. She did not comment on the reason for their split. Daisy Lowe and Bradley Frankie Wade Daisy Lowe and boyfriend Bradley Frankie Wade succumbed to the Strictly curse in 2016. Sources close to the couple said they simply couldnt find time to spend together. Daisy said of the split: 'At the beginning, which is supposed to be the most joyful honeymoon period, I had nothing to give him, we could have coped with the pressure if we had been together for ages and had known all of the ins and outs of each other.' Georgia May Foote and Sean Ward Georgia May Foote broke up with Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward after she began appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015. She and partner Giovanni Pernice took runner up in the competition and were later seen kissing openly while on holiday together in Paris, The Sun reported. They denied that they were a couple until they split in 2016. Scheduling conflicts were to blame for their separation. Rachel Riley and Jamie Gilbert Rachel Riley divorced husband Jamie Gilbert after 15 months together to be with Strictly Come Dancing partner Pasha Kovalev. While she claims he was not the reason for her split from Jamie, they did confirm they were a couple in 2014. They are still together to this day. Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace Flavia Cacace dumped professional dancer Vincent Simone to be with EastEnders actor Matt Di Angelo in 2007 when they were partnered together on the show. Unfortunately their relationship didnt last either. Flavia and Matt broke up in 2010. Flavia started dating Jimi Mistry amid news of her split from Matt. They married in December 2013 and are still together. Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff found love on the set of Strictly Come Dancing after he left wife Abby Blayney. The pair had been together 11 years. Kristina and Ben started dating and welcomed their first child, a daughter, in June 2016. Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff Before she and Ben Cohen got together, Kristina Rihanoff was in a relationship with Strictly Come Dancing Partner Joe Calzaghe. She and the boxer began dating in 2009 and split in 2013. Kristina said it wasnt the time apart that destroyed their relationship, but rather that her beau found it difficult when I danced with other men. She later admitted she 'neglected' Joe, which 'put a lot of strain' on the relationship. Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole Strictly Come Dancing couple Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole were one of the earlier couples to suffer the effects of the Strictly curse. They split in 2004. Natasha and Brendan made headlines after having an affair, leaving partners Mike Barnard and Camilla Dallerup for one another. When their relationship ended, Brendan went on to marry Zoe Hobbs. They have two children together. What time is Strictly Come Dancing on? Strictly Come Dancing airs at 7:35pm BST on Saturdays on BBC One. When is the Strictly Come Dancing final? Strictly Come Dancing will likely have its final episode on December 15, 2018, in accordance with the time frame of previous seasons. A new batch of contestants are hoping to win over the judges on My Kitchen Rules, which commenced filming its tenth season recently. And as production got underway in Sydney last Wednesday, longtime judge Manu Feildel was noticeably absent. The amateur chefs were spotted filming scenes at Rushcutters Bay, serving up meals for franchise regulars Pete Evans and Colin Fassnidge. Where's Manu? The French chef (right) was noticeably absent as My Kitchen Rules season 10 continued filming in Sydney last Wednesday, with Colin Fassnidge and Pete Evans (left) The new teams arrived on set at Sydney's harbourside suburb of Rushcutters Bay looking ready for a busy day of filming. While some contestants dressed casually in T-shirts and jeans, others pulled out all the stops in figure-hugging outfits and platform heels. Host Pete Evans and regular judge Colin Fassnidge were there to greet them, along with guest judge Sean Connolly. Here they come! The new teams arrived on set at Sydney's harbourside suburb of Rushcutters Bay looking ready for a busy day of filming In action: Filming for the tenth season of My Kitchen Rules commenced back in July Glamorous: While some contestants dressed casually in T-shirts and jeans, others pulled out all the stops in figure-hugging outfits and platform heels Pete, 45, cut a dapper figure in a white shirt, a slim-fit navy suit and leather boots. Meanwhile, Irish chef Colin, 44, opted for a black T-shirt, coordinating jeans, a grey plaid suit jacket and white sneakers. Noticeably absent was Pete's co-host, Frenchman Manu Feildel. Familiar faces: Host Pete Evans and regular judge Colin Fassnidge were there to greet the contestants, along with guest judge Sean Connolly (right) Judges' style: Pete (right) cut a dapper figure in a white shirt, a slim-fit navy suit and leather boots. Meanwhile, Colin (left) opted for a black T-shirt, coordinating jeans, a grey plaid suit jacket and white sneakers Happy to be there: Contestant Piper from New South Wales beamed on set A Channel Seven spokesperson explained that, per the show's format, Pete and Colin host and judge the outdoor location challenges, hence why Manu wasn't present. Channel Seven's ratings juggernaut My Kitchen Rules is set to return next year for a tenth season. Filming commenced back in July. While Manu is yet to be pictured on set, Pete hinted back in March that he previously contemplated leaving the show. Bringing the heat: Contestants Pat from Victoria (left) and Sal from South Australia (right) eagerly prepared dishes All okay? Contestant Bianca from Victoria at one stage appeared somewhat flustered Antics: Another moment captured one of the contestants picking up and carrying a woman He said that after nine years, he was eager to spend more time with his family - including his wife Nicola Robinson and two daughters, Chilli, 13, and Indii, 11. 'There's a lot of travelling involved in this job that is unlike anything else,' he told TV Week. 'What I love most is to spend time with my family. That's always my priority.' The last season of MKR saw drama reach new heights, as controversial duo Sonya Mefaddi and Hadil Faiza became the first contestants to be kicked off the show. In the zone: Two other contestants appeared in the zone on set Sizzling: There was plenty of action on set as contestants hoped to impress the judges The pair were accused of bullying the other contestants on numerous occasions. 'Enough! Things have got too out of hand, this is a cooking competition, and this behaviour is unacceptable. Sonya and Hadil, you are excused from the table!' a furious Manu said in his now-infamous dismissal. Despite the drama, My Kitchen Rules ratings were lower than expected so it's expected producers will be pulling out all the stops for season 10. Taking their place: The contestants and judges sat behind tables at the harbourside location Sabrina Bryan, 34, has tied the knot. The Cheetah Girls star married Jordan Lundberg, 27, on Saturday at Wayne Newton's home in Las Vegas. 'Fairytales really do come true,' Sabrina said in an Instagram post. 'So excited to share my first looks with @people my heart feels like its going to burst Im so happy!!' Hitched! Sabrina Bryan, 34 married longtime partner Jordan Lundberg, 27, tied the knot at Wayne Newton's home in Las Vegas on Saturday Turns out Bryan and Newton have become good friends since they co-starred on season five of Dancing With The Stars in 2012, which lead to the legendary Vegas crooner to offer up his home for the wedding. According to People, the longtime couple exchanged nuptials in an outdoor 'romantic glamour-themed' ceremony in front of 160 guests. 'Jordan and I have dreamed about this day for a long time,' the former Disney starlet said in the exclusive interview. Cheetah Girls bandmate and co-star Kiely Williams served as one of Bryan's matrons-of-honor; Bryan had been her maid-of-honor at her wedding in 2016. Fairy tale: The happy couple wed in front of 160 guests in an outdoor 'romantic glamour-themed' ceremony Bon voyage: The couple posed for a photo just before boarding a plane for Las Vegas; the couple dated for nearly six years before getting engaged in 2017 For her big day, the bride wore a long sleeve, backless, custom fairy tale Hayley Paige ball gown, featuring an illusion neckline, beaded handmade appliques and a layered tulle skirt. She also wore a custom-made reception dress with a plunging neckline and low back detailing, from the same designer. The groom went with a classy and classic dark tux, black bow tie and white shirt. Newlywed: 'Fairytales really do come true,' Sabrina said in an Instagram post. '...my heart feels like its going to burst Im so happy!!'; Sabrina is pictured in Anaheim, California in June 2018 In an interview with Bridal Guide, Bryan said she met her husband, who works as a strategic accounts manager, through a mutual friend who was one of his colleagues. 'We hit it off right away and basically never stopped hanging out,' she admitted in the interview. The newlyweds dated for almost six-years before Jordan popped the question and they got engaged in Ireland in 2017. The newlyweds will be going on a Mediterranean cruise for their honeymoon. 'What I am looking forward to in marriage is simply a deepening of our love for each other, Sabrina confessed in the People interview. 'We are also looking towards the future and someday starting a family of my own which I am thrilled about. But for now, Ill enjoy being a wife!' Bear Grylls' Celebrity Island viewers were left in shock after Pete Wicks was bitten by a shark on Sunday's edition of the show. Amid his turbulent stint on the survival series, the TOWIE star, 29, broke down into tears as he admitted he missed his mum and pet dogs. However, fans were less than sympathetic over the star's emotional display, after branding him a 'hypocrite' as he protested over killing a pig in last week's episode, days after spearing a stingray to death. Ouch! Bear Grylls' Celebrity Island viewers were left in shock after Pete Wicks was bitten by a shark on Sunday's edition of the show In the shocking scenes, the TV personality screamed in agony as his hands were bitten by a shark. Yelling in pain, the reality star cried: 'F**k, it's got my finger, shark's got my finger, it's taken my finger!' Viewers failed to show their pity over the bite, with one Twitter user stating: 'Bet the shark that bit him enjoyed the pig he sent out to sea too #Karma #FishAreAnimalsToo.' Emotional: Amid his turbulent stint on the survival series, the TOWIE star, 29, broke down into tears as he admitted he missed his mum and pet dogs Another fan penned: 'So one week @P_Wicks01 is accidentally strangling a pig, floating it out to sea and crying about how hes a murderer and the next hes being bitten by a shark that probably got a taste for blood from the b****y pig... you couldnt write it #JusticeForColin #CelebrityIsland.' '@P_Wicks01 dude that shark attack was hilarious, a little karma for killing the pig maybe? Funniest thing Ive seen since last weeks episode #CelebIsland', a third added. Hitting out at the star following the pig controversy, which saw Pete beg his co-stars not to kill a pig, another wrote: '@P_Wicks01 pete whats the difference between killing and eating a shark and killing and eating a pig? Whilst i disagree, I can understand vegetarian or vegan beliefs but struggle to see your logic.' Painful: In the shocking scenes, the TV personality screamed in agony as his hands were bitten by a shark That must've hurt! Yelling in pain, the reality star cried: 'F**k, it's got my finger, shark's got my finger, it's taken my finger!' The star urged his fellow castmates not to kill a small black pig only for the creature to accidentally choke to death after being tied to a tree. Fans of the show took umbrage to proud pescatarian Pete's stance against killing pigs while he was shown happily spearing a stringray through the head as he sought out food during a previous episode. With the island proving to get to the best of him, the Essex hunk was brought to tears as he pined for his mother and two dogs, crying: 'I'm a 30 year old man right, but I just want a cuddle from my mum.' What goes around comes back around: Viewers failed to show their pity over the bite, with viewers branding the incident as 'Karma' following the pig controversy Breaking down: With the island proving to get to the best of him, the Essex hunk was brought to tears as he pined for his mother and two dogs The scene left viewers divided as some poked fun at his emotional display, while others branded him 'cute'. '@P_Wicks01 givin it the big one about the shark.. 5 mins before that you had a laminated picture of your 2 dogs that you were crying about cause you missed them.. wet wipe', one fan wrote. In disagreement, another penned: 'Awww @P_Wicks01 watching the last Island and you've been a brick! You've made some amazing friends and seeing you crying when talking to your mum shows a true man! You've done amazing babe! Xxx' Big Brother star Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace also waded in on the episode, as the 39-year-old told her 175,000 followers: 'Awwwww @P_Wicks01 crying coz he misses his doggies can u even cope with the cuteness? #celebrityisland (sic)'. Different views: The scene left viewers divided as some poked fun at his emotional display, while others branded him 'cute' Last month, the Celebrity Island was blasted by animal charity PETA for 'torturing living beings for ratings' after the pig choked to death on the show. The graphic scenes were slammed by animal protection charity PETA for its 'torture' of animals, with a spokesman urging producers to scrap the use of animals in the show. 'Bear Grylls has a sordid history of torturing living beings to boost ratings,' the spokesperson told MailOnline. 'It's time to move beyond this worn-out trope of showing crude dominance over nature and we urge producers to scrap the use of animals in these stupid TV stunts and replace them with challenges that don't involve bullying or purposely putting animals in harm's way.' Distressing: The star urged his fellow castmates not to kill a small black pig only for the creature to accidentally choke to death after being tied to a tree A Channel 4 spokesperson said of the scenes: 'The celebrities were greatly affected by what happened and footage will be shown in the programme next Sunday in order to give a faithful account of their time on the island.' Pete is an avid animal lover and last year he helped rescue 170 dogs from squalid conditions and certain death during his trip to South Korea, where he campaigned to end canine farms. The TOWIE star revealed that he's even given up meat since his heroic mission and hopes to return to the East Asian country, as well as Romania. Sam Frost has spoken bravely about her mental health struggles in recent years, after rising to fame as a contestant on The Bachelor in 2014. The 29-year-old has been particularly candid about her battle with anxiety, which she again discussed on Channel Seven's The Morning Show on Monday. The Home and Away star revealed that panic attacks can strike unexpectedly, like when she is going to the gym. 'I can have a little freak out and burst into tears': Home and Away star Sam Frost has revealed she sometimes suffers from anxiety attacks while going to the gym 'It is just things like going to the gym. I can have a little freak out and burst into tears - I don't even know what is so scary about it,' she said. The former 2Day FM radio host added that she sometimes becomes so crippled with anxiety that she has to leave. Sam explained that managing her anxiety is something she is getting better at because her psychologist has taught her several helpful techniques. Everyday struggle: 'It is just things like going to the gym. I can have a little freak out and burst into tears - I don't even know what is so scary about it,' she said. Pictured on The Morning Show However, she did say that having an incredible support network helps as well. 'It's nice to be able to have an open conversation with them and when I am struggling I can say [it] to them and they know how to support me,' Sam said. 'That is purely because I have an open conversation with them and that is why I can't stress enough the importance of opening up and sharing how you feel with your loved ones.' Getting better: Sam explained that managing her anxiety is something she is getting better at because her psychologist has taught her several helpful techniques. She has also created a website to help young girls and women open up about mental health issues, Believe By Sam Frost. Sam, who is dating navy diver Dave Bashford, launched the initiative in June. If you're struggling with depression or anxiety, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 Jodie Whittaker made her debut as the 13th Doctor in the hit sci-fi series Doctor Who on Sunday night. And the actress, 36, was on hand at New York City Comic Con to introduce the show and take part in a panel, after the episode was simulcast to the event at the same time it was aired in the UK. The new Time Lord made sure she looked glamorous for fans, as Jodie stepped out in two outfits for her day at the convention on Sunday. Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker looked glamorous in bird-print dress before she changed into bold red suit for show's premiere at New York Comic Con on Sunday At the start of the day, Jodie looked chic in a black midi-dress, which had a colourful bird print across the front, and which she teamed up with burgundy boots. Her cropped blonde locks were brushed with a side parting and fell over her face in a sleek, straight style as she accentuated her pretty features with natural make-up. Following the debut of The Woman Who Fell To Earth, Jodie then returned to the stage in a red suit for a panel alongside showrunner Chris Chibnall and executive producer Matt Strevens. Jodie looked stunning in the bright ensemble, which she teamed up with a black v-neck shirt and studded black boots. Pretty: At the start of the day, Jodie looked chic in a black midi-dress, which had a colourful bird print across the front, and which she teamed up with burgundy boots Looking good: Her cropped blonde locks were brushed with a side parting and fell over her face in a sleek, straight style as she accentuated her pretty features with natural make-up Dream team: Jodie arrived in style with showrunner Chris Chibnall (right) and executive producer Matt Strevens (left) The trio then discussed the series and what's to come before happily answering fan questions, deftly dodging the ones that may have contained some spoilers. At the panel, she said of being the first female Time Lord: 'I want it to be such a second of history that it becomes forgotten because it becomes the norm.' Before adding that she didn't let negative criticism bother her, simply saying: 'The reason I don't let it get me down is because it's daft.' Chris said that the Doctor has always been a 'symbol of unity,' and that it's fine if the character is presented as male, female or non-binary. Wardrobe change: Following the debut of The Woman Who Fell To Earth, Jodie then returned to the stage in a red suit for a panel Glamorous: Jodie looked stunning in the bright ensemble, which she teamed up with a black v-neck shirt and studded black boots Hopes: At the panel, she said of being the first female Time Lord: 'I want it to be such a second of history that it becomes forgotten because it becomes the norm' Not bothered: Before adding that she didn't let negative criticism bother her, simply saying: 'The reason I don't let it get me down is because it's daft' Of her influences for her characterisation of The Doctor, Jodie named Jennifer Connelly in Labyrinth, Mikey from The Goonies and Flight Of The Navigator. Jodie's reason behind this was that she was not looking for 'the heroics in the grownups, it was the heroics in the kids. Thats what I want to bring to the Doctor.' Fans were blown away by the actress when she took on the iconic role for the first time, with many gushing that she had all the best qualities of her predecessors. Some were so impressed by her performance in the first episode that they happily admitted she had completely embodied the character and that she was already '100% The Doctor'. Impressive: Jodie Whittaker wowed fans with her first outing as the iconic character as they gushed that she had all the best qualities of her predecessors One wrote: 'I have watched every #DoctorWho actor since the first back in 1963. Jodie is quite outstanding & up there with the best. Brings great vibrancy, energy & no little touch of humour to the role. Jodie is Dr. Who.' While another said of her take on the character: 'And Jodie is, in just one episode, 100% The Doctor. No Question.' Another Twitter user discussed the character's importance in society, and how her depiction will influence change, as they wrote: 'Seeing Jodie play the Doctor with confidence, wit, and compassion is what we need in 2018. I can only imagine the young girls seeing her play this iconic role.' Happy: Fans were impressed by her performance in The Woman Who Fell To Earth, saying she had completely embodied the character and that she was already '100% The Doctor' One thing that a lot of fans also commended Jodie on was the way in which her character had the best qualities of her male counterparts. Taking to Twitter in their droves to discuss it, one wrote: 'She's given off Matt Smith vibes from his tenre (sic) all weird and kooky and thats (sic) an awesome thing.' While another agreed, and added: 'She's got 11's energy, with 12's emotional depth, a smattering of 9's sarcastic wit, and a touch of 10's mental exuberance. It's working for me.' Another Twitter user said: 'She has the energy of 10, the optimism of 11, and the sass of 12... in other words she's amazing.' All the best qualities: One thing that fans commended Jodie on was how she was able to take the best qualities from her predecessors (pictured David Tennant, who played the 10th Doctor) Pleased: One wrote, 'She's got 11's (Matt Smith, pictured) energy, with 12's emotional depth, a smattering of 9's sarcastic wit, and a touch of 10's mental exuberance' Wonderful: Another Twitter user agreed, 'She has the energy of 10, the optimism of 11, and the sass of 12 (Peter Capaldi, pictured)... in other words she's amazing' Jodie's first episode as the sci-fi icon saw her fight off a Stenza Warrior, whilst also introducing her to her companions Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill) and Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh). Speaking about her role as the much-loved character earlier this year, Jodie said on This Morning: 'Every actor brings their perspective and point of view. 'The pressure was probably more on for Chris [Ecclestone] and Matt [Smith] and Peter [Capaldi], because they're a different actor, but within the version of a man playing the role. 'It's an odd one. Being a woman, talking about it in a way that I don't think a man would. I want to celebrate this journey for me, because I'm the first.' Doctor Who continues on BBC1, Sunday 14th October at 6.45pm. KUWTK reality star Kylie Jenner went jewelry shopping with her BFF and roommate Jordyn Woods in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Forbes-certified billionaire and the plus-size model - both 21 - linked arms and coordinated in casual b&w attire for their sunny outing. The Calabasas mother-of-one - who relies on stylist Jill Jacobs - flaunted her taut tummy in a white cropped T-shirt, snug I.AM.GIA Slater black pants with white piping and pale sneakers. Inseparable: KUWTK reality star Kylie Jenner (R) went jewelry shopping with her BFF and roommate Jordyn Woods (L) in Los Angeles on Sunday Jordyn, meanwhile, wore a black bodysuit, Nike sneakers and socks, Alain Mikli sunglasses, and a Chanel purse. Kylie - who boasts 166.4M social media followers - shared an Insta-story of herself cuddling with Jordyn, whom she met in middle school through her ex-boyfriend Jaden Smith. 'They're best friends. They still are. Whatever. Just kidding!' Jenner laughed in her July 6 vlog. 'We invited her over. I think we were like eighth grade summer going into ninth grade.' Woods added in the video: 'I don't think we've ever gone two weeks without talking, more so like two hours.' Chanel purse: The Forbes-certified billionaire and the plus-size model - both 21 - linked arms and coordinated in casual b&w attire for their sunny outing Relies on stylist Jill Jacobs: The Calabasas mother-of-one flaunted her taut tummy in a white cropped T-shirt, snug I.AM.GIA Slater black pants with white piping and pale sneakers 'Back together again': Kylie shared an Insta-story of herself cuddling with Jordyn, whom she met in middle school through her ex-boyfriend Jaden Smith Woods revealed in Jenner's July 6 vlog: 'I don't think we've ever gone two weeks without talking, more so like two hours' The artificially plump-lipped socialite also made time to cuddle with her eight-month-old daughter Stormi, and the'll soon wear coordinating costumes for Halloween. The Lip Kit mogul has been planning three costumes in total for this month's spooky festivities. Kylie's cosmetics company will next drop their Halloween-inspired, metallic-infused fall line next Friday. Morning cuddles: The artificially plump-lipped socialite also made time for her eight-month-old daughter Stormi, and the'll soon wear coordinating costumes for Halloween 'So far Im thinking 3!' The Lip Kit mogul has been planning three costumes in total for this month's spooky festivities 'Creep it Real': Kylie's cosmetics company will next drop their Halloween-inspired, metallic-infused fall line next Friday Jenner spent the prior evening watching her 'hubby' Travis Scott perform three of his tracks - Skeletons, Astrothunder, and Sicko Mode - on NBC's sketch series Saturday Night Live. The 27-year-old rapper (born Jacques Webster, Jr.) was still in Manhattan on Sunday ahead of his 31-date Astroworld Tour, which kicks off next Saturday at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. The three-time Grammy nominee gushed on Instagram: 'Can't wait for tour!' 'Hubby!' Jenner spent the prior evening watching her babydaddy Travis Scott perform three of his tracks on NBC's sketch series Saturday Night Live 'Can't wait for tour!' The 27-year-old rapper (born Jacques Webster, Jr.) was still in Manhattan on Sunday ahead of his 31-date Astroworld Tour, which kicks off next Saturday at the Austin City Limits Music Festival Fans can catch more of Jenner and her famous family in the 15th season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which airs Sunday on E! The show is up for the reality show trophy and her half-sister Khloe will compete for best reality star trophy at the fan-voted People's Choice Awards, which airs November 11 on E! It's hard to believe the nepotistically-privileged daughter of Kris & Caitlyn Jenner was once a regular Sierra Canyon School cheerleader until she started homeschooling in 2012. Drama queens: Fans can catch more of Jenner and her famous family in the 15th season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which airs Sunday on E! Mediterranean Rating: Lovely chap, that Simon Reeve, but you wouldnt want to go on holiday with him. The mop-topped voyagers adventure round our favourite summer havens in Mediterranean (BBC2) became a nightmare of brawling tourists, corruption, Russian skulduggery and Mafia explosions. And that was just Malta. He could find a seamy underbelly in Sugar Plum Fairyland. Wherever he travelled, he uncovered twisted nightmares, from blood feuds in Albania to blighted olive trees in the heel of Italy. The mop-topped voyagers adventure round our favourite summer havens in Mediterranean (BBC2) became a nightmare of brawling tourists, corruption, Russian skulduggery and Mafia explosions He means well, but frankly Simon and his tasselled scarf spell tourism catastrophe at every turn. Skegness and Margate would be well advised to implement a shoot-on-sight policy, just in case he ever visits. Within moments of stepping off a motor launch in Malta, he was standing outside a bar where 30 or more holidaymakers were laying into each other with bottles and stools. I fervently hope they werent all boozed-up Brits but, lets face it, they were unlikely to be Swiss. The yachts in the harbour, on the other hand, were probably Russian. One boasted a helipad with a helicopter wearing a fitted dustcover, like a tailored egg cosy. Malta is an oligarchs playground, apparently. The island sells passports for $1 million (760,000) with very few questions asked, which means European Union residency is available at a price handy for money laundering. One journalist who followed the dirty money trail too far was assassinated with a car bomb. It was triggered by radio from a distant yacht in a murder that was as high-tech as it was cold-blooded. Even Simons cheerful, offbeat snippets had a dark heart. In Brancaleone, on Italys southern tip, he discovered a sealife rescue station where volunteers were preparing to release a 30-year-old turtle called Raoul back into the wild. Here was a feelgood story at last. Even this segment was depressing, though. Half the Meds turtles have died, Simon discovered, many because they mistook plastic bags for tasty jellyfish. By the time he visited an idyllic olive grove, it was painfully obvious what would happen. Sure enough, the spot was infested with a bacteria called Xylella or olive tree Ebola. When Simon left, the 82-year-old Italian farmer was sobbing his eyes out. Much of the documentary looks lovely, and the bits that dont downtown Albania, for example are fascinating. But if you ever find yourself sitting on a package tour airliner next to this man, bale out. Great Canal Journeys Rating: In contrast, a trip abroad with old romantics Timothy West and Prunella Scales would be delightful. These inseparable thesps, married for 55 years, were back on a barge in Great Canal Journeys (C4), though this time it was the Nile river variety favoured by Cleopatra, rather than the Kennet & Avon narrowboat type. Timothy West and Prunella Scales have been married for 55 years and were back on a barge in Great Canal Journeys on C4 Pru suffers from vascular dementia, which affects her memory, though you wouldnt guess it to look at her, or to hear her deliver her lines with a mischievous smile. Shes 86, though she refused to admit it to the camera: I get away with 67 if Im lucky. Tim, 83, is attentive and alert, though not in a sartorial sense: he spent the episode in a battered straw hat that looked like a chicken had been nesting in it. They set a brisk pace from the Valley of the Kings at Luxor to a Nubian village outside Aswan too brisk at times, because the scenery was so beautiful it would have been better to linger. And I wanted more of Tims outrageous Hercule Poirot accent, when he read from Death On The Nile. Alors, Hastings, cest formidable! Taylor Swift broke with years of silence over her political views on Sunday as she attacked a Republican running for office in her home state of Tennessee. The pop superstar came out swinging as she vowed to oppose senate candidate Marsha Blackburn over her voting record on women's rights and LGBTQ rights. Swift said she refuses to vote for someone 'who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love.' Scroll down for video Taylor Swift discussed her political views for the first time ever on Instagram on Sunday, attacking a Republican running in Tennessee and backing their Democrat opponent instead (pictured, the image Swift posted alongside her message) The pop superstar, who is registered to vote in Tennessee, explained that the events of the past two years have persuaded her that she should speak out and share her views In her lengthy Instagram post, Swift tears into Marsha Blackburn, a Republican Congresswoman running for the Senate and endorses her Democratic opponent The 28-year-old took issue with Blackburn voting against gay marriage, supporting business owners who refuse service to gay couples, voting against equal pay laws, and against a bill which aimed to protect women from domestic violence. 'Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me,' she wrote, adding: 'These are not MY Tennessee values.' Swift called Republican Marsha Blackburn's voting record 'appalling and terrifying' while vowing to vote for her opponent She went on: 'I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country.' 'I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. 'I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent.' Instead of Blackburn, Swift endorsed former Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen for Senate and incumbent Jim Cooper for House of Representatives, both Democrats. Swift, who was born in Pennsylvania, has lived in Nashville, Tennessee, since she was 10 years old. The Reputation hitmaker also used her platform to urge young people to register to vote and make their voices heard in November. 'So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count,' she wrote. 'But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting!' 'I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country,' Swift, 26, said Sunday The hitmaker also used her platform to urge young people to register to vote and make their voices heard in November Swift has just wrapped the North American leg of her Reputation Tour with a concert in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday night She added a smiley face emjoi and a rainbow symbol. Swift wrapped up the North American leg of her Reputation Tour with a concert in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday night. She's set to open the American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday before heading off Down Under as she takes her Reputation Tour to Australia and New Zealand and then on to Japan. Swift's political coming out immediately garnered lots of buzz on Twitter. Former governor Bredeson tweeted his thanks to the singer for her endorsement, saying: 'Im honored to have your support.' According to a recent Fox News poll, Blackburn was ahead of Bredesen 48 per cent-43 per cent. Actress and activist Ayssa Milano retweeted Swift's post and wrote: 'Taylor Swift Speaks Out Against Anti-Gay Senate Candidate - Thank you, @taylorswift13.' Former governor Bredeson tweeted his thanks to the singer for her endorsement, saying 'Im honored to have your support' Actress and activist Ayssa Milano retweeted Swift's post and wrote: 'Taylor Swift Speaks Out Against Anti-Gay Senate Candidate - Thank you, @taylorswift13' However, conservative pundit and Trump supporter Charlie Kirk lashed out at Swift in a tweet, saying: 'You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Your career has never recovered since Kanye ended it.' Swift didn't acknowledge Bredesen's recent endorsement of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but said people may never find a candidate or party with whom they agree completely on every issue. As Swift acknowledged, she usually stays quiet about her beliefs, but in March, the 28-year-old announced on Instagram that she had donated to the Parkland school shooting's March For Our Lives campaign, just ahead of their DC march against gun violence . Swift shared the logo for the campaign in her post and captioned it: 'No one should have to go to school in fear of gun violence. Or to a nightclub. Or to a concert. Or to a movie theater. Or to their place of worship.' She then added 'Ive made a donation to show my support for the students, for the March For Our Lives campaign, for everyone affected by these tragedies, and to support gun reform.' Conservative pundit and Trump supporter Charlie Kirk lashed out at Swift, saying: 'You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Your career has never recovered since Kanye ended it' Coronation Street's Billy Mayhew has revealed that he can see himself settling down with his boyfriend of one year, Stuart Hatton. The actor, 38, met his partner at Stockholm Pride only last summer, however he admits that he can see marriage and babies on the horizon. Daniel, who has played vicar Billy Mayhew in Coronation Street for last four years, told Ok! Magazine that he would like to be married before they have kids. The one: Coronation Street's Billy Mayhew has revealed that he can see himself settling down with his boyfriend of one year, Stuart Hatton He said: ' Wed both like to have kids Ive always wanted them. I came out in 1995 and we couldnt have adopted then, but things have changed to enable us to do that, if indeed we did want to adopt. Stuart, who works as a dance teacher, added that although he would love to have biological children h is aware that they can't both have that, so believes that adoption makes sense too. During his own childhood, Dan said that there weren't many positive gay role models to look up to, so if someone sees him speaking up and thinks 'it's okay to be who I am', then he feels his own sacrifices were worth it. Future plans: The actor, 38, met his partner at Stockholm Pride only last summer, however he admits that he can see marriage and babies on the horizon. He added that he also believes that he was overlooked for some acting roles because of his sexuality. However one acting role he wasn't overlooked for, was the role of Merlin in a show by the same name, which also starred Helena Bonham Carter. Read the full story in this week's OK! Magazine - out today. Stuart said: 'I loved it so much that I named one of my cats Merlin. Then, when I was social media stalking Dan before our first date, I nearly dropped my phone when I saw he played the 18-year-old Merlin! 'In my mind, I lost my Merlin the cat, who died last year, but gained the real Merlin! The actor had previously been in a relationship with his Corrie co-star Rob Mallard, who plays Daniel Osbourne on the show. The pair split in July last year after just a few months of dating, but a source told The Sun they remained friends, saying: 'It was a lot of pressure for both of them to be working on the same show and going outin the end something had to give. 'They decided to part ways a couple of weeks ago but they're still great friends and hope to remain that way.' Read the full story in this week's OK! Magazine - out today. Russian prosecutors support introduction of fines for flight overbooking RIA Novosti, Maxim Blinov 15:59 08/10/2018 MOSCOW, October 8 (RAPSI) Russian Prosecutor Generals Office has supported a proposal of the All-Russia People's Front political movement to introduce fines for flight overbooking, the movements press-release reads. According to the statement, a bill prepared by the movement envisages administrative fines of up to 100,000 rubles ($1,500) for unmotivated refusal to transport a passenger. Repeated violations may lead to a fine of up to 200,000 rubles ($3,000). In addition, authors of the bill propose to fine managers of airlines from 10,000 to 15,000 rubles ($225) for the first violation and from 30,000 rubles ($450) for a repeated one. In September 2017, another bill introducing liability of airlines to passengers for overbooking reached the State Duma. The bill reads that if an airline unilaterally cancels a contract with a passenger and refuses to provide transportation services because the number of sold tickets exceeds the aircrafts capacity, it should compensate the passenger with a tenfold cost of the purchased ticket. Authors of the bill noted that current Russian legislation did not provide special punishment for airlines responsible for refusing to serve customers due to overbooking. Usually disputes with customers are solved by airlines on their own by providing a higher-class service, allocation of award points or postponing of a flight. The bill, however, was expected to increase efficiency of regulation regarding sales of airline tickets and improvement of air route logistics. Aqua and the Vengaboys were two of the biggest pop bands in the '90s. And they look set to have a comeback Down Under, after they were announced as the headline acts for next year's So Pop music festival. The former chart-toppers will commence the tour on January 30 in Perth, before heading to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Auckland and Brisbane. Turning back time! Turning back time! Nineties pop bands Aqua and Vengaboys to headline a retro music festival in Australia and New Zealand: Pictured (left to right): Aqua members Soren Rasted, Lene Nystrom, Rene Dif, Claus Norreen in October 1997 Performing for one night only in each city, the stage will be transformed into a 'school disco' for the purposes of the festival. Aqua and the Vengaboys will perform their hits alongside fellow '90s favourites Blue, B*witched, Eiffel 65, and Lou Bega. And it's not just the musical acts that will be making a comeback, with former Cheez TV stars Ryan Lappin and Jade Gatt acting as hosts. Former chart-toppers: The Vengaboys (pictured in the year 2000) are known for their hits We Like To Party and We're Going To Ibiza. Pictured (left to right): Band members Yorick Bakker, Denise Post-Van Rijswijk, Kim Sasabone and Roy den Burger Another name: Lou Bega (pictured in July 2016) will also perform at the So Pop music festival The tour will commence on Wednesday January 30 in Perth, followed by dates in Sydney (Friday February 1), Melbourne (Saturday February 2) and Adelaide (Sunday February 3). The festival will then move to New Zealand for a concert in Auckland on Tuesday February 5, before returning to Australia for a Brisbane show on Saturday February 9. Aqua are a Danish-Norwegian Eurodance group that achieved international fame with their 1997 breakthrough hit Barbie Girl. FESTIVAL LINEUP Aqua Vengaboys Blue B*witched Eiffel 65 Lou Bega Advertisement TOUR DATES PERTH: Wednesday January 30 SYDNEY: Friday February 1 MELBOURNE: Saturday February 2 ADELAIDE: Sunday February 3 AUCKLAND: Tuesday February 5 BRISBANE: Saturday February 9 Advertisement They went on to produce three studio albums, Aquarium in 1997, Aquarius in 2000 and Megalomania in 2011. The Vengaboys are a Dutch Eurodance act estimated to have sold 25 million records worldwide. They are known for their hits. We Like To Party and We're Going To Ibiza. Tickets to So Pop go on sale Thursday October 11 She is a mother-of-two who juggles raising her young sons with her busy TV career. But it appears Sarah Harris isn't keeping her office all that tidy, after the 37-year-old discovered that her phone is dirtier than a toilet. EarthEcco CEO Jake Tyson tested each of the Studio 10 hosts' devices to find out whose was the filthiest on Monday's episode of the show. 'I feel a bit sick!' Sarah Harris has discovered she has the filthiest phone on the Studio 10 panel and that it's 'dirtier than a toilet' While Joe Hildebrand was expected to have the dirtiest phone by viewers who voted in a social media poll, the blonde's device had the highest germ reading. 'I feel a bit sick', she said before finding out her phone had a germ count of 566, catergorised under danger and 'biologically contaminated.' 'I don't know what you've done with that,' Jake joked about her device. Do you wanna touch my phone? 'I feel a bit sick', she said before finding out her phone had a germ count of 566 and in the danger status and 'biologically contaminated Sarah asked if she had reason to be concerned, noting: 'The kids pick it up and they put it in their mouths, they take it around.' He told her: 'It's around all day, sure your phone's dirtier than a toilet but just give it a wipe down with a wipe and you'll be OK.' The host with the cleanest phone was Angela Bishop, who admitted that she had wiped down her device before the reading. Concerned: Sarah asked if she should worry noting: 'The kids pick it up and they put it in their mouths, they take it around'. Pictured: Sarah Harris with sons Paul (back) and Harry (front) She explained that she religiously cleans her phone with wipes following a taumatising bout of salmonella poisoning that lead her to eight day stint in hospital. Joe surprised everyone when his phone was revealed to have the second lowest germ count. It comes after Sarah was left incredibly red-faced after an invite to accompany her to a concert was awkwardly turned down live on-air. No go: It comes after Sarah was left incredibly red-faced after an invite to accompany her to a concert was awkwardly turned down live on-air The panel were in the middle of their usual banter on The Sunday Project after an announcement that iconic American rock-band The Eagles were returning to Australia. Sarah, sitting next to fellow-panelist Hamish Macdonald, excitedly bumped him on the arm, telling him they should go to one of their shows together. 'We should go, you and me!' Sarah said. 'I've got better people to go out with' Hamish replied in jest. Comedian Jim Carrey didn't mince words when it came to Donald Trump, calling the U.S. President a 'traitor.' Carrey, 56, held court with The New Yorker associate cartoon editor and humor writer Colin Stokes on Saturday, where he had harsh words for President Trump. 'We need to revisit presidential powers,' the Kidding star/creator said. 'I don't think the founding fathers had a traitor in mind for the highest office.' Carrey blasts Trump: Jim Carrey called President Donald Trump a 'traitor' during his panel at The New Yorker Festival on Saturday The actor and comedian's statement came hours after Brett Kavanagh was confirmed to the Supreme Court, with a 50-48 Senate vote. 'Today is not the end of the world,' he told the crowd. 'That is tentatively scheduled for November. But you can do something to change it!' Carrey also joked, 'Are we going to get to see all those Confederate statues again?' referencing the numerous Confederate statues that have been removed. Carrey and Stokes: Carrey, 56, held court with The New Yorker associate cartoon editor and humor writer Colin Stokes on Saturday, where he had harsh words for President Trump In one of the panel's most shocking moments, Carrey expounded about the possibility of the new conservative Supreme Court judge overturning Roe v. Wade. 'What's the positive there? Hanger sales go through the roof?' Carrey said. The Ace Ventura star also spoke about his new hobby, sharing political cartoons with his social media followers, telling the crowd it's how he deals with his feelings. New cartoon: The Ace Ventura star also spoke about his new hobby, sharing political cartoons with his social media followers, telling the crowd it's how he deals with his feelings 'I feel feelings, and that's the only way I can deal with them is to turn them into something positive,' Carrey said. 'All pain equals art.' He also shared a drawing of Dr. Christine Ford on Twitter on Saturday, one of the women who came forward and accused Kavanagh of sexual assault. 'Real American heroism,' the funnyman said about Kavanagh's accuser. 'Dr. Ford risked everything to tell the truth about this privileged Kavanaugh goon. Avenge her in November.' Funnyman getting serious: He also shared a drawing of Dr. Christine Ford on Twitter on Saturday, one of the women who came forward and accused Kavanagh of sexual assault 'A country that doesn't take care of its women and take care of its children in our schools is not a country we can fight for," said the Dumb and Dumber star. Despite his strong political views, Carrey said he is not interested in running for office, adding, 'No, not with my past.' The actor stars in and created Showtime's Kidding, which airs Sunday nights at 10 PM ET, and he is currently filming Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog movie, where he plays the nefarious Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Laid back: 'A country that doesn't take care of its women and take care of its children in our schools is not a country we can fight for," said the Dumb and Dumber star She sparked speculation of a new romance in August when she was seen packing on the PDA with musician Gabriel Glenn. And this past weekend, Paris Jackson, 20, was once again hanging out with Gabriel at the RiSE Festival in the Mojave Desert just outside Las Vegas. The pair, who sport matching long brown hair, were snapped holding hands at the event where people come together to launch glowing lanterns into the night sky. Close friends: Paris Jackson spent time at the RiSE Festival in the Mojave desert outside Las Vegas on Saturday with musician Gabriel Glenn Paris wore a colorful jacket with a long red scarf and a black skirt. Gabriel paired a striped shirt with faded blue jeans. In the background of the photos can be seen the lights of a stage and fellow festival goers. Simpatico: Paris wore a colorful jacket with a long red scarf and a black skirt. Gabriel paired a striped shirt with faded blue jeans. They each have long brunette hair that they left loose Hanging out: Gabriel had donned the same look when he accompanied Paris to a cancer fundraiser on August 11 in Los Angeles, sparking rumors of a romance Making music: Gabriel is a member of Paris's new band The Soundflowers Gabriel was wearing the same garb when he joined Michael Jackson's daughter at a charity fundraiser on August 11 in LA. At the time, a source insisted to People that the two were 'just friends.' The pair performed together at the August event as The Soundflowers. Paris previously was in a relationship with drummer Michael Snoddy and has recently linked to model Cara Delevingne. Bode Miller and his wife Morgan welcomed a baby boy Friday, less than four months after their 19-month-old daughter Emeline fatally drowned in a tragic accident. Sources told People that the Olympic gold medalist, 40, and his wife, 31, welcomed the boy Friday at 1.34pm, marking their third child together. The alpine ski racer and Morgan are parents to three-year-old son Nash Skan. Miller also has two kids from prior relationships: daughter Neesyn, 10, and five-year-old son Samuel. The new baby comes after Miller's daughter Emeline fell into a neighbor's pool on June 9. Scroll below for video Bode Miller, 40, and his wife Morgan, 31, welcomed a baby boy Friday, less than four months after their 19-month-old daughter Emeline fatally drowned in a tragic accident Paramedics attempted to save the child's life with CPR, but she died a day later Emeline was submerged in the water for 30 seconds until her mother removed her. Authorities said that paramedics attempted to save the child with CPR before rushing her to a local hospital, where she died the next day. In the wake of the heartbreaking turn of events, the gold medalist opened up about the family tragedy in an Instagram post. He wrote: 'We are beyond devastated...never in a million years did we think we would experience a pain like this.' 'Her love, her light, her spirit will never be forgotten. Our little girl loved life and lived it to it's fullest every day.' Last month, Morgan posted a shot of herself holding onto Emeline in a hospital room following the tragic accident, writing, 'I love you, My baby girl' Bode and Morgan have spoken up about safety issues on TV following the family tragedy Last month, Morgan posted a shot of herself holding onto Emeline in a hospital room following the tragic accident. 'I wish I could have one more day to hold you, but until that day comes, continue to work through me and give me the strength to bring awareness, my love,' she wrote. 'I told you as I held you in this moment that you could still change the world, you could still move mountains...your footprint will forever be left on this world. I love you, My baby girl.' Following the horrific incident, both Bode and Morgan have appeared on TV to talk about how they are coping with their feelings, and how other parents can prevent future tragedies. Morgan said that after losing Emmy, she wasn't sure how she could bring a new child into the world. She shared this photo with Emmy at a check-up shortly before the toddler's death Morgan said on the Today show in July that 'guilt is the most difficult thing' she's dealing with, adding, 'I hope and pray and beg that it gets easier' Miller announced the death of their daughter on Instagram, writing: 'We are beyond devastated. Our baby girl, Emmy, passed away' Morgan said on the Today show in July that 'guilt is the most difficult thing' she's dealing with, adding, 'I hope and pray and beg that it gets easier.' She relived the day they lost their little girl, saying it was a 'normal day' full of swimming and laughter before it turned into her worst nightmare. Emeline - who Morgan said had 'zero fear of the water' - spent the morning swimming with Bode before the family went to a birthday party. They returned home to say goodbye to Bode, who was taking his oldest daughter to her softball game. 'He was loading up the car when we got back and I gave him a kiss. And out of nowhere, (Emmy) leaned over and gave him another kiss,' Morgan recalled. Morgan and the children were at a neighbor's home when Emmy was found floating in the pool (Miller's home circled in red on left, scene of the drowning on right) Photos obtained by DailyMail.com show Bode (far left) and his close friend Perry Valaskantjis (second from left) who desperately tried to save the baby girl's life, standing in front of the pool during a charity event in November 'And we were so amused by her reaction because it was not typical of Emmy. So I kissed him again and she did it again and we laughed. Then I turned around and I walked inside and she waved and said bye to her Dad.' Morgan said that, as they often did, she and Bode's four children went to visit one of their neighbors who she described as like 'family to us.' DailyMail.com learned that those neighbors were Greek restaurateur Perry Valaskantjis and his attorney wife Christy. The couple live next door to the Millers' $1.9million home in the exclusive Coto de Caza gated community in Orange County, California. Morgan says she was enjoying a cup of tea while Emmy ran back and forth. But suddenly, she got a sinking feeling in her stomach. 'All of the sudden, it was just too quiet for me,' Morgan said. 'We're in mid-conversation and I stood up. And I turned and I went right to where the boys were and I said "Where's Emmy?"' But it was then she spotted that the door, that lead to the backyard, had a 'tiny sliver of light coming through the side.' 'My heart sank and I opened the door and she was floating in the pool. And I ran and I jumped in.' Morgan Miller said it took just seconds for them to lose 19-month-old Emmy (pictured) More than a month after the loss, the heartbroken parents had kept Emmy's room exactly the same it was as the day she died 'There is not a day that goes by and I don't pray for an opportunity to go back to that day and make it different,' Morgan continued. 'But now we have this opportunity to make other parents' days different.' The couple are now hoping to use their personal tragedy to educate other parents about the dangers of drowning - the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages one to four. 'It's the number one way that you could potentially lose your kid. And if it's number one for me, I want to know about it,' Bode said, adding that he felt an 'obligation' to help educate other parents, which in turn was healing for them. 'I've been to all the pediatrician's meetings and check-ups on our kids. And I can't say it's come up one time. Not a single time.' Morgan said that water accidents with children are '100 percent preventable' if proper precautions are taken. 'You need to think of water completely differently,' she said. 'We're sitting here and I'm looking outside at my pool and that is a lion. That is a kidnapper.' 'That is something that can take my child in 30 seconds. And the moment those 30 seconds are up, the likelihood of you getting your child back is pretty close to zero.' The fan-loathed character Gregory (Xander Berkeley) received the death penalty after trying to murder Maggie (Lauren Cohan) during The Walking Dead's ninth season premiere on Sunday. The episode - titled 'A New Beginning' - opened with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his crew made a trip to Washington D.C., to loot The Smithsonian Museum for tools and seeds to regenerate their agriculture. In the 18 months that had passed between the Negan War of last season Maggie had been voted leader of Hilltop and Carol (Melissa McBride) had shacked up with king King Ezekiel (Khary Payton). Spoiler alert! The fan-loathed character Gregory (L, Xander Berkeley) received the death penalty after trying to murder Maggie (R, Lauren Cohan) during The Walking Dead's ninth season premiere on Sunday 'Like the rebirth of democracy,' mused Michonne (Danai Gurira). 'Meanwhile I live with a king,' joked Carol. The Smithsonian was crumbling, and infested with walkers and spiders, but they tried to drag a huge cart over a glass floor which almost led to Ezekiel's demise. After his friends managed to pull the tiger-loving monarch from danger Carol planted a big kiss on his lips. 'I was scared back there,' he told her on the horse ride home. 'It reminded me of something. You can't wait on life. So will you marry me?' he asked, while presenting an engagement ring. 'A New Beginning': The episode opened with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his crew made a trip to Washington D.C., to loot The Smithsonian Museum for tools and seeds to regenerate their agriculture Looters: In the 18 months that had passed between the Negan War of last season Maggie had been voted leader of Hilltop and Carol (Melissa McBride) had shacked up with king King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) 'Put that thing away, it'll snag on everything,' she replied. 'I love you and I always will. I'll keep this until you're ready,' he chuckled. Their wagon got caught in mud just as a hoard of walkers emerged from the woods. A newbie called Ken (AJ Achinger) got bitten trying to free a horse, which left his father Earl (John Finn) and mother Tammy (Brett Butler) angry and distraught. Tammy blamed Maggie, saying: 'I voted for you, but we're not friends.' Wagon thieves: The Smithsonian was crumbling, and infested with walkers and spiders, but they tried to drag a huge cart over a glass floor which almost led to Ezekiel's demise Close call PDA: After his friends managed to pull the tiger-loving monarch from danger Carol planted a big kiss on his lips 'Will you marry me?' On the horse ride home, Ezekiel proposed but Carol declined, saying 'Put that thing away, it'll snag on everything' 'My son is dead, your boy has no father and those damn Saviors eat our food and take everything that Hilltop bled for, it ain't right,' she complained. Hilltop's former leader Gregory stoked their resentment by calling the election 'a joke.' 'Maggie thinks she's above the law,' said the double-crossing traitor. 'Who do you think counted the ballots? Her buddy Jesus, that's who,' he added. Gregory then lured Maggie into danger, by pretending someone had defaced her late husband Glenn's grave. RIP: A newbie called Ken (AJ Achinger) got bitten trying to free a horse on the ride back 'It ain't right': Ken's father Earl (R, John Finn) and mother Tammy (R, Brett Butler) blamed Maggie for his untimely death 'Maggie thinks she's above the law': Hilltop's former leader Gregory stoked their resentment by calling the election 'a joke' Earl then attacked her, sending her small son Hershel flying to the ground. Others rushed to help, so Earl was overpowered and Maggie confronted Gregory. 'You tried to have me murdered because you're too chicken s*** to do it yourself,' she raged. 'You're just Rick's lackey,' he told her. Gregory then tried to kill Maggie himself, but she sent him flying. Villain: Gregory then lured Maggie into danger, by pretending someone had defaced her late husband Glenn's grave Earl then attacked her, sending her small son Hershel flying to the ground Maggie confronted Gregory: 'You tried to have me murdered because you're too chicken s*** to do it yourself' His punishment was a public hanging. 'I don't want to do this, but people need to understand that at Hilltop the punishment fits the crime,' she announced. 'What you're doing isn't rightyou should be ashamed,' Gregory whimpered. 'I'm not ashamed,' she replied as he fell to his death. In the old factory Michonne spotted some graffiti which read: 'Saviors save us, we are still Negan.' 'You're just Rick's lackey': After a second attempt on her life, his punishment was a public hanging Maggie announced: 'I don't want to do this, but people need to understand that at Hilltop the punishment fits the crime' 'Does this happen often?' she asked Daryl (Norman Reedus). 'More and more since the crops have been dying,' he replied. Rick tried to reassure everyone with the promise of seeds and heirloom tools. 'We're looking to the past to help us with the present,' he said. Daryl was getting itchy feet, and wanted to move to Hilltop to 'check on Maggie and the baby.' In the old factory Michonne spotted some graffiti which read: 'Saviors save us, we are still Negan' When Michonne (R) asked Daryl (L, Norman Reedus) if this resistance happen often, he replied: 'More and more since the crops have been dying' The crossbow-wielding biker told Rick: 'Being here behind these walls again, it just don't feel right man...The Sanctuary is going to fail anyway. Nothing grows here. It's a damn factory man' 'If anyone deserves to be happy it's you': Carol had a moment with Daryl where they discussed her new relationship, and she offered to take over his leadership role 'Being here behind these walls again, it just don't feel right man,' he told Rick. 'We can't just let the Sanctuary fail,' replied Rick. 'It's going to fail anyway. Nothing grows here. It's a damn factory man,' warned Daryl, who had concerns over the lack of gas, ammo, and the broken bridges. 'That small group we had back in the beginning, we could do anything, that was right, he added. Carol had a moment with Daryl where they discussed her new relationship, and she offered to take over his leadership role. Rick and Michonne were still in a relationship, and she sweetly called him 'The Famous Rick Grimes' during their pillow talk 'Maybe we need an agreement between all the communities?' Michonne wondered if they should have killed Negan at the end of the war 'If anyone deserves to be happy it's you,' he told her. Rick and Michonne were still in a relationship, and she sweetly called him 'The Famous Rick Grimes' during their pillow talk. Michonne wondered if they should have killed Negan at the end of the war. 'Maybe we need an agreement between all the communities?' she pondered. 'I think we need to fix that bridge,' said Rick, while Michonne agreed to create a new 'charter' to create unity. RIP: The episode was dedicated to the memory of Scott Wilson, who died Saturday, age 76, after a battle with leukemia Maggie's father: The Golden Globe nominee acted in the AMC zombie series for 37 episodes (spanning 2011-2014) as veterinarian and farmer Hershel Greene Curtain call: New showrunner Angela Kang confirmed Saturday at New York Comic Con that the Georgia native shot a cameo for a flashback, which will air during the ninth season 'How did I get so lucky finding you?' he asked her. The episode was dedicated to the memory of Scott Wilson, who died Saturday, age 76, after a battle with leukemia. The Golden Globe nominee acted in the AMC zombie series for 37 episodes (spanning 2011-2014) as veterinarian and farmer Hershel Greene, whose remaining daughter Maggie is the Hilltop leader. New showrunner Angela Kang confirmed Saturday at New York Comic Con that the Georgia native shot a cameo for a flashback, which will air during the ninth season. Hey Hey It's Saturday burst onto Australian screens in 1971. And while the variety show was retired after 29 seasons, the legacy of host Daryl Somers' bizarre backstage behaviour lives on. Red Symons, who regularly appeared on the program in the '80s and '90s alongside Daryl, spoke about the 67-year-old's most unusual habit on Studio 10 on Monday. How odd! Daryl Somers' bizarre backstage habit on Hey Hey It's Saturday has been revealed 'There was this crazy rumour, Red. Maybe you can put it to bed... or take the covers off it?' chuckled Studio 10's Craig Bennett as he interviewed Red, 69. 'Daryl would wear slippers with bells on them so people would skedaddle when they knew he was coming?' Confirming this bizarre rumour was indeed true, Red laughed in response: 'I'm not sure what his intention was, but it was useful to know he was coming!' Confirmed! Red Symons, who regularly appeared on the show in the '80s and '90s alongside Daryl, confirmed on Monday that he would wear slippers with bells on them backstage Discussing his talent show segment on Hey Hey It's Saturday, titled Red Faces, Red also revealed his joy at the performers' lack of expectations. 'The luxury of Red Faces was there was nothing at stake and the prize was nothing!' he said. 'It was an opportunity for people that had little party tricks that they did in the pub. That's what was very nice about it.' Short-lived: Long after its heyday, the variety show was revived in 2009 but only lasted a year Red added: 'Whereas when you get to the next-level competitiveness of the various shows there has been since, it's all so desperately important and there's so much money involved and this is your entire career. 'But on Red Faces nobody took it seriously, not the audience, not the performers and not the judges.' Following the show's axing in 1999, the stars returned for a brief revival in 2009. Even though the 20-episode return featured guests like Kyle Minogue, Rex Lee and Tony Abbott, it wasn't enough to secure a renewal and was cancelled again in 2010. Bronson Norrish has been revealed as one of the grooms appearing on the upcoming season of Married At First Sight. But the former stripper, 33, has already made headlines, after a shocking stunt he pulled earlier this year caught the attention of police. In July, Bronson made national news when he filmed himself standing on his car's driver's seat while speeding down a dirt road. MAFS star's reckless past exposed: Former stripper Bronson Norrish was criticised by police for filming himself STANDING in his car's driver's seat while speeding down a dirt road The shocking footage was shared to Bronson's Instagram account. In the video, he stands shirtless in his Tesla electric car while barrelling along Eyre Highway in Western Australia. After filming himself, Bronson then pans his camera down to the dashboard of the vehicle, which appears to be in 'self-drive' mode. With no one else in the car, he stands with one foot on each of the two front seats. Look, no hands! Bronson's stunt was condemned as 'just plain stupid' by WA police After the footage went viral, WA Police Minister Michelle Roberts described the stunt as 'just plain stupid'. Bronson was attempting to break a record by driving an electric car from Melbourne to Perth. However, Roberts said: 'The only thing he is likely to break is his neck'. No stranger to the screen! Bronson, who now manages a party boat business in Perth, also appeared on this year's season of Australian Ninja Warrior Bronson, who manages a party boat business in Perth, also appeared on this year's season of Australian Ninja Warrior. He recently 'wed' a woman named Ines for the upcoming season of Channel Nine's Married At First Sight. However, the pair appear to be completely mismatched, barely speaking to one another as they were pictured leaving Brisbane for their honeymoon last week. Bronson and Ines sat apart at the airport as they waited to jet off to Cairns together. A Lil Wayne concert held at the A3C Festival in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday abruptly ended amid an outbreak of violence in the crowd, according to organizers and social media accounts of concertgoers. 'There was an altercation tonight that ended Lil Wayne's performance,' according to a statement put out by the festival on its Twitter page. Police said that 'there were no weapons involved' in the incident, festival organizers said in the statement, with the addendum that information was still coming in at a rapid pace. Scroll below for video Alarming: A Lil Wayne concert held at the A3C Festival in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday abruptly ended amid an outbreak of violence in the crowd, according to organizers and social media accounts of concertgoers 'This was a very unfortunate way to end what has been an otherwise amazing week of music, friendships and connections,' organizers said. 'Thank you to everyone for your amazing support and positive energy all week.' Lil Wayne wrote Sunday evening, 'Hope everyone at A3C is safe!!' but did not go into detail of his understanding of the situation. Multiple tweets from attendees with videos indicated a chaotic scene with concertgoers flocking for the exits. One attendee wrote, 'I dont know if they were shooting at the lil Wayne concert #a3cfestival #lilwayne but something happened that it ended fast!' Short and sweet: Lil Wayne didn't delve into detail but sent his best wishes to his fans Official statement: Festival organizers said 'there were no weapons involved' in the incident Another said: 'First time seeing Wayne at @A3C and three songs in I had to run my a** off and hop over a dumpster and fence!' One user wrote that 'no shots were heard' and the conflict on the scene had nothing to do with the Grammy Award-winning rap star, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. A woman recounted her experience amid the frenzied scene: 'We ran for our life. Didnt hear any gun shots but there was definitely a lot of people injured. Hope everyone made it home safe.' Scary: Twitter users at the event documented their experiences amid the chaos Bedlam: Attendees made their way away from the facility after the conflict brought the show to a close While it was no immediately clear if, or how many people, were injured amid the end of the show, videos captured an air of urgency among concertgoers amid the prospects of violence. Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the massacre at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, in which 58 people were killed and more than 800 more injured after gunman Stephen Paddock began firing from his 32nd-floor suite at the adjacent Mandalay Bay hotel. That attack came months after 22 people were killed and another 800-plus injured after a suicide bomber's May 2017 attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. She first caught the attention of many fans with her role as Rue in the hugely successful movie The Hunger Games. And on Sunday, Amandla Stenberg showed she is poised to become an even bigger star with her new drama The Hate U Give. The 19-year old absolutely shined on the red carpet for a premiere screening at the 41st Mill Valley Film Festival in Mill Valley, California. Budding star: Amandla Stenberg attended a screening of her movie The Hate That U Give at the 41st Mill Valley Film Festival in Mill Valley, California on Sunday The Los Angeles native looked equal parts fun and classy in her colorful Sies Marjan ensemble. She paired a full length yellow skirt with an orange long-sleeve top that flaunted her toned midriff, while highlighting her amazing curves. She matched it perfectly with yellow heels as she carried a white feathery purse. And on this night she opted to style her long raven tresses in cornrows that feathered out at the bottom. Fan friendly: The 19-year old actress worked the crowd like a Hollywood veteran before the screening Shining star: The Los Angeles native looked equal parts fun and classy in her colorful Sies Marjan ensemble that flaunted her toned midriff and curves Amandla also shined as she greeted fans outside the venue, as she worked the crowd with her big beaming smile and the sauve of a Hollywood veteran. The night also included and onstage conversation with the young star and a few photos on the red carpet with director George Tillman Jr. In the film, Amandla plays 16-year old Starr Carter, a teenager who is constantly living between two worlds: a poor and mostly black neighborhood where she lives and a mostly white prep school she attends. Eventually she is drawn to activism after she witnesses the police shooting of a childhood friend. The boss and his star: Amandla Stenberg posed on the red carpet with the film's director George Tillman Jr The drama co-stars Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, KJ Apa, Algee Smith, Lamar Johnson, Issa Rae, Sabrina Carpenter and Common. The screenplay was written by the late Audrey Wells, who sadly died the day before the film was released on Friday. The movie is based on the novel of the same name that debuted at number one on The New York Times young adult best-seller list, where it remained for 50 weeks in 2017. Leading lady: Amandla plays a teenager who is constantly living between two worlds: a poor and mostly black neighborhood where she lives and a mostly white prep school she attends Bollywood film actor and filmmaker Rajat Kapoor has apologized for his alleged sexual harassment against women journalists. Responded to the allegations of sexual harassment from two women, he has apologized from twitter account stating that I would like to apologize from the bottom of heart if I had slipped and through actions or words. Journalist Sandhya Menon had shared screenshots of her conversation with the two women where they claimed that Kapoor harassed them on phone. One is the account of a woman journalist who said that during a telephonic interview with Kapoor in 2007, he asked her inappropriate questions such as Are you as sexy as you sound? and even questioned her about her body measurements. Another victim, who has worked in the past as an assistant director, said that Kapoor called her a number of times saying he wants to shoot a film with her in an empty house. The incident reportedly happened over 10 years ago. Responding to the claims, Kapoor tweeted, All my life I have tried to be a decent man, to do the right thing. If however, I have slipped and through my actions or words caused pain or hurt or trauma to absolutely anybody, please accept my apology. Kourtney Kardashian thinks the new Yeezy collection sucks. On Sundays Keeping Up With the Kardashians the three Kardashian sisters took a trip to Japan to shoot a Yeezy campaign - which was designed by Kims husband Kanye West. They had a few days to shoot 20 looks, which would all be modeled by Kim. Row: Kourtney Kardashian and sister Kim had another argument as the tension in their relation ship continued to grow in the latest episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians It is a lot of pressure, it is my husbands collection, said Kim, 37. On arrival Kim was busy getting the fans to shoot her in Kanyes outfits, while her sisters wore their own choice of clothes. My sisters look so crazy, like its actually embarrassing, Kourtney with Japanese inspired outfits and Khloes wearing silver sequins, turquoise eyeshadow, huge chandelier earrings, she complained. Theyre just like completely clashing and making my outfit look really bad and theyre ruining everything, she griped, as she tried to make them walk separately from her. 'My sisters look so crazy, like its actually embarrassing': Kim trashed her sister's outfits on their first night in Tokyp I cant even eat dinner because Im so disgusted with my sisters crazy outfitslike I cant take it, she continued. You look like f*cking clowns, she raged. Well, you look like you just won the Tour de France, giggled Kourtney. I want you to be more cool girl, insisted Kim. Now I think Kim is just being rude, sighed Kourtney. 'Your f*cking outfits suck': Kourtney blasted her sister Kim as they talked about their outfits in Japan Not holding back: Kourtney referenced this outfit as she said: 'You're wearing a puffy vest, pink hair and turquoise shoes, I dont careif you cant take the criticism you shouldnt have come on this trip, shrugged Kim. Your f*cking outfits suck, youre wearing a puffy vest, pink hair and turquoise shoes, snapped Kourtney. I didnt come hear to wear leggings that are see through and show my a*s off, said Kourtney, a 39-year-old mother of three. Before the trip Kim was nervous about pleasing her rap star husband and they planned the outfits meticulously. Lost In Translation: Kim talked to Kanye about her outfits as the time difference created miscommunication between the couple Man with the plan: Before the trip Kim was nervous about pleasing her rap star husband and they planned the outfits meticulously Yeezy doesnt really play by the fashion rules of having to have his collection out by a certain time, we just finished Season 6, she said. It was such a genius campaign of just wearing all the looks and getting shot by the paparazzi, she added. I love working with Kanye because hell listen to me on things that I think are important, and Ill trust him on colors and fabrics, she said. Pregnant Khloe had a checkup to make sure she was safe to travel the long flight. The doctor said the baby was perfect. According to plan? Pregnant Khloe had a checkup to make sure she was safe to travel the long flight Adding: Its not a small one. Oh god, groaned Khloe, 34. Kanye came to give them a professional send off before the trip. Just to make sure everything looks amazing, said Kim. I actually like Japanese p*rn, piped up Kourtney. In Kyoto they visited a Geisha House and Owl Cafe. Vibes: The sisters visited a 'Geisha cafe' Stare down: Khloe looked intently at an Owl at an 'owl cafe' Back in California Kris decide to surprise her old friend Shiela with a face lift from a top surgeon. I want to do this for her, she said. This is really just a big love letter to her, for all of her friendship, she added. Khloes boyfriend Tristan Thompson discussed push presents with Kris, who suggested a diamond ring. KUWTK continues next week on E! Available to stream Mondays on hayu in the UK & Ireland Back in California Kris decide to surprise her old friend Shiela with a face lift from a top surgeon Under the knife: Kris was very nervous during the procedure She is the stunning former Home And Away starlet who is based in the quiet town of Byron Bay. And Isabel Lucas has returned to Los Angeles to debut her new brunette tresses as she attended the 9th Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Saturday. The 33-year-old was all smiles for the cameras, showing off her slender and statuesque figure in a full-length polka dot Nasty Gal dress. New hair, don't care! Actress Isabel Lucas debuted her wavy brunette tresses at the 9th Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in Los Angeles. The 33-year-old was all smiles for the cameras, showing off her slender and statuesque figure in a full-length polka dot dress For a pop of colour, she teamed the look with a pair of red Vince Camuto heels to contrast her outfit. Her luscious locks were styled in loose waves that cascaded down her delicate shoulders. For makeup, Isabel opted for a fresh look to show off her flawless complexion with feathered out brows, pink blush cheeks and bold red lips. Pretty as a picture: Her luscious locks were style loose waves that cascaded down her delicate shoulders Isabel got her start in acting on the Channel Seven soap Home And Away as Tasha Andrews in 2003. She left the soap in 2006 with her eyes set on a career in Hollywood and had roles in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the TV series MacGyver. Her latest role is in the Errol Flynn biopic In Like Flynn as Rose, is set for release later this month. Femme fatale: Her latest role is in the Errol Flynn biopic In Like Flynn as Rose, is set for release later this month Earlier this year, she spoke about her quieter life in the coastal Australian town of Byron Bay and said she was happy to leave the bright lights of Hollywood behind and only travel there for work if necessary. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the 31-year-old said: 'I'm really happy.' Byron Bay is also home to her ex-boyfriend Chris Hemsworth, who bases himself in the small town with wife Elsa Pataky and their three young children. The Hollywood heavyweight and Isabel first met on the set of long-running drama Home And Away and they dated from 2005 to 2008. The 'World's Hottest Grandma' has never been shy about flaunting her age-defying physique on social media. But over the weekend, Gina Stewart took things to a whole new level by stripping down completely naked in a photo that was so X-rated it was BANNED from Instagram. The controversial image shows the 48-year-old posing nude in a regal chair, leaving nothing but her bombshell blonde locks to protect her modesty. The photo Instagram DOESN'T want you to see: The World's Hottest Grandma Gina Stewart had one of her raunchy photos pulled from Instagram for breaching guidelines (pictured) While Instagram were quick to delete it, the photo is still available to see via Gina's raunchy Twitter account. When contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia, the mother-of-four said: 'Yes, Instagram removed it because it said it did not comply with their guidelines. 'But the guidelines say no nipple and nipples were not being shown in the picture, so I have asked Instagram to please re-post it. Its only a naked side shot and my hair is covering me.' Bouncing back! Despite the incident, the Gold Coast grandmother was able to please her fans the next day by sharing two incredibly busty shots of her double-E cup assets to Instagram Gina also stated that her images are artistic and inoffensive, and should be allowed up as a form of self-expression. 'All my photos are tasteful and only implied nudity,' she explained. 'Instagram is a place for artistic self-expression and creativity. 'Like the quote says from Dita Von Teese says, glamour isnt about age, shape, or size. You dont have to be pretty to have it. Anyone can create it.' 'All my photos are tasteful and only implied nudity,' the 48-year-old explained to Daily Mail Australia. 'Instagram is a place for artistic self expression and creativity.' Despite the unfortunate incident, the Gold Coast grandmother was able to please her fans the next day by sharing two incredibly busty shots of her double-E cup assets to Instagram. The stunner also announced that she's advancing in the Maxim Cover Girl Competition, having already beaten out thousands of younger models for a chance at the cover of the men's magazine. '6500 girls knocked out,' she wrote. '2500 left!' '6500 girls knocked out!' The busty grandmother is currently dominating the fan-voted Maxim Cover Girl competition If she wins, the gorgeous granny will be shot by famed photographer Gilles Bensimon for the January/February 2019 U.S. Maxim cover and receive a $25,000 cash prize. The winner will also score VIP tickets to a couple of prestigious red carpet Maxim parties. Gina recently surprised her loyal fans by unveiling her stunning daughter Casey, 25, on social media. They could be sisters! Gina (right) recently surprised her loyal fans by unveiling her stunning daughter Casey, 25, (left) on social media With her beautiful looks and burgeoning modelling career, Casey definitely takes after her Insta-famous mother. The brunette isn't afraid to flaunt her sensational figure online, with her Instagram account featuring photos of her dressed in skimpy bikinis and busty ensembles. Gina has three other children; James, 27, Cody, 22, and her youngest, Summer, 4. In the midst of her divorce from Alan Halsall over the summer, it was revealed that she'd embarked on a romance with her pantomime co-star Lewis Devine. And Lucy-Jo Hudson, 35, has finally gone public with her new relationship, taking to Instagram on Sunday to share a gushing post dedicated to her boyfriend, with whom she shared the stage in Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs last year. Uploading a snap of herself posing with her beau, she wrote: 'How are you mine? I am beyond lucky to have found you baby @lewisdevine! Happy Birthday. You are one of the kindest, sweetest, funniest, most talented... and beautiful souls Ive ever met!' Going Instagram official: Lucy-Jo Hudson went public with her new boyfriend Lewis Devine on Sunday, as she dedicated a gushing birthday post to him on Instagram The actress, who was married to Corrie co-star Alan, 36, for nine years, added: 'I cant wait to celebrate this special day with you... love you gorgeous.' In July, The Sun reported that Lucy-Jo and fellow Corrie star husband Alan had actually become friends with Lewis after the panto run at St Helens, Merseyside. A source told the publication: 'Lucy-Jo and Lewis shared an instant chemistry, but obviously she was married and didn't act on it. After trying for months, she and Alan called time on their marriage and something slowly developed with Lewis.' Split: The actress is currently in the midst of a divorce from her Coronation Street co-star Alan Halsall, with the pair announcing their split in May. Pictured together in January 2013 Lucy-Jo and Lewis stepped out in the summer, with the actress accompanying Lewis to a family wedding, and they were said to have been loved up from the start. The source continued: '[Alan and Lewis] used to muck around backstage together, and at one point Lewis even changed his Facebook profile picture to one of the three of them and the couple's daughter Sienna.' While Lucy-Jo is no stranger to showbiz most notably starring in Coronation Street as Katy Harris Lewis has also grown up in the spotlight, having wowed over the audience after winning Stars In Their Eyes Kids in 2002. After his performance as Donny Osmond, Lewis then did the rounds at This Morning, The Big Breakfast and Channel Four soap Brookside. Close: The soap star, 35, reportedly started dating her pantomime co-star Lewis after sharing the stage last year in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs Finding new love: It was reported that Lucy-Jo and fellow Corrie star husband Alan had actually become friends with Lewis after the panto run at St Helens, Merseyside In May, Lucy - who recently started a new role on Hollyoaks confirmed her split from Alan - with whom she has five-year-old daughter Sienna in a statement which read: 'I can confirm that Al and I are in the process of divorcing. 'We remain friends and devoted Mummy and Daddy to our daughter Sienna. We would appreciate privacy so that we can focus on Sienna's continued happiness.' The pair first split in 2016 after seven years' of marriage and 10 years together. However, they reconciled just a few weeks later and insisted they both wanted to save their marriage. Break-up: In May, Lucy confirmed her split from Alan with whom she has daughter Sienna, five in a statement which read, 'I can confirm that Al and I are in the process of divorcing' In a statement at the time, Lucy-Jo said: 'Al and I did keep talking through our four months apart and recently we started spending times trying to work things through together, as we know we both want to save our marriage. Love, Lucy-Jo.' Lucy last posted a snapshot of her estranged husband to social media in June 2017, to honour him on Father's Day. She wrote: 'Happy Father's Day to my man, @alanhalsall..... without doubt the kindest and funniest daddy Sienna could wish for. We love you more than you know. Thank you for always making us smile each and everyday.' The actress also deleted all her tweets to her estranged husband after he enjoyed a boozy lads' holiday in Spain following their split. Fifth Harmony alum Camila Cabello hit the Zilker Park stage at Austin City Limits Festival in Texas on Sunday. The 21-year-old pop starlet rocked a burgundy Jiri Kalfar blouse beneath a black corset, ripped skinny jeans, and high-heeled booties selected by stylist Callum Vincent. Hairstylist Sarah Potempa coiffed the Cuban-born, Miami-raised beauty's brunette mane. Howdy! Fifth Harmony alum Camila Cabello hit the Zilker Park stage at Austin City Limits Festival in Texas on Sunday Distressed denim: The 21-year-old pop starlet rocked a burgundy Jiri Kalfar blouse beneath a black corset, ripped skinny jeans, and high-heeled booties selected by stylist Callum Vincent Make-up artist Laquanna Chong made sure Camila (born Karla Estrabao) was ready for her close-up. Cabello just concluded her May 8-October 6 opening gig for gal pal Taylor Swift's 53-date Reputation Tour. The Latin Grammy nominee has certainly come a long way since being shepherded by Simon Cowell while competing on The X Factor back in 2012. Flip it! Hairstylist Sarah Potempa coiffed the Cuban-born, Miami-raised beauty's brunette mane Letting her natural beauty shine through: Make-up artist Laquanna Chong made sure Camila (born Karla Estrabao) was ready for her close-up On her own: Cabello just concluded her May 8-October 6 opening gig for gal pal Taylor Swift's 53-date Reputation Tour Reality star: The Latin Grammy nominee has certainly come a long way since being shepherded by Simon Cowell while competing on The X Factor back in 2012 Missing from the Beautiful songstress' side Sunday was her British beau of nine months - relationship expert Matthew Hussey - who was with '200 women' attending his Fort Lauderdale retreat. Camila will next perform her single Consequences at the 46th annual American Music Awards - airing this Tuesday on ABC - where she'll compete for five trophies, including new artist of the year. Also headlining ACL Fest was three-time Grammy nominee Travis Scott fresh from his performance on NBC's Saturday Night Live. '#mhretreat': Missing from the Beautiful songstress' side Sunday was her British beau of nine months - relationship expert Matthew Hussey - who was with '200 women' attending his Fort Lauderdale retreat (pictured Sunday) Airing this Tuesday on ABC! Camila will next perform her single Consequences at the 46th annual American Music Awards where she'll compete for five trophies The 27-year-old rapper (born Jacques Webster, Jr.) - who will soon kick off his Astroworld Tour - is best known as the 'hubby' or babydaddy of Kylie Jenner's eight-month-old daughter Stormi. Meanwhile, six-time Grammy nominee Janelle Monae took her throne wearing a black, white, and red ensemble selected by stylist Maeve Reilly. The bisexual 32-year-old perform her new singles Pynk and Make me Feel during the Texas music festival. Hip-hop star: Also headlining ACL Fest was three-time Grammy nominee Travis Scott fresh from his performance on NBC's Saturday Night Live Globetrotter: The 27-year-old rapper (born Jacques Webster, Jr.) - who will soon kick off his Astroworld Tour - is best known as the babydaddy of Kylie Jenner's daughter Stormi Queen! Meanwhile, six-time Grammy nominee Janelle Monae took her throne wearing a black, white, and red ensemble selected by stylist Maeve Reilly They've been soaking up the sun on their lavish family holiday in Fiji. And Megan Gale has been documenting her travels for her legions of followers on social media. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the 43-year-old was seen cosying up to her fiance Shaun Hampson for a couple of sizzling selfies. Loved-up! Model Megan Gale cuddled up to fiance Shaun Hampson for sweet selfie while they enjoyed their tropical family getaway in Fiji 'My [love],' she gushed in the captioned of the post, which was taken in the tropical island of Vomo. In the photo, Megan looked every inch the glowing goddess as she sported an illuminated complexion in natural makeup. The smiling beauty was seen wearing a multicoloured bohemian-style kaftan by Australian designer, Camilla. Carefree: The raven-haired beauty wore a multicoloured bohemian-style kaftan by Australian designer, Camilla She pulled back her glossy tresses in a high-bun hairstyle as Shaun looked dapper beside her in a white button-up shirt by Ralph Lauren. Looking relaxed, the hunk rocked a pair of quirky tortoise shell sunglasses and a brown wide-brim hat. Later, Megan took to her Instagram Stories to share another sweet snap of the smitten pair. 'My [love],' she captioned the post, which was taken in the tropical island of Vomo 'Oi... if you're gonna photobomb, at least give us a smile, buddy,' she cheekily penned alongside the photo, drawing an arrow that pointed to Shaun. Last week, Megan shared another photograph of herself lovingly leaning up against her handsome beau in the Island paradise. 'The best filter ever... it's called 'Fijian Sunset'.. some clever chick called Mother Nature invented it. Cocktails with Old Mate at the Rocks Bar,' she captioned the post. They have remained on bad terms since their engagement came to an acrimonious end in 2012. Yet Lauren Goodger appears to be ready to forgive and forget her high-profile romance with Mark Wright after revealing all during a candid Q&A on her Instagram. The TOWIE star, 32, admitted that she's not 'still in love' with her ex-fiance and that she is instead 'proud' of his achievements since moving to LA to pursue a career as a showbiz reporter for Extra. Candid: Lauren Goodger appears to be ready to forgive and forget her high-profile romance with Mark Wright after revealing all during a candid Q&A on her Instagram The revelation came about after a fan asked: 'Are you still in love with Mark?' To which Lauren replied with: 'No but I'm proud of what he has achieved.' This isn't the first time the reality star has candidly shared details of her love life on the social media platform and only recently she said that she is looking to date a girl after a failed romance with jailbird ex-Joey Morrisson. Taking to her Instagram stories once again, the former TOWIE star said 'I'm not joking, I'm considering dating a girl next time' after a female fan poured out her affection to her. Confessions: The TOWIE star, 32, admitted that she's not 'still in love' with her ex-fiance and that she is instead 'proud' of his achievements since moving to LA Q&A: The revelation came about after a fan asked: 'Are you still in love with Mark?' To which Lauren replied with: 'No but I'm proud of what he has achieved.' Dating a girl: The former TOWIE star had earlier said that she would consider dating a girl and she was 'gutted about the time she had wasted' with Joey Morrisson She had earlier said that she was 'gutted about the time she had wasted' with Joey Morrison and 'sometimes things aren't for the long run'. Lauren famously dated Mark Wright for 10 years, before her romance with Jake McLean for four years and most recently her jailbird romance with Joey Morrisson. During his time in prison for a string of offences, including possession of a firearm, kidnapping, blackmail and actual bodily harm, Joey 'met' Lauren over the phone before embarking on an on-off romance from behind bars. Lauren's romance with Joey hit headlines in 2016, when she revealed having answered the phone at her friend Charlotte's house she began speaking to the convict and their tumultuous relationship began. Failed romance: The star embarked on a failed romance with Joey (pictured) In June, she took to Instagram to share an image with Joey during one of his weekend releases and on a date in London's swanky Novikov restaurant however he has now been released permanently. During the social media Q&A session, the star also confirmed that her recent image transformation is the result of botched filler in her jawline. Taking to both Instagram and Snapchat the reality TV personality documented her trip to the doctors to dissolve the filler, which caused a dramatic change in her looks. Her confession comes after she has denied having any work done, even taking to Twitter last month to write: 'Are my followers happy with the natural look! Less make up! No pout ! No big lip!!! Appreciate it thank you x'. Shocking: Lauren has finally confirmed that her recent image transformation is the result of botched filler in her jawline Speaking in the video, Lauren revealed she was having the next stages undertaken in her braces, shortly before making the confession about her fillers. It seems she had suffered a botched batch in her jawline and revealed that she already has 'strong features' so needed help softening the look. She also admitted in the video that she was yearning for 'her old face' as she had the enhancements dissolved and vowed never to return to the clinic where she had the original work done. Last week, it was claimed her transformed look is the result of 'crippling insecurities' following heartache from her ex-boyfriends. Changing faces: The 32-year-old former TOWIE star took to both Instagram and Snapchat to document her trip to the doctors to dissolve the filler, which caused a dramatic change Changing faces: Insiders told Closer Magazine that the star is going under the knife to 'feel better about herself' after the stunner hit headlines last week Yet defiant Lauren was continuing to flaunt her chiselled visage last Wednesday as she headed out in her native Essex to get her nails done - prior to her reverse work. Insiders told Closer Magazine that the star is going under the knife to 'feel better about herself' after the stunner hit headlines earlier this month when she emerged with a dramatically shaped jawline and cheekbones. While she initially threw herself into a rant on Twitter regarding the changes - insisting she had not had work done - she changed her tune on Friday evening as she admitted she was 'getting her old face back' amid botched fillers. Different look: Lauren openly admitted to undergoing a nose job, boob job, liposuction to rid her of 'lumps and bumps' and fillers in the past Lauren openly admitted to undergoing a nose job, boob job, liposuction to rid her of 'lumps and bumps' and fillers in the past, yet has maintained that her shapely posterior is the result of weight training and 'feeding her bum'. Following her widely-publicised weight struggles since being in the public eye, Lauren had slimmed down to a size eight in 2015, releasing a fitness DVD to mark her successful weight loss journey and to inspire others. With her changing looks, most recently when she emerged with her sharp new features, it has been claimed her past is to blame for her pain. Plumped up: 'Lauren's said she has surgery to feel better but friends worry she's addicted to the procedures and is now always looking for the latest treatment to get her next fix' The sources revealed to the publication: 'Lauren puts on a front in the public eye but friends know she suffers from crippling insecurities due to what fans have said about her and things her past boyfriends have commented... 'Lauren's said she has surgery to feel better but friends worry she's addicted to the procedures and is now always looking for the latest treatment to get her next fix.' MailOnline contacted Lauren's representatives for comment. There was no clarity from the sources which of her boyfriends were referenced. Lauren has been open about the guidance she received from her former loves, including Joey's penchant for her slimmer frame: 'Joey would have locked me in a room on a treadmill and would feet me water and b****y veg.' She confessed that Mark would cruelly urge her to slim down to raise their profile, saying: 'Mark told me wed be more successful if I lost weight.' Shocking: She confessed that Mark would cruelly urge her to slim down to raise their profile, saying: 'Mark told me wed be more successful if I lost weight' Mark would also make comments during their time on The Only Way Is Essex, much to the shock of devoted fans, with a memorable moment seeing them discuss their wedding and him stating he did not want her 'walking up the aisle at about 20 stone'. The source continued: 'A lot of her friends have settled down and have started a family. Instead, Laurens turning to surgery as a crutch... 'She thinks she looks the best she ever has but pals are pleading with her to stop. Theyve told her shes a natural beauty and she need to curb the surgery.' Last week, the determined star hit back at claims that she had changed her features, saying: 'I've seen pictures of me today... I was in a board meeting and they all turned around and said to me, "that's not today" and I went, "that is today". 'I can assure you I have not had any surgery done. We literally are crying. Does my face look like that? No - and this is a video.' On Sunday night's Judges' Houses episode of The X Factor, returning hopeful Scarlett Lee finally got given a shot at a record deal, when Simon Cowell chose to take her through to the live shows stage of the competition. But the whole experience has been tainted for the wannabe pop star, who auditioned last year but was rejected by former judge Sharon Osbourne during the Six Chair Challenge. I had death threats [after that] and people saying my mum should never have given birth to me,' she has bravely told OK! 'People were saying Im a fat person, just because Im not size 6. Death threats: Scarlett Lee has revealed she was attacked on social media after her original X Factor appearance, for her size and style 'But Mariah Carey and Beyonce arent skinny girls and look how successful they are! Scarlett - known for her penchant for a fake tan and a pink outfit or two - also gushed about her new mentor, Simon. People dont realise hes a genuine, normal person with a big heart of gold. He cares so much about people. 'Im sure his mum would have been so proud of him. He made us feel so at home in Malibu too. I didnt once feel too embarrassed to ask to go to the toilet! Tears: I had death threats [after that] and people saying my mum should never have given birth to me,' she has bravely told OK! 'People were saying Im a fat person, just because Im not size 6' Appearing on Lorraine on Monday morning, fresh from her exciting X Factor episode the night before, Scarlett elaborated on the trouble she went through with online trolls. It's so nasty. They would shout at me in the street, and say stuff online. Picking on my appearance. Out today: Read the full story in this week's OK! Magazine 'I cant work it out, Ive not been brought up that way!' She said that she 'prays' for people like that: 'I pray for them and bring the positive and tweet them back to say "God Bless You".' She went on: 'People were staring at me, laughing and pointing, it would ruin my day completely. I want to be a role model for children and show I am positive and stronger than that.' Speaking again about Simon, she said: 'I love Simon, he is so supportive. I am so grateful he has given me this opportunity.' This year, Scarlett says her X Factor experience has been a different story altogether. 'It's been so positive this time. Theres no loosing this time. 'I am never going to lose myself, I want to be myself, but Im so excited to try all these new things the clothes and everything.' Final four: Shan, Molly, Scarlett and Bella made it through to the live shows as part of Simon Cowell's Girls group with Georgia Burgess and Maria Laroco missing out Emotional: Scarlett, 20, sobbed as Simon told her she was through after making the song's lyricist Dianne Warren cry during her rendition Appearing on Lorraine on Monday morning, fresh from her exciting X Factor episode the night before, Scarlett elaborated on the trouble she went through with online trolls Her performance on the show left Simon and his flurry of guest judges emotional - namely Dianne Warren who was seen in tears during her rendition of I Didnt Know Strength My Own. The song, made famous by Whiteny Houston, was written by Dianne. 'I left my heart, soul, liver, kidney all on that stage,' Scarlett told Lorraine. 'Simon is my friend, we annoy each other, I have a love hate relationship with him. I still cant believe this is happening.' Also on Sunday night, Bella Penfold delighted viewers as she sang an LGBT anthem while Molly Scott and Shan Smile also got through. Nasty: 'It's so nasty. They would shout at me in the street, and say stuff online. Picking on my appearance,' she said of the trolls Cruel: 'It's so nasty. They would shout at me in the street, and say stuff online. Picking on my appearance,' she explained to Lorraine Kelly 'I cant work it out, Ive not been brought up that way!' She said that she 'prays' for people like that Georgia Burgess and Maria Laroco narrowly missed out as the girls wowed in front of industry professionals at Simon's lavish home in Malibu. Simon told the girls their audience have collectively sold more than five billion records with the likes of Sinita, Paul Anka, Leona Lewis and Adam Lambert in the crowd. He later discussed who to put through with his former American Idol family, Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson and Paula Adbul. Bella, 19, rapped and sung Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft Mary Lambert Same Love, winning huge applause from the audience at home. Speaking on camera, the Essex girl said 'I'm the only girl that can rap. I might not be as good as Drake or Kanye but i'm gonna give it a go'. Chatty: 'I cant work it out, Ive not been brought up that way!' she said Upsetting: 'I pray for them and bring the positive and tweet them back to say "God Bless You",' she explained She went on: 'People were staring at me, laughing and pointing, it would ruin my day completely. I want to be a role model for children and show I am positive and stronger than that' When on stage, she told Simon and the plethora of famous face in the audience that as well as making it as a singer, she wanted to be an 'advocate for change'. Bella added she chose the song as it was 'so important to her' when she's been at her lowest and she even got it tattooed on her neck. Taking to Twitter, many praised her for using the platform to promote gay rights. Better: This year, Scarlett says her X Factor experience has been a different story altogether. 'It's been so positive this time. Theres no loosing this time. 'I am never going to lose myself, I want to be myself, but Im so excited to try all these new things the clothes and everything' Speaking again about Simon, she said: 'I love Simon, he is so supportive. I am so grateful he has given me this opportunity' Molly, 16 from County Durham, wore a denim dress with nude heels as she sang an English version of K-pop's BTS Fake Love - which Simon called 'clever'. Croydon born Shan, 25, sang an original she wrote after the six-chair challenge with Simon joking it was about him. Maria Laroco, 17, from the Philippines didn't join the girls in Malibu as she had visa issues getting to the country. Instead, the teenager sang an incredible rendition of Mama's and Papa's California Dreamin' via video link - but did not make it through. Tears: Dianne Warren was bought to tears by Scarlett's version of I Didnt Know Strength My Own - which she penned for Whiteney Houston Molly, 16 from County Durham, wore a denim dress with nude heels as she sang an English version of K-pop's BTS Fake Love - which Simon called 'clever' All about me: Croydon born Shan, 25, sang an original she wrote after the six-chair challenge with Simon joking it was about him The next episodes will see the other contestants at judges houses before the live shows start on October 20. The boys, mentored by Louis Tomlinson, will travel to Ibiza with guest judges Liam Payne and Nile Rodgers. Both the overs, mentored by Ayda Field, and the groups mentored by Robbie Williams will head to LA. The overs will be joined by Leona Lewis and Adam Lambert while the groups will be guest judged by David Walliams. Read Scarlett's full story in this week's OK! Magazine - out now. The bitter debate over whether to use the Opera House to promote a horse race has sparked a heated exchange between The Project's co-hosts Peter Helliar and Steve Price. The conversation quickly turned personal, with Helliar calling his outspoken co-host a 'w**ker'. 'You're a w**ker!' The Project's Peter Helliar and Steve Price clash live on air over Sydney Opera House horse racing advertising debate Price supported the use of the sails of the Opera House to promote this weekend's The Everest - the world's richest horse race with $13 million in prizemoney. Its a few lights flashed up on the sails briefly, theres no graffiti, its not advertising, its promotion of a NSW sporting event, Price said. He then got more personal, saying the Melbourne-based comedian Helliar should not have a say on the issue, as he didn't live in Sydney. 'Youre so obsessed with this story!' Price began, to which Helliar replied, 'I am! It made me angry'. Price snapped: 'You dont even live in Sydney. You didnt even pay for the Opera House - I did'. Showdown: Steve, who supports the move, fired up when he suggested the Melbourne-based comedian could not have a say as he didn't live in Sydney In response, Helliar scoffed: 'You paid for the Opera House? Theres your headline. Youre a w**ker'. While Price laughed off that comment, he was stony-faced when Helliar said Price was merely standing up for fellow conservative radio commentator Alan Jones who was accused of 'bullying' Opera House boss Louise Herron in an interview on 2GB. 'The Sydney Opera House have a charter, and theyve been forced to change that charter, and that interview with Alan Jones....was disgusting, Helliar said. 'That was so disgusting - to hear a woman bullied.' Price said he would not speak out against a radio colleague. "I dont intend to sit here and pass judgment on Alan Jones, thats not what Im going to do," Price said. Helliar then snapped: 'So you support it?' but Price did not respond. Steve snapped: 'You dont even live in Sydney. You didnt even pay for the Opera House I did'. In response, Peter scoffed: 'You paid for the Opera House? Theres your headline. Youre a w**ker' More than 230,000 people have signed a petition against the promotion, in which the names of the competing horses and the colour of the jockeys' silks were projected onto the Opera House. The results of the barrier draw for the race were to be projected onto the Opera House on Tuesday night at an event which now brought the threat of protests. Some people have issued death threats and violence we can have differences of opinion but I dont think its necessary to resort to that type of thing, Racing NSW chief executive Peter Vlandys said. Everyones entitled to protest but make sure you protest without violence. This is not a permanent display its six minutes. Prime Minister Scott Morrison supported the advertising, describing it as a 'no-brainer'. 'This is one of the biggest events of the year why not put it on the biggest billboard Sydney has,' the Prime Minister said on Sunday. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday pulled rank over Opera House management - which had put severe restrictions on the promotion - and allowed Racing NSW to advertise the race. Debate: A decision by the NSW government to allow horse racing advertising to be projected onto the sales of the Sydney Opera House has been a hot topic of debate over the past week Jones apologised on Tuesday morning for the way he conducted his interview with Ms Herron. In relation to Louise (Herron), I was tough regarding an issue I and others felt is very important," Jones said. So to Louise and those people whove been offended, I apologise. A look back at when The Curse struck... starting all the way back with series 1 Series 1: Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole Did they/didn't they? Natasha Kaplinsky and her hunky partner Brendan Cole sparked affair rumours Strictly hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons during season one. Viewers were transfixed by the apparent close bond between newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky and her hunky partner Brendan Cole. Although the pair went on to win the show, their success was blighted by affair rumours. BBC presenter Natasha soon split from long-term partner Mike Barnard while Brendan dumped his fiancee and fellow dancer Camilla Dallerup. Writing in her book Strictly Inspirational, Camilla said their split was like a 'mini death'. 'You go through the arc of grief, anger, bitterness,' she said. 'My best friend and dancing professionally with Brendan had both gone.' However, Natasha has always denied any wrongdoing, saying: 'There was chemistry, of course, and I certainly fell in love with dancing, but I did not fall in love with Brendan.' Series 5: Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace Of all the Strictly romances there's been over the years, this remains one of the most interesting. Clandestine: Before long gossip was raging about how Flavia and Matt, then 19, were secretly in love Flavia Cacace was in a long-term relationship with her dance partner Vincent Simone when she was partnered with Matt Di Angelo in 2007. He was eight years her junior. Before long gossip was raging about how Flavia and Matt, then 19, were secretly in love. Shortly after the show finished she called time on her romance with Vincent and went public with Matt. Looking back at their partnership, Matt told Daily Mail: It was a pretty crazy time. It was front page news. 'The funny thing was the story did not start off as true, but the more you read it, the more you started to believe it and actually act on it.' Their romance ended in 2010, and a few weeks later Flavia admitted she was dating her latest dance partner, actor Jimi Mistry, who she went on to marry. Series 7: Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff Not to be: Kristina is said to have also wanted children while Joe already has two sons from a previous relationship Over: Unfortunately for Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev their relationship didn't manage to go the distance Scandal: Kristina Rihanoff was recently forced to defend her romance with Strictly partner Ben Cohen Former boxer Joe Calzaghe split with his girlfriend of five years Jo-Emma Larvin just a week into the show in 2009. The sportsman began a relationship with Russian dancer Kristina Rihanoff soon afterwards. The pair enjoyed a four-year romance but parted ways after Joe reportedly asked Kristina not to accept a role dancing in a stage production. Speaking to Hello! Kristina said: 'He was sick and tired of waiting around for me, and said that if I truly loved him, I wouldnt have taken the job in the West End.' Kristina is said to have also wanted children while Joe already has two sons from a previous relationship. Series 8: Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev Unfortunately for Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev their relationship didn't manage to go the distance. After winning the show in 2010 the pair hooked up, love quickly blossomed and they moved into a London home together. However, its believed Russian Artems visa issues saw him having to spend time apart from Kara for months on end and they eventually decided to call it a day. Actress Kara welcomed her baby son, Frey with fiance Marius Jensen in 2018, while Artem has struck up a romance with retired WWE wrestler, Nikki Bella since moving to the US to compete on Dancing With the Stars in 2014. Series 11: Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff Kristina Rihanoff was recently forced to defend her romance with Strictly partner Ben Cohen insisting that their relationship only began once his 11 year marriage to wife Abby had come to an end. 'He left his wife a year ago,' she told Daily Mirror. 'Recently we started dating but we're allowed to see each other as two single people.' Kristina who has also dated Vincent Simone and ex partner Joe Calzaghe said there have been other couples, yet she is the only one to be 'attacked'. She said: 'Ben's said it many times and I'll say it again - I wasn't involved in the breaking up of his marriage.' Meanwhile Abby described the split and resultant divorce as 'the most traumatic thing to ever happen to me'. Ben, 37, met Abby in 1995 at the age of 17, and the couple married in 2003 before welcoming their daughters in 2008. Series 11: Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev 'It doesn't exist!' Rachel Riley brushed aside the fact that The Curse exists, after she left her husband and got together with pro Pasha Kovalev On the same series, Countdown's math whiz Rachel Riley's relationship with her pro partner Pasha Kovalev ultimately ended her marriage to her husband of just one year. She wed Jamie Gilbert in 2012, taking part on 2013's season of the dancing show. By the end of 2013, they had split and she was with Pasha - which she claims began after the show came to an end. 'On Strictly, you form a close bond with your partner, but there was nothing romantic when Pasha and I were dancing. It was just dancing,' she told the Mail the following January, insisting there's no such thing as The Curse. '[Strictly] serves as a magnifying glass that shows up pre-existing fault lines,' she said, explaining the situation. She is still with Pasha today. Series 11: Susanna Reid Epiphany: Shortly after the show ended, the TV host split from her long-term partner Dominic Cotton Divorcee: Actress Sunetra Sarker also announced her marriage split after starring on Strictly Susanna Reid was another victim of series 11. She was billed as the most popular breakfast TV host and in a 15-year relationship when she reached the Strictly Come Dancing final that year. However shortly after the show ended, the TV host split from her long-term partner Dominic Cotton. However, mother-of-three Susanna, who was paired with professional Kevin Clifton, said the programme was not to blame for her love problems. Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna told Daily Mirror: 'I think people think Strictly was bound up in what happened. It wasnt. Obviously things have been challenging in my personal life but we are getting things sorted.' Series 12: Sunetra Sarker Actress Sunetra Sarker also announced her marriage split after starring on Strictly. She parted ways with her husband Nick Corfield after ten years of marriage just before the programme hit the screens. The couple first met in 1989 while on holiday in Jersey and have a 13-year-old son together. However, she said the romance had ended long before her reality show stint: 'The truth is three years ago me and my husband amicably split up and it obviously had nothing to do with Strictly.' The Casualty actress, who plays Dr Zoe Hanna in the BBC medical drama, is now said to be dating business partner Scott Carey. Together, the pair set up the food firm Keep Me Fresh. Series 12: Caroline Flack Caroline Flack broke up with her boyfriend of a year and a half, Jack Street, after making her way into the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final. The price of success: Caroline Flack broke up with her boyfriend of a year and a half, Jack Street, after making her way into the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final According to The Sun, she was 'distraught' backstage at the BBC show, but managed to put on a brave face to wow with her Tango and top the leader board. A source close to her told the newspaper: 'It came to a natural end and was mutual.' Some contestants have ended relationships to engage in a romance with their dance partner on the show, but the source noted that in Caroline's case, this wasn't the reason. 'No one else is involved,' they stated. Caroline had been seeing music manager Jack for around 18 months and she previously said that he was fine with her working on the talent show despite its reputation. 'Jack's been completely fine about the whole curse thing,' she said, quoted in The Mirror. 'He hasn't once been worried'. Series 13: Helen George Over and out: Actress Helen George announced her split from husband of three years, fellow actor Oliver Boot, after she was revealed as a contestant on the show It did not take long before the dreaded curse of Strictly struck again. Actress Helen George announced her split from husband of three years, fellow actor Oliver Boot, after she was revealed as a contestant on the show. 'I can confirm that Helen separated from her husband some time ago,' a spokesperson for the star said. She has not been linked to any fellow Strictly contestants or professional dancers. A Royal Academy Of Music graduate, Helen is best known for starring as Nurse Beatrix 'Trixie' Franklin in the hit BBC period drama Call The Midwife. George has also performed as a back-up singer for Sir Elton John and starred in a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel called The Woman In White. She met her former partner on set of BBC drama Hotel Babylon, and the couple married in December 2012. Break-up: Shortly after she finished runner-up in the final, she and Sean announced their split Series 13: Georgia May Foote The actress was in a relationship with her Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward when she took part in the 2015 series of the show. But cracks began to show as it was reported that Sean was enraged with jealousy over her decision to take part, and even allegedly accompanied her to rehearsals at the beginning of her Strictly journey. Shortly after she finished runner-up in the final, she and Sean announced their split - with Georgia seen kissing her dance partner Giovanni Pernice during a romantic trip to Disneyland soon after. However, shortly before rehearsals for the 2016 series began, Georgia and Giovanni called time on their romance after just a year. Giovanni has since moved on with 2018 contestant and former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, while Georgia is dating rapper Kris Evans. Series 14: Louise and Jamie Redknapp Divorced: Louise Redknapp appeared on the series in 2016, after which she and Jamie were said to be facing marital issues Footballer Jamie Redknapp is said to have been offered a place on the Strictly line-up recently, but understandably has refused after the series was blamed for the demise of his marriage to wife Louise. Louise appeared on the series in 2016, after which she and Jamie were said to be facing marital issues. By the end of 2017, they were divorced. It was highly-speculated that Louise realised, during the show, that she wanted to get back to work having sacrificed her career for her marriage - with co-star Daisy Lowe said to have helped her 'rediscover her youth'. A TV source said: 'Strictly used to be show that no celebrity ever turned down. But the Curse has changed all that. There is now a genuine concern that appearing on the show can negatively impact relationships. Jamie only has negative feelings about Strictly now. Theres absolutely no way he would appear.' Louise was also rumoured to have struck up a romantic bond with her pro partner Kevin Clifton, but this has never been confirmed. Series 14: Kevin and Karen Clifton Split: The Cliftons - a married pair of pro dancers - split romantically in 2018 Despite the rumours surrounding thrice-married Kevin while he partnered with Louise, nothing seemed to transpire between the two. He was, of course, married at the time too - to fellow pro Karen Clifton. However, since then, the pair have split up. Kevin proposed to her, on her birthday, on stage during a performance of Burn the Floor and they wed in July 2015. But in March 2018, they confirmed that they were no longer together romantically. They have since continued to work together as a pro dance partnership, however, insisting there is no bad blood. Series 16: Stacey Dooley, Sam Tucknott and Kevin Clifton We're done: Stacey's boyfriend of five years Sam Tucknott, 30, revealed Stacey had left him in an interview with the Mail On Sunday Stacey's boyfriend of five years Sam Tucknott, 30, revealed Stacey had left him in an interview with the Mail On Sunday in April. He called her dance partner, three-times married Kevin Clifton, 36, a slippery snake Sam confronted Kevin in furious video chat where he branded him a 'proper rat'. He told MoS in an exclusive interview he feels betrayed by the new couple's romance. It has been alleged that Stacey and Kevin's relationship was an 'open secret' on the Strictly tour News has cast shadow over latest series of show, resurrecting the so-called 'Strictly curse' that has seen 14 couples split. The TV presenter, 32, broke her silence on Twitter soon after, insisting there 'are two sides to every story' All over: In August 2019, just ahead of series 17, Neil and Katya announced their split after 11 years of marriage Series 16/17: Katya and Neil Jones 2018 saw The Curse strike early on in the season, with drama escalating just three weeks into the live shows. In a new twist, a love square formed when Katya Jones, who is married to fellow show professional Neil, was snapped all over her celeb partner, comedian Seann Walsh, on the street outside a pub in London. This took part on Sean's girlfriend's - actress and writer Rebecca Humphries - birthday, no less. Dumped: Neil and Katya's break-up comes 10 months after her kiss with Seann (pictured with ex-girlfriend Rebecca Humphries) The pair brushed it off as a 'one-off mistake', despite them kissing and laughing brazenly in public. Since then, Rebecca 'dumped' Seann via a Twitter statement. Seann and Katya did not pull out of the show, with their dalliance a gigantic elephant in the room as they still performed on the series, with Neil on set too. However, In August 2019, just ahead of series 17, Neil and Katya announced their split after 11 years of marriage. The break-up coming just 10 months after her kiss with Seann. Guwahati: Rise of Islamist extremism in Bangladesh poses serious threats not only to the religious minority communities there, but also to the secularists, intellectuals and other sects within the Muslim community. Speaking to a group of scribes at Guwahati Press Club from Dhaka through video conferencing on 6 October, prominent Bangladeshi journalist Saleem Samad made this comment. An Ashoka Fellow and Hellman-Hammett Award recipient journalist also added that an upsurge of fundamentalist forces in the Muslim dominated country may affect some to its neighbouring Indian States in due course of time. Samad narrated how atheist & secularist bloggers and activists are increasingly becoming the target of the Islamic extremists in Bangladesh, which has otherwise slowly (but steadily) marched on the path of becoming a country of one nationality (Bangladeshi), one language (Bangla) and one religion (Sunni Muslims). The outspoken journalist made an observation that due to overwhelming majority of Sunni Muslims in the country, among whom considerable rise of extremism is observed, other minority sects within the Muslim community like the Ahmadiyya also face threats of survival. Citing how a network of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh was busted in West Bengal few years back, Samad urged the north-eastern States to remain alert about jihadi elements after the ongoing crackdown on Islamic militancy. He revealed that thousands of Bangladeshi youths had joined various militia groups in Syria, Iraq, Chechnya, Indonesia, Philippines, Afghanistan, Pakistan etc to fight alongside the jihadis there. Answering queries from Guwahati scribes, the senior journalist reiterated that currently there is no northeastern separatist leader in Bangladesh as the Sheikh Hasina government in Dhaka continues rigorous crackdowns against the outfits. Samad made it clear that Prime Minister Hasina would leave no stone unturned to wipe out militancy in the country. A front runner for media rights, Samad painted a dismal picture of press freedom in Bangladesh, as journalists are frequently targeted by both State and non-State actors. He regretted that though 26 Bangladeshi journalists lost their lives to assailants since 1991, majority cases remains pending till date. In another significant remark, Samad, who works as special correspondent at The Bangladesh Monitor and contributes news-features to India Today, has divulged that none of the Indian leaders visiting Dhaka and Bangladesh delegation meets in New Delhi had taken up the issue of illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators in Assam (India) with their counterparts. Speaking about the process of National Register of Citizens (NRC) updation in Assam, Samad asserted that for the Bangladesh government believes that it is an internal affair of India only and hence it has not made any official statement over the development. He agreed that there is hardly any media attention in Bangladesh press over the NRC updation process and its outcome. Strongly advocating people-to-people contact between Assam (India) and Bangladesh, Samad lamented how Assam had missed the bus despite being so closely located, while other States like West Bengal and Tripura were taking several steps to improve connectivity with Bangladesh via railway and roadways. The pair reportedly tied the knot in September. And now Justin Bieber, 24, and Hailey Baldwin are said to be planting roots in Los Angeles, California as the pop star has reportedly signed a $100k per month lease to rent a luxury four-bed home in San Fernando Valley. And as the report emerged on Sunday, the blonde beauty, 21, touched down in Tokyo, Japan, boasting a wide smile across her make-up free face. Happy family: Justin Bieber, 24, has reportedly signed a $100k per month lease to rent a luxury four-bed home in San Fernando Valley Hailey strolled through Haneda airport clad in a white tracksuit and fresh-out-of-the-box trainers, with her grin clear to see, despite having a hood pulled up over her head. The model flashed a hint of her slim waist in the cropped hoodie, but ensured she kept warm by layering up with an oversized denim jacket. A source told TMZ that despite committing to model Hailey whole-heartedly, Justin Bieber isn't quite ready to purchase a home for the pair - opting to rent for the time-being. The insider said: 'Justin just signed a lease to rent a nearly 6,000 square foot crib in the San Fernando Valley, and it wasn't cheap -- he'll shell out nearly $100k per month.' Happy: And as the report emerged on Sunday, Hailey, 21, touched down in Tokyo, Japan, boasting a wide smile across her make-up free face Can't hide it: Hailey strolled through Haneda airport clad in a white tracksuit and fresh-out-of-the-box trainers, with her grin clear to see, despite having a hood pulled up over her head According to the source: 'Justin is 'stuck between a rock and a hard place -- he doesn't wanna live in a ritzy hotel anymore, but he's not exactly ready to plunk down a ton of cash to buy a place in L.A.' The insider reportedly told the publication that Justin, 'wanted to have a steady place to live when he's in Tinseltown with his new wife.' The pop-star's new Mediterranean-style rental is newly renovated and reported to have four bedrooms, and seven bathroom as well as lake-front views. Off-duty chic: The model flashed a hint of her slim waist in the cropped hoodie, but ensured she kept warm by layering up with an oversized denim jacket Hailey and Justin allegedly married on September 13 at the New York City Marriage Bureau, where Justin cried and told his lady love: 'I want to marry you, baby,' according to TMZ. Despite the fact their marriage is now legal, though, they will not entirely think of themselves as married until they have a Christian ceremony. This church wedding is purportedly slated to happen January in Justin's home Canadian province of Ontario - or just south of the border in upstate New York. Married woman? Hailey and Justin allegedly married on September 13 at the New York City Marriage Bureau, where he reportedly cried and told her: 'I want to marry you, baby' Justin proposed to Hailey in a restaurant at the Bahamian resort where he was staying on a weekend in July, a brace of eyewitnesses gossiped to TMZ. Before he popped the question on July 7, his security detail allegedly instructed the other restaurant-goers to tuck away their cellphones. He and Hailey were seen the next day kissing and mingling with other revelers at Great Guana Cay's Nippers Beach Bar And Grill. By the day after that, Justin himself fired up his Instagram page and confirmed to his more than 100 million followers that he and Hailey were engaged. Only Fools And Horses is to return after 15 years as the beloved TV classic makes a comeback as a West End musical. The BBC comedy series will be transformed into theatrical form in a show 'five years in the making', kicking off next year on February 9 at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket. Only Fools and Horses: The Musical was the final project of late writer John Sullivan, with his son Jim Sullivan honouring his father's legacy and taking over the script with BAFTA-winning comedy writer Paul Whitehouse. It's back!: Only Fools and Horses is making a return after 15 years as a West End musical, which has been 'five years in the making' The production, which has been described as a 'unique showstopper', will feature 20 new songs, including contributions from the late Chas Hodges from ChasnDave. Musical writer Paul Whitehouse will also star in the production as he takes centre stage as Grandad, which was played by the late Lennard Pearce in the TV series. Tom Bennett will take on the role of Del Boy, played by legendary actor David Jason on the show. With Ryan Hutton performing as Rodney, which was played by Nicholas Lyndhurst on the popular BBC series. Exciting times: The comedy production will kick off next year on February 9 at Theatre Royal Haymarket, London Only Fools and Horses: The Musical will be directed by Caroline Jay Ranger with several of the show's other characters, such as Raquel, Denzil, Mickey Pearce, Nags Head landlord Mike and the Driscoll Brothers, making a debut in the production. Talking about the new musical, writer and star Paul Whitehouse said: 'This was the last project that John Sullivan was working on when he died - he was just starting to develop Only Fools as a musical - so when writing it, Jim and I have remained very faithful to the feel and scripts of the TV series, but also highlight some contemporary issues. 'Were very conscious of the Only Fools legacy and that its so fondly remembered by people of almost all ages, so weve tried to incorporate everyones favourite moments from the TV shows and of course, all the great characters - but this time its with songs.' Talented cast: Musical writer Paul Whitehouse (pictured right) will also star in the production as he takes centre stage as Grandad, which was played by the late Lennard Pearce A synopsis for Only Fools and Horses: The Musical says the production will be set in Peckham, 1989, it continues: 'While the yuppie invasion of London is in full swing, love is in the air as Del Boy sets out on the rocky road to find his soul mate, Rodney and Cassandra prepare to say "I do", and even Trigger is gearing up for a date (with a person!). 'Meanwhile, Boycie and Marlene give parenthood one final shot and Grandad takes stock of his life and decides the time has finally arrived to get his piles sorted.' Created by writer John Sullivan, the original Only Fools And Horses was launched in 1981 and slowly built into a television juggernaut. One of its Christmas episodes drew more than 24.35 million viewers. The popular BBC series won several awards such as six BAFTA Awards, seven British Comedy Awards and three National Television Awards. Only Fools and Horses: The Musical kicks off on February 9 at Theatre Royal Haymarket, London. Three's a crowd!: Meanwhile, Tom Bennett will take on the role of Del Boy, played by legendary actor David Jason on the show, with Ryan Hutton performing as Nicholas Lyndhurst's Rodney Writing a novel can be dangerous work apparently. In an interview with The Project on Monday night, British TV host Graham Norton revealed he suffered a hand injury while writing his new novel, A Keeper. But it wasn't the typical writer's cramp - the 55-year-old said he sliced open his finger when he decided to take a break to clean his Irish Man of the Year award. 'I sliced a huge lump out of my finger': Iconic TV host Graham Norton (pictured) shared details of his horror injury that forced him to delay writing his new book on The Project on Monday 'It sounds ridiculous, but it's true,' he laughed. Graham said he was looking forward to writing his second novel in his native Ireland, but it wasn't long before things went wrong. 'I thought, "I'll write this back in Ireland, looking out at the sea. It will be lovely. I'll be wearing jumpers, fire's on,"' he began. 'I was only there for a day, and I sliced a huge lump out of my finger when I broke my Irish Man of the Year award.' Graham said he decided to clean the award because he had people coming over and he noticed 'it looked quite dusty'. Painful: The 55-year-old said he sliced open his finger when he decided to take a break from writing to clean his Irish Man of the Year award 'So, I went to wash it and then dropped it in the sink, and it just sliced the whole thing off,' he explained. The renowned television personality said it took him a couple of moments to register the severity of his injury. 'You know that thing where you're looking at your finger, going, "That's not a Band-Aid,"' he continued. With no other option, Graham said he took himself to the hospital for treatment. Cleaning house: Graham said he decided to polish the award because he had people coming over and he noticed 'it looked quite dusty' 'I had to wrap myself with a tea towel and drive myself to the hospital,' he added. The injury ultimately meant Graham had to delay the writing of his novel. 'It meant I had the summer off. It's very hard to do the tippy-tappy, particularly when I do it with two fingers, and that's one of them,' he said. 'I couldn't write a book with one finger.' He's been busy shooting scenes around Europe for the upcoming action sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home. And Tom Holland, 22, was hard at work filming the hotly-anticipated next installment of the franchise in Venice, Italy, on Sunday. The BAFTA-winning star was clad in his Spiderman gear as he shot an eerie nigh scene on a boat in the middle of a canal. Leading man: Tom Holland got into costume to shoot eerie night scenes for Spider-Man: Far From Home on a lavish boat in Venice on Sunday Shielding himself from the October chill, Tom later wrapped up in a black hoodie over his Spiderman suit. Earlier this month, Tom and his co-star Zendaya, 22, were pictured filming in Prague after they began filming the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming in July in England. Spider-Man: Far from Home, the sequel to the film Spider-Man: Homecoming, is slated to hit cinemas in 2019, and has so far shot scenes in London, Hertfordshire and Liberec in the Czech Republic. There he is! Shielding himself from the October chill, Tom later wrapped up in a black hoodie over his Spiderman suit Rumour has it: The film revolves around Peter Parker and his friends going to Europe on summer vacation, though few other details about the film have been revealed so far The movie is reportedly slated to be released on July 5, 2019 in the U.S. The sequel will hit theaters about two years after the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming - which was released in July 2017. According to producer Kevin Feige, the film revolves around Peter Parker and his friends going to Europe on summer vacation, though few other details about the film have been revealed to the public so far. Speaking to Den of Geek, Feige also divulged: We've chosen a villain and I think the story line is fairly impacted by the locations we go to. Man of the hour: Tom was dressed casually in khaki jeans and a flannel shirt while filming in the Italian city earlier in the week Star-studded cast: He stars opposite The Greatest Showman actress Zendaya, 22 (pictured in Venice last week) 'We love the notion of taking Spider-Man to places around the world that we haven't seen him in before. And we have a villain who I think will play into that nicely. As of yet, no trailer for the upcoming film has been released as its still filming. An official trailer for it will likely be revealed in the coming months. Marissa Tomei is reprising her role as Aunt May. Jacob Batalon is expected to return as Ned Leeds and Michael Keaton will reportedly play Vulture. Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders will appear as Nick Fury and Maria Hill, two former high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Jake Gyllenhaal will be appearing as the villainous Mysterio while J.B. Smoove is also slated to appear, though details of his specific role arent yet known publicly. Nick 'The Honey Badger' Cummins shocked the nation when he refused to pick a partner during last week's finale of The Bachelor. And finalist Sophie Tieman reflected on the moment she knew she was going to be dumped by the former Wallabies star while making an appearance on game show, Have You Been Paying Attention? During Monday's episode, host Tom Gleisner asked the 25-year-old: 'When did you realise things weren't going well over there in New Caledonia?' 'He wasn't really looking at me': The Bachelor's Sophie Tieman reflected on the moment she knew her relationship with Nick 'The Honey Badger' Cummins was over (Pictured: Sophie Tieman and co-star Brittany Hockley with host Tom Gleisner on Have You Been Paying Attention?) Sophie responded saying: 'I think it was as I was walking up to him, he wasn't really looking at me, in my eyes. 'And yeah I was like, oh, I really would just love to turn around right now but I can't,' she added. Days after last Thursday's devastating finale, Sophie slammed Nick's decision to walk away from the competition solo during an interview with Lisa Wilkinson on The Sunday Project. 'When did you realise things weren't going well over there in New Caledonia?' Tom Gleisner, host of game show Have You Been Paying Attention, asked Sophie on Monday Moment of truth: 'I think it was as I was walking up to him, he wasn't really looking at me, in my eyes,' Sophie candidly answered 'I would hope he's a little embarrassed, we just went through so many highs and so many lows,' she said. 'And I'm sure he did too but I just hope there's something in him that's a little unhappy or uneasy with his decision because God knows we have been through it.' Sophie explained that there wasn't any pressure put on Nick to propose or fall in love - but to merely kick start a relationship. Flying solo: Nick didn't pick Sophie in the finale - but didn't choose her love rival Brittany Hockley either 'It's whether he can find someone that you can connect with and you know try it in the real world later,' she said. And the shock finale showed finalists Sophie and Brittany Hockley, 30, reuniting shortly after having their hearts broken by Nick. The two met up in the blonde beauty's hotel room as Brittany giggled, 'It's almost laughable. He didn't pick me either?' 'I'm sorry but are you f***ing kidding me,' a shocked Sophie gasped. She is due to fly out to Australia in November to step in for Ant McPartlin as co-host on Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! alongside Dec Donnelly. And on Monday's episode of This Morning, Holly Willoughby, 37, was left terrified after she was chased by a zombie during a Halloween segment. Phillip, 56, was so amused by how scared Holly was that he jibed: 'Good luck in the jungle!' as she fled the scene. Spooked: Holly Willoughby, 37 ran away in fear while being given a tour of a house of horrors on This Morning on Monday After Holly pressed on a doorbell, she was left terrified as a man dressed in a zombie costume appeared from behind the door. 'Oh my God!' gasped the pretty blonde presenter as she dashed away with fright, while Phillip and Alice, chuckled at her reaction. As Holly whined in fear, Alice explained: 'Here's my friend Lurch. He's got a bit of a crush on you, though, if that's OK? If you want to see him again, he's just taken off from Fright Night at Thorpe Park.' 'Ohh I don't like him', whinged Holly, pleading for Alice to 'call him off.' Good luck: Holly's fearful reaction left Phillip Schofield, 56, wishing her luck ahead of her upcoming stint co-hosting I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Happy Halloween: Alice Beer, 53, was presenting a Halloween segment on the programme, showing Holly and Phil various decorations, when she pointed out a ghost-shaped doorbell Scary stuff: After Holly pressed on a doorbell, she was left terrified as a man dressed in a zombie costume appeared from behind the door Hilarious: 'Oh my God!' gasped the pretty blonde presenter as she dashed away with fright, while Phillip and Alice, chuckled at her reaction The zombie then began to slowly follow the panic-stricken presenter, which led to Holly swiftly running off set. 'Good luck in the jungle!' shouted Phillip, teasing Holly ahead of her stint co-hosting I'm A Celebrity. Later in the show, Alice pointed out a hanging plastic clown, and asked: 'How are you with clowns?' At that moment, Holly shrieked and flinch - scaring Phillip in the process - as she was startled by Gino D'Campo who jumped out from behind the Halloween decoration. Not a chance: The zombie then began to slowly follow the panic-stricken presenter, which led to Holly swiftly running off set Scaredy-cat: 'Good luck in the jungle!' shouted Phillip, teasing Holly ahead of her stint co-hosting I'm A Celebrity Clowning around: Later in the show, Alice pointed out a hanging plastic clown, and asked: 'How are you with clowns?' Clinging onto Phillip, Holly began laughing as she realised it was the cook who had spooked her, while he gave details of the episode's cooking segment. Holly confirmed that she would be co-hosting I'm A Celebrity last month in a statement, in which she quipped: 'When is it a good time to tell Dec I'm scared of everything that moves?' Fellow This Morning host Phillip Schofield also pointed out her fear of critters recently, as he took to Snapchat to quip: 'Holly in a jungle where everything will scare her s***less literally can't wait.' She recently revealed in an interview that she's known as 'Little Miss No' for turning down work projects for fear of spending too little time with her family. Surprise! At that moment, Holly shrieked and flinch - scaring Phillip in the process - as she was startled by Gino D'Campo who jumped out from behind the Halloween decoration Just doing my job: Gino then gave details of the episode's upcoming cooking segment 'If my career ended tomorrow, I know I would be absolutely OK. But if things went wrong between me and Dan it would be the end of my world,' she confessed. Meanwhile the presenter has reportedly been told that she needs to harden up before entering the Jungle. Speaking on This Morning, the squeamish star declared: 'Three things I'm not looking forward to - the eating something challenge. It's going to be horrible! 'The smells, I'm not good with smells! And when they come out with the stuff... What have I done?' Tupac Shakur is still alive according to conspiracy theorists, that is. The iconic rapper, killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996, has been the subject of rumors thats hes still alive for many years. But now, the son of a legendary hip-hop producer and record executive has lent credence that the rapper is still alive and well and currently living in Malaysia. Rapper Tupac Shakur, right, and hip-hop producer Marion 'Suge' Knight, left, are seen here attending the tenth annual Soul Train Awards in Los Angeles, California in this file photo For years, speculation has swirled that Tupac was alive and living somewhere like Cuba or Somalia. Now, the son of hip-hop mogul Marion Suge Knight, Suge J. Knight, has expressed his belief that the rapper is alive and living in Malaysia. In a series of Instagram posts, Knight shared some images of a man purportedly resembling an older Tupac alongside music icons like Beyonce, 50 Cent and Kanye West. In another post, Knight uploaded a video of a man he claims shows Tupac in Malaysia today. Tupac is alive... he never left us, he wrote in sharing a recently uploaded post. Knight later uploaded a video in which he claimed he was being followed and posted: Beware of fake accounts. Their job is to distract you. The Illuminati are all about power. This is why you see powerful names getting locked up. He also referenced the Illuminati purportedly a secret society that controls major world events in several other posts. Rumors that the rapper survived have been in circulation for years, possibly fueled in part by Suge Knight himself. According to the rap mogul in the documentary Who Shot Biggie & Tupac: I mean, when I left that hospital, me and Pac were laughing and joking. So I dont see how somebody can turn from doing well, to doing bad. When asked if the iconic rapper could still be alive, he simply replied: Im gonna tell you that with Pac, you never know. Despite the persistent rumors of his survival, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to People magazine in 2017 that the rapper was indeed fatally shot in Las Vegas in what appeared to be an act of gang retaliation. Who was Tupac Shakur? Tupac Shakur was a rapper and actor considered to be one of the greatest hip-hop stars of all time. He was born as Lesane Parish Cooks on June 16, 1971 in New York City. Tupacs family relocated to Baltimore, Maryland in 1986 and later to Northern California in 1988. After working as a backup dancer and roadie for the hip-hop group Digital Underground, he released his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in November 1991 and soon became a fixture in the booming West Coast hip-hop scene. After releasing two critically and commercially successful follow-up albums in 1993 and 1995, he dabbled in acting in films like 1993s Poetic Justice and became increasingly involved in the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry at the time. Tupac released his next album, All Eyez on Me, in February 1996 to critical praise and outstanding commercial success, but on September 7, 1996, he was shot four times by an unknown gunman in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting and died several days later on September 13, 1996. Since his death, five more of his albums have been released posthumously, all of which have been certified platinum by the record industry. Both during his career and today, hes been held in high-esteem by critics and hip-hop fans alike for tackling complex social issues with his lyrics. Tupac Shakur songs Both during his lifetime and posthumously, Tupac released a number of major hits that helped propel hip-hop into the mainstream and established him personally as one of the most critically-acclaimed rappers of all time. His debut single Brendas Got a Baby was released in 1991 and was followed by larger hits like I Get Around and Keep Ya Head Up in 1993. After releasing the hit song Dear Mama in 1995, he released two new singles, California Love and How Do U Want It, in 1996, both of which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Even after his death, many of Tupacs posthumously released songs proved to be major hits, including Hail Mary in 1997 and Changes in 1998, which proved to be an international hit and explored issues such as racism, the war on drugs, poverty and other social issues. Tupac Shakur movies Though best-known for his acclaimed musical career, Tupac also appeared in a number of movies during his lifetime. He made his starring role debut in 1992s Juice and later costarred alongside Janet Jackson in 1993s Poetic Justice. Tupac later appeared in 1994s Above the Rim alongside Marlon Wayans and Bernie Mac and also posthumously appeared in 1996s Bullet, released just weeks after his death in a tragic and ironic twist. Tupacs last performances were in the movies Gridlockd and Gang Related, both released in 1997 just months after his death. She's prepping for her next modelling appearance, the World of Fashion event in Dubai on Thursday. But first Alessandra Ambrosio is spending some quality time with her children. The Brazilian supermodel cuddled up to daughter Anja, ten, and son Noah, six, for a selfie. 'Sundays are the best. Meus amores,' she captioned the happy shot. 'Sundays are the best!' alessandra Ambrosio cuddled up to son Noah and daughter Anja after jetting home from Paris Fashion Week; this week she will be off to Dubai for work Treat: Her home was filled with beautiful white flowers The translation of her native Portuguese means 'my loves'. Busy Alessandra has just returned to her California home from Paris, where she took part in fashion week. She is making the most of her time with her children before her next jet-setting assignment. The 5ft 9 beauty was pictured on Friday out and about in Brentwood, California, where she attended a Pilates class. While her work takes her all over the world, Alessandra has said her children are her 'number-one priority'. Out and about: The 5ft 9 beauty was pictured on Friday out and about in Brentwood, California, where she attended a Pilates class That's quite a gym bag: The Brazilian beauty carried her stuff in a hefty Louis Vuitton The 37-year-old model makes it her aim to arrange her schedule so she can spend as much time with her two. She said: 'My children are always going to be my number-one priority, so I work hard on arranging my schedule to spend as much time as possible with them.' And Alessandra would support her children if they wanted to follow in her footsteps and become models themselves. She told Harper's Bazaar magazine: 'I want my children to do what they love, and if that's modeling, then I would be there every step of the way to support them. Right now they're enjoying being kids, learning about the world, and exploring.' Working it: The model stretched her muscles with a Pilates class Getting in shape: She's prepping for her next modelling appearance, the World of Fashion event in Dubai on Thursday Meanwhile, Alessandra previously admitted that motherhood has made her less comfortable posing in lingerie. She said: 'I used to be 100 per cent comfortable on lingerie shoots - then I had a child, and it was more of a mental shift than anything else. Somehow it felt a bit weirder to be in lingerie once I was a mother. Although I did that cover for Maxim last year, you don't see anything. When my daughter saw it, she asked, "Mummy, why do you have no clothes on?" And I said, "Mummy actually has a G-string on - it's just so small you can't see it."' She was shockingly eliminated after AFL star Brian Lake, 36, betrayed her on Monday's episode of Australian Survivor: Champions Vs. Contenders. But fan-favourite Shonee Fairfax revealed that she was so sure she'd win the show that she did not pack any clothing to wear for the Jury. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph Confidential on Tuesday, the 26-year-old said: 'I'm devo. I definitely thought I was going to win, so I was shocked.' 'I was so sure I'd win': Australian Survivor fan-favourite Shonee Fairfax revealed she 'didn't even take clothes to wear to the jury' following shock elimination that left her 'devo' 'I didn't even take clothes to wear on the jury. Why would I? I wasn't planning on getting to the jury,' she candidly confessed. And Monday's episode saw 'villain' Brian make it to the final three on the series after winning immunity in the final immunity challenge. 'He's the luckiest pr*ck alive!' remarked Shane Gould after the villainous footy player won the challenge. 'I was shocked,' Shonee admitted she was left gob-smacked by her shock elimination 'I didn't even take clothes to wear on the jury. Why would I? I wasn't planning on getting to the jury,' she candidly confessed while speaking to The Daily Telegraph Confidential on Tuesday Brian quickly teamed up with Shonee and convinced her to vote out Sharn Coombes. While Shonee was initially on board with the plan, she feared that Shane would stick by her good friend Sharn, which could mean a tie situation at tribal council. She then decided to go after Shane, believing that she could convince Sharn to turn on the Olympic swimmer. Surprise! Shonee Fairfax was blindsided after being betrayed by villain Brian during Monday's episode However, once they reached tribal council it was Shonee who ended up going home in a shock twist elimination after Brian betrayed her. This made Brian, Sharn, and Shane the final three going into the upcoming season finale, due to air this Tuesday. Following the elimination, Shonee took to Instagram to pen a lengthy caption alongside a photo of herself on the show. 'It's been a wild ride, I'm proud of myself and I'm definitely ready for round 2!!' she wrote. She's never one to shy away from flaunting her incredible figure. And Demi Rose was up to her old tricks on Monday, as she showcased her jaw-dropping curves in a series of sizzling snaps on Instagram. The Instagram model, 23, slipped her phenomenal physique into a plunging latex catsuit and gloves. Looking good: Demi Rose displayed her jaw-dropping curves in latex bustier catsuit and gloves in sizzling shoot The brunette beauty completed her look with black chunky boots and styled her hair in tumbling waves. Demi captioned the snap: 'Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.' A day earlier, the model displayed her killer curves in an on-trend tiger print bikini, which scarcely covered her ample assets while soaking up the sun in Ibiza. Bum's the word: The Instagram model, 23, slipped her phenomenal physique into a plunging latex catsuit and gloves Wow: She continued to display her killer curves in a bikini snap of herself in Ibiza Demi, who has spent a lot of time in the White Isle over the summer months, wore a halter-neck top and matching string bottoms. The Birmingham beauty left little to the imagination in the bikini snap as she seductively gazed at the camera, showcasing her gym-honed figure. She wore her locks in a loose beachy style, while posing against a stunning backdrop, which included a luxury pool and beautiful vista. Tragedy: Demi has been left distraught after revealing her beloved father has died Demi's getaway comes after she announced that she had been left heartbroken following the death of her father Barrie aged 80 The devastated star shared a photo of them together as she broke the news of his death on Wednesday in a heartbreaking post on Instagram on Friday night. She penned in the caption: 'R.I.P Dad. You were the best father I couldve ever wished for. The most caring, supportive, knowledgable and loving man Ive ever known.' Devastating: The devastated model, 23, shared a photo of them together as she broke the news in a heartbreaking post on Instagram on Friday night Demi added: 'God bless you and thank you for everything. Hope to see you one day in heaven again. 03.10.18.' The Instagram star, who shared snaps of herself posing in a latex catsuit earlier on Friday, rarely discusses her family life. She grew up with her bank manager dad and mum Christine, 63, in their 300,000 home in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. The brunette beauty was catapulted to fame when she became romantically linked to Kylie Jenner's ex, rapper Tyga. Heartbroken: She penned in the caption: 'R.I.P Dad. You were the best father I couldve ever wished for. The most caring, supportive, knowledgable and loving man Ive ever known' Private: The Instagram star rarely discusses her family life. She grew up with her bank manager dad and mum Christine, 63, in their 300,000 home in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham Barrie previously gushed about Demi's career, revealing that it was a three-year health and beauty course that changed her life. 'She was always interested in beauty and a good-looking girl to boot,' he told MailOnline in 2016. 'I could always see it coming as she's very ambitious.' Her mum Christine, a former NHS wheelchair advisor, added that Demi didn't believe she had the looks to make it as a model. Hmble beginnings: Barrie previously gushed about Demi's career, revealing that it was a three-year health and beauty course that changed her life Ambitious: 'She was always interested in beauty and a good-looking girl to boot,' he told MailOnline in 2016. 'I could always see it coming as she's very ambitious' 'Demi Rose didn't think she was quite good enough but she excelled in beauty school and it her made her ambitious to pursue her dreams,' she said in 2016. 'We don't mind at all. She always said she wouldn't do nudity not that we've told her not to, her pictures are racy and suggestive but she shows them all to us. 'We're right behind her. She's such a beautiful girl, why shouldn't she? If you've got it, flaunt it.' Puerto Ricos students and teachers are still grappling with fallout from Hurricane Maria more than a year after the storm struck the island. So what do we know about the extent of trauma in the U.S. territorys schools, and what resources are being brought to bear to help them? Schools have provided some data to help answer the question. Early last year, we wrote about the Puerto Rico Department of Educations attempt to measure the extent to which students and educators were suffering trauma , depression, or other psychological impacts due to Maria. We alluded to this information late last month , but heres some additional key analysis about the responses: Seven percent of students indicated they had clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Eight percent of students said they had clinically significant symptoms of depression. Nine percent of students indicated they were at high risk of developing mental health disorders. Here are some important caveats. First, those three categories of responses dont cover separate group of students. In other words, one student could indicate such symptoms for both PTSD and depression, for example, according to Joy Lynn Suarez-Kindy, a clinical psychologist whos consulting with the islands education department on mental health issues. Second, those percentages are based on responses from 64,000 students, far short of the more than 300,000 students who were enrolled in Puerto Ricos public schools earlier this year. See Also: Putting Puerto Ricos Schools Back on Track The analysis will eventually cover responses from about 90,000 students, but Suarez-Kindy acknowledged that its not the complete picture the department originally and officially sought. At the same time, she said the department knew it wasnt realistic to expect responses from all students, given the difficult conditions that prevail in Puerto Ricos schools. (The survey was conducted with the help of the Medical University of South Carolina.) Although in a document the department said that close to eight out of 10 public school students in Puerto Rico are resilient, Suarez-Kindy stressed that, Were not saying, Theyre resilient and everything is fine. Its possible, for example, that students misunderstood a question and did not provide an accurate answer, Suarez-Kindy noted. However, the totals listed above are lower than what she expected to see. Ultimately, schools were given a score for the level of trauma students and educators reported on the survey. So whats the been the response? Just as schools and not individuals were given scores on the survey, the departments response will be on a schoolwide basis and not tailored for individual students and educators. The islands education department is using a federal Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) grant of $2 million to provide ongoing wellness programs for educators. These will involve once-a-month events as well as separate themes for different months, such as physical fitness and mindfulness. The SERV grant will cover 140 schools that the department identified through surveys as good targets for these programs. (And yes, at $14,286 per school, Suarez-Kindy conceded that SERV alone isnt providing a ton of money for educators.) The department is also pledging to provide a social worker for every 250 students, far more social workers than schools have previously used. In addition, the department is getting into a new arena: applying for competitive grants. The department recently won a $9 million Project Advancing Wellness and Resilience Education grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrationto be spread over five yearsfor several schools. And outside organizations are also pitching in. Save the Children is adopting 12 schools to offer trauma therapy and social-emotional learning services, in conjunction with Carlos Albizu University in San Juan. Suarez-Kindy could not provide a total cost figure for the departments efforts to tackle mental health issues in schools. She also said that while mental health services are a crucial part of schools recovery, the department is not the primary provider of those services on the island, and must consider other needs when deciding how to use federal funds. Yes, we have mental health issues, but we also have crumbling schools, no computers. So the bucket has to be split, she said. Asked what the departments work to help traumatized students and teachers needs most other than money, Suarez-Kindy replied, No, its really just money. Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Andrew Ujifusa half of Politics K-12 @AndrewUjifusa . He has a body that men and women all over the land would kill to have - or get their hands on. And Chris Hemsworth was working his Hollywood asset on Monday, taking to a gym with friends. 'Training in Morocco!' he captioned a short video posted to Instagram Stories in which the 35-year-old actor is seen grunting through some lifts. 'Training in Morocco!' Thor hunk Chris Hemsworth hits the gym with his stunt double after revealing that he only works out for 20 minutes a day Also shown in the video is personal trainer Luke Zocchi and stuntman Bobby Holland Hanton. Bobby happens to be the Australian actor's body double in the superhero films Thor Ragnarok and Avengers Infinity War part 1 and part 2. It appears Chris and his buddies may be in Morocco working on the new, as-yet untitled Avengers Movie. Work it! In a short video posted to Instagram stories the 35-year-old actor is seen grunting through some lifts It comes after the Thor star shared the secrets behind his perfectly sculpted physique. The actor told Men's Health that he only trains for 20 minutes per day, six days a week to maintain his muscular frame. 'I can do a 20-minute workout now for six days a week. I can find [time for] that anywhere,' he explained. What's his secret? It comes after the Thor star shared the secrets behind his perfectly sculpted physique Makes it look easy! The actor told Men's Health that he only trains for 20 minutes per day, six days a week to maintain his muscular frame Chris added that he focuses more on functional training and less on workouts that require heavy equipment. The father-of-three, who is married to Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, further claimed that staying on the move helps him keep motivated. Chris and Elsa, who married in 2010, share three children: daughter India Rose, six, and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, four. Netflix has unveiled the official trailer to the sixth series of House Of Cards. And going by the two-minute explosive teaser, Claire Underwood being the first female president of the United States is by all accounts causing mayhem in Washington, DC. It begins off with a montage of reporters discussing Underwood being elected as president, as one woman jokes: 'Are you even capable of defining her?' It's back: Netflix has unveiled the official House of Cards trailer for its upcoming sixth series Another reporter reverberated comparative words, saying: 'I think she might be the worst thing that's happened to this country,' as the camera cuts to Claire strutting into office. Following the demise of her husband Frank Underwood, Claire endeavors to reshape the political laws that had been set up by the people who preceded her. And that includes those by her widower. Frustration: It begins off with a montage of reporters discussing Underwood being elected as president, as one woman jokes: 'Are you even capable of defining her?' Arguments erupts: Her ways of operating the country do not sit well with her party I'm the boss now: Determined to stand her ground, she fights back in a feisty manner Darker tone: The sixth season is filled with drama-filled scenes, as seen in the trailer In the push to do only that, she clearly ends up being tested by her own party but refuses to back down, stressing that the general public will support her and all that she stands for. 'I'm not going to be told what to do anymore, Doug. Not by you, or any man, ever again [] I'm done suffering,' Underwood says in a mellow tone while conversing to Michael Kelly's character Doug Stamper. Producers of the Netflix show appear to have loosely based certain topics of the upcoming series on genuine events that happened off-screen in the past year. Odd one out: It appears that wherever she goes, Claire doesn't have much support Gruesome: A series of cuts from the teaser see the political drama explore further plots At peace with herself: Despite the havoc she's causing, Claire seems far from bothered In November 2017, the media streaming service had affirmed that Kevin Spacey would not be coming back to the show in the wake of allegations concerning sexual misconduct. Furthermore, to guarantee that there was zero chance of the actor making a possible comeback, the Nine Lives star was consequently killed off, leaving Robin Wright's character to fend on her own. Kevin's untimely firing cost Netflix $39 million since the 59-year-old was attached to multiple projects with the company outside of his recurring role on House of Cards. Who's body could this be? Two men appear to be at a morgue where they placed the deceased body of an individual Getting rid of its remains: Within seconds, the body was lit on fire, as its remains were dispensed and Claire's voice is heard in the background It's about to get bloody: Netflix had teased fans with this official poster from the sixth series, which returns to the streaming giant November 2 'The first female president of the United States is not going to keep her mouth shut,' the feisty blonde proclaims. Toward the end of the trailer, the series sets an incredible tone with a disturbing exchange. 'Who do you fear the most?' 'Her.' House of Cards' final season is set to premiere November 2 on Netflix. Brad Pitt was thought to have romanced the brainy professor Neri Oxman. The brunette beauty, 42, seemed to be the first woman the Allied actor, 54, had fallen for since his split from Angelina Jolie, with whom he co-parents six children. But over the weekend the Israeli-born architect, computational designer and artist told The New York Times that she never dated the hunky star. No love? Brad Pitt was thought to have romanced the brainy professor Neri Oxman last year. But she told the NYT that is was not so A hot combo: The brunette beauty seemed to be the first woman the Allied actor had fallen for since his split from Angelina Jolie, with whom he co-parents six children Oxman said she is dating hedge fund manager William A. Ackman. Still, Neri had plenty of praise for the Seven actor. 'He is the last of the Mohicans in post-Netflix Hollywood. He brings together the timely and the timeless, which is what cinema is all about,' said the teacher. Oxman is a professor of media arts and sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Media Lab. She has a beau: Oxman said she is dating hedge fund manager William A. Ackman She also said she would like to work with Pitt at some point. He is a design fanatic and has taken classes in the subject. Pitt has also made furniture and worked on building houses in hurricane ravaged New Orleans, though he has come under fire this year for making unsturdy houses. Last week the Legends Of The Fall actor was seen getting close to jewelry company owner Sat Hari Khalsa during a star-studded gala, hosted by Red Hot Chili Peppers member Flea. They are over: Brad and Angie split two years ago, but are still working on custody issues; seen in 2015 Her company is called AMRIT Jewelry. Its inspired by India. According to her website, Sat Hari was born in America, but was sent to India at a young age to attend boarding school. Her brand is named after her daughter. The pair did not arrive together, but spent much of the night in deep conversation,' DailyMail.com exclusively reported. They were inseparable during the event, laughing and enjoying each others company. Meanwhile, Brad has been shooting Once Upon A Time In American with Leonardo DiCaprio and Lena Dunham. Mark Wahlberg is getting back to work, spotted back in his hometown of Boston looking snazzy in a crisp grey suit on the set of his new movie Wonderland. The actor was seen holding a Dunkin Donuts coffee cup and a set of keys, while leaning against an old Buick Riviera on the set. He was also seen with co-star Alan Arkin, handing his keys over to him outside a liquor store, before giving him a hug. Looking sharp on the set: Mark Wahlberg returns to his hometown of Boston to film his new movie Wonderland, spotted on the set wearing a sharp grey suit Wahlberg was seen wearing a sharp grey suit with no tie, which also matched the Buick Riviera he was leaning against, along with black dress shoes. While the actor was dressed to impress, it seems his character has seen better days, with cuts and scrapes seen on his face and hands. His co-star Arkin was seen wearing thick black glasses, a burgundy coat, khaki pants and brown shoes. Wahlberg and Arkin: Wahlberg was seen wearing a sharp grey suit with no tie, which also matched the Buick Riviera he was leaning against, along with black dress shoes Wonderland follows Wahlberg's Spenser, an ex-con fresh out of prison, who returns to the Boston criminal underworld. The story follows Spenser as he stumbles upon the truth about a grisly murder and the twisted conspiracy behind it. The movie also stars Black Panther breakout star Winston Duke, who plays Hawk, Spenser's friend who is just as tough with a shady streak. Hugs on the set: Co-star Arkin was seen wearing thick black glasses, a burgundy coat, khaki pants and brown shoes The movie is based on the 2013 novel Robert B Parker's Wonderland, written by Ace Atkins. Parker wrote 40 novels centering around the Spenser character, which served as the basis for the 1980s TV series Spenser For Hire starring Robert Urich as Spenser and Avery Brooks as Hawk. Ace Atkins took over the series after Parker's death in 2010, with Parker's Wonderland the second of his seven novels continuing the series. Shoe time: Wahlberg, seen at DJ Khaled's Nike shoe launch in September, plays Spenser, an ex-con fresh out of prison, who returns to the Boston criminal underworld Wahlberg reunites with director Peter Berg for Wonderland, marking their fifth collaboration together, following Mile 22, Patriots Day, Deepwater Horizon and Lone Survivor. The actor will next be seen in the upcoming comedy Instant Family, alongside Rose Byrne, which is slated for release on November 16. They both also serve as executive producers on HBO's Ballers, with Berg also directing the pilot episode. Ben Cohen's former wife Abby has revealed she is 'not surprised' by the Strictly Curse following married Katya Jones' kiss with dance partner Seann Walsh. The web designer, who divorced the rugby star after his romance with pro dancer Kristina Rihanoff in March 2016, wrote on Twitter in response to a fan: 'Yep another one! shocking but I'm not surprised at all!!' Comedian Seann's girlfriend Rebecca Humphries appeared to reach out to Abby, 40, amid the shocking images of her partner's steamy display with Russian pro Katya, as she followed her on the social media. Speaking out: Ben Cohen's former wife Abby has revealed she is 'not surprised' by the Strictly Curse following married Katya Jones' kiss with dance partner Seann Walsh (pictured with Ben in 2014) Abby tied the knot to the sportsman, also 40, in 2003, and share twin daughters Harriette and Isabelle, ten. However, months after his 2013 Strictly stint, where he was paired up with ballroom dancer Kristina, 41, Abby and Ben became estranged. Kristina and Ben embarked on a relationship shortly after, with the couple welcoming their daughter Milena in June 2016. Loved-up: Abby divorced the rugby star after he embarked on a relationship with pro dancer Kristina Rihanoff after their stint on the BBC show (pictured together in 2013) There was many speculation over whether there was a crossover in relationships, with the married couple officially calling in quits in March 2016. Devastated by the news at the time, the mother-of-two told The Sun: 'My husband, who I was with for 23 years, unconditionally loved and was completely loyal to in every respect, has left me for a f***ing Russian dancer.' Meanwhile, stage actress Rebecca, who has been in a relationship with Seann for over three years, appeared to reach out to Strictly curse victim Abby, as she followed her Twitter. Candid: The web designer, 40, wrote on Twitter in response to a fan: 'Yep another one! shocking but I'm not surprised at all!!' Drama: Seann has been in a relationship with actress Rebecca Humphries (left) for more than three years and Katya has been married to Neil Jones for five years (right) Support? Comedian Seann's girlfriend Rebecca appeared to reach out to Abby amid the shocking images of her partner's steamy display with Russian pro Katya, as she followed her on the social media Back in the day: Abby tied the knot to the sportsman, also 40, in 2003, and share twin daughters Harriette and Isabelle, ten Her social media activity comes after shamed Seann and Katya apologised for their 'drunken' kiss earlier this week. In the extremely cosy snaps, comedian Seann, 32, who is in a relationship with actress Rebecca, looked carefree as he shared a smooch and held his professional partner in an embrace outside a London pub. An onlooker told The Sun that they were 'snogging like a pair of teenagers' and 'didn't seem to care who might see them. Rebecca has since unfollowed Seann on social media and appears to have now dumped him. She liked a number of tweets including one from a fan saying: 'Mate, youve massively messed up here. Monumentally. Shes a 10. Youre now in the bin'. Katya has been married to fellow Strictly dancer Neil since 2013, and it is not known how he has reacted to his wife's drunken kiss. Critics have called for the pair to pull out of the show and there are doubts whether Strictly fans will vote for the couple to remain in the competition next Saturday. Smitten: Kristina and Ben embarked on a relationship shortly after, with the couple welcoming their daughter Milena in June 2016 Competing on the show requires hard work and often draws competitors away from their families, creating rifts between loved ones. This phenomenon is known as the Strictly curse. Its led to divorces, breakups, called off engagements and more. Karen and Kevin Clifton are the latest to feel the effects of the Strictly curse. And after placing second in the 2016 iteration of Strictly Come Dancing, reports surfaced claiming that Louise Redknapps nearly two-decade old marriage with Jamie was in a state of disaster. They were granted a quick divorce in December 2017. The Strictly Curse doesnt just affect married contestants. In February 2017, Joanne Clifton and Joe Edward-Bader broke up weeks after she won Strictly Come Dancing. Daisy Lowe and boyfriend Bradley Frankie Wade succumbed to the Strictly curse in 2016. Sources close to the couple said they simply couldnt find time to spend together. Georgia May Foote broke up with Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward after she began appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015. She and partner Giovanni Pernice took runner up in the competition and were later seen kissing openly while on holiday together in Paris, The Sun reported. Rachel Riley divorced husband Jamie Gilbert after 15 months together to be with Strictly Come Dancing partner Pasha Kovalev. Cursed? Karen and Kevin Clifton are the latest to feel the effects of the Strictly curse Over: After placing second in the 2016 iteration of Strictly Come Dancing, reports surfaced claiming that Louise Redknapps nearly two-decade old marriage was in a state of disaster Going their separate ways: Daisy Lowe and boyfriend Bradley Frankie Wade succumbed to the Strictly curse in 2016 Advertisement Rebecca Humphries mother Anne is said to be in 'shock' over Seann Walsh's kiss with married Strictly Come Dancing partner Katya Jones. The actress, 32, who has been dating the comedian, 32, for more than three years, has hinted she 'binned' him following the shocking incident. Hours later photographs of their kiss emerged, (taken three days before), and both have apologised for their 'drunken mistake'. Hard times: Rebecca Humphries mother Anne is said to be in 'shock' over Seann Walsh's kiss with married Strictly Come Dancing partner Katya Jones last week (pictured left) Seann and Katya both had haunted expressions on Monday morning as they emerged for the first time since pictures emerged of their drunken yet passionate kiss on a London street. Walsh, 32, appeared with baggy eyes outside his home just before 11am after his actress girlfriend Rebecca Humphries hinted she had 'binned' him following his betrayal. Comedian Seann refused to comment to waiting journalists as he wandered up and down the street before getting into a waiting black Mercedes. Not so funny now? Strictly Come Dancing's Seann (left) and Katya (right) appeared ashen as they were seen for the first time on Monday morning, five days after they were pictured drunkenly kissing on a London street Heartbroken: Seann is dating actress Rebecca Humphries, who sobbed with joy when Seann nailed the Paso Doble on Saturday night He scratched his head and kept his head down as he appeared outside his flat in West London wearing a black jacket, black and white striped T-shirt, dark jeans and white Nike trainers. Meanwhile married Katya was stony-faced after leaving the home she shares with husband Neil ahead of another day of rehearsals with Seann. The Russian dancer, 29, wore a casual grey top and jogging bottoms while making her way towards a waiting car. The pair WILL perform on Strictly next Saturday and a source told MailOnline: 'Seann was pictured going to dance training for next Saturdays show earlier today. 'No one is pulling out of the show. It is business as usual for all of the Strictly parties involved. The dance couple Seann and Katya have already apologised publicly. Seann has been in a relationship with actress Rebecca Humphries for more than three years and Katya has been married to Neil Jones for five years Tellingly Rebecca liked this tweet suggesting her boyfriend was now 'in the bin' after the kiss on her birthday last week They will be carrying on as normal this week, where the only time theyll be adding to that will be on the BBCs Strictly show It Takes Two. And that will take place later this week on a date yet to be confirmed. But that will be it in terms of anyone on the show speaking out. There are no meetings with bosses scheduled in light of whats happened over the weekend. All the bosses were around and discussed everything in full when the story first broke on Saturday night. The source could offer no further comment on anyones personal views or on how the story of the couple caught kissing in public had impacted on either Katyas marriage to fellow Strictly dancer Neil Jones or on comic Seanns long-term relationship with his actress partner Rebecca Humphries. They added: I cant say anything else about how anyone has been personally effected by all of this. I couldnt possibly comment.' Sorry: Seann has apologised for his 'mistake' but he didn't mention his girlfriend specifically in his apology Nothing to say? Seann clasped his hand over his mouth but said nothing as he made his way, presumably to a very awkward rehearsal amid reports he is now a single man On his way: Seann looked solemn as he made his way towards his car on Monday morning Meanwhile, Katya's appearance came as husband Neil shared a shirtless Instagram snap with fans, just days after pictures of his wife kissing another man emerged. Captioning the shot, he wrote: 'Its Monday and if you dont mind Im just going to hang out by the rocks with my smouldering look. Whats your plans for the week ahead????' Seann and Katya were spotted 'snogging like a pair of teenagers' outside a London pub on Wednesday night and as a result, have pulled out of a joint appearance on ITV's Lorraine today. Rebecca has since unfollowed Seann on social media and appears to have now dumped him. She liked a number of tweets including one from a fan saying: 'Mate, youve massively messed up here. Monumentally. Shes a 10. Youre now in the bin'. Katya has been married to fellow Strictly dancer Neil Jones since 2013, and it is not known how he has reacted to his wife's drunken kiss. Critics have called for the pair to pull out of the show and there are doubts whether Strictly fans will vote for the couple to remain in the competition next Saturday. Meanwhile: Her appearance came as husband Neil shared a shirtless Instagram snap with fans, two days after pictures of his wife kissing another man emerged But a Strictly source said last night: 'Its very much business as usual', which could cause even more upset for Seann's girlfriend and Katya's husband. Seann wrote on Twitter on Sunday: 'I would like to offer my sincere apologies for my actions. This is no excuse but it was a one-off drunken mistake which I am truly sorry for.' Katya also tweeted about the incident and said: 'I'm so sorry about any offence or hurt I may have caused with my actions. I wasn't thinking and it was a one-off mistake after some drinks. I love my husband and we are very happy together, this is not a reflection on our relationship'. Seann and Katya have both taken to Twitter to apologise for their kiss, which a witness described as a 'snogging like teenagers' Rebecca's Twitter account has been inundated with messages of support - and she has liked around a dozen including one saying her boyfriend had 'made a fool of her'. Another she backed said: 'I've been thinking about you all day, i don't know you but the whole thing is just so cruel & heartbreaking! Something similar happened to me once & it knocked me off my feet because i wasnt expecting it all, so i can vaguely relate to your pain! You got this girl x'. Susanna Reid has appeared to defend the kiss between Strictly Come Dancing couple and said: 'We've all had a few drinks and had a kiss'. She said on Good Morning Britain: 'It was just a kiss, and they'd had a few drinks, we've all had a few drinks.' She added: 'We've all had a few drinks and had a kiss, haven't we?' Her co-star Richard Arnold said: 'I think it's possibly the fact they had partners waiting in the wings, that's the real issue.' Support: Rebecca broke her social media silence on the shock kiss by replying to a tweet by author Marian Keyes, who sent her support to her on Sunday evening Making her point known: Rebecca liked a post which read that Seann is 'in the bin' as she unfollowed him on social media SEANN AND KATYA'S NEXT MOVE... It was revealed on Monday that the dance partners have pulled out of a scheduled TV appearance on Lorraine this Thursday. Lorraine confirmed the news to viewers on Monday, saying: They were booked to appear on this very show, but have suddenly become unavailable. Theyre not coming on. 'If they do stay on the show, its going to be so awkward. What do you say? Yikes.' The Scottish television presenter added: I think because they apologised quickly we should give them a second chance. But I dont think that people will vote for them.' The pair are also set to appear on Strictly's sister show, It Takes Two... on Monday but it's unknown if this will go ahead. Advertisement Fans were quick to comment on the statement, angrily demanding that Seann should quit the show due to his and Katya's actions. The pair have pulled out of a scheduled TV appearance on Lorraine this Thursday. Lorraine confirmed the news to viewers on Monday, saying: They were booked to appear on this very show, but have suddenly become unavailable. Theyre not coming on. 'If they do stay on the show, its going to be so awkward. What do you say? Yikes.' The Scottish television presenter added: I think because they apologised quickly we should give them a second chance. But I dont think that people will vote for them.' The incident also prompted furious debate on Mondays edition of Loose Women, with the panel divided over their actions. Discussing the incident, Stacey Solomon admitted: Part of me feels sorry for them. Perhaps it was a reckless, silly thing that they did just when they were drunk. Maybe they didnt mean to do it Ruth Langsford, who participated on the show in 2017, added: I used to end my training with Anton with a hug, and a well done partner, you worked hard." But I didnt finish the day by falling on top of him and sticking my tongue in his mouth. Eamonn was never worried because I would absolutely never behave like that. The panel later confirmed that Seann and Katya will return to the ballroom floor on Saturday evening, dispelling claims that the pair will walk. Regardless, bookmakers have made the pair hot favourites to be axed from the programme, with online bookie Betfair pricing Seann up at 6/4 to depart the programme after the upcoming weekend's performances, with doctor Ranj Singh the next likely to leave at 3/1. Betfair Spokesperson Katie Baylis said: 'It's been quite the weekend for Seann Walsh who went from hero to zero on the Strictly dancefloor with his stomping paso doble with partner Katya Jones. 'The judges loved the raw passion shown between them, which clearly spilled into the night after pictures of the pair snogging emerged the next day. 'Seann may face a backlash from viewers for his transgression as despite his comeback on the dancefloor is the 6/4 favourite to be eliminated this weekend. We also have it at 16/1 that he will just quit the show completely before the weekend.' Defiant: Seann and Katya will return to the ballroom floor on Saturday evening, dispelling claims that the pair will walk, but bookmakers believe they will be axed following this weekend's performance Some fans insisted that it wasn't the public that Seann owed an apology to, however it is currently unclear whether Seann and Rebecca have spoken since the pictures emerged. Although this is uncertain, they appear to have unfollowed each other on Instagram, but Rebecca's page is still littered with snaps of Seann and Katya. She has regularly gushed over her boyfriend's Strictly stint, sharing an image of him wearing a 'keep calm and listen to Katya T-shirt', as a good luck present. Rebecca broke her social media silence on the shock kiss by replying to a tweet by author Marian Keyes, who sent her support to her on Sunday evening. Marian tweeted to say: 'Hello. I'm putting ALL THREE of my AGINs on Seannnnnn Walsh and if anyone has any spare AGINs oging, I'll take them offa you. His poor girlfriend! (This means I'm lifting my AGINs from Faye and The Curtain Wiper and Doctor Ranj and Jeanette)'. AGIN means taking against someone - and is a phrase used by the author and her followers while watching Strictly based on who they dislike on the show. In response Rebecca tweeted back 'Wanna be friends?', while liking a series of tweets including one tweet directed at Seann which said 'no apology to @Beckshumps?'. Reaction: Some fans insisted that it wasn't the public that he owed an apology to, however it is currently unclear whether Seann and Rebecca has spoken since the pictures emerged Budget meal: Fans had previously labelled Katya a 'cheap date' after he posted this shot of the dancer tucking into a McDonalds on Instagram However while she has unfollowed her boyfriend, Rebecca has also recently followed Katya's husband on Neil on Twitter, with the kiss no doubt coming as a shock to both of them. Before the pictures of the kiss emerged, Rebecca was moved to tears as she watched him dance on Strictly on Saturday. The actress, who has been dating the comedian for five years, choked back sobs during his Pasa Doble to The Matrix theme tune with the Russian dancer. Viewers watched Rebecca hold her hands to her face as she watched Seann perform the outstanding routine, bursting into tears as he hugged Katya with relief at nailing the dance. While the judges raved about the performance, which included a backflip in the air, she could hardly contain her emotion as she watched from the front row. However, less than 24 hours later Rebecca shared her heartache on social media, liking a tweet from Corrie's Kirsty Leigh-Porter who sent her a red love heart emoji. Sizzling chemistry: Seann performed the Pasa Dobleto The Matrix theme tune with the Russian dancer, 29 Proud: Rebecca , who has been dating the comedian, for five years, choked back sobs during his Pasa Doble, overwhelmed with emotion Overwhelmed: Viewers watched the actress hold her hands to her face as she watched Seann perform the outstanding routine, bursting into tears as he hugged Katya with relief Devastated: Following the betrayal, Rebecca shared her heartache on social media, liking a tweet from Corrie's Kirsty Leigh-Porter who sent her a red love heart emoji Meanwhile Neil confused fans by choosing to ignore pictures of his wife in a passionate embrace with Seann as he uploaded a snap of the pair dancing on Instagram. He wrote: 'Wow last nights @bbcstrictly movie week was really epic and I'm really proud of @mrs_katjones and @seannwalsh Paso Doble. Great shapes and of course like always the choreography was on point.' An onlooker who witnessed Seann and Katya's kiss, told the Sun they were 'snogging like a pair of teenagers' and 'didn't seem to care who might see them. Breaking silence: Katya's husband Neil confused fans by choosing to ignore pictures of his wife in a embrace with Seann as he uploaded a snap of the pair dancing on Instagram Tactile display: While the judges raved about the performance- which included a backflip in the air- Rebecca could hardly contain her emotion as she watched from the front row Betrayal: Seann and Rebecca (left) have been in a long-term relationship for five years while Katya and Neil (right) have been married since 2013 The pair were reportedly at the Duke Of York pub in Marylebone in Central London at around midnight on Wednesday. A source told the website that the pair have had chemistry since the day they met, adding that they are very giggly and tactile. Although their close relationship has been noted by members of the crew it has still come as a shock to everyone. They added that it is bound to cause friction on the show as Katya has to work alongside her husband Neil every week. Sexy: On Saturday they performed a sensual paso doble as Seann's girlfriend Rebecca cheered them on from the audience But Katya appeared to defend her marriage with husband Neil again on Sunday's edition of Strictly Come Dancing. Then pro performed a romantic dance together while soul superstar Gladys Knight belted out her 1989 hit single Licence to Kill. Viewers took to Twitter in their droves as they commented on the 'cringing and awkward' dance to the 'appropriate song' which features the lyrics: 'Got a license to kill, anyone who tries to tear us apart.' Awkward: Katya appeared to defend her marriage with Neil on Sunday's edition of Strictly Come Dancing, following her passionate kiss with dance partner Seann While showcasing their fancy footwear, Katya and Neil twirled around the stage while the 'Empress Of Soul', 74, showcased her award-winning vocals. Fans quickly pointed out that their performance was seemingly convenient, with one fan tweeting: 'Katya & Neil dancing to Licence to Kill (anyone who tries to tear us apart) Yikes!! #Strictly.' In agreement, another penned: 'Watching Neil Jones and Katya dancing together is making me cringe. The song lyrics are not helping. #Strictly.' Soulful: The Russian pro performed a romantic dance together while Gladys Knight belted out her 1989 hit single Licence to Kill Passionate: Viewers took to Twitter in their droves as they commented on the 'cringing and awkward' dance to the 'appropriate song' which features the lyrics: 'Got a license to kill, anyone who tries to tear us apart' Hmm: Fans quickly took to the social media site to point out that their performance was seemingly convenient 'Katya and Neil dancing in a cloud of tension #strictly', a third wrote. Others were amazed by Gladys' stellar show, with viewers branding the star 'immortal' and 'a class act'. The show saw Blue's Lee Ryan become the second contestant to be eliminated from the new series, after his Cha Cha Cha with failed to impress the judging panel, following a dance-off with Charles Venn and his partner Karen Clifton. Cardi B was back at a strip club on Sunday night, just days after being accused of ordering an assault on two strip club workers in New York in August. This time, the 25-year-old rapper made it a date night with husband Offset as the couple made it rain dollars in a private VIP section of Crazy Girls in Los Angeles. The outing appeared to be drama-free with the couple in great spirits, and Offset, 26, even presenting Cardi with a large bouquet of roses. Back at it: Cardi B and Offset enjoyed a date night at strip club Crazy Girls in Los Angeles on Sunday night Cardi - real name Belcalis Almanzar - who gave birth to the couple's first child Kulture in July, showed off her twerking skills for her husband alongside the scantily clad exotic dancers. Offset appeared to be in his element as he clutched stacks of dollars and scattered them around. The Migos rapper - born Kiari Kendrell Cephus - danced along to Cardi's hit I Like It as he threw the bills around as Cardi giggled. Cardi's outfit for the night consisted of some skintight dark pants and an embroidered black and white jacket and matching hat. Making it rain: The Migos rapper came armed with stacks of dollar bills which he scattered around their VIP area Stripper moves: Cardi showed off her twerking skills as Offset admired from behind Pure romance: Offset shoved some dollars in his wife's pants Offset wore sweatpants and a hoodie with several diamond encrusted chains as he stood behind Cardi, who used to be stripper, as she proved she still knows how to work the pole. In a couple's selfie she shared at the end of the night while showing off her roses, Cardi captioned: 'Lovely fun nights ...Back to work in the in a few hours:/' Last week Cardi, who married Offset just over a year ago, surrendered to police after allegedly ordering an assault on two bartenders called Jade and Baddie Gi at Angels Strip Club in Queens. The Bodak Yellow hitmaker had accused one of the women of sleeping with her Offset. In August, TMZ reported that the new mother was watching Offset perform at the club when she confronted the two bartenders, who are sisters. Living the life: Offset appeared to be in his element as he clutched stacks of dollars and scattered them around Drama-free: Cardi didn't seem to mind a scantily clad stripper dancing nearby Splashing the cash: The couple's VIP area was totally covered in dollars The rapper then allegedly 'ordered' members of her entourage to attack the two girls with bottles, chairs, and hookahs. According to CNN, Cardi B has been 'charged with two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and one misdemeanor count of assault.' However, the Bronx native's attorney claims there is 'no evidence that she caused anybody any harm'. Cardi's court date is set for October 29. Bling: Offset showed off a Yankees sweatsuit and multiple diamond encrusted chains around his neck 'Lovely fun nights': Cardi shared this snap of herself clutching some red roses as she enjoyed the date with her man Meanwhile Cardi's baby girl was gifted a sparkly throne from Sony. TMZ reported on Monday that the jewel-encrusted rocking chair and matching shoes Cardi revealed on her social media recently came from her record label. A source told the site that the chair is covered with nearly 26,000 rhinestones and is valued at $1,500 and has Kulture's initials inscribed at the top of the chair in pink rhinestones. The little shoes feature red bottoms like mom's favorite Christian Louboutin and apparently have 1,450 Swarovski crystals and cost about $200. Designer darling: The Bodak Yellow hitmaker wore a beaded jacket and matching hat for the outing Exes Thomas Ravenel and Ashley Jacobs reunited over the weekend sparking further speculation that they are back on. The 56-year-old former Southern Charmed star reportedly met Jacobs for dinner at Obstinate Daughter in Charleston, South Carolina on Sunday. According to sources the duo, who split over the summer, were affectionate and seemed in good spirits. Rekindled romance? Thomas Ravenel and Ashley Jacobs have been spotted together again sparking rumors that they are back together People reports that Ravenel put his arm around Jacobs as they sat at the bar with another couple. This is the second time the duo, who dated for just over a year, have been seen out together in recent weeks. In September they were seen putting on an affectionate display while out to dinner. 'They looked like they were having a great time,' a source told People at the time. 'If they are still split, you never would have known, but at the same time they werent showing any PDA or anything. They looked friendly, like friends having a good time out together.' Friendly exes: The duo - who split over the summer - were seen looking affectionate during dinner in South Carolina. They are pictured here last year on Southern Charm Jacobs said in an Instagram Live August 15 that she was 'trying to handle' the split 'privately,' making clear she remained fond of Ravenel. 'I love Thomas and I'll always love Thomas; I'll always care about him,' Jacobs said. 'I'm still trying to work it out, not work out getting back together, but I'm still trying to figure it out ... I think everyone's been through breakups before but it's hard - it's not easy.' In a series of tweets he posted August 25, Ravenel was cryptic in intimating that he'd been cheated on. After she denied the accusations, he then backtracked, explaining on Twitter: 'I have no information that Ashley Jacobs ever cheated on me. In fact, as far as I know, she has always been true and faithful especially during the really dark times. She didn't deserve my insinuations to the contrary.' Not the first time: Thomas and Ashley were also spotted out together last month On a break? Jacobs said in an Instagram Live August 15 that she was 'trying to handle' the split 'privately,' making clear she remained fond of Ravenel Ravenel, who has two children with his ex Kathryn Dennis, 27 - daughter Kensington, four, and son St. Julien, two, was arrested and charged with assault and battery in the second degree last month. The Bravo star allegedly forced himself on his former nanny, stripping her and putting his penis in her face in January 2015. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com, Ravenel attacked Dawn Ledwell, 43, at his home in Charleston, South Carolina, on January 25, 2015. Ravenel, 56, was booked for second degree assault and battery, a misdemeanor charge which carries a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $2,500. They officially divorced a year ago. But Halle Berry and her ex-husband Olivier Martinez put on a united front as they celebrated their son Maceo's fifth birthday at The Coop in Woodland Hills. Their son's lavish, Halloween themed bash included spooky decorations, scrumptious cupcakes, and even a petting zoo. United front: Halle Berry and her ex-husband Olivier Martinez put on a united front as they joined forces for their son Maceo's fifth birthday Olivier bravely draped a python over his neck as his ex stood close by. 'Before the incident,' Halle said of the snap of Olivier. 'Olivier handles with a bit more grace.' Olivier marveled at the snake, holding it gently as it wound around his neck. The family were surrounded by loved ones as they celebrated young Maceo's special day. Birthday boy: The proud parents threw their son a Halloween themed bash for his special day Trick or treat! Guests appeared to go home with a bag full of party favors Snack break! The party featured an assortment of snacks, including cups of chips wrapped in decorative cobwebs and plastic spiders Halle gushed about her youngest child as she posted a clip of his candlelit cake. 'We love you SO much, Macey Mace!! Happy birthday!!!!!' she wrote. Halle married Olivier on July 13, 2013, and the couple welcomed Maceo a few months following their nuptials. Happy Halloween! Maceo's bash was decked out with bat decorations and black candles Boo! Even the straws were outfitted with some spooky decor The couple divorced in 2016. Halle also has daughter Nahla, 10, from her previous relationship with model Gabriel Aubry. Meanwhile, the actress recently confirmed her 1992 movie Boomerang will be adapted into a TV series. Proud mom: Berry wished her son a happy birthday as she showed off his cupcake themed cake The Monster's Ball star, who appeared opposite Eddie Murphy in the romantic comedy, is now teaming up with Master Of None writer-and-actress Lena Waithe to executive produce the TV version for BET. 'I'm thrilled to team up with Lena on this project as she is without a doubt a leading voice of her generation and a trail blazer in her own right,' the beauty said in a statement. Getting back to it: Halle was pictured fitting in a gym session on Monday as she made sure she had a bit of 'me-time' 'I'm truly excited to be a part of bringing this iconic and beloved film to the small screen.' Boomerang starred Eddie as hot shot advertising executive and womaniser Marcus Graham who gets a taste of his own medicine when he meets his new boss Jacqueline Broyer - played by The Perfect Match actress Robin Givens - which forces him to reassess his chauvinistic behaviour and outlook on life. Halle portrayed his colleague and love interest Angela Lewis. Party time! Berry celebrated her son's big day at The Coop in LA Itsy bitsy spider: The party included a petting zoo, where guests got to interact with a tarantula She's known for her dazzling displays on screen and at high-profile events. And Isla Fisher certainly turned heads as she filmed for her upcoming comedy film Greed with co-stars Steve Coogan and Shanina Shaik on the Greek's Delos island on Monday. The screen star, 42, ensured all eyes were on her as she slipped into a plunging black swimsuit and a thigh-skimming kaftan, embellished with multi-coloured trimming. A-list ensemble: Isla Fisher certainly turned heads as she filmed for her upcoming comedy film Greed with co-stars Steve Coogan and Shanina Shaik on the Greek's Delos island on Monday Upping the style ante, the Wedding Crashers actress, who plays the wife of a billionaire, added to her petite frame in a pair of platform sandals. Isla took her look up a notch as she accessorised with a huge straw sun hat and a selection of sunglasses. Looking every inch the Hollywood beauty, she wore her auburn tresses in glamorous waves and complemented her porcelain complexion with heavy strokes of bronzer and faint rose lipstick. Wow-factor: The screen star, 42, ensured all eyes were on her as she slipped into a plunging black swimsuit and a thigh-skimming kaftan, embellished with multi-coloured trimming All in the details: Isla took her look up a notch as she accessorised with a huge straw sun hat and a selection of sunglasses Standing tall: Upping the style ante, the Wedding Crashers actress, who plays the wife of a billionaire, added to her petite frame in a pair of platform sandals Radiant: Looking every inch the Hollywood beauty, she wore her auburn tresses in glamorous waves and complemented her porcelain complexion with heavy strokes of bronzer and faint rose lipstick Meanwhile, supermodel Shanina , 27, flaunted her famously lean legs in leopard print shorts, which worked well with her black bardot top and metallic shopper bag. Oozing effortless style, the Harper's Bazaar star wore gladiator tie-up shoes on her feet, and protected her eyes from the sun with skinny glasses. The Australian bombshell swept her tresses into a sleek bun to reveal her stunning features, which were enhanced with a slick of neutral-toned make-up. Legs for days: Meanwhile, supermodel Shanina , 27, flaunted her famously lean legs in leopard print shorts, which worked well with her black bardot top and metallic shopper bag Glowing: The Australian bombshell swept her tresses into a sleek bun to reveal her stunning features, which were enhanced with a slick of neutral-toned make-up Chic: Oozing effortless style, the Harper's Bazaar star wore gladiator tie-up shoes on her feet, and protected her eyes from the sun with skinny glasses In good company: Isla appeared to show Shanina the ropes around acting, as this film serves as her acting debut Break time: The star relaxed as she indulged in time on her mobile phone during the cast's break Cosy: Shanina ensured she'd wrap up when off-duty as she donned a white dressing gown Comedian Steve, 52, put on a suave display in a relaxed white shirt and pale blue shorts. The British actor appeared to tap into his billionaire character with his cool aviator sunglasses and flashy silver watch. Greed, directed by English filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, follows the story of a narcissistic retail mogul (Steve), who is married to Isla's character - the only person in his life who understands his egoism. Off he goes: Comedian Steve, 52, put on a suave display in a relaxed white shirt and pale blue shorts All about the accessories: The British actor appeared to tap into his billionaire character with his cool aviator sunglasses and flashy silver watch Picture time: Shanina and Steve documented moments from filming as they posed for a cosy snap Meanwhile, Isla celebrated her eight-year wedding anniversary with husband Sacha Baron Cohen, 46, earlier this year. The couple met in 2002 at a party in Sydney and got engaged two years later, before marrying in 2010 in Paris. They share daughters, Olive, 10, and Elula, seven, and three-year-old son, Montgomery. Set for the big screen: Greed, directed by English filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, follows the story of a narcissistic retail mogul (Steve) Comedy: The wealthy businessman is married to Isla's character - the only person in his life who understands his egoism In addition to Isla currently has two projects on the go. In comedy The Beach Bum she co-stars with Matthew McConaughey and Snoop Dogg, while drama The Starling will see her take to the small screen with Keanu Reeves. Both have yet to set release dates. Meanwhile, her husband's controversial new show Who Is America debuted on Showtime in July. Sacha has reportedly been filming the spoof interview series for a year. But he's kept it under wraps as he disguises himself as various characters to prank celebs and former politicians including Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin. scroll.in, 17 September 2018 Interview: aKerala must rethink the very idea of development to prevent another disastera Unrestrained quarrying, sand mining, construction have contributed to the worst floods in a century in the coastal state, says social scientist KT Rammohan. S Senthalir At least 491 people have died in Kerala since the onset of the monsoon on May 29, according to news reports. In addition to this, the heavy rain that led to massive flooding in the state last month also sent at least 10 lakh people to relief camps and damaged property worth hundreds of crores of rupees. Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said on September 3 that Kerala would need Rs 30,000 crore to rebuild. Several factors are said to have led to the flooding. In the week ending August 15, Kerala had received three times the amount of rain it normally gets at that time of the year. Two districts alone, Idukki and Wayanad, received almost as much rain as the entire state expects to get during that period. But it wasnat just the rain. Environmentalists have pointed out that the Kerala governmentas willingness to allow quarrying and indiscriminate construction even in environmentally sensitive zones, created the conditions for the landslides that devastated several areas last month. Wayanad district alone has recorded 247 landslides, landslips and land subsidence or cave-ins since the start of the monsoon. Scroll.in asked prominent social scientist KT Rammohan about the factors that could have caused the flooding, the preventive measures the state could now take, and whether comparisons with the massive floods of 1924 are justified. Edited excerpts. What do you think led to the recent floods and landslides in Kerala? The heavy rainfall is the most obvious cause, but I would think it is merely the most proximate cause. We must consider the medium-term and long-term historical factors that influenced Keralaas ecosystem. I shall focus on internal factors as I do not have the expertise to comment on larger variables such as climate change. First, construction activities in the state have placed heavy demands on natural resources. These include stone quarrying that hollow out hills, the levelling of hills to enable construction (this earth is subsequently sold and used to fill wetlands that are usually the receptacles of water), and sand mining in riverbeds. Both stone quarrying and the removal of earth from hills causes drastic soil erosion and landslides. In Kerala, there has been a construction boom since the 1970s following the massive increase of foreign remittances by migrant workers. The vast spread of tourism-related activities, beginning especially from the 1990s, have prompted a further boost in construction everywhere a the highlands, river and backwater areas, and the coast. The spread of built-up space prevents water from sinking into the earth. Hill roads tend to disrupt natural processes like flow of water and soil stabilisation. The construction of roads goes hand-in-hand with the construction of buildings. The Malayali obsession with monstrously big houses, a greater number of roads, and wider roads has been antithetical to the sustenance of the ecosystem. How does sand mining in riverbeds contribute to flooding? Removing sand from riverbeds deepens the rivers, allowing them to hold more water. But this also restricts its natural flow and alters the sub-surface system, thus preventing the water from draining into the backwaters and the sea. The consequent stagnation of water has caused rivers and streams to be choked with non-biodegradable waste like plastic, causing them to overflow faster than they used to. The incessant activity of loading sand into tipper trucks, and the associated movement of these trucks to and from the riverbanks damage embankments too. You mentioned the spread of tourism-related activities as a factor in the floods. What about eco-tourism? Eco-tourism was supposed to be responsible tourism, but in practice it has turned out to be the very opposite. In the case of forests, even when their core areas were not opened up for tourists, the bustling activity in the fringes was far from environment-friendly. In areas where tourists are now allowed, there has been an increase in clearing forest paths, constructing handrails and rest points. The increase in the number of tourists also led to an increase in construction activity a new hotels and resorts are being built to accommodate the growing tourist traffic a and increased dumping of waste around fringe areas and in nearby town centres. Resorts tend to be located in the most exotic locations, which, by default, are also the most ecologically fragile areas. A good part of such land originally belonged to the Adivasis and was usurped by real estate dons acting in collusion with government officials and politicians. It is not that I am against the revenue model of eco-tourism altogether, but it is high time that the resort-model of tourism is replaced by the home-stay model. Are dams to blame too? The construction of dams reduced the flow of water in the rivers, facilitating human habitation and cultivation on the banks. When heavy rainfall occurs and the dam shutters are opened, the river reclaims the land that originally belonged to it. The scientific management of dams is hence critical. In the case of the most recent floods, there seems to have been a delay in opening the shutters of many dams. In many cases, the shutters were opened all at once rather than slowly and steadily. Similarly, water from a large number of dams was released simultaneously, and the release of water was not synchronised with low tide in the sea. It could also be the case that in the absence of regular de-silting, the capacity of dams was reduced substantially, causing them to be filled to the brim faster than usual. Further, since dams are mostly situated upstream in the highlands, their construction and the associated building of access roads have caused severe damage to the forest ecosystem. What explains the increasing number of landslides in hilly regions? To the above mentioned activities like stone quarrying, sand mining, hill cutting and increased construction, one may add changes in the cropping pattern, especially the shift to mono-crop cultivation. The cultivation of tea dates back to the 19th century. As a significant level of economies of scale is associated with tea, large areas of forests were cleared for its cultivation. Coffee is literally a shade better. Shade-grown coffee is of better quality and called for retention of at least some trees in the holdings. Moreover, in Kerala, coffee is often grown in small holdings and do not involve massive clearing of forests as in the case of tea. Cardamom is best grown in forest-like conditions, but some of the new varieties do not require shade and this has led to felling trees. These varieties are highly productive, which means that a much greater quantity of firewood is needed for the curing process. Unlike tea and coffee, which are closely planted shrubs and have strong root-systems that resist erosion, rubber plantations are characterised by spaced-out planting. As undergrowth is strictly ruled out in rubber plantations there is a lot more exposed land. Also, the rubber trees are susceptible to strong winds and uprooting. It has been pointed out that the hilly region of Munnar, which falls in Idukki district that saw several landslides, was largely spared. Munnar is essentially tea country and the destruction of the forest ecosystem to set up these plantations happened over a century ago. However, over time and as against what happened subsequently, tea proved to be a stabiliser of land. The management of tea has some science in it in terms of land use. The recent floods damaged the standing crops and the incessant rain prevented plucking, but no major landslide or flood was reported in the core tea planting area. The most serious threat the Munnar ecosystem currently faces is resort tourism-related construction activity that I mentioned earlier. The social dynamics of land transfer in Munnar is especially worthy of note. The local politicians exert pressure on the government to assign land to Dalits. Soon after, the land is taken over by the politicians themselves by paying a pittance to members of the Dalit community. They then sell it to others. Are there any measures the local administrations can take to prevent such floods from happening again? Restrictions on construction and allied activities are important but the substantive solution lies in Kerala fundamentally rethinking the very idea of development. Several measures, especially regulations on construction activities, including limiting such activity in environmentally sensitive land and limiting the floor-area allowed in such areas, have already been recommended by experts. Measures such as an embargo on stone quarrying and sand mining have also been suggested. Several restrictive legislations in this regard have been enacted in past years, but real estate agents, who are invariably hand-in-glove with politicians, have flouted all these. In the post-flood scenario, the real estate mafia might grow stronger as many areas will no longer be available or preferred for construction, and the pressure on the rest of the land is likely to shoot up. Breaking the unholy alliance between the real estate agents and politicians is an urgent necessity. In a situation where many of the local administrators are essentially land brokers there is hardly any hope. What are the parallels between the floods of 1924 and 2018? There is a tendency to argue that excessive rainfall is the major cause of the 2018 floods, with people pointing out that the situation was similar in 1924. Another argument doing the rounds currently is that while the 1924 flood was due to natural causes (the rain), the 2018 flood is essentially man-made. Indeed there was excessively heavy rainfall in July and August 1924. I would however think that human intervention was the major cause of the 1924 flood as well. Beginning from the mid-19th century, extensive areas of forests in the highlands had been cleared for growing plantation crops like cinchona, coffee and tea. During the first decade of the 20th century, rubber was introduced in the midland. The plantations necessitated a network of roads leading up to these and within these, and a greater part of this had been completed by the early 1920s. As I have said earlier, the hill roads disrupted flow of water and soil stabilisation. This was the background of the 1924 flood. Of course, unlike the 1924 flood, the damage caused in 2018 is substantively higher owing to the great rise in population and the tremendous growth in public and private assets that have occurred since then. KT Rammohan is the former dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala. He celebrated his completion of rehab - and divorce - with a mini-break to Montana. And while Ben Affleck only managed a few days in the wilderness, he certainly made the most of them. The father-of-three was accompanied by his new love, Playboy model Shauna Sexton, on the trip. Back to reality: Ben Affleck returns home after romantic Montana mini-break with Playboy model Shauna Sexton; he is seen leaving a meeting in Los Angeles on Monday Hard at work: On Monday Ben was pictured wearing a plaid shirt and jeans as he caught up with some meetings around Los Angeles On Monday Ben was pictured wearing a plaid shirt and jeans as he caught up with some meetings around Los Angeles. Just hours earlier he had jetted home from his weekend away on a private jet, with Shuana at his side. The two had enjoyed a presumably dry trip to the country. Updates shared on Shauna's Instagram account showed them fishing, admiring wild stags and marveling at snow capped mountains. Milestone week: Having divorced and finished rehab, Ben is now getting on with life The trip marked a milestone week for Ben. First he completed 40 days in rehab, before finally signing his divorce papers, dissolving his 13-year union with Jennifer Garner, three years after they split. The duo met up at Jennifer's house alongside lawyers and a private judge on Thursday. In a statement published on Instagram this week Ben wrote 'This week I completed a forty day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction and remain in outpatient care. The support I have received from my family, colleagues and fans means more to me than I can say. It's given me the strength and support to speak about my illness with others. Couple's getaway: Ben Affleck, 46, spent a day in the Montana wilderness with girlfriend Shauna Sexton on Sunday 'Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle. Because of that, one is never really in or out of treatment. It is a full-time commitment. I am fighting for myself and my family. So many people have reached out on social media and spoken about their own journeys with addiction. 'To those people, I want to say thank you. Your strength is inspiring and is supporting me in ways I didn't think was possible. It helps to know I am not alone. As I've had to remind myself, if you have a problem, getting help is a sign of courage, not weakness or failure. With acceptance and humility, I continue to avail myself with the help of so many people and I am grateful to all those who are there for me. I hope down the road I can offer an example to others who are struggling.' It was Jennifer - who shares Violet, 12, Seraphina, nine, and Samuel, six with the actor - who encouraged Ben to go to rehab to be 'the best father he can be'. Noticing nature: Sexton and Affleck, who traveled by car, marveled at the snow-capped mountains and wildlife of the North West Rosie O'Donnell is engaged to her younger policewoman girlfriend Elizabeth Rooney. It's being reported that that the 56-year-old popped the question over the summer but kept the big news quiet because of Rooney's job as a police officer in Worcester, Massachusetts. O'Donnell has been dating the 33-year-old for about a year. Making it official: Rosie O'Donnell, 56, is reportedly engaged to girlfriend Elizabeth Rooney, 33 'Elizabeth is in the police force so she tries to keep a lot of those details on the low,' a source told Radar Online. The couple went public with their relationship in November 2017 following the suicide of O'Donnell's ex-wife Michelle Rounds. According to family sources the duo are 'very much in love'. 'Theyre very, very happy,' a source told Radar. 'I do believe that this will see its full life-term expectancy.' A rep for O'Donnell didn't confirm the engagement but told Radar 'I can confirm that they are together'. The source said that the engagement came as no shock, explaining, 'Liz is a big personality, she always has been. She is incredibly endearing so it's no surprise at all.' This will be Rooney's first marriage and O'Donnell's third. Hush hush: It's being reported that that the TV host popped the question over the summer but kept the big news quiet because of Rooney's job as a police officer in Worcester, Massachusetts A rep for O'Donnell didn't confirm the engagement but told Radar 'I can confirm that they are together' O'Donnell was married to Rounds for three years before the two endured a nasty divorce in 2015. In November the comedian revealed her new romance but insisted she would never marry again. 'I will not ever,' said Rosie when asked about marriage on Howard Stern. Stern noted that he said the same thing years ago before meeting his current wife Beth Ostrosky, prompting Rosie to explain: 'I got married in between and you knew Michelle and that was a very troubled situation, and I think that for me being 55, I think I would just rather stay in it for love and not have to deal with lawyers if good forbid it didn't work out.' Before Rounds, she was married to Kelli Carpenter-O'Donnell from 2004 to 2007. They're two of Hollywood's most delightful leading ladies. And Amanda Seyfried and Lily James joined forces on Monday as they attended the Feminists Don't Wear Pink (And Other Lies) book launch at The Bloomsbury Hotel in London. Dressed fittingly for the event in shades of pink, the stunning actress' and Mamma Mia 2 co-stars were a vision of beauty on the night. Gal pals: Amanda Seyfried (L) and Lily James (R) joined forces on Monday as they attended the Feminists Don't Wear Pink (And Other Lies) book launch at The Bloomsbury Hotel in London (pictured with a friend) Amanda, 32, looked effortlessly stylish as she donned a bubblegum pink sweater, whilst she opted for a neutral make-up palette to highlight her stunning good looks. Meanwhile, Lily looked wonderful in a baby pink jumper that she teamed with a nude midi skirt and bronze heels. The duo seemed in great spirits as they chatted with author Scarlett Curtis, who also stuck to the dress code in a shimmering fuchsia maxi dress. Leggy lady! Lily looked wonderful in a baby pink jumper that she teamed with a nude midi skirt and bronze heels (pictured with Scarlett Curtis) Amanda and Lily have been vocal previously about striving for gender equality, recently suggesting that actresses are forcing Hollywood to catch up with TV by creating films with strong and relatable female characters. There is so much more available, in TV.. we could go and write something and if its good we could get it made if we wanted to create our own characters, Amanda told Metro.co.uk, and thats what a lot of people are doing. When asked if Hollywood may ever catch up with TV, Amanda said women are forcing it to, as 'Were not taking no for an answer, which is nice. Pretty in pink! Lily seemed in great spirits as she chatted with author Scarlett Curtis, who also stuck to the dress code in a shimmering fuchsia maxi dress It's no wonder the women are passionate about TV's role in creating substantial characters for women, as both the Hollywood starlets started out on the small screen. Amanda found fame on Veronica Mars and Big Love, whilst Lily got her big break in Downton Abbey. The duo have since forged careers in film, and most recently starred alongside each other in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! Unions will launch a major advertising campaign targeting soaring executive salaries and company profits as the reason to overhaul workplace laws. The new month-long Australian Council of Trade Unions blitz will hit screens and airwaves across the country on Sunday. "The CEOs' pay is going up again and companies are making huge profits, but they won't even give us a pay rise to keep up with the cost of living - just enough to keep my head above water," the woman in the TV ad says. "Things are really out of balance. We're all getting ripped off. Let's stand together and get things changed." Radio advertisements will promote 13 rallies in cities and regional centres kicking off on October 18 in Perth and ending early November. The latest weapon in the ACTU's Change The Rules campaign will be unveiled after secretary Sally McManus dialled up the pressure on Labor to support sector-wide bargaining in a major speech last week. "The economy has changed and the narrow enterprise-only bargaining system is failing a lot of people. Stronger rights for working people will help rebalance the system," Ms McManus said on Sunday. "Working people have had enough of businesses taking obscene profits and CEOs making exorbitant salaries at the expense of the pay rises and job security we need to get ahead of the cost of living." Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O'Dwyer has warned industry-wide action would paralyse whole sectors of the economy, with the potential to shut down essential services like schools and hospitals. She said the proposal was a recipe for returning Australia to industrial conflict levels not seen since the 1970s. Major employer groups have also lashed the ACTU's demands. "The only ones who would gain from industry bargaining are unions, which represent only nine per cent of workers in the private sector," Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said last week. Adelaide boasts the nation's best restaurant and Sydney claims the country's top chef in the latest Good Food Guide awards which spreads its prestigious hats across Australia. Chefs, sommeliers and restaurants were honoured at the awards, held at Melbourne's Crown Casino on Monday night, with Victoria taking home half of the 12 gongs on offer. South Australia's Restaurant Orana, run by celebrated chef and former heroin addict Jock Zonfrillo, was named the country's best restaurant. Judges said the eatery "ticks every box", captured the mood of the nation and what it means to be a world-class restaurant. Chef of the year honours went to Sydney-based Peter Gilmore, who becomes one of the most awarded industry professionals in the country. Since taking the helm of the kitchen at Quay, in Sydney's Circular Quay in 2001, the executive chef has been awarded three chefs hats for 16 consecutive years and named restaurant of the year six times. Victorian Jodie Odrowaz, in her mid-20s, from Shannon Bennett's seafood restaurant Iki-Jime, was named best young chef. Her "fresh, hot and interesting" approach got the thumbs up from judges. She was joined by other Victorians Travis Howe and Stefano de Pieri in winning top gongs. More than 500 restaurants around the country were reviewed with 264 of those receiving hat status, ranging from one to three. Only seven restaurants nationally achieved the top accolade of three hats, including Attica (Vic), Brae (Vic), Momofuku Seiobo (NSW), Minamishima (Vic), Quay (NSW), Restaurant Orana (SA) and Sixpenny (NSW). 2019 GOOD FOOD GUIDE WINNERS: - Restaurant of the Year: Restaurant Orana, South Australia - New Restaurant of the Year: Laura, Victoria - Chef of the Year: Peter Gilmore, Quay, New South Wales - Regional Restaurant of the Year: Brae, Victoria - Young Chef of the Year: Jodie Odrowaz, Iki-Kime, Victoria - Wine List of the Year: Otto, Queensland - Regional Wine List of the Year: Wickens at the Royal Mail, Victoria - Sommelier of the Year - Travis Howe, Carlton Wine Room, Victoria - Service Excellence Award: Kylie Javier Ashton, Momofuku Seiobo, New South Wales - Coffee Legend Award: Stefano de Pieri, Stefano's Cantina, Victoria - Bar of the Year: The Dolphin Hotel Wine Room, New South Wales - Food for Good Award: Sydney Doesn't Suck, New South Wales Firefighters will ramp up their campaign calling for a national approach to toxic foam contamination. United Firefighters Union branches will meet on Tuesday to discuss the impact of PFAS. Among those attending the meeting in Canberra will be an environmental sciences professor and a widow of a firefighter who died of cancer last year, speaking about the effects of the chemicals. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) is a group of chemicals used in firefighting foam that remain in the environment for years. Airservices Australia, the government-owned company which provides firefighting services, phased out the chemicals at all civilian airports from 2010 due to health concerns. But Defence still uses "minuscule" amounts of PFAS at its RAAF bases around the country. The pollutants are still used by Airservices at the joint military and civil airports in Townsville and Darwin at the contractual insistence of Defence. UFU said last year that even tiny amounts of PFAS could have harmful results to firefighters. Aviation branch secretary Henry Lawrence wants mandatory country-wide testing for all brigades, saying uncertainty is making serving and former firefighters anxious. "These people are sitting there knowing that they were spraying this stuff around with gay abandon on the bases, but they were told there's nothing to fear," Mr Lawrence said last year. The Royal Commission into Aged Care will be based in Adelaide where the shocking abuse of residents in the state government-run Oakden nursing home was first uncovered. "The revelations played a significant role in highlighting the need for greater protections for senior Australians in residential aged care, that has led to the establishment of the royal commission," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told The Advertiser on Tuesday. "There is a depth of professional and sector skills, capabilities and experience in South Australia that will serve the royal commissioners well, and even more importantly, ensure that the commission delivers on its terms of reference for the sake of senior Australians and their families." Dinar named her newborn daughter Suharsi -- a feminine adaptation of Soeharso, after the ship where she gave birth Dinar was lucky to survive the Indonesian quake-tsunami that levelled her home. But she didn't have much time to count her blessings -- she was nine months pregnant and about to give birth in a disaster zone. The 38-year-old confronted a terrifying scene: the city of Palu was in ruins, its damaged hospitals overflowed with injured patients and doctors treated the wounded outside in the cracked, rubble-strewn streets. "I was so worried after the earthquake," she told AFP. "I had so much on my mind." But then a miracle arrived out of the blue in devastated Palu port -- the KRI Dr Soeharso, an Indonesian naval ship, kitted out with a top-rate medical clinic. Dinar was rushed aboard and safely delivered her fifth child on Friday, a week after the twin disaster levelled parts of the city on Sulawesi island, killing more than 1,500 people. "I am so happy, and lucky this ship was here," she said. The city of Palu is in ruins, its damaged hospitals overflowing with injured patients and doctors treated the wounded outside in the cracked, rubble-strewn streets Dinar named her newborn daughter Suharsi -- a feminine adaptation of Soeharso, after the ship where she gave birth. The warship was moored in Bali, at the ready ahead of an International Monetary Fund conference slated for the holiday island next week. But it charted a course for disaster-struck Sulawesi after Palu suffered a double blow on September 28 that wiped villages off the map and left the coastal city cripplingly short on doctors and medical supplies. - 'I had to help' - A local doctor stepped up to deliver Dinar's baby, and three others so far born aboard the Soeharso since the quake, when an urgent call went out for an obstetrician. Dr Sasono, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, packed up whatever belongings remained after the quake and prepared to flee Palu with his wife and two children when he heard the appeal. Dinar, 38, tends to her newborn baby named after giving birth aboard the KRI Dr Soeharso, an Indonesian naval ship kitted out with a top-rate medical clinic "I saw so many people in need of help coming to the hospital so I abandoned plans to evacuate with my family and wanted to assist," he said. "Of course, I was afraid of staying back to help when there were still tremors. "It was my first time helping deliver a baby aboard a ship." One of the children born aboard died shortly after birth -- compounding a tragedy for the parents who survived the trauma of the quake. "We bought baby clothes and everything. But God had a different plan," said the mother, Kusniran. For Huzria, who gave birth to a healthy child Sunday on the floating hospital, it was the second miracle in as many days. Palu suffered a double blow on September 28 that wiped villages off the map and left the coastal city cripplingly short on doctors and medical supplies She had been on the beach as the quake hit -- and watched in horror as the ocean began bubbling and receding before it crested into the tsunami that roared towards the coastline. Many were too slow and died on the sand. But Huzria, aided by her husband, managed to hobble to safety, reaching a hilltop from where they could survey the destruction unfolding below. "Now, I can breathe easily," the 33-year-old told AFP. "I am so happy." Despite its oil riches, the majority of Gabonese live in abject poverty Oil-rich Gabon, ruled by the same political dynasty for nearly half a century, started voting 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. Most polling stations in the capital Libreville opened at 8.00 am (0700 GMT) under grey skies and light rain. 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. 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 early queues pointed to lively voter interest, at least in the centre of 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. Ahead of this weekend's vote, pushed back three times since 2016, the campaign was low key. But 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. - 'Torn by crisis' - Ali Bongo took over after his father's death in 2009 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. A supporter of a party of an opposition figure who has now entered the government, meanwhile said he was not given money to hand out to people who turned up for election rallies but added: "We simply offer free T-shirts or a meal." "The party in power certainly has access to some facilities but there are opposition figures who are rich and who just stall the country's progress," said Chadi Moukarim, who is second on the list for a local seat in Libreville. "The electoral process has always been biased," said 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. US First Lady Melania Trump (L) is welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (C) and his wife Intissar Amer (R) upon arrival at the Presidential palace in the Egyptian capital Cairo US First Lady Melania Trump held talks in the Egyptian capital Saturday on the final leg of a solo four-nation tour of Africa that will also see her visit the Pyramids. The low-key tour, during which she has made no comment to reporters, has contrasted with the political tumult back home where her husband was set to score a big political win after days of acrimonious deadlock inside and outside the Senate over his Supreme Court pick. The former model stepped off a plane at Cairo international airport wearing high-waisted white pants, a pleated white shirt and a black tie with a beige jacket hung over her shoulders. US First Lady Melania Trump steps off her military plane at Cairo International Airport on October 6, 2018, for the final leg of her solo four-country tour of Africa She was welcomed by Egyptian First Lady Intissar Amer al-Sisi, an observant Muslim who wore an ankle-length blue dress and matching headscarf. Security was tight with police deployed along the route and on rooftops as her convoy drove from the airport to the presidential palace. The visit comes as security forces face a persistent jihadist insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula across the Suez Canal to the northeast. The First Lady held a one-hour meeting with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife at the palace, the longest of her tour, and was then driven to the US embassy before heading to the Pyramids of Giza. During her whistlestop five-hour stay in Cairo, she was also scheduled to visit the new National Museum under construction next door to the Pyramids. A beaming US First Lady Melania Trump greets flower girls at Cairo International Airport flanked by her Egyptian counterpart Intissar Amer al-Sisi On the previous leg of her tour in Kenya, her choice of a white colonial-style pith helmet while on safari drew some criticism on Twitter, with one person comparing her look to that of a "colonial administrator". Melania Trump, in Africa to promote her children's welfare programme, began her trip in Ghana, where she visited mothers and their newborns, and toured a former slave trading fort. She then made a brief stop in Malawi where she toured a primary school. On Thursday, her husband tweeted: "Our country's great First Lady, Melania, is doing really well in Africa. The people love her, and she loves them! It is a beautiful thing to see." Trump's predecessor Barack Obama criticised alleged human rights abuses in Egypt following the army's 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi but relations have since stabilised. US First Lady Melania Trump walks with her Egyptian counterpart Intissar Amer al-Sisi after arriving at Cairo International Airport Back in Washington, the US Senate is expected to give President Trump a big political win later on Saturday by confirming conservative judge Brett Kavanaugh as the next Supreme Court justice. Washington has been gripped by high drama and emotion for days, from the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford -- who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault -- to protests against his nomination. emp-pool/hc/hkb Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rules three of the five poll-bound heartland states Poll dates were announced for five Indian states by the country's election commission Saturday, opening a long election season that will present Prime Minister Narendra Modi a regional test ahead of his national reelection bid in 2019. Modi's right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rules three of the five poll-bound heartland states -- western Rajasthan, central Madhya Pradesh and eastern Chhattisgarh. BJP's performance in these states, part of India's bellwether Hindi speaking heartland, will reflect both on Modi's personal popularity and the state of the main, Nehru-Gandhi dynasty led opposition Congress party before 2019. Congress party president Rahul Gandhi has been facing questions over his leadership after a series of electoral setbacks for the party since 2014, when Modi took office. The BJP hopes to wrest power in northeastern Mizoram, one of only two states directly ruled by the Congress, and will challenge a popular regional party in southern Telangana state. India's chief election commissioner O.P Rawat announced a single phase election in all states except Chhattisgarh, which is at the heart of country's raging Maoist insurgency. "Rajasthan and Telangana will vote on December 7, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram on November 28 and Chhattisgarh on November 12 and November 20," Rawat told journalists in New Delhi. The results for all five states will be declared on December 11. Modi continues to be the most popular national leader according to most recent surveys but faces challenges from emerging alliances between regional and national opponents. His party is also battling criticism and anti-incumbency over issues including lack of jobs and falling farm incomes. Farmers have called for free electricity, loan waivers and higher support prices for agricultural goods. Clashes broke out on the outskirts of the national capital earlier this week when thousands of farmers from a powerful regional farmers' union tried to enter Delhi to protest for their demands. Palestinian fishermen on a boat made of 700 empty plastic bottles in waters off the southern Gaza Strip on August 14, 2018 Israel's defence minister on Saturday ordered a reduction of the fishing zone along the Gaza Strip's coastline, in retaliation for clashes along the border fence with the Palestinian enclave. The fishing zone will be reduced to six nautical miles (11 kilometres) from nine nautical miles, a statement by Avigdor Lieberman's office said. Restrictions on the extent of fishing zones along the Gaza shoreline form part of Israel's economic blockade of the Strip, which has been in place for more than a decade. Under the Oslo Accords of the early 1990s, fishermen are supposed to be allowed to operate up to 20 nautical miles off the coast. Lieberman decided to reduce the fishing zone after violent incidents on Friday along the border between Israel and Gaza, the defence ministry statement said. Three Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire during protests along the border fence on Friday, while 376 were wounded, including 126 with bullet wounds, Gaza's health ministry said. The Israeli army said around 20,000 Palestinians had demonstrated, throwing grenades, explosive devices and stones towards soldiers posted behind the border fence. Ahead of the latest protests, Lieberman had on Friday issued a warning to Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza. The defence minister indicated that Israel would step up its retaliation against the protests after the Jewish holiday season, which ended early this week. "We got through the High Holy days exactly as we had planned, without an eruption ... and while exacting a high price on the rioters along the Gaza border", he said in a tweet. "But the holidays are now behind us. I tell the leaders of Hamas: 'Take that into account'", he added. Palestinians have been protesting at least weekly along the Gaza border since March 30 in what they call the "Great March of Return". Protesters are demanding an end to the blockade and for Palestinian refugees to be allowed to return to homes their families fled in the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation. Friday's protests were bigger than those in recent weeks. At least 198 Palestinians have been killed since the protests began, while one Israeli soldier has been shot dead over the same period. Meng Hongwei, 64, was last seen leaving for China in late September from the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, southeast France 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. Is the journalist inside the Saudi mission? Ankara says yes, Riyadh no 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. 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. 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. 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 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. Anyone wanting to join the newly formed "Jews in the AfD" must be a card-carrying member of the far-right party who is either ethnically or religiously Jewish Germany's far-right party AfD on Sunday launched a "Jewish" group within its ranks which it says will battle against mass immigration of Muslim men with anti-Semitic views, sparking an outcry. The party said a group of 19 have formed "Jews in the AfD", and that anyone joining must be a card-carrying member of the party who is either ethnically or religiously Jewish. The move drew a backlash from Germany's Jewish community, which blasted the AfD as a "racist and anti-Semitic party". Some 250 people, many from Jewish organisations, protested in Frankfurt against the new group with banners reading "The AfD is not kosher" Some 250 people, many from Jewish organisations, also held a protest Sunday in Frankfurt against the new group. "You won't get a Kosher stamp from us," said Dalia Grinfeld, who heads the Jewish students Union in Germany, at the protest. Leading members of the AfD have come under fire repeatedly for comments that appear to play down the Holocaust. Party co-leader Alexander Gauland in June described the Nazi period as a mere "speck of bird poo in over 1,000 years of successful German history". Another leading AfD politician, Bjoern Hoecke, has criticised the sprawling Holocaust memorial in Berlin, branding it a "monument of shame". Vera Kosova was elected chairwoman of the new Jewish grouping within the far-right AfD party on Sunday Ahead of Sunday's launch, Jewish organisations including the Central Council of Jews in Germany issued a statement condemning the AfD. "The AfD is a party that provides a home for hatred for Jews as well as the relativising, or even denial of the Holocaust," it said. The AfD's deputy parliamentary group leader Beatrix von Storch hit back in an interview published Sunday by broadsheet Welt am Sonntag. Taking aim at the Central Council of Jews, von Storch compared it to "official churches", which she dismissed as "part of the establishment." The AfD positions itself as a group offering voters an "alternative" to mainstream established parties. Capitalising on discontent over an influx of migrants, the AfD is now the biggest opposition party in Germany with over 90 seats in parliament Capitalising on discontent over an influx of asylum seekers in 2015-2016, the AfD is now the biggest opposition party in Germany with over 90 seats in parliament. The deputy parliamentary group leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party, Stephan Harbarth, called the AfD's bid to start a Jewish wing "hypocrisy". "Whoever calls the Holocaust a speck of bird poo in German history does not fight anti-Semitism, but mocks its victims, and definitely does not stand on the side of the Jews," Harbarth told Sunday's edition of daily Bild. Meng Hongwei lived in France with his family after being elected Interpol president in 2016 The former Chinese head of Interpol, who went missing last month, was accused of accepting bribes on Monday, becoming the latest top official to fall in President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption dragnet. After days of concealing the fate of Meng Hongwei -- who is also China's vice minister for public security -- from the international community, the public security ministry said Monday he had accepted bribes but provided no further details on the allegations or the conditions and location of Meng's apparent detention. French officials disclosed on Friday that Meng had been reported missing after leaving France for China, while his wife voiced concern for his life on Sunday some two weeks after he texted her an ominous knife emoji. His case could tarnish Beijing's efforts to gain leadership posts in international organisations, but it is also a black eye for France-based Interpol, which is tasked with finding missing people, analysts say. Interpol said Sunday that Meng had resigned and would be temporarily replaced by a South Korean official until a new election in November -- hours after China's anti-graft body, the National Supervisory Commission, said he was under investigation for violating unspecified laws. The public security ministry released a statement Monday afternoon, saying Meng accepted bribes and that the investigation "clearly expressed comrade Xi Jinping's" determination to fully carry out the struggle against graft. It did not provide more details about the allegations. "It shows that no one is above the law with no exceptions. Anyone who violates the law will be seriously investigated and severely punished," the statement said, adding others suspected of accepting bribes alongside Meng would be investigated and dealt with. Meng is the latest high-profile Chinese citizen to disappear, with a number of top government officials, billionaire business magnates and even an A-list celebrity vanishing for weeks or months at a time. When -- or if -- they reappear, it is often in court. The mobile phone of the wife of missing Interpol president Meng Hongwei, showing what she says was the last exchange with her husband - a knife emoji and the message, "Wait for my call" Meng, the first Chinese president of Interpol, was last heard from on September 25 as he left Lyon, where Interpol is headquartered. Meng was appointed in 2016, despite concerns from human rights groups about giving Chinese President Xi Jinping a win in his bid to paint the communist-led country as a responsible player in global affairs. But his disappearance could be a setback for China. Interpol was kept in the dark about his disappearance, prompting its secretary general Juergen Stock, who oversees day-to-day operations, to say Saturday the agency was seeking "clarification" on his whereabouts. "Any international organisation should think twice going forward before considering a Chinese candidate to be its head," Bonnie Glaser, senior Asia adviser at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP. - Danger emoji - Meng had lived with his wife and two children in France since 2016. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Meng's wife Grace said she had received a message from his phone containing a knife emoji before his disappearance. Grace, the wife of Meng Hongwei, stood with her back turned to the cameras out of fear for her safety, as she held a press conference about her missing husband in France That day, Grace Meng said he sent a message telling her to "wait for my call", before sending the emoji signifying danger. "This matter belongs to the international community," she told a press conference with her back turned to the cameras out of fear for her safety. "I'm not sure what has happened to him," she said. The recently established National Supervisory Commission holds sweeping powers to investigate public servants, with few requirements for transparency. Some critics of Xi's anti-graft campaign -- which has punished more than one million officials -- say it also functions as a tool for the Communist Party general secretary to eliminate his political rivals. - Red notices - Meng rose through 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. More than one million officials have been punished in Chinese President Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign Zhou -- who was jailed for life in 2014 -- was subsequently accused of conspiring to seize state power. The security ministry called for "Meng Hongwei's acceptance of bribes to be deeply understood" and to "thoroughly eliminate the pernicious influence of Zhou Yongkang". Zhou appointed Meng vice security minister in 2004. In that role, Meng has been entrusted with a number of sensitive portfolios, including the country's counter-terrorism division, and was in charge of the response to several major incidents in China's fractious western region of Xinjiang. Critics of Meng's rise to Interpol's presidency said he would use the position to help China target dissidents abroad. Interpol downplayed those concerns, saying the president has little influence over the organisation's day-to-day operations. 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 authorisation. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham accused Democrats of an "unethical sham" of an attempt to scupper Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court -- one of several angry partisan outbursts during the process The wrenching battle over President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh exposed deep political and cultural fissures in America -- a divide reflected in the crisis point facing the US Senate. Exhausted and embittered, the 100 members of the upper chamber of Congress acknowledge that their once-venerated institution plumbed new depths during the contentious fight that ended Saturday with Kavanaugh's confirmation. The three-week dissection of the shock allegations by Christine Blasey Ford -- who told a Senate panel that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her 36 years ago -- and his ferocious denial did little to change minds. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham unleashed one of the most fiery tirades during the process, calling a Democratic push against Kavanaugh "the most unethical sham since I've been in politics." Democrats gave as good as they got, with Senator Richard Blumenthal accusing Trump of a "cover-up" in a bid to see the conservative judge confirmed to the high court, thus cementing its tilt to the right. Protesters vented their anger in the hallways of Senate office buildings, on the steps of the US Capitol and in front of the Supreme Court. The war left few unscathed -- and many agonizing over the future of the Senate, which was once defined by civility and its bipartisan achievements. Protesters opposed to the Senate confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh made their disdain for lawmakers clear "We've hit rock bottom and we've got certainly nowhere to go but up... so I hope we all learn from this and do better," the Senates number two Republican, John Cornyn, told AFP. Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said the nomination fiasco was an "abysmal definition" of how the system ought to work. "The American political process has descended down to a point that I have never seen in my political career -- and I've been here for 42 years," he said. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut sounded particularly aggrieved, blasting Republicans for how they handled a one-week supplemental FBI investigation of the assault allegations. "No comity or tradition left. Its just about power politics," he tweeted. - 'Frayed' political ties - The downward spiral in the Senate has been a few years in the making. Democrats who controlled the chamber in 2013 under then president Barack Obama employed the so-called "nuclear option" to allow his judicial nominees, except those for the Supreme Court, to advance by simple majority, rather than meeting the traditional 60-vote threshold. President Donald Trump's first pick for the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, has a much easier confirmation -- after Mitch McConnell went super-nuclear and set a simple majority threshold for Supreme Court nominees In 2017, Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell went super-nuclear, setting a simple majority threshold for Supreme Court nominees -- and getting Trump's first pick Neil Gorsuch onto the bench after blocking Obama's final nominee Merrick Garland, enraging Democrats. Discussions with several senators from both parties suggest most still believe a return to normalcy and comity is possible. Markey said while political relationships have "frayed," the personal bonds of the 100 members remain solid. Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho, agreed, saying the friendships that cross party lines are genuine. But he acknowledged he saw no quick fix for what he called "the raw edges of this polarization" afflicting American politics. "I really don't have an answer. The country is badly polarized, and they elect people to represent them here who have the same point of view that they do," he said recently. "The result is you've got Americans split on what the country should be." - 'Low point' - Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate is not beyond repair Senators on both sides of the aisle also insist that opportunities for bipartisanship still exist. McConnell called the current partisan divide a "low point," but pointed at continued compromise, citing passage of a much-anticipated opioids bill and a critical, five-year funding reauthorization for the Federal Aviation Administration. Late last month, lawmakers passed an $854 billion spending bill that averted a government shutdown. "So the notion that the Senate is somehow broken over this is simply inaccurate," McConnell said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation." - `We need healing - Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat often discussed as a possible 2020 presidential hopeful, said it will be "tough" to return to work after the Kavanaugh confirmation process Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat often discussed as a possible 2020 presidential hopeful, said it will be "tough" to return to work Tuesday and face her colleagues who pushed through Kavanaugh's nomination. "I think you just put your head down and get to work," she said. "But I don't think people are going to forget." Lasting tensions are likely. "Right now, feelings are pretty raw," said Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, the only Republican to reject Kavanaugh. Her close friend, moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins, also wavered on Kavanaugh. Republicans Senators Susan Collins (L) and Lisa Murkowski ultimately ended up on opposite sides of the Kavanaugh nomination But the two Republicans ultimately fell on opposing sides, with Collins supporting his confirmation. The pair shared a hug on the Senate floor following the climactic vote. "We need healing," Murkowski told reporters afterwards. "Around here, it's pretty contentious, partisan, pointed, divisive," she added. "The Senate's no place for sissies." Bangladeshi activists have held protests against the digital security law, which they say will severely curb media freedom Bangladesh's president signed on Monday a digital security act into law on Monday despite protests by journalists and rights groups that it will severely curb media freedom. "The digital security bill has been signed by the president today," President Abdul Hamid's spokesman Joynal Abedin told AFP. Top editors and journalists had a last-minute meeting with government ministers demanding that some sections of the legislation be changed. The law minister promised that he would discuss the issues but the president went ahead and signed the act into law without waiting. The law, which carries heavy jail sentences for secretly recording government officials or spreading "negative propaganda" using a smartphone or computer, already had parliamentary approval. Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International's (TI) Bangladesh chapter slammed the move in an immediate reaction. "We are very disappointed," TI Bangladesh spokesman Sheikh Manjur E Alam told AFP. "But we firmly want to believe it won't be used or abused before the government has a discussion as was promised about the amendment of the law," he said. Hundreds of journalists have staged demonstrations against the law in recent days and editors have said the law poses serious threats to freedom of expression and media in the country. Sampadak Parishad, a council of top editors, urged authorities not to pass the law, saying it would seriously curtail democracy in the south Asian country. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a press briefing last week backed the law. She told journalists that "if there is no criminal mind, there is no reason to worry". According to the Digital Security Act 2018, a journalist could be convicted of espionage for entering a government office and gathering information secretly using an electronic device, an offence that would carry a 14-year jail sentence. The law was enacted months after top photojournalist Shahidul Alam (C) was arrested during protests in Dhaka for making 'false' and 'provocative' statements on Al Jazeera and Facebook Live It also provides for similar sentences for spreading "negative propaganda" about the country's war of independence or its founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman using a digital device. Media rights groups in Bangladesh and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have already condemned the bill. The law was enacted months after top Bangladeshi journalist and activist Shahidul Alam was arrested during massive student protests in the capital Dhaka for making "false" and "provocative" statements on Al Jazeera and Facebook Live. He is being investigated for allegedly violating Bangladesh's already stringent internet laws enacted in 2006. Rights groups, UN rights experts, Nobel laureates and hundreds of academics have called for the immediate release of the 63-year-old, who says he has been beaten in custody. Suu Kyi, once garlanded as a global rights champion, has seen a sharp fall from grace due to her failure to speak up following a brutal military crackdown on Myanmar's Rohingya minority Embattled leader Aung San Suu Kyi vowed Monday to increase transparency over her government's handling of the Rohingya crisis while pitching for foreign investment in Myanmar ahead of a regional summit in Tokyo. Suu Kyi, once garlanded as a global rights champion, has seen a sharp fall from grace due to her failure to speak up following a brutal military crackdown on Myanmar's Rohingya minority. "I'm ready to acknowledge that we have challenges to face particularly with regard to the Rakhine and with the struggles we have on the peace front," Suu Kyi said in a speech before Japanese businessmen, referring to Myanmar's westernmost state where the minority dwelled. "We are not hiding this fact from our friends," she said. In the speech ahead of the summit in Tokyo, Suu Kyi said she was aware that peace and stability in her country were necessary for attracting foreign investment. "We understand that peace, reconciliation, harmony, stability, rule of law, human rights -- all these have to be taken into consideration when we are looking for more investment, for greater economic opportunities," she said. "We wish to be very open and transparent to our friends," she said. "If you have concerns, if you have worries, please discuss this openly with us." A brutal military campaign that started last year drove more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh, where they now live in cramped refugee camps -- fearful of returning despite a repatriation deal. Suu Kyi's supporters say her hands are tied by a still powerful military, which controls a quarter of parliament's seats and three ministries. On Tuesday she is to hold a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who chairs the regional summit drawing Southeast Asian leaders. An Indian tourist has been killed and four others injured in a gunfight in Bangkok A shoot-out between two teenage gangs in a popular shopping district in Bangkok left at least one Indian tourist dead and four others injured, a health official said Monday. The deadly skirmish occurred Sunday night in central Bangkok's Pratunam district, a tourist-friendly area known for its cheap shopping and night markets. Police spokesman Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen said in a press statement several teenagers "had an argument, and started shooting in a small alley near a Bangkok mall". There was a group of Indian tourists waiting for a tour bus nearby when gunfire broke out. "Police are still hunting for the group of teenagers," the statement said. A health official from Bangkok's Erawan Center -- the dispatch centre for the city's emergency medical services -- told AFP that one Indian tourist died, and there are four others who were injured. "One is a Lao who was admitted to the police hospital who is still alive," the hospital official said. William Nordhaus, Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University and the world's leading economist on climate change, holds a press conference October 8, 2018 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut after being awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences US economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer won the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize on Monday for constructing "green growth" models that show how innovation and climate policies can be integrated with economic growth. Working independently, they have addressed "some of our time's most basic and pressing questions about how we create long-term sustained and sustainable growth," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. The academy said their models, both developed in the 1990s, have "significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis". The prize announcement came as the UN warned in a landmark report that an "unprecedented" transformation of society and the world economy was needed to avoid global climate chaos. It said time was running out to avert disaster, noting that our planet's surface has already warmed one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit). "The policies are lagging very, very far -- miles, miles, miles -- behind the science," Nordhaus, a professor at Yale University, told the Swedish Academy, referring to US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate accord. "We are actually going backwards in the United States with the disastrous policies of the Trump administration," the 77-year-old added. "I think its really anomalous in the United States, this degree of hostility to environmental policy... all I can do is hope that we get through this without too much damage," he told reporters at Yale, after teaching a class as normal despite finding out earlier he had won from his daughter. Romer, 62, a former World Bank chief economist now at New York University's Stern School of Business, said he was confident the world could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and still improve standards of living in the future. - 'Losing commitment to facts' - New York University professor Paul Romer speaks at a news conference after being named a winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economics with professor William D. Nordhaus of Yale University on October 8, 2018 in New York City -- the two men have developed "green growth" models to tackle economic sustainability while addressing climate change "We can absolutely make substantial progress to protecting the environment, and without giving up the chance for sustained growth," he said. He later revealed how he got two phone calls before 6.00am (1000 GMT) but didn't answer, thinking they would be telemarketing. Seeing they were from Sweden, he called back and found out he had won. "What's a little bit troubling, even though I remain very optimistic about technological possibilities, is that it seems as though we're starting to lose our commitment to the facts," he told a news conference in New York. The jury said Nordhaus and Romer's findings "have brought us considerably closer to answering the question of how we can achieve sustained and sustainable global economic growth." Yale University economics professor William Nordhaus appeared alongside Bill Clinton at the White House in 2000 Nordhaus was honoured for "integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis." His "integrated assessment model" is now widely "used to simulate how the economy and climate co-evolve" and to examine the consequences of climate policy interventions, for example carbon taxes. Nordhaus's research shows that the most efficient remedy for problems caused by greenhouse gas emissions is a global scheme of carbon taxes uniformly imposed on all countries. Countries refusing to take part in the scheme could be subjected to customs tariffs. - 'Momentum' - "There's a lot of momentum here, it's like a super tanker, that it takes a long time to slow it down, but I think it's something we can do," Nordhaus said, asked if he was hopeful about reversing the effects of climate change. Complementing Nordhaus's research, the jury said Romer laid the foundation for "endogenous growth theory", which explains how ideas are different from other goods and require specific conditions to thrive. His research demonstrated how economic forces govern the willingness of companies to produce new ideas and innovations. Romer resigned from the World Bank in January 2018 after raising questions about how the institution was ranking countries. Both winners, tipped as Nobel frontrunners in recent years, will share the nine million Swedish kronor (about $1.01 million or 860,000-euro) prize. Unlike the other Nobel prizes, which were created in the will of Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel and first awarded in 1901, the economics prize was started by the Swedish central bank in 1968 to mark its tricentenary. It was first awarded in 1969. The prize, which also consists of a diploma and a gold medal, will be presented at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10. The economics prize wraps up the 2018 Nobel awards season, notable this year for the lack of a literature prize, postponed for the first time in 70 years over a rape scandal that came to light as part of the #MeToo movement. The most highly anticipated Nobel, the peace prize, went to Yazidi women's campaigner Nadia Murad and Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege for their work in fighting sexual violence in conflicts around the world. A picture taken on July 26, 2018 shows Egyptian policemen driving on a road leading to the North Sinai provincial capital of El-Arish Egyptian security forces pressing a campaign against Islamist militants have killed 52 suspected jihadists in the Sinai Peninsula in operations in which three soldiers also died, the army said Monday. The military launched a sweeping operation in February focused on the Sinai in eastern Egypt aimed at wiping out jihadists, including from the Islamic State (IS) group, who have been waging a bloody insurgency. On Monday, the military said that 53 "takfiris" or Sunni Muslim extremists were killed in two separate operations by security forces in the restive peninsula. Three members of the armed forces were also killed in these operations, it said in a statement, without stating when they took place. The military has regularly reported operations in the Sinai since it launched the campaign. According to official figures, a total of more than 350 suspected jihadists and at least 30 soldiers have been killed in the "Sinai 2018" campaign. Security sources said last week that local IS leader Abu Hamza al-Maqdisi had been killed in an air raid on the Sinai. The jihadist group confirmed his death. Jihadists have killed hundreds of police officers and soldiers in the Sinai since the army ousted Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar al-Baker, pictured at a British airshow on July 16, 2018 US sanctions on Iran will not impact Qatar Airways' flights to the Islamic republic, the airline's boss Akbar al-Baker said on Monday. Speaking at a high-profile business conference in the Qatari capital Doha, Baker said services to Iran would continue despite a tightening economic and political squeeze on Iran by Washington. "Aviation is not a sanctioned industry, Qatar Airways will continue to operate into the cities we are currently operating in Iran," he said. "Our flights to Iran will not be affected." Qatar Airways' Iran destinations include Mashhad and Shiraz, while the airline operates daily flights to Tehran, according to its website. Baker's comments come as US President Donald Trump's administration is expected to impose a second round of tough sanctions on Iran next month. A first tranche of punitive measures were introduced in August by the US after it withdrew in May from the 2015 international deal aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Washington has also warned foreign businesses to steer clear of Iran. Already, major European airlines including Air France and British Airways have stopped flights to Iran, following the sanctions' announcement. Qatar is also under scrutiny over its relationship with Iran, with whom it shares the world's largest natural gas field. Since June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed a sweeping embargo on Qatar, sparking the worst political rift to ever hit the Gulf, in part because of Iran. The four countries accuse Doha of seeking closer ties with Tehran, Saudi Arabia's arch-rival, as well as supporting radical Islamist groups. Qatar denies the charges, accusing its neighbours of seeking regime change. Protesters gathered outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Monday demanding to know what had happened to missing Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday asked Saudi officials to prove their claim that missing journalist and Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Erdogan's comments' came after media reports said his government sought permission from Saudi authorities to search the consulate premises in Istanbul. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, vanished last Tuesday after entering the consulate to receive official documents ahead of his marriage to a Turkish woman. "Consulate officials cannot save themselves by saying that he left the building... Don't you have a camera?" Erdogan told a news conference in Budapest. "If he left, you have to prove it with footage. Those who ask Turkish authorities where he is should ask what happened." Police said at the weekend that around 15 Saudis, including officials, arrived in Istanbul on two flights on Tuesday and were at the consulate at the same time as Khashoggi. A Turkish government source told AFP at the weekend that the police believe the journalist "was killed by a team especially sent to Istanbul and who left the same day". Riyadh vehemently denies the claim and says Khashoggi left the consulate. Turkey on Monday sought permission to search the consulate premises, Turkish NTV broadcaster reported. The move came after the foreign ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador for a second time Sunday over the journalist's disappearance. A Turkish diplomat confirmed Monday that the Saudi envoy had met deputy foreign minister Sedat Onal. "The ambassador was told that we expected full cooperation during the investigation," the source said. The ambassador was first summoned to the ministry on Wednesday. Erdogan said Turkish police and intelligence were investigating the case. "The airport exits and entrances are being examined. There are people who came from Saudi Arabia," he said. "The chief prosecutor's office is investigating the issue." - 'Awful crime'- Protesters gathered outside the Saudi consulate on Monday with banners reading "We will not leave without Jamal Khashoggi", demanding to know what had happened to him. Yemeni activist Tawakkol Karman, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said it would be an "awful crime" if the claims of his death were true. "Killing him is like killing us. This policy is just a terror policy. There's no difference between the state terror and other terror actions," she added. Khashoggi went to the consulate to obtain official documents required for his marriage to Hatice Cengiz. Turkish police quickly said he never left the building as there was no security footage of his departure. The consulate rejected claims that the journalist was killed there as "baseless". Graphic chronicling the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Instanbul Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously told Bloomberg that Riyadh was "ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our premises", which is Saudi sovereign territory. "We will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do. If they ask for that, of course, we will allow them. We have nothing to hide," Prince Salman said in an interview published on Friday. Khashoggi had been critical of some of the crown prince's policies and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen in Arab and Western media. He compared the 33-year-old prince to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a column for the Washington Post in November 2017. "As of now, I would say Mohammed bin Salman is acting like Putin. He is imposing very selective justice. The crackdown on even the most constructive criticism - the demand for complete loyalty with a significant 'or else' - remains a serious challenge to the crown prince's desire to be seen as a modern, enlightened leader," he wrote. - 'Devastating impact'- US President Donald Trump and his administration have not commented on the fate of Khashoggi but a top Senate ally of Trump warned of a "devastating" impact on the US alliance with Saudi Arabia if allegations are confirmed. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Riyadh must provide "honest answers" to the claims that he was murdered. Graham said his position was shared by Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Ben Cardin, a senior Democrat on the panel. Saudi Arabia launched a modernisation campaign following Prince Mohammed's appointment as heir to the throne with moves such as lifting a ban on women driving. But the ultra-conservative kingdom, which ranks 169th out of 180 on RSF's World Press Freedom Index, has been strongly criticised over its intolerance of dissent with dozens of people arrested including intellectuals and Islamic preachers. Yemeni children attend class at a makeshift school in the southwestern city of Taez on October 3, 2018 By converting his home into a makeshift school, a teacher in Yemen's southwestern city of Taez has helped hundreds of children in the war-torn country return to the classroom. Three years of fighting between the Saudi-backed government and Shiite Huthi rebels have left Yemen's education system in tatters. Around two million children across the country now have no access to schooling, according to the United Nations children's fund (UNICEF), and the war that has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine shows no sign of waning. But for more than 700 boys and girls of primary school age, Adel al-Shurihi's three-storey home in the government-held neighbourhood of Wadi al-Slami is a welcome chance to keep up their studies. "There are two options, either these children end up on the streets or they gather inside the building to study because most schools are closed," Shurihi told AFP. "Inside, at least, they are protected from stray bullets." - 'Patriotic duty' - Book bags in tow, the students line up outside the breeze-block building dubbed Al-Nahda school to do their morning exercise, recite Koranic verses and sing the national anthem. The home-turned-school has been taking in students since 2016, with the government providing used books for the classes. But with no budget and a crew of volunteer teachers, Shurihi wants the authorities to do more. "This initiative began as a charity and a good deed, but now the relevant government entities must continue what we started," he told AFP. Yemeni children line up before clases at the makeshift Al-Nahda school in the southwestern city of Taez on October 3, 2018 The structure is divided into 13 classrooms -- there are no desks or chairs. Al-Nahda's 712 students sit on the floor for their daily lessons, and share two bathrooms -- one for girls and one for boys. They are taught by 28 volunteer teachers, most of whom worked in government schools shuttered due to violence and budget issues. Safaa Mohammed, who worked at a school that was forced to closed, said it was her national duty to teach Yemeni children. "Our children were lost when they were not learning," she told AFP. "We had to open this school after so many closed since 2015 because of the conflict," she said. Even though the school lacks many essential items and the classes are packed, Mohammed still shows up each day to teach without pay. "It is a patriotic duty to teach before it is a humanitarian issue," she said. - 'Grateful' - UNICEF estimates that some 4.5 million children in Yemen risk losing access to state schools, as teachers have not been paid in nearly two years. More than 2,500 schools have been damaged or destroyed, and others are now used as shelters for displaced people or as bases run by armed groups. Three quarters of Yemen's population -- or 22 million people -- are in need of humanitarian aid, including eight million who need food relief to survive, according to UN figures. Two million children across the country have no access to education, according to the UN children's fund (UNICEF) Hafez Mohammed, a student at Al-Nahda, said he was "grateful" for the opportunity to press on with his studies. "This building, which has turned into a school, is closer to us than any government school," he told AFP. "We cant afford studying in private schools or government schools." Yemen's war has put the country's children at particular risk. More than 40 percent of Yemeni girls are married before the age of 15, while three quarters wed by 18, according to UNICEF. Boys are at risk of being drawn directly into the conflict, fighting as child soldiers in a war that has killed nearly 10,000 people since Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened on the government's side in 2015. Brett Kavanaugh, left, is sworn in as associate justice of the US Supreme Court by his predecessor Anthony Kennedy (R) before wife Ashley (2nd-R), daughters Margaret (2nd-L) and Elizabeth (C), and US President Donald Trump on October 8, 2018 President Donald Trump said Monday he was apologizing on behalf of the whole country to his new conservative Supreme Court justice after one of the most contentious confirmation processes in US history. At a White House swearing-in ceremony, Trump stood next to Justice Brett Kavanaugh and said he'd been "proven innocent" of the sexual assault allegations that threatened to derail him in a Senate confirmation process revealing the depth of the left-right split tearing through American politics. "On behalf of our nation, I want to apologize to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure," he said at the ceremony in the ornate White House East Room. Trump showed he still considers the nomination row a political battle. Before the ceremony, he'd described opposition Democrats as "evil" and the sexual assault claims as a "hoax." But after being sworn in, Kavanaugh struck a markedly more conciliatory tone. He told an audience that included the entire Supreme Court and a Who's Who of Republican movers and shakers that he had "no bitterness" and would never bring politics into the top court. "The Supreme Court is a team of nine. And I will always be a team player on the team of nine.... The Senate confirmation process was contentious and emotional. That process is over," he said. - Fight for votes - Kavanaugh speaks in the White House East Room after being sworn into office Trump sees his success in getting Kavanaugh onto the court -- tilting the crucial body to the right for potentially years to come -- as one of the major successes of his turbulent two-year administration. It also comes in the final run-up to midterm elections on November 6. The president -- whose Republicans fear losing at least the lower chamber of Congress -- predicted that Democrats would pay for their attempts to block the confirmation, especially during the lurid debate over decades-old sexual assault allegations. "I think a lot of Democrats are going to vote Republican," he said in his earlier comments outside the White House. "I think you're going to see a lot of things happening on November 6." Democrats had fought tooth and nail to stop Kavanaugh's candidacy, claiming that the accomplished, conservative-minded judge was not suited to the Supreme Court. From left: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Ruth Bader Ginsburg attended the ceremony Then, just as his confirmation seemed inevitable, 11th-hour allegations emerged that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl while at high school and exposed himself to a female classmate at an alcohol-fueled dorm party at Yale University. No concrete evidence was produced to back up the searing accusations, which Republicans described as a dirty tricks campaign. After an extra FBI probe -- which media reports say was drastically curtailed by the White House -- also found nothing new, Kavanaugh was finally voted into the coveted post. Kavanaugh officially took the oath in a more hurried, private procedure Saturday, but the White House version late Monday gave the Trump administration to perform the equivalent of a victory lap on live television. - Lighting a match - The make-up of the US Supreme Court Trump has repeatedly said that putting conservatives on the court -- Kavanaugh is his second appointment -- was among the top goals of his presidency. "I've always been told it's the biggest thing a president can do and I can understand that," he said. He called the Kavanaugh row "a disgraceful situation brought about by people who are evil," and said that the result was "very exciting." "I'm doing rallies and people are loving that man and loving that choice," he said. In reality, Kavanaugh's confirmation lit a match under existing tensions ahead of the midterm elections. The two-vote margin of victory in the Senate made it the closest Supreme Court confirmation vote since 1881 -- and by far the most contentious since Clarence Thomas in 1991. Only one Democrat voted for Trump's nominee. Migration Minister Dimitris Vitsas has rejected the accusations and called for Iliopoulos to resign Greece's Supreme Court on Monday ordered an inquiry into the handling of European funds paid to Athens to help the country cope with the migration crisis of 2015-16. Prosecutors will open a preliminary investigation after a series of articles in the right-wing opposition press criticised what they said was government mismanagement -- and possibly embezzlement -- of the money. Around a million migrants and refugees, many fleeing the conflict in Syria, arrived on Greek islands in the eastern Aegean Sea, just off the Turkish coastline, in 2015 and 2016. Andreas Iliopoulos, the head of refugee intake operations, was among the sources of the allegations, and he referred to "illegal" transactions in an interview late last week with the daily Fileleftheros. His boss, Migration Minister Dimitris Vitsas, rejected the charges and called for his resignation. Vitsas told the media that Greece had received 570 million euros ($650 million) in emergency aid, of which 68 percent went to aid groups and international organisations such as the UN refugee agency UNHCR. The rest of the funds went to the Greek government, in particular the defence ministry which at the time was responsible for setting up around 40 migrants' camps. Former presidents (from L to R) Marc Ravalomanana, Andry Rajoelina and Hery Rajaonarimampianina launched their campaigns for the November election which comes after months of tensions Madagascar's election race officially opened on Monday with all three recent presidents launching their campaigns ahead of the November 7 vote, which follows months of political tensions. The Indian Ocean island suffers dire poverty and relies on foreign aid. It was rocked between April and June by protests in the main square of the capital Antananarivo over proposed electoral reforms. The growing demonstrations forced President Hery Rajaonarimampianina to accept the formation of a "consensus" government tasked with organising the November election. Among 36 candidates, the leading candidates are Rajaonarimampianina, who came to power in 2014, Marc Ravolamanana, the elected leader from 2002 to 2009, and Andry Rajoelina, who led the 2009 coup and held office until 2014. "Given the crowds we have had today, we can already consider ourselves winners," Rajaonarimampianina, 59, told crowds on the outskirts of Antananarivo, promising the island would be self-sufficient in food in three years. Ravolamanana, 68, held his rally at the central square in the city that was the focus of the protests against the president, telling his supporters that "we have just proven that Antananarivo belongs to us." The square was occupied by demonstrators against Rajaonarimampianina's efforts to change electoral laws that opponents said were intended to favour his party. The proposals were overturned by the courts. But the protests morphed into a full-blown movement to oust Rajaonarimampianina. Clashes between activists and the security forces claimed two lives and left more than a dozen injured. Ravolamanana's arch-rival Rajoelina, 44, began his campaign hundreds of miles (kilometres) away in the northern city of Diego Suarez, where he was welcomed by thousands of supporters wearing his party's orange colours. Rajoelina, a former disc jockey and successful entrepreneur, hopes to use his youth and communication skills to rally support. Madagascar was plunged into a protracted crisis when Rajoelina ousted president Marc Ravalomanana in the 2009 army-backed coup. If, as is likely, no candidate receives more than 50 percent in the first round, a second round of voting will be held on December 19. Accusations that the election will be rigged have already been aired by some of the candidates. "Electoral fraud will take place using software in the electoral commission that will allow a candidate to have six times more votes than he actually had," said candidate Fanirisoa Ernaivo in front of a small crowd on Monday. Madagascar, a former French colony with a population of 25 million, has been endured decades of political crises and grinding poverty. Nadia Murad was one of thousands of young women from the Yazidi religious minority kidnapped by the Islamic State group in Iraq four years ago and held in sexual slavery, but was able to escape Nobel peace prize winner Nadia Murad wants to see members of the Islamic State jihadist group face justice -- not death, but trial in a courtroom, she said on Monday. Murad was one of thousands of young women from the Yazidi religious minority who were kidnapped by IS in Iraq four years ago and held in sexual slavery, but was able to escape. Older women and men faced summary execution during the IS assault on the Yazidis, which the United Nations has described as a genocide. "For me, justice doesn't mean killing all of the Daesh members who committed these crimes against us," she said at the National Press Club in Washington, using an Arabic acronym for IS. "Justice for me is taking Daesh members to a court of law and seeing them in court admitting to the crimes they committed against Yazidis and being punished for those crimes specifically," she said. Many IS members have been killed on battlefields of Iraq and Syria, while those who do make it to court in Iraq are usually tried on terrorism charges. Murad was jointly awarded the Nobel peace prize on Friday along with Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege "for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict." She said she aims to defend persecuted peoples and victims of sexual violence in the Middle East and around the world, but that she cannot do it alone. "A single prize and a single person cannot accomplish these goals. We need an international effort," she said. "I call on all governments to fight genocide and sexual violence. The world should bear its moral and legal responsibility and ensure proper and fair accountability." Speaking about her home country, Murad said she hopes Iraq will soon have a new government after months of political deadlock. "Our hope is that the new government of Iraq will be established soon and we can work with them to make sure that the areas that have suffered the most like Sinjar are being rebuilt and people can go back to their homes," she said, referring to the ancestral hub of the Yazidis in the country's north. Responding to a question about the "Me Too" movement and its potential to bring change, Murad said she hopes all survivors of sexual assault will be heard. "My hope is that all women who speak about their experience of sexual violence are heard and accepted ... and they feel safe to share their stories and feel safe to speak about their experiences." A Turkey-backed Syrian rebel fighter drinks a coffee near the city of al-Bab, in the Aleppo province on the border with Turkey, on October 8, 2018 Jihadist factions including Syria's former Al-Qaeda branch have withdrawn heavy weapons from parts of a planned buffer zone in Idlib province, a monitor said Monday, two days ahead of a deadline. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham "and other less influential jihadist groups have withdrawn their heavy weapons from large areas of the demilitarised zone" ringing Idlib province, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The development comes ahead of Wednesday's cut-off date for all rebels to withdraw heavy arms from a 15 to 20-kilometre (9-12 mile) demilitarised area ringing the Idlib region. The creation of a buffer zone is central to an agreement reached last month by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, which is aimed at staving off a massive assault on Idlib by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. The deal also foresees radical groups leaving the area by October 15. HTS, which is led by former Al-Qaeda fighters, has yet to comment on its reported withdrawal or announce its stance on the buffer zone deal. According to the Britain-based Observatory, the pullout quietly began two days ago. A Turkey-backed Syrian rebel fighter near the city of al-Bab on October 8, 2018, ahead of a deadline to create a buffer zone in the area "Until now, heavy weapons have been removed from northern Hama and eastern Idlib" located in the proposed zone, Abdel Rahman said. The Idlib region includes most of the province of the same name, as well as adjacent parts of the Hama and Aleppo provinces. - Jihadists 'ready and prepared' - In recent weeks, Turkey has deployed troops at "observation posts" it set up in rebel-held areas of Idlib and neighbouring Aleppo. A local source close to HTS said Ankara's actions demonstrated that neither Turkey, Russia, nor fellow regime ally Iran plan to break the deal. "The presence of Turkish forces and their posts will prevent any military action," the source said. "So (HTS), like other factions, is moving heavy weapons and reinforcing its positions according to the agreement." The source confirmed each faction "will remain in its position", indicating that HTS and the other groups were "ready and prepared" to rebel any attack by the regime. HTS and other hardliners hold a large part of Idlib province and the proposed demilitarised zone, while the National Liberation Front is the main Turkey-backed rebel alliance in the area. On Monday, the NLF completed withdrawing heavy arms from the zone, according to Turkish state media. The start of the NLF pullout was confirmed to AFP by its spokesman Naji Mustafa. A Syrian rebel fighter backed by Ankara aims his rifle near the city of al-Bab on October 8, 2018 Despite progress in implementing the terms of the deal, Assad on Sunday said the arrangement would not become permanent. "The agreement is a temporary measure through which the state has realised many achievements on the ground starting with stemming the bloodshed," he was quoted as saying by state news agency SANA. "This province and other Syrian territory still under terrorist control will return to the Syrian state," the president said, referring to both rebels and jihadists. Forces loyal to Assad have retaken swathes of territory in Syria since Russia entered in the war in September 2015. Air strikes attributed to Russia have killed more than 18,000 people since its intervention, according to the Observatory. The Syrian civil war has killed more than 360,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. SRINAGAR, India (AP) - At least 20 people were killed and 16 others injured on Saturday when an overcrowded minibus fell into a deep gorge along a mountainous road in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. The 22-seat minibus was carrying at least 36 passengers when it plunged off a Himalayan mountain road near southern Ramban town, said police officer Anita Sharma. The vehicle fell into a deep gorge when the driver apparently lost control due to mechanical failure, Sharma said. The injured were hospitalized, including 12 in critical condition. In a separate road accident in the region on Saturday, a private truck carrying a group of Indian army soldiers skidded off a road in the southern Shopian area. At least 16 military commandos were injured, police said. India has the world's deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles. CAIRO (AP) - Melania Trump says she has, at times, told the president to put his phone down. And she says she doesn't always agree with what he tweets. The U.S. first lady spoke briefly with reporters Saturday as she was wrapping up a four-country tour of Africa with a visit to the pyramids and the Great Sphinx in Egypt. Standing in front of the Sphinx, Mrs. Trump said makes her opinions clear with her husband. "I don't always agree what he tweets," she said in a rare, unscripted interaction with reporters. "And I tell him that. I give him my honest opinion and honest advice. And sometimes he listens and sometimes he doesn't. But I have my own voice and my opinions and it's very important for me that I express what I feel." As for whether she's ever told him to put his phone down, she said, "yes," with a laugh. Mrs. Trump arrived in Cairo on Saturday after a flight from Kenya. She met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and his wife, Entissar Mohameed Amer, before heading to the nearby city of Giza to see the pyramids and Sphinx to highlight U.S.-backed preservation efforts. First lady Melania Trump visits the historical site of the Giza Pyramids in Giza, near Cairo, Egypt. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. First lady Melania Trump is visiting Africa on her first big solo international trip. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The U.S. Agency for International Development has been working with the Egyptian government for the past several years on a project to lower groundwater levels to prevent additional damage to the landmarks. Saline content in the water can erode their foundations. The first lady described her tour, which took her to Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt, as "amazing" and said she hoped people would talk more about her visit and less about her fashion choices. "That's very important what I do, what we're doing with U.S. aid and what I do with my initiatives and I wish people would focus on what I do, not what I wear," she said. Mrs. Trump's outfit choices have drawn considerable attention, as when she wore a jacket that read "I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO U?" during a trip to visit migrant children who'd been separated from their families at the southern border. The first lady received warm welcomes everywhere she went - though there were some reminders of her husband's strained relations with the continent, which he has yet to visit as president. In Lilongwe, Malawi, her motorcade passed a sign that read "Welcome to Malawi. #NOTASHITHOLE!" - a reference to reports that the president used the vulgar term to describe African nations. Mrs. Trump said she never heard her husband "saying those comments" and "Nobody discussed that with me." __ Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report from Washington. First lady Melania Trump visits the historical site of the Giza Pyramids in Giza, near Cairo, Egypt. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. First lady Melania Trump is visiting Africa on her first big solo international trip. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) First lady Melania Trump pauses for photographs as she visits the historical site of the Giza Pyramids in Giza, near Cairo, Egypt. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. First lady Melania Trump is visiting Africa on her first big solo international trip. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) First lady Melania Trump poses for photojournalists in front of the ancient statue of Sphinx, with the body of a lion and a human head, at the historic site of the Giza Pyramids, in Egypt, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. First lady Melania Trump is visiting Africa on her first big solo international trip. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) First lady Melania Trump waves before entering the Great Pyramid as she visits the historical site of the Giza Pyramids in Giza, near Cairo, Egypt. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. First lady Melania Trump is visiting Africa on her first big solo international trip. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) First lady Melania Trump visits the ancient statue of Sphinx, with the body of a lion and a human head, at the historic site of Giza Pyramids in Giza, near Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. First lady Melania Trump is visiting Africa on her first big solo international trip. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) First Lady Melania Trump meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-SisiAbdel and Egyptian First Lady Entissar Mohameed Amer at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday Oct 6, 2018. The First Lady wraps up her 7 day trip to Africa and returns to Washington tomorrow. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool) First lady Melania Trump poses for photojournalists in front of the ancient statue of Sphinx, with the body of a lion and a human head, at the historic site of the Giza Pyramids, in Egypt, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. First lady Melania Trump is visiting Africa on her first big solo international trip. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) LONDON (AP) - A European Union chief says the chances of Britain and the bloc striking a Brexit deal are rising, amid reports the two sides are moving closer on the fraught issue of the Irish border. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Austrian newspapers in comments published Saturday that "the rapprochement potential between both sides has increased in recent days." Negotiations faltered after the EU said last month that British Prime Minister Theresa May's proposal for post-Brexit economic relations was unacceptable. The main obstacle is ensuring there are no customs posts or border checks along the frontier between the U.K.'s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. EU leaders say there needs to be major progress at an Oct. 17-18 summit for there to be a deal before Britain leaves on March 29. JERUSALEM (AP) - The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is vowing to continue operations in Jerusalem despite Israeli plans to remove it. The Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, said Saturday that education, health care and other services to Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem are "important work." On Thursday, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said Israeli authorities will take over UNRWA's services, most notably schooling for 1,800 students, without giving an exact timeline. UNRWA has operated in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians demand as a future capital, since Israel occupied it in 1967. The Trump administration, however, cut $300 million in annual aid to the agency, demanding reforms. The agency was established following the 1948 Mideast war that led to Israel's creation. Today, it aids 5 million Palestinians, mostly refugee descendants. Israel says this perpetuates conflict with the Palestinians. MADRID (AP) - A few thousand Spaniards have protested in Madrid against the Socialist-led government at a rally organize by marginal right-wing groups. The protestors gathered in front of the Spanish parliament on Saturday, many holding either the current-day Spanish flag or its predecessor that stood for the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco. The crowd shouted slogans against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, calling him a "separatist" for his willingness to meet with the pro-independence leaders of the northeastern region of Catalonia. No member of a mainstream political party attended the rally. Sanchez took power early this year after then Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy lost a no-confidence vote following a corruption scandal in his conservative party. Catalan separatist parliament members contributed to Rajoy's downfall in that vote. ROME (AP) - Italy's deputy premier is vowing to press ahead with spending plans after the European Commission expressed "serious concern" over what it termed a "significant deviation" from previous targets. Five-Star leader Luigi Di Maio said Saturday "there is no plan B" to plans that will increase the deficit to 2.4 percent of annual gross domestic product next year. European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis and Economy Commissioner Pierre Moscovici penned a joint letter to Economy Minister Giovanni Tria on Friday "taking note" of the plans, which haven't yet been formally submitted to Brussels. They vowed to hold a "constructive dialogue" to ensure the eurozone's third-largest economy complies with EU fiscal rules. Italy's spending plans aim to satisfy election promises for a basic income for job seekers, tax cuts and pension reform. Italian Deputy Premier and Labour Minister Luigi Di Maio speaks during a question time session at the Senate, in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Stocks in Europe rose after Italy's economy minister backed down on spending plans that would keep the country's deficit at an elevated level for three years. That relieved investors who were worried about Italy's debts and the possibility of tensions between the country and the European Union. (Maurizio Brambatti/ANSA via AP) PARIS (AP) - Interpol has made a formal request to China for information about the agency's missing president, citing concerns for the well-being of the senior Chinese security official who seemingly vanished on a trip home. The Lyon-based international police agency says Saturday it used law-enforcement channels to submit its request about the status of Meng Hongwei. It says the agency "looks forward to an official response from China's authorities to address concerns over the president's well-being." Meng's wife says she hasn't heard from him since he left the French city of Lyon at the end of September to go to China. France has launched its own investigation. French authorities say he boarded a plane and arrived in China, but the 64-year-old's subsequent whereabouts are unknown. Meng is also a vice minister for public security in China. FILE - 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. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump misrepresented the testimony of his Supreme Court nominee's chief accuser in a mocking turn on a rally stage over the past week as campaign politics and the pitched struggle over Brett Kavanaugh's fate provided fertile ground for distortion. A look at some of his rhetoric and how it compares with the facts: KAVANAUGH TRUMP, as if recounting the questioning of Christine Blasey Ford at her Senate hearing: 'How did you get there?' 'I don't remember.' 'Where is the place?' 'I don't remember.' 'How many years ago was it?' 'I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.' 'What neighborhood was it in?' "I don't know.' 'Where's the house' 'I don't know.' Upstairs, downstairs, where was it?' 'I don't know. But I had one beer, that's the only thing I remember.' And a man's life is in tatters. A man's life is shattered. ... They want to destroy people. These are really evil people." THE FACTS: He's wrong to say Kavanaugh's accuser could not recall whether the alleged sexual assault happened upstairs or downstairs or any level of detail regarding the likely location. She described in vivid detail being in a locked upstairs bedroom with Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge while others were downstairs at a small house party. Trump also falsely stated that she did not remember how many years ago this happened. She identified the summer of 1982, when she was 15. It's true she could not identify the house, or remember how she got there or home, but said it was within a "20 minute drive" between her house and a country club in the Bethesda, Maryland, area. In this Oct. 2, 2018 photo, President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks at a rally in Southaven, Miss. President Trump misrepresented the testimony of his Supreme Court nominee's chief accuser on a rally stage over the past week as campaign politics and the pitched struggle over Brett Kavanaugh's fate. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) Researchers say it is common for people who have experienced a trauma to retain a searing memory of the event but not circumstances surrounding it. ___ DRUG PRICES TRUMP: "You might have seen last month where I called up some of the drug companies. I said, 'Folks, you just raised up the drug prices. You can't do that.' And they all reduced them. Do you believe it? That's when I said, 'I've a lot of power.' Pfizer, right? You saw that. Pfizer, Novartis, they raised their drug prices and I'm bringing them down. I said, 'What are you doing with raising them?' 'I'm sorry, Mr. President, we'll reduce them immediately.' I said, 'Man, this is a powerful position.'" - Minnesota rally Thursday. THE FACTS: His account is overstated. His call with Pfizer was at the beginning of July, not last month. It came right after he criticized Pfizer on Twitter for raising prices of about 40 drugs on July 1. Pfizer reversed those increases, meaning prices returned to their June 30 levels, though only until Jan. 1, 2019, at the latest. Novartis was one of several drugmakers that said they wouldn't raise any prices for the rest of 2018, but they'd already done so on nearly all of their drugs earlier in the year. Few, if any, drugmakers actually lowered prices as a result of Trump's pressure. A few drugs had price cuts for business reasons. More broadly, an Associated Press investigation of brand-name prescription drugs found 96 price increases for every price reduction in the first seven months of this year. There were fewer price increases this year from January through July than in comparable prior year periods, but companies still raised prices far more often than they cut them. AP analyzed 26,176 U.S. list price changes for brand-name prescription drugs from Jan. 1 through July 31 in the years 2015 through 2018, using data supplied by health information analytics firm Elsevier. ___ VETERANS TRUMP: "We just passed Choice. That was 44 years they've been trying to pass Choice, so that if you have to wait in line for 9 days, 30 days, 21 days, months, you don't do that anymore. If the line's big, and if you're unhappy with it, you go to a private doctor, they take care of you, and we paid the bill. It's better. They've been trying to pass that one for many, many decades. They couldn't do it. We got it passed." - Tennessee rally Monday. TRUMP: "We also passed Veterans' Choice. Forty-four years they tried to do it."- Mississippi rally Tuesday. THE FACTS: He's exaggerating improvements to the Department of Veterans Affairs by incorrectly stating a private-sector health care program was never passed by Congress before him. He also falsely suggests the newly expanded program will have immediate effect. Congress first approved the Veterans Choice program in 2014 in the wake of a scandal at the Phoenix VA medical center in which some veterans died while waiting months for appointments. The program allows veterans to see doctors outside the VA system if they must wait more than 30 days for an appointment or drive more than 40 miles to a VA facility. Trump signed legislation in June to expand the Choice program by giving veterans even wider access to private-sector doctors at government expense, subject to yet-to-be-finalized rules that will determine eligibility as well as available funding. Contrary to what Trump suggests, the effects of the newly expanded program are not immediate. Key to its success is an overhaul of the VA's electronic medical records to allow seamless sharing of medical records not only with the Pentagon but also private physicians, a process expected to take up to 10 years. The VA also has yet to resolve long-term financing for the program due to congressional budget caps that could put funding for VA or other domestic programs at risk of shortfalls next year. At a Senate hearing last month, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie made clear that full implementation of the expanded Choice program was "years" away. ___ IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT TRUMP: "The new platform of the Democrat Party is to abolish ICE - the brave, brave people of ICE. In other words, they want to abolish immigration enforcement entirely." - Mississippi rally Tuesday. THE FACTS: While some Democrats in the House and Senate have raised the prospect of eliminating Immigration and Customs Enforcement, no top Democrats in the House or Senate have called for such a move. Those Democrats who have expressed openness to eliminating ICE have said they would not abandon border enforcement, which is largely carried out by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. ___ U.S.-MEXICO-CANADA TRADE TRUMP: "The agreement will govern nearly $1.2 trillion in trade, which makes it the biggest trade deal in the United States' history." - remarks Monday. THE FACTS: That's wrong, simply by virtue of the number of trade partners involved. The proposed new agreement, replacing the North American Free Trade agreement, covers the same three countries. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, negotiated by the Obama administration, included the three NAFTA partners - United States, Canada and Mexico - plus Japan and eight other Pacific Rim countries. Trump withdrew the United States from the pact on his third day in office. Even the Pacific deal pales in comparison with one that did go into effect with the U.S. on board, the Uruguay Round. Concluded in 1994, the round of negotiations created the World Trade Organization and was signed by 123 countries. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston found the following year that the WTO's initial membership accounted for more than 90 percent of global economic output. ___ TRUMP: "This deal will also impose new standards requiring at least 75 percent of every automobile to be made in North America in order to qualify for the privilege of free access to our markets." - remarks Monday. THE FACTS: That's true. But as with any such requirement, it could make autos more expensive by discouraging the use of cheaper components from overseas. The same could be true of another provision, requiring at least 40 percent of a car's content to be built where workers earn $16 an hour. The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement indeed contains greater worker protections, a trade-off that could mean higher costs. The pact, if approved by Congress, will raise the percentage of a car's content that must be built within the trade bloc to 75 percent from 62.5 percent if it is to qualify for duty-free status. Similarly, the deal would give pharmaceutical companies that make biologics -ultra-expensive drugs produced in living cells - 10 years of protection from generic competition, two more years than the Obama administration had negotiated under the Pacific deal. That also comes with the possible trade-off of higher costs for users of the drugs. ___ TRUMP, on overcoming the major hitch with Canada: "Dairy was a deal-breaker. And now for our farmers it's, as you know, substantially opened up much more. And I know they can't open it completely. They have farmers also. You know, they can't be overrun. And I fully - and I tell them that. I say, 'Look, I understand you have limits.' But they could do much better." - remarks Monday. THE FACTS: That's a fair reading of one of the agreement's most significant changes - though dairy only accounts for about 0.1 percent of U.S.-Canada trade. Canada's tariffs on dairy imports can approach 300 percent. U.S. dairy farmers have also complained about Canadian policies that priced the U.S. out of the market for some dairy powders and allowed Canada to flood world markets with its own versions. The new agreement would end the discriminatory pricing and restrict Canadian exports of dairy powders. Still, it's in some respects an incremental advance from the Pacific deal that Trump walked away from. It would expand U.S. access to up to 3.75 percent of the Canadian dairy market, versus 3.25 percent in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Above that level, U.S. dairy farmers will still face Canada's punishing tariffs. ___ TRUMP: "As one primary aspect, it will transform North America back into a manufacturing powerhouse." - remarks Monday. THE FACTS: North America already is a manufacturing powerhouse. The United States ranks No. 2 in the world behind China in manufacturing output. Mexico ranks 11th and Canada 13th, according to U.N. numbers pulled together by the Brookings Institution. ___ TRUMP: "I think my biggest concession was making the deal, because we could have done it a different way. But it would have been nasty, and it wouldn't have been nice, and I don't want to have that." - remarks Monday. THE FACTS: Other concessions were made, as is typically the case in trade agreements. For one, the "supply management" system Canada uses to protect its farmers would remain largely intact. For another, 2.6 million passenger vehicles from Canada and Mexico each would be exempt from tariffs of up to 25 percent that he has been threatening to impose on imported cars, trucks and auto parts. And Canada prevailed in insisting that a NAFTA dispute-resolution process be retained. The U.S. wanted to get rid of it. ___ Associated Press writers Linda Johnson in Trenton, New Jersey, and Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck BERLIN (AP) - Thousands of environmentalists are protesting the expansion of a coal mine in western Germany a day after a court blocked the felling of an endangered forest near the site. The mood Saturday at Hambacher Forest near Cologne was celebratory as thousands expressed relief over the court's temporary halt to the clearing of Hambach Forest. The Muenster administrative court issued a temporary halt Friday after an environmental group argued the forest deserves protected status because of the bats that live there. Energy company RWE wants to expand its adjacent lignite strip mine. The standoff between police and protesters - some of whom have camped for months in tree houses - has made the ancient woodland a cause celebre for environmentalists. The German government wants to phase out coal in the long term. People attend a demonstration close to the forest 'Hambacher Forst' in Kerpen, western Germany, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. Thousands of environmentalists have come together for a protest against the expansion of a coal mine in western Germany a day after a court blocked the feeling of an endangered forest there. (Christophe Gateau/dpa via AP) People attend a demonstration close to the forest 'Hambacher Forst' in Kerpen, western Germany, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. Thousands of environmentalists have come together for a protest against the expansion of a coal mine in western Germany a day after a court blocked the feeling of an endangered forest there. (Christophe Gateau/dpa via AP) FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2018 file photo bucket wheels dig for coal near the Hambach Forest near Dueren, Germany. On Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 a German court has ordered a temporary halt to plans to fell part of a forest in the west of the country to allow the expansion of a coal mine. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file) FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2018 file photo rolice removes activists from treehouses in the forest 'Hambacher Forst' in Kerpen, western Germany. On Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 a German court has ordered a temporary halt to plans to fell part of a forest in the west of the country to allow the expansion of a coal mine. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file) BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania's anti-corruption agency says about 36,000 people have been wiretapped during anti-corruption investigation in the last decade. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate was responding Saturday to claims made by Premier Viorica Dancila to European lawmakers that Romania's secret services had tapped "millions of Romanians," suggesting the agency had overreached in prosecuting graft. The agency said it had been granted mandates to intercept 36,400 people in the past 11 years. It said it was releasing the information because of suspicions that millions had been under surveillance as part of Romania's efforts to fight graft. Dancila took part in a European Parliament panel this week to discuss the rule of law. The government is undertaking a contentious overhaul of the judiciary that critics say will make it harder to tackle endemic graft. CAIRO (AP) - An Egyptian judge has slapped a travel ban on a former presidential candidate and rights lawyer over an ongoing investigation into funding for civil society groups. Investigating Judge Hisham Abdel Meguid issued the ban Saturday, the latest in a series of similar steps targeting rights lawyers critical of the government of general-turned-president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, which has placed draconian restrictions on the work of rights and pro-democracy groups. Khaled Ali unsuccessfully ran in the 2012 presidential election won by an Islamist, Mohammed Morsi, who was ousted a year later by the military, then led by el-Sissi. Ali declared his intention to run in presidential elections earlier this year, but he quit the race in the face of intimidation and harassment of his supporters. Running virtually unchallenged, el-Sissi comfortably won the vote. In a story Oct. 6 about the conviction of a white Chicago police officer in the death of black teenager Laquan McDonald, The Associated Press erroneously reported that another black teen, Michael Brown, was killed by a white officer in Missouri in August 2013. Brown was killed by the officer in August 2014. A corrected version of the story is below: Chicago verdict raises hope of greater police accountability Black Lives Matter activists say Chicago verdict raises hopes that police will be held more accountable in future By ERRIN HAINES WHACK AP National Writer A rare scene in the American justice system unfolded Friday in a Chicago courthouse: A white officer stood before a mostly white jury and was convicted of killing a black teenager. It was the second such verdict nationally in two months. Jason Van Dyke's guilty conviction for second-degree murder and multiple counts of aggravated battery for fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times came two months after a Texas officer was convicted in the killing of a 15-year-old unarmed black boy. The pair of guilty verdicts could signal a shift in momentum after years of delayed arrests, non-indictments and not guilty verdicts. Activists and advocates say that their efforts, along with the ubiquity of cellphone camera evidence, could be changing the power balance between police and black communities. "We're starting to see some verdicts that are in line with justice," said Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, a civil rights group that has supported electing reform-minded district attorneys in cities such as Chicago and Philadelphia. "No verdict is going to bring Laquan back or change the way he was taken from his family, friends or community. But being able to start sending a message to law enforcement that they are not above the law is important." It was not an outcome some expected, despite evidence including a video of McDonald's shooting. It is extremely rare for police officers to be tried and convicted of murder for shootings that occurred while they were on duty. Before the conviction Friday, only six non-federal police officers had been convicted of murder in such cases - and four of those were overturned - since 2005, according to data compiled by criminologist and Bowling Green State University professor Phil Stinson. Several cases in the past few years - including the police-involved deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Eric Garner in New York; Tamir Rice in Cleveland; and Freddie Gray in Baltimore - have ended in disappointment for many in the black community, as white officers have gone unpunished in their deaths. Black Lives Matter built momentum from that outrage after 18-year-old Brown, who was unarmed, was fatally shot by a white Ferguson police officer in August 2014. Fueled by social media and nightly street protests, thousands of young people pressed for change in how police deal with black communities. Protests spread around the country when other African-Americans were killed by police. They demanded arrests, indictments, convictions and police reform. The Justice Department investigated multiple police departments and found patterns of racial discrimination. The McDonald case fueled a racially charged atmosphere in Chicago, and the city anticipated violence if the verdict had gone the other way. Police officers lined the streets and activists converged downtown in anticipation of the verdict. "If jurors would not convict a police officer who shot a man ... 16 times, when that man was not threatening the officer in any way, when would they convict?" said Georgetown University law professor and former federal prosecutor Paul Butler. "The concern was that it was a very real possibility, based on the way these cases usually go. If the jurors hadn't convicted Van Dyke, it would have been an outrage, but it would have been a familiar outrage." Van Dyke, 40, was the first Chicago officer to be convicted of murder for an on-duty shooting in 48 years. He was taken into custody moments after the verdict was read. It culminated a series of events that convulsed Chicago in the aftermath of the 2014 shooting. City officials resisted for months releasing a dashboard camera video that showed Van Dyke fire 16 shots at the teenager, who was walking away from officers. Police said McDonald was armed only with a small knife. The city erupted in protest after the video became public. Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired the police superintendent and a Justice Department investigation found a "pervasive cover-up culture" in the Chicago Police Department, which is headed for federal reforms. The Cook County district attorney, Anita Alvarez, was ousted from office in the 2016 primary election for failing to seek timely charges against Van Dyke. This summer, Emanuel announced that he would not seek re-election as strained relations with the black community took its toll on his political prospects. The verdict marks one step in the fight for racial justice and progress, said Charlene Carruthers, an activist and the founding national director of Black Youth Project 100. "We still have a lot more work to do," Carruthers said. "This is a moment where people are seeing that the blue wall that exists in Chicago has a crack in it. This is an opportunity to continue our organizing and act on the visionary demands that we have to transform our community." Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson called the verdict a "small sign of progress" in Chicago, which leads the nation's largest cities in police-involved killings. "The people's cup has run over with these police violations of people's rights," he said. "People were hoping for the best and expecting the worst." Jackson lamented the lack of diversity on the jury - which had a lone African-American, although blacks make up a third of Chicago's population - and wondered whether Van Dyke's conviction would overshadow the need for overall reform. "They were killing before, and subsequently," Jackson said. "The system continues unabated." But activist Robinson says the recent verdict sends a message to police and others in power. "Those in power know there will be consequences for not valuing black lives." ___ Whack is The Associated Press' national writer on race and ethnicity. Follow her work on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/emarvelous. JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel announced new restrictions on Gaza Saturday, weeks after the territory's Hamas rulers stepped up protests along the enclave's land and sea borders with Israel. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has ordered the permissible zone for Gaza fishermen to be scaled down from nine to six nautical miles and threatened "additional steps if the violent incidents continue," according to a statement by COGAT, the Israeli defense body that coordinates civil affairs for the Palestinian territories. Other measures could include more restrictions at Kerem Shalom, Gaza's prime commercial crossing point and the only one with Israel. Lieberman cited Friday's "riots" at the fence dividing Gaza and Israel as contributing to his decision, in addition to the midweek beach protests in which fishing boats and protesters gather at the northwest end of the Gaza Strip where its sea and land barriers meet with Israel. Hamas seized Gaza forcibly from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 after winning legislative elections a year earlier. The Islamic militant group has since March initiated protests on a weekly basis, demanding an end to an Israeli-Egyptian blockade that has made it increasingly difficult for the group to govern. Hamas accuses Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who governs parts of the West Bank, of thwarting regional efforts to reach a Gaza cease-fire that could ease the closure. Relatives of 12-year-old Palestinian boy, Fares Sersawi, who was killed by Israeli troops on Friday's protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, mourn over his body at the family home during his funeral in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) Hamas has in response escalated and intensified the protests recently, adding locations and leading night gatherings near the fence where activists use sound bombs and laser lights to distract soldiers. On Friday, three Palestinians, among them a 13-year-old boy, were killed by Israeli troops during protests at five locations along the frontier. Israel said the demonstrators threw grenades at the soldiers, adding that they also tore at parts of the fence with bolt cutters. At least 148 Palestinians either participating or present at the marches were killed by Israeli fire have been killed since the protests began in March, including 33 under the age of 18 years. A Gaza sniper shot dead an Israeli soldier in August. Relatives of 12-year-old Palestinian boy, Fares Sersawi, who was killed by Israeli troops on Friday's protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, mourn over his body at the family home during his funeral in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) Relatives of 12-year-old Palestinian boy, Fares Sersawi, who was killed by Israeli troops on Friday's protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, mourn around his body at the family home during his funeral in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) Mourners carry the body of 12-year-old Palestinian boy, Fares Sersawi, who was killed by Israeli troops on Friday's protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, out of the family home during his funeral in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) A protester takes photos while others run for cover from teargas fired by Israeli troops while others burn tires near the fence of the Gaza Strip border with Israel during a protest east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians, including a 13-year-old boy, as thousands of people protested Friday along the fence dividing the Gaza Strip and Israel, Gaza's Health Ministry said. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) Medics and protesters evacuate a wounded youth from near the fence of the Gaza Strip border with Israel during a protest east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians, including a 13-year-old boy, as thousands of people protested Friday along the fence dividing the Gaza Strip and Israel, Gaza's Health Ministry said. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) A protester hurls stones at Israeli troops while others burn tires near the fence of the Gaza Strip border with Israel, during a protest east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians, including a 13-year-old boy, as thousands of people protested Friday along the fence dividing the Gaza Strip and Israel, Gaza's Health Ministry said. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) A protester pulls burning tire near the fence of the Gaza Strip border with Israel, during a protest east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians, including a 13-year-old boy, as thousands of people protested Friday along the fence dividing the Gaza Strip and Israel, Gaza's Health Ministry said. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) LONDON (AP) - The Latest on Britain's divorce from the European Union (all times local): 3:50 p.m. Top European Union official Donald Tusk sees a chance that an initial agreement on Britain's turbulent departure from the 28-nation bloc could be signed still this year. EU Council President Tusk said Saturday that at the Oct. 17 EU summit, both Britain and the EU will try to finish their debates or at least bring their positions close. If necessary, a dedicated council meeting could follow in November. Tusk said he believes there 's a "chance that before the year's end such a (Brexit) agreement can be achieved." He said he hopes the terms will help minimize "losses" from Brexit on both sides. Tusk was in Krakow, in his native Poland, addressing a conference that debated the role of the Catholic Church in the process of European integration. European Council President Donald Tusk, left, and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar arrive before their meeting at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys) ___ 12:15 p.m. The chances of Britain and the European Union striking a Brexit deal on their divorce are rising, one of the bloc's leaders said, amid reports the two sides are moving closer on the fraught issue of the Irish border. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told three Austrian newspapers in comments published Saturday that "the rapprochement potential between both sides has increased in recent days." Negotiations faltered after the EU said last month that British Prime Minister Theresa May's proposal for post-Brexit economic relations was unacceptable. But officials have been meeting behind the scenes before a key summit in Brussels on Oct. 17 and 18. EU leaders say there needs to be major progress at the meeting for there to be a deal before Britain leaves the bloc on March 29. FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 file photo, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker delivers his State of Union speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France. In comments published on Saturday Oct. 6, 2018, Jean-Claude Juncker said the chances of Britain and the bloc striking a Brexit deal are rising, amid reports the two sides are moving closer on the fraught issue of the Irish border. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File) PARIS (AP) - Hundreds of people, many wearing orange to evoke life vests, have demonstrated in Paris in support of a private humanitarian ship that rescues migrants making the dangerous voyage to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. Saturday's demonstrators at the Place de la Republique carried signs reading "Saving lives: A duty not a crime," ''Save the Aquarius," and other slogans backing the ship. The Aquarius' operator, SOS Mediterranee, is urging European governments to find a new flag for the ship after Panama's maritime authority removed its registration. The aid group says without a flag, the ship will have to stay in port. French television also showed dozens protesting in the northern city of Lille. Migrant sea arrivals to Europe are sharply down this year but the issue of immigration is a hot political topic. RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Brazilians will go to the polls Sunday at a time when the economy is only slowly recovering from a prolonged recession and more than 13 million people remain out of work. Here is a look at the main economic issues at stake: ___ PENSION REFORM President Michel Temer had hoped to pare back Brazil's generous pension system to lower the country's deficit, but his proposal to raise the retirement age led to nationwide protests and ended up flailing in Congress. Economists agree the next president will have to tackle this issue. Far-right congressman and poll-leader Jair Bolsonaro has proposed allowing workers to pay into individual retirement accounts. If employers decide to use such a system, they would be allowed to decrease employee benefits. FILE - In this April 19, 2018 file photo, presidential hopeful, conservative Brazilian lawmaker Jair Bolsonaro flashes two thumbs up as he poses for a photo with cadets during a ceremony marking Army Day, in Brasilia, Brazil. For many Brazilians, Bolsonaro's candidacy in Sunday's Oct. 7 vote has long provoked fears because of his penchant for waxing nostalgic about the country's 1964-1985 dictatorship, along with his steady stream of derogatory comments about women, blacks, indigenous peoples and gays. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File) Workers' Party candidate Fernando Haddad, who is in second place, has rejected the idea of cutting pension benefits and says that he would reduce the deficit by growing the economy and creating more formal contracts for workers. Center-left candidate Ciro Gomes and Sustainability Party candidate Marina Silva both favor a sort of individual retirement account system. Center-right candidate Geraldo Alckmin says he will create a single pension system for everyone and establish a more rigid minimum retirement age. ___ TAX REFORM High tax rates and convoluted bureaucratic processes have made Brazil a hard place to do business, according to a World Bank report that ranked the South American nation 184 out of 190 countries under the rubric of 'Paying Taxes.' Bolsonaro has vowed to cut taxes and rejected his own financial adviser's suggestion of a tax on financial transactions. Haddad plans to fund social programs and eliminate income taxes for the poorest by increasing rates for the super-rich. The leftist has also proposed gradually replacing other taxes with a value-added tax. Gomes proposes taxing the rich to invest in education and social programs, while Silva says she'd avoid the need to raise taxes by curbing public spending and combatting corruption. Alckmin of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party also wants to replace many taxes with a value-added tax. ___ LABOR LAWS Last year, Congress loosened Brazil's strict labor laws, allowing for more flexible working hours and optional contributions to unions. Bolsonaro plans to let employees entering the labor market decide between following the new labor laws or negotiating their own contracts. Both Haddad and Gomes have denounced the labor reform as an attack on workers' rights and want to replace it with more labor-friendly legislation. Silva told Globo News she would largely maintain the labor reform but scratch "draconian" measures like forcing pregnant or breast-feeding employees to work in potentially unsanitary conditions. Alckmin has said he will "not repeal any of the labor reform's key measures." ___ PRIVATIZATION Some say that many of Brazil's 149 state-owned companies should be privatized, arguing they are inefficient and subject to corruption, as shown by a multi-billion dollar kickback scheme centered on Petrobras. Others worry about too much foreign involvement in Brazil's most strategic industries. Bolsonaro has said he wants to privatize many state-owned companies, but would exempt the banks Caixa Economica and Banco do Brasil. Haddad plans to limit privatizations, saying state companies are vital for the country's development. Gomes' economic adviser said his party would consider privatizing about half of state-controlled companies while keeping Petrobras, Banco do Brasil and the electricity company Eletrobras in state hands. Silva wants to keep Petrobras, Banco do Brasil and Caixa Economica public, and would analyze the benefits of privatizing other companies. Alckmin has said he doesn't trust the state to run businesses and wants to sell many to make the economy more efficient. However, he says he would not privatize Petrobras and Banco do Brasil. FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2018 file photo, presidential candidate for the Workers Party, Fernando Haddad, flashes a victory sign to supporters during a campaign event with women in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Haddad has promised to cut income taxes for workers making less than $1,216 a month and raise taxes on the rich for offset a drop in revenue. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File) FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2018 file photo, Brazil's presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Party and former governor of Sao Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, attends an interview with foreign journalists, in Brasilia, Brazil. The darling of the markets, Alckmin, has largely faded from contention for the upcoming Oct. 7 elections, despite major party support and more free air time than any other candidate. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File) Ciro Gomes, presidential candidate with the Democratic Labor Party, speaks to supporters during a visit to the Rocinha slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. The night before, during a presidential debate, Gomes said that electing the far-right hopeful would be like dancing near an abyss. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) BEIRUT (AP) - Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist who disappeared last week after a visit to his country's consulate in Turkey, was a Saudi insider. He was a close aide to the kingdom's former spy chief and a leading voice in the country's prominent dailies, including the main English newspapers. Now the 59-year-old journalist and contributor to The Washington Post is feared dead, and Turkish authorities believe he was slain inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, something Saudi officials vehemently deny. The U.S.-educated Khashoggi was no stranger to controversy. A graduate of Indiana State University, Khashoggi began his career in the 1980s, covering the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and the decade-long war that followed for the English-language daily Saudi Gazette. He traveled extensively in the Middle East, covering Algeria's 1990s war against Islamic militants, and the Islamists rise in Sudan. He interviewed Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan before al-Qaida was formed, then met him in Sudan in 1995. Following bin Laden's rise likely helped cement Khashoggi's ties with the powerful former Saudi spy chief, Turki Al-Faisal. Khashoggi rubbed shoulders with the Saudi royal family and supported efforts to nudge the kingdom's entrenched ultra-conservative clerics to accept reforms. He served as an editor for nine years on the Islamist-leaning al-Madina newspaper and was frequently quoted in the Western media as an expert on Islamic radicals and a reformist voice. FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2014 file photo, Jamal Khashoggi, then general manager of a new Arabic news channel speaks during a press conference, in Manama, Bahrain. Khashoggi was a Saudi insider. He rubbed shoulders with the Saudi royal family and supported its efforts to nudge the entrenched ultraconservative clerics to accept reforms. He was a close aide to the kingdom's former spy chief and was a leading voice in the country's prominent dailies. In a dramatic twist of fate, Khashoggi disappeared on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, after visiting his country's consulate in Istanbul and may have been killed there. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File) However, he was fired from his post as an editor at Al-Watan, a liberal paper founded after the 9/11 terror attacks, just two months after he took the job in 2003. The country's ultra-conservative clerics had pushed back against his criticism of the powerful religious police and Ibn Taymiyah, a medieval cleric viewed as the spiritual forefather of Wahhabism, the conservative interpretation of Islam that is the founding tenant of the kingdom. Khoshaggi then served as media adviser to Al-Faisal, the former spy chief who was at the time the ambassador to the United States. Khashoggi returned to Al-Watan in 2007 where he continued his criticism of the clerics as the late King Abdullah implemented cautious reforms to try to shake their hold. Three years later, he was forced to resign again after a series of articles criticizing Salafism, the ultra-conservative Sunni Islam movement from which Wahhabism stems. In 2010, Saudi billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal tapped him to lead his new TV station, touted as a rival to Qatari-funded Al-Jazeera, a staunch critic of the kingdom. But the new Al-Arab station, based in Bahrain, was shut down hours after it launched in 2015 for hosting a Bahraini opposition figure. Khoshaggi's final break with the Saudi authorities followed the Arab Spring protests that swept through the region in 2011, shaking the power base of traditional leaders and giving rise to Islamists, only to be followed by unprecedented crackdowns on those calling for change. Siding with the opposition in Egypt and Syria, Khashoggi became a vocal critic of his own government's stance there and a defender of moderate Islamists, which Riyadh considered an existential threat. "This was a critical period in Arab history. I had to take a position. The Arab world had waited for this moment of freedom for a thousand years," Khashoggi told a Turkey-based Syrian opposition television station, just days before he disappeared. He also criticized his government's diplomatic break with Qatar and war on Yemen as well as Riyadh's policy toward its archenemy, Iran, whose influence has grown in neighboring Yemen and in Syria. In the Sept. 23 interview, he called Saudi Arabia's foreign policy "narrow minded," and ridiculed its crackdown on political Islam, urging the kingdom to realign its policy to partner with Turkey, a close Qatar ally. "Saudi is the mother and father of political Islam. It is based on political Islam," Khoshaggi said. "The only recipe to get Iranians out of Syria - it is not Trump or anyone else- it is through the support of the Syrian revolution. ... Saudi Arabia must return to supporting the Syrian revolution and partnering with Turkey on this." Eight days later, on Oct. 2, he disappeared while on a visit to the consulate in Istanbul for paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancee. The consulate insists the writer left its premises alive, contradicting Turkish officials. Before his disappearance, Khoshaggi had been living since last year in the U.S. in a self-imposed exile, after he fled the kingdom amid a crackdown on intellectuals and activists who criticized policies of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. "As of now, I would say Mohammed bin Salman is acting like Putin. He is imposing very selective justice," Khashoggi wrote in the Post last year after he fled the kingdom, saying he feared returning home. He described "dramatic" scenes of arrest of government critics accused of receiving Qatari funding. They included a friend of Khashoggi who was had just returned from a trip to the U.S. as part of an official Saudi delegation. "That is how breathtakingly fast you can fall out of favor with Saudi Arabia," he wrote. FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2011 file photo, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi speaks on his cellphone at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Khashoggi was a Saudi insider. He rubbed shoulders with the Saudi royal family and supported its efforts to nudge the entrenched ultraconservative clerics to accept reforms. He was a close aide to the kingdom's former spy chief and was a leading voice in the country's prominent dailies. In a dramatic twist of fate, Khashoggi disappeared on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, after visiting his country's consulate in Istanbul and may have been killed there. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File) Holding pictures of missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, people gather in his support, near the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018. Khashoggi, a 59-year-old veteran journalist who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. since Prince Mohammed's rise to power, disappeared Oct. 2 while on a visit to the consulate to get paperwork done to be married to his Turkish fiancee. The Saudi Consulate insists Khashoggi left its building, contradicting Turkish officials who say they believe he is still there. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Trump apologizes to Kavanaugh during swearing-in ceremony WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in -again, for the cameras, this time - Monday night at a White House ceremony, but not before President Donald Trump slammed Kavanaugh's opponents for a "campaign of personal destruction." In a ceremony that could have been a unifying moment for the nation, Trump instead delivered remarks that even he acknowledged began "differently than perhaps any other event of such magnitude." "On behalf of our nation, I want to apologize to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure," Trump said, addressing the bitter partisan fight over Kavanaugh's nomination that became a firestorm after the emergence of sexual misconduct allegations, which Kavanaugh emphatically denied. With all the sitting justices in attendance, along with Kavanaugh's family and top admiration officials, Trump said Kavanaugh had been the victim of a "campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception." But, he told the new justice, "You, sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent." Critics have argued the investigation was not thorough enough to merit that conclusion. ___ Cuomo says limo shouldn't have been on road; victims mourned SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (AP) - The supersized limousine that crashed and killed 20 people outside a country store failed a safety inspection last month and shouldn't have been on the road, and the driver wasn't properly licensed, New York's governor said Monday. The state moved to shut down the owner, Prestige Limousine, as state and federal authorities investigated the cause of Saturday's wreck in Schoharie. The company said it was taking its cars off the road while conducting its own probe into the crash. The crash about 170 miles north of New York City came three years after another deadly stretch-limo wreck in New York state spurred calls for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to examine such vehicles' safety. There is no evidence the state took any steps to do so. As victims' relatives tried to come to grips with the tragedy that happened as a group of friends and family were on their way to a 30th birthday party, authorities had yet to say how fast the limo was going or determine why it failed to stop and sped off the road at the bottom of a long hill. The 19-seater vehicle had at least some seat belts, but it was unclear whether anyone was wearing them, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt said. ___ Sprint to Nov. 6: The race to frame the Kavanaugh story WASHINGTON (AP) - Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court fired the starting pistol for the final sprint to Election Day in the United States, with control of the House and Senate at stake. The nation's reckoning with power and who to believe about sexual misconduct has generated a new anger factor among the electorate and made the Nov. 6 balloting a referendum on more than President Donald Trump. What to watch over the final four weeks: ___ KAVANAUGH, TO THE COURT ___ 10 minutes of terror: A quake, a tsunami and a missing son PALU, Indonesia (AP) - The Muslim call to prayer had just started echoing across the Indonesian city of Palu when Musrifah's home began to shake violently. Family photos fell from the walls. Dishes and glasses crashed to the floor. A television smashed onto the white tiles of their living room, prompting Musrifah to scoop her 2-year-old son into her arms. Seconds later, the concrete sides of their one-story house cracked, then crumbled, filling the air inside with pale clouds of dust. "Mommy!" the terrified boy cried, his body trembling as his hands pressed into her back. "Don't worry," she told him. "I'm here." ___ Carbon tax gets renewed attention but still faces resistance Advocates of taxing fossil fuels believe their position is stronger now because of an alarming new report on climate change and a Nobel Prize awarded to by two American economists, but neither development is likely to break down political resistance to a carbon tax. Previous alarms about global warming met with resistance from Congress and the White House. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris agreement on climate change last year. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a panel of scientists brought together by the United Nations, warned in a report Monday that droughts, wildfires, coral reef destruction and other climate and environmental disasters could grow worse as soon as 2040, even with a smaller increase in temperatures than used to set the Paris targets. A few hours later, the Nobel Prize in economics went to two Americans, including William Nordhaus of Yale University, who argues that carbon taxes would be the best way to address problems created by greenhouse-gas emissions. A carbon tax is a charge imposed on the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas, which produce carbon dioxide. The tax is designed to make users of those fuels pay for the environmental damage they cause. The ultimate goal of some tax backers is to price fossil fuels out of the market and replace them with sources of energy that produce little or no heat-trapping emissions. ___ US Gulf Coast bracing for 'monstrous' Hurricane Michael MIAMI (AP) - Residents of Florida's Panhandle frantically filled sandbags, boarded up homes and secured boats Monday as they anxiously awaited Hurricane Michael, which forecasters warned could smash into the state's Gulf Coast as a dangerous major hurricane within days. Fueled by warm tropical waters, Michael gained new strength by nightfall and could reach major hurricane status with winds topping 111 mph (179 kph) before its anticipated landfall Wednesday on the Panhandle or Big Bend area of Florida, forecasters warn. Florida Gov. Rick Scott called Michael a "monstrous hurricane" with a devastating potential from high winds, storm surge and heavy rains. Scott declared a state of emergency for 35 Florida counties from the Panhandle to Tampa Bay, activated hundreds of Florida National Guard members and waived tolls to encourage those near the coast to evacuate inland. Scott also said Monday afternoon that state health officials are reaching out to hospitals and nursing homes to be prepared. Following Hurricane Irma last year, 14 people died when a South Florida nursing home lost power and air conditioning. Of the elderly and infirm patients, Scott had a blunt message for their caregivers: "If you're responsible for a patient, you're responsible for the patient. Take care of them." ___ Reprieve for Rosenstein: Trump says he's not firing official WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump declared a reprieve Monday for Rod Rosenstein, saying he has no plans to fire his deputy attorney general whose future has been the source of intense speculation for two weeks. "I'm not making any changes," Trump told reporters as he returned to the White House after traveling with Rosenstein to an international police chiefs' conference in Florida. "We just had a very nice talk. We actually get along." The flight provided an opportunity for their most extensive conversation since news reports last month that Rosenstein had discussed the possibilities in early 2017 of secretly recording Trump to expose chaos in the White House and invoking constitutional provisions to have him removed from office. Those reports triggered an avalanche of speculation about the future of Rosenstein - and also the special counsel's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. The deputy attorney general appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller to his special counsel post and closely oversees his work. Trump said earlier in the day that he had "a very good relationship" with Rosenstein and was eager to speak with him aboard Air Force One on the flight to Florida. They did talk, for about 45 minutes, but not alone, a White House spokesman said. The subjects: violent crime in Chicago, support for local law enforcement, border security, the conference they were flying to and "general DOJ business," spokesman Hogan Gidley said without elaboration. ___ Brazil leans toward unsparing vision of far-right Bolsonaro RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - The far-right former army captain who looks likely to become Brazil's next president promised nothing short of a complete overhaul of Latin America's largest nation, vowing Monday to combat the evils of corruption by gutting government ministries and privatizing state companies. He also pledged to promote traditional values that would roll back the rights of gays and other minorities. With his pledge of "Brazil above all," Jair Bolsonaro has catapulted from the fringes of Congress, where he served as a member of marginal parties for 27 years, to a stone's throw from the presidency. A rabble rouser who has reminisced fondly about dictatorship and promised an all-out war on drugs and crime, he just missed outright victory in Sunday's vote and will face former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad of the leftist Workers' Party in an Oct. 28 runoff. Bolsonaro only needs a few more points to secure victory, and Haddad's supporters vowed Monday to launch a tough fight to make up ground after their candidate finished a distant second. The election was a seismic shift for this nation of more than 200 million people, where the left has won the past four elections but deep divisions have opened in the wake of a massive corruption scandal and the 2016 impeachment of then-President Dilma Rousseff. Brazil's move fits into a global trend among voters - in the United States and Europe, among other places - who are choosing anti-establishment and often far-right or populist candidates who target minorities and promise a return to "traditional values." "The evils and damages of corruption hurt the people in many ways. It's they who don't have a bed in the hospital, who don't have security in the streets or money in their pockets," Bolsonaro tweeted Monday. "A corrupt government encourages crime in all spheres." ___ Netflix to bring new US production hub to New Mexico ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Netflix has chosen New Mexico as the site of a new U.S. production hub and is in final negotiations to buy an existing multimillion-dollar studio complex on the edge of the state's largest city, government and corporate leaders announced Monday. It's the company's first purchase of such a property, and upcoming production work in Albuquerque and at other spots around New Mexico is forecast to result in $1 billion in spending over the next decade. More than $14 million in state and local economic development funding is being tapped to bring Netflix to New Mexico. Republican Gov. Susana Martinez and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, a Democrat, touted the investment and said lengthy efforts to put New Mexico on the movie-making map are paying off. "This is awesome," the governor told dozens of people gathered inside a cavernous sound stage at ABQ Studios. "This massive investment will have a huge impact of course on New Mexico and continue our efforts to grow and diversify the economy." Martinez acknowledged the state's reliance on federal funding and oil and gas development, saying more needs to be done to encourage diverse ventures such as Netflix as the private sector is the backbone of the American economy. ___ Saints' Brees becomes NFL's all-time yards passing leader NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Drew Brees has become the NFL's all-time leader in yards passing - and he did it in style. The 39-year-old Brees eclipsed Peyton Manning's previous record of 71,940 yards with a 62-yard touchdown pass to rookie Tre'Quan Smith during the second quarter of Monday night's game against the Washington Redskins. After the record-breaking completion, officials stopped the game and the game ball was handed over to Pro Football Hall of Fame officials on the sideline while the Superdome crowd offered a standing ovation. Brees removed his helmet, held out his arm to salute the crowd and hugged his wife, Brittany, and children on the sideline. "I love you guys so much," Brees said while hugging his three boys as Brittany held their daughter nearby. "You can accomplish anything in life if you're willing to work for it." Brees entered the game needing 201 yards for the record. He passed for 250 by halftime, completing 17 of 20 passes, including two TD tosses and no interceptions, as his fellow athletes saluted him on social media. WASHINGTON (AP) - Death threats drove Hadi Mohammed out of Iraq and to a small apartment in Nebraska, where he and his two young sons managed to settle as refugees. But the danger hasn't been enough to allow his wife to join them. Mohammed, who worked as a security guard for the U.S. military in Baghdad, says he was initially told his wife would be reunited with him and the boys within a month. The wait has now dragged on for more than a year as she goes through stricter screening imposed by the Trump administration. Mohammed says it's been an agonizing wait, especially for his 9-year-old son. "Every night he cries about mom, I need mom," he said in halting English as he sat on a couch with the boy in their apartment in Lincoln, Nebraska. Tens of thousands of people are experiencing similar anguished waits as the number of refugees entering the U.S. falls to historic lows because of tighter scrutiny that administration officials say is necessary for security. Critics say it amounts to an abandonment of the country's historic humanitarian role and discriminates against certain groups, particularly Muslims. The U.S. admitted 22,491 refugees in the budget year that ended Sept. 30. That's one-quarter of the number allowed to enter two years ago and the lowest since Congress passed a law in 1980 creating the modern resettlement system. It was less than half the maximum that the administration had said it would allow, even with millions of people seeking to escape war and famine around the world. In this Sept. 29, 2018 photo, Hadi Mohammed sits with his 9 year old son Mohammed Ghaleb, as he displays a photo of his son as a baby in Baghdad, in their Lincoln, Neb. apartment. Death threats drove Hadi Mohammed out of Iraq and to a small apartment in Nebraska, where he and his two young sons managed to settle as refugees. But the danger hasn't been enough to allow his wife to join them. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) "It's unfortunate for the refugees who could have come this year and didn't," said Jen Smyers with Church World Service, an organization that supports refugees and immigrants. "But these low numbers also show the U.S. turning away from a global leadership role on this issue." Last month, the cap was set even lower, at 30,000, for the new budget year. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the time the U.S. remained "the most generous nation in the world when it comes to protection-based immigration" but that the government needed to work through a backlog of pending asylum cases and support efforts to resettle people closer to home, so they can eventually return. Behind the reduction are more stringent security protocols for citizens of 11 countries designated by the administration as presenting the greatest potential threat. People from four of them - Iraq, Iran, Syria and Somalia - made up 41 percent of refugees allowed into the U.S. in 2016 and 2017. Now, they make up just 2 percent as people such as Mohammed's wife, whose name he does not want to publicize out of fear for her safety, face much lengthier background checks. Mohammed, 52, provided security at American military bases in central Baghdad and just north of the Iraqi capital from 2008 to 2014. After a five-year wait, he received word that he had been approved to come to the U.S. as a refugee in June 2017 with his sons. The family was told the wife would be approved soon. In correspondence from the State Department, his wife was told that her application was undergoing "additional administrative processing" but gave little other information. "Unfortunately, we cannot predict how long this administrative review will take." Another Iraqi, who worked as a translator for the U.S. military and now lives in Utah, said he has been waiting for two years to get his mother and brothers to join him. "If my brother is killed ... I will spend the rest of my life blaming myself for putting my family in harm's way," said the 41-year-old man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he fears for his family's safety in Iraq. The State Department acknowledges that the screening and vetting procedures have resulted in fewer refugee admissions in 2018. The tighter screening of refugees reflects one of the signature issues for President Donald Trump, who imposed a travel ban on people from seven majority Muslim countries as one of his first actions upon taking office in January 2017. The Department of Homeland Security has made it harder to enter the U.S. entirely, with more rigorous interviews and background checks. Administration officials say refugee applicants are now subject to strictest, most comprehensive background check process for any group seeking to come to the U.S. Officials collect more data on refugee applicants and conduct higher-level security vetting. Officers have been given training on how to determine credibility. Fraud detection and national security officers now come oversees with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services teams who are processing refugees. Officials say the security changes may lead to temporary slowdowns in admissions but it wouldn't be permanent and the U.S. continues to help the world's most vulnerable people. Administration officials say the U.S. remains at the forefront of helping those fleeing persecution, and they note that from the 2008 budget year to 2017, the U.S. gave lawful permanent resident status to 1.7 million people for humanitarian reasons. "We will continue to assist the world's most vulnerable while never losing sight of our first duty, serving the American people," Pompeo said last month. In his speech to the United Nations last month, Trump highlighted his administration's approach as he singled out Jordan, which has taken in at least 650,000 refugees from Syria since the war in their country started in 2011. "The most compassionate policy is to place refugees as close to their homes as possible to ease their eventual return to be part of the rebuilding process," he said. In choosing who can enter as a refugee, the administration is also showing a preference for people from countries that don't have a majority Muslim population. Refugees from Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo made up more than 46 percent of refugee admissions in 2018, compared with 22 percent in 2016. The number of Muslim refugees allowed into the U.S. also has dropped. Christians made up 63 percent of all refugee admissions in 2018, compared with 40 percent in 2017. Muslims, who had been 42 percent of all refugee admissions in 2017, were only 14 percent in 2018. There were 140 Iraqis accepted during the just-ended budget year, down from 6,886 the year before. Mohammed's son says his father is lost without his mother: He can't cook, he can't take care of the children very well alone and they need her. Plus, they're afraid of what will happen if she doesn't leave Baghdad. Mohammed worries she could be a target because he provided security at U.S. military bases. "For my family to be at peace, I need to know that my wife is safe," he said. "But I would never change my decision and return to Iraq. Coming to the United States was an answer to my prayers." ___ Associated Press data journalists Meghan Hoyer and Michelle Minkoff contributed to this report. STOCKHOLM (AP) - The Nobel prize in economics was awarded Monday to one American who has studied the economics of climate change - and to another whose research on technological innovation has raised hopes that human beings are creative enough to do something about it. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the $1 million prize to William Nordhaus of Yale University and Paul Romer of New York University. Nordhaus, who has been called "the father of climate-change economics," developed models that suggest how governments can combat global warming. One key step he has endorsed is a universal tax on carbon, which would require polluters to pay for the costs that their emissions impose on society. By using a tax rather than government edicts to slash emissions, the policy encourages companies to find innovative ways to reduce pollution - and their tax burden. Versions of a carbon tax have been used in Europe but have yet to be adopted in the United States. Romer, who has studied why some economies grow faster than others, has produced research that shows how governments can advance innovation. At a news conference Monday, Romer said his research has left him optimistic that society can solve even a threat as deeply challenging as the warming of the planet. "Many people think that dealing with protecting the environment will be so costly and so hard that they just want to ignore the problem," Romer said. "They want to deny it exists; they can't deal with it. I hope the prize today could help everyone see that humans are capable of amazing accomplishments when we set about trying to do something." FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2010 file photo, then Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Senior Fellow Paul Romer attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Two researchers at American universities have been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize for Economics. Yale University's William Nordhaus was named for integrating climate change into long term macroeconomic analysis and New York University's Paul Romer was awarded for factoring technological innovation into macroeconomics. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File) As economists, Nordhaus and Romer have worked independently of each other. But to some longtime followers of the Nobel committee, the decision to collectively honor their research seemed a logical one. "It's an ingenious pairing," said David Warsh, author of a 2007 book on Romer's research, "Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations." "Nordhaus has been concerned all along with repairing the damage" to the global environment," Warsh said. "Romer has been writing about the means at your disposal" to address such a technological challenge. Indeed, the Nobel announcement came just one day after the United Nations' scientific panel issued an urgent call for the world to take action about climate change - and explicitly cited Nordhaus' work in asserting so. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change argued Sunday that preventing an extra single degree of heat over the next few decades could make a life-or-death difference for millions of people and ecosystems on Earth. In their separate ways, the work of Nordhaus and of Romer shares an interest in what drives economic growth and how to respond when unregulated market forces fail to deliver desired results. In the 1970s, Nordhaus, already alarmed by the threat of global warming, began working on potential solutions. Gradually, he developed models to guide policymakers in balancing the economic costs and the societal benefits of combating carbon emissions. Nordhaus concluded that the most efficient approach was the use of carbon taxes, applied uniformly to different countries. Many economists have since endorsed the idea of taxing carbon. But adopting the regulatory frameworks on a global scale has proved problematic, and the world's political leaders are failing to meet it, the head of the United Nations said last month. Though many developed economies have adopted a carbon tax, the United States has not. Far from developing policies to reduce climate change, President Donald Trump has argued that the threat of human-produced climate change is a hoax concocted by China to hurt the American economy. Many Republicans in Congress have also expressed skepticism about whether or how much human beings are contributing to global warming and whether the U.S. government ought to take steps to address it. Romer explored why some countries have enjoyed faster economic growth over the long run than others. Assessing the impact of technological innovation, he concluded that unregulated economies fail to encourage enough research and development to support lasting growth. Government policies, he found, are vital. Examples include subsidies for research and development and patent policies that strike a balance between allowing inventors to profit from their ideas and allowing others to put the innovations to work. One of Romer's insights was that ideas differ from other goods or services. Once you eat a Swedish meatball, for instance, it's gone, noted Per Krusell, a Nobel committee member who is an economist at Sweden's Institute for International Studies. By contrast, an idea - say, a recipe for Swedish meatballs - can be shared and used over and over again, delivering continual economic benefits. In a 2015 appreciation of Romer, Stanford University economist Charles Jones wrote, "Ideas are not depleted by use, and it is technologically feasible for any number of people to use an idea simultaneously once it has been invented." The economics prize is the last of the Nobels to be announced this year. Last year's prize went to an American, Richard Thaler of the University of Chicago, for work on how human irrationality affects economic theory. The peace prize was awarded Friday to Denis Mukwege of Congo and Iraqi Nadia Murad for their work in drawing attention to how sexual violence is used as a weapon of war. ___ Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report. Wiseman reported from Washington. CORRECTS SOURCE ON IMAGE TO BBVA FOUNDATION FRONTIERS OF KNOWLEDGE AWARDS FROM YALE UNIVERSITY - In this undated photo provided by BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award, William Nordhaus, of Yale University, poses for a photograph. Two researchers at American universities have been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize for Economics. Nordhaus was named for integrating climate change into long term macroeconomic analysis and New York University's Paul Romer was awarded for factoring technological innovation into macroeconomics. (BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards via AP) This undated photo provided by NYU Stern School of Business shows Paul Romer. Romer and Yale University's William Nordhaus have been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize for Economics on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Nordhaus was named for integrating climate change into long term macroeconomic analysis and Romer was awarded for factoring technological innovation into macroeconomics. (NYU Stern School of Business via AP) PORT-DE-PAIX, Haiti (AP) - The death toll from a 5.9 earthquake that hit Haiti over the weekend rose to at least 15 people with 333 injured, according to updated figures released Monday by authorities, as rescue crews worked to help victims spooked by strong aftershocks. Haiti's civil protection agency said in a statement that it will soon deploy 70 soldiers to the Nord-Ouest and Artibonite provinces that were hardest hit, noting it already sent 14 soldiers along with nurses and doctors to the area over the weekend. Thousands of people along Haiti's north coast have dragged mattresses and chairs outside, fearing new aftershocks. Many wondered how they were going to rebuild from Saturday night's quake and a strong 5.2 magnitude aftershock on Sunday that had residents in the coastal city of Port-de-Paix and elsewhere worried about returning to their cracked cinderblock homes for fear they would collapse. Among them was Marc-Sena Docteur, a 24-year-old carpenter whose girlfriend died in the earthquake. "Now I'm left with a 9-month-old baby with no aid at all," he said. "I'm still crying. I don't know what I'm going to do without her." The walls of the room that the couple had been renting for a year collapsed, and he and the baby have been sleeping outdoors since the quake. Dead bodies lie at the morgue of the general hospital after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake on Sunday and a 5.2 aftershock in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck Haiti on Sunday, even as survivors of the previous day's temblor were sifting through the rubble of their cinderblock homes. The death toll stood at 12, with fears it could rise. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) Sunday's aftershock caused panic on streets where emergency teams were providing relief to victims after cinderblock homes and rickety buildings toppled in several cities. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the aftershock was located 9.8 miles (15.8 kilometers) north-northwest of Port-de-Paix. Among the dead were a 5-year-old boy crushed by his collapsing house. Impoverished Haiti, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. A vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people. Etanvie Dimorne, a 50-year-old mason, said people have to rebuild stronger given the earthquakes that have hit Haiti. He lost his home in Saturday's quake and is now sleeping under a tarp in someone's yard. "Last night it rained," he said. "I have to sleep under difficult conditions." President Jovenel Moise urged people to donate blood and asked international aid agencies to coordinate with local agencies to avoid duplicated efforts. The government did not provide an estimate of the damages. The USGS said Saturday's quake was centered 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of Port-de-Paix, which is about 136 miles (219 kilometers) from the capital of Port-au-Prince. It was felt lightly in the capital, as well as in the neighboring Dominican Republic and in eastern Cuba, where no damage was reported. In Haiti, officials have struggled to shore up buildings despite the two major fault lines along Hispaniola, which is the island shared with the Dominican Republic. The damage from the temblors was visible. In Gros-Morne, one bed was covered in rubble, while the exterior walls of some homes were cracked. Others tilted at precarious angles. Pierre Jacques Baudre, a farmer and father of seven, said he was afraid to return to his home after one wall built with rocks and cement crumbled. "The house can fall at any time," he said. The civil protection agency issued a statement saying that houses were destroyed in Port-de-Paix, Gros-Morne, Chansolme and Turtle Island. Damage was also reported at the Saint-Michel church in Plaisance and the police station in Port-de-Paix. Parts of a hospital and an auditorium collapsed in Gros-Morne, where parliamentarian Alcide Audne told The Associated Press that two of the deaths occurred. A woman who was overcome with emotion after an aftershock receives treatment outside the general hospital in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck Haiti on Sunday, even as survivors of the previous day's temblor were sifting through the rubble of their cinderblock homes. The death toll stood at 12, with fears it could rise. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) A woman overcome by emotion after an aftershock hit the area, is carried by a relative to the general hospital in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck Haiti on Sunday, even as survivors of the previous day's temblor were sifting through the rubble of their cinderblock homes. The death toll stood at 12, with fears it could rise. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) Daphney Joseph is overcome by emotion after an aftershock hit the area and is helped by relatives in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck Haiti on Sunday, even as survivors of the previous day's temblor were sifting through the rubble of their cinderblock homes. The death toll stood at 12, with fears it could rise. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) A woman overcome by emotion after an aftershock hit the area, is carried by a relative to the general hospital in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck Haiti on Sunday, even as survivors of the previous day's temblor were sifting through the rubble of their cinderblock homes. The death toll stood at 12, with fears it could rise. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) A man that was injured by an aftershock receives stitches, at the general hospital in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck Haiti on Sunday, even as survivors of the previous day's temblor were sifting through the rubble of their cinderblock homes. The death toll stood at 12, with fears it could rise. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) Dead bodies lie at the morgue of the general hospital after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake on Sunday and a 5.2 aftershock in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck Haiti on Sunday, even as survivors of the previous day's temblor were sifting through the rubble of their cinderblock homes. The death toll stood at 12, with fears it could rise. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) Daphney Joseph is overcome by emotion after an aftershock hit the area and is helped by relatives in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck Haiti on Sunday, even as survivors of the previous day's temblor were sifting through the rubble of their cinderblock homes. The death toll stood at 12, with fears it could rise. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - The far-right former army captain who looks likely to become Brazil's next president promised nothing short of a complete overhaul of Latin America's largest nation, vowing Monday to combat the evils of corruption by gutting government ministries and privatizing state companies. He also pledged to promote traditional values that would roll back the rights of gays and other minorities. With his pledge of "Brazil above all," Jair Bolsonaro has catapulted from the fringes of Congress, where he served as a member of marginal parties for 27 years, to a stone's throw from the presidency. A rabble rouser who has reminisced fondly about dictatorship and promised an all-out war on drugs and crime, he just missed outright victory in Sunday's vote and will face former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad of the leftist Workers' Party in an Oct. 28 runoff. Bolsonaro only needs a few more points to secure victory, and Haddad's supporters vowed Monday to launch a tough fight to make up ground after their candidate finished a distant second. The election was a seismic shift for this nation of more than 200 million people, where the left has won the past four elections but deep divisions have opened in the wake of a massive corruption scandal and the 2016 impeachment of then-President Dilma Rousseff. Brazil's move fits into a global trend among voters - in the United States and Europe, among other places - who are choosing anti-establishment and often far-right or populist candidates who target minorities and promise a return to "traditional values." "The evils and damages of corruption hurt the people in many ways. It's they who don't have a bed in the hospital, who don't have security in the streets or money in their pockets," Bolsonaro tweeted Monday. "A corrupt government encourages crime in all spheres." His solution? A man reads the headlines announcing the results of the Brazilian presidential election, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro just missed outright victory in Sunday's vote, and will face former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad of the leftist Workers' Party in an Oct. 28 runoff. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) "Reduce the number of ministries, get rid of and privatize state companies, fight fraud in (a popular social welfare program for low-income families) ... decentralize power giving more economic force to the states and municipalities," he said on Twitter, one of his favorite forms of communicating. Bolsonaro's Social and Liberal Party was a tiny, fringe group until the candidate began surging in the polls through his use of social media and carefully orchestrated rallies. Bolsonaro has often praised Donald Trump, and his campaign took many pages from the U.S. president's playbook, from his echoing of Trump's "America First" slogan, to bashing the mainstream media to using the candidate's adult children as proxies. Bolsonaro's party took a whopping 52 seats in the lower house of Congress - up from just one in the last election - giving it 10 percent of that house and making it the second-largest party after the Workers' Party, with 56. If elected, Bolsonaro has promised to enact a total overhaul of Brazil's government. The proposals that have attracted the most attention - and criticism - focus on how he would slash rising crime rates. Brazil has long been the world leader in homicides and it had a record 63,880 people slain last year, according the Brazilian Public Security Forum, an independent think tank. To this thorny problem, Bolsonaro has proposed simple solutions: Give police more freedom to shoot first and give ordinary people freer access to guns. Critics have expressed concern that police violence, already a major contributor to the high homicide rate, will only worsen if police are given carte blanche. "Bolsonaro is very good at picking a one-sentence summary of the issue and a one-sentence solution to the issue and then one name to resolve it," said Matthew Taylor, an associate professor of Latin American politics at American University. While Brazilians say that deteriorating security is one of their major concerns, crime - and efforts to crack down on it - have also become almost a metaphor in Bolsonaro's campaign. He has painted a Brazil not only at war with criminals but, in many ways, with itself. Bolsonaro often uses crime as a lens through which to sketch out a broad indictment of the left: What he calls its coddling policies toward the poor, marginalized and criminal and its push to protect the rights of minorities at what he says is the expense of the majority. These themes crop up in his vow to end the designation of indigenous lands, saying such reserves impede development and give special privilege to native peoples that others don't get. They are present in his education policy, where he has vowed to get "premature sexualization" out of schools, a nod to criticism from the right that "leftist ideas" like sex education have taken hold in the curriculum and morality is absent. In an interview Monday with a friendly radio station, Bolsonaro indicated he would not change his hard-line views on issues like gay marriage. The constitution "recognizes the stable union between a man and a woman," he said, adding: "We can't think that gays can have super powers" to influence laws. Many have warned that a Brazil under Bolsonaro would see a rollback of rights and are concerned that his veneration of the armed forces, including his praise of the country's 1964-1985 dictatorship, signal that he will erode democratic values and rule with an authoritarian hand. He has said he will surround himself with former military officers, like his running mate who is a retired general. While Bolsonaro was expected to come out in front Sunday, he far outperformed predictions, blazing past competitors who had more financing, the institutional backing of traditional parties and much more free air time on television. His first-place finish with 46 percent of the vote - just short of the 50 percent-plus needed for an outright win - came after an unpredictable campaign in which the front-runner, former President Luiz Inacio da Silva, was barred from running after being jailed on a corruption conviction. Bolsonaro himself was stabbed and forced to campaign from a hospital bed for several weeks. But the attack allowed him to pick and choose his media appearances and largely speak to his supporters through social media. He will likely face much tougher scrutiny and questioning by reporters over the next three weeks. Supporters of Haddad, who got 29 percent of the vote, promised a tough fight Monday that included forcing Bolsonaro to engage in policy debates. Brazilians have a lot to be angry about. Since 2014, they've watched slack-jawed as prosecutors detailed how many in government manipulated public contracts and promised favors in exchange for billions of dollars in kickbacks and bribes. Much of that focused on the Workers' Party, and many voters cited a desire to root out corruption in their choice of Bolsonaro. Brazil has also just emerged from a protracted recession, unemployment is high and crime is rising. Haddad has leaned on a narrative of returning to better times: He promises to bring back the boom times Brazil experienced under his mentor, da Silva, and has portrayed an unequal society hijacked by an elite that can't bear to see the lives of poor people improve. He has promised to fight those inequalities, invest more in education and improve state services. "Public security is a public service, to give guns to the population is to exempt the state from protecting citizens," Haddad told reporters Monday after he visited da Silva in jail. ____ DiLorenzo reported from Sao Paulo. Associated Press writer Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo contributed to this report. ____ Follow Peter Prengaman: twitter.com/peterprengaman Follow Sarah DiLorenzo: twitter.com/sdilorenzo This photo combo of Workers' Party Presidential candidate Fernando Haddad shot on Oct. 4, left, and an Oct. 7, 2018 photo of Jair Bolsonaro, of the Social Liberal Party, shows the two candidates that will face off in a second-round vote in Brazil. Official results of Sunday's Oct. 7 election showed that Haddad will face Bolsonaro, the far-right congressman, in a second-round vote. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) Supporters of presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party, gather in gather at Paulista avenue waiting for the results of the vote count, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain who expresses nostalgia for Brazil's military dictatorship took a strong lead in its presidential election Sunday, rallying voters to his promises to rid Latin America's largest nation of rampant corruption, crime and moral rot. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine) Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate with the Social Liberal Party celebrate in front of his house in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Official results showed that Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party will face Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right congressman in a second-round vote. (AP Photo/Ricardo Borges) Backdropped by a picture of the presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party, Gustavo Bebianno Rocha, president of the Social Liberal Party, arrives to speak to journalists after his candidate spoke in a live broadcast on Facebook, at a hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Official results showed that Workers' Party candidate Fernando Haddad will face Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right congressman in a second-round vote. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Brazil's presidential candidate for the Workers Party Fernando Haddadd gestures to supporters after speaking about the results of the general elections, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Official results showed that Haddad will face Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right congressman in a second-round vote. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) A boy waves a Brazilian flag during a celebration by supporters of Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Official results showed that Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party will face Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right congressman in a second-round vote. (AP Photo/Ricardo Borges) Supporters of presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party, gather in gather at Paulista avenue waiting for the results of the vote count, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain who expresses nostalgia for Brazil's military dictatorship took a strong lead in its presidential election Sunday, rallying voters to his promises to rid Latin America's largest nation of rampant corruption, crime and moral rot. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine) A woman sells T-shirts and flags with the image of presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party, in front of the headquarters of the national congress, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain who expresses nostalgia for Brazil's military dictatorship took a strong lead in its presidential election, rallying voters to his promises to rid Latin America's largest nation of rampant corruption, crime and moral rot. With 79 percent of returns in, congressman Jair Bolsonaro is leading polls with 48 percent of the votes. (AP Photo / Eraldo Peres) A woman sells T-shirts and flags with the image of the presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party, in front of the headquarters of the national congress, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain who expresses nostalgia for Brazil's military dictatorship took a strong lead in its presidential election, rallying voters to his promises to rid Latin America's largest nation of rampant corruption, crime and moral rot. With 79 percent of returns in, congressman Jair Bolsonaro is leading polls with 48 percent of the votes. (AP Photo / Eraldo Peres) A supporter of presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party, pray as they wait for the first results of the vote counting of the presidential elections, in front of the headquarters of the national congress, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. In addition to voting for president, Brazilians are also deciding congressional races and electing state governors. (AP Photo / Eraldo Peres) A supporter of presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party, pray as they wait for the first results of the vote counting of the presidential elections, in front of the headquarters of the national congress, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. In addition to voting for president, Brazilians are also deciding congressional races and electing state governors. (AP Photo / Eraldo Peres) Supporter of presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party, celebrate as they wait for the first results of the vote counting of the presidential elections, in front of the headquarters of the national congress, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. In addition to voting for president, Brazilians are also deciding congressional races and electing state governors. (AP Photo / Eraldo Peres) A man sells T-shirts and flags with the image of presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party, in front of the headquarters of the national congress, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain who expresses nostalgia for Brazil's military dictatorship took a strong lead in its presidential election, rallying voters to his promises to rid Latin America's largest nation of rampant corruption, crime and moral rot. With 79 percent of returns in, congressman Jair Bolsonaro is leading polls with 48 percent of the votes. (AP Photo / Eraldo Peres) SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) - One year after wildfires devastated Northern California's wine country and destroyed thousands of homes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' first experience cleaning up after a wildfire has turned into an expensive bureaucratic mess. The state's top emergency official suspects fraud played a role. In October 2017, state and local officials lacked the resources to quickly clear still-smoldering toxic debris from 4,500 homes destroyed by a wildfire in and near Santa Rosa. So the Army was called in. The Army was in charge of awarding $1.3 billion in cleanup contracts to three contractors, which hired dozens of smaller companies to haul away the debris and dispose of it in landfills. The hauling companies were paid by the ton. The more they hauled, the more they earned. The first complaints started almost as soon as the first dump truck was loaded in November. Homeowners said workers dug too deep and took too much dirt from their lots. Driveways, retaining walls and sidewalks that had not been damaged ended up damaged or removed, the homeowners said. By the summer, nearly 1,000 homeowners had flooded the Army, state and local officials with complaints. After contractors hauled away 2 million tons (1.8 million metric tons) of debris, the U.S. Army Corps declared that its mission had been accomplished and left without responding to homeowners' complaints, Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane said. "These folks were traumatized by the fire and then traumatized again by the cleanup," said Zane, who represents Santa Rosa's hardest-hit neighborhoods. "Someone needed to help us." FILE - This Oct. 14, 2017, file photo shows the devastation of the Coffey Park neighborhood after a wildfire swept through in Santa Rosa, Calif. California Office of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci complained to the Army that contractors it paid by the ton to clear debris took too much dirt and damaged or removed perfectly fine driveways, retaining walls and the like after the 2017 wine country fire that destroyed thousands of homes. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) In August, Zane and other Sonoma County officials went to the state capitol in Sacramento and persuaded the California Office of Emergency Services to fix what the Army would not. Director Mark Ghilarducci said the Office of Emergency Services has spent millions repairing the damage, and more work remains. In a letter last month to the Army, Ghilarducci demanded that the Army reimburse the state and come back to California to fix the lots still in need of repair. Ghilarducci said it's "probable" unscrupulous contractors committed fraud, citing "egregious oversight" by federal officials. "Given these subcontractors were paid per ton of soil removed, it is probable this over-excavation was an intentional effort to capitalize on this tragedy by defrauding the government," Ghilarducci wrote to the U.S. Army Corps last month. Corps spokesman Mike Petersen said no evidence of fraud has been reported. He said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was preparing a response to Ghilarducci's letter. Ghilarducci also argued the U.S. Army Corps failed to properly monitor the cleanup and its subcontractors' performance. "Due to this egregious oversight," Ghilarducci wrote, "contractors caused substantial damage to many survivors' properties resulting in revictimization of the affected wildfire survivors." Several of them were cited by the Contractors State License Board for operating without a license. In addition, the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Chico-based Randy Hill Construction $11,700 after one of its workers was fatally struck by a truck while dumping debris. The agency found the truck's safety system was improperly disconnected and was the reason it accidentally started and ran over 60-year-old Ezekiel Sumner in December. Hill Construction did not return phone calls seeking comment. Petersen said conditions varied widely at the 4,563 properties U.S. Army contractors cleared in four counties, and some sites required extensive digging to remove contaminated soil. He said the Corps was satisfied with the work of the three main contractors, and "the great majority of subcontractors on the program operated with high professional standards." The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a major Army command, composed of about 37,000 civilian and military personnel. Petersen said it was one of the biggest cleanup jobs after a natural disaster for the Corps, which is routinely called in after hurricanes and earthquakes but lacks experience with wildfires. "This caused issues in the debris removal process," the U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded in a report released last month. The GAO report made no recommendations but noted the cleanup effort was California's biggest since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Most complaints about the cleanup come from Santa Rosa residents and other Sonoma County residents where the wildfire struck an urban center. But at least 100 homeowners in rural Mendocino County have lodge complaints of "over excavation." Karen Erickson said the U.S. contractors added at least $200,000 to the cost of rebuilding her destroyed Santa Rosa home. She said contractors needlessly removed an undamaged driveway and dug so deep on her lot that they damaged water pipes. Because the contractors showed up after an insurance adjuster inspected her property, Erickson said the damage done to her property by the cleanup wasn't factored into her insurance reimbursement. "Paying those guys by the ton was stupid," she said. "Who wouldn't load their trucks with as much as they could?" FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2017, file photo, former resident Larry Keyser looks around as he and volunteers from Samaritan's Purse disaster relief sift through remains of his family's home destroyed by fires in the Coffey Park area of Santa Rosa, Calif. Hundreds of California wine country homeowners who lost their houses to the state's most destructive wildfire in 2017 are complaining that a $1.3 billion U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cleanup project made their situations worse. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2017, file photo, Rick Brown, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, watches work crews remove debris a the site of a home destroyed by fires in the Coffey Park area of Santa Rosa, Calif. California Office of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci complained to the Army that contractors it paid by the ton to clear debris took too much dirt and damaged or removed perfectly fine driveways, retaining walls and the like after the 2017 wine country fire that destroyed thousands of homes. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2017, file photo, work crews remove debris at the site of a home destroyed by fires in the Coffey Park area of Santa Rosa, Calif. Hundreds of California wine country homeowners who lost their houses to the state's most destructive wildfire last year are complaining that a $1.3 billion U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cleanup project made their situations worse. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Republican John Cox attempted to lay California's high cost of living at the feet of Democrat Gavin Newsom during a debate Monday, while Newsom warned that Cox would govern like President Donald Trump. The hour-long public radio debate remained civil, with the two candidates for governor sparring on policy and mostly avoiding personal attacks. Neither strayed from their well-worn positions, and the debate appeared to do little to change the race in which Newsom is heavily favored. "We represent the vast majority of Californians that reject John Cox's absolute allegiance to Trump and Trumpism," Newsom, California's lieutenant governor, said during what's likely to be the only one-on-one contest between the two men. Cox stuck with Trump on issues such as ending California's so-called sanctuary state policy and building a wall along the Mexico border. He declined to weigh in on the bitter fight over Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, even as Republicans nationwide are celebrating. "I'm not going to get in the middle of that. I'm focused on the issues in California," Cox said when asked if he would have voted to confirm Kavanaugh. Republican candidate John Cox, left, shakes hands with Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom after a California gubernatorial debate at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) Both candidates agreed that tackling issues such as housing affordability, homelessness and California's cost of living should be the priority of the next govenror, but they presented vastly different visions for how to proceed. The two also sparred on criminal justice reform, immigration and the environment. "This campaign is about change versus the status quo. I represent change," Cox said in arguing that the policies of Democrats have made California unaffordable. The Nov. 6 election comes as the state faces a housing crisis and is drastically behind on building what it needs to house its population of nearly 40 million people. Cox said he would change environmental regulations that can make it so expensive to build in the state. Newsom hinted at reforming California's property tax system, saying rules that limit how much property tax cities can collect saps the incentive from building. On criminal justice reform, Newsom said he would continue the policies of outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown that focus on rehabilitating convicted criminals and putting fewer people behind bars. Cox said he wouldn't have signed a new law that opens police misconduct records to the public. Cox defended his support for a border wall and said California should undo its recently passed sanctuary law that limits local law enforcement cooperation with immigration authorities. Newsom strongly defended state immigration laws. "I fear that under a Cox administration working hand-in-glove with Donald Trump that our progressive and enlightened polices on immigration will roll back into the dark ages," he said. The candidates split on a new California law that eliminates money bail. Cox said the policy wrongly eliminates the entire bail industry, while Newsom said systems based on money harm the poor and racial minorities. A September poll by the Public Policy Institute of California showed Newsom with a comfortable but shrinking lead over Cox - 51 percent to 39 percent with 7 percent of likely voters undecided. The survey had a margin of error of 4 percentage points. Newsom led 55-31 in the institute's July poll. Campaign finance records show Newsom had $16 million in the bank on Sept. 22, compared with $1.7 million for Cox. Cox is a lawyer, accountant and investor from the San Diego area who has never held elected office. He has pledged to reduce taxes and regulations that he says drive up the cost of living in the nation's most populous state. Newsom, a former mayor of San Francisco, is running on his willingness to make bold decisions and his opposition to Trump. Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom smiles after speaking with reporters after a California gubernatorial debate with Republican candidate John Cox at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) Republican candidate John Cox, center, walks while speaking with reporters after a California gubernatorial debate with Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) Radio host Scott Shafer, left, moderates a California gubernatorial debate between Republican candidate John Cox, center, and Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) Radio host Scott Shafer, left, moderates a California gubernatorial debate between Republican candidate John Cox, center, and Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) Republican candidate John Cox, second from right, laughs in an elevator after a California gubernatorial debate with Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) Republican candidate John Cox, left, talks with Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom after a California gubernatorial debate at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) Republican candidate John Cox gestures toward reporters after a California gubernatorial debate with Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) Radio host Scott Shafer, center, speaks before moderating a California gubernatorial debate between Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom, left, and Republican candidate John Cox at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) BEIJING (AP) - Chinese authorities scrambled to contain a public relations mess over the disappearance of the former Interpol president during his trip home to China, saying Monday that he was being lawfully investigated for bribery and other crimes. But the government's announcement did little to address concerns raised about the risks of appointing Chinese officials to leadership posts in international organizations. On Monday, the acting Interpol president told The Associated Press the agency had not been informed in advance of the Chinese probe into Meng Hongwei, who is also China's vice minister of public security. On Sunday, Meng's wife made a bold public appeal from France to the international community to help locate her husband. The appeal - especially unusual for senior Chinese officials - cast an unwelcome light on extralegal detentions that have increasingly ensnared dissidents and allegedly corrupt or disloyal officials alike under President Xi Jinping's authoritarian administration. In a sign of the urgent and possibly unplanned nature of the investigation, the Ministry of Public Security said in an announcement that top ministry officials met in the early hours of Monday to discuss Meng's case. The announcement said Meng was being investigated for accepting bribes and other crimes that were a result of his "willfulness." "We should deeply recognize the serious damage that Meng Hongwei's bribe-taking and suspected violations of the law have caused the party and the cause of public security and deeply learn from this lesson," said the announcement about the meeting, chaired by Minister Zhao Lezhi. Meng is the latest high-ranking official to fall victim to a sweeping crackdown by the ruling Communist Party on graft and perceived disloyalty. Most officials investigated by anti-graft authorities are quietly spirited away for questioning, cut off from contact from their families and not allowed access to lawyers, sometimes for months. FILE - In this July 4, 2017, file photo, Interpol President Meng Hongwei delivers his opening address at the Interpol World congress, in Singapore. Chinese authorities say they are investigating the former president of Interpol for bribery and other crimes and indicate that political transgressions may have also landed him in trouble. In a statement posted on a government website Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, the authorities said Meng Hongwei, China's vice minister for public security, was being investigated due to his own "willfulness and for bringing trouble upon himself." (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) But that wasn't how it played out with Meng, 64, whose unexplained disappearance while on a trip home to China late last month prompted the French police to launch an investigation. The French government and Interpol also made their concerns known publicly in recent days. By late Sunday night, China issued a terse announcement that Meng was under investigation and shortly after, Interpol said Meng had resigned as the international police agency's president. Meng could not be reached for comment. The revelation that Chinese authorities would be bold enough to forcibly make even a senior public security official with international stature disappear has cast a shadow over the image Beijing has sought to cultivate as a modern country with the rule of law. Willy Lam, a Chinese politics expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Meng's case shows how Chinese officials, no matter where they are, have to obey the Communist Party first and foremost. "This puts China's internal political struggle over and above the international norms on the rule of law," Lam said. Rights groups had criticized Meng's appointment as head of Interpol in 2016. They pointed to the lack of transparency in China's legal system and the potential that the position would be misused to attack Beijing's political opponents - by using the police group's red notices to pursue political or economic fugitives, for instance. "By putting him in the position of Interpol chief, China hoped to show its determination to govern by law," said Zhang Lifan, an independent Chinese political analyst. "But now the spokesman is in trouble and it has definitely dealt a blow to China's image." Zhang said the haphazard way the case unfolded suggested that officials were acting as if in some state of emergency. "China proceeded to do this in an unconventional manner without caring about its image. It is rather an insult to Interpol," he said. The acting president of Interpol, Kim Jong Yang, said it had not been told about the investigation of its chief. "I find it regrettable that the top leader of the organization had to go out this way and that we weren't specifically notified of what was happening in advance," Kim said in a phone interview. "We still don't have sufficient information about what's happening (with Meng) or whether it has anything to do with Chinese domestic politics," he added. Monday's statement on the ministry of public security's website provided no details about the bribes Meng allegedly took or other crimes he is accused of, but suggested that he was also in trouble for political lapses. Officials at the meeting were told that they "must always maintain the political quality of being absolutely loyal to the party," the statement said. Questions about Meng's case dominated a regular briefing by China's foreign ministry on Monday. The spokesman, Lu Kang, rejected the suggestion that China's handling of the Meng probe would hurt the country's image abroad, saying that it demonstrated Beijing's commitment to tackling graft. "This has shown the Chinese government's firm resolve to crack down on corruption and crime," Lu said. "It has also made very clear that this case fully demonstrates that the party is firm in fighting corruption." However, Lu did not directly answer questions about whether Meng would be formally arrested or allowed to hire a lawyer, or receive a visit from his wife. Grace Meng, his wife, made an impassioned plea Sunday for help in bringing her husband to safety. She said she thought he sent an image of a knife before he disappeared in China as a way to warn her he was in danger. She pledged to pursue "truth, justice and responsibility toward history" for her husband and young children's sake, and "for all the wives and children, so that their husbands and fathers will no longer disappear." The emotional appeal was an extremely unusual move for the spouse of a senior Chinese official to take, given the risk that public lobbying might backfire and lead to a heavier punishment. Many don't have a chance to speak up even if they want to: spouses of officials under investigation, if they're in China, would likely be placed under 24-hour surveillance, Lam said. "The terrible allegations made by Mrs. Meng provide the world with a rare window of opportunity to look at the way in which judicial processes are being handled in China," Lam said. "It's not a pretty picture." ___ Associated Press writers Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and John Leicester in Lyon, France, contributed to this report. FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2016, file photo released by Xinhua News Agency, then China's Vice Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei delivers a campaign speech at the 85th session of the general assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), in Bali, Indonesia. Chinese authorities say they are investigating the former president of Interpol for bribery and other crimes and indicate that political transgressions may have also landed him in trouble. In a statement posted on a government website Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, the authorities said Meng Hongwei, China's vice minister for public security, was being investigated due to his own "willfulness and for bringing trouble upon himself." (Du Yu/Xinhua via AP, File) DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid has signed a bill into law that has been criticized as stifling freedom of speech. Press secretary Joynal Abedin says Hamid signed the Digital Security Act on Monday. Senior editors, journalist groups and human rights groups in and outside Bangladesh had protested the bill, saying it could be wielded arbitrarily against government critics. But Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina defended it in Parliament, saying it was meant to protect the country from propaganda. It replaces a previous information communication technology law under which many editors and reporters have been sued for defamation. Observers say Bangladesh's new law reflects a worrying trend in fledgling Asian democracies. Journalists in Nepal are combating a similar law that was passed in August. BEIJING (AP) - China's foreign minister has told visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the United States should stop what he called groundless attacks on his country's policies. Wang Yi said he told Pompeo during a meeting Monday that a shadow has been cast "over the future of China-U.S. relations." China and the United States are at odds over trade and Beijing's militarization of islands it claims in the South China Sea. Pompeo, who arrived from North Korea, told Yi he wanted to fill him on his meetings with its leader, Kim Jong Un, and efforts to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He earlier said "significant progress" was made during his visit toward an agreement for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, before a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (Daisuke Suzuki /Pool/Pool Photo via AP) U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi before their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Pompeo said Monday that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made "significant progress" toward an agreement for the North to give up its nuclear weapons. While significant work remains to be done, he said he expected further results after an as-yet unscheduled second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool) Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, shows the way to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (Daisuke Suzuki /Pool Photo via AP) Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, fourth from right, meets with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, second from left, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (Daisuke Suzuki /Pool Photo via AP) BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romanian election officials say more than 90 percent of those who took part in a national referendum supported defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, but the vote was invalidated as too few people cast ballots. The Central Electoral Commission said Monday near-final results showed 91.61 percent of voters approved a constitutional amendment to change the definition of marriage - it currently says it's a union between "spouses." But the ballot failed to attract the minimum 30 percent turnout for the result to stand. Election officials said just 20.41 percent of eligible voters participated in the weekend referendum. Gay rights group Accept said the result showed citizens "want a Romania based upon democratic values." A man sits draped in a rainbow flag in a nightclub in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, after hearing of the partial voter turnout. Polls have closed in Romania after two days of voting on a constitutional amendment that would make it harder to legalize same-sex marriage. But the weekend referendum to redefine marriage failed to attract large numbers of voters and risk being voided. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) A man sits under heart shaped graffiti with the text "Love", in a nightclub in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Polls have closed in Romania after two days of voting on a constitutional amendment that would make it harder to legalize same-sex marriage. But the weekend referendum to redefine marriage failed to attract large numbers of voters and risk being voided. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) A child lifts the courtain of a voting booth as his father casts his vote, in Ciorogarla, Romania, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Romanians are voting Sunday around the country for a second day on a constitutional amendment that would make it harder to legalize same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) Two men draped in rainbow flags in a nightclub in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Polls have closed in Romania after two days of voting on a constitutional amendment that would make it harder to legalize same-sex marriage. But the weekend referendum to redefine marriage failed to attract large numbers of voters and risk being voided. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) STOCKHOLM (AP) - The Latest on the Nobel prize in economics (all times local): ___ 8:35 p.m. Yale University economics professor William Nordhaus, who won the Nobel prize in economics for linking climate change and economics, says there's "pretty widespread acceptance" of climate change science outside the U.S. But he's optimistic that the United States will come around. Referring to the Trump administration's skepticism, the 77-year-old Nordhaus said Monday, "I think we just need to get through what is a difficult period. But I'm extremely confident it will happen." Nordhaus says bringing countries together to solve the climate change problem is the "last frontier" for the issue, arguing that the science has been settled. He warns it will be very difficult to have an international agreement without the U.S. participating, predicting the country will have to revisit the issue "in a couple of years" after a new administration is in place. The laureates of the Nobel Prize in Economics displayed on the screen, William Nordhaus, left, and Paul Romer during a press conference at the The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Monday Oct. 8, 2018. Yale University's William Nordhaus was named for integrating climate change into long term macroeconomic analysis and New York University's Paul Romer was awarded for factoring technological innovation into macroeconomics. (Henrik Montgomery/TT via AP) ___ 12:40 p.m. One of the winners of this year's Nobel Prize in economics says he ignored two telephone calls, thinking they were spam calls, before the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences was able to get through to him. Paul Romer of New York University said that on Monday morning "I didn't answer either because I thought it was a spam call." Romer teaches economics at New York University, where he founded the Stern Urbanization Project, which researches how policymakers can harness the rapid growth of cities to create economic opportunity and undertake systemic social reform. Romer also works with civic innovators as director of NYU's Marron Institute of Urban Management. The university says he founded Aplia, an education technology application where students have submitted more than 1 billion answers to homework problems. He won the prize together with William Nordhaus of Yale University for separate research. ___ 12:10 p.m. In awarding the Nobel prize in economics, the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences cited William Nordhaus for showing that "the most efficient remedy for problems caused by greenhouse gases is a global scheme of universally imposed carbon taxes." A faculty member at Yale University since 1967, Nordhaus' research has focused on economic growth and natural resources, and the economics of climate change. His economic approaches to global warming include modeling to determine the efficient path for coping with climate change. He's also studied wage and price behavior, health economics, augmented national accounting, the political business cycle, productivity, and the "new economy." His current work on what he calls his "G-Econ project" promises to provide the first comprehensive measures of economic activity at a geophysical scale. The Swedish Royal Academy said that the work of Paul Romer, who shared the award announced Monday, showed "economic forces govern the willingness of firms to produce new ideas and innovations." ___ 11:55 a.m. Two researchers at American universities have been awarded the Nobel Prize for economics. Yale University's William Nordhaus was named for integrating climate change into long term macroeconomic analysis and New York University's Paul Romer was awarded for factoring technological innovation into macroeconomics. They will share the 9-million-kronor ($1.01 million) prize. ___ 6:10 a.m. The award that concludes this year's series of Nobel prizes came about seven decades after the others. When Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel established the prizes in his will, economics wasn't one of the undertakings he wanted honored. The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was established by Sweden's central bank and first given out in 1969. Whether economics is a genuine science in the sense of the Nobels awarded for accomplishments in medicine, chemistry and physics can be debated; the award often goes to work that has a high level of abstraction. Last year's win by American Richard Thaler was unusually accessible to the layman - his work studied the human irrationality that can mess with economic theory. The 9-million-kronor ($1.01 million) prize will be announced Monday. JOHANNESBURG (AP) - South Africa's finance minister is under pressure after he acknowledged visiting the home of a business family linked to alleged corruption under former president Jacob Zuma. Opposition parties are criticizing Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene, whose appointment to President Cyril Ramaphosa's Cabinet this year was widely welcomed as a break from the alleged plundering of state resources. Nene apologized last week after telling a commission of inquiry about visits that he made years ago to the businesses and home of the Gupta family, which along with Zuma denies any wrongdoing. Nene says the visits occurred when he was deputy finance minister and also finance minister before Zuma fired him from that post in December 2015. Ramaphosa brought Nene back into the Cabinet after replacing the scandal-tainted Zuma, who resigned in February. MOSCOW (AP) - The Kremlin says it is working on plans to host North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Moscow. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Monday that Putin extended an invitation to Kim last month to visit Russia, and that Moscow is working on the details of where and when that meeting could happen. Peskov's comments follow a visit to North Korea by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss the country's nuclear disarmament and setting up another meeting between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump. North Korea entered talks with the U.S. and South Korea earlier this year, saying it's willing to negotiate away its advancing nuclear arsenal. Nuclear diplomacy later stalled because of suspicions over how sincere North Korea is about its disarmament pledge. In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center left, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo walk together before their meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. Pompeo said that he and Kim made unspecified progress Sunday toward an agreement for the North to give up its nuclear weapons, though there was no immediate indication whether Pompeo had managed to arrange a much-anticipated second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) - The Latest on the rape and slaying of a Bulgarian journalist (all times local): 10:00 p.m. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling on governments to ensure "accountability" for crimes against journalists such as the "grisly murder and rape." - including Bulgarian TV reporter Viktoria Marinova. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday that Guterres was "very concerned" about Marinova's slaying and awaited the conclusions of the investigation into her killing. Dujarric told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York "there's been a very worrying increase of violence, sexual and otherwise, that's particularly targeting women journalists." He says Dujarric said Guterres is paying "very close attention" to the trend and has raised the issue of violence against journalists with U.N. member states, both privately and publicly. A child holds next to a portrait of slain television reporter Viktoria Marinova during a vigil at the Liberty Monument in Ruse, Bulgaria, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) ___ 9:35 p.m. Bulgarians have turned out for a vigil to honor a television journalist who was raped and killed in the Danube River town of Ruse after reporting on corruption in Bulgaria Hundreds of mourners, some tearful, placed candles, her portrait and roses - the national flower- at the foot of a monument in the town of Ruse on Monday night. Authorities discovered the body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova on Saturday near the river in the northern Bulgarian town. Police said she had been strangled. Marinova was a director of TVN, a small TV station in Ruse, and a TV presenter for two investigative programs. Her last program examined possible corruption involving European Union funds. In the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, mourners gathered outside a church. One of them, Kristina Petkov said Bulgarians had "zero" trust in authorities. She says "whatever results the investigation (into Marinova's death) shows, people won't believe them." ___ 6:05 p.m. The European Union says the investigation of the slaying of a Bulgarian television journalist must be meticulous and undertaken quickly. European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the commission expected "a swift and thorough investigation" of Viktoria Marinova's death "that will bring those responsible to justice and clarify whether this attack was linked to her work." Marinova's body was found on Saturday in the northern town of Ruse. She had been beaten, raped and strangled. Schinas added: "We must make sure that journalists everywhere are safe and make their invaluable contributions to our democratic societies." He quoted from a speech European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker made last month: "Too many of our journalists are intimidated, attacked or even murdered. We cannot have democracy without free press." ___ 5:40 p.m. Bulgaria's top prosecutor says authorities have no new leads on the motives for the rape and slaying of a Bulgarian television reporter. Chief Public Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov said that officials were following all lines of inquiry into the killing of Viktoria Marinova. He said Monday that "at this stage let's be careful, not because we don't have anything to say, but because every word uttered loosely could damage our work." Marinova's body was found on Saturday in the northern town of Ruse. She had been beaten, raped and strangled. Tsatsarov said: "One thing is certain. The actions were extremely brutal and extremely monstrous." ___ 3:40 p.m. A journalists' group has called for an investigation into the "brutal" slaying of a Bulgarian television reporter and presenter, but warned against speculating about the motive for her killing. The Association of European Journalists-Bulgaria said there should be a thorough investigation into the death of Viktoria Marinova and justice should be "delivered.... to the people responsible for this brutal act." Marinova's body was found on Saturday. She had been beaten, raped and strangled. The association said the investigation should examine possible motivations, including that her slaying was connected to her job as a journalist. However, it added: "As long as there are no solid and proven facts, speculation that the incident is connected to freedom of expression ... are unacceptable." ___ 2:40 p.m. A Bulgarian investigative online site owner has called for an independent international inquiry into the rape and slaying of Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova. Bivol.bg owner Assen Yordanov said Monday he couldn't directly link Marinova's slaying on Saturday to her work, but noted her Sept. 30 show tackled "our very sensitive investigation into the misuse of EU funds. This is a topic on which no other Bulgarian national media dared to report on." He told The Associated Press that his site had received "operational information that hits against our journalists working on this story are being discussed and prepared." Yordanov said that "to get to the truth we are calling for an independent investigation.... we want independent European investigators to get involved because we believe the Bulgarian authorities are part of this country's criminal network." ___ 2 p.m. The German government has sharply condemned the killing of a Bulgarian journalist, calling it "a brutal and dreadful murder." A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said that it's imperative "that there's a fast investigation and that this horrible event will be illuminated as comprehensively as possible." The body of 30-year-old TV journalist Viktoria Marinova, who was brutally beaten, raped and strangled, was discovered in the town of Ruse, in northern Bulgaria, on Saturday. Sven Giegold, a German member of the Greens in the European Parliament, said all of Europe should worry about the killing. Giegold said, "First Malta, then Slovakia, now Bulgaria. It is unacceptable that in Europe journalists are getting killed again," referring to the killings of two other journalists in those countries. He called on the European Parliament to quickly send a delegation to Bulgaria to help investigate the crime. ___ 12:30 p.m. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape and slaying of a television reporter and presenter whose body was dumped near the Danube River. Authorities discovered the body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova in the town of Ruse, northern Bulgaria, on Saturday. Police said she had been brutally beaten, raped and strangled. Her body was found in a park near the river. Interior minister Mladen Marinov said Monday there was no evidence to suggest the killing was linked to Marinova's work. "It is about rape and murder," he said. Bulgarian police, however, say they are working on all possible scenarios, examining possible links to both her personal and professional life. Marinova was a director of a small local TV station and presenter of two investigative programs. A child lights candles next to a portrait of slain television reporter Viktoria Marinova during a vigil at the Liberty Monument in Ruse, Bulgaria, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) A man walks after lighting candles next to a portrait of slain television reporter Viktoria Marinova after a vigil at the Liberty Monument in Ruse, Bulgaria, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) A woman holds a candle next to a portrait of slain television reporter Viktoria Marinova during a vigil at the Liberty Monument in Ruse, Bulgaria, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) A child holds next to a portrait of slain television reporter Viktoria Marinova during a vigil at the Liberty Monument in Ruse, Bulgaria, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) A woman places flowers next to a portrait of slain television reporter Viktoria Marinova during a vigil at the Liberty Monument in Ruse, Bulgaria, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) People wait during a vigil for slain television reporter Viktoria Marinova in Ruse, Bulgaria, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) People wait during a vigil for slain television reporter Viktoria Marinova in Ruse, Bulgaria, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) A man holds a candle during a vigil for Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova, killed in the northern town of Ruse, is seen during a vigil in Sofia, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova) A portrait of the Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova, killed in the northern town of Ruse, is seen during a vigil in Sofia, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova) A woman holds a candle during a vigil for Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova, killed in the northern town of Ruse, in Sofia, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova) A portrait of the Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova, killed in the northern town of Ruse, is seen during a vigil in Sofia, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova) A portrait of the Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova, killed in the northern town of Ruse, is seen during a vigil in Sofia, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova) This undated image made from video provided by TV Ruse shows journalist Viktoria Marinova in Bulgaria. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. Authorities discovered the body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 in the northern town of Ruse near the Romanian border. One Bulgarian media site demanded an EU investigation, fearing that Bulgarian officials were complicit in the corruption. (TV Ruse via AP) A portrait of slain television reporter Viktoria Marinova is placed on the Liberty Monument, as people wait to place flowers and candles during a vigil in Ruse, Bulgaria, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Bulgarian police are investigating the rape, beating and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. Authorities discovered the body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova on Saturday in the northern town of Ruse near the Romanian border. One Bulgarian media site demanded an EU investigation, fearing that Bulgarian officials were complicit in the corruption. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) ROME (AP) - French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is distancing herself from former White House strategist Steve Bannon, saying only Europeans will save the continent. Le Pen said Monday, at a meeting in Rome, that she wanted to clarify "lots of conjecture" about Bannon's reported plans to set up a foundation, The Movement, to boost far-right parties in Europe. Le Pen said Bannon is not European, but rather an American who wants to create a think tank. She said: "But we, and we alone, are the ones who will shape the political force that is born from the European elections, because we are attached to our liberty, attached to our sovereignty and we together, the representatives of the different peoples of Europe, are the ones who will shape the political forces that aim specifically to save Europe." THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) - Several hundred asylum-seekers camped outside a police station Monday in northern Greece, lining up to be arrested and formally processed as a surge in illegal migration overwhelmed authorities in the region. After sleeping on benches and patches of grass in a central square in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, the migrants formed a line outside the police station, seeking a place at a migrant camp before the winter. Karzan Hassan, a 22-year-old Iraqi Kurd, crossed into Greece last week and has slept outside the police station for the last two nights. He says he's hoping to reach Britain with his two brothers after abandoning a plan to travel to Italy. "We don't want to stay in Greece. We want to get our papers, so that we can stay somewhere to clean up and rest," he told the Associated Press. Hassan said he paid a smuggler in Istanbul $2,500 for the trip to Greece. Authorities later Monday moved the migrants in police buses to a nearby refugee camp, but it was unclear whether there was sufficient space at the overcrowded site to give them shelter. The migrants organized a cleanup of the square before boarding the buses. Kurdish migrants wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) "The number of arrivals is high in Thessaloniki and that's created a bottleneck," Nikos Ragos, the Migration Ministry's regional coordinator for northern Greece, told the AP. "So we are supporting the police until (migrants) can be documented." Greece is struggling to cope with a high number of asylum-seekers due to other European Union nations' resistance to settling refugees and ongoing migrant arrivals from neighboring Turkey. Police said 35 smuggling suspects were arrested last month in Thessaloniki, accused of transporting 1,821 migrants to the city - a 60 percent increase from the previous month. Last week, Amnesty International Secretary-General Kumi Naidoo visited an overcrowded migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos that has been heavily criticized by rights groups. He described conditions there as "appalling " and called for an emergency winter evacuation of migrants to the Greek mainland. ___ Petros Giannakouris in Athens contributed. Follow Kantouris at http://www.twitter.com/CostasKantouris A Kurdish man carries a sleeping boy as refugees wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) Kurdish migrants wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) A boy sleeps with his family as migrants wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) A migrant family pack their belongings as they wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) Kurdish migrants wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) One month Sonia Al Taie who lives with 6 family members in Malakasa refugee camp, on the outskirt of Athens takes part in a protest against the living conditions at the camp, outside the Ministry of Migration in Nikea, suburb of Athens, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - Congo's Health Ministry says at least 53 people are dead and more than 72 people have been hospitalized after a tanker truck collided with another truck in western Congo. The ministry updated the figures Monday, saying the toll will likely rise, given the severity of burns suffered. The accident happened in the village of Mbuba, not far from Kisantu city and about 200 kilometers (124 miles) southwest of the capital, Kinshasa. Witnesses say villagers rushed to collect leaking fuel from the vehicles when a fire broke out. The fire quickly spread to nearby homes. The ministry said 22 people died immediately. President Joseph Kabila had Saturday ordered three days of national mourning. The aftermath of a burned tanker truck in Mbuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. At least 50 people were killed and more than 100 were badly burned when a tanker truck in Congo collided with another truck and, as villagers rushed to collect the leaking fuel, burst into flames, witnesses and officials said Saturday. (Henri Alimasi/Congo's health ministry via AP) An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the accident. DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Many Syrian government soldiers, after years intense fighting, now face a new reality of learning to live without one or more of their limbs, or with other serious disability. There are no official statistics for the number of troops killed or wounded in the seven-year conflict, although the casualties are estimated to be in the tens of thousands. In Damascus, the Ahmad Hamish hospital manufactures 60 prosthetic limbs a day, reflecting the high demand in a nation wracked by civil war. The Associated Press visited the hospital in Damascus' district of Barzeh on Sunday, and saw firsthand how former soldiers struggle to come to terms with their injuries. A UNICEF report earlier this year said over 1.5 million people in Syria have war-related impairments, including 86,000 who have lost limbs. In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, photo, a Syrian soldier who lost his leg while fighting in Syria's war, walks on prosthetic leg during a physical therapy session at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital, in Damascus, Syria. Many Syrian government soldiers, after years of intense fighting, now face a new reality of learning to live without one or more of their limbs, or with other serious disability. The hospital manufactures 60 prosthetic limbs a day, reflecting the high demand in a nation wracked by a bloody civil war. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, Syrian soldiers who lost their legs while fighting in Syria's war, attend a physical therapy session at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital, in Damascus, Syria. Many Syrian government soldiers, after years of intense fighting, now face a new reality of learning to live without one or more of their limbs, or with other serious disability. The hospital manufactures 60 prosthetic limbs a day, reflecting the high demand in a nation wracked by a bloody civil war. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, Omar Beik, a 32-year-old soldier from Aleppo, who lost his legs in April when he stepped on a land mine in the final days of the battle for Damascus' eastern suburbs, known as eastern Ghouta, rolls his wheelchair during a physical therapy session at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital in Damascus, Syria. The hospital manufactures 60 prosthetic limbs a day, reflecting the high demand in a nation wracked by a bloody civil war. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, a Syrian soldier who lost his legs while fighting in Syria's war, walks on prosthetic legs during a physical therapy session at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital in Damascus, Syria. Many Syrian government soldiers, after years intense fighting, now face a new reality of learning to live without one or more of their limbs, or with other serious disability. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, prosthetic legs are shelved at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital in Damascus, Syria. Many Syrian government soldiers, after years intense fighting, now face a new reality of learning to live without one or more of their limbs, or with other serious disability. The hospital manufactures 60 prosthetic limbs a day, reflecting the high demand in a nation wracked by a bloody civil war. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, employees of the center for prosthetics and orthotics at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital, work on a form for a prosthetic leg, in Damascus, Syria. The center uses advanced technology to manufacture 60 prosthetic limbs a day, reflecting the high demand in a nation wracked by conflict for the past seven years. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, a colorfully painted prosthetic leg belonging to a Syrian soldier, who lost his leg while fighting in Syria's war, stands against the wall at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital in Damascus, Syria. There are no official statistics for the number of troops killed or wounded in the seven-year conflict, although the casualties are estimated to be in the tens of thousands. The hospital manufactures 60 prosthetic limbs a day, reflecting the high demand in a nation wracked by a bloody civil war. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, a Syrian soldier who suffers from paralysis poses for a picture after a physical therapy session at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital, in Damascus, Syria. Many Syrian government soldiers, after years intense fighting, now face a new reality of learning to live without one or more of their limbs, or with other serious disability. The hospital uses advanced technology to manufacture 60 prosthetic limbs a day, reflecting the high demand in a nation wracked by conflict for the past seven years. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, a girl helps her father, who was injured in Syria's war, after a physical therapy session at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital in Damascus, Syria. There are no official statistics for the number of troops killed or wounded in the seven-year conflict, although the casualties are estimated to be in the tens of thousands. The hospital manufactures 60 prosthetic limbs a day, reflecting the high demand in a nation wracked by a bloody civil war. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, Mostafa, a Syrian soldier who lost his legs while fighting in Syria's war, does a pull up during a physical therapy session at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital, in Damascus, Syria. Many Syrian government soldiers, after years intense fighting, now face a new reality of learning to live without one or more of their limbs, or with other serious disability. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, Haidar Hussein, a Syrian soldier who lost his legs while fighting on the front lines in Syria's war, walks on prosthetic legs during a physical therapy session at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital, in Damascus, Syria. Many Syrian government soldiers, after years intense fighting, now face a new reality of learning to live without one or more of their limbs, or with other serious disability. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, Syrian soldiers who lost their legs while fighting in Syria's war, wheel past a poster showing Syrian President Bashar Assad, after a physical therapy session at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital, in Damascus, Syria. Many Syrian government soldiers now face a new reality of learning to live without one or more of their limbs, or with other serious disability. Referring to Assad's wife, Arabic on the left reads, "Mama Asma, you showed us the path to hope and taught us how to be steadfast." (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, Syrian soldiers who lost their legs while fighting in Syria's war, help their comrade, center, who suffers from paralysis, to walk during a physical therapy session at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital, in Damascus, Syria. Many Syrian government soldiers, after years intense fighting, now face a new reality of learning to live without one or more of their limbs, or with other serious disability. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 photo, a Syrian soldier who lost his legs while fighting in Syria's war, helps his comrade after a physical therapy session, at the Ahmad Hamish Martyr hospital in Damascus, Syria. There are no official statistics for the number of troops killed or wounded in the seven-year conflict, although the casualties are estimated to be in the tens of thousands. The hospital manufactures 60 prosthetic limbs a day, reflecting the high demand in a nation wracked by a bloody civil war. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) - As Cameroon electoral workers counted votes, an opposition candidate proclaimed himself the victor of the nation's election, despite warnings from the electoral commission that only the Constitutional Council can legally announce the winner of the presidential race. Cameroon Renaissance Movement party candidate Maurice Kamto on Monday made the announcement in Yaounde, a day after the vote. "I call on President Paul Biya to ensure a peaceful transition and avoid situations that may be ugly for Cameroon," he said. Kamto, however, didn't give any figures to back up his claim. His supporters took to the streets to celebrate and armed separatists who had threatened the vote congratulated him on social media. Vote counting for the election began Sunday after polls closed. The official results must be announced by Oct. 22. Two observer missions have declared the elections to be fair. Biya, Africa's oldest ruler at 85 and in power since 1982, was expected to easily take the vote and enter his seventh seven-year term. He faced off against a fractured opposition. A women exits a polling booth during the Presidential elections in Briqueterie Cameroon, Sunday Oct. 7, 2018. Polls opened Sunday in Cameroon as Africa's oldest leader is widely expected to win another term, while separatists threaten to disrupt the election and many people who have fled the unrest are unable to vote. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) Before Kamto made his claim, the government issued a stern warning against publishing any trends or estimated results ahead of the official announcement of the winner. "The official proclamation of results is an exclusive right of the constitutional council and no one has the right to substitute to this legal body," territorial administration minister Paul Atanga Nji said earlier Monday. "I insist that candidates and political actors should show signs of responsibility and they have to abide by the rules and regulations known by every one of us." Erick Essouse, director general of elections at the election management body ELECAM says the vote went smoothly in French and English-speaking regions, despite some incidents. The military killed two armed men in the English-speaking northwest town of Bamenda, according to Governor Deben Tchoffo of the Northwest region after fighting broke out. Several armed men had also been killed by military in the Southwest region, Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai confirmed. Fighting in Anglophone regions of Cameroon has increased in the run-up to the polls, with worries that residents there wouldn't vote amid threats by separatists seeking an independent state they call Ambazonia. More than 7,000 observers monitored the election in which 6.6 million registered to vote. The African Union observer mission said the polls were fair, and despite reports of fighting in various regions, there were no major incidents to influence the election's general conduct. The African Network for the Promotion of Democracy and Good Governance also said they were credible. A soldier stands guard outside a polling station where, Cameroon's Incumbent President Paul Biya of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement party, casts his vote during the Presidential elections in Yaounde, Cameroon, Sunday Oct. 7, 2018. Polls opened Sunday in Cameroon as Africa's oldest leader is widely expected to win another term, while separatists threaten to disrupt the election and many people who have fled the unrest are unable to vote. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) A man casts his vote during the Presidential elections in Briqueterie Cameroon, Sunday Oct. 7, 2018. Polls opened Sunday in Cameroon as Africa's oldest leader is widely expected to win another term, while separatists threaten to disrupt the election and many people who have fled the unrest are unable to vote. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in -again, for the cameras, this time - Monday night at a White House ceremony, but not before President Donald Trump slammed Kavanaugh's opponents for a "campaign of personal destruction." In a ceremony that could have been a unifying moment for the nation, Trump instead delivered remarks that even he acknowledged began "differently than perhaps any other event of such magnitude." "On behalf of our nation, I want to apologize to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure," Trump said, addressing the bitter partisan fight over Kavanaugh's nomination that became a firestorm after the emergence of sexual misconduct allegations, which Kavanaugh emphatically denied. With all the sitting justices in attendance, along with Kavanaugh's family and top admiration officials, Trump said Kavanaugh had been the victim of a "campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception." But, he told the new justice, "You, sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent." Critics have argued the investigation was not thorough enough to merit that conclusion. Kavanaugh officially became a member of the high court Saturday and has already been at work preparing for his first day on the bench Tuesday. President Donald Trump, center, listens as retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, right, ceremonially swears-in Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, left, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Kavanaugh's wife Ashley watches, second from right with daughters Margaret, left, and Liza. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) In his own remarks, Kavanaugh, who has faced criticism that he appeared too politicized in his Senate testimony, tried to assure the American public that he would approach the job fairly. He said the high court "is not a partisan or political institution" and assured he took the job with "no bitterness." "The Senate confirmation process was contentious and emotional. That process is over. My focus now is to be the best justice I can be," he said. It was the end of a deeply contentious nomination process that sparked mass protests, an FBI investigation and a national reckoning over power, gender, sexual assault and the line between violence and adolescent transgression. And it comes less than a month before pivotal midterm elections that will determine which party controls Congress. Ceremonial swearing-ins are unusual for new justices. Only Samuel Alito and Stephen Breyer participated in White House events after they had been sworn in and begun work as justices, according to the court's records on the current crop of justices. Kavanaugh and his law clerks already have been at the Supreme Court preparing for his first day on the bench Tuesday, when the justices will hear arguments in two cases about longer prison terms for repeat offenders. The new justice's four clerks all are women, the first time that has happened. The clerks are Kim Jackson, who previously worked for Kavanaugh on the federal appeals court in Washington, Shannon Grammel, Megan Lacy and Sara Nommensen. The latter three all worked for other Republican-nominated judges. Lacy had been working at the White House in support of Kavanaugh's nomination. In his Senate testimony last month, in which he denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in high school and accused Democrats of orchestrating a partisan campaign against him, Kavanaugh promised: "I'll be the first justice in the history of the Supreme Court to have a group of all-women law clerks. That is who I am." Trump's ceremony speech hammered a theme he has been hitting on all week: hoping to energize Republicans by attacking Democrats for opposing Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh was "caught up in a hoax that was set up by the Democrats," Trump said as he left the White House earlier in the day for a trip to Florida. "It was all made up, it was fabricated and it's a disgrace," he said. Later, in Orlando, he called Kavanaugh "a flawless person" and said "evil" people had tried to derail him with "False charges" and "False accusations. Horrible statements that were totally untrue that he knew nothing about." "It was a disgraceful situation brought about by people that are evil. And he toughed it out," Trump said at the International Association of Chiefs of Police meeting. The climactic 50-48 roll call vote Saturday on Kavanaugh was the closest vote to confirm a justice since 1881. It capped a fight that seized the national conversation after claims emerged that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted women three decades ago. Kavanaugh emphatically denied the allegations. The accusations transformed the clash from a routine struggle over judicial ideology into an angry jumble of questions about victims' rights and personal attacks on nominees. Ultimately, every Democrat voted against Kavanaugh except for Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Kavanaugh was sworn in Saturday evening in a private ceremony as protesters chanted outside the court building. Trump has now put his stamp on the court with his second justice in as many years. Yet Kavanaugh is joining under a cloud. Accusations from several women remain under scrutiny, and House Democrats have pledged further investigation if they win the majority in November. Outside groups are culling an unusually long paper trail from his previous government and political work, with the National Archives and Records Administration expected to release a cache of millions of documents this month. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was welcomed at the White House with a standing ovation, on Sunday praised his party's senators, whom he said re-established the "presumption of innocence" in confirmation hearings. "We stood up to the mob," he said. McConnell signaled he's willing to take up another high court nomination in the 2020 presidential election season should another vacancy arise. He tried to distinguish between President Donald Trump's nomination of Kavanaugh this year and his own decision not to have the GOP-run Senate consider President Barack Obama's high court nominee, Merrick Garland, in 2016. McConnell called the current partisan divide a "low point," but he blamed Democrats. Two years ago, McConnell blocked a vote on Garland, citing what he said was a tradition of not filling vacancies in a presidential election year. But when asked again Sunday about it, he said different rules might apply if the same party controls the Senate and White House. Republicans hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, with several seats up for grabs in November. __ Follow Sherman and Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/shermancourt and https://twitter.com/colvinj President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, left, before a ceremonial swearing in in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) NEW YORK (AP) - Now that Beyonce and Jay-Z are off the road, another power couple is taking their place: Hillary and Bill Clinton. The Clintons announced Monday they will visit four cities in 2018 and nine in 2019 across North America in a series of conversations dubbed "An Evening with President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton." It is being produced by tour promoter Live Nation, the company behind Michelle Obama's massive tour to promote her new book as well as tours for Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars and other music heavyweights. The Clintons will hold joint conversations at the shows and share "stories and inspiring anecdotes that shaped their historic careers in public service, while also discussing issues of the day and looking toward the future," Live Nation said. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time at LiveNation.com. The Clintons will kick off the trek Nov. 18 in Las Vegas at 5,200-seat Park Theater, the home for Cher's residency and where Lady Gaga will launch her own residency later this year. They will visit Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on Nov. 27, Montreal's Bell Centre on Nov. 28 and Smart Financial Center in Sugar Land, Texas, on Dec. 4. "Attendees will have the opportunity to hear one-of-a-kind conversations with the two leaders as they tell their stories from some of the most impactful moments in modern history. From the American presidency to the halls of the Senate and State Department, to one of the United States' most controversial and unpredictable presidential elections, they provide a unique perspective on the past, and remarkable insight into where we go from here," Live Nation said in a statement. FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2016, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and her husband former President Bill Clinton, greet supporters after voting in Chappaqua, N.Y. The Clintons announced Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, they will visit four cities in 2018 and nine in 2019 across North America in a series of conversations dubbed "An Evening with President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton." (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) The Clintons' first show next year will be April 11 at the nearly 3,000-seat Beacon Theatre in New York, where the 2016 Tony Awards were held. The tour wraps May 4 at the Forum in Inglewood, California, where Drake and Migos will perform four shows next week, while others set to perform at the 17,505-seat venue include Elton John and Fleetwood Mac. The Clintons will also visit Philadelphia's The Met, Detroit's Fox Theatre, DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., and Opera House in Boston. VATICAN CITY (AP) - The pope's summit early next year on preventing sex abuse should also address holding bishops accountable when they fail to protect their flocks from pedophile priests, the Vatican's leading sex abuse expert said Monday. Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna said the February summit of global church leader is the appropriate venue for discussing "a great expectation for more accountability" among Catholic faithful worldwide. The Vatican said last month that Pope Francis had summoned the presidents of the estimated 130 Catholic bishops' conferences to a Feb. 21-24 meeting to discuss the "protection of minors." The announcement was made as clergy sex abuse revelations and cover-up allegations on several continents fueled a scandal that now threatens Francis' papacy. Scicluna, who for a decade was the Vatican's sex crimes prosecutor, has long acknowledged the need for bishops to be punished if they covered up for predators. Abuse survivors and their advocates accuse the Vatican of turning a blind eye when bishops moved priests who were suspected of or known for misconduct from parish to parish instead of reporting them to police or sanctioning them canonically. While hundreds of priests have been defrocked over the years for raping and molesting minors, only a few bishops have faced sanctions for failing to prevent such crimes. Archbishop Charles Scicluna speaks during a press conference to brief the media on the Synod of bishops, at the Vatican, Oct. 8, 2018. Scicluna told a press conference Monday that Pope Francis' February summit with global church leaders should cover not just abuse prevention efforts but holding bishops accountable when they fail to protect their flocks from pedophile priests. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Francis has had a steep and difficult learning curve on the issue of complicity and culpability. He was excoriated earlier this year for having defended a Chilean bishop accused of witnessing and ignoring abuse by Chile's most notorious predator priest. The pope eventually did an about face and acknowledged "errors in judgment," vowing that bishops would no longer be shielded from questions about how they responded to allegations against priests in their dioceses. Francis himself has been accused of complicity in covering up an American cardinal's sexual misdeeds with adult seminarians years ago. "We know there is a great expectation for more accountability," Scicluna said. "How is that going to develop? I think we need to trust Pope Francis to develop a system whereby there is more accountability." Asked if abuse cases with adult victims could be prosecuted by the Vatican in the same way child abuse is, Scicluna said it "should be considered." Scicluna also revealed that despite being the Catholic Church's leading authority on clerical sex abuse, he relies on lay experts to investigate allegations in his archdiocese. As archbishop, he must be a spiritual father to both his priests and his flock. "I can't trust my judgment because there's a spiritual sentiment, a closeness that doesn't give me the necessary distance I need for serene justice," Scicluna said. Such lay review boards are a feature of U.S. dioceses, but are by no means the norm around the world. Archbishop Charles Scicluna attends a press conference to brief the media on the Synod of bishops, at the Vatican, Oct. 8, 2018. Scicluna told a press conference Monday that Pope Francis' February summit with global church leaders should cover not just abuse prevention efforts but holding bishops accountable when they fail to protect their flocks from pedophile priests. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Highlighting the importance of policies that support families values for the incarcerated | Main | Highlighting efforts by some prosecutors to help with expungements October 8, 2018 First cases for a new SCOTUS: two more efforts to sort out ACCA uncertainty with old criminal history A new Supreme Court, due to the addition of new Justice Brett Kavanaugh, will get to work on old convictions by considering Tuesday morning the latest possible twists in an ever-twisting jurisprudence concerning the application of the Armed Career Criminal Act. The latest ACCA fun comes in the form of oral arguments in Stokeling v. United States and United States v. Stitt. Here are the basics on these cases via SCOTUSblog coverage: October 8, 2018 at 04:12 PM | Permalink Comments Post a comment WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein (all times local): 12:59 p.m. President Donald Trump talked for about a half hour to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein during their flight Monday to Orlando, Florida, for a speech to police chiefs around the world. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley says the two did not speak alone and that others sat in on their chat aboard Air Force One. He did not disclose details of their conversation, but referred back to the president's comments as he left the White House saying he did not intend to fire Rosenstein. Rosenstein's tenure at the Justice Department has been in question since news reports last month that he'd discussed possibly secretly recording Trump and invoking constitutional provisions to get him removed from office. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, center, is seat in the audience before President Donald Trump speaks at the International Association of Chiefs of Police annual conference, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Rosenstein, who oversees special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, denied the reports. ___ 10:47 a.m. President Donald Trump says he doesn't have plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein's job security has been under question since news reports last month that he had discussed possibly secretly recording Trump to expose chaos in the White House and invoking constitutional provisions to get him removed from office. Rosenstein is joining Trump aboard Air Force One to an event in Florida on Monday, a likely indication that his Justice Department job is at least temporarily safe. Trump told reporters Monday that he has a "very good relationship" with Rosenstein. Their meeting two weeks ago was postponed amid the Supreme Court nomination hearings. Rosenstein oversees special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into possible contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia. ____ 8:00 a.m. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will fly with President Donald Trump on Air Force One on Monday to a police chiefs' conference in Florida. The flight may give Trump and Rosenstein their most extensive conversation since last month's news reports that Rosenstein had discussed possibly secretly recording Trump to expose chaos in the White House and invoking constitutional provisions to get him removed from office. The reports, which Rosenstein denied, fueled speculation that Rosenstein might be fired or resign. Rosenstein and Trump had been expected to meet at the White House days later, but that meeting was put off so that the president could focus on a confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Trump will speak at the International Association Chiefs of Police conference in Orlando. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein step off Air Force One, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. President Donald Trump said Monday he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, delivering a reprieve for the Justice Department official whose future has been the source of intense speculation for two weeks. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) LOS ANGELES (AP) - When SpaceX launched a rocket carrying an Argentine Earth-observation satellite from California, both the night sky and social media lit up. People as far away as Sacramento, Phoenix and Reno, Nevada, posted photos of the Falcon 9 rocket's launch and return on Sunday night. It was the first time SpaceX landed a first-stage booster back at its launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles. The Air Force warned residents on the central California coast they might see multiple engine burns by the first stage and hear one or more sonic booms as it returned. But many were taken by surprise when the launch illuminated the sky, wondering what the otherworldly looking sight was. Some speculated it was a comet or an alien aircraft. "Something exploded in the sky west of Phoenix," Laura Gadbery wrote on Twitter. "Anyone catch it or know what it was?" Lloyd Lawrence, another user in Phoenix - about 490 miles (789 kilometers) away from the launch site - said he was driving on Interstate 10 when he saw the launch and "couldn't believe my eyes." The night sky is lit up above Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., during the launch of a SpaceX rocket carrying an Argentine Earth-observation satellite Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. The bright spot at upper left is the 2nd stage heading to orbit while the bright spot on the right is the 1st stage heading back to the air base. (AP Photo/John Antczak) "I wondered who was holding the gigantic flashlight in the sky," he wrote. Others in Reno, Nevada - about 340 miles away (547 kilometers) - also saw the galactic wonder. Jill Bergantz Carley wrote : "OK Twitter, what the heck is this #UFO #brightlight #plume-a-licious thing we just saw in the sky above #Reno - it radiated beams of light!" Debi Hammond wrote : "Strangest thing I've ever seen in the sky. Anyone know what this is?" Californians from Los Angeles to Sacramento - about 270 miles (435 kilometers) from the launch site - also posted their confusion. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was among those trying to clear up the speculation, tweeting a photo of the launch and writing: "Nope, definitely not aliens." Those who knew they were watching a satellite launch posted videos they captured of the stunning spectacle, including one taken over the downtown Los Angeles skyline and a timelapse from Kern County. The primary purpose of the SpaceX mission was to place the SAOCOM 1A satellite into orbit, but SpaceX also wanted to expand its recovery of first stages to its launch site at Vandenberg. SpaceX had previously flown first-stage rockets back to land after Florida launches but had not done so on the West Coast. SpaceX also has successfully landed Falcon 9 first stages on so-called drone ships off the coasts of Florida and California, all as part of its effort to decrease the cost of space launches by reusing rockets rather than allowing them to fall into the ocean. The satellite is the first of two for Argentina's space agency, the Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, and will work in conjunction with a constellation of Italian space agency satellites. Its acronym is short for Satelite Argentino de Observacion Con Microondas. SAOCOM 1A carries a high-resolution instrument called a synthetic aperature radar that will be used for emergency management during disasters and for land monitoring. The second satellite will be SAOCOM 1B. Two streaks in this long exposure photo show a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifting off, left, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, as seen from Pismo Beach, Calif. Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, and then its first stage returning, right, to Earth at a nearby landing pad. The primary purpose of the mission was to place the SAOCOM 1A satellite into orbit, but SpaceX also wanted to expand its recovery of first stages to its launch site at the Air Force base, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles. (Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo) via AP) In this image made from video provided by SpaceX, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying an Argentinian satellite blasts off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base launch site, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. The primary purpose of the mission was to place the SAOCOM 1A satellite into orbit, but SpaceX also wanted to expand its recovery of first stages to its launch site at the Air Force base (SpaceX via AP) EMIGRANT, Mont. (AP) - U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke approved a 20-year ban on new mining claims in the towering mountains north of Yellowstone National Park on Monday, after two proposed gold mines raised concerns that an area drawing tourists from the around the globe could be spoiled. As Zinke signed the mineral ban at an outdoor ceremony in Montana's Paradise Valley, a bank of clouds behind him broke apart to reveal the snow-covered flank of Emigrant Peak. The picturesque, 10,915-foot (3,327-meter) mountain has been at the center of the debate over whether mining should be allowed. The former Montana congressman was joined by local business owners and residents who pushed for the ban after companies began drafting plans for new mines in an area frequented by wolves, elk, bears and other wildlife. "I'm a pro-mining guy. I love hardrock" mining, Zinke said. "But there are places to mine and places not to mine." Zinke's order extends a temporary ban imposed in 2016 under former President Barack Obama on new claims for gold, silver and other minerals on 47 square miles (122 square kilometers) of public lands in the Paradise Valley and Gardiner Basin. Most of the land is within the Custer Gallatin National Forest. The underground minerals are overseen by the Interior Department. U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announces a ban on new mining claims in the mountains north of Yellowstone National Park on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in Emigrant, Mont. The move extends a 2-year ban enacted under former President Barack Obama for another 20 years. (Matthew Brown/AP) The rocky peaks and forested stream valleys covered by the ban are popular with hikers and other recreational users. Wildlife roam back and forth across the Yellowstone border, and the scars of historical mining still are visible on some hillsides. Mining companies and industry representatives said the area includes historical mining districts that shouldn't be barred from future development. Mining claims give their holders legal rights to explore for minerals. Monday's action does not stop mining on private land or take away pre-existing mining claims on public lands. But supporters said it would make a large-scale mine in the area much less likely because adjacent public lands would be needed to make such a project economically feasible. John Mears, president of Lucky Minerals, said his company is not backing down. The Vancouver, Canada-based company plans to press ahead with exploration work next year on private lands around Emigrant Peak that are inside one of the areas where mining has been banned. Mears was parked down the road from the site of Monday's event with a large sign propped against his truck that read, "Sec. Zinke ... Why won't you meet with me?" "It's up to the government to decide if we have valid existing rights but in the meantime we'll carry on," Mears said. "We won't be able to acquire any more ground, but we have enough." Mining opponents expressed optimism the ban would make it impossible for Lucky Minerals or any other company to develop mines. "When you take the public lands out of the equation, it really dampens it," said Bryan Wells, who lives in the small community of Old Chico at the base of Emigrant Peak. The administration's action was notable given President Donald Trump's outspoken advocacy for the mining industry and his criticism of government regulations said to stifle economic development. It comes as Trump has sought to lift protections on public lands elsewhere, including his controversial decision to shrink the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monument in Utah. Zinke said the threat of mining near Yellowstone was different because local residents and business owners were in agreement on the issue. The Utah monuments have been controversial since their creation. The mining claims ban had bipartisan backing in Montana, where Democrats and Republicans alike have been eager to cast themselves as protectors of the natural beauty of the Yellowstone region. Colin Davis with the Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition said the group will now focus on making the ban permanent through pending measures in Congress. "Our eye is still on permanent legislation," said Davis, owner of Chico Hot Springs Resort. "The prize is permanent legislation so we're not doing this again in 20 years." A House committee on Sept. 26 approved permanent withdrawal legislation sponsored by Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte. A Senate committee last week approved identical legislation from Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester that's also backed by Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines. ___ Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter at www.twitter.com/matthewbrownap . ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - President Donald Trump drew an enthusiastic response from a law-and-order crowd Monday, advocating the use of "stop and frisk" policing and saying he has directed the Justice Department to work with local officials in Chicago to stem violence in the nation's third-largest city. "The crime spree is a terrible blight on that city," he said at a convention of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Trump said he had ordered Attorney General Jeff Sessions to "immediately" go to Chicago and encouraged it to embrace the stop-and-frisk policing method that was used in New York City until it was deemed unconstitutional because of its overwhelming impact on minority residents. "Gotta be properly applied, but stop-and-frisk works," Trump said. It was unclear exactly what the president had ordered of his attorney general. The White House and Justice Department didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump traveled to Orlando with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Chicago police said last week that there have been 102 fewer homicides and nearly 500 fewer shooting victims in the city this year, compared with the first nine months of 2017. President Donald Trump addresses the International Association of Chiefs of Police at their annual convention Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Just weeks before the midterm elections, Trump accused Democrats of being soft on crime. "The Democrats fight us at every turn. Whether it's law enforcement or military. They fight us at every turn. And we win," Trump said. He singled out politicians who have criticized police, often in the wake of shootings of young, black men, saying, "Politicians who spread dangerous anti-police sentiment make life easier for criminals and more dangerous for law-abiding citizens." And he blamed "evil" people for nearly sinking his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation, saying, "It was a disgraceful situation." Trump said Kavanaugh would be "a faithful defender of the rule of law." Hours before Trump addressed the police chiefs, a handful of protesters outside the Orange County Convention Center waved signs reading "Sexual Predators Belong in Jail Not as President or Supreme Court" and "We Wish You Were Fake News." Trump also heralded recent declines in unemployment as a positive step toward lower crime rates. He said he was working hard on the opioid crisis and announced more than $42 million in new grant funding for innovative projects to fight the drug epidemic. The money will fund more than 50 innovative projects through the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program. __ Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Washington and Michael Tarm in Chicago contributed to this report. President Donald Trump speaks at the International Association of Chiefs of Police annual conference, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The Latest on the disappearance of a Saudi columnist, who went missing after visiting his country's consulate in Istanbul (all times local): 12:20 a.m. President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have joined the ranks of U.S. officials raising concerns about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Asked by reporters about Khashoggi's disappearance, the president said "I am concerned about it." He spoke as he returned to Washington from a trip to Florida. Earlier, House Speaker Paul Ryan is calling the disappearance of Khashoggi "very disturbing" and says the United States needs "clear facts" on the situation. Khashoggi went missing last week after visiting the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey. Ryan said he'll "fight for answers" about the disappearance and wants information "from both governments," the Saudis and the Turks, about what happened. A journalist holding a poster of missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, speaks to camera near the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Khashoggi, 59, went missing on Oct 2 while on a visit to the consulate in Istanbul for paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancee. The consulate insists the writer left its premises, contradicting Turkish officials. He had been living since last year in the U.S. in a self-imposed exile, in part due to the rise of Prince Mohammed, the son of King Salman. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Ryan said he stands in solidarity with those in the media making sure Khashoggi's disappearance does not go unnoticed The GOP leader visited Saudi Arabia at the start of the year. He spoke Monday at the National Press Club, which works to ensure press freedoms. ___ 9 p.m. The United Nations says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "very concerned" about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and violence against other journalists. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric says the U.N. chief is following the Khashoggi case "closely," noting that an investigation is taking place in Istanbul. Turkish officials say the Washington Post contributor was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and that his body was later removed from the building, without providing evidence. Saudi officials have denied the allegations, and the consulate says Khashoggi left its premises. Dujarric told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday that Guterres "has been an advocate for journalists." He says: "Both publicly and privately, the secretary-general has often raised this issue with member states." General Assembly President Maria Espinosa Garces is also "very concerned" about Khashoggi's disappearance, spokeswoman Monica Grayley said. ___ 6:50 p.m. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Saudi Arabia has the responsibility to prove its claim that a missing Saudi journalist left the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, went missing Oct. 2 after he visited the Saudi Consulate to complete paperwork needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. Saudi officials said the journalist, a Washington Post contributor, left the building, while Turkish officials say he did not. Turkish officials have said authorities believe Khashoggi was killed at the consulate, allegations denied by Saudi Arabia. Speaking during a visit to Hungary, Erdogan said the Saudis "cannot save themselves by saying he left." Erdogan says Turkish police, intelligence and judiciary officials are investigating. Erdogan said he himself was following the investigation, saying it was his political and humanitarian duty. ___ 1:45 p.m. A Turkish official says the Saudi ambassador to Turkey has been summoned to the ministry to request Riyadh's cooperation in an investigation over journalist Jamal Khashoggi who went missing after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week. A ministry official says Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal met with the Saudi ambassador on Sunday. Private NTV television said Turkey requested permission to search the consulate building. A Turkish official told The Associated Press that Turkey has "deepened" its investigation without providing further detail. Turkish officials claim the Washington Post contributor was slain at the consulate and that his body was later removed. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not confirm the alleged killing saying he would await the result of an investigation. Saudi officials have denied the allegations as baseless. PETOBO, Indonesia (AP) - When the violent shaking from a massive magnitude 7.5 earthquake finally stopped, Selvi Susanti stood up and realized something strange was happening. First, she saw the ground suddenly begin to sink. Then the pavement split beneath her feet like a broken dinner plate and started to rise. Terrified, she clung to a small sliver of asphalt and surfed a river of fast-moving mud as it swallowed entire neighborhoods, carrying her higher than coconut trees for a quarter of a mile. "What I saw - oh my God! Houses were tumbling. They started to roll like waves. It's like a tsunami, but the difference was they were waves of soil," said Susanti, 38, weeping at the memory of seeing so many people simply disappear into the earth as they screamed for help. "It felt like I was in a boat, moving around. But the difference is I was not in water, but in the mud." Many, like Susanti in the devastated village of Petobo, had no idea they were in an area already identified by the government as a high-risk zone for the devastating geological phenomenon that causes soft ground to liquefy during earthquakes. But Indonesian scientist Gegar Prasetya wasn't surprised by any of the events that occurred at dusk on Sept. 28, killing nearly 2,000 people and leaving possibly thousands more missing. He had warned people for years that the area around Sulawesi island's Palu Bay had been struck before and was due for another potential combination of factors to create a perfect storm capable of unleashing earthquakes, landslides, tsunami waves and soil liquefaction. "I knew right away," said Prasetya, co-founder of the Tsunami Research Center Indonesia, who had met with government officials and residents in the area to try to raise awareness about the threat. "I posted in our group, and I said, 'It's happened.'" Disaster-prone Indonesia, part of the Pacific Basin's "Ring of Fire," is an archipelago of about 17,000 islands sitting atop numerous fault lines that have produced some of the largest and most deadly earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions in recorded history. In this Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, photo, a family scavenges for salvageable items from the ruins of their house at Petobo neighborhood which was wiped out by liquefaction caused by a massive earthquake in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Many in the decimated village had no idea they were in an area already identified as a high-risk zone for this apocalyptic phenomenon that causes soft ground to liquefy during temblors. The area around Sulawesi island's Palu Bay had been slammed before and was due for another potential perfect storm, capable of unleashing earthquakes, landslides, tsunami waves, and soil liquefaction. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Other scientists around the world wondered how this type of earthquake - on a strike-slip fault, which typically does not produce dangerous tsunamis - could generate waves that surged as high as 6 meters (20 feet). Again, Prasetya knew. He had published a paper nearly two decades ago highlighting six other tsunamis recorded in the Makassar Strait in the past century, predicting that a repeat event could be expected roughly every 25 years. The last one occurred in a region north of the city in 1996. Before that, Palu Bay was hit in 1968 by a very similar magnitude 7.4 quake that generated waves 10 meters (33 feet) high. "This one complete village went to the sea," he said of the 1968 event. "You can still see the trees from the top of the water." Some experts theorize that the Sept. 28 quake, by itself, didn't generate a big wave despite being shallow and near the coast. They're convinced it was instead the area's soft soil that served as the real catalyst for disaster. The temblor's long, violent shaking likely triggered one or more underwater landslides due to unstable sediment deposited on the seafloor by rivers. This disruptive movement may have created the large wall of water that raced across the open ocean until being squeezed into the long, narrow bay that surrounds Palu, forcing the wave to grow higher. "Imagine what happens if you drop a brick in a flat pond - ripples spread in all directions," said Robert Hall, a geologist at Royal Holloway University of London, who has studied the area. "Now drop the same size object in a bathtub. The waves can reflect off the sides, can amplify, and may get larger in the direction of the length of the bath." But it wasn't just weak sediment in the ocean that gave way. Wet, sandy soil also separated and came alive through liquefaction in some areas due to the earthquake's radical vibrations. The ground simply lost its strength and turned to mush beneath people's feet, creating mud that acted like quicksand. People, houses, cars and streets were swallowed and covered by a thick carpet of what - just seconds earlier - had been solid earth. Fast-moving landslides also were launched above ground, possibly causing even more localized tsunami waves. "We wouldn't necessarily expect to get all the worst possible factors occurring together," said Willem De Lange, a scientist from the University of Waikato in New Zealand who co-authored research on the area with Prasetya in 2001. "Unfortunately this does happen." Many questions remain about exactly what happened in this complex disaster. Prasetya will begin field work with the Indonesian navy this week to try to better understand what occurred under water, and a team of international experts are expected to arrive soon to survey the area. Palu's population has exploded in many high-risk areas since the 1968 event, which killed 200 people and also turned soil to mud in places, leaving many newcomers vulnerable with no local history. However, the central government did produce a map in 2012 identifying large swaths of Palu, a city of 380,000 people, where liquefaction could occur. The area of Petobo, for instance, was classified as having high-risk potential. The report also recommended that housing and industrial areas should best be built in areas with low liquefaction risk. It suggested mitigation efforts, including building structures with deep foundations anchored into firmer layers of earth. Good urban planning is ultimately the key to saving lives, said Sri Hidayati, head of earthquake mitigation at the Energy Ministry's Geology Agency, which produced the report that was shared with the provincial and district governments in Sulawesi. She said it's her agency's responsibility to provide the mapping, but it's up to local authorities to "use it or not." Calls Monday to Palu's vice mayor and the mayor's aid went unanswered. "If everything in the future is planned based on this, I think maybe we will only experience a small number of casualties in case such a disaster occurs again," Hidayati said. "Or probably no casualties at all." At a news conference in Jakarta on Monday, the head of the country's disaster agency also confirmed that soft soil areas in Palu are not fit for housing. "It is impossible to rebuild in areas with high liquefaction risk such as Petobo and Balaroa," said Willem Rampangilei, adding that people still living there will be relocated. Indonesia has been criticized for lifting the tsunami warning it issued for Sulawesi's coast too soon. The earthquake knocked out power and telecommunication towers, meaning sirens didn't wail and alerts didn't light up mobile phones. Online video showed an unsettling scene as cars and motorbikes drove at normal speeds on a coastal road and oblivious people milled about on the beach while the large, fast-moving wave could be seen racing closer before exploding onshore. "It's almost impossible for a tsunami warning system to predict what we saw the other day," said Adam Switzer, an expert at the Earth Observatory of Singapore. "The earthquake is the warning. If you're anywhere in southeast Asia and you're on the coast and you feel an earthquake, move inland and move to higher ground and stay there." But it's also not a matter of only warning people just before something happens. Prasetya said the history and geology of Palu Bay must be considered in plans to rebuild. He said soil investigations should be carried out to determine if deep piles are needed to stabilize buildings. Local knowledge should also be considered as a cheap way help to save lives, such as constructing houses out of wood with thatched roofs, instead of concrete and tile. In Petobo, tsunami warnings would not have helped because there was no time to respond to the waves of mud. All that remains of the village, located about 30 minutes from the center of Palu, is a muddy wasteland where only the very tips of roofs remain above ground in places. Satellite images show a heavily populated area stretching more than 100 hectares (250 acres) being devoured by what looks like a giant layer of chocolate milk. In mobile phone videos, buildings are seen sliding like pucks across a slab of ice. Some people spent hours trying to find their homes after the disaster, locating them about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from where they once stood. "It felt like we were spinning in a blender," recalled Susanti, who survived by leaping to solid ground and running after the mud flow finally slowed down. "I saw houses change position. Houses which were located at the east moved to the west and vice versa. I saw the twisted mud was shaped like dough." Recovering bodies from Petobo and other hard-hit areas, such as Balaroa, has been difficult because heavy equipment will sink in the soft soil and is unusable there. The government is considering turning some of these sites into mass graves, according to Wiranto, Indonesia's security minister, who uses one name. "It is already a ghost village. I will not go back there even if they pay me 1 billion rupiah ($65,800)," said Erli Yati, 32, who also survived what's been dubbed a "land tsunami" by some in Petobo. She had no idea about the previous disasters there or that the ground could come alive as it did. "I will not step back to that place again," she added. "That was the worse experience I have ever had." Prasetya commended the idea of closing off liquefaction areas and said mitigation - whether it's creating and enforcing proper building codes in at-risk zones or relocating people to safer places - should be implemented before the next disaster. "How many souls need to be sacrificed until the government knows mitigation is important?" he asked, adding he's been sounding alarms since the massive 2004 earthquake-spawned tsunami off Sumatra island killed 230,000 people in a dozen nations, more than half of them in Indonesia. "Everything is back to business as usual." ___ Mason reported from Jakarta. Associated Press journalist Tassanee Vejpongsa in Petobo, Indonesia, and Eko Prasetyo from Jakarta contributed to this report. In this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, photo, people stand on top of rubble and dried mud as they survey the damage of the Petobo neighborhood which was wiped out by earthquake-triggered liquefaction in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Many in the decimated village had no idea they were in an area already identified as a high-risk zone for this apocalyptic phenomenon that causes soft ground to liquefy during temblors. The area around Sulawesi island's Palu Bay had been slammed before and was due for another potential perfect storm, capable of unleashing earthquakes, landslides, tsunami waves, and soil liquefaction. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) In this Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, photo, men survey the damage in the Petobo neighborhood which was wiped out by liquefaction during a massive earthquake in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Many in the decimated village had no idea they were in an area already identified as a high-risk zone for this apocalyptic phenomenon that causes soft ground to liquefy during temblors. The area around Sulawesi island's Palu Bay had been slammed before and was due for another potential perfect storm, capable of unleashing earthquakes, landslides, tsunami waves, and soil liquefaction. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) In this Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, photo, men carry a salvaged motorbike from the Petobo neighborhood wiped out by liquefaction caused by a massive earthquake in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Many in the decimated village had no idea they were in an area already identified as a high-risk zone for this apocalyptic phenomenon that causes soft ground to liquefy during temblors. The area around Sulawesi island's Palu Bay had been slammed before and was due for another potential perfect storm, capable of unleashing earthquakes, landslides, tsunami waves, and soil liquefaction. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) In this Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, photo, a family carries salvageable items they scavenged from the ruins of their house in the Petobo neighborhood which was wiped out by liquefaction caused by an earthquake in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Many in the decimated village had no idea they were in an area already identified as a high-risk zone for this apocalyptic phenomenon that causes soft ground to liquefy during temblors. The area around Sulawesi island's Palu Bay had been slammed before and was due for another potential perfect storm,capable of unleashing earthquakes, landslides, tsunami waves, and soil liquefaction. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Latest on a debate between California's candidates for governor (all times local): 11:25 a.m. Republican candidate for California governor John Cox didn't say whether he supported the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Cox said during a debate Monday that he's focused on California issues and is "not going to get into the middle" of the appointment. Cox says the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford deserved to be heard. She says Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party when both were in high school. Kavanaugh denies the allegation. Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom says Kavanaugh is going to play a major role on issues that matter to California such as reproductive rights. He opposed the nomination. Radio host Scott Shafer, left, moderates a California gubernatorial debate between Republican candidate John Cox, top, and Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) __ 11 a.m. California's Democratic candidate for governor is highlighting his Republican opponent's similarities to President Donald Trump on immigration and environmental policy. Republican John Cox advocated for repealing California's so-called sanctuary state law that limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities during a debate Monday with Democrat Gavin Newsom. Newsom says the law protects immigrants and keeps communities safe. He used Cox's opposition to the law and support for building a border wall to draw parallels with the president, who is unpopular in California. On environmental policy, Cox said he thinks California needs to consider the economic costs of fighting climate change. Newsom, meanwhile, worked to tie Cox to Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from an international climate agreement aimed at reducing emissions. ___ 11 a.m. California's two candidates for governor split markedly on criminal justice issues in their first and only debate. Republican John Cox on Monday opposed new laws that open up police records, criticized departing Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and says he would concentrate on keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill over other gun control measures. Cox also urged the media to stop publicizing the names and photographs of mass shooters. Democrat Gavin Newsom says Cox's proposals hide his opposition to gun control. Newsom would expand on Brown's criminal justice reforms. The candidates also clashed on California's recent decision to eliminate of money bail. Newsom says the old system harms the poor and racial minorities. Cox says doing away with it eliminates the bail industry. ___ 10:30 a.m. The candidates for California governor are highlighting different strategies for building more housing. Republican John Cox said during a Monday radio debate that he would change environmental regulations. He says as governor he would cut back on those regulations to make housing construction cheaper and faster. Democrat Gavin Newsom points to tax reform as a way to spur local governments to approve more housing. He says he would try to change laws that limit property tax revenue for cities because he said they can act as disincentives for housing construction. Cox also says it's important to maintain local control over housing while Newsom emphasizes creating statewide housing goals. Both emphasized the importance of increasing the rate of housing construction as the state faces a severe shortage. __ 10 a.m. Both candidates for California governor both say affordability is a central issue in the race. Democrat Gavin Newsom and Republican John Cox said Monday that the cost of housing is a serious problem that the next governor must address. The two are participating Monday in their only scheduled debate. Newsom says California is both the richest and poorest state, and the state must to a better job addressing inequality. Cox says Californians should live in a state where they can afford to buy a house or pay their rent and not encounter homeless people on the streets. He blames Newsom and interest groups in Sacramento for driving up prices. __ 7 a.m. The two men hoping to be California's next governor are preparing to meet for what's likely to be their only one-on-one debate. Republican John Cox and Democrat Gavin Newsom will debate Monday morning at San Francisco public radio station KQED. The hour-long session will not be televised but will be offered to radio stations to broadcast around the state. The debate will be a crucial opportunity for Cox to get his message out or try to trip up Newsom. He has trailed Newsom in polls and fundraising. The impact from a radio-only daytime debate could be limited, though. Cox is a lawyer, accountant and investor from the San Diego area who has never held elected office. Newsom is California's lieutenant governor and former San Francisco mayor. Radio host Scott Shafer, center, speaks before moderating a California gubernatorial debate between Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom, left, and Republican candidate John Cox at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) Republican candidate John Cox speaks during a California gubernatorial debate with Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom at KQED Public Radio Studio in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool) FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) - California voters will soon decide whether to drive out a gasoline tax increase passed to fund transportation projects across the state. Proposition 6 seeks to repeal last year's decision by the Democratic-led Legislature to raise fuel taxes and vehicle fees to pay for roughly $5 billion a year in highway and road improvements and transit programs. Republicans and Democrats agree the sprawling state known for its car culture needs a transportation overhaul, with suburban commuters clamoring for better freeways and urban dwellers demanding mass transit. But how to fund these fixes has been hotly disputed, prompting the recall of a Democratic state lawmaker who voted for the tax increase and spurring Republican candidates in races for federal, state and local offices to take up the call for repeal. "Republicans hate increases in taxes," said Fred Smoller, a political science professor at Chapman University in Orange County, where Republicans face several competitive congressional races. "They also need something on the ballot to, as they say, 'gin the base' for the fall." Gov. Jerry Brown signed the transportation deal last year to raise $52 billion over a decade for road and bridge repairs. Nearly half the money will come from fuel taxes, with a 12 cent-per-gallon boost in gasoline excise taxes that took effect last November. FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2017, file photo, gasoline prices are displayed at a Chevron station in Sacramento, Calif. California voters will soon decide whether to drive out a gasoline tax increase passed to fund transportation projects across the state. Proposition 6 seeks to repeal last year's decision by the Democratic-led Legislature to raise fuel taxes and vehicle fees to pay for roughly $5 billion a year in highway and road improvements and transit programs. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) The repeal initiative - a constitutional amendment proposed by San Diego talk radio host and Republican former councilman Carl DeMaio -is backed by Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox and taxpayer advocates. It is opposed by construction industry and firefighter unions. Supporters raised about $5 million through September, according to campaign finance reports. That's a far cry from the $30 million raised to oppose the initiative, which would also require voter approval to raise vehicle or fuel taxes in the future. For DeMaio, the issue isn't just transportation but the rising cost of living in California especially for the working class. He argues fuel taxes should be used more efficiently. "Everything in California is so much more expensive and the question is why," he said. "Gas taxes for me was the issue that was just symbolic of this entire cost-of-living crisis that's being ignored by politicians." Opponents contend there aren't enough funds to keep up with the transit needs of California's 40 million people. Over the last two decades, automobiles have become more fuel efficient - a boon for the environment but a challenge to transportation budgets as drivers need less gasoline. Kiana Valentine, senior legislative representative with the California State Association of Counties, said some roads were going to gravel and streets left unplowed during snowstorms when local governments couldn't afford the upkeep. "Ultimately, they're putting the safety of Californians and the future of our transportation infrastructure, and our economy, and our overall quality of life at risk," she said. A September poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California showed the measure lagging, with only 39 percent saying they would vote for repeal and 52 percent saying they oppose it. On a train platform in the Orange County city of Fullerton, several people complained about congested freeway driving but had different ideas of how to fix it. Brenda Gentry, a 61-year-old paralegal who rides the train to her job in Los Angeles, said Californians pay far more for gasoline than her out-of-state relatives. "I think the gas tax is ridiculous," said Gentry, a 61-year-old Republican from the small community of Placentia. "I would certainly support getting rid of it." Linda Johnson, a 66-year-old retired teacher and Democrat from Anaheim, said she feels just the opposite. She'd like to drive herself to the airport rather than take a lengthy train ride and said she's willing to pay more in gasoline taxes to see road improvements. "Just fix the traffic in LA," she said. "I don't mind the gas increase if it goes to fixing the roads." While the initiative is a state ballot measure, Republican candidates for Congress are also jumping on the issue as they face increased pressure from Democrats trying to make the most of President Donald Trump's low approval ratings in the state and capture a majority of seats in the House of Representatives in November. In the Public Policy Institute survey, Trump had a 37 percent approval rating among likely California voters, and didn't win the 2016 election even in the once traditional Republican stronghold of Orange County. Much support for the measure poured in after Republicans successfully recalled Orange County Democratic state Sen. Josh Newman in June over his vote for the gas tax increase. The recall ended Democrats' two-thirds majority in the state Legislature and signaled the initiative might be tapping into voters' unease with the taxes, experts said. "This is a way to bring out the Republican faithful - which is smaller than before but still brings a lot of votes to down-ticket items that can save state legislative seats, but important to everyone right now are these key Congressional seats," said Wesley Hussey, a political science professor at California State University, Sacramento. "It really has taken on a life of its own." FILE - In this July 11, 2018, file photo, workers repave a street in Roseville, Calif., partially funded by a gas tax hike passed by the Legislature in 2017. Republican officeholders have plowed money into a November ballot initiative campaign to repeal the tax increase. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2016, file photo morning rush hour traffic makes it's way along US 101 near downtown Los Angeles. California voters will soon decide whether to drive out a gasoline tax increase passed to fund transportation projects across the state. Proposition 6 seeks to repeal last year's decision by the Democratic-led Legislature to raise fuel taxes and vehicle fees to pay for roughly $5 billion a year in highway and road improvements and transit programs. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File) FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2018, file photo Carl DeMaio, who is leading the Proposition 6 campaign, to repeal a recent gas tax increase, discusses a ballot measure he is proposing to provide money for road repairs and eliminate high-speed rail in Sacramento, Calif. California voters will soon decide whether to drive out a gasoline tax increase passed to fund transportation projects across the state. Proposition 6 seeks to repeal last year's decision by the Democratic-led Legislature to raise fuel taxes and vehicle fees to pay for roughly $5 billion a year in highway and road improvements and transit programs. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) - The Latest on Europe's response to mass migration (all times local): 7:55 p.m. Cyprus authorities say 21 Syrian migrants were picked up from a boat that was drifting off the Mediterranean island's southeastern tip. Police said a merchant vessel spotted the smaller boat south of Cape Greco on Monday morning and notified Cypriot authorities. A police patrol boat was dispatched to pick up the people on the drifting boat and to take them to the port in Larnaca for processing. Cyprus has appealed for the European Union's help in handling an increasing number of arriving migrants. Cypriot officials say they can barely keep up with asylum applications. One month Sonia Al Taie who lives with 6 family members in Malakasa refugee camp, on the outskirt of Athens takes part in a protest against the living conditions at the camp, outside the Ministry of Migration in Nikea, suburb of Athens, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) ___ 2:30 p.m. Several hundred asylum-seekers are camped outside a police station in Greece's second-largest city Thessaloniki, lining up to be arrested and formally processed, as a surge in illegal migration in northern Greece has overwhelmed authorities. After sleeping on benches and patches of grass in a central square, the migrants formed a line Monday outside the police station, seeking a place at a migrant camp before the winter. Greece is struggling to cope with a high number of asylum-seekers due to political resistance to settlement agreements within the European Union and ongoing arrivals from neighboring Turkey. Last week, Amnesty International Secretary General Kumi Naidoo visited a migrant camp on the island of Lesbos. He described conditions there as "appalling" and called for an emergency winter evacuation to the mainland. Kurdish migrants wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) A Kurdish man carries a sleeping boy as refugees wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) Kurdish migrants wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) A boy sleeps with his family as migrants wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) A migrant family pack their belongings as they wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) Kurdish migrants wait outside a police station in Aristotelous Square at the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Dozens of refugees and migrants have gathered outside a police station in Greece's second largest city, waiting for hours to be formally arrested and gain temporary residence in the European Union country. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos) The Indonesian government is considering making earthquake and tsunami-devastated areas into mass graves as the death toll from last weeks disaster continues to climb. As search teams pulled more bodies from obliterated neighbourhoods in the city of Palu, the disaster agency said the toll had reached 1,649, with at least 265 people still missing. More nations sent aid and humanitarian workers fanned out in the countryside, while more black body bags were arranged in a row in the crumpled neighbourhood of Balaroa, destined for a mass grave. Rescue workers carry a body to be buried at a mass grave (Dita Alangkara/AP) Relatives cried as mourners placed long pieces of white cloth, to represent a Muslim burial rite, inside the bags. Among them was 39-year-old Rudy Rahman, who said the bodies of his 18 and 16-year-old sons had been found. His youngest son remains missing. They were found in front of my brothers house opposite the mosque, Mr Rahman said. They found them holding each other. These two brothers were hugging each other. Balaroa was one of the areas hardest hit on September 28 by the magnitude 7.5 quake, which threw homes in the neighbourhood tens of metres and left cars upright or perched on eruptions of concrete and asphalt. A devastated mosque in Palu (Aaron Favila/AP) Many children were in the mosque at the time of the quake for Koran recitation. An assistant to the imam had said none survived. Indonesias leading security minister, Wiranto, said the government is mulling the possibility of turning Balaroa and Petobo, another neighbourhood in Palu, into mass graves. Petobo disappeared into the earth as the force of the quake liquefied its soft soil. Liquefaction also struck a large section of Balaroa. Wiranto said efforts to retrieve bodies are problematic in those neighbourhoods, where homes were sucked into the earth, burying possibly hundreds of victims. He said it is not safe for heavy equipment to operate there. Wiranto also said the government is discussing with local and religious authorities and victims families the possibility of halting the search and turning the areas into mass graves. The victims can be considered martyrs, he said. A Japanese military plane landed at Palus airport on Saturday morning, and soldiers unloaded tons of supplies, including medicine and small portable generators, in boxes emblazoned with the Japanese flag and the words From the People of Japan. Japanese military personnel unload aid (Tatan Syuflana/AP) Several other nations have also sent planeloads of aid. Video showed the military dropping supplies from helicopters in places and a large Red Cross ship docked at a port in the region. In the dusty one-road village of Pewunu, excited children shouted Red Cross! Red Cross! as one of the aid groups medical teams arrived and set up a makeshift clinic in a field where evacuees were sleeping under tarpaulins. One villager said they survived by ransacking shops. Volunteers laid out a big white tarpaulin on a stage in front of the village office, set a green desk on it and interviewed people about their needs as dozens milled around. Doctors performed medical checks on elderly residents who emerged from tents and climbed the stages stairs with canes or others supporting them. People living in the camp said two residents died in collapsing houses in the village. They said they had clean water and noodles but not much else. There were supplies, but these were looted. All along the roads toward here, they were looted by outsiders, said Bahamid Fawzi. All this while in this crisis, we dont have water, we dont have food, he said. After that, we started ransacking the stores and the shops. Not because were thieves, but because we really needed it. Theres no water, no food like it or not, we had to do it. The earthquake and tsunami swept away buildings along miles of coastline and knocked out power and communications for days. In a rare move, Indonesias government appealed for international help to cope with the tragedy on Sulawesi island. The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 38 million is required to deliver immediate, life-saving aid. First cases for a new SCOTUS: two more efforts to sort out ACCA uncertainty with old criminal history | Main | On eve of execution, Tennessee Supreme Court rejects challenge to state's execution protocol October 8, 2018 Highlighting efforts by some prosecutors to help with expungements Today's New York Times has this notable new article under the headline "Convicts Seeking to Clear Their Records Find More Prosecutors Willing to Help." Here are excerpts: [A]lthough law enforcement officials have traditionally opposed [broadened expungement and sealing laws] for an array of reasons including accountability, a belief that records are vital to public safety, and unstinting support for crime victims a growing number of them have begun to recognize that criminal records can be enduring obstacles to self-sufficiency and even help trap people in cycles of crime. Increasingly, they are overtly endorsing mercy through record suppression. Its just a matter of trying to remove obstacles that would make it more difficult for someone to become a productive member of the community, said Terry Curry, the elected prosecutor in Marion County, which includes Indianapolis and has a population approaching 1 million residents. If an individual has stayed out of the criminal justice system, then why should they continue to have that stain forever? Though in most places the paperwork burden for expungements has fallen on private lawyers and nonprofit legal clinics, South Florida prosecutors now routinely hold events intended to help people wipe away records of arrests but not convictions. A district attorney in rural Louisiana leads information sessions about expungements for some felony convictions after a 10-year waiting period; a Vermont prosecutor recently held a record-clearing clinic; and the authorities near Fort Bragg, N.C., attracted about 500 people to an expungement event last year. Last month, the Brooklyn district attorney promoted Begin Again events, where, one advertisement said, people were invited to clear your record of a misdemeanor marijuana conviction or warrant. But there is still a national patchwork of policies and terminologies, from destroying records to sealing them to simply noting that a conviction is effectively vacated. States have imposed various waiting periods, conditions and fees. Some places have made their processes deliberately simple, while others have complicated approaches that may require legal assistance or court hearings. The proliferation of new laws, and newfound enthusiasm on the part of some prosecutors, has hardly erased all doubts about the wisdom of suppressing records. Many prosecutors, especially in rural areas, remain skeptical of any action to show mercy for a persons past, and some judges engage in measured resistance, holding hearings more to complain about an expungement law than to weigh an applications merits. You have prosecutors and judges who just think its wrong: Youve caused trouble in this county, youre a wrongdoer and you shouldnt get a blank slate, said Bernice Corley, the executive director of the Indiana Public Defender Council. But Margaret Love, the executive director of the Collateral Consequences Resource Center and a former United States pardon attorney, said that clemency and expungements are part of the criminal justice process for a reason. It ought to be something that prosecutors welcome and use to their advantage to create criminal justice success stories, to advertise criminal justice success stories, she said. The nuanced approach in Indiana, where officials hoped that expungements would improve peoples job prospects, is increasingly seen as a model. Under its so-called Second Chance law, the state has a tiered system in which the offense, and the outcome of the case, determines the waiting period and the exact relief. Indiana does not destroy records, but can limit access to them and mark them as expunged, and crime victims are permitted to express their views before any decision is made. Indiana should be the worst place in America to commit a serious crime and the best place, once youve done your time, to get a second chance, Gov. Mike Pence, now the vice president, said when he signed the records measure into law in 2013. I am glad to see this topic garner the attention of the Times, though I am a bit disappointed not to see any mention of the particularly notable marijuana-reform developments on this front. Specifically, as I discussed briefly in this recent paper for the Federal Sentencing Reporter, a number of prosecutors in California began taking proactive steps to clear prior marijuana convictions after the state enacted marijuana legalization in 2016. October 8, 2018 at 04:32 PM | Permalink Comments 1000% agree with this. Pardons should be routinely granted too for stale convictions. Posted by: federalist | Oct 8, 2018 6:39:59 PM Federalist, I commend you on your comment above. How can one hold young kids down in the mud, for foolish acts that they regretted ever since. To me the federal system, keeps score on anything you ever did in your life. Then keeps ratching up the sentence with attibutes from your past so you qualify for Mandatories. More emphasis on what was done and not so much on ones past. Posted by: MidWestGuy | Oct 8, 2018 8:35:34 PM I might agree with this if the original sentence were anywhere near enough but from the decade I've been reading here that rarely seems the case. Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Oct 9, 2018 12:53:15 AM Post a comment European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has taken a swipe at the British media as he claimed the EU could have swung the Brexit referendum if David Cameron had not stopped it intervening. Mr Juncker was scathing about UK press coverage of him, suggesting it violated his human rights. He told Austrian media: They do not respect the human rights of political actors at all. I will not miss it. Mr Juncker made it clear he believed Brussels could have delivered a Remain vote if then prime minister Mr Cameron had not told the EU to stay out of the campaign. 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. 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. Jean-Claude Juncker (Matt Cardy/PA) The remarks drew derision from Leave-backing MPs. Former minister Frank Field, who recently quit the Labour whip, told the Press Association: There is no delusion that does not have an attraction for that man. Im sure it would have been a more decisive Leave vote if he had intervened. Tory MP Sir Bill Cash said: Hes completely off the wall. It would have contravened electoral law. Quite frankly, hes talking through his hat. Mr Juncker also expressed concern at confusion in the British Cabinet over the UKs withdrawal stance. Asked if a Brexit U-turn 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. 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. Statement by INTERPOL Secretary General Jurgen Stock pic.twitter.com/bRXYjDMCsc INTERPOL (@INTERPOL_HQ) October 6, 2018 His wife says she has not heard from him since he left Lyon at the end of September. 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. Thousands of Spaniards have protested in Madrid against the Socialist-led government at a rally organised by marginal right-wing groups. The protesters gathered in front of the Spanish parliament on Saturday, many holding either the current-day Spanish flag or its predecessor that stood for the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. A man holds the pre-constitutional Spanish flag (Manu Fernandez/AP) The crowd shouted slogans against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, calling him a separatist for his willingness to meet with the pro-independence leaders of the north-eastern region of Catalonia. No member of a mainstream political party attended the rally. Mr Sanchez took power early this year after then prime minister Mariano Rajoy lost a no-confidence vote following a corruption scandal in his conservative party. Catalan separatist parliament members contributed to Mr Rajoys downfall in that vote. The Irish president has said the reconciling vision of peacemaker John Hume should be embraced on the 50th anniversary of civil rights protest bloodshed. For some, the Royal Ulster Constabularys use of violence at Duke Street in Londonderry marked the start of decades of conflict. Peaceful protesters seeking rights like one man, one vote, and the fair allocation of public housing were assaulted with batons. Dozens of people, including the MP Gerry Fitt, were injured when the march backed by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association entered an area declared prohibited by then unionist minister of Home Affairs William Craig. Nobel peace prize winner Mr Hume rescued the wounded and went on to become a statesman who helped end the IRAs violent campaign decades later. President Michael D Higgins (Liam McBurney/PA) Irish President Michael D Higgins said: As we assemble today let us, above all, recall the vision of John Hume, so rooted in the experience of the Civil Rights movement. A vision of a shared Ireland, one that recognises the unionist and nationalist traditions, one that is capable of reconciling communities, one that, North and South, preserves human dignity and vindicates and expands fundamental human rights in the economic, cultural and social spheres. If we remain true to that vision, we can not only sustain peace on our island, but can, together, confront the shared challenges of the future with confidence and courage. He said the Civil Rights movement was the crucible from which Mr Hume emerged as a national and international politician. He dedicated his political life to realising its programme, and later, its wider emancipatory potential. John Hume in front of the Stormont Building (Paul Faith/PA) The president paid tribute to the nationalist SDLP founders achievement in cultivating the politicians of the US and the Republic. The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Associations leadership came from a diverse and broad cross-section of backgrounds, including Catholics, Protestants, unionists and republicans, socialists and trade unionists. The president said they were united in their determination to combat the deep inequalities which scarred Northern Ireland inequalities in housing, voting, and policing. The association demanded the principle of one person, one vote, an end to gerrymandering, elimination of discrimination in the allocation of government jobs and housing, the repeal of the Special Powers Act, and the disbandment of the Ulster Special Constabulary. Derry was a Catholic and nationalist city, administered for decades by a Protestant and Unionist majority. Mr Higgins added: Although rooted in the soil of the North and summoned to confront the structural inequalities within the society of Northern Ireland, the Civil Rights Movement was part of a global struggle for human rights a vision of human rights that extended beyond personal or individual rights, a demand that stretched to collective rights, to shared rights. He urged a new spirit of global solidarity, the same spirit and qualities demonstrated by the Civil Rights Movement of 50 years ago. Supporters of three jailed fracking protesters have marched through a city centre to hold a demonstration outside the prison where they are being held. About 200 activists gathered at Preston train station at around midday on Saturday to show support for Simon Blevins, 26, from Sheffield, Richard Roberts, 36, from London and Rich Loizou, 31, from Devon. They were jailed last week after being convicted of public nuisance following a protest outside energy firm Cuadrillas site in Lancashire in July 2017. Supporters of three jailed fracking protesters march from Preston train station to HMP Preston (Eleanor Barlow/PA) Among the supporters were Loizous parents Sharron, 62, and Platon, 64. Mr Loizou said: Were normal working people, Im retired now, we just want to get on with our lives. He said it had been difficult since Loizou had been sentenced and added: Were very sad for whats happened. We never believed it would come to a prison sentence. We were shocked. Supporters march through Preston (Eleanor Barlow/PA) Mrs Loizou said she had spoken to her son that morning. She said: He sounded in good spirits. I think the support he has is helping. Rich would never hurt anybody. He just cares about the planet, he always has. Loizou was jailed for 15 months at Preston Crown Court last week, while Blevins and Roberts were sentenced to 16 months in prison. Solicitors for the men confirmed on Friday they would be lodging an appeal against the sentences. On Saturday, demonstrators with banners marched along Prestons main shopping street Fishergate with a police escort. At times they stopped traffic, with protesters surrounding a police vehicle at one point as it attempted to drive towards them. Supporters march towards HMP Preston (Eleanor Barlow/PA) They chanted free the three and we said no before arriving outside HMP Preston where they sang songs and banged drums. Organiser Leigh Coghill, 27, told the demonstrators to send good vibes to the hundreds of people inside this building. She told the Press Association the imprisoned men had answered the call of the community in Lancashire who opposed fracking. She said: They are buoyed and entirely grateful for the support that they have received. I spoke to one of them this morning and he said the support has been like a blanket round the prison that made him feel safe. Isabelle Luterbacher and Tina Lynham said they had travelled from Devon to support Loizou, who taught their sons in a forest skills and craft-making class. Ms Luterbacher said: Hes enthusiastic, energetic and inspirational. Hes a really peace-loving person. Miranda Cox, 49, a town councillor for Kirkham in Lancashire, said she was there to show solidarity. She said: We feel the sentencing is draconian and unprecedented. At the mens sentencing on September 26, Judge Robert Altham said he felt he could not suspend the jail terms despite accepting the impact of incarceration and the good they did in the community. He said: Given the disruption caused in this case, only immediate custody can achieve sufficient punishment. A fourth defendant, Julian Brock, 47, from Torquay, was sentenced to 12 months in custody, suspended for 18 months, after he pleaded guilty to public nuisance. Energy firm Cuadrilla has said it expects to start fracking at the site on Preston New Road in Little Plumpton next week, although a hearing will be held at the High Court on Wednesday to decide whether an injunction to stop work should be granted pending the determination of a judicial review case against Lancashire County Council. Melania Trump has offered some supportive words for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. She told reporters travelling with her in Egypt: I think hes highly qualified for the Supreme Court. The first lady is wrapping up a four-country tour of Africa. Speaking near the Great Sphinx, she said she is glad that both Mr Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, were heard. Without weighing in on the sexual assault allegations that Ms Ford levelled against Mr Kavanaugh, Mrs Trump says victims of any kind of abuse or violence must be helped. Mr Kavanaugh denies the accusation. First lady Melania Trump visits the ancient statue of Sphinx (Carolyn Kaster/AP) The Senate is expected to confirm Mr Kavanaugh later on Saturday. A drone with a thermal imaging camera had to be used to trace a teenage girl who called 999 from an unknown location to report she was with a man who had allegedly raped her. Lincolnshire Police said the missing high risk 16-year-old called in the early hours of Saturday from the Browns Road area of Boston. https://t.co/7g7X1xzKpI Officers from our Emerald Team, who are specifically trained to support victims of rape and sexual assaults, are supporting this victim. More on this incident here: https://t.co/dvfqPWaGa4 Lincolnshire Police (@LincsPolice) October 6, 2018 She could not give her location, but described still being with her attacker in an old industrial complex surrounded by a high fence. The force said the thermal drone was used to find the girl and guide officers to her within minutes. A man in his 30s was arrested and remains in custody, officers said. Chinas foreign minister has told visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Washington should stop what he called groundless attacks on his countrys policies. Wang Yi said he told Mr Pompeo during a meeting that a shadow has been cast over the future of China-US relations. China and the United States are at odds over trade and Beijings militarisation of islands it claims in the South China Sea. Mr Pompeo, who arrived from North Korea, told Mr Yi he wanted to discuss his meetings with its leader, Kim Jong Un, and efforts to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. He earlier said significant progress was made during his visit towards an agreement for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. EU leaders will meet next week in the hope of finalising Britains exit from the bloc and agreeing how the future relationship will work. Here we look at what will happen as both sides prepare for the European Council summit: The clock is ticking, so can we expect a flurry of activity this week? Well, Brussels had planned to release two major documents on Wednesday, one setting out its vision for future relations between the EU and the UK and another detailing how it would respond if no deal is reached. The plans have now reportedly been put on hold, however, and officials refused to be drawn on what was happening. An announcement is expected on Tuesday. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab (Aaron Chown/PA) So, are plans more clear cut in Westminster? Far from it. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab had reportedly been expected to head to Brussels on Thursday for a fresh round of talks with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, but No 10 said it could not confirm the meeting. UK officials are meeting their counterparts for technical discussions. Will the Government publish fresh proposals for dealing with the Irish border issue this week? Downing Street would only say a blueprint will be released in due course and refused to even confirm that would happen before next weeks summit. Officials did say, though, that it would deal with regulatory rather than customs issues. Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier (Niall Carson/PA) When is the deadline for reaching an agreement? The European Council summit was initially pencilled in as the deadline for signing off the exit deal and securing a declaration on future relations in order to give the UK and EU parliaments time to vote on what had been agreed. Leaders of the EU27 will meet for dinner on October 17 to discuss Brexit developments before Prime Minister Theresa May joins them the following day. What if they cannot strike a deal? An emergency summit could be held in November and if the talks go right down to the wire, a scheduled European Council meeting in December could be used to finalise arrangements. Home Secretary Sajid Javid has been accused of putting party political dogma ahead of peoples lives with his refusal to allow a safe injecting room to be set up in Scotlands largest city. Glasgow Central MP Alison Thewlis begged the Tory Government minister to come to the city and speak to addicts who could be helped by such a centre. There is cross party support for a centre where addicts can use drugs in a supervised environment to be set up in Glasgow, after 280 of the 934 drugs related deaths in Scotland were recorded in the area in 2017. But the Home Office, which is in charge of drugs legislation for the UK, has so far refused to grant permission. Delegates at the SNP annual conference overwhelming backed a motion saying the UK Government should do this, or devolve the necessary powers to Holyrood to do so. So proud that @theSNP conference has given overwhelming support to our resolution on medically supervised drug consumption facilities. We call on the @ukhomeoffice to let Glasgow's pilot go ahead so we can help save lives and reduce harm. #DCRs #HarmReduction #SNP18 pic.twitter.com/csMGpCqK9V Alison Thewliss (@alisonthewliss) October 8, 2018 Ms Thewliss told them: We have a problem here and we have a solution and the Home Secretary will not let us act to save the lives of vulnerable drug users. The SNP called on the Home Office to permit a safe drugs consumption centre in Glasgow (Julien Behal/PA) Its an absolute disgrace, it is despicable to put party political dogma ahead of peoples lives. She insisted a safe drugs consumption centre will not be a shooting gallery as some have suggested but could instead allow addicts to get them the help they very much need. The lack of such a centre leaves addicts having to take drugs in back lanes, derelict buildings, public toilets and bin sheds, Ms Thewliss said. She stated: Glasgow already has drug consumption rooms, theyre in back lanes in the city centre, theyre in abandoned waste ground, in dangerous, derelict buildings and in bushes and boardings near to my constituency office. And in weather like this, when its tipping down outside, they are in filthy bin sheds and residential closes. They are in public toilets and in any space where people desperate for a fix can find that tiny bit of privacy. People do this regularly and they take risks every time they do so, of infection, overdoes and death. This is not acceptable in the Scotland we wish to see, we can and we must do better. Join us in our calls to the UK Government, beg of the Home Secretary to come here, to listen to the people of Glasgow, to listen to the people who need this facility desperately. Billionaire technology entrepreneur Elon Musk will donate $480,000 for new water stations and water filtration systems for the schools in Flint, Mich. The funds from Musks philanthropic foundation will pay for ultraviolet water filtration systems for the districts 12 schools and administration building. The filtration systems, which will be installed by January, are designed to disinfect all lead and bacteria coming from the water pipes to allow students to drink from and fill up water bottles from school water fountains, according to a release from the district. The donation comes as Flint city and school leaders continue to grapple with the fallout from a contaminated-water crisis that began in 2015 after a local pediatrician discovered that hundreds of children in the city had high levels of lead in their blood, in part because of the states decision to switch the source of Flints water supply. The school district shut off all its water fountains in September of that year. Now, more than three years later, the district still refuses to use the fountains despite assurances from the state government that the water is now safe. The new water filtration systems will be instrumental in helping our students return to the normalcy of what should be a fundamental right: having access to safe, clean water from water fountains in their school, said Superintendent Derrick Lopez. Youre most welcome. Hope to do more to help in the future. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 5, 2018 Flint is not the only Michigan school system dealing with a water crisis. Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti ordered drinking water to be shut off at the districts roughly 100 schools this fall after two-thirds of the buildings in an early test were found to have elevated levels of lead or copper. Related Stories Water Contamination Raises Health Concerns for Flint Students Flint Children to Be Screened for Disabilities After $4 Million Settlement After Flint, New Scrutiny of Schools Drinking Water Photo Credit: The Flint River runs through Flint, Mich. Located northwest of Detroit, the city was home to sprawling General Motors automotive plants, earning the nickname Vehicle City. --Carlos Osorio/AP-File The Government has moved to protect Samoan intellectual property by introducing a bill, which would enable the country to sign up to an international trademark system. The Intellectual Property Amendment Bill 2018 seeks to amend the Intellectual Property Act 2011, which would enable Samoa to sign up to the Madrid Protocol, the primary international system for facilitating the registration of trademarks in multiple jurisdictions around the world. When the Bill went before the Parliament last Friday, it was considered under a certificate of urgency notice signed by the Leader of the House. It then proceeded to the second and third readings. The amendments to Section 55 of the Intellectual Property Act after it is passed by Parliament will provide for the registration of Samoan intellectual property. Last month an American businessman trademarked the popular Fijian greeting Bula in the U.S., triggering widespread condemnation in Fiji and compelling the Fijian government to announce that they will fight the registration in America. Minister of Commerce Industry and Labour, Lautafi Selafi Purcell, made reference to Fijis Bula controversy last Friday, when he highlighted the importance of Parliament passing the amendments. A classic example, when I was in Fiji last week, I overheard their complaints of how Bula is being used in America, all because there is no law to protect their trademarks. Again, this is vital for us, he said. Member of Parliament, Olo Fiti Vaai, said there were already laws in place and it is just the lack of enforcement by the Ministry responsible. According to the bills explanatory notes, the proposed amendments if approved by the Parliament will give effect in Samoa to the Madrid Protocol. It will include provisions that provide for any of the following: making applications for international registration by way of the Intellectual Property Registry of Samoa as office of origin; procedures to be followed where the basic application for registration ceases to be in force; procedures to be followed where the Intellectual Property Registry of Samoa receives from the International Bureau or any body specified in the regulations, a request for extension of protection to Samoa; the effects of a successful request for extension of protection to Samoa; transforming an application for an international registration, or an international registration, into a national application for registration. The Scottish and Catalan governments are looking at how they could work together to boost the economy of both their areas. Pere Aragones, the Catalan Vice President, said he had met First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Sunday. The two administrations are looking at how they can cooperate in economic, in cultural and social policies he said. Mr Aragones told a fringe meeting at the SNP annual conference in Glasgow, that Catalan ministers already had a very good relationship with the Scottish Government. Ultima reunio de treball amb la primera ministra escocesa @NicolaSturgeon pic.twitter.com/CdxXJD8fS1 Vicepresidencia (@vicepresicat) October 7, 2018 He said: Yesterday I met Nicola, it was a very productive meeting. Nicola was the first political leader outside Catalonia that asked the Spanish Government to stop violence against Catalonia, so we are very conscious of that. We will work together with the Scottish Government and there are several areas where we can cooperate in economic, in cultural and social policies, so we will work in that way. Catalonias Vice President Pere Aragones thanked Nicola Sturgeon for speaking out against violence in last years referendum (Dominic Lipinski/PA ) I am sure we will have the victories and in some years we will have a very good relationship between two independent countries, Scotland and Catalonia. British soldiers deployed on the UKs biggest military exercise for almost two decades have said they are relishing the challenge of Omans searing heat and dusty, austere desert. Exercise Saif Sareea 3 officially began on October 5 and will see more than 5,500 UK personnel and 65,000 of their Omani counterparts poised to take part over the coming month. The extreme desert heat can hit soldiers and their weapons alike, while dust can cripple even the most expensive high-tech kit, a problem graphically illustrated during Saif Sareea 2 in 2001. British soldiers take shade from the searing heat of the Oman desert (Ben Birchall/PA) Royal Tank Regiment Captain Will Baker, who is deployed on the 100 million tri-service training exercise, said the Challenger Two battle tanks are coping well in the conditions. The 26-year-old who is from Thirsk near York, said: You have got to nurture them through, this is an absolutely insane environment. You have got all the dust, so there will be minor problems. But in terms of catastrophic failures, we have not had that many, it is more about a bit of TLC, knowing when to stop and clear the filters. On his first overseas deployment on a large exercise, he said he is looking forward to working with his Omani colleagues, with the two set to begin training together in the coming days. The Challenger Two is obviously a British tank, they (the Omanis) are the only other country that uses it. So what we want to give to them is our little skills and drills, he added. A soldier uses a makeshift toilet close to masses of covered vehicles (Ben Birchall/PA) Hopefully they can reciprocate and show us how to operate in this environment and their tactics it is a wide-open terrain, it is difficult to sneak a battlegroup around. Asked whether he thinks the experience of Saif Sareea 3 is beneficial, Capt Baker said it absolutely is. If nothing else it is one hell of a life experience, coming out to the desert for six weeks operating on a tank with your mates, this is what it is about, he added. The UK Minister of State for Armed Forces, Rt Hon @MarkLancasterMK, visited Oman last week. Whilst there he saw the preparations for Exercise #SaifSareea 3 taking place and the Oman national exercise Al Shomoukh 2.#UKinOman# #_3 pic.twitter.com/CiOgf2WMuq Royal Air Force (@RoyalAirForce) October 8, 2018 Capt Baker was speaking after a manoeuvre involving B Company from the 1st Battalion, the Mercian Regiment, which the Royal Tank Regiment are operating alongside. Over the next four weeks, more than 18 Challenger Two battle tanks and 61 Warrior armoured vehicles will feature in the exercise, culminating in a live fire demonstration next month. A Puma takes off behind a Challenger II Main Battle Tank (Ben Birchall/PA) Corporal Tim Rogocake, who is from Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers that is attached to 1 Mercian, said so far his deployment has had its ups and downs. The 33-year-old who lives in Bulford, Salisbury Plain, and is originally from Fiji said: It is a bit difficult with the kit, obviously with the heat and the dust, it is a new environment for us. But you just have to adapt and go forward. He revealed that alongside the heat acclimatisation they undertook on arriving in Oman, they have been looking to carry out repairs or their work during the cooler hours. Sergeant Robert Coops Cooper, of B Company 1 Mercian, said he has seen the mercury rise to 47C (116.6F) during the time he has been in Oman. A British soldier removes his boots (Ben Birchall/PA) The 39-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent said the Warrior armoured vehicles he operates in are doing well, but that the dust is horrendous. Once stopped, soldiers could often be seen brushing large gatherings of orange-tinted dust off the vehicles, with Sgt Cooper revealing the filters on the Warriors do get clogged up with it. Asked whether he thinks the exercise is important, he said it is, otherwise there becomes a skill fade issue, adding: When else would we operate in this environment? His colleague Sergeant Darren Thomas, 32, from Cannock, Staffordshire said they have proven they can operate on Salisbury Plain and Canada, but added: We want to see if we can do what we do out in one of the worst or harshest environments that there is. A military doctor employed by Russias GRU intelligence agency was one of the two suspects accused of carrying out the Salisbury nerve agent attack, an investigatory website claimed. The two suspects in the attempted assassination of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal were originally named by the UK authorities as Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov although it was made clear that the names were aliases. The suspect identified as Petrov was actually Dr Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin, the Bellingcat group said. An extensive investigation was launched into the nerve agent attack in Salisbury in March (Andrew Matthews/PA) The 39-year-old graduated from one of Russias elite Military Medical Academies, the groups website said. During his studies he was recruited by the GRU military intelligence agency and by 2010 had relocated to Moscow, where he received his undercover identity including a second national ID and travel passport under the alias Alexander Petrov. Bellingcat has already identified Boshirov as Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga a highly-decorated officer in the GRU. A spokesman for the Home Office said: We are not commenting as this is still a police investigation. The Miss America Organisation has struck back against a revolt by dozens of states this summer against the national leadership of the pageant headed by former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson. The crowning of the latest Miss America took place last month with the pageants national leadership largely silent on calls for their resignation from many states. Now the organisation is undertaking a purge of rebellious state officials, terminating the licences of four states, threatening about 15 with probation, and thanking others whose officials stood by the national leadership in the first Miss America pageant without a swimsuit competition. States whose licences are terminated must replace current leaders. They can request an appeal hearing from Miss Americas executive committee. Gretchen Carlson (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) The Miss America Organisation would not say how it decided which states to terminate and which to threaten with probation, issuing a statement that read, in its entirety: The process regarding Miss America state licensees is confidential. State officials say their dissatisfaction stemmed not from the elimination of swimsuits, but by the way Ms Carlson and chief executive Regina Hopper ran the organisation since taking over in January. Georgia and West Virginia are among the states notified in recent days that their state licences were being terminated, said Paul Perkins, a lawyer representing both states. A Pennsylvania pageant official, Chet Welch, confirmed his state has also had a termination notice. One other state has been terminated, according to state officials and a former national board member, but its officials did not respond to messages seeking comment. Other states have been asked to explain in writing why they acted as they did in the run-up to the pageant. They are upset, but now they are scared too, said Jennifer Vaden Barth, a former national board member and a former Miss North Carolina. This just validates why people are upset and why they felt the need to speak out in the first place. A state organisation that has its licence terminated can no longer claim to be affiliated with the Miss America Organisation and must, among other things, turn over bank accounts with scholarship money to the national leadership. Ms Vaden Barth formed a GoFundMe account called the Miss America Organisation Leadership Change Fund that has raised more than 22,000 dollars to help states defend themselves and advocate for new leadership. When this years pageant was held last month, 46 of the 51 state pageant organisations (the District of Columbia is included) had called on the two to resign, along with 23 former Miss Americas. It followed the release of a remarkable letter from the outgoing Miss America, Cara Mund, in which she said she had been marginalised and bullied by top pageant leaders. An investigation commissioned by the Miss America Organisation found no evidence to back up that claim, but investigators did not interview Ms Mund for the report, which was issued the day after the most recent pageant. Ms Carlson, who was Miss America 1989, and Ms Hopper depict the opposition as a noisy minority resistant to change, particularly one as large as the elimination of the pageants swimsuit competition. But many state officials say their opposition is rooted in a lack of transparency and communication from national leaders, and does not involve the swimsuit decision. Relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia already under severe strain have taken more beating after leading Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggis death, who is suspected to have been murdered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi (59) was last seen entering the Consulate on Tuesday. His disappearance caused a huge flutter and Turkish establishment was under pressure to find out Khashoggis whereabouts. According to Turkish authorities, it is their strong assessment that not only was the murder premeditated, Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi agents and his dead body was later mysteriously removed. Khashoggi (59) was last seen entering the Consulate on Tuesday. (Photo: Associated Press) The whole case looks like an Agatha Christie mystery one that is, however, going to kick up a diplomatic row further impairing relations between Riyadh and Ankara. The alleged murder, cloaked in deep mystery, assumes more global significance because Khashoggi was a high-profile journalist with penetrating international connections. Khashoggi had relocated to the US on October 2, 2017, fearing trouble (or even harm) from Saudi authorities at the behest of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) for having remained a strong voice of dissent, always vociferous in castigating the Saudi government for its anti-people policies, severe Wahhabism, persecution of Houthis in Yemen, economic blockade of Qatar and myriad other problems. The alleged murder has now provided the Turkish government with readymade fodder on a silver platter, who, in all likelihood, would exploit it to the hilt for its political advantages. It is well-known that Turkey and Saudi Arabia have, of late, been involved in a fierce competition to gain supremacy in the Middle East and Gulf region. President Erdogan of Turkey has left no stone unturned to expose Saudi Arabia for the murder most foul to assert Turkeys supremacy in the region. Against this backdrop, the Saudi Ambassador in Ankara was summarily summoned by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on October 4, post the disappearance of Khashoggi. Simultaneously, the Adalet ve Kalknma Partisi (Erdogans party) spokesperson Omer Celik came down heavily on Riyadh on the murder issue. Interestingly, it is now said that a 15-member Saudi delegation had come to Turkey recently and the delegates also comprised, among others, diplomats and security or intelligence contingent. It is suspected that the murder was possibly the handiwork of Saudi agents, and that the operation was conducted in order to silence Khashoggi. On its part, Riyadh has told Turkey to undertake vigorous investigations to unearth the case and may even search the Consulate premises for incriminating evidence. The plot thickens. A question worth asking is what brought Khashoggi to Istanbul? Knowledgeable sources say that he had come to collect some documents from the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul with regard to his impending marriage to a Turkish woman called Hatice Cengiz, who disclosed that she was waiting outside the Consulate but Khashoggi never came out. While the Turkish authorities seem confident in their assessment that Khashoggi was indeed murdered, the US administration, while exercising abundant discretion and caution, has said that they are monitoring the developments in Turkey and are yet, not in a position to confirm the death. Erdogan of Turkey has left no stone unturned to assert Turkeys supremacy in the Middle-East. (Photo: Reuters) Khashoggi, at the time of his disappearance, was working for the Washington Post and writing almost regularly under the Global Opinion column. Other than his journalistic commitments, he had always occupied key positions and was the editor-in-chief of Al Hayat and other vociferous media outlets including Al Watan, known for airing progressive views. He was closely connected with the Saudi Intelligence as well. His firsthand knowledge of the region and nexus with all kinds of people wielding authority made him suitable to be handpicked in an advisory capacity for the Saudi intelligence and he regularly advised the Saudi intelligence chief, Prince Turki al Faisal on sensitive matters. Prince Turki later became the Saudi Ambassador to the UK and the US, exposing Khashoggi to numerous roles of critical importance. His stated commitments apart, his services were duly appropriated more than once in meeting Al Qaeda supremo, Osama bin Laden even when he was in hiding in Tora Bora in Afghanistan and once in Sudan. Khashoggi had even interviewed Laden and once tried to convince him to abandon the path of terrorism. Such was the access and charisma of the slain journalist. As far as optics go, this case has exposed MBS as ruthless tyrant, who in the recent past, has tried to stifle voices of dissent of several human rights activists, journalists and his tough measures including crackdown on those elements perceived to be anti Saudi regime. Khashoggi is believed to be one of the targets. Whose hand was it? (Photo: Associated Press) MBS critics are saying that now the Royal Kingdom is now seen worse than a Zionist terror state. However, it is unlikely that he would tone down his actions; instead the state would be further emboldened by the attempts to eliminate Khasshogi to send a strong signal to those opposed to MBS and his designs. It is, perhaps, possible that MBS is labouring under a sense of extreme superiority thanks to his connections with the US. It is also possible that MBS has struck a new tie-up with the Israeli secret service this operation in Istanbul has the footprints of high-calibre professionalism seen in the cases of unseen hands eliminating their opposition with silence and finesse. Saudis are, perhaps, trying to perfect their excellence in furtherance of their plans and the world must expect more covert operations by Saudi Arabia in a not-so-distant future with Iran as its primary target. An alumnus of the Indiana University, Khashoggi would have turned 60 on the 13th of this month. His exit from the media world and alleged murder, of all places in Istanbul, would see further deterioration of the Saudi-Turkish ties, especially in the light of Iran trying to woo Turkey to alienate Saudi Arabia to secure its geopolitical interests. Also read: Buy in India and keep your economy strong our growth story continues on its upward trend When the government of India made an announcement about conducting the Urban Local Body (ULB) and the Panchayat Polls in Jammu and Kashmir sometime ago, a strange and unexplained feeling of uneasiness gripped me from inside; owing, perhaps, to the fear of gun violence and the rampant nuisance of craftily and strategically-penetrated terror-mills prevalent across the Kashmir Valley. The scepticism was amplified by the ongoing legal proceedings underway in the Supreme Court over Article 35A, which has been able to generate a lot of political heat across the country and the state of Jammu and Kashmir in particular. This ultimately led to the boycott of said polls by the two mainstream political amalgams of the state The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC). I wonder how those who chose to boycott today's polls would be feeling about the enthusiastic indices that flowed in. (Photo: Reuters) The boycott, frankly, left me in a deep state of thought. I was perplexed about the fate and the future of democracy and democratic institutions in the Kashmir Valley with two conventional front-runners of mainstream politics here having resorted to political arm-twisting of sorts, lending vindication to the canons of the secessionists (inadvertently, I would like to believe). As the day of polling neared, this thought about the fate of a grassroots democratic event or festival, if I may, just kept on bothering and nagging me. Frankly speaking, I had my own reservations, based on my overall calculations and assessments of the security scenario about the percentage of voting, the fervour and zeal with which the grassroots democratic festival would be celebrated, or whether people would even venture out of their homes at all on the given day of polling. I have always been someone who has vouched for the strong inclination of Kashmiris towards democracy and democratic processes over mindless terror or status quo-ist ideas of secessionism in my discussions with peers and contemporaries from different hues of ideologies. Without unfurling too many pages of the annals of history, Kashmiris have demonstrated this with amazing indices of participation most recently in 2002, 2008 and 2014. I always have been of the firm belief that during the Partition, from the available options of religious affiliation and secular and pluralistic democracy, Kashmiris have mindfully chosen the latter with the highest degree of conviction and belief, the belief with which Kashmiris have been effectively swimming against the tide through more than half a century now. Day one of the polling schedule finally arrived with an early morning tinkle from a close friend about the proposed shifting of a polling booth in the western part of Srinagar, which, according to my friend, was about three kilometres away from the originally designated spot. The move was being opposed by local people (those intending to brave the odds in order to vote), for they didnt wish to travel three kilometres to vote, making them vulnerable to apparent threats. In fact, Kashmiris have always been inclined towards democracy and democratic processes over mindless terror or ideas of secession. (Photo: Reuters) Although this was precisely something to be raised with the concerned authorities, the point for readers here is the very fervent willingness of the population to participate in the process in the middle of apparent hostility and such perception of threat it was like the coming alive of a hope against hope, that too, at the crack of dawn on D-Day. As the day progressed, the palpable indices that flowed acted as further cement on this belief of the resurrection of grassroots democracy, especially for those who exercised their franchise with strong conviction and belief, wearing it boldly on their sleeves amidst great hostility. I wonder how those who chose to boycott the process would be feeling about the indices that flowed in. They may wish to believe that age-old theory that the peoples memory is short-lived, but in the age of digital revolution that we live in, every utterance, act and deed of someone in public life is preserved as a matter of record in a virtual cold storage, only to be used at the right time therefore, yes, people would curiously be watching their demeanour and tenor when the state goes in for legislative or parliamentary elections. I wish them all the very best on this note. There is, of course, a special mention that I would not skip making Sajad Gani Lone. By the display of his firm belief in strengthening the roots of micro-democracy, the man has emerged as a beacon of hope out of the vexatious demagoguery of ideological ambiguity and competitive secessionism. One must give it to him he wears his democratic heart on his sleeve. I wish the man takes a lead in taking the region and populace out of the morass of opportunistic leadership and fills in the vacuum of a brave, unequivocal and truthful leader, which Kashmir is yearning for. Also read: Jammu & Kashmir panchayat polls will be truly empowering for its people - here's why Pakistani writer Mohammed Hanifs new book is called Red Birds. Published by Bloomsbury, the novel deals with war, disappearance, survival and love. Speaking with Srijana Mitra Das, Hanif discussed Red Birds, his literary style, Imran Khan, Pakistans youthias, why he dislikes entrepreneurs and how to censor as a journalist, and un-censor as a writer: Photo: Bloomsbury Q. Red Birds is entirely about war. Unlike your earlier novels, this is set in a no-man's-land, where there is no government, no answerability. There are only refugees and bombs, natives and Americans. Was it harder to write this than a setting in a town? A. It was very hard to write. The last one was also hard. The one before that, even harder. I am basically a very lazy person and writing is hard work. I believe we are living in a bit of wilderness these days, so that idea might have influenced me. Q. Although its about a family, the voice of the mother comes right at the end. How come? A. Maybe I saved the best for the last. She is there right from the beginning but, like in many real-life situations, a womans not allowed to speak for a long time. But when she speaks, she gets to say the last word. Q. This is one of your most inward-looking books, where characters have conversations with themselves. There are almost no dialogues was it hard to control the usual sparkling fireworks we see in your writing? A. I think people do meet and people do talk, but yes, you are right, its more inward-looking than anything else I have written. I dont know the reason. It might be age because I sometimes I hear myself talking and there is nobody around listening. It's a desert out there. And no one is really listening. (Photo: Reuters) Q. This is also about loneliness is it possible to be lonely amidst a war? A. Probably not. But its possible to be very, very lonely just after a war because some people die in a war, some go missing and the survivors have to spend the rest of their lives looking for them or remembering them. That can be pretty lonely. Q. You seem deeply disapproving of entrepreneurship. A character in Red Birds, Momo is a brazen young entrepreneur who has survived war and his own brothers disappearance. But these survival skills, you seem to suggest, are hollow and driven by a greed that will destroy us. Please tell us your view on the entrepreneurship you see in Pakistan. And India. A. I have never been asked about my views about entrepreneurship, so I am very glad for this opportunity. Its a bit strange that when we are little children, we want to become train drivers, but when we enter our teens, we want to become Imran Khan or Virat Kohli or Steve Jobs or that guy who made the Ali Baba portal. Why do we all want to be them? (Photo: DailyO) By the time you get to my age, you are told that dont fancy yourself as a writer, you are a mere content producer. It must be my secret resentment at not having become a young billionaire I thought it was our civic duty to resent billionaires. If Momo was real, he would be a billionaire and Id probably be producing content for him. Come to think of it, I am doing exactly that. Q. You wrote earlier this year about the youthias supporting Imran Khan can you tell us more about these pushy young people in Pakistan and how they make an appearance in Red Birds? A. Red Birds started long before the term youthia was invented. I have high hopes from them, although sometimes I find them annoying because I was just like them when I was young. But I am sure Momo will make a very good youthia he will probably be the leader of the pack. Q. What is most naya in Naya Pakistan? A. Imran Khan is our prime minister. Somebody who never misses his fitness routine. He is probably the fittest prime minister in the world. He's known to never miss a treadmill date. (Photo: Reuters) I just hope he doesnt treat the country as his personal treadmill. Q. You have mentioned that you have started to censor yourself as a journalist. Please tell us about this and whether this works on a writerly self? A. I think sometimes you censor yourself in journalism and then totally un-censor yourself in fiction. You just have to watch out you dont go mad making your brain do both these things at the same time. Q. You recently wrote about India-Pakistan behaving like school children by refusing to talk. But surely, some would say, the issues involved, which include terrorists trained in Pakistan and aimed at India, are more complex? What would you say to them? A. I would not say anything to them. Ill mind my own business. Once a fairly famous Indian actor asked me at a reading what I would say to the families of the victims of the Bombay attacks. I tried to tell him that I probably wouldnt be able to say anything to them. Ill probably hug them and cry with them. He was not satisfied with my answer. If somebody says to me, what about terrorists trained in Pakistan, someone would say, what about the Kashmiri kids blinded by your state terrorism. Theyll say what about Osama Bin Laden someone here will say you elected a mass murder as your prime minister. Should we blow up the Taj Mahal? Who gave you biryani? These things escalate quickly. So, I try and not say anything to them. Q. You recently mentioned satirists are nearly out of work in South Asia. Really? A. I was joking. Q. Is there a new Indian novel, literary or cinematic work you have liked? A. I am a great fan of the movie series Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster. Just saw the last one not as good as the second one. But I think Tigmanshu Dhulia is Indias national treasure. Also, the Malayalam writer Benyamin whose Goat Days was phenomenal and I am looking forward to his new book. I have also read half of Amitabha Bagchi's Half The Night Is Gone. So far, beautiful. Also Read: 'To see Lahore is to be born': A view of Pakistan's famed cultural heart This Account has been suspended. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) faced harsh criticism from LGBT rights groups on Friday for her declaration shed vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement we are deeply disappointed in Sen. Collins today after her speech on the Senate floor affirming support for Kavanaugh. In one of the most consequential vote of her lifetime and of her constituents lifetimes she has opted to back a dangerous, unqualified nominee who repeatedly lied under oath and has multiple credible allegations of sexual assault, Griffin said. The harmful consequences of Sen. Collins decision to support Brett Kavanaugh will last decades. With Collins support, Kavanaugh has the necessary votes for confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), another undecided senator, declared hed vote for Kavanaugh shortly after Collins speech. Griffin urged voters to demonstrate their anger with Collins by taking to the polls in the congressional mid-term elections and voting out senators who support Kavanaugh. In the wake of this news, there is only one course of action, Griffin said. The millions of Americans who have fought a valiant struggle against this despicable nominee must make their voices heard in November and beyond by electing lawmakers who will stand up for our rights rather than sell us out. In years past, the Human Rights Campaign has endorsed Collins when she was up for re-election and faced Democratic challengers because of her support for LGBT rights initiatives, including Dont Ask, Dont Tell repeal and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Its hard to see how that support will continue in the Kavanaugh vote. Collins declared in a floor speech she will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh hours after she was among the 51 senators to vote for cloture to allow the Senate to move forward with the nomination. In response to Christine Blasey Fords Senate testimony asserting a 17-year-old Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982 when she was a teenager, Collins said the accusation isnt enough to preclude the nominee from sitting on the Supreme Court. Fairness would dictate that the claims at least should meet the threshold of more likely than not as our standard, Collins said. The facts presented do not mean the 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, I do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent Judge Kavanaugh from serving on the court. Amid concerns Kavanaugh would vote to reverse the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court for marriage equality, Collins said Kavanaugh indicated he wouldnt overturn the decision in his confirmation hearing. (LGBT legal experts have said his responses were wholly unsatisfying.) Others Ive met with have expressed concerns that Justice Kennedys retirement threatens the right of same-sex couples to marry, Collins said. Yet Judge Kavanaugh described the Obergefell decision, which legalized same-gender marriages, as an important landmark precedent. He also cited Justice Kennedys recent Masterpiece Cakeshop opinion for the courts majority, stating that, The days of treating gay and lesbian Americans or and gay and lesbian couples as second-class citizens who are inferior in dignity and worth are over in the Supreme Court.' Marriage equality is but one LGBT rights issue. Other LGBT-related cases that may come to Supreme Court with Kavanaugh on the bench including litigation challenging President Trumps transgender military ban, whether federal civil laws against sex discrimination applies to LGBT people and whether religious freedom affords a right for individuals and businesses to discriminate against LGBT people. Sharon McGowan, legal director for Lambda Legal, also criticized Collins, saying the senators rationale for supporting Kavanaugh ranges from naive to disingenuous and can only be described as magical thinking. Furthermore, her discrediting of Dr. Christine Blasey Fords (and others) allegations against Brett Kavanaugh speaks far more loudly than the empty words she offered in support of sexual assault survivors, and her reliance on an incomplete and politically manipulated investigation to justify her decision was shameful, McGowan said. By relying on fantasy instead of fact, and by putting party ahead of people, Sen. Collins is apparently willing to ignore the overwhelming majority of Mainers who have urged her to oppose this nomination in order to avoid the ire of Republican Party bosses and the White House. Blazing new territory is nothing new for William Hayes, producing artistic director at Palm Beach Dramaworks in West Palm Beach. Its the mandate of a regional theater to take risks and to invest in art, said Hayes, one of the founders of this theater established in 2000. He counts among his companys world premieres, in addition to Billy and Me, two by author-actor-designer Michael McKeever The Velveteen Undertow, a dark comedy, in 2002, and Hand of God, a drama presented in 2006, in which Hayes played an embittered alcoholic priest plus regional premieres and works new to the Southeastern United States and Florida. In 2015, while directing William Inges Picnic, Hayes discovered the relationship between two legendary American playwrights, Inge and Tennessee Williams. Fascinated by the mens lives absent fathers and domineering mothers, dealing with alcoholism, one man was introverted, one man was extroverted, one was very honest about who he was, and one could never face who he really was Hayes shared his enthusiasm with friend and playwright Terry Teachout. Having already written at length about Inge, Teachout mined the intricacies of the playwrights complex friendship, and with Hayes, developed the new venture. We laughed about it along the way because it was about two straight guys writing about two gay guys, said Hayes. When asked if straight playwrights can write convincingly about gay characters, he said, We all have more in common than we do have differences. We all have the same kind of inner turmoil affected by our families, about being genuine, about mommy and daddy issues, about being able to face who we are. The result Billy and Me premiered on December 8, 2017, garnering standing ovations for the cast, solid reviews for the production, and for Nicholas Richberg, who played Tennessee Williams, a Carbonell Award nomination for Best Actor/Play. It was not a play about being gay. It was a play about being true to yourself and you cant be a success and happy unless you are true to yourself, said Hayes, who added, It is a play I thought would resonate with the gay community. A couple of years ago, after examining attendance records, Hayes launched a new initiative. I started the Diversity Campaign to create a more diverse audience, he said, beginning by mounting Stephen Sondheims Sweeney Todd as the summer 2017 musical to attract more millennials, who flocked to it, and a new program Pay Your Age for individuals ages 18 to 40. The result: sold-out houses. Hayes, also aware South Florida is one of the capitals in the country for the LGBT community, talked with PBDs Gary Cadwallader, director of education and community engagement, about creating a special theater experience. In 2017, [email protected] was born and developed by a committee of enthusiastic supporters: Sid Lesowitz and Peter Rogers, Joe Kolb and Michael Hoagland, Paul Bernabeo and David Cohen, and Brian OKeefe and Cadwallader. OKeefe, who has been partners with Cadwallader for 20 years, joined PBD 10 years ago on a freelance basis, when it was in an 84-seat theater on Banyan Street, and today is the companys costume shop manager and resident designer. I didnt hire Gary because he was a couple with Brian. I needed to expand education and I needed someone who could hit the ground running, said Hayes, who was previously president of the Florida Professional Theatres Association. Talking about OutStage, Cadwallader said, Our goal was to engage, inspire and connect with the LGBTQ community and to see how our lives are reflected through the lens of the work that Palm Beach Dramaworks is putting on stage. It isnt necessarily a gay show, its about how human beings interact. Its about life stories on stage. We understand, resonate and connect with all characters on stage, not just those that are LGBTQ. Added Hayes, A gay person will be represented on stage or an African American will be represented on stage, but I dont want the piece to be about that. I want a piece to share how we are alike, not different. A Raisin in the Sun, yes, it deals with racial issues, but its about family and we share that struggle. OutStage, which debuted with Billy and Me last December, was quickly followed in January by a special cabaret show, My Kinda 60s, starring playwright-actor-screenwriter Charles Busch, which had to be rescheduled from September 2017 when Hurricane Irma threatened. When OutStage arrives on the Friday following the opening night of each production its partytime. Generous sponsors underwrite the special evening for friends to meet and enjoy some champagne before the show in the 218-seat theater and then, following the performance, relax at a reception which offers a chance to mingle with the cast. Luring theatergoers from near and far, even fans from Fort Lauderdale, who make the nerve-racking drive up I-95, the number of enthusiastic merrymakers for OutStage has been steadily increasing. Sixty-five guests came to party at the OutStage evening for Peter Shaffers Equus, making it necessary to move the postshow reception from the second floor to the lobby. Eager to build on the success of last seasons OutStage, PBD hopes to engage greater female participation this coming season, which begins with Indecent, Paula Vogels Tony Award-winning play about two women who fall in love. That was the play God of Vengeance, but this play is almost double-focused in that its about the original performers performing the play in English on stage and then being arrested because two women kissed on stage doing this play, Cadwallader said. Ever the multitaskers, while OutStage was being developed, PBD was also engaged in cultivating a relationship and creating a project with Compass Community Center, in Lake Worth. When I moved down here I wanted to go meet with them and learn what they are doing, said Cadwallader, who raves about the warm welcome he received from Julia Murphy, chief development officer, and Adrienne Percival, development coordinator in the Outreach and Development Department. Impressed with the centers extensive Youth Program, Cadwallader suggested they work together on what would become The Legacy Project. Its a unique opportunity for two nonprofits to work together, said Hayes. Participants in the Youth Program would interview elders who have fought the fight for equality over the past four to five decades. Not only do we build bridges between the generations, but they learn something about where theyve come from, Cadwallader said. Among those interviewed is Ruth Berman, whose partner, Connie Kurtz died on May 27, 2018, at age 81. Suing the New York City School District over partner benefits in the 1980s, one of many LGBT issues they championed, will now be seen through fresh eyes. Developed over the past year, the interviewing process began in June with 15 to 20 participants helping to prepare questions, practicing their interview skills on fellow Compass staff and filming, and ultimately generating a digital presentation to archive. In whats expected to become an annual journey, the first edition of the storytelling project will be presented to the community on October 30, at PBDs main stage, when the students share their perspective. Cadwalladers enthusiasm for the camaraderie between PBD and Compass is immediately evident. They are building a safe space for young people to be able to talk, to be themselves without any judgment, he said, praising Amanda Canete, youth service director, and Sabrine Pearson, then transgender youth program coordinator. The latest challenge for PBD is one shared by other theaters and performing arts venues: the arts in Florida are at risk. Five years ago, I got a $500,000 facility grant and a $150,000 operating grant, and next year Im getting $9,000 total from the State of Florida, Hayes said. Because it has monies in reserve from years of operating in the black, PBD will remain open at its current location on Clematis Street, but concerns linger. We have to tighten our belts due to the funding cuts, but we are relying on our donors and friends to ensure that the OutStage programming not only thrives but grows, Cadwallader said. American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. 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Ltd. (Polyester), Shanghai Ashland Industrial Trading Co. Ltd., St Croix Petrochemical Corp, Taiwan Ashland Co. Ltd., Techwax Limited, Vemera S. de R.L. de C.V., and WSP LLC. Vonovia SE is a holding company, which engages in the management of residential units. It operates through the following segments: Rental, Value-Add, Recurring Sales, Development, and Other. The Rental segment combines all of the businesses that are aimed at the value-enhancing management of the company's own residential units. The Value-Add segment bundles all of the housing-related services including the maintenance and modernization work on its properties. The Recurring Sales segment includes regular and sustainable disposals of individual condominiums and single-family houses from the company's portfolio. The Development segment consists of project development of new residential buildings. The Other segment comprises disposal of entire buildings or land that are likely to have below-average development potential. The company was founded on June 17, 1998 and is headquartered in Bochum, Germany. Read More A referendum on whether to define marriage as between a man and a woman in the Romanian constitutions definition of family has failed. The Associated Press and other media outlets cited election officials who said turnout was below the 30 percent that was required to make the referendum valid. Less than 21 percent of Romanian voters participated in the referendum, which took place over two days. Advocacy groups that campaigned against the proposed amendment had called for a boycott of the referendum. Together, through the boycott campaign, we showed that we, as citizens, want a Romania based upon democratic values, a country where respect, equality and common-sense guides society, said the Accept Association, a Romanian LGBTI advocacy group, on Sunday in a statement. Today we have shown that we can not be fooled by a political agenda that urges us to hate and polarize society, we have shown that most of us believe that human rights are not to be voted at a referendum. Mihnea Florea, program coordinator of MozaiQ, another Romanian LGBTI advocacy group, agreed. This nationwide debate over marriage equality has changed hearts and minds in a land that is proud of its Christian traditions, Florea told the Washington Blade on Sunday. Our campaign brought the LGBTQ community together and made it stronger. With the help of allies across Romania, weve spread a strong message of equality and solidarity. I am proud to see fellow Romanians accepting people of different identities, choosing love over hate and showing to the world that Christianity is first and foremost about love and respect, added Florea. ILGA-Europe Advocacy Director Katrin Hugendubel in a statement said the campaign of hate against the LGBTI community in Romania failed. The Coalition for Family, a group of 23 organizations that oppose marriage rights for same-sex couples, in 2015 launched a campaign in support of amending Romanias constitution. The campaign collected 3 million signatures. Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk who went to jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, is among those who traveled to Romania over the last year to campaign for the proposed amendment. The Associated Press on Sunday reported the Coalition for Family conceded defeat before election officials announced official turnout figures. Next time, well succeed, said spokesman Mihai Gheorghiu, according to the Associated Press. Lets be happy for this day. The Christian vote exists. Romania joined the European Union in 2007. The country in southeastern Europe that borders Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine and Moldova allows same-sex or heterosexual couples to enter into civil partnerships. Romanian law, however, does not allow gays and lesbians to legally marry. The campaign of hate against the LGBTI community in Romania failed, said Hugendubel in their statement. But the referendum once again showed how vulnerable the LGBTI community is, in the absence of proper legal recognition of same-sex partnerships and families. It is time that Romania finally ensured that same-sex couples are legally recognized. 2 hours ago Is Blink Charging or ChargePoint the Better Buy as the Infrastructure Bill Passes? Both companies will play a role in building out an electric vehicle charging network, but which stock is best to own now? Investors are looking at 2022 and positioning their portfolios to capture what is setting up to be a big year for electric vehicle (EV) stocks. Read Article Ferguson plc distributes plumbing and heating products in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Central Europe. It offers plumbing and heating solutions to customers in the residential, municipal, civil and industrial markets, and commercial sectors for repair, maintenance, and improvement (RMI), as well as new construction markets. The company also distributes pipes, valves, fittings, hydrants, meters, and related water management products, as well as offers related services, such as water line tapping and pipe fusion services. In addition, it distributes heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration equipment, and parts and supplies to specialist contractors in the residential and commercial markets for repair and replacement; and PVF products to industrial customers. Further, the company fabricates and supplies fire protection systems and bespoke fabrication services to commercial contractors for new construction and renovation projects, as well as offers products, services, and solutions to enable maintenance of facilities across various RMI markets. Additionally, it offers supply chain management solutions for PVF; and industrial maintenance, repair, and operations specializing in delivering automation, instrumentation, engineered products, and turn-key solutions. The company also sells its home improvement products directly to consumers, as well as through a network of online stores. In addition, it operates its B2B business primarily under the Ferguson brand; and B2C business under the Build.com brand. Further, the company provides products and services for maintenance of multi-family properties, government agencies, hospitality, education, healthcare, and other facilities. It operates a network of 2,194 branches and 19 distribution centers. Ferguson plc was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Wokingham, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Vodafone Group: 360 Connect S.A., [email protected] Telecom, A-ccelerator B.V., A-ccelerator Holding B.V, AAA (Euro) Limited, AAA (MCR) Limited, AAA (UK) Limited, Acorn Communications Limited, Africonnect (Zambia) Limited, Ag Mercantile Company Private Limited, Al-Amin Investments Limited, Amsterdamse Beheer- en Consultingmaatschappij B.V., Apollo Submarine Cable System Limited, Array Holdings Limited, Asian Telecommunication Investments (Mauritius) Limited, Aspective Limited, Astec Communications Limited, Autoconnex Limited, Aztec Limited, BelCompany BV, Bluefish Apac Communications Pte. Ltd, Bluefish Communications, Bluefish Communications Limited, Business Serve Limited, C&W Worldwide Nigeria Limited, C.S.P. Solutions Limited, CCII (Mauritius) Inc., CGP India Investments Ltd., CGP Investments (Holdings) Limited, COOP Mobil s.r.o, CT Networks Limited, CWGNL S.A., CWW Operations Limited, Cable & Wireless Access Limited, Cable & Wireless Americas Systems Inc., Cable & Wireless Aspac Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Services Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Svyaz LLC, Cable & Wireless Capital Limited , Cable & Wireless Communications Data Network Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Starclass Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Technical Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd (Beijing Branch), Cable & Wireless Europe Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless GN Limited, Cable & Wireless Global (India) Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Business Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Holding Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Telecommunication Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Holdco Limited, Cable & Wireless Networks India Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Trade Mark Management Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Waterside Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Pension Trustee Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Voice Messaging Limited, Cable & Wireless a-Services Inc, Cable & Wireless a-Services Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited Indian Branch Office, Cable and Wireless Nominee Limited, Cable and Wireless Worldwide South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cavalry Holdings Ltd, Celfocus Solucoes Informaticas Para Telecomunicacoes S.A, Cellops Limited, Cellular Operations Limited, Central Communications Group Limited, Central Telecom (Northern) Limited, Centurion GSM Limited, Chelys Limited, City Cable (Holdings) Limited, Cobra do Brasil Servicos de Telematica ltda., Commnet Cellular Inc., Complete Network Technology, Connect (India) Mobile Technologies Private Limited, Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited, Dataroam Limited , Device Insight, Digital Island (UK) Ltd, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, East Africa Investment (Mauritius) Limited, Emtel Europe Limited, Energis (Ireland) Limited, Energis Communications Limited, Energis Holdings Limited, Energis Local Access Limited, Energis Management Limited, Energis Squared Limited, Erudite Systems Limited, Esprit Telecom B.V., Eudokia Limited, Euro Pacific Securities Ltd., Eurocall Holdings Limited, Europolitan Holdings AB (now Europolitan Vodafone AB), FB Holdings Limited, FM Associates (UK) Limited, FinCo Partner 1 B.V., FireFly Networks Limited, Flexphone Limited, GS Telecom (Pty) Limited, Gateway Communications Africa (UK) Limited, Gateway Communications Tanzania Limited, General Mobile Corporation, Generation Telecom Limited, Ghana Telecommunications, Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited, Global Cellular Rental Limited, Globe Limited, GrandCentrix GmbH, Grupo Corporativo ONO S.A.U., H3ga Properties (No 3) Pty Limited, HBO Nederland Cooperatief U.A., HBO Netherlands Channels sro, HBO Netherlands Distribution B.V., Hellas Online, How2 Telecom Limited, Hutchison Essar Ltd, Indus Towers Limited, Intercell Communications Limited, Internet Network Services Limited, Invitation Digital Limited, Ipergy Communications NV, Isis Telecommunications Management Limited, Jaguar Communications Limited, Jaykay Finholding (India) Private Limited, Jupicol (Proprietary) Limited, KABELCOM Braunschweig Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, KABELCOM Wolfsburg Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, Kabel Deutschland, Kabel Deutschland Holding, Kabel Deutschland Holding Erste Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Holding Zweite Beteilgungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Neunte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Siebte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabelfernsehen Munchen Servicenter GmbH & Co. KG, LG Financing Partnership, LGE HoldCo V B.V., LGE HoldCo VI B.V., LGE HoldCo VIII B.V., LGE Holdco VII B.V., LLC Vodafone Enterprise Ukraine, Le Bunt Holdings Limited, Legend Communications Limited, Liberty Global, Liberty Global Content Netherlands B.V., London Hydraulic Power Company, M-PESA Foundation, M-PESA Holding Co. Limited, ML Integration Group Limited, ML Integration Limited, ML Integration Services Limited, MV Healthcare Services Private Limited, Mannesmann AG, MetroHoldings Limited, Mezzanine Ware Proprietary Limited (RF), Mirambo Limited, Misrfone Trading Company LLC, MobiFon S.A., Mobile Commerce Solutions Limited, Mobile Phone Centre Limited, Mobile Wallet VM1, Mobile Wallet VM2, Mobile by Sainsburys Limited, Mobiles 4 Business.com Limited, Mobileworld Communications Pty Limited, Mobileworld Operating Pty Ltd, Mobilvest, Motifpros 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Multi Risk Indemnity Company Limited, Multi Risk Limited, ND Callus Info Services Private Limited, Nadal Trading Company Private Limited, Nat Comm Air Limited, National Communications Backbone Company Limited, Navtrak Ltd, Netforce Group Limited, Netgrid Telecom SRL, Number Portability Company (Proprietary) Limited, ONO, Omega Telecom Holdings Private Limited, Oni Way Infocomunicacoes S.A, Oskar Mobil S.R.O., Oxygen Solutions Limited, P.C.P. (North West) Limited, PPL Pty Limited, PT Network Services Limited, PTI Telecom Limited, Peoples Phone Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Group Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Limited, Plex Limited, Plustech Mercantile Company Private Limited, Prime Metals Ltd., Project Telecom Holdings Limited, Quickcomm Software Solutions, Radio Opt GmbH, Rian Mobile Limited, SBC SMART CITY 1517 B.V., SMMS Investments Pvt Limited, Safaricom Limited, Safenet N.P A., Sarmady Communications, Scarlet Ibis Investments 23 (Pty) Limited, Scorpios Beverages Pvt. Ltd, Silver Stream Investments Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Ltd., Singlepoint Payment Services Limited, Siro Limited, Spar Aerospace (Nigeria) Limited, Sport TV Portugal S.A, Starnet, Stentor Communications Limited, Stentor Limited, Storage Technology Services (Pty) Limited, T.W. Telecom Limited, T3 Telecommunications Limited, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern Beteiligungs GmbH, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co. KG, TNAS Limited, TSM NZ Limited, Talkland Airtime Services Limited, Talkland Australia Pty Limited, Talkland Communications Limited, Talkland International Limited, Talkland Midlands Limited, Talkmobile Limited, Tele2 Italia SPA, Tele2 Spain, Telecom Investments India Private Limited, Telecommunications Europe Limited, Ternhill Communications Limited, The Cobra Group, The Eastern Leasing Company Limited, The Old Telecom Sales Co. Limited, Thus Group Holdings Limited, Thus Group Limited, Thus Limited, Thus Profit Sharing Trustees Limited, TnT Expense Management LLC, Tomorrow Street GP S.a r.l., Tomorrow Street SCA, Torenspits II B.V., Townley Communications Limited, Trans Crystal Ltd., UMT Investments Limited, UPC Nederland Holding I B.V., UPC Nederland Holding II B.V., UPC Nederland Holding III B.V., Unified Communications, Uniqueair Limited, Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH & Co.KG, Usha Martin Telematics Limited, VAPL No. 2 Pty Limited, VBA (Mauritius) Limited, VBA Holdings Limited, VBA International (SL) Limited, VBA International Limited, VEI S.r.l., VM SA, VND S.p.A, VSSB Vodafone Shared Services Budapest Private Limited Company, Verwaltung Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH, Victus Networks S.A., Vizzavi Finance Limited, Vizzavi Limited, Voda Limited, Vodacall Limited, Vodacash s.p.r.l., Vodacom (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business (Angola) Limitada, Vodacom Business (Ghana) Limited, Vodacom Business (Kenya) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa (Nigeria) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group Services Limited, Vodacom Business Cameroon SA, Vodacom Business Cote Divoire S.A.R.L., Vodacom Congo (RDC) SA, Vodacom Financial Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Group Limited, Vodacom Insurance Administration Company (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Insurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom International Holdings (Pty) Limited, Vodacom International Limited, Vodacom Lesotho (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Life Assurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom Payment Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No.2 (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Tanzania Limited Zanzibar, Vodacom Tanzania Public Limited Company, Vodacom UK Limited, Vodafone (NI) Limited, Vodafone (New Zealand) Hedging Limited, Vodafone (Scotland) Limited, Vodafone 2, Vodafone 4 UK, Vodafone 5 Limited, Vodafone 5 UK, Vodafone 6 UK, Vodafone Albania Sh.A, Vodafone Alternatif Telekom Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Americas 4, Vodafone Americas Virginia Inc., Vodafone And Qatar Foundation L.L.C, Vodafone Asset Management Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Automotive Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Automotive Electronic Systems S.r.L, Vodafone Automotive France S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Iberia S.L, Vodafone Automotive Italia S.p.A, Vodafone Automotive Japan K.K, Vodafone Automotive Korea Limited, Vodafone Automotive SpA, Vodafone Automotive Technologies (Beijing) Co Ltd, Vodafone Automotive Telematics Development S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Telematics S.A, Vodafone Automotive UK Limited, Vodafone Belgium SA/NV, Vodafone Benelux Limited, Vodafone Bilgi Ve Iletisim Hizmetleri AS, Vodafone Business Services Limited, Vodafone Business Solutions Limited, Vodafone Canada Inc, Vodafone Cellular Limited, Vodafone Central Services Limited, Vodafone China Limited (China), Vodafone China Limited (Hong Kong), Vodafone Connect 2 Limited, Vodafone Connect Limited, Vodafone Consolidated Holdings Limited, Vodafone Corporate Limited, Vodafone Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Czech Republic A.S., Vodafone DC Pension Trustee Company Limited, Vodafone Dagitim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Data, Vodafone Distribution Holdings Limited, Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications S.A.E., Vodafone Elektronik Para Ve Odeme Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Empresa Brasil Telecomunicacoes Ltda, Vodafone Empresa Mexico S.de R.L. de C.V., Vodafone Enabler Espana S.L., Vodafone Enterprise Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Austria GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Bahrain W.L.L., Vodafone Enterprise Bulgaria EOOD, Vodafone Enterprise Chile SA, Vodafone Enterprise Communications Technical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Denmark A/S, Vodafone Enterprise Equipment Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited Czech Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited DubaiI Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Finland OY, Vodafone Enterprise France SAS, Vodafone Enterprise Germany GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Global Businesses S.a r.l., Vodafone Enterprise Global Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network HK Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network Pte. Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Hong Kong Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Italy S.r.L, Vodafone Enterprise Korea Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Luxembourg S.A., Vodafone Enterprise Netherlands BV, Vodafone Enterprise Norway AS, Vodafone Enterprise Regional Business Singapore Pte.Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Singapore Pte.Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Spain S.L.U. Portugal Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Spain SLU, Vodafone Enterprise Sweden AB, Vodafone Enterprise Switzerland AG, Vodafone Erste Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Vodafone Espana S.A.U., Vodafone Euro Hedging Limited, Vodafone Euro Hedging Two, Vodafone Europe B.V., Vodafone Europe UK, Vodafone European Investments, Vodafone European Portal Limited, Vodafone Finance Limited, Vodafone Finance Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Finance Sweden, Vodafone Finance UK Limited, Vodafone Financial Operations, Vodafone Financial Services B.V., Vodafone Fixed Ltd, Vodafone Foundation, Vodafone Foundation Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Gestioni S.p.A, Vodafone Ghana Mobile Financial Services Limited, Vodafone Global Content Services Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Hong Kong) Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Italy) S.R.L., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Japan) K.K., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Vodafone Global Enterprise Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Russia LLC, Vodafone Global Enterprise Taiwan Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Telecommunications (Hellas) A.E., Vodafone Global Network Limited, Vodafone Global Network Limited Slovakia Branch, Vodafone Global Services Private Limited, Vodafone GmbH, Vodafone Group (Directors) Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Pension Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Services GmbH, Vodafone Group Services Ireland Limited, Vodafone Group Services Limited, Vodafone Group Services No.2 Limited, Vodafone Group Share Trustee Limited, Vodafone Hire Limited, Vodafone Holding A.S., Vodafone Holdings (Jersey) Limited, Vodafone Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Holdings Europe S.L.U., Vodafone Holdings Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Finance Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Receivables Pty Limited, Vodafone IP Licensing Limited, Vodafone India Digital Limited, Vodafone India Limited, Vodafone India Services Private Limited, Vodafone India Ventures Limited, Vodafone Institut fur Gesellschaft und Kommunikation GmbH, Vodafone Intermediate Enterprises Limited, Vodafone International 1 S.a.r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone International 1 S.a r.l., Vodafone International 2 Limited, Vodafone International Holdings B.V., Vodafone International Holdings Limited, Vodafone International M S.a r.l., Vodafone International Operations Limited, Vodafone International Services LLC, Vodafone Investment UK, Vodafone Investments (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Investments Australia Limited, Vodafone Investments Limited, Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Ireland Distribution Limited, Vodafone Ireland Ltd., Vodafone Ireland Marketing Limited, Vodafone Ireland Property Holdings Limited, Vodafone Ireland Retail Limited, Vodafone Italia S.p.A., Vodafone Jersey Dollar Holdings Limited, Vodafone Jersey Finance, Vodafone Jersey Yen Holdings Unlimited, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Field Services GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Kundenbetreuung GmbH, Vodafone Kenya Limited, Vodafone Leasing Limited, Vodafone Libertel B.V., Vodafone Limited, Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone M-PESA SH.P.K., Vodafone M-Pesa S.A, Vodafone M.C. Mobile Services Limited , Vodafone Magyarorszag Mobile Tavkozlesi Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Vodafone Malta Limited, Vodafone Marketing UK , Vodafone Maroc SARL, Vodafone Mauritius Ltd., Vodafone Mobile Commerce Limited, Vodafone Mobile Communications Limited, Vodafone Mobile Enterprises Limited, Vodafone Mobile NZ Limited, Vodafone Mobile Network Limited, Vodafone Mobile Operations Limited, Vodafone Mobile Services Limited, Vodafone Multimedia Limited, Vodafone Nederland Holding I B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding II B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding III B.V., Vodafone Net Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Network Pty Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Foundation Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Limited, Vodafone Next Generation Services Limited, Vodafone Nominees Limited1, Vodafone ONO S.A.U., Vodafone Oceania Limited, Vodafone Old Show Ground Site Management Limited, Vodafone Overseas Finance Limited, Vodafone Overseas Holdings Limited, Vodafone Panafon International Holdings B.V., Vodafone Panafon UK, Vodafone Partner Services Limited, Vodafone Payment Solutions S.a r.l., Vodafone Portugal Comunicacoes Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Procurement Company S.a r.l., Vodafone Property Investments Limited, Vodafone Pty Limited, Vodafone Qatar Q.S.C., Vodafone Retail (Holdings) Limited , Vodafone Retail Limited, Vodafone Roaming Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Romania S.A, Vodafone Romania M - Payments SRL, Vodafone Romania Technologies SRL, Vodafone Sales & Services Limited, Vodafone Satellite Services Limited, Vodafone Servicios SL.U, Vodafone Servizi E Tecnologie S.R.L, Vodafone Servicos Empresariais Brasil Ltda., Vodafone Shared Services Romania SRL, Vodafone Specialist Communications Limited, Vodafone Stiftung Deutschland Gemeinnutzige GmbH, Vodafone Technology Solutions Limited, Vodafone Teknoloji Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Tele-Services (India) Holdings Limited, Vodafone Telecel-Comunicates Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Telecommunications (India) Limited, Vodafone Telekomunikasyon A.S, Vodafone Towers Limited, Vodafone UK Content Services Limited, Vodafone UK Investments Limited , Vodafone UK Limited1 , Vodafone US Inc, Vodafone Ventures Limited1 , Vodafone Vierte Verwaltungs AG, Vodafone Worldwide Holdings Limited, Vodafone Yen Finance Limited , Vodafone m-pesa Limited, Vodafone-Central Limited Vodaphone Limited, Vodafone-Panafon Hellenic Telecommunications Company S.A., VodafoneZiggo Group Holding B.V, Vodata Limited , Vouchercloud SA (Pty) Ltd, Wataneya Telecommunications S.A.E, Waterberg Lodge (Proprietary) Limited, Wayfinder, Wheatfields Investments 276 (Proprietary) Limited, Wireless Interactions & NFC Accelerator 2013 B.V., Woodend Cellular Limited, Woodend Communications Limited, Woodend Group Limited, Woodend Holdings Limited, XB Facilities B.V, XLink Communications (Proprietary) Limited, Your Communications Group Limited, ZUM B.V., ZYB, Zelitron S.A., Zesko B.V., Ziggo B.V., Ziggo Bond Company B.V., Ziggo Deelnemingen B.V., Ziggo Finance 2 B.V., Ziggo Financing Partnership, Ziggo Holding B.V., Ziggo Netwerk B.V., Ziggo Netwerk II B.V., Ziggo Services B.V., Ziggo Services Employment B.V., Ziggo Services Netwerk 2 B.V., Ziggo Zakelijk Services B.V., and Zoranet Connectivity Services B.V.. Enbridge Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company. The company operates through five segments: Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Gas Distribution and Storage, Renewable Power Generation, and Energy Services. The Liquids Pipelines segment operates pipelines and related terminals to transport various grades of crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons in Canada and the United States. The Gas Transmission and Midstream segment invests in natural gas pipelines, and gathering and processing facilities in Canada and the United States. The Gas Distribution and Storage segment is involved in natural gas utility operations serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Ontario, as well as natural gas distribution and energy transportation activities in Quebec. The Renewable Power Generation segment operates power generating assets, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and waste heat recovery facilities; and transmission assets in North America and Europe. The Energy Services segment provides energy marketing services to refiners, producers, and other customers; and physical commodity marketing and logistical services in Canada and the United States. The company was formerly known as IPL Energy Inc. and changed its name to Enbridge Inc. in October 1998. Enbridge Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza. Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres. Fielmann Aktiengesellschaft engages in the investment in and operation of optical and hearing aid businesses. The company manufactures and sells visual aids and other optical products, including glasses, frames, lenses, sunglasses, contact lenses and accessories, and various merchandise, as well as hearing aids and accessories. As of December 31, 2020, it operated 870 stores, including 605 in Germany, 43 in Switzerland, 38 Austria, 3 in Luxembourg, 33 in Italy, 25 in Poland, 80 in Spain, 28 in Slovenia, and 15 in the rest of Europe. The company also 79 smaller locations in Eastern Europe. Fielmann Aktiengesellschaft also offers its products through online stores. The company was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. Fielmann Aktiengesellschaft is a subsidiary of Korva SE. Read More American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected].com | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. Three crew members who have been living and working aboard the International Space Station have landed safely in Kazakhstan. Expedition 56 Commander Drew Feustel and Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold of NASA, along with Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Oleg Artemyev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos landed at 7:44 a.m. EDT (5:44 p.m. in Kazakhstan) southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan. The crew completed hundreds of experiments during its 197-day expedition. Highlights included an investigation to study ultra-cold quantum gases using the first commercial European facility for microgravity research, and a system that uses surface forces to accomplish liquid-liquid separation. The crew also welcomed five cargo spacecraft that delivered several tons of supplies and research experiments. The 14th SpaceX Dragon arrived in April, shortly after the three crew members did, bringing supplies and equipment, and the 15th Dragon arrived in July. The ninth Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft arrived in May before the end of Expedition 55. A Russian Progress completed a record rapid rendezvous of less than four hours in August. And, the seventh Japanese Konotouri cargo craft arrived just a week before the Expedition 56 trio departed for home. Both Feustel and Arnold participated in dozens of educational events while in space as part of NASA's Year of Education on Station, reaching more than 200,000 students in 29 states. Feustel now has logged more than 226 days in space on three spaceflights, and Arnold more than 209 days on two missions. The duo ventured outside the space station on three spacewalks to effect maintenance and upgrades during Expeditions 55 and 56. Their work included replacing and upgrading external cameras, including those that will facilitate the approach and docking of the Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon commercial crew spacecraft when they begin launching soon from American soil. The spacewalkers also replaced components of the space station's cooling system and communications network, and installed new wireless communication antennas for external experiments. Feustel has accumulated 61 hours and 48 minutes over nine career spacewalks, and ranks third overall among American astronauts. Arnold has 32 hours and 4 minutes over five career spacewalks. Artemyev conducted one spacewalk with fellow cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev to manually launch four small technology satellites and install an experiment called Icarus onto the Russian segment of the space station. The spacewalk timed out at 7 hours and 46 minutes, the longest in Russian space program history. Artemyev now has spent 366 days in space on his two flights. Expedition 57 continues station research and operations with a crew comprised of Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA, Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos. Gerst assumed command of the station as Feustel prepared to depart. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin are scheduled to launch Oct. 11 for a same-day arrival, increasing the crew size to five. On-Orbit Status Report 54S Undock and Landing: The 54 Soyuz vehicle undocked successfully from the Mini Research Module (MRM)-2 Zenith Docking Port at 2:56 AM CT this morning. Following the completion of a fly-around maneuver, during which the crew took photos of ISS in celebration of its 20th Anniversary on-orbit, 54S completed a nominal de-orbit burn, separation of modules, and descent; the Soyuz vehicle landed in Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan at approximately 6:44 AM CT bringing Drew Feustel, Ricky Arnold, and Oleg Artemyev safely home to Earth. Functional Immune: The crew completed the Functional Immune Health Assessment Questionnaire. Functional Immune analyzes blood and saliva samples to determine the changes taking place in crewmembers' immune systems during flight. The changes in the immune system are also compared with crewmembers' self-reported health information. Results are expected to provide new insight into the possible health risks of long-duration space travel, including future missions to Mars, asteroids, or other distant destinations. Meteor: Today the crew successfully recovered the Meteor laptop and checked the camera settings. The next target of opportunity for the investigation is the Draconids meteor shower with a peak of 08-Oct-2018, but significant meteor flux occurring as early as 06-Oct. The Draconids shower occurs when the Earth passes through the dust debris left by comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The Meteor payload is a visible spectroscopy instrument used to observe meteors in Earth orbit. Meteor uses image analysis to provide information on the physical and chemical properties of the meteoroid dust, such as size, density, and chemical composition. The study of the meteoroid dust on orbit provides information about the parent comets and asteroids. Pressure Management Device (PMD) Unpack and Deploy: PMD is a new device that allows for the depressurization and repressurization of vestibules without venting the air overboard. Scheduled for its first use this Friday, the crew unpacked PMD today and pre-deployed the unit in preparation for use during the upcoming Lab/Node 2 Fine Vestibule Leak Check; successful operation of PMD will help conserve ISS resources when both berthing visiting vehicles and conducting vestibules leak checks. Completed Task List Activities: None Ground Activities: All activities are complete unless otherwise noted. 54S Undock and Landing Support Two-Day Look Ahead: Friday, 10/05: Payloads Lighting effects (continuing) LMM Biophysics MERLIN insertion Systems Treadmill 2 Accelerometer Remove and Replace Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Resize Lab/Node 1 Vestibule Depress and Leak Check Lab/Node 2 Vestibule Depress and Leak Check HTV Cargo Operations Saturday, 10/06: Crew Off-Duty, Housekeeping, J-SSOD-10 satellite deploy Today's Planned Activities: All activities are complete unless otherwise noted. HRF Generic Saliva Collection 10 Minutes HRF Generic Sample MELFI Retrieval And Insertion Operations Lighting Effects Sleep Log Entry Functional Immune Historical Documentation Photography HRF Generic Ambient Blood Collection Functional Immune Health Assessment Questionnaire PROBIOVIT. MICROVIR. BIOPLENKA. Handover for stowage in Soyuz 738 Soyuz 738 Stowage Ops for Return. GoPro HERO3 camcorders adjustment and installation in Soyuz 738 for operation during the descent. JEM Airlock Depressurization HRF Generic Ambient Blood Collection Pack And Handover HRF Generic Ambient Blood Collection Stow PROBIOVIT. Deactivation of - No.05 Combustion Integrated Rack Upper Rack Doors Open Combustion Integrated Rack Manifold #4 Bottle Replacement Combustion Integrated Rack Upper Rack Doors Close Equipment gather from PMM Health Maintenance System (HMS) ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT) Water Recovery Management (WRM) Condensate Pumping Initiation Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) Test Photography of [] and returning cargo before Soyuz 738 undocking from the ISS maintenance Soyuz 738 Transfer Operations Completion Report (S-band) JEM Airlock Vent Photography of the external surface of Soyuz 738 [] hatch/manhole cover Soyuz 738 - hatch cover photo downlink (via OCA r/g 0130) JEM Airlock Vent Confirmation Comm Config for Soyuz 738 Undocking and Descent Soyuz 738 Comm Check via RSA2-S/G2 Soyuz 738 Activation. Transfer of Soyuz 738 Emer-1a book to MRM2 Food Acceptability Questionnaire - Subject HRF Generic Saliva Collection ISS HAM Radio Power Down in Columbus HRF Generic Sample MELFI Retrieval And Insertion Operations ISS HAM Radio Power Down in Service Module HRF Generic Saliva Collection Stow Setup and Activation of Equipment for Hatch Closure from MRM2 TV coverage in mpeg2 via Ku-band. Use Sony HVR-Z7E Camcorder TIME Perception experiment constraints reminder Battery Stowage Assembly (BSA) Operation Initiation Control of the closed state of a window 6,8,9,12,13,14 cover ISA/VAJ Relocate Soyuz-MRM2 Hatch Closure Closing of transitive hatches -2 HTV Transfer Operations Soyuz 738- MRM2 Hatch Leak Check Downlink of TV coverage Hatch Closure data from MRM2 Deactivation of camcorder, TV System monitoring equipment and closing applications Verification of -1 Flow Sensor Position Meteor Flash Drive Install Operation using TK onboard data files. Soyuz undocking Ultrasound 2 HRF Rack 1 Power On Health Maintenance System (HMS) Ultrasound 2 Scan Functional Immune Health Assessment Questionnaire USOS Window Shutter Close Activation of MPEG2 Multicast TV Monitoring Equipment. Pressure Management Device (PMD) Unpack, Set-up and Deploy (XTP) Activation of MPEG2 multicast video recording mode. Switching - PEV in MRM2 to CLOSED position Closing Applications and Downlink of MPEG2 Multicast Video via OCA ISTOCHNIK-M Preparation For Measurements. Pressure Management Device (PMD) Equipment Setup and Power HTV Cargo Operations Conference Meteor System Disk Recovery ISTOCHNIK-M. Activation of Soyuz 738 telemetry recording mode ISTOCHNIK-M Closeout Ops Soyuz 738 comm reconfig for nominal ops after landing ISS HAM Radio Power Up Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Cartier Resources Inc. engages in the acquisition and exploration of mining properties in Canada. The company explores for gold deposits. Its flagship project is the Chimo mine property located to the east of Val-d'Or, Quebec. The company also holds interest in Benoist, Fenton, Wilson, Cadillac Extension, Dollier, and MacCormack metal deposit projects, which are located in Quebec. Cartier Resources Inc. was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Val-d'Or, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of EnerSys: ABSL Power Solutions Inc., ABSL Power Solutions Ltd., Acumuladores Industriales EnerSys SA, Alpha Alternative Energy Inc., Alpha Broadband Services Inc., Alpha Innovations Industria e Comercio de Produtos Eletronicos Ltda., Alpha Innovations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Alpha Mexico Network Power S.A. de C.V., Alpha Tech Energy Solutions India Private Limited, Alpha Technical Services Ltd., Alpha Technologies Ltd., Alpha Technologies Pty. Ltd., Alpha Technologies Services Inc., Alphatec Technologies (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Argus Research Ltd., Batterias Hawker de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Battery Power International Pte Ltd., Coppervale Enterprises Inc., DCPM Engineering Sdn Bhd, EH Batterien AG, EH Europe GmbH, EH Global Holdings GmbH, EH Swiss Holdings GmbH, ENAS Industrial Batteries Morocco Sarl, EnerSys (Chaozhou) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (China) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (Chongqing) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (Jiangsu) Huada Batteries Company Limited (94.7%) *, EnerSys (Luxembourg) Finance Sarl, EnerSys (Yangzhou) Huada Batteries Co. Ltd., EnerSys A/S, EnerSys AB, EnerSys AD, EnerSys AE, EnerSys AS, EnerSys Advanced Systems Inc., EnerSys Argentina S.A., EnerSys Asia Limited, EnerSys Australia Pty Ltd., EnerSys BV, EnerSys BVBA, EnerSys Battery Private Limited, EnerSys Brasil Ltda., EnerSys Bulgaria EOOD, EnerSys Canada Inc., EnerSys Capital Inc., EnerSys Cayman Euro L.P., EnerSys Cayman Holdings L.P., EnerSys Cayman Inc., EnerSys Delaware Inc., EnerSys Delaware LLC I, EnerSys Delaware LLC II, EnerSys Delaware LLC III, EnerSys Delaware LLC IV, EnerSys Delaware LLC V, EnerSys Energy Products Inc., EnerSys Europe Oy, EnerSys European Holding Co., EnerSys GmbH, EnerSys Holdings (Luxembourg) Sarl, EnerSys Holdings UK Ltd., EnerSys Hungaria Kft., EnerSys India Batteries Private Ltd., EnerSys JSC, EnerSys LLC, EnerSys Ltd., EnerSys Malaysia Sdn Bhd, EnerSys Mexico Holdings LLC, EnerSys Mexico Management LLC, EnerSys Participacoes Ltda., EnerSys Reserve Power Pte. Ltd., EnerSys S.r.l., EnerSys SARL, EnerSys SNC, EnerSys South East Asia Pte. Ltd., EnerSys de Mexico II S de R.L. de CV, EnerSys de Mexico S de R.L. de CV, EnerSys s.r.o., EnerSys sp. z o.o., EnerSystem Chile Ltda., Enersys Aku Sanaya Dis Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Esfinco LLC, Hawker GmbH, Hawker Power Systems Inc., Hawker Powersource Inc., Hawker Systems GmbH & Co. KG., ICS Industries Pty Ltd, ICS Industries Pty Ltd., ICS Sheet Metal Pty Ltd., Industrial Battery Holding Ltda., International Communication Shelters Australasia Pty Ltd., Lancord Pty Ltd., Lenmic Pty Ltd., MIB Energy Sdn Bhd, N Holding AB, National Infrastructure Pty Ltd., National Infrastructure Services Pty Ltd., NaviSemi Energy Pte Ltd., NaviSemi Inc., New Pacifico Realty Inc., NorthStar Battery Company LLC, NorthStar Battery Company LLC, NorthStar Battery DMCC, Outback Power Technologies Inc., Powercom (NSW) Pty Ltd., Powersonic S de R.L. de CV, Purcell Systems, Purcell Systems Inc., Purcell Systems International AB, Quallion LLC, Riverfront Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Shenzhen Huada Power Supply Mechanical & Electrical Co. Ltd. , SiteTel Shanghai Co Ltd., SiteTel Sweden AB, Telecomponents & Supply (Hong Kong) Ltd., The Enser Corporation, UTS Holdings Sdn Bhd, UTS Technology (JB) Sdn Bhd, UTS Technology (PG) Sdn Bhd, YCI Inc., and Yecoltd S. de R.L. de CV. Bank of America Corp. is a bank and financial holding company, which engages in the provision of banking and nonbank financial services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth and Investment Management, Global Banking, Global Markets, and All Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers credit, banking, and investment products and services to consumers and small businesses. The Global Wealth and Investment Management provides client experience through a network of financial advisors focused on to meet their needs through a full set of investment management, brokerage, banking, and retirement products. The Global Banking segment deals with lending-related products and services, integrated working capital management and treasury solutions to clients, and underwriting and advisory services. The Global Markets segment includes sales and trading services, as well as research, to institutional clients across fixed-income, credit, currency, commodity, and equity businesses. The All Other segment consists of asset and liability management activities, equity investments, non-core mortgage loans and servicing activities, the net impact of periodic revisions Read More GlaxoSmithKline Plc is a healthcare company, which engages in the research, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceuticals; Pharmaceuticals R&D; Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. The Pharmaceuticals segment focuses on developing medicines in respiratory and infectious diseases, oncology, and immuno-inflammation. The Pharmaceuticals R&D segment focuses on science related to the immune system, the use of human genetics and advanced technologies, and is driven by the multiplier effect of Science x Technology x Culture. The Vaccines segment produces pediatric and adult vaccines to prevent a range of infectious diseases including, hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella, polio, typhoid, influenza, and bacterial meningitis. The Consumer Healthcare segment develops and markets brands in the oral health, pain relief, respiratory, nutrition and gastro intestinal, and skin health categories. The company was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Middlesex, the United Kingdom. Read More 16 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Deutsche Wohnen in the last year. There are currently 9 hold ratings and 7 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "hold" Deutsche Wohnen stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in DWNI, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for Deutsche Wohnen or view top-rated stocks. SpaceCast Weekly is a NASA Television broadcast from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. It features stories about NASA's work in human spaceflight, including the International Space Station and its crews and scientific research activities, and the development of Orion and the Space Launch System, the next generation American spacecraft being built to take humans farther into space than they've ever gone before. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Nestle S.A. is a nutrition, health and wellness company. The Company's segments are Zone Europe, Middle East and North Africa (EMENA); Zone Americas (AMS); Zone Asia, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa (AOA); Nestle Waters; Nestle Nutrition, and Other Businesses. The Company operates in the United States, Greater China Region, Switzerland and Rest of the World. The Company's product categories include powered and liquid beverages; water; milk products and ice cream; nutrition and health science; prepared dishes and cooking aids; confectionery, and PetCare. Its other business activities include the operations of Nestle Professional, Nespresso, Nestle Health Science and Nestle Skin Health. It operates in approximately 190 countries throughout the world. It has sales in various countries, including the United States, Greater China Region, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, France, Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia, Hungary, Malta, Romania, Spain and Switzerland. Read More Intu owns and manages some of the best shopping centres, in some of the strongest locations, in the UK and Spain. Our UK portfolio is made up of 17 centres, including eight of the top-20, and in Spain we own three of the country's top-10 centres, with advanced plans to build a fourth. We are passionate about creating compelling experiences, in centre and online, that make our customers smile and help our retailers flourish. We attract around 400 million customer visits and 26 million website visits a year offering a multichannel approach that truly supports retail strategies. Our strategic focus on prime, high-footfall flagship destinations, combined with the strength and popularity of our brand, means that intu offers enhanced footfall, dwell time and loyalty. This helps our tenants flourish, driving occupancy and income growth. We are committed to our local communities, with our centres supporting nearly 130,000 jobs (representing about 3 per cent of the total UK retail workforce), and to operating with environmental responsibility. We have already met or exceeded a significant number of our 2020 environmental targets. Read More There is not enough analysis data for Trinity Merger Corp. Units. 4.4 Community Rank Outperform Votes Trinity Merger Corp. Units has received 19 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Trinity Merger Corp. Units has received 10 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Trinity Merger Corp. Units has received 65.52% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Trinity Merger Corp. Units and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe TMCXU will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe TMCXU will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next The following companies are subsidiares of Procter & Gamble: "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, Agile Pursuits, Agile Pursuits Franchising, Arbora, Arbora & Ausonia, Arborinvest, Billie, Braun (Shanghai) Co., Braun GmbH, Braun-Gillette Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG, Celtic Insurance Company, Compania Procter & Gamble Mexico, Compania Quimica S.A., Corporativo Procter & Gamble, Cosmetic Products Pty. Ltd., Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., Eurocos Cosmetic GmbH, FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Fater S.p.A., Fountain Square Music Publishing Co., Gillette (China) Ltd., Gillette (Shanghai) Ltd., Gillette Aesop Ltd., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette Canada Holdings, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Gruppe Deutschland GmbH & Co. oHG, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Nova Scotia Company, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Poland S.A., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay, Giorgio Beverly Hills Inc., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, LLC "Procter & Gamble Novomoskovsk", LLL "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", Laboratorios Vicks, Liberty Street Music Publishing Company, Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', Limited Liability Company with foreign investments Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, New Chapter, New Chapter Canada Inc., Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G Prestige Service GmbH, P&G South African Trading (Pty.) Ltd., PGT Health Care (Zhejiang) Limited, PGT Healthcare LLP, PPI ZAO, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Procter & Gamble (Chengdu) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (East Africa) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Egypt) Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble (Enterprise Fund) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Health & Beauty Care) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Jiangsu) Ltd. China, Procter & Gamble (L&CP) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble (Manufacturing) Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble (Shanghai) International Trade Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Acquisition GmbH, Procter & Gamble Administration GmbH, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chile , Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Commercial de Cuba S.A., Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent (Beijing) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deuttschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing (Philippines) Inc., Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distribution Company (Europe) BVBA, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana, Procter & Gamble Europe SA, Procter & Gamble Export Operations SARL, Procter & Gamble Exportadora e Importadora Ltda., Procter & Gamble Exports, Procter & Gamble Fabricacao e Comercio Ltda., Procter & Gamble Far East, Procter & Gamble Finance (U.K.) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care, Procter & Gamble Hellas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holdings (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership (KKT), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings, Procter & Gamble Indochina Limited Company, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama, Procter & Gamble International Operations Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Investment Company (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment GmbH, Procter & Gamble Italia, Procter & Gamble Japan K.K., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea, Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble Lanka Private Ltd. Sri Lanka, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Marketing and Services doo, Procter & Gamble Maroc SA, Procter & Gamble Mataro, Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Investments B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Nordic, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan (Private) Limited, Procter & Gamble Partnership LLP, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals France SAS, Procter & Gamble Philippines, Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo, Procter & Gamble Product Supply (U.K.) Limited U.K., Procter & Gamble Production GmbH, Procter & Gamble Productions, Procter & Gamble Productos de Consumo, Procter & Gamble RHD, Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services BVBA, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Satis ve Dagitim Ltd. Sti., Procter & Gamble Seine S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services (Switzerland) SA, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Share Incentive Plan Trustee Ltd., Procter & Gamble South America Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. (Ltd.), Procter & Gamble Sports and Social Club Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology (Beijing) Co., Procter & Gamble Trading (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Verwaltungs GmbH, Procter & Gamble Vietnam, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil S/A, Procter & Gamble do Brazil, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Redmond Products, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Richardson-Vicks do Brasil Quimica e Farmaceutica Ltda, Riverfront Music Publishing Co., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Scannon S.A.S., Series Acquisition B.V., Shulton, Surfac S.R.L., Sycamore Productions, TAOS - FL, TAOS Retail, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving - FL, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble GBS Company, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon (Shanghai) Academy, Vidal Sassoon Co., WEBA Betriebsrenten-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Walker & Company Brands, and iMFLUX Inc.. If pacing gelding Doctor Royal could communicate what he was most thankful for this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, it would unquestionably be entering the care of trainer Marie-Claude Auger. Before reporting to the Auger barn, the six-year-old pacer had just five wins in 31 lifetime starts. Auger took over the training duties in mid-July and the turnaround in form has been astonishing. In eleven starts, Doctor Royal has posted a summary of 7-1-1-1 after winning Sunday's Not Listed Preferred Handicap Pace at Rideau Carleton Raceway. With Auger at the controls, Doctor Royal was unable to find a spot along the rail leaving from the outermost post seven and patiently forged the overland route while The Roadies (Jonathan Lachance) chopped out hot fractions of :27 and :55.4 without any form of pressure. Cobalt Man (Guy Gagnon) started the first-up bid from third just after the half. Rose Run Slider (Stephane Brosseau) was right on his back second over, with Doctor Royal third over and sixth as the third panel flashed up in 1:24.3. Cobalt Man cleared pacesetting The Roadies turning for home, with Rose Run Slider and Doctor Royal fanning out three- and four-wide for the stretch drive. In the last strides, Doctor Royal maintained his momentum and picked off all his rivals to win by a half-length in 1:53.3 over Rose Run Slider and Cobalt Man. Owned by Auger and 2273824146 of Nicolet, Que., Doctor Royal (Royal Mattjesty - Lady Doctor) now boasts back-to-back wins in Rideau's top class. Also finding Rideau to her liking is Talbotcreek Suzie, a gate-to-wire winner in the co-featured $8,100 Not Listed Preferred Trot. Driver Guy Gagnon guided the class-climbing mare through fractions of :28.3, :58 and 1:26.2, opening up a five-length cushion on the field. The bottom-out strategy paid off as Neon Lights (Lachance) and LMC Mass Gem (Jacques Beaudoin) made late rallies and gobbled up ground in the stretch but just fell short as Talbotcreek Suzie held on to win by a neck in 1:56.2. Now a winner of three straight for trainer Yves Tessier since shipping to Rideau after spending the majority of her summer at Woodbine Mohawk Park, six-year-old Talbotcreek Suzie (Angus Hall - Sno Doubt About It) captured her 15th lifetime win with career earnings exceeding $107,000. To view the charted lines from Rideau, click the following link: Sunday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway. 1 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust in the last year. There are currently 1 hold rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "hold" SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in SPY, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust or view top-rated stocks. SRC Energy Inc., an oil and natural gas company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids primarily in the Denver-Julesburg Basin of Colorado. As of December 31, 2018, it had net proved oil and natural gas reserves of 88 million barrels of oil and condensate, 771.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and 89.1 million barrels of natural gas liquids; and operated 985 net producing wells, as well as had 95,200 gross and 86,200 net acres under lease in the Wattenberg Field. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Read More iShares MSCI EAFE ETF's stock was trading at $56.05 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EFA shares have increased by 45.2% and is now trading at $81.38. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. It wasnt quite the same as Christopher Columbus landing in the new world, but right around 9:30 a.m. on Monday (Oct. 8), an oversized horse trailer discovered Yonkers Raceway. The contents of said trailer were six overseas trotters set to compete in Saturday afternoons (Oct. 13) $1 million Yonkers International Trot at Empire City Casino. The three stallions Lionel (Norway), Ringostarr Treb (Italy) and Up And Quick (France) set up shop in the Raceways Old Glory Building, getting the lay of the land. The three geldings Arazi Boko (Italy), Pastore Bob (Sweden) and Slide So Easy (Denmark) were headed to New Jersey farms. All 10 of the participants in the 40th International the others being Ariana G (United States), Cruzado Dela Noche (Sweden), Marion Marauder (Canada) and Will Take Charge (Canada) are due at the Raceway by 9 a.m. Friday (Oct. 12). The 1-1/4 mile trotting classic is augmented by a pair of $250,000 Invitationals, giveaways, contests, international-themed food and drink, live music, and more. There is also a special all-stakes Pick 4 wager with Yonkers (races 7 and 8) and Belmont (Pebbles and Floral Park). In a change from the original race layout, the Dan Rooney Invitational led by Bit of a Legend N, Lazarus N and McWickedmoved from the sixth race to race 11. The Saturday card shall be drawn Monday afternoon, save for the International, which is to be drawn Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 9) at a midtown luncheon. (Yonkers Raceway) Weatherford International plc, an oilfield service company, provides equipment and services for the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil and natural gas wells worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere. It offers artificial lift systems, including reciprocating rod, progressing cavity pumping, gas, hydraulic, plunger, and hybrid lift systems, as well as related automation and control systems; pressure pumping and reservoir stimulation services, such as acidizing, fracturing and fluid systems, cementing, and coiled-tubing intervention; and drill stem test tools, and surface well testing and multiphase flow measurement services. The company also provides safety, downhole reservoir monitoring, flow control, and multistage fracturing systems, as well as sand-control technologies, and production and isolation packers; liner hangers to suspend a casing string in high-temperature and high-pressure wells; cementing products, including plugs, float and stage equipment, and torque-and-drag reduction technology for zonal isolation; and pre-job planning and installation services. In addition, it offers directional drilling services, and logging and measurement services while drilling; services related to rotary-steerable systems, high-temperature and high-pressure sensors, drilling reamers, and circulation subs; managed pressure drilling, conventional mud-logging, drilling instrumentation, gas analysis, wellsite consultancy, and open hole and cased-hole logging services; reservoir solutions and software products; and intervention and remediation services. Further, the company provides equipment and drilling tools; tubular handling, management, and connection services; equipment rental services; and onshore contract drilling and related services through a fleet of land drilling and workover rigs. Weatherford International plc was incorporated in 1972 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland. Read More Yext, Inc. is an emerging growth company engages in software development. It offers a cloud-based digital knowledge platform, which allows businesses manage their digital knowledge in the cloud such as financial information, resources and performance of these resources on a consolidated basis and sync it to other application such as Apple Maps, Bing, Cortana, Facebook, Google, Google Maps, Instagram, Siri and Yelp. It offers the Yext Knowledge Engine package on subscription basis, which has an access to Listings, Pages, Reviews and other features. The Listing feature provides customers with control over their digital presence, including their location and other related attributes published on the used third-party applications. The Pages feature allows customers to establish landing pages on their own websites and to manage digital content on those sites, including calls to action. The Reviews presence enables customers to encourage and facilitate reviews from end consumers. The company was founded by Howard Lerman, Brent Metz, and Brian Distelburger in 2006 and is headquartered in New York, NY. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Banco Santander: 2 & 3 Triton Limited, A & L CF (Guernsey) Limited (f), A & L CF June (2) Limited, A & L CF June (3) Limited, A & L CF March (5) Limited, A & L CF September (4) Limited, AFB SAM Holdings S.L., ALIL Services Limited (b), AN (123) Limited, ANITCO Limited, Abbey Business Services (India) Private Limited, Abbey Covered Bonds (LM) Limited, Abbey National, Abbey National Beta Investments Limited, Abbey National Business Office Equipment Leasing Limited, Abbey National International Limited, Abbey National Nominees Limited, Abbey National PLP (UK) Limited, Abbey National Property Investments, Abbey National Treasury Services Investments Limited, Abbey National Treasury Services Overseas Holdings, Abbey National UK Investments, Abbey Stockbrokers (Nominees) Limited, Abbey Stockbrokers Limited, Ablasa Participaciones S.L., Administracion de Bancos Latinoamericanos Santander S.L., Aduro S.A., Aevis Europa S.L., Afisa S.A., Albert., Aljardi SGPS Lda., Alliance & Leicester, Alliance & Leicester Cash Solutions Limited, Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments (Derivatives) Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments (No.2) Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments Limited, Alliance & Leicester Limited, Alliance & Leicester Personal Finance Limited, Altamira Santander Real Estate S.A., Alternative Leasing FIL, Amazonia Trade Limited, Amherst Pierpont, Andaluza de Inversiones S.A., Aquanima Brasil Ltda., Aquanima Chile S.A., Aquanima Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aquanima S.A., Arcaz - Sociedade Imobiliaria Portuguesa Lda., Argenline S.A. (b), Asto Digital Limited, Athena Corporation Limited, Atual - Fundo de Invest Multimercado Credito Privado Investimento no Exterior, Atual Servicos de Recuperacao de Creditos e Meios Digitais S.A., Autodescuento S.L., Autohaus24 GmbH, Auttar HUT Processamento de Dados Ltda., Aviacion Antares A.I.E., Aviacion Britanica A.I.E., Aviacion Centaurus A.I.E., Aviacion Comillas S.L. Unipersonal, Aviacion Intercontinental A.I.E., Aviacion Laredo S.L., Aviacion Oyambre S.L. Unipersonal, Aviacion Real A.I.E., Aviacion Santillana S.L., Aviacion Suances S.L., Aviacion Triton A.I.E., Aymore Credito Financiamento e Investimento S.A., BEN Beneficios e Servicos S.A., BRS Investments S.A., BZW Bank, Banca PSA Italia S.p.A., Banco Bandepe S.A., Banco Madesant - Sociedade Unipessoal S.A., Banco PSA Finance Brasil S.A., Banco Popular, Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A., Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso 100740, Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso 2002114, Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso GFSSLPT, Banco Santander - Chile, Banco Santander Consumer Portugal S.A., Banco Santander International, Banco Santander International SA, Banco Santander Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Banco Santander Peru S.A., Banco Santander Rio S.A., Banco Santander S.A., Banco Santander Totta S.A., Banco Santander de Negocios Colombia S.A., Banco de Albacete S.A., Bansa Santander S.A., CCAP Auto Lease Ltd., Canyon Multifamily Impact Fund IV LLC, Capital Street Delaware LP, Capital Street Holdings LLC, Capital Street REIT Holdings LLC, Capital Street S.A., Carfax (Guernsey) Limited (f), Carfinco Financial Group, Carfinco Financial Group Inc., Carfinco Inc., Casa de Bolsa Santander S.A. de C.V. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Cater Allen Holdings Limited, Cater Allen International Limited, Cater Allen Limited, Cater Allen Lloyd's Holdings Limited, Cater Allen Syndicate Management Limited, Centro de Capacitacion Santander A.C., Certidesa S.L., Chrysler Capital Auto Funding I LLC, Chrysler Capital Auto Funding II LLC, Chrysler Capital Auto Receivables LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding 2 LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding 4 LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding LLC, Cobranza Amigable S.A.P.I. de C.V., Community Development and Affordable Housing Fund LLC (g), Compagnie Generale de Credit Aux Particuliers - Credipar S.A., Compagnie Pour la Location de Vehicules - CLV, Comunidad Laboral Trabajando Argentina S.A., Comunidad Laboral Trabajando Iberica S.L. Unipersonal en liquidacion (b), Consulteam Consultores de Gestao Lda., Consumer Lending Receivables LLC, Crawfall S.A. (b), Cantabra de Inversiones S.A., Cantabro Catalana de Inversiones S.A., Darep Designated Activity Company, Decarome S.A.P.I. de C.V., Deva Capital Advisory Company S.L., Deva Capital Holding Company S.L., Deva Capital Investment Company S.L., Deva Capital Management Company S.L., Deva Capital Servicer Company S.L., Digital Procurement Holdings N.V., Diners Club Spain S.A., Direccion Estratega S.C., Dirgenfin S.L. en liquidacion (b), Ebury, El Corte Ingles, Elavon Mexico, Electrolyser S.A. de C.V., Entidad de Desarrollo a la Pequena y Micro Empresa Santander Consumo Peru S.A., Erestone S.A.S., Esfera Fidelidade S.A., Evidence Previdencia S.A., Financeira El Corte Ingles Portugal S.F.C. S.A., Financiera El Corte Ingles E.F.C. S.A., Finsantusa S.L. Unipersonal, First National Motor Business Limited, First National Motor Contracts Limited, First National Motor Facilities Limited, First National Motor Finance Limited, First National Motor Leasing Limited, First National Motor plc, First National Tricity Finance Limited, Fondos Santander S.A. Administradora de Fondos de Inversion (en liquidacion) (b), Fortensky Trading Ltd., Fosse Funding (No.1) Limited, Fosse Master Issuer plc, Fosse Trustee (UK) Limited, GTS El Centro Equity Holdings LLC, GTS El Centro Project Holdings LLC, Gamma Sociedade Financeira de Titularizacao de Creditos S.A., Gesban Mexico Servicios Administrativos Globales S.A. de C.V., Gesban Santander Servicios Profesionales Contables Limitada, Gesban Servicios Administrativos Globales S.L., Gesban UK Limited, Gestion de Instalaciones Fotovoltaicas S.L. Unipersonal, Gestion de Inversiones JILT S.A., Gestora de Procesos S.A. en liquidacion (b), Getnet Adquirencia e Servicos para Meios de Pagamento S.A., Global Vosgos S.L. Unipersonal, Grupo Empresarial Santander S.L., Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico S.A. de C.V., Grupo Financiero Santander SAB de CV, Guaranty Car S.A. Unipersonal, HQ Mobile Limited, Hispamer Renting S.A. Unipersonal, Holbah II Limited, Holbah Santander S.L. Unipersonal, Holmes Funding Limited, Holmes Master Issuer plc, Holmes Trustees Limited, Hyundai Capital Bank Europe GmbH, Iberica de Compras Corporativas S.L., Independence Community Bank Corp., Insurance Funding Solutions Limited, Interfinance Holanda B.V., Inversiones Capital Global S.A. Unipersonal, Inversiones Maritimas del Mediterraneo S.A., Isla de los Buques S.A., Klare Corredora de Seguros S.A., Landcompany 2020 S.L., Langton Funding (No.1) Limited, Langton Mortgages Trustee (UK) Limited, Langton Securities (2008-1) plc, Langton Securities (2010-1) PLC, Langton Securities (2010-2) PLC, Laparanza S.A., Liquidity Limited, Luri 1 S.A. en liquidacion (b) (e), Luri 6 S.A. Unipersonal, Master Red Europa S.L., Mata Alta S.L., Merciver S.L., Mercury TFS, Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.A. de C.V., Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.L., Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.p.A., Moneybit S.L., Mortgage Engine Limited, Motor 2016-1 PLC, Motor 2017-1 PLC, Mouro Capital I LP, Multiplica SpA, NW Services CO., Naviera Mirambel S.L., Naviera Trans Gas A.I.E., Naviera Trans Iron S.L., Naviera Trans Ore A.I.E., Naviera Trans Wind S.L. (b), Naviera Transcantabrica S.L., Naviera Transchem S.L. Unipersonal, NeoAuto S.A.C., Norbest AS, Novimovest Fundo de Investimento Imobiliario, Open Bank Argentina S.A., Open Bank S.A., Open Digital Market S.L., Open Digital Services S.L., Operadora de Carteras Gamma S.A.P.I. de C.V., Optimal Investment Services SA, Optimal Multiadvisors Ireland Plc / Optimal Strategic US Equity Ireland Euro Fund, Optimal Multiadvisors Ireland Plc / Optimal Strategic US Equity Ireland US Dollar Fund, PBE Companies LLC, PECOH Limited, PI Distribuidora de Titulos e Valores Mobiliarios S.A., PSA Bank Deutschland GmbH, PSA Banque France, PSA Finance UK Limited, PSA Financial Services Nederland B.V., PSA Financial Services Spain E.F.C. S.A., PSA Renting Italia S.p.A., PagoFX Europe S.A., PagoFX HoldCo S.L., PagoFX UK Ltd, PagoNxt Merchant Solutions S.L., PagoNxt S.L., Parasant SA, Patagon.com, Pereda Gestion S.A., Pingham International S.A., Popular Spain Holding de Inversiones S.L.U., Portal Universia Argentina S.A., Portal Universia Portugal Prestacao de Servicos de Informatica S.A., Prime 16 Fundo de Investimentos Imobiliario, Punta Lima LLC, Punta Lima Wind Farm LLC, Retop S.A., Return Capital Servicos de Recuperacao de Creditos S.A., Return Gestao de Recursos S.A., Riobank International (Uruguay) SAIFE (b), Rojo Entretenimento S.A., SAM Asset Management S.A. de C.V. Sociedad Operadora de Fondos de Inversion, SAM Investment Holdings S.L., SAM UK Investment Holdings Limited (b), SANB Promotora de Vendas e Cobranca Ltda., SCF Eastside Locks GP Limited, SDMX Superdigital S.A. de C.V., SMPS Merchant Platform Solutions Mexico S.A de C.V, Sancap Investimentos e Participacoes S.A., Santander (CF Trustee Property Nominee) Limited, Santander (UK) Group Pension Schemes Trustees Limited, Santander Ahorro Inmobiliario 1 S.A., Santander Ahorro Inmobiliario 2 S.A., Santander Alternatives SICAV RAIF, Santander Asesorias Financieras Limitada, Santander Asset Finance (December) Limited, Santander Asset Finance plc, Santander Asset Management - S.G.O.I.C. S.A., Santander Asset Management Chile S.A., Santander Asset Management LLC, Santander Asset Management Luxembourg S.A., Santander Asset Management S.A. Administradora General de Fondos, Santander Asset Management S.A. S.G.I.I.C., Santander Asset Management UK Holdings Limited, Santander Asset Management UK Limited, Santander Back-Offices Globales Mayoristas S.A., Santander Banca de Inversion Colombia S.A.S., Santander Bank & Trust Ltd., Santander Bank National Association, Santander Bank Polska S.A., Santander Brasil Administradora de Consorcio Ltda., Santander Brasil Gestao de Recursos Ltda., Santander Brasil Tecnologia S.A., Santander Capital Desarrollo SGEIC S.A. Unipersonal, Santander Capital Structuring S.A. de C.V., Santander Capitalizacao S.A., Santander Cards Ireland Limited, Santander Cards Limited, Santander Cards UK Limited, Santander Chile Holding S.A., Santander Consulting (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Santander Consumer (UK) plc, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2013-B2 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2013-B3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L4 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L5 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-B1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-L2 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-L3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-B1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-L1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-L2 LLC, Santander Consumer Bank, Santander Consumer Bank AG, Santander Consumer Bank GmbH, Santander Consumer Bank S.A., Santander Consumer Bank S.p.A., Santander Consumer Banque S.A., Santander Consumer Credit Services Limited, Santander Consumer Finance Benelux B.V., Santander Consumer Finance Global Services S.L., Santander Consumer Finance Oy, Santander Consumer Finance S.A., Santander Consumer Finance Schweiz AG, Santander Consumer Financial Solutions Sp. z o.o., Santander Consumer Finanse Sp. z o.o. (b), Santander Consumer Holding Austria GmbH, Santander Consumer Holding GmbH, Santander Consumer International Puerto Rico LLC, Santander Consumer Leasing GmbH, Santander Consumer Mediacion Operador de Banca-Seguros Vinculado S.L., Santander Consumer Multirent Sp. z o.o., Santander Consumer Operations Services GmbH, Santander Consumer Receivables 10 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 11 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 3 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 7 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables Funding LLC, Santander Consumer Renting S.L., Santander Consumer S.A., Santander Consumer S.A.S., Santander Consumer Services GmbH, Santander Consumer Services S.A., Santander Consumer Technology Services GmbH, Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc., Santander Consumer USA Inc., Santander Consumo S.A. de C.V. S.O.F.O.M. E.R. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Santander Corredora de Seguros Limitada, Santander Corredores de Bolsa Limitada, Santander Corretora de Cambio e Valores Mobiliarios S.A., Santander Corretora de Seguros Investimentos e Servicos S.A., Santander Customer Voice S.A., Santander Digital Assets S.L., Santander Drive Auto Receivables LLC, Santander Equity Investments Limited, Santander Espana Merchant Services Entidad de Pago S.L. Unipersonal, Santander Espana Servicios Legales y de Cumplimiento S.L., Santander Estates Limited, Santander F24 S.A., Santander Facility Management Espana S.L., Santander Factoring S.A., Santander Factoring Sp. z o.o., Santander Factoring y Confirming S.A. E.F.C., Santander Finance 2012-1 LLC, Santander Financial Exchanges Limited, Santander Financial Services Inc., Santander Financial Services plc, Santander Finanse Sp. z o.o., Santander Fintech Holdings S.L., Santander Fintech Limited, Santander Fundo de Investimento SBAC Referenciado di Credito Privado, Santander Gestion de Recaudacion y Cobranzas Ltda., Santander Global Consumer Finance Limited, Santander Global Facilities S.A. de C.V., Santander Global Facilities S.L., Santander Global Operations S.A., Santander Global Services S.A. (b), Santander Global Sport S.A., Santander Global Technology Brasil Ltda., Santander Global Technology Chile Limitada, Santander Global Technology S.L., Santander Global Trade Platform Solutions S.L., Santander Guarantee Company, Santander Holding Imobiliaria S.A., Santander Holding Internacional S.A., Santander Holdings USA Inc., Santander ISA Managers Limited, Santander Inclusion Financiera S.A. de C.V. S.O.F.O.M. E.R. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Santander Insurance Agency U.S. LLC, Santander Insurance Services UK Limited, Santander Intermediacion Correduria de Seguros S.A., Santander International Products Plc. (d), Santander Inversiones S.A., Santander Investment Bank Limited, Santander Investment Chile Limitada, Santander Investment I S.A., Santander Investment S.A., Santander Investment Securities Inc., Santander Investments GP 1 S.a.r.l., Santander Inwestycje Sp. z o.o., Santander Lease S.A. E.F.C., Santander Leasing LLC, Santander Leasing S.A., Santander Leasing S.A. Arrendamento Mercantil, Santander Lending Limited, Santander Mediacion Operador de Banca-Seguros Vinculado S.A., Santander Merchant Platform Operations S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Services S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions Mexico S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions S.A., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions Uruguay S.A., Santander Merchant Platform SolucoesTecnologicas Brasil Ltda., Santander Merchant S.A., Santander Mortgage Holdings Limited, Santander Paraty Qif PLC, Santander Pensiones S.A. E.G.F.P., Santander Pensoes - Sociedade Gestora de Fundos de Pensoes S.A., Santander Private Banking Gestion S.A. S.G.I.I.C., Santander Private Banking UK Limited, Santander Private Banking s.p.a. in Liquidazione (b), Santander Private Real Estate Advisory & Management S.A., Santander Private Real Estate Advisory S.A., Santander Real Estate S.A., Santander Retail Auto Lease Funding LLC, Santander Rio Asset Management Gerente de Fondos Comunes de Inversion S.A., Santander Rio Trust S.A., Santander Rio Valores S.A., Santander S.A. Sociedad Securitizadora, Santander Secretariat Services Limited, Santander Securities LLC, Santander Seguros y Reaseguros Compania Aseguradora S.A., Santander Servicios Corporativos S.A. de C.V., Santander Servicios Especializados S.A. de C.V., Santander Technology USA LLC, Santander Tecnologia e Inovacao Ltda., Santander Tecnologia Argentina S.A., Santander Tecnologia Espana S.L.U., Santander Tecnologia Mexico S.A. de C.V., Santander Totta SGPS S.A., Santander Totta Seguros Companhia de Seguros de Vida S.A., Santander Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A., Santander Trade Services Limited, Santander UK Group Holdings plc, Santander UK Investments, Santander UK Operations Limited, Santander UK Plc, Santander UK Technology Limited, Santander Wealth Management International SA, Santander de Titulizacion S.G.F.T. S.A., Santusa Holding S.L., Services and Promotions Delaware Corp., Services and Promotions Miami LLC, Servicio de Alarmas Controladas por Ordenador S.A., Servicios de Cobranza Recuperacion y Seguimiento S.A. De C.V., Sheppards Moneybrokers Limited, Shiloh III Wind Project LLC, Sociedad Integral de Valoraciones Automatizadas S.A., Sociedad Operadora de Tarjetas de Pago Santander Getnet Chile S.A., Socur S.A., Sol Orchard Imperial 1 LLC, Solarlaser Limited, Sovereign Community Development Company, Sovereign Delaware Investment Corporation, Sovereign Lease Holdings LLC, Sovereign REIT Holdings Inc., Sovereign Spirit Limited (f), Sterrebeeck B.V., Suleyado 2003 S.L. Unipersonal, Summer Empreendimentos Ltda., Super Pagamentos e Administracao de Meios Eletronicos S.A., Superdigital Argentina S.A.U., Superdigital Colombia S.A.S., Superdigital Holding Company S.L., Superdigital Peru S.A.C., Suzuki Servicios Financieros S.L., Swesant SA, TIMFin S.p.A., TOPSAM S.A de C.V., Taxagest Sociedade Gestora de Participacoes Sociais S.A., Teatinos Siglo XXI Inversiones S.A., The Alliance & Leicester Corporation Limited, The Best Specialty Coffee S.L. Unipersonal, Time Retail Finance Limited (b), Tonopah Solar I LLC, Toque Fale Servicos de Telemarketing Ltda., Tornquist Asesores de Seguros S.A. (b), Totta (Ireland) PLC, Totta Urbe - Empresa de Administracao e Construcoes S.A., Trabajando.com Mexico S.A. de C.V. en liquidacion (b), Trabajando.com Peru S.A.C., Trans Rotor Limited (b), Transolver Finance EFC S.A., Tresmares Growth Fund Santander SCR S.A., Tresmares Santander Direct Lending SICC S.A., Tuttle and Son Limited, Universia Brasil S.A., Universia Chile S.A., Universia Colombia S.A.S., Universia Espana Red de Universidades S.A., Universia Holding S.L., Universia Mexico S.A. de C.V., Universia Peru S.A., Universia Uruguay S.A., Uro Property Holdings SOCIMI S.A., WIM Servicios Corporativos S.A. de C.V., WTW Shipping Designated Activity Company, Wallcesa S.A., Wave Holdco S.L., Waypoint Insurance Group Inc., and Wirecard (Technological Assets). The following companies are subsidiares of Sealed Air: A.P.S. (Holdings) Limited, AFP Trading (China) Co. Ltd., AFPTOH LTD, APS Automated Packaging Systems GmbH & Co. KG, APS Verwaltungs-GmbH, Air Ride Pallets Hong Kong Limited, Austin Foam Plastics Inc. (dba AFP Inc.), Automated Packaging Systems, Automated Packaging Systems Asia Holding Company Limited, Automated Packaging Systems Comerciale Importacao do Brasil Ltda., Automated Packaging Systems Europe, Automated Packaging Systems LLC, Automated Packaging Systems Limited, Automated Packaging Systems Southeast Asia Co. Ltd., B+ Equipment, B+ Equipment SAS, Beacon Holdings LLC, Biosphere Industries, BluPack (New Zealand), Blue Dot Packaging Pty Ltd., Cactus (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Cryovac (Malaysia) SDN. BHD, Cryovac Brasil Ltda., Cryovac Holdings II LLC, Cryovac International Holdings Inc., Cryovac LLC*, Cryovac Leasing Corporation, Cryovac Londrina Ltda., Cryovac Packaging Portugal Embalagens Ltda., Cryovac-Sealed Air de Costa Rica S.R.L., DELTAPLAM Embalagens Industria e Comercio, Diversey, Diversey J Trustee Limited, Diversey Trustee Limited, Entapack Pty. Ltd., Fagerdala (Chengdu) Packaging Co. Ltd, Fagerdala (Shanghai) Foams Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Shanghai) Polymer Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Suzhou) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Thailand) Limited, Fagerdala (Xiamen) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala Leamchabung Limited, Fagerdala Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Fagerdala Mexico S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Mexico Supply Chain S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Packaging Inc. (Indiana), Fagerdala Singapore Pte Ltd, Fagerdala Singapore Pte. Ltd., Getpacking.com GmbH, Invertol S. de R.L. de C.V., JSC Sealed Air Kaustik, KRIS Automated Packaging Systems Holding Company, Kevothermal LLC, Kevothermal Limited, Nelipak Holdings, Pack-Tiger GmbH, Polyrol Limited, Polyrol Packaging Systems LLC, ProAseptic Technologies S.L., Producembal- Producao de Embalagens LTDA, Reflectix Inc., SLD Air Packaging Paketleme Malzemeleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Saddle Brook Insurance Company, Sealed Air (Asia) Holdings BV, Sealed Air (Barbados) S.R.L., Sealed Air (Canada) Co./CIE, Sealed Air (Canada) Holdings B.V., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Limited, Sealed Air (Israel) Ltd., Sealed Air (Korea) Limited, Sealed Air (Latin America) Holdings II LLC, Sealed Air (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sealed Air (New Zealand), Sealed Air (Philippines) Inc., Sealed Air (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Sealed Air (Ukraine) Limited, Sealed Air Africa (Pty.) Limited, Sealed Air Americas Manufacturing S. de R.L. de C.V., Sealed Air Argentina S.A., Sealed Air Australia (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Real Estate Pty Ltd, Sealed Air B.V., Sealed Air Belgium N.V., Sealed Air Central America S.A., Sealed Air Chile SpA, Sealed Air Colombia Ltda., Sealed Air Corporation (US), Sealed Air Cyprus Ltd., Sealed Air Denmark A/S, Sealed Air Finance B.V., Sealed Air Finance II LLC, Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Funding LLC, Sealed Air General Trading LLC, Sealed Air GmbH (Germany), Sealed Air GmbH (Switzerland), Sealed Air Hellas SA, Sealed Air Holding France SAS, Sealed Air Holdings (New Zealand) Pty. Ltd., Sealed Air Holdings South Africa Proprietary Limited, Sealed Air Holdings UK I Limited, Sealed Air Holdings UK Limited, Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited, Sealed Air Hungary Ltd., Sealed Air Investment and Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Japan G.K., Sealed Air LLC, Sealed Air Limited (Ireland), Sealed Air Limited (UK), Sealed Air Luxembourg (I) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg (II) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Management Holding Verwaltungs GmbH, Sealed Air Multiflex GmbH, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) I B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands Holdings V B.V., Sealed Air Norge AS, Sealed Air OY, Sealed Air Packaging (India) Private Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Packaging LLC, Sealed Air Packaging Materials (India) LLP, Sealed Air Packaging S.L.U., Sealed Air Peru S.A.C., Sealed Air Polska Sp. Zoo, Sealed Air Pty Limited, Sealed Air S.A S., Sealed Air S.r.l., Sealed Air South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Sealed Air Svenska AB, Sealed Air Taiwan Limited, Sealed Air UK Limited Partnership, Sealed Air US Holdings (Thailand) LLC, Sealed Air Uruguay S.A., Sealed Air Verpackungen GmbH, Sealed Air de Mexico Operations S. de RL. de C.V., Sealed Air de Venezuela S.A., Sealed Air s.r.o., Shanklin Corp, Shanklin Corporation, TTS-Ciptec, TXAFP Asia Pacific Ltd., TXAFP GP LLC, and Trigon Industries. After negotiations stretched late into Saturday, Kawartha Downs and the Ontario government reached an agreement to keep the Fraserville racino open. "It's absolutely incredible news," Scott McFadden, mayor of Cavan Monaghan, told the Peterborough Examiner. McFadden, referring to the local jobs saved in the light of the new Shorelines Casino Peterborough's impending opening which threatened the future of Kawartha. "(Premier Doug Ford) was happy they were able to come through. Promise made, promise kept," McFadden continued, referring to a campaign promise made to bolster the health of horse racing in the province. "You know what? He (Ford) was there for rural Ontario." Kawartha Downs general manager Orazio Valente had high praise for McFadden through the process of seeking a solution with the province to keep the racetrack open. "Mayor McFadden has been a great resource to me personally through this process," Valente told the Examiner. "We're excited for the future of the racetrack." While reported to be bound by a non-disclosure agreement with respect to the terms of the resolution, Valente was by all counts pleased with the result of the negotiation and the future of Standardbred racing in the Peterborough region. "We're certainly happy with the turn of events." (with files from the Peterborough Examiner) The U.S. Senate on Saturday narrowly confirmed Brett M. Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, after a bruising fight that included Kavanaughs denial of sexual misconduct allegations from his high school and college years and scrutiny of his views on such education issues as affirmative action in admissions, private school vouchers, and prayers in public schools. Kavanaugh, 53, will succeed Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who retired July 31. Many observers expect him to pull the court to the right in education by opposing race-conscious programs, being more sympathetic of religious expression in public schools, and requiring states to include religious schools in general aid programs. After a key procedural vote on Friday of 51-49, Saturdays final vote on confirmation was 50-48, with one Republican, Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, absent because of his daughters wedding, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voting present as a courtesy to Daines despite her announced opposition to the nomination. Kavanaugh was to be sworn in Saturday evening, the Supreme Court announced. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was to administer the constitutional oath and Kennedy was to give the judicial oath in a private ceremony at the court. President Donald Trump tweeted about the confirmation of his second nominee to take a seat on the high court, after Justice Neil M. Gorsuch last year. I applaud and congratulate the U.S. Senate for confirming our GREAT NOMINEE, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, to the United States Supreme Court, Trump said. Later today, I will sign his Commission of Appointment, and he will be officially sworn in. Very exciting! Kavanaughs nomination became dominated by charges of sexual assault from Christine Blasey Ford, a 51-year-old research psychologist in northern California who alleged that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her at a 1982 party when both were high school students at separate private schools in the Maryland suburbs of Washington. Ford testified about the allegations in a dramatic session before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27, while Kavanaugh appeared later and angrily denied that he was at such a party or had assaulted Ford. The committee advanced Kavanaughs nomination, but agreed to a plan to have the FBI investigate the charges from Ford as well as from a second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, who alleged that Kavanaugh has exposed himself to her at a dorm party in the 1980s, when both were students at Yale. The FBI completed its investigation in less than a week, with Republicans who read its report concluding that the accusers charges were not corroborated. These fantasies about Judge Kavanaugh being some sort of serial high school or college predator have been exposed as only thatmyths not based on fact, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said on the floor on Oct. 5. Democrats asserted that the investigation had been too limited in scope. Senate Republicans allowed only a handful of witnesses to be interviewed by the FBI, Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., said on the floor, also on Oct. 5. Of course, you will not find corroboration if the investigation systematically excludes corroborating witnesses. The initial portion of Kavanaughs confirmation hearing, in early September, included questions about affirmative action, prayer in schools, and gun rights as they related to school shootings. The nominee had a much-dissected interaction with the father of a student who was slain in February in the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. When the father, Fred Guttenberg, sought to shake hands with Kavanaugh at the lunch break of his first day of testimony, Kavanaugh appeared to refuse. Kavanaugh later said he thought Guttenberg was a protestor. I would have shaken his hand, talked to him, and expressed my sympathy, Kavanaugh said. On race in education , Kavanaugh told senators that the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka school desegregation ruling was the greatest moment in Supreme Court history. Pressed on his views on race preferences in education, Kavanaugh answered carefully that current Supreme Court precedent allows such efforts in certain circumstances. On religious expression in public schools, Kavanaugh said, Religious speech is entitled to a place in the public square and not to be discriminated against. Kavanaugh did not specifically address private school vouchers, but he helped to defend a Florida program that included religious schools, and during the hearing he spoke approvingly of a 2017 Supreme Court decision, Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer, which held that a state could not bar a church from a state grant program to improve childrens playgrounds. The case is viewed by religious conservatives as one that might help those who argue that states may not bar religious schools from voucher and education aid programs. With a potential hurricane threatening the state, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency Sunday for 26 counties in the Panhandle and Big Bend coastal region of northern Florida. This storm will be life-threatening and extremely dangerous, Scott said in a statement after an Emergency Operations Center briefing. Our state understands how serious tropical weather is and how devastating any hurricane or tropical storm can be, said Scott. As we continue to monitor this storms path toward Florida, it is critically important that our communities have every available resource to keep everyone safe. By Wednesday, Tropical Storm Michael could become a hurricane as it approaches the northern Gulf Coast. The storm could sweep across much of North Florida to the East Coast. The storm could cause rip tides and other dangerous surf conditions along Floridas West Coast and Panhandle as early as Monday, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said. You can not hide from storm surge, so get prepared and get out if evacuations are ordered, said Floridas governor. Interests in the Florida Panhandle should begin preparations and continue them into Tuesday morning, said weather.com meteorologist Christopher Dolce. Hurricane conditions are possible in the region by Wednesday with damaging winds, dangerous storm surge, and heavy rain. A news release from the governors office said declaring a state of emergency ensures that state and local governments have ample time, resources and flexibility to prepare for the storm. If any Florida family doesnt have an emergency preparedness plan, now is the time to act, Scott said in the release. Floridians also know just how quickly the path of a storm can change and thats why we all must be vigilant and get prepared today. I encourage every Floridian to visit www.FloridaDisaster.org Leon County Schools posted a tweet saying officials were monitoring the storm, but no decision had been made about closing schools on Wednesday. Heres the 1st advisory on PTC 14 (Michael). Storm will track between New Orleans and panama City sometime Wednesday. We expect this system and a cold front to bring rain into DC region Thursday. @wusa9 #WUSA9Weather pic.twitter.com/PxFzYoAtTN Howard Bernstein (@hbwx) 6 octobre 2018 The office of the mayor of Tallahassee said staffers would be contacting local nursing homes and assisted living facilities Sunday to share preparation plans. FLORIDA! GET PREPARED FOR THIS NEXT EXTREME WEATHER EVENT! By the way, you can support your Strange Sounds by becoming a Patron on Patreon or donating through Paypal. Please and thank you. Weather State of Emergency Declared as Florida Prepares for Potentially Devastating Impact From Michael By Delana Isles ALL COURTROOMS in the Turks and Caicos Islands now have the ability to audio record court proceedings. This new development takes the local court circuit into the 21st century as has been the mandate of Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale since assuming the position in June 2014. Speaking with the Weekly News on Thursday, October 4, Ramsay-Hale noted that while this is not a first for the TCI, it is one that now enables all of the courtrooms to make and keep accurate records of all proceedings. On Monday (October 1) at the Graceway Plaza court in Providenciales, the introduction of the new equipment was officially announced to lawyers, defendants and others gathered there for the days business in the courtroom. Supreme Court criminal proceedings have been audio recorded for some time now and these recordings are generally used to prepare transcripts in appeal cases, one local lawyer told this publication. The Grand Turk Court and the Providenciales Supreme Court Annex where the Special Investigation Prosecution Team (SIPT)s trial is being conducted, have been recording criminal proceedings for a number of years. The chief justice stated that the recording systems will increase access to justice, as, "litigants/defendants can get transcripts of proceedings for their appeals sooner. She noted that in the past the courts used stenographers, and while they still do so as a backup to any technological failures, this modern method of capturing evidence was needed. "Its important that courts embrace technology which can improve delivery of service to court users, the chief justice said. This equipment will have an especially good impact on the magistrate courts, where Ramsay-Hale says most criminal matters, about 90 percent, are conducted. "My goal is to modernise the courts and one day allow people to file documents electronically, pay their traffic fines online, appear in court by video so that remand inmates are not brought before court for bail hearings. All will be done by video conferencing, the chief justice noted. The SIPT courtroom is the only court to date that allows witnesses to attend hearings via video conference in the TCI from any part of the world. This technology is not spread to the other courts. Ramsay-Hale said that her goal is to reproduce the technology that already exists in the SIPT court, in all others in the territory. However, she noted that the court does not have protocol in place yet as to who would be entitled to a copy of the records, or what fees would be payable. This, she said, is still come. In the meantime, only lawyers and litigants are allowed access to recordings. All court staff are currently undergoing training in the proper use of the equipment. Another local attorney also welcomed the move. In invited comments, lawyer Beryn Duncanson said: "It is high time this was done, it should have been done years ago. "As the court office knows, it is something I have repeatedly complained about and campaigned for far and wide - numerous times before the chief justice and numerous times before the Court of Appeal in numerous appeals, especially in the past four years. The lawyer added that he also highlighted the importance of recordings to be made by the court, when he was involved in a number of appeals for former premier Michael Misick. "And yet again, I have sung about it from the rooftops very recently in correspondence before the Privy Council as well as before the Foreign Affairs Committee at Parliament in London. He said that section three of the Supreme Court Ordinance constitutes a "superior court of record as distinctive from a lesser summary court like a magistrates court. "From [Sir William] Blackstones day, he said that a court of record is that where the acts and judicial proceedings are enrolled... for a perpetual memorial and testimony, Duncanson said. While some of the biggest automotive manufacturers are talking about the latest advances in electric propulsion and other alternative fuels, Jaguar Land Rover is bringing a blend of the past and the future to the table. Soon after announcing new electric E-Types, theyre working on bringing back something more rugged, something quite special. Land Rover is bringing back the Defender and the company has given us a peek at it. While heavily padded and covered in camouflage, the basic shape and styling of the new Land Rover Defender is there to see. Big, stoic and intimidating are the first three words that come to mind as it already looks like its being put to use by the military. Or perhaps by Land Rover's humanitarian partners like the Red Cross, who often need go-anywhere vehicles to provide aid in the most remote locations. In some manner, the Defender seen here seems to be inspired by Land Rover's DC100 concept (pictured below) cars that were shown in 2012 at various motor shows around the world and even here at the Delhi Auto Expo. The all-new Land Rover Defender is expected to make its official final-spec unveil next year, with global sales beginning in 2020. That is still some time away and probably explains why Jaguar Land Rover isn't sharing any details of the car just yet. The original Defender model was in production for well over six decades with over 2 million units made, and the last one rolled off the line in January 2016. This 4x4 has been a part of the motoring world's core, especially when it comes to off-road utility vehicles. The new one has a lot to live up to. Land Rover will be bringing the new Defender to the Indian automotive market as well, where it will compete against the likes of the new Mercedes-Benz G-Class. We'll be bringing you more updates on the 2020 Land Rover Defender as we get them so stay tuned. Check out: India-bound Audi e-tron Electric SUV Revealed Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: CarDekho. Man sentenced twice for manslaughter gets bail ONE of the two men convicted of killing Dominican woman Santa Suarez Ramirez is now out on bail. On Wednesday (October 3) the Weekly News learnt that Colin Delancy Jr was granted $15,000 bail with conditions by a judge on Thursday, September 27. The bail comes on the heels of the Court of Appeal overturning the mans conviction and sentence and ordering a new and third trial. Delancy Jr was released from Her Majestys Prison in Grand Turk on Monday (October 1). Delancy was prosecuted on a charge of manslaughter for the December 2011 killing of Ramirez, convicted by a jury and sentenced to 12 years in prison. He appealed the conviction and sentence, won both. The Crown retried the case as ordered by the appellate court, and again Delancy Jr was convicted and sentenced. He appealed that conviction and sentence, and won for the second time last August, with the Court of Appeal again ordering a new trial. Delancy Jr now awaits the Director of Public Prosecution Jillian Williamss decision on whether they will try him a third time and on what charge. Dominic Swann gets seven year jail sentence DOMINIC Swann, brother of the TCIs Deputy Governor Anya Williams, has now been sentenced to serve seven years on a charge of discharging a firearm at another person. Swann was found guilty by a jury last month and had his sentencing delayed for a week. On Thursday, September 27, the man was told his fate by the judge who presided over his trial, Justice Shiraz Azeez in a Providenciales courtroom. Following the sentencing, Swanns lawyer Lara Maroof-Misick indicated to the court that her client will be appealing the sentence and conviction. Swann will in the meantime serve his time until his appeal is heard, granted that bail is not approved by a judge. A native of Grand Turk, Swann was also previously charged and tried before a jury for masterminding a plot to bribe a witness in his firearm matter for which he is now jailed. His cousin Omar Harvey was also charged for his involvement. Both men were later found not guilty of charges of bribery and attempting to pervert the course of public justice. His last trial had to be moved to Providenciales due to fears from prosecutors of bias of jurors. Sowparnika Projects and Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., a leading real estate company, has announced zero cost homes, where they would be offering home units at no cost. The homes could now be purchased absolutely free of cost with minimal or no initial investment. Zero Campaign Poster The campaign, by the sensibly priced real estate company, will help encourage homebuyers, especially first timer, to take a step towards fulfilling their dream of purchasing homes at no cost. A homebuyer pays a five percent initial down payment, after which Sowparnika will bear the remaining costs involved through PRE- EMI scheme, while also returning the down payment to the homebuyer. Once the keys are handed over to the buyer, he can pay the balance 5% (5:90:5 loan scheme) money to the company 3 months after taking possession. After possession, the customer can stay in the apartment for three months and then pay out the balance or rent out and pay the balance with the rent amount accumulated. This campaign helps the homebuyer reap out the benefits of his purchase while also encouraging him to own a house. Raja Mukherjee, Chief Marketing Officer, Sowparnika Projects and Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., launched this campaign saying, We have completed 15 successful years in the real estate market. What better way to celebrate this by sharing our happiness with our customers. The campaign will further encourage homebuyers from across the country, who have expressed their interest in key markets such as Bangalore and Mysore among other locations. This will make Home Buying easiest. While announcing the campaign, Ramji Subramaniam, Managing Director, Sowparnika Projects and Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. commented, Purchasing a home has been considered a lengthy process, wherein a first time homebuyer was always apprehensive towards taking this step. We, at Sowparnika, aim to break this myth that buying a home is a difficult process and are in fact helping them in the purchase process. This year, we have witnessed an increasing number of units sold with more than 80% of the buyers being millennials or first time homebuyers. We will continue to build and maintain this trust that our customers have on us, while delivering happiness to them. Sowparnika celebrates 15 years in providing homes to buyers, from across the country, in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The campaign is set to launch on October 5th, 2018 where homebuyers can express their interest towards purchasing a home by registering at www.sowparnika.com. About Sowparnika Projects and Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. The companys vision is to be one of the top 10 preferred brands in the Housing and Infrastructure arena, by Delivering Happiness and Value for a Lifetime. Their mission is to become one among the top ten housing and infrastructure companies of South India, to achieve INR 1,000 crore turnover and a successful IPO by 2022, provide high-quality value homes through continuous innovations, improvements and timely delivery, create a culture of consistent growth and offer a transparent work environment that enhances employee excellence. Sowparnika, headquartered in Bangalore, has laid strong foundation based on our core values of Commitment, Customer Service and Excellence in what we deliver along with strong teamwork in each and every aspect of the organization. They have 6,000+ satisfied customers, 35+ completed projects, 30+ ongoing projects, 5+ million sq. ft. developed, 4.5+ million sq. ft. under development and a strong presence in 3 states, namely, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Some of the projects of Sowparnika in Bengaluru include Flamenco (Sarjapur), Columns (Whitefield), Tharangini (Sarjapur), Purple Rose (Hoskote), Sanvi Phase 2 (Whitefield), Swastika 2 (Sarjapur), Pranathi (Kumbalgodu), Indraprastha (Soukya Road, Whitefield), Unnathi (Attibele) and Landmark (Mysore). For more information, please visit http://www.sowparnika.com/. Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: NewsVoir. The Tamil Nadu government on Monday said it may 'consider' reducing taxes on petrol and diesel, but pointed out its spending on various initiatives, including implementation of the seventh Pay Commission recommendations. New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday said it may 'consider' reducing taxes on petrol and diesel, but pointed out its spending on various initiatives, including implementation of the seventh Pay Commission recommendations. When asked if his state would cut taxes on petrol and diesel, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami highlighted the requirement of funds for various welfare measures. He was speaking to reporters here after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek Central assistance for various initiatives in the state. "In Tamil Nadu, as far as the Amma (late Jayalalithaa) government is concerned, funds are required for various departments," he noted. While the state had recently okayed the implementation of 7th Pay Commission recommendation for its employees, arrears for Transport department staff was also being disbursed, he said. "Welfare initiatives are happening in various departments. After creating the fund source, government will consider your plea," he told media when asked if his government would axe the tax on fuel. The Centre had last week announced a Rs 2.50 a litre cut in petrol and diesel prices, factoring in excise duty reduction of Rs 1.50 per litre and asking oil companies to absorb another Re 1. Many BJP- ruled states had taken a cue from this and announced tax cuts. Earlier too, Palaniswami had said his government would consider reducing the state tax on petroleum products even as he had put the onus of slashing taxes on the Centre. "Only the Centre can reduce.. The Centre is only increasing the prices, not the state (government)," he had said last month, in an apparent reference to Oil Marketing Companies' daily revision of petrol and diesel prices. Pointing to the difficulties in fund allocation for various projects, he had said: "We need sufficient funds but the government will consider the plea (on tax cut)". On reports about mining firm Vedanta Ltd being allotted oil blocks in Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami said, "any project adversely affecting people will not be allowed". The firm's copper smelter unit in Tuticorin in the state, had earlier been ordered by the state government to be permanently closed following a public outcry over pollution concerns. An anti-Sterlite protest on May 22 had turned violent, with 13 protesters being killed in police firing. Rishi Kapoor was lauded for work in 102 Not Out and Mulk this year. New Delhi: Bollywood veteran Rishi Kapoor who recently headed off to the United States to seek medical treatment, was seen catching up with 'old friend', actor Anupam Kher. Taking to social media, Kapoor shared a slow-motion video in which the 'Prem Granth' co-stars can be seen talking as they take a stroll on the busy streets of Manhattan, New York. "New York, Manhattan. "Kher-free" or is it "Care-free" on Madison Avenue with colleague and old friend Anupam Kher this afternoon!" read his caption. New York,Manhattan. Kher-free or is it Care-freeon Madison Avenue with colleague and old friend Anupam Kher this afternoon! pic.twitter.com/6qwfUufuML Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) October 7, 2018 In a tweet last month, Kapoor wrote he was travelling to the US for medical treatment. Before his well-wishers could jump onto conclusions, the 'Mulk' actor asked them not to speculate his leave of absence. He wrote, "Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. It's been 45 years "plus" of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon!" Rumours of Kapoor being diagnosed with cancer had surfaced, which were denied by his brother Randhir by saying that the actor himself wasnt aware of what illness he was suffering from and will start undergoing tests soon. They lost their mother Krishna Raj Kapoor last week. On the work front, Kher will next be seen as Dr. Manmohan Singh in 'The Accidental Prime Minister' which is based on the 2014 memoir of the same name, written by Manmohan Singh's media adviser Sanjay Baru. Directed by debutant Vijay Gutte and written by Hansal Mehta, the flick is set to hit the theatres on December 21. Mumbai: Nana Patekar addressed Tanushree Dutta's sexual harassment claims on Monday afternoon to the media. What was the truth 10 years ago remains the same today and will continue to be tomorrow as well, the veteran actor said as he refused to take questions on the controversy. He said his lawyer had asked him not to speak to the media. My lawyer has advised me not to speak on the matter. Hence, I am silent. Otherwise, I would have no issues talking to the press, Nana said. Tanushree Dutta has alleged that Patekar misbehaved with her on the sets of the film 'Horn Ok Pleasss'. She has accused him of harassing her while shooting for a special dance number in the movie and also claimed that dance choreographer Ganesh Acharya teamed up against her. The 'Aashiq Banaya Aapne' actor further said that she and her family were attacked after she declined to perform some intimate steps. She recently stated that she has been 'slapped' with two legal notices by Patekar and director Vivek Agnihotri. The 34-year-old has also revealed that she has been getting violent threats from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and that two unidentified individuals recently tried to barge inside her residence. A complaint has also been loged against Dutta for allegedly defaming MNS chief Raj Thackeray. The allegations have cooked up a storm in B-Town, with celebrities having diverging opinions on the case. While many like Priyanka Chopra, Parineeti Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Swara Bhaskar, Shilpa Shetty, Kalki Koechlin, and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja voiced their support for Dutta, others like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan chose to dodge the issue. Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi, has also stood by Tanushree. Anurag Kahyap, Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena made several popular films over the course of their stint at Phantom Films. Mumbai: Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane Sunday offered clarifications on the row over sexual harassment allegations against their Phantom Films partner Vikas Bahl. In separate statements, Kashyap and Motwane, who formed the company along with Bahl and Madhu Mantena seven years ago, detailed the backdoor deliberations that took place in order to punish their partner. Kashyap said his legal aide told him there was nothing he could do to fire Bahl from the company. Also read: Why is Hrithik Roshan mum on Vikas Bahl? "I did everything I could, within what I was told by my partner and his lawyers... His word and his team's word on any matter used to be the final word for us. "According to legal advice provided to me then, I was told that we had very limited options. Now in hindsight and after taking stock of things myself, I can quite see how I was ill-advised," Kashyap said. The director added the lawyers told him that Bahl's removal from the company was hindered by his status as "an equal promoter/director who actually ran the company" and that there was no clause in their contract to fire him "on the grounds of misconduct". In a recent article in HuffPost India, a former woman employee of the now dissolved production banner has reiterated the allegations and shared further details about the incident in May 2015. According to the report, the woman said she had reached out to Kashyap and detailed her experience, but no action was taken while Bahl continued to harass her until she left the company. Kashyap claimed that the story got out only after he corroborated it with the HuffPost journalist and added that he was the anonymous source who shared the story with the press last year. My statement in light of the recent HuffPost article and breaking up of Phantom . There are two pages.. pic.twitter.com/WCAsaj6uFR Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 7, 2018 Motwane, in his statement, said he was unaware of the incident until March 2017. "I didn't hear about the incident between Vikas and the girl when it happened in 2015. The first time I heard of it was in March 2017, when Anurag called me and told me about it." Apologising for the incident, he said he will ensure a safer work environment on the sets of his films. "I'm truly sorry about what happened to the girl. Vikas Bahl is a sexual offender. He's preyed on a young woman, abused her trust, ruined her life. The scars are going to stay and that just isn't right. "The only thing I can offer now is an apology. And the only thing I can say is that this will never happen again on my watch," he wrote. Yes we burned it down. It was huge and loud and a fucking spectacle. I hope you enjoyed it. Vikramaditya Motwane (@VikramMotwane) October 7, 2018 The company's fourth partner, Mantena, is yet to react on the controversy. While big names from the Hindi film industry have still not reacted on the row, the revelations against Bahl drew a fierce reaction from their frequent collaborators, Sacred Games co-writer Varun Grover and Masaan director Neeraj Ghaywan. Grover took to Twitter to slam the company for failing to provide its women employees a safe work environment. "I am sorry. As somebody who has been a part of many projects with #Phantom in various capacities (lyrics/writer), I feel ashamed that they failed to provide safe working environment for women," he wrote. He said it was a failure on his part that he did not stress upon the company to follows the guidelines of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, also known as PoSH guidelines. I am sorry. As somebody who has been a part of many projects with #Phantom in various capacities (lyrics/writer), I feel ashamed that they failed to provide safe working environment for women. (@varungrover) October 7, 2018 We all are complicit in this failure by rarely checking on our female colleagues or demanding POSH guidelines to be followed. We are all complicit in letting this industry run purely on the hubris and entitlement of a few powerful men. (@varungrover) October 7, 2018 All of us men have let our job insecurities or emotional distance from such cases or patriarchy-induced prejudices to allow us to ignore or move on. Whenever some of us have raised our voices, they have either been too feeble or too inconsequential - and the onus is on us alone. (@varungrover) October 7, 2018 It's a moral crime & I promise to introspect & learn from it, and will keep questioning the people in power and my friends (this time louder & clearer). What's the purpose of all the art we create if it's devoid of any moral centre. Sorry again. (@varungrover) October 7, 2018 Ghaywan said he felt disgusted by the allegations. "I have felt absolutely disgusted by what Vikas Bahl did to a fellow team member. A legal complication enabled that he couldn't be sacked owing to him being a partner. "... I am complicit in working with the company that allows it. I allowed myself to work where such toxic male behaviour and perverse patriarchal mind-set fostered," he wrote. My entire film career has shaped at Phantom Films. It has been a dream run. However, I have to share what I feel about the recent allegations that have come out. pic.twitter.com/QcNVoSggg3 Neeraj Ghaywan (@ghaywan) October 7, 2018 Before the HuffPost article was published, the four partners on Saturday announced that have decided to dissolve their banner Phantom Films, without citing the reason for the decision. Also read: Vikas bragged about sex encounters, hugged me tight, buried face in my neck: Kangana The article, which went viral on social media, was shared by a number of Bollywood celebrities such as filmmaker Hansal Mehta, screenwriter Apurva Asrani, director Nandita Das and Kubbra Sait, among others. Bengaluru: Nearly a year after Bollywood actor Sunny Leone was denied permission to perform on New Year's Eve in Bengaluru, another Sunny Leone event scheduled for next month has met with protests by pro-Kannada activists. Demanding a ban on Sunny's performance in the city, pro-Kannada activists held a protest on Monday against the event, "Purity and Expression", organised at the Manyata Tech Park in the city. The event scheduled to be held on November 3 is against Kannada culture, the protesters said. The activists, belonging to the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Yuva Sene (KRVYS), burnt an effigy of the former porn star in protest. "We staged a demonstration against the event. It is not just about the show here. We were also protesting against her lead role in a period film based on a woman warrior from South India," KRVYS president K. Harish said. "How can an actress like her be allowed to portray the legendary woman worshipped by everyone," he asked. This is not the first time the actress' event has not gone down well with pro-Kannada activists. 'Sunny Nights' on the New Year's Eve in which Sunny was supposed to perform was also called off. The organisers, despite knocking on the court's door, had to cancel the event after City Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar recommended against the event citing possibility of law and order situation. B03 Legendary actor Dilip Kumars health has been a cause of concern for a while now. Legendary actor Dilip Kumars health has been a cause of concern for a while now. The latest we hear is that the actor was rushed to a hospital on Sunday night to be treated for recurrent pneumonia. Faisal Farooqui, a family-friend of the 95-year-old, shared the news with fans and well-wishers, posting, Want to inform you @TheDilipKumar has been admitted to hospital last night. Hes being treated for recurrent pneumonia. Praying...will keep you updated on Twitter (sic). The actor was last discharged from hospital a couple of weeks ago, but it seems he has taken a turn for the worse once again. HT05 The accused have been identified as Arjun alias Gidda, 32 and Yogesh alias Abhi, 23, both residents of Thyagarajanagar. (Representional Image) Bengaluru: The Subramanyapura police arrested two people for murdering a rowdy two weeks ago near Yadalamma temple at Vasanthapura. The accused have been identified as Arjun alias Gidda, 32 and Yogesh alias Abhi, 23, both residents of Thyagarajanagar. The two murdered Sushanth alias Payee, 32, a resident of Uttarahalli, the police said. Suahanth had eight criminal cases against him. Sushanth met Arjun in jail last year. Arjun had several theft cases against him in Banashankari and Kumaraswamy police limits. Sushanth after he came out of jail nine months ago got in touch with Arjun and Yogesh. The three would often fight over trivial issues and on September 27, the three met in Vasanthapura. The two accused took him to a deserted place and attacked him with lethal weapons and escaped. Bengaluru: A fish merchant on way to his house on a bike was waylaid by two bike-borne men and robbed of cash late on Sunday night. The incident took place at BRV Junction in Cubbon Park police limits and the victim, Prabhu, is from Tamil Nadu. He was on his way home carrying Rs 2.80 lakh cash in a bag. When he reached BRV Junction, the two robbers waylaid his bike and stabbed Prabhu before escaping with the cash bag. Passerby who spotted Prabhu writhing in pain rushed him to a hospital. The Cubbon Park police are examining the CCTV footage from nearby spots. Prabhu, who supplies fish to sellers in Bengaluru, came to the city on Sunday to collect money. The police suspect that the robbers knew that Prabhu had a bag full of cash. In a similar incident, a bike-borne man was robbed of a gold chain by three men who came on a bike and waylaid him. The victim, Praveen, a resident of Kalidasa Nagar in Kengeri, was heading home after finishing work when the incident occurred. Praveen reached Mallasandra near BDA Layout when the three men stopped his bike and threatened him with machete. As he had no cash, the robbers took away his gold chain and mobile phone. When Ramdas was sleeping at his house on Sunday night, Ravindhar and Sai slit the victims throat with a knife. (Representional Image) Hyderabad: The money which two brothers got by selling their ancestral property led to enmity between them and claimed the life of one of them. The Miyapur police have identified the brothers as P. Ramdas, 40, now dead, and P. Ravindhar, 22, the accused. According to the Miyapur police, the brothers sold their house in an auction for Rs 15 lakh and took Rs 4 lakh as advance. Ramdas was an alcoholic and used to quarrel with his wife following which she went to her maternal house along with her kids. Ramdas came to stay in his parents house where the accused brother, Ravindhar, also stayed and started quarrelling with his family members demanding the money which they got on the sale of their house. Inspector of police, Miyapur police station S. Venkatesh said, On Sunday morning also Ramdas warned that the money should be arranged or there would be dire consequences. He even threatened to kill them. This led to Ravindhar deciding to eliminate his brother and with the help of his friend Sai, 21, he hatched a plan. When Ramdas was sleeping at his house on Sunday night, Ravindhar and Sai slit the victims throat with a knife. Ravindhar then surrendered to the Miyapur police. The police have registered a case under Section 302 of IPC and apprehended Sai and sent them to judicial custody. The police have handed over the body to the family after a post-mortem examination at Gandhi Hospital. By Delana Isles and Olivia Rose FORTISTCI has publicly responded to Governor John Freemans denial of its rate increase application by stating, among other things, that the company was never engaged before its application was denied. The public response came after the Weekly News approached the company with a number of questions on Wednesday (October 3). This publication sought to ascertain from the company what actions they are considering in order to restore the companys good financial footing in light of the denial, and if they also fail to convince a commission of inquiry of the reasonableness of their request for an increase. Although not proffering a response to that question, the utility company did note that it had submitted a detailed and comprehensive rate variation application which included substantial and very detailed analysis of the rationale and basis of the application, including the financial impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria on the company. FortisTCI said it also submitted to the governor, rating agency Standard and Poors report which referenced the impact the hurricanes had on the companys financial metrics. In addition to these documents, the governor has at his disposal a report that was completed in March 2018 by the Governments appointed consultants Castalia Consulting Inc, which also detailed the impact of the hurricanes on the company. The utility company further stated that since the submission of their comprehensive application package, "neither the governor nor the Government engaged FortisTCI in any discussions on the application. It added: "Without further comments from His Excellency, FortisTCI received his notice refusing the application on August 17, 2018. "Given the significant body of supportive information before him (including the substantial application, the S&P report, and the Castalia report), the company did expect some level of engagement. As a result of this, on August 21 the company then requested from the governor, as is their right under the ordinance, that an independent person hold an inquiry into the reasonableness of their application. That request has since been granted, and as FortisTCI stated, the selection of the appointee will be an open and transparent process. The company has requested that the appointee has the appropriate professional qualifications, and has had no prior engagement with FortisTCI or TCIG to ensure the process is fair and unbiased. "FortisTCI maintains that all parties, including the utility, be treated fairly and that the intent of the Electricity Ordinance be followed. "The company looks forward to engaging in the next phase of this process, the utility company stated. Premier calls for cost of service survey Since FortisTCIs application, reports from the Government at town hall meetings were that Cabinet had refused to take the application forward pending a "cost of service study to avoid unjustifiable price discrimination. As a result of these pronouncements and subsequent denial by the governor, the utility company had indicated its desire for an independent inquiry, stating: "As the process continues and we await the start of the inquiry, the company continues with its austerity programme and parent company reinvestment strategy as part of rebuilding FortisTCIs financial health. At once such town hall meeting, held in Providenciales on September 10, Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson said that Cabinet requires more validation before any decision is made. She said: "Fortis has asked for a rate increase. It was not an easy decision for us to make as Cabinet not to take the paper forward. "But we wanted other things to be concluded and that is the cost of service study which looks historically at the cost of supplying and making electricity here. The cost of service study, which will analyse historical expenses and project future cash flow needs of the company, will ensure that their rates are tied to their costs of providing electricity to their customers, the premier said. She also noted that the Government is exercising prudence and carrying out its own due diligence to ensure the increase will indeed be used to recoup losses and replenish the companys exhausted reserves. "Fortis has since then applied to the governor, which they have the right to do, to establish a commission of inquiry to look at their request and that commission of inquiry will look at the reasonableness of that request and when there are more moves in that area you will be invited to participate and I encourage you to do just that. Meerpet inspector N. Yadaiah said that when Anjalis brother Anand heard about this he beat up Gopal and pushed him down the stairs. (Representional Image) Hyderabad: Angered by a drunk labourer using abusive language against his sister, a man killed the labourer at Meerpet on Sunday. Mogili Gopal, a 45-year-old daily wager lived in Rajiv Gruha Kalpa at Nandanavanam in Meerpet. His sister lived in the same block. On Sunday at around 6 pm, he drank a lot of alcohol and went to visit his sister Kavitha. But he knocked on someone elses door. A woman identified as Anjali lived in that flat. Meerpet inspector N. Yadaiah said that when Anjalis brother Anand heard about this he beat up Gopal and pushed him down the stairs. Gopal received severe head injuries and suffered bleeding from the right ear. He was rushed to Osmania General Hospital in an ambulance, where doctors declared him brought dead. The inspector said that based on a complaint given by the deceased mans sister, Kavitha, Anand has been charged with murder and remanded to judicial custody. Locals informed the police who rushed Kumar to Gandhi Hospital where he died on Sunday night while undergoing treatment. (Representional Image) Hyderabad: A thief succumbed to injuries he sustained when he tried to escape from a house that he was targeting to steal. Police said neighbours raised an alarm on spotting him. Y. Arun Kumar, 24, tried to escape but fell and sustained injuries. Locals informed the police who rushed Kumar to Gandhi Hospital where he died on Sunday night while undergoing treatment. According to the police, Arun Kumar had attempted to break into the house in Bandlaguda to rob it. The house was under construction without a parapet. Keesara inspector B. Prakash said, The neighbours noticed Arun Kumar and screamed for help. In a hurry to escape, he climbed up to the roof but accidentaly fell down. Police registered a case under IPC Section 304 A (suspicious death) and further investigation is underway. Police handed over the body to his family after post-mortem. Bengaluru: Sowmya is a resident of Cottonpet. The day when segregation at source came into effect in Feb 2017, she purchased two bins - green for wet waste and red for dry. She carefully began segregating garbage generated at her house into these two bins. But as time passed, the momentum faded away. She questions, "Why should I segregate the garbage, when pourakarmikas mix up everything we give?" With segregation at source dropping drastically newly-elected Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun has plans to revive the concept. She aims to improve segregation with the help of autos, which will be hired to do announcement in every nook and corner of the city and create awareness. She believes that gradually by winning over the confidence of people she aims to improve it, along with levying fines on the defaulters. Gangambike told Deccan Chronicle, "Segregation at source is becoming a thing of past. Citizens are not caring to segregate the garbage at source into wet and dry wastes. City is generating more than 4,500 metric tonnes of garbage. It is very difficult for any civic body to separate this huge amount of garbage into wet and dry." She pointed out that this can happen only with the support of citizens. Autos will be hired to make announcements about segregation and its benefits all around the city. We will soon start this, Ms Gangambike said and added that along with the awareness drive BBMP shall also levy fines on the defaulters. Karnataka BJP president BS Yeddyurappa said he was already in talks with party leaders about the selection of candidates and the names would be finalised in a couple of days. (Photo: File | ANI) Bengaluru: The Election Commission's decision to hold by-elections to three Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka on November 3 has come as a surprise to most political parties who questioned the necessity for the exercise in view of the general elections due early next year. Pointing to the short term of about five months those elected in the by-poll would have, Congress and BJP said the Lok Sabha elections would be held within five months. Election Commission had on Saturday announced by-polls to Shivamogga, Ballari and Mandya and Ramanagara and Jamkhandi assembly constituencies will take place on November 3. The counting of votes will be on November 6. The by-elections had been necessitated after BJP's BS Yeddyurappa (Shivamogga) and B Sriramalu (Ballari), and CS Puttaraju of JD(S) (Mandya) resigned as Members of Parliament on their election to the assembly in May last. By-polls to Jamkhandi assembly seat was necessitated following the death of Congress lawmaker Siddu Nyamagouda, while Ramanagara fell vacant as chief minister HD Kumaraswamy gave up the seat and retained Channapatna, the other segment won by him in the assembly elections. The parties welcomed the by-election to the assembly constituencies and said they would finalise their candidates even as JDS, heading the coalition government with Congress, appeared all set to field Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha in Ramanagara seat. On a visit to Ramanagara Sunday, Anitha herself said she would contest from the segment. Responding to questions from reporters, initially she indicated she would contest and asked them to wait for two days for official announcement. However, faced with persistent questions, she said her candidature had been confirmed. KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao said Saturday they were expecting the assembly by-polls because it was necessary since the House still has a term of four-and-half years, but questioned the need for holding elections to the three Lok Sabha seats. Pointing out that the Lok Sabha was expected by March or April, he said we need to think about the need for this (by-poll)." Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara also said the announcement of by-polls for three parliamentary seats was surprising. BJP state President BS Yeddyurappa on Sunday termed as "unnecessary" the by-election to the three parliamentary seats and said none of the parties in the state wanted it. He, however, said the BJP candidates for the three seats and the two assembly constituencies would be finalised soon. "Election Commission has decided it. Till the last moment we were under the impression that there will be no Lok Sabha by-poll. No party is interested, the former chief minister told reporters in Shikaripura. Whoever gets elected will be Member of Parliament for about just five months. After that we will have to face election once again. This was unnecessary. Don't know how the Election Commission has thought, but it is inevitable we will have to bow to its decision," he said. Yeddyurappa said he was already in talks with party leaders about the selection of candidates and the names would be finalised in a couple of days. The sea condition is expected to be 'rough to very rough'. An advisory has been issued to fishermen at sea to return to harbour, the Coast Guard said. (Representational Image) New Delhi: A deep depression, expected to turn into a severe cyclonic storm, over the Arabian Sea is likely to bring rainfall to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and the Lakshadweep archipelago during next 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department said on Sunday. After turning into a severe cyclonic storm, it is likely to cross the coasts of Oman and Yemen, the IMD said. The Coast Guard has said it has put its formations on high alert and its dornier aircraft and ships have been deployed off Kerala, Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands, and south Tamil Nadu seas. "A high-level meeting was conducted at Kochi and Lakshadweep with district and Union Territory Administration to assess preparedness and meet any cyclone-related contingency. Specific disaster contingency and preparedness meetings were held all the Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands," the Coast Guard said. The sea condition is expected to be "rough to very rough". An advisory has been issued to fishermen at sea to return to harbour, the Coast Guard said. "Fishermen are advised not to venture into deep sea areas of Lakshadweep area during next 12 hours," the IMD said. Another low-pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Andaman Sea is very likely to concentrate into a depression during next 24 hours. It is "very likely" to move northwestwards towards Odisha coast during the next 72 hours, the IMD said. Najeeb Ahmed had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the Jawaharlal Nehru University on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some students allegedly affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad the previous night. (Photo: File) New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Monday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a closure report in the case of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from the university nearly two years ago. A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel "declined" the plea of the missing student's mother, Fatima Nafees, to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and monitor the probe, thereby removing the CBI from the investigation. The bench said Nafees, who had moved the high court in November 2016 seeking directions to the police to trace her son, "can raise all contentions available to her before the trial court" and disposed of the plea. The court had reserved its verdict in the case on September 4. After the verdict, Nafees said, "It's been 2 years. I had high hopes from the court but we didn't move even an inch. Security agencies misguided the court. We'll go to the Supreme Court. All that is happening since last 2 years is being done under the pressure by those sitting in power." The CBI, which had taken over the probe on May 16, 2017, had after more than a year of investigation said it had looked into all the aspects of the case and was of the opinion that no offence was committed against the missing student. Ahmed had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some students allegedly affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) the previous night. The lawyer for Nafees had contended before the court that it was a "political case" and that the "CBI has succumbed to the pressure of its masters". Nafees had moved the high court on November 25, 2016, seeking directions to the police to trace her son. However, as the Delhi Police remained clueless about Ahmed's whereabouts even after seven months since he went missing, the probe was handed over to the CBI on May 16, 2017. The Delhi Police had not opposed the handing over of the investigation in the case, saying it had done its bit in the matter. The counsel for Nafees had earlier said nine students were named in a complaint filed by 18 students, who were eyewitnesses to the alleged assault on Ahmed, yet they were not interrogated. The nine students named in the complaint have denied all the allegations against them. The engineer was living in a rented accommodation on Wardha Road since the last year, his landlord Manohar Kale said. Kale said police team arrived at the building at 5.30 am and was there till 5 pm. (Representational Image) Nagpur: A engineer with the BrahMos Aerospace unit near here was arrested Monday for allegedly leaking "technical information" to Pakistan, an official said. Nishant Agrawal was nabbed in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) at BrahMos' Wardha Road facility, an ATS official said. The engineer was living in a rented accommodation on Wardha Road since the last year, his landlord Manohar Kale said. Kale said police team arrived at the building at 5.30 am and was there till 5 pm. Kale said Agrawal hails from Roorkee and got married two months ago. "He was staying with his wife here and had given his Aadhar card copy and a certificate from his employer to me while moving in," he said. BrahMos Aerospace was formed as a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the 'Military Industrial Consortium' 'NPO Mashinostroyenia' of Russia. The company was established in India through an inter-governmental agreement signed on February 12, 1998, between India and Russia. The name BrahMos represents the fury of the Brahmaputra and the grace of the Moskva rivers. Gujarat government has urged migrant workers not to get frightened and said that appropriate actions will be taken for their security. (Photo: Twitter | ANI) Ahmedabad: Gujarat government on Monday appealed to migrant workers, who are leaving the state following a violent backlash over the rape of a 14-month-old girl, to stay back. The state government also urged them not to get frightened and said that appropriate actions will be taken for their security. In the last 4 to 5 days, there have been attacks on people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Gujarat. We have taken action against people involved in these attacks, Gujarat Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja said adding, It is our responsibility to provide security to those who come to Gujarat for employment from other states. The minister also said that the government has lodged 35 FIRs and three cases have been registered under the IT Act for spreading hatred on social media. A report has also been submitted to the Central government, Jadeja added. He also informed that over 450 people have been arrested for the attacks on migrants. Migrant workers, especially those from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have been facing the wrath of the locals following the alleged rape of a girl by a native of Bihar in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district on September 28. The attacks intensified after hate messages were circulated on social media. Also Read: Bihar, UP workers leave Gujarat after revenge attacks over toddlers rape Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also spoke to his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani and expressed concern over attacks on non-Gujarati people. Condemning the alleged rape, Kumar said the guilty must be punished but an entire community should not be "tarred with the same brush". "If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people should not generalise and hold a grouse against an entire state," Kumar told reporters. (With inputs from agencies) The boys parents alleged that he died due to the negligence of doctors while performing surgery and lodged a complaint with the Pet Basheerabad police. (Representional Image) Hyderabad: An Intermediate student from Nirmal died at Srikara Hospitals in Kompally following a hydrocele operation on Saturday. The boys parents alleged that he died due to the negligence of doctors while performing surgery and lodged a complaint with the Pet Basheerabad police. The deceased Sathvik Reddy, 16, was an Intermediate first year student at Sri Chaitanya Junior College in Miyapur. On Saturday, he complained of severe pain in his testicles. He was taken to Landmark Hospitals where he was diagnosed with hydrocele and was later taken to Srikara Hospitals in Kompally for a surgery, where he died during the evening. Speaking to media, Sathviks father Bhaskar Reddy said, At about 3 pm, Sathvik was admitted to Srikara Hospitals due to pain in his right testicle and eh was taken inside the operation theatre at about 4 pm. An anesthetist accompanying the surgeon, left midway telling his duty hours were finished and another anesthetist joined after some time. A few hours later, the doctors told that Sathvik was no more. Pet Basheerabad inspector M. Mahesh said, The boy was admitted due to hydrocele. His parents alleged that the doctors were negligent due to which their son died. A case has been registered for causing death due to the negligence and an investigation has been initiated. Following an autopsy from Gandhi Hospital, further action will be taken. Khammam: Though the 60-day time for election day may result in increasing the poll expenditure of TRS candidates, many of them are planning to make use it to interact more with voters. But the ample time has forced them to change their style of poll campaign. They want to cover one or two villages in a day and spend more time in the ward, division or habitation interacting more with the voters. TRS candidates commenced their campaign one month back and have another two months to go. A candidate spends more than Rs 1 lakh per day on transport and other expenses and it is a burden on the ruling party candidates contesting from reserved segments. Khammam TRS candidate, Puvvada Ajay Kumar said, I will use the time to spend more time with the voters and meet more people. We, my wife and I, decided to meet face to face at least one lakh voters this time. Many people are giving their requests and applications to the TRS candidates as if they were the sitting MLAs. For Aswaraopet and Pinapaka assembly candidates, it will be a blessing in disguise because the habitations in these segments are located in distant places. More time is needed to visit each and every village. Pinapaka TRS candidate, Payam Venkateswarlu, said, The villages in Gundala mandal are in dense forest areas and one day is required to visit a village. We can cover more villages with the ample time available. By Olivia Rose SINGLE use plastic shopping bags will soon be removed from supermarkets and shops across the TCI as the Government plans to crack down on the environmental villain. This comes as the Government forges ahead with its plan to better preserve the environment and safeguard the territorys beautiful by nature reputation. At the latest meeting of Cabinet on September 26, members approved a ban on the import of single use plastic bags. The import ban will come into effect from January 1, 2019, and a ban on the use of single use plastic bags by retailers will come into effect on May 1, 2019. Cabinet also approved a list of alternative bags which can be used by retailers from May 1, 2019, on which reduced custom tariff rates on some will be applied. On August 10 residents and members of the business community were urged to complete an online survey on single use plastic bags. The aim of the survey was to determine the publics current use of single use plastic bags and what barriers exist that make it difficult or challenging to use reusable bags. It took into consideration the negative impact plastics have on the community and the territory as a whole. It also factored in gender specific behaviour, location, age and household dynamics. The data collected and compiled from the survey was subsequently used to design a programme to assist and support the communities to reduce their use of plastic bags in preparation of the review and consideration of a total removal of plastic bags from supermarkets and other retailers. Many local grocers, hotel and restaurants have already started making efforts to eliminate single use plastic products. Beaches resort recently announced the elimination of single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all its 19 properties across the Caribbean. The move, the all-inclusive resort chain said on September 18, will result in the elimination of 21,490,800 single-use plastic straws and stirrers across its resorts each year. Instead eco-friendly paper straws will be available upon request. The statement added that the move represented the first phase of the groups programme to move beyond single-use plastics, which it intends to achieve by September 2019. Back in 2013, a group of environmental activists held a meeting to discuss the disadvantages of single use plastic bags. The Turks and Caicos Environmental Club presented startling research conducted over a prolonged period which showed the threat single-use plastics pose to the TCIs marine life. Millions of single-use plastic bags, many of which end up polluting the precious coastal and marine environments, are used and discarded annually in the TCI. Shambhu Singh Khetasar denied that his act was in conflict with the Prime Minister Narendra Modis 'Swachch Bharat' campaign. (Photo: Twitter | ANI) Jaipur: After Rajasthan health minister Kali Charan Saraf, another senior BJP leader from the state has been caught urinating in public. Two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modis public meeting in Ajmer, a video of senior BJP leader from Marwar and chairman of Rajasthan Seeds Corporation Shambhu Singh Khetasar went viral in which he is being seen urinating in front of chief minister Vasundhara Rajes cut out. However, Khetasar defended his action saying that urinating in open is an old tradition in the country. There is a difference between open defecation and urinating in public. Urination outside is an age-old tradition and as long as done in a secluded place, it doesnt create any health hazard unlike open defecation, he said. The minister also gave an explanation of his act saying that there was no urinal nearby for kilometres at a stretch besides he couldnt hold anymore because he did not get time to relieve since morning that day. He also clarified that he did not urinate in front of the CMs poster. I was urinating against a wall in a secluded place, he said while denying that his act was in conflict with the Prime Minister Narendra Modis Swachch Bharat campaign. Earlier, health minister Kalicharan Saraf was caught urinating on a wall in Jaipur. Saraf had also defended himself saying not a big deal. In its verdict, the Supreme Court has allowed women of all ages to enter Sabarimala temple. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: A review petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday challenging the earlier verdict of the apex court which allowed women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple. The petition was filed by the National Ayyappa Devotee Association. The plea filed by president of National Ayyappa Devotees Association, Shylaja Vijayan, said the September 28 judgment which had allowed entry of women of all ages in the hill-top shrine is "absolutely untenable and irrational, if not perverse". On September 28, 2018, the five judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court lifted ban on women of all ages from entering the Kerala temple. Soon after the verdict, some groups started protesting. The agitation gained momentum after the LDF government made it clear that it would not go in for a review of the apex court verdict. The representatives of Sabarimala temples chief priest are skipping a meeting convened by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday to discuss the courts verdict amid mounting protests. Devotees of Lord Ayyappa protested in Chennai on Sunday, demanding the retaining of the age-old tradition of the temple. A rally Ayyappa Nama Japa Yatra was also held on Sunday at Delhis Jantar Mantar where Lord Ayappas devotees protested against the top court ruling. Earlier, women of the menstrual age, between 10 to 50 years, were restricted from entering the temple premises. It is believed that the residing deity of the temple, Lord Ayyappa, is considered to be a celibate. Some north Indians living in Gujarat had called me and I told them also, not to pay heed to the rumours, and on keeping the local administration and government in confidence, Adityanath said. (Photo: File | ANI) Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday that he had called up his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani over the reported attacks on north Indians in the western state and was assured that the government there would ensure the safety of all. The Gujarat chief minister told me over the phone there was no incident in the past three days and that he had appealed to people against paying heed to any rumour, Adityanath said. "Gujarat is a peace loving state and a model of development. Those who do not have any issue (to criticise the state government) spread such rumours. Those who do not want development spread rumours," Adityanath said. Some north Indians living in Gujarat had called me and I told them also, not to pay heed to the rumours, and on keeping the local administration and government in confidence, Adityanath said. He asked everyone to cooperate with the state government while hailing the steps taken by the Gujarat chief minister for maintaining peace and normalcy, an official spokesman said. Non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were reportedly targeted in several parts of the state following the arrest of a Bihar native for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district last week. The attacks took place after hate messages against non-Gujaratis, particularly those from Bihar and UP, were circulated on the social media, according to officials. On September 28, a 14-month-old girl was allegedly raped in a village near Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district, around 100 km from Ahmedabad. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also said Monday that he spoke to Rupani and expressed concern over the attacks on non-Gujaratis. Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said Monday he has spoken to Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and expressed concern over attacks in the western state on non-Gujarati people, including those from Bihar. Condemning the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl, which triggered the violent attacks, Mr Kumar said the guilty must be punished but an entire community should not be tarred with the same brush. If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people should not generalise and hold a grouse against an entire state, he said. Hyderabad: The husband of a Central Industrial Security Force constable went missing from Shamshabad about 25 days ago. The woman constable lodged a complaint with the RGI Airport police, who are now searching for the missing man. RGIA sub-inspector Venkateshwarlu said that CISF constable Shankari Jana, working at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport hails from Vadulai village in West Bengal. On July 24, she got married to one Subhas Chandra Sinha, 27, who was also from her native place. On August 26, Shankari reported to duty at RGIA and 15 days later, her husband came to the city on September 10. Five days later, Subhas left home in Shamshabad telling her that he was going to West Bengal to attend an examination but never returned. His two mobile phone numbers were not functional and she tried finding him at all possible places, but in vain, said the SI. Any information regarding the missing Subhas can be shared on 9491053295. A missing case has been registered and a team is searching for him, said S-I Venkateshwarlu. A file photo of the lake at Public Garden that is filled with weed. (Photo: DC) Hyderabad: Directives given by the Hyderabad High Court are the last hope of cleaning and reviving the polluted lakes in the twin cities. The High Court has directed the Hyderabad Metropolitan Authority (HMDA) and the Pollution Control Board to prepare a phase wise plan to rejuvenate the heavily polluted lakes. The High Court has been dealing with the cases pertaining to illegal encroachment and pollution of Durgam Cheruvu, Kapra Lake, Malkam Cheruvu and also inaction of the authorities in allowing unauthorised constructions in Himayathsagar and Osmansagar reservoirs. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice S.V. Bhatt while dealing with the case of Malkam Cheruvu told the HMDA to study the feasibility of using Geotube Dewatering Technology to treat the polluted water of the lakes. This technology works in three stages: containment, dewatering and consolidation. In this method sewage is placed in geotextile bags to evaluate the dewatering and consolidation capabilities of large geotextile tubes and effluent water quality. A proposed test method of A testing method adopted by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) for determining the flow rate of suspended solids from a geotextile containment system for dredged material was used to conduct tests to determine the efficiency of different combinations of geotextile filters. As water passes through the geotextile tube, samples are collected during, immediately after and daily for several weeks to determine the total percentage of suspended solids (TSS), heavy metals, and bacterial count. The quality of pore water or effluent passing through the geotextile container systems proved to be environmentally acceptable for discharge into the water bodies or return to the treatment plant. The test results indicated a significant reduction in the sludge volume in the geotextile tube. The High Court told the authorities that the Geotube Dewatering Technology costs less than other technologies being used to treat polluted water. While pulling up the authorities for their inaction in protecting the lakes, the bench directed them to clean up 10 lakes in each phase. With the serious intervention of the court the authorities have identified the following for the first phase of the clean up: Lotus Pond, Pedda Cheruvu of Khajaguda and Nacharam, Miralam Tank, and Rangadhamuni Tank at Kukatpally. The bench directed the state pollution control board to collect the water samples from the five lakes and place the test reports before it. The High Court has made it clear that its endeavour is to restore and clean up the lakes and is not aimed at beautification. The bench directed the HMDA to submit the satellite images of the above five lakes along with another five lakes. The court also laid emphasis on restoration of the River Musi instead of wasting time beautifying it. It also directed the civic authorities to initiate penal action against the polluters of the river. Anjana Sinha, IPS, who moved the High Court to protect Malkam Cheruvu has witnessed its gradual destruction. Pretending they are restoring and developing the lake, the irrigation and municipal authorities of TS are allowing the construction of huge concrete structures with stone walls inside the lake, she said. Hyderabad: Jamiat e Ulema-i-Hind, unlike the Jamat-e-Islami, may not support the TRS in the December 7 elections. Jamat-e-Islami state president Hamid Mohammed Khan has clarified that his organisation has not yet announced its support to any party, its leaders statements hint at a soft corner towards the TRS. Jamiat TS president and former MLC Moulana Hafiz Peer Shabbir Ahmed said the organisation would issue an advisory after consulting secular parties. Speaking with reporters after a meeting of district presidents and secretaries, the moulana criticised certain policies of the TRS government. He asked why Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had ordered the sealing of the Wakf Board office, and re-opened it without taking action against the culprit. What was the purpose of the action? Why did Mr Rao maintain silence, the moulana asked. He said more than 30 minority institutions had shut down in recent years due to various reasons including delay in fee reimbursement. He raised an objection to providing chicken and meat from non-Muslim sellers which might be not halal. He was not happy with the interference in the affairs of the deeni madrasas. He said, We will present before the political parties our demands for a sub-plan for minorities, complete utilisation of funds meant for minorities, assurance of non-interfere in the Sharia. Bengaluru: Bengalureans have found a new way to get the BBMP officials to work, and that is to approach the Karnataka High Court. Smitha, a resident of Koramangala, who wished not to be identified, had been complaining about wires and lights fixed on tree for the past three months, but no official took it seriously. On Saturday evening, when she confronted them and threatened them that she will approach the High Court to get the matter solved, the officials immediately obliged and assured her of solving it within a week. Smitha told Deccan Chronicle, Now, the people should know that the High Court is the only pillar which can pull up these corrupt officials. As I told the officials that I would approach the high court, they felt threatened and promised to resolve the issue. She said, We cant expect civic officials to attend to our problems. From now, the public should start approaching the High Court to ensure that the city is restored. The BBMP, which had stopped a drive to remove optical fibre cables (OFC) from tree, is now set to resume it after over 25,000 complaints were filed against the menace. In July, the BBMP had taken up the drive, removed the cables and lights, and warned the people and establishments who had put them up. But the drive had stopped and people started registering their complaints with the BBMP, who did not take much action. A senior officer from the BBMP said, We received more than 25,000 complaints, but we had other things to tackle as directed by the High Court. From next week, we will resume the drive and ensure that the trees are free of wires and lights. We will direct the zone level officials to take action. We will also warn the culprits that they will be penalised if they try to put up the wires or lights on trees. Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Monday told the Hyderabad High Court that it had gone for early elections to prove its sincerity for the welfare of the people. Supreme Court senior counsel C. Aryama Sundaram, appearing for the state government before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakris-hnan and Justice S.V. Bhatt, submitted that the Opposition parties had been opposing welfare programmes by making baseless allegation of corruption against the state government. He said that if the people felt that the state government was sincere then they would get the peoples mandate. Otherwise the result would go differently. Mr Sundaram said the government trusted the people and that was the reason it had gone for early elections to seek public opinion. He told the court that Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan had dissolved the Assembly by using his executive power on the recommendation of the Cabinet. The Governor had a nominal role in dissolving the Assembly when the Cabinet had recommended it under Article 174(B). Senior counsel said that when the Cabinet recommended dissolution, there was no need for the Governor to seek the opinion of the members of House. If the Governor attempted to do so, it would amount to parallel rule. The bench was dealing with the petition by Mr E. Sheshank Reddy and another challenging the early dissolution of the Assembly. The bench allowed former Congress minister D.K. Aruna to impled as party to the petition. Arguing for the petitioners, Mr Niroop Reddy, senior counsel of the SC, submitted that the Governor had the discretion to intervene in the matter and invite the members to express their opinion on the decision of the Cabinet.Referring to the statement of the Chief Minster with regard to the dates of the election, he alleged that it appeared that the Election Commission was functioning on his directions. Reacting to this, the bench said, the prophecy of the CM with regard to election schedule and date of election appears to lead to criticism. The bench adjourned the case to Wednesday. Hyderabad: TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has said that the Congress governments have always been farmer-friendly. He was addressing the gathering at the Rythu Garjana in Kodad constituency of Nalgonda district on Sunday. Mr Uttam said, Around 4,500 farmers committed suicide in Telangana state in the past four-and-half years. Many farmers were troubled as there is no minimum support price for their crops after the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) came to power. All suicides are due to financial problems and lack of support from the government. He added, The Congress, since the tenure of Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, has always been supporting the farmers. The same will be continued after the Congress comes to the power. Our manifesto will be setup with all problems being faced by the farmers in the state. The most important move will be waiving off loans upto `2 lakh at one go. The TRS leaders say that the budget is not enough to do so. We are confident that the first budget of our government will fulfil the promises to the farmers. The Congress government will give bonus from the state budget that will be additional to the minimum support price. Apart from these, the crop insurance and accident insurance will be paid to the farmers. All children of poor farmers will get 100 per cent fee reimbursement. The Congress also organised a public meeting with Muslim minorities in Quthbullapur constituency of Hyderabad where TS Congress working president A. Revanth Reddy slammed the Mr Rao. He said, Why should anyone vote for KCR, when he failed to fulfil any of the promises made in previous polls? The police should put him behind the bars in Andaman, as he is driving the state by consuming alcohol. He is bringing up the issue of AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to provoke the peoples sentiments again. The people should decide, whether, a passport broker should rule the state or not. By Olivia Rose TURKS and Caicos Islanders will be recognised and celebrated next week for their sterling contributions to the development of the territory and its people. The public is once again invited to attend the annual National Honours and Awards Ceremony at the HJ Robinson High School auditorium in Grand Turk. As is customary, the ceremony will coincide with the observance of National Heritage Day which this year is taking place on Monday, October 8. It will begin at 11am. The fourth National Honours and Awards programme recognised 46 TC Islanders in six different categories this year for their demonstrated sense of national consciousness and meaningful service. The categories are the Patriotic Award - Cayos Medal, the Long Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal and the National Young Achievers Medal. Notably absent from the categories this year is the highest award, the Order of Turks and Caicos Islands. The National Honours and Awards Committee over the past 10 months has reviewed nominations submitted throughout the Islands and carefully selected the honourees in each of the categories. Local businessman and owner of Lew 1 Shipping, Llewellyn Handfield, received the Patriotic Award - Cayos Medal along with Henry Nathaniel Williams, Daniel Williams and Richard Savory for rendering exceptional sacrificial service to the Islands. The Long Service Medal was awarded to 33 people for their outstanding and exemplary public service to the territory and its people for a minimum of 20 years. Among those receiving this award were Rosa Maria Clare, Captain Clyde Ricardo Pardo, Captain Harold Charles, Captain Antonio Alexander Clarke, Bradley Handfield and Delton Jones. The Meritorious Service Medal was granted to Charles Kingsley Laborde and Christopher Hall. It recognised their sacrificial and meritorious service in a field that is inherently challenging or has performed a brave or humane act whether in the Islands or abroad. The National Young Achievers medal was granted to seven youths between the ages of 12 and 25 for performing exceptionally well on a national, regional or international level in the areas of culture, academic, performing arts and sports. The young achievers were Devonte Fulford-Gardiner, Asahd Bain, Davonte Missick, Mikyo Simpson, Patrick Guirand, McKeever Lewis and Kervins Martin. The Honours and Awards Ordinance provides that an honour or award may be revoked if an awardee allows persons to whom the award was not granted to wear his insignia or commits an act the committee sees as bringing the honours system into disrepute. Hyderabad: Sree Peetham seer Swami Paripoornanda on Monday met BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi triggering speculations that he would soon join the BJP and the party would announce him as the CM candidate for Telangana Assembly elections and project him as the Yogi Adityanath of Telangana. Swami Paripoornananda had a closed-door meeting with Mr Shah and discussed with him the political situation in Telangana. It is learnt that the BJP national leadership has been looking for a prominent face for the party in Telangana to face Assembly polls and wants the Swami to lead the party. The party wants to project him as Yogi Adityanath of Telangana, to galvanise Hindus and also to counter the MIM. After the meeting, Swami said, I will disclose my future course of action after Dasara navaratri festival. I will work as per the directions of Amit Shah. Recently, the Swami expressed his interest in joining politics, given a chance. He said there was a possibility of him joining the BJP, provided he got an offer. If they want me to join the party, they will choose and invite me. But I cannot run after the party with requests, he said. Sources said the BJP national leadership was not happy with the weak leadership in Telangana and wants to consolidate its base by roping in the Swami and also to counter the MIM in Telangana. Bengalureans reached out to their MLAs a day before Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is expected to decide on the Transport Departments proposal to hike fares of city and suburban bus services. While BJP legislators promised to protest against any fare hike, MLAs of the ruling JD(S)-Congress coalition promised to take up the matter with the chief minister at 5 pm on Tuesday. Last month, the Transport Department had hiked the fares of KSRTC, BMTC, NEKRTC and NWKRTC bus services by 18%. But the chief minister put a brake on it within hours. The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedikes Call Your MLA campaign succeeded in convincing eight legislators to speak to the chief minister about peoples opposition to the fare hike. Members of the Vedike, as well as anganwadi workers, told the MLAs in no uncertain terms that Bengalureans already pay the highest bus fares in the country and we dont want to pay any more. Vinay Srinivasa, a member of the Vedike, said the government should support the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) through funds instead of increasing the fare hike. We will reach out to BMTC officials and request them not to seek the hike. The government should help it through financial aid, he said. Central funds unutilised The BJPs Basavanagudi MLA, L A Ravi Subramanya, told the forum that the state government had not utilised the funds allocated for the transport sector. He said the Centre had reduced the fuel prices and that the state government was wrong in hiking the fares. Another BJP MLA, S R Vishwanath of Yelahanka, has vowed to protest against any fare hike. JD(S) MLAs R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy and S Gopalaiah, as well as the Congress Ramalinga Reddy and Byrathi Suresh, said they would communicate peoples opposition to the chief minister. A 19-year-old student was arrested for sending obscene messages to his classmates and friends through WhatsApp. The accused has been identified as Bhargav, a native of Hindupur in Andhra Pradesh. He was doing his first year BA in St Josephs College, Lalbagh Road. The Ashok Nagar police said Bhargav had failed in his first year exams last year. During his stay in Bengaluru, he used to send obscene messages, photographs and videos to his classmates, including girls. Everybody was aware about it, but nobody came forward to complain to the principal. After he failed in the exams, Bhargav went back to his native and bought another SIM card by submitting his father's documents. He continued to send obscene messages to his classmates and friends. He even made video calls in the nude to some of the girls. When they started receiving obscene messages from an unknown number, they complained to the principal, who filed a complaint on Friday. During the investigation, the police came across the messages that Bhargav used to send when he was in college. They traced the number and realised it was registered in the name of Bhargav's father (name withheld), who is a contractor. The police went to Hindupur and arrested Bhargav on Saturday. He was later released on bail. Rajarajeshwari Nagar police have arrested a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) solid waste management contractor V Venkatesh for threatening RR Nagar BBMP joint commissioner Balashekar H. Ward number 17 contractor Venkatesh visited the zonal office on Wednesday and demanded Balashekar to clear pending bills of Rs 51.65 lakh and Rs 12.23 lakh. According to police officials, when the joint commissioner examined two files related to Venkateshs payment, he found that a retired officer had already signed the file. When Venkatesh came to know this, he and six associates visited the zonal office and forced Balasekar to return the file immediately. However, they were told that the law doesnt allow it. In the FIR, Balashekar alleged that on October 5 at around 9.30 am, Venkatesh had visited his residence along with his associate Sunil Gowda and threatened him to return the file. He also alleged that Venkatesh misbehaved with him. Later, Balashekar lodged a complaint against the contractor in RR Nagar police station and sought action against Venkatesh and Sunil Gowda. The police formed a team to nab the accused and arrested Venkatesh on Sunday. They are still searching for the other accused Gowda. According to BBMP officials, Venkatesh was awarded the contract to clear garbage in Ward number 17, JP Park. He had forced the BBMP officials to release garbage transportation bill for registrations of vehicles like bike, car and passenger autos. At the BBMP Council meeting on August 14, RR Nagar MLA Munirathna Naidu revealed that garbage contractors are raising fake bills for registration of Ambassador cars, passenger auto-rickshaws and goods rickshaws to collect garbage in the JP Park ward. Following the allegation by the MLA over the alleged irregularities in solid waste management in RR Nagar, BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad issued orders to suspend junior health inspector and assistant engineer of the JP Park ward, who worked in 2016, over dereliction of duty. Scientists have developed a new test that can reveal the amount of DNA people shed, a tool that could be used by forensic experts to nab criminals using genetic clues left at crime scenes. A single tap of a finger on items like door handles, glass or even shaking hands can help identify and link potential suspects to a crime. Modern DNA forensic science is capable of analysing microscopic genetic traces inadvertently left at crime scenes. However, accurate identification depends on the quality of DNA sourced at the scene, according to a researcher at the Flinders University in Australia. There is always a risk crucial evidence could be overlooked, smudged fingerprints are the only evidence left behind, or even more worryingly, secondary transfer could take place, researchers said. This could result in an innocent person's DNA being transferred by an object or even a handshake to a place they have never visited. Scientists have developed a test that can reveal the amount of DNA people shed. This will help determine whether they were actually the last person to make contact with an item, researchers said. "We know that some people pass on more of their DNA because when they touch something more of their cells are left behind," said Adrian Linacre, Chair of Forensic DNA Technology at Flinders University. "They are called shedders but it's very difficult at the moment to see who is a shedder," he said. "What we have developed is a simple test which can work out if an individual is a shedder in a matter of minutes, which tells us who has the better chance of passing on DNA," she said. The shedder status of a specific person of interest may be relevant in determining the likelihood of whether a major contributor in a mixed DNA profile was the last person to make contact with an item and is therefore linked to a crime. The test can help forensic examiners at crime scenes identify materials which confirm the presence of DNA that is likely to provide an individual's genetic profile, said Paul Kirkbride, a professor at Flinders. "Currently the forensic examiners are working blind because they can't see the exact location which contains deposits of DNA and therefore have to sample where they think DNA might be stored," said Kirkbride. "The shedders test also showed men shed more than women, and that thumbs leave the most accurate traces," he said. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here and submitted a memorandum listing various demands including the state's opposition to Karnataka's proposal to construct a reservoir across river Cauvery at Mekedatu. After meeting Modi, Palaniswami told reporters that a decision on alliance for the next Lok Sabha elections would be taken only after the schedule was announced. He was responding to a question on the possibility of AIADMK aligning with the BJP for next general elections. The 20-point memorandum submitted by him also called for bringing three Tamil Nadu towns--Hosur, Ramanathapuram and Neyveli-- under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN. On the Cauvery issue, Palaniswami referred to Karnataka sending a feasibility report to the Centre on the construction of a 67.16 TMC ft 'balancing reservoir' at Mekedatu. The proposal amounts to 'a clear violation' of the final order of the Cauvery Tribunal and the Supreme Court judgement, he contended. He urged Modi to instruct the Central Water Commission or any other relevant agency to stop forthwith further processing of Karnataka's feasibility report to build the reservoir. The memorandum, a copy of which was released to media, also sought conferment of 'Bharat Ratna' on former chief ministers of Tamil Nadu C N Annadurai and Jayalalithaa. It also urged the Prime Minister to expedite the setting up of AIIMS in Madurai district, release funds to the tune of Rs 4,445 crore for permanent flood mitigation initiatives for Chennai and IGST arrears for the year 2017-18. On the controversy surrounding the meeting between his deputy O Panneerselvam and ousted AIADMK leder TTV Dhinakaran last year, Palaniswami told reporters after the meeting that "Dhinakaran made some remarks through the media and the Deputy Chief Minister has given a clarification. There is no need for anymore explanation." Dhinakaran had alleged on Friday that Panneerselvam met him in July last year and wanted to meet him again in September-end this year in a bid to "oust" Palaniswami. He also claimed that Panneerselvam offered to make him the chief minister. However, Panneerselvam has denied Dhinakaran's accusation that he wanted to dethrone Palaniswami. On reports about mining firm Vedanta Ltd being allotted oil blocks in Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami said any project adversely affecting people would not be allowed. The firm's copper smelter unit in Tuticorin in the state had earlier been ordered by the state government to be permanently closed following public outcry over pollution concerns. An anti-Sterlite protest on May 22 had turned violent, with 13 protesters being killed in police firing. President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed eight agreements in areas including space, nuclear energy, small industries, railways, defence and others during the formers two-day visit to India last week for the 19th India-Russia annual bilateral summit. Certainly, one major highlight of Putins visit was the conclusion of the contract for the Indian purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence missile system. Apart from the fact that this missile system will help India boost its defences against China, which has also purchased the same system, it will also give the Indian military establishment a critical edge against Pakistan. At the same time, this particular defence deal can remove the dark clouds hovering over the future direction of the military partnership between India and Russia. In fact, the two countries have faced serious turbulence in consolidating their special and privileged strategic partnership. One important factor in this regard is Russias warming up to Pakistan. Apart from the earlier defence agreements, Russia sold Pakistan four helicopters in August 2017. Today, Islamabad is in talks with Russia to buy the Sukhoi-35 fighter jets as well as T-90 tanks. India is also concerned about the transforming Russia-China military engagement. On the other hand, there has been increasing discomfort among sections of Russian experts that India has been cozying up to the US, at the cost of its ties with Russia a time-tested friend -- especially in view of Indias efforts to reduce its military dependence on Russia. The fact that the US has become the second largest arms supplier for India has not gone down well with Moscow. Thus, Putins visit last week would have served to dispel to some extent Indias commitment to its ties with Russia, because New Delhi went ahead with the S-400 buy despite the risk of attracting American sanctions. Since the US threat of sanctions must worry New Delhi that its increasing dependence on American arms can be used by Washington to force it to toe the US line, the Modi government must foster the continued strengthening of military ties with Russia. India also needs to ensure that Russia does not foster deeper engagement with China, because the emergence of an alliance among Moscow, Beijing and Islamabad would pose a grave security threat to India. Delhis gesture should impress upon Putin not to engage with Pakistan in the military sphere nor sell arms and military hardware to China that could heighten Indias security concerns. Russia would not want to lose the opportunity to win a large number of military contracts under Delhis $250-billion military modernisation programme. India and Russias joint declaration of their support to the Afghan governments efforts for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned national peace and reconciliation process is an encouraging development because in the past Russian policy towards Kabul has also caused concern in the Indian security establishment, as it did when in August this year, Putin proposed to hold peace talks with the Afghan Taliban. It was only after the Afghanistan governments refusal to participate in any such meeting that Russian put off the conference. India and Russias call for a political resolution of the conflict in Syria and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear programme, too, were important as they underscored Indias displeasure at Trumps Syria and Iran policies. Economic cooperation Another important pillar of India-Russia ties is economic cooperation. While bilateral trade between the two recorded $7.71 billion in 2016, the two sides have a long way to go to realise the full potential in this area. It is in this context that Delhi and Moscow have set a target of $30 billion in bilateral trade by 2025. To achieve this, while the two sides formed a CEOs forum and the two leaders attended the India-Russia Business Summit, sending a strong signal of the willingness and capacity of the business sectors in both countries to strengthen economic, trade and investment partnerships. The Niti Aayog and the Russian Ministry of Economic Development will hold the first Strategic Economic Dialogue later in 2018 in Russia. The two sides supported the early launch of the Green Corridor project aimed at simplification of customs operations in respect of goods being transported between India and Russia. The two sides also agreed to expedite the process of the signing of a Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and India and implementation of the International North South Transport Corridor. Cooperation in the energy sector has also emerged as very important for the two countries. While several Russian and Indian energy companies are working together in Vankorneft and Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha in Russia, the two sides want to expand business ties in LNG. The countries have also started consultations on the new Russian-designed nuclear power plant in India. These efforts help India to meet the energy challenge and boost its economic growth and development, while Indias increasing energy needs provides Russia an opportunity to boost its economy by selling gas and other energy resources. On the global and multilateral front, while the two countries work together in the UN, BRICS and G-20 groupings, the SCO, Asean and East Asia Summit Forum, India also needs Russias support on its UN Security Council seat ambition. Putins visit has reset India-Russia ties and, given shared interests in the military, security, economic, energy and trade and commerce areas, it should be hoped that the two countries will begin to elevate ties to new heights. (The writer is Research Fellow, Chennai Centre for China Studies) A large number of people staged a protest against the proposed toll gate at Belmannu on Karkala-Padubidri State Highway in Udupi district on Sunday. Karkala MLA Sunil Kumar said the state government is dictating terms to the people of Udupi. The public money is looted in the name of toll collection. The state government and the local administration should be responsible for any sort of untoward incidents that might occur if the toll collection is initiated in Belmannu, he added. I will meet the chief minister within two days and raise the issue with him. I will urge him to withdraw the order on toll collection. The protest will be continued till the government withdraws the proposal, said the MLA. Opposition leader in the Council, Kota Srinivas Poojary said the state government is increasing the burden on the public. Kemaru Mutt Seer Sri Esha Vittaladasa Swami urged the state government to immediately withdraw its decision on toll collection. Instead of collecting toll, the government should improve infrastructure facilities, he added. Toll Gate Action Committee convener N Suhas Hegde said that the protest will be intensified if the state government fails to withdraw its decision. A memorandum was submitted to the Karkala deputy tahsildar, Lokesh. Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis told reporters that Karnataka State Highways Improvement Project (KSHIP) had handed over the road to Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL). The responsibility of road improvement was entrusted to the KSHIP by the PWD. The PWD has sought information over the setting up of toll gate from KRDCL. The state government had also introduced the toll collection on state highways in other districts, she added. More than 3,000 to 4,000 agitators gathered in the area as a part of the protest. The protesters raised slogans against the state government. In a first, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized a consignment of shark bones from Bengaluru that was being exported to South-East and East Asian countries for exotic delicacies at star hotels and cuisines. The exporter, importer, transporter and all others involved will be booked under appropriate sections of the Customs Act, a senior DRI official told DH. DRI officials received information about the illegal export of marine products that were being sourced from the seas off Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka coasts and exported to Hong Kong. The officials started following up on the leads and chanced upon a case where an exporter based out of Mangaluru was involved. Based on specific information, a consignment of an exporting firm based in Bengaluru was detained, where the description of the goods meant for export was mentioned as dry fish parts. The contents of the consignment weighing 1,600 kg raised suspicion among DRI officials who consulted a research institution that confirmed the cargo contained a mixture of bones of different species, a majority of them shark bones. The bones were cartilaginous in nature and very porous. The DRI sent the samples to the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) in Lucknow to ascertain the exact species of sharks. The NBFGR notified the DRI that the consignment had bones of three species of sharks that were listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The species were identified as Alopias pelagicus (Pelagic Thresher Shark), Isurus oxyrinchus (Short Fin Mako shark) and Carcharhinus falciformis (Silky Shark). All the three species were listed under Appendix-II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), and are restricted for exports. During detailed investigation, it was established that the marine materials were procured from Kochi with the help of some suppliers, after which detailed operations were conducted in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Kochi and Kozhikode to make a list of people involved. The value of the seized consignment was not disclosed by the DRI as it would lead to people entering the trade in greed. The DRI officials also gathered that a similar consignment had left the country in July this year. By Gemma Handy THE LONG-running and costly corruption trials send a strong message to the world that "wrongdoing will not be tolerated in the TCI - whether or not any of the nine defendants are convicted. Thats the stance of prosecutor Andrew Mitchell QC who wrapped up his case two weeks ago, more than two and a half years since the proceedings opened in January 2016. The trials into alleged malfeasance at the hands of former premier Michael Misick, ex ministers and associates have been dogged by lengthy delays from the outset, totting up $30 million to date in costs to the TCI public purse. Mitchell said the lengthy timeframe - initially tipped to be just six months - was due to a "number of defendant-driven delays, holiday breaks and hurricane-enforced breaks. Asked what he hoped the process would ultimately achieve for the territory, he told the Weekly News: "Whether there are convictions or not, it will show the region and investors that TCI is open for business with people who act with integrity and is a safe place to invest, for the authorities will not tolerate wrongdoing. A recurrent theme of controversy since the suspension of the TCIs constitution in 2009 has been what level of culpability London and its appointed governor should bear for apparently allowing "systemic corruption to run rampant under their watch. Mitchell would not be drawn on that issue prior to the case being finalised. Defence lawyers for the accused now have another three weeks to prepare submissions to have the proceedings thrown out. The prosecution will then have three weeks to respond, with the court scheduled to return on November 26. Mitchell said he had "no idea what course the defence might take or how long lawyers might require to present their case if unsuccessful in getting the case dismissed. The QC and Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT) spent three weeks laying out the charges against Michael Misick and co-defendants when the trials finally opened six years after investigations began in 2010. At the time, he told the court that the erstwhile premier had personally received $28 million between 2003 and 2009. Mitchell described it as an "abuse of power, saying Misick governed "not for the people but for his own benefit. Mitchell also asserted that the then governor was caught between a "desire to assist and not being seen as "interfering with the will of the people. The prosecutor also outlined charges including conspiracy to defraud against former Government ministers Floyd Hall, McAllister Hanchell, Lillian Boyce and Jeffrey Hall. Apparent facilitating roles played by Floyd Halls wife Lisa, along with attorneys Chalmers Misick, Clayton Greene and Melbourne Wilson, were detailed too. More than 200 witnesses have so far given evidence. All defendants deny the charges against them. Misick previously claimed the allegations were politically motivated due to his desire for the TCI to seek independence from Britain. Mitchell will deliver his closing statement after the defence has presented its case. The proceedings were initiated in the wake of the 2008 to 2009 Commission of Inquiry which found a "high probability of systemic corruption in the Government, the legislature and among public officials. Much of it involved bribes from foreign developers to secure Crown land on favourable terms. The Weekly News reported in June that costs are set to top $36 million if the trials continue into the 2019 financial year. This week, London again declined to comment on the case. The UKs Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not respond to emails, while a spokeswoman for the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) - currently carrying out an inquiry into the UKs governance of its overseas territories - confirmed the FAC would remark only on areas of inquiry and not "venture into legal action. Karnataka BJP president B S Yeddyurappa Monday rubbished reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the state, terming it "far from the truth". He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates for the November 3 assembly and parliamentary by-polls in the state will be finalised at the party's core committee meeting on Wednesday. "All this is far from the truth, unnecessarily such news is being spread. There is no substance in it," the former chief minister told reporters in response to a question about Modi contesting from Karnataka. There were reports in certain sections of the local media that with an aim to increase BJP's influence in the South, Modi was likely to contest from one of the southern states, most probably from Karnataka along with Varanasi, the seat that he currently represents. BJP is presently not in power in any of the south Indian states. Karnataka is the only state where the party has considerable presence and has had its government in the past. Yeddyurappa, who has been meeting several party leaders regarding finalising candidates for the Lok Sabha and assembly by-election, ssaid it would be finalised by Wednesday. "Day after tomorrow (Wednesday) evening, we have called a core committee meeting where we will finalise our candidates for the three Lok Sabha constituencies and two Vidhan Sabha constituencies and send it to our national president for approval," he said. Discussions have taken place about candidates for almost all constituencies that would go for the by-polls, the BJP leader said, adding, "We will hold further discussions today and tomorrow before finalising the names". The Election Commission on Saturday had announced the bye-elections in three Lok Sabha constituencies (Shivamogga, Ballari and Mandya) and two assembly constituencies (Ramanagara and Jamkhandi). The elections will be held on November 3 and counting of votes will take place on November 6. The by-elections had been necessitated after BJPs B S Yeddyurappa (Shivamogga) and B Sriramalu (Ballari), and C S Puttaraju of JD(S) (Mandya) resigned as MPs on their election to the assembly in May last. Bypolls to Jamkhandi assembly seat was necessitated following the death of Congress MLA Siddu Nyamagouda, while Ramanagara fell vacant as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy gave up the seat and retained Channapatna, the other segment won by him in the assembly elections. SALT LAKE CITY Burger King just released new advertisements, and they are Siri-ously entertaining. The commercials are styled to sound like they were written by an artificial intelligence robot, or AI. AI bots, like Siri, are known for having awkward grammar and consistently misusing words in place of similar sounding ones. To play off of these defects, the ads contain weird lines like Have it Norway and The Whopper is back, it never left, but its back. You can watch one of the ads below. According to The Verge, Burger King announced in a press release that the ads were, in fact, made by an AI using a deep-learning algorithm." But the announcement turned out to be all part of a joke when the companys head of global marketing, Marcelo Pascoa, later made it clear that humans, not robots, were responsible for the creative behind the ads, according to The Verge. People on social media reacted very positively to the commercials Burger King forced an AI to watch all of its ads then write a new one and the result is......amazing pic.twitter.com/bX0dEtYvoM Owen Williams (@ow) September 29, 2018 Tastes Like Bird - Burger King all ads should be written by AI https://t.co/51VAL3S7UL pic.twitter.com/d9PpuLngHu Josie Khng (@omgitsjosie) September 28, 2018 So they werent really written by AI, but made me laugh out loud, all the same. https://t.co/0xKVJk3uPn John Gallaugher (@gallaugher) October 3, 2018 I nearly fell over laughing while watching these. "Order yourself today... have it Uruguay." -@BurgerKing, you may wanna officially use these ads done by AI: https://t.co/Fc0yW44uKQ Alex Cole (@Al3xCole) September 27, 2018 Afraid that #AI will take over marketing? Don't be! Even Burger King knows human creativity can never be replaced. https://t.co/W0E7vr2UmU Jose Delameilleure (@josdelosmejores) October 3, 2018 @BurgerKing just rewound and watched your new AI commercial a few times. Laughed every time. Great burgers...great company...super bowl quality commercial. This is why youre The Burger King. mankind (@davidfigge) October 2, 2018 But The Verge explained that the ads work in a way. Burger Kings joke lands because AI exists in the public imagination as a quantum entity simultaneously powerful and pathetic, according to The Verge. Artificial intelligence is about to take our jobs, were constantly told; its going to destroy the economy and humanity to boot. But we also know from our own experience that its incredibly dumb, incapable of understanding the simplest commands. The Verge added, "Of course, Burger Kings ads are just that: ads. But theyre also the latest product of our anxiety about AI. We used to worry that machines would get jobs flipping burgers. Now we know thats happening, and we worry theyre going to write our ads instead." THE TURKS and Caicos Islands featured heavily in this years World Travel Awards Caribbean and North America gala. The territory won the award for Caribbeans Leading Beach Destination 2018 and numerous resorts also scooped top accolades. This years ceremony was held on September 22 in Montego Bay, Jamaica, a press release from the TCI Tourist Board said. The award for Caribbeans Leading Beach Destination was accepted by Deputy Director of Tourism Mary Lightbourne and Director of Tourism Ramon Andrews. Also in attendance were Permanent Secretary Cheryl Ann Jones and Chairman of the Tourist Board Norman Hamilton. Andrews said: "We are elated that Turks and Caicos Islands was named the Caribbean's Leading Beach Destination. "This award is evidence of our destinations distinction among our Caribbean counterparts. Tourism is not only our main industry; it is our way of life. "We are fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful beaches however this award would be meaningless without the diligent hospitality workers who go above and beyond to ensure that our visitors have memorable experiences. At the ceremony, Turks and Caicos Islands resorts and tourism related agencies captured a number of Caribbean awards. Caribbeans Leading All Suite Hotel 2018 went to The Palms Turks and Caicos. Caribbeans Leading Beach Resort 2018 was snapped up by Amanyara Villas, Turks and Caicos. And Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa won the award for Caribbeans Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort 2018 for the 11th year. Gordon Butch Stewart, chairman of Sandals Resorts International, said the company was "thrilled to be honoured at the ceremony. "We continue to innovate at every touch point of the all-inclusive experience to provide the most luxurious experiences for our customers and exceed their expectations, he said. In addition to the above awards, the destination categories saw the following winners emerge: -Turks and Caicos Leading Boutique Hotel 2018 - Point Grace -Turks and Caicos Leading Car Rental Company 2018 - Hertz -Turks and Caicos Leading Destination Management Company 2018 - Olympia Destination Management Company -Turks and Caicos Leading Hotel 2018 - Grace Bay Club -Turks and Caicos Leading Hotel Suite 2018 - Ocean Front Penthouse at The Palms Turks and Caicos -Turks and Caicos Leading Resort 2018 - Seven Stars Resort The grand final gala ceremony of the World Travel Awards is scheduled for December 1 in Lisbon, Portugal. The Turks and Caicos Islands has received the following nominations: Worlds Leading Beach Destination 2018, Worlds Leading Island Destination 2018, Worlds Leading All Suite Hotel 2018 - Grace Bay Club and The Palms, and Worlds Leading Beach Resort 2018 - Amanyara Villas. The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 for the express purpose of acknowledging and celebrating achievements in all areas of the worlds travel and tourism industry. Each year the awards covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective successes within each key geographical region. The quality of candidates and their positions on key issues are obviously critical in any political race. But external factors can also have a big impact. With less than a month to go before the Nov. 6 midterm elections, we explore some of those factors that candidates cant entirely control. Most of the citizen initiatives and ballot measures that will be on the statewide Utah ballot, including proposals dealing with school funding, marijuana, redistricting and Medicaid expansion, are strongly supported by moderate, liberal and younger voters. Will these proposals result in higher turnout by Democrats and help Democratic candidates? Pignanelli: "Of all the maddening terms of art that political pundits bandy about, the most maddening might be enthusiasm gap. Simon Dumenco Appropriately, millennials are mellow on marijuana. Utahns under the age of 35 overwhelmingly support legal medicinal use of cannabis. Thus, political analysts are busy ruminating a "surge" of supporters for Prop 2 and other lefty ballot efforts. That propositions could twist election results from normal trends is an easy but incorrect perception. So far, there is no appearance of such additional enthusiasm in voter turnout. Recent developments between supporters and opponents of Proposition 2 could dilute any potential impact. Proposition supporters helping Democrats is a mixed conjecture. Deep polling indicates that LDS millennials are more libertarian in social beliefs but still vaguely identify with Republicans. So any bump caused by the proposition energy will help candidates this demographic sector usually supports. Adopting lingo of the weed culture, the buzz in November may be small. Webb: Survey research confirms that the several ballot proposals tend to be more popular with moderate to liberal voters. I believe turnout will be higher than normal, but certainly not enough to create a Utah blue wave. Campaign experts note that its difficult to motivate typical non-voters to show up and vote, including young people. Perhaps this year will be different, but not enough to make a difference in most races. The one major contest where even a slight voting uptick among moderates and liberals could have an impact is the 4th District congressional race between Mia Love and Ben McAdams. But when the votes are counted the night of Nov. 6, Utah will remain a Republican-dominated state. Utahs demographics are changing with minority populations rising. In addition, young voters seem more interested this year. What will be the impact on the elections? Pignanelli: Political observers are debating the potential increase of younger voters. Increased agitation in social media is very real but not trending in new voter enthusiasm so far. Most Utahns now send their ballot by mail and their voting preferences can respond to events over a three-week period instead of 24 hours. This does create a volatile opportunity for millennials. Otherwise, older voters are likely to dominate turnout. National polling indicates Democrat enthusiasm is very high. However, the Supreme Court nomination controversy is generating equal levels of excitement among the GOP. This rarely happens and may foster unexpected results across the country and in Utah. Webb: There is some truth to this old saying: If you are not a liberal at 25, you have no heart. If you are not a conservative at 35 you have no brain. Its great to be young and idealistic and liberal. I expect a slight boost in younger voters, but not enough to sway many races. A significant gender gap exists in many political races and in incumbent approval ratings. Is the large specter of Donald Trump hanging over the election going to make a difference? Pignanelli: As with the youth, pigeonholing gender as a voting block is precarious because other factors are in play. National polls signal a major shift among American women towards Democrats. But partisanship remains the dominant factor percolating among voter preferences. Apparently, conservative women are forgiving the presidents verbal controversies in exchange for his policy successes. Independent and Democratic women are openly enthusiastic to vote this year and garnering the attention. Right-leaning women may be more quietly enthusiastic to express their inclinations based on the economy, security and the Supreme Court. Webb: The Trump phenomenon has done two things: First, he has exacerbated the gender gap to proportions not seen in many years. Second, he has nationalized the election to levels also not seen in many years. Trump is less popular in Utah than in many other conservative states, and high numbers of Utah women really dislike him. The Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings have energized both sides. The hate-Trump trickle-down effect on congressional and state races isnt going to turn Utah blue. Most Utahns will vote for the candidate they like best, despite their feelings about Trump, If liberal voters who embrace gender and identity politics are consistent, they should vote for Mia Love, who is both female and minority. She has also maintained an arms-length relationship with Trump. But shes also a mainstream Republican an unforgiveable sin in the eyes of silly liberal voters. NORTH SALT LAKE Look for me, Ill have on my favorite red shirt, Bob said to his brother Tom just before he boarded the plane in Atlanta for his flight to Salt Lake City. You cant miss me. So Tom missed him. Bob had on the red shirt, as advertised, but what faked Tom out was the fact that Bob was in a wheelchair when he exited the terminal. Tom was looking up, not down. One other mitigating factor: The two brothers had never met. Four months ago, Bob Lamon, an 80-year-old retiree who lives in Gainesville, Georgia, had no idea he had a brother named Tom Mormon, a 63-year-old who lives in North Salt Lake and works in the documents department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But both men had sent a sample of their saliva to Ancestry.com so they could find out their heritage through their DNA. And they found each other. Tom had sent in his sample several years ago so he could learn more about his roots. Ever since joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Pennsylvania in 2001, hed been encouraged to do his genealogy. Tom who can be called a Mormon with complete political correctness moved to Utah in 2005. His Italian family started out in America in Brooklyn where great-grandfather Giovanni Mormone dropped the e from his surname but Tom was raised in Philadelphia, the son of John and Dorothy Mormon. His father, who died at age 73 in 1993, was married twice and Tom grew up one of seven brothers and sisters who called John Dad. He had no clue there was also an eighth. Robert Bob Lamon was born in 1938 at Jewish Hospital in Philadelphia to a 17-year-old woman named Lillian, who placed Bob for adoption five days later. Raised by loving parents in a stable home, Bob never attempted to find out who his birth parents were largely out of respect for the mother and father who raised him. But with those parents gone and a good long life to look back on, he started to wonder. Encouraged by his daughter Laura, he sent in his saliva kit to Ancestry.com to see who out there might be connected to his DNA. That was this past April. Shortly thereafter, in one of the emails Ancestry.com sends to notify its customers about DNA connections and possible relatives, Tom Mormon received a notice about a man in Georgia who was listed as a top tier bloodline. Hmmm, he thought. Tom made contact with Bobs daughter Laura. Since Bob never knew who his father was (and its entirely possible Bobs father never knew about Bob), Tom said, Hey, send me some pictures. When Tom looked at the photos, he thought he was staring at his dad. At 35 Bob looked more like my father than any of his seven kids, says Tom. Tom called Bob in Georgia. Hey brother, he said. Weve got the same father! Last month, Bob boarded the flight in Atlanta for a family reunion in Utah he couldnt have imagined a year ago. When Bob got out of the wheelchair he was using it as an airline courtesy so he wouldnt have to walk the length of the concourse and he and Tom sorted out who was who at the airport, they hugged and, being Italians, started talking. It was just natural and easy and beautiful, says Tom. I felt like Id known him forever. They spent nine days together and, yes, they got on each others nerves. You know, like brothers do, says Tom. Me to him more than him to me, I think. As an example, there was the Sunday morning Tom and his wife, Laura, took Bob to hear the weekly Tabernacle Choir broadcast in the Conference Center. Before they left the house, Tom cautioned Bob he should turn off his phone not just put it on mute, but turn it off. On the drive over, he said the same thing. And maybe a couple other times, Tom confesses. As they took their seats in the Conference Center, Tom turned to his newfound brother and before he opened his mouth, Bob said, I turned it off. We were setting boundaries, says Tom. Bob is back in Georgia now, but Tom suspects theyll get together again, and again, and again. This was a tender mercy for Tom Mormon, he says. At this point in my life, for a lot of reasons, it was a healing salve, a balm in my heart I never expected. The Bible says in the last days the heart of the fathers will be turned to the children and vice versa. There are a lot of connections to be made. This was part of that. RENO, Nev. A safety team is recommending improvements in communications and training in the wake of a state wildlife helicopter crash that sparked a Nevada wildfire that severely burned two volunteer firefighters trying to rescue the crash victims. The joint state-U.S. interagency team reviewing the Aug. 18 fire north of Battle Mountain said Friday the rescue was hampered by the complexity of the response to the multi-jurisdictional incident. It cites the failure to establish a unified command to oversee divergent radio frequencies and lack of standards for volunteer firefighters' use of emergency protective gear. Part of the difficulty stemmed from the fact the crash, fire and rescue were treated as separate incidents with separate organizational structures, according to the Facilitated Learning Analysis Team. "This influenced the capacity for communications, accountability and command," the report said. Battle Mountain volunteer fire chief Brad Negro and rookie firefighter Damon Spring suffered second- and third-degree burns. Among the findings: Neither Negro nor Spring was wearing personal protective equipment when the engine burned over. "We were in a rescue mission, so we had no PPE on," Negro explained. The fire incident commander was unaware the engine was at the fire until well after the burn-over occurred. The dispatch centers didn't know the engine's location. County resources have only line-of-sight frequencies in mobile radios without access to state or federal command frequencies. Even though the crash was just 10 miles northeast of Battle Mountain in Lander County, it was jurisdictionally within the Elko Interagency Fire Dispatch Center. The Elko center oversaw the fire, while Lander County had jurisdiction for the search and rescue mission. "The resources committed to the fire did not know the county resources were responding and not aware that Pumper 2 was near the fire until after the fire happened," the report said. If a firefighting helicopter crashed, Elko would have jurisdiction over both. Typically, a "unified command" is established when county resources respond to fires along with state and federal resources, the report said, adding "unified command seems to mean different things to different groups." "That is why we believe it is important to establish standards for how the county and state/federal resources define and operate a unified command." The report noted the firefighters had fire shelters and full gear in the back of the truck when trapped outside. Volunteer firefighters "do not appear to have uniform, written safety or training standards." State, county and federal officials didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. The fire burned 93 square miles of rangeland over 12 days south of the Idaho line. The helicopter that crashed is often used for fires, but was on contract to the Nevada Department of Wildlife when the pilot and two biologists surveying game birds went down. Two were hurt. The third called 911 at 1:57 p.m. "A big fire is burning all around us right now. One of the guys hit his head pretty hard," he said. The firefighters couldn't find the helicopter and began encountering fire activity when they heard a radio transmission from Lander County at 4:02 p.m. that the crash victims had been rescued. As the fire approached, they got out and started spraying water but within seconds, were surrounded by flames and sought refuge beneath the truck. "I was burning and screaming and hunkered down underneath," Negro said. After the burn-over, they drove off before getting stuck, exiting the vehicle and hiking up a steep ridge to establish communications. "We need help," Negro told a 911 Lander County dispatcher at 4:46 p.m. At 5:28 p.m., the initial incident commander assumed command of the crash and burn-over. By 5:53 p.m., the injured firefighters were flown to Battle Mountain Airport, and later to a burn center in Salt Lake City. The review team included officials for the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Nevada Division of Forestry, Elko County Fire Protection District and Provo Fire and Rescue in Utah. SALT LAKE CITY Throngs of Latter-day Saints bustled out of the Conference Center Sunday afternoon after the final session of the faith's latest worldwide general conference carrying a call from their leaders to live Christ-centered lives in a home-centered church. Across two "historic" days, leaders overhauled the church's weekly Sunday schedule, announced 12 new temples in far-flung places like Guam and Cambodia, repeatedly encouraged steadfastness in Christ through adversity and emphatically emphasized use of the full name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during its 188th Semiannual General Conference. Jesus Christ named the church, President Russell M. Nelson declared, and it offends him and deletes "his sacred name" when people use nicknames for it. There also may be a personal price for church members, he added. "When we omit his name from his church, are we inadvertently removing him as the central focus of our lives?" asked President Nelson, who provided a passionate, detailed and plain-spoken explanation for his announcement six weeks ago that the faith would no longer use the nicknames "Mormon" or "LDS Church." When we omit his name from his church, are we inadvertently removing him as the central focus of our lives? President Russell M. Nelson He said the emphasis on the full name is a correction and a "command of the Lord," not a name change, not re-branding, not cosmetic, not a whim and not inconsequential. He grew emotional when he said the church itself, both administration and members, have perpetuated nicknames that do not include Christ's name, "subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did for us, even his Atonement." "After all he had endured," President Nelson said, his voice trembling slightly, "after all he had done for humankind, I realize with profound regret that we have unwittingly acquiesced in the Lords restored church being called by other names, each of which expunges the sacred name of Jesus Christ." Christ-centered At the start of the first session and the close of the final session, President Nelson said assaults on faith and families are increasing exponentially. Church leaders' pro-active counter-strategy was to announce a "home-centered, church-supported" adjustment in the Sunday schedule designed to strengthen members' commitment and conversion to Christ through added home study and service. While President Nelson urged members to keep Christ's name in the center of the church's name, he and other speakers in the morning session pleaded with them to keep Christ in the center of their lives to help them through inevitable afflictions, including pain, suffering and anguish caused by both physical ailments and sin. The "grandeur" and "matchless power of Christ's Atonement" overcome both, they said. President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, said many face trials cause by their mortal bodies, sharing an intimate example from his own home, where the physical ailments suffered by his wife, Kathleen, limit her to only a few words per day. He voices a prayer for her and sings with her every morning and night as she mouths the words. "My reassurance is this," he said. "The loving God who allowed these tests for you also designed a sure way to pass through them. Heavenly Father so loved the world that he sent his Beloved Son to help us." Comforting vision On the eve of his wife's funeral and his own 90th birthday, President M. Russell Ballard spoke poignantly about the meaning of the 100th anniversary of his great-grandfather's vision of the redemption of the dead, a key Latter-day Saint scripture and doctrine. President Joseph F. Smith received the revelation on the eve of general conference in October 1918, weeks before his death and after a grief-stricken lifetime that saw him lose his father Hyrum Smith, uncle Joseph Smith and mother Mary Fielding Smith as a boy, then two wives, 13 children, a brother, two sisters and many others as an adult. At the time, he also mourned the loss of 20 million in World War I and another 70 to 120 million people in 1918's Spanish flu pandemic. "The revelation he received on Oct. 3 comforted his heart and provided answers to many of his questions," his great-grandson, President Ballard, said, adding, "The vision revealed more fully the depth and breadth of Heavenly Fathers plan for his children and Christs redeeming love and the matchless power of his Atonement." He called it heavenly and said, "I'm grateful to know that my precious Barbara lives and that we will be together with our family again for all eternity." Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve shared the example of Richard Norby, one of the Latter-day Saint missionaries injured in the Belgium airport terrorist bombing in 2016. "Along with the bright colors of happiness and joy, the darker-colored threads of trial and tragedy are woven deeply into the fabric of our Father's plan," he said, adding that his message was for the Norbys and others confronted with unexpected, painful trials and challenges. "These struggles, although difficult, often become our greatest teachers," he said, because the crucible of earthly trials, as we patiently stand steady, the Saviors healing power brings light, understanding, peace and hope." He said the temple is soothing balm for wounded souls. "However deep the wounds of your soul, whatever their source, wherever or whenever they happen, and for how short or long they persist, you are not meant to perish spiritually. You are meant to survive spiritually, and to live and grow in your faith and trust in God." Ministers and shepherds Elders Jeffrey R. Holland and Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve and the churchs Young Women general president, Sister Bonnie H. Cordon, focused talks about the churchs six-month old ministering program on Christ. Elder Holland focused on the ministry of forgiveness. "The miracle of reconciliation is always available to us," he said, adding "that forgiving and forsaking offenses, old or new, is central to the grandeur of the Atonement of Jesus Christ." Those who access it should then minister to others. "Jesus is asking us to be instruments of his grace," Elder Holland said, "to be 'ambassadors for Christ' in the 'ministry of reconciliation.' ... The Healer of every wound, he who rights every wrong, asks us to labor with him in the daunting task of peacemaking in a world that wont find it any other way." Sister Cordon said members must develop a shepherds heart to become effective ministering sisters and brothers. She said members can become the shepherds God and his prophet need them to become by knowing and numbering his sheep, watching over them and gathering them into the fold of God. Numbering the Lord's sheep isn't about numbers, she said, "it is about making certain each person feels the love of the Savior through someone who serves for him." "I hope those to whom you minister will see you as a friend," she added, "and realize that, in you, they have a champion and a confidant someone who is aware of their circumstances and supports them in their hopes and aspirations." Elder Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the church's new ministering initiative unlocks divine help for others. "May we raise our sights to this prophetic vision, so we can shepherd souls toward the temple and ultimately to our Savior, Jesus Christ. He does not expect us to perform miracles. He only asks that we bring our brothers and sisters unto him for he has the power to redeem souls." He urged members to learn lessons from a modern shepherd with a flock of 2,000 today. The shepherd told Elder Stevenson that "the sooner they found lost sheep, before the sheep drifted too far from the flock, the less likely the sheep were to be harmed. Recovering lost sheep required much patience and discipline." Christ as healer Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said God's plan is allow his children to choose what is right. Inevitably, every one makes mistakes and sins. Christ provides a way back onto the path for all, he said. "After baptism, all members slip off the path some of us even dive off. Therefore, exercising faith in Jesus Christ, repenting, receiving help from him and being forgiven are not one-time events but lifelong processes, processes that are repetitive and iterative. This is how we 'endure to the end.'" Christ's healing is available to all, said Elder Robert C. Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy. "Can any one of you imagine our Savior letting you and your burdens go unnoticed by him? The Savior looked upon the Samaritan, the adulterer, the tax collector, the leper, the mentally ill and the sinner with the same eyes," he said. "All were children of His Father, and all were redeemable. Can you imagine him turning away from someone with doubts about their place in Gods kingdom or from anyone afflicted in any manner? "I cant. In the eyes of Christ each soul is of infinite worth. No one is preordained to fail. Eternal life is possible for all." Temple balm Elder Andersen said the temple is a soothing balm for wounded souls. "However deep the wounds of your soul, whatever their source, wherever or whenever they happen and for how short or long they persist, you are not meant to perish spiritually," he said. "You are meant to survive spiritually, and to live and grow in your faith and trust in God." President Nelson returned to the theme of the temple to close the conference, urging members to see regular temple attendance as an investment in their families and futures. "Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater," he said. "I plead with you to take a prayerful look at how you spend your time. Invest time in your future and in that of your family. If you have reasonable access to a temple, I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord to be in his holy house then keep that appointment with exactness and joy. I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in his temples." He said each church members needs the ongoing spiritual strengthening and tutoring "only possible in the House of the Lord. The church's new emphasis on "home-centered" spiritual learning makes it another possible sanctuary, he added. "The new home-centered, church-supported integrated curriculum has the potential to unleash the power of families, as each family follows through conscientiously and carefully to transform their home into a sanctuary of faith." It may seem audacious, even arrogant, to believe you are capable of doing something thats never been done. But for climber Tommy Caldwell, finding a way to climb what everyone said was impossible just felt a lot less terrifying than what hed already faced in his life. Caldwell, one of the most successful climbers in the world, and his then girlfriend and fellow climber Beth Rodden had traveled in Kyrgyzstan with two other elite climbers to test their skills on the border of China and the former Soviet Union in August 2000. About six days into the trip, they were taken hostage by rebels who were warring with the Kyrgyz government. For nearly a week, the group talked about if and how they might escape the rebels, who seemed hapless and unprepared but were also heavily armed. We were progressively wasting away, said Caldwell, who spoke to the Deseret News as a documentary based on his life leading up to successfully climbing the Dawn Wall in 2015 returns to nine Utah theaters for a one-day engagement on Monday, Oct. 8. We were on the verge of hypothermia for much of the time, and we were getting really skinny. Luckily the weather was pretty good. I was pretty shocked and traumatized. Going out and climbing something I knew, thats how I found comfort. That place became El Cap. Tommy Caldwell When two of the four captors disappeared, discussions began in earnest about how to escape. One of the men decided to go back to the groups base camp to search for food, even though theyd already ransacked it. On the side of a steep mountainside, the four of them had to decide exactly what they were willing to do to escape from the lone captor, who was a 19-year-old mercenary. The aftermath was significant for all of the climbers. I was pretty shocked and traumatized, Caldwell said. Going out and climbing something I knew, thats how I found comfort. That place became El Cap. Whenever he climbed any section of El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, he found himself staring at the Dawn Wall a sheer slab of rock that had never been scaled by free climbers. A wall that is big and scary and intimidating, he said, it felt kind of mellow after being kidnapped. I started to think about how I could use (the experience). Being kidnapped changed a lot for Caldwell, including what he thought of pain. It reset my idea of what suffering really is, he said. Wed gotten to this point where I didnt know if wed live. Wed survived physically what I didnt think was possible. All of a sudden my perceived limit was in this new place. I was more willing to try big routes. I was more willing to fail. That doesnt mean Caldwell was reckless. He and the man who would eventually attempt to climb the Dawn Wall with him Kevin Jorgeson spent years strategizing, planning and then attempting sections of the climb before their 2015 attempt. In some of these attempts, Caldwell agree to let friend and filmmaker Zachary Barr chronicle his attempts. A longtime friend of Caldwells, he knew his unique talent made it an endeavor worth following. He wasnt, however, convinced it was even possible. I think we were like everyone else, he said of those who directed and produced the film that was based on Caldwells book. We were hoping these guys would climb it. But did we believe they were going to do it? No. There wasnt a lot of evidence to suggest they were going to succeed. Still, he knew it would be a great story, either way. So they watched Caldwell through a camera lens on his own, and then when he was joined by Jorgeson, who was among the best in the world at bouldering. I just felt a complete sense of awe for their commitment, Barr said of what it was like to realize the duo would likely succeed. I felt a little chagrined for ever doubting them. I didnt think any human could do it, but I did feel like if anyone could, it would be Tommy. The one aspect of the climb that Caldwell couldnt really understand was the attention it attracted. Climbing wasnt a mainstream sport, and even the most accomplished climbers rarely achieved any media attention. But as he and Jorgeson made their way up the Dawn Wall, they attracted thousands of followers and fans who seemed as emotionally invested in their accomplishment as they were. This was an anomaly, Caldwell said. I still dont understand that completely. I think there is a lot of reasons it made sense. But we definitely didnt plan any of it. It just happened. As media attention, including from The New York Times, explained the significance of the challenge, Caldwell believes people felt connected to aspects of it. From the desire to overcome the impossible to facing very real fear of failure, he believes people saw something in their effort that resonated with their own experiences. I think the fact that people were able to watch it unfold over 19 days, and just like any sporting event, interest built over time, he said. Wed dedicated seven years of our lives to this. Caldwells journey illustrated to the world so much more than his sport could contain. The film is an opportunity to relive those 19 agonizing and thrilling days, but with the context of why Caldwell might seek the kind of challenge that most of us avoid. It is a chance to be reminded life is brutal, unfair and terrifying. But it is, at the same time, beautiful, joyous and an invitation to see obstacles as adventures. When I saw (the film), it brought me back to those experiences, Caldwell said. There were sections that were hard my awkward childhood, my divorce that stuff isnt easy to watch. But there is a lot of it, all the Dawn Wall stuff, that brings me back to this really incredible experience. Here are the locations where the movieis playing on Monday, Oct. 8: STOCKHOLM Just a day after a United Nations panel called for urgent action on climate change, the Nobel Prize in economics was awarded Monday to one American researcher for his work on the economics of a warming planet and to another whose study of innovation raises hopes that people can do something about it. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the $1 million prize Monday to William Nordhaus of Yale University and to Paul Romer of New York University. Nordhaus, 77, who has been called "the father of climate-change economics," developed models that suggest how governments can combat global warming. He has endorsed a universal tax on carbon, which would require polluters to pay for the costs that their emissions impose on society. Romer, 62, who has studied why some economies grow faster than others, has produced research that shows how governments can advance innovation. At a news conference Monday at NYU, Romer said his research left him optimistic that society can solve even a threat as challenging as the warming of the planet. "Many people think that dealing with protecting the environment will be so costly and so hard that they just want to ignore the problem," Romer said. "I hope the prize today could help everyone see that humans are capable of amazing accomplishments when we set about trying to do something." At a separate news conference at Yale, Nordhaus suggested that there was "pretty widespread acceptance" of climate change science outside the United States, and he expressed optimism that the United States would come around. Referring to the Trump administration's resistance, Nordhaus said: "I think we just need to get through what is a difficult period. But I'm extremely confident it will happen." Sunday's report from the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change declared that managing climate change could prove a matter of life and death. It argued that failing to prevent just one extra degree of heat could expose countless people and ecosystems to life-threatening conditions over the next few decades. Unlike Romer and Nordhaus, the panel of scientists who produced the U.N. report expressed little hope that the world will rise to the challenge. Still, in a 782-page document that explicitly cited Nordhaus' work, the U.N. organization spelled out the difference that a single extra degree of heat could make on this fast-warming planet. If world leaders could agree on ways to limit future human-caused warming to just 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit (a half degree Celsius), instead of the globally agreed-upon goal of 1.8 degrees F (1 degree C), the Earth's weather, health and ecosystems would be in far better shape. Half as many people would lack water. Fewer people would die or get sick from heat, smog and infectious diseases. Seas would rise nearly 4 inches (0.1 meters) less. There would be fewer heat waves, downpours and droughts. In the 1970s, Nordhaus, already alarmed by the threat of global warming, began working on potential solutions. Gradually, he developed models to guide policymakers in balancing the economic costs and the societal benefits of combating carbon emissions. Nordhaus concluded that the most efficient approach was to deploy carbon taxes, applied uniformly to different countries. By using a tax rather than government edicts to slash emissions, the policy encourages companies to find innovative ways to reduce pollution and their tax burden. Versions of a carbon tax have been used in Europe but have yet to be adopted in the United States. Many economists have since endorsed the taxing of carbon. But adopting the regulatory frameworks on a global scale has proven problematic, and the world's political leaders are failing to meet it, the head of the United Nations said last month. Far from developing policies to reduce climate change, President Donald Trump has argued that the threat of human-produced climate change is a hoax concocted by China to hurt the American economy. Many Republicans in Congress have also expressed skepticism about whether or how much human beings are contributing to global warming and whether the U.S. government ought to take steps to address it. The research of Nordhaus and Romer is united by an interest in what drives economic growth and how to respond when unregulated market forces fail to deliver desired results. David Warsh, a blogger who follows economic research and has written a book on Romer's work, said he thought it was no coincidence that the Nobel committee decided to honor Nordhaus and Romer at a time of escalating alarm over climate change. "Darn right they were sending a message," Warsh said. In studying the relationship of innovation and growth, Romer discovered that unregulated economies generally failed to encourage enough research and development to support lasting growth. Government policies, he found, are vital. Examples include subsidies for research and development, and patent policies that strike a balance between letting inventors profit from their breakthroughs and allowing others to put those innovations to work. One of Romer's insights was that ideas differ from other goods or services. Once you eat a Swedish meatball, for instance, it's gone, noted Per Krusell, a Nobel committee member who is an economist at Sweden's Institute for International Studies. But an idea say, a recipe for Swedish meatballs can be shared and used over and over again, delivering continual economic benefits. The economics prize is the last of the Nobels to be announced this year. ___ Wiseman reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jim Heintz in Moscow, Deepti Hajela in New York and Susan Haigh in New Haven, Connecticut, contributed to this report. SALT LAKE CITY Police have identified the 18-year-old man who was fatally shot near the Utah State Capitol early Saturday morning. Raul Castillo Rivera died of his injuries at a Bountiful hospital after he was "essentially dropped at the curb," Salt Lake City police Sgt. Brandon Shearer said Monday. Police have few leads on the death they are calling a homicide, Shearer said. "We're hoping someone saw or heard something that night, because we really don't have a lot," he said. Early Saturday, hospital officers contacted Salt Lake police saying a man died there from gunshot wounds, Salt Lake police said over the weekend. Rivera died about 1:15 a.m. Investigators pieced together crime scene near 650 N. Darwin St., where a shooting was reported at about 12:30 a.m. WEST JORDAN A 28-year-old woman has died after her car rolled into a construction pit Monday morning, police said. Gina Fierro-Vilcampo, of Magna, succumbed to injuries she sustained in the single-car crash, said West Jordan Police Sgt. Dan Roberts. Investigators believe an oncoming vehicle made a left turn in front of her eastbound car about 7 a.m. Monday morning, causing Fierro-Vilcampo to swerve to the right and then overcorrect to the left. Her car rolled and came to a rest on the opposite side of New Bingham Highway near 6700 West, Roberts said. Officers Monday were speaking with witnesses, including those who were arriving for work at the construction site when the crash occurred, Roberts said. "Everyone we've talked to has been very cooperative," he said. "But nobody's volunteered it was them" who was in the other car, he added. "The deeper we dig into it, the less certain we are of who was driving that vehicle or the details of that vehicle," Roberts said. Witnesses were distracted and didn't recall what the car looked like, he said. The crash scene also was in a very dark area in between two grain fields, he added, where crews are making way for a large water tank. Officers determined Fierro-Vilcampo was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. SALT LAKE CITY The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office on Monday announced the formation of a panel that will review whether a person convicted of a felony is actually innocent. The Conviction Review Unit, also known as the Conviction Integrity Unit, will look at claims of "actual innocence" by those who believe they were wrongly convicted of a felony by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office and have exhausted all possible appeals. "Should some error have lead to that wrongful conviction, it is so important that we actually have a methodology and a process by which to be able to review that. And that's what we really are creating," said District Attorney Sim Gill. "It is a committment to being open and transparent." Gill said the new advisory board, which has been three years in the making, will "encourage a culture of transparency in our criminal justice system" and make his prosecutors better by uncovering any errors that might be found in the way they handle cases. The board will consist of five longtime public figures in the community and criminal justice system: former Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Christine Durham; former 3rd District Judge Judith Atherton; former longtime Salt Lake County deputy district attorney Robert Stott; defense attorney Gil Athay; and the Reverend France Davis. "The system depends upon the information and availability of evidence. And it depends on the judgment of decision makers, and all decision makers are human and susceptible to mistakes, there's no question about that. We strive mightily, and particularly judges strive mightily, to avoid mistakes," Durham said. In order for a case to be reviewed by the panel, a person applying must be living, and the reason for review "must be based on credible and verifiable evidence of innocence, or new technologies that exist to test or retest remaining relevant evidence," according to Gill's office. The applicant "must agree to fully cooperate with the (panel), which includes waiving all procedural safeguards and privileges, as well as agreeing to provide full disclosure regarding all inquiry requirements," the district attorney's office further states. If the panel concludes that a person is innocent, and if the district attorney's office agrees with the panel's findings, then the district attorney can ask the court to vacate a conviction or forward the new information to Utah Board of Pardons and Parole if a person is still serving a prison sentence. Members of the new panel will have independence to conduct their investigations and interview people as they see fit, Gill said. Once they are done reviewing a case, all of their reports will be made public. Gill said it's hard to say how many applications the panel will receive for potential review, but he hinted of at least one possibly in the works already, he said while declining to go into detail. While there are similar review panels in other states. Salt Lake County's Conviction Review Unit will be the first of its kind in Utah. The announcement comes less than a month before Election Day, when Gill will go up against opponent Nathan Evershed in his bid for re-election. Evershed works as a prosecutor in Gill's office. On Monday, Evershed said the district attorney's office considered creating a similar panel "years ago." "We could have been addressing issues and people that had concerns years ago. But here we are, four weeks outside of an election. The timing is not only suspect to me but to many people," Evershed said. Evershed said he will keep the panel if he is elected. Contributing: Peter Samore SALT LAKE CITY A poll has found that Utah has experienced the most dramatic drop in approval rating for President Donald Trump since his inauguration. The poll, which was conducted by Morning Consult, found that as Trumps support has declined nationwide since January 2017, three states Utah, Arizona and New Mexico have seen Trumps approval go from at least 50 percent to a majority disapproval. In Utah, about 58 percent of residents approved of the president when he was inaugurated in January 2017, according to Morning Consult, while 31 percent disapproved of him. Fast forward to now and youll see Utahs approval rating sits at 45 percent and his disapproval rating hovering around 50 percent, showing a switch from a majority approval to majority disapproval, according to the poll. The poll, which surveyed voters in every state and compared it to numbers from his inauguration, had a margin of error of 6 percent in January 2017 and 2 percent in September 2018 for Utah. The poll included a net change rating for each state, which took both the approval rating drop and disapproval increase into consideration. Utah had the highest of any state with minus-32 (the states approval rating dropped 13 percent and disapproval rating increased 19 percent). His net approval was plus-27 in Jan. 2017 but dropped to minus-5 in Sept. 2018, a 32-point swing. Washington, D.C., Illinois, New Mexico had the next highest net change with minus-31. You can see a full list of all the states and their ratings here. In September, a poll from UtahPolicy.com found that a majority of Utahns dont believe President Trump deserves a second term. The poll found 57 percent of likely Utah voters said it was a time for a new president when they were asked if Trump performed his job well enough that he should be re-elected in 2020, according to the Deseret News. Only 38 percent of residents said that Trump should be re-elected, according to the poll. "It certainly shows Republicans who support him in Utah have work to do if they want him to win," UtahPolicy.com publisher LaVarr Webb, who writes a political column for the Deseret News, told the Deseret News. He added, "I think that does have to do with tone. He is just so bombastic and has such a great ego. All of that comes through, and it really turns off a lot of people." We live in perhaps the fastest growing and evolving age in human history, with technology at the helm of things, be it at the workplace, homes or classrooms.. For todays children and youth, the changes at the workplace and home are not as influential to as changes in classrooms are. There has been a dramatic shift from the industrial era learning environment. Gone are the days of chalkboards, notebooks and pencils, digitization has enabled us to save resources (e.g. paper) and instead use electronic devices (like smart boards, AR VR) in classrooms for learning. This new mode of learning is widely termed as e-learning, but it is a lot more than just that. E-learning : In traditional methods of learning, it has to be symmetric, i.e. everyone needs to be present in order to learn the subject simultaneously. Today that is not the case anymore; e-learning has enabled us to learn with others and on our own time. : In traditional methods of learning, it has to be symmetric, i.e. everyone needs to be present in order to learn the subject simultaneously. Today that is not the case anymore; e-learning has enabled us to learn with others and on our own time. Massive open online course (MOOC) : These are designed with the purpose of attracting the masses for a huge course. There are usually around tens of thousands of learners, who can listen in on the lectures. They can also do this in their time, but these courses have a fixed start and end date. : These are designed with the purpose of attracting the masses for a huge course. There are usually around tens of thousands of learners, who can listen in on the lectures. They can also do this in their time, but these courses have a fixed start and end date. Instructor-led training (ILT): When a person takes a class in a physical classroom and requires his learners to be present synchronously, it can be termed as ILT. ILT can be conducted with lots of technology tools including Smart Whiteboards, AR and VR gear When a person takes a class in a physical classroom and requires his learners to be present synchronously, it can be termed as ILT. ILT can be conducted with lots of technology tools including Smart Whiteboards, AR and VR gear Virtual ILT: This term is similar to cloud-based learning and can be used interchangeably, as virtual Instructor-led training, is synonymous with learning subjects online. You have the option to learn the subject along with other learners, but the purpose of making it an online based system is because of the difference in timings amongst learners. What are the benefits of Technology-enabled learning? Caters to everyones needs: Online Learning caters to the needs of all sections of the student community. With so many streams of knowledge opening up after the digital revolution, sources of knowledge have increased and accommodated every student and addressed their needs. From professionals working in the industry to kids who are curious about the subject, the scale of access that is opened up to everyone is commendable. Online Learning caters to the needs of all sections of the student community. With so many streams of knowledge opening up after the digital revolution, sources of knowledge have increased and accommodated every student and addressed their needs. From professionals working in the industry to kids who are curious about the subject, the scale of access that is opened up to everyone is commendable. Classes are not restricted to Isolated Sessions: The repeat feature is probably the most lucrative aspect of E-Learning. Students get to access the learning material multiple times over a practically indefinite period of time. Revisions before exams and concepts that need to be explored again during crucial projects become easier to access because they are always available on online platforms. Unlike traditional classrooms, e-learning enables the students to revisit concepts on multiple occasions to gain a holistic understanding of the entire subject. The repeat feature is probably the most lucrative aspect of E-Learning. Students get to access the learning material multiple times over a practically indefinite period of time. Revisions before exams and concepts that need to be explored again during crucial projects become easier to access because they are always available on online platforms. Unlike traditional classrooms, e-learning enables the students to revisit concepts on multiple occasions to gain a holistic understanding of the entire subject. Customisable Learning Periods: Students are no more restricted by the amount of time they are forced to spend on a particular lesson. The pace at which students learn is fundamentally different. This system empowers students to take lessons and learn at their own pace. While traditional classrooms do not entertain students who learn at any pace above or below the average learning speed of the program, e-learning makes it easier for all students to define their own pace and stick to their own learning methods. Students are no more restricted by the amount of time they are forced to spend on a particular lesson. The pace at which students learn is fundamentally different. This system empowers students to take lessons and learn at their own pace. While traditional classrooms do not entertain students who learn at any pace above or below the average learning speed of the program, e-learning makes it easier for all students to define their own pace and stick to their own learning methods. E-Learning saves loads of time and resources: Teachers and students do not have to travel to a classroom to study or teach. This makes it far more convenient for both parties. Teachers can generate a passive income by giving a lecture on the topic only once. From here, the teacher shifts his/her role to that of a guide. They simply have to interact with students and clarify their doubts instead of constantly pumping the same information into their heads. Classrooms require electricity and extensive space to function effectively. These costs are completely eliminated through e-learning. Teachers and students do not have to travel to a classroom to study or teach. This makes it far more convenient for both parties. Teachers can generate a passive income by giving a lecture on the topic only once. From here, the teacher shifts his/her role to that of a guide. They simply have to interact with students and clarify their doubts instead of constantly pumping the same information into their heads. Classrooms require electricity and extensive space to function effectively. These costs are completely eliminated through e-learning. Teaching Effectiveness is improved: When it comes to teaching in large organisations and inculcating essential skills in employees, e-learning as a method of teaching is unparalleled. Studies have shown that results are almost instantaneous after course completion. Employees also tend to go back to the videos and relearn concepts for certain projects if they are not completely sure about it at any point in time. Even amongst students in school or college, dedicated learners are able to adapt to the new self-learning model and achieve extraordinary results both academically and non-academically. Creativity is highly encouraged and supported in this environment. When it comes to teaching in large organisations and inculcating essential skills in employees, e-learning as a method of teaching is unparalleled. Studies have shown that results are almost instantaneous after course completion. Employees also tend to go back to the videos and relearn concepts for certain projects if they are not completely sure about it at any point in time. Even amongst students in school or college, dedicated learners are able to adapt to the new self-learning model and achieve extraordinary results both academically and non-academically. Creativity is highly encouraged and supported in this environment. Drastically Reduced Environmental Impact: With no need for vehicular travel or paper, both emissions and wastage of paper are drastically reduced. Students can learn in a much more environment-friendly way. Are there any disadvantages of e-learning? Like most new methods of teaching, e-learning is not without its disadvantages. Although the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, let us have a look at some of them It is hard to track student progress and keep them motivated: While e-learning does enable some degree of monitoring, it is impossible to force anyone to learn online if they are not adequately motivated. There is a possibility that students will refrain from continuing the course without external pressure. While e-learning does enable some degree of monitoring, it is impossible to force anyone to learn online if they are not adequately motivated. There is a possibility that students will refrain from continuing the course without external pressure. Teachers might not always be available: Without adequate face-to-face interaction, students might find it difficult to keep up with the courseware if they have any doubts that need to be immediately addressed. Teachers might also not always be online at a particular time to address doubts and clarify these questions. Most of these disadvantages are considerably easy to eliminate with proper implementation of e-learning. Companies are looking to implement these solutions in every sphere of education, combining them with the latest in cloud technologies to help reach users faster and provide them with the content they need to learn. It is only a matter of time before we see an instrumental change in the ways we learn. Authored by:- Nandita Mathur Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Engineering at Q3 Technologies (The views expressed in this article are by Nandita Mathur Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Engineering at Q3 Technologies. Technuter.com doesnt own any responsibility for it.) @Technuter.com News Service WEST VALLEY CITY The search for a feral dog suspected of killing livestock, who has successfully avoided capture for over a year, is intensifying. According to West Valley officials, there is now a confirmed report of the Akita-German shepherd mix attempting to attack a child who was able to avoid injury by using his bike as protection. The dog is also suspected of "killing over 40 various livestock animals, which include chickens, sheep, goats and a large full grown alpaca that stood about 6 feet in height and weighed over 100 lbs.," according to a search warrant filed in 3rd District Court. Some of the livestock animals being killed are from the Roots Charter High School. The school says that since June, two alpacas, two goats, two sheep and a pig have been killed. Police say numerous residents in that area have various livestock animals on their property. "The West Valley City Animal Control Division has attempted on countless occasions to capture the male dog, and (has) spent thousands of dollars in employee hours attempting to capture the male dog. The male dog has increasingly grown more feral and its attacks on livestock have greatly increased since around June 2018," the warrant states. The livestock attacks "appear to be unprovoked and the male dog appears to be killing for fun, and is not killing for food and is not eating the animals it kills," investigators wrote. The warrant further states that "it is just a matter of time until this feral male dog gets tired of killing livestock and turns on human beings or other dogs." The dog has mainly been spotted in the Chesterfield area, from about 2100 South to 3100 South, and from the Jordan River to Redwood Road (1700 West). Police say there are two prevailing rumors about where the dog came from. One is that the owner was a transient living along the Jordan River Parkway and passed away. The other is that the owner is now incarcerated and the dog was left to fend for himself. West Valley officials say the dog has become good at avoiding animal control officers. "The dog has learned what the uniforms and vehicles of the West Valley City Animal Control Division and the West Valley City Police Department look like and no one involved in trying to capture the male dog can get anywhere near it, as it will run away and hide as soon as it sees any marked vehicle or uniforms," the warrant states. Additionally, officials believe some residents are taking turns sheltering the animal. Police describe the residents of one property where the dog is suspected of being sheltered as "anti-West Valley City police, anti-West Valley City Animal Control, and anti-West Valley City government," the warrant states. The couple that lives there has been "very hostile and aggressive" toward city officials and "have threatened to civilly sue any employee of West Valley City who steps on the property," according to the warrant. "Their behavior has been so erratic that there has been no success in reasoning or speaking with them." At least six animal control agencies have assisted in saturating the area looking for the dog. Qualcomm to set up $400 million campus in Hyderabad Semiconductor and telecom giant Qualcomm will invest $400 million (about 3,000 crore) to set up a campus in Hyderabad, reportedly its largest facility outside of the United States, the Telangana state government announced on Saturday. According to Telanganas IT minister KT Rama Rao's office, Qualcomm's $400mn campus in Hyderabad will be its largest, leaving aside its headquarters in San Diego, California. Qualcomm will be investing $400 million (Rs3,000 crore) to set up their campus in Hyderabad, Telangana. This is one of the largest investment by a marquee company after the formation of the state, it said in a release. With its Hyderabad campus, Qualcomm joins several elite firms to set up base in the new state. "By setting up its mega campus in Hyderabad, Qualcomm joins the list of elite firms that have their largest presence outside of their headquarters in Hyderabad," said the minister, emphasizing Hyderabad's stature as an IT hub. The plan for setting up the campus was finalised during a meeting between KT Rama Rao and senior Qualcomm officials. The work on Qualcomm's mega Hyderabad campus is expected to start some time in 2019. The first phase of the project involves construction of a built-up space of 1.7 million sq ft, with the capacity to house around 10,000 employees. The campus will be a big boost to Telangana. "This is indeed a big boost to Telangana, the electronics and semiconductor industry and the ecosystem of operators, original equipment manufacturers, regulators, startups, and R&D engineers," added the Telangana IT minister in statement. Qualcomm joins the elite list of companies that have their largest presence globally outside of their headquarters in Hyderabad, Rama Rao said in the statement. We have Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and now Qualcomm. This list will only increase as they are a few more in the pipeline that we are working actively with. This is indeed a big boost to the state of Telangana, as well as to the electronics, and semiconductor industry, he said. Fujitsu announced it is collaborating with NVIDIA to provide startups and students with the computing power required to develop successful advanced artificial intelligence (AI) projects. The use of high-performance computing (HPC) platforms has been instrumental in accelerating deep learning, which is a vital part of any AI but can require specialized computing facilities. To address this potential bottleneck the companies are introducing a joint initiative, the Fujitsu and NVIDIA GPU Cluster. Part of Fujitsus Zinrai initiative1, a collective framework of AI capabilities that are available to Fujitsu customers, the cluster makes HPC capabilities more easily available to start-ups, based on the power of Fujitsus PRIMERGY server infrastructure and NVIDIA GPUs. The Fujitsu and NVIDIA GPU Cluster will be based at the Drahi X-Novation Center, the incubator of the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique in Paris-Saclay, which also hosts Fujitsus AI Center of Excellence (CoE)1. Intended to help underpin the development of a strong AI ecosystem in Europe, the GPU cluster offers a breakthrough opportunity for new startups or students in educational institutions. The cluster is based on NVIDIA Tesla V100 Tensor Core GPUs and Fujitsu PRIMERGY servers. Together, these provide the powerful computing capabilities needed to develop deep learning projects. The relevant compute capacity will be distributed based on the needs of individual AI projects being developed by startups, by Polytechnique students and by the Fujitsu AI CoE. Axel Mery, CTO Fujitsu France and Head of Fujitsus AI Center of Excellence, says: Deep learning at the heart of AI requires much more powerful compute resources than conventional computational power and limited access to these resources can be a brake on innovation. As part of our EUR 50m investment over five years to support digital innovation in France, we are now making these often-unattainable computational resources available to our most innovative developers at exactly the time they need them most regardless of their stage of funding. Through this initiative in Paris, as well as Fujitsus ongoing investment in its Zinrai AI offering, we see huge potential to develop new technologies and human-centric AI solutions. Serge Palaric, vice president of Business Development Enterprise for South Europe & Embedded EMEA at NVIDIA, comments: Through this initiative, students and startups can gain access to GPU clusters that accelerate the critical deep learning stage for any AI. Our work with Fujitsu and Ecole Polytechnique is another pillar in our support for the research, education and innovation ecosystem enabling the brightest minds in tech. Technuter.com News Service Uttarakhand signs MoUs worth Rs70,000-cr at investors summit The Uttarakhand Investors Summit has attracted investment proposal worth Rs70,000 crore, including Rs6,500 crore signed by Adani Group and Rs 600-crore investment proposed by the Mahindra Group. During the investor summit, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, Amul has also announced plans to assist farmers in the state for higher milk production. The summit saw the presence of leading industrial groups such as Reliance Industries, Mahindra Group, ITC, JSW Group, Adani Group and Patanjali, among others. Pranav Adani, executive director of Adani Enterprises, said the group aimed to exploit the opportunities in the state. Plans included investment of Rs5,000 crore in a Metro project, Rs1,000 crore in a transmission project, and Rs500 crore for a logistics park. An MoU was also signed for the distribution of organic food. Uttarakhand will be a bright star in resurgent India, said Adani. Reports quoting Pawan Goenka, Mahindra Group managing director, said the group plans to invest Rs250 crore to set up an automotive plant to produce Scorpio and Balero. It also planned to invest Rs100 crore on its tractor business and Rs200 crore towards expanding its resort business. The plan is to start back-up integration for a plant to produce Balero, said Goenka, while adding that hospitality business will be expanded under the Club Mahindra brand. At present, Mahindra has five resorts in the State, which will go up to eight. Locations are being identified, and then work will start after completing the land acquisition process. Mahindra set up an automotive plant in Haridwar in 2006, which has so far produced 16-lakh vehicles, and is expected to produce 1.5-lakh vehicles during the current fiscal. The group also produces 1,000 electric three-wheelers every month. It has employed more than 10,000 people in various businesses, and now plans to raise investment in the next 2-3 years. Yoga Guru Baba Ramdevs Patanjali has plans to invest Rs2,500 crore in the state, according to its managing director Acharya Balkrishna. Patanjali plans to invest in sectors like education, food processing, and in wellness, among other areas. The company, at present, has invested Rs2,100 crore in the state, which is 6 per cent of the total private investment of Rs37,000 crore in the state. The company claims to provide direct employment to 30,000 people in the state, which is 10 per cent of the total employment provided by the private sector. Amul, the milk co-operative, has announced plans to assist farmers in the State. RS Sodhi, managing director of Amul, said an MoU has been signed to promote co-operative dairy. The state consumes dairy products worth Rs2,000 crore every year, but produces just 15 per cent of its consumption. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd, which has already invested over Rs4,000 crore in Uttarakhand, plans to extend Jio internet service to most of the 2,385-plus government schools and colleges in two years. Speaking at the Uttarakhand Investors Summit in Dehradun, Ambani said he wants to convert Devbhoomi Uttarakhand into Digital Devbhoomi. Jio will boost sustainable tourism. Jio will improve the delivery of healthcare, education and government services and improve the life of every citizen, he said. Jio is committed to a Digital Uttarakhand where every citizen can have the best quality digital connectivity and services, he said. Reliance also has over 100 retail stores and plans to continue grow these at a healthy rate, he added. West European buyers keen to source processed food from India European supermarket chains and top manufactures of processed food, including dairy are expected to source their food and beverage (F&B) requirements from India at the Indusfood-II the export focused annual F&B trade fair organised by Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) jointly with the commerce ministrys Department of Commerce. During discussions held by TPCI and Maria Carillo, international director of FIAB (Spanish Federation of Food and Drink Technology) for bilateral cooperation and promotion of Indian and Spanish dairy sector, the latter had evinced keen interest in sending a delegation to India during Indusfood-II to source their raw food requirements from India. Milk plays an important role in the northern regions of Spain as it is the main agricultural produce with the dairy industry contributing to 9 per cent of gross added value of Spanish food and drink sector. Indusfood is a tradeshow, the second edition of which will be held in Greater Noida (NCR Delhi) on 14-15 January 2019, to showcase Indias best line-up of food, beverages and agri products to global buyers, many of whom have already committed participation in Indusfood-II and are gearing up for B2B meetings and business tie-ups with Indian food suppliers. It will also generate interest in the large basket of brands, private labels and bulk purchase opportunity of raw items that India could offer to the world. Indusfood-2019 will see the participation of many foreign government delegations and representatives of large foreign companies involved in strategic purchase of food commodities through investments or long-term purchase agreements to achieve the food security of their country or to supply their large food processing industries. Indusfood-I, held in early 2018, was a big success that saw international buyers from 43 countries and 320 Indian exporters, from 12 categories of food and beverage industry, generating an estimated business of $650 million. Indusfood-II is expected to see the participation of more than 600 global buyers from around 50 countries. The F&B trade show helps to popularisation of Indian taste and culinary traditions with Indian ready-to-eat products. Over 75 global retailers with high regional penetration and market size such as Panda of Saudi Arabia, Magnet of Russia, BIM of Turkey or Rewe of Germany and many more will be present during the show with their purchase teams, which will give direct access on the international platform to Indian brands. This will help to put India on the global F&B map and establish it as a global market in the food trade giving India the much needed recognition as a major player in the global food value chain. PM's health scheme approves 23,287 claims worth Rs38-cr in first 10 days Ten days after its launch, the countrys most-ambitious health care programme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (also known as Ayushman Bharat) has catered to more than 30,000 patients and approved claims worth Rs38.1 crore through both public and private hospitals. Of the total 23,299 claims worth Rs45 crore submitted so far, 23,287 claims have been approved as of 2 October. Official data show that the average claim size per patient is Rs19,357. As on date, 32,814 hospitals have applied for empanelment, of which 13,865 have been empanelled or are in the process of being empanelled. But, the scheme that aims to provide a coverage of Rs5 lakh per family annually, benefiting more than 107 million poor families for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a network of empanelled health care providers, was seen to be misused by those who do not fall in the eligible category. The National Health Agency (NHA), responsible for implementing the PMJAY, has issued a circular to states to authorise district collectors and district magistrates to identify eligible beneficiaries under the scheme. The NHA has asked the officers to introduce exclusion clauses in the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data to identify those not eligible for the scheme. The Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyan (AB-PMJAY), was launched pan-India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Jharkhand on 23 September. Early this month, Dinesh Arora, Deputy CEO of Ayushman Bharat, tweeted about a 67-year-old lady from Diglipur in North Andaman Islands, who was wheeled into government-run Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital at Port Blair with heavy bleeding. She was diagnosed with cervix cancer. Sadly, people on the island, have no access to radiotherapy. She was flown into private-run MIOT hospital in Chennai and treated. Transportation costs were covered under the scheme, said Arora. However, that is a rare case and everyone may not enjoy the facility as people may find it difficult to get the right treatment at the hospital available. Also, there are no medical co-ordinators at hospitals to advise patients on the facilities available at the empanelled hospitals. Indu Bhushan, CEO of Ayushman Bharat, said the scheme will be rolled out in Jan Swasthya Sahyogs first. Meanwhile, five states have resisted joining the scheme saying they have reservations about the scheme that offers benefits without equal costs, an argument insurance companies also raise against Ayushman Bharat. While 31 States and union territories are on board, five non-BJP-ruled states, including Delhi (Aam Aadmi Party), Odisha (Biju Janta Dal), Punjab (Congress), Kerala (Left Democratic Front) and Telangana (Telangana Rashtra Samithi), are resisting from participating in the scheme. Stillman cottage is one of the Marcel Breuers residential projects of his late career. Breuer was highly influential architect and designer on both sides of Atlantic ocean. He came to USA in 1937 after accepting the appointment as chairman of Harvard's Graduate School of Design. It was a great change in his career. It started at 1920s Germany when he invented tubular steel furniture while active at Bauhaus. And then continued with short British period and culminated in the USA during the 1950s till 1970s. When in USA, Breuer became one of the most prolific and active architects of the time, celebrating new forms in residential as well as large public commissions. On Friday night volunteers 'Slept Out' for one night in Letterkenny in solidarity with those who are less fortunate in our society. The event also hoped to raise awareness of the work and services carried out by the North West Simon Community in Donegal. Gain insight Donegal Development Officer for the North West Simon Community, Collette Ferguson, said that 'Sleep Out' doesn't aim to replicate homelessness but it does give an insight into the challenges faced by those who sleep rough. Sleeping rough is a very lonely and traumatic experience for all those who experience it. "We are only experiencing this for one night whilst so many others have no other option but to do this on a daily basis," she said. Gratitude Those at the North West Simon Community would like to express their gratitude to over 50 volunteers in Letterkenny and Sligo for getting involved in the annual 'Sleep Over.' They also thanked all those who supported their campaign. Ms Ferguson would particularly like to thank the Mayor of Letterkenny Cllr. Ian McGarvey for launching the event and for his kind words of encouragement to the volunteers and the North West Simon Community, on Friday evening. All bars and hotels who allowed people to collect money on the premises are also thanked for their hospitality and generosity. "A special gratitude to The Four Lanterns, Pat's Pizza and the Brewery Bar for their annual generosity and support; it is greatly appreciated on the night," Ms Ferguson said. And, last but by no means least, all those who organised and took part in the event on Friday night would like to thank An Garda Siochana for their noticeable presence throughout the night which gave reassurance to volunteers. Support To make a donation you can go to: http://www.northwestsimon.ie/ For further information please call 074 91 21613 or alternatively check out their Facebook page at www.facebook/northwestsimon.ie The death has occurred of Maureen McAuley (nee Murphy) of Belcotton, formerly Baltray Road, Termonfeckin, Louth Peacefully at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. Beloved wife of the late Sylvester and mother of the late Maeve. Sadly missed by her loving sons Sylvester and Anthony, daughters Anne, Monica, Joan, Olive and Maureen, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, relatives and friends. Reposing at the home of her daughter Joan from 5pm until 8pm on Tuesday. Removal on Wednesday to The Church of The Immaculate Conception, Termonfeckin, arriving for Requiem Mass at 11am. Funeral afterwards to Holy Cross Cemetery, Sheetland Road. Family flowers only please. House private on Wednesday please. May she rest in peace. The death has occurred of Rosaleen Brennan (nee O'Hanlon) of Bachelors Walk, Dundalk, Louth On Saturday 6th October 2018, peacefully at the Louth County Hospital surrounded by her loving family. Predeceased by her husband Francie, sons James and John sister Susie Hearty and brother Joe. Very deeply regretted by her loving family daughter Winfred Lynch, sons Frank and Tony, son in-law Benny, daughters in-law Mary, Liz and Mary, grandchildren, great-grandchildren,brother Matt, sisters May Gaskin and Anne Greene,brothers in law, sisters in law, nephews, nieces, neigbours and friends. Reposing at her residence from 12 noon until 8pm on Sunday and Monday. Removal on Tuesday Morning at 10.30am proceeding on foot to Saint Patrick's Cathedral arriving for Funeral mass at 11 o'clock, burial afterwards in Saint Patrick's Cemetery. House private on Tuesday morning please. Family flowers only please donations if desired to The Irish Cancer Society. The Family would like to express their gratitude to the Palliative care team and step down unit in The Louth County Hospital for their wonderful care. May her gentle soul rest in peace Jack Corbett has an impressive resume. At just 27 he is the 2017 Young Entrepreneur of the year, Managing Director and founder of ISR Training and was recently on Shark Tank. Corbett went from a 14-year old school dropout, to running multiple businesses and consulting with some of the biggest organisations around the world. Dynamic Business sat down with Corbett to find out more about his journey and what he is up to now. Corbett isnt sure whether he considers himself a successful businessman yet, but says once he is in the Forbes 500 he will be happy to wear that tag. After getting kicked out of school at 14-years of age, he was thrust into a life of entrepreneurship, as it was the only logical option available to him at the time. So, I started my own business, importing wholesale volumes of confectionary from the US to the UK and retailing it through mobile tuck shops around my home city of Birmingham, he says. After running that business for nearly 4-years I moved to Australia at 18 and continued to exercise my entrepreneurial flare to start four more businesses in Australia in the solar power, software, training and property sectors. ISR Training & Recruitment was established in October 2014 by Ryan Tuckwood and Corbett. After I sold my software business earlier that year, I had decided to retire and spent the next 8 months bored, lonely and totally disengaged before Ryan and I decided to joined forces to make an active attempt to solve what we believed to be one of the Gold Coasts biggest community problems: youth unemployment, he says. At the time we started the business we were alarmed to learn that one in six 18-24 year olds on the Gold Coast were not in full-time employment or an apprenticeship scheme. Growing up in a housing commission myself, I was aware that lack of employment could lead young people down the wrong path. We set out to create a free recruitment service that would help businesses access this key demographic. Combined with recruitment was a high level of sales and negotiation training, which helped provide young people with the soft skills to succeed in these roles. After placing 3,500 youth into work and negotiating nearly $100,000,000 worth of employment contracts, ISR no longer offers a recruitment service, but instead purely focuses on delivering Australias best sales and negotiation training. The founder says that the Shark Tank experience was very enjoyable. From point of application to actually receiving the investment it is nearly a 12-month process. I arrived at Fox Studios in Sydney in March at 6am and had a fidgety 5-hours wait until I was called into the tank. I spent nearly 2-hours being grilled by the Sharks before receiving four offers and choosing to release 30% equity stake in our business in 10% increments to Glen Richards, Andrew Banks and Steve Baxter, he says. Upon completion of the deal in the Shark Tank, that is when the real sale begins. You have to produce high volumes of business details and documents that match and confirm the information pitched in the tank. The biggest challenge that came from the Shark Tank investment for the founder was the additional workload, particularly from a digital perspective. Faced with an impending influx of 70,000+ visitors to our site, we needed a fast solution to ensure our website didnt crash. I dont consider myself a tech guy so we were fortunate enough to partner with a company called WP Engine who walked us through the process and helped us create our own unique hosting environment to support the increased traffic. During our peak, we had approximately 7,400 people on the site on at the same, with close to 1,000 transactions on the night of the announcement, he said. We also had to scale our team quickly due to a massive increase in customer enquiries. We nearly doubled the size of our team within the first 30 days. Apart from that, just trying to keep our feet on the ground and not get too carried away with multiple media outlets wanting to meet and interview us and people stopping us in the street or shopping centre for a photo etc. Corbetts big advice is to know your numbers. When it comes to leads, sales, revenue and growth, its absolutely essential that you know every last detail. On top of that, I would be super focused on not coming across as arrogant or egotistical. Be humble, be real and dont put too much pressure on yourself as the nerves can get the better of people, he says. Understand the true worth of your business. So many start-up or scale-up entrepreneurs seek investment and value their business based on where it will be not where it is. Very rarely do investors or venture capitalists invest in ideas, or potential, they more so invest in pre existing profitable businesses. When pitching an investor, focus less on what your product or service does and more on how much the investor stands to return from their decision to invest. Corbetts Top pitch tips: Less is more, keep it as simple as possible. Always focus around the problem you solve and the emotions your customers have after using or investing in your product or service. Always promote clarity, even if you do offer 10 or a dozen different products, simply focus on those that are most commonly purchased and represent the largest portion of your revenue. Sell on emotion, not logic. Always give facts, stats and third-party examples of the benefits of your offering. Corbetts number one lesson: That there is never the right time to start. Seek progression not perfection. The early stages of business are about 95% do and just 5% think, but in my personal circumstances I have realised 23 is not the right age to retire! B2B Lead Generation Service Reach key decision makers with sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Move the needle by delivering funnel qualified leads to your sales team. Learn more. An increasing number of healthcare professionals have become alert to the need for well-rounded medical device security in recent years, and players throughout the industry have started putting more effort into raising the bar. An optimistic observer might point to strides toward reaching that goal. Developers have become aware of the most glaring holes, and more information security researchers have been brought into the fold. If nothing else, the formation of advocacy groups like I Am The Cavalry and the simple uptick in the number of vulnerability disclosures have started to chart a course toward medical devices that are resilient against attack. Preexisting Conditions A presentation at last month's Black Hat security conference revealed severe flaws in pacemakers currently on the market. Their manufacturer's unwillingness to address the vulnerabilities makes clear the extent to which medical device security has been plagued by lack of cohesion among major health sector players and poor security hygiene among developers. Why, despite the undeniable gains that medical devices have made, are there still gaping holes like the ones exhibited at Black Hat? Like the most intractable medical conditions that physicians sometimes must diagnose, the cause is rooted in multiple compounding maladies. To start with, the operating conditions of medical Internet of Things devices -- which encompass everything from connected insulin pumps to networked CT scanners -- differ notably from those of their consumer IoT counterparts. A key distinction is their markedly longer lifecycle, often so long that it outlives the support cycle for the operating systems they run, according to physician and security researcher Christian Dameff. "[With] consumer IoT, there's maybe iterations of devices regularly, like every year or something like that," Dameff said. "Healthcare connected devices are expected to be in service for five, 10-plus years, which might be the case for something like a CT scanner, and guess what? They'll be running Windows XP, and Windows XP will be end-of-life support by year three." In fact, the regulatory process that new connected medical devices must go through is so lengthy -- understandably so -- that they typically are years behind modern security trends by the time they hit the market, as security researcher and I Am The Cavalry cofounder Beau Woods pointed out. "Any device that comes out brand new today probably had a several-year research and development phase, and a several-month to several-year approval phase from the FDA," Woods said. "You can have devices that were essentially conceived of eight to 10 years ago that are just now coming out, so of course they don't have the same protections that are in place today [or] have modern medical device architectures -- to say nothing of the devices that came out 10 years ago and are still perfectly usable, like MRI machines," he explained. The needs that always-on networked medical devices must meet, especially those of implanted devices like pacemakers, present additional operating constraints. Desktop OS developers have had decades to accrue the experience to determine best practice exploit countermeasures. However, headless medical IoT devices with zero allowance for downtime rule out many of those very countermeasures, necessitating the development of new ones that are suited for medical deployment. What's the Diagnosis, Doc? Traditional controls definitely fall short in certain medical settings, but that can encourage innovation from developers working under specific constraints, noted Colin Morgan, director of product security at Johnson & Johnson. "Sometimes the difference in this environment is we need to make sure that the security control doesn't affect the intended use of the device," Morgan said. "Let's say a session lock on your machine. You walk away from your desk for 15 minutes, your screen locks. On some medical devices, that could defeat the intended use of that, and our job -- which is the fun part of the job -- is to figure out, 'If we can't do that control, what other controls are there to mitigate the risk?'" As much as the unique requirements of medical hardware have invited creative new security controls, the initiative often has been undermined by an inadequate incentive structure for doing so. Current regulation, while leaps and bounds from where it once was, doesn't always dissuade manufacturers from dismissing potentially life-threatening vulnerabilities, particularly in a landscape where there is, thankfully, as yet no precedent for what happens when they are exploited in the wild. "I don't think this is intentional, [but] think about this: If I was a device manufacturer and I've got a malfunctioning device, would I write a policy to do a deep forensic investigation on every device to look for malware?" Dameff asked. "The answer is no," he said, "because once I find out that there's been a compromise, and that there's a vulnerability, I'm required to report that to the FDA, which could result in exorbitant recalls, fines, etc. So the incentive to find these types of patient harm situations, it just doesn't exist." An absence of incentive is in some respects the best case scenario, since the present regulatory framework diverts resources away from engendering a holistic security posture, and sometimes precludes avenues for discovering flaws entirely. No legislation looms larger in healthcare regulation than the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, better known as "HIPAA." It is undoubtedly a landmark in patient protection in the digital age, but its singular focus on privacy and the fact that it its authorship predates widespread medical IoT has yielded some unintended detrimental consequences for device security. Dameff put it bluntly: When breaching the privacy of patient data can cost companies significantly more than the breach of a device's security controls, companies order their priorities accordingly. "Healthcare's scared of the HIPAA hammer, and that drives all of the security conversations," he said. "Securing the patient healthcare information gets all their resources, because risking a breach has consequences that pay out in dollars and cents." HIPAA's preeminence not only tips the scale in favor of overwhelmingly addressing privacy, but it occasionally can obstruct security research altogether. In scenarios where privacy and security are mutually exclusive, HIPAA dictates that privacy wins. "If [a device] malfunctions and we've got to send it back to the device manufacturer [to figure out] what's going on with it, by principle and because of HIPAA, they wipe the hard drive or remove the hard drive before they send it to them." Dameff said. "By policy, malfunctioning devices that have malfunctioned so bad they get sent back to the manufacturer can't even go with the operating system, the software in which it malfunctioned," he noted. Time for Treatment In spite of the many facets of medical IoT security woes, there are encouraging signs that the industry has been finding its footing and coalescing around next steps. One such course that has received much praise is the FDA's issuance of two guidance documents: "Design Considerations and Pre-market Submission Recommendations for Interoperable Medical Devices" and "Postmarket Management of Cybersecurity in Medical Devices" -- or Pre-Market Guidance and Post-Market Guidance for short. "I will say that the FDA has come a long way in terms of giving guidance to medical device makers on how they should interpret regulations, how the FDA is interpreting regulations," Woods said. "So when the FDA puts out things like its Pre-Market Guidance for Cybersecurity of Medical Devices or its Post-Market Guidance for Cybersecurity of Medical Devices, that helps both the regulatory side and the device makers figure out how to build devices that do take these lessons learned into account," he added. More than perfunctorily complying with the guides' requirements, a few players have made a point to incorporate many of the optional recommendations they outline. Speaking specifically for his organization, Johnson & Johnson's Morgan remarked that his team has benefited from a mutually reinforcing relationship with the FDA. "From our perspective, we have seen a lot of work that has been done over the past [few] years that has initially been driven through the FDA," he said. "We work very closely with them -- we have a very collaborative relationship with the FDA cybersecurity team -- and through the starting of the guided documentation around pre-market and then post-market ... there's been a bit of a shift, and [we] are really building [them] into our quality systems." This climate of cooperation between regulators and manufacturers is vital to bolstering security industry-wide, because it changes the dynamic from jockeying for competitive advantage to ensuring a basic level of patient safety. Collaboration shouldn't, and soon won't, stop there, Morgan suggested. One ongoing endeavor, spearheaded by the Health Sector Coordinating Council, is to create a "playbook" comprised of expertise contributed by healthcare providers, device makers, trade associations and others. It would provide guidance on what organizations of all types could do to improve security practices. By disseminating knowledge derived from the work of large companies, smaller ones could solicit collected wisdom. In the meantime, there is as much to be learned and absorbed from the information security and developer communities outside of healthcare as there is from the extant guidance documentation. Considering the lag between development and release due to regulatory oversight, it is that much more important for manufacturers to get it right the first time, and that means changing security from a supplemental exercise to one that is intrinsic to development. "I don't think we need medical security specialists. We just need these good practices to be built into the architectures, engineering and operation of the devices from the get-go," said I Am The Cavalry's Woods, "which is going to take, I think, some rethinking of what we've always thought of as the traditional way." The way medical device developers adopt this approach is by further engaging and integrating the independent research community, Dameff added. "I think you need to be open to security researchers' input and independent security testing of your devices before it hits market," he suggested. "Even if the device manufacturer releases a patch for it, maybe the hospital won't actually deploy it. So we need to be doing a lot of work up front to get these as secure as possible before they hit market." Even as companies have grown more comfortable with processing bug disclosures from independent researchers, some companies remain stubborn, as last month's Black Hat talk demonstrated. The presenters stated that the manufacturer they had disclosed their findings to had not acted, as of more than 500 days after receiving notice. "There are horror stories," Dameff said. "I feel like healthcare device manufacturers realize they can't scorn researchers ... this much anymore, partly because there's a DMCA exemption for medical devices that's currently in place." The DMCA, or Digital Millennium Copyright Act, exempts good faith researchers testing medical devices from the legal peril of probing into proprietary software, a lifeline for bug bounty hunters. However, for researchers to make the most of the exemption, it's essential not only that manufacturers take their input seriously, but also that the industry and its regulators allow access to as much real-world data as possible. Woods' organization, I Am the Cavalry, outlines measures for meeting those requirements. "One of the things that we've got in the [I am the Cavalry] Hippocratic Oath is an affirmatively sound evidence capture capability that allows you to trap potential security issues, or really any kind of failure of the device, in a way that preserves privacy," Woods said. "So we're not throwing privacy out for the sake of safety, because I think they're not mutually exclusive," he continued, but it's critical "to be able to get the types of logs and information that you need off the device -- like firmware state, was it tampered with, was it the latest version, were there any extra programs, unexpected software." Finally, as Morgan put it, all of this has to meet the care providers' needs, which can be done only by bringing them fully into the conversation. "One of the biggest challenges we face is the post-market management," he noted. "How can we roll our security patches to devices better in customer environments? Customer environments are all so different. So we have to constantly talk to and understand from our customers what they're looking for from us, what their expectations are, and how we can partner better with them to roll patches out, build in what they're looking for, so that we're constantly reducing risk together." Scheduling Checkups Ultimately, treating the poor state of medical device security is like treating patients themselves: The overall treatment must be holistic, and the various treatment measures must not conflict. Where regulators, manufacturers and providers are in accord, there has been marked security improvement. It is where their perspectives conflict that conditions have yet to improve. Jonathan Terrasi has been an ECT News Network columnist since 2017. His main interests are computer security (particularly with the Linux desktop), encryption, and analysis of politics and current affairs. He is a full-time freelance writer and musician. His background includes providing technical commentaries and analyses in articles published by the Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights. Publishing in Nature Genetics, research from the Buck Institute lays the groundwork for the mapping of genes to traits throughout the plant and animal kingdoms Why do naked mole rats live up to 31 years, when distantly related lab mice are lucky to make it to four? How is the aquatic axolotl capable of regenerating limbs, jaws, spines and even brains when frogs can only regrow tails as tadpoles? How can these difference be exploited for the benefit of human health? Questions like these set up a classic starting point for genetics research. When a trait catches a geneticist's eye, the goal is always to find the DNA sequence differences that underlie it. But to date, the tools of the field have focused on individuals of a population--what makes one human different from another, for example, when we are all the same species. Trait differences between species have been essentially out of reach. Now researchers at the Buck Institute have broken through this roadblock by designing a method that pinpoints genetic causality for trait differences between closely related species. The research, published in Nature Genetics, lays the groundwork for the mapping of specific genes to specific traits in sister species throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. "Think of all the amazing characteristics we see in organisms around us, from longevity and disease resistance to the spots on a butterfly," said Rachel Brem, PhD, associate professor at the Buck Institute for Research in Aging. "We want to find the genes at the root of these traits, and in many cases, they'll be relevant for human health." As an example, Brem points out that there are mouse species with stark differences in longevity, immunity, susceptibility to cancer, and the ability to recover from brain injury, among others. "Now we'll be able to find the genetic basis for those advantages and start comparing the findings with human genetics." Brem says the method is being utilized in multiple labs at the Buck, where the ultimate goal is to design drugs that mimic, in humans, the best that the natural world has to offer. The new method, which Brem says is straightforward and simple, was developed by genetically dissecting an ancient divergence in two species of yeast that differed in their tolerance to heat. In addition to research involving human health, Brem says the work has wide applicability to plant biology and agriculture, as well as climate change as scientists seek to understand how animals adapt to extreme environments. "Evolutionary geneticists are interested in 'outliers' - plants and animals that developed unusual traits as they evolved to survive and thrive in new environments and conditions," said Brem. "There's a lot left to be discovered and we're hoping that our work will provide a jump start to that process." ### Citation: Genetic dissection of an ancient divergence in yeast thermotolerance DOI: 10.1038/s41588-018-0243-4 Other Buck researchers involved in the study include Rylee K. Hackley and Julie Chuong. Other collaborators include Carly V. Weiss, Jeremy Roop, and Igor V. Grigoriev, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA; Adam P. Arkin and Jeffrey M. Skerker, Department of Bioengineering, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA. The work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health grant R01 GM120430-A1, and by the Community Sequencing Project 1460 at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility. The work conducted by the latter was supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. About the Buck Institute for Research on Aging At the Buck, we aim to end the threat of age-related diseases for this and future generations. We bring together the most capable and passionate scientists from a broad range of disciplines to study mechanisms of aging and to identify therapeutics that slow down aging. Our goal is to increase human health span, or the healthy years of life. Located just north of San Francisco, we are globally recognized as the pioneer and leader in efforts to target aging, the number one risk factor for serious diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, macular degeneration, heart disease, and diabetes. The Buck wants to help people live better longer. Our success will ultimately change healthcare. Learn more at: https://buckinstitute.org (Boston)-- The drug allopurinol used to manage gout may offer protection against the development of kidney disease, according to a new study. Traditionally there has been concern from physicians that this medication may increase risk of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), despite a lack of clear data supporting this relationship. As such, many patients find themselves undertreated, leading to poorer gout outcomes. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) utilized The Health Improvement Network (a general practitioner medical records database representative of the United Kingdom's general population) to evaluate kidney function in gout patients after starting allopurinol. They found that of the more than 4,000 patients started on full-dose allopurinol for prevention of gout flares, 12.2 percent had developed Stage 3 CKD after an average of five years of treatment, as compared to 13.1 percent of non-users over a similar period. The researchers conclude that the use of allopurinol in the management of gout is not only safe, but also potentially beneficial in reducing risk of kidney disease. Tuhina Neogi, MD, PhD, corresponding author of the study and professor of medicine and epidemiology at BUSM and BU School of Public Health, sees these results as an important step forward in the long-term treatment of gout. "Ultimately, we hope these results will be disseminated to PCPs and internists taking care of patients with gout (since the bulk of patients with gout are managed in primary care) so that allopurinol is not held or stopped when a patient experiences a creatinine bump," said Neogi, a rheumatologist at Boston Medical Center. Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis in the United States (affecting 3.9 percent of Americans, more than eight million adults. Gout flares are caused by the formation of urate crystals within the joints, leading to significant pain and swelling. Allopurinol is the most frequently used medication to manage gout, including the long-term prevention of gout flares by reducing the amount of urate circulating through the blood. ### These finding appear in JAMA Internal Medicine. Funding for this study was provided to Dr. Vargas-Santos by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil. Dr. Neogi's work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants P60AR47785 and K24AR070892. Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is unique among all moons in our solar system for its dense and nitrogen-rich atmosphere that also contains hydrocarbons and other compounds, and the story behind the formation of this rich chemical mix has been the source of some scientific debate. Now, a research collaboration involving scientists in the Chemical Sciences Division at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has zeroed in on a low-temperature chemical mechanism that may have driven the formation of multiple-ringed molecules - the precursors to more complex chemistry now found in the moon's brown-orange haze layer. The study, co-led by Ralf Kaiser at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and published in the Oct. 8 edition of the journal Nature Astronomy, runs counter to theories that high-temperature reaction mechanisms are required to produce the chemical makeup that satellite missions have observed in Titan's atmosphere. The team also included other researchers at Berkeley Lab, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Samara University in Russia, and Florida International University. The team used vacuum ultraviolet light experiments at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source (ALS), together with computer simulations and modeling work to demonstrate the chemical reactions that contribute to Titan's modern-day atmospheric chemistry. "We provide evidence here for a low-temperature reaction pathway that people have not thought about," said Musahid Ahmed, a scientist in Berkeley Lab's Chemical Sciences Division and co-leader of the study at the ALS. "This gives rise to a missing link in Titan's chemistry." Titan may yield clues to the development of complex chemistry on other moons and planets, including Earth, he explained. "People use Titan to think about a 'pre-biotic' Earth - when nitrogen was more prevalent in the early Earth's atmosphere." Benzene, a simple hydrocarbon with a six-carbon single-ring molecular structure, has been detected on Titan and is believed to be a building block for larger hydrocarbon molecules with two- and three-ring structures that, in turn, formed other hydrocarbons and aerosol particles that now make up Titan's atmosphere. These multiple-ring hydrocarbon molecules are known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In the latest study, researchers mixed two gases - a short-lived two-ring PAH known as a naphthyl radical (C10H7) and a hydrocarbon called vinylacetylene (C4H4) - at the ALS, and produced three-ring PAHs in the process. Both of the chemicals used to drive the reaction are inferred to exist on Titan based on what is known about the chemical makeup of its atmosphere. The ALS experiments jetted away the end products of the reactions from a small reaction chamber. Researchers used a detector known as a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer to measure the mass of molecular fragments produced in the reaction of the two gases. Those measurements supplied details about the chemistry of the three-ring PAHs (phenanthrene and anthracene). While the ALS experiments used a chemical reactor to simulate the chemical reaction and a beam of vacuum ultraviolet light to detect the products of the reaction, supporting calculations and simulations showed how the chemicals formed in the ALS experiments do not require high temperatures. PAHs like the chemicals studied at the ALS have properties that make them particularly difficult to identify in deep space, Kaiser said. "In fact, not a single, individual PAH has been detected in the gas phase of the interstellar medium," which is the material that fills the space between stars. He added, "Our study demonstrates that PAHs are more widely spread than anticipated, since they do not require the high temperatures that are present around carbon stars. This mechanism we explored is predicted to be versatile and is expected to lead to the formation of even more complex PAHs." And because PAHs are considered as precursors to forming molecular clouds - the so-called "molecular factories" of more complex organic molecules that can include the precursors to life as we know it - "This could open up theories and new models of how carbon-containing material in deep space and in the rich atmospheres of planets and their moons in our solar system evolve and originate," he said. Alexander M. Mebel, a chemistry professor at Florida International University and co-leader of the study, carried out calculations that showed how the reactants can naturally come together and form new compounds at very low temperatures. "Our calculations revealed the reaction mechanism," Mebel said. "We showed that you don't need any energy to drive the reaction of naphthyl and vinylacetylene, so the reaction should be efficient even in the low-temperature and low-pressure atmospheric conditions on Titan." A key to the study was in the detailed modeling of the reactor cell where the gases were mixed. Mebel noted that modeling of the energies and simulations of the gas-flow dynamics in play within the reactor help to monitor reaction progress inside the reactor, and allowed researchers to tie theoretical results closely with experimental observations. The modeling work, which helped to predict the chemicals produced in the reactions based on the initial gases and the temperature and pressure of the heated chamber where the gases were mixed and struck with the vacuum ultraviolet beam, was led by the research team at Samara University. "This verification of the model, by comparing it with experiments, can also be helpful in predicting how the reaction would proceed in different conditions - from Titan's atmosphere to combustion flames on Earth." An aim of the continuing research, Kaiser said, is to unravel the details of how carbon-containing compounds with similar structures to DNA and RNA can develop even in extreme environments. ### The Advanced Light Source is a DOE Office of Science User Facility. This work at Berkeley Lab, the University of Hawaii, and Florida International University was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, including the Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences; modeling studies in Samara were sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel Prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov. DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit http://science.energy.gov. A team of scientists at Florida Atlantic University has uncovered a brain-signaling pathway that can be pharmacologically manipulated in genetically engineered mice to reverse an autism-related pathway. Using an investigational drug targeting this pathway, the researchers normalized the disrupted physiology and behavior of these mice. Moreover, effects were seen in adult mice, suggesting a possible route to medication development for adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications that improve the core symptoms of ASD. Findings from this study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), suggest a novel approach to treating this disorder in some people by targeting an enzyme normally associated with stress and inflammation. The study was based on decades of research by the team on serotonin, a mood-regulating molecule in the brain that regulates many brain synapses - the gaps between nerve cells where signals are sent and received. The supply of serotonin is tightly regulated by a protein called the serotonin transporter (SERT), which sweeps away serotonin from synapses to limit its action. Shifts in the transporter's activity can have significant consequences on the ability of serotonin to act in the brain. While evidence shows that changes in SERT expression and function may underlie risk for neuropsychiatric disorders, exactly how SERTs are normally regulated in the brain and whether this regulation can be a target for improved medications, and for what disorders, has been unclear. Randy Blakely, Ph.D., senior author, executive director of FAU's Brain Institute, and a professor of biomedical science in FAU's Schmidt College of Medicine, first identified and cloned the human SERT gene about 25 years ago and established the ability of SERT to be blocked by the major antidepressant medications such as Prozac, Zoloft and Lexapro. Recognizing the limits of these medications, Blakely hypothesized that resetting the normal regulation of SERT, rather than eliminating its function altogether, might be a more subtle and effective way to modify brain serotonin signaling. "We suspected that normally as serotonin signaling changes, neurons turn up or down the activity of this transporter keeping serotonin levels finely balanced," said Blakely. "We generated evidence for this idea using cultured cells that expressed SERT, but what these observations meant for the brain or brain disorders was unclear." In 2005, Blakely and collaborators at Vanderbilt University reported multiple mutations in SERT in children with ASD. Remarkably, all of these mutations made the transporter hyperactive all of the time, like an out-of-control vacuum cleaner sucking the air out of a room. "Our years of studying SERT gave us a clue as to how to tone down SERT hyperactivity without eliminating the protein's normal function," said Blakely. A few years before their mutation discovery, Blakely's team identified an enzyme, p38 MAPK, as a key SERT regulator. This enzyme is well known to be a contributor to inflammatory responses, but work from multiple laboratories suggests that the enzyme plays a role in the normal control of serotonin signaling. Importantly, changes in molecules linked to p38 MAPK signaling have been reported in brain samples from ASD subjects. Focusing on the most common of the SERT mutations, Ala56, the group set out to test their theory that SERT was being shoved into "high gear" by the enzyme. With genetic engineering approaches, the team introduced the Ala56 mutation into the genome of a mouse, where brain biochemistry, physiology and behavior could carefully be examined. As predicted, SERT was found to be modified excessively by p38 MAPK. Moreover, they found changes in the behavior of the mice that were reminiscent of some features of ASD. These changes included excessive repetitive behaviors, deficits in communication, and diminished social interactions. In addition, they found elevated serotonin levels in the blood of the mice, a change seen in 25-30 percent of subjects with ASD - the first time the trait had been reproduced in animals generated to mimic ASD. "The studies primarily told us that Ala56 wasn't a benign mutation and possibly that the mice might provide a testbed for developing novel serotoninergic medications," said Blakely. To test this idea, Blakely needed a drug that could attack brain p38 MAPK potently and specifically. Biochemist D. Martin Watterson, Ph.D., at the Department of Pharmacology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a co-author, came up with the needed tool known as MW150. "Marty's drug was really key to our efforts, as it gets into the brain very well, has good selectivity for p38 MAPK, and previously had been demonstrated to be safe to use in animals," said Matthew J. Robson, Ph.D., first author and an assistant professor in the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati. "Remarkably, giving the drug once a day for a week reversed many of the changes induced by the SERT Ala56 mutation." Encouraged by these findings, yet knowing that drugs can sometimes act on other targets, Blakely's team sought another approach to confirm that the drug's effects were due to blockade of brain p38 MAPK. They decided to eliminate the enzyme only from brain serotonin neurons using a genetic approach called "conditional gene deletion." The effects with animals lacking a functional p38 MAPK gene mirrored their findings with MW150. "Although serotonin and SERT are active in the brain throughout development, one key finding of our study is that the effects we saw with MW150 were found in adult mice," said Robson. "When people think about treating ASD, they generally think about medications for children. While we do not know if our strategy will lead to new medications, treatments that can help adults with ASD is clearly a huge unmet need." The diagnostic features of ASD are behavioral in nature, yet medical comorbidities are common, including bowel problems such as constipation. In 2016, Blakely and a team of researchers at Columbia University led by Kara Margolis, M.D. and Michael Gershon, M.D., co-authors, demonstrated that in addition to behavioral problems, the SERT Ala56 mice showed poor development of the nerve cells that line the colon and support gut contractions. Astonishingly, Blakely's study demonstrated that MW150 also could treat physiological changes linked to gut function in the mice. "Even though the first connections between serotonin and ASD were made more than 50 years ago, how we might tap into these observations for potential treatments hasn't been clear," said Blakely. "We think our study suggests a new direction for medication development, particularly if we can identify those patients where changes in brain serotonin make a difference." The SERT Ala56 mutation is relatively rare and found in only about 1 percent of the U.S. population. Even though Blakely's human studies found the DNA change to be associated with traits of ASD, other individuals in the study who carried the variant did not have ASD. "We don't think the variant is a cause for ASD in many people; only in those where other genetic or environmental changes have occurred. The bigger message is that serotonin's role in brain disorders likely goes far beyond depression," said Blakely. Blakely suggests the use of brain-imaging techniques that can scan for changes in SERT levels, or changes in serotonin signaling, could be a possible aid in identifying the right patients for treatment. Recent estimates indicate a prevalence of ASD in the U.S. of 1 in 59 children with a well-established 4:1 male predominance. Individual costs for care are estimated at about $2.4 million, yielding a societal burden that is expected to exceed $400 billion by 2025. "It's been a long road with our research efforts," said Blakely. "Although our studies so far have used mice, and there is still much to do to understand the full significance of the work, I am glad we haven't veered from the path. I'm hopeful that our work will prove meaningful beyond the laboratory." ### Study co-authors are Meagan A. Quinlan, Ph.D., FAU's Schmidt College of Medicine and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; Paula A. Gajewski-Kurdziel, Ph.D., FAU's Schmidt College of Medicine; and Jeremy Veenestra-VanderWeele, Ph.D., Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Simons Foundation. About the FAU Brain Institute: Inaugurated in 2016 on the John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter, Fla., the FAU Brain Institute supports research, education and community outreach among more than 100 faculty level researchers at FAU and its affiliate research centers. One of FAU's four pillars that guide the University's goals and strategic actions, the Institute seeks to unlock the secrets of brain development, function and plasticity and how the mechanisms uncovered can be compromised to drive devastating brain disorders. From the study of neuronal development and signaling to investigations of brain diseases including addiction, autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, researchers from FAU's Brain Institute seek to generate knowledge that benefits society. For more information about the Institute and its members, visit http://www.ibrain.fau.edu. About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit http://www.fau.edu. Researchers from Keele University have worked with an international team of astronomers to find for the first time that a white dwarf and a brown dwarf collided in a 'blaze of glory' that was witnessed on Earth in 1670. Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile observed the debris from the explosion This is the first time such an event has been conclusively identified The dual rings of dust and gas - the debris from the explosion - resemble an hourglass Studying the remains of the merger, the researchers were able to detect the tell-tale signature of lithium The remains are also rich in organic molecules such as formaldehyde (H2CO) and methanamide (NH2CHO) The brown dwarf star was 'shredded' and dumped on the surface of a white dwarf star, leading to the 1670 eruption and the hourglass we see today Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, the international team of astronomers, including workers from the Universities of Keele, Manchester, South Wales, Arizona State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Warmia & Mazury, and the South African Astronomical Observatory, found evidence that a white dwarf (the remains of a star like the Sun at the end of its life) and a brown dwarf (a 'failed' star without sufficient mass to sustain thermonuclear fusion) collided in a short-lived blaze of glory that was witnessed on Earth in 1670 as Nova Cygni - 'a new star below the head of the Swan.' In July of 1670, observers on Earth witnessed a 'new star', or nova, in the constellation Cygnus - the Swan. Where previously there was no obvious star, there abruptly appeared a star as bright as those in the Plough, that gradually faded, reappeared, and finally disappeared from view. Modern astronomers studying the remains of this cosmic event initially thought it was triggered by the merging of two main-sequence stars - stars on the same evolutionary path as our Sun. This so-called 'new star' was long referred to as 'Nova Vulpeculae 1670', and later became known as CK Vulpeculae. However, we now know that CK Vulpeculae was not what we would today describe as a 'nova', but is in fact the merger of two stars - a white dwarf and a brown dwarf. By studying the debris from this explosion - which takes the form of dual rings of dust and gas, resembling an hourglass with a compact central object - the research team concluded that a brown dwarf, a so-called failed star without the mass to sustain nuclear fusion, had merged with a white dwarf. Professor Nye Evans, Professor of Astrophysics at Keele University and co-author on the paper appearing in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society explains: "CK Vulpeculae has in the past been regarded as the oldest 'old nova'. However, the observations of CK Vulpeculae I have made over the years, using telescopes on the ground and in space, convinced me more and more that this was no nova. Everyone knew what it wasn't - but nobody knew what it was! But a stellar merger of some sort seemed the best bet. With our ALMA observations of the exquisite dusty hourglass and the warped disc, plus the presence of lithium and peculiar isotope abundances, the jig-saw all fitted together: in 1670 a brown dwarf star was 'shredded' and dumped on the surface of a white dwarf star, leading to the 1670 eruption and the hourglass we see today." The team of European, American and South African astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to examine the remains of the merger, with some interesting findings. By studying the light from two, more distant, stars as they shine through the dusty remains of the merger, the researchers were able to detect the tell-tale signature of the element lithium, which is easily destroyed in stellar interiors. Dr Stewart Eyres, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science at the University of South Wales and lead author on the paper explains: "The material in the hourglass contains the element lithium, normally easily destroyed in stellar interiors. The presence of lithium, together with unusual isotopic ratios of the elements C, N, O, indicate that an (astronomically!) small amount of material, in the form of a brown dwarf star, crashed onto the surface of a white dwarf in 1670, leading to thermonuclear 'burning', an eruption that led to the brightening seen by the Carthusian monk Anthelme and the astronomer Hevelius, and in the hourglass we see today." Professor Albert Zijlstra, from The University of Manchester's School of Physics & Astronomy, co-author of the study, says: "Stellar collisions are the most violent events in the Universe. Most attention is given to collisions between neutrons stars, between two white dwarfs - which can give a supernova - and star-planet collisions. "But it is very rare to actually see a collision, and where we believe one occurred, it is difficult to know what kind of stars collided. The type we believe that happened here is a new one, not previously considered or ever seen before. This is an extremely exciting discovery." Professor Sumner Starrfield, Regents' Professor of Astrophysics at Arizona State University comments: "The white dwarf would have been about 10 times more massive than the brown dwarf, so as the brown dwarf spiralled into the white dwarf it would have been ripped apart by the intense tidal forces exerted by the white dwarf. When these two objects collided, they spilled out a cocktail of molecules and unusual element isotopes. "These organic molecules, which we could not only detect with ALMA, but also measure how they were expanding into the surrounding environment, provide compelling evidence of the true origin of this blast. This is the first time such an event has been conclusively identified. "Intriguingly, the hourglass is also rich in organic molecules such as formaldehyde (H2CO), methanol (CH3OH) and methanamide (NH2CHO). These molecules would not survive in an environment undergoing nuclear fusion and must have been produced in the debris from the explosion. This lends further support to the conclusion that a brown dwarf met its demise in a star-on-star collision with a white dwarf." Since most star systems in the Milky Way are binary, stellar collisions are not that rare, the astronomers note. Professor Starrfield adds: "Such collisions are probably not rare and this material will eventually become part of a new planetary system, implying that they may already contain the building-blocks of organic molecules as they are forming." ### Carbon losses caused by El Nino forest fires of 2015 and 2016 could be up to four times greater than thought, according to a study of 6.5 million hectares of forest in Brazilian Amazonia. New research, published in a special issue of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, has revealed that the aftermath of 2015 and 2016 forest fires in the Amazon resulted in CO2 emissions three to four times greater than comparable estimates from existing global fire emissions databases. The finding is part of a series of results published this week by Lancaster University researchers who were working in the heart of the site of one of the worst forest fires the Amazon has seen in a generation. Researchers say uncontrolled wildfires in the understorey - or ground level - of humid tropical forests during extreme droughts are a large and poorly quantified source of CO2 emissions. The study 'Quantifying immediate carbon emissions from El Nino-mediated wildfires in humid tropical forests' looked at a 6.5 million hectare region, of which almost 1 million hectares of primary and secondary forests burned during the 2015-2016 El Nino (an area approximately the size of half of Wales). Although the area analyzed covers less than 0.2% of Brazilian Amazonia, these wildfires resulted in expected immediate CO2 emissions of over 30 Million tonnes, three to four times greater than comparable estimates from global fire emissions databases. Lead author Kieran Withey of Lancaster University said : "Uncontrolled understorey wildfires in humid tropical forests during extreme droughts are a large and poorly quantified source of CO2 emissions . These understory fires completely consumed leaf litter and fine woody debris, while partially burning coarse woody debris; resulting in high immediate CO2 emissions. This analysis covers an area of just 0.7% of Brazil, but the amount of carbon lost corresponds to 6% of the annual emissions of the whole of Brazil in 2014." At the end of 2015, Santarem in the Brazilian state of Para, was one of the epicenters of that year's El Nino. The region experienced a severe drought and extensive forest fires and the researchers were working right in the middle of it. Scientists from 'ECOFOR', the international research project led by Professor Jos Barlow from Lancaster University, had installed 20 study plots in Santarem, eight of which burned. The research team quickly realized they had the opportunity to document in detail how a forest responds to fire on this scale. Dr Erika Berenguer of Oxford and Lancaster University, and colleagues found that following the fires, the surviving trees grew significantly more than those located in unburned forests, regardless of their history of previous human disturbance. On average trees in burned areas of forest grew 249% more than trees in forests hit by drought but not fire. Although the growth rate is good news, this large increase in growth appears to be a relatively short-term response. Professor Jos Barlow of Lancaster University said: "Only a few trees can survive these wildfires, as Amazonian forests did not co-evolve with this threat. So even though surviving trees grow faster in burned forests, this does not compensate the large carbon loss that results from tree mortality." Meanwhile, Camila V. J. Silva of Lancaster University led research including 31 other burned plots across the Brazilian Amazon, which showed that even 30 years after a fire, seemingly 'recovered' forests still hold 25% less carbon than nearby undisturbed primary forests. She said: "Wildfires in humid tropical forests can significantly reduce forest biomass for decades by enhancing mortality rates of large and high wood density trees (such as Brazil Nut or Mahogany) , which store the largest amount of biomass in old growth forests. Our work has demonstrated that wildfires significantly slow down or stall the post-fire recovery of Amazonian forests. Dr Berenguer said: "Overall, our combined results highlight the importance of considering wildfires in Brazilian forest conservation and climate change policies. With climate models projecting a hotter and drier future for the Amazon basin, wildfires are likely to become more widespread. The continued failure to consider wildfires in public policies will lead to shorter fire-return intervals, with forests being unable to recover their carbon stocks." ### CORVALLIS, Ore. - A new study shows that Atlantic salmon use the Earth's magnetic field as a navigational tool - much like their cousins, Pacific salmon - and don't lose that ability through several generations of fish even after they have been transplanted into a land-locked lake. The findings suggest that Atlantic salmon, which are widely used in aquaculture, may have greater potential to navigate and thus invade novel habitats if they escape their pens, researchers say. Results of the study are being published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This is the first time in which scientists have documented that another genus of salmon use the magnetic field as a map for navigation. A landmark 2014 study by Oregon State University researchers show that Chinook salmon use the magnetic field to orient themselves as they migrate over hundreds, even thousands of miles through the Pacific Ocean to target their oceanic foraging grounds. The researchers constructed a testing apparatus at the Oregon Hatchery Research Center with several "arenas" surrounded by wooden coils wrapped in copper wire to mimic Earth's magnetic field, and tested 1,150 juvenile Atlantic salmon transported from Oregon's Hosmer Lake. Atlantic salmon had first been brought to the land-locked lake from Maine some 60 years ago, and the researchers were curious to see if they had navigational abilities similar to ocean-going salmon, according to lead author Michelle Scanlan, faculty research assistant in OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences and lead author on the PNAS article. "We wanted to see how Atlantic salmon would respond if we put them into different magnetic fields at the boundaries of Pacific salmon oceanic range," Scanlan said. "If we put them into an extreme northern field, would they 'course-correct' and align themselves in a southerly direction, and vice-versa? And the answer was yes. They clearly aligned themselves in the tank to adjust to an appropriate magnetic field signal." This ability to use the magnetic field to navigate by land-locked Atlantic salmon is of particular concern because of an incident in August of 2017, when 200,000 to 300,000 Atlantic salmon escaped an aquaculture pen in Washington's Puget Sound. Eight months later, one of the fish was reportedly caught 40 miles up the Skagit River, raising concerns about the impact on native salmon and the ecosystem. The state of Washington has since banned Atlantic salmon farms. The study also raises some interesting questions about how long fish in general, and salmon in particular, retain skills they no longer need, said Nathan Putman, a senior scientist with LGL Ecological Research Associates in Bryan, Texas, who led the 2014 Pacific salmon navigation study as a post-doctoral scholar at OSU. "Why didn't the Hosmer Lake fish lose their ability to navigate?" Putman said. "It apparently isn't a 'use it or lose it' skill. It may be possible that they have some finer-scale navigation tools at their disposal to use in a lake. Even at small-scales, fish are confronted by a variety of spatial tasks that might benefit from use of magnetic cues - from traveling in a straight line to maneuvering through the water column. More research is needed to answer those questions." A study by the same researchers published in February in Biology Letters found that larval salmon use the magnetic field when emerging from "redds" or nests and into the water column - suggesting salmon do have some fine-scale magnetic tools that may not have been fully identified. On a broad scale, however, the use of the magnetic field explains, in part, how salmon can find the way to their river of origin. "The magnetic field is kind of like having a GPS system in your car," said Amanda Pollock, a graduate student in OSU's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and co-author on the study. "That gets them close to their river and then their olfactory senses kick in." And that ability is retained even throughout many generations of landlocked individuals. ### The senior scientist for the project is David Noakes, professor in the OSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Evidence of a variable but progressively drying climate coincides with a major shift in stone-tool-making abilities and the appearance of modern Homo sapiens A progressively drying climate punctuated by variable wetter episodes may have precipitated the transition from our hominin ancestors to anatomically modern humans, according to research published on Oct. 8 in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). Since the discovery of a rich assemblage of human fossils as well as stone tools and other archeological evidence in the rift valley of East Africa, a region often referred to as the cradle of humanity, scientists have attempted to piece together the complex puzzle that is the history of our human origins, including the environmental context of that history. The study, based on lake sediment cores, is the first to provide a continuous environmental context for the diverse archeological evidence recovered from nearby localities in the rift valley basins of southern Kenya. The cores were sampled from Lake Magadi as part of the Hominin Sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project, or HSPDP, which is directed by University of Arizona professor Andrew Cohen. Lake Magadi, a shallow, periodically dry lake, is close to the Olorgesailie basin in Kenya, one of the most productive sites for archaeological evidence of human evolution in Africa. The authors suggest that the profound climatic changes may have been driving forces behind hominin evolution, the origins of modern Homo sapiens and the onset of the Middle Stone Age. While previous hypotheses have related hominin evolution to climate change, most prior studies lack regional-scale evidence for a link between environment and hominin evolution, the authors write in the paper, "Progressive aridification in East Africa over the last half million years and implications for human evolution." According to the study, a trend toward intense aridification in the area began 575,000 years ago. The change, not previously documented in continuous continental cores from East Africa, corresponds with faunal extinctions and a major transformation in stone tool technology documented in the Olorgesailie region. "Much evidence for human evolution has been gathered from the area, but linking those records to detailed environmental records was missing until now," said the study's lead author, Richard Owen, of Hong Kong Baptist University. "There is a big gap in the records between the last Early Stone Age tools 500,000 years ago and the appearance of Middle Stone Age tools about 320,000 years ago. Our results plugged that gap with a continuous environmental record." A critical transition occurred sometime during this gap, a period for which archeologists have unearthed evidence of a leap in early humans' abilities to make, use and trade stone tools. The cores from Lake Magadi provide the first detailed link between climate change and events known from the region's archeological record. "We have known for a while that the climate at the time was very varied, but the key here is that the records are in proximity to the archeological evidence for this transition," says Cohen, a professor in the University of Arizona's Department of Geosciences. "The older stone tools found at Olorgesailie did not change much between 1.2 million and a half-million years ago. And suddenly, after 500,000 and before 320,000 years ago - we don't know exactly when, but in that timespan - there was a critical transition in archeology when tools became more sophisticated and were transported over longer distances." At the same time the lake core records point to the climate becoming drier and more variable, there is evidence elsewhere in Africa of the appearance of modern Homo sapiens, prompting much speculation whether the two are connected, Cohen said. "Whether the evolution of bigger brains goes hand in hand with new toolkits is not entirely clear," he said. "But the earliest modern Homo sapiens fossils from Morocco date back 325,000 years, the same time we see this transition of tools. And both happened around the same time that our core record indicates severe drying very close to the archeological sites." The deepest core drilled at Lake Magadi reached 200 meters (650 feet), penetrating all sedimentary layers down to the volcanic bedrock of the lake. The core samples, each about 10 feet long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter, are cut into manageable 5-foot segments, packaged and air-freighted to the National Lake Core Facility at the University of Minnesota for curation, analysis and storage. According to the hypothesis of variability selection, a rapidly changing environment creates selective pressure that forces species to adapt to rapid change, Owen said. Under that scenario, the larger brains of anatomically modern humans would have allowed our ancestors to adapt quickly to an increasingly less predictable world. "Now we have evidence that at the same time the toolkits were changing, the mammal fauna changed and the climate became more arid," Owen said. "So you have a series of coincidences that makes you think, 'This could be real.' Now we can say when the environment changed and then compare that to the archeological evidence of the region." Drilling at other nearby sites by HSPDP has been completed as researchers gather more of the region's climate data to continue studying the importance of environmental variability in the course of human evolution. ### The Hong Kong Research Grants Council, the International Continental Drilling Program, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan funded the research. From photonics to pharmaceuticals, materials made with polymer nanoparticles hold promise for products of the future. However, there are still gaps in understanding the properties of these tiny plastic-like particles. Now, Hojin Kim, a graduate student in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Delaware, together with a team of collaborating scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany, Princeton University and the University of Trento, has uncovered new insights about polymer nanoparticles. The team's findings, including properties such as surface mobility, glass transition temperature and elastic modulus, were published in Nature Communications. Under the direction of MPI Prof. George Fytas, the team used Brillouin light spectroscopy, a technique that spelunks the molecular properties of microscopic nanoparticles by examining how they vibrate. "We analyzed the vibration between each nanoparticle to understand how their mechanical properties change at different temperatures," Kim said. "We asked, 'What does a vibration at different temperatures indicate? What does it physically mean?' " The characteristics of polymer nanoparticles differ from those of larger particles of the same material. "Their nanostructure and small size provide different mechanical properties," Kim said. "It's really important to understand the thermal behavior of nanoparticles in order to improve the performance of a material." Take polystyrene, a material commonly used in nanotechnology. Larger particles of this material are used in plastic bottles, cups and packaging materials. "Polymer nanoparticles can be more flexible or weaker at the glass transition temperature at which they soften from a stiff texture to a soft one, and it decreases as particle size decreases," Kim said. That's partly because polymer mobility at small particle surface can be activated easily. It's important to know when and why this transition occurs, since some products, such as filter membranes, need to stay strong when exposed to a variety of conditions. For example, a disposable plastic cup made with the polymer polystyrene might hold up in boiling water--but that cup doesn't have nanoparticles. The research team found that polystyrene nanoparticles start to experience the thermal transition at 343 Kelvin (158 degrees F), known as the softening temperature, below a glass transition temperature of 372 K (210 F) of the nanoparticles, just short of the temperature of boiling water. When heated to this point, the nanoparticles don't vibrate--they stand completely still. This hadn't been seen before, and the team found evidence to suggest that this temperature may activate a highly mobile surface layer in the nanoparticle, Kim said. As particles heated up between their softening temperature and glass transition temperature, the particles interacted with each other more and more. Other research groups have previously suspected that glass transition temperature drops with decreases in particle size decreases because of differences in particle mobility, but they could not observe it directly. "Using different method and instruments, we analyzed our data at different temperatures and actually verified there is something on the polymer nanoparticle surface that is more mobile compared to its core," he said. By studying interactions between the nanoparticles, the team also uncovered their elastic modulus, or stiffness. Next up, Kim plans to use this information to build a nanoparticle film that can govern the propagation of sound waves. Eric Furst, professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UD, is also a corresponding author on the paper. "Hojin took the lead on this project and achieved results beyond what I could have predicted," said Furst. "He exemplifies excellence in doctoral engineering research at Delaware, and I can't wait to see what he does next." ### PHILADELPHIA - The Cancer Patient Education Network (CPEN) honored the Patient Education Team from Penn Medicine's OncoLink with the 2018 Excellence in Patient Education Award. The award recognizes individuals or programs that use creative approaches to develop and circulate cancer education to patients and health care professionals. The OncoLink team received the award Friday during the CPEN annual meeting in Atlanta. Launched in 1994, OncoLink was the first cancer information website on the internet and remains one of the largest, with a mission to support patients, caregivers, and practitioners with up-to-date information on all aspects of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. The award honors the OncoLink educational content team, which includes managing editor Carolyn Vachani, MSN, RN, oncology content specialist Karen Arnold-Korzeniowski, BSN, RN, and psychosocial oncology content editor Christina Bach, MBE, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C. OncoLink's information covers all types of cancer, treatment options, risk factors, prevention strategies, and survivorship concerns, with the intent to help patients and families make educated treatment decisions and become active participants in their care. Other features include a section to help newly diagnosed patients navigate their cancer experience. OncoLink also provides tools and educational materials to support the practice of busy practitioners, including on treatment education, psychosocial support and survivorship care plans. These create a one-stop shop for patient education, enabling more impactful patient interactions, improving patient-provider communication and satisfaction. Among its accomplishments, the team has produced a survivorship care-plan builder. The resulting care plans aim to ease common concerns expressed by cancer survivors. This tool has been used to create over 80,000 individualized care plans, which have received overwhelmingly positive feedback. The team continues to refine the tool based on the needs of cancer survivors and care providers. The team also regularly expands and updates OncoLink's library of resources, including articles, videos, and blogs. Its work reaches millions of patients via the website as well as syndication and licensing partners. ### Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $7.8 billion enterprise. The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top medical schools in the United States for more than 20 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $405 million awarded in the 2017 fiscal year. The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center -- which are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report -- Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Medicine Princeton Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, a leading provider of highly skilled and compassionate behavioral healthcare. Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2017, Penn Medicine provided more than $500 million to benefit our community. The study reveals how traffickers quickly target and connect with vulnerable children on the Internet through social media Social media is increasingly being exploited to contact, recruit and sell children for sex, according to a study by The University of Toledo Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute. The study, which was requested by the Ohio Attorney General's Human Trafficking Commission, reveals how traffickers quickly target and connect with vulnerable children on the Internet through social media. "It is vitally important to educate parents, professionals and youth - especially our middle school or teenage daughters who may be insecure - about the dangers of online predatory practices used by master manipulators," said Dr. Celia Williamson, UT professor of social work and director of the UT Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute. "Through this outreach and education, we can help save children from becoming victims of modern-day slavery." "We know predators are using the internet to find their victims, and this eye-opening study highlights what a predator looks for in a victim and helps parents recognize the signs that their child may be a target," Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said. "Using real-life examples, this study provides valuable information that parents can use to start open and honest conversations with their children about staying safe online." Through a series of 16 in-depth interviews by the institute's staff and student interns with knowledgeable members of Ohio law enforcement, judges, direct service providers, advocates and researchers who engaged with victims who were trafficked online, the study outlines how traffickers connect to vulnerable youth online, groom the children to form quicker relationships, avoid detection, and move the connections from online to in-person. "The transition from messaging to meeting a trafficker in person is becoming less prevalent," Williamson said. "As technology is playing a larger role in trafficking, this allows some traffickers to be able to exploit youth without meeting face-to-face. Social media helps to mask traditional cues that alert individuals to a potentially dangerous person." Williamson cites a 2018 report that says while 58 percent of victims eventually meet their traffickers face to face, 42 percent who initially met their trafficker online never met their trafficker in person and were still trafficked. The experts, whose identities are not being released, said the traffickers educate themselves by studying what the victim posts on commonly used view-and-comment sites such as Facebook, Instagram or SnapChat, as well as dating apps such as Tinder, Blendr and Yellow, or webcam sites like Chatroulette and Monkey, in order to build trust. "These guys, they learn about the girls and pretend to understand them, and so these girls, who are feeling not understood and not loved and not beautiful ... these guys are very good at sort of pretending that they are all of these things and they really understand them and, 'I know how you feel, you are beautiful,' and just filling the hole that these girls are feeling," said a professional contributing to the study. One expert in Columbus shares a telling story: "The guy was reaching out to a lot of girls all day long. One girl, who is actually in a youth home, she had access to the Internet, and he connects with her on a social media platform. He drives all the way up from Columbus to Toledo, picks her up at her foster home and drives her back down to Columbus, and then traffics her here in Columbus. You know, 20, 30 years ago he would have never been able to connect with her, but because of social media, that connection was immediately made in over a few hours. He found out where she was and she told him, 'Yeah, please come get me. I want out of here.'" Examples of social media posts that draw the attention of a trafficker include expressions of fear, emptiness and disappointment, such as: "Nobody gets me." "I am so sick of being single." "I am so ugly." "How do I look?" "My life sucks." "She's not my true friend." "My parents don't trust me." "I'm being treated like a kid." "I need to get out of here." Predators look for indicators of substance abuse, runaway activity and destabilization within the home. A trafficker's strategic response includes: "I understand you." "I love you." "I think you're beautiful. I'll encourage you to show your body. Use your body." "I'll make your life better." "I'll encourage you to take risks. You're an adult." "I'll protect you." "I'll make you successful." Grooming children for sex trafficking consists of convincing someone to send a risky picture and then using it to extort them. "They will use fear of repercussions as a way to compel the youth, coerce the youth [to move them from a monitored page to a less monitored page]... by saying, 'You don't want your parents to find out what we're talking about,'" said one expert. Technology offers traffickers ease in advertising multiple victims at one time. The study lists several advertising and sales sites browsed by "johns/sugar daddies," such as Cityxguide, Skipthegames, Bedpage, Seekingarrangement.com and sugar-babies.com. Williamson said Bedpage is a spin-off of Backpage, which was the focus of a 2017 documentary called "I Am Jane Doe" about the fight against child sex trafficking online. "Even though Backpage has been shut down, other sites are being created and gaining traction," Williamson said. "The landscape is rapidly changing." Parents form the front line in the fight to protect their child against traffickers by monitoring or blocking questionable activity. "Parents who are educated can wage a worthy defense against potential recruitment and recruitment of their youth online," Williamson said. "Parents who work to build healthy, open and communicative relationships are more likely to have youth that share information about where they go and who they talk to online." ### The study lists several resources for parents and children, including: For additional resources on ways to prevent human trafficking, visit the Ohio Attorney General's website at https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Publications-Files/Publications-for-Victims/Human-Trafficking-An-Online-Threat. Privacy Settings This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. You may change your settings at any time. Your choices will not impact your visit. NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using. Monday, October 8, 2018 If you have the cremated remains of loved ones around your home, and youd like to give them a permanent final resting place for free, take advantage of the Catholic Cemetery Associations Cremated Remains Committal Program. The Vatican has said its okay to be cremated, but those cremated remains must be kept intact, not scattered, and placed in a cemetery. On November 2, 2018, the Diocese of Santa Fe will hold a committal service in Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Albuquerque and Rosario Cemetery in Santa Fe. The deceased persons and their families do not need to be Catholic to participate. There will be a Mass celebrating the memory of those being laid to rest. Family and friends of the deceased, as well as the broader community, are invited to attend. A procession to the gravesite and Committal Service will follow the Mass. Plan Ahead You must make arrangements in advance to take advantage of this opportunity! If you are caring for a loved ones cremated remains at home, contact Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Albuquerque at 505-243-0218 or Rosario Cemetery in Santa Fe at 505-983-2322 by October 31, 2018. Schedule an appointment to speak with an advisor. Arrangements and paperwork must be completed no later than October 31, 2018. Invite family and friends to attend the service. The Committal Services will both take place at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, November 2. Mt. Calvary Cemetery is located at 1900 Edith Blvd. NE in Albuquerque. Rosario Cemetery is located at 499 N. Guadalupe Street in Santa Fe. Download a PDF flyer for this event. The Committal Services are part of the Before I Die New Mexico Festival. Let them know you heard about this opportunity through A Good Goodbye and the Before I Die New Mexico Festival! Listen on Catholic Radio October 8 These Committal Services and the Before I Die New Mexico Festival will be discussed on The Archbishops Hour radio show on Monday, October 8 starting at noon on Catholic Radio. Festival coordinator Gail Rubin and Augustin Villegas with the Catholic Cemetery Association join host Mary Woods to talk about this opportunity and the festival. Share this: Monday, October 8, 2018 A month after its win at Spa, Luigi Chinetti, Sr. and Lord Selsdon of England placed their barchetta eighth in the Grand Prix of the Auto Club of Paris at Monthlhery, which turned out to be its last race on European soil. But by no means was s/n 0010 M done racing. In early 1950, the car was sold through Chinetti to Jim Kimberly of Chicago, Illinois, heir to the Kimberly Clark industrial empire. This blog post is a reprint of a story written by Alan Boe that appeared in VeloceToday.com as well as Cavallino magazine. Kimberly in 0010 M leads Cunningham in the Healey Silverstone and Jim Pauley in the nerdy-Danese up the hill at the Glenn in 1950. He finished 4th over all in the Grand Prix and first in class F. Kimberly raced the barchetta successfully in 1950 and 1951, posting wins at the Studebaker Proving Grounds in Indiana on June 17 and at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on July 23, 1950, and placing second on the index and first in class (with his mechanic, Marshall Lewis) on New Years Eve at Sebring, Florida, in the Six Hour Sam Collier Memorial Race. The following year, Lewis, who had extensive racing experience, rode the red barchetta to a win at Palm Springs, California, on April 1 when Kimberly was called home suddenly due to his fathers illness. Not only did this make s/n 0010 M the first Ferrari to race in California, but it was also the first to win there. Kimberlys last competition drives in s/n 0010 M came on the weekend of May 26 and 27, 1951, on Californias Monterey Peninsula. In the Saturday Del Monte handicap race, the barchetta finished sixth and then on Sunday, while running third in the Pebble Beach Cup Race, Kimberly spun on lap twenty on oil laid down by a blown MG engine. The barchetta rotated to the inside of the track, dug in, and flipped, landing on top of Kimberly who was held inside by his World War II surplus seatbelts! The damaged barchetta was returned to Chicago for repairs and then sold to Jim Simpson. Repainted yellow, Simpson campaigned the car in SCCA races in 1952 and 1953. Recalls Sitz, Every time I saw Kimberly he always had a beautiful lady with him-Ginger Rogers at Pebble Beach to console him after flipping the 166 and then Esther Williams at March Field later on. Completely Restored, the Ferrari Receives a Second Life No longer competitive, 0010 M began a twenty-six-year odyssey, which saw it go through a series of owners in the US until, in 1980, Warren Sanke of San Francisco acquired it and oversaw a much-needed rebuild. As it turned out, this was the first of two full-scale restorations given to the barchetta. Renewed, the car began its second life with Sanke who used it for vintage racing and as a show car the barchetta won several major west coast concours awards, including a First Place in the Ferrari Competition Class at Pebble Beach in 1984 and the Hans Tanner Trophy given to the best Ferrari at Pebble Beach that year. In 1985 Sanke sold the car to George Jewett of San Mateo, California. In Jewetts care the 0010 M captured several more concours ribbons, was vintage raced, and participated in the 1987 historic Mille Miglia Rally in Italy. In June of 1990, s/n 0010 M was sold to a Swiss collector, but six years later it was back in the U.S. where it was found by Jon Shirley of Medina, Washington, via the 1996 Christies Auction at Pebble Beach. In August of 1997, all cleaned up but still awaiting its ultimate restoration, the barchetta was invited to the Meadow Brook Concours in Michigan which that year was honoring Ferrari on its 50th anniversary. Not only did s/n 0010 M come away with the trophy for the Best Ferrari in the show, but it also took the award for the best Race Car in the Concours. And then a month later owners Jon and Mary Shirley completed a very wet Colorado Grand in the now appropriately named little boat. Amazing Ferrari Restored to 1949 Configuration At this point, the car was turned over to Pete Lovely Racing in Puyallup, Washington, where, under the skilled hands of Butch Dennison, the barchetta was returned to its 1949 Spa, Belgium, configuration. This restoration included the number board on the rear deck, the screen covered headlights, white trim around the grille, its Spa racing numbers, and the pair of driving lights that had been installed for Le Mans in 1949. For the 1997/98 restoration, the barchetta was completely disassembled down to the last nut and bolt and entirely rebuilt over a two-year period. Lots of interesting things reveal themselves during restorations of this sort. For example, when the engine was torn down it was discovered that the thrust bearing for the crankshaft was basically worn away, such that the crank would run on the block when the clutch pedal was depressed. Hard to explain how the car managed to finish the Colorado Grand. In addition to restoring the barchetta to its Spa livery, the car had to be made fully race worthy as it was going to be campaigned in vintage events, so great care was given to the rebuilding of the suspension, brakes, gearbox, and motor. The engine was disassembled by Dennison, Shirley and David Lewontin of Vintage Racing Motors in Redmond, Washington, and rebuilt by Lewontin, while the task of researching the barchettas Spa aesthetics and technical details was undertaken by Jon Shirley. How successful was the second restoration? Its first rebuild appearance came at the 1999 Ferrari Club of America national Concours in Georgia, where the barchetta hit the trifecta coming away with a Platinum Concours award, the trophy for the Best Competition Car, and the prestigious Coppa GT Award. Then came Pebble Beach and a First in the Ferrari Competition Class, plus the Luigi Chinetti Trophy given to the Best Ferrari on the 18th fairway. A month later it was a First in Class at the Louis Vuitton Concours in New York City, and then the barchetta again became a driver. The New England Forza Mille Rally was next. Here s/n 0010 M won its Rally Class, participated in all the track events, and came away with the Vintage Spirit Award because, in addition to slogging through heavy rain, all necessary mechanical work on the car was done on the spot by the owner/driver. And then it was on to the Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach, Florida. Following a Third in Class finish in the Ferrari Historic Challenge Race for drum braked cars at nearby Moroso, the barchetta, all cleaned up and looking fresh, came through with a Platinum Concorso Award, and the Cavallino Cup presented to the Best Ferrari in the Cavallino Classis Concorso. Denny Cornett Missed the Race Season but has Fond Memories Back in late 1953, 0010 M found its fifth owner when Ebby Lunken of Cincinnati, Ohio, sold it to Denver (Denny) Cornett of Bagdad, Kentucky. Intending to race the barchetta in 1954, Cornett got it on the circuit at Camp Atterbury in Indiana for an SCCA event, but all he took out of the race was a blistered hand from trying to hold the car in gear it would pop out of any cog under acceleration. Cornett contacted Luigi Chinetti for new gearbox parts and was told they would not be available until that fall. There went the racing season,." Cornetts words. Besides a hill climb in French Lick, Indiana, it was the only racing the barchetta did in 1954. But Cornett still fondly remembers the barchetta many years later its a hard car to forget. The body was very thin, and the fender tops were kinda flat from all the people leaning on them and the numerous crash repairs, he recalled. At the end of the 1954 season, Cornett traded the car to Bob Fergus of Columbus, Ohio, for an Arnolt Bristol but he kept a few parts such as the under cowl oil tank, a pair of conrods from number ten, eleven pistons, and the transmission cover. The parts went to Jon Shirley for the 1997/98 restoration. The oil tank is interesting. It has two taps, which dispense one liter of oil each to the engine, a necessity for long distance races. Denny Cornett is a one of a kind. A charter life member of the SCCA, he owned and raced the silver and black MG TC that he drove to a seventh-place finish in the inaugural race at Watkins Glen in 1948. Although his first Ferrari was 0010 M, he also owned a 340 Mexico Vignale berlinetta, s/n 0222 AT that later belonged to David Sydorick. He remembers having to open a door to let the water out after getting caught in a downpour in the car and what a handful it was to drive on the street, but he says it was exactly the opposite on the racetrack. This story originally appeared in Cavallino #117 and is published with permission. Thank you to Editor Pete Vack of VeloceToday.com and author Alan Boe for allowing us to reprint From Italy to Kimberly to Cornett, Part 2 of Alan Boes History of 0010M. If you have any questions or know of a Ferrari or other classic car with a story, please share it in the comment section below. Monday, October 8, 2018 The Importance of Discussing the Side Effects with Your Physician CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson Lakewood, Colorado, October 8, 2018 Prescription drugs are big money for pharmaceutical companies. Even when patents expire and generics alternatives are available, consumers still pay high prices. Many older adults with chronic conditions fail to fill prescriptions because they simply can't afford the cost. Those with memory loss or Alzheimer's Disease may forget to fill the prescriptions. Adults of all ages don't fill the prescriptions because of concerns about side effects. 4.25 billion prescriptions are projected to be filled at retail locations in 2019 Many individuals over age 50 are diagnosed with one or more chronic diseases that may be annoying but not necessarily life threatening. These include high blood pressure and related heart conditions, diabetes and kidney disease, different types of arthritis, COPD, asthma, and cancer. Pain is a common concern. Prescription medications relieve many of these day to day concerns. But at what cost financially and to the body physically and mentally? How many doctors take the time to give thorough explanations unless questions are asked? In my twenty plus years as a caregiving advocate, many of my clients living at home, in assisted living, or skilled nursing communities took a long list of medications. Many of these medications were necessary to support daily ability to physically and mentally function. Pain resulting from arthritis was always a concern. For older adults, pain medications and medications for incontinence, have the negative side effect of resulting in falls. Good RX compiled a list of the most-dispensed prescriptions in the U.S. as of May 2017 as reported in an article in Becker's Hospital Review. Based on all of the news about the opioid epidemic, it's no wonder that opioid medications rank number one on the list. Other common medications listed in the top ten are for thyroid, arthritis, bacterial infections, high blood pressure, cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. Many of my older adult clients are regular consumers of these prescription medications. Before you begin to take any prescription medication, there are questions that you must ask. Not only about the medication but about the condition the medication treats and the positive and negative side effects. My article on Your Tango, How to Know When You Should (Or Shouldn't) Be Concerned About Side Effects of Medication lists 10 questions to consider before agreeing to take any medication or supplement. Be wise. Be safe. Ask the right questions about your health today so that you live well in your later years. Virginia Messick can count the ways her life was changed when an Air Force sergeant sexually assaulted her during basic training. Seven years later, shes angry all the time. She cries randomly. She avoids crowds. She takes medication to snuff out nightmares and struggles to sleep. Hypervigilant after the assault, she took to packing a knife. I carry a gun now, she said. Messicks assailant, Staff Sgt. Luis Walker, killed himself in a military prison in 2014. She and her Veterans Affairs counselors thought her torment would ease with time, but it hasnt worked out that way. Walker still lives within her mind, a swaggering figure who abused and sexually assaulted the recruits he was supposed to train at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Walker, described by a prosecutor as the consummate predator in a scandal that helped bring major changes to the military justice system, loomed a little larger last week as a bitter partisan fight erupted over President Trumps Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. Victims of sexual violence in the military often remain silent for years, and those who file complaints struggle to be believed. Many saw echoes of their own experience in the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, the California research psychologist who came forward to accuse Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a high school party decades ago. Kavanaugh vehemently denied the allegation, and the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination Saturday on a near party-line vote of 50 to 48. Explaining their support for Kavanaugh, many Republican senators said Fords charge was uncorroborated, and some questioned why she didnt report the incident to police when it happened. Messick, now 27 and living in Florida, didnt tell anyone about what Walker did to her, until she was confronted by investigators. Its so hard to pinpoint why someone wouldnt report, because theres so many different reasons, which is unfortunate, she said in an interview. I didnt want to be the girl who cried rape and then nobody would want to work with me because a lot of women in the military, if you come out about your sexual assault or something happening to you, you get shamed about it. Biennial surveys since 2007 have found that tens of thousands of U.S. service members have said they were sexually assaulted. The Pentagons most recent Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military said 14,900 service members were assaulted in the 2016 fiscal year. Nearly seven in every 10 victims said they told no one in authority about what happened to them. The number of sexual assaults actually reported to military authorities hasnt changed significantly in recent years, and only a fraction of those cases 406 went to trial in 2017. Nearly 60 percent of the service members who did report assaults said they were subjected to some kind of retaliation for doing so. In the U.S. population as a whole, nearly one in three women and one in six men have suffered some form of sexual violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The estimates are based on 2012 data collected in the agencys National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, published in 2017. The CDC also reported that nearly 23 million women and 1.7 million men have been victims of rape or attempted rape. Against this backdrop, Fords decision to weather public scrutiny and mockery from the president prompted men and women across the country to take to social media to recount their experiences with sexual assault. One of them, Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty, revealed that a man had groped her on an overseas U.S. Air Force base when she was nine years old. He asked me if I liked it. I thought I had done something wrong, she wrote. Tumulty told the San Antonio Express-News that her tweet was not meant to be a statement on whether Brett Kavanaugh had done what he was accused of doing, but rather, a response to President Trumps tweet questioning why Christine Ford did not come forward - or tell her parents - when it happened. My tweet came as a shock to my own brother, Tumulty said. I honestly dont know if I would have gone public, even this many years later, if my parents were still alive. Dating relationship sours Reserve Maj. Anita Young, one of the Air Forces few female African American navigators, said she went on a dinner date in San Antonio in early July 2017 with a fellow officer. They had consensual sex that night, but Young said the officers behavior was troubling. When they went out a second time, she declined to have sex with him, she said. He persisted. She submitted. Young, 44, said she tried to ignore him the third time they met, on a Sunday night at her apartment, and that he said: Im tired of you telling me no. Thats all youve been doing is telling me no. Two days later, she filed a complaint, which triggered an investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Feeling unsupported by OSI and her command, Young said she withdrew her complaint but re-filed it last December. Shes awaiting a conference with her special victims counsel, a lawyer assigned to sexual assault victims in the armed services, to learn about the status of her case. The Air Force launched the SVC program in January 2013 in response to widespread sexual abuse of young recruits at Lackland. An 18-year Air Force veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, Young said she first learned of the Kavanaugh controversy on the Internet. It didnt surprise her, she said, that some doubted Fords story, and that Kavanaughs supporters defended him as an upstanding family man. People have this notion that (in) all sexual assaults, you have to wind up in an alley and you have to have blood coming down your nose and you have to have been attempted to have a murder perpetrated on you, Young said. That doesnt mean anything, she said. So to hear them say those things almost kind of, it just sets me back, and I cannot tell anyone and especially in the military I cannot tell anyone in good conscience to report. The struggle to be believed is a longstanding barrier for sexual assault victims. Thats the battle they face every time they come forward, said retired Air Force Col. Don Christensen, once the services chief prosecutor and now president of Protect Our Defenders, an advocacy group for military assault and sexual assault victims. Over my 27 years that Ive been doing this, one of the common refrains that you hear is the perpetrator tells the victim after hes finished that no one will believe you. And unfortunately, they have people like President Trump reinforcing that. Anxiety that goes on and on and on and on Messick, who lives in the Florida Panhandle, knows that firsthand. Her testimony and that of other recruits trained by Walker led to a string of trials at Lackland, home to Air Force basic training. Thirty-five instructors were investigated for allegedly assaulting and harassing 69 recruits and technical training students. A number of the cases involved consensual sex between instructors and trainees, which is forbidden by the Air Force. Walker was convicted of aggravated sexual assault and rape in connection with illicit relationships with 10 women he oversaw. Messick, who testified for the prosecution at Walkers trial, said that in the first week of training, he seemed like any other instructor, barking orders and making the female recruits do pushups. Around 10 days later, he acted like a sympathetic camp counselor, which struck Messick as odd. A few days after that, she said, Walker made his first move. I could tell youre from the country because you have an accent. I could tell how you carry yourself. Youre tough, Messick recalled him saying. All you country girls are crazy. Girl, theyre hot. Days after that, he grabbed her, ran his hands over her shirt and kissed her, she said. Stunned, Messick pushed him away and told him never to touch her again. In the fifth week of training, he lured her into an empty office. Inside, he grabbed her and threatened to have her thrown out of the Air Force or made to repeat part of basic training if she didnt submit to him. He coldly dismissed her after they had finished, throwing her uniform at her and calling her a stupid bitch, Messick said. As a result of her ordeal, Messick was medically discharged from the Air Force. She receives a 70-percent VA disability for service-connected Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Now a self-employed makeup artist, shes able to leave her mothers house in Baker, Florida, for only a few hours at a time. She feels anxious in public, wondering if people are looking at her, and shell go to the back of a checkout line if someone stands too close behind her. She doesnt trust men. Messick wonders if her daughter, Layden, 3, has picked up on that. The little girl will hug a women she meets but will stand behind her mom if a man is around. The Kavanaugh controversy stirred up old feelings, but its a lesser issue compared with having to start over professionally, she said. Ive been more triggered by that lately, like I get very upset that this isnt where I wanted to be in life, she said. Im really bad about being the person who thinks, Well, in retrospect, if that wouldnt have happened to me, then maybe my life wouldnt be where it is, Messick said. Thats part of the anxiety. The anxiety goes on and on and on and on all the time, and then everything replays in your head a lot... Its always there. Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe Floodwaters pouring from the South Llano River engulfed an RV park and overflowed city and state parks in Junction early Monday, leading to dramatic rescues of people clinging to trees and one woman who was swept downriver more than 20 miles. As of Monday evening, several people were still reported missing. The waters swept the woman as far as 23 miles from Junction, where a resident closer to Mason County heard her screams from the river and called authorities. Rescue officials spent 30 minutes looking for her before a helicopter was able to retrieve her. When she was put on land, she got up and walked to the ambulance, Kimble County Sheriff Hilario Cantu said. Thats one tough woman. The woman was released from the hospital and is doing OK, according to Logan Scherschel, an information officer on scene with the Texas A&M Forest Service, which assisted in the rescues. Now Playing: The South Llano River reached 31 feet in Junction, Texas, Monday morning, causing the river to overflow its banks and essentially drowning a nearby RV Park. Video: Footage courtesy Russell Hammonds and Texas DPS Another woman was collected from a tree in Junction with her dog, according to Department of Public Safety Lt. Jason Reyes. A DPS video shows the woman twirling in the air with a rescue officer as she and her dog are pulled to safety. Nineteen people were rescued from the floodwaters, including seven hoisted up by helicopters, according to Cantu. At least four people in town remained unaccounted for Monday evening as the floodwaters were heading downriver toward Mason and Llano. There were no confirmed casualties. On ExpressNews.com: August flash flooding catches Uvalde campers off guard National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Harrison said the river had been flowing at about 2 feet in the days before the flood. By 10 a.m. Monday, it was at 31.2 feet in Junction 2 feet above major flood stage. Widespread rain contributed to flooding across South Central Texas. Earlier in the day, game wardens with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department received several calls about RVs swept away in quickly rising waters from Concan toward Rocksprings. The Texas Department of Transportations website also showed a slew of closed roads extending from Kimble to Uvalde counties. But the worst flooding was reported in Junction. Mayor Russell Hammonds said he was woken up at 5 a.m. by a text alert that the river had reached 21 feet. By that time, he said, the town was already facing an unexpected emergency. I saw a few mobile homes and RVs floating down the river. Its a pretty grim sight, Hammonds said. The South Llano River RV Park & Resort is basically gone now. Heavy rain overnight collected in nearby canyons and basins and then poured into the river, according to Hammonds. The surge of water made numerous roads and low water crossings impassable and flooded buildings near the rivers banks, according to the weather service. Its going to be hard for us to get a count of how many people are missing because we have a privately owned RV park that is adjacent to a city park thats not controlled, Cantu said. People can just go camp there. He said the RV parks main cabin was also engulfed by water, making it difficult to confirm how many vehicles were registered at the park. By the afternoon, the water had reached nearby Schreiner Park, the states Walter Buck Wildlife Management Area and the southern portion of the town. Agarita Road was underwater, and the Morgan Shady subdivision started flooding, Hammonds said. Hammonds said that we (had) people stationed all over the (Main Street) bridge throwing life preservers to people in the water. Because thats all you can do. Exacerbating the crisis, the town lost power for more than six hours, according to Hammonds. Power was restored just before 11:30 a.m. On ExpressNews.com: Fecal bacteria found in Guadalupe River after Harvey, study finds By 4 p.m., the river had fallen to 18.3 feet, still above action flood stage, the weather service said, but heavy rain expected in areas up the river from Junction means more flooding could be on the way Tuesday. The weather service issued a flash flood watch for South Central Texas through Tuesday morning, with radars indicating heavy rain moving across the area. The warning includes parts of 11 counties spanning from Maverick to Kerr. Edwards, Uvalde and Real counties were expected to be especially susceptible to flooding Monday night. Weather service meteorologist Monte Oaks said systems moving in Monday night and Tuesday morning could bring 3 to 5 more inches of rain to parts of the Hill Country, and 1 to 3 inches in Bexar County. The rain could flow downstream to Junction, worsening the flooding conditions, Hammonds said. The weather service said the river could swell back up to 25 feet by Tuesday evening. We dont know what to expect, Cantu said. On Monday evening, the incident command team had entered a holding pattern in Junction, according to Cantu. Some crews headed downriver to Llano to try to get ahead of the water, where, the weather service warned, the water would cause more surges. The Llano River near Mason was expected to crest at 23.2 feet Monday night, a major flood stage for that section of the river, according to the weather service. Mason County Judge Jerry Bearden said officials were fully prepared for the incoming floodwaters. TxDOT and the county closed off low-level roads prone to flooding, and game wardens were out in full force. But Bearden said he didnt think the flood would be as damaging as it was in Junction. We dont really have any communities along the river, he said. Dylan McGuinness covers local politics and the Bexar County government for the Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dylan.mcguinness@express-news.net | Twitter: @DylMcGuinness AUSTIN Refugee entry into the United States hit a four-decade low last fiscal year, though Texas resettled more than any other state, according to newly released federal data. Roughly 1,700 refugees arrived in Texas between October 2017 and September 2018, with the most coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The number marks a sharp decline from a year earlier, when Texas resettled more than 4,700 refugees fleeing violence and persecution in their home-countries, according to the Refugee Processing Center. The plunge comes as the Trump administration has steadily cut the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. amid a push for tighter control on immigration. The U.S. admitted roughly 22,500 refugees in the 2018 fiscal year, far below the cap of 45,000 and the proposed cap of 30,000 for next year. The last time the U.S. took in fewer refugees was in 1977, according to federal data. Its been pretty dramatic, said Russell Smith, CEO of Refugee Services of Texas. The country has really been built on welcoming the refugees. Im confident that there will soon be a day we re-embrace that. Texas still ranks among the top states for refugee resettlement because it has a good climate and a growing economy, said Margaret Costantino, executive director at the Center for Refugee Services in San Antonio. Also, many refugees come to the U.S. to join family, which helps determine where they end up, she said. Nearly 450 refugees last year came to Texas from Myanmar, many of whom are Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence, she said. More than 100 came from the northeast African country of Eritrea. Almost across the board, however, the numbers are down from past years. One Syrian refugee came to Texas last year, compared with roughly 900 in the year ending September 2016, federal data show. More than 500 Somalis resettled in Texas then, compared with 10 last year. Both countries are included in the Trump administration travel ban which restricts travel to the U.S. from several predominantly Muslim countries. It was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in June. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott was one of roughly 30 governors in 2015 who tried to block Syrian refugee resettlement in the U.S. over security concerns. The state pulled out of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program in 2016, though Texas nonprofits have continued to work with the federal government to resettle refugees. Abbott did not immediately return a request for comment about whether his concerns over security have continued under the Trump administration. A Syrian refugee who arrived in San Antonio roughly 18 months ago is still waiting for his wife and children, who are in Istanbul, Costantino said. Sometimes the journey overseas is not a straight line, she said. Families do get split up along the way. Marla Dial, a Center for Refugee Services volunteer in San Antonio, said she was not surprised by the numbers. I paid attention to the presidential campaign in 2016, Dial said. Im very much aware of the character of the person who got elected and the platform that he ran on Everything that you see happening this year with regard to immigration - theres confusion, theres a lot of emotion around it. Dial said she tends to avoid discussing this issue with refugees. At least the ones I work with, their lives are plenty hard and theres a lot of stress there already, she said. But they do tend to be aware. They hear things. Theres a lot of fear. Such news tends to have a chilling effect on refugees, such as making them reluctant to apply for food stamps, Dial said. J. Antonio Fernandez, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of San Antonio, also was not surprised by the steep decline in the numbers. His organization provides assistance to many refugees resettling here. We will keep providing the quality service that we need to do - provide them with housing and food and job opportunities, but most importantly with respect and dignity and love. Because these people, they want to live in the United States - theyre happy to be in America. And they just want to work, they just want to have a normal life. Staff Writer Peggy OHare contributed reporting. Holly Ridings had spent about a week being the first-ever female chief flight director at NASA when she sat down in a Johnson Space Center conference room and reflected on her career, each milestone described in tandem with a disaster or close call at the agency. In 2005, she became a Mission Control flight director at Johnson, the agencys Houston center: just as officials prepared to restart human space flight after the Space Shuttle Columbia blew up upon re-entry two years prior. Three years later, in 2008, she was awaiting the return of crew members from the International Space Station the first mission she led as a flight director when officials lost contact with the spacecraft. For a few agonizing minutes, everyone thought the crew was dead: No one saw them re-enter Earths atmosphere (The crew ended up being OK). Even her interest in working at NASA was prompted by an accident. From her spot in the cafeteria in 1986, the then-sixth grader watched Space Shuttle Challenger explode 73 seconds after liftoff, killing the entire crew. More Information Women certified by NASA as flight directors: Linda Hautzinger Ham (class of 1991) Sally Davis (class of 1996) Kelly Beck (class of 1998) Annette Hasbrook (class of 2000) Catherine Koerner (class of 2000) Ginger Kerrick (class of 2005) Holly Ridings (class of 2005) Dana Weigel (class of 2005) Heather Rarick (class of 2006) Emily Nelson (class of 2007) Courtenay McMillan (class of 2007) Dina Contella (class of 2009) Mary Lawrence (class of 2015) Women selected as flight directors but not yet certified: Allison Bolinger (class of 2018) Pooja Jesrani (class of 2018) Rebecca Wingfield (class of 2018) Source: NASA See More Collapse It may seem odd that these are the moments Ridings, a Texas native, recalls when talking about the high points of her career. But spend some time with the gritty and direct 44-year-old and it begins to make a little sense: Its how you respond to disaster that defines your character. My attitude is, OK, lets fix that, lets make it better, Ridings said. That goal-oriented outlook has carried her through childhood and into her job at the Houston center, where she has worked in the space station mission control room since 1998. And last month, it carried her into a new role: chief flight director. Ridings is the first woman to ever hold this position which puts her in charge of leading and shaping the space agencys cadre of 32 flight directors and flight directors-in-training in NASAs 60-year existence. Flight directors are tasked with keeping the astronauts and space station safe by leading teams of controllers, researchers, engineers and support personnel in Houston. Shes a trailblazer, a beacon of hope for women and young girls who want to run Mission Control one day. But dont tell her that. Im probably a reluctant role model: Im more of the work hard, have a lot of grit and keep going kind of thing, she said. So Im still figuring it out. One day I woke up and looked around and said OK, I have this platform, what am I going to do with it? A defining moment Sitting in a conference room buried deep in the maze of hallways that make up the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center each wall plastered with more NASA memorabilia than the last Ridings clears her throat to hide the lump thats begun to form. Just thinking about Jan. 28, 1986, when her 12-year-old self watched the Space Shuttle Challenger go up in a ball of flames, makes her choke up. It was a defining moment in Ridings life the day she decided human spaceflight would be her career path. In a strange way I loved space from that moment forward, she recalled, saying that even then she wanted to ensure an accident like that never happened again. So, Ridings buried herself in math and science books. She went to space camp, twice. And she fixed her sights on the history-making agency. But astronaut was never the goal. She didnt know it at the time, but a flight controller job was tailor-made for her. I like to build teams and relationships, she said. When someone says, We want to go that way but we have no idea how to get there, well Im the one thats going to figure it out. So, Ridings attended Texas A&M University, where she majored in mechanical engineering. She brought her skills to NASA in 1998 as a flight controller for the space station, the same year NASA and its partners began to build the laboratory in low Earth orbit. It took just seven years for Ridings to become a flight director, a coveted role that fewer than 100 individuals have held in the history of the agency. As a flight director, individuals have to make split-second decisions while holding someones life in their hands. A famous example is the 1970 Apollo 13 mission: Gene Kranz was in charge of an enormous team on the ground that helped bring the three astronauts home after an oxygen tank explosion forced them to abort their trip to the moon. Only five women had held that job before her something she didnt really think about at the time. Going about your daily business, you dont think about it very much, Ridings said about being a woman in her role. But you end up places theres enough places in the industry where youre in a meeting and you go Oh. Wait. 16 percent Ridings was just a teenager in Amarillo with big space dreams when Linda Ham made history in 1991 by becoming the first woman certified as a flight director. It was a big moment for women in the space agency even if it came three decades after the first mission control flight director, Christopher Kraft, took up his post in 1958. (Another woman, Michele Brekke, was selected as a flight director before Ham in 1985 but was never certified). Ham was known as an authoritative, tough leader, unafraid of making the hard decisions quickly, according to a 2004 Orlando Sentinel article. And long before she fell from grace after the 2003 Columbia accident she was in charge of the team that investigators later determined failed to recognize possible warning signs she paved the way for women who came to NASA after her. Still, it took five more years for another woman, Sally Davis, to acquire the coveted flight directors chair in 1996. Fast forward two decades and a total of 13 women, including Ridings, have been certified by the space agency as flight directors. The most recent flight director class, announced earlier this year, has three women in it, but they have not yet been certified. The 2018 class brings the total number of flight directors in the agencys six decades of operation to 97 meaning only 16 percent have been women. One of those women is Pooja Jesrani, a Houston native who has worked in NASAs Mission Control for a little more than a decade. Jesrani said shes never felt held back by her gender at the space agency, but added that its a big deal to have Ridings in the top Mission Control position. I think it really defines that this is a possibility: that you, as a woman, can try to have this type of position, she said. The office is still predominantly male, but its just awesome to see a female at the helm. When she was selected, we were all super proud. Its also helpful that Ridings is a mom and is understanding when it comes to picking kids up from daycare, Jesrani said, and having to take care of a sick kid. Previous chief flight directors were understanding as well, Jesrani added, but theres a special connection between mothers: Moms understand other moms and what theyre going through. Its nice to have someone in that position we can relate to. Though only 16 percent of all flight directors have ever been female, Mission Control as a whole runs about 25 percent female, Ridings said. Shed like to see more women reach the leadership level she has, she added, if not higher. So would human resources. NASA firmly believes that a diverse workforce is central to mission success, and strives to recruit a diverse set of applicants for all of its positions, including those in Mission Control, Anne Roemer, acting director of Johnsons Human Resources Office, said in a statement. To achieve this, Roemer said NASA engineers and other officials participate in conferences, including those geared toward minorities, recruit at a wide variety of schools and do outreach at events such as the Super Bowl in Houston. Once individuals are actually working in Mission Control, Roemer said, NASA offers a wide range of benefits to help employee needs: time off for family leaves, for example, and part-time schedules. There also are employee resource groups geared toward different races, genders, sexual orientations and disabilities. Working as a Flight Director is one of NASAs most demanding roles having planned and trained to execute a certain mission for an extensive period of time, Roemer said. It requires hard work, and an extensive time commitment (shift work, etc.). That said, NASA does what it can to support each individuals needs to the extent practicable. Energy required When Ridings dons her headset on the mission control room floor, a calm settles over her. She turns off the part of her brain that struggles to corral her 7-year-old son and ignites the part capable of making unilateral, split-second decisions about the life and death of the space station crew. You end up having this sort of weird double life in your brain, she laughed. She has the energy for this job now, with its highly technical decision-making and its unpredictable schedule that can stretch into the wee hours of the morning. But one day she wont. One day, shell be exhausted, ready to put her headset in the red cloth bag embroidered with a holly a gift from her mother and store it in a drawer for good. There are people coming into the agency as leaders and they need an opportunity, she said. And the other thing is, its really hard. No one can sustain it with the right level of energy forever. She said she expects to stay in this role for five or so years and then move on. What she moves on to still is up in the air. My criteria is I need to make a difference, learn something and have fun, she said. I want to go somewhere where I can do those things. I love NASA and I would love to do that here. alex.stuckey@chron.com twitter.com/alexdstuckey When Air Force Reserve chaplain Fredricc Gerard Brock, a pastor with Baptist roots, started his doctoral degree of ministry at the Oblate School of Theology, the Sankofa Institute for African American Pastoral Leadership did not exist. Its director, Sister Addie Walker, a Catholic nun and former leader of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, had yet to establish a curriculum on black biblical studies, theologies and church histories and on black preaching, worship, social ethics and social justice. The program had yet to welcome other Oblate students, among them future Catholic priests, to what Walker believes is an anomaly at seminaries and other educational institutions: a black church studies program traditionally Protestant-centered in a Catholic institution. Brock was one of Sankofas first graduates. His dissertation explored violence in and around black churches. He says he found in Sankofa a program in which his faith experience wasnt just present but studied and honored alongside others and not as a lesser scholarship. Sankofa marked its fifth anniversary late last month with a symposium and the publication of a book, Looking Back, Moving Forward: Wisdom from the Sankofa Institute for African American Pastoral Leadership. The first part of its title hearkens back to a West African proverb thats central to its mission and its logo, which depicts a mythic bird. It flies forward while looking back. It is not taboo to look back to recover what was lost, the proverb says. Sankofa is a term that has been used by other scholars and programs and has come to represent the rediscovery of lost traditions. At Oblate, Sankofa is working to change approaches to teaching biblical studies, Walker said. Though it may be common knowledge that Africa is the birthplace of humanity, religious studies may not yet fully embrace Africas role in Christianity. We dont realize so many figures in the Bible are of African descent, Walker said. We dont learn it that way, and its shocking for African-Americans and our white students and Hispanic students, too. The heritage of all churches begins in Africa. Take, for example, the story of the first Christian. He was a literate Ethiopian eunuch and royal treasurer depicted in the Book of Acts, and hes converted by Philip the Evangelist. In September, Sankofa gathered about 25 scholars from institutions such as Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the School of Theology at Boston University, whose textbooks are read in seminaries and universities. Peter Paris, the Elmer G. Homrighausen professor emeritus of Christian social ethics at Princeton Theological Seminary, a major speaker, assessed the state of such programs and contemplated their futures. He says theyre in trouble. Some have disappeared, though they were sparked into existence in predominately Anglo institutions after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Anglo students began demanding classes on the role that black churches played in the civil rights movement. Program are in decline because seminaries are in decline, especially partisan seminaries. Other programs didnt get sustained support from their universities. To assess them, Paris recommended convening a national summit and conducting an inventory of such programs that includes its scholars, their statuses and degree offerings. All of that will tell a story, he said. Sankofa, which offers master and doctoral degrees, is just beginning to reap rewards and still has only a few graduates, including Brock. Walker says that unlike other programs, Sankofa grew out of need. Non-Catholic students in search of degree programs from an accredited theological institution leave San Antonio to earn such diplomas. Oblate officials were drawn to the cross-cultural coursework that Sankofa could create, she said. That Sankofa students do coursework at Oblate and that Oblate students take courses at Sankofa has been a blessing, she added. These students would not be talking to each other if they werent in our school, even if they were all black, she said of all the denominations present on campus. Walker said its leading to more cross-cultural teaching, too. Oblate leaders have backed that, she said, crediting dean Scott Woodwards longtime interfaith work. He says, Protestants belong here. Relationships are being formed across denominations and gender lines, she said. There are no jokes about the (Protestant) Reformation anymore. They attend each others celebrations without demonizing the other. Our city, a multi-ethnic city, our state and nation need this kind of cross-cultural competency, so Im aware of your history, and that I dont think my way is normative for every human being, Walker said. For Brock, a Ph.D. from Oblate has given him more confidence, he said, because of the respect that people automatically give the institution. The reverend doctor and his wife, Pastor KanDace Brock, have co-founded The Message Church in San Antonio and a preaching, teaching and consulting ministry called Fredricc Gerard Brock Ministries. When he walks into a room, he brings Oblate with him, he says. Paris speaks more cautiously. Sankofa is a young program, he said. Im impressed with Sister Addie Walker and with the support she seemed to have. Im impressed with the dean (Woodward) and president (theologian and author Father Ron Rolheiser) and faculty, he said. It remains to be seen how much support (Sankofa) continues to get into the next decade. Elaine Ayala covers religion and minority affairs in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eayala@express-news.net | Twitter: @ElaineAyala PORT ARANSAS The immediate impact the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill had on animals and marine life in the Gulf of Mexico was obvious. Turtles and dolphins were pulled from the ocean coated in slick, brown oil. Brown pelicans and laugh gulls turned up dead at alarming rates. Coral reef colonies stretching from Alabama to Florida suffocated under the weight of millions of barrels of oil, their vibrant colors getting dimmer and dimmer as they died. But the long-term impacts of the BP-leased oil rig explosion, which dumped about 4.3 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf, are still being ferreted out. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austins Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas are lending their expertise to this study, specifically looking at how oil impacts cardiac health in fish. Oil is a well-known inhibitor of cardiac performance, which can have a whole bunch of ecological consequences beyond just death, said Andrew Esbaugh, an associate professor who studies fish physiology at the institute. Those consequences are not good ones. Compared to their healthy counterparts, oil-exposed fish grow and find food and other resources slower, Esbaugh said. They also struggle to swim at maximum capacity and, he added, they are two times more likely to be become prey than healthy fish. Research also shows oil exposure impairs the cognitive function of fish, making them take more risks and, therefore, increasing the chances they will become prey. These observations are preliminary, however, and institute scientists plan to examine this strange behavior in the future. Esbaugh began studying the oil spill impacts about four years ago with funding from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. The initiative is an independent research board created to hand out the $500 million BP set aside for research programs after the spill, according to its website. The institute is specifically looking at red drum fish a game fish found in the Gulf of Mexico that the institute works with extensively. But a wide swath of marine life, from Mahi Mahi to crustaceans, is being examined for oil-related consequences by other institutions, including the University of Miami in Florida. At Miami, researchers have found that oil exposure results in poor vision and impaired cardiac performance in Mahi Mahi. Its also negatively impacted the fishs reproduction and swimming pattern, as well as their susceptibility to predators, according to the universitys website. Back in Texas, Esbaugh also has found that even short term oil exposure has harmful impacts that can stretch for weeks, or even months. For example, 24 hours of oil exposure can have side effects that last two months, Esbaugh said. The UT-Austin Marine Science Institute researchers will study these cardiac impacts for another year or so, he said. He hopes their findings will influence where oil rigs are built and, potentially, improve compensation calculations for commercial fishermen if and when another accident occurs, he added. Whenever you have oil development, despite the best engineering, youre going to have spills, Esbaugh said. But if you know that early life stage animals are susceptible and if you know where their needed habitats are, you can say OK, maybe we shouldnt do things in a certain area. alex.stuckey@chron.com twitter.com/alexdstuckey Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport recorded a net profit of 20.9 million euros during the first eight months of the year, representing an increase of 4% on the same period in 2017. Its revenue grew 11% to a record 59 million euros. The figures represent its best financial performance to date. The French concession and construction company VINCI is preparing to take over the airport as it finalises the finances for the transaction. The concessionaire is expected to secure the final loan for the takeover from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development next week. Croatia's nine commercial airports are on course to handle over ten million passengers in 2018, with figures expected to double over the next five to seven years. Overall passengers growth across the country this year is expected to average 10%. "The significant rise in passenger numbers at Croatian airports has been influenced by GDP growth in countries that visitors are coming from, as well as numerous other factors, including safety. Travellers want to go on holiday to places where they feel safe", the President of the Air Transport Association board at the Croatian Chamber of Economy, Tonci Peovic, said. He added that lower fares resulting from lower fuel prices have also stimulated travel. "This year, an increased number of charter flights attributed to the passenger growth at Croatian airports, as well as the launch of new services from the Middle East and Far East", Mr Peovic added. Zagreb Airport estimates it will handle 3.4 million passengers this year, Split Airport just over three million, while Dubrovnik expects its figures to increase 10% on 2017. Pula Airport anticipates welcoming a record 700.000 travellers in 2018, while Brac Airport is gearing up for growth of 50%. A number of Croatia's coastal airports are also addressing seasonality, with more airlines extending their summer flights throughout the year. Further growth in figures is expected to continue into 2019, with a number of carriers announcing new seasonal routes to the Croatian coast, most notably American Airlines from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik and Air Transat from Toronto to Split. Airport expansion and development projects across the country will also have to keep up with passenger growth. "Such dynamic growth in traffic brings with it new challenges in terms of airport capacity. Given that traffic is expected to double within the next seven years, it is necessary to define the maximum capacity at Croatian airports and begin preparations to move some airports to new locations, so as to allow for their undisturbed development in the decades to come", Mr Peovic, who is also the General Manager of Brac Airport, said. Split and Dubrovnik airports are currently undertaking major expansion projects with Zagreb, Pula, Zadar and Brac set to follow in the coming years. More than 85 atrists dsplayed their work at the 37th annual Bruce Museum Outdoor Arts Festival in Greenwich on Sunday. The juried show is one of the top fine arts festivals nationally, attracting artists from across the country presenting work in a variety of mediums. Contributed photo / Hearst Connecticut Media FAIRFIELD A report of a reckless driver led to the arrest Monday night of a local woman, who police said was intoxicated and had several teenagers in her car. Lydia Cerreta, 57, of Madison Hill, was charged with operating under the influence and risk of injury to a minor. One of the teens in the car was 15 years old. FAIRFIELD The town has received state money to make pedestrian improvements on opposite ends of the community. Fairfield was awarded a $360,000 Community Connectivity Grant to install sidewalks, pedestrian upgrades and ADA-compliant ramps along the Post Road in the Southport section. The State Bond Commission also approved a $650,000 grant for streetscape improvements in the towns Stratfield section, at the intersection of Fairfield Woods Road and Route 59. We have conceptual plans, but we still need to complete full construction plans and specifications for the projects, Economic and Community Development Director Mark Barnhart said. For Jamie McCusker, co-president of the Stratfield Village Association, the infusion of cash to kick-start improvements is a great start. Weve been working with the town, McCusker said, and they want to meet with the commercial property owners that make up the four corners. The SVA has come up with a preliminary plan he said is sensitive to keeping things like the parking in front of the small strip shopping center in place. That was what we brought to the town, and we met with our legislative delegation, McCusker said, adding they also met with state Department of Transportation officials. They came back with a whole list of things that need to be changed to comply with state regulations. The plans, he said, will be further refined. McCusker and Dylan OConnor, his co-president, and SVA board member Joel Green will meet later this month with town officials to discuss what the next steps are. McCusker said they dont expect the state money will cover all the costs, and the association is looking at what it needs to do to raise the needed funds. Their proposal has received cost estimates between $700,000 and $1.2 million. The SVA has always said, with the four corners project, we want it to be a collective project, McCusker said a collaboration between the state, the town and private property owners. The four corners is the center of our community, and its looking kind of rundown and shabby. OConnor said the project will revitalize and renovate this neighborhood centerpiece, creating a more pedestrian-friendly shopping district that will be safe, more attractive and benefit both the community and the businesses located here. On the other side of town in the Southport section, the area of the Post Road has also been under discussion for a while. During a 2016 Board of Selectmen meeting, Barnhart brought up a safety audit that was done on the stretch of the Post Road from the Westport line to Pease Avenue. It was very eye-opening in terms of the level of pedestrian traffic, Barnhart told the board, and pointed out the audit was done on a cold day in the winter. The area, he said, is not really set up to facilitate pedestrians. I am thrilled the town won a competitive grant application of $360,000 for much-needed pedestrian and bicycle improvements on Post Road in Southport, RTM member Michael Herley, R-10, said. Taken together with the towns plan for infrastructure improvements on lower Hulls Highway, starting at the intersection of Post Road, there is no doubt positive change is coming to this area. Herley said the projects are big wins for the town and Southport, and said William Hurley, the towns engineer manager, did the bulk of the work on the grant application While at times Ive been critical of the Tetreau aministrations priorities when it comes to strategic planning and investing in our roadways, Mike deserves credit for helping us to see these positive developments through, Herley said. He said he believes it makes good sense for the first selectman and the Town Plan and Zoning Commission to create a special committee to get input from the local neighborhood and nearby businesses on further improvements that are consistent with the areas historic charm. greilly@ctpost.com; 203-842-2585 FAIRFIELD Five suspects are in custody after they crashed into police cruiser in a stolen car early Monday morning, police said. Police said the incident occurred around 4:15 a.m. when they noticed a car speeding on West Way Road. When police began to pursue the vehicle, it allegedly pulled some erratic maneuvers and momentarily lost the officers. When officers next spotted the car, it was driving toward them on Pequot Avenue, at which point the car swerved into the cruiser and struck it head-on on the drivers side. Three of the five suspects in the car attempted to flee on foot, but were rounded up with the help of a Westport police K9 unit. Some of the suspects were later transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injures. The suspects, all of which came from Waterbury, were comprised of four young adults and one juvenile. An investigation of the stolen vehicle, which was reported missing from Waterbury the night before, revealed items that had been stolen from several vehicles in the area of Henderson Road and a stolen Mercedes Benz from Cedar Road. The driver of the car was identified as Jose Diaz, 19, and has additional charges of risk of injury to a minor, and criminal attempt at first-degree assault, and issued summons for reckless driving, failure to drive in the proper lane, evading with injury and no license. He was being held on a $20,000 bond. Diaz, Joseph Frazier, 20, Averie Reyes, 20, Jamine Stith, 20, and the 15-year-old were all charged with third-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary, first-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny, second-degree larceny, sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny. Frazier was also charged with interfering with an officer, and he was being held on a $10,000 bond. Stiths bond was set at $10,000, while Reyes was held on a $2,500 bond. The 15-year-old juvenile, who police said was also involved in a stolen car chase in Westport last week, was transferred to a Hartford juvenile detention center and given a court date of Oct. 29. The others are all scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Bridgeport on Oct. 16. - T. S. Eliot Thoughts After Lambeth "The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide." Fortis Inc. operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 433,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 98,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,233 megawatts (MW), including 59 MW of solar capacity. The company also sells wholesale electricity to other entities in the western United States; owns gas-fired and hydroelectric generating capacity totaling 65 MW; and distributes natural gas to approximately 1,048,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, it owns and operates the electricity distribution system that serves approximately 572,000 customers in southern and central Alberta; owns 4 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 225 MW; and provides operation, maintenance, and management services to five hydroelectric generating facilities. Further, the company distributes electricity in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador with an installed generating capacity of 143 MW; and on Prince Edward Island with a generating capacity of 130 MW. Additionally, it provides integrated electric utility service to approximately 67,000 customers in Ontario; approximately 270,000 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador; approximately 31,000 customers on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and approximately 15,000 customers on certain islands in Turks and Caicos. The company also holds long-term contracted generation assets in Belize consisting of 3 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 51 MW; and the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility. It also owns and operates approximately 91,000 circuit Kilometers (km) of distribution lines; and approximately 49,500 km of natural gas pipelines. Fortis Inc. was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. John's, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Yum China: AIR BP-PBF DEL PERU SAC, BELFAST STORAGE LTD, CANADIAN ULTRAMAR COMPANY, COLONNADE TEXAS INSURANCE COMPANY LLC, COLONNADE VERMONT INSURANCE COMPANY, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY LLC, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OF CANADA INC., DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL HOLDINGS LLC, DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL LLC, DIAMOND K RANCH LLC, DIAMOND OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., DIAMOND SHAMROCK REFINING COMPANY L.P., DIAMOND UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., DSRM NATIONAL BANK, ENTERPRISE CLAIMS MANAGEMENT INC., GCP LOGISTICS COMPANY LLC, GOLDEN EAGLE ASSURANCE LIMITED, HAMMOND MAINLINE PIPELINE LLC, HUNTWAY REFINING COMPANY, MAINLINE PIPELINES LIMITED, MAPLE ETHANOL LTD., MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT GP LLC, MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT L.P., MRP PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, NECHES RIVER HOLDING CORP., NORCO METHANOL LLC, OCEANIC TANKERS AGENCY LIMITED, PARKWAY PIPELINE LLC, PENTA TANKS TERMINALS S.A., PI DOCK FACILITIES LLC, PICKARD PLACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, PORT ARTHUR COKER COMPANY L.P., PREMCOR USA INC., PROPERTY RESTORATION L.P., PURE BIOFUELS DEL PERU S.A.C., PURE BIOFUELS HOLDINGS L.P., Parkway Pipeline, Premcor, Pure Biofuels Del Peru, SABINE RIVER HOLDING CORP., SABINE RIVER LLC, SAINT BERNARD PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, SUNBELT REFINING COMPANY L.P., THE PREMCOR PIPELINE CO., THE PREMCOR REFINING GROUP INC., THE SHAMROCK PIPE LINE CORPORATION, TRANSPORT MARITIME ST. LAURENT INC., ULTRAMAR ACCEPTANCE INC., ULTRAMAR ENERGY INC., ULTRAMAR INC., Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, V-TEX LOGISTICS LLC, VALERO (BARBADOS) SRL, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS GP LLC, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS LIMITED, VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ARUBA ACQUISITION COMPANY I LTD., VALERO ARUBA FINANCE INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA HOLDING COMPANY N.V., VALERO ARUBA HOLDINGS INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA MAINTENANCE/OPERATIONS COMPANY N.V., VALERO BROWNSVILLE TERMINAL LLC, VALERO CANADA FINANCE INC., VALERO CANADA L.P., VALERO CAPITAL CORPORATION, VALERO CARIBBEAN SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO COKER CORPORATION ARUBA N.V., VALERO CUSTOMS & TRADE SERVICES INC., VALERO EAST BAY LLC, VALERO ENERGY (IRELAND) LIMITED, VALERO ENERGY ARUBA II COMPANY, VALERO ENERGY INC., VALERO ENERGY LTD, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS LP, VALERO ENERGY UK LTD, VALERO ENTERPRISES INC., VALERO EQUITY SERVICES LTD, VALERO FINANCE L.P. I, VALERO FINANCE L.P. II, VALERO FINANCE L.P. III, VALERO FOREST CONTRIBUTION LLC, VALERO GRAIN MARKETING LLC, VALERO H2 PIPELINE COMPANY LLC, VALERO HOLDCO UK LTD, VALERO HOLDINGS INC., VALERO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC., VALERO LIVE OAK LLC, VALERO LOGISTICS UK LTD, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY (PANAMA) LLC, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY COMPANY, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPY INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO MARKETING IRELAND LIMITED, VALERO MKS LOGISTICS L.L.C., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEW AMSTERDAM B.V., VALERO OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONS SUPPORT LTD, VALERO PARTNERS CCTS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS EAST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS WEST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS EP LLC, VALERO PARTNERS HOUSTON LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LOUISIANA LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LUCAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MCKEE LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MERAUX LLC, VALERO PARTNERS NORTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS OPERATING CO. LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PAPS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PORT ARTHUR LLC, VALERO PARTNERS SOUTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS TEXAS CITY LLC, VALERO PARTNERS THREE RIVERS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WYNNEWOOD LLC, VALERO PAYMENT SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE LLC, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE OIL TERMINAL LTD, VALERO PLAINS COMPANY LLC, VALERO POWER MARKETING LLC, VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL PARTNERS LLC, VALERO REFINING AND MARKETING COMPANY, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-ARUBA N.V., VALERO REFINING COMPANY-CALIFORNIA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-OKLAHOMA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-TENNESSEE L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-MERAUX LLC, VALERO REFINING-NEW ORLEANS L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-TEXAS L.P., VALERO RENEWABLE FUELS COMPANY LLC, VALERO SECURITY SYSTEMS INC., VALERO SERVICES INC., VALERO SKELLYTOWN PIPELINE LLC, VALERO TEJAS COMPANY LLC, VALERO TERMINAL HOLDCO LTD, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO TEXAS POWER MARKETING INC., VALERO ULTRAMAR HOLDINGS INC., VALERO UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., VALERO WEST WALES LLC, VRG PROPERTIES COMPANY, VTD PROPERTIES COMPANY, WARSHALL COMPANY LLC, and ZELIG COMMERCIAL INC.. Ormat Technologies, Inc. operates as a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of geothermal and recovered energy power business. It operates through the following segments: Electricity, Product and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment focuses in the sale of electricity from the company's power plants pursuant to PPAs. The Product segment involves in the manufacture, including design and development, of turbines and power units for the supply of electrical energy and in the associated construction of power plants utilizing the power units manufactured by the company to supply energy from geothermal fields and other alternative energy sources. The Energy Storage segment consists of battery energy storage systems as a service and management of curtailable customer loads under contracts with U.S. retail energy providers and directly with large commercial and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Reno, NV. Read More iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF's stock was trading at $36.70 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWT stock has increased by 77.9% and is now trading at $65.28. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF's stock was trading at $25.60 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWU stock has increased by 30.9% and is now trading at $33.51. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. 3 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Premier Oil in the last year. There are currently 2 sell ratings and 1 buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "hold" Premier Oil stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in PMOIY, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View analyst ratings for Premier Oil or view top-rated stocks. Westpac Banking Corp. engages in the provision of banking and financial services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Bank, Business Bank, BT Financial Group (Australia), Westpac Institutional Bank, Westpac New Zealand and Group Businesses. The Consumer Bank segment covers consumer banking products and services under the Westpac, St. George, BankSA, Bank of Melbourne and RAMS brands. The Business Bank segment involves in sales and customer service of small-to-medium enterprise, commercial and agribusiness customers under the Westpac, St.George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA brands. The BT Financial Group (Australia) segment manages wealth and insurance division. The Westpac Institutional Bank segment delivers a range of financial services to commercial, corporate, institutional, and government customers. The Westpac New Zealand segment comprises sales and service of banking, wealth, and insurance products for consumer, business, and institutional customers. The Group Businesses segment treasury which is responsible for the management of the Group's balance sheet, group technology which includes functions for the Australian businesses, and core support which covers Read More BATH, Ohio Old Trail School, a private daycare, preschool and school for ages 2 through eighth grade, and Countryside, a nonprofit located in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, have created a new farm-school partnership. The Farm Project will provide hands-on educational opportunities for the school, by raising crops and livestock, composting and aquaculture, raising produce and eggs for use by the schools kitchen. This partnership was announced Oct. 6 at the school where a future outdoor classroom will be built in 2019. The school operated an 11-acre organic farm on this site from 2013 to 2016 in partnership with Hattie Larlham and has been seeking a new partner since 2016. The Farm Project will include crop and livestock production as well as the schools existing composting and apiary (beekeeping) programs. The schools executive chef will work closely with Countrysides farm educator to determine which farm products are needed to supply the schools lunch program. Any extra produce or eggs that are not needed by the school will be donated to local nonprofit organizations. This is a great partnership. Not only do we get to share our mission with the students, connecting them to where their food comes from, its a win-win for everyone, said Tracy Emrick, Countryside CEO. Both the school at the nonprofit are located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Bath, Ohio. For more information about the new project, visit www.oldtrail.org or www.cvcountryside.org. Northern Irish farmers caught in "planning limbo" due to the issue of ammonia have asked the local Government to find "workable and practical" solutions. Northern Ireland is responsible for 12% of UK ammonia emissions, despite only having 3% of UK population and 6% of the land area. The UK has obligations under European law and international treaties to reduce ammonia emissions. By 2020, the UK must reduce its ammonia emissions by 8% and by 2030, a 16% reduction must be achieved, both in comparison to 2005 levels. But the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) has said ammonia is becoming a "major stumbling block" for the future development of agriculture in Northern Ireland. UFU president Ivor Ferguson said the lack of guidance and communication from the the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on the issue has been a factor, and concerns remain regarding some of the emission factors used to determine ammonia levels. Mr Fergusons said: We know many of our members are caught in planning limbo because of ammonia. We understand their frustration and are working to find a resolution. It is an issue that has wider implications for the entire industry and has the potential to hinder development. Recently, DAERA shared their initial views on proposed mitigation measures for all farms across Northern Ireland to reduce ammonia. The department is not considering de-stocking or de-intensification on farms as an option, despite pressure from environmental groups. Mr Ferguson said: This is not the way to tackle environmental issues and evidence from the Netherlands showed that their cow culling policy actually resulted in the development of larger, more intensive farms. Ultimately, we want to ensure any measures imposed on the industry are cost effective, deliver reductions in ammonia, and that financial support is provided by the Government. And we have the backing of many of our agri-food industry partners, who have agreed to work together with us on this. The UFU said a number of farmers have had applications stuck in the planning process because of ammonia levels. Mr Ferguson called it "unacceptable" and "mind boggling".. There are farmers who want to replace buildings or equipment with more efficient technologies that would ultimately reduce their ammonia levels. And they arent being granted planning permission because of ammonia, said the UFU president. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Organic trade bodies are calling for a "clear contingency plan" to ensure the continued trade of organic produce with the EU in the event of a no deal Brexit. The Organic Trade Board (OTB) and the United Kingdom Organic Certifiers Group (UKOCG) have urged Government to put in place necessary precautions. There has been speculation about how the UK will continue to trade organic goods with the EU if a deal isnt reached. A recent Defra technical paper indicated that UK organic control bodies would be able to continue certifying UK organic operators for trade in the UK, and that the UK intends to continue to recognise those countries currently equivalent to the EU, such as the USA, Canada, Japan and South Korea. However, in the event of the UK becoming a third country, any organic control body from within the UK or the EU must apply for equivalence to the EU Commission to operate in that third country under Annex 4 of Regulation 1235/2008. Roger Kerr, chairman of UKOCG said: This process cannot proceed until the UK is deemed to be a third country which could well be not until 1 April 2019 and it normally takes around nine months to complete. If there is a transition period agreed, then the application process could take place during that period. While the Defra technical notice provided some assurance that possible solutions were being explored, he said it lacks detail and a clear contingency plan is needed "immediately". The best course of action is for Government to negotiate a mutual recognition agreement with the EU ahead of Brexit day, similar to the ones identified in the Brexit technical paper with the USA, Canada, Japan and South Korea. But, with just over five months to go, the sector feels that time is running out. Mr Kerr emphasised the importance of discussions starting now. 'Mutual recognition' The Chairman of the OTB, Adrian Blackshaw explained how it should be fairly easy to negotiate an agreement setting out mutual recognition of standards with the EU. The UK will adopt EU regulation when we leave the EU, and so will be equivalent, if not compliant, by default, he said. While the negotiation of a mutual recognition agreement is considered by the groups the best course of action, it isnt the only option. Another option is the EU unilaterally accepting organic imports from the UK in recognition of the interdependency of the organic supply chain across the EU, as the UK Government has indicated they are prepared to do so for all organic imports coming into the UK, said Mr Blackshaw. The final option is that Government could apply for the UK as a whole, to be deemed a country of equivalency under Annex 3 of Regulation 1235/2008. Again, this is a prolonged process but could be fast tracked if all parties want this outcome. Mr Kerr said that both UKOCG and the OTB are currently in talks with Defra and are working closely with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM EU) to develop a suitable plan of action. He added: We want to see communications begin between Defra and the EU Commission that ensure the necessary contingencies are in place in the event of a no deal Brexit. All options must be explored, and we will be working alongside agencies and organic organisations across the EU to ensure trade continues to flow regardless of the final nature of the EU/UK agreement. Tesco is to remove 'Best Before' date labels on 116 items of produce in an effort to cut down on post-farmgate waste. The UK's biggest retailer has already removed consumption guidance off nearly 70 fruit and vegetable lines, announced earlier this year. Now the supermarket is set to remove the labels on a further 116 items of produce including own-brand apples, oranges, cabbages and asparagus. The move is being made to help prevent perfectly edible food from being thrown away. It follows a recently-announced initiative, run by the charities Wrap and IGD, which aims to have 50% of the UKs largest 250 food businesses measuring, reporting and acting on food waste by 2019. It is working towards milestones to help halve UK food waste by 2030. According to government statistics, 13 billion worth of food was wasted in the UK in 2015, approximately 7.3 million tonnes. 'Best before' Best Before labels are put on foods by retailers as a quality indication to show that although they are no longer at their best they are still good to eat. Tesco Head of Food Waste, Mark Little explains: We know some customers may be confused by the difference between Best Before and Use By dates on food and this can lead to perfectly edible items being thrown away before they need to be discarded. We have made this change to fruit and vegetable packaging as they are among the most wasted foods. He added: Many customers have told us that they assess their fruit and vegetables by the look of the product rather than the Best Before date code on the packaging. The Food Standards Agency states that the best before date, sometimes shown as BBE, is about quality and not safety. The food will be safe to eat after this date but may not be at its best. 'Mountains of food waste' In response to Tesco's announcement, Neil Parish MP Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee, said its time for all supermarkets to follow suit and remove unnecessary markers. In the UK, it is estimated that 10 million tonnes of food and drink waste arises post-farmgate each year in the UK, 60% of which could have been avoided, Mr Parish said. The EFRA Committee called for the removal of best before dates from fresh produce in its report into Food Waste in England [HC 429], published in 2017, so we welcome todays news that Tesco will be doing just that. Its time for all supermarkets to follow suit and remove these unnecessary markers, and begin to reduce the UKs mountains of food waste. The move by Tesco follows Defra Secretary Michael Gove announcing last week a new pilot scheme which will seek to substantially reduce food waste from farm-to-fork. The scheme will be developed over the coming months in collaboration with businesses, farmers and charities. The scheme will launch in 2019/20. Britain would retain its "global strength" if it joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal after Brexit, Japan's prime minister has said. Shinzo Abe told the Financial Times on Sunday (7 October) that the UK would be welcomed into the trade group with "open arms", and would benefit from it. Mr Abe, who is one of Prime Minister's Theresa May's closest international allies, also warned of a 'no deal' Brexit scenario. "I hope that both sides can contribute their wisdom and at least avoid a so-called disorderly Brexit," he said. "I truly hope that the negative impact of Brexit to the global economy, including Japanese businesses, will be minimised." The comments by the Japanese Prime Minister follow reports emerging earlier this year from the Department for International Trade explaining how the UK could join the Pacific free-trade group after Brexit. Original negotiations to create the trade group were rocked when the United States pulled out in the wake of Donald Trump's election as President. But the proposed deal was subsequently revived as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. And agreement has now been reached between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Farm product tariffs It is claimed that the trade pact could raise the value of the countries' exports by four per cent, or $23 billion, by 2030. The agreement contains measures to lower both non-tariff and tariff barriers to trade, similar to the current model under the EU. It cuts over 18,000 tariffs. Tariffs on all UK manufactured goods and almost all UK farm products would be eliminated completely, with most eliminations occurring immediately. Currently, members of the TPP account for about 8% of British exports. However, Canadian egg farmers have expressed disappointment with the deal, claiming that the agreement fails to protect their industry. A leading free range egg producer in Australia has also raised concern about the impact of the agreement. But news of potential trade groups could allow British farmers to "thrive" outside the EU, following decades of being "boxed in" by the EU's agricultural policies. The deputy president of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Mark Bridgeman said Brexit is a "hugely significant" period for British agriculture. He said it will prosper outside the EU. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Un tournoi historique marque par le triomphe portugais Le Portugal simpose au terme dun parcours impressionnant Le Japon et lEspagne completent le podium La Bolivie cree la surprise dans une competition riche en buts Le Tournoi de Futsal feminin des Jeux Olympiques de la Jeunesse, Buenos Aires 2018 constituait une premiere a double titre car il marque les debuts de la discipline sur la scene olympique et constitue la premiere competition de futsal feminine organisee par la FIFA. Le Portugal entre donc dans lhistoire en decrochant la medaille dor, de meme que le Japon et lEspagne en sadjugeant respectivement largent et le bronze. Les trois equipes medaillees ainsi que la Bolivie et la Thailande sont apparues un cran au-dessus des cinq autres selections engagees dans la competition. Presente comme lun des favoris dans la course a lor, le Portugal na pas failli a sa reputation, comme en temoignent ses performances impressionnantes. Les Portugaises ont remporte leurs six matches, inscrit 57 buts (soit une moyenne de 9,5 buts par match, 0,08 de plus que la moyenne du tournoi). Imperiales en defense, elles ont conserve leurs cages inviolees a trois reprises, signant par la meme occasion un nouvel exploit. Raaj Kumar Was Known For His Eccentric Behaviour In a Stardust magazine interview when the actor asked about it, he replied, "I believe in things I do, I do things I believe in." Of course, the man had his own sense of humor. It is said that Raaj Kumar once chose a crib for a friend's birthday gift! They Don't Make Stars Like Him Anymore His son Puru Raaj Kumar recalled in an interview, "Dad did have a wicked sense of humour. But no ill-intent. My father may have been bizarre but he was never boring. They don't make stars like him anymore." Romantic At Heart Puru further said, "Dad was a romantic. He sought romance even in the smallest things - like driving in his jeep with mom to have paan at Peddar Road. They also enjoyed watching TV or reading a book together. They'd debate on even what to make for lunch. And when she'd cook something, she'd wait for him to compliment. But he'd be busy eating. Then hours later, looking into nothingness, he'd say, What you prepared today was delicious'." 'I Don't Do Fashion, I Am Fashion' "Dad was interested in fashion but he wasn't a fashion victim. He liked wearing kurta pyjama, shirts and trousers and khadau (wooden sandals). He imbibed a lot from his trips to Switzerland and London and picked up stuff from there. There would be fabric brought home for curtains. And a week later, he'd be walking around in a shirt made of that material. That was him." Bidding Adieu After a tiring battle with throat cancer, Raaj Kumar passed away on 3rd July 1996. Once when director Subhash Ghai paid the ailing actor a visit, Raaj Kumar told, "Raaj Kumar ko bimaari hogi toh badi hogi na, koi zukaam se thodi na marega Raaj Kumar." Only A Few People Are Invited Reports state that only around 30 people are invited to Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's wedding in Lake Como, Italy, and that includes Deepika's BFF Shahrukh Khan and Ranveer's close friend Arjun Kapoor. No Mobile Phones, Please To safeguard their privacy on their wedding day, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have requested the attendees not to bring in their mobile phones, as no one is allowed to click pictures apart from the official photographers of the wedding. A Puja In Deepika Padukone's Bangalore House It is also reported that 10 days before their wedding, a Nandi puja will be held at Deepika Padukone's Bangalore house, which will be attended by her relatives and neighbours. Can't Wait, Folks! The news of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's wedding is raising the pulses and we can't wait for an official confirmation about their wedding date. We hope October 17 will come within the blink of an eye. Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta has alleged that ten years ago, on the sets of Horn Ok Pleassss, Nana Patekar had harassed her. Nana Patekar was supposed to hold a press conference on Oct 8th to speak on Tanushree Dutta's sexual harassment allegations against him, but as per the recent reports he has cancelled the conference. Nana's son, Malhar Nana Patekar, has sent out a message to the media saying, "Sorry to be messaging at this hour , just wanted to inform that there's no press conference tomorrow , please pass on the message to your colleagues in the media , will let you know about the further proceedings soon , regards, Malhar Nana Patekar." As per PTI, Nana Patekar recently denied that he'd misbehaved with actor Tanushree Dutta, calling her claims a "lie". "I said this ten years ago... a lie is a lie (Dus saal pehle bol chuka hoon, ab jo jhoot hai woh jhoot hai')," Patekar told reporters at the Mumbai airport. Patekar was shooting for the upcoming film Housefull 4 in Jodhpur, and landed in Mumbai on Saturday. The actor was surrounded by officials as he exited the airport. At the Jodhpur airport, when the reporters asked Nana Patekar about the allegations and maintaining silence over it, he chose not to answer any query. When asked about addressing the media in detail, Patekar said, "It will happen". Patekar's lawyer has sent a legal notice to Dutta. (With inputs from PTI). Also Read: Tanushree Dutta-Nana Patekar Harassment Controversy Is 'Meaningless' To Kailash Kher! Rajat Kapoor accused of harassment with Female Journalist; Apologies on Twitter | FilmiBeat Even since Tanushree Dutta's sexual harassment allegations against Nana Patekar have received support from several B-town celebrities, many such victims are opening up with stories of facing sexual harassment. More recently, we saw 'Queen' director Vikas Bahl getting exposed and now, in a shocking turn of events, a journalist has accused actor-filmmaker Rajat Kapoor for sexual misconduct. Recently A Twitter user shared a post where two women had accused him actor of inappropriate behaviour. One was a journalist who stated that while she was interviewing the actor via a telephonic interview he misbehaved through the phone and asked her questions such as ' are you as sexy as you sound' and even asked about her body measurements. 'I Am Not Known Because Of My Dad': Kangana Ranaut Hits Back At Sonam Kapoor With A Nepotism Dig Another woman narrated an incident where the actor would not stop calling her for a film's shoot and asked her if she knew an empty house where she could shoot for a film with her. Check out the tweet here- I don't even know any more. Filmmaker Rajat Kapoor Two separate and different accounts pic.twitter.com/nBjNOsun3j Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) October 7, 2018 As soon as the shocking allegations came out, Rajat Kapoor took to his Twitter handle to apologize to the victims- All my life I have tried to be a decent man, to do the right thing. If however, I have slipped and through my actions or words caused pain or hurt or trauma to absolutely anybody, please accept my apology. Rajat Kapoor (@mrrajatkapoor) October 7, 2018 I am sorry from the bottom of my heart- and sad that I was the cause of this hurt to another human being. If there is one thing more important to me than even my work, it is to be a good human being. And I have tried to be that person. And now, I will try harder. Rajat Kapoor (@mrrajatkapoor) October 7, 2018 What do you folks think about Rajat Kapoor's apology? Let us know in the comment section below. Raaj Kumar's 92nd Birth Anniversary: Remembering The Flamboyant Man! Not just in his films, Shahrukh Khan knows how to win hearts in real life as well! Apart from his acting prowess, the superstar is also a great orator and has given powerful speeches at the Yale University and University of Edinburgh and more recently at the World Economic Forum 2018 in Davos, Switzerland. Pulkit Samrat's Open Letter On Tanushree-Nana Controversy: Weed Out Toxic People From The Industry And now if all goes well then, King Khan will soon be addressing the international students at the Oxford University after being invited for the same in 2016. And the credit for this goes to the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner and social activist Malala Yousafzai for reminding the actor about the invitation. Alan Rusbridger, principal of Lady Margaret Hall at the Oxford University, had extended an invitation to SRK on Twitter in 2016 with the tweet that read, "can we tempt to to Oxford University to talk to our students at @lmhoxford? They love you (I'm the principal)." Reminding the principal and the superstar of the invitation after two years, Malala who is currently pursuing her degree there, recently wrote on her wall, "Still waiting!!!! To which King Khan replied, "Most certainly would love to do it & meeting u will be a privilege. Will put my team to schedule it sooner than soon." Aww, we must say that's quite sweet of him! Rishi Kapoor Catches Up With Old Friend Anupam Kher In NYC Amidst Speculations Over His Illness! Earlier while speaking to Mid-Day, Shahrukh Khan had revealed that he has to take out time to write his speeches as he doesn't like anyone else to write for him. "I don't like anyone writing for me. It takes time for me to sit down and write, given my schedule, but it has to be done by me. I am yet to zero in on a subject for this talk." He had also expressed that he loves to talk and whenever someone invites him to deliver a speech, he always considers it an opportunity," he was quoted as saying by the tabloid. Meanwhile on the work front, the superstar will be next seen in Aanand L.Rai's Zero alongside Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. The film is slated to release on 21st December, 2018. (1) My #MeToo has singer Kailesh Kher & model Zulfi Syed, from when I was a newly appointed young woman photographer at Hindustan Times in Bombay, 2006. Tweeting this thread for all to draw strength & speak out @photowallah@shubhangisapien@TheRestlessQuil@AnooBhu@weeny Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 The #MeToo Movement A woman photo journalist named Natasha Hemrajani came out strongly against Kailash Kher and Zulfi Syed for sexually harassing her and also said that other women should draw strength to speak out by her tweets. (2) #MeToo I was sent with my colleague, a woman journalist, to take pictures of Kailesh Kher at his home for an interview. During the interview, this creep sat between us as close to us as he could. He also kept putting his hands on our thighs (on the skin above our skirts) Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 Kailash Kher Is A Creep The photo journalist narrated her horror tales, which she had to face during the interview with Kailash Kher. (3)#MeToo We were appalled & left as soon as possible. I discussed with my colleague the idea of writing the interview from the point of view of unwelcome sexual molestation but she said the paper would never publish it because it would be libel (even if we were both witnesses) Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 'I Left Immediately' Appalled by his predatory behaviour, she left the interview and complained about it to her colleagues, but later realized that the newspaper will not publish her story, as it might lead to libel. (4)#MeToo I've let a number of friends and colleagues know about this incident with Kailesh Kher and the main reaction is always a shaking of the head, and 'this happens, as a woman you've got to look after your own self' logic / expression. Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 'I Shared My Experience To A Lot Of People' The photo journalist also stated she shared her bad experience that she had with Kailash Kher to a lot of people, but all they did was nod their head and nothing else. (5)#MeToo The near sexual assault episode with Zulfi Syed occurred on a cruise liner. A bunch of press photographers, journalists, models and people were invited on board overnight as a PR exercise. I was there with a woman colleague to shoot the entire event. Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 Zulfi Syed The photo journalist also accused Zulfi Syed of sexually harassing her on a cruise liner during a PR event. The event was attended by journalists, photographers, models and others. (6)#MeToo In due course of the evening, we got talking with the models amongst whom Zulfi and me sort of hit it off. My colleague and I formed a group along with Zulfi and a couple of other models and we moved about the cruise ship sampling the bars, cabaret club and diners. Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 Narrating The Incident The photo journalist talks about how she mingled with all of them in the course of the evening and kept herself occupied. (7)#MeToo At some point while looking at the rooms the models had been given to stay in, I ended up leaving my phone to charge in Zulfi's room. After dinner and some dancing, my colleague was sleepy and left. So did the other models and I was alone with Zulfi on the ship deck Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 I Kept My Phone For Charge In Zulfi's Room The photo journalist revealed that she'd kept her mobile phone for charge in Zulfi Syed's room and attended the party in the evening, which was filled with booze, food and dancing on the deck. (8)#MeToo He kissed me, I kissed him back, I decided I didn't want to take this any further and said so, and that I was going to bed. I remembered I'd left my phone charging in his room so I asked him if I could collect it. He agreed and we walked down the ship to his room. Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 Zulfi Syed Kissed Me She stated that after all the dancing, the models and journalists went to sleep and she was alone with Zulfi Syed on the deck and that is when he kissed her, and she kissed him back too. She revealed that she didn't want to do anything else with him and wanted to sleep in her room and that is when she realised she'd kept her phone for charge in Zulfi's room. (9)#MeToo I entered the room and took my phone, it was by the bed. Zulfi shut the door & leaned against it. I asked him why he'd shut the door, he said we both knew I wasn't going anywhere and that I hadn't really come to his room for the phone. I said I'd only come for my phone Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 Zulfi Syed Shut The Door While I Was Inside His Room As and when she entered his room to take her phone, Zulfi Syed shut the door of his room, leaving her panicked stricken. (10)#MeToo I walked up to the door to leave. He was standing right there, he grabbed me as soon as I reached for the handle, shoving me against the door and forcibly kissing me. I struggled and said I didn't want this but he wouldn't stop. I realised I was extremely vulnerable. Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 He Forcibly Kissed Me She also revealed that Zulfi Syed forcibly kissed her and shoved her against the door. (11)#MeToo There was nobody outside in corridor, no one would hear me scream, he was physically overpowering me & wouldn't stop and I did not want to become a victim of sexual assault. I had to strategise to get away so I stopped fighting him off. Instead, I made myself hold him. Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 There Was Nobody Outside She stated that there was nobody outside and she had to use a strategy all by herself to get out of the room. (12)#MeToo I said hey okay, why don't we do this properly on the bed. He backed off smiling. As soon as there was a window of a gap in his hold on me I wrenched the door open and ran down the empty corridor with my heart racing, feeling any second I would be dragged back by him. Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 Narrating About The Horrific Experience The photo journalist revealed some chilling experience with Zulfi Syed that will give you feel scared and terrifying. (13)#MeToo I reached the room I shared with my colleague, banged on the door. She let me in, saw my panic, asked me what happened. I told her the whole story & also told her we should report it. She asked me-why did I have to go to his room alone? I repeated, we should report it. Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 'I Was Finally Free' After being free from his clutches, she shared the experience to her colleagues, but again realised that the newspaper wouldn't publish her tales. (14)#MeToo But we both knew the paper would not publish it. Nothing would be done; I would be blamed for encouraging his attention. I learned at this point that women have to be vigilant all the time. Nobody would call out the men. The next day Zulfi apologised to me on the deck. Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 Women Have To Be Vigilant All The Time She stated that after having these unruly experiences she would like to advise all the women that they have to be vigilant all the time and nobody can call out men on their deeds. (15)#MeToo He said it was just a misunderstanding and he hoped I wouldn't make a big deal of it. I have spoken about both these incidents with colleagues and friends and they are always met with that headshake & 'what to do' expression. Until now. #MeToo@weeny@AGirlOfHerWords Natasha Hemrajani (@radiantbear) October 6, 2018 He Said It Was A Misunderstanding The photo journalist said that Zulfi Syed came up to her the next morning by saying that it was a misunderstanding and asked her not to make a big deal out of it. Nazriya Nazim had made a remarkable comeback to films after a gap of four years with the movie Koode, which had hit the theatres in the month of July. The movie had emerged as a big success and at the same time, Nazriya Nazim too received a lot of praises for her performance in the movie. Now, an official confirmation regarding Nazriya Nazim's next project as well has come out and the much-loved actress will be seen doing an important role in the upcoming big movie of her husband, Fahadh Faasil. Yes, we are talking about the film Trance, which is one among the much-awaited Malayalam movies. In a recent interview given to Times Of India, actor Fahadh Faasil himself had given a confirmation regarding Nazriya Nazim's association with this upcoming big project. "She almost gave up her career for four years to set up a home for me. I always tell her I would not have done that for anyone. My home is my world and I always try to be back home from the sets. She will be see in my next film, Trance", Fahadh Faasil was quoted as saying to Times Of India. Well, that indeed is a big news for the Malayalam film audiences. Trance is being directed by popular film-maker Anwar Rasheed and the movie is expected to come out in the theatres in the month of March 2018. Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya had previously worked together in the movie Bangalore Days, the Anjali Menon movie, which released back in the year 2014. Meanwhile, Nazriya Nazim was one among the producers of Fahadh Faasil's most recent blockbuster, Varathan. Wedding Date & Venue As per the latest reports, Kapil and Ginni's wedding ceremony will be held in Amritsar and it is going to be a four-day-long celebration. Apparently, they have decided to tie the knot in December, 2018, which is only a few months away. The source further added that the reception will take place in Mumbai. When He Declared His Love In the month of March last year (2017), Kapil had publicly announced his relationship with Ginni, when he posted a selfie with her on his Twitter handle and wrote, "Will not say she is my better half .. she completes me .. love u ginni .. please welcome her .. I love her so much:)" - (sic) Ginni Was By His Side Always We aren't surprised by the fact that Kapil is planning on getting married to Ginni because she was one of the people who supported him through his rough times. Ginni accompanied him on a coupe of international trips during his phase of depression. Kapil Confirms His Comeback! Seems like Kapil's life is falling into place after a huge turmoil. On Saturday (October 6, 2018), the comedian took to his Twitter handle to announce the good news. He wrote, "Jalad wapas aa raha hoon The Kapil Sharma Show' lekar aap ke liye sirf @SonyTV par." - (sic) He Is Excited About His Film Besides making his comeback on television, Kapil has also been busy promoting his forthcoming production film Son of Manjeet Singh. He was recently in his hometown Amritsar for the promotions. Felicis Ventures director Wesley Chan describes Sydney-based graphic design business Canva as one of the most valuable private companies in Australia today. The six-year old company became only the second Australian start-up to reach unicorn status with a valuation of over $1 billion when it raised $40 million from Felicis and Blackbird Ventures via a Series C round of funding in January. Felicis, which has been an investor since 2015, took a punt on Canva when it was being ignored by other Silicon Valley funds. Australia is a faraway place but when we saw Canvas pitch we knew there was the possibility of some serious disruption in the market for... - Cable Onda is the leading provider of broadband internet, pay-TV, fixed telephony and B2B telecommunications services in Panama. - Cable Onda increases Millicom's cable exposure to more than 40% of Latam service revenue and significantly enhances Millicom's B2B capabilities. - Cable Onda completes Millicom's Central America footprint and connects it with our leading operations in Colombia. - Panama is an investment grade country with a dollarized and fast-growing economy. - Strategic partnership with current shareholders who will retain 20% equity stake. - The purchase price implies an EV/EBITDA of 7.9x and an EV/OCF of 14.9x (1) (1) Management projections of 2019 EBITDA of $184 million and OCF of $98 million exclude one-time integration costs as well as possible adjustments for acquisition accounting, intercompany eliminations, and reconciliations for differences in accounting policies and standards. OCF refers to EBITDA less Capex LUXEMBOURG, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Millicom announced today it is acquiring a controlling 80% stake in Cable Onda, the largest cable and fixed telecommunications services provider in Panama, Latin America's fastest-growing economy. The transaction values 100% of Cable Onda at an enterprise value of $1,460 million, with a cash consideration of approximately $1,002 million (subject to customary adjustments). The selling shareholders will retain a 20% equity stake in the company. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and consent from Cable Onda's bondholders, and it is expected to close by year-end 2018. Cable Onda is the leader in Panama's broadband internet, pay-TV, fixed telephony and B2B telecommunications markets, serving more than 500,000 customers using mostly its state-of-the-art Hybrid Fibre-Cable (HFC) network. For the half-year ended June 30, 2018, Cable Onda generated revenue of $195 million and EBITDA of $83 million, for a margin of 42.4%. Capex for the period was $46 million. The purchase price implies an EV/EBITDA of 7.9x and an EV/OCF of 14.9x based on 2019 management projections for Cable Onda, which has grown consistently over the last two decades. Management expects that the addition of Cable Onda will positively enhance Millicom's overall growth. Mauricio Ramos, CEO of Millicom said: "Our acquisition of Cable Onda is consistent with our strategy of accelerating the deployment of high-speed data networks in Central and South America. With the addition of Panama, we now have contiguous country operations from Guatemala to Colombia, which will significantly enhance our B2B capabilities, given the country's increasingly important role as a business hub for the region. We are excited about expanding to Panama, an investment grade country with a diversified, dollarized, and robust economy. Disposable income levels in Panama are now among the highest in Latin America, yet penetration rates for digital services remain comparatively low. We look forward to working with our strong local partners to extend the company's market leadership and bring Digital Lifestyle services to even more Panamanians and contribute to the ongoing socio-economic development of the country." Nicolas Gonzalez Revilla, CEO of Cable Onda commented: "For the past two decades, the dedicated employees of Cable Onda have built a world-class organization capable of competing, and winning, against some of the largest telecom service providers in the world. This is a true Panamanian success story that we can all be proud of, and this is also something that we have in common with Millicom, the clear leader in most of its markets. We are excited to partner with Millicom for this next step in Cable Onda's journey." Millicom will fund the investment with existing cash resources and new debt, and the company has secured funding commitments from a group of banks to help finance the acquisition. Proforma for the acquisition, Millicom's proportionate net debt to EBITDA as at June 30, 2018 would have been 2.2x on an underlying basis and 2.5x on a proportionate basis. As part of the transaction, Millicom and the selling shareholders have entered into a shareholder agreement which, among other items, grants to Millicom the right to acquire and to the selling shareholders the right to sell, the remaining 20% of Cable Onda's equity. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Millicom for this transaction. Millicom management will host a conference call for the global financial community on October 8, 2018 at 14:30 (Luxembourg/Stockholm) / 13:30 (London) / 08:30 (Miami). Presentation slides are available on the company's website at: www.millicom.com/investors. Dial-in information: Sweden: +46 (0)8-5033-6574Luxembourg: +352-2786-1336 UK: +44 (0)330-336-9105 US: +1-323-794-2093 The access code is: 3699113 A replay of the call will be available for 7 days at: Sweden: +46 (0) 8-5199-3077 UK: +44 (0) 207-660-0134 US: +1-719-457-0820 Replay passcode is: 3699113 For further information, please contact Press: Vivian Kobeh Corporate Communications Director +1-305-476-7352 / +1-305-302-2858 press@millicom.com Investors: Michel Morin VP Investor Relations +352-277-59094 investors@millicom.com Mauricio Pinzon Investor Relations Manager Tel: +44-20-3249-2460 investors@millicom.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/millicom-international-cellular/r/millicom-accelerates-cable-expansion-with-acquisition-of-cable-onda-in-panama,c2636808 The following files are available for download: First underground mining intersection of the Platreef mineralized belt on the Northern Limb of South Africa's Bushveld Complex, the world's premier platinum producing region; Flatreef Deposit is an estimated 26 metres thick at Shaft 1 intersection Mokopane, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - October 8, 2018) - Ivanhoe Mines' (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF) Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland, Chief Executive Officer Lars-Eric Johansson and Ivanplats' Managing Director Dr. Patricia Makhesha announced today that Platreef's Shaft 1 has reached the top of the high-grade Flatreef Deposit (T1 mineralized zone) at a depth of 780.2 metres below surface. The achievement by the Ivanplats shaft-sinking team is the first time that the Platreef - a strongly mineralized, polymetallic belt that extends northward from the town of Mokopane for more than 30 kilometres - has been intercepted by underground mining activity. Ivanplats' Flatreef Deposit, with a strike length of six kilometres, lies within a flat to gently dipping portion of the Platreef mineralized belt at relatively shallow depths of approximately 700 to 1,200 metres below surface. The Platreef mining team has delivered the first ore from the underground mine development to a surface stockpile for metallurgical sampling. The estimated thickness of the mineralized reef (T1 & T2 mineralized zones) at Shaft 1 is 26 metres, with grades of platinum-group metals ranging up to 11 grams per tonne (g/t) 3PE (platinum, palladium and rhodium) plus gold, as well as significant quantities of nickel and copper (see Chart 1, page 5). The 26-metre intersection will yield approximately 3,000 tonnes of ore, estimated to contain more than 400 ounces of platinum-group metals (PGMs). "This is a significant milestone for Ivanplats and a tribute to the excellent work by the Platreef Project team and its South African sinking contractor, Aveng Mining," said Dr. Makhesha. "We now can proudly show our stakeholders and investors Flatreef's remarkably high-grade and thick, flat-lying orebody that is ideal for safe, underground, bulk-scale, mechanized mining. "Our focus is to keep advancing the Platreef Project along its critical path. We remain true to our commitment to build Platreef into the world's next great platinum-group metals mine - a showcase for South Africa and the international investors that have financed the exploration and development work," Dr. Makhesha added. Mr. Friedland noted that while some investors have expressed concern about the current price of platinum, Platreef also has massive quantities of palladium, nickel and copper, as well as rhodium and gold. He said the steady surge in the price of palladium could see it become more valuable than gold for the first time in 16 years, and rhodium prices are near eight-year highs. The platinum-to-palladium ratio at the Platreef Mine is approximately 1:1. Palladium and rhodium are used as catalysts to control exhaust emissions in gasoline-fuelled vehicles, while diesel vehicles mostly use platinum. Platinum also is used as the catalyst in zero-emission, hydrogen-powered, fuel-cell electric vehicles now being developed by many of the leading, global automakers, such as Honda, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai. "Building a new, large-scale mine such as Platreef is a capital- and time-intensive process that requires us to embrace the future, and the future we see will include a lot more electric vehicles using batteries and fuel cells," Mr. Friedland said. "We are confident that platinum, copper and nickel will be among the biggest beneficiaries of the accelerating global transition to electric vehicles and clean energy. "The Northern Limb is the future of platinum-group-metals mining. We will have the distinct advantage of having a highly-mechanized, underground mining operation with a small environmental footprint. "On behalf of our stakeholders, international shareholders and progressive end users of our metals, we are pleased to be leading the positive transformation in the way future underground platinum mining operations in South Africa will be conducted," Mr. Friedland added. In July 2017, Ivanhoe issued an independent, definitive feasibility study (DFS) for Platreef covering the first phase of production at an initial mining rate of four million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). The DFS estimated that Platreef's initial, average annual production rate will be 476,000 ounces of platinum, palladium, rhodium and gold, plus 21 million pounds of nickel and 13 million pounds of copper. Photo 1: Members of the Platreef Project team and its South African sinking contractor, Aveng Mining, in Shaft 1 at the intersection of the Flatreef Deposit. To view an enhanced version of Photo 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/40215_ivanhoe-oct8-figure1.jpg Photo 2: Gerick Mouton, Ivanplats' Vice President & Project Director (front right) and Jan Mapeka, Ivanplats' PhD-enrolled Geologist (front left) with a piece of high-grade Flatreef ore from the surface stockpile. To view an enhanced version of Photo 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/40215_ivanhoe-oct8-figure2.jpg Photo 3: A sample from the first ore excavated from the Flatreef Deposit showing massive pentlandite (nickel sulphide) and chalcopyrite (copper sulphide) mineralization. Grades in the upper part of the T1 and T2 mineralized zones at Shaft 1 range up to 11 g/t 3PE (platinum, palladium and rhodium) plus gold, as well as significant nickel and copper. To view an enhanced version of Photo 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/40215_ivanhoe-oct8-figure3.jpg Photo 4: The distinct contact between the hanging wall norite-anorthosite (at top) and the upper part of the Flatreef mineralized T1 pyroxenite (at bottom) in the Shaft 1 intersection. To view an enhanced version of Photo 4, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/40215_ivanhoe-oct8-figure4.jpg Flatreef is an estimated 26 metres thick at Shaft 1 intersection Geotechnical drill hole GT008, drilled vertically below Shaft 1, indicates that the grade for the T1 mineralized zone at the Shaft 1 location is 4.83 g/t 3PE plus gold, 0.33% nickel and 0.15% copper over a vertical thickness of 12 metres (see Chart 1, page 5). A well-developed chromitite stringer, marking the stratigraphic contact between the T1 and T2 mineralized zones, is expected to be intersected at a shaft depth of approximately 795 metres. This will be followed by the T2 mineralized zone, which grades 4.14 g/t 3PE+gold, 0.35% nickel and 0.18% copper over a vertical thickness of 11.26 metres (at a 2 g/t 3PE+gold grade cut-off). Photo 5: Dr. Danie Grobler, Ivanplats Manager, Geology (left), Jan Mapeka, Ivanplats PhD-enrolled Geologist (centre), and Gerick Mouton, Ivanplats Vice President & Project Director (right), at current shaft bottom (785m) with the T1 mineralized reef surrounding the shaft wall and bottom. To view an enhanced version of Photo 5, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/40215_ivanhoe-oct8-figure5.jpg Chart 1: Downhole plot of geotechnical drill hole GT008 (left) and the downhole plot of Shaft 1 intersection of the top of the Flatreef Deposit (right). To view an enhanced version of Chart 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/40215_ivanhoe-oct8-figure6.jpg Completed 750-metre station on Shaft 1 will provide initial, underground access to the high-grade Flatreef orebody The 750-metre station on Shaft 1 will provide initial, underground access to the high-grade orebody, enabling mine development to proceed during the construction of Shaft 2, which will become the mine's main production shaft. The mining zones in the current Platreef Mine plan occur at depths ranging from approximately 700 metres to 1,200 metres below surface. Shaft 1's 750-metre station also will allow access for the first raise-bore shaft, which will have an internal diameter of six metres, to provide ventilation to the underground workings during the mine's ramp-up phase. As shaft-sinking advances, two additional shaft stations will be developed at mine-working depths of 850 metres and 950 metres. Shaft 1 is expected to reach its projected, final depth of 980 metres below surface, complete with the stations, in early 2020. The thick, flat-lying orebody at the Platreef Project is ideal for bulk-scale, mechanized mining. As underground development progresses, the mine plan calls for the addition of large, mechanized mining equipment, such as 14- and 17-tonne load-haul-dump machines and 50-tonne haul trucks to support the planned long-hole mining method. Approximately 40% of Platreef's shaft-sinking team now is comprised of employees from local Mokopane communities who had no previous mining experience. New employees receive intensive, on-site training for underground mining and complete a workplace-safety induction program. Construction progressing well at Shaft 2 surface box cut Excavation of the Shaft 2 box cut to a depth of approximately 29 metres below surface is progressing well. Completion of the box cut will allow for the construction of the concrete hitch (foundation) for the 103-metre-tall concrete headgear (headframe) that will house the shaft's permanent hoisting facilities and support the shaft collar. Shaft 2, to be located approximately 100 metres northeast of Shaft 1, will have an internal diameter of 10 metres, will be lined with concrete and sunk to a planned, final depth of 1,104 metres below surface. It will be equipped with two 40-tonne rock-hoisting skips with a capacity to hoist a total of six million tonnes of ore per year - the single largest hoisting capacity at any mine in Africa. Headgear for the permanent hoisting facility was designed by South Africa-based Murray & Roberts Cementation. Platreef's development team has decided to unbundle the complete Shaft 2 sinking contract into smaller commitment portions, while still maintaining the critical development path. Photo 6: Platreef's Shaft 2 box cut, with Shaft 1 headframe in the background. To view an enhanced version of Photo 6, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/40215_ivanhoe-oct8-figure7.jpg Development focused on construction of a state-of-the-art underground mine The Platreef Project is located on the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex, adjacent to Anglo Platinum's Mogalakwena Mine. The Platreef Project, which contains the Flatreef Deposit, is a tier-one discovery by Ivanhoe Mines' geologists. Based on the findings of the July 2017 independent DFS, Ivanhoe plans to develop the Platreef Mine as a major underground mining operation in three phases to achieve: 1) An initial rate of four million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) to establish an operating platform to support future expansions; 2) a doubling of production to eight Mtpa; and 3) expansion to a steady-state 12 Mtpa. As Phase 1 is being developed and commissioned, there would be opportunities to refine the timing and scope of subsequent phases of expanded production. Given the size and potential of the Platreef Mineral Resource, Shaft 2 has been engineered with a crushing and hoisting capacity of six Mtpa. This allows for a relatively quick and capital-efficient first expansion of the Platreef Project to six Mtpa by increasing underground development and commissioning of a third, two-Mtpa processing module and associated surface infrastructure as required. A further expansion to more than eight Mtpa would entail converting Shaft 1 from a ventilation shaft into a hoisting/ventilation shaft. This would require additional ventilation exhaust raises, as well as a further increase of underground development, commissioning of a fourth, two-Mtpa processing module and associated surface infrastructure, as described in the PEA as Phase 2 of the project. Photo 7: Lucas Malatji (left) and Zitha Ndwandwe, safety officers with contractor Aveng, at Shaft 1's 750-metre-level station. The station will provide initial, underground access to the high-grade orebody, enabling mine development to proceed during the construction of Shaft 2. To view an enhanced version of Photo 7, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/40215_ivanhoe-oct8-figure8.jpg Photo 8: Platreef's underground mine development team includes three new members from local communities (from left): Nkone Madubana, Learner Sinker; Katlego Nkwana, Learner Sinker; and Caroline Dzivhani, Geologist. To view an enhanced version of Photo 8, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/40215_ivanhoe-oct8-figure9.jpg Photo 9: Schematic of the planned Platreef Mine site, showing first-phase surface infrastructure and surrounding host communities. To view an enhanced version of Photo 9, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3396/40215_ivanhoe-oct8-figure10.jpg Ivanhoe Mines indirectly owns 64% of the Platreef Project through its subsidiary, Ivanplats, and is directing all mine development work. The South African beneficiaries of the approved broad-based, black economic empowerment structure have a 26% stake in the Platreef Project. The remaining 10% is owned by a Japanese consortium of ITOCHU Corporation, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation and Japan Gas Corporation. Qualified person The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Stephen Torr, P.Geo., Ivanhoe Mines' Vice President, Project Geology and Evaluation, a Qualified Person under the terms of National Instrument (NI) 43-101. Mr. Torr is not independent of Ivanhoe Mines. Mr. Torr has verified the technical data disclosed in this news release. Detailed information about assay methods and data verification measures used to support the scientific and technical information is set out in the Platreef 2017 Feasibility Study NI 43-101 Technical Report dated September 2017, available under Technical Reports at www.ivanhoemines.com and on Ivanhoe Mines' SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. About Ivanhoe Mines Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal projects in Southern Africa: the development of new mines at the Kamoa-Kakula copper discovery in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Platreef platinum-palladium-nickel-copper-gold discovery in South Africa; and the extensive redevelopment and upgrading of the historic Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in the DRC. Information contacts Investors Bill Trenaman +1.604.331.9834 Media North America: Bob Williamson +1.604.512.4856 South Africa: Jeremy Michaels + 27.82.772.1122 Website www.ivanhoemines.com Forward-looking statements Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the company, the Platreef Project, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the company's current expectations regarding future events, performance and results, and speak only as of the date of this news release. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information in this news release include without limitation, (i) statements regarding the 26-metre intersection of the Flatreef Deposit at Shaft 1 will yield approximately 3,000 tonnes of ore, estimated to contain more than 400 ounces of platinum-group metals (PGMs); (ii) statements regarding Ivanhoe's commitment to build Platreef into the world's next great platinum-group metals mine; (iii) statements regarding the expectation that Shaft 1 will reach its projected, final depth of 980 metres below surface, complete with the stations, in 2020; and (iv) statements regarding Ivanhoe's plans to develop the Platreef Mine as a major underground mining operation in three phases to achieve: 1) An initial rate of four million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) to establish an operating platform to support future expansions; 2) a doubling of production to eight Mtpa; and 3) expansion to a steady-state 12 Mtpa. In addition, all of the results of the Platreef DFS constitute forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The forward-looking statements include metal price assumptions, cash flow forecasts, projected capital and operating costs, metal recoveries, mine life and production rates, and the financial results of the Platreef DFS. These include statements regarding the Platreef Project IRR of 14.2% after tax, the Platreef Project's NPV of US$916 million at an 8% discount rate after tax (as well as all other before and after taxation NPV calculations), estimated all-in cash costs (including the life-of-mine average estimate of US$351 per ounce of 3PE+Au net by-product credits and including sustaining capital costs), capital cost estimates (including pre-production capital of US$1,544 million), proposed mining plans and methods, a mine life estimate of 32 years, a project payback period of 5.3 years, the expected number of people to be employed at the Project, and the availability and development of water and electricity for the Platreef Project. Readers are cautioned that actual results may vary from those presented. All such forward-looking information and statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by Ivanhoe Mines' management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believe are appropriate in the circumstances. These statements, however, are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information or statements including, but not limited to, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; unexpected failure or inadequacy of infrastructure, industrial accidents or machinery failure (including of shaft sinking equipment), or delays in the development of infrastructure; and the failure of exploration programs or other studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued studies, development or operations. Other important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements also include those described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the company's most recently filed MD&A, as well as in the most recent Annual Information Form filed by Ivanhoe Mines. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. Certain of the factors and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking information and statements, and certain of the risks that could cause the actual results to differ materially are presented in the "Platreef 2017 Feasibility Study, September 2017" available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Ivanhoe Mines website at www.ivanhoemines.com. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the company believes are reasonable assumptions, the company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release. Data Demonstrate Potential of GKT831 to Efficiently Target Cancer Associated Fibroblasts Interim results of the Phase 2 Trial with GKT831 in Primary Biliary Cholangitis expected in early November 2018 Regulatory News: Genkyotex (Euronext Paris Brussels: FR00011790542 GKTX) (Paris:GKTX) (Brussels:GKTX), a biopharmaceutical company and the leader in NOX therapies, announced today the presentation of preclinical data showing that GKT831, the Company's clinical stage NOX1 and NOX4 inhibitor, efficiently targeted cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in prostate cancer and abrogated the pro-tumorigenic influence of the tumor micro-environment. The results were presented by Dr. Natalie Sampson, Division of Experimental Urology, Dept. of Urology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, at ESUR18 the 25th Meeting of the European Association of Urology, taking place October 4-6, 2018, in Athens, Greece (ESUR18, October 5, Poster P-23). CAFs are an essential component of the tumor-associated stromal microenvironment, which is a primary driver of prostate cancer progression. The new preclinical data demonstrated that elevated NOX4 expression in prostate cancer correlates with disease relapse and shortened disease-free survival. Furthermore, NOX4 inhibition with GKT831 reverts primary prostate CAFs to a benign-like phenotype and abrogates their paracrine-mediated pro-tumorigenic effects on prostate cancer cells in vitro ex vivo. Additional recent data suggest that specific CAF subtypes may have distinct tumor promoting roles. In this study, a dominant NOX4-expressing CAF subtype was identified. In these NOX4 expressing CAFs, GKT831 reduced the production of reactive oxygen species and suppressed CAF activation markers. GKT831 also blocked the onco-supportive effects of CAFs, including prostate cancer cell proliferation and migration. "These new data further support our previous findings that NOX4 in the tumor microenvironment/CAFs plays a key role in driving progression towards aggressive prostate cancer. In addition, the results of this preclinical study are indicative of the therapeutic potential of GKT831 in targeting NOX4 in prostate cancer" said Dr. Sampson. "Together with previously published results, these studies indicate that GKT831 has the potential to block the multiple tumor promoting effects of CAFs, including tumor growth, invasion and resistance to immuno-oncology therapies. Accordingly, we continue to evaluate potential clinical development strategies with GKT831 in order to address significant unmet medical needs in cancer patients" said Philippe Wiesel, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Genkyotex. The role of NOX4 in the activation of CAFs is similar to its function in the activation of myofibroblasts, a key characteristic of fibrogenesis in many fibrotic diseases. GKT831 has also demonstrated potent anti-fibrotic activity in multiple preclinical models of liver, lung, skin, and renal fibrosis. The safety and efficacy of GKT831 is currently being assessed in two separate Phase 2 trials in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and diabetic kidney disease, two progressive fibrotic disorders. As previously announced, the interim results from the PBC study are expected in early November 2018 and the final results should be available in Spring 2019. A third phase 2 trial, funded by the US National Institutes of Health, in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, is expected to be initiated in H1 2019. About Genkyotex Genkyotex is the leading biopharmaceutical company in NOX therapies, listed on the Euronext Paris and Euronext Brussels markets. A leader in NOX therapies, its unique therapeutic approach is based on a selective inhibition of NOX enzymes that amplify multiple disease processes such as fibrosis, inflammation, pain processing, cancer development, and neurodegeneration. Genkyotex's platform enables the identification of available small-molecules that selectively inhibit specific NOX enzymes. Genkyotex is developing a pipeline of first-in-class product candidates targeting one or multiple NOX enzymes. The lead product candidate, GKT831, a NOX1 and NOX4 inhibitor is evaluated in a phase 2 clinical trial in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC, a fibrotic orphan disease) and in an investigator-initiated Phase 2 clinical trial in Type 1 Diabetes and Kidney Disease (DKD). A grant from the United States National Institutes of Health (U.S. NIH) of $8.9 million has been awarded to Professor Victor Thannickal at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to fund a multi-year research program evaluating the role of NOX enzymes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic lung disease that results in fibrosis of the lungs; the core component of the program will be to conduct a Phase 2 trial with the GKT831 in patients with IPF. This product candidate may also be active in other fibrotic indications. Genkyotex's second product candidate, GKT771, is a NOX1 inhibitor targeting multiple pathways in angiogenesis, pain processing, and inflammation, currently undergoing preclinical testing. Genkyotex also has a versatile platform well-suited to the development of various immunotherapies (Vaxiclase). A partnership has been established with Serum Institute of India Private Ltd (Serum Institute) and could generate approximately 150 million in future revenues for Genkyotex, before royalties on sales. For further information, please go towww.genkyotex.com Disclaimer This press release and the information it contains does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy, sell or hold Genkyotex shares in any country, in particular any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or other qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. This press release may contain forward-looking statements by the company with respect to its objectives. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs, estimates and expectations of Genkyotex's management and are subject to risks and uncertainties such as the company's ability to implement its chosen strategy, customer market trends, changes in technologies and in the company's competitive environment, changes in regulations, clinical or industrial risks and all risks linked to the company's growth. These factors as well as other risks and uncertainties may prevent the company from achieving the objectives outlined in the press release and actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, due to various factors. Without being exhaustive, such factors include uncertainties involved in the development of Genkyotex's products, which may not succeed, or in the delivery of Genkyotex's products marketing authorizations by the relevant regulatory authorities and, in general, any factor that could affects Genkyotex's capacity to commercialize the products it develops. No guarantee is given on forward-looking statements which are subject to a number of risks, notably those described in the registration document (document de reference) registered by the French Markets Authority (the AMF) on 27 April 2018 under number R.18-037, and those linked to changes in economic conditions, the financial markets, or the markets on which Genkyotex is present. Genkyotex products are currently used for clinical trials only and are not otherwise available for distribution or sale. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181007005019/en/ Contacts: INVESTORS NewCap Dusan Oresansky, Tristan Roquet Montegon and Emmanuel Huynh +33 1 44 71 94 92 genkyotex@newcap.eu or MEDIA NewCap Nicolas Merigeau, Arthur Rouille, +33 1 44 71 00 15 genkyotex@newcap.eu or US LifeSci Advisors, LLC Brian Ritchie, +1-212-915-2578 britchie@lifesciadvisors.com SINGAPORE, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Singapore Media Festival (SMF) is back from 28 November to 9 December 2018 for its fifth instalment to celebrate the best of Asian storytelling. This year's SMF will feature new platforms for budding Asian media talent to be discovered and trained by international experts, a robust showcase of Asian films, as well as a vibrant celebration of Singapore films to be opened to the public. Hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the Singapore Media Festival 2018 consists of the newly-minted Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA), the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore, the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), and SMF Ignite. Robert Gilby, Chairman of the SMF Advisory Board, said, "Asian stories and storytellers matter to the world. There has never been a better time for Asian stories and talent to shine bright on the global stage. The Singapore Media Festival is the most diverse platform in the region and unique in the way it brings together the best talent to celebrate these stories, foster new collaborations and discover innovative ways of storytelling. The time for Asia is now." NEW PLATFORMS TO PROPEL NEXT GENERATION OF STORYTELLERS SMF will feature new platforms for aspiring media talent from Asia to be discovered and mentored by international experts. The Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) will introduce an inaugural pitching competition for the Chinese market, the ATF Chinese Pitch, to identify innovative traditional movie, online movie and online drama series concepts in the genres of Sci-Fi, Thriller, Myths and Legends, Horror and Fantasy. Finalists will get the chance to pitch their ideas to an expert panel. Winners in each pitch category will take home a S$3,500 cash award, and potentially receive an opportunity for their scripts to be bought for S$15,000 . cash award, and potentially receive an opportunity for their scripts to be bought for . The ATF Chinese Pitch is a partnership between ATF and GHY Culture & Media. GHY Culture & Media will be launching Little Nyonya 2 , a remake of the hit TV series at ATF. , a remake of the hit TV series at ATF. Two key figures in the short-form video content realm - Curt Marvis , CEO and CoFounder of QYOU and Andy Kaplan , Media Industry Advisor and Non-Executive Chairman of QYOU India - will headline the ATF Leaders' Summit. Other industry heavyweights who will be present include Howard Owens , Founder and Co-CEO of Propagate Content, an independent premium content production company. , CEO and CoFounder of QYOU and , Media Industry Advisor and Non-Executive Chairman of QYOU India - will headline the ATF Leaders' Summit. Other industry heavyweights who will be present include , Founder and Co-CEO of Propagate Content, an independent premium content production company. The Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA) will launch the Asian Academy Creative Campus, featuring a host of masterclasses and panels to equip budding media professionals in skills such as live TV directing and writing. Helmed by reputable experts such as Francesco Calvi , one of Australia's leading lighting designers and Natalie Gee , Creative Director and Head of Production at NBCU International, the Asian Academy Creative Campus will be free for all Singaporean students studying in the media, communications and creative fields. , one of leading lighting designers and , Creative Director and Head of Production at NBCU International, the Asian Academy Creative Campus will be free for all Singaporean students studying in the media, communications and creative fields. The Asian Academy Creative Campus will run from 3 to 7 December, with the Asian Academy Creative Awards to be held at Capitol Theatre on 6 and 7 December. Young filmmakers from ASEAN and South Korea will also benefit from the 2-week Film Leaders Incubator (FLY) 2018, which is organised by the Busan Film Commission and runs from 21 November to 4 December. will also benefit from the 2-week which is organised by the Busan Film Commission and runs from 21 November to 4 December. Hosted in Singapore for the first time this year by the Singapore Film Commission (SFC) in cooperation with SGIFF, the FLY programme will be helmed by filmmakers from Singapore and South Korea . This includes founder of Mocha Chai Laboratories, Chai Yee Wei , and Korean filmmaker Shin Dongseok, who has won numerous awards such as the BIFF FIPRESCI and the Udine Far East Film Festival White Mulberry Awards. for the first time this year by the Singapore Film Commission (SFC) in cooperation with SGIFF, the FLY programme will be helmed by filmmakers from and . This includes founder of Mocha Chai Laboratories, , and Korean filmmaker Shin Dongseok, who has won numerous awards such as the BIFF FIPRESCI and the Udine Far East Film Festival White Mulberry Awards. The FLY programme will feature short film workshops and mentoring sessions that will equip young filmmakers with skills such as directing, cinematography and editing. SMF Ignite will feature Nuseir Yassin, creator of popular video series Nas Daily , who made the viral video on Singapore titled The Almost Perfect Country. , who made the viral video on titled Nuseir Yassin will speak on topics including building digital audiences, digital storytelling for online platforms, and how audience response has shaped his content. He will also personally select three Singapore content creators to be mentored and produce their own one-minute videos. Interested participants can submit a one-minute video to imdasingapore@gmail.com by 4 November to get a chance to meet and work with Nuseir Yassin. content creators to be mentored and produce their own one-minute videos. Interested participants can submit a one-minute video to imdasingapore@gmail.com by 4 November to get a chance to meet and work with Nuseir Yassin. The focus of the four-day SMF Ignite conference and exhibition from 4 to 7 December will be "The Convergence of Big Data, AI and Storytelling". SPOTLIGHT ON PHILIPPINE CINEMA The Philippines is the SMF's Country-of-Focus this year, as the country celebrates 100 years of Philippine cinema and commemorates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Singapore in 2019. In line with this year's Country-of-Focus, SGIFF will present a robust line-up of Philippine films. Beyond discovering films from the Philippines, media professionals at SMF will also have the opportunity to interact with Filipino media industry veterans through a host of programmes and initiatives that spotlights on the Philippines. SINGAPORE FILMS TO BE CELEBRATED AT SMF SMF will also feature a celebration of Singapore films by home-grown filmmakers: Award-winning local filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua's film, A Land Imagined , has been selected to compete at the SGIFF's Silver Screen Awards in the Asian Feature Film Competition category. This follows the film's top prize win at the Locarno Film Festival and Egypt's El Gouna Film Festival. A Land Imagined is supported by the SFC, a division under the IMDA. film, , has been selected to compete at the SGIFF's Silver Screen Awards in the Asian Feature Film Competition category. This follows the film's top prize win at the Locarno Film Festival and El Gouna Film Festival. is supported by the SFC, a division under the IMDA. In conjunction with the SFC's 20 th Anniversary, a documentary commemorating the evolution and milestones of Singapore's cinema will premiere at SGIFF on 1 December at the National Museum of Singapore . The film will premiere as part of SGIFF's SG Originals: Singapore Cinema - New Perspectives . The screening will be accompanied by a panel discussion with notable Singapore filmmakers Eric Khoo , Kirsten Tan , Sanif Olek, and the Director of the SFC, Mr Joachim Ng . The screening and panel discussion is opened to the public for free. Interested members of the public may register for tickets at sgiff2018.peatix.com. Anniversary, a documentary commemorating the evolution and milestones of cinema will premiere at SGIFF on 1 December at the National Museum of . The film will premiere as part of SGIFF's . The screening will be accompanied by a panel discussion with notable filmmakers , , Sanif Olek, and the Director of the SFC, Mr . The screening and panel discussion is opened to the public for free. Interested members of the public may register for tickets at sgiff2018.peatix.com. In addition, three Singapore films from 1998 - The Teenage Textbook Movie (directed by Philip Lim ), Forever Fever (directed by Glen Goei ) and Money No Enough (directed by Tay Teck Lock) - have been restored by the Asian Film Archive (AFA) with the support of the SFC. films from 1998 - (directed by ), (directed by ) and (directed by Tay Teck Lock) - have been restored by the Asian Film Archive (AFA) with the support of the SFC. Free film screenings of the three restored films, accompanied with a talk featuring a reunion with the cast and crew of the films will be jointly organised by SFC with the AFA to celebrate the films' 20th anniversary. Screenings will take place from 1 to 3 November, 7PM at The Cathay Cineplex (Hall 2), and from 9 November to 10 November at The Gallery Theatre, National Museum of Singapore . Tickets are free for registration from 8 October at singaporeclassicsreignited.peatix.com at The Cathay Cineplex (Hall 2), and from 9 November to 10 November at The Gallery Theatre, National Museum of . Tickets are free for registration from 8 October at singaporeclassicsreignited.peatix.com The public can also enjoy Singapore films on Mediacorp platforms. A curated selection of local films including Kallang Roar The Movie (2008), Ilo Ilo (2013),7 Letters (2015) and Wonder Boy (2017) will air on Mediacorp's Channel 5 from November 2018 , as part of the celebration of SFC's 20th Anniversary. "The media industry in Singapore and the region has truly grown from strength to strength over the years. Singapore has a unique position as a connecting hub in Asia, and we welcome the creation of more made-with-Singapore content with a universal appeal. The Singapore Media Festival is the best platform in the region to make these collaborations happen and to bring our stories from Asia to the world," said Howie Lau, Chief Industry Development Officer, IMDA. For more details of the Singapore Media Festival, visit www.sgmediafestival.com. Media materials may be accessed in the Festival e-Media Kit here: https://bit.ly/2ybmSUs. GSMA Calls for Applications to Develop Solutions to Improve Rural Connectivity in Ghana and Uganda The GSMA today launched a new Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity, aimed at expanding digital inclusion through innovative new technology solutions for connecting unserved rural communities. The Fund is backed by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) and managed by the GSMA. The Fund will provide grants up to 300,000 and is open to eligible companies who can deploy solutions in Uganda or Ghana, in partnership with MTN Uganda and Vodafone Ghana respectively. Funded projects will test innovative ways to deploy mobile broadband networks in rural areas, looking to demonstrate commercially sustainable models that can be scaled and replicated in similar environments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005068/en/ GSMA Launches Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity (Photo: Business Wire) "Mobile operators are committed to advancing connectivity in rural areas as they work to deliver commercially sustainable solutions to accelerate progress against the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," said John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA. "The Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity will drive partnerships aimed at developing new ways of using mobile technologies to close coverage gaps in rural areas so that more citizens have access to life-enhancing mobile services." Projects eligible for funding will test innovative ways to deploy mobile broadband networks in rural areas, in partnership with a mobile operator, and projects will need to demonstrate commercially sustainable models that can be scaled and replicated in similar environments. Successful grantees and their partners will receive advice and guidance from the GSMA, including analytical support to identify commercially viable sites for deployment, and full technical and commercial performance reports. Applications will need to focus on at least one of the following areas: active base station technology; passive infrastructure; energy; backhaul; operation and maintenance; or sustainable business models. Connectivity Drives Social and Economic Benefits Mobile internet connectivity brings a wide range of social and economic benefits, helping to promote digital inclusion and supporting the delivery of essential services and key development objectives such as poverty eradication, healthcare, education, financial services and gender equality. The UN's Sustainable Development Goals recognises the importance of connectivity and include a specific target on ensuring universal and affordable access to the internet. According to the GSMA's Connectivity Index1, more than two-thirds of the global population is now connected to the internet. The GSMA's recent Mobile Industry Impact Report2 highlights that countries with high levels of mobile connectivity have made more progress in meeting their SDG commitments. The study shows that mobile is continuing to expand its reach, with 400 million more people benefiting from mobile connectivity since 2015, but more work needs to be done, particularly in rural areas. Giusti continued, "Deploying infrastructure in remote areas can be twice as expensive as in urban areas, with smaller revenue opportunities. The challenge is not only to bring mobile internet coverage to rural areas, but to do so in a way that ensures long-term commercial sustainability. Innovation and partnership will be essential to addressing this challenge, and the Innovation Fund can play a key role in identifying new ways of using mobile technology to connect the unconnected." For further information on the GSMA's Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity please get in touch with the GSMA Connected Society Programme at www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/connected-society/ -ENDS- Notes to Editors 1The GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index measures the performance of 163 countries against four key enablers of mobile internet connectivity infrastructure, affordability, consumer readiness and content and services. This web tool allows you to explore the data used in the Index and compare countries across all metrics. www.mobileconnectivityindex.com 2The 2018 Mobile Industry Impact Report was authored by GSMA Intelligence, the research arm of the GSMA. The report provides summaries on mobile's impact on all 17 SDGs, alongside in-depth analysis on five selected SDGs that showcase innovative case studies of operator initiatives supporting the Goals. Click here to download the report About the GSMA The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over 350 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences. For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA. About The Department for International Development (DFID) We lead the UK government's work to end extreme poverty. Find out more at www.gov.uk/dfid Contact our Press Office: 020 7023 0600 (Overseas +44 20 7023 0600) Get our latest press releases, free-to-use photos, embeddable videos and case studies online. For breaking news, follow us on Twitter: @DFID_Press View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005068/en/ Contacts: GSMA Media Contacts: Beau Bass +44 79 7662 4962 beau.bass@webershandwick.com or GSMA Press Office pressoffice@gsma.com DOHA, Qatar and ISTANBUL, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Turkish Companies Convene to Sample Turkish Goods Turkey's top companies will join the influential 1st International Product Exhibition and Conference (IPEC), between at 8th and 11th of October, Doha, Qatar. The trade fair welcomes Turkey's agriculture, food, industry and transportation sectors's firms. Since Free Trade Agreement has been signed between Turkey and Qatar and this agreement will impact the trade between Turkey and Qatar in a positive way. "In addition to Free Trade Agreement, Money Exchange Agreement has been signed off between Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey and Central Bank of Qatar recently" said Jak Eskinazi, Aegean Exporters Association (EIB) Coordinator Chairman. "And Qatar announced the decision of making investment of 15 billion dollars in Turkey, these agreements and news would yield positive trade opportunities for our firms." The Turkish companies participating are: Asya Cadir, Les Benjamins, Islek, Sunny Fruit, Bizce, Kasab Kablo, Mecit Efendi and 10 various sector companies. The leader sector in Turkey's export to Qatar is Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Sector, with 118 million dollar exports, whereas total exports of 2018 January-August period has increased 93% from 330 million dollars to 636 million dollar. Electric and Electronics Sector and Chemicals Sector have shared 2nd row in exports with 75 million dollars. Ready-to-Wear and Garments sector records 45 million dollars exports. 9 Exporters' Associations and 17 exhibitor companies from Turkey will be presenting the finest examples of Turkish products during the fair. Families come together to share patient experience and treatment needs at an international conference in Rome, Italy Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. ("Newron") (SIX: NWRN), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with diseases of the central nervous system, is pleased to support Rett Syndrome Awareness Month 2018. Ahead of the month, Newron participated at the international conference, "Rett Syndrome Research, Towards the Future" in Rome on September 27-29, 2018. This conference brought together the latest findings from researchers internationally, and importantly, involved the perspective of caregivers of Rett syndrome patients, who discussed how caregivers are also impacted by the disease. "Ever since our five-year old daughter started having Rett syndrome-related breathing apneas, our life has become extremely complicated," said Michele and Giuditta Baruffaldi. "Family and friends who once used to help us look after Margherita are now afraid to be alone with her. This summer, what we thought was a simple case of bronchitis ended up as a week's hospitalization for our daughter because doctors, who have little knowledge of Rett syndrome, were afraid to send her home as her oxygen saturation levels were too low. What we as families know to be 'Rett-related' medical conditions, others do not understand." The efforts made to treat and support Rett patients were commented on by Salvatore Franze, President of PRORETT Ricerca in Italy who stated, "As a father of a seven-year old daughter with Rett syndrome, it is comforting to see the search for treatments today that may improve the lives of patients with Rett syndrome and their families, as well as progress through research on the challenges and impacts facing the global Rett community." At the conference, Newron's Vice President of Commercial Affairs, Dennis Dionne, provided an update on the progress of the first International Burden of Disease (BOD) study, which is being performed in parallel to the Company's Phase 3 pivotal "Sarizotan Treatment of Apneas in Rett Syndrome (STARS) Study." The BOD study is designed to collect the currently missing information on the human and financial cost of Rett syndrome from physicians, caregivers, and health workers, under the guidance of experts. Newron remains deeply committed to pursuing new treatments and a better life for patients with Rett syndrome. Further details of the emerging findings from the STARS study will be presented at Newron's 2018 R&D Day, which will be held on October 31 in New York City (please see below for additional information). About Rett Syndrome Rett syndrome is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder primarily affecting females, with an estimated prevalence of one in 10,000 females. There are no approved treatments available. Rett syndrome is characterized by a loss of acquired fine and gross motor skills and the development of neurological, cognitive and autonomic dysfunction, which leads to loss of ability to conduct daily life activities, walk or communicate. Rett syndrome also is associated with a reduced life expectancy. Approximately 25 percent of the deaths in patients with Rett syndrome are possibly related to multiple cardio-respiratory dysrhythmias that result from brain stem immaturity and autonomic failure. More than 95 percent of these patients have a random mutation in the MeCP2 gene. Episodes of apnea, hyperventilation and disordered breathing are found in approximately 70 percent of patients with Rett syndrome at some stage of their life. For more information on Rett syndrome, visit http://www.rettsyndrome.org. About Newron Pharmaceuticals Newron (SIX: NWRN) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. The company is headquartered in Bresso near Milan, Italy. Xadago (safinamide) has received marketing authorization for the treatment of Parkinson's disease in the European Union, Switzerland and the USA, and is commercialized by Newron's partner Zambon. US WorldMeds holds the commercialization rights in the USA. Meiji Seika has the rights to develop and commercialize the compound in Japan and other key Asian territories. In addition to Xadago for Parkinson's disease, Newron has a strong pipeline of promising treatments for rare disease patients at various stages of clinical development, including sarizotan for patients with Rett syndrome and ralfinamide for patients with specific rare pain indications. Newron is also developing Evenamide as the potential first add-on therapy for the treatment of patients with positive symptoms of schizophrenia. For more information, please visit: www.newron.com About Newron Pharmaceuticals' 2018 R&D Day The company will host its 2018 R&D Day in NYC on October 31, 2018 from 10:00am 1:00pm EDT. This will feature presentations from leading experts in schizophrenia and Rett syndrome, with speakers to be announced. For more information on this invitation only event, please email newron2018rdday@lavoiehealthscience.com or visit www.newron.com/home/newron-rd-day. A live webcast will be available. Important Notices This document contains forward-looking statements, including (without limitation) about (1) Newron's ability to develop and expand its business, successfully complete development of its current product candidates and current and future collaborations for the development and commercialisation of its product candidates and reduce costs (including staff costs), (2) the market for drugs to treat CNS diseases and pain conditions, (3) Newron's anticipated future revenues, capital expenditures and financial resources, and (4) assumptions underlying any such statements. In some cases, these statements and assumptions can be identified by the fact that they use words such as "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "target," and other words and terms of similar meaning. All statements, other than historical facts, contained herein regarding Newron's strategy, goals, plans, future financial position, projected revenues and costs and prospects are forward-looking statements. By their very nature, such statements and assumptions involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that predictions, forecasts, projections and other outcomes described, assumed or implied therein will not be achieved. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set out in, contemplated by or underlying the forward-looking statements due to a number of important factors. These factors include (without limitation) (1) uncertainties in the discovery, development or marketing of products, including without limitation negative results of clinical trials or research projects or unexpected side effects, (2) delay or inability in obtaining regulatory approvals or bringing products to market, (3) future market acceptance of products, (4) loss of or inability to obtain adequate protection for intellectual property rights, (5) inability to raise additional funds, (6) success of existing and entry into future collaborations and licensing agreements, (7) litigation, (8) loss of key executive or other employees, (9) adverse publicity and news coverage, and (10) competition, regulatory, legislative and judicial developments or changes in market and/or overall economic conditions. Newron may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in forward-looking statements, and assumptions underlying any such statements may prove wrong. Investors should therefore not place undue reliance on them. There can be no assurance that actual results of Newron's research programmes, development activities, commercialisation plans, collaborations and operations will not differ materially from the expectations set out in such forward-looking statements or underlying assumptions. Newron does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements except as may be required by applicable regulations of the SIX Swiss Exchange, where the shares of Newron are listed. This announcement is not an offer for sale of securities in the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan or any other jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would otherwise be unlawful. The securities referred to herein may not be sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Newron does not intend to register any of its securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of its securities in the United States. This document does not contain or constitute an offer or invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities of Newron and no part of this document shall form the basis of or be relied upon in connection with any contract or commitment whatsoever. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005259/en/ Contacts: Newron Stefan Weber, +39 02 6103 46 26 CEO pr@newron.com or UK/Europe FTI Consulting Julia Phillips Natalie Garland-Collins, +44 20 3727 1000 SCnewron@fticonsulting.com or Switzerland IRF Communications Martin Meier-Pfister, +41 43 244 81 40 martin.meier-pfister@irfcom.ch or Germany/Europe MC Services Anne Hennecke, +49 211 52925222 anne.hennecke@mc-services.eu or USA LaVoieHealthScience Paul Sagan, +1 617-374-8800, Ext. 112 psagan@lavoiehealthscience.com BW LPG Limited ("BW LPG", the "Company", OSE ticker code "BWLPG") today announces that it withdraws its proposal to combine with Dorian LPG Ltd. ("Dorian") (NYSE: LPG) due to Dorian's continued refusal to give a meaningful response to BW LPG's outstanding proposal, engage in constructive two-way discussions, or schedule its annual meeting. In connection with the withdrawal of its offer, BW LPG will also withdraw the candidates it previously intended to nominate to stand for election to the Dorian board at Dorian's 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Below is the text of the letter sent on October 8, 2018 to John Hadjipateras, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dorian. Mr. John Hadjipateras Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Dorian LPG Ltd. c/o Dorian LPG (USA) LLC 27 Signal Road Stamford, Connecticut 06902 Dear John, It has been over four months since we proposed a combination of BW LPG and Dorian, and nearly three months since we improved our proposal. To date, we have not had a formal response to our increased offer, and our meetings with you have not given any indication that you are willing to work towards a mutually beneficial outcome. Although we continue to believe in the benefits of the proposed merger, and that a combination would be highly beneficial for your shareholders, we are first and foremost committed to acting in the best interests of BW LPG's shareholders. Accordingly, we hereby withdraw our proposal. It is not normal practice nor in the best interest of our shareholders to hold a proposal open indefinitely, especially when it is highly favorable to the counterparty. We have shared the facts with you on multiple occasions and include our specific reasoning here by way of explanation: 1. Dorian was offered 46% of the combined company despite only contributing 30% of the revenue-generating units and 25% of the revenue to the combined entity (see slide 1 of the attached presentation). 2. As per the latest consensus estimates for EBITDA, net income and free cash flow (CY2019-2020), and accounting for our respective leverage, Dorian would have an implied equity share of no more than 16% of the combined company, but was offered 46% ownership. This significant value accretion for Dorian is even greater in an improved market environment (see slide 2). 3. Dorian's operating cost is on average $5,600/day higher than BW LPG. This is a result of our lower opex, lower G&A, lower financing cost, and lower capital deployed per owned VLGC (see slide 3). 4. You have consistently stated that your eco-ships are more favorable than our fleet. We accept that there is a fuel cost advantage to modern ships, but with 21 eco ships in the BW LPG fleet against 19 in the Dorian fleet, and with the cost advantage of our vessels across the board, the current bunker cost of $500/ton would have to exceed $2,000/ton before this becomes relevant (see slide 4). 5. Our return on equity based on historically achieved TCEs is more than double the level for your fleet given our optimization of operating cost and leverage (see slide 5). From a governance point of view, we are concerned by the lack of a meaningful response, and it has become apparent that your approach to shareholder value creation differs from ours. We note that an Annual Meeting of Shareholders has not been called to date, more than 12 months after your last shareholder meeting. We believe that this is neither shareholder-friendly nor in line with good governance practices. In the absence of constructive engagement, we have determined not to move forward at this time. In light of our withdrawal, we will also retract the nomination for independent directors that we put forward for election to the Dorian board. We believe this is a lost opportunity for Dorian shareholders and for the industry, but remain open to a future conversation should your board and shareholders become convinced of the merits of consolidation. Yours sincerely, Andreas Sohmen-Pao Chairman of the Board of Directors Citigroup Global Markets Inc. is acting as financial advisor to BW LPG and Cleary Gottlieb Steen Hamilton LLP, Cadwalader, Wickersham Taft LLP and Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS are acting as legal advisors. About BW LPG BW LPG is the world's leading owner and operator of LPG vessels, owning and operating Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGC) and Large Gas Carriers (LGC) with a total carrying capacity of over 4 million cbm. With four decades of operating experience in LPG shipping and experienced seafarers and staff, BW LPG offers a flexible and reliable service to customers. More information about BW LPG can be found at www.bwlpg.com. BW LPG is associated with BW Group, one of the world's leading shipping groups. BW's fleet of over 250 vessels includes oil tankers, LNG and LPG carriers, floating storage and regasification (FSRU) units, chemical tankers, dry cargo carriers and floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units. This information is subject to disclosure requirements pursuant to Sections 5-2 and 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding BW LPG's proposed business combination transaction with Dorian (including the benefits, results, effects and timing of a transaction), all statements regarding BW LPG's (and BW LPG's and Dorian's combined) expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, budgets, capital expenditures, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management, and statements containing the words such as "anticipate," "approximate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "project," "could," "would," "should," "will," "intend," "may," "potential," "upside," and other similar expressions. Statements in this press release concerning the business outlook or future economic performance, anticipated profitability, revenues, expenses or other financial items, and product or services line growth of BW LPG (and the combined businesses of BW LPG and Dorian), together with other statements that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements that are estimates reflecting the best judgment of BW LPG based upon currently available information. Such forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and shareholders and other potential investors must recognize that actual results may differ materially from BW LPG's expectations as a result of a variety of factors, including, without limitation, those discussed below. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, management's examination of historical operating trends, data contained in BW LPG's records and other data available from unrelated parties. Such forward-looking statements are based upon management's current expectations and include known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which BW LPG is unable to predict or control, that may cause BW LPG's actual results, performance or plans with respect to Dorian to differ materially from any future results, performance or plans expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed below and detailed from time to time in BW LPG's filings with the Oslo Bors contained on BW LPG's website. Risks and uncertainties related to the proposed transaction with Dorian include, but are not limited to, uncertainty as to whether BW LPG will further pursue, enter into or consummate the transaction on the terms set forth in the proposal or on other terms, potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the announcement or completion of the transaction, uncertainties as to the timing of the transaction, adverse effects on BW LPG's stock price resulting from the announcement or consummation of the transaction or any failure to complete the transaction, competitive responses to the announcement or consummation of the transaction, the risk that regulatory or other approvals required for the consummation of the transaction are not obtained or are obtained subject to terms and conditions that are not anticipated, costs and difficulties related to the integration of Dorian's businesses and operations with BW LPG's businesses and operations, the inability to obtain, or delays in obtaining, cost savings and synergies from the transaction, unexpected costs, liabilities, charges or expenses resulting from the transaction, litigation relating to the transaction, the inability to retain key personnel, and any changes in general economic and/or industry specific conditions. Many of these factors are beyond BW LPG's control. BW LPG cautions investors that any forward-looking statements made by BW LPG are not guarantees of future performance. BW LPG disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to announce publicly the results of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments. Additional Information This press release is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or sell any securities. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005327/en/ Contacts: Investor Contacts: BW LPG Elaine Ong, CPA, CA Chief Financial Officer BW LPG Limited Tel: +65 6705 5506 or Iver Baatvik Head of Investor Relations BW LPG Limited Tel: +65 6705 5519 or MacKenzie Partners, Inc. Paul R. Schulman David Whissel Bob Marese Tel: +1 212-929-5364 or Media Contacts: Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher Andy Brimmer Andrew Siegel Matthew Gross Tel: +1 212-355-4449 Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Next Generation Experts Converge in Frankfurt Showcasing Mastery in State-of-the-Art High-Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence The HPC-AI Advisory Council (HPCAIAC), a for community-benefit organization promoting HPC and AI education, along with the ISC Group, organizers of Europe's premier HPC forum, today announced the open call for team entries for the 2019 ISC-HPCAIAC Student Cluster Competition (SCC). Teams of up to six students, currently enrolled in four-year higher education and undergraduate-degree programs, can submit proposals for the 2019 competition through November 9, 2018. Organizers will announce team selections November 15, 2018 and host a total of twelve teams in Germany, June 17-19, 2019 during the 34th annual ISC High Performance Conference and Exhibition. In its eighth year, the three day international competition draws teams from all over the world. To take top honors teams must demonstrate a system of their own design, adhere to strict power constraints and achieve the highest performance across a series of standard benchmarks and applications. "Supporting student development in this highly challenging field is extremely beneficial," said Gilad Shainer, chairman of the HPC-AI Advisory Council. "Students come away from competitions steeped in experience gained from deploying tools and technologies they've developed to launch, troubleshoot and run live applications, to solve complex problems and achieve very real-world results." "ISC provides students an opportunity to immerse themselves in their chosen field," said Martin Meuer, co-chairman of the ISC High Performance conference and exhibition. "Students benefit from networking with industry leaders and augmenting their studies with full access to the technical programs. We welcome the 2019 teams and wish all of the entries good luck." Detailed information about the competition, sponsorships, team entries and requirements is available on the 2019 Student Cluster Competition pages. For more information and general questions please email scc@isc-events.com About ISC Group The ISC Group organizes ISC High Performance the world's oldest and Europe's premier conference and networking event for the international HPC community. More: www.isc-hpc.com About HPC-AI Advisory Council The HPC-AI Advisory Council (HPCAIAC) is a for community benefit organization with over 400 members committed to promoting HPC and AI through education and outreach. More: www.hpcadvisorycouncil.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005176/en/ Contacts: HPC-AI Advisory Council Cydney Ewald Stevens cydney@hpcadvisorycouncil.com or ISC Group Nages Sieslack nages.sieslack@isc-group.com ALBANY, New York, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As per the TMR report, the global nurse call systems market is anticipated to be worth US$2.6 bn by the end of 2025. The market is presumed to expand with 10.9% CAGR within the forecast period of 2017 to 2025. On the basis of end users, the hospitals segment is projected to be dominating the market because of the higher adoption and patient-centric approach that hospitals provide these days. Based on communication technology, the segment with wired communication is expected to be contributing larger shares as compared to the other segment. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/664869/Transparency_Market_Research_Logo.jpg ) Get PDF Brochure for Research Insights at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2173 Increasing Geriatric Population to Stimulate Market Growth The global nurse call systems market is subjugated by the regions of Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. Among these, North America is expected to contribute larger shares of revenue to the overall market. This is due to the higher number of elderly population residing in the area who are more prone to fall ill and hence get hospitalized. Apart from that, the developing nations of China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India of Asia Pacific region are adopting wired and secure nurse call solutions in acute care nursing facility in order to gain more revenue in the market. Adding to that, improved access and healthcare infrastructure along with mobility and flexibility of the wireless communications are further presumed to fuel the growth of the nurse call systems market in the Asia Pacific region in the future years. Request a Sample of Report athttps://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2173 Some of the important factors expected to drive the growth of the nurse call systems market are increase in the number of geriatric population, technological advancements and the prevalence of chronic infections as well. Apart from that government support for innovative advancement that helps in advanced consumer care is also seen to be supportive of the global nurse call systems market in terms of earning revenue. Upcoming technologies like remote telephone integration within the hospital premises, nurse contribution expansion and interoperable designs are also among important factors to fuel the demand for nurse call system in the global market. Lack of Skilled Professionals to Hamper Market Growth The challenges related to integration and interoperability and increased cost implementation may act as a hindrance to the global nurse call systems market. Besides that, the lack of skilled IT and healthcare professionals and strict regulations laid down by the government are also expected to hamper the overall growth of the market. Request for Discount on This Report athttps://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=2173 In a recent report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the vendor landscape of the global nurse call systems market is prophesied to be registering substantial growth in the coming years owing to the popularity of medical insurance especially in the developing countries of Asia Pacific like China and India. Besides that, there has also been a noticeable growth in the healthcare expenses as well as product upgradation that may gain traction in the overall nurse call systems market in the long run. Some of the leading players of the global nurse calling systems market are TekTone Sound & Signal Mfg., Inc, Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc., Azure Healthcare Ltd., Ascom Holding AG, and Cornell Communications. Major players are putting their reliance on present day innovations so as to stand unique from the other players. To improve product portfolio, various companies are adopting merger and acquisition strategies, and getting into partnership with other companies in order to strengthen their hold in the overall market and expand their business in the future years. Browse Press Release athttps://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/nurse-call-system-equipment-market.htm The information presented in this review is based on a TMR report titled, "Nurse Call Systems Market (Equipment - Nurse Call Intercoms, Basic Audio/Visual Nurse Call Systems, Digital Nurse Call Systems, IP-based Nurse Call Systems, and Nurse Call Mobile Systems; Communication Technology - Wireless Communication and Wired Communication; End-user: Hospitals, Assisted Living Centers, Nursing Homes, and Clinics) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Volume, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025". Browse MoreHealthcare Market Research Reports Popular Research Reports by TMR: Hospital Asset Management Market (Product - Real time Location Systems (RTLS), Radio-frequency Identification (RFID), Ultrasound, Infrared; Application - Patient Management, Staff Management, Instrument Management, and Supply Chain Management): https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/hospital-asset-management-market.html Patient Handling Equipment Market (Product - Lifting Slings, Wheelchairs, Medical Beds, Ambulatory Aids, Shower, Bath, and Toileting Equipment, and Transfer and Positioning Aids and Patient Lifts; End User - Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Home Healthcare, and Trauma, Rehabilitation, and Paramedical Centers):https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/patient-handling-equipment-market.html Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market (Demography - Metropolitan and Urban Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities and Rural Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities; Type - Ambulatory Care Centers, Home Healthcare, and Hospitals): https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/healthcare-informatics-patient-monitoring-market.html About Us Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. Contact Mr. Rohit Bhisey Transparency Market Research State Tower, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany NY - 12207 United States Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Research Blog: https://theglobalhealthnews.com/ VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 8, 2018 / MGX Minerals Inc. ("MGX" or the "Company") (CSE: XMG; OTCQB: MGXMF; FSE: 1MG) reports that joint-venture partner A.I.S. Resources ("A.I.S.") (AIS) has received the final TEM Geophysics report from Quantec. The report includes a detailed analysis and interpretation of the TEM profiles. Two major aquifer structures based on low resistivity have been identified. A.I.S. Exploration Director and CEO, Phil Thomas, undertook a 20 trench sampling program using a 321C Caterpillar excavator to trench down to 5 metres at each point selected at the Salinitas JV Project in the Salinas Grandes Salar, Salta Province, Argentina. The objective was to identify the types of sediments with a specific resistivity close to the surface and identify the porosity of this unit, eg stratigraphic units of green-grey clays, sand, black volcanic sands or brown clays. The black sands have a porosity of 22-32% +/- 3%. Preparations have commenced to start a drilling program in the next two weeks subject to drill rig availability. Some drill pad preparation and roads have been upgraded and drill rig fluid pits have been dug at trench site 12 and 18 in preparation for drill hole 1, and if successful, drill hole 2. Figure 1. The above 1D model at 2.5 Hz shows the two very low resistivity areas at a depth of 300-500m (located by yellow circles). The black sands/gravels were encountered trenching at UTM 802000 which is the relationship we were seeking to correlate. The geophysics data was changed to 0 to 20 ohm-m, rather than 0 to 100, and was modified in order to better highlight zones of very low resistivity and to better differentiate the resistivity within the 0 to 10 ohm-m range. Figure 2. The above schematic shows a very low resistivity zone, possibly a lithium rich aquifer in black volcanic sands given the trenching correlation. The red triangle is the trenching locations. Figure 3. Above is the second zone of low resistivity, where there is large area approximately 2km wide by 150 metres in thickness in what is interpreted to be paleochannels. Left: Shows the significant amount of brine that flowed into the 5m x 4m x 4m pit, some 36,000 litres within 18 hours. Center: shows the transition from the green-gray clay possibly montmorillite into black sands starting to show through. Right: shows the black sands unit with brine flowing into it. About the Salinitas Lithium Brine Project The Salinitas tenements are located in the lithium triangle at the Salar de Salinas Grandes, in the Province of Salta. The 4,308 hectare contiguous land package resides in the Puna region of northwest Argentina near the border of Chile, an area renowned for its lithium- and potassium-rich brine resources. MGX has partnered with A.I.S. Resources (AIS) on the Project and is currently earning an undivided 80% interest by incurring total exploration expenditures of at least US$1.2 million by May 31, 2020 and by making payments totaling US$3.2 million which are primarily due at that time. Rapid Lithium Brine Extraction Technology MGX has developed a rapid lithium extraction technology eliminating or greatly reducing the physical footprint and investment in large, multi-phase, lake-sized, lined evaporation ponds, as well as enhancing the quality of extraction and recovery across a complex range of brines as compared with traditional solar evaporation. This technology is applicable to petrolithium (oil and gas wastewater), natural brine, and other brine sources such as lithium-rich mine and industrial plant wastewater. The technology was recently chosen as the winner of the Base and Specialty Metals Industry Leadership Award at the 2018 S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards, held in London in May (see press release dated May 18, 2018). Qualified Person Andris Kikauka (P. Geo.), Vice President of Exploration for MGX Minerals, has prepared, reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release. Mr. Kikauka is a non-independent Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards. About MGX Minerals MGX Minerals is a diversified Canadian resource company with interests in advanced material and energy assets throughout North America. Learn more at www.mgxminerals.com . Contact Information Jared Lazerson President and CEO Telephone: 1.604.681.7735 Web: www.mgxminerals.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. SOURCE: MGX Minerals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/513578/MGX-Minerals-Completes-Trenching-at-Salinitas-Lithium-Project-Salta-Province-Argentina-Drills-Targets-Identified - The Award received 18 regional submissions from four countries for the 'Outstanding ICT Achievement' category - Finalists demonstrated how their innovative use of information communication technology (ICT) has improved the quality of patient care RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- HIMSS and Elsevier, the global information analytics business specializing in science and health, are proud to announce the finalists for the HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Healthcare Middle East Award 2018. Winners will be announced on 10 October at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the Awards Ceremony at the HIMSS Saudi Arabia Conference and Exhibition 2018. The event will be attended by prominent healthcare leaders, and all nominees and finalists. The Award's call for submissions opened in August with strong participation including contributions from Bahrain, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This year's award focused on recognizing healthcare organizations which have harnessed information and technology to successfully advance patient care and safety, under the Outstanding ICT Achievement category. The 2018 Finalists for Outstanding ICT Achievement are: "Universal Newborn Critical Congenital Heart Disorders (CCHD) Screening in MOHAP Maternity Hospitals" project, from the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, standardized the CCHD screening standards to ensure all babies are tested positive after screening, and to receive critical interventions in a timely and safe manner. "Tele ICU & Command and Control Center" project, from Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group in Saudi Arabia allowed off-site intensivists and/or critical care nurses to assist in the treatment of critically ill patients allowed off-site intensivists and/or critical care nurses to assist in the treatment of critically ill patients "Thalassemia Electronic Integrated Clinical Pathway (TEICP)" project, also from the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention was developed for the care of patients with Thalassemia disease. The TEICP module helped to decrease patient waiting time, decrease physician and nurse assessment time, and ensure quality patient monitoring. The finalists were selected by a distinguished judging panel: Mariam Almutairi , Takween Tech, KSA , Takween Tech, KSA Dr. Osama ElHassan , Head of eHealth, Dubai Health Authority, UAE , Head of eHealth, Dubai Health Authority, UAE John Daniels , Global Vice President, HIMSS Analytics, USA , Global Vice President, HIMSS Analytics, Tim Morris , Product & Partnership Director, Elsevier EMEALA/APAC "Since the HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Healthcare Award debuted four years ago in the Middle East, this award has become a key platform to showcase strong ICT projects from across the region - all aiming at improving patient care and safety. We are always impressed by the high level of quality submissions received year-on-year," said Tim Morris, Product & Partnership Director, EMEALA/APAC, Elsevier, and an award judge. "On behalf of Elsevier and the judging panel, thank you to everyone who entered this year's award." The HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Healthcare Award Middle East first launched in 2015 and has established itself as a key recognition for health organizations to achieve. Over the years, the Award has attracted 66 submissions across 8 countries and 25 unique organizations in the Middle East. The gala is private and by invitation only. Please contact Aliaa Adel (a.adel@elsevier.com) to enquire about attendance eligibility. About HIMSS HIMSS is a global advisor and thought leader supporting the transformation of health through information and technology. As a mission driven non-profit, HIMSS offers a unique depth and breadth of expertise in health innovation, public policy, workforce development, research and analytics to advise global leaders, stakeholders and influencers on best practices in health information and technology. Through our innovation companies, HIMSS delivers key insights, education and engaging events to healthcare providers, governments and market suppliers, ensuring they have the right information at the point of decision. As an association, HIMSS encompasses more than 72,000 individual members and 630 corporate members. We partner with hundreds of providers, academic institutions and health services organizations on strategic initiatives that leverage innovative information and technology. Together, we work to improve health, access and the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, HIMSS serves the global health information and technology communities with focused operations across North America, Europe, United Kingdom, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. www.himssme.org About Elsevier Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps institutions and professionals advance healthcare, open science and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support and professional education, including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, more than 38,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / October 8, 2018 / On September 26th, the Tech Talk "Blockchain Sharding -- How Microchains Can Solve the Scalability Issue" was held by ABC Blockchain Community at Google Campus. The goal of this blockchain seminar was to share information about sharding and microchain technology with blockchain enthusiasts. MOAC CEO David Chen was invited to provide details about MOAC's advanced sharding functionality. The main organizer of the Tech Talk was ABC Blockchain Community. ABC was created by a group of Google engineers for self-organized discussions on blockchain advancement. Together, members collaborate to learn, innovate, and apply new technologies. ABC has over 1,000 members from more than 10 worldwide chapters including ABC@Google, ABC@Facebook, ABC@LinkedIn, ABC@Stanford, and ABC@Tsinghua. Membership ranges from top professionals to renowned researchers. MOAC's CEO David Chen delivered a speech on sharding at the event. David Chen is a full-stack blockchain expert with over 18 years' experience in architecture, algorithms, network security, databases, network protocols, and more. His hands-on experience with blockchain began in 2013 and he is the main designer of the MOAC blockchain. He proposed the use of sharding technology on top of a public blockchain, as well as solutions for atomic swaps and overall cross-chain communications. Speech Summary The trilemma affecting current blockchain solutions Existing technologies and blockchain platforms suffer from steep learning curves, unnecessary complexity, and high usage fees, all of which impact adoption and scalability. These are difficult problems to solve because we still need to keep security a priority, avoid introducing centralization, and realize easy data migration as shards change. The MOAC solution MOAC is a multi-layer blockchain platform for commercial applications. MOAC adopts a layered architecture and sharding technology, with the lower layer processing overall account transfers and the upper layer deploying contracts through MOAC's microchains. The upper layer microchains can choose their own consensus method and block generation rate and can store contract status on their own separate blockchain. Microchains can also choose their own mining nodes. The system maintains multiple mining pools which support several consensus protocols that microchains can lease. MOAC technical features MOAC has a one-click chain deployment function that solves high cost issues with conventional chain creation while allowing flexibility through customized consensus. MOAC is also highly compatible with Ethereum, allowing Ethereum apps to move to MOAC with ease. Microchain functions can be called from other microchains, building a multi-dimensional relationship. This reconciles the paradox between security, performance, and scalability, supporting large-scale commercial applications. MOAC's dual incentive mechanism and low-cost cooperative construction greatly increases MOAC expansion momentum. MOAC also supports non-token chains. The token and chain-based tokenization solution (ATO + one-click chain) achieves market pricing and the exchange of the microchain's native tokens. Next dimensional blockchain applications A blockchain is a decentralized ledger which records data that cannot be altered. This foundation has many applications in areas such as anti-counterfeiting and traceability. If we record a number on a blockchain and perform addition or subtraction operations on it, a token is formed. If we build on that and record more information and logic, recording the results of every state, then we have smart contracts. There are many applications based on smart contracts, like ICOs or games such as Cryptokitties. These applications fully utilize smart contract features. MOAC, with its multi-blockchain and cross-chain functions, is ready for the next dimension of applications-large scale decentralized collaboration, which supports exchange between trusted records. Media Contact Information: Company Name: MOAC Foundation Contact Person: Ryan Wang Email: info@moac.io Country: Singapore Website: https://www.moac.io SOURCE: MOAC Foundation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/513572/MOAC-CEO-David-Chen-Speaks-at-Google-Campus-Event LONDON, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Fetal, Neonatal, Ultrasound Devices, Fetal MRI Systems, Fetal Monitors, Fetal Pulse Oximeters, Warmer & Incubator, Phototherapy Equipment, Respiratory Devices, Neonatal Monitoring Devices, Hospitals, Clinics, Others The global fetal & neonatal care equipment market reached $6bn in 2017 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.4% in the first half of the forecast period. In 2017, the neonatal care equipment segment held 65% of the global fetal & neonatal care equipment market. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/523989/Visiongain_Logo.jpg ) How this report will benefit you Read on to discover how you can exploit the future business opportunities emerging in this sector. In this brand new 154-page report you will receive 116 charts- all unavailable elsewhere. The 154-page report provides clear detailed insight into the fetal & neonatal care equipment market. Discover the key drivers and challenges affecting the market. By ordering and reading our brand-new report today you stay better informed and ready to act. Report Scope Global Fetal & Neonatal Care Equipment Market from 2018-2028 Forecast of the Global Fetal & Neonatal Care Equipment market by Type: Fetal Care Equipment Market Neonatal Care Equipment Market Forecast of the Global Fetal Care Equipment market by Product: Ultrasound Devices Fetal MRI Systems Fetal Monitors Fetal Pulse Oximeters Others Forecast of the Global Neonatal Care Equipment market by Product: Warmer & Incubator Phototherapy equipment Respiratory Devices Neonatal Monitoring Devices Others Forecast of the Global Fetal & Neonatal Care Equipment market by End-User: Hospitals Clinics Others This report provides individual revenue forecasts to 2028 for these national markets: The U.S. Germany France The U.K. Italy Spain China Japan India Brazil Russia Rest of World (RoW) Our study discusses the selected leading companies that are the major players in the fetal & neonatal care equipment market: Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA Fisher & Paykel GE Healthcare Masimo Corporation Medtronic plc Natus Medical Inc. Philips Healthcare Phoenix Medical Systems Pvt. Ltd. This report provides a SWOT analysis and a Porter's Five Forces analysis of the global fetal & neonatal care equipment market. This report also discusses the drivers and restraints of this market. Visiongain's study is intended for anyone requiring commercial analyses for the fetal & neonatal care equipment market. You find data, trends and predictions. Buy our report today Global Fetal & Neonatal Care Equipment Market Forecast 2018-2028: Fetal, Neonatal, Ultrasound Devices, Fetal MRI Systems, Fetal Monitors, Fetal Pulse Oximeters, Warmer & Incubator, Phototherapy Equipment, Respiratory Devices, Neonatal Monitoring Devices, Hospitals, Clinics, Others To request a report overview of this report please contact Sara Peerun atsara.peerun@visiongain.comor refer to our website:https://www.visiongain.com/report/global-fetal-neonatal-care-equipment-market-forecast-2018-2028/ Aspect Imaging Bio logic Systems Corp Covidien Ltd. Customer Services Deltamed SA Draeger Hong Kong Limited Draeger Medical (India) Private Limited Draeger Medical (Thailand) Ltd. Draeger Medical Equipment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Drager Chomutov s.r.o. Drager Medical GmbH Drager Safety Romania SRL Drager-Simsa S.A Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA Dynalite EMCO Meditek Excel-Tech Ltd. Food Drug and Administration (FDA) Fischer Zoth Diagnosesysteme GmbH Fisher & Paykel Fisher & Paykel Do Brasil Ltda Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Gmbh & Co Kg Fisher & Paykel Healthcare India Private Limited Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Ltd, UK Gaggia GE Healthcare GE Healthcare Clinical Systems GE Healthcare Integrated IT Solutions (IITS) GE Healthcare Medical Diagnostics Given Imaging, Kyphon Sarl Healthcare Informatics Solutions & Services Imaging Systems Magnavox Masimo Masimo Canada ULC Masimo Corporation Masimo Europe Ltd. Masimo International SARL Masimo Japan Corporation Medacx Medtronic Plc MeyerPT Natus Acquisition Corp Natus Acquisition Corp d/b/a Neometrics Natus Europe GmbH Natus Medical Inc. Natus Medical Incorporated Natus Neonatal Ltd NeuroCorm International Inc. Nonin Medical NU Hospitals Olympic Medical Corp Patient Care & Monitoring Solutions Philips Design Philips Healthcare Phoenix Medical Systems Pvt. Ltd. RetCam Saeco Siemens Healthineers The British Association of Prenatal Medicine Toshiba Medical Systems Venezuela Ministry of Health World Health Organization (WHO) To see a report overview please e-mail Sara Peerun onsara.peerun@visiongain.com NOTTINGHAM, England, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At a glance: Columbus eCommerce solution provides seamless webstore with dynamic pricing for Interflora partners Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations selected to enhance supply chain and integrate with logistics provider Columbus, the global digital business services provider, today announced the successful deployment of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations for Interflora, the leading flower distributor in the UK and Ireland. The new solution will support Interflora's 24/7 sundry product distributions to over 1,200 independent florists using Columbus-developed integration routines that connect directly to a third-party logistics provider. Interflora selected the recently-launched Columbus eCommerce solution to add new functionality to its front-end web presence. Columbus eCommerce, which fully integrates with Microsoft Dynamics 365, allows Interflora to offer preferential rates to florists with different levels of membership through the new dynamic webstore. Interflora will use Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations to manage and enhance business processes including warehousing, stock control and purchase orders, and improve the supply chain between Interflora's third-party logistics provider and independent florists. Columbus will also provide training support packages to ensure Interflora employees enjoy a smooth transition to the new system. Nathan Young, IT Director, Interflora "We've opted for an industry standard and proven solution in Microsoft Dynamics 365. Columbus has impressed us with the expert knowledge of its consultants and a consistently high quality of service. Despite our tight deployment deadline, the Columbus team has ensured a smooth roll-out and close support throughout the entire process to ensure minimal disruption to live operations." Chris Mean, Chief Operating Officer, Columbus UK "Columbus has extensive experience in deploying the Microsoft Dynamics 365 portfolio for retailers and distributors across the UK, and I am pleased Interflora recognised our expertise and selected Columbus to deliver Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations. With Columbus eCommerce, Interflora has chosen a fully integrated solution that will introduce scalability and reactive pricing based on existing Dynamics 365 business rules. Throughout the deployment process, our dedicated team worked closely with Interflora and its third-party logistics provider to ensure comprehensive integration ahead of the go-live date." About Interflora Interflora's success story started with a simple idea. To make the sending of flowers across the miles not just possible but stylish too. That was way back in 1923. Today, Interflora have blossomed into the world's largest flower delivery network, delivering to 140 countries across the globe. But it's not just about being the biggest, Interflora are proud to be the most trusted too. Every day thousands choose Interflora to deliver messages of love to the people who matter to them the most. Of course, this wouldn't be possible without the expertise of Interflora's 1,200 local florists in the UK and Ireland. It's their passion, skill and creativity that make the Interflora difference. Every bouquet and arrangement is lovingly hand-crafted and delivered with a smile. After all, when you're in the business of spreading happiness nothing matters more. For more information visit interflora.co.uk. Twitter: @InterfloraUK Instagram: @InterfloraUK Facebook: facebook.com/InterfloraUK About Columbus Columbus is an international IT services company serving customers worldwide. We are experts in developing and providing digital business applications that help our customers in the digital transformation of their business. We are specialist within the industries retail, distribution, food and manufacturing. We've proved this through more than 28 years of experience with more than 8,000 successful business cases. Columbus has offices and partners all around the world. http://www.columbusglobal.com NINGBO, China, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Risen Energy recently announced that it has signed a contract with Surya Prakash Vietnam Energy Company Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, one of India's largest private infrastructure development groups. This is yet another deal in the Southeast Asia market, following a similar outsourcing contract for a 61MW project in the same province with Tasco, a Vietnam-based company. The 50MW facility covered by this latest contract will be outfitted with 360W high-efficiency polycrystalline modules. In order to maximize the amount of power to be generated from the facility as well as the land utilization rate, Risen Energy plans to install and leverage two systems that will work in concert with each other, with 26MW of the payload deploying a tracking system whereby the solar panels move in line with the movement of the sun and the remaining 24MW using a fixed support structure, delivering an overall power generation solution designed to achieve maximum ROI. The project is on schedule to be connected to the grid on June 30, 2019, with expected average annual power generation of 81,429MWh. The electricity made available by the project will be provided to EVN, the Vietnamese state grid. Liu Dong, general manager of Risen Energy Vietnam, said, "Following an in-depth analysis of the Vietnamese market and an on-site investigation of the project, we selected the most comprehensive and best-performing power generation solutions given the project's particulars, including the tracking systems, with an eye to increasing the ROI, while positioning the facility to be one that can act as a demonstration model for future such tracking systems. As we look further down the road, we expect to work closely with high-quality companies, including Surya Prakash, delivering more professional and reliable PV power generation solutions to the market." With a local office and a professional and efficiency-oriented project development team now in place in Vietnam, Risen Energy is confident in the orderly development of its prospects in the region. The Chinese PV maker foresees, by the end of this year, the total installation capacity of its projects in Vietnam, all of which have begun construction, reaching 160MW. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/752010/Risen_Energy_Vietnam.jpg GENEVA, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) just closed in Geneva, new research commissioned by JTI and conducted in Europe by Populus with Ipsos as fieldwork providers, reveals that the public want regulators to be open to dialogue with business, and that more fairness and credible evidence is needed in policy-making. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/692561/JT_International_SA_Logo.jpg ) The research found that of the 8,473 respondents surveyed across eight European countries, an average of: 72% believed that it is either very important or somewhat important that the policy-making process is open to dialogue between governmental authorities and all parties who are potentially impacted by it, including businesses; 79% believed that it is either very important or somewhat important that a policy should be introduced based on credible evidence of its effectiveness, instead of a biased assumption it will work. 76% would protect the principle of free speech; either actively fighting for the right of someone they disagree with to speak, or passively agreeing with someone they disagree with's right to express their opinion. Proceedings at the FCTC COP's echo chamber differ hugely from other UN decision-making bodies such at the UNFCCC on Climate Change, where businesses are an integral part of discussions, and plenary sessions are public. Today's new research shows that the public want politicians and officials to consider all the facts and viewpoints - including from businesses. Ousting one group of companies from giving their views and sharing their expertise contradicts basic democratic principles and is counterproductive. The same can be said of discussions on harm reduction at COP8 last week. Thanks to innovation and advances in science, JTI offers products that have the potential to reduce risks associated with smoking and the Company would have been well placed to take part in those discussions. Yet, it appears that the FCTC COP still has an obsolete conception of tobacco companies. "The public are right that all views must be heard," states Jonathan Duce, Head of External Communications at JTI's global headquarters in Geneva. "The FCTC COP would have been wise to follow their advice last week, because governments can only make good decisions once they have taken everyone's views into account. The findings of this research are clear: more must be done by governments around the world to restore public confidence in the regulators who make the rules we all abide by. This research has shone a light on what citizens expect from decision-making and shows that people only want policies if they are supported by credible evidence and proven to be effective." Note to editors Methodology: 8,473 interviews were conducted online among adults living in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and UK between September 28 and October 4, 2018. Populus was commissioned by JTI and designed the content and methodology for the research. Ipsos undertook the study on behalf of Populus. About Populus Populus is a leading research and strategy consultancy and is a trusted adviser to some of the world's best-known companies, public bodies and brands. We use polling, research, evidence and expertise to provide clients with the critical knowledge they need to succeed. Populus were named the UK's fastest growing research agency of 2014 by the Market Research Society, and work with clients across a wide range of industry sectors both in the UK and internationally. Find out more at http://www.populus.co.uk About JTI JTI is a leading international tobacco company with operations in more than 130 countries. It is the global owner of both Winston, the number two cigarette brand in the world, and Camel outside the USA and has the largest share in sales for both brands. Other global brands include Mevius and LD. With its internationally recognized brand Logic, JTI is also a major player in the e-cigarette market and has, since 2011, been present in the heated tobacco category with Ploom. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the company employs close to 40,000 people and was awarded Global Top Employer for four consecutive years. JTI is a member of the Japan Tobacco Group of Companies. For more information, visit http://www.jti.com. Full research data tables available here. For more information on JTI's view of FCTC COP, visit https://www.jti.com/our-views/fctc-cop-different-perspective. CHICAGO, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new research report "Airport Information Systems Market by End Use (Passenger, Non-Passenger), Type (Airside, Terminal Side), Airport (Class A, B, C, D), Application (Finance & Operations, Maintenance, Ground Handling, Security), Region - Global Forecast to 2023", published by MarketsandMarkets, the airport information systems market is projected to grow from USD 3.69 billion in 2018 to USD 4.37 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 3.41% from 2018 to 2023. Factors such as the modernization of the existing airport infrastructures, increase in the number of airports in emerging economies, need to enhance the passenger experience at airports, technological advancements being carried out at airports to improve their operational efficiency, and the need for improved airspace management are expected to drive the growth of the airport information systems market across the globe. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg ) Don't miss out on business opportunities in Airport Information Systems Market. Speak to Our Analyst and gain crucial industry insights that will help your business grow. https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=978 Based on system, the airport operation control center segment is expected to lead the airport information systems market in 2018. Based on system, the airport operation control center segment is expected to lead the airport information systems market in 2018. Airport operation control centers carry out various airport operations, which include flight dispatches, airport maintenance management, resource management, and cargo handling, among others. The airport operation control centers provide management systems for the efficient operations of airports by integrating data from different systems installed at airports. The requirement for increasing the efficiency of airport operations and upgrading the existing airport information system technologies are leading to the growth of the airport information systems market across the globe. The class B airports segment of the airport information systems market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2018 to 2023. Based on airport, the class B airports segment of the airport information systems market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of the class B airports segment can be attributed to increasing air passenger traffic from small cities, thereby leading to the requirement for expanding and upgrading airports. Browse in-depth TOC on"Airport Information Systems Market" 121 - Tables 44 - Figures 164 - Pages The passenger systems segment of the airport information systems market is projected to grow at a higher CAGR than the non-passenger systems segment during the forecast period. Based on end use, the airport information systems market has been segmented into passenger systems and non-passenger systems. The passenger systems segment is projected to grow at a higher rate than the non-passenger systems segment from 2018 to 2023. The increased deployment of self-check-in and bag drop systems at airports is leading to the growth of the passenger systems segment of the market. Ask for PDF @https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=978 The Asia Pacific airport information systems market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The Asia Pacific airport information systems market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2018 to 2023. The growth of the Asia Pacific airport information systems market can be attributed to the increased air passenger traffic in the region. Growing disposable income of the middle-class population of emerging economies such as China and India of the Asia Pacific region is also contributing to the growth of the airport information systems market in the region. China is expected to be a major market for airport information systems in the Asia Pacific region, owing to reforms in their aviation regulations and policies, formulation of innovative airport business models, and incorporation of innovative technologies in various airport systems. Key players in the airport information systems market include SITA (Switzerland), Thales Group (France), Rockwell Collins (US), Indra Sistemas (Spain), and IBM (US), among others. Please explore relevant report"Air Traffic Control (ATC) Market" also. About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Shelly Singh MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/airports-information-systems-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Appointed Head of Development and Medical Affairs. In charge of the acceleration of the international clinical development of VALEDIA, its industrial production with Pierre Fabre, the integration of the product into public prevention plans and the obtention of the reimbursement. Regulatory News: VALBIOTIS (FR0013254851 ALVAL/PEA/SME eligible) (Paris:ALVAL),a French Research Development company committed to scientific innovation for preventing and combating metabolic diseases, confirms its international expansion with the appointment of Murielle CAZAUBIEL, founder and former Executive Director of Biofortis Merieux Nutrisciences Europe to Director of Development and Medical Affairs, effective as of October 1st 2018. "Murielle CAZAUBIEL's introduction to the VALBIOTIS management team provides an opportunity for the Company, at the time when it accelerates the international development of VALEDIA, prepares the industrial production and a possible reimbursement. Murielle combines her specialized skills in clinical research with a leadership profile, working in close connection with our scientific, economic and regulatory environment. Both an entrepreneur and experienced manager in the field of clinical nutrition and health research, she also brings to the table her firsthand experience in the analysis of the microbiota and a strong focus on bio-informatics, including the processing of Big-Data. She has all the qualities needed to help take VALBIOTIS to the next level, to create the necessary bridges, from preclinical research to industrialization, and to bring products to market through one or several major players in the health sector. ", states Sebastien PELTIER, CEO of VALBIOTIS. The appointment of Murielle CAZAUBIEL supports VALBIOTIS's objective to develop products with a very high level of clinical proof in order to secure strong health claims in Europe and North America. Her primary missions will include: - Clinical development of portfolio products in conjunction with health authorities, particularly the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, United States); - Market access for a potential reimbursement, particularly VALEDIA, by supplemental health insurance and/or public health insurance system - Industrial development in collaboration with Pierre Fabre, in order to prepare the industrial production of VALEDIA and other products; - Management of regulatory affairs and product quality; - Development and valorization of research conducted on the intestinal microbiota; - Coordinating relations between VALBIOTIS and clinical opinion leaders, the medical community, health networks, and the health authorities. "I am really looking forward to taking on this challenge and to working with VALBIOTIS in order to start a new chapter in the prevention of diabetes and metabolic diseases. I believe in the Company's totally original and pioneering approach to meeting the rapidly growing, worldwide health needs of those affected by or at risk for diseases. I can't wait to work with the entire team in order to successfully conclude ongoing and future development programs, bring out value from the pipeline and explore promising interactions between VALBIOTIS products and the intestinal microbiota", declares Murielle CAZAUBIEL. Scientist, entrepreneur, cluster president: a 360 outlook on life sciences Murielle CAZAUBIEL has 25 years of experience behind her in nutrition and health. Before joining VALBIOTIS, she worked, starting in 2015, as Executive Director of BIOFORTIS EUROPE, one of the leaders in clinical contract research (CRO Contract Research Organization). She created the company herself in 2002, and it would join the MERIEUX Group in 2009. BIOFORTIS stands out for its design and completion of experimental research projects, both preclinical and clinical, with its central laboratory specializing in metabolic biomarkers, its metagenomics platform dedicated to analyzing the microbiota and its own clinical research center. Over the last decade, Murielle CAZAUBIEL has led a team responsible for the creation and development of clinical trial management at the Nantes University Hospital (CHU). From 2012 to 2018, she acted as President of the French cluster "Atlanpole Biotherapies", which aims to introduce new therapies and speed up the development of personalized medicine, by facilitating research programs between academics and manufacturers. VALBIOTIS currently employs more than 35 members of staff, of whom 75% work in Research Development. ABOUT VALBIOTIS VALBIOTIS is a French Research Development company committed to scientific innovation for preventing and combating metabolic diseases. Its products are made for manufacturers in the agri-food and pharmaceutical industries. VALBIOTIS particularly focuses on solutions to prevent type 2 diabetes, NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis), obesity and cardiovascular diseases. VALBIOTIS was founded in La Rochelle in early 2014 and has formed numerous partnerships with top academic centers in France and abroad, including the La Rochelle University, the CNRS and the Clermont Auvergne University located in Clermont-Ferrand. These partnerships have enabled VALBIOTIS to benefit from strong financial leverage, particularly thanks to experts and technical partners who support its projects. The Company is now located on 3 sites in France Perigny, La Rochelle (17) and Riom (63) and has an American office in Boston (MA). VALBIOTIS is a member of the "BPI Excellence" network and received the "Innovative Company" status accorded by BPI France. VALBIOTIS has also been awarded "Young Innovative Company" status and has received major financial support from the European Union for its research programs by obtaining support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Find out more about VALBIOTIS: http ://valbiotis.com/ Name: VALBIOTIS ISIN code: FR0013254851 Mnemonic code: ALVAL View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005439/en/ Contacts: VALBIOTIS CORPORATE COMMUNICATION Carole Rocher Marc Delaunay, +33 5 46 28 62 58 carole.rocher@valbiotis.com marc.delaunay@valbiotis.com or FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION ACTIFIN Stephane Ruiz, +33 1 56 88 11 14 sruiz@actifin.fr or MEDIA RELATIONS MADIS PHILEO Guillaume de Chamisso, +33 6 85 91 32 56 valbiotis@alizerp.com or UNITED-STATES SOLEBURY TROUT Rebecca JOHN Patrick TILL, +1 646 378 2935 rjohn@troutgroup.com ptill@troutgroup.com Interrad Medical, a privately held medical device company, announces an agreement with Vygon to distribute the SecurAcath Subcutaneous Catheter Securement Device in France. "As we continue to expand global distribution, we are very excited to be able to enter the French market with Vygon as a partner," commented Joe Goldberger, President and CEO of Interrad Medical. Thomas Walter, Vice President Vygon Intravascular Therapies Business Unit stated, "We are pleased to be able to commercialize the SecurAcath in France. The SecurAcath is a perfect fit with the Vygon portfolio of products and we anticipate it will become the market leading catheter securement device." The SecurAcath is the only subcutaneous catheter securement device that lasts the life of the line and can dramatically decrease catheter dislodgement and migration, decrease catheter replacement costs, prevent therapy interruption, reduce catheter-related infections and other complications, and lower total cost of patient care. About Interrad Medical, Inc. Plymouth, Minnesota-based Interrad Medical, Inc. is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices designed for minimally-invasive interventional and surgical procedures. Learn more at www.securacath.com About Vygon Group Vygon designs, manufactures and markets high-tech single-use medical devices for healthcare professionals in hospital and for private and independent practitioners. Vygon is a world leader within this industry, offering a wide range of products in a number of clinical specialties. Organized in five business units (Intensive Care Neonatology, Enteral & Obstetrics Intravascular Therapies Cardiovascular Surgery Anesthesia Emergency), Vygon combines local and international in-depth expertise and know-how in each individual field. With expertise right along the value chain, from product design to the delivery of training for medical personnel, Vygon provides health care professionals with effective and innovative products tailored to their needs and those of their patients, for optimum use and safety. The company distributes over 205 million products a year in more than 120 countries through its network of 27 subsidiaries and 331 distributors. Vygon products display the CE and/or FDA mark and are manufactured in the group's eight factories in Europe, the USA and Colombia. A family company founded in 1962, Vygon is based in Ecouen, in France's Greater Paris region. It is a mid-sized business employing 2,350 staff worldwide. The turnover in 2017 was 310 million ($362M), with 81% of this derived from Vygon's international business. www.vygon.com This press release contains forward-looking statements. The Company wishes to caution the reader of this press release that actual results may differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and may be adversely affected by, among other things, risks associated with litigation, clinical trials, the regulatory approval process, reimbursement policies and commercialization of new technologies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005582/en/ Contacts: Interrad Medical, Inc. Jeff Killion, 763-225-6699 jeff@interradmedical.com LATHAM, NY / ACCESSWIRE / October 8, 2018 / Schuyler Commons is the first apartment complex in the Latham region outfitted with a comprehensive managed smart home solution for residents. A Burns Management property that opened in August 2018 and that's located outside the city of Albany, Schuyler Commons has partnered with Epproach Communications to provide its residents with a state-of-the-art managed smart home solution controlled via a branded Smartphone App. The Managed Smart Home Solution provided by Epproach Communications consists of a wireless, multi-IoT-protocol product set controlled via a Smartphone App, branded as the Burns Management App. Using the App, residents can remotely control each product included inside the Epproach Smart Product Set. The basic Smart package implemented at Schuyler Commons includes remote-controlled door locks and thermostats, but residents can easily link dozens of other Smart devices to the system. Each device has the ability to be controlled via in-home voice assistants, such as Amazon's Alexa or the Google Home. Property management can manage and monitor permissions for each resident throughout the community via Epproach's desktop interface. "The 'Smart' tech benefits our residents by making their lives easier, saving them money by reducing energy costs, and allowing them to enjoy their favorite steaming services without experiencing any delays," Chelsea Brady, Property Manager at Schuyler Commons, said. "Our management team loves the 'Smart' technology as it saves us time during the day and allows us to communicate with the residents effectively and efficiently." Brady also said that the 'Smart' technology provides their community with an edge over their competition in the area. "In our area in Upstate New York, apartment living has grown tremendously in the past 5-10 years, which means more competition in the market," Brady said. "Offering something that no one else has - like 'Smart' technology - is a huge advantage." Schuyler Commons is providing residents with the property's own branded Smartphone App, giving residents a quick and easy interface to control their Smart Home technology inside each unit. The App will also help to enhance communication between residents and staff via unified texts, emails and App notifications. The Burns Management App is available inside the Apple App or Google Play stores. "The App allows our staff to distribute important messages to all residents quickly and easily, and that is highly important when we need to get a message to our residents quickly and don't have enough time to call/email/text each person individually," Brady said. "It also creates a sense of community among our residents." Epproach Communications is also providing a Gigabit network infrastructure to not only support the "Smart' apartment service but also provide residents with high-speed, reliable WiFi and Internet service. Certified Epproach technicians installed Enterprise Grade 802.11 AC wireless access points across the community. The Epproach system provides service in individual apartments and all common areas. Residents are able to securely connect to high-speed wireless internet using a state-of-the-art managed WiFi system that is monitored and supported 24/7/365. This system gives residents the ability to connect securely across multiple devices and stream video in an instant. "We are living in a world with ever-increasing demand for internet connectivity, and as we incorporate more and more devices as part of our everyday lives, we need better internet speeds," Brady said. "Offering Gigabit WiFi speeds grabs the attention of potential renters. People are amazed that our internet speeds are not just faster, but blow the competition out of the water." Marty Hollingsworth, CEO of Epproach Communications, said that he is looking forward to working with the Burns Management team on this new project. "We've had great success launching 'Smart' apartment sites in the New York region with Burns Management," Hollingsworth said. "We are excited to see how residents and staff alike utilize our technology services at Schuyler Commons." The Managed Smart Home solution, the branded Burns Management App and the managed WiFi and Internet service is provided and supported 24/7/365 by Epproach Communications. About Epproach Communications Epproach Communications is the leading provider of technology amenities to the multifamily space, providing Wi-Fi and Internet services, branded smartphone Apps and managed 'Smart' solutions for every sector of the industry, including retirement communities, resorts, student housing and apartment communities. Epproach deploys the latest technology in a total turnkey solution that is tailored to the specific needs of their clients. A proactive, 24/7/365 support team offers support to staff and direct to end users. For more information, visit www.epproach.net or call 910-202-4700. About Schuyler Commons Schuyler Commons is a brand new property conveniently located on Wade Road in Latham, NY. Each apartment is beautifully designed with modern kitchens, wood style flooring, quartz counter tops, stainless steel appliances and a washer and dryer inside the apartment. Entertain in the clubhouse or visit the fitness center. Cozy up next to a gas fireplace or get away from it all and enjoy the beautiful walking trails with your favorite furry friend. In addition, Schuyler Commons is conveniently located near a main road with many businesses and restaurants nearby. Being right outside of the city of Albany, you get the best of both worlds. Move into your new home today and enjoy all that Schuyler Commons has to offer! Learn more at https://www.burnsmgmt.com/community/schuyler-commons/. SOURCE: Epproach Communications View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/513644/Schuyler-Commons-Has-Partnered-with-Epproach-Communications-to-Provide-Apartment-Residents-with-State-of-the-Art-Smart-Home-Capabilities-for-the-Multifamily-Space Campaign Raises Awareness of the Importance of Eye Health and Supports Two Global Humanitarian Efforts JACKSONVILLE, Florida and SANTA ANA, California, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sight is arguably the most prized of all human senses. Yet, there are many people who do not fully experience the wonder of this gift. Nearly 285 million people around the world face impaired vision, with 80 percent being preventable with early diagnosis and treatment.1 That's why Johnson & Johnson Vision, a broad-based global leader in eye health, has launched a worldwide campaign to spotlightsight on World Sight Day, October 11. During the week of World Sight Day (October 8-12), the company will draw attention to global eye health by encouraging members of the public to donate directly to Lions Club International Foundation, Sight for Kids or the Himalayan Cataract Project, and by sharing photos on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag, spotlightsight. A spotlight in the sky will also be shone direct from Johnson & Johnson Vision headquarters in Florida and California. Sight for Kids has provided school-based eye health education and vision screening to more than 26 million children around the world since 2002. Today, an estimated 19 million children have impaired vision. Of these, nearly two thirds (12 million) need access to spectacles to correct for refractive errors.2 Johnson & Johnson Vision is increasing awareness and encouraging donations to Sight for Kids through a captivating video which tells the story of a young boy in China with vision impairment. The video will be promoted across the globe and is available to watch here. Donations can be made direct to Sight for Kids at Lions Clubs International Foundation. Johnson & Johnson Vision will be making its own significant contribution in honor of World Sight Day, providing over 100,000 eye exams for children around the world. Partnering with the Himalayan Cataract Project, Johnson & Johnson Vision is also providing 1,000 people with life changing cataract surgery. Cataracts are the number one cause of preventable blindness.3 Restoring or improving sight can make a profound difference to people's lives. Direct donations can be made to the Himalayan Cataract Project. Sandra Rasche, Regional VP Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, commented, "Across the world there remains significant unmet need in eye health. At Johnson & Johnson Vision, we want to change that. As we work towards tackling this challenge, supporting and raising awareness of preventable vision impairment is critical." The spotlightsight campaign supports the global call-to-action, "Eyecare Everywhere" by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), coordinator of World Sight Day. World Sight day is an international day of awareness, held annually on the second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. Johnson & Johnson Vision At Johnson & Johnson Vision, we have a bold ambition: to change the trajectory of eye health around the world. Through our operating companies, we deliver innovation that enables eye care professionals to create better outcomes for patients throughout their lives, with products and technologies that address refractive error, cataracts and dry eye. In communities with greatest need, we work in collaboration to expand access to quality eye care, and we are committed to helping people see better, connect better and live better. Visit us at www.jjvision.com. Follow @JNJVision on Twitter and Johnson & Johnson Vision on LinkedIn. Lions Clubs International Foundation LCIF is the charitable arm of Lions Clubs International (LCI), the world's largest service club organization, with more than 1.4 million members in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Since 1968, LCIF has funded humanitarian work through financial gifts from LCI members; the general public; and corporate, foundation and government partners. To build a future promising a better world, LCIF will increase service impact by combating vision problems, providing valuable life skills to youth, responding to major catastrophes, and sponsoring and delivering programs addressing the distinct needs of at-risk and vulnerable populations. Learn more at lcif.org. Himalayan Cataract Project The Himalayan Cataract Project and its extensive network of partners work across South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa to bring world-class eye care to the needlessly blind through quality care, clinical training and the establishment of first-rate ophthalmic infrastructures. Co-founder Sanduk Ruit MD, born in Nepal, educated in India, together with American ophthalmologist, Geoff Tabin MD, recognized the unmet eye health need in the Himalayas and made a vow in 1995 to eliminate preventable and treatable blindness.4 Through the Himalayan Cataract Project's efforts, over 8,875,905 people have been screened and treated, including surgery for over 740,000 people from 17 countries.5 Visit https://www.cureblindness.org/ to learn more. 1http://www.who.int/blindness/data_maps/VIFACTSHEETGLODAT2010full.pdf 2World Health Organisation, 2018 3 "Priority Eye Diseases" World Health Organisation, 2018 4https://jjvision.com/caring-giving 5 From HCP Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/765383/spotlight_sight_Infographic.jpg Latecoere, through its Interconnection Systems branch - No. 2 worldwide in onboard wiring - today announces that it has been selected by LeoStella to supply harnesses for BlackSky's new-generation small satellites. LeoStella, a joint venture between the space alliance formed by Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio and Spaceflight Industries, will be responsible for manufacturing small satellites at scale in order to deliver innovative geospatial services. With a three-year orbital life, the first smallsats will be put into orbit from 2019. This new contract totalling around US$3 million was signed for a five-year term with possible additional contract model options. Under this agreement, Latecoere will contribute to the design, development and manufacture of harnesses for the 64 planned earth observation satellites that will enable users of BlackSky services to benefit from innovative, cutting-edge measurement tools. Latecoere CEO Yannick Assouad said, "The LeoStella project represents a vital strategic issue for the space industry. Latecoere was naturally ready to take up this ambitious challenge in the world of "new space'. No. 2 global onboard wiring supplier, our Interconnection Systems division will offer its state-of-the-art expertise to the BlackSky programme." About Latecoere Latecoere is a tier 1 partner to major international aircraft manufacturers (Airbus, Embraer, Dassault, Boeing and Bombardier), in all segments of the aeronautical market (commercial, regional, corporate and military aircraft), specialising in two fields: Aerostructures (61% of total revenue): fuselage sections and doors. Interconnexion systems (39% of total revenue): onboard wiring, electrical harnesses and avionics bays. At 31 December 2017, Latecoere employed 4,451 people in 10 different countries. Latecoere, a French corporation (societe anonyme) with capital of 189,489,904 divided into 94,744,952 shares with a par value of 2 per share, is listed on Euronext Paris - Compartment B. ISIN codes: FR0000032278 - Reuters: LAEP.PA - Bloomberg: LAT.FP Latecoere Sebastien Rouge / Chief Financial Officer Tel.: +33 (0)5 61 58 77 00 sebastien.rouge@latecoere.aero Actus finance & communication Corinne Puissant / Investor Relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 77 - cpuissant@actus.fr Anne-Catherine Bonjour / Media Relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 93 - acbonjour@actus.fr ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-55418-cp-lat-leostella-vdef-vuk.pdf In accordance with article L233-8 of commercial law, Wavestone informs its shareholders that as of September 2018, following the division by 4 of the par value of Wavestone's shares, its capital was composed of 20,196,492 shares representing 31,674,880 voting rights according to article 223-11 of the AMF. About Wavestone In a world where understanding transformation is the key to success, Wavestone's ambition is to provide its clients with advice that is unique in the market, enlightening and guiding them in their most strategic decisions. Wavestone draws on some 2,800 employees in eight countries. It is a leading independent player in European consulting, and the number one in France. Wavestone is listed on Euronext, Paris, and is eligible for the PEA-PME (a French investment instrument that encourages individuals to invest in smaller and intermediate-sized firms). Wavestone is recognized as a Great Place to Work. Wavestone Pascal IMBERT Chief Executive Officer Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 03 20 00 Sarah LAMIGEON Communications Director Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 03 20 00 Actus Financial news Mathieu OMNES Analyst & investor relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 92 Nicolas BOUCHEZ Press relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 74 ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-55406-wavestone_declaration-amf_081018-en.pdf The global airfreight forwarding market research report by Technavio predicts the market to post a CAGR of around 4% during the period 2018-2022. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005655/en/ Technavio has published a new market research report on the global airfreight forwarding market for the period 2018-2022. (Graphic: Business Wire) A key driver for the global airfreight forwarding market is the growing e-commerce sector. During the forecast period, the e-commerce sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 20%. The development of the global e-commerce market is being promoted by the growing Internet penetration and improving purchasing power parity across all the regions. The US and China are the key contributing countries to the global e-commerce market. This global airfreight forwarding marketresearchreportprovides an analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook during the period 2018-2022. Technavio classifies an emerging trend as a major factor that has the potential to significantly impact the market and contribute to its growth or decline. This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing In this report, Technavio highlights the penetration of blockchain in airfreight forwarding as one of the key trends in the global airfreight forwarding market: Global airfreight forwarding market: Penetration of blockchain in airfreight forwarding The blockchain technique is expected to secure about 11% of the World GDP by 2025. APAC will exhibit the highest use of the technology among all the global markets by 2025 as the countries in this region are increasingly adopting new technologies. This indicates that the APAC region will be an early adopter of new technologies in the future. "As airfreight forwarding is a service industry, it is expected to benefit significantly from the blockchain technology. Globally, several initiatives are being undertaken to promote the adoption of the technology in airfreight transportation. The Brussels Airport launched a blockchain-based app that will act as a platform for airfreight forwarders to request ad-hoc delivery slots," says a senior analyst at Technavio for research on packaging. Global airfreight forwarding market: Segmentation analysis This airfreight forwarding market analysis report segments the market by end-user (manufacturing industry, retail industry, and other industries) and geography (the Americas, APAC, and EMEA). The manufacturing industry held the largest airfreight forwarding market share in 2017, accounting for more than 43% of the market. This end-user segment is expected to dominate the global market throughout the forecast period. APAC led the market in 2017 with close to 53% of the market share, followed by the Americas and EMEA, respectively. APAC is expected to dominate the market throughout the period 2018-2022. Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Some of the key topics covered in the report include: Market Landscape Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis Market Sizing Market definition Market size and forecast Five Forces Analysis Market Segmentation Geographical Segmentation Regional comparison Key leading countries Market Drivers Market Challenges Market Trends Vendor Landscape Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Competitive scenario About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005655/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 www.technavio.com The "Croatia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband Statistics and Analyses" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in Croatia's telecommunications market. The report analyses the fixed-line, mobile and broadband sectors. The telecoms market in Croatia has been shaped by the country having joined the European Union in 2013, a process which resulted in market liberalisation and the creation of a regulatory environment conducive to competition. Alternative operators have entered the market and there is effective competition in the in the fixed-line, broadband and mobile markets. Operators are investing in network infrastructure to support bandwidth-intensive services. In common with developments elsewhere in Europe, investment is being earmarked for fibre and mobile infrastructure while the fixed-voice market continues to dwindle. The mobile market has one of the highest penetration rates in the Balkans region. Three network operators dominate the market, though there is also room for a small number of MVNOs. The network operators have focused on improving ARPU by encouraging prepaid subscribers to migrate to postpaid plans, and on developing revenue from customer use of mobile data services. To this end considerable work is ongoing to upgrade network infrastructure, with the incumbent telco Hrvatski Telekom spearheading trials of 5G technologies and services. This report provides a review of Croatia's fixed-line market, covering regulatory developments, fixed-line infrastructure and the financial and operating performance of the main operators. The report also analyses the developing broadband market including a variety of statistics and subscriber forecasts. In addition the report assesses the mobile voice and data segments, detailing financial and performance statistics of the service providers, assessing network developments and technologies and examining a range of mobile services including m-commerce. Key developments Hrvatski Telekom launches Croatia's first NB-IoT network, trials 5G technologies; Regulator sets new fixed and mobile termination rates to 2019; VIPnet rebranded as A1 Croatia; HT trials G.fast technology, launches gigabit services; Amendments to the Electronic Communications Act come into force; Optima Telekom reports 27.7% increase in revenue for the first half of 2018; Government launches National Program for the Development of Shared Broadband Infrastructure program; Regulator funds rural broadband projects; Government abolishes 6% tax on mobile services revenue; Regulator allocates remaining 800MHz spectrum; Report update includes the regulator's market data to June 2018, telcos' operating and financial data to Q2 2018, recent market developments. Companies Mentioned A1 Croatia HTelekom Hrvatski Telekom (HT) Metronet Optima Telekom TeleCroatia For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/t8mzq6/croatia_telecoms?w=4 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005672/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Related Topics: Telecommunications and Networks, Broadband, Mobile Networks Worley Parsonshas been awarded a four-year project management consultancy contract for the new hydrocracking complex (AHC Project) in Egypt by Assiut Oil Refining Company.The contract is part of an upgrade of the refinery capacity and efficiency in the Upper Egypt area.Under the agreement WorleyParsons will oversee the basic engineering phase, open book estimate, design, procurement, construction and commission of the project.Its estimated the new complex will process the conversion of 2.5 million tonnes per year of heavy fuel oil into high quality petroleum products.Shares in WorleyParsonsare trading 0.24 per cent lower to $20.36. PNB has registered credit growth more than the industry average, and appreciating the pace of recovery, the government has decided to provide Rs 5,431 crore capital support. New Delhi: Ruling out the possibility of inorganic expansion, Punjab National Bank (PNB) Managing Director Sunil Mehta said the bank is currently focussed on internal consolidation and making it financially healthy. With Rs 14,000 crore Nirav Modi episode getting out of scene, the bank is focussing on growth and recovery of bad loans, he told PTI in an interview. The bank has registered credit growth more than the industry average, and appreciating the pace of recovery, the government has decided to provide Rs 5,431 crore capital support. You are fully aware that Financial Services Secretary has said that they are giving this capital (Rs 5,431 crore) for growth. PNB is the second largest public sector bank and we are poised for the growth, he said. Asked if the PNB is going to acquire some other public sector banks, Mehta said, There is nothing on the cards from our side. On a question that if some amalgamation proposal comes to the bank, he said, It would depend upon different circumstances. Right now we are focussed on internal consolidation and we are not aspiring for any inorganic expansion. Last month, the government announced the merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank, and Dena Bank to create the country's second-largest public sector bank by assets and branches. Following this, the respective boards of these banks accorded in-principle approval for amalgamation. Post-merger, the asset size of the new entity would be over Rs 14.5 lakh crore. The combined business of the amalgamated entities will make it the country's second-largest public sector bank. While announcing the merger, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar had said the merged entity will have better financial strength. Dena Bank's net NPA ratio will be at 5.71 percent, significantly better than public sector banks' average of 12.13 percent, Kumar had said, adding that the provision coverage ratio would be at 67.5 percent against the average 63.7 percent. The cost to income ratio of the combined entity will come down to 48.94 percent, compared with the average 53.92 percent. The amalgamation of the three banks will be through a share swap, which will be a part of the scheme of merger. By Harry Brumpton and Joshua Franklin (Reuters) - Blackstone Group LP, Carlyle Group LP, Onex Corp and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board have joined forces in a bid to acquire aluminum products maker Arconic Inc, according to people familiar with the matter. Such alliances, referred to as 'club deals' in the private equity industry, lost much of their allure following the 2008 financial crisis, as some high-profile leveraged buyouts either ended up in bankruptcy or underperformed financially. Many buyout firms, accustomed to sole operational control of the companies they buy and deciding how and when to cash out on their investment on their own, occasionally clashed with peers they teamed up with By Harry Brumpton and Joshua Franklin (Reuters) - Blackstone Group LP, Carlyle Group LP, Onex Corp and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board have joined forces in a bid to acquire aluminum products maker Arconic Inc, according to people familiar with the matter. Such alliances, referred to as "club deals" in the private equity industry, lost much of their allure following the 2008 financial crisis, as some high-profile leveraged buyouts either ended up in bankruptcy or underperformed financially. Many buyout firms, accustomed to sole operational control of the companies they buy and deciding how and when to cash out on their investment on their own, occasionally clashed with peers they teamed up with. Some of them even had to fork out hundreds of millions of dollars to settle lawsuits accusing them of conspiring to drive down acquisition prices during the leveraged buyout boom leading up to the crisis. However, a surge in private equity dealmaking, fueled by cheap debt and record fundraising, is leading to bigger leveraged buyouts, requiring private equity firms to write bigger checks and prompting them to consider teaming up once again. This is happening even though some private equity firms appear to publicly frown upon these deals. For example, Prakash Melwani, Blackstone's chief investment officer for private equity, said earlier this year that club deals had been "discredited, because, when the downturn happened, governance was very difficult when you have six (private equity) sponsors." "Club deals are really not popular anymore," Melwani said at the Columbia Business School Private Equity Conference in February. Earlier this month, a Blackstone-led consortium completed the largest leveraged buyout since the crisis, taking over the financial data arm of Thomson Reuters Corp, the parent of Reuters News, in a deal valued at $20 billion, including debt. Arconic has the potential to rival that deal should the private equity firms that are seeking to acquire it decide to pay a significant premium. Arconic has a market capitalization of $10.6 billion and total debt of $6.3 billion. Arconic will decide whether to agree to a sale later this month, the sources said, cautioning that there is no certainty of a deal. The private equity consortium that formed still faces competition from other buyout firms, including Apollo Global Management LLC, the sources said. The sources asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Blackstone, Carlyle, Onex, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Apollo declined to comment, while Arconic did not immediately respond to requests for comment. To be sure, high-profile unsuccessful club deals, such as the leveraged buyouts of Texas utility Energy Future Holdings and retailer Toys 'R' Us, which ended in bankruptcy, are not representative of all such deals. Many of them proved financially successful, as in the case of hospital operator HCA Healthcare Inc. Despite several highly publicized failures, club deals are approximately 50 percent less likely to go out of business or bankrupt than buyouts led by one private equity firm, market research firm PitchBook said last month. STRATEGIC REVIEW Arconic's products, which are made of aluminum, titanium or nickel, are used around the world by aerospace, automotive, commercial transportation and packaging manufacturers. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company, which was spun out of Alcoa Corp in 2016, said in February it would carry out a "strategy and portfolio review," to be completed by the time its holds its investor day in November. As planemakers ramp up production to satisfy growing global demand for air travel, Arconic is paying more attention to aircraft parts. In August, Arconic announced it was considering selling its building and construction systems unit, which makes facades, windows and framing products. The announcement came one year after a major fire broke out at London's Grenfell Tower apartment complex, where the company's Reynobond PE panels were used in the cladding. More than 70 people were killed in the blaze. Activist hedge fund Elliott Management Corp, which won board representation at Arconic last year following a proxy contest, has been instrumental in pushing the company to explore a sale, sources have said. (Reporting by Harry Brumpton and Joshua Franklin in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Shares of oil marketing companies on Friday fell sharply by up to 25 percent. New Delhi: Shares of oil marketing companies bounced back on Monday, surging up to 8 percent after a massive sell-off in the last two trading sessions. The scrip of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) soared 8.15 percent and Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) jumped 5.63 percent on BSE. Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) gained 0.19 percent. Shares of oil marketing companies on Friday fell sharply by up to 25 percent. Oil marketing firms HPCL, BPCL and IOC had plummeted up to 12 percent Thursday also after the government announced Rs 2.50 per litre cut in petrol and diesel prices as it reduced excise duty and asked oil companies to absorb another Re 1. During his address on the 86th Air Force Day in Hindon, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa also said IAF has continued to grow from strength to strength. Hindon: Asserting that the Indian Air Force is "ever-prepared" to meet any contingency, its chief Birender Singh Dhanoa said on Monday that the induction of 36 Rafale jets and S-400 missile systems would enhance the capabilities of the force. Amid instances of air crashes, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said aerospace safety is one area where the force needs to maintain a constant vigil as "loss of aircraft in peacetime is not only expensive, but also diminishes the wartime capability". Efforts are being made to minimise accidents due to human error by providing best possible training to the air crew and technicians to meet the challenges of operating current generation fighters, as well as legacy aircraft and weapons systems. "The IAF is ever prepared to meet any contingency that challenges the defence of our country. In the year gone by, IAF has continued to grow from strength to strength and achieved a number of operational milestones," Dhanoa said in his address on Air Force Day in Hindon. He said it is the duty of the Air Force personnel to remain combat worthy and maintain combat systems operational for any contingency at a short notice. "Acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft, S-400 missiles systems, Apache attack helicopters and Chinook heavy lift helicopters would further enhance our capabilities," he said. The ongoing induction of state-of-the-art Tejas precision weapons is a part of the IAF's larger modernisation programme, he noted. India and Russia last week signed the multi-billion air missile defence system deal. The deal to buy Rafale jets was signed with France in 2016. Dhanoa had last week termed the procurement of the 36 Rafale jets, the deal which is currently mired in controversy, and S-400 missile defence systems as the much needed "booster shots" to the Air Force. Speaking on 'Gaganshakti', the IAF drill that saw a mobilisation of 1,4000 officers and 14,000 personnel, Dhanoa said it showcased the operational capability and readiness of the force. During the exercise, more than 11,000 sorties were flown, including approximately 9,000 sorties by fighter aircraft, he said. Elucidating on the role of Air Force in peacetime operations, he said during the Kerala floods this year, 23 aircraft and 25 helicopters of the IAF were pressed into the service. The IAF also provided timely assistance in fighting forest fires in Theni (Tamil Nadu), Katra (Jammu and Kashmir), Pathankot (Punjab), Kasuli (Himachal Pradesh) and even urban fires in Delhi, he noted. "In addition, airlifting relief material to Myanmar and Indonesia, fire fighting on an Indian Merchant Ship and CASEVAC of pilgrims stranded at Kailash Mansarovar and Amarnath Yatra were also carried out," Dhanoa said. The IAF, he said, has been actively supporting the government's initiatives for growth of regional air connectivity under the 'UDAAN' scheme. Forty-five new routes have been cleared through military airspaces while 33 defence airfields have been opened for joint use to accommodate civilian flights, he added. Devendra Fadnavis said had it been a political witch-hunt, the Supreme Court would not have rejected the plea filed by 'so many pseudo-liberals'. New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said he is acting against the people who are against the Constitution, irrespective of their political or ideological leanings. "I am going to crush them... That is my 'Rajdharma'. That is what I am doing. I don't recognise extreme right or extreme left," he said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in Delhi. "I am bound to act against an individual or an institution acting against the Constitution. They may belong to any class, may belong to any caste, any religion, any institution, they may have any leaning, but I am going to crush them." Fadnavis said the arrest of five rights activists in the Bhima Koregaon case was not a political witch-hunt. Had it been a political witch-hunt, the Supreme Court would not have rejected the petition filed by "so many pseudo-liberals", he said, adding that the Bhima Koregaon incident was a larger conspiracy to pitch two communities against each other to "create civil war-like situation". "These designs are out now. After our crackdown, we have ample of evidences. They have been plotting similar things at several places and they are in direct contact with the Maoists, who are actually fighting against the system in Gadchiroli or Jharkhand or Chhattisgarh. So it is a larger conspiracy," the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said. The Indian Air Force's beast MiG-29 has gained in strength and ferocity after an upgrade, giving the force, which is battling a shortage of fighter aircraft, a much-needed boost, according to officials. Adampur: The Indian Air Force's beast MiG-29 has gained in strength and ferocity after an upgrade, giving the force, which is battling a shortage of fighter aircraft, a much-needed boost, according to officials. The Russian origin aircraft, now capable of effecting mid-air refuelling, is compatible with latest missiles and can launch multi-dimensional attacks, Flight Lieutenant Karan Kohli, who is deployed at Adampur Air Force Station, said. Even in the previous 'legacy version', the aircraft played an important role as the Indian Air Force stamped its supremacy over the Pakistani force during the Kargil War of 1999. Last week, the upgraded MiG-29 showcased its combat capabilities at Admapur Air Force Station. The country will celebrate the Air Force day on Monday. "With the upgrade, as compared to previous 'legacy version' of the MiG-29 bought under emergency clause in early 1980s, the fighter jets are capable to give befitting response," said an official, requesting anonymity, when asked about any possible two-front war with China and Pakistan. Kohli said that upgraded MiG-29 also has Multi-Functional Display (MFD) screen. On 12 September, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa had said the force was reeling under a severe shortage of fighter aircraft. The IAF chief had said the force currently has 31 squadrons of fighter jets against the sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons. "Even when we do have 42 squadrons, we will be below the combined numbers of two of our regional adversaries," he had said. The strategically important Adampur Air Force Station, which is around 100 kms from Pakistan and 250 km away from China borders, is now equipped with upgraded MiG-29. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has three squadrons of MiG-29 fighter jets in operation, two of them at the Adampur Air Force Station. One squadron comprises 16-18 aircraft. Kohli said that the force now has a combat aircraft which is flexible and can manoeuvre every situation so that IAF pilots can change their position and strike the enemy. He also said that the fighter plane has the capability of taking off vertically, which has "increased the IAF's power a lot". The upgraded MiG-29 aircraft can take off within five minutes of spotting a hostile jet trying to enter the Indian airspace and destroy it, he said. "With air-to-air refuelling feature, upgraded MiG-29 can cover larger distance as compared to the previous legacy aircraft and destroy the enemy," said another IAF officer, who did not wish to be named, on the two-front war possibility. "With the upgraded version, the range of aircraft has improved a lot. Moreover, in the legacy aircraft, we were restricted to the certain dimension, but we can now do air-to-air, air-to-ground and anti-shipping operation," said a pilot who flies MiG aircraft. The upgraded MiG-29 has all latest features, including a glass cockpit having digital screens. Old instruments in the legacy version of MiG 29 have been replaced with modern ones, Kohli added. In the 1999 Kargil War, the Adampur station played an important role in destroying enemy fortifications located at heights of 15,000 feet and above. In the 1971 war also, the Adampur base was an operationally dynamic base for the air campaign against Pakistan. In the 1965 Indo-Pak war too, Adampur proved to be nemesis for the Pakistani misadventures as several squadrons inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. The Strategic Policy Group (SPG) will assist the National Security Council and undertake among other tasks, a long-term strategic review of country's security affairs. New Delhi: The government has set up a panel, headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, to assist the National Security Council, which advises the prime minister on matters of national security and strategic interests, officials said on Monday. The Strategic Policy Group (SPG) will assist the National Security Council and undertake among other tasks, a long-term strategic review of country's security affairs. It will be the principal mechanism for inter-ministerial coordination and integration of relevant inputs in the formulation of national security policies, a top Home Ministry official said. The SPG will be chaired by National Security Advisor (NSA) Doval and its members include the NITI Aayog vice chairman, the cabinet secretary, the chiefs of the three defence services, the RBI governor, the foreign secretary, the home secretary, the finance secretary and the defence secretary. The secretary of the Department of Defence Production and Supplies, the scientific adviser to the defence minister and the secretary (R), Cabinet Secretariat will also be members of the panel. The other members are secretary, Department of Revenue; secretary, Department of Atomic Energy; secretary, Department of Space; director, Intelligence Bureau and secretary, National Security Council Secretariat. Representatives of other ministries and departments will be invited to the meetings of the group as and when necessary, another official said. The NSA will convene the meetings of the SPG and the cabinet secretary will coordinate implementation of the group's decisions by union ministries and departments, and state governments. Non-Gujaratis, especially those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were attacked in Gujarat after the arrest of a man from Bihar for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district last week. Patna: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday urged people of Gujarat to stop attacking non-Gujarati people in the state, especially those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. His statement comes after non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were attacked in Gujarat following the arrest of a man from Bihar for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district last week. Talking about the backlash, Nitish told ANI, "I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister (Vijay Rupani) and the state chief secretary (JN Singh) yesterday (on Sunday). All people are in the loop. They are keeping an eye on whatever is happening in Gujarat." "The person who committed the crime should be punished. There should be strong action against him. But people should not have such notions about others. The Gujarat government is cautious and aware about all this. I would like to appeal to all the people to not have similar impressions for others on such matters." As many as 42 cases have been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, and 342 people have been arrested across Gujarat for allegedly attacking migrants, Gujarat Director General of Police said on Sunday. According to reports, many workers belonging to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and other states were also forced to board home-bound trains. Parts of army chief General Bipin Rawat's lecture at the General KV Krishna Rao memorial lecture seemed to be rather inappropriate for someone of his stature It's becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the services and the diplomats these days. Army chief General Bipin Rawat's lecture at the General KV Krishna Rao memorial lecture was delivered with his usual aplomb and style. The chief is a great speaker, but parts of the lecture seemed to be rather inappropriate for someone of his stature. At one point, he was quoted as saying that "Russians are very keen on associating with the Indian Army because we are very capable. We are capable of standing for what is right for us based on our strategic thought process". That in itself is an inexplicable statement. The Indian Armys thought process may be brilliant, but it still has to go through the political strategy decided by the powers that be. The decisions to buy or not buy further weapons systems from Russia for instance, the Kamov helicopters or the space-based weaponry to which he referred also lies with the government of the day. Pointing out that these further buys are being favoured by the army is hardly likely to help a government that has negotiated the S-400 deal and is maneuvering diplomatically to avoid sanctions threatened under Countering Americas Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The reverse can be said about the air force chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa's able defence of the Rafale deal, wherein he brought out the threat and the rather desperate existing capability of the force. The chief's statement was dignified, factual and did not go a step beyond what is expected of him as a service head. What is unfortunate is that he had to go on record at all. The PowerPoint slideshow by Air Marshal SBP Sinha of Central Command should have been more than enough. He was an intrinsic part of the team that negotiated the deal including the price and his word could hardly be questioned. Further, Dhanoa is not one to make off-the-cuff statements. Therefore, his defence of not just the Rafale, but the S-400 while not required, unfortunately coupled the two arms deals. Social media is already wondering why the chief came into the picture at all. Meanwhile, Opposition parties will be waiting to sniff out a wedge in the air defence deal too, with a little help from their friends. Service chiefs have traditionally stayed well away from the media glare, barring commemorative occasions like Army Day etc. Theres a reason for that. It shields them from the arrant nonsense spouted by political parties, particularly when they're in Opposition. The fact that Congress president Rahul Gandhi's statements have varied wildly even on the alleged price escalation of the Rafale is just one example. Other Opposition parties in their time have also done the same, though more effectively and with more credibility. Having said that, the statements of both chiefs, though quite different in content, are understandable. The scandal over the Bofors artillery guns which incidentally broke the back of the Pakistanis at Kargil led to deal-after-deal being scuppered by diffident bureaucrats and politicians alike. For instance, AK Anthony who was once called the "worst defence minister ever" was famed for his ability to sidestep actually signing on to anything, unless it was made into a "Teflon deal". As a result, the already lackadaisical bureaucracy in the Ministry of Defence took even longer to pass pending requests for equipment. It took 30 years for instance, for the army to get its deal for new M-777 howitzers. The Indian Air Force brought out its Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Medium Multirole fighters in 2007 and has since been pleading its case for new fighters for decades, arguing that its fighter strength is well below (31) its very basic requirement of 42. It's hardly surprising that the services are getting desperate. The threat is increasing while politicians squabble. This has to stop. But it has to be stopped by the politicians themselves. Service chiefs should not be seen as propagating or defending acquisitions from any country. They are the last repositories of trust of the public. We simply cant afford to lose that. Theres far more at stake than a few aircraft. Amit Shah had kicked off the party's election campaign with a meeting at Mahabubnagar in September. BJP has decided to go it alone in the assembly elections. Hyderabad: BJP chief Amit Shah would attend two separate meetings of party functionaries from parliamentary constituencies in Telangana when he visits the state on 10 October. "Shah would speak to booth committee presidents and other leaders of Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Malkajgiri and Chevella Lok Sabha constituencies at the Exhibition Grounds in Hyderabad," BJP's state general secretary Chinta Samba Murthy said in a release Monday. "Shah would also participate in a meeting of party functionaries from Mahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Bhongir and Nalgonda Lok Sabha seats," the release said. "In the afternoon, the party chief would address a public meeting for the 7 December Legislative Assembly elections at Karimnagar," it added. Shah had kicked off the party's election campaign with a meeting at Mahabubnagar in September. BJP has decided to go it alone in the assembly elections. As many as 584 polling stations will be set up in Jammu where the first phase of the four-phased local body elections which will start from Monday, officials said. In the first of the four-phase elections, eight districts of the Kashmir division, including Leh and Kargil, will vote Monday to elect representatives to 15 municipal councils and committees, including three wards of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation. Round 1 of Jammu and Kashmir local polls today As many as 584 polling stations will be set up in Jammu where the first phase of the four-phased local body elections which will start from Monday, officials said. In the first of the four-phase elections, eight districts of the Kashmir division, including Leh and Kargil, will vote Monday to elect representatives to 15 municipal councils and committees, including three wards of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation. After the National Conference and the PDP announced their decision not to participate in the municipal polls, the contest is largely between the Congress, the BJP and a large number of independent candidates. A total of 4,42,159 electorate will vote to elect their representatives among 743 candidates at 584 polling stations including 505 polling stations for municipal corporation Jammu and 79 for municipal committees, district election officer, Ramesh Kumar told reporters in Jammu. While 447 candidates are in the fray for the 75 wards of municipal corporation Jammu, 296 candidates are trying their luck in the 79 wards of seven municipal committees. A total of 422 wards spread over various districts of Jammu and Kashmir are going to polls in the first phase. Kumar said the district administration Jammu has made foolproof security arrangements for the smooth conduct of the polls. Adequate security would be deployed at the identified hypersensitive and sensitive polling stations, he said, adding that micro observers have also been appointed to monitor 46 hyper-sensitive polling stations. The voting will be from 7 am to 4 pm, he said. For the first time, electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used in the polls, for which proper training has been imparted to the polling staff. Tanushree Dutta files police complaint against Nana Patekar, others for sexual harassment Tanushree Dutta on Saturday filed a police complaint against veteran actor Nana Patekar for allegedly sexually harassing her on the sets of a film in 2008, police said. Dutta, in a recent interview alleged that Patekar had misbehaved with her while filming a song for the 2008 film Horn Ok Pleasss. She has filed the complaint at the Oshiwara Police Station against Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, producer Sameer Siddiqui and director Rakesh Sarang. According to reports, Patekar is likely to address a press conference at 3 pm on Monday on Dutta's sexual harassment accusations against him. According to Dutta's advocate Nitin Satpute, the actor will be giving a statement to the police on Sunday. "We have filed a police complaint, they are investigating the matter and tomorrow (Sunday) they have called her (Dutta) for recording her statement," Satpute told PTI. He added that a similar complaint had been filed by the actor back in 2008 as well. In a letter, Dutta said that she lodged her complaint for the registration of FIR under Sections 354, 354 (A), Section 34 and Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). She further said before shooting the song, which was supposed to be a solo song picturised only on her, she had clearly mentioned that she will not enact or perform any lewd, vulgar or uncomfortable steps. Fuel prices hit three-week high Within a day of the one-off excise duty cut and PSUs subsidising fuel, petrol and diesel prices are on the rise again and have hit a three-week high. Petrol and diesel prices were cut by a minimum Rs 2.50 on 5 October when the governments only second cut in excise duty of Rs 1.50 per litre and State-owned fuel retailers providing a Rs one per litre subsidy came into effect. Petrol price was hiked by 18 paise a litre on 6 October and 14 paise on Sunday, according to daily price notification issued by state-owned oil firms. Petrol, which in Delhi was cut to Rs 81.50 on 5 October was on Sunday available at Rs 81.82 per litre. Diesel rates were hiked by 29 paise a litre each on 6 October and Sunday. It costs Rs 73.53 per litre in Delhi, up from Rs 72.95 on 5 October. Petrol in Mumbai retailed for Rs 87.29 a litre on 7 October while diesel was priced at Rs 77.06 per litre. Protests against Supreme Court verdict against Sabarimala spread across India Both the ruling CPM and Opposition Congress Saturday wanted a dialogue with the people concerned before implementing the Supreme Court verdict on entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple.The parties' stand comes in the backdrop of mounting protest by devotees of Lord Ayyappa across the state. Hundreds of devotees, mostly women, took part in the 'namajapa' (chanting the name of Lord Ayyappa marches in Kottayam and Malappuram districts against the LDF government's decision to implement the top court verdict without going for a review. The Kerala government's move to hold talks with 'Thazhamon tantries', the head priests of the Sabarimala Temple, received a setback Sunday with one of the priests saying there was no relevance in holding discussions. The Pandalam royals, the erstwhile rulers associated with the Lord Ayyappa temple, also said there was no point in holding discussions now as the CPI(M)-led LDF government had already taken a decision to implement the top court order. Meanwhile, protests by devotees of Lord Ayyappa, demanding the retaining of the age-old tradition, rituals and faith of the hill shrine, continued in several parts of the state. There were reports that the government invited the tantri family and the members of Pandalam royals for a discussion with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday. Kandararu Mohanaru, one of the three tantries, and Sasikumar Varma, a member of the Pandalam royal family, said there was no relevance of holding talks with the government right now as they were not ready for a review against the apex court order. Neeraj Ghaywan, Varun Grover vow to create safe working environment for women Director Neeraj Ghaywan and writer Varun Grover are ashamed of their association with now-dissolved production banner Phantom Films, and have promised to work towards creating a safe working environment for women, they each revealed in social media posts. The reaction came in the aftermath of allegations of sexual harassment against Phantom Films co-founder Vikas Bahl by a woman employee. After introspecting, Ghaywan and Grover have decided to set the things right by having more women in powerful position on the set, creating more channels for clear communication and ensuring implementations of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, also known as PoSH guidelines. Najeeb Ahmed went missing On 14 October 2016, following an alleged scuffle with some other students. As expected, it took no time for his disappearance to assume political overtones on the highly politicised JNU campus. The Delhi High Court on Monday rejected the plea of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmeds mother seeking constitution of a special investigation team instead of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the case of her missing son. A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel also directed the CBI to file a closure report in the case, thus slamming the lid shut on Ahmeds disappearance from the university. The cases of Ahmed and Kanhaiya Kumar now stand in stark contrast: the disappearance of the MSc Biotechnology student slipped down a memory hole, but the former JNUSU presidents arrest grabbed nationwide attention and hurtled him into prominence. A Kafkaesque entropy has played out in the two years since Ahmeds unexplained disappearance. Ahmed became the subject of slogans and posters only to re-disappear into a dead end. Ahmed went missing On 14 October 2016, following an alleged scuffle with some other students. As expected, it took no time for his disappearance to assume political overtones on the highly politicised JNU campus. The most convenient narrative that started shaping up was that some right-wing students were behind Ahmeds disappearance. Subsequently, a spree of allegations and counter-allegations were made by the Left and the Right against each other on the campus. Ahmeds disappearance, which should have been seen essentially from the ambit of crime, was analysed through a political prism. Protests were staged against the alleged hostility towards him by right-wing goons. However, unlike the protests that followed Kumars arrest in February the same year, these demonstrations failed to gain momentum. The reason for the protests fizzling out was different versions of truth. In an interaction with Firstpost after Najeebs disappearance in 2016, Kumar said that the current student union has not been able to forge unity in Ahmeds case. "This time around, there are many versions of the issue. My arrest was seen as a crackdown and an attack on the university, and that united the students. Ahmeds disappearance was also trivialised by the JNU administration, which treated it as a case of bullying where the bullied child refused to come back to school fearing more bullying. A press release issued by the JNU administration on 8 December was conclusive in its judgment about the incident. In an attempt to put the record straight, the JNU administration seemed to have shunned logic. "The office of the chief proctor has submitted its proctorial enquiry report on the incident of MahiMandovi Hostel. The report has identified the students involved in the reported scuffle and has recommended their immediate transfer from their present hostel. It has also recommended that a strong warning should be issued to these students against repeating such scuffle in future," it said. The university administration added, "The vicechancellor has approved the report and suggested that after Najeeb Ahmed is found, the disciplinary action awarded by the wardens committee for vacating hostel premises by Mr. Ahmed may be revisited. The JNU administration appeals to Mr. Najeeb Ahmed, MSc. student of biotechnology, to return to university and resume academic pursuits without apprehensions." In plain term, the JNU administration stated that those allegedly involved in the scuffle have been identifiedand like intimidating bullies we all face in schools, they were punished by changing their seats (read hostel). Besides, the JNU administration through its appeal to Ahmed to return to the campus seemingly decided and made it clear that he had gone missing on his own and steered clear of any foul play. Politics is substantially underlined by rhetorical arguments and there can be different versions of truth but law relies on fact. In Ahmeds case, politics simply outdid law. The case, which should have been treated as a criminal act and investigated accordingly, was messed up by the unavoidable politics of the campusand his disappearance was completely ignored amid the politics. On 28 November, 2016, the Delhi High Court, while listening to the plea on Ahmeds disappearance, asked the Delhi Police to "cut across all political barriers" to find him and said that there could be "something more" to his disappearance as no one can just vanish from the heart of the national capital. "This is the heart of India, the national capital. No one can just disappear from here. It creates a sense of insecurity in people. If he disappeared, then there is something more to that. All angles have to be explored. Forty-five days is a long period for someone to be underground," the court said. The sanitation workers have been on a strike since 12 September, leading to a pile-up of garbage in localities falling under the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). New Delhi: Sanitation workers of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) on Monday gathered at Jantar Mantar to protest salary delays, and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being indifferent to their problems. The EDMC workers, gathered under the banner of the Swachhata Karmachari Union (SKU), demanded that the state and central governments immediately release their salaries, pensions and clear the arrears. SKU member Anil Kumar said: "Kejriwal uses broomstick as a party symbol only for votes. This is the reality. He does not care about sanitation workers." "Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives crores of rupees to Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya and helps them to escape the country, but he struggles hard to pay our monthly salaries," he charged. The sanitation workers have been on a strike since 12 September, leading to a pile-up of garbage in localities falling under the EDMC. The protesters said that the President of the MCD Swachhata Karamchari Union, Sanjay Gehlot, has made it clear that the strike would continue until the EDMC Commissioner and the Delhi government give an assurance to meet the demands of the sanitation workers. On Thursday, they had protested at Kejriwal's residence, clashing with police when it sought to disperse the crowd. Last week, the Delhi government had claimed that it had released Rs 770 crore to the EDMC in less than six months of the current financial year. "How is it possible that the EDMC, which could pay the salaries in 2014 to 2015 in half the funds that it got from the Delhi government then, now says it is unable to do so when it is getting almost double the amount?" Kejriwal had said last week. On 4 October, Kejriwal attacked the BJP-led central government and the BJP-ruled municipal corporations in Delhi, saying that both were playing 'dirty politics' with the sanitation workers. Rani Devi, 40, a sanitation worker at the EDMC, complained: "Both the Delhi and Central governments are playing politics with our lives. The two are feuding, and we are stuck with no salaries, affecting our families." The current protest by the sanitation workers is their ninth Since 2015, and the longest. After the rape of a toddler in Gujarat in a village near Himmatnagar town, around 100 km from Ahmedabad, there were widespread attacks on migrant labourer residents, especially from north India. Gandhinagar: Police have filed 35 complaints and detained around 450 persons for attacking the migrant community residing in Gujarat, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said on Monday. After the rape of a toddler, there were widespread attacks on migrant labourer residents, especially from north India, believing that some from the community were responsible for the ghastly crime. "We have registered 35 FIRs for the violence on the north Indian migrants in the state. We have detained 450 persons and further interrogations are on," said Jadeja. "We have apprised the central government regarding the steps we have taken to stabilize the situation," Jadeja told reportersin Gandhinagar. "Elements rejected by the Gujarat public can go to any lengths to achieve their political aspirations. The Gujarat Police is also trying to find who is behind this outrage," he added. "I appeal to people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains," Jadeja said. Although the minister could not provide any data regarding the exact figures of migrants returning to their states, he assured that all those still in Gujarat would be safe. "We have asked the police personnel to inquire about the regular traffic to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya pradesh and Bihar and also the number of people travelling to such places during this week," Jadeja told IANS. The government deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of the migrants. The incidents of attacks on migrant labourers from north India spurred following the rape of a 14-month-old girl in a village near Himmatnagar town, around 100 km from Ahmedabad. The police arrested a labourer originally from Bihar, Ravindra Sahu, for the crime. Sahu is working in a local ceramic factory. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the situation was now under control. "No untoward incident has happened in the last 48 hours. The situation is under control. We are committed to maintaining law and order. We request people not to indulge in violence," he said in Rajkot. Jadeja added: "Migrant labourers and non Gujaratis working in the state need not fear. Your safety and security are our concern. We will not let the peace and sanctity be disturbed by a handful of elements who want to tarnish the state's image." Violence against migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh was reported after the rape of a 14-month-old girl was reported in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district and a Bihar native was arrested for the crime. For over a week, tension has been high across Gujarat after the arrest of a Bihar native for allegedly raping of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district. Following the assault of a number of non-Gujaratis in the state over the rape of the toddler, several migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have been fleeing Gujarat and heading home, resulting in a exodus-like situation. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar spoke to his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani on Monday after reports of violence against migrants from Bihar emerged. "For a crime of one person, others should not be attacked. The culprit should be punished, not everyone," Nitish Kumar told reporters in Patna. Rupani, too, assured migrant workers of safety and promised action against those behind targeted attacks. Gujarat CM Shri @vijayrupanibjp assures safety of migrant workers and promises appropriate action against those involved in attacks. CM also appeals for the unity which is the culture and identity of Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/LZJqc8RVaq CMO Gujarat (@CMOGuj) October 8, 2018 Toddler's rape triggered exodus On 28 September, a 14-month-old girl was raped in a village near Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district in Gujarat, around 100 kilometres from Ahmedabad. The survivor belongs to the Thakor community. One Ravindra Sahu, a labourer from Bihar working at a local ceramic factory, was arrested the same day for the toddler's rape. Violence against migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh was reported after the incident came to light. On Friday, Director General of Police (DGP) Shivanand Jha said that in the last one week, such attacks had been carried out in Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha, Patan and Ahmedabad districts, and 170 people have been arrested so far. The police said that the attacks were perpetrated after hate messages against non-Gujaratis were circulated on social media. According to reports, hundreds of frightened migrant workers have returned to Bihar in the past few days. On Thursday night, non-Gujaratis were reportedly targeted in the villages of Indrad, Borisana and Dhamasan in Mehsana district. Current state of Gujarat On Monday, Rupani claimed that no untoward incident had taken place in the last 48 hours, even as Gujarat home minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas to ensure the security of migrants. However, Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. By Sunday evening, the police had arrested 342 people from various parts of Gujarat for allegedly attacking non-Gujaratis. "Six districts have mainly been affected (by the violence), with Mehsana and Sabarkantha being the worst hit. In these districts, 42 cases have been lodged, and so far, we have arrested 342 accused. More arrests will be made as names of the accused come up during investigation," the DGP was quoted as saying by PTI. Responding to a question about the exodus of non-Gujaratis following the attacks, Jha also speculated that they may be leaving for their native states in view of the upcoming festive season. He said 17 companies of the State Reserve Police Force have been deployed in the affected areas. "Security of areas inhabited by non-Gujaratis and at the factories where they work has been increased. The police have also increased patrolling in these areas," he added. Two cases have been lodged for spreading rumours on social media that led to the violence. Police officials in Gandhinagar have been directed to organise camps and communicate with local leaders to convince the people to stay. Opposition speak Last week, Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor had raked up the issue of non-Gujaratis living in the state, while demanding justice for the rape survivor. The police had arrested several members of the Thakor community on charges of rioting over the issue. Some members of the Thakor Sena had demanded that workers from other states not be given jobs in Gujarat. Alpesh Thakor, a prominent OBC leader who heads the Thakor Sena, condemned the attacks, but also demanded that the government make it mandatory for migrant workers to get a no-objection certificate from the police. "I do not endorse what happened in Vadnagar. Non-Gujaratis are also Indians. I only demand that locals be given more jobs as per the state government's 80 percent norm," the Congress MLA had said last week. On Sunday, Thakor had announced that he will go on a "sadbhavna" (goodwill) fast from 11 October if the government does not withdraw "false cases" registered against his supporters in the wake of the attacks. However, he dismissed allegations of fanning violence against migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of defaming Alpesh Thakor, allegeding that the saffron party is "forcing" migrant workers to flee Gujarat. DGP Gujrat saying that North Indians are going for festivals to their home town and not being forced to leave.Its big lie.Diwali & Chhath holidays will start after one month.Not now.#BJP is forcing them to flee and defaming Congress MLA. Modiji,stop this parochial politics. Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) October 8, 2018 Nirupam also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the situation in Gujarat. "If people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh are going to be harassed in the prime minister's home state, he has to remember that one day, the prime minister will also be going to Varanasi. The people of Varanasi had hugged Modi and made him the prime minister," Nirupam said at a rally in Nagpur. Moreover, condemning the violence against North Indians in Gujarat, Patidar leader Hardik Patel said that people from a region cannot be targeted for the crime committed by just one person. "Today, in Gujarat, 48 IAS and 32 IPS officers are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. We are all one," Patel said on Twitter. , , 48 IAS 32 IPS Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) October 8, 2018 According to Census 2011, 2.69 crore people of the 6.03 crore people in Gujarat were migrants by residence, The Times of India reported. The report also claimed that Gujarat came fifth in the country when it came to migrating for employment. With inputs from agencies Maneka Gandhi said a lot of steps have been taken to empower women to speak up, and she is happy that the #MeToo campaign has begun in the country. Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Monday said she is glad a #MeToo movement has started in India. She also expressed hope that "it won't go out of control, in the sense that we target people who've offended us in some way". Maneka said that a lot of steps have been taken to empower women to speak up, and she is happy that the #MeToo campaign has begun in the country. "One always remembers the person who molested you and we have written to the law ministry that one should be allowed to complain without any time limit," she said. Under Section 468 of the CrPC, any offence, including child abuse, which can lead to a prison term of three years has to be reported within three years of the incident. According to Section 473 of the CrPC, a court may take cognisance of an older case if it is in the "interest of justice" or if the "delay has been properly explained". However, victims of child sexual abuse often face problems in registering an FIR once they are 18 or more. Maneka said she has proposed that people can complain even "10-15 years later". "It doesn't matter how much later. If you're going to complain the avenue is open," she added. You'll always remember the person who did it which is why, we've written to Law Ministry that complaints should be without any time limit. You can now complain 10-15 yrs later doesn't matter how much later. If you're going to complain the avenue is still open: Union Min M Gandhi pic.twitter.com/PofQGhtRcR ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2018 She also talked about the number of steps taken by her ministry. "First, we launched 'I am trolled', which can be used by women to alert relevant government agents when they are threatened with physical violence on social media. Then, we also made sexual harassment committee mandatory in every company where there are more than 10 employees," she said. She added that the companies, in their financial return, will have to reveal if they have started with the committee or not. The minister had earlier said that "harassment of any kind will not be tolerated". News18 quoted her as saying, "We were the first government to start 'SHe-Box' on social media, and women who wrote to us saying they are harassed, we took action immediately." This sexual harassment electronic Box (SHe-Box) is an effort by the government to provide women single-window access, irrespective of their work status, regardless of whether they work in the organised or unorganised, private or public sector, to facilitate registering complaints related to sexual harassment. Any woman facing workplace sexual harassment can register their complaint through this portal. Once a complaint is submitted to the SHe-Box, it will be sent directly to the concerned authority with jurisdiction to take action into the matter. With inputs from agencies Some Congress workers were holding a plate with an oil lamp to welcome Rahul, when a bunch of balloons that was supposed to be released in air came into contact with the lamp and burst into flames. Jabalpur: Panic erupted briefly at the roadshow of Rahul Gandhi in Jabalpur on Saturday when helium-filled balloons burst into flames some distance away from the vehicle of the Congress president, police said. Nobody was injured in the incident, they said. When Gandhi was leading the campaign event in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, a bunch of helium balloons held by a political worker touched oil lamps that another was holding for performing 'aarti' of the Congress chief. A video of the incident shows that Gandhi was standing in the open vehicle accompanied by security personnel while people lined up on both sides of the road, when a huge flame went up suddenly which startled the Congress chief. The clip shows that some Congress workers were holding a plate with an oil lamp to welcome Gandhi, when a bunch of balloons that was supposed to be released in air came into contact with the lamp and burst into flames. Confirming the incident, Jabalpur Superintendent of Police Amit Singh Sunday ruled out any security lapse, saying the incident occurred about 15-feet away from the security ring of police. "There would have been lapse if the incident had occurred inside the security ring, but it occurred around 15-feet away. Nobody was injured in the incident, though there was a flame due to helium (gas) in the balloon," Singh said. He said the person who wanted to welcome Gandhi is identified as Kaudi Lal Rai, a Congress block president who has been associated with the party for the last 30 years as a worker. "Rai wanted to welcome Gandhi. Some Congress workers were standing near him with balloons in their hands. The balloons came into contact with the lamp and a huge flame went up," the police officer said. Responding to a query on how helium-filled balloons were allowed at the event of Gandhi, an SPG-protectee, Singh pointed out that the Blue Book (security guidelines) doesn't mention that such balloons or the 'aarti' plate are not allowed. "One can obviously be startled, if a balloon bursts near one even in a birthday party," he said. The Congress president started the 8-km long road show from Abdul Hamid Chowk. The route of the roadshow covered three assembly constituencies Jabalpur West, Jabalpur North Central, and Jabalpur East (SC). Today, drone technology is leaping ahead and pilotless aircraft controlled by cyber jockeys are cheaper, save lives and training costs for human pilots. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian president Vladimir Putin announced the $5bn (3.8bn) deal for the S-400 Triumf in New Delhi on Friday despite mewling sounds and threats from Washington. Modi put Indias security first and did it with minimum fuss and in double quick time, ostensibly spurred by the Donald Trump grumpiness. It was a risk worth taking and the US is hardly likely to take on the worlds largest democracy. Though the renewed nexus between Russia and India over arms buying will tee off the US military hardware complex seeing as how it has been trying hard to move India away from that Russian shopping mall. India has spent over $100 billion in the past decade on armament and weaponry and over 60 percent of that has gone to Russia despite raw deals in the past and wrangles over spare parts. The S-400 is one of the most sophisticated surface-to-air defence systems in the world. It has a range of 400 km (248 miles) and can shoot down up to 80 targets simultaneously, aiming two missiles at each one. China has it and now so do we. And it is effective. Two questions arise. If this massive deal was so transparent and neat and clean why the same measures couldnt have been used for the Rafale which, like it or not, leaves one pretty uncertain about what is going on even now. Two, and this is going to be increasingly pertinent do we now need the Rafale in its first batch of 36 or the home-assembled 126 more jets seeing as how fighter aircraft are being eclipsed as weapons delivery systems by missile technology. There are no Biggles type romantic dogfights anymore and the old Spitfire versus Zeros and Messerschmitts and Focke Wulfs are gone. Today, drone technology is leaping ahead and pilotless aircraft controlled by cyber jockeys are cheaper, save lives and training costs for human pilots. In fact, even the day of the jackal is over and you wont need a sniper for an assassination. A drone, the size of a bee, can accomplish the wet mission with far more accuracy. None of this is groundbreaking stuff. Several countries are downsizing or considering downsizing their air forces for more practical weaponry in this new age. Surface-to-air missiles are now the top priority in maintaining national security rings. In his paper on the subject of jets becoming redundant and not finding markets, Shangsu Wu at the Military Studies Program of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University says: "With high procurement costs and training, maintenance, and upgrading costs, as well as their vulnerability on the ground, the burdens of operating fighter aircraft are increasingly heavy everywhere, including Southeast Asia. Surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) present an alternative means of air defense. Though several types of fourth generation fighters have been introduced into the region, most Southeast Asian air forces have only purchased a few squadrons of them since the end of the Cold War. Because of a ceiling of operational readiness and the broad air space of most regional countries, the limited sizes of these fighter fleets means they may not be able to respond to intruders or other contingencies all the time. Furthermore, those small fleets, usually concentrated in one or a few airbases, could be vulnerable to a pre-emptive strike, especially from an extra-regional power." Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore are some of the countries creating a SAM defensive strategy. SAMs need storage and positioning. No runways, no airports, no infrastructural back up of nature called for by fighter aircraft. Maybe India could consider a drive up the cutting edge of military technology. Between an S-400 system and multi-mission drone fleets on specific target missions, even a fifth-generation fighter like the experimental F15X in the US turns into a luxury that has a low relevance performance envelope. Elections are being held in 422 of the Jammu and Kashmir's 1,145 municipal wards. Jammu/Srinagar: Brisk voting was seen in almost all the wards in Jammu region with Rajouri registering the highest votes on Monday while Srinagar in the Valley saw the lowest as a shutdown-call led to subdued polling in the municipal elections that are taking place after 13 years in Jammu and Kashmir. Amid tight security, long queues of enthusiastic voters were seen in almost all the municipal corporation and municipal committee wards in Jammu district where 34 percent polling was recorded in five hours, as Rajouri registered 55 percent and Poonch 47 percent. Voting continued peacefully in Gandhi Nagar, R.S. Pura, Bishnah, Arnia, Khour, Jurian, Akhnoor, Nowshera, Surankote and Kalakote areas and many other wards. There was poor turnout in the Kashmir Valley in the first phase of the civic polls that took place amid boycott calls by the two key parties in the state the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party. Till 12 pm, it was just 18 percent in Kupwara, 2 percent in Bandipora, 3 in Badgam and Baramullah, while 5 percent in Anantnag. Srinagar registered the lowest count of 3.5 percent in five hours since polling began at 7 am. An official said 4,000 votes out of 80,000 had been polled in the Kashmir Valley till 11 am. In the three Srinagar municipal corporation wards of Humhama, Bagh-e-Mehtab and Hamdania colony, 1,001 votes were polled till 11.30 am. In the Ladakh region where biting cold had kept early voters away, saw the process pick up and Kargil district registered 3,470 votes while Leh had 3,164 votes till 11.30 am. A presiding officer was suspended at the Aloosa polling station in Bandipora district for allowing a woman accompany a voter to the voting counter. Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said no restrictions have been imposed anywhere in the valley although security has been tightened to provide a free and fair environment. No militancy related incident has been reported from anywhere in the valley so far. Polling will end at 4 pm. Elections are being held in 422 of the state's 1,145 municipal wards. As many as 1,204 candidates are in the fray for the four-phased municipal polls that will end on 16 October. Counting of votes will take place on 20 October. Follow LIVE updates of Jammu and Kasmir municipal polls here Allegations against journalists and advertising professionals have emerged on Twitter Editor's note: Following Rituparna Chatterjee's report Is Indias #MeToo moment here? Women are angry and they are naming and shaming their abusers Firstpost will publish a series of articles collating personal accounts of those who have made allegations of harassment, along with responses from those who have been accused of such behaviour. This is an ongoing exercise and will be updated to reflect new developments. If you wish to draw our attention to instances of harassment you may have experienced or witnessed, tweet to us @firstpost with the hashtag #MeToo. Also read #MeToo in India: KR Sreenivas, Gautam Adhikari respond to sexual harassment allegations Also read #MeToo in India: Writer Kiran Nagarkar, photographer Pablo Bartholomew named in harassment accusations *** After veteran journalists KR Sreenivas and Gautam Adhikari were named in a slew of sexual harassment allegations that surfaced on Twitter over Friday (5 October), more stories have emerged of inappropriate behaviour, involving male media professionals. Many of these allegations have been brought forward by journalist Sandhya Menon on Twitter (@TheRestlessQuill). Sandhya accused Manoj Ramachandran, who is currently with Hindustan Times, of sending her an inappropriate text message in 2005, when they both worked at the same organisation in Mumbai. When she confronted him, he claimed that he was drunk and had meant to send the message to his wife, not her. She is not sure how he got her number. Meghnad Bose, a journalist with The Quint, has been accused of objectification, making lewd comments about women, inappropriately touching them, and harassing them by more than three of his peers from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ). Journalist Poulomi Das posted a thread on Twitter, outlining one instance of harassment in particular. A journalist who wishes to remain anonymous says that many of ACJ's students were aware of Meghnad's behaviour, adding that he would allegedly often pick on female students while he was with a group of his friends, thus making the woman in question feel embarrassed. She says that he asked her about the lingerie she was wearing, in front of many students in the college canteen. Meghnad allegedly routinely 'rated' women based on their looks and body shamed them, too. An anonymous first-person account that details how he allegedly inappropriately touched a fellow student who was drunk has emerged on Twitter, and the journalist speaking to Firstpost confirmed its veracity. Meghnad posted a statement addressing these allegations on his Facebook profile: Much of Meghnad's work has been on gender and rape culture, and he has also won accolades for it. When contacted by Firstpost, The Quint said that it has been made aware of these allegations and that it will publish a statement shortly. They also tweeted about the allegations against Meghnad: We have been made aware of certain allegations against @MeghnadBose93, an employee of The Quint. We are currently in the process of ascertaining further details. The Quint (@TheQuint) October 6, 2018 Ishrath Nawaz, who currently holds a significant position at advertising company Publicis, has been accused of harassment by Sneha Dhakan, an advertising professional. This harassment, she says, allegedly took place from August 2016 to January 2017 in Mumbai at the firm they used to work at together. Ishrath was the creative director and the manager she directly worked under. "He's a habitual predator and still keeps climbing up the ladder in spite of everyone knowing everything," she wrote on Twitter on 5 October. When she complained, she was transferred to another team, and her probation, which was to end at the time, was extended by six months. She says that this was because he allegedly gave her a bad review. She alleges that no action was taken against him. She adds that he did not apologise. When contacted by Firstpost, Ishrath said, "I have no comment to offer at this time. However, I would request you to please verify all the facts and allegations before publishing anything in this regard." Multiple accounts (some anonymous) have also emerged on Twitter against Rameez Shaikh, who has previously been a writer for Homegrown. Journalist Sonia Mariam Thomas has accused him of harassment, and highlighted one incident which allegedly took place in 2014. "On our 'date', I was pushed against my own window and he hit me once. I held his hands behind his back and firmly asked him to stop or I wouldn't let him stay. We continued doing our thing and he made me go down on him and tried to coerce me into sex. I declined but he kept pushing. I stood my ground. Keep in mind. I didn't say no to him at the time. But I wasn't happy about it either. Power dynamics are weird and I was afraid of saying no to anything but sex," she wrote on Twitter. One anonymous Twitter user has accused him of persistently asking for nudes on multiple occasions, as well as harassment. She said that they met over Twitter when they were both college students and that the harassment and demands for nudes allegedly went on for two years (between 2013-15), despite her making it clear that she did not consent to these interactions. Rameez responded to these allegations in a statement he put out on Twitter: Homegrown has tweeted that it has taken cognisance of the allegations against Rameez. Firstpost has reached out to Manoj Ramachandran and Hindustan Times for their comments regarding the allegations (on 6 October at 2:32 pm). They have not responded to our emails. We will update this story if they do. Also read parts one, two, and three of this series. Network 18, of which Firstpost is a part, has received complaints of sexual harassment as well. The complaints which are within the purview of the workplace have been forwarded to our PoSH committee for appropriate action. In light of the #MeToo movement, the Network of Women in Media has released a statement that makes several demands, including counselling for the survivor and the accused, assistance in filing complaints and support for freelance journalists, who are especially vulnerable. Editor's note: Following Rituparna Chatterjee's report Is Indias #MeToo moment here? Women are angry and they are naming and shaming their abusers, Firstpost will publish a series of articles collating personal accounts of those who have made allegations of harassment, along with responses from those who have been accused of such behaviour. This is an ongoing exercise and will be updated to reflect new developments. If you wish to draw our attention to instances of harassment you may have experienced or witnessed, tweet to us @firstpost with the hashtag #MeToo. Also read #MeToo in India: KR Sreenivas, Gautam Adhikari respond to sexual harassment allegations Also read #MeToo in India: Writer Kiran Nagarkar, photographer Pablo Bartholomew named in harassment accusations Also read #MeToo in India: More allegations surface against male media professionals Also read #MeToo in India: The Wire's founder Sidharth Bhatia denies allegations of harassment *** In the wake of several women journalists taking to Twitter to post allegations against their male colleagues including KR Sreenivas, Gautam Adhikari and Meghnad Bose and speaking about incidents of harassment and abuse, the Network of Women in Media has released a statement on its website, expressing solidarity with all those who have spoken up. In light of the #MeToo movement unfolding, the group has made a number of demands, including counselling for survivors and the accused, assistance in filing complaints, support for freelance journalists who are especially vulnerable, public display of anti-sexual harassment policy and the establishment of sensitive internal committees. Here's the full text of the statement issued by the Network of Women in Media on the #MeToo movement. The Network of Women in Media in India stands in absolute solidarity with all those who have bravely spoken up about their experiences of sexual harassment within the Indian media. This is a watershed moment for all of us in journalism. We have witnessed and reported on sexual harassment in different fields and the need for strong mechanisms for redress. As the spotlight turns on us, we welcome this and encourage more women to document their accounts without fear or inhibitions. We are extremely disturbed to read accounts where accused in multiple cases of harassment enjoy impunity and continue to work in newsrooms unchecked. We strongly condemn the rampant sexism and misogyny in Indian newsrooms that not only allows sexual harassment to go unchecked but also promotes a culture of silence, victim blaming and moral policing. In the light of these events, NWMI demands: 1. All media organisations, including journalism colleges and departments, journalist unions and press clubs, must take suo moto cognisance of the accounts of survivors, institute inquiries and take appropriate action. 2. All media organisations and journalism colleges must have policies to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace and set up properly constituted Internal Committees (IC) in keeping with mandatory requirements of The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, with every member trained to handle complaints. All ICs must be headed by a woman, half the members must be women, and the ICs must have one impartial external woman expert in law or womens rights. IC members must be accessible and empathetic to complaints and inquire into them in a time-bound manner, and managements must take prompt action based on the recommendations of the IC. The process for initiating a complaint also needs to be made known widely. 3. All media organisations and journalism colleges must ensure that details of the anti-sexual harassment policy and the constitution of the IC are widely circulated/publicised/displayed within their organisations and on their websites. The consequences of sexual harassment must be clearly outlined in job contracts and code of conduct manuals. 4. Given the nature of journalism itself, ICs and employers must be sensitised to take up complaints that arise out of employment that includes being in the field and interacting with a wide range of sources. Editors must ensure that stories are not privileged over the safety of their staff. 5. In keeping with the SH Act, 2013, freelancers and stringers, who are among the most vulnerable to sexual harassment, given their job insecurity must also be brought under the purview of anti-sexual harassment policies and the jurisdiction of Internal Committees of the media houses they contribute to. 6. All media organisations and journalism colleges must provide assistance to the complainant if she so chooses to file a complaint in relation to the offence under the Indian Penal Code or any other law for the time being in force; 7. All media organisations and journalism colleges must have policies for gender mainstreaming and also conduct gender sensitisation workshops at least twice a year in order to promote an atmosphere of gender equality and equity. 8. All media organisations and journalism colleges should provide professional counselling to both survivors and those accused of sexual harassment. 9. The allegations that have surfaced so far also merit journalistic follow-up. Instead of burying the story, big media/legacy organisations should follow up these stories in terms of reports with due diligence. The media must shine the light on ourselves in order to break the entrenched impunity for perpetrators of sexual harassment at the workplace. Read part one, two, three, four, and five of this series. Prashant Jhas conduct was called to question after lawyer Avantika Mehta, who met Jha through work, accused him of sending her inappropriate messages on Whatsapp. Journalist Prashant Jha, named in a case of sexual misconduct, has stepped down as the chief of bureau and political editor of Hindustan Times with immediate effect. Jhas conduct was called to question in this report by Firstpost after lawyer Avantika Mehta, who met Jha through work, accused him of sending her inappropriate messages on Whatsapp despite her making it clear that she was uncomfortable with his advances. According to sources, Hindustan Times editor Sukumar Ranganathan will take over charge of the bureau in the meantime. In a tweet on Tuesday, Ranganathan said they will "assess all claims stringently and fairly if the accusers come forward and not merely from the statutory perspective, but from that of creating a safe and productive newsroom for everyone". In his mail to Ranganathan, which was confirmed by sources to have been sent by Jha, the editor said: Hi sir I would like to begin by thanking you for the incredible support you have offered me during the past year from giving me opportunities to travel and write, appointing me as political editor and bureau chief, and being a pillar of support as I managed a team and began anchoring the news coverage. It has been a privilege to serve in this role at one of Indias greatest newspapers. There have been specific allegations against me and my personal conduct recently, which have raised moral questions about my conduct. In this backdrop, I believe it would be best for me to step down from the position of the National Political Editor/Chief of Bureau of the Hindustan Times. I would not like the organisation to suffer, in the least, because of any allegations I face. I would like to thank the Chairperson and you once again for the enormous faith you have shown in me. With deep gratitude, Prashant. Mehta said she was happy that Hindustan Times is following the law as under Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act. So far, no one from the administration at Hindustan Times has been in touch with me, she said. However, when Firstpost got in touch with Hindustan Times' legal counsel Dinesh Mittal, he said process of investigation has been set in motion. POSH committee will get in touch with Avantika soon if not done already. Prashant will have no managerial role till investigation is complete. According to the screenshots Mehta shared, Jha said he wanted to hit on her, following which she asked him to stop. She suggested a lunch as friends after having rejected Jhas advances. Jha said he would back off. But Mehta said he persisted despite her telling him she was uncomfortable. This happened shortly after she had quit Hindustan Times as its senior corespondent in late 2016. A day after Firstpost reported about the incident, Mehta decided to post screenshots of that particular conversation with Jha on Twitter. This incident, among several others not related to Jha, are being seen as Indias definitive #MeToo moment as women are taking to public platforms to name and shame their abusers. Several celebrities, editors, stand-up comics and other public figures have been outed in the process. Jha stepped down on a day that Tanmay Bhat, the founding member of comedy collective All India Bakchod also resigned from his position as the CEO, while co-founder Gursimran Khamba went on a temporary leave of absence. The incident of beating up the accused by the MNS workers occurred in the presence of police. Workers affiliated with the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) thrashed a man accused of sexual assault at a press conference in Thane on Monday, reported News18. The party workers also made a threatening statement against migrant workers in the state and said people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar would be thrown out if such cases did not stop. The 53-year-old man getting beaten up in the video was accused of sexually assaulting a two-year-old girl. The incident of beating up the accused by the MNS workers occurred in the presence of police. When questioned about this the party workers claimed that if incidents of sexual assault did not stop then they would take law into their own hands. Party workers have in the past also been intolerant towards migrant workers in Maharashtra. The cadres of the party on 19 May smashed and pulled down over 20 signboards on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in the district's Vasai area. "Vasai and Thane district are in Maharashtra and not Gujarat, and we will not tolerate name boards in Gujarati anymore," MNS Thane region president Avinash Jadhav had told PTI over the phone. In July last year, some workers of the MNS had protested against a jewellery shop in Dadar and a hotel in the Mahim area of Mumbai, asking them to remove the signboards in Gujarati, the police had then said. Even as the nation prepared for the October heat, the Indian Meteorological Department issued a heavy rainfall warning for Kerala and Tamil Nadu High temperatures in certain regions areas as well as low-intensity cyclone warnings marked the weather in India in the first week of October. As the nation prepared for the October heat, the Indian Meteorological Department issued a heavy rainfall warning for Kerala and Tamil Nadu for 3 to 5 October. Kerala witnessed heavy downpour on Saturday in several districts, including Idukki, where the shutters of the Cherthani Dam were opened, reported The News Minute. Heavy rainfall warnings were also issued for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry due to a low pressure area formed in the south eastern part of the Arabian Sea. On 5 October, educational institutes in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Tirunelveli were closed because of sharp spells of rainfall, reported The Times of India. Puducherry also received heavy rainfall. The retreating south west monsoon caused heavy rains in the interiors areas of Southern Karnataka. According to Skymet, while Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya received light rainfall in the north east, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland experienced dry weather conditions. In parts of north India, as well, the weather was dry and warm. Dry winds prevailed in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh, but certain parts of the National Capital Region, Rewari and Bhiwani received light showers in isolated places due to high humidity levels. Towards the end of the first week of October, temperatures in certain parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan crossed 40 degrees Celsius. Bhuj in Gujarat recorded a maximum temperature of 42.4 degree Celsius, while Barmer in western Rajasthan recorded 41.7 degree Celsius. According to IMD reports, due to the retreating south west monsoon in Maharashtra, the weather was warm and dry in Vidarbha and Marathwada, but the Konkan Coast and parts of Goa received heavy rainfall in isolated pockets. While the western part of Madhya Pradesh received some rainfall in isolated areas, the eastern part of the state remained dry for most of the week. A depression over the south east and east central parts of the Arabian Sea strengthened into a deep depression on 6 October, intensifying into the Cyclone Luban, but it moved away from the Indian coast towards Oman. On Sunday, Mumbai recorded a maximum temperature of 37.8 degree Celsius, which was the second hottest recorded October day in the city since 2015, reported The Times of India. According to weather.com, the IMD has predicted that India will have a "warmer than usual" winter because of the warm, neutral El Nino Southern Oscillation conditions in the Pacific Ocean. Rajasthan minister Shambhu Singh Khatesar denied flouting the Swachh Bharat Mission, saying, 'defecating in public may cause diseases, but urinating in the open is not an issue, as long as it is done in a secluded area'. A Rajasthan minister has landed himself in a controversy after a photograph of him urinating near a wall in Ajmer, right next to a campaign poster featuring Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, went viral on social media. The minister, Shambhu Singh Khatesar, defended himself by saying that urinating in the open was "an age-old tradition", according to NDTV. He also denied urinating near the campaign poster. "The photo of me urinating against a wall is not near a campaign poster," ANI quoted him as saying. #India A state Minister in Rajasthan a northern Indian state has landed in a controversy after a photo of him urinating near a wall went viral on social media. Minister Shambhu Singh Khatesar said urinating in the open was "an age-old tradition". pic.twitter.com/L3bzR405rT Eugene Makai (@EugeneMakai) October 7, 2018 Khatesar also denied flouting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Mission, saying, "defecating in public may cause diseases, but urinating in the open is not an issue, as long as it is done in a secluded area". "The area where I urinated was completely secluded. If a man urinates in such a place, dirt and disease cannot spread," the minister was quoted as saying by News18. Further defending himself, Khatesar said that he was forced to urinate in public because there was no toilet for kilometres, and he had a busy morning due to an election rally. He said on Monday that while it isn't right to urinate in open, it's the nature's call. "Urinating in a crowded area is wrong," he added. With inputs from ANI Sanjay Singh's petition questioned how the figure of 36 Rafale fighter jets was arrived at 'without the formalities associated with such a highly sensitive defence procurement'. New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Monday moved the Supreme Court demanding an apex court monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into India's purchase of Rafale fighter jets from France. A Criminal Writ Petition has been filed before the Supreme Court in the Rafale deal, praying for the issuance of the Writ of Mandamus to constitute a Supreme Court monitored SIT to look into the reasons for cancellation of the deal for 126 Rafales, whether any criminal conspiracy was there to benefit the new offset partner and whether the government had required permission and sanctions for the purchase of 36 Rafales in flyaway condition. "Apparently, the government had not followed the rules made by it, the DPP," the MP said in a statement. Singh's petition questioned how the figure of 36 fighter jets was arrived at "without the formalities associated with such a highly sensitive defence procurement". The MP demanded to know why Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was removed from the deal. The petition said an investigation was needed to see if any "individual or intermediary company has/have influenced the decision making of the purchase of Rafale fighter jets at substantially higher prices in the backdrop of the statement given by the then President of French Republic. Singh sought restoration of the earlier deal for the purchase of 126 Rafale fighter jets which was cancelled on 24 June, 2015 and to "bar" the Dassault-Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) from manufacturing the Rafale jets. In September, Singh had sent a legal notice to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over alleged irregularities in the deal and threatened to move the court if he did not receive replies to his questions on various issues connected with the deal. In his very first visit to Central Asia after assuming office, President Ram Nath Kovind met President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe on Monday. Tajikistan: In his very first visit to Central Asia after assuming office, President Ram Nath Kovind met President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe on Monday. President Kovind, while recalling the 27-year long diplomatic relations with Tajikistan, said "India and Tajikistan together have built a strong foundation for bilateral and multilateral cooperation. In 2012, we elevated our relationship to the level of strategic partnership." Taking ties forward, the President Kovind signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) in the fields of political relations, strategic research, agriculture, renewable energy, traditional medicine, space technology, youth affairs, culture and disaster management. President Kovind also said that India will remain committed to providing capacity building and development assistance support to Tajikistan. "We are happy to offer a grant of $20 million for financing development projects as identified by the Government of Tajikistan. We will undertake a feasibility study of solar projects in seven villages in the country and provide two English Language Laboratories for Tajik military," he said. Highlighting the importance of connectivity, President Kovind said the two nations will promote International North-South Transport Corridor and other connectivity initiatives such as the development of Chabahar Port and the Ashgabat Agreement for smooth transport of goods. The Russian Army is 'very keen' on associating with the Indian Army, said Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday while stressing on the independence of Indian policymaking. New Delhi: The Russian Army is "very keen" on associating with the Indian Army, said Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday while stressing on the independence of Indian policymaking. "Russians are very keen on associating with the Indian Army because we are a very capable Army. We are capable of standing for what is right for us," General Rawat said at the inaugural General KV Krishna Rao Memorial Lecture at Manekshaw Centre. "When Russians asked about the American sanctions, my reply was, 'Yes, we do appreciate that there could be sanctions on us, but we follow an independent policy. You can rest assured. While we may be associating with America in getting some technology, but we follow an independent policy'," he said. General Rawat continued saying, "I further told them, 'While we are talking sanctions and you are questioning on sanctions. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at this juncture are signing the treaty on the purchase of S-400 weapon system in spite of the fact that we may face challenges from America in the future and a USD 5.3 billion deal has been signed between the two countries." The Army chief went on to add that India is "looking forward to getting Kamov helicopters". He added, "We are also looking forward to getting other weapon systems and technologies. We are looking forward to getting space-based systems and technologies to enhance our space capabilities". General Rawat, who recently undertook a six-day visit to Russia, met the top brass of the Russian Armed Forces and key military formations and establishments. The delegation also visited the Mikhailovskaya Artillery Military Academy, the Headquarters of Western Military District in St. Petersburg and General Staff Academy. The representatives of Sabarimala temple's 'tantri' (chief priest) will not attend a conciliation meeting called by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss the 28 September Supreme Court verdict. Thiruvananthapuram: The representatives of Sabarimala temple's 'tantri' (chief priest) will not attend a conciliation meeting called by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss the 28 September Supreme Court verdict that threw open the temple to all women, it was announced on Sunday. "Let us hear the final decision of the state government with regards to the filing of a review petition against the apex court's verdict. Once that is known, then we will decide on what needs to be done. To deploy female police personnel in the temple premises is a violation of the temple practices," Sabarimala priest Kantararu Mohanaru told the media. The meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday. Following the verdict, Vijayan had categorically said that no review petition would be filed and the state government will do all the things needed to implement it. Things went out of control after the state government and the Travancore Devasom Board (TDB), who is the custodian of the temple, decided not to file the petition leading to hundreds of devotees taking to the streets in protest. A Padmakumar, a senior Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader and TDB President, said the Board was initially keen to file the review petition, but after being openly chided by Vijayan, they decided not to. Rahul Eashwar, another member of the tantri family, said that they have nothing against the Vijayan government but their priority was the emotional attachment of the devotees. "The key stakeholders of the temple are the state government and the TDB and if they do not file a review petition, then there will be no locus standi to other review petitions. The need of the hour is that these two parties should do the needful," said Eashwar. The decision to boycott Monday's meeting was taken after detailed consultations with the powerful Nair Service Society, the socio cultural body of the Hindu Nair community. The Pathanamthitta district (where the temple is located), is observing a shutdown on Sunday to protest the use of police force against the youth wing of the BJP while they staged a demonstration on Saturday. On 28 September, in a 4:1 judgment, the apex court said the ban on women in the menstruating age group, whose presence in the Lord Ayyappa temple was considered to be "impure", violated their fundamental rights and constitutional guarantee of equality. Until now, girls below 10 years and women over 50 years were allowed to visit the hilltop shrine. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday lashed out at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for 'trying to create a law and order situation in the state' by taking advantage of Supreme Court's verdict to allow entry of all women in the Sabarimala temple. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday lashed out at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for "trying to create a law and order situation in the state" by taking advantage of Supreme Court's verdict to allow entry of all women in the Sabarimala temple. "Government is bound to implement the Supreme Court verdict," Vijayan stated in a press conference. Vijayan said that this government will implement the Supreme Court verdict as that is its responsibility. "Filing a review petition is against the stand and it is not the policy of the government to fight with believers. Their interest will be protected and the government is ready for a discussion," he said. Accusing the BJP of showing double standards, he said it was time for political parties to support progressive steps. Vijayan cited that how earlier menstruating women were not allowed to enter kitchens as they were considered to be impure. But over the years, these things have changed. In different sections of society, there has always been revolt against such wrong traditions, he said. Vijayan said that today, women have proved their mettle in all fields and that his governments stance on equal rights to all was very clear. According to a News18 report, Vijayan pointed out that how the BJP had implemented the Bombay High Courts 2016 verdict that allowed women entry into the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra but was now protesting against the Sabarimala verdict of the Supreme Court. The BJP government or the workers did not protest in Haji Ali Dargah, where too women were allowed entry by the Supreme Court. In BJP-ruled Maharashtra, their stand is women can enter such places, but in Kerala women can't enter. This shows their double standard, he remarked. Earlier in the day, The National Ayyappa Devotees' Association filed a review petition in the Supreme Court asking the top court to reconsider its ruling on women's entry into the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. The plea noted that the top court should not have passed an order allowing women of all ages to enter the shrine as it violated the Constitution and their religious rights. Hundreds of Lord Ayyappa devotees, including women, have been staging demonstrations in protest against the Sabarimala verdict, since last week. However, earlier too, the chief minister had said that the Kerala government will make all the necessary arrangements, including ensuring the safety of women devotees, to implement the apex the court's order. Vijayan had also turned down the possibility of the state government filing a review petition in the case. The Supreme Court on 28 September had paved the way for the entry of women of all ages into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala. The five-judge constitutional bench headed by former Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had said that banning the entry of women into the shrine is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women. Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Praveen Togadia was to reached Ayodhya and is trying to appease the agitated seer community Ayodhya: A Hindu seer who was on an indefinite fast to press for early construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya has been picked up from the temple town at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and sent to a hospital in Lucknow, police said on Monday. "He was picked up by the police after his condition deteriorated after midnight," an official said. Mahant Praramhans Das' pulse rate dropped alarmingly forcing the police to intervene. He was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) where doctors treating him said that his condition was critical as the ketone level in the body was very high due to prolonged fasting. He has also suffered acute dehydration. SGPGI Director Rakesh Kapoor is supervising Das' treatment, a doctor told IANS. He has been kept in the critical care ICU and nobody is allowed to meet him. The seer has been on a sit-in protest for the last one week and had declared that he would not relent until assurances from the state and central government that the construction of the temple would be expedited. On Sunday, state Industry Minister Satish Mahana had met the seer and asked him to give up his fast unto death. He had also assured Das that he would soon arrange for a video call between him and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. There is anger against the police action and many from the seer's community have converged at the venue of his fast. Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Praveen Togadia has reached Ayodhya and is trying to appease the agitated seers. Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb had said that he will go in for National Register of Citizens (NRC) in his state if the exercise was successfully implemented in Assam. The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India and the Election Commission of India, on a plea seeking National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Tripura, reports have said. The notice has been issued by a bench led by the Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, reported CNN News18. Supreme Court today issued notice to the Union of India, Census Commissioner and Election Commission of India on a plea seeking updating NRC in connection with Tripura. ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2018 According to India Today, the petition sought fencing of the Bangladesh-Tripura border and deportation of illegal immigrants. According to CNN-News18, the petition has been filed by the Tripura Peoples Front (which is a regional party in the state) and two other individuals. The petition also claims that an influx of immigration from Bangladesh is worse in Tripura, than in Assam. On 27 September, a delegation of Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura, led by its President Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl, met Home Minister Rajnath Singh demanding an exercise to update the NRC in the state. "However, no assurance of any kind was given by the Union Home Minister regarding the implementation of NRC in the state of Tripura," A Bharat Bhushan Babu, the spokesperson of the ministry, tweeted on Friday. Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday had said that he will go in for National Register of Citizens (NRC) in his state if the exercise was successfully implemented in Assam. The Supreme Court-monitored update of the NRC is an exercise to identify genuine Indian nationals living in the state of Assam. The Assam NRC draft features the names, addresses and photographs of all Indian citizens who have been living in the northeastern state since before 25 March, 1971. The list has been updated for the first time since 1951 to account for illegal migration from Bangladesh. The petition in the Supreme Court has sought a direction to the Centre to reveal details of the Rafale deal and comparative prices agreed upon during the tenures of both the UPA and NDA. The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a fresh public interest litigation (PIL) on the Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France. In the PIL, the petitioner has sought a direction to the Centre to reveal details of the agreement and comparative prices agreed upon during the tenures of both the United Progressive Alliance and the incumbent National Democratic Alliance to the top court in a sealed cover. A bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph will hear the PIL filed by lawyer Vineet Dhanda on 10 October. On 18 September, the Supreme Court had adjourned the hearing on a plea seeking a stay on the Rafale deal between India and France. A bench of CJI Gogoi and justices Joseph and Navin Sinha had adjourned the matter till 10 October after petitioner, advocate ML Sharma, told the court that he wanted to file additional documents in the case and sought an adjournment in the matter. "You yourself circulated a letter seeking adjournment on the grounds of ill health. Now, you say that you want to file additional documents. We are simply adjourning the matter till 10 October," the bench had said. In his petition, Sharma alleged discrepancies in the fighter jet deal with France and sought a stay on it. His petition says that the inter-government agreement to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets must be quashed as it was an "outcome of corruption" and not ratified by Parliament under Article 253 of the Constitution, as per which, Parliament has the power to make any law to implement any inter-government agreement. Rafale deal is a defence agreement signed between the governments of India and France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as a part of the upgrading process of Indian Air Force equipment. The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation. Indian Air Force had advanced a proposal to buy 126 fighter aircraft in August 2007 and floated a tender. Following this, an invitation was sent to various aviation companies to participate in the bidding process. With inputs from agencies When Phil Bredesen, the former Tennessee governor who is now running for Senate, announced last week that if he was already a Senator he would have supported Brett Kavanaugh, it was predictable he would be immediately assaulted by the wackos who make the noise for both political parties. But his candor was equally, if not more, refreshing because I believe he was honest, that he simply told the truth based on his convictions. Whats troubling is the truth doesnt seem to matter anymore. In the last few weeks Justice Kavanaugh has been subjected to a brutal public beating as he stood by his sworn vow that he had never sexually molested anyone. I believe the jurist, whole-heartedly, for the biggest reason of all: there is no compelling reason for me not to take him on his word. And Bredesen, facing blackmail from the vermin in his own party, ignored their sleaze in the same way Maine Senator Susan Collins faced down the same rogues by standing on her personal principles for the telling vote. Honestly, I am somewhat humored by the parallels between Bredesen and Kavanaugh in a political catastrophe where telling the truth has taken a backseat to chicanery. It is clear that if an elected official one chosen by the people to be honest and pure and never bending in their personal belief between right and wrong does not yield to party lines instead of what they believe to be the truth, they are villainized and shamed in a very real American tragedy. The truth is absolute there is no substitute nor option. Think about this: In Kavanaughs case the issue was the truth. It was his word against that of an accuser. While a difference of opinion has forged our nation, human logic forces me to totally reject the finding that, in this given case, only Republicans could believe a man and only Democrats did not. It is ludicrous that 100 quite different people from 50 states now make serious decisions based on party instead of their own intellect, their morals, their religious backgrounds and their personal beliefs. Neither the FBI, the nations strongest safe-keepers of justice who we still must believe in, or the Democratic Party, now torn apart by an unfathomable and vicious group of miscreants that just stooped to the lowest level of decency, could scuttle Kavanaughs deserved nomination. He was sworn in late Saturday after an easy 50-48 vote that lets face it -- had virtually no trace of the truth. Bredesen, in an earnest effort to replace the departing Bob Corker in the Nov. 6 election, explained his reason for backing the Supreme Court nominee: "I think you have to look at somebodys entire record. That was an aberration. He has a good reputation for the way he (conducted) himself as a judge over the last 12 years or so." It was an honest answer but because a mob-like media tried to use Bredesen like the party thugs manipulated Kavanaughs accuser, college professor Christine Ford, Bredesen was immediately tagged as an opportunistic liar by both sides. In a deep red state like Tennessee, it is believed that no Democrat can win at any political level so when Bredesen backed Kavanaugh, the party loyalists were left fuming. Mary Mancini, the state Democratic chairman, said it was a disappointing statement based on imperfect and limited information as a result of a flawed and secretive process, but quickly added Bredesen would still be far superior to the Republican candidate, Marsha Blackburn. The polls have the two neck-and-neck going into the final month of campaigning and Blackburn seems desperate. She knows Bredesen has some appeal to independent Republicans and, when he was the states governor for two terms (2003-2011), the fact Bredesen was financially conservative appealed to many across the state. Blackburn was fast to attack Bredesens support of Kavanaugh: His campaign is bought and paid for by (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer and national Democrats, including (former New York Mayor) Michael Bloomberg, Blackburn said in a rushed statement on Friday, the day before Kavanaugh was elected by the Senate. Bredesen, who has publicly said he will not support Minority leader Schumer, was discredited by two national groups of left-leaning liberals minutes after he announced he believed Kavanaugh. MoveOn immediate sent all of its followers a terse Tweet: We're cancelling a planned six-figure digital video ad expenditure for Phil Bredesen in Tennessee due to his Kavanaugh position. And similarly, will be pulling all planned campaigning on behalf of Joe Manchin in West Virginia if he votes yes. Kavanaugh is unfit for the Court. Priorities USA Action, another political action group, told the Daily Beast it had not been spending in Tennessee, but issued via a statement --that option is now off the table. In a perfect world, our Department of Justice would move swiftly to press charges of blackmail, bribery, conspiracy, tampering, and every other possible charge against MoveOn and Priorities USA Action. The view from here is the people responsible for retaliation are guilty as sin. Id also move on every individual that was part of the pressure on Susan Collins because the Senator from Maine was clearly threatened in an unprecedented attack. And, in a perfect world, I would hope these would have to stand before the Supreme Court, where Justice Kavanaugh himself might have a question or two. royexum@aol.com The Ayyappa devotees' association, in its review petition, claimed that the Supreme Court's verdict on the Sabarimala temple had 'shocked millions of devotees'. The National Ayyappa Devotees' Association filed a review petition in the Supreme Court on Monday asking the top court to reconsider its ruling on women's entry into the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. The plea noted that the top court should not have passed an order allowing women of all ages to enter the shrine as it violated the Constitution and their religious rights. On 28 September, after hearing petitions challenging the ban on the entry of women of menstrual age inside Sabarimala, the top court held that the practice violates rights of Hindu women. "Devotion cannot be subjected to discrimination, and patriarchal notions cannot be allowed to trump equality in devotion," the bench had said. The association, in its plea, claimed that this verdict of the Supreme Court had "shocked millions of devotees". Filed by the chief of the organisation, Shylaja Vijayan, the association has urged the court to hear its case and review the ruling. #Sabarimala Case: National Ayyappa Devotee Association moves review plea in SC@abhhimanyus pic.twitter.com/tHPyDTcsWp ET NOW (@ETNOWlive) October 8, 2018 "The petitioners believe that no legal luminary, not even the greatest of jurists or a judge, can be a match to the common sense and wisdom of the masses. No judicial pronouncement, even of the highest judicial tribunal in this country... can be a match for 'the voice of the people,'" the petition read, according to NDTV. The petitioner, who is not party to the original case in the Supreme Court, called the judgment on Sabarimala "absolutely untenable and irrational, if not perverse". Hundreds of Lord Ayyappa devotees, including women, have been staging demonstrations in protest against the Sabarimala verdict. Last week, they blocked state and national highways in various parts of Kerala. A number of women's groups have also been protesting outside the office of the Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the functioning of the hill shrine, in Thiruvananthapuram. The women's groups have been demanding that the order be revokes, and that they are willing to wait till the age of 50 to visit Lord Ayyappa's shrine. The protests were held after Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that the state government will not challenge the Supreme Court ruling. The protesters then accused the Kerala administration of "cheating devotees". The women's groups holding the protests have been demanding that women of all ages not be allowed in the Sabarimala temple, and that they are willing to wait till the age of 50 to visit Lord Ayyappa's shrine. Soon after the review petition was filed, Vijayan said that the Kerala government will implement the Supreme Court's verdict on the entry of women in the Sabarimala temple. "Filing a review petition is against the stand," he said, according to ANI. "It is the responsibility of the government to implement the verdict of the Supreme Court. It is not the policy of the government to fight with believers. Their interest will be protected. The government is ready for discussions." This came after the head priests of the Sabarimala temple have decided to give Vijayan's meeting to discuss the matter a skip. "We moved a review petition in the Supreme Court against the earlier verdict. We will decide on the course of action only after knowing the outcome of the review petition. Otherwise, the discussion with the government does not make any sense," The Indian Express quoted Sabarimala thantri Kandararu Mohanaru as saying. He added that the decision was made after consulting leaders of the Nair Service Society. The suspected spy for Pakistan's ISI, Nishant Agrawal, arrested at the Nagpur BrahMos unit by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra ATS, had been working at the facility for four years. Teams of the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) on Monday arrested a man on charges of spying at the BrahMos Aerospace unit in Maharashtra's Nagpur. The accused, identified as Nishant Agrawal, had been working at the BrahMos Missile Research Centre for four years, according to media reports. According to reports, Agrawal is a suspected agent for Pakistan's spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He has been booked under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly leaking technical secrets to the neighbouring country. The accused was caught in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra ATS, Times Now reported. Sources told IANS that the police and other agencies carried out an early morning raid following a tip-off, after which he was arrested. The facility of the Defence Research and Development Organisation where Agrawal was caught manufactures propellents, or fuel, for BrahMos missiles, which are the fastest cruise missiles in the world. These are medium-range, supersonic missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. Agarwal is believed to have got access to sensitive information on India's missile systems, according to the Times Now report. The two ATS units are looking into the details of the suspected spy's connections and modus operandi. Aseem Arun, IG of Uttar Pradesh ATS, said that the police had found "very sensitive information" on Agarwal's computer, and had evidence of him chatting on Facebook with Pakistan-based accounts. Very sensitive info was found on his personal computer. The name of the person is Nishant Agarwal. We also found evidence of him chatting on facebook with Pakistan based IDs: Aseem Arun,IG UP ATS on a person working at Brahmos Unit in Nagpur arrested on the charges of spying. pic.twitter.com/KS5ZYgOq8p ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2018 This comes less than a month after the Uttar Pradesh ATS, on 18 September, had arrested a soldier of the Border Security Force on charges of sharing vital information with Pakistan ISI agents. Achutanand Misra, hailing from Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district, was "honey-trapped" into sharing information about unit operational details, the police academy and training centre by a woman who claimed to be a defence reporter. Among other things, the BrahMos Missile Research Centre is involved in making certain critical components for the BrahMos missile, considered the world's fastest cruise missile which can be launched from land, ships, aircraft or submarines. With inputs from agencies Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on 28 September, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have seen sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people. Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Monday appealed to people not to engage in violence, even as an outfit claimed over 20,000 Hindi-speaking migrants fled the state in the last one week after a spate of attacks following a rape incident. Rupani claimed that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, while state Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants. "Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on 28 September, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have seen sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people," police had said. The government said more than 400 people have been arrested in connection with the violence which started after a migrant worker from Bihar was nabbed in the rape case. Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. "Over 20,000 migrants from these states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in different parts of the state. All non-Gujaratis should not be seen as culprits for the misdeeds of one person," he said. Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police. "Due to intense efforts by police, the situation is under control and no untoward incident has happened in the last 48 hours. We are committed to maintain law and order, and people can call police in case of trouble. We will provide them security," Rupani said in Rajkot. Minister of State for Home Jadeja, at a press conference on Monday in Gandhinagar, said the Centre had been apprised of the steps taken by the Gujarat government to bring the situation under control. He said 431 people have been arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks on Hindi- speaking people. Without naming Opposition Congress, Jadeja said efforts were underway to find out whether "it is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years". "The attack on migrant workers is highly condemnable. The chief minister has instructed us to take all necessary steps to stop the attacks. I also appeal people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains," Jadeja said. "Only a handful of people are involved in this. We have deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of migrants. We have also decided to set up points (camps) for the State Reserve Police (SRP) and increase patrolling in such areas," Jadeja said. While police have arrested several members of the Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and also mentioned the outfit's name in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor alleged that youth from the community were being falsely implicated. Jadeja, responding to a query on Thakor's allegations, said action will be taken against anyone who disturbs peace. "Police is not harassing any innocent person from a community. But we will take action against those who are disturbing Gujarat's peace," said Jadeja. Hours after the rape of the toddler in a village near Himmatnagar town, around 100km from Ahmedabad, police arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime. Justifying his party's alliance with Congress, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday claimed that it was a 'democratic compulsion' due to 'historic reasons' and was done after TRS spurned his offer for a tie up. Amaravati: Justifying his party's alliance with Congress, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday claimed that it was a 'democratic compulsion' due to 'historic reasons' and was done after TRS spurned his offer for a tie up. Naidu also indicated that Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao poured cold water on his plans to emerge as a potent force in south India by aligning the TDP and TRS. "I proposed (to KCR) that we two should unite. Congress will be restricted to Karnataka. BJP and Congress have no place in Tamil Nadu. The two Telugu states will have the upper hand in south India if TDP and the TRS joined hands. He told me he will think it over and a week later turned down my offer," Naidu said. He was addressing a meeting of the Telugu Desam Parliamentary (TDP) Party on Saturday. A release from the TDP later gave a gist of what Naidu spoke to his party MPs. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister said political alliances were dictated by democratic compulsions. "We had no other option except to align with non-BJP forces as the BJP was working against us. We have to fight the injustice the Centre meted out to the state and we need support at the national level for this. Hence, we decided to go with like-minded parties," he was quoted as saying. Rao wanted that the TDP contest the elections in Telangana and opposed any alliance with the Congress, he said. "By then I realized he (KCR) fell into someone elses hands," Naidu said, apparently an indirect reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was only due to historic reasons that TDP allied with parties that came forward in Telangana, he claimed, referring to the 'Maha Kutami' (grand alliance) of TDP-Congress-CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti. He also said that the BJP unilaterally broke its alliance with the TDP in Telangana. "The seed for weakening the TDP was sown then. BJP had a secret pact with (YSR Congress president) YS Jaganmohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh and KCR in Telangana," he alleged. "The TDP's only objective is the well-being of Telugus, wherever they are. NTR established the TDP only for the Telugus," Naidu said. The TDP chief also spoke about the need to forge an alternative front at the national level. "We have only five-six months for this. We have to hold conclaves across the country on issues like Centre-state relations, farmers' problems and Rafale deal," he told the TDP MPs. He recalled that 105 MPs had resigned from their posts en masse on the Bofors scandal. Civic polls in Jammu and Kashmir LIVE updates: As per figures provided by Chief Election Officer, Jammu Municipal Corporation area recorded 61.92 percent polling, while MC Khour witnessed the highest polling (89 percent) in Jammu district. Auto refresh feeds Voting began in 11 districts of Jammu and Kashmir in the first of the four phases of urban local body elections. As many as 584 polling stations will be set up in Jammu for the first phase of the four-phased local body elections. The first phase of urban local body (ULB) polls begin in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, but many are "clueless" about the exercise with most of them complaining about not knowing their candidates or even when to vote. The voting started from 7 am and is scheduled up to 4pm. 820 polling stations across the state will go for polling today. 670 polling booths are in Jammu division and 150 are in restive Kashmir. Urban local body elections have begun in Jammu and Kashmir amid heightened security. Two major political parties PDP and NC have boycotted the polls. Militants have issued threats and separatists have also asked people to stay away from the electoral exercise. "There has been a delay in voting in four polling stations in Jammu due to technical issues. The EVM's are being replaced," Jammu DC Ramesh Kumar said. Due to security reasons, mobile internet services have been suspended by the local administration in the South Kashmir region and some areas of North Kashmir but there is no formal order yet. In other parts of the valley, the internet speed has been reduced to 2G. Five BJP candidates were declared elected in the absence of any opponent in the municipal elections from the volatile region of south Kashmir. According to BJP leaders, the party's candidates won uncontested two seats of Achabal, two seats of Kulgam and one seat of Devsar municipal committees. With the region reeling under protests and militants threatening to carry out attacks on those who participate in the elections, no other party or independent candidate had filed nomination papers from these wards. At least 15 candidates withdrew from the local body polls after two workers of the National Conference were shot dead by suspected militants in Srinagar last week. There were a total of 23 nomination withdrawals in Srinagar. For the 25 wards in the Srinagar municipal corporation, 146 people had filed nomination papers, The Indian Express reported. Candidates from Srinagar had withdrawn their nomination after members of National Conference were killed last week For the first phase, 78 candidates have already been elected unopposed out of which 69 are from the valley. Polling began at 7 am this morning and would end at 4 pm, officials said. 150 polling stations have been designated for voting in Kashmir division and 670 in Jammu division. In Kashmir division, 138 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive while in Jammu Division, 52 polling stations have been categorised hypersensitive, the officials said. The total electorate for the first phase is 58,6064, the official told PTI. The EVM went out of order in Dhani Dhar area of the Rajouri municipal corporation at around 9 am and polling had to be stalled for an hour. However, it has resumed now. People in villages had expressed apprehension about the polls with militant groups threatening to carry out acid attacks. The boycott by regional players led the states information department and the chief electoral officer to not reveal the names of the people who had submitted nomination forms for the first phase of the urban local body polls. In Budgam's lone ward where polling is taking place, only 15 voters, out of the 642 registered voters, had voted by 10 am. At least 60 candidates of the BJP have won their seats unopposed , and a majority of them fall in the volatile region of south Kashmir where, out of 20 municipalities in five districts, only are up for polls. The municipalities likely to be headed by BJP candidates are Devsar, Qazigund, Pahalgam, and Ashmuqam in south Kashmir, and Shopian and Sopore towns of north Kashmir. 1.89% polling has been registered in the Bandipora MC. 222 males and 99 females have cast their votes so far. Gursimran Singh/101Reporters A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate was injured in a stone pelting incident in north Kashmir's Bandipora district. Sources said that the candidate, identified as Adil Ali Buhru, is a resident of Plan Bandipora and is contesting from Ward No.15. Till 11 am, voter percentage in Jammu district was 33.2 percent. Meanwhile, Muzaffar Ahmed Sheikh, presiding Officer polling station 20 (Segment 13 -Kaloosa) has placed under suspension for allowing a woman to accompany another voter up to voting compartment. Congress alleged that BJP was using the official machinery to rig the elections in Kashmir. Party's state vice president G N Monga, said that the non-locals have been forced to cast their vote in the Anantnag district. He said that Congress workers have reported the use of force by BJP. According to official records, Rajouri witnessed highest voter turnout in 59 wards with 55% turnout till 11 am. Poonch, Jammu and Kargil followed with 47%, 34% and 33% respectively. Leh was in the fourth position with 26% voter turnout till 11 am. With polling in only 4 wards, Anantnag witnessed least voter turnout of 5 percent till 11 am. Bandipora, which has 23 polling stations and 16 wards going to polls, witnessed an abysmal 2 percent turnout followed by Baramulla and Budgam at 3 percent. On ward 13 out of 904 votes only 7 have been cast on wards number 9 only 1 vote, on 11 out of 218 votes only 1 and on ward 5 out of 267 16 have been cast till 12. The contest is between Independent and Congress Four wards in Kokernag Muncipality Committee are going to polls, on other 8 wards candidates have been declared unopposed. The four wards which are being contested have till now witnessed very low voting. Vijay Sharma, who was removed as BJP state secretary six months ago for protesting against CBI inquiry into the Kathua rape case, is now the BJPs face for Hiranagar Municipal Committee elections, The Indian Express reported . IANS reported that in Leh and Kargil towns of Ladakh region, biting cold kept voters away though the process was expected to pick up as the day progressed and warmed up. "Don't boycott grassroot level elections," Kashmiri politician Sajjad Lone told Peoples Democratic Party and National Conference. "If you want to boycott, boycott Parliament Assembly Election," the leader further added. "It is a farce, it is not an election. We dont even know who is the candidate. What kind of elections are these when we dont even know who we are supposed to vote? No one campaigned... as if it is decide by the government as to who will win. There are security men who outnumber the locals on streets. If these elections are for local issues why do you need to put so much of security? Why did the candidates not come and speak to their voters? It is all a fixed match. That is the reason no one is coming out to cast their votes. There is fear also that has played a role in stopping people from voting, Ghulam Qadir Khan, a resident of Sangri Colony of Baramulla, which recorded 3 percent voter turnout till 11 am, said. According to local reports. Lone said, "Let NC and PDP boycott elections the way we (Peoples Conference) has for the last 25 years. Let NC and PDP ask its MLAs and MPs to quit their seats in Assembly. They will then learn the real outcome of boycott politics. There are other ways of boycott, what is the fun of asking poor people to boycott elections when there are other ways of boycotting." Taking a dig at National Conference and PDP for boycotting the ongoing municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Peoples Conference chairman and Handwara MLA Sajad Gani lone, who is also a former minister, dared NC and PDP to boycott elections the way his party has been boycotting elections for twenty five years. Lone asked Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti to vacate their seats in state assembly and parliament and surrender government bungalows occupied by their legislators and parliamentarians. Brisk voting was seen in almost all the wards in Jammu region with Rajouri registering the highest votes on Monday while Srinagar in the Valley saw the lowest as a shutdown-call led to subdued polling in the municipal elections that are taking place after 13 years in Jammu and Kashmir. There was poor turnout in the Kashmir Valley in the first phase of the civic polls that took place amid boycott calls by the two key parties in the state the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party. Till 12 pm, voter turnout was just 18 percent in Kupwara, 2 percent in Bandipora, 3 in Budgam and Baramulla, while 5 percent in Anantnag. Srinagar registered the lowest count of 3.5 percent in five hours since polling began at 7 am. An official said 4,000 votes out of 80,000 had been polled in the Kashmir Valley till 11 am, IANS reports. In the three Srinagar municipal corporation wards of Humhama, Bagh-e-Mehtab and Hamdania colony, 1,001 votes were polled till 11.30 am. At Bagislam poling station in Old Town of Baramulla, there are three polling stations. Till 2.15 pm on Monday, only 6 votes were cast out of a total of 2,329. This is for Baramulla Municipal Council. Baramullla MC has 21 wards, six have been elected unopposed and 15 have gone to polls. Two people were booked and later detained for fake voting in Ward Number 7 of Surankote municipality in Poonch. More details are awaited. Till 1 pm, Budgam recorded a meagre 6.1% turnout and still remained higher than Bandipore and Baramulla which recorded 2.5 percent and 3.7 percent respectively. Kargil witnessed a 73.6 percent with Poonch, Rajouri, Leh and Jammu recorded a decent 63.5 percent, 67.6 percent, 44.2 percent and 43.4 percent respectively. Simrandeep Singh, Deputy Commissioner Doda is transferred and posted as CEO SMVDSB, while the Additional CEO SMVDSB is posted as Deputy Commissioner Doda. Jammu and Kashmir government shuffled three senior bureaucrats. As per a General Administration Department order, Dheeraj Gupta, chief executive officer Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), who held additional charge of Principal Resident Commissioner in the Jammu and Kashmir government has been recalled and posted as Principal Resident Commissioner, J&K Government on full time basis. According to the latest figures, there was a total voter turnout of 502 voters (2.96 percent of the electorate) in the Bandipora municipal committee. In Budgam, a total of 84 votes were polled. According to the latest figures, Kupwara has seen a relatively higher voter turnout, with 33.65 percent of the electorate coming out to cast their vote in the civic body polls. A high turnout was also seen in Kargil, according to figures released at 3 p.m. 77.33 percent voters exercised their franchise. On this, DC Jammu Ramesh Kumar said, "No MLA or MLC can enter the polling station unless he or she is a voter of the same polling station". A poll code violation by sitting BJP MLC Vikram Singh Randhawa has been reported. He is said to have entered the polling booths soon after the voting finished in Jammu. A 13-year-old boy was also brought to the hospital with multiple pellet injuries. He was discharged as his condition was stable. Shabeena, aged around 22, is three months pregnant, and has sustained multiple pellet injuries. Her condition, according to a doctor at DH Bandipora, is stable, but she has been referred to the SMHS hospital. Doctors will now examine how deep the pellets are. Meanwhile, clashes have also erupted in Bandipora near Govt Girls higher secondary school. The government forces are using teargas shells to disperse the stone-throwing youth A lady named Shabeena was injured after being hit by pellets when clashes erupted in Lankreshipora village of Bandipora, after youth attacked a police vehicle with stones. Hospital sources also confirmed that a woman was brought with pellet injuries. On this, DC Jammu Ramesh Kumar said, "No MLA or MLC can enter the polling station unless he or she is a voter of the same polling station". A poll code violation by sitting BJP MLC Vikram Singh Randhawa has been reported. He is said to have entered the polling booths soon after the voting finished in Jammu. A 13-year-old boy was also brought to the hospital with multiple pellet injuries. He was discharged as his condition was stable. Shabeena, aged around 22, is three months pregnant, and has sustained multiple pellet injuries. Her condition, according to a doctor at DH Bandipora, is stable, but she has been referred to the SMHS hospital. Doctors will now examine how deep the pellets are. Civic polls in Jammu and Kashmir LATEST updates: As per figures provided by Chief Election Officer, Jammu Municipal Corporation area recorded 61.92 percent polling, while MC Khour witnessed the highest polling (89 percent) in Jammu district. According to figures released at 3 pm, there was a total voter turnout of 2.96 percent in the Bandipora municipal committee. Kupwara saw higher polling figures, with 33.6 percent voters casting their ballot. Till 1 pm, Budgam recorded a meagre 6.1 percent turnout and still remained higher than Bandipore and Baramulla which recorded 2.5 percent and 3.7 percent respectively. Kargil witnessed a 73.6 percent with Poonch, Rajouri, Leh and Jammu recorded a decent 63.5 percent, 67.6 percent, 44.2 percent and 43.4 percent respectively. An official said 4,000 votes out of 80,000 had been polled in the Kashmir Valley till 11 am. In the three Srinagar municipal corporation wards of Humhama, Bagh-e-Mehtab and Hamdania colony, 1,001 votes were polled till 11.30 am. Brisk voting was seen in almost all the wards in Jammu region with Rajouri registering the highest votes on Monday while Srinagar in the Valley saw the lowest as a shutdown-call led to subdued polling in the municipal elections that are taking place after 13 years in Jammu and Kashmir. According to official numbers, till 1 pm Kargil recorded 73 percent voter turnout, Rajouri was at 74.47 percent; Leh at 55 percent and Kupwara district at 26 percernt. Meanwhile, taking a dig at National Conference and PDP for boycotting the ongoing municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Peoples Conference chairman and Handwara MLA Sajad Gani lone, who is also a former minister, dared NC and PDP to boycott elections the way his party has been boycotting elections for twenty five years. With polling in only 4 wards, Anantnag witnessed least voter turnout of 5 percent till 11 am. Bandipora, which has 23 polling stations and 16 wards going to polls, witnessed an abysmal 2 percent turnout followed by Baramulla and Budgam at 3 percent. Baramulla has 35 polling stations and 15 wards are going to polls. According to official records, Rajouri witnessed highest voter turnout in 59 wards with 55% turnout till 11 am. Poonch, Jammu and Kargil followed with 47%, 34% and 33% respectively. With polling in only 4 wards, Anantnag witnessed least voter turnout of 5 percent till 11 am. Bandipora, which has 23 polling stations and 16 wards going to polls, witnessed an abysmal 2 percent turnout followed by Baramulla and Budgam at 3 percent. Till 11 am, voter percentage in Jammu district was 33.2 percent. Meanwhile, Muzaffar Ahmed Sheikh, presiding Officer polling station 20 (Segment 13 -Kaloosa) has placed under suspension for allowing a woman to accompany another voter up to voting compartment. Polling booth for Bemina district of Srinagar has been held in Budgam's Hamdania Colony. 344 out of 4,136 votes have been polled for Ward No. 17 of Bemina. At least 60 candidates of the BJP have won their seats unopposed, and a majority of them fall in the volatile region of south Kashmir where, out of 20 municipalities in five districts, only are up for polls. The municipalities likely to be headed by BJP candidates are Devsar, Qazigund, Pahalgam, and Ashmuqam in south Kashmir, and Shopian and Sopore towns of north Kashmir. More than a 1,000 people turned up to cast the vote in the border district of Kupwara in the first three hours of voting during the local body polls in Jammu and Kashmir. Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara, Khalid Jehangir, said that the response of voters to the elections was good. Officials said adequate security has been put in place and no untoward incident was reported. Contrary to the Kashmir valley, where voters have shied away from coming to the polling booths, enthusiasm is being witnessed among the electorate in Jammu where long queues of voters are being witnessed since morning. Due to security reasons, mobile internet services have been suspended by the local administration in the South Kashmir region and some areas of North Kashmir but there is no formal order yet. In other parts of the valley, the internet speed has been reduced to 2G. There has been a delay in voting in four polling stations in Jammu due to technical issues. The EVM's are being replaced. Voting has begun in the 11 districts of Jammu and Kashmir in the first of four-phase elections. As many as 584 polling stations will be set up in Jammu for the first phase of the four-phased local body elections which will start today, officials have said. A total of 4,42,159 electorate will vote to elect their representatives among 743 candidates at 584 polling stations including 505 polling stations for municipal corporation Jammu and 79 for municipal committees, district election officer, Ramesh Kumar told reporters in Jammu. Shaleen Kabra, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state, said voting will start at 7 am and end at 4.00 pm. Of the total, 150 polling stations have been designated in Kashmir division and 670 in Jammu division. "In Kashmir division, 138 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive while in Jammu division 52 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive. A total of 78 candidates have already been elected unopposed, Kabra said. While 447 candidates are in the fray for the 75 wards of municipal corporation Jammu, 296 candidates are trying their luck in the 79 wards of seven municipal committees. A total of 422 wards spread over various districts of Jammu and Kashmir are going to polls in the first phase. Kumar said the district administration Jammu has made foolproof security arrangements for the smooth conduct of the polls. Adequate security would be deployed at the identified hypersensitive and sensitive polling stations, he said, adding that micro observers have also been appointed to monitor 46 hyper-sensitive polling stations. The voting will be from 7 am to 4 pm, he said. For the first time, electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used in the polls, for which proper training has been imparted to the polling staff. Kumar, who is also the district development commissioner, said a joint control room of police and civil administration has been set up for the smooth flow of election related information. He said the administration has declared October 8 as a holiday in the poll bound areas to ensure maximum voter turnout. Earlier, the DEO reviewed the arrangements by the district administration for the smooth conduct of the elections in a meeting. A detailed discussion was held on various issues pertaining to enforcement of model code of conduct, functioning of zonal and sectoral magistrates and observers, deployment of manpower and election material for polling stations. Transport management, dispatch of polling parties, communication plans, collection centre, counting plan and poll day arrangements, communication plan and monitoring besides security arrangements and maintaining law order also came up for detailed discussion during the meeting, an official spokesman said. For politics to heal the wounds of Kashmir, it must give the people of the region new ways to imagine their relationship with themselves, and with India. His cigarette-lighter looked like it had been born from a nightmare in Guangzhou or Ningbo, a gold-plated box that spat out light in a dozen improbable colours, and a tinny rendition of You Light Up My Life. Javed Shah, police constable-turned jihadist-turned pro-India militia commander-turned prospective Member of Parliament, twirled the lighter obsessively. The pious had their prayer beads; the rich the brands out of Dubais malls: this was Shahs own coat of arms. It was 1996 and India was a holding a Lok Sabha election in Jammu and Kashmir after nine war-torn years. Levels of violence were high: 967 civilians, 785 terrorists, and 164 security force personnel had been killed the previous year in Kashmir, orders of magnitude higher than today. The National Conference, Jammu and Kashmirs largest political party, had refused to contest. Empty polling stations and streets silenced by curfews marked elections to Kashmirs municipalities and councils on Monday a strange simulacrum of democracy that seemed designed to illustrate how little more than a decade of democracy has achieved. But the elections are part of New Delhis long game in Kashmir and could have fateful consequences. If that game works, this might come to be remembered as the time Kashmirs fractured polity began to rebuild itself. Few thought, in 1996, that elections would achieve anything. In some places, the security forces had to corral terrified voters to polling stations, using force to beat-back the impact of jihadist violence. Notably, however, voter turnout was low in some areas where intense coercion was alleged, like Anantnag and Sopore. It was, conversely, high in others where there appeared to be no sign of state pressure to participate in the elections. Politicians read the signs correctly: after years of direct central rule, a large mass of people within Jammu and Kashmir wanted a representative political order sensitive to their everyday concerns. Later that year, elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly brought a National Conference government, led by Farooq Abdullah. The National Conference picked up 37.98 per cent of the popular vote in the seats it contested, and 57 of 81 seats. New Delhi promptly threw figures like Shah the detritus of its brutal counter-insurgency programme under the bus, and backed the old political establishment. From 1999, former spymaster Amarjit Dulat set about reviving the political system. His most notable achievement was the creation the Peoples Democratic Partya new iteration of the Opposition Muslim United Front, which once included secessionists like Abdul Gani Lone and the Jamaat-e-Islami. Helped along by the Research and Analysis Wing, the PDP emerged as a major force, eating into the jihadist constituency. Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs government, hoping to draw back the secessionists into the political space they occupied until 1987, also held a series of secret meetings with secessionist leaders like Yasin Malik and Sajjad Lone. Twinned with this, diplomats Satinder Lambah and Tariq Aziz engaged in a covert dialogue aimed at hammering out a final-status deal on Kashmir. I think the agenda is pretty much set, secessionist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in April 2007. It is September 2007, he went on, that India and Pakistan are looking at, in terms of announcing something on Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir was back to where it had been in 1987. The new order, New Delhi hoped, would be able to reconstruct the systems of patronage and influence which had sustained mainstream politics in the state prior to 19881989. It worked: but that, it has turned out, wasnt a good thing. For one, many of the leaders who emerged on Kashmirs landscapefrom former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti to Sajjad Lone or the Mirwaizwere in politics mainly because they were children of prominent pre-1987 figures. Few had built an independent political constituency or cadre during the years that had passed. Perhaps more important, the leadership showed little ability to move beyond handing out of government contracts and jobs to their faithful. This pre-1987 politics offered nothing to a youth cohort that had grown up amid violence and despair. Like people in many parts of India, Kashmirs youth found democracy did not mean access to the networks needed for entrepreneurship; that large family spending in education did not guarantee an income at an age their parents had families. From 2006, a new generation of Islamist leadersMasarat Alam Bhat, his colleague Asiya Andrabi, and their jailed mentor Ashiq Hussain Faktoosucceeded in capitalising on the anger. The New Islamists cast the political order as agents of a malign, Hindu-chauvinist entity determined to destroy Kashmirs religious and cultural identity. In its place, they promised a utopia based on Islam. Engulfed by the rage which erupted after the killing of jihadist leader Burhan Wani, mobs burnt down a state-of-the-art dwarf apple orchard owned by well-connected entrepreneur Khurram Mir, cars and homes. The targets tell us something important about the social tensions that underlie youth rage in Kashmir. The New Islamists gave voice to this rageunder the benign watch of the political establishment which hoped to buttress its religious credentials. In 2008, the tensions exploded after the governments grant of land-use rights to the Amarnath shrine board, a crisis that broke the Peoples Democratic Party-Congress alliance government, and cracked apart the effort to rebuild a cosy political order. The violence has continued since, with both the National Conference and PDP failing to contain it. For politics to heal Kashmirs wounds, it must give the people of the region new ways to imagine their relationship with themselves, and with India. That, however, requires a leadership which has earned legitimacy by transforming the lives of citizens. The village and town-level politicians who emerge from that process might just prove to be the building blocks of that new order. Law and order has been Gujarats USP for the past decade-and-a-half. The unfortunate incident of rape, thus, has come as a rude shock. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar called his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani on Sunday to express concern about migrants from his state being forced to leave Gujarat. Before calling Rupani, Kumar called Gujarat chief secretary JN Singh to understand the gravity of the situation, and how the state agencies have been dealing with the situation so far. Singh, like Gujarat's director general of police, hails from Bihar. The chief minister of a state calling the chief secretary of another state is unusual, and not in accordance with established protocol. But extraordinary situations demand extraordinary measures. Kumar said that the accused in the rape case must not be spared, but there should be no bias against people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The Bihar chief minister appears to have realised that the social cost of migrant workers returning to the state would be huge. With Lok Sabha elections only six months away, the issue may have a political cost too. The situation is the same for Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Like Kumar, Adityanath also spoke to Rupani on the phone. According to an official statement by the Uttar Pradesh information department, the Gujarat chief minister informed his Uttar Pradesh counterpart that in the last three days, no untoward incident has taken place, and the state agencies will ensure that every single person in the state is safe and allowed to live with dignity. Adityanath said that Gujarat is a peaceful state and a model of development, but those who are opposed to it are trying to vitiate the atmosphere. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is from Gujarat, but in 2014, he chose Varanasi as his parliamentary constituency. In a way, he chose Uttar Pradesh as his second home, at least for political purposes. Thus, the situation is tricky for Rupani. He has to deal with popular anger whether real or manufactured by political rivals against a person accused of the rape of a minor. He has to ensure that the guilty person is brought to book, while desisting from excessively stringent measures against those who are opposed to migrants from central and eastern India. While the accused has been swiftly arrested, harsh measures against those trying to build up anger against outsiders could breed more anger among locals. That was the reason why the state government was initially soft on such elements. However, this later became a national issue, as images surfaced of migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh mostly working in factories and as street vendors being forced to flee Gujarat. The migrants were seen boarding overcrowded buses and trains to get back to their native places. The stories of people fleeing the state under threat of violence were disturbing. Despite being in their own country, these people became unwanted elements in a state other than their native one. The election process in Madhya Pradesh has begun. Parliamentary elections will follow soon thereafter. The BJP can ill afford the present scenario. Gujarat minister of state for home Pradeepsinh Jadeja has said that he has kept the central government posted about the incidents in the state. Neither Modi nor Amit Shah would like to see the situation spiral out of control. After the initial dilemma on how to deal with the situation, the Gujarat government has decided to crack down on those who were trying to fan divisiveness, regional parochialism and violence. Over 350 arrests have been made. A senior Gujarat official said that Alpesh Thakor, the Thakor Sena (which is said to be promoted by Alpesh) and some Congress workers were the ones who incited hatred and violence. Though no action has yet been taken against Thakor, some Congress members have been arrested. The BJP national and state leadership is clear that it will not allow a situation similar to that of the Patidar agitation in the state. A senior state BJP leader said that there is one issue at the root of both the Patidar movement and the current situation jobs. There is a perception that migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh get only those jobs which are not taken by locals. But in the current situation of job-related distress, it is easy for a person or a group to arouse passions against outsiders on the issue. This sentiment also had its role in the current problem. Many people in Gujarat have opposed those who expressed their anger against migrants. It disrupted businesses ahead of the Navratri and Diwali festivities, at a time when production and businesses of all kinds should have been thriving. Rioting and arson at industrial and business establishments was not what Gujarat was known for. The business community petitioned the government against lawlessness, after which the government cracked down. Law and order has been Gujarats USP for the past decade-and-a-half. The unfortunate incident of rape, thus, has come as a rude shock. Incidents of rioting, too, have painted an ugly picture. Most of those arrested have been booked under provisions related to rioting and dacoity. Thus, it will not be easy for them to get bail. The Gujarat home minister and director general of police held a press conference to instill confidence among people in the state and outside. The chief secretary held a video conference with all district magistrates and zonal commissioners. The chief minister told the media about how situation has been contained, and made an appeal to the people of his state. The worst seems to be over, but the scars will remain for some more time. The first phase of urban local body (ULB) polls begin in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, but many here are 'clueless' about the exercise with most of them complaining about not knowing their candidates or even when to vote. The first phase of urban local body (ULB) polls begin in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, but many here are "clueless" about the exercise with most of them complaining about not knowing their candidates or even when to vote. As many as 584 polling stations will be set up in Jammu where the first phase of the four-phased local body elections will take place on 8 October, officials said on Saturday. A total of 4,42,159 electorate will vote to elect their representatives among 743 candidates at 584 polling stations including 505 polling stations for municipal corporation Jammu and 79 for municipal committees, district election officer, Ramesh Kumar told reporters in Jammu. Shoaib Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar from an uptown locality, said people in his ward do not know who the candidates are this time. The summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir is going to vote in the first phase. "Ask anyone here if they know who the candidates are. Everyone will tell you, they have no idea. There is too much secrecy, Ahmad, who works in a private company, said. Read more about Jammu and Kashmir Urban Local Body Polls here Follow LIVE updates on Jammu and Kashmir civic polls here He alleged the government was only interested in "showing" that an election was held, but not with the conduct of the polls in a proper manner. While 447 candidates are in the fray for the 75 wards of municipal corporation Jammu, 296 candidates are trying their luck in the 79 wards of seven municipal committees. A total of 422 wards spread over various districts of Jammu and Kashmir are going to polls in the first phase. A police official said the prevailing situation in Kashmir does not allow candidates to campaign openly as there is a threat to their lives. While separatists have called for a boycott of the polls, militants have threatened to target persons taking part in these elections. "The candidates have been given security and most of them have been taken to secure locations, but the situation is such they cannot campaign. The threat is not only from militants, but from mobs as well," the official said. The complains of not knowing the candidates were not limited to the city. People in many other areas of the valley expressed ignorance regarding the details of the polls in their wards. Ishfaq Ahmad, a resident of Ganderbal, which is voting in the last phase on 16 October, said such is the level of secrecy that people are joking that only the candidates themselves know they are standing in the elections. "We have no idea who is contesting from our ward. There has been no campaign or door-to-door canvassing by anyone so far. Even the government has not put the details of the candidates on the election commission website. There are simply no details anywhere. Only the candidate would know that he is contesting. Perhaps, even their family does not, such is the secrecy, he said. He said "most of the people would boycott the polls", but relatives and friends of the candidates would exercise their franchise. Another potential voter here, Khalid said he was earlier excited about voting but now he believes the polls should be put on hold till there is an improvement in the situation. "The government says the situation does not permit them to provide details of candidates. In that case, they should have delayed the polls till there was some improvement. I was excited to vote, especially since EVMs were introduced. However, I do not have essential details for voting, so how and why will I vote?" he asked. Apart from the secrecy regarding candidates, people in some areas of the city here do not know when to vote. "Forget about who is contesting, we do not even know when is voting taking place in our area," Ghulam Qadir, a resident of Sekidafar area in the city said. He said he has seen many elections, but "nothing like this has ever happened". "People are clueless on the date of voting. The government should have advertised in newspapers with poll details on a phase-basis. Most of the people here do not know their ward numbers. Nothing like this has ever happened," Qadir said. A senior Congress leader said the atmosphere in the state was not conducive for polls, but the party decided to contest after the Centre "forced" the elections on the people. "This is the most low profile election in the history of the state. We have not seen anything like this. The atmosphere was not conducive for the polls, but it was thrust on us by the Centre," he said. The Congress leader said the secrecy maintained by the administration over the whole process has cast a shadow over the exercise. "We have received complaints of people not knowing who is in the fray. See, the candidates have been taken to secure locations and virtually put under house arrest. "In such a situation only friends, relatives and party colleagues of the candidates will come out to vote and you will see the winning margins to be very low," he said. With inputs from agencies The civic polls were held in six districts of the Kashmir Valley amid a complete shutdown, observed in response to the call of separatists to boycott the urban local body elections, the first to be held in the state in 13 years. The Kashmir Valley witnessed an abysmally low voter turnout of close to 12 percent in the first phase of the municipal elections. The polls on Monday were held in six districts in the region amid a complete shutdown, observed in response to the call of separatists to boycott the urban local body elections, the first to be held in the state in 13 years. Polling booths were deserted in most parts of Kashmir, besides Kupwara district, where the percentage of votes cast was in double digits. Voters chose to boycott the elections and observed a shutdown called by the Joint Resistance Leadership, a conglomerate of various separatist organisations in the state. Voter turnout remained low since polling began at 7 am and did not pick up over the day. Given the low turnout, the Chief Electoral Officer decided to keep the booths open for two additional hours, as a result of which voting continued for nine hours in the 57 wards in the Valley. By 1 pm, the four municipal wards of Anantnag in Kashmir recorded a polling percentage of 6.1 percent, while it was only 12 percent at a single polling station in Budgam. The turnout at the 16 wards of Bandipora was 2.5 percent, 3.7 percent in the 15 wards of Baramulla, 26.3 percent in the 18 wards of Kupwara and 3 percent in the three wards of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation. Two hours later, the polling percentage was 6.8 percent, 12.9 percent, 3 percent, 4.5 percent, 29.8 percent and 5.9 percent in the districts of Anantnag, Budgam, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara and Srinagar, respectively. When voting ended at 4 pm, the total count was 11 percent; in the districts of Anantnag, Budgam, Bandipora , Baramulla, Kupwara and Srinagar, it was 7.3 percent, 17 percent, 3.4 percent, 5.1 percent, 32.3 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively. Lack of candidates, lacklustre campaigning The run-up to the elections was marked by lack of campaigning, as people remained unaware about the candidates contesting the local body polls, and political parties being unable to find nominees to field for several seats. In many wards, neither the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nor the Congress could field candidates, even though no militant attacks were reported in these regions for the past few years. Many of the candidates also shifted from their homes to government accommodations in Srinagar city. In the whole of Budgam district in Kashmir, polling was held only at one booth as candidates had either been elected unopposed, or election authorities did not receive the nominations before the deadline to submit the papers. In Budgam, 33 wards were to go for the polls, but only 26 candidates had filed their nomination papers, of whom 24 were declared as elected unopposed. This was the one ward where both the BJP and Congress had fielded candidates for the civic polls. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Budgam) Khurshid Ahmad Sanai said that only one polling station was set up in the entire district. "The elections were held only at ward no. 5 in Budgam municipality. We had set up only one polling station, and the total number of allotted votes was 642. As per the Election Commission of India's guidelines, there has to be one polling station for 1,200 voters," he said. "The elections were to be held for three municipal committees of Budgam, Chadoora and Srinagar, and there were 13 wards each for Budgam and Chadoora and seven for Khansaheb. There were three vacant wards in Budgam and five in Chadoora, while all seven candidates were declared as elected unopposed from Khansaheb," he added. Decent voter turnout in Kupwara However, in the border district of Kupwara, the polling percentage was relatively higher. In the first three hours of voting in Kupwara, over 1,000 votes were cast at 18 wards, where 47 candidates were in the electoral fray. Deputy Commissioner (Kupwara) Khalid Jehangir said "a good percentage of people came to cast their votes in the district". In the urban local body elections, while the BJP could not find candidates for a number of wards, it nevertheless made inroads in Kashmir for the first time in the electoral history of the state. Party spokesperson Altaf Thakur said that their 80 candidates were elected unopposed in Kashmir. Both major regional parties the Peoples Democratic Party and the National Conference boycotted the polls in protest against the central government's move to "revoke Article 35A of Indian Constitution, which bars outsiders from owning properties in Kashmir, among other provisions. The two parties have sought clarification from the Centre on its stand on Article 35A. Moreover, despite the low voter turnout and lack of candidates, Jammu and Kashmir Congress vice president GN Monga accused the BJP of rigging the elections. He said the saffron party was using the "official machinery" to mobilise voters and was "openly using muscle and money power to influence the elections". "Even people who are not voters were made to cast ballots against our candidates in Anantnag today," he claimed, adding that the Congress had won over 100 wards uncontested in Kashmir, so far. If what Sharad Pawar reportedly said about his grandnephew, Parth Pawar contesting the forthcoming Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, it could just could be a game changer in Maharashtra politics If what Sharad Pawar reportedly said about his grandnephew, Parth Pawar contesting the forthcoming Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, it could just could be a game changer in Maharashtra politics. Marathi news television ABP Mazha conveyed that if Parth was fielded, it could thwart the aspirations of workers who built the party. Similar reports were carried in other print outlets, with the Loksatta ascribing its story to ABP Mazha while others did not, but this could gain traction. They all convey that the strongman was against the family monopolising politics. "What if members of the Pawar family" was the tone and tenor of his view. If accurate, it makes a lot of sense. Over and above that, yet another aspect hovers over such family dominance. That is, alliances, like the BJP-Shiv Sena since 1989, but which went kaput after the 2014 elections to the Lok Sabha from Maharashtra. A couple of years into rule as alliance with the BJP in Maharashtra in 1995, Raj Thackeray scented this crisis of confidence in Assembly constituencies. He met the shakha cadres without the branch leaders present and heard how in places where the BJP held the turf in the seat arrangement, they were at sea. Even their local party elders were helpless but pretended to be powerful by signing notes to the BJP MLAs. "They have become helpless sahebs," he heard them say. But turf fight within the Thackeray family put paid to his trying to sort it out. Pramod Mahajan had wanted to provide his party cadre the primacy and had planned to break from the Shiv Sena for the 2009 elections. His logic was arithmetic. If both contested against each other, the sum of the parts was bigger in a post-poll alliance. It infused confidence, a kind of verve in the workers who realised they had a stake to look after. The cadre was the key, Mahajan realised, even though dynasty had begun to creep into the BJP. If the cadre's enthusiasm flagged, it becomes difficult to keep the party together. The weakening is visible. It is less the ideology but more the dynasty-orientation in the Congress and NCP that has put it on the slide. Pawar himself never lost a single election, whether direct or indirect, as to the Rajya Sabha where he is currently a member. There was a time when he and his nephew, Ajit Pawar had swapped constituencies, sending the junior to Rajya Sabha. Thats when the family as a political dynasty emerged. Then came a time when his daughter, Supriya Sule, was sent to Lok Sabha from Baramati, Sharad Pawar's bailiwick. Ajit Pawar has been a long-time MLA, and held the deputy chief ministers office too. Even without that, or prior to that, he had a big say in everything in the Nationalistic Congress Partys affairs. His office in the party HQ was better appointed than the state presidents. Parth Pawar is Ajit Pawars son, Ajit being Sharad Pawars nephew. Sharad Pawar had promised to Ajits father that he would be looked after properly and he has. Having the third generation from the same family seems unpalatable. But, there is a typical Sharad Pawar gambit: By this view, was he instigating the cadre to demand that they would forego their future Parth be given the ticket? Quite likely, for no one can rule out surprises emerging out of the senior Pawars strategies. When he moves his pawns, the best of his rivals would find it hard to imagine what the endgame could be. That is why his long-time associate, Sudhakar Naik, as a chief minister bristling at excessive superintendence from the boss, decided to play both chess and poke with him and lost. Going by face value, there is a lot of merit in his argument, of course, yet to be firmed up. When the party is in alliance with another, in this case, the Congress, the cadre where the partners person holds a post find themselves at a loss in the constituency. Would the allys nominee hold on to the seat in near-perpetuity? Who would keep him or her close to power centres? If, however, Sharad Pawar was serious about how dynastic presence in a political party his own to start with affects the prospects of workers, then he should get serious and start demolishing them. The state is peppered with them, and he, as a final voice in the NCP, had given tickets to them. Chautala, who is serving a 10-year sentence in Tihar Jail after being convicted in the Haryana teachers' recruitment scam, has recently come out on a two-week parole. Gohana (Haryana): Former Haryana chief minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president Om Prakash Chautala has said his party will work towards bringing all the Opposition parties together to make Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati the next prime minister of India. "We will work towards uniting the Opposition so that Mayawati becomes the next prime minister," Chautala said while addressing a 'Samman Divas' rally in Gohana on Sunday. Chautala, who is serving a 10-year sentence in Tihar Jail after being convicted in the Haryana teachers' recruitment scam, has recently come out on a two-week parole. The rally was organised in Gohana to mark the 105th birth anniversary of senior INLD leader and his father, Devi Lal. The INLD president's son and senior party leader Abhay Singh Chautala, who was also present in the rally, urged people to help the INLD-BSP alliance come to power in Haryana with a majority. Indo-Asian News Service Leading e-tailer Flipkart on Sunday said it had tied up with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance to offer insurance to products like mobiles bought on its online shopping platform from 10 October. "We will offer customised insurance solutions to power our complete mobile protection programme for all leading mobile brands sold on our platform with Bajaj Allianz," said the city-based company in a statement here. The decade-old company, in which world retail giant Walmart acquired a majority stake in May, secured a corporate agent license from Bajaj Allianz to provide insurance to its customers. Walmart completed an acquisition of 77 percent equity stake in Flipkart for $16 billion on 18 August. Touted to be the first, the insurance will be in cash payout option or free pick-up, service and drop convenience to customers. "The insurance will be available from October 10, coinciding with our 'The Big Billion Days' festival offer to serve customers who shop during the event," said the statement. Global market intelligence firm IDC estimated that the smartphone market in India would continue to grow in double-digit in 2018, with Flipkart's share of online phone sales at 65 percent. "Insurance is our logical next move in providing consumers with after-sales care for their phones. The plan, from purchase to claim, will be integrated into our online platform," said Flipkart Senior Vice-President Ravi Garikipati in the statement. Consumer data insights and tech will enable insurance partners to underwrite better and help in improving operating efficiencies for new-age products. According to a study, 36 percent of mobile phone users across the country own smartphones. The worry for customers is damaging their screens or having their phone stolen. "Other than the warranties offered by manufacturers, there are no micro-insurance offerings for customers," asserted the statement. Bajaj Allianz Chief Executive Tapan Singhel said the partnership with Flipkart to give complete protection plan would add value to the e-tailer's customers.A "Customers will be able to purchase the insurance when buying the mobile phone at a nominal price starting from Rs 99. The policy will activate from the day of delivery," added the statement. The insurance plan, valid for a year, covers accidental, screen, liquid damage and theft. For claims, a customer will have a choice to return the phone for fixing or opting for a cash payout that will be deposited in his/her bank account. As the country's largest e-commerce player, the 11-year-old Flipkart group includes Myntra, Jabon and PhonePe. It offers 80 million products in 80 categories. In fiscal 2017-18, Flipkart recorded Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of $7.5 billion and net sales of $4.6 billion, representing 50 percent year-on-year growth. With over one-lakh sellers, Flipkart offers about 80 million products across 80 categories, including smartphones, books, media, consumer electronics, furniture, fashion and lifestyle. Reuters Google's proposals to increase competition in online shopping are bearing fruit, Europe's antitrust chief said on Friday, suggesting that the company may be able to avoid further fines. Alphabet's Google last year offered to allow price-comparison rivals to bid for advertising space at the top of a search page, giving them the chance to compete on equal terms, seeking to appease regulators after the European Commission fined it a record 2.4 billion ($2.8 billion) for favouring its own service. The US company submitted a second progress report at the end of September and failure to comply with the EU competition enforcer's order could expose it to fines of up to 5 percent of its average daily global turnover. European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said she saw further improvement since Google's first report in June showed some rivals had benefited from the company's action. "We had another compliance report ... and we see improvements in numbers but we are still following it very, very closely and have taken no decision yet," Vestager told a briefing on the sidelines of the Globsec Tatra Summit. Google is offering discounted shopping advertisements to comply with the EU antitrust order, Baird Equity Research wrote in a 30 September note. But some competitors in Britain, France, Germany and the United States say Google's changes do not go far enough, and Vestager said she was aware of such complaints. "I take a keen interest in what some of the other shopping comparison services say. Having met with a couple of them, of course that raises new questions for us," she said. Reuters Alphabets Google said on 8 October up to 500,000 Google+ user accounts were potentially affected by a bug that may have exposed their data to external developers, and the company is shutting down the social network for consumers. Google opted not to disclose the issue partly due to fears of regulatory scrutiny, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier, citing unnamed sources and internal documents. A software glitch in the social site gave outside developers potential access to private Google+ profile data between 2015 and March 2018, when internal investigators discovered and fixed the issue, the report said. Shares of Alphabet were down 2.6 percent at $1138.53. The affected data is limited to static, optional Google+ Profile fields including name, email address, occupation, gender and age, Google said. We found no evidence that any developer was aware of this bug, or abusing the API, and we found no evidence that any Profile data was misused, Google said. A memo, prepared by Googles legal and policy staff and shared with senior executives, warned that disclosing the incident would likely trigger immediate regulatory interest and invite comparisons to Facebooks leak of user information to data firm Cambridge Analytica, the WSJ report said. Allegations of the improper use of data for 87 million Facebook users by Cambridge Analytica, which was hired by President Donald Trumps 2016 US election campaign, has hurt the shares of the worlds biggest social network and prompted multiple official investigations in the United States and Europe. Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai was briefed on the plan not to notify users after an internal committee had reached that decision, according to the WSJ. In weighing whether to disclose the incident, the company considered whether we could accurately identify the users to inform, whether there was any evidence of misuse, and whether there were any actions a developer or user could take in response, a Google spokesman told WSJ. None of these thresholds were met here. Indo-Asian News Service Despite claims by a company executive that Microsoft tech support has the tools to help users recover the files deleted by the "Windows 10 October 2018" update, users have not yet been able to avail the facilities, a media report said. Microsoft on Saturday paused the roll-out of the software update after several users complained that installing the update was wiping off their data. Later in the day, the head of the Windows Insider program, Dona Sarkar tweeted that Microsoft tech support has the tools to recover the missing files and guided followers how to reach out for assistance. But the Microsoft tech support team appears to be clueless about these tools, the Bleeping Computer reported on Sunday. #WindowsInsiders If you've run into the "missing files after update" issue for 1809/October 2018 Fall update, please call our support line. They have the tools to get you back to a good state. This build is no longer available to download manually: https://t.co/Ce9WVILknp pic.twitter.com/fvisQi1c8g Dona Sarkar (@donasarkar) October 6, 2018 Numerous users who called the support number were told that the bug was still under investigation and that the agents were not aware of any tools, the report said. On Saturday, Microsoft advised users who manually downloaded the update to not "install it and wait until new media is available". "We will provide an update when we resume rolling out the Windows 10 October 2018 Update to customers," the post added. Earlier, some users complained that the update wiped out their profiles, including documents and photos. An alarming number of users took to social media forums and Microsoft's own support website to complain about the issue. The Windows 10 October 2018 update rolled out globally on October 2. tech2 News Staff Last week, HMD Global officially announced the Nokia 7.1 smartphone at an event in London. Now, the Nokia Mobile Indias official Twitter account has teased another smartphone with a Mega Display, and it is widely believed to be the Nokia 7.1 Plus. The company is hosting a launch event in New Delhi on 11 October, where we are hoping to see both the Nokia 7.1 and Nokia 7.1 Plus. The teaser that the Nokia Mobile India account shows a smartphone with a dual-camera setup at the back, and the poster touts the device for its mega display. Even the video teaser that accompanies it, calls it the device to see the bigger picture. At the time of writing the story, both the tweet and the video had been pulled down from the website, however, MySmartprice also uploaded the video on its own channel. You can watch it below. Nokia 7.1 Plus: What to expect From what we know so far, the Nokia 7.1 Plus is expected to come with a large 6.18-inch IPS LCD screen with a Full HD+ resolution. The device is believed to be powered by a Snapdragon 710 chipset, with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. There will apparently also be a higher variant with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Like the teaser reveals, the device will sport a dual-camera setup at the back. tech2 News Staff It's showtime for Google now! Google's MadeByGoogle event is a day away and we have seen a ton of leaks on the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL so far. The event will take place on 9 October in New York at 11 am EST, which is 8.30 pm in India. You can watch the event live here. While we wait for the timer to run down, here's a quick look at all that is expected to be launched at the event. The new Pixels Google is going to launch the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL, and there have been endless leaks of both the phones. The biggest thing that people have been arguing about is the gigantic notch on the Pixel 3 XL, which almost looks like a face. The popular sentiment towards the notch has been one of, well, disappointment. The Pixels has been out in the open a lot, once by mistake, and once by being listed for sale in Hong Kong, where a retailer was selling the Pixel 3 XL for HK$15,880, which is about Rs 1,50,000. The previous models have been known for their good cameras. The Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 3 will likely have the same single-camera unit on the back. On the front, there will be a dual-camera setup in the notch. They will likely feature the same metal-back-and-glass-window design like the previous generation smartphones. However, will there be wireless charging? A video on Twitter revealed that this could be a possibility. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 will power the devices and they will come in two storage variants: one with 4 GB RAM + 64 GB internal storage and another with 4 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. There might be a 3,430 mAh battery. Besides this, the Pixels might not come with a headphone jack. Google Home Hub Google might also launch an unusual smart speaker this time, with a touchscreen display of about 7 inches and a rather large speaker, in its usual chalk-white and grey aesthetics. The device, which is currently being referred to as the Google Home Hub, looks like a tablet attached to a smart speaker. While it will not work as a regular tablet, and it will not have a camera, the 7-inch touch screen will reveal information such as time and weather, along with information on daily travels using Google Maps. Head here for more details on the Google Home Hub. Pixel State tablet We should also expect Google's first Chrome OS tablet, called the Pixel Slate. Recently, images of the device were leaked, and it seems that the tablet will feature a detachable keyboard accessory which will most likely be sold separately. There's also support for an active pen, according to the leaked renders. The Pixel Slate will likely arrive in a dark blue shade, but you could expect more colours to be announced at launch. A charging stand There is a possibility of a charging stand to be launched as well. The new accessory, Pixel Stand, apparently works together with a Google Assistant interface. The stand appears to let the phone show information like upcoming calendar events and photos on the phone screen while it charges. If this is true, Google basically wants your smartphone to become a smart home hub but we're not sure how well it will compete with Amazon, who just recently unveiled a whole range of items for a smart home ecosystem. Pixelbook 2 The Pixelbook is also expected to get an update. However, there are going to be two new Pixelbook devices called Altlas and Nocturne. Atlas will be the same design as the first Pixelbook, but with slimmer bezels around its display. Nocturne, on the other hand, is a detachable design, like Microsoft's Surface Pro. It is likely that the Pixel Slate that we spoke of earlier is the product which has been named Nocturne. This can be said because an ad revealed that the device has a 2-in-1 form factor and does not detach. It has hinges. There's not much information about the price of Atlas, but a leaked advertisement for the Pixelbook 2 had the following tagline convertible, flexible, affordable. Google Chromecast update It's been a long time that there was a Chromecast update. Google might just launch one because someone just bought it from BestBuy last week. Tech2 will run a live blog during the event, so make sure to check out our website for live updates. tech2 News Staff A recent report told us that the Mi Mix 3 will very likely launch on 15 October. A new poster now reveals that Xiaomi may not just launch the Mi Mix 3 at the event, but a second smartphone as well. The second smartphone, which many believed to be called the Xiaomi LEX, is now expected to in fact be the Mi Note 4. As it appears from a poster found and reported by itHome, LEX was likely just an internal codename for the smartphone. All of this, however, does make sense since Xiaomi had done a similar thing while launching the Mi Mix 2 in China last year. While nothing much about the Mi Note 4 is known to us so far, we do know that it will feature a dedicated button to trigger Xiao AI, Xiaomi's proprietary AI voice assistant in China. But considering the Note 4 will be succeeding last year's Mi Note 3, the internals are expected to be quite powerful, if not absolutely top-of-the-line. A second poster was also found by the publication, which reveals a bit more information about the 15 October event. The poster states that the Mi Mix 3 will launch in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. The background of the poster also suggests that the Mi Mix 3 may be made available in an aurora colour variant. From what we know so far, the Mi Mix 3 will have a slide-up camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and a bezel-less display. Considering the Mi Mix 2 was brought to India last year, Xiaomi is expected to bring the Mix 3 to India as well. Reuters Americans William Nordhaus and Paul Romer won the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize for work in integrating climate change and technological innovation into economic analysis, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on 8 October. BREAKING NEWS: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2018 to William D. Nordhaus and Paul M. Romer. #NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/xUs6iSyI7h The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 8, 2018 Nordhaus, of Yale University, was the first person to create a quantitative model that described the interplay between the economy and the climate, the academy said. Romer, of New York Universitys Stern School of Business, has shown how economic forces govern the willingness of firms to produce new ideas and innovations, laying the foundations for a new model for development, known as endogenous growth theory. Their findings have significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis by constructing models that explain how the market economy interacts with nature and knowledge, the academy said in statement. Worth 9 million Swedish crowns ($1 million), the economics prize was established in 1968. It was not part of the original group of five awards set out in Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobels 1895 will. This years Laureates do not deliver conclusive answers, but their findings have brought us considerably closer to answering the question of how we can achieve sustained and sustainable global economic growth, the Academy said. The Nobel prizes for physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry and peace were awarded last week. This years awards have stood out for two reasons. Proceedings have been overshadowed by the absence of the literature prize, postponed to give the Swedish Academy time to restore public trust after a sexual assault scandal. Three women have been awarded Nobel prizes, an unusually large number for a single year. By Tony Munroe BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Sunday that it was investigating Meng Hongwei, after the head of the global law enforcement organisation Interpol and Chinese vice minister for security was reported missing in France. Meng had been reported missing by his wife after travelling last month from France, where Interpol is based, to China. 'Public Security Ministry Vice Minister Meng Hongwei is currently under investigation by the National Supervisory Commission for suspected violations of law,' the Chinese anti-graft body said in a brief statement on its website. By Tony Munroe BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Sunday that it was investigating Meng Hongwei, after the head of the global law enforcement organisation Interpol and Chinese vice minister for security was reported missing in France. Meng had been reported missing by his wife after travelling last month from France, where Interpol is based, to China. "Public Security Ministry Vice Minister Meng Hongwei is currently under investigation by the National Supervisory Commission for suspected violations of law," the Chinese anti-graft body said in a brief statement on its website. The statement was the first from China since Meng's disappearance was reported in France on Friday. When asked about the Chinese announcement on Sunday, France's Interior Ministry said it had no information. The French ministry said on Friday that Meng's family had not heard from him since Sept. 25, and the French authorities said his wife had been placed under police protection after receiving threats. French police have been investigating what is officially termed in France a "worrying disappearance". Interpol had said it had asked Beijing to clarify Meng's situation. The organisation had no immediate comment on Sunday. Local French media reported that Meng's wife had issued a brief statement from a hotel in Lyon, in which she expressed her concerns over the situation. "As long as I can't see my husband in front of me, speaking to me, I can't have any confidence," Grace Meng was quoted as saying by French TV stations and Sunday newspapers which added she made the comments with her back to a TV camera, in order to hide her appearance. Reuters could not confirm those comments attributed to her. Meng, 64, was named to the post of Interpol president in late 2016, part of a broader Chinese effort to gain leadership positions in key international organisations. Presidents of Interpol are seconded from their national administrations and remain in their home post while representing the international policing body. Interpol, which groups 192 countries and is usually focused on finding people who are missing or wanted, is run on a day-to-day basis by its secretary general, Juergen Stock. When Meng was named Interpol's president, human rights groups expressed concern that Beijing might try to leverage his position to pursue dissidents abroad. Beijing has in the past pressed countries to arrest and deport to China citizens it accuses of crimes, from corruption to terrorism. Under President Xi Jinping, China has been engaged in a crackdown on corruption. (Reporting by Tony Munroe; Additional reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta in Paris; Editing by Edmund Blair and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Jamal Khashoggi, the prominent Saudi journalist missing since he entered his country's consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, has been an outspoken critic of the ultra-conservative kingdom's government. Dubai: Jamal Khashoggi, the prominent Saudi journalist missing since he entered his country's consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, has been an outspoken critic of the ultra-conservative kingdom's government. Turkish police believe that The Washington Post contributor, who went into self-imposed exile in the United States in 2017 after falling out with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered inside the consulate, according to an unnamed Turkish government official, a claim strongly denied by Riyadh. Prince Mohammed has invited police to inspect the consulate, stressing his country had "nothing to hide". Never one to mince his words, Khashoggi described a new Saudi era of "fear, intimidation, arrests and public shaming" in an article published in the Post last year. He had previously served as an advisor to the Saudi government, but Khashoggi, who turns 60 on 13 October, has been a vociferous critic of Prince Mohammed's policies in both the Arab and Western press. In a 6 March editorial in Britain's The Guardian newspaper co-authored with Robert Lacey, Khashoggi wrote: "For his domestic reform programme, the crown prince deserves praise. But at the same time, the brash and abrasive young innovator has not encouraged or permitted any popular debate" on the changes. "He appears to be moving the country from old-time religious extremism to his own 'You-must-accept-my-reform' extremism, without any consultation accompanied by arrests and the disappearance of his critics." Khashoggi fled the country in September 2017, months after Prince Mohammed was appointed heir to the throne and amid a campaign that saw dozens of dissidents arrested, including intellectuals and Islamic preachers. Liberal ideas Khashoggi said he had been banned from writing in the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, owned by Saudi Prince Khaled bin Sultan al-Saud, over his defence of the Muslim Brotherhood which Riyadh has blacklisted as a terrorist organisation. The writer said Saudi authorities banned him from using his verified Twitter account after he said the country should be "rightfully nervous about a Trump presidency". US President Donald Trump has expressed support for Crown Prince Mohammed. Khashoggi has also criticised Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen, where Riyadh leads a military coalition fighting alongside the government in its war with Iran-backed rebels. The writer opposes a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar, a tiny Gulf emirate that has found itself isolated over its allegedly close ties to extremist groups and Iran. Khashoggi was born in the western Saudi city of Medina, revered in Islam as the burial place of the Prophet Mohammed. He has done business with billionaire Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. After a youth spent studying Islamic ideology, Khashoggi later embraced more liberal ideas. He began his career as a journalist with Saudi dailies in the 1980s, covering the Afghanistan conflict for the Saudi press. Authorities came to see Khashoggi as too progressive and he was forced to resign as editor-in-chief of the Saudi daily Al-Watan in 2003. Khashoggi has retained ambiguous ties to Saudi authorities, having held advisory positions in Riyadh and Washington including to Prince Turki al-Faisal, who ran Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency for more than 20 years. Pompeo said at the start of his talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi that Washington has a 'fundamental disagreement' and 'great concerns' about Chinese actions. Beijing: Chinese officials appealed to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday to repair relations they said have been damaged by US tariff hikes and support for Taiwan, as their governments press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. Pompeo said at the start of his talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi that Washington has a "fundamental disagreement" and "great concerns" about Chinese actions and looked forward to discussing them. Reporters were then ushered from the room. The polite but edgy tone underscored the plunge in US-Chinese relations as the administration of President Donald Trump confronts Beijing over its technology policies and territorial claims in the South China Sea. Trump also approved a weapons sale to Taiwan, the self-ruled island the Communist mainland claims as its own territory, and sanctioned a Chinese company and its leader over an arms purchase from Russia. Those developments came as the countries have raised tariffs on tens of billions of dollars of each other's goods in a dispute over US complaints that Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. At the same time, the United States and China are cooperating on efforts to pressure North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to give up his country's nuclear weapons and long-range missile programs. Pompeo met Wang and Yang Jiechi, a senior Cabinet official and former foreign minister, after talks Sunday with Kim in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang. Pompeo also visited Japan and South Korea, where he said Monday in Seoul that there had been "significant progress" toward an agreement for the North to give up its nuclear weapons. Wang appealed to Pompeo to cease actions that Beijing sees as threatening its interests in order to avoid disrupting cooperation over North Korea and other issues. "While the US side has constantly escalated trade frictions with China, it has also taken actions regarding Taiwan that harm China's core interests," Wang said. In their later meeting, Yang expressed Chinese frustration with Washington while avoiding specifics, telling Pompeo relations are "facing challenges." Washington and Beijing "should and must make the correct choices," Yang said. "We hope the United States and China can meet each other halfway and conscientiously fulfill the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries," Yang said. In Seoul, Pompeo said he and Kim had agreed to soon begin working-level talks on details of denuclearisation and placement of international inspectors at one of North Korea's main nuclear facilities. Pompeo said they came close to finalising a date and venue for the next Kim-Trump meeting. "It's a long process," Pompeo told reporters. "We made significant progress. We'll continue to make significant progress and we are further along in making that progress than any administration in an awfully long time." Trump, tweeting from Washington shortly after Pompeo left North Korea, cited progress Pompeo had made on agreements Trump and Kim reached at their June summit in Singapore and said, "I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future." Pompeo said he and Kim had gotten "pretty close" to fixing the logistics for the summit but stressed that "sometimes that last inch is hard to close." "Most importantly, both the leaders believe there is real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit and so we are going to get it at a time that works for each of the two leaders and at a place that works for both of them," he said. North Korea's state-run news agency KCNA, meanwhile, said Monday that Kim had "expressed his will and conviction that a great progress would surely be made in solving the issues of utmost concern of the world." In an early Monday dispatch, KCNA called the talks "productive and wonderful" and said that "mutual stands were fully understood and opinions exchanged." In Seoul, Pompeo said Kim is expected soon to name Deputy Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui as a counterpart for his new special envoy for North Korea, former Ford executive Stephen Biegun, who accompanied him on the trip. He and Biegun both said they expected meetings at the working level to begin soon and become quite frequent before the next summit. "We are starting to see a first wave of actions we can take on all four pillars of the Singapore communique," said Biegun. He is to work with South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and other countries that have an interest in the talks. In Pyongyang on Sunday, Pompeo and Kim met for about 3 1/2 hours, first in a business session and then in a 90-minute luncheon that the North Korean leader hosted at a state guesthouse. Before visiting Pyongyang, Pompeo held talks in Tokyo with Japan's prime minister. He pledged the Trump administration would coordinate and unify its strategy for denuclearisation with its allies. Japan has been wary of the initiative, but South Korea has embraced it. Pompeo has refused to discuss details of negotiations, including a US position on North Korea's demand for a formal end to the Korean War and a proposal from Seoul for such a declaration to be accompanied by a shutdown of the North's main known nuclear facility. The United States and Japan have pushed for the North to turn over a list of its nuclear sites to be dismantled as a next step in the process. The North has rejected that and South Korea has suggested it may not be a necessary next step. Pompeo, however, played down the differences. "I've never been involved in an international discussion where there weren't differences of view, not only between governments but inside of governments," he said. "But if you look at the approach, we are in lockstep with each of those two countries in terms of how we approach achieving the results that everyone is aimed at. And so there'll be tactical places where we'll have debates and disagreements. That is a necessary component of getting to the best deliverable." "But with respect to our relationship with the Republic of Korea and Japan on this issue, I have found that we are in lockstep on the most important issues and how to approach them," Pompeo said. Since the denuclearisation effort got underway with a secret visit to the North by then-CIA chief Pompeo in April, there has been only limited progress, even since the 12 June Trump-Kim summit that many had hoped would jump-start the effort. 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 has accused Washington of making "unilateral and gangster-like" demands on denuclearization and has insisted that sanctions should be lifted before any progress in nuclear talks. U.S. officials have thus far said the penalties will remain in place until the North's denuclearization is fully verified. Also on Monday, South Korean president Moon Jae-in said he expects Kim to travel to Russia and for Chinese president Xi Jinping to visit North Korea soon amid a global diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear crisis. Moon said a second Trump-Kim summit could be accompanied by major diplomatic developments that could contribute to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and stabilizing peace. Moon also said there was a possibility of Kim holding a summit with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. Mike Pompeo declined to comment whether there was progress on a shutdown of the Yongbyon site. Seoul: US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said on Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was ready to allow international inspectors into the Norths nuclear and missile testing sites, one of the main sticking points over an earlier denuclearisation pledge. Pompeo, who met Kim during a short trip to Pyongyang on Sunday, said the inspectors would visit a missile engine test facility and the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site as soon as the two sides agree on logistics. Theres a lot of logistics that will be required to execute that, Pompeo told a news briefing in Seoul before leaving for Beijing. The top US diplomat also said both sides were pretty close to agreement on the details of a second summit, which Kim proposed to US president Donald Trump in a letter last month. Trump and Kim held an historic first summit in Singapore in June. Most importantly, both the leaders believe theres real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit, Pompeo said. Stephen Biegun, new US nuclear envoy who was accompanying the secretary, said he offered on Sunday to meet his counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, as soon as possible and they were in discussion over specific dates and location. Pompeos trip to Pyongyang, his fourth this year, followed a stalemate as North Korea resisted Washingtons demands for irreversible steps to give up its nuclear arsenal, including a complete inventory of its weapons and facilities. He told South Korean president Moon Jae-in on Sunday his latest trip to Pyongyang was another step forward to denuclearisation but there are many steps along the way. Inspection At last months inter-Korean summit, the North expressed its willingness to close the Yongbyon nuclear complex if Washington takes corresponding action, which Moon said would include a declaration of an end to the 1950-53 Korean War. Pompeo declined to comment whether there was progress on a shutdown of the Yongbyon site. Moon also said the North will permanently dismantle its missile engine testing site and launch platform in the northwestern town of Tongchang-ri in the presence of experts from concerned countries. But Pyongyang failed to keep its pledge to allow international inspections of its demolition of the Punggye-ri site in May, fanning criticism that the move could be reversed. In July, satellite imagery indicated the North has begun dismantling the engine test site in Tongchang-ri, but without allowing outsiders access for verification. And the Stimson Centres 38 North said last week that no dismantling activity was spotted since 3 August. Some experts say that opening the Tongchang-ri or Punggye-ri sites for inspection could be a goodwill gesture but has little significance in quickening denuclearisation. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement Kim had invited inspectors to visit the Punggye-ri nuclear test site to confirm it had been irreversibly dismantled. The statement did not provide further details. Smiles, handshakes In a more upbeat note, Pyongyangs state media said on Monday that Kim lauded his talks with Pompeo, where Kim explained in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearisation issue. Kim Jong-un expressed satisfaction over the productive and wonderful talks with Mike Pompeo at which mutual stands were fully understood and opinions exchanged, North Korean news agency KCNA said. Kim said the bilateral dialogue would continue to develop based on the deep confidence between the two leaders, and expressed gratitude to Trump for making a sincere effort to implement the agreement made at their June summit, KCNA said. It also said the two sides agreed to hold working negotiations for the second summit as early as possible. But it did not mention any inspection-related issue. Commenting on Pompeos meeting with Kim, South Korean president Moon Jae-in said Kim was expected to visit Russia soon. He said Chinese leader Xi Jinping was also expected to travel to North Korea but did not elaborate further. North Koreas state newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, featured eight photos of the meeting on its front page, including shots of Kim and Pompeo smiling and shaking hands, as well as some with Kims sister Kim Yo Jong. North Korea denounced Pompeo on his previous trip to Pyongyang in July for making gangster-like demands. Pompeo did not meet Kim on that trip. By Hyonhee Shin and Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was ready to allow international inspectors into the North's nuclear and missile testing sites, one of the main sticking points over an earlier denuclearisation pledge. By Hyonhee Shin and Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was ready to allow international inspectors into the North's nuclear and missile testing sites, one of the main sticking points over an earlier denuclearisation pledge. Pompeo, who met Kim during a short trip to Pyongyang on Sunday, said the inspectors would visit a missile engine test facility and the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site as soon as the two sides agree on logistics. "There's a lot of logistics that will be required to execute that," Pompeo told a news briefing in Seoul before leaving for Beijing. The top U.S. diplomat also said both sides were "pretty close" to agreement on the details of a second summit, which Kim proposed to U.S. President Donald Trump in a letter last month. Trump and Kim held an historic first summit in Singapore in June. "Most importantly, both the leaders believe there's real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit," Pompeo said. Stephen Biegun, new U.S. nuclear envoy who was accompanying the secretary, said he offered on Sunday to meet his counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, "as soon as possible" and they were in discussion over specific dates and location. Pompeo's trip to Pyongyang, his fourth this year, followed a stalemate as North Korea resisted Washington's demands for irreversible steps to give up its nuclear arsenal, including a complete inventory of its weapons and facilities. He told South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday his latest trip to Pyongyang was "another step forward" to denuclearisation but there are "many steps along the way". INSPECTION At last month's inter-Korean summit, the North expressed its willingness to close the Yongbyon nuclear complex if Washington takes corresponding action, which Moon said would include a declaration of an end to the 1950-53 Korean War. Pompeo declined to comment whether there was progress on a shutdown of the Yongbyon site. Moon also said the North will "permanently dismantle" its missile engine testing site and launch platform in the northwestern town of Tongchang-ri in the presence of experts from "concerned countries". But Pyongyang failed to keep its pledge to allow international inspections of its demolition of the Punggye-ri site in May, fanning criticism that the move could be reversed. In July, satellite imagery indicated the North has begun dismantling the engine test site in Tongchang-ri, but without allowing outsiders access for verification. And the Stimson Centre's 38 North said last week that no dismantling activity was spotted since Aug. 3. Some experts say that opening the Tongchang-ri or Punggye-ri sites for inspection could be a goodwill gesture but has little significance in quickening denuclearisation. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement Kim had invited inspectors to visit the Punggye-ri nuclear test site to confirm it had been irreversibly dismantled. The statement did not provide further details. SMILES, HANDSHAKES In a more upbeat note, Pyongyang's state media said on Monday Kim lauded his talks with Pompeo, where Kim "explained in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearisation issue." "Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction over the productive and wonderful talks with Mike Pompeo at which mutual stands were fully understood and opinions exchanged," North Korean news agency KCNA said. Kim said the bilateral dialogue would continue to develop "based on the deep confidence between the two leaders", and expressed gratitude to Trump for making a sincere effort to implement the agreement made at their June summit, KCNA said. KCNA also said the two sides agreed to hold working negotiations for the second summit as early as possible. But it did not mention any inspection-related issue. Commenting on Pompeo's meeting with Kim, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Kim was expected to visit Russia soon. He said Chinese leader Xi Jinping was also expected to travel to North Korea but did not elaborate further. North Korea's state newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, featured eight photos of the meeting on its front page, including shots of Kim and Pompeo smiling and shaking hands, as well as some with Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong. North Korea denounced Pompeo on his previous trip to Pyongyang in July for making "gangster-like demands". Pompeo did not meet Kim on that trip. (Reporting by Joyce Lee and Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Peter Cooney, Michael Perry and Paul Tait) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Beijing continued to believe that Islamabad would remain loyal to China for the CPEC windfall without hesitation. This has become unsustainable now. Pakistan has clarified that Saudi Arabia will not be made part of the Beijing-led China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework and Riyadh's proposed investments in Pakistan are set to fall under a separate bilateral arrangement. Pakistan's new PTI government had recently claimed that Saudi Arabia was poised to become the third partner in the CPEC that consists of major infrastructure projects in Pakistan. The announcement was made after Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan's first official State visit to Riyadh. Ever since assuming power, the Khan-led government has been trying to make use of the CPEC as a bargaining chip in Pakistan's vital bilateral relationships. His government is seriously contemplating a reduction of its spending on the CPEC project that could rejuvenate its outdated rail network, while proposing several changes in the existing and future projects. These drastic measures are in part aimed to correcting a difficult financial condition aggravated by an unsustainable current account deficit. Criticising his predecessor Nawaz Sharif, for lack of transparency in the CPEC projects, Khan has argued that the former prime minister could not visualise the fallout of massive inflows of Chinese machinery on the country's external finances. During his 6 October visit to Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, he expressed complete awareness about the reservations of Baloch people about the CPEC projects. He asserted that "Balochistan would be paid more than its due share in the CPEC projects," while arguing that the province was ignored by the previous governments. It needs to be recalled that immediately after Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi's Islamabad visit last month, a senior Pakistani government official termed his country's deals with China as "unfair" because the CPEC agreements tended to benefit Chinese companies alone. Abdul Razak Dawood, the prime minister's advisor, was quoted as saying that "the previous government did a bad job negotiating with China on CPEC they didnt do their homework correctly and didnt negotiate correctly so they gave away a lot." However, the Pakistan government immediately swung into action and refuted this controversial statement while reaffirming the all-weather friendship between the two countries. Pakistans finance minister Asad Umar candidly admitted, "We dont intend to handle this process like Mahathir (Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia)." It needs to be mentioned that Kuala Lumpur has recently cancelled three major China-backed pipeline projects and put a showpiece Belt Road Initiative (BRI) rail link under the scanner. After much dilly-dallying, Umar finally hinted on 5 October that Pakistan is going to apply to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a balance of payments bailout as he expressed Pakistans readiness to take "further corrective measures" proposed by the IMF to restore economic stability. But this bailout will not come without a political cost. Khan has been reluctant to seek an IMF bailout during his first 100 days in office because his electoral campaign had been based on getting rid of the begging bowl. This reasoning has led him to meet funding requirements from friendly countries as well as through bringing home foreign wealth of Pakistani nationals. But the government's economic advisors are totally against this impracticable way as Pakistan requires around $12 billion of additional infusion during the current fiscal year. Moreover, the US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has publicly spoken against lending any American money by the IMF to Islamabad for settling Pakistan's Chinese debts. It is understandable that the PTI government is looking to Riyadh to bail it out of its financial woes, which made Khan to break his so-called pledge of not travelling abroad in his first three months in office. Within four weeks of coming to power, his decision to visit Riyadh reflected the desperation of his situation as well as the fear of the political consequences of being seen weak among his supporters. He received a very warm welcome in Riyadh, which indicated a new beginning of a very critical relationship that was badly hit when the previous PML-N government refused to send Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia to fight in Yemen in 2015. This fateful decision had also affected Pakistan's ties with other Gulf countries. But despite the recent lack of warmth in bilateral ties, the Kingdoms close ties with the Pakistani military remains intact, as exemplified by the appointment of retired army chief Raheel Sharif as head of the so-called Islamic alliance force. However, Khans decision to invite Saudi Arabia to develop a refinery at Gwadar also indicates Pakistans willingness to serve its geopolitical interests through the CPEC. The Pakistani finance minister has admitted that Islamabad did not keep Beijing in the loop, and China was only informed of Pakistans intent to involve a third-party investor. Pakistan was also trying to use Gwadar as leverage to persuade Riyadh to provide Islamabad with oil on a deferred-payment basis which would substantially reduce the amount of borrowing from the IMF. The Saudis are equally interested in investing in some big-ticked projects in Pakistan as part of their "Vision 2030" development plans that seek to expand their economic horizons and diversify from a largely oil-based model through collaboration and foreign investments. The entry of Saudi Arabia in the equation the most important non-NATO ally of the US in West Asia clearly indicates the protection of American geopolitical interests in the CPEC, directly or indirectly. The ambitious Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman has courted the Donald Trump administration to counter Iran's growing influence in the West Asian region. Salman has involved Saudi Arabia in a bloody military conflict in Yemen against the Iranian-backed Houthi militia. It is believed that Pakistans CPEC offer to Saudi Arabia to invest in western Balochistan bordering Iran and Afghanistan could upset Tehran. The fears that allowing Saudi Arabia to play an active role close to the Iranian border may fuel sectarian conflict in Pakistan are not entirely baseless. Moreover, Iran would certainly not desire a Saudi presence in Gwadar which is not very far from the Chabahar port. Although Saudi Arabia has been Chinas largest trading partner in West Asia, since the dynamics between them within the CPEC would redefine the engagement in West Asia in terms of global politics and economy, Beijing cannot be expected to remain a mute spectator to this sudden turn of events at a time of greater global geopolitical turbulence. Since the issue of issue of inviting Saudi Arabia into the CPEC involves a number of questions about new geopolitical alignments, the PTI government has taken a U-turn, at least in public. Speaking at a joint news conference with Pakistan's information minister Fawad Chaudhry on 2 October, Minister for Planning and Development Khusro Bakhtiar clarified that there was no decision to bring Saudi Arabia under the framework of the CPEC. He said, "Saudi Arabia is not to become a collateral strategic partner in the CPEC. This impression is not true... The framework between China and Pakistan is bilateral, and Saudi Arabia is not entering that framework as a third-party investor, rather the base of CPEC will be broadened and its pace will be expedited." Whatever the semantics, there is a strong possibility that Saudi Arabia is going to invest heavily in Pakistan's infrastructure projects, within or without the CPEC. China has been turning the CPEC into a grand project to maintain incontestable hegemony in Pakistan. Beijing continued to believe that Pakistani government would remain perpetually loyal to China for the CPEC windfall and keep on reaping its benefits without hesitation or any hint of incredulity to Pakistani people, however inconsistent, contradictory, or at odds with the ground realities. This has become unsustainable now. Most surprisingly, Maulana Samiul Haq, who is known as the 'Father of the Taliban', and who favours more Chinese involvement in the resolution of the Afghan conflict, has urged the PTI government to treat China with caution while dealing with a worsening financial crisis. He is reported to have said, "I dont approve of a relationship that leads us to slavery. Given their (Chinese) handling of Muslims at home, the Chinese will behave like the British East India Company once they dig their feet deeper into Pakistan." As local resentment has begun to move from the streets to government, China seems to be facing the growing challenge of a tactical shift in Pakistans official tone from uncritical gratitude to grudging support. Trying to prevail over critically fragile public finances as well as realising the advantages of hard-bitten realism, Khan has begun to make concerted efforts to revise the terms of engagement on the CPEC projects. When he goes to China in November for a week-long official visit, Beijing is expected to try hard to pacify him by offering more agreeable terms of CPEC projects as well as by agreeing to reschedule some of the bilateral debt. This development simply vindicates India's s principled stand of consistently opposing the Chinese model of infrastructure development through its ambitious BRI which is nothing but a disguised form of debt-trap diplomacy. Therefore, India should continue to work with the US and other partners in the Indo-Pacific region to develop credible alternatives to the China-led BRI. By Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton ORLANDO, Florida/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a 'good talk' on Monday with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department official in charge of the federal investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and has no plans to fire him By Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton ORLANDO, Florida/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a "good talk" on Monday with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department official in charge of the federal investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and has no plans to fire him. There has been widespread speculation that Trump might oust Rosenstein, a frequent target of Trump's tweeted criticism, after a New York Times report that he had made remarks about Trump's fitness for office and offered to record conversations with him. Rosenstein travelled with Trump on Air Force One to Orlando on Monday, where the president gave a speech to police chiefs. Upon landing, Rosenstein was seen smiling and appeared at ease as he walked down the front stairs of Air Force One alongside Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly. "The press wants to know, 'What did you talk about?'" Trump said at the start of his speech after he thanked Rosenstein for being there and noted the intense media interest. "We had a very good talk, I will say. That became a very big story, actually. We had a good talk," Trump said. Trump and Rosenstein met for about 30 minutes during the flight, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said, declining to provide further details about the private discussion other than to say that Rosenstein still had a job. Rosenstein has denied the Sept. 21 New York Times report as "inaccurate and factually incorrect." The article said that while Rosenstein had made the suggestions over concern about chaos in the administration, none of them actually came to fruition. As he left the White House for Orlando, Trump was asked by a reporter if he had any plans to fire Rosenstein. "No I don't, no," he said. Rosenstein oversees Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Russia denies interfering and Trump says there was no collusion between his campaign and Moscow. Firing Rosenstein before the Nov. 6 congressional elections could have political consequences. Democrats believe it would raise questions about whether Trump would shut down the Mueller probe, which could energize their voters in House and Senate races. Trump told reporters earlier on Monday that he has a "good relationship" with Rosenstein. "I didn't know Rod before, but I've gotten to know him, and I get along very well with him," he said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Dan Grebler and Cynthia Osterman) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland WASHINGTON/ORLANDO (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department official in charge of the federal investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. There has been widespread speculation that Trump might oust Rosenstein, a frequent target of Trump's tweeted criticism, after a New York Times report that he had made remarks about Trump's fitness for office and offered to record conversations with him. By Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland WASHINGTON/ORLANDO (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department official in charge of the federal investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. There has been widespread speculation that Trump might oust Rosenstein, a frequent target of Trump's tweeted criticism, after a New York Times report that he had made remarks about Trump's fitness for office and offered to record conversations with him. Rosenstein has denied the Sept. 21 New York Times report as "inaccurate and factually incorrect." The article said that while Rosenstein had made the suggestions over concern about chaos in the administration, none of them actually came to fruition. Asked by a reporter if he had any plans to fire Rosenstein, Trump said, "No I don't, no." Trump and Rosenstein met for about 30 minutes as they flew together on Air Force One to Orlando, Florida, where Trump was to speak to police chiefs, a White House spokesman said. He declined to provide further details about the discussion. Rosenstein oversees Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Russia denies interfering and Trump says there was no collusion between his campaign and Moscow. Trump told reporters on Monday that he has a "good relationship" with Rosenstein. "I didn't know Rod before, but I've gotten to know him, and I get along very well with him," he said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Dan Grebler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Maayan Lubell JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus wife, Sara, appeared in court on Sunday for the first hearing in the fraud trial against her, in which she is alleged to have misused state funds in ordering catered meals. According to the indictment, Sara Netanyahu, along with a government employee, fraudulently obtained from the state more than $100,000 for hundreds of meals supplied by restaurants, bypassing regulations that prohibit the practice if a cook is employed at home. By Maayan Lubell JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus wife, Sara, appeared in court on Sunday for the first hearing in the fraud trial against her, in which she is alleged to have misused state funds in ordering catered meals. According to the indictment, Sara Netanyahu, along with a government employee, fraudulently obtained from the state more than $100,000 for hundreds of meals supplied by restaurants, bypassing regulations that prohibit the practice if a cook is employed at home. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing. She was charged in June with fraud and breach of trust and of aggravated fraudulent receipt of goods. If convicted, Sara Netanyahu could face up to five years in prison. Looking tense, Netanyahu made no comment to reporters who had packed the tiny courtroom. She sat on a bench behind her lawyers. "Can we ask them to move the cameras away?", she asked the lawyer for the other defendant, who replied: "You're used to it." "Not like this," Netanyahu answered. She shook her head as the prosecutor described the gravity of her case. The session, however, dealt mainly with procedural matters. The judge set a meeting with the prosecutors and the defendants' lawyers for Nov. 13 in which he said he hoped all sides could narrow their differences "or even resolve the case". But a settlement at this stage appears remote because the prosecutors would likely demand Netanyahu plead guilty, something her lawyer has ruled out. She was not asked at the hearing to enter a plea. Netanyahus lawyers contend the indictment does not hold up because the regulations for ordering meals were legally invalid and a household employee had requisitioned the food despite Netanyahu's protestations. The prime minister, who himself is embroiled in corruption investigations, has called the allegations against his wife absurd and unfounded. Sara Netanyahu, 59, has inspired a multitude of headlines in the past over what family spokesmen call an undeserved reputation for imperiousness. In 2017 the Netanyahus won a libel suit against an Israeli journalist who said Sara once kicked her husband out of their car during an argument. In 2016, a Jerusalem labour court ruled that she had insulted and raged at household staff in the prime ministers official residence. So far, Sara's present legal woes have not politically damaged her husband, now in his fourth term as Israels leader and riding high in opinion polls despite the allegations against him. Accusations he has made against the Israeli media of orchestrating a politically motivated witch-hunt against him and his wife appear to have struck a chord with his right-wing voter base, which has rallied in support of the 68-year-old leader. (Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Dale Hudson) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Flipkart has announced that it is foraying into insurance after securing a corporate agent license. The company will offer customized insurance solutions to power its Complete Mobile Protection program for all leading mobile brands being sold on its platform in partnership with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance. It will offer both cash payout option or free pick up, service and drop convenience to customers. The insurance will be available from October 10th which marks the start of Flipkarts The Big Billion Days (TBBD). According to IDC, the smartphone market in India will continue double-digit growth in 2018 and Flipkarts share of online phone sales is currently about 65%. It is aimed at giving complete protection against a variety of perils and damages, internal & external, the insurance will be valid for a year, covering accidental, screen, and liquid damage along with theft. Customers will be able to purchase the insurance powered Complete Mobile Protection plan at the same time as they buy the mobile phone, at a nominal price point starting from Rs. 99. Once the customer shares the required details at checkout, the policy will be activated from the day of delivery. To claim insurance, customers can reach out to Flipkart via the app, email, or phone call and will have a choice between returning the phone for fixing or opting for a cash payout which will then be deposited in their Flipkart-registered bank account or any other account owned by the customer. Commenting on the same, Ravi Garikipati, Sr. VP and head of Fintech, Flipkart: In line with our customer-first policy and as the market leader in this segment, insurance felt like the logical next step in providing consumers with excellent after-sales care for their phones. The plan, from purchase to claim, will be completely integrated into our online platform, which customers are already familiar with and trust. We want to put this choice in their hands and give them the chance to soothe their worries by protecting their valued purchase, if they so desire. Tapan Singhel, MD & CEO, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd., Reliance Jio has announced that in the next two years it will connect most of the 2,385-plus government schools and colleges with high-speed Internet in Uttarakhand to make the State a Digital Devbhoomi. Ambani also said that Jio will promote environment protecting industries and businesses. Hospitality firm OYO said it will invest 500 crore in building hospitality ecosystem in Uttarakhand to boost the tourism potential of the State. OYO said it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Uttarakhand government and it will be expanding its chain in the region by adding over 35,000 rooms in cities. Furthermore, ITC said that the company has already invested an outlay of 1,400 crore and is looking to scale up, given the future potential of the State. Reliance currently has over 100 retail stores and is planning to continue to grow these at a healthy rate. Mukesh, Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance said: A few weeks back Google rolled out Chrome with a new design and features across all browsers including desktop, iOS, and Android in a way of celebrating its 10th anniversary. Named as Google Chrome 69, it didnt go well with everyone, as half of them wants to retain the simple yet old chrome material design. Today, in this article, we have come up with a solution which lets you disable the Material Design entirely. If you are want to retain the old design, follow the steps below: Step 1: Type or copy chrome://flags on Chrome search bar Step 2: Search for UI Layout for the browsers top chrome Step 3: Change from default to normal using drop down Step 4: Completely quit and relaunch the browser Further, you can disable the Material Design Icons,Tab Page Material Design UI, and Material Design in the rest of the browsers native UI by following similar chrome flags mentioned below: Step 5: New Tab Page Material Design Icons -> Select Disabled Step 6: New Tab Page Material Design UI -> Select Disabled Step 7: Material Design in the rest of the browsers native UI -> Select Disabled Samsung is working on Exynos 9820, successor of the Exynos 9810, which will likely debut with the Galaxy S10 next year. Now, ex-Samsung Senior Hardware Design Engineer working on the next Exynos flagship chip on LinkedIn has mentioned that Samsung has completed working on its second-generation NPU architecture earlier this year. Samsung may have completed its second-generation NPU architecture internally, which may be piggybacked on the Exynos 9820 processor. pic.twitter.com/kIUNZkQSRc Ice universe (@UniverseIce) October 6, 2018 The NPU on the Exynos 9820 will be dedicated, similar to Kirin 980 that has dual NPUs. Even the Exynos 9810 that is powering the Galaxy S9, S9+ and the Note9 feature AI capabilities, but the 9820 is expected to be the first Samsung chip with dedicated NPU for better AI experience. Even the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 chipset is expected to include a dedicated NPU. Last month, CEO of Samsungs mobile division, said that the Galaxy S10 design changes will be very significant and will be available in amazing colors. There might be triple-rear cameras in the high-end variant. According to rumors, the Galaxy S10 and the S10 Plus are expected to come in three variants; 5.8-inch, 6.1-inch, and 6.4-inch models and pack a Qualcomm-built in-display fingerprint scanner. Source Social Security plays a key role in the financial security of American workers and their families. More than 60 million people receive Social Security benefits, and more than half of all retired workers who get Social Security count on it for the majority of their income during their retired years. As you plan for your own retirement, it's useful to know what Social Security is likely to pay. Although your own work history plays a key role in determining exactly how much you'll get from Social Security, the following average figures from the Social Security Administration serve as a useful starting point to put you in the right ballpark. One thing to remember is that Social Security was never meant to be the sole source of financial support for workers after they retired. Although the amounts that Social Security typically pays are significant and helpful, they're not usually enough by themselves to cover all the living expenses that the average American has to pay in retirement. However, you can also see the role that Social Security plays in protecting families from financial ruin after tragic events. Survivor benefits for spouses and children are essential in supporting families after a worker's death, and disability benefits provide income when an illness or injury stops a worker from being able to earn a living. Social Security's payouts won't support a lavish lifestyle, but they're valuable assets in your retirement planning. Add in your own savings, and you'll be well on your way toward a comfortable retirement. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. In conjunction with La Paz Chattanooga, GPS celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month and Latino Professional Week with an in-school workshop on being bilingual in the workplace. La Paz is a local nonprofit that seeks to guide, connect, and strengthen Chattanooga's Latino community through advocacy, education, and inclusion. Four Latino community members joined La Paz in encouraging our Upper School Spanish students to continue studying foreign languages and to become better acquainted with their foreign neighbors. Were proud of being who we are, said Angela Garcia, director of Marketing and Business Development for La Paz. Having that second language will open many doors. Ms. Garcia brought the group to GPS for the two-class session. When the former managing editor of the Chattanooga Times Free Press Noticias Libres came to Chattanooga in 2001, she said there were very few Latino businesses or stores. She rose to the ranks of managing editor and contributing writer for La Paz's publication, Lideres, which highlights and celebrates the accomplishments of Latinos in Chattanooga. (Lideres is Spanish for leaders.) One of La Paz's recognized leaders is Emmanuel Escobar, Talent and Development Aid for EPB. I grew up in high school feeling like I didnt know who I am, Mr. Escobar says. I finally settled the terms. I am proud to be Latino, proud of who I am. The Mexico native is EPBs diversity recruiter in the technology sector and is a company advocate and talent scout. Through his work he says he experiences both Latino and American cultures and is proud of the company for increasing its diversity. Within that diversity he encourages women to pursue careers in engineering, saying it will impact their lives. One of the quickest ways to develop a relationship is through language, he said. It connects people. It will give you an immediate in to who they are. Also born in Mexico, Monica Griffin arrived in Dalton as its Latino population began to grow nearly 20 years ago. She and 15 of her closest friends were hired as exchanged teachers to a population that swelled to 75 percent of Spanish-speaking residents. I only wanted to live here and help the community, said Ms. Griffin, a mother of two who is Lead Preschool-3 Teacher and Spanish Immersion Curriculum Coordinator at St. Peters Episcopal School. Both of her children are bilingual. We need to embrace other cultures, Ms. Griffin says. We need to embrace other communities. It means that you are a well-rounded person when you speak another language. It is a wonderful thing to have students who are bilingual and bilateral. La Paz's Director of Community Health and Wellness, Jassica Cliche, manages several of the agency's programs for Lations. She relocated from her home country of Guatemala to Chattanooga 18 years ago. "I think it is important to be bilingual and to be able to translate that to my customers," she said. "I am the bridge. Being bilingual will open not just doors, but your heart and your mind to the world. National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the contributions of Hispanics and Latinos as well as celebrates their language and culture. The month-long celebration runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Samsung 'Flash' line of Windows laptops said to be in works News oi-Vishal Kawadkar Samsung soon to launch a new line of laptops. Samsung is said to be working on a new line of Windows laptops that will be advertised as the "Notebook Flash," reports AndroidHeadlines. The price bracket for the new product family remains uncertain but the company's IP activity patterns point towards high-end devices that may see the light of day in the first quarter of 2019. The company is expected to launch the new line of laptops in Europe and might end up making it available to a wider audience. The Samsung Notebook Flash line could be a successor to the NoteBook 3 and Notebook 5 models launched back in April. Both the laptops came with seventh- and eighth-generation Intel chips based on the configuration - and DDR4 RAM, as well as an HDD-SSD storage combo and screens with resolutions up to 1,920 by 1,080 pixels (FHD). While the new series could be a mid-range or an entry-level product, the company has previously curbed those price ranges due to the thin profit margins. This is also the reason that Samsung doesn't have a lot of non-premium Chromebooks under its belt, despite being a supporter of the operating system. The company is not likely to announce the Notebook Flash series this year because it will tough for Samsung to secure the trademark on that particular moniker until January next year. Well, apart from starting a new range of products, Samsung also said to discontinue the J series of smartphones. A report from ET News suggests that the company might shut the J line altogether in the coming days. But the report suggests there will be some major changes on the way: Samsung Galaxy J series will be completely eliminated and the company will expand the Galaxy A series with more competent devices. A new Galaxy M series is also said to replace the Galaxy On series. The removal of the Galaxy J series will also the M series to pave its way, which will be priced aggressively and will be restricted to the Chinese, Indian, and South American markets. Moreover, the Galaxy A line will get more products that will go against the mid-rangers from Huawei and Xiaomi. While this makes a lot of sense, the company is yet to any such move, so it will be wise to take this piece of information with a grain of salt. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Nokia 7.1 Plus with Mega Display might soon launch in India with Snapdragon 710 SoC News oi-Vivek Nokia 7.1 Plus is expected to come with a 6.18-inch display HMD Global recently launched the Nokia 7.1, which is the first 7 series smartphone from Nokia with an HDR display. And now, the company has started to tease the launch of a new smartphone. According to the latest reports and speculations, the company is most likely to launch the Nokia 7.1 Plus. The recent teaser of the alleged Nokia 7.1 Plus is particular about the display of the phone. According to the teaser, the upcoming smartphone from Nokia will have a "Mega Display" to see the "Big Picture". The teaser hints that the Nokia 7.1 Plus is likely to come with a display bigger than 6-inch with a higher screen to body ratio. The teaser of the Nokia 7.1 Plus also reveals that the smartphone is likely to have a dual camera, placed vertically on the back of the smartphone. However, the teaser lacks additional details about the smartphone. Nokia 7.1 Plus specifications According to the leaks, the Nokia 7.1 Plus will come with a 6.18-inch IPS LCD screen with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. Under the hood, the smartphone will be running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC with at least 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. Back to the camera, the smartphone will have dual sensors at the back with a 12 MP primary sensor and a 13 MP secondary depth sensor. This camera setup is likely to offer similar functionalities as of the Nokia 7 Plus. However, the Nokia 7.1 Plus is expected to offer additional functionalities as well. The smartphone is likely to come with a 20 MP selfie camera with 1080p video recording capability. The smartphone is expected to come with a 3400 mAh battery, which is slightly less than the 3700 mAh battery found on the Nokia 7 Plus. Albeit, the smartphone is likely to offer fast charging via USB type C port with a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Lastly, the Nokia 7.1 Plus is likely to run on Android 8.1 Oreo under Android One branding, and the device will be updated to Android 9 Pie after the launch with additional features like Digital well being. In terms of pricing, the Nokia 7 Plus was launched in India for Rs 25,999, and the Nokia 7.1 Plus is expected to retail at a similar price tag. The Nokia 7.1 Plus will cost Rs 25,999 for the base variant. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Samsung Galaxy S10 to be powered by an NPU-powered processor News oi-Vishal Kawadkar Samsung wants to get into the AI processor race. Samsung will be unveiling its next S series flagship - the Galaxy S10 next year. But, that doesn't stop new leaks and reports form pouring in every day. Now, a new report suggests that the upcoming smartphone will have a processor with a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) developed for specific artificial computing. The new functionality, however, will only be seen on select Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 models. Samsung has already developed the second-generation NPU solution, as suggested by a LinkedIn profile of one of its former employees. It doesn't give away any specifics about the chip, though the platform is expected to be found inside the Exynos 9820, which is the company's next flagship processor for phones and tablets. While the company has already developed an NPU, the Exynos 9810 lacked the support, which powers the current flagships from the brand. Besides, Qualcomm and Huawei are well ahead in making mobile AI chips. The successor to the Snapdragon 845 processor will also come with an NPU, while the new Kirin 980 is said to be the most advanced smartphone AI chip on the market. After ignoring the mobile AI and seeing its competitors taking advantage of the technology, Samsung seems to be planning a major NPU push in 2019. This would result in smarter battery performance, good mobile photography, and a slew of AI-enhanced functionalities from company's upcoming flagships. A previous report claimed that the upcoming flagship will have a total of three models with varying display sizes. Known industry-insider named Ice Universe took to Twitter to tip the sizes and properties of the three models. The devices will come under model numbers SM-G970, SM-G973, and SM-G975. The post suggests that first, the 5.8-inch model will have a flat display, while the last two models will feature a curved display measuring 5.8 inches and 6.44 inches respectively. Few rumors also suggest that the flagship will feature asymmetrical bezels. However, it will offer higher screen-to-body ratio than their predecessors. The top bezel is said to be bigger than the chin of the device, though the latter may be twice as slim as the bezel seen on the latest Galaxy Note 9. The asymmetrical front panel is a result of component placement probably, though it's unclear which component is responsible for it. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Xiaomi Mi Note 4 to launch on the 15th of October with Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC News oi-Vivek Xiaomi Mi Note 4 to offer a notch-design display with a dual camera setup Xiaomi is all set for the launch of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 aka, the Xiaomi LEX, which is expected to come with retractable selfie camera to offer a notch-less design. And now, according to the newly released teaser, the company (Xiaomi) is also expected to launch yet another flagship smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi Note 4. According to the leaked press invites, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 and the Xiaomi Mi Note 4 will be made official on the 15th of October. We already know a lot of features about the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3. The Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 could be the first commercial smartphone to support 5G network, as the smartphone is likely to run on the next-gen Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC. Xiaomi Mi Note 4 specifications Unlike the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3, the Xiaomi Mi Note 4 will be more of a mid-tier smartphone, which is most likely to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC with at least 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. The smartphone is expected to offer similar traits as of the Xiaomi Mi 8. Concerning design, the Xiaomi Mi 8 will have an all-glass design with a dual camera setup similar to the Xiaomi Mi 8. For the display, the smartphone is likely to come with an OLED display with a cutout for a notch on the top offering higher screen to body ratio. The Xiaomi Mi Note 4 is also expected to come with a dedicated AI button to trigger the Xiao AI, similar to the one seen on the flagship smartphones from Samsung. However, with respect to the functionalities of the dedicated AI button in the Mi Note 4 will offer more freedom compared to the one on the Samsung smartphones. On the Mi Note 4, the user will be able to remap the button to add additional functionality. As of now, there is no information on the pricing of the Xiaomi Mi Note 4. However, considering the price of the other Xiaomi smartphones, the Xiaomi Mi Note 4 (base variant) is expected to be priced around $300 (Rs 21,000). Whereas the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 will be a flagship-grade smartphone and is likely to retail around $700 for the base variant. Via Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Google might drop Chrome support for Android Jelly Bean devices News oi-Sandeep Sarkar The information comes from a commit spotted in the code of Chrome. Google might soon drop the support for Chrome on the devices that are running on the Android Jelly Bean platform. The information comes from a commit spotted in the code of Chrome. The commit suggests that going forward Chrome will not receive any updates on the devices that are currently running on Android Jelly Bean OS v4.1, v4.1 and v4.3 and older. The maximum API level that will be required to run Chrome on Android devices will soon be bumped to Android 4.4 KitKat, meaning, the Chrome browser will not be in line to receive the updates. The versions older than the Jelly Bean will also not receive the updates. The commit also reads that 'By default, only Android KitKat and above is supported'. The Jelly Bean OS was introduced by Google around six years ago which makes it a bit dated and that is the primary reason that Google has decided not to roll out further updates for the same. This will make accessing Chrome less secure on these platforms. Considering that a huge a base of users might have already updated to higher versions of Android the usage ratio on the devices running on Android Jelly Bean or older is fairly low. If go as per the new Android Distribution Report for the month of September then all the three build versions of the Android Jelly Bean OS accounts for a total of 3.3 percent which is fairly low. This also included the users who visited the Play Store to download an app. However, no matter how low this percentage sounds there are still around a million smartphones which are running on Android Jelly Bean. Therefore this decision by Google will impact a vast majority of the users. To recall, Google has also recently introduced a new feature for its voice-based digital assistant which will allow the users to book the cheapest cab for any desired destination. Upon firing up the Google Assistant and giving a voice command that "Hey Google! Book a ride to (destination name) the users will be presented with a list which will show all the information on the fares cabs and the estimated arrival of the cabs. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Vodafone introduces new prepaid plan of Rs 189 with a validity of 56 days News oi-Karan Sharma Vodafone rolls out a new long-term prepaid plan for Rs 189 with the validity of 56 days. Vodafone which has announced its merger with Idea has recently introduced a new long-term validity plan for Rs 279. Now, the service provider is rolling out a prepaid plan for Rs 189 which is also a long-term validity plan. With the Rs 189 plan, Vodafone is offering both voice and data benefits to its subscribers. The user will receive unlimited calling benefits but it will come with a limitation of daily FUP. Vodafone subscribers will be able to make calls up to 250 minutes daily and only 1000 minutes per week. After the exhaustion of the FUP Limit, the user will be charged. The company will charge 1 paisa per second, along with voice benefit the plan also comes with 2GB of 3G/4G data. However the prepaid plan doesn't offer any message benefit, but it comes with the long-term validity of Rs 56 days. This Vodafone prepaid plan will directly go up against Reliance Jio's Rs 198 plan. Jio's prepaid plan comes with unlimited local, STD and roaming voice calling. It also offers a total of 56GB data and 100 SMS per day, but the plan comes with a validity of 28 days only. Telecom operator Vodafone has recently introduced its Rs 279 prepaid plan in some selected circles. This new plan comes with unlimited local and STD calling and SMS. It also offers 4GB 3G/4Gg data with a validity of 84 days. It seems that the company has planned its strategy very cleverly to be in the race of offering best plans in the telecom industry. Reliance Jio has already made its difficult for its rivals to cope up with the plans which they are offering to its consumers. The company has already joined over 9.7 million users to its customer base by June 2018. Recently Vodafone has also come up with two new prepaid plans of Rs 99 and Rs 109. With this two plans, the company is offering unlimited calling. Rs 99 plan comes with unlimited local, STD and roaming calls with a validity of 28 days. While the Rs 109 plan comes with 1GB data along with unlimited calling facility. But do note that there is a FUPp limit of Rs 250 minutes per day. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner looks back on the Japanese Grand Prix with fondness, saying that it was a positive day for the Bulls as Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo ended third and fourth respectively. Verstappen had contact with both Ferrari drivers in the opening laps of the race as both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel tried moves on him, but he survived both impacts, although he did get a penalty for his collision with Raikkonen. He eventually finished where he started, in third place, almost finishing second after putting a lot of pressure on Valtteri Bottas in second place. As for Ricciardo, who finished the day as the Driver of the Day, he finally had a good outing again for Red Bull. The Aussie started from P15 after breaking down in qualifying but fought his way up the field, capitalizing on the limps of the Ferrari cars. Today was a good day for both drivers and the team, Horner was quoted by TheCheckeredFlag. For Max to achieve a podium despite incurring a five-second penalty following contact with Kimi on the opening lap was a great performance. He had a busy afternoon, with a racing incident between him and Seb on lap seven resulting in damage. "Despite that, he was still able to close down Valtteri in the final stages and put him under pressure to try and claim second place and secure his third consecutive Suzuka podium. Daniel also drove a very strong Grand Prix, progressing through the field with some great overtakes and with strong pace he was able to finish fourth from fifteenth on the grid. "All round, it has been a positive day getting two cars to the finish and taking home a good haul of points for the team. The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now. Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market. In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender. India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex. Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted. But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted? Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner. If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems. I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now. I want more variation in masturbation I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own. If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end. What is sex toys for Indian? Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation. It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms. They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable. Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner. The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner. It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past. In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping. Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order. In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing. Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome. Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own. But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance. More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around. Sextoy situation in India Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years. In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India. Mumbai Kolkata Bangalore Delhi Chennai Hyderabad These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India. In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well. If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too. If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it. What are Sextoys for beginner? Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms. Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy. I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion. I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy. If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma. Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it. Advantages of using sextoy for Indians There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways. Can have stimulating sex Can develop new sexual zones If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern. However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways. You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation. Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever. There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure. This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it. When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems. It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms). For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles [Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou... Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India. Sextoy for beginner men in India So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners. For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men! The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men Masturbator Cock rings Love Doll Sex Lubricants Toys for the prostate Lets check each one in detail. Masturbator The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products. It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands. Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands. They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.) Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much. Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! ! Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018 Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood. If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ... [For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien... Cock Ring A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis. It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow. It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber. In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection. Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction. It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it. Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time. Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function. Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy. You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect. [Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat... Love Doll Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex. There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women. Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price. The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true. You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste. There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice. You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls. If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to... Sex lubricants Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules. It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution. Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse. There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent. Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent. If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here. What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many... Toys for the Prostate Another sextoy for men is prostate toys. The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line. Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men. Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men. What is the prostate? The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm. You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus. By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms. Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.) The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation. Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure. sextoy for beinner women in India The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy. The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy. Vibrator. Dildo Electric Masserger Lets check out what each one is in detail. If you want to check out womens toys, click here. [BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm... Vibrators A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator. Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy. It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy. Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women. For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators. Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex. Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself. This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual. Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men. When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons. Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most... Dildo A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis. It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass. A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it. They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well. It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device. A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo. Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands. For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis. This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one. To learn more about dildo, please click here. What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th... Electric Masserger A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores. It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low. Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels. Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation. It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure. For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm. It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out. If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager? To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here. What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th... How to choose a sextoy for Indian Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one. Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)? Does the size fit you (your partner)? Is the environment able to produce sound without problems? Price range First of all, the choice of size is quite important. Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women. For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage. Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems. Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise. If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level. Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it. Finally, there is the price range. The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest. Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy. Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy? I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance. For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics. If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out. How to buy sextoys in India The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping. For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below. Sextoy is one of them. Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping. SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India. They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry. Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card. To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy. ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal. Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on. Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture. Cautions for Indians using sextoy When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind Keep sex toys clean Watch out for electrical leakage Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone. Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there. It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case. In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness. Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful. If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it. You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly. Summary What did you think? In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India. The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future. As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values. However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health. If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try? Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women. I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it. A blog for students in my introductory classes in government, and any interested passersby. You'll find news items and random stories that illustrate any of the topics we cover in class. Special attention will be paid to the constitutional issues associated with contemporary issues and disputes. Feel free to send me stories you find important. Please note that due to spam, I'm limiting the ability of people to comment on these pages. My apologies. By Azernews By Abdul Kerimkhanov A first meeting of the Ministries of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan chaired by the First Deputy Ministers of the two countries, Major-General Davron Nazarmuhamedov and Lieutenant-General of Police Vilayet Eyvazov, was held, Uzbek media outlets reported. In the course of the talks, the parties exchanged views, accumulated experience in the fight against crime and ensuring law and order. During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state and future prospects of the activities of the units of the parties to exchange information in the field of combating terrorism, extremism and illegal migration, cooperation in the fight against common crime and investigative activities, the state of interaction between the units of the parties in the area of transportation security, and ways to improve it. In conclusion, the parties signed a protocol on cooperation for 2019-2020. Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan were established on October 2, 1995. To date, more than 110 bilateral documents have been signed between the two countries. Thus, over the past period of 2018, both countries maintained active contacts in a wide range of areas. These include the visits to Azerbaijan of the delegations of Uzbekistan led by first Deputy Chairman of Senate of Parliament of Uzbekistan Sadiq Safayev, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Parliament Sarvar Otamuratov, Minister of Employment and Labor Relations Sherzod Kudbiyev, Defense Minister Abdusalom Azizov, Minister of Culture Bakhtiyor Sayfullaev, Interior Minister Pulat Babajanov and others. At the end of 2017, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $31.2 million, of which $26.2 million was accounted for exports of Uzbek goods and only $4.9 million fell for imports. By Trend Kazakhstan and Russia have reached an agreement on the development of ferry service between the countries' ports on the Caspian Sea and along the Irtysh River, the Ministry for Investments and Development of Kazakhstan said in a message. This issue will be worked out by the end of the 1st half of 2019. This agreement was reached at the 13th meeting of the Subcommittee on Transport of the Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, chaired by the First Vice-Minister of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar and Russias Deputy Minister of Transport Sergey Aristov. During the meeting, a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation in the field of rail, road, water and air transport were discussed. Another agreement was reached in the sphere of railway transport on the continuation of joint work aimed at creating the "Eurasia" high-speed freight and passenger rail corridor. In motor transport, the parties agreed to prepare for signing a new agreement between Russia and Kazakhstan on international road transport by the end of 2018. The parties also reached an agreement in the field of civil aviation on simplified rules of entry, stay and departure for the crew members of Kazakh and Russian airlines who are foreign nationals of third countries. There is perhaps no more beautiful part of the East Coast than the Canadian Maritimes: the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The problem is that getting there is a hassle. You have to take either an expensive flight with a change of planes or a two-day drive. But there is a third option: The Cat, a high-speed car and passenger ferry that runs daily from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. But it may soon move farther away. The Cat is a 1,646-ton, high-speed catamaran owned by the U.S. Navy and leased to Bay Ferries, the Canadian operator of the vessel (staffed with a U.S. crew). Launched in 2007, it used to run between the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Maui. The 349-foot long vessel can cross the Gulf of Maines 213-mile span in about five and a half hours at a top speed of 35 knots (40 mph), carrying 866 passengers and 282 cars. It sails each morning from Nova Scotia at 8:30 a.m., arriving in Portland about 1 p.m. The return voyage leaves at 2:30 p.m., arriving in Yarmouth around 9 p.m. Passengers can enjoy two bars, free movies, comfy first-class airline seating and a variety of food and shopping options. Ferry service between Portland and Nova Scotia has run since 1970, but the older vessels required an overnight crossing, allowing passengers to enjoy cabins (if they werent spending the night gambling in the on-board casino). Locals in Maine still wax nostalgic about the Scotia Prince, the last slow-speed ferry to make the overnight crossing. But the fast-ferry has found a new clientele, drawing customers from Boston, Providence and as far away as New York City. According to its market research, its passengers have higher incomes and 75 percent of them live in the U.S. The Cat isnt cheap. A car with two passengers costs more than $400 one way in peak season, though discounts are available for seniors and at off-peak times. Nova Scotia residents get a $100 discount, since the province subsidizes Bay Ferries to the tune of $7.5 million (U.S. dollars) per year. The province likely gets its moneys worth since Bay Ferries says the average customer spends 11 days driving through the Maritimes, staying in hotels and enjoying the great seafood. With the exchange rate giving the U.S. dollar a 30 percent premium, that can still add up to a lot of lobster. But now Bay Ferries is threatening to pull out of Portland and depart instead from Bar Harbor, Maine, another three hours up the coast. The company says it would cut the crossing time to three hours and save 40 percent on its fuel. The Cat used to run on weekdays from Bar Harbor and weekends from Portland, but the company prefers one departure point and a less confusing schedule. Company officials also say they are not concerned about losing customers, noting that 3.5 million people visit Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor each year. More Information Join the conversation Use #GettingThereCT to chime in on Facebook and Twitter. See More Collapse Locals in Bar Harbor seem less enthusiastic about the ferry as the small town already sees as many as three cruise ships each day. The small town is so crowded it looks like St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, but with pine trees. The last sailing of The Cat for this season from Portland will be Monday. As for next year stay tuned. Jim Cameron is a longtime commuter advocate based in Fairfield County. Contact him at CommuterActionGroup@gmail.com This week Donald Trump hailed the new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada as "a great deal for all three countries." And maybe it was. But it also was surprisingly similar to the North American Free Trade Agreement that it replaced - and which Trump has denounced ferociously for years. The approach appears to be much like the one he's trying to take with North Korea: start by denouncing and threatening, then work toward achieving modest progress. Can the same pattern work with Iran? Trump's negotiating style is now familiar. He begins by creating a crisis by attacking existing arrangements. Negotiations follow and a tweak to the pre-existing arrangements is established. The new normal looks a lot like the old normal, but is rebranded. Trump takes credit for saving the country from the errors of his predecessors. The NAFTA replacement, dubbed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, includes some noteworthy changes to its 24-year-old predecessor. But many of the most significant changes are drawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership that former President Barack Obama had negotiated and that Trump consigned to the trash as soon as he took office. Rebranding relations with Iran, though, may prove to be more difficult. North Korea was delighted to engage with the U.S. at the leader-to-leader level, gaining unprecedented legitimacy at no cost. Iranian leaders, by contrast, would be taking a considerable political risk by meeting Trump in public. Trump enragedIran's leaders and public like by summarily withdrawing from the nuclear agreement reached during Obama's presidency, calling it "the worst deal ever," and launching a campaign of "maximum pressure," largely in the form of financial war. The resulting sanctions are biting hard and fast. Iran's currency, the rial, is in free-fall. And some of the most powerful sanctions, including on the oil industry, have yet to fully take effect. European efforts to create a "special payments vehicle" that would allow countries and companies to pay Iran in currencies other than dollars and skirt U.S. sanctions appear doomed. All this is bolstering Iranian hard-liners and causing many Iranians to rally around the flag. But they are also aggravating existing divisions in Iran and narrowing the government's room for maneuver. Unrest is mounting among Iran's ethnic minorities, including Baluchis, Kurds and Arabs. Beyond the sanctions, the U.S. has teamed up with regional allies to intensify strategic pressure. U.S. troops are staying in eastern Syria, while Israel is confronting Iran and its Hezbollah proxies from Lebanon in the west. And the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have been pursuing an effective campaign to weaken Iran's grip on Iraq, most recently by securing the appointment of a new prime minister who Iran tried but failed to block. Both sides began the confrontation with exaggerated confidence. But it soon became clear that there were limits to what either could achieve. Iran isn't going to be able to isolate Washington, no matter how frustrated Europeans become with Trump. And U.S. pressure on Iran isn't going to produce a major policy change, let alone regime change. So, unless both sides want a war, and neither side does, Iran and the U.S. will have to find a way to re-engage. Trump has signaled that he wants a new understanding with Iran, saying in July: "They want to meet, I'll meet. Anytime they want. No preconditions. If they want to meet, I'll meet." Washington's idea of a deal would address three aspects of the six-nation nuclear deal that Trump withdrew the U.S. from in May. First, the U.S. wants restraints on Iran's nuclear activities that don't expire in a few years, as they do under in 10 to 15 years under the nuclear deal. Second, it wants to limit Iran's missile development, which is not covered by the nuclear deal at all. And third, the White House wants agreements curtailing Iran's destabilizing regional policies, especially support of violent militias like Hezbollah. It's going to be politically difficult and emotionally galling for Iranian leaders to get back into a dialogue with Washington. But the only way to relieve the pressure they face is to seek a new accommodation. And the economic pressures are also helping create a bigger Iranian constituency for re-engagement, despite widespread outrage at American perfidy. Righteous indignation only goes so far when you've got to pay the bills. So they are already laying the groundwork. At the September meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif was left the door open, saying, "I'm not ruling out the prospect of talks." In July, President Hassan Rouhani enraged Trump by warning of the "mother of all wars," but he also offered to help craft "the mother of all peace" with Washington. According to David Ignatius of The Washington Post, at the UN Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron that he was "ready to negotiate" with Iran, but added: "It's too early. They need to suffer." Ignatius wrote that he was skeptical that U.S. pressure tactics can work against Iran. But even the faint signals of re-engagement show that the two sides are closer to a new dialogue, possibly beginning through European intermediaries, than many people would have thought when Trump pulled out of the nuclear agreement. Washington and Tehran are communicating that neither wants war, but also that neither is satisfied with the current arrangement. That means both sides must want a deal. And that's progress, even though it's far from clear that either side's idea of a fair deal would ultimately prove acceptable to the other. So give Trump credit. His pressure on Iran seems to be working as planned so far. - Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Huawei introduced hardware acceleration feature called GPU Turbo that optimizes system utilization for heavy usage like games. The fellow Chinese manufacturer Oppo decided to follow suit and scheduled an event for October 11 in Shanghai called Hyper Boost Tech Meeting, according to an invite sent out to Chinese media. The poster contains a teaser, saying Towards an era of acceleration, suggesting it will indeed be a feature that will boost GPU and/or CPU performance. Since the launch is just a day after the official announcement of the Oppo K1, sources suggest the two might be linked. This means the new phone could be introduced as gaming smartphone instead of a middle ground between Oppo F9 and Oppo R17. Via (in Chinese) Samsung is usually late on the OS upgrade and it appears the trend will continue with Android Pie as well. Samsung France asked the Samsung Members community to share the issues that they want fixed and features they'd like to see in the package. The post about the changes also clarified that updates will be issued in January 2019. General UI changes Some features that are already available on Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note9 devices like adding an interval after typing a dot with the native keyboard. There will also be support for VoLTE and VoWiFi for older devices since the Galaxy S9 received it via OTA update. The keyboard will also have the ability to float during gaming sessions. System Settings changes The update will bring easier access to videos in Gallery and UI fixes when opening the array of pictures through the Camera app. Other camera features will include using the flash in direct focus mode. We also know there will be a dark theme, new Quick Toggles and the navigation tabs at the bottom when apps are being shown. Via Week 40 of 2018 saw two major announcements - LG brought forward its V40 ThinQ flagship, while HMD introduced the Nokia 7.1 upper-mid-ranger. The first one is undoubtedly more interesting, featuring arguably the best triple camera yet with three different viewing angles. We were also treated to a bunch of leaks, rumors and teasers of the flagships to come later this month - the OnePlus 6T, the Huawei Mate 20 duo and the Google Pixel 3 lineup. Check out the full list of popular stories to make sure you haven't missed anything. OnePlus 6T press images reveal all about design, waterdrop notch exposed The phone will have at least two color options - Mirror Black and Midnight Black. Google mocks Pixel Ultra rumors with a Pixel Mini sketch Don't get too excited, though, as the teaser is as real as the recent Pixel Ultra rumors. LG V40 ThinQ goes official with regular, ultra wide and telephoto cameras With a 6.4" OLED display, rugged build and LG's traditional audio features, the V40 is ready to take on the competition. Huawei Mate 20 and 20 Pro prices revealed You won't like them if they turn out to be true, that's for sure. Amazon India heavily discounts the OnePlus 6 Starting October 10 it will be almost 25% down from the original price. Quad-cam Samsung Galaxy A9s specs revealed This is the new name of the Samsung Galaxy A9 Star Pro with the four cameras on the back. Google teases the Active Edge on Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL in a video The video is part of Google's campaign to promote the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL in Japan. Nokia posts a cryptic teaser ahead of its event tomorrow The 23-second video alternates powerful messages and ends with an anticlimactic outline of a phone. Microsoft unveils Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop 2, Surface Studio 2, Surface Headphones The Pro 6 and Laptop 2 come in matte black, the Studio 2 is expensive, and the Headphones are Microsoft's first stab at that market. By Trend Myratniyaz Berdyev, who previously held the position of deputy chairman of the Board of the Dayhanbank State Commercial Bank of Turkmenistan, has been appointed its chairman, reads the Turkmen presidential decree. By another decree, Muhammet Nepesov was released from temporary duties of the head of the bank. The bank is focused on financing the agro-industrial complex, and provides loans for investment projects in industry, construction and other areas. Turkmenistan is in a transitional stage of its development. In recent years, for the first time, an article appeared in Constitution on the transition to market relations. The Caspian country has already carried out several reforms in monetary policy: the denomination of the national currency, the unification of exchange rates, and in 2014 the country switched to international accounting standards. Published on 2018/10/07 | Source Jung Woong-in plays Detective Han Tae-gyoo who tracks down prison escapee Kim Yunjin in the new SBS drama "Ms. Ma, Nemesis". Advertisement Han Tae-goo is tenacious and arrested Ms. Ma (Kim Yunjin) who murdered his daughter in his early detective days. Nine years later, Ms. Ma escapes from prison and as the detective responsible for the case, Han Tae-gyoo risks everything in tracking her down. Han Tae-gyoo finally spots Ms. Ma in her neighborhood after a long search. He found out that Ms. Ma was looking for the culprit who killed her daughter and narrowed in on her. Meanwhile, "Ms. Ma, Nemesis" is broadcast every Saturday on SBS. Absentee voter mailing being sent to people already registered is not an official mailing Editors note: This clarifies that the candidate forum is being held Wednesday. With ballots being mailed out to absentee voters the end of this week, Hill County Clerk and Recorder Susan Armstrong said people are receiving mailers urging them to register as absentee when they already are registered. Armstrong said the emails, from a group called The New American Jobs Fund, is telling people they are registered to vote but have not yet applied to vote absentee. That is confusing people who already are registered absentee, she said. The mailers are not coming from election administrators or the Montana Secretary of States office. People are welcome to call their clerk and recorders office to see if they are registered to vote absentee, Armstrong said, but the letters are being sent to people already registered in error. People also can visit the My Voter page at http://www.sos.mt.gov to find out if they are registered to vote absentee. Tuesday is the last day to register to vote and the first day to vote absentee. Absentee ballots will be mailed out Friday to people registered as absentee voters. After Tuesday, people can do a late registration and also register to vote absentee, but they will be given a ballot rather than having one mailed to them. People who receive an absentee ballot, either in the mail or at the clerk and recorders office, must use that ballot. They may not vote at the polls on Election Day. If they lose or destroy the absentee ballot, they will have to vote a provisional ballot at the clerk and recorders office. The Havre Daily News is holding a candidates forum Wednesday for contested Hill County races and for local legislative candidates. The forum starts at 6 p.m. in Hensler Auditorium in Montana State University-Northerns Applied Technology Center. Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel will moderate the forum. If people have questions they would like the candidates to answer, they can be emailed to [email protected] The Havre Daily News will start running profiles of candidates in contested races Tuesday. Students seemed shocked Friday when they were told they could potentially make more than a starting lawyer working in construction during a talk at Rocky Boy High School by Tyler Smith, owner of Lakeside Excavation, and Lorren Schlotfeldt, a professor in Montana State University-Northern's plumbing program. Smith and Schlotfeldt discussed vocations in the trades industry with Havre and Rocky Boy High School students Friday during National Construction Week. The two started their day at Havre Middle School before traveling to Rocky Boy, then coming back to talk to students at Havre High School. Schlotfeldt said during his talk at Rocky Boy that employment in the trades has reached crisis level. "For every three guys retiring, there's only one new hire coming in," he said. Schlotfeldt took a survey of the class to see how many have been told in order to get a good-paying job, they had to go to college. Everyone's hand in the room went up. "Well I'm going to poke a hole in that theory," he said. For a career in the trades such as electrical, plumbing, construction and so on, Schlotfeldt said people don't have to go to a typical four-year university. "College isn't for everybody," Smith added. "And that's OK." More than a thousand opportunities for apprenticeship exist in the United States, Schlotfeldt said. Beginners would have to complete four years of apprenticeship and then another three years to be considered a master in their field of choice, he added. "Own your own companies, guys," Schlotfeldt said. Schlotfeldt and Smith estimated that minimum wage in Montana is around $8 an hour versus $12 an hour for someone starting off as an apprentice in a trade. Schlotfeldt added that after four years, the wage increased to $30 an hour. "It's OK to work with your hands," he said. "It's not a crime." Schlotfeldt listed some of the trade programs that Northern offers, such as welding certification, auto, diesel, civil engineering technology and plumbing. He added that his plumbing graduates start off at $18 to $20 an hour. In Montana, it is required to work four years as an apprentice and complete 15 courses, he added. Schlotfeldt said students in the trades departments at Northern don't need to worry about being behind on the education portion should they decide to pursue a college degree. Trade graduates typically leave Northern with a higher skill level and higher education level, he added. "If you wanted to join the plumbing program," Schlotfeldt said, "I could guarantee you a job after graduation." In the past year, Schlotfeldt said he received about 400 inquiries for plumbers. He graduates about 16 each year from his plumbing program at Northern. Technology has changed the way tradespeople perform this jobs. Schlotfeldt said it has made homes better. Smith added there are bulldozers that are controlled by satellites and the only thing the operators have to do is hit a button. The civil engineering technology side has a different process, Smith said. Beginners start off in the shop cleaning and taking care of equipment, then move to the field for field work and from there they can begin to learn to drive a truck. Once the individual has mastered driving a truck, they move to equipment operation, he added. Smith said it depends on the individual. but it takes between three and 10 years to master the equipment operations side of things. Equipment operators make around $40,000 a year, he added. "Ultimately when we're talking about trades and we're talking about careers, you guys need to find out what motivates you," Smith said. "Working the trades is hard work, but it is great work." Work in the trades offers a lot of opportunity, especially for women, Smith said. Schlotfeldt said he knows of a woman in Helena who is only one of two master plumbers in the state, and she will hire any woman who graduates from the plumbing program. Schlotfeldt said that because demand is high for tradespeople, big companies are willing to pay for room and board as well as allow employees to bring their families. Smith said that in Las Vegas, if someone were to work as a crane operator, they would be making around $200 an hour. "Basically, look at a video screen and run a joystick," he added. Schlotfeldt gave an anecdote about a truck driver who worked for him. He asked the truck driver how he got into that line of work. The truck driver said that he wasn't a good student in school and he would often stare outside because that's where he'd rather be. His teacher told him that he would not make a living by looking outside all day. "I proved her wrong, I'm a truck driver," Schlotfeldt said the truck driver told him. "I've been all over the U.S. staring out a window driving a truck." The truck driver makes $100,000 a year, he added. Central Plumbing and Central Electric are some companies that Schlotfeldt said have worked with Northern students and have apprenticeship programs with Northern students. Smith said some graduates have used their trade skills to improve their local towns and that is a possibility for them as well. Montana Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester, spoke Friday to the North Central Pachyderm Club about his concern with I 185 and I 186, and spoke on his campaign against his opponent, Democrat Paul Tuss, in his bid for re-election this November. Tempel said everybody has been asking about Initiative 185, which raises the tax of prepackaged pack of cigarettes by $2 and raised the tax on e-cigarettes, vapes and vape oil. The money from the initiative is proposed to help fund Medicaid expansion and other programs. The state expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, leaving a sunset clause in unless the state acted to find funding for the program as federal funding is cut back. Tempel said he would like to see the initiative go down and that it lacks some important items that he would personally like to see. "There's all kinds of numbers floating around. ... I'm not sure anybody has the right one," Tempel said. "Some of the things that were left out in that, were the sunset," Tempel said. "They've wanted to squanch the sunset, so it will never end. That's one real issue with that particular thing. The other one is a work element, they've left out the work element." In Hill County 1,093 people are on the Montana Medicaid program, or HELP, between the ages of 19 to 25, Tempel said, with 2,031 newly enrolled as of March 1, 2018, 12.24 percent of the population, which Tempel said is the fifth highest out of 27 counties. This spike in enrollment led to I 185's proposal, he added. Liberty County has also seen 261 newly enrolled citizens in HELP, 11.06 percent of total population, 121 of them 19 to 34. Tempel said the work element for the HELP program is important, in addition to mandatory drug testing, because there are people who need help legitimately, "but you cannot tell me that 121 people in Liberty County are walking around that need help." Eliminating the sunset issue is one problem that is glaring, Tempel said, and if people, as a result, quitt smoking and using other products there will be no funds to continue paying for these programs. President of the Hill County Republican Central Committee Andrew Brekke said, as an insurance agent, he has customers who were previously paying for their own insurance with no aid, but after the adjustment they changed to Medicaid because they were suddenly eligible. He added that commercials saying that 100,000 people are at risk of being kicked off Medicaid ignores that the bulk of that 100,000 were previously able to afford proper health insurance and nothing to do with people who were not previously covered. "Every single one of those individuals was paying their own bill, 100 percent, with no subsidy, on their own," Brekke said. "Then the state of Montana and the taxpayers, or at least the taxpayers from the federal level, were paying that for the last couple of years." " ... To talk about people who have developmental disabilities, or to talk about people who have almost no income, or are physically disabled in some way who need Medicaid, is one category of folks. ... but it's a whole different situation than what people believe," he said. Paul Tuss Pam Harada said she has concerns for I 185, with it being a negative tax on anyone who is low income and using tobacco or other products. They will pay dearly, Harada said, adding that the higher price is not truly a deterrent for people to quit. Tempel said he has many things he would like to work on in the future if re-elected, such as energy concerns, industry and other items. He added that he wants to make sure people know that rural Montana has a voice and to voice the concerns that the region has with some of the issues that are being voted on. "Rural Montana does not have a voice," Tempel said. "A couple of different times people came up to me, tell me, 'I did not realize that rural Montana had an issue.' That's one thing I would like to make sure when I'm down there, make sure rural Montana has a voice." If you watch any television you cant help seeing advertisements for and against I 185. Its pretty confusing. I have decided to speak out against the initiate for several important reasons. Before explaining those I also want to affirm my view that we ought to be willing to help those who arent able to help themselves. Montanans have always been generous and caring about their neighbors. So why should we oppose this initiative? First, because its a self-serving proposal advanced by certain providers who want to bypass the Legislature to preserve tens of millions in profits. Why should we care about bypassing the Legislature? Because I 185 makes it nearly impossible for the Legislature to make reforms to Medicaid expansion. Reforms such as requiring abled-bodied beneficiaries to work. Or having an asset test so millionaires cant get free benefits. Or reforming the payment system so its fair to both providers and taxpayers. Medicare expansion has been controversial in Montana and elsewhere. Our Legislature and the governor reached a compromise to test expansion for four years with the promise it would be revisited to make sure its working for everyone particularly for taxpayers. That deal assured the Legislature could make changes. I 185 breaks that deal. And I 185 has serious flaws. Because it was drafted by special interest groups who were trying to protect their bottom lines, it hasnt been properly vetted. It has a formidable constitutional flaw because our constitution prohibits initiatives that appropriate money. The initiative also doesnt raise enough money to pay for its benefits. That means taxpayers will have to pick up the deficit. It means other important programs are at risk. Programs such as public education, law enforcement, infrastructure and public health. Medicare expansion is the largest single increase in government spending of our life times. Its a complicated matter that requires study and compromise. We shouldnt let one single special interest group dictate our policy. Particularly, making that dictate permanent. And especially if that interest group has so much to gain at our expense. For these reasons we should vote no on I 185. Rick Hill represented Montana in Congress for four years. He lives in Helena. A majority of the Tennessee Supreme Court has held that death row inmates failed to establish that the current, three-drug lethal injection protocol violates prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment under the United States Constitution and the Tennessee Constitution. In January, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) adopted a three-drug lethal injection protocol as an alternative method of execution to the single-drug protocol using pentobarbital. In Februar, 33 death-sentenced inmates filed a constitutional challenge to this three-drug protocol. While the inmates case was pending, TDOC eliminated the single-drug lethal injection alternative, leaving the three-drug protocol as the only available lethal injection execution method in Tennessee. On July 26, the chancery court in Davidson County dismissed the inmates complaint, and twenty-nine of the plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal on July 30. On Aug. 9, following the Courts denial of a stay of execution, Billy Ray Irick, one of the plaintiff inmates, was executed using the three-drug lethal injection protocol. On Aug. 13, the Tennessee Supreme Court assumed jurisdiction over the inmates appeal on its own initiative in order to expedite the appeal. On Aug. 23, the remaining four plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal. The case was heard before the Supreme Court in Nashville on Oct. 3. In an opinion filed on Monday, a majority of the Court held that current federal and Tennessee law required the inmates to plead and prove the availability of an alternative method of execution that entails a lesser risk of pain. The Court held that the inmates failed to prove the availability of pentobarbital the only alternative method that the inmates sufficiently pleaded in their complaint. Thus, the Court concluded that the inmates failed to establish that the three-drug protocol violated either the United States Constitution or the Tennessee Constitution. As a result, the Court affirmed the trial courts dismissal of the inmates action. Justice Sharon G. Lee dissented, concluding that the inmates were denied due process because the proceedings were not fundamentally fair. Justice Lee noted several reasons for the unfairness, including that the inmates had to prove an alternative execution method, even though the three-drug method was shown to cause intolerable pain; the Courts rush to execute that resulted in the case being placed on an expedited docket; and TDOCs last minute changes to the lethal injection protocol. The number of visitors to Greece's famed archaeological sites and museums grew by 18.2 percent in May this year compared to last, official figures published on Friday showed. According to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), free-admission visits rose 20.2 percent year-on-year, while takings from tickets increased 18.7 percent. Visits to archaeological sites in May rose 21.5 percent, with free-admission visitors up by 28.8 percent and ticket takings by 18.5 percent. Museum visits, meanwhile, grew 18.2 percent, with a 20.2 percent increase in free-admission entries and 19.7 percent in takings. During the first five months of 2018, archaeological sites performed better than museums, with visits to the former rising 19.4 percent (15.1 pct free-admission and takings 20 pct) and to the latter 9.2 percent (5.5 pct free-admission and takings 14.3 pct). Read more at ekathimerini.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 A criminal serving a sentence for having 68,000 worth of cocaine and two handguns has been given more jail time after he was caught with a mobile phone in his cell. Glen Holland (35) was handed a two-month prison term on top of the six-and-a-half years he is already serving after he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of the phone in Mountjoy Prison. Gda Neil Cepeda told Dublin District Court that prison officers entered the cell last March 12 and found Holland with the phone. He did not have permission from the governor to have it. The court heard that Holl-and, of Rory O'Connor House, Hardwicke Street, Dublin 1, had 20 previous convictions, but none for a similar offence. Ammunition His most recent conviction was last February, when he was jailed for six years and six months at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possession of firearms and ammunition, as well as having drugs for sale or supply. Father-of-one Holland was trying to make the best use of his time in prison and was taking a personal training course, his solicitor John Quinn said. The defendant had given prison officers and gardai no difficulty and Mr Quinn asked Judge Bryan Smyth to take account of this and his guilty plea and to treat him as leniently as possible. Judge Smyth said the two-month sentence was to run at the end of Holland's current jail term. Holland did not address the court during the hearing. A sneak thief with more than 70 convictions grabbed a haul of loose cigarettes from a shop counter as part of a crime spree, a court heard. Martin Balog (24) was jailed for four months by Judge Ann Ryan after pleading guilty to burglary. Dublin District Court was told Balog had moved a small fridge on wheels to get behind the cigarette and alcohol counter at the SuperValu store on Military Road, Kilmainham, last January 24. The accused had gone into the store, which had no one behind the counter at the time, at 9.30am. Convictions He removed 750 cigarettes that were lying loose in a drawer after moving the fridge. The court heard Balog had 71 previous convictions and was already serving a sentence for theft. Nobody was confronted during the burglary. Balog "went in behind the counter rather than breaking in", his lawyer said. "I don't think it was a sophisticated operation, he just grabbed whatever was at hand," he added. The lawyer said Balog, from Slovakia, worked in Ireland for years but lost his job, became homeless, went back to drugs and "went on a spree". Mother-of-five Emma Mhic Mhathuna, who was diagnosed with cancer after she was given two false all-clears in the CervicalCheck scandal, died yesterday. The 37-year-old Dubliner was granted her dying wish to pass away in her beloved adopted home of Co Kerry. She died surrounded by her loving family at University Hospital Kerry in Tralee. Ms Mhic Mhathuna had found peace in the Gaeltacht village of Ballydavid in Dingle after moving there with her children earlier this year. As cervical cancer claimed her life, she battled to secure her children's future in the courts - and finally received a settlement of 7.5m in June from US lab Quest Diagnostics and the State. Anguish Expand Close Emma with her only daughter Natasha (15) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Emma with her only daughter Natasha (15) Her anguish on being told in May that her cancer was terminal touched the nation. She knew she was in a race against time to win security for her children, the youngest of whom is just two years old. Then she received the devastating news in August that the cancer had spread to her brain. This led to treatment in September to try to remove the lesions and she also had a course with the advanced drug pembrolizumab - but the cancer continued to spread. Her grieving family yesterday described her as "a wonderful mother, daughter and cherished friend". In a statement, they said Ms Mhic Mhathuna "who battled her illness with great valour, passed away peacefully in the comfort of her family's loving embrace". They added that she had "helped to shine a light on important issues which affected not just her own life, but lives of many others". The statement went on: "We will miss Emma beyond words, her intellect, her love, her quick wit and infectious smile are irreplaceable to those closest to her in these difficult days. "However, we take some comfort in the knowledge that Emma will be long remembered by the thousands of people who have been inspired by her fight for justice, transparency and improved services." The family added that she was devoted to her children, daughter Natasha (15) and sons Seamus (11), Mario (10), Oisin (6) and Donnacha (2). Ms Mhic Mhathuna was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016, despite having been given clear results on two tests. Ms Mhic Mhathuna was one of 221 women, 19 of whom are now dead, who received an incorrect smear test result. The majority were unaware that CervicalCheck had done internal audits confirming the wrong result until Limerick mother Vicky Phelan took a High Court case in April. It emerged in May that the majority of the audits sent to doctors by CervicalCheck had not been passed on to the women affected, including Ms Mhic Mhathuna. Outside the Four Courts in June, accompanied by her solicitor Cian O' Carroll, Ms Mhic Mhathuna insisted that she did not want to be seen as a victim. "I am not surprised it was settled before it went to court," she said. "I am a very strong character and they realised what they were up against." She added that the admission of liability was important to her for the sake of all women. "They apologised to me specifically and I was very happy with the fact that Quest Diagnostics have apologised," she said. She added: "It would make sense to check, check and recheck the smear test rather than hand out the big cheque." All the money she received will be invested for her children to ensure they remain together in a family home under the care of relatives with enough money to employ home supports to help with their future care. She said previously: "I am dying and I don't need to die. My children are going to be here without me. I don't even know if my little baby will remember me." Making the most of her last few months, Ms Mhic Mhathuna took her family on holiday to Morocco. She also took her children to Euro Disney in Paris. The HSE released a statement last night saying it was very saddened to hear of the death of Ms Mhic Mhathuna. "Emma's steadfast courage and advocacy in the face of a terrible prognosis was central in the establishment of the Scally review," the HSE said. "The Scally review will undoubtedly improve the quality of cervical screening in this country into the future. "Emma remained in close contact with the HSE over the past number of months in order to receive briefings on improvements taking place in cervical screening." Presidential candidate Gavin Duffy has admitted he should not have been driving the day he was involved in a crash which left a young female motorcyclist seriously injured. Mr Duffy - who was 18 at the time of the accident 40 years ago - crashed into the motorbike, which resulted in the woman having her leg amputated. She also suffered other serious injuries. The collision took place on August 21, 1978, with Duffy convicted of careless driving a number of years later. He described the accident as "a moment in my life that lives vividly and painfully in my memory". "Once again can I repeat my regret over the incident 40 years ago," he added. The collision took place in Co Louth, near Dunleer, with Mr Duffy saying that he nearly avoided contact with the female motorcyclist. "Another couple of inches and there would have been no impact," he said in a statement. Injury "However, the motorcyclist's leg came in contact with my car bumper causing the motorcyclist severe injury. "In the subsequent court case I was convicted of careless driving. "The evidence before the court outlined how I was driving within the speed limit. "However, I was also prosecuted for driving without insurance. "I had missed my lift to work and, without permission, had taken my brother's car." According to the Irish Mail on Sunday, Mr Duffy was prosecuted using his birth name of William [Liam], which he subsequently changed to Gavin during his broadcasting career in the 1980s. "I should not have been driving that morning and have accepted the blame for what transpired," he said. "Because of my remorse over what occurred, I made a settlement, when in my early 20s, with the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland (MIBI). "I toiled around the clock, working on radio by day and a club DJ at night, to raise the sum, after tax, of 35,000 punts to make a final settlement with the MIBI." This is jailed murderer Shay Wildes strolling around a Dublin supermarket after being let out of prison for the day to shop for himself and fellow inmates. The exclusive picture shows Wildes, who was convicted of the 2001 "revenge execution" of Tallaght man Joe Cummins, in a Lidl store last weekend. He is one of Ireland's most notorious killers and was previously acquitted of the 2003 contract killing of criminal Declan Griffin. Wildes, from Tallaght, is one of a number of lifers incarcerated in the Independent Living Skills Unit in Wheatfield Prison who are allowed to carry out grocery shops as part of efforts to ease their reintegration into society. The picture, obtained by the Sunday World, is the first recorded of Wildes since a video of him partying with drug lord John Gilligan and dealer John Daly in Portlaoise Prison in 2006. Daly was shot dead the following year. Alcohol A source said the reality of Wildes' current life behind bars is far from a party. "Lifers on the enhanced regime are escorted at all times by prison officers when allowed out on the shopping trips," the source said. "The food purchased by the inmates is subjected to a rigorous check by officers when the inmate on shop duty returns to the prison. "The food is then kept in a kitchen area where inmates are later allowed to cook their own chosen dishes, but no alcohol of any kind is allowed." During his 2003 trial for the murder of father-of-five Cummins, the jury heard that Wildes shouted "Merry Christmas" as he shot him in the head at close range shortly after Cummins left the Dragon Inn in Tallaght on St Stephen's Day 2001. He was jailed for 10 and five years respectively on two further counts of possession of ammunition. As Cummins was falling, Wildes fired a second shot at him and a third as he lay fatally wounded on the ground. During a series of garda interviews, Wildes admitted shooting Cummins, and said he did so because he wanted "revenge". He claimed that 18 months earlier, Cummins had attempted to sexually assault his sister, Catherine Wildes, and hit her with a crowbar. However, the court heard that no such complaint had ever been made to gardai. Garda forensics at the scene of the murder of Robert Sheridan A murder victim may have fallen foul of a vicious crack cocaine gang. Father-of-two Robert Sheridan (45) was shot dead when he answered the door at his home in Poppintree Crescent, Ballymun, on Friday night. He had been targeted several times in the weeks leading up to his death, with 13 bullets being pumped into his home and two cars being burned out. Investigators believe two masked men carried out the gun attack at around 11.15pm before fleeing into nearby Poppintree Park. Mr Sheridan was treated at the scene by paramedics but pronounced dead a short time later. The victim was known to local gardai for drug offences but was not considered a serious criminal. However, gardai believe that he was involved in a personal feud with a crack cocaine dealing gang from the area. The dispute, which escalated in recent months, led to Mr Sheridan being blamed for orchestrating a violent attack on a young member of the local crime gang. But there was no evidence to suggest that he was involved. Motive Gardai were last night trying to establish a definite motive for the murder. A source said last night that Mr Sheridan had not been arrested or caught with any drugs recently which would lead to him being targeted. One line of enquiry being followed is if his dispute with the crack cocaine gang was personal rather than directly linked to the drug trade. "It wasn't a secret in the area that he had major difficulties with young dealers who are particularly ruthless," said the source. "The bad blood was festering for a while and escalated recently with his home and car targeted. "He hadn't been arrested for any serious incidents and there doesn't appear to have been any sort of turf war going on. Indications are that this murder was the result of a personal dispute." Such was the threat to Mr Sheridan that he had been served with a Garda Information Message, known as a GIM form, which gardai give to a person when there is a credible risk to their life. The decision to issue the security advice came on the back of a series of attacks on him. In June his car was set on fire, while another vehicle was smashed up in August. The same vehicle was the target of a further arson attack in September. The attacks escalated three weeks ago when 13 shots were fired into his home. He only escaped serious injury because he was not home when the house was shot at. In an interview with the Sunday World days before he was killed, Mr Sheridan said he was carrying a dagger for his own safety and that he had been offered a firearm by local criminals. "It's the only protection I have, but it's not much use against a gun," he said. "They may be idiots but they're idiots with guns. It's really wrecking my head. "The guards can't do anything until I give a statement - but if I give a statement I'll be shot dead." Mr Sheridan said he was being targeted by a mob in their late teens and early 20s. "It started with a young fella who's around 18 or 19 who's selling crack cocaine," he said. "It started years ago when he started causing s**te and his brother started causing s**te. "Back in 2011 or 2012 he started mouthing. Now he's older and he's dealing. He got involved in the car being burned and the house being shot." Yesterday, members of the Divisional Search Team were continuing to comb through Popintree Park in an effort to uncover any evidence left by the killers. A forensic examination was carried out by members of the Garda Technical Bureau. Superintendent Brian Daly of Ballymun Garda Station told reporters at the scene over the weekend that the suspects were wearing balaclavas. "It's understood two armed men involved in the incident left the scene on foot and entered Poppintree Park before exiting on to Willow Park road," he added. "We are appealing to anyone in the area between 10pm and 12 midnight to contact us here at the incident room at Ballymun Garda Station." Fine Gael TD Noel Rock said that the Ballymun area needed an increased garda presence to prevent any further incident. Epidemic "Once again, the community in Ballymun has woken up to news of a shooting," he said. "This is becoming all too frequent an occurrence. Unfortunately, on this occasion, it has resulted in a fatality. It's quite clear we need an increased presence in this area." A local GAA club recently warned of a crack epidemic in Ballymun with criminal gangs "grooming" children to push drugs. The executive of Setanta GAA Club sent a letter to Drugs Minister Catherine Byrne in which it was claimed the use of crack cocaine in the area has increased tenfold in recent times. Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) together with Aldar Properties rang the market opening bell to celebrate the listing of Aldar Investments new sukuk, marking the first corporate sukuk ever to be listed on the exchange. The sukuk, which was raised at a profit rate of 4.75 per cent with a seven year tenor, will start trading today under the code ALDARSUKUK2025, said a statement. There was strong investor demand for the issue, reflecting Aldar Investments status as the regions highest rated non-government related corporate. Aldar Investments is a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of Aldar, whose shares are also listed on ADX, it said. Rashid Al Blooshi, chief executive of ADX, and Talal Al Dhiyebi, chief executive of Aldar, were present at the bell ringing ceremony held to mark the dual listing of the sukuk, the first of its kind in the market. The sukuk was primarily listed on the Irish Stock Exchange and is now traded on Euronext Dublin, as well as Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, it added. Al Blooshi said: This dual listing is yet another testament to our leadership and excellence in the region's securities markets. ADX has established itself as a preferred destination for listing and trading in the region. We have world-class infrastructure for listing and trading of diversified stocks, and it provides investors with the opportunity to invest their savings in a legal, stable and regulatory environment that adopts the best international practices in disclosure and transparency, he added. Greg Fewer, chief financial officer of Aldar, said: We are pleased to celebrate the first day of trading for the new sukuk. Our goal is for Aldar Investments to be the most cost-efficient platform for real estate ownership in the region. The lower cost of capital resulting from the successful sukuk issue is a significant step towards that goal, he added. In May, The Exchange listed sovereign bonds worth $100 million, issued by the Ministry of Finance and the Maldivian Treasury on behalf of the Maldives Government, for the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. The listing was the first of its kind in the UAE and the region. ADX seeks to become the preferred listing and trading platform, and strives to consolidate its position as a leading market in the region by providing the most innovative products and services to ensure a fair and secure investment environment. It also aims to strengthen the local economy and its sustainable development, in line with the Abu Dhabi Plan by developing the financial services sector, creating an attractive business and investment environment in the emirate, it added. TradeArabia News Service The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Banking Commission has signed an agreement with Global Credit Data (GCD), an association owned by banks to strengthen analysis within the market-leading ICC Trade Register. The ICC Trade Register is one of the few comprehensive sources to provide an objective and transparent view of the credit risk profile and characteristics of trade and export finance. GCD will now manage and oversee the collection of credit-related data from ICC Trade Register member banks. The cooperation will allow ICC and GCD to provide more granular data and detailed benchmarking reports to members. Krishnan Ramadurai, chair of the ICC Trade Register project, said: The ICC Trade Register is an indispensable tool for the global banking system and policymakers, enhancing market understanding of the nature of trade finance and contributing to informed policy and regulatory decision-making. This agreement with GCD, which is at the forefront of data collection and analysis, will allow us to further develop and evolve the ICC Trade Register as the go-to source for quality and trusted data, which can be used for robust analysis. David Bischof, senior policy manager at the ICC Banking Commission, added: There is a direct and critical link between the availability of timely and affordable trade finance and the conduct of international trade. Since its inception, the ICC Trade Register has been instrumental in promoting dialogue and advocacy around trade finance as an asset class in its own right. The ICC Trade Register was established in 2011 and has since grown to include 22 member banks, covering over $10.5 trillion of exposures and more than 20 million trade finance transactions. The trade finance products included in the register have traditionally been letters of credit, loans for import/export and performance guarantees. The next edition, to be released in the first quarter of 2019, with Boston Consulting Group as a strategic partner, will expand to include supply chain finance products and export finance provided by non-OECD export credit agencies. Data collection for the report will begin in October 2018. Philip Winckle, executive director of GCD, said: Extending our work with the ICC Banking Commission on this market-leading project will improve the quality of trade finance credit data for the market and for our members. This will help banks better understand the risks they take and better comply with regulatory rules such as the Basel Framework. The latest ICC Trade Register, released in February 2018, revealed the low-risk nature of transactions that support global trade, and confirmed that trade finance products continue to present banks with low levels of credit risk. TradeArabia News Service For Subscribers Haven't got your turkey yet? Don't plan on getting one farm-raised Last year, Thanksgiving dinners had smaller turkeys because of the pandemic. This year, farmers say they're nearly sold out. Grocers say they're set. Berkeley Assets, a multi-asset private equity company with investments in real estate, hospitality, logistics and technology sectors, has appointed a new team of capital raising associates to bring all marketing and direct client servicing in-house. The initial seven-strong team of young former independent financial advisors and experienced professionals from the financial advisory world all come with strong track records of delivering excellent services to their clients and will now work solely as part of the Middle East team raising capital from the retail market. A second team focusing on the Far East is due to follow in 2019, said a statement from the company. Led by Senior Associate Justin Quan, the team will focus on bringing assets under management (AUM) on board for Berkeley Assets and raising capital for Cryptech World, a Berkeley Assets technology organisation, which was acquired by the private equity firm this July and has become overwhelmingly popular with investors keen to explore Blockchain and cryptocurrencies. The company operates more than 150 businesses, helping property developments, hospitality concepts and emerging businesses thrive. All underlying assets of the business are located in the UK and US. The companys portfolio of properties spans multiple sectors and includes existing and new to market assets in some of the worlds most sought after locations in the UK and US. Mike Clark, partner at Berkeley Assets, said: "Bringing all capital raising in-house is an important step in the development of the firms retail capital division and means we retain complete control over the messaging and the way we communicate with our clients." "When you are working with a combination of institutional investors, HNWIs and the retail market, its vital that each client receives a consistent level of service," he noted. Omar Jackson, partner at Berkeley Assets, said: "We have built a reputation of successful returns and smart investments, by consistently offering clients reliability and credibility, and now we have a dynamic team of financial experts who live and breathe the Berkeley Assets portfolio and understand exactly how to maximise investment opportunities to deliver the best ROI (return on investments)." Quan said: "We have seen the IFA industry in the Middle East decline in recent years due to a lack of strong, reputable advisors, but now we are able to cherry pick a team of exceptional individuals who come with thorough background checks, clean reputations and strong client bases." "It offers us a greater sense of control to grow our retail market exponentially and reach more clients who want to be involved but so far havent had access," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Dubai's DMCC, the worlds flagship free zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise, has been named the Global Free Zone of the Year 2018 by the Financial Times fDi Magazine for a record fourth consecutive year. Central to the national economic diversification strategy, DMCCs latest set of awards reflects its ability to attract foreign direct investment, drive market-friendly reform and foster a commercial environment that removes barriers to trade, intrusive regulations and prohibitive bureaucracy. Commenting on the award, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman, DMCC, said: To be ranked the Global Free Zone of the Year for a record fourth time in a row is a significant moment for everyone connected to DMCC. This accolade demonstrates that our long-term strategy to lead from the front is working, and we continue to deliver for the companies we host. Taken collectively, DMCC member companies contribute over 10 per cent to Dubais GDP and play a critical role in the UAEs economic diversification plan. Looking ahead, we will continue to help the companies within our free zone to realise their ambitious commercial targets and together, shape the future of trade. A total of 60 free zones from around the world were assessed for the 2018 competition and were ranked across a comprehensive range of industry and performance criteria. DMCC was also the recipient of the Middle East Free Zone of the Year, Global Free Zone of the Year for SMEs and Middle East Free Zone of the Year for SMEs awards, and officially recognised for excellence in the following six categories: China Strategy; Smart Strategies; Economic Impact; Red Tape Reduction; Facilities Upgrade; and Thought Leadership. DMCC added 1,980 new members in 2017 and almost 1,000 members in the first half of 2018, delivering an annual average growth rate of over 30 per cent in the last 10 years. Gautam Sashittal, chief executive officer, DMCC, added: To be the recipient this prestigious award once again is indeed satisfying and humbling. Being recognised as the number one free zone in the world for an unprecedented fourth year in a row indicates the strength of DMCCs global reputation as a truly connected marketplace, and underscores our track record of enabling progressive companies to trade with confidence and grow. DMCC always aims to outperform and innovate. This success could not have been achieved without a world-class team, ambitious member companies and our stakeholders. We thank them all for their loyalty and support. Backed by world-class infrastructure, products and services, DMCC offers a seamless and simple route to setting up a business in Dubai with 100 per cent ownership. Central to DMCCs appeal to international traders is its location in the heart of Dubai and within one of the UAEs most desirable places to live, work and visit, Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT). DMCC is minutes away from the emirates major airports and seaports and affords ambitious companies easy access to the fastest-growing markets in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and beyond as well as the important cornerstone markets of the West. - TradeArabia News Service Culinaire & Beyond, a leading food and beverage (F&B) consultant, is set to organise a charity dinner at the Capital Club on October 16. The charity dinner is part of the Bahrain Hospitality & Restaurant Expo 2018 (BHRExpo) which is taking place from October 14 to 17 under the patronage of Shaikh Isa Bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. BHRExpo 2018 will include a Culinary Tour, Forum and Exhibition. It will provide participants and exhibitors an opportunity to network and showcase their products and services to key decision makers in the hospitality sector at one of the largest F&B gathering in the Kingdom. This dinner will be a star-studded event with three-Michelin-star chef Heinz Beck coming specially from Italy to recreate his signature Culinary Magic for the Bahraini Audience. This will be Beck's maiden visit to Bahrain and as part of this unique feature of BHRExpo 2018, said a statement from Culinaire & Beyond. Proceeds from this event will be shared with two nominated charities in the kingdom - Breast Cancer Society and Bahrain Cancer Society. Additionally, the expo is hosting the most anticipated, first regional Culinary Competition with the jury consisting of world renowned star chefs, it stated. According to the organisers, the upcoming charity dinner will be a great opportunity for Bahrainis to experience the culinary culture of the Italian people. One of Europes most respected and renowned chef, Beck will be preparing a special menu for the guests with the help of Capital Clubs executive chef and team for what seems to be the most talked about dinner of the month, they added. The German-born chef is also a culinary pioneer who runs La Pergola, Romes only three-Michelin-starred restaurant, along with ten other restaurants around the world. A first-of-its-kind the charity dinner will feature an exclusive, entirely customized menu by the Capital Club team alongside the talented Chef Beck. The guests will be privy to the culinary masters true magic combined with a unique dining experience in the most magnificent setting, the organisers added. In addition to Chef Heinz's customized menu, a surprise menu will be presented to the attendees, demonstrating an innovative approach towards various cuisines that will maintain the respect of culinary traditions. Sumeet Jhingan, the general manager of Capital Club, said: "We are very excited to host the three-Michelin-star chef Beck and the culinary team of Capital Club is enthusiastic to work with world renowned chef for a charity dinner that will feature an exclusive customized menu." The tickets for the exclusive charity dinner event can be purchased at the Capital Club, he stated. "Furthermore, the evening will be open to all our esteemed guests, with key focus on giving 25 per cent of the proceeds to Breast Cancer Society and 25 per cent to Bahrain Cancer Society," said Jhingan. "Those who are interested to become part of this memorable night can get in touch with the Capital Club directly to reserve their seats," he added. "Culinaire and Beyond is ecstatic to work along-side The Capital Club to make this incredible event successful," remarked CEO Leena Ahmed Al Mannai after signing the deal with Jhingan. "The Capital Club always strives to bring communities together through their exceptional support and encouragement towards the growth and development of Bahraini community, be it a business-related activity or leisure," she added.-TradeArabia News Service With due respect to the majority judges who delivered the Sabarimala verdict (allowing women between the ages of 10 and 50 entry into the temple) it must be pointed out that by their activism and misplaced sympathy for women, they have opened a Pandoras box, and placed an albatross round the necks of judges and administrators throughout the country. The correct judgment is that of the sole dissenting judge, Justice Indu Malhotra, who has displayed the balance and restraint which characterises great judges. She has pointed out that India is a country of great diversity, and there are thousands of temples, mosques, gurdwaras, dargahs, etc, many with their own peculiar rituals and practices. It would be extremely imprudent for the judiciary to interfere with these. She has also correctly pointed out that religion is a matter of faith, and that the essential beliefs or practices of a religious denomination or sect are for that denomination or sect to decide. The majority verdict is based on abstract notions of equality, dignity, gender justice, etc. But in deciding cases, one cannot be guided solely by these. In adjudication, judges have to consider social realities. There is tremendous diversity of religious practices in India. There are some temples which do not permit entry to women, some which do not permit entry to men, and some which do not permit entry to either men or women for specific periods or on special occasions. Some time ago, news came of a temple in Hamirpur district in Uttar Pradesh that does not permit entry to women. A lady MLA went there when the priest was not present. The temple was purified by Ganges water, and its idol sent to Allahabad for cleaning in the Sangam (the confluence of rivers Ganges and Yamuna in Allahabad). The priest has said that he was not present, otherwise he would never have allowed the woman to enter. An even bigger problem will now arise about mosques. Although the entry of Muslim women is not prohibited in mosques (the Mecca and Madina mosques in Saudi Arabia allow both sexes to enter) in theory, in practice hardly one or two per cent of mosques in India allow entry to women. They have to pray at home. And even these one or two per cent that allow women (Delhis Jama Masjid, for example) have separate enclosures for them. The justification often given for not allowing entry to women in mosques is shortage of space. But if that is so, why should men get preference? Does that not violate the equality provision in the Constitution on which the majority verdict relied? Why not women first? Let the women pray inside, while the men pray outside the mosque. Or why not devise a system of allotting 50% to each sex ? The Sabarimala verdict cannot be selective for Hindus alone. Its rationale applies to all religious communities. We have, therefore, to accept the judgment of Justice Malhotra as the only correct and practical one. Great judges, like the celebrated Justices Holmes and Frankfurter of the US Supreme Court, regularly admonished their brethren on the need for restraint and of discipline in observing their limitations. In his book, Nature of the Judicial Process, Justice Benjamin N Cardozo, a renowned judge of the US Supreme Court, said, The Judge is not a Knight Errant roaming at will in search of his own ideal of beauty and goodness. Recent decisions of the Indian Supreme Court indicate that the court has embarked on a highly unpredictable and perilous path of hyperactivism, reminiscent of the US Supreme Court in the 1930s, a path that can only lead to more problems. One is reminded of a couplet of the great Urdu poet, Mirza Ghalib: Rau mein hai raksh-e-umr kahaan dekhiye thame Ne haath baag par hai, na pa hai rikaab mein. (The horse of the age is on the gallop, one does not know where it will stop The rider has neither the reins in his hands, nor his feet in the stirrup) Markandey Katju is a former judge, Supreme Court of India The views expressed are personal Nana Patekar addressed Tanushree Dutta sexual harassment claims on Monday afternoon with a one line comment to the media. What was the truth 10 years ago remains the same today and will continue to be tomorrow as well, the veteran actor said as he refused to take questions on the controversy. He said his lawyer had asked him not to speak to the media. My lawyer has advised me not to speak on the matter. Hence, I am silent. Otherwise, I would have no issues talking to the press, Nana said. Tanushree has said in a series of interviews that Nana harassed her on the sets of their 2008 film, Horn OK Pleasss, and demanded that she does a sexually explicit step with him. She claimed that the films producer, director and choreographer were complicit in her harassment. Nana was to address a press conference on Monday but he cancelled it on Sunday night. The 67-year-old stars lawyer has sent a legal notice to Tanushree for allegedly making false accusations against him and demanded an apology. She, in turn, has filed a police complaint against Nana, choreographer Ganesh Acharya and the director and producer of the 2008 film. After Tanushree publicly accused Patekar of sexual misconduct during the shooting of Horn OK Pleassss in 2008, Patekar denied the allegations and said he was falsely accused of sexual harassment. He described Tanushrees claims as a lie. After Kangana Ranaut, Queen actor Nayani Dixit has accused director Vikas Bahl of inappropriate behaviour during the films shoot. Her accusations come a few days after Bahl, a co-founder of Phantom Films, was accused by a former staff member of harassment. Following this, Kangana Ranaut also revealed that Vikas would bury his face in my neck, hold me really tight and breathe in the smell of my hair. It took me a great amount of strength and effort to pull myself out of his embrace. Hed say I love how you smell K. In an interview to Bollywood Hungama, the actor said, Whatever the girl has accused Vikas Bahl is not at all wrong because he also tried his hand on me. I literally told him that main tumhe maarungi if you do this again. So I am sure he did the same with the girl in question as well. She also revealed that the director was rude to her at work after this. She explained, Next day, when I came on the sets, something went wrong with my hair. I didnt get it as its not my area of concern. But Vikas blasted me and he behaved very weird with me. Now when I look back, I realized that why this behaviour. Since he did not get a chance on me, he was taking revenge. She also recalled an incident where Vikas offered to share a room with her. She explained, They kept us in a 2-star hotel. When I said that I am not comfortable, Vikas told me that he can share his room with me. Look at his audacity! She added, We were shooting for the London Thumakda song and in the crew, there was a 21-year-old local Delhi girl who was in the costume department. Vikas flirted even with her and she was very uncomfortable and she later confided to me that why this person is always after me. Even Kangana Ranaut was witness to this drama and even she was taken aback. She remarked, Tu pagal hai kya? Follow @htshowbiz for more Shah Rukh Khan is known for his acting prowess and his romantic persona besides his dancing and hosting skills. However, the superstar is not just all about films but is also a wonderful speaker. The Dilwale actor will soon be addressing the international students at the Oxford University after being invited for the same in 2016. And the credit goes to the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner and social activist Malala Yousafzai for reminding the actor about the invitation. Alan Rusbridger, principal of Lady Margaret Hall at the Oxford University, had extended an invitation to Shah Rukh Khan on Twitter in 2016 with the tweet, can we tempt to to Oxford University to talk to our students at @lmhoxford? They love you (Im the principal). Reminding the principal and Shah Rukh of the invitation after two years, Malala wrote on her wall, Still waiting!!!! @iamsrk. King Khan took cognisance of the request soon after and replied, Most certainly would love to do it & meeting u will be a privilege. Will put my team to schedule it sooner than soon. Most certainly would love to do it & meeting u will be a privilege. Will put my team to schedule it sooner than soon https://t.co/hX9b0ghJxL Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) October 7, 2018 The well-read actor has powerful speeches at the Yale University and University of Edinburgh, as well as at the World Economic Forum 2018 in Davos, Switzerland. The actor had earlier told Mid-Day that he has to take out time to write his speeches as he doesnt like anyone else to write for him. He had said, I dont like anyone writing for me. It takes time for me to sit down and write, given my schedule, but it has to be done by me. I am yet to zero in on a subject for this talk. He had also expressed that he loves to talk and whenever someone invites him to deliver a speech, he always considers it an opportunity. On the work front, Shah Rukh Khan is currently shooting for his next film Zero. He plays a dwarf in the Aanand L Rai film, which also stars his Jab Tak Hai Jaan co-stars Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. The film is scheduled for release around Christmas this year on December 21. Follow @htshowbiz for more The #MeToo campaign in India, which started with actor-model Tanushree Duttas sexual harassment allegations against Nana Patekar, is now in full force. After a former employee of Phantom Films, accused Vikas Bahl -- a co-founder of the company -- of harassment, Kangana Ranaut said that Bahls behaviour with her during Queens shooting was inappropriate as well. However, the issue has now snowballed into a different controversy altogether, with Kangana hitting out at actor Sonam Kapoor. Speaking at Vogue We the Women summit in Bengaluru, Sonam, who was one of the speakers, lauded Tanushree for showing exemplary courage in speaking up against the powerful men of the industry. However, when asked about Kanganas MeToo story, she said that sometimes it is difficult to take the actor seriously as she says many things. I think Kangana wrote something. Kangana is obviously Kangana Ranaut. She says a lot of stuff and sometimes is hard to take her seriously. I love the fact that she has spunk and she says what she believes. I really respect for that. I dont know him, I dont know the situation. If what is written what is written is true, then its disgusting and awful. If its true, then they should be punished for it, Sonam said. Sonam also spoke in support of the victims. This whole thing at happened at Phantom. I find it disgusting. If you read that article, it is disgusting. And I know these people, I know all of them. I dont know how I will deal with these people. All I know is I believe this woman. I find this behaviour despicable and cowardly. When my father read these articles (Tanushree and Phantom stories), he said whatever is happening to these men, they deserve it. I come from a background like that. I said I know dad; then why is nobody saying anything or doing anything. He said: beta, the world is such but we need to change it. So, I mean, even if it is one person saying something, it makes a difference, she said. Responding to Sonams statement, Kangana said in an interview to Pinkvilla, What does she mean by saying, its hard to believe Kangana? When I am sharing my Me Too story, who gives her a right to judge me? So, Sonam Kapoor has the license of trusting some women and some she wont. What makes her so unsure of my claims? I am known to be an articulate person and I have represented my country in many international summits. I am called as a thought and youth influencer to these summits, I am not known because of my dad I have earned my place and credibility after struggling for a decade. Kangana continued, She isnt known to be a great actress, neither she has the reputation of being a good speaker. What gives these filmy people right to take digs at me? I will demolish each one of them. Kangana had earlier said that she believed the victim in her claims against Bahl, adding, Every time we met, socially greeted and hugged each other, he (Bahl) would bury his face in my neck, hold me really tight and breathe in the smell of my hair. It took me great amount of strength and effort to pull myself out of his embrace. Hed say I love how you smell K. Follow @htshowbiz for more The Boeing Company on Monday appointed the head of its India operations, Pratyush Kumar, to lead the defence majors F-15 fighter aircraft programme in the United States. Kumar has been selected to lead our F-15 fighter aircraft programme and further its business in the US and globally, said Boeing in a statement in Bengaluru. Kumar said he was upbeat about his new US role to build business for the F-15 programme the world over. The company will, however, expand its local manufacturing, technology and innovations, products and people in the Indian sub-continent, he added. Boeing will soon announce Kumars successor in India. During his five-year stint in India, Kumar advanced the companys business in commercial aeroplanes, defence, space, security, and global services. We launched our engineering and technology centre in Bengaluru during his tenure to drive innovation, scaled up aerospace supply chain and have set up a joint venture in Hyderabad with Tata to make fuselages (main body section) for the Apache attack helicopter, the statement added. The US-based commercial jetliner maker also finalised the sale of Apache and Chinook choppers to the Indian military and also won additional orders for the P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft under Kumars leadership. I want to thank Kumar for his contribution to our business in India and for developing a stronger aerospace industry ecosystem across the country, said Boeing International President Marc Allen in the statement. As recently as on September 24, Kumar had met Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy in the state capital to finalise the setting up of Boeings electronics manufacturing and avionics assembly facility at an investment of Rs 1,152 crore. The facility is expected to be built over 12-18 months, and will create about 2,600 jobs. With 160 partners and $1-billion sourcing, Boeing employs 2,000 aerospace engineers in India. Justice Dipak Misra has retired from the highest office in the judiciary. His 13-month tenure as the Chief Justice of India will be remembered for a number of reasons. For the first time in the glorious history of Indias judiciary, the entire justice system became a part of popular discourse. During this period, a few questions were raised on which analysts were quick to pass judgement. While doing this, they forgot that a person occupying such a post has to be measured on two parameters. First, on the quality of judgments delivered and second, on the persons administrative capabilities. Along with this, the nations political and social milieu should be evaluated with a cool head. Just imagine the kind of allegations which would have been levelled against him had the Ram Janmabhoomi issue not reached the apex court? Remember this, Justice Misras career has been brilliant. As a judge in the High Court and Supreme Court, he adjudicated over hundreds of cases, without being in any controversy, ever. He was always known to be an active jurist who avoided making verbose statements and someone whose verdicts reflected a profound understanding of jurisprudence. People with short memories tend to perceive present-day events as the complete truth. But at times, the past can also help us arrive at the correct path. Following this old principle, I would like to draw your attention to a case that was heard five years ago. Mumbai blasts accused Yakub Memon had been awarded the death sentence. A section of senior lawyers believed that the verdict needed to be reconsidered. The entire country was looking at the highest court with anticipation. You may recall that the then CJI scheduled the proceedings at his residence. After a night-long hearing, a bench headed by Dipak Misra arrived at a decision that the plea should be rejected. Needless to say, Memon was hanged the same morning. It is true that the petitioners were not satisfied with the verdict and thousands of those who approve of instant justice felt that the Supreme Court had accorded greater attention to the case than required. But Dipak Misra is that kind of person. He doesnt bother about popularity when it comes to imparting justice. A death sentence is considered rarest of rare. And he accorded this status to the Memon case. That may be why in cases such as Aadhaar or Section 377, more than the popular sentiment, he paid greater attention to human values and the basic spirit of the Constitution. Playing the national anthem in movie halls was another such case. Many people might not have liked it, but should a judge keep in mind peoples fickle sensibilities? If that happens, the entire justice system may become a victim of emotional ups and downs. Here I would like to bring up a less discussed, but crucial judgment. In September, 2016 he pronounced a verdict that said the police will have to upload every first information report online. Anybody who has borne the brunt of manipulation of FIRs in police stations can understand the significance of this verdict. Now, let us discuss the Ram Janmabhoomi issue. This was the most controversial issue of his tenure. So, questions were bound to be raised. Here I would like to submit that it would have been better had he desisted from making a few comments after the verdict. As far as his administrative abilities are concerned, two events that took place during his tenure gave the chattering classes an opportunity to hold forth. The press conference held by four senior judges is still fresh in everyones memory. Before this, people holding such high office had never aired their grievances in public. Not just this, Justice Misra is the first chief justice of India against whom an impeachment motion was moved in Parliament. Even as Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu rejected the proposal, a lot of water had flown down the Ganga by then. Clearly something happened where he could not persuade the government to work in the interests of the judiciary or strike a consensus with his fellow judges. On his farewell, Misra said he would now be able to speak his mind without inhibition. One hopes we will get to know more about what is on his mind in the days to come. Remember one of the four judges who held the press conference was Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who has now taken over the reins. He has begun his new innings in a unique manner. All eyes are now on Justice Gogoi. Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief Hindustan letters@hindustantimes.com A 17-year-old boy was found dead at the doorsteps of his house in Bindapur on Sunday morning with a gunshot injury. Police said that the teenager had stepped out of his house after fighting with his sister over a mobile phone. Family suspect a suicide or accidental firing behind the death, police said. According to the police, they received a call at 6.18 am from Aakash Hospital reporting that a 17-year-old , who had a gunshot injury, was brought to the hospital and has been declared dead. Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka), Anto Alphonse said when a police team arrived at the hospital, doctors revealed that the bullet was fired from a point-blank range. On searching the teenagers clothes, four live cartridges of .765 mm were recovered from his pockets. During initial questioning, his father told doctors that the deceased had shot himself, the DCP said. The officer said, according to his father, the boy was annoyed with his sister over some issue related to a mobile phone. He said that the teenager broke her mobile phone on Saturday night and had stepped out of the house in anger. The man told us that his son arrived home in the morning, rang the doorbell and shot himself. He said, when he opened the door, he found him lying on the ground with gunshot injury, the DCP said. Alphonse said, prima facie, police investigations also suggest that it is a suicide. The weapon by which the teenager shot himself has been recovered. It is a country-made pistol. We have registered a case and all the possible angles are being looked into, the DCP said. In the heart of Lutyens Delhi, a stones throw from India Gate, four minors, all male, stabbed to death a 26-year old autorickshaw driver because of a dispute over the fare. The incident happened late on Sunday night at Kasturba Gandhi Marg the offices of this newspaper are located there near Connaught Place. According to policemen, the auto driver demanded ~20 each from the boys as night charge in addition to the fare. An argument ensued during which he was stabbed. Despite suffering a deep stab wound in his chest and bleeding profusely, the auto driver drove his vehicle for almost half a kilometre on KG Marg, in a bid to admit himself to the nearest hospital. He collapsed near KG Marg-Connaught Place outer circle intersection, soon after he met a policeman on bike patrol to whom he narrated his ordeal. The auto driver was rushed to the nearby Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital where he succumbed to the stab injury during treatment. He has been identified as Jahangir Alam, a native of Malda district in West Bengal. Alam was living in a rented room at Delhis Zakir Nagar in Jamia Nagar. While one of the suspects was caught near the scene of the crime and thrashed by the public before being handed over to the police, the other three were caught by the police later following raids at their possible hideouts in south Delhis Dakshinpuri, said Madhur Verma, deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi). All the accused have been apprehended. They are all juveniles and between the age of 16 and 17 years. The button activated knife that was used to kill the auto driver has been recovered. A case of murder was registered against them as well as one under the arms act, said Verma, adding that the police would request the court concerned to treat the accused as adults. Alams relatives and friends said the four boys boarded his autorickshaw from Khanpur to Moolchand, where they planned to eat paranthas. Moolchand is a hotspot for late night revellers looking for a bite to eat. The boys agreed to pay ~120 for the ride. They reached Moolchand flyover and found the eatery closed. The four then asked Alam to drop them at Connaught Place, said HM Shamim Akhtar, Alams relative. When the auto reached the Ferozshah Road-KG Marg intersection, there was an argument over ~20 each passenger had to pay as night fare. Alam threatened to drop them there itself, and one of the boys stabbed him. Alams friend, Manirul Islam, said the attackers tried to flee when Alam raised an alarm and screamed for help. His screams grabbed the attention of drivers of some other autorickshaws parked nearby and the security guards of government flats. One of the guards pointed his gun at the main attacker and threatened to kill him if he fled. The other auto drivers caught him and beat him up before handing him over to the police. His three friends managed to flee, said Islam. DCP Verma said Alam drove his auto towards Connaught Place and stopped near Local pub, after seeing a head constable on bike patrol. Alam described the crime and collapsed. The policeman called the police control room and Alam was rushed to RML hospital where he died during treatment, added the DCP. Police said that while the auto driver was crying for help, many passersby took photographs and videos rather than helping them rush the man to hospital. They said they have not ruled out the possibility that Alam was killed during a robbery bid, although the four boys have confessed that the argument was over the extra fare. Warsaw-based architectural studio WXCA has been awarded the contract by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency to design the country pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, said a report. It will be built together with the exhibitions indoor layout at an investment of around PLN40 million ($10.7 million), according to public broadcaster Polish Radios IAR news agency. The Polish pavilion will be an arresting structure evoking the concept of mobility, stated the report citing a senior official. "The world fair will be an opportunity to promote Poland, its goods and services," remarked Tomasz Pisula, the head of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency. With Connecting Minds, Creating the Future as its motto, the Dubai Expo 2020 will run from October 2020 to April 2021, he added. One murder, one rape, 15 vehicle thefts, six snatching cases, three house break-ins, and two cases of assault all in the course of one week. Welcome to Mangolpuri, home to approximately 900,000 people, and the most unsafe place in the national Capital. If Delhi holds the dubious moniker of the crime capital of India, then Mangolpuri which sees the most number of FIRs, according to official data will have to shoulder a lot of the blame. Hindustan Times correspondent Prawesh Lama spent a week (September18-25) chronicling the crimes reported at the Mangolpuri police station. In that single week, there was a murder, a rape, 15 cases of vehicle thefts, six of snatching, three of house break-ins and two of men being beaten by a gang of rowdies. These are just the incidents in which police cases were registered. The distress calls received by the police were a lot more than over 600; most of them related to drunken brawls, martial fights. Sample the events of September 25: At 5pm, a man reported the theft of his scooter from outside the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital. Two hours later, the police were informed about the theft of an e-rickshaw. Half an hour later, around 7.30pm, a man informed the police that the windowpanes of his car were broken and articles kept inside the car stolen. At 8pm, three men who were gambling in a park were arrested. Another e-rickshaw was stolen at 9pm. The evening ended with the murder of a 17-year-old boy he was stabbed to death. Case records show the boy, too, had a history of crime. In this part of the city, even minors have crime records. The teenager who was killed was involved in crimes. He was stabbed his by own knife. Imagine, at 17, he carried a knife on him. His knife fell during the scuffle and his assaulters used that to take his life, a police officer said. Every year, a team of officers collate crime data from each police station across the city. Mangolpuri usually tops the list. The local police station registers over 10 to 15 times the number of cases registered by police stations in the south and New Delhi districts. This year, Mangolpuri has already recorded over 800 criminal cases. In contrast, Defence Colony in south Delhi has registered only around 125 cases. Tughlaq Road in New Delhi, one of the most secure parts of the city, has fewer than 90 cases most of them accidents and thefts and not heinous crimes such as murder and robbery. Distress calls The phones keep ringing off the hook here. During weekends, we receive about 100 to 150 distress calls on police helpline number (100), a constable, who requested not to be named, said. Weekends are the busiest. We have to rush victims to hospital, settle fights between couples, deal with harassment complaints. Sometimes, we have to work in shifts. Usually, people spend festivals with their families, but, for us, that is not the case. During festivals such as Holi and Diwali, the volume of distress calls climb to about 220-250, the constable said. Bad characters Every police station has a list of persons, who have what is known in police circles as a bad character. In police records, a bad character BC is a person who has a history of crime; one whose activities have to be monitored to ensure that there is no law and order problem in the area. Mangolpuri has the most number of BCs. The police station has the names and records of 325 persons each person has his own file. The 325 include murderers some of them have multiple murders to their name robbers, bootleggers, drug smugglers and petty criminals. I think this is the only police station with the highest number of BCs, an officer said. Police stations in other parts of the city have fewer than 20-30 bad characters. Even a police station such as the one in Sangam Vihar, which caters to a population of over 15 lakh, has only 120 bad characters. Chanakyapuri police station, one of the most high-security areas of the city, has five bad characters. People wait outside the Mangolpuri police station during midnight, Wednesday, October 3, 2018. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo) Greed and drugs KK Sharma, a crime reporter with a regional national daily, who has covered Mangolpuri for over two decades, says the root of every crime in these parts is gambling and liquor. Gambling is rampant. Residents here are mostly from the lower to the middle income group. They need money to gamble. When they do not have money, they resort to stealing, burglaries and vehicle-lifting. It is the greed to make more money that makes them gamble, Sharma said. During the seven days that HT chronicled, nine persons in three different cases were arrested for gambling. They were gambling in parks and behind community toilets. According to the police, in the first case, each gambler was promised Rs 800 for placing a bet of Rs 10. In the second case, the stakes were Rs 80 for each rupee gambled and in the third case, it was Rs 10 for each rupee staked. A senior police officer explains the problem. Gamblers often fight after winning or losing a bet. We receive distress calls about people fighting. Once a gambler goes home after having lost all his money, then a fight erupts at home. He fights with his wife, siblings and other members of the family. Of the 100 distress calls that we receive each day, at least 30 are related to couples fighting or a quarrel among family members. The officer claims that the police have launched a crackdown on gambling and have arrested over 100 gamblers this year. In the last eight months, about 800 persons were arrested for drinking in the open and selling illicit liquor, an officer said. An inside view of the Mangolpuri hospital during midnight, Wednesday, October 3, 2018. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo ) HT accessed records of the Sanjay Gandhi hospital in Mangolpuri, where most cases reported at the Mangolpuri police station are referred. Before police launch a formal investigation by registering a case, every victim is referred to the hospital, where doctors give them a physical examination. Between September 19 and 25, at least 462 such cases involved victims who had sustained stab injuries; those who sustained injuries in fights, accidents, attempted suicides and fistfights. When this correspondent was interviewing a nurse at the emergency ward, a man with a bloodied nose walked in. He was accompanied by his friends. The nurse asked them what had happened. The patient said he was punched. But he was too drunk to explain why he was punched. The nurse, who did not wish to be named, said, Every night, it is the same story here. The patients are drunk and so are the attendants. The most common cases are those of stabbing, injuries by other weapons, wives beaten by husbands, or vice versa, and a few cases of people consuming poison. We get about 50 to 60 such patients, every night. That night of murders Speak to any police officer about the notoriety of the area and they all would recall the night of August 29. Around 11 pm, seven men went on a stabbing spree in Mangolpuris Block-I. Police say the seven men had come to the area to find their rival, a man who goes by the single name Prince, and avenge their gang members murder. They could not find him and so they instead decided to stab random people at will. That night, five men, who were not remotely connected to any gang, were stabbed and three of them lost their lives. Rajender Singh Sagar, additional deputy commissioner of police (Outer), had then told reporters that they fired shots in the air to frighten anyone who attempted to stop them. Among those caught for the three murders was a 17-year-old. The teenager told the police that he was famous in his gang for being the swiftest with a knife. He was the first to use the knife that night. The past months have been bloody for Mangolpuri. Between August 5 and September 15, there were seven murders reported at the police station. Mangolpuri MLA Rakhi Birlan said the police are hand-in-glove with the criminals. I have written to the senior officers several times highlighting the nexus of police and criminals but they are yet to take act. There is also the liquor mafia. Drug addicts do their dealings in the open. Mangolpuri is a neglected area, when it comes to the law and order. When I meet senior officers, they say there is a shortage of staff, she said. Police short of hands Almost every police personnel in Mangolpuri says he/she is overworked. The police station has a strength of about 140 personnel, which include 60 constables, 40 head constables, 25 assistant sub-inspectors, five sub-inspectors and three inspectors. Police say the strength was about 190 until two years ago. Compare us with the police stations in the south or the New Delhi area or even any other police station. We register the most number of cases and have to investigate them. This is apart from settling local disputes and attending to distress calls. Over and above all this, with the present strength, we are also expected to monitor 325 bad characters, an officer said, adding that the police brass must focus on areas beyond New Delhi and the upscale parts of south Delhi. The conclusion of the multi-billion dollar deal for S-400 air defence systems albeit done in a low key manner, with the contract finding no mention in the remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or President Vladimir Putin after their annual summit underscores why Russia will remain the main supplier of hi-tech military gear for the foreseeable future. That India decided to go ahead with the deal despite the US threat of action was a clear signal that New Delhi intends to stick with its independent foreign policy, and retain the autonomy of acquiring advanced defence hardware from the best possible source. Such contracts have to be finalised keeping in mind Indias national security interests, not those of others, and if the US truly considers India an ally in the Indo-Pacific region and a counterbalance to China, it will understand and provide the necessary presidential waiver. During Russian President Vladimir Putins visit, India and Russia also made incremental progress in a host of key areas, including the construction of second nuclear power project with up to six Russian-designed reactors, work on nuclear projects in third countries and the development of the International North-South Transport Corridor, which will see New Delhi and Moscow working along with Tehran for the transportation of Indian goods to Russia through Iranian territory. This too was a clear demonstration that India intends to retain its strategic options while it works to strengthen its relations with the US in a host of fields. In other words, India has signalled that it will not be drawn into an either us or them game. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday released the result of Phase II of its Grade B recruitment examination 2018 on its official website. The second phase of the RBI Grade B exam were conducted on September 15 and 16. Candidates who appeared in the examination can check their results by clicking here. The marks list and category wise cut-off of the examination will be displayed on the website after completion of the selection process and declaration of final results. Candidates who have cleared the exam, need to appear in interview will begin tentatively from last week of October and end in January 2019. The interview call letters indicating date, time and venue of the interview will be sent separately in Phases (in due course) on their registered email address of the candidates. Last but not the least, a Writ Petition has been filed before the Delhi High Court seeking stay on declaration of Phase II results. Therefore, all the candidates should know that the selection of candidates pursuant to the interview and recruitment process would be subject to the outcome of the said Writ Petition. The Rajasthan Subordinate and Ministerial Services Selection Board (RSMSSB) on Monday issued the admit cards for the tax assistant examination 2018. The examination will be held on October 14 in two sessions. The first session will be held between 10 am and 12 noon while the second session will be held from 3pm to 5pm. The first paper examination will be held in the first session while the second paper examination will be held in second session. The examination is being held to fill 162 vacancies. Candidates must carry the admit card to the examination centre and read the instructions very carefully. Admit cards will not be sent by post. Candidates should reach the venue one and a half hour before the examination starts. They must carry their original photo identity card like Aadhar, Pan Card, driving licence etc. Rajasthan RSMSSB tax assistant exam admit card 2018 (RSMSSB ) Rajasthan RSMSSB tax assistant exam admit card 2018: Heres how to download 1) Visit the official website of Rajasthan Staff Selection Board 2) Click on the link for admit card 3) Click on Download Admit Card of Tax assistant exam 2018 4) Click on get admit card 5) Enter application number, date of birth and click on Get admit card 6) Admit card will be displayed on the screen 7) Take a print out and download it on your computer The Allahabad high court has so far transferred more than 500 criminal cases pending against elected representatives of the state to a special court (MP/MLA) for speedy disposal of such cases against lawmakers after a Supreme Court order in December 2017. A two-judge bench comprising headed by Chief Justice DB Bhosale and justice Yashwant Varma on Monday said the remaining cases out of an estimated 800-900 pending criminal cases against MPs and MLAs would be transferred to the special court within 15 days. The bench was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Suraj Kumar Yadav of Jaunpur seeking speedy disposal of criminal cases against Indra Pratap Tiwari alias Khaboo, BJP MLA from Gosaiganj seat against whom various criminal cases are pending in various courts of Uttar Pradesh. The high court said that to ensure compliance of Supreme Court order for speedy disposal of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, a special court had already been set up and various directions had been issued for the administration of the court. Pawan Kumar Tiwari, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Allahabad was appointed as Presiding Officer, Special Court (MPs/ MLAs), Allahabad which was set up on August 21 in line with a HC notification. All district and session judges of UP were directed to transfer pending criminal cases against elected MPs/MLAs to the Special Court (MPs/ MLAs), Allahabad. The high court directed petitioners counsel to make the courts registrar general party to the case and directed state government and registrar general to apprise it of the progress in the issue on the next date of hearing after two weeks. On December 14, 2017, the Supreme Court had ordered setting up special courts in country for cases against elected representatives. The order was passed while hearing a PIL filed by Delhi BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, seeking a lifelong ban on convicted politicians from contesting elections had directed the central government to come up with a scheme to set up 12 special courts to try criminal cases pending against MPs and MLAs across country. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mahant Paramhans Das, a saint who is on fast-unto-death since October 1 demanding construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, was admitted to a hospital here after his condition turned critical on Sunday night. The Faizabad district administration sent Paramhans Das to the Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) in Lucknow in the early hours of Monday. SGPGIMS said: He is currently in post-op ICU and his condition continues to be serious. A disciple of Mahant Sarveshwar Das of Tapasvi Ji Ki Chhawni, Paramhans Das sat on fast on the premises of his temple on October 1. As reports of his deteriorating condition and substantial weight loss reached Lucknow, UP industrial development minister Satish Mahana reached Ayodhya as chief minister Yogi Adityanaths emissary on Sunday night to persuade him to call off the fast. However, Paramhans Das turned down his request. A large number of saints present at the spot raised slogans demanding that Ram temple be constructed in Ayodhya. Mahana talked to Paramhans Das for about 25 minutes and told him that the issue was pending in Supreme Court. Mahana also assured him that the CM would talk to him on Monday. Mahana met the saint on Sunday night. Now, the saint is in SGPGI. Doctors at the SGPGI are taking proper case of Paramhans Das, said Mahana. Paramhans Das told Mahana that he will end the fast only if the CM assured him of temple construction. The Modi government should bring an ordinance in the parliament to pave way for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. There should not be any further delay, said Das. The head priest of makeshift temple at Ram Janmabhoomi Mahant Satyendra Das has extended support to Paramhans Das. However, Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, a body of saints in Ayodhya which is spearheading Ram temple movement across the country, did not support the indefinite fast. Vice president M Venkaiah Naidu Monday termed beef festivals and Kiss of Love protests on university campuses unhealthy trends while expressing concern over growing tensions among students in higher education on grounds of caste, religion, food habits and culture. Inaugurating the year-long diamond jubilee celebrations of National Institute of Technology, Warangal (NITW) at its campus, he said it was unfortunate that there have been conflicts among students in the name of caste and religion in some universities and other higher institutions. Referring to the controversies over holding of beef festivals on some campuses, the vice president said it was not correct on the part of some groups to impose their food habits on others. If they like a particular food and want to celebrate it, they can have private parties separately. They dont have to make it a public issue on the campus, he said. Venkaiah Naidu also cited another controversy on holding Kiss of Love protests by the students and youth. If you want to do kissing, go and do it in your rooms, why in public? This is not our culture, he said. On growing intolerance in the society, the vice president said it was highly reprehensible on the part of the people to fight in the name of caste and religion. There is no place for religious or caste intolerance in India. Religion is personal and a way of life. We need to live with mutual respect towards our religion and culture, he said. He said that science and technology should ultimately result in the betterment of human condition, and also called for innovation in technology, which was the need of the hour to make India a global economic power. India is committed to build a five trillion-dollar economy by 2025, making India the third largest consumer market in the world. If India has to sustain the growth, it has to go for an innovation overdrive, as it cannot afford to be obsolete anymore, he said. Stating that India has always been known for its frugal innovations, the vice-president said these would help combat corruption and pilferage of subsidies. As India is prepared to cut the red tape and lay the red carpet to invite the world, we have to focus on simplifying and making our procedures transparent, he said. The vice president also stressed the need for colleges such as NIT to have linkages with the industry as well as with the alumni. He complimented the proactive alumni base of NIT, Warangal for coming together to build a modern convention centre on the campus. NITW director Prof NV Ramana Rao, Dean, International Relations & Alumni Affairs, Prof KV Jayakumar, other deans, faculty members and officials and students of NITs different branches were present on the occasion. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who completes four years in power on October 31, has weathered several storms from farm protests to reservation agitations to the arrests of activists over the Bhima-Koregaon violence. On the sidelines of the 16th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Fadnavis spoke to Shailesh Gaikwad and Ketaki Ghoge on a range of issues, and indicated that he was poll-ready for next years general elections. Edited excerpts: Maharashtra is among the three-four states where the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) performance in the Lok Sabha polls will be particularly important. In 2014, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won 42 out of the 48 seats. If the Sena decides to contest alone, will it impact your performance? Of course it will impact our performance. If Congress-NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) are together and BJP and Sena contest separately, there will be a split in our vote bank. So, the opposition parties are bound to gain. While this will dent us, it will dent the Sena more. The BJP-Sena alliance is beneficial for both. We are prepared, so maybe we lose three-four seats here and there if we fight alone. But, at the national level today, we need to keep our allies with us. The Sena is one of our oldest allies, and we have lot of ideological similarities. How do you plan to convince the Sena to come on board? So far the Sena is maintaining it will contest solo. The political situation convinces people. Had someone ever imagined that in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party (SP), which tried to finish [Bahujan Samaj Party chief] Mayawati, is siding with her? Or in Bihar, did one imagine the shifting of alliances? The biggest example is from Maharashtra, where the NCP broke away from the Congress on a high moral ground to contest elections against them. In the same year, after the poll results, the NCP aligned with the Congress to rule the state. Politics and emerging situations convince people. The same will happen in this case. In the aftermath of the 2014 polls, the BJP initially had a chance to align with a not-natural ally in the NCP. Five years down the line, do you think it can be an alternative partner for you? I dont think the NCP can be an alternative for us. We have a very natural alliance with the Sena. We may have differences, we may even fight on certain issues, but that is natural because we are two different parties. As far the NCP goes, we dont share any ideological similarities. I dont even think the NCP has an ideology. It is a party of convenience, so it will go with anyone if it is convenient. As of now, I see no possibility of an alliance with the NCP. The hike in fuel prices as been a big talking point in the state. The Centre and your state government cut prices in fuel last week by reducing levies, but is it sustainable? Let me say it, this is a temporary step but we had to give some relief to the people. Fuel prices are controlled by the global market. As of now, the trade war between the US and China, the USs position vis a vis Iran, and production going down in Iran and Venezuela, are all contributing factors. These things are beyond our control but we cant leave our people at the mercy of the volatile international markets. I think the Centres second generation ethanol policy and biofuel policy is the way ahead. If we focus on it, we can reduce our fuel imports by 30-35%. Today, we have a problem of plenty. We have moved from concerns of food security to not knowing where to store the excess food grains. If we convert our excess grains to ethanol, we can deal with this issue in a sustainable fashion. We have the example of Brazil, where ethanol has been used successfully as fuel. Wont this require India to create that kind of infrastructure? How long will it take? We are increasingly looking at urban transportation that can run on electricity. If you look at Maharashtra, we would need 60,000 electric buses to replace the existing fleet. If you can find a way to finance the capital expenditure for this, it can be done. The prices of electric vehicles are going down, and the policies of the central government give us leverage to make the shift. If we can make the shift in public transport, things can change. They are the biggest consumers of fuel. We are also lucky to have 350 days of sunlight, so solar panels are viable. In Maharashtra, we are planning to generate 4,000 megawatts of solar energy. This is the alternative. To have electric vehicles and to charge them on solar power -- it is sustainable, green, and can be done in five years. When you came to power in 2014, you had a certain vision for the state -- whether it was in agriculture sector or in infrastructure. In the last couple of years, have issues such farm protests leading to loan waivers, or the recent fuel price spike leading to cutting rates hijacked your original agenda? The phrase may not be right but this is an inevitable evil. I am of the firm opinion that loan waiver is not sustainable because it does not invest money in peoples farms or into productive things. But, at the same time, if 30-35% of your farmers are out of the institutional credit system, how can agriculture be sustainable? They will succumb to moneylenders and their loans have to be written off to get them back into the system. What I did was to put a lot of efforts in the first two-and-a-half years of my rule into trying to make farming sustainable by creating protective irrigation under our Jalyukt Shivar scheme. One of the reasons the farmers went out of the institutional credit system was the unreliability of monsoon and climate change. This year also, we have only 77% of the average monsoon rain. If we can provide farmers with protective irrigation, we can bail them out to an extent, and then by offering loan waiver, we can ensure they wont fall off the formal credit system again. I wont say I was 100% successful in going by my plan. My original plan was to create better agriculture investment for the first three to four or even five years and then announce a loan waiver. But the circumstances were such that there was a back-to-back drought for three years, a majority of the farmers were falling out of the institutional credit system, and there were no alternatives. I had to do it. Isnt populism a tricky choice? Its always a tricky choice. But, in a democracy, you have to strike a balance because hard economics is never popular. At the same time, only populism never pays. We have often seen people have neither sided with extreme populist measures nor with absolute hard economics. They want a mix. Thats what we are trying to do. Looking at the aspirations of the people, we create our schemes but we ensure that these schemes are sustainable. Your government was criticised for the action taken against civil rights activists in the investigation following the Bhima-Koregaon violence. Do you think this action was justified? In hindsight, you would have liked to change the way the action was carried out? It is a purely professional investigation which was carried out without any bias, or any pressure from any group or government. Bhima-Koregaon was one of the incidents, but the conspiracy is larger and we have been tracking this for over a year. On one hand, a few people are fighting on ground against the state, and then there is a bigger group that is trying to pitch communities against one another and create a civil-war-like situation. This design was unearthed by our police. We have ample evidence. And many more instances beyond Bhima-Koregaon. We have concrete examples of how they were protecting Naxals, how they were giving Naxals a cover in the garb of human rights. They were colluding with them. We have all the evidence. I see in the national capital, there is a huge group of pseudo-liberals, they are not liberals. You can be a liberal, even I am a liberal. These pseudo-liberals need to understand this is not a conspiracy against the BJP or the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) but against the nation. How can you support people who are conspiring against your nation? Liberalism doesnt give you rights to protect those who are killing people. Who is going to speak for those who have been killed by Naxals? Have these people ever gone to Supreme Court or high court or even the lowest judiciary to protect those who are getting killed. We have unearthed the entire conspiracy, and we will present it to the courts. Yes you can expect some more action on this front by us. Your government will complete four years on October 31. How do you look back and how far have you achieved your vision? It has been quite a journey for me. I dont think there have been more eventful years in my life. But I am happy with what we have been able to achieve so far. For instance, in Maharashtra in the last 70 years we had created 5,000km of national highways; in the last five years, we have undertaken building 15,000km of national highways, out of which 6,000km will be complete by March 2019. Besides that, we are building 10,000km of state highways and 30,000ks of rural road. Then we are constructing the 702km Mumbai Nagpur super communication highway. My flagship scheme Jalyukt Shivar has had an impact on ground. In a drought-prone area like Marathwada, the ground water table is 4 meters today. In agriculture sector, its not just loan waiver, when the farmers were in trouble, we paid them compensation for crops through our budget and through various schemes. If you look at administration, we have been able to create an institution like the chief ministers war room. In government, I saw no two departments really talked to each other, files were getting lost, and projects were delayed for years. In our war room today, different departments talk to each other, deliberate on solutions and deliver on targets. An engineer working at the BrahMos Missile Research Centre in Nagpur was arrested on Monday on charges of spying for Pakistans intelligence agency ISI and other countries. Nishant Agrawal, the arrested scientist, is suspected to have leaked information about Indias Brahmos missile, police said. Agrawal, 28, was arrested in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) in Ujjal Nagar on Monday. His home and the Brahmos Aerospace office in Dongargaon, 40 km south of Nagpur, were searched. Agrawal is a senior system engineer with Brahmos Aerospace, a joint venture between DRDO and Russias Military Industrial Consortium (NPO Mashinostroyenia) that works on Indias supersonic cruise missile, which can be launched from launched from land, air, sea and under water. Last year it tested certain advanced versions of the weapon system. Brahmos engineer Nishant Agarwal, who was arrested on charges of spying, brought to his home in Nagpur by UP ATS for further investigation pic.twitter.com/Ve5eP2jv4K ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2018 Agrawal, who won DRDOs young scientist award a few months ago lived with his wife. We never thought that Agrawal would be linked with spying, said his landlord Manohar Kale. Kale said Agrawals wife belonged to Bhopal and the couple married four months ago. Media reports claim Agrawal was arrested based on inputs given by a member of the Hizbul Mujahideen group who was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh ATS in Kanpur a few days ago. He is suspected of working for ISI and American intelligence agencies and passing on secrets related to the Brahmos missile to these countries. The regional Defence Public Relations Officer, Group Capt Basant Pande said in a brief message said Agarwal was not a direct employee of the DRDO but was working with Brahmos Aerospace Private Ltd. Investigators said Agrawal may have shared details over Facebook, claimed to have found sensitive information on his computer, and added that he is being taken to Kanpur for further questioning. The Congress is organising a farmers rally in Delhi on October 23 in protest against the Modi governments agrarian policy and is in touch with 137 farmers organisations across the country to make it a success, a party functionary said on Monday. Nana Patole, the head of the partys Kisan and Khet Mazdoor department, said he would talk to Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Naresh Tikait, who had led the Kisan Kranti Padyatra that started from Tikait Ghat in Haridwar on September 23 and ended at Delhis Kisan Ghat on the intervening night of October 2 and 3. The protesting farmers were demanding unconditional loan waiver, clearing of dues by sugar mills, higher prices for crops, free electricity for farms and a cut in diesel prices. Patole said farmers from different parts of the country would descend on the national capital on October 23 and lay a siege on Parliament in protest against the Modi governments farm policies. The protest will be held under the Congress banner and our slogan will be Modi jawab do, hisab do, he said. The BJP has refused to react to the proposed rally. Along with Rafale and price rise, the Congress plans to make the farmers issues one of its main talking points during the campaign for 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The party is of the view that agrarian distress coupled with farmers growing anger against the Modi government would hurt the electoral prospects of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the assembly elections in five states this year and the Lok Sabha polls next year. The Congress has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of failure to fulfil his 2014 poll promises, including fixing the minimum support price for crops at cost plus 50% profit to farmers. It has also charged the government with breaking the backbone of farmers by not checking the rise in prices of diesel and fertilisers. It alleged that the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme has become a profit-reaping scheme for private insurance companies. In 2016-17 and 2017-18, the Modi government collected ?19,000 crore through agricultural cess. But the farmers under the Crop Insurance Scheme received a compensation of only ?5,650 crore whereas the companies made a profit of ?14,828 crore through premium, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said. Delegates from across the South East Asian region featured in-depth discussions and panel debates focused on the terminal market, International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2020 regulation and technological innovations in the industry at the recently concluded Tank Storage Asia. The event, an exhibition and conference dedicated to the Asian tank terminal and storage industry, was held on September 26 and 27, in Singapore. Companies in attendance included Oiltanking, Shell, Horizon Terminals, Vopak, Jurong Port Tank Terminal, Stolthaven Singapore, Alkion Terminals and United Terminal Korea to name just a few, with the highest percentage of representatives being senior management level and above. Among these job titles were CEOs, owners, directors, terminal managers and operators, investors, senior engineers, business development managers and procurement managers, said a statement from the organisers. The exhibition culminated in the signing of a number of high-profile deals and partnerships, it said. Among these exhibitors, Darren Hughes, international business development manager of Concrete Canvas was keen to reflect on their success at the show: Returning year on year allows us to strengthen relationships with major customers such as Shell, Exxon Mobil and Vopak. We have received direct orders as a result of exhibiting since 2014, from companies that found our material technology at these events and have subsequently specified it for their projects, he added. The exhibition was very highly received by exhibitors with over 65 per cent already rebooking their attendance for next year, it added. Stuart Sharp, head of sales at Scanjet, said: This is a great event to meet buyers in a regional market and we have already booked our stand for next year. Michael Yu, general manager at Full Most Taiwan, said: We exhibit here in order to increase our brand awareness, showcase products and meet new clients that we otherwise would not have met. The high-level conference played stage to over 20 international speakers across both commercial and technical disciplines. These included Sharul B A Rashid, principal engineer at Petronas; Bernard Ong, director of operations at Vopak Terminals Singapore; Luc Bonami, managing director at Anno Chemicals NV; and Konrad Jar, vice president head of downstream consulting, Asia Pacific, Wood Mackenzie. Among the delegates was Muhammad Eusoff Idris, SHE officer at Jurong Rock Caverns, said: The speakers were very experienced individuals with great knowledge in their respective sectors. The conference provided some wonderful and extremely useful insights into the industry. Nick Powell, divisional director of Tank Storage Asia, said: The conference has played host to a significant number of industry professionals from not only Singapore but across the South East Asian region. We also hosted exhibitors from a trade mission organised by the Welsh government highlighting the influence of the Tank Storage Asia event on a global scale, he added. Overall the event was a resounding success, with delegates doing real business and sharing knowledge and exhibitors generating significant leads for the year ahead. Deals have already been agreed and signed off, a testimony of the influence of the event, he added. TradeArabia News Service The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has agreed to explore state-level understanding or seat adjustments with other Opposition parties and keep the doors open for a post-poll pact with the Congress to form a non-BJP government, after a long internal tussle. The CPI(M)s central committee has its task cut out to defeat the BJP alliance, increase the strength of the CPI(M) and the Left Front (all communist parties) in the Lok Sabha, and to ensure that an alternative secular government is formed , its communique said. Insiders add that the decision didnt come easily and that it took an intense debate between the internal camps allied with Yechury and his predecessor Prakash Karat. Karat pointed out that the CPIMs Party Congress, its highest political body, rejected any understanding with the Congress in the political-tactical line earlier this year, and any arrangement with the Congress would violate that decision. Yechury, who emerged victorious in that Party Congress, replied that the party needs more flexibility to fight polls and said the Party Congress provided enough leeway to enter into a seat-sharing arrangement with other parties. He emphasized that there is an urgent need to maximize the Opposition strength against the BJP. The Central Committee agreed on three tasks for the party, the first and foremost being defeating the BJP alliance, tweeted Yechury. Observers maintain that CPIMs poll strategy may have limited utility in the larger national context as the party has shrunk its footprint in many parts of the country and is yet to recover from its losses in West Bengal. The best showing in the parliamentary elections by the Left parties was in 2004 when they won 61 seats. Rather than wasting time over wordplays, the Left leadership should devote their energies in fighting the Modi regime effectively. Alarmingly, a large number of CPI(M) cadres are defecting to the BJP in Bengal. The central leaders are clueless on how to retrieve lost ground in the state, said Prasenjit Bose, economist. The party will consider seat adjustments will regional parties on a state-to-state basis. We will consult the state leadership on the best solution and take the call, said a senior CPIM leader who asked not to be identified. But the party has adopted a wait-and-watch policy for West Bengal, its erstwhile bastion, to see what position the local Congress adopts vis-a-vis polls. In Kerala, its strongest outpost, the CPIM will continue its alliance with existing partners to retain the Left Democratic Front (LDF). As the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) gets down to reviewing the complaints and counter complaints filed by the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) top two officers who have been warring since 2017, the agencys former special director RK Dutta, once considered a shoo-in for the top job before being abruptly removed in late 2016 wants to know why the watchdog didnt look into his removal. CBI director Alok Verma and his special director Rakesh Asthana have levelled charges at each other in these complaints. Duttas story starts in December 2016; three days before then CBI director Anil Sinha was to complete his tenure on December 2, 2016, the government shifted special director Dutta to a newly created post at the rank of special secretary in the Union home ministry. After Sinhas appointment, the government made then additional director Rakesh Asthana the acting chief as he became the senior-most officer following Duttas premature shifting from the CBI. Dutta received his order shifting him out of CBI on November 30, 2016. A note had gone to CVC that I was to be shifted from CBI to the home ministry and CVC just followed the course. CVC was supposed to look into the reasons of my shifting. CVCs role comes into play when someone is shifted or inducted. If someone is to be given extension in tenure or prematurely sent out of CBI, CVC again has a role. It cannot act in a mechanical manner. It needs to know whether there is something which warrants removal of an officer, said Dutta. Indias Central Vigilance Commisioner KV Chowdary declined comment. Duttas argument is that CVC enjoys superintendence over CBI, a role given to it by the Supreme Court. It is its job to ensure that right persons are inducted in the CBI, he added. Following his transfer from CBI to the Union home ministry, Dutta decided to return to his parent cadre, Karnataka, as the state police chief from where he retired on October 31, 2017. His removal was challenged in the Supreme Court as well by way of a public interest litigation but government defended the move saying he was pulled out for an important assignment. The details of this assignment werent revealed; within a month of his removal from the CBI, though, Dutta decided to return to Karnataka. I had three stints in CBI spread over 19 years. I had been promoted as special director in 2016. I was the senior-most officer. I had handled sensitive assignments like the probes into 2G spectrum allotment, coal block allocations and AgustaWestland. I had all the qualifications to become CBI chief. But I was suddenly removed without being given any reason, Dutta said. He also added that only officers who have worked in CBI at the level of superintendent of police (SP) should be considered for the top job. Anil Sinha was inducted in the CBI in the rank of special director and then became director. His successor and the current director Alok Verma had no prior experience of working in the Central Bureau of Investigation. Following Duttas removal and a short stint of two months when Rakesh Asthana was the acting director, the government appointed Verma as next chief for two years from February 1, 2017. Verma was Delhi police commissioner then. Officials in CBI said on condition of anonymity that after taking charge as the agencys chief, Verma recommended four officers for induction in CBI but their names were not cleared by the CVC-led body. Verma thought Asthana was behind the move to reject names of officials recommended by him, said one of the officials. That has now turned into full-blown war between the director and the special director. Asthana has represented to the cabinet secretary that Verma is targeting him unfairly and CBI has formally stated that Asthana is under scanner in around half-a-dozen cases being probed by the agency itself. Dutta says the CBI director should have full independence over who he wants to serve in CBI. The role of the CVC-led panel should be limited to see whether the names recommended by the director are suitable to serve in CBI by checking their professional competence and integrity, says Dutta. NR Wasan who retired as the chief of Bureau of Police Research and Development and worked in CBI for 18 years, agreed that there should be justifiable reasons for curtailment of tenure of a CBI officer. The committee should also see whether the request for curtailment has come from the officer concerned. Any recommendation for curtailment of tenure should not be forwarded mechanically, he added. The Bihar man accused of raping a baby in Gujarat should face strict action, chief minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday, stressing that there was no reason to punish other workers from Bihar. The person, who committed the crime, should be punished, there should be strong actions taken against him. But, people should not have such notions about others.... I would like to appeal to all the people to not have similar impressions for others on such matters, Nitish Kumar said, according to news agency ANI. Kumar had yesterday called up his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani amid reports of violence and threats targeting migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh after the 14-month-old babys rape. Raghuvir Sahu, a ceramic factory worker from Bihar, has been arrested for the rape. But the horrible crime had also triggered attacks on workers in Mehsana, Sabarkantha and Aravali districts since September 28. Police officers had initially sought to deny reports that migrant workers from Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were apprehensive about their safety and contended that they were heading back home to be with their families during the festive season. But there have been allegations that the workers were have been asked to leave by October 8. On Monday, there was some acknowledgement about the ground situation. In the last 24 hours, the number of attacks has decreased. We appeal to people to not be frightened as we are taking appropriate actions, Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said, according to news agency ANI. He said the police had already filed 35 cases and made arrests. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who has been targeted by the opposition over attacks on workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, received dollops of support from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday. The UP chief minister said those who did not have any issue to criticise the Gujarat government were spreading rumours against the state. The Gujarat chief minister told me over the phone there was no incident in the past three days and that he had appealed to people against paying heed to any rumour, Yogi Adityanath said, according to news agency Press Trust of India. He also praised Chief Minister Vijay Rupanis commendable and effective handling of the situation. Gujarat is a peace loving state and a model of development. Those who do not have any issue (to criticise the state government) spread such rumours. Those who do not want development spread rumours, Adityanath said. According to the Gujarat government, 56 cases have been filed across six districts and 431 people arrested for the violence and threats after a labourer, a native of Bihar, was accused of raping a 14-month-old on 28 September. Ravindra Sahu, who worked in a local ceramic factory, was arrested in this case. It is not clear how the campaign against migrant workers started but there were sporadic incidents of violence targeting workers from outside the state in nearly six districts of the state soon after. Maheshsingh Kushwah, who leads an association that seeks to represent interests of workers from north India, said over 20,000 people belonging to UP, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had already left Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. Over 20,000 migrants from these states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in different parts of the state, Kushwah of the Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad said. The state government suggests this was an exaggeration but there is recognition that it did have a problem on its hands. Gujarats minister of state for home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said 17 companies of state reserve police had been deployed in the affected areas. The Congress has attempted to pin the blame for the violence on the BJP, alleging that the fact that the attacks had continued despite police arrangements. This means attackers enjoy silent blessings of the government, Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said. The Janata Dal (United) that rules in the state of Bihar - and which is an important ally of Modi - blamed Alpesh Thakor, a controversial leader from the main opposition Congress party in Gujarat, for the attacks. The BJP also accuses Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and is reported to have mentioned the outfits name in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor alleged that youth from the community were being falsely implicated. Jadeja, responding to a query on Thakors allegations, said action will be taken against anyone who disturbs peace. Additional forces were deployed in industrial areas in Gujarat for the security of Hindi-speaking migrants after attacks on them sparked their exodus that prompted the state government on Monday to make an appeal for their return. Assuring security to the migrants, the Gujarat government said 431 people were arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks, as chief minister Vijay Rupani appealed to people not to engage in violence. Claiming that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police. We are committed to maintaining law and order, and people can call police in case of trouble. We will provide them security. he told reporters in Rajkot. Chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar--Yogi Adityanath and Nitish Kumar-- and Union minister and BJP ally Ram Vilas Paswan, who hails from Bihar, spoke to Rupani to voice their concern over the attacks. Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have witnessed sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, police said. Police have arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime. Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. Over 20,000 migrants from these states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in different parts of the state. All non-Gujaratis should not be seen as culprits for the misdeeds of one person, he said. A political dimension to the attacks was also injected with a leader of the JD(U), which is headed by Nitish Kumar, dashing off a two-page open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, blaming his party for the violence against Biharis. You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena is driving out migrant Biharis, Neeraj Kumar, JD(U) MLC and spokesman, alleged. Without naming opposition Congress, Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said efforts were underway to find out whether it(attacks) is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years. Jadeja said it is the responsibility of the state government to provide security to those who come to Gujarat for employment from other states and appealed to those who have fled to come back to the state. He said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants. Jadeja told a press conference in Gandhinagar that the Centre had been apprised of the steps taken by the state government to bring the situation under control. The attack on migrant workers is highly condemnable. The chief minister has instructed us to take all necessary steps to stop the attacks. I also appeal to people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains, Jadeja said. Jadeja said only a handful of people are involved in the violence. We have deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of migrants. We have also decided to set up points (camps) for the State Reserve Police (SRP) and increase patrolling in such areas. While police have arrested several members of the Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and also mentioned the outfits name in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor alleged that youth from the community were being falsely implicated. Condemning the rape incident, Nitish Kumar said the guilty must be punished but an entire community must not be tarred with the same brush. Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister yesterday. Our Chief Secretary and DGP are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat, Kumar told reporters in Patna. If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people must not generalize and hold a grouse against an entire state. Adityanath said the Gujarat chief minister told him that his government has ensured the safety of all and that are all welcome. Rupani also informed there had not been any incident since the past three days and he has also appealed to people against paying any heed to rumours, Adityanath told reporters in Lucknow. Adityanath said Gujarat is a peace loving state and a model of development and that those do not want development spread rumours. Some North Indians living there had called me and I have told them also not to pay heed to the rumours., he said. A seven-member high level central committee has been deputed to Jaipur, Rajasthan, where 22 cases of a localised outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus disease (ZVD) have been reported. In a written statement issued on Monday, the Union health ministry confirmed 22 Zika cases so far through the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) surveillance system. A seven-member high level Central team was deputed to Jaipur immediately following detection of first case to assist state government in control and containment measures. The situation is being reviewed at the level of Union minister of health and monitored on a daily basis by the secretary, health, said JP Nadda, Union health minister, in a statement. The Centres expert team has been monitoring the situation and assisting in containment operations in Rajasthan since October 5. Our team is monitoring the situation closely and taking all possible steps to contain the infection. Even pregnant women in the area are being monitored closely. So far, there is nothing to panic, said a senior health ministry official. A joint monitoring group of technical experts headed by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has met twice to monitor the preparedness and response measures. To date, a total of 22 positive laboratory confirmed cases have been detected. A Control Room has been activated at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to undertake regular monitoring of the situation. All suspect cases are in the defined area and mosquito samples from this area are being tested. Additional testing kits are provided to the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories, the statement further reads. Extensive surveillance and mosquito control measures are being taken up in high-risk areas. Zika virus disease is an emerging disease currently being reported by 86 countries worldwide. The symptoms of Zika virus disease are similar to those in other viral infections such as dengue, and include fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache. Several Hindu organisations in Kerala moved the Supreme Court on Monday with review petitions against its earlier verdict to open the doors of the Sabarimala temple to women of all ages as protests in the southern state mounted. The Nair Service Society, Pandalam royal family, tantri or the chief priest of the hill shrine and National Ayyappa Devotees Association moved the top court challenging its September 28 verdict lifting the centuries-old ban on women of menstruating age from entering the temple. We still hope the court will review its verdict, said the scion of the erstwhile Pandalam dynasty Sasikumar Verma. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have called a meeting in Kochi to chalk out their protest programmes. Hundreds of devotees of Lord Ayyappa have protested in Kerala against the Supreme Courts 4-1 verdict, saying it was upholding the rights to equality of worship. The worried government had called the tantri and royal family for talks but both turned down the invitations. Mohanaru Kandarau, one of the three priests at the Sabarimala temple, said there was no point in talking with the government since it has already announced its plan to enforce the order. The tantris words are considered the last regarding rituals conducted in hilltop temple. Let the government first file a review plea in the Supreme Court. Then we can talk, Kandarau said. Entry of women of productive age will affect temple customs and will destroy the divinity of the temple, he adding deploying women police personnel will destroy the temples customs. He was reacting to state police chief Loknath Behras comment that 600 women police personnel will be deployed in the temple. The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Kerala government, which has accepted the top courts verdict and is making safety arrangements for women devotees, reiterated its stand it will go ahead with the order after the tantris (chief priests) backed out of the talks. The Left Front government is being pushed onto the back foot after the Supreme Court verdict. The Congress has made it clear that it will stand with the believers, while the BJP alleged that the state government was trying to undermine the religious beliefs of devotees. The government has blamed both the BJP and Congress for exploiting the sentiments of believers. Demand from Telangana The Temples Protection Movement, a Hyderabad-based committee fighting for the autonomy of temples, had on Friday appealed to the Centre to promulgate an ordinance imposing a ban on entry of menstruating women into the Sabarimala temple to protect the religious customs of the centuries-old temple. The founder-chairman of the movement and head priest of famed Chilkur Balaji temple MV Soundara Rajan said in an open appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the Centre should invoke its powers under Article 254 of the Constitution, which provides it power to legislate on items in the concurrent list, to protect the custom, usage and tradition of the temple and its devotees. He suggested the ordinance should define Ayyappa and his worshippers constituted a religious denomination and that his vow of Naishtika Brahmacharyam (voluntary celibacy) was protected, which was ignored by the larger bench of the Supreme Court in its recent judgement, allowing entry of women into the temple. Soundara Rajan also called for the establishment of a Hindu religious endowments tribunal to prevent judicial interference in religious matters. The tribunal, he said, should comprise experts who could determine what constituted an essential practice and also address such questions as to who constituted a religious denomination. Such a tribunal was recommended by Hindu Religious Endowments Commission of 1962 headed by eminent jurist CP Ramaswamy Iyer. Various religious institutions like the Shri Ahobila Mutt had already recommended for such a tribunal, he said. Soundara Rajan criticised the Kerala government for influencing the Travancore Devasom Board, which runs the temple, not to file a review petition that would have allowed a rethink by the Supreme Court of its flawed majority verdict. Ayyappa devotees are not only in Kerala but are present in all the states of the country and therefore when the atheistic Kerala government has unilaterally decided not to file a review petition, the central government needs to perform its constitutional duty and act as per dharma, he said. The Hyderabad high court on Monday admitted a bunch of petitions challenging the dissolution of the Telangana assembly by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government on September 6, nine months ahead of the completion of its term. Former minister and Congress member from Gadwal in the dissolved assembly DK Aruna, former MLA Komireddy Ramulu, advocates Shashank Reddy and Rapolu Bhaskar and others moved the high court challenging the unilateral decision of the TRS cabinet headed by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. The high court posted the cases to Wednesday for hearing. Speaking to reporters, Aruna said she had challenged the procedure adopted by the TRS government in dissolving the assembly. We were the MLAs in the dissolved the House and we were not even informed before taking the decision. How can the cabinet take the decision unilaterally without convening the state assembly? she asked. Stating that the KCR government had deprived her Constitutional right as an elected representative nine months ahead of the completion of her tenure, Aruna wondered how the government could cancel her assembly membership so abruptly without even informing her. The government should have convened the assembly session and informed the members, the former minister said. She also pointed out that lakhs of youth who would be turning 18 years by January had now lost their opportunity to exercise their right to franchise. As per the original cut-off date fixed by the Election Commission of India, enrolment of new voters could be done till January 1, 2019. At least 20 lakh youth should have enrolled as voters by then, she argued. Meanwhile, the EC authorities submitted a counter-affidavit in the high court stating that the date for publication of final voters list had been postponed to October 12 by which time all the discrepancies could be corrected. We shall go ahead with the election process with the revised list, it said. The EC has announced schedule for the assembly elections in Telangana on Saturday. As per the schedule, the notification will be issued on November 12 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is November 22. The polling will be held on December 7 and the counting would be done on December 11. Countries have to make unprecedented transitions in all sectors to avoid devastating consequences of climate change and keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels this century, says a report by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international body set up in 1988. Commitments to cutting down carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, submitted by 195 nations under the Paris agreement, will fail to keep the rise in global temperatures under 1.5C of pre-industrial age levels, says the report released in South Koreas Incheon on Monday. If that happens, India may face serious consequences, including severe heat-stress in big cities and high air pollution levels, saltwater intrusion in coastal areas triggered by rise in sea levels and increased vulnerability to disasters in high mountain ecosystems, according to experts. But even a 1.5C rise in temperature will be threatening to India. In December 2015, as many as 195 countries reached an agreement in Paris to combat climate change and accelerate and intensify actions and investments needed for a sustainable low-carbon future. IPCCs special report titled Global Warming of 1.5 Degrees finds that nations will require rapid and far-reaching transitions in all sectors, particularly energy, land use, industry, transport, buildings and other infrastructure to fight climate change. Developing nations and least developed countries have been asking developed nations, particularly the US, to take historical and moral responsibility for being one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters. Smaller nations have asked for equity in CO2 emission cuts to curb global warming, a time frame and funding from developed nations for climate change mitigation. The US has been resisting large cuts in CO2 emissions. In 2017, the Donald Trump administration said it will withdraw from the Paris agreement but it cannot do that before 2020 according to the terms of the agreement. An author of the recent report, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says the US red-flagged several findings of the scientific summary for policymakers, but finally all nations endorsed it. Global net human-caused CO2 emissions would need to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero around 2050, says the report. This means that any remaining emissions would need to be balanced by removing CO2 from the air, it says. But IPCC also adds that the effectiveness of CO2-capturing technologies is still unproven on a large-scale. The report, drafted by 91 authors from 40 countries, finds that even if Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), or commitments made by nations under the Paris agreement, are supplemented by very challenging increases in the scale and ambition of emissions reductions after 2030, it may not be enough to stop more than 1.5C rise in temperatures. Limiting warming to 1.5C is possible within the laws of chemistry and physics but doing so would require unprecedented changes, says Jim Skea, co-chair of IPCC Working Group III, which worked on the report. M Rajeevan, secretary, ministry of earth sciences (MoES), says, Its a difficult target that requires all countries to come on board and make unprecedented changes but its not impossible. The consequences of a 1.5C rise include extreme temperatures in many regions across the world, increases in frequency, intensity and/or amount of heavy precipitation, and an increase in intensity or frequency of droughts in some regions. With a 2C rise, the impacts can be too serious for communities to adapt. For example, according to IPCC, by 2100 global sea level rise would be 10 cm lower in case of a 1.5C rise compared with a 2C rise. The likelihood of an Arctic Ocean free of sea ice in summer would be once per century with global warming of 1.5C, compared with at least once per decade with 2C. Global warming of 1.5C may force many marine species to relocate to higher altitudes and deal a blow to many ecosystems. It is also expected to drive the loss of coastal resources, and reduce the productivity of aquaculture, the report says. Indias Vulnerability The IPCC report doesnt list country-wise impacts. But several studies conclude that India is vulnerable to climate change impacts. Joyashree Roy, a professor of economics at Jadavpur University and a co-author of the IPCC report, says: We have found that the burden of global warming will fall disproportionately on the poor who are not responsible for the problem if we dont meet (the) 1.5 degrees target. The most-affected areas in India will be mega cities, coastal areas, high-mountain and small-island regions. There will also be heat stress in cities and air quality will deteriorate due to high fossil fuel use. NH Ravindranath, of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), who has been an IPCC author and specialises in forestry, says, Climate change is already impacting natural ecosystems and socio-economic systems even at current level of warming of 1C. He adds that the impacts of climatic change hazards (like droughts, floods, etc.) will depend on the exposure (population in coastal zones, drought- and flood-prone areas and mountain slopes). Since India has a very large population and regions subjected to droughts, floods, and sea level rise, it is one of the most-vulnerable countries. Rajeevan says India is already experiencing extreme weather events; the unprecedented rains that triggered this years Kerala floods being an example. Chandra Bhushan, the deputy director general of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), says, Though it will be very difficult in the current global economic system to limit warming to 1.5C, it is not impossible. This will require acting on all fronts to rapidly reduce emissions by 2030. Without an active participation of the US, this will be impossible. In totality, how the rest of the world handles the climate rogue behaviour of the Trump administration will decide whether the world meets the 1.5C goal or not. Asked about reports of the US stand on the crucial report, AK Mehta, an additional secretary at the environment ministry, says, India recognises climate change to be a real threat and we will do whatever we can in our own capacity. Denying the reality of climate change is not going to help anyone. One of the authors of the report quoted earlier, who did not wish to be named, said, The US had issues with the conclusions, but finally the report were endorsed by all nations. The report would not have been released without consensus of all. In a striking contrast to low voter turnout in Kashmir valley, the mood among the voters was upbeat across Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts which witnessed brisk polling for civic bodies in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. In a clear snub to separatists, who had given a boycott call in Kashmir, a healthy turnout was also witnessed in Muslim-dominated localities like Gujjar Nagar, Talab Khatikan, Ustad Mohalla and Bhatindi here in Jammu and Kashmirs winter capital. The polls are being held for the first time since 2005. By 1 pm Jammu had recorded 43.4 percent polling, Poonch 63.5 percent and Rajouri 67.7 percent. Ghulam Rasool, a nonagenarian, who was assisted by his grandson to a polling station in Gujjar Nagar, said, I have come here for electing candidate of my choice. The vote must be cast. It should not be wasted. The old man, who could not breathe properly, had a message for the people, who do not cast their votes but always criticize politicians. If I could come to a polling station at such an old age, I see no reason for younger people to fritter away their right. My message to all such people is that they must exercise their right to vote. Sitting at home and criticizing politicians is not going to help, he added. At Circular Road polling station a first-time voter Madeeha Latif, 18, was effervescent after voting. For the first time I have cast my vote and I have done it for the development and prosperity of our area. I have contributed my bit, she said. Follow live updates here: BJP candidate in Bandipora hurt in stone pelting When asked to respond to boycott by two regional parties--National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the young girl acerbically said, They know better why they have boycotted but undoubtedly our choices were reduced by their decision. Had both the parties contested, we could have had more options. A retired Tehsildar, Mohammed Asgar Bhat, 63, said, Vote should be cast. It is our responsibility and a right given to us by the Constitution. Not using our right amounts to disobedience on our part. Every citizen must perform his or her duty. If we dont do it, we have no right to crib and we will suffer. On NC and PDP, Bhat candidly said, NC, PDP watched their self interests and by boycotting these elections they have betrayed the people. At ward number 21 Gandhi Nagar, Sudershan Singh Jamwal, a 75-year-old paralytic patient who moves with a walking aid and is assisted by his wife, walked into the polling station in a hope of better civic amenities. Jamwal who retired as a reader from state high court, said, It is my democratic right and I wont let it go waste. He, too, lashed out at the NC and PDP for boycotting these elections. Amid tight security arrangements 30 urban local bodies comprising 422 wards that include 75 wards of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and three wards of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) went to polls in the first phase. A total of 1283 candidates were in the fray. Besides JMC of Jammu district, five municipal bodies in Rajouri and two in Poonch went to polls under tight security. In Kashmir valley, life remained largely disrupted following a call by separatists for a shutdown against the polls. Shops, businesses and schools are closed while public traffic was off the roads. Among the countries producing more than 0.1 per cent of global oil production, Saudi Arabia ranks the lowest in carbon intensity (CI) of any major producer to extract, process, and transport its crude oil to the refinery gate, a study said. In one of the most comprehensive oil field CI) studies ever published, a global team led by Stanford University has calculated the CI of the worlds active oil fields with significant results for Saudi Arabia. CI is a measure of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with producing crude oil, from the well to the refinery gate. The scientists analyzed the CI of 8,966 of the worlds active oil fields across 90 countries, representing 98 per cent of the worlds 2015 global crude oil and condensate production. The prestigious journal Science published the research teams peer-reviewed paper Global carbon intensity of crude oil production. Low marks, good marks With a CI measurement of 4.6 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent per each megajoule, which is approximately 27 kg of CO2 equivalent per barrel of crude oil, Saudi Arabian oil is second only to the lowest in the world, Denmark, which produces almost 150,000 barrels of oil per day. Saudi Arabia is the largest global oil producer, but has a small number of extremely large and productive reservoirs, the report stated. The country has low per-barrel gas flaring rates and low water production resulting in less mass lifted per unit of oil produced and less energy used for fluid separation, handling, treatment, and reinjection thereby contributing to low CI. Collective industry effort Speaking before the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) annual stakeholder meeting in New York last week, Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser said the study confirmed the significant greenhouse gas mitigation potential of Saudi crude oil. At the New York meeting, the CEOs of the OGCIs 10 existing member companies and three new members ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Occidental discussed the industrys approaches to decrease greenhouse gas emissions with key stakeholders. The OGCI also unveiled plans to reduce its collective, average methane intensity of core upstream oil and gas operations to below 0.25 per cent by 2025, with a goal of reaching 0.2 per cent corresponding to a reduction by one-third. Crucial global consideration With oil demand remaining significant for the coming decades, prioritizing the use of low CI oils is a crucial global consideration for climate change. Oil demand will also be driven by increased demand for chemicals, which is expected to double over the next 25 years. In the meantime, oil needs to be sourced in the most carbon-responsible manner, and the paper recommends investing in technology as one way to reduce CI. Multiple factors The low CI of Saudi Arabian crude oil is a result of multiple factors, including the companys continuous implementation of best-in-class reservoir management practices, flare minimization, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions management, and methane leak detection and repair (LDAR). The LDAR program has been implemented Kingdom wide across all company operations and is now being optimized by assessing and introducing new cost-effective methane monitoring technologies such as thermal cameras, laser detection, and quantification sensors. A world leader in minimizing routine flaring with a flaring intensity level of less than 1 per cent Saudi Aramco is also using technologies such as mobility geosteering, multilateral wells with smart completions, and peripheral water flooding, which have led to low water production per barrel and less energy consumption, resulting in lower carbon emissions. Vast amounts of data The Science journal study analyzed vast amounts of publicly available data for both onshore and offshore wells, as well as conventional and unconventional resources. The team calculated the CI of crude oil well-to-refinery gate across exploration, drilling, development, production, extraction, surface processing, and transport to the refinery inlet. With data from more than 800 references, the study covers 98 per cent of global oil and condensate production in 2015. It is the first time such an analysis was done at this very resolved oil field-by-field level. Scientists from the Aramco Research Center in Detroit coauthored the paper, along with scientists from 14 global academic and policy institutions. The Aramco team included Hassan El-Houjeiri, Alhassan Badahdah, Jean-Christophe Monfort, and Steve Przesmitzki. Previously, a better understanding of crude oil greenhouse gas emissions was generally hindered by a lack of a single method for measuring the CI of oils. The team used the Oil Production Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimator (OPGEE) which was originally developed by Stanford University. The OPGEE development was instrumental for the ever-increasing use of data-driven CI analysis by regulators and private investors. The development of the OPGEE model solved a big part of the puzzle by providing a peer-reviewed, open source tool for measuring the carbon intensity of oils, said El-Houjeiri. Significant potential Selectively and innovatively managing the different properties of the worlds crude oils has significant potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Producing, transporting, and refining crude oil into fuels such as gasoline and diesel account for up to 40 per cent of transport fuels emissions, depending on the field. The study identified two strong factors influencing CI: flaring, and water cut. The paper recommends that new and existing oil fields could lower CI by a number of means, including incorporating CO2 capture, eliminating routine flaring and capturing fugitive methane emissions. Leading position in the industry Giving a quantitative value to the advantage Saudi Arabia has in a carbon constrained world, the paper shows how much carbon could be saved by simply switching crude supplies. It shows that at least 18 metric gigatons of CO2 equivalent could be saved over the century by reducing oil sector emissions through selection of low CI crude resources, as well as improved gas management practices. The findings presented in the paper unequivocally confirm Saudi Aramcos leading position in the oil industry in terms of carbon intensity, commented Ahmad O Al-Khowaiter, chief technology officer of Saudi Aramco. We are committed to continuing our efforts to maintain this leadership. TradeArabia News Service Voting began in 11 districts of Jammu and Kashmir in the first of the four phases of urban local bodies elections Monday morning amid tight security in the first such polls in 13 years. Mondays elections are being held for 422 wards out of a total of 1,145. The initial voter turnout has been tepid with only 75 votes cast in three wards in Srinagar in the first two hours, election officials said. For Baramulla council, the response has been cold with just 37 people out of 937 casting their votes while no vote was polled in Azad Ganj ward of Janbazpora block of Baramulla district which has 1100 votes. In Handwara, 31 voters out of 514 had cast their votes in the first two hours. The media was stopped outside Handwara and Kupwara towns before being allowed in. But reporters were not allowed near polling booth to ensure safety of voters, a senior government official in Kupwara said. For safety of voters we have issued instructions how to cover these elections. I will look into it why you have been stopped, Kupwaras deputy commissioner told Khalid Jahangir told HT. Mobile Internet services have been suspended in south Kashmir in the view of the first phase of urban local bodies elections. Mobile Internet speed has been downgraded to 2G in other parts of the Kashmir Valley. In Jammu region, the response was better with longer queues seen outside polling booths. Shaleen Kabra, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state, said voting which began at 7 am will end at 4 pm. Three other phases of polling would be held on October 10, 13 and 16. As many as 2990 candidates are in the fray for the elections. Of the total, 150 polling stations have been designated in Kashmir division and 670 in Jammu division. In Kashmir division, 138 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive while in Jammu division 52 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive, news agency IANS quoted Kabra as saying. Many Kashmir voters clueless The municipal elections are being held in four phases, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh but many voters complained that they were clueless about the candidates or the voting schedule. The states two main parties the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have boycotted the elections over the lack of clarity surrounding the Centres stand on legal challenges in the Supreme Court to Jammu and Kashmirs special status.The last elections to urban local bodies were held in 2005. The NC and PDPs boycott has made the polls a direct contest between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) amid an escalation in violence in the state. Shoaib Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar, which is voting in the first phase, said people in his ward did not know who the candidates were. Ask anyone here if they know who the candidates are, they will tell you they have no idea. There is too much secrecy, Ahmad, who works at a private company, said. He said the government was only interested in showing that an election was being held, but did not intend to conduct the polls in a proper manner. Ishfaq Ahmad, a resident of Ganderbal, which will vote in the last phase on 16 October, echoed Ahmads view. We have no idea who is contesting from our ward. There has been no campaign or door-to-door canvassing by anyone. Even the government has not put the details of the candidates on the election commission website. There are simply no details anywhere, he said. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a police official said the candidates filed their nominations in secrecy and did not campaign openly because of a threat from militants. Militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) had in January warned former panchayat members against contesting the elections. The groups operational commander, Riyaz Naikoo, had threatened to pour acid into the eyes of anyone who dared to contest the polls. Unidentified gunmen killed two NC workers in Srinagars Karfali Mohallah on Friday. The candidates have been given security and most of them have been taken to secure locations, but the situation is such they cannot campaign. The threat is not only from militants, but from mobs as well, the official quoted above said. As many as 2,990 candidates are in the fray for the multi-phase polls. Apart from the secrecy surrounding the candidates, people in parts of states summer capital said they did not know the voting timings as well. Forget about who is contesting, we do not even know when is voting taking place in our area, Ghulam Qadir, a resident of Srinagars Sekidafar area. He said he has seen many polls, but nothing like this has ever happened. A senior Congress leader, who wished to remain anonymous, said the atmosphere in the state was not conducive for polls, but their party decided to contest after the BJP-led Centre forced the elections on the people. This is the most low-profile election in the history of the state. The atmosphere was not conducive for the polls, but it was thrust on us by the Centre, he said. The Congress leader said the secrecy maintained by the administration over the whole process has cast a shadow over the exercise. In such a situation only the candidates friends, relatives and party colleagues of the candidates will come out to vote . Security beefed up Around 40,000 additional forces have been deployed and a three-tier security has been thrown around the polling stations, security officials familiar with the matter said. Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was on Sunday placed under house arrest. On October 2, police took Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik into preventive custody. Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani continues to be under house detention ahead of the four-phase polls. Fisheries experts from Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences (SKUAST) near Srinagar heard a common complaint from farmers during a survey of fish farms in Jammu and Kashmir. The farmers would complain that species like trout were dying of unknown reasons. The problem had the experts look for the reasons for unexplained deaths. They were soon able to put a finger on it when they found pathogens like Trypanosoma had made their way into Kashmirs colder waters. The blood parasite is mostly found among fish in tropical areas. The dwindling number of fish, as a result, prompted SKUAST to open a fish hospital under the Aquatic Animal Health Management Division (AAHMD) at Rangil in Central Kashmirs Ganderbal district in May. It is second such fish hospital in the country setup on the lines of a similar facility established in Kolkata in 2015. From the last four years, we have conducted the survey in three divisions of the state and have screened many of farms. Many farmers have been complaining that their fish, particularly trout, are dying due to unknown reasons, said AAHMD head Feroz Shah, a fish diseases researcher. Nature has provided us with abundant waters and fish. However, every year our farmers lose 30% fish to diseases and if we can control that, we could enhance the overall production by one-third, he said.The state has some 513 trout farmers, who produce over 20,000 tonnes of fish annually. AAHMD has set up 20 glass tanks and aquariums that provide different treatments to sick fish. (Waseem Andrabi/ HT File Photo) Shah said they have found the parasite in the blood of fish in Dal Lake as well. There are apprehensions that due to global warming some deadly pathogens will invade our waters. If that happens, our fish cannot sustain those pathogens, he said. To deal with this and other problems, AAHMD has set up 20 glass tanks and aquariums that provide different treatments to sick fish. Some tanks are used for antibiotic, antiparasitic and antiviral medications. There are quarantine tanks, too, to acclimatise the fish admitted to the hospital. An experimental fish farm is also associated with the hospital beside a cell culture facility, an aqua clinic and a pathology laboratory. There are some 122 species of fish found in streams, lakes and rivers of the state. Pollution and introduction of exotic species have been blamed for the vanishing of some of the valleys indigenous fish including Snowtrout or Schizothorax. Nasir Ahmad, a 45-year-old fish farmer from Bandipora district, said the hospital was helping them reduce losses. He rushed to the hospital in August after his trout fish contracted a bacterial infection....They prescribed me medicine and I managed to save some 500 of my Frys, Ahmad said. The first of the four phases of urban local bodies elections in Jammu and Kashmir which began Monday morning in the first such polls in 13 years drew tepid response in Kashmir Valley with Kupwara recording the highest with just 18% voter turnout till 11 am while Rajouri in Jammu division topped with 55%. The voting percentage was in single digit in Anantnag, Budgam, Bandipora, Baramula and Srinagar, according to an official statement. In Jammu division, the response was better with longer queues seen outside polling booths. Jammu recorded 34% voter turnout while in Poonch the figure was 47%. Kargil saw 33% voting while 26% of the electorate voted in Leh till 11 am. The elections are taking place under heavy security after militants warned candidates not to contest the polls which are being held for the first time since 2013. Despite the tight security, violence marred polling in Bandipora where BJP candidate Adil Buhroo in Ward number 3 was hurt in stone pelting. BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur says Buhroo has suffered minor injuries but is stable. As many as 2990 candidates are in the fray for the elections which will end on October 16. Mondays elections are being held for 422 wards out of a total of 1,145. The initial voter turnout has been tepid with only 75 votes cast in three wards in Srinagar in the first two hours, election officials said. The media was stopped outside Handwara and Kupwara towns before being allowed in. But reporters were not allowed near polling booth to ensure safety of voters, a senior government official in Kupwara said. For safety of voters we have issued instructions how to cover these elections. I will look into it why you have been stopped, Kupwaras deputy commissioner told Khalid Jahangir told HT. Mobile Internet services have been suspended in south Kashmir in the view of the first phase of urban local bodies elections. Mobile Internet speed has been reduced to 2G in other parts of the Kashmir Valley. Shaleen Kabra, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state, said voting which began at 7 am will end at 4 pm. Three other phases of polling would be held on October 10, 13 and 16. In Kashmir division, 138 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive while in Jammu division 52 polling stations have been categorized as hypersensitive, news agency IANS quoted Kabra as saying. The states two main parties the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have boycotted the elections which has turned the electoral battle into a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP. The issue of attacks on migrant labourers in parts of Gujarat took a political turn on Monday with the opposition Congress accusing the ruling BJP government of supporting the attackers. Amid reports of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar continuing to flee to their native places, the administration launched confidence-building measures. Flag marches by police and community meetings in affected pockets of Ahmedabad city and parts of Gandhinagar, Mehsana and Sabarkantha districts in north Gujarat were also organised. Government officials said the police have been told to hold mohalla meetings and the district collectors instructed to involving locals in the confidence-building measures. They have also been instructed to take action against those giving threats or spreading rumours against the migrant labourers, the officials said. The attacks and threats against outsiders, which left 45 persons injured between September 28 and October 3, started following the rape of a 14-month-old girl allegedly by a migrant worker last month. One Raghuvir Sahu (19) from Bihar, a worker at a ceramic factory, was arrested for the crime in Himmatnagar on September 28. Assuring security to the migrants, the Gujarat government said 431 people were arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks, as chief minister Vijay Rupani appealed to people not to engage in violence. Claiming that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police. We are committed to maintaining law and order, and people can call police in case of trouble. We will provide them security. he told reporters in Rajkot. Chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Yogi Adityanath and Nitish Kumar and Union minister and BJP ally Ram Vilas Paswan, who hails from Bihar, spoke to Rupani to voice their concern. But the Congress blamed the government for the violence. Attacks on migrants continued despite security cover and police bandobast. This means attackers enjoy silent blessings of the government, said Congress state chief Amit Chavda. The BJP knows that it is going to face defeats in upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan, MP and other states. So the party has been trying to divert the attention, he said. Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. A leader of the JD(U), which is headed by Nitish Kumar, wrote a two-page open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, blaming his party for the violence against Biharis. You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena is driving out migrant Biharis, Neeraj Kumar, JD(U) MLC and spokesman, alleged. Without naming the Congress, Gujarat home minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said efforts were underway to find out whether it (attacks) is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years. But senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel gave a clean chit to Thakor, alleging that the BJP government was trying to politicise the issue. Rahul Gandhi said targeting of migrant workers in Gujarat is completely wrong and he is totally against it. Jadeja, however, said that among the arrested persons is a man who had in the past contested a local poll on a Congress ticket. A person (Mohat Thakor), who had contested Gandhinagar taluka panchayat election on a Congress ticket, has been arrested for instigating and threatening migrants, he said. In a video that has gone viral, Thakor is seen threatening migrants in Uvarsad village in Gandhinagar district to leave. Condemning the rape incident, Nitish Kumar said the guilty must be punished but an entire community must not be tarred with the same brush. Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister yesterday. Our Chief Secretary and DGP are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat, Kumar told reporters in Patna. Adityanath said the Gujarat chief minister told him that his government has ensured the safety of all and that all are welcome. Meanwhile, some rush due to migrant fleeing was seen at Ahmedabad railway station. We have been hearing a lot about threats. Others were also moving from our area in Kalol. So I have also decided to go, said Pyarelal Thakur, who was at the station. (With PTI inputs) Health department officials in Karnataka are on a high alert after 207 cases of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, as well as chikungunya and dengue, were reported from across the state, including Bengaluru. The capital city, especially the Information Technology (IT) corridor in Bengaluru East, has been badly affected with 46 cases of swine flu reported over one week between September 29 to October 5. This is the biggest outbreak since September 2015. The virus is already in the community and those who have lost their immunity are particularly susceptible to falling ill, Dr Sunanda Reddy, district surveillance officer (Bengaluru Urban), said. The highly-contagious respiratory disease is caused by a strain of the influenza A virus and was initially found to have been transmitted to humans from pigs. The first cases of the viral infection were reported in 2009 in Mexico. It spread at a great pace around the world and was referred to as a pandemic then. Swine flu can sometimes be fatal and its symptoms include a cough, sore throat, fever, headache, nausea and vomiting. In 2015, nearly 32,000 cases of the H1N1 virus were reported across India, out of which 2,733 were in Karnataka alone. Eighty-two people succumbed to the virus in Karnataka in that year. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported this year yet and no new cases have been reported either since last Friday (October 5, 2018), Reddy said. Health officials have distributed 150 tablets of the antiviral medication, Tamiflu, across the worst affected areas and city staff is undertaking door to door health surveys as well as awareness campaigns in anganwadis (child care centres) to prevent further incidents of swine flu. Officials said they have surveyed over 3,000 houses across the city so far. We have not confirmed yet but many of the affected have travelled to Kerala recently for relief work after the floods. Other reason for the cases might be the recent heavy rains, and poor hygiene in these areas, Dr GA Srinivasa, district health officer (Bengaluru Urban) said. We are conducting Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities across all of Bengaluru and have also reached out to the local media regarding this. We are determined to limit the number of cases, Dr Srinivasa said. The health officer advised people to take precautionary measures to prevent falling ill. Its really very simple but some basic measures such as drinking only hot water, abstaining from eating out, consuming healthy food etc. can go a long way in preventing the virus spreading, he said. Most of the cases were diagnosed in Columbia Asia Hospital, Manipal Hospital and the Avalahalli CHC. Amid heavy security and looming militant threat, the first phase of polling to 30 urban local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir were conducted peacefully on Monday, even as the Kashmir region recorded an abysmally low voter turnout. While the Jammu and Ladakh region recorded a turnout of 65%, only 8.2% votes were cast in the Kashmir region in the first of the four-phase polls held after 13 years. The overall turnout was 56.7% and, barring one incident, was conducted peacefully, said the state information department in a statement. The regions two major political players the National Conference (NC) and the Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had announced they would boycott the polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress decided to contest. The NC and the PDP were protesting against the Centre for not taking a firm stand against Article 35A of the Constitution challenged in the Supreme Court. Article 35A empowers the Jammu and Kashmir legislature to define permanent residents of the state. In the Kashmir Valley, Bandipore recorded the lowest turnout at 3.3% and Kupwara the highest at 36.6%. Militant groups such as the Hizbul Mujahideen had threatened to throw acid at candidates and asked voters to boycott the elections. Streets in Kashmir wore a deserted look through the day. Unlike the previous local body and panchayat polls, this time there were no queues outside polling stations in 58 wards of Kashmir. Polling was held under tight security from 7am to 4pm. Only one incident of violence was reported where a BJP candidate from Bandipore was injured when a stone hit him near a polling station. In the election to 238 wards in the Jammu division, the turnout was 65%. In Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh division, 55.2% and 78.1% of the electorate cast their votes. The overall polling percentage in Ladakh was 62.1. In Anantnag, where polling was held for the Kokernag municipal committee, 7.3% voters exercised their franchise; in Budgam district, 17% voters turned up top vote, while a meagre 3.3% electorate cast their vote in Bandipore. In Srinagar, where polling was held for three wards of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, the polling percentage was 6.2%. Baramulla saw 5.1% voters turn up to exercise their franchise. The election authorities kept the identities of the candidates from the Valley under wraps for security concerns, prompting people to term the polls secret elections. In the Jammu region, Rajouri district with 59 local bodies recorded a voter turnout of 81%, the highest in the state, followed by Kargil at 78.2%, Poonch at 73.1% and Jammu at 63.83%. The second phase of polling covering 384 wards will be held on October 10, while the third phase of polls for 207 wards will be held on October 13. In the last phase on October 16, polling will be held for 132 wards. The counting of votes will be held on October 20. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday reiterated that his government would not file a review petition in the Supreme Court against its verdict allowing women of all ages to worship at the Sabarimala temple and accused the Congress and the BJP of doublespeak on the controversy. His response came after several Hindu organisations in Kerala moved the Supreme Court on Monday with review petitions against its earlier verdict. He also blamed the RSS for fishing in troubled water. RSS is trying to create a law and order situation in the state taking advantage of this verdict. Government is bound to implement the Supreme Court verdict, Vijayan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. Some forces were trying to foment trouble by whipping up religious passions and the government would deal with them sternly. We never went to the court citing the issue of women entry. When the court had sought the states opinion we told we support women entry in the temple. The government took the view in the light of changed social scenario in the country. Now we cant change our opinion, Vijayan said. He named many social reformers and movements of the state to buttress the point that all customs should change with the times. He criticized both, Congress and BJP, for changing their stance after hailing the verdict initially. Both Congress and BJP central leaders have called the verdict historic and path-breaking. Now they see an opportunity to exploit the situation and they are whipping up passions. Devotees will realise their follies soon, he said. They are spreading a canard that the government was responsible for the verdict. All changes in the society began with some resistance. As an elected government we are duty-bound to implement the orders of the Supreme Court, he said. The Left Front government had invited the Sabarimala priests and the Pandalam royal family - custodian of the temple for talks on Monday to defuse tension among the devotees. Both snubbed the CMs offer of talks. The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief on Monday said that acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft, S-400 missile systems, Apache attack helicopters and Chinook heavy-lift helicopters would enhance the capability of the force. IAF chief BS Dhanoa was speaking on the occasion of 86th anniversary of the Indian Air Force which was celebrated with air and ground display by air warriors at Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad. Dhanoa said that the force is in the process of acquiring new combat system, upgrading and modernising the existing inventory of aircraft and weapon systems. The ongoing induction of Tejas (Light Combat Aircraft), Spyder, medium range surface to air missiles and state of art precision weapons are a part of our larger modernisation programme, Dhanoa said. The IAF is ever prepared to meet any contingency that challenges the defence of our country..., he added. He said that aerospace safety is one area where the force needs to maintain constant vigil as loss of aircraft in peacetime is not only expensive but diminishes the wartime capability. He asked the personnel to remain combat worthy. India on October 6 signed ?39,000 crore deal for five S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems with Russia. Head priests of the Sabarimala hill shrine and erstwhile rulers associated with the Lord Ayyappa temple on Sunday rejected Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayans offer for talks over the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages to worship at the complex, saying the government had already decided to enforce the order. Hundreds of devotees have protested in Kerala since September 28, when the Supreme Court, in a 4-1 verdict, lifted the centuries-old ban on women of menstruating age from entering the temple, saying it was upholding the rights to equality of worship. The temple authorities have said the ban is essential to the rites related to the deity, who is considered eternally celibate. Mohanaru Kandarau, one of the three priests at the Sabarimala temple, said there was no point in talking with the government as it had already decided to enforce the order. Let the government first file a review plea in the Supreme Court. Then we can talk, he said. Kandarau said they will go for a review petition. The Pandalam royals, who are associated with the temple, also rejected the offer of talks, which were scheduled for Monday. The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Kerala government, which has accepted the order of the apex court and is making safety arrangements for the women devotees, reiterated its stand after the tantris (chief priests) backed out of the talks. We dont have any other options left. We will go ahead with the order of the highest court, said state temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran. The verdict has come in for criticism from Union minister and top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley, who said the court was selective in targeting one practice. If you want to take a progressive step under article 14 and 21, it will apply uniformly against all religions. It cannot happen that you select a practice and apply it because that will have many social consequences in a pluralistic society like India, Jaitley, the Union finance minister, said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on Saturday. Justice Indu Malhotra, the lone dissenting judge and the only woman judge in the five-member bench that struck down the ban on women at the temple, said in her judgment that notions of rationality cannot be invoked in matters of religion. The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB), which runs the temple, has issued a circular to appoint women officials and police at the hilltop temple. We have to comply with the court order. We will make arrangements to appoint women officials and others to ensure safety of women devotees, said TDB commissioner N Vasu. Kandarau said on Sunday that allowing women to enter the temple will obliterate its divinity. Entry of women of reproductive age will affect temple customs and will destroy the divinity of the temple, he said, adding that deploying women cops will hurt temple customs. About 600 women security personnel will be stationed at the shrine, according to the state police chief, Loknath Behra. The temple is set to open on October 18 for monthly rituals and the TDB has said no woman devotee will be stopped from worshipping there. Many outfits have, however, threatened to prevent women from entering the shrine. Amid protests against the SC order, the state units of the BJP and Congress have supported the demands of a review petition. Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Sunday defended the state unit seeking a review of the SC judgement urged the central and state governments to take a call on the issue. They (state unit leaders) are the best judges to connect with the local tradition, historical practices and sentiments to ensure there is a balance, he told reporters in Kochi. Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Jaitley said that for instance, the courts observations could mean polygamy, oral divorce, or other religions where women are not allowed entry into places of worship are no longer allowed. If you want to be progressive and bold, you cant be selectively so, Jaitley said. If you are willing to proclaim you must be willing to strike not only willing to strike at one target but willing to uniformly strike. In her order, Justice Malhotra, whose dissenting voice sparked hope among those supporting the ban, said: Religious practices cannot solely be tested on the basis of the right to equality. It is up to the worshippers, not the court, to decide what is the religions essential practice. Pathanamthitta district, where the Sabarimala temple is located, observed a shutdown on Sunday called by the BJPs Yuva Morcha. Kottayam and Tripunithura in Kochi also witnessed big rallies by political outfits to demand a review of the apex court order. The Left Front government blamed the BJP and Congress for trying to exploit the sentiments of believers. Eyeing votes, some parties are fanning trouble. Their mischief wont succeed. It is nothing but cheap politics, said Surendran. On Saturday, scion of the Pandalam royal family and the custodian of the temple, Sasikumar Verma, and chief priest Rajeevaru Kandararu participated in a protest rally in Kottayam district. An ambitious, if woolly headed, scheme to introduce cheetahs from Africa to India to compensate for the extinction of a different sub-species of the big cat in India at least 50 years ago, may finally be dead with a Supreme Court appointed panel advising against it last week. Amicus in the case ADN Rao submitted the report prepared by the Central Empowered Committee based on peer reviewed papers on cheetahs by Kelly Marnewick of South Africa, LL Marker of Namibia and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and said India does not have required habitat and prey density to support cheetahs. He accused a government-run research institute of incorrectly compressing data to get the approval of the apex court to seek the reintroduction of the big cat from Africa. In 2010, the central government set up an expert panel for reintroducing the cheetah in India. This panel recommended that the home of the fastest animal in the world could be Kuno Palpur in Madhya Pradesh, Velavadar National Park in Gujarat and Tal Chapar sanctuary in Rajasthan. Kuno Palpur was also the place prepared by Madhya Pradesh to house Asiatic lions from Gujarat, till the latter refused to share its pride. Wildlife activists filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the plan to reintroduce cheetahs into India. The court asked Rao to get the issue examined by experts. Before the panel could submit its report, the Madhya Pradesh government sought permission of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to translocate cheetahs from Africa last month. It is submitted that India simply does not have the required habitat and the prey density to support the cheetah, said the report of experts submitted to the court last week, claiming that the three proposed habitats do not have the requisite area and prey population to support the big cats. Serengeti National Park in Tanzania has an area of 14,750 square kilometres brimming with prey base, while the Kruger National Park in South Africa is spread across 19,485 sq km. Compared to them, the proposed Indian wildlife habitats do not have an area of more than 1,000 sq km, and with much less prey base than the African homes of cheetahs; the cats need an antelope every third day to survive, the report said. The report also dismissed claims made by the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) that cheetahs could coexist with humans, survive on a low prey base and do not need vast grasslands. WII selected Kuno for reintroduction of the animal. In India, this (reintroduction) would bring them (cheetahs) into human dominant landscape and result in serious man-animal conflict with disastrous consequences, the report said, citing examples of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe where cheetahs have flourished because of no human interference. WII director RK Mathur declined comment saying he hasnt seen the report. The report also said that the cheetahs reintroduction was not examined by the national board for wildlife in detail as claimed by the government. It added that the National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-2031) is also silent on it. It would therefore be correct to assume that the reintroduction of cheetah has never been an issue of any significance. It has never been a subject of consultation among experts, much less widely deliberated, and therefore has any support in the country. Under the circumstances, reintroduction of cheetah cannot be accepted as a national priority, Rao said in his report. According to the report, the government proposes to bring cheetahs involved in cattle/game lifting from private game ranches, and some of them were captured and spared from being shot by ranch owners; this raises the question over the quality of cheetahs to be reintroduced, the report said. Delhi-based biologist Fayaz Khudsar said the plan hasnt been thought through and claimed it is being pushed to fulfil the dream of a former Indian Forest Service officer. We cannot translocate lions from Gir, who are dying because of canine distemper virus. But, we want cheetahs with which we have no experience, Ravi Chellam, a Bangalore-based ecologist, said. Cheetahs roamed Indias grasslands till the 1950s when they were hunted to extinction from the country. Iran has a sub-species of the Asiatic cheetah but has refused to share them with India, forcing the government to look for African ones. The Asian and the African species separated between 30,000 and 60,000 years ago. Brent is expected to peak at $95 per barrel (/bbl) by the end of Q2 2019, said the Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML), citing a forecast by Francisco Blanch and team and analysing the impact on global growth of an even larger and more sustained oil spike. The analysis specifically discusses the factors that could drive oil prices to $100/bbl, and hash out the winners and losers. The Iran oil sanctions, shale bottlenecks, the collapse of Venezuela and demand growth pose upside risk to oil prices. If oil remains around $100/bbl next year, growth in the Euro area, the UK and Japan would slow by a few tenths. But the US, Australia and Brazil have ramped up energy production. This will likely cushion the blow to global growth. Whats driving oil? The most important near-term driver of oil prices is the supply shock coming out of Iran because of the impending US sanctions. Iran exported more than 2.1 million barrels per day (b/d) last year. The US administrations stated goal is to bring that number down to zero, BofAML said in the research. Although the sanctions are unilateral, they apply to all firms that do business in the US, including shipping and insurance companies. This gives the US leverage to force other countries to cut their imports of Iranian oil. China and India together account for nearly 60 per cent of Iranian oil exports this year. While Indian refiners got waivers from the previous sanctions, it appears that this time they will comply. Refiners from Europe, Korea, Japan and India have already cut their purchases from Iran, and exports have fallen by 900 million b/d in the last five months. This leaves China with substantial room to increase its purchases from Iran, possibly at below-market prices. However, doing so would further escalate Chinas trade and broader geopolitical conflict with the US administration. Therefore our colleagues in commodities strategy believe China will take a middle course, maintaining its current imports from Iran, defying the sanctions, but not increasing imports. News reports suggest that China is increasing its crude oil imports from West Africa to compensate for import cuts from the US and possibly Iran. The collapse of the Venezuelan economy is causing further supply disruption. Production in Venezuela has fallen by more than a third from its 2016 level and, barring a brief interlude in 2002, is at its lowest level since the 1940s. Meanwhile US shale producers are hitting infrastructure and labour supply bottlenecks. And with the global economy growing slightly above trend, demand growth is also robust. All of these factors limit the ability of the other Opec members (notably Saudi Arabia) and Russia to curtail the rise in oil prices by increasing production. Indeed, suppliers are already having trouble keeping up with demand and OECD inventories have been falling steadily, the analysis said. Higher oil prices seem inevitable and, in our view, $100/bbl is easily within reach, BofAML research concluded. TradeArabia News Service Dr Anand Rai and Ashish Chaturvedi, known as whistleblowers in the Madhya Pradeshs Vyapam scam, will be contesting the state elections under the banner of the Jai Adivasi Yuva Sangathan (JAYS), a top official of the tribal youth organisation familiar with the matter said. JAYS founder president Dr Hira Alawa said Rai, a medical officer with a government hospital, and Chaturvedi, a social activist, would be contesting from their respective residential cities Indore and Gwalior. We are in touch with several social activists who have raised voices against injustice and corruption and are inviting them to contest under our banner, said Alawa. Rai and Chaturvedi are known to have exposed crucial aspects of the Vyapam scam. The scam refers to irregularities in exams held by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, also called Vyavasayik Pareeksha Mandal or Vyapam, for admission in professional courses and services. Rai, who is said to be close to several Congress leaders, including former chief minister Digvijaya Singh and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha, claimed that he chose to contest on JAYS ticket as he was upset that several Vyapam scam accused were not shown the door by Congress. Yes, I am close to several Congress leaders, but I am upset as many Congress leaders are still in touch with the Vyapam accused. If they are really concerned about the scam, they should have no association with such tainted persons, Rai said. Chaturvedi said, I was not in a mood to join politics. But I realised that to fight Vyapam scam accused, it is necessary to have political power and that is why I am planning on contesting. I was attracted to this party as, unlike other mainstream parties, it is untainted and is talking of welfare of tribal youth in the state. State Congress spokesperson J P Dhanopia, however, denied that his party was giving shelter to any accused. We cant comment on why the two whistleblowers have chosen to fight under JAYS banner, he said. JAYS is yet to be registered as a political party. Alawa said they have approached the Election Commission for a symbol. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said Monday he had called up his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani over the reported attacks on north Indians in the western state and was assured that the government there would ensure the safety of all. The Gujarat chief minister told me over the phone there was no incident in the past three days and that he had appealed to people against paying heed to any rumour, Adityanath said in Lucknow. Gujarat is a peace loving state and a model of development. Those who do not have any issue (to criticise the state government) spread such rumours. Those who do not want development spread rumours, Adityanath said. Some north Indians living in Gujarat had called me and I told them also, not to pay heed to the rumours, and on keeping the local administration and government in confidence, Adityanath said. He asked everyone to cooperate with the state government while hailing the steps taken by the Gujarat chief minister for maintaining peace and normalcy, an official spokesman said. Non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were reportedly targeted in several parts of the state following the arrest of a Bihar native for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district last week. The attacks took place after hate messages against non-Gujaratis, particularly those from Bihar and UP, were circulated on the social media, according to officials. On September 28, a 14-month-old girl was allegedly raped in a village near Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district, around 100 km from Ahmedabad. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar also said Monday that he spoke to Rupani and expressed concern over the attacks on non-Gujaratis. Four years after coming to power at the Centre, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is methodically crafting a new political hegemony. This new-found predominance, as argued by political scientist Suhas Palshikar in a recent issue of Economic and Political Weekly, is built on two foundational pillars: elections and ideology. Ideologically, the BJPs twin emphasis on Hindu nationalism and a new developmentalism has saturated the world of ideas at a time when the Indian National Congresss legacy of secular nationalism has fallen out of favour. The popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has further propelled the BJPs ideology into the national spotlight. While Palshikar is principally concerned with the BJPs nascent ideological hegemony, its progress in the electoral domain is equally important. In electoral terms, the BJP has become the central pole around which politics revolves. The decisive single-party parliamentary majority it earned in 2014 -- coupled with an impressive string of state election triumphs over the past four years -- arguably represents a critical juncture in the evolution of Indias party system. And while the partys expanding footprint is unmistakable, equally stunning is its principal rivals reversal of fortune. The Congress partys loosening grip on state assemblies has coincided with a serious drop in its share of state legislators and representatives in the Rajya Sabha. The BJP and its allies, meanwhile, have been steadily picking up steam. However, the BJPs emerging hegemony should not be conflated with electoral invincibility. As recent elections have demonstrated in states such as Bihar, Delhi, and Karnataka, the party is fallible. Furthermore, its ability to replicate in 2019 the electoral rout it achieved in 2014 looks unlikely given the burden of anti-incumbency in India as well as the Modi governments mixed economic track record. Future electoral setbacks are a distinct possibility. However, while the BJPs political influence will certainly ebb and flow, it will not fade easily. Like the Congress before it, the BJPs present position has a system-defining quality. Both state and national elections are regularly fought in reaction to the BJP (either in favour or in opposition). Shifting state-level dynamics The seismic changes heralded by the 2014 general election have quickly spread to state politics. Prior to the 2014 polls, BJP chief ministers ruled in five states (the BJPs allies controlled another three), and the largest number of states the BJP had ever controlled was seven. As of September 2018, the BJP rules in fifteen of Indias twenty-nine states while its coalition allies call the shots in another five. During the BJPs previous stint in power under the late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the number of states it directly controlled fluctuated between four and six. Today, Congress chief ministers rule in just three states the partys smallest tally in history. Its previous low was four states in 1979 as it reeled from the aftershock of Emergency Rule. In Indias six most populous states Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh the Congress has fallen out of favour. In the short run, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are the only two where the Congress has a plausible shot at returning to power. It is clear from the state-level data that the BJPs gains in recent years have largely come at the expense of the Congress. Indeed, the two parties trends serve as mirror images. The footprint of other parties has been fairly stable at least since 2006. State election results attest to the eroding power of the Congress party. In state assembly elections held between 1962 and 1967, the median Congress vote share was 41%; for elections held between 2016 and 2018, the median Congress vote share hovered around 29%. This downturn has been exacerbated by a reduction in the share of seats the Congress contests. This share has declined as the party either has proved electorally uncompetitive or has been compelled to join hands with a local coalition partner in order to maintain relevance. In the early 1960s, the Congress contested as many as 95% of all assembly seats. Between 2011 and 2015, that figure dipped to 81%. In the most recent elections (20162018), that percentage had fallen even further to 63%. In addition, some analysts have hypothesized that once the Congress falls to third place or below in a given state, it is never able to climb back up. This theory is largely validated using returns for assembly elections between 1980 and 2018. At the state assembly level, the Congress has dropped out of the top two vote-earners in 13 states at one point or another. In six of these states, the drop occurred in the most recent assembly election (hence, it is unclear if this is an aberration or the beginning of a longer trend). In five states (Bihar, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal), the dip has endured for two or more elections. There are two instances of the Congress falling below the threshold and recovering (Jharkhand and Sikkim), although in both it subsequently fell again. The data suggests that if the Congress does not bounce back quickly, it never does. The BJP, by contrast, is gaining a foothold in state assemblies across the country. When the BJP began contesting elections in 1980 as a party, it was a bit player. For most of the 1980s, it accounted for a paltry 5% of all MLAs across India. During the early 1990s, when the BJP first grew in prominence, its share hovered around 20%. There was a clear pickup following the landmark 2014 general election and Modis ascent to power, when the BJP share grew to 25% and finally overtook the Congress. Within four years, it would cross 35%; the last time the Congress claimed that many state legislators was in 1993. Today, the Congress share of MLAs stands at 19% its lowest level since 1980. In some regions, like the north-east, the Congress organisation has simply melted away. In 2013, the party won 25% and 37% of the vote, respectively, in Nagaland and Tripura. Five years later, its vote share stood at a startling 2% in both states and it won precisely zero seats. The number of legislators belonging to neither national party is also at its lowest level in almost thirty-five years (around 45% in 2018). This decline is largely driven by changes in a handful of states. In Uttar Pradesh, for instance, parties other than the Congress and the BJP had 328 MLAs in 2012 compared to 84 in 2017 the same year that the BJP won a three-fourths majority in the states election. Bihar has also seen a sharp decline in the representation of regional parties in the last decade while Karnataka has witnessed a gradual decline since the 1980s. The remaking of the Rajya Sabha The BJPs expanded presence in the states has obvious ramifications for the composition of the Rajya Sabha. When the BJP swept to power in the Lok Sabha in May 2014, it remained a distinct minority in the upper house, claiming only 17% of the seats to Congresss 29% . In 2017, for the first time, the BJPs tally surpassed that of the Congress. The BJPs share has steadily risen to 30% while the Congress share has plummeted to 20%. The NDA together accounts for 37% of the seats compared to 27% for the UPA. Despite the BJPs improved standing, it still lacks a governing majority in the upper house. According to one recent analysis, the NDA will probably not achieve an outright majority until at least 2024. Of course, any predictive analysis of this type is invariably based on a number of uncertain assumptions. Suffice it to say that, with its recent gains, the BJP is in the strongest position it has ever been in the Rajya Sabha. If it is able to corral support from non-aligned parties, it would be positioned to enact legislative changes by a simple majority. However, constitutional amendments, which require a two-thirds majority, would still need broad, cross-party consensus. A shock to the political system The implications of this reshaped landscape for the political system at large are several-fold. First, the BJPs rapid pickup of states will provoke opportunistic alliances forged by desperate opposition parties. Indeed, that process has already begun. In recent by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party bitter rivals that have vied for political dominance for a few decades set aside their differences to unite in a successful effort to defeat the BJP. Other such marriages of convenience will likely arise in the run-up to 2019. Second, the Congress faces two somewhat contradictory objectives as it looks ahead. Its first goal is to stem its electoral decline. And its second goal is to build up its emaciated party organisation. Unfortunately for party leaders, the two are in tension. In order to improve the partys short-term fortunes in states with multi-party competition, the party has decided to forge alliances with key regional players. However, this likely means it will struggle to reclaim political territory it cedes to others. The partys decision to form an eleventh-hour coalition government with the Janata Dal (Secular) after the May 2018 Karnataka assembly elections is a harbinger of things to come. Third, the BJP has not been universally successful in expanding its footprint. Indias eastern seaboard (stretching from West Bengal in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south) remains relatively immune to the BJPs charms. The party has placed significant emphasis on making fresh inroads in precisely these states in the coming election. BJP leaders hope that gains in these states could compensate for potential losses in states it swept in 2014 a feat that is difficult to replicate. Fourth and finally, the BJPs hegemonic status cannot be easily separated from Modis own popularity. In nearly all states where the BJP has come to power since 2014, it has done so without formally projecting a CM candidate. Instead, it has campaigned on Modis own standing. This works well when the prime minister polls better than his party, but the time might come when Modis star dims. In May 2017, according to data collected by Lokniti [PDF], 44% of Indians named Modi as their preferred prime minister. One year later, that share had fallen to 34%. To be fair, in May 2014, when the BJP earned its historic general election victory, 36% of Indians surveyed named Modi as their top choice. So Modi has not lost much ground compared to four years ago, but if this percentage continues to drop further, it would ring alarm bells within the BJP. The Congress party under former prime minister Indira Gandhi banked on a similar strategy during her heyday in the 1970s and early 1980s. The long-term fallout of this strategy is borne out by the data presented here. Todays hegemonic force in Indian politics would do well to learn the lessons of its predecessor if it wishes to avoid a similar fate. Milan Vaishnav (@MilanV) and Jamie Hintson are with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Jayaram Ravi is a student at Stanford University. This article is part of the India Elects 2019 series, a collaboration between Carnegie and the Hindustan Times The Uttar Pradesh police have sounded an alert to prevent possible law and order problems after a spate of WhatsApp messages began circulating asking constables to boycott work in protest on October 10 in support of two constables arrested for the killing of Apple executive Vivek Tiwari last month. The letter dated October 5, 2018 from the Superintendent of Police (Intelligence) of Meerut region which HT has accessed, has been sent to the authorities concerned in the matter. The alert has been sounded after finding that the messages to generate support of the constables are being circulated on WhatsApp groups, a senior state intelligence official confirmed. The intelligence alert cited a post which was widely shared in a WhatsApp group stating Traffic cops should go on duty but should not control traffic movement and civil police cops should go to police stations but should not visit any crime spot or attend public complaints. The alert asked police officers concerned to collect information about such messages on different social media platforms and inform the intelligence headquarters so could further action could be taken. Last week, some constables in Lucknow had expressed their resentment at the arrest of their two colleagues and displayed their solidarity for the two men by wearing black bands. Constables from different districts also expressed their support for their arrested colleagues by posting texts and videos on different social media platforms. The police administration suspended four constables in Lucknow and one constable in Bareilly for posting derogatory and objectionable messages and mobilising other cops in joining the protest. Three officers in charge police stations in Lucknow were also transferred for their inability to curb the protest. A senior police official, who did not wish to be named, said most of protestors were of the batch of the murder accused constable Prashant Chaudhary (2015-16). Apple executive Vivek Tiwari was shot dead in Gomtinagar extension when he was going to drop his ex-colleague Sana Khan in his SUV, past September 28 midnight. Sana had told police and media persons that the two constables Chaudhary and Sandip Kumar intercepted their vehicle and Chaudhary opened fire with his service pistol when Vivek tried to move on, fearing that the constables might misbehave with her. Amid the disquiet among the constabulary, Chaudharys wife Rakhi Malik appealed to the constables not to get involved in protest or boycott work. In a letter that she posted on Facebook, she also asked constables to maintain discipline of the police force. Whenever I write about a hotel or a restaurant that I like, I am prepared for the usual response. Ah, but they knew who you were so naturally you had a good time! It is not an unreasonable objection and I nearly always try to take that factor into account. Sometimes I fall back on the argument offered by Gault Millau, who were famous French food critics in the 1980s. When asked how they could review restaurants when everyone in the business recognised them, they said: It is always possible to get a bad meal in a good restaurant. In fact, it happens all the time and one must take that into account. But it is never, ever possible to get a good meal in a bad restaurant. Gault Millau were right. And its as true of hotels as it is of restaurants. Yes, it does make a difference at a hotel if they know you are from the media. There is a warm and effusive greeting from a senior member of the staff when you arrive. You get a large fruit basket. They upgrade you to a better class of room. Some Guest Relations Person calls to check that everything is all right. If there is an occasion or you are there for a celebration, then they will make a special effort. But what happens when a hotel knows that you are writing about it and does nearly all of the above? And you still have a terrible stay? Well then, I reckon, it has to be a really badly managed hotel. Let me give you the example of The Yeatman in Porto where I stayed last week. This is often described as Portos best hotel. It is not cheap and is truly beautiful. So I had great expectations of the hotel especially as standards of luxury in Portugal are high. Last year I stayed at the Ritz in Lisbon and the outstanding Penha Longa on the coast and was wowed by both. The Portuguese are among the nicest, most hospitable people in Europe. I made my booking at The Yeatman through Relais & Chateaux, an organisation of independently managed small hotels which has a reputation for outstanding quality. I have never ever been disappointed by a Relais & Chateaux property. Until now. Relais & Chateau have me down on their computer as a journalist so they passed this on to The Yeatman. And I got a great deal. They upgraded me to deluxe room, threw in airport transfers, placed a huge basket of fruit in my room and ensured that I was warmly greeted by the manager on duty when I arrived. It was my wifes birthday so when we had dinner at the hotels two Michelin star restaurant, they surprised her with a cake. So far, so good. The Presidential Suite. (www.the-yeatman-hotel.com) But no matter how hard it wants to make an effort, a bad hotel always gives itself away because the attitude of the staff is never right. Rarely is it a single big thing that goes wrong. Usually it is an aggregation of small things that add up till they ruin the experience. Its never that the hotel wants to be bad to you; its just that they cant help themselves. I first began to get uneasy when I complained on arrival that the minibar in my room was not working. A man came to look at it and declared that it was fine. I showed him how warm all the bottles in the bar were. He shrugged. You can call room service if you want cold drinks, he said indifferently.Or get some ice. Then, there were the adventures with housekeeping. Every day, the routine would be different. Sometimes, they would draw the blinds during night service. Sometimes they would not. Sometimes they would leave a bottle of water in the room (the hotel only gives guests one free bottle of water a day for two guests; you pay if you want any more). Sometimes they would not bother to leave any water at all. If you had put clothes in the cupboard, they would place a pile of bed linen on top of them so you would be nonplussed trying to work out what happened to the clothes you had put aside. Room service was as unpredictable. There was no sense in which the staff were trained to work in a luxury hotel. If you ordered eggs for breakfast, they forgot to put salt on the tray. They brought it when you called to complain but by then the eggs had congealed. Orders were frequently misunderstood. On one occasion I asked for chopped raw onion and lemon (as a caviar garnish; the caviar was my own). They forgot about the lemon and brought me a plate of stewed onion rings.I put it down to language problems though any luxury hotel in India (let alone one of the most expensive hotels in Portugal) will know at least a little about caviar service. And the lemon wedges? They simply forgot. I dont want to make too much about the caviar (though if you have a Michelin two star restaurant and your entry level room rate is over Rs 30,000 per day, and rises to several lakhs then you should understand luxury) but worse was to follow. We then went down to dinner and asked room service to clear the dirty plates and glasses .Nobody came. We went to the reception and asked them to remind room service. Wine cellars at the hotel. (www.the-yeatman-hotel.com) We returned to our room to fine the dirty plates untouched. Housekeeping had come and gone and not bothered to clear the tray. Room Service had not turned up either. If you are in the hotel business, then you will recognise what all these little things add up to: a badly managed property with no service standards for the staff. You could tell this from the way in which staff interacted with guests in the lobby. They visibly strived to avoid eye-contact, nobody smiled, wished you good morning or even acknowledged guests. There was a curious air of couldnt-give-a-damn about the staff. None of this would matter if this was a two star hotel. But at a luxury property at those room rates? Hoteliers will tell you how unforgivable this is at those prices. I shouldnt have been surprised by how they handled my departure. I paid the bill the night before and fixed the time for the airport transfer. Except that when it was time to check out, they took 25 minutes to send a man to collect the bags. By now I was tense because I was scared of missing the flight. We finally got to the lobby and asked about the car for the transfer. Nobody had a clue. The two reception desks were dealing with other guests but, in our panic, we interrupted anyway to ask about the car. Had we booked it? The man at the desk seemed curiously detached. Yes, last night. Oh, it must have been somebody else on duty, he said. I wasnt here. The American lady, who we had interrupted when she was in the process of checking out, looked at us sympathetically. Everything is very slow at this hotel, she said. Fifteen minutes later, a taxi drove up. This is your taxi said the doorman. Er, actually no, I said. We have a hotel transfer. No, you take this taxi. The hotel has paid for it. The doorman said. Convinced that we were going to miss our flight, we got into the taxi anyway. We finally reached the airport only 40 minutes before departure. As I struggled to get the bags on the trolley and rush to the counter, the driver said: What about my payment? Oh, I am sorry I said. I thought the hotel has paid you. No, he said. Nobody has paid me. I paid him, rushed to the counter where there is a God after all! --- the flight was delayed and we were able to get on. All this is doubly sad because The Yeatman is a lovely hotel. There is nothing wrong with the hardware. It is the level of service that lets it down. The screwups covered nearly every department (front office, maintenance, housekeeping, room service, etc.) though the Concierge was a happy exception. So it is clear that the problem is with the management itself. This is just an incredibly badly managed hotel. So, for all those who say that I cant judge hotels because they know that I am a journo, here is proof that a bad hotel will always reveal itself. There is no way you can you have a good meal in a bad restaurant and no way you can have a good stay in a bad hotel. We spent two lakhs (including the birthday dinner but excluding other lunches or dinners) over four days at The Yeatman. At no stage did we feel that we were in a luxury property. There were just too many littleand not so little things that kept adding up. I dont suppose most Indians will go to Porto. But if you do, please dont make the mistake I did. Choose your hotel wisely. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter The state governments plan to launch a one-ticket system for all of Mumbais public transport modes by the end of December may be further delayed. The 140-crore integrated ticketing system will let the citys more than one crore commuters access suburban trains, metro, monorail, buses, autorickshaws and taxis using a single card or mobile app. The system had first faced delays as state authorities and railways were unable to agree on how commuters will pay for tickets. Now, the NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), which is coming up with a One India One Card system for all public transport, has asked for uniformity in the payment system. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the state body executing the project, finalised a payment mode called the account based system, or ABS, in which payments are linked directly to the passengers bank account. Commuters may not need to carry a card, but simply use mobile phones to pass through ticketing gates. Railway officials, on the other hand, wanted a store value card system (SVC), in which balance is stored on smart cards, in addition to the ABS. SVC will refuse a journey if there is insufficient balance, while under the ABS, passengers may be able to travel even if their accounts dont have enough balance. After discussions between the state and Centre, MMRDA and the railways agreed to use both systems for payments. Senior officials said the MMRDA was directed to discuss the ticketing system with NITI Aayog before finalising their plan. The MMRDA, which has been working on the ticketing system project for more than two years, suggested both payment modes, but NITI Aayog said it preferred the SVC system, senior officials said. There is no clarity on the system that would be adopted yet. Account-based payments are faster and more convenient for passengers, as there is no need to check balance or top it up. The railways prefer the stored value card system. This system would secure their end as no passenger without sufficient balance in the card can enter the stations, said a senior official, requesting anonymity. Later this month, officials from the NITI Aayog and MMRDA are expected to meet to resolve the issue. CM Devendra Fadnavis said a team from NITI Aayog will also meet him. NITI (Aayog) has not put it (ITS project) on hold, Fadnavis said, dispelling doubts over the future of the long-pending project. In fact, a NITI (Aayog) team is coming to visit MMRDA to see our system. The lack of clarity has led to the MMRDA extending the bidding for the much-delayed project. The MMRDA, however, said it extended the bidding by two weeks on the request of bidders. During this period more clarity is expected to emerge on the model, the official added Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said Mumbai will come to a standstill and its people will not even get food if the north Indian community in the metropolis decides to stop working. However, the community should not be forced to take such a step, the Mumbai Congress president warned, without naming any individual or political party. He said the north Indian community has always expressed gratitude towards Mumbai and Maharashtra. It is the north Indian community which runs the lives of or shoulders the burden of the people of Mumbai, Nirupam said at an event of north Indians in Nagpur on Sunday night. Dissident Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shatrughan Sinha also attended the event. Nirupam said members of the north Indian community are supplying milk, newspapers and vegetables to the people of the megapolis, besides providing autorickshaw and taxi services. If the community decides to stop work for a day, life in Mumbai will come to a standstill. None will get roti (bread), vegetables, milk and auto, taxi, truck and tempo (services). It happens sometimes, but it should not be done. (The community) should not be forced to take such a step, he added. The Pune police have arrested a prominent businessman from Mumbai for posing as the additional chief secretary of Maharashtra chief ministers office and cheating a five star hotel to the tune of 95,900. Besides the accused businessman, identified as Aditya Ashok Jogani ( 39), a resident of Napean Sea road in Mumbai, five others have also been booked under Indian penal code (IPC) 420 ( cheating ),170 ( personating as a public servant and section 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), at the Koregaon Park police station. Jogani was produced before the Pune court which remanded him in police custody till October 10. The FIR was lodged by the commercial director of the hotel, identified as Sachin Didolkar. According to the complaint, Jogani availed VIP service from the hotel for himself and five others and did not pay the bill of 95,500 and instead told Didolkar that his name was Pravin Pardeshi, additional chief secretary to the office of CM of Maharashtra. V S Chavan, assistant sub inspector said, The accused contacted the hotel via email for the booking, impersonated as an officer of the rank of additional chief secretary and cheated the hotel. There are also other cheating related offences on Jogani. The Shiromani Akali Dals Zabar Virodhi rally at chief minister Captain Amarinder Singhs bastion has given a much needed boost to the party cadre, which was jolted by a series of defeats in recent times. After a series of defeats, the turnout at the Patiala rally, which was highest in the recent times, has lifted the morale of party workers. It has also established the leadership of former ministers Surjit Singh Rakhra and Harpal Juneja, who are heading the SAD rural and urban units, respectively, in Patiala. Before the rally, party patron and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had toured every constituency in Patiala in the past two days, and met the party workers. Badal, along with Rakhra and Juneja, had visited Patran, Samana and Patiala on the first day. On day two, he had visited Nabha, Sanaur, Ghanaur, and Rajpura, apart from visiting the houses of SAD leaders to end any differences. While addressing the party workers in Nabha, he reiterated that Kabir Dass will remain the face of the party and candidate for the assembly elections. The aim was to snub voices of people who were not working in tandem with Dass. At Patiala (Urban), he supported Harpal Juneja, who is having a cold war with former district presidents Manmohan Singh Bajaj and Surjit Singh Kohli. After the former CM, his son and party president Sukhbir Singh Badal held a series of rallies and visited different areas in Patiala to motivate party leaders to end their differences, and to ensure that there is a maximum gathering at the Patiala rally, that took place on Sunday. It seems that their hardwork has paid off, as a large number of party workers converged at the rally. The time spent here by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was enough to boost the morale for our party workers and supporters, who were victims of massive riggings in last years urban polls and the recently concluded rural polls, said Patiala (Urban) SAD president Harpal Juneja. This has proven that the Shromani Akali Dal has become stronger in the region and will give a befitting reply to the Congress, he added. During the rally, SAD secretary Daljit Singh Cheema lauded the efforts of Juenja. The Badals spending almost 10 days in Patiala and interacting with party workers daily has given an impetus to the party. The workers have now geared up for the Lok Sabha polls that will take place in 2019, Surjit Singh Rakhra said. He added that the rally has once again proved that SAD has a strong base in the rural areas. Sukhbir Badal has mobilised the party workers. The partys district cadre will work at the same pace and hold protests against the Congress government on public issues, he added. Keeping tabs on power politics in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and J&K: Fuelling disagreement That Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu are at odds on several government policies and issues is no secret. But there is now disagreement between Amarinder and his finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal over bringing petrol and diesel under the purview of the goods and services tax (GST). Manpreet last month urged the Centre to bring petroleum products under the GST to maintain uniformity in price across the country, whereas Amarinder, while speaking at the HT Leadership Summit 2018 on Saturday, wanted fuel to be kept out of the GST. The fund-crunched state government has one of the highest rates of value added tax (VAT) in the country and has been reluctant in the past to slash the tax to check rising petrol and diesel rates. With pressure mounting on the Congress government to do its bit after the Centre announced a relief of Rs 2.5 per litre, the two leaders will meet in Chandigarh on Monday to take the call on the fuel price cut. New-found bonhomie A month after chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh changed the head of special task force (STF) on drugs, the chemistry between the special unit and the state police has become a talking point. STFs new head Mohd Mustafa is seen moving around with director general of police Suresh Arora and other officials in the state to hold meetings with the field staff. In the first round, Arora and Mustafa met officers in Amritsar range. DG, intelligence, Dinkar Gupta also welcomed Mustafa with a bouquet at the state intelligence wings headquarters when the latter went there to take charge last week. The bonhomie has come as a big relief for the chief minister who wasnt happy with infighting among top cops of the state. Congs trust deficit Asked to ensure success of the chief ministers rally in Akali patriarchs stronghold of Lambi on Sunday, Congress leaders went all out to show their presence. A video clip of former Muktsar MLA Karan Kaur Brar went viral last week in which she was asking her supporters to record their videos before heading for the public meeting and after reaching the rally venue. They were told to send these videos to a WhatsApp number with clear instructions that their failure to do so will mean absence from the rally. Why this trust deficit? SAD rues govt apathy After Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badals cavalcade was attacked, party spokesman Maheshinder Singh Grewal expressed concern over lack of political decorum. Recalling an incident that happened during the Akali government in 1999, Grewal, who came out in support of Sukhbir last week, said things have changed for worse. There was a time when I moved out of the party and the government along with (Gurcharan Singh) Tohra Saab who had snapped ties with (Parkash Singh) Badal Saab. A few days later, my car was attacked in Ludhiana and Badal Saab called me to show concern and told police to take action, he said before griping about total lack of concern in the ruling Congress after the former deputy CMs convoy was attacked. He said no one from the Congress government cared to ask. Sholay replay in AAP The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has become the butt of jokes due to its infighting. The latest jibe at the AAP factions came from Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar. Arvind Kejriwals party reminds me of a funny scene from Sholay (one of most iconic films of Bollywood). In the film, a jailer (played by Asrani) directs half of his officers to go left and others to go to opposite side. He then tells the rest to follow him when there is none left behind him, he told reporters in Jalandhar on Saturday. The AAP leaders, according to him, are also going in two different directions the same way. Factional feud in Haryana Congress The week-long Mahila Adhikar Yatra undertaken by the Haryana Mahila Congress across the state last week again brought out the ongoing factional feud in the party. As announced before its start, Mahila Congress national president Sushmita Dev, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, AICC media in-charge Randeep Surjewala, Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda and some MLAs attended the march on different occasions. But senior leaders such as Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, former Union minister Kumari Selja and Congress Legislature Party leader Kiran Choudhry were conspicuous for their absence. Selja and Choudhry are among the senior-most women politicians of the party in the state. Virbhadra, Sukhu at it again Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh is not afraid to speak his mind. When the Congress held a meeting at its state headquarters to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, the former CM, besides highlighting the Mahatmas struggle, subtly deplored HP Congress chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over the appointment of the state, district and block-level office-bearers. Sukhu, who was also sharing the dais with the ex-CM, said that Gandhi Jayanti was not the occasion to speak on party matters. Mahatma Gandhi always advocated truth and I am also speaking truth that appointments were being made to facilitate a particular group owing allegiance to Sukhu, Virbhadra replied without batting an eyelid. BJPs plays emotional card in J&K The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) BJP has banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modis sway to woo the voters in ongoing civic polls. Campaign vehicles can be seen doing rounds of the winter capital, playing his emotive poem from the 2014 elections. Saugandh mujhe is mitti ki, mai desh nahi mitne doonga, mai desh nahi tootne doonga, mai desh nahi jhukne doonga is how it goes. One will have to wait for the poll results to see whether it is working this time or not. (Contributed by Navneet Sharma, Ravinder Vasudeva, Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Sarbmeet Singh, Jatinder Mahal, Rajesh Moudgil, Gaurav Bisht and Ravi K Khajuria) 20 people were killed on Saturday when a limousine "failed to stop" at an intersection in upstate New York and struck a parked vehicle, police said on Sunday. Distraught family members take in the scene October 7, 2018 in Schoharie, New York, one day after an accident in Schoharie, New York, that left 20 people dead. [Photo: VCG] The accident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. local time on Saturday when the 2001 Ford Excursion limousine was traveling southwest on Route 30 in Schoharie, about 160 miles (or 257 km) north of New York City, and failed to stop at the intersection with State Route 30 A and then collided with a SUV parked nearby, according to local police. At a press conference Sunday afternoon, authorities said all 20 victims were adults, including 18 people in the limousine and two bystanders. "Everyone inside the limousine was killed," Christopher Fiore, first deputy superintendent of the New York State Police, told the press. Authorities are still notifying the families of victims and declined to release the victims' names, according to the police. Further investigation of the accident is underway. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had been sent to the site to assist in the investigation. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said the crash was "the most deadly transportation accident in this country since February 2009". New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement on Sunday that he had directed state agencies "to provide every resource necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy." Lufthansa is further expanding its route network to the US with plans to offer its first connections from Frankfurt to Austin in May 2019 and a new service from Munich to Bangkok, Thailand, in June 2019. Scheduled for May 3, 2019, the Austin route will be Lufthansa's third destination in Texas alongside Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. An Airbus A330-300 will be in service five times a week on the route between Frankfurt and Austin. Apart from Tuesday and Thursday, LH 468 will leave the Lufthansa hub in Frankfurt in the morning and reach Austin in the afternoon (local time) after a travel time of around 10 hours. The return flight departs from Texas in the late afternoon and lands at Frankfurt Airport in the morning of the following day. On board, passengers can expect the usual high level of Lufthansa comfort in 255 seats in Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class. A return flight to Austin can already be booked from 499 ($574.7) for the introduction. Flight tickets for the new Lufthansa connection from Munich to Bangkok went on sale from October 4. The first flight of LH792 will take place on June 1, 2019. A new Airbus A350-900 will be used, which will take off daily from Munich to Thailand in the afternoon. A return flight to Bangkok can already be booked from 640 ($737.1). - TradeArabia News Service Actor Dileeps inclusion in the AMMA early in August had led to furore among women artistes in the industry and audiences, who protested its decision to include actor Dileep in the film body. The reason being an active investigation against the actor for allegedly being a part of a sexual assault case against a female actor to settle personal scores against her. The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), has even addressed a letter to AMMA, but it looks like the film body has dismissed the objections raised by WCC. According to a report in Times Now, the president of AMMA, Mohanlal, has explained that the film body cannot punish the actor. Mohanlal said in a media interaction, It is the general body of the association that has the power to initiate disciplinary action against any member. A legal advice was sought in this regard. The meeting on October 6 was convened as a result of a second letter from WCC members Parvathy, Padmapriya and Revathy, giving AMMA an ultimatum to take a decision against Dileep. According to a report in The Newsminute, this letter had stated that AMMA was required to come to a final decision regarding Dileep before October 9. The letter also suggested that the film body should suspend Dileep until the court case against the actor is not concluded. This is reportedly the third letter from the WCC members and the Malayalam film body had not responded to the first two, resulting in an ultimatum from the female actors. Actor Dileep was accused of plotting revenge against a female actor resulting in sexual assault and is the eight accused in the case. He was also imprisoned for more than two months for further investigation before he got the bail. After the protests seeking his ban from AMMA, Dileep had earlier said that he wouldnt return to the film body until the case against him was closed satisfactorily. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Meng Hongwei, the former Interpol chief, is under investigation for taking bribes, Chinas ministry of public security (MPS) said on Monday, becoming the latest top official to fall in President Xi Jinpings crackdown on corruption. Meng, who is also the vice-minister in MPS, was arrested last month after reaching China from Lyon, the Interpols global headquarters in France. The discipline inspection department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Sunday released a one-line statement to say that Meng was under investigation. The Interpol announced soon after that Meng had resigned. The investigation against Meng Hongweis taking and giving bribes and suspected violations of law is very timely, absolutely correct and rather wise, said the MPS statement after an internal meeting. The ministry will unswervingly promote construction of party conduct, honest governance and fight corruption, said the statement signed by Zhao Kezhi, member of CPCs elite Politburo standing committee and minister for public security. Meng, 64, was appointed the world police organisations chief in 2016 and was possibly the most high-profile Chinese appointee in an international organisation. He and his family had moved to Lyon soon after the appointment. His wife, Grace Meng reported him missing over the weekend, saying she had not heard from her husband since September 25. It is rare for the family of a high-profile corruption suspect in China to go public about the case. Beijings decision to arrest a high-profile official on a posting abroad could be an indication that the stakes in this particular case are high. The CPC was willing to risk the embarrassment and media attention Mengs arrest would create. Chinas leaders have long recognised corruption as the greatest threat to the CPCs legitimacy and sustainability. After taking office as CPC general secretary in November 2012, President Jinping vowed to institutionalise the CPCs ongoing anti-corruption efforts and called for strengthened laws to punish and prevent corruption, Jamie P. Horsley from the Paul Tsai China Centre and a Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School wrote for The Diplomat earlier this year. After five years of an anti-corruption campaign that investigated more than 2.7 million officials, punished more than 1,5 million and criminally tried 58,000, Xi pressed for reform of the supervision system effectively constrain the power of public servants in a cage of regulations under CCP leadership, Horsley wrote. According to AFP, Meng rose through the ranks of the countrys 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 jailed for life in 2014, was subsequently accused of conspiring to seize state power. He appointed Meng vice security minister in 2004. The report added that China currently has 44 outstanding red notices, mostly related to murder, intentional injury and drug smuggling, according to Interpols website. During Mengs tenure, Interpol issued a red notice for fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, who threatened to reveal corruption at the countrys highest levels and is accused by Chinese authorities of money laundering. The former Chinese head of Interpol, who went missing last month, has been placed under investigation for accepting bribes, Chinas public security ministry said Monday. Meng Hongwei, who resigned on Sunday, accepted bribes and is suspected of violating the law, the ministry said in a statement, adding that any others who took bribes would be investigated. French officials disclosed on Friday that Hongwei, who is also vice minister for public security, had been reported missing after leaving France for China last month. His case could tarnish Beijings efforts to gain leadership posts in international organisations, but it is also a black eye for France-based Interpol, which is tasked with finding missing people, analysts say. His wife, Grace, told reporters in Lyon, where Interpol is headquartered, that she was concerned after receiving a text message from her husband with a knife emoji. Chinas National Supervisory Commission, which handles corruption cases involving public servants, broke the official silence early Monday, saying in a one-line statement that Meng is currently under investigation on suspicion of violating the law. Soon after, Interpol said it had received Mengs resignation with immediate effect. 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. When -- or if -- they reappear, it is often in court. Meng, the first Chinese president of Interpol, was last heard from on September 25 as he left Lyon. Interpols secretary general Juergen Stock, who oversees day-to-day operations, said Saturday the agency was seeking clarification on his whereabouts. Meng was appointed in 2016, despite concerns from human rights groups, giving Chinese President Xi Jinping a win in his bid to paint the communist-led country as a responsible player in global affairs. But his disappearance could be a setback for China. Any international organisation should think twice going forward before considering a Chinese candidate to be its head, Bonnie Glaser, senior Asia adviser at Washingtons Center for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP. Danger emoji Meng had lived with his wife and two children in France since 2016. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Mengs wife Grace said she had received a message from his phone containing a knife emoji before his disappearance. That day, she said he sent a message telling her to wait for my call, before sending the emoji signifying danger. This matter belongs to the international community, she told a press conference with her back turned to the cameras out of fear for her safety. Im not sure what has happened to him, she said. Chinas recently established National Supervisory Commission holds sweeping powers to investigate public servants, with few requirements for transparency. Although the commission did not detail the allegations against Meng, its mandate is to probe corruption cases as part of Xis anti-graft campaign. Some critics of the effort -- which has punished more than one million officials -- say it also functions as a tool for Xi to eliminate his political rivals. Red notices Meng rose through the ranks of the countrys 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 jailed for life in 2014 -- was subsequently accused of conspiring to seize state power. He appointed Meng vice security minister in 2004. In that role, Meng has been entrusted with a number of sensitive portfolios, including the countrys counter-terrorism division, and was in charge of the response to several major incidents in Chinas fractious western region of Xinjiang. Critics of Mengs rise to Interpols presidency said he would use the position to help China target dissidents abroad. Interpol has downplayed the concerns, saying the president has little influence over the organisations day-to-day operations. 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 authorisation. China currently has 44 outstanding red notices, mostly related to murder, intentional injury and drug smuggling, according to Interpols website. During Mengs tenure, Interpol issued a red notice for fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, who threatened to reveal corruption at the countrys highest levels and is himself accused by Chinese authorities of money laundering. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON International inspectors will be allowed into North Koreas dismantled nuclear testing site, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday, after a meeting with Kim Jong Un in which he said significant progress was made towards denuclearisation. Pompeo met with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang on Sunday to rekindle stalled denuclearisation talks following a landmark summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in Singapore. Chairman Kim said hes ready to allow them to come in and see the dismantled Punggye-ri nuclear test site, Pompeo said. North Korea took apart the Punggye-ri facility in the countrys northeast in May but has yet to allow international observers into the site to verify its claims. The facility, buried inside a mountain near the border with China, was the staging ground for all six of the Norths nuclear tests. The inspectors will be allowed in as soon as the two sides agree on logistics, Pompeo told reporters in Seoul before leaving for Beijing on a whirlwind diplomatic trip. Pompeo, however, did not comment on possible corresponding measures to be taken by Washington. Denuclearisation of North Korea is a long process, Pompeo said, adding: We made significant progress. The top US diplomat also said the two countries were pretty close to setting a date and location for the second summit between Kim and Trump. A good meeting The visit was Pompeos fourth to North Korea. Trump met Kim in Singapore in June for the first-ever summit between the two countries, resulting in what critics say was only a vague commitment by the North Korean leader towards denuclearisation. Kim expressed his gratitude to President Trump for making sincere effort to implement the Singapore agreement, according to a report on the Pompeo visit by North Koreas state news agency KCNA. Kim Jong Un appreciated the positively developing situation on the Korean peninsula... (and) explained in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearization issue, KCNA said. The Norths official Rodong Sinmun newspaper carried the meeting on its front page, with eight photos of the two men shaking hands and smiling broadly. Pompeo and Kim had a good meeting, Trump tweeted, adding: I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future. Washington and Pyongyang have sparred over the exact terms of the vaguely-worded agreement in Singapore, with the US pushing to maintain sanctions and pressure against the North until its final, fully verified denuclearisation. Last month, the Norths foreign minister told the United Nations there was no way his country would disarm first as long as tough US sanctions remain against his country. After a previous visit to Pyongyang in July, Pompeo had said the two foes made progress on key issues -- but within hours of his departure the North condemned gangster-like demands from the US, raising questions over how much the two sides really saw eye to eye. Diplomatic strides South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Monday that he believed Kim would soon meet with the leaders of China and Russia soon as a new order is being created on the Korean peninsula. As Pyongyang continues to take big diplomatic strides, analysts say the US may soon be pushed into a corner to relax sanctions. North Korea is bolstering its ties with China and Russia so although the US is maintaining the sanctions regime, its on thin ice, said Hong Hyun-ik, an analyst at the Sejong Institute. President Trump is very close to losing control, he said. China and Russia -- North Koreas traditional allies -- called for relaxed sanctions against Pyongyang at the UN Security Council last month, saying steps ... toward gradual disarmament should be followed by an easing of sanctions. Former Pakistan premiers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, along with a prominent journalist, appeared before the Lahore high court on Monday for hearing on a petition seeking treason proceedings against them in a case related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Journalist Cyril Almeida, assistant editor for the Dawn newspaper, is also a respondent in the case being heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi, The Express Tribune reported. In the last hearing, Almeida was put on Exit Control List and issued non-bailable warrants for his arrest for not attending previous court proceedings. The petition was filed against Nawaz for defaming the country through an interview on the Mumbai terror attack and against Abbasi for supporting the former prime ministers stance and sharing minutes of the National Security Councils (NSC) meeting in violation of his oath, the report said. The petition contended that Nawaz had not only disclosed sensitive secrets but also expressed his views against sensitive national institutions, it said. Contending that Nawaz had betrayed the nation, the petition stated that a treason case should be instituted against him for giving the controversial interview and allowing it to go on air. According to the petitioner Amina Malik, a civil society member, Abbasis action amounted to sedition as he had violated his oath of office. The security was beefed up around the court premises and a large crowd of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) supporters had gathered by the main entry point. The hearing has been adjourned until October 22. Sharif, who was recently released from jail after receiving bail in the Avenfield case, had been absent from previous hearings as he had been receiving condolences over the death of his wife Kulsoom. Earlier, Almeida had been put on Exit Control List after he wrote a front-page story about a rift between Pakistans civilian and military leaderships over militant groups that operate from Pakistan but engage in war against India and Afghanistan. Exit Control List is a system of border control maintained by Pakistan government under an ordinance which allows it to bar people whose names appear on the list from leaving the country. The Foreign Office had vehemently rejected the report and termed it speculative. The Taliban has called on its supporters to block this months parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, describing the October 20 vote as a malicious American conspiracy. The militant group vowed to create severe obstacles to prevent the elections from going ahead, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said in an emailed statement. The poll was a conspiracy to deceive Afghans and achieve the malicious interests of foreigners, he added. The elections are a nightmare for Afghanistan, as this democratic process will be held with undoubtedly increasing Taliban attacks across the nation, said Jawid Kohistani, a former army official and now an independent political analyst. Many may die, he said, warning the violence may prevent some Afghans from casting their votes. Poll Violence The countrys Independent Election Commission said at least 54,000 Afghan forces will be deployed to secure 5,100 polling stations throughout the country on election day. About 14,000 US troops are now in Afghanistan, down from a peak of about 100,000 during the Obama administration. Bombings at voter registration centres in the capital, Kabul, and in Baghlan province killed at least 63 people and wounded more than a hundred others in August. In May, insurgents killed at least 86 people lining up to enroll to vote. A month earlier, a suicide bomber killed 60 people when he blew himself up near a crowd lined up outside a voter registration centre in Kabul. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for several attacks. Afghanistan will also hold presidential elections in April, which many believe will be even more challenging than the parliamentary vote. I nfluential 19th-century designer William Morris, leader of the British Arts and Crafts movement, famously uttered one of the heavily referenced and timeless advide to all interiors loves far and wide: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." Throughout the decades, Morris's iconic wallpaper and fabrics have been deemed beautiful enough to grace many a home, and youll soon be seeing them out and about, too. High street fashion stalwart H&M has just launched a new clothing range in collaboration with Morris' long-standing interiors brand, Morris & Co, featuring some of the most recognised prints from their archive. Originally block-printed onto cotton, Snakeshead was one of Morris' favourite chintzes and illustrates his skill of combining the dramatic with the delicate. Lily Leaf and Marigold are all-over prints, Woodford Plaid is a contemporary version of a traditional tartan and The Brook is a print created in 2015 but inspired by medieval tapestries. Then there are the flower heads of Pimpernel, which originated as a wallpaper print and hung in Morris own dining room at his Cotswolds retreat, Kelmscott Manor. The collection doesn't extend into H&M Home, but the good news is there's already a ton of Morris homeware out there, if you're eager to bring the look indoors. CALLING ON THE 'MORRIS MAGPIE' To help us guide us through a Morris makeover, we called upon social media manager and self-proclaimed 'Morris magpie' Jazmine Rocks, who runs the popular blog Jazzabelle's Diary. Magpie: Jazmine has been collecting Morris gear for eight years / Jazmine Rocks Over the past eight years she has collected over 100 items featuring his prints, from notebooks and tableware to bedding, soft furnishings, clothing and even an umbrella. "My obsession started as a teenager when I discovered one of his most famous designs, Strawberry Thief, on one of many visits to the V&A," she says. "I bought a postcard from the gift shop to stick on my wall and then started noticing his prints everywhere. Friends and family have bought me many Morris-themed presents - I'm certainly an easy person to buy for!" Jazmine, 26, is delighted that more people are being introduced to the joys of her favourite artist, even if it means her personal style becoming more mainstream. "Im now at an age where Im able to spend more money on his designs - 100-plus for bedding at John Lewis in Willow Bough, one of my favourite designs, and just under 200 for a House of Hackney dress, she says. "I don't own my own house so haven't bought any Morris wallpaper yet, but it will be the first thing on my list!" Stylish: Jazmine holds an Ecoffee cup with a Morris-inspired print on it / Jazmine Rocks GO TREASURE HUNTING For newfound Morris addicts on a budget, Jazmine recommends heading to your local charity shop and car boot sale to hunt out a bargain. "You'll be amazed at what you can find! she says. "I've picked up mugs for 10p each, handmade curtains for a fiver and numerous fabric scraps for pennies." SMALL PIECES, BIG IMPACT It's easy to inject shots of Morris joy into your living space without breaking the bank. "Little things like candles and books will add a pop of pattern and touch of charm," she suggests. "I've found lovely Morris mugs in Waitrose and Sainsbury's for less than 6, Heathcote & Ivory stock some gorgeous candles and you can always find something in TKMaxx." MIX THOSE PRINTS Less confident interiors lovers are often afraid to mix prints, but Jazmine insists they look "beautiful together", so dont worry about going OTT. T ransforming an east London flat hasnt only given Sara LEsperance, 29, and Michael Putman, 42, their perfect home its given them the confidence to embark on a new career. Both have quit their jobs working for respected architecture firms and set up a new design studio together where they can take their ideas further. The design is a testbed for SUPRBLK, which on the back of this project has won a residential commission in Camden, and draws on their experience of designing micro-flats for their previous employers. Its a prototype that shows how to get the most out of a difficult space on a minimal budget. Through skilful design theyve managed to transform a dark and dated 60 square metres into a light-filled two-bedroom home/office with 77 sq m of floor space, including two bedrooms, a dining room and masses of inbuilt storage. LEsperance and Putman met at university in Canada and moved to London together in 2011 to study architecture. TODO: define component type brightcove We were drawn to Bethnal Green for its old industrial buildings, long before its artisanal coffee shops, says LEsperance. Three years ago they discovered City View House. The early 1900s Kearley & Tonge biscuit factory had been crudely converted into flats in 1988, but the original features had been plastered over and windows boarded up. The pair lived in the apartment for a year to understand its potential before starting on the conversion. HOW MUCH DID IT COST? Cost of apartment in 2016: 485,000 Cost of renovation: 85,000 Estimated value now: 695,000 Occupying one of the factorys large baking rooms on the first floor, the flat has soaring 3.5 metre-high ceilings with large south-facing windows. It was really fun to knock down the dividing walls and reveal the huge windows. We discovered lovely two-tone glazed bricks that we used to form the colour palette for the conversion, explains Putman. The couple wanted to achieve the open feeling of a loft, but at the same time create private spaces for dining, working, bathing and sleeping. Conventionally, designing a layout is approached in plan. But by thinking vertically, they managed to add in a 9m square guest bedroom, 6sq m of storage and a small office on two mezzanine levels. With everything having been taken out, two living pods pieces of inhabitable furniture structure the space. Made from simple cheap materials such as timber studs and plywood for bracing, the pods have multiple functions. The bathroom pod creates a partition for a dining room and has storage space in the wall, as well as making the platform for the guest room above. The kitchen pod works even harder. It has a mini-office above and also forms a headboard for the bed behind it. Between the two pods is the living room. Relatively small, it feels enormous because all the spaces flow into each other. A digital projector above the front door transforms a large white wall into a cinema. This clever design provides both privacy and openness at the same time. The bedroom flows into the entrance space so that it benefits from natural light, but it also has a large walk-in wardrobe. We actually use that room a lot, says LEsperance. We get dressed there, Michael works out and I do yoga. Its great to have a cosy, safe space. The couple confess to being ridiculously tidy, so incorporated storage in as many places as possible to achieve the cool minimalism they love. They even hid the light switch and sockets in the kitchen under the floor of the office space. The staircase to the office is made from plywood boxes for stationery. The secret to doing all this on a tight budget was to work with a skilled contractor who specialised in joinery and to limit the range of materials and products. We wanted to use humble materials in an interesting way to compliment the existing building, says Putman. Some of the details they simply made themselves. Lighting is suspended on a simple industrial track that cost a fraction of expensive designer systems. Adrian Lourie LEsperance and Putman have used their own home as the opportunity to test materials and develop ideas. The future of housing has to be in thinking of new ways to live, says LEsperance. In Switzerland they sell houses by the cubic metre. Its time we started to use the whole volume of spaces, and not just draw plans. GET THE LOOK: Renovation 5 October 2018 McKibbon Hospitality , an award-winning leader in hotel development, management and renovations, today announced that the Aloft Jacksonville Airport has begun multi-million-dollar renovations that encompass the entire hotel. McKibbon Hospitality manages the hotel which is owned by Gehr Hospitality. The hotel is located three miles from the Jacksonville International Airport and just 15 miles north of downtown Jacksonville. The new design will incorporate locally-inspired elements throughout the property to showcase Jacksonville's culture. Renovations will encompass the entire hotel including the W XYZ Bar, lobby and lounge area, pool deck, gym, meeting space, and all guest rooms and bathrooms. All renovations are expected to be complete in early 2019. The Aloft Jacksonville Airport includes 136 guestrooms, the Aloft brand's signature W XYZ bar, an outdoor pool, 600 square feet of meeting space, and a 24-hour fitness center. Pipeline 8 October 2018 Alvin Mansour's Oram Hotels and Azul Hospitality Group plans to open a new luxury San Diego hotel in early 2019 with the debut of The Guild. The 162-room Marriott Tribute Portfolio property is housed in the city's historic Army-Navy landmark building, and is being reimagined by San Diego native Mansour. San Diego's Army-Navy YMCA building was developed in the 1920s. During that period, as an increase in the number of military bases in San Diego were being proposed, the need to provide the rising population of uniformed men and women a place for community and recreation in the city also grew. The Italian Renaissance-inspired building at 500 West Broadway would become that home as the Army-Navy YMCA, hosting tens of thousands of guests within months of opening its doors. Throughout its history, the Army-Navy YMCA building would provide services to more than 125 million military personnel, making it the largest such organization in the world. In 2007, the site was officially registered as a Historic Place by the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service. Upon The Guild's 2019 debut, the building will be celebrating 95 years since its doors opened, presiding over Broadway. In 2014, independent real estate maven Mansour relocated to the city's downtown center and took an interest in the landmark YMCA building. Now Open 8 October 2018 RLH Corporation celebrated the grand opening of Signature San Francisco, the first Signature hotel since the brand's refresh was introduced last year. The hotel has 34 guestrooms, as well as two suites, and is outfitted with mid-century modern furniture, unique textures and complementary design elements to craft a retro-modern feel. "We are so excited to open the first refreshed Signature hotel in San Francisco," Amanda Marcello, SVP of brand strategy at RLH Corporation, said in a statement. "Located in the heart of the SoMa district, Signature San Francisco was revitalized and repositioned from a dated hotel into a vibrant and bold boutique hotel experience through focused renovations to guestrooms and common areas." "The Signature brand has brought new life to my property and I am already seeing an increase in the average nightly rate and amount of reservations," Anil Patel, owner of the Signature San Francisco, said in a statement. "The RLH Corporation team has been with me every step of the way and I am thrilled with the results." The hotel offers 52-inch high-definition TVs, high speed Wi-Fi, mobile check-in and mobile key solutions. Located at 259 7th Street, Signature San Francisco is three blocks from Westfield Center and five blocks from Moscone Center, the city's convention center. "Pairing mid-century modern design with an approachable price tag, Signature by RLH Corporation manages to capture the earnest mentality of a bygone era, bringing the golden age of travel to life through smart design and modern conveniences," Marcello said in a statement. "From retro touches to bold color blocking, modern day travelers can expect a vibrant and playful atmosphere with a touch of Americana nostalgia, creating a stay experience that is both comfortable and memorable." Supplier News 8 October 2018 iVvy Inc ., the award-winning global Venue Management software company, has joined forces with IDeaS Revenue Solutions, the leading provider of revenue software and advisory services, to bring powerful meetings and events revenue management capabilities to iVvy clients. Through the strategic integration between iVvy's end-to-end groups and events management technology and the Smart Space by IDeaS strategy tool, hotels and groups using the iVvy platform will have unparalleled visibility into group business trend data, business performance, and competitive positioning trends. Smart Space creates a connection between revenue managers and event sales managers, seamlessly pulling data from other sales tools to strategically manage meetings and event functions, allowing hoteliers to create ideal pricing scenarios to enhance strategic decisions, capture forecasts, and increase revenue. iVvy CEO Lauren Hall explains, "We are always looking for ways to help our clients be more successful and adding the enhanced capabilities of Smart Space by IDeaS was an obvious complement to our unique solution. The need for hotel and event managers to understand the impact of group business is critical to profitability and efficiency. We're excited to see the potential of this partnership with IDeaS and look forward to pushing the technology and our industry even further." This alliance comes at a time when iVvy is on a trajectory for unprecedented growth worldwide due to increasing demand for the intuitive, cloud-based venue management software. By piecing together an industry that's traditionally dominated by legacy sales & catering systems and fragmented processes, iVvy's platform is a connection and distribution engine for the meetings and events space, designed from the ground up to help venues yield their event spaces, drive revenue, increase efficiency and reduce capital costs. To date iVvy supports over 12,000 users in 13 countries, with plans to expand to 180 team members across Australia, North America, UK and South Africa. "Being able to infuse revenue strategy into the events business is a game-changer," said Sanjay Nagalia, chief operating officer for IDeaS. "We are thrilled to partner with such a visionary company as iVvy and look forward to working together. We both share a deep commitment to innovation, and we are inspired by this collaboration." Attendees and media are invited to meet with the iVvy team and view live demos at the upcoming HOTECH 2020 event hosted at Hotel ICON in Hong Kong on October 11 and at the Hotel Revenue Distribution Summit on October 16 and in the MICE hub at the ITB Asia Convention October 17-19, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. To learn more visit ivvy.com . About IDeaS With more than 1.6 million rooms priced daily on its advanced systems, IDeaS Revenue Solutions leads the industry with the latest revenue management software and advisory services. Powered by SAS and with nearly three decades of experience, IDeaS proudly supports over 10,000 clients in 124 countries and is relentless about providing hoteliers with insightful ways to manage the data behind hotel pricing. IDeaS empowers clients to build and maintain revenue management culturesfrom single entities to world-renowned estatesby focusing on a simple promise: Driving Better Revenue. IDeaS has the knowledge, expertise and maturity to build upon proven revenue management principles with next-generation analytics for more user-friendly, insightful and profitable revenue opportunitiesnot just for rooms, but across the entire hotel enterprise. For more information about Smart Space by IDeaS, visit www.smartspacestrategy.com. About iVvy iVvy offers meeting planners the ability to search, compare, book and pay for function space, catering and group accommodations online, 24/7. By providing conference centers, hotels, restaurants and cruise lines with an integrated revenue management and distribution platform, iVvy equips Venue Operators with the tools they need to manage inquiries on any device, anywhere. With enhanced reporting and analytics, Venues are provided with greater visibility over their business so they can yield their meetings & event spaces to maximise revenue. With offices in 5 countries and a global team providing support 24 hours a day, iVvy's groundbreaking, cloud based software offers scalable solutions that tackle core issues faced by the travel, MICE and events industry, and continues to service the world's leading hospitality groups, major corporations, travel companies, government offices, associations, universities and nonprofits. Opening in 2020, the 164-room hotel will offer all day dining and bar, conference and meeting facilities, a gym and a swimming pool, along with on-site parking. It sits as part of a mixed-use development that will feature 82 residential units. IHG continues the expansion of the Holiday Inn brand in Australia with the signing of Holiday Inn & Suites Melbourne Ringwood. It follows the signing of a management agreement with Ninety Four Feet, an Australasian property development, investment, and construction company, and their partners Omni Property Group and Hamilton Marino Builders. Opening in 2020, the 164-room hotel will offer all day dining and bar, conference and meeting facilities, a gym and a swimming pool, along with on-site parking. It sits as part of a mixed-use development that will feature 82 residential units. Ringwood is a growing city on the fringe of the Eastlink motorway, just 23km east of Melbourne's CBD, with a population of more than 16,000 people and more than 9,000 operating businesses. It's home to Cadbury's second-largest factory in Australia, but perhaps most famous for the development of the "Pride of Ringwood" hop variety in 1958, which today flavours Foster's Lager, Victoria Bitter and many other beers around the world. However, despite its size and commercial clout, there is currently limited quality hotel stock in this area. The signing of Holiday Inn & Suites Melbourne Ringwood complements the growing pipeline of Holiday Inn branded hotels in Victoria, which include Melbourne Bourke Street Mall, Coburg, Werribee and Geelong, along with existing properties Holiday Melbourne on Flinders and Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport. Abhijay Sandilya, IHG's Senior Director of Development Australasia, said: "Wherever you are in the world, there's a good chance you'll find a Holiday Inn nearby, delivering an affordable, enjoyable hotel experience where guests are always welcomed warmly. We are so excited to bring that same joy of travel to Ringwood, continuing the momentum in Victoria's big cities and micro markets. I'm also very pleased to expand our great partnership with Ninety Four Feet." Holiday Inn & Suites Melbourne Ringwood is Ninety Four Feet's second IHG hotel, after it signed an agreement in July to open Hotel Indigo Auckland in 2021. Dean Rzechta, Managing Director at Ninety Four Feet Property Development said: "We are thrilled to sign our second hotel with IHG, and our first hotel in Australia. Ringwood is an exciting destination, with a vibrant community and growing business investment that has included a $66 million upgrade to Ringwood Train Station and a $665 million expansion of Eastland Shopping Centre. We are confident that, with the world's largest brand family behind it, Holiday Inn & Suites Ringwood will be a huge success." IHG currently has 48 hotels operating under four brands in Australasia, including: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, with another 22 in the pipeline, including Hotel Indigo, EVEN Hotels and vocoTM. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource All of Two Roads' hotel brands - Alila Hotels & Resorts, Destination Hotels, Joie de Vivre Hotels, Thompson Hotels and tommie - will join Hyatts portfolio. Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced an agreement to acquire Two Roads Hospitality, an international lifestyle hotel management company with a unique collection of distinctive brands, properties and a robust development pipeline around the globe. Through the addition of Two Roads, its established lifestyle brands and the management agreements for the majority of its 85 properties in eight countries, Hyatt will expand its brand presence into 23 new markets while enhancing its offerings in lifestyle hotel experiences and wellbeing. With Two Roads and its distinctive collection of lifestyle hotels, resorts and vacation residences, Hyatt will offer an expanded and more powerful portfolio of brands with best-in-class offerings to deliver compelling experiences and benefits for guests and World of Hyatt members, expand its relationship with valued hotel owners, and drive growth for shareholders. "Hyatt and Two Roads share a commitment to genuine care and delivering distinctive experiences to discerning travelers. We are pleased to be coming together, and are dedicated to learning from each other and taking the best of both organizations forward," said Mark Hoplamazian, president and chief executive officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation. "Two Roads' passionate team members, strong brands, global footprint and robust development pipeline will expand our lifestyle offerings and grow Hyatt's brand presence in more places where our guests and World of Hyatt members want to travel. Importantly, combining Two Roads' meaningful brand presence and development plans in Asia with Hyatt's already strong position in this region will allow us to accelerate expansion in this critically important and fast-growing part of the world." The acquisition consists of a base purchase price of $480 million, with the potential for Hyatt to invest up to an additional $120 million in the aggregate, contingent on the outcome of certain terms to be individually defined after closing. The base plus contingent total purchase price is expected to reflect an EBITDA multiple of approximately 12-13x stabilized 2021 earnings, which Hyatt considers the best indicator of valuation based on anticipated synergies and growth. Consistent with Hyatt's long-term growth strategy to drive shareholder value, this investment in a high-growth, capital-light platform accelerates Hyatt's evolution to a more fee-driven enterprise, funded by proceeds from an asset disposition program in which real estate has been monetized at an average multiple of approximately 16.5x EBITDA to date. Notably, Hyatt is making this growth investment in a year in which it has committed to return approximately $800 million of shareholder capital through a combination of share repurchases and a cash dividend. After the close of the transaction, which is expected later this year, Hyatt will create a dedicated lifestyle division as a catalyst to bring together the operations of Two Roads' and Hyatt's lifestyle brands. "Hyatt is an ideal home for us as we share many values and a deep commitment to thoughtful growth and creating compelling experiences for our guests," said Jamie Sabatier, chief executive officer, Two Roads Hospitality. "Hyatt's unique position in the marketplace brings with it the powerful benefit of global scale while maintaining meaningful personal relationships with team members, guests and owners." Hyatt will provide additional information related to the acquisition, including a preliminary estimate of 2019 earnings accretion, on its third quarter earnings call scheduled for October 31, 2018. Hyatt plans to integrate Two Roads brands into the World of Hyatt program in 2019, expanding opportunities for World of Hyatt members to earn and redeem points across more leisure-focused stay options and also driving hotel occupancy from a loyal group of travelers who spend more, stay more and book directly. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource Partnering with Zhuhai Da Heng Qin Company Limited, Hengqin Zhuhai will be the first M Collection branded hotel in China. Scheduled to open in 2020 M Collection Hengqin Zhuhai is located at the heart of Pearl River Delta along a mountain top reservoir with peaceful surroundings, and mountain views in the southern corner of Zhuhai. Minor Hotels has signed two new management contracts in China under the company's M Collection brand of hotels. Partnering with Zhuhai Da Heng Qin Company Limited, Hengqin Zhuhai will be the first M Collection branded hotel in China. Scheduled to open in 2020 M Collection Hengqin Zhuhai is located at the heart of Pearl River Delta along a mountain top reservoir with peaceful surroundings, and mountain views in the southern corner of Zhuhai. Hengqin Zhuhai's 100 keys will be a collection of suites and pool villas. The hotel will also offer an all-day dining restaurant, two specialty restaurants, a tea house and a lobby lounge. Other facilities include state of the art fitness and gym facilities, swimming pool, kids club and spa. The coastal island of Hengqin is located only 200 metres away from Macao and the island has been selected as a new area to enhance economic ties with both Hong Kong and Macao. A bridge connecting Hengqin with Macao and Hong Kong is scheduled to open in late 2018. When it is completed, it will take 5 minutes to drive to Macao and 40 minutes to drive to Hong Kong. The second resort to be signed under the M Collection brand in China is a 54 key all villa resort in Hangzhou Yuhang, in the Zhejiang Province scheduled to be completed in 2022. The new hotel will be part of the 433 hectare Lvjingtang Eco-Park which is located approximately 55 kilometres northwest of Hangzhou city centre in Yuhang district near the Alibaba headquarters and new private jet aviation centre. The 54 keys will consist of 18 suites and 36 villas. Facilities include and all-day dining restaurant, Pan Asian themed restaurant, continental restaurant, wine cellar, VIP Club, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a wellness centre, luxury forest mountaintop spa, an organic farm and agricultural activities for guests. The area has rich natural resources and agriculture (farm to table) including tea plantations surrounded by mountains. The resort's partners, Hangzhou Lichuan Environmental Agricultural Development Co. Ltd.'s core business includes ecological conservation and plantation of eco-agriculture products. Minor Hotels currently operates 3 properties in China under the Anantara brand in Xishuangbanna, Sanya and Guiyang and has a further strong pipeline in the region across all brands. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource "Go DJ" is one of the essential Lil Wayne tracks. Released in 2004, it was one of the standout cuts from the original Carter. The song still gets airplay fourteen years later. The only thing that's a little different is that Wayne is now viewed as one of the greatest to ever pick up the microphone. Many have been bumping the fifth installment of the Carter series since its release and some were even influenced to try and recreate the Louisiana product's magic. Lupe Fiasco and producer Sango are two names that have thanked the legend in their own music. With his revisitation of "Go DJ," we can now add BlocBoy JB to the list. The 22-year-old Memphis rapper decided to drop his own rendition of the Mannie Fresh-produced song, going in over the instrumental and sharing it with the world. As one of the most buzzing new artists this year, many sets of eyes have been on BlocBoy for the last few months. The popularity of the "Shoot" dance doesn't do anything to go against that either. He becomes just the latest to remix an older Wayne song, paying homage to the artist and showing off his own skills in the process. Quotable Lyrics: Gucci boots, that's at least 1200 You can't get that shit, you ain't making no money You gon' rob who? You ain't taking nothing from me Gave that b*tch 'bout 1500 she gon' make that sit back for me The A3C Festival took place this past weekend at the Georgia Freight Depot, in Atlanta, Georgia. The massive hip-hop event featured Wu-Tang Clan and Lil Wayne as headliners, with a long list of star talent behind them on the catalog. Wayne's Tha Carter V just earned the top spot on Billboard, so concertgoers were ready to celebrate Weezy's victory. Wayne took to the stage and performed only a handful of songs before his set was cut short. Accounts of what ended Wayne's set are unclear. An HNHH editor was present and corroborates reports that screams were heard in the crowd and Wayne was ushered off stage by his security immediately. Crowds began to stampede in fear, with some claiming there were gunshots and others blaming the madness on fights. The stampeding crowd was able to break through metal security barriers while authorities called for an evacuation. What initially caused the madness is still in question. Lil Wayne took to Twitter as soon as he was safe to send positive light towards a rampant crowd. "Hope everyone at A3C is safe!! ," he wrote. Tweets from concertgoers paint a picture of insanity though. "Everybody started ducking while Lil Wayne was onstage like someone in the crowd had a gun," wrote one fan in the crowd. "Before the rumors come out they aint shoot up @A3C the fought it up," stated another. Jewel Wicker tweeted an official statement from the event about the incident after the evacuation had taken place. https://twitter.com/_/status/1049137174795493376 https://twitter.com/_/status/1049128581073444866 https://twitter.com/_/status/1049122382697435136 https://twitter.com/_/status/1049122863486312448 https://twitter.com/_/status/1049130298489884673 https://twitter.com/_/status/1049124529023438849 The #MeToo movement was spearheaded by several women, but Asia Argento and Rose McGowan were at the head of the activists. Both Argento and McGowan shared a common enemy, Harvey Weinstein. The disgraced movie producer sexually assaulted both women, and attempted to cover it up. While Argento deals with her own sexual assault scandal, McGowan is taking aim at those whose voices shake halls but actions cease to exist. McGowan sat down with U.K. publication The Times, and explained why she feels that the #MeToo movement in Hollywood is full of snakes in the grass. I just think theyre douchebags," she began. "Theyre not champions. I just think theyre losers. I dont like them. How do I explain the fact that I got a GQ Man of the Year award and no womens magazines and no womens organisations have supported me? "Its all bullshit. Its a lie," she continued, while agreeing with one notion from Trump supporters. They hate Hollywood for being faux liberals and theyre 100% right about that. Its a bunch of faux liberals. Its crap, and they know it is deep down, but theyre living an empty life, and to me thats their punishment. They get to live the lives they live," McGowan explained. This weekend, Travis Scott was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. As the new season kicks off, they invited Kanye West and Travis to perform during back-to-back weeks, leading to a few "can't-miss" episodes. The artist ran down a few of his favorites tracks from Astroworld, performing live renditions of "Sicko Mode," "Skeletons," and "Astrothunder." While his show was generally enjoyable, one element of the live set was critiqued by Houston mainstay, Sauce Walka. In case you're not up to date on the latest dance crazes (we don't blame you...), the Woah Dance is one of the most popular things in the world right now. Aside from the "Shoot" and the "Floss," the Woah can be seen throughout social media and in the streets. The dance originated in Houston and Walka seems pretty angry that the kids who created it weren't invited to perform with La Flame on SNL. "Travis Scott, bro you lame as hell for that shit that you did to these lil' n***as," said the rapper. The Sauce Twinz member notes that Travis is fully aware that the Woah Dance came from Houston, saying that he should have used his national television platform to put them on. He also goes on to say that he wrote "Goosebumps," one of Travis' most popular songs to date. It appears as though everything may have been a big misunderstanding though as just a few hours later, Walka posted photos of himself with Travis Scott, praising him for his contributions to Texas. https://www.instagram.com/p/BoqIs89BevN https://www.instagram.com/p/BoqkqnqBLLD https://www.instagram.com/p/BorOxu6BbZe Miles Morales debuted in 2011 as an African-American and Latin Spider-Man. As with most comic book companies, Marvel has several universes at work at once. Morales existed in the Ultimate universe until a crossover event placed him in Marvel's main 616 universe (the stories and characters you're most familiar with). On the movie front, after Sony gave up on their Amazing Spider-Man universe with Andrew Garfield they made a deal with Disney to share Spidey in the MCU. Sony gets to reap the benefits of the billions Tom Holland will make over in the MCU, while they are still free to play with the rest of Spidey's catalog. Sony is also dropping Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse this holiday season, which is an animated movie. Focusing on Miles Morales, the film will help Sony bring several characters from Spider-Man's gallery into the forefront. At New York Comic Con this past weekend, Producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, actors Jake Johnson, Shameik Moore, Luna Lauren Velez, and Brian Tyree Henry, and directors Bob Persichetti and Peter Ramsey blessed fans with footage from the film. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Lord and Miller told the audience Morales was always a focus for them. "We said we wouldnt want to do it unless it was Miles Morales story," said Miller. The first 35 minutes of the animated film was shown to the packed room. Reactions were mostly positive, as Morales' relationship with his family, the humor, and the gorgeous animation were highlights of the preview. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse drops on December 14. T.I. recently paid a visit to Stadium Goods in New York City along with Complex's Joe La Puma for a brand new episode of "Sneaker Shopping," in which the Atlanta native talked all things sneakers including his love for Nike Air Maxes, DJ Khaled's limited edition "Grateful" Air Jordan 3s and his first pair of Air Jordans - the "Military Blue" Air Jordan 4s. Speaking of Js, T.I. explained that he only recently got into the iconic Air Jordan 1s but the Air Jordan 3s are still his favorite of all-time. Tip also tells La Puma about the time when Michael Jordan autographed his Air Jordan 7s, and how he hopes to get a poker game going with MJ and Charles Oakley once his bag gets a little bigger. At the end of his trip to Stadium Goods, T.I. walked out with $9525.47 worth of kicks, including several Air Jordan 1s, Air Jordan 5s, Air Forces and Air Maxes. Check out the full episode of "Sneaker Shopping" in the video embedded below. 2 1 of 2 MANDEL NGAN /AFP /Getty Images Show More Show Less 2 of 2 John Davenport /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less Retired Admiral William McRaven, the former chancellor to the University of Texas system, has been elected to serve on the board of directors of Houston-based oil giant ConocoPhillips. McRaven had a 37-year career in the U.S. Navy that ended when he retired in 2014. He left the military as head of the Special Operations Command, and was credited with the planning of the raid that killed Osama bin-Laden in Pakistan. Rarely has the natural gas business offered so much promise with so little reward. The United States has set new records for natural gas-fired electricity generation, liquefied natural gas exports and exports to Mexico. Even industrial consumption jumped to 20 billion cubic feet per day, also a record. Consumption and exports have totaled 93.2 billion cubic feet per day in the first half of the year, a 12 percent rise over the same period in 2017, according to the U.S. Energy Department.. Demand is expected to grow even higher in the years to come. Generators are replacing old, dirty coal-fired power plants with clean-burning gas-fired turbines. A half-dozen new gas liquefaction facilities are on the drawing board or under construction. And industrial consumption at ethane crackers along the Gulf Coast is on the rise, sending plastic pellets around the world. On HoustonChronicle.com: Coal is out and oil is fading, making natural gas the fossil fuel of choice Yet natural gas prices hover stubbornly around $3 per million British thermal units. And according to at least one data firm, they could drop even further to as low as $2.25 this time next year. There is some risk to the downside, warned Jack Weixel, a vice president at OPIS, an oil and gas data analysis firm. Ten years ago, cheap natural gas appeared out of reach and prices ranged between $6 and $13. But high prices encouraged drillers to experiment with hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. Those techniques were so successful that prices dropped below $4 in early 2009 and have stayed low ever since. Low prices encourage new demand, though. Natural gas power plants are now cheaper to operate than coal-fired electricity generators. And in competitive markets, like most of Texas, that means historically-low electricity prices. U.S. chemical companies have a comparative advantage now for plastics production. The ethane in natural gas is used to produce ethylene, the main component in most plastics. Exxon Mobil and other chemical companies have invested more than $140 billion in new ethane facilities along the Gulf Coast, according to my colleague Jordan Blum. U.S. gas has become so cheap, it can compete in overseas markets, even after adding the extra expense of cooling it into a liquid and shipping it halfway across the world. Houston-based Cheniere Energy was the pioneer, building an LNG export facility at Sabine Pass. But since then another one has opened in Cove Point, Maryland and more are planned for the Texas Gulf Coast, including in Corpus Christi. Shell, Petronas and their partners announced last week they would build an LNG export facility in Canada for the Asian market. The Alaska Gasline Development Corporation is expected to make a final decision on an LNG export project soon. The momentum behind LNG Canada reflects the drastic improvement in the LNG market over the past 12 months, driven by buoyant demand in China, said Dulles Wang, director for North America gas at Wood Mackenzie, a commercial intelligence firm. Firms could soon make final investment decisions on other LNG projects in Qatar, Russia and Mozambique. On HoustonChronicle.com: More pipelines needed to meet environmental goals Not all planned LNG facilities will be built, but there are plenty of customers. Global LNG demand will grow 22 percent to 360 million metric tons by 2023, according to the International Energy Agency. Basic economics would suggest that growing demand would drive up prices. But natural gas is not only a commodity but also a byproduct of oil wells. High oil prices have spurred oil drilling, particularly in the Permian Basin, and resulted in skyrocketing production of what experts call associated gas. So while gas demand this year is up 12 percent, so is supply, mainly from oil wells, the Energy Department reports. More gas is coming out of the Permian than there are pipelines to take it away. That makes Permian gas almost worthless, which is why so many drillers burn it off with flares. This gas glut drives down prices across the country and hurts the owners of natural-gas wells across South and North Texas, North Dakota and Appalachia. And if oil prices remain high, oil wells will continue to throw off natural gas and keep prices low for the next three years. This is bad news for natural gas producers, but good news for the public. Energy costs in the summer and winter will be cheaper, leaving people with more disposable income. Cheap energy also makes domestic manufacturing more competitive, creating more jobs. The global economy also benefits. LNG offers China a chance to wean itself off coal, and U.S. sources keep global prices down and offer an alternative to Russian suppliers. Natural gas royalty holders are understandably disappointed by low prices, but the economic, environmental and political benefits for the planet are profound, if widely unrecognized. Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about business and economics. chris.tomlinson@chron.com twitter.com/cltomlinson Sylvana Okde grew up eating at Houstons Antones, where the cold po boys are iconic sandwiches. Filled with meat, cheese, sweet pickles and chowchow cabbage relish, theyre in the citys food DNA, the Shipley Do-Nuts of sandwiches. Okde knew Antones as her familys store, the chain where her father, Tony Okde, started as a cashier in 1976 before rising up the ranks and opening his own franchises. Until this year, her family ran two of the surviving Antones stores one on Kirby, the other on Bellaire. That ended in April, when the Okdes license with Legacy Restaurant Group expired. Legacy owns the Antones trademark and had decided it was time to end an agreement allowing the Okdes to share the name, Legacy CEO Jonathan Horowitz said. The Okdes reactions ranged from sad to angry, though they were reluctant to say much for fear of retaliation. We dont want to get in a lawsuit, Sylvana said. Its just not a battle we are going to fight. The story of how the Okdes partnered with Legacy, only to lose the Antones name, is a decades-long saga filled with lawsuits, head-spinning ownership changes and a family feud. The Antones name Jalal Antone created Antones in the 1960s. After he died, his widow and daughters fought in court for decades over the brand. They even stopped speaking to each other. The Okdes arent related to the Antone family, but Tony worked at Antones for years and was on the companys board of directors. Antones has been named in more than a dozen lawsuits since 1978, according to Harris County court records. Some were run-of-the-mill business disputes, like injuries and payment disagreements. But there was also a multicase fight between Antones wife and daughters over who could sell Antones sandwiches and where. When the battles finally ended in the early 2000s, the original Antones company was on its way out, the daughters franchise had gone bankrupt, and Legacy owned the trademark for the famous Houston sandwich. To make things even more confusing, the Okdes still had their own franchise deal with the original Antones company dating to the 1990s. The deal was transferred to Legacy after Legacy bought the trademarks. Thats how the Okdes ended up licensing the Antones name from Legacy and how Legacy was able to finally boot them in April. Legacy demanded overhauls of the Okdes labels and websites, banning any reference to Antones. It told Tony he couldnt call his store Tonys because the name was too similar. ALISON COOK ON ANTONE'S: 'A taste of my Houston history' Some Okde family members thought Legacy was trying to take away a brand they had helped build. They said Tony invented some of the iconic Antones recipes, including the smoked turkey sandwich, the roast beef sandwich and the sweet pickles. (In an emailed statement, Legacy said it is not aware of any recipes that Tony Okde may have created, and if there are any, we are not using them at this time.) This time, though, there are no court fights. All sides including the Okdes lawyer, Deborah Taylor agree that Legacy has full legal rights to the name. It really comes down to the licensing agreement, Horowitz said. The contract that we had with them said that when the license agreement ends, they have to change their name and their brand. That was part of the contract. The beginning Houston has been eating Antones sandwiches since 1962, when Antone, the son of Lebanese immigrants, started serving sandwiches at a store on Taft near the Fourth Ward. The Original sandwich with ham, salami, provolone, sweet pickles and chowchow was a hit. The Taft store stocked cheeses, olives, eels and squid pickled in their own ink, according to a 1965 Houston Chronicle article. But besides old newspaper clips, its hard to find facts on the Antone brands early history a reality acknowledged by Legacy, which also owns Ninfas, another landmark Houston restaurant. Weve got a ton of stuff on Ninfas. All kinds of recipes and menus and old photos, Horowitz said. Weve got almost nothing on Antones and the history. I dont know why. Antones sandwiches were so popular that they spawned an entirely new genre of sandwich: the Houston-style po boy, a Middle East-tinged version of the New Orleans classic, always served cold with plenty of mayo and chowchow. Robb Walsh, a local food writer, argues Antone started an only-in-Houston trend. Antone signaled to other Middle Eastern restaurants that if you called your place a poor boy shop and put some chowchow on your sandwiches, you could also offer falafels or kebabs or anything else you wanted, Walsh wrote in the Houston Press in 2008. Antones menu gradually expanded to include other sandwiches, including smoked turkey, chicken salad and the Piggy (think ham salad.) Legacy said via email it was not sure when each sandwich flavor started but said they were for sale by 1970 or so. As the menu grew, so did Antones. The second location opened in 1967, on Main near Old Spanish Trail. A third location, which opened the following year at San Felipe and Voss, reportedly included a wine cellar. At its peak, in the 1990s and early 2000s, Antones sandwiches were in grocery stores and in Exxon Tiger Marts as far away as Nashville, Tenn. There were as many as 15 Antones stores in Houston. After all the legal fights and, more recently, the name changes Antones is down to just two storefronts, one near the Galleria and one off the North Loop, as well as two grab-and-go kiosks, including one in the downtown tunnel system, all run by Legacy. The sandwiches are also still in grocery stores. The original store, on Taft, closed in 2003. Jalal Antone died in 1974. He left 98 percent of the company to his wife, Josephine, who had helped run the shops. The remaining 2 percent went to his daughters, Mary Jo and Jamie Lee. The sisters later started a business J.J. Gregory Gourmet Services and took out a license from the original Antones company run by their mother, allowing them to expand the Antones sandwich brand throughout Houston. Then, in 1976, a 20-year-old man arrived in Houston from Lebanon, escaping a civil war back home. He enrolled at the University of Houston in civil engineering with dreams of working in the oil industry. He took a part-time job at Antones to support himself. That man was Antonios Tony Okde. Bitter feuds At first, Okde said he never considered working at Antones for long. It was just part time, he said. But he grew to love the job and was promoted regularly, from cashier to manager to buyer to general manager. By 1990, he was vice president and director of operations. Josephine Antone, his friend and boss for almost 30 years, died in 2003. Okde was heartbroken. I was protective of her, he said. God rest her soul, she was an amazing person. Okde didnt get along as well with Antones daughters, though. In the 1980s, with Okde and Josephine Antone on the board of Antones, the company sued sisters Mary Jo Antone-Hatfield and Jamie Lee for allegedly violating their J.J. Gregory licensing agreement, according to Chronicle archives. The case went to arbitration, and the daughters won. Antones sued them again, in 1992. Among other things, the original Antones alleged that J.J. Gregory wasnt paying sufficient royalties and was selling its sandwiches to grocery stores. The daughters fought back, accusing Okde of squandering company assets. At the time, in addition to Okde and Josephine Antone, Peter Basralian served on the companys board. The Antone sisters viewed the men as interlopers. She has been exploited and manipulated, Antone-Hatfield said of her mother to the Chronicle in 1996. Its tragic. We have no relationship now. Basralian, who now works at Phoenicia Speciality Foods, denied that he manipulated Josephine Antone. I never manipulated anybody, he said. Thats a damn bald-faced lie. (Gerald DiNisco, Josephines lawyer, told the Chronicle in 1996 that he had no doubt Josephine was competent and in control.) The sisters tried to sell J.J. Gregory in 1996 prompting Antones to sue again on the basis that selling their franchise violated the license agreement. Okde counters that the feuds were just family jealousy. He says he became like a son to Josephine Antone and theres evidence to back him up. When he was leaving the company in 1999, Antone asked him to stay, according to a court record. A 1991 article from DBA, a Houston business journal, shows the pair beaming under the headline: Mama and Her Po Boy. Attempts to reach Jamie Lee Antone were unsuccessful. Working at Antones sandwiches was never Antone-Hatfields plan in life. I cut a record in L.A. with Sammy Davis band, she said. I studied music and theater. Thats what I was going to do. Then, in the mid-1970s, her life took a turn. She was going through a divorce, and her father died. My father had asked me: Please, learn the business and take care of it and expand it, Antone-Hatfield said. New chapter As Antones floundered, restaurant investor Niel Morgan bought out its assets in stages. He bought J.J. Gregory assets in 1996 while the company was in bankruptcy court. He acquired the trademarks owned by Josephine Antone around 2005, he said, after she had died. Morgan founded Legacy in 2006. As the new head of Antones, he tried out new business concepts like lighter Italian fare and, later, salads. Antones has evolved into a more traditional restaurant over the years, its website explains. Morgan has been eating at Antones since the 1970s long enough that he has pro tips on eating them. They taste better if you let them come back to room temperature, he said. Put them in an oven at around 250 degrees for a few minutes. Horowitz, the Legacy CEO, remembers discovering Antones sandwiches in the 1990s, when he was a student at Rice University. He used to eat at the store in Rice Village an Okde franchise that closed in 2011. Ive always been into the turkey and swiss, he said. Im very much a creature of habit. In August, Legacy announced expansions for Antones. The chain would expand to Austin and inside NRG Stadium. The Okdes, meanwhile, are back in business under different names. Tony runs Angeloz, on Kirby near Main. His ex-wife Ann runs Paulies Poboys on Bellaire renamed after their 31-year-old son Paul Paulie Okde, who has worked at the stores since he was a kid. Their daughter, 24-year-old daughter Sylvana Okde, also works there. Its too soon to tell whether losing the Antones brand will hurt the Okdes bottom line. But it probably wont hurt Houstons culinary scene. In 2013, Houstonia magazine discussed the dwindling or extinct varieties of Houston po boys Buteras, for example and wondered if the sandwich was dying out. The magazine named two culprits in the decline: the rise of chain sandwich shops (Subway, Jimmy Johns, Quiznos) and Houstons ongoing love affair with banh mi. Though Paulies and Angeloz are no longer Antones, they might help preserve the tradition of the famous Houston sandwich. The Okdes seem to be coming around. Sylvana said she is working on the new Paulies logos. Paulies already has plans to open a new branch, on Westheimer near Kirkwood on the west side. Over the months, shes gone from angry to excited. The name changes turned out to be a blessing in disguise, she said. Sometimes, the rainbow comes after the rain. This is the rainbow: We already have a product that people like. Stephen Paulsen is a writer in Houston. Email: food@chron.com Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next. Editors note: This is the sixth column in a series in which Reid explores the origins and influences that make Southeast Texas barbecue unique. Driving through Fifth Ward the area northeast of downtown thats known by its residents as The Nickel you cant avoid the railroad tracks. Today, the Union Pacific tracks slash diagonally though the neighborhood exactly as they did in the 1862, when they were laid as the Texas and New Orleans Railroad. The Southern Pacific Railroad would eventually take over the route, and the Union Pacific after that. By 1880, the full route between Houston and New Orleans was complete, and many of Houstons most important cultural traditions began to flow west from southwest Louisiana into Southeast Texas. This flow of people and traditions would become a tidal wave starting in the early 1900s as Creoles of color left Cajun Country in search of job opportunities in the booming petroleum industries along the rail corridor connecting Orange, Beaumont and Houston. Creoles of color refers to the descendants of people who first populated the French and Spanish colonies of Louisiana, later identified as a mixed-race ethnic group with European, African and Native American heritage. More Information Burt's Meat Market 5910 Lyons 713-674-0064 See More Collapse After World War I, Southern Pacific Railroad began recruiting Creoles of color to work along the route from southwest Louisiana to Houston. Many opted to transfer all the way to Houston, stopping just short of downtown in what is now Fifth Ward. Frenchtown, just north of Fifth Ward, was created in 1922. Bound by Collingsworth Street, Russell Street, Liberty Road and Jensen Drive, Frenchtown became the center of the Creole/Cajun culture that would flavor and influence so much of the Bayou Citys culture and traditions to this day. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 resulted in a second wave of Creoles migrating to Houston and Frenchtown. Not surprisingly, two of the most important traditions established in Frenchtown and Fifth Ward were music and food. Zydeco music took hold here and became famous at gatherings known as La-Las that celebrated the populations Louisiana roots. Then, as now, the cultural and social center of Frenchtown was Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church, where Zydeco celebrations are still held. This migration of Creoles of color to Texas also brought the traditions that would establish the Southeast Texas style of barbecue that first took root in Beaumont and eventually made its way to Houston. Matt Garner, perhaps Houstons most influential pitmaster, followed this route from Louisiana to Texas. Charles Matthew Garner was born in Opelousas, La., between 1870 and 1880. By 1920, he had married Helen Constance Garner, also from Opelousas, and the couple lived on Isla Street in Beaumont. Census records specify Garner as mulatto, the term used for mixed-race at the time. They moved to Houston in 1927. According to Houstonian Ann Bandy, her father, Clay G. Wunsch, ran a commissary for the Southern Pacific Railroad where Matt Garner worked as a cook. Wunsch was so impressed with Garners barbecue that he helped him open Matt Garners barbecue stand on West Gray in Fourth Ward in 1934. But Houstons longest tradition of barbecue took root in Fifth Ward, when it became known as the citys Barbecue Ward in the 1940s. African American-owned barbecue joints including Kozy Kitchen and Lockwood Inn featured Southeast Texas-style dishes such as all-beef juicy links. Today, Frenchtown and Fifth Ward are neighborhoods in transition. Their proximity to downtown makes them targets for gentrification. While bumping over railroad crossings as you drive north to south, original shotgun houses are slowly being displaced by vacant lots featuring signs for new townhouse development. Regrettably, most of the barbecue joints have closed in the Nickel. Davis Meat Market on Lockwood and Burts Meat Market (est. 1946) on Lyons are two of the final holdouts. The fire-engine-red building that houses Burts is covered with hand-painted signs advertising boudin (or boudain, as it is spelled in Southeast Texas), gumbo and beef links. It is still one of my top pilgrimage spots in Houston for a taste of the influential Creole and Cajun traditions that continue to flavor our barbecue. jcreid@jcreidtx.com twitter.com/jcreidtx Dr. Lacy M. Johnson teaches creative nonfiction at Rice University and is the author of "Trespasses" and "The Other Side," her 2014 award-winning memoir about being kidnapped and raped by a former boyfriend. In her new book, "The Reckonings" (Scribner, 336 pages, $26), Johnson begins with the question that has been asked of her since the publication of her last book: What should happen to her rapist? In the opening essay, "The Reckonings," Johnson tells us that he "is a fugitive living in Venezuela, raising a new family. This is not the ending anyone expects." Nor do we necessarily expect her to say that she does not want him dead. Instead, Johnson muses on the tricky business of justice, how we tend to want "blood, guts, gore." But she surprises us: Yes, she wants "a reckoning" not just for herself, but for anyone who has been through such an excruciating and indelible injustice. The revolution she wants, echoing Gloria Steinem, is within: "I want to let go of my anger and fear and pain. ... The ending I want is inside." This way of subverting the expected answer, and blending memoir with social issues, allows Johnson to dramatize the way that nothing that happens to us happens to us alone and that "reckoning" with injustice may be the best we can do. Unflinching and honest, "The Reckonings" seamlessly melds the personal and political into a collection that is both timely and timeless, addressing issues ranging from recovering from unimaginable trauma, to nuclear fallout, to white privilege. The question hovering over all these essays? "Is justice even a 'real thing' that any of us can achieve at all?" The answer is unclear, but finding injustice is a start. A mother of a son and a daughter, Johnson weaves observations about Nicole Brown Simpson's murder and the history of how women are depicted in art into an essay forcing the reader to consider the origins of male rage and to see why her daughter might say, "I don't want to be a girl." In "The Precarious," Johnson deftly addresses gun culture and what that says about our personal and collective fear. Her essays are always framed in a story, and so we want to keep reading, find out what happens, wait for the epiphany, even if it is not the one we are expecting. In "Speak Truth to Power," the difficulty of coming forward after being raped in a culture that tends to disbelieve victims, juxtaposed with statements on power from thinkers ranging from Margaret Atwood to Michel Foucault and Voltaire, becomes a subtle indictment of the inefficacy of theory to change our unjust cultural practices. Reading What: Lacy M. Johnson reads from "The Reckonings" Where: Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet Street, Houston When: Tuesday, October 9, 2018, 7 p.m. Click here for more information See More Collapse You can start to feel, while reading this collection, that life is one big cover-up, from assaults to oil spills to nuclear waste. Johnson does what a great essayist should do: She shakes you up, shakes you down, makes you figure out your level of complicity, even if that complicity is merely personal or collective silence. Like Michel de Montaigne, the French philosopher who was one of the first great personal essayists, Johnson is unafraid to engage in cultural relativism, as in "Goliath," an essay that considers how our cultural bias affects our interpretation of events such as 9/11. But don't get me wrong: It's not just the subjects she chooses. Johnson is a gifted writer, lyrically descriptive, as in "The Flood," which reckons with Hurricane Harvey: "For three days and three nights, the rain falls in sheets and swirls. It falls in gentle showers and falls sideways and is dumped like a bucket all at once. Tornadoes spin overhead as thunder and lightning rattle the walls and the roof. ... The water swallows cars and trucks and entire families of people. It swallows fathers and mothers and tiny brand-new babies. The water turns the highway into the ocean." If you live in Houston, you know this is all true. There is joy here, too joy in running, joy in art: "The art we make can remind ourselves and others of all the beauty and justice there still can be." Some of my favorite parts throughout these essays are the ones in which she interacts with her students at Rice, testing out her ideas and challenging them. The most striking essay is "The Fallout," about mothers in Maryland Heights, Missouri, who fight against government indifference toward nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project that was placed in the landfill with disastrous consequences and the looming possibility of "nuclear fallout." Here, Johnson engages in the New Journalism of the 1960s, in which the writer inserts herself into the narrative, traveling to check out the situation, interview the key players and then translate her experience into a subjective, first-person narrative. The result is riveting and thought-provoking, making us reconsider the notion that environmental disaster is yesterday's news and rather an ongoing issue begging for our attention. Lucid and compelling, Johnson's essays are not only bold and memorable, but insistent reminders that all good essays are, in fact, reckonings: attempts to work out problems, whether domestic, cosmic or both, on the page. Doni M. Wilson is an English professor and writer in Houston and has a high schooler named Christopher. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter. Get the Gray Matters newsletter. It's a 'real thing' that any of us can achieve. The puddles left behind by two rapid Sunday showers that streaked across Houstons Northside just gave Taylor Rogers something else to play in. As people eased out from under awnings and umbrellas to participate in another Cigna Sunday Streets, this time a community gathering along Irvington, Rogers, 5, blazed his way through the shallow waters on his bicycle. His mother Cindy urging him to take it slow, lest he splash someone with his wake. Sunday Streets is an extension of efforts by city officials and local groups to encourage healthier lifestyles, lure people out to support local businesses and promote alternatives to driving. For the Northside, all of the options interact in neighborhoods with deep heritage, but also changing conditions. Reinvestment has brought many new neighbors, and once-vacant storefronts are returning to activity along with institutions that have lasted generations. NORTH HOUSTON: Driver charged with murder after allegedly killing woman during chase Today is giving the new people and the long-time residents a chance to meet, said JC Cortez, a native of the neighborhood and director of the local YMCA. The event also offered a showcase of the Northside to others. Playing a bean bag toss game along the street, Tom Rudd said he was lured from his apartment in the central business district simply because he wanted to know about the area. Sunday Streets Houston's late 2018 schedule has two more planned, the first Sunday of the next two months. Rice Village: noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 4 Downtown: 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 2 Source: City of Houston See More Collapse There are so many places in Houston, its kind of daunting actually, to think of all the interesting places, Rudd said. It was so close to me, I figure why not go check it out. Getting crowds out on Irvington provides a chance to show interest in walking in the neighborhood, local officials said. Long-neglected sidewalks and bike lanes line many Northside streets, making them an obstacle to other efforts, such as connecting to the Metropolitan Transit Authority light rail line along Fulton. Bike advocates created a temporary bike lane protected from traffic by parking spaces, showing what could be built, albeit for just a few hours. Even Irvington, a major corridor for the neighborhood, has spots with inadequate or even missing sidewalks in front of stores and businesses. It is a great opportunity to show what we can do to make this a complete street, said Rebecca Reyna, executive director of the Greater Northside Management District. City officials identified Northside as one of its five Complete Communities where they are working to rethink upcoming plans to encourage economic development and improvements in areas. The two storms stymied festivities from time to time, but also showed the resilience of the crowd to support the efforts. Though huddled under trees, the crowd remained in place awaiting the sun. When it reemerged, so did the bikes, scooters and walker. This is Houston, we dont let a little water get us down, said Paula McHam with Cigna South Texas. When the Cadillac flew by, it caught the deputys attention. The driver was speeding down Interstate 45, so the deputy flipped on his lights to make a stop. But the man refused to pull over, instead leading the Precinct 1 patrol on a 46-second high-speed chase that ended with a 34-year-old woman dead and the driver,, Julian Marcelino Sosa, behind bars. The woman hes accused of killing has become another of the more than 300 people who die every year during police pursuits, according to federal data. Given their deadliness, police pursuits have long been a contentious policy point, with some experts simply advising caution and others suggesting the tactic shouldnt be used for low-level offenses at all. Departments have a responsibility to have a policy in place that takes into consideration the danger to innocent civilians, said Larry Karson, an associate professor of criminology at University of Houston-Downtown, and it needs to be a policy that finds some balance between the requirements of policing and the security of the community they serve. The latest fatal chase began around 6 a.m., when deputies with the Precinct 1 Constables Office started pursuing Sosas Cadillac on the highway. The 22-year-old allegedly refused to pull over, and instead got off and made a U-turn beneath the overpass in the 13100 block of Rankin. But on the sharp curve, Sosa lost control and veered onto the sidewalk, then hit a utility box and allegedly ran over a homeless woman sleeping in front of it, according to the sheriffs office. The woman, who authorities did not immediately identify, had to be pulled out from under the vehicle by Houston firefighters and later died at the hospital. Sosa took off running, but deputies caught him about a block away on the feeder road. When they searched his car, authorities allegedly found a handgun and some marijuana. The chase was just one of at least four Houston-area police pursuits overnight. None of the others ended in fatalities though one concluded with the fleeing drivers vehicle impaled into the wall of a Burger King. Given the high stakes, the public safety of police pursuits has long been up for debate. Geoff Alpert, a criminal justice professor at the University of South Carolina, told the Chronicle earlier this year that police should reserve chases for violent suspects not low-level traffic violations. If this is a terrorist, if this is someone who shot up a school; a rapist; a robber, I think wed all be saying, Go get them, he said. But when its just a traffic or property offender, I think we need to say, What for? Though experts noted that a suspects decision to flee could be seen as indicative of other risky goings-on, the decision to pursue could just multiply that risk. In 2016, the Houston area saw at least 13 chase crashes in 13 weeks, leaving six people dead and nine injured, according to a Chronicle analysis. Speeding is a public hazard, and its multiplied when you have a following officer so its like double the potential for an accident, said Mitchel Roth, a criminal justice professor at Sam Houston State University. With so many traffic violations, theres other ways to deal with it. Thats why, he said, many urban police forces have become much more cautious in using a high-speed chase. Over the years, departments have also shifted their policies on who authorizes continuing a pursuit, how many officers can be involved in a chase, and most recently Houston police OKd tapping the fleeing drivers car, a controversial and potentially dangerous tactic intended to end chases more quickly. In the case of Sundays chase and fatal crash, its not clear whether Precinct 1 followed policy, or whether its policy allows for pursuits following traffic violations. The offices internal affairs will investigate, officials said. Whenever you get into a chase, the officer and supervisors are always calculating the risk to the public, said Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen. Every chase is evaluated to ensure it meets policy. A possibly drunken driver was arrested Monday morning after leading police to his house in Rosenberg at the end of a chase. The pursuit began around 3:30 a.m. on Bissonnet near Interstate 59. The man was driving erratically and refused to stop for officers, so he got on the freeway and drove south, according to Houston Police Department Lt. Larry Crowson. The Hubble Space Telescope credited with altering humankind's understanding of the solar system and how it formed during its almost three decades orbiting Earth went dark Friday after a mechanical failure. Hubble put itself into "safe mode" last week after the failure of one of its six gyroscopes, which keep the telescope pointed accurately for extended periods of time as it sends data back to scientists studying space. And NASA said Monday afternoon that the gyroscope's failure wasn't unexpected, as it "had been exhibiting end-of-life behavior for approximately a year." Hubble needs just three gyroscopes to be fully operational and Friday's failure would have left the telescope with the necessary three that is, if it weren't for another that was malfunctioning. NASA said Monday afternoon that Hubble would remain in safe mode while officials investigated this further. "Science operations with Hubble have been suspended while NASA investigates the anomaly," NASA said in a statement. "An Anomaly Review Board, including experts from the Hubble team and industry familiar with the design and performance of this type of gyro, is being formed to investigate this issue and develop the recovery plan." The telescope can operate albeit at a lower function with two, or even just one, working gyroscope. But the events this weekend have left the astronomy community on edge. During the era when NASA operated its own space shuttles, astronauts could service the telescope, and did so five times before the shuttle program was shuttered in 2011. Now, NASA has no way to get astronauts to the telescope for repairs. Astronomers are hopeful that the telescope will not go dark for good before its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, leaves Earth's atmosphere but they're still nervous about it. If that happens, "it is not good," said University of Texas at Austin's Steven Finkelstein, who has conducted scientific work with Hubble and already is in line to do so with Webb. Initially expected to launch in 2007, Webb has now been delayed until March 2021 assuming it gets Congressional approval to continue after development costs breached the $8 billion cap set in 2011. "There are lots of ground-based telescopes so it's not like we'll be wanting for things to do or observe, but ... a loss like that is just hard to swallow," Finkelstein added. 'Surpassed all of its expectations' In Hubble's 28 years of orbiting Earth, the telescope has shown the world that the universe is 13.7 billion years old; that planets are formed when dust particles and gas surround a newborn star and become denser and flatter; and that most galaxies harbor super-massive black holes. "Hubble is one of the most remarkable scientific things humans have ever built," Finkelstein said. "It has surpassed all of its expectations." But like a car, Hubble was built to be serviced. And for more than a decade, it was. From 1993 to 2009, five space shuttle missions ferried astronauts to the famed telescope, where they fixed a flawed mirror, installed instruments allowing researchers to probe deeper into the universe and replaced the telescope's solar panels. On three of those missions, gyroscopes also were replaced. Gyroscopes "are mechanical and just wear out," said Rick Fienberg, a representative for the American Astronomical Society. "It's like your car; you can't drive 100,000 miles on your car with its original brakes." Astronauts on the last service mission in 2009 knew the shuttle program was coming to end, Fienberg said, so they replaced all six gyroscopes. And one-by-one, those gyroscopes have failed. Gyroscopes "last at least three or four years and then things start to get a little dicey," Fienberg said. "To go now nine years is pretty impressive." Friday's failure brings the total number of lost gyroscopes to three. The remaining three are "technically enhanced and therefore expected to have significantly longer operational lives," NASA said in a statement. But one of those "technically enhanced" gyroscopes had previously been shut off because it was malfunctioning. When NASA tried to turn it back on Monday, officials said it still was not operating correctly. NASA is studying how to recover the enhanced gyroscope's "operational performance" but if they cannot officials said they were prepared to resume operations using only one gyroscope with the other working one on reserve in an already defined plan to keep the telescope operational as long as possible. Operating with just one gyroscope means the telescope won't be able to lock onto any object it wants, whenever it wants. Some sightings will need to wait for certain parts of the year. NASA assured the public Monday that "there is relatively limited impact on the overall scientific capabilities," but Fienberg believes otherwise. Operating with one gyroscope "limits the directions [Hubble] can point and hold steady even further and compromises the available targets pretty badly," he said. The impact surely will be felt by Finkelstein. He has submitted several proposals to work with Hubble in the future and working with a crippled telescope will be cumbersome. "My studies can be executed with one gyro, but the efficiency would take a hit," he said. "We certainly need some form of Hubble to get it done, but like I said I'm still hopeful that there are two functioning gyroscopes and we can still squeeze a few years out of Hubble." Awaiting funding Finkelstein's research will largely be able to continue even if Hubble goes permanently dark before the James Webb telescope reaches the stars. His project builds on work he's done with Hubble to examine the oldest galaxies in the universe as a way to understand how quickly stars formed into the galaxies and how they evolve over time. But it's the scientists who hope to conduct research using both telescopes in tandem that will really be hit hard, he said. The two telescopes originally were meant to overlap each other for a time, with Hubble orbiting Earth and observing visible light while Webb orbits the sun 1 million miles away and operates in the infrared, enabling it to study some of the faintest, youngest galaxies. But as Hubble ages and James Webb's launch continues to be delayed, this might be less likely. Webb which is meant to revolutionize the world's understanding of planet and star formation initially was expected to launch in 2007 and cost about $500 million. Now, it is expected to launch in 2021 and cost almost $9 billion. A 10-member Independent Review Board in June found that human errors and other technical issues committed by primary contractor Northrop Grumman such as missing sun shield screws and leaks in propulsion valves caused by improper cleaning were a major factor in the delays. The burgeoning costs have pushed telescope development past the $8 billion development cap set by Congress in 2011, which means the project must be reauthorized in the agency's 2019 fiscal year budget. That still has not happened. The 2019 fiscal year began Oct. 1, but President Donald Trump last month signed legislation giving NASA temporary funding life until Dec. 7 as Congress continues to hash out the details of the space agency's budget. "I'm hopeful" that everything will be OK, Finkelstein said. Alex Stuckey covers NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey. This could be the moment that Saudi Arabia finally loses Washington. Over the weekend, Turkish officials told my colleagues that veteran Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week, was murdered by a 15-member Saudi team dispatched to kill him. According to a U.S. official briefed by Turkish counterparts, Khashoggi's body was likely dismembered, removed in boxes and flown out of the country. The grisly claims sent a jolt through the U.S. capital, which is traditionally friendly territory for Riyadh. Khashoggi, 59, had recently moved to the United States in self-imposed exile. He wrote columns for The Washington Post's opinions section and counted many American intellectuals and journalists among his friends. If his killing is confirmed, it could prompt a decisive change in how the United States deals with Saudi Arabia. Leading Republican and Democratic lawmakers issued notes of alarm over the reports of Khashoggi's death and threatened repercussions if they are true. Senator Rubio Press tweeted "I pray Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is alive. But if this deeply disturbing news report is confirmed, the United States & the civilized world must respond strongly, and I will review all options in Senate." Chris Murphy tweeted "If this is true - that the Saudis lured a U.S. resident into their consulate and murdered him - it should represent a fundamental break in our relationship with Saudi Arabia." Saudi authorities have vehemently denied the claims as "baseless allegations" and said a team of Saudi investigators had arrived in Istanbul to assist the Turkish inquiry into Khashoggi's disappearance. Saudi officials in Istanbul took a team of journalists inside the consulate in a bid to prove their innocence. Meanwhile, reports in Saudi media attempted to discredit the accounts of Khashoggi's fiancee, who first reported that he was missing on Tuesday. No Turkish official has yet publicly confirmed that Khashoggi is dead. In remarks made Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said only that the mystery was "very, very upsetting" and he was "chasing" the matter. But many Turkish officials seemed confident in the assessment that the Saudis carried out murder. "There is concrete information; it will not remain an unsolved case," said Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, in a Sunday interview with CNN Turk. At the time of writing, the Trump administration had not responded to the allegations. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as well as State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, spent the weekend on a mission to the Korean Peninsula. President Donald Trump issued no tweets on Khashoggi. That's not surprising: While Trump and his lieutenants routinely point to the "malign" actions of Iran in the Middle East, they have both enabled and ignored abuses carried out by the Saudis. Since becoming the heir to the throne last year, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS, has touted his reform plans, promising to liberalize his country and earning plaudits from a host of American commentators. But MBS's de facto reign has also seen him terrorize rivals and arrest numerous feminists and civil-society activists, including some who now face the death penalty. Analysts argue it's part of MBS's need to further consolidate power. "He wanted everyone to understand that women were being allowed to drive not because they had campaigned for it, but because their rulers had issued a decree," wrote Lindsey Hilsum, the international editor of Britain's Channel 4 News. "The point was clear: Civil disobedience will not bring results; changes will come only from submission to a benign monarch who will decide what is best." Trump is not bothered by monarchical excesses in Riyadh. On a visit there in 2017, Trump celebrated the Saudis as stalwart friends who would partner with the White House in its bid to confront Iran. He has also repeatedly hailed the Saudis' willingness to lavish tens of billions of dollars on American military hardware. But in Congress, there is growing disquiet over the apparent carte blanche the White House has given the Saudis, particularly as the United States continues to back the bloody Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, which has seen mounting civilian casualties. "Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, long suspicious of Saudi religious extremism and historic ties to terrorism, more recently have been highly critical of Saudi actions in Yemen and at home," wrote my colleague Karen DeYoung. "Only last month, they were dissuaded by the administration from stopping U.S. military sales and assistance to the kingdom - the world's largest purchaser of American defense hardware and a key partner in White House plans to bring Iran to heel and to forge an Israeli-Arab alliance." If Khashoggi's alleged murder is confirmed, that political scrutiny will only deepen. And while the American public may not be bothered by the disappearance of an outspoken Saudi journalist, Khashoggi's case is likely to shadow all discussions of U.S.-Saudi ties in Washington. American commentators who conducted lengthy interviews with the crown prince as part of Riyadh's PR push earlier this year have already sounded off, demanding action. Thomas L. Friedman tweeted "President Trump must ask Saudis to give full and credible account of what happened to Jamal Khashoggi inside their Istanbul consulate. And tell us what he knows too." David Ignatius tweeted "If my friend Jamal Khashoggi's death is confirmed, it is a monstrous outrage. Those responsible will pay a severe price. We loved Jamal's honesty; we won't forgive those who tried to silence him." The brazenness of Khashoggi's apparent assassination sends a chilling message to other Arab dissidents in the Middle East. Though Turkey has its own atrocious record of detaining journalists, Istanbul has become a sanctuary for exiled opponents of regimes across the region. The disappearance of Khashoggi - who, in his columns for The Post, was a thoughtful, constructive critic of the Saudi leadership - suggests that other critics may not be as comfortable as they think. That seems to be the goal of MBS and his father, King Salman. "Their foreign policy is based on a single doctrine: establishing the supremacy of Saudi Arabia in order to make it the sole arbiter of Arab affairs and the main point of entry for all international powers into the region," wrote Madawi al-Rasheed, a Britain-based academic and critic of the Saudi government, in a new collection of essays on the kingdom. "Every single Saudi I know is terrified reading this, openly or secretly," tweeted Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch. "It really means the Saudi government can kill any of them, anywhere. No escape. And that's exactly what MBS what's them to think." Death toll rises after magnitude 5.9 earthquake rocks Haiti by Matthew Diebel and John Bacon October 06,2018 | Source: USA TODAY A massive search and rescue was underway Sunday in northern Haiti after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake rocked the region, killing at least 12 people, injuring more than 180 and damaging dozens of homes and businesses. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 8:11 p.m. Saturday local time and was centered 12 miles northwest of Port-de-Paix on Haitis north coast. Heavy rains that flooded streets in the region hindered first responders. The quake and its aftershocks set off panic in some neighborhoods, but President Jovenel Moise and other leaders called for calm. "I am in constant contact with the PM Jean-Henry Ceant, who is coordinating the relief operations," Moise said on Twitter. "I asked him to mobilize all the resources of the republic to help the people." The global humanitarian aid organization Mercy Corps said it was deploying team members to evaluate the impact on the region and attempt to meet the most immediate needs of residents. Jessica Pearl, Mercy Corps country director in Haiti, said the area is mountainous, remote and contains some of the island's greatest poverty. "Which means there is less concrete construction," Pearl said. "Homes and buildings made of stone or mud brick are at greater risk of being damaged by a seismic event. It is also a very difficult area to access." At least seven deaths were registered in the the Port-de-Paix area, Jerry Chandler, head of the countrys Civil Protection disaster response unit, told the Miami Herald. At least three people died and a cultural center collapsed in Gros-Morne, about 100 miles north of the capital, Port-au-Prince, but there was no major damage to other government structures, the nation's Civil Protection agency said. Search and rescue, and assessment still ongoing, said Chandler, who had teams working in Gros-Morne and throughout the northwest region. The countrys civil protection agency issued a statement saying several people were injured and some houses destroyed in Port-de-Paix, Gros Morne, Chansolme and Turtle Island. Among the structures damaged was the Saint-Michel church in Plaisance. The quake was felt in Port-au-Prince and in the neighboring Dominican Republic. It was among the strongest to hit the Caribbean nation since a 7.1 tremor in 2010 killed more than 250,000 people. Haiti, one of the world's poorest nations, is especially vulnerable to earthquakes. The island sits on the border between the American and Caribbean tectonic plates, which move almost an inch a year. The movement can trigger seismic movement along active fault lines. Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. Philippines fisheries bureau partly lifts ban on collecting seaweed by Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio October 08,2018 | Source: BusinessWorld Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 250-2 will allow individual fishermen in the Philippines to collect, sell, trade, and transport Sargassum, a type of brown seaweed, subject to seasonal restrictions and permit requirements. The newly-published order from the Bureau and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) amends FAO 250-2 series of 2014 under former BFAR Director Asis G. Perez, which had banned was imposed on the collection, harvesting, selling, and export of Sargassum, which is cultivated as food in parts of Asia and can be used as fertilizer, animal feed and cosmetics, among others. Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP) Chairman Maximo A. Ricohermoso, in a text message to BusinessWorld, said that The FAO No. 250-2, series of 2018, is quite comprehensive covering the allowable gathering, transport, processing, and usage of Sargassum. This FAO will surely benefit economically the poor fisherfolk sector particularly those engaged in gathering sargassum. It will allow the legal utilization of the resource for the benefit of the country and citizens, Mr. Ricohermoso added. The ban was imposed in 2014 as the high demand of Sargassum in the export market has resulted in its uncontrolled harvesting/gathering, thus, compromising and threatening the balance in the marine ecosystem which in turn resulted in the loss of shelter and food-base of many aquatic organisms dependent on it. Under the revised order, only those with permit or license from local government units will be allowed to sell, trade and transport fresh or dried Sargassum and its untreated powdered form. The export of Sargassum in fresh, raw, dried, powdered form, or in its natural state, remains prohibited. However, processed, value-added, or finished goods made from Sargassum may be exported. The registered consolidators, buyers, traders, and processors may only acquire Sargassum from licensed gatherers and collectors, according to the revised order. The BFAR, through Provincial Fisheries Office (PFO) will issue to sellers, consolidators, buyers, traders, and processors a Local Transport Permit (LTP). Research and academic institutions seeking to collect Sargassum for scientific research are required to obtain a Permit to Conduct Research or Gratuitous Permit. The Secretary of Agriculture through the BFAR meanwhile may grant an exemption or special permit to collect natural populations of Sargassum for sustainable mariculture livelihood projects of registered fisherfolk, organizations, associations, and cooperatives. Sargassum washed ashore can be collected or harvested freely, but not naturally-growing seaweed that is uprooted intentionally or is afloat. Mr. Ricohermoso said: Philippine fisheries, agriculture, health, and other sectors certainly welcome the progressive revision of FAO 250-2. 2018 BusinessWorld Publishing Theme(s): Others. 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 Imperial Valley News Center Secretary of State Pompeo's Meetings in Seoul, Republic of Korea Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo visited Seoul October 7-8 and met with President Moon and Foreign Minister Kang to give a readout of his October 7 trip to Pyongyang. Secretary Pompeo briefed on his meeting with Chairman Kim, which included his introducing Chairman Kim to Special Representative for North Korea Biegun as his chief negotiator, plans for a second U.S.-DPRK summit, and discussions on achieving the commitments of the June Singapore Summit including the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK as committed to by Chairman Kim and President Trump. Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Minister Kang also re-affirmed their commitment to the U.S.-ROK Alliance and continued close coordination with Japan on a unified response to the DPRK. Imperial Valley News Center SEC Charges Real Estate Developer With Fraud in Project Tied to New Commuter Rail Station Washington, DC - The Securities and Exchange Commission Friday charged a Virginia real estate developer with skimming investor funds that were intended for use in purchasing an office building near the site of a planned commuter rail station on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authoritys Silver Line. The complaint also alleges commingling and misappropriation of investments in various real estate and other projects. As alleged in the SECs complaint, over at least a four-year period, Todd Elliott Hitt used two of his companies Kiddar Capital LLC and Kiddar Group Holdings, Inc. to raise more than $20 million from investors for the purpose of acquiring and operating the Silver Line office building, new home construction in Northern Virginia, and a fund managed by Hitt that invested in a startup business. The SEC alleges that Hitt made misrepresentations about his own investments in the ventures and misappropriated several million dollars of investor funds to support his extravagant lifestyle and make Ponzi-like payments to prior investors. As part of his settlement with the SEC, the terms of which remain subject to court approval, Hitt consented to entry of a judgment freezing his assets and imposing conduct-based injunctions that enjoin him from participating in the offer or sale of interests in real estate development companies. Hitt also has consented to the appointment of a receiver over a number of the corporate defendants and relief defendants. Under the terms of the proposed settlement, the receiver would protect investors, prevent asset dissipation and loss, and attend to the businesses. Penalties and disgorgement would be determined by the court at a later date. We moved quickly to preserve the value of investors stake in a number of commercial and residential properties in Northern Virginia, said Melissa Hodgman, Associate Director of the SECs Division of Enforcement. The total package of relief obtained in the settlement ensures that Hitts assets will be used to compensate harmed investors and will limit his ability to harm investors in the future. The SECs complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, charges Hitt, Kiddar Capital, and Kiddar Group with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws. In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia today announced criminal charges. The SEC investigation was conducted by Daniel H. Rubenstein, Michael T. Grimes, Keith A. O'Donnell, Michael S. Fuchs, Shipra G. Wells, and Paul Harley, and supervised by C. Joshua Felker. The SECs litigation will be led by Patrick Costello and Nicholas Margida under the supervision of Fred Block. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Imperial Valley News Center Michael: Storm Coming to Southeast, Get Ready Now Washington, DC - Hurricane Michael is predicted to hit Floridas Gulf Coast by mid-week with the risk of heavy rain, strong winds and a dangerous storm surge. The American Red Cross is preparing to respond if necessary and urges anyone in the path of this hurricane to get ready too. Michael is also expected to bring rain to parts of Georgia and the Carolinas which are still recovering from Hurricane Florence. WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF FACING THIS STORM People in Michaels path should stay informed and take steps to get prepared now. Listen to local radio, NOAA radio or TV stations for the latest information and updates and obey any evacuation orders from local officials. The Red Cross urges these steps: Build a disaster kit that contains supplies for about three days, to include a gallon of water per person per day, non-perishable food, a flashlight and extra batteries, a first aid kit, medications and copies of important documents. Other recommended items are available at redcross.org/kit. Remember items for young children such as diapers, and family members with special medical needs. Come up with an emergency plan. Learn your communitys evacuation plan and identify several posted routes to leave the area. Identify a place you will go in the event of an evacuation (friend, relative, shelter). Register family members with medical needs as required and make plans for your pets to be cared for. Your household may not be together when a hurricane occurs, so it is important to know how to contact one another and how to get back together. Ensure that every member of your household carries an updated emergency contact card. Remember, landline and cellular phone systems are often overwhelmed following a disaster, so you may need to use text messages and social media. Designate an out-of-town contact who can help your household reconnect. Be informed about how local authorities will notify you, whether through local media or NOAA Weather Radio stations or channels. You should also download the free Red Cross Emergency App to have real time information about the storm, shelter locations and hurricane safety tips at your fingertips. The Emergency App is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps. You can find more hurricane safety information here. HOW YOU CAN HELP The Red Cross works 24/7 to be ready to respond to disasters such as hurricanes. Please donate to the Red Cross now to help. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Bank Branch Manager and Bank Customer Convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering at East West Bank Los Angeles, California - A federal jury has returned guilty verdicts against an East West Bank branch manager and a bank customer who conspired to launder over $25,000 in cash by converting the currency into cashiers checks. Vivian Tat, 54, of Hacienda Heights, who is a vice president at East West Bank, as well as the manager of the San Gabriel branch, and Ruimin Zhao, 48, of Temple City, each were convicted Friday evening of one count of conspiring to commit money laundering. Additionally, Tat was convicted of two counts of causing a false statement in a bank record. The guilty verdict were the result of a conspiracy in which Tat, Zhao and Zhaos husband Raymond Tan, 62, of Temple City laundered cash through East West Banks San Gabriel branch. The evidence presented during a week-long trial showed that Tat, Zhao and Tan led an informant into the banks conference room, where the informant provided $25,500 in cash that was then laundered into three clean cashiers checks issued off of the account of a bank client. However, what Tat, Zhao and Tan did not know was that the informant, working as part of a long-running money laundering investigation dubbed Operation Phantom Bank, was wearing a secret recording device. Throughout the transaction, Tat, Zhao and Tan made clear their knowledge that money laundering was illegal, but they nevertheless completed the transaction. To cover their tracks, Tat facilitated false entries to be made in East West Banks records, which made it appear that this transaction was legitimate. Tat and Zhao are scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright in February 2019, at which time each defendant will face up to 20 years in federal prison for the money laundering conspiracy. Additionally, Tat will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for each of the false statement charges. Tan previously pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and money laundering in this case and in two other cases brought as part of Operation Phantom Bank. Six separate indictments arose out of Operation Phantom Bank. With the recent convictions of Tat and Zhao, a total of nine defendants have been convicted, and 16 defendants are pending trial. This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP). The case against Tat and Zhao was tried by Assistant United States Attorneys Karen I. Meyer and Joseph D. Axelrad of the Violent and Organized Crime Section. San Francisco Resident Indicted For Bank Robberies San Francisco, California - A federal grand jury indicted Timothy Wayne Phillips Tuesday for allegedly committing three bank robberies and attempting a fourth robbery in the San Francisco Bay Area, announced United States Attorney Alex. G. Tse and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. According to the indictment, between August 29, 2018, and September 7, 2018, Phillips, 51, of San Francisco, used force, violence, and intimidation, to commit three bank robberies. The robberies occurred on the following dates and locations: August 29, 2018 U.S. Bank in San Bruno, Calif. September 6, 2018 Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco, Calif. September 7, 2018 Wells Fargo Bank in Berkeley, Calif. Phillips allegedly stole a total of $7,335.90 from the banks. In addition, Phillips allegedly attempted to rob City National Bank in Walnut Creek on September 7, 2018. In sum, Phillips was charged with three counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted bank robbery. Each count is a violation of 18 U.S.C. 2113(a). An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for each charge. Additional fines, forfeitures, restitution, and special assessments also may be imposed. However, any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. 3553. The defendant currently is in federal custody and is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Westmore on October 4, 2018 for arraignment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Springsteen is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuk. The prosecution is the result of investigations by the FBI with significant assistance from the police departments of Daly City, Berkeley, Walnut Creek, San Francisco, and San Bruno. Santa Rosa Doctor Indicted For Unlawfully Prescribing Fentanyl And Oxycodone San Francisco, California - A federal grand jury indicted Santa Rosa doctor Thomas Keller, charging him with distributing Schedule II and IV controlled substances outside the scope of his professional practice and without a legitimate medical need, announced United States Attorney Alex G. Tse, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan. Keller was also charged with two counts of health care fraud related to billing. According to the indictment filed September 27, 2018, and unsealed yesterday, in June of 2017, Keller, 72, of Santa Rosa, was a licensed physician when he knowingly distributed Oxycodone to a person knowing that the distribution was outside the scope of his professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. Further, in March of 2018, Keller allegedly distributed Tramadol to another person, again knowing the distribution was outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. Then, in July of 2018, the indictment alleges, Keller distributed fentanyl to a different person knowing the distribution was outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. In addition, Keller is accused of submitting two fraudulent health care claims for payment as follows: one to Anthem Blue Cross of California in March of 2018, and the other to Medi-Cal in July of 2015. In sum, Keller is charged with three counts of distributing drugs outside the scope of professional practice, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), and two counts of health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1347. This prosecution is the result of investigations by the DEA, FBI, HHS-OIG, and the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and Keller, like all defendants, is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Keller faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $1,000,000, for the distribution of fentanyl and Oxycodone. If convicted, Keller faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison and $250,000 for the distribution of Tramadol. In addition, if convicted, Keller faces 10 years in prison and $250,000 (or twice the gain or loss) for each violation of 18 U.S.C. 371. Additional fines, restitution, and additional periods of supervised release also could be ordered at sentencing. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. 3553. Keller made an initial appearance before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero Monday. Keller is scheduled to appear next before the Honorable Judge Vince Chhabria on Tuesday October 16, 2018. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shailika Kotiya is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Rawaty Yim. This case was investigated and prosecuted by member agencies of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a focused multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force investigating and prosecuting the most significant drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States by leveraging the combined expertise of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Get a refund for organic certification fees Sacramento, California - Here in the Golden State, organic is a label that must be earned but for farmers, processors and related businesses who have done the work and earned the right to use that label, theres a way you may be able to get a refund for certain certification/registration fees. In the state of California, a farmer, retailer and/or business cant just say their products are organic. The organization also must register with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) State Organic Program (SOP) to earn a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Organic Seal. The seal not only expresses the companys commitment to a healthier planet, it also lets consumers know theyve met the USDAs stringent organic certification standards. The certification does come with a price, though and thats where the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program comes in. NATIONAL ORGANIC CERTIFICATION COST SHARE PROGRAM In an effort to make the USDA Organic Seal more accessible, the federal government has created a reimbursement opportunity for organic producers and handlers called the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP). The program helps farmers and processors afford the expense of organic certification/registration through an annual refund, with an emphasis on small organic operations that may not have been able to afford the certification costs before. HOW CAN MY BUSINESS BENEFIT FROM NOCCSP? Producers and handlers that are USDA Organic Certified support local economies. They can access additional technical assistance and receive a higher premium for their products. The operations that meet the federal eligibility requirements for NOCCSP can be reimbursed up to 75 percent of their certification/registration costs, with a maximum of $750 per National Organic Program (NOP) scope of organic certification. Businesses are encouraged to apply regardless of size or need, as it helps ensure the future of programs such as NOCCSP that benefits smaller organic operations. WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE REIMBURSEMENT? If your operation is located in the United States and you received organic certification between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018, you may apply and receive one reimbursement per scope of certification. You will also be eligible for additional refunds if your operation has more than one certification scope. Eligible scopes include: crops, wild crops, livestock, processing/handling, and California State Organic Program and California Department of Public Health Organic Processed Product registration fees (for operations located in California). HOW DO I APPLY FOR COST-SHARE FUNDS IN CALIFORNIA? You must collect and complete the following documents: Federal Organic Cost Share application (ORG-106) California State Organic Program Cost Share application (ORG-106a) Payee Data Record Form (STD 204) Copy of your organic certificate Proof of payment CCOF offers a Verification of CCOF Certification Costs (allow 14 days for CCOF to complete your request) At this time, online applications are not being accepted. Businesses must mail applications to: California Department of Food and Agriculture Organic Cost Share Program ATTN: Sharon Parsons 1220 N Street Sacramento, CA 95814 You can download the necessary documents here: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/i_&_c/organic.html Applications for a reimbursement through the National Organics Certification Cost Share Program must be postmarked by October 31, 2018. For assistance, California applicants can contact Sharon Parsons at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (916) 900-5202. Four California Men Charged with Conspiracy to Violate Federal Riots Statute Charlottesville, Virginia - Four California men, who flew from the west coast for the August 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville to engage in violent behavior, have been arrested on federal criminal complaints and charged with violating the federal riots statute and conspiracy. United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Thomas Chadwick of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Richmond Division, and Captain Dave Cooper of the Virginia State Police made the announcement. Tuesday morning, federal agents in California arrested Benjamin Drake Daley, 25, of Redondo Beach, California, Thomas Walter Gillen, 24, of Redondo Beach, California, Michael Paul Miselis, 29, of Lawndale, California, and Cole Evan White, 24, of Clayton, California. All four defendants have been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the federal riots statute and one count of violating the federal riots statute. This case should serve as another example of the Department of Justices commitment to protecting the life, liberty, and civil rights of all our citizens, United States Attorney Cullen stated today. Any individual who has or plans to travel to this District with the intent to engage in acts of violence will be prosecuted and held accountable for those actions. The events of August 2017 do not reflect the character and values of Virginia's communities. The impact is still felt by many. Law enforcement's job is to protect people from harm and to ensure violence like we saw during that time never happens again, said Special Agent in Charge of the FBIs Richmond Division Adam S. Lee. It is important for communities like Charlottesville to remember who the good guys are - who is sworn to protect them - and support them in their mission. The FBI has worked extensively with Virginia State Police and our local partners to achieve justice for those injured during the rally. Their partnership is how we have arrived at this point in our investigations. I want to thank them and U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen and his team in the Western District for their expertise and professionalism. According to the criminal complaint and accompanying affidavit filed with the court Tuesday, Daley, Gillen, Miselis, White, and others, are members or associates of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), a militant white-supremacist organization based in Southern California. The four defendants traveled to Charlottesville for the August 2017 United the Right Rally with the intent to encourage, promote, incite, participate in, and commit violent acts in furtherance of a riot. The complaints allege that Daley, Gillen, Miselis, and White committed multiple acts of violence against counter-protestors at the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, which in some cases resulted in serious injuries. In addition, the complaint alleges that Daley, Gillen, Miselis, and White were present and participated in the torch-lit march that culminated in violence against students and counter protestors on the grounds of the University of Virginia on the night of August 11, 2017. The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia State Police. United States Attorney Cullen and Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh are prosecuting the case for the United States. A criminal complaint is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Governor Brown Issues Statement on New UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. issued the following statement today on a new report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finding that the world must take unprecedented action to limit global warming to 1.5 Celsius. The report was prepared by 91 authors and editors from 40 countries in response to an invitation from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change when it adopted the Paris Agreement in 2015. This IPCC report makes unmistakably clear that the world must radically change. It must decarbonize and establish a totally renewable basis for all economic activity. The big powers the United States, China, India and the European Union must show the way. We can do it but only if the deniers, the skeptics and the comfortable wake up to what the scientists are telling us. SEC Halts Microcap Fraud Scheme Orchestrated Through International Accounts Washington, DC - The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed an emergency action and obtained an asset freeze against two individuals and their companies in a scheme that generated more than $165 million of illegal sales of stock in at least 50 microcap companies. SEC investigators unraveled the multi-year scheme with the assistance of more than a dozen international regulators and sophisticated analysis of nearly 400 bank and brokerage accounts. According to the SECs complaint unsealed Wednesday, U.K. citizen Roger Knox and his Swiss-based company Wintercap SA helped microcap securities holders evade federal securities laws that restrict sales by large shareholders. The complaint charges that Knox and Wintercap, formerly Silverton SA, helped sellers conceal their stock ownership and provided anonymous access to brokerage accounts to sell the shares in the U.S. market. For three specific issuers detailed in the complaint, Knox sold the stocks when their price and trading volume were inflated by promotional campaigns. Michael T. Gastauer allegedly aided and abetted the fraud by establishing several U.S. corporations and allowing Knox to use their bank accounts to disburse the proceeds of his illegal stock sales. Investors can help protect themselves from microcap fraud by using the tools and resources on Investor.gov, said Paul Levenson, Director of the SECs Boston Regional Office. The allegations here should put investors on guard that spikes in trading volume may be a mirage produced by insiders secretly dumping their shares. Fraudsters must not be allowed to profit at the expense of retail investors by concealing the true nature of their interests and activities and trading through foreign countries, added Raquel Fox, Director of the SECs Office of International Affairs. With the timely and robust assistance of our foreign counterparts, we acted quickly to secure illegal profits abroad with the goal of returning assets to investors. The SECs complaint, filed in federal district court in Boston, charges Knox and Wintercap with violating the antifraud and registration provisions of the federal securities laws and with acting as unregistered broker-dealers, and charges Gastauer and his entities with aiding and abetting Knoxs violations of the antifraud and registration provisions. The complaint also names as relief defendants two family members of Gastauer and a U.K. entity Gastauer controlled. In addition to the asset freeze and other temporary relief obtained yesterday, the SEC seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement of allegedly ill-gotten gains plus interest, penalties, and penny stock bars. In a parallel criminal case, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Massachusetts Wednesday announced criminal charges against Knox. The SECs investigation was handled by Trevor Donelan, Jonathan Allen, Eric Forni, J. Lauchlan Wash, Rebecca Israel, David Scheffler, and Amy Gwiazda in the Boston Regional Office with assistance from Paul Hopker in the Miami Regional Office, Alex Lefferts in the Office of Market Intelligence, and staff in the Office of International Affairs and the Microcap Fraud Task Force. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Massachusetts, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Argentinian Comision Nacional de Valores, Alberta Securities Commission, British Columbia Securities Commission, Ontario Securities Commission, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, Bundesanstalt fur Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin), Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, Latvian Financial and Capital Market Commission, Malta Financial Services Authority, Mauritius Financial Services Commission, Mexican Comision Nacional Bancaria y de Valores, New Zealand Financial Markets Authority, Panamanian Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Dubai Financial Services Authority, UAE Securities and Commodities Authority, and Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority. American Cancer Society Awards New Research and Training Grants Atlanta, Georgia - The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has approved funding for 74 research and training grants totaling $39,106,261 in the second of two grant cycles for 2018. The grants will fund investigators at 53 institutions across the United States; 63 are new grants while 11 are renewals of previous grants. Five grants are Mission Boost Grants, representing a new ACS funding initiative that invests in innovative, high risk, high reward, patient-oriented projects. All the grants go into effect January 1, 2019. Two individuals have been awarded the prestigious five-year renewable American Cancer Society Research Professorship: Karlene A. Cimprich, PhD of Stanford University will be one of two new recipients of a prestigious ACS Research Professorship. Dr. Cimprichs $400,000 five-year grant will be used to explore molecular genetics and biochemistry of cancer. They will build on their previous work showing that when genomic DNA is transcribed into RNA, the RNA and DNA may get tangled with each other, creating unusual RNA-DNA hybrid molecules, known as R-loops, that cause the DNA to be broken. Recent work in their lab and others has shown that R-loops may contribute to the damage and mutations that develop in cancer cells, which and could make them susceptible to certain treatments. Their study will explore how cells respond to broken pieces of R-loops that form during their repair, and whether these might turn on important organismal responses that could contribute to cancer progression. The aim is to identify targets to develop drugs that exploit this vulnerability and specifically kill cancer cells. Craig M. Crews, PhD of Yale University is the other new recipient of a prestigious ACS Research Professorship. Dr. Crewss $400,000 five-year grant will be used to investigate the use of a technology (PROTAC) developed in his lab that approaches drug development in a different way; instead of the traditional pharmaceutical paradigm that focuses on blocking the function of a disease-causing protein, their approach focuses on enlisting the cell's own quality control machinery to specifically eliminate rogue protein altogether. The aim is to use this method to go after cancer causing proteins that are not currently ''pharmaceutically vulnerable'' to expand the number of drug target proteins, leading, it is hoped, to the development of new anti-cancer therapeutics. Other highlights of the new grants include: Xi Chen, PhD of Baylor College of Medicine will receive a four-year $792,000 grant to study the approximately 20% of breast cancers that are Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). They are not only unresponsive to current therapies but are also the most aggressive and most likely to relapse when a temporary relief is achieved with a standard chemotherapy. The lab has identified transcription factor XBP1 to be crucial to TNBC tumor initiation, progression and relapse. The work is ultimately aimed at developing a potent, safe and efficacious cancer drug to the clinic as a TNBC targeted therapy. Mara H. Sherman, PhD of Oregon Health and Science University will receive a four-year $792,000 grant to investigate a specific cellular mechanism in pancreatic cancer, the third leading cause of cancer-related death among men and women combined in the United States. Dr. Sherman hypothesizes that cells within the pancreatic tumor microenvironment known as stellate cells have evolved mechanisms to feed energy to cancer cells to simultaneously promote their survival and growth, and to regulate expression of cancer-supportive genes. The lab will use a combination of patient-derived cancer and stellate cells cultured together to understand on a molecular level the impact of supportive cells on pancreatic cancer cell growth and behavior. The labs work has the potential to identify a novel metabolic vulnerability of pancreatic cancer, which may be targetable for therapeutic benefit. Timothy Burns, MD, PhD of the University of Pittsburgh will receive a four-year $709,000 grant to study MET gene-associated lung cancers. While lung cancers driven by MET can be targeted with drugs such as Crizotinib, almost half of patients with MET alterations fail to respond to the drug. Moreover, those who initially respond eventually have their tumors return. The goal of this investigation is to develop novel therapies to both better target MET-driven lung cancers and prevent and overcome resistance to MET inhibitors. Aileen Li, PhD of the University of California, San Francisco will receive a three-year $163,500 grant for work that aims to address the fundamental question of how individual proteins secreted by tumor cells drive tumor growth or collapse. Dr. Lis lab will use engineered synNotch cells as tools to precisely modify the tumor microenvironment in animal tumor models, testing how individual or combinations of secreted proteins in the tumor alter the fate of the tumor. Findings from these studies will fill our gaps in knowledge and help lead to better understanding the fundamental rules that govern the behavior of the tumor microenvironment. Shirley M. Bluethmann, PhD of Pennsylvania State University will receive a four-year $728,000 grant to improve rates of hormonal blocking therapy after treatment among breast cancer patients with hormone-sensitive cancers (about 70% of patients). Up to half of survivors that receive a prescription for one of these drugs do not complete hormonal therapy for at least 5 years, which reduces survival benefits. Dr. Blumenthals group will test a self-management intervention that combines personalized education and exercise advice to help control joint pain in older breast cancer survivors after they begin hormonal therapy. They believe that reducing joint pain for survivors may also promote continued use of hormonal therapy. Led by principal investigator, Linda Malkas, PhD, PhM, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, California, was awarded a new three-year institutional Research Grant. Eight other sites successfully renewed their existing programs. The grants provide essential seed funding for pilot projects that can provide the foundation for a successful cancer research career. Three preventive medicine residency programs successfully renewed multi-year grants that teach skills that can enhance cancer surveillance, increase cancer screening, or reduce risk for cancer. The ACS is the only organization that offers grants to equip physicians to become experts in addressing cancer prevention and control at the population level. Since 1946, the American Cancer Society has funded research and training of health professionals to address the causes, prevention, and early detection of cancer, as well as new treatments, cancer survivorship, and end of life support for patients and their families. In those 72 years, the American Cancer Societys extramural research grants program has devoted more than $4.8 billion to cancer research and has funded 47 Nobel Prize winners. The Council for Extramural Research also approved 88 grant applications for funding, totaling $48, 986,711 that could not be funded due to budgetary constraints. These pay-if applications represent work that passed the Societys multi-disciplinary review process but are beyond the Societys current funding resources. They can be and often are subsidized by donors who wish to support research that would not otherwise be funded. In 2017, more than $11.5 million in additional funding helped finance 39 pay-if applications. First Lady Melania Trumps Visit to Cairo, Egypt Cairo, Egypt - First Lady Melania Trump landed in Cairo, Egypt on Saturday Morning. Entissar Amer, the First Lady of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Thomas Goldberger, the Charge dAffaires of the United States Embassy to Egypt, greeted Mrs. Trump. The first stop in Egypt was to Ittihadiya Palace for a meeting with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt and First Lady Lady Entissar Amer. Mrs. Trump discussed her focus and goals of supporting children all over the world in order to ensure future generations have every opportunity to grow up and contribute to society in meaningful and positive ways. Following the meeting, the First Lady met with the Charge dAffaires, Thomas Goldberger and his wife Eden Goldberger, and staff of the United States Embassy, thanking them for their service to the United States. Mrs. Trump visited a few of Egypts many cultural sites including the Sphinx, and the Great Pyramid one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. While there, she also received a briefing about USAIDs Water Table Reduction Project at the base of the Sphinx. I want to thank President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and First Lady Entissar Amer for hosting me in Egypt, said First Lady Melania Trump. It was a nice opportunity to see the pyramids in person, which are truly a historical treasure. We must always do our best to preserve such important historical sites, and I was so pleased to learn of the work that USAID has done to help with preservation efforts at the base of the Sphinx. Assistant Secretary of State Fannon Travel to the United Kingdom Washington, DC - Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Frank R. Fannon will travel to London October 8-10. In London he will meet with energy company executives, the Atlantic Council, and give a keynote speech at an international energy conference. Secretary of State Pompeo's Meetings in Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo held productive discussions with Chairman Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang Sunday. They discussed the four elements contained in the U.S.-DPRK Singapore Summit Joint Statement signed by President Trump and Chairman Kim. They also discussed the upcoming second summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim and refined options for the location and date of that next summit. Secretary Pompeo was joined by Special Representative Stephen E. Biegun and Chairman Kim was joined by Kim Yo-jong, First Vice Director of the Korean Workers Party Central Committee. Secretary Pompeo and Chairman Kim also agreed to instruct their respective working-level teams to meet soon to intensify discussions on the key remaining issues to deliver on the Singapore Summit Joint Statement. In addition, Chairman Kim invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled. President Trump looks forward to continuing to build upon the trust established with Chairman Kim in Singapore and anticipates meeting again soon. American Red Cross Commits $1 Million to Aid Communities Impacted by Earthquakes and Tsunami in Indonesia Washington, DC - The American Red Cross is contributing $500,000 towards relief efforts being carried out by local and global Red Cross Red Crescent teams after a deadly earthquake and tsunami hit the Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi. These funds are in addition to $500,000 previously committed by the American Red Cross in the aftermath of destructive earthquakes and aftershockstaking place over the past two monthsthat rocked the island of Lombok. One week after the tragedy in Sulawesi, Red Cross teams are focusing on the distribution of clean water and food, providing medical support, and evacuating survivors from the disaster zone. A Red Cross search and rescue team is still active and responding to requests from the affected communities. Heavy machinery has arrived to help excavate buried settlements. More and more relief is arriving in shattered communities after Red Cross teams reached previously inaccessible areas of Palu, Donggala and Sigi. The American Red Crosss most recent contribution will fund much-needed aid such as food, emergency shelter, water and sanitation, and health. While the full extent of the disaster is still emerging, government agencies are reporting more than 1,500 people have been killed with more than 2,500 injured. Iris van Deinse, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said from Sulawesi, The shock and trauma here is palpable, and the area is still affected by aftershocks a week after the disaster. Teams are doing all they can to overcome major logistical and access challenges. With so many roads still impassible, the Red Cross is bringing 70 tons of aid in by boat. The first ship loaded with vital goods and equipment docked at Makassar on Thursday. The ship carried water trucks, field kitchens, baby kits, mosquito nets, mattresses, hygiene supplies, tents and body bags. Mobile health posts have been set up in Red Cross branches in affected areas with doctors treating those suffering from open wounds, broken bones and bruises. Because people are sleeping in tents or on the street without access to food and clean drinking water, the doctors are also responding to cases of diarrhea, stomach problems, skin rashes, and flu. Amid ongoing aftershocks, volunteers are also comforting survivors coping with heartbreak and loss in the aftermath of this terrifying double disaster. In addition to financial contributions, the American Red Cross has thus far deployed five disaster responders to the islands of Sulawesi and Lombok to support local disaster relief efforts. The responders will continue supporting the Indonesian Red Cross (locally known as Palang Merah Indonesia) as the devastation of the crises unfold. LOOKING FOR A LOVED ONE? If you are looking for a missing relative, contact your local American Red Cross office to speak with a caseworker. For inquiries concerning U.S. citizens missing in Indonesia, please contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 Customer service is a delicate art. No one ever succeeds entirely. Getty Images Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek. The disappointment was crushing. Especially after the preparation. Adam and Heather Halkuff have five children, two of whom have autism. They wanted to take the whole family on a trip to Kansas City. So the Texas family did all they could to make it happen. As NBC 5 reports, they called American Airlines in advance. The airline has a program that helps kids, including those with autism, become familiar with all the trials and quirks of flying. Five-year-old Milo and two-year-old Ollie took part, on September 24, more than a week before their flight. Yet on the day of the flight, Milo became distressed -- many call it a meltdown -- during the boarding process at Dallas/Fort Worth airport. A meltdown might involve screaming, crying and other expressions of feeling overwhelmed. The Halkuffs say other passengers were kind, but an American Airlines gate agent was less so. "Right away she goes, 'He can't get on the flight ... he's going to bother the other passengers and then he'll still be upset during the flight and we'll have to turn around and escort you off the plane," Heather Halkuff told NBC. Some might observe that they've seen all sorts of kids get on planes and express upset. Sometimes, they calm down quickly. Surely everyone has at least once been on a flight when a child didn't quieten at all. At times, ground crew and Flight Attendants can be sympathetic. At other times, not so much. The Halkuffs depiction of this particular gate agent suggests that she was of the latter variety. Worse, Heather Halkuff says that the whole family weren't allowed to board. Even though Adam Halkuff offered to take Milo home, so that at least Heather and the other children could still take the trip. I contacted American for its view and a spokesperson told me: We are concerned to hear about this situation. Our team has reached out to the Halkuff family to gather more information about what transpired at Dallas/Fort Worth. The American Airlines team is committed to providing a safe and pleasant travel experience for all of our customers. Clearly, the fact that American provides a service to help children -- including those with autism -- get used to flying means that the airline isn't insensitive to the potential issues. Moreover, we have no idea of the level of distress Milo might have undergone. Yet again, though, we're in a customer service situation when individuals are involved and initial reactions matter. If the Halkuffs' story is accurate, then some might conjecture the gate agent reacted too quickly. There could, perhaps, have been an alternative solution. Could anyone really know if Milo might have calmed down, once on the plane? Not allowing any of the family to fly, however, seems to be the sort of draconian decision still too often taken by airline staff. I recently wrote about a dad who says he called American to explain that his three-year-old had a burst appendix and please could the airline rebook their trip. American, he says, insisted on still charging $200 change fees for both of them. Before, says dad, the decision gained some Twitter traction. Then the airline made a "one time exception." When it comes to boarding passengers, airline employees are graded severely on so-called D0. This is the measure of whether a plane departs at the very minute and second it's supposed to. It could be that thoughts of this may have played upon this particular gate agent's mind. Yet as long as customers still see airlines as being in the customer service business -- perhaps erroneously -- such stories are likely to reach the media and become examples of airline insensitivity. Airlines employ enormous numbers of people and are therefore at the mercy of each of their employees' behavior. The Halkuffs hope that what happened doesn't cause Milo's older brothers to resent him. Perhaps there's some way that American might provide another attempt for Milo to fly with his family. Indeed, American told me: The call came through while Jim Cantrell drove his top-down convertible through northeastern Utah, the Rocky Mountains rising in the distance. He looked at his Motorola flip phone and didn't recognize the number. He picked up anyway. The man on the other line spoke rapidly with an accent he couldn't place. Before Cantrell could get out more than a few words, the stranger was babbling about fossil fuels and space travel and the need to make humanity multi-planetary. "He's giving me his entire life philosophy," Cantrell says, "in like 30 seconds on the phone." The person, as Cantrell eventually gathered, was Elon Musk. Not that the name meant anything to him; it was July 2001 and PayPal was just beginning to make its way into the mainstream. Cantrell, though tech savvy, had never heard of it. Musk wanted to set up a meeting. "Where do you live?" he asked Cantrell. "I have a private plane. I can fly in tomorrow." Cantrell was taken aback. He didn't know Musk. After his work overseas with the Russian space program, he'd become suspicious of strangers trying to get close to him. So he lied. "I fly internationally out of Salt Lake City on Sunday," he told Musk. This was pre-September 11, when a ticket wasn't a requirement to get through airport security. He told Musk to meet him in the Delta Crown Room. "That way," Cantrell says, "I knew he couldn't pack a gun." The meeting, it turned out, was about Russian rockets. Cantrell had developed a reputation as someone who could get a hold of Russian space equipment. Musk wanted to build a company that sent payloads into space and, one day, could get to Mars. It took a few months, but Cantrell eventually decided to join him and became one of the first four employees at SpaceX, a venture that Musk was financing solely by himself at the time. A decade and a half later, SpaceX is valued at $25 billion and, according to Bloomberg, is the third-most valuable venture-backed private company in the world. Cantrell, however, hasn't been along for the ride. Like Musk, he also saw an opportunity to build rockets in a way that hadn't been done before. His two-year-old startup Vector is betting that an assembly line-style of manufacturing will allow it to build and launch hundreds of small-cargo rockets annually--rather than the industry standard of handful of launches a year--and sell space on those rockets to small satellite companies for only a few million dollars per launch. In September, the company received a patent for an engine that uses an innovative type of fuel that is expected to make missions more cost effective. "Building cars and building rockets are two very different worlds right now," Cantrell says. "I thought, how could we get [building rockets] to work more like a system? The market is big enough to sustain a lot of these small launches. If we can bring mass production to rockets, we can let the buyer go where they want when they want." Investors seem sold on Vector's potential: Cantrell says the startup is in the process of closing a funding round of about $60 million, bringing its total raised to about $90 million. In the coming weeks, the Tucson, Arizona-based company will attempt its most sophisticated test launch to date. Its founder, an avuncular 52-year-old who can tell a half-hour story without pausing for a breath, says it will make its first commercial launch by the end of the year. Getting here has been quite a journey. A 'gray' area Growing up in California, Cantrell wasn't really interested in space. "I was a machines and cars guy," he admits. At age 14, Cantrell took a job as a mechanic at an auto body shop. Four years later, he enrolled in the mechanical engineering program at Utah State University but his grades were only passable. During his senior year in 1986, he saw a poster on campus for a NASA-sponsored course during which students would design a Mars rover. The best designers would present their blueprints directly to NASA. Cantrell signed up. For weeks, instead of doing homework for his other courses, he worked on the design on the drafting board he kept in his bedroom. Cantrell's group ended up competing nationally in Washington, D.C.--and winning. He soon landed a fellowship at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. While there, he helped design a mechanism called the Mars Snake, essentially a balloon that would bob along Mars's surface and collect samples. The French Space Agency decided to hire Cantrell to work on the project on its behalf, and it soon became a joint venture between France and the Soviet Union--the U.S.'s biggest rival. "It was a gray area," Cantrell says. "Today I probably wouldn't be allowed to do it, but then I just did it. You ask forgiveness, not permission, right?" Cantrell continued working with the Soviet space program until the USSR collapsed in 1991. The program fell with it, and Cantrell returned to the States. Back home, he found it hard to land a job. "Nobody would hire me," he says. "They all saw me as a traitor." His meetings with the big aeronautics companies proved fruitless. "At Lockheed Martin," he says, "they would escort me into the friggin' bathroom and stand outside the stall. That's how dangerous they saw me." Cantrell ended up returning to Utah State to work at the Space Dynamics Lab. His work kept bringing him back to Russia: After the 1995 Norwegian rocket incident, when Russia almost fired on the U.S. after mistakenly believing America was launching an attack, Cantrell helped the country improve its missile detection systems. It was while he was working at the lab that Musk reached out to recruit him. "I was known as someone who knew how to do things cheap," Cantrell says. "And as a bit of a Russian expert, which was not really something you'd write home about. But it was an expertise." The Musk meetings Between 2001 and 2002, Cantrell made several trips to Moscow with Musk. The Russians, according to Cantrell, didn't take Musk seriously. Barely 30 years old, Musk had no formal training in rocketry, and he drove a hard bargain. On the plane home after another failed meeting in Russia, Musk typed away on his laptop while Cantrell and Michael Griffin, who had joined the trip and later would be named NASA Administrator by President Bush, chatted over glasses of bourbon a few rows back. Musk turned around in his seat. "I think," he announced, "that we can build this rocket ourselves." Cantrell and Griffin snickered. "Fuck you both," Musk said. "I've got a spreadsheet." Cantrell and Griffin burst into laughter. Now it was full-on comedy. Musk passed his laptop to them. The pair saw tank weights, structure sizes, thrust calculations. As it turned out, the guy knew an awful lot about rockets, Cantrell thought. Musk had been reading up on his own and studying with John Garvey, an engineer who'd been building rockets in his garage in Southern California. "We were trying to find something wrong," Cantrell says. "The interstage structures were a little light, but everything looked pretty good. It was essentially the Falcon One. Elon said, 'You know, when we get back to the U.S., we're going to start a company and build this rocket.' And that's how SpaceX started." Over the next few months, Cantrell's main role was to use his network to pull in top talent, helping grow SpaceX from Musk's passion project into a 30-person company. He successfully recruited early employees like Chris Thompson, who became vice president of operations, and Tom Mueller, the company's chief technology officer of propulsion. Then, less than a year later, Cantrell quit suddenly. "Elon yelled at me one too many times," he says. "I was done. And frankly, I just wasn't interested in what he was doing at the time. I really didn't think he treated this as a commercial activity." (SpaceX did not return requests for comment on Cantrell's accounts of the company's early days.) Yet his time with Musk taught Cantrell an important lesson, one that he didn't fully absorb for many years: Do what you're passionate about, and do what you're inherently good at. Cantrell spent the next few years consulting for the space industry. After the U.S. invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, much of his work began to focus on space warfare. Eventually, he grew disillusioned with the industry. "I became a conscientious objector to the war," he says. "I began to see my son's friends, who I'd known since they were little kids, coming back maimed and killed. I just couldn't take it anymore. I said, 'I'm done with the government.' " He returned to his first love, launching a car restoration company called Vintage Exotics. Around 2013, Cantrell started noticing a large number of startups springing up in the space industry. When he read about Google buying five-year-old satellite company Skybox for $500 million the next year, it erased any doubts he had that the private sector was ripe for entry. "I began to see that space was getting fun again," he says. "People were building things and actually getting stuff done." Cantrell saw particular potential in launching small satellites, also known as nanosats, that have become commonplace in recent years thanks to manufacturing upstarts like Spire, Planet Labs, and Capella Space. Cantrell sold his SpaceX stock (he won't say for how much), and in March 2016 he officially founded Vector with space vet Eric Bresnard and Garvey, the engineer who had taught Musk about rockets in his garage. Cantrell soon convinced some of his staff at the car company to join him. Within a year, the startup had raised more than $30 million from VC firms including Sequoia Capital and Shasta Ventures. Ready for launch Though he's long left government work, Cantrell's past sticks with him. When he visits me at Inc.'s office, he brings with him his publicist and a tall burly man whose role in the meeting isn't made entirely clear. The man grasps my hand with his giant paw and grunts his name to me through what appears to be a lip of chewing tobacco; then, during my interview with Cantrell, he pulls up a chair and sits behind me, facing my back. Cantrell won't tell me more about the man or why he's tagging along. Separately, though, he tells me in passing that he's extra cautious after his time in Russia. He won't expand on why. Cantrell would much rather focus on the future with Vector. The startup has already performed two test launches of its 40-foot-tall Vector-R rocket. In the coming weeks, it will "take the training wheels off," as Cantrell says, performing a launch without the use of fins to keep the flight path straight. The company hopes its first full-scale launch in Kodiak, Alaska follows soon after that, with its inaugural commercial flight coming later this year. The driving principles behind Vector's business model are economies of scale: saving costs by manufacturing in larger volumes, much like in the automotive industry. Thanks to the team's car-building experience, it's applying assembly line tactics to build its rockets, creating a finished product in a matter of days, as opposed to the 12 months or more usually required. The entire worldwide rocket industry currently makes only around 100 launches per year, according to Iain Boyd, professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan and a scientific adviser to the U.S. Air Force. Boyd says the main factor that has prevented companies from seriously pursuing mass production of rockets isn't technical, but economic: The demand for more launches simply hasn't been there. "It's all about cost," Boyd says. "Getting to space has been tremendously expensive." (To launch with SpaceX--the company that has revolutionized space travel by creating reusable, cheaper rockets--costs about $60 million.) But the calculus is changing. "It's now possible to build useful spacecraft, like nanosats, that are much smaller than ever before. That will require many more launches." Still, Boyd says, while there are plenty of small satellite companies out there looking to hitch rides aboard rockets, there aren't enough yet to support an entire small rocket industry. "It's not like the market is there now and needs to be serviced," he says. "The potential is there. It's not guaranteed." Cantrell looks at it somewhat differently: He thinks Vector will inspire more small-spacecraft companies. "The very existence of these rockets," he says, "stimulates demand for them." The company also hopes it will gain a distinct advantage from its new liquid oxygen-propylene rocket engines, for which it received a patent in September and says no other company is using in operational launches. According to NASA program manager Timothy Chen, this type of propellant maximizes thrust while reducing costs. "It allows for a design that meets vehicle performance requirements while minimizing the volume needed," he says. "So in essence, it allows Vector to design a rocket with lowest cost possible." A flight on the startup's smaller Vector-R will start at $1.5 million; the larger Vector-H will start at $3.5 million. Plenty of rivals already exist. Rocket Lab, for one, launched its 56-foot Electron rocket for the first time earlier this year, carrying small satellites for two startups. Relativity Space is currently building 3-D printed rockets that it hopes will send up midsize payloads. And while SpaceX focuses primarily on clients with larger cargo, the company remains a reliable option and the industry leader for companies looking to launch satellites into space. placeholderplaceholderplaceholder Vector has a minimum manifest of eight commercial flights next year, followed by 25 in 2020. By that time, though, Cantrell hopes the company will be performing 100 launches per year--or as many as will take place in the entire world in 2018. Cantrell says Vector has signed or is close to signing letters of intent for launches valued at about $1 billion. The company, which has already grown to 130 employees, is in the precarious position of trying to grow quickly and box out any new competitors that might spring up--while also being careful not to eat through all its cash and scare away investors with its burn rate. "That," Cantrell says, "is the balance of terror that I live daily." Koel Thomae is the co-founder of Noosa Yoghurt, a yogurt company with $220 million in sales. Here's how she and her co-founders bootstrapped it from a Colorado favorite into a national brand. --As told to Kimberly Weisul I grew up in Australia, and was back home in Queensland to introduce my now-husband to my family. We had been surfing, and on the way to my mum's beach apartment I bought some local yogurt. It was one of those stop-you-in-your-tracks moments. It was not like yogurt I had grown up with and certainly not like yogurts I'd had in the U.S. The texture was so velvety and creamy. It was infused with honey, so it had this lovely sweet-tart flavor profile. Two years later, I was heading to Australia again. My boss at Izze, a beverage company, encouraged me to call the family who made the yogurt, because I was driving everyone crazy talking about it. I met the family at my mum's, with everyone crowding into the kitchen. Then we walked across the street to the local surf club. After a three-hour lunch, I walked out with a handshake agreement that they would license the recipe to me. I knew from my experience at Izze how to go to market, and how get my foot in the door with retailers. But I knew nothing about dairy. I needed a great dairy partner. It's not something you can just Google. In 2008, I was in a coffee shop in Boulder and spotted a flyer for a fourth-generation dairy farm that didn't treat cows with growth hormones. They were selling bottled milk to Whole Foods. That made me think they might have an entrepreneurial spirit. Rob Graves, the owner, invited me to the farm. He was building a new bottling plant, and agreed to add some extra space to make yogurt. When Izze got acquired by Pepsi, I had more money than I'd ever had. I thought, I could go spend this on an MBA, or try this yogurt business. Between Rob, myself, and the family from Australia, our startup costs were about $400,000. In 2010, we launched Noosa. I kept my day job for another two and a half years. We never took angel investment, never had friends and family money in the business. We felt like we were in a good place with the initial investment. When we did bring on an investment partner, I had a very significant stake in the business. That was meaningful. Because Rob was already selling bottled milk to Whole Foods, it became our first retail customer. Thanks to my Izze connections, I had been able to get samples to a buyer at King Soopers, a Kroger brand. In April, he told me one of my competitors was going out of business, and he had immediate space on his shelf. We were suddenly in 100 stores in Colorado and Utah. Our tipping point came in 2012. At the outset, we had about $3 million in sales. Then we launched into Safeway in all of its Western stores. Midway through that year, Target tested us in 252 Super Targets. In three months, Target came back and said, we would love to expand into another 1,000 stores. We thought we were being bullish when we built our manufacturing line, but that was when we knew we should have built bigger. By year three, we had a line of credit for more than $1 million. And we were just getting by. It was like, "OK, we've got that manufacturing line in now. Turn it on and hope it runs, because we have to ship that product in one week." I knew we were putting our entire business at risk by operating that way. We were really lean. I was running sales and marketing with a great business development manager. But he was a contractor and also managing other brands. We had two people managing 17 sales brokers. During that time, I decided I'd have a kid. Because that's good timing. I realized I was not on a sustainable path. My husband and I have never lived beyond our means, and we were really kind of borderline poor for a long time. That wore me down to a point where I was like, you get only one shot on this planet, and I want it to be more balanced. And there was definitely a period of time when it was very unbalanced. That can leave some scar tissue in your soul. Going into 2014, the growth of the business wasn't slowing, and the demands of my child weren't slowing. We were seeing a lot of direct competition in whole-milk yogurt, and we were seeing people copy our packaging. We had $44 million in sales, and I realized, this is actually kind of a real business. I don't know that we can continue like this without something imploding. I thought it was time to bring in an investment partner. That's also when we had our first capacity constraint, when we were short-shipping retailers. They have very low tolerance for that, because their shelves are empty and they're not making money. While we were trying to convince [private equity firm] Advent that we were a great company, I was also calling every retailer personally to apologize, to tell them what our plan was, and to promise that it wouldn't happen again. The investment from Advent let us build more capacity. We also professionalized the company. We hired a head of sales, a CEO, and a head of operations. Those positions hadn't existed before. It was Rob and myself and the COO wearing all the hats. Americans are drowning in student loan debt. The average person (as of 2016) graduates with $37,172 in debt. That's a tremendous burden and businesses are doing the right thing in helping their employees pay down this debt. That's the general consensus, but it's not actually the best use of your benefit dollars. Here's why. Student loans are voluntary Yes, rich kids can get through school without student loans, Yay. But, I'm not talking about that. You choose where you go to school. Or, at least, you choose where you apply. There are good choices and bad choices. A choice to go into massive debt for a degree which doesn't have a high return on investment is a bad choice. If you've chosen massive debt for a degree that does have a high ROI, well, that's a choice you've made. By giving new employees money for paying down debt, you reward the bad choices and encourage current students to take more loans. You can actually pay student loans with your paycheck Giving people a fair paycheck means they can use it to pay down student loans if they so desire. So, your paycheck is smaller if you don't have student loans. That is illogical and, also, a bad deal for employees. When future raises are calculated, they are usually done on a percentage basis. Bonuses are the same. It's better for the employee to have a higher salary than it is to have a lower salary plus a loan repayment fund. Student loan repayment benefits have a disparate impact. Technically, you can graduate from college at any age. (My own grandmother graduated from college at the age of 72. Yes, she was awesome.) But, the vast majority of recent college graduates are in their twenties. Offering them additional money sounds just as much like age discrimination as targeting Facebook job ads to people between the ages of 22 and 30. While plenty of people carry student loan debt for many, many years, this is a benefit that targets the young over the not so young. Tax benefits aren't that great The IRS just issued a Private Letter Ruling that says that yes, you can give 401k dollars in exchange for paying down student debt. So, instead of "matching" 401k contributions, you "mirror" them. Jane makes a student loan payment using post-tax dollars (i.e. regular money) and the company puts money into her 401k with pre-tax dollars. That sounds great. And it is great. But that's where the benefits end. If the company simply contributes towards your student loan payment, that's considered income. Which means you pay taxes on it. But, it's not included in your salary for increases and bonuses. In an email to me, Adam Carroll explained, "employees that receive student loan repayment assistance must treat that as income. Which also means that they're paying taxes on the help... 2 steps forward, 1 step back it seems!" What should you do instead? Kanye Wests controversial political speeches and tweets seem to have lost him a fair few friends and collaborators over the past year, but Chance the Rapper is standing by his fellow Chicagoan, for the most part. Chance was the guest on the latest episode of The Joe Budden Podcast this week, and was asked about Kanyes recent political activity and continued use of Donald Trump merchandise. What do we with this MAGA hat with the Kaepernick sweatshirt [Kanye], it seems like it totally contradicts everything you stand for?" he was asked. Yeah, Chance responded, to laughter from the hosts who seemed to be expecting the rapper to evade the question. Attempting to explain Kanyes actions, however, and paint them as more than just trolling, Chance continued: I think Kanye thinks with every move at least for the past few albums he thinks about himself like 300 years in the future and how people will read things. And figures himself as trying to create a bigger blip on the long timeline, whereas a lot of the people will be stuck in a very small space of where their art reaches, or where their thoughts reach, after theyve died. Kanye has been using every platform he has to warn against, as he sees it, the homogenisation of black thought, although he recently deleted his Twitter and Instagram accounts (again). Black people dont have to be Democrats, he tweeted in April, which Chance retweeted and later apologised for. Kanye West goes on political rant about Democrats after Saturday Night Live performance Chance, who is currently working with Kanye on a new album entitled Good Ass Job, didnt endorse his producers behaviour however. I think he does a lot of stuff for the attention of the masses, to get that stuff documented and made into history, but I think also a lot of times the attention that he may be seeking is at the immediate detriment of some people that may need the attention more," he said. Budden asked him: Do you have those conversations? To which Chance replied: Hell yeah...Definitely in these past few weeks since hes been back in Chicago, thats what it is: hard conversations. Over the weekend, Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson criticised Kanyes post-filming political speech, stating that "being mentally ill is not an excuse to act like a jackass". U.S. State Department said on Sunday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday had briefed South Korea on his just concluded travel to the Democratic People' s Republic of Korea (DPRK). US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, DC, the United States, October 3, 2018. [Photo: IC] According to a statement issued by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Pompeo visited Seoul on Oct. 7-8 and met with the country's president and foreign minister "to give a readout of his October 7 trip to Pyongyang." Pompeo "briefed on his meeting with Chairman Kim, which included his introducing Chairman Kim to Special Representative for North Korea Biegun as his chief negotiator, plans for a second U.S.-DPRK summit, and discussions on achieving the commitments of the June Singapore Summit including the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK as committed to by Chairman Kim and President Trump," the statement read. In a related development, the DPRK is demanding the United States take steps to secure Pyongyang's trust before its denuclearization. "Without any trust in the U.S. there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," DPRK's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the UN General Assembly last week. Pompeo and his South Korean counterpart "also re-affirmed their commitment to the U.S.-ROK Alliance and continued close coordination with Japan on a unified response to the DPRK." According to an earlier statement also issued by Nauert, Pompeo, during his stay in Pyongyang, "held productive discussions" with the country's top leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday, when they discussed the four elements of the U.S.-DPRK Singapore Summit Joint Statement, the upcoming second summit between the two countries' top leaders, and options for the location and date of that next summit. Pompeo and Kim also agreed to instruct their respective working-level teams to meet soon to intensify discussions on the key remaining issues to deliver on the Singapore statement, and Kim invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled, the U.S. State Department said. "President Trump looks forward to continuing to build upon the trust established with Chairman Kim in Singapore and anticipates meeting again soon," it added. This has been his third tour to the DPRK since he became the U.S. secretary of state. He will also travel to Beijing, according to both China and the United States. Liam Gallagher has been interviewed under caution over what police called "an incident consistent with assault" at a popular London venue. Police said they had been made aware of footage, published by The Sun in August, which appeared to show the former Oasis star in a confrontation with his girlfriend, music manager Debbie Gwyther. The Sun claimed that the footage showed Gallagher grabbing Gwyther around the throat at the Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone, which is a popular spot for celebrities. Gallagher later denied assaulting Gwyther in a post on his social media, saying he had "never put my hands on any woman in a vicious manner". Gwyther called the report a "pack of lies" and criticised The Sun for not seeking a comment from her. A spokeswoman for the Met said: "Officers are aware of footage of an incident consistent with assault believed to have taken place in August 2018 at a licensed venue in Chiltern Street, Marylebone. "The footage has been assessed and inquiries will be made into the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident. On Wednesday, September 25 a man attended a central London police station where he was interviewed under caution. No specific allegations have been received at this time." The spokeswoman added that no arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing. The Independent has contacted Gallagher's representative for comment. On Monday, climate scientists revealed to the world a report that laid out the planets future as the global thermometer continues to creep up. Among the complicated figures and technical wording lies a stark reality. Life on Earth beyond 1.5C of global warming will become far more difficult, and we are currently on track to surpass this limit within just a couple of decades. In the developed world it is easy to zone out the constant background hum from the climate science community warning of heatwaves, drought and sea level rise. Elsewhere, these events are harder to ignore. Recommended Rising seas could make many islands uninhabitable within decades Climate change is a lived reality for many communities in the Pacific, says Joseph Zane Sikulu, an activist and self-styled Pacific climate warrior of Tongan heritage. Our island ecosystems are suffering the most extreme impacts of climate change, with our homelands, cultures and traditional livelihoods being threatened by erosion, increased severity of natural disasters, sea levels rise, flooding, landslides, coral bleaching and ocean acidification. It was largely thanks to Pacific islanders such as Mr Sikulu that the latest UN report was commissioned in the first place. Pacific Climate Warrior Joseph Zane Sikulu (Steven Saphore) At the landmark Paris climate agreement in 2015, a coalition of developing nations led by the Marshall Islands foreign minister Tony De Brum joined with richer countries to push for a more ambitious target they said would stop their homelands vanishing beneath the waves. Though the final wording of the agreement mentioned keeping warming below 2C, it also said nations would pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5C. Since then scientists have been scrambling to assess what 1.5C means for the people living on the front lines of climate change. 1.5C is a red line for our survival, Mr Sikulu says. The impacts from climate change are significantly worse at 2C and limiting warming to 1.5C gives the best hope to keep our islands above water. While industrialised nations have been the engines driving climate change with their greenhouse gas emissions, it is communities in poorer parts of the world that stand to lose the most. Payal Parekh, programme director at 350.org (Mark Decena, Kontent Films) Regions that are lower lying, or are naturally subject to more extreme conditions, face a particularly bleak future if the worlds leaders cannot act decisively to halt warming. Its the ultimate injustice that the communities that are least responsible for climate change are the ones suffering the worst impacts, says Payal Parekh, programme director at campaign group 350.org. Landry Ninteretse, a climate change activist from Burundi, says that as an African, 1.5 is a matter of survival. The reason this report matters is that it shows that life is significantly worse at 2C than 1.5C for people who are already suffering, and being an African we are the most vulnerable continent to climate impacts and any kind of temperature rise beyond 1.5 will make our lives even worse. Droughts and other extreme weather will make life in many African countries tougher in the years to come, and this will be compounded by a decrease in yields for key crops such as maize and beans if warming creeps up to 2C. Meanwhile, some of the most extreme effects of global warming will be felt on the other end of the temperature spectrum, above the Arctic Circle. For the indigenous people who rely on the polar environment for their livelihoods, this disruption represented a threat to traditions that go back centuries. Landry Ninteretse, Africa lead at 350.org (Mutua) Saami reindeer herder Jonas Vannar explains that the increasingly unpredictable weather make it difficult for his animals to find a reliable source of lichen to eat. This shrinking grazing area is putting him into direct competition with nearby landowners. We are used to working with nature, and this is indigenous knowledge that has been handed down through generations, he says. In these situations you learn from the elders how it is done, but now there have been several occasions where you cant ask the elders what shall we do now? because they have never experienced it. Communities like the Saami, living in close contact with nature, are inevitably those who suffer most from environmental extremes. However, the more warming that takes place, the more likely it will affect those living in the industrialised world as well. Saami reindeer herder Jonas Vannar (Mose Agestam, k13 filmproduktion) After a summer of heatwaves and wildfire across the northern hemisphere, that time may already have arrived. Im from India but now I live in Switzerland, and they were freaked out this summer by the fact it was over 30C for two months, Ms Parekh says. She says the conditions were so unusual they had convinced many farmers to drop their support for right-wing politicians who had downplayed the effects of climate change. As the effects of global warming become more pronounced and obvious, they will inevitably lead to action as leaders frantically try to avert disaster. Hopefully, they will not be too late. Its easy to become numb to stories about climate change. The headlines become more and more dramatic, the conclusions more terrifying, but its such a big, unwieldy topic, and who has time to be constantly worried about environmental Armageddon? Hailed by the scientific community as a true game changer, a moment for the history books, a new climate report from the UN may have what it takes to pierce this climate apathy. Its not because the conclusions are particularly new. As the report is based on thousands of existing scientific studies, followers of environmental news will already be familiar with stories of coral dying, sea ice melting and Pacific islanders forced from their ancestral homes. The Thomas Fire, feeding on thick chaparral brush which hasnAt burned in generations, approaches homes on December 12, 2017 in Montecito, California (David McNew/Getty Images) The government's climate change advisers have been tasked with setting out a strategy that could see the UK bring its carbon emissions to zero by 2050. Such a target would be in line with the ambitious targets laid out in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's recent report, which revealed unprecedented changes were needed across society to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Meanwhile, one of the UK's biggest energy suppliers has completely dropped fossil fuels in favour of wind power - setting the agenda for the nation's future power supply - and the three activists jailed for protesting against fracking have been freed. Here you can follow the latest climate change news from the UK and around the world after scientists urged nation's to take action last week. Please allow a moment for the live blog to load Protesters have scaled the German embassy in London to urge Germany to stop mining coal, as a major UN report calls for unprecedented action to tackle climate change. Many western European nations, including the UK, have committed to rapidly phasing out the high-polluting fossil fuel in their power stations over the next few years. But Germany, which is home to Europes biggest open-cast coal mine, has made no such pledge, and current mining commitments extend to 2040. Five Greenpeace climbers scaled the embassy building early on Monday morning, shortly before scientists at a press conference in South Korea made their call for the world to slash its CO2 emissions. They unfurled a banner covering one side of the building reading: EXIT COAL. Today we received an unequivocal warning from the worlds greatest experts on the biggest threat we face. We need to kick our fossil fuel addiction, and fast, said Franziska Grobke, one of the climbers. In that context, its genuinely difficult to believe that Europes technological superpower Germany is still relying on dirty, Victorian, coal-fired steam engines to power itself. In light of the new report produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Ms Grobke said it was clear all governments needed to speed up their emissions reductions. IPCC: limiting global warming would require 'unprecedented changes', says Professor Jim Skea The scientists concluded that to avoid the worst effects of climate change, warming must be limited to 1.5C. With the commitments currently in place by world governments, this target will be broken within decades. We are here to urge Angela Merkel to stop letting coal lobbyists make Germanys climate policy, said Ms Grobke. She needs to listen to the worlds climate scientists and catch up with other wealthy European nations. Greenpeace is calling on Germany to adopt a 2030 coal exit plan. The UK is currently aiming to eradicate use of coal by 2025 and France by 2022. 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke filled with the carbon that is driving climate change drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan Thousands of anti-coal demonstrators marched on Germanys Hambach forest on Saturday after a court victory saved part of the ancient woodland from being felled to make way for mining. The massive event was seen as a celebration of this small success, but the organisers emphasised there remains a long way to go. This rally is about demanding that the German government break the deadlock of a climate policy that has failed to reduce carbon emissions for nearly a decade now, but it also is about showing governments everywhere that a growing climate movement is demanding an end to dirty and outdated fossil fuels, said Martin Kaiser, executive director of Greenpeace Germany. The Hambach forest mine has already resulted in 90 per cent of trees in the region being cleared. Following the IPCC scientists conclusions, it is now up to the worlds governments to devise stricter emissions targets that will involve cutting CO2 emissions by nearly half within 12 years. The Independent has contacted the German embassy for comment. A massive spike in plastic washing up on the shores of remote South Atlantic islands has sparked concerns that it is bringing destructive alien species to the once pristine environments. In British overseas territories including Ascension, St Helena and the Falkland Islands, the amount of plastic waste it 10 times greater than it had been a decade ago, scientists have found. As they are considered biodiversity hotspots, researchers are concerned that their unique wildlife is at risk not only from choking on fragments, but also from the invasive species these plastics appear to be bringing with them. As plastics break down in the ocean, the rough, pitted surfaces that they form become a perfect environment for small creatures to live on, meaning they often become floating rafts. Alien species arriving on plastic can range in size from tiny microbes to larger creatures like crustaceans. However, animals as large as iguanas have been observed rafting on debris that floats in the sea. Lots of things can settle on it, native and non-native, and anything that settles anywhere can travel anywhere because as we know plastics have been picked up that have travelled the world ocean, they can go anywhere, Dr David Barnes from the British Antarctic Survey, who led the study, told The Independent. I myself have found non-natives on plastic. Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Show all 6 1 /6 Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic water bottle for a reusable beverage container Instead of continually buying drinks in plastic bottles you can switch to a reusable beverage container and reduce your single-use of plastics. Selfridges' Bobble 550ml filtered water bottle costs 12.95 and includes a replaceable carbon filter that filters water as you drink, removing chlorine and organic contaminants in the process. You can buy it from selfridges.com Getty/Selfridges Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Coffee cup for a Travel coffee mug It is estimated that the UK throws away around 2.5bn disposable coffee cups a year and almost all are incinerated, exported or sent to landfill because their plastic lining makes them expensive to recycle. The new Latte Levy in the UK means there will now be a 25p charge on every disposable coffee cup bought by consumers. Pret A Manger announced that it will double its discount to 50p in an effort to reduce waste. By swapping to a reusable cup you will be able to help cut the cost of disposable coffee cups. This Keep Cup Brew, cork edition, travel cup in Fika is just one of the many available to purchase. It fits under most commercial coffee machines, is splash-proof and ideal for transporting your coffee whilst on the go. You can buy this particular cup for 19.99 from trouva.com. Getty/Trouva Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic bags for reusable cloth bags An eco-friendly alternative to an ordinary plastic bag is this lightweight shopping bag. It comes with a practical pillowcase pocket and features a black and white ink splatter design. Convenient and durable it also has a matte black spring clip to attach it where you need it. You can buy this from paperchase.co.uk for just 5.00. Getty/Paperchase Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Coffee pods for a pot of coffee Cut your plastic coffee pod usage with a cafetiere. This Barista and Co, 3 Cup Gold Cafetiere, from Habitat offers a simple way to brew and serve in style. Made from borosilicate glass and plated stainless steel with an ergonomically designed handle, the cafetiere is built to last and a pleasure to use; a fine metal filter produces a smooth coffee that retains its natural oils. You can buy it for 30 from habitat.co.uk. Getty/Habitat Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Balloons for eco-friendly decorations Instead of using plastic balloons at your party try swapping them for some eco-friendly bunting. Handmade in Scotland, the bunting comprises thirteen brightly coloured pennants which spell out the words 'Happy Birthday', and uses lettering that has been printed onto 100 per cent recycled card. Included is 11ft of natural jute twine to hang the pennants on, and everything comes packaged in a cello bag. You can buy this bunting from Little Silverleaf on notonthehighstreet.com for 12.50. Getty/notonthehighstreet Ways to reduce your single-use plastic Plastic straw for a reusable bamboo one Swap plastic straws for reusable ones made of bamboo. These straws are handmade in Bali and crafted by local balinese artisans. Made of organic and natural materials they are the best eco-friendly alternative to plastic, steel or glass straws. You can purchase them from Bali Boo on Amazon.co.uk for 13.99. PA/Bali Boo/Amazon It is difficult to know exactly how the non-natives arrived as they could have arrived on ships and later colonised the plastic. However, Dr Barnes thinks plastics are a very considerable problem for alien dispersal. He said: I suspect that plastics are responsible both for the direct transfer of alien species, and also for the spread of them when they arrive at places." Publishing their findings in the journal Current Biology, Dr Barnes and his team wrote that they found plastic waste was found littering the bottom of the sea around the islands and the beaches themselves, where it was highly prevalent. They found up to up to 300 items per metre of shoreline on the East Falkland and St Helena, including areas that have been officially set aside for special protection. Its all very well saying we have got this massive marine protected area around the UK overseas territories But ultimately that doesnt deal with any of this threat, Dr Barnes said. To stop plastic ending up on the islands, he added that industry and society must work together to find solutions that prevent it ending up in the ocean in the first place. These islands and the ocean around them are sentinels of our planets health. It is heart-breaking watching albatrosses trying to eat plastic thousands of miles from anywhere, said Dr Andy Schofield, a biologist from the RSPB, who was also involved in the research. This is a very big wake up call. Inaction threatens not just endangered birds and whale sharks, but the ecosystems many islanders rely on for food supply and health. A quarter of the worlds seafood caught in the ocean is collected through bottom-trawling, a method that harms seafloor ecosystems. The technique involves dragging a net along the oceans shelves and slopes to gather shrimp, cod, rockfish, sole and a variety of bottom-dwelling fish and shellfish. Other forms of marine life and habitats can be killed or disturbed unintentionally as the nets travel across the seafloor. Researchers agree that the technique is harmful but it has previously been unclear how widely bottom-trawling is used. New analysis, which brings together the contributions of 57 scientists across 22 countries, suggests that 14 per cent of the seafloor, shallower than 1,000m, is trawled. Most trawl-fishing happens at this depth and the study focused on this range of seafloor, which covers about 7.8 million sq km of ocean. The researchers had expertise in mapping fishing activity from satellite monitoring and fishing logbook information. For their report they used high-resolution data for 24 ocean regions in Africa, Europe, North and South America and Australasia. A beam-trawling net, shown out of water. (Jan Hiddink/Bangor University) An illustration showing how bottom-trawling works (Jan Hiddink/Bangor University) (Ian Hiddink/Bangor University) Fourteen per cent is substantially smaller than previous estimates of what is known as a trawling footprint but researchers found that bottom trawlings popularity varies widely by region. The authors of the report found that more than 80 per cent of the seafloor in the Adriatic Sea, a part of the Mediterranean Sea found to have the most intense footprint, is trawled, whereas the method is used across only 0.4 per cent of the seafloor off southern Chile. Researchers also concluded that more than 50 per cent of the seafloor in some European waters is trawled but the technique is used far more sparingly in seas around Australian and New Zealand, where trawling footprints cover less than 10 per cent of the seafloor. 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke filled with the carbon that is driving climate change drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan The same applied to the East Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska and waters around the north Pacifics Aleutian Islands. Trawling has been a very controversial activity, and its footprint has not been quantified for so many regions at a sufficiently high resolution, said lead author Ricardo Amoroso, from the University of Washington. When you dont quantify the impacts of trawling at a fine scale, you end up with an overestimation of the trawling footprint. Less of the seafloor is trawled in regions where rates for commercially fished stocks, caught through bottom trawling, meet accepted sustainability benchmarks. A beam trawler sits at the dock in Milford Haven, Wales (Jan Hiddink/Bangor University) For those regions where bottom-trawling footprints were less than 10 per cent of the seafloor area, fishing rates on bottom-dwelling fish stocks almost always met international sustainability benchmarks, Simon Jennings, a co-author of the report, said. But when footprints exceed 20 per cent, they rarely met them. Researchers used information about the fishing gear used in commercial operations to help them accurately estimate trawling footprints. Knowing the span of a trawling net helped to improve the estimate of the area of seafloor impacted. Some regions where bottom trawling is extensively used, including southeast Asia, are not included in the study as detailed data was not available. Despite this scientists say that their study is the most detailed look yet at trawling activity around the world. The research is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For years now, the phone has been the essential, cant-do-without gadget, and the advance of the smartphone has merely confirmed this. Now, you can check your calendar, send an email, play a videogame with console-quality graphics, call an Uber, pay a bill, take photos better than your camera can and watch Netflix. Some people even occasionally use them to make a call or send a text, apparently. The big design change in the last few years has been the move to all-screen phones where the button that used to adorn every screens front, causing blank space at the bottom, for instance has been moved by being swapped to a side button, buried in the display itself or changed for facial recognition. At the same time, the 3.5mm headphone jack has been removed from almost all high-end phones (Sony is the notable exception here). There are three main operating systems, all incompatible with each other: iOS, found only on the iPhone, HarmonyOS on Huawei phones, and Android, which is basically on everything else. Huawei was forced to create its own system when it fell out with the US government, and it has fewer apps than the other two, though it is growing fast. And some of its own apps such as Petal Maps, are impressive and just as easy to use as the big-name alternatives. But if youre in the market for an upgrade, which option is right for you? Weve put all of the latest handsets from Apple, Samsung, Google and more to the test to find out. How we tested Weve tested for ease of use, build quality, how quickly the phone opens apps, responds to your touch and so on. Weve checked out features, security, proficiency of the cameras (a major consideration for smartphones these days) and, just as importantly, battery life. The best smartphone on the planet wouldnt feature in this guide if it ran out of juice after a few hours. Read more: The best smartphones for 2021 are: Best overall Apple iPhone 13 pro max: 1,049, Apple.com Apple iPhone 13 pro max: 1,049, Apple.com Best for design Oppo find x3 pro 5g: 999, Oppostore.co.uk Oppo find x3 pro 5g: 999, Oppostore.co.uk Best display Sony xperia 1 III: 1,199, Sony.co.uk Sony xperia 1 III: 1,199, Sony.co.uk Best camera phone Huawei mate 40 pro: 1,099, Huawei.com Huawei mate 40 pro: 1,099, Huawei.com Best Android phone Google Pixel 6 pro: 849, Google.com Google Pixel 6 pro: 849, Google.com Best value smartphone OnePlus 9 pro: 929, Oneplus.com OnePlus 9 pro: 929, Oneplus.com Best for fast charging Xiaomi 11t pro: 649, Mi.com Xiaomi 11t pro: 649, Mi.com Best folding phone Samsung Galaxy z flip 3: 949, Samsung.com Samsung Galaxy z flip 3: 949, Samsung.com Best mid-range Apple phone Apple iPhone 13: 779, Apple.com Apple iPhone 13: 779, Apple.com Best rugged phone Nokia xr20: 399, Nokia.com Nokia xr20: 399, Nokia.com Best small smartphone Apple iPhone 13 mini: 679, Apple.com Apple iPhone 13 mini: 679, Apple.com Best video camera phone Vivo x60 pro: 748, Amazon.co.uk Vivo x60 pro: 748, Amazon.co.uk Best Android phone for software Google Pixel 6: 599, Google.com Apple iPhone 13 pro max Best: Overall Rating: 10/10 Screen size and resolution : 6.7in, 1,284 x 2,778 pixels, 458 pixels per inch : 6.7in, 1,284 x 2,778 pixels, 458 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 128/256/512GB/1TB : 128/256/512GB/1TB Expandable storage ? No ? No Camera (rear) : 12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto : 12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto Camera (front) : 12MP : 12MP Dimensions : 160.8 x 78.1 7.7mm : 160.8 x 78.1 7.7mm Weight : 240g : 240g Headphone jack ? No ? No Wireless-chargeable ? Yes ? Yes 5G? Yes The new Apple iPhone 13 comes in four versions, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 pro and iPhone 13 pro max. The max is the biggest of the group but is identical to the iPhone 13 pro in every way except size, battery size and price. So, if the 6.7in display here means the phone is too big for your hands, then the iPhone 13 pro is the one for you. Where the iPhone 13 and mini have two cameras, the pro versions have a third, a telephoto lens. The cameras are one of the standouts on this phone. They are great in low light, have improved sensors and for the first time on an iPhone, a telephoto lens thats the equivalent of a 3x zoom of the main camera. That main camera has a very cool macro mode: as you get right up close to your subject, the iPhone switches to the ultra-wide lens for a close-up shot thats sharply focused. Theres also cinematic mode, a cool video feature that brilliantly, and automatically, blurs the background to put your subject in focus. It can even pull focus to favour whoevers facing the camera. The design of this years iPhones is nearly identical to last years iPhone 12 series, with flat edges. It also uses something called a Ceramic Shield, a front covering thats toughened to withstand being dropped. Battery life has increased this year, with the iPhone 13 pro max boasting the longest battery life of any iPhone. Read the full iPhone 13 pro max review Buy now 1049 , Apple.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Oppo find x3 pro 5g Best: For design Rating: 9/10 Screen size and resolution : 6 .7in , 1,440 x 3,216 pixels, 525 pixels per inch : 6 , 1,440 x 3,216 pixels, 525 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 256/512GB : 256/512GB Expandable storage ? No ? No Camera (rear) : 50MP wide, 13MP telephoto, 50MP ultrawide, 3MP micro : 50MP wide, 13MP telephoto, 50MP ultrawide, 3MP micro Camera (front) : 32MP : 32MP Dimensions : 163.6 x 74 x 8.3mm : 163.6 x 74 x 8.3mm Weight : 193g : 193g Headphone jack ? No ? No Wireless-chargeable ? Yes ? Yes 5G? Yes The design on the Oppo find x3 pro is stunning: the glass back is sculpted so the camera panel rises organically out of the back. Those cameras are very effective, capable of really strong results. Theres also a micro camera which is a remarkable novelty: you can get really close microscope-like shots, just a matter of millimetres from your subject for very cool images. This has the equivalent of 60x zoom compared to the main camera. The display is another standout: high-resolution, with fast refresh rate for a smooth experience. Battery life is also good, well over a day, and the supplied charging plug recharges the phone very quickly: from flat to full in less than 40 minutes. Buy now 999 , Oppostore.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Sony xperia 1 III Best: Display Rating: 9/10 Screen size and resolution : 6.5in, 1,644 x 3,840 pixels, 643 pixels per inch : 6.5in, 1,644 x 3,840 pixels, 643 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 256/512GB : 256/512GB Expandable storage ? Yes ? Yes Camera (rear) : 12MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 12MP telephoto : 12MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 12MP telephoto Camera (front) : 8MP : 8MP Dimensions : 165 x 71 x 8.2mm : 165 x 71 x 8.2mm Weight : 186g : 186g Headphone jack ? Yes ? Yes Wireless-chargeable ? Yes ? Yes 5G? Yes Sonys latest flagship phone looks tremendous, especially when you look at the display: it has 4K resolution. Sonys the only company making phones with a display as high-resolution as a full-size TV and it looks spectacular. This is not a small phone, though the longer aspect ratio helps to keep it slim enough for most hands to find comfortable. Its a little thicker than previous Sony flagships but the good news is that it means it can accommodate a bigger battery and battery life is strong, lasting a full day with ease. Sony favours a fingerprint sensor mounted on the side of the phone rather than under the display as with some here, and this works very well. Cameras are the best yet on a Sony phone, with much better results using the default settings, though there are useful advanced features, too. Buy now 1199 , Sony.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Huawei mate 40 pro Best: Cameraphone Rating: 7/10 Screen size and resolution : 6.76in, 1,344 x 2,772 pixels, 456 pixels per inch : 6.76in, 1,344 x 2,772 pixels, 456 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 128/256/512GB : 128/256/512GB Expandable storage ? Yes ? Yes Camera (rear) : 50MP wide, 12MP telephoto, 20MP ultrawide : 50MP wide, 12MP telephoto, 20MP ultrawide Camera (front) : 13MP : 13MP Dimensions : 162.9 x 75.5 x 9.1mm : 162.9 x 75.5 x 9.1mm Weight : 212g : 212g Headphone jack ? No ? No Wireless-chargeable ? Yes ? Yes 5G? Yes A few years back, Huawei introduced high-resolution camera sensors, remarkable low-light capabilities and smart zoom features to its phones, and quickly became the cameraphone to beat. Though rivals have mostly caught up now and the iPhone is regularly ahead for video capabilities this is still a fearsomely good snapper. This Huawei phone uses Android, but does not have Google Mobile Services such as Google Maps, Gmail or, crucially, Google Play Store. As such the Harmony AppGallery, though growing fast, lacks a number of the biggest apps. Still, theres Petal Maps, designed in conjunction with TomTom, which is very good. Buy now 1099 , Huawei.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Google Pixel 6 pro Best: Android phone Rating: 8/10 Screen size and resolution : 6.7in, 1,440 x 3,120 pixels, 512 pixels per inch : 6.7in, 1,440 x 3,120 pixels, 512 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 128/256/512GB : 128/256/512GB Expandable storage ? No ? No Camera (rear) : 50MP wide, 48MP telephoto, 12MP ultrawide : 50MP wide, 48MP telephoto, 12MP ultrawide Camera (front) : 11MP : 11MP Dimensions : 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm : 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm Weight : 210g : 210g Headphone jack ? No ? No Wireless-chargeable ? Yes ? Yes 5G? Yes The new phones from Google (theres also the Pixel 6 below) have a distinctive design in the form of a camera panel, which stretches the width of the phones back. It has three cameras (two on the Pixel 6) and, this being Google, uses software to boost the image quality. This includes neat features like magic eraser, which can remove unwanted elements automatically or with a couple of taps. Its pretty good, though no match for Photoshop. The main camera has a 50MP sensor and this phone is outstanding at low-light or night photography. It also comes in cute colours, even if the names are questionable: stormy black, cloudy white and sorta sunny, each with two slightly different colours for the panels above and below the cameras. Like the iPhone 13 pro, it has a display with adaptive frame rates going up to 120Hz for the smoothest user experience. With this phone, and the Pixel 6, Google has switched to using its own processor. For users who want the purest version of Android (which Google also makes), with extra features onboard, this is the best phone, and it comes at a noticeably lower price than comparable flagships. Read the full Google Pixel 6 pro review Buy now 849 , Google.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} OnePlus 9 pro Best: Value smartphone Rating: 8/10 Screen size and resolution : 6.7in, 1,440 x 3,216 pixels, 525 pixels per inch : 6.7in, 1,440 x 3,216 pixels, 525 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 128/256GB : 128/256GB Expandable storage ? No ? No Camera (rear) : 48MP wide, 8MP telephoto, 50MP ultrawide, 2MP monochrome : 48MP wide, 8MP telephoto, 50MP ultrawide, 2MP monochrome Camera (front) : 16MP : 16MP Dimensions : 163.2 x 73.6 x 8.7mm : 163.2 x 73.6 x 8.7mm Weight : 197g : 197g Headphone jack ? No ? No Wireless-chargeable ? Yes ? Yes 5G? Yes OnePlus has formed a partnership with Hasselblad for its camera capabilities, and while this has been hit-and-miss on earlier phones, its very strong here. The display is great and OnePlus, long known for good design, has delivered its best look here with a gleaming, glossy finish. The OnePlus flagship charges fast from flat to 100% in 29 minutes, OnePlus says, which seems about right. It means that if youre running low on juice, you can have plenty of power again in a matter of minutes. It even charges fast when youre doing it wirelessly, which is good. Unlike Apple, OnePlus includes a charger in the box. Buy now 929 , Oneplus.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Xiaomi 11t pro Best: For fast charging Rating: 8/10 Screen size and resolution : 6.67in, 2,400 x 1,080 pixels, 395 pixels per inch : 6.67in, 2,400 x 1,080 pixels, 395 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 128/256GB : 128/256GB Expandable storage ? No ? No Camera (rear) : 108MP wide, 5MP telephoto, 8MP ultrawide : 108MP wide, 5MP telephoto, 8MP ultrawide Camera (front) : 16MP : 16MP Dimensions : 164.1 x 76.9 x 8.8mm : 164.1 x 76.9 x 8.8mm Weight : 204g : 204g Headphone jack ? No ? No Wireless-chargeable ? No ? No 5G? Yes Xiaomis phones are routinely keenly priced and the 11t pro offers a lot for the money. It includes the same Qualcomm 888 chip found in much pricier phones, meaning this is a nimble and responsive handset. It has astonishingly fast charging: from 0 to full in a little more than 15 minutes, almost twice as fast as the already lightning-speed OnePlus 9 pro. This is a big handset, so its worth trying it in your hand for size it may be too big for some. The sensor for the main camera is 108MP. Thats a huge number but its designed so that the pixels work together in clusters of four as though they were much bigger, and more effective in lower light, the equivalent of a higher-quality 27MP photo. Buy now 649 , Mi.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Samsung Galaxy z flip 3 Best: Folding phone Rating: 8/10 Screen size and resolution : 6.7in (unfolded), 1,080 x 2,640 pixels, 426 pixels per inch : 6.7in (unfolded), 1,080 x 2,640 pixels, 426 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 128/256GB : 128/256GB Expandable storage ? No ? No Camera (rear) : 12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide : 12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide Camera (front) : 10MP : 10MP Dimensions : 166 x 72.2 x 6.9 mm unfolded, 86.4 x 72.2 x 15.9-17.1 mm folded : 166 x 72.2 x 6.9 mm unfolded, 86.4 x 72.2 x 15.9-17.1 mm folded Weight : 183g : 183g Headphone jack ? No ? No Wireless-chargeable ? Yes ? Yes 5G? Yes Folding phones come in two types: ones that are phone size and fold out to be mini tablets, and then this king, which folds in half from being a regular phone size to becoming amazingly pocketable. Where previous z flip phones seemed fragile, here, Samsung has got everything right: from the build to the processor to the screen quality. There are neat extras: to take a self-portrait, press twice on the power button with the phone closed and the small external screen becomes a monitor to frame your shot so you can use the better, external cameras. The main display has a crease where it folds but, remarkably, when youre watching a video on this screen, the crease is not evident. Theres a price premium for the convenience of a folding phone, but this is a very cool handset. Read the full Samsung Galaxy z flip review Buy now 949 , Samsung.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Apple iPhone 13 Best: Mid-range Apple phone Rating: 8/10 Screen size and resolution : 6.1in, 1,170 x 2,532 pixels, 460 pixels per inch : 6.1in, 1,170 x 2,532 pixels, 460 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 128/256/512GB : 128/256/512GB Expandable storage ? No ? No Camera (rear) : 12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide : 12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide Camera (front) : 12MP : 12MP Dimensions : 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7mm : 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.7mm Weight : 174g : 174g Headphone jack ? No ? No Wireless-chargeable ? Yes ? Yes 5G? Yes Although the iPhone 13 pro is the most advanced iPhone yet, for many people the regular iPhone 13 is an appealing choice. It has a similar design to the pro, mostly different because there are two cameras, not three, positioned diagonally in the camera panel because theyre a lot bigger than last years. The other design differences are an aluminium frame and five different colours. These are midnight, pink, blue, product(red) and starlight, which is a cross between gold and silver. The processor isnt quite as powerful as on the pro but key features like the excellent cinematic mode for video are here and performance is strong. Battery life is also better than last years iPhone 12. Read the full iPhone 13 review Buy now 779 , Apple.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Nokia xr20 Best: Rugged phone Rating: 7/10 Screen size and resolution : 6.67in, 1,080 x 2,400 pixels, 395 pixels per inch : 6.67in, 1,080 x 2,400 pixels, 395 pixels per inch Screen technology : LCD : LCD Storage capacity : 64/128GB : 64/128GB Expandable storage ? Yes ? Yes Camera (rear) : 48MP wide, 13MP ultrawide : 48MP wide, 13MP ultrawide Camera (front) : 8MP : 8MP Dimensions : 171.6 x 81.5 x 10.6mm : 171.6 x 81.5 x 10.6mm Weight : 248g : 248g Headphone jack ? Yes ? Yes Wireless-chargeable ? Yes ? Yes 5G? Yes Rugged phones are great for the active, the sporty and the clumsy. Usually, they have less-potent specifications, so 5G connectivity as there is here, is a surprise. Nokia has made rugged phones in the past, but this is its best in years. The front glass is tough and highly protective, and theres also a free screen replacement offered in the first year. The back is textured plastic with thick rubber bumpers. It also has waterproofing. Even so, it doesnt look as much like a ruggedised phone as you might expect. Like several phones here, theres no charger included, though Nokia makes a donation to charity if one is bought separately. Buy now 399 , Nokia.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Apple iPhone 13 mini Best: Small smartphone Rating: 8/10 Screen size and resolution : 5.4in, 1,080 x 2,340 pixels, 476 pixels per inch : 5.4in, 1,080 x 2,340 pixels, 476 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 128/256/512GB : 128/256/512GB Expandable storage ? No ? No Camera (rear) : 12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide : 12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide Camera (front) : 12MP : 12MP Dimensions : 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.7mm : 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.7mm Weight : 141g : 141g Headphone jack ? No ? No Wireless-chargeable ? Yes ? Yes 5G? Yes In the last decade or so, the size of phones has grown hugely, but our hands havent really evolved quite as quickly. In a world of big smartphones, one stands out as perfect for smaller mitts. The iPhone 13 mini is smaller than the entry-level iPhone se, but because it has an all-screen front, theres a much bigger display in fact, its the highest-resolution screen on any smartphone in terms of pixel density. Last years iPhone 12 mini had decidedly average battery life but this years model has 90 minutes more per charge, enough to get through a day. It has a processor and cameras identical to the bigger iPhone 13, and a matching design, down to the tough front glass and chic design. At first, when you pick it up, its such a contrast to other phones it almost seems like a toy, but the display is quickly immersive. Its highly usable, though bigger fingers may find the small onscreen keyboard a little tight. Buy now 679 , Apple.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Vivo x60 pro Best: Video camera phone Rating: 8/10 Screen size and resolution : 6.56in, 1,070 x 2,376 pixels, 398 pixels per inch : 6.56in, 1,070 x 2,376 pixels, 398 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 256GB : 256GB Expandable storage ? No ? No Camera (rear) : 48MP wide, 13MP telephoto, 13MP ultrawide : 48MP wide, 13MP telephoto, 13MP ultrawide Camera (front) : 32MP : 32MP Dimensions : 158.6 x 73.2 x 7.6mm : 158.6 x 73.2 x 7.6mm Weight : 179g : 179g Headphone jack ? No ? No Wireless-chargeable ? No ? No 5G? Yes Vivos well-priced flagship is stuffed with features, from the under-display fingerprint sensor and face recognition to its unique camera speciality: gimbal stabilisation. It means that however unsteady your camerawork is, because the camera module is floating in a system designed to counteract shaking, your shots will be sharp. This is especially useful when shooting video. The camera is great across the board, though the fact that the telephoto lens is only 2x that of the wide is less than some rivals. The software is not far from the pure Android offered by Google, so its straightforward and effective. Battery life is good and more than a full day but it lacks the wireless charging found on most phones here. Buy now 748 , Amazon.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Google Pixel 6 Best: Android phone for software Rating: 7/10 Screen size and resolution : 6.4in, 1,080 x 2,400 pixels, 411 pixels per inch : 6.4in, 1,080 x 2,400 pixels, 411 pixels per inch Screen technology : OLED : OLED Storage capacity : 128/256GB : 128/256GB Expandable storage ? No ? No Camera (rear) : 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide : 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide Camera (front) : 8MP : 8MP Dimensions : 158.6 x 74.8 x 8.9mm : 158.6 x 74.8 x 8.9mm Weight : 207g : 207g Headphone jack ? No ? No Wireless-chargeable ? Yes ? Yes 5G? Yes Googles Pixel 6 pro, above, is a great phone. But if you prefer something smaller, then the Pixel 6 offers flagship capabilities at a very keen price. There are two cameras, not three, and the display isnt as high-resolution, but the phone still looks good and is a fast performer. Like the pro, the software here is pure Android, so it works seamlessly at all times. It also includes special extra apps like Recorder, which is perfect for taking the minutes of a meeting, for instance, because it records and transcribes voices in real time. The new Android 12 software is already on board here and has cute details, like icons that change colour to match the theme youve chosen. Read the full Google Pixel 6 review Buy now 599 , Google.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing. Towering blades of ice could get in the way of our search for alien life, scientists have warned. Jupiter's moon Europa is often held up as one of the most promising places to discover extraterrestrials. It is relatively near and has huge seas of liquid water under its surface, which could provide a home to those aliens. Scientists hope to eventually land a spacecraft on that icy crust and drill down beneath it to see whatever is lurking in the oceans below. Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 more commonly known as WR 124 and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region But on that same alien surface are vast shards and daggers of snow that could destroy any craft that attempted to land there, scientists have warn. Reaching almost 15 metres tall, the blades of sharp ice could be a fatal barrier to any attempt to meet that extra-terrestrial life. Any potential landing mission would have to navigate those "penitentes" before it could drop onto the surface. The spikes are formed through a process known as sublimation. That turns ice into water vapour without melting into a liquid between the two, and leaves behind those blade-like formations that point right up into the sun. Penitentes do grow down on Earth. But here they are restricted to extreme areas such as the Andes and grow between one and five metres tall. Europa however is much more suited to growing the huge blades because its surface is dominated by ice, it has the right thermal conditions for that sublimation to occur, and the sun always shines at the same angle towards the surface. The unique conditions of Europa present both exciting exploratory possibilities and potentially treacherous danger," said lead author of the research Dr Daniel Hobley, from Cardiff Universitys School of Earth and Ocean Sciences. The presence of sharp, blade-like structures towering to almost 15 metres high would make any potential landing mission to Europa extremely precarious. We hope that studies like ours will help the engineers to develop innovative ways of delivering landers safely on Europas surface so that we can find out even more about this fascinating place, and potentially look for signs of extra-terrestrial life. Reading through most accounts of history, we could be forgiven for assuming that women were not the warriors, the great thinkers nor the pioneering scientists who shaped and changed our world. That men alone birthed art, churned out literature and fiercely challenged the status quo, while women functioned only within the domestic realm. But though the canon has perpetually erased the contribution of women and their work has been systematically discredited, devalued and derided, their light has doggedly broken through the cracks. The second Tuesday of every October marks Ada Lovelace Day, a day founded in 2009 by technologist Suw Charman-Anderson, to celebrate the achievements of women in Stem careers (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and was created in memory of one in particular: Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer. Its well documented that the male-dominated Stem industries are difficult environments for women, who make up just 23 per cent of the workforce. Just last week, a leading scientist presented a talk claiming that physics was invented and built by men. He obviously chose to ignore contributions from Marie Curie, Lise Meitner and Chien-Shiung Wu. Lovelaces social standing and liberal parents enabled her to be educated in subjects usually reserved for men of her era. They enabled her to achieve things most women could not. She used her privilege to contribute work that was so ahead of its time, it took another hundred years to be fully understood. Thats quite something. For these reasons, she was a clear inclusion for this book about #RenegadeWomen. Aada Lovelace (10 December 1815 27 November 1852, UK) Mathematician and computer scientist (Alice Skinner (Alice Skinner) Although never fully recognised during her lifetime, Ada Lovelaces work prefigured modern computing and earned her the nickname the enchantress of numbers. Daughter of romantic poet Lord Byron, Lovelace was tutored in mathematics and science subjects often forbidden for girls at the time at the insistence of her mother. At seventeen, she met the mathematician Charles Babbage, inventor of the mechanical calculator, who was to become her mentor. Lovelace was soon commissioned to translate a French article about Babbages latest machine. While doing so, she went one step further, supplying her own commentary on it. She theorised that Babbages machine had the potential to translate music, pictures and text into digital form. Her notes were respected and published in 1843, but the theory within was so revolutionary that it took over a century for it to be recognised as the first computer algorithm and Lovelace as the first computer programmer. Lovelace died, aged 36, in 1852 and has since received a multitude of posthumous accolades. In 1980, the US Department of Defence named a computer language after her, and Ada Lovelace Day is celebrated every October in recognition of her groundbreaking contribution to computer technology. Extracted from She: A Celebration of 100 Renegade Women by Harriet Hall, published by Headline Home is out now, 12.99. You can buy it here UK manufacturing exports slumped to their lowest level in two years, anxiety among businesses hit its highest level since the Brexit vote and the proportion of firms having difficulty recruiting staff is at a record high, two surveys have found. The proportion of firms looking to recruit fell from 60 per cent to 47 per cent, the lowest in 25 years, the British Chambers of Commerce found. Among those who are trying to hire, almost three-quarters cant find the right staff, according to the poll of 5,600 firms. The latest data adds to fears that firms could be damaged by an acute skills shortage as Theresa May and the home secretary, Sajid Javid, last week confirmed plans to slash immigration after Brexit. The BCC said a slowdown in manufacturing exports in the last quarter was a further cause for concern. Sales to overseas buyers were predicted to receive a boost from the fall in the value of the pound but a small bump now appears to have subsided. The balance of manufacturers expecting their prices to increase also rose, with 81 per cent citing the cost of raw materials as the driver of cost increases, the highest level for seven years. Investment is also suffering thanks to uncertainty over future trading conditions, with the balance of manufacturing and services firms looking to invest in either plant and machinery or training falling in the to their lowest level in over a year. Business confidence in turnover and profitability also weakened in the quarter. The balance of firms confident that turnover and profitability to increase in the next 12 months fell, from +47 to +44 for turnover and +35 to +29 for profitability. A separate survey of finance bosses found that worries over the long-term impact of Brexit are mounting. Among chief financial officers polled by Deloitte, 79 per cent said they expect the long-term business environment to be worse after leaving the EU, up from 75 per cent in the second quarter of 2018 and the third successive rise. Suren Thiru, BCC head of economics, said manufacturing remained a weak spot fo the UK economy with exports falling sharply over the last quarter. Brexit uncertainty and the increasing cost of imported raw materials is weighing on the UKs external position further evidence that the persistent weakness in sterling is doing more harm than good, he said. As a consequence, net trade is likely to have contributed precious little to UK GDP growth in Q3. The sharp deterioration of the share of firms attempting to recruit is a concern and reflects both persistent hiring difficulties and heightened economic uncertainty which if sustained could materially weaken jobs growth. Dr Adam Marshall, director general of the BCC, called for radical action to support businesses in the Budget to be announced later this month. There has never been a more important time for the government to bolster business investment, competitiveness and productivity, in the face of significant Brexit headwinds, he said. Britains trading relationship with the Netherlands, worth more than 60bn (53bn), will survive Brexit, but it would have been better for the UK to remain in the EU, the Dutch king said on Monday. King Willem-Alexander said the Dutch governments position remained one of regret that Brexit was happening, but he added that the country ultimately respected the choice of the British people. According to forecasts from the Dutch governments economic policy analysis agency forecasts that Brexit will cost the Netherlands 1.2 per cent of GDP by 2030, and the country has hired nearly 1,000 new customs officers to prepare for a looming no deal Brexit. However, King Willem-Alexander said that the trading partnership between the two countries would stay strong, with agreements becoming more bi-lateral as a result of the UKs departure from the EU. The kings remarks come ahead of a state visit by the Dutch royal family to Great Britain, set to take place on 23 October. During his trip to London, King Willem-Alexander will meet with the Lord Mayor of the City of London to discuss Dutch-British co-operation on sustainable production and artificial intelligence, among other subjects. Trade between the Netherlands and the UK is worth more than 60bn both ways, which the king said was a result of transparency on either side of the partnership, with both countries taking a like-minded approach to doing business. Earlier this year, the chief executive of the Port of Rotterdam, Allard Castelein, said the trading hub was preparing for the worst in anticipation of a hard Brexit. Britain is the Netherlands second largest trading partner after Germany, an the majority of that trade flows through Rotterdam, Europes largest port. Meanwhile, the UK government criticised the EU on Monday for being too optimistic that a deal will be reached quickly. Theresa Mays spokesman downplayed growing hopes emerging from Brussels, insisting the two sides are still far apart and that the EU must make further compromises. Downing Street also admitted that MPs may not be shown the prime ministers fresh plans to break the Brexit deadlock before she asks EU leaders to agree to them. No 10 refused to guarantee the proposals, which include further compromises to solve the Irish border issue, would be published before a crucial EU summit next week, meaning Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and Emmanuel Macron, the French president, and other EU leaders, could give their approval before MPs have even been able to consider them Two distinguished American economists, Paul Romer and William Nordhaus, have been jointly awarded the 2018 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for their pioneering research on climate change and the roots of economic growth. Mr Nordhaus, 77, was cited by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, as having integrated climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis. He developed an influential model of how the climate interacts with the global economy, which suggested that a uniform international carbon tax could be the most efficient way to tackle industrial greenhouse gas emissions. Mr Romer, 62, was cited for his pioneering theoretical work on endogenous growth theory, which emphasises the fundamental importance of innovation and ideas in driving a nations prosperity. This years laureates ... have significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis by constructing models that explain how the market economy interacts with nature and knowledge, said the committee. Their findings have brought us considerably closer to answering the question of how we can achieve sustained and sustainable global economic growth. The post-neoclassical endogenous growth theory championed by Mr Romer was once referenced by Gordon Brown in a speech in 1994. Endogenous growth theory What is it? So called neo-classical growth theory holds that the spark of growth is essentially exogenous meaning that it comes from external factors. This could be increases in the size of a labour force, investment or new technologies. But endogenous theory, as advanced by Paul Romer, holds that the spark of growth is internal to an economy. It can come from the the accumulation of ideas. The theory is significant because it guides policymakers to the kind of policies that have the greatest chance of encouraging that powerful endogenous kind of growth, such as investments in education and scientific research. The then-shadow chancellor was mocked for years for his use of an incomprehensible piece of jargon. But Mr Brown was referring to novel economic ideas of how governments could deliver sustainable long-term growth. In recent years, the Swedish academy has tended to make the Nobel based partly on the political salience of the work of the academics or the degree to which they feel their ideas are relevant to policymakers. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned on Monday that global greenhouse gas emissions must be cut almost in half by 2030 to avert global environmental catastrophe, including the total loss of every coral reef, the disappearance of Arctic ice and the destruction of island communities. The timing of Nordhauss prize coming as the IPCC says that action is necessary is perfect, tweeted the US economist Justin Wolfers. He added that the common thread of the two academics work is that smart government policies that tame, harness and direct economic forces are essential if the economy is to deliver good outcomes in the long run. Last year, the economics Nobel was awarded to the behavioural economics researcher and father of nudge theory Richard Thaler. Mr Romer stepped down after just 15 months as chief economist at the World Bank earlier this year, after an acrimonious clash with the institutions staff. He had accused World Bank employees of manipulating data in its annual rankings of countries by ease of doing business for political reasons. Merseyside Police have named a 27-year-old man who was shot by a cyclist in the Belle Vale area of Liverpool on Sunday morning. Carl Russell, who was from the area, is believed to have been shot as he was climbing out of a car in Cornwood Close shortly before 11.30 am. He was treated at the scene for critical injuries to his head and torso and was then taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. A 29-year-old man, also from Belle Vale, has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. "We believe the victim was shot as he and his girlfriend were getting out of a car and that it was a targeted incident," said Detective Chief Inspector Mark Baker of Merseyside Police. "We will be looking in to his movements before the incident took place and trying to establish a motive for the attack." Recommended Cyclist shoots man dead in Liverpool "The offender is believed to have been riding a pedal bike and made off from the scene on the bike in the direction of Madeira Drive." "He is described as white, in his late 20s, of medium build, dressed all in black and wearing a high-vis orange jacket which was dark blue at the bottom and had a reflective band." A murder investigation into the shooting has been opened and police officers are conducting door-to-door enquiries and executing warrants at addresses in Belle Vale. Detectives are appealing to members of the public for information about the shooting. "You may have seen or heard suspicious behaviour in Cornwood Close or nearby in Belle Vale and any information, no matter how small you think it may be, could prove crucial as we seek to establish what happened and bring those responsible to justice," DCI Baker said. "I would particularly appeal to anyone driving in the area who has a dashcam to review this and see if the male described is recorded on it." "We share the communitys shock and concern that this could happen in a residential street in broad daylight late on a Sunday morning." "I want to reassure the public that gun crime will not be tolerated on the streets of Merseyside at any time of day, and that we will thoroughly investigate any information given to us so we can put anyone who carries guns on our streets behind bars." Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police CC. You can also call 101 quoting incident reference 420 of 7/10/18 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information The acting head of the Metropolitan Police locked himself in a car as one of his officers was murdered metres away during the Westminster attack, an inquest has heard. Sir Craig Mackey was commissioner of Britains largest force at the time of the atrocity, where Khalid Masood ran down four victims with his car and stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death. An inquest into Masoods death heard that Sir Craig was being driven out of the Houses of Parliament when the attack started on 22 March 2017. The senior officer, who is now deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, had been to a meeting with the policing minister and recalled being in his shirt sleeves. Sir Craig told the Old Bailey he heard an abnormally loud bang that he feared was an explosion before seeing Masood start attacking PC Palmer. The 52-year-old had crashed his car into railings surrounding parliament after killing four victims with his car on Westminster Bridge, then charged through Carriage Gates armed with two large knives. There was quite a lot of confusion about what was going on, Sir Craig said. The way that the male came in and the purposeful way he in came, that was a clear threat. He recalled locking the doors of his chauffeur-driven car, where neither of the two other people inside had stab vests, any other equipment or a radio to communicate with officers about what was happening. A colleague in the car had clearly seen what had gone on as well, and I locked the door, he added. Ive got no protective equipment, no radio we were in a ministerial meeting and literally came out to that. From the cars passenger seat Sir Craig described seeing two determined stab wounds, adding: I could see PC Palmer moving backwards and him going down. Sir Craig, who is to retire in December, said: The attacker had one of those looks where, if they get you in that look, they would be after you. He seemed absolutely focused on getting further down and attacking anyone who was in his way. The officer said the two other people in the car were not police officers and if anyone had got out, the way Masood was looking, anyone who got in his way would have been a target. Sir Craig added: I think anyone who came up against that individual would have faced serious, serious injury, if not death. He described seeing two plain-clothed protection officers running past his vehicle with their handguns drawn, before shots rang out seconds later. After hearing the gunshots, Sir Craig said he went to open the door to get out. One of the PCs, quite rightfully, said: Get out, make safe, go, shut the door, which he did, and it was the right thing to do, he continued. Thats when I thought: I have got to start putting everything we need in place. We have got no protective equipment, no radio, I have got two colleagues with me who are quite distressed, so we moved out. In pictures: Westminster attack Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire In pictures: Westminster attack MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News In pictures: Westminster attack Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News In pictures: Westminster attack Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP In pictures: Westminster attack Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters In pictures: Westminster attack Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire In pictures: Westminster attack Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP In pictures: Westminster attack One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters In pictures: Westminster attack At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP Sir Craig was then driven away and started coordinating the response to the attack, which was initially feared to involve multiple terrorists. PC Palmer died at the scene after undergoing emergency surgery and first-aid from paramedics and bystanders, including defence minister Tobias Ellwood. Masood was pronounced dead in hospital later that afternoon. From the moment Masood ploughed his car into pedestrians to him being shot dead, the atrocity lasted 82 seconds. The thing that still shakes me about the attack is that it was 80-plus seconds in total, Sir Craig said. It didnt feel like that, it felt an awfully long time. Recommended Police officer killed in Westminster attack honoured for bravery The court was shown footage of Masood, with two bloodied knives, following unarmed officers as they fled following the attack on PC Palmer. Two plain-clothed close protection officers could be seen aiming their pistols before he crumpled to the ground. Temporary Chief Inspector Paul Sheridan, an expert in training firearms officers, told the court the use of lethal force by the marksman who shot Masood three times was entirely justified. A jury is considering the circumstances of Masoods death, after separate inquests into those of his victims found that PC Palmers murder may have been prevented if the Metropolitan Police had stationed armed police on gates to the Houses of Parliament. The popular officer, who had a wife and five-year-old daughter, was posthumously awarded the George Medal and several other accolades for bravery following a full police funeral. Judge Mark Lucraft QC, the chief coroner of England and Wales, found that he and the four people killed on Westminster Bridge American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31 were unlawfully killed and 29 other people were seriously injured. The inquest was adjourned until Wednesday, when the two close protection officers who responded to the attack will give evidence. The jury will also hear details of the medical attention given to Masood and the terrorists background, planning and preparation for the attack. Additional reporting by PA More than one homeless person died every day in the UK over the last 12 months, according to a new study. A physicist, a former soldier and a travelling musician were among the 449 deaths recorded since October 2017, including 14 in one week alone. Experts described the statistic as a national scandal and placed the blame on welfare cuts, high rents and a lack of social housing. The true death toll is likely to be significantly higher, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which produced the database with the help of Channel 4 news, local journalists, charities and grassroots outreach groups. Recommended Why history will judge us for our treatment of the homeless It has prompted the Office of National Statistics (ONS) to begin work on its own experimental data in an attempt to improve understanding of how and why homeless people die. The definition of homelessness used by the Bureau includes rough sleepers, people living in emergency accommodation such as hostels, sofa surfers and those registered as officially homeless in Northern Ireland. Many of those included in the database are listed as "anonymous". Three mens bodies were so badly decomposed by the time they were were discovered they needed forensic testing to identify them. Causes of death included assault, drug overdoses, illness and suicide. One man showed signs of prolonged starvation. Their ages ranged from 18 to 94 years old, with an average of 49 for men and 53 for women. The place of death was only known in 128 cases, including 65 on the streets, 47 in temporary accommodation and 16 in hospitals. These figures are nothing short of a national scandal. These deaths are premature and entirely preventable, said Howard Sinclair, chief executive of homelessness charity St Mungos. Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: This is a wake-up call to see homelessness as a national emergency. The ONS said that it had seen the database set up by the Bureau and compared it to its own figures collected from death registrations. Information gathered by outside organisations like these is not used for our official statistics, but it helps us develop the most accurate method of identifying all the deaths that should be counted, said Ben Humberstone, ONS deputy director for health analysis and life events. Although this is a new area of data collection, we have a responsibility to ensure it meets the same high standards of quality, accuracy, confidentiality and security as the rest of our work. The causes of homelessness Show all 7 1 /7 The causes of homelessness The causes of homelessness Family Breakdown Relationship breakdown, usually between young people and their parents or step-parents, is a major cause of youth homelessness. Around six in ten young people who come to Centrepoint say they had to leave home because of arguments, relationship breakdown or being told to leave. Many have experienced long-term problems at home, often involving violence, leaving them without the family support networks that most of us take for granted The causes of homelessness Complex needs Young people who come to Centrepoint face a range of different and complex problems. More than a third have a mental health issue, such as depression and anxiety, another third need to tackle issues with substance misuse. A similar proportion also need to improve their physical health. These problems often overlap, making it more difficult for young people to access help and increasing the chances of them becoming homeless Getty/iStock The causes of homelessness Deprivation Young people's chances of having to leave home are higher in areas of high deprivation and poor prospects for employment and education. Many of those who experience long spells of poverty can get into problem debt, which makes it harder for them to access housing Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Gang Crime Homeless young people are often affected by gang-related problems. In some cases, it becomes too dangerous to stay in their local area meaning they can end up homeless. One in six young people at Centrepoint have been involved in or affected by gang crime Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Exclusion From School Not being in education can make it much more difficult for young people to access help with problems at home or health problems. Missing out on formal education can also make it more difficult for them to move into work Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Leaving Care Almost a quarter of young people at Centrepoint have been in care. They often have little choice but to deal with the challenges and responsibilities of living independently at a young age. Traumas faced in their early lives make care leavers some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities, with higher chances of poor outcomes in education, employment and housing. Their additional needs mean they require a higher level of support to maintain their accommodation Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Refugees Around 13 per cent of young people at Centrepoint are refugees or have leave to remain, meaning it isn't safe to return home. This includes young people who come to the UK as unaccompanied minors, fleeing violence or persecution in their own country. After being granted asylum, young people sometimes find themselves with nowhere to go and can end up homeless Getty Images/iStockphoto A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: Every death of someone sleeping rough on our streets is one too many and we take this matter extremely seriously. We are investing 1.2bn to tackle all forms of homelessness, and have set out bold plans backed by 100m in funding to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it by 2027. The homelessness crisis has been created by expensive private rents, crippling welfare cuts and a severe lack of social housing, said Polly Neate, chief executive of the charity Shelter. We see first-hand the suffering it causes: from families trapped in cramped and dingy B&Bs, to those forced to endure the dangers of sleeping rough, she added. To prevent more people from having to experience the trauma of homelessness, the government must ensure housing benefit is enough to cover the cost of rents, and urgently ramp up its efforts to build many more social homes. Additional reporting by Press Association No 10 has thrown a fresh obstacle in the way of a Brexit agreement and criticised the EU for being too optimistic that a deal will be reached quickly. Theresa Mays spokesman downplayed growing hopes emerging from Brussels, insisting the two sides are still far apart and that the EU must make further compromises. He also appeared to toughen up the UKs requirement for a deal on the future trading relationship amid fears of a so-called blind Brexit insisting the wording must be precise. Recommended Business anxiety hits highest level since Brexit vote At the weekend, Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the European Commission, said the prospects of a deal had increased in recent days, ahead of a crucial summit next week. But, in response, the prime ministers spokesman said: It is worth me pointing out that theres a difference between people talking optimistically about a deal and a deal, including both a withdrawal agreement and the future framework, actually being agreed. There remain big issues to work through and, as the prime minister has said, this will require movement on the EU side. I will just make that point again that there can be no withdrawal agreement without a precise future framework. The biggest obstacle remains the Irish border, with the EU impatient that the UK has yet to put forward proposals that would effectively allow Northern Ireland to remain in the single market indefinitely. People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Show all 30 1 /30 People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Rex People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young protestor shouts as she takes part in the People's Vote demonstration against Brexit Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A protester's pro-EU t-shirt EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Gina Miller and Caroline Lucas EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Tens of thousands of people march through London EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Demonstrators at the People's Vote March Getty People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal 'Two months too young to decide on my future' REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young girl joins in the march PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal An EU flag is draped across the statue of Winston Chruchill in Parliament Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Vince Cable MP, Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller, Tony Robinson and Caroline Lucas MP join with crowds PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Crowds gather on Pall Mall PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal A man resembling Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, joins EU supporters Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal People gather in Trafalgar Square REUTERS People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller and Tony Robinson PA People's Vote march demanding vote on final Brexit deal EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, participate in the 'People's Vote' march REUTERS But it is also demanding Ms May drop her insistence that her plan to keep the whole UK within the EUs customs territory must be temporary, if the backstop proves necessary which the spokesman insisted she would not do. In a further sign of No 10s caution about the rate of progress, plans for Dominic Raab, the Brexit secretary, to hold further talks in Brussels with Michel Barnier, the EUs negotiator, appear to have been shelved. Ministers have always insisted that the future framework a non-binding agreement on future trade must be detailed, if MPs are to sign over the 39bn divorce bill in return. However, it was the first time No 10 had applied the tougher test of precise another major stumbling block, given the EU has comprehensively rejected the prime ministers Chequers plan. In the absence of agreed long-term proposals for customs tariffs and access to the single market, it is increasingly likely that the future framework will be vague. It is only 10 days until the 18 October summit which, for so long, was seen as the deadline in for a withdrawal agreement, to allow ratification in both London and Brussels. For some time, it has been apparent that an emergency summit in November is the earliest possible date for a deal but the EU has insisted the UK produce workable proposals on the Irish border by next week. Privately, Downing Street believes the EUs optimism is a device to wring further concessions by creating the expectation that an agreement is near. Meanwhile, the prime minister faces the wrath of both pro-Brexit Tories and the Democratic Unionist Party if she waters down her stance on the backstop. Brexit talks are nearing their conclusion and well soon know whether therell be a deal or not. If youve not been paying attention so far, now is a good time to start but all the jargon can look daunting. If you dont know your Salzburg from your Single Market, or Cherry-picking from Chequers, heres an explanation of some basic terms you need to know to understand Brexit. Free trade agreement (FTA) An agreement between two countries or trade blocs to reduce barriers to trade. Often involves reducing or eliminating import taxes or quotas, and recognising or following each-others regulations so companies can sell into other countries markets without bureaucracy. Customs union A free trade area in which all countries abolish tariffs between each other and charge the same tariffs to goods coming from outside the customs union. The EU has one. Countries in the bloc collectively do trade deals with other countries outside the bloc, because they all follow the same conditions. Labour wants to be in one with the EU after Brexit. Single market Free movement of goods, capital, services, and labour between all the countries in the EU; the so-called four freedoms. Not a specific thing or organisation, but rather the result of all EU agreements and countries following the same rules. A work in progress, but the most comprehensive trade agreement between sovereign countries on earth so far. Canada+++ A free trade agreement like the one Canada has with the EU, but better (hence +++). Goods traded between the UK and EU have to be checked at the border but there wouldnt be any import taxes. Brexiteers want it because it takes the UK out of the EUs orbit compared to now; EU says its the only sort of deal possible within the Prime Ministers red-lines. Chequers Theresa Mays proposals for trade with the EU after Britain leaves, named after her official country residence where she locked her Cabinet in until they agreed to them. Rejected by the EU, and disliked by Tory eurosceptics. Common rulebook Part of Theresa Mays Chequers plan to keep bits of the single market it likes: the UK would follow EU rules for most goods that cross border. UK hopes this would mean no border checks would be needed, in combination with another deal on customs. EU says this is cherry-picking. Facilitated customs arrangement Another part of Theresa Mays Chequers plan: an attempt by the UK to eliminate customs checks between Britain and the EU without having to be in a customs union. UK would collect EU customs taxes for it and then forward them on. EU says it could never agree to delegating its customs responsibilities to a country that isnt in the EU. Norway option A relationship with the EU like the one Norway has close, but not inside it. UK would follow most EU rules but get better trade access to single market. Achieved through membership of the European Economic Area a non-EU agreement. Transition period A 21-month period that would start on 29 March 2019, the date Britain is set to leave the EU. During this period, the UK would continue to follow all EU rules and free movement would continue; asked for by Theresa May to give the UK more time to prepare. Salzburg A summit held in the Austrian city of Salzburg in September. EU leaders rejected Theresa Mays Chequers plan and laid down the law, widely regarded as a humiliation for the Prime Minister. Article 50 A legal mechanism from the EUs founding treaty that member states use to leave the EU. A two-year period begins the day it is triggered in which the country can negotiate an exit. Britains is due to expire on 29 March 2019. Can be extended with consent of all EU member states. Its legally unclear whether it can be revoked by Britain or not and the European Court of Justice will rule on this aspect in late November. Peoples Vote or Final Say A call for a referendum on the final deal Theresa May brings back from Brussels, or a second referendum giving the option of staying in depending on who you ask. Lancaster House speech The Prime Ministers original Brexit speech, where she laid down her red lines about wanting to leave the single market, customs union, and end freedom of movement. Red-lines Negotiating principles the Prime Minister has laid down and said she will not cross: she wants to leave the single market, leave the customs union, end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, and end free movement. Others have their own red lines: the Northern Irish DUP say they won't accept checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The EU says the UK can't cherry-pick the things it likes about the EU and keep them. Hard border and Soft border A soft border, relating to Northern Ireland, is what currently exists there are no real border checks or often even a sign that youre crossing between the UK and the Republic. A hard border would see the introduction of checks and might happen because of Brexit. A soft border is required by the Good Friday Agreement, which ended the Troubles. Backstop A legal mechanism to prevent a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit, no matter what happens elsewhere. Insisted upon in order to preserve the peace process. Both sides are trying to negotiate one that they are both happy with, but its a major sticking point in talks. Withdrawal agreement A legally-binding deal the UK and EU want to sign before the UK leaves. Covers areas such as what happens to citizens living in other countries, who pays who what, and what happens to the Northern Ireland border. Does not include a trade deal, which is dealt with by Future relationship political declaration A second agreement the UK and EU want to sign before Britain leaves next year. This agreement is not legally binding, but a political statement of intent by the two parties about what the two countries future relationship will look like e.g. will it be Norway, Canada, Chequers whatever. The actual future relationship will be negotiated after Britain leaves, probably during the transition period. Includes both trade and aspects on other areas like security cooperation. Cherry-picking What the EU calls British attempts to keep the bits of the single market it likes and ditch the bits it doesnt like. Also called cake, or having your cake and eat it, after something Boris Johnson once said. Not allowed by the EU, which says it would ruin the integrity of the single market. WTO rules World Trade Organisation rules. The default rules of world trade for countries that are part of the WTO (164 are). What Britain will likely be trading with the EU on if there is no-deal. Not very flexible rules that would require customs checks and tariffs between Britain and the EU, which would be highly disruptive. Most countries dont actually trade with each other on WTO rules and have some kind of agreement on top. European Commission The EUs executive and civil service in Brussels, which has been in charge of Brexit negotiations so far. Reports to member states. Led by president Jean-Claude Juncker; its chief negotiator is Michel Barnier. European Council The 28 EU member state leaders heads of state and government, depending on the country. For Brexit they meet as 27 without Theresa May. They meet four times a year for a summit in Brussels to set the blocs political direction in the case of Brexit that means giving instructions to the Commissions negotiators. Also have some extra summits every now and again (like Salzburg). Landlords should be given a major tax cut if they agree to sell their property to tenants, a new report has said. The proposals would see landlords exempted from capital gains tax if they sell a property to renters who have been living there for at least three years. Philip Hammond, the chancellor, is facing calls to include the policy in this month's Budget. Owners selling rental homes currently have to pay a 28 per cent rate of capital gains tax on the profits of the sale, which is seen as disincentive to sell. Recommended Labour seeks law change to reduce maximum deposit landlords can charge The proposals have been drawn up by new right-wing think-tank Onward, founded by Theresa May's former deputy policy chief, Will Tanner. The change is designed to help free up properties for first-time buyers, while the three-year threshold could also incentivise landlords to offer longer tenancies. Onward said the estimated 1.3bn cost of the policy could be funded by scrapping other tax breaks given to buy-to-let investors. The proceeds of the tax break would be split between the landlord and the tenant, with the latter being able to use it as part of a mortgage deposit. Onward said the tax saving per property would be around 15,000, meaning the tenant would receive 7,500. This could rise to as much as 19,500 in London. Estimates suggest 88,000 households would benefit from the policy each year, meaning a million people could be helped onto the housing ladder in five years. UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 UK Housing Crisis: in pictures UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Members of generation rent, as the younger generation is often known, are finding it far more difficult to get on the housing market than previous generations PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Then chancellor George Osborne visits a Help to Buy housing development in Lewisham in 2014. Osborne had announced the Help to Buy scheme in the 2013 budget as a means of helping first-time buyers on to the housing market PA Archive/PA Images UK Housing Crisis: in pictures In February 2017, then communities and local government secretary Sajid Javid issued a government white paper on housing. Introducing it in the Commons, he stated our housing market is broken and that the idea of owning or renting a safe, secure place of your own is, for many, a distant dream PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Residents of Fitzroy Road in Primrose Hill have demonstrated how urban areas might be built up without using extra land. 12 homeowners along the street all agreed to extend their house upwards by 1 floor. The government recently held a consultation on the revised National Planning Policy Framework, which, if approved, will support building above homes, shops and offices Google Earth UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Social Bite, a charity in Scotland, is creating a small housing community for the homeless. Up to 20 people will be housed for 12-18 months, with the charitys focus being on transitioning the residents into permanent housing and employment AFP/Getty UK Housing Crisis: in pictures A homeless man was found dead yards from Parliament in February. His death was taken by many, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, to be symbolic of the governments poor record on housing. PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Emergency homeless shelters in London had to be opened numerous times throughout the past winter to house those unable to find a room in an ordinary shelter or hostel Getty UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Carillion, the UKs second largest construction company, entered liquidation early this year. It held numerous government construction and maintenance contracts, for many of which the future is still uncertain AFP/Getty Mr Tanner told BBC Radio 4 Today: "What we're suggesting is that landlords and tenants should both gain. "More landlords should be encouraged to sell to their tenants. "Most people in this country do want to own their own home...but at the moment they're being prevented from doing that." The proposal also has the advantage that it would increase the number of properties available for sale, whereas existing government schemes, such as Help to Buy, have been criticised for driving up demand without increasing supply. However, calls for buy-to-let investors to be given further tax cuts are likely to prove controversial, with tenants' groups likely to suggest landlords have already benefited enough from the property boom. Private renters are seen as increasingly important to the Tories' chances of winning the next election. The number of people renting privately has doubled in the last 20 years, to 4.7 million households - more than 20 per cent of all homes. Polling suggests the Conservatives trail Labour by 23 points among private renters, including in many of the country's most marginal constituencies. It comes as new research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) laid bare the increasing unaffordability of home ownership for young people. The think-tank found that just 60 per cent of 25-34-year-olds could now afford to buy the cheapest home in their area - down from 90 per cent in 2006. The Treasury did not respond to requests for comment. MPs may not be shown Theresa Mays fresh plans to break the Brexit deadlock before she asks EU leaders to agree to them, Downing Street has admitted. No 10 refused to guarantee the proposals further compromises to solve the Irish border issue would be published before a crucial EU summit next week. It means Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and Emmanuel Macron, the French president, and other EU leaders, could give their approval before MPs have even been able to consider them. One pro-EU MP predicted uproar if parliament was denied first sight of the reworked plans, while a second accused the prime minister of a stitch up behind closed doors. The backstop proposals are hugely controversial because they would effectively keep Northern Ireland in the single market, if no other solution can be found to avoid a hard border. New checks would be introduced on goods flowing between Britain and Northern Ireland, an idea already condemned by Brexiteer Tory MPs and the Democratic Unionist party (DUP). Ms May will also be expected to drop her insistence that her plan to keep the whole of the UK within the EUs customs territory, if the backstop proves necessary, must be temporary. Such a concession would provoke fury among pro-Brexit Tories if it would prevent the UK signing its own trade deals with third countries. Extraordinarily, the prime ministers spokesman could not guarantee that the cabinet would debate and agree backstop two before it is put to the EU. Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Show all 14 1 /14 Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Internal divisions in the Conservative Party have exploded into a bitter public row over Boris Johnsons disgusting criticism of Theresa May. Some senior Tories furiously denounced the former foreign secretary after he accused the prime minister of having wrapped a suicide vest around Britain Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Sajid Javid, Home secretary Sajid Javid, the home secretary, rebuked his former cabinet colleague and said: I think there are much better ways to articulate your differences. He told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show that the public wanted politicians to use measured language BBC/PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide But other MPs leapt to Mr Johnsons defence, as dividing lines ahead of a possible leadership contest begin to take shape. The Uxbridge MP has repeatedly criticised Ms Mays Chequers plan and used a newspaper article on Sunday to suggest it amounted to wrapping a suicide vest around the British constitution. His latest salvo at the prime minister prompted immediate condemnation, with one minister publicly vowing to end Mr Johnsons career over the matter PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Alan Duncan, Foreign minister Alan Duncan, a foreign minister who worked in Mr Johnsons team for two years, wrote on Twitter: For Boris to say the PMs view is like that of a suicide bomber is too much. This marks one of the most disgusting moments in modern British politics. Im sorry, but this is the political end of Boris Johnson. If it isnt now, I will make sure it is later. Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide James Brokenshire, Housing secretary Housing secretary James Brokenshire added his voice to the criticism, calling Mr Johnsons comments wrong He said: I think he is wrong on this...I think the tone that he has used isnt right and I think that we just need to be very focused on actually moving forward with the Chequers plan. AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Zac Goldsmith But as Tory hostilities spilled over into open public warfare, Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith, an ally of Mr Johnson, hit back at Mr Duncan. He wrote: There are a number of possible motives behind this tweet, but given its author, we can be certain principles arent one of them. Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Jacob Rees-Mogg Senior Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg told The Independent he thought Mr Johnsons suicide belt accusation was little more than a characteristically colourful catchphrase. He added: I agree with the sentiment. The criticism of Boriss wording merely serves to highlight his point. It means more people hear of Boriss criticism of Chequers and many will agree with him. Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Nadine Dorries Nadine Dorries, another Brexit supporter, said Mr Johnsons opponents were terrified of his popular appeal, adding: Dont underestimate the vitriol thatll be directed towards Boris today. He delivered the Leave vote, Remainers and wannabe future PMs hate him. If Mr Johnson became leader and prime minister he would deliver a clean and prosperous Brexit, she said Rex Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Andrew Bridgen Andrew Bridgen said Ms May was to blame for her leadership problems. Asked if Mr Johnson had put a bomb under her leadership, Mr Bridgen said: I think that Theresa May did that herself when she put forward the Chequers proposals without consulting widely prior to that. Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Steve Baker, former Brexit minister Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, warned Ms May the Conservatives faced a "catastrophic split" if she did not jettison her Chequers plan. Mr Baker, who quit the government in July over the scheme, said: When negotiating, the prime minister needs to demonstrate her intent and also her power to deliver. "If we come out of conference with her hoping to get Chequers through on the back of Labour votes, I think the EU negotiators would probably understand that if that were done, the Tory party would suffer the catastrophic split which thus far we have managed to avoid. But he insisted he did not want a change in the Conservative leadership, saying Brexiteers did not want to be in a position of conflict with our own prime minister Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Tom Tugendhat The deep divisions on the Tory benches were laid bare as Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee and is a possible leadership rival to Mr Johnson, also hit out at the former foreign secretary. Recalling how he encountered a suicide bomber in Afghanistan during his time in the army, Mr Tugendhat told Mr Johnson to grow up. He said: A suicide bomber murdered many in the courtyard of my office in Helmand. The carnage was disgusting, limbs and flesh hanging from trees and bushes. Brave men who stopped him killing me and others died in horrific pain. Some need to grow up. Comparing the PM to that isnt happy. PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Alistair Burt Alistair Burt, another Foreign Office minister who worked in Mr Johnsons team, said: Im stunned at the nature of this attack. There is no justification for such an outrageous, inappropriate and hurtful analogy. If we dont stop his extraordinary use of language over Brexit, our country might never heal. Again, I say, enough. AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide It comes amid that Ms Mays former aides drew up a dossier on Mr Johnsons sexual encounters with the aim of undermining his leadership prospects. The document was compiled in 2016, when the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP was seen as the main rival to Ms May in her bid to enter No 10. Downing Street and Conservative Campaign Headquaters (CCHQ) both denied having leaked the 4,000 word memo after it was circulated around Westminster AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Mr Johnson confirmed that his 25-year marriage to wife Marina had ended AP He would not comment on reports that the plans are not on the agenda for Tuesdays cabinet meeting yet the meeting on Tuesday next week is likely to be too late. Gareth Thomas, a Labour MP and supporter of the Peoples Vote campaign, said: Brexit is too important to be stitched up behind closed doors by government ministers without reference to parliament. People expect democratic accountability in this process its not good enough to have a botched Brexit imposed on the country. This kind of chronic mismanagement is part of the reason why the negotiations are in such a mess." And Tom Brake, the Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman, said: If the EU see the Irish border backstop before parliament, there will be uproar. Parliament cannot take back control if the PM keeps her hand hidden from MPs. At a briefing for journalists, the No 10 spokesman twice refused to say the fresh plan would be made available in the UK before the summit, on 18 October. It will be published in due course I dont have a date for you, he replied. The row over the Irish border proposals is likely to intensify when Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, meets Michel Barnier, the EU negotiator, in Brussels on Tuesday. Meanwhile, at Westminster, the Brexiteer European Research Group (ERG) will meet to threaten a guerrilla campaign in Westminster against the prime ministers proposals. The No 10 spokesman denied the talks were slowing down again, after it appeared plans for Dominic Raab, the Brexit secretary, to go to Brussels had been shelved, saying: There are technical notices taking place this week those talks continue. TV wildlife champion Ben Fogle has called for philanthropists and big businesses to step in to help save elephants and other species from extinction, warning: We are running out of time. The award-winning conservationist and presenter issued a plea to world leaders to tackle the threats to global wildlife just as urgently as pressing issues such as Brexit, security and global migration. Fogle, who is leading an event on biodiversity at this weeks Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London, also appealed to people everywhere to avoid conspicuous consumption that is environmentally damaging. More than 1,000 delegates from 82 countries, including 24 African nations, will be at the fourth and biggest ever international conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in London this Thursday and Friday, with the aim of disrupting the criminal gangs behind the 17 billion-a-year rackets that threaten a host of species. Much of the focus will be on African elephants, which are being wiped out at a rate of up to 96 a day as many as one every 15 minutes. With fewer births than deaths, this would mean humans are on course to drive the African elephant into extinction within decades, experts say. As he prepared for the crunch conference, Fogle told The Independent more resources for foot patrols to outwit deadly poaching gangs were vital to begin to win the battle. I would like to see the commercial sector helping us with the financing. Just a few philanthropists or big businesses could make a real financial difference with the help of local government and people, he said. Small poaching units can be deathly effective but with resources, there is no reason why we cant outwit them Ben Fogle What we need are increased resources, infrastructure and feet on the ground, along with real and sustained political will to seriously tackle wildlife crime. Hunting safaris often argue that they are better at protecting the wildlife because they have the manpower. We need to offer a similar solution for those animals outside those private hunting concessions. We need outside financing for foot patrols. The small poaching units can be deathly effective, but with resources, technology and manpower there is no reason why we cant outwit them and begin to win the battle. Fogle, who is the first UN ambassador of the wilderness and an ambassador for African wildlife charity Tusk and the WWF, warned action must be taken urgently. There are many pressing issues in the world, and while poaching and illegal wildlife trade may feel like a distant problem for us in the UK, it is a ticking clock, he said. We have the power to act but we are running out of time. It might not seem as important as Brexit, immigration or world security but if we dont act now we really could lose the battle. In 2013, The Independents Christmas charity appeal raised 500,000 to fight elephant poaching in conjunction with the Kenya-based charity Space for Giants, and the campaign went from strength to strength in raising awareness to help tackle threatened populations. Underlining the role on the planet played by species such as elephants, primates and big cats, as well as trees and plants, Fogle said they were vital to human survival. Protecting species means protecting the habitats they live in. These ecosystems work to provide our clean air, fresh water and temperature regulation. So we must look at taking care of nature as an imperative; it really is an existential issue, he said. Fogle, who has made more than a dozen films on wildlife in Africa, said that farming, human overpopulation and consumerism have a lot to account for. The illegal wildlife trade is a symptom of greed, money, overpopulation, farming, hunting, consumers, poverty the list is endless, said Fogle. Factory farming naturally has a negative impact on the planet. This needs to be addressed urgently because if we keep pushing into wilderness to make way for farming and agriculture we will have no space for the precious few wild species and pristine habitats we have left. Elephants are at the centre of a fierce war between poaching gangs and rangers (AFP/Getty) To slow human population expansion, educating women in particular was important, he said. They become much more able to take personal action and responsibility when they are empowered. We each need to own our individual responsibility for being custodians of a healthy planet. The problem is that we monetise everything, and manufacturers rarely are held accountable for their destructive supply chains. All of us must use our voices to get our society to start considering the impact of our purchasing behaviours. We need to transform our society toward conscious versus conspicuous consumption. We have power in our wallets. We can reward companies doing good by choosing to buy their products and educating our friends. The other side of the coin is saying no to companies with bad supply chain habits. I also feel technology will play an increasingly important role in tackling illegal trade. As technology evolves, so too does our ability to come up with effective solutions. Recommended Technology transforms how dogs sniff out poached African ivory We are talking about protecting precious animals. We can send man to the moon and decode the genome so surely we can protect elephants and pangolins? Tanzania has been identified as the worlds biggest ivory poaching hot spot, and China its largest market, accounting for up to three-quarters of smuggled tusks, with corrupt African officials implicated in dealing with Chinese criminal gangs. Africas armed terror groups fuel the networks that hunt down elephants to sell tusks to buy weapons. Guarding against poachers and trafficking is incredibly difficult, particularly with the ever-shifting nature of trafficking routes and a seemingly insatiable demand. Its easy to be pessimistic about the challenges we face, Fogle said. But the illegal wildlife trade comes down to the demand for animals and their parts fuelled by greedy, opportunistic traffickers and clever marketers who peddle the stuff. I have visited open markets selling absolutely every species of endangered animal. Some is used for pseudo medicine, others are used for ornaments, trophies, status symbols, fashion, exotic pets the list goes on. It is heartbreaking. He said that as well as foot patrols, work was needed to change the desire to buy such animal products. As it happens, from my own experiences, the smaller hand-to-mouth poaching from locals for bushmeat is as big a problem. When a family has nothing and face starvation, they will resort to killing whatever they can, and who can blame them? So we need to address community engagement and livelihoods as well. Fogle, who has two children, said he feared that his grandchildren would see wild animals only in zoos, safari parks or reserves as natural habitats come under pressure from factory farming and human expansion. I fear that the idea of truly wild animals may be lost. As it is, only 4 per cent of mammal biomass is wild: 96 per cent is human and the livestock to feed us. Wild animals may still roam the plains of Africa but from behind huge fences where they can be effectively protected. As a UN Environment patron of wilderness, and father, this is of course a tragedy Im going to fight against with all my heart and influence. He added: I encourage everyone to learn more and find out how to use our sphere of influence to stop this trade. The UN campaign Wild for Life, launched in 2016, aims to halt the trade by raising awareness and toughening up laws on threats to biodiversity. The conference gives us the opportunity to fit all those wheels and cogs together, to hear from each unique expert in their field and try and come up with effective solutions, Fogle said. The conference may be thousands of miles from the heart of the problem but it is a vital gathering of people who can begin to target the problem before its too late. Brett Kavanaughs confirmation to the Supreme Court on Saturday is widely expected to swing Americas highest court to the right for generation. He was appointed in spite of accusations of sexual assault and amid questions over his impartiality, stoked further when he launched a blazing attack on Democrats questioning him. Though he demurred during his confirmation hearings when asked how he would vote on controversial topics from abortion rights to impeachment he is expected to be a key swing vote for Republicans. Abortion rights (Roe v Wade) The ruling which guaranteed women in all states access to abortion is under regular attack from conservative and religious groups. There are regular test cases brought to the Supreme Court which could be used to weaken or overturn the original ruling. Mr Kavanaugh is likely to occupy the deciding vote in future cases and has said he sees previous judgements uphold these rights as important precedent. This was enough to reassure Republican senator Susan Collins, a deciding vote in his confirmation, to back Mr Kavanaugh. In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Show all 21 1 /21 In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images However President Trump has repeatedly said he would appoint justices to overturn Roe v Wade and Mr Kavanaugh declined to say, during his hearings, what he would do if such a case came up. In a 2017 opinion as a Washington DC circuit judge Mr Kavanaugh opposed a decision to allow a girl who was an undocumented minor in the governments care to have an abortion, and may well support changes that increase red tape or delays in accessing treatment. He has also opposed Obamacare principles which required religious organisations to provide contraception to employees, saying this infringed their religious liberties. Sen. Collins: I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh Gun control Mr Kavanaugh may resist cases seeking to restrict or limit the right to bear arms set out in the second amendment. He has opposed the District of Columbias ban on semi-automatic rifles. In a 2011 opinion he said the constitutional protections afforded to semiautomatic handguns should be logically extended to the high powered assault weapons and DCs ban was unconstitutional. Mr Kavanaugh was pressed on this objection during the Supreme Court nomination process and said that semiautomatic rifles are widely possessed in the United States. That seemed to fit common use in not being a dangerous and unusual weapon. Semi-automatic rifles, modified with a bump stock which allows the weapon to be continuously fired without releasing the trigger between shots, were used in the massacre of 59 people in Las Vegas in 2017. Investigation into Russian collusion and impeachment Another reason suggested for the presidents backing of Mr Kavanaugh is his belief in executive power. He wrote in a 2009 article in the Minnesota Law Review that Congress should consider a law exempting the sitting president from criminal prosecution and investigation. However in the same argument he said that the impeachment process would still be available if the president does something dastardly. President Trump has repeatedly called special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election a rigged witch hunt. Though it has so far not uncovered evidence against the president that might spark a move to impeachment. Climate change and the environment Mr Kavanaugh wrote in response to Obama-era rules to limit emissions by power plants that he recognises the Earth is warming and humans are contributing and said actions to tackle this are laudable. However he has opposed the plans, and others by the Environmental Protection Agency seeking to limit emissions or other forms of pollution, when the body has acted without specific authorisation from Congress. State surveillance and national security Mr Kavanaugh has said the mass collection of US citizens phone records, exposed by former National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, did not fall foul of constitutional rules prohibiting search and seizure without a warrant. He added that preventing terrorist attacks through the collection of phone numbers and call duration addresses a critical national security need that outweighs the impact on privacy occasioned by this programme. Two newlywed couples, four sisters from one family and two brothers from another were among the 20 people killed when a limousine taking passengers to a surprise birthday party crashed in New York on Saturday. The collision was the deadliest US transport accident since a 2009 plane crash in Buffalo, New York that killed 49 people, Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) said. Officials have not released the victims' names but some of their identities were confirmed through local media reports and GoFundMe pages. A group of 17 had climbed into the stretch limousine to celebrate their friend Amy Steenburg's 30th birthday at a popular tourist spot in upstate New York, according to the Times Union of Rochester, New York. Recommended Limousine crash leaves 20 dead in New York Steenburg, her three sisters Mary Dyson, Allison King and Abby Jackson, her new husband Axel Steenburg and his brother Rich Steenburg all died in the crash, relatives told The New York Times. Erin and Shane McGowan, a recently married couple, were also killed. "She was a beautiful, sweet soul; he was, too, they were very sweet," said Valerie Abeling, Erin's aunt. "They were two very young, beautiful people." The limo was heading to an upstate New York brewery, officials said. It passed through an intersection without stopping, hit an empty parked car and then crashed into two pedestrians. Eventually the vehicle came to rest in a shallow ravine and at least six ambulances, two helicopter units and three fire companies responded to the emergency. All 17 passengers, the limo driver and the two pedestrians were killed, NTSB officials said. The site of the accident is a danger spot that has long worried locals said Jessica Kirby, the managing director of the Apple Barrel County Store which sits at the intersection. She added that three tractor-trailers had run through the same stop sign that the limo had and had crashed into the field behind her business. "More accidents than I can count," she said in an email to the Associated Press. "We have been asking for something to be done for years." Andrew Cuomo, New York State's governor, said that he had "directed state agencies to provide every resource necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy", in a statement released on Sunday. Additional reporting by agencies SpaceX has landed its Falcon 9 rocket for the first time in California, another landmark achievement for Elon Musk. It was the first time the company has landed its reusable booster on the west coast, but it had previously done so at least 30 times according to the company all in Florida and on barges in the Pacific Ocean. The Falcon 9 has now taken the Argentine satellite SAOCOM 1A into orbit, launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles. Recommended SpaceX to fly mystery person around the Moon It took off at approximately 7pm local time on Sunday and the booster came back to Earth safely eight minutes later. Area residents had posted a video of the night sky lighting up, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti who wrote: Nope, definitely not aliens. The rocket was seen soaring through the sky as far away as the San Francisco area. The successful landing strengthens SpaceXs bid to save money on rocket boosters and attract business. Argentinas newest satellite will track natural disasters, agricultural conditions, and coastal erosion as it orbits Earth from 385 miles (620 km) away. SpaceX's journey through the Solar System Show all 6 1 /6 SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System SpaceX's journey through the Solar System Mr Musk also tweeted about the event. The billionaire CEO has come under fire recently after the US Securities and Exchange Commission slapped charges of securities fraud on him after he wrote in a tweet that he had enough funding to take Tesla, the electric car company he controlled, private. Mr Musk settled the charges for $20m (15m) in fines, stepping down as the companys CEO amid financial troubles getting its Model 3 car to market, and agreed to have his communications about the company monitored. Mr Musk also made headlines recently when he smoked marijuana on air with radio host Joe Rogan. The female senators who played prominent roles Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation battle could see their support boosted if they decide to take on Donald Trump and run for the White House in 2020 as a result, some political commentators have suggested. The president's nominee divided opinion after Professor Christine Blasey Ford testified that he had sexually assaulted her at a party when they were teenagers. Recommended Republicans face midterms backlash from women furious over Kavanaugh As protests erupted across Capitol Hill, women on both sides of the political divide were forced to decide whether to support the embattled nominee. Those choices have prompted some political analysts to speculate that they will have longstanding consequences that reverberate well into the next election cycle. Here are five women whose impact on the process could influence their success in a 2020 presidential race. Mazie Hirono Mazie Hirono (Getty) From the beginning of the process the Hawaii Democrat was one of the loudest voices to oppose Mr Kavanaugh's confirmation. Prior to Dr Fords accusations becoming public, the senator grilled the justice on whether he had ever committed acts of sexual misconduct. Since you became a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favours or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature? she asked. Have you ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement related to this kind of conduct? Two weeks later, as the allegations against Mr Kavanaugh surfaced, Ms Hirono continued to lead demonstrations against him. She also released confidential emails exposing his views on native Hawaiians. These are the docs R(epublicans) dont want you to seebecause they show that Judge Kavanaugh wrongly believes that Native Hawaiian programs are Constitutionally questionable, she tweeted as she posted the 2002 emails on her social media site. I defy anyone reading this to be able to conclude that it should be deemed confidential in any way, shape, or form. Kamala Harris Senator Kamala Harris - seen here in Washington, DC on June 21, 2017 - could be one of the beneficiaries of California changing its elections calendar (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts) A former top prosecutor, the California Democrat delivered a tough line of questioning during Mr Kavanaughs initial hearings with the Senate Judiciary Committee that instantly went viral online. Ms Harris grilled the judge on whether he had discussed Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russias impact on the 2016 election with any attorneys who work at Kasowitz Benson Torres, a New York firm founded by the presidents personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz. He appeared to fumble in his answer while evading the question, leading the senator to bluntly respond, I think you are thinking of someone, and you dont want to tell us. When the sexual assault allegations emerged, Ms Harris immediately called for a renewed FBI investigation into Mr Kavanaugh. She also walked out of a vote that advanced his nomination. Her supporters lauded her apparent determination to uncover the truth behind the allegations and her commitment to getting nominees on the record about their alleged wrongdoing. Voters may remember Ms Harris for her similar tough questioning of Jeff Sessions, which helped result in his recusal from all matters related to Russia as the head of the Justice Department under Mr Trump. Amy Klobuchar Amy Kobluchar (Getty) The Minnesota Democrat did not appear to be attempting to draw national headlines when she questioned Mr Kavanaugh on his drinking habits after the allegations against him were brought forward. Ms Kobluchar opened her line of questioning by acknowledging her own familys history with issues surrounding alcoholism, before asking the judge whether he had ever blacked out or forgotten portions of his nights due to drinking. In several interviews with The Independent, law professors across the country cited Ms Kobluchars questioning as the most troubling aspects behind Mr Kavanaughs nomination. He appeared to become filled with anger towards the senator, repeatedly shooting the question back at her and asking if she had ever blacked out. In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Show all 21 1 /21 In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images The Democrat, who holds a strong lead over her opponent in an upcoming re-election, denounced Mr Kavanaugh while maintaining an air of calm during a speech in which she announced she would oppose his nomination. At this time in our history, we need a justice who is independent and will serve as a check on other branches of government, she said. Thats what our Founding Fathers set up. Susan Collins (AP (AP) All eyes were on the Maine Republican during the close of the contentious confirmation process, as she announced she would vote to advance Mr Kavanaughs nomination during a procedural vote. Explaining her decision in a later speech, she defended Mr Kavanaughs track record as a judge while attempting to support Dr Fords allegations as well. She stopped just short of believing the judge was the person who assaulted Dr Ford, although this led to a backlash from her Democratic rivals. Senator Susan Collins: After hearing Christine Fords very compelling and painful testimony, I thought perhaps he needs to withdraw, but then he came back with such a forceful denial However, Republicans celebrated Ms Collins decision to vote yes for Mr Kavanaugh and Mr Trump later tweeted his support for the senator after her remarks. Lisa Murkowski US Senator Lisa Murkowski (pictured) and Susan Collins both voted against the repealing of Obamacare, along with John McCain (Getty Images) As the sole Republican to oppose the nomination of Mr Kavanaugh, the Alaska Republican suffered a backlash. However, in her final remarks regarding her decision to reject the embattled judge, Ms Murkowski made it clear she was not afraid of the criticism she would receive. Her decision was hers, and hers alone, she said. I did not come to a decision on this until walking onto the floor this morning. I have been wrestling to really try to know what is fair and what is right, and the truth is, that none of this has been fair, she said, speaking on the House floor ahead of a final vote on Mr Kavanaugh. This has truly been the most difficult evaluation of a decision that I have ever had to make, and Ive made some interesting ones in my career. But I value and respect where my colleagues have come down from in their support for the judge, and I think were at a place where we need to begin thinking about the credibility and integrity of our institutions. Lisa Murkowski on Kavanaugh: 'But in my conscious, I could not conclude that he is the right person for the court at this time' The president attacked Ms Murkowski for her decision, saying she will never recover from her decision. However, it remains unclear what impact the decision could ultimately have in her 2022 re-election campaign, or a 2020 presidential bid if she were to launch a bid for the top job. Susan Collins has defended her decision to support Brett Kavanaughs ascension to the Supreme Court, saying she did not believe he was the man who assaulted Christine Blasey Ford. I do believe that she was assaulted, the Maine Republican said. I dont know by whom and Im not certain when. Dr Ford delivered a historic testimony ahead of the US Senates confirmation vote, claiming Mr Kavanaugh had assaulted her during a party the two attended in high school nearly 36 years ago. Recommended Republicans face midterms backlash from women furious over Kavanaugh The Senate Judiciary Committee then turned into a state of chaos, with Republicans initially refusing to look into the allegations any further and Democrats walking out of a vote to advance the nomination. The majority ultimately agreed to a one-week FBI investigation after the move was publicly supported by Republicans such as Ms Collins and other swing votes such as Jeff Flake and Lisa Murkowski. But Ms Collins broke from Ms Murkowski in the main vote on Saturday and approved the ascension of the embattled judge, delivering a nearly 45-minute speech on the House floor to explain her reasoning. On Sunday, Ms Collins described Dr Fords testimony as heart-wrenching and compelling, while stopping just short of fully supporting her story. I believe that she believes what she testified to, the senator told CNN. But we also had a case where Judge Kavanaugh came forward and said, Im 100 per cent certain that this did not happen, so here you have two people who are each 100 per cent certain of what theyre saying under pain of perjury. So then I had to look at the other evidence, and was there corroborating evidence, and thats why I pushed hard for the FBI to do a supplemental background investigation. She also attempted to separate herself from Donald Trumps mockery of Dr Ford at a recent rally, where the president attacked the witnesss memory and falsely claimed she did not remember key aspects of her allegations. In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Show all 21 1 /21 In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images The president celebrated Ms Collinss decision to support his nominee to the Supreme Court, saying at the White House on Sunday: I thought Susan was incredible yesterday. You could see how hard she worked, how hard she was working. "She didnt stop And I know it for a fact because I spoke with her, she didnt stop. She gave an impassioned, beautiful speech yesterday. And that was from the heart, that was from the heart. President Barack Obamas former national security adviser Susan Rice has said she is considering trying to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins at the next election in Maine in 2020. Ms Collins cast a deciding vote to confirm conservative judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court after three women accused him of sexual assault. Mr Kavanaugh vigorously denies the allegations. Ms Rice said the senator had put party and politics over her own stated principles of supporting equal rights and legal abortions. I think in a way that I really regret saying, she has betrayed women across this country, she said at the The New Yorker Festival in New York. Ms Rice, who also served as US ambassador to the United Nations (UN) under the Obama administration, said she would decide whether to run for the Senate from Maine in 2020 after next months midterm elections. It comes after Dr Christine Blasey Ford testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Mr Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a house party when the two were teenagers. Shortly before the Supreme Court vote, Ms Collins said: I do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent Judge Kavanaugh from serving on the Court. However, she described Dr Fords testimony as sincere, painful and compelling. The climactic 50-48 vote on Mr Kavanaugh on Saturday was the closest vote to confirm a justice since 1881. Every Democrat voted against Mr Kavanaugh apart from Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Ms Collins has faced a backlash over her decision to support Mr Kavanaugh, with a crowdfunding page supporting any future opponent of hers raising more than $3.4m (2.6m) of a 4m target by Monday morning. Ms Rice hinted her interest in a Senate run in a Twitter post on Friday that was retweeted 38,000 times. In a later post, Ms Rice said: Many thanks for the encouragement. Im not making any announcements. Like so many Americans, I am deeply disappointed in Senator Collins vote for Kavanaugh. Maine and America deserve better. Ms Collins responded to the former National Security Advisers comments in an interview with CNN. Asked whether she could lose her seat over the Supreme Court vote, Ms Collins said: I have to do what I think is right. Over the years the people of Maine have trusted me to exercise my best judgment. Thats what I did in this case. Im going to do what I think is right. Thats what I owe my constituents. As far as Susan Rice is concerned, her family has a home in Maine but she doesnt live in the state of Maine, everybody knows that. The irony is, back in 2009 when she was nominated to be ambassador of the UN, she came to me, even though I did not know her back then at all and pleaded with me to introduce her for the committee, which I was happy to do because her family had links to the state of Maine. In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Show all 21 1 /21 In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AP In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing REUTERS In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing EPA In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Chaos and fury at Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing AFP/Getty Images When reminded about how Ms Collins had backed her to be ambassador to the UN on Twitter, Ms Rice said: Thanks for recalling. I was very grateful for Senator Collins extremely generous endorsement of my nomination and her detailed description of my deep ties to Maine. 2009 seems like a long time ago now on so many levels. Following the vote on Mr Kavanaugh, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell insisted his chamber was not irreparably damaged by the bitter row. He signalled he was willing to take up another high court nomination in the 2020 presidential election season should another vacancy arise. The death toll from the 7.5-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia has risen to 1,948, officials have said. Most of the victims are from the hard-hit city of Palu, in Central Sulawesi, with fewer people thought to have been killed in more remote areas. It is unclear how many people are still missing, but the number could be as high as 5,000 in areas such as in Balaroa and Petobo, two areas in Palu, according to the country's national disaster agency. The number is an unofficial figure from village heads in the area, according to Willem Rampangilei, the head of Indonesia's National Board for Disaster Management. Many victims are thought to be buried in deep mud after the earthquake and tsunami, which struck Sulawesi island on 28 September, caused loose soil to liquefy and swallow entire neighbourhoods in the city. Officials are meeting with religious groups and victims' families to seek permission to turn the areas wiped out by liquefaction into mass graves. Search teams are expected to stop looking for victims on Thursday, after which all those unaccounted for will be declared missing and considered dead, disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Show all 30 1 /30 Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Residents and rescuers walk in front of a washed out passenger ferry in Wani following the September 28 earthquake and tsunami. Aid poured into disaster-ravaged Palu after days of delays as efforts ramped up to reach 200,000 people in desperate need AFP/Getty Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Indonesian rescuers try to free a 15-year-old earthquake survivor, Nurul Istikhomah from the flooded ruins of a collapsed house in Palu EPA Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue A rescue team searches for bodies under the ruin of a house in Balaroa EPA Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue A ship stranded on the shore EPA Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Indonesians stand among debris at Mamboro village in Palu EPA Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Residents carry a victim AFP/Getty Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Residents trying to salvage belongings from their homes which collapsed AFP/Getty Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Indonesian soldiers bury quake victims in a mass grave in Poboya AFP/Getty Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue A damaged mosque AFP/Getty Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue A man sits on the rubble of a house AFP/Getty Images Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Rescuers walk past debris AFP/Getty Images Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Jumadil, 5, reacts at seeing his mother Susi Rahmatia, 26, after he went missing for seven days AFP/Getty Images Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue A woman builds a temporary toilet AFP/Getty Images Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Rahmat Raidi, 26, shows portraits of his missing family members AFP/Getty Images Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Residents queue before receiving humanitarian aid in Palu AFP/Getty Images Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Indonesian villagers offload aid from a military helicopter in Proo village, Lindu district AFP/Getty Images Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Residents stand among houses destroyed by a landslide that was triggered by the earthquake in Petobo outside Palu EPA Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue People queue for fuel at a petrol station in Palu Reuters Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Members of the Indonesian Red Cross attend to a victim at a crushed house at Talise beach in Palu EPA Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Residents walk among houses destroyed by a landslide that was triggered by the earthquake in Petobo, outside Palu EPA Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue An Indonesian Police Officer uses a dog to search for victims amongst rubble in Petobo, outside Palu Reuters Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue An Indonesian rescue team searches for victims and survivors amongst the rubble of the Roa Roa hotel in Palu Reuters Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue A crowd gathers at the airport in Palu in the hope of fleeing by plane Getty Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Members of an Indonesian rescue team look for survivors in a collapsed home in Palu AFP/Getty Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Bhayangkara hospital in Palu Reuters Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Members of an Indonesian rescue team look for survivors in a collapsed home in Palu AFP/Getty Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue An earthquake damaged bridge in Palu Reuters Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue People drive amongst the damage in Palu Reuters Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Indonesian women stand on a tsunami devastated area of Talise beach Palu EPA Indonesian earthquake: rescue efforts continue Members of an Indonesian rescue team look for survivors in a collapsed home in Palu AFP/Getty Some schools in Palu have reopened in the aftermath of the disaster. "We won't force the students to come back because many are traumatised," said Kasiludin, the principal at one state high school. "But we must start again soon to keep their spirits up and so they don't fall behind." The school had lost seven students and one teacher, he said. Across Palu nine schools have been destroyed. The government has allocated $37 million to help victims of the earthquake. Additional reporting by agencies On 26 October, voters in Ireland will go to the polls to decide on whether blasphemy should be removed as an offence from the countrys constitution. The law on blasphemy is generally seen as outdated, and while this is not as contentious a social issue as others like same sex marriage and abortion, a referendum is still required to alter the constitution. The referendum will take place on the same day as the countrys presidential election, in which the incumbent Michael D Higgins is expected to be re-elected. The latest poll shows 51 per cent of voters are in favour of removing blasphemy from the constitution. What is the law on blasphemy in Ireland? Under the constitution of Ireland, the publication or utterance of blasphemous matter is punishable by law, and carries a fine of up to 25,000. This was further defined in the Defamation Act of 2009, which stated that someone is guilty of the offence if they publish or utter matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion, and if they intend, to cause such outrage. Ireland's presidential candidates Show all 6 1 /6 Ireland's presidential candidates Ireland's presidential candidates Michael D Higgins PA Ireland's presidential candidates Sean Gallagher PA Ireland's presidential candidates Joan Freeman PA Ireland's presidential candidates Peter Casey PA Ireland's presidential candidates Liadh Ni Riada PA Ireland's presidential candidates Gavin Duffy PA Has anyone ever been prosecuted for blasphemy? No one has ever been prosecuted for blasphemy in Ireland. The only attempted prosecution since the creation of the state was in the late 1990s when a carpenter called John Corway attempted to sue three publications for articles and cartoons relating to the 1995 divorce referendum. He was unsuccessful. The laws around blasphemy were brought back to public attention in 2017 after it emerged police were looking into comments made by Stephen Fry on an RTE programme. In a discussion about religion, the writer and broadcaster asked presenter Gay Byrne, Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain. Police later dropped the matter, stating they were unable to find a substantial number of outraged people. A constitutional convention first proposed changing the article in the constitution in 2013, and it was finally brought forward by the government in June 2018. When is the blasphemy referendum? The referendum will be held on Friday 26 October, with voting open from 7am to 10pm. Counting will begin on the morning of Saturday 27 October, with the result expected to be announced later that afternoon. On the same day, voters will have their say in the presidential election, which will determine who will serve as Irelands head of state for the next seven years. The incumbent Michael D Higgins seems likely to be re-elected, but will face five other candidates at the ballot box: Sinn Fein's Liadh Ni Riada, independent Senator Joan Freeman, and businessmen Sean Gallagher, Gavin Duffy and Peter Casey. Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Show all 55 1 /55 Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis celebrates the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park, in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis arrives at Phoenix Park for a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin EPA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home in Tuam. The vigil coincides with the Phoenix park mass which is taking place in Dublin held by Pope Francis. Excavations at the site in 2017 revealed underground structures which held babies bodies with ages ranging from 35 weeks to three years old with most of the dead buried in the 1950s when the facility was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a Catholic religious order of nuns who received unmarried pregnant women to give birth Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures An aerial view of the crowd at Phoenix Park Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Children queue for communion during Pope Francis' closing Mass PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures The Stand4Truth rally gathers outside a former Magdalene laundry in Dublin as part of the demonstrations against clerical sex abuse PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis arrives to celebrate the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures The names of the victims are read out as a vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A member of the clergy carries a bowl of incense PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Members of the public pray as they watch Pope Francis deliver a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park EPA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis attends the closing Mass at the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park in Dublin PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis passes by a banner of a protester as he leaves St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis speaks during his visit to the Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on Christchurch PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on College Green PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Members of the public wave at Pope Francis as he travels through the city Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis laughs as he leaves St Mary's Pro Cathedral during his visit to Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Two boys wave flags after climbing a post as they wait for Pope Francis Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pairs of baby shoes are hung from black ribbons on Gardiner Street in Dublin in memory of the children who died at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Crowds on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis memorabilia on sale on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis arrives at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral during his visit to Ireland to attend the 2018 World Meeting of Families AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis addresses the congragation at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Stephen O'Brien selling bottles of holy water from the St Mary's Pro Cathedral PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis prays inside St Mary's Pro Cathedral Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A man waves a rainbow flag behind a model of a pope which stands in the window above a bar Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures People hold a banner against Pope Francis on the way to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Nuns wait by the side of the road for Pope Francis Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A model of a pope is placed in the window above a bar as crowds wait for Pope Francis to travel through the city Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Crowds on O'Connell Street, Dublin waiting to see Pope Francis as he travels in the Popemobile PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to wellwishers as he arrives at Dublin Airport Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures His visit, the first by a Pope since John Paul II's in 1979 is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of Catholics to a series of events in Dublin and Knock PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis talks to journalists aboard a plane flying from Fiumicino aiport to Dublin AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures LGBT protestors from Dublin Pride and We Are Church with flags and umbrellas on Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin to remember the victims of clerical sex abuse ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis disembarks from the aircraft as he arrives at Dublin Airport Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Woman wait for Pope Francis to drive past, in Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Taoiseach Leo Varadkar delivers a speech watched by Pope Francis in St. Patrick's Hall at Dublin Castle WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Protesters hold banners during a demonstration against clerical sex abuse, in Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis plants a tree during a meeting with Irish President Michael D Higgins, at Aras an Uachtarain PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis walks with the President of Ireland Michael Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis, center, is flanked by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, right, as they arrive to meet authorities, in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Protestors wearing baby shoes, to signify the children who died in mother and baby homes in Ireland, protest in Dublin ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Franci PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis speaks with President Michael D Higgins in his study during a visit to Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park, Dublin PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Navy band march prior to the arrival of Pope Francis at the Presidential residence in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Eddie McGuinness from Dublin LGBTQ Pride carries a rainbow flag across Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A message left by Pope Francis in the visitors book at Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park PA What is the question being put to voters in the referendum? The referendum concerns Article 40.6 of the constitution which states: The publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law. The proposal is to amend this by removing the world blasphemous, so it would simply read: The publication or utterance of seditious or indecent matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law. Voters will be asked if they want to vote Yes or No on the amendment. How likely is the referendum to pass? The latest poll, carried out by the Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI and published on 17 October, showed that 51 per cent of people are in favour of removing blasphemy as an offence, 19 per cent are in favour of retaining it, while 25 per cent say they are undecided. The referendum on blasphemy will be much more low key than the recent votes on same sex marriage and abortion, which were deemed to be bigger social issues. That this topic has been scheduled to share a polling day with the presidential election is evidence that the government doesn't believe it requires as much debate or scrutiny. There is a general consensus that this article of the constitution is outdated, and that a majority of people would agree it should be removed particularly in the context of Irelands growing separation of church and state. The second suspect in the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury has been named as Russian military doctor Dr Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin, by investigative website Bellingcat. Late last month the website named the first suspect as Anatoliy Chepiga, a military colonel who had been the recipient of Russias highest state award. The pair have been accused by British police of attempting to assassinate the Skripals with the cold-war era nerve agent novichok. Following the accusation, the two men, who had been travelling with documents naming them as Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, said they had travelled from Russia to Salisbury to see the citys cathedral. Theresa May said the attack was almost certainly approved by senior members of the Kremlin, but she did not directly accuse Vladimir Putin. London police said they would not comment on speculation about the real identities of the two men facing charges, in response to a query about the latest Bellingcat report, and repeated they believed the men had used aliases, Reuters reports. Bellingcat said Dr Mishkin is a trained military doctor in the employ of the GRU Russias military intelligence agency, and published a scanned copy of his passport. They said he was born in July 1979 in the village of Loyga in the Archangelsk district of northern Russia, and until September 2014 his registered home address in Moscow was the same as the headquarters of the GRU. The site says: During his medical studies, Mishkin was recruited by the GRU, and by 2010 had relocated to Moscow, where he received his undercover identity including a second national ID and travel passport under the alias Alexander Petrov. The report added: In the period 2011-2018, Alexander Mishkin travelled extensively under his new identity. Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Show all 19 1 /19 Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV Salisbury train station The two suspects charged in relation to the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal at Salisbury train station at 16:11hrs on 03 March 2018 Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Suspects Suspects Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, Russian nationals, approximately 40 years old, who travelled on a Russian passport. It is likely that they were travelling under aliases and that these are not their real names Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Evidence Bottle and applicator recovered by police from Charlie Rowleys address in Muggleton Road Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Evidence A counterfeit perfume box that was discovered by nerve agent victim Charlie Rowley, who later gave it, and the bottle inside, to his girlfriend Dawn Sturgess Metropolitan Police/AFP/Getty Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Rowley has previously said he felt lucky to be alive after giving a perfume bottle that contained the nerve agent Novichok to his girlfriend Dawn Sturgess, who later died Metropolitan Police/AFP/Getty Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Suspeccts The CPS has issued European Arrest Warrants for the extradition of 'Boshirov' and 'Petrov' in connection with the Novichok poisoning attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March Metropolitan Police/PA Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV Boshirov' at Gatwick airport Movements in detail - At 3pm on Friday, 2 March, the suspects arrived at Gatwick airport, having flown from Moscow on Aeroflot flight SU2588 Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV Petrov at Gatwick airport From the airport it is believed that they travelled by train into London, arriving at Victoria station at approximately 5.40pm Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV Salisbury train station, 11:48hrs on 4 March 2018 They then travelled on London public transport to Waterloo station and were in the area between approximately 6pm and 7pm. They travelled to the City Stay Hotel in Bow Road, East London, where they stayed on Friday, 2 March, and Saturday, 3 March. On Saturday, 3 March, they left the hotel and took the underground to Waterloo station, arriving at approximately 11.45am, where they caught a train to Salisbury, arriving at approximately 2.25pm Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack City Stay Hotel in Bow Road Police officers stand outside the City Stay Hotel in Bow where on Sunday, 4 March, 'Boshirov' and 'Petrov' made the same journey from the hotel as they did the previous day, again using the underground from Bow to Waterloo station at approximately 8.05am, before continuing their journey by train to Salisbury Getty Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV Wilton Road, Salisbury, 11:58hrs on 4 March 2018 CCTV shows them in the vicinity of Mr Skripals house and we believe that they contaminated the front door with Novichok Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV Fisherton Road CCTV image of both suspects on Fisherton Road, Salisbury at 13:05hrs on 4 March, 2018 Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV Salisbury train station, 13:50hrs on 4 March 2018 They left Salisbury and returned to Waterloo Station, arriving at approximately 4.45pm and boarded the London Underground at approximately 6.30pm to London Heathrow Airport Metropolitan Police Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack CCTV Heathrow airport security, 19:28hrs on 4 March 2018 From Heathrow Airport, they returned to Moscow on Aeroflot flight SU2585, departing at 10.30pm Metropolitan Police/PA Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Scene investigations The police investigation was carried out over 6 months. Ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found on March 4 in a critical condition on a bench outside the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury AFP Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Victims Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, right, and his daughter Yulia Rex Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Victims Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey who rushed to the aid of the Skripals was also taken to hospital in a serious condition after falling ill when attempting to help them PA Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Victims Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, died after falling ill when partner Charlie Rowley gave her a perfume bottle that contained the nerve agent Novichok Facebook/AFP/Getty Police release images of suspects in connection with Salisbury attack Scene investigations The home of Charlie Rowley in Muggleton Road, Amesbury, where he and Dawn Sturgess were exposed to the deadly nerve agent Novichok PA Dr Mishkin is believed to have changed little about his alias, keeping the same first name, birth date and first names of his parents. Bellingcats identification process included multiple open sources, testimony from people familiar with the person, as well as copies of personally identifying documents, including a scanned copy of his passport, the website said. Russia denies any involvement in the poisoning. The body of the Indonesian victim of the plane crash at Chuuk in the South Pacific has arrived back on his home island of Java. On 28 September, an Air Niugini aircraft crashed in a lagoon on the Micronesian island. Initially it was believed that all the passengers and crew aboard had survived. But when a second search of the half-submerged cabin was carried out by divers, the body of Eko Cahyanto Singgih was discovered. Recommended Watch as plane stolen from Seattle airport performs loop His remains were flown via the Papua New Guinea capital, Port Moresby, and Singapore. At a memorial service for the victim, Andrew Nui, deputy chairman of Air Niugini, praised islanders on Chuuk and a US Navy team who went out into the lagoon to assist passengers and crew. Their courage and quick thinking helped save lives and our thanks and gratitude goes out to all of them, he said. Some passengers are still recovering in hospital. The Boeing 737 was flying from the Micronesian island of Pohnpei to Port Moresby, with an intermediate stop at Chuuk. But the jet ended up in the lagoon, in circumstances that have yet to be explained. Conflicting reports suggest the plane either undershot or overran the islands short runway. The search for the aircrafts black boxes the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder is continuing. Micronesia plane crash: Boeing 737 passenger jet crash-lands in Pacific lagoon after missing runway The flight had 35 passengers and 12 crew on board. Inexplicably no check appears to have been made between the survivors and the flight manifest. This was hardly Sully and the Hudson, said one aviation expert, comparing the Air Niugini crash with the Miracle of the Hudson in 2009, when Captain Chesley Sullenberger successfully ditched a stricken US Airways jet in the Hudson River after shortly after take off from New Yorks La Guardia airport. The number of the fatal flight, PX73, has been retired. The link from Pohnpei to Port Moresby via Chuuk is now known as PX75. With Air Niuginis fleet in disarray because of the loss of one of its key planes, the route now has only one flight a week rather than two. It is operated by a Fokker 70, with barely half the capacity of the 737. Air Niugini is the national carrier of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The Foreign Office says: Flying in PNG carries greater safety risks than flying in the UK. In the past 18 years, more than 20 passenger planes have crashed in the country. The worst recent crash was on 13 April 2016 when a Sunbird Aviation PNG Britten-Norman Islander aircraft crashed at Kinuga Airport, killing all 12 people on board, says the Foreign Office The plane involved in the Chuuk accident, registration P2-PXE, was involved in a ground collision at Jacksons International Airport in 2017. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has had the increasingly desperate band of Brexiteers in the House of Commons jumping for joy this morning. He told todays Financial Times that the UK would be welcomed with open arms into the Trans-Pacific Partnership between 11 Pacific countries, which includes Japan, Canada and Mexico. The TPP seeks to deepen trading ties and cut tariffs between signatory countries. The idea that we could potentially become members of it is reportedly being promoted by the international trade secretary Liam Fox (whose department was boasting of Abes comments on Twitter) as a way of mitigating against the trading downside of Brexit. However, there are some very obvious problems with the TPP. For one thing, the UK is on the other side of the world to the Pacific area, whereas the European Union is in our back yard. The TPP hasnt been ratified yet by its signatories and has been thrown into doubt after one of the prospective signatories, the US, pulled out at the instigation of Donald Trump. TPP countries account for less than 8 per cent of UK exports, whereas the EU accounts for almost half. We already have trade agreements with over 60 countries including over half the members of the TPP by dint of our membership of the EUs customs union, so the idea that being part of the TPP could make up for the loss of trade resulting from Brexit is pie in the sky or cloud cuckoo land, as Simon Fraser, the immediate former permanent secretary of the foreign office, puts it. And because Japans companies are among the biggest inward investors to the UK, employing thousands of Brits, Shinzo Abe was careful to also point out in his interview that Japan is keen the UK should not crash out of the EU without a deal. He also emphasised that even if we leave with a deal, the UK would lose its role as a gateway to Europe after Brexit. Sitting in the driving seat of the deal negotiations for the EU is the EU Commission. It is led by a college of 28 commissioners, one from each member state, including the UKs Sir Julian King, the president Jean-Claude Junker and six vice presidents. They are a bit like a cabinet of ministers, bound by the principle of collective responsibility but owing their allegiance to the EU rather than their home country. Technically they are civil servants. On Wednesday, this college of people will gather for their weekly meeting at the Berlaymont building in Brussels where the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, will brief them on where the Brexit negotiations are at. Later that day, the EU Commission is likely to again formally reject the proposals agreed by the UK cabinet at Chequers in July that Theresa May has put on the table. This is not a surprise. Long before senior EU figures started to publicly pour cold water on Chequers, the EU minister of one of the big EU countries told me it will not work. Theresa May lambastes a 'people's vote', saying people already had their Brexit vote in 2016 Save for a hardcore bunch of Brextremists members of the European Research Group (ERG) of right-wing Tory MPs, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg few Tory MPs you speak to have any desire for the UK to leave the EU without a deal. Not only would it be catastrophic for the UK, but I suspect it would bury the Conservative Party politically for a generation. That is why May is absolutely determined for a deal to be done; and she will put forward a revised version of her plans when the EU Council of Leaders meets for its summit next Wednesday. It was noticeable that she dropped any mention of the word Chequers from her conference speech last week and she now refers to a free trade deal instead. This is because her revised proposals are likely to be some variant of her original proposals and a version of the free trade deal Canada has with the EU (some dub these revised plans Chanada). The ERG abhorred Chequers from the get-go, as did many others on my side of the argument for different reasons. The ERG huffs and it puffs, and members go on the TV and radio threatening to vote Theresa May down. But they privately admit that they do not have the numbers in the House of Commons for their kind of extreme clean break from the EU. By defeating what their PM comes back from Brussels with in their pursuit of the perfect Brexit (a contradiction in terms if ever there was one), they may sabotage their project altogether many of them know this. The Conservative MP Anna Soubry and I, as leading spokespeople for the Peoples Vote campaign, have spoken at rallies and events in Coventry, Exeter, Hull, Manchester, Nottingham and Sunderland in the last fortnight alone, which all contain areas that voted Leave in 2016 by some margin. From our conversations in these places, there is no doubt about it: what the polls are saying on Brexit is matched by what you hear on the street more and more voters want a peoples vote on the terms of Brexit, and many soft Leave supporters are switching to the Remain column. The Peoples Vote and The Independent March for the Future taking place in London a week on Saturday promises to be bigger than the last one which drew over 100,000 back in June. This is because Brexit is going badly in most peoples eyes and it is proving impossible to deliver in the form it was promised. For all the bellicose language, the ERG knows this is happening too and is willing to concede to Theresa May. Over the weekend, there has been some speculation about Labour MPs being privately contacted at senior levels of government to support whatever deal May reaches. Apparently, we are being urged to do this on the basis that if Mays agreement falls, we are faced with a no-deal scenario, which the national interest demands be avoided at all costs. This is a lie, given government sources know only too well that parliament could take the matter into its own hands and impose an alternative solution including a Peoples Vote. For what its worth, I know of no pro-European Labour MPs who have been approached as reported and cannot see them propping up May and her hopeless government in their hour of need in any event. Above all, the national interest also strongly dictates against any Canada-style arrangement. A Canada-style deal between the UK and the EU would be nowhere near as good as the benefits the UK currently enjoys as part of the EU single market and customs union. In the main, it covers goods and not services, which make up 80 per cent of our economy. It does not provide for frictionless trade between the UK and EU so we will face new red tape, costs and delays at our ports on all trade with our biggest partner. Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, March 9 2016 This wholly false headline merited the first ruling by IPSO (the press regulator) under clause 1 of the revised Editor's Code of Practice. Clause 1 makes specific reference to newspapers printing "headlines not supported by the text" Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, November 4 2016 In perhaps the most notorious front page of the past few years, the Mail derides the High Court judges who ruled that parliament must have a vote on whether to trigger article 50 and start the Brexit process Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Express, November 4 2016 In the Express' take on the same story, they manage to incorporate the Union Jack, allude to First World War propaganda, invoke memories of Churchill and, of course, state "Brexit means Brexit" Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, March 29 2017 The Sun marked the day on which Mrs May triggered article 50 by projecting a huge and terrible pun on to the Cliffs of Dover Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, April 4 2017 Referencing their notorious eurosceptic headline from 1990 (See: Up Yours Delors), the Sun stokes the flames of the brief Gibraltar dispute, a dispute in which Spain, the supposed aggressors, only joined to note that there was "no need for it" Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, April 19 2017 This headline followed Mrs May's snap election announcement, which gave the Mail hope that dissenting opinions on Brexit would disappear Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, December 14 2017 In recent months, the Mail has often forgone catchy headlines in favour of rambling rants, this is an early example aimed at Tory Brexit rebels Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, January 31 2018 This headline (?) takes aim at the Lords over their repeated amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, June 12 2018 On the day that the EU Withdrawal Bill is to be debated in the Commons, the Sun offers two choices to MPs, desperately including all conceivable imagery that might make Brits feel patriotic, which apparently includes the Loch Ness Monster Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Express, June 12 2018 On the same day, the Express lets MPs know what the consequences of the vote may be It is unsurprising that both those who represent UK businesses (large and small) and those who represent employees working in them speak resolutely against a Canada-style free trade agreement for our economy. Carolyn Fairbairn, the director general of the CBI, said earlier this month: A Canada free-style deal is not the answer for our country. It would introduce friction at borders, it would not solve the Irish border, it would damage the supply chains on which thousands and thousands of jobs depend. Her counterpart at the TUC, general secretary Frances OGrady, said: The [Canada] deal does nothing to protect workers rights in Canada. If the UK goes for a similar deal, politicians will be able to slice away at our employment rights. Rights to maternity leave, holiday pay, working time and health and safety would be at risk. The bottom line is this: whatever agreement is reached, the governments own analysis states that the UK will be worse off in every other scenario outside of the EU, whatever the PM comes back from Brussels with these next few months. It is the opposite of what was promised, which is why all routes lead back to a Peoples Vote with Remain on the ballot on the terms of departure from the EU. Reaching out beyond Twitter I was astounded to learn this week just how much some influencers and celebrities are now earning through their Instagram accounts, having stumbled across the 2018 figures online. The data which was collated by Hopper HQ, a company that runs social media accounts for companies and firms was published over the summer. Among the top paid earners globally are Kylie Jenner, who has 111 million followers and earns an estimated $1m (770,000) per post, and Selena Gomez, with 139 million followers and earning an estimated $800,000 per post. In the UK, David Beckham, with 49 million followers, earns around $300,000 per post and Gareth Bale, on 35 million followers, earns an estimated $185,000 per post. These are quite extraordinary figures and highlight just how far Instagram reaches these days. One of the worst kept secrets is the obsession of politicos with Twitter. What these figures illustrate is that most other people are on other platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Whereas Twitter has 336 million users worldwide, Instagram has over 1 billion with Facebook reaching beyond 2 billion. If political parties want to reach beyond the bubble, they will need to work out how to spread their message beyond the Twitter echo chamber. Bar a few big names (like Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders), I can think of few politicians who have successfully been able to do this on Instagram, perhaps because it was never meant to be terribly political and maybe that is no bad thing. Last month, conservationists near Botswanas Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary stumbled upon a shocking discovery. The carcasses of 87 elephants - most of them poached only for their tusks - scattered among the forest deep inside the country. Described as the last sanctuary for elephants in Africa, poaching in Botswana had been infrequent until now. While surrounding countries have seen elephant populations dwindle at the hands of ivory poachers in recent decades, Botswanas well-managed and heavily armed anti-poaching units kept most of their 130,000-member herd alive. But the relentless advance of illegal trade in wildlife a criminal industry estimated to be robbing countries of up to 17bn a year continues to punch holes in some of the most promising anti-trade policies and enforcement efforts. Recommended Carcasses of 87 elephants discovered in Botswana There is money to be made lots of it. And that means the international community and law enforcement agencies have their work cut out for them if they want to protect species, great and small, from extinction. The haunting reality of wildlife crime of butchered elephants and rhinos; of hyacinth macaws and lemurs stuffed in suitcases, smuggled across international borders; is miles removed from the shiny world of ivory statues, exotic pets, and exclusive beauty products. In between, lies the dark world of poachers, traffickers, traders, and sellers. A network engaging in activities ranging from blatant criminal behavior to corruption-assisted skirting of the law. Thanks to unwavering demand, business is thriving. Whether for cheap trinkets, trendy potions or priceless antiques, most buyers probably dont think twice about its source. There has been progress. Only a few years ago, being caught with ivory in Kenya resulted in a small fine, now the crime is punishable by time in jail. Domestic ivory bans continue to be implemented around the world. China, the largest market for ivory, officially prohibited sales in 2017 and others, including the UK, are lined up to follow. This week, all eyes will be on London. Political leaders, Heads of State, Ministers and experts from over 82 countries as well as members of non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, and the businesses community will attend the 2018 Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference to discuss the latest strategies to protect our most precious natural resources and heritage. And as the recent massacre in Botswana shows, this global gathering comes at a crises point for the worlds endangered wildlife. Between 2004 and 2015, some 7,000 different species were found in 164,000 seizures across 120 countries. This September, the Spix macaw of Brazil was declared extinct in the wild. The last male northern white rhino, Sudan, died in March. As long as ivory remains a status symbol, or pangolin scales and rhino horn are thought to have medicinal - even magical powers people will be willing to pay for them. Without stemming the cash flow from consumers to middlemen to poachers, the chain of illegal trade will never be broken. If we really want to stop the trade in illegal wildlife products, we must be as relentless as the criminals we aim to stop. This means adopting bold policies that encourage new behaviours, strengthening law enforcement and breaking the supply chain; halting the booming online trade; and following the money to disrupt profits stashed in tax-havens. According to the World Bank, of the $1.3 million dollars committed to tackling illegal trade in wildlife from 2010 to 2016, only 6 percent was devoted to communications and awareness to change peoples behaviour and to halt the demand. As showcased in successful public health campaigns, methodical, evidence-based communication with sustained cross-cultural campaigning, can achieve impressive results. 2 years ago, UN Environment launched our Wild for Life (https://wildfor.life) campaign to raise awareness about the threats posed by the illegal trade. Now were turning that awareness into action and multiplying the impact by putting the tools into the hands of governments. This Communication to Combat Wildlife Crime Toolkit and Demand Reduction Framework are designed to deliver the type of open-source, comprehensive campaign that can translate the plight of these animals into purchasing behaviours in our daily lives. Only when illegal wildlife products lose their appeal when elephant tusks gather dust and poachers have no market for their scales, skins, horns, pets and potions - will we win the fight against this illegal trade. If the money dries up, so will the poaching. If those 87 dead elephants in Botswana and the legacy of the Spix macaw in Brazil are teaching us anything, it is that the world needs to invest in prevention and behaviour change communication right now. But this takes time, and some species have little to spare. The only way to secure a future for our wildlife now is to get every community on earth behind this message. Twelve years. According to climate scientists, thats how long until we hit the 1.5C tipping point if we carry on as we are. Such a shift in our planetary temperature will imperil not only low-lying areas because of the increased risk of floods, but will have consequences for all of us not least due to the necessary migration of millions of people away from areas that become uninhabitable. Coral reefs will vanish; many ancient trees will not survive; extreme weather events will become ever more common. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change paints a bleak picture. 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke filled with the carbon that is driving climate change drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan Yet the scientists are also clear that we can still hold the line on further damaging change if were prepared to act fast and invest a great deal of money. By reducing CO2 emissions by nearly half from their 2010 levels, we could give ourselves a fighting chance; by planting millions of trees and using technology to further capture carbon dioxide too, we might just do it. But in all honesty it is hard to feel optimistic about the worlds ability to make that happen. The World Wildlife Funds lead climate change scientist, Chris Weber, says the difference between possibility and impossibility is political will, which in present circumstances is unnerving, to say the least. For one thing, the worlds most powerful politician is arguably its most famous climate change sceptic. According to Donald Trump, the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive. Sure enough, he backed up such Twitter trash-talk by pulling America out of the Paris climate agreement soon after taking up residence in the White House. Meanwhile, in China the worlds biggest greenhouse gas emitter by a distance the amount of carbon being thrown into the atmosphere is increasing: emissions rose by 4 per cent in the first three months of 2018. As it goes, the Chinese have invested significantly in renewables, yet the growing prosperity of its vast population continues to increase demand for energy to such an extent that curbing carbon output is challenging, to say the least. Indias CO2 emissions are also soaring albeit from a much lower base, which means there is a glimmer of hope on the subcontinent for a greener future. Even at the individual level, though and even among those who accept that climate change is a real and present danger is there really the will to change our ways for good? We might be more likely to consider a cars carbon emissions when we choose a new motor; but are we really much less inclined to drive the short distance to the shops when theres a bit of rain in the air? Likewise, we might be shocked when we see a show on TV like last weeks Drowning in Plastic which revealed the amount of plastic being swallowed by seabirds, among other horrors but can we maintain the hastily made resolution never again to buy plastic tat for the kids when theyre whining their way round the supermarket? Those who deny climate change remain peculiarly certain that all will be well. And in light of Trumps attitude, Chinas demographic reality, as well as our own human weakness, there is a temptation to throw up our hands and give it all up to fate. But of course we mustnt. After all, even if there was a modest chance that the vast majority of climate scientists and policymakers were right in their conclusions about the way we are changing our planet and about the likely consequences then it would seem sensible to act in a way that might reduce the level of harm we are doing to the planet (frankly, it would seem bonkers to do otherwise). That means making myriad small changes to our lives; and it means pressuring politicians to pursue green policies. We may not be able to hold back the tide and at present the outlook looks pretty bleak: but for goodness sake lets at least try. Melania Trump bumped by elephant went the headlines above images of the First Lady being barged by an overexcited, wrinkled, orange-hued baby elephant on a trip to Africa. How thoughtful, then, that her Kenyan hosts wanted to make her feel so at home. Melania has asked the media why theyve just been talking about her clothes rather than the importance of her visit. Well, when a Slovenian former supermodel turns up looking like shes auditioning for a remake of Out of Africa or to be the next Bond girl, its pretty difficult to avoid discussing the optics. Especially when some of it the khaki jodhpurs, riding boots and, goodness gracious, a pith helmet harks back to the colonial era of white supremacy. All she needed was Roger Moore in a white tuxedo and shed be all set for some caper with dictators in leopard skin hats, mercenaries and blood diamonds. Brexit has been in its something will turn up phase for some time now and possibly, at last, something has. This is meant to be Theresa Mays Hell Week, with important post-Brexit proposals to be published in both Brussels and the UK, both of which will of course necessitate demented rows within her own party (current strategies include threatening to vote down the Budget), but Hell Week could hardly have got off to a better start. The most sensible reading of Hell Week is that it looks likely to end with May agreeing to keep the UK in the EUs customs union until 2022. In the circumstances, the prime minister will not have failed to notice that, according to this mornings report from the UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, that is a mere eight years before all of the planets inbuilt life preserving systems are currently scheduled to turn against humanity in act of vengeance that will be swift and total. Recommended May beats Johnson as only Tory leader preferred to Corbyn To borrow briefly from the probability-based lexicon of the climate science community, lets take a look at the likelihood of Brexit being concluded by then in any meaningful way. Even in the unlikely event of Britain voting to leave the European Union, right up until around 8am on 24 June 2016, the latest point at which it was all meant to have been sorted out was 24 June 2018. But when David Cameron decided not to trigger the two-year Article 50 process straight away as he had consistently claimed he would, but resigned instead, that date was eventually pushed back by May to 29 March 2019, expanding Brexit by 37.5 per cent. Then, in March 2018, the Brexit transition period was agreed to last until until 31 December 2020, and now, just seven months later, that deadline has been extended until the next general election in 2022, a further eighteen months. At the most conservative estimate, that gives Brexit a rate of expansion of around two hundred per cent, or four years for every two. If the depth to which it can be kicked into the long grass can be maintained on this exponential gradient, May has every reason to be optimistic that tornadoes of sulphuric gas will be moving freely over the Irish border long before she has to deliver any acceptable proposals for how to avoid the reintroduction of customs infrastructure across it. By this point, when the waves are crashing over the top of Big Ben (shortly before the appropriate Commons committee is due to publish a white paper on whether or not to decamp to a nearby conference centre to allow for crucial refurbishment work), the number of Tory MPs who still think the gravest threat facing the country is the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice will have been reduced to a manageable minority, and disaster will have been averted. Brexit will not, strictly, have been Brexit, but May will nevertheless have made a success of it. All of which does vaguely bring one to a serious point. If, as looks likely, the decision on how the UK does or does not stay within the EUs customs union is delayed until 2022, will anyone care about it by then? Some people will, of course, namely the small faction of the Conservative party that is pushing first May and secondly the country to the brink over it. But time is on their side for a limited time only. Jacob Rees-Mogg and his merry band of hard Brexiteers may be happy to insult their own intelligence and the countrys, waving about ridiculous research that suggests leaving the EU with no deal would boost the British economy by 1.1 trillion, but they know that time will not bear that conclusion out. Brexit was, by and large, a vote taken by the older generation at the expense of the younger generation. The longer crucial decisions within it are delayed, the greater the leverage for their reversal. It has always seemed abundantly obvious to me that the UK will rejoin the EU by 2025 or 2030 at the latest. Brexit supporters will simply die out, and young people just will not tolerate the sabotaging of their life chances in this way. In the referendum of 2016, those who wanted to leave the EU knew that the only way they could make the case for leaving was to lie. The Remain campaign, led by David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn, never rose above a miserable shrug of the shoulders. It will only take one decent leading politician to come along, at some point in the next decade, against the backdrop of growing economic pain, to make the overwhelmingly positive case for remaining in the EU, therell be a general election and that will be the end of it. And by 2022, which by the end of this week may very well be the current deadline, that fight will be easier to win than ever. UK Brexiteers have backed a package of concessions to help unlock a Canada-style trade deal with Brussels. Senior members of the Conservatives' 60-strong European Research Group said they would support EU officials being stationed at UK ports after Brexit to break the impasse with Brussels. The MPs, including the former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith and Jacob Rees-Mogg, also suggested they would support the Government enforcing EU rules on goods exported to the bloc by firms in Britain. Brexiteers regard both proposals as a significant concession to help avoid a hard Border with Northern Ireland, while paving the way for a much looser relationship with the EU than under the "common rulebook" envisaged by Theresa May's Chequers plan. Michel Barnier last month discussed the idea of EU officials carrying out checks in UK ports. This is the first time senior Brexiteers have publicly supported such a plan. Meanwhile, Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon said it appeared "almost inevitable" that her party would vote against any Brexit agreement Theresa May strikes - despite warning that no deal will have catastrophic consequences. The first minister said nationalist MPs at Westminster would oppose any deal that omits single market membership - something that has never been part of the prime minister's Brexit negotiations. Speaking as the SNP conference opened in Glasgow yesterday, Ms Sturgeon also disclosed her party's MPs would "undoubtedly" back holding a second referendum on leaving the EU if that became an option. The final countdown is on: What we know so far about Budget 2019 Budget 2019 is finally here - but what does it mean for your back pocket? The talks on the Budget went down to the wire last night after the Independent Alliance members of Government arrived in Paschal Donohoe's office with fresh demands. So here's what we know so far: USC/income tax *Rate band for 2pc USC to be widened by 500 while 4.75pc rate to be reduced to 4.5pc. *The threshold for the 40pc higher income tax rate has been raised by 750 to 35,300. *There will also be an increase to the earned income tax credit for the self-employed. Old reliables *Excise duty on cigarettes will increase by 50c. The tax on gambling is also set to be doubled to 2pc. Carbon tax *As an alternative to the carbon tax hike, Mr Donohoe will announce a 1pc "surcharge" on the cost of registering diesel cars from January 1. This is expected to yield 25m next year. Read More Housing *4pc annual CGT relief for landlords who provide long-term tenancies. *100pc Mortgage Interest Relief on rental income *Help-to-Buy scheme for first-time buyers to be retained *A 'granny flat grant' is to be introduced to allow larger homes to be turned into rental apartments. *Some 300m is also set to be allocated for a new Affording Housing Scheme. Pensions and Welfare *5 hike to old age pension from March. *Christmas Bonus to be fully restored to 100pc. *Fuel allowance will be extended by a week *5 hikes to all social welfare payments. *Increase to Qualified Child Allowance, up 2.20 per week with an extra 3 for children over 12 *Self-employed to get dole entitlements *Two weeks' extra parental leave next year *Back to school allowance up by 25 *More generous assessment levels for working family payment and One-Parent Family payment Health *Overhaul of Fair Deal for farmers and small business owners. *Prescription charges reduced by 50c for older people to 1.50 per item. *Cap on family's monthly Drugs Payment Scheme bill to be reduced by 10 to 124. *Allocation for the National Treatment Purchase Fund to rise from 55m to 75m in bid to cut waiting lists. *Partial restoration of cuts in the fees paid to GPs for services to medical card holders. Carer's allowance *Home carer's tax credit is expected to go up by 300. DIRT *DIRT- the tax on savings - is to decrease from 37pc to 35pc. Special VAT for hotels and restaurants *The special 9pc VAT rate for hotels and restaurants is to be hiked to 13.5pc. Indications prior to today suggested that this would be the case if carbon tax hikes were more limited. It seems Mr Donohoe has little choice but to raise the 9pc VAT rate back to 13.5pc in one swoop. Other *Garda overtime is expected to be cut but funds will be allocated to recruit more gardai. *Minimum wage to be increased 25 cents to 9.80 *Subsidy to schools for each child in attendance to be increased *The Government are expected to hike education levy paid by businesses. *Newspapers to retain 9pc VAT rate and 5m extra for RTE *Extra 150m for road repairs Read More Rainy Day Fund *Some 500m is expected to be put into a 'Rainy Day Fund'. However, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it could be raided in the event of a "chaotic Brexit". Related video: Trips to the beach and holidays to Scotland and Tenerife - if there's anyone the Government should listen to ahead of the Budget this year, perhaps it's these school children? We asked pupils of Grace Park Educate Together National School in Dublin some important questions ahead of the upcoming Budget. Some of the youngsters didn't know what the Government was firstly, others said they believed they were "in charge of the country" and also that they "get money and save it for the country". Many didn't know what the Budget was, but some clever kids gave it a guess. "It's a really big thing that you sell and get a lot of money," one boy said. We asked the potential future leaders what they would spend the Budget money on right now if they had the chance- and one little girl had an important, extensive list. "I'd spend my money on a nice holiday to Scotland and have some ice-cream and lots of sweeties and go to the beach and go swimming and build sand castles," she said. Scotland, Tenerife, Italy and Disneyland were some of the most popular options for holidays abroad among the tots. Others touched on some major talking points of this year's Budget- homelessness and housing. "I would buy a school, a house and a hospital, so I could help people in the world," one student said. "I would give some of my money to poor people," one duo said. When asked why they would do that, they said that "maybe a robber came and maybe if they took their money, maybe they became homeless." Dunnes vision for his former Jurys Ballsbridge site is being realised by Chartered Land at Lansdowne Place When developer Sean Dunne unveiled his hugely-ambitious plan in September 2007 to deliver a piece of London's Knightsbridge to Dublin's Ballsbridge on the site of the former Jurys and Berkeley Court hotels, it's likely he already harboured fears that the tide was going out on Ireland's then economic miracle, and that his D4 dream might well go with it. What he could not have known, however, was just how devastating the looming financial crisis would prove to be for this country, and the degree to which he, as one of the property sector's most recognisable players, would become a poster boy for the crash. And he never could have imagined that 11 years on, he would be facing into another 10 years of bankruptcy. But that's precisely where he is this weekend, notwithstanding the resurgence of the Irish economy and the return to prominence of other boom-era developers such as Johnny Ronan, Ballymore's Sean Mulryan, Chartered Land chief Joe O'Reilly, and Michael O'Flynn. The wording of last Tuesday's ruling from Ms Justice Caroline Costello extending Dunne's Irish bankruptcy until April 2028 - on foot of proceedings brought by official assignee Chris Lehane opposing the developer's automatic July 2016 discharge -could hardly have been more damning. In the course of her 97-page judgment, Ms Justice Costello described Dunne, among other things, as being a "deeply dishonest" witness who had engaged in "wholesale non-compliance" of his statutory obligations. In pushing the developer's automatic exit date from bankruptcy out by another decade, she said he had demonstrated an "incredible attitude" to the process. While Dunne has said he is "deeply disappointed and shocked" at the judgment and intends to appeal it "as soon as possible", it's hard to get away from the fact that the time, energy and talent he possesses could be better spent doing what he does best: delivering new homes and prime offices. It may not make me popular to point this out, but in the course of his career here in Ireland, Sean Dunne delivered over 3,500 houses and apartments in Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. The largest of those developments saw the Carlow-born builder construct 1,400 houses at Charlesland, in Greystones, Co Wicklow. So, as the Government clutches at straws for a solution to a housing crisis which may yet come to threaten its own survival, it's inarguable that it would benefit from having more developers with Dunne's undoubted ability at its disposal. For as much as Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar defend themselves against political attacks by citing increases in the number of planning permissions, such statistics don't put roofs over peoples' heads in the way that skilled developers do. In writing this, I'm fully aware that the vast majority of Sean Dunne's critics, and there are many of them, will point to his 'Celtic Tiger' plan for the redevelopment of the Jurys and Berkeley Court Hotel site as being the height of folly. In the depths of the great recession, it may well have appeared to be just that, as the land the developer had assembled at a cost of 400m plunged in value to below 100m. With the passage of time, however, the quality of the Dublin 4 site and the rest of the property portfolio Dunne acquired, albeit at a high price, is being proven. Dunne's vision for the Jurys and Berkeley Court site is already in the process of being delivered by Joe O'Reilly's Chartered Land at Lansdowne Place. Prices for apartments on the grounds once occupied by the former Berkeley Court Hotel range between 825,000 for a one-bed apartment to 7.5m for a 715 sq m (7,696 sq ft) penthouse, and have been attracting wealthy Irish and international buyers since being brought to the market last year. Elsewhere within the scheme, plans are being progressed for the delivery of a new 211-bedroom hotel, while the former Jurys Hotel continues to trade successfully as the Ballsbridge Hotel under a lease arrangement with Dalata. The adjacent Hume House, which Dunne acquired for more than 100m as part of a larger transaction in 2006, is once again being spoken of as one of the most exciting and valuable office development opportunities in Dublin's embassy belt. Having been valued by Nama at a lowly 23.75m in November 2009, the property secured 35m when it was sold to Irish Life in 2016. The site's planning permission allows for the 7,600 sq m (81,804 sq ft) office building's demolition and its replacement with a new, and far more valuable, structure more than twice its size at 16,900 sq m (181,909 sq ft). Dunne's purchase for 200m of four office blocks at the front of AIB's Bankcentre headquarters in 2006 was another deal that the commentariat scoffed at as the economy fell over the proverbial cliff. But had he managed to navigate his way through and out of Nama, as others did, he might well have found himself delivering on a plan similar to the one developer Johnny Ronan is now progressing. Having secured Dunne's former site with his funding partners, Colony Capital, for 67.5m in 2015, Ronan is expected to kick-start the development of Facebook's new EMEA headquarters there within weeks. The commencement of works on the 30,900 sq m (333,000 sq ft) Fibonacci Square scheme by Ronan's company, RGRE, will represent the first step in the delivery of a wider 65,000 sq m (700,000 sq ft) campus on the AIB Bankcentre site, capable of accommodating 5,000 employees. The remainder of the Dublin 4 site is divided into two sections, which are owned respectively by the Serpentine Consortium and a European syndicate assembled by Davy. Had the impact of the global financial crisis not been so acutely felt here in Ireland, Sean Dunne might also be reaping huge rewards from the numerous sites his companies acquired in the Dublin Docklands before the crash. One good example is the site the developer had on the waterfront at Princess Street on City Quay. While the site was valued by Nama in 2009 at just 1.5m and carried a par debt of 17.34m -with 1.86m of that owed to the State's so-called 'bad bank' - in 2016 it was the subject of a 125m forward purchase by Irish Life. The company outbid five overseas investment funds to finance the development and secure ownership of a new eight-storey headquarters building for Grant Thornton. With the cost of delivering the building estimated at 70m, profits of about 55m were shared out between Nama and US investor Oaktree Capital Management, as well the Bennett Group, who handled the construction contract. A small number of private investors including Frank Kenny, a senior adviser to Hibernia Reit, were also reported to have profited from the transaction. Dunne would also have been well placed to capitalise on the proven appetite of international financial institutions and US tech giants for a foothold in the Docklands, with the 0.91-acre site he owned next to what is now the Central Bank's new headquarters on North Wall Quay. While the plot was valued at 5m by Nama in November 2009, today it would easily command a guide price of at least 40m based on the sums being demanded and achieved in the immediate vicinity. Only two weeks ago, developer Johnny Ronan's RGRE and partners, Colony Capital, agreed to pay in the region of 180m - or 39.13m per acre - for the nearby 4.6-acre 'Project Waterfront' site. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe is preparing to sign off of the Budget. (File photo) A question mark hangs over the long-signalled hike to diesel and petrol prices as Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe prepares to sign-off on Budget 2019. The initial plan was to raise carbon tax by 10 to 30 per tonne, which would have seen the price of a litre of petrol and diesel increase by around 3c, when VAT is included. A bale of briquettes would be 26c dearer and a 40kg bag of coal would rise by almost 1.20. Brexit, housing, health and childcare will be the key themes of the Government's spending plans for next year. But Mr Donohoe is struggling to finalise a taxation package that satisfies the entire Cabinet, with carbon tax proving a particular sticking point. Sources say initial plans to raise the tax by 50pc have proven "problematic" with several ministers and backbench Fine Gael TDs privately warning it will be massively unpopular in rural areas. Hauliers have also complained that extra diesel costs will adversely affect their ability to deal with the eventual impact of Brexit. One source close to the Budget talks said the carbon tax hike could be half of what was previously expected or even postponed. "At the start, the focus on carbon tax was a policy issue but the longer the talks have gone on the political reality seems to have kicked in," one source said. If carbon tax hikes are more limited, Mr Donohoe will have little choice but to raise the 9pc VAT rate for the hospitality sector back to 13.5pc in one swoop. Tourism Minister Shane Ross has already voiced staunch opposition to hiking the VAT rate. In advance of the Budget, Mr Varadkar promised it would be "very much Brexit proofed". "There's going to be a Rainy Day Fund that we can dip into to help our farmers and businesses if we need to in the event of a chaotic Brexit," he said. A County Antrim farmer and businessman has issued a warning for others to be extra vigilant after his Danske Bank account was emptied by online criminals. James Alexander runs a large beef and sheep farm near Toomebridge and a successful tractor sales business with his father Nelson. Unbeknown to the Alexanders criminals were raiding one of their business bank accounts beneath their eyes and didnt stop until the full 150,000 had been swiped. However, James and Nelson feel disappointed with the bank as the money continued to be siphoned out of the account after initial smaller illegal withdrawals were recognised by the bank and the account subsequently locked. After two weeks of discussions with bank personnel, Danske Bank has eventually returned all of the money to the account but has also issued its own warning to customers regarding the dangers of malware and the necessity for robust internet protection software. The drama started two weeks ago when the bank called James to see if he had authorised some payments out of his Danske Bank sterling account to the value of 8,500. This particular sterling account is rarely used and a sister account is held in euros to facilitate transactions for tractors and 4x4s sold to the Republic of Ireland. Expand Close James Alexander with dad Nelson seated. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp James Alexander with dad Nelson seated. As it turns out the hackers were able to infiltrate the system, and transfer all the funds from the euro account into the sterling account before starting to withdraw the funds from there. James said: We do not use that sterling account frequently so when the bank called and asked if we had authorised large transactions it was a shock. The bank was told immediately that this must be online fraud and we instructed them to stop all transactions immediately. At that point we were locked out of the account and could not open it online but we had previously noticed someone had taken a couple of smaller amounts of 1,500 out of the account, he said. Being locked out of his own account James could not monitor what was going on and was later devastated to be told by the bank that the entire account had been cleared. Even after we told the bank this was fraud and a hold was put on the account the criminals managed to continue to take all the funds out of the account which we could not understand, said James. The most disappointing aspect was that the money was drawn out of the account after the original phone call at 3.30pm. By 7.30pm all money was gone and we were not informed of this for ten days. We only found out by accident after we asked the bank to release some euros to pay bills and the person on the phone said there were none! The bank should have told us the account had been cleared. Initial discussions with Danske Bank were not productive according to James, as the bank seemed to be blaming a lack of security on his laptop or PC as the cause of the crime. However, James insisted no-one else had access to his computer hardware, except his wife Ruth who manages the office, and father Nelson. Danske Bank tried to say someone had used our own computer as if we had left it lying around, said James. That was certainly not the case. Then the bank suggested someone had hacked through our online security to empty the account. We have a good security programme in place so I couldnt see how that was possible. What made things even worse was that when the bank knew the fraud was going on and stopped the account, the hackers went on to clear out thousands of euros! How can that be possible after we informed them what was going on and they closed it? Following several more discussions between the Alexanders and key bank business account managers Danske Bank finally agreed to pay back all the money in full which has already been honoured. However, James is urging all farmers and business owners to keep a close eye on their accounts as this case is not an isolated one. He added: Check your accounts regularly and report any suspicious activity. Use the banks suggested protection and take any advice onboard that they supply at the very least so that if it does happen the bank cannot shift blame. We are now getting a stand-alone tablet just for internet banking with no email access as the virus was transmitted from an email. We were lucky to have all our money returned in this case. The bank has worked with us in the end to return the money but I know of other cases where customers have lost thousands of pounds and the banks are not as accommodating. It is somewhat ironic in this day and age that we are being told to increase the use of online banking as more banks close branches yet they cannot seem to control fraud. The latest major fraud case involving Danske Bank in Estonia is one perfect example of this, said James. Robert McCullough from Danske Bank said: We are aware of a cyber attack on the bank accounts of a local business and have worked with the owners to ensure that all security protocols are in place and up to date. This type of an attack reflects the increasing activity and sophistication of criminal elements and underlines the need for all businesses to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to safeguard the online security of their systems particularly in guarding against the introduction of malware. Doing business online is a fundamental requirement for many of us in todays world and the digitalisation of how we work will only accelerate in the years ahead but making sure that proper security is in place and maintained is key. The planned sale of the assets by UK food baron Ranjit Singh Boparans 2 Sisters Food Group, includes Donegal Catch, Green Isles frozen-food business, a manufacturing site in Portumna, Co Galway, and the Green Isle brand itself. Stock Image: Getty Images The former chief executive of Tayto-maker Largo Foods, Maurice Hickey, has entered exclusive talks to buy the remaining Green Isle business that includes Donegal Catch, the Irish Independent understands. The business has been up for sale since earlier this year, with the Donegal Catch and frozen-food business expected to fetch more than 50m. The planned sale of the assets by UK food baron Ranjit Singh Boparan's 2 Sisters Food Group, includes Donegal Catch, Green Isle's frozen-food business, a manufacturing site in Portumna, Co Galway, and the Green Isle brand itself, it is believed. The Portumna factory makes frozen pastry. Green Isle's Goodfella's and San Marco pizza business was sold earlier this year by 2 Sisters to Nomad Foods for 225m. Nomad Foods also owns brands including Birds Eye and Findus. That sale included manufacturing sites in Co Longford and Co Kildare, as well as a logistics team in Ireland and a marketing team in the UK. The pizza business employs about 430 people. The remaining Green Isle businesses employ about 300 people. At the time of the sale of the pizza division, Mr Boparan, who owns 2 Sisters through his Boparan Holdings vehicle and has been dubbed the 'Chicken King', said that the remaining Green Isle business would remain within the 2 Sisters group. Boparan Holdings acquired ownership of Green Isle through its takeover in 2011 of Northern Foods for 342m (389m). Boparan has annual sales of more than 3bn, but the group has been facing challenges with high debt levels and other issues. Nomad chief executive Stefan Descheemaeker said in an interview last month that Nomad did not buy Donegal Catch as it was focused on its Birds Eye brand, and wanted the pizza business to expand into new categories. Mr Hickey, who stepped down from his role at Largo Foods earlier this year, is understood to have secured private equity backing for his tilt at the Green Isle business. Contacted by the Irish Independent, Mr Hickey declined to comment about the Green Isle sales process. Mr Hickey had worked with Largo Foods - now owned by Germany's Intersnack - for about 11 years before leaving the company, which also makes Hunky Dorys crisps. Intersnack has wholly owned the Irish company, that was founded by Ray Coyle, since 2015. Mr Hickey previously worked with firms including Trintech, where he was chief financial officer. He also once served as chief financial officer of Trinity Biotech. Private hospitals have warned people with health insurance they may end up paying for part of the cost of their procedure. The Private Hospitals Association has launched a campaign urging patients to be vigilant when renewing their health cover and to ensure they are adequately covered. The association said increasing numbers of people are being left without adequate cover in key treatment areas of cancer, cardiology and orthopaedics in private hospitals. People who use a private hospital may end up having to make co-payments or find that the procedure they are undergoing is not covered by their plan. Some people on lower-priced plans have also found their cover does not extend to private hospitals. Health experts said many plans require a co-payment on certain orthopaedic procedures such as a hip, knee or shoulder replacements. These can cost up to 15,000 and the co-payment demanded can be 2,000, and rising to 6,000. Some lower-priced health insurance policies also have large excesses - the amount paid before a treatment is covered by the insurer. The association said many patients are realising too late that their cover is falling short. A key telecoms firm to the forefront of the bid to secure the governments National Broadband Plan contract has announced a change in ownership. Confirming a report in yesterdays Sunday Independent, Enet will now be fully owned by the state-backed Irish Infrastructure Fund after a deal for Granahan McCourt, the investment firm controlled by Irish-American businessman David McCourt, to sell its 22pc stake in the telecoms company to the IIF. No deal transaction value has been disclosed. Enet runs several metropolitan area network telecoms rings around the country and has been considered the leading telecoms firm company in the sole remaining National Broadband Plan bid, seeing off rivals such as Eir, Vodafone and the ESB. However, David McCourt said that it did not represent any detachment from the National Broadband Plan process on his part. There is no change in the consortiums goals, he said. Granahan McCourt was always the lead entity in this consortium. We led the consortium since the pre-qualification questionnaire was submitted in March 2016 and as we are now looking ahead to delivering the NBP, and in order to fully commit our time, energy and resources to this ambitious project, we have taken the decision to sell our remaining stake in Enet. I have long believed that the provision of world-class connectivity needs to be viewed as a vital utility and enet continues to play a significant role in solving this problem for many citizens across the country. I have been proud to have been part of the companys ownership structure and wish the team a successful future. The Irish Infrastructure Fund is managed by AMP Capital and Irish Life Investment Managers. "The Irish Infrastructure Fund is delighted to acquire the remaining 22pc in Enet, bringing the IIFs stake to 100pc, said AMP Capital's Philip Doyle, principal of the Irish Infrastructure Fund. Since we acquired a majority stake in the business in August 2017, the company has demonstrated the high quality of its business and its potential for growth. Enet, via its operation of vital telecoms infrastructure, has developed a great business that is both commercially focused and policy supportive. Over the weekend, Mr McCourt dismissed a controversy over meeting Communications Minister Denis Naughten, saying that as a major telecoms investor in Ireland over the years, he would have been pissed off if Mr Naughten had declined to meet him. Mr McCourt said that the reason he invited Minister Naughten and his officials to the July dinner in New York was to reassure them that a series of concerns that had arisen regarding the bid tender had been resolved. The dinner was prompted by me, he said. The Ministers department had brought up some issues and wanted them resolved, saying that if they werent we were at risk. All I wanted to do was to make sure they knew that those issues were being resolved. If I couldnt have got hold of the Minister I would have called the Taoiseach to say that I understand the seriousness. It was important. According to minutes of the conversation between Minister Naughtens party and McCourt released by the government, department officials were pressing for a permanent, Irish-based, leadership position within the consortium, a need for streamlined decision making processes and the need for any changes within the consortium to be avoided or, if necessary, to be kept to a minimum. The officials also pressed for the need for the necessary financing to be in place by August 15. All of these issues, McCourt said, have been met. Details of the financing behind the consortium bid are still unclear, but Independent.ie understands that they will involve McCourts longtime business associate, Berkshire Hathaway board member Walter Scott. I think its misleading to make something out of it politically when I was doing my job, as was the Minister, said McCourt. I wanted them to know I was taking matters seriously. I would also have been a bit pissed off if the Minister refused to meet someone spending 100m in telecoms in Ireland. McCourt also sought to downplay the involvement of businessman Denis OBrien in the National Broadband Plan process. OBriens infrastructure engineering firm, Actavo, is to be a key contractor to the rollout bid. Actavo, formerly known as Siteserv, became caught up in the water charges controversy having been contracted by Irish Water to install water meters. McCourt said that he had absolutely not spoken to OBrien about the rural broadband contract or consulted with him about the bid. Denis OBrien is not part of the consortium, he said. Its very misleading for people who want to score points to suggest he is. He owns one of about 40 sub-contractors were using, yes. But thats like owning the company that looks after the windows or the doors. There are only two telecoms infrastructure firms in Ireland with the capacity and ability to build out a network of this scale and were using both of them, as well as a third infrastructure company were bringing in from the UK. Weve had an incredibly rigorous tendering process. It has nothing to do with Denis OBrien. In a special budget 2019 series with Ernst & Young, the Floating Voter podcast is looking ahead to what we can expect in this year's budget, what the fall-out will be and discuss some of the longer-term political and economic factors at play. For an economy that is growing, where should we be spending our money in anticipation of future threats such as recession or Brexit? And what about the potential changes to income tax rates? Will there be more in your pocket to spend or will it disappear through other increases? INM's Group Political Editor, Kevin Doyle is joined by Philip Ryan, Deputy Political Editor, along with Annette Hughes, Economist & Director, EY DKM Economic Advisory and Kevin McLoughlin, Partner & Head of Tax, EY Ireland, to look ahead to Budget 2019. Its about managing expectations with whats ahead on the horizon, says Annette Hughes. The Minister needs to take a cautious approach. The economy will slow down eventually and when it does, if we dont have the resources at the time, then everyone will take a hit. What kind of economy do we want to have going forwards? Dont lose sight of the fact that our debt is 200bn plus the cost of servicing it every year, cautions Kevin McLoughlin. You have to expect there will be economic swings and how do we protect ourselves? Its prudent economics smoothing those peaks and troughs. Dont forget, Independent.ie will have full coverage, reaction and analysis to Budget 2019 and you can listen to episode two of the Floating Voter budget special podcast on Wednesday 10th October on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud and Independent.ie. Patrick Grismer has been appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) of Starbucks. Reporting to Starbucks president and CEO Kevin Johnson, Grismer succeeds Scott Maw, who will retire on November 30. Grismer will join the company on November 12 and assuming the role of CFO on November 30 but Maw will remain a senior consultant through March 2019 to ensure a smooth transition. An accomplished finance executive, Grismer has more than 25 years combined at Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Yum! Brands (parent company to KFC, Pizza Hut and TacoBell) and The Walt Disney Company under his belt. "As a seasoned CFO of multiple global, consumer-facing growth companies,Pat brings tremendous finance expertise, a customer-centric mindset anda wealth of restaurant industry experience to Starbucks," said Mr Johnson. Grismer joins Starbucks from his current position as CFO of Hyatt, which he has held since joining the company in March 2016. "I am very excited to join Starbucks and feel privileged to be part of the team responsible for leading this iconic, global company. I have always admired the Starbucks brand and values, and I look forward to working with Kevin and the leadership team to help lead the company intoits next phase of growth," he said. Is it my imagination or has cooking taken over the television screens? You cannot watch a travel documentary these days without seeing some master chef finely slicing an onion on the top of an extinct volcano; or so-called celebrities filling the screen each evening with misshapen jam tarts and soggy-bottom pastry. Jolly cooks from Bali to Ballymaloe seem determined each night to show me how to boil an egg; it's a TV food obsession. However, it does explain what is happening in the British retail trade. While the UK High street is, as they say, "in the basement", that very serious malaise does not seem to apply to the grocery sector. It has been forced to adapt to the new trading reality of the internet era. It is one of the mainstays of this sector we are looking at today, the giant supermarket chain Tesco. Tesco is still one of the "big four" supermarket groups (alongside Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrison), controlling 70pc of the UK market despite the march of the German discounters Aldi and Lidl. It has more than 6,000 stores - half in the UK - employs 475,000 people and has a market value of 23bn (25bn). Over recent years the group has been through the wars of being forced to retreat from many world markets including Japan and the USA. Its present health is linked to the success of its UK and Irish operations. But its business is now shifting to a whole new level. The group has acquired the UK's largest food wholesaler, Booker, at the same time that Morrison linked up with Amazon and the Sainsbury's deal (still under examination) to buy Asda. Tesco's deal with Booker is part of a confidence-recovery programme. A few years ago it was forced to admit to a catastrophic overstating of profits, which resulted in 2.2bn being written off its market value. The new CEO, Dave Lewis, set to do some axe-wielding. He restructured the management, closed its HQ, cancelled 50 new large supermarkets and announced a raft of cost-saving measures. In recent times the group has been active. In addition to its 4bn purchase of Booker last year, it has concluded a deal with the French grocery giant Carrefour and is setting up a new discount chain. The Booker deal provides Tesco with greater pricing power, better control over its supply chain and is expected to boost margins. The deal with Carrefour is to use their respective strength to buy own brand products as part of a long-term tie up. In its effort to combat Aldi and Lidl, it has set up a new chain of discount stores (Jack's) using existing shops or some of its mothballed sites. However, analysts are of the opinion that such a small number of outlets (15) will not make a great difference. In the last four years the group has been repositioning itself, but like all "supertankers" it doesn't turn quickly. Since the group issued its profit warning in 2012 (its first in 20 years), investors have been suffering. The accounting scandal in 2014 caused serious damage to not only its reputation, but to the value of the group and to investors. As a result the share price has been in the doldrums but is slowly recovering, trading today at 214p. Sales at 57bn still trail those of four years ago, as do its profits. Margins are very tight (2pc), but investors are hoping the Booker and Carrefour deals will help. A sign of its improving position is cash flow is increasing and debt is down by a third after offloading a number of properties. This is good news for shareholders who welcome the return of the annual dividend after its absence for number of years. Evidence to date shows Tesco's recovery has been slow and steady - but it is in an improving space. Its troubles appear to be in the past and this month's statement should indicate progress. The stock is a recovery one and today's share price could be seen as a sensible entry point. Nothing in this section should be taken as a recommendation, either explicit or implicit to buy any of the shares mentioned. It says a lot about our often contradictory Irish nature that perhaps the most successful, and certainly most influential, businessman in the history of this State is also one of the most controversial and divisive. You could throw a rock on O'Connell Street at rush hour and there's a good chance you'd hit someone who has their own private horror story about flying with Michael O'Leary's infamous yet massively popular airline. As chief executive of Ryanair for the last 25 years, O'Leary has arguably done more to enhance the freedom of movement within Europe than anything else, other, perhaps, than the actual fall of the Iron Curtain. That success hasn't come easy, and along the way the increasingly brash and brazen O'Leary seemed to take immense delight in enraging sniffy commentators and other airline establishment figures who had traditionally viewed the low-frills operation with a disdain that bordered on contempt. In Michael O'Leary: Turbulent Times for the Man Who Made Ryanair, broadcaster and journalist Matt Cooper has written a frequently enlightening unauthorised biography, and it should come as little surprise that O'Leary has greeted the release with something approaching fury. Central to O'Leary's displeasure is Cooper's claim that the Ryanair chief met Willie Walsh to discuss the possibility of Walsh, currently chief of International Airlines Group and former boss of British Airways and Aer Lingus, replacing him when he eventually steps down. It's a bold but hardly unreasonable claim to make and despite the fact that the book is, as you would expect, scrupulously sourced, the airline boss was quick to release a statement condemning and refuting the claim. Of course, it's always difficult to determine what goes on behind the scenes of any large corporation, but O'Leary has insisted that he only met Walsh "to advance the Airlines for Europe agenda. I have long been an admirer of Willie Walsh, but have frequently explained that when I eventually step down from Ryanair, I expect the board will make a decision on my replacement." Cooper, in his own reply, has stressed that "the book is an unauthorised biography and is neither a PR job for Ryanair, nor is it hostile to Ryanair or Michael O'Leary". He's certainly accurate in his assertion that the book is not a PR job but the average reader will raise an eyebrow at his claim it's not hostile. The shine on Ryanair's halo of punctuality and ruthless efficiency took a dent in September last year, when 700,000 bookings across Europe were cancelled, and while they continue to increase passenger numbers year on year, it feels like there is a growing sense of unrest amongst both the pilots and cabin crew, and even the customers. Video of the Day As you would expect from someone who cut his teeth in the often impenetrable world of business journalism, Cooper is comfortable with share prices and high finance, and his apparent insight into boardroom-level decisions is something that obviously irks O'Leary, who went on the attack this week, accusing Cooper of, rather inevitably, "fake news". That he should use such a Trump-esque phrase will come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the man's wildly controversial career - which, let's be honest, is most Irish people. But while the intrigue over who will replace him, and when they will do it, is undeniably interesting, this book is actually much more entertaining when read as a charge sheet of O'Leary's crimes against standard behaviour. While Cooper opts for a disapproving tone throughout, interspersed with grudging but genuine admiration for his achievements, the often overlooked fact is that O'Leary's undeniably bold strategy of treat 'em mean and keep 'em keen is frequently extremely funny - assuming you're not the customer on the receiving end of his withering disdain, that is. Few bosses in this current climate, for example, would respond to an irate customer's complaint about a 60 surcharge for not printing a boarding pass with a dismissive: "We think Mrs McLeod should pay 60 for being so stupid... She wasn't able to print her boarding card because, as you know, there are no internet cafes in Alicante... She wrote to me looking for compensation... thank you Mrs McLeod, but it was your fuck up." Such examples of his Basil Fawltyish approach to customer relations are legion, and in truth most of them are products of O'Leary's keenly developed sense of mischief, such as suggesting his planes start showing porn, saying: "I'd be the biggest customer." Similarly, when he joked that they could remove seats from the back of the planes and install subway-style hand rails, it was immediately pointed out, not unreasonably, that such people would likely die in the event of a crash, he replied, with equal logic: "Well, the people sitting down will probably die as well." The billionaire has recently tried to reinvent both himself and his airline as a 'nicer, kinder' operation, and as Cooper points out, younger passengers now want a better service. But do they really? He may be a hard man to work for - his inner circle of advisers were known as "the Z team" because he doesn't want them getting notions - and he may be a hard man to fly with. But as long as he keeps prices down, millions of customers will continue to grumble while also booking tickets. It could be argued that O'Leary made a misstep by condemning the book so forcefully before he read it, but he better resign himself to receiving numerous copies as mischievous Christmas gifts. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he is personally "chasing" the investigation into Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who went missing after entering the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul last week. "I am following it up as the President of the Turkish Republic," the Turkish leader said, while also confirming that he had known Khashoggi for some time and considered him a friend. "I am chasing. We will of course share the result with the world. All the footage of entrance or exit of the embassy is under investigation," CNN cited him as saying. Erdogan's comments came after unnamed Turkish officials told the The Washington Post and Reuters that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate. Khashoggi, a Washington Post writer and outspoken critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's leadership, entered the consulate Tuesday to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage while his Turkish fiancee waited outside. But his fiancee says she never saw him re-emerge. The Turkish president suggested that the Turkish investigation included the arrival of a number of Saudi officials in Istanbul. Fifteen Saudis arrived in the city on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was being held, the official Anadolu agency reported quoting Turkish police. "The arrival at the airport, the departure, is under investigation," Erdogan added. In 1896 a motley crew of bohemian Celtophiles embarked on a cultural sojourn to the Aran Islands. It included British impressionist writer Arthur Symons and Irish poet WB Yeats. Symons documented how civilisation on the three islands "was similar to that of the Homeric poems". He also noted a story an islander told him, involving a man killing his father. That case of patricide would later be mythologised in JM Synge's controversial 1907 drama The Playboy of the Western World. Symons, Yeats and Synge were part of a larger cultural trend that began at the turn of the 20th Century and continued for the next few decades: it saw a host of painters, artists, writers and anthropologists taking spiritual and cultural refuge on numerous islands scattered around Ireland's 7,800km coastline. All these cultural archivists and spiritual dreamers were seeking to understand - or even momentarily become part of - a mystical ancient Celtic society that sat at the fringes of Western Europe: which modernity and industrialisation had overlooked. However, these artists tended to frame their experiences on the islands in the language of Social Darwinism - romantically depicting the natives they met almost in a colonial manner: viewing them as simple-noble-savage-peasants. Diarmaid Ferriter's comprehensive study of Ireland's offshore islands purposely eschews such a reverent, patronising and romantic tone. The Dublin historian begins by looking at island life in the mid-19th Century, taking the reader right up the present day. Preoccupying the book's central thesis lies a fundamental question: what exactly did island life mean to the native islanders themselves? The answer, Ferriter contends, is there wasn't one single island experience. Another valid question the historian explores concerns the relationship - culturally and economically - between the Irish State and islanders since 1922. Again, the historian stresses, nuance must be applied. Poverty and tragedy was certainly part of island life. Surprisingly though, the records show islanders were not any worse off than mainland life - particularly in the west of Ireland - during the years when poverty was particularly egregious in Irish society. Moreover, islanders often avoided paying rates and taxes that were mandatory across on the mainland. Ferriter attempts to deconstruct an apparent paradox contained within the complex story of Ireland offshore islands. On the one hand, the simple, rural life islanders seemingly epitomised was one that displayed just the kind of traits that Irish nationalists were desperately promoting as an ideology in the early years of the Irish State: a deep commitment to communitarian values, agrarian self sufficiency, and, for the most part, a dogmatic attachment to pious Catholicism too. And yet, mainly for reasons relating to economic hardship, the islanders' narrative is predominantly a downward spiral. In 1841, Ferriter notes, there were 34,219 people living on 211 offshore islands. By 2016 that number had dwindled to 8,756. Like the broader narrative of Irish history over the last 150 years, the island story is one of emigration. Video of the Day Ferriter soberly reminds us that many islanders were more likely to be familiar with details of the transport systems they help to build in London and Boston, than the ancient songs and stories from their local community. Prejudices of patronising outside writers notwithstanding, culture is still the most obvious place to look for answers when seeking to understand the island mind: if indeed it is possible to believe in such a concept. There is certainly a long list of films, books, paintings, poems and plays to choose from to explore this; with Ferriter dedicating two fascinating chapters, citing various examples from these cultural gems along the way. The highlights include Emily Lawless's 1892 romantic tragic novel Grania, which raised some interesting ideas at the time regarding the status women living on islands coveted in comparison to their mainland counterparts. Then there is the books the islanders wrote themselves. The Blasket Island canon delivers the two most obvious examples: Peig Sayers's, 1936 memoir, Peig, and Tomas O'Crohan's 1929 memoir, The Islandman. Robert Flaherty's documentary, Man of Aran, it's worth noting, won Best Film at the Venice film festival in 1935. The cultural, sociological and anthropological evidence Ferriter meticulously sifts through here shows us that island natives, historically at least, did have their various customs, traditions and beliefs: whether that was how they played the fiddle; smoked tobacco; approached the concept of death at a wake; or spoke about mystical elements like storms and the ocean, with a pagan-like superstition. Ferriter avoids single definitions, broad brushstrokes and hyperbole. Primarily because he is a historian who always favours fact, sources and evidence, over subjective opinion; and the great array of archival material he brings to the surface here is a good testament to his dedicated approach to research. This enormous attention to detail, however, becomes a little overbearing at times. A 50-page chapter dedicated to island priests, for instance, is tough going: feeling like an uncomfortable mix between academic obsession and a bad Father Ted parody. Still, if this is the book's single major flaw, it's one that can be forgiven, as elsewhere it's packed with intriguing analysis and historical detail. Ariana Grandes Saturday Night Live star fiance Pete Davidson used a monologue on the show to slam Kanye West for his support for Donald Trump (PA) Ariana Grandes Saturday Night Live star fiance Pete Davidson used a monologue on the show to criticise Kanye West for his support of Donald Trump. West who has deleted his social media accounts appeared on the popular US programme last week and wore a Make America Great Again cap. The rapper was also booed while making a pro-Trump speech when the cameras stopped rolling. Pete dropped by the Weekend Update desk to talk about last weeks musical guest, Kanye West. #SNL pic.twitter.com/LFzJJFTnbV Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) October 7, 2018 On this weeks show, Davidson said no-one had asked West not to wear the cap, adding, I wish I told him not to wear it, suggested that it might upset some people. Like your wife, or every black person ever. Referencing his co-star Michael Che, Davidson said even though Che is black and Im crazy, we both know which side of Kanye is at the wheel right now. Continuing, Davidson, who later wore a Make Kanye 2006 Again hat, said: What Kanye said after we went off the air last week was one of the worst, most awkward things Ive ever seen here. And Ive seen Chevy Chase speak to an intern. Davidson was involved in a spat with the veteran comedian and former SNL star Chase after he said the show is not funny any more. The 24-year-old, who began dating Grande earlier this year before confirming their engagement in June, then urged West to take his meds. West has been open about his mental health troubles in the past. Video of the Day Davidson said: Kanye is a genius, but like a musical genius. Like Joey Chestnut is a hot dog eating genius. But I dont want to hear Joey Chestnuts opinion on things that are not hot dog related. I know Kanye is saying, this is the real me. Im off the meds. Take them! Theres no shame in the medicine game. Im on them. Theres nothing wrong with taking them. If I ever got on a plane and the pilot said, I just want all you to know, this is the real me flying, Id jump out. Being mentally-ill is not an excuse to act like a jackass. The Irish Independent has teamed up with Dunnes Stores, My Bic Pen and Fyffes Ireland to give one lucky reader the chance to win a fantastic family holiday to Universal Orlando Resort. This fantastic prize includes a 7-night trip for four including: Roundtrip airfare to Orlando, Florida Ground transportation between the airport and hotel in Orlando On-site accommodation on-site at the all-new Universals Aventura Hotel Admission to Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure theme parks, plus Universal's Volcano Bay Tickets to Blue Man Group at Universal Orlando Resort For your chance to win, pick up a Trolls colouring-in sheet in your local Dunnes Stores from 29th September to 4th November or inside the Irish Independent on 29th September and get your kids colouring!! Post your completed Trolls colouring-in sheet to: Irish Independent Colouring Competition, PO Box 11, Independent News & Media PLC, Independent House, 27-32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1. The closing date for receipt of entries is strictly Monday 5th November at 5pm. Any entries received after that date will not be valid. Good luck! Plus, pick up the Irish Independent on 6th October to get your free Bic colouring set* and on 15th October to get your free Fyffes Ireland banana pencil case*, exclusively at Dunnes Stores. *While stocks last. Terms and conditions. EMMA Mhic Mhathuna died without getting the kind of accountability she fought for. Two of her slides sent for cervical screening in 2010 and 2013 were misread by Quest laboratories after they failed to pick up abnormalities. She was not diagnosed with cervical cancer until 2016. Yet, although negligent error was proven and the lab admitted liability, CervicalCheck has never ordered an investigation to find out what went wrong. What contributed to these slides being incorrectly read? Were they linked to wider weaknesses in the screening system? She died without ever knowing. Even if there were not another 220 women who received wrong test results, Emmas case alone warranted an in-depth probe to find out what went wrong and what needs to be done to reduce the risk of a repeat. Dr Gabriel Scally, who investigated CervicalCheck and produced a scathing report, concluded the labs employed by CervicalCheck in Dublin and the United States could continue to be used. But he did not have access to slides. The more extensive review of the labs by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists will give a clearer overview of the quality of screening, but its findings may be limited. The battle for the truth, which was started by Vicky Phelan, who went public with her High Court case in April, is far from over. Emma ended up with a 7.5m settlement but it was hard-fought. The reality is that Emma would have died and never have known about the negligence involving her tests if Vickys case had not come to light. Although the public political sentiments were sympathetic, the behind the-scenes legal combat was quite fierce. It all seems a long time ago now, but it was just last May that her solicitor Cian OCarroll had to step in to prevent the defendants sending psychologists down to Kerry to question her children for up to two hours on what they thought about the impending death of their mother. Central to the case was the need for the family to secure a financial settlement which would make provision to keep all the children together and not be split up. Yet it was still 3m short up to the 11th hour in July before the final court settlement. The Scally report of last month found CervicalCheck was doomed to failure. Nobody was in charge. The labs were not visited for the past four years. Not all of the 221 women at the centre of the CervicalCheck scandal who got wrong test results are the victims of negligence. There are limitations to screening. But how difficult the State and labs will make it for them to take a legal case remains unclear. Judge Charles Meenan is expected to shortly suggest a form of mediation which would be held in private. But then there are cases like that of Ruth Morrissey, the Limerick mother faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis because of alleged misreadings of cervical smear tests. She has had to go public and liability is being challenged. The case is due back in court in January. Many more women have lodged claims and these will emerge in the coming months. An action plan setting out how the recommendations of the Scally report can be implemented is due at the end of the year. In the meantime, CervicalCheck has suspended doing audits of the test results of women who developed cancer. These need to resume as early as possible. Detectives are probing whether the city's latest gun murder victim was targeted over a personal dispute with a local crack cocaine gang. Robert Sheridan (45) was shot dead as he answered the door to his home in Poppintree Crescent, Ballymun. The father of two had been targeted several times in recent weeks, with 13 bullets pumped into his house and two cars burnt out. Investigators believe two masked men were responsible for the gun attack at around 11.15pm on Friday, who then fled into Poppintree Park. Sheridan was treated by paramedics but pronounced dead a short time later from catastrophic injuries. The victim was known to local gardai for drug offences but was not considered a serious criminal. However, gardai believe he fell foul of a vicious crack cocaine gang. "The bad blood was festering for a while and escalated recently with his home and car targeted," a source said. "He hadn't been arrested for any serious incidents and there doesn't appear to have been any sort of turf war and indications are this murder was the result of a personal dispute." Such was the threat on Sheridan he was served with a Garda Information Message, which gardai give to a person when there is a credible risk to their life. In June his car was burnt out, and three weeks ago 13 shots were fired into his home. He only escaped serious injury because he was not home at the time. In an interview with the 'Sunday World' just days before he was shot dead, Sheridan revealed he was carrying a dagger for his own safety. "It's the only protection I have, but it's not much use against a gun. They may be idiots but they're idiots with guns. It's really wrecking my head," he said. A local GAA club recently warned of a crack cocaine epidemic in Ballymun with criminal gangs "grooming" children to push drugs. The executive of Setanta GAA Club sent a letter to Drugs Minister Catherine Byrne in which it was claimed the use of crack cocaine in the area has increased tenfold in recent times. John Gilligan who is accused of money laundering offences is facing a real and immediate threat to his life, Belfast High Court heard today. Lawyers for Gilligan also insisted he has no intention of fleeing because of his ongoing involvement in litigation over a "vast property portfolio". Further details emerged as the 66-year-old's latest attempt to secure bail was adjourned. Gilligan, with an address at Greenforth Crescent, Dublin, was arrested at Belfast International Airport on August 23 as he was about to board a flight to Alicante. The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) said officers recovered around 23,000 from his luggage. He faces a charge of attempting to remove criminal property. Prosecutors previously opposed his release by claiming he had "sold up" and was leaving Ireland behind for a new life in Spain. All the cash in his suitcase was said to have come from family, friends and the sale of belongings. One man had allegedly purchased a watch from him for 5,000, the court heard previously. But Gilligan's legal team insisted he only intended to rent a property in Spain for a limited period of time. With bail refused last month due to concerns the accused could abscond, he returned to Belfast High Court in a bid to establish a change of circumstances. Opening the application, defence barrister Plunkett Nugent stressed the need to keep any subsequent living arrangements undisclosed. "It's common case there's a very real and immediate threat to the defendant's life," he said. Mr Plunkett argued that newly available documents show his client fully complied with bail terms in a separate case from the 1980s. Counsel also contended: "The defendant is involved in very, very major legal proceedings in relation to a vast property portfolio in the neighbouring jurisdiction of the Republic of Ireland. "Far from any notion of fleeing, he intends to pursue this to the nth degree." Questioning whether the necessary change of circumstances had been demonstrated, Lord Justice Deeny also cited the normal period of three months before fresh applications are mounted. However, he decided to adjourn the legal bid so that the original judge can make a new determination on a later date. More than 600 Irish people have been deported from Australia over the last two years. More than 600 Irish people have been deported from Australia over the last two years. Figures released to RTE by the Australian Department of Home Affairs show that from the beginning of 2016 to the end of August this year a total of 636 Irish nationals were sent home. The most common issues leading to deportation had to do with visas with people either overstaying their visa or having their visa cancelled making up the majority of cases. Australia scrapped its controversial skilled 457 visa programme this year. The programme had allowed tens of thousands of Irish workers to enter the country legally. Allegations arose that the visa was being used by some employers to import workers without attempting to fill genuine skill gaps. After the 457 visa was scrapped it was replaced with the Temporary Skill Shortage Visa (TSS). The list of applicants that qualify for this visa is significantly less than its predecessor. Successful applicants are only permitted a limited stay in Australia, either two or four years, and must also be sponsored by an employer to avail of the visa. Thousands of Irish workers flocked to Australia, many from the health and construction sector, in search of work after the economic crash of 2008. THE remains of fearless CervicalCheck campaigner Emma Mhic Mhathuna (37) have been brought back to the west Kerry Gaeltacht house she called her "dream home." A hearse carrying the mother of five's coffin was escorted from University Hospital Kerry (UHK) by cars carrying family members to her picturesque home at Baile na nGall, overlooking part of the Wild Atlantic Way. A Garda patrol car also escorted the small cortege as it made its way shortly before 3.30pm past the stunning west Kerry scenery that Ms Mhic Mhathuna loved so much before arriving at her coastal cottage in Baile na nGall, some 20km from Dingle. Her remains will be kept overnight at the home she specially chose for her five children just 18 months ago. Private prayers will be staged for her children and family with friends and neighbours also attending. Her coffin will then be brought tomorrow to Seipeal na Carraige for 11am Requiem Mass. Expand Close The Coffin of the late Emma Mhic Mhathuna arrived at her home today Photo By Domnick Walsh / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Coffin of the late Emma Mhic Mhathuna arrived at her home today Photo By Domnick Walsh Following Requiem Mass, her remains will be brought to Dublin for a second Requiem Mass in the ProCathedral on Wednesday. In a poignant tribute to the mother of five who campaigned so fearlessly for justice for the women impacted by the CervicalCheck scandal, Baile na nGall locals had the Tricolour flying at half mast in their small community. Mother-of-five Emma Mhic Mhathuna (37), who bravely battled cancer after being caught up in the CervicalCheck scandal, died yesterday morning in UHK after a sudden and rapid deterioration in her condition. Her next-door neighbour Phil Ui Bhrosnachain paid tribute to her today, speaking about the impact she made in Baile na nGall during the time that she lived there. Expand Close Emma Mhic Mhathuna and her children met President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina earlier this year / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Emma Mhic Mhathuna and her children met President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina earlier this year Speaking on An Saol o Dheas on RTE Raidio na Gaeltacht, she said: "She was fearless, and she spoke the truth all the time, and do you know I never thought this day would come. "She had so much energy, I suppose I just didnt believe it. She was very content here, she used to go up to Dublin, and then when shed come back here shed say Im home now... "She was a wonderful woman, and she did so much for her children, thats all she was thinking of .. and she was so funny, wed always have a laugh. "She could be in to us five or six times a day, and Id be saying to her what is it now Emma and shed start laughing." Ms Ui Bhrosnachain also reminisced about the first time that she met Ms Mhic Mhathuna, when she went into the post office where she was working. "I remember the first day she walked in here, Ill never forget it. Expand Close Vicky Phelan and Emma Mhic Mhathuna are two of the women affected by the CervicalCheck controversy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Vicky Phelan and Emma Mhic Mhathuna are two of the women affected by the CervicalCheck controversy "She had the five kids with her, with her blonde hair and an orange jacket, and I thought to myself who is this beautiful woman... "She told us she was looking for a house, so she put up a sign, and she got a house then next door. Thats my first memory of her," she said. Vicky Phelan has praised Ms Mhic Mhathuna on her brave fight against cancer and especially in succeeding to win money from her case to provide for her children.. Ms Phelan, whose court case brought the scandal to light, said Ms Mhic Mhathuna should be making school lunches and waving her children off to school today. "My kids have gone out to school this morning," Ms Phelan told Newstalk's Breakfast programme. "That's what her children should be doing, she should be doing their lunches and giving them a kiss on the head as they go out the door. Its the small things, they're the things that matter as a mother." Expand Close Mother-of-five Emma Mhic Mhathuna Photo: Don MacMonagle / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mother-of-five Emma Mhic Mhathuna Photo: Don MacMonagle Vicky is going through treatment for cancer herself and while things are good for her at the moment, there is always the danger that it will stop working, she says. "Its very hard," Ms Phelan she said. "That could be my reality in the not too distant future. You want to be there for your children. Expand Close CALM: Emma Mhic Mhathuna at the Laughter Lounge. Picture: Kyran O'Brien / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp CALM: Emma Mhic Mhathuna at the Laughter Lounge. Picture: Kyran O'Brien "I had my last dose of [the drug I am on] a few days ago. I had the result of my most recent scan last week. Everything is fine, its stable. There is no shrinkage, but no new tumours." She described Ms Mhic Mhathuna's death as "too close to the bone". "Emma died on Sunday morning. There was another lady who didnt go public [about her cancer] and she died on Saturday morning. It's too close to the bone for me at the moment. "I had been working with them to get them on to this drug Im on but it was too late for them," she continued. "The brilliant thing about the drug is the quality of life with it. I am living my life as if I havent got cancer. "With chemo or radiation, I couldnt get out of bed. My son would come back from montessori everyday and ask is mammy still in bed. You just want to do normal things. Ms Mhic Mhathuna fought very hard to secure the financial future of her children - who range in age from two to 16 years - and received a settlement of 7.5m in June from Quest laboratories and the State after she was given incorrect smear test results. "She was doing it for her children," said Ms Phelan. "It was all about providing for them. She did whatever it took to get the money to provide for her children when she was gone. "A fitting legacy for Emma is to get accountability. At the moment the only way we can get it is by improving the screening process we have to make it fit for purpose ... to make it one Emma would be proud of. "Accountability has not really happened, we need to introduce measures to make that happen." Ms Mhic Mhathuna was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016 having previously received two incorrect smear results. Tributes poured in from around the country following the news of her death yesterday. She was praised for the courage and strength that she showed during the course of her devastating illness. Health Minister Simon Harris said he was "very sad" to hear of her passing. "Sadness has come across the entire country. We are so devastated to hear about her passing. My thoughts are with her children," he said. Mr Harris said that Ms Mhic Mhathuna's bravery was "unbelievable" and that he would work tirelessly to improve the cancer-screening programme. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also extended his condolences to the family and friends of Ms Mhic Mhathuna. He said: "I extend my heartfelt sympathy to Emma's family and friends and especially her children. Emma did us all a huge service with her advocacy for the HPV vaccine. "I am determined that something positive should come from this tragedy and it is my objective to virtually eliminate cervical cancer in Ireland." President Michael D Higgins said he was in awe of Ms Mhic Mhathuna's strength. He said: "When I met her and her children in May, I was greatly struck by her poise and bravery in the midst of what was a very difficult time for her family and friends. "On behalf of the people of Ireland, I send my condolences to her family, friends, the wider community in west Kerry and to all those who have shared Ms Mhic Mhathuna's journey as she battled the disease." Stephen Teap, whose wife Irene died from cervical cancer, told Independent.ie that Ms Mhic Mhathuna's children would grow up knowing she loved them more than anything else. He added: "She made an incredible difference and I know that Emma has left a remarkable legacy that her children will cherish throughout their lives." Emma Mhic Mhathuna's Funeral Mass will take place on Tuesday at 11am in Seipeal na Carraige, Baile na nGall with removal to St. Mary's Pro Cathereral, Dublin for Funeral Mass on Wednesday at 12.4pm followed by burial in Laraghbryan Cemetery, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has transferred his powers to the country's Vice President Fuat Oktay, the Turkish media reported. The presidential powers were transferred in connection with Erdogans visit to Hungary, which started October 8 and will last until October 9. Last time Erdogan transferred his powers to Fuat Oktay during the visit to Russia September 2018, Trend reported. One man dead, another seriously injured in overnight stabbing incident: (Stock picture) A MAN has died following a stabbing incident in Cork which left two others, a man and a woman, also injured. The injured man is understood to be a brother of the deceased. The dead man, who is in his 40s, suffered fatal injuries following an incident at a property at Dan Corkery Place in Macroom shortly before 2am today. It is understood he suffered stab injuries to his chest. A second man and a woman, both also aged in their 40s, were also injured in the incident. Both were at the scene when the emergency services were notified. All are understood to be Irish. The emergency services were notified and desperate efforts were made to stabilise the critically injured man at the scene. However, he was pronounced dead a short time later before he could be transferred to hospital The second man and the woman were rushed to Cork University Hospital (CUH). The man is expected to undergo emergency surgery for non-life threatening injuries. The woman's injuries are not described as serious. Gardai hope to speak with both the injured man and woman about the circumstances of what happened once they are medically fit to be interviewed. The scene was immediately sealed off by Gardai to allow for a full technical examination by forensic experts. The Office of the State Pathologist was also notified. Once the State Pathologist examines the scene involved, the body of the deceased will be removed to CUH. It is expected that a full post-mortem examination will be conducted at CUH later today. Macroom gardai are set to launch a murder investigation into the incident. Door-to-door inquiries began this morning in the housing estate to determine if anyone heard or saw anything suspicious. Gardai are also investigating if the tragedy is in any way linked to an incident in Macroom early last week when a row erupted on the street between a number of individuals. This is the Co Armagh Orangeman who was booted out of a Shania Twain concert in Dublin for his drunken dancing. Tandragee shopkeeper Paul Wilson (57), pictured here for the first time, was ejected from the country music legend's show at the 3Arena on Thursday, September 27. During Twain's set security staff reported Mr Wilson's behaviour had begun "affecting" the enjoyment of his fellow country music fans. Mr Wilson admitted to standing in a seated area and swearing at security personnel but claimed he was stunned when garda officers escorted him out of the venue and believes his arrest and charge was over the top. After spending a night in the cells he appeared before Dublin District Court the following day where a judge told him he was "a bit long in the tooth to be carrying on like that" but spared him from a criminal record on the condition he donated 200 to charity. Earlier this week Mr Wilson told the Belfast Telegraph: "I was just dancing, I was enjoying the music and a steward came up and told me to sit down. "There was a standing area at the concert and I was in the seated area but I wasn't in anyone's way or stopping anyone from seeing the concert. "It wasn't as if we were standing the whole time blocking people's views; we were up dancing during a couple of songs and then sat down again once the chorus was over. "That steward was a real jobsworth who took umbrage at me for some reason - there was overkill there, but what can you do? "I probably reacted a bit stupidly, told him I was only enjoying the concert and I accept I probably used a swear word or two, but that was the height of it. He asked me to leave the concert and I told him I wasn't going to do that because I hadn't done anything wrong. He left and came back with the guards." A sergeant told Dublin District Court Mr Wilson was "difficult and obstructive". After being escorted from the venue halfway through the show, the Orangeman, a member of Ballyrea LOL 309, says he won't be going to any more gigs in Dublin. He added: "I never opened my mouth to them, never said a word to them. They took me down to the station, they put me in a cell. "When they let me out they told me I'd been charged and I'd have to go to court, it was a matter of a slap on the wrist and that will be it. "I said that was fine, so I went to court and suddenly there was a whole list of things being read out about disorderly, resisting arrest etc - all of which didn't happen but what could I do, you can't argue with what the guards say? "I know one thing, I'll never be at a concert in Dublin again, but it won't stop me from going to concerts or enjoying myself." Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe is preparing to sign off of the Budget. (File photo) Uncertainty over Brexit is also playing into the Government debate over carbon tax. Uncertainty over Brexit is also playing into the Government debate over carbon tax. As far back as last summer, Mr Varadkar indicated carbon taxes would rise as part of climate change obligations. The initial plan was to raise carbon tax by 10 to 30 per tonne, which would have seen the price of a litre of petrol and diesel increase by around 3c, when VAT is included. A bale of briquettes would be 26c dearer and a 40kg bag of coal would rise by almost 1.20. Mr Donohoe needs some revenue-raising measures in the Budget to fund tax breaks and social welfare increases that will be worth around 5 a week to the average person. Sources say he is now firmly of the view that the special VAT rate that was introduced to help the hospitality sector during the recession has served its purpose. If it goes all the way back up to 13.5pc for hotels, it will give the minister more flexibility to retain the lower rate for other sectors, including the newspaper industry. Fianna Fail, which must abstain in the Dail for the Budget to pass, has not objected to the move. However, Mr Ross does not believe his department should carry the full weight of responsibility for raising over 500m. He remains the key thorn in the side of the Finance Minister after he concluded talks on a childcare package with Katherine Zappone yesterday. She is believed to have received extra funds to boost the subsidies available for parents who use childcare facilities. Ms Zappone will also be pleased with the extra parental leave being proposed, although it falls under the remit of Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty. Sources said the cost and administration of the scheme meant it would be introduced "towards the back end of the year", thereby reducing the actual financial commitment by the Exchequer in 2019. The two weeks extra leave will eventually be available to mothers and fathers in the first years of a child's life. The measure will be promoted as an effort by the Government to help working families. As revealed by the Irish Independent on Saturday, the average worker will also be left with around 5 extra a week in their pay packet due to a USC reduction and changes to income tax bands. In the area of housing, Mr Donohoe has agreed to a Fianna Fail proposal for a 300m affordable housing scheme over the next three years. It will see local authorities build homes to sell for between 190,000 and 225,000 on the back of a 50,000 subsidy from the Department of Housing. New incentives are also being put in place for landlords as part of a bid to reduce rental costs. Mortgage interest relief for landlords is expected to increase. Funding for Housing Assistance Payment will go up by around 150m. Health will get more than 16bn next year, including an extra 20m to tackle hospital waiting lists. In advance of the Budget, Mr Varadkar promised it would be "very much Brexit proofed". "There's going to be a Rainy Day Fund that we can dip into to help our farmers and businesses if we need to in the event of a chaotic Brexit," he said. Scouting Ireland voted to overhaul governance structures and elect a new board last night in the wake of controversy over the alleged mishandling of a rape allegation. Its board had stepped down earlier in the day. The move came after the Department of Children suspended Scouting Ireland's funding last month until the board was replaced. At an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) yesterday in Dublin City University, members of the organisation voted overwhelmingly in favour of the changes. The withdrawal of State funding threatened the future of the organisation. Scouting Ireland had already seen 900,000 of State funding withdrawn last April before Children's Minister Katherine Zappone demanded change in September. Last night, a spokesman for Scouting Ireland said the organisation will now discuss future funding arrangements with the Department. He said the board will work with management to introduce new governance structures. "These new structures will ensure Scouting Ireland is an organisation that is fit for purpose and operates to the highest standards of governance," he said. "A new board was elected at the EGM and it will now work with the CEO and executive team on implementing the new governance structures. The motions were passed by an overwhelming majority with over 95pc voting in favour of the proposals." Vicky Phelan has praised Emma Mhic Mhathuna on her brave fight against cancer and especially in succeeding to win money from her case to provide for her children. Mother-of-five Emma Mhic Mhathuna (37), who bravely battled cancer after being caught up in the CervicalCheck scandal, died yesterday morning. Vicky Phelan, whose court case brought the scandal to light, said Emma should be making school lunches and waving her children off to school today. "My kids have gone out to school this morning," Ms Phelan told Newstalk's Breakfast programme. "That's what her children should be doing, she should be doing their lunches and giving them a kiss on the head as they go out the door. Its the small things, they're the things that matter as a mother." Vicky is going through treatment for cancer herself and while things are good for her at the moment, there is always the danger that it will stop working, she says. Expand Close Vicky Phelan and Emma Mhic Mhathuna were both affected by the CervicalCheck controversy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Vicky Phelan and Emma Mhic Mhathuna were both affected by the CervicalCheck controversy "Its very hard," Ms Phelan she said. "That could be my reality in the not too distant future. You want to be there for your children. "I had my last dose of [the drug I am on] a few days ago. I had the result of my most recent scan last week. Everything is fine, its stable. There is no shrinkage, but no new tumours." She described Ms Mhic Mhathuna's death as "too close to the bone". Expand Close Emma Mhic Mhathuna and her children met President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina earlier this year / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Emma Mhic Mhathuna and her children met President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina earlier this year "Emma died on Sunday morning. There was another lady who didnt go public [about her cancer] and she died on Saturday morning. It's too close to the bone for me at the moment. "I had been working with them to get them on to this drug Im on but it was too late for them," she continued. Expand Close CALM: Emma Mhic Mhathuna at the Laughter Lounge. Picture: Kyran O'Brien / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp CALM: Emma Mhic Mhathuna at the Laughter Lounge. Picture: Kyran O'Brien "The brilliant thing about the drug is the quality of life with it. I am living my life as if I havent got cancer. "With chemo or radiation, I couldnt get out of bed. My son would come back from montessori everyday and ask is mammy still in bed. You just want to do normal things. Expand Close Emma Mhic Mhathuna. Picture: Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Emma Mhic Mhathuna. Picture: Collins "This drug is a game changer." Read More Ms Mhic Mhathuna fought very hard to secure the financial future of her children - who range in age from two to 16 years - and received a settlement of 7.5m in June from Quest laboratories and the State after she was given incorrect smear test results. "She was doing it for her children," said Ms Phelan. "It was all about providing for them. She did whatever it took to get the money to provide for her children when she was gone. "A fitting legacy for Emma is to get accountability. At the moment the only way we can get it is by improving the screening process we have to make it fit for purpose ... to make it one Emma would be proud of. "Accountability has not really happened, we need to introduce measures to make that happen." Ms Mhic Mhathuna was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016 having previously received two incorrect smear results. Tributes poured in from around the country following the news of her death yesterday. The mother of five children was praised for the courage and strength that she showed during the course of her devastating illness. Health Minister Simon Harris said he was "very sad" to hear of her passing. "Sadness has come across the entire country. We are so devastated to hear about her passing. My thoughts are with her children," he said. Mr Harris said that Ms Mhic Mhathuna's bravery was "unbelievable" and that he would work tirelessly to improve the cancer-screening programme. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also extended his condolences to the family and friends of Ms Mhic Mhathuna. He said: "I extend my heartfelt sympathy to Emma's family and friends and especially her children. Emma did us all a huge service with her advocacy for the HPV vaccine. "I am determined that something positive should come from this tragedy and it is my objective to virtually eliminate cervical cancer in Ireland." President Michael D Higgins said he was in awe of Ms Mhic Mhathuna's strength. He said: "When I met her and her children in May, I was greatly struck by her poise and bravery in the midst of what was a very difficult time for her family and friends. "On behalf of the people of Ireland, I send my condolences to her family, friends, the wider community in west Kerry and to all those who have shared Ms Mhic Mhathuna's journey as she battled the disease." Stephen Teap, whose wife Irene died from cervical cancer, told the Irish Independent that Ms Mhic Mhathuna's children would grow up knowing she loved them more than anything else. He added: "She made an incredible difference and I know that Emma has left a remarkable legacy that her children will cherish throughout their lives." Emma Mhic Mhathuna's Funeral Mass will take place on Tuesday at 11am in Seipeal na Carraige, Baile na nGall with removal to St. Mary's Pro Cathereral, Dublin for Funeral Mass on Wednesday at 12.4pm followed by burial in Laraghbryan Cemetery, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. The scene of the fatal stabbing at Dan Corkery Place, Macroom, Co. Cork. Pic Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision Gardai have arrested a woman in her 40s in relation to a stabbing incident in Cork, in which a man died and two other people were left injured. The woman was arrested this afternoon and is detained at Bandon Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. Earlier this morning, gardai announced that they are treating the incident as murder. The deceased man, who was aged 44, suffered fatal injuries following an incident at a property at Dan Corkery Place in Macroom shortly before 2am today. It is understood he suffered stab injuries to his chest. He has been named locally as Timmy Foley, a native of Clonakilty in Cork but who had been living in Macroom for some time and caring for his brother, Jason Foley. A second man and a woman, both also aged in their 40s, were also injured in the incident. The injured man is understood to be Jason Foley. He is expected to undergo emergency surgery for non-life threatening injuries. The woman's injuries are not described as serious. Both were at the scene when the emergency services were notified. All are understood to be Irish. The emergency services were notified and desperate efforts were made to stabilise the critically injured man at the scene. However, he was pronounced dead a short time later before he could be transferred to hospital. Speaking at the scene today, Superintendent Mick Fitzpatrick appealed for anyone in the area who has any information to get in touch with gardai. "It is at an early stage of the investigation, but we are treating it as murder," he said at a media briefing. The superintendent confirmed that gardai from Macroom responded to the call in the early hours of the morning. They discovered the body of a man at the scene. The two injured people were taken to Cork University Hospital and Mercy Hospital Cork. Gardai hope to speak with both the injured man and woman about the circumstances of what happened once they are medically fit to be interviewed. Deputy State Pathologist Margaret Bolster is due to carry out a post-mortem at Cork University Hospital today. "The scene is currently preserved for a technical examination," Supt Fitzpatrick said. "CCTV in the area will be harvested for the investigation. We have search teams searching the immediate area of the incident. "My appeal to anyone that was in Dan Corkery Place or the environment between 9pm last night and 2am this morning to contact us if they saw anything suspicious. "I would appeal to taxi drivers who may have been in the area or anyone with dashcam footage." Door-to-door inquiries began this morning in the housing estate to determine if anyone heard or saw anything suspicious. Gardai are also investigating if the tragedy is in any way linked to an incident in Macroom early last week when a row erupted on the street between a number of individuals. Gardai are appealing for witnesses to contact the incident Room at Macroom Garda Station on 026 20590, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station. George Finlay milking his East Friesland sheep in the family farm near the Glen of Imaal in Co Wicklow. Photo: Frank McGrath Family business: George Finlay pictured with finacee Hannah Sheerin (left) and sister and chef Amanda Finlay with some of the their Ballyhubbock ice cream. Photo: Frank McGrath It's a crisp morning in the Glen of Imaal in west Wicklow, just an hour's drive from Dublin city centre, yet as rural as it gets. The area is, of course, known for its army camp - somewhere that the defence forces practise manoeuvres - as well as the breed of handsome, loyal and spirited terrier that is named after it. It's also the location of Ballyhubbock Farm, where a new and innovative artisan food business making sheep's milk ice-cream has recently been set up. Ballyhubbock is already the base of an award-winning bakery run by Olive Finlay - this morning she's making lemon drizzle cakes with duck eggs for a lighter crumb and texture - in a production facility adjacent to the farm house. It's a lovely thing to behold, a true one-woman operation that's efficient, methodical and careful - it makes me want to seek out her cakes at the first opportunity. Meanwhile, on the other side of the quiet country road, with views out over the valley with Lugnaquilla looming in the distance, is a milking parlour. Expand Close Ballyhubbock Ice Cream. Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ballyhubbock Ice Cream. Photo: Frank McGrath Once this was used for dairy cattle, and then as a lambing unit, but it's been adapted and re-purposed for milking sheep, with the milk used to make artisan ice-cream in small batches. George Finlay, son of Olive, the farmer behind the venture, and his fiancee, Hanna Sheerin, believe it to be the first of its kind in Ireland. "My father - also George - has always had sheep and suckler cattle on the farm," says George, who was 'sheep student of the year' at Kildalton Agricultural College in Piltown, Co Kilkenny where he studied. "But even with 400 commercial sheep - for meat - the economics don't make sense. We wanted to develop something to which we could add value, so we started milking a flock of 30 milking ewes back in the spring. I always wanted to milk sheep, to do something a bit different." "I gave him a bit of a nudge," says Hanna, who works as a research officer with Teagasc. Although she doesn't come from a farming background, her dad, Jim, is a vet and she is from the local area. "We watch a lot of farming programmes and we got the idea from one of those. We milked a commercial ewe and started experimenting with making ice-cream ourselves before we made the leap and invested in the flock and equipment." The 'girls' (as Hanna and George refer to them) seem happy enough trotting in to be milked, lining up obediently in their allotted spaces to eat a few nuts while the milking apparatus - a cluster - is attached. The milk starts to flow and, when it ebbs, to encourage a second let-down of milk, George gives each ewe a 'puck' - a tug on their teats intended to imitate the suckle of a lamb - and more milk flows. Before and after each milking, each ewe's 'spins' (teats) are wiped with antiseptic lotion to prevent fly strike and mastitis. "The quality of the milk is our number one priority," says George. Expand Close George Finlay milking his East Friesland sheep in the family farm near the Glen of Imaal in Co Wicklow. Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp George Finlay milking his East Friesland sheep in the family farm near the Glen of Imaal in Co Wicklow. Photo: Frank McGrath Currently he is milking 20 ewes each day, and between them they generate in the region of 24 litres of milk - far less than the quantity generated by cows. "The East Friesland breed is best for milking," says George, "and the milk has double the amount of protein and is higher in vitamins, minerals and fat than cow's milk." "Unlike cow's milk," says Hanna, "the sheep's milk is naturally homogenised, which means that the fat droplets are evenly dispersed and the milk does not separate in the same way as cow's milk. It makes for a really creamy consistency that's ideal for ice-cream." "We do not use antibiotics, so even though we are not certified organic we operate as if we are," says George. "Aside from the few nuts that the sheep get in the parlour, everything that they eat is pasture and we don't use sprays or fertiliser on the land." The ewes are milked twice a day and the milk passes directly into a bulk tank housed in the outbuilding adjacent to the milking parlour. Happily for George and Hanna, George's sister, Amanda Finlay, is a trained chef and she has come on board the fledgling business on the culinary side. Amanda worked in the US and France (at the highly regarded Le Chat Botte near La Rochelle) as well as at Dunloe Castle and for high-end catering operation, Baxter Storey, at Gonzaga College, before committing to the new family business. "First we pasteurise the milk and then we make a basic custard with Ballon free-range eggs and a little sugar," says Amanda. "Sheep's milk is naturally sweet so you need to add less sugar than you would to cow's milk. The custard goes into the ice-cream machine for about 40/45 minutes and you have ice-cream: our basic flavour is made of just milk, sugar and eggs." The flavour is rich and delicious, with none of the sour taste that one might expect. Currently there are five flavours - plain, vanilla, chocolate ganache, lemon curd and raspberry crumble - with all the flavourings made fresh from scratch in-house by Amanda. (I also tasted the chocolate ganache flavour, and it's excellent too.) George's favourite is the raspberry crumble, and Amanda's is the lemon curd. Hanna can't make up her mind - "Do I have to pick just one?" The ice-cream is currently available at The Green Barn at Burtown House and in Donnybrook Fair, with further outlets expected to be added in the coming weeks. The ice-cream will be of interest to those who do not eat conventional dairy products because of intolerance or allergy, who may find that ice-cream made from sheep's milk is easier to digest. George stopped milking the sheep last month to allow them to dry off, and reckons that he will get about five years' milking out of each sheep before they are fattened and go into the food chain as meat. Currently, George is sourcing all his sheep within Ireland, mainly from Co Clare, but says that because the gene pool is relatively limited he expects to have to venture further afield - to Germany and the Netherlands - to get more stock in the future. He hopes eventually to expand the flock to between 200/300 milking ewes and is in the process of reclaiming land on the farm to provide more pasture for a larger herd. "Making sheep's cheese will be the next step," says George, "but we decided on ice-cream as the first venture as it's a simpler product and requires less investment. The know-how required for cheese-making means that will take a little longer but it's definitely something we plan to go into." Ireland has a great tradition of wonderful artisan food products developing out of the need for farm diversification - just think of Gubbeen bacon, charcuterie and cheese, and Glenilen Farm yoghurts, cream and cheesecakes. Ballyhubbock Farm ice-cream follows in those footsteps. It's heartening to see a new generation demonstrating that an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit is alive and well in the Irish farming community. facebook.com/ballyhubbock Model Olivia Tracey, 58, works in an industry considered terminally ageist, but she kept modelling long past the norm. The fact that I am still modelling has been a nice surprise, she reflects. Because when I was in my twenties it never occurred to me that I would be modelling at over 30, let alone over 50. She attributes her long career to the fact that she moved to America. When I was in my twenties the model agent Eileen Ford came to Dublin and she wouldnt take me on because I was too old; I was 26 at the time. And then fast forward years later, Ford sought me out in America. They represented me in Los Angeles for over 10 years. Olivia stopped colouring her hair, letting it to turn its natural shade of grey. It became her trademark look and one that still wins her major hair campaigns. I was in my forties after I let my hair turn silver, she explains on the phone from America, where she has added actress and producer to her portfolio. That put me into a whole new mature woman category and theres a big market for that out here. In Ireland as well; Ive been home recently shooting a couple of campaigns, including the new campaign with Kildare Village, which I loved. They embraced women of all different ages. I love the diversity that the industry has welcomed. Her take on ageing is one of equanimity. I dont consider ageing a problem. Its a natural flow of life and as long as I am healthy and happy I really dont mind what number Im at in years. Olivias tips for brain health I bought two Rosetta Stone language courses, Spanish and Italian. Its a great way to keep the mind sharp. Its good to hang out with younger people theyre fun and you can learn from them, particularly when it comes to technology. Sometimes I will try to remember phone numbers rather than using speed dial. My father was an accountant so Im actually not bad with figures. On occasion I add up in my head instead of going straight to the calculator. Its an attitude that has withstood the pressure of living in a city which would seem to worship at the altar of eternal youth. I would say that LA is a very young town. And yes, being youthful here is definitely a plus. But personally I have never felt like, Oh God, I wish I could turn back the clock 20 or 30 years. Ive never felt that way. I am quite happy with where Im at. In fact, if anything, LA seems to help her to be upbeat. LA is generally a very positive place to live and theyre very tuned in to thinking positively about things. Like remembering that even when things are not good, always believe that they will get better. And that you cant just sit and wait for it to get better. You have to help yourself. Certain habits and routines are in place that help to keep her mentally fit. I have my little exercise routine, yoga stretches really. I do it as a physical thing but it also benefits me mentally. Even if Im in a hurry I will try to squeeze in a 20-minute workout if I cant do the full half hour. Just to do that little bit of stretching switching off mentally and breathing into the exercise is, I find, very relaxing. Poet Micheal O'Siadhail was born in Dublin, and lived there most of his life. When his wife Brid died after a glorious 44-year marriage, he moved to New York where he is very happily remarried to Christina. He worked for nine years on his latest collection, The Five Quintets, published by Baylor University Press, and recently launched by the Chief Justice Frank Clarke at the RHA. baylorpress.com Film: The Verdict Expand Close The Verdict / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Verdict I had never really been a movie buff, but over the last few years my wife Christina and I have taken to watching films late at night on a laptop. Christina introduced me to the films of Paul Newman and he is definitely my favourite actor. I particularly love The Verdict (above), a courtroom drama depicting love, betrayal, and good winning out over evil. Music: Mozart One piece of music that always moves me to tears is the theme from the film Elvira Madigan. At least that's how most know it - more officially it's the slow movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21. Strange how a piece composed in 1785 is so associated with a movie about a Danish tightwire walker with an Irish surname. Why Madigan? For years this puzzled me until I found out that her mother had remarried an Irish American circus artist whose name she used as a stage name. Book: Long Walk To Freedom Expand Close Long Walk to Freedom / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Long Walk to Freedom I have many favourite novels but as my latest work, The Five Quintets, involves conversations with historical figures, I have been reading endless biographies and autobiographies. One of these was Nelson Mandela's Long Walk To Freedom (above). Nelson Mandela is one of my saints. I'm astonished how a man could emerge from 27 years in prison with such courage, forgiveness and above all, such a smile. Mandela had an amazing sense of humour. I wonder how he would have smiled if he had watched - as millions did on television screens across the world - the extraordinary gestures of the impostor's fake sign language at his memorial service. Playwright: Brian Friel I delight in Brian Friel's plays. I loved the wistful Afterplay, where Andrey from Chekhov's The Three Sisters and Sonya from Uncle Vanya meet in a Moscow cafe 20 years later. I saw its premiere at the Gate theatre, and two years ago I saw it again in the wonderful Irish Rep Theatre in New York with Dearbhla Molloy and Dermot Crowley and directed by Joe Dowling. Some years earlier at a party in Joe Dowling's house in Dublin, while talking to Dearbhla Molloy, I backed into a lit candle setting fire to my jacket. I knocked on her dressing room in New York sending a message that the only poet who ever went up in flames for her wanted to congratulate her! Design: Convention Centre Expand Close Convention Centre / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Convention Centre The ultimate in design is good architecture. Writer Anthony Cronin used to claim it was the most influential of the arts. For me the beautiful tilted glass barrel that is the Dublin Convention Centre (above) is one of the daringly designed buildings I like best. My friend Dermod Dwyer, who chairs the board of the Convention Centre, was instrumental in the choice of Kevin Roche as the architect. I'm delighted that a Dubliner, who made his name as a top architect in America, leaves this iconic trace in his native city. Turkey does not intend to borrow loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) anymore, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. "We have closed the chapter of the IMF credits in order not to open it anymore," the Turkish leader said yesterday addressing the activists of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party in the town of Kizilcahamam. The Turkish president's statement comes against the backdrop of escalation of tensions between Ankara and Washington, including over the case of US pastor Andrew Brunson, who was detained in Turkey in 2016. The United States responded to his detention by the imposition of sanctions against Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, accusing them of human rights violations, Sputnik recalls. You might hate Monday, but you'll love our weekly pick of Ireland's top travel offers... 169pp: Kick back in Krakow Krakow (above) is a beautiful Christmas Market city, but what about a visit in the New Year? Cassidy Travel has a three-night break bundling flights and 3-star accommodation in the Old Town from 169pp, departing Dublin next January 19. 01 890-1000; cassidytravel.ie. 349pp: Late Canary Islands deals Need a shot of winter sun? Sunway has several last-minute deals to the Canary Islands this week, including seven nights in Gran Canaria (3-star) and Lanzarote (2-star) from 349pp. Fuerteventura is also available (3-star) from 399pp. Departures are on October 12 and 13. 01 231-1888; sunway.ie. 559pp: Family fun in Florida American Sky has savings of 150 per family on seven nights at the 4-star Sonesta ES Suites Orlando, with prices now from 559pp. Book before October 31 for travel on various dates in 2019. 01 664-9900; americansky.ie. 25pc off at Jurys Inn Jurys Inn is offering a 25pc discount on its Flexible Booking B&B and room-only rates, valid for stays from October 12 to February 28 at its hotels across the UK, Ireland and Prague. Book at jurysinns.com/season-sale. 749pp: Photography magic in Morocco TD Active has a three-night, half-board package to Morocco aimed at people looking to improve their photography skills. Departing October 18, it includes Essaouira, the Atlas Mountains and Marrakech from 749pp. 91 637-1633; tdactiveholidays.ie. PS. Exclusive holiday discounts Have you seen Independent Discounts? The site has a host of special offers and discount codes, with travel brands ranging from Aer Lingus to ClickAndGo.com, Irish Ferries and Expedia.ie. This week, offers include up to 25pc off bookings with Europcar. See discountcode.independent.ie/travel-accommodation. NB: All travel deals subject to availability/change. Hundreds of dogs and their owners took part in a London Wooferendum Dog March on Sunday to call for a peoples vote on Brexit. The pups and people made their way through central London to Parliament to deliver a petition to Prime Minister Theresa May asking for a second EU referendum. Founder of the protest, Daniel Elkan, took part along with several MPs, activists, and actors, with the march ending in Parliament Square. #Wooferendum because who wouldnt want to see our four legged friends trending on Twitter Kate Wilton (@KateWilton1) October 7, 2018 The march will be followed by another march for a second referendum on October 20, named The Peoples Vote March. Hundreds of dogs from a variety of different breeds gathered for the march: here is a selection of the very cutest protesting pups. 1. A tiny sausage joined in. Expand Close (Tim Ireland/AP/Press Association Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (Tim Ireland/AP/Press Association Images) 2. This well-dressed pup. Expand Close (Tim Ireland/AP/Press Association Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (Tim Ireland/AP/Press Association Images) 3. This fluffy dog posed with a sign. 4. Two dogs had a playful fight. 5. This pair with matching neck-ties! Expand Close (Tim Ireland/AP/Press Association Images) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (Tim Ireland/AP/Press Association Images) 6. Tess the dog played with an aptly-decorated toy. 7. This dog was carried through the protest. 8. Alastair Campbell brought his dog, Sky. 9. Lastly, this lovely bearded dog. This photo shows the last message sent by missing Interpol President, Meng Hongwei, to his wife, Grace Meng. AP Photo/John Leicester The wife of Interpol's president has made an impassioned plea for help in bringing her missing husband to safety, revealing that he sent an image of a knife before disappearing in China as a way to warn her he was in danger. Grace Meng detailed the last messages she exchanged with her husband, Interpol President Meng Hongwei, as part of her unusual public appeal. Mr Meng is China's vice minister for public security and regularly travelled between Beijing and Lyon in France, where Interpol is based. His wife's plea underscored how China's system of shady and often-arbitrary detentions can ensnare even a senior public security official with international standing, leaving loved ones in a panic. In news that could confirm her fears, China announced less than an hour after she had spoken yesterday that Mr Meng was under investigation on suspicion of unspecified legal violations, making him the latest high-ranking official to fall victim to a sweeping crackdown by the ruling Communist Party. Interpol then announced that Mr Meng had resigned as president, effective immediately. It did not say why, or provide details about Mr Meng's whereabouts or condition. He had been elected to lead the international police agency in 2016 and his term was not set to end until 2020. Mr Meng's unexplained disappearance in China, which had prompted the French government and Interpol to make their concerns known publicly, threatened to tarnish Beijing's image as a rising Asian power. The one-sentence announcement about Mr Meng being the focus of an investigation - issued when it was nearly midnight in China - said only that Mr Meng was in the custody of party investigators. Grace Meng, the wife of missing Interpol president Meng Hongwei, has spoken of her fears (John Leicester/AP) The missing president of Interpol, Meng Hongwei, has deep ties to Chinas sprawling domestic security sector, including a lengthy term as vice minister of public security. Here are some facts about Mr Meng that might have a bearing on his disappearance during a trip to China. What is his background? Mr Mengs official biography says he was born in 1953 in the north-eastern city of Harbin and graduated with a degree in law from prestigious Peking University. He appears to have moved swiftly into the central government in Beijing, acting as an assistant to the public security minister Chinas top police official as well as head of the transportation department. By 2004, he was a vice minister of public security and that same year became head of Interpols China branch. He was head or deputy head of branches of the coast guard, and in 2016, he was elected Interpols president. What are his duties? Mr Mengs position as Interpols president is less hands-on than the organisations secretary general, but he works out of its headquarters in Lyon, France, and has made frequent appearances at crime prevention gatherings. According to Interpols website, in May he delivered a speech in Ireland in which he discussed the changing face of global crime and the need for Interpol to remain above political considerations. First, it is obvious that globalisation, virtualisation and high-tech are the new features of crime. Second, crime has become a global security issue. This was not the case in the past, Mr Meng said. He also referred to the global governance structure as entering a period of change, saying: Under such circumstances, I hope that we will adhere to our neutral and apolitical positions on major issues. Despite such statements, rights groups expressed concern that Mr Meng would help further Chinas agenda of attacking the governments political foes while neutralising criticism. Expand Close Grace Meng, the wife of missing Interpol president Meng Hongwei, has spoken of her fears (John Leicester/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Grace Meng, the wife of missing Interpol president Meng Hongwei, has spoken of her fears (John Leicester/AP) Why did he disappear? Expand Close The entrance hall of Interpols headquarters in Lyon (Laurent Cipriani/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The entrance hall of Interpols headquarters in Lyon (Laurent Cipriani/AP) Mr Mengs various jobs put him in close contact with Chinese leaders in the security establishment, a sector long synonymous with corruption, opacity and human rights abuses. While there are no public allegations against him, Mr Meng, a member of the ruling Communist Party, is likely to have worked closely with former security chief and Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang, who is now serving a life sentence for corruption. Mr Zhou was one of the highest-profile figures caught up in President Xi Jinpings sprawling campaign against graft at all levels of government, military and state industry. Officials under suspicion often disappear into the partys investigatory body, which can hold them for months without releasing information or providing them with legal counsel. Were there any indications something would happen? Mr Xi has been seeking the return of officials and business people accused of fraud and corruption from abroad, sometimes with the help of Interpol in an arrangement human rights advocates say is prone to abuse. Since Mr Meng continued to hold positions in the security establishment concurrently with his role as Interpol president, that may have placed him under additional pressure. Reports from April said Mr Meng had been relieved of his position as a member of the party committee at the Ministry of Public Security, with no explanation given. Expand Close This photo shows the last message sent by missing Interpol President, Meng Hongwei, to his wife, Grace Meng. AP Photo/John Leicester / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp This photo shows the last message sent by missing Interpol President, Meng Hongwei, to his wife, Grace Meng. AP Photo/John Leicester That could have been a sign of his declining political fortunes, or simply a prelude to his impending retirement, given that, at 64, he was approaching the age when officials generally begin stepping down from their positions. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Daisuke Suzuki/AP) Chinas foreign minister has told visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Washington should stop what he called groundless attacks on his countrys policies. Wang Yi said he told Mr Pompeo during a meeting that a shadow has been cast over the future of China-US relations. China and the United States are at odds over trade and Beijings militarisation of islands it claims in the South China Sea. Mr Pompeo, who arrived from North Korea, told Mr Yi he wanted to discuss his meetings with its leader, Kim Jong Un, and efforts to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. Mr Pompeo met Mr Wang and Yang Jiechi, a senior Cabinet official and former foreign minister, after the talks on Sunday with Mr Kim. Mr Pompeo also visited Japan and South Korea, where he said Monday in Seoul that there had been significant progress toward an agreement for the North to give up its nuclear weapons. Mr Wang appealed to Mr Pompeo to cease actions that Beijing sees as threatening its interests in order to avoid disrupting cooperation over North Korea and other issues. Expand Close A meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chinas State Councilor Yang Jiechi (Andy Wong, AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chinas State Councilor Yang Jiechi (Andy Wong, AP) While the US side has constantly escalated trade frictions with China, it has also taken actions regarding Taiwan that harm Chinas core interests, Mr Wang said. In their later meeting, Mr Yang expressed Chinese frustration with Washington while avoiding specifics, telling Mr Pompeo relations are facing challenges. Washington and Beijing should and must make the correct choices, Mr Yang said. We hope the United States and China can meet each other halfway and conscientiously fulfil the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, Mr Yang said. In Seoul, Mr Pompeo said he and Mr Kim had agreed to soon begin working-level talks on details of denuclearisation and placement of international inspectors at one of North Koreas main nuclear facilities. Arrived in #Seoul to brief President @moonriver365 and FM Kang on my meetings in #DPRK with Chairman Kim. I look forward to working closely with our #ROK friends and allies to ensure progress on inter-Korean relations is in lockstep with progress on denuclearization. @StateDept pic.twitter.com/J2wpYvseIQ Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 7, 2018 Mr Pompeo said they came close to finalising a date and venue for the next Kim-Trump meeting. Its a long process, Mr Pompeo told reporters. We made significant progress. Well continue to make significant progress and we are further along in making that progress than any administration in an awfully long time. Mr Pompeo said he and Mr Kim had got pretty close to fixing the logistics for the summit but stressed that sometimes that last inch is hard to close. Most importantly, both the leaders believe there is real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit and so we are going to get it at a time that works for each of the two leaders and at a place that works for both of them, he said. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands will travel to London later this month on a state visit that the Dutch government says will take them from Buckingham Palace to Brixton. The government said that the first state visit to Britain by a sitting Dutch monarch since Queen Beatrix in 1982 re-affirms the excellent ties between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom as North Sea neighbours based on shared values in the past, present and future. Expand Close The Queen and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Queen and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (PA) The announcement comes as the UK is negotiating its divorce terms from the European Union, of which the Netherlands is a founding member. The October 23-24 visit will take the royal pair to appointments including a speech in Parliament, a banquet at Buckingham Palace and visit to the London neighbourhood of Brixton. 'Father Ted' co-creator Graham Linehan was given a verbal harassment warning after being reported by a transgender activist over social media comments. Police in Yorkshire spoke to the writer and told him to cease contacting Stephanie Hayden, with whom he has argued on Twitter. Ms Hayden reported him for "transphobia" after he referred to her as "he" and for "deadnaming" her by referring to her by names used before she transitioned. Linehan said: "The police asked me to stop contacting someone I had no intention of contacting. "It was a bit like asking me to never contact Charlie Sheen." Ms Hayden, a 45-year-old from Leeds, is also suing the 50-year-old Irish writer, also known for being behind 'Black Books' and 'The IT Crowd', in the High Court in London. Linehan, who lives in Norfolk, has tweeted calling her "Stephanie/Tony/Steven", references to her former names. As included in her lawsuit, Linehan also wrote: "I don't respect the pronouns of misogynists, stalkers or harassers, and Tony is all three." The claims are rejected by Ms Hayden. Ms Hayden said: "I don't take kindly to a public figure tweeting about me referring to me as a man and putting my legal name in quotation marks to suggest it's not valid." Police can issue harassment warnings to deter individuals from further behaviour. They are not convictions or cautions, but do appear on enhanced criminal records checks. Italy's far-right interior minister has threatened to close the country's airports to block the rumoured repatriation of migrants on charter flights from Germany. In a move likely to anger Berlin, Matteo Salvini, the head of the anti-immigrant League party and deputy prime minister, yesterday said he would shut the airports in the same way he defied EU laws and closed Italy's ports to prevent migrant arrivals. He was responding to reports that Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was preparing to send the first group of 40 migrants back to Italy on two flights scheduled to land in Rome this week. Reports in Italy say up to 40,000 migrants could be repatriated from Germany to Italy ahead of the Bavarian elections next week, but the Italian government has denied there is an agreement to step up migrant returns. Mr Salvini tweeted: "If anyone in Berlin or Brussels is thinking of dumping immigrants in Italy through unauthorised charter flights they should know there is not and will not be any airport available. We will close the airports like we closed the ports." A spokesman for Horst Seehofer, the German interior minister, said: "No repatriation flights to Italy were being planned in the coming days." Under the Dublin Treaty, migrants are required to seek asylum in the first European country where they disembark, but Italy's populist coalition government has been working to overhaul the treaty, arguing that Italy has taken in too many migrants. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Kazakhstans National Bank decided to conduct currency interventions to prevent the strengthening of devaluation expectations and stabilize the domestic foreign exchange market. The press service of the bank said that in the period from September 5-7, 2018, in the absence of foreign currency supply, the National Bank sold $520.6 million. The share of the National Bank during these days was about 80% of the total trading volume on the currency exchange, but overall for the month the National Bank participation was 13.6%. The press service added that in September 2018, the imbalances in the domestic foreign exchange market significantly increased, leading to a weakening of the national currency, Azernews reported. The National Bank of Kazakhstan recommended citizens not to buy foreign currency. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife faced court yesterday for her fraud trial in which she is alleged to have misused state funds to order catered meals. According to the indictment filed in June, Sara Netanyahu, along with a government employee, fraudulently obtained from the state more than 85,000 for hundreds of meals supplied by restaurants, bypassing regulations that prohibit the practice if a cook is employed at home. Ms Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing. She was charged in June with fraud and breach of trust and of aggravated fraudulent receipt of goods. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison. Looking tense as she walked into yesterday's hearing, she made no comment to reporters and sat on a bench behind her lawyers. Israeli media reports said the session would deal with procedural matters. Ms Netanyahu's lawyers argue the charges don't hold up because the regulations for ordering meals were legally invalid and a household employee had requisitioned the food despite Ms Netanyahu's protestations. Expand Close Husband: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: REUTERS / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Husband: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: REUTERS "If we even get to the stage of presenting evidence, I do believe your honour may laugh," one of her attorneys, Yossi Cohen, told the court. Ms Netanyahu was not asked to enter a plea. Ms Netanyahu (59) has inspired a multitude of headlines in the past over what family spokesmen call an undeserved reputation for imperiousness. Transcripts from police investigations have sporadically been leaked to the media, painting an unflattering picture of Ms Netanyahu. In them she complains about the quality of food served at the prime minister's residence and uses expletives to describe the staff. Ms Netanyahu has long faced allegations of extravagant spending and abusive behaviour. In 2016, a court ruled she abused a housekeeper and awarded the man 36,000 in damages. Other former employees have also claimed mistreatment and accused her of charging the state for her private and lavish tastes, including pink champagne and other luxuries. The prime minister, who himself is embroiled in a series of corruption investigations, has called the allegations against his wife absurd and unfounded. In 2017, the Netanyahus won a libel suit against an Israeli journalist who said Sara once kicked her husband out of their car during an argument. In 2016, a Jerusalem labour court ruled that she had insulted and raged at household staff in the prime minister's official residence. It seemed unlikely her present legal woes would cause significant political damage to her husband, now in his fourth term as Israel's leader and riding high in opinion polls despite the allegations against him. Accusations he has made against the Israeli media of orchestrating a political witch-hunt against him and his wife appear to have struck a chord with his right-wing voter base, which has rallied to the 68-year-old leader. The next national elections in Israel are scheduled for November 2019. No entry: An official closes the door of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul as the media gathers outside. Photo: AFP/Getty Images Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has intervened in the case of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who Turkish officials had previously said was murdered and cut into pieces in the Kingdom's Istanbul consulate. Mr Erdogan said yesterday he was following Mr Khashoggi's case personally, but would await the results of the prosecutor's investigation. "Entries and exits into the embassy, airport transits and all camera records are being looked at and followed. We want to swiftly get results," he said, adding without explanation: "My expectation is still positive." Yasin Aktay, one of Mr Erdogan's advisers, said he believed Mr Khashoggi had been killed, claiming that a team of 15 Saudi nationals who travelled to Turkey on the day of Mr Khashoggi's disappearance were "most certainly involved". "My sense is that he has been killed in the consulate," Mr Aktay said. Other unnamed Turkish government sources had previously echoed these remarks, with some saying that Mr Khashoggi, a 'Washington Post' columnist, had been tortured and his body subsequently dismembered, then removed from the consulate in diplomatic boxes. None spoke on the record or provided evidence. Expand Close Missing: Jamal Khashoggi hasnt been seen since last Tuesday. Photo: AFP/Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Missing: Jamal Khashoggi hasnt been seen since last Tuesday. Photo: AFP/Getty Images Last Tuesday, at about 1pm local time, Mr Khashoggi (59) and his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz arrived at the consulate, a heavily guarded six-storey building in Istanbul's Levent district. Mr Khashoggi, a well-known dissident in Saudi Arabia, had lived in exile since last year after criticising the government in Riyadh, notably de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has since moved to amass power and silence dissent, imprisoning bloggers, journalists and activists. However, Mr Khashoggi needed routine paperwork in order to marry Ms Cengiz, so decided to risk visiting the consulate. Concerned that he might be detained, he left his phone with his fiancee. She waited as he walked through its metal gates and continued to wait for several hours, until the consulate closed. He never came out. She insisted in a tweet that there had been no official confirmation of his death: "Jamal was not killed and I do not believe he was killed." Turkish authorities said they believed he remained inside the compound. But Saudi authorities said he had disappeared after leaving the consulate. On Wednesday, Mr Bin Salman denied knowing the whereabouts of Mr Khashoggi. "My understanding is he entered and he got out after a few minutes or one hour," he said. "I'm not sure. We are investigating this through the foreign ministry to see exactly what happened at that time." He also invited Turkish authorities to search the building. The 'Washington Post' published an editorial asking the crown prince do "everything in his power" to ensure Mr Khashoggi was free and able to work. On Saturday, the Saudi consul-general Mohammad Al-Otaibi opened the six-storey building to journalists and gave them a tour. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Outsourcer Mitie has struck a 14 million deal to acquire a security business from Compass Group. It will see Mitie take control of Vision Security Group, which is described as a security services provider offering integrated systems, manned guarding and key holding support. This acquisition gives us the leadership position we seek to maximise value from our technology-led solutionsPhil Bentley, Mitie VSG employs 6,000 people and operates in more than 1,400 guarding locations and some 5,000 systems areas across the UK and Ireland. Boss Phil Bentley said: As a core part of Mitie, our security business has delivered a strong performance over the last three years, with sales growing by over 30%. This acquisition gives us the leadership position we seek to maximise value from our technology-led solutions. Expand Close Mitie chief executive Phil Bentley (Ben Fitzpatrick/Newscast/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mitie chief executive Phil Bentley (Ben Fitzpatrick/Newscast/PA) VSG reported revenue of 192.1 million and a pre-tax loss of 2.7 million last year. However, the firm is on track to record a small profit in 2018. Mitie is in the second year of an overhaul under Mr Bentley, who has outlined plans to eventually slash annual costs by 50 million by 2020. Mitie was forced to launch the wide-ranging turnaround plan after a string of profit warnings amid a torrid time for outsourcing firms following the collapse of Carillion in January. Under the plans, Mitie is simplifying its corporate structure, outsourcing and automating some back office functions, merging its London offices into one and also investing to increase its technology capabilities. Family day: Judge Brett Kavanaugh is sworn in to the Supreme Court by Chief Justice John Roberts watched by wife Ashley and daughters Liza and Margaret. Photo: REUTERS Brett Kavanaugh, the latest addition to the US Supreme Court, will be lauded by a triumphant President Donald Trump at the White House this evening at a ceremonial swearing-in. He is expected at his desk tomorrow morning to deliberate his first cases on matters including guns and immigration. After a lengthy and difficult confirmation process, tarnished by allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking in his youth, Mr Kavanaugh will finally take his place alongside the other eight men and women appointed to the highest court in the land, which now veers firmly to the right, to the delight of Republicans. His appointment is regarded as a significant achievement for the president, who is flying high after making good on his campaign promise of restructuring the political make-up of the court with two successful selections within his first two years in office. It has provided a much-needed boost to the Republican party just a month away from midterm elections often regarded as the first real test of the popularity of the president. At a rally in Topeka, Kansas, at the weekend, a jubilant Mr Trump praised his pick as a man of "great character and intellect" and a "totally brilliant scholar". "I stand before you today on the heels of a tremendous victory for our nation. Just a few hours ago, the US Senate confirmed Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court," he said. "And I proudly signed the judge's commission aboard Air Force One just before landing. And this Monday night at 7pm in the East Room of the White House, we will perform the swearing-in ceremony for soon-to-be Justice Kavanaugh. Great man. "He will sit proudly alongside [Mr Trump's first Supreme Court nominee] Justice Neil Gorsuch, who's doing a great job to uphold your sacred rights and to uphold your God-given freedom." The final vote took place on Saturday afternoon as the president was flying to Kansas aboard Air Force One, and he invited travelling reporters to his private office to watch the climactic roll call, which was interrupted several times by protesters in the Senate galleries before Capitol Police removed them. Mr Kavanaugh's Senate confirmation saw him voted on to the court by 50 votes to 48 on Saturday. He was officially sworn in shortly after in a private hearing to become the court's 114th justice. This evening, the 53-year-old will stand alongside his wife, Ashley, and their two young daughters, Liza and Margaret, in the White House where he will take his oaths during the ceremonial proceeding overseen by Chief Justice John Roberts Jnr. Standing nearby, flaunting his success and in celebratory mood, will be Mr Trump with his wife Melania, back yesterday from a trip to Egypt. There will be little time to party, however, with Mr Kavanaugh expected at the office tomorrow morning, where he will take his seat on the far right side of the bench to begin deliberations on several cases listed this week. Although his presence as the ninth member of the court will end the potential for the 4-4 stalemate votes that have frustrated the panel while a successor to Anthony Kennedy was found, his first hearings are not likely to be ones where a swing vote would be the deciding factor. Tomorrow, he will study the Armed Career Criminal Act, which sets a 15-year minimum sentence for crimes involving firearms if the offender has three previous serious or violent convictions. He will deliberate the meaning of what crimes constitute serious or violent. Then on Wednesday, the justices will look again at which undocumented immigrants can be detained during deportation proceedings and will study a case filed by sailors suing a manufacturer for asbestos exposure. Several other major cases are looming for the session - or term - which runs until early summer 2019. This term, the court can expect to consider issues regarding both gay rights in the workplace and election law as well the legality of the Trump administration's cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which offered protection to illegal immigrants brought to the US as children. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] The Saudi ambassador to Turkey has been summoned to request Riyadhs cooperation in an investigation over journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week. A ministry official says Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal met with the Saudi ambassador on Sunday. Private NTV television said Turkey requested permission to search the consulate building. Expand Close People walk past the the Saudi consulate in Istanbul (Emrah Gurel/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp People walk past the the Saudi consulate in Istanbul (Emrah Gurel/AP) An official said that Turkey has deepened its investigation without providing further detail. Turkish officials claim the Washington Post contributor was killed at the consulate and that his body was later removed. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not confirm the alleged killing, saying he would await the result of an investigation. Saudi officials have denied the allegations as baseless. The laureates of the Nobel Prize in Economics displayed on the screen (Henrik Montgomery/TT/AP) Two Americans have won the Nobel Prize in economics, one for studying the economics of climate change and the other for showing how to help foster the innovation needed to solve such a problem. William Nordhaus of Yale University and Paul Romer of New York University will share the nine million krona (773,000) award, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. Mr Nordhaus has called for the world to combat climate change by imposing a universal tax on carbon. The tax would make polluters pay for the costs their emissions impose on society. By using a tax rather than government edicts to slash emissions, the policy encourages companies to find innovative ways to reduce pollution. BREAKING NEWS: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2018 to William D. Nordhaus and Paul M. Romer. #NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/xUs6iSyI7h The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 8, 2018 Mr Romer has studied the way innovation drives prosperity and has looked at ways to encourage it. He told a news conference that his research had given him hope that people can solve even a problem as difficult as a warming planet. Many people think that dealing with protecting the environment will be so costly and so hard that they just want to ignore the problem, they want to deny it exists, they cant deal with it, Mr Romer said. I hope the prize today could help everyone see that humans are capable of amazing accomplishments when we set about trying to do something. "My work teaches us that what happens with technology is under our control." This year's Economic Sciences laureate Paul Romer reminds us that technology doesn't just happen to us like the weather. It is a tool we can control. Full telephone interview:https://t.co/dRjPym4OuL The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 8, 2018 While the two academics worked separately, their research dovetails on an issue that has become increasingly pressing. The question of climate change remains politically sensitive, especially in big oil-producing countries like the United States, which President Donald Trump has pulled out of the Paris accord to fight climate change. Its an ingenious pairing, said David Warsh, author of the 2007 book Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations about Mr Romer. Mr Nordhaus has been concerned all along with repairing the damage to the global environment. Mr Romer has been writing about the means at your disposal to attack such a technological challenge. Per Stromberg, head of the Nobel economics prize committee, said the award is about the long-run future of the world economy. Mr Nordhaus has argued that climate change should be considered a global public good, like public health and international trade, and regulated accordingly, but not through a command-and-control approach. Instead, by agreeing on a global price for burning carbon that reflects its whole cost, this primary cause of rising temperatures could be traded and taxed, putting market forces to work on the problem. Many economists have since endorsed the concept of taxing carbon and using this financial lever to influence societal behaviour. But adopting the regulatory frameworks on a global scale has been a complex challenge, and the worlds political leaders are failing to meet it, the head of the United Nations said last month. While many developed economies have adopted a carbon tax, the United States has not. Mr Romers work suggests that to achieve the innovation needed to meet the climate change goals, regulation is needed. His research found that unregulated economies will produce technological change, but insufficiently provide research and development; this can be addressed by government interventions such and R&D subsidies. The economics prize is the last of the Nobels to be announced this year. Last years prize went to American Richard Thaler for studying how human irrationality affects economic theory. The peace prize was awarded on Friday to Denis Mukwege of Congo and Iraqi Nadia Murad for their work to draw attention to how sexual violence is used as a weapon of war. Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan will hold another talks no later than in the end of 2018, spokesperson of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said. "As the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs said, after the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers with the participation of the co-chairs at the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 26, the co-chairs' visit to the region and the foreign ministers' meeting are expected until the end of 2018," Trend cited the spokesperson as saying. MSU announces $12 million gift for American Indian Hall By Carol SchmidtMSU News Service Montana State University will receive a major portion of funding to build a state-of-the-art American Indian Hall thanks to a $12 million pledge from a private grant-making foundation with a long history of supporting conservation and community led projects in Montana, MSU President Waded Cruzado announced on Monday. The Kendeda Fund has committed $12 million as the lead gift for the $20 million project that will be built on the eastern edge of MSUs Malone Centennial Mall. Cruzado made the surprise announcement before a large and emotional crowd gathered for the universitys annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration on Monday. We deeply thank the Kendeda Fund for this generous gift that assures that a promise made to our American Indian people will be kept and a dream fulfilled, Cruzado told the crowd before a ceremonial round dance. This very land on which we stand today is aboriginal land, once a cherished home to several American Indian tribes. This building will honor our American Indian people and their descendants, welcoming them back to their home with a building that reflects their culture with beauty, honor and grace. This is an investment in our states future Native leaders and they deserve a place like this where they can not only learn but thrive, added Tim Stevens, Montana adviser for the Kendeda Fund. Students, faculty, and community members gather fro a round dance during a celebration of Indigenous People's Day, Monday, October 8, 2018, on the Montana State University campus mall in Bozeman, Montana, after an announcement of the building of the Native American Hall with the help of a $12 million pledge from the Kendeda Fund combined with contributions from donors. MSU Photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez The Kendeda Fund is a private grantmaking foundation that invests in transformative leaders and ideas, empowering communities across the U.S. and around the globe to enhance equity, vibrancy, resourcefulness and resilience. The Kendeda Fund helps underrepresented but trusted voices build social and community capital by supporting experienced, and emerging, leaders who have the vision to see problems differently and the courage to challenge conventional thinking. It has lent support to capital construction projects on a number of university campuses across the U.S. over its 25 year history. Place is extremely important to American Indians, said Walter Fleming, chairman of MSUs Department of Native American Studies in the College of Letters and Science . We appreciate that the Kendeda Fund understands that this isnt necessarily just a building that we would like to build, but a spiritual facility that signifies a commitment to American Indians and a permanence in our campus history. Cruzado said that in addition to the Kendeda pledge, more than 60 generous donors have contributed an additional $4 million since 2005 when the project was first proposed. Last week, the Associated Students of Montana State University Senate committed $2 million in student building fees to support the project. This project is not only a tribute to American Indians, it also provides opportunities for student success and collaboration in a space filled with culture. This student center will allow my peers and me to honor and learn from our fellow American Indian Bobcats, and I'm so happy ASMSU could help bring it closer to reality, said Lizzy Thompson, vice president of the Associated Students of MSU The potential benefits to all students of this project is really exciting. This building will provide a space for students to celebrate and explore American Indian culture and heritage while also providing support to all Bobcats, said Taylor Blossom, president of the Associated Students of MSU. Waded Cruzado, president of Montana State University, speaks to students and community members during the Indigenous People's Day celebration. MSU Photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez The MSU Alumni Foundation is working to secure the final $2 million from donors by the end of December, which will bring the project to $20 million, Cruzado said. The university plans to hold a ceremonial groundbreaking for the building, which Cruzado envisions as much more than a building, a place of teaching learning and sharing where our next generation of leaders will prepare for the challenges of the future, the last week of March with an intending opening in fall of 2021. Cruzado said the buildings structure will be based on a feather design created by MSU architecture graduate Dennis Sun Rhodes in 2005. That is when Sun Rhodes, an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe from Ethete, Wyoming, and his friend, well-known artist Jim Dolan, first proposed their vision for a freestanding MSU American Indian student building to former MSU President Geoff Gamble. MSU dedicated the land next to Hannon Hall for the building shortly after and a Dolan tepee sculpture has stood on the spot as a reminder of that promise as the university worked to find funds for the project. Cruzado said Sun Rhodes and his Great Horse Group of St. Paul, Minnesota, will serve as a consultant on the project, working with ThinkOne architects of Bozeman and TSP architects in Rapid City, South Dakota. Fleming said that the planned building is sorely needed. Currently the American Indian Student Center is located in a heavily used 1,100 sq. ft. room in the basement of Wilson Hall, the same place since its been since Wilson Hall opened in 1974 and there were fewer than 25 students who identified as American Indian. This fall, 776 American Indian students are enrolled at MSU. The new facility will house the offices of the MSU Department of Native American Studies, which are currently in Wilson Hall. The building will hold numerous classrooms for use by all students, as well as an auditorium for lectures. Also planned are rooms for tutoring, counseling and advising. The American Indian Hall will also include culturally relevant elements, including a room that can be used for ceremonies and as a dance studio. While focused on the needs of MSUs growing American Indian community, which includes students from all 12 of Montanas tribes as well as 41 additional tribal nations from 15 states, Fleming said it would be also a place welcoming to all students and a bridge between cultures. We are envisioning this building will be a place that students can teach and learn about their culture, Fleming said. It will also be a place designed to help our MSU Indian students succeed. A building that is culturally appropriate and is designed to help them feel at home will go a long way to increasing enrollment, retention and ultimately graduation. More than ever before, our students are pursuing degrees in nursing, education, agriculture, science, engineering, art and architecture, and are eager to return to their communities as leaders. Fleming said members of MSUs American Indian community always held faith that generous donors would come forward to support the project, even when American Indian student numbers increased nearly three-fold since the building was first proposed 13 years ago while at the same time dramatically rising construction costs in Bozeman pushed up the cost of the project from its original $8 million. Fleming said the American Indian community redoubled its efforts in recent years. In 2016 members of MSUs Presidents Council of Elders and delegates of the Traditional Circle of Indian Elders held a sunrise ceremony to spiritually refocus efforts to find funding and the next year MSU students conducted a prayer ceremony at the site to revitalize efforts. It was a promise that had been made to the American Indian community, Fleming said. It was a solemn, sacred promise that this building would exist. We are grateful to those who stepped forward to make this promise a reality. Fleming said the buildings existence will enrich and elevate all of MSUs students and the community at large. This building is not just for American Indian students but for the whole community, Fleming said. It will be a place of gathering. There will be academic and cultural activities and space for classroom instruction for all MSU students. We think of it as a gift to the state of Montana. MSU News Service shares stories about Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, and the accomplishments of its students, faculty, alumni and staff. Follow on Facebook and Twitter Join the Conversation A letter from Gov. George Mickelson to Tim Giago 1990 a good year for reconciliation Note: The following letter was written to Tim Giago, publisher of the Lakota Times on December 19, 1989, from South Dakota Gov. George S. Mickelson. The following year, at Giago's urging, Mickelson declared a Year of Reconciliation in South Dakota. As part of the reconciliation effort, the state observed its first Native American Day on October 12, 1990, an event that has been celebrated every year since. Dear Tim; Just recently, my mother asked me if I was ever troubled about Native American/white relations in South Dakota. When I confirmed this was one of the most troubling areas facing me as governor, she recalled that my father, who served as governor in the late 1940s, mentioned time and time again that strife between the races was a frustrating, ongoing dilemma in his administration as well. She and I wondered how, in 40 years, so little improvement could be realized. As little improvement as there has been, I do believe there has been some progress. Some of that can be attributed to the work of Dr. Martin Luther King who made many of us realize we should celebrate our racial differences and draw on those differences for the betterment of all. And, some of that progress can be attributed to the people right here in South Dakota Indians and non-Indians who for those 40 years and more have striven to understand our differences to educate those of us who have grown up together but who have never made the effort to bridge the cultural gap. Tim Giago, left, is shown with the late Gov. George Mickelson in this file photo. Giago lobbied the governor to proclaim the Year of Reconciliation in 1990 to honor the 100th anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre and to change Columbus Day to Native American Day. Photo courtesy Native Sun News Today I couldnt agree with you more, Tim. We must reconcile those differences. As the state of South Dakota celebrates the beginning of its second century, we must also remember that statehood was a very sad time for the Native Americans. Two of the greatest tragedies in Dakota history happened just thirteen months after South Dakota became a state. In December 1890, Sitting Bull was murdered near Mobridge and a group of nervous, inexperienced soldiers opened fire and killed more than 300 Indians at Wounded Knee. Two-thirds of the dead were defenseless women and children. Because 100 years is a significant milepost, the states centennial and the centennial of the Wounded Knee Massacre are good times to look back at how we can better understand how and why things are done today by looking at how and they things were done 100 years ago, 75 years ago, or even 40 years ago when my father was governor. I believe your suggestion that we, you and I, as well all the citizens, observe 1990 as a year of reconciliation and create a day to celebrate Native Americans is an excellent idea. And, for my part, I will be happy to prepare such a proclamation. But, in anticipation of that, and in order to ensure that the proclamation be more than just the paper on which it is composed, I would ask you and others to help me prepare it. We must determine not only that we will educate each other, but how we will educate each other. We must decide not only to improve communication, but how we will do it. We must have a plan so that when we reach the end of this year of reconciliation, we can also show some kind of measurable improvement. I do not want my own children to look back over 40 years and see little progress in solving racial discord in South Dakota, Tim. I look forward to hearing your suggestions and those of your readers Indians and non-Indian as we count 100 years of history. George Mickelson, Governor, South Dakota Join the Conversation Related Stories Not only has a woman, who worked with Vikas Bahl in production house Phantom Films has accused the Queen director of sexual harassment masturbating on her back, to be particular but also Kangana Ranaut. After which, Anurag Kashyap and Vikramditya Motwane co producers of Phantom Films apologised and said that they failed the victim as even after knowing everything, they couldnt do anything for years. Also Read: After Tanushree Dutta, KangaAfter Tanushree Dutta, Kangana Ranaut Takes #MeToo Forward, Accuses Queen Director Of Sexual Misconduct Since they were bound to the contract which, according to Anurag Kashyap, stated that none of members could be sacked on the basis of sexual misconduct, the partners chose to dissolve the company. Phantom Films no longer exists. Also Read: Anurag Kashyap Issues Statement On Vikas Bahl Row, Explains Why It Took So Long To Take Action And now, it seems Vikas Bahl has lost out on another big project. If reports are to be believed, Vikas Bahl has been kicked out of streaming giant Amazon Primes series, which was currently in its pre-production stage. Also Read: After Nana Patekar, Similar Misconduct Stories About Kailash Kher, Kanan Gill & Others Crop Up! pinterest The show is said to be based on Australian series, which had couples spicing up their sex lives. Amazon Prime, along with Raghu Ram and Rajiv Lakshmans owned Monozygotic Solutions, was supposed to produce the series. The show was scheduled to begin at the end of the year. Also Read: The Beginning Of The End! Rajat Kapoor Accused Of Sexual Harassment, Issues Apology The teams of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads on Monday arrested a suspected ISI spy on charges of leaking secrets at the BrahMos Aerospace unit in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The accused has been identified as Nishant Agarwal who had been working at the BrahMos Aerospace unit for four years, News18 reported. PTI As per the reports, Agarwal is a suspected agent of Pakistans spy agency ISI and he has been booked under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly leaking technical secrets to Pakistan. The accused was caught in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra ATS, TimesNow reported. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) facility where Agarwal worked manufactures propellants or fuel for BrahMos missiles which are the fastest cruise missiles in the world. The supersonic missiles can be launched from submarines, ships and aircraft and even land. Times Now reported that Agarwal is believed to have got access to sensitive information on Indias missiles systems. Now the two ATS are looking into the details of spys way of operating. In eastern Uttar Pradesh, a tribe of rat-catchers primarily called the Musahars are dying a slow death due to extreme starvation in their village. In Rakba Dulma Patti village, two sons of Sonwa Devi starved to death on September 14, the same month when the government celebrated September as National Nutrition month to mark Indias fight against malnutrition. Another man named Virendra Musahar lost his 30-year-old wife, Sangeeta and six year old, Shyam who died due to the shortage of food on September 06. These deaths which are being reported to be due to hunger are getting unnoticed perhaps because the Mahadalit community is dependent on rats as their primary source of food. Photo: catchnews Rats or sometimes even snails, the Times Of India reported. Though, the government officials insisted that the deaths were not hunger related. It is only when Sonwa Devi lost the apple of her eyes, one 16-year-old and another 22-year-old when she finally received some food from the administration. A traumatized Virendra told TOI, We survive on anything that is eatable. The daily wage labourer has hardly got any work since he sold his wooden cart a few months ago to feed his family. Sonwa had registered with the MGNREGA scheme in 2017 that aims to guarantee the right to work but she one year later, she still remains unemployed. People like Virendra and Sonwa are termed as lucky by the villagers because the officials drop off some stack of grains only when they lose one family member. Photo: Hindustan Times However, these grains wont last forever. My 10-year-old son Laxman died some years ago in a similar manner. These packets of food and some money will delay our deaths for some time, said a miserable Virendra. The two brothers didnt die of hunger but from TB. A probe is underway to see if they got treatment for the disease. Our government has given jobs, ration cards and houses to Musahars. The family had a ration card too, said UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath shortly after the deaths. TB officer Rakesh Kumar from Padrauna block said that tests done by him revealed no such thing. Senior officials have been warning me not to reveal the truth, he told TOI. Sonwa Devi also rubbished the governments claim saying that the doctors also said that there was nothing wrong with her boys. Photo: The Straits Times The medical staff asked her for money she said for getting admitted to the hospital but her children died within hours of getting admitted, without food or medicine. We get to eat only if we work. She further informed that the officials had given her food and promised that she will get a toilet in her house as well. There is no place to sit here. Where will they build a toilet? Young Musahar children dont go to school, rather they look for rodents that will serve as their breakfast, lunch and dinner. Another Musahar, Usha said that most of them live on daily wages only. They only get wheat or rice from the PDS shop. The villagers have no idea how much grains they are given but it is never enough. When the villagers need money for anything else, including medicines, they have no other option but to sell that to the city people. Musahars can either have rats or medicines, whenever they fall sick, they are just left to die. In an effort to please everyone with a flamboyant lifestyle, a woman who hails from Jharkhand robbed a taxi driver at gunpoint in order to impress family members at a wedding. The Hindustan Times reported that the car was stolen from southeast Delhis Lajpat Nagar, the police informed. The pistol which was used in the act was also purchased from Raghubir Nagar. 26-year-old Gazala alias Sapna from Chakradharpur in Jharkhand and her associate, Vansh Varma from Sangam Vihar in Delhi were the main accused. On October 04, a taxi driver from Dehradun, the complainant in the case, Subham Sharma informed the policemen that two women and a man had hired his cab to travel to and fro between Palam in Delhi and Dehradun. Photo: BCCL/Moolchand underpass Deputy Commissioner Of Police (DCP), Monika Bharadwaj informed that the driver was robbed at gunpoint on October 03 near the Moolchand flyover. The police then received a tip-off that the duo involved in the car theft will be coming to Keshopur Mandi. A GPS device installed in the vehicle helped the police personnel to trace them. The officials then interrogated a man and a woman who was travelling on a motorcycle. They were identified as Varma and Sapna, the police said. It was later revealed that the motorcycle too was stolen and a country pistol was also recovered from the thieves. Photo: Indian Express/ Representational Purpose The DCP told HT, During interrogation, Sapna disclosed that she belongs to a poor family and was married in 2009. She had some dispute with her husband. She later started living with Varma in Dehradun. She said she had to attend her brothers wedding in her village in Jharkhand and wanted to impress her family members. Hence, she carried out the theft with the help of Varma and another friend, Kajal from Roorkee. Sapna further confessed that after the thievery they reached Varmas house in Sangam Vihar where they altered the cars number plate. She then visited her relatives and left the car abandoned in Raghubir Nagar. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Brazil's general elections wrapped up late Sunday and the official final results showed that the right-wing Jair Bolsonaro and his left-leaning rival Fernando Haddad are headed for a run-off later this month. The candidate for the Presidency of the Republic by the PSL, Jair Bolsonaro, arrives in the electoral section to vote on the elections of the first round, located in the Vila Militar, Rio de Janeir. [Photo: IC] Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) said that the final results, available shortly before 9 p.m. local time (0000 GMT Monday), confirmed that voters will be heading to the polls again for the second round of the presidential election. The final tally showed Bolsonaro, from the Social Liberal Party, won 46.1 percent of the votes, while Haddad, from the Workers' Party, had 29.1 percent. The elections were "clean, serene, transparent and agile," said Rosa Weber, president of the TSE. "The elections took place peacefully and the will of the Brazilian people was comprehensively respected," she added. Voter turnout was at 79.67 percent, or about 112 million out of 147 million eligible voters, leaving the abstention rate at 20.33 percent (or more than 28 million people). Voting is mandatory in Brazil. Some 91.22 percent of the votes cast were valid, while 2.67 percent of the ballots were left blank and 6.11 percent nullified. It requires over 50 percent of the valid votes for a presidential candidate to claim an outright win in the first round of the election. If none of the candidates has secured an absolute majority, a second round will be held. On Sunday, Brazilians voted to choose a new president and vice president, 27 governors and vice governors, 54 senators, 513 federal representatives and 1,059 state representatives. The TSE said the elections on Sunday ran smoothly throughout the country, with few incidents. All Brazilian presidential candidates have already voted in the first round of the general elections. Bolsonaro voted on Sunday morning in Rio, accompanied by one of his sons, who is also a politician and is running for the Senate. As he left the voting site, the candidate told reporters that he was still not fully healed from the attack he suffered last month. Bolsonaro was stabbed in the gut on Sept. 6, as he campaigned in Minas Gerais state. The attacker was immediately arrested and put into jail. Preliminary investigations showed the attacker was a lone wolf, acting out of his own volition. Bolsonaro underwent two surgeries and is currently using a colostomy bag. He may have to undergo a third surgery in the near future to take it off. In his speech, the candidate reinforced the far-right discourse and made a reference to Venezuela. Though Brazil never actually had a socialist government, Bolsonaro has been using the neighboring country, which is facing severe economic and political problems, as a dire example of what Brazil could become if his rivals win the election. "We have had the support of important sectors of society: businessmen, merchants, evangelical leaders, good people in Brazil who want to move away from socialism and do not want to flirt with the Venezuelan regime," he said. "People who want a liberal economy, with less State presence, and who want to defend family values. People are realizing that Brazil cannot continue in the direction of socialism; we do not want Brazil to become like Venezuela in the future," he said. Haddad voted on Sunday in Sao Paulo, accompanied by his wife, Ana Estela. After casting his ballots, Haddad, who replaced iconic former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the PT ticket, told reporters that he had confidence in his presence in the second round of elections and criticized leading candidate Bolsonaro. Haddad said that in the second round, Bolsonaro will not be able to "hide behind his social networks." Bolsonaro is somewhat of a social media phenomenon, with millions of followers comparing him to a Messiah, especially after he was stabbed during a campaign event in early September. Even before the attack, Bolsonaro had declared he would not attend any debates, after some poor performances. After the attack, he was in the hospital and later recovering at home. Despite not going to debates, he gave several interviews and made a number of Facebook livestreams. "He has great difficulty in debates," Haddad said. "He would have great difficulties to debate in the second round. He has no team, he has no project." The Sustainability Network Party's Marina Silva voted in her home state of Acre, accompanied by her husband and sister. After voting, she talked about her campaign and criticized the excessive polarization of Brazilian politics, represented by the candidacies of Bolsonaro and Haddad, the two top-ranked candidates in polls. "Brazil is going through a very serious political, economic, social crisis, and a crisis of values as well. The two parties which are now engaging in this polarization are not an alternative for the Brazilian society," she said. Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB)'s Geraldo Alckmin voted in Sao Paulo, where he served as governor. He was accompanied by his wife Lu Alckmin and political allies. The Socialism and Freedom Party's Guilherme Boulos also voted in Sao Paulo and asked electors not to vote out of hate. "We cannot fool around with the country almost falling from a cliff. No more dictatorship," he said. "Do not put hate in the ballot. Put in your dreams and hopes." Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said that Moscow and Ankara have determined the borders of the demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib. "The borders of the demilitarized zone have been already determined," Vershinin noted. According to him, very good contacts, cooperation, ties have been established between the military of Turkey and Russia, Sputnik reported. "They have already met more than once after signing the document," the diplomat said. On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in the Russian resort city of Sochi and signed an agreement on setting up a 15-20km demilitarized zone in Idlib along the contact line of the armed opposition and the government forces by October 15. Scientist Nishant Agrawal (c), who was arrested in a joint operation between Indias military intelligence and the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra police on charges of spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI and other countries being taken away by police in Nagpur Oct. 8. He was working with the BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, an Indo-Russian Joint Venture- missile research center. (IANS photo) Switch the Market flag Open the menu and switch the Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice. for targeted data from your country of choice. We wouldnt have done that if it wasnt for Brexit, so its something that weve been forced to do. Talking about the impact of the divorce between the UK and the European Union on the business, the outgoing chief executive said Lloyds will potentially lose the ability to pay claims on old contracts. And thats what were lobbying the government for, to say can you resolve this continuity of contract, she continued. How can we service our customers beyond Brexit? Beale said they want to confirm that the specialist insurance market can continue to service existing policies. If we cant, were going to be transferring those contracts, hopefully to our Brussels subsidiary, she noted, so we have a contingency plan that we will implement. Were accelerating that plan as it seems to me that we might be closer to a no deal than we were. Formally known as Lloyds Insurance Company SA, the Brussels subsidiary will underwrite non-life insurance and facultative reinsurance risks located in European Economic Area (EEA) countries starting January 01. It now has a suite of policy documentation to support underwriting of risks from the EEA. It is truly an honor to be recognized for our military spouse hiring efforts again this year by VIQTORY, said Bob Wiedower, vice president of sales development and military programs for Combined Insurance. The company was also recently recognized by VIQTORY as the countrys number-one military-friendly employer in the over $1 billion revenue category Combined Insurances eighth consecutive year in the top 10 and its fifth consecutive year in the top five. We are proud to support our military once they leave the service by providing meaningful employment, but we also want to support our military while they are still serving, Wiedower said. One of the best ways to do that is to provide employment for military spouses, offering flexibility and portability that military spouses need in their career. Since launching its veteran recruiting program in 2010, Combined has partnered with the Department of Defenses military spouse employment initiative, guaranteeing any veteran or military spouse an interview with the company. Wright and his co-conspirators, Shane Gordon, 46, and Raymond Fosdick, 42, both of Houston, and Edward Delima, 42, of Honolulu, acquired luxury goods and obtained insurance coverage for those goods in amounts exceeding their purchase prices. Wright and his co-conspirators then devised and carried out schemes to destroy those goods and defraud insurance companies, court documents said. Wright, Gordon, Fosdick, and Delima were all charged on May 17, 2017 for various offenses. Delima pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to a five-year term of probation. Fosdick pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit arson; in January this year, he was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison. Gordon pleaded guilty to making false statements to a federal agent and was sentenced to two years in federal prison this month he was also ordered to pay $440,000 in restitution, Athens Daily Review reported. For his part, Wright was also ordered to pay $988,544.83 in amends. The various assets destroyed in the scheme included a 1966 Beechcraft Baron, a 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo, a 1971 Cessna 500 and a 1998 Hunter Passage, a court press release said. According to the court document, the Beechcraft Baron aircraft made an emergency landing in the Gulf of Mexico, sank in deep water and was not recovered, while the Lamborghini car crashed into a ditch and got waterlogged. The Cessna 500 aircraft was destroyed when Fosdick under Wrights orders set it ablaze at the Athens Municipal Airport in Texas. The Hunter Passage boat sank in a marina in Hawaii. For each of the incidents, fraudulent insurance claims were filed. Wright and his conspirators also filed a fraudulent $1 million personal injury lawsuit in relation to the Gulf of Mexico crash; that suit was settled for $100,000. Related stories: Anti-terrorism hero's father gets six years in arson scam Two NY men accused of restaurant arson scheme to claim on insurance We are pleased to support Will, Nathan, and the growing team at Sana as they apply their expertise in employee benefits, customer experience and software development to address the needs of an underserved market, said Greenlight Re CEO Simon Burton. Sana is one example of a great opportunity to use tech to transform the customer experience, and were delighted to be partnering with them. Small-group stop-loss insurance is broken on so many levels: underwriting, administration, distribution, member experience, Young and Hackley said in a statement. Greenlight Re understands and supports Sanas vision for building a fully integrated, tech-forward experience to fix it. The transaction is the second investment announced by Greenlight Re Innovations, which was launched in March to support tech and innovation opportunities related to the reinsurance and insurance spaces. Last month, the company announced a strategic investment in Hong Kong-based Galileo Platforms, an insurance and reinsurance platform-as-a-service business focused on the emerging Asian markets. The natural gas company at the center of the explosions north of Boston last month was woefully unprepared to prevent or respond to the unfolding disaster, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey said Friday after a review of internal company documents. The Massachusetts Democrats said Columbia Gas didnt have adequate safety and response measures in place before Sept. 13, when more than 80 explosions and gas fires struck Lawrence, North Andover and Andover. The explosions, likely caused by overpressurized gas lines, killed one person, injured 25 others, damaged or destroyed dozens of homes, and left thousands of Merrimack Valley residents without natural gas to heat their homes as the winter approaches. Warren and Markey said in an Oct. 4 letter that they had reviewed documents and statements provided by the company, including its Distribution Integrity Management Plan and Operations and Maintenance Manual. They concluded the utility did not properly contemplate the possibility that a disaster like this could occur, did not have sufficient safety measures in place to prevent a disaster, and was not prepared to respond. The senators also criticized the company for not instituting commonsense measures such as knowing the exact location of control lines and having the proper staff onsite during repair work until five days afterward. The omission of these sorts of safety measures from Columbia Gas operating procedures prior to this disaster is alarming and unacceptable, the senators wrote. It raises serious questions as to why these policies were not previously in place for Columbia Gas systems and whether that failure was the result of negligence, cost considerations, or incompetence. Ken Stammen, a spokesman for NiSource, Columbia Gas parent company, said the utility cant comment on the cause of the incident or matters related to the ongoing National Transportation Safety Board investigation. We have been responding to the Senators requests for information in a timely manner, and are reviewing this most recent letter, he said in a statement. Our attention right now is focused on restoring gas service to customers in the Merrimack Valley. Meanwhile, local government officials and Columbia Gas announced Friday theyre offering hotel rooms, travel trailers, shelters and other temporary housing for those without gas service or otherwise unable to return to their homes. At least 15 structures have been deemed uninhabitable, an additional 19 need significant repairs, and an additional 102 sustained minor damage, state officials said this week. Columbia Gas has deployed thousands of workers to replace 45 miles of aging pipeline and gradually restore service. The company says all customers should have gas, including for heat and hot water, by Nov. 19. Related: Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Massachusetts Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will visit the Stavropol Territory tomorrow. "Together with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the President will make a working trip to the Stavropol Territory where he will hold a meeting on the development of the agricultural industry. The discussion will focus on measures to fulfill the potential of the countrys agricultural industry," the presidential press service reported. In addition, the President and the Prime Minister will also visit apple orchards of the Rassvet agricultural company, learn about the harvesting process and meet with the company workers. A North Korean hacking group focused on financial gain for the rogue state has penetrated banks around the world with a series of ongoing attacks, and has tried to steal at least $1.1 billion over the last four years, according to a new tally by cyber-security firm FireEye Inc. The group, which FireEye identified as APT38, has infiltrated more than 16 organizations in 11 countries including the U.S., and stolen more than $100 million. The hackers have gotten past heavily defended servers at banks and spent time scouring the networks. Security officials should be alarmed, FireEye said last week in a report. What sets the North Koreans apart is they wait an average of 155 days before they steal the money, Charles Carmakal, vice president of consulting at FireEye, said in an interview. They understand banking networks pretty well. And they probably have geopolitical considerations behind the timing, location of their attacks. The most prominent attack by APT38 was the theft of funds from the Bangladeshi central banks accounts at the U.S. Federal Reserve in 2016. In that case, the hackers got the Fed to transfer some $100 million by sending fake wiring orders. About $40 million was recovered when the hack was discovered and transfers were reversed before they could be withdrawn. In January, Mexicos state-owned trade bank thwarted the attempted theft of $110 million using similar methods. In May, a Chilean bank lost $10 million. All were carried out by APT38, FireEye said in its report. North Korean diplomats and official media have denied that the country plays any role in cyber attacks. In its recent attacks, the group burns the house down, wiping out computer hard drives to erase its tracks, Carmakal said. Even as other attacks continue, APT38 hasnt targeted American banks amid North Koreas peace talks with the U.S., he said. Banks and other financial institutions are targeted by the most sophisticated cyber criminals, who are attracted to the lure of big-money paydays, FireEye and other groups have said. That has prompted banks to outspend other industries to protect themselves, with the biggest U.S. firms annual cyber-security budgets reaching $1 billion. Financial firms face the highest number of attempted breaches from computer addresses that have been already blocked because of prior misbehavior, according to a report set for release Tuesday by cyber-security firm eSentire. That points to targeted campaigns and persistent efforts by sophisticated attackers, according to Eldon Sprickerhoff, founder and chief innovation officer of eSentire. Related: Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics Cyber Trends The digital revolution in insurance is about to begin its second act. Having in its first phase used science and technology to inspire a rethinking of insurance that is making insurance easier and more efficient to buy and sell, and improving customer experiences especially around claims, insurtech is poised for a dramatic sequel that will build on the first act theme that challenges present opportunities. Products will have a starring role in the second act. Advanced technology and data will be used to design simpler products that better serve peoples real needs, according to experts at the third annual InsureTech Connect Conference in Las Vegas. The tools and data will also be used to more precisely assess and price risk. The second installment will feature key roles for both incumbents and startups, along with cameo appearances by some new business models. Seeing the Core What has happened thus far in the first act is just the tip of the iceberg, according to Daniel Schreiber, founder and CEO of the pioneering insurtech insurer Lemonade. The second act, which Schreiber calls Deep Seeing, will revolutionize core insurance products and pricing. He said the second act will have a profound impact as it deploys artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning along with predictive modeling and nontraditional data sets. The next insurance leaders will use bots, not brokers, and AI, not actuaries, he proclaimed to the audience at the ITC. According to Schreiber, the core product of insurance is essentially an algorithm and thus, unlike most consumer products, is susceptible to being reconfigured by new data practices. Insurance is about using statistics to price risk, which is why data, properly collected and used, will transform the core of the product, he said. At the same time, Insurance is about insuring people, not property, he added. Advances in data science, access to hundreds of nontraditional data sources, and the application of AI and machine learning will make very precise underwriting possibleeven down to the individual risk. Risks that are now seen as looking alike and part of a monolithic group will be assessed very differently. The breadcrumbs left behind by digital interactions are highly predictable, he said. Free Models Others at the InsureTech Connect Conference were in sync with the idea that a second wave of digital transformation is coming. Caribou Honig, co-founder of the conference and of the venture capital firm QED Investors, sees different business models entering the fray, including ones that offer a product such as a will or, perhaps in the future, a genetic test, for free as a way of getting to the insurance sale. He also sees non-insurance firms entering. You should also keep an eye on the new companies coming to insurance. Not the insurtechs, not the longstanding ones, but others who bring capabilities and are starting to eye the insurance vector, Honig told attendees. Now many of them, you want to be in your supply chain. They want to be helping you succeed, and indeed many of those will be content in simply being part of your supply chain. But some fraction of them will want you to be in their supply chain. Pay special attention to those because thats where the action is really going to happen. Honigs vision must have been influenced by Ken Lin, founder and CEO of the 80 million-member digital consumer service Credit Karma. For Lin, the first digital act in consumer finance has been great at collecting data but has essentially failed to help people solve their financial problems. Too many people are still living paycheck to paycheck, fail to save money, and are depressed and ashamed about their financial situations. Credit Karma has just added auto insurance into its model. Its new service provides from 10 to 30 auto insurance quotes with little or no data entry. Its really simple, he says. At this point, Credit Karma is not charging or getting paid for this service. Lin plans to be a player in the digital revolutions second act in financial services in part because he thinks that the first act has failed consumers. We can do things faster, and we can pay with more payment methods, we can take applications online, said Linn. Weve made streamlining and underwriting easier. Weve done a lot of amazing things in capturing data. However, there is one big gap. Weve done a lot of amazing things in this space, but I would say that we actually havent done one thing, which is really solve the consumer problem, he said. In his view, insurtech must now be a consumer advocate. Buying AI Daniel Glaser, CEO of insurance broker and risk consulting giant Marsh McLennan, also has a view on the next phase of insurtech. But his view includes brokers. He swatted down the Lemonade leaders notion that bots will replace brokers. Thats just nonsense, he declared. Im on the other side of that bet. Glaser said the industry has been consolidating for a century but there are still plenty of intermediaries because the barriers to entry are low. Glaser agreed that digitization changes everything and that the industry will have to embrace AI and machine learning. But he does not see these technologies becoming a differentiator in the long run. He predicts companies will at first go about creating proprietary AI and machine learning applications but that those will not be sustainable any more than proprietary customer relations management systems were. No one will have proprietary capability, he predicted. People will buy AI. Glaser said the industry will likely pivot from emphasizing product and protection to instead emphasizing a better client experience and how insurance enables people and businesses. He said incumbents like MMC and others spend too much on running their operations and not enough on modernizing them. Yet they do have to find a way to do both. We have to be able to deliver the future and the third quarter, he quipped. According to Glaser, who has been at each of the three InsureTech Connect meetings thus far, MMC has changed its view of technology. Technology used to be viewed as a cost but now its a strategy, a competitive advantage. Turned on Its Head Lloyds CEO Inga Beale recently started buying landlord insurance on her smartphone while on her way to a manicure appointment and then resumed and finished the transaction after her appointment. She found the experience quick and enjoyable. That is, until the exclusions started to fill up her screen. We have created an insurance monster,' Beale said, referring to the multiple pages of policy endorsements and exclusions that accompany many policies. She thinks the next phase of digital will have to focus on making products that are simpler and that make sense to todays consumers. We need to turn it on its head, so that the industry is offering certainty, not uncertainty, she said. Technology alone will not shape the next phase, according to Rick Chavez of Oliver Wyman. It will instead be shaped by a collision of mega-trends including the linking together of different technologies, changes in consumer behavior, regulatory policies and others. Chavez said the first phase of digital disruption has seen a shift of the balance of the power to people, the shift in power at the end of the command chain. This shift has presented a bit of a problem because for many decades weve been taught the things about industries, things about our companies, and things about our products. We start with our products, not with the problems, he said. Now insurtech has given people more of a voice. They vote with their wallets and with their attention. But attention is finite; its only 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. The dominant forces that are grabbing that attention have the ability to lock themselves in to grab more, he observed. Chavez suggested there are lessons for insurance from other industries including retail where Amazon is now more valuable than Walmart; hospitality, where Airbnb is challenging Marriott; and banking, where PayPal has eaten into Bank of America. He also pointed to the energy industry where suppliers are using data to help customers manage their consumption. Shareholder value vs. customer value is a metric to watch. According to the Oliver Wyman consultant, any CEO has to ask: Where do I have great reliance in my shareholder obligation to products in business that are not generating value to the customer? He stressed that this must be answered honestly and dispassionately from the view of the customer. Its not what the company thinks they want, but what their genuine views are. Chavez believes that while there is danger in disruption, there is also opportunity in terms of underserved markets, especially for insurers that establish trust. People are thinking about their whole financial security in their workaday lives and they are having these conversations with their spouses and loved ones on weekends, according to Chavez. Important life events saving for college, buying a new home, thinking about retirement create moments of need that are highly underserved, and that are great opportunities to create disruptive offers, Chavez said. Its not just insurtech it can be insurance companies just having the will to see it and to move in its direction, he said. Trust in Bots Lemonades Schreiber praised insurance as a unique and valuable social good but criticized the current structure for having various conflicts of interest and bad incentivesfor one, carriers are rewarded if they keep claims payments low that undermine consumer trust in insurance. He said Lemonade is trying to address the trust gap by incorporating a third party charities into the equation. Customers know that any amount of the premium they pay that the insurer does not need for operations or claims goes to their favorite charity. Schreiber said technology is being used to both collapse costs and delight consumers. As an example, he pointed to his firm Lemonades use of bots to sell coverage and manage claims, resulting in the company having about 2,500 customers per human versus much lower numbers for traditional carriers: State Farm (500), Geico (400), Allstate (246) and Farmers (143). Challenging calls that humans are needed for the best customer service, he claimed that bots actually improve customer satisfaction and shared a comment by one customer who told a reviewer that Lemonades chat bot had more personality than her traditional carriers customer service human. According to the outspoken insurtech CEO, insurance is not like other products in this digital age. Spotify has revolutionized how consumers buy music but the songs being sold are themselves the same as the artists originally performed them. Amazon has revolutionized retail sales but the toaster it sells is the same one that Macys sells. Technology and data, however, will change the insurance product because at its core, insurance is data. A digital insurance business is profoundly different from incumbent carriers, according to Schreiber. As a result, legacy insurers will have trouble in the digital age. Traditional and digital players will not converge, they will diverge, he predicted. He dismissed those who criticize or question the sustainability of Lemonades own operation because of its initial high loss ratios. He said the critics are missing the point. The changes coming are bigger than one company, he said. Topics Carriers InsurTech Tech Data Driven A federal investigation seeks documents about business operations connected to a private investment firm founder who seemingly overnight became the largest individual donor in North Carolina politics. The federal grand jury subpoena issued last month to the state Department of Insurance demands information since January 2014 about Greg E. Lindberg; Durham-based Eli Global, which he founded; and at least seven associated companies. The department regulates many of Lindbergs companies. Among the records sought by Oct. 16 include those involving business dealings such as financial reports, contracts, and investment and lending instruments pertaining to Lindberg or the companies. The FBI and the U.S. attorneys office in Charlotte requested the subpoena, which says an official criminal investigation of a suspected felony is being conducted but does not specify the subject. Spokeswomen for the federal law enforcement agencies separately declined to comment Wednesday on the subpoena and the investigation. WRAL-TV first reported on their existence. Republican state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey is not the target, department spokesman Barry Smith said. Lindberg and Eli Global offered no comment, either, when requested by The Associated Press through a public relations agency taking calls for them Tuesday and Wednesday. The state Democratic and Republican parties which have both benefited from Lindbergs recent political donations also have been contacted by investigators, party officials confirmed Wednesday. Lindberg has given more than $5 million since 2016 to North Carolina candidate and party committees and independent expenditure groups, including more than $3.4 million last year, according to campaign finance reports. The state GOPs receipt of nearly $1.5 million from Lindberg for the 18 months ending June 30 is five times what the Democrats received. Hes also given in the past to outside groups that have supported GOP Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and then-Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, a Democrat who is now chairman of the state Democratic Party. Lindberg, a registered unaffiliated voter, has said little about why hes giving to political causes. A spokesman said months ago that Lindberg wanted to support in a nonpartisan way candidates that are in tune with the issues affecting North Carolina businesses and its citizens. The investigation reinforces questions about what results Lindberg hopes for from his donations, said Bob Phillips, executive director of the government watchdog group Common Cause North Carolina. Everyone should be asking why is this big money coming to both sides, Phillips said, adding that such donations leave the impression of trying to buy access and influence. State GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse said hes never met with Lindberg or talked to him. The state GOP has no concerns about any donations received or made anytime recently, Woodhouse said. Lindberg gave a combined $360,000 in 2016 to an outside group that ran ads backing Goodwin or directly to Goodwins committee. The $250,000 donation Lindberg made to the state Democratic Party last spring went to a special fund to renovate the partys Raleigh headquarters, spokesman Robert Howard wrote in an email. Causey, who defeated Goodwin in the November 2016 election, said earlier this year that his campaign returned a $5,000 Lindberg donation last year out of abundance of caution because of his regulatory duties. Lindberg gave $2.4 million last year to the Republican Council of State Committee, an organization backing GOP candidates for executive statewide office, and Truth and Prosperity, which promoted Forest during his winning 2016 re-election campaign. Forest is preparing for a 2020 run for governor. Forest said Wednesday in a brief interview that he had no information on the subpoena and repeated that being identified in one doesnt mean the person is guilty of a crime. So I think you let the process play out, Forest said. I wouldnt want to comment on anything I dont know anything about. Lindberg also has given money to candidates in state and federal races in five other states during the current two-year election cycle, according to FollowTheMoney.org, which tracks campaign contributions. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics North Carolina The Florida Department of Financial Services Disaster Fraud Action Strike Team (DFAST) has been activated ahead of what is expected to become Hurricane Michael and will be deployed in the affected areas to protect Floridians from storm-related fraud, according to a statement from Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis. DFS said in the statement indicators of storm-related fraud include: 1. A contractor or restoration professional who offered to waive or discount an insurance deductible. 2. A contractor or restoration professional that has received payment and has failed to provide any repairs to the home. 3. A contractor or restoration professional who offered to provide repairs at a cash-only discounted rate and has failed to provide repairs to the home. 4. A contractor or restoration professional who pressure the policyholder to sign an AOB and has failed to provide any repairs to the home or stopped responding to contact attempts. With Florida Governor Rick Scott announcing an executive order declaring a state of emergency for counties in the Florida Panhandle and the Big Bend for what is now Tropical Storm Michael, Patronis is urging residents across counties in the region to act now to prepare for possible damage and flooding from the storm. Floridians shouldnt take this tropical threat lightly and must act now to protect themselves and their property. Taking steps today, like gathering important insurance and financial documents and snapping photos of valuables for your home inventory, can make a major difference during recovery, he said. Patronis urged residents to take steps to prepare for possible flooding that could come from the storm. Flooding is always a top concern during a storm and residents must protect their property from the devastation floods can cause. Hurricane Irma last year resulted in 1,824 private flood insurance claims and floods in Florida have cost more than $5.1 billion since 1978. Taking steps now can help prevent major losses, he said. Simple Steps to Prepare for a Storm: Snap a Photo:Take photos or video of belongings, gather receipts and write down purchase dates (if known) and serial numbers. Prepare Your Home:Take steps to secure the home or property like prepare sandbags and secure any leaks or areas of the home where tropical rains or sitting water could be problematic. Some communities will offer free sandbags so check with local government officials for more information. Keep Info Handy: Save the insurance companys or agents phone number along with financial institution and mortgage companys contact information for ease of filing future claims. Keep copies of policies in a plastic bag for safe keeping and be sure to follow insurance company on social media for important storm-related information. Floridians with any questions or concerns are encouraged to contact the DFS Consumer Helpline by calling 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236). Source: Florida Department of Financial Services Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Florida Fraud Flood Hurricane Contractors Monthly marijuana tax revenue in Alaska hit $1.5 million in August, another new high. The state says the only time this year that tax revenue was below $1 million was in February. Cultivators pay the tax, imposed when marijuana is sold or transferred from a licensed grow facility to a retail marijuana shop or product manufacturing facility. Alaskas Department of Revenue says about $15.8 million has been collected since October 2016, when the first legal sales began. Alaskans in 2014 voted to legalize the so-called recreational use of marijuana. State law calls for half of the tax revenue to go toward programs aimed at reducing repeat criminal offenders. Legislation passed earlier this year calls for an additional 25 percent to go toward a marijuana education and treatment program. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Profit Loss Cannabis Alaska More and more people these days seek to enhance their career opportunities by earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, which can translate to higher salaries, opportunities for promotions, or the skills to become an entrepreneur and start a new business. When applying to a business school, one of the important metrics that admissions committees consider is an applicant's undergraduate GPA. Although having an excellent grade point average (GPA) certainly helps with being selected for a program, other features of an MBA application such as GMAT score and professional work experience will come in to play. GPA Earning a bachelor's degree with a 4.0 is certainly an applaudable achievement. But failing to get straight A's will not necessarily ruin your chances of getting into a respectable MBA program. Getting better than 3.5 (B+ to A-) for a cumulative grade point average is typically the range that these schools are looking for. The very best and top-rated programs will demand a higher GPA than mid- or lower-tier ones. Although GPA statistics for many of the top business schools are not officially published, research by F1GMAT shows that for the top 20 rated programs, the average GPA lies somewhere between 3.5 and 3.7. They also find that graduating with a GPA of 2.7 or less seriously hurts a candidate's chances of getting accepted to a reputed program. Some examples of average GPAs for new MBA classes include Stanford University's Graduate School of Business which boasted an average GPA for incoming students of 3.73. The average GPA for the incoming class at Harvard Business School has been 3.70, while the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, MIT Sloan and Columbia Business School all took in students with an average of 3.50. GMAT Although GPA is important, a 2012 survey of business school admission officers by Kaplan Test Prep found that it is only the number two admissions killer for getting into an MBA program. The number one factor was found to be an inadequate GMAT score. In Kaplan's survey, 51% of respondents listed the GMAT as the number one hurdle when applying for an MBA. The best business schools generally demand the highest test scores, and among top-tier programs, the average score is between 720-730. A perfect score of 800 is certainly not required to gain acceptance to a top school, but it can certainly make an applicant stand out. Poets & Quants have compiled a list of average GMAT scores for some of the top MBA programs in the United States. 1:27 Does GPA Matter to an MBA Program? Work Experience Excelling in academics serves as a solid foundation, but a business school is geared toward real-world professional outcomes. As a result, many schools value relevant work experience in their decision-making process. Executive MBA (EMBA) programs, in particular, are designed specifically for those who have been in the workforce for a number of years in management or leadership roles and who are typically older students. EMBA admissions know that academic records will be stale and put a much heavier weight on work experience and the professional networks applicants can bring to the table. Part-time and EMBA programs are designed to allow full-time employees to earn their MBA while pursuing their degrees by offering evening and weekend classes. Often times, employers will pay for a student's tuition in full or in part if they believe that their new degree will make them a more valuable asset to the company. The Bottom Line Getting into a top-ranked MBA program is highly competitive, but the results can be very rewarding in terms of financial success and career mobility. Having a good undergraduate grade point average is certainly an important factor that admissions committees consider; however, GPA isn't the whole story. A strong GMAT score and evidence of relevant work experience is also very important. Admissions decisions are made by looking at all those metrics and more, including personal essays, letters of recommendation, and one-on-one interviews. Business Bank Accounts FAQs What Is a Business Bank Account? A business bank account is a checking account set up specifically for business incomes and outflows, allowing individuals to keep their professional financial affairs and transactions separate from their personal ones. Business accounts often provide features that are uncommon for individual accounts. These features include initiating wires or ACH payments, delegating account authority/privileges to other parties (like an employee or accountant), and cash management tools like positive pay. What Is the Difference Between a Business Bank Account and a Personal Bank Account? Although business bank accounts and personal bank accounts are similar in many ways, the do have their differences. A business bank account has more requirements to open than a personal account. Fees and required balances also tend to be higher for business bank accounts, while interest rates are lower. Business bank accounts usually allow a limited number of transactions before the bank charges additional fees. Since a business bank account represents the business and not a person, authorized signers can be added or removed at any time without needing to close the account. What Do You Need to Open a Business Bank Account? Requirements to open a business bank account vary by the financial institution. However, most banks require the following: Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Social Security Number for sole proprietors Business formation documents Ownership agreements Business license Account signers need to bring their personal identification to open the account. Most banks require an initial deposit to fund the account when it is opened; the minimum opening deposit requirements vary by the bankand can be a key factor, along with ongoing minimum account balances, to consider when choosing one. Can I Open a Business Bank Account Online? Yes, there are many banks that allow you to open an account online in just a few minutes. Several of these banks are mentioned above. To open your business bank account online, the bank will require all of the same paperwork as if you opened the account in person. Can I Use My Personal Bank Account for My Small Business? You can use your personal bank account for a small business, like a sole proprietorship. However, it is best not to. Having a dedicated bank account for your business allows you to keep your business deposits and expenses separate from personal transactions. This is very important when it comes to filing taxes. Do I Need a Business Account If I'm Self-employed? You do not need a separate business account if you are operating your business under your own name. However, it is recommended that you have a dedicated, separate bank account to make it easier to track business revenue and expenses. If you are operating your sole proprietorship under a fictitious business name or as a separate legal entity (e.g. C-Corp, S-Corp, LLC), then you need to have a separate business bank account. Is It Legal to Transfer Money From a Business Account to a Personal Bank Account? Yes, it is legal to transfer money from a business account to a personal account. However, if you have partners or shareholders in your company, it is not advisable to make such a transfer without their written consent. All transactions into and out of a business account should be documented for good recordkeeping, tax purposes, and in case of an audit. Some banks allow you (and, like Chase, even encourage you) to link your personal and business accounts. Depending upon the legal structure of your business, some banks even allow your business and personal accounts to be viewed on the same online banking screen. This makes transfers between accounts simple and quick. Methodology Research for this article encompassed business bank accounts from across the U.S. We evaluated the benefits offered, transaction limits, fees charged, and customer service of each business bank account reviewed to determine the "best of" designation for each category. If you are contributing to a 401(k) plan, you probably enjoy seeing your savings grow each year. But that feeling may not be enough to truly protect your accountfrom you. When you change jobs and that money suddenly becomes available, you may think of it as an easy way to cover your moving expenses and the other costs of starting your new position. Or you may see your 401(k) as a way to save for a house or another large purchase, or as a piggy bank that you may ravage for a childs education. But not so fast: Your 401(k) is one of the best options you have to save for retirement, so it's smart to leave it alone unless you face serious hardship. Not only are there strict rules about withdrawing 401(k) money prematurely, but your 401(k) could be the most valuable piece of your retirement income pie someday; most people do not have any other employer retirement plan. For all of these reasons, your 401(k) is more important than you might think. Key Takeaways A 401(k) account is the only employer-sponsored retirement plan available to most people today. If your employer matches your 401(k) contributions, and you dont contribute enough to collect the full amount, you are missing out on free money. If you make withdrawals from your 401(k) before age 59, you generally will need to pay taxes and penalties. Saving for Retirement With a 401(k) In the past, many private-sector employees could depend on a traditional, defined-benefit pension from their employer. But that was then. In 1980, nearly 40% of private-sector employees participated in traditional pension plans. By 2019, that number had fallen to less than 15% and it continues to fall. Meanwhile, 401(k) plans were growing. Today, they remain a popular choice for investors, as they offer a flexible, proven way to save for retirement. At the end of the first quarter of 2019 (the most recent data available), more than 55 million Americans participated in 401(k) plans, which held an estimated $5.7 trillion in assets, according to the Investment Company Institute. With traditional pensions becoming all but obsolete, increased pressure is on the 401(k) to do the heavy lifting for retirement. Some employees have an individual retirement account (IRA) and other savings to add to the pot, but for most, the bulk of their income likely would come from Social Security plus whatever they have in their 401(k)s. Social Security and Retirement Income Even if you take Social Security at your full retirement age66 for most baby boomers, 67 for workers born in 1960 or laterit will only replace about 40% of your income. Yet financial planners often say you'll need to replace 70% to 90% of your current income if you aim to maintain the lifestyle you enjoy today. That's where contributing to a 401(k)and ideally leaving the money untouched until retirementcomes in. Withdrawing money from your 401(k) prior to age 59 usually results in a 10% early withdrawal penalty (there are certain exceptions), and the amount you take out is also subject to income tax. Drainingor even taking relatively modest amounts fromyour 401(k) before you retire can have serious consequences for your standard of living in retirement. Calculating Your Retirement Income If you are wondering how much income you can expect from your 401(k), the U.S. Department of Labor offers an excellent Lifetime Income Calculator. As an example of how the calculator works, we entered the retirement age of 66 for a person who is currently 46 and therefore has 20 years to go until retirement. We indicated that the employees 401(k) contribution was $100 per month and the employer match was also $100 per month, for a total annual contribution of $2,400. We assumed that the individual had been contributing to their 401(k) in previous years and had a current account balance of $50,000. Based on that information, the Lifetime Income Calculator projected an account balance at retirement of $187,453 and a lifetime income per month of $1,018. If our hypothetical retiree also received the average Social Security benefit of $1,530 (for 2020) and had no other sources of income, their total monthly income would be $2,548. The Social Security Administration also offers calculators that you may use to project your monthly income from that source. Why Your 401(k) Matters If you plug your own numbers into the calculation and discover that you won't have enough retirement income, you'll need to save more aggressively. Thats where your 401(k) assumes even greater importance, as it can be a much more effective savings tool than an IRA. Why? In 2020 and 2021, the most you can put into a 401(k) is $19,500. If you are age 50 or older, you can contribute an extra $6,500 via contribution. For an IRA in 2020 and 2021, however, the maximum contribution is just $6,000, plus another $1,000 if you are 50 or older. An advantage of a 401(k) over an IRA is its considerably higher contribution limits. In addition to the savings cap differential, the other big benefit of maximizing the amount you put into your 401(k) is if your employer matches your contributions by any percentage. If you dont put in at least enough to get your full employer match, its like passing up free money. By the way, that matching money does not count toward your contribution limit. Benefits of an Employer Match Many employers match at least a portion of their employees' 401(k) contributions. For example, lets say your employer matches 100% of your contributions for as much as 3% of your salary. So if you earn $40,000 per year, your employer's contribution would add another $1,200 to your 401(k) as long as you contributed at least that much yourself. If your co-worker earns the same salary and decides not to make a 401(k) contribution, not only do they lose a tax-advantaged opportunity to save for retirement, but have also given up that free $1,200 match from the employer. A 401(k) match is a terrible thing to wasteas is any 401(k) in general. Too often, though, employees don't participate in these plans at all. Perhaps they would, though, if they truly understood how they are throwing away free money from the employer match. The Bottom Line Always try to contribute at least enough to your 401(k) to get your full employer match. Consider putting away even more if you can afford it, up to your annual contribution limit. If you change jobs, dont spend the money; Instead, roll it over into an IRA or your new employers 401(k), if possible. Either way, your money will continue to grow, tax-deferred, for your retirement years. Remember that an important key to any retirement savings planwhatever the typeis to save consistently. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif have held a telephone conversation, discussing global issues and cooperation in the energy sector, according to the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry. "The two top diplomats discussed bilateral cooperation, focusing on the energy sector," the statement reads. "The ministers also exchanged views on a number of pressing regional and global issues," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Russian and Iranian foreign ministers regularly meet on the sidelines of various international events to discuss bilateral cooperation, the Iran nuclear issue and ways to resolve the Syrian conflict. One of their recent meetings took place in Singapore during Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) events, TASS reports. How much money you need to live financially comfortable during retirement varies widely depending on the individual. There are plenty of proposals on how much retirement savings you should have. Meanwhile, many of the free online calculators will show little agreement with one another. And while its difficult to forecast exactly what youll need during retirement there are benchmarks to aim for. The ideal savings rate varies by expert or study because making plans for the future depends on many unknown variables, such as not knowing how long youll be working, how well your investments will do, or how long you will live, among other factors. Key Takeaways There are many unknown variables that make it difficult to accurately forecast retirement needs. There are benchmarks based on historical data that provide ballpark figures. Research says to save roughly 15% of your annual income, but those waiting until later in life to start saving will need to contribute more. Its best to start saving early and take advantage of matching contributions in 401(k)s if offered. Eric Dostal, J.D., CFP, vice president at Wealthspire Advisors says that any calculation for retirement is an educated guess. Saving for retirement is likely not the only financial goal you have on your plate," where there are things like opening a business or buying a home that you might be considering, he says. What is possible, however, is to follow some key rules. For instance, you could assume that youll have a steady income until age 65. Thats exactly what drives many of the leading theories. How Much Should You Save? Academic retirement saving studies use the term replacement rate. This is the percentage of your salary that youll receive as income during retirement. If you made $100,000 a year when you were employed and receive $38,000 a year in retirement payments, your replacement rate is 38%. The variables included in a replacement rate include savings, taxes, and spending needs. A Key Study The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College looked at how many people have to save to achieve a replacement rate of around 80%. That's the replacement rate needed to retire at a comfortable level, say the study's authors, center director Alicia H. Munnell, and her associates Anthony Webb and Francesca Golub-Sass. The figures varied depending on whether someone was replacing an income that was low (80% replacement rate needed), middle (71%), or high (67%). They found that individuals earning the average wage would have to save 15% of their earnings every year to meet a 80% replacement rate at age 65. The biggest factor in the calculations was an individual's agewhen they started saving and when it ended. Start saving at 25 and you only need to earmark 15% of your annual salary to retire at 65, and if you wait until 70 to retire, you'd only need to save 7% annually. The savings rate is much higher for those that start saving later. If you waited until age 45 to start saving, you would need to put aside 41% of your salary for retirement. For example, a 25-year-old saving $5,000 annually for 43 years, achieving an average annual return of 8% on their investments will have $1.67 million at retirement, says Peter J. Creedon, CFP, CEO of Crystal Book Advisors. Someone waiting until age 35 to start saving and only having 33 years to contribute toat $5,000 a year and an 8% returnwould have $730,000, he says. Another Study In another study, Wade D. Pfau, CFA, professor of retirement income at the American College, found that historical data over nearly the past century indicate that a person would have to save 16.62% of their salary to retire 30 years after beginning the savings plan with enough money to fund a replacement rate of 50% from their "accumulated wealth." Unlike the Boston College researchers, Pfau didnt include Social Security income or "any other income sources" in his 50% calculation. Adding in Social Security and, say, pension income would move the replacement rate significantly higher. How to Invest, When to Withdraw Pfau's research highlights two other important variables. First, he notes that over time the safe withdrawal ratethe amount you can withdraw after retirement to sustain your nest egg for 30 yearswas as low as 4.1% in some years and as high as 10% in others. He believes that "we [should] shift the focus away from the safe withdrawal rate and instead toward the savings rate that will safely provide for the desired retirement expenditures." Second, he assumes an investment allocation of 60% large-cap stocks and 40% short-term fixed-income investments. Unlike some studies, this allocation doesnt change throughout the 60-year cycle of the retirement fund (30 years of saving and 30 years of withdrawals). Changes in the persons portfolio allocation could have a significant impact on these numbers, as can fees for managing that portfolio. Pfau notes that "simply introducing a fee of 1% of assets deducted at the end of each year would increase the baseline scenarios safe savings rate rather dramatically from 16.62% to 22.15%." This study not only highlights the pre-retirement savings needed but emphasizes that retirees have to continue managing their money to prevent spending too much too early in retirement. The Family Factor These studies calculate savings for individuals, but what about families? Parents with young children may choose to save for their collegeideally at least $2,500 per year, per child, from birthto cover the cost of a public university. Costs associated with children make saving for retirement even more daunting. But theres good news: Needed retirement savings for a couple isnt twice as much as an individual because couples share many significant expensesa home, for example. This is one shortfall of the studies mentioned above. The Matching Contribution Bonus For people who start saving early and take advantage of employer-sponsored plans, such as 401(k)s, hitting savings goals isnt as daunting as it may sound. Employer matching contributions could significantly reduce what you need to save per month. These contributions are made pre-tax and it's the equivalent of "free money." Say you save 3% of your income during a year and your company matches that 3% in your 401(k), "you will make a 100% return on the amount you saved that year," says Kirk Chisholm, wealth manager at Innovative Advisory Group in Lexington, Mass. The Bottom Line There is no one-size-fits-all answer to how much you for retirement, but academic studies based on historical data can give you a ballpark figure. Aim to save around 15% of your annual salary if youre early in your career. If you make $50,000 per year, save $8,000 per year or about $666 per month. This alone might seem like a tough task, but take advantage of employer matching and find new ways to reduce expenses. One of the big keys is that if you wait until later in life to start saving, you'll need to put away more of your salary. The sooner you start the better. Getting into real estate means earning your license and working either for a real estate brokerage firm or hanging out your shingle as an independent contractor. Any person who engages in real estate transactions as an agent for another must first obtain a real estate license in the state in which they will work. For the general purpose of protecting consumers, each state has its own rules, regulations, and examination for obtaining a real estate license. Key Takeaways Brokers and real estates both have to take an examination to earn their license. There isn't a national real estate license. The requirements vary by state. If you want to earn your real estate license, you have to take classes to help you prepare for the exam. Every state has specific requirements for becoming a realtor, although some, like required coursework, overlap. You can retake your real estate license exam if you fail it. Types of Real Estate Licenses Most states offer two types of real estate licenses: sales (or salesperson) and a broker. In general, real estate salespeople and provisional brokers (or associate brokers in some states) work for and under the umbrella of a designated broker. Some states, such as North Carolina, have a "broker only" licensing system, meaning that there is only one basic type of license (broker) but with various "status levels." Many real estate salesperson licensees decide to complete the necessary coursework and exams to become brokers ultimately, as this often provides more flexibility and career opportunities. If you are considering getting your real estate license, you must review the requirements for your state since there is no such thing as a "national" real estate license. Here, we explain how to find information on your state's requirements, the different types of real estate classes that are available, and how to prepare for the real estate exam. State Requirements To become licensed, you will have to meet your state's unique requirements. You can find this information by visiting the Web site of your state's real estate regulatory office. To find the site, you can perform an Internet search for "(your state) real estate regulatory office." You can also find links to each state's regulatory agency on the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (Arello) website. Each state has specific requirements for: Age requirements Application process and fees Background checks and fingerprinting Continuing education Education requirements (such as a high school diploma) Examination eligibility Examinations Pre-licensing courses Process for achieving the next level of licensing Reporting of any criminal history (such as misdemeanor and felony convictions; in most states, if you have a felony conviction or have pled no contest to a felony, you won't be able to get a real estate license.) Some states have reciprocal licensing agreements with other states, meaning you can get your license in one state and use it in another without taking that state's license examination. Nevada, for example, has reciprocity with Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia. As with regular licensing requirements, each state has its process for obtaining licensure by reciprocity. Qualification requirements can be found on each state's real estate regulatory agency's website. Real Estate Classes Every state requires you to take some real estate pre-licensing course and demonstrate that you have completed a course with a minimum number of hours before you can schedule to take the real estate license exam. Each class is accompanied by textbooks, workbooks, or online material to assist your studies. It is important to take a course that fulfills your state's education requirements, considering that there is no "national" real estate course or license. In most states, there are several ways that you can fulfill the education requirements, including: Online pre-licensing courses : All coursework is conducted over the Internet. Search "online real estate classes" to find options; not all online schools offer classes in every state. : All coursework is conducted over the Internet. Search "online real estate classes" to find options; not all online schools offer classes in every state. Brick-and-mortar real estate "schools" : In-person classes taught by real estate professionals. Search "(your state) real estate school" to find local schools. : In-person classes taught by real estate professionals. Search "(your state) real estate school" to find local schools. Community colleges: Many community colleges offer real estate classes that fulfill their state's pre-licensing requirements. Contact your local community college for information. You may save money using one type of class program over another; however, it is important to choose the method that will work best for your learning style and schedule. For example, if you are an independent learner, an online class may work well. If you learn better from a live instructor and if you like to be able to ask questions, a brick-and-mortar or community college setting may be more appropriate. Choose your course carefully since the quality of the instructors and materials may directly affect how well prepared you are to take the exam. In addition to the required pre-licensing classes, there are various real estate exam prep products available to help prepare you to pass the exam. These may be made available to you wherever you decide to take your pre-licensing class, or you can check online (search for "[your state] real estate exam prep"). Many exam preps offer both practice exams and tips for taking the test, both of which can be helpful. Again, since there is no national license, be sure to invest in an exam prep product developed specifically for your state. License Examinations Real estate exams are typically conducted on a computer and consist of two parts: a national portion covering real estate principles and practices and a state-specific section that tests your knowledge of your state's real estate law. Each section is scored separately, and you must receive a passing grade (determined by each state) on both sections to pass the exam. If you fail one part of the exam, you typically need only retake that section. The exams are multiple-choice format; each state determines the number of questions and the time allotted for the exam. Most, but not all, states use outside testing providers to administer their real estate license exams, with testing offered on weekdays and Saturdays to accommodate different schedules. Once you have completed your pre-licensing course, you should receive instructions on scheduling, registering, and paying for your exam. You can find out more information by visiting the testing provider's website. A few of the primary providers are: Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP) Assessment Systems Incorporated (Person VUE) Psychological Services Incorporated (PSI) Whether it is administered by the state or through an outside party, your state's testing center will have its regulations regarding the testing process, including specific rules for the types of calculators that can be used and how you identify will be confirmed at the test. It is essential to review the requirements thoroughly, so there are no surprises on test day. Once your application is approved, the state will mail your real estate license certificate (and probably a pocket card) to the address shown on the application form, and your name will be searchable under the "Licensees" section of its Web site. Keep in mind that it is unlawful to engage in real estate business before the state's real estate agency issues your license (i.e., don't start working until you have the license in your hand). If you fail one or both sections of the exam, you will have the opportunity to retake the exam. Each state has its own rules regarding the number of times you may retake an exam, how long you must wait in between exams, and the deadline for completing any retakes. If you do pass, you must submit a complete application on the appropriate forms, along with any required documents and fees, to your state's real estate agency. Real Estate License Application After finishing and passing your exam, you will have half a year to file for your real estate license. When you apply for your license, you will need to fill out the application with your test results, an application fee, and you may be asked to show your grades from your coursework. In addition, you may be asked to approve a background check before you can get your license. Your home state's real estate commission office is where you will submit your application. Make sure to check your state's requirements for real estate agents. In some states, you may have to join a real estate brokerage company before you can apply and receive your license. Realtor License vs. Real Estate Agent License There is no such thing as a realtor license. The term "realtor" is a trademarked name for a real estate agent who is a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). If you refer to yourself as a "realtor," it could mean you have both a real estate license and a member of NAR. But if someone says they have a realtor license, it is likely a shorthand that they have a real estate license. However, there are designations or certificates that real estate agents can earn in addition to their licenses. For example, you can earn a designation as a senior real estate specialist, a certified international property specialist, and earn a certification as a short-sale and foreclosure specialist. The Bottom Line Getting a real estate license is a commitment of time and money, but it can help secure a rewarding jobwith the opportunity for growthwithin the real estate industry. As a real estate salesperson or provisional broker, you will have to work for and under the umbrella of a licensed broker. For increased flexibility and career opportunities, you may eventually decide to pursue a broker or broker-in-charge license. In addition to a real estate license, you may also wish to consider the various real estate designations and certifications, including those specific to mortgages, appraisals, residential property, commercial property, and property management, to further enhance your career and marketability as a real estate professional. How Long Does It Take to Get a Real Estate License? If you want to become a real estate agent, it will take you approximately 75 hours of real estate coursework, plus taking the exam, to become an agent. Some real estate agents report it taking two to five months or more to earn their license. Is a Real Estate License Expensive? Getting your real estate license can cost upwards of $1,000, depending on the state. In addition, to paying for your coursework and test, you will owe fees for your license. October 8, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) The close proximity of two properties offers promise of synergies for these firms. With an eye toward partnering in a joint venture (JV), Cypress Development Corp. (CYP:TSX.V; CYDVF:OTCQB; C1Z1:FSE) signed a nonbinding letter of intent with Dajin Resources Corp. (DJI:TSX.V; DJIFF:OTCPK) concerning Dajin's Alkali Spring Valley lithium property in Nevada, 12 kilometers from Cypress' Clayton Valley lithium project. Under the agreement, Cypress gains the exclusive right and option to acquire a 50% interest in Dajin's 145 unpatented mining claims at Alkali Spring Valley, as well as its application for 1,000-acre-feet per year of water rights in Nevada's Esmeralda County. In exchange, Cypress will give Dajin 150,000 Cypress shares plus $50,000. Cypress has two years to complete its earn-in, which requires issuing another 150,000 Cypress shares to Dajin, and spending $200,000 on exploration at Alkali Spring Valley in year one and $250,000 in year two. Following that two-year period, the two companies will establish the JV. If Dajin does not want to participate in the JV at that point, it may "dilute to a 10% net profits' interest on the value of the JV property in Alkali Spring Valley," a news release explained. The next steps are for Cypress to perform due diligence on Dajin and draft a definitive agreement for the deal. Once those are done and the TSX Venture Exchange approves the transaction, Cypress will compensate Dajin with the above mentioned shares and cash. After the JV is in place, Cypress and Dajin will "share proportionally in property development if lithium brine resources are discovered," according to the release. "We look forward to working with Dajin on the exploration of the Alkali Spring Valley lithium property, and we appreciate its work to date toward obtaining related water rights," Cypress' CEO Bill Willoughby said in the release. "We particularly welcome the prospect to explore synergies with our Clayton Valley lithium project." Disclosure: 1) Doresa Banning compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Cypress Development. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. 3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports. 5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp October 8, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Cumulative sampling reveals high-grade gold mineralization in two adjacent zones. Palamina Corp. (PA:TSX.V; PLMNF:OTC.MKTS) announced the Cayos zone, at its southeastern Peru project, returned 3 meters (3m) of 30.5 grams per ton (30.5 g/t) gold, "which represents the company's best channel sample to date at Coasa," President Andrew Thomson said in a news release. Six samples were taken from a 200-by-300m area of the Cayos zone. They consisted of "two composites from small informal mining adits, two continuous channel and two selective rock-chip samples," noted the release. The composite samples returned 16.5 g/t and 9.8 g/t gold. Palamina pursued the Cayos sampling after its Veta zone, located 1.5 kilometers north, revealed four gold zones. Chip sampling from an 800-by-500m swath at Veta returned up to 620 g/t gold, and channel sampling showed up to 1.8m of 19.6 g/t gold. "The Veta and Cayos gold zones have both returned significant gold grades from quartz veins, and channel sampling has also confirmed significant gold mineralization within the slate and siltstone host rocks on both," according to the release. Pending results from the geophysical study will help Palamina determine the interplay between Cayos and Veta, and better understand the geological structures at Coasa overall. Disclosure: 1) Doresa Banning compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: none. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Palamina Corp. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. 3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports. 5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Palamina Corp., a company mentioned in this article. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. 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Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp AUSTIN, Texas - October 8, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mercom Capital Group, llc, a global clean energy communications and consulting firm, released a new report on funding and merger and acquisition (M&A) activity for the global solar sector in the third quarter of 2018 and the first nine months of 2018. Total corporate funding (including venture capital funding, public market and debt financing) in the first nine months (9M) of 2018 came to $6.7 billion, slightly lower than the $7.1 billion raised during the same period in 2017. There were 103 deals in 9M 2018 compared to 143 deals in 9M 2017. Chart: Solar Corporate Funding 9M 2014-9M 2018 To learn more about the report, visit: https://mercomcapital.com/product/q3-2018-solar-funding-and-ma-report/ "Decline in solar demand around the globe has had a strong effect on corporate financing activity in solar especially with most solar company stocks in negative territory at the end of the third quarter. M&A activity on the other hand has remained robust, especially project acquisitions," said Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group. Chart: Solar Top VC Funded Companies in 9M 2018 Global VC funding (venture capital, private equity, and corporate venture capital) for the solar sector in 9M 2018 totaled $889 million, a 10 percent decrease compared to the $985 million raised in 9M 2017. VC funding for the solar sector held steady in Q3 2018 with $359 million raised in 12 deals compared to the $370 million raised in 15 deals in Q2 2018. The top VC deal in the third quarter of 2018 was the $200 million raised Cypress Creek Renewables. It was followed by Nexamp's $54 million, Cleantech Solar's $50 million, Arcadia Power's $25 million, and the $10 million raised by Pegasus Solar. A total of 25 VC investors participated in solar funding in the third quarter of 2018. Solar public market funding was higher in 9M 2018 with $1.8 billion raised in 14 deals compared to $1 billion raised in 23 deals in 9M 2017. Debt financing activity in the first nine months of 2018 declined by almost 21 percent to $4 billion in 40 deals compared to 9M 2017 when $5.1 billion was raised in 51 deals. Announced large-scale project funding in 9M 2018 crossed $11 billion for the development of 137 projects. For the third quarter of 2018 alone, announced large-scale project funding came in at more than $3 billion in 39 deals. Chart: Solar Top Announced Large-Scale Projects by Dollar Amount in Q3 2018 Announced residential and commercial solar funds totaled $1 billion in 9M 2018, compared to the $2.2 billion raised during the same period of 2017. The first nine months of 2018 saw a total of 64 solar M&A transactions, compared to the 59 transactions seen in 9M 2017. Of the 18 total transactions in Q3 2018, nine involved solar downstream companies, six involved BOS companies, two were with service providers, and one was with a module manufacturer. Chart: Solar Project Acquirer Mix Q3 2017 - Q3 2018 There were 166 large-scale project acquisitions in 9M 2018 aggregating over 23.6 GW, compared to 161 project acquisitions totaling 14.6 GW during 9M 2017. Project developers were the most active acquirers in Q3 2018, purchasing 22 projects totaling 8.5 GW, followed by investment firms with 21 projects totaling 2.86 GW. To learn more about the report, visit: https://mercomcapital.com/product/q3-2018-solar-funding-and-ma-report/ About Mercom Capital Group Mercom Capital Group, llc, is a global communications and consulting firm focused exclusively on clean energy and financial communications. Mercom's consulting division advises cleantech companies on new market entry, custom market intelligence and overall strategic decision making. Mercom's consulting division also delivers highly respected industry market intelligence reports covering Solar Energy and Battery Storage, Smart Grid, & Efficiency. Our reports provide timely industry happenings and ahead-of-the-curve analysis specifically for C-level decision making. Mercom's communications division helps clean energy companies and financial institutions build powerful relationships with media, analysts, government decision makers, local communities and strategic partners. For more information about Mercom Capital Group, visit: http://www.mercomcapital.com. To get a copy of Mercom's popular market intelligence reports, visit: http://eepurl.com/cCZ6nT. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. 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Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp IRELAND: Update: Shock in 'close-knit community' where man is stabbed to death in Cork IRELAND: Update: Funeral arrangements for Emma Mhic Mhathuna announced IRELAND: Budget 2019: Landlords set for tax breaks worth millions WORLD: Mary Robinson: People need to become 'aspiring vegetarians' to combat climate change BUSINESS:The Monday Interview: I Love Limerick born out of pride in my hometown SPORT: Connacht Rugby have announced a 30m redevelopment plan for the Sportsground Stadium. ... SOME DISTRACTION SHOWBIZ:Only Fools And Horses made into musical starring Paul Whitehouse VIRAL:Watch as kids say what they would do with all of Irelands budget money CULTURE: Live music review: Olafur Arnalds, Cork Opera House FEATURES:Is apple cider vinegar good for you? A doctor weighs in Its been 10 years since Richard Lynch launched the I Love Limerick campaign to counter the battered image of his native city. He tells Padraig Hoare about how perceptions have since changed. Its been a year of celebration for ubiquitous Limerick presence Richard Lynch not only has the Treaty County been crowned All-Ireland hurling champions but his creation I Love Limerick has just turned 10 years old. I Love Limerick has covered events major and minor over the past decade, with Mr Lynch at the forefront of promoting the region. He has engaged with countless organisations to promote their message through PR, video, photography, digital channels, and other means. Mr Lynchs motivation is simple, he says an intense patriotism for his region. Through news stories, a series of documentaries, interviews, social media, and photography, the I Love Limerick project aims to encourage a wider respect and pride for the city by focusing on the wealth of interesting, talented, and motivated people who live, work, and create here by highlighting everything positive about Limerick. As I Love Limerick shows the positive side of Limerick to the world, we enhance Limerick tourism, culture, and business, enticing people both domestically and abroad to experience the positive aspects of Limerick. We are operated and designed to showcase a new Limerick that is vibrant and entertaining and we thereby contribute towards the advancement of its social regeneration, said Mr Lynch. That involves events for the voluntary and community sector to create opportunities for collaboration between communities, according to Mr Lynch. We team people up and teach them how to utilise each others skills. Individuals, organisations, enterprises, community groups can come together to create cross-functional networks, in order to deliver powerful marketing economies of scale. Our Limerick team has many individuals all talented in their own field working together to promote the city and county and all it has to offer. We have created internships, work experience, and job opportunities for a diverse group of professionals throughout Limerick, aiding them to develop their craft and cultivate relationships with other professionals and organisations, he said. I Love Limerick came about in 2008 when Mr Lynch came back home from New York City for family reasons. In 2008, after 15 years in New York, I decided to move back permanently to Limerick to mind my parents full time as their carer. They were both elderly and my mother had Parkinsons disease for over two decades. At the time Limerick was getting what I felt was an unfair reputation in the media. Yes, Limerick had her troubles and no one was denying that but the city was also being used as a scapegoat by the national press. No one highlighted the crime in other cities to such an extent. This constant deluge of negative press was really affecting the livelihood of the Limerick people. Busloads of tourists were literally bypassing the city. Limerick has always been the underdog. Always. Richard Lynch, founder of I Love Limerick, at the Treaty Stone on Clancy Strand, Limerick. Mr Lynch has been at the forefront of promoting the city. Pictures: Brian Arthur I was living in New York and had this awful impression of my own hometown but this all changed when I moved home. I was blown away by all the talented, creative people living in Limerick, he said. Mr Lynch wanted to organise Limerick LGBT Pride and turn it into a week-long festival. I wanted the festival to be integrated and inclusive and that was the birth of I Love Limerick. I Love Limerick was born out of Pride. My pride in my hometown and the LGBT festival itself. Since 2008 I have been involved in Limerick LGBT Pride and this past year I was honoured to be the Grand Marshall of the Limerick Pride Parade 2018 for over 10 years of service to Pride. While he might be the public face of I Love Limerick, Mr Lynch is adamant it could not have survived without the buy-in and support of many in the city. I had been doing public access TV for years in New York so when Limerick Pride 2008 was over I decided to take I LoveLimerick.com and develop it into a Youtube channel to make videos that would depict Limerick in a positive light. From there it developed into the website it is today. I would not have been able to do this on my own. You are only as good as the people you work with and I have some amazing people on our team, such as photographer Dolf Patijn, who have been with me on the journey since the beginning. He added: I get emotional thinking about it, to be honest. Yes, its a wonderful time for Limerick but it didnt come easily and came through serious hard work from various individuals and groups within Limerick. This was definitely a group effort. On a personal note, being crowned Limerick Person of the Year 2011 in front of his parents Florence and Eric was important because without them, his project may not have survived. They meant everything to me. After my mother passed I found a case of newspaper clippings that she has collected about my work. There would have been no I Love Limerick if it were not for my parents Florence and Eric as they instilled this pride and love for Limerick in all their children. Q: What is I Love Limerick and what does it aim to do? A: I Love Limerick is a creative project driven, motivated and inspired by Limerick people and it is focused entirely on Limerick (city and county) and her citizens. Through news stories, a series of documentaries, interviews, social media, and photography, the I Love Limerick project aims to encourage a wider respect and pride for the city by focusing on the wealth of interesting, talented and motivated people who live, work and create here by highlighting everything positive about Limerick. As I Love Limerick shows the positive side of Limerick to the world, we enhance Limerick tourism, culture and business, enticing people both domestically and abroad to experience the positive aspects of Limerick. We are operated and designed to showcase a new Limerick, that is vibrant and entertaining and we thereby contribute towards the advancement of its social regeneration. I Love Limerick encourages a wider respect and pride for our city. Our goal is to educate, inform, train and facilitate the development of arts, enterprise, and culture in Limerick city. Ours is a grassroots organisation, we shine a light on the real Limerick and showcase the efforts and achievements of people in Limerick based organisations in the community, including the voluntary, artistic, cultural and micro-enterprise sectors. I Love Limerick facilitates and orchestrate events for the voluntary and community sector to create opportunities for collaboration between communities. We team people up and teach them how to utilise each other's skills. Individuals, organisations, enterprises, community groups can come together to create cross-functional networks, in order to deliver powerful marketing economies of scale. Our Limerick team has many individuals all talented in their own field working together to promote the city and county and all it has to offer. We have created internships, work experience and job opportunities for a diverse group of professionals throughout Limerick, aiding them to develop their craft and cultivate relationships with other professionals and organisations. We are always on the lookout for emerging talent and take on new groups of student placements every 6 to 9 months. A considerable amount of time is devoted to training each student placement from the University of Limerick that works in I Love Limerick and they leave after their placement with a wealth of experience and training that is invaluable for their future careers. I Love Limerick is proud to support and work with many charities and community groups on an ongoing basis for the last 10 years such as Clionas Foundation and St Munchins Community Enterprise. We also work with other various individuals and organisation, building and managing various websites, doing their social media, creating their press and providing photography and video services free of charge. I Love Limerick was established just over 10 years ago on a non-commercial basis and in that time we have worked with hundreds of voluntary and community groups, helped numerous small businesses get started and launched countless careers in the arts and media sector. The impact of our work on Limerick both economically and socially has far exceeded our expectations. I wanted I Love Limerick to be fully accessible to all voluntary and community groups giving them a free platform to highlight their great work. We have never turned down anybody who comes to us for help including new businesses. We have helped countless businesses for example by sharing and promoting them on social media. Ultimately I Love Limerick is a unique, one of a kind model. There is no other organisation like it in Ireland. I am just honoured that I Love Limerick was the first organisation of its kind and I would like to think of it as a movement. Thats why I called it I Love Limerick as it was a statement of my own love for my city. I wanted to share the Limerick I saw every day with the world. Q: How did the idea come about? A: In 2008, after 15 years in New York, I decided to move back permanently to Limerick to mind my parents full-time as their carer. They were both elderly and my mother had Parkinson's disease for over two decades. At the time Limerick was getting what I felt was an unfair reputation in the media as Stab City. It really upset me as I felt it was unfair. Yes, Limerick had her troubles and no one was denying that but the city was also being used as a scapegoat by the national press. No one highlighted the crime in other cities to such an extent. This constant deluge of negative press was really affecting the livelihood of the Limerick people. Busloads of tourists were literally bypassing the city. Limerick has always been the underdog. Always. The issue I felt was that the Limerick people themselves were starting to believe and buy into the negativity. I was guilty of it myself. I was living in NY and had this awful impression of my own hometown but this all changed when I moved home. I was blown away by all the talented creative people living in Limerick. I loved the banter and the spirit of the people and literally fell in love with Limerick. I decided I wanted to organise Limerick LGBT Pride and turn it into a week-long festival, which I called ILoveLimerick.com as I wanted it the Festival be integrated and inclusive and that was the birth of I Love Limerick. I Love Limerick was born out of Pride. My Pride in my hometown and the LGBT Festival itself. Since 2008 I have been involved in Limerick LGBT Pride and this past year I was honoured to the Grand Marshall of the Limerick Pride Parade 2018 for over 10 years of service to Pride. I had been doing public access TV for years in NY so when Limerick Pride 2008 was over I decided to take IloveLimerick.com and develop it into a Youtube channel to make videos that would depict Limerick in a positive light. From there it developed into the website it is today. I would not have been able to do this on my own. You are only as good as the people you work with and I have some amazing people on our team such as photographer Dolf Patijn who have been with me on the journey since the beginning. Q: We're seeing regeneration work going on in Limerick, investment into education, etc -- add to that the feel-good factor of being All-Ireland hurling champions, and I imagine it's a good time to be in the city/region? A: I get emotional thinking about it, to be honest. Yes, its a wonderful time for Limerick but it didnt come easily and came through serious hard work from various individuals and groups within Limerick. This was definitely a group effort! This development was a testament to the tenacity of the Limerick people. We really support one another and when the going gets tough, the tough get going. I have met some remarkable human beings on my journey who make a huge difference in their communities and its thanks to them that Limerick has had this resurgence. To ultimately answer your question though anytime is a good time for anybody to be in Limerick. I honestly could never live anywhere else. Q. Did you ever think I Love Limerick would see 10 years? Yes, because I am a very determined person and I work harder than anyone else I know! Once I commit to something there is no stopping me. I think many people were skeptical at the beginning of my intentions as they thought it was possibly about my ego and getting my face in the newspaper but I proved myself to the Limerick people through sheer hard work. Thanks to I Love Limerick and the people I worked with along the way I have grown up both mentally and spiritually. [media=insta]https://www.instagram.com/p/BoRXT7IF2j7/[media] I am growing every day. There have been trials and tribulations, laughter and tears. If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be voluntarily writing a newspaper column for almost a decade, designing wordpress sites or editing films I would have thought you were crazy but it all happened organically out of a need and a desire to help people. The more I saw tangible results the more compelled I felt to continue. It has allowed me to help so many people. Most importantly what drove me on was that my parents were both incredibly proud. They loved Limerick just as much as I did. When I won Limerick Person of the Year 2011, they were beyond proud and that made me feel so good. They meant everything to me. After my mother passed I found a case of newspaper clippings that she has collected about my work. There would have been no I Love Limerick if it were not for my parents Florence and Eric as they instilled this pride and love for Limerick in all their children. Q. How hard is it to keep it going, with all the effort that goes into it? A: The work has a real feel-good factor but can be incredibly exhausting. Its incredibly hard work and I work on it seven days of the week. I do my newspaper column on a Sunday. I have never been paid for it but really love doing as it helps so many people but it takes hours and hours to pull together. Sometimes it feels like I am a kid and I have to get all my homework done before school on Monday. I correct all the work carried out by the student placements in the evenings and delegate the tasks for the following day. Its all go. I rarely reflect on what I Love Limerick has achieved as it is so much work so I just keep on moving and keep on pushing forward. There are never enough hours in the day. Every day presents a new challenge. I Love Limerick have remained true to its non-commercial ideals. In the past, when money is required to pay bills I will source paid work, which I then put back into the organisation. I have never drawn a salary. I Love Limerick has survived to date on significant unpaid voluntary time, sliding scale work and some donations that have been earned from work in kind. For an organisation that has survived on a hand to mouth basis since its birth, it has punched well above its weight in terms of the positive impact it has had on Limerick. We can do more and we have the potential to scale significantly and create widespread and long-term social impact. To do this we need to create a more stable and sustainable income model for the organisation that covers our costs and provides the minimum personnel to drive the business forward. I am still trying to figure all this out. Q: What is your ambition for the future? A: Since my parents passing I have my PR company which is developing and growing so I can put food I the table. I would love to take this to the next level. If you asked me my ultimate personal dream it would be to make a horror movie -- I have written 3 film treatments and I think they are all good -- and to make some new pop songs as I love music and write lyrics and melodies. In terms of my mission with I Love Limerick, I will continue to work and develop it. It changes shape day-by-day, week by week and I am excited to continue learning and growing with the organisation. One thing will never change and that will be my love for Limerick. Set up just 18 months ago, rapid-build firm Horizon has set its sights far and wide, writes Trish Dromey Set up just 18 months ago, rapid-build firm Horizon has set its sights far and wide, writes Trish Dromey Manufacturing rapid build, light gauge steel structures for housing and hotel projects, Tipperary start-up Horizon Offsite is set to raise 500,000 for expansion in Europe. Horizon managing director and co-founder Ger Fahey says the demand for rapid build construction methods is increasing because of housing shortages, here and in the UK, and that business has been booming for the company which was set up just 18 months ago. We have already completed 15 projects and are working on another 13. We are now at the design stage for a 1.5m hotel in Naas with 70 rooms and in November we will start work on a 1.5m social housing project in Kent involving 48 houses and 36 apartments, he says. To date, the majority of the projects have been in the UK and Ireland but the Cahir-based company, which employs a staff of 19, has just finished a project in Malta. Because of uncertainty about Brexit, Horizon now plans to diversify into new markets in Europe and, down the road, to sell into the US. The companys initial focus was on the UK a large market with a requirement for 225,000 new houses a year where the companys three founders had experience and contacts. Mr Fahey, along with cofounders Martin and Tom Luddy, had previously worked for an Irish light gauge steel construction company supplying the UK market. Setting up at the Cahir Business Park last year, the founders invested over 400,000 of their own funding in equipment. Within a month we had started work on an apartment project in Watford and another in London, says Mr Fahey, noting that the staff size grew to seven by the end of the year. The company didnt originally apply for certification in Ireland, partly because the founders saw the UK as an easier market where offsite construction methods were more widely used than here. It was also more difficult to get certification in Ireland and it was more difficult to develop sales here because structural engineers prefer traditional building methods, he notes. But this year Horizon has applied for NSAI certification and is growing sales. We met with the Minister for Housing and the Dail committee for housing and have put in a tender for a contract for a 57-house development in Clonmel, he says. Projects completed by the company in Ireland include a 10-unit development in Newcastle West, and it has started work on a 230-home development in Co Clare. Horizon has now sold to over 25 construction companies: Customers in the UK include Blue 3, Unite Property and Charles Edwards. Irish sales include Cfield, SilverRock, and Glenbrier. To date, around 80% of its work has been residential but the contract for the hotel in Naas is one of the companys largest projects yet. Mr Fahey says that for the future he expects to develop sales of hotels as well as care homes, student accommodation, and schools. In the past, he says, the biggest obstacle for offsite construction companies such as Horizon was resistance to making a change from traditional building methods. But he says there is now growing recognition of the benefits of rapid-build. Using light gauge steel structures manufactured offsite we can complete a project in half the time, he says. The other benefits of using steel is its precision and that there is no shrinkage. It also has excellent fire ratings. Self-funded with help from Tipperary Local Enterprise Office, Horizon is now planning to raise additional capital for new equipment as part of its plan to expand into Europe. The project in Malta came about through a UK contractor with operations in Europe. We see an opportunity to develop further sales through UK contractors and we are also in discussions with companies in Portugal and Spain, he says. Immediate plans include hiring two new employees by the end of the year. It also wants to set up a new office in London, in early 2019. In its business plan, the company projects it will 63 staff and multi-million euro sales at the end of the next five years. A chief rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar said that Moscows decision to give Syria advanced anti-aircraft missiles S-300 is a "mistake". "I think its a mistake that will only augment the regions problems," Lazar told the Israeli journalist Eli Mandelbaum about the missile transfer. The rabbi added that he and his organization "speak about [the S-300 issue] with the president," referencing Putin. "We explain, Id say, the sensitivity of this issue to our brethren in Israel, in Zion, and we hope Israel and Russia can continue to cooperate in stopping terrorism, stopping Iran, and that Israel will continue to guard its borders and neutralize any threat before it reaches its doorstep," Haaretz cited Lazar as saying. Russia is giving Syria the S-300 system following the downing last month of a Russian intelligence gathering aircraft by Syrian forces responding to an Israeli strike over Syrian airspace. Russia has blamed Israel for the incident, which killed 15 Russian soldiers. Kanye West has deleted his social media accounts following backlash over his controversial comments. The rapper deleted his Twitter and Instagram accounts for the third time after criticism for his pro-Trump comments. The rapper erased his social media presence last year, and previously prior to the release of his Yeezus album in 2013. Kanye recently received boos from the audience after appearing as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live for making a pro-trump speech. The star even tweeted a picture of himself in his infamous MAGA hat last week which led to criticism from fellow celebs. It seems that its all got a bit too much for Kanye and hes going to take a break from social media for a bit. We have to wonder - if Kanye really behind this or is someone else pulling the strings? By Lynn Kelleher 160 children born through surrogacy outside Ireland have returned on emergency travel documents with their parents in the last decade. Figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs show that 23 babies born in Ukraine through surrogacy have flown back to Ireland with emergency travel certificates (ETCs) this year with 159 babies arriving on ETCs since 2010. Irish parents can pay up to 130,000 to have a baby through surrogacy in the US, but mainly they are travelling to clinics in the Ukraine, where the fees are 40,000. At a conference this week, legal experts and Irish parents who have utilised international surrogacy will argue that the countrys proposed legislation will only cater for a handful of parents. The proposals, in Part 6 of the General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill, are undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny. One Irish mother, who had her three-year-old son through a surrogate in Ukraine, said very few couples will be able to avail of surrogacy in Ireland, under the proposed new laws, as they dont cater for commercial or international surrogacy. Under that legislation, it is really for family or friends of the couple involved making their own private arrangement out of love, she said. By James Fogarty A national survey to determine the level of problem gambling and gambling addiction is urgently needed, say mental health professionals and representatives from Gambling Aware. A freedom of information request to the Health Research Board (HRB), shows 195 cases were assessed and treated for gambling addiction as a main problem in 2016, and 208 cases the previous year. However the HRB stressed that reporting treatment for gambling addiction is optional and data cannot be considered complete. Psychiatrist and addiction specialist Colin OGara of St John of God Hospital said the figures are much greater than those recorded. Based on international data, there could be 45,000 severe pathological gamblers in Ireland. Gambling is a 7bn industry in Ireland. There isnt a national prevalent survey equivalent to the Gambling Commission Data in the UK or prior to that the British Gambling Prevalence Survey, said Prof OGara. These are the big nationwide surveys in the UK that are always quoted in the literature. Looking at those figures, clearly there are a lot of people suffering and are not getting to treatment. Most of the gambling data suggests that one in ten people with severe pathological gambling will get to treatment. They are a very hard group to engage in treatment. It is a highly, highly stigmatised condition where people dont want to go for treatment. He said the consequences of gambling addiction for the person and their family is absolutely horrific, and I am not saying that lightly. When youre talking about young men who have secretly stolen 100,000s and the news breaks within a family system, the effect can be devastating, said Prof OGara. In some cases, we have recidivism, where the family will bail the person out, sell various assets, and then it happens again. And it can be even worse in those instances. Past a certain point, we would be dealing with the criminal justice consequences of severe gambling. And there is usually a theft component. It tends to be around people having the ability to divert funds. There needs to be an awareness that this is a very serious illness. The ease with which one can access gambling on handheld devices is also playing a role, he said. Prof OGara feels tackling gambling addiction is not being given the government priority it deserves. The proposed Gambling Control Bill 2013, which would establish a gambling regulator and create a social fund to provide funding for treatment, could ultimately be the quickest and easiest way to help tackle the problem, Prof OGara believes. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice, said the government approved a number of proposals to update and modernise the Gambling Control Bill in January and that a working group is preparing its report for submission to government shortly. However, John Purcell of Gambling Aware said lack of information on gambling prevalence needs to be addressed first. No one has ever done a study of the prevalence of problem gambling rates in Ireland. So were dealing with anecdotal evidence, said Mr Purcell. He said lack of clarity on the bill meant the industry was nervous about making voluntary donations to Gambling Aware, and that these had fallen off a cliff in 2018. By Anne Lucey Some 70 badgers have been culled in an area in south Kerry which suffered the worst bovine TB outbreak in living memory, the Department of Agriculture has said. Restrictions in place since January look set to be lifted shortly, the department confirmed. Locals are adamant that badgers spread the disease and suspicions remain the virus also spread due to an increasing presence of wild deer in the region. Earlier this year, in January and February, dozens of farms were in lockdown in an area roughly from Kells to Caherdaniel in the Iveragh peninsula, with huge stress for farm families, most of whom had never recorded reactors. Since the beginning of the year, 300 TB reactors have been removed, the department said. It has disclosed 70 badgers had been trapped and destroyed. Through close collaboration with the local farming community, efforts have focussed on identifying herds where TB is present, limiting the spread of the disease and de-restricting herds as early as possible when disease risks have been appropriately mitigated, a spokesperson said. Overall, 50 farm herds faced restrictions. Currently, there are 24 restricted holdings with half already showing a clear test. If these herds have another clear test, restrictions on them will be lifted, the department said. Cllr Johnny Healy-Rae, reflecting on an emergency public meetings between the department and farmers early this year, agreed the situation had been dealt with rapidly. It showed that when put to it, the Department of Agriculture can act quickly, he said. However, Mr Healy-Rae insisted there is no doubt in the world that badgers spread TB and called on the department to monitor the badgers all the time in south Kerry. The councillor also believes deer were responsible for the outbreaks, but that view is disputed by wildlife experts. The recent culling of 120 wild deer in The Killarney National Park and further culling outside the park will help prevent a recurrence in south Kerry, he said. Kerry county chairman of the Irish Farmers Association, Pat ODriscoll from Valentia Island is also convinced of the link between badgers and TB. He said the badger population had been allowed to get out of control, partly due to less intensive farming activity. South Kerry battling worst bovine TB outbreak in living memory By Fiachra O Cionnaith, Eamon Quinn, and Daniel McConnell Thousands of landlords will be given millions of euro worth of Budget 2019 tax breaks to stop them from fleeing the market before any fresh clampdowns are introduced. The Irish Examiner understands the Government will confirm tomorrow that landlords will be given 100% mortgage interest relief on any loan used to pay for a rental property from next year. As part of a wider package, which will also include a long-term 300m affordable housing plan, the Government will outline new tax breaks for landlords. While the move is likely to be criticised for focussing on those who own the properties instead of people living in them, Government sources said the measure will be flagged as key to addressing the surging housing and homelessness crisis. The Irish Examiner understands that the plan, which will be unveiled during tomorrows budget, will include: A new scheme allowing landlords to write off 100% of their mortgage interest repayments on loans used to buy their rental property. This, a high-level source said, means that they will be able to deduct 100% of the interest paid on borrowings from next year A separate scheme involving a 4% annual capital gains tax relief capped at five years for landlords who buy and retain a rental property where someone is already living A three-year 300m affordable housing scheme which sources claim could see 9,000 homes built a year And a 154 Housing Assistance Payment budget rise Although Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has claimed tomorrows budget is not an election budget before a post-Brexit run to the polls, it is also understood Budget 2019 will involve a series of other financial giveaways targeting key voter groups. They include: Health: a multi-annual investment GP commitment, a 10 over-70s medical card drug cost cut, a 50c prescription charge reduction, and guaranteed hospital bed funding Education and Justice: 700m schools investment and 800 more gardai Social Protection and Childcare: Two weeks extra parental leave from November 2019, 5 across the board welfare rises, the full Christmas bonus returned, and job-seekers allowance extended for the self-employed and small businesses The figures emerged as Irish Fiscal Advisory Council chairman Seamus Coffey warned the Government not to exceed existing budget limits despite Fridays 1.1bn surprise corporation tax receipts bounty. Mr Coffey said while the extra money is like striking oil, those revenues will drop as they run out. The concern isnt that we are receiving this money it is better to be getting the money than not but the concern would be that it could be used in the budget arithmetic and of course it should not be used, he said. His concern was shared by Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath. Counselling staff at the Cork Marriage Counselling Centre (CMCC) have moved to distance themselves from a controversy which has seen Tusla pull funding to the long-running agency. At the weekend, the Irish Examiner reported that talks over a new service-level agreement between Tusla, as funder, and the CMCC had ended, with the understanding that the centre felt it could not comply with specifications in the proposed agreement which would mean dealing with same-sex couples. The CMCC said it wished to wait until it had discussed the situation with staff before commenting. However, in a statement on behalf of the staff issued yesterday, counsellors said they would like to totally disassociate themselves from the alleged policy of CRSS [Cork and Ross Social Services] in relation to seeing same-sex couples at the centre. The centre is a service of the CRSS and one possible obstacle to the signing of the service-level agreement is understood to be the founding constitution of the body. Counselling staff said they have always worked with LGBTQ+ couples or individuals who have presented to the centre and had never discriminated against anyone. It has always been the policy of the centre to welcome everyone regardless of means or status, they said. We believe the loss of this low-cost service to the people of Cork who cant afford to pay for private counselling is shameful. The centre employs 11 people and has a steady flow of clients. It is understood it receives between 250,000 and 300,000 from Tusla annually. The statement said staff were not consulted on the decision by CRSS to not sign the service- level agreement and asked how another Catholic agency, Accord, had been able to do so while CMCC did not. It added that it accepted Tusla had to withdraw funding due to the agreement not being signed. CRSS did not provide a comment yesterday. Dublin City Council is reminding people that bonfires are illegal. Ahead of Halloween, the council has warned it will carry out dozens of 'stockpiling raids' to remove bonfire material across the city. The public are also being urged to report stockpiled material between now and October 31. Last year, the City Council removed 450 tonnes of bonfire materials during the Halloween period in response to more than 300 reports from the public. Emma Mhic Mhathuna was one of the key figures at the centre of the Cervical Check controversy. The mother of five, aged 37, was originally from Dublin but had moved to Kerry in the past year and was raising a young family on her own. She had been given a diagnosis of terminal cancer in May of this year and the following month secured a 7.5m settlement in a case against US laboratory Quest Diagnostics for misreading her smears in 2010 and 2013, and the HSE for failing to disclose the findings of an audit. During the hearing, Ms Mhic Mhathuna told the judge her children were very proud of her and said she was looking forward to enjoying time with them. My daughter and sons are proud of me for getting an astronomical figure, she told the judge. She was to get only a few more months with her children. In 2016, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and in May she was told that her diagnosis was terminal and had spread to her bones. In a harrowing interview that month on RTEs Morning Ireland, she spoke of trying to come to terms with the diagnosis and the reality that her children were going to lose their mother. Im dying when I dont need to die and my children are going to be without me and Im going to be without them, she said. I tried to do everything right, you know, breastfeeding and being a full-time mum and sacrificing my own life for them and I didnt see it as a sacrifice and now Im going to miss out and I dont even know if my little baby is going to remember me. She spoke about telling her children about her diagnosis, saying it was the hardest thing I ever had to do because, as a mother, its my job to protect them and to keep the bad news away from them. Last night, I was in bed and I was having a dream, a really bad dream. I dreamt that I was dying last night and I wasnt ready because I hadnt said goodbye to my children and, in my dream, I was trying to ring 999 but I couldnt pick up the phone. So, in my dream, I had gone into Natasha. She sleeps across the landing and I was trying to wake her up so I could say goodbye to her because I hadnt said goodbye. Then I woke up and I said: Thank God I havent died yet because I want to say goodbye to them and this isnt fair. In a statement, Ms Mhic Mhathunas family said she died in the knowledge that she had helped to shine a light on important issues which affected not just her own life, but the lives of many others. By Eamon Quinn, Business Editor Opposition politicians and experts have criticised Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe for funding increased spending and plugging a budget hole in the health service from an additional 1bn corporation tax receipts bounty. It is understood 700m of the 1bn bounty is linked to early payments of company profits paid by one unnamed company. The windfall, announced late last Friday, will bring overall receipts from taxing company profits to 9.5bn this year, up from the 8.5bn forecast in April. Our growing dependence on corporation tax and in particular on a small number of multinationals is a risk for the economy and the public finances, Michael McGrath, Fianna Fails finance spokesman, told the Irish Examiner. While the ball has bounced in our favour this time, it would be an entirely different story if the minister had to announce an expected 1bn shortfall in the eve in corporation tax of the budget. We cant base our plans on the assumption that booming corporation tax receipts will continue indefinitely. Seamus Coffey, chair of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, said the additional revenues from company taxes was as if the country had struck oil and was forever ramping up spending based on revenues that would eventually run out. It is great while the revenues are coming in, said Mr Coffey. But the increase in corporation tax revenues has the potential to be like oil and those revenues will drop as they run out. The concern isnt that we are receiving this money it is better to be getting the money than not but the concern would be that it could be used in the budget arithmetic and of course it should not be used. Mr Coffey told the Irish Examiner that the money hasnt even been collected and it is odd to hear in public of a tax payment that has yet to be made and is expected to be made in 2018 at a time when discussions are ongoing over the budget for 2019. He said the corporation tax receipts should not be used to fund a gap in the health service budget. Other resources will have to be found next year and bring into question the credibility of the health plan. He said that so-called concentration of tax will become even more elevated if these payments are from a small group of companies. The spending of the corporation tax receipts undermines planning for budgets over a number of years, said Mr Coffey. Other countries do a more medium approach to spending, he said. Annual budgets should be over two, three, or four years where you set out what you are going to do over a period of time. Alan McQuaid, chief economist at Merrion, said relying on corporation tax receipts will leave the country wide open to any shocks. He said there needs to be more discussion about the identity of the small handful of companies that fuel corporation tax revenues. A department spokesman said: As Minister Donohoe indicated on Friday, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners has analysed the corporation tax take for 2018 and believe approximately 700m of corporation tax being collected this year will not travel into next year. The affairs of individual taxpayers is a matter for the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. Gardai are gathering CCTV imagery as they investigate the fatal shooting of a father on Dublins northside over the weekend. Robert Sheridan, aged 45 and a father of two, was gunned down as he answered a knock to his door on Poppintree Crescent, Ballymun, just after 11pm on Friday. His home had been subjected to a previous gun attack in recent weeks, but Mr Sheridan was not inside at the time. Detectives are examining those who have been feuding with Mr Sheridan and are trying to piece together their movements and associations in recent days and weeks. Suspects include members of a local drug gang that is thought to have previously threatened Mr Sheridan. At 11.15pm on Friday, the victim answered a knock on his door and was confronted by two armed men. They opened fire at close range, inflicting fatal head injuries. Gardai said the gunmen then fled in the direction of nearby Poppintree Park. In his appeal, divisional officer, Superintendent Brian Daly, said: Its understood two armed men involved in the incident left the scene on foot and entered Poppintree Park, before exiting onto Willow Park Road. We are appealing to anyone who was in the area between 10pm and 12 midnight to contact us, here at the incident room at Ballymun Garda Station. The Garda Technical Bureau conducted forensic tests at the property over the weekend, while the divisional search team began a detailed sweep of the wider area, including the park. Anyone with information is asked to contact Ballymun Garda Station on 01- 6664400, or the Garda Confidential Line, 1800 666 111. There have been a number of shootings in Ballymun during the year, most of them linked to local gangs. In August 2017, two innocent people, mum Antoinette Corbally, aged 48, and Clinton Shannon, aged 30, were shot dead in Ballymun, in a gun attack aimed at Ms Corballys brother, Derek Devoy. Also over the weekend, gardai in Cork seized a firearm and a quantity of drugs, in a planned operation targeting organised crime. Officers from Angelsea Street Drugs Unit stopped and searched a car at Fota, at around 8.30pm on Saturday. A firearm was recovered, as was 60,000 of MDMA. Armenia's Special Investigation Service confirmed the information on detaining businessman Samvel Mayrapetyan. SIS spokesperson Marina Ohanjanyan said Mayrapetyan was detained yesterday within the framework of a case which the committee is investigating, News.am reported. But no other details are reported yet. Samvel Mayrapetyan is also the owner of a TV company in Armenia. By Michael Clifford Gsoc is investigating allegations that a senior garda opened a criminal investigation into a personal injury claim because he was friendly with the employer against whom the claim was made. The case centres on a claim by a man in the Munster region. The injured party, who has made the complaint to the Garda ombudsman, issued proceedings against the employer following an accident. Shortly after that, the employer approached the injured party with an offer of compensation, a course of action common in personal injuries cases. However, the injured party was not satisfied by the offer, considering it too low for the extent of the injuries suffered. He told the employer he was rejecting the offer and intended bringing the matter to a full hearing of the High Court. The injured party alleges he was subsequently contacted by a garda, who told him he was being investigated for making a fraudulent claim. The investigation was initiated on foot of a complaint from the employer. The injured party was not shown any evidence of the alleged fraud and refused to co-operate with the investigation. His solicitor wrote to the gardai pointing out the sequence of events and that the matter was now before the civil courts. The investigation was discontinued. The injured party subsequently alleged a close friendship exists between his employer and the senior garda and alleges that the investigation was conducted not on the basis of evidence but to put pressure on him over his civil action. The civil action is due before the High Court in the coming law term. The Irish Examiner understands the Gsoc investigation into the complaint is at an early stage but the senior garda is denying any malpractice. By Ann O'Loughlin A woman who claimed she suffered injuries after slipping on a grape while working at a fruit and vegetable plant is facing a legal costs bill after her action was dismissed on consent at the High Court. Ludmilla Olefeira was out of work for three months and claimed she suffered continuing leg and back pain following the accident at Keelings distribution plant in St Margarets, Co Dublin, in April 2016. During cross-examination of Ms Olefeira on Friday, Hugh Mohan SC, for Keelings, put to her video and medical evidence did not support her claims concerning the extent of her injuries. Ms Olefeira insisted she had told the truth. Later on Friday, Richard McDonnell SC, for Ms Olefeira, told Mr Justice David Keane the case had been settled and compromised between the parties and the only order it was necessary to make, on consent, was for dismissal of the case with an order for the defendants costs against the plaintiff. A 54-year-old mother of one and native of Latvia living in Swords, Ms Olefeira has been working in Ireland since she came here 15 years ago. She worked for Keelings in a number of positions and was working as an operative scanner, scanning details of products coming into the company, when the incident occurred. She claimed, while holding the scanning machine and walking to a printer, she slipped on a grape and fell forward, landing on her left knee. Among various claims, she alleged the company caused or permitted the grape to be and to remain on the floor of the premises, failed to have any or any adequate supervision of the premises and in particular grapes there, and failed to provide a safe place of work. She claimed she suffered significant pain in her left knee and back, was unable to drive for some two months after, was out of work for three months and has ongoing symptoms in her knee and back, causing difficulties with doing housework. An MRI scan and x-ray showed pre-existing degenerative change in her knee, the court heard. Keelings denied the claims, denied negligence and pleaded contributory negligence against Ms Olefeira. It claimed she failed to avail of her training in carrying out her duties and was the author of her own misfortune. In evidence, Ms Olefeira said she had no complaints before the accident but it may have triggered some difficulty afterwards. She said she went back to work to a more sedentary position but was sometimes limping and her knee gets inflamed about two times a month. An emergency medicine consultant said in a January 2017 report she had reached a stage where she would not really get any better. During cross-examination, the court heard the incident did not involve any broken bones and the emergency medicine consultant had described her injury as a mild to moderate soft tissue injury. Ms Olefeira said she got pain later on. When it was put to her the defendant had video footage of her driving a heavy 4X 4 vehicle to go grocery shopping on June 10, 2016, when she had claimed she was unable to drive for two months after the accident, she said she maybe went driving after taking strong painkillers. Her husband was not able to shop and buy different products, she said. She said she continues to have difficulties doing housework and cannot stand on her left knee because it inflames making it then difficult to rise. When Mr Mohan put to her there is nothing wrong with her knees that would impede her doing her housework and she had seriously misled the court in a number of respects, she denied that and said she was telling the truth. By Ann O'Loughlin A homeless man restrained by court orders from leaving a Dublin hospital due to concerns his life and welfare could be at risk due to mental impairment has made a good recovery following treatment, the High Court has heard. As a result, the court today lifted the detention orders. It is hoped, as a result of treatment provided at the hospital over several months, the man may be able to transition to independent living. Due to the improvement in his condition, the HSE is no longer seeking to have him made a ward of court. The president of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, had last July granted an emergency application by the HSE for orders permitting the man's detention in the hospital and directing an inquiry to establish whether he should be made a ward of court. The court heard little was known about the man, aged in his sixties, who is homeless and living on the streets. He is alcohol-dependent and had been attending the hospital's outreach programme where concerns were raised about his mental impairment, perhaps resulting from long-term alcohol abuse. The detention application arose because the man was seeking to discharge himself and his treating doctor considered he lacked the capacity to make decisions concerning his welfare and safety. She feared, if discharged, his life and safety would be at risk as he forgets where he is, who is treating him and how to stay safe even crossing the road, the court heard. On July 23, Mr Justice Kelly said he was satisfied from the evidence to make orders preventing the man leaving the hospital and permitting doctors to administer such treatment as is considered necessary in his best interests. When the case returned before the judge today, he was told by David Leahy BL, for the HSE, it wanted to withdraw the petition for wardship in "relatively positive" circumstances. Recent medical assessments stated the man's capacity had improved under the hospital's care and he would be able to manage independent living, counsel said. The reports confirmed the deficits in short-term memory but were of the view he is now able to discharge himself, consent to treatment and decide where he is to live. He had shown insight into his condition and said he intended to abstain from alcohol. While there is no guarantee of his safety, the view is he has a capacity that he lacked when the detention orders were sought, counsel said. Focus Ireland, a homeless agency which is involved with the man, also agrees the petition can be withdrawn, counsel added. Mr Justice Kelly said he had made the detention orders on July 23 because the man was about to leave hospital in circumstances dangerous to his life and welfare. The judge said he was glad to record, as a result of the treatment received over the summer, the man's condition has improved to the extent he no longer suffers from a medical condition rendering him incapable of making decisions. The man's mild cognitive impairment has improved to the point where doctors consider wardship is not necessary and that he has the capacity to make decisions about his welfare. He would discharge the existing orders and strike out the wardship application, the judge said. Any decision in Ireland to decriminalise the possession of drugs for personal use should include provisions to protect the system from being abused by dealers, according to a new report. The study says that the intention of the person caught with small quantities of drugs should be the key consideration in determining whether or not the substances are for personal use or for sale. The report, by the Ana Liffey Drug Project and the London School of Economics and Political Science, argues that possession of drugs for personal use should be decriminalised. It says decriminalisation can, when part of a comprehensive policy, improve the health and social outcomes of people who use drugs. The report, entitled Not Criminals, conducted a detailed examination of international and domestic drug laws, which, it says, have shifted over time. It says a 2010 law, aimed at effectively banning head shops, resulted in differing approaches to possession. While the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 made possession a criminal offence, the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010 did not make possession of drugs covered by that law a criminal offence. The report says the Oireachtas Justice Committee recommended that the Government consider the Portuguese model where possession of drugs is not a criminal offence, but a civil matter. It points out that the Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Act 2017 legally allows for people to be in possession of drugs inside the facility and for the operators of the site to facilitate consumption. It says Irish drug laws on possession are complex and that even though the laws allow for harsh punishment, an administrative reality has evolved to effect a more humane approach. The authors argue that there was little evidence that criminalisation of minor drug possession was a deterrent to future drug use. They point out that 72% of all drug offences in 2017 were for simple possession, involving over 12,000 incidents. The report concludes that while there is little evidence decriminalisation affects prevalence, there is evidence that it can as part of a comprehensive policy approach improve health and social outcomes for people who use drugs. It says a decriminalisation approach must include clear threshold limits that are realistic and offer guidance; appropriate responses/sanctions that do not result in more harm; and access to appropriate services. It stresses that thresholds must operate as guidelines that would include protections against people attempting to thwart the system, for example, dealers deliberately having in their possession amounts just below the limits. As part of this, the intent of the person with the drugs should be a key consideration for gardai deciding if it is legitimate possession for personal use. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he believes there can be decisive progress on Brexit in the coming weeks despite warning there is still a fair amount of work to be done. Mr Varadkar spoke after European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker said the chances of a deal have increased significantly in recent days. Speaking to reporters during the Fine Gael presidential dinner at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Rd, in Dublin on Saturday , Mr Varadkar said while well have to see how it goes in the next couple of weeks, he believes progress can be made. Asked if a deal can be struck during next weeks October EU summit which would allow a November summit to be scheduled to sign off on any potential plan, he said such a situation is a possibility. Id be hopeful of some decisive progress, said Mr Varadkar. But that remains to be seen yet. Its increasingly important that we do work out an agreement sooner rather than later. It would not be good for business, jobs, and the economy if we were to run into December. Mr Varadkar separately confirmed part of the reason for the Governments ring-fencing of 500m of the 1.1bn extra corporation tax into a rainy day fund is to help Ireland to borrow hundreds of millions of euro from the international market if a hard Brexit occurs. The Taoiseach was speaking after Mr Juncker said on Saturday he believes a potential Brexit deal has moved closer in recent days, with time running out on securing an agreement. Describing the coming days as the moment of truth, Mr Juncker said while it is not possible to predict what will happen I have reason to believe the potential for rapprochement between the two sides has increased. Meanwhile, Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon yesterday cleared the way for her party to back a second Brexit referendum. British prime minister Theresa May remains under pressure to reveal her alternative Northern Ireland backstop legal text before the weekend, a document that is crucial to any agreement being struck. Police in Rome have arrested a 30-year-old man in connection with an assault on Liverpool fan Sean Cox in April. According to Merseyside Police, the man who was arrested in Rome appeared in court on October 6 and has been remanded ahead of an extradition hearing. A proposed hike to diesel and petrol prices is reportedly one of the main sticking points ahead of tomorrow's Budget. Some ministers are reported to be concerned about the planned 50% increase to carbon tax. Turkey has asked for permission to search Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi went missing last week following his entrance to the mission, broadcaster NTV said. Turkish officials said over the weekend that they believed Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was closely following the case. A Turkish official also said Saudi Arabias envoy to Ankara had been summoned to the foreign ministry for a second time on Sunday. "It has been conveyed to him that we expect full coordination in the investigation process," the ministry said. Two Turkish sources said Turkish authorities believe Khashoggi was deliberately killed inside the consulate, a view echoed by one of Erdogans advisers, Yasin Aktay, who is also a friend of the Saudi journalist, Reuters reported. Khashoggi went to the Saudi consulate on Tuesday to get documents for his forthcoming marriage. Saudi officials say he left shortly afterwards but his fiancee, who was waiting outside, said he never came out. Health Minister Simon Harris has dismissed concerns that a plan to move the National Maternity Hospital to a new campus is in danger of collapse, because of construction delays. Mr Harris said this was simply not the case, in response to reports that the deputy chair of the hospital board had grave concerns the delays could scupper the project. At the weekend, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns told the annual meeting of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) that the green light for the project should have been given six months ago, and that work on the pharmacy and car park had to be started by year end, to comply with EU law on European energy requirements for new buildings. If this does not happen, it will fold and we will be back to square one, Mr Kearns told the meeting. He said the deadline for the go-ahead was October 1 and that this had not happened. If work did not begin before the end of the year, the design would need to be withdrawn. Yesterday, Dublin City councillor Claire Byrne, who is a member of the board, said there had been concerns about foot-dragging by the department in terms of giving the project the go-ahead. The sod was supposed to be turned this month and it hasnt happened, said Ms Byrne. This hospital is greatly needed for the women of Ireland. The minister has not been moving it forward and it is time he did. Approval for the work was taken over from the HSE by the Department of Health. There were suggestions from Mr Kearns of a deterioration in relations between the department and the hospital board, on foot of the hospital taking High Court action to stop an inquiry into the death of woman during surgery for ectopic pregnancy. Mr Harris had referred the case for inquiry to the health watchdog and the hospital challenged this successfully in the High Court. In an interview on RTE radio yesterday, Mr Harris said he hoped to be in a position, by the end of this year, to give the green light to the works and that work had been ongoing by his officials to future proof, in terms of governance and legal protections. Mr Harris said both hospitals were committed to the project and that he was committed and weve just got to work our way through a number of issues. He said his officials would be meeting with the board in the coming weeks. The project will see Holles St hospital relocate to the campus of St Vincents University Hospital in Dublin. It caused major controversy last year, when the public learned the NMH would be owned by the Sisters of Charity after it moved, amid fears of Catholic interference. The Sisters subsequently announced that they were withdrawing. The minister also said he would publish figures on budget day for setting up an abortion service. He said it would cost many millions. Update: Gardai investigating the fatal stabbing of Timmy Foley at Dan Corkery Place, Macroom, Co Cork this morning have arrested a woman. The woman, who is in her 40s, was arrested this afternoon and is being detained at Bandon Garda Station. Gardai are appealing for witnesses to contact the incident Room at Macroom Garda Station on 026 20590, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station. Earlier: Man fatally stabbed in Cork named locally as Timmy Foley A 44-year-old man who was fatally stabbed in Macroom, Co Cork in the early hours of this morning has been named locally as Timmy Foley. Supt Michael Fitzpatrick of Macroom Garda Station earlier confirmed that gardai are treating the incident as murder. Earlier: Fatal stabbing in Cork being treated as murder, gardai confirm The fatal stabbing of a 44-year-old male in Macroom, Co Cork is being treated as a murder investigation. Supt Michael Fitzpatrick of Macroom Garda Station confirmed this afternoon that gardai are treating the incident as a murder. Supt Michael Fitzpatrick addressed the press in relation to the fatal stabbing of the 44-year-old man from Cork this afternoon. Gardai were called to a house in the area at 1.50am this morning, where they discovered the body of a 44-year-old man with suspected stab wounds. A man and a woman, both in their 40s, were also present in the house and were taken to Cork University Hospital and Cork Mercy Hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. The scene is preserved for a full examination and a postmortem will later take place. A full incident room has been set up and a senior investigating officer has been appointed. CCTV will be harvested house to house and a search team will search the immediate area. Supt Michael Fitzpatrick appealed to anyone who was in Dan Corkery Place or its surrounding environment between 9pm last night and 2am this morning, in particular taxis or vehicles with dashcam footage, to contact Macroom Garda Station. Supt Michael Fitzpatrick of Macroom Garda Station addressing the media. Update 11.58am: A Macroom-based TD has said the town is in shock following the suspected fatal stabbing of a 44-year-old man in the town overnight, writes Joe Leogue. Fianna Fail TD Aindrias Moynihan said the residents of Dan Corkery Place slept through the commotion in their quiet neighbourhood after Gardai were called to a house in the area at 1.50am this morning, where they discovered the body of a 44-year-old man with suspected stab wounds. A man and a woman, both in their 40s, were also present in the house and were taken to Cork University Hospital and Cork Mercy Hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. The scene has been preserved and the Garda Technical Bureau has been notified. It is believed that there had been an altercation in the house, and Gardai will brief the media on their investigation this afternoon. Mr Moynihan was speaking to neighbours at Dan Corkery Place this morning, and said they are in shock. You don't expect the likes of it happening here in town, and from talking to neighbours earlier, people are just stunned that this could happen here in Macroom and in Dan Corkery Place, he told the Irish Examiner. Its a close-knit community and the neighbours didnt expect the likes of it happening here. Dan Corkery Place is a close-knit community where people have grown up over the years together. Theres a good spread of ages there and a good, strong community spirit. Its not a place you would be associating with violence like this or anything. People are only coming to terms with it, after waking up this morning and realising that something terrible has happened on their doorstep and in such a quieter, established place. "From talking to neighbours what Ive found is that people slept on through, that they werent aware of it until media reports, or phone calls from friends this morning, and looking out the window and seeing it, Mr Moynihan said. Gardai at the scene of the stabbing. Pic: John Delea. Earlier: Man dies, two injured, in Cork stabbing A man in his 40s has been stabbed to death in Co. Cork this morning. The man was stabbed at a house on Dan Corkery Place, Macroom, and his body was found at around 1.50am. Gardai were called to the house and found the 44-year-old man dead with suspected stab wounds. A man and woman, both in their 40s, were also in the house and have been taken to Cork University Hospital and Cork Mercy Hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. Gardai at the scene of the stabbing in Macroom this morning. Pic: John Delea The scene has been preserved and the Garda Technical Bureau has been notified. It is believed that there had been an altercation in the house. Gardai have appeal for witnesses who may have been in or around Dan Corkery Place in the early hours of the morning to contact the incident room at Macroom Garda Station 026 20590, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station. By John G ODwyer Irelands best-known hiking and rambling festival celebrates its 25th anniversary in a Co Waterford village next weekend, with a special four-peaks challenge an added attraction of this autumns event. The Nire Valley Walking Festival, headquartered in the small village of Ballymacarby, is regarded as one of the best-organised festival walks event and is a must for outdoor enthusiasts. It offers a series of walks exploring the memorable Comeragh uplands and attracts a loyal contingent of supporters who return year after year. This loyalty is due in no small measure to the fact that the festival, which is organised by the community-based Nire Valley Failte, offers an opportunity to explore one of Irelands most stunning natural environments. The commitment and warmth of the local community is also one of the festivals strengths. Mary Wall, the chairperson of the organising committee who, with husband Seamus, had previously established the renowned Honoras Cottage Country House and Restaurant, said: Things were very bad around here when we started out, and the idea behind a festival was to bring tourism to the area and promote walking. We started running the festival in the Nire, but then it just got too big with a lot of traffic congestion, so now we are based in the new community centre in Ballymacarbry. This is ideal as the centre has a state-of-the-art hostel which was built by the community and can accommodate 24 participants. Ballymacarbry is on the main route from Dungarvan to Clonmel. The festival has flourished for a quarter century when so many similar events have fallen by the wayside. Our biggest advantage has been the ongoing commitment of the local community and we have very knowledgeable people guiding on the walks, said Ms Wall. The event, from next Friday to Sunday, incorporates the Knockmealdown Mountains for a special four-peaks walk ending at the famous Cistercian Monastery of Mount Melleray. Cork actress Sarah Greene put a lot into her role in the Roddy Doyle-penned film about a family caught up in the housing crisis, writes Esther McCarthy In a career peppered with fine performances, Rosie may prove to be Cork actress Sarah Greenes most powerful yet. The first film scripted by Roddy Doyle in almost two decades is a timely and rousing drama about a young family caught up in Irelands housing crisis. But like the great social realism films of the Dardenne Brothers or Ken Loach, there is love and compassion within the hardship. Directed by Paddy Breathnach (Viva, I Went Down) over a couple of days in contemporary Dublin, Rosie centres around a decent young working-class familys attempts to find a room for the night, having recently had to leave the house theyd been renting. Greene is terrific as the title character, a mother trying to shield her kids from their new reality as much as she can as she and her husband (Moe Dunford) struggle to find accommodation. Some of the films scenes show Rosie on the phone, having the same conversation over and over, as she works through a list of hotels. It is very repetitive for these families, you know, its the same day. Its the same situation every day ringing around, trying to find temporary accommodation, telling your story to a different person every day and trying to grasp on to any hope whatsoever, she says. Its just awful what people are going through today. I think Roddy did a great thing by writing this story. TIMELY ISSUE The film really couldnt be more timely says Greene, adding that the day she first saw the finished movie, a mother shared a photo of her kids sleeping in a garda station in a post that went viral. During filming, she said, it was little things that struck home like being unable to wash your clothes or the fear of becoming a burden to loved ones. There was a story Paddy told us about a woman he spoke to who had three young kids and theyre in a fast food restaurant and shed nowhere to go, says Greene. One of the kids wanted to go to the bathroom and it was a problem. What do I do? Do I leave my small children, do I take one? Do I bring them all to the bathroom and run the risk of somebody throwing out the food that weve spent 12 quid on? I dont have another 12 quid to buy another dinner. Breathnachs film brings audiences right into the car and the hotel rooms where the family lives, giving a real sense of the lack of space. That was a deliberate choice and a genius choice by Paddy, says Greene. He never wanted the audience be on the outside looking in at this family. He wanted the camera to be in the car watching from within so so it gives that really claustrophobic feel to it. You just feel so scared for this family. Rosie caps a busy and successful period for the increasingly in-demand Cork actress, who has starred in three major Irish productions this year (including Dublin Oldschool and Black 47). A number of people supported and inspired the young Glanmire girl to pursue an acting career, which she dreamed of ever since she was little. I saw a pantomime with my parents years ago in the Opera House and I just wanted to be on the stage. My parents put me into CADA (the well-known performing arts school) and I went to Catherine Mahon-Buckley. We started off in her front room in her house way before she had the studios and then we were in Thompson House on MacCurtain Street and then into the bigger studios on the quays. Catherine Mahon-Buckley is how I started and I stayed with her until I was 19. Thats where I found my love for theatre. We did musicals and pantos, it was an amazing place to go to as a kid. Then entering into the business I got to work with the late Anita Reeves and Hilda Fay on a show called Little Gem by Elaine Murphy and that was a huge learning curve for me. Anita was a hero for me. She taught me lots about life and about acting. NOBLE CAUSE Sarah Greene has starred in three Irish features this year, including Rosie. Picture: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images Its been an incredibly busy time for the actress, who first won public attention for her role in Noble, before getting a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Martin McDonaghs The Cripple Of Inishmaan on Broadway. She recently returned to Cork for a long break with parents Steve and Claire, catching up with family and friends. Id worked for two years straight. So I was pretty exhausted by the time Rosie came around, which was perfect for the job I think. Rosies tired and I was tired, she says. I took a break after that because I was just a bit burnt out and emotionally the film just took a lot out of me. So I spent some time down in Cork and in Kerry with them. We go to a place in Glenbeigh, called Rossbeigh Beach. I spent a week down there it was during the heat wave so it was really nice. They come and visit in London quite a bit, which is lovely. They love coming to opening nights, its their favourite thing! Looking around to see who else is there! she laughs. Its her fourth time working with fellow actor and good friend Moe Dunford, who recalls her encouragement when she had completed acting at the Gaiety School, a course he had just begun. I was in first year and she had gone maybe two, three years, says Dunford. I still remember the conversation. I always felt she was rooting for me and rooting for acting friends of ours and I felt that in Vikings. I remember one day I was scared shitless because Id just done my first day on a horse. I came back to the dressing room. And Sarah says: Well done, we have a good chance of coming back next season. Its just been an honour to share any amount of screen time with her. I think shes just incredible. Its been a very successful run for the Corkwoman, but Greene is not the type to take it for granted. Ive been very lucky in the last couple of years. But before I had this long run of work, I was out of work for five months and I actually had to kind of make a choice not to get down, to get out of the house to meet my friends. I think this job can sometimes become part of your identity and when you dont have any work, like in any job, when thats taken away from you, you lose confidence and you feel like youve nothing to give and thats kind of how I felt. So its just about changing my attitude towards the job and it is after all just a job, and its about having a healthy relationship with it. Rosie opens in cinemas on Friday The Treaty City is growing in confidence through comedy, writes Nuala Woulfe You can gauge the confidence of a city by watching the ways it is finding its voice, and with Limerick, the Treaty City is finding that new, confident voice through comedy. For the first time ever a new stand up comedy venue is giving 30 new acts the chance to battle it out on stage as new, trendy city-centre venue, Chez le Fab runs its knock out Laughter Games competition for four Mondays until October 22. Audiences enjoying the Laughter Games in Limerick For owner Lesley Anne Liddane, the Laughter Games competition has been a work in progress. A self-confessed comedy buff, when she became pregnant with her second child, now five months old, she decided if she couldnt travel to Dublin or elsewhere to see gigs as much, she was going to bring the comedy home. Over the last year Chez le Fab gave new comedy acts a chance at open mic nights and also hosted a comedy night on Fridays. I really didnt think we would get to where we are now (comedy every Fridays) so quickly. Theres a real gap in the Limerick market for comedy and a hunger, Lesley says. The Laughter Games will see up to 8 comedians a night showcase 5 minutes of material and the heat winners will go forward to the final and perform 10 minutes of material. Contestants have already been selected for the comedy battle in Limerick and Lesley Anne says theres a real balance between male and female comedians as more gals out there realise theyre just as funny as the guys and are ready to take them on for laughs. The show is being hosted by the 2018 Show Me the Funny Winner, Breda Larkin and Lesley Anne has more plans to grow the local comedy scene. Theres never been a comedy festival in Limerick, thats what I want to do next, hopefully by next summer Ill have set up something. Limerick is ready, she says. Limerick funny man Karl Spain, who recently played his first gig at Chez le Fab, says hes heartened to see his home county grow in confidence. comedian Karl Spain plays his first recent gig at Chez le Fab on Culture Night Limericks recent All Ireland hurling win is the cherry on top for a city and county that has seen its self esteem grow over the years from general business development, to the expansion of UL and from growing arts/business developments such as the coming of Troy Studios, a budding Fringe Festival and a new Purple Flag, awarded to places with a good evening scene. For me the elevation of Limerick really began with Munster Rugby taking off, people from round the world could see the stadium (Thomond) and the crowds and could see this is a positive Limerick. Limerick developing its unique comedy is another way the city can be seen positively. Theres a contrariness about Limerick peoples humour. I think having to deal with the stab city and crime thing is part of that. Stab city was all so negative and cliched. Audiences enjoying the Laughter Games in Limerick He says being from Limerick did affect his material somewhat in that hed be a bit defensive in a jokey way. I used to say to people, you think Limerick is dangerous, have you walked around parts of Dublin? He says the new Laughter Games are important because, for anyone starting out, stage time is key, thats when you start finding out are you any good and what you have to change. Hopefully events like this will result in more Limerick comedians evolving but we also need Limerick people to come out and support Limerick comedy, I guarantee if they do, Limerick will win the next All Ireland, he jokes. Host of the Laughter Lounge in Dublin, Steve Cummins grew up in the challenging estate of Glenagross Park, Moyross and he remembers the old days when Limerick was unfairly labelled stab city, a label which thankfully, he says he hasnt heard in a while. Standup comedian Steve Cummins Limerick has always had a great community spirit, growing up we wore coming from Limerick as a badge of honour. Its becoming arty now, I think thats great, think what that kind of vibe has done for Galway. I love going back, its a lovely city. In 1991 Steve left Moyross and eventually headed to London. In the past he has worked with the homeless, teenage gang members in the USA and juvenile offenders in the UK and Ireland. Burnt out he took a year out when his son was born and concentrated on starting a comedy career, never looking back gradually performing comedy on the BBC, RTE and Channel 4. A lot of funny people come from Limerick anyway; Richard Harris, Marian Keyes, the late Dave Allen, Terry Wogan, Jon Kenny from the Dunbelievables ... when you think about it, its only natural that comedy is coming into its own in Limerick, he says. Beauty blogger Joanne Coughlan tells Denise O'Donoghue about her blog, Lipstick n Leopard Print Beauty blogger Joanne Coughlan from Cork started blogging two years ago to help her career in beauty following her time as a stay-at-home mum. In 2013 I gave birth to twin girls, Charlotte and Ruby and gave up work to become a stay-at-home parent, Joanne said. I started the blog in 2016 when the girls started pre-school because I missed the beauty industry, it had been such a huge part of my life. I thought it would be like an online CV in a way, showing prospective future employers that my love for all things beauty was still very prominent. The success of Lipstick n Leopard Print gave Joanne the confidence to return to work after almost six years. It gave me back the confidence that I had lost from being out of the workplace for such a long time. It gave me back a sense of who I was as a person in my own right. I love the bones of my children but being a stay at home parent can be very isolating, people can stop seeing you as anything other than a mum. Ive just gone back to work after a five-and-a-half year break and I have no doubt that my blog helped me to have enough confidence to walk into that interview and get my job. Her hard work online has paid off recently as her website is up for a big award. Im really excited to be a finalist in the Blog Awards Ireland Beauty Blog of the Year category this year. The awards are on on the October 25 so I would be over the moon to bring that back accolade back to Cork with me. Joanne also likes to share her beauty advice on Instagram. I just dont think you can beat it when its a blog about beauty products, people want to see pretty pictures on the grid and interact with your everyday life on Instagram Stories. That way they get the glamour (not so frequently with me) and the bargains youve picked up in Penneys or Boots. As a result, the 39-year-old is on her phone a lot. Its like a full-time job that I can manage from my phone, Joanne explained. If people comment on my posts or send me messages on any of my social media platforms, I do the very best that I can to respond to them. Terminal illness is one of lifes tragedies, but it is also a fact of life for thousands each year, says Grainne McGuinness. Financial providers believe many Irish people are not fully aware of all the help available to them. While money will not fix a terminal diagnosis, financial worries can add considerable extra strain to already devastated households. After doing some analysis of its most recent claims figures, Irish Life wants people to be more aware of the possibility of terminal illness benefit. Its data highlights low levels of Irish people claiming these benefits. Out of over 1,000 death claims, only 3% of people claimed a terminal illness benefit while they were still alive. The number of people in Ireland making claims while they are terminally ill is very low, Martin Duffy, head of underwriting and protection claims, Irish Life, said. For example, of the death claims paid by Irish Life in the first six months of this year, almost half (44%) were for malignant cancer, and many of these would have been a terminal condition long before the person, unfortunately, passed away. This would suggest that a substantially higher number of people could be claiming terminal illness benefit while the condition was in this phase. So were trying to raise greater awareness among people, and their families, that they could be eligible to get a life insurance pre-payment now. People who are terminally ill, from any medical condition, may find that receiving a life insurance pre-payment while theyre alive significantly reduces financial worry at an extremely difficult and stressful time for them and their families. This benefit is not restricted to Irish Life. All major Irish providers offer terminal illness benefit, although not necessarily on all policies. Experts in the field agree that Irish figures are low. Many companies in the UK are now seeing up to 20% of life claims being paid out as terminal illness whereas in Ireland Id be surprised if even 5% of any Irish insurers claims are paid as terminal illness, an actuary at a major reinsurer said. This is surprising, as its the exact same terminal illness definition used in UK and Ireland and terminal illness has been a product feature in Ireland for a similar amount of time as the UK. Its not as if Irish insurers are declining terminal illness claims its just that they are not seeing requests for a benefit to be paid out under the terminal illness option at all. Criteria will vary among providers but in general, a terminal illness is a condition that, in the opinion of an appropriate hospital consultant, has no known cure, or has progressed to a point where it cannot be cured, and where the illness is expected to lead to death within 12 months. Financial adviser Nick McGowan of Lion.ie explains that the criteria can lead to some complications. Its a valuable benefit, but one that can be difficult to claim successfully on because of the difficulty of satisfying the no greater than 12 months condition, he said. Within the medical context, the phrase terminally ill is used where the likelihood of survival is less than three months. Unless the consultant firmly believes that their patient is likely to die within, say, three months, they will generally avoid any prediction of life expectancy. In fact, a consultant is likely to be over-optimistic to support their patient. "That puts them in the awful position where their patient asks them to help them out by completing a life insurance report stating they have less than 12 months to live allowing them to sort out their financial affairs before they go. But he adds that it can still be a valuable help to patients and their families, and he would like people to be more aware of it. Mr Duffy also pointed out another benefit, namely that paying out before death means not needing to go through probate to access the funds. This is undoubtedly useful for families who want access to funds for the ill persons final months, but may also have consequences for any inheritance tax planning that has been done. For this reason, it is advisable to discuss any move with an independent adviser. DEAL OF THE WEEK Virgin Mobile have launched what it describes as Irelands most generous and transparent mobile offering to all Virgin Media customers who sign up to its Unlimited SIM Only plan. The plan includes unlimited 4G data, calls and texts on a 30-day contact. To entice customers to switch, the company is offering the plan free for the first three months. It is are keen to promote transparency as a cornerstone of its dealings with customers. We all know the mobile industry is rife with hidden terms and conditions but thats not the case at Virgin Mobile, said senior manager Anne O Flynn. This new offer highlights Virgin Medias commitment to our existing cable and broadband customers. With our freestyle phone contracts, customers can also upgrade their phone whenever they want. Well make it absolutely clear when their phone is paid off and well never lock their phone to our network. - www.virginmedia.ie Dan MacCarthy explores Flea Island near Castletownshend, Co Cork There is a huge variety of names to Irelands hundreds and hundreds of islands. They are named after geographical features mainly, but also people, and of course animals. We have many horse islands, cow islands, rabbit islands; several bull, calf, cow, and hog islands. There are a couple of pig, lamb, dog, deer, and duck islands. There are even bird, swan, eagle, puffin, jackdaw, crab, turbot, colt, fox, goat, cat, and ox islands but just one Flea island. Why Flea Island, in Co Cork, is so named is probably to do with its minuteness but also its shape. The other islands dont resemble the animals after which they are name, but Flea Island bucks the trend. An aerial view reveals two wings joined in the middle by a short rocky isthmus the perfect rendition of a flea, with two arced flanks. Its northern wing of marram grass and sea thrift comprises .734 of an acre. Its southern wing can barely muster half an acre, .505 to be exact. Added together, they comprise just over an an acre. And yet people visit there, as a distinctive path winds its way to the far side of the northern half from the landing point. A second meandering path can be seen on the southern half. There are no sheep and no goats so the conclusion is the tracks have to be manmade. Flea Island lies at the mouth of Castlehaven Harbour in West Cork. It is leeward of the much bigger Horse Island and west of the craggy Skiddy Island. From the stony beach at Tracarta, where multicoloured kayaks are lined up for adventure in the nooks and crannies of the harbour, it is possible to clamber over the shoreline at low tide to the island. With Flea Sound on your right and the imposing Horse Island with its folly tower erected by the Somervilles further out, it is a short, though rugged walk. If the tide is in it is necessary to climb steep rocks after a brief boat (kayak) trip. Flea island and Horse Island formed part of the Somerville estate which is centred on Drishane House in Castletownshend. The family settled there in the 1800s and established reputations in successive generations in the Anglican church, in shipping, and also literary circles through Edith Somerville, who was one half of the Somerville and Ross writing team which wrote The Irish RM among several other works. The tiny size of Flea Island raises the question as to what actually constitutes an island. Very small groups of rocks and reefs tend to be named thus: Foze Rock, Lemon Rock etc. Certainly, if an island has a name then that in itself seems to be sufficient for it to be classed as an island. For sure, this island is uninhabitable, so the capacity for an island to be inhabited is not a determining factor. Under the science of fractals all surfaces can be deemed to have a limitless length. This applies to coastlines, rivers, lakes, mountains, clouds, trees, and even hurricanes. So a line delineating the parameters of Flea Island can be said to have a limitless length where a pattern is repeated and repeated down to a micro level. In this form of abstraction it can be said to have no true length. Flea Island is one of the smallest islands in Ireland, covering just over an acre. To the right is Horse Island with its tower. The British mathematician Augustus De Morgan neatly described the concept in his doggerel, a variation on a Jonathan Swift poem. Beautifully written on the subject at hand. Little fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite em and little fleas have lesser fleas and so ad infinitum There is nothing especially attractive about Flea Island: No exotic rock formations recommend it; there is no beautiful wood where birdsong can be heard; there are no winding boreens to stroll and forget your worries, no wildflowers, no pleasant harbour, no one to talk to, no old ruins with creeping ivy. However, Flea Island is itself and as such is unique. How to get there: From Skibbereen, West Cork, take the R596 to Castletownshend and follow the road southwest to Tracarta beach. Other: drishane.com The Turkish Armed Forces neutralized nine Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorists in northern Iraq in air operations during the last two days, according to a statement. It was reported that the PKK terrorists were preparing for an attack on Turkish military objects, Yeni Safak reported. The air strike was carried out in the Zap and Avashin-Basyan regions of Iraq. Emily Beament explains what countries need to do to keep global temperatures from rising more than 1.5C, and the devastating consequences if they fail to act.... and act fast. A new UN report warns of the unprecedented changes needed by society to keep global temperatures from rising more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Here is what you need to know. Q. What is significant about 1.5C of warming? A. While warming of 2C above pre-industrial levels has widely been thought of as the threshold beyond which dangerous climate change will occur, vulnerable countries such as low-lying island states warn rises above 1.5C will threaten their survival. Their concerns meant a pledge to pursue efforts to limit temperature rises to 1.5C was included after tough negotiations alongside the commitment to keep them well below 2C in the global Paris climate agreement in 2015. Q. So why this report? A. When the target was put into the Paris Agreement, relatively little was known about the climate risks that would be avoided in a 1.5C warmer world compared with a 2C warmer world, or about the action needed to limit temperature rises to that level. So the UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was tasked with providing the answers. Q. What does the report say? A. It warns the world is well off track to keep to the 1.5C limit. Even with the promises countries have made as part of the Paris Agreement to cut the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, the world is set to breach the 1.5C threshold by around 2040. Based on those promises, we are heading for 3C by 2100 and even warmer after that. As more greenhouse gases lead to more warming, stabilising the planets temperature at any level will require emissions to fall to zero overall. To keep temperatures from rising to more than 1.5C in the long term, countries need to cut carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 and to net zero by 2050, with steep cuts in other greenhouse gases such as methane. Methods to take excess carbon out of the atmosphere will also be needed. Q. How can all that be done? A. Well, it will require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented change across the whole of society, according to the report. Renewables would have to supply 70% to 85% of electricity in 2050, there would be a small role for gas power with technology that captured and stored its carbon, while coal would be virtually non-existent. The feasibility of solar, wind and battery storage has improved significantly in recent years, which could signal the system is transforming, the report says. But it is not just electricity: transport, buildings and industry would have to become significantly cleaner. Taking excess carbon from the atmosphere requires measures such as planting new forests or, more controversially, burning plant material for energy and capturing the carbon to store underground, which is known as BECCS. Millions of square kilometres would need to be turned into forest or used for growing renewable energy crops which could undermine food production. Q. Why make all that effort for 0.5C? A. The report says a 2C rise will lead to more heatwaves and extreme rainstorms, more people facing water shortages and drought, greater economic losses and lower yields for major crops than 1.5C. Sea level rises would be 10cm lower with a 1.5C temperature rise compared to 2C by the end of the century. While coral reefs could decline 70% to 90% with 1.5C of warming, virtually all the worlds reefs would be lost at 2C, while far more creatures and plants across the world face losing a large part of their range. The Arctic is likely to be ice-free in summer around once a century at 1.5C but at least once a decade if warming climbs to 2C. Q. How has this report been drawn up? A. The IPCC does not do any of its own research, so the report draws on more than 6,000 research papers to reach its conclusions. The reports authors and representatives of 195 governments, which are members of the IPCC, have then met to finalise the summary for policymakers report, which involves agreeing it line-by-line. The aim is to make the report as clear as possible while still scientifically robust and to ensure that everybody is behind the document. What has the Irish Government been doing? A. The Government has unveiled a range of national plans to tackle climate. These include a 500m Climate Action Fund which aims to support initiatives that contribute to the achievement of Irelands climate and energy targets. The fund will be implemented by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and will be dispersed between now and 2027. The first call for applications from the public and private sector to avail of the fund has already been published. The National Policy Position on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (2014) and the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 set out irelands objective of achieving transition to a competitive, low carbon, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050. These plans aim to achieve an aggregate reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of at least 80% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2050 across the electricity generation, built environment and transport sectors It also includes an approach to carbon neutrality in the agriculture and land-use sector, including forestry, which does not compromise capacity for sustainable food production. Investors are betting on climate change getting worse If electric cars and clean energy arent enough to prevent rising oceans, then theres money to be made in seawalls, indoor agriculture, and emergency housing, says Christopher Flavelle. Atop investment strategist for JPMorgan Asset Management sent a note to clients earlier this year with a dire forecast. Despite global efforts to stop climate change, sea levels are likely to rise dramatically, threatening the 40% of Americans who live along the coast. On the other hand, there will be some investment opportunities in seawalls. A storm-surge barrier system, protecting New York City and parts of New Jersey, could cost $2.7m per metre, Michael Cembalest, the asset managers chairman of market and investment strategy, wrote in his annual, Eye on the Market energy newsletter in April. He added that governments would probably struggle to pay that cost, perhaps turning to either bonds or privatisation. As the US grapples with a second straight year of record hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, a small but growing number of hedge funds, pension plans, and other investors are testing strategies to take advantage of climate change. Where theyre putting their money is a glimpse of the likely tangible impacts from higher temperatures. The investments include storm-and flood-protection along the coast, desalination plants in drought-prone regions, new approaches to agriculture, and even land far from the ocean, for when rising seas shift the real estate market. In the early stages, people will be nervous, says Cembalest, who calls himself an advocate for better flood control. And the returns will be higher. Theres a fatalism to investors calculations. Global greenhouse gas emissions reached an historic peak last year, along with the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The last three years were the hottest on record. That trend is expected to accelerate: Scientists expect temperatures to rise by 5F to 10F, from now to the end of the century. There is no way, at this point, to stop climate change, says James Everett, partner and co-founder at Ecosystem Integrity Management, a venture capital firm near Berkeley, California. Pretty much every system is going to have to change. Were going to have to adapt to this. Investors focused on climate change have traditionally bet on fixes, such as renewable power and electric vehicles. Mitigation and adaptation are grimmer projects. But Jay Koh, co-founder and managing director of the Lightsmith Group, a private equity firm focused on climate adaptation, says its necessary to acknowledge that things could get worse. There is a requirement for some kind of psychological journey that people have to go through, Koh says. Id rather have a strategy designed for the set of circumstances where we might not 100% win. Consider what might happen to food production. As precipitation patterns change and oceans become more acidic, outdoor environments will become less reliable and more and more intolerant for crops or fish, according to Liqian Ma, managing director at Cambridge Associates, in Boston. Demand will increase for technologies that allow indoor agriculture and even aquaculture. In other cases, making money off climate change can be as simple as thinking through the consequences of a hurricane. Last August, a week before Hurricane Harvey struck Texas, Rod Hinze had an idea. The principal and portfolio manager at Key Point Capital, in Dallas, Hinze invests in real estate investment trusts, or REITs. As Harvey approached the coast, the cost of REITs that held hotels around Houston was falling, as investors assumed the hurricane would scare off tourists and business visitors, and maybe trash the hotels themselves. People thought theyd be offline, Hinze says. What they dont realise is the demand in short-term housing after a hurricane like that, its astronomical. So Hinze bought low first in Houston, and then, as Hurricane Irma followed a week later, in South Florida. We saw occupancy go to 100% in a lot of those hotels, Hinze says. We didnt crush it. But we made 25%, 30% pretty quick. The effects of climate change have also increased demand for new and more exotic types of insurance, against what Barney Schauble, managing principal at Nephila Advisors LLC, calls weather risk. Businesses can buy coverage for extreme weather, and Nephila finds investors willing to bear the other side of that risk in various forms. Schauble says his company recently helped a water utility that was worried about increasingly unpredictable precipitation patterns. So, it created a product that would protect the utility against swings. We structured a hedge for them: In this band, your business is fine, Schauble says. We can price that. That business is exploding. Since last year, the amount of money coming in for extreme-weather protection has doubled. David Vogel, founder and chief executive officer of the Florida-based quant fund Voloridge Investment Management LLC, says he believes rising seas, and worsening storms and droughts, will create opportunities in health care, insurance, and agriculture. He declined to discuss his firms specific investments. But he was willing to disclose one personal purchase: tracts of land around Asheville, NC, where he expects housing values to keep climbing, as climate change gets worse. Its 2,000 feet above sea level, he says. Living in Florida, thats where I see a lot of people moving. Some investors, who believe climate change will get worse, are even applying that premise to municipal bonds. Jonathan Bailey, head of environmental, social, and governance investing at Neuberger Berman Group LLC, says his company analyses the climate risk facing different cities, to find out which ones are more or less exposed. Credit-rating firms have been slow to incorporate those varying levels of risk into bond ratings. As a result, Neuberger can buy and hold bonds issued by cities with lower climate risk, without paying a premium over bonds issued by cities facing greater threats from storms and other disasters. If the market then changes its perception of those relative risks, then that can create an opportunity for us to then sell, Bailey says. The broader publics failure to appreciate the risks of climate change is part of what makes it such a good area for investing, according to Schauble. He says thats especially true in the US. There is not a single other country where anybody smart isnt a believer in these things, Schauble says. If you can see something that other people just refuse to see, and you can make decisions on that basis, I suspect, over the longer term, that is going to put you in good stead. The fund managers and advisers interviewed for this story expressed little worry that the science is wrong. For some, a bigger concern was seeming to be taking advantage of a slow-motion calamity. I would love to give up these investment opportunities in a second, if people would listen and stop polluting the environment, Vogel says. In the meantime, he says, investors can be a societal warning system, alerting the public to a risk it has otherwise been reluctant to see. If people are making money off it, that gets attention. Key facts from report: Global warming should be limited to 1.5C rather than 2C to ensure the impacts of climate change, from droughts to rising seas, are less extreme. By 2100, global sea rise levels would be 10cm lower with global warming of 1.5C compared to 2C. Coral reefs would decline by 70%-90% with warming of 1.5C, compared to more than 99% with 2C. Human-induced warming reached approximately 1C above pre-industrial levels in 2017. The global temperature is currently rising by 0.2C per decade. If the pace of warming continues, the temperature would reach 1.5C around 2040. 20%-40% of the global population have experienced more than 1.5C of warming in at least one season. To limit warming to 1.5C, net emissions of carbon dioxide would need to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero around 2050. It will require a huge ramp-up in renewables so they generate 70%-85% of electricity supplies by 2050, while coal powers share of the mix tumbles to almost nothing. Asia Indias Rohingya Refugees Struggle with Hatred, Fear as First Group is Expelled Sahidullah, a man from the Rohingya community, holds his son on his lap inside his shack at a camp on the outskirts of Jammu, October 5, 2018. / Reuters JAMMU, India Hours after Indian TV channels flashed that the country was deporting seven Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, Sahidullah said he received a call from his nephew: Uncle, please get us out of here. They will send us back too. Sahidullah, a Rohingya living in the far north of India after fleeing what he called persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2010, said his relative, Sadiur Rahman, 40, was lodged in one of several detention centers for illegal immigrants in the distant northeastern state of Assam. Rahman, he said, had been incarcerated with his brother and eight other relatives since being caught in 2012 at a railway station as they fled to India via Bangladesh. Sahidullah had taken the same route two years earlier, but like many others had escaped detection. He said Rahman made the phone call when he was taken out for a routine medical checkup on Oct. 3, the day when India moved the seven Rohingya men out of a similar detention center and took them to the border. They were handed to the Myanmar authorities the next day, the first ever such deportations of Rohingya here, spreading panic among an estimated 40,000 refugees who have fled to India from its neighbor. About 16,500 of the refugees, including Sahidullah, have been issued identity cards by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that it says helps them prevent harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention and deportation. India says it does not recognize the cards and has rejected the UNs stand that deporting the Rohingya violates the principle of refoulement sending back refugees to a place where they face danger. Anyone who has entered the country without a valid legal permit is considered illegal, said A. Bharat Bhushan Babu, a spokesman for the Ministry of Home Affairs. As per the law, anyone illegal will have to be sent back. As per law they will be repatriated. In recent days, Reuters interviewed dozens of Rohingya in two settlements, one in the northern city of Jammu and a smaller one in the capital, Delhi, and found communities who feel they are being increasingly vilified. Many now fear Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu nationalist government is about to act on its stated position that it wants to deport all Rohingya Muslims from the country. With a general election due by next May, they worry that targeting them will be a populist tactic used by Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Addressing an election rally in the central state of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, BJP chief Amit Shah said that all illegal immigrants were like termites eating into the nations security. Elect us back next year and the BJP will not allow a single one of them to stay in this country, Shah said, without specifically mentioning any group of migrants. Hatred Growing Sahidullah who like many Rohingya goes by only one name is not just worried about his detained relatives but also his family living in a mainly Hindu region of Indias only Muslim-dominated state, Jammu & Kashmir, in the countrys northern tip. The restive Himalayan state that borders Pakistan and is home to Muslim separatists battling Indian rule, has the biggest population of Rohingya in the country with around 7,000 people scattered in various makeshift settlements, largely in the Jammu region. We came to India because people told us things were better here, theres more work and one could move freely unlike back home, said Sahidullah, who works as a cleaner at a car showroom in Jammu city to support his aging amnesiac mother, wife and four children. All thats true and we are thankful to India for letting us live here. But hatred against us is growing, he told Reuters as he sat on a colorful linen sheet laid on the floor of his self-made wood and plastic-sheet house built on a rented plot of land. Mohammed Arfaat, a 24-year-old Rohingya youth leader in Jammu, said that locals often accuse them of having links with militants without any proof. They want us out of here and that has got our families worried, said Arfaat, switching between English and Hindi as nearly a dozen community elders seated around him on the rough concrete floor of a Rohingya house started leaving for Friday prayers. Everybody here is aware of the deportation and is afraid. Indian authorities said that the repatriation of the seven was a routine procedure and that it sends all illegal foreigners back home. But the UNHCR voiced deep concern on Friday about the safety and security of those expelled, saying they had been denied access to legal counsel and a chance to have their asylum claims assessed. Current conditions in Myanmars Rakhine State are not conducive for safe, dignified and sustainable return of stateless Rohingya refugees, said UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic. Most Rohingya used to live in Rakhine. In August last year, attacks by Rohingya fighters on security posts in Rakhine led to a bloody military crackdown that caused around 700,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh. The United Nations has accused Myanmar of acting against the Rohingya with genocidal intent, a charge Myanmar refutes, saying its military did not use excessive force and was reacting to militant attacks. Increasingly Ugly The atmosphere facing the Rohingya in India has been getting increasingly ugly. Jammus Chamber of Commerce & Industry last year threatened to launch an identify and kill movement against the settlers, which it said pushed the government into taking the issue of Rohingya more seriously. The chambers president, Rakesh Gupta, told Reuters on Friday that there was nothing new in taking the law into ones hands if someone becomes a threat to our security, to the nations security, and the security forces dont tackle them. In some of the more virulent parts of Indias media, the Rohingya are not only accused of being terrorists but also of trafficking in drugs and humans, and of having the money to elbow out local businesses. The Pioneer newspaper, which supports the BJP, said in an editorial on Saturday that the Rohingya are a problem, declaring that those that are radicalized Islamist extremists need to be dealt with ruthlessly and the rest are economic migrants that India cannot afford to help. India, which considers itself a victim of Islamist militancy and is trying to boost economic ties with Myanmar to counter China, said late last year that it shared Myanmars concern about extremist violence by Rohingya militants. Indias home ministry has told the Supreme Court that it had reports from security agencies and other authentic sources indicating linkages of some of the unauthorized Rohingya immigrants with Pakistan-based terror organizations and similar organizations operating in other countries. Its definitely an election issue, said Kavinder Gupta, a BJP legislator in Jammu & Kashmir and former deputy chief minister of the state. Its our decision to throw them out keeping in mind the security situation of the state, he told Reuters on the sidelines of a campaign meeting for municipal elections. We have made the home ministry aware of the need to send them back to their country. Senior Jammu police officials said on condition of anonymity that they had identified all Rohingya in the area in preparation for their eventual deportation. They added they had not found any link of Rohingya with militants. Around 600 km (370 miles) south of Jammu, residents of a makeshift refugee camp in Delhis Shaheen Bagh also said they fear deportation. We dont want to leave India. Where will we go? said Mohammed Harun, a 47-year-old Rohingya elder in Delhi. There are refugees from other countries in India too. Why are we being targeted? Why do they send us to jail? It is only because we are Muslims. They dont do this to the other refugees. Burma Action Plan for Womens Rights and Needs to be Implemented in Mon State Women from Mon State. / Nyan Soe Win / The Irrawaddy MAWLAMYINE, Mon StateWomen from Mon State calling for their rights and needs in peace and development will soon have their concerns developed into an action plan, Myanmars Minister of Pa-O Ethnic Affairs Daw San Wint Khine said. From August through October 2017, more than 1,300 women from across the state participated in local consultations organized by the Mon State government, parliament, and civil society groups with the support of the Norwegian government-funded UN Women Myanmar. Through discussions held at 10 townships in Mon State, women voiced cases of inequality they have faced and their concerns and priorities they wish to have addressed regarding peace and development in their state. Discussion participants included administrators, village heads, officers from the department of social welfare and rural development, teachers from government schools and police officers. Minister Daw San Wint Khine said there were demands from participants at village, township and state levels for laws prohibiting gender-based violence to be passed and for perpetrators of sexual violence to be punished without impunity. Mon State has seen an increasing number of rape cases against minors aged 16 years old and below, according to local womens rights groups. Yet, the rights activists stressed, in many incidents, the rapists arent punished as they are not taken to court because instead the case is settled through negotiation, often involving compensation. During the discussions late last year, women also demanded sexual and reproductive health awareness programs and training at community level, Minister Daw San Wint Khine said. In discussing the issue of economic challenges, women voiced demands for guarantees of equal [daily] wages between men and women, as well as to enact laws guaranteeing womens safety in the workplace. In education, women called for an end to the practice of assessing male and female students matriculation exam scores differently for university acceptance and to open training centers for orphaned, homeless and vulnerable youth. A 30 percent quota of women in village administration was also demanded for the womens participation in leadership. We will develop an action plan to implement their demands, said Daw San Wint Khine. The needs and priorities identified by the women regarding peace and development in their state were presented to the Union government this year and they are awaiting approval to develop an action plan, she said. I hope to launch the action plan at the end of this year, she added. A regional lawmaker from Thaton Township, Daw Khine Khine Lei, who chairs the Mon State Parliaments Women and Childrens Rights Committee, said education for young girls in the state should be a priority in the action plan. Many young girls have been forced to drop out school and go to neighboring countries to work to support their families, she said, adding that this can consequently be connected with trafficking cases, forced marriage and adolescent pregnancy. Ma Cherry Soe from Mon Womens Network said that after the action plan is drafted, she hopes it will address gender-based discrimination and violence in the state which women face in their day-to-day lives. The womens rights activist said turning the policies into actions would be most important. It is important for the action plan not only to be on paper but also to be implemented, she said. Burma Dhaka Summons Myanmar Ambassador Over Maritime Border Dispute The location of St. Martin's Island on the Google Map. DHAKAThe Bangladesh Foreign Ministry on Saturday summoned Myanmars ambassador to protest the publication of several maps showing Bangladeshs St. Martins Island as being part of Myanmar territory. M Khurshed Alam, the secretary of the ministrys Maritime Affairs Unit, summoned Myanmar Ambassador Lwin Oo to the ministry in the capital Dhaka and lodged a strong protest. The Dhaka-based New Age daily reported that the ambassador was told that the Bangladesh government had identified at least three websites run by Myanmar authorities showing St. Martins Island as part of Myanmar, and was questioned about the motives for the publication of the maps. The ambassador was also told that including Bangladesh territory in maps of Myanmar could harm relations between the neighboring countries. Myanmars Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population used doctored maps showing St. Martins Island as part of Myanmar and shared them with several international websites, according to the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry. All international political mapsincluding those drawn up in 1937; those created during the 1947 partition of India; those created at the time of Myanmars independence from British rule in 1948; and those created at the time of Bangladeshs independence from Pakistan in 1971have shown St. Martins Island as an integral part of Bangladeshs territory, Bangladesh officials said. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea also showed St. Martins Island as part of Bangladesh in its maps presented in a verdict settling a dispute on the maritime boundary between Bangladesh and Myanmar in 2012, the officials said. Myanmar accepted Bangladeshs jurisdiction over St. Martins Island in a bilateral instrument signed between the two countries in 1974, they said. Ambassador Oo admitted that showing St. Martins Island as Myanmar territory was a mistake, according to Bangladesh officials. Myanmar officials in Dhaka did not respond to The Irrawaddys request for comment. The Bangladesh side also handed over a diplomatic note to the Myanmar ambassador demanding immediate rectification of the forged maps and an investigation to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. The row over faulty maps comes amid diplomatic efforts by the two countries to begin the repatriation of ethnic minority Rohingya from Bangladesh to Rakhine State. About 720,000 Rohingya, mostly women, children and elderly people, fled security operations by the Myanmar military in Rakhine beginning on Aug. 25, 2017, after a series of attacks on Myanmar security outposts by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. The United Nations denounced the security operations as ethnic cleansing and as having genocidal intent. The Rohingya influx into Bangladesh has continued and the number of undocumented Myanmar nationals and registered refugees in Bangladesh is now over 1 million. A former Bangladesh diplomat told The Irrawaddy that Myanmars claims to St. Martins Island and another Bangladeshi island, Shah Parir Dwip, date back to the time Dhaka lodged a formal complaint with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea over a dispute concerning the maritime boundary between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal in January 2010. The former diplomat said that issue was considered settled, however, after the tribunal delivered its judgment in March 2012. We suspect Myanmar wanted to test Bangladeshs reaction. And we reacted seriously, he said. Mohammad Nurul Islam, a researcher on Bangladesh-Myanmar relations based in Coxs Bazar, told The Irrawaddy that Myanmars intention is to distract attention from Rohingya repatriation by claiming the island as its territory. Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Bangladesh has asked the countrys Foreign Ministry to play an active role to ensure that Myanmar Army personnel involved in atrocities against the Rohingya are brought to trial in international courts. In a statement, NHRC chairman Kazi Reazul Hoque called for stepped up diplomatic efforts to impose international economic sanctions on Myanmar in order to increase pressure on Naypyitaw to take back the Rohingya while ensuring their citizenship and human rights are respected. Describing the repatriation instruments signed by the Myanmar authorities so far as eyewash, Hoque requested the Foreign Ministry arrange an international conference and concert to mobilize global support to expedite the repatriation process. The United Kingdom is preparing to combat countries with more powerful armed forces, including Russia, via unmanned flying drones during its Saif Sareea-3 military exercise, The Times reported, citing the commander in charge of the UK land forces during the drills. According to the newspaper, the UK-Omani Saif Sareea-3 exercise started in Oman in early October and will last until November 3. During this large-scale drills, qualified as UK "biggest war games," a fleet of drones is being used, each of which costs less then $1300. The UK Army has never deployed drones during its military exercise before. The troops are reportedly going to study the Russian tactical strategies, and then simulate fights with the Russian Armed Forces. They will combat the UK Armed Forces' Household Cavalry lightly-armored vehicles, imagining that these are the Russian T-72 battle tanks. "During the exercise a 150-strong squadron from the Household Cavalry will take on the role of the enemy after studying Russian tactics, according to the newspaper. "We are trying to put ourselves against those that might be the best equipped, those that might have the best training and those who would give us our toughest challenges," Brig. Zac Stenning, commander of the land forces during the Saif Sareea-3 drills, told the newspaper. The Saif Sareea-3 involves 5,500 servicemen, 200 armored vehicles, six warships, an assault carrier, eight Typhoon fighters, and a 30 tonnes-armored tractor designed for mine clearance. A military observer of the TASS news agency, retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that such exercises are more likely a political move. The UK cannot seriously prepare for battles against Russia. When we speak of UK or other NATO countries, it must be understood that the war of these countries against Russia will inevitably develop into a nuclear missile war. These exercises will have no impact on the Russian armed forces," he stressed, adding that any clashes with the UK are possible now only at sea. Head of the Analytical Section of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis, Alexander Khramchikhin, in turn, suggested that London may have serious plans for the practical preparation of troops for battles with the Russian army. "I admit that they are seriously preparing for battles against our forces. In general, the whole West is preparing for these battles, because they expect further actions from us, all which are perceived by Western countries as military aggression. At the same time, there are no locations where our and British troops could start armed clashes, unless London wants to supplement or replace the Americans in Syria, the expert said. Burma Local Armed Groups Condemn Killing of Abbot in Northern Shan U Kalayana Wuntha, known as Shwe Kyin Sayardaw, from Shwe Kyin Monastery of Kyaukme Township, Northern Shan State, was shot dead on October 5, by two unknown gunmen. / U Maung Maung / Facebook MANDALAY Ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State condemned the killing of a Buddhist abbot in Kyaukme Township, urging the government to investigate the case and identify the culprits, on Sunday. The Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) both issued statements regarding the death of U Kalayna Wuntha, the head abbot of Shwe Kyin Monastery in Kyaukme Township, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Oct. 5. We are shocked by the act of the gunmen who fired several shots at the Shwe Kyin Sayardaw till he died and we strongly condemn it, said the statement issued on Sunday by the TNLA. We urge the government and the local authorities to investigate and find out the culprit as soon as possible and to take legal action against them, said the TNLA statement. In a separate statement issued by the RCSS faction of the Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA), the group said it will join hands with locals to investigate the incident which threatens their policy of protecting race, religion, the Buddhas mission and the country. RCSS/SSA is strongly against any violence which is happening in Shan State and we will join hands with the local community to find out the culprit who is behind the death of the Shwe Kyin Sayardaw, said RCSS/SSAs statement released on Oct. 7. Since Kyaukme is an area where both the TNLA and the RCSS/SSA are operating, locals believe the gunmen to be from one of the ethnic armed groups. U Kalayana Wuntha (46), widely known as Shwe Kyin Sayardaw, was a leading Buddhist abbot who formed a charity group called Namtkhon in Kyaukme Township. According to locals, the abbot always supported and accommodated displaced those who had to flee their homes during outbreaks of violent conflict in the area. He also stood strongly against battles in Shan State and once participated in an anti-war protest which was held in Kyaukme, as well as joining in the condemnation of the TNLAs abducting of Nang Mo Hom, a Shan woman of Namhkam Township. A rumor spreading widely around Kyaukme is that members of the RCSS/SSA had met with the abbot, requesting him to act as a negotiator between the RCSS/SSA and the Shan State Progress Party faction of the Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), and when the abbot refused, a fight broke out between them. However, The Irrawaddy was unable to confirm the identity of the gunmen as of Monday afternoon. When The Irrawaddy contacted the police station in Kyaukme Township which is dealing with the incident, an on-duty officer confirmed the shooting but did not give further information about the gunmen. The sayardaw was shot at least seven times on his body and died due to the injuries. We only know there were two gunmen who came on two motorcycles and one [motorcycle] was left at the monastery. We cannot provide details yet as the case is still under investigation, said the officer at Kyaukme Police Station. The Shan State Joint Action Committee and the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) also issued statements on Sunday condemning the shooting of the abbot, declaring the incident a breach of the rule of law and a threat to peace and stability in the region. Burma Sculpture of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Auctioned for $80,000 at Charity Event The sculpture of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi by artist Merete Sejersted Bdtker, which fetched $80,000 at a charity auction in aid of the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation on October 5. / Daw Khin Kyi Foundation / Facebook YANGONA sculpture of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was auctioned at a charity event on Friday and went to the highest bidder for $80,000. The clay sculpture by Norwegian artist Merete Sejersted Bdtker had a starting price of 50 million kyats ($33,800) and was one of four pieces auctioned at the black tie charity auction event Music & Memories held in aid of the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation on Friday evening at the Sedona Hotel in Yangon. The highest bidder for the sculpture was U Sai Myo Win, chairman of Excellent Fortune Development Group, which has projects in mineral production, construction, real estate trading and infrastructure projects, among others. This sculpture of Aung San Suu Kyi was created by meon my initiative alonein 2012, and cast in bronze in February 2013. I have donated one portrait to the non-profit Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, in trust that they live up to their goal and vision, said sculptor Merete Sejersted Bdtker by email. Another artwork, a portrait painting of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi by local artist U Lun Gywe, had a starting price of 10 million kyats ($6,700) and was sold for $43,000 to a public company, Shin Than Thu Co. Ltd. The Daw Khin Kyi Foundation is a charity established by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in 2012 in honor of her late mother Daw Khin Kyi. It is involved in fundraising and charity projects in the areas of health, education and development, mostly in rural parts of Myanmar. Fridays event, attended by many of Myanmars affluent and famous characters, raised a total of $154,000 for the foundation. We will use [the funds] for our three main long-term projects. We have a mobile libraries project which is working in 11 cities. The second project is our hospitality and catering vocational training school in Kawmhu, which has 130 graduates each year. The third major project is a wider humanitarian assistance project which involves things like disaster relief for flooding and earthquake victims, and infrastructure, said U Thant Thaw Kaung, executive committee member of the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation. News Karen Armed Group Wants Summit With State Counselor, Military Chief Delayed KNU Vice Chairman P'doh Saw Kwe Htoo Win (right) speaks at a meeting of the KNU central committee earlier this month. / KNU Mon State The Karen National Union (KNU) says it wants a summit with the state counselor and military chief tentatively set for Oct. 15 delayed and the intended scope of discussion expanded. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing are to sit down with leaders of the countrys armed groups outside of Mandalay to try and break down roadblocks in the peace process dealing with the militarys demands that the groups promise not to secede from the union and agree to a single national army. On Saturday, in a statement capping a two-day central committee meeting, the KNU said the armed groups needed more time to prepare for the summit and that the groups would meet among themselves in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Wednesday and Thursday to coordinate their position. We believed it is important to negotiate to overcome these deadlock issues in order to create a federal system, the statement said. KNU General Secretary Pdoh Saw Tah Doh Moo told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the summit should specifically encompass the armed groups long-standing calls for a federal system for Myanmar as well as their concerns with the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), which many of them have not yet signed. He said the NCA, for example, precludes discussion of the militarys code of conduct, which makes it difficult for the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee to perform its function of adjudicating disputes when fighting breaks out. We need to discuss why we cannot talk about military issues at the meeting, said Pdoh Saw Tah Doh Moo. He said the KNU also wants to ask the military why it was restricting the groups development projects and training practices when the NCA, which it signed in 2015, allows it to play a role in the development and education, health and security sectors in the areas it controls. We [the military and armed groups] have different understandings, so we have not reached an agreement, he said. In its statement, the KNU said the government should also be fostering the right conditions to allow armed groups that have not signed the NCA to take an active part in the peace process as well. News Nationalist Writer Handed 2-Year Jail Term For Incitement Maung Thway Chuun arrives at court in Minkin Township, Sagaing Region, on Monday. / Kyaw Min Aung YANGON/MANDALAY A court in Minkin Township, Sagaing Region, on Monday sentenced a nationalist writer to the maximum two years in prison for incitement over a speech he made there in March, according to the plaintiffs lawyer. Maung Thway Chuun, also known as U Myin Soe, had been on trial since June under Article 505 (c) of the Penal Code, which covers the incitement of conflict between ethnic or religious groups. He was sued by U Naing Naing Zaw, a local government administrator. The court said he was found guilty for making a speech that could stir up conflict between the different communities and that he was sentenced to two years, said U Pyae Sone Aung, the officials lawyer. In his speech, Maung Thway Chuun said Myanmar was once again at risk of being colonized and that the countrys race, religion and identity were in danger of disappearing. He also said that the current speakers of the Upper House and Lower House of Parliament were Christian, that Buddhists had no chance of gaining senior legislative positions, and that laws protecting race and religions in Myanmar would soon be repealed. Maung Thway Chuun reportedly tried to form a political party, the Nationalist Union Party, with members of the outlawed Association to Protect Race and Religions, a nationalist group better known by its Myanmar acronym Ma Ba Tha. The Union Election Commission rejected its application in November. Ashin Agga Dazza, a prominent nationalist monk from Mandalay Region who attending the courts announcement, said the sentence was too harsh. The penalty is too much because it is the maximum penalty stated in Article 505 (c). We believe the government is intentionally persecuting nationalists and we are saddened by this, he said. Translated from Burmese and additional reporting by Zarni Mann. News Scores of Arakan Protesters Rally Outside Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo Dozens of Arakanese protest against the Myanmar governments policies in Rakhine State in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo on Monday. / AYU YANGONAbout 70 Arakanese staged a protest in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo on Monday afternoon to demand the release of two prominent Arakan figures currently detained in Myanmar on treason charges. The demonstration was timed to coincide with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyis visit to Japan. Myanmars de facto leader has been in the country since Friday to attend the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit. The rally was organized by the Arakan Youth Union (AYU-Japan), which comprises university students and others residing and working in Japan. The group requested permission to stage the rally from the Japanese authorities one month in advance, in line with procedures. In Japan, protest event organizers are also required to obtain approval from residents living near a rally event. AYU chairman U Soe Naing told The Irrawaddy over the phone right after the rally on Monday that the protesters made six demands of the Myanmar government: the immediate release of Arakanese politician U Aye Maung and author and social activist Ko Wai Han Aung, who were arrested in January and charged under the High Treason Law and the Unlawful Association Act; an end to legal action against those who have completed their sentences for participating in a spontaneous demonstration in Mrauk-U which was brutally cracked suppressed by police, leaving seven civilians dead; freedom of movement for Arakanese across the country; the immediate cleanup of the contaminated Thanzit River in Rakhine States Kyaukphyu; and the unconditional release of all Arakanese political prisoners. Protester Ko Thaw Zin Phyo said the demonstration began at around 3:30 p.m. Tokyo time and ended at around 4.40 p.m. He said the aim of the protest was to draw attention to what he described as the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led governments mishandling of the situation in Rakhine and to hold Daw Aung San Suu Kyi responsible as a representative of the government. We staged this protest on behalf of the Rakhine public because, as you know, there are a number of issues happening in Rakhine State including the ban on Arakanese 11 ID holders traveling to other regions, said Thaw Zin Phyo, referring to the numerical code that identifies the Arakan region on national ID cards. Daw Aung San Suu Kyis visit has become a source of conflict between the AYU and other Myanmar residents of Japan who support the government. The Myanmar Democratic Network (Japan) (MDN), a Tokyo-based group comprising members from various ethnic groups, released a letter on Oct. 3 regretting the AYUs decision to stage a protest. Urging the AYU to rethink its position, the MDN statement said the protest could potentially have a negative outcome and would only sow disunity among ethnic groups. It said the protest against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would only undermine the efforts of the current government to solve the current problems in northern Rakhine. MDN member U Mai Kyaw Oo said that while the elected civilian government was not perfect, it was doing what it could in the face of many constraints under the provisions of the 2008 Constitution and the group would therefore continue to support it. U Mai Kyaw Oo claimed that MDN had learned that other groups were coordinating with foreigners, international rights groups and Bengalis (a contentious term used by many members of the Buddhist majority in Myanmar to refer to Rohingya) to stage protests targeting Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during her visit. One of the State Counselors supporters based in Japan, U Tun Wai, was quoted in a report by Voice of America (VOA)s Burmese-language version published on Oct. 6 as saying that Arakanese youth and Bengalis planned to jointly protest against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during her visit to the embassy in Tokyo on Monday. AYU members rejected the claim and accused the dominant Bamar group of defaming the AYU. Ko Thaw Zin Phyo claimed that eventually some NLD lobbyists came to observe the rally along with Muslim colleagues on Monday. Ko Thaw Zin Phyo said that, At first, we had great hopes for the current government, but now we expect nothing from them. Daw Aung San Suu Kyis current six-day trip is her third official visit to Japan, but her first as a state dignitary. She visited once in her capacity as chairperson of the NLD and once in 2016 at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Leaders attending the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit will discuss industries and infrastructure in the Mekong region. The Trump administration is actively considering waivers on sanctions it will reimpose next month for countries that are reducing their imports of Iranian oil, Reuters reported, citing a U.S. government official. The administration is in the midst of an internal process of considering exceptions called SRE waivers, or significant reduction exemptions, a government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said. It was the first time a U.S. official said the administration was in the process of considering waivers. U.S. 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. Bendigo Health Psychiatric Services in Victoria is using a cloud-based digital clinical system to streamline its operations, boost efficiency of its teams and enhance patient services. To enhance patient services by streamlining operations and boosting the efficiency of its teams, BHPS has co-developed and deployed a cloud based digital clinical system to support staff in caring for consumers and patients accessing the service. As well as connecting to Bendigo Health systems, a number of innovations were delivered in the release, including the use of Microsoft Cognitive Services, to enable speech to text conversion of clinician notes. Connection to CSIRO's Ontoserver reference sets also enables the latest in Australian clinical terminologies to be used within the clinicians workflow, to ensure the right medication and allergy terms are used. Bianca Matthews, development and systems co-ordinator, Psychiatric Services, says the solution is transforming the delivery of services to patients. If our triage referral pathway is streamlined and as efficient as possible, we have access to the information that we need in real time to make critical clinical decisions around what a patients care needs are enabling a timely and appropriate response," Matthews said. We spend less time chasing the information we needor waiting for that information to reach us with a report that comes through 24 hours later. We (now) have that informationin real timeto work with the patient to work out and tailor our response to their immediate needs across the region. BHPS provides inpatient, residential and community services. The Microsoft Azure-based psychiatric service solution is focused on the latter two which together represent around 70% of the services business. Danny Lindrea, director ICT Architecture & Applications for Bendigo Health, explained that developing the BHPS solution on Azure meant that the integration with Bendigo Healths other systems, also on Azure, had been straightforward. Lindrea says that as a result, information silos were avoided, ensuring a patients health information was readily accessible in its entirety at the point of care. Phase One was a rewrite of our old triage system. That went live over 12 months ago. Its been very well received. For the first time, if we triage someone via phone or in person and their follow-up treatment is to be in one of the community teams, they can see that in real time and are not reliant on a report the next morning, Lindrea said. As a cloud-based solution, the information is also accessible by any authorised user from any device regardless of time or location and Bendigo Health says that flexibility is an enormous boon for staff and further mitigates the risk of treatment delays or incomplete clinical information being available at the time of critical clinical decision making. With the new system, authorised BHPS staff now have access to real-time information regardless of location, including ready access to patient information while conducting home visits across the region. According to Matthews, live access to information for staff working across the region is particularly important when supporting patients in crisis, increasing response times and enhancing patient safety. And to further streamline staff access to data, BHPS has deployed a series of dashboards. Instead of next-day reports the dashboards provide real time access to information that reflect what is happening across the service at the point of care. The second phase of the BHPS digital transformation, currently being implemented, streamlines the documentation requirements and clinical and medico-legal pathways for the organisation, and utilises Azures Cognitive services for speech-to-text input so clinicians can dictate letters and notes directly into the system. The Commonwealth Bank's five-year agreement with Australia Post, which will see the bank invest in banking services provided by post offices around Australia, including in regional areas, has led to a call for the other big banks to do their own deals to provide greater banking services in the regions. The $110 million deal sees CBA sign an agreement valued at $22 million a year to support the Australia Post's Bank@Post service covering over 3500 post offices around the country, including in areas where there is no local bank branch. About 1500 communities, mostly in rural and regional areas, do not have a local bank branch. The deal was welcomed by both the Labor Party and the union representing Australia's postal workers, with both calling for the other major banks ANZ, Westpace and NAB to do something similar and offer banking services in regional areas where currently no branches are operating. Labor's Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the agreement would help deliver a fairer deal for the many post office licensees who are doing it tough. Labor congratulates Australia Post and Christine Holgate for reaching this outcome. We now hope to see the other major banks come on board, Rowland said. The union representing Australias postal workers, the CEPU, called for the three other major banks to follow CBA's lead, with a commitment to greater investment in providing local communities with vital banking services. The agreement is designed to improve services and secure continuing access for CBA customers to conduct withdrawal, deposit, balance enquiries and passbook services. CEPU Communications Union NSW Branch secretary and national president Shane Murphy said the union has been pushing Australia Post to deliver agreements and services like this for a long time. This is a fantastic announcement one that will be great for workers and customers alike, Murphy said. The CEPU has been calling on Australia Post to push further in providing financial and other services to our communities for a long time. The big banks have slowly but surely deserted our local communities, and Australia Post is perfectly positioned to play a role in providing customers with the local, professional service they want and deserve. We want to ensure every community continues to have access to a quality physical, local retail postal service. The times are changing and the way we deliver services to our communities needs to change too, but the need for people to have a physical place to go and sort out their essential services hasnt changed. Murphy said post offices played a vital role in local communities, not only providing jobs, but also an important local service for communities. This is a great move from the Commonwealth Bank. Wed hope the other big banks look at this and decide to follow suit, he said. A campaign has been launched by businesses, government and community organisations across Australia in a move designed to reverse the threat of cyber crime, as figures show that one in four Australians were hit last year. The Stay Smart Online campaign has been launched as part of Stay Smart Online Week running from today 8 October to 14 October, under the theme "Reverse the Threat" designed to encourage all Australians and businesses to take simple actions to defend themselves against cybercrime. One in four Australians were hit by cyber crime last year thats over six million Australians. If were going to fight back, we need to work together, Alastair MacGibbon, head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre, said. Fake emails and texts that try to get you to provide your personal information, fake shopping websites and fake invoices sent to Australian businesses are just some of the ways that cyber criminals are targeting Australians. We really want to draw attention to the threat of cyber crime, which is why we are changing our website and social media pages from colour to black and white for Stay Smart Online Week. Businesses, government and community organisations across Australia are also uniting to help reverse the threat of cybercrime throughout Stay Smart Online Week. Stay Smart Online partners including ANZ, Facebook, NAB, Australia Post, AGL, Qantas and many others will display 'Reverse the threat' black and white imagery on their websites and social media, and work with their customers and employees to focus the community's attention on cyber security. According to MacGibbon, Australians are receiving thousands of emails every day from cyber criminals who try to trick us into providing our credit card details, bank account logins, account passwords and personal information to gain money. It's time to get smarter online. Cyber crime is planned. Cyber criminals use psychology to take advantage of us like our desire to find love, make money, grab a bargain or be compliant. You can fight back by using our tips, tools and techniques. MacGibbon says this years Stay Smart Online campaign focuses on four key areas to help individuals and businesses to stay one step ahead of cyber criminals by improving personal and organisational cyber security: The Bloomberg story, claiming chips are being implanted by a Chinese contractor on server motherboards sold by US firm Supermicro Computer and being used to spy on some companies, will benefit reporters Jordan Robertson and Michael Riley who wrote it if it holds up under scrutiny. The company has a practice of paying those higher annual bonuses to those who write stories that move markets, according to a report from Business Insider dating back to 2013. iTWire contacted Bloomberg for comment about this practice on Monday. The news agency has not yet responded. The BI report quoted a Bloomberg spokesman as saying: "It isnt news unless it's true. At Bloomberg News, the most important news is actionable. "That means we strive to be first to report surprises in markets that change behaviour and we put a premium on reporting that reveals the biggest changes in relative value across all assets. The story about chip implants resulted in Lenovo shares falling by as much as 23% across Asia on Friday. The stocks of ZTE Corporation, China's biggest telecommunications equipment maker, fell by about 14% in Hong Kong trading. Both Apple and Amazon lost a little less than 2% of their value following the report. The BI report quoted an ex-Bloomberg employee as saying: Anyone who moves the markets gets a bonus. Your team gets awards. If you dont move the market [its] like theres something wrong with you. You dont get a full bonus. But whether the story, which was published last week, will hold up is another matter altogether. There have been detailed denials from Apple, Amazon and Supermicro. A former Apple general counsel said the FBI had told him it had no idea what the Bloomberg reporters were on about. Additionally, Apple chief security officer George Stathakopoulos has written directly to the US Congress, saying that the company had been unable to find any evidence to back the Bloomberg claims. In its story, Bloomberg claimed security testing by Amazon in 2015 had revealed the existence of tiny chips that were not part of an original mainboard design and that this led to an extensive investigation by US Government agencies which found servers built using these boards in data centres belonging to the Department of Defence, on warships, and for processing data being handled by CIA drones. The agency said that major banks were also using servers made by Supermicro and that the government investigation led to several companies getting rid of the Supermicro equipment. A few years ago, Robertson and Riley put out a story, claiming that the US Government had prior knowledge of the Heartbleed bug, a serious vulnerability in OpenSSL, before it was announced. Bloomberg did not issue a follow-up after the story was denied. Panel to Address Issues of Wrongful Convictions BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Each year, people are sent to prison for crimes they did not commit, including the 139 people who were wrongfully convicted in 2017, as reported by the Innocence Project. On Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. a panel will address these issues of wrongful convictions in the Hansen Student Center. The event, titled Wrongful Convictions? The Pursuit of Justice in Illinois, was organized by Associate Professor of Psychology Amanda Vicary in an effort to make people aware of potential flaws in the justice system. The panel is free to attend and open to the public. Vicary, who has taught a course on the criminal justice system for the past eight years, focuses on topics that can lead to someone being wrongfully convicted. Vicary has offered her expertise in various national publications including: The Atlantic, Investigation Discoverys Married with Secrets, and the crime podcast Suspect Convictions. No one ever thinks they'd go to prison for a crime they didn't commit, but thanks to DNA, we know that it happens, Vicary said. Unfortunately, DNA can't solve every case and mistakes can be made. It's important for our community to pay attention to potential problems with our justice system because one never knows whether they or a loved one could be affected one day. Tuesdays panelists include: Curtis Lovelace, a current criminal defense attorney in Champaign who was tried for the murder of his wife and now works to help those wrongfully accused; Tammy Alexander, co-founder of the non-profit organization Justice for Illinois' Wrongfully Convicted; and Tara Thompson, a partner at Loevy & Loevy law firm and an attorney with the University of Chicago's Exoneration Project. The panelists will discuss two local cases that are being represented by the Exoneration Project, which is dedicated to restoring justice by petitioning courts to reverse wrongful convictions. The cases include that of Barton McNeil who was convicted of killing his daughter in 1999, but claimed that his ex-girlfriend who murdered her mother-in-law 12 years following McNeils trial committed the crime instead. The other case involves Jamie Snow, a man convicted of murdering a gas station attendant in Bloomington in the '90s. I thought it would be great for the campus community, and Bloomington-Normal more broadly, to hear about some of our local cases that are being examined, as well as learn more about the processes that can lead to an innocent person being sent to prison, Vicary said. Vicary said participants will have the opportunity to engage with the panel, and encourages them to come prepared with questions for the panelists about the cases mentioned or wrongful convictions in general. The panel is a co-curricular event complementing the Universitys annual intellectual theme, Changing Climates. By Vi Kakares 20 A mansion on the Upper East Side has been frozen as part of a battle between the US government and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, The New York Post reported, citing US officials. "Washington has frozen Deripaskas US-based assets, including massive mansions in Manhattan and Washington, DC. But the feds are also negotiating with him to give up some of his European-based operations to keep them running free of sanctions," the newspaper cited Treasury officials as saying. Deripaska bought the East Side property for $42.5 million in 2008, property records show. But although the US government has frozen Deripaskas US assets, including his property, Deripaska has arranged to have the children and ex-wife of his business partner, the oligarch Roman Abramovich, live within its secure walls, the newspaper has learned. According to Treasury officials, when the government freezes assets, that means anyone who does business with a sanctioned person, and sanctioned companies, could be subject to sanctions themselves. Salome Zurabishvili has topped the anti-rating of presidential candidates, conducted by Edison Research. According to the poll data, when asked which presidential candidate they would never consider voting for, 44% named Salome Zurabishvili (backed by Georgian Dream Democratic Georgia), 24% named Zurab Japaridze (Girchi) and 16% named Kakha Kukava (Free Georgia). When asked "if the election was held tomorrow, which candidate would you vote for," 26% of eligible voters expressed support for Grigol Vashadze (a candidate from the Power is in Unity alliance of opposition parties), 14% for Salome Zurabishvili, and 12% for David Bakradze (a candidate from the European Georgia Party), Georgia Online reported. The head of the Center for Strategic Studies of the Caucasus, Mamuka Areshidze, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, Grigol Vashadzes percentages largely reflect not his popularity, but the share of the United National Movements supporters in the country. "Vashadze himself has no rating. The UNM has built a very good anti-government PR campaign, in which Salome Zarubishvili is represented as an enemy of the people and the state. Thus, the party seeks to maximize the disadvantages of Vashadze and the UNM, in which they succeed, I think," he said. Mamuka Areshidze noted that the government, despite the statements, is conducting a rather weak PR campaign for Salome Zourabishvili. Mamuka Areshidze called the Edison Research poll a part of this PR campaign by the UNM. "The UNM also needs this poll to declare vote fraud, after Vashadze loses the elections," the political scientist said, adding that Zurabishvili would likely win in the first round. The head of the Institute of Management Strategy, Petre Mamradze, described Salome Zurabishvili's shortcomings as a presidential candidate in more detail. I do not support Salome Zurabishvili and I will not vote for her. She still does not have a perfect command of the Georgian language. In addition, people are really very frustrated by the activities of the Georgian Dream which supports Zurabishvili," he noted. He also explained the rating of Grigol Vashadze with a misalignment in the audience towards the UNM supporters. "There are about 12-13% supporters of Mikhail Saakashvili and the UNM in Georgia, all the official statistics on the elections confirm this. But these people are a well-organized electorate who goes to the polls. Therefore, when the turnout is 50%, 13% of the UNM are turned to 26% votes, as it was in 2016 at the parliamentary elections. And if citizens are indifferent to the elections and one-third of voters come to them, Vashadze may get up to 40% of the votes," the political scientist warned. In Georgia, the protest moment against the existing government is very strong. The second round in such conditions can be perceived as a mistake by the authorities, which will only raise the protest mood," Petre Mamradze concluded. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc__Photo: VNA , , Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc lauded the role of Japan in boosting cooperation and development in the Mekong region over the past years at an interview granted to Japanese media on the occasion of his visit to Japan and participation in the 10Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting in the country from October 8-10.The PM noted that Mekong countries have gained important socio-economic achievements, making the region one of the areas with fastest growth speed in the world. During this process, the support of developing partners, including Japan, is significant, he said.The partnership between Japan and Mekong region has been realized through both bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms in various fields such as politics, diplomacy, economy, trade, education, health care, environment, and tourism.Japan is one of the Mekong regions leading trade, investment partner and ODA provider.In the Mekong-Japan cooperation framework, hundreds of projects worth dozens of billions of USD have been successfully implemented, helping regional countries develop transport and industrial infrastructure, train human resources, improve investment and business environment, protect the environment, respond to climate change, narrow development gap and reduce poverty, he said.The PM added that Japan has also supported the building and development of intra-Mekong economic corridors such as the East-West and Southern Economic Corridors.The effective and long-standing affiliation between the Mekong region and Japan has helped promote potential and strengths of economies and create more favorable conditions for businesses of both sides, thus contributing the boosting sustainable and inclusive growth in the region, stated the PM.The Vietnamese Government leader held that cooperation potential between Japan and Mekong countries is huge. He expressed his hope that Japan will continue promoting its role as a partner for high quality development in the Mekong region through making full use of the countrys strengths in technology and finance and the Mekong regions growth speed, market and labor.In the future, the Mekong-Japan partnership should prioritize three pillars of transport infrastructure, energy; soft infrastructure such as institution, trade, investment and people connection; and people-to-people contact.The two sides should focus on realizing a joint vision on a green Mekong through projects and programs on sustainable management and use of Mekong River water resources, smart agriculture and climate change response, he said, adding that Japanese and Mekong enterprises are encouraged to engage in the process.The PM asserted that the upcoming 10th Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting will open up a new chapter in bilateral partnership, matching the growth of the ties to potential and demand of both sides.Regarding the Vietnam-Japan collaboration over the past 45 years, he highlighted that the two countries have become important partners of each other with many shared strategic interests.Bilateral ties, which were lifted to an extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia in 2014, have grown strongly in all fields with closer economic connectivity and strengthened political trust.Japan has been the biggest ODA provider of Vietnam and the countrys fourth largest trade partner. In 2017, Japan became the top foreign investor in Vietnam with total investment of USD 9.1 billion, four times higher than that in 2016, he noted, emphasizing the great economic support between the two countries.Defence, security, culture, education-training and tourism collaboration and people-to-people exchange between the two countries have also been expanded.Currently, more than 260,000 Vietnamese people are living, studying and working in Japan, becoming the fifth largest foreign community in Japan. As many as 37 pairs of localities of both sides have set up partnerships. Last year, Japan ranked third in the number of tourists to Vietnam with 800,000, while 300,000 Vietnamese travelled Japan.The two countries have also collaborated closely at international and regional forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN Plus, APEC, and ASEM. They coordinated in promoting negotiations for and signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and talks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), while backing each other to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, and collaborating in regional and international issues of shared concern, thus contributing to building an Asia-Pacific region of peace, stability, development in line with international law.The PM said that he believes that the Vietnam-Japan partnership will enter a new period of development and become more effective, stable and extensive.After 30 years of reform, Vietnam has become a dynamic and internationally integrated economy, with trade ties with more than 200 countries and territories around the world. The country has signed and negotiated for 16 bilateral and multilateral trade deals with nearly 60 partners, including world powers.In the coming time, Vietnam will continue reforming comprehensively and integrating more deeply into the world, raising its competitiveness for rapid and sustainable growth, he said, adding that Vietnam will give optimal conditions for foreign investors, including those from Japan, to become successful in Vietnam.Vietnam welcomes Japanese firms to invest in areas of Japans strengths such as high technology, infrastructure building, smart city, supporting industry, hi-tech agriculture, business restructuring, and green and renewable energy, as well as prioritized areas stated in the Vietnams industrialization strategy, stated the PM.He underlined that the joining of the CPTPP showed Vietnams strong commitments to continued reform, regional and international integration, and active engagement in sharing regional economic cooperation and connection frameworks for peace, prosperity and inclusive growth in the Asia-Pacific region, while opening up great chances for economic-trade cooperation with many important partners, including Japan.CPTPP, a new generation free trade area of high quality, balanced interests will be a motivation for Vietnam to continue strengthening reform, completing legal system, improving business environment and raising competitiveness, contributing to fulfilling all socio-economic targets.Vietnam is striving to become one of the first six countries to ratify the deal, he said, revealing that the National Assembly will consider approving the agreement at its sixth session in October and November this year. Vietnam welcomes the expansion of the deal, he added.Regarding the East Sea issue, he affirmed that the sea plays an important role in international trade, while serving as an existence and development space of coastal states.Countries in and outside the region have implemented bilateral and multilateral cooperation activities in various fields in order to maintain peace and stability in the area, he said, adding that relevant countries have also worked together to seek peaceful measures to deal with disputes and differences.However, over the past years, the East Sea situation has witnessed many complicated developments, worrying the international community and requiring all parties to strictly abide by international law, show willingness, exercise restraint, and not to conduct any actions that make the situation more complicated, while fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) toward the early signing of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea, he said.PM Phuc stressed that Vietnam shares the viewpoint of ASEAN and the international community on peacefully dealing with disputes in the East Sea in line with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, ensuring peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the sea.Vietnam welcomes and shares the perspectives of Japan on the significance of diplomatic efforts for the promotion of full observance of international law and peaceful settlement of disputes, he declared.The PM also voiced his hope that Japan will continue showing its responsibility and role, together with the international community, to support and contribute to ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, thus bringing prosperity to the East Sea and the whole Asia-Pacific region in general.- VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MGX Minerals Inc. (MGX or the Company) (CSE: XMG / OTCQB: MGXMF / FSE: 1MG) reports that joint-venture partner A.I.S. Resources (A.I.S.) (TSX.V: AIS) has received the final TEM Geophysics report from Quantec. The report includes a detailed analysis and interpretation of the TEM profiles. Two major aquifer structures based on low resistivity have been identified. A.I.S. Exploration Director and CEO, Phil Thomas, undertook a 20 trench sampling program using a 321C Caterpillar excavator to trench down to 5 metres at each point selected at the Salinitas JV Project in the Salinas Grandes Salar, Salta Province, Argentina. The objective was to identify the types of sediments with a specific resistivity close to the surface and identify the porosity of this unit, eg stratigraphic units of green grey clays, sand, black volcanic sands or brown clays. The black sands have a porosity of 22-32% +/- 3%. Preparations have commenced to start a drilling program in the next two weeks subject to drill rig availability. Some drill pad preparation and roads have been upgraded and drill rig fluid pits have been dug at trench site 12 and 18 in preparation for drill hole 1, and if successful, drill hole 2. About the Salinitas Lithium Brine Project The Salinitas tenements are located in the lithium triangle at the Salar de Salinas Grandes, in the Province of Salta. The 4,308 hectare contiguous land package resides in the Puna region of northwest Argentina near the border of Chile, an area renowned for its lithium- and potassium-rich brine resources. MGX has partnered with A.I.S. Resources (TSX.V: AIS) on the Project and is currently earning an undivided 80% interest by incurring total exploration expenditures of at least US$1.2 million by May 31, 2020 and by making payments totaling US$3.2 million which are primarily due at that time. Rapid Lithium Brine Extraction Technology MGX has developed a rapid lithium extraction technology eliminating or greatly reducing the physical footprint and investment in large, multi-phase, lake sized, lined evaporation ponds, as well as enhancing the quality of extraction and recovery across a complex range of brines as compared with traditional solar evaporation. This technology is applicable to petrolithium (oil and gas wastewater), natural brine, and other brine sources such as lithium-rich mine and industrial plant wastewater. The technology was recently chosen as winner of the Base and Specialty Metals Industry Leadership Award at the 2018 S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards, held in London in May (see press release dated May 18, 2018). Qualified Person Andris Kikauka (P. Geo.), Vice President of Exploration for MGX Minerals, has prepared, reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release. Mr. Kikauka is a non-independent Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards. About MGX Minerals MGX Minerals is a diversified Canadian resource company with interests in advanced material and energy assets throughout North America. Learn more at www.mgxminerals.com. Contact Information Jared Lazerson President and CEO Telephone: 1.604.681.7735 Web: www.mgxminerals.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Scientists, Biosecurity Research Institute study African swine fever to prevent outbreak in US Monday, Oct. 8, 2018 Kansas State University researchers and the Biosecurity Research Institute have several projects focused on stopping the spread of African swine fever and preventing it from reaching the U.S. | Download this photo. MANHATTAN African swine fever virus threatens to devastate the swine industry and is positioned to spread throughout Asia. The virus has spread throughout the Caucuses region of Eastern Europe and was reported in China in August. It recently was detected in wild boar in Belgium. Kansas State University researchers and the Biosecurity Research Institute have several projects focused on African swine fever. Their research topics vary, but they share the same goal of stopping the spread of African swine fever and preventing it from reaching the U.S. If African swine fever enters the U.S., it could cause billions in economic losses to swine and other industries, animal disease experts say. It would devastate trade and international markets. There is no vaccine or cure for the disease, which causes hemorrhagic fever and high mortality in pigs. It does not infect humans. "African swine fever's introduction into China poses an increased threat to the U.S.," said Stephen Higgs, director of the Biosecurity Research Institute. "Introduction of African swine fever virus into the U.S. would have an enormous impact on our agricultural industry. Research, education and training at the Biosecurity Research Institute help to improve our understanding and preparedness for this threat." In 2013, the Biosecurity Research Institute became the first non-federal facility to be approved for work with African swine fever virus, Higgs said. The university projects at the Biosecurity Research Institute are part of research that can transition to the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility, or NBAF, once it is fully functional. African swine fever is one of the diseases slated to be researched at NBAF, which is under construction adjacent to Kansas State University's Manhattan campus. The African swine fever projects at Kansas State University are funded in part by the $35 million State of Kansas National Bio and Agro-defense Facility Fund and also have received support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the pork industry. Read Stephen Higgs' editorial on African swine fever, which recently was published in Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. Here are some of the Kansas State University faces behind the fight against African swine fever. Ying Fang Waithaka Mwangi Megan Niederwerder Jurgen Richt Raymond "Bob" Rowland Adrian Self Jishu Shi Ying Fang Waithaka Mwangi Ying Fang , professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary MedicineVaccine and diagnostic reagent/assay development.Fangs lab has generated African swine fever virus-specific monoclonal antibodies for diagnostic assay development. In a collaborative project with Raymond "Bob" Rowland, professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, and Biao He at the University of Georgia, her lab also is developing vector vaccines against African swine fever infection."Recent African swine fever outbreaks in China and now Europe pose the potential pandemic threat to global swine industry," Yang said. "Specific diagnostic assays and effective vaccines are urgently needed for disease control and prevention." Name: Waithaka Mwangi, associate professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Photo: k-state.edu/media/images/oct18/mwangi.jpg Areas of study related to African swine fever: Vaccine development and diagnostic tools. Recent African swine fever-related research: Publication in PLOS ONE; publication in Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology; publication in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology; publication in the Journal of General Virology Description of the research: Mwangi has been studying African swine fever for several years and has filed patents related to development of vaccines and diagnostic tools. In his latest research, Mwangi and Raymond "Bob" Rowland, professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, as well as Shehnaz Lokhandwala, postdoctoral fellow in diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, have tested vaccine prototypes at the Biosecurity Research Institute. Some of their vaccines have shown 56 percent protection against African swine fever and they have several studies pending to evaluate additional vaccine prototypes. Mwangi's lab also is developing diagnostic tools, including a highly-sensitive lateral flow diagnostic device for African swine fever. He is partnering with several companies and has received funding from the Department of Homeland Security, the National Pork Board and the Department of Agriculture as well as the State of Kansas National Bio and Agro-defense Facility Fund. Why the research is important: "African swine fever is a high-consequence transboundary animal disease for which there is no vaccine or treatment available," Mwangi said. "Thus, development of vaccines and a diagnostic test capable of differentiating infected from vaccinated animals is critically important to safeguard the swine industry and preserve future competitiveness of the U.S. pork industry. In addition, these vaccines will help in controlling virus spread in endemic regions and thereby minimize the transmission threat to the U.S." More information: vet.k-state.edu/education/dmp/faculty-staff/faculty/mwangi/mwangi.html Megan Niederwerder Jurgen Richt Megan Niederwerder , assistant professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.Risk of virus introduction and transmission through feed or feed ingredients and potential mitigation tools.Niederwerder's latest research has found that African swine fever virus could survive in a simulated feed shipment across the ocean, which suggests that feed may be a potential route that pathogens such as African swine fever virus spread. Her recent publication in the journal PLOS ONE is the first publication demonstrating the survival of African swine fever virus in feed ingredients.Niederwerder is collaborating with the Biosecurity Research Institute to continue studying the risk of African swine fever virus in feed and feed ingredients. She is studying the whole swine feed transport cycle from the shipment of feed ingredients as they are imported into the U.S. to when swine consume feed on the farm. Niederwerder also is investigating potential mitigation strategies, such as storage time and chemical mitigants, to reduce the risk of African swine fever virus in feed."Although feed is a less recognized transmission route for African swine fever, the global distribution of feed and feed ingredients makes this route important to consider as a possible factor in transboundary spread," Niederwerder said. "Our research is focused on understanding the role that feed plays in viral transmission, through defining the oral infectious dose and stability in feed ingredients, and learning what mitigation tools may be utilized to reduce the risk of African swine fever virus introduction into the U.S." Name: Jurgen Richt, Regents distinguished professor and director of the university's Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases, or CEEZAD. Photo: k-state.edu/media/images/oct18/richt.jpg Areas of study related to African swine fever: Novel vaccines and diagnostic approaches. Recent African swine fever-related research: Publications from the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases Description of the research: Richt was principal investigator of a CEEZAD-based research project that developed an approach based on prime-boost vaccination, combining African swine fever virus antigens encoded by DNA plasmids and recombinant African swine fever virus proteins with the aim to activate both humoral and cellular immunity. Richt also has developed gene-deleted African swine fever viruses to be used as modified live virus vaccines using CRISPR-Cas9 knock-out approaches in collaboration with Yolanda Revilla at Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa in Madrid. In diagnostics, Richt leads CEEZAD efforts to develop tests for the detection of markers of African swine fever virus and anti-African swine fever virus antibodies in different samples such as oral fluids and meat juice. Work is also being done on African swine fever virus detection using a portable detection device. Why the research is important: "African swine fever presents a serious and ongoing threat to the swine industry both in the United States and around the world, particularly with its recent spread through Eastern Europe and into China," Richt said. "It is imperative to the safety of our food supply and to our economic health that we pursue research into a solution to this important threat." More information:k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/2018-08/asf82118.html and ceezad.org Raymond "Bob" Rowland Adrian Self Jishu Shi Raymond "Bob" Rowland , professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary MedicineNovel approaches for detection and control, capacity building and training, outreach to stakeholder communities.Rowlands lab has received support from the State of Kansas National Bio and Agro-defense Facility Fund and was the first to work with African swine fever at the Biosecurity Research Institute. His research focuses on developing tools to prevent the entry of the virus into the U.S. He has developed an assay that rapidly and accurately detects African swine fever infection in blood, feces and oral fluid samples. These assays will be important for routine surveillance of commercial pig herds and feral pigs. Rowland is collaborating with Ying Fang, professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, and the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory to characterize antibodies that can improve the accuracy of existing African swine fever assays.The Rowland lab is working with Fang and Waithaka Mwangi,associate professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, to explore vaccine development by preparing vector libraries to find a combination of antigens and antigen-delivery platforms that can deliver protective immunity. Rowland also is collaborating with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Australian Animal Health Laboratory to identify gene pathways associated with disease and the recovery of pigs from infection."There is no single magic bullet solution for the prevention of African swine fever," Rowland said. "As a global problem, preventing and controlling African swine fever virus require new technologies and new knowledge along with the continuous fine-tuning of the existing tools. The greatest gap in knowledge addressed by this research is to better understand African swine fever virus immunity in pigs. Filling this gap opens the door to improved disease surveillance methods, pigs with improved response to vaccination, and vaccines that are safe, cost-effective and protective." Adrian Self , prospect director with the university's National Agricultural Biosecurity Center.Risk analysis.The university's National Agricultural Biosecurity Center is studying African swine fever through its NBAF Transition Transboundary Animal Disease risk analysis project. The project is developing timely and accurate qualitative and quantitative risk analysis for diseases, such as African swine fever, that will be studied at NBAF. The project involves a university team of epidemiologists and student researchers as well as collaborators in engineering, veterinary medicine, social science and agricultural communications. The team is using rural communities in Kansas as models to develop contacts and communication methods that helps distribute accurate information in a timely manner."It is critical to be able to quickly and accurately identify African swine fever to prevent its further spread," Self said. "We want to stop this virus from reaching the U.S. and it is crucial to understand the risks and develop a communication infrastructure now, especially with the communities and with the stakeholders who could be most affected by the spread of this devastating virus." Name: Jishu Shi, professor of vaccine immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Photo:k-state.edu/media/images/oct18/shi.jpg Areas of study related to African swine fever: Virus detection, vaccine development and transmission. Recent African swine fever-related research: Publication in the Journal of Virological Methods Description of the research: Shi's lab studies African swine fever virus detection, vaccine development and transmission between feral and domestic pigs. Shi has worked with Jianfa Bai, director of molecular research and development at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and other collaborators to develop and validate a multiplex polymerase chain reaction that can simultaneously detect African swine fever virus, classical swine fever virus, and foot-and-mouth disease virus in one sample. Shi's lab currently is developing novel technologies that can be used to develop African swine fever vaccines. After the recent outbreak in China, Shi is establishing new collaborations to study the transmission of the virus between wild and domestic pigs. Why the research is important: "The most effective defense against foreign animal diseases such as African swine fever, classical swine fever, and foot-and-mouth disease is to keep them outside the U.S.," Shi said. "That is why we have developed fast and sensitive virus detection methods such as the multiplex polymerase chain reaction panel for African swine fever virus, classical swine fever virus and foot-and-mouth disease virus. We are developing new technologies that can be used to create an efficacious African swine fever vaccine. Before an efficacious vaccine is available, we have to understand and develop novel strategies to control the disease spillover between wild and domestic pig populations." More information: vet.k-state.edu/education/anatomy-physiology/faculty-staff/faculty/shi/ To mark two major milestones this year the 25th anniversary of the Seamaster Diver 300m as well as the 70th anniversary of the Seamaster name Omega has put together a 10-day exhibition taking place in Singapore from October 4 to 14. It chronicles the models history, from its beginnings in 1948 to the latest Seamaster Diver 300m launched at Baselworld 2018. Located at the open atrium of ION Orchard mall, the exhibition includes a heritage tunnel that showcases 16 historically significant Seamaster models, including early bumper automatics, the Seamster 300 CK2913 and Big Triangle, the massive Ploprof, the less massive Seamaster 120m Baby Ploprof, and of course, arguably the most famous Seamaster in pop culture: the all-blue Seamaster worn by Pierce Brosnan when he first played James Bond in GoldenEye. The exhibition also touches on Omegas prominence in military timekeeping, including the British military-issue Omega WWW, short for wrist, watch, waterproof. One of the Dirty Dozen military watches supplied by 12 manufacturers to the British military in the 1940s the Omega WWW found its way to the wrists of 110,000 pilots, naval officers and soldiers. The rest of the space is dedicated to the new Seamaster 300m Diver collection, essentially a heavily upgraded version of the Seamaster Mr Brosnan made famous as James Bond. The line-up is comprised of 14 models, including six in stainless steel and eight in a mix of stainless steel and gold. Now a larger 42mm in diameter (for the mens version), the new Seamasters feature ceramic dials laser-engraved with a wave motif as well as ceramic bezels. More crucially, they are equipped with the Master Co-Axial cal. 8800 movement that boasts the lubrication-free Co-Axial escapement invented by George Daniels, as well as a magnetism resistance of over 15,000 Gauss thanks to the Si14 silicon hairspring and patented alloys for the escapement parts. Event information Open till October 14, 2018, the Seamaster exhibition is open daily to the public from 10am to 10pm, and takes place just in front of ION Orchard, located at: 2 Orchard Turn Singapore 238801 SALEM, Ore. While the black widow spider is no stranger to Oregon, state officials now say that its African cousin the brown widow has made its first appearance in the state, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). At least one specimen was discovered at a property in Oregon City during September of this year. It was previously unknown in Oregon, but has made appearances in California, Florida and the Gulf States. Officials do not yet know how the spiders arrived in this area. The brown widow looks similar to a black widow, but is lighter in color and has an orange hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of its body that is somewhat different from the scarlet markings on the black widow. The spider also lays spiny-looking egg sacs in "dark corners and other sheltered area," according to ODA. Although the brown widow packs venom that is very similar to that of the black widow in potency, ODA says that bites are "potentially medically significant. ODA says that it is trying to determine whether the brown widow has established itself "out of doors" in Oregon. If you believe you have found a brown widow, ODA asks that you take images and notify them at plant-entomologists@oda.state.or.us or 503-986-4636. "Remember!" ODA said in a Facebook post, "Most spiders you're seeing outdoors are cross spiders with big webs. The brown widow likes hidden, dark spaces. Check carefully before sending in photos of suspected brown widows." KLAMATH RIVER, Ore. UPDATE: A body found in the wilderness near Beaver Creek in Siskiyou County appears to belong to missing man Jason Cantrall, according to Sheriff Lopey with the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office (SCSO). Search and Rescue found Cantrall's body this afternoon just a few hundred yards from where his pickup truck was found on Tuesday, Lopey said. This is a developing story and NewsWatch 12 will updated this article with more details as they emerge. (Updated 10/5/18 at 4:20 p.m.) UPDATE: Rescuers have found Jason Cantrall's pickup truck along Forest Road 40N44 south of Wards Fork Gap, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office. The truck was unoccupied, and the search for Cantrall continues. (Updated 10/2/18 at 4:35 p.m.) INITIAL REPORT: An "at-risk" Siskiyou County man is missing from an area near the community of Klamath River, California according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office (SCSO). 46-year-old Jason Cantrall was last seen on Sunday in the Beaver Creek area. He is a Type 1 Diabetic and is insulin-dependent, said SCSO. Cantrall was last seen wearing a blue shirt, blue jeans and a black hat. He was seen driving his silver 2012 Dodge Ram 1500, with California plates reading "38356H2." Cantrall is described as a white man with red hair, blue eyes, about 5'11" and 145 lbs. SCSO says that they have an active Search and Rescue operation ongoing in the area. Anyone with information regarding Cantrall or his location should contact Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office Dispatch at (530) 841-2900. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh: 1:30 p.m. EST A final vote has been set for Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. The vote on confirming Kavanaugh as an associate justice will begin at roughly 3:30 p.m. EST, and senators have been advised to be in their seats by the time the historic roll call begins. Republicans control the Senate by a 51-49 margin, and Saturday's vote seems destined to be nearly party-line. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is the only Democrat expected to vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is opposed, but says she will vote "present" as a courtesy to another Republican who will be absent for his daughter's wedding. A few hundred protesters are gathering outside the Capitol before the vote. A group of them climbed the Capitol steps, and some were led away by police. 1 p.m. EST A large crowd has gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to protest Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. Pumping their fists and carrying signs, a few hundred people climbed the east steps of the Capitol for the demonstration. The crowd has been chanting, "November is coming!" and "Vote them out!" A much larger crowd of protesters is watching the demonstration from behind a barricade. In between, a line of Capitol police officers is standing with plastic handcuffs clipped to their belts. The Senate is expected to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Saturday afternoon. 11:25 a.m. EST Deborah Ramirez says the Senate is "looking the other way" when it comes to her accusation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh exposed himself to her when they were students at Yale. Ramirez says in a statement released by her lawyers that the FBI refused to speak to witnesses who could corroborate her story. She says senators are "deliberately ignoring" Kavanaugh's behavior. The Senate is poised on Saturday to confirm Kavanaugh as an associate justice. The vote comes after Kavanaugh faced accusations of sexual misconduct from Ramirez and other women. Kavanaugh has denied the accusations. The FBI interviewed Ramirez as part of a background check investigation opened by the White House. The Senate Judiciary Committee says the FBI also interviewed two alleged eyewitnesses to the incident named by Ramirez and one of her college friends. ___ 10:15 a.m. EST The Senate vote on confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is certain to be close, even if the outcome is no longer suspenseful. Enough senators have indicated they will support him Saturday to put him over the edge, with a likely margin of two votes. That's barring a last-minute change of mind. But will the vote match the closest in history? The closest confirmation votes for a Supreme Court nominee were decided by a single vote. In 1881, Justice Stanley Matthews prevailed in a vote of 24-23. In 1861, nominee Jeremiah Black was defeated by a vote of 26-25. Among current justices, the confirmation of Clarence Thomas in 1991 was the closest, with a vote of 52-48. Eleven Democrats voted for Thomas, while two Republicans opposed his confirmation. The vice president can vote in the event of a Senate tie. That's never happened in a Supreme Court confirmation. ___ 9:30 a.m. EST Melania Trump is offering some supportive words for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Here's what she tells reporters traveling with her in Egypt: "I think he's highly qualified for the Supreme Court." The first lady is wrapping up a four-country tour of Africa. Speaking to reporters near the Great Sphinx, she says she's glad that both Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey (BLAH'-zee) Ford, were heard. Without weighing in on the sexual assault allegations that Ford leveled against Kavanaugh, Mrs. Trump says victims of "any kind of abuse or violence" must be helped. Kavanaugh denies the accusation. The Senate is expected to confirm Kavanaugh on Saturday. ___ 8 a.m. EST Democrats don't seem to have the votes to keep Brett Kavanaugh from joining the Supreme Court, but that's not stopping them from taking to the Senate floor in a parade of speeches into the early morning against the conservative jurist. Hours before the expected roll call vote that would elevate the appeals court judge to the nation's highest court, Democrats are making clear their strong opposition. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (KEER'-sten JIHL'-uh-brand) of New York says there's one fundamental question for senators when they decide Kavanaugh's fate: "Do we, as a country, value women?" Gillibrand says women who've experienced sexual trauma are "tired of the same old scenario where the men are believed and the women are not." Allegations against Kavanaugh arose late in the confirmation process that he sexually abused women decades ago. He's emphatically denied the accusations. Gillibrand says that after the way Anita Hill was treated by the Senate during the Clarence Thomas hearings in 1991, "we said it would never happen again. But it did." (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) FLINT, Mich. (AP) - Residents and businesses affected by the lead-contaminated water crisis in Flint are asking a judge to reinstate Republican Gov. Rick Snyder and other Michigan officials as defendants in a class-action lawsuit. Lawyers said Sunday that an amended complaint includes evidence not in the original lawsuit. They say it shows Snyder and his staff knew about health risks for months before making an official announcement. Judge Judith Levy dropped Snyder and others from the case in August, saying the 2016 suit didn't claim Snyder knew of risks when the city switched to Flint River water in 2014. The corrosive water caused lead to leach from old plumbing. The new complaint also alleges the administration's delayed response may have been racially motivated. Snyder spokesman Ari Adler said the administration doesn't comment on pending litigation. (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) WHITE CITY, Ore. UPDATE: A crash along Highway 140 east of White City on Thursday claimed the life of one driver and injured two others all due to an attempt to pass in a no-passing zone, according to Oregon State Police (OSP). After troopers and emergency teams arrived at the scene around 5 p.m., they found two vehicles that had crashed near milepost 14.5. Investigators came to believe that 37-year-old Richard Cota of Bonanza was traveling eastbound in the westbound lane at a "high rate of speed" apparently passing vehicles in a no-passing zone. Meanwhile, 52-year-old Frederick French of Klamath Falls was traveling westbound. When French saw Cota approaching, French veered onto the westbound gravel shoulder in order to avoid a crash with Cota's vehicle. Unfortunately, Cota had also veered onto the westbound shoulder, and the two vehicles connected. Cota the driver of the illegally passing vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, 33-year-old Amanda Cota of Bonanza, sustained injuries and was brought by ambulance to Rogue Regional Medical Center. French sustained injuries and was transported by air ambulance to Rogue Regional Medical Center. Highway 140 was closed for approximately 1.5 hours following the crash with a detour through Lake Creek Loop. (Updated 10/4/18 at 7 p.m.) UPDATE: A detour is now in place for travelers along Hwy 140 using Lake Creek Loop Road, according to ODOT. (Updated 10/4/18 at 6 p.m.) INITIAL REPORT: Highway 140 is closed east of White City due to a head-on crash, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The crash is located near milepost 14.5 along Hwy 140. It was a head-on crash involving two vehicles with "major injuries." ODOT says to expect a lengthy closure while the crash is investigated. They recommend using alternate routes. By LINDSAY WHITEHURST , Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A Navy veteran was charged Friday with threatening to use a biological toxin as a weapon by sending letters to President Donald Trump and other leaders containing ground castor beans, the substance from which the poison ricin is derived. William Clyde Allen III, 39, told investigators he wanted the letters to "send a message," though he did not elaborate, FBI investigators said in documents filed in U.S. District Court of Utah. Authorities zeroed in on Allen after finding his return address on the envelopes, according to the complaint. The envelopes that tested positive for ricin also had a note that said "Jack and the Missile Bean Stock Powder," the documents said. U.S. Attorney for Utah John Huber declined to comment on Allen's mental state, but said the case is "no laughing matter." "When you're dealing with suspected ricin, this is nothing to trifle with," Huber said. During a court hearing Friday, Allen cried as he told a judge that his wife suffers from a spinal condition and he helps her put on her shoes in the morning. He smiled at family members and said he had been looking forward to an upcoming general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He did not enter a plea, and his attorney, Lynn Donaldson, did not comment. Allen could face up to life in prison if convicted on the biological toxin charge, one of five counts in the complaint. He's also charged with four counts of making threats through the mail, which carry 10-year sentences. The envelopes were mailed to the president, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the Navy's top officer, Adm. John Richardson, authorities said. They were intercepted and no one was hurt. The FBI said all of the letters tested positive for ricin. Allen told investigators he also sent similar letters to Queen Elizabeth II, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the secretary of the Air Force, though it's not clear whether those envelopes had been found. The case is expected to go before a grand jury and Allen could face additional charges at a hearing Oct. 18. Allen was arrested Wednesday at his house in the small city of Logan, north of Salt Lake City. He told investigators he had purchased castor beans on eBay "in case Word Ware III broke out," so he could "defend our nation." He is being held on a $25,000 cash-only bond, though U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Pead is expected to review that on Oct. 15. Allen served in the Navy from 1998 to 2002, according to Navy records. He has a criminal record in Utah including child abuse and attempted aggravated assault. He's also had a history of sending threatening emails over the last few years to then-President Barack Obama, the Air Force and the state of Utah, investigators said. CHILOQUIN, Ore. UPDATE: All three lanes of Highway 97 are now open again at Modoc Point (milepost 258), with law enforcement wrapping up their investigation at the roadway. (10/5/18 5:20 p.m.) UPDATE: An officer-involved shooting on Friday morning began with a traffic stop and search for narcotics, according to the Klamath County Sheriff's Office (KCSO). Investigators believe that the incident started just before 8 a.m. when Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers pulled over a vehicle on Hwy 97 near Modoc Point (milepost 258). A narcotics K-9 "alerted" on the car, and a trooper asked the man and woman in the vehicle to get out of the car so they could investigate. The man, later identified as 48-year-old Phillip Samuel Moskios Jr., reportedly assaulted one of the troopers and fled on foot. KCSO said that during the foot chase, Moskios was "contacted" by officers from the Klamath Falls Police Department (KFPD) and an agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Then, KCSO said, "shots were fired" and Moskios was fatally wounded. The vehicle's other occupant, 26-year-old Amanda Tammy Lynn Yost, had also fled the area on foot. Multiple law enforcement agencies, a K-9 unit and air units all joined in the search for her while area schools and government offices were placed on lock-out. Yost was later located hiding in a nearby building and was taken into custody for Criminal Trespass First Degree and Burglary Second Degree. KCSO said that law enforcement is not looking for anyone else involved in the incident. "Details of the incident remain under investigation by the Klamath County Major Crime Team. Involved officers will not be identified pending the outcome of the investigation," said KCSO. (Updated 10/5/18 at 4:35 p..m.) UPDATE: As of 1 p.m., the lockout has been lifted for Chiloquin Elementary School and Chiloquin Junior-Senior High School, according to Klamath County Schools. The lockout was lifted after Klamath County authorities apprehended a shooting suspect from an incident in the Modoc Point area this morning. A lockout is a precautionary procedure in which all exterior building doors and access points are locked. Highway 97, which was closed this morning between Modoc Point and Chiloquin, is still closed in both directions due to police activity in the area. ODOT says it expects the closure to be lifted around 6 p.m. (Updated 10/5/18 at 1:45 p.m.) UPDATE: Authorities have released more details regarding an officer-involved shooting that happened on Friday morning. One suspect is now confirmed to be dead. The shooting occurred just before 8 a.m. in the Modoc Point area just off of Highway 97. "No officers were seriously injured and one male subject is deceased," said the Klamath County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) in a statement. Officers remain on the scene, searching for a woman who ran from the incident described as a "white female adult in gray sweatpants." Both Chiloquin Elementary and Chiloquin Junior-Senior High School are on a "lock-out" at this time, according to school officials. A lock-out means that the school building doors are locked as a precautionary measure. School officials have confirmed that this is related to the search for the suspect in a shooting incident near Modoc Point. KCSO says that the Klamath County Major Crime Team has been activated and the situation is ongoing. (Updated 10/5/18 at 10:29 a.m.) UPDATE: Police are conducting a foot search on both sides of US97 near the Jeld-Wen Windows & Door plant for a female suspect. (Updated 10/5/18 at 9:13 a.m.) UPDATE: Police confirm a 48-year-old male en route to Skylakes Hospital has been shot. A female suspect ran into the woods. An active search is underway with air support aiding ground teams. UPDATE: US 97 is closed in both directions. No estimate for when the highway will re-open. INITIAL REPORT: Oregon State Police (OSP) have confirmed that an officer-involved shooting has taken place near the Kla-Mo-Ya Casino and Highway 97. Police are reporting the suspect is down but have not confirmed any injuries at this time. This is a developing story. By LISA MASCARO and ALAN FRAM , Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) A deeply divided Senate pushed Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination past a key procedural hurdle Friday, setting up a likely final showdown on Saturday in a spellbinding battle that's seen claims of long-ago sexual assault by the nominee threaten President Donald Trump's effort to tip the court rightward for decades. The Senate voted 51-49 to limit debate, defeating Democratic efforts to scuttle the nomination with endless delays and moving the chamber toward a climax of a fight that has captivated the country since summer. With Republicans controlling the chamber 51-49, one Republican voted to stop the nomination, one Democrat to send it further. Of the four lawmakers who had not revealed their decisions until Friday all moderates Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Jeff Flake of Arizona voted yes, as did Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted not to move the nomination ahead. While the vote was a victory for the GOP, lawmakers can vote differently on the climactic confirmation roll call, which seems likely Saturday afternoon. Collins told reporters she would announce later Friday how she would go. That left unclear whether Friday's tally signaled that the 53-year-old federal appellate judge was on his way to the nation's highest court, though it would be unusual for lawmakers to switch their votes on such a high-profile issue. Confirmation would be a crowning achievement for Trump, his conservative base and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Murkowski sat solemnly during the roll call and whispered "No" when it was her turn to vote. As the tally neared an end, she spoke with Collins, a friend. The pair was surrounded by colleagues from both parties after the vote. All four lawmakers who'd been undeclared said little or nothing to reporters as they left the chamber. Trump weighed in shortly after the roll call was announced, tweeting, "Very proud of the U.S. Senate for voting 'YES' to advance the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh!" Vice President Mike Pence, who could have broken a 50-50 tie, watched the vote from the White House. He is heading to New York for a congressional fundraiser Friday but planned to be back in Washington for the final vote. Friday's procedural vote occurred a day after the Senate received a roughly 50-page FBI report on the sexual assault allegations, which Trump ordered only after wavering GOP senators forced him to do so. Republicans said the secret document which described interviews agents conducted with 10 witnesses failed to find anyone who could corroborate allegations by his two chief accusers, Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez. Democrats belittled the bureau's findings, saying agents constrained by the White House hadn't reached out to numerous other people with potentially important information. The vote occurred against a backdrop of smoldering resentment by partisans on both sides. That fury was reflected openly by thousands of boisterous anti-Kavanaugh demonstrators who bounced around the Capitol complex for days, confronting senators in office buildings and even reportedly near their homes. On the Senate floor, lawmakers' comments underscored the lingering bitterness. "What left wing groups and their Democratic allies have done to Judge Kavanaugh is nothing short of monstrous," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said on the chamber's floor before the vote. He accused Democrats of using destructive, unwarranted personal attacks on the nominee and even encouraging the protesters, saying, "They have encouraged mob rule." Dianne Feinstein of California, that committee's top Democrat, said Kavanaugh's testimony at last week's dramatic Judiciary panel hearing should "worry us all," citing "a hostility and belligerence that is unbecoming" of a Supreme Court nominee. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the fight "a sorry epilogue to the brazen theft of Justice Scalia's seat." That reflected Democrats' lasting umbrage over Republicans' 2016 refusal to even consider Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama's nominee to replace the late Antonin Scalia. 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 ready to knock down President Barack Obama's health care law and to rule for Trump if federal authorities probing his 2016 campaign's connections to Russia initiate legal action. But that evolved into a late-summer spectacle after Ford accused Kavanaugh of trying to rape her at an alcohol-infused high school gathering in 1982, when both were teenagers. Two other women also emerged and accused him of other incidents of sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh has denied all the charges. Under pressure from wavering Republicans, GOP leaders agreed to an extraordinary Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week that mesmerized the nation as Ford nervously recounted her story and said she was "100 percent" certain that Kavanaugh was her attacker. A fuming Kavanaugh strode into the same packed hearing room that afternoon and said he, too, was "100 percent" certain the incident had not occurred. He angrily accused Democrats of a "search and destroy" mission, fueled by their hatred of Trump. 2 Shares Share The tricky part about retirement planning is uncertainty. Uncertainty in retirement planning comes from three major sources. 1. Current and future income Doctors are fortunate in that they have very high job security. Even if you were to be let go from your current position, there will almost always be another position somewhere in the country (although you might have to move out of your current metropolitan area). However, the high income doctors currently enjoy is hardly certain to persist in the future. Healthcare in America is very expensive, and government and private insurers are continuously looking for ways to cut physician reimbursement (or at least slow its growth). There has almost always been a pessimism from physicians about the future of doctor salaries (although previous fears from the past few decades have largely gone unrealized). 2. Investment volatility The second form of uncertainty in retirement planning comes from the volatility of investment returns. It is easy to plug in a single number for your investment return in a calculator or investment spreadsheet. The reality, of course, is that the stock market does not go up 10% every year. The volatility of the stock market is why equity returns are so high in the first place, and the stock market doesnt always deliver high returns, even over long periods of time. For example, the historical volatility (standard deviation) of the S&P 500 is 20% per year. Assuming that each years investment returns are independent (i.e. not correlated) with the prior years returns, then over a 35-year investment horizon, the standard deviation of your investment returns is 20%/SQRT(35) = 3.4%. Many investors like to be 95% confident that they will meet their investment goals, which means you would need to plan for a long-term return that is 5.6% (3.4% x 1.65) lower than the expected return. Over the course of decades, the difference between an 8% return and a 2.5% return is millions of dollars. 3. How long youre going to live The final form of uncertainty is not knowing how many years of retirement spending you will need to save for. Weve all had patients or friends who worked their whole life to reach retirement, only to pass away early in retirement from a sudden illness. In retrospect, they did not need to save anything in retirement if they knew they would die shortly after retiring (actually, they probably would have retired earlier had they known). On the other end of the spectrum, you could live to be 100 or more. Most retirement calculators assume a retirement of 30 years, but more and more people are living longer than that. You can look at an actuarial table from the CDC or another source to know the average life expectancy at your desired retirement age, but of course, you could live much longer (or much shorter) than that. Your retirement plan has to be able to handle the worst case scenario, which would be a long retirement. Flexibility is the solution to uncertainty Because of this uncertainty, most of us will have to save significantly more than what we will eventually spend in retirement the difference will go to our heirs when we die. There will always be some uncertainty in retirement planning, but the single theme that binds many of the methods to reduce uncertainty in retirement planning is flexibility. There are many forms of flexibility when it comes to retirement planning: 1. Spending flexibility This has been discussed previously by others, and for good reasons this is one of the most important forms of flexibility in retirement planning. If you are willing to decrease your retirement spending if the stock market does unexpectedly poorly (especially early in retirement), then you can probably use a higher withdrawal rate compared with someone who is inflexible in your retirement spending needs. How do you increase spending flexibility? The easiest way is to reduce your fixed expenses. If you dont have a mortgage or a car payment, then a higher percentage of your income becomes discretionary income. Its much easier to cut a vacation or two from your retirement spending budget than to downsize your home. 2. Flexibility in your retirement date Having flexibility in when youll retire will make saving for retirement a lot easier. If you have a certain age in mind (such as 65) when you must retire, then youll probably need to save more and invest more conservatively to make sure you have hit your retirement number by that age. On the other hand, if you have a willingness to work longer if necessary to reach your retirement goals, then you can probably save less (and spend more) during your working years. You can also invest more aggressively during your working years. Paradoxically, this means you might actually be able to reach your retirement number earlier than if you have a set retirement age in mind. 3. Job flexibility to increase and decrease work hours Another key form of flexibility is your ability to easily increase or decrease your work hours. Doctors may be paid more or less in the future, but if you work in a shift-based specialty (hospitalist, emergency medicine, anesthesia), then you have the ability to simply work more to keep up with whatever income or lifestyle you want to have (up to a point). Similarly, if you want to reduce your hours because youre way ahead of your timeline to meet your retirement goals, its easy to do so. While other specialties may have some room to work more or fewer hours (e.g. take more or less call), physicians in shift-based specialties can more confidently project their future pay. 4. Retirement income sources that are independent of how long youll live (health flexibility) Obviously, none of us know how long we will live, and we need to plan accordingly. Of course, we all would rather have the potential to live for many, many years after we retire as opposed to being limited by a degenerative, life-limiting illness such as heart failure, cancer, or Alzheimers. And for many of us, simply working until we die is not a desirable option. However, from a financial perspective, you can increase your health flexibility by having more of your retirement savings in forms where how long you live does not matter. Pensions and Social Security are the best examples. These retirement income sources will pay you benefits for as long as you live. Annuities are another way to increase your health flexibility. While the safe withdrawal rate in the Trinity University study was calculated to be 4%, annuities will generally pay 6% or more (and this is after the insurance company takes their cut). This is because a retiree who uses a 4% withdrawal rate rarely runs out of money, but they have to plan in case they do have a long retirement. An annuity ensures a stable lifetime income stream, but if you put your entire retirement savings in a fixed annuity, no money will be left to your heirs, and if your retirement expenses unexpectedly jump (e.g. increased healthcare costs), you could run into major cashflow issues at the most inopportune time. Conclusion Because of the uncertainties in future income, investment returns, and life expectancy, most physicians will end up saving much more than they will ultimately spend in retirement. However, various forms of financial flexibility allow you to hedge some of this uncertainty. Consider increasing one or more of these forms of flexibility as you think about and create your own retirement plan. What do you think? What is the biggest source of uncertainty in retirement planning? Are there any other forms of financial flexibility that you would add to my list? Wall Street Physician, a former Wall Street derivatives trader , is a physician who blogs at his self-titled site, the Wall Street Physician. Image credit: Shutterstock.com EUGENE, Ore. -- An overnight security guard was shot and killed Friday morning near Highway 99 and Roosevelt Boulevard. Police identified the victim as Frank Ledgett, 69, of All-N-One Security, based in Springfield. Frank Ledgett Frank Ledgett Officers said several people called 911 reporting shots fired, and they responded around 12:06 a.m. One witness told KEZI 9 News he heard five or six shots. Ledgett, who owned All-N-One Security, was on duty at the time of the shooting. He was found near his security vehicle in a parking lot at 2750 Roosevelt Blvd. A post on All-N-One Security's Facebook page read: "It is with a heavy heart that I post this. Last night Frank Ledgett was shot and killed in the course of his duties as a security officer. He was a great man with an awesome sense of humor and would give his shirt off his back if you needed it." No suspects have been named and EPD has not disclosed a possible motive in the killing. A former employee of Ledgett who stopped by the crime scene to pay his respects told KEZI Ledgett carried a gun and had a dash camera and body camera. Other people in the area of the crime scene said other security camera footage captured the crime. The former employee, who didnt want to give his name, said Ledgett was well-respected in the security community and taught him everything he knows. He said he hopes whoever did this is brought to justice. Its a loss to the security world the former employee said. He was well known in the security world, especially around Eugene and Springfield. James Young, who was nearby when the shooting happened, said he knew Ledgett. He said he was shocked when he heard what happened. He did not deserve that at all. Nobody does, Young said. It just should send a message this is a dangerous place. Ledgett was a retired veteran. According to the companys website, he served in the United States Army National Guard and the United States Marine Corps. He had 20 years of security experience. A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist Ledgett's family. 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Hundreds of people turned up at a US Senate building in the nation's capital to challenge Kavanaugh's nomination after three women accused him of various forms of sexual misconduct. Schumer and Ratajkowski were among them. Capitol Police said they arrested 302 people during the demonstrations. Video from the scene shows the two actresses being detained after an officer asks if they want to be arrested. Additional footage shows them waiting to be processed near a wall with officers. Schumer told a CNN producer she was arrested. Ratajkowski said on social media that she was arrested, too. "Today I was arrested protesting the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, a man who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. Men who hurt women can no longer be placed in positions of power," Ratajkowski tweeted. Schumer and Ratajkowski appeared in the 2018 comedy "I Feel Pretty." The two were among crowds of activists who descended on Capitol Hill while lawmakers reviewed the FBI report on the allegations against Kavanaugh. Protesters gathered at the Hart Senate Building atrium after Capitol Police barricaded the front of the Capitol. The Women's March, a liberal organization that originated as a grassroots movement in opposition to President Donald Trump, was one of multiple groups tweeting from the protest at the Capitol building. Following Kavanaugh's nomination and his initial hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Christine Blasey Ford came forward with an allegation that Kavanaugh sexually and physically assaulted her while they were both at a party during high school more than three decades ago. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegations. Kavanaugh and Ford both appeared before the committee last week, where lawmakers and a sex crimes prosecutor asked the two questions about the alleged incident. The day after the hearing, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee agreed to ask Trump to call on the FBI to conduct another supplemental background investigation into the allegations. Trump did so -- and on Thursday, the Senate began reviewing the FBI's results after receiving the report early that morning. Lawmakers are expected to vote on Kavanaugh's nomination in the coming days. CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Corvallis police are searching for a man they said is a suspected ATM thief. According to officers, he used a victims bank card to make withdrawals at various machines. If you have any information about the case, call the Corvallis Police Department. EUGENE, Ore. -- People throughout the country have been getting to know the men and women who protect us this week, all part of Coffee with a Cop week. The Eugene Police Department hosted an event at the Starbucks at Oakway Center. It gave officers a chance to meet with members of the community and show them they're here to help. "It's just an opportunity for the community to come in to ask questions, to interact with our local police department, to build relationships, to network and just to show the community that we're part of the community as well," Captain Eric Klinko said. They hope to host more of these community events throughout the year. BEND, Ore. (AP) -- Prosecutors in central Oregon have accused the head of the Washington state office for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of touching and exposing himself to an employee over the summer. The Bend Bulletin reports that 52-year-old Eric Rickerson faces six counts, including coercion, third-degree sex abuse, harassment and indecency. Court records show Rickerson, who lives in Olympia, Washington, is accused of touching the woman's chest and thigh without her consent and exposing himself to her on July 9 in Sunriver, Oregon. Rickerson was arraigned in Deschutes County Circuit Court Thursday. A judge ordered him to have no contact with the woman. Rickerson declined to comment when reached by phone. His lawyer, Casey Baxter, did not immediately return a message. A Fish and Wildlife spokesman, Gavin Shire, says the agency has taken "appropriate administrative steps" but he declined to elaborate, citing personnel matters. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Police say a Portland parent was arrested after her gun apparently fired by accident in a Northeast Portland elementary school cafeteria. The Portland Police Bureau says no one was injured in the Thursday afternoon shooting at Jason Lee Elementary School. Police say the woman, who hasn't been identified by police, had left with her child by the time officers arrived. Police say they found and arrested a person who matched the suspect's description in a search of the neighborhood. Police haven't said what charges she faces. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that according to a statement from the school sent to parents, the woman had the gun in her bag when one shot was fired. Police say investigators are trying to determine how the handgun went off. UPDATE: Thomas Copeland was booked into the Lane County Jail Friday night at 10:31 p.m. and charged with murder. ______________________ HARRISBURG, Ore. -- A man has been arrested in connection with the deadly shooting in Eugene Friday morning. Thomas William Copeland, 30, of Milwaukie, Oregon has been charged with the murder of Frank Ledgett and unlawful use of a weapon. Police said Copeland is being held at the Lane County Jail. RELATED: Security guard killed in overnight shooting in Eugene Copeland and an unidentified woman were arrested in a takedown at the Harrisburg Station Eagle Mart on 3rd Street around 5:30 p.m. Friday. The woman was not charged. Sgt. Tim Haywood with Eugene police said there are no outstanding suspects at this time. They did not find a weapon in Copelands possession. The Eugene Police Department worked with the U.S. Marshals Service and the Linn County Sheriffs Office. For many, Sunday is a day of worship and relaxation. Today that was no exception for those of the four legged variety. Wagging tails and purring cats lined the church pews at St. Georges Episcopal Church in Bismarck for the 12th Blessing of the Animals. People around the world celebrate St. Francis of Assisi who is sometimes shown blessing animals and ecology. The tradition continued in Bismarck with a short prayer. "We're always excited because it's joyous. The animals come into our church," said Reverend Canon Zanne Ness, St. Georges. The service became so popular Trinity Lutheran Church joined forces around five years ago. Reverend Ness says mostly dogs and cats come to celebrate but they sometimes see a bird, even a frog. "Meow" said Petey, a local cat, after being asked about her time during the service. Each family received a personalized certificate for coming to the event and extra prayers are offered for pets who couldn't come or have passed away. Jennifer Schuler has been coming to the ceremony since the beginning says people have watched her cat grow up. "It's awesome I look forward to it every year, it's so much fun to see everyone elses pets," said Schuler, pet owner. More than 20 pets were blessed and left with a few treats and wagging tails. The church also collected donations for the Central Dakota Humane Society. They say the event continues to grow every year and plan to continue for as long as possible. One of the region's most charismatic, forward thinking entrepreneurs and business men has passed away. Johnny O'Shea who was 65-years-old died today at Waterford University Hospital after a long battle with illness. He was a wonderful human being, at the forefront of every positive development in Piltown and its environs. He was also the boss of the huge O'Shea Farms and Iverk Produce business empires and was involved in every aspect of his community. He was steeped in the GAA and above all, had an empathy with people and was loved where ever he went. Charity was his big thing, at home and abroad and he did countless acts of goodness. He died peacefully in the loving care of the staff at Medical 4 (Waterford University Hospital) today. Johnny is survived by his sister Margaret, brothers Tomas, Richard, Seamus and Joe, brother-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and many friends. Reposing at his home on Wednesday (Oct 10th) from 2 to 8pm. Removal on Thursday to The Church of The Assumption, Piltown arriving for 11am Mass. Burial in the adjoining cemetery. Family flowers only, donations, if desired, to St. Brigid's Hospital, Carrick-on-Suir. Donation box at House & Church. Got sent this news snippet: The single state of North Dakota is now producing as much oil as Venezuela, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. While Venezuela continues to falter under its socialist regime, North Dakota continues its historic rise in crude oil production. The sparsely populated midwestern state churned out 1.27 million barrels a day in July, according to data reported by Bloomberg. This is approximately the same level of production seen in Venezuela during the same month. The numbers provide a snapshot of how much the industry landscape has evolved in the two places. Much like other regions in the United States, North Dakota has experienced a shale oil boom in recent years. The advent of hydraulic fracturing has allowed North Dakota home of the Bakken shale play to produce oil at rates four times greater than its previous peak set in the 1980s. The state is now second only to Texas in oil production and enjoys the lowest unemployment rate in the country. Yet here our Government bans future exploration meaning we will be importing oil from North Dakota. Interesting the comparison between Venezuela and North Dakota. Venezuela has a population of 32 million and North Dakota a population of 750,000 smaller than Auckland. Venezuela was producing 3.5 million barrels a day before the socialists took over and is now down to under 1.5 million barrels a day. North Dakota has the lowest unemployment in the US, and per capita GDP 29% above the US average plus a billion dollar surplus. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More Reddit Pinterest Print Tumblr By Jung Da-min North Korean media used South Korean news reports, Sunday, in attacks on the South's conservative Liberty Korea Party, saying the party is ruining itself and being isolated from peace efforts. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party, citied South Korea's media reports to attack the South's main opposition party, saying it is on the track to "destruction." "According to Edaily, the party is doing everything it can for survival with 'reform' and 'new faces,' but its situation isn't improving," Rodong said. In another article, Rodong criticized conservative lawmakers for refusing to ratify the Panmunjeom Declaration, which was signed by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on April 27. North Korean media has been mentioning the Liberty Korea Party more often this year, according to North Korean media tracker KCNA Watch website. The number of articles mentioning the party has increased to 4179 (as of Oct. 7) from 2783 last year, after the party was renamed earlier that year on Feb. 13. (St. Joseph,MO) A new alternative energy plant could bring new jobs into St. Joseph, but not without closing down a street south of downtown. Riverbend Biofuels is interested in building a $250million alternative energy plant to convert used grease into jet fuel. The new facility would create 55-60 new jobs with an average salary of $65,000, but the construction of the new plant would require the city to shut down a portion of Monterey Street from 6th Street to 8th Street. Brad Lau, Vice President of Economic Development for the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, said the property is already zoned for industrial production and the new structure will operate in addition to the biodiesel plant being restored by the company. "The closure of Monterey, that very small section between the railroad tracks and 6th street is critical for them to be able to move forward with the project, simply because they need the ability to have one continuous track between where the biodiesel facility is down to where the old railroad staging area used to be," Lau said. Lau estimates the 100 car fuel trains will return to St. Joseph to reload twice a month. The rails would transport approximately 70 million gallons of biodiesel and jet fuel each year. City councilman Russell Moore said the extended rail traffic could have a bigger impact on other streets. "The rail system does go through Monterey, it goes over to 6th street and passed 4th street and on out through the city, Moore said. That kind of length of a train, we're talking about tank cars, a 100 of them, that's going to close 6th street,4th street and probably Francis Street all at the same time." The Community Action Partnership (CAP) has an office at 817 Monterey and Executive Director Whitney Lanning is worried the train delays might hurt the response times for emergency services. "We really just want to make sure that if there are any safety issues, that we're not putting employment and economic development over safety," Lanning said. Lanning said the council work session on September 12 was the first that CAP had heard of the proposed project and the organization was concerned about how the plant will impact the quality of life of people living near the new facility. The other thing that we are really looking at is how this plant will effect if there are any toxicity issues,or if there is noise issues or travel or just general safety items that may not affect us immediately, but upon the creation of the plant, Lanning said. A representative from Riverbend Biodiesel said the companys investors have set October 31 as the deadline for the planning portion of the project, and is in need of the councils final decision. "We're just now hearing about it and there is a hard and fast deadline, we really want to make sure that the community and especially the city council is not making a rush to a decision that could have a long standing impact on the safety of our children and our families," Lanning said. The city council will have a second work session on the potential losing of Monterey Street on October 15 at 4 pm, and the council will vote on the closing of Monterey during the council meeting October 22. If the closing of Monterey is approved by the council, developers estimate the new facility could be in operation by 2021. to Acquire the Wholesale and Enablement Business of IAB Sydney, Oct 8, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Board of Australian communications specialist MNF Group ( ASX:MNF ) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the wholesale and enablement business from Inabox Group ( ASX:IAB ). The business being acquired provides services to over 500 wholesale customers throughout Australia.MNF will pay between $30.5m and $33.5m in cash subject to all earn out conditions being met and final calculation of working capital. Based on normalised FY18 performance, the Board anticipates the acquisition to generate revenues of $55.0m and approximate EBITDA of $4.2m before potential synergies and savings.The initial purchase price will be funded through an extension of MNF's existing revolving acquisition facility. The earn out components are expected to be funded with free cash flow. Completion is expected to take place on 30 November 2018 and is subject to a number of conditions including approval from Inabox shareholders."IAB performs a leading role in the Australian wholesale telecommunications market and brings considerable volume and scale to the MNF business. The company is also recognised as the leading provider of SaaS enablement services to the industry - strongly complementing the MNF business." Said Mr Rene Sugo, MNF Group CEO.Acquisition Summary- Purchase price of $30.5m payable in cash on completion.- A $3.0m earn out that is subject to the successful commercialisation of recently procured enablement service offerings payable in 3 tranches:o Tranche 1 - $0.5m payable in March 2019o Tranche 2 - $1.65m payable in June 2019o Tranche 3 - $0.85m payable in June 2019- Target working capital on completion of $2.0m, that is expected to include $1.5m in cash.- The acquired business will be debt free.Investor PresentationFurther information and a consolidated forecast will be provided in an investor webinar scheduled for 3:00pm, Wednesday 10 October. Details found at: http://mnfgroup.limited/investors The company encourages interested investors and shareholders to attend the webinar, as due to timing and our upcoming AGM, the management team will be unable to accommodate one-on-one meetings.About MNF Group Ltd MNF Group Limited (ASX:MNF) is one of Asia-Pacific's fastest growing technology companies. Listed on the ASX since 2006, it is now capitalised at around $380m, and twice winner of the Forbes Asia-Pacific "Best under a Billion" award. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, the company has over 500 people located across Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America. MNF develops and operates a global communications network and software suite enabling some of the world's leading innovators to deliver new-generation communications solutions. As the world moves to IP, MNF Group is building the brands, services, network and technology to lead the way. For further information about MNF Group Limited please visit: http://mnfgroup.limited/ Drilling Delivers Bonanza Gold Intercept Perth, Oct 8, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - WA-focused gold exploration and development company Classic Minerals Limited ( ASX:CLZ ) ("Classic", or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has received assays results from its recent RC drilling program at its Forrestania Gold Project (FGP) in Western Australia. The Company completed a total of 38 holes for 2,408m - 18 holes for 1,588m at Kat Gap, 5 holes for 454 metres at Lady Magdalene and 5 holes for 366 metres at Lady Lila with the aim of improving/increasing known mineralisation at Kat Gap.Highlights:- Kat Gap returns its best ever high-grade gold intercept from shallow depth. Best results from most recent drilling include:o 10m @ 30.77 g/t Au from 28m including 2m @ 116.10 g/t Au from 31 mo 9m @ 8.08 g/t Au from 95m including 1m @ 62.30 g/t Au from 101 mo 10m @ 4.18 g/t Au from 26m including 1m @ 15.10 g/t Au from 31 mo 5m @ 4.85 g/t Au from 16m including 1m @ 19.10 g/t Au from 16mo 1m @ 18.80 g/t Au from 86mo 1m @ 15.20 g/t Au from 47mo 1m @ 14.60 g/t Au from 68mo 2m @ 13.44 g/t Au from 43m- RC drilling at Kat Gap conducted over 160m of strike plus several deeper holes drilled testing downdip potential System remains open in all directions.- Two deeper RC holes at Kat Gap targeting interpreted down plunge potential return very encouraging assays. Results include:o 9m @ 8.08 g/t Au from 95m including 1 m @ 62.30 g/t Au from 101 mo 1m @ 18.80 g/t Au from 86m- Drilling at Lady Magdalene continues to uncover potential cross-cutting quartz veins similar in orientation to the high-grade Lady Ada deposit. Better assays from the new quartz veins include:o 1m @ 23.70 g/t Au from 46mo 1m @ 7.74 g/t Au from 34m- Lady Lila results continue to impress yielding further zones of gold mineralisation along strike. Results include:o 6m @ 9.57 g/t Au from 26m including 1m @ 54.50 g/t Au from 26mo 5m @ 3.07 g/t Au from 65mo 12m @ 1.50 g/t Au from 52mo 14m @ 2.15 g/t Au from 74m1. INTRODUCTIONDrilling results from Kat Gap continued to impress with significant zones of gold mineralisation located on the granitegreenstone contact. Drilling at Kat Gap also showed that high-grade gold mineralisation continues at depth down plunge. Drilling at Lady Magdalene yielded more impressive results further confirming the existence of high-grade, cross-cutting gold lodes previously missed due to wide spaced drilling while work at Lady Lila continued to extend mineralisation along strike.Classic CEO Dean Goodwin said:The Forrestania Gold Project just keeps on delivering fantastic results for Classic and its shareholders. I'm very excited about these high-grade zones of mineralisation we have encountered at each of the drill sites. They are all open along strike requiring urgent follow up.Kat Gap is really shaping up nicely as a near surface high-grade gold deposit with so much remaining upside potential. We have only tested 160m of 3.5km of strike along this granite-greenstone contact During this round of drilling we returned significant gold grades from 12 of the 18 holes completed.At Lady Magdalene, north-south orientated drilling continued to prove the existence of new high-grade cross-cutting quartz veins. As previously postulated, these quartz veins could be analogous to those at Lady Ada - reinforcing the view that substantially more high-grade ounces are hiding between the existing drill lines at Lady Magdalene. We will track these new quartz lodes further east and test for additional cross-cutting veins all the way south to Lady Ada.Step out drilling along strike both north and south from historical RC holes has returned further encouraging results at Lady Lila. Mineralisation now extends over 100m with the system, which is hosted in a Banded Iron Formation, open in all directions. We are planning to restart drilling at Kat Gap, Lady Magdalene and Lady Lila in late October. This program will also include follow-up drilling at Van Uden West so there is plenty of good news to look forward to.2. KAT GAP DRILLINGClassic drilled 18 holes for 1588m at Kat Gap and is pleased to confirm that twelve holes returned gold mineralisation striking in a northwest-southeast direction. The drilling was conducted over approximately 160m of strike with mineralisation open in all directions.The majority of the drilling was focused on testing the main granite-greenstone contact which has been the main focus since the prospect was discovered by previous holders. A few holes were drilled up against the cross-cutting Proterozoic dyke where high-grade gold mineralisation appears to have concentrated. Several holes were also drilled deeper testing the interpreted plunge of the main mineralisation. Drill holes FKGRC017 - FKGRC019, FKGRC022 - 024 and FKGRC028 - 033 (inclusive), all tested the main contact lode with holes FKGRC020 - 021 and FKGRC027 drilled close to the Proterozoic dyke. Holes FKGRC025 and FKGRC026 were drilled deeper down the potential plunge of the main system. Better results from these holes included: 10m @ 30.78 g/t Au from 28m including 2m @ 116.10 g/t Au from 31m in FKGRC018; 9m @ 8.08 g/t Au from 95m including 1m @ 62.30 g/t Au from 101m in FKGRC025; 10m @ 4.18 g/t Au from 26m including 1m @ 15.10 g/t Au from 31m in FKGRC022 and 5m @ 4.85 g/t Au from 16m including 1m @ 19.10 g/t Au from 16m in FKGRC017.Holes FKGRC025 and FKGRC026 were drilled deeper than previous holes to test the potential down plunge extent of the main granite-greenstone contact lode. Both holes intersected significant gold mineralisation supporting the interpretation of a seventy-degree plunge to the north. Results from these holes include: 9m @ 8.08 g/t Au from 95m including 1m @ 62.30 g/t Au from 101m in FKGRC025 and 1m @ 18.80 g/t Au from 86m in FKGRC026. The plunge line is wide open along strike and down dip. Follow-up drilling is planned including several orientated diamond holes to collect valuable structural orientation data.Historical RC drilling is currently on 100m - 200m line spacings. There is strong potential for additional mineralisation to be identified up-dip, down-dip and along strike, both outside of and within the existing RC drill coverage. Only about half of the 5 km long >50 ppb Au gold-in-soil anomaly has been tested by RC drilling along the granite/greenstone contact.There is a further 5 km of strike of prospective granite-greenstone contact along-strike from the Kat Gap zone within E74/467 that has seen little or no exploration.Classic has already planned follow up RC and diamond holes with drilling scheduled for late October.3. DRILLING AT LADY MAGDALENELady Magdalene hosts potential high-grade cross-cutting lodes in a similar orientation to Lady Ada (600m to the south). Classic drilled 5 RC holes for 454m on one north-south oriented traverse following up on encouraging results from the last drilling campaign. The holes were drilled in this particular orientation in an attempt to locate east-west striking Lady Ada style high-grade cross-cutting quartz veins. Of the 5 holes completed, two intersected quartz veining in a potential east-west orientation. The best result was recorded in MARC067 which returned 1m @ 23.70 g/t Au from 46m. This result is significant as it appears to link up with recently drilled holes MARC059 which returned 1m @ 9.36 g/t Au from 44m and MARC058 which returned 1m @ 13.40 g/t Au from 46m. The 3 holes when linked up cover a strike length of approximately 70m and is orientated in an east-west direction. Interpretation of the results and associated geology suggest the recent holes were drilled on the western margin of the corridor wh ere the linking high grade quartz veins are thought to be propagating. Further north-south orientated drilling will be conducted east of the recent RC drilling where it is thought thicker zones of mineralisation may exist This easterly target area, where the next upcoming round of RC drilling will be carried out, corresponds to the structural location of the high-grade Lady Ada deposit. These new cross-cutting quartz veins initially appear narrow but have the potential to thicken rapidly over short strike lengths similar to Lady Ada.RC drilling also intersected thick zones of lower grade gold mineralisation similar to that intersected previously during the recent resource definition drilling conducted last year. Typically, Lady Magdalene alteration assemblage consists of strong biotite alteration, silicification with fine disseminated sulphides arsenopyrite and pyrite. These lower grade mineralised zones are typified by the absence of quartz veining. Results received from within the Lady Magdalene ore zone include: 18m @ 2.87 g/t Au from 34m in MARC067; 12m @ 1.64 g/t Au from 42m in MARC065 and 12m @ 1.33 g/t Au from 47m in MARC066.The latest drilling confirms the existence of significant gold-bearing quartz veins between existing drill lines. As with Lady Ada's high-grade sapphire shear zone, these veins are low angle reverse thrust faults that dip gently to the south. In upcoming drilling, Classic will track the quartz veins to the east and will also drill south of the existing lines to determine how many additional lodes are located within the Lady Magdalene resource footprint.Follow up drilling will commence late in October.4. LADY LILA DRILLINGLady Lila is situated 4km east of Lady Ada and is hosted by a chert/banded iron formation within the younger metasedimentary central zone. Previous drilling is shallow (approx. 50-60m depth testing) and generally intercepts the mineralised zone only two-three times per section. Additional drilling is required to test the orientation, and down dip extension of the mineralisation. The mineralisation at its strongest is 10m wide, over 400m long, and grades between 2.0-5.0g/t Au.Drilling at Lady Lila was historically on 100m - 200m spaced drill lines. Classic's recent drilling was focused on extending either side of high-grade aircore/RC hits on the 6429860N line on 20m spaced lines. Drilling either side of this section has confirmed mineralisation extends both North and South along strike for up to 100m. Importantly, mineralisation remains open at depth and additional follow up drilling will be undertaken to continue to grow this deposit.Five holes (FLLRC006 - FLLRC010 inclusive) for 366m were drilled at Lady Lila with all holes intersecting gold mineralisation. Drill highlights include: 6m at 9.57 g/t Au from 26m including 1m at 54.50 g/t Au from 26m in FLLRC006. 5m at 3.07 g/t Au from 65m in FLLRC007. 12m at 1.50 g/t Au from 52m in FLLRC009 and 14m at 2.15 g/t Au from 74m in FLLRC010.A typical cross section of Lady Lila is displayed in Figure 5(see link below). The present gold mineralisation models indicate a steep easterly dip; future drilling will be to test a potential vertical dip, as gold deposits in the area have been known to steepen at depth (e.g., Bounty and Blue Vein (>1M oz Au) held by Kidman Resources).Classic aims to re-commence drilling at Lady Lila by the end of October.5. ABOUT THE FORRESTANIA GOLD PROJECTThe FGP Tenements (excluding Kat Gap and Lady Lila) are registered in the name of Reed Exploration Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of ASX listed Hannans Ltd ( ASX:HNR ). Classic has acquired 80% of the gold rights on the FGP Tenements from a third party, whilst Hannans has maintained its 20% interest in the gold rights. For the avoidance of doubt Classic Ltd owns a 100% interest in non-gold rights on the Kat Gap and Lady Lila Tenements including but not limited to nickel, lithium and other metals.The FGP contains an existing Mineral Resource of 5.3 Mt at 1.39 g/t for 240,000 ounces of gold, classified and reported in accordance with the JORC Code (2012), with a recent Scoping Study (see ASX Announcement released 2nd May 2017) suggesting both the technical and financial viability of the project. The current post-mining Mineral Resource for Lady Ada, Lady Magdalene and Lady Lila is tabulated below (see link below).Additional technical detail on the Mineral Resource estimation is provided, further in the text below (see link below) and in the JORC Table 1 as attached to ASX announcements dated 14th March 2017 and 21st March 2017.To view tables and figures, please visit:About Classic Minerals Limited Classic Minerals Limited (ASX:CLZ) is an exploration and development company focused on gold deposits in Western Australia's famous Goldfields region. In March 2017, Classic acquired the Forrestania Gold Project, with seven tenements stretching across 450km2. Strategically located in a very prospective region, the FGP is an underexplored package surrounded by multimillion ounce deposits such as Bounty (2Moz) and Yilgarn Star (1.5Moz). Corporate and Operational Update Melbourne, Oct 8, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The directors of Nova Minerals Limited (Nova or Company) ( ASX:NVA ) ( FRA:QM3 ) announce a corporate update across the company's project portfolio.Thompson Bros Lithium ProjectThe year kicked off with a very successful drill campaign at the Thompson Brothers Lithium (TBL) project. Numerous intersections of spodumene pegmatite were drilled with the best intersection coming from TBL-017 of 1.53% Li2O over 23.00 metres core length or 13.88 metres true width. While the drilling was ongoing, a preliminary floatation test was carried out at the Saskatchewan Research Council on material from TB-1 pegmatite. SRC was able to produce a floatation concentrate of 6.4% Li2O for a composite sample having a head grade of 1.4% Li2O for material taken from the 2017 drilling campaign announced on 7th June 2018. Although preliminary in nature this concentrate exceeded expectation of 5.0% Li2O. Once all the assays were received from the laboratory for the winter drilling, a full data package was sent to a consultant in Perth, Australia to conduct an ID2 inferred resource model. One was also sent to an independent geologist in Victoria, Canada to produce a NI 43-101 qualifying report in support for a listing on the TSX.V. The independent geologist also conducted a site tour of the project in March. In late July, the Australian consultant produced a JORC Inferred Resource consisting of 6.3 million tonnes @ 1.38% Li2O announced 25th July 2018. In mid-August, the independent consultant from Victoria produced a draft NI 43-101 qualifying report in support of the future listing in Canada.During the rest of the summer months the project was largely inactive as Nova Minerals began the process of setting up a Canadian corporate presence and initiating the process of spinning out the TBL asset to the Canadian subsidiary. A small prospecting campaign was conducted at the end of August on the project. The campaign resulted in the re-discovery of the Sherritt Gordon (SG) pegmatite cluster, and the discovery of a new spodumene pegmatite located approximately 300 metres south-east of the SG pegmatite.At the start of Q4, planning and permitting is ongoing for the Fall and Winter drill programs. The next drill campaign is estimated at between 10,000 and 12,000 metres with the milestones of completing an NI 43-101 Inferred Resource study together with a PEA on the project delivered by Q3-2019.The Company is pleased to report that it has received significant interest in the placement from North American Institutional Funds. The company will keep the market informed of the progress seed capital and other corporate activity in due course. The issue of Snow Lake Resources Ltd shares under the Seed Capital Raising and IPO is being made to investors in North America only.Nova is also pleased to announce that the company has received reimbursements of CAD $120,035 from the Manitoba Mines Branch through the Manitoba Mineral Exploration Assistance Program (MEAP).Estelle Gold ProjectSince the Company announced the commencement of drilling at Estelle on 27th August 2018, the drill program has made progress in the field slower than expected. The crew had delays in dialing in the new rig and unforeseen site matters, which the company didn't anticipate. Furthermore, the winter season came earlier than expected and as safety to all staff is paramount, the drilling program was halted. The drilling delay will also delay the targeted JORC resource estimate. With the delays in drilling, the exploration team undertook detailed geologic mapping and sampling of the 5,080 acres (20.55 km2) Oxide Claim Group, in the Skwentna River basin in the southern Alaska Range. The mapping and rock chip-sampling program was overseen and completed by Thomas K. Bundtzen P.Geo, BS, MS and assisted by Larry Nichols.During the investigation, 107 field stations were occupied. Seventeen (17) geologic units were identified. Locally abundant sulfide mineralization and associated quartz stockwork were sampled in a distinct north-northeast-trending zone within the Late Cretaceous Mount Estelle pluton, which includes granite, quartz monzonite, alaskite, monzonite, and granodiorite. Phyllic and propylitic alteration were recognized in the sulfide-rich zones. All mineralization is hosted in phaneritic, intrusive rock phases. Sampled zones include the Oxide-North, Oxide-South prospects and a new zone now drill-tested by Nova Minerals. Locally abundant arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite and locally galena were readily identified in the field. Measured chip sample traverses were acquired across sulfide-rich mineralization. Previously identified chargeability anomalies were also sampled.A total of seventy five (75) samples were submitted to the ALS Minerals laboratory facility in Fairbanks for gold by fire assay, and multi-element analysis; and for some samples, major and minor oxide analysis in order to better understand the geochemical composition of the mineralized intrusive suite. Three bulk panned concentrate samples were acquired from the mainstream drainage cutting the claim group. Twenty (20) samples were sent to a Fairbanks-based laboratory for creation of thin sections for petrographic and mineralogical analysis.During the mapping exercise, 190 measurements were acquired on fault planes, joints, and sedimentary bedding in order to determine structural controls of mineralization and to better understand igneous emplacement histories.Upon receipt of the laboratory data, Nova will update the market with detailed map with cross sectional profiles.Nova now holds 51% of the project, the costs mainly arose through the acquisition of the drill rig and equipment associated, capital cost on camp establishment and logistics.In light of the delays, Nova is pleased with what the site crew accomplished and has set all the groundwork to undergo and fast track a much larger drill program in the new year, to be performed on a much larger exploration footprint mapped out well beyond the 1.1 - 2.3Moz Gold Exploration target already established. The infrastructure and equipment set in place allows for quick restart to cover historical drill locations and newly discovered prospects at Oxide-North and Oxide-South.Nova will update the market in due course on results, planned works and schedule.Officer Hill Gold ProjectWe are committed to our joint venture with Newmont in relation to the Officer Hill Gold Project, in the Tanami region of Northern Territory.Newmont has commenced the exploration program for the Officer Hill Gold Project, which was previously announced on 6 August 2018. The program will include follow up diamond drilling, an airborne gravity gradiometry survey, and follow up sampling around the Paris prospect in the western portion of EL21350. We will update the market as we receive the exploration results.NVA Managing Director, Mr. Avi Kimelman said:"Due to the delays at Estelle, we are disappointed that the Maiden JORC resource estimate will have to be delayed until mid-next year However with the site, drill rig and camp now set up for a quick start up, the company is excited that the exploration area has been expanded significantly across the Oxide prospect. The Oxide prospect is one of over 15 areas of interest prospective for major discovery that's known to exist in the area. The project fundamentally is as strong as a district scale Gold project and I believe with our next major drill program our vision and the scale of the project will come to light""We are pleased with the response in the Snow Lake Resources raising to date and believe shareholders will shortly see the value in the path we have chosen, despite it being a subdued lithium market. We look forward updating the market on other corporate activity around this in due course.""Nova is well capitalised to fund its planned activities, with the proposed expanded drilling program in snow lake to be financed from the proceeds of our IPO, majority start-up costs in Alaska paid - which includes owning camp equipment and supplies, a drill rig and associated equipment""Finally we remain focused on our strategy to deliver our fast tracked approach of value creation and growth. Our belief and commitment further evidenced by the directors recently injecting $500,000."About Nova Minerals Limited Nova Minerals Limited (ASX:NVA) (FRA:QM3) (OTCMKTS:NVAAF) is a dynamic explorer and developer of its flagship Estelle Gold district in the Tintina gold belt. Nova's strategy is to substantially increase the current 4.7Moz resource on the Korbel prospect. Subsequently to continue to lock in value through moving Korbel towards production whilst increasing the resource base across the pipeline of targets within the Estelle gold district. Nova Minerals also holds strategic investments in Snow Lake Resources Ltd (Thompson Brothers Lithium Project), Torian Resources Ltd (ASX:TNR) and RotorX Aircraft Manufacturing Co. Kochi, Oct 7 (PTI) A man has been arrested in connection with seizure of drugs worth Rs 200 crore meant to be smuggled to Malaysia through courier service, a top excise department official said Sunday. Prasanth Kumar from Kannur district was arrested, a week after the Excise department seized 30 kg of ecstasy drug worth Rs 200 crore from a parcel during a search of a private courier company office here. Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh said investigation is on to nab Ali from Chennai, who is Kumar's accomplice. The psychoactive drug, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy was seized following a tip off. In a bid to evade detection during scanning at airport, the drugs were kept in 64 packets and were covered with carbon papers. Officials said investigation revealed that couple of months ago the culprits had smuggled the drugs in similar fashion to Malaysia. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, October 4: EDMC sanitation workers, who are on strike for the last three weeks, Thursday staged a protest near the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to press for their demands, civic body officials said. The employees are on strike since September 12 demanding regular payment of salaries and regularisation of workers. "Sanitation workers are protesting outside my residence. BJP has misled them. I am going to talk to them and present facts before them. I am really worried about the sanitation arrangements in the city and the workers. They have to protest every two months to get their salaries," Kejriwal tweeted. EDMC Strike: Garbage Piles Up in East Delhi, Centre Tells SC It Cant Give Funds for Payment of Salaries to Sanitation Workers. A senior official said a meeting was underway between between the east Delhi Mayor and a sanitation union leader to resolve the issue. The Delhi government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it would release Rs 500 crore within two days to civic bodies, which will help resolve the crisis that has arisen due to the ongoing strike by sanitation workers of East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). "Sanitation workers are protesting outside CM's residence. There has been no instance of violence between protesters and police," another official said. The EDMC has around 16,000 workers, half of whom are permanent employees. The BJP-led EDMC on September 26 had decided to begin the process for permanent employment of contractual sanitation workers who were recruited after March 31, 1998. Arvind Kejriwal Demands to Reduce Excise Duty by Rs 10 Per Litre on Fuel. The president of MCD Swachhata Karmchari Union, Sanjay Gahlot, however, had said that since, there was no assurance of this resolution reaching its desired end from the authorities side, they would continue their agitation in east Delhi. New Delhi, October 8: The total outstanding of the CISF towards AAI-run and private airports stands at Rs 1748 for providing security, Central Industrial Security Force Director General Rajesh Ranjan said on Monday. The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi has outstanding bills of Rs 778 crores, the top official of the CISF that provides security to 60 of the 98 operational airports in India. "An amount of Rs 90 crore is due to CISF by the airports under Airport Authority of India (AAI)," Rajesh Ranjan said at a press conference. "Private airports are due to pay Rs 880 crore and Delhi airport has to pay Rs 778 Crore to CISF," he added. Ranjan also announced the CISF will soon take charge of Kerala's Kannur airport. Earlier in June, the CISF asked new bulletproof jackets for its personnel deployed at airports as the current jackets are incapable of withstanding bullets fired from AK 47 assault rifles. It wants to procure 1,500 new jackets because the jackets procured by CISF in 2011 could be pierced by bullets fired from a close range, which could hurt security personnel. In April, an audit conducted by the paramilitary agency made a shocking revelation that only six airports guarded by the CISF are equipped to diffuse and dispose of explosives. The report raised concerns over the security of the airports and safety of passengers. Airports in Delhi, Mumbai Chennai, Kolkata, Cochin and Hyderabad are equipped with bomb detection and diffusal squads. Airports in rest of the country don't have the important security equipments. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 08, 2018 01:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). High-Grade Nickel-Cobalt Mineralization Extended at Goongarrie Perth, Oct 8, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Ardea Resources Ltd ( ASX:ARL ) ( OTCMKTS:ARRRF ) announces Recent drilling results from the Pamela Jean Deeps confirm and extend the deeper high-grade mineralization. This zone is scheduled as the mining target during the payback period, to enhance project economics.- Ongoing Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) drilling program confirms high-grade intercepts at the Pamela Jean Deeps orebody.o AGSR419 112m at 1.30% Ni, 0.26% Co, 31g/t Sc from 30m(see Note 1 below)o AGSD0001 100.8m at 1.00% Ni, 0.08% Co from 32m(see Note 2 below)o AGSR0413 76m at 1.11% Ni, 0.09% Co and 38g/t Sc from 24mo AGSR0418 56m at 1.29% Ni, 0.14% Co and 18g/t Sc 104mo AGSR0190 57m at 1.04% Ni, 0.10% Co and 21g/t Sc from 70m- The top of Pamela Jean is a typical flat laterite surface at 15-30m below surface. Rather than a flat base some 40-50m below surface, the base of Pamela Jean is "funnel-shaped", penetrating up to 165m below surface. With continuous mineralisation to depth, this geometry fortuitously mimics pit design batters, minimizing Pamela Jean strip ratios. The result is high tonnes and grade proximal to future plant site.- The "deep funnel" ore is associated with a narrow dyke and intense shearing that has facilitated exceptionally deep weathering (to 165m).- An additional "funnel-shaped" Deeps ore zone discovered in 20m infill drilling (AGSR0190), suggests potential for further deeper high-grade ore, associated with bedrock structures, still requiring drill appraisal.- Uniform goethite mineralization confirmed at Pamela Jean, validates Pamela Jean as a premium autoclave feed for project payback.- Ore geometry very consistent, with >0.5% Ni pervasive between the base of lateritized alluvium overburden and top of carbonated saprock basement, facilitates predictable mine planning, free-dig ore until mining encounters sub-grade hard saprock at the pit base and within batters, excellent visual grade control.- Ardea inclined drill-holes have precisely confirmed historic drill results, serves as a QAQC program for historic work.- Scandium mineralization evident from surface, typically 30-62g/t Sc when occurring in the nickel-cobalt ore feed.- Magnesite neutralizer pervasive within ore footwall, ~0.5% Ni credit.Recent drilling results from the Goongarrie orebodyPamela Jean DeepsSignificant intercepts from the Pamela Jean Deeps drilling(see Note 3 below)6669440mN sectionAGSR0412 38m at 0.89% nickel, 0.06% cobalt and 36g/t scandium from 22m(see Note 4 below)including 8m at 1.16% nickel, 0.13% cobalt and 34g/t scandium from 30mAGSR0412 14m at 0.78% nickel, 0.04% cobalt and 8g/t scandium from 136m(see Note 4 below)including 2m at 1.13% nickel, 0.11% cobalt and 6g/t scandium from 140mAGSR0411 32m at 0.84% nickel, 0.05% cobalt and 15g/t scandium from 22m(see Note 4 below)including 2m at 1.28% nickel, 0.09% cobalt and 22g/t scandium from 38mAGSR0411 20m at 0.71% nickel, 0.03% cobalt and 9g/t scandium from 76m(see Note 4 below)6669520mN sectionAGSR0414 4m at 0.44% nickel, 0.54% cobalt and 52g/t scandium from 14m(see Note 4 below)AGSR0414 38m at 1.01% nickel, 0.10% cobalt and 43g/t scandium from 16m(see Note 4 below)including 8m at 1.40% nickel, 0.08% cobalt and 30g/t scandium from 40mAGSR0413 76m at 1.11% nickel, 0.09% cobalt and 38g/t scandium from 24m(see Note 4 below)including 12m at 1.11% nickel, 0.12% cobalt and 36g/t scandium from 44mincluding 16m at 1.36% nickel, 0.22% cobalt and 35g/t scandium from 66mincluding 4m at 1.36% nickel, 0.13% cobalt and 33g/t scandium from 88m6669600mN sectionAGSR0418 42m at 0.67% nickel, 0.04% cobalt and 14g/t scandium from 30m(see Note 4 below)including 2m at 1.12% nickel, 0.09% cobalt and 13g/t scandium from 48mAGSR0418 56m at 1.29% nickel, 0.14% cobalt and 18g/t scandium from 104m(see Note 4 below)including 36m at 1.40% nickel, 0.20% cobalt and 19g/t scandium from 110mAGSD0001 100.8m at 1.00% nickel, 0.08% cobalt from 34m(see Note 4 below)including 2m at 1.02% nickel, 0.11% cobalt from 87mincluding 7.2m at 1.30% nickel, 0.45% cobalt from 95.6mincluding 6m at 1.40% nickel, 0.22% cobalt from 118mAGSD0001 24.8m at 1.10% nickel, 0.08% cobalt from 140.2m(see Note 4 below)including 8m at 1.40% nickel, 0.11% cobalt from 152m6669680mN sectionAGSR0419 112m at 1.30% nickel, 0.26% cobalt and 31g/t scandium from 30m(see Note 4 below)including 6m at 1.14% nickel, 0.08% cobalt and 19g/t scandium from 42mincluding 68m at 1.58% nickel, 0.39% cobalt and 35g/t scandium from 72m6669760mN sectionAGSR0422 48m at 0.94% nickel, 0.07% cobalt and 19g/t scandium from 104m(see Note 4 below)including 8m at 0.88% nickel, 0.16% cobalt and 18g/t scandium from 114mincluding 4m at 1.48% nickel, 0.09% cobalt and 135g/t scandium from 134mAGSR0421 26m at 0.66% nickel, 0.04% cobalt and 35g/t scandium from 20m(see Note 4 below)AGSR0421 76m at 0.82% nickel, 0.07% cobalt and 28g/t scandium from 54m(see Note 4 below)including 28m at 0.91% nickel, 0.14% cobalt and 27g/t scandium from 84mAGSR0190 24m at 0.86% nickel, 0.02% cobalt and 99g/t scandium from 36m4AGSR0190 57m at 1.04% nickel, 0.10% cobalt and 21g/t scandium from 70mincluding 14m at 0.82% nickel, 0.20% cobalt and 24g/t scandium from 70mincluding 16m at 1.28% nickel, 0.10% cobalt and 29g/t scandium from 90m6669840mN sectionAGSR0186 62m at 0.92% nickel, 0.04% cobalt and 32g/t scandium from 22m(see Note 4 below)including 2m at 1.40% nickel, 0.08% cobalt and 50g/t scandium from 66mAGSR0417 26m at 0.90% nickel, 0.04% cobalt and 29g/t scandium from 22m(see Note 4 below)AGSR0187 60m at 1.14% nickel, 0.08% cobalt and 47g/t scandium from 24m(see Note 4 below)including 24m at 1.27% nickel, 0.14% cobalt and 33g/t scandium from 60m6669880mN sectionAGSR0416 28m at 0.87% nickel, 0.08% cobalt and 34g/t scandium from 62m(see Note 4 below)including 4m at 0.83% nickel, 0.11% cobalt and 34g/t scandium from 62mincluding 8m at 0.91% nickel, 0.09% cobalt and 34g/t scandium from 82m6669920mN sectionAGSR0294 18m at 0.98% nickel, 0.08% cobalt and 34g/t scandium from 18m(see Note 4 below)including 8m at 0.98% nickel, 0.12% cobalt and 43g/t scandium from 18mAGSR0415 46m at 1.03% nickel, 0.06% cobalt and 35g/t scandium from 28m(see Note 4 below)including 10m at 1.33% nickel, 0.14% cobalt and 34g/t scandium from 46mPamela Jean Geological ModelThe current Pamela Jean Deeps drilling was initially executed as a precursor to a geotechnical program, but has generated new insights into Goongarrie geological models, geo-metallurgy and geotechnics.The 2018 Ardea drilling at Goongarrie, and Pamela Jean in particular, is restricted to 80x40m infill of proposed pit locations where existing 80x80m drill patterns define the current Indicated Mineral Resource (refer ASX announcement 14 March 2018 for current resource statement). Being infill drilling during 2018, changes to the overall Mineral Resources are expected to be non-material. Of note, historical geological interpretations for the run-of-mine "shallow flat" lateritic mineralization have been precisely confirmed by 2018 drilling, suggesting robust QAQC for historic Goongarrie drilling.The recent Pamela Jean Deeps drilling has been different to earlier 2018 drilling, in that the inclined holes (first time executed anywhere at Goongarrie) have quantified deep "funnel-shaped" ore zones, especially in respect to structural controls on deep ore. Importantly, "deep funnel" mineralization has been defined (notably by drill-hole AGSR0190 section 6669760mN) where previous drilling only had "shallow flat" ore.Historic hole GSRC0184 (323096mE) returned 22m at 0.58% Ni and 0.03% Co from 17m and GSRC1005 (323140mE) returned 35m at 0.82% Ni and 0.11% Co from 28m. Ardea RC drill-hole AGSR0190 (323116mE) between the two returned 91m at 0.92% Ni and 0.07% Co from 36m (stops in ore), and in addition intersected a previously unrecognized dyke dipping 650 east that fingerprints the "deep funnel".Following this result, a systematic drill data review was completed, identifying a significant number of holes stopping in ore where potential deep "funnels" could be present (as for AGSR0190). This will necessitate amendments to wireframes and ultimately pit designs. With the deepening and widening of potential pits, various geotechnical parameters in terms of batter designs and PAL plant neutralizer also come into play.As 2018 RC drilling winds down, data is being consolidated for current DFS programs. In particular, a geological model has been developed for Goongarrie which consolidates the current 575 holes for 26,528m of Ardea RC drilling with existing 2,372 holes for 115,384m of historical RC drilling. The Ardea model focuses on the mineralized regolith (the weathered mantle), and its relationship to the underlying protolith (the unweathered ultramafic bedrock). In particular, there is a marked bedrock structural control on overlying laterite mineralization.The same bedrock structures also control the location of palaeo-channel quartz sand units (component of "Lateritized Alluvials", see Figure 2-9 in link below). The sand channels influence DFS hydrology planning and pit designs.ProtolithThe Goongarrie nickel-cobalt mineralization is hosted by the Walter Williams Formation (WWF), a 2.7 billon year old olivine cumulate komatiite volcanic flow. The flow at its western contact variously overlies a granitoid basement or Missouri Basalt (conformable volcanic contact). The upper eastern contact is conformable Siberia Komatiite, with potential for a low-grade nickel laterite regolith.Western-most Goongarrie drill holes intersect a major quartz sand palaeo-channel aquifer (including carbonate bands), either overlying mineralization or dissecting mineralization. The palaeo-channel is a NW palaeo-valley separating Pamela Jean in the east from Elsie Tynan in the west.Eastern-most Goongarrie drill holes end in olivine orthocumulate and Siberia Komatiite and have a nontronite regolith with low-grade nickel laterite developed on shallow dolomitic saprock (potential neutralizer).RegolithAs well as being the ore body, the Regolith is critical to project design, providing civil construction material, and importantly neutralizer for the PAL discharge and environmental management.The drill-hole logging and interpretation defines the regolith, which then governs mine scheduling for ore, neutralizer and construction materials.Goongarrie has a predicable Regolith, easily recognized in drill logging and is summarized as follows.Pedogenic - Regolith Cycle 3 - Residual (youngest)Modern soil profile, typical detrital quartz sand with colluvial hematitic clasts cemented by calcite at 0-2m and dolomite at 2-6m, commonly colluvial gravel horizons.The carbonate component is suited as an environmental neutralizer.Laterite - Regolith Cycle 2 - ResidualLaterite Duricrust is dominantly ferruginous (>25% Fe) and usually develops on Alluvial cover, but on palaeo-Tertiary highs such as Patricia Anne, laterite develops on a mineralized goethite cumulate substrate.The Laterite Mottled is a distinctive dark red massive mottled kaolinitic clay with Sc-V-Ti-Zr "resistate" enrichment. XRD confirms a haematite-kaolinite mineralogy. There can be a diagnostic alunite overprint superimposed upon upper Cycle 2 Laterite.Laterite is earmarked for use in civil earthworks, including plant site, ROM pad and roadways.Alluvial Cover - Regolith Cycle 1, 2 - DepositionalThe Alluvial Cover includes Tertiary-aged gravel, sand and clay overburden. For consistency, if ferricrete bands are present (yellow/brown mottling or dark red hematite nodules), then the material characterization is Laterite, and it is suitable for earthworks.Tertiary palaeo-channel gravels with carbonate cement typically show no lateritization. The magnesite is suitable for neutralization of the PAL discharge, but lacks the nickel credit of saprock neutralizer.A distinctive clay variant is "candy-stripe clay", being a thin bedded 0.2-2mm banded white and brown-pink kaolinitic lacustrine deposit which has been irregularly "bleached" to pure white (to blue-green-white) coating-grade kaolinite. This is a high priority precursor target for High Purity Alumina (HPA).Clay Upper - Regolith Cycle 1 - Residual (oldest)The main mineralized zone at Goongarrie is termed Clay Upper/Lower and occurs dominantly between base of Cycle 2 Lateritized Alluvials and top of Cycle 1 Carbonated Saprock (see Figures 2-9 in link below).Clay Upper mineralogy is dominantly goethite clay, with accessory asbolite, haematite, magnetite, chromite, kaolinite, gibbsite and silica. The ore zone in modelling is clearly defined by the >0.5% Ni grade shell, with associated Co, Mn, Cr, Zn and Cl enrichment.The continuity of Clay Upper/Lower mineralization ensures predictability and accuracy for mine scheduling, significantly diminishing production risk at Goongarrie.The base off Clay Upper is a geochemical contact termed the Magnesia Discontinuity (MD), characterized by a sharp increase in magnesium and silica with a corresponding decrease in iron and aluminium which reflects palaeo-water table events. There is a marked increase in Ni, Co and Mn straddling the MD.Clay Lower - Regolith Cycle 1 - ResidualClay Lower is the mineralization host below the Magnesia Discontinuity. There is invariably 2-10m of mineralized Clay Lower below the MD and above Saprock. Clay Lower is dominantly goethite, with accessory silica, chlorite-serpentine (green flecks) and magnesite (white-brown).Clay Void-fill - Regolith Cycle 1 - ResidualClay Void-fill is a distinctive karst-style breccia deposit occasionally found at the top of Saprock, consisting of irregular angular fragments of silicified Saprock "floating" in a dark red goethitic mud matrix.The silicified fragments are suited as a grinding media, which is attractive in view of the nickel credit of Clay Void-fill (0.5-1.3% Ni).Saprock - Regolith Cycle 1 - ResidualSaprock is a hard carbonated weathered rock with strong remnant olivine cumulate textures. It is easily distinguished from the overlying soft ore, so the base of ore will be readily distinguished in grade control. Geochemically, Saprock has >7% Ca and >20% LOI. There is a strong vertical zonation with depth in Saprock, being dolomite to magnesite to silica and finally serpentinite with irregular veining of porcellanous magnesite and chalcedony. At Pamela Jean, the dolomite zone is generally absent.Saprock is suited as a PAL discharge neutralizer, with the focus on nickel-bearing carbonate (target 0.4-0.8% Ni).Bedrock - ProtolithBedrock has only been intersected by Ardea in the Pamela Jean Deeps "batter" geotechnical holes. Previous interpretations at Goongarrie are that olivine adcumulate weathers to deep goethite-gibbsite-silica clays, mesocumulate to shallower nontronite clays and orthocumulate has a very thin carbonated saprock weathering profile.MineralizationPamela Jean is the key constituent lateritic orebody that contributes to the ore reserves defined at the Goongarrie Nickel Cobalt Project. It is located at the central Goongarrie South area (see Figure 1 in link below). It is one of the 31 currently defined deposits modelled for future mining at Goongarrie (see Appendix 1 in link below).The Pamela Jean deposit measures approximately 1,700 metres by 300 metres and is characterised by high-grade, "deep funnel"-shaped mineralization. Overburden is 20-30m, with base of Pamela Jean Deeps mineralization between 100 and 165m.The top of Pamela Jean is a typical flat laterite surface at 15-30m below surface. Rather than a flat base some 40-50m below surface, the base of Pamela Jean is concave at 80-165m below surface forming a "funnel-shaped" ore geometry that fortuitously mimics pit design batters, so minimizing Pamela Jean strip ratios. The result is high tonnes and grade proximal to the future plant site.Continuity of mineralization is strong between drill holes (see Figure 2-9 in link below). This is a hallmark of Goongarrie, being a "goethite style" (yellow) laterite nickel-cobalt deposit. It contrasts with the more siliceous and nontronitic style (green) laterite deposits which can exhibit marked variation between drill-holes. All defined intercepts from the 2018 Pamela Jean program are listed in Appendix 3(see link below).Metallurgical ProgramsThe 2018 Pamela Jean drilling has been a key source of metallurgical test material for current DFS programs.Variability studiesRepresentative "run-of-mine" mineralization from Ardea Goongarrie South diamond core holes AGSD0007, 0010 and 0012 was used in the study. The consistency of mineralization has been confirmed and final results are pending.Piloting studiesBased on the optimized pit schedule material, pilot feed was specifically-drilled with sonic core at 200m intervals along the strike of Pamela Jean and Elsie Tynan pit areas and supplemented with bulk RC chips from the Patricia Anne pit area, to achieve an approximate 1.1% Ni, 0.12% Co and 35g/t Sc feed (7.5 tonne dry).The dominant ore style at Goongarrie is goethite-rich, with an accessory cobaltian wad termed asbolite. The ore has exceptional rheology in terms of pulp density and settling, with very consistent metallurgical performance.Leaching has been completed to produce Mixed Sulphide Product (MSP). Metal leach extractions were 93-95%. The MSP is currently being refined into sulphate crystals. This process should be complete by the end of October 2018.Ongoing work at GoongarrieResource EstimationA comprehensive resource re-estimation for Goongarrie commenced in July 2018 in the northern Goongarrie project area (Patricia Anne) whilst drilling was still current in the southern project area (Big Four, Scotia Dam). The resource re-estimation due this quarter and will incorporate the recent infill drilling at Elsie Tynan.During the course of wireframing the Patricia Anne and Pamela Jean deposits and siting geotechnical holes, it became apparent that though the 80x40m drill pattern was more than adequate for the run-of-mine "shallow flat" ore that typically occurs between 20m and 40m vertical depth, there were limitations for deeper ore. With the recognition of the strong structural controls on "deep funnel" ore, it became apparent that the 80x40m pattern did not adequately quantify the "deep funnel" ore with a large number of previous holes being stopped in ore (due to failing to identify the deep structural control on mineralization).These observations indicate a resource predicated on existing drilling could underestimate the contribution of these "funnels".An indicator of this issue was the pilot plant deep sonic drilling in most holes returned ore that significantly exceeded predicted the "run-of-mine" grades of 1% Ni and 0.1% Co, necessitating low grade hanging wall ore to be included in piloting to return grade closer to the scheduled life-of-mine grades.Geo-metallurgyDetailed geo-metallurgical analysis is currently underway for Goongarrie using multi-element geochemistry and Xray Diffraction (XRD) mineralogical analysis.The study will allow 2018 Ardea drilling to be used as a control to populate the historic data base in respect of predicted metallurgical performance and material characterization.There are currently 10 variants of Clay Upper ore and 8 variants of Clay Lower ore, all requiring variability test work.The geo-metallurgical work on 28 Ardea core holes suggests the bulk density of "run-of-mine" ore historically may have been over-estimated, implying a potential reduction in tonnage but the historic bulk density determination estimates far exceed the smaller Ardea bulk density data set.Drilling programsA limited program of 80x20m infill RC drilling is under consideration for late 2018 to better quantify the "deep funnel" targets. This would enable an upgrade of resources and reserves, so facilitating greater confidence in defining mining schedules for the planned Goongarrie mine.Additional drilling also includes:- Ongoing samples for metallurgical variability testing of mineralized zones.- Hydrology, palaeo-channel quartz sands separate the various ore bodies, so require pump-testing.- Geotechnical, recent drill-hole AGSR0420 was a "sighter hole" for geotechnical core drilling. AGSR0420 intersected saprock and bedrock as predicted by Ardea's pre-drill wireframe, with RC chip logging suggesting a hard, competent rock suited to pit batter positioning.DFS optimization optionsThe March 2018 Pre-Feasibility Study and July 2018 Expansion Study for the Goongarrie Nickel Cobalt Project highlighted an exceptional business case. With an enormous KNP resource inventory, access to discrete high-grade cobalt zones ("deep funnels") and the 2018 scandium and neutraliser discoveries, further project upside is expected at Goongarrie with studies underway for:- Potential to high-grade the mining of cobalt zones during payback period, due to more constrained sub-blocking the resource model (smaller selective blocks in the updated resource model).- Increased throughput and production through multiple (2.25Mtpa) PAL trains.- Scandium production.- Mineralized neutraliser optimization.Other possibilities to further enhance the project that are under consideration involve monetising accessory metals including vanadium, battery-grade manganese, high-purity alumina and chromium.Notes:1 Calculated using a 0.5 % nickel cut-off, 2 m minimum intercept, and 4 m maximum internal waste2 0.5 % nickel cut-off, 2m minimum intercept, and 4m maximum intern waste, previous report 2017 core hole3 Drill-holes for the Pamela Jean deposit are listed first by section (south to north, then by hole west to east)4 Calculated using a 0.50 % nickel cut-off, 2 m minimum intercept, and 4 m maximum internal waste, for "including" intercept 0.08% Co cut-offTo view figures, please visit:About Ardea Resources Ltd Ardea Resources Ltd (ASX:ARL) (OTCMKTS:ARRRF) (FRA:A91) is an ASX listed resources company, with 100% controlled Australian based projects, prioritising a three-pronged value creation strategy which is: - development of the Goongarrie Nickel Cobalt Project, which is part of the Kalgoorlie Nickel Project, a globally significant series of nickel-cobalt deposits which host the largest nickel-cobalt resource in the developed world, coincidentally located as a cover sequence overlying fertile orogenic gold targets; - advanced-stage exploration at WA gold and nickel sulphide targets within the Eastern Goldfields world-class nickel-gold province; and - the demerger of the NSW gold and base metal assets with planned in-specie share distribution, with projects located within the Lachlan Fold Belt world-class gold-copper province. New Delhi, October 8: Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Monday said two state refiners have placed orders for importing crude oil from Iran in November, the month when US sanctions on Iranian oil purchases take effect. "Two of our oil companies have made nominations to purchase Iranian oil in November," he said speaking at The Energy Forum here. "We do not know if we will get waiver (from US sanctions) or not." This is the first time Pradhan has spoken about India's stand on buying Iranian oil once the US sanctions on Iran come into force from November 4. Later, talking to reporters, he said India has its own energy requirements which it has to fulfill. "We will be guided by our national interest," he said. Indian Oil Corp (IOC) Chairman Sanjiv Singh said his company is among the two which have placed the order for November. "We have ordered for our usual quantity of oil," he said. IOC and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) together have placed the order for 1.25 million tonne (MT) of crude oil from Iran. Singh said options for paying for Iranian oil are under discussions. China Rejects U.S. Demand To Cut Imports of Iranian Crude Oil by November 4. US sanctions against Iran will kick in from November 4, which will block payment routes. Paying in rupee is an option. Iran can use the rupee to settle its imports of pharmaceuticals and other goods from India. "Even without sanctions also, Iran had been accepting payments in the rupee. So let us see how it evolves," he said. While India wants to continue importing Iranian oil, albeit a reduced volume, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month stated that Washington would consider waivers on the embargo but made it clear that these would be time-limited, if granted. Singh said IOC is importing the "usual" monthly volumes of oil from Iran. It had planned to import 9 MT of Iranian oil in the 2018-19 financial year or 0.75 MT a month. For rupee payments, oil companies could use UCO Bank or IDBI Bank to route oil payments to Iran, sources said. India had planned to import about 25 MT of crude oil from Iran in 2018-19, up from 22.6 MT imported in 2017-18. But the actual volumes imported may be far less as companies like Reliance Industries have totally stopped buying oil from Iran and others too are scaling it down in hope of winning a sanction waiver from the US. Nayara Energy, formerly Essar Oil, too is stopping import from the Persian Gulf nation. US President Donald Trump in May withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, re-imposing economic sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation. Some sanctions took effect from August 6 while those affecting the oil and banking sectors will start from November 4. Sources said Iran is open to accepting rupee payment for oil and may use the money to pay for equipment and food items it buys from India. UCO Bank and IDBI Bank have been identified to route the payment as the two have no exposure to the US financial system. UCO Bank had in the previous round of sanctions handled rupee payments. Currently, India pays its third largest oil supplier in euros using European banking channels. These channels would get blocked from November. During the first round of sanctions when EU joined the US in imposing financial restrictions, India initially used a Turkish bank to pay Iran for the oil it bought but beginning February 2013 paid nearly half of the oil import bill in rupees while keeping the remainder pending till the opening of payment routes. It began clearing the dues in 2015 when the restrictions were eased. Besides, New Delhi sought to get around the restrictions by supplying goods including wheat, soybean meal and consumer products to Iran in exchange for oil. Sources said this time around the entire 100 per cent of Iranian oil import bill can be paid in rupees. Iran is India's third-largest oil supplier behind Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It was India's second biggest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11 but Western sanctions over its suspected nuclear programme relegated it to the seventh spot in the subsequent years. In 2013-14 and 2014-15, India bought 11 MT and 10.95 MT respectively from it. Sourcing from Iran increased to 12.7 MT in 2015-16, giving it the sixth spot. In the following year, the Iranian supplies jumped to 27.2 MT to catapult it to the third spot. Iranian oil is a lucrative buy for refiners as the Persian Gulf nation provides 60 days of credit for purchases, terms not available from suppliers of substitute crudes -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Nigeria, and the US. Besides blocking of banking channels from November, the absence of payment mechanism may pose a challenge to the transportation of the oil as Iranian crude is bought on a CIF basis and shipped on Iranian tankers. Under Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) mode of shipping, the seller assumes the responsibility of transportation and insurance. The liability and costs associated with successful transit are paid by the seller until the goods are received by the buyer. Mumbai, October 8: The Pune police arrested a businessman from Mumbai on Saturday for allegedly impersonating an additional chief secretary to Maharashtra Chief Minister and cheating the management of a five-star hotel of Rs 95,000 by not paying the bills. The businessman has been identified as 39-year-old Aditya Ashok Jogani, a resident of Napean Sea road in Mumbai. The police are yet to arrest arrested five of his friends. All the accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) 420 (cheating ),170 (impersonating as a public servant) and section 34, at the Koregaon Park police station. Jogani was sent to police custody till October 10 by the Pune court. The commercial director of the hotel lodged the FIR. The incident took place in January this year when Jogani called up the hotel reception and introduced himself as Praveen Pardeshi, an additional chief secretary to the chief minister. He asked the hotel authorities to arrange a stay of six people. He also told the hotel reception not to bill the guest as it would be taken care off. Cosmos Bank Cyber Attack Case: Pune Police Arrests Two More Accused, Recovers Rs 3.55 Lakh The hotel authorities after not getting a response from Jogani for a long time called up Pardeshi, an IAS officer. After the IAS officer denied that he had called the hotel to make arrangements for the stay of six people, the hotel authorities realised that they were cheated and then contacted the police. In a similar incident, on September 28, the Delhi Police's Crime Branch arrested a man identified as Pulkit Maharaj who claimed to be the spiritual guru of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. An FIR was registered against Pulkit on the complaint of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in August with the Delhi Police. An assistant director at the PMO had complained about the fraud. Pulkit had sought VIP treatment as he claimed himself being close to the Prime Minister. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 08, 2018 05:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). New Delhi, October 8: The political opponents of Congress president Rahul Gandhi have stepped up their online attack with parodies ahead of elections in five states. A spoof website called 'Made in Amethi' has been created on October 4 to mock Rahul Gandhis constant references to Made in in his rally speeches. The makers present porn star Mia Khalifa as the website's brand ambassador. The parody website - www.madeinamethi.com - says Rahul Gandhi is the CEO whose dream is "to setup (sic) so many mobile factories in India that the number of phones surpass the number of phone users". The portal has sections such as 'Board of Dictators' and 'Uneventful Events'. It invites people for fake Made in Jabalpur phones event on October 6 and a Made in Indore event on October 15. Intrestingly, Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit Jabalpur for Narmada Puja at Gwari Ghat on October 6 and will campaign in Indore on October 15. The 'Made in Amethi' reference is derived from Gandhi's 'Made in...' element through which he promises to promote India-made products. In September, the Congress leader had said that he was waiting for the day when a Chinese takes a selfie on a phone thats Made in Chitrakoot. Chouhan Hits Back at Rahul's 'Made in Chitrakoot' Remark. The 'Board of Dictators' section takes dig at Lok Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, Rajasthan state Congress chief Sachin Pilot and former union minister Shashi Tharoor. It mocks Scindia and Pilot for being political dynasts, and calls Tharoor a megician "who can make women disappear as soon as he see a more beautiful one". The website is reportedly created by some BJP members from Madhya Pradesh which will go to polls on November 28. In the fake testimonial, Mia Khalifa says she is proud of being the brand ambassador of the website. She says MIA in her name stand for 'Made in Amethi'. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 08, 2018 11:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). New Delhi, October 08: Nine people, including a minor, have been arrested in Bihar's Supaul, where over 30 schoolgirls were thrashed for allegedly resisting sexual advances of some boys, police said on Monday. Triveniganj district's Assistant Superintendent of Police informed that the probe is on, ensuring that an innocent person is not caught in the case. But the state's opposition party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has questioned the Nitish Kumar-led government for going slow on the probe. RJD leader Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav said the state government has gone into a deep sleep like Kumbhkarna's slumber. Bihar: 30 Schoolgirls in Supaul Thrashed by Goons For 'Resisting Sexual Assault'. "Supaul incident has once again brought shame to the pure land of Bihar. Having witnessed repeated cases of crimes against women in Bihar, including molestation, rape, sexual harassment and murders, I think the government has gone into a deep sleep like Kumbhkarna's," Yadav told ANI. Meanwhile, the ruling party of Bihar, Janata Dal United (JDU), said that culprits will be not be spared. "Supaul incident is very shameful. The government has taken it very seriously. The administration has registered an FIR on this. Arrests have been made. Those who haven't been arrested till now will be arrested soon. As per law, culprits will be punished," JDU leader Dr Sunil Kumar told ANI. According to a victim, a group of boys often wrote obscene words on the walls of a playground in the vicinity. Upon confrontation, the boys allegedly thrashed the girls. The victim also said a few women were among those thrashing the victims. An FIR of the incident was lodged on Sunday and probe was initiated. Official Held for Alleged Sexual Harassment of Women Inmates at Another Bihar Short-stay Home If you are in West Bengal during this time of the year, you should have seen Kashphul and Shiuliphul, these flowers indicate the arrival of Durga Puja. Artisans are busy giving their final touches to the Durga idols, shops are crowded as people complete their last-minute puja shopping. There is an excitement on the face of every Bengali across the world, who are eagerly waiting to welcome Goddess Durga along with her family. These six-days of fun and festivity is also the time of homecoming for every Bengali who resides outside their hometown. Mahalaya 2018: Date & Significance of the Day When Pitru Paksha Ends & Goddess Durga Descends On Earth. The auspicious occasion of Mahalaya, which is celebrated seven days before the start of Durga Puja, marks the arrival of Maa. This year, Mahalaya will be celebrated on October 8, and is observed seven-days before the start of Durga Puja. The word "Mahalaya" is formed of two words "Maha" or grand and "Alaya" meaning abode. This day marks the end of Pitru Paksha or Pitri Paksha and the start of Devi Paksha, which signifies the start of all auspicious time. According to the Hindu mythology, it is believed that on this day, the ten hands goddess descends on the earth to fight against all the evils and protect us. Maa Durga's 108 Names in Hindi: This Navaratri 2018, Chant Names of Devi Durga to Seek Goddess Shakti's Divine Blessings. Birendra Krishna Bhadra & Story of Mahishasura Mardini In most of the houses in Bengal till today, it is a ritual to wake up at 4 am and to tune in to their radios to listen late Birendra Krishna Bhadra's "Mahishasura Mardini" recitation from the verses of Chandi Path along with Bengali devotional songs. But who is this man, whose sonorous voice doesn't fail to create magic and echoes in the minds and hearts of every Bengali across age group? Birendra Krishna Bhadra was one of the great stalwarts of radio drama production at All India Radio (AIR) Kolkata. Mahishasura Mardini, the 90-minute musical piece which narrates the tale of Goddess Durga being created to save the gods from the torture inflicted upon them by the shape-shifting buffalo demon Mahisasura, was first composed in 1931 under the direction of Pankaj Kumar Mullick. It was only recorded in 1966, after which the recorded version is played every time. The story of Mahishasura Mardini highlights the increase in the cruelty of the demon king Mahisasura against the gods. The script is a combination of narration, hymns and Bengali devotional songs, which tells the story of the creation of a powerful female with ten arms-Goddess Durga, and how she gains victory in her fight with Asura. How to hear it LIVE on All India Radio His voice marks the onset of Durga Puja, it is filled with nostalgia and gives goosebumps to every Bengali. If you are not in West Bengal, here is how you can still hear it. Click here All India Radio and then select Air Bangla. You can also hear it on YouTube, where the original recording has been uploaded. Did you know that for several years, Mahisasura Mardini was played live with renowned artistes like Manabendra Mukhopadhyay, Arati Mukhopadhyay, Utpala Sen, Tarun Banerjee, Krishna Dasgupta, Shyamal Mitra, Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, and other great actors? AIR Kolkata also experimented with several voices, one of them was the legendary actor Uttam Kumar, but none of them managed to create the same aura and the magic which Birendra Krishna Bhadra reverberating voice did. For those, who would also like to watch Mahishasura Mardini on television, from Colors Bangla to Zee Bangla, each of the Bengali channels have programmes lined up, so don't miss them. Here is the promo of all the 2018 Mahishasura Mardini TV shows It is a tradition that till today, people wake up to the powerful voice of the legendary artiste. It gives us hope that if we can keep Birendra Krishna Bhadra's voice alive even several decades later, it means that younger generations are not there to always challenge traditions and change it. Durga Puja or Navaratri instils in the minds of every devotee that goodness is here to stay. Here's wishing all our readers a Very Happy Durga Puja and a colourful Navaratri. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 07, 2018 10:08 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Cairo, October 8: Egyptian security forces pressing a campaign against Islamist militants have killed 52 suspected jihadists in the Sinai Peninsula in operations in which three soldiers also died, the army said Monday. The military launched a sweeping operation in February focused on the Sinai in eastern Egypt aimed at wiping out jihadists, including from the Islamic State (IS) group, who have been waging a bloody insurgency. On Monday, the military said that 53 "takfiris" or Sunni Muslim extremists were killed in two separate operations by security forces in the restive peninsula. Three members of the armed forces were also killed in these operations, it said in a statement, without stating when they took place. The military has regularly reported operations in the Sinai since it launched the campaign. According to official figures, a total of more than 350 suspected jihadists and at least 30 soldiers have been killed in the "Sinai 2018" campaign. US-led Strikes Kill 28 Jihadists in Eastern Syria: Monitor. Security sources said last week that local IS leader Abu Hamza al-Maqdisi had been killed in an air raid on the Sinai. The jihadist group confirmed his death. Jihadists have killed hundreds of police officers and soldiers in the Sinai since the army ousted Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Journalists across the world are facing threats and persecution. After the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, disturbing news has come from the European country of Bulgaria. An investigative television journalist has been raped and murdered in Bulgaria's northern town of Ruse, according to officials. The body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova, whom authorities identified only by her initials, was found on Saturday in a park in the Bulgarian town of Ruse, regional prosecutor Georgy Georgiev said on Sunday. "Her mobile phone, car keys, glasses and part of her clothes were missing," he said. It is not known if the killing is linked to the 30-year-old's work at a local television station, TVN. An investigation is looking into her personal and professional life. The last episode of the show on September 30 broadcast interviews with investigative journalists Dimitar Stoyanov from the Bivol.bg website and Attila Biro from the Romanian Rise Project, about an investigation of alleged fraud with EU funds linked to big businessmen and politicians. Ruse regional prosecutor Georgy Georgiev said Marinova had suffered blows to the head and was suffocated in the fatal attack, adding that her "mobile phone, car keys, glasses and part of her clothes were missing". Her death immediately drew international condemnation. "Shocked by horrific murder of investigative journalist Viktoria Marinova in Bulgaria," tweeted Harlem Desir, the media freedom representative for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). "Urgently call for a full and thorough investigation. Those responsible must be held to account." Marinova is the third high-profile journalist to be killed in the European Union in the past year, and the fourth since the start of 2017. Marinovas death and Khashoggis disappearance comes as the international group Reporters without borders recorded 56 journalists had been killed in 2018 along with 10 citizens journalists killed and 4 media assistants killed. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 08, 2018 05:35 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). The United States and China will hold high-level talks in Beijing on Monday to stem the downward spiral of bilateral relations between the worlds biggest economies. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to hold talks with top Chinese leaders and officials in a bid to halt the ongoing trade war in which both countries have slapped tariffs on billions of dollars of their bilateral exports. Announcing Pompeo's visit, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying last week said that China and the U.S. would exchange views on bilateral ties and regional and international issues of common concern. U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis too was due to visit Beijing but the visit was cancelled. The news of cancellation of his visit came after U.S. accused a Chinese naval warship of unsafe and aggressive maneuvering near its destroyer USS Decatur when it passed close to the contested islands off the disputed South China Sea to assert freedom of navigation. China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Neighbouring countries of Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. Pompeo's visit was expected to provide an opportunity to both sides to lower the tensions between them. Besides slapping additional tariffs on Chinese exports, U.S. has also imposed sanctions on a Chinese military unit for securing Russian weapon systems like S-400 missiles and Su-35 fighters. Ahead of the visit both countries had heated exchanges with regards to their internal affairs. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday accused China of interfering in U.S. internal affairs and elections policies. Pence said China wants a "different American President" and is using more "proactive and coercive" methods to interfere in America's domestic policies and politics. China has refuted Pence's allegation terming them as "malicious slander". Reacting to Pence's allegations, Hua on Friday said, "The relevant speech made unwarranted accusations against China's domestic and foreign policies and slandered China by claiming that China meddles in U.S. internal affairs and elections". Significantly ahead of Pompeo's visit, Chinese Ambassador to Washington Cui Tiankai said China wants to end the trade war, but that the U.S. position keeps changing "so we don't know exactly what the U.S. 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 on Wednesday with America's National Public Radio, official Chinese media reported on Friday. "We offered to reduce the trade deficit of the U.S. for instance. And we also presented a very good proposal to the U.S. side about the further reform and opening up in China, some of the so-called structural issues," he said. "We are ready to work on the issues. 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 US changed. So this is very confusing, and this is making things very difficult," he said. Dier Ezzor, October 8: The United States-led International Coalition on Sunday airlifted a number of Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists from Syria's eastern Dier Ezzor province. Sources told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that an air landing near the town of al-Sha'feh - where ISIS terrorists are positioned in the province - was carried out by the US-led coalition's choppers. The terrorists were transported to a different location. This isn't the first time the US-led military coalition is transporting Daesh (ISIS) militants from war zones. Recently, the international coalition conducted similar drills outside the village of al-Mrashde, from where ISIS terrorists spread in the Dier Ezzor province, to transport ISIS leaders. ISIS Seeks Alternative Sources of Finance: Russia. In April, three Iraqi-origin ISIS commanders, and their families were evacuated from around the village of Tal al-Shayer, 20 kilometres southeast of al-Hasakah province's al-Shadadi. In December 2017, numerous ISIS militants were transported from the Dier Ezzor province to al-Hasakah, which is under the control of US-allied forces. Dier Ezzor was under siege by the ISIS since 2014, until government forces cleared them in 2017, Sputnik reported. ISIS had also targeted their operations in the province in May and June this year. Suspected ISIS Terrorists Arrested in Hyderabad Ahead of Independence Day. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Twenty people were killed when a stretch limousine crashed into another vehicle in the parking lot of a crowded store in Upstate New York on Saturday, in what federal authorities are calling the deadliest U.S. crash in nearly a decade. Read Full Short Form Prospectus Perth, Oct 9, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Classic Minerals Ltd ( ASX:CLZ ) provides the Company's Prospectus.OfferFor the conditional offer of 1,000 Shares to the Public at an issue price of $0.01 each to raise $10 (Offer).CleansingThis Prospectus has also been prepared primarily for the purposes of section 708A(11) of the Corporations Act to remove any trading restrictions on the sale of certain Shares issued prior to the date of this Prospectus. Please refer to Section 4.3 for further details.UnderwritingThe Offer is not underwritten.To view the Prospectus, please visit:About Classic Minerals Limited Classic Minerals Limited (ASX:CLZ) is an exploration and development company focused on gold deposits in Western Australia's famous Goldfields region. In March 2017, Classic acquired the Forrestania Gold Project, with seven tenements stretching across 450km2. Strategically located in a very prospective region, the FGP is an underexplored package surrounded by multimillion ounce deposits such as Bounty (2Moz) and Yilgarn Star (1.5Moz). Rose McGowan, one of the most vocal advocates of the #MeToo movement, is clarifying what appeared to be distressing comments about the revolutionary reckoning that swept through Hollywood the past year. Read Full Steps to become a Lawyer/Attorney in Utah Follow the step by step process or choose what situation that best describes you: Law Careers in Utah TheThe Utah State Bar is made up of many different types of lawyers, according to information provided by members for its 2014 Survey of New Attorneys. Of the new attorneys surveyed, 94.1 percent were active members of the Utah State Bar, while 27.9 percent were also active members of the California State Bar. The majority (35.3 percent) of respondents worked in small firms made up of two to ten attorneys. The top two law schools that survey takers were graduates of were University of Utah and Brigham Young University. If you think becoming a Utah lawyer is a goal you wish to strive for, read on. Step 1 Get Your Utah Undergraduate Pre-Law Major The Utah State Bar Office of Bar Admissions does not require any pre-legal undergraduate education. But, if you wish to attend an ABA-accredited law institution as the regulations of the Office stipulate, you must have a bachelors degree prior to applying for enrollment. Accreditation Before any ABA-accredited law school will allow you to enroll, it will check to make sure that your undergraduate degree is from an accredited college or university. If your school is accredited by a recognized agency listed with the U.S. Department of Education, such as a national or regional accreditation organization, most ABA-approved law schools will accept your undergraduate education. Requirements and Standards There are no prerequisites on undergraduate courses that you must take prior to entering law school. Some undergraduate courses, like criminal justice, philosophy, government, political science, and communications, may help you more than others once you get to law school. What are the Degree Options? As long as you have a Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) from an accredited college or university, ABA-accredited law schools will accept your education as valid. You need not have a bachelor degree in any certain field. Law and Paralegal Studies Legal Assistant Legal Studies Paralegal All Criminal Justice Programs Criminal Justice Administration Public Administration and Safety Sponsored Law and Paralegal Studies Legal Assistant Legal Studies Paralegal All Criminal Justice Programs Criminal Justice Administration Public Administration and Safety Sponsored Back to Top Step 2 LSAT (Law School Admission Test) in Utah The next phase of your quest to become a Utah lawyer is to pass the LSAT (Law School Admission Test). It is given multiple times annually at testing centers across the United States. How to prepare for the LSAT Free study aids are available at the LSAT website and will greatly help you in preparing to take this important test. Other study resources for the LSAT in Utah are: LSAT Exam Prep Courses in Utah: Exam content The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) administers the LSAT, as a standardized test necessary to be admitted to all LSAC member /ABA-approved law schools. There are five 35-minute long sections of multiple-choice questions in this half-day test. Four of the five sections count towards your overall LSAT score. There is one reading comprehension section, one section in analytical reasoning, and two sections in logical reasoning. A fifth section repeats one of the above sections and is experimental and unscored, but you will not be able to tell which is the unscored section. You must also complete a writing sample at the time you take the LSAT. This is not included as part of your overall LSAT score but is sent to law schools to which you apply. Application process The LSAC requires that you apply online to take the LSAT. It is administered in November, January, March, June and July, on Saturdays and Mondays, at the following examination centers throughout Utah: Southern Utah University, Cedar City Utah State University, Logan Weber State University, Ogden Dixie State University, St. George Brigham Young University, Provo University of Utah, Salt Lake City Receiving Your Score About three weeks after you take the exam, you should receive your LSAT score by mail. It will fall in the range from 120 to 180. ABA-approved law schools in Utah typically accept students with the following median LSAT scores: Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School: 161 University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law: 158 Back to Top Step 3 Go to Law School in Utah Featured Law School: Sponsored University of Dayton Featured Program: Online Hybrid Juris Doctor: ABA-approved JD program; Prepare to sit for the bar exam in most states; Semester-long legal externship. College Application process The tertiary step in your expedition to develop into a Utah lawyer is to attend an approved law school. Utah requires that you attend a law school approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). There are a few exceptions, which will be noted in Step 4. You do not have to attend law school in Utah--as long as it is ABA accredited, you may select any of the over than 200 ABA-accredited law schools listed in the LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools. Credential Assembly Service All candidates for enrollment to law school must first register with the LSACs Credential Assembly Service (CAS). CAS requires that you have all of your official transcripts from all schools attended (undergraduate and graduate) sent directly to them. They will also help you to collect letters of recommendation and other necessary documentation that law schools ask for when you apply. The CAS will compile all of your data into a concise but complete law school report to send to the schools to which you apply. They will produce up to five such reports for you. Accreditation The Utah State Bar Office of Bar Admissions requires that the law school from which you receive your first professional law degree is approved, which means that it must be accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Foreign law school graduates may be excepted from this rule, which will be explained later in Step 4. ABA-Accredited Law Schools in Utah Two law schools in Utah are ABA accredited: Course requirements The Utah State Bar Office of Bar Admissions expects that you will complete the following foundational law coursework while in an ABA-approved law school: Constitutional law Civil procedure and law Criminal procedure and law Legal ethics Evidence Online Law Degrees View Online and Campus Law and Legal Studies Programs (For students who choose to focus on a subset of law other than an attorney.) Internship Most law schools also require that you complete some sort of practical work experience during your law school years. Each schools mandates on this are different. In your clinical program, you may be exposed to law clinics where you work with real cases, off-campus law offices in which you assist real-life attorneys, governmental agencies in which you work in a legal capacity, or other real-life situations in which lawyers in Utah might find themselves. Your practical work will be graded by a member of your law schools faculty as well as by an on-site supervisor. Degree Programs for Lawyer Career You must obtain your first professional law degree, a Juris Doctor (JD) (also known as a Doctor of Jurisprudence) before taking the Utah bar exam. Your school may offer other options in addition to the JD, including concentrations and dual degrees. Check with your school for its opportunities in this area. For example, the University of Utah offers: JD/MBA Dual Degree JD/MPA Dual Degree JD/MPP Dual Degree JD/MSW Dual Degree Global JD Program Back to Top Step 4 Take the Utah State Bar Exam After obtaining your law degree, and if you are at least 21 years of age, you are eligible to take the Utah bar examination. If you have not yet completed all requirements for your degree, but will complete them prior to taking the exam, you may still apply to take the exam. You must file a certificate of law school graduation with the Bar by 30 days before the bar exam. The Utah State Bar requires all applicants to thoroughly read the Rules Governing Bar Admissions prior to applying to take the bar exam. Residency Requirement While Utah does not have a residency requirement per se, you must be able to prove that you are a legal United States resident prior to taking the bar exam. Non-ABA approved law school graduates Under certain circumstances, the Bar may approve graduates of non-ABA approved law schools to take the bar exam on a case-by-case basis. Additional education may be required to be completed prior to taking the exam. Graduates of Foreign Law Schools If you are a graduate of a foreign law school, you must meet the following requirements prior to taking the Utah bar exam: Have graduated from a foreign law school in a country where the principles of English common law form the basis of jurisprudence Be at least 21 years of age Have been admitted to practice law in an English common law foreign jurisdiction Have actively practiced law there for at least two years Within 24 consecutive months, have completed 24 semester hours of credit at an ABA approved law school, with a grade of C or better, in a core or survey course in: Constitutional law Civil procedure Criminal law or procedure Legal ethics Evidence Be of good moral character Have passed the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) (see below) Preparation Utah administers the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). The National Conference of Bar Examiners website offers information to help you prepare for its parts: the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) and the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE). Other preparation resources for the Utah bar exam include: Exam content The Utah Bar Exam includes the MPT, the MBE and the MEE. The MEE consists of six 30-minute essay questions on the following subjects: Business Associations Corporations and LLCs Civil Procedure Conflict of Laws Constitutional Law Contracts Criminal Law and Procedure Evidence Family Law Real Property Secured Transactions (includes Articles 1 and 9 of Uniform Commercial Code) Torts Trusts and Estates The MPT is allotted one and a half hours per question. It consists of performing a lawyers task and involves skills such as problem solving, analyzing facts, legal analysis, reasoning, written communication, organizing and managing a legal task, and recognizing and resolving ethical dilemmas. The MBE asks 200 multiple-choice questions on the following legal areas: Contracts Criminal Law Evidence Real Property Torts Constitutional Law Application Process The first step in applying to take the Utah bar exam is to register online with the Bar. You will then be instructed to complete the Application for Admission online and upload any required supplementary documentation. File by Oct 1 for the February exam and March 1 for the July exam Application fees are $550 for student applicants. An additional $150 is charged if you wish to use your own laptop for the exam. Make sure to answer all questions, even if the question does not apply to you simply answer none if this is the case. If any documents need to be mailed in lieu of uploading, send them to Utah State Bar Admissions, 645 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84111. Pass Rates for Utah Bar It generally takes about eight weeks to receive your Utah bar exam scores by mail after you take the exam. According to AmeriBar, the following are results of previous Utah bar exams: July 2016: 80% of first-time test takers passed the exam Feb 2016: 73% July 2015: 77% Feb 2015: 85% July 2014: 87% Feb 2014: 86% Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) Within 2 years of taking the Utah bar exam, you must pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) with a scaled score of at least 86. You must apply online with the NCBE to take this test, offered four times annually in locations throughout Utah. Admission on Motion If you are already a licensed attorney elsewhere, you may be eligible for Admission by Motion Through Reciprocity (without taking the Utah bar exam). You must meet these conditions: Have been admitted by exam to the bar in another US jurisdiction that allows reciprocal admission of Utah attorneys and are a member in good standing (consult this list) Be at least age 21 Hold a JD from an ABA-approved law school Passed the MPRE with a score of at least 86 Have actively practiced law in that jurisdiction for five of the past seven years Be of good moral character Applications for admission by motion can be submitted at any time throughout the year. They take three months to process. You must submit the application with a fee of $850. Apply online through the Utah State Bar. Attorney Application to Take Utah Bar Exam If you meet the above qualifications but have only practiced for four of the past five years, you must take the Utah Bar Exam. The fee for this is $850. You must apply online. Licensing and Admission to the Bar Once you pass the Utah bar exam, you will be notified of the time, place and date of your bar admission ceremony. Licensing ceremonies are held twice yearly, in May and October. You must take an oath and sign the roll of attorneys maintained by the clerk of the Supreme Court. This must be completed within 18 months of filing your Application for Admission to the Bar. Back to Top Step 5 Youve Been Admitted to the Utah Bar Wow- youve done it! You are now a licensed lawyer and member of the Utah State Bar! As a new admittee, you must complete a mandatory New Lawyer Training Program (NLTP) within your first year of practice. This program pairs new lawyers with more experienced lawyers for individual, personal guidance in learning lawyering skills, judgment, professionalism, ethics and civility necessary to practice in a competent manner. Through the NLTP, you will learn to build developmental networks and long-term mentoring relationships that will help you throughout your career as a Utah lawyer. Your mentor can help you in making a decision about where you want to work. You might decide to start your own practice, begin a practice with a colleague, or join an established legal firm. Firms across Utah with well-respected names include divorce attorneys Pearson Butler Law Firm in South Jordan, criminal justice attorneys The Zabriskie Law Firm in Provo, and personal injury attorneys Driggs, Bills & Day in Salt Lake City. As a Utah lawyer, you may also opt to work for a for-profit or non-profit company. Many non-profit organizations exist across the state that may need legal assistance from time to time. They include Special Olympics Utah in Salt Lake City; Utah Association for Justice in Salt Lake City; Prevent Child Abuse Utah in Ogden; International Rescue Committee in Salt Lake City; and the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome in Farmington. Legal specialty certification As a Utah lawyer, you may choose to specialize in various areas of the law. Under Utah Rules, you must become certified as a specialist by an organization that has been accredited by the ABA before advertising yourself as such. ABA-approved certification organizations include: Requirements for maintaining license The Utah State Bar CLE (Continuing Legal Education) Department requires all lawyers to complete 24 hours of CLE every two years. This must include two hours of ethics and one hour of professionalism. Your New Lawyer Training Program satisfies the first years CLE requirement. For more information email cle@utahbar.org. Court Systems in Utah Utah State Courts are organized like this: Utah Supreme Court: Utahs highest court and the court of last resort; has original jurisdiction to answer questions of state law and to issue extraordinary writs; has appellate jurisdiction to hear first degree and capital felony convictions from the District Court and civil judgments other than domestic cases; also reviews formal administrative proceedings of state agencies. Located in Salt Lake City. Utah Court of Appeals: hears all appeals from the Juvenile and District Courts (except from small claims department of District Court); determines appeals from District Court in domestic relations cases, and in criminal matters of less than a first degree or capital felony. Reviews appeals of administrative proceedings by state. Usually held in Salt Lake City, but the Court of Appeals travels a few times each year and holds court in different areas of Utah. Utah District Courts: Utahs trial court of general jurisdiction, 71 judges serve in Utahs eight judicial districts. Has original jurisdiction to try all civil cases, all criminal felonies, domestic relations cases, and issue extraordinary writs. Also serves as an appellate court to review informal proceedings from administrative agencies. Judicial districts include: 1st: Box Elder, Cache and Rich Counties 2nd: Davis, Morgan and Weber Counties 3rd: Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele Counties 4th: Juab, Millard, Utah and Wasatch Counties 5th: Beaver, Iron and Washington Counties 6th: Garfield, Kane, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier and Wayne Counties 7th: Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan Counties 8th: Daggett, Duchesne and Uintah Counties Utah Juvenile Courts: Courts of special jurisdiction, with exclusive original jurisdiction over children under age 18 who violate federal, state or municipal laws, as well as over dependent, neglected or abused children. It may determine child custody, support and visitation, terminate parental rights, authorize treatment for mentally ill or retarded children. Utah Justice Courts: County and municipal courts that hear class B and C misdemeanors, violations of ordinances, small claims, and infractions committed within the boundaries of their jurisdiction. Elective membership organizations Here are a few other membership associations for Utah attorneys with which you might wish to associate yourself: Back to Top Oct 6, 2018, 4:20pm ET Aspark Owl accelerates to 60 in under 2 seconds, to cost $3.6 million Only 50 will be made. The Aspark Owl has made its Paris Motor Show debut, this time boasting more than double the power it had last year. Also, we finally have a price tag now. Last year, the Owl made some ripples in the crowded supercar market when video surfaced of a prototype version hitting 0-62 mph in 1.89 seconds. That car had 430 horsepower and supercar 563 lb-ft of torque from two electric motors. The carbon fiber body over tube frame chassis was said to weight just 1,875 pounds At the Paris Motor Show this year, company representatives told Bloomberg that car has been rated at 1,150 horsepower and 653 lb-ft. Despite the significant power boost, 0-62 times stay about the same, with the company stating that it will still hit 0-62 in under 2.0 seconds on street tires. The bump in power was seemingly necessary to make up for a weight increase to about 3,307 pounds, probably because the car has a full interior now. For one of the fastest accelerating cars on the planet, Aspark is asking for $3.6 million, with $1.15 million of that paid up front in a non-refundable deposit. Only 50 will be made, with the first to be delivered in 2020. Aspark is based on Osaka, Japan. Exploration Update Bottle Creek Gold Project Canberra, Oct 9, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Alt Resources Limited ( ASX:ARS ) ("Alt or the Company") is pleased to provide the following information on exploration progress at the Bottle Creek Gold Project. Challenge Drilling has completed an 3000 metres of the planned 5000 metre Phase 3 RC drilling program at the Company's flagship Bottle Creek Gold Project with all sampling from the RC program delivered to ALS laboratories in Kalgoorlie. Assayed results will be announced to the market over the coming weeks.Highlights- 3000 metres Phase 3 RC drilling program now completed at Bottle Creek- Additional 2000 metres to be drilled in October- All sampling delivered to ALS Kalgoorlie lab with assays expected in coming weeks- All conditions now satisfied to complete "Option to Purchase Agreement" Bottle Creek Gold Project- Favourable settlement terms for payment of the Bottle Creek Gold Project negotiated with the Vendor and announced (see Note below)- First resource upgrade on schedule for delivery in October 2018Challenge will be drilling a further 2000 metres of RC to complete the planned 5000 metres of Phase 3 drilling by end of October. Phase 3 is testing directly north of the mined VB pit, an unmined section of the project between the VB and Boags pits and directly south of the unmined Southwark deposit (see Figure 2 in link below). All Phase 3 drilling is designed to bring additional resource ounces into the resource table quickly with the Company twinning designated holes validating historical drilling and adding additional drill fences as infill.The Company is fast tracking resource drilling and historical drill hole validation at the Bottle Creek Gold Project to bring the resource as quickly as possible towards a critical mass for mine planning and a feasibility study. Resource upgrades will be announced sequentially as Phase 2 and Phase 3 results are input and modelled by resource geologists. We expect to announce Phase 2 resource upgrade in October with the 3rd Phase resource upgrade to be announced by the end of the 2018.The Company considers Bottle Creek to have the potential to underpin a stand-alone processing plant in the northern end of the Mt Ida gold belt with significant sunk capital in the project by the previous miner Norgold with Figure 3 (see link below) showing the VB and Boags pits, the Bottle Creek airstrip, tailings dams and the pre stripped Emu deposit as indicative of some of the existing infrastructure expenditure and sunk capital in the project.Alt is actively pursuing other opportunities in the Mt Ida region including acquiring assets close to the Bottle Creek mining leases which may be considered stranded assets by other exploration and mining companies.Note: http://www.abnnewswire.net/press/en/94730 To view figures, please visit:About Aurenne Alt Resources Pty Ltd Aurenne Alt Resources Pty Ltd is an Australian based mineral exploration company that aims to become a gold producer by exploiting historical and new gold prospects across quality assets and to build value for shareholders. Oct 8, 2018, 2:07pm ET Honda promises to fix CR-V engine issues Owners have complained of stalling and other problems, allegedly caused by gasoline-contaminated oil. Honda has promised to address complaints alleging engine trouble with the popular CR-V. Consumer Reports has received nine reports of engine problems from its own members this year and identified dozens of similar complaints in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration database. The magazine suggests the issue involves gasoline contamination in the engine oil and affects 2017 and 2018 CR-Vs with Honda's 1.5-liter turbocharged engine. In China, Honda issued a recall for a different engine that suffered from "an inappropriate fuel-injection setting" that causes unburnt fuel to find its way into the oil system at extremely cold temperatures of -4 F and below, particularly when the engine has not been warmed up. Honda is not handling the US problems as a safety recall, despite allegations of engine stalling while underway. Instead, the company will roll out a mystery fix later this year under a warranty program. "Honda has been investigating the situation and developing a remedy, which we hope to make available through authorized Honda dealers by mid-November 2018," the company said. The statement acknowledges that the problems are primarily reported during extreme cold weather conditions in northern areas of the country. CR has heard of similar complaints from owners in much warmer states ranging from Kentucky to Texas, however, and some complaints allege fuel mixing with oil when temperatures are higher than 40 degrees. Jonathan J. "JJ" Schmoyer is remembered as "a loving, intelligent and inquisitive child who loved to explore, laugh, take walks, roller skate and play patty-cake. "JJ also loved to eat Subway meatball sandwiches and he adored 'Thomas the Tank,'" along with his 'Spider-Man' and 'Sponge Bob' T-shirts. That is from the obituary for the 2-year-old toddler, who was killed when his father, 26-year-old Jacob Schmoyer, allegedly detonated a homemade explosive the night of Sept. 29 inside a car in the 700 block of West Turner Street in Allentown. The blast also killed 66-year-old David Hallman, a friend of Jacob Schmoyer, in addition to the suspect. Family and friends will gather this week to remember both JJ and Hallman, according to their obituaries. For JJ, visitation is scheduled 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, followed immediately by a funeral service, at Weber Funeral Homes PC, 502 Ridge Ave. in Allentown. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 1500 Airport Road just outside the city in Hanover Township, Lehigh County. Jonathan J. "JJ" Schmoyer (Gofundme.com) A gofundme.com fundraising effort has been set up by JJ's cousin, Jamie Rehrig, of Lansford, Pennsylvania, to help with funeral costs. Family and friends of Hallman may call at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. John's United Church of Christ-Fullerton, 575 Grape St. in Whitehall Township, where a memorial service is set to follow at 11 a.m., according to his obituary. Contributions in Hallman's memory may be made to the church in care of the Schisler Funeral Home, 2119 Washington Ave., Northampton, PA 18067. Jacob Schmoyer's obituary does not list services, but notes his struggle with mental illness and asks those reading to "please check in on your own loved ones ... ." His sister also set up a gofundme account. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Eight Pennsylvania stores are among 200 under the Mattress Firm umbrella that will close in the coming days after the Texas company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week. Mattress Firm, the largest mattress specialty retailer now owned by South Africa-based Steinhoff International Holdings, announced in November 2015 it would acquire the Sleepy's chain for $780 million, according to the New York Post. It also bought Mattress Giant four years before that, and currently owns the Sleep Train Brand. The company said it plans to close roughly 700 of its stores in total, and hopes to complete a prepackaged restructuring in coming months. In Pennsylvania, no Lehigh Valley locations are being affected. Most of the former Sleepy's locations, including stores in Bethlehem Township, Palmer Township, Lower Nazareth Township, Whitehall Township, Upper Macungie Township and Allentown are now "Mattress Firm" stores. In New Jersey, no Warren County locations are affected; the closures are all Sleepy's locations in East Windsor, Parsippany, Newark, Hammonton and Lawrence. Across Pennsylvania, the closures are at these locations: 5110 Library Road, Bethel Park, Allegheny County; 445 West Dekalb Pike, King of Prussia, Montgomery County; 1256 Millersville Lancaster, Lancaster County;35 Willowdale Drive Lancaster, Lancaster County, 901 East Main Street Space No. 20, Palmyra, Lebanon County; 1619 Grant Avenue, Grant Plaza, Suite 1 Philadelphia; 3400 North 5th St., Reading, Berks County; and 472 Shrewsbury Commons Ave., Shrewsbury, York County. Mattress Firm representatives stated in court records the company's previous management team had made several miscalculations as it rebranded more than 1,300 stores it had bought from competitors in the last two years. Currently, the retailer has more than 3,200 stores in 49 states. "While these acquisitions allowed (Mattress Firm) to achieve ... presence in markets where they previously had little to no presence, they also led to 'cannibalization' of sales amongst stores in close proximity to each other," the company said. "As a result, many Mattress Firm stores are in direct competition with other Mattress Firm stores, resulting in disappointing sales." The company, founded in 1986, has sales of more than $3 billion. But in court documents, the company said in fiscal year 2018, it is projected to lose about $150 million. In 2016, Mattress Firm was acquired by Steinhoff International Holdings for $3.8 billion. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Christopher Columbus was no hero, says a Pennsylvania lawmaker seeking support in changing the Columbus Day holiday to Indigenous Peoples' Day. "Our history tends to glorify the conquerors who initiated ... devastation rather than the indigenous victims. My legislation seeks to correct this injustice," Christopher Rabb (D-Philadelphia) says in a memo sent Friday to fellow representatives in Harrisburg, seeking co-sponsors for legislation to make the change. At least four states and about five dozen cities have switched to Indigenous Peoples' Day, Rabb says. But even he admits his efforts in this case will likely be purely symbolic. "It's never getting to the House floor," Rabb told Philadelphia news website BillyPenn.com. "I wanted people to know we care about this issue" and that there are legislators "who affirm their concerns about honoring genocide and misinformation," the website quotes him, noting that his own city still celebrates Columbus Day. (POLL: Should Columbus Day be changed?) The full text of Rabb's memo to the statehouse is below: From 1500 to 1900, the indigenous population of the American continent dropped by more than 90%; by some estimates, North America had over 12 million native inhabitants in 1500, but fewer than 240,000 by 1900. Unfortunately, our history tends to glorify the conquerors who initiated this devastation rather than the indigenous victims. My legislation seeks to correct this injustice by changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day. Christopher Columbus is one of only two people the United States honors by name in a holiday, often falsely portrayed as an American hero and pioneering explorer. In truth, he was not the first to discover the American continent. Moreover, exploitation and conquest motivated Columbus's voyages more than discovery or trade. One of his compatriots highlighted this point in his writings, describing how Columbus sought gold, enslaved thousands of indigenous people, and often sold young children into sexual slavery. To date, Minnesota, Vermont, Alaska, and South Dakota have already made the aforementioned change along with nearly sixty cities across the nation. Similar to these states and cities, my bill would remove statutory reference to Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples' Day, recognized on the second Monday in October. In addition, my legislation would direct the governor to issue an annual proclamation celebrating the cultures of indigenous people and drawing attention to the exploitation of native populations Join me in setting the record straight and in combatting years of injustice by co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. After a two-year hiatus, the free Thanksgiving turkeys at Giant are back. Starting Friday, Oct. 12, customers can being earning rewards points toward a free turkey certificate, Giant Food Stores announced Monday. The program, which started in 2000, was put on hiatus in 2016. "Over the past few years, our customers have told us how much they've missed our free turkey program, and truth be told, so did we," said John Ruane, senior vice president of merchandising at Giant/Martin's in an emailed news release. "Thanksgiving is all about bringing families together around the table to share a special meal and give thanks. GIANT has a lot to be thankful for this year as we continue to celebrate our 95th anniversary, and we couldn't think of a better way to show our gratitude than by bringing this beloved program back and helping customers save even more on their Thanksgiving meal." The free turkey rewards points program runs from Oct. 12 through Thursday, Nov. 22, and can be redeemed from Nov. 9 through Nov. 22 at any Giant or Martin's. Points are accrued by using the BonusCard. Customers can swap out their free turkey certificate for $1 off per pound of the turkey brand of their choice, up to 20 pounds. Customers also can donate their free turkey certificates for use of a local food bank. In a 2014 press release, Giant, which as 170 locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, called the promotion one of the most popular reward programs the chain offered due to the huge savings passed along to shoppers. A 29-year-old Philadelphia man who was wanted on aggravated assault charges in his hometown and in Warren County, added to his total on Thursday in the Lehigh Valley when he drove a car at a Pennsylvania parole agent's vehicle before being arrested later with a stolen handgun, court papers say. Brian William Simmons, 29, of Philadelphia, faces aggravated assault and weapons offenses tied to efforts to arrest him. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) Brian Williams Simmons, who was also charged in a Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, theft involving two handguns, was located just before noon at the Best Western Inn in Hanover Township, Northampton County, sheriff's deputy George Volpe said in court papers. The U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force was looking for Simmons on various warrants. The Northampton County Sheriff's Department as well as the state parole and probation department are regular members of the task force. In this case, they were joined by Lehigh County sheriff's deputies and Allentown police. A lead from the marshals service office in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, indicated Simmons would be driving a white Nissan Sentra and he was going to meet a prostitute at the hotel and collect some money, court papers say. Simmons had backed into a parking spot so the front of the car was facing Agent Timothy Budgeon's vehicle as the agent approached with Lehigh County sheriff's deputy Craig Barket and Volpe at 330 Gateway Drive, court papers say. Volpe got out, identified himself, pointed his weapon at Simmons and said they had warrants, court papers say. Simmons was considered armed and dangerous. Budgeon tried to box in Simmons' car, but Simmons accelerated and eventually pushed Budgeon's vehicle out of the way, tearing bumpers off both cars in the process, and sped off toward Route 22, court papers say. The Nissan was later found in Allentown and after Simmons ran off from city police once, he was located in a home in the 400 block of Law Street, authorities say. He dashed out the back door, but Burgeon, Volpe and Allentown police arrested him in the backyard, recovering one of the guns from the Mifflin County case in the process, authorities said. Simmons was arraigned in Lehigh County on two firearms counts and three drug possession charges, records show. Bail was set at $10,000. He was arraigned in Northampton County on two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of recklessly endangering another person related to the parking lot incident, records show. Bail was set at $50,000. Simmons remained Monday afternoon in Lehigh County Jail. The Warren County charges are from September 2015 out of Washington Township, records show. Simmons pulled a gun and threatened to kill a woman during a domestic incident, authorities said. She was trying to leave him, court papers say. In 2012, Simmons was investigated after pulling the trigger in the April shooting death of Matthew Kelly in Easton, but it was later determined to be a case of self-defense. In a 2015 case in Wilson Borough, police said Simmons drove his girlfriend to attack another woman and then Simmons stole the victim's purse. An aggravated assault charge was later withdrawn and he pleaded no contest to simple assault and theft and was sentenced to six to 12 months in jail, records show. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. In some places, Columbus Day is no longer Columbus Day. A few states and several cities now recognize Oct. 12 as Indigenous Peoples Day, in honor of native Americans. The movement reflects a view of Christopher Columbus's record as one of conquest and colonization as well as exploration. This year Columbus, Ohio, quietly ended its observance of Columbus Day as a legal holiday, deciding to make Veteran's Day a day off for city employees. Recognition of Columbus Day still has strong support and remains a legal holiday in many states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where it is a symbol of Italian-American heritage and unity. Two years ago Easton City Council heard a suggestion to replace the Columbus statue in Riverside Park and engaged in a discussion on Columbus' legacy, but took no action. Some people have suggested championing another Italian or Italian-American on this holiday -- such as Leonardo da Vinci, Joe DiMaggio or astronaut Wally Schirra. What do you think? Should New Jersey and Pennsylvania change the focus of Columbus Day? Have a say in our informal, unscientific poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comment section. A car speeding south on Route 33 rear-ended another vehicle, before hopping the guide rail and colliding with a northbound tractor-trailer, Pennsylvania State Police say in a news release. The driver of the speeding car was the only one hurt, and was taken by ambulance for treatment, according to the release. It occurred about 3:50 p.m. Sunday around mile-marker 14.8 in Plainfield Township, between the Belfast and Wind Gap interchanges, police said. Eddy Rodriguez, 19, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, was southbound in the left lane in a 2007 Subaru Outback when he struck the rear of a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was also in the left lane, according to police. The collision sent the Subaru into the center median guide rail, and the car continued along the guide rail for about 30 feet before it "traveled over the guide rail into the northbound lanes," Trooper Brett Miller wrote in the release. Rodriguez continued southeast, with the front end of the Outback colliding with the front end of a 2006 Peterbilt tractor-trailer, police said. After that impact, the Outback spun counterclockwise and stopped across both northbound travel lanes, facing east. The cab of the tractor-tailer came to a stop partially off the eastern shoulder of Route 33 North. The Jeep stopped on the western shoulder of Route 33 South. A 2007 Subaru Outback damaged in Sunday's crash sits atop a tow truck along Route 33 North in Plainfield Township. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) Complaining of pain, Rodriguez was taken by the Plainfield Township Volunteer Fire Co. Ambulance Corps to a nearby hospital. He faces a citation for driving at an unsafe speed, police said. Police identified two occupants in the Jeep as the driver, 62-year-old Frank Weckenman, and passenger Debra Weckenman, 61, both of Richboro, Pennsylvania. The tractor-trailer driver was 56-year-old John Antolik, of Thornhurst, Pennsylvania. All of the motorists involved wore their seat belts, police said. Route 33 South remained open to traffic while police investigated and the damaged vehicles were removed, but heavy traffic backed up northbound. Miller, the trooper, was assisted in his investigation by Cpl. Marvin Shair, Trooper Daniel Jones and Trooper Michael Kowalishen, and police were assisted by the Plainfield Township Volunteer Fire Co., Suburban EMS, Forks Township Fire Department and Fast Lane Towing. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Portlaoise hospital's catering department has won two awards including being named the overall national winner for Hygiene and Food Safety at National Q Mark Awards. Portlaoise is the only hospital to win this national award in the last ten years. Known as The Oscars of Business Excellence, The Q Mark Award is the highest accolade an Irish business can achieve, given both the intense competition and the exacting standards required. Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise Catering Department provides its service to patients and staff of the Acute hospital, Mental Health facilities and community. The department plans, prepares and serves fresh meals daily and continues to achieve best practice in operation by adhering to the highest standards by sourcing and providing safe and healthy food. The full meal service is processed using the cookfresh system through to service, which is validated by the HACCP Management system. Due to the hospital's diverse client base, the Catering Department have implemented a Multilingual Pictorial Menu which also allows patients with limited communications to choose their daily food requirements. Trevor OCallaghan is the CEO of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. To win one of the 27 coveted awards means that the Catering Department of Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise are meeting the highest standards of Quality and Excellence in Ireland. "On behalf of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group, we would like to congratulate all the catering team on their excellent achievement, which demonstrates the hospitals commitment to its patients and staff and it is to be commended, he said. Michael Knowles is the Hospital Manager for Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise. This is a very significant and prestigious award for the department and the hospital as a whole. There were in excess of 140 companies competing for this award from both the Private and Public sector. "The staff in the Catering Department have worked tirelessly over the past number of years to achieve this excellence award. It is testament to the efforts of all staff in the department and the wider hospital. I would like to extend warm congratulations to each member of the team on this huge achievement," he said. Mary-Ann Coyne is a Chef for Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise. Winning the Q Mark Award shows us all that we are doing something right, we are all very committed to working as part of a team and helping each other to do the best job we can. "Not only do we view the audit as a tool for learning and compliance but we really appreciate and implement the information that the auditors pass onto us at the end of the process. It informs us about industry changes and standards, as processes continue to change and improve within food safety," she said. Ellen Egan, Chef for Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise commented: After being nominated for the past six years we are all delighted to finally bring not one but two awards back to Portlaoise. Portlaoise hospital catering department won the awards on Friday, September 28 at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin. The awards were officiated by Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD. EIQA (Excellence Ireland Quality Association) has been the Irish National Quality Association since 1968. They currently audit the standards of thousands of organisations and businesses both in Ireland and Internationally. Only businesses that achieve the highest scores at audit are shortlisted in their relevant category. Fianna Fail TD, Eugene Murphy has warned that many businesses, festivals and community events and sporting clubs are on the brink due to crippling insurance costs and every tool must be used to try to bring down insurance premiums. Speaking ahead of the second stage debate on Fianna Fails Civil Liability and Courts (Amendment) Bill which seeks to reduce the number of fraudulent insurance claims by ensuring false claims are dealt with under the law Deputy Murphy said: "Premiums are continuing to increase, and one of the main factors is the excessive number of false claims for compensation. This leads to rising living costs for all of us and putting the cost of insurance beyond many people." Deputy Murphy commended his colleague Spokesperson on Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Billy Kelleher TD for bringing the Bill before the House. "Members of the public are growing increasingly frustrated by the Government's slow response in respect of this issue. To use the example of a local family hotel in my constituency, several years ago, their public liability insurance cost 12,500. When it was reassessed, it increased to 21,000. It is now at 50,000 because the hotel had two small claims made against it. I fear that they will not be able to continue in business if this continues. There is not a realisation as to how many groups and businesses are on the brink because of massive insurance costs, said Deputy Murphy. GAA clubs and other voluntary groups have also seen insurance costs increase. Many involved are asking whether, in light of rising insurance costs, their community groups can remain in existence. Festivals contribute to the local economy." He said the European Commission is continuing its investigation into alleged anti-competitive behaviour in the Irish insurance market. "That inquiry has been going on for some time now. Surely some results should be evident," he observed. By Ulla Danielsen In 2002 a Danish group of researchers headed by medical doctor Poul Thorsen, Aarhus University, repudiated a connection between MMR-vaccine and the occurrence of autism. The following year, 2003, Poul Thorsens team succeded in repudiating a connection between mercury in vaccines and the occurrence of autism. These scientific results, published in prestigious medical journals, were broadcast the world over and received a huge amount of international attention. Now less than a decade later maybe the international public, or at least those concerned with the expanding epidemic of autism, should pay attention to what is going on these days in Denmark. In that country the Prosecution of Eastern Jutland has charged the former autism researcher Thorsen with coarse tax evasion concerning an amount of fully 6.4 million Danish crowns. For this deed the Prosecution claims that Poul Thorsen must be punished with prison. Thorsen on the other hand - according to a leading Danish news agency - claims that he is not guilty. In the indictment it is stated, that Poul Thorsen during the years 2001-2005 has evaded income from fees, salary or the like for 6.430.768 danish crowns. By these illegal acts the public has been denied 3.470.020 danish crowns in tax. He is furthermore accused of having evaded paying the state 514.455 crowns in contribution to the labour market from 2001-2005. NO COMMENTS FROM AARHUS UNIVERSITY The management at Aarhus University declined to comment on the charges. We neither comment on tax cases belonging to present or former employees. This we consider a private matter, says chief of press relations at Aarhus University, Anders Correll to Danish Daily Information. Conradh na Gaeilge members from Leitrim met with their local Oireachtas members to voice their concerns around Irish language and Gaeltacht funding as Clinic Na Gaeilge came to Kildare Street in Dublin. The 10-hour mobile clinic at Buswells Hotel, saw Sean O Suilleabhain, Ballinamore sit down with local TD Martin Kenny to ask for his support for Conradh na Gaeilges Irish Language and Gaeltacht Investment Plan which could create over 1,190 new jobs. Local representatives from 20 constituencies across Ireland travelled to the capital to meet 83 TDs, Senators and representatives in a bid to secure funding of 9m for the plan in Budget 2019. Clinic na Gaeilge brings the voice of the Irish-speaking community to the seat of power, where they can air the local issues that matter to them most, said Sean. It was good to sit down as Gaeilge with Martin and encourage investment in the Irish language and in the Gaeltacht a priority for the Government in Budget 2019. Dr Niall Comer, President of Conradh na Gaeilge said that the Irish Language and Gaeltacht Investment Plan has been agreed by 87 Irish language and Gaeltacht groups, and would create over 1,190 new jobs. It will also provide essential resources towards the language planning process, and afford the public many opportunities across the country to use Irish, said Dr Comer. Irish language and Gaeltacht employment authorities have seen their resources slashed by up to 70% since 2007. It is time to honour the Programme for Government and invest in our Gaeltachts and in our language. The event was held as part of Conradh na Gaeilges #SEAS18 (seisiuin eolais agus spreagtha) pre-budget campaign, which involves information and progress sessions on Irish language and Gaeltacht affairs. As well as the representatives of many constituencies who are joining us today, other Irish speakers have been phoning their local politicians, calling into their local drop-in clinics, and sending personal emails or tweets, said Peadar Mac Fhlannchadha, Advocacy Manager with Conradh na Gaeilge. Like Clinic na Gaeilge, this is all tremendously enormously important work before the Budget is decided. We are stronger as a community when we work together on these core issues - ni neart go cur le cheile. Conradh na Gaeilge and their local representatives are calling on the Government and on the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe TD, to allocate 9 million in funding to the Irish Language and Gaeltacht Investment Plan, as agreed by 87 Irish language and Gaeltacht groups, in Budget 2019. THE LABOUR party in the Mid-West is calling for the hasty development of the 60-bed modular complex at University Hospital Limerick and for the HSE to fund additional infrastructure and recruit staff. Last Tuesday, An Bord Pleanala informed the HSE and the UL Hospitals Group that a resident had officially withdrawn an objection to the vital development, which will be crucial in dealing with its overcrowding problem. Fine Gael senator Kieran ODonnell said that he received a personal commitment from Minister for Health Simon Harris that funding would be made available following this months Budget. Former ministers Jan OSullivan and Alan Kelly welcomed this announcement, but said it will have to be more than money for the bricks and mortar of the 19.4m project. Deputy OSullivan told the Leader: With UL hospital consistently on top of the list for the number of people on trolleys waiting for beds, we cannot allow this intolerable situation to continue a day longer than necessary. She is also calling for an additional car parking spaces to be made available at UHL. This has led to the spill-over into neighbouring estates that is causing genuine problems for residents. Deputy Kelly said that Labour is demanding this block be funded and built ASAP and that the proposed 96-bed unit be brought forward. On Wednesday, the UL Hospitals Group said: UL Hospitals Group welcomes that the planning appeal has been withdrawn and looks forward to permission being granted for the proposed extension to the existing hospital to provide a new 60 bed ward block [at UHL]. At the moment we are not in a position to advise when development works might start. ULHospitals have submitted this proposal as a bed capacity initiative and are hopeful that additional capital funding can be allocated by the Department of Health to fund the proposal. A LIMERICK man smeared blood on the wall of a cell in Bruff Garda Station, Kilmallock Court heard. Nigel Sheehan, aged 39, of Sheares Street, Kilmallock, pleaded guilty to criminal damage of the cell, breaking a mobile phone and threatening, abusive insulting behaviour. An assault charge was withdrawn. Garda Brendan Daly said gardai responded to a call in Sheares Street, Kilmallock in the early hours of Tuesday, April 10, 2018. The defendant was very intoxicated. I asked him to leave the area but he wouldnt, said Garda Daly. I arrested him under the Public Order Act. He continued to be abusive, added the garda. Last April, Garda Daly gave evidence of arresting, charging and cautioning Sheehan. Garda Daly said when he charged Sheehan with failing to obey garda instructions to leave the vicinity of Sheares Street, he replied: It will only be a fine. When Garda Daly put it to him that he engaged in threatening/abusive/insulting behaviour, Sheehan said: F**k you and your charges. The court heard that after Sheehan was arrested and conveyed to Bruff Garda Station he smeared blood on a wall of a cell. He faced another criminal damage charge of breaking a mobile phone on an unknown date. Garda Daly said Sheehan has 127 previous convictions. Con Barry, solicitor for Sheehan, said his client is 39 years of age and is currently serving a prison sentence. There is no getting around it - alcohol is his demon. He is attending AA meetings in prison. He apologises to the gardai and court, said Mr Barry. The cost of cleaning the cell was 200 and the phone was valued at 130. Mr Barry said his client isnt in a position to compensate anybody. Judge OLeary asked Mr Barry if he saw the replies by Sheehan to Garda Daly. Yes, said Mr Barry. Judge OLeary sentenced Sheehan to two months in prison for smearing blood on the wall of the prison cell. They are to run consecutively to the current sentence he is serving.. For threatening, abusive, insulting behaviour, the judge handed down a three month sentence suspended for three years. The damage to the phone charge was taken into consideration. AS RATHKEALE households and businesses are without drinking water for the fourth day running, Limerick TD Tom Neville has strongly criticised Irish Water for its handling of the issue. The Do Not Drink Notice was put in place on Friday and Irish Water issued a statement this Monday lunchtime saying that it will continue in place until further notice. Work is underway to try and resolve the matter as soon as possible, a spokesman for Irish Water said We are carrying out water sampling in the area and we will share the results of this testing with the HSE, he said, explaining that turbidity was the reason behind the Do Not Drink notice in the first place. Drilling work is also taking in the area to identify possibly alternative water sources, he added. Meanwhile, supplies of bottled water will be available and can be collected at the Square, Rathkeale. If elderly or vulnerable customers have particular requirements for water they can contact 1850 278 278. But Fine Gael TD Tom Neville has slammed Irish Water for their poor handling of the situation and for their failure to update customers over the weekend. The website was not updated since Friday, he said. I am critical of the communications process. Irish Water should not be relying on public representatives to get the message out there. We will help of course but there needs to be more direct communication with customers. It should be possible he argued to send individual text updates to customers. If there is a data protection issue, let me know and we can change the law, he said. Deputy Neville was also critical of the way bottled water was delivered to the 2,500 or so customers affected. They changed the goal posts, he charged. First it was supposed to happen on Friday, then on Saturday, he said. In its statement this lunchtime, Irish Water acknowledged that the problem is causing inconvenience for people living in the area. We would like to thank them for their patience and support as we work to resolve this issue. But the company warned that customers will notice some reduction in water pressure over the coming days and particularly at night as work proceeds to address the problem. In the meantime, the water should NOT be used for drinking, for preparing drinks made with water, for preparation of salads and similar foods, which are not cooked prior to eating, for brushing of teeth or gargling or for making ice. In particular pregnant women should not drink this water, they warn. Domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink and caution should be taken when bathing children to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water Oct 8, 2018, 5 AM Figure 2. Editions of the Postal Bulletin going back to 1880 can be searched on the website www.uspostalbulletins.com. Shown is part of the homepage of the site. Figure 1. Detailed rules regarding operation of the Postal Service can be found in the continuing series of Postal Bulletins published by the United States Postal Service. Sometimes reference to them is essential to understand what has happened to a piece of mail, as in the case of this 1956 cover with a pointed finger Return to Writer message. U.S. Stamp Notes By John M. Hotchner Postal rules can be arcane, but there is a reason. The American public, in the course of sending mail (almost 150 billion pieces of mail in 2017), presents the United States Postal Service with an amazing array of situations bearing on the ease or difficulty of delivering all that mail. The Postal Service tries to manage this impossibly complex situation by publishing detailed rules for the benefit of the mailing public and for its own employees. These rules are published in the Postal Bulletin. Now released every two weeks, it began as a daily publication in 1880 (originally called Daily Bulletin of Orders Affecting the Postal Service.) The Postal Bulletin provides procedural guidance that can prevent the acceptance of mail that will be problematic, delineate the circumstances when certain types of mail can be accepted, and explain to senders why something was returned as undeliverable. For those of us who collect post office auxiliary markings, the compilation of these Postal Bulletins is an invaluable resource, and one which is available to collectors, thanks to the work of a team lead by Tony Wawrukiewicz, Linns Modern U.S. Mail columnist. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Here is where you can find it online at the website. The title of the site is the Digitized US Postal Bulletins and PL&Rs. The latter refers to the Postal Laws and Regulations, another series of Post Office Department publications. Here is an example of an instance where the Postal Bulletins are useful. The 1956 cover shown in Figure 1 was sent from Green Bay, Wis., to a person attached to the military in Germany, with an APO address. The cover bears only 2 U.S. postage in the form of a meter. It was returned to sender with a pointing finger handstamp, and the message Dispatch Prohibited By Order #19848 See Postal Bulletin June 2, 1955. Looking up that Postal Bulletin, I found a notice headed 3d Class Circular Mail Addressed to Overseas APOSs. The notice read: Some postmasters are erroneously accepting third-class circular mail addressed to overseas APOs. Such matter is not mailable to APO addresses and will not be dispatched overseas. This restriction does not apply to other third-class mail such as house organs, news or church bulletins, books or catalogs. Postmasters shall see that employees are appropriately instructed on this subject. Figure 2 shows part of the home page of the Digitized US Postal Bulletins and PL&Rs website. The tab US Postal Bulletins FAQs, takes you to a page with information about how to search the Philatelic Bulletins on the site. Oct 29, 2021, 08:00 AM Also this week, a summary of market activity for U.S. graded stamps in the third quarter of 2021, and an examination of U.S. insured mail treated as registered mail from 1915 to 1935. Nov 11, 2021, 10:39 AM In viewing these new stamps, its clear to see that nothing was lost in the transition from the Feel 100% comic panel to the smaller space given in the stamps. May 2, 2021, 10 PM Luxembourg issued a stamp Sept. 18 honoring 50 years of Miami University in Luxembourg. The university was founded in 1809 in Oxford, Ohio. By Denise McCarty An Ohio university recently received its second philatelic honor this time on a stamp from Luxembourg. Post Luxembourg issued a stamp Sept. 18 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Miami Universityin Luxembourg. In 2009, the United States Postal Service issued a 27 postal card honoring the 200th anniversary of this public college in Oxford, Ohio (Scott UX554). The postal card shows the universitys MacCracken Hall, while the new 1.30 stamp from Luxembourg features its red, beveled M emblem in the foreground with the flags of the United States and the European Union in the background. Below the emblem on the stamp is the university name on two lines with Luxembourg below it. Belgiums Bpost printed the commemorative stamp by offset in panes of 10. On its website, the university summarizes its history: Miami University is one of the oldest public universities in the country, made possible by an ordinance signed by President George Washington in 1795. Chartered in 1809, Miami welcomed its first students in 1824. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter It opened its overseas campus in Differdange, Luxembourg, in 1968. Called the Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC), it is named after John Ernest Dolibois (1918-2014). Dolibois, a Luxembourg native, emigrated to the United States at age 12. A graduate of Miami University, he served as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg from 1981-85. Among other accomplishments, he was a member of the five-member Army Intelligence team that interrogated the highest-ranking Nazi war criminals after the fall of the Third Reich, leading up to the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials, according to his Miami University obituary. For more information on the Luxembourg stamp, visit the website or write to Post Philately, 13 rue Robert Stumper, L-2992 Luxembourg. Apr 29, 2021, 8 PM The United Nations Postal Administration is celebrating Diwali with a pane of 10 stamps (two different designs) and 10 labels. The pane is being issued Oct. 19 for use from the post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City. By Denise McCarty The United Nations Postal Administration is issuing a pane of 10 stamps and labels stamps Oct. 19 to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. The stamps are denominated $1.15 for use from the post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City. The pane includes two stamp designs featuring different photographs of festive lights and diya oil lamps. The labels show a symbolic version of the lamp on backgrounds of different colors. The UNPA said: Diwali, also known as Deepawali, is the joyous and popular festival of lights, which is celebrated in India and across the world by followers of many faiths. During the five-day celebration, clay lamps, known as diyas, are lit to signify the victory of good over evil. The festival also symbolizes the start of a new year for many communities. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter The dates of Diwali differ each year, and this years celebration will begin Nov. 7, according to the website of the Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India. Depicted in the large selvage area of the stamp pane is a nighttime photograph of the U.N. headquarters building illuminated with the message of Happy Diwali and an image of a symbolic diya. According to news reports, the U.N. headquarters first displayed this message in October 2016. The UNPA calls this Diwali issue a special event sheet. For ordering information, visit http://unstamps.un.org; email unpanyinquiries@un.org; telephone 800-234-8672; fax 212-963-9854; or write to UNPA, Box 5900, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-5900. Two regions, France and Marinduque (A province in the Philippines) have banned Neonicotinoids, a neurotoxic and water soluble insecticide that are generally used for the treatment of crops. This pesticide infiltrates plants and permeates their tissues, while its components pollute the surrounding environment, killing both pests and vital pollinators alike. This has led to a call by international scientists for more countries to place a ban on the pesticide. The international Task Force for Systemic Pesticides met in Paris this week to discuss evidence that neonicotinoids pose an unacceptable risk to bees, butterflies and other biodiversity. We need all governments, from the smallest to the most powerful, to restrict the use of neonicotinoids, which are used in agriculture worldwide, Jean Marc Bonmatin, an environmental chemist with the French government and expert on neonicotinoids, said in a Thursday news release quoted in the National Observer. The insecticide has been proved to cause significant harm to such creatures as bees, butterflies and birds. Banning neonicotinoids by law was a democratic success, said Delphine Batho, an member of the French National Assembly for the District of Deux-Sevres and Frances former minister of ecology, sustainable development and energy, in a statement from the Task Force for Systemic Pesticides. While three neonics will similarly be outlawed in all 28 countries of the European Union, the French law goes further because it targets all five neonicotinoid pesticides that were used in France. The French Parliament has also voted recently to expand the ban to restrict all new pesticides that have the same mode of action as neonicotinoids. Marinduque happens to be a province where people raise butterfly for a living. Romulo Bacorro, vice governor of the province said in a statement this week In Marinduque the butterfly center of the world raising butterflies is a major source of livelihood for local communities. We may be small, but were joining France in banning neonics to protect biodiversity, food security and the livelihoods of our people. The foregoing has led to calls requiring Canada to do more in the protection of its useful pollinators. There is currently a case against Canadas Pest Management Regulatory Agency accusing the agency of not studying insecticides properly before approving them for commercial use. The case is due to be heard this fall. We have inherited an extremely biodiverse world from our parents and I think it is incumbent on us to pass on that same world undiminished to our children, said Jeremy Kerr, an ecologist at the University of Ottawa. From my point of view, there's an important ethical obligation here. But there are also practical considerations that we really must not ignore. And among them is the fact that one out of three bites of food that we take relies directly or indirectly on the action of pollinators, so any sort of impact on pollinators is ultimately also an impact on ourselves, and we need to be taking that kind of effect very seriously. He told National Observer. I'm about to tell you something so unbelievable but apparently true. For over three years now, it appears that a group of judges at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa who are are all alumni of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law have been coordinating an apparent human sacrifice conspiracy against an Ottawa woman named Dezrin Carby-Samuels who has been severely disabled as a result of the activities of these judges. In a nutshell, "human sacrifice" is a reputed activity of "non-human entities" who have coordinated and then reinforce the promotion of certain people into positions of power provided that they show their "loyalty" to the non-human entities when called-upon. The most vulnerable members of our society are targeted for "human sacrifice". The most heinous barbaric acts of cruelty, torture and destruction are a part of a "human sacrifice" ritual. The alleged practice has taken place since the earliest and most tyrannical societies came into existence on our planet Earth. In these societies, demonic aliens elites sought to worship demonic aliens as their God or gods that often brought technology that would then be used to support military oppression and torture. Unfortunately, Dezrin Carby-Samuels like so many vulnerable people on our planet are being targeted by non-human beings which can appear as "people". But these "people" are in no way human. Dr. Michael Salla referred to such entities as "shape shifters". David Icke has further described such entities to be reptilian that operate from a different dimension that reaches into ours. Such victims like Dezrin include children who go missing as targets of alien abduction (or become victims of pedophile rings) to homeless people on the street who from time to time appear to be been chosen by the non-human handlers as targets of apparent human sacrifice rituals. My name is Jesse, and I'm an investigative journalist. Since 2015 I have watched the bizarre activities at the Ottawa courthouse at 161 Elgin Street. I have also investigated activities by non-human entities which include alien abductions. But I never expected that my investigation on Dezrin's plight would take me to apparent non-human interference at the Ottawa courthouse through judges working in tandem with Ottawa lawyers John E. Summers and Jeremy Wright of the City of Ottawa. It is apparent that Jeremy Wright is an apparent ring leader of University of Ottawa psychopaths somehow recruited to perpetuate demonic torture against Dezrin. Jeremy Wright in his official capacity works to defend Bordeleau's rag tag gang of dirty cops who sought to block Raymond getting help of his Mom for more than three years. In one instance, when a Small Claims Court judge was just about to enable Raymond to see his Mom, Mr Wright gave some weird "wink" at a Judge sending him into an immediate panic leading him to immediately reverse his inclination to assist Raymond in helping his Mom. Mr Wright is a highly secretive lawyer embedded into the City of Ottawa as an apparent handler for a University of Ottawa "rogue group". It's notable that while one set of judges at the Ottawa courthouse would seek to liberate Dezrin Carby-Samuels from the profound abuse and torture that she has been experiencing at the hand of her husband, the "rogue group" would seek to perpetuate it. The rogue group are all members of the University of Ottawa alumni community. This group was reinforced by an apparent dirty cop named Detective Robert Griffin and a lawyer named John E Summers who is the alleged lawyer for Dezrin's husband against Dezrin's son. Funny thing is that Dezrin husband can in no way afford Mr. Summers. When Raymond asked Mr Summers who he ACTUALLY works for and pays his bills, he refused to say. There is absolutely a zero chance that Dezrin's retired husband who struggles to pay his biills when he's not abusing Dezrin with the help of others could afford the legal services of John Summers who has worked to perpetuate his abuse for more than three years at a pay rate of more than $300 per hour having been practicing law since 1999. We therefore have 100% conclusive evidence that someone or more likely a "group" without any empathy for the plight of Dezrin in conditions of abuse is paying a University of Ottawa trained lawyer who is getting the support of judges and others ALL directly affiliated with the University of Ottawa. I don't believe in such coincidences. But every time Dezrin was about to be liberated, another set of judges who simply ignore all the evidence and case law that Raymond presented. Finally, one Judge named Sylvia Corthon decided that she was going to "seize" the case, and declared not only Summary Judgement against Raymond, but also declared him to be a Vexatious Litigant. It became apparent that Sylvia Corthorn had "seized the case" to prevent another judge who is not a member of an apparent University of Ottawa demon worshiping group from trying to again help Dezrin. You see, Raymond who is Dezrin's son has sought to liberate his Mother from abuse as any loving and responsible son would want to do. One of my favourite shows is Murdoch Mysteries like so many other Canadians. One of my favourite part of Murdoch Mysteries is when Detective Murdoch connects criminal suspects with each other by tying a common association with each other using a blackboard in his constabulary office. Thinking of the Detective Murdoch character I decided that I was going to try the same technique to figure out an apparent bizarre pattern taking place against Dezrin Carby-Samuels. However, I didn't expect to find anything though this exercise. But to my amazment I did. All three Judges at the Ottawa courthouse that have apparently worked to Ottawa lawyer John E Summers to perpetuate abuses against Dezrin are all University of Ottawa alumni. These judges are Justice Pierre Roger, Justice Sylvia Corthorn and Regional Senior Justice James MacNamara. None of the three judges at the Ottawa courthouse who had sought to act fairly and support the liberation of Dezrin are connected with the University of Ottawa. The judges who acted to spare Dezrin are Justice Patrick Smith, Justice Callum MacLoed and Justice Robert Beaudoin. I have provided screenshot proof of an apparent coordinated pattern of bizarre judicial decisions by the University of Ottawa alumni at the Ottawa courthouse. It is apparent that there's a very distinct pattern of psychopath behaviours by three judges at the Ottawa courthouse with shared ties to the University of Ottawa that is extremely distinct from the behaviours of judges who aren't connected with the University of Ottawa. My screenshot shows the distinctive affiliations of legal "actors" in this matter. Coincidence? I think not. I then took my "theory" that there's "fifth" column of Judges who are seeking to subvert civil and human rights in resistance to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to different Faculties of Law across Canada to get their reaction. Only the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law members were hostile to the notion. It was almost as if they were hypersensitive based upon their own complicit behaviour. Could in fact the University of Ottawa be home to psychopaths who refuse to let go of their on-going abuse and torture against Dezrin Carby-Samuels? Are we witnessing a human sacrifice ritual that has sought to seize and perpetuate Dezrin's abuse? Is Dezrin one of possibly many people who have been subjugated to abuse in Ottawa as a result of a "human sacrifice ritual"? And guess where John E Summers attended law school? You would be right if you said the University of Ottawa. I then became more intrigued. I then looked up Ottawa's Chief of Police Charles Bordeleau's background whose Office supported the dirty cop that forcibly separated Raymond from his Mother. Once again we have a perfect match. Bordeleau also graduated from the University of Ottawa and received an award from the Tefler School of Management (screenshot attached). After Bordeleau's dirty cop orchestrated Raymond's forcible separation from his Mother that has suffering from profound domestic abuse, Dezrin lost the ability to walk, talk or write. After months of unlawfully being prevented from seeing his Mother, Raymond filed an Emergency Motion at the Ottawa courthouse in December 2015. Raymond appeared before University of Ottawa Faculty of Law graduate Justice Pierre Roger. At first, Justice Roger was going to grant Raymond's request seeing as he began to say "no harm in it". But that's when things began to get really bizarre. Someone from judge's chambers interrupted Judge Roger's deliberation. When Justice Roger came out of this "meeting" he was a different person, declaring the matter "personal to him" and that he would say "no" to Raymond seeing his Mom and checking on her well-being. Raymond persevered and eventually got a Default Judgement from Justice Patrick Smith who has no affiliation with the University of Ottawa. Justice Patrick Smith who is a member of the Lakehead University community granted Raymond's request through an order dated 11 February 2016. But shortly after, John E Summers who was a top graduate of the University of Ottawa entered the picture. He began to manufacture and support countless obvious lies to justify continued forcible separation. Raymond and his Mother last saw each other on 12 June 2016. John E Summers lies are easily transparent to any fair minded judge. So, John E Summers needed "help" if he was going to perpetuate Dezrin's abuse. John E Summers got that help when he and Raymond appeared in front of Regional Senior Justice James MacNamara who threw out Justice Patrick Smith's Order to enable Raymond and his Mother to see each other, on a daily basis, so Raymond could ensure his Mother's care as she has wanted Raymond tried to appeal that decision. But that appeal was then intercepted by an angry Justice Roger who declared his interception to be a "coincidence". I don't believe in such coincidences. It was quite improper for Roger to "coincidently" get the file. He should have recused himself. But, instead, Justice Roger "fined" Raymond $1500 for his Appeal. When the matter was referred to Justice Callum Macloed, he was quite concerned about Dezrin's well being and directed John E Summers on 24 March 2017 to obtain independent verification to ensure Dezrin has not been held a prisoner against her wishes. On our "Murdoch blackboard" Justice Macloed is a graduate of Queens in Kingston, Ontario with no U of O affiliations. John E Summers then sought to get the matter thrown out of Court. But his request was blocked by Justice Robert Beaudoin whose ties are with the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. Then all of a sudden after this decision by Justice Beaudoin, the matter was then "seized" by Justice Sylvia Corthorn who like John E Summers, Justice Roger, Regional Justice McNamara and Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordaleau are all University of Ottawa alumni. Justice Sylvia Corthorn not only totally ignored all evidence and case law presented by Raymond but also ignored any support for Raymond articulated by non-University of Ottawa Judges. When Justice Beaudoin recognized her apparent judicial misconduct by granting Raymond's request to have her recused from the trial, Justice Corthorn simply sped up her final rulings which were directed at preventing Raymond from his efforts to rescue his Mother from the "Hell of Earth" that she has lived for more than three years thanks to an apparent "University of Ottawa mafia" which has sought to perpetuate the abuse and torture of Dezrin Carby-Samuels. Spending less money on the products and services you use on a regular basis may seem like a small step toward financial independence, but the impact can drastically change your lifestyleas long as youre consistent with it. Imagine spending just 10 percent less on items in a given month; with the median household income around $59,000, we can assume monthly spending of $3-5,000 for most families, which would translate to $3-500 of monthly savings, or $3,600 to $6,000 a year. Over the course of a decade or two, smart investing could turn that into tens, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. So what strategies can you use to save money on almost everything you buy? Learn When to Splurge and When to Save First, you should learn when its appropriate to splurge and when its better to buy less expensive products; in some cases, buying a cheap product can be more hassle than its worth. For example, buying a cheap mattress can lead you to sleepless nights, back pain, and other health problems that cost you far more than youd pay for a better mattress. When it comes to your health and wellness, more expensive products arent necessarily better, but you shouldnt intentionally spend less money if its going to result in an inferior experience (or expose you to specific threats). On the other hand, there are many areas where buying less expensive products makes little to no difference; for example, there are rarely significant differences between name-brand and generic breakfast cereals. Find and Use Coupons Next, work on finding and using coupons whenever possible. Coupons can be offered by a variety of sources, including the manufacturer of a product (like a toothpaste company) and the retailers offering those products (like a pharmacy or grocery store). In some cases, youll be able to use coupons from multiple different sources in combination with each other, resulting in heavily discountedor even free products. It usually takes a few minutes or less to look for coupons for the products you need most, and they could save you a ton of money. Comparison Shop You can almost always save money by comparison shopping, on multiple levels. If you have a favorite brand of a given product, like food or a hygiene product, consider looking at other brandsthey may be able to offer a similar product experience for less money. You can also look for your favorite brands products at a different store, where it could be offered for a lower price. A few minutes of research could knock several dollars off the total price. Wait for Specials Most products tend to fluctuate in price from season to season, as supply and demand change over time. For example, in areas with cold winters, lawnmowers and other yard-related items tend to be heavily discounted toward the end of summer, when the need for such items is waning but stock in stores remains high. During the winter holidays, consumer electronics and other popular gift categories tend to be heavily discounted to encourage gift sales. Sometimes, waiting a few months for the right time can save you a ton of moneyespecially on big-ticket items worth hundreds to thousands of dollars. Negotiate Youd be surprised how much is negotiable. At estate sales, auctions, flea markets, and other peer-to-peer opportunities, you can easily talk your way down to a lower price. You may even be able to negotiate rates for doctors appointments, and with other professional services. And if youre willing to put in the time, you may be able to negotiate your credit card rates, or your loan payments. Simply asking for a better deal is sometimes all it takes to get one. Trade In or Sell Old Items If youre buying something new, you likely have an older product that needs replacing. Instead of simply getting rid of it, consider trading it in or selling it. This is especially true for electronics, which still hold significant value, or other practical items with high resale value. These strategies are meant to apply generally, so you can get used to using them in a variety of contexts, but there are ways to save money in specific categories as well; for example, you can save money on a home by buying smaller than you can afford and putting down a bigger down payment. You can also save money by buying fewer things in general, cutting down your entertainment budget or downsizing your lifestyle a bit. In any case, the combination of smart saving strategies and frugal living can, over time, make a big difference in your bottom-line finances. Dont underestimate the power of these strategies. Firefighters have mostly surrounded a smoky grass fire in Solano County but the blaze moved into marshland Monday, and officials said it could take a week to extinguish the flames. The Branscombe Fire, near Suisun City, has consumed about 4,700 acres and continues to burn on Grizzly Island, a state wildlife area that features natural tidal wetlands and artificially diked marshes. The conflagration is 80 percent contained, according to the Suisun Fire Protection District. High winds continued to blow Monday afternoon, not only forcing an extended red flag warning but moving the blaze out of the tinder-dry brush where it started and into the wildlife area. The fire was burning through tule grasses above a foot of water and into the peat floors of dried ponds, where fires can take days to flood and extinguish. Either way, its very hard to fight them, said Alfred Abruzzini, deputy chief of the Suisun Fire Protection District, a mostly volunteer fire department that protects the area. Five other departments in the area, as well as Cal Fire crews, are helping battle the blaze, which has consumed four homes and three barns. Meanwhile, National Weather Service forecasters extended a red-flag fire warning to Monday evening due to a lingering weather pattern producing high winds and low humidity in the tinder-dry Bay Area hills. The Branscombe Fire was one of several grass fires that broke out around the Bay Area on a breezy Sunday, sending a huge plume of smoke as far south as Santa Cruz. The alert, smoke and weather conditions combined to stoke fears among many Bay Area residents ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Wine Country Fires. Sustained winds of 15 to 45 mph from the northeast continued to blow along the Bay Area ridgetops Monday with gusts as high as 73 mph near Middletown in Lake County and 69 mph at Mount Diablo. Gusts in the 50 mph range were recorded on Mount Saint Helena. We have some areas that are still really windy, said Drew Peterson, a National Weather Service meteorologist, and with dry winds coming from the northeast, its only going to get worse. Peterson said the winds were likely to continue through at least mid-afternoon Monday. The Branscombe Fire started in tall, dry brush on or near Travis Air Force Base and rapidly spread south, jumping Highway 12 and heading toward Grizzly Island. No structures are immediately threatened, Abruzzini said, but that could change if the winds pick up. Elsewhere in Northern California, firefighters were gaining control of the Sun Fire, which is east of Red Bluff. The blaze had consumed 3,848 acres and was 40 percent contained as of Monday afternoon. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan Killing Commendatore By Haruki Murakami Knopf. 704 pp. $30 --- The middle of life is a second adolescence, with no one left to admire our suffering. All of Dante's work is a beautiful, unconvincing riposte to the sense of anguish this age can bring: "Midway along the journey of our life, I woke to find myself in a dark wood, for I had wandered from the straight path," he writes. Eventually he makes it to Paradise; but nobody reads that part. The great Japanese author Haruki Murakami grew famous writing about the tender melancholy of youth. ("Norwegian Wood" made him so recognizable in Japan that he left.) Reading books from that period, you feel sad without knowing why - and yet, within that sadness glows a small ember of happiness, because to feel sad is at least to feel honestly. Now, in his 60s, he has begun to consider middle age more carefully, as if he sees himself most clearly across a 20-year lag. It's the subject of his underrated "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage," and also of his immersive, repetitive, big-hearted new novel "Killing Commendatore." The narrator of "Killing Commendatore" is a painter of 36. His wife has just left him. Having sacrificed his early ambitions as an artist to become a master portraitist, he leaves his Tokyo apartment bewildered, before coming to a realization: "I ... wanted to try painting whatever I wanted." A friend from art school lends him a remote house in the mountains, and he begins to search anew for the meaning he once found in pure creation. As is often the case in Murakami's fiction, a plot of relative simplicity - an artist's reinvention - is disrupted by enigmatic, surreal or violent incidents. The narrator's new residence once belonged to a famous painter, whose peculiar depiction of a sword fight, "Killing Commendatore," remains in the attic. Soon after finding the painting, the house's new inhabitant begins to hear the clear sound of a bell emanating from a "strange circular pit in the woods." These events disturb him, while also pressing him into a furious creativity; he begins to paint abstract portraits, not simply of faces and bodies but of the souls within them. One of these portraits is of a mysterious, immensely rich man named Menshiki, who lives nearby. He has bright white hair, a Jaguar and a "very clean, open smile," while concealing, the painter thinks, "a secret locked away in a small box and buried deep down in the ground." It is Menshiki who manages the excavation of the pit. Inside, they find only the ancient bell - but its call brings to life (hold steady here, if you can) a two-foot-tall character from the ominous painting, with a message of mortal importance. This stuff is very Murakami. "Killing Commendatore" repeats almost exactly, for example, the descent through a well to a magical world that occurs in his earlier novel "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle." Odd creatures constantly come to life in his writing, perhaps most memorably the human-size frog calmly preparing tea in the short story "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo." Yet there's a strong sense in Murakami's work that his allegorical instincts are secondary, the radiation of his characters' inner sense of dislocation. He took this method to its outermost limits in his monumental "1Q84" (is it time to admit that that book is something of a mess?), but "Killing Commendatore" gets the balance right. Perhaps this lies in its exhilarating portrayal of how it feels to make art. In long, powerful passages, Murakami describes painting with the intensity of what seems like just-concealed autobiography. "An image of a color I should add came to me ... the color was like that of a tree with its green leaves dully dyed by rain. I mixed several colors together and created what I wanted ... even if it doesn't turn out as a portrait, I told myself, that was OK ... I could think about the next step later on ... like a child, not watching his step, chasing some unusual butterfly ... I don't remember how much time passed. By the time I looked around, the room had gotten dim." One could argue that the realism of such scenes saves "Killing Commendatore" from its flights of outlandishness; conversely, it's possible that only in the calm madness of his magical realism can Murakami truly capture one of his obsessions, the usually ineffable yearning that drives a person to make art. The obscurely lonely domestic images that run through his novels - rain, swimming, pasta, jazz, a particular sort of warm, impersonal sex - root that yearning in the truth of daily life. It's as Byron wrote: "I had a dream, which was not all a dream." Lately, Murakami has written about how this sensation surges again in the middle of life, when we realize that we know less as we age, not more. His characters want to turn themselves inside out, to escape the indecipherable mechanical momentum of their lives. The only path he offers them out of that despair is art; the narrator of "Killing Commendatore" learns "the courage not to fear a change in one's lifestyle, the importance of having time on your side." They are humble lessons, given the ridiculous events that have befallen him. But that's the point. Nothing we invent could be as strange as life. We honor that fact by inventing it anyway. --- Finch is the author, most recently, of "The Woman in the Water." James Knox was upfront with the jury. Earlier that day, he cross-examined a 30-year-old woman whom Albany County prosecutors said was choked, slapped and whipped with a television cord by Knox's client, 32-year-old Robert Nickol. It was Knox's job to discredit her. "You saw me cross-examine her. That isn't a fun thing to do and I know it wasn't a fun thing to watch," the defense lawyer told jurors during his summation Wednesday. For lawyers who defend people accused of domestic violence or sex crimes, cross-examining their client's chief accuser is a necessity and it can often be cringeworthy. On one hand, attorneys must zealously defend their clients. But grilling a victim even if you don't believe that person is one can bring a backlash that makes the attorney look like a monster rivaling their clients. Where does an attorney draw the line? "It's a fine line, way harder for a male attorney than for me as a woman," said Albany defense attorney Cheryl Coleman, who previously worked as a prosecutor. "I try to keep my tone firm but gentle. I think it may be the most important thing. Respectfully point out prior inconsistencies and be a stickler for details. Never interrupt. Never mock." Coleman added: "If you ever make the jury think you're re-victimizing her, your client is done." More Information Contact Robert Gavin at 518-454- 2403 or email rgavin@timesunion.com. On Twitter: @Robert GavinTU See More Collapse Albany lawyer Lee Kindlon has faced criticism for being too harsh in his cross-examination of such victims and, he noted, for being not harsh enough. "Where's the line between defending your client and insulting victims? The tone is tremendously important," Kindlon told Law Beat. "In cases that involve allegations of domestic abuse or sexual abuse, as a defense attorney you need to decide if criticism of the victim's version of events is necessary, and then give the jury reasons to not believe the testimony," Kindlon said. "If it's done within the theory of the defense and it's not just a general attack on the victim, a jury can be very receptive." Attorneys need to cross-examine the chief accuser of their client. If they take it too easy and their client is convicted, the client can argue that the lawyer was ineffective. But to cast the complainant as a liar borders on or becomes offensive. In the case of Knox, his cross-examination also took place at a time when the hearings of now-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the accusation he attacked then-high-school student Christine Blasey Ford in the early 1980s were the biggest news story in America. Knox told the jury he didn't relish his situation having to cross-examine his client's accuser. "But I can assure you," he added, "that if any of you or someone you cared about had to sit in the loneliest chair in the courtroom, you'd want me to do to a witness against you and ask the kinds of questions I asked of (the woman) because that's where we test whether the witness is telling the truth." Whether Nickol occupied the "loneliest chair in the courtroom" was certainly open to debate. Knox's summation featured some tough moments. He suggested the woman was lying because she said she didn't fight back. He questioned why she would continue to live with an abuser. At one point he said she had "only one bruise" from the television cord. Knox's defense work must have swayed the jury. At the end of the trial Thursday, Nickol was cleared of the felony strangulation charge and convicted of misdemeanors. So as lonely as that chair may have been, being convicted of those misdemeanors was a lot less lonely than sitting in prison for up to seven years, which was a possibility. Two men arrested last month over an argument that escalated to shots fired at a north Laredo bar are facing additional charges, according to an arrest affidavit. Laredo police said Jesus Alberto Fernandez, 26, and Benito Olguin, 19, are responsible for shooting and wounding Andres Vasquez, 24. Each was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Fernandez and Olguin were first arrested the day of the shooting on Aug. 9 on the same charge. READ MORE: Argument at Laredo bar escalates into shooting, two arrested The case unfolded at about 1:20 a.m., when LPD officers responded to a shooting. The caller stated to LPD that he was in a black Dodge Ram following the suspects and that he had shot at them in self-defense. He pulled over at the parking lot of La Quinta Inn, 7220 Bob Bullock Loop, where police met with him and another man. Authorities issued a lookout on a red Ford Fusion that was last seen entering the Lakeside Subdivision. An officer spotted the Fusion with a shattered rear window at the entrance of Lakeside. Police detained the two occupants, who were identified as Fernandez and Olguin. Authorities said they also seized two firearms, a black 9mm Taurus PT111 Millennium G2 and a black .380 TCP Taurus PT378. LPD investigators later interviewed Fernandez, Olguin and the two complainants. Police learned that a man identified as Vasquez had arrived at Doctors Hospital with a single gunshot wound to the right hip. A friend had dropped him off at the emergency room entrance. Vasquez told police that he and his friend had been at Cowboy's Bar and when they were driving through the parking lot, they heard shots fired. Vasquez then realized he had been shot. Olguin denied having knowledge of or involvement in the case and his cousin, Fernandez, refused to speak to police. READ ALSO: Man accused of running over pedestrian's foot with his truck on Shiloh Drive The complainant stated he and a friend went to Cowboy's Bar and got into a verbal altercation with some men who were seated a few tables away. Police eventually asked them to leave after responding to a "subject disturbing" report, according to court documents. When the complainant got into his Ram, Vasquez called him saying he had been shot and that he was at the hospital. The complainant was exiting the parking lot via Springfield Avenue when he heard someone say "orale p***s" and several shots were fired at him. The complainant returned fire in self-defense and began chasing the suspects, who drove into Lakeside. Authorities detained them and identified them as Fernandez and Olguin. Each was charged and arrested with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Further investigation revealed that Fernandez and Olguin were the ones who shot Vasquez at the bar's parking lot, the affidavit states. SCHOHARIE, N.Y. They were young adults sisters, brothers, old friends and newlyweds who were celebrating one of their birthday's in a rented SUV limousine on a drive through rural Schoharie County. They are now victims of the nation's deadliest transportation disaster in nine years. Twenty people died Saturday afternoon in the horrific wreck at the intersection of state routes 30 and 30A in the town of Schoharie. The stretch limo, packed with 18 people, drove through a stop sign at the notorious intersection and fatally struck two people in the parking lot of a popular country store, before slamming into an earthen embankment and killing all of the oversized vehicle's occupants. "This is the most deadly transportation accident in this country since February of 2009," Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters at a police briefing on Sunday. He was referring to the Feb. 12, 2009, crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in Buffalo, which claimed the lives of 50 people. "Twenty fatalities is just horrific," Sumwalt said of Saturday's deadly crash. "I've been on the board for 12 years, and this is one of the biggest losses of life that we've seen in a long, long time." State Police would not release the names of the victims, saying they were still notifying family members Sunday afternoon. But a devastating picture began to emerge Sunday evening, as family members posted on social media and fundraising websites about the loss of four sisters from one family, as well as the deaths of their husbands and at least one of the husband's relatives. Anthony Vertucci of Saratoga Springs confirmed to the Times Union that Amy Steenburg, her husband, Axel, his brother, Rich, and Amy's three sisters died in the accident. The group was celebrating a birthday. Vertucci said his niece, Erin McGowan, and her husband, Shane McGowan, were also in the limo and died in the crash. Relatives of the four sisters gathered at a house in Amsterdam Sunday night; two men outside the house declined to comment on the tragedy. State Police set up a special hotline for the families of people who may have lost a relative in the crash. Family members are encouraged to call the State Police at 1-877-672-4911. It marked the deadliest transportation incident in the Capital Region since the Oct. 2, 2005, sinking of the Ethan Allen tour boat on Lake George that killed 20 people. Investigators from the NTSB are examining the road conditions at the time of the crash and whether any mechanical problems in the 2001 Ford Excursion limo may have been a factor. State Police First Deputy Superintendent Christopher Fiore provided little information Sunday on how the crash might have happened. Fiore would not identify the company that operated the limo. Sumwalt estimated investigators will be at the scene for five days collecting evidence. He said investigators will not determine a cause of the crash until after they have completed their report. "The fact that the NTSB is here indicates we're very concerned about this," Sumwalt said. Officials said state law requires front-seat passengers in limos to wear seat belts, but not back-seat passengers. Police would not say if anyone in the limo was wearing a seat belt. Schoharie County sheriff's deputies and troopers responded to the accident scene at 1:55 p.m. Saturday outside the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe. The limo was traveling southwest and descending a steep hill on Route 30 when, according to State Police, it failed to stop at the intersection of Route 30A, where there is a stop sign. The limo traveled across the intersection into the Apple Barrel's parking lot and hit an unoccupied 2015 Toyota Highlander. Two pedestrians, who were standing nearby, were struck and killed. Investigators cordoned off the area and had kept the cars of bystanders secured overnight Saturday while they investigated the crash scene and sought to reconstruct what happened. Linda Riley, of Schenectady, returned to the store Sunday afternoon around 1 p.m. to retrieve her car. Riley said she and her sisters had just pulled into the store's parking lot when the crash happened. Her car and other vehicles were covered with tree branches that splintered from the impact and debris from the collisions littered the ground. They didn't realize a crash had occurred at first, she said. "We thought it was an explosion," she said. "Someone said, 'There's a body laying right next to your car.' That was it. We just got out of the car and ran into the restaurant as quickly as possible." Riley described a chaotic scene in a parking lot filled with customers. "Everyone was screaming, 'Call 911, does anyone know CPR?' And then the cops arrived," she said. "I didn't want to come back to get my car. But I had to. You're in shock, just shock. You think about it all night." The victims were all taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital, where autopsies will be done. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo issued a statement Sunday afternoon commending the emergency responders who worked through the night at the scene and had tried furiously to save lives. "State Police are working with federal and local authorities to investigate the crash, and I have directed state agencies to provide every resource necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy," Cuomo said. "I join all New Yorkers in mourning these deaths and share in the unspeakable sorrow experienced by their families and loved ones during this extremely difficult time." The Apple Barrel store sits at the bottom of a steep hill, where the speed limit is 50 mph. For those unfamiliar with the area, there is no indication a stop sign lies ahead on Route 30 until drivers are about 200 feet from the intersection. Jessica Kirby, whose family owns the Apple Barrel store, said the intersection in front of the property is notoriously hazardous. "This is a reoccurring issue in this intersection," she said. Kirby said tractor-trailers have repeatedly come down the hill too fast and veered into the store's parking lot when customers are present. The state made improvements a few years ago, including eliminating truck traffic, but the intersection is still dangerous, she said. "And if you were going too fast and you're not familiar with the area, you won't know it's a stop at the end of a steep hill," she said. Kirby declined to discuss details of the carnage that she and others witnessed on Saturday. "It's something no one should ever have to experience," she said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families." Schoharie town Supervisor Alan Tavenner confirmed the state Department of Transportation made improvements to the dangerous intersection about seven years ago, although concerns about the safety of the junction linger. "There have been tractor-trailers that have come barreling down that hill and it was a miracle they didn't kill somebody," Tavenner said. Staff writer Mallory Moench contributed to this story. SACRAMENTO Gov. Jerry Brown rejected San Franciscos plan to allow safe injection facilities for illicit drug users, saying Sunday that he was concerned about exposing local officials and health care professionals to potential federal criminal charges. In vetoing AB186, the governor also said he was not convinced the bill would lead to drug users getting the treatment they need to get clean. The bill by Assemblywoman Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, would have created a four-year pilot program in San Francisco aimed at reducing opioid overdoses and encouraging users to go into treatment by giving them supervised facilities to inject themselves and ride out the high under clinical supervision. The Trump administration warned that if California allowed the sites, those involved could be subject to civil and criminal action. Brown said in a veto message that enabling illegal drug use in government sponsored injection centers with no requirement of treatment is all carrot and no stick. Enabling illegal and destructive drug use will never work, Brown wrote. The community must have the authority and the laws to require compassionate but effective and mandatory treatment. The bill was backed by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who has been working to ease unrest about the potential for safe injection sites in the city, including by opening a mock injection site in the Tenderloin. Im disappointed that the governor has vetoed this important public health bill, Breed said in a statement. Safe injection sites save lives. If we are going to prevent overdoses and connect people to services and treatment that they badly need to stop using drugs in the first place, we need safe injection sites. Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez Rwanda and Uganda increased surveillance at their borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where instability is heightening the risk of an Ebola outbreak spreading. The virus killed at least 113 people since it was identified in August near Beni in east Congo, the highest toll since an Ebola epidemic killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa between 2014 and 2016. Insecurity and the spread of the virus toward the Ugandan frontier led the World Health Organization to say last month there's a "very high" risk of it crossing Congo's borders. "We have intensified our systems for health surveillance on our borders," Ugandan Health Minister Sarah Achieng Opendi said by phone from the capital, Kampala. Anyone arriving from Congo is being screened and blood samples are being taken from those suspected of carrying the virus, she said. "Fortunately, all have tested negative." Rwanda has placed screening machines at its border posts with Congo and Uganda and urged its citizens not to travel to affected areas, said Fulgence Kamali, a spokesman for Rwanda's Health Ministry. It's the second time this year Ebola has occurred in Congo -- 33 people died in a flare-up in northwest Congo in April -- and the 10th in the country since the disease was first discovered there in 1976. Tackling the current crisis in the eastern Congolese provinces of North Kivu and Ituri is "arguably the most difficult context we have ever faced in terms of responding to an Ebola outbreak," Peter Salama, the WHO's deputy director-general of emergency preparedness and response, said last month. Local mistrust of health workers and escalating violence threaten to create "a potential perfect storm," he said. Eastern Congo has been blighted by armed groups for more than two decades and in excess of 120 militia groups are currently active in the region. Around Beni alone, at least 1,000 civilians have been killed in the past four years. The United Nations estimates that about a million people are currently displaced by conflict in North Kivu. "There is a lot of insecurity, a lot of attacks happening right up against the Ugandan border and people are regularly and routinely fleeing in all directions from those attacks and that includes across borders," Sarah Terlouw, Congo country director at the International Rescue Committee, said in a phone interview. A rebel assault on Beni on Sept. 22, which left 21 people dead, resulted in Congo's Health Ministry and its partners suspending their activities in the town. "We weren't able to do any prevention work for six days," Terlouw said. "We weren't able to track cases, or refer suspected cases for testing for confirmation or for treatment." A vaccination program, deployed successfully for the first time this year during the earlier outbreak in Congo, was also put on hold during the lockdown. "It's safe to say there are unidentified cases and contacts of cases out there," Terlouw said. Hostility from some communities is also complicating the response, requiring the government and its partners to simultaneously perform rapid interventions and education campaigns. Last week, three Red Cross volunteers were attacked and seriously injured in the city of Butembo, a major hub for trade with Uganda, while carrying out a safe burial. Mistrust of health workers has been concentrated around Ndindi, a district in Beni, which has been responsible for a large proportion of recent cases, according to the WHO. "Small numbers, but still significant numbers, of people are refusing active follow-up, refusing to be cared for in the Ebola-treatment unit, and actively fleeing from the responders into the forests, and for hundreds of kilometers in some cases," Salama said on Sept. 25. A family from Ndindi was responsible for spreading Ebola to Tchomia on the shores of Lake Albert on the border with Uganda and Butembo, according to the Health Ministry. --With assistance from Bloomberg's Fred Ojambo. Albany In New York state government news, the challengers hoping to oust Gov. Andrew Cuomo say the Democrat is dragging his feet on debates. Meanwhile, environmental groups are angry that a state task force created to address drinking water contamination missed a key deadline. They're urging Cuomo and state health officials to act now to address toxic contamination around the state, including in Hoosick Falls, Newburgh and Long Island. A look at stories making news: Dodging debates? There are no debates scheduled in the governor's race so far, and only a month to go before the Nov. 6 election. Cuomo, seeking a third term, faces Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, Green Party nominee Howie Hawkins and independent candidate Stephanie Miner, the former mayor of Syracuse. Libertarian candidate Larry Sharpe is also on the ballot. Molinaro accused Cuomo of ducking debates last week, saying that he's willing to participate in several debates though he wants them to be one-on-one with Cuomo. "I am proud to talk about my record and vision for New York, but it's clear that Andrew Cuomo can't say the same," he said. "I see debates as a public obligation for those privileged enough to serve in public office. Mr. Cuomo, evidently, sees debates as forums at which he'll be forced to address corrupt practices and economic failures that have become the hallmarks of his tenure in Albany." Polls show Cuomo is well ahead in the race. He's also outpacing his opponents in fundraising, giving him little need for the free publicity offered by a debate. His challengers, however, have much more to gain. That's especially true for Miner and Hawkins, who could use the debate to take their message to a broader audience. For Molinaro the calculus is more complicated. A one-on-one matchup with Cuomo would highlight his criticism of the incumbent. But a four-way debate would offer less speaking time to the GOP candidate, while putting his challenge on par with his third-party rivals. Cuomo has not yet committed to a debate. He recently told reporters that the campaigns will have to negotiate the details. Water woes A state task force charged with addressing the state's drinking water contamination problem missed its deadline last week and environmental groups aren't happy about it. The Drinking Water Quality Council was expected to recommend by Oct. 2 whether the state should set maximum allowable levels of toxic chemicals like PFOA and PFOS in the water New Yorkers drink. Instead of a recommendation, however, Cuomo announced another meeting for the council. He also announced $200 million in state funds to help with water quality except the money isn't new at all and was first announced in 2017 when lawmakers approved the state budget. Cuomo has even talked about the money before frequently touting it and the creation of the drinking water council as evidence that he's taking the problem seriously. Environmental advocates were disappointed with the council's lack of progress and with Cuomo's explanations. "Today was a test of Gov. Cuomo's commitment to clean waterand he failed," said Nisha Swinton of Food & Water Watch. Upcoming Oct. 16: Assembly holds a hearing in Manhattan on the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. Oct. 16: Senate holds a hearing in Manhattan on the effectiveness of the state's efforts to encourage women- and minority-owned businesses. First lady Melania Trump returned home Sunday from a weeklong visit to Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt to something very familiar: Her husband's emphatic use of a superlative in a Tweet. President Donald Trump was characteristically proud of his wife's performance abroad, as he is of all things Trump. "The First Lady did a tremendous job representing our country in Africa - like no one has before," he said in a statement to reporters. ALBANY New York gets an overall grade of C- when it comes to the number of African-American students who attend and graduate from the state's four-year public colleges and universities, according to a new national study. The Empire State is not alone, however. Massachusetts, which has the highest score overall, only gets a C+ according to "Black Students at Public Colleges and Universities: A 50-State Report Card." New York had the eighth-highest score among the states. The study from the University of Southern California compiled U.S. census data on the number of college-age African-Americans in each state and compared it to enrollments in public colleges and universities. College age was defined as 18-24 years old. The authors, USC researchers Shaun Harper and Isaiah Simmons, developed an "equity score" to show how well campuses are doing in terms of serving black populations in their states. Overall, Harper said, the results are troubling when it comes to equity for black students in publicly supported schools. When one drills down to the campuses, there is lots of variation. University at Albany remains one of the most racially diverse among the 64 SUNY campuses: 42 percent of its freshman class this year identify as white, 19 percent identify as black, 19 percent identify as Hispanic/Latino, 10 percent identify as other and 9 percent identify as Asian. The national study, which put the African-American student body at 17.3 percent at UAlbany, the school received a B for enrollment, which the authors call representation equity. SUNY Polytechnic Institute, where 5.3 percent of the students are black, got an F in enrollment. The study of 506 public four-years undergraduate school also analyzed on-time graduation rates, the black student-to-black faculty ratio and the percentages of black men and women on a given campus. UAlbany did well on that front, with 70.6 percent of black students graduating on time compared with 66.6 percent overall. SUNY Poly received an A in the "completion equity" category which looks at how many black students graduate in six years. Forty four percent black SUNY Poly students graduated in that time-frame, just below the 46 percent overall. And in 2017, that improved to 67 percent. UAlbany cites several reasons for its success in attracting black students. The school has a longstanding Equal Opportunity program that serves many black and other minority students. Spokesman Jordan Carleo-Evangelist said admissions counselors have long recruited from top high schools in New York City and surrounding areas where there are many African-American students. Along with census Census data, the study looked at 2016-17 enrollment numbers provided by campuses to a data base maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics. The study is a snapshot in time. It doesn't consider, for instance, that SUNY Poly is a relatively new school compared to UAlbany. And it doesn't differentiate between campuses like UAlbany, which is three hours from New York City, and those in central or northern New York, which are farther from urban centers where many African Americans live. New York's overall state score combines SUNY and City University of New York, or CUNY. Statewide, 17.8 percent of college age residents are African American. Harper, who is executive director of USC's Race and Equity Center, voiced hope the study would prompt public college officials to look at ways to get more African-American students enrolled and graduated from their schools. As public colleges, these schools are supported by state tax dollars and should serve all of a given states citizens in an equitable manner, said Harper. Harper said the degree to which college admissions people go to various communities and schools is a key part of recruiting more black students. Too many public colleges and universities rely on just a handful of places year after year, he said. Black Suny Students by rkarlin on Scribd The survey also looked at the ratios of black men and women and ratios of black faculty to black students. SUNY Polytechnic spokesman Steve Ference said the school has stepped up recruitment efforts since 2016. The school had a ratio of 22:1 black students to faculty, garnering an B in that area, while UAlbany had a ratio of 74:1 for an F rating. In gender equity, UAlbany had 58 percent to 42 percent women to men for a score of A, while SUNY Poly had 31.5 percent to 68.5 percent women to men for an F. States could potentially get scores of 3.50. But the highest actual grade went to Massachusetts with a 2.81 or C+. New York had a 2.28 overall, which worked out to a the C-. Much of the 660-page opioids package President Donald Trump could sign this week aims at expanding access to treatment and limiting opportunities for people to become addicted in the first place. But a five-page provision near its end seeks to protect drug-addicted Americans from a strange and particularly egregious kind of exploitation. You might have read news reports over the past several years detailing how "patient brokers" essentially prey on people who need addiction treatment. These brokers cash in on patients by recruiting them to treatment centers in return for financial kickbacks from the providers themselves. Sometimes brokers will pay for patients' air travel or offer to cover their rent to entice them into detox facilities. It will now be illegal on the federal level to provide or receive these types of payments for patients with private coverage, under the bill's subtitle J, dubbed "Eliminating Kickback in Recovery." These kickbacks are already illegal under federal health-care programs including Medicare and Medicaid, but up until now, there wasn't any federal prohibition pertaining to private coverage. Under the provision - originally offered by Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. - anyone found guilty of these arrangements could face up to 10 years in prison or as much as $200,000 in fines. The practice is particularly widespread in Florida, which is home to more treatment facilities than any other state. Patient brokering is something House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders have been probing for a while. Last year, they wrote to health regulators in Florida, Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, asking them to explain how they regulate drug-treatment facilities. In May, the members sent letters to eight private call centers, demanding they explain their role in connecting patients to recovery centers and how they get paid by the facilities. In some cases, these brokers will help uninsured patients enroll in private coverage and pay their premiums until the plan's treatment benefits are exhausted after two or three months. There have even been reports of brokers making drugs available to patients so they relapse and the cycle can be repeated. And once these patients are in treatment centers - some of them illicit - the facilities have even worked to bill the plans at higher out-of-network rates that can total more than $10,000 per week. Sometimes, they submit fraudulent claims to the insurer for services that were never even rendered (outrageously expensive urine tests are a good example of this). The tales of people targeted by these brokers are heartbreaking. Take the story of Lisa Daniels, whose son Jamie died from heroin laced with fentanyl after spending seven months in treatment programs in Florida. Investigators later found that two of the three sober homes Jamie lived in had issued fraudulent claims to his Blue Cross plan, totaling more than $60,000 in charges for urine and blood tests. And the doctor he saw after moving into the second sober house had been watched by the FBI since at least 2013. "These people befriend and lure individuals into specific sober homes with offers of gifts, or as in Jamie's case, a promise of rent completely covered by insurance," Daniels told Energy and Commerce Committee legislators at an April roundtable on the opioid crisis. It was a similar story for Kenny Smith. He started off at a licensed treatment facility in Florida but soon got shuffled around to several different facilities, a pattern his mother Gail says lasted until his death four months later. The last place he stayed in was a sober living home run by Bradley Vercosa, a man recently arrested for patient brokering. He "got trapped in the 'web' of a treatment center and sober-living house scam," Gail Smith said at the same roundtable. States and localities are taking steps to crack down on the practice. Last month, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill criminalizing the collection of finders fees and other predatory behavior. Palm Beach County, a part of Florida where sober living homes are particularly concentrated, has created a special task force to go after operators of treatment facilities. But Congress's recent and rare bipartisan action comes as a welcome relief to prosecutors who see on the ground how Americans struggling with the tough problem of drug addiction can be so easily exploited. "In today's hyper-partisan world where very little seems to be get accomplished in Washington, this is a true victory that will save lives," Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg told the Sun Sentinel. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said a shooting outside a bar on San Antonio's gay strip is not believed to have been a hate crime and was carried out by an "angry patron who probably had too much to drink and was kicked out of the club." Three people were hospitalized after the shooting outside the Pegasus bar in the 1400 block of North Main Avenue early Monday morning, according to police. On October 1, 2018 at 1:00 pm with her daughters at her side, Ellen Joanne Ancira, took her last few breaths and passed on to eternal rest. A longtime resident of Round Rock, Texas, Joanne is survived by her 5 daughters: Ellen Aurora, Laura Lynn, Barbara Gayl, Mary Alicia (Lisa), and Anastacia Patricia (Tasha). Born in Sioux City Iowa on July 24th, 1929, Joanne was the youngest child to Ella Ryle and Julius Stark. She attended Central High School in Sioux City Iowa and then moved to Dallas Texas to attend nursing school at SMU. Joanne Ancira known as Joey to her grandchildren, Mom to her 5 daughters, and Joanne to her many friends across the world, left a legacy to all that knew her. Joannes love for life, wonder for the arts, appreciation for diverse culture and travel, and most importantly a commitment to human philanthropy were some of the many contributions to the lives of all that knew her. She often stated that her desire was to make every place I live a little better than before. In the RTE docudrama The Bailout, a recollection of memories and records from the time of the crash that ultimately destroyed Irelands independence, and led to even more poor decision making, right up to the present day, the narrative is well presented. Brian Lenihan, a lovely guy who many would say possibly gave his life for Ireland, proved that being an intellectual, and an academic, didnt protect him from the panic that grew around the Government of the day, Fianna Fail, who were completely taken in by the banks assurances. Fianna Fail made the terrible mistake of negotiating in a hurry. Thats never done, in business. They should have insisted on some examination of the facts, and allow the two most offending banks to fail. Ive often written about the lack of political education in government, and the need for real knowledge. No point having high level intellect alone, ministers also need plain ordinary savvy about the subject. Lenihan had both education and intellectual ability, but wasnt prepared for the intricacies of financial wheeling and dealing. In short he didnt realise that banks told lies of such magnitude that he couldnt really begin to comprehend that they were telling him porkies on such a massive scale. Were paying, and will continue to pay for a long, long time. Yet the banks are still in some cases, holding out despite austerity. No sign of much reality in the current government either, despite, once again, having wonderful people, with top level intellect in charge. Three obvious candidates for the above description are the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, the Tanaiste Simon Coveney, and the Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy. None have the faintest idea about the housing crisis. Coveney, a nice man and a real academic, had a chance at it, and was grateful to leave the post as quick as he could, to do something that he actually knows about. The Taoiseach sounded like a far fetched idealist when he spoke recently about housing in the Dail, and Eoghan Murphy really hasnt a clue about what to do. Both the Taoiseach and the Minister are both suffering from the same problem. Neither really and truly care in the way that matters, and are heavy on public relations, short on factual solutions. Eoghan Murphy is busy putting on his helmet and yellow jacket to be photographed. Hed be better employed staying in his office and applying simple solutions, that work. What solutions, you ask? By actually building houses. Yes, and paying for them, from the public funds. An midlands weather forecaster has given a further update to the likely impact of Storm Callum later this week. Cathal Nolan from the Midland Weather Channel has said that red warnings are possible on Friday with the west likely to bear the brunt of the Atlantic system. "Latest weather models have once again updated the potential of Fridays storm, with the strongest gusts now forecast to reach up to 160km/h in western parts of the country. Winds across the rest of the country could gust to 130km/h," Cathal said. Also read: Explore Longford App to be updated as 21,500 announced for local digital initiatives He went on to say, "Coastal flooding is also likely to become a major issue, with coastal cities such as Cork, Waterford and Galway at risk of experiencing coastal flooding." "All coastal areas will be at risk of severe coastal flooding from storm surges which will coincide with high tides." Also read: Longford Weather Alert: Severe storm risk as Storm Callum heads towards Ireland "At present, I feel its prudent to issue a status yellow warning, however this is likely to be upgraded to a status orange on Wednesday, and if the forecast conditions continue to materialise as predicted then a status red warning would seem likely for parts of the country on Friday," Nolan continued. "Changes to the intensity and timing of this storm are highly possible given that its still over three days away," he concluded. Also read: Longford County Council made payments of 2.7 million during third quarter of year Local News, Arts & Culture, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events By Long Island News & PR Published: October 08 2018 Lupinacci Co-Grand Marshal for 20th Annual Long Island Columbus Day Parade w/NYS OSDIA President Robert M. Ferrito, News 12 Anchor Antoinette Biordi, Dr. Vito DeSimone, Ph.D. Huntington, NY - October 8, 2018 - Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci, Town Councilmembers Eugene Cook, Joan Cergol, and Ed Smyth, Town Clerk Jo-Ann Raia, Tax Receiver Jillian Guthman, State Assemblyman Steve Stern, County Comptroller John Kennedy, and County Legislator William Spencer joined Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America New York Grand Lodge State President Robert Ferrito, State 1st Vice President Anthony Naccarato, State Deputy Keith Wilson, past National President Joseph DiTrapani, National Treasurer Thomas Lupo, members from across Long Island, and a Christopher Columbus impersonator for a wreath laying and Italian flag-raising ceremony at the Christopher Columbus Statue in Huntington Village on Thursday, October 4 to kick off Italian-American Heritage Month festivities, including the 20th Annual Long Island Columbus Day Parade taking place Sunday, October 7 in Huntington Village. Huntington Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci, Town Councilmembers Eugene Cook, Joan Cergol, and Ed Smyth, Town Clerk Jo-Ann Raia, Tax Receiver Jillian Guthman, State Assemblyman Steve Stern, County Comptroller John Kennedy, and County Legislator William Spencer joined Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America New York Grand Lodge State President Robert Ferrito, State 1st Vice President Anthony Naccarato, State Deputy Keith Wilson, past National President Joseph DiTrapani, National Treasurer Thomas Lupo, members from across Long Island, and a Christopher Columbus impersonator for a wreath laying and Italian flag-raising ceremony at the Christopher Columbus Statue in Huntington Village on Thursday, October 4 to kick off Italian-American Heritage Month festivities, including the 20th Annual Long Island Columbus Day Parade taking place Sunday, October 7 in Huntington Village. OSDIA New York State Deputy Keith Wilson, also Parade Chairman, served as master of ceremonies, opening the event with an invocation from Father Noel Sixon from Saint Patricks Church in Huntington, who blessed the statue, wreath and all in attendance. "This statue has served as a gateway to Huntington Village for over 40 years, it was commissioned by Sam Albicocco, a Huntington resident who was the uncle of the Towns Director of General Services, Andre Sorrentino, who is responsible for the beautification of the surrounding landscaping," said Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci. "Albicocco purchased the land for the statue at his own cost. The statue was financed with contributions from hundreds of Long Islanders, also proud of their Italian-American heritage, and in 1994 Trustees of the Sam Albicocco-Christopher Columbus Foundation transferred this land and the statue that sits upon it to the Town of Huntington." Lupinacci assured those in attendance that the statue was here to stay in Huntington, standing taller, and larger, with broader shoulders, and encouraged residents to wear their green, white and red on Sunday, for the 20th Annual Long Island Columbus Day Parade, of which he will serve as a Co-Grand Marshal, along with NYS OSDIA President Robert M. Ferrito, News 12 Anchor Antoinette Biordi, and Italian media personality Dr. Vito DeSimone, Ph.D. Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy, member of the OSDIA Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Lodge #2319 along with his wife, Suffolk County Legislator Leslie Kennedy stated: Its an honor to be here, particularly as a past Grand Marshal for this great parade, as he noted the importance of honoring the heritage and importance of Columbus in Suffolk County and the nation at large. The tradition of the Long Island Columbus Day Parade started in his hometown, East Northport, in 1969. At the time, it was the first Columbus Day Parade in Suffolk County in 31 years. President Domenica Diana Grauer of the OSDIA Arturo Toscanini Lodge #2107 and Mary Naccarato of the OSDIA Giuseppe Verdi Lodge #2163 then presented a bouquet of flowers to NYS OSDIA First Lady Lina Ferrito on behalf of the Parade Committee. Suffolk County Legislator William Spencer offered quick words of congratulations, well-received by the crowd, as the rain came down at the outdoor ceremony: Thank you, its a privilege to be here, congratulations and God bless you all. Representing the National Foundation, past OSDIA National President Joseph DiTrapani of the Per Sempre Lodge #2344 said, Lets enjoy this evening, its a great day and a great week for our Sons of Italy and our Italian heritage, as he offered best wishes from all members across the country. On behalf of OSDIA National President Vera Girolami, National Treasurer Thomas Lupo offered well wishes: I bring you greetings from National President Girolami and she wishes you the best in celebrating this very important weekend to all Italian-Americans. OSDIA State President Robert Ferrito thanked all in attendance for joining in the ceremonial kicking off of Columbus Day Weekend, stating: We must recognize that Columbus was a great navigator, he brought Christianity to the New World, and he should be recognized for his accomplishments, discovering a new route to America, bringing many individuals behind him scientists, mathematicians; artists and poets who made this country the great country it is today, as he went on to congratulate each of the elected officials in attendance for standing strong in celebrating Columbus' accomplishments. State Deputy Wilson thanked all in attendance for taking part in the celebration and called for the Italian flag to be raised, which will remain flying for all of Italian-American Heritage Month, and the wreath to be placed at the base of the Columbus statue. The Annual New York Grand Lodge, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, Long Island Columbus Day Parade will step off in Huntington on Sunday October 7, 2018. Many members of the NYS OSDIA from across Long Island will join in the festivities marking the organizations 113th anniversary. The event provides the ideal backdrop to celebrate Italian heritage, culture and the vast contributions made in the country by people of Italian ancestry. Green, red and white will be the colors of the day as spectators are sure to revel in Italian-American pride, while taking in the many authentic Italian costumes and listening to the talented high school marching bands. The theme for this years parade is Columbus The Legacy Continues 2018! Members of over 24 lodges in Nassau and Suffolk will be holding their banners and marching with pride during the parade, which coincides with the annual Long Island Fall festival at Heckscher State park. The Town of Huntington and the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce host the Parade. Kicking off at 12 noon, the 1.5-mile parade route will be take place on Main Street in Huntington Village, starting at the intersection of Park Avenue and West Main Street and continuing to West Neck Road and West Main Street. Local News, Crime, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: October 08 2018 Emely Garcia, 15, was last seen on Friday, October 5. UPDATE - October 10, 2018 - Police report that Emely Garcia has been located. Below is the original report. Hempstead, NY - October 8, 2018 - The Missing Person Squad reports the details of a Missing Juvenile at 3:30pm Friday, October 5, 2018 from The Missing Person Squad reports the details of a Missing Juvenile at 3:30pm Friday, October 5, 2018 from Hempstead . It was reported to Police at 8:50pm on Friday, October 5, 2018. According to Detectives, Missing Emely Garcia, 15, of Hempstead is described as a female white Hispanic, 56, 120lbs., brown eyes, brown hair, medium complexion, last seen wearing a yellow sweater, black pants, black sneakers and black backpack. Her possible destination is unknown. The "Notorious" Conor McGregor got a notorious hiding over the weekend, being convincingly and at times, brutally beaten by Khabib Nurmagomedov in a fight that ended with a 4th round submission. A large brawl ensued following the fight, which saw Khabib leap over the octagon and into the crowd to confront members of McGregor's team. Khabib's team then returned the favour by swarming the octagon to attack McGregorm resulting in three arrests and a crowd-wide brawl. Following the fight, McGregor was absent during the post-match press conference, but later took to Twitter to let fans know that wasn't the last they'd seen of this rivalry. Several weeks before the St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church Armenian Bazaar, church member and bazaar volunteer Leo Vartanian is busy making tourshi (pickled vegetables) so that it will marinate and be ready to eat at bazaar time. "There is no question that food is one of the many ways that an ethnic group displays its unique culture," he said. This year the bazaar will take place Oct. 13 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 135 Goodwin St. in Indian Orchard. It will feature homemade Armenian food and pastries, pickled vegetables, shish kebab and chicken kebab dinners. "Recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation" help church members provide food for the event, he said. These foods include shish kebob (barbecued pieces of lamb, peppers and onions) and losh kebob (barbecued burgers of a lamb/beef combination with the right amount of spices); both will be available as a dinner with rice pilaf and a salad or delicious green beans. Other foods include choreg (sweet rolls), paklava (layered filo dough with nuts and sugar water), khadayif (sweetened baked shredded dough) and lehmejun (baked disc of dough covered with ground meat and vegetables). "Many of these foods are prepared by a number of Middle Eastern countries, but each has a special way of preparing them with unique ingredients. I think ours is the best," Vartanian said. In addition to the food, there will be Armenian cookbooks for sale and booths selling scarves, handbags and jewelry. Claudia Muradian-Brubach, a Board of Trustee member and parishioner, said the event is timed so that parishioners and friends can stock up on Armenian baked goods and other items for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Vartanian plans to buy several things at the bazaar, including shish and losh kebob at mealtime. "I will also buy something sweet to top off the meals and buy several dozen lehmejun to take home for the holidays and/or quick meals," he added. "This event allows the outside community to experience our Armenian culture that has been preserved for decades by picnics and bazaars at our church," Muradian-Brubach said. She grew up in the church and spent each bazaar with her parents and siblings eating and visiting with their Armenian friends. "Now I love spending the day with my kids. I spend a lot of time working at the bazaar like many of our other church members, but it is very gratifying knowing we can hold such an enjoyable event for the Armenian community and the community around us and be able to raise funds to continue promoting programs at the church," she said. Proceeds from the bazaar are used for programming, other events, maintenance of the church and other church expenses. St. Gregory Armenian Church was built in 1934 and has been an active church since then. The first building was a modest structure that was expanded in 1957. The current structure was built in 1968 and has typical Armenian architecture, resembling two famous churches in Armenia -- St. Hripsime and Aghtamar. The bazaar is one of the church's two annual fundraising events. The other event is an annual Father's Day picnic in June. "The atmosphere at the bazaar is very festive. Parishioners, friends and relatives from out of town will be here to partake in the delicious food as well as to visit with local friends and relatives -- like a reunion in many cases," Vartanian said. Admission and parking for the bazaar are free. For take out, call ahead: 543-4763. Portugal has long been a wine bargain hunters paradise. From crisp, dry Vinho Verde white wines to robust reds, there are many great, affordable wines made in this gorgeous, European country. This week, I wanted to focus five, dry red wines from Portugal for under $10 each. All of these wines can be found easily in many wines stores throughout the United States. And all of them are ready to enjoy and drink now. And while each wine has its own distinct character, there were definite similarities between these five wines. All of them in general were extremely dry. And the flavors found in them were intense and powerful overall. Here are my recommendations and more information about each one of these wines. Hope you enjoy. WINES REVIEWED THIS WEEK 2016 Esteva Douro ($7.99 at Table & Vine in West Springfield) 2015 Colossal Reserva Casa Santos Lima ($8.99 at Table & Vine) (Highly Recommend) 2015 Ciconia Alentejano ($8.99 at Table & Vine) 2013 Paxis Red Blend ($8.99 at Table & Vine) 2014 Lab Vinho Regional Lisboa Casa Santos Lima ($7.99 at Table & Vine) TASTING NOTES 2016 Esteva Douro Region: Douro, Portugal Grapes: 35% Tinta Roriz, 30% Tinta Barroca, 25% Touriga Franca and 10% Touriga Tasting Notes: One of the more austere, dry, red wines of the five recommended this week, this flinty, wine from Portugal's famous Douro region in the northern part of the country has a soft, raspberry-like finish with hints of pine nuts and other earthy flavors. Let me add that this wine still tastes great a day after opening the bottle. In fact, the wine has an even nuttier and flintier finish the second day. 2015 Colossal Reserva Casa Santos Lima Region: Lisboa, Portugal Grapes: Syrah, Touriga Nacional, Alicante Bouschet, Tinta Roriz Tasting Notes: One of the best wines of the tasting, this full, robust red wine produced by Casa Santos Lima bursts with flavors that linger on the tongue for a full minute or more with each sip. Dominant flavors include roasted blackberries and raspberries. The second day, everything smooths out a bit in this powerful wine. Personally, I preferred this powerhouse the first day, which goes great with grilled meats. Highly recommend. 2015 Ciconia Alentejano Region: Alentejo, Portugal Grapes: Syrah, Touriga Nacional, Aragonez Tasting Notes: The flavors in this intense, red wine from Eastern Portugal tingle on the tip of your tongue and the roof of your mouth. Almost too powerful the first day, this explosion of flavors become reduced the next day to a smooth, full finish with softer fruit flavors. Another great wine to pair with meat and other robust foods. 2013 Paxis Red Blend Region: Lisboa, Portugal Grapes: Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional Tasting Notes: Robust red wine with vibrant fruit flavors, including ripe raspberries and other soft fruit undertones. This wine really hits its stride the second day. There, the wine becomes more round, voluptuous and velvety-smooth. A real gem. 2014 Lab Vinho Regional Lisboa Casa Santos Lima Region: Lisboa, Portugal Grapes: 35% Castelao, 25% Tinta Roriz, 25% Syrah, 15% Touriga Nacional Tasting Notes: Another dry, smooth, red wine from Casa Santos Lima, this understated, affordable wine has a velvet-like finish that's smoother than many of the other wines recommended this week. The wine's flavors become even more subtle and smooth the second day. Overall, all five of these wines are really great examples of what winemakers in Portugal are doing these days when it comes to making affordable, approachable, dry red wines ready to drink now. Cheers! Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican's weekend section every Thursday. Follow Ken Ross on Twitter and Instagram. Fifty years ago, this week, over 2,000 people gathered in Forest Park for Springfield's first 'Love-In.' The bands 'Existance,' 'The Egg' and the 'Rain Drop Blues' played to an enthusiastic crowd. Springfield Police monitored the event closely and made seven arrests. Two days later, the Public Parks and Recreation Board set three new park rules that would rule out repeat 'Love-In's.' The Civil Liberties Union protested the rule changes. From the October 7, 1968 edition of The Springfield Union Later this week, Apollo 7 blasted off on an eleven-day mission to try out the United State's new moonship. Astronauts Walter Schirra, Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham were aboard for Apollo's first manned test. The mission also included the first television broadcast of American astronauts from Earth orbit. From the October 12, 1968 edition of The Springfield Union Ten years later, a story of an antique cider press being put in service again. Hampden resident Bruce Jackson had purchased the antique sixteen years earlier for $25. After cleaning up the press, Jackson started making cider using apples from his four McIntosh apple trees. Jackson said that he could squeeze three gallons of cider out of a bushel of apples in about twenty minutes. From the October 11, 1978 edition of The Morning Union These are some of the headlines you'll see from Page 1 of The Republican and its predecessors over the past fifty years for the week of October 7 - October 13. Each week I'll put together a slideshow of Page 1 images from selected years over the course of that week. We're starting with a look back at one, five, thirty, forty and fifty years ago, with Page 1s from each day of the week for those years. The slideshow for October 7 - October 13 is embedded at the top of this article. We'll also find some humor printed out on page one over the years. In 1968 'Dennis The Menace' could be found on the bottom of page one six days a week. From the October 11, 1968 edition of The Springfield Union From a year ago, a story about the growing number of Massachusetts farmers looking to get into the business of growing marijuana as a cash crop. By lobbying the state, the farmers were hoping to get a piece of the business that had been dominated by large corporations. From the October 8, 2017 edition of The Republican And from 1968, a story about Aviation Machinist Mate Richard Lavigne, of Ludlow, who assisted in rescuing a down Navy pilot in the South China Sea. The Navy A7 was shot down over North Vietnam, but the pilot was able to eject over open water. Lavigne went from his helicopter into the water to assist the pilot. Officials said that, at that point, 905 U.S. aircraft had been shot down over North Vietnam. From the October 8, 1968 edition of The Springfield Union As you'll find with looking through the slideshow, that while many stories come and go, many of the issues and topics that affected lives in the past, continue to have an impact on our lives today. Copies of these and other stories can be found in the online archives. The Historic Archive includes stories from 1824 to 1989, and the Newsbank Archive covers 1988 through the present day. JetBlue passengers arrived in Boston early Monday morning after a scary takeoff in Las Vegas. WCVB reports that a plane leaving Las Vegas for Boston Sunday began pouring smoke from its engine shortly after takeoff. The plane taxied back to the gate and no one was injured, according to the television station. The flight landed at Logan Airport at 3 a.m. A passenger told WCVB he and others on the plane received a $275 voucher and pizza. Boston police said the shootings that left five men dead in Boston since Friday are not linked. "We do not believe they are connected," said Officer Stephen McNulty Monday morning. He added that the department would not make further comment on the homicide investigations because officers need to be "careful of the information we release." The violent weekend began early Friday morning when officers responded to a deadly shooting on Massachusetts Avenue in Roxbury and ended with the arrest of a 26-year-old Brockton man believed to have shot a man in his 30s in Mattapan Sunday morning. Police have identified one of the victims. Mayor Marty Walsh told NBC Boston reporters there was no clear reason for the uptick in shootings. "It's kinda one of those things where we go through ebbs and flows and sometimes we have multiple shootings like we did this weekend and there's no rhyme or reason to it," Walsh said in the interview, posted online. Walsh's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MassLive. Kai Harris, of Brockton, faces a murder charge after police say he shot and killed a man in his 30s near Itasca Street in Mattapan just before 11:30 a.m. Sunday. The victim was pronounced dead in a hospital shortly following the shooting, police said. Harris will face the charge in Dorchester District Court, police said. At about 2:30 a.m. Sunday police responded to 18 Mildred Avenue in Mattapan, where they found a man with gunshot wounds, authorities said. The man was in his early 40s and was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said. There have been no arrests in connection with this shooting. At 11:35 p.m. Saturday officers in Dorchester responded to gunshots near the Fabian Gas Station on Washington Street. A man in his 60s, believed to be the victim of an attempted robbery, later died from his injuries, family told NBC Boston. Family identified the man as 67-year-old Jose Luis Phinn Williams, a friendly clerk at the gas station. Kevin Williams, 21, of Dorchester, was arrested nearby and faces multiple charges, including assault with intent to murder and attempted robbery, police said. He is also expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court, police said. Earlier Saturday, at 6:48 p.m., police responded to another fatal shooting in Dorchester. A man, who police said was shot near 11 Emrose Terrace in Dorchester, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was believed to be in his 20s. He has not been identified. Another man in his 20s was also shot and killed on Massachusetts Avenue in Roxbury Friday morning. On Monday police identified him as Raymond Holloway-Creighton, 26, of Dorchester. Suspects in two unrelated killings in Boston will appear in court Tuesday morning, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office confirmed. Kevin Williams, 21, of Dorchester, is accused of shooting 67-year-old Jose Luis Pinn Williams, gas station attendant. In an unrelated case, Kai Harris, 26, of Brockton is facing a murder charge in connection with the killing of a man in his 30s. The arrests come as Boston was struck by a wave of violence over the weekend. Five men were killed in the span of three days. Williams and Harris are both scheduled for arraignment in Dorchester District Court for their alleged roles in two unrelated shootings over the weekend, according to the district attorney's office. Williams was arrested near the Fabian Gas Station on Washington Street in Dorchester where a man was shot and killed at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday night. Police say the 21-year-old shot and killed a man in his 60s during an attempted robbery. Family and friends identified the victim as 67-year-old Williams in an interview with WBZ-TV. He had two sons, ages 27 and 18, according to the television station. The man, who friends described as a friendly clerk, had previously been robbed at the gas station but returned to work. He would have turned 68 Monday, friends said. "He was a great person, great father, very kind, very loving with his kids, all of the family," Margot Vazquez, the mother of Williams' children told WBZ-TV. "They took his life away it's a pain that I don't wish to nobody." Friends also set up a GoFundMe page for Williams' family "Jose Luis Phinn-Williams will always be remembered as a loving man with a great smile and the biggest heart on Washington Street," a friend wrote on the page. Williams faces multiple charges including assault with intent to murder and attempted robbery, Boston police said. Additional charges are expected to be filed. Just twelve hours later police responded to a shooting on Itasca Street in Mattapan. When officers arrived they found a man in his 30s with a gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. The man has not been identified. Harris was arrested after "further investigation," Boston police said. He is being charged with murder. Three other men were shot and killed from Friday to Sunday in Boston. Raymond Halloway-Creighton, 26, of Dorchester was shot and killed on Massachusetts Avenue in Roxbury at about 3:30 a.m. Friday. At 6:48 p.m. Friday a double shooting on Emrose Terrace in Dorchester left a man dead and another injured. The victims have not been identified but police told the Boston Globe the wounded person is a teenager and the man who died was in his 20s. At 2:30 a.m. Sunday police were called to Mildred Avenue in Mattapan where a man had been shot. The man, in his 40s, has not been identified. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, Boston police said. The five killings remain under investigation. Boston police said there have been 44 homicides in the city in 2018 compared with 42 at this time last year. Boston police are asking for the public's help to locate a 17-year-old who has been missing for more than a week. Aminer Alicea was last seen on Sunday, Sept. 30 near 17 Greenville St. in Roxbury, Boston police said Monday. Alicea has medium complexion black skin, is 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 115 pounds, and has short curly black hair and brown eyes, police said. He was last seen wearing a white hat, white shirt and blue jeans and was carrying a gray book bag. Anyone with information about Alicea is asked to contact District B-2 (Roxbury) Detectives at 617-343-4275. While the cause of a limousine crash in Schoharie, New York, Saturday that killed 20 is still under investigation, limousine company officials in Massachusetts say passengers should ask questions about the cars, the driver training and vehicle maintenance schedules before booking a ride. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday the vehicle involved in the New York crash failed a state department of transportation inspection last month, the Associated Press reported. "It's not like ordering a pizza," Ed Der Sarkis, who has owned Deluxe Limousine Service in Agawam for 22 years, said about hiring a car. He said customers should find out how long a limousine company has been in business and if it has proper insurance, which means that it meets state requirements. He recommended checking company references and asking about the age of the vehicles and their maintenance schedule. The vehicle involved in the New York crash that killed 17 passengers, the driver and two pedestrians was a 2001 Ford Excursion. Der Sarkis said driver training is imperative. "Before we even consider their eligibility, we look at work history, (and the) driving record strictly scrutinized," he said. "Nobody with less than three years (of experience) is considered." "Anytime (a limousine accident) happens, I take this personal," Der Sarkis said. "My company has worked damn hard over 22 years to ensure guest safety." David White, owner of Holyoke-based Exclusive Car Service, said he ensures limousines are manufactured from "a reputable company" because second tier manufacturers and the limos are not as safe. He too said driver training is key. "Our drivers are properly licensed from the state," he said. He said people should ask a limo company about how drivers are trained. All limos in Massachusetts are required to have seat belts and drivers are required to wear them, but whether passengers wear them is optional. The limousine in the New York crash was licensed in New York and under that state's laws, the driver would have been required to wear a seat belt. Passengers would not have had to do so, according to the New York Times. It is unclear if they were wearing seat belts. "If you have people bouncing around inside of the car, it's not good," White said. He said the accident will spur a review of limousine safety nationwide. "Every regulatory agency will get fired up, take a second look at things, which is OK -- all reputable limo companies want to put out a good product," he said. There have been other high-profile limousine crashes that have raised concerns about the industry, including a crash in Long Island in July 2015 in which four women on a winery tour were killed. They were in a Lincoln Town Car that had been cut apart and rebuilt in a stretch configuration to accommodate more passengers. The limousine was trying to make a U-turn and was struck by a pickup. A grand jury found that vehicles converted into stretch limousines often don't have safety measures including side-impact air bags, reinforced rollover protection bars and accessible emergency exits. Limousines built in factories are already required to meet stringent safety regulations, but when cars are converted into limos, safety features are sometimes removed, leading to gaps in safety protocols, the grand jury wrote. Der Sarkis said all his limos are built on the West Coast and are reinforced with tubular steel in the mid sections. Ken Bogar, supervisor with the Millbury-based All Points Limo Service, said his company does extensive driver training and requires drivers to get state Department of Transportation medical screening that's more extensive than what's required on a physical. He said the drivers are not required to have that screening because they don't need a commercial license to drive a limo with 14 or fewer passengers. He said All Points does weekly maneuvering training with their drivers as well. He believes that safe drivers are imperative for limousine safety. Bogar said he knew he'd get at least one media call inquiring about industry safety in the crash's aftermath. Der Sarkis also advised people to look at social media reviews about limo companies. Police in Lowell are searching for a 26-year-old man who is considered armed and dangerous after allegedly shooting another man in the stomach near a nightclub. Dwayne A. Johnson of Haverhill is wanted on an armed assault with intent to murder charge in connection with a shooting at Middle and Palmer streets around 2:20 a.m. Sunday, police said. A 24-year-old Haverhill man was found with a gunshot wound to his stomach, Lowell police said Monday. He was taken to a local hospital then flown to a Boston hospital in serious condition. The victim was with friends at the Village Smokehouse bar and nightclub and left to go home Sunday. Police say the victim "encountered" Johnson outside. "The victim and suspect appeared to have a history and were going to have an altercation when the suspect took out a gun and shot the victim once in the abdomen," police said. Johnson ran from the scene. A weapon, possibly used in the shooting, was found nearby. Police obtained an arrest warrant for Johnson and are calling him armed and dangerous. Anyone with information is asked to call the Lowell Police Department at 978-937-3200. SPRINGFIELD -- By early next month, it will be two years since Massachusetts voters declared they wanted marijuana legalized for recreational use by approving a ballot question. But not one recreational marijuana shop has been permitted to open. State law requires samples be tested to ensure that marijuana products are safe to ingest. A big reason for the delay is the state has yet to grant final certification to laboratories to do such testing on recreational marijuana -- even though labs have been testing marijuana for medicinal use for years. "It's the same clients, the same product and the same kind of testing," said Christopher Hudalla, chief scientific officer of ProVerde Laboratories in Milford, one of three labs the state has certified to test medical marijuana. Since ProVerde, along with MCR Labs in Framingham and CDX Analytics in Salem, are already testing pot from medical producers, why can't they also test weed from recreational marijuana companies? "That's the million-dollar question," Hudalla said. The answer is that, for now, labs that test medical marijuana are certified by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and labs that will test recreational marijuana must be certified by the state Cannabis Control Commission. And the commission has yet to complete the certification process to let such labs begin testing. As of Jan. 1, the commission will have jurisdiction over the medical marijuana program, as well. It's close, commission Chairman Steven Hoffman told reporters Oct. 4. He said he hoped to have an item on the next commission agenda to vote on certifying one or more labs to test recreational marijuana. "We know that's a critical part of the puzzle," Hoffman said. The next commission meeting is Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, 101 Federal St., 12th floor, in Boston, according to the board's website. As for recreational marijuana businesses actually getting all the approvals to open, Hoffman said the commission, despite criticism for being slow, has been careful in scrutinizing license applications and doing background checks of individuals involved in such operations. That care will benefit the state, he said. "I think we're weeks away. ... We're doing it right. I'm very proud of the way we're doing it. We're being careful, we're being thorough," Hoffman said. A commission spokeswoman was asked why the DPH-approved labs that test medical marijuana cannot also be used to test recreational marijuana now. "State law requires all marijuana products to be tested by a lab to be licensed directly by the Cannabis Control Commission. As you know, the commission has not approved any lab licenses yet," the spokeswoman said. "The Cannabis Control Commission and the Department of Public Health are continuing to collaborate on the process for transferring existing medical marijuana plants to adult use," the spokeswoman said. "Adult use" is a synonym among state and industry officials for recreational marijuana, which is now legal for anyone 21 or older to possess in limited quantities. The testing requirement was part of the recreational marijuana law that Gov. Charlie Baker signed July 28, 2017. The initial target date for recreational marijuana retailers to open was July 1 of this year. The commission started taking applications from testing labs April 17, the spokeswoman said. "The commission cannot force any applicant to pursue an adult-use license, but engaged with labs to make sure they had the information they needed to apply. Additionally, the commission agreed to review completed independent testing lab applications submitted on or before Aug. 1 out of order - before all other categories of license applicants - in order to ensure a complete supply chain," the spokeswoman said. ProVerde and MCR Labs have applied to the commission for certification to add testing of recreational marijuana to their existing medical pot repertoire. Representatives of CDX Analytics didn't return a call seeking comment. Despite already operating as a lab that tests medical marijuana, such labs face additional fees and requirements in order to be certified by the commission to test recreational marijuana. It costs $300 to apply and $5,000 a year for the license, Hudalla said. Labs seeking permission to test recreational marijuana in Massachusetts also must negotiate host community agreements with the city or town in which they're located. Fees in host community agreements "shall be reasonably related to the costs imposed upon the municipality by the operation of the establishment and shall, in no event, amount to more than 3 percent of the gross sales of the establishment or be effective for longer than 5 years," according to the law. Such agreements are required of medical and recreational marijuana companies. But the costs imposed on companies in such agreements in some cases have gone beyond the annual revenue payments to include "grants" negotiated for community groups and other services. Host community agreements are not required of labs certified to test medical marijuana. MCR Labs founder Michael Kahn said the marijuana industry is growing and getting more complex. "I think we will do that testing," for recreational marijuana also, Kahn said. "But to get that accomplished, it's a very involved process." Jim Borghesani, a marijuana industry consultant and a former spokesman for the pro-legalization ballot campaign in 2016, hasn't been shy about criticizing state government in relation to getting the marijuana industry operating. Having labs in place that already test medical marijuana but not using them to test recreational marijuana is just bureaucracy, he said. "I'd say there's a bureaucratic block right now, even though these facilities will be exactly the same, they'll be testing the same product, using the exact same methods," Borghesani said. While city and town officials have said the presence in their communities of marijuana facilities justifies whatever compensation they can negotiate, there's been criticism that host community agreements have veered into greed. Cities and towns are allowed to make "extortionist demands" of marijuana companies and the state looks the other way, Borghesani said. The lack of testing labs and unrestricted host community agreements all have worked to impede the state's marijuana industry, he said. "I don't think anybody behind the scenes is trying to stop the law. I don't think there's any conspiracy," said Borghesani. Nevertheless, he said state government "has an ingrained fear of this industry and has made it difficult for this industry to move forward and has made it possible for cities and towns to seize on this fear." Northern Europe's largest offshore wind developer will purchase a smaller, well-placed New England firm, with plans to build turbines from Massachusetts to Virginia. Orsted, of Denmark, entered an agreement with the D.E. Shaw Group to acquire a 100 percent equity interest in the Rhode Island-based Deepwater Wind for $510 million, both companies announced Monday. The merger will create the largest offshore platform in the country, with nearly 9 gigawatts planned, or under development, in federal waters off the U.S. eastern seaboard. That's enough to power around 4.5 million homes. The announcement "consolidates Orsted's position as the global market leader in offshore wind with a strong foothold across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific," said Martin Neubert, CEO of Offshore Wind at Orsted. Neubert cited "the best of two worlds" with Deepwater Wind's experience permitting offshore wind projects in the US, and Orsted's "unparalleled track-record in engineering, constructing, and operating large-scale offshore wind farms." Orsted has offshore wind parks in Denmark, Germany, the UK and The Netherlands, and projects under development in Taiwan. The company, with roots going back to 1972, was previously known as Danish Oil and Natural Gas. Deepwater Wind developed Block Island Wind, the US' first and only offshore wind farm, off Rhode Island, which went live in 2016. Deepwater Wind, founded in 2007, won clean energy contracts to deliver 400 megawatts to Rhode Island and 200 megawatts to Connecticut by the end of 2023. Its 120-megawatt Skipjack project off Maryland, and 90-megawatt Southfork project off Long Island, are expected by the end of 2022. The US company also has a potential 2.5 gigawatts off Maryland and Delaware. Orsted holds rights for 3.5 megawatts off New Jersey as Ocean Wind. In a joint venture with Eversource, it holds a 2-gigawatt lease area off Massachusetts as Bay State Wind. In Virginia, Orsted plans installations for Dominion Energy and its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, the company said. Deepwater Wind was financed by D.E. Shaw, equity investors "at the innovative forefront of technology investment," said Orsted. "We are excited to continue this journey and take the industry to the next level." The National Wildlife Federation on Monday said the acquisition comes at a pivotal moment for US offshore wind. The non-profit was deeply involved in the Block Island project to make sure impacts on fish, birds, and aquatic life were minimized. "We know responsibly developed offshore wind power offers a critical solution to climate change, and the first round of US projects must be sited and built with wildlife in mind," said program director Catherine Bowes. She said the wildlife federation "looks forward to continuing to work with Orsted and all offshore wind companies to advance responsibly developed projects for America." Orsted reported revenues of around $9.58 billion in US dollars in fiscal 2017, the year it decided to divest its fossil fuel holdings and focus entirely on renewables. Deepwater Wind's CEO is Jeff Grybowksi, who attended Brown University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. A separate company, Vineyard Wind, recently won rights to supply Massachusetts with 800 megawatts of clean power. The offshore wind industry has promised to create thousands of jobs, power thousands of homes, and create a manufacturing supply chain in the US while cutting the carbon emissions that cause climate change. SPRINGFIELD -- Trinity Health of New England already loses $12 million a year at Providence Behavioral Health in Holyoke -- and if voters pass a ballot question setting mandatory nurse staffing levels, it might force Providence to close, officials said Monday. "It would widen that loss," said Mark Fulco, president of Mercy Medical Center and its affiliates, which includes Providence. "This would not be sustainable." Statewide, an industry trade group estimates that if Question 1 on the November ballot passes, the state would lose as many as 1,000 behavioral health beds. This summer, Trinity laid off an unspecified number of staffers, including nurses, counselors and others, saying it was responding to rising costs and small reimbursements from government and insurers for mental health care. Providence also no longer uses a dozen of what were 24 inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric beds. Fulco said Monday the $12 million-a-year figure accounts for the recent cutbacks. Fulco, along with nurses and executives from the Baystate Health, Holyoke Medical Center and Cooley Dickinson Health in Northampton hosted a news conference Monday at Baystate Medical Center explaining what they fear would happen if Question 1 passes. Proponents, including the Massachusetts Nurses Association union, say the proposed state law is needed to protect patients by making sure there are always enough nurses to care for them. Critics at Monday's press conference said the law wouldn't provide the needed nurses, or the money to pay them -- so that means services would be cut. "Wouldn't it be great if great if we could have one-on-one nurses. Basic economic concept, very simple: the equitable distribution of limited resources," said Ray Kopacko, emergency room nurse at Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer. "That's what it all comes down to." Dr. Mark Keroack, president & CEO of Baystate Health, said management works hard to make sure hospitals are staffed appropriately. "But there is nothing magic about that 1:4 number," he said, referring to the ratio of nurses to patients the law would set. "There is no formula." Baystate Health would be forced to spend $40 million in the first year to hire more nurses and implement an acuity tool in all units to chart patient need and comply with the law, according to a hospital-funded study by MassInsight global Partnerships. The cost would be $27.5 million a year at Baystate Medical Center alone. Mercy Medical Center and Providence Behavioral Health would need to pay an additional $13.8 million a year. Cooley Dickinson would have to pay an additional $6.5 million. Holyoke would have to pay an additional $5.8 million a year. All told, hospitals say the new ratios would cost $1.31 billion in the first year, and $900 million in subsequent years. The Massachusetts Nurses Association has a different set of estimates, pegging the cost of compliance much lower: $35 million to $47 million statewide. The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission estimates the statewide cost to all hospitals at $676 million to $949 million a year once it is fully implemented. There would be another $57.9 million in one-time costs for implementation, according to the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. Both Fulco and Keroack said they'd have to hire more nurses to meet the ratios than are available on the labor market. "The nursing schools don't churn them out fast enough," Keroack said. The Massachusetts Nurses Association said its members complain of being too shorthanded at hospitals across the state with too many patients to care for properly. Kate Norton, a spokeswoman for the Committee to Ensure Safe Patient Care, which is urging a yes vote on Question 1, said Massachusetts nursing schools graduated more than 18,000 in the last four years, and when California passed a similar law, nurses moved into the Golden State. Massachusetts also has a high number of nurses working per diem, or by the day, or working part-time who could work more hours or work full-time, she said. As for shutdowns, Norton said that no hospitals in California closed as a result of its staffing ratio law since it went into force in 2004. "Let me be clear: Hospital executives make choices about where to spend their vast resources, and we are asking why they refuse to make this investment in patent safety," Norton said. MILFORD -- The "Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography" machine opens like a cabinet and in goes a tray containing 48 glass vials. An automated arm swings over the tray and a needle extracts marijuana samples from each vial. The samples are injected into the system for analysis. This happens because the gummies that would be made with such marijuana samples stop being cute if they cause cancer. ProVerde Laboratories in Milford is one of three such labs certified by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) to test samples from medical marijuana businesses. Tucked into the back of an industrial park at 420 Fortune Blvd., near Interstate 495 in Worcester County, chemists and technicians at the lab use chemical reactions and sophisticated machines. They are testing cannabis for contaminants like heavy metals -- lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic -- and pesticides, and also to gauge the potency of the sample weed. Chief scientific officer Christopher Hudalla gave The Republican a tour of the lab Sept. 25. "We test gummies, caramels, lotions, pops, nasal spray. They have to test the raw pot before they can make anything," Hudalla said. The lab later tests samples of each kind of product a company makes with the pot, from edibles and rubs to tinctures and weed that is smoked. Testing is done with computers and other equipment and doesn't involve lab employees ingesting anything, he said. "There's no anecdotal testing permitted," he said. Untested pot has been available forever and continues to be accessible from street dealers and friends of friends. But a veteran pot-smoker boasting of years of street-acquired tokes without getting sick might be hasty. Heavy metals are naturally occurring in the environment and can accumulate in humans. "Lead if ingested slows down developmental processes," Hudalla said. Mercury ingested can cause headaches, insomnia and muscle atrophy. Cadmium can lead to respiratory and kidney problems. Ingest enough arsenic and the result can be cancer, liver disease and death. Most marijuana companies grow without pesticides since a lot of the cultivation is done indoors. But given the bacteria and other stuff that attaches to people, an employee can bring in traces of pesticides and other contaminants on clothing, Hudalla said. That's why companies that produce marijuana use hyper-care protocols such as requiring employees to change clothes and wear masks and other infection-blocking clothing and even undergo air showers, he said. Legal pot is big business. Sales in North America were $9.2 billion in 2017 and projected to hit $47.3 billion in a decade, according to Forbes.com. In order to position themselves to share in such revenue, those who launch marijuana companies must spend millions of dollars on lawyers, engineers, growing specialists and other employees, as well as fees to regulatory agencies. "They have a lot of money riding on this," Hudalla said. Hence the prioritization of safety. And the bewilderment of industry folks like Hudalla in the face of opposition to legalization of marijuana and the accompanying regulations that aim to ensure pot in the community is safe. "The question is, do you want safe marijuana or do you want a sub-system? It's not going anywhere. It's been here for a long time. It's going to be here for a long time," he said. "If we choose to pretend it's not here what will happen is the black market will thrive. You'll have it grown with pesticides," he said. Hudalla and partner Dorian DesLauriers began ProVerde Laboratories five years ago in a 200-square-foot room in a warehouse in Franklin. In 2014 the lab moved to its current site, a 16,000-square-foot facility with over 20 employees who are chemists, engineers and technicians, he said. "It's a pretty diverse set of backgrounds that we employ in terms of skill level," he said. ProVerde Laboratories is accredited annually by Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation Inc. of Troy, Michigan. "We have to do that to be able to demonstrate to our clients and to the state that our methods work," Hudalla said. Here's what the lab does, according to Hudalla: Samples weighing 8 grams to 10 grams arrive at the lab from a medical marijuana company. Regulations require that delivery vehicles include two guards and use GPS tracking. The marijuana samples are contained in locked boxes the size of a briefcase. The boxes are stored in a frame that is welded to the vehicle. At the lab, the guards sign into a registry. With the guards still in house, the marijuana is weighed in order to ensure the sample corresponds to the weight listed on the box's manifest. "We verify, so that there can be no discrepancy," Hudalla said. No dramatic weight discrepancy has ever occurred, he said. Identification of each sample is logged into the ProVerde computer system and the testing begins. Every step at ProVerde Laboratories occurs under video surveillance. "There's a significant number of cameras in the cannabis industry. You'd think we were making OxyContin," he said, jokingly referring to the powerful opioid painkiller. Despite the camera coverage, the samples from each company are small, little pot is present in the lab at any given time and the tests result in it being destroyed, he said. "If somebody wanted to rob us, they would get maybe $100 worth of product," he said. "And so we kind of laugh at the level of security we have here." Tests are done to determine levels of: Cannabinoids. They are chemical compounds secreted by cannabis plants. Over 100 kinds have been identified in cannabis plants. Main ones are CBD, or cannabidiol, and THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the ingredients in the plant that can provide relief from pain, anxiety, inflammation and insomnia, and, in the case of THC, the high most associated with pot. Terpenes. Terpenes are essential oils found in marijuana plants. They emit the familiar pot aroma and in some cases have anti-inflammatory effects. Pesticides. Substances used to destroy insects or other organisms harmful to plants and have been linked to cancer. Heavy metals. Solvents. Residual solvent analysis is done to test for residues of chemicals used in the extraction and processing of cannabis products, such as isopropyl alcohol. Microbiological contaminants. These include E. coli, salmonella, yeast and mold. Mycotoxins. These are the toxic byproducts of several types of fungus or molds. Moisture. This is done to check for the presence of mold. The state doesn't require such testing on marijuana samples, but Hudalla believes eventually it will. The Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) machine is used to identify, separate and quantify compounds in liquids, in this case, THC and CBD in liquefied pot. Tables of numbers and graphs that indicate quantities come across a computer screen beside the machine. "Each one of these peaks relates to certain compounds in the marijuana," Hudalla said. Besides testing to determine if a medical marijuana company's product is harmful, the lab also examines the strength in the samples of the key compounds THC and CBD, he said. "We need to be able to tell the client how much THC or CBD is in their product, the potency," he said. The battery of tests usually takes five business days to complete. It can take three to five days to grow a mold culture, for example, he said. (A culture is the cultivation of bacteria, tissue cells, etc., in an artificial medium containing nutrients.) Once testing is done, ProVerde sends the client a digital report, he said. If a contaminant is found, the client in some cases gets a chance to do remediation. The client can go back and take measures to fix the problem in the bulk of the batch of marijuana from which the contaminated tested grams were taken, he said. "So they have to submit another sample," he said. But if pesticides are found, there's no remediation. The entire batch of marijuana must be destroyed, he said. The Department of Public Health inspects medical marijuana facilities in visits that are announced and sometimes unannounced. Dispensaries must have policies, product sampling plans and test results available for inspection, said Marybeth McCabe, DPH health communications strategy manager. If lab tests reveal pesticides, DPH must be notified within 72 hours. A medical marijuana company must submit a proposed plan for the destruction of the contaminated product and an assessment of the source of contamination, she said. Massachusetts voters in 2012 approved a ballot question to legalize marijuana for medicinal use, 60 percent to 35 percent. Every city and town in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, Berkshire and Worcester counties voted yes. In 2016, Massachusetts voters approved a ballot question to legalize marijuana for recreational use, over 52 percent to over 45 percent. Most cities and towns in Hampden County voted yes to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Voting no were Agawam, East Longmeadow, Hampden, Longmeadow, Ludlow, West Springfield and Wilbraham. Every city and town in Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties voted in favor of the 2016 question. Worcester County voters approved the 2016 question 52 percent to over 46 percent. Voters in the town of Milford, where ProVerde Laboratories is located, approved the recreational marijuana ballot question but voted against allowing actual sales of the product in the town. The stigma about marijuana remains alive and well, Hudalla said. "It's weakening but there's still a lot of ignorance and misperception," he said. SPRINGFIELD - A Bristol, Connecticut, man has denied 30 charges in connection with break ins and larcenies in Westfield and Southwick. Another Bristol, Connecticut man, is charged in the Westfield larcenies. Alberto Amezquita, 35, has denied charges in Hampden Superior Court in connection with break ins Oct. 8, 2016; Feb. 25, 2017; and June 23, 2017. Michael S. Wilkins, 26, has denied charges for the Oct. 8, 2016, and Feb. 25, 2017, break ins. Both men were in Hampden Superior Court late last month for their arraignment. According to the indictments for Oct. 8, 2016, the larcenies were at the Four Mile County Store and the Circle K gas station in Westfield. The Feb. 25, 2017, larcenies were at the same two businesses, the Circle K and the Four Mile Country Store. The June 23, 2017, break ins were at the North Travel Center and New England ATM in Southwick, according to the indictments. Each man is charged with multiple counts for each incident. For the Feb. 25, 2017, incident - for instance - Amezquita faces two counts of larcency from a building, two counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony, two counts of defacing property, and three counts of breaking into a depository. Amezquita was extradited from Connecticut having agreed to waive extradition requirements, it was reported at his arraignment. WHATELY -- Police are attempting to locate a driver who crashed into a utility pole on Long Plain Road Sunday afternoon and fled on foot. The crash occurred about 2:30 p.m., according to a post on the department's Facebook page. State police, including a K-9 officer and his partner, assisted in a search of the area. Eversource turned off the power while repairs were made. Update: Two people have been pronounced dead. ---------- A woman is dead and a man is seriously injured after a double rollover crash in Chelmsford early Monday morning. WCVB reported that two vehicles rolled over just after 1:30 a.m. on Route 3 north, before the Drum Hill rotary. Both of the victims lived in New Hampshire, police told the television station. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and the man was taken to a Boston-area hospital by medical helicopter with serious injuries. The victims' names have not been released. President Donald Trump on Monday questioned the veracity of sexual misconduct allegations raised against newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, suggesting they're a "hoax" set up by the Democrats. Trump, before boarding Marine One, called Democrats' handling of Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings "atrocious," arguing that they "really tortured him and his family." The president, who further cast the process as "one of the most disgraceful performances (he'd) ever seen," accused Democrats of making up the allegations that Christine Blasey Ford and others have brought against the Supreme Court nominee. "I thought that the way (Democrats) conducted themselves, the way they dealt with a high-level, brilliant, going to be a great justice of the Supreme Court -- they really tortured him and his family. ... I've been hearing that now they're thinking about impeaching a brilliant jurist, a man that did nothing wrong -- a man that was caught up in a hoax that was set up by the Democrats, using the Democrats' lawyers, and now they want to impeach him," he told reporters. Trump offered that "the American public has seen this charade, has seen this dishonesty by the Democrats" and noted that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's probe into the allegations found "no corroboration of any kind." "It was all made up, it was fabricated and it's a disgrace. I think it's really show you something come Nov. 6," he said, suggesting that many Democrats will now back Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections. Ford, a California psychology professor, told a Senate panel that Kavanaugh sexually abused her a high school party in the 1980s. Two other women also accused the judge of sexual misconduct in the 1980s. Kavanaugh has denied such allegations. Despite Democrats' concerns over the FBI report, the Senate voted 50 to 48, largely along party lines, Saturday to send the federal appellate court judge, to the U.S. Supreme Court. Russia is to start delivering Su-35 fighter jets to Indonesia no earlier than 2019, a military diplomatic source told TASS. Russian daily newspaper Kommersant said earlier with reference to sources that Russia had to delay the dispatch of the first shipment of Su-35 fighter jets to Indonesia because of the U.S. pressure on Jakarta. A Russian Air Force Su-35 flying at MAKS 2017 air show According to the newspaper, the first Su-35 aircraft were supposed to have arrived in Indonesia by October but that did not happen. "Under the terms of the contract the delivery of the first Su-35 fighter jets to Indonesia is to begin from next year. There was no agreement that it was possible to deliver the flying craft to Indonesia in October," the source told TASS. He added that there were certain problems with the deal because of the U.S. sanctions imposed on Rosoboronexport customers but they were not critical. The Rosobornexport arms trading company has refused to comment to TASS either on the information the latter had received from the source or the article in Kommersant. The Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation has not issued any comments either. The news that Russia and Indonesia had signed a contract for delivering eleven Su-35 aircraft to Indonesia became known early this year. Indonesia is the second country after China to buy Su-35 fighter jets. An Open Recusal Memo Of Federal Judges Assem A. Abulkhair Memorandum 1. Immediately after the September 11th event, the Defendants launched their immoral unlawful surveillance against the Plaintiff simply because of his Islamic faith [.] 2. In doing so, the Defendants followed the Plaintiff wherever he went. They recklessly and dangerously chased him on the streets and put his life in an immediate danger without any reason or justification. This event still occurs today. This compelled Abulkhair to report them to the local police. (See the relevant police reports and correspondence presented with the previous pleading [doc. 34]). In addition, they ordered the United States Postal Service to intercept and open his incoming and outgoing mail without a court order. See Abulkhair v. USPS. 3. On December 30, 2013, Plaintiff served the Defendants with the federal tort claims notice (D. Ex A), which was received on *(January 7, 2014)*, [not] ("January 17, 2014"), (see USPS's proof attached with the previous pleading [doc. 34]), to put all of them on notice in order to deter them or face their fate in court. The Defendants ignored it and failed to respond within the time prescribed as required by the law. 4. Not having heard yet from the Defendants for more than nine (9) months and left with no alternative, Abulkhair filed this action on (September 11, 2014) [doc. 1]. 5. A week later, on September 18, 2014, the corrupt disqualified "philosopher" Jose Linares dismissed the action [only] on the basis of the "long statement" [doc. 2] and nothing about either "jurisdiction" or "failure to state a claim", etc. 6. The "smart" philosopher Linares's purpose was to assist the strayed Defendants to cover up and to correct their inaction, defect and failure to timely respond to Abulkhair's tort notice by denying it on (September 23, 2014), almost ten (10) months after it was served upon them, and just [only] five (5) days after Linares's dismissal in order to serve the intent for the upcoming Amended Complaint to protect the strayed corrupt Government. This rendered their (out of time) "denial" submitted as Exhibit B within their dismissal motion to [be] barred by law when and where we deal with Defendant[s] who argue, among other things, the "statute of limitations", for which does not apply since Defendants' illegal surveillance has not ceased yet for which continual unlawful surveillance rendered any and all dismissal with or without prejudice obsolete, void, and frivolous at best. It further decisively proved that all of the Defendants, at that point in time, were fully aware of Abulkhair's Action against them since ("September 23, 2014") regardless of its dismissal five (5) days earlier in order to settle and put their useless and previously frivolous dispute about the service of the Amended Complaint to rest. 7. Abulkhair thereafter requested the Chief Judge to recuse the "philosopher", vacate his dismissal based on his disqualification, poor experience, struggle with "long statement" and other issues addressed within his (September 17, 2014 [doc. 3] and October 6, 2014 [doc. 4] letters). 8. By Order on (October 21, 2014) the Chief Judge reassigned the case to Judge Esther Salas and decisively clarified that "Judge Jose L. Linares no longer assigned to case" [doc. 5]. 9. Silence his angry feeling within himself regarding the obvious disqualification and incompetency of the reassignment judge, hoping for a decent judge somewhere, who may be familiar with word "integrity" to come forward to issue a compelling order to the idiotic and moronic FBI cowardly animals to cease and desist forthwith their immoral hostility and unlawful surveillance, which molded with their religious discriminatory hatred towards an innocent individual whose life on the line until the outcome of this matter, or at least the corrupt Government presents its (FISA) Court Order to authorize and justify its wrongdoing, but to no avail in the most corrupt strayed "Kangaroo Court", society, and policing state known to the entire modern world. 10. Judge Salas slept on her assignment for almost two (2) years until Abulkhair knocked on the Chief Judge's door on (June 17, 2016) in order to wake her up [doc. 6]. 11. On (July 8, 2016), Judge Salas Ordered the Complaint to be amended [doc. 7]. 12. On July 29, 2016, Abulkhair filed his Amended Complaint as ordered [doc. 8]. 13. Six (6) months later, on (January 4, 2017) Judge Salas Ordered the Clerk to reopen the case and the service of the Amended Complaint followed [doc. 9]. This obviously and clearly meant that the Amended Complaint fit the need and expectation, not only [t]o pass the screening test, but to survive all of [t]he frivolous dismissal motions as well. Thus, all of the named Defendants had been properly served with the Summons and the Amended Complaint timely as required, at that point in time. 14. The "U.S. Attorney" [was] the [first] to be serve[d] with the Summons and the Amended Complaint on behalf of all of the Defendants and The United States of America in particular timely as required on "3/3/2017" and their answer was due "5/2/2017". [N]o answer is filed at that point in time until now. All of the Defendants were defaulted except two of them, but Judge Salas is not the qualified Judge to enforce the rules against the "Kangaroo Government" fearing to lose her status as an appeasement judge standing for corrupt government and corporation as we had "firsthand" knowledge experience with her. More importantly though, her failure to abide by the Rules of Court intended to protect the corrupt government official Defendants in which protection articulated, illustrated, and demonstrated bias as simple as is the case here. This bias divested her impartiality to remain presiding over Abulkhair's matters, plain and simple. 15. Assuming two (2) years combined with another additional six (6) months period is more than enough time for an amateur state judge, not a ("federal judge"), to carefully and adequately review and screen the genuine dismissed and amended claims as required by the federal statute before ordering the service of the Amended Complaint to minimize the judiciary resources and lighten the litigant's burden from filing one defective pleading after another. To foolishly come afterward pretending to be persuaded by a "professional liar" who transcripted his same exact baseless dismissal motion every time to challenge all different claims and allegations relying [ONLY] on his corrupt government's "reality" theory of all of the corrupt "firstborn Satan" federal judges [are] indeed in the wrongdoers' pocket, is an acknowledgment of how the actual "Kangaroo Court" operates for which satanic operation constitutes a clear deviation of what the rule of law and the genuine judiciary represented. 16. Judge Salas was confronted thereafter with a motion to dismiss and a cross-motion to enter a default and more importantly to compel the corrupted government to provide its (FISA) Court Order to be utilized as the legitimate and genuine threshold the Defendants must meet before dismissing Abulkhair's case against them to legalize their illegal hostilities and activities towards an American Citizen living in America for more than three (3) decades with [NO] criminal record, except ONLY of being one of a kind [MOSLEM].. Nothing more and nothing less. Judge Salas's failure to uphold and honor this essential threshold requirement rendered her disqualification to preside over Abulkhair's matters. Her wrong frivolous dismissal amounted to unfounded legislation from her bench authorizing the immoral satanic, idiotic and moronic FBI animals "In Tatter" to surveillance an American Citizen as Abulkhair without obtaining the (FISA) Court Order because he was born a [Moslem]. Judge Salas failed to recognize this simple fact for which the cases she presides over are all about. Her recusal cannot be escaped under any and all circumstances * (with a sincere apology to the animals who could identify and distinguish between foe and friend, unlike the FBI). * 17. Upon reopening the case in the beginning of 2017 and due to the unforgettable and regrettable past experience with Judge Salas's own legislation deny[ing] pro se litigants of taking deposition of their defendants or witnesses which ended in disaster, Abulkhair made an extensive research searching for a decent legal representation everywhere in the county and even abroad contacting all of the hypocrite "professional liars" who handle high profile cases. Unknown to him at that time, but was highly expecting one of those fraudulent "professional liars" had contacted the failure FBI agency and alerted them of Abulkhair's unrelenting efforts to hire an attorney for merely deposing the idiotic and moronic "firstborn Satan" abusive of their power by abolishing the (FISA) to cover up for their undisputed and unquestionable failure to protect the American People from the criminals and wrongdoers similar to them, Defendant James B. Comey and Defendant Robert S. Mueller, who abused their trusted power to willfully violate the law and the constitution, federal and state, to ironically investigates the alleged crimes involved the unfavorable (to him), the prevailed "bully" [ARBUGY] sits in the Oval Office together with his own abusive failure FBI "Secret Society" "In Tatters" which willfully, intentionally, and deliberately foot-stepping on the (FISA). We now know who they are and we know they got paid from the Defendant "FBI" for releasing confidential communication protected by the "Attorney-Client Privilege" slogan. Thanks to the valued released and declassified controversial "memo" crucial evidence. Of course, they were right about their bogus "Grave Concerns" about the harm will cause to them and their wet mudded reputation, [not] the public. But, they were definitely wrong because it has exposed their immoral childish behavior for their "improper text messages with their mistress" and their intent failure to abide by the rule of law by disregarding the (FISA) influenced and motivated by their politics views, intentions and desires to pick and choose to whom to govern and to whom to investigate or rather put him under their surveillance to fit their outrageous "Kangaroo Group" or "Secret Society" and abuse of power for which are no longer remain secret. Simply, their "Grave Concerns" [is] designed and intended to keep the public blindsided about their immoral and illegal misconduct deliberately orchestrated in [t]he absence of the proper probable cause. In essence, with that in mind, the "memo" shall compel the Congress to dismantle the fancy FBI "Secret Society" or at least rename "The Federal Bureau of Sexual Predators" before the "Kangaroo Society" and "Secret Society" fall aparts "In Tatters". 18. Abulkhair immediately noticed the extremely unusual tampering, blocking and freezing of his email, which was chiefly used to communicate with randomly chosen attorneys to handle his matter against the corrupt government. This led directly to bring a lawsuit against the email provider who blocked Abulkhair's access to his own email property and placed it under "disabled" status to satisfy the need of the shameful corrupted government in order to prevent Abulkhair from hiring an attorney to deal with the strayed outlaw FBI officers and agents. See Abulkhair v. Google. 19. Speaking of Google, while the corrupt Government and the FBI dismissal motion and Abulkhair's cross-motion were pending, Abulkhair made it clear to the Clerk's Office orally and in writing to appoint new judge to preside over Google case. They thought that they were dealing with a naive litigant to convince him that their judges are "randomly chosen" where the manipulative process and obvious evidence can lead anywhere else but random. Their illogical random choice ended unfortunately with Judge Salas "randomly" to secure another outcome. 20. The lazy Salas then continues her usual pattern of abandoning, deserting, and neglecting the procedures until receiving another cry to perform her forgotten and deserted duty and responsibility towards the court and the parties. She had failed and defeated in both directions. 21. Regardless of the unbearable awful and painful history and experience at the hand of the same old incompetent, prejudicial and biased judge, [t]here can be [no] question whatsoever that Judge Salas's unprofessional care, skill, and knowledge of the law exercised in presiding and handling both of Abulkhair's matters miserably [fell] outside [t]he average professional decent or logical judge anywhere or even [a] junior law school "professional liar" by any standard. The records of both cases speak for themselves. 22. Nearly two (2) months after Google suit was filed, in his inquiry of (October 31, 2017) in which was ignored or rather disregarded, Abulkhair wrote to urge the Clerk to [:] "Please be advised that our previous recommendation [t]o "assign the above-entitled case to an honorable judge who has never presided over any matter relative to the undersigned pro se litigant" was overlooked. It was designed to prevent "delay" and "prejudice" in order [t]o obviate such an unnecessary request thereafter [.]"' Id. [doc. 2]. 23. Having not yet heard from either the Clerk or the Court, Abulkhair was compelled to file another inquiry to [:] "Please reassign the above-entitled case to a new judge in Camden, Philadelphia or New York in order to move the process and restore the undersigned email address as soon as possible." Id. [doc. 3]. 24. A week later, finally, Judge Salas arose to the action by an Order entered on November 22, 2017 [doc. 4], but it was too little, and too late since the bastard satanic FBI had already penetrated Abulkhair's secondary and [ONLY] email left to be eventually blocked a month afterward. This meant that their unrelenting willful and intentional mission to prevent Abulkhair from hiring or even communicating with an attorney is accomplished with merit. 25. Meanwhile, Abulkhair was appealing the Magistrate Judge's decision filed on (May 16, 2017) [doc. 30], who, by the way, still remains the "philosopher" Linares's loyal amateur advisor acting on both cases on Linares's behalf to please and appease the corrupt government to ease and cease the (IRS) pursue and pressure towards him for his dishonest and unreported income gained outside of his judicial bench. 26. It took Judge Salas a total of five (5) and a half long months to enter her denial on (October 30, 2017) [doc. 37] to get even and retaliate against Abulkhair's legitimate inquires to expedite the process in Google matter as stressed above. 27. Abulkhair took the initiative to file his appeal on (November 28. 2017) [doc. 38] and alerted the appellate court that there still remained motion to dismiss and another cross-motion to enter a default against the defaulting Defendants in the matter. Abulkhair also questioned why the other pending motions were not yet decided to save the judiciary resources and to file one single appeal. 28. Abulkhair made it clear below to the District and above to the Circuit that no one has the authority, [not] eve[n] the Congress to dismiss Abulkhair Action against the wrongdoers Defendants in the absence of the (FISA) Court Order. [T]his [is] the Rule of Law [.] [I]t is [NOT] and must [NOT] be [t]he legislation from the bench to override the well settled principle. [W]ith that in mind [,] Judge Salas and "philosopher" Linares [see] otherwise. 29. While the appeal of the appeal of the Magistrate Judge and Judge Salas's decisions still remained pending concerning almost the same exact controversial issues debated below and above, Judge Salas seized the opportunity to cut the chase by dismissing the FBI matter on (February 6, 2018) [doc. 39 and 40] for which neither had been served upon Abulkhair. 30. To this very day, neither the opinion nor the dismissal Order was ever served upon the Plaintiff Abulkhair by the Clerk or her law clerk. Nor has Google's dismissal motion received. Judge Salas is not oblivious regarding the ongoing fact that the same wrongdoers Defendants intercept, tamper, open and delay Abulkhair's incoming and outgoing mail without [a] court order. See Abulkhair v. USPS. As a matter of fact, if Judge Salas's decision was entered on the 6th of February, it would have been appeared on pacer system on the 7th or 8th, but it was not until (February 9th, 2017) to timely appear together with the dismissal motion filed by Google. Judge Salas was withholding her decision until Google filed its dismissal motion to jam Abulkhair with a double pleading for her mess, amendment and response to Google. The question remained, why now? It is too cold outside for her to leave the bed, Ms. Judge. Unlike, the resilient idiotic and moronic "firstborn Satan" FBI coward animals remain waiting, running and chasing Abulkhair day and night everywhere he goes despite the brutal cold. They even drive recklessly in their effort to prevent him from observing their license plate numbers. 31. Reading from the pacer entry, revealing the dismissal of "Plaintiff's Bivens claims with prejudice" shows how far the satanic, immoral corrupt "firstborn Satan" judges can go against their will and consciences to protect the wrongdoers who benefitted the most. Sound familiar, it smells "philosopher" Linares's action, not Salas, to secure them again since their bogus immunity does [NOT] immune them from those claims. That is what he had done in his five (5) days initially for a quick dismissal to allow the corrupt government to respond to the (FTCA) Notice. 32. Whether the timing was motivated or orchestrated or meant to be rushed immediately after the release of the congressional "memo" to cover up the dirty laundry exploded onto the street to entertain the entire world about the "Secret Society" in operation to degrade and bury the rule of law with the integrity of the entire American Judicial System beneath the wetted mud where it belongs, Judge Salas's dismissal fell outside of the Alphabetic Procedure of the legal parameter and deviated her from the Rules of Court she shall abide by and adhere to, regardless of whomever defended or prosecuted the action. Judge Salas [h]as failed the test. 33. To show further her contempt and disrespect towards the legal process and the appellate court, Judge Salas is fully aware of the pending appeal concerning her denial of the appeal of her magistrate judge's ruling. To intentionally determine to retain jurisdiction in order to challenge the appellate courts outcome before eve[n] surface into the light by dismissing Abulkhair's action altogether with prejudice and without, undoubtedly constitutes an absolute action of interfering and intermeddling with the subject of the appeal. Judge Salas lacked jurisdiction to grant the corrupt government with its wrongdoers Defendants' motion. She has in fact crossed [t]he red line of the proper procedures willingly and on her own time and term to defeat and impedes the judicial process. Nevertheless, Judge Salas has indeed acted without jurisdiction, and her solely abusive action and deviated dismissal stand for an abuse of discretion and must be void, plain and simple. 34. There are many dogs out there, usually critics barking of any recusal motion by reasoning their delusional theory of such an "unhappy with the Court's rulings" to fit the event. The blatant records and facts demonstrated here totally disagreed with this useless assumption and proved otherwise. In fact, the disqualification and recusal of Judge Salas is long overdue warranted. 35. This recusal motion does [not] require an authorization from any power and should be published as their publication of the complaints as well their opinions and wronging against us, with or without the consent of the satanic corrupt government or its spoiled FBI boys to assist others who blindsided of the deception and "fake news" intended to cover up for the crime committed on a daily basis against all American Moslems for no reason whatsoever, except adhering to their religion of [I]slam, plain and simple [.] Nothing more and nothing less [.] It should also assist the pro se litigants to know that they have the right to file a similar recusal, and likewise to alert the law schools everywhere to teach their new graduate "professional liars" on how to read and understand long statements. More importantly though, no American Moslem should engage or involve in any kind of betrayal to his soul before his religion by spying on his community for those who have the will and intention to footstep over their privacy and civil rights to discriminate against him and his religion to win their "War Against Islam". The undersigned's application for citizenship made history for being pending the "FBI security clearance" for the entire ten (10) years where no single one of the fake and foolish "home of the brave" ever stood up to say this is immoral and wrong. If you follow the rules to qualify for the citizenship, do not hesitate to grab it from the lion's mouth by law. You have no reason or obligation to fall in any trap. When you "see something" do not dare to say anything. Under no obligation, it is [NOT] your duty. It is the duty of those who willfully violate the law and deliberately infringe your constitutional rights to discriminate against your religion and place you under their surveillance for the obvious probable cause of being a [Moslem] without ever bothering to obtain the (FISA) Court Order. Then, when you dare to sue them, your case will "randomly" be referred to either the king or the queen of dismissal, Linares or Salas, to dismiss it with prejudice. 36. Whoever has a little doubt about this reality, he does not need to buy any of Abulkhair's factual statements. It is fair enough to have one's life on the line as far as much greater cause to alert other victims to be aware of the real animals among and around us. But he can at least consider or give insight a look to one of their own conviction and conclusion; and more importantly though, his remarkable crucial "finding of fact" concerning another fellow victimized Moslem litigant which cannot and must not be ignored. 37. It appeared beyond all doubts that this gentleman tried to escape the unbearable injustice and oppression imposed upon him, like Abulkhair, by the most corrupted strayed State in the Union called itself, ("New Jersey"). He ran into the neighboring sister the State of (New York). He was fortunate to find a decent judge still alive and well in the country. Instead of declining to review his case for the obvious mistake made by the clerk there to accept his complaint in the first place and take the ordinary dismissal procedure, the honorable judge decided to transfer his matter where it belonged. He knew and understood that the dignity and integrity of the judiciary he represented has long, "Gone with the Wind" as the heated 2016 Election debate between Republicans and Democrats openly declared to the entire world [:] "Our Justice System Is Corrupt" "We Have Corrupt Justice System", etc. He felt the urgency to fulfil his waken conscience to honor self-integrity with these painful operative words of fact finder [:] "Every decision of the trial court was arbitrary and capricious, the entire case was held in a cloak of secrecy with the letter of the law in the dumpster." Id. 38. Unaware of the crux influenced the "Kangaroo Darkness" his case landed and transferred to, he thought he had a big shot to enter a default against the "State of New Jersey" when it failed to answer his complaint. He was not aware, unlike other sister states, the corrupt "firstborn Satan" judges of the District Court of New Jersey are reluctant or rather prohibited to default neither state nor federal government for their own obvious reason regardless of eroding the public's confidence and trust in the judiciary. Of course, there is of course something wrong with this ugly, horrific, and discriminatory picture. But, no one cares or concerns about as long as they are representing minority group, especially [Moslems]. He eventually pleaded to persuade "Linares" further within his affidavit relying on the New Yorker honorable judge's finding by referring to him that [:] "He also noted my concern that I was singled out for such cruel and unusual punishment simply because I am an American Muslim. This is what I am experiencing presently with NJDC". Id. 39. Once a decent conscientious federal judge admitted that "the letter of the law" of course, along with the constitution had ended "in the dumpster" to willfully and deliberately discriminate against all "American" [Moslem] litigant[s] to deprive them of their rights and equal protection of the laws under the unfounded banner or the unrealistic symphony of "justice for all", the integrity before the impartiality of the Court itself and Venue must come into question to justify the recusal of Judge Salas and to depart from Linares corrupt and "Kangaroo Court" forthwith. 40. Given the foregoing truthful fact, [NOT] "Abulkhair's bare assertion", articulated, orchestrated, illustrated and demonstrated here, the consequence of leaving Judge Salas when, in fact, the "philosopher" ("Linares") who the one actually presiding over Abulkhair's matters, will already further degrade the vanished image of the United States Judicial System and erode much deeper, not only the public's confidence and trust in the judiciary, but also abroad as well where no country in the world would be able to jeopardize its citizens welfare or to expedite any criminal suspect to the United States. This will lead and serve as a vehicle to automatically shift the venue to the International Court, if necessary, to seek real justice where Abulkhair's genuine claims in both matters like all other victimized Moslems explicit with issues and civil and human rights which fall directly under the International Laws where the United States is signatory to protect its own citizens. When it fails as the New Yorker Judge conceded, the International Court supersedes and should take over. 41. Judge Salas or rather Linares's dismissal is not only depriving Abulkhair's of his right "to be left alone" without being, day and night, chased by the idiotic and moronic FBI agents' vehicles on the streets everywhere, but rather setting unprecedented ruling by abolishing the (FISA) to authorize FBI's surveillance without bothering to apply for its authorization. We need them to follow the rule of law. They do not have to be ashamed to present to the (FISA) Court Judge that the [Religion] of [ISLAM] is [t]he [ONLY] probable cause we have to launch our surveillance against Abulkhair. At this juncture, the corrupt government could claim that they have some defense to defend the action against it. In the absence of the (FISA) Court Order, all of the district court fake and frivolous procedural rules and "the letter of the law" led to the dismissal must end "in the dumpster" since the threshold (FISA) to authorize the unlawful surveillance has not been met by the wrongdoers Defendants, but rather it was deliberately foot-stepping on by them to obviate the (FISA), plain and simple. 42. On (September 11, 2001), Defendants' vehicle was parked with its motor running all night long under Abulkhair apartment's windows. This alone gave the impression that they had already rushed to the (FISA) Court earlier and obtained the order authorizing their surveillance. A "reasonable" judge would have signed such an urgency order under the extremely unprecedented pressure, hatred and hostility toward [ISLAM] generated from the out leach frenzy Zionist medial which controlled and managed by the sexual predators, at that point in time. According to (FISA), the statute required a FISA order on an American citizen must be renewed by the ISC every 90 days and each renewal requires a separate finding of probable cause. Former-Director-Defendant Robert S. Mueller should have signed the initial FISA application on behalf of the FBI, and his successor former-Director-Defendant James B. Comey should have signed each renewal application on behalf of the FBI afterward leading to the filing of the lawsuit in question. At this juncture, the Defendants should have obtained by now approximately sixty-six (66) (FISA) Court Orders to authorize and legalize their surveillance and hostility towards Abulkhair. To that end, once Abulkhair filed his cross-motion to challenge their unlawful surveillance, Judge Salas's obligatory duty is to demand the Defendants to meet the challenge by representing (66) (FISA) Court Orders in an open court to comply and abide by the requirement mandated by the federal statute before rendering any judgment on the matter. Once the Defendants fail to comply with the mandated requirement, the only choice will be left before Judge Salas, is to deny the dismissal motion with its entity and enter a partial summary judgment on the Court's own motion concerning liability and to schedule the matter for trial before the jury to decide the damages owed to Abulkhair. Since the entry of the pacer system did not mention anything regarding Abulkhair's cross-motion, it appeared Judge Salas did not even bother to read it, or as usual labeled and put it as "moot". Judge Salas failed miserably to honor or even abide by the plain requirements mandated by (FISA) to impose her and their will to enforce an unlawful and immoral surveillance, which clearly stands for an abuse of discretion and power as well for which rendered all of her decisions in this matter to be void. 43. The corrupt government's purse of Abulkhair with no end in sight put them directly under the microscope to question the legality and morality of their motive for squandering the taxpayers' money by utilizing the neglected virtue of common sense to sense the imaginary delusional goal they desperately wanted to achieve for which the goal does [NOT] exist in the real world. They do, however, have the right to launch all kinds of surveillances against Abulkhair and other Moslem brothers. But, we do also have the absolute right to make sure that their surveillance [MUST] be [ORDERED] under the (FISA) requirements. At this juncture, [i]t is [NOT]. This is what this case is all about [.] 44. Abulkhair [NEVER] saw or touched a gun, and [NEVER] will, except in action Egyptian or Hollywood movies. Abulkhair personally does [NOT] believe in "Self-Defense" theory [NOR] the "Second Amendment", and [NEVER] will. Abulkhair [NEVER] have a cell phone, and [NEVER] will, and refused the offer of "Free Phone" trap. In turn, "Litigious" status does [NOT] fit his ideal personality, nor belong to what values and principles he stands for and comes from. Each and all of the wrongdoers "firstborn Satan" defendants he dragged and brought them forward to face justice in the "court of law" or rather the "Kangaroo Court", were hardly crying, weeping like women, and desperately bagging him to do so. The blatant records clearly substantiated these undisputable facts. The idiotic and moronic FBI officers and agents are fully aware of the aforementioned facts at the time his application for citizenship was filed [a] week from the event of September 11. The [ONLY] crime he committed, along with the other American Moslem brothers and sisters, [is] adhering [t]o the Religion of [ISLAM] to which be considered [a] legitimate "probable cause" for them to trigger their illegal surveillance for seventeen (17) straight years in order to retaliate for the event of September 11. 45. To this end and with that in mind, ironically, in addition to their unwant[ed] and unwarrant[ed] invasion of privacy and harassment of chasing him [Abulkhair] with their vehicles on the streets everywhere he goes, on a daily basis, day and night, the idiotic and moronic failure of intelligent agencies determined to monitor, chase and block an innocent "Moslem" man's personal emails, and to leave [a] "Jewish" criminal monster who loaded his hotel room with (47) guns to shoot down (58) innocent human beings and injured more than five hundred. Not to mention all the endless school shooters with others thereafter, where the fallen victim's numbers have exceeded those who died on September 11 at least three (3) times, for which we are being profiled and discriminated for. Those innocent lives taken were absolutely victims of a direct failure of the federal failure agency, the so-called "FBI," alone because they are distracting themselves with harmless peaceful people like Abulkhair, plain and simple, whether is long or "short statement" cited. Of course, there is something wrong with this immoral and horrific picture no one wants to talk about, as no one dares to describe him as a "terrorist" because he was not a typical "Moslem." More importantly though, this hateful and spiteful animal's email account was [not] even "noticed" for [i]ts "unusual activity" or violation of the "Services Agreement" or tampered with by the "smart" FBI, or "Google" [t]o prevent the "firstborn Satan" satanic massacre [h]e freely premeditated and orchestrated as usually and bogusly they claimed to justify their violations of the laws and the long dead "Constitution" of the United States. [W]e now [k]now that all "held in a cloak of secrecy with the letter of the law in the dumpster." Id. Nor had it been placed on any "suspended" or "disabled" status when he purchased all of his arsenals through his email account. SHAME ON YOU !![!] In essence, the clear message intended to be conveyed by the wrongdoers clearly implied that American Moslems are [NOT] covered under the protection umbrella of the law, precisely the (FISA) in particular. In support, the District Court's dismissal of their meritorious and legitimate complaints all over the country with[out] appointing the assistance of counsel, implied that American Moslems are [NOT] covered under the unrealistic banner of deceptive deception that "justice for all" or "the equal protection of the laws" where neither can be found. SHAME ON YOU !![!] 46. With all due respect to the Rules of Court if [ONLY] the Court abides by and adheres to in order to be enforced fairly and equally upon all parties. To be abused and only used as a tool to discriminate against one group in particular to benefit another, they must be ended "in the dumpster" as the honest decent New Yorker Judge simplified. To this end, the Rules of Court, federal and state, are [not] jurisdictional to file a complaint in neither court. The federal statutes are the jurisdiction. Here, at the case at hand, despite his prior recusal and disqualification, "philosopher" Linares used and abused Rule 12 and Rule 8 and initially dismissed the complaint on his notion of "failure to state a claim" when in fact it is "failure to adjudicate" properly. He reasoned and limited his historical dismissal justification on the [ONLY] basis of the "long statements" because the rules recognized that the federal judges' brains limited to comprehend the sentences of the first grade pupils to impose "short sentences" instead. Nothing more and Nothing less. Judge Salas was fully aware of that fact. Once she found that the "failure to state a claim" or "deficiency" continued, she should have rejected the Amended Complaint and ordered another amendment before serving the defective pleading since an innocent litigant's life on the line at the highest risk here. The rest has become history addressed above. 47. Regardless of the fabricated preposterous notion that the abusive federal justices and judges provide a special leniency for pro se litigants' pleading, which is totally untrue or rather does not exist. Otherwise, this nuisance unnecessary memorandum would have been prevented and obviated. On the contrary, [t]o find and rule "failure to state a claim" addressing pro se claims, the qualification of care, skill, conduct and knowledge of the law of that judge [MUST] be relevant to such ruling. Neither "philosopher" Linares [NOR] Judge Salas ever filed [a] single complaint, claim or motion in any district court in the county. Similarly, the nominee judge for the circuit court who testified before the Congress, that he never filed a single complaint, claim or motion in any federal or even state court. Then, he will come later to affirm the determination of those amateur judges who have zero or rather lacked experience and knowledge of the law about how to file any papers anywhere, except for the Social Security retirement application with the help of the staff. For instance, "philosopher" Linares first counter with Abulkhair when he "dismissed with prejudice" his Social Security claims demanded Abulkhair to file a "motion to reopen the appeal" instead. The appellate court reversed him along with Judge Salas's predecessor. The second counter surfaced when "philosopher" Linares "dismissed with prejudice" Abulkhair's removed complaint from state court to federal court. The appellate court reversed him again. "Unhappy" with the reversal decisions, one after another, [h]e "philosopher" [Linares], by his dictatorially nature had decided to take the extreme measure to prevent Abulkhair's filing without his approval first because Abulkhair has suddenly become a litigious person. So, he [Abulkhair] should accept the brutal or rather the "cruel and unusual punishment" of oppression and injustice and to remain silent to ask for more and more to embolden the wrongdoers to continue on their strayed path to wrong others, who will blame someone as him for not standing firm to face and kneel them, with or without their consent. The appellate court compelled him [Linares] to back off and lectured him with a great citation quoted by another sister circuit to admonish him along with those judges who have the will and intention to betray the oath they have sworn to uphold, and discretionally strayed in prohibited terrain, in order to please and appease others at the expense of the little litigants to benefit themselves and their former "law firms" to retaliate and to become even with their opponents. 48. On the other hand, Judge Salas's experience and knowledge of the law was tested as early as when she was assigned as a "magistrate judge". When Abulkhair challenged the "professional liar" opponent's own signature certified the interrogatories on behalf of her client, Judge Salas questioned her whether under the state rules counsel's signature is accepted on the interrogatory answers. Everybody knows that all of the "professional liars" provide answers to interrogatories on behalf of their clients to protect them, but we need their signatures, not the "professional liars" signatures. To make a mockery of the entire federal judicial system, Judge Salas would not allow [a] pro se litigant to take [a] deposition of any witnesses unless he or she is licensed as [a] "professional liar" unlike the state rules. The useless corrupt Supreme "gay and lesbian" Court refused to answer this important, simple and crucial public concern question where the coward "professional liars" could not dare to stand up to the corrupt government, except pro se litigants, unless the litigant can afford to buy them and they sell him later with [a] guarantee compensation from the government for selling their clients. Judge Salas's philosophy and desire is to impose her own legislation requiring the pro se litigants to provide their claims perfectly without deficiency similarly to the "professional liars" as equally as exactly the same. Meanwhile, her unique legislation prohibits them to take the deposition of any witnesses, conversely, allowing their opponents to take their deposition without any protection of assistant lawyers because the intent is to deprive them from their legal rights to add another violation of the constitution and laws which compelled them to have some recourse to the district court. Hence, if the judges, in question, lacked care, skill, experience and knowledge as obviously clear here, then what failure or deficiency can be noted or detected by them of any claims when, in fact, they never filed a single claim on their own in a federal court and probably a state court as well. Frankly, neither Linares nor Salas is qualified to even be assigned to a Municipal Court bench for the reasons addressed here. 49. This must not be construed as someone "unhappy" with the never ended unfavorable decisions for which represented [ONLY] the ugly face of the unbearable oppression and injustice imposed by ignorant, corrupt and disqualified judges upon victimized litigants, plain and simple. When the renowned universities of law school websites all over the country eager to publish Abulkhair's complaints labeled them as [:] "Historical and Topical" where the "firstborn Satan" judges (who never filed a single complaint or motion in federal court) come later to review and think, to claim and rule otherwise, the proper conclusion would lead to where the problem must have laid. The publication would not be accomplished without the authorization of the professors at law there who teach the "professional liars" on how to construct claims before they bribe their appointee politicians to assign them to the bench. With all humility and humble to the earth as could be, without any exaggeration, there will never be a "professional liar" alive or dead is capable to construct even a closer "Historical and Topical" federal complaint similar to the one filed against the satanic monopoly email provider called "Google" gigantic. We cannot and must not allow the corrupt one whose recusal sought here, namely, Judge Salas to adjudicate this phenomenon masterpiece of a human tragedy with its unique, unprecedented, unparalleled and unattainable beauty essay, prosed exceptionally its obvious painful topic of an extraordinarily constructed legal saga, representing the nuisance ordeal we must counter, and to eventually defeat the wrongdoers' sickness mentality and morality among us. Before pointing out the frivolous justification of "failure to state a claim", cover your face with a black robe or old fashion (hijab) from head to toe before your smell will drain the oceans from the East Coast to the West Coast. 50. The [ONLY] option available [w]e generously offer to Judge Salas to escape her inevitable recusal, [is] to reverse her dismissal forthwith, and compel the corrupt government to come forward with their sixty-six (66) (FISA) Court Orders issued as early of ("September 11, 2001") to show, convince, and persuade the federal judicial system that the Defendants have some sort of legitimate defense to the Action in order to prove that she is willing to follow the law and abide by the rule of law, [NOT] hers. Despite the deception portrayed by most deceptive justices and judges referring their decisions to the will of Congress to cover their own legislation from the bench, the Congress itself, the Constitution or the Statute, federal and state, does [NOT] and must [NOT] have the power to compel Abulkhair to proceed with neither disqualified "philosopher" Linares or Salas. 51. Once the judge disqualification and impartiality come into question by any litigant or even witness in the matter, the integrity of the entire judiciary system automatically becomes on the line, not [ONLY] the judge himself. Judge Salas's disqualification and impartiality dragged into question far long before any of her controversial and biased decisions surfaced upon the ground. In his district appeal of (May 16, 2017) [doc. 30], Abulkhair pleaded in paragraph (8) [:] "[T]he matter here unambiguously calls upon the Court to appoint a judge who has zero tolerance towards wrongdoing and the wrongdoers no matter who they are in the same way the new [bully] in the White House recently did regardless of the outcry of the hypocrites. We correctly predicted exactly that this would happen in one of the unique pleading [Memorandum] in order to deter [t]he satanic perverters of justice dated (October 14, 2016) [b]efore the controversial presidential election took place where we indicated there [:] "The rest is a systematic failure system leads directly to [a] "Kangaroo Society" that must be ruled by [a] bully to fit [no] matter what the interest of the special groups, media dislike or resist as no one should be wondering about it." Id. 52. Abulkhair adequately expressed one of the many prejudicial reasons to question her qualification and most important impartiality in his paragraph (9) [:] "The current judge does [not] believe that the pro se litigants deserve the absolute rights under the law to depose the witnesses [u]nless to be officially "licensed" as [a] "professional liar" for which unfounded theory will never be applicable to this matter under any and all circumstances. Her alternative "written deposition questions" cannot and must [not] be accepted, except by [a] naive moron litigant. Otherwise, the Court will be compelled to appoint a pro bono counsel to conduct the deposition of the witnesses in this matter for which demand has never been requested yet, despite an order entered denied so based on [a] misunderstanding of the English Language by the magistrate judge who worked for Linares as misinterpreted Abulkhair's conclusion in his letter dated January 30, 2017 regarding [t]he future discovery (doc.11): "As the matter moves forward with the complex of issues in obtaining discovery and the extensiveness of constitutional substances and decisive laws governed federal and state prosecuting Defendants considering themselves (above the law), the Court within its sound discretion should appoint a pro bono counsel on its own motion. " Id. 53. Abulkhair further clarified and simplified the genuine concern in his paragraph (10) [:] "Unlike the President of the United States, we normally do not pick and choose judges, as the "professional liars" construed as someone who is "unhappy with the court's decisions" in which definitely is [not] the case herein. Even though, we were sure that the reassigned judge is not the proper choice for this historical and unprecedented matter. Despite all of that, we have given her the benefit of doubts until the rushed arbitrarily recent Orders emerged and entered, which certainly were deviated from the basic alphabetic Rules of Court and the Rule of Law. They have proved beyond all doubts that the current assigned judge cannot be effectively presided or even trusted over this unique, unprecedented and unparalleled matter in the short history of the federal judiciary of this nation." Id. 54. Abulkhair continued tackling and confronting the core substance surrounded Judge Salas's undoubted disqualification to preside over the "FBI" case in his paragraph (11) [:] "The current President of the United States vigorously launched his unprecedented attacks towards one of the federal judges accusing him of being "biased" for his Latin heritage. We dissent from this character assassination. We, however, undoubtedly believe that a bilingual judge adhered to any culture or a distinguished background is not capable to serve the interest of justice in certain cases with no exception to the one at hand, especially in a diverse and controversial society like the one exited here in the U.S. These bilingual judges usually come from a brutal dictatorship background that molded and shaped their personality with a totally different approach and attitude leading in an opposite direction towards others, one way or another, for the better or the worse. The fear factor from their previous oppressive dictators' experience remained intact within throughout their life and career. Neither impartiality nor independence can be existed, lived or flourished inside such a contaminated environment." Id. 55. Abulkhair then stressed his well experienced conclusion and challenged the Court's deviation from the Rules of Court in his paragraph (12) and (13) where Judge Salas, like other judges, let their lacked experience magistrate judges to decide a turning point of a crucial appealable issue to later affirm it in order to fool the litigant, especially pro se to prevent him from taking his appeal directly to the circuit court [:] "Unlike them, [w]e fear [no] one The fear itself fear[s] us. When the fear rises up to challenge us we [must] crush it by [our] values and principles no matter [w]hat power may or may not stand behind [.]" Id. "[U]nless there is an existing statute, citation or rule anywhere specifically authorizing the court to allow a ["failure"] to file an answer to a complaint on the basis that the defending representation [shall] wait until such time to file and serve an [one] answer on behalf of all defendants regardless of the expiration date all of the defaulted Defendants' Answer [must] be stricken with [a] default Order and the amateur frivolous Orders [must] be reversed forthwith without regard [.]" Id. 56. Whoever disagrees with this well-done analysis has every right to dissent. [B]ut, he shall [NOT] enforce his emotional right or mindset view upon others to impose an oppression and injustice to retaliate against people's "strong language" or "sharp language" as one judge reviewed. We did [NOT] go to the district court to judge nor adjudicate our language. We went eagerly, bravely and proudly there to peacefully petition the out leach "Kangaroo" strayed and corrupt government to question the legality of its unwarranted "surveillance", which targeting all decent American Moslems living in this United States of (!!!/???) for long decades with no criminal history or "probable cause" except one called ["ISLAM"]. All we need to know is whether the government has the proper (FISA) Order to permit her FBI boys to chase its citizens with their vehicles everywhere they go using them as a deadly weapon. Judge Salas does [NOT] believe we are entitled to such [a] demand to hold the wrongdoers accountable for their abusive action and conduct and intentional disregard of the Statute in question. 57. We are entitled to serve our interrogatories and take the deposition of the "formidable" Defendant Robert S. Mueller, who desperately wanted to question the [bully] sitting in the White House to satisfy the delusional sore loser of the election, which faded away; meanwhile, [h]e used and abused his power to discriminate against certain group then to violate or rather abolish the (FISA) mandatory requirements to further manipulate the process to prevent himself to be questioned and held accountable for infringing with almost eight (8) million American Moslems' rights and privacy for a crime they did [NOT] commit. [T]he one who breaks the law shall [NOT] be trusted to enforce the law [.] They should have investigated him first before appointed him to check whether any lawsuits were pending against him for violations of the constitutional rights, statutes and laws or abuse of power during his director's supervisionary power. They failed. The same applied fairly and equally to his successor Defendant James B. Comey, with no exception to other Defendants. Unlike the New Yorker Judge, Judge Salas fell far behind the acceptable standard line with no fair comparison to be drawn here. 58. No litigant should have to bear the agony and the inordinate amount of time spent to prepare a recusal application against any judge federal or state. Once the judge becomes aware of his questionable qualification and impartiality, he must step down forthwith without waiting the filing of any recusal, similarly to the overseas judiciaries we often criticize without realizing the fact that they do have far much better judiciary than us here. There, [w]hen the judge hears that his impartiality becomes the center of attention or distraction drags into question in the courtroom, he or she leaves the bench immediately in shame and silence to protect the judiciary image and prestige, not his, of being attacked, shattered or fallen in the eyes of the litigants fearing most to undermine and erode the public's confidence and trust in their judicial system. Unlike there, here the statute or the rule requires the filing of the recusal motion to be absurdly decided by the same judge his recusal is sought. Judge Salas, the acting ruler on the case, along with "philosopher" Linares, the actual presiding Judge over the matters should have had much better served the integrity of the judiciary if both voluntarily [h]ad left the stage and departed from the matter as early as of ("May 16, 2017"). This unique memorandum recusal or rather admonishment would have been avoided and obviated. We do not and must not engage in a mockery farce of the system when the impartiality of the Court is undermined and emerged into question. This is the crucial point this recusal memorandum is intended to serve, assist and to achieve in the interest of the broken judicial system itself, not Abulkhair. 59. It should be pointed out here to serve the purpose, which derived of its fate. Waiting on the bus stop on Monday, (February 12, 2018) at approximately 8:30 at early morning rush hour in a very windy freezing day, a brand new SUV vehicle stopped to drop its passenger to commute to the city. A bright young very attractive Moslem lady in her eighteen or nineteen years of age, wearing unusual much tied black leather pants. Her stylish fashion with her very light black scarf, which fit neither head scarf or hijab, gave the impression to any stranger that she engaged in a model or (moda) fashion business promoting her elegant outfits when in fact she seemed like a freshmen student in one of New York universities. Less in a minute, the small Hispanic bus stopped looking for passengers. She was the only one went and knocked several times on its door, but to no avail. The driver ignored her and refused to open the door for her. She was shying and shaking her head twice and staring towards me in reluctance without murmuring a single word in dismay and disbelief. She was trying to say, did you believe that? Silently inside me, I am indeed drawing more deeply in the bottom of this awful ocean for decades. Her silence spread her question she was reluctant or unable from her anger appeared in her innocent eyes to utter in public. I took a closer look to see the driver. To my shock, I saw a Hispanic female not much older than her. To comfort the young lady after she stepped back to the side walk a couple feet away from where I was standing by spontaneously saying, clearly and loudly, "She's sick!![!]" When she heard me after she released her foot from the break departing slowly, she immediately stopped and opened the door. To my surprise, the young Moslem lady ran to travel with her. I realized then that she must be born American because her principles are far divergent from mine. I was further convinced that her silence will remain intact until the moment she reached her destination. She would not even bother to ask the "female" driver about her refusal to open the door for her because she knew that she has a losing argument. This is the way she was grow up and raised by her family to avoid confrontation with people in a hostile society contaminated with an evil hatred clouded with the poison environment triggered by September 11 event, plain and simple. If the driver disliked the way she looks, she simply should have opened the door and asked her to go "sit in the back seat" to remind us of the shameful Slavery Era. 60. Some critics and philosophical seculars of law may question the link of the mentioned event to the recusal motion. There is an obvious relevant factor must be considered above all. This was not an isolated incident to pass on or ignore hopping to be cured by itself. The unique model of highly modernize, discipline and politeness she presented herself, as an American born Moslem, had undoubtedly shown her undeniable intellectual and talent despite her silence. To that end, what crime, if any, an innocent pure soul like her, committed in order to deserve this kind of an immoral treatment and heinous religious discrimination in public in front of a group of diverse people. 61. The main relevant point here which this recusal memorandum is all about, what would have happened if this young Arabian woman decided to file a discrimination lawsuit in federal court against the Latina driver and her Hispanic transportation company to be held accountable for discriminating and humiliating her in public. Her meritorious complaint and public concern would automatically or rather "randomly" be assigned straight to all time "king of dismissal", "philosopher" Linares or Judge Salas to dismiss it without even reviewing it by rendering a transcripted opinion prepared and ready for all Moslem litigants or even Christians who carry Arabic last names. The core question here is, does she have the legal right under the constitution and law to question the impartiality of either Salas or Linares? Assuming if there is a single Arabic Christian, not a Moslem, judge assigned in any federal court, which we doubt, presiding over her case, does the Latina woman driver defendant with her Hispanic employer have the legal right under the constitution and law to question the impartiality of the Arabic judge? Of course they do, and their recusal requests must be honored and granted whether the highest court agrees or drinks from the ocean. In fact, Abulkhair would file the same recusal motion to remove an Arabic or Moslem judge on the basis of the same principle. Thus, she cannot and must not be facing the same kangarooing, inhumane, and barbaric discrimination in public and in court thereafter. How could she be convinced that the same "Banana Republic" background "mentality" and philosophy judge would have a remote mindset or would act differently from the one she faced in public for which both are far distant from her liberal open mind, which compelled her to remain silent to protect her wounded dignity and integrity before losing her identity in the eye of herself before the eye of the public. For that reason, we must answer the call to set the stage to prevent the next American Moslem generations from facing the unbearable, ugly darkness of discrimination we face in our life on a daily basis to justify the [ONLY] governmental abusive apparatus of which used and based on its delusional theory identified [ISLAM] as the main source of the probable cause. 62. We stand by the same phrase and word "sick" to counter those living among us with a sickness mentality, especially when they do the same to our African American brothers and sisters. The compelling reason motivated Abulkhair toward her situation in particular was based on the common culture and values we share. She definitely will share the awful incident with her family and friend. She has the right to do so. However, Abulkhair's principles must prevent her and others to say or claim to them that there were a group of people was waiting at the bus stop, stonily standing like stone statues in the desert and no one dared to speak out on my behalf to condemn the wrongdoing and the wrongdoer. All of them were reluctant to intervene and selected to remain silent like me, or rather decided to take the "Fifth" to avoid me. It was our moral obligation towards ourselves, not her to condemn this kind of misconduct and discrimination instantly regardless of the person sex, race, religion, or nationality in the same way we usually support our African American brothers and sisters who often confront with the same discrimination. Wrong [is] wrong. She certainly someday will find and read this part in any publication form and feels proudly to say, it was me. He did not let me down and looked the other way like others !![!] 63. The consequence of the bitter feeling that no one was able to stand up for her as an American who was born in this county weighs much worse to lose her identity to be proud of who she is. Unlike her, we need not search of identity. We are proud of whom we are, and the identity we brought forward with us to escape the unavoidable embarrassment in public. Yes, we are American but only on paper because the society decided to reject us. So we must live with one of our greatest public figure operative words engraved and crafted on his "statue" while riding a horse to admonish the worse brutal colonial empire called itself "The Great Britain" with contributing anything but great [:] *"[I]f [I] Had Not Been Born An Egyptian [I] Would Have Wished To [B]e An Egyptian [.]"* Of course, the beautiful meaning is lost in poor translation. An Arabic born American, like her, can make much greater translation if she speaks the native language first. Most of them do not. Thereby, do not lose them and discriminate against them to satisfy any lobby or entity. By the way, he was a brilliant young respectful attorney. We cannot label them there "professional liars" because it does not fit them there. Unlike here in America, they receive rewards and promotions for lying to the court. There, they knew and realized the severe consequences of losing their practice license and facing jail time if they were ever caught lying in any court procedures. 64. We did our part as a normal citizen towards her to keep her dream alive. We do not appease or please anyone for anything. The Congress has to do its part to secure that its citizens are protected from this cancerous discrimination. The Congress should not authorize the citizens to sue and provide immunity for the wrongdoers at the same time. The Congress should make it clear that an "absolute immunity" shall [not] be given to any federal or state law enforcement officials or officers whose break the law, and the justices or judges whose willfully decide and determine to degrade the constitution and to deviate from the rule of law to enforce theirs to eventually end it to be "held in a cloak of secrecy with the letter of the law in the dumpster." Id. The Congress should restrain the pro state or federal government judges from dismissing civil rights complaints when a genuine allegation involved regardless how badly the defective pleading may be unless the court on its motion appoint a pro bono counsel. Otherwise, it does not make sense. The Congress should make it clear, that when the litigant raises a challenge before the court to compel the defendant to produce evidence or legal document to legalize and authorize the unlawful discrimination or conduct in which the action stemmed from, to show complying with the mandatory statute in question, the district court shall [NOT] grant defendant's dismissal motion if where and when the defendant fails to produce and meet the challenge, as it is clearly the case here. The frivolous abused rules of court shall [NOT] and must [NOT] supersede either the statute or the constitution in the absence of complying with the jurisdictional statue. Otherwise, the district judges legislate from their bench and deceive the Congress otherwise by their mockery assertion claiming as such Congress did not intend to abrogate this and that to cover up for their wrong, prejudicial, biased and motivated rulings, opinions to deviate from the rule of law with [a] cunning more than "vulpine" in order to deliberately deceive the victimized litigants in the process. 65. In a very "short statement" as possible, [w]e have nothing to hide. [W]e have nothing to fear. They can keep their "surveillance" as long as they want. We concern about our life and safety. Both are at the highest risk. They chase us with their vehicles on the streets everywhere. When we spot them, they speed towards us in a very reckless, maniac and irresponsible manner to intentionally harm us. They apparently have their own childish mentality and extremely dangerous bad temper, which is alarming. They carry guns. We do not. We never will. We do indeed have the biggest gun of all time which no one can have nor buy. The remarkably and highly prestigious gun of words [NOT] the gun of bullets !![!] Their irrational behavior and action alarmed and alerted us. Who would forget the "Newark FBI" agent who shot his wife, an "Newark FBI" agent too, with her lover, another "Newark FBI" agent at the "Newark FBI Office" after he caught them in the early morning hours discussing the "Middle East" foreign policy "engagement" and how to surveillance American Moslem like Abulkhair. Upon receiving a copy of this recusal from Judge Linares or Salas, Abulkhair does not know how long he will remain alive. Because Abulkhair criticized their series TV "FBI Files" to be changed to "FBI Failures" after the hotel horrific and heinous mass shooting in his previous pleadings, they get rid of or rather knocked out the entire channel from his television. Abulkhair cannot trust them. The American Public's confidence and trust has already faded away no matter whom thinks or claims otherwise. The matters involved here impose much greater concern than a single person or group discrimination problem. They are the values and principles we decide to live with and leave behind us afterward. 66. We have to rethink to make sense of what we face on the ground in the real world. Shall we ask ourselves, is this the real "freedom" we come and invite the outsider to experience and transport to their back home? Freedom is not a funny word to utter from one mouth to another. Freedom is extraordinary wonderful phenomenon flourishing of mix of beautiful feeling, living and enjoying way of life. Does any of all can be found here? Shall we ask the "Lady of Liberty" herself about how she sees feels or found any at all? Surly, she will implore us to bury her face under the water to hide her tears and agony from the shame surrounding her from everywhere, from the East to West and from the North to South. She will tell us that she ended standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. She will tell us that she is unable to speak and preferred to remain silent fearing from being profiled and oppressively put under the "FBI surveillance" day and night. She will frankly tell the world this was not the place meant for me to be standing proudly. They lied to me when they promised me to be standing in the center of the most prestigious culture and phenomenon, sophisticated civilization ever known to the world over the edge of the imaginary spectacular view of the Mediterranean Sea shining across from and towards the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to inspire and expend the spiritual and affectionate light of freedom and knowledge to the dark Asia and throughout the entire world from the Land of the Greatest Civilization ever known to mankind. This is what my creator had told me as his wish and living will. They brought me here in the "Land of Slavery" that ordered them to "sit down on the back seat of the bus" against their will to discriminate against them. They end me here against my will because Egypt had a corrupt ruler was sinking in debt and could not afford to have me there. Had my creator known that my final destiny would end here, he would rather never had squandered his talent, time and energy to create me for his life time love affair with the Pharaonic History he was captivated and fascinated with and worshiped. There are many times when visitors ("dreamers") stare at me, I love to inform them that they have a statue but not liberty. Please remove me from this bloody, hostile and dangerous environment I can no longer stand seeing me face to face to their real barbaric torture "statue" at Guantanamo Bay. 67. The "Lady of Liberty" calls upon the talented and devoted Egyptian attorneys to answer her call to protect this marvel, precious and priceless lily of art for the sake of the entire world to be relocated where it originally belongs. It sounds little "bizarre" to those who are hardly trying to portray and impose their deceptive false image upon the world. The Korean "playboy" carries his "gun" on his shoulder. He showed no mercy for his own family or anyone stands in his way. He knows well what he is doing and what he is capable of. They do not. We must not wait for a disaster to happen and to cry hard later for the loss of the treasure and cherished iconic statue misplaced there in the first place. The "Lady of Liberty Statuette" does [not] belong there. 68. The "Lady of Liberty" does not represent what she was created and stands for. The remarkable history which was waiting upon her arrival was limited to the brutal and bloody "civil war" and the rest is history. Not to mention "the right to bear arms" to protect us from the surrounding jungle to hunt the wild lions everywhere, which later showed its negative effect to the opposite to what meant to serve. The "Lady of Liberty" name tells all without translation. Does her name meaning exist today or vanished? Whether a symbolic "statue of liberty" or freedom flag, liberty is a flourishing feeling in living in the real world, not a self-delusional "word" of an imaginary imagination. America transferred badly to become the most brutal "policing state" in the entire world. The ("Guantanamo Bay University of the Academic and Satanic Barbaric Torture and Humiliation of All Human Rights") loudly and clearly speaks for itself. This is the symbolic actual statuette existed in the real world, which has shiny shown and known to the world whether they agree or not. It must be and meant to be there, [NOT] the "Lady of Liberty" after she joined the movement force of "METO" and "TIMESUP" for her as well. She has no interest to have a recourse to the "International Court", shying away from the embarrassment of being labeled as a "litigious" lady until they compel her to do so. Abulkhair does not have any channel of communication because the "land of freedom" cut off his "freedom" and left him with no access to a single email address for the obvious reason described above. Egyptian lawyers should feel free to file suit using his name [ONLY] for that purpose on his behalf and nothing else. The fact and message cannot be much clearer than it is. 69. The unrealistic and unbalance language and meaning of the "Second Amendment" [MUST] disturb and disrupt the conscience of any decent and reasonable human being living in a civilized society, [NOT] a "Kangaroo Society" or a "Secret Society" claiming "freedom" for all. The unambiguous simplified definition of the "right to bear arms" [is] unmistakably meant [t]he right [t]o kill, plain and simple. Premeditated murder can never be interpreted nor associated with any mental illnesses no matter how hardly or expressly the "professional liars" and the "perverters of justice" argued to deceive themselves before others. The "mental problem" began and stemmed directly from the malicious, awkward, and controversial language up there. The founders of this particular language intended to serve the hostile environment and the primitive culture and time surrounding it to fit the need, spare life and protect property. [T]his era [h]as long passed and should have its language as well with it. Hence, the "Second Amendment" should have been [abolished] entirely and its inhumane, wild, and ugly language in encouraging violence, should have been obviated more than a century ago. To come later to blame fake or failure on the part of the unfounded basis of a "mental problem" to excuse or actually justify [an] animal "terrorist" shooter regardless of his religion, is a preposterous theory at best. The real "mental problem" must be remained in operation inside those who authorize and provide the shooter with the guns to shoot the beautiful rising roses and flowers who trusted the failure government, namely the "FBI" to protect them and secure and ensure their safety in schools to learn in a peaceful environment equal to their parents and the generation that came before them without leaving them to live with the nightmare of the most heinous massacre and scare for the rest of their lives. The corrupt government let them down despite all of the obvious warning signs and indications evidenced in all of the shooters' incidents. Simply, because they are very busy distracting and focusing their unlawful "surveillance" to [ONLY]] monitor those innocent American [MOSLEMS] who potentially profiled and identified as the "usual suspect" under their false "radar" without even bothering to obtain the proper (FISA) Court Order. Until they realize that their own growing "terrorists" are far horrific, vicious and extremely much worse than the "Islamic Terrorists", the innocent roses and flowers souls will continue to endure the unbearable tragedy and pain as the fallen victims in the same trap set to harm them again and again, time after time. Albeit, they claimed that their "heartbroken", but doing almost nothing to fix or cure it. Candidly, [i]f all of the legislators, including the executive branches of the federal and states government wake up one day, suffering and agonizing of losing their love ones in a horrific shooting tragedy, there will be no single one of them eager to claim his still a loyal defender there to protect the "Second Amendment" right. They will all anonymously and favorably vote the next day to abolish it for good without even debate. But, as the old primitive Egyptian proverb emphasized, "[A]s long as far away from my (- - -) who cares !![!]" No one stood up to say, this [is] wrong. We care. Until then, get rid of your amendment and clean the stores from all dangerous chemical materials [b]efore asking the public if they: "See Something - - Say Something" because the bright flower Moslem lady, who was denied access to enter a public transportation and discriminated against for her belief and chose to remain silent on her own behalf, how then would she be able to speak on behalf of others who deliberately have chosen to profile and discriminate against her. She did not even bother to open her mouth to utter one single word to "thank" the man who was the reason to get her on that bus from the feeling of anger boiling and burning inside her gut. Unlike others, this one we take it more sensitively, seriously and personally within the same anguish and pain suffered by the parents of those fallen roses and flowers innocent souls all over the places with no end in sight as long as the "language" of the "Second Amendment" existed. Guns belong [ONLY] to the law enforcement personnel [.] The public should send a clear message to make sure they must lose their seats on both sides in Congress and the White House to compel them to end and bury for good the "license to kill" language or let them set home crying for losing their prestigious seats [.] Enough is enough [.] If the strayed government has the desire to charge Abulkhair for his dissent and disgust of the killing "license" of the greatest of all time constitutional mandate of the "Second Amendment" for which no other single nation in the entire world honor or abide by, please "Go Ahead, Make My Day". (This opinion, conviction and portion concerning the unbalanced disturbed "Second Amendment" enraged language were grandfathered in mind for far long time and written before the latest shooting incident). 70. The phrase "See Something - - Say Something" was precisely crafted by a corrupt New Yorker politician aiming his intention to deliberately target against a specific familiar group publicly known to [ONLY] single out the "Islamic Terrorists", but [not] American Jewish or Christian Terrorists. They did say a lot of things. Did anybody listen to them? The "firstborn Satan" "terrorist" perpetrator himself said a lot of things. His posted messages even went way far to challenge the authority whom supposedly responsible to protect the public. Did they listen to him or give any concern? They ignored him along with other decent citizens because he is not the typical [MOSLEM] "jihady" they are waiting for to fit the description their slogan stands for. At the same time, in their effort to offend and deceive the public without offering an apology first, they claimed that they could not find the source of the posted message or when it was posted or by whom. It was an outright big ugly fat lie. Do not think the undersigned would ever buy this farce fabricated assertion, which was way far from the reality. They must know very well the exact time, location and from which computer or phone any message generated anywhere around the globe by whomever. They were able to track and penetrate Abulkhair's two email addresses, freezing them to eventually blocked them for which violation and misconduct led to Google Action after three (3) years of warning Google to back off or else, but to no avail. They begged us to choose the latter. See Abulkhair v. Google, by "googling" or binging. 71. After their credibility was undermined in the eye of the public, they come later to admit their "failure" and offering their apology to claim that, the wild animal has [a] "mental problem" issue. This outrageous bogus claim offended and infuriated the undersigned for those sweet lovely souls who their lives and dreams were shattered and cut short by an animal monster whose showed no respect whatsoever for human life. It is fine to label the same kind of crime committed by [a] Moslem as [an] "act of terrorism", but [a] "mental problem" cause to any and all crimes that horrific in nature committed by Jewish or Christian American "terrorist" or others around the world. What is not right is trying to fool and deceive the public or someone, like Abulkhair, who had read the sensational passionate, compassionate, and tragically dramatic, Le Miserable, beginning at the age of ten and three times afterward, plus one time in English, persuading him to believe in [a] theory of "mental problem" frivolous justification 72. Regardless of all knowledge, literature and philosophy, by placing all "in the dumpster", there can be no doubt to any logical person, that the sophisticated premediated plan, the execution style with the ferocious nature of killer left of his bloody scene, has proved beyond all doubts, that [t]he "mental talent" of this ugly animal showed and orchestrated highly unique skills, has weigh far exceeding the "mental stability" of all of the presidents ever sat in the ***White House from the "founding father" to the current "fifth grade" tweeter combined, along with all of the directors of the FBI and CIA agencies since their establishment combined, despite his obvious failure in education with all those who tried to discredit his mentality to cover up another failure in progress day after day with no an end in sight. A student's failure does not necessarily mean stupidity. It is rather a distraction of mind towards something in mind. Similarly, to what we face and confront here. The most revered greatest exceptional genius Egyptian philosopher and philosophical literature ever lived on the face of the earth called "the literature gigantic", "the mobile library" and the brilliant distinguished author of the series publication of all big story and genius literature and philosophy anyone ever written of the "Geniuses", had only accomplished an elementary school degree. He was the only one who stood up with his great moral courage armed with his unattainable and beyond reach "weapon" of words to lecture, condemn and admonish the evil Nazi dictator when all the cowards in every corner of the world remained silent, or rather had chosen to take the "fifth" to stay under the ground. His unique book triggered the animal Nazi manic to vow to hang him in the center square of Cairo if he occupied Egypt. Against his will, the corrupt king issued a royal decree to force him to move to Sudan for his own safety and benefit. The army of the genuine Egyptian Pharaohs who was set up on the front lines defeated the Nazi Germans and the British later took credit to claim victory and broke their accord in order to betray and flee from their promise of independence to finally deny the Nazi dictator his satanic wish. He rejected the honorary doctorate offered to him by the Oxford University challenging them by questioning of whom possess the knowledge to discuss it with him. He was the only one on the planet ever known to reject the famous "Noble Prize" award and demonized and admonished its "owner" himself by describing him as the evil criminal minded who invented and brought forward the inhumane ideology of "weapon of mass destruction" to the world when and where the others are craving or rather panting for it. Sadly, he left an unparalleled legacy that no one will never be able to translate his phenomenon philosophy, unique literate and/or remarkable prose in any language. 73. This failure "high school" criminal minded monster had committed his heinous crime and he did not stop there to surrender or take his own life like other previous murderers with [a] "mental problem" have done. His demon vulpine maneuver to immediately blend in among the other victimized innocent students drafted his astonishing escape theory from his bloody crime scene without being detected, or even stirred any suspicions from the "FBI" well trained "smart" agents, or the local police officers standing there and surrounding the scene to secure his arrest. He acted and portrayed himself as "innocent" when, in fact, he is a cold blooded murderer and walked his way out confidently deceiving the authority. He orchestrated effectively the imagination of all the "Hollywood" great escape scenarios to undermine any claim of any possible mental health issue existed and to discredit otherwise. His despicable and unthinkable crime evidenced his advance satanic vengeance of a more intelligent criminal than those who tried to discredit him to convince and conclude otherwise. But definitely a coward animal who snapped against those innocent souls who did not contribute to his own failure. His premeditated execution style plan chosen and orchestrated on Valentine's Day intended to send a clear message and revenge to those who were still in his mind, was not by a coincidence from a "broken heart", not mind of an evil monstrous manic, who could not get over his raged jealousy. He must not live to neither enjoy nor breath the life he willingly and unfairly deprived others from to sit in his jail cell enjoying and viewing in his sickness anger criminal mind his bloody retaliatory revenge over and over again in order to deter other animals out there from pursuing his monstrous massacre path. The mastermind, the "firstborn Satan" animal, "allegedly" with [a] "mental problem", was one single step away from committing the "perfect crime" and getting away with it. Thanks to the blessed "luck" which stood firm against his satanic, brutal and barbaric crime to face and suffer the same fate he unjustly imposed upon others. Did these well planned and executed acts and conduct of a serious criminal mind can fit the characterization of someone suffering from any mental problem. He chose life he denied to others. He showed no remorse for his satanic massacre except for being caught to escape the death penalty in the same manner he escaped the crime scene. Hence, [a]n inexcusable "mental problem" identification here is making an unusual cynical sarcastic of the American People since the monster was not under any "radar" or "surveillance" of any kind to target or monitor his mail, email, twitter, Facebook, or phone, for which all must be explicated and implicated without any warning no one detected those discrediting his sound mentality. In spite of all, they were in fact, sufficiently warned about the animal shooter and his intent and motivation. But, they did nothing because they are obviously very busy distracting their attention and focus towards those Middle Eastern Moslems who fall within their category and under their surveillance like Abulkhair. Please do not be sarcastic to make the rest of the world scorn and laugh at us. The real "mental problem" still remains out there within the untouchable "Second Amendment" no one dares to talk about. There is no such thing as "guns control" It is out of control laws. Gun is [NOT] the answer. [T]he repeal of the "Second Amendment" [is] the [ONLY] proper answer. (*** The computer was suddenly crushed down during Abulkhair was writing the above sentence on Sunday, February 18, 2018 at 2:20 P.M. by those who could not locate the source of the message posted by the evil shooter). 74. Despite his advanced warnings to carry out his threat to commit his crime with his background troubling vengeance history, no one ever had tampered with his regular mail, his email, messages or blocked him access to his email property, or intervened with his vicious threatened language and writing to freeze or crush the computer upon him, as they have done with Abulkhair. Nor has his phone or computer were subjected to any monitoring or wiretapping. Otherwise, this unimaginable gruesome scene and tragedy would have been prevented and obviated entirely. 75. [W]e openly write in the light. We DO [NOT] and must [NOT] write or operate "cowardly" in the dark like others. Shall we share some punishment or blame for it because the constitution and the rule of law deterred or rather "held in a cloak of secrecy with the letter of the law in the dumpster." Id. An immoral interfering with anyone writing does [not] appear to agree with "the right to petition the government", not to mention, the illusive "freedom of speech" where nowhere can be found, or simply is no longer existence. 76. The United States of (!!!/???) should be more than proud and honored to have a genuine native Son of Pharaohs, like Abulkhair, accepted living among the "barbaric" and the bloody "Kangaroo Society", which intended to single him out to spy on him with others for their only fate identified and known as "[ISLAM]" as the vehicle motivated to justify the "probable cause" to warrant their unwarranted surveillance. Unless the immoral corrupt United States Government brought forward the (FISA) Court Order authorizing its continual surveillance targeting at the heart of the undersigned's religious faith, neither the corrupt court nor judge, [NOT] even the Congress has the authority to dismiss Abulkhair's meritorious claims against the idiotic and moronic FBI officials and agents regardless of any and all frivolous assertions of "failure to state a claim" or otherwise. And whoever disagrees or dislikes this fundamental cornerstone canon, bring for himself a silver spoon to eat from the "shit" of which where the "shithole" was originally generated, or rather established in order to enhance and advance the darkness of the "secret society" or the "policing state" to keep it intact until the reckoning day approach to lift up those oppressed and end the world misery for good. ([W]e defer and refer to the famous and romantic language uttered from the "Oval Office" of "the leader of the free world" for which [is] the least-friendliest from our own "sharp language") [.] 77. The clear message intended by the wrongdoers clearly implied that American Moslems are [NOT] covered under umbrella of the U.S. law, particularly the (FISA). In support of this reality, the District Court's dismissal further implied that American Moslems are [NOT] covered under the unrealistic banner of "justice for all" or "equal protection under the laws" to get even with them to pay for the crime they did not commit. The fact cannot be stressed further. 78. To that fact, we made a systematic effort to flexibly offering ourselves for interrogation. To that end, on many occasions, we tried to cut the useless and endless chase by voluntarily offering ourselves to be interrogated by them with[out] the presence of any assistant counsel, orally and in writing, during the historical, unique, unprecedented, unparalleled exceptional application for citizenship for which was pending for its entire long ten (10) years period under the excuse of pretending "waiting the FBI national security clearance", which never happened in the entire short history of this nation. But all of them have so far failed to silence the stubborn surveillance or the deliberate ten (10) years "delay" to process a simple application for citizenship that had long waited for the "FBI national security clearance" in the circles that surround the entire justice department with all of its intelligent agencies at its disposal at that point in time. They simply chose not to and ignored us or rather disregarded the generous invitation. They never even responded as ordinary responsible people usually do. Simply because the obvious probable cause still existed, is [ISLAM] and nothing else to discuss there. Nothing more Nothing less. We cannot change this. We cannot either change our cherished and proud language whether "sharp language" or "strong language" as characterized by the "professional liars" in order to justify getting even with Abulkhair to punish him for it, instead of adjudicating based on the merits of the claims and allegations presented. The Mighty himself, not the "King of kings", does [NOT] have the power over it. Otherwise, [H]e can answer that if he believes to choose otherwise. Then, [H]e must answer to himself, why [H]e brought Abulkhair here in the first place when [H]e knew in advance that [i]t was against his will and desire [.] Abulkhair has never been a "dreamer" of anything. At no time, the "American dream" has never come across his dream to wake up later on the "American nightmare" to realize that it was too little, and too late. 79. Here [w]e go again, at the time we decide to travel on any airplane, we urge and invite them to welcome abroad at that time with the maximum number possible and available of the FBI and CIA agents together to sit side-by-side beside us. So, we can sit comfortable, enjoy the ride, and relax to feel secure and ensure that no harm whatsoever will ascend from the ground towards us. [W]e freely waive our right to question the need or requirement of any of (FISA) parameters for it. Can they meet the voluntary invitation offer and challenge this time? We doubt it. They try to delude or convince us and others, who are unaware of their unlawful activities, that they fear and worry about us when in fact and reality it is the opposite or the other way around. We are profoundly concerned about our unique, oldest, and prestigious renowned Name [ABULKHAIR] which derived and drifted from its Pharaonic sprang origin before America ever was discovered or even located on the world map to be dragged or associated thereafter with any false fabricated malicious accusations from those who their credibility is already undermined and known around the world. Simply, this distinguished famously renowned name does [NOT] stand for "evil" but the "contrary" [.] 80. Since the beginning of 1990, all Moslems of Middle Eastern descent who live in New Jersey and New York, with no exception to the undersigned, were under surveillance and their phones wiretapped to this very day. There are thousands of them, if not millions, who are unaware or not paying attention to their surroundings or otherwise afraid of coming forward to face the same saga. We were alerted of our phone was and still remained bugged. We give [NO] concern then or now. Our concern arose [ONLY] when our life and safety became on the line after September 11 aftermath to be recklessly and dangerously chased on the streets everywhere like criminals for the [ONLY] crime we are aware of, of being a [MOSLEM]. Nothing more Nothing less. At this juncture, we filed our lawsuit in question to question the legality and reason for the endless surveillance. In essence, seventeen (17) years has passed since September 11 and twenty-eight (28) years since its inception. What the result was, if any, they have accomplished. [T]here is [NONE]. The average paltry bill to cover Abulkhair's surveillance for the last seventeen (17) years period would have a price tag of at least $170 million dollars. It does make sense now to convince the taxpayers by focusing on the wrong target, and to keep the unrealistic slogan "to protect American People" when and where the undeniable evidences and events look and fly far the other way. Had they spent fraction of seventeen hundred ($1700) dollars to "investigate" [ONLY] the obvious warning sign posted by the animal shooter himself, this unbearable burden of painful tragedy would have been prevented and obviated. 81. No an ignorant "philosopher", "professor" or "Middle East foreign policy expert" should ever construe Abulkhair's elite thoughts or erudite writing to promote nor motivate to help any political party anywhere. [H]is strong conscientious objection against gun is [NOT] a new idea. The feds Defendants are very aware of that fact more than three (3) decades ago. They decided to bully Abulkhair for their ego thinking he may be intimidated. They are wrong. Abulkhair was born with clean hands and must depart with them intact. [W]hen our hands are clean and [w]e walk straight [w]e can then stand up [t]o face [t]he "King of kings", [not] the arrogant "FBI" agents [.] The same principles deny him to contaminate his clean hands have denied him to cast a vote as well, and never will. He never even registered to vote in anywhere. It is about time to rethink and let the Marshals take over by creating an investigation unit within and let the FBI get another job. They perform a great job much better than the FBI. They served three (3) summonses upon Google defendants in "California" in one day. We have not yet served the same three (3) summonses for almost a year upon three (3) "professional liars" defendants in "New Jersey", who are ironically associated with the "Office of Attorney Ethics", because the "rusted brain" former governor, "La vache quirit", the crying "dreamer" for the "presidency", wanted so badly to personally retaliate and get even with Abulkhair for assuring him in advance his absolute failure to reach there before he even officially declared his "remarkable" run. In doing so, he jumped over the jammed "Bridge Gate" to create another "Summons Gate" to further abuse his power as a governor, and more importantly though, as a former "professional liar" as a "U.S. Attorney" in the absence of any consequences. In addition, they tamper with Abulkhair's pleading by delaying it, and deliberately "blackout" his evidence and blaming the scanner which is perfectly fine. All of the unwarranted retaliatory punishments is because Abulkhair criticized him in his correspondence of (May 5, 2014) in responding to the "Office of Attorney Ethics" initial refusal to investigate his grievance against his former "professional liar" by emphasizing [:] "I wonder how, could the thick, rusty brain Governor, be eager and have the presidential ambition to run for the presidency office as a former professional liar when the office for which suppose to investigate the current professional liars is closing to the public without a notice and he does not even have a control of it. How mockery this will be? I wonder how, will the Governor, a man highly lauded for his service during Storm Sandy, view this? How will such conduct reflect on him?" Id. 82. We do not force any one to agree or believe what we say or believe in. Take it or leave it [!] We were born to be free in mind and free in thinking. As another distinguished Egyptian military commander freely declared to the entire world to admonish the corrupt royal ruler whose castle was under siege together with the brutal British occupiers [:] **"[O]ur Mothers Delivered Us Free And [N]o One Can Take Our Freedom From U[s]."** In contrast, "the free world" believes in their ideology of [a] different freedom. 83. However, the proper and valid idea of reversing one's decision weighs much further self-respect and dignity. Rather than a stubborn, opinionated, closed minded, questioning the formulated format not the facts. In Abulkhair v. Bush, the dishonest judge instantly dismissed the complaint because he never reviewed. Abulkhair filed two pages' reconsideration pointed out his overlooked fact. He reversed himself. In his vulpine maneuver to retaliate for his failure to review, he suggested that Abulkhair should bring the United States as defendant if he wished to proceed with his claims. Abulkhair did not have to bring any claims against U.S. But, the setting trap as happened was to give him the reason to dismiss the complaint by letting the wrongdoers get away with the ten (10) years delayed long overdue pending application for citizenship on the false fabricated "waiting FBI national security clearance" when in fact [ISLAM] was and still remain[s] the soul and sole probable cause for the historical deliberate delay. At this juncture, Abulkhair complied and gave the judge the tools to dismiss it on the basis requirement of the FTCA Notice. It has become the most primary case law referred to since for its obvious wrong reason. Ironically, without suing the president, whose Abulkhair predicted his victory in summer of 2000 when he was extremely far behind in the national election "polls" addressing him, "The Honorable President of the United States" while he was the Governor of Texas, Abulkhair's ten (10) years "delayed" application would never have been granted to this very day. What they do not realize is that all of their wrong, useless, retaliatory and discriminatory decisions will not only degrade and damage the rule of law. Consequently they will altogether end [t]o be "[h]eld in a cloak of secrecy with the letter of the law in the dumpster" and to be forever forgotten [.] This great genuine legacy will be the only remaining evidence for everyone to tell, convey and serve history to be permanent and remembered to shame, blemish and admonish the corrupt "Kangaroo Judiciary" until its final day eventually. 84. We need a neutral judge in Trenton, out of "Newark", who willingly to step forward to each matter separately on his own without any reassignment order from anybody to order the FBI to cease and desist all of their useless, nuisance and nonsense surveillance forthwith until the conclusion of the matter. Similar to the judge who recently released the refugees from their hidden church. The other judge should order Google's "pharaohs" to remove their "disabled" status from Abulkhair's property email account forthwith until further notice or decision from the court. Judge Salas has the absolute power under the constitution and law to do so. But, she will not displease the corrupt government or "pharaonic" Google. She would rather deviate from the Rule of Law than to abide by it to rule against the wrongdoers. If not, the Philadelphia venue would be necessary to restore the public's trust in fairly adjudication of these outstanding matters. Abulkhair is entitled to have a fair hearing before a decent judge to compel the corrupt government to show its (FISA) Court Order or the dismissal will end in the trash basket where it belongs Antifungal Treatment Market Overview The global antifungal treatment market is growing moderately and expected to grow at the same pace over the forecast period 2017-2013. Increasing number of patients with fungal diseases and growing prevalence of HIV are the key factors of the market growth. Additionally, rising geriatric population is one of the important drivers of the market growth. Request for Sample Report at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1628 The global Antifungal treatment market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.61% during the forecast period and is estimated to reach USD 19,558.0 million by 2023. Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 80 market data tables and figures spread over 108 pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on anti-fungal treatment market research reportGlobal forecast till 2023. Segmentation: The global antifungal treatment market has been segmented on the basis of drugs class, which includes azoles, pyrimidines, echinocandins, polyenes, allylamines, and others drugs. On the basis of therapeutic indication, the market is segmented into systemic, candidiasis, coccidioidomycosis, and cryptococcosis. On the basis of pathogen, the market is segmented into Candida, Aspergillus, Cryptococcus, Coccidioides immitis, Zygomycetes, Trichophyton, and others. On the basis of end users, the market is segmented into hospitals & clinics, dermatology clinics and other users. Top Players: Novartis AG Pfizer Sanofi Merck & Co. Astellas Bayer And more. Check Discount at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1628 Regional Analysis: The Global Antifungal Treatment Market consists of four regions: the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The Americas dominate Antifungal Treatment Market, particularly, North America due to increasing cases of patients with fungal infections in this region. Furthermore, rapid adoption of new antifungal treatment methods and developed healthcare infrastructure propel the growth of the market. Rising prevalence of fungal diseases is driving the growth of the European market. Most of the European companies are focusing more on research and development of the antifungal drugs, which, in turn, fortify their position in the global market. These companies receive a government funding from the government, which favors the growth of market in Europe. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region in this market owing to the developing healthcare infrastructure, increasing adoption of new medical practices, rising healthcare expenditure, growing awareness about available treatments for fungal infections. The Middle East & Africa region is expected to grow slower than the global average due to lack of awareness about antifungal treatments and limited access to healthcare facilities. Key Findings: Azoles segment in drug class held the largest market share in 2016, which was valued at USD 2,312.6 million in 2016 Systemic segment in therapeutics indication held the largest market share in 2016. Asia Pacific region is expected to be the fastest growing market at the CAGR of 4.88% during the forecasted period. Ask Any Question at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1628 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Namely Blue Biotechnology Market Report has Been Published by Market Research Future Which Covers All the Geographical Locations with Demand, Trend Analysis with near about Forecasted results and Also Covers the Market Expectations. Get Premium Segmented Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/713 Overview: With three-quarters of the world being covered by the sea, scientists have realized that aquatic and marine organisms can become a good source of energy and new drugs. This belief has formed the foundation of blue biotechnology. Diverse organisms in the sea are awaiting exploration for their substantial potential. In blue biotechnology, technological advancements are seeking to bridge the gap between the oceanic source and the end product. The global blue biotechnology market is expecting a robust growth during the forecast period (2017-2023), reveals Market Research Future (MRFR) in a well-analyzed report. This report includes chief drivers that can play integral roles in enhancing the blue technology market prospect of the sector. The energy sector can gain much from this field of research. Studying genomes of marine organisms can contribute much in pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. The future can witness the rise of genetically modified sea organisms. However, these types of researches can severely impact the sea life by causing pollution which would then directly trigger atmospheric changes. This can hinder the blue biotechnology market during the forecast period. But several NGOs and government initiatives are already having their focus fixed on finding a solution for such pollutions owing to which the blue biotechnology market would not lag behind during the review period. Competitive Landscape: The highly competitive market is currently experiencing several mergers and strategies that are projecting growth for the future market. For instance, Croda International Plc, manufacturers of specialty chemicals, acquired Nautilus Biosciences Canada Inc, a marine biotechnology company. Others are banking on funding. Monsanto fund providing Donald Danforth Plant Science Center USD 15million can be considered exemplary. Some of the key players in the global blue biotechnology market are GlycoMar (Scotland), Aker BioMarine (Norway), Marinova (Australia), Samudra Biopharma Pvt. Ltd (India), New England Biolabs (US), Cellgen Biologicals Pvt Ltd. (India), PML Applications Ltd. (UK), Nurture Aqua Technology Pvt. Ltd. (India), Sea Run Holdings, Inc. (US), PICES (Canada), GeoMarine Biotechnologies (India), Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (US), Shell Marine Products (US), Sanosil Biotech (India), and others. Get Discount @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/713 Industry News: Led by GEOMAR, Baltic Blue Biotechnology Alliance Consortium has developed an algae-based cosmetic for round-the-clock use. They have named it Berrichi and are introducing other cosmetics as well that are derived from the Baltic Sea. Gran Canaria has recently received USD 1.5 million to set up a high technology incubator in Arinaga. The site would be a blending point for technological innovation, blue biotechnology, and aquaculture. Segmentation: The global blue biotechnology market can be segmented by products, application, and end-user. Product-wise, the blue biotechnology market comprises enzymes, pharma products, bulk chemicals, biopolymers, and others. Application-based segmentation of the blue biotechnology market includes bio-engineering, genomics, vaccine development, drug discovery and others Based on end-user, the market can be segmented into hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, research institutes, laboratories, and others. Regional Analysis: Region-specific segmentation of the global blue biotechnology market includes namely the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). The Americas are ruling the market with North America fetching in considerable revenue. The region is well aware of the benefits of this sector and is focusing much on developing vaccines from marine organisms. Major companies are also based out of this region giving the latter remarkable foothold in the global market. Europe assumes the second position and invests heavily in blue biotechnology to develop drugs. The APAC, on the other hand, is facing blows from lack of knowledge regarding this sector. However, its growth during the forecast period will be steady The MEA region owns the least share with technical inferiority and inadequate medical facilities adversely impacting the market growth. Table of Content 1 Report Prologue 2 Introduction 2.1 Definition 2.2 Scope of the Study 2.2.1 Research Objective 2.2.2 Assumptions 2.2.3 Limitations 2.3 Market Structure 2.4. Market Segmentation 3 Research Methodology 3.1 Research Process 3.2 Primary Research 3.3 Secondary Research 3.4 Market Size Estimation 3.5 Forecast Model 4 Market Dynamics 4.1 Drivers 4.2 Restraints 4.3 Opportunities 4.4 Threats 4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators Continued Enquiry Form @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/713 About US: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Market Highlights: The coronary angiography procedure is used to diagnose coronary heart disease and coronary microvascular disease after the sudden cardiac arrest, chest pain, and strokes. This procedure is carried out before surgical procedures such as coronary angioplasty. The global coronary angiography market is driven by growing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, increasing geriatric population, and benefits of the procedure for early diagnosis. According to the American Heart Association, fact sheet 2016, an estimated 85.6 million American adults had one or more types of cardiovascular diseases. In addition to these, 43.7 million were estimated to be 60 or above years of age. Moreover, technological advancements in Coronary Angiography Devices, raising awareness for diagnosis of heart diseases, and growing preference for minimally invasive procedures with improved medical imaging is likely to contribute to the market growth. Furthermore, increasing R&D activities and continuous products launch by leading market players enhances the market growth during the forecast period. For instance, in 2016, Siemens Healthineers launched innovative robot-supported Artis phenol angiography system. The global coronary angiography devices market is expected to gain prominence over the forecast period (20182023). It is estimated that the global coronary angiography devices market is expected to register a CAGR of ~ 6.1 % during the forecast period of 20182023. However, limitations in reimbursement policies and changing government regulations restrain the market growth. Moreover, factors such as high cost of Coronary Angiography Devices and lack of skilled medical professional are likely to hamper the market growth during the assessment period. Get Exclusive Sample Report Here https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6151 Coronary Angiography Devices Market Leading players Terumo Medical Corporation Boston Scientific Corporation Canon Medical Systems Cordis (A Cardinal Health Company) Braun Melsungen AG Angiodynamics Abbott Vascular (Abbott Laboratories) Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation Royal Philips Electronics GE Healthcare Medtronic, Inc. Shimadzu Corporation Siemens Healthcare Global Coronary Angiography Devices Market Regional Analysis The Americas are likely to dominate the global coronary Coronary Angiography Devices market owing to the well-established healthcare sector, increasing the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and availability of advanced technology. According to the American Heart Association data, in 2017, about 92.1 million American population are living with some form of cardiovascular disease or the after-effects of stroke. Moreover, increasing geriatric population, growing awareness about benefits of early diagnosis and treatment of heart disorder are has fueled the market growth in this region. For instance, according to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of Americans aged over 65 is projected to be more than double from 46 million in 2014 to over 98 million by 2060. Europe is likely to hold the second position in the global coronary Coronary Angiography Devices market. It is expected that the rising demand for medical diagnostic techniques and increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in this region are likely to drive the market. For instance, according to the European Cardiovascular Diseases Statistics, in 2015, an approximate of 85 million people were living with cardiovascular diseases in Europe and about 49 million people with the disease in the European Union. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the market owing to the huge patient population with heart diseases and rising geriatric population. For instance, according to the WHO, 2015, Asias elderly population is projected to reach nearly 923 million by 2050. Moreover, government participation for improvement of the healthcare sector in India and Japan are likely to contribute to the market growth. The Middle East and Africa account for the lowest market share in the global coronary Coronary Angiography Devices market. The Middle East holds the major share in the market in this region owing to a well-developed economy, whereas, African region is expected to grow due to the rising awareness about coronary artery diseases. Global Coronary Angiography Devices Market Segmentation Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, by Product Angiography Systems Angiography Catheters Angiography Contrast Media Vascular Closure Devices (VCDs) Angiography Balloons Angiography Guidewires Angiography Accessories Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, by Devices Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) Conventional Angiography Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) Catheter angiography Coronary angiography Others Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, by Procedure Coronary Angiography Endovascular Angiography Peripheral Vascular Angiography Other Angiography Procedures Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, by Technology X-Ray Angiography CT Angiography MR Angiography Other Angiography Technologies Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, by Indication Coronary Artery Disease Valvular Heart Disease Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure Other Indications Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, by Application Diagnostics Therapeutics Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, by End-User Hospital & Clinics Diagnostic and Imaging Centers Research Institutes Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, by Region Americas North America U.S. Canada South America Europe Western Europe Germany France Italy Spain U.K. Rest of Western Europe Eastern Europe Asia Pacific Japan China India Australia Republic of Korea Rest of Asia Pacific The Middle East & Africa Middle East Africa Get Amazing Discount on Reports https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/6151 TOC of Coronary Angiography Devices Market Research Report Global Forecast to 2023 1. Introduction 2. Research Methodology 3. Market Dynamics 4. Market Factor Analysis 5. Global Coronary Angiography Devices Market, By Product 6. Global Coronary Angiography Devices Market, By Devices 7. Global Coronary Angiography Devices Market, By Procedure 8. Global Coronary Angiography Devices Market, By Technology 9. Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, By Indication 10. Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, By Application 11. Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, By End-User 12. Global Coronary Coronary Angiography Devices Market, By Region 13. Competitive Landscape 14. Company Profile 15. MRFR Conclusion TOC CONTINUED Ask to Our Experts https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/6151 About US: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com As per report published by Adroit Market Research, Global first aid kits Market is growing with tremendous speed with strong CAGR. Browse 80 pages report and Get well organized statistical overview of first aid kits industry. The global First Aid kit Market size was valued at xx million in 2018 and estimated to address xx million by 2025. The average price of first aid kits has been steadily rising at an estimated annualized rate of xx% in 2018. The global First Aid kit Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly xx% during the forecast period. Request Sample Pages @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/98 Prominent vendors in the First Aid kit Market are Acme, Canadian Safety Supplies, Certified Safety Manufacturing, DC Safety, Cramer products, Dynamic Safety USA, Green Guard, Lifeline, Levitt-Safety, MedTree, Nothern Safety, Ready America, Steroplast Healthcare, Tender Coporation, Sterimed, HARTMANN, Lifeline, AdvaCare. A first aid kit is a collection of supplies and equipment used to give medical treatment to cure pain. First aid is a major assistance given to a person suffering sudden injuries and illness. It mainly includes initial intervention in a serious condition prior to professional medical help being available in cases such as awaiting for an ambulance, treating minor injuries or applying a plaster. The first aid kit industry is supremely manufacturing the required items in the market, treating injuries caused during an incident and still, there is a lack of understanding surrounding its usage. Thus, making it more improved and friendly, the existing vendor in the first aid kit industry needs to provide training to workers and students, directing them with proper usage of the first aid kit. The First Aid kit Market consists of a large number of providers. Due to the competitive market, the providers are aiming to provide maximum supplies implementing varieties of strategies in the business by offering a minimum dimension of the kit, fancy, sophisticated and convenient packaging has been seen in the market. Also, the vendors are providing specific first aid kits as sports, recreation, and emergency preparedness. The innovation in designing the kits is also taken up by the vendors. Previously in 2016, the commercial end-user segment accounted the maximum First Aid kit Market share. The increasing construction of commercial buildings in countries in the APAC and Africa will aid in the growth of the market in the coming years. Make an Enquiry @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/98 Significant uses of first aid kit: Gives immediate aid before medical treatment First aid kid does not intend to cure injuries, or stable the medical condition. Rather, it is mainly applied as a basic treatment before any medical help arrives. Getting a first aid is the very first step to being prepared for a medical emergency. Reduce infections Getting first aid keeps the chances away from infections. However, giving first treatment from open wounds to injuries can reduce the severity. Applying first aid can reduce the risk of infections, and keep you away from any liquid substance and insects. Better when kids are around Kids generally get hurt and a first aid kit can come handy. Cost saving If the injury is as minimal as a small cut or a burn, then the first aid kit will save lot of your money rather than going to a clinic. Geographic analysis reports that the North America segment was one of a major revenue generator in 2016. The introduction of stringent worker safety regulations by various regulatory bodies such as OSHA and the rise in demand for medical kits from individual consumers for household applications and travel will fuel the growth of the First Aid kit Market in this region in the next four years. About Us: Adroit Market Research is an India-based business analytics and consulting company incorporated in 2018. Our target audience is a wide range of corporations, manufacturing companies, product/technology development institutions and industry associations that require understanding of a markets size, key trends, participants and future outlook of an industry. We intend to become our clients knowledge partner and provide them with valuable market insights to help create opportunities that increase their revenues. We follow a code Explore, Learn and Transform. At our core, we are curious people who love to identify and understand industry patterns, create an insightful study around our findings and churn out money-making roadmaps. Contact Information: Ryan Johnson Account Manager Global 3131 McKinney Ave Ste 600, Dallas, TX75204 Phone: +1 (214) 884-6068 Email: sales@adroitmarketresearch.com Travelers will soon be able to board flights in Gainesville, close their eyes and wake up on the runway in Dallas, Texas. Gainesville Regional Airport announced the addition of a non-stop flight from Gainesville to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Tuesday. The new flight will be offered through American Airlines, said Erin Porter, the manager of marketing and public relations at the Airport. We are honored, and our community is very happy with this news, Porter said. Airlines will release more information on the cost of the flight today, Porter said. Flights to Dallas from Gainesville will begin March 3. The estimated cost for a one-way flight to Dallas is $171.29 and $263.60 for a round trip, depending on the duration of the trip, according to American Airlines. Gainesville currently offers flights with Delta and American Airlines, Porter said. The additional flight will help further establish Gainesville and Alachua County as a tourism destination, Porter said. Gainesville Regional Airport hopes to add another nonstop flight to New York as it is a popular destination, Porter said. Although flights to New York are popular, airlines have a tough time filling seats on returning flights, she said. The nonstop flight will allow travelers to shave hours off their routes, said Travis Eden, a 19-year-old UF applied physiology and kinesiology sophomore. Im really excited about being able to fly from Gainesville straight to Dallas without having to take two different flights, Eden said. The flight will help him save six hours in travel time each time he flies to Dallas, where he goes about three to four times every year. The trip typically takes him seven to nine hours either way, he said. Eden hopes to make more future trips home to Dallas, he said. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now I would be able to visit my family, friends and my pride and joy, my dog, more often, Eden said. A plane takes off from Gainesville Regional Airport on Wednesday afternoon. An online survey created by the airport asked residents about their interest in nonstop flights to New York City. Publish a New Market Research Report On . The Report Covers Industry Trends, Statistic, Segmentation, Growth, Market Share, Revenue, Leading Players, Region, Types and Application. The global insulin market size was evaluated to be $ xx billion in 2016. It is supposed to grow at a compound annual growth rate of xx% during the forecast period, reaching a value of $ xx billion by the year 2025. Key global markets for insulin are significantly moving forward owing to several significant patent protection by brands, continuously updated medical reimbursement guidelines for treatment by the government, and an extensively well-established distribution network. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreatic beta cells, which helps control the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It is responsible for the conversion of glucose from the consumed food into energy, or store glucose for further use. It keeps the blood sugar level from getting too low or too high. The global insulin market is experiencing a rapid growth because it is used to treat Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Very common in todays world, diabetes is a disease in which the body is unable to produce or respond to the insulin hormone, which results in abnormal levels of glucose in the blood. Synthetic insulin was developed for this purpose in the 1960s and 1970s, and it first got approved for pharmaceutical use in 1982. Download a PDF Sample of this Global Insulin Market Report @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/91 It has the same characteristic as natural insulin. It is of four types: rapid-acting, short-acting, intermediate-acting, and long-acting, depending on the time it takes for the drug to activate in the body and the duration for which it stays effective. There are three ways in which insulin can be administered to a patient. Syringe is the most commonly used device, which is made of plastic and is disposable. Insulin pen is a popular alternative to the syringe. It consists of a cartridge (containing the drug) and a needle, which are easily replaceable. It has a mechanical pump, which can be monitored to release insulin in the body. Lastly, insulin pumps are used by patients who require short-acting insulin throughout the day. The global insulin market is responsible for manufacturing both the drug and the devices used to deliver the drug. The major factor boosting the growth of the insulin market size is an increasing number of cases of diabetes arising due to a rise in the geriatric population, and popularization of unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits, which leads to obesity. Diabetes is a major public health threat for the world. The insulin industry has significant potential for growth in values because of increased investment in the research and development of more effective insulin. It is very important for controlling diabetes as it is a progressive condition, which may get worse with time. However, the approval procedure for insulin is very strict. The high cost of insulin analog also inhibits the growth of the insulin market size. Enquiry before buying report @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/91 North America has the largest share in the global insulin market, and it will continue the same trend during the forecast period. It is closely followed by Europe. However, the Asia Pacific region is the fastest growing market for insulin. In a study done in 2012, it was found that around 60% of the Asian population has diabetes. China is expected to have the highest prevalence rate of diabetes, followed by India. Some of the key players in the insulin manufacturing industry are Novo Nordisk (Denmark), Sanofi S.A. (France, Eli Lilly & Company (US), Wockhardt Ltd. (India) and Bioton S.A (Poland). About Us: Adroit Market Research is an India-based business analytics and consulting company incorporated in 2018. Our target audience is a wide range of corporations, manufacturing companies, product/technology development institutions and industry associations that require understanding of a markets size, key trends, participants and future outlook of an industry. We intend to become our clients knowledge partner and provide them with valuable market insights to help create opportunities that increase their revenues. We follow a code Explore, Learn and Transform. At our core, we are curious people who love to identify and understand industry patterns, create an insightful study around our findings and churn out money-making roadmaps. As per report published by Adroit Market Research, Global Smart Baby Monitor Market is growing with tremendous speed with strong CAGR. Browse 80 pages report and Get well organized statistical overview of Smart Baby Monitor industry. The global Smart Baby Monitor Market will rise from a value of xx million in 2018 to xx million by 2025, registering a CAGR of xx% during the forecast period. Though the Smart Baby Monitor Market is hitting a hard stroke in the market, it is becoming easier for the small online sellers to enter the market with employees and support personnel, physical locations which can force larger traditional smart baby monitor resellers to reduce selling prices. Due to the rapid expansion in the Asian market, Companies manufacturing smart baby monitor need to be conscious about their competitive surrounding and strategies within their market. Request Sample Pages of Smart Baby Monitor industry report @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/99 The smart Baby monitor is a wireless electronic device that is mainly used as a home security system testing the sleep hours of active babies. This system consists of parts like; a baby unit, parents unit, control side, and baby monitors side. By keeping the device in the babys room, you can always monitor the babys safety through the display. Following are the benefits of Smart Baby monitor: HD Resolution view: The smart baby monitor delivers clear view and has 720 HD resolution that helps parents keep an eye on each and every detail of babys activities. This gadget is also helpful in the dark, as it has a feature of switching automatic night mode. Capturing babys room temperature: Temperature is the only subject to change from time to time. Baby monitor helps track temperature from the smart devices and notifies you to take care accordingly. Putting babies to sleep: Baby monitors also come with relaxing features for babies which come with around five lullabies programmed in the gadget. The lullabies help babies sleep soundly. The segment of wireless baby monitors hold the largest market share in the global smart baby monitor market, this is due to the easy connectivity and greater portability of these devices. In the future, the smart baby monitor market share is further intended to rise. The global smart baby monitor market has a huge scope and opportunity to grow in emerging markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Countries like India, Japan, China, and Brazil are emerging as leading consumers of baby monitors, because of the rising participation of women in the workforces and rising disposable incomes. The increasing trend of working parents is increasing the number of day care centers and availability of baby monitors through online retailers, are the two constant factors considered to increase the market growth. Key players of this market collectively hold 60% of the global smart baby monitor market share. To be a prominent player in the market, baby monitor manufacturers have shifted their focus on research and development, in order to strengthen their product portfolio to meet the customer needs. Make an Enquiry @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/99 In the current market scenario, Europe holds the largest market share. With the growing popularity of smart baby monitors and increasing demand in the US, the market in North America is expected to grow and tend to surpass the European baby monitor market in the near future. The audio baby monitor is the only segment to lead in terms of shipment and audio and video baby monitor segment will lead in terms of revenue. When it comes to revenue, the audio and video segment is registered to have the maximum market share followed by the movement monitors segment. Growing concerns related to the safety of babies, rising expenditure on baby care products are also some of the key factors driving the growth of the global smart baby monitor market. But falling birth rate owing to increasing stress level and sedentary lifestyle can affect the growth of the global smart baby monitor market size, in addition, safety and security concerns associated with baby monitors also present challenges for vendors operating in the market. This is also restraining the growth but still the market is going to grow in near future. About Us: Adroit Market Research is an India-based business analytics and consulting company incorporated in 2018. Our target audience is a wide range of corporations, manufacturing companies, product/technology development institutions and industry associations that require understanding of a markets size, key trends, participants and future outlook of an industry. We intend to become our clients knowledge partner and provide them with valuable market insights to help create opportunities that increase their revenues. We follow a code Explore, Learn and Transform. At our core, we are curious people who love to identify and understand industry patterns, create an insightful study around our findings and churn out money-making roadmaps. Contact Information: Ryan Johnson Account Manager Global 3131 McKinney Ave Ste 600, Dallas, TX75204 Phone: +1 (214) 884-6068 Email: sales@adroitmarketresearch.com As per report published by Adroit Market Research, the Global Smart Healthcare Products Market is growing with tremendous speed with strong CAGR. Browse 80 pages report and get well organized statistical overview of Smart Healthcare Products industry. Previously in 2013, the global Smart Healthcare Products Market revenue was projected to be xx million USD, and raise to xx million USD after a period of four years. The Smart Healthcare Products Market size is expected to witness a growth of xx million USD in 2023, with a CAGR of xx% during the forecast period. Ask for Sample PDF of Smart Healthcare Products Market @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/100 The global smart healthcare products industry is enhancing at a rapid pace. Resulting, patient record statistics has been considered a significant part in the healthcare ecosystem. The concept of IoT demands the use of electronic devices that detect or monitor health data. These devices are connected to a public as well as private cloud enabling to trigger certain actions occurring in the patients body. The demand for such connected devices will widely span across multiple industries including the automotive, retail, education, and energy. The users nowadays are habitual to a higher level of convenience, automation, and efficiency, however, this results to the necessity for implementing IoT for healthcare in the current scenario of the market. IoT is supremely bringing the advanced technique in the industry to offer smart treatment to the patients. According to the analysis, 30.3% IoT devices can be found in the global Smart Healthcare Products Market share. Soon in the near future, patients are going to experience smart and regular treatment with personalized care on the go. Following are the top benefits of using IoT in global smart healthcare products industry: Asset Management Nowadays, hospitals take advantage of real-time location services with badges for keeping a track record of medical devices used by patients and hospital staff. However, hospitals are taking advantage of tracking tools for management of assets such as ECG machine, wheelchairs, defibrillators and stretchers for the patients. Environmental Monitoring Healthcare platforms mainly prefer IoT devices for keeping an eye on hospital environments. The monitoring devices measure response of the patients body; logging both to the cloud for aggregate analysis and finding out if the hospital environment is convincing and comfortable for health conditions. WorkCenter anywhere is an iOS application that primarily helps data integration in hospitals by streamlining nursing operations by automatic chart, updating, giving the list of patients to be review etc. Hand hygiene also comes under environment monitoring in healthcare. Wearable device Innovation Wearable medical kit alerts is the new innovation in the healthcare industry which alerts the doctors about any medical damage occurred in the patients regular schedule. iGlucoCheck is a diabetic management solution that allows the patient to maintain the glucose level. The tracking records is stored for a period of 2 months as an observation basis. Efficient Disease Management The smart health monitoring tool enables the doctors to access real-time health data and allows them to monitor their patients on regular intervals. As a result, the patient can detect the illness and get treated before getting into the complications. Automated workflows, and accurate data minimizing errors provide the productive patient outcome. Patients living in remote areas prefer mobile applications that allows the patient to check health factors and consult the doctor at the earliest which led to the growth of global Smart Healthcare Products Market share. Make an Enquiry @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/100 Lowers Health Expenses The healthcare IoT mainly use cases which enables the healthcare providers to look for regular patient monitoring systems and allows patients to be free from the multiple visits to the hospital, thus bolstering global Smart Healthcare Products Market size. This allows patients to save money over health expense cutting down long hospital stays and re-enrollment. About Us: Adroit Market Research is an India-based business analytics and consulting company incorporated in 2018. Our target audience is a wide range of corporations, manufacturing companies, product/technology development institutions and industry associations that require understanding of a markets size, key trends, participants and future outlook of an industry. We intend to become our clients knowledge partner and provide them with valuable market insights to help create opportunities that increase their revenues. We follow a code Explore, Learn and Transform. At our core, we are curious people who love to identify and understand industry patterns, create an insightful study around our findings and churn out money-making roadmaps. Contact Information: Ryan Johnson Account Manager Global 3131 McKinney Ave Ste 600, Dallas, TX75204 Phone: +1 (214) 884-6068 Email: sales@adroitmarketresearch.com Market Highlights: The global Immunofluorescence Assay market is expected to reach an approximate CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period. The increase in biological studies in research and development for detection of biomolecules like proteins, glycans, and small biological and non-biological molecules of various diseases drives the market growth. Immunofluorescence Assays are used for rapid and sensitive diagnostics of various chronic diseases like cancer, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases like HIV, neurological diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease and chronic diseases like cancer. Immunofluorescence assay is a primary detection test used for patients suspected with autoimmune disease. According to National Institutes of Health (2012), autoimmune diseases are most prevalent among other diseases, and 23.5 million people in America suffer from autoimmune diseases, whereas 9 million people have cancer. Furthermore, according to Alzheimers Association in 2018, 5.7 million Americans are affected by Alzheimers disease. Thus, such high incidence of autoimmune and neurological diseases and increasing government funding enhances the growth in this market. Also, growing demand for rapid and precise measurement of biomolecules, increased use of Immunofluorescence Assay for diagnostic and research purposes, increased R&D activities and advanced technology are the key factors for the market to grow. However, factors such as expensive diagnostic kits, chances of cross contaminations, shortage of skilled labor and weak detection signals are expected to restrict the market growth during the forecast period. Get Exclusive Sample Report Here https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6177 Immunofluorescence Assay Market Leading players Abcam plc Thermo Fisher Scientific BioLegend, Inc. Enzo Life Sciences, Inc. Sino Biological Inc. BioTek Instruments, Inc. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Zyagen Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. PerkinElmer Inc. Becton Dickinson and Company Merck Agilent Technologies, TCS Biosciences Ltd, Maxvision Biosciences Inc. Global Immunofluorescence Assay Market Regional Analysis The Immunofluorescence Assay market is dominated by North America owing to the high prevalence of chronic diseases and high R&D investments within this region stimulate market growth. According to the U.S. Investments in Medical and Health Research and Development in 2016, the United States invested total $171.8 billion in medical and health R&D and the investment increased by 20.6% from 2013 to 2016. Also, the rising adoption of technologically advanced systems for early diagnosis of diseases drives the market growth in this region. It is estimated that Europe stood second in the global Immunofluorescence Assay market. Rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer is driving the growth of this market in Europe. According to the Eurostat in 2014, 272 thousand people deaths were due to lung cancer. Thus, increasing prevalence of cancer in Europe drives the market growth. Furthermore, rapidly growing biotechnology sector in Europe is expected to boost the market in this region. Asia Pacific was projected to be the fastest growing region for the global Immunofluorescence Assay market. Key factors such as growing patient pool, high incidence of chronic diseases, developing healthcare infrastructure and increasing research & development activities in biotechnology sector influences the market in this region. Also, the presence of major market players China, India, and Japan drive the market growth. The Middle East and Africa holds the least share in the global Immunofluorescence Assay market due to the presence of stringent government policies and poor economies. However, growing awareness among the population and high investments by private market players in this region can boost the market growth. Global Immunofluorescence Assay Market Segmentation Global Immunofluorescence Assays Market, by Technique, Primary (Direct) Immunofluorescence assays Secondary (Indirect) Immunofluorescence assays Salt split technique Antigenic mapping method Double Staining method Micro Immunofluorescence Global Immunofluorescence Assays Market, by Product Type Antibodies Kits and reagents Instruments Microscopes Imaging Analysis Systems Labeling dyes Species Product Type Global Immunofluorescence Assays Market, by Application Clinical research Clinical Diagnostics Infectious Diseases Cancer Cardiovascular Diseases Autoimmune Diseases Neurological Diseases Research & Development Global Immunofluorescence Assays Market, by End-User Biotechnology Companies Hospitals & Research Institutes Contract Research Organizations Diagnostic centers Global Immunofluorescence Assay Market, by Region The Americas Europe Asia Pacific The Middle East & Africa Get Amazing Discount on Reports https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/6177 TOC of Immunofluorescence Assay Market Research Report Global Forecast to 2023 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Market Dynamics 4 Market Factor Analysis 5 Global Immunofluorescence Assay Market, By Technique 6 Global Immunofluorescence Assay Market, By Product Type 7 Global Immunofluorescence Assay Market, By Application 8 Global Immunofluorescence Assay Market, By End-User 9 Global Immunofluorescence Assay Market, By Region 10 Competitive Landscape 11 Company Profile 12 MRFR Conclusion TOC CONTINUED Ask to Our Experts https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/6177 About US: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com In-Vitro Diagnostics Market Drivers and Restraints: The in-vitro diagnostics products include reagents, instruments and any other system or equipment that is required to carry out the diagnostics procedure. The rapid increase in chronic and infectious diseases and rise in geriatric population are some of the major factors that are inducing high demand for in-vitro diagnostics in the global market, which in turn is propelling the growth of the global in-vitro diagnostics market. Incorporation of advanced technology for diagnostic purposes has fastened the process altogether leading to the significant growth of the global in-vitro diagnostics market. However, strict regulatory framework imposed by the government on the manufacturing of IVD products and lack of reimbursement policies are likely to create hindrance in the growth of the global in-vitro diagnostics market during the forecast period. The market is immensely growing due to the increasing demand for advanced diagnostic techniques. Additional factors that influence the market growth are increasing technological advancement in healthcare that supports the desired results, further increasing the market growth. In-Vitro Diagnostics Industry Updates: In September 2018, OptraSCAN, a leading end-to-end digital pathology solution provider, has announced that its whole-slide scanners have received CE Mark approval for in-vitro diagnostics use. Download PDF Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1165 Moreover, the government funding to encourage the adoption of in-vitro diagnostic are pervasively fostering the market growth. On the other hand, factors such as the lack of proper reimbursement policies in the developing countries and strict FDA regulations are obstructing the market growth. Key Players for Global In-Vitro Diagnostics Market The prominent players profiled by MRFR in the report on the global in-vitro diagnostics market are Abbott (the U.S.), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland), Biomerieux (France), Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (the U.S.), Johnson & Johnson (the U.S.), Siemens Healthcare GmbH (Germany), Sysmex (Japan), Becton Dickinson (the U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (the U.S.), Accelerate Diagnostics (the U.S.), Hycor Biomedical (the U.S.), Diagnostic Biosystems (the U.S.), Eurogentec (Belgium), Orgentec Diagnostics (US), Immunarray PVT. LTD (the U.S.), Werfen Group (Spain), Danaher Corporation (the U.S.), Bio-Rad Laboratories INC (the U.S.), Stago Diagnostica (France), Alere Inc (the U.S.) and others. Regional Analysis for Global In-Vitro Diagnostics Market The global in-vitro diagnostics market is geographically segmented into Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa. The Americas dominate the global in-vitro diagnostics market owing to the increased healthcare expenditure by the population of this region and increasing penetration of advanced technology in the healthcare sector of this region. The Europe region constitutes of second largest share in the global in-vitro diagnostics market owing to the easy adoption of advanced technology and high prevalence of chronic diseases among the population of this region. The Asia Pacific region is projecting noteworthy growth in the global in-vitro diagnostics market owing to the rapid development of the healthcare sector and increasing number of private diagnostic centers in this region. Whereas, low penetration of advanced technology in the healthcare sector of the underdeveloped areas of the Middle East and Africa region is creating hindrance in the growth of the global in-vitro diagnostics market in this region. Segmentations for Global In-Vitro Diagnostics Market The global in-vitro diagnostics market has been segmented on the basis of techniques, application and end users. Based on techniques, the in-vitro diagnostics market has been segmented into Immunodiagnostics, blood testing, molecular diagnostics, tissue diagnostics and clinical chemistry. The immunodiagnostic segment is sub-segmented into enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIAS), fluorescence immunoassays (FIAS), colorimetric immunoassays (CIC), and radioimmunoassay (RIA) and other immune assay techniques. Based on applications, the in-vitro diagnostics market has been segmented into infectious diseases, cancer, cardiac diseases, and immune systems disorders, nephrological diseases, gastrointestinal diseases. The infectious diseases segment is sub-segmented into acinetobacter infections, actinomycosis, hepatitis (A, B, C, D, and E) and others. The cancer segment is sub-segmented into skin, lung, brain and others. The cardiac diseases segment is sub-segmented into heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, congenital heart disease and others. Based on end users, the in-vitro diagnostics market has been segmented into laboratories, academics and medical institutions and others. To Get an Exclusive Discount on Report Visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/1165 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Statistical Report, Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 The North America Dental Consumables Market is expected to reach USD 5,290.9 million by 2023, and the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~ 6.0 % during the forecast period 2017-2023. Dental Consumables are a category of products that are used on patients by dental practioners or dentists in order to treat and /or perform procedures associated with preventive, restorative, diagnostic and emergency oral health issues. Factors such as increasing prevalence of dental diseases and rising number of dental procedures are the major drivers for the market growth. According to the American Dental Association, in 2014, 52.3% of adults reported to visit the dentist in every six months, 15.4% reported once per year, and 11.0% reported once every two to three years. Moreover, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2014, 19% of the children aged 5-19 years and 31% of adults aged 20-44 have untreated dental caries. Additionally, growing geriatric population is fuelling the market growth. However, poor reimbursement policies and gray market of dental distribution are estimated to restrain the market growth during the forecast period. According to the National Coalition on Health Care, in 2012, American families spent an average of USD 9,000 on out-of-pocket health insurance and other medical costs like co-pays and deductibles. Key Players for Global North America Dental Consumables Market Institut Straumann AG, Henry Schein, Inc., Patterson Dental Supply, Inc., Dentsply Sirona, Kerr Corporation, Danaher Corporation, GC orthodontics, Planmeca Oy, and American Orthodontics, and others are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the North America Dental Consumables Market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis. Download PDF Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4612 Characterized by the presence of several well-established and small players, the North America Dental Consumables Market appears to be highly competitive and fragmented. International players are increasingly expanding their footprint in the developing economy, making it difficult for regional vendors to compete with them, especially in terms of features such as product differentiation, product portfolios, quality, and pricing. The market is witnessing intensified competition which is expected to get more intensified further during the forecast period. The intense competition prevalent in the market dictates the consolidation among marketers. Well established players incorporate acquisition, collaboration, partnership, expansion, and product launch in order to gain competitive advantage in this market and to maintain their market position. In August, 2016- Henry Schein announced that it will acquire 80% ownership of Marrodent, which is a full service dental distributer of Poland, thus marking Henry Scheins entry into the dental market of Poland. In July, 2016- Kitron signs supply agreement with Dentsply Sirona. This agreement will add Kitron as a new supplier for Dentsply Sirona. In April, 16- Straumann acquired 51% residual ownership of Neodent. This deal augments Straumanns presence in the tooth replacement sector in the Latin American region and Brazil, which is the second largest market for implant dentistry. In February, 16- Septodont signed an agreement with Egalet Corporation, a specialty pharmaceutical company, for exclusive marketing rights to promote Sprix nasal spray to the dental market in the United States. In May, 16- Knifeless Tech Systems was acquired by 3M. The business acquired is an installation tool used to cut self-adhesive films applied to vehicle wraps. In February, 16- Septodont acquired DLA, an injectable dental anaesthetic manufacturing plant from Dentsply International. In February, 16- DENTSPLY International Inc. and Sirona Dental Systems, Inc. Announce Completion of Remaining Regulatory Milestones for Proposed Merger. Regional Analysis for Global North America Dental Consumables Market Regionally, North America is divided into the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. is estimated to lead the North America Dental Consumables Market owing to high expenditure on the health care within the region. Moreover, the fastest uptake of new products in the U.S drives the dental consumables market. Additionally, concentration of the major healthcare companies in the developed economies of this region coupled with large insurance penetration is also adding fuel to the market growth. Do You Have Specific Requirement? Ask To Our Experts https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/4612 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Statistical Report, Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Market Scenario: The pharmaceutical industry is experiencing a dramatic change. Pipeline challenges, pricing pressures, and emerging global markets are redesigning the way these companies operate. Providers to the pharmaceutical industry, such as contract manufacturers, will need to alter as well. In the year to come, contract manufacturers that distinguish their offerings and abilities will be able to retain customers and grow their business within this highly competitive marketplace. Another reason for increasing prospect in pharmaceutical contract development services is found in the growth of developing biotechs. Most of these companies are heavily dedicated to the development of drug compounds to address a specific therapeutic area. Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1532 The global Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period 2017-2023. Top Key Players: Some of key the players in the market are Catalant, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lonza AG, Grifols International, S.A, AbbVie Inc, Patheon Inc., Vetter, Pharmaceutical Product Development and others. Segmentation: The global Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing market is segmented on the basis of type, On the basis of type, the market is classified into Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Manufacturing, Finished Dosage Formulation (FDF) Market. Key Findings: The global Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing market is expected to reach USD 107,004.0 million by 2023 at a CAGR of 7.2%. On the basis of types, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Manufacturing segment is expected to command the largest market share of 7% over the review period and Finished Dosage Formulation (FDF) Secondary Market is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period 2017-2023 The Americas hold the largest share of the Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing market and is expected to reach USD 40,041.5 million by 2023 Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.7% over the 2017-2023 Low tech pharmaceutical contract manufacturing manufacture is shifting to the developing world especially China and India. The developed regions must accommodate this shift by shifting to high tech segment of the pharmaceutical contract manufacturing market such as biologics. China has feverously increased its capacity for API manufacturing while India is a better destination for formulation development and manufacturing. Regional Analysis: The Americas dominate the Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing market owing to the well-developed technology, high healthcare expenditure, improvement in reimbursement scenario, and the presence of the leading players. Europe holds the second position in the Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing market. It is expected that the support provided by the government bodies for research & development, and drives the market in European region. Asia Pacific region is projected to be the fastest growing region during the forecast period. Rapidly improving technology, and the presence of huge patient pool drive the growth of this market in Asia Pacific region. The Middle East and Africa holds the least share in the market owing to the presence of poor and slow developing countries, especially, in African region. MAJOR TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1 Report Prologue 2 Market Introduction 3 Research Methodology 4 Market Dynamics 5 Market Factor Analysis 6 Global Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing Market By Types 7 Global Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing Market By Regions 8 Company Landscape 9 Company Profile 10 Appendix 11 List of Tables 12 List of Figures Check Discount @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/1532 About US: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Market Scenario Sciatica is pain going down the leg from the lower back due to irritation of the lumbar or sacral nerves triggered by activities such as heavy lifting, jerky movements etc. Sciatica symptoms generally occur on one side of the body although in some cases it affects both sides. The symptoms include weakness or numbness in the affected leg, burning or tingling down the affected leg, and constant pain on one side of the rear. The causes of sciatica are spondylolisthesis, lumbar degenerative disc disease, osteophytes and arthritis of the spine, muscle spasm in the back or buttock, spinal stenosis, piriformis syndrome, pelvic tumours, pregnancy and others. However spinal disc herniation is the primary cause of sciatica in about 90% of the cases. Get Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4767 Sciatica generally resolves on its own in about 90% of the cases. However it can result in severe pain which may need surgical intervention. Surgery may be required if complications occur such as bowel or bladder problems. Sciatica affects 40% of people at some point in their life time. Sciatica is most common during peoples 40s and 50s, and men are more frequently affected than women. The market drivers for global sciatica market are rise in demand due to growing population, increasing screening, rising cases of geriatrics, rising safety and success of drug treatment, the extricating nature of the pain and others. The market restraints are the complications of surgery such as risk of bleeding, infections, pain, high cost of sciatica treatment, and others. Key Players in the Global Sciatica Market Some of the key players profiled in the report are Endo Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Novartis AG, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Neurotech, Nidd Valley Medical, Omega Laser Systems Ltd., Omron Healthcare, Inc., Sanofi and others. Segments The global sciatica market has been segmented on the basis of types, drug treatment, devices and end user. Based on the types, the market has been segmented as L4 nerve root sciatica, L5 nerve root sciatica, S1 nerve root sciatica and others. Based on the drugs, the market has been segmented as anesthetics, pain killers, muscle relaxants, antidepressants, steroids and others. Based on the non-drug treatment, the market has been segmented as physiotherapy, acupuncture, stimulation devices, surgery and others. Based on the end user, the market has been segmented as hospitals and clinics, research and academics and others. Apply for Exclusive Discount @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/4767 Regional Analysis The Americas accounts for a significant market share owing to high expenditure on the healthcare especially of the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, greater number of orthopedic procedures due to greater healthcare penetration in the U.S. and Canada drives the sciatica market. The high concentration of the major hospitals in the developed countries of this region coupled with good reimbursement rates is adding fuel to the market growth. Moreover, the large share of surgical procedures especially the sciatica treatment in the returns of hospitals favors the market. A large number of medical devices companies in the U.S. is also a cause for the faster development of sciatica market in the US. Europe is the second largest market in the world due to the growing medical devices industry and healthcare penetration. The European market growth is led by countries such as Germany and France. Germany is expected to be the fastest growing market over the assessment period due to its large medical devices industry. Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly where China and India are likely to lead the market due to faster growing healthcare sector and larger unmet needs over the forecast period. The South East Asian countries such as China, India, and Malaysia are projected to contribute highly to the market growth. The growing penetration of healthcare industry in the Asia Pacific region is expected to drive the future sciatica market in the region. Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are estimated to drive the Middle East & African market. Other Middle Eastern nations to watch out for are Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and Iran. The African region is expected to witness a poor growth owing to poor economic and political conditions, and poor healthcare development. Other regions are expected to be laggards due to poor social development and tribal identities such as sub Saharan Africa. Detailed Table of Contents: 1. Report Prologue 2. Market Introduction 2.1 Definition 2.2 Scope Of The Study 2.2.1 Research Objective 2.2.2 Assumptions 2.2.3 Limitations 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Primary Research 3.3 Secondary Research 3.4 Market Size Estimation 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Drivers 4.2 Restrains 4.3 Opportunities 4.4 Challenges 4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators 4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment 5. Market Factor Analysis 5.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis 5.2 Value Chain Analysis 5.3 Investment Feasibility Analysis 5.4 Pricing Analysis Continued Send An Enquiry @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/4767 About US: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Marijuana consists of chemical components cannabinoids, which can be used as medicine to treat the symptoms caused by illness. Medical marijuana plant or extract of the plant is used for the treatment. The increasing number of chronic diseases, rising acceptance of medical marijuana in healthcare and increasing research and development activities are the major factors driving the growth of the global medical marijuana market. Additionally, increasing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for drugs containing cannabinoids are contributing to the growth of the market. For instance, in June 2018, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Epidiolex (cannabidiol) [CBD] oral solution for the treatment of epilepsy. Segmentation The Global Medical Marijuana Market has been segmented on the basis of application, route of administration and distribution channel. On the basis of application, the market has been classified as Alzheimers disease, cancer, mental health conditions, multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, glaucoma, and human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Mental health conditions are differentiated into schizophrenia and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Get Exclusive Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6470 The route of administration segment has been further divided into oral, topical, inhalation and sublingual. The topical segment has been classified into ointments, lotions, creams, gels, and poultice. The market, by distribution channel, has been segmented into dispensaries and online platforms. Key Players Some of the key players in the global medical marijuana market are Canopy Growth, Aurora Cannabis, Inc., Cannabis Sativa, Inc, GW Pharmaceuticals plc, United Cannabis, MGC Pharma, Aphria, Inc., Tilray, Emerald Health Therapeutics [Canada] Inc., GBSciences, Inc., CanniMed Ltd., Medical Marijuana, Inc, Cara Therapeutics, and Greengro Technologies. Regional Analysis The market in the Americas is expected to dominate the global medical marijuana market during the forecast period owing to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing number of cannabinoid drug approvals by regulatory authorities, and increasing expenditure on research and development of medical marijuana. The European market is expected to be the second-largest due to the favorable policies implemented by government and regulatory authorities and increasing applications of marijuana in healthcare. Moreover, the market in Asia-Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest-growing during the forecast period owing to the increasing number of mental disorders and increasing expenditure on healthcare research and development. The market in the Middle East & Africa is likely to account for the smallest share of the global medical marijuana market. The market growth in this region can be attributed to the rising acceptance of medical marijuana in the treatment of illness and favorable government policies. Major Table of Contents For Medical Marijuana Market: Chapter 1. Report Prologue Chapter 2. Market Introduction 2.1 Definition 2.2 Scope Of The Study 2.2.1 Research Objective 2.2.2 Assumptions 2.2.3 Limitations Chapter 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Primary Research 3.3 Secondary Research 3.4 Market Size Estimation Chapter 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Drivers 4.2 Restraints 4.3 Opportunities 4.4 Challenges 4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators 4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment Chapter 5. Market Factor Analysis 5.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis 5.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers 5.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers 5.1.3 Threat Of New Entrants 5.1.4 Threat Of Substitutes 5.1.5 Intensity Of Rivalry 5.2 Value Chain Analysis 5.3 Investment Feasibility Analysis 5.4 Pricing Analysis TOC Continued Ask to Experts @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/6470 About US: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com A man threatened to cut a homeless man with a knife over a McDonalds hamburger Friday night, Gainesville Police said. Henry Chambers Jr., 58, of Gainesville, got into an argument with the man at McDonalds after someone handed both of them a burger, at 3826 SW 40th Blvd., according to an arrest report. The two men dont know each other, the report said. The man told police Chambers raised a razor blade with a black handle above his head and swung at him while yelling, You stole from me, the report said. The man feared Chambers would cut him, the report said. He dropped his drink, hamburger and backpack as he jumped away from Chambers. A witness told police he saw and heard the argument but didnt see Chambers threaten the man with a razor blade, police said. Chambers told police the man had called him a racial slur but nothing else happened, the report said. He later admitted to having an argument over the burger but insisted it wasnt violent. Chambers had a razor blade matching the mans description, police said. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is being held in the Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond, according to jail records. Contact Jessica Curbelo at jcurbelo@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @jesscurbelo Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now The Analysis presents the study of Worldwide Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices facilitating the regional and country wise analysis covering the strategic analysis of each market player and the market share they hold The Global Wearable Heart Monitoring Devices Market is expected to grow at an approximate CAGR of 9.86% during the forecast period. Get Wearable Heart Monitoring Device Market Premium Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4714 . Key players for global wearable heart monitoring devices market: The key players for the global wearable heart monitoring devices market are Medtronic (U.S.), Kinetec Products UK Ltd. (South America), Beurer GmbH (Europe), Medisana AG (Europe), Briggs Healthcare (U.S.), Polar Electro (Europe), SUUNTO (Europe), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Europe), Garmin Ltd. (Europe), and others. Market Scenario: Digital revolution and the rapid development of the information technology has transformed virtually every industry and healthcare industry is no exception. Recently, novel devices for wireless monitoring have emerged and begun to be integrated with cardiac patient care. This has led to the development of wearable heart monitoring devices market. By set-up, a majority of the wearable heart monitoring devices consists of wearable monitoring device and a portable data transmission device which transmits real time medical data for analysis. According to the National Health Service in 2015, an average American is constantly connected via high bandwidth to a vast network of data and sophisticated digital platforms with over 90% of American adults owning a cell phone and 55% having smart phones. Such exploitation of the technology has facilitated the development of mobile phones based wearable heart monitoring devices. Cardiac conditions such as atrial fibrillation (AFib) requires extensive and continuous monitoring. Conventionally, Holter monitoring is exploited for the same. But since the technology is expensive and risks of missing arrhythmias are associated, a number of new and effective technologies for wireless monitoring are devised which has facilitated the market growth. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in 2017, 2.7-6.1 million people in the United States have AFib. Moreover, it is reported that more than 750,000 hospitalizations occur each year in the U.S. because of AFib, accounting to the estimated medical cost for people who have AFib to be about USD 8,705 per person. Such trends in the prevalence of AFib along with high per capita healthcare expenditures in the developed countries and growing geriatric population is estimated to boost the market growth during the forecasted period. However, lack of awareness for the products, low healthcare expenditures in the developing countries and stringent FDA approvals will restrain the market growth during the forecasted period. Apply for Exclusive Discount @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/4714 Segmentation: The global wearable heart monitoring devices is segmented on the basis of products, type, application, and end users. On the basis of products, the market is segmented as electric pulse based, optical technology based, and others. The electric pulse based segment is sub-segmented into chest straps, chest patches and others. The optical technology based segment, by product, is further segmented into smart watches, earphones, and others. On the basis of type, the market is categorised into chargeable, non-chargeable, bluetooth enabled, and others. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into healthcare, consumer market, and others. On the basis of end users, the market is segmented into hospitals, retail pharmacies, academic institutes, and others. Regional Analysis: America dominates the global wearable heart monitoring devices market owing to a well-developed healthcare sector and a highly developed information technology sector. Moreover, high prevalence of AFib diseases, increasing healthcare expenditure have boosted the growth of the market in America. Moreover, the presence of developed economies like the U.S. and Canada and global players such as Medtronic, Briggs Healthcare within the regional boundaries fuels the market growth. Europe is the second largest market for wearable heart monitoring devices, which is followed by Asia Pacific. Availability of funds for research, well developed healthcare infrastructure, huge patient population and government support for research & development will drive the market in the Europe. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for the market due to the presence of developing economies like India and China within the region which have increasing healthcare expenditures. This along with favourable government policies will boost the market growth in the presence of huge opportunity for the untapped market within the region. The Middle East & Africa has the least share in the global wearable heart monitoring devices market due to presence of poor economies especially in the African region. Majority of the market of the Middle & Africa region is held by the Middle East due to a well-developed healthcare sector and huge healthcare expenditure by the presence of regional economies like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar within the region. TABLE OF CONTENT Chapter 1. Report Prologue Chapter 2. Market Introduction 2.1 Definition 2.2 Scope of The Study 2.2.1 Research Objective 2.2.2 Assumptions 2.2.3 Limitations Chapter 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Primary Research 3.3 Secondary Research 3.4 Market Size Estimation Chapter 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Drivers 4.2 Restrains 4.3 Opportunities 4.4 Challenges 4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators 4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment Continued! Ask Query @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/4714 About US: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, October 4, 2018 Havas Groups Arena Media France has expanded its relationship with Carrefour Group, winning four new territories including Belgium, Spain, Italy and Romania. The agency continues to handle the Groups communications in France and Poland. The new assignments are effective January 2019. The agencys remit includes strategy and media consulting, media planning, media buying for all the Groups entities. The France-based retail giant is known for its hypermakrets, or combination supermarket/department stores. Carrefour has operations in more than 30 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, October 5, 2018 Amazon in April 2018 revealed that more transactions were fulfilled directly from sellers than from its fulfillment centers. Some believe this improves the customer experience, which has become a major focus for marketers throughout the supply chain. While consumers may want greater choices in the marketplace they use most, they also want simplicity, utility, integration and value-added experiences, according to the white paper titled The State (and Future) of Digital Marketplaces, written by Altimeter Principal Analyst Brian Solis and published by Kahuna, a full-service digital advertising agency. In August 2018, about 100 U.S. adults took a ten-minute online questionnaire. Participants included advertising, consumer engagement and marketing employees at companies that have an online marketplace for products and services and 50 or more employees. advertisement advertisement Improving the experience for consumers in the study ranked among the top challenges for marketplaces and retailers, but which media and message attracts buyers to marketplaces varies. The three most effective channels, per survey participants in the study, include Facebook at 45%, direct mail and email at 31%, and search ads at 27%. The top three reasons why consumers leave the marketplace include 53% who say lack of sellers who meet their needs, 49% who cite logistical challenges such as shipping costs and fees, and 39% who say large geographic distance between buyers and sellers. Other reasons include un-competitive pricing, inability to search for the products, lack of mobile apps, and inadequate customer service. Solis notes that in a letter to shareholders published in April 2018, Amazon reported that for the first time more transactions were fulfilled directly from sellers than from Amazon's fulfillment centers. The growth resulted in products being purchased from more than 300,000 small and medium-sized businesses. Amazon also revealed that third-party companies fulfilling products direct to customers were more profitable than those fulfilled by the marketplace. Key findings in the report include that marketplaces overall generate significant revenue, with two-thirds generating more than $50 million annually and one-third generating $100 million or more. New product launches, revenue growth and customer acquisition top the list of marketplace business objectives in 2019. When asked for participants to list their top three business objectives for 2019, 59% point to new product and services, 55% note revenue growth, 54% said customer acquisitions, 46% note margin improvements, 38% said competitive positing, 28% cite geographic expansion, and 20% cite seller acquisition. Solis, in the report, points to Credit Suisse's estimate, reported by Entrepreneur magazine, that Amazon Marketplace sales of $135 billion in the fiscal year 2018 could rise to $259 billion by 2020. "Marketplaces have become platforms and as a result, they're enhancing product and service models experiences between what sellers offer and what buyers demand, Solis wrote. The notion of 'growth as a service' is a big driver for sellers who are active in these marketplaces and in this retail model, if you don't have sellers you don't have a marketplace, said Kahuna CMO Jeff Nolan. Of the 100 executives surveyed for the white paper, one thing specifically caught Nolan by surprise. Despite all the technology that exists for e-commerce, the challenges faced by marketplaces are not easily met, he said, pointing to how buyers can become sellers and vice versa. Search engines continue to generate enormous revenue and are important to the way modern economies work because they continue to lead many people to purchase products. "What's interesting about digital marketplaces is the way they're beginning to supplant that search-engine function in the popular mind, he said. These days more Americans begin product searches on Amazon than on Google, as eMarketer reported in September. The four top challenges marketplaces face include competitive differentiation at 39%, buyer retention at 32%, buyer acquisition at 29%, and effective social media campaigns at 29%. Shopping cart abandonment at 26% continues to haunt marketplaces and retailers. Finding the technology resources to scale growth ranks No. 6 with 23%. Customer experience, one of the top catalysts Altimeter has identified in driving advanced digital transformation, ranks No. 7 among top challenges facing marketplaces at 22%. The least challenging is lack of expertise (9%). by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, October 7, 2018 Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has awarded its global media assignment to Publicis Media, sources have confirmed. The firms last global media review was in 2015 when it divided the assignment between incumbents Mediacom and Mindshare (both parts of WPPs GroupM) and Omnicom Media Groups PHD. It reviews its media account every three years. The company reported spending 1.35 billion (about $1.8 billion) on advertising in 2017, per its annual report for that year. Last year, the firm struck two major deals with tech giants Google and Alibaba to improve the efficiency of its digital ad spending. advertisement advertisement Per its annual report: In 2017, we signed a partnership with Google, to bring our digital advertising data platform in-house, enabling us to better target relevant content to consumers and drive efficiency in our marketing campaigns. We formed another partnership in 2017 with Alimama, the marketing and media arm of Chinese technology group Alibaba. This partnership helps us identify more potential consumers and gain deeper understanding of their online shopping behavior, so we can reach them with the right advertising at the appropriate time. ID Comms managed the review process. Adweek first broke the news of the Publicis selection. by Tanya Gazdik , October 7, 2018 October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a number of brands are contributing with both donations and marketing activities. Breast cancer is one of the leading health crises for women in the United States, with one in eight women diagnosed in her lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2018 alone, about 266,120 women will be diagnosed in America. Chevrolet and General Motors employees support the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walking events, presented by Avon, for the eighth consecutive year. This year Chevy pledges to donate $5 for every social media post showing support for those affected by breast cancer using the hashtag #IDriveFor during the month of October (up to $400,000.) All contributions resulting from Chevrolets #IDriveFor campaign and other Making Strides Against Breast Cancer initiatives help the American Cancer Society fund efforts to end breast cancer including research, education for health care professionals, and promotion for early detection. advertisement advertisement Chevrolets continued support for breast cancer awareness is one of the major initiatives that underpins the brands new community-focused marketing platform, Chevy Cares. Hungry Howies began dedicating all its charitable efforts to breast cancer awareness in 2010. Last year, Hungry Howies Love, Hope & Pizza promotion crossed the $2 million mark in donations. This year, for every pizza purchased in October, Hungry Howies will make a donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The company's 15-second spot touting its efforts shows a customer decked out in an outfit made of the brands signature pink pizza box, with the NBCF logo. Customers are invited to create their own pink warrior costume out of the boxes and post it to Instagram with the hashtag #lovehopepizza. Panera Bread is bringing back its ribbon-shaped Cherry Vanilla Bagel. A portion of its sales go to help the fight against breast cancer, with some bakery-cafes hosting days when 100% of sales of the Pink Ribbon Bagel go to cancer charities. Since the creation of the Pink Ribbon Bagel in 2001, Panera Bread has donated over $2.6 million to breast cancer charities across the nation. The fast-casual bakery and sandwich shop tells the story of how the bagel came about in an email to customers: Breast cancer survivor Sue Stees, a Panera Bread franchise owner, had the idea when planning a luncheon for a local breast cancer organization. A tequila company is entering its second year of supporting breast cancer research efforts. Tequila Partida has partnered with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. In 2017, Tequila Partida partner Edrington raised $190,000 and this year, the organizations are calling upon their fans to not only reach, but help them exceed the goal and support the nationwide campaign. Partida is launching a special digital campaign, #PartidaGiving, on its branded Facebook and Instagram accounts, asking its followers to join the fight by donating to Susan G. Komen via a dedicated Tequila Partida page on Komens website. For every consumer donation (up to $33,333), Edrington will match it 2:1 in support of Komen. JoS. A. Bank Clothiers donated $50,000 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation and is collecting additional donations in its stores from customers. The company sent out an email to customers on Oct. 1 announcing the drive and highlighting a member of its team who had battled breast cancer. The North Face announced a limited edition collection supporting Boarding for Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Prevention Partners through an annual donation to help emphasize prevention, early detection and an active lifestyle. Since 2006, the company has supported these nonprofit organizations with over $1.3 million in funding, in addition to gear and apparel donations. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, October 8, 2018 A London judge has dismissed a privacy lawsuit against Google over allegations that the company violated iPhone users' privacy by circumventing their no-tracking settings in 2011 and 2012. The lawsuit was brought by the group Google You Owe Us -- led by advocate Richard Lloyd -- on behalf of at least 20,000 iPhone users. The matter stemmed from Google's role in the "Safari hack" -- a privacy scandal that came to light in 2012 when researcher Jonathan Mayer published a report stating that Google (and other companies) circumvented Safari's privacy settings and set tracking cookies. Google was then able to serve ads to web users based on their online browsing activity. The U.K. judge said in a 29-page ruling that Lloyd had not shown that users suffered damages as a result of the hack. The judge also suggested that class-action lawsuits should play a limited role, if any, in enforcing privacy standards. advertisement advertisement Censure is the role of the regulator, or the criminal law, he wrote. There have been regulatory responses to the breaches, which have resulted in consequences for Google. If those responses are perceived to be inadequate, I do not believe the remedy is to fashion a means of imposing a further penalty by bringing a class action for compensation, based on an artificial notion of 'damages'." Lloyd is expected to appeal the ruling. In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general fined Google more than $39 million for the workaround. The company also agreed to pay $5.5 million to settle a class-action in the U.S. Three years ago, Google settled a separate U.K. lawsuit over the Safari hack brought by three individual Apple users. The users in that matter alleged that they suffered anxiety as a result of the workaround. by Sara Guaglione , October 8, 2018 Davler Media Groups LGBTQ-focused magazine Metrosourceis publishing a special guide for WorldPride Month in New York City next June. The special print issue will be modeled after Davlers weekly City Guide, which provides sightseeing, culture, dining, shopping and nightlife recommendations for New York City tourists. Called the "Metrosource WorldPride Guide," the issue will publish in May 2019. Davler will also roll out WorldPride 2019 content on Metrosource.com starting next month. The dedicated section on the site will have space for businesses to advertise, CEO David Miller told Publishers Daily, as will the print issue. advertisement advertisement WorldPride Month is an annual celebration that began in 1970, one year after the Stonewall Riots in NYCs Greenwich Village ignited the gay rights movement. The global celebration is coming to New York City for the first time in June 2019, marking the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. Over 2 million visitors are expected to participate in the month-long pride celebration. More than 100,000 issues of "Metrosource WorldPride Guide" will be available in hotels, restaurants, cultural destinations and street corner distribution kiosks in May 2019. Metrosource will also include additional editorial dedicated to WorldPride 2019 in its monthly lifestyle magazine. Last week, Davler announced it is adding a section in City Guide devoted to Brooklyn in both its print and online offerings. City Guide magazine is distributed in over 400 hotels and 100 tourist destinations across New York City. It has a 60,000 weekly circulation reaching 3 million visitors annually. by Karlene Lukovitz @KLmarketdaily, October 8, 2018 Having pulled more than 22 million views to date on YouTube alone with a surreal impaled by a dolphin anthem ad launched in May, POM Wonderful is following with a new campaign starring large, furry Worry Monsters. Like the dolphin ad campaign, the new one is inspired by the brands research finding that people often begin consuming POM Wonderful pomegranate products after a health scare causes them to adopt a healthier lifestyle. But the dolphin-themed ads were long-form videos meant to explain entertainingly the health science behind pomegranates and POM Wonderful, as is done in some of the brands print advertorials, while the Worry Monster creative was specifically created to be a multi-year, multimillion-dollar campaign that will live across a wide array of media and continue to talk about the health benefits of POM, says Darren Moran, chief creative officer of Wonderful Agency, The Wonderful Companys in-house agency. advertisement advertisement The agency led the creation of both campaigns. More than $11 million is committed over six months to The Worry Monster campaign, which spans television, digital, social media, print, in-store promotions and a digital Times Square billboard, Moran tells Marketing Daily. The creative shows middle-aged women and men engaging in heathy activities, as they completely ignore the gloom-and-doom predictions and exhortations of colorful Worry Monsters standing near them creatures that represent their frightening inner worries come to life. In one 15-second ad (above), a Worry Monster complains, while watching a woman do yoga, that she had been looking forward to the womans 50th birthday but instead of worrying, the woman is doing yoga and drinking POM. I thought wed have more girls nights reading on the Internet about diseases we could have, laments the monster. Dont even get me started on her sex life. Its perfect! In another ad, the purple monster imitates a yoga teacher to try to convince the woman to Breathe in your anxieties Listen to your Worry Monster Let go of your resolutions Stop drinking healthy POM Wonderful A male version (below), has a blue monster saying that he was thrilled when [his male human] had his health scare, but now he runs and drinks POM Wonderful, and nothing I say makes him worry." Two more, including one showing a man sleeping soundly for the first time in ages, are also coming. All use the tagline: Worry Less. Get Crazy Healthy. The TV ads will air on evening, late-night and daytime cable shows, including Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Better Call Saul and The Dr. Oz Show. Considerable effort went into adapting the creative theme to other media, according to Moran. We let the Worry Monsters use every medium to their best advantage, he says. In the digital billboard incarnation, a Worry Monster grabs the attention of passers-by, pointing out a bunch of things they could be worrying about while wandering around Times Square (All the bathrooms within a mile are out of order), before informing them that POM Wonderful could help them rid themselves of such irrational fears. The social media campaign is launching with a series of shareable worrivational posters, showing Worry Monsters offering up twisted versions of motivational cliches (Happiness comes and goes. Anxiety is forever.) Theres also a 60-second YouTube pre-roll video in which a Worry Monster breaks the fourth wall to reach out to the viewer and point out a variety of things he or she should be worrying about. A POM bottle next to the skip ad button encourages people to skip the worry by skipping the commercial -- and drinking POM instead. A dedicated campaign area on POMs website features the videos, a mindfulness meditation from your Worry Monster, and a tool that, when clicked, generates Todays Worry (Hep C is just a handshake away) after informing the user that its searched your browser history, texted your boss the last photo you saved, and updated all statuses with Social Security numbers. To create the Worry Monster campaign, Wonderful Agency worked with Hollywood character design firm Aaron Sims Creative and monster fabricator Stefaniuk FX Studio. Additional visual effects were created by Academy Award-winning studio MPC. UF researchers are using over $5 million to map out the human body to find better solutions and treatments for diseases like cancer. The nearly four-year grant will be used to create a 3D diagram of the spleen, thymus and lymph nodes, as part of the National Institutes of Healths Human BioMolecular Atlas Program, said Harry Nick, a UF neuroscience professor and project researcher. The goal is to create a 3D map of healthy cells for scientists to compare to diseased tissue, Nick said. Scientists will be able to use the comparison to find the problems and solutions. UF received $5.1 million of the projects $54 million budget. The money came from a research fund backed by Dr. Francis Collins, a geneticist and the National Institute of Health director, Nick said. Mark Atkinson, the projects leader, spent the last 10 years using the same imaging technique on the pancreas to study diabetes at UF. UF is collaborating with Bernd Bodenmiller, a quantitative biology assistant professor at the University of Zurich. The team will use high-powered microscopes to photograph tissues and stitch them together to form part of the map, Nick said. The University of California San Diego, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology and Vanderbilt University were also awarded grants to map parts of the body, Nick said. We are working amongst a group of prestigious institutions, and I am very excited about this grant, he said. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now On Tuesday, 2 October 2018, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Bolaris, representing the Government, welcomed His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Kissamos, as well as His Excellency the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos, who travelled to Crete in order to attend the celebrations marking fifty years from the establishment of the Orthodox Academy of Crete. On Tuesday afternoon, the Deputy Minister represented the Government at the consecration ceremony of the pilgrimage church of St. Nikephoros the Leper in Sirikari, Kissamos, which was celebrated by the Ecumenical Patriarch in the presence of the President of the Republic and thousands of devout Orthodox Christians from throughout Greece. The church of St. Nikephoros is the first religious space in Greece to utilise modern energy efficiency technology for the reduction of its energy footprint. The ceremony was attended by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, the Archbishop of Cyprus, Chrysostomos, and the Archbishop of Crete, Irinaios. On Wednesday morning, Mr Bolaris accompanied the President of the Republic to the village of Kallikratis, in Sfakia, which was formally named a Village of Martyrdom and was included in the Network of Greek Villages and Cities of Martyrdom. A doxology followed in the Holy Church of the Panagia and, subsequently, a requiescat at the Memorial for the Fallen, where Mr Pavlopoulos placed a wreath. The village of Kallikratis represents a unique example in Hellenic territory as it has been through four Holocausts by conquerors at various times. Subsequently, the President of the Republic travelled to the town of Sfakia where he was declared an honorary citizen of Sfakia during a special ceremony. The celebration to mark 50 years of operation of the Orthodox Academy of Crete took place in the afternoon of 3 October, in the presence of the President of the Republic and the Ecumenical Patriarch, in the Academys large amphitheatre. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs addressed the event on behalf of the Government, stressing that: The Orthodox Academy of Crete bears a weighty name laden with a sense of meaning, representing a successful effort to trumpet the Orthodox confession of faith of the Ecumenical Church of Constantinople, proving that the Cretan Renaissance continues to our very day. The Ecumenical Patriarch noted in his speech that during the previous millennium, it was sects that concerned the Church whereas, in our millennium, it is concerned about jurisdictional regimes, stressing that: If the Ecumenical Patriarchate renounces its obligations and shies away from the inter-orthodox stage, then local Churches shall stray like sheep without a shepherd, expending themselves on ecclesiastical initiatives that confuse the meekness of faith with the arrogance of power, while he concluded: That is the coordinating role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate within the Orthodox family. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is necessary because Orthodoxy is not, and must not become, fragmented. Patriarch Bartholomew reminded that: It is the responsibility of Ecumenical Patriarchate to place things in ecclesiastical and canonical order because it possesses the canonical privileges and the blessing of the Church and the Ecumenical Synods to carry out its great duty as an affectionate mother to, and authority for, the Churches. This was followed by awarding of the Gold Medal of the Orthodox Academy of Crete to the President of the Republic, and a speech by the latter, who referred to the Holy and Great Synod of Orthodoxy which was held in 2016 on the grounds of the Academy, stressing that: The absence of certain Orthodox Churches from the aforementioned Synod is not due to the Patriarchate of Constantinople; on the contrary, it is due to their own ends, with regard to the negative effects of which, for the sake of Orthodoxy, they must undertake their historic responsibilities. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Terence Quick, met today with Polish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Piotr Wawrzyk, who visited Athens on the occasion of the Conference organised by the Hellenic Parliament and the Polish Embassy on the subject of Human Rights. The meeting focused on bilateral issues and the issue of migration. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs set out Greeces long-standing positions, as well as issues concerning the two countries Diaspora communities. Mr Wawrzyk extended an official invitation to Mr Quick to visit Warsaw, which The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs accepted. Murder and sex crimes. These are the two exceptions under which felons in Florida will be denied the right to vote. If Amendment 4 passes in the November elections, it will otherwise grant voting rights to all felons, who under current Florida laws are stripped of their voting rights after conviction. Murder and sex crimes at first glance seem like two reasonable exceptions. After all, we think of these two types of offenses as more heinous and reprehensible than other crimes. Although the thought of sharing a cab ride with a violent felon or sex offender may make you uncomfortable, we ask you to consider how vital voting rights are whether we should deny that critical right no matter how long an offender has been reformed and no matter how productive they are. We support Amendment 4. But we must also think critically about those who Amendment 4 leaves behind. The amendment is a promise to those who made serious errors in judgment. It is about second chances. Redemption. Reintegration into the community. The amendment is about getting these ex-criminals to be civically engaged, participating in government and making up for lost time. For those convicted of robbery, burglary, assault, corruption, drug possession or distribution, the amendment serves as a life preserver thrown from shore a statement that we believe in their ability to make good choices both in candidates and in life. But for those convicted of murder or sex crimes, the amendment is a shut door. Amendment 4 is a statement to those felons that their crimes were so egregious that they cannot return to full citizenship. They will not be rehabilitated. It tells them that their lapse in judgment was so disgraceful, repugnant and unforgivable that even voting for elected office is a privilege too high for them. Why is this is an ill-advised message to send to some felons and not others? Because the recidivism rate, the rate at which offenders commit other crimes after being released, is drastically lower for those who have their voting rights restored. The reoffense rate drops by about 30 percent for those who have been given their voting rights back after being released, according to studies from the Governors Board of Executive Clemency, which is currently the body that restores voting rights. After November, when Amendment 4 hopefully passes, the recidivism rate will likely drop for those convicted of non-violent offenses. For those convicted of murder and sex offenses, it will not. Keeping these felons from voting does not make Florida a safer state. There are plenty of other reasons why the distinction between murder and sex offenses and other felonies isnt helpful. For one, no other state constitution categorizes citizens by their conviction offense when considering restoring their voting rights. Floridas would be the first. Second, there are economic benefits to restoring voting rights to felons. Restoring voting rights under Amendment 4 would bring a $365 million positive annual impact and bring an increase of $151 million to Floridas household income, according to a study conducted by The Washington Economics Group. Those numbers would only increase with more felons being re-enfranchised. Giving more felons the right to vote, absent any other downside, makes good economic sense. We should not keep needlessly punishing criminals after they serve jail time. If we expect all felons to shoulder the burdens of full citizenship, we should grant all felons their rights accordingly. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now There are certain moments in college when you feel an inexplicable gladness, when you realize you are living the college experience. Friends feel it when they pay the bill at a restaurant but stay seated for another hour, lost in conversation. Fans feel it on Saturdays in The Swamp, when they look around at 90,000 people united around the same cause, and their adrenaline spikes. Its the joy that comes from belonging, and I tend to feel it during lunchtime not just because I get to eat but because its my favorite time to be on campus. It is undoubtedly the busiest time of the day. If you walk through campus around noon, you will probably see Hare Krishnas serving food on the Plaza of the Americas, crowded Chick-fil-As and clusters of friends sharing a meal together. Every Starbucks line will take half an hour to get through, and Turlington Plaza will be a beehive. You will see thousands of people united by the fact that they are all students at the same school at the same time. This is what excites me. Lunchtime on campus is a reminder to me that I am not a student in isolation, struggling to learn alone, but that thousands of others are here as well. It is a reminder that we are students together and thus are a community. But if you look closer, youll also see benches that were designed to support four holding only one. Youll see people, rather than conversing with another person, conversing with their phones instead. Youll see as many eating alone as you do in clusters. TED Talks have been given on how difficult it is to be an introvert in todays world. As an introvert, I think that is wrong. It is much harder today to walk up to a stranger and say hello, or to knock on your neighbors door. It is incredibly difficult to form new friendships, and much, much easier to stay in ones room. In a word, it is easier today to be isolated, even in a large, multifarious community such as ours. It is easy to be lonely. Ironically, if anything was to be improved by our modernity, it was supposed to be our connections. Our devices, for instance, disembody us, freeing us to converse with our siblings in California or Detroit from our bedrooms. Social media allows us to check on friends back home while we wait in line at Starbucks. You no longer need to be physically present with a person to have shared an experience with them. Suffice to say that loneliness was not supposed to linger. And yet, one of the chief mysteries of modern life is how our growing connection is also growing our isolation. So widespread is this experience that the U.K. appointed a minister of loneliness earlier this year to control the phenomenon. In light of these things, would it be reasonable to suggest that the connections mediated through our devices are weak, or at least not strong enough for us human beings? I think so. Our loneliness suggests a telos, or inherent purpose. In other words, our social lives were not meant to consist in swipes right, views, likes, texts or tweets. This implies that our relationships are meant to be a certain way. And I think this is what causes many, including myself, to see our relationships as being planted firmly in thin air. To be disappointed is to have a sense of how things ought to be. How then, in the heart of a radically connected world, can we still feel uninvited to the party? Because we know there is more to friendship than what our modernity can offer. We know that our devices have stretched our lives too thin and connecting with other human beings is a weighty endeavor. Ask us to demonstrate this on the board or put it in a test tube, and we will seem foolish. But we cannot help but know our lives could be more meaningful. Loneliness, then, is our curse. But if we consider its origins, its meaning, why we feel it so greatly today, it may be our salvation. Scott Stinson is a UF English senior. His column appears on Mondays. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Posted on: October 8, 2018 4:56 PM Pakistans Supreme Court has heard the final appeal of a Christian mother-of-five who was sentenced to death for blasphemy her crime was to drink from a water fountain used by Muslims. The conviction and sentence handed down to Asia Bibi has led to international condemnation of the countrys much-abused blasphemy laws. In 2016, members of the Anglican Consultative Council, meeting in Lusaka, said it stands in solidarity and prayer with Asia Bibi and asked that her case be re-investigated and that she be honourably acquitted. They also expressed their solidarity and prayer with other victims of the Pakistans blasphemy law. Bibi has been held in custody since June 2009 after her co-workers said that by drinking water meant for Muslims she had made it ritually unclean. In November 2010 she was sentenced to death and has had numerous appeals postponed. Hardline Islamists in Pakistan have campaigned against her release. In January 2011, Salman Taseer, a governor of Punjab, said that Bibi was innocent and called for a review of Pakistans blasphemy laws. In response, he was shot and killed by his own bodyguard. Two months later Shahbaz Bhatti, the countrys Minority Affairs Minister, was ambushed and killed by gunmen near his Islamabad home. He had previously told reporters that he would campaign for Bibis release. After years of delays and adjournments, a tribunal of three Supreme Court judges, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, and supported by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, today heard her final appeal. They have come to a decision, but it has been reserved, said Mehwish Bhatti, an officer with the British-Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA), said from the court house. The Chief Justice has banned media interference but all the journalists are talking about this. Earlier they took my mobile [phone] for almost two hours after I tried to take a picture of the court house. The entrance of high profile people was from the other side, so nobody could see them. Last week, Bibis husband, Ashiq Masih, spoke at an event organised by Aid to the Church in Need at the Catholic Chaplaincy of Lancaster University in north-west England, alongside the couples eldest daughter Eisham. She is psychologically, physically and spiritually strong, having a very strong faith, Masih told BPCAs Chairman Wilson Chowdhry. She is ready and willing to die for Christ Chowdhry commented: News of her poor health and early signs of dementia are a paramount concern for our community, and the date of this appeal is very timely. These charges have been proven false time and again and it is time for her to return home to her family. Clearly she will need asylum in a western country where she can live out the remainder of her days in peace. We hope this time she will be completely exonerated and these this wrongful conviction will finally be overturned as this is her last chance to be heard at court. Many churches in Lahore held a day of prayer and fasting. All around Pakistan and even many parts of the world, the sense of anticipation . . . regarding Asia Bibis final appeal hearing are now at fever pitch, BPCA Outreach Officer Leighton Medley said ahead of todays hearing. There is a sense here in Pakistan that once again, battle lines are being drawn: the battle between those who support hatred and intolerance and those who fight for peace and justice. There is no doubt, that . . . you will be able to cut the atmosphere with a knife. There will be protests on both sides and you can bet there will be trouble ahead." He added: We must have faith that God can intervene in this situation and this mountain will be removed, it is very much like going into the lions den. "It truly is D-Day for Asia, this is the final countdown and we will soon know whether the extremists win or lose. And whether there will be peace and justice in Pakistan or just more hatred, prejudice and intolerance which sadly has come to typify Pakistan today. Pakistans blasphemy laws are often used to settle personal scores. The death sentence has never been carried out; but at least 20 people have been murdered in prison after being convicted. Talent retention, attraction efforts take center stage at NAIAS Talent retention, attraction efforts take center stage at NAIAS Future Automotive Career Expo returns to AutoMobili-D Jan. 17, 2019 Monday, Oct. 8, 2018 TED MEDIA CONTACT: Erica Quealy, 517-582-2961 | quealye@michigan.gov LANSING, Mich. The Future Automotive Career Exposition (FACE) that brought hundreds of car enthusiasts and industry talent to the North American International Auto Shows AutoMobili-D at Detroits Cobo Center in 2018 returns for a second year. The expo is planned for 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. FACE is a partnership between the NAIAS, Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Talent and Economic Development Department of Michigan (Ted) that puts attendees in touch with leading employers and professionals in the automotive industry and allows them to gain valuable advice to improve their future career-search goals. And companies from around the world will soon get their chance to see Michigans innovative mobility and automotive talent prowess during the NAIAS and Michiganders will have an opportunity to learn about careers that bring new vehicle designs from the drawing board to the show floor. Michigan is known as the state that put America on wheels, Ted Interim Director Jeremy Hendges said. What people dont know and especially our young professionals is that Michigan is much more than that and the automotive industry brings more than assembly lines. It brings cutting-edge technology that will transform the way we move and the way we do business. And Michigan is leading the way in that, too. FACE is one of the states efforts to grow and develop talent and raise awareness of rewarding, good-paying careers. Michigan employers are looking to fill high-skill jobs in many industries, with more than 811,000 career openings in high-demand, high-wage fields expected through 2024. New this year is a sherpa panel featuring young automotive-sector professionals who will share their stories on why they chose to live and work in Michigan. The expo will also feature mock interviews, opportunities to talk with human resource representatives from world-renowned automotive companies and suppliers and learn more about Michigans leading universities and higher-education institutions. The automotive industry offers opportunities unimaginable to young professionals, said Bill Golling, 2019 NAIAS chairman. Were bringing the latest automotive technologies, advanced manufacturing and vehicle design under the same roof to showcase the industrys bright future for top talent and careers at all levels. We are honored to partner with MEDC and TED to connect professionals directly with the innovative companies behind the designs and look forward to another successful year with FACE. NAIAS attracts a global audience to Michigan, the global center of the auto industry and home to 16 global automakers, more than 1,800 suppliers and 75 percent of the worlds automotive research and development. These local employers are looking for top talent to fill jobs, including positions requiring science, technology, engineering, arts and math skills. Posted on: October 8, 2018 9:49 AM See also: Hong Kongs bishops: we only boast of the cross of Christ Guests from around the world have joined local Anglicans for a series of events to mark the 20th anniversary of the Anglican Province of Hong Kong the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (HKSKH). Thousands gathered for a colourful celebration of the Eucharist at the vast AsiaWorld-Expo centre on Saturday (6 October). Among them were dignitaries from mainland China, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia, Ireland, the UK and the United States. Four choirs and an orchestra conducted by Felix Yeung combined to provide music fitting an occasion of style and grandeur. The celebrant was the Primate of Hong Kong, Archbishop Paul Kwong and the sermon was given by the Anglican Communion Secretary General, Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon. He said it was a special privilege to be invited to speak on such an auspicious occasion. And he paid tribute to the work and witness of the Primate, bishops, clergy and membership of the HKSKH. You have exemplified the saying small is beautiful, he said. You are small . . . but you are right at the heart of the Anglican Communion because of your generosity and availability. What really gladdens my heart is what you have been doing as a province. You have not separated mission from proclamation and that is the secret of your growth. HKSKH currently comprises three dioceses: Hong Kong, Eastern Kowloon and Western Kowloon and a missionary area of Macau. On this, the Secretary General issued a challenge to grow: By the time of your 25th anniversary I am praying that Macau will not be a special area but that Macau will be a diocese. Dr Idowu-Fearon also paid tribute to his predecessor, Canon John Peterson who was among the guests from overseas for the work he did when the province was formed in 1998. Later, at a thanksgiving dinner, Archbishop Paul Kwong, picked up on the Secretary Generals theme, emphasising that mission had always been at the heart of the province and forming strong partnerships with schools and social service agencies for the benefit of the people of Hong Kong and Macau was an expression of that mission. We were formed in and for mission. . . Every member of the Church has a share in Gods mission, he said. We seek to be a Church for the city and with the city in Hong Kong and Macau. He said the province hoped to build a new 300-bed hospital. It also had plans to expand theological education including the creation of a new campus and a monastic community. And on the Secretary Generals challenge regarding Macau, Archbishop Paul said his amen in response had been the loudest, although he joked that this was because making it happen would be a job for his successor as Primate. But he said work was underway preliminary talks had begun about acquiring land for a cathedral, school and social centre in Macau. The dinner continued the sense of grandeur, occasion and celebration. There was a kindergarten choir, music from an orchestra and films highlighting the work of the province. There was also a symbolic moment marking the launch of ACC17 the seventeenth meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council which takes place in Hong Kong next April. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was represented by the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Martin Seeley. In a message, Archbishop Justin said there was so much to give thanks for and to celebrate. He urged the province to continue its calling to minister and serve the wider community of Hong Kong and China. There was also a message of congratulations from the Presiding Bishop of the US-based Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, which was delivered by the Bishop of Texas, Andrew Doyle. Bishop Andrew, who is president of the Compass Rose Society, spoke of the amazing work and generosity of the province, describing it as a model of virtue for the Anglican Communion. Top Hong Kongs bishops: we only boast of the cross of Christ The Bishops of the HKSKH have issued a pastoral letter to mark its 20th anniversary as an Anglican Communion Province. Referencing a hymn composed to mark the occasion: How shall we this gift enshrine? Sheng Kung Hui thy Church divine, the bishops say that its lyrics reminds us of our mission as Christians in the Sheng Kung Hui: to build up the Holy Catholic Church with grace bestowed by our Lord. They say: The Holy Catholic Church has been on this earth for about two thousand years. In comparison, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui province has been here for only one per cent of this time; in comparison to the history of Anglicanism, we have been in existence for only four per cent of this period; and in contrast to the almost 200 years of Anglican ministries in China, our province has been established for about 10 per cent this total period. In the two thousand years of the Holy Catholic Church, Anglicanisms centuries of history, and the 200 years of Anglican ministry in China, our countless forebears have willingly offered their lives for the building of Gods kingdom, not shrinking from suffering or martyrdom. Without regard for their own lives and losses, and without concern for worldly riches and settled lives, for the sake of Gods kingdom, they lived their lives to bring light to the world and created the foundation of the life of the Church. Twenty years ago, we took up the mantle of our forebears and sought to continue their work. As we look back upon the past two decades, we are thankful, not only because of the joy that institutionally our Church has been elevated from a diocese to a province, but more importantly, we praise God for our inheritance of the service to which our forebears dedicated their lives. They continued: Over the past 20 years of historically challenging times, we have relied on Gods grace to contribute to the work of pastoral care, evangelism, education, social service and healthcare in Hong Kong and Macau, two special administrative regions of China. In addition, we have been able to earn the trust of our brothers and sisters in the Anglican Communion, allowing our tiny province to contribute to the worldwide Church and take part in the building of the body of Christ. But we have nothing to boast about, we only boast of the cross of Christ. As a young province, we have our flaws and our weaknesses, but because of this, we have a deeper awareness of our reliance on God whose grace may be revealed though us and attain completion. It is Our Faith, Our Way to be nurtured by Gods Holy Word and Holy Sacraments. We equip ourselves through the fellowship of our Church. We raise high the cross of Christ, follow His example, and become a community of disciples conformed to His heart. This way, our lives of service may become a blessing for future generations of brothers and sisters of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, for Christians on the mainland, and for other provinces in the Anglican Communion and the Church Ecumenical, whether in the next two decades, the next 200 years, the next few centuries, or even into the next two millennia. Top A new system run by the United Parcel Service is tracking a different kind of package in Connecticut: sexual assault evidence collection kits. These kits, also known as rape kits, contain evidence, such as DNA, that is used in police investigations and for identifying repeat sex offenders. But a 2015 survey found that almost 1,188 sexual assault kits in Connecticut never made it to their final destination: the State Crime Lab, where scientists evaluate their contents. Instead, they sat on shelves in refrigerated evidence rooms in police stations around the state, untouched and untested, sometimes for years. Theres a number of reasons that kits werent sent to the lab. Number one would be the victim no longer wanted to participate with an investigation, said Kerry Dalling, a Fairfield Police detective who sits on the Governors Sexual Assault Kit Working Group. The lab already had a huge backlog of these kits, so we werent going to further burden it with cases that were not likely to be prosecuted. Connecticut is not the only state where a backlog of languishing kits exists. There is no national database that tracks sexual assault kit testing, but state data obtained by the Joyful Heart Foundation, a national nonprofit that does advocacy about the backlog, shows there are at least 225,000 untested kits around the country. In many states, the number of untested kits is unknown. But some states, including Connecticut, have taken steps to analyze their backlog and prevent it from developing again. These steps can mean solving more crimes and preventing some others. There are a lot of communities that are doing what Connecticut is doing taking these old kits off the shelf, sending them for testing and they are finding, locating, identifying dangerous offenders that have been on the streets, honestly because the rape kit sat on the shelf, said Ilse Knecht, director of Policy and Advocacy for the Joyful Heart Foundation. They are able to look at the history, the crimes that these people have committed, and can identify in many places preventable crimes while the kits sat on the shelf, Knecht said. If they had been tested earlier, somebody else would not have been effected by the same persons criminal actions. The tracking system A backlog of untested kits In 2015, the state discovered it had a backlog of 1,188 previously untested rape kits. Below is a breakdown how many untested kits each judicial district sent to the state Crime Lab. Ansonia/Milford: 85 Danbury: 28 Fairfield: 56 Hartford: 188 Litchfield: 94 Middlesex: 33 New Britain: 92 New Haven: 154 New London: 119 Stamford/Norwalk: 138 Tolland: 23 Windham: 19 Waterbury: 159 Source: Governor's Sexual Assault Kit Working Group September 2018 Lab update See More Collapse The 2015 survey showed Connecticut the backlog it didnt know existed. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy established a working group that year to coordinate tracking and testing of the kits. The state also passed a law in 2015 requiring law enforcement to deliver all sexual assault kits to the state Crime Lab within 10 days. The lab must analyze the kits within 60 days. In 2018, the Legislature passed more reforms ordering the state to implement an electronic tracking system for the kits and develop guidelines around how health care facilities use the system and how victims can access it. Laura Cordes, executive director of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence and who chairs the sexual assault kit working group, said the 2018 law codified efforts already underway. The state purchased the UPS tracking system for $6,700 in 2017 and had it online by May of that year, said Kristin Sasinouski, deputy director of Forensic Biology and DNA for the state Crime Lab. The system which costs $600 a month works like a tracking number for a package. Kits are sent to hospitals and emergency departments with a serial number. A sexual assault victim who voluntarily appears at a hospital for evidence collection will undergo a three- to six-hour invasive examination and questioning; all that evidence will be systemically stored in the kit. The nurse, physician or sexual assault forensic examiner will then enter the completed kits number into the online system. The tracking has now begun. The system will show where the kit is after it is picked up by law enforcement and then transported to the state Crime Lab. The system is now in use at the states 28 hospitals as well as free-standing emergency departments. Marielle Daniels, director of regulatory advocacy for the Connecticut Hospital Association, called the tracking system very straightforward. We dont anticipate any trouble, she said. Victims are given their kits number when they leave the hospital so they can see where their evidence is at any time. The state reported 831 rape offenses in 2017, and between 625 and 925 rape offenses each year for the past decade, according to the Connecticut 2017 Uniform Crime Report. But research shows only a fraction of victims who experience sexual assault or rape seek evidence collection. Sexual assault victims who bravely step forward and undergo an invasive exam, we believe deserve to know what happened to the evidence that was so painstakingly collected from their bodies, said Cordes. The system is also an enforcement tool so state officials can ensure police departments and the crime lab are complying with the time frames for kit delivery and testing, said Knecht. Testing old kits The U.S. Department of Justice awarded Connecticut two grants totaling $3.25 million in 2015 and 2017 to pay for analysis of its 1,188 untested kits and about 1,000 more partially-tested old kits. The state has now completed testing of all the old, untouched kits. As a result, a national DNA database for violent crime created 368 new profiles, according to data published Tuesday by the Governors Sexual Assault Kit Working Group. The kits produced more than 100 hits with individuals already in the database. Fourteen of the kits contained DNA that matched already convicted offenders. We know that a lot of offenders, especially rapists in general, are serial offenders. They commit rape over and over again, but they also commit all kinds of crime, said Knecht. When they do identify some of the offenders from the rape kits and they take them off the streets and they look at their rap sheet, its very telling of how we need to be approaching these cases from now on. The state is now working on analyzing the partially tested old kits, as well as about 600 new kits that are sent to the Crime Lab each year, said Sasinouski. The state is also now contacting the victims to whom the old kits belong with the new results. The Working Group developed the contact guidelines and published them in February 2018. In some parts of the country, states showing a commitment to reducing their sexual assault kit backlog and testing all new kits has prompted more victims to seek evidence collection, said Knecht. States efforts show victims they will be taken seriously. All of this work around sexual assault kits is sort of like a seed, said Knecht. It really does seed change in a way that starts to look at the whole system and the way that it reacts to sexual violence, and that actually has a ripple effect out into the community. emunson@ hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson WASHINGTON - When Christine Blasey Ford accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault last month, she did more than open herself up to unwanted scrutiny. She held up a mirror to a country in crisis, revealing its political players and embattled institutions not for what they claimed to be but for what they really are. The painful 20-day passion play that followed - staged in committee rooms, Senate floor debates, hallway protests and millions of private conversations - did little to alter the future makeup of the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh was narrowly confirmed Saturday by the Senate, 50-48, in a vote that tracked expectations from the summer, with only one Democrat and one Republican defecting from the party line. But few of the players emerged from the process unchanged or unblemished, underscoring the uncharted territory of deepening distrust and polarization that now defines the American system. The events further distanced the Senate Judiciary Committee from its nearly forgotten bipartisan traditions and raised new questions about the potential for the Supreme Court to maintain an independent authority outside the maelstrom of politics. Public denunciations of the continuing slide were frequent and bipartisan, while political strategists and lawmakers raised new alarms about the ominous implications. Even top Republicans were downbeat on Saturday afternoon as the vote neared, cognizant of the cost of the political and cultural reckoning that had been sparked alongside the confirmation process. "There is a split culturally, spiritually, and socially," said Sen. John Neely Kennedy, R-La., who served on the Judiciary Committee and supported Kavanaugh. "It has to do with the pace of change more than anything else. There are some Americans who would like to see our country change quickly." Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the second ranking Republican, attributed the divisions in Washington to wounds inflicted by Donald Trump's election in 2016, which he said "half the population can't seem to get over." Should Democrats win the House majority, as now appears likely, there will be a major push among some members to impeach both Kavanaugh from the high court and Trump from the presidency, all as special counsel Robert Mueller III is expected to finish parts of his work on the federal probe into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. That whirlwind on the horizon has leaders in both parties anxious about how bitter national fights could escalate as Trump lashes out at his opponents and the 2020 presidential race heats up later this year. "The scar tissue will be thicker, the poison stronger, and the well of distrust deeper," said Republican strategist Michael Steel, a former adviser to Speaker John Boehner. Other Republicans see more fundamental cracks with historic connotations. "This is the second most divided time in our history and I'm worried about the legitimacy of the court," conservative commentator William Bennett said, comparing the current moment to the breakdowns that preceded the Civil War. "You have a growing number of liberal critics saying that Kavanaugh would give the court two people credibly accused of sexual harassment," he continued, "and they're now making noise to the effect that maybe the court's decisions will lack legitimacy." Democrats are beleaguered by Trump's relentless combat, the White House's tight grip over the FBI's probe of Ford's allegations, and fear that the institutional seams of the nation are fraying by the day as they try to rally their voters ahead of November. "There is a real question of whether we can all move forward amid these cultural and human challenges and the raw partisanship," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in an interview. "The damage will be enduring to the court and the country." Under the pressure of these divisions, no public official has been able to rise above the fray to chart a path forward toward greater national unity and mutual understanding. Moral outrage has been accepted as the basic currency of political debate, opponents regularly attack each others' motives along with their positions, and honest reflection, when it cuts through the maw, is often dismissed as a sign of weakness or posturing. Kavanaugh himself publicly dropped his own carefully constructed facade as a nonpartisan and independent jurist, with an angry display in prepared remarks on Sept. 27 that impugned the motives of Democratic senators and included an unsubstantiated claim that his opponents were seeking revenge against him "on behalf of the Clintons." He later backtracked from the outburst, as legal scholars warned the statements could imperil his ability to rule on cases with partisan implications. "I said a few things I should not have said," Kavanaugh wrote in the Wall Street Journal, though he did not say exactly which things he regretted. President Trump similarly gave up on his initial effort to provide a respectful platform for Ford's story to be heard, reverting in the final week to familiar - and false - personal attacks on her and her supporters coupled with refrains about the danger the #MeToo movement poses to men. "It's a very scary time for young men in America when you can be guilty of something you may not be guilty of," he said. His advisers praised his initial restraint as a sign of an unrecognized self-control, while also heralding Trump's subsequent approach to the crisis. Once again, he sought to foment the anger of his supporters and direct it at his political opponents. "The president is breaking the norms and Kavanaugh gets it," said a Trump adviser who was not authorized to speak publicly. "When everything is coming at you, you don't cry. You've got to be like Trump and roar back at opponents." Democratic strategists tracking polls in Republican-leaning states where Democratic senators are running for reelection said they were surprised by the apparently galvanizing impact Trump's offensive had on his base. Brian Fallon, a former adviser to Hillary Clinton who ran Demand Justice, a group opposing Kavanaugh, said the support for the judge increased in these states after Trump changed tactics. As a result, Fallon said he has begun to reevaluate one of the dominant analyses of the 2016 election, which held that Trump was elected despite evidence of his sexual misconduct against him, not because the resulting controversy motivated his voters to the polls. "I feel like there was a primal scream-type reaction from the Republicans' overly white, overly male base," Fallon said of the response to the Kavanaugh controversy. It may have been a repeat of the reaction in the fall of 2016, when a recording from "Access Hollywood" showed Trump boasting of sexual assault. "Very few people were willing to grapple with the idea that it may have had a galvanizing effect that further polarized the country," Fallon said. Without direct corroboration of the claims of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh made by Ford and other women, Americans from the halls of Congress to the kitchen table were forced to fill in the blanks themselves. Public polling showed they did so by overwhelmingly falling back on their political identities, a tribal response that tracks other evidence of increasing polarization. An August Pew poll found 78 percent of Americans say Democrats and Republicans disagree not only on "plans and policies" but on "basic facts." After both Ford and Kavanaugh had testified before the Senate about the alleged high school assault, 86 percent of Democrats told Quinnipiac pollsters they believed her account, compared to 84 percent of Republicans who said they believed Kavanaugh. Women, who increasingly identify with the Democratic Party, were more likely than men to side with Ford. "Republicans looked at it and saw two individuals whose competing credibilities should have determined if a qualified constitutionalist shouldbe denied a seat on the Supreme Court," said Alex Castellanos, a GOP political consultant. "Democrats looked at it and saw women's long journey to independence and to freedom from the constraints of their gender." Those differences are likely to provide significant support this fall for Democratic House candidates, who have clear opportunities to pick up Republican seats in more moderate rural and suburban districts where college-educated women hold sway. Democrats privately argued that Kavanaugh's success could provide benefits at the ballot box. "I think anger lasts a lot longer than satisfaction as far as a voting motivator," said a senior Senate staff member, who requested anonymity to discuss the politics of the nomination. Republicans, who are hopeful the controversy could help them in Republican-leaning Senate contests, said they also thought the effect on Democratic turnout would be minimized by the fact that these same voters were already far more enthusiastic to vote in the midterms than Trump's base. "Republicans should go into every red state and confront Democrats and ask, 'Will you commit to not impeach Kavanaugh?'" former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said. "Keep them on defense. Remind people of how rabid these people are." Conservative activists, meanwhile, have celebrated the last weeks, both as a victory in the war for direction of the high court and an effort to reframe the #MeToo effort as an overreaching assault on men, some of whom are wrongly accused. "We have been winning little victories with regulation. This is the big win," Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist said. "We are cutting down the forest, not the trees." He said Kavanaugh's position on the high court would weaken the Democratic Party by further rolling back legal precedent that empowered labor unions, a major source of funding for the left. On Fox News - which is watched daily by Trump and whose former executive Bill Shine currently serves as the president's deputy chief of staff - rhetoric has gone from partisan to biblical about the stakes. "Crucifixion was an important event because it was designed to establish a wall between justice and mob rule - Christ died so that the mob wouldn't survive," Fox News anchor Greg Gutfeld said this week, adding that with the Kavanaugh nomination, Democrats have "decided to crucify someone once again." Grievances about gender and race on the network have been prevalent. A prime time host, Laura Ingraham, tweeted that the focus on the lack of corroborating evidence behind Ford's accusation could herald "the #YearoftheMan." "This is the world in which we now live in, in which white men are presumed guilty because they are white men, because they are supposedly in a position of privilege," writer and podcaster Ben Shapiro said on Fox News. Such rhetoric, which has been countered on the left with the #BelieveWomen hashtag and angry confrontations at the U.S. Capitol, frames the complex debate over the prevalent problem of sexual assault as a binary choice, with both sides casting themselves as victims of bigoted opponents operating in bad faith. As a result, the public space for reaching common ground, a basic starting point for a functioning democracy, has diminished. On Capitol Hill, the planned overhaul of harassment rules in Congress remains stalled. Even the proper response to evidence of misconduct is now a subject to debate. Then-Democratic senator Al Franken, Minn., resigned in January following allegations of misconduct, including a photograph of him groping at the chest of a sleeping woman, and a bevy of House members, both Republicans and Democrats, have also left office following allegations. Trump ridiculed Franken this week at a rally in Minnesota, saying he folded "like a wet rag" and was "wacky." "One can only hope that the Kavanaugh nomination is where the process has finally hit rock bottom," Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said Friday, when she announced her decision to support the judge, despite finding the testimony of Ford to be "sincere, painful and compelling." She was repeating a phrase - "rock bottom" - that Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, had used a day earlier as he angrily lambasted the press for bias he believed it had shown in its reporting on Kavanaugh, by choosing to interview more supporters of Ford than Kavanaugh. As he made his way into the chamber Saturday, retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., repeated the sentiment. When asked why he and others kept using that phrase, Flake grimaced and said, "Because it feels like we are at the bottom." What no one could offer was a credible path up out of the abyss. On Oct. 7, 2001, less than a month after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, U.S. warplanes bombed targets in Afghanistan in what would be the opening offensive of Operation Enduring Freedom, the effort to drive the Taliban and al-Qaida from the country and install a democratic government. CIA operatives and U.S. special forces teamed with the mostly-Tajik Northern Alliance to take Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif and other cities under an air umbrella that was provided primarily by the Navy and used Joint Direct Attack Munitions to devastating effect. Then-Marine Brig. Gen. Jim Mattis, now the U.S. secretary of defense, led Task Force 58, consisting of the 15th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units, on an air assault that eventually resulted in the taking of Kandahar, birthplace of the Taliban movement. By Dec. 9, 2001, the Taliban had collapsed and leader Mullah Omar had fled to Pakistan. Then, the U.S. focus turned to the invasion of Iraq. On Oct. 7, 2018, the military endgame for the U.S. in Afghanistan was still an increasingly difficult and long-term work in progress. That date marked the start of the 18th year of war in Afghanistan -- a war that has claimed thousands of American lives and shows no clear indication of drawing to a close. The resurgent Taliban is back and firmly in control of large swaths of territory. Osama Bin Laden is dead, but U.S. and Afghan special forces are still on the hunt for elements of al-Qaida. The new terrorist factor is the ISIS offshoot called Islamic State-Khorasan Province, or "ISIS-K." The "blood and treasure" costs to the U.S. continue to mount. Last week, Army National Guard Spc. James A. Slape, 23, of Morehead City, North Carolina, was killed by an improvised explosive device in contested southwestern Helmand province, the center of Afghanistan's thriving poppy trade. He was the seventh combat fatality and eighth overall for the U.S. this year. Since the war began, at least 2,414 U.S., 455 British and 686 troops from other coalition nations have been killed in Afghanistan for a total of 3,555, according to the website icasualties.org. Depending on who is doing the counting and how it is done, the estimates for the costs of the war for the U.S. since 2001 have generally exceeded $1 trillion. The Pentagon estimates the U.S. will spend at least $45 billion on the war effort this year. Since 2001, U.S. policy has changed radically. The main goal is no longer to drive the Taliban out of Afghanistan but rather to drive them into a negotiated peace settlement to end the war, according to Army Gen. John Nicholson, who recently turned over command of U.S.-Forces Afghanistan and the NATO Resolute Support Mission to Army Gen. Scott Miller. At his Senate confirmation hearing in June, Miller said he would not talk about turning points "unless there is one" and that he could not guarantee "a timeline or an end date" to the war. The estimated 14,000 to 15,000 U.S. troops in Miller's command are operating under a new strategy for Afghanistan announced in August 2017 by President Donald Trump. At the time, Trump acknowledged that his first instinct was to withdraw all U.S. forces, but he agreed with the advice of Mattis and others to initiate a "conditions-based" approach with no timelines that would put more focus on counter-terror raids and airpower to back the increasingly stressed Afghan security forces. On Sunday, the top headline for Afghanistan's TOLO news agency was from a Pew Research Center report: "Study Finds Americans Feel U.S. Involvement Has Failed." The Pew poll of 1,745 people, conducted Sept. 18-24, showed that 49 percent believed the U.S. effort in Afghanistan to be a failure. Also on Sunday, veteran diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul as the new U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation. His remarks echoed what other U.S. envoys have said going back to 2001. "I will cooperate with Afghan officials and other influential Afghans to reach a peace" to end more than 40 years of conflict in Afghanistan stretching back to before the Soviet invasion in 1979, he said. "We in cooperation want to make a peaceful Afghanistan," he said, "where all tribes see themselves included, have the right to choose and will try to achieve a result that should deserve the sacrifices made during the years." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. The secretary of the Army said Monday he has no doubt that soldiers will "rise to the challenge to meet the requirements" of the new Army Combat Fitness Test in October 2020. The chief of staff of the Army put his views more bluntly. "If you can't get in shape in 24 months, then maybe you should hit the road," Gen. Mark Milley said, referring to the Army's commitment to the new six-event ACFT. "We don't want to lose thousands of soldiers to [the ACFT]. This fitness test is hard. No one should be under any illusions about it," he said. "But we really don't want to lose soldiers on the battlefield. We don't want young men and women to get killed in action because they weren't fit." Milley made his comments to a group of defense reporters at the 2018 Association of the United States Army's Annual Meeting and Exhibition as the Army begins a large-scale field test of the ACFT. Army Secretary Mark Esper said he has heard nothing but support for the proposed replacement for the current Army Physical Fitness Test. "I have been here as secretary of the Army almost a year now. I have done physical training with nearly every division in the Army -- brigade combat teams, you name it -- I actually think the soldiers are ahead of us on this," he said. "I see soldiers out there doing ... the type of drills and exercises that will make them more fit on the battlefield. Everywhere I go, I ask them this question, 'What do you think about the Army Combat Fitness Test?' And hands down, you hear unanimous support for this move. They think it's the right thing to do. They know it will be tough, but they know it will also help them win and survive in combat." The new ACFT has about an "80 percent correlation to the physical activity that is expected of soldiers in the execution of ground combat," Milley said. "We want to make sure that our soldiers are ... in top physical shape to withstand the rigors of ground combat," he said. Milley added that there was "nothing like" ground combat. "Combat is not for the faint of heart, it's not for the weak-kneed, it's not for those who are not psychologically resilient and tough and hardened to the brutality, to the viciousness of it. We've got to get this Army hard, and we've got to get it hard fast." Senior leaders acknowledged Monday that meeting the ACFT's new fitness standard will be a challenge. "But as the secretary said, 'I have no doubt that when you put a challenge out in front of the American soldier, they are going to rise to the challenge,' " Milley said. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Posted on: October 8, 2018 3:59 PM History was made in Melbourne on Saturday with the consecration of the second in a pair of brother-and-sister bishops the first such pairing in the Anglican Communion; and possibly in the global Church. Bishop Lindsay Urwin was consecrated as Area Bishop of Horsham in the Church of Englands Diocese of Chichester in 1993. Last weekend his sister, Kate Prowd, was consecrated as an assistant bishop in the Church of Australias Diocese of Melbourne. Bishop Lindsay has spent most of his ministry in England. He was ordained in 1980 and consecrated Area Bishop of Horsham when he was aged 37. In 2009, he became Administrator of the national Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham while remaining an honorary assistant bishop in Chichester as well as in the dioceses that cover East Anglia. He remains an honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Norwich but returned to Australia in 2015 to be vicar of Christ Church in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick and to be the bishop with a care for the ministry in Anglican schools. Bishop Kate was among the first women to be ordained deacon in Melbourne in 1986 and as priest in 1992. She has combined ministry as a school chaplain and associate priest in parishes with professional duties as a clinical psychologist, using her expertise to be an examining chaplain and conduct psychological assessments for ordination aspirants. She succeeds Bishop Philip Huggins who is retiring as he nears his 70th birthday this month in caring for the Oodthenong Episcopate of the Melbourne diocese, covering the northern and western growth areas of Melbourne as well as Geelong. Bishop Lindsay holds the traditional theological position on womens ordination and did not join other bishops in the act of consecration. But in a touching personal exchange he presented his sister with the pectoral cross that their parents gave him at his consecration almost 25 years earlier. During the service he sat with other family members on the front pew of Melbournes St Pauls Cathedral. The joy of brother and sister on this day was evident, both inside St Pauls and as they posed for photographs outside the Cathedral and responded to greetings after the service, Anglican Media Melbourne reported. Bishop Kate is married to Roger Prowd, an Anglican priest, and the couple have three daughters Phoebe, Cordelia and Eleanor. During the service she was was presented with the episcopal staff that belonged to the first women ordained a bishop for the Melbourne diocese, the late Bishop Barbara Darling. The Diocese of Melbourne is headed by Archbishop Philip Freier, the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia. Bishop Kate is one of four assistant bishops in the diocese, alongside Genieve Blackwell, Paul Barker and Brad Billings. The U.S. Air Force is still investigating what went wrong after a B-1B Lancer experienced an engine fire followed by an ejection mishap earlier this year, forcing it to request an emergency landing. But UTC Aerospace Systems, manufacturer of the bomber's ACES II ejection seat, wants to be clear: The seat itself is not the problem. Whether you're talking about a fighter jet or a bomber, the ejection seat is a complicated system that propels a pilot out of the aircraft in an emergency, John Fyfe, director of Air Force programs for UTC, said in a recent interview with Military.com. "There's an electronic sequencing system, especially if you have multiple seats," as in the B-1 bomber. After coordinating with the Air Force, UTC believes "there's an issue with the sequencing system," he said. Related content: Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein told reporters in July, "What we've learned from the investigation is there are actually two pathways to fire the seat, and there was one particular part that had gotten crimped, so that -- when he pulled the handles -- the signal to the ejection seat didn't flow." But Fyfe said the issue has been oversimplified in media reports. It's been implied "that the ejection seat didn't fire, when in fact the ejection seat was never given the command to fire," he said. While UTC also makes entire ejection systems, on "this particular B-1, [the sequence system] was not ours," he said, adding that there are multiple vendors for the sequencing systems. There's also a hatch removal system, which blows each hatch above the four seats in the bomber, Fyfe said. "That sequences the order that the seats go out of the cockpit and has an inherent delay so that whatever's above you, whether it's a canopy or hatches those blow and there's an opening. And then the seats fire." The service in June grounded its B-1B bomber fleet over safety concerns related to the ejection seat problem. The stand-down was a direct result of the emergency landing the Lancer made May 1 at Midland Airport in Texas. It was reported at the time that the B-1B, from Dyess Air Force Base, was not carrying weapons when it requested to land because of an engine fire. Photos from The Associated Press and Midland Reporter-Telegram also showed that the bomber, tail number 86-0109, was missing a ceiling hatch, leading to speculation an in-flight ejection was attempted. Weeks later, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson confirmed that a rear ejection seat didn't blow. One of the two back ceiling hatches, which hover over either the offensive or defensive weapons systems officer (WSO) depending on mission set, was open, although all four crew members were shown sitting on the Midland flight line in photos after landing the aircraft. Air Force leaders have said the issue has not affected overseas operations and that maintenance crews have prioritized fixes on the faulty systems for bombers carrying out missions across the globe. "I got an update here recently on the delivery schedule for the last lot to make sure those seats are healthy," Gen. Timothy Ray, head of Air Force Global Strike Command, told reporters at the annual Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber conference outside Washington, D.C., last month. "What you'll do is you'll use the good airplanes a lot more," he said then. "And we give the commanders some latitude as to what they will fly and what they will and won't fly in terms of risk. But in the end, we're not going to put anyone in a position where they're not safe." -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Forensic Science Advances Mean US War Fighters Are No Longer Likely to Be Buried as Unknown No American service member killed in action over the past 30 years has been buried as unknown. B-2 Spirit bombers recently wrapped up their first-ever rotation to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and executed missions with their F-22 Raptor stealth fighter counterpart, giving pilots a sense of how the two aircraft would pair in a high-threat environment, according to the Air Force. Three of the bombers and approximately 200 airmen from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, deployed for the six-week rotation as part of U.S. Strategic Command's Bomber Task Force mission, the service said in an Oct. 4 news release. "The B-2 Spirit's first deployment to [Hickam] highlights its strategic flexibility to project power from anywhere in the world," Maj. Gen. Stephen Williams, director of air and cyberspace operations, Pacific Air Forces, said in the release. "The B-2s conducted routine air operations and integrated capabilities with key regional partners, which helped ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific." The training focused on integrating with F-22s from the 199th Fighter Squadron, 154th Wing, under the Hawaii Air National Guard. F-22s escorted the heavy bombers in simulated exercises, providing extra situational awareness during the mission, officials said. Related content: For example, the F-22's sensors have the ability to identify other aircraft -- down to the airframe -- and detect surface-to-air missiles and relay their existence to other friendly forces while remaining stealthy on radar. "The Bomber Task Force is a total-force integration deployment," said Lt. Col. Nicholas Adcock, commander of the 393rd Bomb Squadron, part of Air Force Global Strike Command. "Our active-duty and Guard members worked seamlessly together with their counterparts here in Hawaii to determine the best way for the B-2 to operate from this location in the future." Airmen supporting the operations also practiced hot-pit refueling and loading inert BDU-50 bombs in the B-2's bomb bay, the Air Force said. Hot-pit refueling means an aircraft's engines keep running on the flight line while it takes on fuel. The technique, which reduces maintenance hours and turnaround time to get an aircraft airborne, has become more prevalent, especially for aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules, which makes multiple trips in a day. A B-2 practiced hot-pit refueling Sept. 14 at Wake Island, an atoll in the mid-Pacific nearly 2,500 miles from Hawaii and just north of the Marshall Islands, the service said. Without citing specific numbers, airmen loaded BDU-50s -- a practice version of the general-purpose Mk 82 -- on the Hickam flight line to rehearse how quickly they could ready weapons. "This weapons load is the first stepping stone to loading live munitions from this location," said Master Sgt. Nicholas Lewis, the 393rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons section chief. "Furthermore, it provides pilots and load crews valuable training necessary to accomplish future [Bomber Task Force] missions." The exercises concluded Sept. 27, the Air Force said. Last year, a B-2 flew to the Pacific to demonstrate the U.S.' commitment to partners and allies while North Korea conducted missile tests. Its presence at the time marked the first for the B-2 -- capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons -- in the theater since a trio of the bombers wrapped up training exercises in early 2017 with the Australian Air Force. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. The U.S. Army's top official on Monday pledged to overhaul the service's accessions strategy a little over a month after it missed its annual recruiting goal for the first time in 13 years. "It's no secret that we did not meet our accessions goals this year," Army Secretary Mark Esper told an audience at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Association of the United States Army's Annual Meeting and Exposition. As part of the service's personnel reform effort, Esper said that revamping the Army recruiting strategy was "one of the most important and urgent steps in this reform." The Army failed to meet its recruiting goal for fiscal 2018, falling short of the target of 76,500 by about 6,500 soldiers, The Associated Press reported. "Meeting our manpower needs of quality personnel requires a new strategy that will broaden our reach across America," Esper said. "Our new campaign will focus on major cities around the country with a much greater presence in social media while continuing our efforts in traditional locales. It will be holistic." The Army's traditional accessions model that relies "almost exclusively on Army recruiters to bring in next-generation soldiers is no longer sufficient," he said. "We must adopt the mindset that everyone is a recruiter. ... We are all recruiters -- officers, enlisted, generals, privates, active, retired, [National] Guard, Reserve -- you name it -- even spouses and moms. We need your help moving forward," Esper said. "Americans need to know their Army, but it's on us to get out and meet them." -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Lost in the Greatest Generation Wins the War in Europe "Band of Brothers" narrative that Americans love so much is that fact that Europeans had to keep the Germans from winning the war for at least three years before U.S. forces showed up with the resources and manpower to turn the tide. "The 12th Man" (out now on Blu-Ray and Digital HD) tells the story of the resistance in Norway, one of the countries that we tend to forget that the Nazis invaded. Based on a true story, the film tells the story of twelve resistance fighters who were dropped into the country's arctic territory. Eleven are captured or killed almost immediately, but Jan Baalsrud (played by Thomas Guilestad) is chased into icy water and German officers assume he's dead as well but they don't find the body. Baalsrud isn't dead and he turns to local farmers to help him escape over the border to (neutral) Sweden. German officer Kurt Stage (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) has an instinct that the saboteur is still alive and refuses to give up a search for Baalsrud even though his fellow Nazis have their doubts. After a series of dubious Hollywood projects (the 2010 "Karate Kid" remake, "Pink Panther 2" with Steve Martin, "Agent Cody Banks" and "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"), director Harald Zwart returned to Norway and made this taut and exciting thriller. The film makes this a psychological struggle between Baalsrud and Stage even though the two characters meet only briefly in the film. Of course, they almost certainly never met in real life and the actual hunt for the resistance fighter was definitely not as focused as the one in the film. But this is a movie and a very good WWII film. The default audio on this release is the English language dub but this is most definitely worth watching in German and Norwegian with subtitles if you can put up with subtitles. The arctic conditions portrayed in the movie are absolutely brutal (people really live up there?) and there's an especially harrowing scene when Baalsrud figures out how to stop the frostbite that's turning to gangrene. As he struggles with nature as he hides from the Nazis, the saboteur also fights his own mental conditions and hallucinations. Zwart portrays those visions in a way that makes his lead character's fear and disorientation the most compelling part of the movie. Meyers has one of his best roles in years and his German language performance is stellar. "The 12th Man" is highly recommended for WWII movie fans. Toyota says it is recalling more than 2.4 million hybrid vehicles around the world due to the risk of stalling while in use. The Japanese automaker says in a statement that the recall covers 1.25 million vehicles in Japan, 807,000 in the United States, 290,000 in Europe and 3,000 in China and the rest of the world. Toyota USA reports affected vehicles were designed to enter a "failsafe driving mode in response to certain hybrid system faults." The Associated Press reports the recall affects Toyota Prius and Auris hybrid vehicles manufactured between October 2008 and November 2014. A previous recall was issued for these affected models back in 2014 and 2015, but the automaker says they "did not anticipate this new condition remedied with this recall." "Toyota has found that in rare situations, the vehicle may not enter a failsafe driving mode as intended," Toyota says in a Friday, Oct. 5 news release. "If this occurs, the vehicle could lose power and stall. While power steering and braking would remain operational, a vehicle stall while driving at higher speeds could increase the risk of a crash." Once owners are notified, Toyota says its dealers will update the software for all affected vehicles free of charge. A.P. reports the automaker has received three incident reports in Japan related to to the recall, but specified that those incidents were not car crashes. Toyota did not comment on any known incidents outside of Japan. To search active recalls, use the NHTSA's website to search your 17-character VIN at this link. VIN numbers are typically located under the driver's side windshield, or along the inside of the doors behind the seat or under the steering wheel. To sign up for NHTSA safety alerts for a specific vehicle, sign up at this link. ANN ARBOR, MI - It takes Willie Stevenson awhile to unlock and open the bright blue door from the parking lot into his room at Motel 6 in Ann Arbor. Stevenson, 71, a retired city parks ranger, apologizes that he didn't have a chance to tidy up. But there's not enough space in the room to put away all the clothing, food and paperwork strewn across one of the two queen beds and piled in boxes against the wall. For about three weeks, Willie and his wife of 37 years, Renee, have been living in motels while they try to find more stable housing. Technically, they're homeless. It's been a year since the Stevensons were evicted from the modest house they rented for about seven years on Ann Arbor's south side. Since then, they've exhausted their options to stay with relatives. Willie said they can't afford to stay at Motel 6 much longer, and he's not sure where they'll go if they don't find housing soon. "I'm not used to living like this here," he said, seated on the edge of the bed where Renee napped on a gray afternoon late in September. "I can't seem to find no way of getting out of this situation." Washtenaw County has seen a decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness in recent years, thanks to additional supportive housing options and agencies doing more to coordinate their resources, said Washtenaw Housing Alliance Executive Director Amanda Carlisle. But shelters remain at capacity, and the combination of stagnant wages and rising housing costs makes it difficult for people to find an affordable place to live if they've been evicted or are at the end of a lease. On the hunt for housing While Willie and Renee Stevenson spend their days driving around in search of "for rent" signs and contacting housing agencies for assistance, Ann Arbor resident Larry Works is taking a different approach to finding a new place to live. Works, 62, a veteran who has lived in Ann Arbor for about 15 years, has posted fliers around town seeking leads on a rental. He's spread the word via social media and through his church. A spreadsheet tracks the housing options he's considering, and he has a daily countdown until he has to move out of his current home posted on the wall above his computer. "It's a little bit of a social experiment to do it the way I'm doing it," Works said. Recently retired from clerking at Stadium Hardware, Works has lived in a duplex on Ann Arbor's Old West Side since July 2017, and his lease is up at the end of November. A new owner who bought the house in September plans to move into one floor and use the other part for short-term rentals. "I guess since I've been around Ann Arbor for so long, it feels a little embarrassing that we don't have more affordable housing," Works said, sipping coffee late in the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 2, in an armchair near the sliding glass doors to the balcony of his second-floor two-bedroom home. Works currently pays $800 a month for rent, plus does maintenance work. He doesn't expect to find another place at that price, so he's prepared to spend $1,000 to $1,500 a month for a two-bedroom rental, preferably on the west side of Ann Arbor and not in an apartment complex. If that doesn't pan out, he's considering moving out of Ann Arbor or even out of Michigan. "Worse comes to worse, I couch surf," Works said. "I might be gray-haired, but I can still swallow whatever pride is necessary and keep looking until I find a good situation. Or I just decide it's not going to happen, so where am I going?" Works said he could afford to buy a house in Ann Arbor, although he prefers to rent, and he doesn't consider his situation as dire as other people involuntarily looking for housing. "I'm going to be lucky," he said. "With my work environment, my personal savings - I will land on my feet in some place, some time, some where. I'm not concerned about that." 'Everything's just so expensive' Average rent in Ann Arbor is $1,472 a month, according to October data from Rent Cafe. The Stevensons aim to spend $700 a month on rent, Willie said. They've spent more than that on their two-week stay at Motel 6. The Stevensons also are hoping for a two-bedroom rental. Willie has been checking the classifieds and visiting low-income and senior housing complexes. He said Housing Access for Washtenaw County told him financial assistance is available to help with moving expenses once they find a place. He's still searching. "Right now everybody's coming to Ann Arbor so most everything is full," Willie said. "Ann Arbor is a good place to live. Everything's just so expensive." Renee's health issues present another challenge. She requires frequent visits from medical professionals, and bouncing from relatives' homes to motels in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti has made it difficult to maintain consistency with her care. Willie prefers the medical services available in Ann Arbor, so that's where he's concentrating their housing search. He used one of the motel's rough white hand towels to wipe away tears as he talked about the pressure he's been under recently. After working for nearly 20 years as a seasonal employee in the city of Ann Arbor's parks department, Willie is sure the city's citizens will help him find housing once they hear of his present plight. "There's someplace out there, but I've just got to find it," he said. "It's just a sad situation that it's like this." ANN ARBOR, MI - "The Mooch" is coming to the University of Michigan to talk investment finance. Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as the White House director of communications for President Donald Trump in 2017, will provide a keynote address during UM's Engage Undergraduate Investment Conference at 3:10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12, on the main stage of the Michigan Theater. He'll be one of more than a dozen speakers from hedge fund and private equity industries at the three-day conference sponsored by the David Kudla Foundation. The conference concludes with a student stock pitch competition at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14, inside the Stephen M. Ross School of Business' Robertson Auditorium. Scaramucci is founder and co-managing partner of global alternative investments firm SkyBridge Capital. Prior to founding SkyBridge in 2005, Scaramucci co-founded investment partnership Oscar Capital Management, which was sold to Neuberger Berman, LLC in 2001. Earlier, he was a vice president in private wealth management at Goldman Sachs & Co. Scaramucci was White House director of communications for just 11 days in July 2017. In his short time as communications director, Scaramucci grabbed headlines thanks to a vulgar rant about former chief of staff Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon. Scaramucci plans to document some of those experiences in his new book, "Trump: The Blue-Collar President" on Oct. 23. The book tells the inside story of how Trump "identified the struggle of blue-collar Americans, won the Presidency, and put the country on a path to long-term prosperity." The conference also features a competitive undergraduate stock competition. Teams from across the country present their stock pitches to a panel of professional investors for a chance to present their pitches in front of the entire conference audience. Each team of 3-5 members from various colleges and universities will pitch an equity - long or short. Pitches are evaluated on quality of idea, analysis and presentation. The top teams from the first round will advance to the final round for a chance to present in front of the entire conference, including a panel of executive-level investment professionals and the entire conference audience. Conference Director Merrick Weingarten, a junior in UM's Ross School of Business, expects 40 colleges and universities to compete in the stock pitch challenge, including UM, Michigan State University, Eastern Michigan University, Wayne State University and Oakland University, in addition to Harvard University, the University of Virginia, University of Notre Dame and University of Florida. "Students have the opportunity to give a 15-minute stock pitch to a panel of professional judges, who are all succeeding on Wall Street at some of the top firms," Weingarten said. "They receive great feedback on their pitch so they can develop as investors, and compete for a chance to win $5,000 grand prize. They also get access to recruiting opportunities with leading investment management firms." Additional speakers during the conference include CNBC Senior Economic Reporter Steve Liesman, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans, Ariel Investments CEO John Rogers, Nuveen Asset Management Chief Equity Strategist Robert Doll, TIAA Investments Managing Director Stephanie Link, Mainstay Capital Management Founder David Kudla, Causeway Capital CEO Sarah Ketterer and Morgan Stanley CIO Mike Wilson. Registration for the conference is $5 for UM students and $15 for non-students, with tickets available online. For more information on the conference, visit its website. Detroit Police Chief James Craig believes dozens of known killers are walking the streets, but due to various policies, procedures and unavoidable delays, they can't be arrested and locked away -- at least not yet. Craig said there were up to 58 people suspected of involvement in up to 46 Detroit homicides who, as of Sept. 20, were free while investigators seek murder charges. Each of the cases were either under review by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's Office -- some having been sent back to police for further investigation, or were awaiting forensic test results, according to the police chief. While Craig said multiple times during an interview with MLive he is not criticizing the prosecutor's office, he said an unintended consequence of Worthy's high threshold for issuing criminal charges is that "we are going to have suspects that we have committed murder who aren't in custody." Unless its a "dead-bang" case, Craig said, like a killing in which the suspect is found holding the still-smoking gun, the evidence required to charge a murder suspect can easily take more than 48 hours, which is the maximum the chief said suspects can be jailed without official charges. "Some of these folks are not acting like Boy Scouts ... or model citizens" while they're free and under investigation, Craig said. The following are "very fluid" figures released by Detroit police on Sept. 20: Murder warrants returned to Detroit police for further investigation 26 cases 39 total suspects 29 suspects remain free 5 cases awaiting forensic test results Murder warrants under review in Wayne County Prosecutor's Office 20 cases 33 total suspects 29 suspects remain free 12 cases under review in excess of 30 days Wayne County assistant prosecutor and spokeswoman Maria Miller disputes the police chief's figures. She said, as of Sept. 20, there were eight Detroit police homicide cases pending charges and under review. It was unclear how the police department and prosecutor's office had divergent figures on the subject. Miller said the prosecutor's office has an ethical responsibility to make sure enough evidence exists to convict a suspect before charges are issued. One instance in which prosecutors may have been better off waiting for further police investigation involved the arrest of a man charged in the killing of Wayne State Police Officer Collin Rose, who was shot in the head while on patrol Nov. 22, 2016. Detroit police arrested their initial suspect hours later. After being charged with first-degree murder and spending two weeks in jail, Worthy announced the man was no longer a suspect and he was released from jail without further explanation. "In order to charge a case, we need to have facts and evidence that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt in court," assistant prosecutor and Worthy spokeswoman Maria Miller said. "Many times, we receive cases from the police that must have further investigation. In that instance, the prosecutor's office will return the case back to the police with a list of items that we must receive before we can review it and make a charging decision." Craig says the threshold to charge seems to vary from prosecutor to prosecutor, and Worthy's stringent standard is that the evidence provided presents a "certainty of prosecution." As it stands now, Craig said, "literally, we're getting everything tied up to where this thing is ready to go to trial" before charges are issued. The law requires only that prosecutors have "probable cause" to file charges, but Oakland County Deputy Chief Prosecutor Paul T. Walton says there are "a myriad of reasons" prosecutors would hold off until the evidence reaches the "beyond-a-reasonable-doubt" standard. Once a case is charged, the prosecution is forced to present their discovery, including the evidence and witnesses, and they're "pretty much locked in," Walton said. "Witnesses may disappear," Walton said, and there is no second chance if the jury or judge issues an acquittal. "You don't want to go into court on a wing and a prayer with the hope that something is going to come to light down the road," he said. Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson said it's "pretty common for a prosecutor's office to set higher standards when making charging decisions, including only charging cases which they reasonably believe will result in a conviction, which of course requires proof a case beyond a reasonable doubt." A fatal example Tremayne Alexander The Detroit police chief discussed a case that illustrates the worst case scenario when it comes to holding off on charges. Detroit police identified a murder suspect, submitted the case to the prosecutor's office, and while they were awaiting a decision, the suspect killed again. On Sept. 7, 2016, 49-year-old Todd Terry of Farmington Hills, a married father of two teenage sons, stopped by a house in Inkster to look at a moped he'd seen for sale on Craig's List. The purported seller, 17-year-old Tremayne Alexander, an alternative high school student with learning disabilities, had other plans. Terry was lured to a well-kept abandoned home after speaking to the person who posted the ad online. Terry arrived and spoke to Alexander on the front porch for several minutes before Alexander invited Terry into the backyard to see the merchandise, according to police. Once there, prosecutors say Alexander grabbed what they describe as a military, assault-style rife and fatally shot Terry in the back as he ran away. The prosecution said at sentencing that Alexander, described by defense attorney Mark H. Magidson as "quiet" and "shy," had been involved in other "predatory robberies utilizing Craig's List," including a similar robbery that occurred two days before Terry's death. What the public and Yvette Terry, Todd Terry's wife of 20 years weren't told is that Alexander was also the suspect in the killing of Michael Q. Harris on April 24, 2015. Alexander would have been 16 when Harris was killed. Detroit police had identified Alexander as the killer and submitted a warrant review request to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office on April 12, 2016, nearly five months before Alexander went on to kill Terry. "It's a shame this predator was on the streets," Yvette Thomas said upon learning Alexander was a murder suspect at they time he killed her husband of 20 years. Even after Alexander pleaded guilty to killing Terry and received a 30- to 60-year prison sentence on March 17, 2017, he remained uncharged in the 2015 Harris case. Miller said the investigation was returned to Detroit police for further investigation on March 31, 2017. The prosecutor's office and police "agree that further investigation is needed," Miller said. "Since the return, (police and prosecutors) have been in continuous contact with each other about the case." Other examples Law enforcement aren't eager to publicize systemic flaws that cost lives. But the examples are more prevalent than the media and the public typically hear about. Suspected serial killer James Matthews, 65, was the prime suspect in a 2000 Detroit sexual assault and a 2003 Detroit homicide. He was arrested but never prosecuted, making it possible for him to kill up to five more people, according to police in three different states. He's now the suspect in a 2007 killing in New York, another Michigan homicide and three others in Texas, according to Detroit police. BREAKING: Family members identify ALLAN FARRIS as the man shot and the suspect in the Canton carjacking. @WWJ950 @FOX2News pic.twitter.com/ZifqLeyPWA Charlie Langton (@charlielangton) April 4, 2018 In May, Detroit police killed 56-year-old Allan E. Farris during a shootout. Farris, at the time free on bond, faced charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and malicious destruction of property from a March 23 incident. According to the Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz, Farris previously served a prison sentence from Feb. 9, 1987 until being paroled Oct. 19, 2008. "Because the original case is so old, it's not in our computer system, so all I have are dates, not what crime he committed," Gautz said. Farris was also charged with felonious assault, carrying a firearm with unlawful intent and felony firearm on Aug. 27, 2017, in a separate, never-resolved case from Aug. 24, 2017. While those charges were pending in Wayne County, Farris became the prime suspect in the brutal beating death of his roommate, 49-year-old Larry Melton Jr., who was reported missing in March and whose body was discovered weeks later under the porch of an abandoned, burned-out Detroit home, according to WJBK-TV, Fox 2 News. Allan E. Farris 2004 MDOC photo While Melton's family, according to Fox 2, was assured by Detroit police and prosecutors that Farris, who had a violent criminal history and two pending cases, would remain jailed while they continued to investigate the murder, Wayne County 36th District Court records show Farris was released on April 3 after posting $2,500, 10 percent of his $25,000 bond. The following day, Farris went on a 12-hour crime spree, threatening the lives of at least four people, including a Michigan state trooper. Police said he shot one woman during a carjacking in Canton, committed a second carjacking in Canton, kidnapped and carjacked a third woman in Northville, whom he dropped off in Highland Park, and then attempted to carjack an undercover state trooper who was closing in on him in east Detroit the morning of April. This led to a standoff, during which police shot and killed Farris. In February, another case came to light in which 78-year-old Leroy Moon was never sentenced after pleading guilty to manslaughter in 2011. His case somehow slipped into oblivion for nearly a decade. The oversight was blamed on a clerical error. If you travel further back in time, there are nearly a thousand serial rapists who could have been stopped sooner, had Detroit police been more vigilant. Of nearly 11,300 untested rape kits discovered in a Detroit evidence warehouse in 2009, DNA contained within matched nearly 800-plus suspected serial rapists, some suspected in as many as 15 cases. A second backlog of nearly 500 untested Detroit rape kits became public in March 2017. Those kits contained DNA that matched 135 previous cases, meaning there was evidence to potentially arrest the suspects before they went on to rape again. When asked why there is such a lag in certain cases between when police ID their suspects when and they are charged, Craig says the cause is usually a lack of manpower in both the police department and prosecutor's office. "Staffing is a concern," the police chief said. I'm not criticizing the (prosecutor's office). They have many of the same concerns we have." Posted on: October 8, 2018 2:26 PM [ACNS, by Bellah Zulu] More than 2000 Anglicans from Southern Africa and around the world were in Durban, South Africa last week for Anglicans Ablaze, an international conference within the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. The biennial event, which ran from 3 6 October, is a renewal platform meant to set Anglicans ablaze with Gods love and power in order to build up the church and to serve God in the world. The Bishop of the North Western Episcopal Area of the Anglican Diocese of Natal, Tsietsi Seleonne, is the new liaison Bishop for Anglicans Ablaze. The event, he said, is a continuation of the Anglican Renewal Ministry that began in the 1970s. Its a diverse kind of ministry showing the Anglican life at its best from extreme Anglo-Catholic to extreme charismatic expressions of our worship, and this is why we want people to see how they can transform their own parishes after being enriched by this renewal ministry in our church, he said. Anglicans Ablaze is about church growth, said Nonkonzo Xintolo, a priest from the Diocese of Mthatha. This gives me a chance to mix with other people and learn because you cannot go back home and grow the church unless you grow yourself first. Anglicans Ablaze has a special place in the lives of young people because for the most part, it presents an opportunity for them to experience church in a way thats different from what they experience in their parishes. Jesse Rajee, an 18-year-old Anglican from Cape Town who was attending Anglican Ablaze for the first time. Fun-loving young Anglicans at the Anglicans Ablaze renewal conference in Durban last week. Photo: Bellah Zulu After listening to the experiences of my friends who attended the last conference, I got inspired and knew I also wanted to be attended someday, he said. I have been challenged and my goal is to inspire other young people as I have been inspired here. Another young Anglican, 17-year-old Levern Luiters, talked of how this experience has impacted her life. I have heard a lot of good things here that the Lord has done for other people and now I know that he is going to do it for me as well, she said. Its indeed an honour to be here to worship God with people from different churches. When more than 2000 people meet in one place for a conference such as this one, the amount of garbage produced can be overwhelming. But the organisers foresaw this and came up with various innovations to minimise the amount of waste produced. Instead of single use containers, we have made available over 2000 reusable mugs which has helped us stop about 12,000 plastic containers from being used here, said the Coordinator of Green Anglicans, Canon Rachel Mash. We have also made available wooden stirs instead of plastic spoons. She added: We have to change peoples theology by emphasising that caring for the environment is a key calling of a Jesus shaped life. You cannot say you care for your neighbour if you dont care for creation. The highlight of the event came from the prolific church planter and keynote speaker for the conference, Archbishop Moon Hing of West Malaysia, the Primate of South East Asia. He gave a moving account of growing up in a Buddhist family in an area where Christianity accounted for less than one per cent of religious affiliation. Bishop Martin Breytenbach prays for keynote speaker Archbishop Moon Hing. Photo: Bellah Zulu My family didnt like it when I converted to Christianity to an extent that they stopped me from speaking to my family about it, he said. But after so many years I would like to thank God that I have managed to convert 80 per cent of my family including brothers, sisters and cousins among others to Christianity, and had the privilege of baptising my own mother. In an interview with the Anglican Communion News Service, he spoke of the importance of Anglican Ablaze: There is hunger for Christ everywhere people need motivation, encouragement and direction, and Anglicans Ablaze offers that opportunity and I pray that it spreads to other regions and the whole of the Anglican world. This movement will transform the lives of people and communities and the world will have hope because its a reminder that God is our priority in a world which is going in the opposite direction. The atmosphere was spirit filled as Anglicans worshipped God in an apparent hunger for transformation and a different kind of experience. Correction: the original headline of this article incorrectly described Anglicans Ablaze as a youth event. The conference has a youth-track; but is an all-age renewal conference. FLINT, MI -- Nearly two years after they were charged with crimes, two key figures in the Flint water crisis are finally about to hear details of the cases against them. A new schedule of court dates related to Flint water from the Michigan Attorney General's Office shows Darnell Earley, a former emergency manager, and former Department of Public Works Director Howard Croft are on track to appear before Genesee District Court Judge Nathaniel Perry on Oct. 15. Croft and Earley are the last of 15 current and former city and state employees facing water crisis charges to start their preliminary examinations, the first step in determining whether they will eventually face a jury trial. MLive-The Flint Journal could not immediately reach attorneys for Earley, Croft or special prosecutor Todd Flood on Monday, Oct. 8, but the parties had agreed to next week's hearing date after meeting privately with Perry in August. Unlike others charged with Flint water crimes, Earley, 66, and Croft, 53, were visible, front-line defenders of using the Flint River for drinking water in parts of 2014 and 2015 and they face some of the heaviest potential criminal penalties. Earley is charged with false pretenses, conspiracy to commit false pretenses, willful neglect of duty and misconduct in office, and Flood has told Perry he will also ask him to add a charge of involuntary manslaughter at the conclusion of the former manager's preliminary exam. The charges against him allege Earley, an appointee of Gov. Rick Snyder, allowed the Flint water treatment plant to produce water despite knowing that the plant was not ready for use and that he authorized false and misleading public statements that the city water was safe to drink. Croft has also been notified that Flood plans to ask for an additional charge of involuntary manslaughter against him as well in addition to charges of false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses. Appointed to his position by former emergency manager Mike Brown in 2011, Croft's responsibilities in city government included water and sewer systems, parks, and streets until he resigned from his position in November 2015. In addition to Croft and Earley, only one other case is scheduled for continuation of preliminary hearings in October. On Oct. 29, four current and former employees from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality are scheduled to return to the courtroom of Judge Jennifer Manley. Two officials from the state Department of Health and Human Services are set to continue their preliminary exams before Manley on Nov. 20. Four of the 15 individuals initially charged with Flint water crimes have accepted pleas agreements in their cases, and two more have been bound over for trial in Genesee Circuit Court. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - A car has crashed into a house on Lake Michigan Drive in Allendale Township. Rescuers said the driver was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The crash was reported at 7:40 a.m. Monday, Oct. 8, in the 5700 block of Lake Michigan Drive. Sheriff's deputies and firefighters are on the scene. The car missed a power pole and fire hydrant before crashing into the porch. Police expect to release additional details soon. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - The family of a Grand Valley State University student who was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend in a murder-suicide has filed a federal lawsuit against campus police officers, Ottawa County and sheriff's deputies. The lawsuit also names the ex-boyfriend's father, a police officer in Bloomfield Township, as a defendant. Rosemarie Reilly, 21, was shot and killed Nov. 6, 2016, at a friend's Eastown residence in the 1400 block of Lake Drive SE. Her ex-boyfriend, Jeremy Kelley, 21, dragged her out by her hair in the middle of the night then shot her multiple times with a 9mm Beretta pistol when she tried to get back in the house. He then turned the gun on himself. Her mother, Pamela Reilly, contends that her daughter repeatedly reported her ex-boyfriend's stalking, assaults and threats but police did not protect her. The lawsuit said that police "knew that Jeremy had a handgun in his possession yet permitted him to possess the handgun despite continual knowledge of his prior threats of shooting Rosemarie," Royal Oak attorney James Rasor wrote in the lawsuit. "Defendants knew of Jeremy's propensity for violence yet did nothing to protect Rosemarie Reilly. The risk that Jeremy was out of control and dangerous to Rosemarie Reilly was obvious and known by defendants." GVSU responded to the lawsuit: "Grand Valley State University is not named in the lawsuit. It is a suit against Ottawa County and individually named law enforcement officers, two of whom were employed by Grand Valley. We believe our officers acted properly, and we will mount their defense." Jeremy Kelley Sheriff Steve Kempker declined to comment on pending legal action. The lawsuit names as defendants sheriff's Deputy Brandon Tubergen, Sgt. Chris Dills, Sgt. Dennis Luce, now-GVSU director of public safety Brandon DeHaan and GVSU officer Collin Wallace. Kent County Circuit Court records show that the victim obtained a personal-protection order against Kelly about three weeks before she was killed. She said he had harassed her for about a month after they broke up. "He follows me to and from school, has downloaded apps on my phone to track me, he has hacked into my social media accounts to see what I was doing," she wrote. Pamela Reilly, a resident of New Baltimore in Macomb County, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids. The lawsuit said that her daughter and Kelley once lived together but she left. On Oct. 5, 2016, Kelly was admitted to Holland Hospital after he put a gun against his head and threatened to shoot himself. After he got out, he began stalking and harassing her and threatening suicide again, the lawsuit said. Shortly, her mother, who met her daughter for lunch, noticed that she had a crooked nose and bruises to her face. The daughter said she had suffered a broken nose during a beating. The mother took her to the hospital. From Oct. 8, 2016, to Oct. 11, 2016, Kelly called his ex-girlfriend 43 times, the lawsuit said. He stopped at her aunt and uncle's house repeatedly to see her but she was not there, the lawsuit said. Late Oct. 11, 2016, he called her uncle and said he had a gun against his own head. The uncle called 911 but, the lawsuit said, police did not act on the suicide threat. The next day, he jumped in front of her car on campus, pounded the window and head-butted her car. She reported Kelley to campus police for stalking, domestic violence and putting a gun to her head, the lawsuit said. A campus officer contacted the Sheriff's Department, which sent a deputy to campus to provide Reilly with paperwork for a protective order. A campus officer also completed a "no trespassing" form for Kelley. Tubergen told Kelley to leave Reilly alone. "Sometime after he visited Jeremy on Oct. 13, 2016, (Deputy) Tuburgen called Pam and told her that there was nothing that could be done to prevent Jeremy from calling Rosemarie, that he had seen Jeremy's guns and that Jeremy was legally allowed to own those guns, and that he was 'well aware' that Jeremy's father, Sean Kelley, was a police officer," the lawsuit said. The daughter, at Tuburgen's direction, reported to police that Kelley had held a gun to her head and threatened to kill her, the lawsuit said. Dill, the sheriff's sergeant who took her complaint, allegedly told Kelley on the phone he would not take him to jail. Kelley told the sergeant he was upset that she called police and had apparently obtained a protection order. DeHaan, then a GVSU captain, reviewed police reports. He called Kelley and said he was banned from campus and told him not to contact Reilly or her family, the lawsuit said. On Oct. 19, Rosemarie Reilly told campus police that her ex-boyfriend continued to call and stalk her. He followed her in his vehicle until she ran into the dining hall and called police, the lawsuit said. Her mother was concerned about Rosemarie, as well as another daughter, Jennifer, who was often with her sister. She said that no one tried to arrest Kelley. She also said that Kelley's father told her on Oct. 20, 2016, that "Rosemarie was a liar and that (the parents) needed to stop calling police on Jeremy," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit said police "listened and acquiesced to Jeremy's father when he requested leniency for his son." Because of that, Kelley believed that "nothing was going to happen" to him, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit said Kelley was not arrested despite violating the protection order four times. Rosemarie Reilly told campus police on Oct. 22 that Kelley had tried to contact her 86 times over the course of days. The Sheriff's Department, meanwhile, obtained a warrant six days later against Kelley for domestic violence. The warrant was mailed to Kelley. Another was mailed Nov. 2 for stalking. The lawsuit contends police should have arrested Kelley, knowing that he possessed firearms, and showed "deliberate indifference" to Reilly's right to be free of "danger created by the state" and constitutional violations. The defendants were accused of gross negligence, which was a "proximate cause" of the young woman's death, the lawsuit said. BIG RAPIDS, MI - Ferris State University's most popular room and board plan will increase by $149 next school year. The increase, approved Friday by the university's Board of Trustees, is effective the 2019-20 school year and brings the price of student housing and the bronze and silver meal plans to $10,043, an increase of 1.5 percent from the previous year. Trustees did not increase housing and dining rates for the 2018-19 academic year to help students. "As a result of intentional efforts to ease the financial burden on students and families, including a zero-percent increase in 2018-19, last year the university's room and board rates ranked fifth-lowest among Michigan public university peers,'' according to a press release. Next year, a double room is increasing $81 from $5,376 to 5,457, and bronze and silver meal plans went from $4,518 to $4,586. The 2019 fiscal year general fund operating budget is $209.1 million, including $32.1 million for housing and dining budget. The overall undergraduate tuition increased 3.76 percent for the current academic year - $421 per credit hour for the lower-division and $435 for the upper-division. There was a 3.26 percent increase in student assistance aid to $25.3 million. Last November, Ferris announced it was engaged in an $80 million fundraising campaign that will invest in student scholarships, program expansion and innovation, and building community partnerships. On Friday, the trustees also approved: Submitting a $29.5 million Center for Virtual Learning to the state as its capital outlay project for fiscal year 2020. The approximately 64,000-square-foot facility would house academic programs such as Career and Technical Education that incorporate a significant virtual learning component and that need a modern facility. Phase one of the Hagerman Pharmacy Building project that will focus on the first floor of the west wing. The $4.8 million phase-one budget includes $3 million in gifts and pledges. The renovation is expected to begin by December 2018 and be substantially completed by August 2019. Integrated Design Solutions and Rockford Construction were retained for project. Ratification of a six-year contract between the university and the 150-member Clerical Technical Association. The new contract includes a 1.5-percent salary increase in years one though five, a 1.75-percent year-six increase. The last contract expired June 30, 2018. Negotiations with the Ferris Faculty Association were scheduled for Oct. 2 and 5. A no confidence vote in President David Eisler occurred Sept. 25 and 26, but the results were not released. "We think it is important to give the administration the opportunity to come to the bargaining table with a significant move in their negotiating position, and we want to give the process the chance to succeed," according to Charles Bacon, president of the Ferris Faculty Association, in a press release Sept. 26. A BB gun (top) being compared to a real Colt 1911 pistol (bottom) to illustrate the similarities. Neither is the BB gun recovered during the Sept. 6 incident in Grand Rapids. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A Grand Rapids police officer who fired his gun toward a 14-year-old boy who was wielding a BB gun last month will not be charged following a Michigan State Police investigation. Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker decided not to charge Officer Michael Reed after concluding his review of the case last week. He said the officer fired his gun "because he thinks the kid might shoot the gun" and "no charges would be possible" based on the circumstances of the Sept. 6 incident. Police Chief David Rahinsky called the episode "a tragedy averted" after no one was injured during the officer-involved shooting. "We all collectively, as a community and police department, can look at this as truly a tragedy averted and it gives us an opportunity to educate the public about putting very real-looking replica guns in the hands of young people," Rahinsky said. The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, on Howard Street SE, east of Madison Avenue in Grand Rapids. No body-worn camera or in-car dash camera video of the shooting was recorded because of how quickly the incident unfolded, according to police. Officer Reed was in the vicinity and responded to a report of a black juvenile who was seen walking around pointing a gun at people. He was described as wearing a maroon shirt and black pants, according to Becker. Soon after hearing the call details from a dispatcher, Reed located a teen who matched the description. He was pointing what looked like a gun at a two-story house with other children outside, according to Rahinsky. "The officer responded within 90 seconds," Rahinsky said. "He made a split-second decision based on fear for his life and fear for the life of the individuals (the teen) pointed the replica at." Becker said the officer shouted at the teen to drop the gun, at which time the teen moved behind a tree. The lone bullet fired from the officer's gun hit a tree, Becker said. "After reviewing the reports and based on what our training is, the officer fired to stop the threat, not as a warning shot," Rahinsky said. "The officer perceived his life and the lives of the other people out there were at risk." After Reed fired the shot, the teen threw the BB gun, which was recovered a short distance from him by police. The teen was handcuffed and transported to the Grand Rapids Police Department, where he was interviewed by state police, as is protocol following an officer-involved shooting. Rahinsky met with the youth's mother later that evening. "To her credit, she had concern for everyone including the officer," Rahinsky said. "She was, as we were, very thankful her son had not been injured. The police chief also said calling the BB gun a "toy gun" would be a disservice. "When we say toy guns, the connotation is an orange gun or a gun with an orange tip that at a glance appears to be a toy," Rahinsky said. "That's different. What we're talking about is a very real-looking replica that even after being examined still appeared to be a Colt1911 in the hands of a young teen." The teen admitted to police that the gun was a toy and that he threw it after the officer fired his gun, according to Becker. Other juveniles in the area, including a 7-year-old and an 8-year-old, confirmed to police that the teen was walking around with the BB gun, Becker said. The teen was released by police after being interviewed. Becker also decided not to file any charges against him. Rahinsky said he hopes parents will use this incident to spark conversations with their children about the dangers of carrying realistic BB guns and airsoft guns in public areas where others might see them and perceive a replica gun as a real threat. The chief released a video statement Monday, Oct. 8, in which he provided a summary of the incident and warned of the dangers of replica guns. Officer Reed was placed on paid administrative leave immediately after the incident, per department protocol. As of Friday, Oct. 5, he remained on leave and Rahinsky said he'll return to work "as soon as it's appropriate." The police chief said he didn't want to speak for Reed regarding the officer's mental state following the incident, but said the department has resources to help officers with the psychological challenges of the job. "Our officers make those very difficult decisions and I don't want to speak candidly regarding Officer Reed's mindset other than to say this has been a challenge for him as it would be for anyone in the department," Rahinsky said. "He recognizes how difficult these decisions are and how they can be life-changing in the blink of an eye." Reed is a patrol officer with the department and a 2014 graduate of the Grand Valley State University Police Academy. Before becoming a police officer, he served in the military, according to Rahinsky. A separate incident, which occurred nearby and at the same time, was unrelated to the officer-involved shooting. On the same evening, less than a mile away, Grand Rapids police surrounded a house in the 900 block of Kalamzoo Avenue SE where they arrested two 16-year-old males and a 23-year-old male. One of the 16-year-old boys had allegedly fled the Muskegon River Youth Home juvenile detention center the week prior, and was accused of being involved in at least two fleeing and eluding police incidents. The other two were arrested on firearm-related charges. They were suspects in the Sept. 2 break-in and subsequent theft of 22 guns from a Miedema Asset Management Group auctioneer facility at 601 Gordon Industrial Court SW in Byron Township. KENTWOOD, MI -- Democrat Betsy Melton narrowly beat out Republican Jessica Ann Tyson in 2016 for her first term as county commissioner representing Kentwood. Now, Tyson is back for a rematch. Melton and Tyson will square off once again in the Nov. 6 general election. In 2016, Melton won the county's 13th District seat, taking nearly 52 percent of the vote. She replaced Republican Dick Vander Molen, who didn't seek re-election. The 13th District encompasses most of Kentwood. Melton, a 63-year-old retired nurse, previously served about a decade on the Kentwood Public Schools Board of Education and another decade on the Kentwood Public Schools Educational Foundation. Tyson is a 46-year-old small business owner who says she has "been extremely involved in community for many years." Tyson's sister, Monica Sparks, is running as a Democrat for the county's 12th District seat. This year, MLive Media Group partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan Education Fund to provide candidate information and other voting resources to our readers. Each candidate was asked to answer a series of questions about their policy stances. Information on all state and federal races and many of Michigan's county and local races will be available at Vote411.org - the election-information website run by the League of Women Voters. Answers were lightly edited for grammar and readability. Why are you running for office? Tyson: "We are in need of more transparency in government. There is a gap and disconnect in communication. There are many services that Kent County offers and the constituents deserve to know how their taxpayer dollars are being used AND how they can use those services." Melton: "I have served Kentwood (District 13) and Kent County for the past term. I am passionate for Kentwood and Kent County and look forward to serving the community that I have called home for the past 30 years. Prior to my service on the Kent County Board of Commissioners, I served Kentwood in several capacities, including the Board of Education. I want to work toward increased transparency on the Board, and seeing through several ongoing issues before the Board and/or facing our community: Recognizing and supporting our veterans, early childhood education, and fighting the opioid crisis in our community." What is the greatest challenge facing the office you seek? How will you address it? Melton: "The impact of the opioid crisis on our community. I will continue to support education, our public health community and private organizations to intelligently address the impact of opioid and drug addiction in our community. "Immigration reform and its impact on our community. I intend to better understand and investigate the laws that are in place and their enforcement to work toward a firm, but compassionate system that not only ensures proper immigration channels, but supports our rich cultural diversity and family integrity." Tyson: "I do not see any challenges for me ..... I only see opportunities!" What are your views on this year's ballot proposals? Tyson: "I am very hopeful that the proposals on the ballot will be researched and understood thoroughly by the voters." Melton: "I am in firm support of the early childhood proposal. We need to continue to work to reach our more vulnerable children, to ensure that all of our Kent County children receive a good education. Our young learners are of course our future leaders." All responses in the online voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should not be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties. LANSING, MI -- The Michigan Legislature will hold lame duck session hearings on a bill proposing drinking water standards for toxic PFAS chemicals, according to the House committee chair. Rep. Gary Howell, R-Lapeer, said the House Natural Resources Committee will seek expert testimony in mid-November on House Bill 5375, which, as written, would establish a legally enforceable hard limit of 5 parts-per-trillion (ppt) on PFAS in public drinking water. The bill was introduced in December by Rep. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids. House Democrats have pushed for movement on the legislation this year as statewide water testing has revealed a wider contamination problem than was previously thought. The latest Michigan Department of Environmental Quality data shows that more than 1.8 million people are drinking municipal water in Michigan with some level of PFAS in it, although almost all detections are below a widely-debated federal safety threshold of 70-ppt. Brinks' legislation "will be brought forward," said Howell, saying that consideration of the bill and PFAS contamination in Michigan will likely require "multiple hearings." "This is a serious issue and I'm very concerned about it," Howell said. When contacted, Brinks said it was unfortunate the legislation hadn't already been brought forward, but that she was encouraged to learn it would be happening. "I'm certainly eager to talk to (Howell) about what he'd like to cover in the committee hearing," Brinks said. "Of course, I'm pleased if he's intending to have a hearing on establishing a legally-allowable limit on PFAS in drinking water. I think it's an incredibly important first step." Brinks' bill proposes what would be the strictest MCL, or maximum contaminant level, for PFAS in drinking water anywhere in the United States. She said it was intended to "start a conversation" about proper regulatory limits on PFAS in Michigan when introduced. There are no federal regulations for any PFAS chemicals in drinking water, although some states have or are in the process of setting their own enforcable limits. In January, Michigan enshrined the Environmental Protection Agency's lifetime health advisory level of 70-ppt into state law as a groundwater cleanup criteria and has put substantial administrative weight behind the federal threshold as a state "action level" for PFAS response decision-making. Later, in July, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) published minimum risk levels used for toxic site screening that roughly translate to 7-ppt for PFOS and 11-ppt for PFOA, two of numerous PFAS compounds found in Michigan waters. Howell called it a "very complex issue." "We want to be sure that if we establish a level, that it's the right level." Howell said he wants to hear testimony from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as well as experts in academia and the wider scientific community. He said he's open to testimony from out-of-state experts and those put forward by Democrats. "I want to hear scientific testimony from as many people as possible." "We're going to draw on anybody that's got relevant scientific information, whether that be experts from Michigan State or other universities," Howell said. "Whomever I can identify who has got relevant information about PFAS, I want to hear from." Howell said "we're probably looking at several bills" to address drinking water standards for PFAS as well as issues related to site remediation and chemical storage. Howell said his committee hasn't moved on Brinks' PFAS bill since December because it has been busy on other environmental matters related to lead, asbestos and coal ash. "I think the key thing is to get into the hearings," he said. "This is a very technical issue, of what is the safe level. It's premature for me to have an absolute opinion one way or another. I don't pretend to be a scientist. But, I'm eager to learn." LANSING -The Catholic Diocese of Lansing has suspended a senior priest after it discovered a "credible allegation" of sexual assault. The diocese said in a statement that Rev. Robert Gerl will be barred from public ministry due the allegation which alleges the assault of a male several decades ago. Michigan State Police have seized Gerl's file as part of Attorney General Bill Schuette's investigation into possible sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests in Michigan, the Associated Press reported. As part of the suspension, Gerl will not be allowed to preside over mass, hear confessions, witness marriages or baptisms or anoint the sick or dying. PAXTON, IL - An Illinois overpass is being renamed in honor of three men who were killed decades ago in a shootout with a Michigan gunman. Monroe Lampkin It was April 1979 when Illinois State trooper Michael McCarter, Paxton patrolman William Caisse and passenger Donald Vice were killed when Monroe Lampkin of Union Pier opened fire south of the rural community of Paxton. Paxton patrolman Larry Hale was injured in the crossfire. The overpass along Interstate 57 where the tragic incident occurred will be dedicated Oct. 22 as the "McCarter-Caisse-Vice-Hale Memorial Overpass," the city announced. "Pretty much anybody who was involved at the time of the incident has been extended an invitation," Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold told The News-Gazette. "I think everyone in Paxton was deeply affected by this." Signs commemorating the overpass are expected to be installed on both southbound and northbound I-57 by the Illinois Department of Transportation either on the day of the event or before, the newspaper reported. The shooting occurred after McCarter pulled over three vehicles for speeding. Lampkin, who was later convicted of three counts of first-degree murder, is incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois on a life sentence. Tuesday, Oct. 9, is the deadline to register to vote in Michigan's Nov. 6 general election. Voters will be choosing the state's next governor, attorney general and secretary of state, as well as deciding on U.S. Senate, Congress and state House and Senate races. Also on the ballot: Statewide proposals on whether to legalize recreational use of marijuana; reform voting laws, and create a new system to address gerrymandering. Michigan residents can register by mail; at their county, city, or township clerk's office, or by visiting any Secretary of State branch office. Mail-in registration forms that election clerks receive after Tuesday will be accepted as long as they are postmarked by Oct. 9. The form also can be used for those who need to change their address on their voter registration. That may be particularly pertinent for college students who wish to vote in the community where they attend school. Even if you think you're not registered, you may be on the rolls already since registration typically occurs when people obtain or renew a driver's license. People can easily check online at www.michigan.gov/vote to see if and where they are registered to vote. Those who still need to register can download the registration form online from the Michigan Secretary of State website. Although the paperwork can be downloaded from the Internet, it must be submitted by mail because the form requires a signature. In addition, a first-time voters who are registering by mail must appear in person to obtain their ballot. That means, for instance, someone who registers by mail must either pick up his or her absentee ballot in person from a local election clerk or vote on Election Day. There is an exception for people who hand-deliver the registration form to a clerk's office, who are disabled or are eligible to vote through the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Information on all state and federal races and many of Michigan's county and local races for the August primary election are available on Vote411.org - the election-information website run by the League of Women Voters Michigan young adults who attend college away from home have a decision to make about their voter registration. Vote at home? Or in their college community? There are pros and cons of each. And it's a decision people need to make quick: Tuesday, Oct. 9, is the deadline for registering to vote or changing your registration address in time for the Nov. 6 general election. Registering to vote using a college address allows the person to vote in person on Election Day near their college housing. The downside: It also changes the address on one's driver's license, which can be a pain considering many college students move every year. If a college student is registered to vote in their hometown, their options for voting: Return home on Election Day. Vote in your home community on the Saturday, Nov. 3. Local election clerks are required to be open until 2 p.m. that Saturday for absentee balloting. Voters can picked up a ballot in person and fill it out on the spot. Obtain an absentee ballot between now and Monday, Nov. 5. If someone has voted in person before or registered to vote in person at a Secretary of State office or with a city or township election clerk, the ballot can be obtained by mail. First-time voters who registered by mail or at a voter-registration drive must vote in person or obtain their absentee ballot in person so the election clerk can check their identification. An absentee ballot can be returned by mail or filled out on the sport. Michigan residents can register by mail; at their county, city, or township clerk's office, or by visiting any Secretary of State branch office. Even if you think you're not registered, you may be on the rolls already since registration typically occurs when people obtain or renew a driver's license. People can easily check online at www.michigan.gov/vote to see if and where they are registered to vote. Those who still need to register can download the registration form online from the Michigan Secretary of State website. The form includes the address of where to send the form, which must be postmarked by Tuesday, Oct. 9. ALBION, MI - A sizable gift from two alumni is allowing Albion College to revamp the way it teaches pre-med and pre-health education courses. The $5.1 million gift from Lisa and James Wilson, who graduated from Albion College in 1979 and 1977, respectively, is the largest from an individual or couple in the history of the college, Albion College officials said in a news release. It facilitates the formation of the Lisa and James Wilson Institute for Medicine at the college, which will replace the college's Institute for Healthcare Professions. New courses are expected to roll out in fall 2019, according to the release. The program will provide more pertinent pre-med and pre-health coursework, which will give Albion students a competitive advantage in gaining entrance to top-tier medical schools, according to the release. The new institute for medicine will "update" undergraduate pre-med classes to keep up with changes in the medical education field, which include incorporating patient care and interaction earlier in the curriculum, the release states. This fall, 10 faculty members from the anthropology and sociology, biology, chemistry, math and computer science and physics and psychological science departments will review changes in medical school curricula and merge them, along with best practices, into new undergraduate pre-med and pre-health courses. The Wilsons' gift comes after several years of conversations between them and Albion College faculty addressing a gap that appeared to be widening in pre-med courses and medical school practices, according to the release. Bradley Rabquer, Institute for Healthcare Professions director, will assume the directorship of the Lisa and James Wilson Institute for Medicine. Rabquer, who joined Albion College in 2011, also is an adjunct research investigator for the University of Michigan's Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology Division. The Wilsons live in Philadelphia, where James Wilson is serving several appointments as professor and director for the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and Lisa Wilson, whose background is in business administration, specializes in teaching NECTAR, a restorative, nurturing yoga that assists in recovery from trauma and addiction. James Wilson also attended medical school at the University of Michigan and his wife worked as an outpatient supervisor at the University of Michigan Hospital. JACKSON, MI - Recreational marijuana could be legalized in Michigan next month, but the city of Jackson may put restrictions on what it could mean for inquiring entrepreneurs. An item on the Tuesday, Oct. 9 Jackson City Council agenda would prohibit recreational marijuana establishments in the city of Jackson. It would only be necessary if voters statewide approve the recreational marijuana proposal on Nov. 6. The council meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 161 W. Michigan Ave. For medical marijuana - which was approved by Michigan voters in 2008 - municipalities have to opt in for businesses to receive licenses to operate inside their borders. The city is not opted in to allow medical marijuana businesses. For recreational marijuana, municipalities have to opt out if they don't want such businesses allowed, per the initiative language. Types of marijuana businesses include growers, processors, transporters, dispensaries and safety compliance facilities. Three townships in Jackson County have opted in to medical marijuana businesses - Leoni, Parma and Pulaski townships - according to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Leoni Township has been the most active, approving more than 60 licenses so far. Local governments would get a chunk of the 10 percent excise tax on recreational marijuana. If the city later wanted to allow marijuana businesses in, it could repeal this ordinance change, per the council packet. The city's ordinance changes, as presented in the council agenda packet, would still allow for personal medical marijuana plant growing. It also wouldn't affect the legality of recreational marijuana use in the city - although city voters decriminalized possessing 1 ounce of marijuana or less in 2013. Last week, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted 7-1 in opposition of recreational marijuana. Other council agenda items Here's a few highlights of other items on Tuesday's City Council agenda, with the corresponding page number in the agenda packet. Jamahl Armstrong, 47. JACKSON, MI - The suspected drug dealer who led police on a chase through a high school parking lot last week was arraigned on four felony charges. Jamahl Armstrong, 47, was arraigned Friday, Oct. 5, on one felony count each of delivery of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a felon, fleeing and eluding police and assaulting or resisting police, records show. Armstrong was arrested at about 2:30 p.m., Oct. 3 in the Jackson High School parking lot after a police chase stemming from an ongoing narcotics investigation, Det. Lt. Derrick White, Jackson Narcotics Enforcement Team commander, said. JNET had been investigating the man for several months, believing him to be a large-scale methamphetamine dealer, White said. Armstrong fled police when JNET officers attempted to arrest him near First and Franklin streets, White said. Police chased the vehicle until it entered the school's east parking lot and could not get by buses waiting for students at the end of the school day, he said. He exited the vehicle and ran through the parking lot toward the school, tossing the meth as he ran until being tackled by a Jackson High School security officer, White said. Police collected the meth and fire department personnel washed down the parking lot as a safety precaution, White said. The incident had nothing to do with the high school, he said. After the arrest, police executed search warrants on two homes associated with the man, one in Jackson and the other in Summit Township, where they found more meth and two illegally-owned firearms, White said. Armstrong is scheduled for a preliminary examination, Oct. 17, before District Judge Joseph Filip. He is currently lodged in the Jackson County Jail. Armstrong was discharged from the Michigan Department of Corrections in January 2017 after serving 10 years for an assault with intent to do great bodily harm charge from Calhoun County, records show. Prior to that, he was sent to prison four other times on various assault and drug charges dating back to 1988. (Update: This story has been updated to include information on Sheriff Steven Rand's formal response to the recall) LANSING, MI - Efforts to recall Jackson County's top law enforcement officer have met a barrier. Recall language against Jackson County Sheriff Steven Rand was denied 4-0 on Tuesday, Oct. 8 by the Board of State Canvassers. Board members called the language "unspecific" and lacking supporting evidence. "If the person proposing the recall would have listed one incident with the exact wording, with documentation, that would be one thing," Vice Chairwoman Julie Matuzak said. "But this is a very broad, unspecific allegation." The recall language reads: "Sheriff Steven P. Rand is a multifaced bigot, having made numerous slurs in the presence of many individuals. Including blacks, gay's, women, Hispanics, overweight people and disabled people." Rand has been under fire since February, when a lieutenant in his office - Tommy Schuette - filed a federal lawsuit against him. Subsequent audio recordings released backed up many of Tommy Schuette's claims - with comments disparaging blacks, women, the disabled and the LGBT community, among others. Dean Schuette Sr., who filed the language for the recall, is Tommy Schuette's father and a retired Jackson Police Department detective. Schuette Sr., who worked for the Jackson Police Department for three decades, plans to tweak the language and resubmit it. "I figured this would happen," Schuette Sr. said. "We're going to stick at it, we're not going to give up, we're going to go right back at it. We'll be submitting again right away." While Rand wasn't at the meeting, a 23-page response to the recall was submitted on his behalf. It claimed the recall language was not clear or factually correct, adding that the words "slur" and "bigot" are subjective. Another hearing would be scheduled within 10 to 20 days of newly submitted recall language, per state law. Rand is also accused in the lawsuit of mocking the lieutenant for his work-related hearing loss and creating a hostile work environment. Besides the recall language, Schuette Sr. submitted a list of comments allegedly made by Rand - including comments about making a snuff film with a court employee and calling a county judge a "scatterbrained c---." Schuette Sr. has listened to the audio recordings, but said he doesn't have them available to submit as supporting evidence. To recall Rand, 13,606 signatures of registered Jackson County voters must be collected within a 60-day period in the following 180 days. A recall primary would then be scheduled during a May, August or November election - although Rand would be the automatic Republican nominee unless he chooses to withdraw. The recall general election would come at the next May or August election date. A group has been organized to collect signatures, Schuette Sr. said. He hopes to gather enough signatures by Christmas so that the recall election could take place next August. Rand was first elected sheriff in 2012. His current four-year term expires in 2020. Recall petitions cannot be filed in the final year of his term, per state law. A sheriff can only be removed by the governor or through a recall. The Jackson County Board of Commissioners asked Gov. Rick Snyder in February to remove Rand, and Snyder sent the issue to the attorney general's office for a review. That review is still ongoing. The county board also asked Rand to resign, but he's refused. While the board can't strip his pay, it did take away more than $10,000 in annual benefits - plus access to his county-owned vehicle. Schuette Sr. had hoped to avoid leading the recall campaign. However, he reached the tipping point in recent weeks after he received a complaint from a county employee who said the sheriff behaved inappropriately with a woman who visited the sheriff's office. He did not provide names. "He's just not learned from this," Schuette Sr. said. "It's time for Steve to leave. And we're going to stick at it until he's gone." KALAMAZOO, MI -- The unfinished portion of the seventh floor of the Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine will be renovated with a "substantial" grant. The undisclosed grant from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, will bring faculty, staff, laboratories and resources from the Department of Pathology together on the seventh floor of the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, according to a press release from the medical school. Doug Czajkowski, the medical school's associate dean for development, said the amount of money could not be disclosed, per foundation guidelines. A spokesperson for the Gilmore foundation could not be reached for comment. The renovations will improve efficiency, address current space constraints and provide needed growth, Founding Dean Dr. Hal Jenson said in the release. The renovation of the remainder of the seventh floor is "imperative to support the services and continuing development of the Department of Pathology," Jenson said. "This work directly benefits the community by enhancing the scale and scope of services that our department faculty and staff provide to residents of Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan." The construction is expected to begin later this year and be complete by mid-2019, the release said. Czajkowski said in the release that funding from community partners like the Gilmore foundation is "key to the medical school's ability to grow and mature." "While WMed is healthy, it is lean and coping with extensive growth demands," Czajkowski said. "Support from the community will enable WMed to overcome growth constraints while enhancing the region economically, augmenting the clinical services provided by our hospital partners, and building financial strength to sustain the medical school well into the future." The department includes 19 faculty members and is "regarded for its advanced science, research presence, scope of practice and a commitment to teaching and improving health through advanced forensic pathology," the release said. The department is also a part of ongoing efforts to address infant mortality and provides services to Kalamazoo and 10 other Michigan counties through the Office of the Medical Examiner and Forensic Services. This department provides diagnostic services that aid in combating the opioid crisis, the release said. KALAMAZOO, MI -- Democratic congressional candidate Matt Longjohn pushed back against claims that his use of "M.D." and "Dr." in campaign materials while not being licensed to practice medicine is misleading. Yard signs, flyers and other campaign materials for Longjohn include the initials "M.D." and a heartbeat EKG to highlight his education and expertise, he said, not to make voters think he is licensed to treat patients in Michigan. Longjohn held a press conference in Kalamazoo Monday, where he showed reporters his medical degree and rebuffed claims that he is on shaky legal footing. "In this campaign, at no time ... am I wearing a white coat or a stethoscope," Longjohn said. "I have made clear to all who have come to campaign events, or to folks that I am talking to over the phone, that I cannot offer medical advice as a licensed practitioner. When folks have asked me to do so, I've declined to do so and made sure they understood the difference between a public health official and a medical official." Longjohn, who is from Portage, is a former YMCA national health director. He gave up that job to hold Upton "accountable" for his support of the House Republican-backed American Health Care Act, which would have increased costs for people with pre-existing conditions. Longjohn earned his medical degree from Tulane University in 1999, then participated in Northwestern University's Internal Medicine residency program. He was issued a temporary license to practice medicine in Illinois during that residency, which ended in 2001. He decided to leave clinical medicine after his residency, Longjohn said, believing he could have a greater impact on health outcomes through informing policy decisions. Longjohn never held another license and was never licensed to practice medicine in Michigan. A complaint was filed with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on Oct. 4. The complaint will be reviewed to determine whether an investigation is necessary, a LARA staff member said Monday. Longjohn said LARA had not contacted him as of Monday. The Michigan Public Health Code states a person who is not licensed with the state cannot use an insignia, title or other designation to "induce the belief" that they are "lawfully entitled to practice a health profession." Longjohn said he did not consult with an attorney before deciding to use "M.D." on campaign signs. Still, he is confident that he is not violating the health code, based on another section of the law which states a person can use titles, letters or phrases "for the purpose of identifying the individual as having completed or attained specific training." Seven practicing and retired doctors from Southwest Michigan defended Longjohn, saying he has the right to call himself a doctor. "This is just the norm," said Dr. Eric Lester, a St. Joseph oncologist. "There are lots of people with M.D.'s who don't see patients on a daily basis and they identify as 'doctor.'" Longjohn said his campaign materials are meant to indicate he is qualified to discuss healthcare. He said the law is meant to prevent people from soliciting patients without a license, not advertise their education. "When we see signs on the street for my campaign, it doesn't say 'Matt Longjohn, MD, come on in and get a physical exam,'" he said. "It says 'Matt Longjohn, M.D. for Congress.' I'm running for Congress to improve the health and quality of life for as many people as possible." Upton originally came out against the GOP health care legislation for allowing states to waive preexisting conditions as part of essential benefits. Upton supported the bill after House leadership agreed to his amendment to make $8 billion available in states that seek waivers. Upton is a critic of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Longjohn is pushing a narrative that three decades in Washington has made Upton numb to the needs of everyday voters. He entered the race to provide a "sharp contrast" to Upton and seeks to make healthcare a central issue in the campaign. Longjohn characterized the criticism against him as a "Trump-like smear" coordinated by Upton's campaign. He compared it to how President Donald Trump questioned the validity of former President Barack Obama's birth certificate. Last week, Upton campaign manager Nate Henschel said Longjohn violated state law through a "deceptive" campaign that sought to "hype" his background. An Upton spokesperson said the campaign became aware of the issue after an Oct. 3 article published by the Michigan Information & Research Service. The campaign was not responsible for filing an Oct. 4, the spokesperson said. Longjohn has referred to himself as a doctor and physician in interviews, advertisements and public forums. In interviews, he has used the phrase "as a doctor" and discussed being in emergency rooms during his residency. In a July advertisement, Longjohn diagnoses the state of Washington D.C. while examining an X-ray of Capitol Hill. "It's a brand," Longjohn said. "This race is often understood to be about healthcare. National media has put this district on the map as one of the most important healthcare policy battleground districts in the country." Voters in Michigan's 6th District will choose between Upton and Longjohn on Nov. 6. Upton has served 16 consecutive terms since he was first elected in 1986. He was first elected to Michigan's 4th Congressional District, later becoming the 6th District's congressman after its boundary was redrawn prior to the 1992 election. FRANKENMUTH, MI -- The founder of a Michigan museum for military heroes and astronauts lived by three words: honor, respect and remember. "Those three words were very important to him," said John Ryder, executive director of Michigan Heroes Museum. Stanley "Stan" Bozich founded the museum in 1976. It features visuals and memorabilia from Michigan heroes from as far back as the Civil War and as modern as NASA's space flights. Bozich died on Sunday, Oct. 7. He was 83. "Stan was a super, kind gentleman," Ryder said. "A little rough exterior but that was because he was such a kind guy inside. Once you've earned his trust he would do anything for you." Bozich's death was announced on the museum's Facebook page in a lengthy post outlining his life and accomplishments, most of which centered around honoring those who have served and continue to serve the United States. "He held a deep, deep respect for people who served," said Sen. Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth. "He had great respect for people in the military and law enforcement." Bozich served his country in the U.S. Navy in 1951-55 during the Korean War and his community as a firefighter in Royal Oak until he retired in 1987, Ryder said. The museum, formerly named Michigan's Military and Space Heroes Museum, moved into its 1250 Weiss address in Frankenmuth in 1990. "That museum would clearly not exist if it was not for Stan," Horn said. Bozich oversaw operations at the museum every day until he began suffering from declining health. "Up until he had a stroke several years ago," Ryder said. In a 2011 interview with The Saginaw News, Bozich said, "I'll keep doing this until I drop dead." "He was all about the museum," Horn said. "By sheer force and will he grew that museum with his own hands." Ryder, who has been leading the museum for five years now, said his staff is trying to build the museum into what Bozich dreamed that it could be. "His footprint is all over this museum," Ryder said, before circling back to the three words that drove Bozich's mission for the museum. "A place to honor, respect and remember all of Michigan's veterans by telling the stories of a few." Shortly after selling for $1.4 million, a piece of Banksy art self-destructed and left those in attendance at the London-based auction shocked and confused. Perhaps even more head-scratching is the fact that some art-market watchers are saying the piece could be worth more in its shredded state, according to the Associated Press. The piece by the unidentified British street artist ran itself through a shredder that was built into its frame after an alarm sounded and was left dangling in strips from the base. Banksy confirmed on social media that the self-destruction of the spray-painted canvas "Girl With Balloon" was a ruse that had been in the works for some time. So Banksy put a video on Instagram and deleted it almost immediately about the whole shredder in the painting. I screen recorded it for anyone who missed it! pic.twitter.com/uryPvP21ge Zoe Smith (@zoelouisesmithx) October 6, 2018 -- Alex Branczik, head of contemporary European art at the Sotheby's in London auction house, told A.P. that "it appears we just got Banksy-ed." The auction house is reportedly working everything out with the unidentified buyer. "We have not experienced this situation in the past, where a painting spontaneously shredded upon achieving a record (selling price) for the artist," Branczik told the news organization. "We are busily figuring out what this means in an auction context." The auction house's spokesperson confirmed to A.P. that Sotheby's was absolutely in the dark on the planned shredding. In its description leading into the auction, Sotheby's wrote that the frame was an "integral element" chosen by the artist. Banksy was named one of Time's 100 most influential people back in 2010, and he has continued to travel the world with his art for decades now. He has somehow never revealed his identity since he started spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England. As the news organization notes, some of his most notable pranks include hanging an image of an ancient human pushing a shopping cart in the British Museum that stayed for days before being noticed and smuggling a life-sized figure of a Guantanamo Bay prisoner into Disneyland. More than six years after the Voyager 1 probe entered interstellar space, NASA is saying that the Voyager 2 spacecraft is showing "an increase in cosmic rays that originate outside our solar system." The U.S. space agency says the probe has been moving through the outermost layer of the heliosphere since 2007. The heliosphere is described as the "vast bubble around the Sun and the planets dominated by solar material and magnetic fields." NASA estimates that Voyager 2 has traveled about 11 billion miles from Earth since it launched in 1977. That figure is equal to about 118 times the difference the Earth to its Sun. Voyager 1 is the only vehicle enter interstellar space, while Voyager 2 is the only to pass Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. In the past 40 years, the probes have been responsible for discovering the first active super volcano off of our planet, the most Earth-like atmosphere in the solar system and by being able to survive the radiated environment of Jupiter. Both spacecrafts are said to be loaded with photos, messages and other documentation of Earth in what could "one day be the only traces of human civilization." One of those items is a Golden Record, which NASA says is a representation of life here on Earth. The vinyl set NASA released honoring the 40th anniversary of the Voyager launch won the Grammy for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. -- "Voyager scientists have been watching for the spacecraft to reach the outer boundary of the heliosphere, known as the heliopause," NASA reports in a news release on its website. "Once Voyager 2 exits the heliosphere, it will become the second human-made object, after Voyager 1, to enter interstellar space. "Since late August, the Cosmic Ray Subsystem instrument on Voyager 2 has measured about a 5 percent increase in the rate of cosmic rays hitting the spacecraft compared to early August. The probe's Low-Energy Charged Particle instrument has detected a similar increase in higher-energy cosmic rays." On top of all of this, NASA has said in the past that it takes a staffer with "1970s design experience" to be able to understand either of the twin Voyager spacecrafts. The space agency notes that while Voyager 2 is showing signs it is about to exit the heliosphere, the probe is in a different location than Voyager 1 was when when it made its departure. "The fact that Voyager 2 may be approaching the heliopause six years after Voyager 1 is also relevant, because the heliopause moves inward and outward during the Sun's 11-year activity cycle," NASA explains in a news release. "Solar activity refers to emissions from the Sun, including solar flares and eruptions of material called coronal mass ejections." Carry on, my wayward twin. Voyager 2 is seeing an uptick in cosmic rays as I did on my way to interstellar space: https://t.co/NYHHNDWnND pic.twitter.com/SEQ1taWHph NASA Voyager (@NASAVoyager) October 5, 2018 -- Posted on: October 8, 2018 1:48 PM The global Anglican mission agency Mothers Union has elected Sheran Harper as its new Worldwide President the first person from outside the British Isles to hold the position. Mrs Harper, from Guyana, part of the Anglican Church in the Province of the West Indies, will represent and lead the 142 year old movements four million members in 84 countries from January next year when she takes over from Lynne Tembey, who steps down in December. I am delighted to accept the role of Worldwide President for the new triennium, Harper said. I feel very excited and privileged and I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our members who voted to make this dream a reality. Mothers Union is as relevant today as it was 142 years ago as the call to support families globally is now even greater. We are working alongside governments and other organisations in tackling issues which affect families wherever they are. In remote areas, where there is no access to social services, it is often Mothers Union that is leading the way. Born in the United Kingdom, Harper grew up in Guyana where she studied at the University of the West Indies School of Physical Therapy. She undertook her Clinical Practice at Guys Hospital in London and then worked with the Ministry of Health in Guyana where she opened and managed new physiotherapy departments in hospitals throughout the country and lectured on the rehabilitation therapists programme. She stopped working in this area 17 years ago to focus on her calling of serving Mothers Union. She has served as a volunteer at all levels from parish, diocese and province and is currently a Worldwide Trustee. Until recently, she was the worldwide parenting trainer where she rolled out Mothers Union parenting programmes in 23 countries across the globe. Her expertise is often called upon and she has been a spokesperson in her region for Mothers Union on various interfaith, and international panels and forums. She has been married to Roger Harper for 31 years and the couple have two grown up sons, Richard and Reginald. Harpers election was announced by Mothers Union Chief Executive, Bev Jullien during a Facebook Live session at 12.15pm GMT today (Monday). In addition to Mrs Harper, Mothers Union members also elected 11 trustees five from the Provinces within Britain and Ireland; and six from the rest of the world. In addition to the first non-British Worldwide President, the ballots also saw the election of the Mothers Unions first male trustee: Paul Hindle, representing Scotland. Mothers Union Chief Executive, Bev Jullien, announced the election results on Facebook Live video. Photo: Mothers Union on Facebook We are extremely excited with the results, Jullien said. Not only will Sheran bring her global expertise, but we have a Board that is rich in diversity with eight different nationalities and also for the first time includes a man. The election took place under new constitutional arrangements, overseen by Tembey. Operating around the globe, the Mothers Union is a British registered charity established through a Royal Charter an ancient legal structure overseen by the Privy Council. The Privy Council, the highest level of the British Government responsible for matters reserved to the Monarch, approved the new constitution when it met in April this year, chaired by Queen Elizabeth. I thank God for his abundant blessings and his unfailing loving guidance, Tembey said. I pray that the Lord will continue to guide members and leaders everywhere and especially Sheran and the new Worldwide Board as they take up leadership of the Worldwide Mothers Union for the coming three years. Sheran Harper (right) facilitating Mothers Union Parenting training in Argentina. Photo: Mothers Union Under the new constitution, the board has the flexibility to appoint four trustees with specific skills to compliment the experience and expertise of the elected members. The newly elected and re-elected international trustees are: Roshini Mendis (Sri Lanka), representing Zone A (Korea, Myanmar, North India, South India, Sri Lanka); Kathleen Snow (Canada), representing Zone B (Brazil, Canada, South America, USA, West Indies); Libbie Crossman (Australia), representing Zone C (Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia, Australia,Melanesia, Papua New Guinea); Mary Muchai (Kenya), representing Zone D (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Jerusalem and The Middle East); Thembsie Mchunu (South Africa), representing Zone E (Central Africa, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Southern Africa); and Marie-Pierrette Bezara (Madagascar), representing Zone F (Burundi, Congo, Indian Ocean, Rwanda, West Africa). The newly elected and re-elected British Isles trustees are: Nikki Sweatman (Canterbury); Catherine Hilton (York); June Butler (All Ireland); Paul Hindle (Scotland); and Jenny Barton (Wales). Watch the announcement of the election results: Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 8) Tickets for Andrew Lloyd Weber's acclaimed masterpiece "The Phantom of the Opera" are out. The hit musical will return for its Philippine run from February 20 to March 17, 2019 in the Theater at Solaire, Paranaque City. Ticket prices are as follows: Weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) VIP: 7,250 Price Zone A: 5,850 Price Zone B: 4,800 Price Zone C: 3,800 Price Zone D: 2,250 Weekdays (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) VIP: 6,500 Price Zone A: 5,500 Price Zone B: 4,500 Prize Zone C: 3,500 Price Zone D: 1,900 This is the second time the show will perform in the country after its run in 2012 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. "The Phantom of the Opera" is Broadway's longest-running production in history. It celebrated its 30th year on January 24, 2018. It has won several theater awards including four Olivier awards, one for Best Musical, and seven Tony awards. Described as a "romantic tragedy", the show is known for its songs, " The Music of the Night", "All I Ask of You", Think of Me", and "The Phantom of the Opera." Tickets are available at ticketworld.com Saudi Arabia, the second largest producer of crude oil to world, faced an attack on its oil infrastructure facilities on September 14, which caused a sharp increase in fuel prices. Do you know where petrol prices were the highest? Here's a list of the countries where petrol is the cheapest and most expensive. (Note: All price comparisons are on rupee terms only. Global rates as of September, 16 2019 - Image: Reuters) Brent crude oil prices fell more than 1 percent on Monday after Washington said it may grant waivers to sanctions against Iran's oil exports next month, and as Saudi Arabia was said to be replacing any potential shortfall from Iran. International benchmark Brent crude oil futures were at $83.26 per barrel at 0352 GMT, down 90 cents, or 1.1 percent, from their last close. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 54 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $73.80 a barrel. US sanctions will target Iran's crude oil exports from November 4, and Washington has been putting pressure on governments and companies worldwide to cut their imports to zero. However, a US government official said on Friday that the country could consider exemptions for nations that have already shown efforts to reduce their imports of Iranian oil. In a sign that Iran oil exports won't fall to nothing from November, India will buy 9 million barrels of Iranian crude next month, Reuters reported on Friday. Hedge funds cut their bullish wagers on US crude in the latest week to the lowest level in nearly a year, data showed on Friday. Traders said ongoing concerns that the US-Chinese trade war could slow down economic growth also weighed on crude on Monday. China's stocks fell sharply on Monday despite an announcement from Beijing over the weekend that it would slash the level of cash that banks must hold as reserves, a sign of underlying investor anxiety over the heated Sino-US trade war. Further weighing on oil prices was "chatter that Saudi Arabia has replaced all of Iran's lost oil", said Stephen Innes, head of trading for Asia-Pacific at futures brokerage Oanda in Singapore. But Innes warned that limited spare production to deal with further supply disruptions meant "the capacity is quickly declining due to Asia's insatiable demand". The US oil drilling rig count fell for a third consecutive week, as rising costs and pipeline bottlenecks have hindered new drilling since June. Drillers cut two oil rigs in the week to October 5, bringing the total count down to 861, energy services firm Baker Hughes said in its weekly report on Friday. That is the longest streak of weekly cuts since October last year. With Iran sanctions still on the table, potential spare capacity constraints and also a slowdown in US drilling, US bank J.P.Morgan said in its latest cross-asset outlook for clients that it recommended to "stay long Jan '19 WTI on supply risks to crude". The discounts the e-commerce firms offering under sales such as Big Billion Days and the Great Indian Festival are exciting consumers but conventional traders are opposing such discounts. Traders' body CAIT last week urged the government to bring an Anti-Predatory Pricing Act to regulate and monitor e-commerce business in India. The trader's body further said that various discounts being offered by e-commerce retailers in their respective different festival sales are nothing but predatory pricing adopted by these sellers. It shows that instead of B2B they are indulged into B2C sales, which they are not allowed to do and is contrary to FDI policy of the government, the Confederation of All India Traders said. It is high time that government should bring an Anti-Predatory Pricing Act to check such menace of e-retailers, the trader's body demanded. Listening to their appeal, the corporate affairs ministry set up a 10-member panel last week to examine steep discounts in online retailing, reports The Mint. Also, e-tailers access to dealership from manufacturers and whether they are subject to any restrictions. In March 2016, 100 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) was allowed in online retailing of goods and services. The move was to validate existing businesses of e-commerce companies operating in India. But Retailers Association of India (RAI) and the All India Footwear Manufacturers and Retailers Association (AIFMRA) in 2015 argued this in the Delhi High Court. According to them, e-commerce firms had undue advantage due to the FDI as they could offer huge discounts to the consumers. They also said that giving such discounts is not possible for traditional retailers. This year in August when companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm Mall were advertising big discounts, Competition Commission of India (CCI) raised objections. It had also said that Flipkart and Amazon are running foul of current FDI rules that forbid discounting. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The Supreme Court order on Essar Steel has inadvertently added to the uncertainty around the stressed steelmakers asset, with neither of the two main bidders Numetal and ArcelorMittal showing its hand even after a week of the new development. In its order on October 4, the Court asked Numetal and ArcelorMittal to pay off dues to be eligible to bid for Essar Steel, which has outstanding debts of Rs 49,000 crore. But the silence from the two sides has given rise to several theories on possible next steps, including increasing murmurs for fresh bids that would interest at least one company JSW Steel. The final decision though may depend on the Committee of Creditors, which consists of Essar Steels lenders. Both were found to be ineligible according to Clause 29A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, barring promoters of defaulting companies from bidding for stressed assets. Rewant Ruia, whose firm paid the earnest money for Numetal, is the son of Essar co-founder Ravi Ruia. In the case of ArcelorMittal, it was found to be a shareholder in Uttam Galva Steels and KSS Petron, both defaulters. Numetal now needs to pay off the dues. The actual dues could be even more if one adds the outstanding loans of other Essar entities that are facing insolvency proceedings, said an executive from the industry. But its unlikely that Numetal will agree to pay such a huge amount unless it is assured that Essar Steel will be taken off the insolvency proceedings, said another executive from the industry. There is also little clarity on the final bill for ArcelorMittal. Though the worlds largest steelmaker has parked Rs 7,000 crore in an SBI account showing its intent to pay off dues of Uttam Galva and KSS Petron the final amount may be significantly higher. The company declined to comment. Both the companies are expected to write to the CoC in the coming days and take a decision. VTB Bank as sole bidder Reports on Monday suggested VTB Bank, the largest shareholder in Numetal, may opt to go it all alone. This comes after the bank Chairman Andrey Kostin last week said the VTB continues to be interested in Essar Steel. He was in Delhi as part of the India-Russia summit. But that may not be possible, say sources. The Russian government owns 60 percent in VTB. It is against the grain of the bank to bid for a company all by itself. It is more like a financier, said a source. Fresh rounds The uncertainty around responses from Numetal and ArcelorMittal has led to talks on fresh rounds of bids. If neither of the company clears the dues, then that leaves Vedanta in the race. After ArcelorMittal offer of Rs 42,000 crore, the lenders wont be satisfied with a Rs 34,000-crore bid, which is Vedantas, said one of the executives quoted above. If the CoC does call for new bids, Sajjan Jindals JSW Steel will be among the interested companies. While it is also in the race for Bhushan Power & Steel, Jindal is keen to make up for losing out in the Bhushan Steel auction to Tata Steel. If it comes to it, the company would need to choose between bidding for Essar Steel, or Bhushan Power & Steel. Bidding for both would put a lot of stress on its books, said an executive. Divis Laboratories Ltd. | The companys profit margin in September 2020 quarter stood at 29.95 percent as against 25.13 percent in September 2019. In FY21 so far, the stock price has risen 69 percent to Rs 3366.05 on November 12, 2020, from Rs 1987.55 on March 31, 2020. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The mass exodus of fear-gripped North Indian migrant workers from Gujarat, in the wake of threats and attacks, may create problems for the pharma industry. Several incidents of violent attacks have been reported with troublemakers targeting migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Most of the incidents were reported in districts of Gandhinagar, Mehsana, Sabarkantha and Aravalli after the alleged rape of a 14-month-old child by a migrant worker. The accused, a 19-year-old from Bihar, was arrested and lodged in Himmatnagar sub-jail in Gujarat. The Gujarat government said it has beefed up security and ordered the arrest of miscreants responsible for attacks and rumour-mongering on social media. The state police chief Shivanand Jha said the security of areas inhabited by non-Gujaratis, and the factories where they work has been increased. Hundreds of people were taken into custody and dozens of cases were also slapped against them. A hub Gujarat is the manufacturing hub for pharmaceuticals, housing over 3,300 manufacturing units, including some of the large drug makers such as Sun Pharma, Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Cadila Healthcare and Intas, contributing around 28 percent of India's pharmaceutical exports. Pharma companies in Gujarat hire migrant workers from North India in large numbers through labour contractors on a temporary basis, especially for semi-skilled jobs like fitters, electricians, helpers, cleaners and security guards, among others. Pharmaceuticals companies Moneycontrol spoke to said there isn't any impact on production at their plants, as the unrest is confined to certain pockets of the state. Ahmedabad-based Torrent Pharmaceuticals, one of India's largest drugmaker said it's business as usual at its plants in Gujarat. One of the company's large active pharmaceutical ingredient facility located in Indrad in Mehsana district. The spokesperson said Gujarat has been always welcoming to migrant workers from across India. Some of them have been working here for 20-30 years. The current unrest is limited to certain rural pockets, and the government and police are taking action to bring things under control. S Srinivasan, Managing Trustee of Locost said the migrant labour employed in the pharma industry is much lesser than other industries like diamond cutting and ceramic. "There is no impact," Srinivasan said. Locost runs a manufacturing plant in Vadodara in Gujarat. Another executive on condition of anonymity told that Gujarat has a reputation of the business-friendly state, it's unfortunate that a case of crime has been turned into a local versus non-local issue for obvious political reasons. "The state should punish people perpetrating this," the executive added. Giant 9-ton aluminium ingots are seen at the Rusal Sayanogorsk aluminium smelter outside the Siberian town of Sayanogorsk, Russia, March 15, 2017. Picture taken March 15, 2017. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin - RTX3196N live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Indian aluminium makers including Hindalco Industries and Vedanta Ltd are boosting sales to Japan as US sanctions against Russia's Rusal and import tariffs shake up traditional supply routes. India's product has generally not been regarded as high enough quality by Japan's demanding buyers, who have preferred top-tier producers like Rio Tinto, Alcoa and South32 as well as United Company Rusal. However, imports of aluminium ingot from India doubled in the first eight months of 2018 from a year ago, Japanese trade data shows, while imports of alloy - which include higher-value products - surged 11-fold off a tiny base. "Because of the sanctions, consumers would like to ensure some security of supply, so they'd like to prefer multiple suppliers instead of one supplier," Samir Cairae, chief executive of Vedanta's diversified metals business in India, told Reuters. The increased trade is a blow to Rusal, the world's second-biggest aluminium maker, which accounted for about 20 percent of Japan's imports of both aluminium ingot and alloy in 2017, but which has been hit by U.S. sanctions. Customers globally have had to scramble to find alternative sources of metal even after the United States eased sanctions restrictions for some customers, and they were likely to permanently diversify supply chains, said a source at a Japanese trading house. "Many of their customers are reluctant to order the same amount of supplies that they have bought in past years for next year even if the U.S. sanctions are lifted," the trader said. Japanese trading houses such as Mitsubishi Corp have been aggressively importing supplies from India as well as other countries to help customers diversify supply, trading sources said. Mitsubishi declined to comment. Products from India are mainly refined ingots rather than value-added products such as billets and slabs, said a second trading house source. Substitute material for Rusal's higher quality products has come from the Middle East and Malaysia. However, Indian metal was winning growing acceptance and was also being sold at a discount to traditional suppliers. "Japanese buyers are getting Indian metal for cheap," the source said. IMPORTS SWELL Japan took 59,545 tonnes of aluminium ingot in the eight months to March, double a year ago, while material from Russia fell 21 pct to 175,694 tonnes, Japanese trade data showed. Imports of aluminium alloy from India jumped to 3,008 tonnes over the same period, while Russian imports fell 10 percent to 185,685 tonnes. The U.S. trade actions - 10 percent import tariffs on the light metal from March and sanctions against Rusal from April - sent shockwaves through the market, boosting aluminium prices to seven-year highs and pushing up costs to obtain physical metal in the U.S. domestic market. "Stronger U.S. premiums have become incentives for smelters in Australia, which is exempted from the duties, to ship more products to the United States," said a third trader, who saw Indian products filling the supply gap left by Rusal in Asia. Vedanta, India's largest producer of aluminium, sees a big opportunity in Asia including Japan and Korea. Cairae said the company is focusing on ramping up exports of its value-added products such as billets, which can be used in the transport, construction and packaging industries, and wire rods. Hindalco did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ever wondered how life would turn out if you did somethings differently. While hindsight leaves much to be desired, check out these 10 missed opportunities that could have changed the course of history. Excite could have purchased Google for $7,50,000 | Back in 1999, founders of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, decided to offer their then-nascent company to Excite, one of the most widely recognised online portals of the 90s, for $1 million. CEO George Bell wasn't too excited about the deal, even after the duo brought down their asking price to $7,50,000. Today, with a market cap of $367.6 billion, Google has become one of the biggest tech companies and is synonymous with search, while Excite slowly dwindled in its shadow. - Source: The Ladders (Image: Reuters) Microsoft made Yahoo an offer of a lifetime | In 2008, Redmond-headquartered Microsoft sought to acquire Yahoo, who was treading the high waters with services including Yahoo Mail, Search, Finance among others, for a whopping $45 billion. The Gates-backed company proposed to purchase all shares of Yahoo at a 62 percent premium from their stock's closing price at the time. Needless to say, Yahoo denied the offer. Fast forward eight years and Yahoo sold its core internet operations and land holdings to Verizon Communications for a mere $4.8 billion. - Source: The Ladders (Image: Reuters) AOL & Time Warner merger | In January 2000, the largest merger in American business history was announced when America Online (AOL) joined hands with Time Warner in a deal collectively valued at $350 billion. The merger was set to vaporise mainstream media business models with the power of the internet. However, it left behind a decade-long trail which included decimation of retirement accounts, investigations by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, loss of countless jobs among others. The two companies parted ways in December 2009. Today, the combined market cap of the two separated companies is about one-fifth of their worth on the day of the merger. - Source: The New York Times. (Image: Reuters) Kodak revolutionised camera game, but didn't go digital | Kodak's biggest failure came on the heels of its greatest creation - the digital camera. In a New York Times article, Steve Sasson, the Kodak engineer who invented the first digital camera in 1975, described the corporate response to his creation as, "But it was filmless photography, so managements reaction was, thats cutebut dont tell anyone about it." In 2007, they did decide to venture in the now well established digital market with a Kodak wasnt going to play grab a** anymore campaign. However, the company's inability to recognise digital photography as a disruptive technology for decades paved the way for its bankruptcy in 2012. Even today, Kodak largely focuses on manufacturing ink cartridges and photo paper. - Source: Forbes. (Image: Reuters) Blockbuster blocked the Netflix deal | In 2000, when Reed Hastings offered his new startup Netflix for $50 million to the American-based home movie and video game provider, Blockbuster, CEO John Antioco wrote off the proposition as a "very small niche business". The words haunt him to this day as Netflix today is worth $141.9 billion, while Blockbuster ceased operations in 2013. - Source: Business Insider (Image: Reuters) Western Union thought telegram was the way to go | Back in the late 1800s, Western Union with its renowned telegram service was ruling the telecommunications industry. In 1876, they were approached by Alexander Graham Bell, who had recently invented and patented the first telephone. Bell and his cohorts offered to sell the patents to Western Union for $100,000, but they said no, believing that the public would never choose telephones over telegram. After realising their blunder, they hired Thomas Edison to recreate the telephone. This resulted in a lengthy lawsuit, which settled with Western Union agreeing to pull out of the telephone market. Bell went on to pioneer the industry, as his broken up "Baby Bells" including AT&T, Alcatel-Lucent, Verizon and Qwest continue to drive the American telecom market. - Source: The Guardian. (Image: Reuters) Motorola waited too long | With a worldwide market share of 22 percent, Motorola was one of the biggest mobile phone manufacturers in the mid-2000s. However, their lack of interest or complacency in entering the smartphone market (not manufacturing one until 2010), came in as a major blow. Shares of the company plunged from $72 in February 2006 to $12 three years later. After suffering a loss of $4.3 billion between 2007 and 2009, the company disjointed into two separate autonomous companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions in 2011. - Source: Finance Monthly. (Image: Reuters) The man who sold the golden Apple for pocket change | There is a reason why little is known about the third co-founder of Apple, Ronald Wayne. The third wheel of the now trillion dollar company was brought in as an adult supervisor by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who were 25 and 21 at the time. Wayne is believed to have drafted the first agreement and designed the first logo of the company. However, after realising that the financial burden if the company fails would fall on him, as the two Steves were broke, he decided to part ways, selling his 10 percent shares back to his co-founders for $800. Today, 10 percent stake in Apple would be worth more than $100 billion. - Source: CNBC (Image: Reuters) business Editor's Take | MCA strikes off names of 1.8 million KYC non-complaint directors Sakshi Batra gets in conversation with Moneycontrol Deputy Executive Editor, Gaurav Choudhury to know why the government has struck down the names of 1.8 million directors. Representative image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Goa Carbon, the second largest manufacturer of calcined petroleum coke (CPC) in India, delivered a weak set of Q2 FY19 earnings on account of a plant shutdown caused by unavailability of petcoke. On July 26, the Supreme Court ordered a ban on import and use of petcoke as fuel, exempting only a few industries. On account of this, capacity utilisation, order inflow and margin have been impacted. The management is hopeful of gaining exemption for the calcination industry, but this would be clarified at the October 9 hearing. Weak Q2 FY19 earnings Source: Company Sales contracted 25 percent year-on-year (YoY) and 9 percent sequentially to Rs 113 crore. Operations were severely impacted by plant shutdowns (Goa plant: 42 days, Bilaspur: 92 days and Paradeep: 19 days) on account of limited orders and raw material sourcing. While this caused a volume decline, production value per tonne available for July and August suggest there was a decline in realisations as well (around 7 percent quarter-on-quarter). Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin was impacted on account of higher operating cost. On the raw material front, benefit from inventory was largely neutralised by the need to opt for higher priced imports. Management cautious The management said that while it has about Rs 100 crore in orders and would be able to fulfil those orders given the inventory, it is circumspect about the guidance. The company is hopeful of a positive outcome from the October 9 hearing in the Supreme Court as the petcoke is used as feedstock in the industry and not as fuel. Earlier this year, the management of Rain Industries said the CPC industry would receive an exemption as petcoke usage is less polluting and used only as feedstock (not as a fuel which is a more polluting). It also acknowledged in its last quarterly call that it has sufficient inventory till September. This also means that if the court ruling is not favourable, operations would also be impacted from October onwards. Follow @AnubhavSays live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Infrastructure and construction companies in Gujarat could face manpower shortage in the short-term after thousands of migrant labourers left the state fearing retaliatory attacks. The attacks come after a toddler was allegedly raped by a Bihari migrant last week. Thousands of workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal are said to have left the state in haste. There were unconfirmed reports of attacks on migrants in cities like Ahmedabad. The impact will be in the form of production losses since companies will have to rely on existing workers to complete the work. Depending on the type of industry, absence of labour leads to production loss of 300-400 units of any product on a single day. "Several workers migrated to Gujarat because such talent was either unavailable locally, or the locals were uninterested in taking up these positions. Hopefully, this situation will ease away quickly," said Rituparna Chakraborty, senior vice president of TeamLease Services. A quick resolution will be the key as this is the festive season, and production will be in full swing across the manufacturing sector. Human resource officials said that companies will have to quickly look for replacements while trying to dissuade other workers from leaving the state. Typically, the core shop-floor jobs are done by migrant workers from other states, predominantly from north India. In sectors like construction, sudden absence of workers would mean a delay in projects that would impact all other allied sectors. Aditya Narayan Mishra, CEO, CIEL HR Services said that the sense of panic spread across workers may have led to a large number of workers rushing out. "While this is a temporary issue, since production is at its peak in October companies will face an impact," he added. Mishra said that companies will also try to assuage concerns of the migrant workers to ensure that the remaining workers do not leave. He said that usually the supervisors at the large manufacturing companies are from the same region as the workers, so that they are comfortable at the shopfloor. Human resource officials also told Moneycontrol that the companies are currently engaging with the state government and police forces to ensure safety of the workers at their factories and manufacturing facilities. Also, measures are being taken to contact those who have left for their native places and convince them to come back. India hopes to secure a waiver from US sanctions on Iran before they take effect on November 4, as it had significantly cut Iranian oil imports before the deadline, officials said on Monday. The US is imposing new sanctions on Iran's oil industry after Washington withdrew from a nuclear deal between Tehran and other global powers. Washington said on Friday it was considering waivers for nations that were reducing imports of Iranian oil. The announcement, the first indication Washington was considering such waivers, followed a Reuters report that India planned to lift some Iranian oil in November although it has been cutting back on Iranian imports recent months. India has cut back on Iranian crude imports in recent months but plans to lift some oil in November Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters that New Delhi was discussing the issue of a waiver "with all the authorities concerned." "We have to fulfil our domestic requirements," Pradhan said, confirming the plan to buy some Iranian crude after US sanctions kick in. India, Iran's No.2 oil client behind China, does not recognise the US sanctions. But New Delhi needs a waiver to ensure its wider exposure to the US financial system is not affected. India has been curtailing oil imports from Iran since September. India would lift 9 million barrels of Iranian oil in November, equivalent to about 300,0000 barrels per day (bpd), compared to an average of about 658,000 bpd from April to August, according to data available with Reuters. "It has been quite a tough process to negotiate," said Sanjay Sudhir, a joint secretary handling international cooperation in the Oil Ministry, in reference to efforts to diversify supplies and reduce Iranian imports. "We were trying to balance our relationship with the US and Iran, at the same time keeping our energy and security interest in mind," he added. India had diversified its oil supplies to cushion the impact of sanctions, he said. He said Indian refiners had started importing oil from the United States but purchases were constrained by US infrastructure. "As US infrastructure improves, India has a potential to lift more," he said. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in New Delhi that the US administration acknowledged some buyers of Iranian oil would take a "little bit of time" to unwind their trade with Iran. "We expect the global leadership to acknowledge India's need for Iran's oil," Pradhan said, adding that he wanted major oil producers like Saudi Arabia to raise production. Pradhan said he had spoken to Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih two day earlier about the June decision by OPEC and major oil producers to add 1 million bpd to the oil market. "Oil should not only be priced from a producers' point of view consumers interest should also be taken care of," he said. Some Indian refiners recently made payments for Iranian oil in rupees, and could use the same mechanism in future to settle trade with Tehran if no other alternatives were found, state-run Indian Oil Company (IOC) Chairman Sanjiv Singh said. Iran's oil minister said that the market will never believe "exaggerated" claims by Saudi Arabia that it can replace Iranian oil shipments lost due to renewed US sanctions. "Such exaggerations might please Mr Trump, but the market will never believe them," Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said, according to the oil ministry's SHANA news site. "These statements were made due to Mr Trump's pressure on Saudi authorities. In reality, neither Saudi Arabia nor any other producer has such a capability," he added. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Bloomberg that Saudi Arabia "did (its) job and more" by making up for the recent drop in Iranian oil sales. He said Iran's sales had fallen by 700,000 barrels per day since the United States announced in May that it was pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposing sanctions on its oil industry. Precise figures are unavailable, not least because Iran has begun switching off tracking devices on some oil-exporting ships since the threat of sanctions returned, according to analysts. Iran was exporting between 2.5 and 2.7 million bpd in April before the US announced the return of sanctions. "We export as much as two barrels for any barrel that disappeared from Iran recently," Prince Mohammed told Bloomberg. But Zanganeh retorted that the Saudis had only opened up "their previous reserves" to the market and that their output capacity had not increased. The Saudi statement could have a "short-term psychological effect", he added, but it would not mean much to global energy markets which had shown their concern over shortages by hiking prices. The sanctions on Iran's oil sector are not due to hit until November 5, but several key buyers in Europe and Asia have already cut purchases in recent months under pressure from Washington. After days of bloodbath on D-Street, bulls can finally heave a sigh of relief as the Sensex ended almost 100 points higher. The Nifty, meanwhile, held 10,300-mark and closed above it. But this end was preceded by wild swings that D-Street saw through the day. Mondays trade was dominated by trends in financials space. Yes Bank led the gainers charts as investors bet on reports that its estranged promoters had initiated an out-of-court settlement. Other names such as Kotak Mahindra Bank propelled the market. Meanwhile, index heavyweighs such as Reliance Industries, too, had a huge impact on D-Street as a 6 percent rally on the stock helped boost sentiment. It was a volatile day of trade as the market kept swinging between high and low points. There was weakness in the metals space, along with pharmaceuticals, and FMCG names as well. Metals took a hit on the back of weakness in domestic metal prices. Along with it, the news of Norsk Hydro getting a permit in Brazil to use new technology to extend and start Alunorte alumina refinery, the worlds largest, dented metal names. Investors may be worried about additional aluminium supply entering the market. Among sectors, energy names, along with banks, and auto were the top gainers, while metals, pharma and FMCG names were the big laggards. At the close of market hours, the Sensex was higher by 97.39 points or 0.28% at 34474.38, while the Nifty was up 31.50 points or 0.31% at 10348.00. The market breadth was negative as 757 shares advanced, against a decline of 1,889 shares declined, while 680 shares were unchanged. Stocks in News Yes Banks shares were one of the top gainers as investors bet on a media report that its promoters have initiated proceedings for an out-of-court settlement. The stock ended 7 percent higher. Oil marketing companies such as Indian Oil, HPCL and BPCL soared in trade on Monday as crude prices fell from its recent highs. Reports of US considering some steps for big importers of oil from Iran also boosted sentiment. The stocks ended 0.2 to 8 percent higher. Shares of transportation logistics company GATI plunged about 10 percent after CARE Ratings downgraded the company's facilities and medium fixed-term deposits. Meanwhile, Himachal Futuristic Communication (HFCL) gained more a percent after it received an advance purchase order worth Rs 879 crore. Goa Carbon was locked in 20 percent lower circuit after it reported weak sales numbers for September. Metal stocks were in focus as well today. Domestic metal prices have taken a hit, which adversely impacted metal stocks. Hindalco and Vedanta were one of the top index losers and lost 8-12 percent. Global Markets Equity markets in Europe were lower on the back of a weak handover from Asia. China's central bank cut its reserve requirements for banks and that has led to a selloff in the markets there. Stoxx 600 was down around 0.5 percent. Meanwhile, in Asia, On Monday, the Shanghai market posted its worst daily performance in months based on the central banks decision to cut reserve requirements. The Shanghai composite fell 3.72 percent to close at around 2,716.5. Dalal Street is witnessing a cat and mouse game as the market has recovered with the Nifty50 adding 2 points, trading at 10,318 while the Sensex has shed 14 points at 34,362. Nifty metal is the biggest underperformer, down 3.5 percent dragged by NALCO, Hindalco Industries and Jindal Steel and Power which are down 5-6 percent followed by Vedanta, Hindustan Zinc, NMDC, SAIL and Tata Steel. Realty stocks are also down dragged by Godrej Properties, Oberoi Realty, Prestige Estates, Phoenix Mills, Unitech and Suntech Realty. Auto stocks are weak in the morning session with loses from Motherson Sumi Systems, Exide Industries, MRF and TVS Motor Company. Oil & gas stocks are up led by HPCL which jumped 6 percent followed by BPCL, GAIL India, Indian Oil Corporation and ONGC. Reliance Industries is up 1 percent after trading in the red. Bank Nifty is trading in the green with gains from ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, State Bank of India and YES Bank. Pharma stocks are trading in the red as Aurobindo Pharma, GSK Pharma, Lupin, Sun Pharma and Cadila Healthcare shed 1-2 percent. From the BSE midcap space, Edelweiss Financial, NALCO, IIFL Holdings and Godrej Properties are the top losers. Goa Carbon, down 15 percent followed by IL&FS Engineering, IL&FS Transport and GATI are the top losers from the BSE smallcap space. The top NSE gainers include names like HPCL, BPCL, IOC, YES Bank and GAIL India. The top NSE losers are Vedanta, Hindalco, Tata Steel, Wipro and Dr Reddy's Labs. The most active stocks are Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance, Maruti Suzuki, BPCL and HPCL. Monnet Ispat is one of the few stocks which hit new 52-week high this Monday morning. On the other hand, 352 stocks have hit new 52-week low including names like 8K Miles Software, Aban Offshore, Apollo Tyres, Arvind, AU Small Finance, Bajaj Auto, BEML, Bharat Forge, Bombay Dyeing, Century Textiles, CG Power, Dish TV, eClerx Services, Edelweiss Financial, Future Consumer, GIC Housing, Godrej Industries, Godrej Properties, GSPL, IDFC Bank, InterGlobe Aviation, Jaiprakash Associates, JSW Energy, United Spirits and Piramal Enterprises among others. The breadth of the market favoured declines, with 518 stocks advancing, 1101 declining and 438 remaining unchanged. On BSE, 661 stocks advanced, 1184 declined and 101 remained unchanged. Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Shubham Agarwal The index was down by almost 6 percent on a week-over-week basis. The large part of the decline could be attributed to the weakness in currency and the rising crude oil prices. On the index futures front, Nifty futures lost about 29 percent longs in the September expiry, while in the first week we saw whopping 24 percent additions with only one difference that it was on the short side. Among the stock futures, the biggest damage was recorded in the oil marketing companies with BPCL, HPCL adding 60 percent to 30 percent in the open interest, respectively, with over 30 percent damage to the price. Within the oil space, Reliance Industries (RIL) took a big knock of 16 percent with around 17 percent short additions in futures. Another space that was hit heavily was auto with largest recipients being M&M and Eicher Motors with over 24 percent short additions and over 10 percent cut. On the options front, Put writers were trying to seek asylum into 11,000 and lower strikes after the down-move in the September series. Now with huge additions in same strike Calls along with additions in the Nifty futures looks like there has been a creation of opposite positions by put writers but via the synthetic route. Due to which, by the virtue of the tally, 10,500 still remains the heaviest put. Sentimentally, too, there has been a complete turnaround. Open Interest Put Call Ratio which started off at 1.33 in moderately Bullish stance being Put writers overpowering Call writers, came down to Neutral i.e. 1 by the weekend. On the other hand, India VIX saw a whopping 11 percent jump to end the week within kissing distance of 20. The change in regime here which held on to a band of 11-14 has now taken its turn up and could create a higher range around here. This means negativity being fed in by the Options participants. In a nutshell, Nifty futures with larger Short additions after an unwinding spree turns the near-term view as bearish. Now the higher implied volatility and the fall that has already happened could weigh on markets. Put writers indicate that the next halt could be at 10,000, a wider cut is expected if the index breaches this level on a closing basis. In situations like these, the strategy is to trade without stopping out in largest of the swings, while keeping the reward to risk as sweet as they could possibly be. Why do we say that? Because, even after considering the maximum loss as per the net outflows, trade remains economically viable. Hence, a Long Put Butterfly would be a prudent strategy. Long Put Butterfly is a combination of 3 strikes, where close to At The Money strike is bought, few steps away two lots of lower strike is sold to fund this and with similar distance, one lot of even lower strike is bought to protect the extra option sold. : The author is CEO & Head of Research at Quantsapp Private Limited. The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Shares of GMR Infrastructure slipped 4 percent in the early trade on Monday. The company has settled the arbitration with private equity investors at airport business. With respect to certain arbitration proceedings administered by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, the company has received the consent award from the arbitral tribunal based on the settlement agreement signed by company with private equity investors viz. SBI Macquarie, Standard Chartered, JM Financial Old Lane and others (Investors). The investors had had invested an amount of Rs 14.78 billion in the form of Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares (CCPS) in GMR Airports (GAL) in FY2011 & FY2012. All parties decided to withdraw the ongoing arbitration and pursuant to binding agreements giving effect to the terms of the settlement the Investors (along with certain of their affiliates) would acquire 5.86 percent equity of GAL at a 100% valuation of Rs 210 billion and receive a payment of Rs 35.60 bn in lieu of their entire CCPS. The debenture allotment committee of the board of directors of the company, at its meeting held on October 5, approved the allotment of OCDs for an amount Rs 402 crore to Doosan Power Systems India. At 09:39 hrs GMR Infrastructure was quoting at Rs 15.40, down Rs 0.60, or 3.75 percent on the BSE. For more market news, click here Posted by Rakesh Patil live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Here are stocks that are in the news today: Results Today: Tata Elxsi, SRK Industries, Welcure Drugs Listing: Aavas Financiers Yes Bank: Company has appointed two former chairmen -- TS Vijayan of LIC and OP Bhatt of SBI to its search and selection committee to find a successor for Rana Kapoor. GMR infra board approved the allotment of OCDs for an amount Rs 402 crore to Doosan Power Systems India Indiabulls Housing Finance: Company has redeemed (bought back) secured, redeemable, non-convertible debentures of face value Rs 10,00,000 each. Additionally, the company has bought back Rs 1,505 crore of commercial paper since September 21, 2018 till date. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance and ICICI Lombard General Insurance: Chanda Kochhar and Sandeep Bakhshi tendered their resignation as the directors of the company. ICICI Securities: Chanda Kochhar and Vishakha Mulye resigned from the board of directors of the company. NBCC India: Company has secured the total business of Rs 353.70 crore in September. Himachal Futuristic Communications (HFCL): Company has received an advance purchase order worth Rs 879 crore approximately from Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) New Delhi. Escorts: ICRA reaffirmed and assigned the long-term rating to AA- and short-term rating to A1+ in respect of bank facilities for Rs 866 crore & Rs 150 crore for commercial papers of the company. Great Eastern Shipping: CARE revised its rating on company's non-convertible debentures of Rs 3,450 crore to AA+/Stable from AAA/Negative. Infinite Computer Solutions: Company's acquirers, namely MC Data Systems Private Limited and Inswell IT Applications Private Limited dispatched the Letter of Offer for delisting offer. UltraTech Cement: Supreme Court has admitted the company''s appeal and has granted stay against the orders of the CCI / NCLAT. Future Retail - Brickworks Ratings India has reaffirmed the rating on proposed commercial paper to BWR A1+ Government appoints Rakesh Sharma as managing director and chief executive officer of IDBI Bank for six months Avenue Supermarts: Board of Directors at their meeting scheduled to be held on October 13 shall consider raising of funds by issuance of commercial paper. Gopala Polyplast: Board of directors of the company allotted 1,50,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each at a premium of Rs 50 per share to non-promoters of the company on preferential basis upon conversion of 1,50,000 warrants of Rs 10 each. Autoline Industries: Board of directors of the company approved raising of funds of Rs 73 crore by way of issue of upto 60,27,397 share warrants of Rs 10 each to IndiaNivesh Renaissance Fund and Promoters at a price of Rs 73 each. Mercator: CARE revised the company's rating for long-term bank facilities to D from BBB/Negative and short-term bank facilities to A4 from A3. Sagar Cement - Consolidated production for September 2018 up 27.18 % at 2,56,507 MT and sales up 21.84% at 2,49,882MT Goa Carbon - Production for Sep 2018 stood at 16271.7MT and sales at 14,454.6MT Bank of Baroda has kept MCLR unchanged w.e.f. October 7 Vijaya Bank kept 1-year MCLR unchanged at 8.70% Gulf Oil Lubricants: ICRA reaffirmed its long-term rating of AA and the short-term rating of A1+ outstanding on the bank limits of the company aggregating to Rs 492 crore (enhanced from Rs 392 crore). The outlook on the long-term rating has been revised from 'Stable' to 'Positive'. Texmaco Rail & Engineering: Company and Russian firm RZD International during Annual India-Russia Bilateral Summit signed a memorandum of understanding for working in collaboration for mutually identified various domestic and international projects in the sphere of railways and infrastructure. Peninsula Land: ICRA revised its rating on company's non-convertible debentures of Rs 648.93 crore to A- from BBB+. SPML Infra: Subsidiary Bhilwara Jaipur Toll Road Private Limited, wherein company holds 51 percent stake with an investment value of Rs 52.85 crore has served a notice of termination of the concessation agreement with Rajasthan government. OM Metals Infraprojects: Its JV, Bhilwara Jaipur Toll Road Private Limited, where the company has a stake of 49 percent with Rs 50.90 crore investment in equity and Rs 65 crore in subordinate debt has served a notice of termination of the concession agreement with Rajasthan government. Piramal Enterprises: Board approved the allotment of 3,22,240 equity shares or face value of Rs 2 each at a conversion premium of Rs 2,688 per share pursuant to optional conversion of 8.056 CCDs of face value of Rs 1.07,600 each aggregating to Rs 86,68.25,600. DCB Bank: Bank announced revised marginal cost of funds based lending rate. Sunteck Realty: Company issued Commercial Paper of Rs 35 crore. Sobha: Company during July-September quarter achieved new sales volume of 1,031,602 square feet total valued at Rs 740.8 crore with an average realisation of Rs 7,181 per square feet (Sobha share of sales value at Rs 616.6 crore with an average realisation of Rs 5,977 per square feet). Sales volume is up by 7 percent as compared to preceding quarter & up by 19 percent YoY. Sales volume achieved during the second quarter is the highest in the past 5 years. Thomas Cook India Group: Company enters the travel tech space, announces strategic investment to acquire 24 percent stake in Ithaka. JSW Energy: CARE revised the company's ratings on the long term Bank facilities and non-convertible debentures from 'AA-/Negative' to 'AA-/Stable'. The company's ratings on short term Bank facilities and commercial paper issue are reaffirmed at 'A1+'. CMI: CARE reaffirmed the rating BBB+ assigned to the long term bank facilities and A3+ assigned to the short term bank facilities availed by the company. Infosys: EdgeVerve launches AssistEdge Community Edition - a free-to-use automation platform for students and independent developers. Inox Leisure: Company commenced the commercial operations of two additional screens (with seating capacity of 94 seats) in the existing multiplex cinema theatre, taken on leave and license basis, and located at METRO INOX Cinemas, Mumbai. With addition of two more screens, the said Multiplex Cinema Theatre has 8 screens and 1365 seats. PNB Housing Finance: Company has raised Rs 1,470 crore via external commercial borrowing under automatic route. IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company: CARE revised the credit rating of the company for long / short term bank facilities aggregating to Rs 3,091.33 crore to D. Reliance Power: CARE revised the long-term and short term ratings of Sasan Power to BBB+ (stable outlook) and A2 respectively. The company strongly disagrees with the revised ratings assigned by CARE. Gati: CARE downgraded its rating for company's long term bank facilities of Rs 173 crore to BBB/Stable from A-/Stable. MEP Infrastructure Developers: Subsidiary MEP SANJOSE Talaja Mahuva Road Private Limited has achieved the Milestone One for the project of four laning of Talaja- Mahuva Section of NH-8E in Gujarat on Hybrid Annuity mode under NHDP Phase IV. The Authority has paid the first Milestone payment of 20 percent of the physical progress for the project. PAE: Company accepted one time settlement (OTS) scheme of the State Bank of India. Bulk Deals Astron Paper and Board: Pallas Fincap bought 2,75,000 shares of the company at Rs 118.38 per share on the BSE. (For more bulk deals, click here) Analyst or Board Meet/Briefings Indiabulls Housing Finance: Board to consider July-September quarter results & interim dividend on October 15. ICICI Securities: Board to consider July-September quarter results & interim dividend on October 19. V-Guard Industries: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 25. Tejas Networks: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 23. MT Educare: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 15. Zee Learn: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 15. Carborundum Universal: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 29. Monnet Ispat & Energy: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 15. Magma Fincorp: Board to consider July-September quarter results on November 2. Shriram Transport Finance Company: Company's officials will be meeting Wellington Management on October 11. Persistent Systems: Company will be holding an investor and analyst call on October 22 after July-September quarter earnings. KP Energy: Brokers / Analysts meeting is scheduled on October 10. Indian Energy Exchange: Company's officials will be meeting analysts/investors on October 8, 9, 10 and 11. Navin Fluorine International: Board to consider July-September quarter results & interim dividend on October 30. Orient Paper & Industries: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 31. Indian Overseas Bank: Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the company to be held on November 2 for issue of equity shares to Government Of India (GOI) on preferential basis. L&T Infotech: Board to consider July-September quarter results & interim dividend on October 24. Reliance Industrial Infrastructure: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 15. NOCIL: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 30. Everest Industries: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 24. DCB Bank: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 17. Alkali Metals: Board to consider July-September quarter results on October 15. Music Broadcast: Company's officials is participating in the non-deal roadshow organised by Motilal Oswal Securities on October 8 and 9. Shriram City Union Finance: Company's officials will be meeting Matthews India Fund on October 8. Zenlabs Ethica: Board meeting is scheduled on October 15 to consider and approve allotment of bonus equity shares in ratio of one equity share of Rs 10 each for every 20 existing equity share of Rs 10 each. Cochin Shipyard: Board meeting to consider the proposal for buy back of the fully paid-up equity shares of the company has been rescheduled to October 17. Arvind: Kulin Lalbhai - Executive Director of Arvind and Suresh J - MD and CEO of Arvind Lifestyle Brands are attending a few investor meetings on October 11 and 12. : Board to consider July-September quarter results & interim dividend on October 23. People worship Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth on this day. (Image: Reuters) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Nifty50 lost 5.6 percent, or over 600 points, for the week ended October 5 to record its biggest weekly loss in the last 26 weeks. The Nifty index has been making lower highs and lower lows on the weekly scale and has now fallen by around 1,500 points in the last 5 weeks. The index formed a bearish candle on daily charts on Friday and on the weekly scale as well which suggests that bears are having a tight grip on the market. The Nifty index broke below major levels like 61.80 percent retracement at 11,650, maximum Put OI congestion zones of 11,500-11,450, 50 Weekly EMA and is now gradually drifting lower with the higher pace of selling pressure, suggest experts. India VIX is now hovering around 19.73 and is moving upwards from last three consecutive weeks which is not a good sign for the bulls. On the options front, maximum Put OI is placed at 10,500 followed by 10,700 strikes while maximum Call OI is at 11,000 followed by 11,200 strikes. As long as it holds below 10,500 zones, Nifty may continue to extend its weakness towards 10,200 and may even retest 10,000 levels while on the upside, medium-term hurdle is shifting from 10,850 to 10,650 zones, Chandan Taparia, Derivatives and Technical Analyst at Motilal Oswal Securities told Moneycontrol. Most of the sectorial indices were in pressure in the last week while many heavyweights also fell down sharply. Now till index doesnt take a pause from selling mode by crossing any immediate hurdle zones, dont go for bottom fishing, as sharp cut of 15 percent from higher zones have changed the price structure of most of the heavyweight and mid and small caps stocks, upside seems to be capped for time being, he said. Selective IT, few Metal and Pharma counter may see some support based buying while most of the Auto, FMCG, Oil & Gas, Mid and Small cap stocks may continue their downward journey. Here is a list of top 10 short-term money making ideas from different experts which could give 5-28% return in the next 1-6 months: Analyst: Mazhar Mohammad, Chief Strategist Technical Research & Trading Advisory, Chartviewindia.in Ashok Leyland: Buy| LTP: 108| Target: Rs 132| Stop Loss: Rs 103| Return 28% Despite high volatility in the market, this counter was moving flat for the last couple of trading sessions suggesting that it might have bottomed out. Hence, post monetary policy if this counter is sustaining above Rs 110 levels on closing basis, one can initiate long positions for targets of Rs 132. Bajaj Auto: Buy| LTP: Rs 2544| Target: Rs 2940| Stop Loss: Rs 2528| Return 15% Interestingly, for the last four weeks, this counter is moving in a horizontal fashion after taking support around Rs 2,600 levels when broader market was under pressure. Hence, if the stock manages to reclaim Rs 2600 and sustain then it can head for an initial target of Rs 2,940 levels. Hence traders are advised to buy now and accumulate further on declines. BHEL: Buy| LTP: 70.60| Target: Rs 83| Stop Loss: Rs 65| Return 18% A strong up move was seen in the current turbulent week which suggests that this counter has decoupled with market volatility and can head higher based on its own strength. Hence positional traders are advised to buy the stock now and in declines up to Rs 69. As long as it sustains above Rs 66 levels, it can head for an initial target of Rs 83. Analyst: Rajesh Palviya, Head Technical & Derivatives Analyst, Axis Securities Aurobindo Pharma: Buy| LTP: Rs 743| Target: Rs 810| Stop Loss: Rs 735| Return 9% The stock has given a down sloping trend line breakout at Rs 760 levels on the closing basis with an increase in volumes. The stock is trading above 20, 50 and 100-day SMA. The daily RSI and Stochastic both are in a positive territory indicating further upside. In the month of Sept., the stock has marked a low (Rs 698) which coincides with 50 percent Fibonacci retracement support (Rs 696) of the previous rally (Rs 565-827), which remains a crucial support. On the monthly chart, the stock is moving in a higher Top higher Bottom with a huge spurt in volumes indicating increased participation on the rally. The monthly indicators RSI and Stochastic both are confirming the strength as well as upside momentum. Hindalco Industries Ltd: Buy| LTP: Rs 240| Target: Rs 270| Stop Loss: Rs 239| Return 12% The stock has decisively broken its 6-months consolidation range of 230-250 levels on the closing basis indicating an upward breakout. On the monthly chart, the stock has formed a strong base around 210-200 levels which remains a crucial support zone. The stock has crossed its 200-days SMA indicating bullishness. The daily, as well as monthly RSI and stochastic, are in a positive territory indicating further upside. NIIT Technologies: Buy| LTP: Rs 1,158| Target: Rs 1,280| Stop Loss: Rs 1,130| Return 10% The stock has given a downward sloping channel breakout at Rs 1,150 levels on the closing basis with an increase in volumes. Since May 2018, the stock has managed to hold its major support zone around Rs 1,060 -1,000 levels which signal strength at lower levels. The stock has closed above its 100-day SMA. The daily RSI and stochastic both are in a positive territory indicating further upside. Brokerage Firm: SMC Global Securities Infosys: Buy| LTP: Rs 721.85| Target: Rs 765| Stop Loss: Rs 680| Return 6% The stock closed at Rs 721.85 on 05th October, 2018. It made a 52-week low at Rs 452 on 06th October 2017 and a 52-week high of Rs 754.90 on 1st October 2018. The 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) of the stock on the daily chart is currently at Rs 627.05. The short, medium and long-term bias are positive for the stock as it is continuously trading in Rising Channel on the weekly charts, which is considered to be bullish. Last week, there was a panic selling witnessed across the board but the stock ended flat on the back of buying force, which indicates buying is aggressive for the stock. Technical indicators like RSI and MACD are also looking positive for the stock so one can initiate long in the range of Rs 710-715 levels for the upside target of Rs 755-765 levels with a stop loss below Rs 680. Analyst: Manav Chopra, CMT, Head of Research, Indiabulls Ventures Axis Bank: LTP: Rs 568| Target: Rs 650| Stop Loss: Rs 530| Return 14% The recently Axis Bank has broken out of the long-term triangle on the weekly charts, which is now retesting its earlier resistance levels. These levels are now likely to act as strong support. One can buy Axis Bank from these levels as the structure is bullish and the risk reward is favourable. Investors can initiate buy with a target at Rs 650 while a stop loss can be placed at Rs 530. UPL: Buy| LTP: Rs 598.20| Target: Rs 700| Stop Loss: Rs 560| Return 17% UPL has recently formed a Morning Star candlestick pattern on the weekly charts, which is now nearing its monthly support levels. Supports are placed around Rs 550 - 565 levels. One can take a long position in UPL while keeping a stop loss below Rs 560 levels, and a short-term target can be maintained at Rs 700 levels Cipla: LTP: Rs 634.55| Target: Rs 730| Stop Loss: Rs 610| Return 15% Cipla is currently holding its monthly breakout levels and the momentum oscillators are showing bullish signs. In this volatile market, one should focus on pharma stocks. The recent dip should be taken as buying opportunity in Cipla, for the short-term target can be maintained at Rs 730 levels while placing a stop loss below Rs 610. The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. IL&FS Transportation Networks | The company defaulted on the interest on non-convertible debentures due on August 25, 2020. (Image: Reuters) The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has requested the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to relax rules for speedier resolution of the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) debt crisis. However, the NCLT judge observed that the Companies Act does not permit an exemption from procedure. The tribunal is yet to pass its final order in the case. MCA has requested for three specific exemptions. The first one involved the appointment of Vineet Nayyar as Managing Director (MD) of IL&FS. Since Nayyar is 80 years old, his appointment would have to be done through the approval of a special resolution, which is necessary for the appointment of anyone above 75 years of age as MD. The MCAs counsel Manmohan Juneja argued that the completion of "all procedures will take lot of time, which will derail the resolution plan. Juneja also said that the MCA had put in a lot of effort to get an eminent personality on IL&FS board and that if any person were to step down now, all the effort will have been in vain. To convene a general body meeting, which would be necessary for the appointment of an MD, the company would need to give 21 days notice to its shareholders, who will then have to approve it. The second exemption requested by the MCA was that nominee directors be appointed on the boards of all 348 of IL&FS subsidiaries. The judge said that if the erstwhile management of IL&FS had the power to supersede the boards of the companys subsidiaries, the new management will also have that power. The third exemption requested by the MCA was that IL&FS repay nearly Rs 4,000 crore of debt over the next 30 days. The ministry has also requested NCLT to exempt the new board from any regulatory action, or action from state authorities and agencies. A potter makes earthen lamps or 'diyas' ahead of the Diwali festival in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. (PTI) Devotees, mostly women, take part in the 'namajapa' (chanting the name of Lord Ayyappa ) march at Kaloor in Ernakulam, against the Supreme Court verdict on the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple. (PTI) Indian Americans celebrate Navratri festival at NJ Expo center in New Jersey (PTI) 'Sarang' helicopter aerobatic team of Indian Air Force performs at the 86th Air Force Day Parade 2018, at Air Force Station, Hindon in Ghaziabad. (PTI) A security personnel stands guard as people wait in queues to cast their votes at a polling station during municipal elections in Jammu (PTI) A red plastic chair and a television are pictured on the beach in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. (REUTERS) Workers are seen at the construction site of Zhangjiakou South railway station in Hebei province, China. (REUTERS) Devotees raise their hands as they perform prayers to honour the souls of their departed ancestors on the auspicious day of Mahalaya in Ahmedabad, India(REUTERS) An earthquake victim sits after treatment at the Indonesian Navy hospital ship "KRI dr. Soeharso" in Palu, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia (REUTERS) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lights up the evening sky over Oceanside, California as it carries an Argentinian Earth-observing satellite into space after blasting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, US (REUTERS) Angel Commodities' report on Gold Last week, spot gold prices increased by 0.9 percent to close at $1 206 as the investors sought refuge in safe haven assets after Italys budget jitters threatened the European currency. During the week gold touched a low of $1184.21. Moreover, US FED Chairperson Jerome Powell in his recent interview reiterated the strength in the US economy and the Central bank is well on its path for future rate hikes. He also mentioned that the labour market is not overheating or price pressure accelerating. The economic data released from the U.S. supported the view of an economy that is on a stable growth path. U.S. non - manufacturing PMI came in at 61.6 against market expectations of 58. On MCX, gold prices increased by 1.9 percent to close at Rs.31050 Outlook Safe have demand has increased with Italian crisis spilling over across all the asset classes while Stronger US economy acts as a dent for rising bullion prices. On the MCX, gold prices are expected to trade lower today, international markets are trading lower by 0.5 percent today at $1196 ounce. For all commodities report, click here Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Read More Rana Kapoor, Founder - Yes Bank live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Rival promoters of Yes Bank, Madhu Kapur and Rana Kapoor, have started preliminary talks to reach an out-of-court settlement and withdraw their decade-old legal cases against each other, sources told Mint. People close to Rana Kapoor confirmed this development and said it is best for the bank if these cases are withdrawn and a truce is called. "Rana Kapoor has approached Madhu Kapur and her family and both parties are willing to opt for an out-of-court settlement, keeping in mind the long-term vision that was set by Ashok Kapur and Kapoor for the bank," sources said. This comes after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut short the tenure of managing director and CEO Rana Kapoor till January 2019. This order was followed by a process of looking for a new head, which was made lengthy due to the companys articles of association (AoA), which requires both sides to agree on any appointment to the board. Experts are sure that the appointment of whole-time directors will be much easier if a settlement is reached, as the current disagreement is over the same. Rana Kapoor and Madhu Kapurs conflict began in 2009, a year after co-founder Ashok Kapur was killed in the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai. In 2013, Kapur and her daughter Shagun Gogia approached the Bombay High Court, demanding the right to appoint directors, which they were granted in 2015. The ruling has been challenged before a division bench. Due to the uncertainty, the banks stock sank by 59 percent from its high of Rs 404 to Rs 166.15 between August 20 and September 28. The board promoted Rajat Monga and Pralay Mondal as executive directors, subject to RBI approval on September 25. However, Madhu Kapur wrote to the Yes Bank board saying that this would be struck down as these appointments were done without consultation with the co-founders. The bank had also appointed two external experts in its five-member search and selection committee to look for a successor for Kapoor. Global leadership advisory firms have also been approached to assist the search committee. Crude oil prices softened on October 5 to close around the $83/billion barrels (bbl) mark after rising to $86/bbl. The prices declined after the US government indicated it might consider relaxations on oil imports from Iran. Saudi Arabias production boost and the willingness to replace the Iranian barrels, easing the supply side pressure also led to the price fall. An uptick in the US oil inventories according to last weeks data also contributed to the softening. Rising uncertainty in the global markets and trade tensions had rapidly pushed up crude oil prices in the last few weeks. Despite an overall upward momentum, oil prices have been highly volatile. We discuss the various factors that could potentially drive crude oil prices in the coming weeks US softening of the Iranian sanctions stand With the deadline for the imposition of the sanctions on Iran nearing and rising uncertainty around the potential impact of noncompliance, oil imports from Iran to major consumers (including India) dipped in the last few weeks. Petrol & Diesel Rates Nov 12, 2021 Petrol Rate in Mumbai Nov 12, 2021 Current Petrol Price Per Litre 110 110 View more Diesel Rate in Mumbai Nov 12, 2021 Current Petrol Price Per Litre 0 View more Show The US now seems to be softening its stance on the sanctions. The expectation of probable negotiations and lower-than-expected cut of Iranian barrels from the crude market relieved soaring crude prices. Saudi's willingness to pump more oil Saudi Arabias crown prince indicated the country has pumped up oil production and is willing to replace the lost Iranian barrels in the last few weeks. This also led to the softening in global crude oil prices. However, despite an uptick in production from Saudi, crude oil prices and supply side pressure has been stiff. A major portion of the current uptick can be attributed to the production constraints in Libya, Venezuela and Canada. Persistent internal issues within major oil exporting countries could keep prices high in the coming weeks. US crude oil inventories and rig count After a consecutive fall in the last few weeks, the US oil inventories saw an uptick in the last reported data which also contributed towards the softening in the crude prices. Despite an increase in inventories, the US oil drilling rig count fell for a third consecutive week, as rising costs and pipeline bottlenecks hindered new drilling since June. This might lead to falling inventories in the upcoming weeks. US willingness to release strategic petroleum reserves The US is considering teaming up with other Western countries to simultaneously release emergency oil stock. They are reviewing options ranging from a 5 million to 30 million barrels release from its strategic oil reserve to cool pump prices ahead of the congressional elections in November, which coincides with the timeline when sanctions on Iran are due to snap back. Although this move is not imminent, it is seen as a tactic to increase pressure on OPEC to pump more oil. Hurricane season and the upcoming winters The months of September and October are infamous for hurricanes in the US. Alerts around the forming up of hurricanes last month led to the precautionary close down of rigs around the Gulf of Mexico, taking crude prices higher. Continuing uncertainty around weather development would be something to watch out for. Situation for India Soaring crude oil prices have been a huge burden for the Indian consumer and have brought the taxation structure and margins of oil marketing companies under the scanner leading to mass criticism. Any reduction in the global crude prices comes as a much sought after relief for both the oil companies as well as the government. Amid growing uncertainty of the repercussions of the Iranian sanction, Indian imports from Iran have shrunk, though the Indian government had indicated it would continue with the Iranian oil imports. India in the latest move has asked Saudi to boost up production in order to bring about some softening in the crude oil prices. Outlook The volatility in the crude oil prices has been immense in the last few weeks and is expected to continue. We believe the approaching November deadine for Iranian sanctions could provide some clarity over the global geopolitical moves and would be one point in the timeline to watch out for. Till then prices are expected to remain volatile and news flows could have significant impact on the prices in both directions. Though we believe that very high levels of crude is not sustainable as more and more producers get on board the supply ship, the irregularities due to the hurricane season in US, uptick in demand in winters, slow growth in rig count in the US, persistent issues in major oil producing nations and economic slowdown amid global trade wars are something that would dictate the contours of prices in future. Follow @Ruchiagrawal For more research articles, visit our Moneycontrol Research Page. Amit Shah, President of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), gestures as he begins a door-to-door campaign at a residential area for the upcoming Gujarat state assembly elections, in Ahmedabad, India November 7, 2017. REUTERS/Amit Dave - RC1F79E70CD0 BJP president Amit Shah will on October 9 take part in various events in the politically sensitive Gwalior-Chambal division of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, a party functionary said. The state will go to polls on November 28 and counting of votes will be held on December 11. State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sarvesh Tiwari said Monday that Shah would arrive in Shivpuri where he will pay respects at the memorial of 1857 mutiny hero Tatya Tope. He will later address a convention of BJP workers in the Gwalior-Chambal division, Tiwari added. The BJP chief will then proceed to neighbouring Guna to participate in a roadshow, Tiwari informed. Guna is the Lok Sabha constituency of senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. From Guna, Shah will go to Gwalior where he will pay tribute at the memorials of Rani Laximbai and Vijayaraje Scindia, popularly known as Rajmata of Gwalior. The state of Assam is in top five list of the states with highest literacy rates. It recorded literacy rate of 85.9 percent. (Image: Reuters) Increasing population and limited participation in higher education are mainly blamed for backwardness of Muslims, but a new report questions this argument, saying the community's population in Kerala rose by 15 lakh between 2001-2011 despite being economically better and literate. Though the economic status and the literacy level of Muslims in Kerala are better, still the rate of their population growth is higher that the national average, says the report by Centre for Policy Analysis, an independent and non-profit policy research body. The centre, evaluating India's minority policy and Muslim community's social and economic status, said the Muslim population in Kerala rose to 3.34 crore in 2011 from 3.18 crore in 2001. Giving a break-up of the increase in population in the state during the period, the report said the Muslim population grew by 10.10 lakh, Hindu population by 3.62 lakh and Christians by 84,000. It said the economic status of Muslims in Kerala is sound and their literacy rate too is better than the national average. Hindus constitute 54.9 per cent of the total population in Kerala, Muslims 26.6 per cent and Christians 18.4 per cent, it said. However in 2015, Hindus contributed 42.87 per cent to child births, Muslims 41.5 per cent and Christians 15.42 per cent. On the contribution of Muslim women in education and workforce, the report suggests the government seriously look into this important issue related to the minorities in the country. According to the report, several programmes are run by the government for minorities but the schemes are not yielding the desired results because of their "improper" execution. The report citing the 2011 census said women participation in the workforce at the national level is 24.64 per cent but this rate is lowest in the Muslim community at 15.58 per cent. It said the low literacy rate negatively affects the availability of economic opportunities, which in turn affects the participation in the workforce. The report suggests the government bring changes in its programmes for minorities to achieve larger national goals and improve the condition of women. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed the Centre, saying it would have "immediately waived loans" of "a few rich people" but not giving money for poor municipal sanitation workers who were on strike for the last three weeks. The BJP accused the Kejriwal of "lying" over the funds given by the Centre to the EDMC. The sanitation workers of East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) went on strike on September 12 demanding payment of their dues including salaries and regularisation of contract-based workers. The Delhi CM claimed the municipal corporations have to be paid Rs 5000 crore by the Centre. "Last week Delhi government on the advice of Supreme Court paid Rs 500 crore to the MCD. The Centre today denied to pay Rs 500 crore, despite advice of the Supreme Court, although it has to pay Rs 5000 crore to the MCD. Is BJP responsible to Delhi like this? Then why should Delhiites vote for you (BJP) in LS election," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. "It is so sad. If it were loans of a few rich people they (Centre) would have done it immediately but not paying money for sanitation in Delhi and poor sanitation workers," he said in another tweet. Leader of opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta charged Kejriwal of lying on the issue. "Delhi Chief Minister has lied big that EDMC was given Rs 950 crore. The reality is Rs 350 crore of this amount is loan on which Delhi government is charging interest at 10.50 per cent rate from the helpless EDMC," Gupta said in a tweet. The Delhi government has "deliberately hidden" the facts and it is "dishonest" on its part to project "inflated figures" as grant-in-aid which in fact include loan amount and interest thereon, the BJP leader said Senior AAP leaders Dilip Pandey and Atishi Marlena also attacked Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, saying his mathematics was "weak" and he should apologise for saying that Delhi government was paid Rs 48,000 crore by the Centre. "Tiwari's mathematics is weak. If he has any papers in support of his claim he should show us," Marlena said. Recently, Tiwari had stated in a tweet that Delhi government which was getting Rs 36,776 crore from the Centre in 2014 was now getting Rs 48,000 crore from it. "The Delhi government received only Rs 325 crore from the Centre while it paid at least thrice the funds to EDMC in comparison to what was being paid to it in 2013-14," the leaders said. The civic body got Rs 287 crore in 2013-14 and Rs 396 crore in 2014-15, Marlena claimed. "However, the Kejriwal government gave Rs 948 crore to it in 2016-17 and in the current year, Rs 772 has been given so far," she said. Pandey reiterated Kejriwal's claim that Centre has to pay Rs 5000 cr to the municipal corporations. "The Centre pays Rs 488 per person to the municipal bodies in the states but the same was denied to Delhi on the pretext that it was a union territory," he said. The Delhi government recently had told the Supreme Court that it would release Rs 500 crore within two days to civic bodies, which will help resolve the crisis that has arisen due to the ongoing strike by sanitation workers of the EDMC. On October 4, the sanitation workers had protested outside Kejriwal's residence over the issue. The EDMC has around 16,000 workers, half of whom are permanent employees. NCP (Image Courtesy: NCP) Workers of Sharad Pawar-led NCP have opposed continuation of the candidature of three of four sitting MPs in Maharashtra for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls over various reasons. The only sitting MP whose candidature was not opposed at the two-day party meeting of workers and legislators, which concluded Sunday, was Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule who represents Baramati seat in Pune district, sources said. Besides Baramati, the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) had won Kolhapur, Satara and Madha seats in the 2014 polls. These constituencies are repersented by Dhananjay Mahadik, Udayanraje Bhosale and Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, respectively. The NCP has also decided to contest one more seat from Mumbai region, which will be other than Mumbai North East constituency which had been represented by Sanjay Dina Patil, according to sources. Udayanraje Bhosale's candidature was opposed in the previous term as well, but as none of party workers could come up with better candidate, the Maratha royal was given another term. "The leaders such as Bhosale and Mohite-Patil have not helped party in any way in the last four years. It is better if new candidates get chance to represent Satara and Madha constituencies," said a senior NCP leader. However, Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil said, "Some fresh names have been suggested for the constituencies which we had won in 2014, but it does not mean there is an opposition to the existing ones". He said the NCP workers are keen to contest one more seat from Mumbai region. "They have expressed their views. The decision will be taken in coming days," Patil said without elaborating. Former IAS officer Prabhakar Deshmukh, who was present at the meeting, has expressed his desire to contest from Madha, sources said. Deshmukh hogged limelight in 2014 when his declared assets were to the tune of Rs 200 crore. Local leaders from Kolhapur have opposed the candidature of Mahadik because his cousin Amal and latter's wife (Shoumika) were elected on BJP tickets in assembly and zilla parishad elections. Another reason for opposing Mahadik's candidature is that outfit floated by his uncle Mahadev Mandlik has forged an alliance with the BJP in Kolhapur municipal corporation, they said. Mahadev Mahadik controlls cooperative milk dairy (Gokul) which has an annual turnover of Rs 1,200 crore. He recently decided to expand the operations of the dairy in multiple states despite the opposition from most of the local NCP leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for investing the "political time and efforts" in issues like health and sanitation. She said people start looking around at other things that need improvement when they begin to feel that their community is doing better. "If you invest a dollar in sanitation solutions, the benefit will be four dollars in terms of health cost prevention, the (reduction in) number of visits you go to a doctor and in the medicines that you don't have to buy," Fore told PTI in an interview here. She was in the city to attend an event organised jointly by the UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) Friday. "The prime minister invested political time and effort and what it meant was people began picking up that story. They want to do it for Mahatma Gandhi, for their country and they felt pride in it," she said in an apparent reference to "Swacch Bharat" Mission. The flagship cleanliness drive, launched by the prime minister in 2014, aims to clean up the streets, roads and infrastructure of India's cities, towns, and rural areas. Modi had said the sanitation coverage in the country has increased from 38 per cent to nearly 80 per cent and asserted that the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' is playing a central role in creating a healthy India. Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron were recently awarded the UN's "Champions of the Earth" award for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of cooperation on environmental action. Fore said, "It (contribution to sanitation) doesn't have an economic return but when you begin to feel that your community is doing better, it makes you look around at the other things that need improvement". "It makes one think that does he have clean water and the solutions for open defecation for all animals in their village, is there a community healthcare clinic, is there enough nutrition for children; not just latrines, what about lighted pathways for all of the girls going to schools. It makes you improve your world," said the executive director. When asked about UNICEF's view on the child mortality rate (CMR) in India during the past decade, Fore said it has shown improvement. "Since 1990s, when the numbers first began, there was a significant reduction in child mortality. Sanitation, clean India should bring numbers down further. What we don't know yet is how much further they should bring them down. But it's an exciting journey for India and we really are on the right path," she said. Fore feels that health is one of the challenges an emerging country like India could face in its journey towards a clean nation. "Clean water brings health benefits in a way that many other national strategies cannot," she said. Fore said learning new skills is another challenge for a developing nation because many new industries are expected to flourish. "(Another challenge is to) How to get more women in labour force...The number of women in formal labour force is going down. If only a third of total women in India are in formal employment, it is not high enough to get all of ideas and energy of India," she said. The executive director acknowledged malnutrition as another challenge. "This is because if a young child does not get proper nutrition before the age of three and first thousand days, it could affect the development of her brain as well as body. It means they cannot be productive, it means the economy will not be doing so well," she said, adding employment gets affected ultimately because malnutrition denies children an opportunity. She further said public policy makes a difference in a developing economy. "So if you begin to look at all these areas a country can look at, India says it wants to skill it youth and (wants to) have a digital future. That vision for future India is what UNICEF and generation unlimited is focused on," she said. Fore said if India gets it right for the age group of 10 and 24, it would mean that the country fares well in the decades to come. "If this young population is not caught between those ages, then it is next to impossible for a country to do well. India's outreach for these young people will be the tipping point for the developing country," she said. When asked if the UNICEF sees the flagship programmes of the prime minister sustaining in future, Fore said, "People want areas like nutrition, health, education, sanitation, water protection etc. irrespective of political climate or which party is in power. "So it's up to every community, every household to put a value in it. I believe in terms of sanitation that where there is a room there is a toilet (and) most families would want to keep that. The challenge is to maintain and professionalise it so that people learn to maintain and service it," she said. "It's going to be on each one of us to keep those programmes going that we think benefit the health, education and nutrition in our communities," she said. The Election Commission of India (EC) on October 6 announced polling schedule for Assembly elections in five states - Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana. With the announcement, the Model Code of Conduct also came into effect in the Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Rajasthan. The code of conduct had been implemented in Telangana earlier due to premature dissolution of the Assembly in September. Here are important dates to watch out for: The central Indian state has a total of 230 assembly constituencies. It has had a BJP government since 2003. The tenure of the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government will conclude on January 7, 2019. Date of issue of gazette notification: November 2 Last date of nominations: November 9 Date for scrutiny of nominations: November 12 Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: November 14 Polling date: November 28 Rajasthan Assembly Polls 2018 Schedule The state has 200 assembly constituencies. Rajasthan is currently governed by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje-led BJP. Term of the current Assembly ends on January 20, 2019. Date of issue of gazette notification: November 12 Last date of nominations: November 19 Date for scrutiny of nominations: November 20 Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: November 22 Polling date: December 7 Telangana Assembly Polls 2018 Schedule Seeking early polls, Telangana Chief Minister and Telugu Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao had dissolved the 119-member state assembly prematurely on September 6. Date of issue of gazette notification: November 12 Last date of nominations: November 19 Date for scrutiny of nominations: November 20 Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: November 22 Polling date: December 7 Chhattisgarh Assembly Polls 2018 Schedule The state has 90 assembly constituencies. Chief Minister Raman Singh-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s tenure is slated to end on January 5, 2019. Chhattisgarh is the only state to have polling in two phases. Polling dates: First phase of polling will happen on November 12 in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE). Rest of the state will vote on November 20 in the second phase. Date of issue of gazette notification: October 16 Last date of nominations: October 23 Date for scrutiny of nominations: October 24 Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: October 26 Date of issue of gazette notification: October 26 Last date of nominations: November 2 Date for scrutiny of nominations: November 3 Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: November 5 Mizoram Assembly Polls 2018 Schedule Mizoram Assembly has 40 seats and is currently led by Congress Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla. The North-eastern state has been swinging between Congress and the Mizo National Front (MNF) since 1984 (although with a short Presidents rule in 1988). The current government's term will end on December 15, 2018. Date of issue of gazette notification: November 2 Last date of nominations: November 9 Date for scrutiny of nominations: November 12 Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: November 14 Polling date: November 28 State Total no. of voters as per draft electoral rolls Total no. of voters as per final electoral rolls Chhattisgarh 1.81 crore 1.85 crore Madhya Pradesh 4.94 crore 5.03 crore Mizoram 7.60 lakh 7.68 lakh Rajasthan 4.75 crore 4.74 crore Telangana 2.61 crore To be published on Oct 12 State No. of polling stations in 2013-14 No. of polling stations in 2018 Chhattisgarh 21,418 23,632 Madhya Pradesh 53,896 65,341 Mizoram 1,126 1,164 Rajasthan 45,334 51,796 Telangana 29,138 32,574 Counting of votes in all states will happen on December 11.Source: Election Commission of India Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that both Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena will lose out if their alliance breaks ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He said that if Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) fight the elections together and BJP-Sena contest polls separately, the ruling alliances votes will be split. If the BJP-Sena votes split, "Opposition parties are bound to gain. While this will dent us, it will dent the Sena more. The BJP-Sena alliance is beneficial for both. We are prepared, so maybe we lose three-four seats here and there if we fight alone. But, at the national level today, we need to keep our allies with us. The Sena is one of our oldest allies, and we have lot of ideological similarities," Fadnavis said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. When asked whether Sharad Pawar-led NCP could be an alternative to the Sena, Fadnavis said: "I dont think the NCP can be an alternative for us. We dont share any ideological similarities [with NCP]. I dont even think the NCP has an ideology. It is a party of convenience, so it will go with anyone if it is convenient. As of now, I see no possibility of an alliance with the NCP," Fadnavis added. How the numbers stacked in 2014 With 48 Lok Sabha seats, Maharashtra has the second largest pool of parliamentary constituencies after Uttar Pradesh. In 2014, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had won 42 out of the 48 seats in the state. BJP had won 23 seats while the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena won 18 seats. Their ally Swabhimani Paksha led by Raju Shetti had won one seat. Shetti left the NDA in 2017 citing dissatisfaction with the Narendra Modi government over handling of agrarian and farmer issues. However, the assembly polls in October 2014 ended up in a hung assembly after BJP-Shiv Sena and Congress-NCP fought the elections separately. BJP had won 122 seats in the 288-member Assembly. Shiv Sena won 63 seats followed by Congress 42 and NCPs 41. BJP had formed the government with a post-poll alliance with the Sena. Vijay Rupani Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday appealed to people not to engage in violence, even as an outfit claimed over 20,000 Hindi-speaking migrants fled the state in the last one week after a spate of attacks following a rape incident. Rupani claimed that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, while state Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants. Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have seen sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, police had said. The government said more than 400 people have been arrested in connection with the violence which started after a migrant worker from Bihar was nabbed in the rape case. Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation. "Over 20,000 migrants from these states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in different parts of the state. All non-Gujaratis should not be seen as culprits for the misdeeds of one person," he said. Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police. "Due to intense efforts by police, the situation is under control and no untoward incident has happened in the last 48 hours. "We are committed to maintaining law and order, and people can call police in case of trouble. We will provide them security," Rupani said in Rajkot. Minister of State for Home Jadeja, at a press conference Monday in Gandhinagar, said the Centre had been apprised of the steps taken by the Gujarat government to bring the situation under control. He said 431 people have been arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks on Hindi- speaking people. Without naming opposition Congress, Jadeja said efforts were underway to find out whether "it is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years". "The attack on migrant workers is highly condemnable. The chief minister has instructed us to take all necessary steps to stop the attacks. "I also appeal people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains," Jadeja said. He said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants. "Only a handful of people are involved in this. We have deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of migrants. "We have also decided to set up points (camps) for the State Reserve Police (SRP) and increase patrolling in such areas," Jadeja said. While police have arrested several members of the Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and also mentioned the outfit's name in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor alleged that youth from the community were being falsely implicated. Jadeja, responding to a query on Thakor's allegations, said action will be taken against anyone who disturbs peace. "Police is not harassing any innocent person from a community. But we will take action against those who are disturbing Gujarat's peace," said Jadeja. Hours after the rape of the toddler in a village near Himmatnagar town, around 100km from Ahmedabad, police arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime. All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi on October 6 reiterated that Telangana's caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, or KCR, will retain power in the upcoming assembly elections. While Rao-led Telugu Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Owaisis AIMIM have not entered into a formal alliance, the two parties have described each other with warmth, hinting at a tacit understanding. KCR had also termed AIMIM as a friendly party. What makes AIMIM a key player Both Congress and the TRS have been trying to woo Muslim voters who form around 12.5 percent of the states population. As per a report in Mint, 50 of the 119 assembly constituencies have more than 10 percent representation of Muslim voters. Owaisi's party exerts considerable influence in areas in and around Hyderabad. As many as 24 constituencies come under the Greater Hyderabad region. At least seven of these seats are considered to be AIMIM bastions. According to observers, Owaisi's support for KCR is meant to ensure Muslim voters support the TRS and drift away from the Congress. This could also split the consolidated opposition votes. In 2014, AIMIM had contested 35 seats - 20 in Telangana and 15 in rest of Andhra Pradesh. While AIMIM's vote share was around 1.52 percent across undivided Andhra Pradesh, it had garnered around 12.42 percent votes share in the 35 seats it had contested. The figures suggests that Owaisi's party enjoys significant influence beyond the seven seats it had won. AIMIM has already issued its list of candidates for the seven seats in Hyderabad. Asaduddin Owaisi's brother Akbaruddin Owaisi will contest from Chandrayangutta -- a constituency he has won four consecutive times. Congress has tied up with N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) for the polls. The opposition is hoping to consolidate anti-TRS votes. In 2014, the TRS had won 63 seats in the assembly polls that happened simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. Congress had clinched 21 seats while TDP had settled for 15 seats in the 119-member assembly. AIMIM had won seven seats and the BJP had won five seats in the state assembly. TRS however has 90 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) following defections. Telangana will head for assembly polls along with Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Rajasthan later this year. The state will head to polls on December 7. Counting will happen in all states on December 11. Seeking early assembly polls, Rao-led TRS had prematurely dissolved the Assembly on September 6. The state election was earlier scheduled to be held along with the Lok Sabha elections in April-May 2019. Nandan Unnikrishnan The current churn in geopolitics had catapulted what should have been a routine annual summit meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi into an eagerly anticipated high-profile event. Every gesture of the two leaders was carefully observed and analysed for meaning. "Why didn't Modi go to the airport to receive Putin as he did other leaders?"; "Who initiated the hug between Putin and Modi?"; "Why was the S-400 deal so underplayed ignored in the MEA list of agreements and relegated to one sentence in paragraph 45 the end of the 68-paragraph joint statement?"; "How much will the two unseen elephants in the room US and China influence the outcomes of the summit?" In the end, the outcome was a bit of an anti-climax, despite the drama around possible US sanctions on the military purchases and speculation about Russia's growing closeness to China. Some expected deals and agreements materialised; others didn't. In the defence sector, the controversial $5 billion (approx) contract for the S-400 air defence system was signed. But the expected deals for an additional $3 billion four frigates, 200 Kamov helicopters, 48 Mi helicopters and licensed production of assault rifles didn't come through. These are expected to be signed some time later. Several other important agreements were signed during the visit nuclear, space, railways, agriculture, and bilateral cooperation between small and medium scale industries. The agreement on nuclear energy cooperation expands Russia's involvement in this sector in India. Provision of a second site for Russian reactors was agreed to by India, while Russia committed to providing the VVER +3 generation reactors and increasing the level of localisation in the project. Significantly a framework agreement was signed on collaboration in third countries across the world. India and Russia already collaborate on a project in Bangladesh. The agreement on space will open the doors for Indian astronauts to Russian training facilities and expertise. It also allows for setting up of data collection centres for India's "NavIC" regional navigational system in Russia and Russia's "Glonass" system in India. Also, there were agreements on cooperation in enhancing train speeds on the Nagpur-Secunderabad sector, improving efficiency and traffic management of passenger and cargo trains, and cooperation in transport education. Another agreement was for cooperation in boosting water transport and developing suitable craft for both inland waterways and coastal transportation. A significant agreement was signed on joint investments in fertiliser production, with a Russian commitment to export to India about 2 million tonnes annually valued at about $1 billion. Additionally, there was one signed on co-operation in Russia's Far East. All these reflect that there is still a lot of life in the relationship that many had recently begun to believe had started to skid as a car on ice. But it is still too early to celebrate a rejuvenation because the dependence on defence cooperation continues. Equally important is the growing impression that India is beginning to appreciate the role that Russia plays in India's quest to emerge as a significant global player. Both Russia and India seek a multipolar world and both want a security architecture in Asia that "provides equal and indivisible security to all countries in Asia and in the regions of Pacific and Indian Oceans." India's challenges on the Eurasian (Europe + Asia) supercontinent Afghanistan, West Asia, Central Asia, connectivity projects, etc. will be eased by robust cooperation with Russia. Multilateral cooperation between India, Russia and other nations in Eurasian connectivity projects could give all countries wider choices, thereby diluting any one country's ability to promote its influence through such projects. Similarly, it is important to remember Russia benefits from a good relationship with a strong and developed India. It will give Russia more strategic space vis-a-vis other regional or global great powers. Russia, as much as India, does not want the emergence of a hegemon either in Eurasia or globally. But for this partnership to benefit both countries, they need to be independently strong and stable, not only militarily, but also economically. Only then will the relationship acquire the necessary weight to promote a more equitable world. The critical question is if they will succeed or not in this quest for independent strength and how they can help each other achieve this goal. It is the quality of India-Russia relationship that could to a large extent determine the shape of the world that emerges out of the current geopolitical churn. rahul gandhi narendra modi Shekhar Iyer Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chance to emerge a favourite for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections could well be determined by the outcomes of the assembly polls in five states in December. Across different phases, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram will go into polls from November 12 to December 7. The counting of votes will be done on December 11. These five states account for 83 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats that go to polls next year. But the challenge between Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi is not an even one. This is because Modi will have to win a majority of the five states going to the polls, while Gandhi has to win just one of the states to put the Congress back in serious reckoning. An emphatic win for the BJP in the assembly polls in these states will be read as Modi retaining his magic and gaining fresh momentum. This could severely impact the prospects of his political opponents in the run-up to the 2019 general elections. A negative result for the Congress will play a huge spoiler for Gandhi and indicate his stewardship of the grand old party is yet to translate to electoral success. It will also mean that the talk of a mahagatbandhan (grand alliance) of all opposition parties against Modi is actually a lot of hot air rather than firm strategizing on the ground to corner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The last polls that the Congress won on its own strength were in Punjab and Puducherry last year. In Karnataka, the Congress joined hands with arch rival Janata Dal (Secular) to keep the BJP out of power, despite the latter having emerged the single largest party. On the other hand, being the chief vote-catcher for the BJP, Modi has to ensure that the BJP wins handsomely in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. That will also nullify anti-incumbency issues of his own government in Delhi and speculations about the BJP to gain enough numbers for a second term at the Centre. In any case, the BJP's stakes are very high in the above-mentioned three states. In MP and Chhattisgarh, the party has done 15 years. Its chief ministers, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh, respectively, are seeking their fourth terms. In Rajasthan, where the BJP has completed a term, Vasundhara Raje is striving for a second term. She is battling a host of issues, including rivalry within her own party and anti-incumbency in many pockets across the state. Raje, who got the BJP to win an all-time high of 163 of the 200 seats last time, is on the back foot. This is why Rajasthan is seen as one of the states where the Congress has a fair chance of displacing the BJP. Gandhi has instated a younger and energetic Sachin Pilot to challenge Raje. Of course, the caste configurations in Rajasthan do not make it easy for Pilot either, but never before has the Opposition looked so formidable. Among other states, Chhattisgarh does not hold out much hope for the Congress. Former chief minister and rebel Congress leader Ajit Jogi's outfit and the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have joined hands, which will immensely reduce Congress' electoral prospects. Jogi has been very unforgiving of the Congress as he believes Gandhi is against him. Besides, BJP's Raman Singh is seen as an unbeatable state leader who has a fairly good record in governance and is known to have kept the Opposition in disarray. In Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress got into the act less than six months ago when Gandhi deputed Kamal Nath along with Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijaya Singh, the BJP got the early bird advantage as Chouhan hit the campaign trail much earlier. A soft-spoken Chouhan is seen better connected to his voters than Kamal Nath. Under Chouhan's leadership, the BJP cannot be easily vanquished. Telangana is a big challenge for both Modi and Gandhi. Even though he appears to be favourably disposed to the BJP, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao won't let the national party gain a foothold in the state. Rao is confident of denying the Congress and its allies an opportunity to unseat his Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government. In fact, Rao called elections eight months in advance, seeing an advantage in separate assembly and parliamentary polls. For the moment, Modi may well have to be satisfied with a pro-NDA TRS winning Telangana rather than looking for the BJP to have a bigger role in the state. Of course, in the event of the TRS failing to win the required numbers, the BJP could step in to help Rao. The battle for Mizoram is crucial for the Congress as the BJP-driven NDA is eyeing what is seen as the last bastion of the grand old party in the North-East. Today, the BJP rules six of the eight states in the North-East, which account for 25 Lok Sabha seats, either on its own or in alliance with other regional parties that are traditional rivals of the Congress. In 2013, the Congress got a second term under its veteran leader Lal Thanhawla who now faces dissensions. The main opposition party, the Mizo National Front, which is a member of the BJP-helmed North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), looks hopeful. health-trends 3-Point Analysis | Will China's crackdown on drug manufacturers impact India? There are around 7,000 active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturers in China which provide raw material to 80 percent of drug makers in India. Absconding diamantaire Nirav Modi allegedly sold two fake diamond rings to a Canadian national for $200,000, costing him his relationship and pushing him into depression. According to a report in the South China Morning Post, the man, Paul Alfonso, who was unaware of the fraud charges against Modi, bought the rings to propose to his girlfriend. However, one of the happiest moments of his life soon turned into a complete nightmare when the couple found out that the diamonds were fake. Alfonso first met Modi in 2012 and ran into him again in Malibu, California, a few months later. He told the daily that Modi gave him a pep talk and was kind of an older brother figure. In April this year, Alfonso wrote an email to Modi, requesting for a special engagement ring, at a budget of $100,000, to propose to his girlfriend. Modi offered the eloping couple a 3.2-carat round brilliant diamond cut, D colour, VVS1 a high-quality grade and colourless stone at $120,000. After receiving an approval for the design from Alfonso, Modi responded with a note saying, Thank you for thinking of me when youre making one of the most meaningful purchases in any mans life. Alfonso ended up buying another 2.5-carat oval diamond for $80,000 after his girlfriend expressed interest in another design. He received both rings in June. However, it was in August, when Alfonsos fiance took the rings to an appraiser, that the scam came to the forefront. When she told me, I was like that's impossible. I spent $200,000 on those rings. Theres no way they are fake. Its Nirav we are talking about, Alfonso said. Alfonso said that he was unaware that Modi was wanted for multi-crore fraud at Indias Punjab National Bank. The straw that broke the camel's back was when his girlfriend left him a few days after. "We broke up literally after one or two days It was just too much for both of us to handle. It does not make sense to her, because she says: You are a pretty smart guy, how did you let someone scam you out of $200,000 without making sure the transaction was legitimate? Alfonso said. Alfonso has now filed an unlimited civil lawsuit against Modi, suing him for $4.2 million dollars. Hundreds of students and alumni of an Indian school in Saudi Arabia launched an internet campaign, appealing Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj to ensure that the boys section of the institution is not shut down. A court in Saudi Arabia had earlier ordered the International Indian School in Jeddah (IISJ) to vacate the boys section of the institute. IISJ is the only school offering the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. Students and alumni have also taken to the internet and started the '#SushmajiPleaseHelp' campaign to draw the foreign minister's attention. According to a report by The Hindu, the online petition was signed by more than 3,300 petitioners on October 7. The premises had been vacated over the weekend after Saudi authorities slapped an eviction notice with an October 9 deadline. The notice was served despite representations by the Indian Embassy to the Saudi Royalty and Ministry of Education, the report suggests. The Indian embassy had also submitted petitions to the Saudi Royal Court in August 2018 to reconsider the case and in September 2018, to stay the verdict. The Saudi court had ruled in favour of the owner of the property, which is around four kilometres from the main school building. The main building is used by girl students. The matter had been reeling under a court case since 2005. IISJ had won the original petition in 2015. However, it was struck down in 2016 when the court ordered the school to back-pay a rent of more than 32 million Riyals (approximately Rs 62.2 crore). IISJ had paid the rent and appealed to allow the institution to operate there until March, when the school term ends and for an alternate premise to be found. The authorities however slapped an eviction notice. Issue involves court verdicts which have gone against the School. Consequently, Embassy/Consulate and MoE cognizant of issue and taking measures for continuation of education of about 4200 students by following due norms, rules, regulations and procedures of the country. India in Jeddah (@CGIJeddah) October 6, 2018 "It's nostalgic to see our school and a lot of memories go. Ma'am, can anything be done by the government to get back the boys' campus of Int'l Indian School in Jeddah, KSA? a student tweeted. Another tweet read, We students of International Indian School Jeddah, Saudi Arabia need immediate HELP. Our school which existed since is being shut down by authorities. We are just appealing, not blaming anyone. IISJ was set up in 1969 for children of Indian nationals and is considered vital for Indians working in the city. In 2017, the school has previously entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the "largest human mosaic formation" involving 4,500 students. COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - JULY 10: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his meeting with Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen at the PM's Office on July 10, 2017 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The two heads of state discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula and how Japan and Denmark could enhance their strategic partnership further. The Japanese PM said during their joint press conference that North Korea undermines the international order seriously. (Photo by Ole Jensen - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) Japan would welcome Britain to the Pacific trade deal "with open arms" after Brexit, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said in an interview published on Monday. Abe told the Financial Times that Britain would lose its role as a gateway to Europe after Brexit, but would still be a country "equipped with global strength." Eleven countries circling the Pacific signed a slimmed-down version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP in March -- opting to proceed with the trade deal after it was left for dead when US President Donald Trump pulled out to pursue his "America First" agenda. The US president has since sparked fears of a trade war by levying steep tariffs and denouncing unfair trading practices. In the interview, Abe also urged Britain and the EU to make a compromise to avoid a no-deal Brexit. "I hope that both sides can contribute their wisdom and at least avoid a so-called disorderly Brexit," Abe said. "I truly hope that the negative impact of Brexit to the global economy, including Japanese businesses, will be minimised," he added. Negotiations between Britain and the EU are currently gridlocked after Brussels rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's post-Brexit plan, with the clock ticking down until departure in March 2019. Last month Japanese car giant Toyota warned that a no-deal Brexit would temporarily halt production at its plant in Derby, central England. US_China_Trade_Trade war_Tariff Top diplomats of the US and China on October 8 had "frosty" exchanges as they met amid deepening trade war and intensifying tension over Beijing's militarisation of the disputed South China Sea. The two countries were at war of words since June when President Donald Trump slapped the first round of additional tariffs on Chinese exports, demanding Beijing reduce the trade deficit worth over $335 billion. China retaliated with its own set of tariffs on the US exports. Since then, they have slapped additional tariffs on billions of dollars of export goods on each other. Visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held five hour-long talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and senior ruling Communist Party official Yang Jiechi over simmering tensions between the two countries. Pompeo, in the last leg of his current East Asia tour during which he visited South Korea, North Korea and Japan, began his Beijing visit with Wang, who is also the State Councillor. Reporting on their meeting, state-run CGTN TV described their discussions as "frosty exchanges" as both came out with firm statements in their opening remarks. In his remarks, Wang asked the US to immediately stop its misguided comments and actions regarding trade fictions, Taiwan issue disputes over the South China Sea. He didn't avoid talking of escalating tensions, the report said, adding that such opening remarks by Wang are rare in his opening meeting with any foreign dignitaries. Wang said he told Pompeo that a shadow has been cast "over the future of China-US relations". The US should work with China to pursue the path of a win-win cooperation instead of taking the wrong approach of conflict and confrontation, he said. While escalating the trade frictions between the two countries, the US has taken a slew of actions undermining the rights and interests of China on issues such as Taiwan, and made unwarranted accusations against China's domestic and foreign policies, official media quoted Wang as saying. The US moves have directly impacted on the mutual trust and cast shadows upon bilateral ties, he said. "We demand the US stop the unwarranted accusations and wrongdoings against China immediately," Wang said. Pompeo, who arrived from North Korea, spoke about his talks in Pyongyang and efforts to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. In his opening remarks, Pompeo said: "we have grave concerns about the actions that China has taken, and I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss each of those today because this is an incredibly important relationship". He also said: "I do want to share with you my visit with Chairman (of North Korea) Kim Jong-un yesterday and the progress we've made, and to make sure that we are working together on our joint mission that we've talked about before: the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula". "I regret that the strategic dialogue between our two countries was something that you all chose not to undertake. It would have been an important opportunity for us to have a discussion about these longer-term, important issues that present opportunities for the people of our two countries," Pompeo added. China claims almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims. Former Pakistan premiers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, along with a prominent journalist, appeared before the Lahore High Court on Monday for hearing on a petition seeking treason proceedings against them in a case related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Journalist Cyril Almeida, Assistant Editor for the Dawn newspaper is also a respondent in the case being heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi, The Express Tribune reported. In the last hearing, Almeida was put on 'Exit Control List' and issued non-bailable warrants for his arrest for not attending previous court proceedings. The petition was filed against Nawaz for defaming the country through an interview on the Mumbai terror attack and against Abbasi for supporting the former prime minister's stance and sharing minutes of the National Security Council's (NSC) meeting in violation of his oath, the report said. The petition contended that Nawaz had not only disclosed sensitive secrets but also expressed his views against sensitive national institutions, it said. Contending that Nawaz had betrayed the nation, the petition stated that a treason case should be instituted against him for giving the controversial interview and allowing it to go on air. According to the petitioner Amina Malik, a civil society member, Abbasi's action amounted to sedition as he had violated his oath of office. The security was beefed up around the court premises and a large crowd of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) supporters had gathered by the main entry point. The hearing has been adjourned until October 22. Sharif, who was recently released from jail after receiving bail in the Avenfield case, had been absent from previous hearings as he had been receiving condolences over the death of his wife Kulsoom. Earlier, Almeida had been put on 'Exit Control List' after he wrote a front-page story about a rift between Pakistan's civilian and military leaderships over militant groups that operate from Pakistan but engage in war against India and Afghanistan. Exit Control List is a system of border control maintained by Pakistan government under an ordinance which allows it to bar people whose names appear on the list from leaving the country. Have a long-term outlook | Timing investment is logically impossible because the best entry and exit opportunities are known only in hindsight. No one can predict market movements with certainty. Therefore, it is important to allow your investments to compound over a long term. China on Monday reacted guardedly to Saudi Arabia's plan to invest in Pakistan, saying it is a "positive factor" if any other party would like to contribute to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation. After the recent visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia, it was announced that Riyadh will be the third "strategic partner" of USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The CPEC is the flagship project of the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of President Xi Jinping aimed at enhancing China's influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects. However, Islamabad later clarified that the Saudi Arabian investments will not be under the CPEC, which will remain a bilateral project between China and Pakistan. Asked about China's reaction to Saudi Arabia's investments in Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing that "the CPEC is an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)". He said BRI projects followed wide consultations and shared benefits. "So such cooperation has always been open and transparent. If any other party would like to contribute positive factors to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation, I think this is a positive factor," Lu said. India has opposed the CPEC project and protested to China as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The invitation to Saudi Arabia to take part in the CPEC sparked concerns that it might upset Iran, a strategic rival of Riyadh. An article in Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said Pakistan is risking China's anger by courting Saudi Arabia. "Pakistan's decision to invite Saudi Arabia to develop a massive refinery complex at Gwadar (port) certainly suggests that the CPEC is being manipulated to serve ends other than China's," the article said. Balochistan province, where Gwadar is located, borders Iran. "Riyadh must be salivating at the prospect of setting up a strategic oil reserve 120 km from Pakistan's border with Iran. Tehran, on the other hand, would be foaming at the mouth at this brazen attempt to undermine its flailing economy," the article said. On Sunday, Khan said Pakistan is reviewing the projects under the CPEC to safeguard the interest of the people in Balochistan province. Khan in the past had criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the lack of transparency and corruption in the CPEC projects. He said that Balochistan had a number of reservations about the mega project. "Balochistan will get its due share, whatever it may be, in the CPEC," he was quoted as saying by Dawn news. A new investigation by Forbes magazine finds the presidents net worth has dropped significantly since he took office. Nearly 20 years ago, Donald Trump told Fortune magazine that he could run for president and make money doing it. Its very possible that I could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it, he said in an interview in 2000. But now that hes president, the story is looking a bit different. A new report from Forbes concluded that the presidency has not enriched Trump overall: Measuring Trumps net worth before he announced his run for the presidency in 2015 to the last two years, Trumps fortune has dropped from $4.5 billion to $3.1 billion. In a statement to the magazine, Eric Trump, who is co-managing the Trump Organization, said: My father made a tremendous sacrifice when he left a company that he spent his entire life building to go into politics. Everything he does is for the good of the American people. Colegiul Tehnic Traian Vuia sau asa cum il cunosc galatenii, Liceul Auto, cu ani in urma unul dintre cele mai cautate unitati de invatamant tehnic pentru cei care doreau sa iasa de pe bancile scolii cu o meserie, ar putea fi din nou o optiune pentru noile generatii, mai ales ca scoala va intra in reabilitare si va oferi cele mai bune conditii pentru desfasurarea activitatilor educationale. Primaria municipiului Galati a pregatit un proiect de hotarare de Consiliu Local pe care il va supune aprobarii alesilor locali, proiect prin care se doreste aprobarea indicatorilor tehnico-economici pentru reabilitarea corpului de scoala in care isi desfasoara activitatea Colegiul Tehnic Traian Vuia. Lucrarile prevazute pentru acest corp de scoala vizeaza consolidarea stalpilor centrali si de fatada prin camasuirea acestora, refacerea consolidarea grinzilor cu defecte majore (armaturi corodate, etrieri rupti), consolidarea fundatiilor, izolarea termica a peretilor exteriori cu un strat de polistiren expandat ignifugat, inlocuirea tamplariei interioare si exterioare, inlocuirea corpurilor de incalzire cu altele noi, inlocuirea partiala a instalatiei electrice, inlocuirea completa a retelelor interioare de apa, montare parchet din stejar si lambriuri in salile de clasa, inclusiv amenajarea grupurilor sanitare (gresie antiderapanta si faianta, obiecte sanitare noi). Valoarea totala a investitiei se ridica la 7.990.657 lei pentru 3.616 mp spatii de scolarizare reabilitate. Durata de realizare a investitiei este de 12 luni, iar sursele de finantare ar putea veni de la bugetul local, bugetul de stat sau fonduri europene. Pe amplasamentul pe care isi desfasoara activitatea Liceul Auto se afla 9 corpuri de cladire (scoala, camin internat, sala de sport, cantina, etc.), dar deocamdata investitiile vizeaza doar corpul de scoala (S+P+3). After losing his hearing six months prior from to meningitis, the day that Hayward Duresseau got his hearing back was a special day for more than one reason. After meeting at a Mardi Gras celebration in 2015, when Hayward met Kerry they both knew that they had met 'the one'. Three years into their relationship however, their lives hit a massive speed bump when Hayward contracted bacterial meningococcal meningitis. His vision and hearing deteriorated, he relied on Kerry and his family for help with walking and bathing and it took a toll on both in the relationship as Hayward fought the life threatening disease. Six months after his diagnosis, Hayward's doctors deemed him healthy enough to undergo cochlear implant surgery to combat his hearing loss. After the successful surgery, the first thing Duresseau heard was Kennedy's marriage proposal. A New York City law aimed at cracking down on home-sharing companies is too vague to stand, a lawyer for Airbnb Inc. told a federal judge in a bid to have the ordinance put on hold during a court challenge. The law contains no protections for data privacy or guidelines on whether the information can be shared among city agencies, Roberta Kaplan, Airbnbs lawyer, told U.S. District Court Judge Paul Engelmayer at a hearing in Manhattan Friday. Engelmayer didnt immediately rule on the request for an injunction. The City Council voted 45-0 in July to prevent people from renting their apartments to tourists -- a practice the city says raises rents, increases gentrification and disrupts neighborhoods because short-term rentals can be more profitable than long-term leases. We followed the rules. Thats what Democratic candidate for governor J.B. Pritzker said before he decided to repay $330,000 in property tax breaks he received that an inspector generals report described as a scheme to defraud taxing authorities. Pritzker has been dogged by the specter of those toilets for months. The phrasing used in the leaked report suggests criminal wrongdoing and Republicans have asked the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Illinois to investigate. It would be enough to sink a lesser candidate in another state. But this is Illinois and the latest poll has Pritzker 22 points ahead of incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner, whos widely seen as the most vulnerable Republican governor in the nation. No one likes paying property taxes, and smart people with money often take steps to reduce their taxes. But what Pritzker and his wife did with the toilets in their second Gold Coast mansion is something else entirely. Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard called it a scheme to defraud built on false representations in the report. From interviews and emails in the report, its clear that pulling out the toilets just before the inspection was purposefully deceptive to reduce how much Pritzker owed in property taxes. The evidence indicates that the use of these affidavits was part of a scheme for obtaining money by means of false representations and, in executing the scheme, the responsible parties caused checks to be issued by the Cook County Treasurer and delivered by U.S. Mail according to the direction thereon, the report says. As a result, the County ultimately fell victim to a scheme to defraud, executed in part through the use of affidavits, and which resulted in the property owner ultimately receiving property tax refunds totaling $132,747.18 for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, as well as additional tax savings of $198,684.85 for the years 2015 and 2016. Contractors working on the house knew the plan, according to emails included in the report. M.K. Pritzker, J.B. Pritzkers wife, wanted the toilets gone. She is going to have the house re-assessed as an uninhabitable structure, the email said. To do this, she would like to have us pull all toilets and cap all toilet lines in the house. Then after the assessment, she would like us to put the 1st Floor toilet back in and have this as the one functioning bathroom in the place. Pritzker has said hell give Cook County the money back. Rauners campaign team compared that to a bank robber returning the loot. Not exactly, but point taken. The report doesnt make Pritzker a more appealing candidate. But anyone whos heard him on those FBI tapes with former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich already had an idea about Pritzkers character and ambitions. At the same time, Pritzkers toilet trouble doesnt make Rauner a more attractive candidate on his own merits. What the report does is highlight just how easy it is to get one past Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios office. Easy for some people, at least. The Pritzkers bought the 6,387-square-foot home it was next to their even larger home for $3.7 million. Then, they turned around and gave the Assessors Office an appraisal saying the smaller home was worth $2.5 million and sworn affidavits that said it wasnt fit for habitation. In the report, Blanchard wrote, under the current system, there is a lack of any potential for deterrent or identification of false affidavits used to support property tax refund requests. Blanchard further noted concerns that employees at the Cook County Assessors Office seemed to be winging it. Based on the information provided, there appears to be an overall lack of internally developed, written assessment policies and procedures, Blanchard wrote. This raises questions about how the CCAO can assure consistency in the assessment process. Indeed. Property taxes in Cook County and across Illinois are way too high to be based on word of mouth and past practices in the assessors office. Knowing that the underlying assessment system is junk makes paying unnecessarily high property taxes even more unpalatable. Especially when billionaires get tax breaks that then have to be paid for by everyone else. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Illinois must investigate Pritzker. And before this can happen again, the assessors office needs a complete overhaul. Brett Rowland is news editor of Illinois News Network. He can be reached at browland@ilnews.org. We are still far from where ... Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here. President Donald Trump View Photos President Trump was Mondays KVMLs Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: In 1492, Christopher Columbus and his mighty three-ship fleet, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, first spotted the Americas. His historic achievement ushered in an Age of Discovery that expanded our knowledge of the world. Columbuss daring journey marked the beginning of centuries of transatlantic exploration that transformed the Western Hemisphere. On Columbus Day, we commemorate the achievements of this skilled Italian explorer and recognize his courage, will power, and ambition all values we cherish as Americans. Columbuss spirit of determination and adventure has provided inspiration to generations of Americans. On Columbus Day, we honor his remarkable accomplishments as a navigator, and celebrate his voyage into the unknown expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. His expedition formed the initial bond between Europe and the Americas, and changed the world forever. Today, in that spirit, we continue to seek new horizons for greater opportunity and further discovery on land, in sea, and in space. Although Spain sponsored his voyage, Columbus was, in fact, a proud citizen of the Italian City of Genoa. As we celebrate the tremendous strides our Nation has made since his arrival, we acknowledge the important contributions of Italian Americans to our countrys culture, business, and civic life. We are also thankful for our relationship with Italy, a great ally that shares our strong, unwavering commitment to peace and prosperity. In commemoration of Christopher Columbuss historic voyage, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October of each year as Columbus Day. Now, therefore, I, Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 8, 2018, as Columbus Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and all who have contributed to shaping this Nation. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. (ANSA) - Rome, October 8 - Brescia postal police on Monday said a 25-year-old Italian man has been formally placed under investigation for hacking NASA sites in 2013 and using a number of failures in the system of Italy's space agency ASI to replace its home page. The young man, who is unemployed and lives in the northern town of Salo, has admitted his role in the hackings, said the investigators, who are coordinated by the state attorney's office in Brescia. The young man is charged with hacking eight domains of the US space agency and replacing the homepage of the Italian space agency. The 25-year-old has previously claimed responsibility for the hackings on social media, alleging that he belongs to the 'Master Italian hacker team', a community that has claimed responsibility for various attacks on institutional sites. A man was arrested at the Hale County Airport Thursday afternoon after Department of Homeland Security officials found bags full of marijuana on his aircraft. A criminal complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court against Maksim Anatolyevich Mironov, 32, states he intentionally and knowingly possessed and planned to distribute about 140 pounds of marijuana. Plainview police were called to the scene to assist after federal officials had been tipped off. According to the complaint, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent was checking Mironov's pilot certificates when he noticed five large duffel bags in the passenger compartment of the Cesna 210 plane Mironov was traveling in. Mironov became visible nervous and shuffled around as agents questioned him. Mironov claimed the bags contained "his equipment," according to the complaint. A K-9 officer was called to the scene and detected narcotics after Mironov declined consent to search the aircraft. The dog's alert prompted a probable cause search of the plane which revealed 125 individually vacuum-sealed packages of what is believed to be marijuana. Further questioning by HSI agents and officers with the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office revealed Mironov stopped in Plainview to refuel on his way to Birmingham, Alabama after picking he drugs up in California. The Lubbock County Sheriff's Office Active Jail Roster shows Mironov was booked into jail just after 6 p.m. Thursday and is on hold for U.S. Marshals. (ANSA) - Palermo, October 8 - Claudio Fava, chair of Sicily's regional anti-mafia commission, on Monday received an envelope containing a 7.65-calibre bullet. DIGOS security police have already opened a probe into the incident. The envelope only contained the bullet, nothing else, DIGOS said. The anti-mafia commission, under Fava's lead, is working on various cases including the so-called "Montante system" named after the former head of Sicilian industrial federation Sicindustria, Antonello Montante, who was placed under house arrest on May 14 on charges of conspiracy to commit corruption. It is also working on cover-ups and "deviations" in probes into the 1992 Mafia bomb slaying of anti-Mafia magistrate Paolo Borsellino. Claudio Fava's journalist father Giuseppe was murdered by the Mafia in 1984. Houston franchisees of Amazing Lash Studio, the eyelash extension beauty brand, have opened a new location in Waco. Brandon Ellis and Nicole Baum currently operate the Amazing Lash Studio at Indian Springs in The Woodlands which is named the top-performing location in the Houston region. RELATED: My Salon Suite to open Pasadena location "Our guests and members continue to support us, and create the lash buzz organically with their friends and family because it makes them feel confident and beautiful," Ellis said in a statement. The couple will celebrate the Waco site grand opening with a ribbon cutting led by the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce in early December. San Antonio door maker Steves and Sons Inc. scored a major court victory in its ongoing legal battles with a North Carolina door manufacturer. In a more than 2-year-old antitrust case brought by Steves, a federal judge in Richmond, Va., took the unusual step of ordering a subsidiary of Charlotte-based Jeld-Wen Holding Inc. to sell its door skin plant in Towanda, Pa. Jeld-Wen called the remedy to sell the plant unprecedented and fundamentally incorrect as a matter of law. Sam Bell Steves II, Steves and Sons president, hailed the judges ruling. This decision is great news for our company, our industry and for competition in the American marketplace, he said. Steves has been in business since 1866. Judge Robert E. Paynes 149-page ruling Friday followed a nine-person jurys verdict in February that Jeld-Wen Inc.s acquisition of competitor Craftmaster International in 2012 violated antitrust laws. The jury awarded Steves $58.5 million in antitrust damages, which were tripled under statute to almost $176 million. The jury awarded another $12.2 million in damages, though the judge said that amount will be reduced by almost $2.2 million. Steves had alleged the deal substantially reduced competition in the molded interior door skin market. Only two door skin manufacturers were left after the deal. Door skins make up the decorative front and back of interior doors. Such doors are lighter than solid wood doors and can be made and shipped at a lower cost. Steves also asked the court to award it an equitable remedy and restore competition in the door skin market by ordering Jeld-Wen to divest the Towanda plant. A section of the antitrust laws allows private parties to obtain a legal remedy against threatened loss or damage by a violation, Payne wrote in his ruling. Payne said part of Jeld-Wens pricing plan was to kill off some of the independent door makers that were its door skin customers. Steves was one of those customers. Jeld-Wen engaged in bullying tactics to get increased prices for door skins despite existing contract obligations, the judge found. Payne concluded that unless Jeld-Wen sells the plant, Steves would be forced out of business when its supply agreement with Jeld-Wen expires in 2021. A closure of the family business would affect 1,100 employees, the judge noted. In a statement Saturday, Jeld-Wen pointed out that its Craftmaster acquisition had cleared review by the Justice Departments antitrust division. No U.S. court has ever permitted divestiture as a remedy in private litigation for a merger that has already closed, Jeld-Wen said. Jeld-Wen firmly maintains that it has not violated any antitrust laws, CEO and President Gary S. Michel said in the statement. We will use all of our available resources to continue to challenge the erroneous antitrust verdict. The company said its options include filing an appeal. In its statement, Jeld-Wen also pointed out that in May, a jury ordered Steves to pay Jeld-Wen $1.2 million for misappropriating trade secrets. The court entered a judgment in Jeld-Wens favor, it said. The judge has appointed a special master to oversee the divestiture. The judges ruling mentioned that Steves is the only entity that has expressed interest in acquiring the Towanda plant. However, Steves executives admittedly lack knowledge about operating a door skin plant, the judge noted. Jeld-Wen Holding is publicly traded. Baird senior research analyst Timothy Wojs downgraded the stock to neutral from outperform Monday. While disappointed to be downgrading now, the (ruling) allowing for a possible divestiture is among the worst case scenarios, in our view, Wojs said. But Wojs also said, The ruling could change the industry structure in interior doors over time, possibly creating a third door skin manufacturer in North America. Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD The new food and drink complex attached to the Prince Solms Inn in New Braunfels is open for business. Muck & Fuss, a craft beer and gourmet burger bar, opened today at 295 E. San Antonio St. in downtown New Braunfels. The Muck & Fuss bar features 26 craft-beer taps that will be in constant rotation. When a keg goes dry, it will be replaced with a different beer of the same flavor school, so a stout swaps out with another stout, etc. There also will be booze-infused milkshakes and a pair of frozen cocktail machines. RELATED: 60-year-old S.A. business finally accepts credit cards The food lineup is heavy on gourmet burgers with names such as the Salty Goat, Cubano and a good old All-American. Sidecar, a cocktail bar located in the basement of the Prince Solms Inn, will open at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The bar is managed by veteran cocktail guru Andy Hack, who worked behind the bar at Bohanans, Paramour, Georges Keep and the Seersucker Distillery. He has hired a team of bartenders with experience handling fine spirits. Muck & Fuss, 295 E. San Antonio St., 830-255-7055. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Facebook: MuckandFuss. Sidecar, 295 E. San Antonio St., 830-255-7432. Hours: 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays. Facebook: SidecarNB. cblount@express-news.net Jack-o-lanterns rot and spiced lattes come and go. But a great pumpkin patch photo is always in season. Several pumpkin patches in and around San Antonio sport thousands of those orange, orb-shaped beauties, all ready for their closeups with the kids, pets and other friends and family. Most of these pumpkin patches also offer strategically placed hay bales and other folksy backdrops for that extra special snapshot, along with hayrides and other outdoor activities to preserve in picture. Even better, they sell their gourd-geous wares so you can take home more than just memories. GREENWICH For more than 30 years, the St. Lawrence Society has honored one prominent citizen of Italian descent who then helps to raise the flags outside Greenwich Town Hall on Columbus Day. But some traditions are meant to be changed. For the first time, the St. Lawrence Society on Monday honored two Greenwich residents, John and Sharon Vecchiolla, who shared the honor of raising both the Italian and American flags. She is a former town registrar of voters, and he is a current member of the towns Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals and a past member of the Board of Education. Both have volunteered in the town for decades. Its an extremely nice honor. Im not a person who likes to be recognized usually, but it does say something about my heritage, said John Vecchiolla, who is also an attorney. This was a total surprise to me, and its nice to be honored, Sharon Vecchiolla said. The Vecchiollas were joined at the ceremony by their daughter Michelle Vecchiolla Salomon and their 6-year-old granddaughter, Kate. That meant some time out of school for both: Kate attends Julian Curtiss School, where Michelle is a teacher. Its so beautiful to see this, Vecchiolla Salomon said. Theyve given so much over the years. To watch them be role models for our family and for my daughter is so wonderful. Tod Laudonia, president of the St. Lawrence Society, reminded the crowd that many Italian immigrants have settled in Greenwich over the years, building a community and a rich heritage in town. We all need to remember the sacrifices our ancestors made coming here, Laudonia said. They didnt have the communication benefits that we do today. But they came and assimilated into our American society, and I think they set a great example for all of us. Today, we honor those Italian ancestors. And this team of two raising both the Italian and American flags here at Town Hall emphasizes that spirit of cooperation and communication. Despite overcast sky and light rain, nearly 50 people turned out for the flag-raising. Laudonia said the mission of the St. Lawrence Society had grown and changed around us. It was once made up of 124 people from a town in Calabria, Italy, and now is there to help everyone in the community. We are an inclusive organization, and we want to reach out to everyone and have everyone participate, Laudonia said. Mondays ceremony was also attended by U.S. Rep. Jim Himes; Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei; state Reps. Livvy Floren and Fred Camillo; and several past honorees, including Town Clerk Carmella Budkins, Linda Mosier and Renato Berzolla. This is a red letter day on the Greenwich calendar, Himes said. It really speaks to the incredible strength and cultural heritage that is the Italian community here in Greenwich. And this was extra special, of course, because of the honoring of Sharon and John Vecchiolla. Its hard to think of a couple and a family that have done more for our town. A proclamation was prepared declaring Oct. 8 as Sharon and John Vecchiolla Day in town. Both have been honored in this way previously as individuals, and Tesei joked that they would have to share the honors this time. These are two individuals who really epitomize the strengths of the Greenwich community through faith and their family and giving back to the community through Johns service on many, many levels and Sharon, of course, for being an indomitable presence here in the registrars office for 24 years, Tesei said. The decision to honor the Vecchiollas was planned by her former colleague, Fred DeCaro III. The two worked together for many years, he as the Republican registrar of voters and she as the Democratic registrar. DeCaro said he was excited to see it happen because I think the world of Sharon and John. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com BRIDGEPORT - A judge has refused an immediate appeal of the citys new liquor store zoning regulation that benefits a recently elected city councilman. But while Superior Court Judge Dale Radcliffe denied a temporary restraining order against the new regulation requested by a dozen local package stores, he left the door open for further appeals. I find that as to the success on the merits that the appeal is credible, that the appeal is certainly far from frivolous, Radcliffe said. Joel Green, who represents the liquor store owners, said they plan to move forward with their appeal. We look forward to having our appeal heard and decided on the merits, Green said. In July the citys planning and zoning commission, over opposition from liquor store owners, the superintendent of schools and city church leaders, passed an amendment reducing the required 1,500-foot distance between liquor stores and schools, day-care facilities, hospitals and houses of worship to 750 feet. The change in the zoning regulations benefits City Councilman Michael DeFilippo, who with the support of Democratic Town Chairman Mario Testa, sought to open a liquor store on Brooklawn Avenue. DeFilippos initial application to open the store had been rejected because it fell within the 1,500-foot rule. Green challenged the new zoning amendment claiming zoning officials did not follow proper procedures in approving the revisions. (ANSA) - Milan, October 8 - The Milan stock exchange's FTSE Mib index dropped 2.3% in early trading on Monday, taking it below 20,00 points, while Italy's bond spread crossed the 300 basis-points mark. The turbulence comes after the European Commission sent the Italian government a letter expressing concern about Italy's budget plans and the intention to let the deficit to climb to 2.4% of GDP next year. Bank stocks were hit hardest on Monday, amid fears of lenders needing new capital increases. The spread between Italy's 10-year BTP bond and the German Bund climbed to 309.8 basis points - the highest level since April 2013. The yield on the BTP peaked at 3.62% - the highest level since February 2014. The spread, an important measure of Italy's borrowing costs and a gauge of investor confidence, closed at 285 points on Friday. Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini blamed speculators for the rise in Italy's bond spread and said the government had no intention of changing policy. "If I wanted to think badly, I'd say that there is a Soros-like manoeuvre by speculators betting on Italy's bankruptcy to be able to buy the healthy companies that remain at a cut price," Salvini said. "In the name of the government, I say that we will not go back. "Those who want to speculate on the Italian economy should know that they are wasting their time. "As for the spread at 300 points, I'd like to say that we are faced with a clash between the real economy and the virtual one, between real life and financial reality". STAMFORD Trinity Catholic High School, Stamfords co-educational Catholic high school, is preparing to welcome new students with its open house. Trinity Catholic will be hosting its fall open house on Oct. 16. The event will be held 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for families interested in sending their students to the school. It will be at the schools 926 Newfield Avenue campus. MIDDLETOWN As the state grapples with a shortage of quality day-care spots for infants and toddlers, the Middlesex Coalition for Children has been working on the state level to pass legislation that would help make it a little easier for working parents to provide for their children. This is taking place amid a climate of so-called day care deserts, meaning there are three times as many children as licensed day care slots in an area with more than 50 children under the age of 5. Middletown has about 47 licensed day care providers, according to data compiled by the Center for American Progress, which shows the capacity of these day cares is about 1,171. By comparison, the most recent U.S. Census shows there are about 2,307 children under the age of 5 living in Middletown. An interactive map of the United States on the centers site allows visitors to drill down to the state level, and even to individual neighborhoods in each municipality. Across Connecticut, 44 percent of residents live in an area without adequate child care, according to the Center of American Progress. More than half of residents in day care deserts have a below-average income and about half are black or Hispanic. In the areas with a shortage, 41 percent of them are white and earn more than the median income. When we think about the notion of a day-care desert, what were really talking about is inequities at the very beginning of childrens lives, said Wendy Simmons, director of education and equity at the research/advocacy group, Connecticut Voices for Children. Because of the expense, even in places that have low levels of child care, people with means and resources will always have access and access to the best. Despite the high demand for child care, data from Voices for Children shows more programs are closing in the state than opening. The problem, Simmons said, is the lack of living wage. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in May 2017 that the average child care worker in Connecticut made $12.88 an hour, which amounts to less than $27,000 a year. The Middlesex Coalition for Children, based in Middletown, advanced two bills this last legislative session that would help working parents both of which died before the Connecticut General Assembly could act upon them, however. Izzi Greenberg, executive director of the coalition, is also chairwoman of the CT Early Childhood Alliance Advocacy Committee. She talks to legislators, acting as a conduit between the state legislative process and local agencies, such as preschools, schools and parent advocacy groups. My role it to be the connector. Middlesex United Way Vice President of Community Impact Ed Bonilla has sat on the Middletown School Readiness Council for 11 years in various capacities. Hes now co-chairman. During his tenure on the panel, day care shortages for infants and toddlers has been an ongoing and pressing issue. Options are few, and it seems most of the states efforts are [centered on] 3- to 4-year-olds for school readiness to get ready for kindergarten. Obviously, with that focus which is important it doesnt lend itself to infants and toddlers. The most important brain, social, emotional development for a child happens in the first 1,000 days, Greenberg said. Any interventions that are necessary, any bonding, skill building, the way you interact with other people nearly all of that is learned and developed before you even go to preschool. The importance of infants and toddlers being in a quality environment during this period of development cant be overstated, she said. Even the push for universal preschool, which many conceive to be a potential solution to many of these issues, presents somewhat of a problem. It really needs to be universal infants and toddlers preschool. You cant forget that part, because thats when the important stuff is happening, Greenberg said. Being with a parent is a quality environment, especially for working parents. Youre going to grammas house one day, youre going to a friends another day, maybe youre at two half-days of child care the consistency isnt there, the opportunity for secure and regular bonding isnt there. Theres a lot missing when parents are forced to cobble together child care, Greenberg said. There also exists a lack of infant/toddler spaces in day care centers and its very expensive for openings that do exist. Day care is much more expensive for the very young because state regulations limit the capacity of children based on their age and the size of the facility. There must be one adult for every four infants and toddlers under the age of 3. The ratio increases to 1 to 10 for children older than 3. In family day cares, there can be up to six children who do not attend school full-time and three school-age kids. One of the issues Greenberg has been focused on is a predictive scheduling bill, which would mandate employers to provide employees a timetable of hours in advance. The initial proposal provided for two weeks. As the session drew to a close, it was reduced to between 48 and 72 hours, effectively rendering it useless, she said. The bill eventually died. Twenty-four hours: It really doesnt help people in low-wage jobs, he said. Its already a monumental task juggling child care, several jobs and other responsibilities that come with parenting on a limited income, Greenberg said. Another bill the coalition proposed was a type of family leave. It was like unemployment, where a small percentage would come out of employees paychecks, so it wasnt an additional employer tax. It was a little bit of money that would come out of employee paychecks to go into a fund that would pay for people to take time off when they had a baby, she said. It would have allowed parents to have important bonding time with their very young children. A lot of times, that isnt happening because moms give birth, and have to go right back to work, she said. Greenberg sympathizes with parents frustration. Its not even legal to take puppies away from their parents before theyre six weeks in most places, and here, we dont even extend that courtesy to humans. Its terrible. Simmons said there needs to be more government funding for early child care. The ratio is there for quality. Infants and toddlers require a lot of support, Simmons said. Thats why most other countries have dealt with this through government subsidies. Were just a little behind. Stamford Advocate Reporter Erin Kayata contributed to this story. The driver of the stretch limousine involved in a crash that killed 20 people in Upstate New York on Saturday did not have the proper license to be operating the vehicle, New York State Police officials said Monday. Additionally, the limo, a converted 2001 Ford Expedition, had failed at least one prior safety inspection and the company that owned it had a record of noncompliance with state and federal requirements, according to officials and public records. Authorities seized the company's vehicles Monday, as police investigated whether anyone was criminally liable. A separate safety probe, led by the National Transportation Safety Board, was underway at the crash site in Schoharie, about 30 miles west of Albany. "We'll determine if there is any criminal culpability on the part of anyone," New York State Police Major Robert Patnaude said at a news conference Monday. Authorities said the limousine company, Prestige Limousine, was cooperating in the investigation. Its owner, Shahed Hussain, was out of the country, officials told reporters. Federal motor carrier safety records indicate the company had a spotty record: Of five inspections over two years, four resulted in vehicles being taken out of service. The Gansevoort, New York-based company has three vehicles and two drivers, records show, although officials said three vehicles had been seized along with the one involved in the crash. On Monday New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, criticized Prestige for "putting a failed vehicle on the road." Cuomo told reporters the limousine driver had not been licensed to drive a such a vehicle, and that the company would be ordered to cease and desist operations through the investigation. "I think the owner of Prestige has a lot of questions to answer," Cuomo said. Hussain, an FBI informant who worked with the agency on terrorism cases, could not be reached Monday at numbers listed for the company. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said among the things investigators will be looking into are the company, the driver, state and federal oversight, and the vehicle and its condition. Typically when SUVs are converted into limos, they are cut in half, stretched and converted. Sumwalt said the vehicle was configured for 19 seats; two up front, a rear-facing seat, a forward-facing seat in the back and seating on each side. Some of the seats had lap shoulder belts, but it was unclear if all did or if passengers were wearing them. In New York, seatbelts are only required for the limo driver and front-seat passenger, he said. Investigators also will be looking into "human performance" -- the driver's history and qualifications, conducting toxicology tests and determining whether fatigue was a factor, he said. Officials urged anyone with information on the lead-up to the crash to come forward, including text messages or social media posts that could she further light on the tragedy. The limousine passengers, a close-knit group of 17 friends had originally rented "some kind of bus" Saturday to celebrate a friend's 30th birthday, Valerie Abeling said. Her niece, 34-year-old Erin McGowan, was among those on what was supposed to be a fun-filled excursion to a brewery in Cooperstown, New York. Somewhere along the way, Abeling said, the bus apparently broke down and the limousine was the replacement, she said. Shortly after the white stretch limousine arrived, McGowan texted Abeling's daughter to say the vehicle appeared to be in terrible condition. Still, the group continued southwest on State Route 30. Some 20 minutes later, the limousine came over a steep hill and headed down toward a T-shaped intersection in Schoharie. Witnesses would later recall the limo blowing past a stop sign and plowing into the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe at the bottom of the hill, police said. There, it struck a parked SUV and at least two pedestrians, before becoming lodged in a ditch at the side of the road, police said. The front end of the limo was crushed, forcing the engine into the driver compartment, NTSB officials said, describing the substantial "force and energy" required to create such extensive damage. The crash killed everyone in the limousine, including the driver and all 17 passengers, police said. Two bystanders also were killed. The scene rattled even longtime investigators, who converged on the site over the weekend to begin trying to reconstruct what happened. "You have 20 fatalities. . . . That's very striking," Sumwalt said. "This is the most deadly transportation accident or crash that we've seen on U.S. soil since February of 2009." He said the aim of the investigation was to determine how to prevent such a devastating crash from ever occurring again, and did not rule out that the probe could shed broader insights on the safety of passenger limousines themselves. The families of those killed - many of whom were related or were childhood friends - said they are struggling to come to grips with the magnitude of the tragedy. "It's tragic. Horrible. I can't even begin to even explain," Abeling said in an interview Sunday from Upstate New York, where her family was gathered. "Our lives have been changed forever." Abeling said her niece's new husband, 30-year-old Shane McGowan, had also been in the limousine. The couple married in June and were among a tight circle made up mostly of old high school and neighborhood friends from Amsterdam, New York. "These were friends just starting their lives, getting married, and this is how it ended," Abeling said. "It's a tragic loss of beautiful souls." Many of those in the limousine were related to one another. In an interview with ABC News, Barbara Douglas appeared stunned as she confirmed four of her nieces were among those killed. "I had four nieces," Douglas told the news station. "They're all dead. They were in there." Because autopsies were still being conducted, officials declined to confirm the names of the crash victims on Monday, but family members of some victims confirmed their identities. "Due to the severity of the crash the process is taking some time," Patnaude said. The brewery trip had been planned to celebrate her niece Amy Steenberg's 30th birthday, Douglas told CBS News. Relatives identified Steenberg's other three sisters who were killed as Mary Dyson, Allison King and Abby Jackson, according to the New York Times. Like the McGowans, Steenberg and her husband, Axel Steenberg, had just gotten married in June; Axel's brother, Rich Steenberg, was also killed in the limousine crash, she said. "Can't wrap your head around it - you just can't," Douglas told the news station. "They were wonderful girls. They would do anything for you, and they were very close to each other, and they loved their family." Their younger brother, Eric Steenberg, who was not on the trip, told the news station it seemed like "a really bad dream." On Monday morning, standing at the intersection where the crash happened, Karina Halse cried as she confirmed to ABC's "Good Morning America" that her sister, 26-year-old Amanda Halse, and her sister's husband, Patrick Cushing, were among those killed. "My sister was the most beautiful soul that I've ever been so grateful to know in my life," Karina Halse told host Robin Roberts, through tears. "She was creative from the day that she was born . . . She just wanted to make sure everyone was happy, and I'm so grateful that she was my sister out of everyone else on this earth." Calls to the families of the other victims were not returned, and The Washington Post is withholding their names until their identities can be confirmed by relatives. The crash occurred where two state highways - State Route 30 and State Route 30A - meet at the bottom of a hill. Schoharie Town Supervisor Alan Tavenner said Sunday the New York Department of Transportation had in recent years outlawed heavy trucks on the hill because of instances where runaway trucks lost their ability to apply the brakes down the steep grade. The NTSB, the New York State Police and the New York State Department of Transportation are all investigating the crash. Information on the vehicle's speed and braking were not immediately available, but officials had recovered the limo's airbag control module -- a component that could shed light on those factors similar to an aircraft's "black box" data recorder. Sumwalt said it was early in investigators' process. "What they're here to do at this point is collect the perishable information the information that can go away with the passage of time," he said. "We know that the car ran a stop sign and had a tragic result . . . Our ultimate goal is to keep things like this from happening again." BEIJING - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got an earful from senior Chinese officials during a five-hour visit to Beijing on Monday, effectively becoming the whipping boy in the increasingly acrimonious relationship between the two governments. Pompeo is the most senior official to meet with his Chinese counterparts since President Trump accused Beijing of interfering in November's midterm elections, and Vice President Pence gave a vitriolic speech charging Beijing with seeking to undermine U.S. interests across the globe. He felt the full force of the dispute during meetings with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, a Politburo member who has long dealt with bilateral relations. In the first round, Wang told Pompeo that the Trump administration's recent actions against China have "directly impacted our mutual trust and cast a shadow over our bilateral relations." Pompeo is on a whistle-stop tour around Asia mainly focused on North Korea's nuclear program, but upon arrival in Beijing, the agenda swiftly pivoted to the burgeoning dispute between the world's two biggest economies, sparked by Trump's trade war and fueled by his allegations that the Chinese government is "interfering" in next month's midterm elections. "We urge the U.S. to stop such misguided activities," Wang said, casting the sudden deterioration in the relationship in surprisingly undiplomatic terms. He cited the "escalation" of trade friction, favorable treatment of Taiwan and "criticizing China's internal and external policies." "We believe that we need to keep our relationship on the right track," a stern-faced Wang told his American counterpart. At Pompeo's second meeting, Yang protested the "unwarranted actions from the U.S. side" and said that China "will take all necessary measures to safeguard" itself against anything the United States might do. He did, however, strike a slightly more conciliatory tone, urging the United States to expand cooperation and "meet China halfway." The secretary of state responded by saying that Washington and Beijing were stuck in a "fundamental disagreement" that he hoped they could make some progress on resolving. He lamented Beijing's recent decision not to attend the strategic dialogue between the two countries' defense secretaries planned for the middle of this month, saying that the forum is an "important opportunity" for discussion. It appeared that President Xi Jinping, who met Pompeo during the American's visit in June, decided to snub him this time. There previously had been slots in the schedule for three meetings, but Pompeo had only two. Separately, it emerged that Xi would soon make his first visit as president to North Korea. He will visit "soon," South Korean President Moon Jae-in told a cabinet meeting Monday. Pompeo tried to focus on North Korea's denuclearization during his meetings Monday, an issue China and the United States generally agree on, even if they differ on how to get there. Two of the five people on the American side of the meeting table dealt with North Korea: new special representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun and National Security Council adviser Allison Hooker. Pompeo spent around 3 1/3 hours with Kim in Pyongyang on Sunday, in a formal meeting and then at lunch, in talks he later described as "productive" and "another step forward" in negotiations to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program. The two sides agreed to set up "working-level" negotiating teams to finalize the date and time for a second summit between Trump and Kim, the secretary of state said before departing Seoul for Beijing. "Most importantly both the leaders believe there is real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit, and so we are going to get it at a time that works for each of the two leaders and at a place that works for both of them," Pompeo told reporters in South Korea, the third stop on his trip. "We really hope we can deliver some good outcomes from that when the summit takes place," he added. "But we do think . . . that this is a place where ultimately some of these big, difficult issues have to be resolved by the nation's most senior leaders, and hope to have those presented in a way that the two leaders can resolve them when they get together." The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim had "warmly welcomed" Pompeo in Pyongyang and "spoke highly of him." Kim said progress is being made implementing the decisions he reached with Trump in Singapore in June, according to the KCNA, and expressed his gratitude to Trump, adding that agreement had been reached to hold a second summit "as soon as possible." During Pompeo's meeting in Pyongyang, Kim also invited inspectors to visit the Punggye-ri nuclear test site to "confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled," the State Department said. Pompeo said this could happen "as soon as we get it logistically worked out," adding: "Chairman Kim said he's ready to allow them to come in." The secretary of state also confirmed that inspectors would be invited to a separate missile test site at Tongchang-ri but declined to comment on which organization might be allowed into either site. But for all the new momentum on dealing with North Korea, it was the bilateral relationship that dominated the discussions in Beijing on Monday. Relations between Beijing and Washington have taken a sharp turn for the worse in the past month, as the tit-for-tat trade war has seen both sides slapping tariffs on a broad range of each others' products, and both sides vowing to stand their ground. The Global Times, a state-run newspaper that often reflects the thinking of the Communist Party, linked the U.S. actions to a broader push to contain China and stem its rise. "United States, please respect the development rights of China's vast society," the paper said in an editorial published after Pompeo's meetings. "Preventing 1.4 billion people from becoming prosperous and rich is morally despicable, and cannot work in reality." That trade war has now overflowed into other areas. The supposedly autonomous Chinese territory of Hong Kong last month declined a scheduled port visit by a U.S. Navy ship, and a Chinese admiral canceled a planned visit to the United States. Just last week, China pulled out of the planned top-level defense meeting. Meanwhile, Trump has accused Beijing of "interfering" in the upcoming midterms by running a four-page editorial-style supplement in the Des Moines Register, trying to tap into Iowa farmers' frustration over the tariffs. China hit back angrily, implying that it is the United States that has a track record of interfering in other countries' business. Then in a sharply critical speech last week, Vice President Pence issued a broad indictment of the methods behind China's rise to becoming a major economic power, asserting that Beijing has sought to undermine U.S. interests across the globe. Trump "will not back down" from the challenge, Pence said, adding that China "wants a different American president" and that the nation "is interfering in America's democracy" ahead of the midterm elections, he said. The speech further inflamed tensions. "For Chinese people, kindness and hatred are clearly distinguished," Zhu Feng, dean of the School of International Relations at Nanjing University, said in a piece in the Guangming Daily newspaper Monday, under the headline "China's modernization is not a gift from the United States." "We will not forget America's help and support to China in modern and contemporary history, but Mr. Pence cannot be 'superior' for having helped China previously," Zhu said. "We also need to clarify facts about the history of China-U.S. relations." - - - Denyer reported from Tokyo. The Washington Post's Yang Liu in Beijing contributed to this report. U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo cited "fundamental disagreement" with China's foreign minister during a testy exchange in Beijing that highlighted rising tensions between the world's two largest economies. Pompeo's retort came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the U.S. on Monday of escalating trade disputes, interfering on Taiwan and meddling in the country's domestic affairs. "These actions have damaged our mutual trust, cast a shadow over China-U.S. relations, and are completely out of line with the interests of our two peoples," Wang told his visiting American counterpart. "The issues that you characterized, we have a fundamental disagreement," Pompeo said. "We have great concerns about actions that China has taken and I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss each of those today because this is an incredibly important relationship." The exchange came as Pompeo arrived in the Chinese capital during an Asia trip focused on securing a disarmament deal with North Korea and maintaining international pressure against Kim Jong Un. The visit was the latest indication of deteriorating ties between the U.S. and China, as the two sides tussle over everything from trade to Taiwan and the South China Sea. China's public show of displeasure also represented one of the strongest signs yet that the widening list of disputes between the U.S. and China could undermine their cooperation on North Korea. Beijing is Pyongyang's biggest international benefactor and U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested that his trade war with China was leading the country to relax pressure on the regime. Unlike a similar trip in June, Chinese President Xi Jinping granted no audience to the U.S. secretary of state. When asked earlier Monday whether Xi had declined a meeting because of disagreements between the two sides, Pompeo said, "I expect they'll also raise the issues that they're happy with." While China's foreign ministry said at a news briefing Monday that broader tensions wouldn't undermine cooperation on North Korea, Wang told Pompeo that the issue illustrated the importance of maintaining a working relationship. "I know that you would like to discuss the North Korea issue and other relational issues with me on this visit," Wang said. "This speaks to the fact that two major powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council need to and should increase communication and cooperation, taking on responsibilities in international society." Rising tensions have fueled concern in Beijing and Washington that the president's trade fight, left unchecked, could foster a new Cold War between the two countries. In the speech at the Hudson Institute in Washington last week, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accused China of "a whole-of-government approach" to sway American public opinion, including spies, tariffs, coercive measures and a propaganda campaign. Pence also assailed China over its actions in the South China Sea, where the U.S. has deployed warships on tense missions to counter Chinese claims to territory around reclaimed rocks and reefs. Last month China refused a U.S. warship entry to Hong Kong next month, days after Washington sanctioned the Chinese military for buying Russian weapons. The U.S. Pacific Fleet is drafting plans for a global show of force to warn China and demonstrate resolve to deter Beijing's military actions, CNN reported Thursday, citing several unidentified U.S. defense officials. Still, Wang's remarks made clear that China was most concerned about recent U.S. moves to improve ties with the democratically run island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers a province. A series of diplomatic understandings on Taiwan -- in which the Communist Party tolerates American weapons sales while the U.S. accepts Beijing as the capital of "one China" -- underpin more than four decades of relations between the two sides. On Monday, Wang called on the U.S. to cease military contacts and further arms sales to the island and stop interfering with Chinese efforts to establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan's existing diplomatic partners. SCHOHARIE, N.Y. Erin and Shane McGowan were just starting their life together after five months of marriage when they climbed into a limousine to celebrate their friend Amy's 30th birthday. The ride ended in the nation's deadliest transportation disaster since 2009, killing the McGowans and 18 others when the limousine crashed into the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store in Schoharie on Saturday afternoon. "They just decided to rent a limousine and have fun and not worry about everything," Erin's uncle Anthony Vertucci told the Times Union on Sunday. "My whole entire family is in complete and utter shock. It's hard and so tragic," said Vertucci, who lives in Saratoga Springs. "We're just talking layers of tragedy. There are so many families affected by this." Vertucci said the 17 passengers in the limousine included Amy Steenburg, who was celebrating her 30th birthday, Amy's husband Axel, Axel's brother Rich, Amy's three sisters and one of her brothers-in-law. The group of young adults grew up together and all lived in Amsterdam. Two of the couples were newlyweds. Vertucci said Erin McGowan was one of three daughters and worked in record-keeping at a hospital in Amsterdam. Erin and Shane, who had been a couple for at least three years and got married in June, were just starting their lives together. "You're always hoping you find the love of your life, it's what you hope and wish and dream for, and they found each other. They were just so beautiful and vibrant and kind. They made such a dynamic duo," Vertucci said. "They were finally able to get married and just honestly starting to live their life. They had big plans. They were saving for a house and hoping to do everything that everybody hopes to do." Two other victims, Amy and Axel Steenburg, also were just married in June. Axel and his brother Rich Steenburg, also killed in the limousine, both worked at GlobalFoundries and have a GoFundMe page. Three of Amy's sisters and one of her brothers-in-law died as well. Amy' sister Abby Jackson and her husband Adam left behind two daughters, Archer, 4 years old, and Elle, 16 months old. A GoFundMe page titled "College and Expenses for Archer and Elle" shows pictures of the couple holding the two blonde, beaming girls. The page had raised more than $13,350 by Sunday evening. Abby was a teacher in the Amsterdam School District. The district set up a space for grief counseling at Lynch Literacy Academy, 55 Brandt Pl., for families of victims to come for support from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday. The family of Amy Steenburg and Abby Jackson declined to talk on Sunday. State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara said there will be a vigil for the victims in Amsterdam Monday night at the southern end of the bridge in the city's downtown. The gathering starts at 6:30 p.m. 3 1 of 3 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media / Show More Show Less 3 of 3 HAMDEN Police are looking for two males who allegedly robbed a 19-year-old New Haven resident, with the victim telling police he was on his way to meet a prostitute at the time, police Capt. Ronald Smith said in a news release. The man who reported the robbery told police on Sunday that he was scheduled to meet with a prostitute on State Street at about 2:30 p.m. Friday, Smith said in the release. KABUL, Afghanistan - The Taliban militants on Monday broke their months of silence on the upcoming parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, warning they would seek to disrupt the Oct. 20 vote. The announcement casts new doubt on the troubled elections, which have already been delayed for three years and are plagued by fears of fraud and security concerns. The warning coincides with increase in the number of attacks both by the Taliban and affiliates of the Islamic State in recent months, which have killed hundreds of people, including six nominees for the parliamentary vote and scores working on the elections. It also comes in the midst of a widening political rift between members of the government, dissatisfaction among factional leaders over the electoral process, and allegations that President Ashraf Ghani is seeking to manipulate the results to boost his own reelection in six months. The palace vehemently denies the charge. In its statement, the Taliban described the elections as a "bogus" U.S. move to consolidate its invasion of Afghanistan and urged Afghans to avoid participation. "The Islamic Emirate (Taliban), while representing the people and as an emancipative force of the nation, considers this process a fake one as a conspiracy of deceiving the people for achieving the malicious interests of foreigners," read the statement, which comes as the group controls the most territory in the country since its 2001 overthrow. "The Islamic Emirate instructs all its Mujahideen to halt this American-led process throughout the country by creating severe obstacles for it, while taking extensive and intensive care of civilian Afghan lives and their properties," it added. The Taliban warning further raises the alarm about election security. More than 2,000 polling sites have already been shut because of violence. Advised and backed by U.S.-led troops, tens of thousands of Afghan forces are set to be deployed on election day. In past elections, the Taliban immediately issued warnings that it would disrupt the contests and targeted voters and candidates. This year, however, the militants remained silent until less than two weeks before the vote. The Taliban warning comes after apparent direct talks between the militants and U.S. delegates failed to produce any result in recent months. An Interior Ministry official said security preparations are on the right track for the vote, and will prevent the Taliban from disrupting the process. In its statement, the Taliban also sought to capitalize on the recent visit of Erik Prince, the former Navy SEAL and founder of the Blackwater security company, which was accused of killing civilians in Iraq. Prince, a heavy donor to President Donald Trump's campaign and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, infuriated Afghan officials when he called during his visit for privatization of the war. using more U.S. contractors. "The sovereignty of our land is at stake as the privatization of the ongoing war by handing it over to a contract killer group, called Blackwater, is under consideration," the Taliban said. Prince later sold the group, which also changed its name, and founded a new firm. U.S. and Afghan officials alike have both said they think Prince's proposal is a bad idea, but it has not been dismissed out of hand in part because of Prince's relationship with people in the Trump administration. --- The Washington Post's Dan Lamothe contributed to this report from Kabul. (ANSAmed) - CAIRO, 8 OTT - The city of Cairo will soon host the birth of a new Arab business association, aiming to become a "key" for business and development in the countries of the southern Mediterranean coast and the Nile Basin countries. According to sources in the Egyptian capital, this association will be called the International Federation of African Arab Businessmen (FIEAA), which is in fact intended to carry out the duties of the Chamber of Commerce and the Vocational Organization, as set out in the draft Assembly Regulation Law. Sources of the nascent organization told ANSAmed that its doors were particularly open to "Arab businessmen with Italian citizenship, but now they are open to Arab and foreign businessmen, especially Italians, who are interested in this area of activity. In addition to the five Arab countries bordering the southern shores of the Mediterranean (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco), FIEAA seeks to interact with institutions, companies and society even in Nile Basin countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Erithrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. Mr. Sameh Ali Lotfy, director general of protocol and international relations in the Egyptian parliament, said in statements received by Anasamed that the initiative is to be launched at a conference in Cairo on December 30 with the presence of representatives of the government, adding that a preparatory meeting had already been held in Sharm el-Sheikh in the first from last August. In addition, contacts were held in Brussels with the European Council - the 47-nation international organization - and a representative office will be opened in the Belgian capital, the headquarters of European institutions such as UNHCR European Commission. The Association will be involved in charitable projects such as caring for the heart diseases of children in the countries of interest, namely the countries of the southern coast of the Mediterranean and the Nile basin countries, as well as the missions of businessmen to these countries (ANSAmed). The country's growing partisan divide isn't confined to the shoutfest over Brett M. Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation: Republicans and Democrats also hold increasingly divergent views about the basic underpinnings of the economy. For the first time since the question was asked in 2014, a clear majority of Republicans and right-leaning independents - 57 percent - now say the economic system is fair to most Americans, according to a survey released last week by the Pew Research Center. That represents a 7-point swing from just over two years ago, when a majority of the same population said the system favored powerful interests. Meanwhile a rising number of Democrats, 84 percent, say the economy is unfairly skewed toward the powerful. The results point to an electorate in which the two major camps perceive fundamentally different realities, and the chasm is only widening. For example, while Republicans have long proved more likely than Democrats to chalk up wealth to hard work, the Pew survey found the partisan gap on that question has doubled in just the past four years. The phenomenon is evident in a midterm campaign unfolding on a split screen. Republicans are pointing to an economy that's humming by many measures and in which unemployment just hit a 49-year low. Democrats are highlighting rising health-care costs, stubbornly sticky real wage growth, and the economy's failure to produce higher-paying jobs. And the party is arguing that the GOP has pushed to make a bad situation worse, in part through tax cuts tilted toward the wealthy. The House Democratic campaign arm made that case in an uncharacteristically pointed ad this month that depicted workers as furniture for corporate executives gloating over their tax-cut windfall. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Pew survey also found that a person's income colors how they see others' wealth: Those making more than $75,000 a year are more inclined than those pulling down less than $30,000 to view wealth as the product of hard work. Conversely, those earning less are more inclined to see poorer people as victims of circumstance. The sharpening partisan divide may help explain Democrats' renewed competitiveness in the Rust Belt, where President Donald Trump built his winning margin in 2016 in part by poaching working-class voters from the Democratic column. As Ron Brownstein wrote in the Atlantic last week, Democratic incumbents in four of those states - Sherrod Brown in Ohio, Debbie Stabenow in Michigan, Bob Casey in Pennsylvania and Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin - now look like solid favorites. And four Democratic gubernatorial candidates in the region are mounting competitive challenges to Republican incumbents. From Brownstein: "The big question for Democrats is how much of this nascent recovery represents genuine disillusion with Trump among white working-class voters in the Rust Belt. It could be, instead, that there's a lack of enthusiasm for more traditional Republicans among the blue-collar whites who surged to the polls for the president in 2016. Michael Podhorzer, the political director of the AFL-CIO, says the union federation's research shows some working-class white women have clearly soured on Trump, largely because of his effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. "But the biggest explanation for the shifting numbers, Podhorzer believes, is that the portions of the white working class hostile to Trump appear somewhat more likely to vote next month than those who support him." Voters motivated by a sense that the economy remains rigged in favor of the rich got fresh ammunition last week with the New York Times's report detailing Trump's $413 million inheritance. And the president already looked primed to prove more galvanizing for Democrats than an uneven economic recovery. Migrants: Malta recues two boats with 220 people on board Operations within Valletta's area (ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 8 - A reported 220 migrants were rescued by Malta's military during the weekend in two separate operations, the Times of Malta reported on Monday. The two boats, one with 120 on board and the other with 97, were in the search-and-rescue (SAR) area of Malta. Maltese cutters found the migrants and rescued them during routine search missions. (ANSAmed) The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office on Monday identified the 11-year-old boy killed in an alleged drunken driving crash on Saturday on the Northeast Side. Andrew Alcorta was rushed to Brooke Army Medical Center after the crash at 5:45 p.m. in the 4400 block of Northeast Loop 410, but he was later pronounced dead, officials said. A man arrested for an unrelated incident last month was charged Sunday in connection to the robbery of a North Side Whataburger. Sean Lacey, 38, was charged Sunday with two counts of aggravated robbery, according to jail records. Lacey was arrested on Sept. 26 after allegedly attempting to flee from a traffic stop. RELATED: Police: Man who shot 3 on San Antonio's gay strip had been kicked out of bar Detectives realized Lacey and his car both matched suspect descriptions in two recent robberies, according to an arrest affidavit. One of those robberies happened on Sept. 5 at the Whataburger in the 8400 block of U.S. 281, according to his arrest affidavit. In that case, three suspects entered the restaurant from the back. One of them held the manager at gunpoint, and the group forced the manager to follow their orders and open the safe so they could take an undisclosed amount of money, according to the affidavit. Lacey allegedly admitted to his involvement in both robberies. Details on the second robbery were not immediately available. His bail was set at $60,000. Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. | fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSA A San Antonio driver traveled at speeds of at least 100 mph while racing on Interstate 10, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. John Serros, 21, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of street racing, according to jail records. On Sept. 28, a trooper was driving his personal car on I-10 near Fresno Road when he notice a Chevrolet Camaro racing a Dodge Charger behind him, authorities said. RELATED: 11-year-old killed in alleged drunken driving crash in San Antonio identified Both cars were driving around 100 mph, the trooper estimated, according to the affidavit. The trooper called the incident in, and followed the Camaro, which exited the highway while the Charger continued on the interstate, according to the affidavit. The trooper was able to take down the Camaro's license plate information, which helped detectives determine that Serros owned the car, officials said. The next day, the trooper went to Serros' address and pulled him over after Serros failed to use his turn signals properly, according to the affidavit. After being questioned by the trooper, Serros' admitted he was the one racing on the highway, the affidavit says. Serros was released from jail Monday after posting his $2,000 bond, according to jail records. Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. | fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSA San Antonio police are again asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect in a 2016 murder on the city's West Side. Isaac Orosco was 20 years old in July 2016 when he was shot and killed at an apartment complex on the 1500 block of N.W. Crossroads, according to police. Orosco had just stepped out of a car in front of an apartment when the driver of a black SUV fired two shots at him, striking him once in the stomach. Bosnia: first official data, Dodik ahead for presidency Pro-Russia nationalist favours separaion of Bosnian Serbs (ANSAmed) - SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 8 - In Bosnia-Herzegivona, where political elections were held on Sunday, the first official data confirmed reports that Milorad Dodik has a sensible lead in the race for the Serbian member of Bosnia's three-person presidency. Dodik, the outgoing president of Republika Srpska (Rs), the Serbian-majority entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina, is a loyal ally of Russia and is in favor of a strong autonomy for the Serbian entity, urging Bosnian Serbs to secede. The electoral commission in Sarajevo said, after 43.42% of ballots had been counted, that Dodik had a 55.15% lead over rival Mladen Ivanic, the outgoing Serbian member of the presidency who garnered 41.98% of the vote. The candidate of the main Bosnian Muslim SDA party of Bakir Izetbegovic, Sefik Dzaferovic, was ahead with 38% of the vote over Denis Becirovic of the Fdp party (ex-Communist party) with 33.40%. Croat voters returned the centrist Social Democrat, Zelijko Komsic, to their presidential seat, a mandate he has covered twice in the past, with 49.47% of the vote over rival Dragan Covic, the outgoing Croatian member of the presidency, who obtained 38.66% of the vote. (ANSAmed) THE Zimbabwe Congresss of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has called on its members to take to the streets on Thursday in a nationwide protest against Finance minister Mthuli Ncubes 2% tax, after rubbishing a review proclaimed on Friday as meaningless. Ncube triggered widespread outrage after imposing a 2% tax on electronic money transfers in a bid to raise money for the cash-strapped government. Giving in to the criticism, Ncube reviewed the tax on Friday, exempting transactions below $10 and capping the tax at $10 000. Among other demands, the labour body wants President Emmerson Mnangagwas administration to halt the escalating price hikes, saying the sharp increase in the prices of goods was pushing the hard-press citizens against a rock. ZCTU president Peter Mutasa said the labour federation had elected to go ahead with its protest billed for Thursday despite the tax review announced on Friday. Nothing has changed, but nothing turns on the purported changes and clarifications, Mutasa said. In fact, the changes simply show that the [Finance] minister [Mthuli Ncube] was attempting to placate the rich and ignore the poor. He still wants to charge the additional taxes on school fees transfers in addition to Pay as You Earn tax and the gazetted minimum of $10 is a big joke considering the current price increases. In a statement to its members across the country released yesterday, ZCTU called upon workers, residents and citizens to join the demonstrations in all regional capitals Harare, Chinhoyi, Gweru, Bulawayo, Masvingo and Mutare. Say no to another ESAP. Say no to excessive taxation. Stop price hike madness. Prices must fall, read the statement. ZCTU central region chairperson Kudakwashe Munengiwa yesterday said: We are going to have a progressive day in which all workers must come and help ZCTU convey the message that the suffering of people of Zimbabwe must stop forthwith. We need the government to get the message clearly from the people. Munengiwa said they were also demonstrating in solidarity with vendors who were being harassed by councils and Zimbabwe Republic Police. In the 1990s, ZCTU protests led by the now late Morgan Tsvangirai forced government to bow down to workers demands. NewsDay Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News (ANSAmed) - BARCELONA, OCTOBER 8 - The Mediterranean region has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, and it is a common problem on both the north and south shores, where at least six countries have unemployment rates exceeding 30%. The main challenge, and the shared destiny of the region's countries, is to invest in concrete labour policies through the private sector in order to stabilise the region, reduce migratory flows, and prevent extremism. If the unemployment rate was reduced by half, the Mediterranean's GDP would grow annually by 20 billion euros, and the potential for unleashing this growth is in the private sector's hands, according to European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, who spoke on Monday at the 3rd Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Regional Forum in Barcelona. "Politicians can only establish the conditions and the appropriate regulatory framework to facilitate job creation, but businesses must create jobs, and there aren't any magic solutions, because it's impossible to do it without the private sector," Hahn said. Since its founding, UfM - which counts 43 countries among its members - has sponsored 13 employment projects for young people and women. In one of these, "Generation Entrepreneur", 79,000 young people in the MENA region have thus far benefited, with a total budget of 175 million euros. "Since its founding, UfM has taken a pragmatic approach and a positive agenda," said UfM Secretary-General Nasser Kamel, highlighting the "untapped potential" behind the numbers. "The private sector contributes 60% of the region's GDP, 80% of capital investment and 90% of job creation in developed countries," Kamel said. "In all, about 80% of jobs in the Euro-Mediterranean area are created by small and medium-sized enterprises," he said. Using the Roadmap for Action, which established the foundations of the strategy for reaching common cooperation objectives between Europe and the Mediterranean, the Med4Jobs initiative has incorporated projects in the past five years that involve the entire spectrum of players: ministries, UN agencies, business incubators, development agencies, financial institutions and academic institutions. The 13 countries that have thus far directly benefited from UfM projects are: Albania, Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, and Tunisia. (ANSAmed). FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncubes nightmarish start at the helm of Treasury worsened at the weekend, with the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) accusing him of violating provisions of the Finance Act by introducing the new 2% tax for each dollar on electronic transactions without seeking the necessary amendment to the Act. This came amid reports that the new tax regime was not sanctioned by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, as required at law. The LSZ, in a statement, urged Ncube to rescind the decision and follow proper procedures. In light of the serious financial and practical implications of the announcement to all enterprise and common persons, there has been a public outcry and calls for the minister to rescind the announcement. The Law Society of Zimbabwe and its members support the call that the two cents per dollar tax on all transactions be rescinded because, among other reasons, its imposition is unlawful, LSZ said. Ncube is accused of violating sections 22G of the Finance Act, which fixes a five cents tax for each transaction exceeding $10 on which the tax is payable and this, could only be changed through an Act of Parliament and not a Government Gazette. As the law stands, the ministers directive to all financial institutions, banks and Zimra (Zimbabwe Revenue Authority) working together with telecommunication companies to collect $0,02 per every dollar transacted is unlawful because it violates section 22G of the Finance Act. The proper procedure for the amendment of a law (in this instance Section 22G of the Finance Act) is through Parliament as required by the Constitution, and not through a policy statement, LSZ said. LSZ said Ncube could not take a short-cut on this matter because the current increase in tax was a compulsory acquisition of property rights which, at law, should be conducted in strict compliance with the Constitution. Property rights enshrined in section 71 of the Constitution are jealously guarded. To that end, an acquiring authority must comply with the requirements of the law to the letter. Among those requirements is section 71(3)(c)(i) of the Constitution, which calls upon an acquiring authority to give reasonable notice before acquisition is effected, the statement read. It is understood that RBZ governor John Mangudya was opposed to Ncubes new tax measures, which, instead of bringing stability to the market, triggered price hikes while putting a huge dent on financial inclusion by the central bank. The RBZ was not consulted on the new tax measures which it views as a major dent on its drive for financial inclusion, acceptance of plastic money and has massive impact on attracting local and foreign investors, a highly-placed source in the financial services sector told NewsDay. In 2016, Mangudya capped bank and money transfer charges as part of efforts to bring down costs on plastic money transactions, before Ncube last week introduced a raft of measures including the two cents per dollar for every electronic transaction. Ncube later reviewed the new tax following a public outcry and exempted other transactions, but left middle-income earners and ordinary people heavily exposed. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) at the weekend described the new tax regime as retrogressive and threatened to mobilise for mass demonstrations on Thursday to force Ncube to rescind the decision. This extension of the collection of the intermediated money transfer tax to all financial transactions is regressive in that it negates the very essence of such platforms that were established to promote financial inclusion, ZCTU said in a statement. Taxing the formerly financially excluded poor people, especially in rural and urban communities, is highly retrogressive and regressive. Ncube, however, insisted that the poor were covered by exempting transactions below $10. We have covered that bit by revising the tax regime and saying all transactions of $10 or less are exempted from the tax, we have covered the poor, Ncube said. NewsDay Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has vowed he is ready to lead Zimbabwe out of crisis, telling President Emmerson Mnangagwa to come to the negotiating table and resolve all hanging political issues. The economic crisis deepened over the weekend, with critical drugs, fuel and wheat in short supply. A new 2 percent tax on all electronic transactions announced by the Finance Minister on October 1 started a domino ramping-up of prices for goods and services across the entire economy. A directive by the Reserve Bank to banks to separate foreign currency accounts from the local RTGS accounts has dramatically devalued the bond note. Rights groups are preparing to go to court to contest both policy pronouncements. Chamisa said the economic crisis, which has its genesis in a disputed election on July 30, was the symptom of a crisis of legitimacy. The crisis would only end, he said, when all Zimbabweans were speaking to the international community with one voice, and this required Mnangagwa to come to the negotiating table. Theres no way were going to allow the kind of nonsense thats taking place to go on unchecked and also uncontested. Were seeing that an anti-people government is coming up with anti-people policies, which policies are meant to hurt the ordinary people. Well not accept that, Chamisa told eNCA over the weekend. He dismissed the 2 percent tax as dubious, charging that Zimbabweans were at the mercy of a criminal syndicate. We need to return our country to legitimacy and resolve all the hanging political issues around governance, around elections so that that chapter is understood and we respect the will of the people, Chamisa, who has refused to concede defeat to Mnangagwa, added. The 40-year-old MDC leader has not stated what their return to legitimacy demand entails, but he left room for direct talks with Mnangagwa, who desperately needs the MDCs support to unlock financial bailouts from Western countries who are wary of Zimbabwes new rulers. Chamisa went on: We have a perspective, of course Zanu PF will have their own perspective but we want to have a consensus on how to move this country forward. Whatever (election) result you look at, Mr Mnangagwa does not have 50 percent of the people, we bring the other 50 percent even on the basis of the disputed election result. We need to open dialogue among ourselves, to create a platform, so that theres a consensus on what were sharing with the international community around issues of debt, around issues of measures (sanctions) that have been placed on our country and how we move our country forward. It requires a collective position, Mr Mnangagwa cant do it alone. We need a national, broad consensus. Mnangagwa has floated a proposal for official recognition of the leader of the opposition in Parliament, while state media speculated on Sunday that Chamisa wanted to be Prime Minister in a power sharing arrangement. Weve heard him talk about official recognition for the opposition leader but thats not a dialoguing point, this is not about individuals, its about institutions. This is not about personalities, its about ideas and issues that will move our country forward we need fundamental reforms economically, politically and constitutionally. The issue is bigger than just a position for individuals, its about a proposition thats good for the country and we need a national narrative, Chamisa said. Such a dialogue will set time-bound political and constitutional reforms as well as draw up an economic rescue plan agreed by all parties. His party was prepared to call a nationwide shutdown to bring Zanu PF to the negotiating table, he warned. Dialogue is always the first price for people who want to unite the nation to move forward. Were not dialoguing because were in a weak position, were dialoguing because we believe that all nations are built on the foundation of dialogue. Even if we are to say we will confront Zanu PF, after confrontation there has to be a table, so if youre able to get the table sooner than the confrontation, sooner than the protest in the street, the better, the MDC leader said. He said if Mnangagwa and Zanu PF ignored his invitation to talk, they would take the long route, which obviously entails peaceful demonstrations causing them to see the logic of unity, the logic and sense of peace, the logic and sense of progressive politics. The MDCs doors were open, he said, adding: Weve even opened the windows now. Why? Because the nation is suffering. Why? Because there are issues that are unresolved politically, the people are divided. The people have genuine concerns about the future. That is my headache as a leader, I need to make sure those issues are resolved. We need both hands to tackle the magnitude of this problem. One hand will not suffice. Mnangagwa has previously said his door was open to Chamisa, stating after his inauguration that his arms were outstretched to his youthful rival. But Chamisa says he does not believe the 76-year-old Zanu PF strongman is sincere. If his doors are open, then he must walk out of those and locate our doors which are also open. We cant go to his doors because theyre locked. Weve looked around, he says the doors are open but we see that the doors are locked. We were waiting for him to articulate an agenda in Parliament that would unlock this thing but he did not. ZimLive Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Bona Mugabes husband, Simba Mutsahuni Chikore, is set to appear in court within days charged with kidnapping. Chikore, the son-in-law of former President Robert Mugabe, was said by prosecutors to be still at large when his co-accused, Simbarashe Mutimbe, a security guard, appeared before a Harare magistrate on Saturday. The two men are accused of detaining Bertha Zakeyo, a former Zimbabwe Airways legal officer, against her will. Mutimbe, 34, was freed on $30 bail and remanded to October 22 by magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa. It is alleged that on June 7 this year, Chikore said in court to be the boss at new airline, Zimbabwe Airways sacked Zakeyo after accusing her of leaking company secrets. Zakeyo, the court heard, was required to sign some documents acknowledging her dismissal and when she refused demanding that her lawyer be present, Mutimbe prevented her from leaving the premises. Chikore allegedly locked the office and called the police, saying there was a person who was causing trouble at the company. ZimLive Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News THE MDC Alliance President Nelson Chamisa has expressed grief on the passing on of the late founding leader Morgan Tsvangirais younger brother, Casper, who succumbed to an undisclosed ailment on Saturday in Kwekwe. He was 61. Posting on his twitter account today, Chamisa described the death of Casper as a blow and that it comes at a time when memories of Morgans death are still fresh. A FLOOD OF BLOWS, My condolences to the Tsvangirai family on the passing of Casper, the young brother to our ICON, the late Dr M. Tsvangirai. This comes before our tears have dried from the untimely MT loss. Our prayers are with the family during this trying time, he said. Tsvangirai gave up the cancer of the colon battle in February in South Africa. Caspers burial is scheduled for today in Buhera. MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume said although Casper was not in the organs of the party, his contributions in funding for democracy was important. He might not have been in the partys organs, but we salute his support and will to make sure that democracy finds place in Zimbabwe, Mafume said. The Partys Youth Secretary and legislator for Highfield West, Happymore Chidziva said 2018 has been a difficult year for the Tsvangirai family and the MDC have been going through a difficult patch. The Tsvangirai family and MDC in its entirety have been subjected to grief following passing on of our icon Dr Richard Morgan Tsvangirai in February this year. We are heading to Buhera today to pay our last respect to Casper. Meanwhile MDC Alliance communications department has released a statement on Casper Tsvangirais death. The MDC saddened by Casper Tsvangirai death The party leadership and the MDC family is deeply saddened by the untimely death of Casper Tsvangirai. A brother to the late democracy icon Richard Morgan Tsvangirai who committed his life to the fight against injustice. Despite being a business person he selflessly fought for the under privileged a not so fashionable step for most in the private sector.We applaud him for taking the risk and adding his weight on behalf of the voiceless. The year 2018 has been unkind to the MDC family, we lost our founding father Dr. Morgan Richard Tsvangirai. We also lost another founder member and fine soul in Fidelis Mhashu.In the same period we have had to bury a sister to the late freedom champion President Tsvangirai . We are however quick to point out that we celebrate the life of Casper Tsvangirai and every other departed cadre for they are heroes and their deeds remain among the living. Heroic acts involve efforts in turning the world for a better place, whether in big or small ways, win or lose it doesnt matter for it is the effort that is heroic. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Tsvangirai family, we convey our condolences. We pray for comfort in these trying times. Tsvangirai was a good man gone to soon before he could see the fruits of real transformation.The fruits of the seed that he, his brother Dr M.R.Tsvangirai and the entire MDC Family have watered for a long time. May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace. MDC Communications Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News With the countrys economy continuing to haemorrhage badly despite the governments best efforts, analysts and ordinary citizens are urging President Emmerson Mnangagwa to engage opposition leader Nelson Chamisa to stem an economic Armageddon similar to 2008. Among the proposals that are being bandied about as possible remedies to Zimbabwes fast-deteriorating economy are growing calls for the formation of another government of national unity as happened after the hotly-disputed 2008 national elections, which spawned a horrific economic crisis. Analysts told the Daily News yesterday that the formation of another power-sharing government between the ruling Zanu PF and the MDC would be one of the steps critical to the restoration of economic stability in the country. This, the analysts said, was more so after this years presidential poll was also hotly disputed just as had happened in 2008 after Mnangagwa secured a razor-thin victory against Chamisa. However, there are lingering questions about whether the two men who have been going at each other hammer and tongs since the July 30 plebiscite can put their political differences aside and work together to tackle the countrys deepening economic crisis. The calls for a unity government also come as Zimbabwe faces a worsening humanitarian situation, as seen in the current cholera outbreak that has affected tens of thousands of people and killed more than 50 amid skyrocketing prices of basic goods and acute shortages of fuel and foreign currency. Interestingly, a State newspaper floated the idea of Chamisa pushing to become the countrys prime minister at the weekend. But Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya-Moyo emphatically told the Daily News yesterday that there was no need for another government of national unity in the country. The challenges we have are being addressed. So, what is the need for that (a government of national unity)? he said. Contacted for a comment, Chamisa opted to deal with the issue by asking a rhetorical question: Do you think I traversed the whole country campaigning to be prime minister? Still, political analysts were unanimous in saying Mnangagwa and Chamisa needed to work together formally in the countrys interest. University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer Eldred Masunungure said a government of national unity would bail out Zimbabwe from its current economic doldrums. It has worked before and has worked elsewhere, he said, adding that this would also help to boost investor confidence and open credit lines for the country. I think people are also nostalgic of the period 2009 to 2013 when the country had a government of national unity which rescued the country from total collapse, Masunungure said. Another political analyst, Piers Pigou, also told the Daily News that it was high time that Mnangagwa and Chamisa worked together. Its high time for Mnangagwa and Chamisa to sit down and talk but a complete solution requires national dialogue beyond political parties. As we have seen in Zimbabwe over the years, political settlements in 1987 and 2008 did not resolve the central problems, and so there must be wider conversations, Pigou said. MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume said: We restate that legitimacy issues must be dealt with urgently. National dialogue must be done in the light of President Chamisas suggestions and political reforms must be prioritised to avoid future electoral problems. Western powers have also called for Mnangagwa and Chamisa to find common ground and work together for the good of the country. The European Union and Britain have particularly been linked to behind-the-scenes manoeuvres to get Mnangagwa to recognise Chamisa as the official opposition leader, in order to placate the youthful politician who is refusing to accept the July 30 poll outcome. Meanwhile, Chamisa claims that Mnangagwa is using ambush and guerrilla tactics to run the economy further asserting that the country is not facing a cash crisis but a confidence and leadership problem. This comes as Zimbabweans have been raging over the governments controversial two cents per dollar tax on electronic transactions which triggered price increases and shortages of goods across the country. Asked about the tax, Chamisa told the Daily News: That one is a punishment for the poor. Its an anti-people tax by anti-people, people who cannot be called a government. They are not going to be called a government. He added: It erodes confidence in government and even business loses confidence. You cant use ambush, guerrilla tactics on your own people. He also said that the MDC parliamentary caucus had two years ago warned against the introduction of bond notes adding that Mnangagwa had at the time vigorously defended the introduction of the surrogate currency. He added that the MDC had also warned against the State assuming over $1,35 billion of debt incurred by Zanu PF bigwigs including ministers, legislators and military commanders who had received farming equipment from the government which they did not pay for. Launching a further salvo at the Mthuli Ncube tax, Chamisa said: In other jurisdictions, there are incentives for using the electronic money transfer system. Here you are terrorised for going electronic. He also slammed the recent move by the government to instruct all banks to separate foreign currency accounts (FCAs) into two categories namely Nostro FCAs and RTGS FCAs. He added that it was clear that Mnangagwas government had no clue regarding how to fix the countrys spiralling economic crisis. The government itself is a crisis, and so how can it offer solutions to another crisis? The economy is a mirror through which the governments own image is reflected. That is a very profound statement. If the government is ugly and wrong, it reflects it mirrors the economy, he said. He further charged that the denial of the MDCs right to rule the country after electoral theft was allegedly being seen in the appalling state of the economy. If he had ascended to the throne, Zimbabwe would be under a dispensation of what he called smart economics. DailyNews Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News - Chief Uche Secondus says there was no victor and no vanquished at the just concluded presidential primary of the PDP - Secondus said that all the aspirants in the election won the election - He called on the aspirants to keep true to their congratulatory message to Atiku Abubakar Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Uche Secondus has said that in the just concluded presidential primary of the PDP, there was no victor and no vanquished. Giving a speech after the declaration of Atiku Abubakar as the winner of the polls, Secondus said that all the aspirants in the election won the election. READ ALSO: Aspirants protest non-conduct of state, National Assembly APC primaries in Ebonyi south Secondus insisted that the process being free and fair, had all the aspirants contesting as brothers, adding that although a winner has been declared, the credibility of the process was a victory for PDP and all the aspirants. He called on the aspirants to keep true to their congratulatory message to Atiku Abubakar, urging them to work together as one bloc to ensure that the PDP clinches power in 2019 and save Nigeria. Secondus also used the opportunity to call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to learn from the presidential primary of the PDP and know that election can be free and fair Meanwhile, the president of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki who scored the third highest vote in the election congratulated Atiku Abubakar, pledging on behalf of all the aspirants to work with Atiku to actualise the goal of a PDP president in 2019. Calling for an adjournment of the convention, Sen. Abiodun Olujimi enjoined all parties to work as one to ensur eteh success of the PDP in 2019. The Convention was therafter adjourned. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! Legit.ng had reported that Nigerians, especially on social media reacted to the victory of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the party's national convention which took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital, on Saturday, October 6. Legit.ng had also reported that former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, won the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election to emerge as its presidential candidate for the 2019 presidential election. Nigeria Latest News: 2019 Presidency - 'Why Nigerians Must Vote For Atiku' | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - President Buhari has disassociated himself from El-Rufai claims that he authorised anyone to deal with Senator Shehu Sani - Garba Shehu said the president is not in receipt of any of such letter from the governor - According to Shehu, it is inconceivable that he would usurp the role of the party leaders and instruct anyone to punish a party member The presidency has reacted to the circulation of a letter purportedly addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari on the return of the senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, by the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai. The senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, said the president is not in receipt of any of such letter. Shehu in a series of tweet on Sunday, October 7, said the president wishes to distance itself from the letter in circulation. READ ALSO: Over 1 million displaced persons reunited with loved ones - Osinbajo Shehu added at no time did President Buhari as claimed in the letter authorised anyone, not even a governor to "deal with traitors and disloyal members of APC, especially Senator Shehu Sani." The presidential aide said Buhari is not aware of any such letter, let alone authorising anyone to deal with any party member. He further urged the general public to to ignore false or unauthorized information intended to attribute to the President to any action which is not in line with his character. READ ALSO: Obasanjo made it possible for me to become PDP's presidential candidate - Atiku Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state, allegedly wrote a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari listing the sins of Senator Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna central district. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app The governor in the letter dated October 2, reportedly said President Buhari directed him to initiate the recall of Sani, senator representing Kaduna central district, over acts of contempt and disloyalty. He also said Sani through his reckless actions made the Senate deny Kaduna state of $350m world Bank loan. The Next President of Nigeria. Who Will Win the 2019 Elections? | on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - A south-south group has congratulated Atiku Abubakar for clinching the PDP presidential ticket - The group, however, claimed Atiku owes Goodluck Jonathan an apology - The group wants Atiku to apologise to the former president for abandoning PDP before 2015 elections Some youth leaders from the south-south geo-political zone, under the auspices of Niger Delta Coalition for Peace and Progress (NDCPP), has congratulated Alhaji Atiku Abubakar over his victory at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primaries. The group, in a statement on Sunday, October 7, signed by Charles Kalada Dan-Jumbo, however, urged the presidential hopeful to consider apologising to the geo-political zone over events leading to 2015 polls. According to the group, the successful hosting of the presidential primary in Port Harcourt is an indication that the region is peaceful under the leadership of a PDP state government. READ ALSO: We'll impeach Buhari when NASS reopens - Senate leaders vows They also commended Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, who chaired the convention planning committee, as well as Prince Uche Secondus, PDP national chairman, for successfully hosting the convention. Atiku, however, owes the zone and former President Goodluck Jonathan an apology for leaving the PDP in the build up to the 2015 elections, which denied the region a second term at the Presidency. Such apology is necessary, even though the zone has forgiven Atiku," the statement read in part. The group also noted that the exodus of Atiku and other PDP leaders to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was partly responsible for the loss of the 2015 presidential election. Suffice it to say that the geo-political zone has always played a pivotal role in the shaping of the character and content of the nation. The just-concluded primaries, adjudged the best so far, was midwifed by Niger Delta people and hosted in the zone. This can be displayed in the key roles great sons and daughters of the region have played in the history of the country. Painfully, we all pretend like yesterday never existed, especially those of us who were key actors in disposing of the previous government. Today, we must learn to apologise for our wrong deeds to rebuild trust, else everything we present now is on a fallacious foundation. Apart from Atiku, we also call on others, including the Senate President Bukola Saraki as well as Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Rabiu Kwankwaso, among others, to tender an apology to the region and former President Jonathan, for denying the region of a well deserved second tenure. Their action was due to impatience and misconstrued perceptions, especially since that same government took us from a weak economy to the number one economy in Africa. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app The group stated that the efforts and support toward the emergence of Atiku by leaders of the south-south zone was an indication that they had put the events preceding the 2015 elections behind them. Legit.ng earlier reported that few minutes after his emergence as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former vice president Atiku Abubakar, praised former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Atiku, while delivering his acceptance speech after he was officially declared winner of the primary with 1,532 votes to Aminu Tambuwal's 693, Atiku thanked former President Olusegun Obasanjo for picking him as his vice president in 1999. Atiku supporters jubilate with him as he emerg winner | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - 39 political parties are set to adopt Atiku Abubakar as their presidential candidate - The parties are all under the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) - The process of his adoption would start this week Thirty-nine political parties under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has announced their readiness to adopt the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary, Atiku Abubakar, as their candidate in the 2019 general elections. Daily Trust reports that the parties under the umbrella of CUPP, led by the PDP said they would adopt him as consensus candidate for the election in order to dislodge President Muhammad Buhari in 2019. READ ALSO: We'll impeach Saraki when NASS reopens - Senate leader vows The CUPP, in a statement issued late on Sunday, October 7, by its spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said the process of his adoption would start this week. Former vice president, Atiku, won the PDP primary election to emerge as its presidential candidate for the 2019 presidential election in a 2-day national convention held in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Legit.ng earlier reported that some youth leaders from the south-south geo-political zone, under the auspices of Niger Delta Coalition for Peace and Progress (NDCPP), congratulated Alhaji Atiku Abubakar over his victory at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential primaries. The group, in a statement on Sunday signed by Charles Kalada Dan-Jumbo, however, urged the presidential hopeful to consider apologising to the geo-political zone over events leading to 2015 polls. Atiku's congratulatory speech after being declared PDP presidential flag bearer | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - Some SANs have warned APC against using force to impeach NASS presiding officers - They advised the party to seek court explanation - They also called for respect for the position of the constitution on the issue Words of caution have been sent to the All Progressives Congress (APC) by some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), warning the ruling party against using force in its bid to impeach the principal officers of the National Assembly. The Punch reports that the SANs, in an interview with journalists, warned that any external plot to force the principal officers out besides the normal constitutional process will not result into a meaningful solution. Legit.ng notes that since Senate President Bukola Saraki and Honorable Speaker Yakubu Dogara defected from the APC with some members of the two chambers, there have been indications that the Oshiomhole-led APC has not ceased efforts to impeach the ruling officers of the Assembly. They claimed that members of minority cannot continue to lead the assembly dominated by the majority APC members. READ ALSO: We'll impeach Saraki when NASS reopens - Senate leader vows But the SANs, in their words, noted that it is through the procedures laid by the 1999 constitution operated in the country that both Saraki and Dogara can be forced out of office. One of the lawyers, Paul Ananaba, (SAN) said: The issue of resignation is left to an individual to decide whether he wants to resign or not. Impeachment has a procedure in the constitution. So, nobody should put pressure on them since they are not infants. Saraki and Dogara are knowledgeable enough to know what impeachment or resignation means. If anyone feels that they should resign and they have not resigned, the person should head to court, not to put them under pressure. There is no provision of law requiring them to resign or leave their seats because they left one party for another. In any case, there are crises in the political parties, which in themselves are sufficient grounds for defection. What I will say is that it lies with the members of the National Assembly to decide on their own to take any actions against their presiding officers, not outsiders. The chairman of the APC (Adams Oshiomhole) is not a member of the National Assembly. All he says is his mere opinion, which is not binding on members of the National Assembly. Another SAN, Bayo Raji, opined that APC needed to consult the court for an explanation on if defection to another political party by the National Assembly's presiding officers should warrant stepping down from their positions. He said: "If there is a division (in the political parties) and depending on the decision of the court, then there is no basis for calling for resignation or impeachment. But, if there is no division, call for resignation or removal may be justified. However, this is a presidential system of government, where there is really no carpet to cross as we have in a parliamentary system. In a parliamentary system, losing of the majority in parliament may bring the government to an end, but not so in the presidential system that we practise here. In any case, why is it that members of the Executive, like the governors, can cross to other parties as they wish but the lawmakers cant cross? Does that make sense? Whether the entire members of the National Assembly move from APC today to another party, it will not affect President Muhammadu Buhari; he will remain the president. The Executive and the Legislature should both be allowed to defect since majority or minority membership does not really affect the tenure of the government in a presidential democracy. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news updates Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Senate majority leader, Ahmed Lawan, had assured the APC that the senators of the party would do everything within their powers to ensure the impeachment of Senate President Bukola Saraki. Lawan said when the National Assembly convened again for a plenary session, he and others in APC would ensure that Saraki is replaced and the INEC budget along with that of security agencies would be passed. Lawan made the statement at the recently concluded APC national convention held over the weekend. Nigeria Latest News: Is the NASS Leadership Still Capable of Leading Nigeria? | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Senator Magnus Abe has rejected the adoption of Tonye Cole as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers state by the partys NWC - Abe declared that the battle for who remains the candidate of the party for the 2019 gubernatorial election in the state has just begun - The Rotimi Amaechi-led faction recently produced Cole as its candidate; while Abes faction produced him as its candidate Senator Magnus Abe has rejected the adoption of Tonye Cole as the governorship candidate of the APC in Rivers state by the partys NWC saying the battle for who remains the candidate of the party for the 2019 gubernatorial election in the state has just begun. Vanguard reports that Abe made this known in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, following Coles adoption based on the report of the governorship primaries committee that supervised the indirect process in the state. Rotimi Amaechi-led faction recently produced Tonye Cole as its candidate; while Abes faction produced him as its candidate. READ ALSO: We'll impeach Saraki when NASS reopens - Senate leader vows Abe said: I am sure you are all aware of the current decision of the NWC of our party which accepted the report that returned Tonye Cole elected, based on the indirect primary conducted in the state. The battle has just begun. The party has set up an appeal. We will take advantage of the appeal panel and forward our case. The result of the indirect primary remains unacceptable and will remain unacceptable. The indirect primary was a charade set up by a few individuals to bring in their candidate. We will not accept that result. We are now faced with a fact that a man who just joined the party can claim to be a candidate of the party. This is against the wish of everybody who has worked for the party. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app I dont have anything against Tonye Cole because he is my friend. But we are politicians and we are fighting for justice. Without truth there can be no justice and without justice there can be no peace. This is the situation we have talked and warned about, when the minister of transportation called a meeting of the party and started the event that has resulted to this. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that two governorship candidates emerged from parallel primary elections in the Rivers state chapter of the APC. Direct primary election was adopted by the faction of the party loyal to Senator Magnus Abe, while the faction loyal to the minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, went for indirect primaries. There were four candidates, overall, who were vying for the partys gubernatorial ticket in 2019. The Amaechi-led faction produced Tonye Cole, former executive director of Sahara Group, as its candidate; while Abes faction produced him as its candidate. The Amaechi-led faction produced Tonye Cole, former executive director of Sahara Group, as its candidate; while Abes faction produced him as its candidate. APC official tells why his party may be voted out in 2019 - on Legit.ng TV: Source: Legit - The presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has reportedly begun searching for a running mate - The search has allegedly been limited to the southeast, with Abia and Ebonyi states as front runners - A source in the opposition party, however, stated that no candidate would be imposed on the former VP Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 elections, has already commenced his search for a running mate. According to investigations by Punch, the search may have been limited to the southeast geopolitical zone. Legit.ng gathers that some states in the zone, however, may have been disqualified from the short list. One of such allegedly disqualified states is Anambra, where a former running mate to Atiku, Peter Obi, hails from. READ ALSO: We'll impeach Saraki when NASS reopens - Senate leader vows According to certain sources, the reason for the disqualification of Anambra is that the state had already produced two former speakers, two former Senate presidents, one vice president and a president. Also, Enugu state, is said to have produced a national chairman of the PDP and a deputy Senate president. In the same vein, the argument for the disqualification of Imo state, is that it had produced a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and also a Senate president. According to sources, the contest is between Abia and Ebonyi. Another source, however, pointed out that the southwest has not been completely ruled out in the search for Atikus running mate. He, however, stated that the PDP would only serve as a guide by putting into consideration, all political variables that would enable us win in 2019, and would not impose any candidate on Atiku. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar reacted to his victory at the just concluded PDP presidential primaries election. In a reaction via his official Twitter handle, Atiku commended the PDP and all its members for choosing him as the flag-bearer ahead of the 2019 presidential election. PDP convention: Atiku elected as presidential candidate - on Legit.ng TV: Source: Legit.ng - The SGF, Boss Mustapha, has said that the federal govt will soon address the agitation for an increase in the minimum wage, and make Nigerians smile - Mustapha said the Buhari administration is sensitive to the plight and wishes of the Nigerian masses - He also called on the church to pray for the government, especially at this time The federal government says it will soon address the agitation for the upward review of the national minimum wage in a manner that will make workers and all Nigerians smile. The disclosure was made by the secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Mustapha, on Sunday, October 7, at the 22nd choir anniversary of the Christ Apostolic Church, Living Water DCC Headquarters, Abuja, Punch reports. Legit.ng gathers that the SGF, who was represented by the permanent secretary (General Services Office), Office of the SGF, Olusegun Adekunle, said the present administration was sensitive to the plight and wishes of the masses. READ ALSO: PDP presidential primary: How Atiku won - Insiders reveal He said: While this administration is determined to bring our nation to self-sufficiency and self-reliance, it is also sensitive to the plight and wishes of the Nigerian masses. I assure Nigerians that the recent agitation for upward review in the national minimum wage will soon be addressed in such a way that not only Nigerian workers will smile, but the entire nation will be better for it." Mustapha also stated that the government is in need of the churchs support and prayers at this time, more than at any other point in history. He said: As I sincerely appreciate your prayers of the past which have helped us this far, I wish to reiterate that this government, more than ever before, needs the prayers and support of churches and well-meaning citizens. I, therefore, call on the church to add more oil to its lamp of prayer and praise while government is working hard to perfect on restoration of security, peace and economic prosperity. I have no doubt that with the indomitable weapons of prayer and praise like what we are gathering here today to do, the walls of corruption, insecurity and economic challenges will be brought down and our nation shall possess its possessions. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the federal government said that the meeting with organised labour on the minimum wage did not end in a deadlock. The minister of labour and employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said this in a statement issued in Abuja by Samuel Olowookere, the director of press in the ministry. Top 3 poorest countries: Where people have to live on a dollar a day - on Legit.ng TV: Source: Legit - DSS has reportedly arrested Senator Kabir Marafa of Zamfara state - Marafa was said to have engaged in a fight with a former minister of communication, Alhaji Aliyu Bilbis, at APC stakeholders' meeting - The fight was reported to have generated tension as the supporters of the two factions were ready for acrimony Pandemonium erupted at the City King Hotel, Gusau, Zamfara state capital venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders' meeting as Senator Kabir Marafa and the former minister of state communication, Alhaji Aliyu Bilbis, engaged in a free for all fight. Leadership reports that the two arch rivals engaged in exchange of blows. Legit.ng gathered that the fight generated tension as the supporters of the two factions were ready for acrimony. READ ALSO: Why I am running for Presidency - Ezekwesili It was reported that the state director of Department of State Security (DSS) ordered his men to whisk Senator Marafa as his details attempted to resist but Marafa was said to have asked his aides to remain calm and followed the DSS official to their office. According to the newspaper, the two factions were set for show down as none of the faction was ready for compromise over the conduct of the primaries. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the first lady, Aisha Buhari, expressed disappointment over some of the conducts that occurred during the primary election in some states by the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a statement on Sunday, October 7, the first lady noted that some aspirants who had purchased forms on the platform of the party found out that their names were omitted on the day of election. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Aisha said it was more saddening that it is happening under the watch of of the national leader of the ruling APC, Adams Oshiomhole. APC Is The Worst Party in Nigeria, I Regret Being a Member | - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Pastor Tunde Bakare has advised Nigerians ahead of the 2019 general elections - The renowned pastor said the Nigerian electorate should demand readiness to restructure the country as a precondition for supporting any party - He, however, warned against politicians who see restructuring as a mere front for their inordinate political ambitions The presiding pastor of Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, on Sunday, October 7, reiterated his argument that Nigeria could not make progress without being restructured. The renowned pastor called on the Nigerian electorate to demand allegiance to restructuring as a precondition for supporting any party or candidate in the next elections. Bakare made this call in his Independence anniversary address, which he delivered in his church in the Ogba area of Lagos, The Punch reports. Legit.ng gathers that the cleric warned Nigerians to be wary of some politicians who once supported the campaign for restructuring but have now restructured their opinion because they have become part of the system. READ ALSO: We'll impeach Saraki when NASS reopens - Senate leader vows He said such people seem to have forgotten that the position they currently occupy is not permanent. Also to be avoided by Nigerians, according to Bakare, are those who had been in government before and did nothing about restructuring but are now promising restructuring ahead of next years election. He said: I am convinced that for Nigeria, the idea whose time has come is the restructuring of our nation. Restructuring must be the overarching mission around which the social, economic and political development agenda is constructed. It must be the wheels on which Nigeria is propelled for strategic relevance. Among the political class, there have been diverse responses to the call to restructure. There are those who once championed restructuring but have now restructured their opinions because they have become part of the system. They have forgotten that the position they currently occupy is not permanent. There are those now promising restructuring who did nothing in that regard while they were in the system. Such politicians face the tall order of convincing the Nigerian people that restructuring is not a mere front for their inordinate political ambitions. READ ALSO: 2019: Atiku begins search for running mate Then there are those incumbents who are diametrically opposed to restructuring because they cannot imagine a Nigeria that is not dependent on petrodollars. I do not have a moment to spare for such sceptics. Their political extinction is inevitable because there is no force strong enough to stop an idea whose time has come. The cleric also argued that there was no legal basis for the Independent National Electoral Commission to declare the September 22 governorship election in Osun state inconclusive. He argued that by virtue of Section 53(2) of the Electoral Act 2010, INEC was empowered to cancel an election only when there were cases of over-voting, which, he said, was not the case in Osun state. Bakare said: The recently concluded gubernatorial selection, sorry, election, in Osun state, is a pointer to the ignoble intentions of this political class ahead of 2019. What a sham, and what a shame. By what constitutional provision or act of the National Assembly is the Independent National Electoral Commission empowered to cancel election results the way it did in Osun state? PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that thirty-nine political parties under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) announced their readiness to adopt the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary, Atiku Abubakar, as their candidate in the 2019 general elections. The parties under the umbrella of CUPP, led by the PDP, said they would adopt him as consensus candidate for the election in order to dislodge President Muhammad Buhari in 2019. Atiku's congratulatory speech after being declared PDP presidential flag bearer | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - Shehu Sani says President Buharis denial of an alleged calumnious memo has exposed an executive lie by a state governor - Sani reportedly intensifies effort to get APC senate ticket Senator Shehu Sani has praised President Muhammadu Buhari for dissociating himself from a purported letter in circulation, which alleged that the president had authorised a governor to deal with traitors and disloyal members of APC, especially Shehu Sani. Sani in a tweet on Sunday, October 7, applauded the president for clearing the air over the issue, adding that he never believed that Buhari would have given such directions. He also said the presidents denial had exposed an executive lie from a state governor. READ ALSO: We'll impeach Saraki when NASS reopens - Senate leader vows "Thank you President Buhari for clearing the air on the calumnious memo ;Even though I never believed that the President can Direct a Governor to recall a disloyal Senator.Another executive lie bursted," the senator said. In another report, Senator Shehu Sani has reportedly intensified efforts to convince the Kaduna state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to give him a return ticket to the Senate in 2019. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Sources within the party reportedly told Leadership that the senator representing Kaduna central senatorial zone has become increasingly desperate as the date for the APC Senate primaries draws nearer. Another party member who also does not want his name disclosed said Senator Aliyu Wammako has also spoken to Buhari on Shehu Sanis behalf. Lets Talk About Salaries of Nigerian Senators | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - The results of the APC National Assembly primary in Akoko-Edo area of Edo state are yet to be released - The committee for the election says the results were not released due to crisis that erupted during the election - The committee says the results will be released when investigations into the violence are concluded The Edo state primary election committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has explained why the results of the National Assembly primary in Akoko-Edo area of Edo state could not be released. Punch reports that the committee said the results were not released due to the crisis that followed the conduct of the election. Legit.ng gathers that the committee said on Sunday, October 7, that violence erupted at the APC primary for the Akoko-Edo federal constituency in the state. READ ALSO: Kano police to prosecute 16 suspected political thugs According to report, party members who assembled at the venues of the exercise held across the 10 wards, were harassed and intimidated. The commissioner of police, Johnson Kokumo, said he was not aware of any violence. He said: I am not in the picture of any violence. The primary, as conducted by the team (committee) that came in, was free of any form of violence. It was a hitch-free exercise." The chairman of the state primary election committee, Hajia Farida Suleiman, who briefed newsmen at the APC secretariat in Benin, said the results of the exercise were not ready due to the crisis. According to her, the results would be released when investigations into the violence are concluded. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a former member of the House of Representatives, Patrick Obahiagbon, on Thursday, October 4, emerged the All Progressives Congress (APC) Edo South senatorial candidate, at the partys primaries in Benin. Ehiozuwa Agbonayima, incumbent House of Representatives member representing Ikpoba-Okha/Egor federal constituency, was returned as candidate. A serving lawmaker, Henry Okhuarobo, was returned unopposed as the APC candidate to represent Ikpoba-Okha constituency in the state House of Assembly. Nigeria Latest News: Buhari Reacts To APC Senators Betrayal | on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng News - An Abuja court has summoned Senate president Bukola Saraki, Dogara, others over defection - The federal lawmakers had dumped their former parties and defected to their new parties - Saraki and others were asked by the court to appear before it to explain why they would not forfeit their seats in accordance with Section 68 A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has given Senate president Bukola Saraki, speaker House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, a former minority leader Godswill Akpabio and 52 others, a 30-day ultimatum within which to explain why they would not lose their seats at the National Assembly in accordance with Section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution. Sahara Reporters reports that the lawmakers dumped their political parties to achieve their aspirations in their new parties ahead of 2019 general elections. Legit.ng gathered that the court, in a suit initiated by an advocacy groupthe Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) said Saraki and 55 others must appear before it to explain why they would not forfeit their seats in accordance with Section 68 following their defection to other political parties. READ ALSO: Confusion as parallel NASS candidates emerge in Ondo APC The court on September 14 had insisted that Saraki and other defendants should make appearance before it on or before October 12 on why they would not lose their seats at the National Assembly. In the suit, LEDAP and its lawyer, Chino Edmund Obiagwu, had asked the court to declare Saraki and others seats vacant in accordance with Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution. According to Obiagwu, Saraki, Dogara, Akpabio and 52 others had no business at the National Assembly on the grounds that the political party on which they were elected into the lawmaking house had been abandoned by them contrary to Section 68 of the Constitution. Besides, LEDAP and Obiagwu asked the court to grant an order of mandamus to compel deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu and Dogara to declare their seats and that of 52 others vacant with a view to allowing Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conduct bye-elections into the vacant seats. They, however, asked the court to declare the following reliefs among others: "A declaration that by virtue of Section 68 (I) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), any member of the National Assembly who resigns from the political party that sponsored his election into the National Assembly, before the expiration of the term for which he was elected, automatically loses his seat in the Assembly, unless saved by the exception under that section. "A declaration that the 1st to 52nd defendant s are no longer members of the National Assembly and as such are no longer entitled to receive remunerations due to a member of the National Assembly and that any or such remunerations received by the 1st to 52nd defendants after the date of defection must be refunded to the Federal Government. "A declaration that by virtue of the provisions of Section 57 of the Constitution and Section 8 (2) (d) of the Legislative Houses (Powers And Privileges) Act 2018, it is unconstitutional and a punishable offence for the1st to 52nd defendants to continue sitting as Senators and Honorable members of the National Assembly after defecting from the parties that sponsored their elections into the National Assembly. READ ALSO: Minimum wage: We will soon make workers, Nigerians smile - FG "A declaration that effective from the date of defection, any debate or motion before the National Assembly that any of the 151 to 52nd defendants participates in or votes on, is null and void. "An order of mandamus, compelling the Deputy Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to declare the seats of 1st to 52nd defendants in their respective chambers vacant. "An order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct bye-elections in the federal constituencies and senatorial zones of the defendants within the time frame allowed under the Electoral Act. "Specifically, LEDAP and Obiagwu asked the court to determine whether by virtue of Section 68 (I) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), any member of the National Assembly who defected from the party that sponsored his election into the National Assembly, before the expiration of the term for which he was elected would not automatically lose his seat in the Assembly, unless saved by the exception under that section? "Other questions posed before the court by LEDAP and Obiagwu are whether by virtue of section 68(2) of the Constitution, the Deputy Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives are not bound by duty to declare the seats of the 1st to 52nd defendant s in the Senate and the House of Representatives as the case may be, vacant? "Whether by virtue of the provisions of Section 57 of the Constitution, it is not an offence for the 1st to 52nd defendants to continue sitting and voting in the National Assembly, after resigning from the party that sponsored their elections into the National Assembly? "Whether the Independent National Electoral Commission is under a legal obligation to conduct bye-elections in the senatorial zones and the federal constituencies of the defendants as the case may be, within the time frame provided under the electoral Act? "LEDAP and Obiagwu had on 14th September 2018, approached the court to declare Saraki, Dogara, Akpabios seat vacant for defecting to other political parties. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Sued also are Senators Dino Melaye, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Lanre Tejuoso, Shaaba Lafiagi, Rafiu Ibrahim, Barnabas Gemade, Abdulazeez Nyako, Monsurat Sunmonu, Usman Nafada, Suleiman Hunkuyi, Ibrahim Danbaba, Ubale Shittu, lsah Misau, Suleiman Azif and 45 others. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that Senate majority leader, Ahmed Lawan, assured the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the senators of the party would do everything within their powers to ensure the impeachment of Senate president Bukola Saraki. Nigeria Latest News: Buhari Reacts To APC Senators Betrayal | - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - The Peoples Democratic Movement had picked Pastor Aminchi to contest 2019 election with Buhari and Atiku - The party picked Aminchi at its 2018 elective convention which ended in Abuja, Sunday night, October 7, - The pastor while accepting the nomination promised to restructure the security architecture of the country, fight insurgency and ensure total defeat of Boko Haram if elected president The Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) has picked Pastor Habu Aminchi as its candidate for the 2019 presidential election. The party at its 2018 elective convention which ended in Abuja, Sunday night, October 7, affirmed Aminchis candidature through a unanimous voice vote of delegates from the 36 states of the country and the FCT. Chairman of PDM Chief Francis Igwebuike said the National Executive Council (NEC) and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party would continue to uphold the ingenuity of its founding father, late Shehu Musa YarAdua, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. READ ALSO: We'll impeach Saraki when NASS reopens - Senate leader vows Igwebuike noted that it was the first time PDM as a party was presenting a presidential candidate and that it would mobilise to dislodge the President Muhammadu Buharis All Progressive Congress (APC) in the 2019 general election. As I am talking to you today, we have governorship candidates after successful primaries in states of the federation; we believe in actualities and the actuality is that PDM has come to stay. Nobody will destroy the legacy of YarAdua because his disciples will uproot and throw traitors away. Most of the people emerging from primary election of different political parties today are bye products of PDM, we are very proud because we are the mother of all political parties in Nigeria, Igwebuike said. In his acceptance speech, Pastor Aminchi assured to restructure the security architecture of the country, fight insurgency and ensure total defeat of Boko Haram. READ ALSO: Minimum wage: We will soon make workers, Nigerians smile - FG He explained that a 10-point agenda which include revitalising the economy, standard education system, security, agriculture and quality healthcare, would be his major focus if elected Nigerias president in 2019. The PDM presidential candidate also promised to restore the dignity of Nigerian workers through enhanced and prompt payment of salaries. According to Aminchi, the party will pick a female vice president to encourage womens participation in politics. Our slogan is New Nigeria, hope for all, and I have decided to take the bull by the horn and rise to the challenge to save this country from those whose only desire is to make mockery of it. We want a country that will be a paradise for all; a country that will be a pride of Africa and for our unborn children. Our children deserve quality life; President Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar are human beings like me, but with God, I am going to dislodge them. We are going to revive democracy if elected because rigging which has killed democracy in Nigeria will be no more. By the grace of God, there will be nothing like rigging in the 2019 general election because God will mount his angels at the polling units; Nigerians will be shock with what will happen, Aminchi said. He regretted that the economy of Ghana and some other African countries were now doing better than Nigeria, which was adjudged the best economy in Africa few years ago. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had given political parties a deadline of October 7, to conclude primary elections in preparation for the 2019 general election. NAN reports that Aminchi led a group of pastors from the Northern part of the country to endorse Buharis candidacy in 2015. Meanwhile, 39 political parties under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has announced their readiness to adopt the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary, Atiku Abubakar, as their candidate in the 2019 general elections. Daily Trust reports that the parties under the umbrella of CUPP, led by the PDP said they would adopt him as consensus candidate for the election in order to dislodge President Muhammad Buhari in 2019. The CUPP, in a statement issued late on Sunday, October 7, by its spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said the process of his adoption would start this week. Nigeria Latest News: PDP Convention - Atiku Elected as Presidential Candidate | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - Ogun state governor, Ibikunle Amosun, has won APC senatorial ticket ahead of 2019 - Amosun would be representing Ogun Central at the Senate during the 9th Assembly - The chairman of the monitoring committee for the primary, Colonel Abubakar Chiroma, announced that Amosun polled 56,101 votes to defeat his opponents Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state has been declared as the winner of Ogun Central senatorial district primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Channels TV reports that this was announced after the governor polled 56,101 votes. Legit.ng gathered that the result was announced on Sunday, October 7, by the chairman of the monitoring committee, Colonel Abubakar Chiroma retired. READ ALSO: Confusion as parallel NASS candidates emerge in Ondo APC The party members also on Sunday, October 7, elected its standard bearers for the federal House of Assembly and state House of Assembly seats. Lekan Mustapha with 52,370 votes won the senatorial ticket for Ogun West while the chief of staff to the governor, Tolulope Odebiyi won the Ogun East senatorial district with 48,134 votes. The state commissioner for information, Dayo Adeneye, won the partys ticket for the Odogbolu state constituency in the House of Assembly with 5,803 votes. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) announced Dapo Abiodun as winner of the ruling partys Ogun state governorship primaries. This is coming hours after Adams Oshiomhole met with the Ogun state governor, and some of his fellow governors, gave a verdict against Ibikunle Amosuns interest. The Ogun state chapter of the APC led by Amosun, had adopted federal lawmaker, Adekunle Akinlabi, as its consensus governorship candidate despite the protest of several aspirants. Election-2019: (Don't) mark your calendar - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng The leaves are falling in Connecticut. Mrs. T brought a box ofhome from the grocery store on Friday afternoon. Autumn, it seems, is here. It slipped up behind us while we were otherwise occupied, and suddenly another summer was gone, never to return. It was exactly a year ago that the two of us ate fresh-picked corn and tomatoes for three nights in a row, a glorious occasion that nonetheless filled me with night thoughts: For those who, like Mrs. T and I, have crossed the sixtieth meridian, its hard not to wonder come October how many more seasons remain for us to feast on the fruits of the field.In other words, memento mori! Yet there are many possible responses to that dark imperative, not all of them drably penitential. We have it on good authority that it is mans part to rejoice in the fruits of the earth and the fullness thereof, which strikes me as an impeccable reason to eat all the fresh corn and tomatoes that are going for as long as is humanly possible. Would that wed done the same thing this year, but circumstances kept us far from our Connecticut farmhouse for most of the past two months, and we were forced more often than not to make do with institutional cuisine and mediocre takeout. Thats why we were determined to get out of town as soon as my reviewing duties would allow. But it took longer than usual for us to get from New York to Storrs, and by the time we pulled into our driveway, the sun had long since set. I got up the next day to run errands and saw when I opened the front door that our rental car was covered with a blanket of crumbly brown leaves. I sighed deeply, then brushed off the windshield and headed for the laundry. The good news is that if you like fall foliage, as we both do, there arent many places in the world that are prettier than Connecticut come mid-October. In the meantime, and seeing as how yesterday was our eleventh anniversary, we decided to treat ourselves to a mini-vacation, our previous attempt to do so havingbeyond recognition. We started out by going to a revival ofthat Im reviewing for. Then we drove to a nearby hotel whose very nice rooms look out on Long Island Sound, where we plan to gaze at the water, eat seafood, and do as little as possible. Ive brought along a couple of books about which Im not writing, and I also expect to spend a fair amount of time soaking in what the hotel website describes as a therapeutic whirlpool. If all this doesnt put me back on a somewhat more even keel, I dont know what will. I was about to say that weve earned our little holiday, but on reflection Im not so sure thats true, save in the general sense that (as Annie Savoy says in Bull Durham) we all deserve to wear white. Yes, weve been through the wringer, but nobody has to tell me that there are plenty of people whove been wrung far more thoroughly than either of us, yet lack the time and resources to shut down the shop for a couple of days and go eat lobster. The truth is that even at our worst, were luckier than most. The older I grow, the more conscious I am that the world is full of pain and suffering next to which our troubles are as nothing. Well live, Uncle Vanya. Well live through a long, long string of days, of drawn-out evenings; well patiently endure the trials destiny sends us; well work for others now and in our old age, knowing no peace, and when our hour comes, well obediently die, and there, beyond the grave, well say that we suffered, that we wept, that it was bitter for us, and Godll take pity on us, and you and I, uncle, dear uncle, well see a bright, beautiful, refined life, well rejoice, and well look back at our present misfortunes with tenderness, with a smileand well rest. Be that as it may, its true that Mrs. T and I have just weathered a rough patch, rough enough that my eyes filled with tears as I listened the other night to the lines that Sonya speaks at the end of, the Chekhov play that I love best and about which Iin the I wonder whether my mother felt like that at the end of her life, when she was suffering in a way that I cant even begin to imagine, much less understandor accept. I wonder, too, whether Ill meet my own latter end with anything like her courage and dignity when the time comes for me to do so. Probably not: it is, after all, a truth universally acknowledged that men are whiners, and I make no claim to being an exception to the rule. Nor is it possible to store up present laughter in preparation for a time when its in short supply. Would that it were, but all you can do is take life as it comes, and thats what Mrs. T and I are going to do this week. Mere days from now, therell be gaudy sunbursts of red, yellow, and orange wherever we look, followed as sure as the turning of the earth by bare branches. The leaves are falling and the clock is ticking, and we mean to revel in our good luck while it lasts. * * * Frank Sinatra sings Autumn Leaves at Londons Royal Festival Hall on June 1, 1962, accompanied by Harry Klee on flute and Al Viola on guitar. The English-language lyric is by Johnny Mercer: - The APC UK has said it is not bothered by the emergence of Atiku as PDP's presidential candidate - It said Atiku's emergence will make President Buhari's re-election easier in 2019 - It also congratulated President Buhari on his emergence as APC's presidential candidate The United Kingdom chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has made the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari easier. Ade Omole, leader of APC UK made the assertion in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Monday in Abuja. According to him, President Buhari remains the best candidate for the 2019 presidential election among the array of presidential candidates being paraded by other political parties. Legit.ng notes that Omole also maintained that Atikus candidature would not stop the victory of the APC. READ ALSO: We'll impeach Saraki when NASS reopens - Senate leader vows He said: The task for 2019 election has just been made easier by the leading opposition party by electing a presidential candidate who was part of the countrys problem in the 16 years of PDP rule. Nigerians should be wise enough to know, therefore, that he has nothing new to bring to the table. While I want Nigerians to vote wisely in 2019, I assure that as we did in 2015, we will work hard again to ensure that President Buhari is re-elected. On behalf of Nigerians and the progressives in the diaspora, I congratulate President Buhari for accepting his nomination to be the APC presidential candidate for 2019 election. "His election by over 14 million registered members of the party during the APC presidential primaries held across the federation speaks volumes." He further said that Nigerians in the diaspora were delighted at the enormous recovery tasks undertaken by the Buhari-led administration in securing the country, growing the economy and curbing corruption within the polity. The leader of the APC UK chapter commended Buhari and his cabinet for laying the foundation for a better Nigeria. He, however, urged APC members across the world not to be distracted, but continue to work hard to ensure the partys victory at all levels of government in 2019. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Buhari scored a total of 14,842,072 votes at the partys recent direct primaries held in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to pick the APC presidential ticket. His candidacy was affirmed by 7,000 delegates from 36 states of the federation and the FCT at the APC national presidential convention on Saturday, October 6. Aside the statutory delegates, three delegates were drawn from 774 local government area of the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, who got elected at the partys congresses held earlier. NAN further reports that Atiku, a former vice president beat 11 contestants to secure the PDP ticket with 1,532 votes during the partys presidential primaries held in Port Harcourt. Other presidential candidates seeking to upstage Buhari include, Donald Duke of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dr Oby Ezekwesili of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria among others. The presidential election will hold on February 14,2019. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the deputy president of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, had congratulated the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) presidential primary election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Ekweremadu made his joy known in a congratulatory message by his special adviser on media and publicity on Sunday, October 7. He also congratulated the other aspirants and the PDP on what he described crucial and rancor-free, election, noting that the process was more important than everything else as all the aspirants were eminently qualified to lead the nation. Nigeria Election 2019: Kenneth Okonkwo Interview - Buhari will win | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit Nigeria - The endorsement of President Muhamamdu Buhari as APC presidential candidate for the 2019 presidential election has been hailed by the deputy governor of Kogi state, Simon Achuba - Senator Ovie Omo-Agege also hailed the president's endorsement by members of the party - Achuba calls on Nigerians to cast their votes for Buhari, saying the latter is a performing leader Kogi deputy governor, Simon Achuba, and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege have hailed the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the partys presidential candidate for the 2019 elections. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the deputy governor said that the endorsement came at a better time. Legit.ng notes that Achuba said: It is coming at a better time because today is the last day we need to do it to affirm the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari, as the presidential candidate to run on our platform, the APC." The deputy governor, who described President Buhari as a performing leader, called on all Nigerians to throw their weight behind his candidacy. READ ALSO: Results of Akoko-Edo NASS primary were not released due to crisis - APC committee He said: There is no doubt about the fact that Mr President has performed well. I will call on Nigerians to support us to vote Mr President, to vote APC so that we can continue with the good work we have done so far." Also speaking, Omo-Agege, the senator representing Delta Central senatorial district, commended the partys leadership over the success of the convention. He said: This is the first time this is happening. We decided to go by the option provided in the Electoral Act and our constitution to permit members to directly nominate Mr President at the wards. We did this to be able to show to Nigerians unlike in the past where a couple of delegates were doing the nominations. Here we have over 14 million card carrying members who did the nomination and that will also send a message to the other side about the challenges they face as they come into the contest with Mr President in 2019." Former minister of labour and productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, also described the convention as a huge success. He said: We have spoken in one voice in a manner of confirmation of the votes that we have given to President Muhammadu Buhari to contest and it was a stamp of validity to contend and to win the presidential election come 2019. The president has done so much that he deserves to consolidate on the success of the first four term. The results are all over. And one good thing I have noticed is that his support base is expanding from the east to the west to south to the north. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that President Muhammadu Buhari accepted nomination to contest for a second term in the 2019 presidential election. The over 7000 delegates had converged in Abuja to ratify the results of the presidential primaries held across the country. President Buhari polled a total vote of of 14,842,072 votes to emerge the winner of the presidential primaries. All roads leading to the venue were shut to vehicular traffic by combined teams of heavily armed security personnel. The agencies involved include: the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army. Election 2019: President Buhari Proves He is Fit to Run in 2019 | on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - PDP's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has replied President Buhari's organisation over comments on his victory - Atiku became PDP's candidate on Sunday, October 7, after defeating 11 other aspirants including Senate president Bukola Saraki - Atkiu campaign organisation asked how Buhari's group would disparage the PDP primary that produced Atiku, when even the presidents wife, Aisha Buhari, has condemned the APCs primary Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has fired back at the Buhari campaign organisation which had suggested that his emergence as the main opposition standard bearer in next years election was the result of money politics. Nigerian Tribune reports that a statement issued on Monday, October 8, by Atiku's campaign organisation in Abuja, observed that the presidential candidate was not surprised that his emergence has caused confusion in the camp of President Muhammadu Buhari. Legit.ng gathered that he noted that various acts of corruption were being committed under the present administration, which he said caused Transparency International to classify the country as a more corrupt country now than it was three years ago. He said that the choice before Nigerians was between a candidate who has provided over 50,000 jobs to people in his personal capacity and the other under whom 11 million Nigerians have lost their jobs. READ ALSO: PDP convention: Jang reacts to Atikus victory, accepts defeat He said: We are not surprised that there is confusion in the presidents camp. We expected that they would be thrown into a catatonic state knowing that HE Atiku Abubabakrs emergence automatically means the coming to an end of their ignominious reign. "That much was admitted by the presidents former running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare, when he praised the emergence of HE Atiku as an Eagle and a cosmopolitan wazobia politician. Obviously, Pastor Tunde Bakare has foreseen that the era of 97% versus 5% has come to an end with the emergence of the pan Nigerian Atiku Abubakar. We ask how can the Buhari campaign organisation disparage the PDP primary that produced His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, when even the presidents own wife, Aisha Buhari, has condemned the APCs primary? Not only did Mrs Buhari condemn APCs primaries, but she also described them as unfair and lacking in integrity. Who can know President Buhari better than his wife? Eleven aspirants contested against His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, during the presidential primary of the PDP. Every single one of them accepted his victory. "President Buhari was the only candidate cleared by the APC to contest its primary, yet, a coalition of 5 aspirants are challenging his victory, that alone tells Nigerians his emergence is fraudulent. Nigerians know that Atiku Abubakar is the most investigated politician in Nigeria and any smear by the Buhari administration remains just that. With the vindictiveness of President Buhari, he would have arrested HE Abubakar if he had been found wanting. However, to set the record straight, we want to remind Nigerians that PDPs primaries were genuine, free and fair. Atiku Abubakar got 1,532 votes in a contest televised live to millions of Nigerians. "The All Progressives Congress primary, on the other hand, was a study in dictatorship and corruption. The sole candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, scored almost 15 million votes. How could that occur without rigging or manufacturing of faceless voters? No wonder Transparency International rated Nigeria as more corrupt today under Buhari than just three years ago when the PDP was in power. "The scandals are too numerous, including the $25 billion NNPC contracts awarded without due process, the several padded budgets, the $41 million Ikoyi Apartment scandal, the recall, reinstatement and double promotion of pension thief and Buhari financier, Abdulrasheed Maina, the N200 million grass cutter scandal, and many others too numerous to mention. The choice before Nigerians in 2019 is a simple one. Nigerians have a choice of electing a lively candidate with a record of providing 50,000 jobs to Nigerians in his private capacity versus the lifelessness (apologies to President Donald Trump) of a candidate under whom Nigeria lost 11 million jobs and became the world headquarters for extreme poverty. Nigerians have a choice of a man who will provide an efficient and business-friendly solution to the herdsmen crisis and a man whose government said giving land for cattle ranching is better than death. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app It is very obvious that faced with such a choice that Nigerians would definitely vote for the man who will get Nigeria working again, hence we are not surprised by this desperate statement from the Buhari administration that is so shameless that they made a man implicated in framing a man of God on spurious charges as their spokesman. "If he can lie against a man of God, should Nigerians believe anything he says about the PDP and its candidate? Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the United Kingdom chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has made the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari easier. Ade Omole, leader of APC UK made the assertion in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Monday, October 8, in Abuja. Nigeria Latest News: PDP Convention - Atiku Elected as Presidential Candidate | - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has called on Senate president Bukola Saraki to be ready to quit the Senate presidency - Omo-Agege, who is representing Delta Central senatorial district, says APC senators will impeach the senate president - Senator Omo-Agege says Saraki lost the right to occupy the office of the Senate president after defecting to PDP As the National Assembly prepare to resume plenary session on Tuesday, October 9, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC), has said that Dr Bukola Saraki should be ready to vacate the seat as Nigerias Senate president. Omo-Agege, who is representing Delta Central senatorial district, said this in Abuja on Monday, October 8. Saraki had, on July 31, defected from the All Progressive Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), hinging his defection on unsuccessful efforts to ensure a harmonious existence in the APC. READ ALSO: Results of Akoko-Edo NASS primary were not released due to crisis - APC committee The party called on Saraki to resign his position as the Senate president, insisting that he lacked the moral ground to retain the position after defecting to the PDP, NAN reports. Legit.ng gathers that the Senate president had stood his ground even as the National Assembly declared its annual recess which began on July 24. Senator Omo-Agege said that the demand of the senators on the platform of APC for Sarakis removal was still standing. He said: "Our demand has not changed, in fact, that demand has been accentuated by the directive of the APC national leadership. "We have all been enjoined as APC senators at a slightest opportunity to remove Saraki and once we are provided with that slightest opportunity, we will remove him and he knows that." According to him, the moment Saraki left the APC to join the minority PDP, he lost the right, legal and moral, to occupy the office of the Senate president. "Absolutely, he knows he cannot be; we are not shying away from that. Our position has always been consistent. This is not new neither is it news. We have made that clear, very clearly in the past. Therefore, the position of Ovie Omo-Agege has the position of APC as a party." When asked if the aggrieved group had the number to remove Saraki, Omo-Agege said: "Of course, we have always had the number. We have the number." PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app On whether defection of members could affect their plan, he responded thus: "Like I am telling you, as people are leaving APC to PDP, people are leaving PDP to APC." He said as soon as the APC lawmakers in the red chamber have the number, the deed would be done. Omo-Agege added: "I mean once the environment is conducive; that is, once we have the number, we take him out, as simple as that." Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the senator representing Delta Central senatorial district, Ovie Omo-Agege, insisted that Senator Bukola Saraki must resign from his position as Senate president. Omo-Agege said APC senators had told Senator Saraki to do the honourable thing by resigning his position. Nigeria News: Should the Nigerian senate be scrapped? | on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - 8, 653 beneficiaries in six local government areas of Adamawa state benefit from Buharis cash conditional transfer programme - Zhegun Joseph, the head of the programme in Adamawa, says the scheme is designed to support the less privileged in the society - Joseph states that areas that have benefited from the programme in the state include Madagali, Michika, Song, Girei, Numan and Lamurde President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly shared N500 million free cash to needy people in Adamawa state. Buhari distributed the money from August 2017 to August 2018 through the house uplifting programme under the cash conditional transfer programme. Zhegun Joseph, the head of programme, Adamawa, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, October 8, in Yola. READ ALSO: 2019: Omo-Agege, others hail APC's endorsement of Buhari Joseph said that the programme was part fulfillment of President Buharis campaign promises and was designed to support the less privileged in the society. So far the pilot scheme of the programme kicked-off in August 2017 in Adamawa with 8, 653 beneficiaries in six local government areas of the state. Every selected and beneficiary household collected free monthly stipend of N5, 000 cash Joseph said. He said that following the successful implementation of the pilot scheme, the federal government gave directive to capture additional needed people into the programme. Now, we have enrolled additional beneficiaries to the tune of 13,520 needy,"Joseph said. According to him, there have been a lot of positive testimonies from beneficiaries after successful implementation of the programme. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Joseph said that areas that had benefitted from the programme in Adamawa included Madagali, Michika, Song, Girei, Numan and Lamurde. In another report, the federal government says it will soon address the agitation for the upward review of the national minimum wage in a manner that will make workers and all Nigerians smile. The disclosure was made by the secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Mustapha, on Sunday, October 7, at the 22nd choir anniversary of the Christ Apostolic Church, Living Water DCC Headquarters, Abuja, Punch reports. Legit.ng gathers that the SGF, who was represented by the permanent secretary (General Services Office), Office of the SGF, Olusegun Adekunle, said the present administration was sensitive to the plight and wishes of the masses. Top 3 poorest countries: Where people have to live on a dollar a day - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Some aggrieved members of the APC in Kwara state halt official announcement of results of the party's direct primaries - They expressed dissatisfaction over the conduct of the primaries held on Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6 in the state - The chairman of the committee, Chief Iyiola Oladokun, said he had planned to commence announcement of election results when he was interjected Drama as members of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara state have reportedly prevented the official announcement of results of state House of Assembly, National Assembly and governorship primaries. Nigerian Tribune reports that the aggrieved members expressed dissatisfaction over the conduct of the direct primaries held on Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6. Legit.ng gathered that they were accusing the Chief Iyiola Oladokun-led eight-man electoral panel of keeping them in the dark regarding the outcome of the primaries, saying that results were neither officially collated nor released, hours after it was held. READ ALSO: Omo-Agege, others hail APC's endorsement of Buhari It was learnt that the minister for information and culture and APC leader in the state, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, was around to coordinate the election before reportedly returning to Abuja. The chairman of the committee, Chief Iyiola Oladokun, with other members, planned to commence announcement of election results at the Savannah Hotel, Ilorin when an agent to one of the governorship aspirants interjected him seeking to know if he actually meant collation of results or announcement. Oladokun lamented that the committee members had operated under a very tight schedule conducting two important primaries in just two days, noting that if the required procedures and the process was to be followed strictly, the party would not be able to meet up with the INEC deadline for the submission of the names of candidates. Oladokun, who asked for the cooperation of all to achieve success at the poll, however, failed to pacify the aggrieved agents of the aspirants, while the programme ended abruptly. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app The committee members were consequently detained in the hotel as the supporters kept vigil and refused to allow movement in and out of the premises. The state commissioner of police, Bolaji Fafowora, arrived the hotel at about 2.20 am and asked the party excos, committee members and the supporters of the aspirants to move to his office for a peace meeting, which reportedly lasted till about 5:00 am on Monday, October 8. It was learnt that the committee members and agents left police headquarters at about 5:00 am, while a source said that they had all been asked to go to Abuja where the results are expected to be announced. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported a former spokesperson of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has described his loss at the Kwara Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election as disappointing. Abdullahi, however, insisted that he was not betrayed by his political godfather, Senator Bukola Saraki as being reported in some quarters. He said he accepted the outcome of the primary election as the will of Allah an that his sacrifices were not dependent on expectations of a reward but were done out of personal principles. He said: Following the reactions that have trailed the Governorship Primaries of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state, it has become imperative for me to make the following clarifications. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that a former spokesperson of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described his loss at the Kwara PDP primary election as disappointing. Abdullahi, however, insisted that he was not betrayed by his political godfather, Senator Bukola Saraki as being reported in some quarters. He said he accepted the outcome of the primary election as the will of Allah an that his sacrifices were not dependent on expectations of a reward but were done out of personal principles. How Kwara state governor is changing the face of the state - on Legit.ng TV: Source: Legit - Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa denied that he was arrested by DSS - Marafa blamed the report on the work of his enemies - He insisted he is enjoying the support of the people Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa has denied report that he was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Service over a fisticuff between aspirants during a meeting. He described himself as a law-abiding citizen. In a statement on Monday, October 8, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), described the report as handiwork of mischief makers. He blamed the governor of Zamfara, Abdulaziz Yari for the report but said in spite of it, he continues to enjoy the support of the people. READ ALSO: Breaking: Fayose reportedly threatens to quit PDP Speaking through his special assistant media and publicity Mal Abubakar Umar, Marafa said that the report was the handiwork of mischief makers who are agents of the state governor, Abdulaziz Yari. My attention has been drawn to malicious reports in a few media that I have been arrested. This is nothing but a wicked lie concocted by agents of darkness and blood thirsty politicians who are hell-bent on scuttling the wishes of the Zamfara people through the backdoor. "As a law abiding lawmaker, I will continue to conduct my political activities as usual within the confine of the law, no matter the provocation," he said. He said despite the provocation and desperation by the state governor and his agents, he has succeeded in leading the most peaceful campaign and grand rally, thus the massive support being enjoyed from the people of the state. "We thank Almighty Allah for the massive support we are enjoying from the people of the state. I sincerely appreciate and I won't let them down. Insha Allah, if elected, I will work hard to address the challenges bedeviling the state," he said. Legit.ng had earlier reported that pandemonium erupted at the City King Hotel, Gusau, Zamfara state capital venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders' meeting as Senator Kabir Marafa and the former minister of state communication, Alhaji Aliyu Bilbis, engaged in a free for all fight. The two arch rivals were said to have engaged in exchange of blows. Legit.ng gathered that the fight generated tension as the supporters of the two factions were ready for acrimony. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app It was reported that the state director of Department of State Security (DSS) ordered his men to whisk Senator Marafa as his details attempted to resist but Marafa was said to have asked his aides to remain calm and followed the DSS official to their office. According to the newspaper, the two factions were set for show down as none of the faction was ready for compromise over the conduct of the primaries. APC Is The Worst Party in Nigeria, I Regret Being a Member | - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - 35-year-old Chike Ukaegbu has expressed his determination to unseat President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 - The New York-based tech entrepreneur promised to ensure all Nigerians benefit from democracy if he wins in 2019 - Chike further maintained that he would push the ideology of his party, Advanced Allied Party (AAP) Chike Ukaegbu, a New York-based tech entrepreneur, has expressed his determination to unseat President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019. He stated this after emerging as the presidential candidate of the Advanced Allied Party (AAP). Chike, who spoke with NAN, also promised to ensure all Nigerians benefit from democracy if he wins in 2019. READ ALSO: Atiku replies Buhari's group, says presidents camp now confused 35-year-old US-based tech entrepreneur has announced his ambition to contest in the 2019 presidential election Source: Twitter The 35-year-old, who is the youngest of the presidential candidates, said: "The party was extremely delighted that Nigerians, particularly the younger generation, have embraced the vision and desire of the recently registered party to give them a platform to rescue the countrys political leadership from years of misrule. I am not afraid to unseat President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019. Many might say I am too ambitious at my age, but that was how France produced a young man as president." He further maintained that he would push the ideology of his party to "give political platform to youths, students and other younger Nigerians to participate in political leadership of the country". The Owerri-born was a second-year student of the University of Lagos, before leaving the country to continue his education at City College of New York, where he studied Biomedical Engineering. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! In a previous report by Legit.ng, 35-year-old Nigerian, Chike Ukaegbu, on Thursday, June 28, said he wants to become the countrys youngest presidential candidate. Ukaegbu's interest in the position comes weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari passed a law reducing age limits for political office. The new legislation lowers the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 35, state governors and senators from 35 to 30, and national and state assembly members now at 25. Nigeria News Today: Will Buhari Get Votes Of Nigerian Youth? | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng The senator representing Kogi West district at the National Assembly, Dino Melaye, has denied receiving any invitation from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) over a protest embarked upon by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently. Melaye was supposed to appear before the police on Monday, October 8, after the police alleged that he and some others clashed with men of the law enforcement agency during the protest to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja. In a single tweet, Melaye said: I have not received any invitation from the police. READ ALSO: Atiku woos Obasanjo as he becomes PDP's presidential candidate Legit.ng earlier reported that a week after the conclusion of Osun state governorship election, some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) protested against the declaration of Governor Aregbesola's chief of staff, Gboyega Oyetola, as the winner of the election. Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto and national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, are among the top PDP leaders protesting in front of INEC headquarters. Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, representing Bayelsa east senatorial district, also accused the Nigeria Police Force of attacking him and others with teargass during the protest on Friday, October 5. However, few hours after the protest, the Nigerian Police Force accused Senators Dino Melaye and Ben Murray-Bruce and Senate President Bukola Saraki of leading a violent protest, attacking police officers and disturbing public peace. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app The police statement said: "Senator Bukola Saraki, Senator Dino Melaye and Senator Ben Bruce who were captured on camera to have been involved in the disturbance of public peace and public safety, unlawful blockade of Shehu Shagari way for several hours preventing motorists, road users and other members of the public from having access and passage on the highway thereby disturbing public peace and public safety and causing innocent people to scamper for safety and violent attack on policemen posted to ensure security of the Force Headquarters, pushing and hitting the policemen to forcefully enter the Force Headquarters to cause damage to police equipment and government properties are hereby invited to report themselves to the IGP monitoring unit at the force headquarters on Monday, 8th October, 2018 for investigation." Nigeria Latest News: PDP Convention - Atiku Elected as Presidential Candidate | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - Uche Secondus, PDP national chairman, said by success of the partys presidential primaries, the partys journey to Aso Rock villa has begun - The national chairman said that the pace setting convention was a clear demonstration that the rebranding and repositioning of the party was actually on course - Secondus commended the wonderful roles of all the PDP governors as well as other critical stakeholders and members at all levels The national chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, said by success of the partys presidential primaries in Port Harcourt, Rivers, the PDPs journey to Aso Rock villa has begun in earnest. Secondus said this in a statement issued by his media aide, Ike Abonyi, on Monday, October 8, in Abuja. He noted that all the doomsday predictions that PDP was going to emerge from their National convention swimming in crisis had been proved wrong as "the party was not only more peaceful but more united and determined to take over power". He said that the pace setting convention was a clear demonstration that the rebranding and repositioning of the party with a view to regaining power was actually on course and in full gear. READ ALSO: FG set to announce new minimum wage - NLC president The support from members and non members to the reform agenda of the party that culminated in the successful primaries from ward to National levels shows clearly the determination of Nigerians to return PDP to power, he said. Secondus commended members of the party across the country and in diaspora for their support that made the partys presidential primaries peaceful and transparent. He said that by that singular action, the partys journey to regaining power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) had begun well and only a matter of time. The PDP chairman urged all hands to be on deck until the country was rescued. He said that the peaceful convention would not have been possible without the support of critical stakeholders working on the same page to realise the common goal. Special recognition must be made of those whose yeoman roles made it possible, all those who participated either as aspirants, or as facilitators. These, according to him, included the chairman of the national convention committee and Governor of Delta, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, and members of his committee Also, was the Rivers state governor, Neysom Wike, and the government and people of the state for their exceptional service and contributions to the party and the successful hosting of the convention. He also commended the wonderful roles of all the PDP governors as well as other critical stakeholders and members at all levels as well as the media and the public for their positive interests in the party. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Secondus appealed to members, who contested for various positions and lost to emulate the Presidential aspirants. He urged them to make the necessary sacrifice needed for the eventual success of the party, saying that PDP umbrella was big enough for all in victory. Legit.ng previously reported that former vice president of Nigeria and just elected presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, reacted to his recent victory at the just concluded primaries election. In a reaction via his official Twitter handle, Atiku commended the PDP and all its members for choosing him as the flag-bearer ahead of the 2019 presidential election. His reaction followed the national convention of the PDP at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. Nigeria Latest News: PDP Convention - Atiku Elected as Presidential Candidate | - on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - The PDP has expressed confidence in winning the upcoming 2019 elections - The opposition party claimed the APC was jittery - It added that the ruling party has failed Nigerians The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has claimed that the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate is making the All Progressives Congress (APC) jittery ahead of the 2019 presidential election. In a statement by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Monday, October 8, the party denied that it engaged in vote buying during its primary election. The PDP claimed the APC was nervous and expressed confidence in removing President Muhammadu Buhari from power in 2019. READ ALSO: Breaking: Fayose reportedly threatens to quit PDP Read the statement below: "The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) notes the uneasiness, apprehension and nervousness in the drowning Buhari Presidency and the fading All Progressives Congress (APC) since the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as Presidential candidate of the PDP. The PDP said such nervousness in the deflated party has led to a renewed attempt at smear campaign with spurious allegations against our Presidential candidate; a defeatist approach that shows that the APC and the Buhari Presidency are afraid of the Atiku candidacy and have reached their wits end, well ahead of the elections. The claims, by APC, of vote-buying at our national convention, is therefore, not only false but completely unfounded and symptomatic of a party that has totally lost bearing and now engaged in rumour mongering. However, for us as a party, such allegation from the APC is not unexpected given that it had tried everything possible to scuttle our national convention and Presidential primary but woefully failed, hence the desperation to engage in attempt to discredit the process that has been acclaimed as the beat in our political history. Unlike the APC that has an unpopular Presidential candidate, who has failed in governance, foisted on it without an election, the whole world watched with excitement as 12 aspirants contested the PDP Presidential primary, where delegates drawn from respected Nigerians across the country, freely voted for a candidate of their choice. To the amusement of Nigerians, the APC conducted a non-contested convention in which it declared President Buhari as winner with over 14 million fictitious votes. In their desperation, they forgot that Winning as a word connotes contest. Strangely, the APC declared a candidate as having won when there was never a contest - a charade by a deceptive party with duplicitous leaders! While we note that the APC is suffering from a pre-defeat trauma, we caution this fading party and its presidential candidate, who had failed our nation, to steer clear of our party and get ready for issue-based campaign ahead of the 2019 elections. It is instructive to state that their attempt at smear campaign against our candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will fail as Nigerians are interested only in the candidate that can make a turnaround of the ugly situation Buhari Presidency has sunk us." Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that President Muhammadu Buhari accepted nomination to contest for a second term in the 2019 presidential election. The over 7000 delegates had converged in Abuja to ratified the results of the presidential primaries held across the country. President polled a total vote of of 14,842,072 votes to emerged the winner of the presidential primaries. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! Legit.ng had earlier reported that security is tight in and around the Eagle Square, Abuja, venue of the national convention of the APC where delegates are expected to ratify the president's return ticket. Nigeria News Today: Will Buhari Get Votes Of Nigerian Youth? | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng The UK press is all over the map on the state of Brexit. That makes making sense of things even harder than usual. At a minimum, it show that the EUs thumping of May at last months Salzburg conference has led to an uptick in activity, as the EU27 leaders set an earlier deadline for the UK to serve up something realistic than the UK had previously thought it had (October versus November). But its far from clear that all the thrashing around and messaging amounts to progress. As well discuss, some press reports claim the EU is showing more flexibility, but the changes appear to be almost entirely cosmetic. If so, it would represent a cynical calculation that MPs are so illiterate about technical details that adept repackaging will get the dog to eat the dog food. Another thing to keep in mind is that negotiators are always making progress until a deal is dead. The appearance of momentum can create actual momentum, or at least buy time. But here, time is running out, so the question is whether either side has made enough of a shift so as to allow for a breakthough. One thing that may have happened, and again this is speculative, is that more key players in the EU are coming to realize that a crash out will inflict a lot of damage on the EU. A transition period is actually much more beneficial to the EU than the UK. It would not only allow the EU more time to prepare, but also enable it to better pick the UK clean of personnel and business activities that can move to the Continent in relatively short order. By contrast (and not enough people in the UK appear to have worked this out), the UK will crash out with respect to the EU in either March 2019 or the end of December 2020. Theres no way the UK will have completed a trade deal with the EU by then, unless it accedes to every EU demand. Recall that the comparatively uncomplicated Canada trade agreement took seven years to negotiate and another year to obtain provisional approval. And Richard North points out another impediment to negotiations: .the Commission has to be re-appointed next year and, after Brexit, it will not be fully in operation until the following November. Now there are still some important advantages to securing a transition agreement, and they may be mainly political (who wants to be caught holding that bag?) but the differences may not be as significant for the EU as the UK. The UK will wind up having the dislocations somewhat spread out, first having to contend with falling out of all the trade deals with third countries that it now has through the EU in March 2019, and then losing its single market status with the EU at the end of 2020. But will the UK also be so preoccupied with trying to stitch up deals with the rest of the world that it loses its already not great focus on what to do with the EU? That isnt to say there wont be meaningful benefits to the UK if it can conclude a Withdrawal Agreement with the EU and win a transition period. For instance, it has a dim hope of being able to get its border IT systems upgraded so as to handle much greater transaction volumes, a feat that seems pretty much unattainable by March 2019. Two more cautionary note regarding these divergent news stories. The first is that weve seen this sort of thing before and generally, the optimistic reports have not panned out. However, they have generally ben from unnamed sources. While we do have a very thin BBC article with Jean-Claude Junkcer saying the odds of a deal had improved and Tusk making cautiously optimistic noises, Leo Vardarkar was more sober and the piece even admitted, However, there is still no agreement on some issues, including how to avoid new checks on the Irish border. Second, they appear to be mainly about claimed progress or deadlocks on the trade front. Recall that Article 50 makes only a passing reference to the future relationship, which is only a non-binding political declaration. However, these issue seems to have assumed more importance than it should on the UK end, because it has become a forcing device for the coalition to settle on what sort of Brexit it wants.and it remains fundamentally divided, as demonstrated by last weeks Conservative Party conference. By contrast, there seems to be little news on the real sticking point, the Irish border. So to the rumors: The EU has offered the UK a Canada plus plus plus deal. Even if you take the Guardian story at face value, there is less there there than the breathless reactions in the UK would lead you to believe. First, recall that Canada plus plus plus has long been derided by the EU as yet another way for the UK to try to cherry pick among the possible post-Brexit arrangements. Boris Johnson nevertheless talked it up as a preferred option to Mays too-soft Chequers scheme at the Tory conference.and May did not mention Chequers. Did EU pols take that to mean May had abandoned Chequers to appease the Ultras? However, as we read things (and we need to watch our for our priors), Donald Tusk appears to be mouthing a pet UK expression to convey a different idea: Tusk said the EU remained ready to offer the UK a Canada-plus-plus-plus deal a far-reaching trade accord with extra agreements on security and foreign policy. That reads as a Canada style free trade agreement plus additional pacts on non-trade matters. That is not what Canada plus plus plus signified on the UK side: it meant the UK getting a free trade deal with other (typically not specified) goodies so as to make it special and more important, reduce friction. The Ultras were over the moon to have Tusk dignify Johnsons blather, even as the very next paragraph of the Guardian story revealed the outtrade over what Canada plus plus plus stands for: Boris Johnson and other hard Brexit Tories seized on Tusks remarks, arguing they showed it was time for May to immediately switch tack and abandon her Chequers proposals for remaining in a customs union for food and goods. Tusks Canada-plus-plus-plus offer shows there is a superb way forward that can solve the Irish border problem and deliver a free-trade-based partnership that works well for both sides of the channel, Johnson said. If you managed to get further into the story, it sounded more cautionary notes: Some Brexiters overlook that the EUs version of a so-called Canada deal incorporates a guarantee to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, which would keep Northern Ireland in the EU customs union and single market. Canada plus-plus-plus is also a fuzzy concept that has no formal status in EU negotiating documents. Michel Barnier, the blocs chief negotiator, mentioned the idea in an interview with the Guardian and other papers last year. I dont know what Canada-plus-plus-plus means, it is just a concept at this stage, Varadkar said, adding that it did not negate the need for a legally binding backstop a guarantee to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland if there is no agreement on the future trading relationship. EU to let UK super fudge on future relationship. Another Guardian story reported that the EU might let the UK sign an even less committal version of the future relationship section, allowing the UK to evolve [gah] its position during the transition period. Frankly, this seems to be allowing for a change in government. I dont see this as that meaningful a concession, since this statement was never legally binding. However, given that Parliament must ratify the final agreement, formally registering that that section isnt set in stone probably would facilitate passage as well as any future change in direction. And if you suspect this is a big dog whistle to Labour, you be right: An EU source said: The message to Labour is that the UK could move up Barniers stairs if the British government changes its position in the transition period. Voting in favour of the deal now would not be the last word on it. May whips Labour for Chequers. You thought May gave up on Chequers? Silly you! She just had the good sense to go into her famed submarine mode while Boris was having yet another turn in the limelight. From the Telegraph: Ministers are in talks with as many as 25 Labour MPs to force through Theresa Mays Chequers Brexit deal risking open warfare with the partys own MPs. The Governments whips office has spent recent months making contact with the MPs as a back-up option for when Theresa Mays Brexit deal is put to a vote in Parliament in early December, The Daily Telegraph has been told. News of the wooing operation has infuriated Eurosceptic Tory MPs who are now threatening to vote against elements of the Budget and other money bills to force Mrs May to drop her Chequers plan. If true, this is very high stakes poker. Brexit Central says there are 34 Tory MPs who have already declared they will oppose any deal based on Chequers. And, to change metaphors, they appear ready to go nuclear if they have to. From the Times: Brexiteers have issued a last-ditch threat to vote down the budget and destroy the government unless Theresa May takes a tougher line with Brussels amid signs that she is on course to secure a deal with the European Union. Leading members of the hardline European Research Group (ERG) last night vowed to vote down government legislation after it was claimed the prime minister will use Labour MPs to push her plan through the Commons. I turned to Richard Norths site after I had pretty much finished this post, and he finds the Telegraph story as peculiar as I do: Reporting of the key issue of our times gets more bizarre by the day. The latest contribution to the cacophony is the Telegraph, telling us that Ministers are in talks with as many as 25 Labour MPs to force through Theresa Mays Chequers Brexit deal. That approaches are being made to Labour MPs is not news, but the idea that attempts to sell them the Chequers deal confounds recent indications that the prime minister is preparing to roll out Chequers II, with enough concessions to all the Commission to conclude a withdrawal agreement. If we are looking at such a new deal, then it cannot be the case that anyone is attempting to convince Labour MPs of the merits of the old deal. And, even if Ministers succeeded in such a task, it would be to no avail. Chequers, as such, will never come to parliament for approval because it will never form the basis of a deal that can be accepted by Brussels. That should consign the Telegraph story to the dustbin now piled high with incoherent speculation, joining the steady flow of reports which are struggling and failing to bring sense to Brexit. EU to announce minimalist no-deal emergency plans. Interestingly, the Financial Times has not had any articles in the last few days on the state of UK/EU negotiations. It instead depicted the EU as about to turn up the heat on the UK by publishing a set of no deal damage containment plans. Ive never understood the line of thought, which seems to be taken seriously on both sides of the table, that acting like a responsible government and preparing for a worst-case scenario was somehow an underhanded negotiation ploy.1 The pink paper nevertheless pushes that notion: Brussels is planning to rattle the UK by unveiling tough contingency measures for a no-deal Brexit that could force flight cancellations and leave exporters facing massive disruption if Britain departs the EU without an exit agreement in March. Subtext: its the EUs fault all those bad things could happen.when it is the UK that is suing for divorce. Back to the story: Against expectations in London, the plan is likely to encompass a limited number of initiatives over a maximum of eight months, diplomats who have seen the document told the Financial Times. Notably, the EU is not planning special arrangements for customs or road transport and only limited provisions for financial services a decision that, if seen through, would cause long queues and operational difficulties at ports and airports. The minimalist emergency plan, designed to be rolled out should there be no breakthrough in Brexit talks, would increase the pressure over already fraught negotiations between the UK and the EU ahead of a summit on 17 October. EU plans would then be firmed up by December. The commission has thus far resisted outlining details of its plans for a no-deal Brexit for fear it would disrupt tense negotiations. But with just six months to go before Brexit, EU member states have pressed Brussels to speed up its preparations in case no deal is agreed in time. Brussels will outline general principles for deciding the fields requiring special measures, which must only mitigate significant disruptions in areas of vital union interest. The measures would be applied by the EU until the end of 2019 on a unilateral basis. They could be revoked with no notice, according to diplomats. The plans are intended to enable basic air services, allowing flights to land and fly straight back to the UK, and to extend air safety certificates and security exemptions for UK travellers in transit. Visa-free travel is envisaged for British citizens, as long as it is reciprocated Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/5606f710-c8ac-11e8-ba8f-ee390057b8c9 The commission has thus far resisted outlining details of its plans for a no-deal Brexit for fear it would disrupt tense negotiations. But with just six months to go before Brexit, EU member states have pressed Brussels to speed up its preparations in case no deal is agreed in time. Brussels will outline general principles for deciding the fields requiring special measures, which must only mitigate significant disruptions in areas of vital union interest. The measures would be applied by the EU until the end of 2019 on a unilateral basis. They could be revoked with no notice, according to diplomats. The plans are intended to enable basic air services, allowing flights to land and fly straight back to the UK, and to extend air safety certificates and security exemptions for UK travellers in transit. Visa-free travel is envisaged for British citizens, as long as it is reciprocated. And then we have the stories that are head-scratchers. The Sun reports that Barnier says a deal is nigh.based on: Hopes of progress have been fuelled by expectations that Theresa May has come forward with a compromise solution to the Irish border. The PM will propose keeping the whole of the UK in a customs union as a final fallback but allowing Northern Ireland to stick to EU regulations. The EU has rejected having the UK collect EU customs post Brexit. Moreover, a customs union, as weve said repeatedly, does not give the UK its keenly-sounght frictionless trade. Making Northern Ireland subject to EU regulations means accepting the jurisdiction of the ECJ, since compliance is not a matter of having a dusty rule book, but of being part of the same regulatory apparatus. Aside from the fact that this solution wont be acceptable to the DUP, it would also result in a hard land border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. So are we to take this as incomprehension on the part of the Suns reporters, or that the Governments negotiators continue to be as thick as a brick? Sadly, the Guardian tells a similar tale: Ministers expect to discuss Brexit in a weeks time when some hope that officials will have clarified how the UK proposes to handle cross-border regulatory checks if no progress is made on agreeing a free trade deal with the EU. There has been speculation that this solution could involve the whole of the UK agreeing to be part of a common customs area with the EU in order to avoid the possibility of an invisible border separating Northern Ireland from Great Britain, in the event that no long-term deal is signed. Richard North has the best take. He points the rumors from the UK side come from people who present themselves as being on the inside but probably arent, or not enough to have a good feel, and continues: Yet nothing seems to be leaking from No.10, with officials saying merely that proposals would emerge soon. Says the Guardian, these are likely to form the basis of technical negotiations with Brussels as officials scramble to find a form of words for the withdrawal agreement that the UK proposes to sign with the EU. Any such timing will, of necessity, rule out any formal consideration by the October European Council. Those who understand the detail will know that, before anything can be considered by the European Council, it must first be agreed by the General Affairs Council, meeting as 27. Currently, this is scheduled for 16 October (Tuesday week) a day before the Article 50 European Council which starts its two-day session on the 17th. On the face of it, there doesnt seem to be enough time to factor in any last-minute proposals from London, especially as details must first be circulated to Member State capitals for comment. This does nothing, though, but confirm that which we already know that if there is to be a final showdown, then it is going to come at the special meeting in November (if this actually happens), or even the meeting scheduled for 13-14 December. Even the rumor mills dont give much reason to think there is a solution to the Irish border. If May really hasnt abandoned Chequers, all the fudging to come up with a content-free future relationship section will be to the detriment of UK citizens, since the Government will keep holding on to a Brexit plan that the EU will never accept. But the best interests of ordinary people have gotten short shrift all along. ____ 1 Then again, the hard core Brexiters regularly squeal that realistic talke The elimination of smallpox showed how humans can work together to solve deadly global problems The Conversation In a first, SpaceX launches and lands a rocket at Vandenberg base LA Times Widespread fish kills predicted to continue for weeks in NC, experts say. Heres why. Charlotte Observer The Robert Venturi Effect CityLab. Kate Wagner (of McMansion Hell). Camille Paglia: The Rise of Strangely Unsexy Instagram Exhibitionism And Why It Hurts Women (Guest Column) Hollywood Reporter Want to live for ever? Flush out your zombie cells Guardian How the mushroom dream of a long-haired hippie could help save the worlds bees Seattle Times (scoff). Hoisted from comments. Economics of climate change win Nobel Prize for U.S. duo Reuters Climate Change Is a Major Midterm Issue. Corporate Media Are Ignoring It. TruthOut Literally no country is doing enough to meet the Paris Accord TreeHugger A major climate report will slam the door on wishful thinking Vox Humans, Fish and Other Animals Are Consuming Microfibers in Our Food and Water TruthOut NATIONWIDE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT TARGETS DUPONT, CHEMOURS, 3M, AND OTHER MAKERS OF PFAS CHEMICALS The Intercept Brazil Syraqistan Wife of Israeli prime minister goes on trial for fraud Reuters Brexit Medical cannabis will be available on prescription within a month Metro UK China? 2020 Democrat Booker, fresh from Kavanaugh vote, makes Iowa debut Des Moines Register Big Brother IS Watching You Watch Feds to judge: We still think we can put GPS trackers on cars entering US Ars Technica GOP Operative Secretly Raised at Least $100,000 in Search for Clinton Emails WSJ Bill Clinton keynote speaker at Ripple blockchain event Asia Times. Nice to see Bill keeping himself busy. Apple Tells Congress It Found No Signs Of Hacking Attack International Business Times Right to Repair Black Lives Matter Class Warfare India Trump Transition Kavanaugh Antidote du Jour: See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. The new LaGuardia Airport will be one of the biggest American infrastructure projects of recent times. The catch? They must keep the existing airport 100% operational without descending into chaos and delays? Thursdays from 8:30pm AEDT. Following a number of meetings in recent weeks, it has now been confirmed that Sky Innovation Park in Tipperary Town has been put on the IDAs Property Portfolio. This will mean that this site is a premium site for the IDA to market and get investment into Tipperary Town. This is an incredible site of nearly 4 acres with a building of over 80,000 square feet and car parking for 300 cars. This follows over a year and a half of work on changing the former retail site into an industrial/innovation site to attract inward investment. This included the following: 1. Changing the planning status of the site. 2. Creating a new display unit for visitors. 3. The creation of 3D imaging of what the site will look like. 4. Production of detailed site specification and marketing material. 5. Site clean up and erecting of signage. 6. Refit of the building. 7. Purchase of alternative storage facility for site owners. Over the last year and a half, Corajio the owners of the site have worked with state agencies such as the IDA as well as Tipperary Co Co, Invest Tipperary and Tipperary Town Chamber of Commerce. There has been a huge amount of work and the costs of the work have been born exclusively by the owners of the site. Deputy Alan Kelly who originally asked Corajio to create the Sky Innovation Park said Following meetings last week with the IDA, Tipperary Co Co and Tipperary Chamber, we can now confirm that Sky Innovation Park is being marketed as a live site to all potential foreign direct companies looking to invest in Ireland. Tipperary Town needs new industries but in order to deliver them it also needs an attractive site and I was determined to deliver one. Sky Innovation Park is it and I want to thank Corajio for the volume of work they have done to get it to this stage and also for the significant financial investment that they have put into the site. I now look forward to the IDA working with their partners to market this site and bring a significant industry to the town. Emma Pillion of Corajio said We are delighted with this news. Following the approach by Deputy Kelly, we decided that the site was what Tipperary Town needed from an investment perspective. We changed its planning status from retail to innovation and have since invested significant sums in bringing the building up to IDA standards. We purchased an alternative warehouse for our company stock and we have produced all the necessary fit outs required to make the building ready for a potential investor or investors to come in very quickly. We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone and would like to thank Deputy Kelly, the IDA, Invest Tipperary, Tipperary Co Co and Tipperary Chamber for their unwavering support. Shane Kelly, president of Tipperary Town Chamber said The Chamber are delighted with this news. We have been working with Corajio for some time and will do everything we can to support them and Deputy Kelly in pushing Sky Innovation Park. This is an incredible site that holds the key to future inward investment in our town. Id like to acknowledge the time, effort and investment made to bring this project to this stage. It took a significant amount of foresight and imagination. We also know that Corajio will work with the Chamber and Tipperary Co Co to develop the Inner Relief Road through the town which is so badly needed. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is visiting Croatia on Monday (8 October 2018). Speaking alongside President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Mr. Stoltenberg praised Croatias many contributions to the Alliance. This includes Croatian troops serving in NATO battlegroups in Lithuania and Poland, and in NATO missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan. The Secretary General also thanked Croatia for joining NATOs Operation Sea Guardian for the first time, working with other Allies to keep the Mediterranean secure. The Secretary General and President Grabar-Kitarovic also discussed the security situation in the Western Balkans. Mr Stoltenberg said: NATO remains fully committed to stability and security in this region and I count on Croatia to continue playing a constructive role. During his visit the Secretary General also had talks with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will travel to Ljubljana on Tuesday, 9 October 2018. During the visit, Mr. Stoltenberg will have meetings with the President of the Republic, H.E. Mr. Borut Pahor, and the Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Marjan Sarec. The Secretary General will address the National Assembly and will meet with its President, H.E. Mr. Dejan Zidan. Media Advisory 9 October 2018 12:55: Secretary General joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Slovenia The press point will be streamed live on the NATO website. Still and video images of the meeting will be available on the NATO website after the event. Professional-quality videos and b-roll will be available for download from www.natomultimedia.tv. Please register for access. Contact: content@natomultimedia.tv Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg). (As delivered) President Grabar-Kitarovic, Dear Kolinda, It is really a great pleasure to be here in Zagreb again and to meet with you. And its a real honour to be here on the Day of Independence for Croatia. And we are impressed by the progress you have made since you gained your independence and we are extremely grateful that Croatia is a member of NATO, helping to strengthen our collective defence and support our shared security. NATO safeguards your independence and your security. As it does for every Ally. Croatia is a highly valued Ally, which makes many contributions to our shared security. Croatian troops serve in NATOs battlegroups in Lithuania and in Poland. And in our missions in Afghanistan and in Kosovo. And as you mentioned, the Croatian Navy has joined NATOs Operation Sea Guardian for the first time. So you are also working together with other Allies to keep the Mediterranean secure. NATO has a presence in the Mediterranean with our Sea Guardian but we are also present in the Aegean Sea with naval forces, with ships, to help implement the agreement between Turkey and the EU, curbing the flow of illegal immigrants over the Aegean Sea. I also want to thank Croatia for its financial contributions, including to the Military Transition Trust Fund in Ukraine. Showing that you are participating and contributing in many different ways to NATO missions and operations and to our shared security. We have just discussed the security situation in this region. Including the elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the challenges we see also in other parts of the region, including in Kosovo and the former Yugoslave Republic of Macedonia1. NATO remains fully committed to stability and security in this regio. And I count on Croatia to continue playing a constructive role. I welcome the strong political support you showed during the recent referendum on the name deal between Skopje and Athens. And I have called on all political parties and leaders in Skopje to work together to seize this historic opportunity. At our Summit in July, we had an important discussion on ensuring fairer burden sharing within our Alliance. There is now a renewed sense of urgency on defence spending, investing in modern capabilities and contributions to NATO operations. This will be the fourth consecutive year of increased defence spending. We are making good progress as Alliance, but we must do more. In Croatia, as you mentioned, you have already stopped the cuts in defence spending. And you are now increasing defence investments in real terms. This is something we very much welcome. And we also welcome the fact that Croatia has put into law that you will invest 2% of GDP on defence by 2024. So I count on Croatia to continue to invest in defence. This is important as NATO continues to adapt to face a more unpredictable world. So Madam President, thank you for Croatias strong commitment to NATO. And for your strong personal commitment to our transatlantic bond. Thank you for an excellent meeting and I look forward to having dinner with you and your delegation now so we can continue to discuss how we can strengthen NATO, our Alliance and the transatlantic partnership. Thank you. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg inaugurated the civil emergency exercise Srbija 2018 on Monday (8 October) together with the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic. This is the biggest exercise organised by NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre, and the first to be hosted by Serbia. It will include around 2,000 personnel from almost 40 countries. Srbija 2018 is not a military exercise, but a platform for civilian first responders and the military, from Allied and partner countries, to learn from each other how they can save lives. The Secretary General thanked Serbia for hosting the exercise, noting that it is a great example of how Serbias partnership with NATO can bring concrete benefits, to Serbia, to NATO, and to the whole region. He added that the exercise is an opportunity to test new relief tools, such as artificial intelligence and a next-generation Incident Command System. The lessons we learn this week will help us to save more lives in the years to come, said Mr. Stoltenberg. The Secretary General underlined that NATO has one overriding objective across the Western Balkans region: to help build peace and stability, which are the foundations of prosperity. He noted that NATO Allies are the biggest investors in the region, helping to bring jobs and economic growth. Mr. Stoltenberg stressed that NATO fully respects Serbias neutrality, and explained the concrete benefits of the partnership between NATO and Serbia. The Alliance has worked with Serbia to dispose of tons of dangerous surplus munitions, and helped Serbian forces contribute to international peacekeeping missions. On Monday, the Secretary General also joined President Vucic at the event "Leadership for a Secure Region", at the invitation of the Belgrade Security Forum. He highlighted the strong partnership between Serbia and NATO, and praised President Vucics leadership on reforms. Mr. Stoltenberg also welcomed progress in the Western Balkans to build stability, security and economic growth. He added that more regional trade creates greater trust and will diminish nationalistic rhetoric. Mr. Stoltenberg started his visit by meeting with students and lecturers at the Department for Scandinavian Languages and Literature at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Belgrade. He also met with Prime Minister Ana Brnabic. (Natural News) Cauliflower has been enjoying increasing popularity as of late, thanks to a vast number of research that supports its health benefits. In fact, the vegetable is now being hailed as the new kale due in part to its nutritional value. According to New York-based nutritionist and personal trainer Mary Jane Detroyer, cauliflower is now replacing kale as a superfood, due to its versatility as a substitute for rise or potatoes in certain dishes. The vegetable is ideal for people who need to cut back on their calorie content such as obese individuals, diabetes patients and people with high cholesterol, the nutritionist said. Its very low in calories, so its a great food for weight loss. It can easily be incorporated into many deliciously tempting dishes to seduce you to eat more nutrients and less of the heavy stuff. It can seamlessly stand in for heavier foods like mashed potatoes and rice and for just a fraction of the calories, the Nutrition Twins (Tammy and Lyssie Lakatos) also quoted in DailyMail.co.uk. According to the University of Arizona, cauliflower belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family, which includes broccoli, kale and collard greens. The vegetables name literally means cabbage flower in Latin. Cauliflower originated in Asia Minor, and was eventually cultivated in different parts of the world. Most of todays cauliflower crops are grown in France, Italy and India as well as China and the U.S. The vegetables high nutrition value has prompted health experts to place it among the many varieties of superfoods. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already included cauliflower among the top 30 powerhouse vegetables in its Aggregate Nutrient Density Index. Previous research have found that cauliflower promotes strong bones and brain health, improves heart health, induces weight loss and reduces inflammation. The vegetable was also known to fend off even some of the most life-threatening conditions including cancer. A closer look at cauliflowers many health benefits According to experts, cauliflower is rich in antioxidants vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. These antioxidants are known to inhibit the effects of free radicals, which in turn helps improve the bodys overall health. One cup of cooked cauliflower offers 73 percent of the recommended daily vitamin C intake, 19 percent of the daily vitamin K amount, and eight percent of the daily manganese intake. Researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center noted that one cup of cooked cauliflower provides up to nine percent of the recommended daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids. The vegetables high vitamin K content makes it ideal for bone health. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women with high vitamin K intake were 30 percent less likely to suffer hip fracture than those with a low intake. Cauliflower is also a rich rouse of choline, a nutrient essential for brain health. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that people with high choline levels exhibited better cognitive performance, executive function, sensory motor speed, and perceptual speed. Previous studies have also found that the vegetable may show potential in cancer treatment. According to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer, naturally-occurring chemicals found in cauliflower can boost DNA repair in cells, which in turn prevents cells from becoming cancerous. One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that postmenopausal women who had higher consumption of brassica vegetables such as cauliflowers, broccoli and cabbage had lower odds of developing breast cancer. In addition, an analysis published in the journal Current Drug Metabolism confirmed that eating cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower may lead to significant reductions in cancer risk. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk LiveScience.com CDC.gov CancerResearchUK.org JAMANetwork.com (Natural News) Those who have followed details of the still-developing Spygate scandal, in which the Obama administration used a politicized Justice Department and FBI against a rival presidential campaign, have long suspected that there was Russian collusion alright, but not between Moscow and the 2016 Trump campaign. To the contrary, the available evidence suggested there was a pretty clear connection between the campaign of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and elements of the Russian government. In fact, the current chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., has said as much publicly. Now, thanks to The Hills John Solomon, new details have emerged that essentially prove the point that Democrats, not the Trump campaign, were not only involved with Russians during the 2016 campaign, but were very much a part of creating the phony Trump-Russia collusion narrative: Congressional investigators have confirmed that a top FBI official met with Democratic Party lawyers to talk about allegations of Donald Trump-Russia collusion weeks before the 2016 election, and before the bureau secured a search warrant targeting Trumps campaign. Former FBI general counsel James Baker met during the 2016 season with at least one attorney from Perkins Coie, the Democratic National Committees private law firm. Thats the firm used by the DNC and Hillary Clintons campaign to secretly pay research firm Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence operative, to compile a dossier of uncorroborated raw intelligence alleging Trump and Moscow were colluding to hijack the presidential election. You may recall that the dossier was then utilized by the FBI as justification to obtain FISA court warrants against Trump campaign adviser and top 10 percent Naval Academy graduate Carter Page, the last one of which was signed by current Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Solomon, citing an unnamed source, said that the information regarding the DNC/FBI connection was confirmed via contemporaneous evidence as well as testimony obtained via a joint probe by the House Judiciary Committee and the House Government Oversight Committee. This is a bombshell that unequivocally shows the real collusion was between the FBI and Donald Trumps opposition the DNC, Hillary and a Trump-hating British intel officer to hijack the election, rather than some conspiracy between Putin and Trump, a source told Solomon. (Related: Nunes: DoJ had NO evidence of wrongdoing when it began spying on Trump; it was ALL political.) Information broke new ground about other aspects of Spygate If accurate, and theres no reason to think its not, it means the FBI was more corrupt than previously thought under the leadership of fired Director James Comey. It also means the FBI was well aware of where the dossier came from and who paid for/produced it (as political opposition research). The revelation follows news that Baker was deposed by House investigators behind closed doors on Wednesday. As The National Sentinel reported, he offered explosive testimony in regards to the abnormal handling of the FBIs Trump campaign investigation. Some of the things that were shared were explosive in nature, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told Fox News. This witness confirmed that things were done in an abnormal fashion. Thats extremely troubling. The network also reported that Baker had a very close working relationship with Comey, meaning the fired FBI director had to have known all of these details. Perhaps thats why he preemptively decided to let Hillary Clinton off the hook for blatant violations of national security statutes via her serial mishandling of classified emails. Solomon reported that Baker told investigators the Perkins Coie attorney who reached out to him was Michael Sussman, a former Justice Department lawyer. In addition, Bakers information broke new ground regarding the FBIs use of the media in 2016 and 2017 to reinforce the Russian collusion lie, as well as Rosensteins spring 2017 conversations about wearing a wire to record POTUS Trump. Read more about Spygate and how the Deep State targeted the Trump campaign at DeepState.news. Sources include: TheHill.com FoxNews.com TheNationalSentinel.com (Natural News) Since its inception, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ruled that any exposure to harmful radiation is a cancer risk. As the Trump Administration slashes regulations to boost the economy, some of the most important environmental protections could be at stake. There are industries that would rejoice if the EPA relaxed its hard line stance on radiation exposure. Among them are the nuclear power industry and the medical device manufacturers. The EPAs linear, no-threshold model for radiation exposure requires an expensive protocol when accidents occur at nuclear plants, in medical centers, and at EPA super fund sites. If the EPA does away with these regulations, then the workers at nuclear installation sites and oil drilling sites will inevitably experience higher levels of radiation. Without the regulations, medical workers who conduct X-rays and CT scans may be exposed to greater levels of radiation on a daily basis. If radiation can be viewed as beneficial as some industry outliers propose then the entire population will gradually be exposed to far more of it than ever before. So where does the scientific standard come in? How far does the government push back against human health in order to benefit industry? EPA proposes rule change to differentiate radiation exposure A proposed rule change at the EPA could potentially weaken limits on radiation levels, exposing the public to more radiation over time. According to Edward Calabrese, toxicologist at the University of Massachusetts, the country could save billions of dollars by weakening limits on radiation exposure, while having a positive impact on human health. Under the rule change, regulations would not be bound to the EPAs longstanding no threshold model for radiation exposure. When it comes to handling dangerous substances, regulators could adapt strategies to consider various threshold models across exposure range. Calabrese considers this proposal a major scientific step forward for the assessment of chemicals and radiation. The new rule would differentiate between the different kinds of radiation. For instance, the radiation from microwaves could be considered less hazardous than higher-energy, shorter-wave radiation that comes from X-rays. Radiation that can penetrate and disrupt living cells may be handled with strong safety standards, but other, less intense radiation exposures may be disregarded. Now the question is whether the people should be protected as much as possible or whether a small amount of radiation can be considered benign or even beneficial. The consensus at the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, based on 29 public health reviews on cancer rates, agrees that even low level exposure should be mitigated as much as possible. The Council has studied how low level radiation increases cancer risk for people at leak-prone Soviet nuclear installation sites, those exposed to medical treatments, and those exposed to the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in World War II. The council agrees that relaxing the rules for low dose radiation exposure is irresponsible and still puts the population at risk. According to the EPAs scientific assessment, there will always be some cancer risk from any kind of radiation exposure. The EPAs online guidance (separate from the proposed rule change) states, Even exposures below 100 millisieverts an amount roughly equivalent to 25 chest X-rays or about 14 CT chest scans slightly increase the risk of getting cancer in the future. According to the U.S. FDA, a single CT scan sends a dose of 10 millisieverts to the patient, increasing their risk of fatal cancer by 1 in 2000. If the risks are undermined, medical device manufacturers will profit, but cancer rates could go up for the general public. However, Calabrese asserts that some of this small dose radiation is actually beneficial to human health and acts as stressors to activate the bodys repair systems. Calabrese says the no threshold model is deceptive because being exposed to a little radiation is no different than being exposed to sunlight during the day. As the EPA finds ways to reduce regulation to maximize industry profits, how will human health be impacted? For more analysis on this topic, visit Radiation.News. Sources include: APNews.com NaturalNews.com What to Know Google said up to 500,000 Google+ accounts were potentially compromised by a bug The company acknowledged fixing the bug last March but did not disclose it at the time Google will shut down the consumer version of Google+, since most users use it for less than 5 seconds at a time A bug in the Google+ social media service left about 500,000 user accounts open to being compromised, though there is no evidence anyone's personal information was misused, the company said Monday. Google said it was shutting down the consumer portion of Google+, which it acknowledged had not caught on with the general public. (The company said 90 percent of all user sessions lasted 5 seconds or less.) "We found no evidence that any developer was aware of this bug, or abusing the API, and we found no evidence that any Profile data was misused," Google said in a blog post. The bug was patched last March. The Wall Street Journal reported that Google decided at the time not to disclose it to the public, which the company also addressed in the blog. "Our Privacy & Data Protection Office reviewed this issue, looking at the type of data involved, whether we could accurately identify the users to inform, whether there was any evidence of misuse, and whether there were any actions a developer or user could take in response. None of these thresholds were met in this instance," it said. As part of a broader security review, Google said it would limits developers' access to certain Gmail data, as well as to call logs and messaging on Android phones. The news comes less than two weeks after Facebook acknowledged its own breach, potentially exposing data on some 50 million users. What to Know Two were shot, killed in separate shootings on Friday, a gas station clerk was gunned down on Saturday, and two more were killed on Sunday. Boston police are actively investigating the fatal shootings, and at least two have been arrested in connection with the fatal shootings. Police say they don't believe the shootings are connected, and are urging residents who have information to come forward. Police said they do not believe that a series of shootings that happened over the course of a violent weekend in Boston are connected, but residents remain concerned after five people were killed across the city. The shootings happened in Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester. The violence began early Friday when a man, identified as 26-year-old Raymond Holloway-Creighton of Dorchester, was fatally shot on Massachusetts Avenue in Roxbury. "He was caring, he was loving. He just liked to have fun," the victim's grieving mother, Cynthia Creighton, said. Cynthia Creighton said her son was preparing to return to the Netherlands in a few weeks to be with his wife and son. "My grandson will be turning one and the day that he asks me what happened to his father, I want to be able to tell him," she said. Several hours after Holloway-Creighton's death, there was a double shooting in Dorchester in the area of Alexander and Bird streets, leaving another man dead. Before the weekend, one grieving family was set to celebrate the 68th birthday of Jose Luis Phinn Williams but instead, they are now planning his funeral. "My brother was a hard worker. He'd been here since 1970 and he has seven children," Rose Phinn-Westby, Williams' sister, said. Williams, a gas station clerk, was fatally shot Saturday in Dorchester while on the job in what is believed to be an attempted robbery. Kevin Williams, 21, was arrested in connection to the death and was charged with assault with intent to murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and attempted robbery. On Sunday morning, the violence continued when there were two shootings in Mattapan, less than a mile apart. The first shooting took place at 18 Mildred Ave. in Mattapan around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning, where a man in his 40s was shot and killed. Sunday's second fatal shooting happened at 88 Itasca St. just before noon, which killed an unidentified man in his 30s. An investigation led police to arrest 26-year-old Kai Harris. Police say they are actively investigating this weekend's shootings. Anyone with information is asked to contact the homicide detectives at 617-343-4470. To report a tip anonymously, call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or text the word "TIP" to CRIME (27463). California has become the first state to require publicly traded companies to include women on their boards of directors, according to a law signed Sunday by Gov. Jerry Brown. The measure requires at least one female director on each board of California-based corporations by the end of next year. Companies would need up to three female directors by the end of 2021, depending on the number of board seats. The Democratic governor referenced the objections and legal concerns that the law has raised. "I don't minimize the potential flaws that indeed may prove fatal to its ultimate implementation," Brown wrote in a signing statement. "Nevertheless, recent events in Washington, D.C. and beyond make it crystal clear that many are not getting the message." Some European countries, including Norway and France, already mandate that corporate boards include women. Having more women on boards will make companies more successful, said state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, who authored the bill, SB 826. Women tend to be more collaborative and are better at multitasking, the Santa Barbara Democrat said. She believes having more women in power also could help reduce sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. A fourth of publicly held corporations with headquarters in California don't have any women on their boards of directors. These companies have not done enough to increase the number of women on their boards despite the Legislature's urging, making government intervention necessary, Jackson said. "This is one of the last bastions of total male domination," she said. "We know that the public and business are not being well-served by this level of discrimination." The California Chamber of Commerce argued that the composition of corporate boards should be determined internally, not mandated by government. The chamber said the new law will prioritize gender over other aspects of diversity, such as race and ethnicity. "It creates a challenge for a board on achieving broader diversity goals," said Jennifer Barrera, senior vice president for policy at the chamber. The new policy will be difficult for companies to implement and violates constitutional prohibitions against discrimination, she said. The law applies to companies that report having their principal executive offices in California. Companies can be fined $100,000 for a first violation and $300,000 for subsequent violations. The law also requires companies to report their board composition to the California secretary of state and imposes a $100,000 fine if a company fails to do so. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck Haiti on Sunday, even as survivors of the previous day's temblor were sifting through the rubble of their cinderblock homes. The death toll stood at 12, with fears it could rise. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the aftershock was located 9.8 miles (15.8 kilometers) north-northwest of Port-de-Paix, the city hard hit by Saturday night's 5.9 magnitude earthquake. Sunday's aftershock had a depth of 10 kilometers. "I don't feel safe even inside my house," said Gary Joseph as he put various mattresses for himself and his two sons to sleep on under a tree outside the house in Port-de-Paix. He pointed to cracks left by the quake and aftershock in a wall and said: "I have to protect myself and my sons." The aftershock caused panic on streets where emergency teams were providing relief to victims of Saturday's quake, which toppled cinderblock homes and rickety buildings in several cities. Haiti's civil protection agency said at least eight people died in the coastal city of Port-de-Paix and three people died in the nearby community of Gros-Morne in Artibonite province. Another person died in Saint-Louis du Nord, Communication Minister Eddy Jackson Alexis tweeted. Among the dead from Saturday night's quake were a 5-year-old boy crushed by his collapsing house and a man killed in a falling auditorium. Authorities said 188 people were injured. Impoverished Haiti, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. A vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people. "I feel like my life is not safe here," said nun Maryse Alsaint, director of the San Gabriel National School in Gros-Morne, where several classrooms were severely damaged. She said that about 500 students would not be able to return to school on Monday. President Jovenel Moise urged people to donate blood and asked international aid agencies to coordinate with local agencies to avoid duplicated efforts. By Sunday evening the government didn't provide an estimate of the damages. The USGS said Saturday's quake was centered 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of Port-de-Paix, which is about 136 miles (219 kilometers) from the capital of Port-au-Prince. It was felt lightly in the capital, as well as in the neighboring Dominican Republic and in eastern Cuba, where no damage was reported. In Haiti, officials have struggled to shore up buildings despite the two major fault lines along Hispaniola, which is the island shared with the Dominican Republic. The damage from the temblors was visible. In Gros-Morne, one bed was covered in rubble, while the exterior walls of some homes were visibly cracked. Others tilted at precarious angles. Pierre Jacques Baudre, a farmer and father of seven, said he was afraid to return to his home after one wall built with rocks and cement crumbled. "The house can fall at any time," he said. Meanwhile, dozens of people could be seen sifting through debris before hauling away rebar to recycle and sell. The civil protection agency issued a statement saying that houses were destroyed in Port-de-Paix, Gros-Morne, Chansolme and Turtle Island. Damage was also reported at the Saint-Michel church in Plaisance and the police station in Port-de-Paix. Parts of a hospital and an auditorium collapsed in Gros-Morne, where parliamentarian Alcide Audne told The Associated Press that two of the deaths occurred. Haiti President Jovenel Moise said on his Twitter account Sunday that civil protection brigades were working to clear debris. He also said the government had sent water and food. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made "significant progress" toward an agreement for the North to give up its nuclear weapons. While significant work remains to be done, he said he expected further results after an as-yet unscheduled second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump. "It's a long process," Pompeo told a small group of reporters in the South Korean capital of Seoul where he traveled after meeting with Kim in Pyongyang on Sunday. "We made significant progress. We'll continue to make significant progress and we are further along in making that progress than any administration in an awfully long time." He would not be specific but said he and Kim had agreed to shortly begin working-level talks on the nuts and bolts of denuclearization, on the placement of international inspectors at one of North Korea's main nuclear facilities, and had come close to finalizing a date and venue for the next Kim-Trump summit. Trump, tweeting from Washington shortly after Pompeo left North Korea, cited progress Pompeo had made on agreements he and Kim came to at their June meeting in Singapore and said, "I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future.' Pompeo said he and Kim had gotten "pretty close" to fixing the logistics for the summit but stressed that "sometimes that last inch is hard to close." "Most importantly, both the leaders believe there is real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit and so we are going to get it at a time that works for each of the two leaders and at a place that works for both of them," he said. "We are not quite there yet. But we will get there." North Korea's state-run news agency KCNA, meanwhile, said Monday that Kim had "expressed his will and conviction that a great progress would surely be made in solving the issues of utmost concern of the world and in attaining the goal set forth at the last talks with the projected second DPRK-U.S. summit talks as an occasion." DPRK is the acronym for the country's official name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In an early Monday dispatch, KCNA called the talks "productive and wonderful" and said that "mutual stands were fully understood and opinions exchanged." In Seoul, before leaving for talks with Chinese officials in Beijing, Pompeo said Kim is expected soon to name deputy foreign minister Choe Son Hui as a counterpart for his new special envoy for North Korea, former Ford executive Stephen Biegun, who accompanied him on the trip. He and Biegun both said they expected meetings at the working level to begin soon and become quite frequent before the next summit. "We are starting to see a first wave of actions we can take on all four pillars of the Singapore communique," said Biegun, who will serve as Pompeo's pointman in negotiations with the North as well as work with South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and other countries that have an interest in the talks. In Pyongyang on Sunday, Pompeo and Kim met for about 3 1/2 hours, first in a business session and then in a 90-minute luncheon that the North Korean leader hosted at a state guesthouse, according to the pool report from the lone U.S. journalist allowed to accompany Pompeo on his Asia trip. "It's a very nice day that promises a good future for both countries," Kim told Pompeo through an interpreter as they sat down for the meal. "Yeah, so we had a great, great visit this morning," Pompeo replied. Before visiting Pyongyang, Pompeo held talks in Tokyo with Japan's prime minister, and pledged that the Trump administration would coordinate and unify its strategy for denuclearization with its allies. Japan has been wary of the initiative, but South Korea has embraced it. Pompeo has repeatedly refused to discuss details of negotiations, including a U.S. position on North Korea's 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 North's 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 and South Korea has suggested it may not be a necessary next step. Pompeo, however, played down the differences. "I've never been involved in an international discussion where there weren't differences of view, not only between governments but inside of governments," he said. "But if you look at the approach, we are in lockstep with each of those two countries in terms of how we approach achieving the results that everyone is aimed at. And so there'll be tactical places where we'll have debates and disagreements, that is a necessary component of getting to the best deliverable." "But with respect to our relationship with the Republic of Korea and Japan on this issue, I have found that we are in lockstep on the most important issues and how to approach them," Pompeo said. Since the denuclearization effort got underway with a secret visit to the North by then-CIA chief Pompeo in April, there has been only limited progress, even since the June 12 Trump-Kim summit that many had hoped would jump-start the effort. 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 has accused Washington of making "unilateral and gangster-like" demands on denuclearization and has insisted that sanctions should be lifted before any progress in nuclear talks. U.S. officials have thus far said the penalties will remain in place until the North's denuclearization is fully verified. Also on Monday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he expects Kim to travel to Russia and for Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit North Korea soon amid a global diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear crisis. Moon said a second Trump-Kim summit could be accompanied by major diplomatic developments that could contribute to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and stabilizing peace. Moon also said there was a possibility of Kim holding a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. At the Valley Regional Lodge of the Sons of Italy, their Columbus Day celebration included nods to both Italian and American heritage. At the annual celebration of Columbus Day, they raised the flags of both the United States and Italy and enjoyed some of the best culinary offerings of their Italian homeland. Here, this holiday is as much a celebration of their heritage as it is the man credited for discovering the Americas. Its important in the sense of its heritage and what the Italian culture and heritage has brought to us, said Lorenzo Durante, president of Valley Regional lodge of the Sons of Italy. But there are some who say the decades-long tradition of honoring Columbus dishonors the people who were already living in the land he discovered. This spring, West Hartford Public Schools decided to join cities and towns across the country who now acknowledge the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day. NBC Connecticut talked to people at the Sons of Italy celebration about the shift. Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti, himself an Italian American, says the holiday is important to him, but he sees no issues with alternative celebrations. The world is changing every day. Whatever decision they want to make, the different towns, its up to them he said. At the Sons of Italy, there was a nod to the growing conversation about this alternate observance on this day with one of the speakers acknowledging that all Americans originate outside of the country, with the exception of those who were here when it was discovered to the wider world. But those attending said celebrating Columbus Day is an annual tradition they never want to end. Columbus Day I think every year should be celebrated. He came to the new world and found the new world and I think its important that we keep the Italian heritage Cassetti said. Police in Middletown are patrolling around the statue of Christopher Columbus today after it was vandalized on Columbus Day last year. The statue in Middletown was one of several statues that were damaged last year. Others were in New Haven and Norwalk. People who have spoken with NBC Connecticut had strong opinions of the holiday. "I hope everyone recognizes that indigenous people played an important role in the United States, that they were here before Columbus and that's really a fact," Chris Rice, of New Haven said. The West Hartford school district decided that instead of recognizing Columbus Day next year, it will recognize Oct. 14 as Indigenous Peoples Day. As an Italian heritage we look forward to celebrating Christopher Columbus, Patty Hanley, of North Branford, said. Christopher Columbus discovered America. It's as simple as that. There have been no reports of damage to the statues this year. Students at the University of Connecticut in Storrs advocated for change on Columbus Day. The Native American Cultural Programs will host events every day this week to educate their peers on Native Americans. They also started a petition in hopes that the university will recognize Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples Day in the future. If you think about the catastrophe that happened to indigenous people due to Columbus and colonization in general, its really important to get the word out to recognize its indigenous peoples day as well, said Brooke Parmalee, a student from Monroe and descendant of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation. In a letter sent to students last week, the Office of the Provost wrote, As a land grant university and Connecticuts flagship public institution, we recognize that we share this land and our history with those who have come before us and continue to reside, work and live in our state. The letter went on to acknowledge the history of indigenous people and encourage students to participate in the NACPs events. Two Americans, including a Yale professor, won the Nobel Prize in economics on Monday for studying a pressing issue facing the global economy: how to deal with pollution and climate change and how to foster the innovation needed to tackle such problems. William Nordhaus, of Yale University, and Paul Romer, of New York University, were announced winners of the $1.01 million prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Nordhaus lives in downtown New Haven with his wife, Barbara, an assistant clinical professor for social work at the Yale Child Study Center. I am honored to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for work on environmental economics, he said in a statement. But even more, I am grateful for the intellectual environment at Yale that taught me as a student, nurtured me as a teacher and scholar, and allowed the freedom to devote my life to one of the critical emerging issues of humanity. Nordhaus in the 1990s became the first person to create a model that "describes the global interplay between the economy and the climate," the academy said. Working separately from Romer, he showed that "the most efficient remedy for problems caused by greenhouse gases is a global scheme of universally imposed carbon taxes." Romer's work explains how ideas are different to other goods and require specific conditions to thrive in a market, the academy said. Romer's work found that unregulated economies will produce technological change, but insufficiently provide research and development; this can be addressed by government interventions such and R&D subsidies. Carbon taxes are fees imposed on companies that burn carbon-based fuels such as coal and oil. Advocates see the taxes as encouraging companies to use less-polluting fuels. "This is, for sure, a Nobel Prize about the big questions," University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers said on Twitter. Per Stromberg, head of the Nobel economics prize committee, said "it's about the long-run future of the world economy." "The first one is how do we keep on generating the new ideas, the new innovations, the new research that's so important to solve the problems we're facing in the future," he said. "The second is how do we deal with the negative effects of economic growth, which have to do with the emission of greenhouse gases leading to a warmer climate - which not just hurts the economy, but risks the life of everyone on earth," Stromberg said. The prize comes just a day after an international panel of scientists issued a report detailing how Earth's weather, health and ecosystems would be in better shape if the world's leaders could somehow limit future human-caused warming to just 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit from now, instead of the globally agreed-upon goal of 1.8 degrees F. Nordhaus, who completed his undergraduate work at Yale in 1963, has argued that climate change should be considered a "global public good," like public health and international trade, and regulated accordingly, but not through a command-and-control approach. Instead, by agreeing on a global price for burning carbon that reflects its whole cost, this primary cause of rising temperatures could be traded and taxed, putting market forces to work on the problem. Many economists have since endorsed the concept of taxing carbon and using this financial lever to influence societal behavior. But adopting the regulatory frameworks on a global scale has been a complex challenge, and the world's political leaders are failing to meet it, the head of the United Nations said last month. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres bluntly told leaders in New York that unless current emission trends for greenhouse gases are reversed by 2020, it will be impossible to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, which was a key goal of the 2015 Paris climate accords. The U.N. chief challenged governments to end fossil fuel subsidies, help shift toward renewable energy and back a price for carbon emissions that reflects their actual cost. He cited, for example, that climate-related disasters already cost the world $320 billion last year, a figure likely to grow with increased warming. Many people think that dealing with protecting the environment will be so costly and so hard that they just want to ignore the problem, Romer said by telephone to the Swedish academy. I hope the prize today could help everyone see that humans are capable of amazing accomplishments when we set about trying to do something. The economics prize is the last of the Nobels to be announced this year. Last year's prize went to American Richard Thaler for studying how human irrationality affects economic theory. A Fort Worth nonprofit is on a mission to help young people turn their unfortunate situations into life-changing business opportunities. 101 Prep helps them find their true purpose by providing mentors who are business owners and entrepreneurs across North Texas to help shape the future leaders. Every other week, aspiring young entrepreneurs, some as young as 12 years old, come together for a round table discussion at Suite 101, just south of downtown Fort Worth. They talk about a number of things, including how they can expand and make better use of their businesses. Never in a million years, would I have thought that at the age of 16, that I would have ran in and got this good mentor program, said Kendyll Locke. At just 16 years old, Kendyll Locke is the president and CEO of his own business, KDs Socialhouse Maintenance. I provide business owners the opportunity to build their brand through a couple of different services that I provide, one of the main ones, being social media management, as well as website development, Kendyll said. And that vision started in 2016, when Kendyll was just 14. Once I came to this one-on-one prep program, it kind of allowed me to put down everything that I wanted to do, where Im trying to go, and put it down on paper, Kendyll said. It is an effort to build them up from the inside out, if that makes sense, allow them to just be. Allow them to be in a safe space, where they are just able to be themselves, said 101 Prep Founder Lexia Crawford. Crawford says this is her purpose -- opening the doors for young creative minds. Theyre the kids that people end up teasing and often times unfortunately get bullied, Crawford said. Lexia was one of those kids, who says she didnt discover the power of her own creative talent until she was much older, using her own mental health issues and experiences to help young people. And so if we can catch them at an early age, and show them the power of their gifts and talents, their God-given gifts and talents, if they can thrive in that, they can become more confident, and theyll share that confidence with their peers, said Crawford. Which is exactly what Kendyll has been doing since he became a part 101 Prep. Never think that youre too young to get out and do something, Kendyll said. The sky is the limit, and it really is. Kendyll will graduate from Crowley Collegiate Academy in 2020, where he will receive his high school diploma and an associates degree in Humanities from Tarrant County College. He then plans to attend Howard University in Washington D.C., where he will major in Political Science. For more information on 101-prep, and how you can get involved go here. A U.S. Border Patrol supervisor was jailed Sunday on $2.5 million bond in Texas, accused of killing at least four women and injuring a fifth who managed to escape. Juan David Ortiz, 35, was in custody in Laredo on four counts of murder along with charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint, Webb County jail records showed. Ortiz was arrested a day earlier, after being found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo, at about 2 a.m. Saturday, capping what investigators portrayed as a 10-day string of violence. Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said Saturday that investigators "consider this to be a serial killer" whose victims were believed to be prostitutes. Alaniz described how the Customs and Border Patrol intel supervisor continued going to work as usual throughout that time. "As law enforcement was looking for the killer ... he would be reporting to work every day like normal," he said. It all began with the discovery Sept. 4 of the body of 29-year-old Melissa Ramirez. According to a police affidavit, Ortiz said he killed Ramirez a day earlier. Like the other victims, Ramirez was shot in the head and left in a road in rural northwest Webb County. She was a mother of two. A second victim, 42-year-old Claudine Anne Luera, was found shot and left in the road Thursday morning, badly injured but still alive, according to the affidavit. The mother of five died at a hospital later that day. On Friday, according to the affidavit, Ortiz picked up a woman named Erika Pena. She told police she struggled with Ortiz inside his truck, where he pointed a pistol at her, but that she was able to flee. She made it to a gas station where she found a state trooper whom she asked for help. According to the affidavit, Ortiz told investigators that after Pena ran off, he picked up his last two victims, whose identities have not yet been released by authorities. Jail records don't list an attorney to speak for Ortiz, who had worked for Border Patrol for 10 years. Alaniz said the dead are believed to have been prostitutes and that one of them was a transgender woman. At least two were U.S. citizens; the nationalities of the others were not known, he said. He said investigators are still working to determine a motive. Ortiz was believed to have acted alone. The federal agency issued a statement offering its "sincerest condolences" to the victims' families and saying criminal activity by its employees is not tolerated. The Texas Department of Public Safety, whose Texas Rangers are investigating, referred questions on the case to the Webb County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Martin Cuellar did not return several messages seeking comment. Associated Press reporters Diana Heidgerd and Matt Sedensky contributed to this report. What to Know By early Tuesday, Michael's top sustained winds had risen some to 100 mph as it headed north at 12 mph. Hurricane Michael gained new strength over warm tropical waters amid fears it would swiftly intensify into a major hurricane before striking Florida's northeast Gulf Coast, where frantic coastal dwellers are boarding up homes and seeking evacuation routes away from the dangerous storm heading their way. By early Tuesday, Michael's top sustained winds had risen some to 100 mph as it headed north at 12 mph. The storm was centered about 365 miles south of Apalachicola and 395 miles south of Panama City, Florida. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 35 miles from the core and tropical-storm-force winds out 175 miles. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 40 miles from the core and tropical-storm-force winds out 195 miles. Michael was lashing western Cuba on Monday with heavy rains and strong winds. Forecasters warned that Michael, now a Category 2 storm, could dump up to a foot of rain in western Cuba, potentially triggering flash floods and mudslides in mountain areas. A hurricane hunter plane that bounced into the swirling eye of Michael off the west tip of Cuba late Monday found wind speeds were rising even as forecasters warned the storm could reach major hurricane status with winds topping 111 mph by Tuesday night. Anticipated landfall is expected Wednesday on the northeast Gulf Coast, where authorities warned of a potentially devastating strike. Disaster agencies in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua reported 13 deaths as roofs collapsed and residents were carried away by swollen rivers. Six people died in Honduras, four in Nicaragua and three in El Salvador. Authorities were also searching for a boy swept away by a river in Guatemala. Most of the rain was blamed on a low-pressure system off the Pacific coast of El Salvador. Hurricane Michael in the Caribbean could have also contributed. On the Florida Panhandle, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan bluntly advised residents who choose to ride out the storm that first responders won't be able to reach them during or immediately after Michael smashes into the coast. "If you decide to stay in your home and a tree falls on your house or the storm surge catches you and you're now calling for help, there's no one that can respond to help you," Morgan said at a news conference. Florida Gov. Rick Scott called Michael a "monstrous hurricane" with a devastating potential from high winds, storm surge and heavy rains. He Scott declared a state of emergency for 35 Florida counties from the Panhandle to Tampa Bay, activated hundreds of Florida National Guard members and waived tolls to encourage those near the coast to evacuate inland. He also warned caregivers at north Florida hospitals and nursing homes to do all possible to assure the safety of the elderly and infirm. Following Hurricane Irma last year, 14 people died when a South Florida nursing home lost power and air conditioning. "If you're responsible for a patient, you're responsible for the patient. Take care of them," he said. In the small Panhandle city of Apalachicola, Mayor Van Johnson Sr. said the 2,300 residents are frantically preparing for a major hurricane strike that could be unlike any seen there in decades. Many filled sandbags and boarded up homes. Residents also lined up to buy gas and groceries even as evacuations both voluntary and mandatory were expected to pick up the pace Tuesday. "We're looking at a significant storm with significant impact, possibly greater than I've seen in my 59 years of life," Johnson said of the city, straddling the shore of Apalachicola Bay, a Gulf of Mexico inlet that reaps about 90 percent of Florida's oysters. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for residents of barrier islands, mobile homes and low-lying coastal areas in Gulf, Wakulla and Bay counties. In a Facebook post Monday, the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office said no shelters would be open because Wakulla County shelters were rated safe only for hurricanes with top sustained winds below 111 mph. With Michael's winds projected to be even stronger than that, Wakulla County residents were urged to evacuate inland. "This storm has the potential to be a historic storm, please take heed," the sheriff's office said in the post. High winds weren't the only danger. Parts of Florida's curvy Big Bend could see up to 12 feet of storm surge, while Michael also could dump up to a foot of rain over some Panhandle communities as it moves inland, forecasters said. Neighbors in Alabama the entire state is under an emergency declaration also were bracing. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said she feared widespread power outages and other problems would follow. Forecasters also warned spinoff tornadoes would also be a threat. With the storm next entering the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico, which has warm water and favorable atmospheric conditions, "there is a real possibility that Michael will strengthen to a major hurricane before landfall," Robbie Berg, a hurricane specialist at the Miami-based storm forecasting hub, wrote in an advisory. A large mound of sand in Tallahassee was whittled down to a small pile within hours Monday as residents filled sandbags against potential flooding. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, Florida's Democratic nominee for governor, filled sandbags with residents and urged residents of the state capital city to finish up emergency preparations quickly. Local authorities fear power outages and major tree damage from Michael. "Today it is about life and safety," Gillum said. "There's nothing between us and this storm but warm water and I think that's what terrifies us about the potential impacts." Music superstar Taylor Swift says she's voting for Tennessee's Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen, breaking her long-standing refusal to discuss anything politics. Swift posted on Instagram Sunday evening acknowledging she's previously shied from voicing her political opinions. But she says several personal and public events over the past two years have prompted her to speak out. Swift has faced criticism for not speaking about political issues despite having a global platform. The pop star -- a Tennessee native -- slammed Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn in her lengthy post, writing the Republican candidate's voting record "terrifies me." Swift says she's voting for Bredesen for Senate and Democrat Jim Cooper for the House. Swift didn't acknowledge Bredesen's recent endorsement of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but said people may never find a candidate or party with whom they agree completely on every issue. What to Know Anaheim Through Oct. 31 The statute may be seen at near Disney California Adventure; the live rider is part of Mickey's Halloween Party Seeing double in the Disney universe? It's not an uncommon experience. After all, Tweedledee and Tweedledum famously befuddle Alice with their twinly antics during her visit to Wonderland, while Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula's slithery minions, make trouble for Ariel in "The Little Mermaid." Still, The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow, the very scary equestrian created by author Washington Irving centuries ago, is a singular character, without a true double or a twin. And yet? Disneyland Resort has fashioned not one but two of these frightful icons, all for guests to eek out over, during the Halloween season at the Anaheim-based theme parks. The living version of Ichabod Crane's nemesis may be seen clip-clopping in the Frightfully Fun Parade at Mickey's Halloween Party, a separately ticketed event that occurs on select nights during Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort. This Headless Horseman rides astride a beautiful horse, and wears a dramatic cape, and carries a flickering pumpkin, as is time-honored tradition. And the statue version of the character? Find him, if you dare, near Carthay Circle, at Buena Vista Street, inside Disney California Adventure. The statue's nifty lighting effects, such as the horse's glowing eyes, might make an observer feel as though they're standing on a covered bridge in the New York state of ye olden tymes. Making this double sighting a bit unusual? The Headless Horseman is not a character that's often seen around Southern California at Halloween. Perhaps this is due, in part, to the fact that Tarrytown, the hamlet that inspired "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," is quite a distance from our sunny shores. But Sleepy Hollow is never far from the heart of Disney, which created one of the most lasting falltime treats in the entire animated canon: The ever-charming "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad," from 1949. If you're a fan of the cartoon, the tale, or the thrilling, chilling character, be sure to trot your own pony over to The Happiest Place on Earth before the clock strikes midnight on Halloween night. For years, Dan Guerrero hid his sexuality. Now he's not only open, but at 78 years old, he wants to share his "Gaytino" identity with the world. "When I was going to school, you wouldn't even say the word 'gay' and now, I'm going to be on the stage singing and dancing about it," he says. "I think that's progress." An East LA native, Guerrero stars in a one-man show called "Gaytino," in which he tells his coming-of-age story through the lens of Chicano history. The show chronicles the key moments in Guerrero's life, such as the moment his father--famed Chicano musician Lalo Guerrero--learned of his son's homosexuality. Guerrero also discusses his relationship with street artist Carlos Almaraz, who died of AIDS in 1989. He hopes his story will be a learning experience for young people in the audience. "They think of the AIDS crisis as ancient history," he said. "Well, it's not. It was just a few minutes ago and we lost an entire generation of talented young men and women." While Guerrero's life story is the backbone of "Gaytino," he considers Chicano history to be a central character. Over the years, he has amassed countless artifacts connected to Mexican-American history. His collection has since been curated at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara into one of the most important stocks of Chicano history in Southern California. Though Guerrero is a devout devotee of the past, he's also always looking toward the future. He's a launched a crowdfunding campaign in hopes of bringing his show to more people. He even hopes to get "Gaytino" onto streaming services sometime soon. Guerrero's life, once lived in secret, is now ready for a whole new audience. Brazilians showed their disgust with corruption and rising crime in the first round of presidential voting, nearly giving an outright victory to a brash-speaking former army captain who has promised to restore "traditional values," jail crooked politicians and give police a freer hand to shoot drug traffickers. But with far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro getting 46 percent of the vote Sunday, short of the 50-plus percent he needed, voters also signaled they were not quite ready to make a final decision. On Oct. 28, Bolsonaro will face second-place finisher Fernando Haddad in a runoff vote. Haddad, the Workers' Party standard-bearer who was appointed by jailed ex-President Luiz Inacio da Silva, got 29 percent in the first round, and polls have predicted a close race in the runoff. Bolsonaro was expected to come out in front on Sunday, but he far outperformed predictions, blazing past competitors with more financing, the institutional backing of traditional parties and much more free airtime on television. The candidate from the tiny Social and Liberal Party made savvy use of Twitter and Facebook to spread his message that only he could end the corruption, crime and economic malaise that has seized Brazil in recent years and bring back the good old days and traditional values. "This is a victory for honest people who want the best for Brazil," said Bianca Santos, a 40-year-old psychologist who gathered outside a hotel where Bolsonaro was watching the returns. "I believe he is the only one with a serious plan to end crime." For voters, Bolsonaro and Haddad represent starkly different visions for the future. Bolsonaro has promised to slash spending, privatize as much as possible in a country long heavy on state control and be a check on social movements that have gained much ground in recent years. Meanwhile, true to the Workers' Party's leftist roots, Haddad has promised to fight long-standing inequalities, scrap a major labor reform passed last year and invest more in education. Where Brazil's next leader takes the economy, the largest in Latin America, will have a large impact on surrounding countries that are trading partners with Brazil. The next leader will also have an influence on Venezuela, both diplomatically and practically, as thousands of Venezuelans have crossed Brazil's northern border. Bolsonaro has promised a harder line on Venezuela and other leftist regimes and closer ties with the United States. It's not clear what Bolsonaro would do to further isolate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but he once suggested creating camps for the Venezuelans who have fled the country's economic collapse. But much of his campaign focused on domestic issues. Bolsonaro has painted a nation in collapse, where drug traffickers and politicians steal with equal impunity, and moral rot has set in. He has advocated loosening gun ownership laws so individuals can fight off criminals, encouraging police to shoot more crooks and restoring "traditional" Brazilian values though some take issue with his definition of those values in light of his approving allusions to the country's 1964-1985 dictatorship and his derisive comments about women, blacks and gay people. Haddad, a former education minister, has also spent much time arguing that da Silva, his mentor, was unfairly jailed a strategy aimed at attracting voters who still feel strong affection for da Silva despite a corruption conviction. Workers' Party stalwarts are still fuming about the 2016 impeachment and removal of office of President Dilma Rousseff, da Silva's predecessor. Matthew Taylor, an associate professor of Latin American politics at American University, said that in the weeks before the runoff vote Bolsonaro will likely hit Haddad hard on the theme of corruption within the Workers' Party and da Silva, who Brazilians simply call Lula. "Haddad has a huge albatross around his neck because of the corruption and all the rhetoric about the impeachment and Lula," said Taylor. "Bolsonaro will hit back on that." Indeed, Bolsonaro already showed his ability to tap deep anger in Brazil with the traditional political class and "throw the bums out" rage after a massive corruption investigation revealed staggering levels of graft. Still, he alienated nearly as many people as he attracted with his offensive comments. And polling shows Bolsonaro will face a tight race with Haddad in the second round before Sunday's first round, polls showed a statistical dead heat in a potential second round. Many voters, already disillusioned with their democracy, said they felt trapped by the choice between the two front-runners, a sentiment likely to deepen in the weeks to come. "I didn't like any of the candidates and I felt obliged to choose the lesser of two evils," said Frederico Vasconcellos, a 68-year-old retired metalworker. The Workers' Party "managed to ruin the country with corruption and theft. ... So I decided to vote for Bolsonaro, who is the only one who can block the return of the Workers' Party." Though they come from opposite sides of the political spectrum, both Bolsonaro and Haddad ran campaigns based on nostalgia for a better time. Bolsonaro frequently evoked the country's military dictatorship amid promises of a return to traditional values and safer, simpler times. "The country is on the brink of chaos," Bolsonaro said in a Facebook live after a second round was announced. "We can't let the left advance even one more step." For his part, Haddad called on "democrats" to unite around his candidacy. In a broadside against Bolsonaro, who frequently talks about liberalizing gun laws, Haddad said: "We don't carry guns. We carry the force of arguments to defend Brazil and its people." Two women in their 30s from different political parties are new arrivals on the California political scene, each trying to engineer a remarkable achievement on Election Day defeating an established congressman. Democrat Katie Hill is promising to end politics as usual in a district that cuts through suburbs and high desert in northern Los Angeles County. Republican Elizabeth Heng says she will be a new voice in Congress for a hardscrabble stretch of California's farm belt. The first-time candidates are part of a millennial vanguard making its mark in a state known for its graying political leadership outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown, at 80, is the nation's oldest governor, and Dianne Feinstein, 85, is the oldest U.S. senator. But their promises for change in Washington mean very different things. In an election season shaped by divisions over President Donald Trump's agenda, the #MeToo movement and the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings, Heng is focusing on ending poverty in her Fresno-area 16th District that is among the poorest in the state. Democratic Rep. Jim Costa has represented the area since 2005. Hill wants to advance her party's plans to take control of the House by replacing Rep. Steve Knight, who's seeking a third term in the 25th District, the last Republican-held House seat in strongly Democratic Los Angeles County. She promotes universal health care and counts Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren among her supporters. Across California, Republicans face the challenge of defending their shrinking turf in a state where Trump is unpopular and the party's registration numbers have plummeted. Democrats hold a 3.7 million voter registration edge, and independents now narrowly outnumber Republicans. Democrats are trying to pick up 23 seats nationwide to win control of the House. Part of their effort involves targeting a string of Republican-held districts in California carried by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, including Knight's district and four wholly or partly in Orange County, an expanse of suburbs, freeways and beaches that was once a byword for Republican power. Those races include Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher against Democrat Harley Rouda in the 48th District and GOP Rep. Mimi Walters and Democrat Katie Porter in the adjacent 45th District. The retirements of longtime Republican Reps. Darrell Issa and Ed Royce have given Democrats hope in their districts, the 39th and 49th. In the Central Valley, Democrat Josh Harder is seeking to take down Republican Rep. Jeff Denham in the 10th District, where Democrats hold a slight registration edge, while Democrat T.J. Cox is trying to oust Republican Rep. David Valadao in the 21st District. And in the most Republican district in Southern California the mainly San Diego County 50th Rep. Duncan Hunter is under indictment on corruption charges and faces a far-closer-than-expected challenge from first-time candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar, 29. Heng is a longshot but she likely represents the California GOP's best chance to win a Democratic seat. She faced off with Costa in the June primary and got 47 percent of the vote, surprisingly close for a little-known, first-time candidate running against an incumbent. Heng is the type of candidate the aging GOP has long sought: a youthful racial minority. She's 33 and her parents came to the U.S. in the early 1980s after fleeing violence in their native Cambodia. The former congressional aide to Royce and small-business owner has earned GOP comparisons to Democratic rising star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 28-year-old who engineered an upset of 10-term U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley in a New York City Democratic primary. In California's primary, Heng finished just 4,400 votes behind Costa. The district, however, has a heavy Democratic tilt and Costa led in fundraising by a 10-to-1 margin at the end of June, the most recent data available. Heng is undeterred. She said voters are eager for change. She calls the immigration system broken and is open to the possibility of building a wall as part of a comprehensive solution that strengthens border security. She supports the president but also breaks with the White House on issues like tariffs, which she said hurt the district's farmers. "I am my own woman," she said. Costa, who earlier spent a quarter-century in the Legislature, has started to run ads criticizing Heng for a spotty voting record in prior elections, a sign the contest might be growing more competitive. Meantime, Hill is running in a closely divided swing district where Democrats hold a slight registration edge. Knight's family has been involved in local politics for decades a high school is named after his father, a former legislator and test pilot. Knight, a former Los Angeles police officer, carried the district in 2016 even as Clinton won there by nearly 7 points. In the district, "those people know him," says Knight's campaign consultant, Matt Rexroad. "There is more than party label going on." Hill, 30, who worked as an executive for a group providing services for the homeless, is a local, too. Her centrist brand of politics reflects the home she grew up in: Her Republican father, a police officer, had never voted for a Democrat before her primary. Her mother, a Democrat, is a nurse. She says any immigration policy must start with securing the nation's borders, echoing a familiar Republican refrain. She's a gun owner. Hill laments difficulties faced by small businesses and also backs universal health care. Her endorsements run from firefighters to unions to Equality California, an LGBT advocacy organization. Hill is married and openly bisexual. In a politically moderate district, "I believe very strongly that you are responsible for representing your entire community," she said in an interview. Knight has been stressing his ability to work across the aisle, too, noting that most of his legislation has attracted bipartisan support. In the 2016 election, he mostly kept his distance from Trump but eventually said he voted for him. Homicide detectives are investigating after a University of Miami student was found killed in his off-campus apartment on Sunday, officials said. The body of 23-year-old Yasser Talal Ibrahim Abualfaraj was found Sunday afternoon in his apartment in the 6500 block of Santona Street, Miami-Dade Police said. Abualfaraj was found with multiple signs of trauma by his roommate, officials said. No other details were released. "It was actually pretty shocking for us, we're just trying to figure out what's going on," neighbor Katie Oswald said. UM officials said Abualfaraj, who was from Saudi Arabia, was a third year architecture student. "The University is working closely with law enforcement officials as the investigation continues," UM said in a statement. "The University is deeply saddened by this tragic news, and has made grief counselors and support staff available to the UM community through the Counseling Center." Authorities are asking anyone with information to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Tipsters may be eligible for a reward up to $3,000 if the tip leads to the arrest of the subject(s). What to Know A 24-year-old woman was shot and killed in Bushwick, Brooklyn, late Sunday, police say Her ex-boyfriend, 26-year-old Gabriel Rivera of Queens, turned himself into police and was charged with murder Sade Sanchez's family friend said she has two boys, ages 3 and 5, and that Rivera is their father A mother of two young boys was shot and killed in front of her Brooklyn home and police say her ex-boyfriend is suspected in her death. Gun shots rang out around 10:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Nicholas and Menahan streets in Bushwick. When police arrived on scene, they found 24-year-old Sade Sanchez with multiple gunshot wounds to her torso. Sanchez, who was with her own mother at the time, was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her ex, 26-year-old Gabriel Rivera of Queens, turned himself into police in Brooklyn on Monday morning, according to the NYPD. He's suspected of firing the shots that killed Sanchez. He was later charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Information on his attorney wasn't immediately clear. A family friend of Sanchez's said she has two boys, ages 3 and 5, and that Rivera is their father. "Deep down I think hes really a good dude," Joseph Ayala said. "I just think that love hit him the wrong way." What to Know A limousine carrying four sisters, other relatives and friends to a birthday crashed in upstate New York, killing 20 people, officials say Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore were suspicious therapy dogs might pose an infection risk to patients with weakened immune Taylor Swift says she's voting for Tennessee's Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen, breaking her refusal to discuss anything politics Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here. Limo on Way to Party Blows Stop Sign in NY; 20 Killed, Officials Say A limousine carrying four sisters, other relatives and friends to a birthday celebration blew through a stop sign and slammed into a parked SUV outside a store in upstate New York, killing all 18 people in the limo and two pedestrians, officials and victims' relatives say. The weekend crash was the deadliest U.S. transportation accident in nearly a decade, authorities said. The crash turned a relaxed Saturday afternoon to horror at a rural spot popular with tourists viewing the region's fall foliage. Relatives said the limousine was carrying the sisters and their friends to a 30th birthday celebration for the youngest. A woman said three of the sisters were with their husbands and she identified them as Amy and Axel Steenburg, Abigail and Adam Jackson, Mary and Rob Dyson and Allison King. It went across the road and hit an unoccupied SUV parked at the Apple Barrel Country Store, killing the limousine driver, the 17 passengers, and two people outside the vehicle. Kavanaugh Impartiality to Be Tested in Blue State Lawsuits Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court has put a spotlight on the dozens of federal cases pitting the Trump administration against Democratic-leaning states, on issues including auto emission standards, immigration and a free-flowing internet. He lashed out against "left-wing opposition groups" and others during the recent Senate hearing over a high school-era sexual assault allegation, raising questions about whether he can be impartial deciding cases that revolve around Democratic policies or that directly involve Democratic officials. Kavanaugh already was known as a conservative judge. But his partisan rhetoric created new worries for some who will bring or support cases that eventually could come before the nation's highest court. Therapy Dogs Can Spread Superbugs to Kids, Hospital Finds Therapy dogs can bring more than joy and comfort to hospitalized kids. They can also bring stubborn germs. Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore were suspicious that the dogs might pose an infection risk to patients with weakened immune systems. So they conducted some tests when Pippi, Poppy, Badger and Winnie visited 45 children getting cancer treatment. They discovered that kids who spent more time with the dogs had a 6 times greater chance of coming away with superbug bacteria than kids who spent less time with the animals. But the study also found that washing the dogs before visits and using special wipes while they're in the hospital took away the risk of spreading that bacteria. One U.S. health official said the findings add to the growing understanding that while interactions with pets and therapy animals can be beneficial, they can also carry risk. Taylor Swift Breaks Political Silence, Backs Tennessee Dems Music superstar Taylor Swift says she's voting for Tennessee's Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen, breaking her long-standing refusal to discuss anything politics. Swift posted on Instagram acknowledging she's previously shied from voicing her political opinions. But she says several personal and public events over the past two years have prompted her to speak out. Swift has faced criticism for not speaking about political issues despite having a global platform. The pop star -- a Tennessee native -- slammed Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn in her lengthy post, writing the Republican candidate's voting record "terrifies me." Swift says she's voting for Bredesen for Senate and Democrat Jim Cooper for the House. Comedian Katt Williams Jailed on Assault Charges in Oregon Comedian Katt Williams has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a hired driver during an argument about taking him and his dog from the Portland, Oregon, airport to a performance in the city. He had come to Portland to perform in Nick Cannon's "Wild 'N Out" comedy improv show. Port of Portland police say the town car driver had swelling and cuts on his face. The 47-year-old Williams left in another vehicle and was arrested. Williams has been charged with assault in the fourth degree. An arraignment is scheduled for Monday. He also was arrested for an out-of-state warrant. A publicist for Williams, whose comedy specials have appeared on HBO and Netflix, didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Jail officials didn't know if he had an attorney. What began as a trip to Dick Dunmire's hometown of Pittsburgh has turned into an 11-day evacuation. And counting. Its been that long since Dunmire and his wife, Linda, have set foot in their home in Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina, which is not far from the Cape Fear River and the North Carolina coast. They've been staying with family in North Wildwood, New Jersey for the past week and a half. But the couple are anxiously awaiting their trip home in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. Im anxious to get back home," Dunmire said. "Its been too long. Sept. 9, Dunmire left for his 50th class reunion in Pittsburgh. It was good timing to take a trip north. Florence was boiling in the Atlantic Ocean, aiming right at his North Carolina home. Still, preparing for the then-Category 4 storm felt familiar. They've lived in North Carolina for 10 years, so the Dunmires have had experience in hunkering down. They did it most recently for Hurricane Matthew in 2016. And Dunmire had served in the Coast Guard about two hours north in Morehead City. Hed evacuated that area on several occasions. Florence, though, was different. [NATL]Florence in Photos: Long Recovery Ahead for Carolinas From Record Flooding "The rainfall was unimaginable, Dunmire said. At one point, his area received 20 inches of rain in two hours. Luckily, the Dunmires have received no reports of damage to their home. The town of Boiling Spring Lake has running water, but no electricity and many roads leading to their community have been washed away. He does not expect the power to come on until at least Sunday night. Still, he doesn't mind returning to the dark. He's planning to leave as soon as he can, perhaps even Friday. Among the thousands of immigrants who have been coming across the U.S.-Mexico border in recent months, many are seeking to escape gang and drug violence raging in their homelands. The weapon of choice used to intimidate them? Often an American-made gun. While the flow of drugs and immigrants into the U.S. has been well-documented for decades and become a regular part of the political debate, what is often overlooked is how gangs and drug cartels exploit weaknesses at the border to smuggle guns from the U.S. into Latin America. A 2013 report by the University of San Diego says the number of firearms smuggled from the United States was so significant that nearly half of American gun dealers rely on that business to stay afloat. On average, an estimated 253,000 firearms each year are purchased in the United States expressly to be sent to Mexico, the report said, the vast majority of the sales originating in the border states of California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Once in Mexico, the weapons end up in the hands of drug cartels or get shipped to gangs in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador countries that are dealing with an epidemic of gun violence. Armed holdups on public transportation are a regular occurrence in Honduras, where nearly half of the unregistered weapons originated in the U.S., the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported in recent years. Gun violence in El Salvador is so rampant that the country has been averaging more than one shootout a day between police and gangs this year, said Ricardo Sosa, a criminologist specializing in gangs and security in El Salvador. "In every one of these operations, police are able to seize between two and six firearms at the scene," he said. "That is one of the indicators that the gangs are armed on many occasions with long guns and short guns for each one of their members." Mexico last year recorded its highest number of murders in nearly two decades, with more than 31,000 people killed, higher than even during the country's drug war in 2011. It continues unabated with an average of 88 people killed each day in the first five months of this year. The bloodshed in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador has been a big driver of immigration into the U.S., with the government saying nearly 16,000 families came across the border in August alone many of them from those three countries. Gun-control groups contend that the U.S. government is essentially exporting gang violence to Latin America with permissive gun laws which in turn creates an immigration crisis along the border. "If the Trump administration were serious about wanting to stop refugees from fleeing violence in Latin America and Mexico to come north, they would be doing something about the southward gun trafficking that is fueling a lot of that migration," said Adam Skaggs, chief counsel with the Giffords Law Center. Gun-rights activists say the issue is overblown and mischaracterized. The National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups contend the most effective way to combat the problem is not with stricter gun laws but by eradicating drug cartels and other criminal enterprises. They say the numbers are inflated and that the industry has proactively sought to educate licensed gun dealers on how to detect "straw purchases," in which a firearm is bought expressly to give it to someone who otherwise would not be able to legally own a gun. "Obviously, Mexico has a huge problem with rampant corruption that clearly cannot be blamed on the U.S.," the NRA said in a position paper on the issue in 2009. "At the same time, Mexico has extremely prohibitive gun laws, yet has far worse crime than the U.S." Under the Obama administration, federal authorities launched an operation dubbed Fast and Furious that allowed criminals to buy firearms with the intention of tracking them to criminal organizations. But the ATF lost most of the guns, including two that were found at the scene of a slaying of a U.S. Border Patrol agent. In 2011, gun dealers along the border states were required to report to the ATF anytime someone purchased two or more semiautomatic long guns in a five-day period. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in 2017 as his response to gun trafficking, directing federal agencies to ramp up prosecution aimed at going after foreign criminals and to improve coordination among federal agencies along the border. Nabbing the guns at the border is a challenge on several levels. They aren't as detectable as drug shipments, and they can be disassembled and loaded with legal goods making their way from the U.S. "The effectiveness of this kind of gun smuggling still remains very high. It doesn't take a whole lot," said David Shirk, one of the University of San Diego report's authors. Experts say a big reason gun trafficking remains one of the hot commodities flowing from the United States into Latin America is profit. Retired ATF agent Bernard Zapor noted that an AR-platform firearm that sells retail in the U.S. for $1,000 can fetch more than $4,000 in Mexico. A box of ammo that might go for just under $200 could command $3,000. "They're not buying grandpa's old shotgun that's been lying around and found in a shed," Zapor said. "They're buying brand new Colt AR-15s." Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Marine Corps reservist during the Vietnam War, wrongly claimed years ago that he served in Vietnam and once spoke of the mistreatment of Vietnam veterans when we returned. Those misstatements are fair game for his political opponents to criticize. But President Donald Trump has stretched the facts about Blumenthals misstatements to absurd lengths. Most recently, amid Blumenthals criticism of Trumps Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, the president falsely claimed Blumenthal went around telling war stories, claimed he fought in Da Nang Province and talked of soldiers dying left and right as we battled up the hill. Blumenthal never said any of those things. We generally let politicians fend for themselves when they are attacked for misstatements. When Trump tweeted in February 2017 that Blumenthal told a major lie, because he never fought in Vietnam when he said for years he had, we did not weigh in. But like a snowball rolling downhill, Trumps account of Blumenthals misstatements has grown more exaggerated over time particularly during Kavanaughs contentious confirmation hearings. So, here we will lay out the facts about Blumenthals time as a Marine reservist during not in the Vietnam War, and how those facts have been distorted. I Misspoke Blumenthals misleading statements about his military service during Vietnam first surfaced while he was running for the Senate in 2010 when the New York Times ran a story headlined Richard Blumenthals Words on Vietnam Service Differ From History. The story, which was published May 17, 2010, noted that during a rally in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 2003 in support of the military, Blumenthal talked about Vietnam War veterans and stated, When we returned, we saw nothing like this. Let us do better by this generation of men and women. And in 2008, the paper noted, Blumenthal told a group in Norwalk, We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam. But, as the newspaper documented, Blumenthal did not serve as a Marine in Vietnam. Blumenthals Selective Service record, published by the New York Times, showed that Blumenthal got at least five educational and occupational deferments from 1965 to 1970. He then enlisted in the Marine Reserve and served for six years stateside. The Marine Reserve was never deployed in Vietnam. (We should note that Trump also got five deferments, including a final one for bone spurs in his heels, during the Vietnam War.) Sen. Richard Blumnethal, D-Conn., told Christine Blasey Ford, I believe you, in regards to her testimony that she was sexually assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh during a high school party. He said that President Donald Trump's failure to ask for an FBI probe into Ford's claims is "tantamount to a cover up." The New York Times also found: In at least eight newspaper articles published in Connecticut from 2003 to 2009, he is described as having served in Vietnam. And yet, the paper wrote, It does not appear that Mr. Blumenthal ever sought to correct those mistakes. When the story came out, Blumenthal, then serving as Connecticuts attorney general, told reporters, On a few occasions I have misspoken about my service and I regret that, and I will take full responsibility. But I will not allow anyone to take a few misplaced words and impugn my record of service to this country. Blumenthal added that any claims he made to have served in Vietnam were absolutely unintentional a few misplaced words. He said that he usually tries to be more precise in saying that he served in the Marine Reserve during Vietnam rather than in Vietnam. Indeed, in the same 2008 speech in which he said he served in Vietnam, Blumenthal initially said he was someone who served in the military during the Vietnam-era in the Marine Corps. And during a debate in March 2010, the Times noted, Blumenthal responded to a question about Iran by saying, Although I did not serve in Vietnam, I have seen firsthand the effects of military action, and no one wants it to be the first resort, nor do we want to mortgage the countrys future with a deficit that is ballooning out of control. A week after publication of the Times story and his explanation that he had misspoken, Blumenthal offered a more full-throated apology, saying in a statement, I have made mistakes and I am sorry. I truly regret offending anyone. And he acknowledged, At times when I have sought to honor veterans, I have not been as clear or precise as I should have been about my service in the Marine Corps Reserves. Trumps Escalating Attacks As we said, Trump has on several occasions over the years ridiculed Blumenthal for his misstatements when talking about his service during Vietnam. The president ramped up those attacks after Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Kavanaughs credibility during the committees review of Christine Blasey Fords allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assault her in the summer of 1982. During a rally in Tennessee on Oct. 1, Trump unveiled a new nickname for Blumenthal, dubbing him Da Nang Blumenthal. Trump, Oct. 1: How about Blumenthal? Da Nang Blumenthal, we call him Da Nang Blumenthal. For 15 years, as the attorney general of Connecticut, he went around telling war stories. People dying left and right, but my platoon marched forward. He was never in Vietnam. It was a lie. And then hes up there then hes up there saying, We want the truth from Judge Kavanaugh. The same day, during remarks on the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Trump continued the attack. Trump, Oct. 1: Look at some of these people asking the questions, OK. Look at Blumenthal, he lied about Vietnam. He didnt just say, Hey, I went to Vietnam. No, no. For 15 years, he said he was a war hero. He fought in Da Nang Province. We call him Da Nang Richard. Da Nang, thats his nickname, Da Nang. He never went to Vietnam. And hes up there saying, We need honesty, and we need integrity. This guy lied when he was the attorney general of Connecticut. He lied. I dont mean a little bit. And then when he got out he actually dropped out the race and he won anyway, because Democrats always win in Connecticut. He won very close, probably the closest ever. And when he got out and when he apologized, he was crying, the tears were all over the place, and now he acts like, How dare you. The following day, at a rally in Mississippi, Trump added a couple new wrinkles. Trump, Oct. 2: This guy lied about his service. He didnt just say, Gee, I was in the service. No. He said, I was in the Marines. Da Nang Province. Soldiers dying left and right as we battled up the hill. This went on for 15 years when he was the attorney general of Connecticut. I thought he was a great war hero. And then it turned out he was never in Vietnam. He was in the Reserves. And I watched him two days ago. I watched him saying, We need the truth. If we dont have and heres a guy who was saying people were dying all around him and he was never there. And then he cried. When they caught him, he cried like a baby. And the reason he got elected is because in Connecticut its impossible for a Republican to get elected. And I did well there. But you cant. He actually gave up the race. Youd thought he lost. You remember that? He, sort of, gave he stopped campaigning. It was over. And then he won by three points. Again, Blumenthal in 2008 said, We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam. And he said in 2003, When we returned [from Vietnam], we saw nothing like this. (Emphasis is ours.) But Blumenthal never said he fought in Da Nang Province. He never went around telling war stories. People dying left and right, but my platoon marched forward.' He never talked about, Soldiers dying left and right as we battled up the hill. Its also untrue that when [Blumenthal] apologized, he was crying, the tears were all over the place, or that, When they caught him, he cried like a baby. Heres a video of Blumenthals initial response on May 18, 2010, to the New York Times story, in which he said, I misspoke about my service. No tears. And heres a video of Blumenthals speech at the 2010 Connecticut State Democratic Convention on May 21, 2010. No crying. And heres a video of Blumenthal talking to the media on May 24, 2010, after he released a statement apologizing for his mistakes. Again, no crying, no tears. Nor is it true that in 2010, Blumental actually dropped out the race and he won anyway, because Democrats always win in Connecticut. He won very close, probably the closest ever. Or, as Trump put it on Oct. 2, He actually gave up the race. Youd thought he lost. You remember that? He, sort of, gave he stopped campaigning. It was over. And then he won by three points. Blumenthal never dropped out of the 2010 Senate race. And while a poll taken immediately after the Times story broke in 2010 showed that Blumenthals sizable lead had dwindled to just 3 percentage points, he actually won the general election by a dozen percentage points over his opponent, Republican Linda McMahon. That was by no means the closest ever Senate race in Connecticut history. As the Washington Post Fact Checker pointed out, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman won by a smaller margin in 1988 and 2006, as did Sen. Lowell Weicker in 1982. Blumental was reelected in 2016 by a nearly 29-point margin. In a tweet on Oct. 1, Blumenthal said Trumps ridiculous personal attacks are total nonsense simply untrue. A spokesman for Blumenthal also said there is a misperception that Blumenthal frequently mischaracterized his service record, though the New York Times article cited just one instance of Blumenthal saying he served in Vietnam. As we said, Blumenthal in the same speech more accurately stated he was someone who served in the military during the Vietnam-era in the Marine Corps. So to recap, based on what we know from the public record: Blumenthal did not say he was a war hero. He did not say he fought in Da Nang Province. He never bragged about battles. He never talked about soldiers dying left and right as we battled up the hill. He never said people were dying all around him. He never went around telling war stories. He apologized and said he should have been more precise in his language, but he didnt cry like a baby. He never dropped out of the race, or stopped campaigning. He didnt eke out a win by three points; he won by a dozen points. And that wasnt nearly the closest ever Connecticut Senate race. Firefighters have contained a large fire that destroyed a vacant warehouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Sunday evening. But more than 12 hours after the fire erupted, smoke continues to billow into neighboring areas. The three-alarm fire started at a warehouse on North 15th Street around 6:30 p.m. A firefighter suffered a minor burn to his hand. He was treated and released. No other injuries were reported. Officials warned residents and firefighters to avoid the immediate area surrounding the exterior of the building because of structural damage from the fire itself but also water used to extinguish it. The warehouse was once home to a garment manufacturer, according to Nat Hyman, a real estate developer who purchased the property more than two years ago. Former occupants left trailer loads of trash inside the building, according to Hyman, who told NBC10 the building was supposed to be cleaned Monday. He planned to renovate it and turn it into an apartment complex. Hyman said the building is a total loss and was not insured since it was a vacant property. Investigators have not determined the cause of the fire. Hyman believes it was arson because he shut off the power to the building in June. Hyman said someone previously broke into the building in May and started a fire, though the damage was minor compared to Sunday. A homeless man who lived in the bushes of Philadelphia's Roxborough neighborhood died from multiple stab wounds, Philadelphia police said Tuesday. His body was found near the spot where he slept in the 7300 block of Ridge Avenue at 12:35 p.m. Sunday. He was pronounced dead by a responding medic at 12:39 p.m. The death has been ruled a homicide, police said. Nearby residents identified the victim as Enrico Stanziani, though police have not confirmed the mans identity. Neighbors told NBC10 the man was well known and well liked. "He was always a nice guy," John DeGuio, a friend of the victim, told NBC10. "Everybody would drop him off something to eat. He wouldn't hurt anybody." James Daugherty said he gave the victim food. "He was like a middle-of-the-neighborhood legend," Daugherty said. "Like everybody knew who he was." The investigation remains ongoing. Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist who disappeared last week after a visit to his country's consulate in Turkey, was once a Saudi insider. A close aide to the kingdom's former spy chief, he had been a leading voice in the country's prominent dailies, including the main English newspapers. Now the 59-year-old journalist and contributor to The Washington Post is feared dead, and Turkish authorities believe he was slain inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, something Saudi officials vehemently deny. The U.S.-educated Khashoggi was no stranger to controversy. A graduate of Indiana State University, Khashoggi began his career in the 1980s, covering the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and the decade-long war that followed for the English-language daily Saudi Gazette. He traveled extensively in the Middle East, covering Algeria's 1990s war against Islamic militants, and the Islamists rise in Sudan. He interviewed Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan before al-Qaida was formed, then met him in Sudan in 1995. Following bin Laden's rise likely helped cement Khashoggi's ties with powerful former Saudi spy chief, Turki Al-Faisal. Khashoggi rubbed shoulders with the Saudi royal family and supported efforts to nudge the kingdom's entrenched ultra-conservative clerics to accept reforms. He served as an editor for nine years on the Islamist-leaning al-Madina newspaper and was frequently quoted in the Western media as an expert on Islamic radicals and a reformist voice. However, he was fired from his post as an editor at Al-Watan, a liberal paper founded after the 9/11 terror attacks, just two months after he took the job in 2003. The country's ultra-conservative clerics had pushed back against his criticism of the powerful religious police and Ibn Taymiyah, a medieval cleric viewed as the spiritual forefather of Wahhabism, the conservative interpretation of Islam that is the founding tenant of the kingdom. Khoshaggi then served as media adviser to Al-Faisal, the former spy chief, who was at the time the ambassador to the United States. Khashoggi returned to Al-Watan in 2007, where he continued his criticism of the clerics as the late King Abdullah implemented cautious reforms to try to shake their hold. Three years later, he was forced to resign again after a series of articles criticizing Salafism, the ultra-conservative Sunni Islam movement from which Wahhabism stems. In 2010, Saudi billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal tapped him to lead his new TV station, touted as a rival to Qatari-funded Al-Jazeera, a staunch critic of the kingdom. But the new Al-Arab station, based in Bahrain, was shut down hours after it launched, for hosting a Bahraini opposition figure. Khoshaggi's final break with the Saudi authorities followed the Arab Spring protests that swept through the region in 2011, shaking the power base of traditional leaders and giving rise to Islamists, only to be followed by unprecedented crackdowns on those calling for change. Siding with the opposition in Egypt and Syria, Khashoggi became a vocal critic of his own government's stance there and a defender of moderate Islamists, which Riyadh considered an existential threat. "This was a critical period in Arab history. I had to take a position. The Arab world had waited for this moment of freedom for a thousand years," Khashoggi told a Turkey-based Syrian opposition television station last month, just days before he disappeared. He also criticized his government's diplomatic break with Qatar and war on Yemen as well as Riyadh's policy toward its archenemy, Iran, whose influence has grown in neighboring Yemen and in Syria. In the Sept. 23 interview, he called Saudi Arabia's foreign policy "narrow minded," and ridiculed its crackdown on political Islam, urging the kingdom to realign its policy to partner with Turkey, a close Qatar ally. "Saudi is the mother and father of political Islam. It is based on political Islam," Khoshaggi said. "The only recipe to get Iranians out of Syria it is not Trump or anyone else it is through the support of the Syrian revolution. ... Saudi Arabia must return to supporting the Syrian revolution and partnering with Turkey on this." Eight days later, on Oct. 2, he disappeared while on a visit to the consulate in Istanbul for paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancee. The consulate insists the writer left its premises alive, contradicting Turkish officials. Before his disappearance, Khoshaggi had been living since last year in the U.S. in self-imposed exile, after he fled the kingdom amid a crackdown on intellectuals and activists who criticized policies of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. "As of now, I would say Mohammed bin Salman is acting like Putin. He is imposing very selective justice," Khashoggi wrote in the Post last year after he fled the kingdom, saying he feared returning home. He described "dramatic" scenes of arrest of government critics accused of receiving Qatari funding. They included a friend of Khashoggi's who had just returned from a trip to the U.S. as part of an official Saudi delegation. "That is how breathtakingly fast you can fall out of favor with Saudi Arabia," he wrote. A woman who died after a fire inside her Fort Washington, Maryland, home was found holding the key to her indoor deadbolt, prompting fire officials to warn residents about the locks they say likely cost her and others their lives. When firefighters responded to a blaze at a home on Old Palmer Road Thursday evening, they found Eka Usoro, 65, right behind the front door, Prince George's County Fire and EMS said. Usoro was unconscious and holding the key to her double cylinder deadbolt, which requires a key to open the door from the inside as well as from the outside. Medics were able to bring back Usoro's pulse and took her to a hospital in critical condition. She died the next day at the hospital, fire officials said. Fire officials said it was the third deadly fire in Prince George's County this year in which the victim had a double cylinder deadbolt. A woman died in a similar fire incident on Sept. 8 on Crelin Place in Lanham and two elderly victims died in a fire on Round Tree Drive in Fort Washington back in March, fire officials said. "We've come and forced entry into the home and found them right behind the door with their keys in their hands," Battalion Chief Donald Fletcher said. Precious escape time was spent looking for the deadbolt key amid toxic smoke and flames, fire officials believe. "They just were overcome by smoke and weren't able to open the door themselves," Fletcher said. No one should ever have to use a key to get out of their house, Chief Benjamin Barksdale said in a news release. The fire department said it does not support the use of double cylinder deadbolts and recommends residents replace them with locks that don't need a key. The double locks are common among residents hoping to prevent intruders, but they won't stop a determined burglar. "Those locks they have screws on the inside. Somebody really want to get in they're gonna be able to reach in with a screwdriver," locksmith Jacob Green said. Green recommends people switch to a single-side deadbolt that's easier to open in an emergency. Fire investigators also said there were no working smoke alarms in all three incidents. Fire officials also reminded residents that all homeowners and businesses are required by law to install 10-year smoke alarms. A suspect has been charged in the shooting death of a military veteran in a Northeast D.C. neighborhood. Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the shooting at 15th and D streets within seconds about 5:30 p.m. Friday. The officers were patrolling the area because of a significant increase in gun violence in the area, including the wounding of a 9-year-old girl a week ago. Officers found 32-year-old Walter Leon Baylor suffering from a gunshot wound and medics took Baylor to a hospital, where he died. Police arrested 25-year-old Rodney Wayne Kinard, of Northeast D.C., on Friday and charged him with second-degree murder while armed. Baylor's family said they have no idea why he was shot. My nephew did nothing to deserve this, said a man who said he is the victims uncle. In the past two weeks, eight people were shot in five incidents in the area. Two D.C. residents were killed: 25-year-old Marquiawn Williams, who was shot about 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in the 1800 block of Benning Road NE, and 27-year-old Wilbert Brooks, who shot just after midnight Sunday in the 1500 block of Benning Road NE. No arrests have been made in either homicide. A week ago, a 9-year-old girl was injured in a shooting about 9:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in the 1600 block of E Street NE. No arrests have been made. And two weeks ago, on Sept. 21 about 11:10 p.m., four people were shot in the 1800 block of Benning Road NE. The victims survived. Police arrested 27-year-old Anthony Farmer of D.C. and an unidentified 26-year-old man. Police in Maryland say they've arrested two teens and recovered a handgun after a student was threatened at a community college. The alleged threat was made on the Germantown campus of Montgomery College, Montgomery County police said Saturday. Police said a student told them he was threatened by 17-year-old Menlik N. Sirleaf, of Gaithersburg, Maryland. The student also said a photo was posted on social showing Sirleaf with a handgun. And police said Sirleaf stated on social media that was going to the campus to look for the student. Police arrested Sirleaf on Friday along with 18-year-old Guga Vashakidze, of Clarksburg, Maryland. Police said Vashakidze carried a backpack containing a handgun and suspected marijuana, which police said belonged to Sirleaf. Police did not release a photo of Sirleaf due to his age. Small businesses in Vermont were hoping to cash in on added traffic this Columbus Dayor, as it was proclaimed by Gov. Phil Scott, Indigenous Peoples Day. The cars were so constant into the Cold Hollow Cider Mills lot that the Waterbury store brought in a sheriffs deputy for traffic control. After being in Massachusetts, this is really nice, traveler Bob Carey of Pembroke, Massachusetts said of Vermont and the cider mill, where he stopped Monday. This is Gods country. Leaf-peepers like Carey are vital to Vermonts economy. According to numbers from the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing, roughly 1.3 million people visit each October, spending about $280 million. The long holiday weekend tops any other weekend for the year for visitor traffic, the tourism department noted. Saturday was our all-time record day at the mill, until Sunday, which beat Saturday, Paul Brown, the owner of Cold Hollow Cider Mill told necn & NBC 10 Boston. Brown said he cooked up 15,000 cider donuts Sunday alone to keep up with all his customers. We do just about half of our revenue for the year in September and Octoberthose two months, Brown noted. While the autumn colors were slow to arrive this year, they certainly seemed in their full glory in many spots this weekendespecially in northern parts of Vermont and in communities at higher elevations. Because fall foliage travelers enjoy getting off the beaten path and exploring more rural locales, the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing said small businesses statewide see a boost. The fall foliage visitor is more likely to get out into the villages and the towns and smaller communities and experience that sort of authentic kind of way of living in Vermont would be, Wendy Knight added. Knight predicted fall weekend getaways will pay dividends down the road, too, often inspiring return trips during ski season or the following summer. Candles are still lit at Fabian gas station in Dorchester for Jose Phinn Williams, the victim of a fatal shooting over the weekend. Williams was a victim in one of five fatal shootings over the weekend in the city. While police don't believe the shootings are connected, only two suspects have been arrested thus far in connection with the violence. Williams was set to turn 68 on Monday. A native of Honduras, friends say he came to the U.S. to escape violence -- not become the victim of it. "He was like family because he was always looking out for the community," Antionette Baah-Page said of Williams. "He always...he asked how are your children doing, how's everything going?" Cynthia Creighton is the mother of another victim, 26-year-old Raymond Holloway-Creighton. She said her son was preparing to move back to the Netherlands, where he was raised and later fell in love, in a few weeks to be with his wife and son. "He was caring, he was loving and he just liked to have fun," Cynthia Creighton said. "My grandson will be turning one and the day he asks me what happened to his father, I want to be able to tell him." Creighton's family is now planning his funeral after he was shot and killed on Massachusetts Avenue in Roxbury early Friday morning. "It is unbearable," said Merlene Holloway Cross, the victim's grandmother. "And nothing is going to bring my grandson back." His family would like justice. "The person, whoever did this, to be caught and persecuted to the fullest extent of the law," cousin Ayesha Rodriguez said. What to Know 300 gas meters in Woburn, Massachusetts were shut off following an overpressurization issue on Monday. No evacuations were ordered and officials said there was no cause for concern. National Grid officials said the incident was "completely unrelated" to last month's gas overpressurization issues in the Merrimack Valley. Massachusetts' Department of Public Utilities has ordered National Grid to halt all non-emergency and compliance work pending the results of a review of the company's safety practices. In addition, the Department is requiring National Grid to have an inspector on location for all work that could lead to abnormal pressurization until this review is complete. Separately, the Department is in the process of hiring an Independent Evaluator to assess, out of an abundance of caution, the safety of pipeline infrastructure throughout Massachusetts, said Peter Lorenz, EEA. The announcement comes following an incident Monday in Woburn where hundreds of gas meters were shut off due to an overpressurization issue, according to police. The overpressurization occurred shortly before noon Monday in the area of Lowell and Wyman streets, near Hurld Wyman Elementary School. The school is closed for Columbus Day. Homeowners in a Woburn neighborhood were watching from their doors as utility crews worked on the streets. We almost had a catastrophe here, said resident Robert Deane. Thank God they caught it just in time. National Grid workers went door to door turning off meters and checking gas levels. About 300 homeowners in the impacted area are dependent on gas. Everything, said Bob Pappas. Heat, cooking, fireplace, hot water. The company told residents everyone is safe and nobody had to evacuate. Theyre saying that everythings good, said Roxane Mogauro. Dont panic. Thats what he said. And of course I panicked. "There's absolutely no harm to anybody. Everybody is safe," Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin said. Less than a month since a similar issue involving Columbia Gas in the Merrimack Valley--which led to dozens of explosions and fires and the gas turned off for at least another month--residents in Woburn know it could have been a lot worse. Its the first thing that came to my mind, said Ruth Kichton. That was frightful. "That's a huge concern when you have natural gas, you know, and you see what happened up there and you obviously don't want it to happen again," said Bob Johnstone, a Woburn resident whose gas was shut off Monday. "It's very, very frightening," added Ruth Kichton, another customer who was left without gas following Monday's incident. "Now I don't know how long it will be before they come in, because they have to re-light it, you know, like they did in Lawrence. It's very frightening." Homeowners are very grateful the problem was caught quickly and theyll only be without gas for a few days, coping with very different circumstances than the residents of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. The cause of the incident remains under investigation. "While performing routine maintenance on a regulator station at Wyman and Hart streets in Woburn at approximately 11:30 a.m. Monday, a National Grid gas technician inadvertently introduced excess gas into a portion of our system," National Grid said in a statement. "The crew quickly recognized the error and within minutes, reduced the system to normal operating pressures. The area is safe, and National Grid has the situation under control." A similar overpressurization issue was cited prior to the gas-fueled explosions and fires that killed one and injured 25 others in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover last month. But National Grid officials said Monday's incident was "completely unrelated" to those issues. "It was a pretty good concern, for everything else that seems to be happening around the state," Woburn Fire Chief Stephen Adgate said. "But we quickly came to the determination that it was being handled properly and the concern probably is not to the degree that it was in another community. We're confident that everything is going according to plan." Homeowners are understandably concerned after what happened in the Merrimack Valley just a few weeks ago. National Grid said there is no apparent damage to the system, which feeds approximately 300 homes through 3 miles of pipe. The system will be fully assessed before gas service is returned to the affected home, which may not be until Thursday. The affected area runs from Wyman and Lowell streets to the eastern end of the city near Mishawum Road. More than a dozen locked out National Grid employees were seen picketing in the area in the wake of Monday's incident. Union workers have been off the job since June over a contract dispute and say this is exactly the kind of mistake they have been warning about. But National Grid said the crew that was involved Monday was made up of management employees, gas technicians who have been with the company for decades and would normally be supervising the union employees. Invasive zebra mussels are threatening an underwater historic preserve in Lake Champlain. The preserve maintained by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is made up of nine Vermont vessels and one New York vessel, all of which can be explored by divers. They include tug boats and canal boats. Archaeologist Chris Sabick said that the stories behind the boats may be all that's left one day because of damage caused by the zebra mussels. He said thousands of mussels are attached to the vessels, putting a strain on the water-logged, wooden decks. Steve Smith is a marine life expert at the ECHO Center for Lake Champlain. He said the colonies can be 2 to 3 inches thick. He said they can degrade iron, in addition to wood. Police in Lexington, Massachusetts, are investigating at least two incidents of indecent exposure. The first incident happened on Sept. 19 in the area of Clarke Street near Cary Library. The second happened on Oct. 1 at 7:12 a.m. Police say the suspect would call the person over to his vehicle and then expose himself as she walked up, before driving away laughing. Both victims were walking on the street to a bus and/or work. The suspect's vehicle is described as a dark colored pickup truck. Officials say they have identified a suspect and are looking to see if there may have been any other unreported incidents with him. Anyone who may have had contact with the possible suspect in the sketch is asked to contact Det. Corrazini or Det. Caspe. Police say the suspect has not been aggressive and they do not believe the public is at risk. Authorities are searching for a suspect whom police are calling "armed and dangerous" after a shooting seriously injured a Massachusetts man. Lowell police say they're looking for 26-year-old Haverhill resident Dwayne Johnson to charge him with armed assault with intent to murder. Johnson is accused of shooting an unidentified 24-year-old Haverhill man in downtown Lowell overnight Sunday. Police say the victim was with friends at the Village Smokehouse on Palmer Street and encountered Johnson as he was leaving to go home, adding Johnson and the victim have a history. The victim was shot once in the abdomen, and was taken to a Boston-area hospital via a medical helicopter in serious condition. His current condition is unclear. Anyone with information on Johnson's whereabouts is asked to call Lowell police at 978-937-3200 or 978-674-4501. Police are investigating how a severely malnourished dog that later had to be euthanized ended up wandering the streets of Coventry. Police say neighbors reported seeing the dog at about 10:45 p.m. Saturday. The city's animal control officer responded and determined that the gray, neutered male pit bull was in need of immediate veterinarian attention. The dog was taken to Ocean State Veterinary Specialist where a veterinarian examined the animal and given its "apparent level of suffering" decided it had to be "humanely euthanized." Police are asking anyone with information about the dog, its owner or how it wound up roaming the streets, to contact them. A Massachusetts man is facing numerous charges after police say he robbed two gas stations and attempted to carjack someone in their driveway while leading police on a wild chase through several communities. Alfredo Rosa, 27, of Avon, was arrested Sunday and is being charged with armed robbery while masked, uttering threats to kill, unlawful possession of a firearm, failing to stop for police, attaching motor vehicle plates to conceal ID and civil motor vehicle infractions. Those charges are in addition to several outstanding warrants. Police say at 2 a.m. Sunday, Rosa pulled out a gun and robbed the Gulf gas station on Dykeman Way in Stoughton, getting away with some cash. Ed Gato says Rosa then did the same thing at his Mobil. "And he pretty much told the guy working here, 'if you don't give me the money, I'm going to kill you,'" Gato said. Mansfield police received a 911 call around 5:50 a.m. Sunday from the clerk at the Mobil gas station on Chauncy Street, reporting that he had just been robbed by a masked man with a handgun. The clerk reported the suspect fled in a dark-colored vehicle. Responding officers encountered the suspect's vehicle and attempted to stop it, but the man refused and fled the area. Officers followed the vehicle onto the highway where the suspect eventually abandoned his vehicle and ran into a wooded area on Interstate 495 south in Foxboro. During a search for the suspect, Foxboro police received a call from a resident who reported an attempted carjacking at the resident's home. The suspect produced a knife demanding the resident's vehicle but fled prior to any further altercation. Shortly thereafter, Rosa was located in a wooded area near the highway and was taken into custody at gunpoint by Foxboro police officers and state police troopers. During a search of the area, authorities recovered a firearm. Rosa will also face additional charges from Foxboro police and Massachusetts State Police. A Massachusetts tribe is protesting a recent federal government decision that could lead to the loss of its sovereign reservation. The Cape Cod Times reports the Mashpee Wampanoag staged a walk through the tribe's ancestral homeland on Cape Cod Saturday before holding a rally on the tribe's powwow grounds. The U.S. Department of the Interior ruled last month that it could not hold land in trust for the tribe, effectively reversing a 2015 decision placing 300 acres into trust for an initial reservation. The Mashpee Wampanoag, a federally-recognized tribe, is challenging the decision in court. Tribal Council Chairman Cedric Cromwell said during the protest that he doesn't want to see a return to the "dark ages of extermination for Indian tribes." New Hampshire's Attorney General and Rochester police are investigating after a woman was found dead in a storage unit. According to the attorney general's office, police received a call reporting an open storage unit at Rochester Self Storage on South Main Street in Rochester, New Hampshire around midnight Saturday night. When police arrived, they found Jessica Purslow, 45, dead inside the unit. The incident is still under investigation. An autopsy to determine Purslow's exact cause and manner of death is expected Sunday. Police ask anyone who was in the area of the Rochester Self Storage this weekend or who has any information regarding the incident to contact Detective Pat Emerson at the Rochester Police Department at 603-330-7128. A vigil was held Sunday night for the man who was killed in a shooting in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood Saturday night. According to the victim's sisters, the man who was killed was Jose Luis Phinn Williams, 67, of Dorchester, Massachusetts. They say he would have been 68 on Monday. "My brother was a hard worker," Rose Phinn-Westby said while holding a picture of her brother. "He'd been here since 1970 and he has seven children." This was the second time he was attacked at the gas station, the sisters said. In 2016, he suffered a concussion after being mugged on Halloween. He was out of work for six months. According to police, officers on patrol near the Fabian Gas Station at 528 Washington Street in Dorchester responded to the sound of shots fired at about 11:35 p.m. Saturday. When officers arrived to the scene, they found a man in his 60s suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, police said. The victim was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries where he was later pronounced dead. "You know you get some people on the news station to say how good the person was...no one can outclass him as far as goodness is concerned," Lewis Edward Polk said. For 10 years, he worked on Washington Street. "He was a good guy, man. He'd give you the last dollar in his pocket," former co-worker Eddie Elliot said. "If I didn't have the money for gas, he would say, 'pay me next week,'" one woman said. "A man who's trying to earn a little money everyday. For what?" said Keith George. Police say Williams was shot and killed by a 21-year-old in what appears to be an attempted robbery. Authorities have arrested Kevin Williams, 21, of Dorchester. Williams is charged with assault with intent to murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and attempted robbery. He will be arraigned in Dorchester District Court. It is unclear if he has an attorney. The route for an annual parade honoring explorer Leif Erikson in New Hampshire is nearly six times longer than it used to be, but it still takes less than a minute to traverse. A University of New Hampshire professor and two friends got the idea for the parade in 1977 while washing clothes at a laundromat. Until last year, the route spanned 25 feet between the laundromat and a Durham restaurant. Last year, organizers moved the parade to Newmarket, and it now covers about 144 feet. This year's event is set for Sunday afternoon. Erikson is thought to have been the first European to land in North America more than 1,000 years ago. Parade marchers typically dress in Scandinavian sweaters and Viking outfits. Science Meets Faith at Aylsham church 2018: Aylsham Parish Church will be hosting a series of lectures around the topic of science and faith on Wednesday nights throughout October, and there is no charge to attend. The second annual Revd John Pumphrey Autumn Talks at Aylsham Parish Church - in partnership with the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion at the University of Cambridge - will consist of three lectures exploring some of the biggest questions which arise from interdisciplinary research in Science and Theology: Where does God fit into the Big Bang theory? Are disasters natural? How do creation and evolution relate? The talks will be delivered by three of the nations best thinkers on these issues: God and the Big Bang by Revd Dr Rodney Holder, Emeritus Course Director of the Faraday institute at University of Cambridge; Wednesday October 10. Disasters and Faith by Prof. Bob White FRS, Professor of Geophysics, Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge; Wednesday October 17. Creation and Evolution by Prof. Keith Fox, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Southampton; Wednesday October 24. These lectures are being held in memory of Revd John Pumphrey, a well-known and fondly remembered priest who served the town of Aylsham for many years. The talks will take place at 7.30pm, on Wednesdays October 10, 17 and 24, at Aylsham Parish Church. Admission is free, and more information can be found at www.aylshamparishchurch.org.uk . Revd Jack Branford, Curate of Aylsham Parish Church said: It is an incredible privilege to be able to welcome world-class speakers such as these to our town and our church in memory of Revd John Pumphrey. I have had the pleasure of hearing our guests speak in the past and I know we will be treated to three fascinating and stimulating evenings which will get to the very heart of some of the biggest questions of life, faith and science. We are sure Revd John would have been thrilled. Visit : www.aylshamteamministry.org.uk www.facebook.com/aylshamparishchurch The above image is courtesy of www.pixabay.com Do you have a news story or forthcoming event relating to Christians or a church in North Norfolk? The growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) is having a big impact on lots of areas within enterprise IT, and data analytics is one of them. Companies are gathering huge volumes of information from all kinds of connected of objects, such as data about how consumers are using certain products, the performance of corporate assets, and the environmental conditions in which systems operate. By applying advanced analytics to these incoming streams of data, organizations can gain new insights that can help them make more informed decisions about which actions to take. And with companies placing IoT sensors on more and more objects, the volumes of incoming data will continue to grow. "Sensor-based computing is a core trend in digital transformation," says Maureen Fleming, an analyst at research firm IDC. "Operational intelligence using condition-based monitoring assures organizations about the health of sensor-attached devices, machines and systems. Depending on the use case, applying machine learning [ML] to sensor data is aimed at predicting probability of outages, propensity to buy, health problems, etc." Applying ML to sensor data in combination with data from enterprise applications can also fundamentally change how an organization works, by predicting problems with meeting service-level agreements on services for customers or logistics problems within a supply chain, Fleming says. IoT "is driving the blending of the digital and physical worlds," says Brian Hopkins, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research. "Almost all businesses want real-time data from the physical world to take the next step in their quest for insights that deliver competitive advantage." Forrester sees three primary scenarios for gaining insight through analytics. One is insight about the smart connected products themselves. Another is insight about how connected things work efficiently together, which can help companies improve processes that involve physical assets. And the third is insight about things and people that come from the IoT data of business partners such as suppliers. IoT necessitates new infrastructure For many enterprises, the existing data analytics infrastructure will not adequately handle the expected increases in volume generated by the IoT, however. They will need to alter their IT environments to make them more IoT-ready. IoT is creating an unprecedented amount of data in the enterprise in terms of both volume and velocity, says Mark Hung, research vice president at research firm Gartner. In order to extract value out of this data, the enterprises data analytics architecture needs to be revamped. For enterprises to act on IoT data in a timely manner, streaming or real-time analytics is often required, Hung says. The need to incorporate new analytics methods such as streaming analytics and new infrastructure such as edge gateways places new architectural requirements on the existing IT infrastructure, he says. Analytics for IoT has some unique requirements compared with analytics for other kinds of data. This includes data format, data richness, time sensitivity, where the data is stored and how long it is stored. The key analytics need is to close the gap between data generation in the physical world and the need for action either in the physical or digital world, Hopkins says. This inevitably means pushing some analytics logic to the edge The Old Store Museum and Gift Shop in Sherman recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The celebration also recognized more than 200 years of retail operation in the same building. Nearly 100 members of the SHS attended the festivities. They were first greeted by a new video highlighting the history of the Old Store and shopped with a member discount. They were also treated to appetizers donated by volunteers and the Sherman IGA. Sue Moga, president of SHS, addressed the members with a quick summary of the purchase of The Old Store and its transitions in operations to the present. She highlighted accomplishments, including renovations to the outside of the building, air conditioning, upgrades to electrical systems, new porch and loading dock, etc., in addition to an annual contribution to SHS. Moira Kelly, co-manager of the Old Store, recognized the dedication and time volunteers invest in the Old Store. Kelly was surprised to be honored for her leadership in initial fundraising for the purchase of the building, as well as heading up the volunteers for the past 15 years. A shadow box with a note of thanks from the Old Store was presented to Moira by co-manager, Lisa Cilio. Senator Michael McLachlan, a fellow historian, surprised the membership with a visit and a State of Connecticut official citation in recognition of 20 years of retail operation highlighting that the Connecticut General Assembly offered its sincerest congratulations to The Old Store Museum and Gift Shop. Twenty years ago, the Old Store was a glimmer in then-president of SHS Gloria Thorne's eye. The store and museum is located at 3 Route 37 Center and open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 4 p.m., or whenever the flag is flying. Thought Leaders Professor William Newman Director Greater Manchester Genomic Medicine Centre An interview with Professor William Newman, MA, FRCP, Ph.D., discussing his recent discovery in the field of breast cancer research, and the options that this will provide for women who have a family history of breast cancer but test negative for BRCA1/2 mutations. Please can you introduce yourself and the research you carry out at the University of Manchester? I've been interested in trying to find the causes of inherited health conditions. One of those has been working with Gareth Evans, trying to identify why women have a high risk of developing breast cancer in families, particularly at a young age. Image Credit: Lightspring / Shutterstock Sometimes this is associated with other types of cancer, and other times with breast cancer affecting both breasts. We know that a lot of women with a very high risk of breast cancer have a mutation in either the BRCA1 or the BRCA2 gene, but there are a number of women that don't show any changes in those genes, as far as we know. The reason why you can have a lot of people in the same family with breast cancer at a young age but can't find a change in the BRACA1 or the BRACA2 gene led us to starting some research into why that might be, and the other mechanisms that could exist. What is epigenetic silencing? One of the mechanisms that can lead to breast cancer is epigenetic silencing. This is not a change in the DNA sequence, but a change to the DNA in some other form. DNA provides information that makes RNA, and RNA then provides information to make the protein. Often, if you have an epigenetic change, the RNA isn't made as it should, and therefore the encoded protein is dysfunctional or not made at all. Why is it important to study epigenetic silencing in cancer? Cancer genes fall into two groups. One group are called oncogenes, and they are overactive. They drive the growth of the tumor. The other group are what we call tumor suppressor genes. They are the brakes on the cancer. If you take the brakes off, the tissue grows more quickly than it should do forming a cancer. A number of genes that we're interested fall into the tumor suppressor gene category. If that tumor suppressor gene doesn't work as it should do, then that can lead to growth of a cancer, or increase growth of a cancer. When genes are passed from generation to generation, the changes that occur within them can be inherited, increasing the risk of a person developing a particular type of cancer. Usually, that person carries one copy of a gene change in every cell in their body. Tumor suppressor genes are typically recessive in their action, so the gene change only becomes important if something happens to the second copy of the gene. If the second copy of the gene is lost or mutated, you have two copies that are not working and this leaves you with a high risk of developing cancer. Image Credit: Lightspring / Shutterstock There are lots of reasons why the inherited genetic change might happen, and there are lots of reasons why that second gene change might happen. We know that epigenetic silencing can lead to the second copy of the gene not working. It's not an inherited change, it's just something that happens in a person's cells. What happens is that there's a change to one of the chemicals attached to the DNA, and that's essentially like a light switch. The sequence all looks the same, but the switch is turned off, so that gene doesn't work as it should. Epigenetic silencing has been found in lots of different cancer types, but very rarely has it been found to be inherited. About 10 years ago, a group in Australia showed that this on/off switch could be inherited in some people with bowel cancer, but it had never been previously shown in breast cancer. That's what our work has gone on to show. Please can you describe your recent discovery surrounding breast cancer. We started to look at the noncoding part of the BRCA genes (that is the bit of the gene that does not directly provide the information to make the protein) to see if there were any epigenetic changes that could lead to a change in the way that the genes work. What is epigenetics? - Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna Play We identified a relatively small number of families where there were lots of people affected by breast, or ovarian, cancer at a young age. Through genetic testing we didnt identify a change in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. The theory was, either, it could be a change in a completely different gene that had led to their condition in the family, or, it could be a change in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene that our technology wasnt able to identify. We looked at the RNA copy of the BRCA1 gene and found that the expression levels of RNA were much lower than they should be. That told to us that something must be happening to the BRCA1 gene, but when we looked at the sequence, it looked absolutely fine. That lead us to thinking could there be something happening in the on/off switch at the beginning of the gene, which is called the promoter. From there, we started to look into the methylation pattern. At the beginning of a gene, the DNA sequence is often a C followed by a G, and that repeats itself. Those C's can be modified in a particular way by adding a chemical making them methylated. If they are highly methylated, it means the gene is switched off, and if they are not methylated, it means the gene is switched on. For most genes the promoter is un-methylated, and allows the gene to work, but if the gene promoter becomes methylated that means its switched off. We used a technique called pyrosequencing, which measures the methylation pattern across the promoter of BRCA1. We were able to show that this was very highly methylated, which would be consistent with the gene being switched off. That's why the RNA levels were very low. Then we used another technique called bisulphite sequencing, which showed exactly the same thing: the promoter was methylated. We then looked at other members of the family that also had breast cancer and found the exact same pattern. It was clear that this hypermethylated promoter was being inherited within the family. That's what we call an epigenetic change. What proportion of women with inherited breast cancer do you estimate to be affected by epigenetic silencing? We think around one or one and a half percent of people with inherited breast cancer have this genetic change. That's just based on our figures, but it will become much clearer when other groups have started to undertake this analysis within their own patient cohorts. We suspect that we've identified one change in the DNA sequence, outside of the BRCA1 gene, that can lead to this change in the promoter. It's quite possible that there are other genetic changes sitting outside of the gene that could also lead to this hypermethylation pattern. We won't know that until other groups have undertaken the analysis on their samples are available to them. Its difficult then to know, in exact numbers, how many people that equates to across the country. What options will this provide for women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer? If we are able to identify the specific gene change, or genetic mechanism that has led to the breast cancer within their family, then wed be able to offer testing to other family members. For women with a family history of breast cancer, this can clarity whether they're at increased risk or not. Already within the two families that we described in our research, we've been undertaking testing of younger, at risk, family members. For some of those we've been able to identify that they do not carry this promoter Hypermethylation, and therefore they are not at an increased risk of breast cancer and don't need any additional follow up or screening. For those individuals that carry the gene change, then you can be more definitive about the type of screening, and the regularity of those checkups, that they might require. Or, you can think about what other interventions, in terms of risk reduction, that might be appropriate for them. Our patients would have a discussion with their clinician, or counselor, about those different options. A person with breast cancer who has this genetic change would be eligible for PARP Inhibition Treatment. This is a new type of cancer treatment that is particularly sensitive in patients that carry a change in a BRCA gene, because of its particular mechanism of action. What are the next steps for your research? The next steps are to see how this particular genetic change could lead to the switching on and off of the gene. That could give us information not just about this, but also other gene changes that might then lead to this process. We're very keen to see whether this type of mechanism can apply to other genes that are relevant to different types of inherited cancer. Where can readers find more information? About Professor William Newman Bill is Professor of Translational Genomic Medicine at the University of Manchester and the Director of the Greater Manchester Genomic Medicine Centre based at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. His main research interests are in applying new genomic technologies to gene discovery associated with inherited health problems and how genetic information can make drug prescription safer and more effective (pharmacogenetics). The Cancer Patient Education Network (CPEN) honored the Patient Education Team from Penn Medicine's OncoLink with the 2018 Excellence in Patient Education Award. The award recognizes individuals or programs that use creative approaches to develop and circulate cancer education to patients and health care professionals. The OncoLink team received the award Friday during the CPEN annual meeting in Atlanta. Launched in 1994, OncoLink was the first cancer information website on the internet and remains one of the largest, with a mission to support patients, caregivers, and practitioners with up-to-date information on all aspects of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. The award honors the OncoLink educational content team, which includes managing editor Carolyn Vachani, MSN, RN, oncology content specialist Karen Arnold-Korzeniowski, BSN, RN, and psychosocial oncology content editor Christina Bach, MBE, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C. OncoLink's information covers all types of cancer, treatment options, risk factors, prevention strategies, and survivorship concerns, with the intent to help patients and families make educated treatment decisions and become active participants in their care. Other features include a section to help newly diagnosed patients navigate their cancer experience. Retroviruses have colonized vertebrate hosts for millions of years by inserting their genes into host genomes, enabling their inheritance through generations as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). Researchers from Uppsala University now provide new knowledge about the long-term associations of retroviruses and their hosts by studying ERV variation and segregation in wild and domestic rabbit populations. The findings are being published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Retroviruses, such as HIV in humans, must become part of the host cell's nuclear DNA to produce new viruses. Over timescales of millions of years, retroviral infiltrations of germ cells have been inherited by the host's offspring as ERVs, which make up large parts of vertebrate genomes today. The researchers used recent technological advances for population-based analyses of whole genomes derived from wild and domestic hosts, which offer new insights into ERV-host genome variation. As a model, the researchers studied European rabbits, which diverged into two subspecies on the Iberian Peninsula about one million years ago and were domesticated in southern France about 1,000 years ago. "By studying whole genome sequences from related host populations compared to the genome of a single individual, we can identify new ERVs to better understand retrovirus-host coevolution," says Daniel Rivas, lead author of the study. Using data from hundreds of individuals from many rabbit populations, the researchers were able to identify previously unknown retroviral insertions, as well as determine the spread of those that existed in the reference genome. The ERV diversity mostly follows rabbit divergence and the results indicate substantial variation across ERV insertions in different rabbit populations. This new knowledge sheds light on how ERVs spread in host populations, and how that spread correlates with the evolution of the host species. "The abundance and segregating variation we uncover from host populations demonstrate the genomic ERV record as a remarkable source for an evolutionary perspective on retrovirus-host associations," says Patric Jern, who headed the study. Low TIP60 expression causes jumping gene expression to be uncontrolled, triggering tissue inflammation which supports tumor formation Scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a new molecular pathway that controls colorectal cancer development, and their exciting findings open new therapeutic opportunities. Assistant Professor Sudhakar Jha, Principal Investigator at CSI Singapore, and his team found that TIP60 protein, a known cancer suppressor for breast and colorectal tumors, works with another protein, called BRD4, to suppress the expression of a group of genes called endogenous retroviral elements (ERVs). Also known as "jumping genes" in tissues, ERVs are capable of jumping across the genome during their replication. They can alter the sequences of other genes that encode proteins, and even result in mutations or changes in the genetic sequence. ERVs can also activate tissue inflammation which supports tumor growth. TIP60 expression has been found to be greatly reduced in different tumor types, including breast, colorectal and human papillomavirus-induced cervical cancer. "In our study, we found that in tissues with lower TIP60 protein presence, the jumping gene expression is uncontrolled and these tissues can develop an inflammatory response which, in turn, can cause tumors to form.This discovery of TIP60's association with tissue inflammation is significant because it is known that in certain cancers such as liver and colorectal cancer, inflammation of tissues predisposes individuals to the development of early stage cancer. Thus, TIP60 protein can potentially be used to silence ERV expression and, essentially,stop tumor formation," explained Asst Prof Jha, who is also from the Department of Biochemistry under the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. New therapeutic opportunities, including possible use of anti-HIV drugs for cancer treatment When the researchers artificially introduced TIP60 in colorectal cancer cells, a slower growth of cells that have higher TIP60 expression was observed. This is consistent with its function as a tumor suppressorthat slows down or prevents the growth of tumor cells. "We have also found that tumors where we artificially deplete TIP60 protein are more sensitive to specific drugs that are currently used against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This is of huge promise because these drugs have already been tested for their side effects in humans. We can look at cancer patient samples and see if they have low TIP60 levels by correlating with the expression of ERVs and inflammatory genes. In this way, we can potentially identify the cohort of patients that could benefit from this treatment," said Dr Deepa Rajagopalan, a Research Fellow at CSI Singapore who had carried out the research when she was a doctoral student at the Department of Biochemistry at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. She is also the first author of the paper. Future research The research team is currently conducting studies to verify whether this mechanism of TIP60 silencing the jumping genes is true in other cancers such as liver and breast cancers. They are also in talks with other research groups at CSI Singapore on using an optimized platform to screen drug combinations that are highly efficient in killing cancer cells. They hope to use a variety of different combinations of the anti-HIV drugs to treat colorectal cancer cells first and potentially other tumors such as breast and liver that also have low TIP60 levels. The team is also looking to investigate the efficacy of drugs that disable the function of BRD4 (the protein that works with TIP60 in tumor formation) in combination with anti-HIV drugs in tumor treatment. The meeting was also attended by Subhash Chandra Garg, Rajiv Kumar and Ajay Prakash Sawhney. New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday met RBI Deputy Governor B P Kanungo to discuss RBI's data localisation norm for global financial technology companies. The Reserve Bank in April gave six months time to global payment companies to store transaction data of Indian customers within India. The RBI's data localisation norms will come into effect from October 15. The meeting was also attended by Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar and IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney. Officials, however, refused to comment on the deliberations in the meeting. Global financial technology companies have reportedly sought an extension of the October 15 deadline. A final decision on this would be taken by the RBI. The RBI in April said in order to ensure better monitoring of payment service operators it is important to have unfettered supervisory access to data stored with these system providers as also with their service providers/ intermediaries/third party vendors and other entities in the payment ecosystem. All system providers shall ensure that the entire data relating to payment systems operated by them are stored in a system only in India, it had said. The RBI further said data should include the full end-to-end transaction details, information collected/carried/ processed as part of the message/payment instruction. Beijing : China's Meng Hongwei, who has resigned as the Interpol chief, is being probed for corruption, Beijing said on Monday. Meng last week had gone missing after he left France for China. The French government has opened a probe into it. "The investigation against Meng Hongwei taking bribes and suspected violations of law is very timely, absolutely correct and rather wise," China's Ministry of Public Security said in a statement. Meng, who is also the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Security, on Sunday resigned as the Interpol chief. Meng, elected head of the international policing agency, is the latest top official in China to be probed for graft in an anti-corruption movement launched by Chinese President Jinping. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Providers of eligible services are entitled to duty credit scrips on net foreign exchange earned under the SEIS. New Delhi: Institutes providing education to non-resident Indians (NRIs) will be eligible to claim services export incentives under the commerce ministry's SEIS scheme. Providers of eligible services are entitled to duty credit scrips on net foreign exchange earned under the Services Exports from India Scheme (SEIS). The directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT), under the commerce ministry, has stated that it has received references from members of trade seeking clarification on eligibility of firms providing educational services to NRI students for benefits under the scheme. "It is clarified that for the purpose of claim of SEIS benefits...the educational services rendered by Indian institutes to NRIs (who constitute foreign consumers) are eligible for SEIS benefits under the foreign trade policy," the DGFT said in a policy circular. However, it said that services given to Indian students sponsored by NRIs would not be eligible, since such category of students cannot be considered as foreign consumers. Along with goods, the ministry is taking several steps to promote exports of India's services as it accounts for over 55 per cent in the country's economy. The services exports increased to USD 160.7 billion in 2016-17 from USD 154 billion in the previous fiscal. India has also submitted a proposal in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to relax global trade norms to promote services trade. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 8) The House committee on constitutional amendments has endorsed to the plenary a draft constitution filed by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo which seeks to create a federal type of government. In a report dated October 2, the panel approved and recommended the adoption of Arroyo's version of the draft federal constitution without amendments. The proposed measure aims to retain a presidential form of government, but gives the Congress the power to create federal states. If enacted, the Senate will be retained as a legislative body where members are elected at large. The administration's Consultative Committee's draft constitution, on the other hand, earlier proposed that senators be elected by region. READ: ConCom's final draft Federal Constitution Arroyo's bill also seeks to remove the term limits for members of both the Senate and House of Representatives. Each term lasts for four years. The elected President and Vice President will also serve for four years, with their posts subject to one re-election. Not her decision But Arroyo on Monday clarified that it was not her decision to add the provision lifting term limits for lawmakers. She noted that her only contribution to the measure was the directive for Congress to establish federal states. "The only thing I added was a provision that instead of establishing the federal states, there's a mechanism to establish federal states," Arroyo told reporters. "All the other provisions were already submitted by the Con Com (Consultative Committee) and everybody else." The lifting of the term limit was apparently added by other lawmakers because Concom's draft provides that no Senator or House member can serve more than two terms of four years each. With her version of the draft constitution now in the plenary, Arroyo said it is up to fellow solons whether or not they will retain the removal of term limits. The shift to a federal form of government was among President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign promises, saying it would pave the way for more equitable distribution of wealth and political power and bring peace in Mindanao. READ: ConCom OKs draft of proposed federal constitution CNN Philippines Correspondent Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report. The state cabinet is all set to approve a rescue plan for their stressed power projects. The end appears to be in sight for the problems plaguing imported coal-based projects of Tatas, Adanis and the Essar Group in Gujarat as the state cabinet is all set to approve a rescue plan for their stressed power projects that would allow higher fuel charge, extended power purchase agreement (PPA) and a haircut from lenders. New Delhi: The end appears to be in sight for the problems plaguing imported coal-based projects of Tatas, Adanis and the Essar Group in Gujarat as the state cabinet is all set to approve a rescue plan for their stressed power projects that would allow higher fuel charge, extended power purchase agreement (PPA) and a haircut from lenders. The Mundra projects of Adani Power and Tata Power and the Salaya coal-based plant of Essar Power (already classified NPA) have become stressed following controversial 2010 changes in Indonesian coal export norms that have substantially increased the cost for these plants without any provision for a fuel cost pass-through in existing power purchase agreements. These issues have already resulted in losses to the tune of Rs 24,000 crore for these companies, which are even now incurring losses to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore annually. The total exposure of lenders to these projects is close Rs 30,000 crore. The high-powered committee (HPC) set up by Gujarat government under former Supreme Court Justice RK Agrawal has submitted its report to GUVNL (Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam) and SBI Capital. The state government has in-principle approved the recommendations and it would be taken up by the Cabinet for final approval soon. The issue to remove stress from these mega power projects is of paramount importance for Gujarat and five other beneficiary states, said a source in Gujarat government privy to the development. If the state approves revision of tariff for projects by allowing amendments to PPAs as suggested by the HPC, it would be in fact in conflict with the Supreme Court order that last year rejected the same proposal of revising tariffs as impermissible under the current contracts. This also flies in the face of a crucial aspect of the apex courts reasoning, which is that it was the low tariffs quoted by the power generators in the first place that enabled them to win the contracts from the discoms. In its report, the HPC has suggested a fuel pass-through in the electricity tariff for these projects but with a cap which will disallow any cost recovery for generators beyond imported coal price of $120 a tonne. However, tariff for generators could be revised after five years based on coal price movement and fuel price rise would have to be borne by the [procuring states and consumers. As part of the bailout package for the stressed projects, the committee has also suggested about Rs 9,000 crore of haircut for the lenders that will come in the form of reduction in capacity charge (fixed or capital cost component in tariff) by 20 paisa per unit. This will also help mitigate tariff hike for consumers marginally. But the haircut will add further pressure on the banking sector that is already pursuing resolution of debt worth Rs 1.70 lakh crore for 34 stressed power projects worth 40,000 mw. Also, the power projects would be allowed an extension of their 25-year PPAs with states by another 10 years that could help them increasing their returns. But companies like Adani and Tata Power, which have stakes in Indonesian coal mines, would also have to share any profit arising from there with the procuring discoms so that electricity tariff hike could be moderated to less than Rs 1 a unit. It may be recalled that HPC option was considered in July after the Supreme Court in April 2017 ruled out a tariff hike for the three projects. Earlier a working group was also set up whose report has also been analysed by HPC. The situation had turned so grim that last year the three power developers separately approached the Gujarat government and the discoms, offering to sell a 51 per cent stake in the stressed projects for a nominal sum of Re 1. With lenders panicking, state-owned NTPC conducted a due diligence of the projects, assessing the possibility of feeding them with domestic coal. But this would have required a large amount of fresh capital since the plants are not designed to run on domestic coal. So that stake sale plan and NTPC suggestions were junked. Industry experts note that while the networth of the three power projects Tata Powers 4,000 MW, Adanis 4,620 MW plants in Mundra and Essar Powers 1,200 MW plant at Salaya has been wiped off as a result of continuous losses, only Essars plant has become an NPA so far. Lenders also fear that in the absence of a concrete resolution plan, even Adani and Tata projects would turn into non-performing assets. New Delhi: An engineer, identified as Nishant Agrawal, with the BrahMos Aerospace unit near Nagpur was arrested on Monday for allegedly leaking "technical information" to Pakistan. Nishant Agrawal was arrested in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) at BrahMos' Wardha Road facility, an ATS official said. Who is Nishant Agrawal? #Nishant Agrawal has been working in the technical research section of the missile centre for four years. He studied at the National Institute of Technology in Kurukshetra and according to reports, he was a gold medallist. #PTI reported that Agrawal married last week. #According to NDTV, the police are investigating whether he was "honey-trapped" by Facebook IDs in the name of women, which have been traced to Pakistan. #"Very sensitive information was found on his personal computer. We found evidence of him chatting on Facebook with Pakistan-based IDs," said Aseem Arun, the chief of the anti-terror squad of Uttar Pradesh. #Agrawal was living in a rented accommodation on Wardha Road since the last year, his landlord Manohar Kale told PTI. #"He was staying with his wife here and had given his Aadhar card copy and a certificate from his employer to me while moving in," he said. What is BrahMos Aerospace? #BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the 'Military Industrial Consortium' (NPO Mashinostroyenia) of Russia. #The company was set up through an inter-governmental agreement signed on February 12, 1998, between India and Russia. The name BrahMos represents the fury of Brahmaputraand the grace of Moskva rivers. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Expressing happiness at the #MeToo movement has finally taken off in India, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Monday said that she hopes that it doesnt go out of control and that it should not be used to "target people who have offended us in some way". She also said that she has asked the Law Ministry to not keep any age limit to report child sexual abuse, allowing people to complain about what has happened to them even "10-15 years later". Read More | Gujarat: 50,000 migrant workers from UP, Bihar leave after protests over rape; 35 FIRs lodged Asserting that one doesnt forget the perpetrator and that the anger at sexual molestation never goes away, she said that the WCD Ministry has written to the Law Ministry that one should be allowed to complain without any time limit," Gandhi told reporters. Under Section 468 of the CrPC, any offence, including child abuse, which can lead to a prison term of three years has to be reported within three years of the incident. According to Section 473 of the CrPC, a court may take cognisance of an older case if it is in the "interest of justice" or if the "delay has been properly explained". However, victims of child sexual abuse often face problems in registering an FIR once they are 18 or more. Also Read | Rafale deal: Supreme Court to hear plea on October 10 Gandhi had earlier proposed that child sexual abuse victims be allowed to register complaints until they are 30. Discussing the #MeToo movement, the minister said, "I hope it does not go out of control in a way that we target people who have offended us in some way but I think women are angry at sexual molestation." Gandhi had earlier expressed her support for actor Tanushree Dutta, who has levelled allegations of sexual misconduct against Nana Patekar during the shooting of a film 10 years ago. She had said harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: With yet another surge in petrol and diesel prices on Monday, there seems to be no respite for consumers anytime soon. In Delhi, petrol prices stood at Rs 82.03 per litre which is an increase of Rs 0.21. While diesel prices were hiked by Rs 0.29 taking it to Rs 73.82. In Mumbai, the petrol and diesel prices were pegged at Rs 87.50 (an increase of Rs 0.21) and Rs 77.37 (an increase of Rs 0.31), respectively, according to price notification by state-owned oil firms. Despite the Central governments decision to cut the Value Added Taxes (VAT) on fuel prices by Rs 2.50 and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states additional relief of Rs 2.50 recently, fuel prices are seeing a steady day-to-day increase and there seems to be no respite in place for consumers in the near future. Read More | Bihar: 36 schoolgirls assaulted after they resisted sexual harassment in Supaul On Sunday, petrol and diesel prices were Rs 85.04 and Rs 77.73, respectively in Chennai. In Kolkata, petrol was priced at Rs 83.66 per litre while diesel was marked at Rs 75.38 per litre. Let me categorically assure all that there is no going back on deregulation of oil prices, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in a Facebook post on Saturday. Also Read | On #MeToo allegation, Chetan Bhagat apologises on Facebook On Thursday, 12 states slashed the prices of petrol and diesel after the central government announced a Rs. 1.5 per litre cut in excise duty and made state-run oil companies absorb a Re 1 per litre cut in fuel prices. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A suspected ISI agent, identified as Nishant Agrawal, was arrested on Monday from BrahMos missile unit in Maharashtra's Nagpur for allegedly leaking technical secrets to Pakistan. Nishant Agrawal was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror squad on charges of spying. He has been reportedly working at the Brahmos Aerospace unit for the last four years. Agrawal was living in a rented accommodation on Wardha Road since the last year, his landlord Manohar Kale said. The police team arrived at the building at 5.30 am and was there till 5 pm, he said. Agrawal hails from Roorkee and got married two months ago, he said. "He was staying with his wife here and had given his Aadhar card copy and a certificate from his employer to me while moving in," he said. BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the 'Military Industrial Consortium' (NPO Mashinostroyenia) of Russia. The company was set up through an inter-governmental agreement signed on February 12, 1998, between India and Russia. The name BrahMos represents the fury of Brahmaputra and the grace of Moskva rivers. The Defence Research and Development Organisation facility from where he was arrested makes propellents, or fuel, for the BrahMos missile. The BrahMos is a medium-range supersonic missile that can be fired from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. The fact that it is the fastest cruise missile in the world makes the arrest even more critical. Last month, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested a BSF jawan from Noida on the charge of sharing vital information with Pakistan ISI agents. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for investing time in issues such as health and sanitation. She said on Sunday that the prime minister has invested political time and effort to bring about a change in the community. She said people start looking around at other things that need improvement when they begin to feel that their community is doing better. Read More | Fuel prices rise again, petrol prices surges to Rs 82.03, diesel to Rs 73.82 in Delhi If you invest a dollar in sanitation solutions, the benefit will be four dollars in terms of health cost prevention, the (reduction in) number of visits you go to a doctor and in the medicines that you dont have to buy, Fore told PTI in an interview. She was in Mumbai to attend an event organised jointly by the UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Friday. The prime minister invested political time and effort and what it meant was people began picking up that story. They want to do it for Mahatma Gandhi, for their country and they felt pride in it, she said in an apparent reference to Swacch Bharat Mission. Also Read | Virat Kohli to BCCI: Let wives stay for full overseas tour; CoA says 'policy not to change soon' Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron were recently awarded the UNs Champions of the Earth award for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of cooperation on environmental action. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the cleanliness drive in 2014 with an aim to clean up streets, roads and infrastructure of Indias cities, towns, and rural areas. Modi had said the sanitation coverage in the country has increased from 38 per cent to nearly 80 per cent and asserted that the Swachh Bharat Mission is playing a central role in creating a healthy India. Fore said, It (contribution to sanitation) doesnt have an economic return but when you begin to feel that your community is doing better, it makes you look around at the other things that need improvement. It makes one think that does he have clean water and the solutions for open defecation for all animals in their village, is there a community healthcare clinic, is there enough nutrition for children; not just latrines, what about lighted pathways for all of the girls going to schools. It makes you improve your world, said the executive director. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Yogi Adityanath and Nitish Kumar, on Monday said they spoke to their Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani over attacks in the western state on non-Gujarati people, even as a TV report suggests that 47 workers from Bihar have been held hostage. Non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have been targeted by locals following the alleged rape of the girl by a native of Bihar, in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district on September 28.The attacks intensified following the circulation of hate messages on social media. Police have arrested 342 people from various parts of Gujarat for allegedly attacking non-Gujaratis. According to Adityanath, Rupani told him that no such incident has taken place in the last three days. Also Read |A Suspected ISI agent Nishant Agrawal arrested from BrahMos missile unit in Nagpur aThe Gujarat CM has clearly told me that no such incident has taken place in last three days. People who are jealous of development in Gujarat are spreading such rumours. Effective steps have been taken by the Gujarat government,a Adityanath told news agency ANI. Rupani told reporters said the situation is under control in Gujarat and appealed to people to maintain peace and brotherhood. "The culprit of the rape case was arrested within 24 hours. We will ensure a severe punishment for the culprit," he said.A Earlier in the day, condemning the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl, that triggered the violent attacks, Nitish Kumar said the guilty must be punished but an entire community should not be "tarred with the same brush". "Our government is aware and alert. I spoke to the Gujarat chief minister on Sunday. Our chief secretary and director general of police are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat," Kumar told reporters in Patna. Also Read |A Hrithik Roshan refuses to work with Vikas Bahl in Super 30 after Kangana Ranautas allegations "If somebody has committed a crime, he must be punished severely. But on account of one incident, people should not generalise and hold a grouse against an entire state," he said.A JD(U) leader in a two-page open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, blamed the grand old party for the violence against Biharis. "You appointed your Gujarat MLA Alpesh Thakor as one of the national secretaries in-charge of Bihar and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya Thakor Sena is driving out migrant Biharis," Neeraj Kumar, a JD(U) MLC and spokesman, alleged. India Today on Sunday reported that 47 workers from Bihar's Sheikhpura area were held hostage in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja appealed to migrant workers to come back.A "It is our responsibility to provide security to those who come to Gujarat for employment from other states... We are very serious about resuming the law and order in the state. We have filed 35 FIRs (First Information Reports in this case," NDTV quoted Jadeja as saying. (With agency inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid on signed the Digital Security Act amid strong opposition by rights groups and journalists fearing that the controversial law could endanger freedom of speech in that country. The Editors' Council in Bangladesh has been opposing the Digital Security Act, saying that the new law could create and atmosphere of fear and curb freedom of speech. It was in 2018 that the Bangladesh Parliament passed the Digital Security Bill to tackle cybercrimes such as illegal activities in e-transactions and spreading defamatory data, hurting people's religious sentiment, propaganda against the 1971 Liberation War and Bangabandhu (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman), PTI quoted a report in Bangla Tribune. Also Read | Tanmay Bhat to 'Step away from his associations with AIB'; Gursimran Khamba too on leave Hamid assented to the bill and turned it into a law, the report said. The Digital Security Act: The new law calls for a minimum seven years in jail and a maximum 14 years' imprisonment. Apart from it, under the law , the guilty has to pay monetary fines of a minimum of Taka 25 lakh and maximum of Taka 1 crore, or both, for illegal access and destruction of any important information related to state affairs. Also Read | Jasleen Matharu declares herself SINGLE as Anup Jalota sent to a secret room, gets close to Shivashish, Watch Video The Act will "create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, which will make journalism, and especially investigative journalism, virtually impossible," the Editors' Council said in a statement. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, however, defended it, saying that journalists should not worry about the law if they restrain from running false or fabricated news, or mislead the people. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kangana had lent support to a woman who accused Vikas Bahl of sexual harassment and had even shared her experience with him. Mumbai: Kangana Ranaut, who recently accused her 'Queen' director Vikas Bahl of sexual misconduct, has lashed out at Sonam Kapoor Ahuja for 'judging' her 'Me Too' story. Speaking at Vogue We the Women summit in Bengaluru, Sonam, who was one of the speakers, lauded Tanushree Dutta for showing courage in speaking up against the powerful men of the industry. However, when asked about Kanganas #MeToo story, she mockingly said, I think Kangana wrote something. Kangana is obviously Kangana Ranaut. She says a lot of stuff and sometimes is hard to take her seriously. I love the fact that she has spunk and she says what she believes. I really respect for that. I dont know him, I dont know the situation. If what is written what is written is true, then its disgusting and awful. If its true, then they should be punished for it, Sonam said. Responding to Sonams statement, Kangana said in an interview to Pinkvilla, "What does she mean by saying, 'it's hard to believe Kangana'? When I am sharing my Me Too story, who gives her a right to judge me? So, Sonam Kapoor has the license of trusting some women and some she won't," said the 31-year-old. Also Read | We all must share our stories: Kangana Ranaut on Tanushree Dutta-Nana Patekar row She further questioned as to what made Sonam "so unsure of my claims." "I am known to be an articulate person and I have represented my country in many international summits. I am called as a thought and youth influencer to these summits, I am not known because of my dad I have earned my place and credibility after struggling for a decade," the statement by the National Award winning actor read. Further lashing out at the 'Khoobsurat' star, the statement by Kangana said, "She isnt known to be a great actress, neither she has the reputation of being a good speaker...... What gives these filmy people right to take digs at me!!!! I will demolish each one of them. Earlier, Kangana had lent support to a woman who accused her 'Queen' director of sexual harassment and had even shared her experience with Bahl at the film's sets. "He partied every night and shamed me for sleeping early and not being cool enough. I often told him off. He was scared of me but still every time we met socially, we greeted and hugged each other. He would bury his face in my neck and hold me really tight and breathe in the smell of my hair. It took me a great amount of strength and effort to pull myself out of his embrace, he would say - I love how you smell K-I could tell something is wrong with him," she had claimed. The election to lead Nigeria, Africa's most populous and one of its most youthful nations, will come down to a battle between a pair of experienced septuagenarians: President Muhammadu Buhari and businessman-cum-politician Atiku Abubakar. While former Vice President Abubakar, 71, easily saw off younger challengers including Sokoto state Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Senate President Bukola Saraki at the weekend People's Democratic Party convention in the oil hub of Port Harcourt, the 75-year-old Buhari was nominated unopposed by his ruling All Progressives Congress. Both men have been fixtures of the political scene since Nigeria returned to democracy almost two decades ago. The campaign is likely to be a barefisted affair fought on the themes of Buhari's alleged incompetence and accusations by the president's camp that there is something corrupt about the way Abubakar has acquired his vast wealth. Abubakar will seek to win votes in Buhari's northern base, while claiming parts of the south and center where the president is less popular. Both men are northern Muslims in a nation roughly equally divided between Christianity and Islam. - - - "Atiku will definitely capitalize on the economy as his main campaign talking point. Buhari's record on the economy is seen as pretty poor," said Cheta Nwanze, an analyst at Lagos-based business advisory firm SBM Intelligence. "Buhari will double down on his message against corruption, and his campaign will continue portraying Atiku as a corrupt individual." Both men must propose workable policies to give the more than 50 percent of the population under the age of 30 a fighting chance to participate in the economy. The West African nation is saddled with an education system that's been gutted by corruption, a lack of investment that leaves children without books and desks, and the flight of qualified instructors abroad and to private-sector jobs. "We've enumerated the challenges faced by the country over and over. What we need to do is to proffer solutions," Abubakar said Sunday in his acceptance speech. "That is what will make us different from the clueless government of the APC." Abubakar pillories Buhari's handling of the economy, which is having an anemic recovery from a recession two years ago, and calls for the privatization of the oil industry. He also favors greater regional autonomy, scrapping the system of multiple exchange rates and increasing spending on education. - - - Investors blamed Buhari for worsening a recession that resulted from an oil-price drop two years before he took office and deterring investment by imposing capital controls. He also urged the central bank to refrain from weakening the currency, the naira, which it was eventually forced to do. "A lot of people are rating him as the strongest against Buhari; I'm not so sure," Amaka Anku, the head of Eurasia Group's Africa Practice, said in an emailed response. "He represents the past, and has no real raison d'etre, and is the weakest on Buhari's strongest suit: integrity." Corruption is the button Buhari is likely to push. Although his anti-graft campaign has drawn fire from critics for targeting mainly his political opponents, he has pressed ahead with it, saying his administration has claimed illicit cash stashed abroad and invested it in infrastructure projects. Abubakar is considered one of the richest people on Nigeria's political scene. A former top customs official, he later became a major shareholder in Intels Nigeria Ltd., an oil-services company. To carry the vote, he will have to convince the electorate that allegations of graft, which opponents have used to explain his fortune, are untrue. He has denied any wrongdoing. - - - "Atiku has a high profile and good name recognition locally," said Antony Goldman, West Africa analyst at London-based PM Consulting. "He is a politician's politician, but that also has its downsides in a culture marked by corruption." Buhari has his weak points as well. Early in his presidency, the security forces scored some gains against Islamist militants in the far northeast. But in recent months, a breakaway group, Islamic State West Africa, has stepped up its attacks in a conflict that's claimed tens of thousands of lives and left more than 800,000 people cut off from aid in Borno state, according to the United Nations. Though Buhari in June signed the nation's biggest-ever budget of 9.1 trillion naira ($25 billion) for this year - and increased investment in roads, railways, ports and power to boost the economy - it probably won't have much impact before the Feb. 16 vote. Economic growth slowed for the second consecutive quarter as oil production fell. "I think both Buhari and Atiku are experienced and have something to offer the country," said Bismarck Rewane, chief executive officer of Lagos-based Financial Derivatives Co. "The problem is how to convert that into action to effectively deal with the challenges at hand.'' - - - Bloomberg's Yinka Ibukun and Chukwudi Ejimofor contributed to this report. A minor is among the 9 arrested for attacking schoolgirls who resisted sexual assault, police said. The girls were beaten up by local villagers for protesting against sexual harassment by local youth in Bihars Supaul district. (Photo: Twitter | ANI) Patna: Nine people, including a minor, have been arrested so far in the assault cases of 40 schoolgirls in Bihar. The girls were beaten up by local villagers for protesting against sexual harassment by local youth in Bihars Supaul district. Sources from Supaul informed The Asian Age that youth from a nearby village used to pass lewd remarks and write vulgar comments on the school wall about girls. On Saturday, over two dozen local villagers ransacked the school and thrashed the girls when they tried to raise their voices against the harassment. Girls were beaten up by villagers while they were playing on Saturday. The villagers were furious because these girls tried to raise their voices against the harassment they faced on a regular basis, school sources said. Police said girls all of them 12 to 16 years old - were admitted to a local hospital and 26 of them have now been released. The district administration also claimed that one person has been taken into custody. Others involved in the case have also been identified and will be arrested soon. The issue has snowballed into a political controversy as Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday blamed the state government-led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for its failure in maintaining law and order in Bihar. In a tweet, he said that anti-social elements ransacked the Kasturba Gandhi Girls School in Supaul and thrashed 34 students. The state government is silent and the crime graph is rising in Bihar. He further said that this kind of incident keeps happening because Chief Minister personally interferes and ensures that rapists and perpetrators get a free run. In majority cases, his partymen, lawmakers and office-bearers are main culprits. Honest officers who have been taking action against them are often transferred. Longtime Republican incumbent Arthur ONeill and Democratic challenger Greg Cava offer voters of the state Houses 69th District sharp differences on tolls and other plans to get the state out of its financial crisis. ONeill argues the state needs to cut spending and cut taxes, while Cava said the state needs be more efficient and find new revenue streams. Among Cavas suggestions is highway tolls a plan ONeill vehemently opposes. It's just another tax to be imposed on the people of Connecticut, said ONeill, a 15-term representative from Southbury who is the Houses longest-serving GOP member. But Cava argues taxes are higher here because Connecticut residents alone bear the cost of maintaining roads and bridges, unlike in New York or Massachusetts, where drivers passing through the state share the burden through tolls. Its not a tax, said Cava, a Roxbury resident and member of the Region 12 Board of Education. Its a user fee. Still, the candidates agree on supporting measures to help seniors stay in the state. The 69th District covers Bridgewater, Roxbury, Washington and Southbury, where a large number of seniors live because of Heritage Village, a community for adults 55 and older. Both candidates back freezing property taxes for retirees, a move they said would help seniors afford to stay in their homes. I want to make Connecticut a place that people want to retire to, Cava said. For ONeill, improving Connecticuts economy comes down to reducing taxes to encourage business that left the state to return, and to attract new business. To do that, the state must cut spending and address the problems with pensions for state employees and teachers, ONeill said. He criticized state employees options to drive up their pension benefits by working overtime in their last few years before retirement. He said he was against outgoing Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloys plan for towns to cover part of the cost of teacher pensions. That is a terrible thing to shift this cost to the municipalities, ONeill said. Its been a responsibility of the state. He proposed reducing spending by extending the wage freeze for state employees and keeping positions open when staff retire. He said the state should cut the budgets of some departments and agencies, such as the Commission on Equity and Opportunity and the Board of Regents for state colleges. ONeill said the Regents is a waste of money, providing bloated salaries to former members of the governors administration. (The Board of Regents) is not really necessary, he said. They dont do anything functionally. They dont educate people. They dont take care of people. They dont provide housing for people, but they drive tuition up. Meanwhile, Cava said the state House needs new representatives to develop fresh ideas to improve the economy, especially in western Connecticut. Every year, we send the same people to Hartford and we do the same things and come up with new and improved gimmicks to balance our budget, said Cava who twice ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the state Senate. What were not doing is anything about the structural problems that are leading to these things. In the short term, the state government needs to become more efficient and deliver the same services for less money, Cava said. Then the state needs to focus on its strengths its educational systems and its workforce to help boost the economy. We have really smart people, Cava said. We have great educational institutions. We have the best industrial workforce in the world. What we need to do is leverage those (strengths) in partnerships with corporate efforts. Cava said he would focus on creating a program to encourage students to pursue trades, such as mechanics or carpentry. These fields are becoming less popular in part because school guidance counselors stress attending traditional colleges, rather than trade schools. We need to make sure people understand the value of those trades, Cava said. ONeill suggested turning the Southbury Training School into an indoor farming center, which would provide jobs for students at nearby vocational and agricultural schools. The state plans to eventually close the training school, which is a facility for adults with developmental disabilities. He got the idea from his wife, Ruby Corby ONeill, who ran in the Republican primary for the U.S. House 5th District. He said he could start planning for the proposal this legislative session. This is a new area of economic activity for the state of Connecticut, ONeill said. That would be something if we could catch a wave like that for the future, rather than trying to hang onto the past. jperkins@newstimes.com 203-731-3337 For one Cheshire resident, it pays off to be a vegan. It helps that he's good looking, too. Len Lampel is in the running to be crowned the "sexiest vegan over 50" by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Lampel is currently in the running with five other vegans for the crown. The prize is a trip to northern India. The competition was first started in 2009 to show the health benefits of living a vegan lifestyle, especially for baby boomers. Moira Colley, celebrity media officer for PETA, said there is much more beyond the health benefits of a vegan lifestyle. "The very attractive, fit men and women who entered the contest this year show that going meat- and dairy-free can help you enjoy a sexier, healthier body at any age," said Colley. "As this contest has grown, more and more people are seeing just how sexy compassion is." Lampel first heard about the competition from an animal rights Facebook page. Initially, Lampel found himself shocked to be chosen amongst the finalists, but is happy that he gets to promote the message of PETA on a larger scale. "It's very exciting," Lampel said. "I do believe in the cause and the activism of trying to educate people about the welfare of animals, and the effects of factory farming." Colley added that his enthusiasm is what drives the foundation of PETA, and makes sure that that message is driven home to a larger audience. "His passion to share what he has learned about the abuse and terror that animals experience and the ways everyone can make simple changes in their lives to help stop animals' suffering is inspiring," said Colley. "We're thrilled to have him as one of our finalists." The Southern Californian native was first introduced to the vegan lifestyle a few years back by a friend, who suggested he watch documentaries and animals that depict what is going on behind-the-scenes in the food industry. "People don't think [about] where their food comes from. They just see the steak or the chicken on their plate," said Lampel. "They don't know what happened to these animals in order for them to get there." While only a vegan for a year-and-a-half, Lampel has gone above and beyond for the PETA community, including protesting the practice of animal experimentation at Yale University, and marching in Boston to advocate for the closing of slaughterhouses. When not advocating for PETA, Lampel operates his own photography business for real estate agents and business planners. Lampel lives at home with his two cats, and guinea pigs. WILTON The owner of the limousine that crashed in Schoharie, killing 18 people on board and two pedestrians, is a former FBI informant who testified in several high-profile terrorism cases, a state official confirmed Monday. Shahed "Malik" Hussain owns Prestige Limousine in Wilton, according to the official and public records. The limousine company is being scrutinized as federal and state investigators try to determine what caused the crash. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday said the limo involved in Saturday's crash at the intersection of routes 30A and 30 had failed a state Department of Transportation inspection last month and should not have been on the road. The driver did not have a proper license to operate the vehicle, the governor added. Prestige Limousine shares a business address with the Crest Inn Suites & Cottages in Wilton, a motel that has been owned by Hussain for about a decade. Hussain and his wife previously lived at the motel but the manager, Arnie Cornett, on Monday said they were no longer living there when he moved in about 18 months ago. Public records indicate Hussain still owns the motel and continues to operate the limo company. Hussain owns the business but the limo service has largely been operated by his son, Nauman Hussain, who met on Monday afternoon with investigators from the State Police's major crimes unit, which is examining whether negligence may have contributed to the deadly incident. Nauman Hussain was accompanied at the interview by his attorney, Lee Kindlon of Albany. Shahed Hussain is out of the country and did not attend the interview, police said. Hussain's path to becoming an informant began after the 9/11 terrorist attacks when he was arrested in an FBI fraud investigation in Albany that targeted a ring of corrupt translators, state motor vehicle workers and nearly 100 immigrants who had illegally obtained driver's licenses with help from Hussain. At the time, Hussain owned and operated a Getty gas station on South Pearl Street in Albany. He also worked as a translator for the state Department of Motor Vehicles, and had routinely accepted bribes of several hundred dollars each to help immigrants, who in some cases couldn't drive well or pass written exams they couldn't understand, according to court records. Following his arrest in December 2001, and while facing the prospect of a long prison term and eventual deportation to his native Pakistan, Hussain agreed to become an informant for the FBI. Hussain had emigrated to the U.S. in 1993 and still held a green card at the time he went to work for the FBI, which credited him with helping arrest more than a dozen people, including the people involved in the DMV scandal and a member of an Afghan-based heroin trafficking ring. But it was Hussain's work as an informant in a controversial counter-terrorism sting in Albany that thrust him into the spotlight. He worked in an undercover role, posing as an arms dealer, to help federal authorities snare two immigrants with no criminal backgrounds at the time: Yassin Aref, an Iraqi refugee and imam of a Central Avenue mosque, and Mohammed Hossain, a Bangladeshi immigrant who owned a pizza shop. Aref and Mohammed Hossain were both arrested in 2004 and accused of laundering money in connection with a fictitious terror plot set up by the FBI's informant. They were convicted in 2006 and both sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Aref was recently released from prison and is being held in custody pending his deportation to Iraq. The attorneys for Aref and Mohammed Hossain, Terence L. Kindlon and Kevin Luibrand, respectively, had harsh words for the informant who helped convict their clients. Terence Kindlon is the father of Lee Kindlon, who was hired by the limousine company this week. During the Albany trial, there was testimony that the informant's recorded conversations with the Albany targets were in Urdu. The informant would then translate those conversations for FBI agents, who later learned that the translations were not always accurate, according to the defense team. In addition, a wired listening device the informant wore during the sting failed during one of his most critical exchanges with Aref and was not taped --- but rather offered as evidence through the recollection of an FBI agent and the informant. Terence Kindlon once called Hussain a "confidence man" whom he said could not be trusted. In May 2009, Hussain the informant resurfaced as an FBI informant when four men from Newburgh were charged with conspiring to plant explosives outside the Riverdale Jewish Center and Riverdale Temple in New York City. As in the Albany case, Shahed Hussain posed as a wealthy businessman and befriended the men before implicating them in a terror plot. The four Newburgh men, Laguerre Payen, James Cromitie, Onta Williams and David Williams, were convicted but the FBI's use of Shahed Hussain drew harsh criticism and raised entrapment questions. Three years later, in 2012, Shahed Hussain again took part in an undercover FBI sting, this time targeting a then-34-year-old man, Khalifah Al-Akili, who lived near Pittsburgh. Al-Akili told the Times Union in an interview that year that the FBI had used Hussain in an apparent attempt to test Al-Akili's interest in jihad and anti-American views. Al-Akili, who was later convicted of a firearms charge, said he was approached by Hussain, who went by the name "Mohammed," and another man, who used the name "Shareef," when they turned up in his neighborhood and repeatedly made attempts to get close to Al-Akili. But Al-Akili said he quickly figured out Hussain's identity as an FBI informant. He said the men were "too obvious" and requested receipts even for small items they purchased like coffee and donuts. In addition, he said, a cell phone number Hussain had given him was the same number used by Hussain during the 2009 counterterrorism investigation against the four Newburgh men. Al-Akili said he found the number and its connection to that case through a simple Internet search using Google. Although Hussain's undercover work had exposed his residency in Wilton, he never left the area and for years had lived a quiet life at the hardscrabble motel along Route 9 a few miles north of Saratoga Springs. Cornett, the motel's manager, said they occasionally receive mail there related to the limo company, but that Hussain kept the vehicles at another location. Several years ago, Hussain tangled with the town of Wilton for running his limo business out of the back of the hotel without a permit. Town officials asked that he keep the vehicles in Latham, where they had previously been stored when not in use. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records on Prestige Limousine show that the company had two drivers and three vehicles. A total of five inspections were done of the company's vehicles over the past 25 months, and four were taken out of service as a result, which is a rate of 80 percent failure. The national average is 20 percent. As President Donald Trump's first two years in office come to a close, we've seen two originalist justices confirmed to the Supreme Court, 26 originalist appeals court judges confirmed,10 more nominated, and 41 new district court judges on the bench and dozens more pending. Add to that: the repeal of the sequester on defense spending and a massive military rebuild underway; a massive tax cut of unprecedented depth and structural change; a renegotiated trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada; withdrawals from the awful Iran deal and, in effect, the absurdist Paris accord; the rollback of job-killing and bureaucrat empower regulations by the hundreds; an economy surging while unemployment drops to 3.7 percent; and a new entente in the Middle East (one that arose despite U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel) that sees the United States and Israel aligned and cooperating closely with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and now a new government in Iraq against the expansionist Iranian theocrats. Did I mention the devastation and defeat of ISIS in its physical "caliphate? That's not even the entire list of accomplishments, but it's enough to have silenced the #NeverTrumpers who used to mock Trump-supporting conservatives by posting a street sign carrying the name "Gorsuch" above rising floodwaters. Those of us who follow the president's often confusing, loud, extemporaneous and disruptive presidency not by his tweets but by his administration's deeds and those of congressional Republicans are amused that the #NeverTrump rump has stopped the "but Gorsuch" nonsense. Many of the successes, especially with regard to the judiciary, are because of the unparalleled skill of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., supported by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and the Senate GOP caucus, which has almost always held together as a whole. McConnell is, as I've said before, the single most effective congressional leader the GOP has had in my lifetime. And it looks as if his majority will grow in November. The Republican House Majority may be preserved as well. Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and their caucus crafted and passed the tax bill as well as 14 Congressional Review Act resolutions and the robust military spending bills. Republican candidates should point both to the achievements outlined above and the rapidly expanding economy in their closing campaigns. They should also dwell on the prospect of the enraged left controlling anything in government. Democrat Jerrold Nadler of New York, who would take the gavel of the House Judiciary Committee, has already promised a pursuit of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to satisfy his party's fringe. Democrat Maxine Waters of California, who would gain the gavel of the House Financial Services Committee, has urged the physical pursuit of her Republican colleagues across and out of public places. The radical rump of the Democrats, led again by Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, would set out to destroy the Trump economic momentum and to paralyze the regulatory rollback with a hundred hearings and inquisitions. Trump is as wearying today as Andrew Jackson must have been in 1829 to the people of both parties who are used to different rules sets. I am one of them. Thus my criticisms of the president are many and detailed. But my fear of the wild-eyed left is far greater than my discomfort with his bull-in-china shop politics. The left, we saw this week and last, contrasts unfavorably with the president's hyperbole and occasional cruelty. It is now a snarling, enraged collective scream. To give it power would be to risk fraying even further the common bonds of citizenship. Best for them to spend a long time in the wilderness, as the "San Francisco Democrats" of 1984, so very wrong about the Soviet Union, needed to endure. After the attempted sliming of Kavanaugh, voters must not reward that outburst of the new McCarthyism in the least or it will be repeated. Review the first few paragraphs above. Vote to repeat those sorts of achievements instead of empowering the enraged mobs. Don't just return the Republicans. Increase their majorities and increase prosperity and security, judicial restraint and free enterprise even as we collectively figure out a president who may be outside our national norms for the office, but who is succeeding for us all. --- Hewitt hosts a nationally syndicated radio show and is a professor of law at Chapman University's Fowler School of Law. When Ned Lamont made his first foray into politics more than three decades ago, he was a bright-eyed 33-year-old who had just started a business. He was ambitious, full of optimism and opinion about how his new hometown of Greenwich and the state should employ business tactics in government. He wanted to get involved. So when someone asked him after his first campaign speech in 1987, why he thought he could represent Greenwich on its three-member Board of Selectmen after living in town for just four years, he was taken aback and called the question hostile, news reports from the time show. Now, jaded by decades of brutal campaigns and a current election cycle thats turned negative more often than not, Lamont, the Democratic nominee for governor, laughs at his naivete. In hindsight that was a pretty legitimate question, Lamont said. Especially for local government. You have to know the community. People expect you to know the community. Lamont went on to win the election that year and serve as the lone Democrat in a town known for its deep-red roots, earning him name recognition long before he ever challenged a sitting U.S. Senator. Though he still campaigns as a businessman often using a line he used in his 1990 state Senate run, The problem is politics and politicians. Im running as a businessman, Lamonts politics where undoubtedly shaped by those early years in Greenwich. Lamont, the early days When Lamont was elected, he and Paul Hicks III were the two youngest selectmen to serve on the board in more than a decade. Hicks, 30 at the time, was and soon to become father of now-former White House communications director Hope Hicks. He and Lamont were both newly married with young daughters, and represented a shift in the face of local politics. Henry Fisher II, a 34-year-old elected to the Representative Town Meeting at the time, said there was a concerted grass roots effort among young Republicans to vote for Lamont. And though he was the lone Democrat on the board, Lamont gained a reputation for voting his conscience rather than along party lines. In local government, you take off your partisan hat, Lamont said this week. In local government and local issues there is not a partisan way to pick up the snow, and I think I learned a lot from that. In 1989, Lamont turned down an invitation from his party to run for First Selectman. Party leadership at the time said Lamonts bi-partisan support made him the best shot at electing a Democrat to the post for the first time since the 1930s. But Lamont declined to run. He couldnt take on the full-time position while also running his fledgling business. It is true we wanted him to run for first selectman because he is the best candidate, form DTC chairman Alma Rutgers said at the time. It would just come to him naturally. Instead, he found himself on the 12-member Board of Estimate and Taxation, where he was often the lone Democrat to side with Republicans on the town budget, spending, taxes and a controversial property revaluation. He butted heads with members of his own party just as often as he did with Republicans, news reports from the time show. The budget crisis of 1990 Ned Lamonts political timeline 1987 - Elected to the Greenwich Board of Selectmen alongside Republican Paul Hicks III. 1989 - Declines to run for First Selectman. Is elected to the Board of Estimate and Taxation. 1990 - Lamont runs a "spirited" campaign for the state Senate, drawing Republican contributions and votes as a "fiscally conservative Democrat" but falls short in the election. 1991 - Gov. Lowell Weicker attempts to appoint Lamont State Ethics Chief, but Lamont is deemed ineligible because of his recent political campaign. 1993 - Lamont resigns from his post on the BET. 2006 - Lamont runs for U.S. Senate against incumbent Joe Lieberman. Defeats Lieberman in the Democratic primary, but loses the general election. 2010 - Lamont loses a challenge to Dannel P. Malloy in the Democratic primary for governor. 2018 - Lamont is the Democratic nominee for governor See More Collapse After a year on the town finance board, Lamont decided to challenge a sitting Republican for his state Senate seat in the 36th district, representing Greenwich and part of Stamford. The bipartisan support he picked up in local politics positioned him to do the same in his run for the state legislature. Lamonts fundraising efforts surpassed his opponents at the time because he was pulling in contributions from both Republicans and Democrats. Republicans like Scott Frantz, who currently represents Greenwich in the same seat Lamont tried for, and Rene Anselmo, whos son Reverge Anselmo has this year poured more than $1 million into political action committees supporting GOP nominee Bob Stefanowski, contributed to Lamonts 1990 campaign. The campaign issues at the time sound familiar today a looming budget deficit, an impending transportation crisis and people leaving the state for lower taxes in states like Florida, and that was before the implementation of the state income tax, news reports show. Frankly the state was sort of in a similar pickle to where we are today, Lamont said. In 1990 we had an enormous real estate-led recession. You had probably the highest sales tax in the country, certainly the highest corporate income tax in the country. You had very high tax on capital gains. And despite all of those very high rates, you were looking in the eyes of a huge deficit ... they were skipping payments to the pension fund. I was running as a pro-business person who said, Hey maybe you want to have a Democrat up there to work with the majority party. It hasnt changed all that much. Lamont lost the election, Republicans far outnumbered Democrats in the district, and he returned to the finance board for several more contentious years. When he resigned in 1989, he said it was to focus on his family he had two children and a third on the way and his growing business. Lamont stayed out of campaigning until he challenged Joe Lieberman for his U.S. Senate seat in 2006, but served on a state finance board appointed by Gov. Lowell Weiker in the 1990s. In 1995 I was sitting there shouting that if the state doesnt put its share into the pension, youre going to have a mess, Lamont recalled. The more things change, the more they stay the same. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt The BJP has never won a seat in Mizoram, but has contested five times. Guwahati: With declaration of elections in frontier state of Mizoram on November 28, the battlelines are drawn as for ruling Congress, it is the last battleground in the Northeast to defend its presence in the region, whereas the BJP sees the polls as an opportunity to accomplish its agenda of a Congress-Mukt Northeast. The BJP has never won a seat in Mizoram, but has contested five times. However, saffron surge in northeastern states in past two years has given reason to the party to make in roads in other Christian states of the region. In 2016, five northeastern states Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram had Congress-led governments but in last two years, only Mizoram rem-ains under Congress rule. The BJP began its journey in the Northeast with its victory in Assam in 2016. Over the next two years, it won the elections in Manipur and Tripura, entered the Arunachal Pradesh government through the back door and became partner in the ruling coalitions of Meghalaya and Nagaland. The think-tank of the party believes that a victory in Mizoram would consolidate the position of the party in Northeast but it may not be in a position to clean sweep the elections. This was more visible when BJP general secretary in charge of the Northeast Ram Madhav on Friday said, All Mizoram voters will elect a non-Congress government. The indication of BJP general secretary was towards regional Mizo National Front (MNF), which is also the part of BJP, led Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA). Strategically being a Christian state, it is believed that MNF may not enter into any pre-poll electoral alliance with BJP, but in post poll scenario BJP will certainly be the part of the alliance. If insiders are to be believed BJP was more focused on opening its account in Mizoram instead of fielding candidates on all the seats. The BJP leadership was also assessing its performance earlier this year in Meghalaya and Nagaland. It won just two out of the 47 seats it contested in Meghalaya and 12 out of 20 seats it fought in Nagaland. ANSONIA-Five down and at least 36 more to go. Several city businesses donated money to the First Baptist Churchs police department fund-raising event to purchase at least 41 ballistic helmets for the citys police department. Maude Hinson, wife of the Rev. John Hinson, told those gathered Sunday at the third annual Back the Blue fund-raising event Crave restaurant, Fitzpatricks car dealership, Fletcher-Thompson architects, Liberty Bank and Valley Electric and Lighting each agreed to fund the purchase of one helmet. Peoples United Bank also made a sizable donation to be used to either purchase equipment or pay for the fund-raising efforts. Were grateful for all the help we received, Hinson said. But theres more work to be done. Bad Sons brewery in Derby will be conducting a month-long event later this year to help Hinson reach her $40,000 goal. Thats a big event, Hinson said. We may have some smaller ones along the way. At least 100 people attended Sunday afternoons event at the church located on 237 Prindle Avenue. It came at a time that Mayor David Cassetti is readying the unveiling of a new police headquarters to be located downtown on 65 Main Street. This is an opportunity for us to show our appreciation to the Ansonia Police Department for what their officers do every day, said State Sen. George Logan, a city resident. They allow us to enjoy all the perks and freedoms and rarely do they ever ask us to help them...Lets help keep them safe on a daily basis. Police Chief Kevin Hale said shortly after the 2016 shootings of police officers in Houston and Baton Rouge he was approached by the Hinsons who offered to conduct the first Police Appreciation day. They said theyd also like to raise money for us and asked: What do you need? Hale recalled. So he thought about it. He decided the best equipment would be items enabling first responders to reach and treat victims in a mass shooting. In those incidents the wounded victims often bleed out because first responders cant safely reach them, Hale said. So the first year the $9,000 raised was used to purchase belt trauma kits for each officer. Last year the $17,000 raised purchased three collapsible ballistic shields. The Farrel-Pomini Co., one of the Valleys oldest businesses, purchased one. This year Maude Hinson convinced three downtown restaurantsCopper City Grill, Crave and Lulu Pazzoto conduct Tip-A-Cop nights to bolster the fund raising. However Hinson plans to keep the fund-raising going until January. And then shell start working on bigger plans for next years event. Id love to raffle a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, she said. So if they are reading this, please contact me. (People can donate by visiting www.firstbaptistansonia.com and clicking on the Honor Ansonia Blue shield or mailing a check to First Baptist Church, 235 Prindle Avenue, Ansonia, Ct. 06401. WALLINGFORD Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will participate in live events with audiences across North America, and one of the stops on the tour will be the Toyota Oakdale Theatre. The Clintons announced their tour Monday. It will include a visit to four cities in 2018 and nine in 2019. They are scheduled to make the Connecticut stop April 26. Tickets for the event go on sale Oct. 11 at 10 a.m. through a Live Nation pre-sale. For the general public, tickets will be available Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. Tickets range from $75-$750. HAMDEN - The Rough Draft nearly drowned in the heavy rain and flooding that hit town Sept. 25. But thanks to some quick thinking, hard work, and support from the local music community, it made it through the storm. Karen Robinson, co-owner of the bar and music venue, said Monday that, as the water rushed in, employees moved some appliances up onto the stage, preventing them from being inundated. The water continued to rise, but stopped just at the lip of the platform. Robinson said other appliances were damaged in the storm - the grease trap, a fridge, a cooler. But the damage could have been worse, she said. The water drained away, thanks in part to a sump pump. And after some recovery work, including bleaching the place, repainting and having some appliances repaired, the venue reopened Thursday. It could have been a lot worse, said Robinson. Were definitely lucky. Robinson said she and co-owner Chris Scionti were conflicted about whether to reopen after the flood, as business has not been what they had hoped in their first three months of operating the place. More patronage would be appreciated, she said shed like people to come through, hear some good music and have something to eat. But the music community responded, offering to hold benefit concerts and raise money after the flood, she said. Their offers of support compelled Rough Drafts owners to keep going, Robinson said; the crisis brought the place and the community closer together. It was heartwarming, said Robinson. On behalf of The Rough Draft crew, she shared thanks from the bottom of our hearts to those who offered to help. More information about The Rough Draft, including specials and music and event listings, are available on its Facebook page. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com 3 1 of 3 North Haven Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 North Haven Police Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3 NORTH HAVEN Town police are looking for a man accused of fraudulently spending nearly $2,000 at the Washington Avenue Stop & Shop Friday. The man made two separate purchases, police said Monday on Facebook: one of $977.41 at 11:09 a.m., the other of $990 at 11:10 a.m. MIDDLETOWN The statue of Christopher Columbus that was disfigured in 2017 has yet to be repaired, even as the city commemorated the day set aside for the 15th-century explorer. The nose of the granite statue, which stands in Harbor Park, is chipped away. Cristoforo Colombo, as the engraving reads, stood under clouded skies Monday, looking north toward the Arrigoni Bridge over the Connecticut River, clutching closed his floor-length cape with a scroll in hand. In 2016, a vandal (or vandals) crossed out the description of Columbus as discoverer of America on the base of the statue. The words looter, murderer, rapist and genocidal were written on the base, one word for each of the monuments four sides. It was act that angered and disgusted many Italian-American residents of the city. Its not uncommon for Middletowns statue to be damaged in such a way. Years ago, the bronze plaque on the statue was scratched by vandals and soon repaired. The Columbus Quincentennial Committee of Middletown, whose members were either Italian immigrants or children of immigrants, established the monument on Columbus Day 1996. The monument inscription reads in celebration of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Efforts involving the Middletown Commission on the Arts are under way to identify a sculptor to repair the statue. The panel will meet at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the arts office at City Hall, 245 deKoven Drive, Room B-11. The panel will eventually make suggestions to the Public Works Department. Presently, the statue is under 24 hour surveillance to deter any further vandalism. The vandalism underscores the complications that arise when America is asked to confront the complexities of its history. A number of cities, including most dramatically Columbus, Ohio, and states, no longer celebrate Columbus Day. Instead, many places now recognize Indigenous Peoples Day , in memory of the many and varied native cultures that disappeared in the wake of the arrival of Columbus and other European explorers. While Italian Americans see the Genoa-born explorer as a national hero, others, especially descendants of indigenous people , see Columbus as an agent of exploitation and oppression. Even the suggestion Columbus discovered America has come under fire. An article in The New York Times Friday, for instance, noted Vikings arrived in North America 500 years before Columbuss voyage of discovery. Reporter Jeff Mill covers East Hampton, Cromwell and Portland for the Middletown Press. Contact him at jeff.mill@hearstmediact.com. WEST HAVEN U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is calling for a VA Inspector Generals Office investigation of the West Haven VA hospitals sterilization procedures in the face of continued whistle-blower complaints even as the VA works to improve. Whistleblowers have told Blumenthals office that problems persist causing medical procedures to be postponed or moved elsewhere at the last minute while monthly procedures at the West Haven VA have plummeted as the hospital addresses the problems. Among other ramifications of the West Haven VAs problems have been an inordinate number of VA medical procedures outsourced to Yale New Haven Hospital, Blumenthal, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, wrote in a recent letter. I write to request a review of the policies and procedures for sterile processing operations at the VA Connecticut Health System in West Haven ... to identify and and all problems that are preventing medical professionals from delivering quality and timely care to patients, he wrote in an Oct. 3 letter to VA Inspector General Michael J. Missal. I am surprised in fact, even somewhat stunned by the apparent magnitude of cancellations and other issues that could impact the timeliness and quality and safety of surgical care, Blumenthal said in an interview Monday. These impacts are plainly unacceptable such as the number of monthly procedures plummeting from 360 to between 50 and 90, as well as the number of surgeries transferred to Yale New Haven, Blumenthal said. Frankly, were receiving whistleblower calls indicating the deficiencies in sterile procedures are resulting in so much ... outsourcing to Yale New Haven, he said. So what were asking is that the Office of Inspector General do its oversight, as seems very necessary at this point. We want to know whether patients are being placed at risk, what improvements are necessary and what the VA is doing about these, he said. Blumenthal said he also mentioned the issue directly to the VA secretary at a recent hearing. Im raising these issues at the highest level of the VA, as well as asking for an Inspector General report, he said. We need to know what will be done to assure that all the equipment and procedures meet the highest standards of safety, quality and cleanliness. Blumenthals call for an investigation comes in the wake of redoubled efforts to tighten VA procedures in West Haven after a VA triannual survey earlier this year found approximately 50 shortcomings in the facilitys sterilization department. But while Blumenthals staff was told during a Sept. 5 visit that the hospital was implementing recommendations from two VA panels, whistleblower reports continue to contradict that claim and question the effectiveness of these new policies and practices, Blumenthal wrote. These conflicting reports warrant an investigation to ensure the safety and well-being of patients while the West Haven VA addresses the deficiencies in their sterilization department, he wrote. According to one West Haven VA medical professional, the number of monthly procedures carried out has plummeted from 360 to between 50 and 90, with many cancellations occurring shortly before scheduled procedures, Blumenthal wrote. The West Haven VA leadership explained that they are operating at a limited capacity in order to address the Joint Commissions and VAs recommendation, the letter says. However, whistleblower reports claim these cancellations are due to sterile processing operations and are resulting in a disproportionate number of patients being outsourced to Yale New Haven Hospital. Among other problems, the West Haven VA disclosed in response to Congressional inquiry that on Aug. 10, two surgical trays were found to be contaminated, resulting in the last-minutes cancellation of two surgical procedures, and surgical diversion resulted in the cancellation of nine procedures planned for Aug. 13, Blumenthal wrote. He said it was particularly important that the Inspector Generals office conduct oversight on the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures ... for sterilizing surgical equipment because, while the West Haven VA has hired new leadership to ensure compliance, my office continues to receive reports that employees are following their own set of standards... The West Haven VA recently has hired about 30 new sterilization employees, but it is crucial that new hires possess the appropriate credentials for sterilizing equipment, Blumenthal wrote. He said by phone that generally, I find that veterans are pleased and satisfied with the care that they receive at the West Haven facility, so Im hoping that the management there is working hard on improvements. But this OIG scrutiny may help provide additional insight. Im hoping that this will be sort of a temporary aberration ...and that the highly-dedicated staff and management at the VA, will correct the issues, Blumenthal said. A VA team specializing in the maintenance of sterile conditions spent four days at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System hospital in West Haven in May, followed by a six-day visit by the national director of the program. The team from the National VA Sterile Processing Services, or SPS, program visited to review the local program and offer recommendations for improvement and education to SPS staff, the VA said at the time. Since then, Blumenthal has asked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs acting chief to approve $17 million for a project to build a new sterilization plant at the West Haven VA hospital. The West Haven VA was cited by the VA Inspector Generals office in 2014 for having dirty operating rooms as well as inadequate supervision and a high absentee rate. At that time, the VA Inspector General concluded that terminal cleaning procedures in the (VA operating room) are not performed appropriately and the hospitals Environmental Management Services has insufficient staff resources assigned to the OR. Farm distress key issue in our campaign: RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary. New Delhi: The Congress will have to be most accommodating and give respect and support to the smaller parties for a true rainbow coalition to emerge, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) vice-president Jayant Chaudhary said Sunday. He, however, expressed confidence that a series of state-specific alliances, where like-minded parties would come together on an anti-BJP platform, was likely for the 2019 general election. Farm distress will be a key issue in our campaign, Mr Chaudhary told PTI in an interview. RLD candidate Tabassum Hasan, who was supported by the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress, had triumphed over her Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rival in the Kairana bypoll earlier this year and the Ajit Singh-led party has been advocating a grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Mr Chaudhary, the son of RLD president Ajit Singh and the grandson of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, said both he and his father will contest the 2019 election. However, he added that the constituencies would be announced later. On the BSPs decision to go alone in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls, he said BSP chief Mayawati had communicated her partys decision with regard to the state polls through her statement. Asked if the Congress would have to be more accommodating to give enough space to the regional parties, Chaudhary said, The Congress is the largest Opposition party in Parliament today. Definitely, it will have to be most accommodating and give respect and support to the smaller parties for a true rainbow coalition to emerge. But also, to increase the size of the pie, I think all the partners will need to not stress on individual sizes as much. Talking about the farmers march to Delhi last week, the RLD leader said the demands raised during the yatra received a huge support. In the past, there have been many social agitations in Delhi with a large number of people extending support. However, never have we seen a government so fearful of opposing voices, he said. HAMDEN Firefighters responded to a natural gas leak in the Spring Glen area early Monday morning. The Hamden Fire Department said the leak was reported on Whitney Avenue near Thornton Street around 7:50 a.m. As of 8 a.m., the department is working with the gas company to meter the area. The extent of the leak is currently unknown. Nishant Agrawal was nabbed in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads at BrahMos' Wardha Road facility. The engineer was living in a rented accommodation on Wardha Road since the last year, his landlord Manohar Kale said. Kale said police team arrived at the building at 5.30 am and was there till 5 pm. (Representational Image) Nagpur: A engineer with the BrahMos Aerospace unit near here was arrested Monday for allegedly leaking "technical information" to Pakistan, an official said. Nishant Agrawal was nabbed in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) at BrahMos' Wardha Road facility, an ATS official said. The engineer was living in a rented accommodation on Wardha Road since the last year, his landlord Manohar Kale said. Kale said police team arrived at the building at 5.30 am and was there till 5 pm. Kale said Agrawal hails from Roorkee and got married two months ago. "He was staying with his wife here and had given his Aadhar card copy and a certificate from his employer to me while moving in," he said. BrahMos Aerospace was formed as a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the 'Military Industrial Consortium' 'NPO Mashinostroyenia' of Russia. The company was established in India through an inter-governmental agreement signed on February 12, 1998, between India and Russia. The name BrahMos represents the fury of the Brahmaputra and the grace of the Moskva rivers. When Ned Lamont made his first foray into politics more than three decades ago, he was a bright-eyed 33-year-old who had just started a business. He was ambitious, full of optimism and opinion about how his new hometown of Greenwich and the state should employ business tactics in government. He wanted to get involved. So when someone asked him after his first campaign speech in 1987, why he thought he could represent Greenwich on its three-member Board of Selectmen after living in town for just four years, he was taken aback and called the question hostile, news reports from the time show. Now, jaded by decades of brutal campaigns and a current election cycle thats turned negative more often than not, Lamont, the Democratic nominee for governor, laughs at his naivete. In hindsight that was a pretty legitimate question, Lamont said. Especially for local government. You have to know the community. People expect you to know the community. Lamont went on to win the election that year and serve as the lone Democrat in a town known for its deep-red roots, earning him name recognition long before he ever challenged a sitting U.S. Senator. Though he still campaigns as a businessman often using a line he used in his 1990 state Senate run, The problem is politics and politicians. Im running as a businessman, Lamonts politics where undoubtedly shaped by those early years in Greenwich. Lamont, the early days When Lamont was elected, he and Paul Hicks III were the two youngest selectmen to serve on the board in more than a decade. Hicks, 30 at the time, was and soon to become father of now-former White House communications director Hope Hicks. He and Lamont were both newly married with young daughters, and represented a shift in the face of local politics. Henry Fisher II, a 34-year-old elected to the Representative Town Meeting at the time, said there was a concerted grass roots effort among young Republicans to vote for Lamont. And though he was the lone Democrat on the board, Lamont gained a reputation for voting his conscience rather than along party lines. In local government, you take off your partisan hat, Lamont said this week. In local government and local issues there is not a partisan way to pick up the snow, and I think I learned a lot from that. In 1989, Lamont turned down an invitation from his party to run for First Selectman. Party leadership at the time said Lamonts bi-partisan support made him the best shot at electing a Democrat to the post for the first time since the 1930s. But Lamont declined to run. He couldnt take on the full-time position while also running his fledgling business. It is true we wanted him to run for first selectman because he is the best candidate, form DTC chairman Alma Rutgers said at the time. It would just come to him naturally. Instead, he found himself on the 12-member Board of Estimate and Taxation, where he was often the lone Democrat to side with Republicans on the town budget, spending, taxes and a controversial property revaluation. He butted heads with members of his own party just as often as he did with Republicans, news reports from the time show. Ned Lamonts political timeline 1987 - Elected to the Greenwich Board of Selectmen alongside Republican Paul Hicks III. 1989 - Declines to run for First Selectman. Is elected to the Board of Estimate and Taxation. 1990 - Lamont runs a "spirited" campaign for the state Senate, drawing Republican contributions and votes as a "fiscally conservative Democrat" but falls short in the election. 1991 - Gov. Lowell Weicker attempts to appoint Lamont State Ethics Chief, but Lamont is deemed ineligible because of his recent political campaign. 1993 - Lamont resigns from his post on the BET. 2006 - Lamont runs for U.S. Senate against incumbent Joe Lieberman. Defeats Lieberman in the Democratic primary, but loses the general election. 2010 - Lamont loses a challenge to Dannel P. Malloy in the Democratic primary for governor. 2018 - Lamont is the Democratic nominee for governor See More Collapse The budget crisis of 1990 After a year on the town finance board, Lamont decided to challenge a sitting Republican for his state Senate seat in the 36th district, representing Greenwich and part of Stamford. The bipartisan support he picked up in local politics positioned him to do the same in his run for the state legislature. Lamonts fundraising efforts surpassed his opponents at the time because he was pulling in contributions from both Republicans and Democrats. Republicans like Scott Frantz, who currently represents Greenwich in the same seat Lamont tried for, and Rene Anselmo, whos son Reverge Anselmo has this year poured more than $1 million into political action committees supporting GOP nominee Bob Stefanowski, contributed to Lamonts 1990 campaign. The campaign issues at the time sound familiar today a looming budget deficit, an impending transportation crisis and people leaving the state for lower taxes in states like Florida, and that was before the implementation of the state income tax, news reports show. Frankly the state was sort of in a similar pickle to where we are today, Lamont said. In 1990 we had an enormous real estate-led recession. You had probably the highest sales tax in the country, certainly the highest corporate income tax in the country. You had very high tax on capital gains. And despite all of those very high rates, you were looking in the eyes of a huge deficit ... they were skipping payments to the pension fund. I was running as a pro-business person who said, Hey maybe you want to have a Democrat up there to work with the majority party. It hasnt changed all that much. Lamont lost the election, Republicans far outnumbered Democrats in the district, and he returned to the finance board for several more contentious years. When he resigned in 1989, he said it was to focus on his family he had two children and a third on the way and his growing business. Lamont stayed out of campaigning until he challenged Joe Lieberman for his U.S. Senate seat in 2006, but served on a state finance board appointed by Gov. Lowell Weiker in the 1990s. In 1995 I was sitting there shouting that if the state doesnt put its share into the pension, youre going to have a mess, Lamont recalled. The more things change, the more they stay the same. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt Six New Jersey stores are among 200 under the Mattress Firm umbrella that will close in the coming days after the Texas company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week. In all 700 stores will be shut down. All the upcoming stores closing in New Jersey are Sleepy's stores, according to court filings. Mattress Firm, which bought Sleepy's in 2016 and Mattress Giant four years before that also owns the Sleep Train Brand. Sleepy's on Route 130 north in East Windsor Sleepy's on Route 46 in Parsippany Sleepy's on Ferry Street in Newark Sleepy's on South Whitehorse Pike in Hammonton Sleepy's on Brunswick Pike in Lawrence Sleepy's on Route 46 in Saddle Brook In court documents, Mattress Firm said the company's previous management team had made several miscalculations as it rebranded more than 1,300 stores it had bought from competitors in the last two years. It has more than 3,200 stores in 49 states. "While these acquisitions allowed (Mattress Firm) to achieve ... presence in markets where they previously had little to no presence, they also led to 'cannibalization' of sales amongst stores in close proximity to each other," the company said. "As a result, many Mattress Firm stores are in direct competition with other Mattress Firm stores, resulting in disappointing sales." The company, founded in 1986, has sales of more than $3 billion. But in court documents, the company said in fiscal year 2018, it is projected to lose about $150 million. In 2016, Mattress Firm was acquired by South Africa-based retailer Steinhoff International Holdings for $3.8 billion. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Miss America 2019, Nia Franklin, may flash her megawatt smile and make regular appearances at high-profile events, but all is not well with the pageant. In the run-up to the Miss America pageant last month, state pageant organizations warred with the Atlantic City-based Miss America Organization after its decision to drop the swimsuit competition. State pageant officials and volunteers said their opposition had much to do with the leadership style of Gretchen Carlson, chairwoman of the Miss America board, and Regina Hopper, CEO of the Miss America Organization, and little to do with the swimsuit change. Now, the conflict has come to a head again as several states have had their licenses revoked by the national organization. The Associated Press reports that four states have received notices from the Miss America Organization saying their licenses have been revoked, including Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Georgia. This means these states are no longer part of the pageant and have to give their scholarship money to the Miss America Organization. A group of about 15 more states have been threatened with probation. The Miss America Organization would not talk about the moves, saying the actions regarding state pageants is confidential. In July, following the swimsuit decision and the announcement of the revamped pageant, a group of 22 representatives of state pageants, including Sally Johnston, executive director of the Miss New Jersey pageant, signed a petition calling for the resignation of Carlson, Hopper and the entire Miss America board. In the days before the pageant, that number had more than doubled to 46 state representatives. Joining them were a group of 11 former Miss Americas which swelled to 23 on a petition that called for state and local pageant directors and Miss America volunteers to sign their names to a vote of no confidence in the leadership. (The petition now claims more than 22,745 signatures.) Last month, Jennifer Vaden Barth, Miss North Carolina 1991, who says Carlson pushed her off the Miss America board (Carlson denied this and said Barth's contract was always temporary), started an "MAO Leadership Change Fund" GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a legal challenge by state organizations to the Miss America Organization. The campaign, which seeks $100,000 and has so far generated $22,286, also seeks to fund "necessary public relations services to help restore public trust and respect in the governance of the Miss America Organization." The pageant unrest only worsened when Cara Mund, Miss America 2018, wrote a scathing letter alleging that pageant officials Carlson, Miss America 1989, and Hopper, Miss Arkansas 1983, had bullied and silenced her during her reign. Carlson denied the allegations and claimed that Mund's decision to go public with her letter had cost the pageant a potential increase in scholarship money. Carlson and other former titleholders had assumed leadership positions at the pageant starting in January, after a December scandal over the previous CEO's leaked emails (which contained misogynistic comments about former Miss Americas) resulted in his ouster. In September, Franklin, 25, won the 2019 Miss America pageant, becoming the first Miss America to win without having to wear a bathing suit (and the fourth Miss New York in six years to take the title). "I'm worth more than that," Franklin said of the swimsuit competition's exit after the pageant, adding that she was able to eat more as a result of the change. But each contestant in the pageant had competed in swimsuit to win their state crowns, since the change was implemented with just a few months to go before the 2019 pageant. When the decision to drop the swimsuit competition was mentioned during the pageant at Boardwalk Hall, the audience produced a chorus of boos. The internal pageant conflict was palpable in other ways. Save for a contestant arrival ceremony that served as a kickoff to pageant week, Carlson and Hopper did not make public appearances and sat in the post-crowning press conference without addressing media. A day after Franklin was crowned, the Miss America Organization released the results of an internal investigation of Mund's bullying claims. A report found that Mund's claims were without merit, but an investigator never interviewed Mund because the reigning titleholder wanted to wait until after the pageant to conduct an interview. Mund and her lawyer have rejected the pageant's investigation, claiming it was not an independent inquiry because the parties who picked the firm to investigate the allegations are associated with the pageant. Mund, 24, has continued to reference her alleged treatment by pageant officials in videos and posts on Instagram. The Miss America pageant, in keeping with previous years, was down in the ratings for its first broadcast without a swimsuit competition, drawing a total of 4.3 million viewers and losing more than a million viewers from the 2018 pageant. Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook. Malcolm Nettingham doesn't talk much about his place in history. The day he was honored as one of four original Tuskegee Airmen, his daughter, Debbie Nettingham, had no idea what was about to take place when she walked into the Newark Public Library in 2007. "He just said, 'I'm being honored with some other guys in the military,'" Debbie said. Hundreds of people were there when the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg gave the Scotch Plains resident the Congressional Gold Medal with three other airmen men who also lived in New Jersey. "That's when I found out," she said. During World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen overcame discrimination and prejudice to pave the way for full integration of the U.S military with the men and women who supported them. People who know Nettingham were just as stunned as his daughter when they learned for the first time about his military past and receiving the nation's highest civilian honor from Congress. "I'm sort of a low-key person," he said. "I didn't think much of it." A little over a week ago it was all about him, even though he'd prefer that no one make a fuss about his being a historical figure or the latest milestone his life. Nettingham turned 100 years-old on Oct. 1. Family and friends gathered to celebrate over lunch at the Stage House Tavern in Scotch Plains. They talked about his modesty, his pride, his fortitude to endure segregation in the armed forces when African Americans weren't considered capable to serve, let alone operate sophisticated machinery. Nettingham wasn't a pilot, but his contribution was just as significant as the first African American military pilots who didn't lose many bombers during escort missions. Drafted in 1944 at Fort Dix, he was among five African American soldiers selected to integrate a radio communication class in the Army Air Corps. He was assigned to the 617th Squadron, 477th Composite Group and trained as a radio operator/gunner on a B-25 aircraft in 1945. It was an opportunity, Nettingham said, to prove that African American soldiers were intelligent, which wasn't the prevailing thought in America and her military. Congressional Gold Medal that Malcolm Nettingham received in 2007 "They're going to think all black people are dumb, so we decided we're going to be smart," said Nettingham, who often has referred to the integrated class as an experiment. "When we came out of class, the first thing we did was get into the books and make sure that all five of us knew the lessons backwards and forwards." They consistently had the highest grades but, Nettingham was disappointed that his unit didn't get to fight overseas. They had trained for two years, but the war had ended before his composite group could get an assignment. He was honorably discharged in 1946 and later spent 32 years working for an industrial electronics company until his retirement. Nettingham doesn't have any pictures from his time in the military, only the history that he has shared when speaking at middle schools, churches and corporate events. L.C. Carter, a good friend, has listened intently ever since Nettingham told him when they met as members of Metropolitan Baptist Church in Scotch Plains. The retired Navy counselor said his 20-year career in the service couldn't have happened without the military success of Nettingham and the others. "They opened the doors," Carter said. "Because of them, I knew I could be what I wanted to be if I was smart enough." In different conversations on September 29, his life unfolded at the party with the generosity of Drs. Marc and Paul Levinson. The twin brothers are his eye doctors, who have known him for 30 years and wanted to celebrate his birthday. Tuskegee Airman Malcolm Nettingham celebrates his 100th birthday with his daughter Debbie Nettingham and Malcolm V. Nettingham at Stage House Tavern in Scotch Plains on September 29, 2018. "If everyone was like him, we would have a perfect world," said Marc, owner of North Jersey Eye Care Center in Scotch Plains. "There aren't too many people like him." Nor are they living history. Born in 1918, Nettingham's parents moved from New York to Scotch Plains when he was five, living in a small home with 11 siblings, kerosene lamps and an outhouse in the backyard. Malcolm V. Nettingham said his dad's great grandmother was a slave during the Civil War in Virginia; he lived through the Great Depression; segregation and witnessed the election of the first African American president. In his home, he has picture of President Barack and Michelle Obama with a signed letter acknowledging his 98th birthday. He attended both inaugurations, an event that happened sooner than he thought. "He saw it all," his son said. Even now, as the only surviving sibling, he stays busy and is incredibly independent. Nettingham still drives, only locally to the store, to doctor appointments and church, where he's been a member since fourth grade. "Everybody wants to help me more than I really want them to at times," he said. He cooks, cleans, washes and irons his own clothes. His sky blue button-down shirt was pressed and starched; his charcoal gray pants lined with a sharp crease as we chatted over coffee a few days before the celebration. Had he not broken his hip three years ago, Nettingham's family and friends said he probably would still be cleaning out the gutters, shoveling snow and cutting his lawn. Tuskegee Airman Malcolm Nettingham celebrates his 100th birthday with friends and family at Stage House Tavern in Scotch Plains on September 29, 2018. He misses the landscaping, one of his many joys. He misses dancing with his late wife, Lorena, to whom he was married 70 years. From the Lindy Hop to the Electric Slide, they never got old. It would be a treat, too, to see him singing again, leading men's choir, another slice of happiness he misses. Nettingham's tenor voice is not the same after the hip surgery, a possible side effect he said doctors can't explain. He uses a cane for balance, but doesn't have any complaints, even though arthritis has set in. Relying on his calendar to stay organized, not much seems to slow him down. After a few hours with Nettingham, the best advice that this humble and dignified man has for us is simple and plain. Do right by people as we age. "Treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself," he said. Lastly, and most importantly, Nettingham had one more point to make before I was about leave. He called to me from the front door, motioning with his hand so I would return to the front steps. He's lived a good life for a reason. "God has been good to me," he said. "Please make sure you put that in." Not a problem, Mr. Nettingham. Not a problem at all. Happy Birthday, sir. Read More H.S. football player got shot 6 times. And, he just beat the odds. Winning Olympic medals at 92? A look at what may be one of N.J.'s most empowering events. She parked, got towed, and beat the ticket -- twice Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook. It began with a Google search, as almost everything does these days. Deborah Kan was an executive producer for the Wall Street Journal, but the news she'd just received was personal and distressing. Her mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. So she googled "Alzheimer's." What she got was page upon page of ponderous text that left her feeling no more informed than when she began. "So much information comes at you -- a lot of it contradictory and confusing," Kan says. "To me, when you are facing a long-term illness, Google is almost your worst enemy." She's on a mission to change that. Today, if you search topics related to Alzheimer's, you're likely to find an article from Being Patient, the website Kan created as a refuge for people seeking clear answers to the complicated and touchy questions around this complex disease. Deborah Kan shares an affectionate moment with her mother, whose diagnosis led Kan to launch an innovative site serving families dealing with Alzheimer's. (Photo courtesy of Deborah Kan.) "Nobody is taking the time to explain it in layman's terms to the average person who doesn't have a Ph.D.," Kan says. "We are constantly delving into the information needs of our community and filling the gaps. We are serving needs like end-of-life issues and genetics -- things people aren't finding good information on." In addition to the website, Being Patient offers a Facebook page that has attracted more than 7,700 followers and features regular Facebook Live interviews with leading researchers. Recent guests have included Dr. Bruce Miller, head of the Global Brain Health Institute, discussing how dementia affects behavior and personality, and Dr. Marie Pasinski, of the Harvard Medical School, on why Alzheimer's strikes more women than men. "I quickly realized there was a need for people to access the research," Kan says. "We poll our community and say, 'We're thinking about these topics, which one do you want to hear about now?'" These live discussions give people with Alzheimer's and their families direct access to top researchers, which Kan says is "powerful." But she's found the benefits go both ways. "We're not only giving people information on research, but connecting the researchers to people in a way that creates synergy in research," she says. "The researchers wanted more connectivity with the care-giver population because they're the ones on the front lines of this disease." Kan is an award-winning journalist whose resume include being the only journalist from Asia to cover the New York Philharmonic's historic tour of North Korea in 2008 and breaking the story about Google's criticism of the National Security Agency in 2013. More recently, she was executive producer of video for the Wall Street Journal -- until fate propelled her in a new direction. "You don't choose Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's chooses you," she says. "I was very drawn to this problem. I wasn't intending to quit my job at the Wall Street Journal, but I realized there was a big problem out there that needs to be addressed." She started out seeking to educate herself, and was frustrated to find a dearth of good information. No one source seemed to be following the latest in Alzheimer's research. Or tackling the sensitive issues that patients and care-givers are confronted with. Being Patient is structured around such needs. It offers frequent updates on studies exploring Alzheimer's prevention and treatment. It has sections devoted to brain health, genetics, diagnosis and medication. It also offers a weekly newsletter featuring the latest developments in Alzheimer's research and brain health. In the "Voices" section, people tell their personal stories and offer the kind of sage advice that can only come from living with the condition. Kan says that's one of the more important roles the site serves. "We realized there was a huge need, along with good information, for a degree of emotional comfort," she says. "Who better to provide advice and comfort along the way? 'What is it I can expect next?' 'What do I need to know as we enter a new stage?'" She cites, for example, one of the most shared articles the site has published yet. It's a taut, agonizing account of what it's like to die of Alzheimer's, written by Jasja De Smedt Kotterman and based on the final three months of her mother's life after an eight-year struggle with the disease. "I had searched long and hard about how my mother was going to die of Alzheimer's," Kan says. "It's a topic everyone thinks about, but nobody had addressed. We realized pretty quickly you can't ignore a lot of these topics. You can see how these stories get shared over and over, because again, that's serving a need for better information." Equally important, she says, is the way Being Patient is giving greater voice to patients and families. "That, to me, is empowerment," Kan says. "I live this weird double life right now because I've been through that with my own mother. We're talking and then we realize she's here and we're not asking her what her opinion is." While Kan brings stellar journalistic credentials to the work she does, she does not have a medical background. So with the launch of Being Patient, she assembled a panel of advisors that includes medical experts, researchers and patient advocates. "It was important to get people with that credibility behind this," she says. Now that Being Patient is in its second year, she continues to focus on listening to her audience and finding innovative ways to serve them. But her vision reaches far beyond that. She sees a day when her organization will be known as a trusted source of unbiased information for a range of major diseases. "We view this as our launching pad," she says. "When we figure out the right formula for Alzheimer's, and I think we're figuring it out, we're not going to stop there. We believe we are creating a new model to give people better information on long-term health issues." Tony Dearing may be reached at tdearing@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyDearing. Find NJ.com on Facebook. JERSEY CITY The father of a 23-month-old girl found dead in a pink suitcase along train tracks near Journal Square is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday morning in Hudson County Superior Court. Travis Plummer, 37, was charged with desecrating the remains of his daughter, Te'Myah Layauna Plummer, and was tracked down to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was arrested on April 19. Following the April 11 discovery of the infant's body on train tracks near the Journal Square Transportation Center, local homicide investigators were contacted by the Richmond Police Department in Virginia, which was investigating the whereabouts of Te'Myah and Plummer, officials said. Authorities in Viriginia had asked for the public's assistance in locating Plummer and the young girl, saying family members had not heard from the two since August. They said they may be in Jersey City or North Carolina. Plummer was charged with felony child neglect in 2004 when his 8-month-old son drowned in a bathtub. He told police he had tried to perform CPR, which records indicate was not true, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child abuse in the 2004 case and served one year in jail. His other criminal convictions include child abuse, abduction, and weapons offenses, according to the report. Plummer was extradited from Puerto Rico and made his first appearance on the charge in Hudson County on July 6. He entered a plea of not guilty at the hearing. Although originally charged with the desecration of his daughter's remains, information on the charges Plummer was ultimately indicted on by the grand jury in Hudson County was not available Monday due to the Columbus Day holiday. Plummer is scheduled to be arraigned before Hudson County Superior Court Judge Patrick Arre at 9 a.m. in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. JERSEY CITY A lawyer for six of the eight people whose contracts with the school district were not renewed by the school board in June has told the district they intend to sue, citing potential discrimination claims over the action and claiming over $5 million in damages each. Seven of the eight people terminated at the board's June 29 meeting are people of color, and five are black women, the attorney, Christopher C. Roberts, noted in a Sept. 19 letter to the school district. The letter serves as a "notice of claim," which signals to a public entity that a lawsuit against it is in the works. Roberts' clients are Brian Hinds, Heather Martindale, Veda Rencher, Augusto Velastegui, Rosetta Wilson and Celeste Williams. They have suffered damages including severe economic loss, lost income, lost annual salary, embarrassment, humiliation, pain and suffering, according to Roberts. The notices allege potential claims of breach of contract, wrongful termination, intentional infliction of emotional distress and more. The school board fired the eight people "without any notice and/or due process, without giving them an opportunity to be heard and without even reviewing the ousted employees' job descriptions and/or performance evaluations," the letter reads. District spokeswoman Maryann Dickar declined to comment. "Under counsel's advice and long-standing practice we do not comment on matters surrounding ongoing litigations, notices of claim and allegations that ultimately cost public taxpayer money, precious dollars that should be in the class room educating the 30,000 children of Jersey City," Board of Education president Sudhan Thomas said in a statement. The June 29 board meeting was an unusual one even for this board, which in 2018 has seen the teachers union president banging on and kicking tables and chairs during one session, a school board member issue a verbal smackdown of one of his colleagues during another and the board award a contract to a food vendor only to rescind the contract three weeks later. When the board convened for the meeting, it had a list of 18 employees whose contracts needed to be renewed with a board vote after some spent years working for the district without annual approval by board members. One by one the body voted, renewing some of the contracts and not renewing others, all as many of the 18 people sat watching. One of the eight people terminated was the district's top attorney, Hope Blackburn. Another was the district's HR director, Williams. The votes for non-renewal were all split votes. Board members who voted to retain all 18 workers said the board's move were nutty and asked the state to investigate. Thomas said some of the dismissed workers were people "with creative titles and paid fat cat salaries but they did not hold the required certification for their jobs and functions." Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. JERSEY CITY -- A Hudson County Superior Court judge ordered the man accused of gunning down a 33-year-old in Jersey City to be detained through the course of his prosecution. Michael Weathersbee Jr., 25, was arrested on Sept. 26 around 10:30 p.m. and charged with the murder of Laquan Clark on Sept. 23, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. At a detention hearing Friday it was revealed that Weathersbee has one prior criminal conviction for a drug offense. Weathersbee also has a prior disorderly persons conviction for a drug offense. Hudson County Superior Court Judge Paul Depascale ruled that there was no condition or combination of conditions that could be imposed on Weathersbee to ensure that he show up for his next court hearing and deter him from threatening a witness if released. The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office has not offered Weathersbee a plea offer at this time and the date of his next court appearance was not yet available as of Monday. On Sept. 23, Clark was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside a car on New Street at approximately 2:10 a.m. and taken to nearby hospital where he died, according to authorities. Suarez said Clark was shot in the head and torso. Weathersbee was arrested three days later at the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office in Jersey City without incident. In addition to the murder charge, he also faces multiple weapons offenses, Suarez said. Clark's mother, Stacey Clark, said her son had lived with kidney failure for years. He was slated to receive a new organ on Sept. 22, but the donation fell through when the proposed donor survived after being taken off life support, the victim's mother said. The state was represented by Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Lynne Seborowski at the detention hearing in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. Weathersbee was represented by Jersey City defense attorney Max Novel. The Congress had last week said there was no contradiction in the partys stand at the national and state level on the issue. Kochi: Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Sunday defended the stand of partys Kerala unit seeking a review of the Supreme Court judgment allowing women of all ages to enter the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala and urged the Central and state governments to take a call on the issue. They (state unit leaders) are the best judges to connect with the local tradition, historical practices and sentiments to ensure there is a balance, he told reporters here. His comments come amid protests in the state against the CPI(M)-led LDF governments decision not to seek review of the apex court order and the state Congress and BJP expressing support to the cause of the Hindu faithful. There is a debate which is on and that debate should conclude in a healthy manner eventually. This is the essence of democracy, Mr Sharma, here for a party meeting, said. Replying to a question, he said it was for the Central and the state governments to decide on filing a review plea in the Supreme Court. Opposition does not take a call on such matters, he said. Kerala Pradesh Cong-ress Committee (KPCC) president Mullappally Ramachandran has urged the state government to convene an all-party meet to discuss the present developments. He had said the Congress would support the government if it filed a review petition against the Supreme Court verdict, which lifted the restrictions imposed on the entry of women belonging to the age group of 10-50 in the hill shrine. The Congress had last week said there was no contradiction in the partys stand at the national and state level on the issue. Congress chief spokesp-erson Randeep Singh Surjewala had said the verdict was final and binding and there cannot be any discrimination on the ground of gender as per the countrys Constitution. He had also said the Kerala unit of the Cong-ress was only expressing the sentiments of the people of the state by demanding a review of the apex courts verdict. JERSEY CITY -- Opening statements are slated for Tuesday in the murder trial of a Jersey City man who has been jailed for more than eight years while he awaits his day in court. Anthony Shuler was 19 years old when he was arrested following a motor vehicle stop in Clifton on charges that he fatally shot Darren Edwards on June 28, 2010 at the corner of Duncan and Olean avenues in Jersey City. Opening statements for Shuler's trial will be presented by the prosecution and defense in the courtroom of Hudson County Superior Court Judge Patrick Arre in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. In February 2016, Shuler's case became complicated when the state charged Robert Dawson, Eric Dawson and Golden Williamson with tampering and conspiracy to murder two witnesses who were expected to testify during Shuler's trial. Two months later, the state obtained a superseding indictment against the three men, in addition to Shuler, whose murder charge was included in the new indictment. That meant the four would be tried together. The delay in Shuler's trial was the result of numerous pretrial motions, hearings, an appeal of a judge's ruling, the witness tampering allegations, the pregnancy of a witness and other factors. His first trial date originally scheduled for June 2015. The witness tampering charges stemmed from recorded telephone conversations Shuler had while in jail. Because a reference was made to Shuler's attorney during the phone calls, the state moved to disqualify her from representing him. The trial judge agreed with the prosecution and the state appellate court upheld the trial judge's decision after it was appealed. That took more time. Over the years, the defense filed motions for a speedy trial a few times. Although it was expected that Shuler would be tried with his codefendants, that too has changed. Robert Dawson pleaded guilty on Sept 17 to the second-degree crime of conspiracy and witness tampering to cause false testimony. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 9, according to state judiciary records. His twin, Eric Dawson, pleaded guilty to second-degree witness tampering to cause false testimony on the same day and is set to be sentenced on Oct. 26, the records indicate. The charges against Williamson were dismissed at the request of the prosecution on Sept. 19, according to the records. Shuler, who is now being tried alone, faces 30 years to life in state prison if convicted of murder. Oriental Hamlet, left, and Bijan Cooper are charged with the 2017 murder of Alshaakir Talmadge. JERSEY CITY -- A Jersey City teenager accused of killing a deaf man when he crashed a stolen vehicle during a police chase in January has now been charged with murdering a man on a city street last year. Oriental J. Hamlet, 19, is charged with murdering Alshaakir Talmadge, 20, of Jersey City, on June 14, 2017 on Union Street near Martin Luther King Drive, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced Monday. Bijan Cooper, 20, is also charged with the murder of Talmadge, who was found with bullet wounds to his upper body by Jersey City police. Talmadge was unresponsive and was immediately treated at the scene by EMTs before being rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at about 11:40 p.m., Suarez said. Hamlet and Cooper were arrested Friday on charges that also include conspiracy to commit murder and weapons offenses related to firearms, Suarez said, adding that Cooper was also charged with filing a false report. Hamlet is already charged with crashing through a bus stop on Kennedy Boulevard and striking Umar King, 33, who was standing at 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 23. King, who worked at FedEx, was a father and beloved volunteer sign language teacher in Jersey City, died after being thrown more than 100 feet after the impact, officials said. As a juvenile, Hamlet was adjudicated delinquent on charges of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a minor. On the morning of the crash, a sheriff's officer spotted Hamlet driving 70 miles per hour and running red lights on Kennedy Boulevard. The officer pursued and pulled over the SUV driven by Hamlet. But Hamlet hit the gas and took off again, authorities said. Eight blocks later Hamlet ran the red light at Communipaw Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard, smashing into another vehicle. Hamilton's vehicle then "barreled through the bus stop where King was standing. Hamlet and a 17-year-old in the vehicle got away but a 16-year-old passenger was chased and caught by police. Officials said. Hamlet was arrested two days later and charged with aggravated manslaughter, death by auto, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, eluding police, resisting arrest, and driving without a license, officials said. Following his arrest connected to King's death, a judge ordered him detained though the course of his prosecution and he was remanded to the Hudson County jail in Kearny. Hamlet and Cooper face 30 years to life in prison on the murder charges if convicted. A 20-year-old Jersey City man will face up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing a father of three by shooting him in the back last year. Jose L. Mojica pleaded guilty Wednesday to the aggravated manslaughter of Donald McLaughlin III, of Union City, on Central Avenue near Graham Street in Jersey City on Oct. 5, 2017. Responding officers administered first aid to the victim, who was pronounced dead at 8:55 p.m. at the Jersey City Medical Center. He also suffered apparent blunt force trauma to his head, officials said. On the day of the homicide, the victim's father, Donald McLaughlin II, told The Jersey Journal that on the night of the shooting he was watching TV when his younger son burst through the door yelling "They're shooting at us. ... I think they shot Donnie!" The man said he ran outside and saw his son on the ground across the street with his eyes wide open. He was unresponsive. Donald McLaughlin III was engaged to be married to the mother of his 3-year-old daughter, his father said, adding that his son also has two children, a 17- and 18-year-old who live in Florida. Following his arrest, a judge ordered Mojica detained through the course of his prosecution and he has since been incarcerated at the Hudson County jail in Kearny. Mojica pleaded guilty before Hudson County Superior Court Judge Mitzy Galis-Menendez. She will sentence him on Dec. 14. The first-degree crime carries a sentence of 10 to 30 years. A Jamaican woman who illegally reentered the country to flee an uncle who raped her has been in ICE custody at Hudson County jail for a year and a half, according to The New York Daily News. The woman, a New York City resident, said she was raped and tortured by her uncle in Jamaica for months in 2008. She reentered the United States around 2011 after being deported twice because she heard her uncle was looking for her in Jamaica, The Daily News reported. A mother of two, the woman was arrested at her home in May 2017 as part of a roundup of illegal immigrants. She currently awaits court proceedings in New York, where there is a backlog of thousands of immigration cases, according to the paper. "She feels like she's worthless -- she's a screw up, she's not there for her kids," the woman's 48-year-old husband told The Daily News. "It's tough. I've been without my wife for 16 or 17 months." According to the report, the woman detailed the alleged abuse in previous court hearings. "I know I've done wrong, and I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart that I broke the laws of this great nation," she said in court in December, according to The Daily News. "I was just looking for protection and that is all...I have nowhere else." The ICE facility at the Hudson County jail has been the target of liberal activists and immigrant advocates, who have called on the county to end its agreement with the federal agency. The ICE contract is expected to bring the county $19 million this year. The county recently announced its plan to end that partnership by no later than 2020. It was written in 1880. In 1962, Quaker Oats used it in a Puffed Rice Cereal commercial. In 1971, Woody Allen used it in the film "Bananas," as soundtrack to a fantasy love scene. And in 1974, the Boston Pops used it in their Independence Day concert. But until September 30, 2018 in Lawrence, New Jersey, the 1812 Overture was never performed like this. Sunday, in the Church of St. Ann, a divergent group came together to render a previously unheard blending of organ, bagpipes, ukuleles, drums and kazoos and even "light artillery" (popping paper bags) to perform a world-premiere arrangement of Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky's famous composition. Audience members on kazoo wait for their cue. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media) While musicians were to handle the bulk of the work, kazoos were distributed those in the congregation. Mike McCormick, who is celebrating 35 years as a church organist, told them: "Your role in this is pivotal. You are the ones who are going to make this groundbreaking, history-making rendition." The unique performance was part of a larger program called "Strings, Pipes, Kaboom!" which featured an eclectic mix of musical selections. McCormick entertained with a solo organ, "Tribute to Larry Ferrari." The Mid-Jersey Ukulele Circle pitched in with sing-a-longs like "Down by the Riverside" and "When the Saints Go Marching In." But the main event was when the whole congregation joined in with their kazoos to create the unique adaptation of the overture. When it was all over, McCormick quipped, "That was... it was really something. History will tell us what it was." Mike McCormick, church organist for 35 years. (Michael Mancuso) The church charged no admission, but free-will offerings were accepted with all of the money going to the Kiwanis Camp Experience, a summer camp program of the Trenton Kiwanis and N.J. Department of Environmental Protection. Michael Mancuso may be reached at mmancuso@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @michaelmancuso A driver and passenger who died after they were ejected from the cab of a tanker truck when it overturned in Colts Neck on Saturday have been identified. The driver, Maurice Boatwright, 37, of Westfield, and the passenger Julio Escoto-Sandoval, 21, of Perth Amboy, were pronounced dead at the scene, according to a release from the Colts Neck Police. The crash occurred around 5:30 p.m. near mile marker 22 on Highway 18 south and no other vehicles were involved. The truck, which belonged to KW Rastall, Inc., of North Brunswick, overturned and caused the tank to separate from the vehicle and spill nearly 1400 gallons of diesel fuel oil onto the shoulder of the highway, police said. Officials from Monmouth County's hazardous materials team and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection contained the spill and coordinated its cleanup. Traffic was detoured for over six hours while the scene was cleared. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. The N.J. bear hunt got off to a contentious start Monday with four protesters arrested, including the college professor who spent 12 days in jail last winter following his 8th civil disobedience-related conviction. Bill Crain, 74, was taken into custody soon after stepping into the street separating the protesters from the check station in Fredon where, by 1:30 p.m., about a half-dozen hunters had brought dead bears. Bill Crain, on left, being taken into custody in Fredon, Oct. 8, 2018 (Rob Jennings / NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Crain lives in Poughquag, N.Y., but campaigned for then-candidate for governor Phil Murphy after Murphy, in December 2016, pledged to halt the hunt if elected. Murphy backed off in August, seven months after becoming governor, issuing an executive order that only stopped the hunt on state land. "It's a step in the right direction, but it's a big disappointment," Crain, a City College of N.Y. psychology professor, said just before being arrested. "I feel he should stop the hunt altogether. He has an obligation to do that," Crain added of Murphy. Murphy's spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Crain and the other three protesters arrested Monday -- Danielle Varon, 51, of Vernon; Catherine McCartney, 50, of Highland Lakes; and Lauren Mallon, 28, of Lodi -- were all charged with the same three offenses, including obstructing the administration of law, the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection said. The check station in Fredon is one of 5 being used during the hunt, which is taking place in eight northern counties. About 18 law enforcement officers were present on Monday. Kevin Cole, a hunter whose 11-year-old son killed a bear on private land, was the 4th hunter to arrive in Fredon. "It needs to be done," Cole said of the bear hunt. "Sometimes I go out and I see more bears than I see deer. There's more out there than they think," Cole said. Murphy's executive order also is drawing criticism from hunters, with three hunting groups seeking to overturn it in court. About 40 percent of the 3,429 bears killed in the eight hunts under former Gov. Chris Christie were located on state land. DEP spokesman Brandon Shank acknowledged the strong feelings on both sides. "Reasonable New Jerseyans can and do disagree about what's happening here," Shank said. Crain's first six civil disobedience arrests resulted fines, but upon his 7th conviction he was sent to the Sussex County jail for just over a week in January 2017. He spent 12 days in the same jail in January 2018. "I feel an obligation to put my body out there and say that I oppose this government-endorsed policy," Crain said Monday. The first stage of this year's hunt is scheduled to conclude Saturday, and will resume with another 6 days in December. Hunters killed 409 bears in 2017, during the last of 8 consecutive hunts under Christie. Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Search efforts are continuing Monday for a 30-year-old New Jersey hiker who has been missing in the mountains of Colorado since last week, officials said. A dog search and rescue team is searching for Ryan Albert, who was reported missing to Denver police on Friday when he was overdue from a hike in the Longs Peak area of Rocky Mountain National Park, spokeswoman Lindsey Lewis said. Ryan Albert of Marlton. (Photo provided by National Park Service) While rescue groups have been searching for the Marlton man since Saturday morning, icy conditions and snowfall is hindering their search, she said. Due to their safety, only the canine team was sent out Monday morning. The Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group and Larimer County Search and Rescue searched both low elevation and technical terrain for Albert over the weekend, the NPS said. Albert, who was last seen leaving the Denver area early Thursday morning, may have been attempting to hike Longs Peak that day. His rental car was found at the trailhead on Friday afternoon, the press release said. Ongoing search for #missing hiker in Rocky Mountain National Park: https://t.co/kMb0IDgv3M -- If you were in the Longs Peak area since October 4, or if you may have had contact with Ryan Albert regarding his planned route on Longs Peak, please call park officials 970-586-1204 pic.twitter.com/Z09MHOeBMr SpecialAgentNPS (@SpecialAgentNPS) October 8, 2018 The forecast throughout the week calls for freezing temperatures and snow. Longs Peak rises more than 14,000 feet in the national park, according to the NPS website, and this is "the most dangerous time of year for hiking and climbing on Longs Peak". Park rangers are asking anyone with information about Albert's planned route to call (970) 586-1204. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips By Silvio Laccetti It's time for the annual Columbus controversy rituals. Last year the furor blew way off course with monument desecrations and calls for removal of Columbus statues. Let's correct that course by providing context, navigation markers and a new destination. Our journey of examination begins with protests of the 1960's which included a very militant American Indian Movement. By 1977, enough worldwide concern for all indigenous peoples resulted in a Geneva meeting of international NGO's (non-governmental institutions, e.g. non-profits). This gathering decided that, in the Americas, Columbus Day would be marked as a day of international solidarity with indigenous peoples. It was not to be replaced. Still, Columbus unjustly became the symbol for all indigenous protest, and was blamed for almost everything that followed in the European colonization of the Americas. Additionally, conference resolutions condemned continued settlement of immigrants on lands of indigenous peoples in the Americas (a unique immigration problem!). Another resolution called for cessation of efforts to integrate indigenous peoples into cultural mainstreams. Also adopted was an agenda for protest and publicity of their causes. Such ideas can resonate with youth - and others -in the US today. Barring a cataclysm, they have no chance of widespread rejuvenation.These principles hearken back to lifestyles of the timeless agricultural village society which has endured from neolithic times even to our own age. The Village ideal is contrary to progressive modern civilization. The next major step was the radical Quito, Ecuador, Conference of 1990 which filled the sails of the anti-Columbian movement. The conclave was sponsored by South American native groups to counter the planned 1992 celebration of the 500th anniversary of the explorer's landing in the New World. Delegates called for cultural and political revolution with demands for self-determination, concluding that existing nation-states in the Americas negated their rights. Governments had to be replaced with new nations and a new social order. The conference denounced current US, European, Japanese, and Israeli imperialism. and it declared an end to Columbus Day. In the face of such strong headwinds, the Bush Administration (Bush I) meekly cancelled plans for celebrating a glorious 500th. Meanwhile, prompted by agitators, in 1992 Berkeley, California introduced Indigenous People's Day as a substitute for Columbus Day. Then came the deluge. Anti-Columbian sentiments attracted funding and participation from agitator-activists of all sorts, including globalists. Ironically, since modern technology is the lifeblood and oxygen of globalism, it would appear that the Indigenous would become totally irrelevant in the new global order. Self-promotion also became more problematic among activists. Some "leaders" like Ward Churchill claimed to be part-Indian, but their claims have been vigorously disputed by various tribal groups. Jimmie Durham, godfather of the 1977 Geneva NGO meeting, has been described in Cherokee publications as a phony, a poser who fraudulently sells his art as a native American. Elizabeth Warren may have conveniently jumped into a common current! But the most significant figure in the Anti-Columbian tempest was the leftist historian Howard Zinn, whose chapter on Columbus is quoted verbatim by all dissidents. His quotes have appeared ad infinitum in revised public school curriculums which depict Columbus as a major villain. Though often praised for its novel approach to history, his work has also drawn serious criticism. For example, critics like Michael Kazan, an editor of the leftist publication Dissent, describes Zinn's work as bad history, good intentions. Zinn's work is carried on by disciples who have definitely made an impact. Zinn and others use Bartolomeo de Las Cas as a main source This 16th century author has a complicated style, with lengthy sentences. Zinn often quotes what he wants, using ellipses (...) to convey his desired meaning without any context. Example: On Slavery. Columbus is supposed to have said of the Indians "...They would make good servants...", implying Columbus' intention to make them slaves. But a proper translation is "...They must be good servants...", implying they had possibly been servants (captured slaves?) before Columbus met them. Context referring to natives' scars and wounds supports this meaning. Further studies in translation of de Las Casas may produce similar re-evaluations. But the main point of helping indigenous people with real and endemic problems gets lost in all the furor about the man and his holiday. It's time to alter course. In 1994 the UN first declared August 9th as Indigenous People's Day. Let's set sail for that harbor, with a view to addressing the needs of indigenous peoples, using that day as a compass point. Silvio Laccetti, Ph.D., is a national columnist and a retired professor of history at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken. "It was never us, keeping secrets from you," say pharmacists. "We had no choice. We'd have been in big trouble if we told you the truth." Even chain drugstores seem to be rejoicing that they will soon have the opportunity to save their customers money on medications. Rite Aid, for instance, said they applaud Congress for passing the Know the Lowest Price Act of 2018 and an almost identical second bill designed to help patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. Both prohibit any restrictions preventing pharmacists from informing patients about the cash price of a prescription drug, which may be less expensive than their insurance benefit. That is, of course, if President Trump signs the bill that landed on his desk two weeks ago, after smooth passage in the Senate and the House. He's said he wants to cut drug prices, so let's hope. His signature will get rid of a problem you may not have known you had. That's because the problem is/was that pharmacists aren't allowed to give you any advice about how to pay for your medications. As a result, you may have been badly overspending on drugs. One recent report found that customers overpaid for prescription drugs 23 percent of the time. Here's why. Most insurance plans rely on Pharmaceutical Benefits Managers to negotiate prices and obtain rebates from drug manufacturers, structure drug benefits for their enrollees, and process claims. There are about 60 major PBMs in the country and they provide meds for more than 266 million Americans. All the major health insurance companies and just about all large pharmaceutical providers work with them. As a part of the deal they work out with manufacturers, pharmacists must charge customers the agreed-upon amount for each drug. No exceptions. And no telling. That's the "gag clause." Let's take an example. Your health insurance program offers coverage for your medications, so of course, you want to use it. Your physician prescribes generic levothyroxine to treat your thyroid problems, and when you give your pharmacist your insurance card, all it costs is your $25 co-pay. You're happy. But what you don't know is that you could have bought the same bottle for $10 cash. That's only one example and your insurance plan may save you money on other medications where the cost is really high and you still have to pay only that $25. But perhaps you could have taken advantage of a special promotion sponsored by the store or even by the drug manufacturer itself. But only if you don't pull out that insurance card. However, once you show it to the pharmacist or it's in your file, you're stuck. That will change if the President signs S.2553 and S.2554. Then the pharmacist can tell you how to get a better price and will face no penalty from anyone. Now if a pharmacist helps you in that way, he or she could be dropped from participating in that insurance program. No one wants to take that chance, so you've been kept in the dark. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) sponsored the bills, along with a mixture of Democrats and Republicans from 13 other states. It passed in the Senate unanimously and passed in the House by a voice vote. Bill Herlihy, president of the New Jersey Society of Health System Pharmacists, said "As pharmacists, we believe patients are best served when they are fully informed of all aspects of their medication therapy, including the financial impact of all therapeutic options available. This is an important step forward in realizing this goal." A former assemblywoman from Jersey City, Joan Quigley is the president and CEO of North Hudson Community Action Corp. Submit letters to the editor and guest columns at jjletters@jjournal.com While Bhat came under attack for inaction in complaints against comic Utsav Chakraborty, Khamba has been directly accused of harassment. Tanmay Bhat, an AIB statement said, will not be involved with the day-to-day functioning of the company. (Photo: File) Mumbai: AIB founders Tanmay Bhat and Gursimran Khamba are distancing themselves from the comedy group, which has been battling allegations of sexual harassment against its members, the company announced Monday. While Bhat has come under attack for his inaction in the complaints against writer-comedian Utsav Chakraborty, Khamba has been directly accused of sexual misconduct. The future of the group, which also includes Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya and became popular for its 'roasts' and satires, faces an uncertain future, said Vidhi Jotwani, HR head at AIB. "Truthfully, we don't know what this means for the future of AIB or whether there is one. In the interim, Ashish Shakya, Rohan Joshi and other senior team members will work towards being able to answer that question over the next several months," she said in a statement. Bhat, the statement added, will not be involved with the day-to-day functioning of the company. "We have been closely monitoring the sequence of events on social media around the allegations against AIB and also against our co-founder and CEO, Tanmay Bhat. We cannot overlook Tanmay's role and in light of this, he will be stepping away from his association with AIB until further notice. This implies that Tanmay will not be involved with the day to day functioning of AIB or in any other manner," the statement posted on the company's official Twitter account read. Khamba, who has been accused by a woman of misconduct, has issued a separate statement denying "any violation of consent". Jotwani said the comic will be on leave till the company has more clarity on the matter. "We have also just been appraised of the allegations against Gursimran Khambha on social media. At this point in time, these allegations pertain to a private matter and he has released a statement of his own about the same. "However, as an organisation, we believe that it would be prudent to place Gursimran Khamba on a temporary leave of absence until we have more clarity on the matter." She added that it was everyone's right to work in a safe environment and AIB hopes to "enable measures to establish our commitment to creating a gender-sensitive workspace. We are in the process of consulting various experts to ensure that our work culture incorporates sensitivity, inclusivity, respect and fairness". Allegations against Chakraborty surfaced last week with multiple women accusing him of sending them unsolicited nude pictures. AIB had issued a statement condemning Chakraborty and pledged to not work with him in future. Over the weekend, as the storm around the #MeToo movement gathered force, production house Phantom Films announced that the company has been dissolved following allegations of sexual misconduct against director Vikas Bahl. Everybody's a sucker for a good redemption story. That's because we all recognize how ephemeral success could be: To get one chance is hard enough, and to get a second is blessed. When somebody completes the triumph-adversity-fulfillment cycle - seizing something that seemed gone forever - it's a life-affirming achievement. And when the fall is particularly hard - even if prison is part of the narrative - we want to provide a path for redemption for those willing to take it. So it is understandable that Phil Murphy tried to give a political ally a hand up after he spent 25 months in prison. Marcellus Jackson has a right to work, he's did his time, and he can undoubtedly be an asset somewhere. But absolution has its limits, and for the governor to reward a former elected official who betrayed the public trust by taking $26,000 in bribes with a $70,000 state job funded by taxpayers is more than a stretch. It's patronage run amok. It's also against the law, as Attorney General Gurbir Grewal pointed out. As a Passaic councilman in 2007, Jackson pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from an undercover FBI agent posing as an insurance broker seeking a contract. Upon his release from prison, he resurfaced as a paid Murphy campaign aide. Murphy rewarded him with a faith outreach job in the Department of Education, even though state law bars anyone in New Jersey convicted of corruption from holding elected office again or any "position of honor, trust or profit under this state or any of its administrative or political subdivisions." It is fair and just penalty, even after prison. So Grewal spoke up, Jackson resigned, and Murphy said his "jaw was on the floor" that his friend would be denied this chance at redemption. We're shocked that he's shocked. It's good to grant second chances, but let's start with people whose lives were destroyed in the misguided war on drugs, which filled prisons with a generations of men who never even got a first chance. Perhaps the phrase "honor, trust and profit" is vague. But a state appellate panel made it clear in 1989 that the phrase applies to all public workers, particularly a councilman with his hand out. Such a government debarment, hopefully, is just as preventive as it is punitive: It is not only a way to punish for past conduct, it can be a deterrent for others. Grewal - an emergent star in this administration - played the dutiful referee by pointing it out. He walks the talk when it comes to eradicating corruption: Last month, he established the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. This department will act as a watchdog for political sleaze in a state that - for all our governor's best intentions - clearly still needs one. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. By Tiffany Muller and Marie Henselder Kimmel In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court made a disastrous decision in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission to allow corporations to pour vast amounts of money into the political system and it's breaking the foundation of American democracy. We know the Constitution says "We the People," but lately it seems like it's "We the billionaires and corporations." During campaigns, billions of dollars flood our TV screens but, too often, we don't know who paid for those ads or who is influencing our democracy. Citizens United must be overturned to renew transparency and accountability in our democracy. Until we get money out of politics, it will continue to be the norm that voters' voices aren't heard. Take the failure of anti-gun violence measures to move in Congress, despite the overwhelming public support to keep our communities safe. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-1st Dist., one of the End Citizens United-endorsed candidates in New Jersey, tells us that during town halls people constantly ask, "Why has there been no action in Washington when we all support sensible reforms?" The answer is obvious, but also sad and despicable. Tragedy after tragedy comes and goes -- Columbine, Virginia Tech, Newtown, Orlando, Las Vegas, San Bernardino, Aurora, Parkland and more -- and a powerful, money-wielding group prevents the movement on solutions. The influence of the National Rifle Association (NRA) is one of the clearest-cut examples of why we need campaign finance reform. In 2008, before Citizens United, the NRA spent $10 million, but in 2016 that number ballooned to $54 million, with more than $30 million spent on Donald Trump's campaign alone. The huge influence of the NRA has fueled a student- and parent-led cry for lawmakers to take action. One bill in Congress that would help move our democracy back on track is the DISCLOSE Act. It would shine a light on "dark money" donations and require campaign ads to provide more information about who paid for the ad. A critical fix to the disastrous Citizens United decision is to permanently amend the Constitution to regulate contributions and expenditures, so all citizens -- regardless of their net worth -- have an equal voice in the political process. The Democracy For All Amendment Resolution proposes such an amendment and has been cosponsored by New Jersey Reps. Norcross, Albio Sires, D-8th Dist. and Bill Pascrell, 9th-Dist. When President Trump and Republicans passed their tax bill last December, it helped special interests and billionaires save money, but New Jersey voters lost a critical tax deduction and will see huge tax increases. That unfairness is obvious, but our system allowed this to happen. Many public servants aren't voting based on the public's interests at all. They're voting at the whim of special interests, global corporations and the wealthiest few. Republican leaders won't even allow votes to raise wages for rank-and-file workers or to fix the broken pensions system. But they have moved to make healthcare more expensive and to give tax breaks to billionaires. What we have is a rigged system and it must be fixed! We can start to fix it by remembering that elections have consequences. It's the votes we take now that will preserve our democracy for our children and grandchildren. We know there's serious mistrust right now, and that many people want to avoid the system altogether and stay home on Election Day. The only way to restore trust in politics is by showing up and voting for people who support campaign finance reform. Ask your candidate or Congress person where he or she stands on campaign finance reform. Encourage your candidates to support the Democracy For All Amendment if they are elected or re-elected to office so the flood of outside money can be stopped. Remember, your vote is your voice, and you must use your vote at the polls this November to protect your voice. Tiffany Muller is the president and executive director at End Citizens United, a Political Action Committee funded by grassroots donors that is dedicated to getting big money out of politics and reforming our campaign finance system. Marie Henselder Kimmel represents TriCounty American Promise chapter of Camden, Burlington and Gloucester counties. American Promise is a cross-partisan, nonprofit organization of citizen advocates for a constitutional amendment to restore authority to Congress to set reasonable campaign spending limits. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office will not file any criminal charges against the Paterson police officers involved in a physical altercation with a deaf and speech-impaired man who approached them on the street last month. The incident was captured on video and widely shared on social media. It showed a man, who bystanders told police was deaf, approach an officer as he provided backup for an unrelated arrest on Sept. 28 on Godwin Avenue. It was unclear from the video what originally angered the man, Raaseon Adams, or why he approached the officers. But the video shows, as he walks away, Adams growing even more irritated after an officer is seen laughing. Posted by Moet Spa on Friday, September 28, 2018 An officer can be seen charging at Adams after it appears Adams threw something in the direction of the officer. A law enforcement source told NJ Advance Media that Adams flicked a cigarette in the direction of the officer. As officers wrestle with Adams on the ground, an officer can be seen pepper-spraying him and hitting him in the back of the head. Adams was charged with resisting arrest. He was taken to the Passaic County Jail, but jail records indicate he was released. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office announced it was investigating the actions of the officers involved in the altercation, which played out on a Paterson street in front of a large crowd. On Monday, Mayor Andre Sayegh released about the results of the prosecutor's investigation. "The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, in consultation with the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, has determined that the use of physical and mechanical force in that incident does not give rise to criminal charges against any of the involved officers based upon the New Jersey Attorney General's Use of Force Policy and the New Jersey criminal code," the statement said. "Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Chief of Police Troy Oswald will review the entire police response to the incident to determine if all departmental policies and guidelines were followed and take administrative or corrective action, if appropriate. Moreover, Prosecutor Valdes and Chief Oswald will review current de-escalation training to determine if additional or modified training should be undertaken. We are appreciative of and encouraged by the actions of community members to help de-escalate the incident," the statement continued. "We need to see more of that from police officers and the community. Leaders from Operation Ceasefire have organized listening sessions in each ward to ensure that this dialogue continues, at which I and members of my administration will fully participate." Adams' attorney, Aymen Aboushi, could not be immediately reached for comment. Paterson Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale told NJ Advance Media, "There is a system in place to ensure the integrity of investigations and the matter was turned over immediately to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office for review and then the Attorney General's Public Integrity Unity and clearly they vetted the facts and the outcome has been determined. We work extremely hard to build trust and legitimacy with the community and it's extremely important to be seen as legitimate," he continued. "That's why in these types of situations we always go to those outside independent agencies to review these types of matters so that it's not us reviewing those matters. In my 37 years of law enforcement and in my five years in the city of Paterson, I have never found a police officer that walks in (to the station) with the mindset of using force when they get there." Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Amid a knock-down, drag-out budget fight this summer, Gov. Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Legislature discreetly set aside $10 million for legislative staff raises. The $37.4 billion budget signed by the Democratic governor on July 1 included language appropriating $5 million to the state Assembly and $5 million to the state Senate for operations, NorthJersey.com reported Monday. The money will boost budgets for legislative staff salaries at 80 local Assembly offices from $110,000 to $135,000, the website reported. The deal also freed up money for raises at 40 Senate offices. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, told NJ Advance Media on Monday that there was no intent to conceal the raises. "It's right there," Sweeney said of the budget language. "We're not hiding it." These staffers have not received raises since 2002, and they are crucial in dealing directly with constituents, he added. "We can't retain people," Sweeney said. "These are the people that help us. It's the first increase in 16 years. Not one increase in 16 years. It's easy to bring a young person out of college on. But after a year, if you can't pay them more, they're gone." Liza Acevedo, a spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, said similarly that he supported the increased funding to attract and retain staff. A spokeswoman for Murphy, Alyana Alfaro, declined to comment. Assemblywoman Amy Handlin, R-Monmouth, told NorthJersey.com that "Whether or not it's justified, allocating $10 million behind closed doors for such a controversial purpose comes off as deliberately evasive." These are the latest raises awarded by Murphy and the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Murphy previously signed onto pay bumps for judges, prosecutors and cabinet officers. Under a $15.6 million a year bipartisan measure, New Jersey's judges and prosecutors will receive a $24,000 pay increase over three years. Members of the governor's Cabinet and top aides in the Senate and Assembly majority and minority offices were also bumped up to $175,000 a year, the same as the governor's salary. It also gave raises to such county-level officials as clerks and sheriffs, whose pay is linked to Superior Court judges. At the time, opponents criticized that bill for bestowing large raises on already high-paid employees while excluding deserving legislative staffers. NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report. Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. The three people killed when the car they were in collided head-on with another vehicle in Salem County were identified Monday by police. The driver was identified as Norma Craft, 74. The front passenger was Diane Nelson, 63. The rear passenger was Willard S. Kidd Jr., 60. All three were from Carneys Point, police said. The victims were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in Pennsville, authorities said. The crash occurred shortly before 9 p.m. Friday on South Hook Road and involved two cars - one traveling south, the other north. The investigation revealed a Ford Focus and Huyndai Sonata collided head-on, resulting in the three deaths in the Focus and several injuries in the Sonata, police said. The injured people were expected to survive, police said. The driver of the Sonata and the front-seat passenger, both of Wilmington, Delaware, were taken to an area hospital with injuries police described as serious, but not life-threatening. Two small children who were in the Sonata, one an infant and one a toddler, were taken to A.I. du Pont Hospital outside of Wilmington to be evaluated. The children were not believed to have been seriously hurt, police said. "Our condolences go out to the families of the three deceased and hoping for a speedy recovery to the individuals in the additional involved vehicle," police said in a statement posted to social media. No charges have been filed and the accident remains under investigation. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Ford's reorganization could include upwards of 24,000 job cuts, NBC News reported Monday (Oct 8). The automaker has not provided hard figures on the number of employees it will let go, but its leaders have said President Donald Trump's tariff war with China could impact the company's overhaul. The NBC report cited a Morgan Stanley analysis that estimates a 12 percent reduction in Ford's global workforce, resulting in the loss of roughly 24,000 workers. Bob Shanks, Ford's chief financial officer, described the cutbacks as a "redesign" that would include its 70,000 white-collar employees. With sales lagging well behind its domestic competitor General Motors, Ford has launched a $25.5 billion reorganization plan. It began in earnest in May 2017 when then-CEO Mark Fields was removed. The company has previously announced it would drop production of its sedan, wagon and coupe models -- save for the popular Mustang -- and concentrate on SUVs and trucks. Meanwhile, Ford has found itself regularly at odds with the president. As a candidate, Trump threatened Ford with tariffs when it proposed building a plant in Mexico. The company backed out of those plans and opted to expand in China instead. The main blow from the Trump tariffs have delivered to automakers has been in the cost they have added to many of the parts they import from China. Read the full NBC report here. An Alabama police chief was arrested for allegedly masturbating in public while looking at women and girls in Panama City Beach, Florida, AL.com reported. Billy Maurice Driggers, 44, who is police chief in Level Plains, was arrested while at work on Thursday (Oct. 4) on four counts of disorderly conduct, the story said. Panama City Beach police were called to a condominium complex on Tuesday after guests told security officials they saw a man masturbating as he watched women, according to the report. Police said Driggers, who was not a registered guest at the condo, was seen on surveillance cameras with his hand down his pants in the presence of women and children, the story said. He was also accused of fondling himself while walking behind teenage girls on the beach, and filming or photographing girls rinsing off in the outside showers, it said. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in identifying a man accused of stealing a handgun from a vehicle in Harvey. The burglary occurred just before 5 p.m. on Aug. 20 in the 1500 block of Kings Road, said Glen T. Body, spokesman for the department. Investigators released photographs of the suspect taken from video surveillance cameras in the area. The man had a short beard and possibly has tattoos on his right arm, according to Boyd. On the day of the burglary, he was wearing a purple T-shirt, gray shorts and burgundy or purple-colored Air Jordan 12 Retro sneakers. . . . . . . . . Anyone with information about the identity of the suspect is asked to call Det. Rebecca Macaluso with the Sheriff's Office investigations bureau at 504.364.5300 or 504.364.5494. The public can also call Crimestoppers at 504.822.1111 or toll-free at 877.903.7867. Callers or texters do not have to give their names or testify and can earn a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an indictment. Tropical Storm Michael was almost a hurricane early Monday (Oct. 8) and is expected to reach Category 2 or stronger as it churns over the Gulf of Mexico in the next couple of days, according to the latest National Hurricane Center advisory. "Michael is forecast to be near or at major hurricane strength when it reaches the northeastern Gulf of Mexico Tuesday night and Wednesday," the National Hurricane Center said, indicating it could become a Category 3 storm. The center projects the storm will hit somewhere in the Florida panhandle on Wednesday or early Thursday. In its 7 a.m. Monday advisory, the center said Michael was about 120 miles east-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph -- nearly a hurricane. The storm was moving north at 7 mph. Michael is moving slowly northward toward the Yucatan Channel, according to the most recent tracking information. The hurricane center warned that the storm could produce a foot of rain in western Cuba, potentially triggering flash floods and mudslides in mountainous areas. Meteorologists expect the storm to strengthen during the next few days, with winds reaching Category 2, or possibly higher, when it reaches the northeastern Gulf on Tuesday or Wednesday. Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued a state of emergency Sunday, warning those living in counties in his state's Panhandle and Big Bend area to brace for the hurricane. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who is the Democratic nominee for governor, had planned to campaign in South Florida Monday and Tuesday, but he said he would return to Tallahassee to help with storm preparations. The city of Pensacola tweeted to residents, "Be sure you have your emergency plan in place." An Air Force hurricane hunter airplane was sent into the storm to investigate, the hurricane center said. Michael is the 13th named storm of the 2018 hurricane season, according to hurricane center spokesman Dennis Feltgen. Note: This story was updated Monday morning with the latest information from the NHC 7 a.m. advisory. Associated Press contributed to this story. The Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in Telangana in December. New Delhi: A bill dealing with criminal offences in Telangana has been cleared by President Ram Kovind. Sources said the President gave his assent to the Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Dacoits, Drug-Offenders, Goon-das, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Land-Grabbers (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which would now will replace a 1986 Act that was applicable to the undivided Andhra Pradesh. The earlier Act however, could not punish those involved in incidents of white-collar crimes or financial frauds. But the new Bill will now give powers to the law enforcing agencies in Telangana to deal with crimes related to sexual offences, cyber criminals and other illegal activities like bootlegging and dacoity. The Telangana Preven-tion of Dangerous Activ-ities of Bootleggers, Dacoits, Drug-Offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Land-Grabbers (Amend-ment) Bill, 2017 had been mooted by the outgoing TRS government in the state led by K. Chandrashekar. The Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in Telangana in December. The new Bill provides powers to the police to initiate action against sexual offenders, explosive substances offenders, arms smugglers, cyber fraudsters and white-collar or financial offenders, a Home Ministry official said. With these changes the State Government has also included certain other provisions like selling of spurious seeds, insecticides, fertilisers, adulteration of food, making of fake documents, unauthorised selling of forest products and gambling are punishable crimes. Other illegal offences, including some serious crimes like bootlegging, dacoity, drug trafficking, immoral trafficking and land-grabbing will rem-ain part of the amended Act. Officials said in the earlier legislation there was no legal provision to deal with incidents of cyber frauds, sexual harassment, online gambling and fake certificates cases. The amended Bill will now have all the relevant provisions to deal with all these crimes. Currently in New Orleans 61F Clear 66F / 47F 'Our states have more power than many countries in the world. Compared to many small countries, our states have more potential,' PM said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi further said that the government has taken several measures for improving the ease of doing business in the country. (Photo: PTI) Dehradun: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that when he became the Chief Minister of Gujarat for the first time in 2001, he wanted to turn the state into South Korea. While inaugurating the Uttarakhand Investors Summit in Dehradun, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Our states have more power than many countries in the world. Compared to many small countries, our states have more potential. I still remember when I became the Chief Minister of Gujarat for the first time on October 7, 2001, I didn't know what the government is, as I lacked experience. I was completely new. So, one journalist came to me and asked such questions so that I give answers which will not allow my journey (as Chief Minister of Gujarat) to take off." He added, "I was asked who I see as my idol for development in Gujarat. Usually, when people are asked this, they say, 'I want to make it like America or like England.' But I gave a different answer to him. I said that I want to make it (Gujarat) like South Korea. The journalist didn't know anything. Later I explained to him that the population of Gujarat and South Korea are similar... I said that I have studied it so precisely that if we move towards that direction then we will not stop." PM Modi further said that the government has taken several measures for improving the ease of doing business in the country. "We have improved the tax system in the country. We are trying to make the tax system more swift and transparent. Doing business has become easier due to Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. The banking system has also got strengthened. Potential, policy and performance, these are the sources of progress," he elucidated. The Prime Minister said that the centre is moving ahead in modernising 400 railway stations and construction of 100 new airports and helipads. He also said the Ayushman Bharat Yojana offers huge investment opportunities in the medical sector. PM Modi added that India is on top as far as food processing is concerned, and appealed to all for increased investment in agriculture. Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, KJ Alphons and CR Chaudhary are slated to participate in the sessions on different subjects. Home Minister Rajnath Singh will address the event on Monday. Oct 8, 2018 NR Andhra Pradesh Government has given Special Permission to the makers of Young Tiger NTR's Aravindha Sametha to screen Special Shows in the first nine days of its release. From 11th to 18th October, the film can have two extra shows screened every day. So, the film can have Six Shows per day from 5 AM to 11 AM on these days. This benefit will come handy for the opening day and the festive days. The movie has completed its censor formalities a little while ago and was awarded UA certificate. Click the Movie button below for more info: Aravindha Sametha Viewed 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. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 8 ) The Immigration Bureau has denied Australian nun Patricia Fox's appeal on the non-renewal of her missionary visa. In a statement Monday, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said the appeal was "merely a reiteration or rehash of arguments already submitted, and found to be without merit." The bureau earlier denied her request to renew her missionary visa which expired on September 5. The bureau, which is under the Department of Justice (DOJ), denied her request on September 13, citing its deportation order in July. "The BI already saw that Sister Fox violated the conditions of her stay and is considered undesirable, hence a deportation order was previously issued against her," said BI Spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval. Sandoval said Fox is required to apply for the downgrading of her visa from missionary to temporary visitor 15 days after receiving the denial order. She will then be allowed to stay for 59 days until the expiry of her new visa. The BI ordered to deport Fox on July for her participation in partisan political activities which violates the terms of her missionary visa. Fox filed a petition to review her deportation case with the DOJ. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevara said the bureau has submitted its comment on Sr. Fox's petition. "The matter is now submitted for the DOJ's consideration," Guevarra said. The BI has yet to wait for the DOJ's decision on the order before acting on Fox's deportation. Fox can stay pending the DOJ appeal of her deportation. She can stay for 59 days provided she converts her visa to temporary status. In April, Fox was arrested for attending a rally which supposedly violated the conditions of her missionary visa. She was released a day later but the bureau announced that it forfeited her missionary visa. However, the DOJ revoked this order since visa forfeiture is not within the BI's jurisdiction. The Indian Air Force came into force in 1932 as the Royal Indian Air Force under then British rule. A grand parade-cum-investiture ceremony was held at the Air Force Station at Hindon in Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is celebrating its 86th anniversary today, highlighting the "untiring efforts and supreme sacrifices" made by its personnel, the Defence Ministry said. A grand parade-cum-investiture ceremony was held at the Air Force Station at Hindon in Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad). Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, Chief of the Air Staff, reviewed the parade. Air display and acrobatics by the Air Forces various aircrafts, including Jaguar, Bison, MiG-29, Mirage-2000 and SU-30 MKI fighter jets as well as Rudra helicopters followed the parade. #WATCH Indian Air Force Day celebrations underway at Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad pic.twitter.com/YH2ziVBZwt ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 8, 2018 The Indian Air Force came into force in 1932 as the Royal Indian Air Force under then British rule. The name was changed to Indian Air Force in 1950. President Ram Nath Kovind congratulated the Indian Air Force on its 86th anniversary. "On Air Force Day, we proudly honour our air warriors, veterans, and families of the Indian Air Force. They safeguard our skies with courage and commitment," the President tweeted. BJP national chief Amit Shah, too, extended his greetings. "Their bravery and commitment to serve the motherland is unparalleled. It is because of their dedication and courage that we are among the top air force in the world," Amit Shah tweeted. The report suggests that violence against migrants in Gujarat intensified after hate messages were circulated on the social media. Patna: Amid growing backlash against Uttar Pradesh and Bihari migrants in Gujarat, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said he has asked his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani to ensure safety of Bihari migrants living in the state. Natives from Bihar and UP have been facing violent attacks from local people in Gujarat after a 14-month-old baby was allegedly raped in Sabarkantha district on September 28. The person who has committed the crime must be punished but targeting others is not right. I spoke to Gujarat CM and have also asked the states Chief Secretary and DGP to keep tab of the situation. They are also in touch with their counterparts in Gujarat, Mr Kumar said. The report suggests that violence against migrants in Gujarat intensified after hate messages were circulated on the social media. Political heat over the issue also grew in Bihar on Monday after JD(U) blamed Congress party MLA and national secretary-cum-in-charge of Bihar unit Kalpesh Thakor for using his outfit Kshatriya Thakor Sena to drive migrants out of Gujarat. In an open letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said that one of your party MLA from Gujarat Kalpesh Thakors outfit Kshatriya Thakor Sena is involved in chasing Biharis out of Gujarat. Earlier, JAP chief and Madhepura MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, and other political leaders had urged Nitish and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi to ensure the safety of Bihari people living in Gujarat. Its strange to see that government in UP and Bihar have failed in ensuring the safety of their own people living in Gujarat. People from Bihar and UP are being targeted by BJP-sponsored goons, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav tweeted on Monday. MONDAY PUZZLE O.K., heres the thing, and you probably dont need me to tell you this: Moving house is terrible. Even if you are going to a place that is wonderful, the entire process from selling ones house to people who seemed perfectly rational on first meeting, through being moved by over-caffeinated members of the Olympic box-hurling team is a stressful experience. And so here I am, back at work, for the very simple reason that it is so much calmer here. There are few, if any, cardboard boxes. I know where the coffee maker is. If there are any contractors on site, they want nothing to do with me and even if they did, they couldnt find me because I am typing this from an undisclosed location inside the supply closet. Thats the kind of move I had. A big thank you to the surprisingly dangerous Caitlin Lovinger for keeping things upright while I went into shock over how much junk a person can accumulate over the course of 20 years, and also to the very dapper Sam Ezersky for taking over the Crosswords Live stream and our What the Heck Is That? feature while I slowly lost my grip on reality. But enough about me. While I was coming in for a hard landing, Jacob Stulberg was just taking off, with an easy Monday puzzle that is a very good starting place for any crossword newbie. The limousine accident in Schoharie, N.Y., on Saturday took 20 lives almost instantly. It devastated families, killing siblings and leaving young children without parents. The victims were friends and relatives including four sisters from one family, and two brothers from another who were traveling to a brewery in Cooperstown, N.Y., to celebrate a 30th birthday. Instead, they were killed when the oversized limousine they were traveling in barreled through an intersection that is known locally for its danger and crashed into an unoccupied car and two other people, killing them before coming to a rest in a shallow ravine. [Read more about how the limousine crash happened.] Investigators have said little about what they know about the accident, believed by federal officials to be the deadliest transportation incident since a 2009 air crash. But details about the victims are beginning to emerge. About two dozen people gathered outside a Washington Heights subway station on Sunday afternoon to remember an Uber driver who became the seventh for-hire driver in New York to commit suicide within the last year. The mood at the vigil turned from somber to anger in less than 30 minutes. Fausto Luna jumped in front of an A train on Sept. 26 at the 175th Street and Fort Washington Avenue station. He is the first Uber driver this year to commit suicide in New York City. The other six drivers drove yellow taxi cabs or for livery or black car services. As ride-sharing vehicles have upended the taxi market in New York, taxi drivers have been hit with increasing debt despite working longer shifts, leading to incredible stress and depression for some. But those financial hardships are not limited to cabdrivers. Uber and other ride-hail drivers have also complained about low pay and unending competition as more people sign up to drive. Hamiet Bluiett, a baritone saxophonist who expanded the possibilities of his instrument while connecting the jazz avant-garde with a broad view of its own history, died on Thursday at his home in Brooklyn, Ill. He was 78. His granddaughter Anaya Bluiett said that the cause had not yet been determined but that his health had deteriorated in recent years after a series of strokes and seizures. A central figure in jazz, primarily as a member of the renowned World Saxophone Quartet, Mr. Bluiett (whose name is pronounced HAM-ee-et BLUE-it) married a dazzling physical command of the instrument with a passion for the full scope of the blues tradition. With an astonishing five-octave range, he could leap into registers that had been thought inaccessible on the baritone. Most people who play the baritone dont approach it like the awesome instrument that it is, Mr. Bluiett said in an interview with jazzweekly.com in 2000. They approach it as if it is something docile, like a servant-type instrument. I dont approach it that way. I approach it as if it was a lead voice, and not necessarily here to uphold the altos, tenors and sopranos. Yes, Brett Kavanaugh is on the Supreme Court. Rue the day. Rend your garments. Then, step back, view the entirety of the battle in which you are engaged, and understand that Kavanaugh is just one part of a much larger plan by conservatives to fundamentally change the American political structure so that it enshrines and protects white male power even after Americas changing demographics and mores move away from that power. This, for them, is not simply a game about political passion and political principles. This is a game of power, pure and simple, and its about whether the people who have long held that power will be able to retain it. For them, Trump is just a useful idiot, a temporary anomaly. They are thinking generationally, not in terms of the next election cycle but in terms of the next epoch. Liberals can get so high-minded that they lose sight of the ground war. Yes, next month it is important to prove to the rest of Americans, and indeed the world, that Trump and the Republicans who promote and protect him are at odds with American values and with the American majority. The petitioners pointed out that while there are over 60 lakh bogus voters in Madhya Pradesh, there are one crore bogus voters in Rajasthan. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its verdict on petitions filed by Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Sachin Pilot alleging large-scale duplication of voters in the voters list in the two poll-bound states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. A bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan reserved verdict at the conclusion of arguments by Kapil Sibal and Vivek Tanka for the petitioners even as Election Commission rejected the allegations as fabricated and false. The EC said that the writ petitions filed by the two leaders ought to be dismissed as the same is an abuse of the process of law, besides being misconceived and malafide, as the petitioners are seeking to instruct/direct the Election Commission of India, which is a Constitutional Authority, to conduct elections according to their personal whims and fancies and that of the political party to which they stand affiliated. Opposing a petition, senior counsel Vikas Singh asserted that EC is a constitutional body that has to function in accordance with the rules and laws and not in tandem with the instructions of a political party. It is not within the jurisdiction or domain of the petitioner and/or his party/organisation to question the measures taken by the Election Commission with regard to the conduct of elections or preparation of voters lists. The EC further said that the political party to which they stand affiliated couldnt approach the Supreme Court time and again so as to re-agitate the same issue and interfere in the functioning of a Constitutional authority such as the Election Commission. The electoral rolls were published on July 31 after due verification and duplicated voters were deleted. Both Kamal Nath and Sachin Pilot sought deletion of large-scale bogus voters in the voters list for Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The petitioners pointed out that while there are over 60 lakh bogus voters in Madhya Pradesh, there are one crore bogus voters in Rajasthan. Mr Sibal argued that despite the fact that such glaring instances were brought to the notice of the EC, nothing has been done so far to rectify the voters list. Together, the two new justices have cemented an extremist Republican majority on the Supreme Court. It has already begun acting as a kind of super-legislature, throwing out laws on voting rights, worker rights, consumer rights and political influence buying. Now, the court is poised to do much more to benefit the wealthy and powerful at the expense of most Americans and the planet. This is not how democracy is supposed to work. The real problem, to be clear, isnt that the governing party won power with minority support. Thats always possible in our system. The problems are, first, that the victory depended on illegal activity, and second, that the governing party is exercising power in radical ways. Again, if youre not angry, you should be, and I realize that many of you already are. The past two weeks, on top of everything that came before, have created a sense of frustration and injustice that I have never seen before from people on the left and in the center. The question now is, What are you going to do with that anger? Here is my suggestion: Get involved. Do it now. Be smart about how. And help turn the crisis of the Trump presidency into a new day for American democracy. The only good solution to this mess involves fighting for democratic principles. In concrete terms, this means turning your attention away from the Supreme Court, for now, and toward the midterm elections. The confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh is over. The midterms are not, and, one way or the other, they will change Washington. Either President Trump will be emboldened to fire Robert Mueller, take away health insurance and so on or he will be constrained. There is no election outcome that preserves the status quo. The Nashville Tree Foundations giveaway program which continues through Friday is just one of the nonprofit organizations outreach efforts, each focused on planting trees in the poorer parts of town, which tend to have the least green space. Were all working toward the same goal of 500,000 trees, and we want an equitable distribution of free trees in the county, said Ms. Sorenson. We usually plant in areas where theres an intersection of low canopy and low income. Were trying to make a large impact over a short period of time. I learned about the tree giveaway the same way I learn about most other initiatives sponsored by nonprofits with a limited advertising budget: through social media. Thats the same way and on the same day I heard Erica Ciccarones story of the developer who cut down three ancient black walnut trees on the property line they share. Whats going up next to Ms. Ciccarones small house in the Wedgewood-Houston part of Nashville is a four-story duplex, and she wasnt surprised when the builder took out the old tree closest to the monstrous new structure under construction. But there was no reason at all to take down the trees in the back of the lot. As it happens, Ms. Ciccarone lives in an area where the tree canopy is well below its target density, but for her the loss of the black walnuts was personal. They werent majestic, she wrote in an email. Their leaves were small and scraggly. But they provided shade for us and the chickens, housed songbirds, and they blocked the sight line from the alley into our yard and back porch. Her reaction is typical: When trees die, people invariably mourn. And when trees are planted, people become demonstrably happier. Rhitu Chatterjee of National Public Radio recently reported on a randomized study designed to discover the effect of urban green space on mental health. The study found that cleaning up vacant lots and planting grass and trees was associated with a significant improvement in the mental health of nearby residents: According to the report, feelings of depression and worthlessness were significantly decreased. The Moores Ford Bridge case was a signal episode in the reign of racial terror in which thousands of black men, women and children were hanged, drowned, shot, burned or dismembered in states across the South between the end of Reconstruction, in 1877, and the dawn of the modern civil rights era, in 1950. The victims were often killed before cheering crowds without being charged with crimes and for minor transgressions like talking back to whites, competing with them in business or insisting on the right to vote. Mr. Malcom was accused of stabbing a white man, but George Dorsey committed another offense to these thugs. He was a veteran who had recently returned from five years of service in the Pacific during World War II. A 2016 study by the Equal Justice Initiative, a civil rights organization, noted that black veterans who dared to appear in uniform on Southern streets were a particular threat to a system that insisted on black subservience. The study noted that whites especially feared that meeting black veterans demands for respect would lead to postwar economic demands for better working conditions and higher wages and would encourage other African-Americans to resist Jim Crow segregation and racially oppressive social customs. African-American veterans were singled out for assault and other forms of persecution. There are real risks for Republicans. Seating a man on the nations highest court who was accused in searing terms of sexual misconduct has only enraged many women who were already eager to register their contempt for Mr. Trump at the polls. And it may further imperil the partys tenuous House majority and its prospects in a handful of big-state governors races that could turn on anti-Trump energy. But the terms of the debate have shifted profoundly for Democratic Senate candidates. From North Dakota and Missouri to Montana and Tennessee, they have been trying to localize races, either ignoring Mr. Trump or highlighting their willingness to work with him while playing down the court fight and emphasizing regional issues. In Montana, Senator Jon Tester and his allies have been assailing his Republican opponent, Matt Rosendale, a Maryland native, as an East Coast real estate developer. In Missouri, Senator Claire McCaskill has taken every chance to highlight the Ivy League and law professor background of her challenger, Josh Hawley. At the same time, Phil Bredesen, the Democratic Senate nominee in Tennessee, has done just about everything he can to distance himself from national Democrats. He has spent much of his campaign talking about his tenure as governor and as Nashvilles mayor, and even tried to inject the invasion of Asian carp in the states waterways as an issue in the race. And Ms. Heitkamp has portrayed herself as a champion of North Dakotas farmers and ranchers, recording ads of herself standing in knee-high soybean fields. Now, though, Republicans in these races are using the court clash to turn the campaign into more of a national referendum on the fate of their 51-49 majority and a test of which side the voters are on: that of Mr. Trump and Justice Kavanaugh or the angry Democratic opposition. CAIRO Back home, Washington was in turmoil, but the first lady had something on her mind. On one of the most consequential days of her husbands embattled presidency, as the Senate approved his controversial choice for the Supreme Court, Melania Trump traveled to the edge of this sand-colored city and posed before the Great Sphinx, one hand in the pocket of her mens-wear-inspired ensemble. Standing with her back against the enigmatic monument, the equally enigmatic first lady did something unusual: She spoke up for herself. I wish people would focus on what I do, an exasperated Mrs. Trump said in rare comments to reporters, not what I wear. Then came the fashion show. Dressed in a tan blazer, a white shirt and black tie, and palazzo pants, Mrs. Trump stood in the wind against the desertscape. As dancers performed and music played, she adjusted her jacket (Ralph Lauren), pulled her hat (Chanel) down over her eyes, and ensured that every angle was captured as her tour through Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt came to a close on Saturday. It was a striking moment for a first lady who, perhaps more than any other in modern times, has been happy to be a walking contradiction. It also felt like a message to old acquaintances who have boxed her out of her glamorous past life because of their opposition to her husband. Stormy Daniels may get an embrace from Anna Wintour, but Mrs. Trump still has the Great Pyramid of Giza. Laura Carvalho, an economist at University of Sao Paulo, said the best bet for the Workers Partys candidate would be to focus on pocketbook issues over the next three weeks. Instead of focusing on racism and misogyny, which did not have much effect, they should focus on the economic agenda and the anti-worker aspect of the Bolsonaro candidacy, Ms. Carvalho said. While several of Brazils neighbors have steered to the right politically in recent years, a victory by Mr. Bolsonaro, a populist conservative who stands to join a growing roster of anti-establishment leaders around the world, would be a seismic conservative shift. Critics of Mr. Bolsonaro and political analysts have watched his rise with alarm, fearing he could become an authoritarian leader in the mold of Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. Before running for president, Mr. Bolsonaro, a former Army captain with little to show for his seven terms in Congress, faced federal hate speech charges for homophobic, misogynist and racist comments. He also spoke with admiration and nostalgia for Brazils military dictatorship, during which 434 people were killed or disappeared and thousands were tortured from 1964 to 1985. Rejected by mainstream parties, Mr. Bolsonaro struggled to find a running mate until early August, when he picked a recently retired general who has advocated military intervention as a means to purge a corrupt ruling elite. He has said he intends to appoint other military leaders to central roles. Mr. Bolsonaros first-round victory was all the more remarkable because he lacked the backing of a major party and campaigned on a shoestring budget, relying mainly on social media to build a base. As of mid-September, the Bolsonaro campaign reported having spent about $235,000, a small fraction of the $6.3 million the Haddad campaign disclosed having spent. Mr. Bolsonaros rise was enabled by the political divisions that have torn the country apart in recent years. SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina A pro-Russia Serbian nationalist claimed victory in the race for the Serbian seat on Bosnias three-member presidency on Sunday but official results will not be announced until Monday morning. A victory for Milorad Dodik, a Bosnian Serb strongman and a close ally of Russias president Vladimir V. Putin, could exacerbate ethnic rivalries in the Balkan nation and stall the countrys bid for membership in the European Union. The president of the countrys election commission, Branko Petric, confirmed that with 44 percent of the vote counted, Mr. Dodik was leading in the race for the Serbian seat in the countrys tripartite presidency. Its a clear cut victory, Mr. Dodik said in Banja Luka, the capital of the Serbian autonomous region of Bosnia. I dont care who the other two representatives in the presidency are. I am going there, to this presidency, to work above all and only for the interests of Serbs. The show, Orsay Through the Eyes of Julian Schnabel, which opens on Wednesday and runs through Jan. 13, juxtaposes 13 paintings from the museums collection with 11 works by Mr. Schnabel from the last 40 years. There are several of his signature paintings done on broken plates, as well as other surfaces, such as tarpaulin and black velvet. What the surface of a painting can be is an obsession of mine, Mr. Schnabel said. If you see how the plate paintings function, its very three-dimensional, both physically and spatially. I like dealing with physical problems and rudimentary concerns about trying to stick things to a surface. The earliest of his works in the show is the large-scale Blue Nude with Sword from 1979, the first figurative, as opposed to abstract, plate painting that Mr. Schnabel made. It hangs alongside Cezannes much smaller tableau La Femme Etranglee (The Strangled Woman, 1875-1876), with which it shares a similar red, white and blue palette. The hanging of the exhibition, which was overseen by Mr. Schnabel and his partner, the Swedish interior designer Louise Kugelberg, also explores connections in style, content and scale. AMSTERDAM In the spring of 1887, the painter Paul Gauguin wrote a letter to his wife, Mette-Sophie, who was living in Denmark with four of their children, to ask her to come pick up their fifth child, Clovis, from Paris, because Gauguin wanted to leave the stifling city and find a free and fertile island. I will take my paint and my brushes, he wrote, and live like a native. In April of that year, he and his friend and fellow painter Charles Laval left Paris to go to Panama, but found it inhospitable, then detoured to the Caribbean island of Martinique, a French colony at the time. They spent the next four months together living in a hut on a sugar plantation there, near the Bay of St.-Pierre, painting images of the tropical landscape; mango, papaya and palm trees; and the local women. That brief period of Gauguins career has mostly been forgotten, in part because that first tropical sojourn has been overshadowed by the decade that Gauguin spent on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, where he created some of his most famous paintings. One evening in May 1606, a street in downtown Rome became the scene of a gory confrontation. The celebrated painter Michelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio, had a nasty fight with a young man, which ended in a fatal stabbing. The stabbing, for which Caravaggio was convicted of murder, was more than just another homicide in what was then a pretty violent city. The death had far-reaching consequences in art history. Caravaggio fled Rome, putting behind him what was arguably the richest and most productive period of his career, and died in Tuscany four years later, a fugitive from justice. Caravaggios Roman period, which began in 1592, is being celebrated in an exhibition at the Jacquemart-Andre Museum in Paris (through Jan. 28, 2019). Ten of his paintings are being shown alongside nearly two dozen works by his peers and rivals, including Cavaliere dArpino, Annibale Carracci and Orazio Gentileschi. The Caravaggios on display include loans from museums around the world, including the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia (to which the Jacquemart-Andre says it is lending a Paolo Uccello in exchange next year). A perfect spot for those in need of a break from city life. Away from urban chaos, there is Chitharal Malai Kovil in Kanyakumari district that is known for its enchanted calmness and pristine beauty. We had a long ride from Thiruvananthapuram to Chitharal and by the time we reached the place, the sun was already going down at a faraway horizon. It is a long and steep climb from vehicle parking to the peak, where there are old stone monuments. Yet the cobblestoned path had something that tells every visitor about tireless journeys made by sculptors of the past who travelled all the way up to the hilltop centuries ago. The local name Malai Kovil translates to temple on hilltop. It is recorded that the Jain rock-cut temple was most likely to be built by Digambara Jains more than a thousand years ago with support from King Mahendravarman I. We found carvings and cuts on every wall of the temple that shows rich Jain symbols and figures. The peaceful faces of Jain Tirthankaras are immortalised by the sculptors on those walls. Parshwanatha and Padmavathi are carved out of stone and are canopied by a cobra and Yakshis guard them by side. There are more such male and female figures and they tell much about the medieval Jain architecture, traditions and aesthetics. One has to pass a narrow lane between two rocks to reach the monument. The cave temple has a mandapa, corridor and a balipeetham (altar). After climbing a few steps, we reach another structure of equal magnificence called the Vimana. Some locals who knew the history of the area told us how the Jain temple was converted in the 13th century to a Hindu temple of Bhagavathy. Some Tamil inscriptions on one of the walls also tell about the patrons who funded this process. Over the course of time, a few portions of the monument got damaged by possible lightning. Though this place is of extreme historical importance, one can always come here to enjoy the pure aesthetics of nature. Hundreds of families, friends groups and solo travellers come here every day. They are driven by the pure pleasure of sitting on top of the rock, breathing fresh air and watching the long stretch of Dravidian land that ends only where the sky touches the earth. There is a natural pond down the Vimana structure. The place has also become a spot for the youth to take photographs. Chitharal is untouched by modernity. Perhaps the hills are exactly the same as they were centuries ago when the last rituals were performed there. There are a few shops selling snacks near the parking area and they seem to be the only source of food and water nearby. We sat on the hills till the last portion of the orange sun disappeared. We watched the lights coming alive like white spots on dark canvas. The memories of Chitharal will stay on our minds for a long time. The writer is a blogger and literature student LONDON When Anni Albers was 91, she received an honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art here in 1990. A ceremony was held nearby at The Royal Albert Hall, so solemn that a friend of hers joked that the venue deserved to be renamed The Royal Albers Hall. Ms. Albers attended the festivities in a wheelchair and accompanied by a nurse, but the textile artist stayed through the three-hour ceremony and collected her award for a lifetime of achievement. As she was being wheeled out of the hall after the ceremony, Nicholas Fox Weber the executive director of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Bethany, Conn., and who recounted the episode asked her how she felt. In her new novel Hazards of Time Travel, coming out in November, Joyce Carol Oates takes an almost literal approach to exploring fears that the clock could be turned back on womens rights. The novel opens in a future autocratic America, where students are taught that men have higher I.Q.s than women, and centers on a young woman who is arrested for treason after she raises questions about the regime in school. As punishment, she gets teleported back to 1959 Wisconsin to be re-educated and rendered more docile. In Christina Dalchers recent debut novel, Vox, an ultraconservative political party gains control of Congress and the White House, and enacts policies that force women to become submissive homemakers. Girls are no longer taught how to read or write; women are forbidden to work or hold political office, or even express themselves: They are forced into near silence after the government requires all women to wear bracelets that deliver a shock if they exceed an allotted daily word count. Ms. Dalcher, a retired theoretical linguist, said she was inspired in part by the womens marches around the country after the 2016 election. I thought, there must be a ton of people who are watching this and rolling their eyes and saying, I wish they would just shut up, she said. What better way to force somebody into submission than to take away the one thing that makes them human, language? We Are Already in a Dystopia Like The Handmaids Tale, several recent dystopian novels explore how a womans fertility can define her worth in societys eyes, and consider what might happen if the government mandates and controls childbearing. Leni Zumas was struggling to become pregnant when she began writing her recent novel Red Clocks, which takes place in a near-future America where abortion and in vitro fertilization are illegal and embryos are enshrined with the right to life. The idea came to her when she was researching fertility treatments, and came across references to proposed legislation that would outlaw in vitro fertilization. It was very intentional to make the situation in the novel feel ordinary, and therefore more frightening, she said. One of the things about looking at the world through a feminist lens is that we are already in a dystopia. EVERY DAY IS EXTRA By John Kerry Illustrated. 622 pp. Simon & Schuster. $35. John Kerry has written a solid political memoir. Every Day Is Extra offers a detailed record of an important life, a dutiful recounting of long-forgotten triumphs and setbacks, and a high-minded coda about the virtues of public service. Like others in its genre, it is long and slow, but it is frank, thoughtful and clearly written. Aspiring candidates and officials will find good career advice; wonks will appreciate the ticktocks of negotiations on Israel, Iran and climate change; cynics will see it as a trial balloon for one last run. There are a few mini-revelations, but what lingers are not the parts but the whole; not the life, but the man. Kerry is one of the last great scions of Americas once-mighty WASP ascendancy, and his memoir is an insider account of its long, slow decline. As the chapters proceed, the narrator seems increasingly a man out of time, a ghost from an age when class meant something more than money. This is Buddenbrooks via Louis Auchincloss, told by someone in the tomb where it happened. [ How does The Times review books about political subjects? Editors explain the process here. ] A century ago, Yale University served as the clubhouse for Americas untitled nobility, offering a code along with the sports, connections and light reading. Asked what his type took from the school to the nation, one of the Skull-and-Bones-bound heroes of Owen Johnsons 1912 Stover at Yale confidently replies: First, a pretty fine type of gentleman, with good, clear honest standards; second, a spirit of ambition and a determination not to be beaten; third, the belief in democracy. It sounded good, but soon outsiders banging on the gates would put such boasts to the test. Just how much democracy did the Bonesmen believe in? For some, the answer proved to be not much. Many privileged WASPs pushed Yale and other schools to cap the number of Jews admitted and generally tried to transform the upper class into a caste defined on ethnic and communal lines. Worsening food shortages. More wildfires. Flooded coastlines. These are among the dire predictions for the next 25 years in a report by the U.N.s scientific panel on climate change. Australias many reefs are particularly at risk. Above, the consequences of the countrys crippling drought. Avoiding the most serious damage would require transforming the world economy within just a few years, said the authors, who acknowledged the rescue was politically unlikely. On the same day, the Nobel in economics went to a pair of Americans for their work highlighting the importance of government policy in fostering sustainable economic growth. One, William D. Nordhaus, was an early advocate for a carbon tax. The other, Paul M. Romer, studies technological innovation. (Want to get this briefing by email? Heres the sign-up.) Good morning. Heres what you need to know: New justice quickly gets to work A day after the bitter fight over his nomination ended in his elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh was in his new chambers on Sunday, preparing for the arguments the court is to hear as it enters the second week of its term. Justice Kavanaugh was sworn in shortly after the Senate confirmation vote on Saturday, and the next day he met with his four law clerks. All his clerks are women, a first for the Supreme Court. Long-term fallout: The ugly confirmation fight left senators from both parties worrying about lasting institutional damage, with the Senate Judiciary Committee perhaps the most wounded. The left strategizes: Facing a Supreme Court controlled by five conservatives, some have started discussing ways to limit its power. In the prelude to the global financial crisis, troubled banks like Citigroup and Barclays turned to the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the Qatar Investment Authority for cash infusions. And Qatar went further, buying up assets like the British department store Harrods and Londons Canary Wharf financial district along with European fashion houses like Valentino and Balmain. Their ambitions have continued to grow in the years since the financial crisis. The 10 biggest deals by such funds were all struck within the past decade, according to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute. The biggest on record, Blackstones sale of the warehouse operator Logicor to the China Investment Corporation, was for roughly $14 billion. To help hunt down opportunities, many of the funds have built up their in-house investment teams, hiring experienced rainmakers from top international banks and private equity firms. From 2012 to 2016, for example, Temaseks head of the Americas was Boon Sim, who had been Credit Suisses head of global mergers and acquisitions. During the past year, the P.I.F. has hired Alireza Zaimi, a senior banker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Abdulmajeed Alhagbani, who led HSBCs Saudi asset management team. To attract top managers, some of these funds have offered compensation packages competitive with Goldman Sachs and K.K.R., a far cry from the salaries normally paid for what are essentially civil-servant positions. There are a number of factors behind sovereign funds push to make direct investments. One is simple: These funds are awash in money, more than what professional investment firms can put to work. It is correct to view the recent summit and convention as an unprecedented milestone for the region that has been decades in the making, Ashley Sherman, principal research analyst for the Caspian and Europe at Wood Mackenzie, a company advising the oil industry, said in a telephone interview. Russia had for most of the post-Soviet period objected to east-west energy trade through new subsea pipelines, hoping to keep in place the north-south trade routes of the Soviet Unions existing rail and pipeline system. The European Union and the United States, in contrast, support what they call a southern corridor for energy. This strategy seeks to keep open a window in the south Caucasus region, between Russia and Iran, for energy exports. The Bush administration had sought to add military muscle to the strategy by accepting Georgia into NATO. Russia pushed back initially with a commercial strategy to undermine the financial rationale for a southern gas pipeline. Gazprom, the Russian gas monopoly, bought up potential supplies of natural gas in the Caspian region. In this contest, Russia also dragged out talks on the status of the sea and east-west trans-Caspian pipelines for 22 years, the length of time the convention was under negotiation before the signing in August. In an indication of the seriousness of Russias intentions, in 2008 this conflict over energy trade routes in the Caspian region became the backdrop to the war in Georgia. Russia and the West have also been in a tug of war over influence in Ukraine, which, like Georgia, is an important transit country for energy. Keeping the Boss Happy MR. FALIH Mr. Falih has the unenviable job of catering to the whims of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdoms policymaker in chief. As chairman of the national oil company, Saudi Aramco, Mr. Falih has presided over what has been billed as the largest initial public offering in history, with an estimated valuation of $1 trillion (if it ever happens). Then when the crown prince, know as MBS, cooled on the plan, it fell to Mr. Falih to answer questions about why it was not moving ahead. MR. NOVAK Mr. Novak, too, has to walk a line. With prices low, there was little question that cutting output was in Russias interest. Prices rose, boosting Russias income, and gave Mr. Putin, for the first time, a seat in OPEC councils, which can strongly influence markets. Higher prices open the way for the chiefs of Russias oil companies, like the formidable Igor Sechin of Rosneft, to argue that restraints are no longer necessary. Steady as He Goes MR. FALIH Mr. Falih has communicated the strength of the Saudi economy by declaring that if prices continue to be low, we will be able to withstand it for a long, long time. MR. NOVAK Despite all the artificial pushes and prods in production and market share, Mr. Novak routinely remarks that fundamentally the market is balancing out. Iranian Connection MR. FALIH Irans OPEC governor, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, and the Iranian oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, have openly criticized Mr. Falihs push for greater output (and the cheaper oil that comes with it). Mr. Falih is motivated in part by United States interests; the Trump administration is looking to renew restrictions on Iranian crude exports by November. MR. NOVAK In July, Mr. Novak met Mr. Zanganeh in Moscow to discuss cooperation between Iran and Russia, including the prospect of Russian oil companies actively participating in Iranian oil projects. MR. FALIH Once again, the Saudis face a tricky problem as they try to keep prices in a range that is to their liking. By reimposing sanctions, the Trump administration is removing Iranian oil from the market, but how low Tehrans exports will go is a big unknown. The Saudis want to compensate for lost Iranian barrels, but they dont want to put so much oil on the market that prices crash. They also want to avoid unnecessarily antagonizing Iran, whose officials have already criticized the Saudis for being willing to sell additional oil at Irans expense. MR. NOVAK The Russian minister is also conflicted when it comes to Iran. The two countries are neighbors and uneasy allies on the side of President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian conflict. The Russians wont like to look as if they are siding with the Saudis and the United States against the Iranians. But in oil politics, self-interest usually prevails. You definitely have a different culture permeating through these organizations, said Oswald Clint, an analyst at Bernstein in London. The current group of chief executives is more focused on cost-cutting and not just building fancy toys, he said. Along with the bitter experience of low prices, concern about the role of fossil fuels in climate change is also influencing industry behavior. While demand for oil has been growing strongly in recent years, the question is whether it will continue to grow as governments and societies demand a shift to a low-carbon economy that may only be achievable by reducing use of emissions-spewing fossil fuels. While the Trump administration may be trying to roll back regulation of energy producers, oil executives fear that future administrations may reapply the rules even more aggressively. I would argue that this is the most difficult time for the industry since the OPEC crisis and the nationalizations of the 1960s and 1970s, said J. Robinson West, managing director of the BCG Center for Energy Impact, a consulting firm, referring to the western oil companies losing their lucrative concessions in countries like Iran, Libya and Saudi Arabia. Pondering uncertainties like these, company boards are wary of approving the long term, multibillion dollar projects that used to be oil industry staples. How do you approve these massive projects which have a 20-year life when you dont know what the business environment will be in 20 years? Mr. West asked. Ben Greenstein didnt expect to spend more than four hours on the phone over three days just to redeem points for a hotel booking in Boston. But Mr. Greenstein, an entrepreneur from Baltimore who travels frequently for work, got caught in the not-so-smooth merger in August of Marriott Internationals traveler rewards program with the Starwood Preferred Guest and Ritz-Carlton Rewards loyalty programs. Prior to this merger, it was never like that, said Mr. Greenstein, a member of Starwoods SPG program. When he went online, he said, he found that he was not the only one who couldnt get help with his account after the merger. What really bugged me more than anything else was when I went to Facebook and looked on the SPG page and saw how many people were having that problem, he said. Irate members posted to complain they were unable to log in to their profiles or merge their accounts, or discovered that their accounts were missing points or nights counting toward elite status. Those who called Marriott found themselves on the phone for long stretches before they could speak to a representative, and then that the agents were unable to fix the glitches immediately. Passers-by alerted the police after they found the auto driver bleeding. He informed them that he was stabbed by a passenger. Police rushed the auto-driver to Lady Hardinge Medical College, about 2 km away, where he died. (Representational Image) New Delhi: An auto rickshaw driver died after he was stabbed allegedly by a passenger in Delhis Connaught Place late on Sunday night. Passers-by alerted the police after they found the auto driver bleeding. He informed them that he was stabbed by a passenger. Police rushed the auto-driver to Lady Hardinge Medical College, about 2 km away, where he died. The man who called up the police said he saw the auto rickshaw driver running towards him. "He was bleeding. He was not able to speak. We got scared and asked him what happened. He fell on the ground. He said a passenger stabbed him but he didn't who the person was," said Ratan Singh Chauhan. The man said the auto driver had picked up the passenger from either Khan Market in central Delhi or Khanpur in south Delhi. In an election that did not capture the attention of most of the world, residents of the semiautonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq voted in a parliamentary election last Sunday a year after a failed vote for independence. The election, whose results have been hotly debated, is the latest chapter in the long and tortured struggle over control of the oil-rich region. The Times talked to Janine di Giovanni for an update on the conflict in Kurdistan and its meaning to the oil and gas industries. Ms. di Giovanni is a senior fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University. She has worked for over 30 years as a reporter in conflict zones in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East. Her most recent book, The Morning They Came For Us: Dispatches From Syria has been translated into 26 languages. The conversation has been edited and condensed. What makes Kurdistan and Kurdish oil so important? Kurdistan is crucial because of its vital location straddling Iran, Syria, Turkey and Iraq. Ever since the Kurds were denied their own state after World War I, they have been focused on a search for self-determination. The Kurds key leverage is oil: Kurdistan has roughly one-third of Iraqs total oil reserves, much of it located under the sands near the city of Kirkuk, which was once a stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS.) Good morning. Melissa Clark has a new story up on The Times about how intensely Indian home cooks have embraced the electric pressure cooker. There are six separate Indian Instant Pot Facebook groups, she reports, with a combined membership of almost 200,000. And across all of Facebooks million-plus-member Instant Pot communities, the company says Indian users are among the most active about posting recipes and images. Nearly a dozen Indian cookbooks focused on the device have been published in the last year alone. Melissa talked to a few of those writers for her story, including the great author and actor Madhur Jaffrey, who explained that the pressure cooker has been a central appliance in many Indian kitchens for, she said, at least 40 years. Because Melissa knows what we like as much as we do great reporting, she brought back three new recipes for us to try, none of them time-intensive, each of them packed with flavor and not at all hard to make. So, for dinner tonight, you might make shrimp biryani. Or chicken korma. Or Punjabi rajma (above), a vegetarian delight of red kidney beans cooked with garam masala and other warming spices, tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger. Perhaps thatll get you using your electric pressure cooker more often, at least a few times a month. If not, I hope youll at least use your sheet pans. Ive been nattering on for some time about our new explanatory guide to their use in a modern kitchen. You could use yours to make crisp tofu and sweet potatoes this evening or, I think, this recipe for baked cauliflower with mozzarella and olives. Want a super-fast meal? Make some rice and, when its done, knock out these sheet-pan green beans and shrimp in gochujang, using your broiler to bring the heat. At the Callicoon gallery I will show 30 of these boxes, and in doing so I will show the entire set of 30 images. I publish the boxes with my own imprint called Spontaneous Books in an edition of 360. The Pothi Box is a miniature version of what Im showing at Carnegie International, which is six big pillars with 100 prints. Ive always wanted to find this space between publishing and the art gallery. What I love the most about photography is dissemination, and publishing gives me that. But I also love how the art gallery can make you look at things in a very special way. They can make things not unique, but more special. Photography I feel got a little stuck with prints on the wall in editions. So its like the print is there and the book is here, but for me the book has always been the work. So I wanted to find something in between that had the dissemination of the book and the art object of the gallery. What is your fascination with books? I feel the book is the one form where I can be the complete author of my work. And I love the book for the sequence, which no other form really gives me. Its this beautiful art object that you can have beside your bed, you can travel with it. Exhibitions, as we know, come and go but the book just sort of you dont know where you might chance upon it. And photo books are great, but often they just get put on the shelf. And Ive been struggling for the last few books on how to make it a work that can be on the wall. Your books are not like other peoples books. Youre always striving to find the perfect expression of the work. It has to be more than the sum of the photos. So the book becoming the exhibition was really important. I always want to push it even more, even further. Tell me about your first book. Nobody bought it. Because in those days people thought it was absurd to make a book about one person. Straight after that I went to study at I.C.P. (the International Center of Photography) in New York. To be able to afford it I asked my mother to use the money that would have gone to my dowry if I got married, because in those days you needed a dowry. An influential state commission issued a highly critical assessment on Friday of a second key player in the murder conviction of Joe Bryan, saying a Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab chemist had overstated findings, exceeded her expertise and engaged in speculation when she testified in 1989. In a report issued at its quarterly meeting, the Texas Forensic Science Commission also found that the now-retired chemist, Patricia Retzlaff, failed to do thorough analysis of key DNA evidence in 2012, after a judge allowed such testing. The report marks the second time in just three months that the commission, a national leader in forensic science reform, has highlighted serious flaws in the prosecution of Bryan, a former high school principal who has now spent more than 30 years in prison over the murder of his wife, Mickey, a fourth-grade grade teacher in Clifton, Texas. In July, the commission found that the blood-spatter analysis used to convict Bryan was erroneous. Among the items that were not fully analyzed was a cigarette butt that was discovered at the crime scene. The defense has long contended that the cigarette butt is proof that someone other than the Bryans, who did not smoke, entered their home on the night of the crime. (The cases lead investigator claimed that he accidentally tracked it into the home on the heel of his boot.) The commission noted that were was ample DNA extract remaining which could be analyzed. Good morning on this gray Monday. A stretch limousine crashed on Saturday in Schoharie, N.Y., about 170 miles north of the city, killing 20 people. The crash is the nations deadliest transportation accident in nine years. [Read our article about the crash.] Details about the victims and what exactly happened are still coming in this morning. But heres what we know, and what we dont. What we know A white 2001 Ford Excursion limousine sped down a hill on Route 30 and lost control at 2 p.m. on Saturday, barreling through an intersection and striking an empty car. The driver and the 17 passengers in the limo were killed along with two pedestrians. The victims were all adults, the State Police said. They included at least two pairs of newlyweds and parents of young children. On Monday, investigators continued to search for clues as to what caused the 2001 Ford Excursion limousine to speed down a rural highway, through a stop sign and into an unoccupied car, killing 17 friends in the vehicle who were on their way to celebrate a birthday party. An assistant professor of geology at the State University of New York, Brian Hough, and his father-in-law were struck and killed as they stood near a parking lot at the base of the hill, according to Syracuse.com and Facebook posts. In a briefing at a regional headquarters of the State Police outside Albany, Robert L. Sumwalt, the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said that his agencys inquiry was focusing on mechanical and human causes for the accident and that there was extensive damage to the front and left side of the limousine. He suggested that the engine of the Excursion had been thrust backward into the drivers compartment, saying the evidence indicated a high-energy impact. But he declined to say definitively that the vehicle had been speeding; there were no skid marks leading to the crash site. Investigators also said they had recovered an airbag control module, which was being analyzed for crash data. State Police officials suggested that the company had been on their radar before the crash. That company and that vehicle have been under scrutiny in the past, said Maj. Robert Patnaude of the New York State Police. He also suggested that Mr. Hussain could face criminal charges. That will be part of our investigation, Major Patnaude said. The investigation will also include autopsies of the victims, a tight-knit group that included four sisters, two brothers and several young couples. Those victims had yet to be identified by the authorities but heartbroken friends and relatives were already posting testimonials. Traveling by stretch limo may seem like the height of prudence for people going out to party, but it has hidden pitfalls. Of course, it makes great sense for a group of friends to set up a ride ahead of time so that no one who has been drinking or planning to gets behind the wheel. But many stretch limousines might be considered a kind of automotive zombie: They are former cars or sport utility vehicles that have been transformed after they leave the factory, and exist in a regulatory limbo. They usually do not have to meet arduous federal safety requirements, and they face a haphazard inspection system that varies from state to state. Without sufficient safety standards in place, it is nothing but a fine line between a stretch limousine and a hearse, Thomas Spota, the former Suffolk County district attorney, said in 2016. It is shocking that the race is in play, he said, citing Ms. Bouchers one unassailable advantage: her record of constituent service. That is something he cannot claim, he said. Thats what often sustains an incumbent is that they have built up a reservoir of good will among the residents of the district. But, he added, I think theres very little question that she feels challenged in a very big way. At a recent opening of a Republican field office in Ridgefield, Ms. Boucher certainly seemed like a candidate feeling the competition. She characterized Mr. Haskell as a privileged, wealthy kid from a wealthy family in Westport who only had opportunities to work in the offices of Mr. Murphy and Mr. Himes because of his familys political donations to Democrats, according to a recording of her remarks obtained by The New York Times. But F.E.C. filings show Mr. Haskells parents have never made political donations. Ms. Boucher has also accused Mr. Haskells campaign of stealing lawn signs and conducting a push poll. Mr. Haskell has denied both accusations, pointing to his limited campaign resources and campaign finance records that show his campaign has not spent any money on polling. Ms. Boucher and her campaign dodged numerous requests for comment over the course of several days, asserting that the senator did not have the time to speak. Last week, when The Times approached Ms. Boucher after her first candidate forum with Mr. Haskell, she said she had no time to talk because of another event she had to attend that evening. Ms. Boucher then lingered at the forum for at least another 15 minutes, chatting amiably with constituents and the other Republican elected officials who appeared at the forum. In the late 1930s, in rural Georgia, a former slave told his grandson a story about a case of racial injustice that had occurred three decades earlier and gone all the way to the White House. The story began about midnight on Aug. 13, 1906, when a flurry of gunfire erupted on a street in Brownsville, Tex., leaving a white bartender dead and a white police lieutenant wounded. Soon, the citys mayor and other white citizens had accused about 20 unidentified black soldiers stationed nearby, at Fort Brown, of having shot up the town. Dastardly Outrage by Negro Soldiers read the headline in The Brownsville Herald the next day. The soldiers, members of the segregated First Battalion, 25th Infantry (Colored), as it was known, professed their innocence. Their white commander said he believed that all the black soldiers were in their barracks at the time of the shooting, and that their rifles did not appear to have been fired. Mr. Bolsonaros success owes much to his power to divide. Many of his core followers especially the young men who make up his base are committed to his corruption-busting and communist-combating crusade. Others, including middle-class women, are attracted more narrowly to his tough on crime message. And some of the countrys business elite see in Mr. Bolsonaro along with his running mate, the retired army general Antonio Hamilton Mourao, and his pro-market financial adviser, Paulo Guedes a bulwark against the return of the left-wing Workers Party and its jailed leader, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Brazils three major political parties share the blame for the countrys fragmentation. Both Mr. Lula and his successor, Dilma Rousseff, regularly invoked us versus them rhetoric during their 13 years in power, especially when faced with mounting corruption scandals unearthed by the Carwash investigations. The other two main parties P.M.D.B. and P.S.D.B. also set Brazil on a collision course when they voted to unseat Ms. Rousseff in August 2016. Described by Ms. Rousseffs supporters as an illegal coup, the impeachment further divided Brazilians. Yet it is Mr. Bolsonaro that represents the greatest existential threat to Brazils democracy. He has gleefully promised to drain the swamp in the capital, Brasilia, and to violently restore law and order. But Brazilians should take a close look at his record as the second round approaches: After serving seven terms across almost three decades, first as a City Council member and then as a congressman, he delivered just two bills. While he clearly has the credentials to lead an authoritarian backlash, many doubt that he has the skills to govern in a multiparty environment that depends on coalition building. Mr. Bolsonaro and his running mate are proud apologists for the military dictatorship that reigned from 1964 to 1985. He once said that its only shortcoming was that it had not killed more people. His team also supports violently repressing crime: He openly supports expanding police powers to use lethal force, reducing the age of penal responsibility from 18 to 16, and bringing back the death penalty. He advocates for greater religious involvement in public life. Last year, he 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 has received repeated denunciations from the attorney general for propagating hate speech, and is openly hostile toward Afro-Brazilian communities, indigenous populations and members of landless movements, whom he has described as terrorists. Brazilians can embrace the politics of division and the seductive appeal of simplistic solutions, following the path of populist authoritarians in Hungary, Poland and the Philippines. Alternatively, they can preserve and renew their young democracy. The ATS got a search warrant against Aggarwal and raided his residence on Monday. Mumbai: A system engineer attached with the Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile venture BrahMos Aerospace was arrested from Nagpur following an input from Military Intelligence wing on alleged leaking of state secrets to Pakistan and United States. The accused scientist, identified as Nishant Aggarwal, was arrested in the early hours of Monday by a team of Uttar Pradesh (UP) anti-terrorism squad (ATS) with the help of local police. The officials nabbed Aggarwal from his residence at Ujjwal Nagar in Nagpur and also detained two women from Kanpur and Agra each in the incident. Aggarwal was associated with the BrahMos Aerospace for the past four years and was working at its Sonepur facility near Nagpur, officials said. The UP ATS had arrested a BSF jawan in a honey trap case in September from Noida for sharing details of his unit with Pakistans notorious Inter State Intelligence. During investigation, the ATS found six identities of women who lured the jawan into leaking the sensitive details. In subsequent investigation, the ATS officials found that Aggarwal was also in contact with some chat Ids of these women. The ATS got a search warrant against Aggarwal and raided his residence on Monday. Aggarwal is suspected to have befriended some persons, suspected to be Pakistani women, via Facebook messenger and passed on sensitive details to them. The said chats came on the radar of Delhi-based Military Intelligence (MI). We have found several very sensitive and classified information from his personal laptop, which is in violation of certain rules. Several hard disks and documents have been seized from his residence, which have sensitive details pertaining to the project, most of which he was not entitled to have access to. There is no clarity on what was allegedly shared, said an officer. The team also raided his Roorkee residence and seized another laptop of Aggarwal, which is stated to be old one. The officials have also found laptops from the two women and data is not being checked. The MI along with ATS, Uttar Pradesh will scan through his chat history to ascertain what was shared with the Inter State Intelligence (ISI) and US. The identities of those who were in contact with Aggarwal is also being established. The investigators will also probe into his recent visits and phone calls and data. The UP ATS will produce Aggarwal in court at Nagpur on Tuesday and will take him to UP for further investigation. Aggarwal has been booked under the stringent Official Secrets Act and officials said more raids would be conducted on Tuesday. The E.P.A.s bedrock mission is to protect public health and welfare. Its basic tools are 50 years of federal clean air and water laws meant to limit Americans exposure to environmental poisons and pollutants. Every so often an administration comes along that seems to forget this mission. We have one now. Andrew Wheeler, the agencys acting administrator, is clearly a great improvement in moral terms over his ethically challenged and thankfully departed predecessor, Scott Pruitt. Mr. Wheelers ideology and policies, however, are much the same, weighted in favor of the industries Mr. Wheeler once represented as a handsomely paid lobbyist, and against the health needs of Americans. Like the president he serves, Mr. Wheeler displays little concern for climate change and its epochal challenges. The latest example is a proposal his agency sent to the White House for review and approval that would, in broadest terms, greatly devalue the public health benefits of reducing air pollution. The proposal is specifically aimed at a 2011 finding by the Obama administration that when the agency devises rules to control a particular pollutant mercury, in this case it must take into account not only the compliance costs to industry but the additional health benefits that arise from the reduction in other harmful gases like soot and smog that occur as a side effect. Though the health benefits of controlling mercury alone were quite small, and the costs to industry large, those costs were outweighed by savings to the country in annual health costs and lost workdays when the co-benefits were factored in. Opinion Conversation The climate, and the world, are changing. What challenges will the future bring, and how should we respond to them? What should our leaders be doing? Al Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States, finds reasons for optimism in the Biden presidency. Al Gore, the 45th vice president of the United States, finds reasons for optimism in the Biden presidency. What are the worst climate risks in your country? Select a country, and we'll break down the climate hazards it faces. Select a country, and we'll break down the climate hazards it faces. Where are Americans suffering most? Our maps, developed with experts, show where extreme heat is causing the most deaths in the U.S. Our maps, developed with experts, show where extreme heat is causing the most deaths in the U.S. What does climate devastation look like? In Sept. 2020, Michael Benson studied detailed satellite imagery. Here's the earth that he saw and the one he wants to see. The Wheeler proposal would disallow any calculation of these side benefits and allow only those associated with the regulated pollutant. Mr. Wheeler promises that existing mercury emissions limits will remain in place. He also acknowledges that industry has already invested billions of dollars on new technology to comply with the mercury rule, and that many companies have done so. But weakening the foundation on which that rule was promulgated could invite lawsuits to overturn it entirely, and even more ominously could make it easier for the Trump administration or a like-minded one to ignore important ancillary public health benefits when devising other environmental regulations in the future. So chalk up another win for Robert Murray, the far-right Trump confidante and chief executive of the Murray Energy Corporation, a big coal producer for which Mr. Wheeler served as an attorney and lobbyist. Mr. Murray requested the mercury rollback as one of 16 items on a wish list he presented last year to the Trump administration. He is one of several coal barons who lobbied the administration to revisit the cost-benefit rules to set a precedent for future regulations. Its the late 90s. You make some dumb choices. You get charged with robbing a Subway. You spend four years in prison. Its 1995. Your friends rob a KFC. You drive the getaway car. Four years in jail. That was then. Now youre a pastor at a church. Today, you run a successful flooring business. Youve paid your dues. Youve made amends. Now you want to have a voice in the world. But, you live in Florida. The Sunshine State is one of only four states that permanently bars felons from casting a ballot. And there are 1.7 estimated million people there who are disenfranchised due to a prior felony conviction. Over 10% of adults in the state cannot vote. Nearly one in four black adults is disenfranchised. The law does provide one way for former felons to get their voting rights back. But dont get your hopes up. Then you have to wait another 10, 12 years. Why? Because there is a backlog of about 10,000 cases. Finally, as many as 20 years later, you get your big day in court. If your hearing was in front of Gov. Rick Scott, you almost certainly heard this: I deny restoration of civil rights. I deny restoration of civil rights. At this point, Im going to deny restoration of civil rights. I deny restoration of civil rights. I deny restoration of civil rights. So its all denied. Well, first off, thanks for your work for the state. Thank you. At this point, I dont feel comfortable giving your restoration of civil rights. But congratulations on your work, and congratulations on your daughter. Thank you. The law gives the governor and his cabinet members the power to decide our fate. And theres no rules or guidelines. There is no right to clemency. Theres no standards. The governor goes first. If I deny, then its over. The governor can turn you away for any reason no matter how petty. Just dont get traffic tickets all the time. I mean, I mean it just says something. It says you dont care about the law. And its not just me. Governor Scott has denied way more people than his predecessors. In the last eight years, the number of disenfranchised citizens in Florida has increased by nearly 200,000 people. But wait, how did we even get here? The law is 150 years old and was designed to keep people that looked like me from voting. When the Civil War ended, freed slaves represented almost half of Floridas population. The states all-white lawmakers came up with a racist plan to prevent blacks from gaining power. They created Black Codes, not-so-subtly named laws that subjected black people to harsh sentences for minor offenses. They then barred anyone with a conviction from voting. They didnt even try to hide it. For the next 150 years, no one questioned the law. And now, here we are. Florida voters will get to decide on a ballot referendum that would restore voting rights to felons who have done their time. Murderers and sex offenders are excluded. To pass Amendment 4, voters would need 60% or more in November. Vote Yes in November to restore voting rights. Be our voice today so everyone invested in the future of Florida can help shape that future. And so on Sept. 4 I wrote a column that doubled down on the view of Saudi Arabia and M.B.S. that I had been making for the past year. It said: I have little doubt that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was the only one in his family who would have initiated the vital social, religious and economic reforms that hes dared to do all at once and that he is also the only one in that family whod have undertaken the bullying foreign policy initiatives, domestic power plays and excessive personal buying sprees hes dared to do all at once. These are two halves of the same M.B.S. package, and, as Ive argued, our job is to help curb his bad impulses and nurture his good ones. But Trump who still doesnt even have an ambassador in Saudi Arabia is AWOL. I went on to explain that I never believed that democracy was on the M.B.S. agenda he was not trying to create Denmark but that social, economic and, most important, religious reforms were. And the latter to me was the most important, but it depended on the first two moving forward. Considering the hugely damaging role that Saudi Arabia played in the Arab Muslim world, when, post-1979, it began to aggressively spread its puritanical form of Islam which helped seed 9/11 the idea that the kingdom might have a leader today who was beginning to shift Saudi Sunni Islam onto a more open and inclusive path, one that would isolate radical Islamists and strengthen moderates everywhere, was a vital American interest. It had to start in Saudi Arabia, the home of Mecca and Medina. It was obvious, though, I added, that in recent months M.B.S. had undertaken a series of ill-considered steps that were hurting him, Saudi Arabia and us. I explained that M.B.S. had some hard-line advisers who were urging him to follow the China model. These advisers pointed out to him what happened when China asserted itself in the South China Sea: After it seized islands, the world complained, but when China responded by saying get lost, the world backed down. So when Canada mildly criticized a Saudi Arabian human rights abuse, M.B.S. took the China approach, went nuclear and virtually broke off relations. It was an absurd overreaction, I noted. Saudi Arabia is not China. It needs friends. It needs to be more Dubai than Shanghai more soft power, less bullying. Whatever good will M.B.S. got for empowering women to drive beginning in June, I added, was undermined by his arrests of female driving activists on charges of being related to some anti-Saudi groups in London. Seriously, I asked, is Saudi Arabia really threatened by women driving activists? And the Saudi-United Arab Emirates war in Yemen has been so badly botched that the Saudis have been accused of possible war crimes, even though Iran and the Houthi rebels had also contributed mightily to Yemens destruction. The future stability of Saudi Arabia and the whole Arab Gulf depends on the reform process in Saudi succeeding, and it cant succeed without significant investments by foreigners and Saudis to create a more vibrant and diverse private sector that can offer decent jobs to all the young Saudis, men and women, coming out of universities at home and abroad. M.B.S. is still popular with many of them, but if they cant find jobs, the religious extremists in Saudi Arabia will find many recruits among them. But for good reasons Saudi and foreign investors have become wary. They saw over the last six months in particular, I noted, a deepening pattern by M.B.S., on the advice of hard-liners around him, to put security issues ahead of the need to attract investors and talent and ministers ready to take chances and tell him the truth. Money was flowing out of the Kingdom, not in. Anyone watching the deeply troubled, and troubling, confirmation process for Justice Kavanaugh surely understands the depth of anger on the left, which is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon. If the country moves left in the next few years, as the court moves right, we have the makings for a serious collision. Opinion Debate Will the Democrats face a midterm wipeout? Mark Penn and Andrew Stein write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond. write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond. Tory Gavito and Adam Jentleson write that the Virgina loss should "shock Democrats into confronting the powerful role that racially coded attacks play in American politics." write that the Virgina loss should "shock Democrats into confronting the powerful role that racially coded attacks play in American politics." Ezra Klein speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging. speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging. Ross Douthat writes that the outcome of the Virginia gubernatorial race shows Democrats need a new way to talk about progressive ideology and education. Justice Kavanaugh replaces Justice Anthony Kennedy, long the swing vote on the court. Justice Kennedy was a conservative, but he voted with the liberal wing of the court on some issues that typically split the right and the left. Justice Kavanaugh is not likely to follow suit. Based on a study of his record as an appeals court judge, three political scientists argue that he is likely to be almost as conservative as Justice Clarence Thomas, on the courts far, far right. The future direction of the country is, of course, harder to predict, but there are signs that despite Donald Trumps victory in 2016 , the country is indeed moving left, as reflected in his loss of the popular vote. The political scientist James Stimsons national mood thermometer shows a swing to the left since 2012. Polling on issues from the economy to immigration to same-sex marriage supports this view; surveys show, for example, that a solid majority of Americans support legal abortion under any or some circumstances , and very much oppose overturning Roe v. Wade. Some progressives already have suggested that as soon as the Democrats can win back the White House and Congress, they should add seats to the court to turn it to the left. But there are other ways of getting the courts attention as well. In the past, Congress has brought impeachment charges against justices, stripped the court of jurisdiction to hear particular cases, changed the size of the court to ensure favorable majorities, and even frozen the justices salaries out of spite. What seems clear is that any future attack from the left will include claims that the courts current majority is illegitimate. Democrats argue that a seat was stolen when the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, refused to consider President Barack Obamas nomination of Judge Merrick Garland and held the seat open for 10 months, until Donald Trump was inaugurated . Whats more, they note, the country was denied access to Mr. Kavanaughs full record as an aide to President George W. Bush, limiting the ability to question him during the confirmation hearings. Then there was the truncated investigation into allegations of sexual assault years ago. Throughout it all, serious voices argued Justice Kavanaugh was (at best) not being fully candid in his answers. This kind of gloating is a mistake for Republicans and, more important, for the country. One reason a muted and conciliatory approach is advisable is that the Supreme Court, unlike the elected branches of government, exercises its power not through control of the purse or the military, but through the faith of the American people. If that faith is sufficiently shaken, the most vital check Americans have on elected power could be shattered, and the Democrats are not without options to capitalize on it. There are already calls from the left to pack the court should Democrats regain control of Congress and the presidency. Such a maneuver would, in effect, transform the Supreme Court into a third elected branch of the federal government, instead of a nonpartisan guardian of the Constitution. Moderation from conservatives could go a long way toward tamping down calls for such an extreme measure. The concern that millions of Americans will, thanks to the controversial confirmation, now see the court as illegitimate surely weighed heavily on the decisions and actions of Senators Jeff Flake and Susan Collins, whose votes ultimately got Justice Kavanaugh over the finish line. Mr. Flakes call for an F.B.I. investigation infuriated many conservatives but was, in retrospect, clearly meant to secure Justice Kavanaughs legitimacy as much as his confirmation. Likewise, Ms. Collinss speech on the floor of the Senate, while a resounding defense of Judge Kavanaughs record and the presumption of his innocence, also showed deference and decency to Christine Blasey Ford, whose testimony the senator from Maine called sincere, painful and compelling. These words stood in stark contrast to President Trump, who callously mocked Dr. Blaseys allegations at a political rally last week. The difference between Ms. Collinss and Mr. Trumps remarks reveals a deep tension within the Republican Party today. Mr. Trumps bullheadedness and bluster has arguably led to many of the big wins he promised. But it has also divided the nation and left moderate conservatives in a difficult position. They refuse to mimic his behavior, as Mr. Graham has in recent weeks, but they realize that refusing to join in pushes them farther from the new center of conservative power. Cat lovers of the world rejoice! In the long-simmering dispute over whether dogs are smarter than cats, a recent study published in the journal Learning & Behavior suggests that dogs are no more exceptional than other animals when it comes to canniness and intelligence. The news is sure to ignite debate (watch the fur fly!) among dog owners and scientists who study canine behavior. The authors reviewed existing studies and data on animal cognition and found that while dogs are smart and trainable, they are not super smart, despite what most dog owners will tell you. The idea for the study came about when Stephen Lea, an emeritus professor in the psychology department at the University of Exeter in Britain, was editor of Animal Cognition, a journal that seeks to explain cognition among humans and animals in the context of evolution. Dog research, he said in an interview last week, was quite popular in the 1990s and continues to be so. LOS ANGELES The data was like nothing Margaret Kivelson and her team of physicists ever expected. It was December 1996, and the spacecraft Galileo had just flown by Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter. The readings beamed back to Earth suggested a magnetic field emanating from the moon. Europa should not have had a magnetic field, yet there it was and not even pointed in the right direction. This is unexpected, she recalled saying as the weird data rolled in. And thats wonderful. It would be the most significant of a series of surprises from the Jovian moons. For Dr. Kivelsons team, the mission should not have been this exciting. She and her colleagues had devised the magnetometer returning the anomalous data . The instruments job was to measure Jupiters massive magnetic field and any variations caused by its moons. Those findings were likely to interest space physicists, but few others. Dr. Kivelsons instrument was never supposed to change the course of space exploration. Shepards aim in Foreign-Returned is not to write over Gallants story, as in a palimpsest, but to write alongside it; to tilt the lens to take in the people kept offstage at the time Gallants story was set, like the Pakistani sociologists, mentioned only in passing, who supplant Peter and Sheilah as guests at their wealthy white friends summer home, or the Muslim refugee child who appears, weeping, on their friends Christmas card. Here the heir to Peters melancholy abeyance is Hassan, an unaspiring analyst from Karachi. In Pakistan, he and his wife, Sara, grew up in ancestral homes and had histories that were understood by their friends, shared by their neighbors, but in Connecticut, they were inconsequential. Where Peter and Sheilah never allow themselves to doubt their own worth, Hassan and Sara perceive their diminishment and are estranged by it: She tries to fake her way up the social ladder, and he comes perilously close to publicly exposing her lies. Gallants story begins at the end, with Peters failure, and circles back, as it seems Peter will spend his whole life doing, sifting through memories for the moment when everything was lost. For Shepard, the narrative belongs as much to the women in Hassans life, Sara and his office mate, Hina, who appears in the urgent present of the storys opening line. Hina shares Hassans ancestry but grew up in the United States. Hes annoyed that theyve been teamed up, the two Pakistanis, he thinks, lumped together, when in his eyes they have little in common. Her parents are uncosmopolitan, immigrants from the kind of second-tier industrial city you visited only if you had a specific reason, and he recoils from her high and mighty religious fervor. (She arrives at the office armed with her Quran, prayer rug and hijab.) In her meticulousness, he sees a rebuke: Thats why American Pakistanis like me are superior to Pakistani Pakistanis like you. At the same time, Hassan has trouble finding kinship with other Pakistani expatriates. Posh Lahoris whom he and his wife had considered friends gently elbow them off their guest list by telling them that their new multicultural book club has room for only one Pakistani couple a winking allusion to the limits of minority representation in America. In The Ice Wagon, Peters inability to anchor himself becomes a reflection of postwar malaise. Foreign-Returned unfolds amid the anti-immigration fervor of the 2016 presidential election and is suffused with a more immediate sense of threat. Hina confides in Hassan that she was harassed by a white man while canvassing for voters in Pennsylvania; hes infuriated on her behalf, abruptly becoming her ally. Later, when she feels sick at a party after some older Pakistani women badger her to take off her hijab for a matchmaking photo hes appointed to accompany her home and ends up inside her apartment. In her anger at herself for believing in the superiority of educated Pakistanis like those at the party (and, by extension, Hassan), Hina unpins her head scarf, unfurling her hair before him in a shocking act of intimacy. The next time they meet, she confesses that she has not spoken to her parents in five years, since they tried to marry her off and she refused. This is the grief that propels her, a grief wholly alien to Hassan, who cannot imagine such a severance: He had always been aware that he might lack the qualities essential for success in America, but it had never seemed as evident to him as it did now. In 1998, Aasif Mandvi sent his one-man play Sakinas Restaurant out into a very different world. It was before the twin towers fell and Muslims had to contend with terrorist stereotypes. Before immigration became a hot-button political issue. Before questions of representation were quite so central to the cultural conversation. The play in which Mr. Mandvi assumes many characters from a young Indian immigrant to the proprietor of the restaurant where he works represented the beginning of his career as an actor. It was before he gained national prominence as a correspondent on Comedy Centrals The Daily Show; starred in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Disgraced; or produced, co-wrote and starred in the HBO series The Brink opposite Jack Black and Tim Robbins. Now, 20 years later and recently married at 52, he is sending Sakinas Restaurant back out into the world, where it opens Sunday at the Minetta Lane Theater. When the audiobook publisher and retailer Audible, which is producing the play and will offer it as a recording, asked Mr. Mandvi to revive it, he was initially skeptical. The biggest changes, though, had less to do with the place than how I was traveling. In 1998, my time in Marrakesh was part of a six-month solo trip, a month of that in Morocco. What I later realized was that it could not be duplicated: A trip that came at just the right moment in my life, when I was unattached, but old enough to know what I wanted and needed out of travel. I replaced my $10-a-night room at a hotel that no longer exists with the cheapest room I could find (140 euros a night, or about $162) at the lovely Riad Mena. (Riads the term refers to a traditional home built around a courtyard, but is now used for bed-and-breakfasts that are often filled with flora, fountains and hammams, and generally owned by expats are now everywhere.) I not only had a cellphone, but was active on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook; 20 years ago, I didnt see the photos from my analog camera until I returned home. But I could never get Marrakesh and Morocco out of my head. Soon after my trip, I started working at The New York Times and, years later, as an editor in the Travel section. This time, I could return as a journalist. Since my first trip, Marrakesh has become Moroccos premier tourist city. For decades it has attracted travelers, though at a much smaller scale. Everybody knows everybody else in Marrakesh, wrote the English author Peter Mayne in his 1953 memoir, A Year in Marrakesh. At least everybody knows everyone who lives here the tourists who come in for a look at the city and a taste of its delights dont count, except to have francs taken off them. Like a true Burmese, Suu Kyi probably doesnt disagree with her countrymens condemnation of the Rohingya. Aung San Suu Kyis silence over the plight of a million Rohingyas is globally deplored. There are calls to take back her Nobel Prize. A disappointed Canadian government has already stripped her of her honorary Canadian citizenship. The assumption is that the National League for Democracy leader dare not speak her mind lest the military in Myanmar deprive her of whatever authority she enjoys as State Counsellor, a position akin to that of a Prime Minister. Having reread Maurice Collis Trials in Burma, a book I enjoyed as a schoolboy, I can think of an even less flattering explanation. Like a true Burmese, Ms Suu Kyi probably doesnt disagree with her countrymens condemnation of the Rohingya. Collis spent 22 years in Burma as a perceptive and humane member of the Indian Civil Service, courageously risking both British wrath and Burmese anger. Describing the massacre of Indians on May 26, 1930, when he was the district magistrate of Rangoon, he says the Burmese proletariat rejoiced. They had shown the Indians their place Well, they had been taught a lesson! Short of violence to the Indians, these views were shared by upper class Burmans, the clerks, the officials, the graduates, and the landowners. Jumping to the present, perhaps also by the only Nobel laureate in Burma that is now Myanmar. One reason for her disinterest in the Rohingyas plight could be religious. Despite marrying an Englishman, Ms Suu Kyi remains a Buddhist. Although there are a handful of Hindus among them, the Rohingya are overwhelmingly Muslim. Ethnically, they are South Asians. Their demand for recognition as Myanmarese questions the countrys identity as a Mongolian, Buddhist Southeast Asian nation like Thailand or Cambodia. Significantly, Myanmar joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1997 but has yet to respond to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperations standing invitation. Race and religion make a powerful brew. Erstwhile South Vietnam and Sri Lanka showed how fanatically Buddhist priests can fight for identity rooted in race and religion. Rohingyas are regarded as Indian, and Indians have been resented ever since the British conquered Myanmar, treated Arakan as part of the Bengal presidency, and made the entire country a province of India. All this must rankle with Ms Suu Kyi as with all Myanmarese. The officially sponsored pogroms against Rohingyas, which started in 1978, historically enjoy mob sanction. In return, the mob assumes official approval for its murderous frenzy. I didnt think that there was any objection to killing Indians, a young Burmese told Collis during the 1930 massacre. The government is against them. Adding that the Burmese believed the British were on their side, Collis admits that some British officers had no time for Indian settlers whom the Burmese regarded as little better than rats, which had swarmed into the country to the detriment of the working classes of the native population. At least 500 Indians were slaughtered, their homes were vandalised and looted, and 7,000 Indians fled for safety to Rangoons old lunatic asylum, where they cowered in terror in accommodation meant for just 500. Well might they fear for their lives, for Collis records how Indians had been hunted around the town like vermin and their women ripped up. Many factors accounted for the carnage. A lighter-skinned race felt superior to darker people. Resentment of the British conquerors was transferred to their Indian neighbours, especially since the British seemed to regard Indians as politically more advanced. Economic disparities rankled too. All Burmese from peasant to landowner nursed a grudge against Indians in Burma. Rickshaw-puller and barrister, scavenger and judge, shopkeeper and civil servant aroused equal anger. They were seen as troublesome economic refugees from impoverished South Asia. For all their pretensions to Arab and Mughal lineage, and claims to a 1,000-year history in Myanmar, the hapless Rohingya is heir to this bitter hostility. Ms Suu Kyi has suffered greatly for her people. She was under house arrest for 15 years. She has sacrificed married life. She lost touch with her children. But it happened fortuitously. She was visiting her ailing mother when Myanmar called. She responded to the peoples clamour for a representative government that recognised their rights. If anything, that identified her even more closely with the passions that move the masses. Myanmars stringent laws cater to these fundamentalist urges. Rohingyas are denied citizenship under the 1982 nationality law which, says Human Rights Watch, effectively deny to the Rohingya the possibility of acquiring a nationality. The community is not recognised as one of the countrys eight national indigenous races. Denied freedom of movement, they are excluded from state education and civil service jobs. Rohingya are viewed as illegal immigrants. That robs charges of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity of some of their moral force. An early episode highlighted Ms Suu Kyis populist pragmatism. U Nu, the democratically-elected former Prime Minister of Burma, suggested forming an interim government with other Opposition leaders. Rajiv Gandhi reportedly promised Indias support. Ms Suu Kyi categorically rejected the plan, saying the future of the Opposition would be decided by masses of the people. Her murdered father was a tough pragmatist who founded the Communist Party of Burma, served the British as premier of the Crown Colony of Burma, collaborated with the Japanese during the Second World War, and is revered as founder of the Tatmadaw (the armed forces) which still rules Myanmar today. His junior, Ne Win, Burmas dictator from 1962 to 1981 after a two-year stint as Prime Minister, always referred to her as my leaders daughter. Frail and delicate Aung San Suu Kyi might look, but she is her fathers daughter. She will do nothing to damage her inheritance or alienate the masses. The watch will also have an irregular rhythm notification feature, which alerts people to potential problems. Theres every reason to believe it will generate many false positives. Before granting clearance, the F.D.A. reviewed data collected by the Stanford Heart study for 266 people who got such a notification. Most of the notifications were wrong. The study wasnt peer reviewed, so we dont know for sure, but this was also a population for whom atrial fibrillation might be more common than in those who might use the watches. People who buy the latest Apple watch will most likely be younger, healthier, wealthier and more plugged into the health care system and less likely to remain undiagnosed. This is one of the major problems with such a device. The people most in need of it, those who might benefit from tests and distance monitoring, are the least likely to get it. If we truly believed this was a medical test beneficial to the general population, insurance should pay for it. No one is suggesting that should happen. In fact, many experts dont think it makes sense to have universal cardiac monitoring of the general public. The United States Preventive Services Task Force has issued a D recommendation for screening asymptomatic adults at low risk. The group doesnt think theres enough evidence to recommend screening of adults at intermediate or high risk. It doesnt even think theres enough evidence to recommend screening adults 65 or older, who are at higher risk, for atrial fibrillation. The task force bases these recommendations on good research. A large randomized controlled trial of echocardiographic screening for many heart problems did not demonstrate that such screening offered any benefits in reducing death or the risk of heart attacks or stroke in middle-aged people. And these are scans much more robust than will be available with the new Apple Watch. None of this prevented the American Heart Association from heralding this new function, although its not clear where the groups enthusiasm comes from. Dr. Ivor Benjamin, the association president, appeared at the official announcement of the watch and praised the advancement for tools that help fight heart disease. (The A.H.A. does not officially endorse the watch, or any other specific products.) I happen to own an Apple Watch. I find the other functions useful and fun. I even enjoy aspects of the activity monitoring. But Im under no illusion they will help me lose weight or exercise more or improve my heart health. I own one because I want it, not because I need it. Thats the same criterion you should use, too. LOS ANGELES The two candidates for governor of California Gavin Newsom, the Democratic lieutenant governor, and John Cox, a Republican business executive met on Monday for their one and only scheduled debate of the campaign. (We will take what we can get.) Here are a few things we learned from their civil 60-minute session moderated by the journalist Scott Shafer on KQED, a public radio station in San Francisco. Californians cant complain about not having a choice. Its rare that you have two candidates who disagree so completely on so many things. On sanctuary cities (Mr. Cox opposes, Mr. Newsom is a yes); the gas tax (Mr. Newsom supports, Mr. Cox wants it repealed); on becoming a zero carbon emissions state (Mr. Newsom supports, Mr. Cox opposes); and on stricter gun control laws (Mr. Cox no, Mr. Newsom yes). Mr. Cox had a clear message coming into the debate: Its time for change. He repeatedly noted that Mr. Newsom had been in government as lieutenant governor and mayor of San Francisco for close to 16 years and that policies advanced under Mr. Newsom and Gov. Jerry Brown were sending people fleeing California in search of cheaper places to live. Gavins been part of a political class that has led this state downward, he said. The status quo isnt working for average working Californians. I represent change. Good morning. (Want to get California Today by email? Heres the sign-up.) A year ago Lisa and Bruce Coats stood stunned in the wreckage of their home in Coffey Park, the Santa Rosa neighborhood so thoroughly burned by a firestorm that it looked as if it were carpet bombed. Their two-story home was one of 1,350 houses in the neighborhood destroyed by the fire. A few weeks ago, the Coatses texted a photo of a new house they are building on the same lot. The cedar paneling, second-floor deck and plentiful large windows could have been taken from an architectural brochure. And they were. Mr. Coats came across the design on the internet and sent the image to his architect. We are making the best of what happened and we are getting a beautiful house, Mr. Coats said last week. But I would not wish on anyone what we went through to get it. A year after the most destructive fires in Californias history, its remarkable both how quickly some households are bouncing back and how difficult and scarring it has been for them. A hurricane warning was in effect from the Alabama-Florida border to the Suwannee River in Florida, as well as in Pinar del Rio, a province in western Cuba. Federal and state officials have increasingly been instructing residents not to judge storms solely by their categorization under the Saffir-Simpson scale, which is based only on wind speed. And with Hurricane Michael, they said they were particularly concerned about storm surge in a region especially vulnerable to it, warning of a surge of 8 to 12 feet in some areas. [How does the system for categorizing hurricanes work? Learn about it here.] Preparations for the storm, the 13th named tropical cyclone of an Atlantic hurricane season that will last until Nov. 30, began in Florida over the weekend and intensified on Monday. President Trump, addressing the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in Orlando on Monday afternoon, said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was getting prepared for a storm that looks like a big one. Never ends, but were all prepared and hopefully it wont be as bad as its looking, Mr. Trump said. It looked a couple of days ago like it was not going to be much, and now its looking like it could be a very big one, so were prepared, and good luck. On Monday, Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama declared a statewide emergency and Mr. Scott expanded his own emergency declaration to cover 35 counties. Some 1,250 members of the Florida National Guard were activated, and thousands more were on standby. In Tallahassee, where officials are still stung by criticisms surrounding their handling of Hurricane Hermine in 2016, the authorities distributed sandbags and opened shelters. And despite planning for electrical failures in a city with a vast tree canopy, they cautioned that this weeks storm could prove more problematic than the one two years ago, which caused widespread and protracted power failures in the Florida capital. These young immigrants are stranded at the junction of several forces: the Trump administrations determination to discourage immigrants from trying to cross the border; the continuing flow of children journeying by themselves from Central America; the lingering effects of last summers family-separation crisis at the border; and a new government policy that has made it much more difficult for relatives to claim children from federal custody. At the moment, the governments rolls include hundreds of children in shelters and temporary foster care programs who were taken from an adult at the border, whether a parent, grandparent or some other companion. About 13,000 children who came to the United States on their own were being held in federally contracted shelters this month, more than five times the number in May 2017. All of which means there are more children showing up more often to federal immigration courtrooms like Judge Zagzougs, at hearings that could determine whether they will be deported, reunited with their parents, or granted the asylum that their parents desperately want for them. They often sit at counsel tables alone, unaccompanied by any family and sometimes without even a lawyer. Under the circumstances, the children in Courtroom 14, many of whom were from a shelter operated by the Cayuga Centers, were fortunate. Many were allowed to go home at night to a foster family, though they returned to the shelter by day. And they could count on lawyers from Catholic Charities, which receives funding from a nonprofit group to represent immigrant children in New York City shelters. We used to just deal with teenagers, one lawyer, Jodi Ziesemer, said as she ushered children to the 14th floor before the hearings began. Now theyre Her gaze swept the small group. Fernanda was gripping a green apple with both hands, occasionally taking a bite. As they moved down the hallway, her caseworker picked her up and carried her toward court. In a spotlessly bright waiting room, Ms. Ziesemers colleague, Miguel Medrano, spent a few minutes trying to prepare Fernanda for court. He bent low to talk to her, asking her name, her age, whether she spoke English or Spanish. Si? he prompted her. No response. He shook his head. Well, if she cant, she cant. He turned back to her and tried again in English. So were going to see the judge, he said gently. No response. The better part of my career in public life has been working with victims, said Ms. Heitkamp, a former state attorney general. Did you ask him how many victims during this process he actually sat down with, and survivors he sat down with, and visited with personally? Then Ms. Heitkamps voice grew thick with emotion. I think its wonderful that his wife has never had an experience, and good for her, and its wonderful his mom hasnt, she said. My mom did. And I think it affected my mom her whole life. And it didnt make her less strong. With tears welling in her eyes, Ms. Heitkamp stared intently at a reporter and continued: And I want you to put this in there, it did not make my mom less strong that she was a victim. She got stronger and she made us strong. And to suggest that this movement doesnt make women strong and stronger is really unfortunate. Ms. Heitkamps mother, Doreen, died in April at 88 on what would have been her 66th wedding anniversary. The senator said her mother was sexually assaulted as a teenager. The raw back-and-forth was a searing illustration of the deeply personal nature of the #MeToo movement and its collision with Justice Kavanaughs nomination and the midterm elections. It was not the first time Mr. Cramer had made an incendiary comment about the Kavanaugh case. Last month, he dismissed Dr. Blaseys charges because the alleged attack never went anywhere. His comments were all the more striking because there are five federally recognized tribes in North Dakota and sexual violence against Native American women is epidemic: they are two-and-half times more likely to be sexually assaulted than nonnative women. His outburst during the hearing was not very appropriate, Mr. Bode said. After that performance, Mr. Bode said, he was disappointed that Mr. Manchin supported his confirmation. But he still plans to support the senator at the ballot box in November. Even though he broke from Democrat to Republican, so many of them in Congress now are voting straight ticket, which is not for the people, he said. Thats a concern of mine. Barbara Teel of Charleston, a Democrat who said she has always supported Mr. Manchin, agreed. Not only was there enormous political pressure for Mr. Manchin to vote for the justice, she said over lunch with her husband, a Republican who also supports the senator, but it was the right thing to do. And she was scathing in her review of how Senate Democrats handled the confirmation process: Terrible. Theyre trying to make it about the Me Too movement, but I think it was more about his stance on Roe, she said. Charges of sexual misconduct, in fact, seemed to be of little importance to many voters, who found the testimony of Dr. Blasey to be either not credible or irrelevant. What people do in high school is a long way in the past, and I think its hard to really judge things that happened that far back, Mr. Bode said. Good Monday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh was in his new chambers on Sunday, meeting with his law clerks and preparing for the arguments the court is to hear this week. Read the story. And heres how a private talk with a White House lawyer turned the tide of his nomination. Facing a Supreme Court controlled by five solidly conservative justices, liberals have already started to discuss ways to undo its power without waiting for one of its members to retire or die. Read about some of their ideas. Confirmation fights such as Justice Kavanaughs tend to bring out the worst in the Senate, given the courts ever-greater role in sorting out legislative and societal disputes. Read our columnists take. And here are some other contenders for the worst confirmation fight in Supreme Court history. Just hours after the vote to confirm Justice Kavanaugh, Senator Cory Booker gave a speech at the Iowa Democratic Partys annual fall gala that offered a theme of resilience and hope. Is he running for president? On Saturday, he deflected that question. Mr. Gates first heard about Psy-Groups work during a March 2016 meeting at the Mandarin Oriental hotel along the Washington waterfront with George Birnbaum, a Republican consultant with close ties to current and former Israeli government officials. Mr. Gates had joined the Trump campaign days earlier with Paul Manafort, his longtime business partner, to try to prevent a revolt of Republican delegates from Mr. Trump toward Mr. Cruz, who was the favored candidate among the partys establishment. According to Mr. Birnbaum, Mr. Gates expressed interest during that meeting in using social media influence and manipulation as a campaign tool, most immediately to try to sway Republican delegates toward Mr. Trump. He was interested in finding the technology to achieve what they were looking for, Mr. Birnbaum said in an interview. Through a lawyer, Mr. Gates declined to comment. A person familiar with Mr. Gatess account of the meeting said that Mr. Birnbaum first raised the topic of hiring an outside firm to conduct the social media campaign. The special counsels office indicted Mr. Manafort and Mr. Gates last year on multiple charges of financial fraud and tax evasion. Mr. Gates pleaded guilty to several of the charges this year, and he is cooperating with Mr. Muellers investigation. It is unclear whether the Project Rome proposals describe work that would violate laws regulating foreign participation in American elections. Psy-Group hired Covington & Burling, a Washington-based law firm, to conduct a legal review. Stuart Eizenstat, a former American diplomat and a partner at the firm who participated in the legal review, declined to comment on its conclusions. Mr. Birnbaum was a protege of Arthur J. Finkelstein, the legendary Republican political operative, and has spent years as a consultant working on behalf of candidates in foreign elections. In 1996, he helped Mr. Finkelstein engineer Benjamin Netanyahus victory over Shimon Peres to become the prime minister of Israel. President Trump wants Special Counsel Robert Mueller fired. The entire thing has been a witch hunt. These people have the biggest conflicts of interest Ive ever seen. I wanted to stay out. But at some point, if it doesnt straighten out properly, I will get involved. And Ill get in there if I have to. But the man whos overseeing Muellers probe says thats not likely. If there were not good cause, it wouldnt matter to me what anybody says. The Times has reported that Rosenstein discussed ways to remove Trump from office. Now theyre in a face-off the president, who demands loyalty, and Rosenstein, the subordinate, whose job requires independence. Are you afraid of President Trump firing you? No, I am not, Congressman. So how does Rosenstein defend one of his bosss biggest targets? If President Trump ordered you to fire the special counsel, what would you do? Senator, Im not going to follow any orders unless I believe those are lawful and appropriate orders. Under the regulation, Special Counsel Mueller may be fired only for good cause. And I am required to put that cause in writing. And Director Mueller is going to have a full degree of independence that he needs to conduct that investigation appropriately. Yeah, there have been people who have been making threats, privately and publicly, against me. And I think they should understand by now the Department of Justice is not going to be extorted. Were going to do whats required by the rule of law. And any kind of threats that anybody makes are not going to affect the way we do our job. We have a responsibility. And we take an oath. Thats the whole point. If it were appropriate for me to recuse, Id be more than happy to do so and let somebody else handle this. But its my responsibility to do it. But when it comes down to it, the president could have the last word, firing Rosenstein and appointing someone else, who will then fire Mueller. And many people have said you should fire him. Again, theyve found nothing. by Dario Salvi In Pompeii for the Supplication, the cardinal renewed the call of prayer to "put an end" to conflicts. His thoughts go to children and young people among the most affected by the war. The countrys reconstruction must start with them. Three timid signs of hope come from Syria. Rome (AsiaNews) Card Mario Zenari, apostolic nuncio to Damascus, is presently in Italy where he led yesterdays Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii (Naples) the for the end of all wars. "We must continue to pray for peace in Syria and throughout the Middle East, he said. Prayer is the most important weapon we have in order to try to put an end to" all the conflicts and divisions that affect the region. "I am in Pompeii to send this strong signal, he said. We pray for peace. We call on the Virgin Mary to grant us such a grace. Not just for peace, but also for all the victims of calamities," the latest being the quake in Indonesia. Children and young people are the most affected by war. War has destroyed hope and future. They are the first victims, he said speaking about young people, Christian and non-Christian, in the country where he serves, whilst the Synod of young people is underway in Rome as intended by Pope Francis. However, young people are "the element from which we must hope and start again to rebuild the country, to give a future of peace and hope, to ensure new perspectives" of development and coexistence. For this reason, young people "must be stimulated to contribute to the reconstruction process, which must start by ending the war and starting the peace process" across the land. In Syria hope, however timid, re-emerged as September came to an end. First, last month saw the lowest number of casualties since the war began in March 2011. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of informants on the ground, the civilian death toll stood at 139, including 58 children. This is the lowest count since the war started seven years ago, far from the record set in May 2015 when 6,657 civilians were killed, both adults and children. The significant drop in civilian casualties is due to the progress of government forces who, with Russian support, have regained larger swathes of the countrys territory. This comes as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that a major summit bringing together Turkey, Russia, Germany and France to discuss the future of Syria will take place in the coming weeks. For its part, Syria is struggling to get back to some semblance of a normal life. The war upended old habits and traditions, including the Damascus International Trade Fair, which resumed last year for the first time since 2012 but was, albeit, attacked. Following the liberation of Ghouta and Yarmouk from the Islamic State group, the event was held again this year without a hitch drawing large crowds. The opening day, 6 September, was a time of celebration in an atmosphere of greater tranquility and trust. Syrias reconstruction is more than an economic or social process, for it involves religion as well in a country where minorities, including Christians, enjoyed equal treatment as Muslims in the past few decades. One example is Maaloula, a village northeast of Damascus home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the country. In 2013 and 2014, the area and its residents were the victims of terrorist attacks, occupation, abuse and violence by Jihadi groups. The militiamen destroyed much of the villages historical and cultural heritage, including tombs and altars. This year, in mid-September, Christians were able to celebrate the Annual Holy Cross Festival again, adorning the tops of the surrounding mountains with the traditional brightly-lit crosses. "After years of Jihadi violence and house burning, we were able to return to illuminate our mountaintops. Now we can go back to celebrating life." ORLANDO, Fla. When a bitterly divided Senate confirmed Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh despite sexual misconduct allegations a month before the midterm elections, strategists in both parties anticipated that it could turbocharge Democratic efforts to take over the House, if not all of Congress. One person who did not get the memo? President Trump. Rather than falling back on defense amid roiling outrage, especially among women, Mr. Trump is going on offense, trying to turn the furor into an asset instead of a liability. With the worlds loudest megaphone, he hopes to make the issue not the treatment of women in the #MeToo era but the treatment of men who deserve due process. For Mr. Trump and his Republican allies, this is a big gamble, with control of at least one house of Congress and possibly both on the line. Polls generally show that more Americans believed Christine Blasey Ford, the main accuser, than Justice Kavanaugh. The national mood over the past year has been less forgiving of powerful men accused of taking advantage of women. The presidents calculation, however, is that conservative voters who for most of the year have been lethargic about the congressional elections can now be motivated to turn out by anger over the Democratic attacks on Justice Kavanaugh. Liberal voters, in this view, were already animated by their opposition to Mr. Trump and likely to vote even before Justice Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault and exposing himself during drunken school parties, so Democrats have less to gain at this point. But even as they square off, they are careful with each other, reaching out to pat an arm or clutch a hand, sometimes even backing down a bit. Ms. Walls told her friend that she agreed it was unseemly for a president to act that way. He should have been quiet, showed a little bit more integrity, she said. But I did laugh, and I agreed, and it sounded from that crowd like everyone agreed. DeSoto County, where Southaven is located, voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Trump, 66 percent to 31 percent for Hillary Clinton. It was a small hamlet until the 1970s, when the suburban population expanded as courts ordered busing in nearby Memphis. An explosion of Memphis-based freight services like FedEx and Southavens highly-regarded public schools drew more families, black and white. Now Southaven is the third-largest city in Mississippi. Its a place of pleasant, if often treeless, subdivisions and large strip malls, with no central downtown. Dales, which opened in 1966, stands out for its bright pink exterior and is one place friends can find each other, along with church and school. Southaven is 71 percent white and 22 percent black, according to the 2010 census. Because most of its housing was developed after the 1970s, neighborhoods are generally integrated, and so are schools. But political loyalties appear starkly divided by race nearly every white person interviewed in the area backed Mr. Trump, and every black person opposed him. Candy Jordan, a black office administrator, blames the president for incidents of racial hostility that she had never experienced before his election. She said her daughters friend was called a racial epithet by an elderly neighbor who accused the teenager of ruining her flower bed. Theres a difference between following a person and following whats right, she said. By contrast, Jill Gregory, who is raising three children in the nearby town of Olive Branch and is white, said, Trump is the only president thats been elected and he doesnt have any other interest than serving the American people. And so it went at Dales, despite the evident affection of the staff for each other. Ms. Green said all the Trump supporters she knew were white, prompting an uneasy rejoinder from Melissa Thomas, the general manager. What does that mean? said Ms. Thomas, herself a fervent Trump backer. Last week, she and her daughter, Ms. Gregory, had made sure to be at the rally site by 6:30 a.m., nine hours before it was scheduled to start. But in Bellaire and beyond, the Police Department was quickly criticized for employing the officer, whose actions in November 2014 set off national protests about the use of force by white law enforcement officers against unarmed African-Americans. Owens L. Brown, the president of the N.A.A.C.P. chapter in Wheeling, W. Va., across the river from Bellaire, said he was not surprised that a police department in the area would hire Officer Loehmann. (Bellaire does not have its own N.A.A.C.P. chapter, Mr. Brown said.) More than 93 percent of the people who live in the metropolitan area that includes Wheeling and Bellaire are white, according to the census. Its a travesty that they are willing to hire this person and goes to show that there is a lack of caring, Mr. Brown said on Monday. It may be par for the course for some of the attitudes here from the police. A camera that captured Tamirs killing showed that Officer Loehmann stepped out of the passenger side of a patrol car and within seconds opened fire on Tamir, who was playing with a pellet gun, at a park. Officer Loehmann, who was responding to a 911 call about a guy in here with a pistol, claimed that he feared for his life when he saw the pellet gun. The officer who was driving the car, Frank Garmback, was suspended for five days. The 911 operator who took the call was also suspended after an investigation found that she did not relay to the responding officers the callers belief that Tamir was probably a juvenile and that the weapon was probably fake. The shooting came amid a string of high-profile killings of black people by the police, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014, and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La., in 2016. No officers were charged in those shootings, either. Beyond the killing of Tamir, there have also been general questions about Officer Loehmanns fitness to be a police officer. He joined the Cleveland Police Department after he had resigned from another Ohio police department, which noted in his personnel file that he showed a dangerous loss of composure during firearms training. On Friday, Chief Flanagan announced that he had also hired another part-time officer: Eric Smith, who was suspended in April as the police chief in Bethesda, Ohio, and is under investigation by the Ohio attorney generals office for alleged misuse of a state criminal justice database. It started, as it does for thousands of women every year, with a routine mammogram, and its routine process of having my breasts like a lump of dough manipulated by another womans hands and placed, albeit gently, into tight compression. Its never comfortable, but you get used to it because you have to. Unlike previous years, though, my next step was a biopsy, for which I lay face down, my left breast dangling through a hole in the table. Several hands reached for whats normally a private and hidden body part and moved it with practiced ease, compressing it again into position for the radiologists needles, first a local anesthetic and then the probes needed to withdraw tissue for sampling. I was fearful of the procedure and of its result and, to my embarrassment, wept quietly during the hour. A nurse gently patted my right shoulder and the male radiologist, seated to my left and working below me, stroked my left wrist to comfort me. I was deeply grateful for their compassion, even as they performed what were for them routine procedures. The following weeks gave me a diagnosis with a 98 percent survival rate: ductal carcinoma in situ, a condition that is not even considered a cancer by some. The diagnosis began a disorienting parade of more unfamiliar people touching my body, from routine blood drawing to a transvaginal probe (to determine my baseline uterine condition because estrogen inhibiting drugs can cause uterine cancer), to injecting a tiny electromagnetic wave device into my breast to guide the surgeon to the tumors exact location. BEIJING A year ago, the chief of Interpol, Meng Hongwei of China, watched as his countrys president, Xi Jinping, proudly told the organization that China would play a growing role in global law enforcement. China was among the safest countries in the world and abided by international rules, Mr. Xi told 1,000 delegates at Interpols general assembly in Beijing. Now, Mr. Meng has fallen afoul of the opaque, highly politicized legal system that critics said should have disqualified him from appointment to Interpol in the first place. On Monday, Chinas minister of public security, Zhao Kezhi, told a meeting of senior police officials in Beijing that Mr. Meng was accused of taking bribes and other crimes. Neither Mr. Zhao nor the Foreign Ministry gave details of Mr. Mengs supposed transgressions, or said whether they had taken place before or after his election as Interpols president in 2016. In any case, Mr. Mengs abrupt and mysterious disappearance has left a cloud of uncertainty hanging over Chinese officials and the international bodies that are increasingly giving them leadership roles. It dealt a spectacular, self-inflicted blow to Chinas efforts to prove itself ready for more prominent roles in global affairs. They check more than 100 camera traps. They search for tiger hairs and study the stony, undulating terrain for tiger tracks, known as pugmarks. At dusk they return, sweaty and exhausted. They line up to guzzle water and gobble down jalebi, an Indian snack of fried dough slathered in sticky syrup. Their reports stack up on a plastic table. In the boxes for observations or sightings, the answers are all the same: Nil, Nil, Nil, Nil. In the past few months, T-1 has been spotted only a few times, for just a few seconds. The rangers have sacrificed several horses to draw her out. Shes ripped into them, eaten fast, then vanished. Earlier this year, the rangers managed to dart her once but the dart didnt stick and she slipped away. Tranquilizer darts are notoriously difficult to use. About 10 inches long with a feather on the back, they look like a flying syringe. They must be fired at close range, usually no more than 80 feet away. Its going to be impossible to tranquilize her, said Nawab Shafat Ali Khan, one of Indias most famous hunters, who has killed dozens of elephants and tigers that went, in his words, rogue. She has learned from all these botched capture operations. Weve made her very smart. Brilliant, actually. He said it was highly unusual for a tiger to turn into a man-eater. But there is little traditional prey, like deer, left around Pandharkawada. Once a tiger encounters a person and kills, it may develop a taste for human flesh, which, Mr. Khan says, is sweeter than other animal meat because of all the ginger, salt and spices people consume. SEOUL, South Korea Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met on Sunday with Kim Jong-un of North Korea as he tried to get him to take steps toward denuclearization and arrange another summit meeting with President Trump. Here are four things Mr. Pompeo got and didnt get from the meeting. Trump and Kim may soon meet again After Mr. Pompeos visit, hopes are rising for a second meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim. President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, who was briefed by Mr. Pompeo on his trip to Pyongyang, said the North and the United States had agreed to hold its second summit meeting as early as possible to follow up on the vaguely worded agreement on denuclearizing North Korea that the two reached in Singapore in June. But Mr. Pompeo left Pyongyang without a location and date for what his department called the upcoming second summit. He left that to talks between Stephen E. Biegun, Washingtons new point man on North Korea, and Choe Son-hui, the Norths vice foreign minister. In the proposed second summit meeting, Mr. Trump hopes to deliver major progress in his efforts to denuclearize North Korea, while Mr. Kim has vowed not to give up his nuclear weapons without corresponding concessions from Washington. Mr. Pompeos visit did not include a meeting with Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, apparently another signal of displeasure by the Chinese. The secretary of state met with Mr. Xi during his last visit to Beijing, in June. Last week, American officials said they were seeking meetings with the leadership, a phrase commonly used to refer to Mr. Xi. A notional schedule released during Mr. Pompeos trip listed a meeting with him. But Chinese analysts said it would be highly unlikely for Mr. Xi to agree to see a cabinet-level American official, given the curdled relationship and Mr. Pences forthright speech. Instead of Mr. Xi delivering a tough message, Yang Jiechi, the state councilor, would do so, Chinese analysts said. Receiving Pompeo in Beijing by anyone is itself a favor, considering what the Trump administration has done to China since early July, said Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing. At a briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its spokesman said the downturn in relations would not affect cooperation on North Korean issues. In short, no, Lu Kang, the spokesman said when asked if there would be a negative effect. But cooperation on North Korea one of the important issues on which the two sides have worked together seemed increasingly unlikely. North Korea has not agreed to Washingtons major request for the first step toward denuclearization: an inventory of all its nuclear assets. The Norths adamance means this is an issue that China would not be able to assist with, analysts said. And while Washington wants to keep the pressure on North Koreas economy by enforcing strict United Nations sanctions, China now opposes that stance. At the United Nations last month, Mr. Wang, the foreign minister, proposed an easing of sanctions against the North, and China has begun to allow certain kinds of trade to flow across the countries shared border. HONG KONG The Financial Times said in an editorial Sunday that the expulsion of one of its journalists from Hong Kong sends a chilling message about the steady erosion of basic rights in the semiautonomous Chinese city, as more than 15,000 people signed an online petition calling for an explanation from the government. The newspaper said Friday that Victor Mallet, its Asia news editor, was told his work visa would not be renewed. It is believed to be the first such expulsion of a foreign journalist since Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese control in 1997. Mr. Mallet returned to Hong Kong after an international trip on Sunday and was allowed to enter the territory on a seven-day visitor visa, The Financial Times said. As a British citizen he would typically be allowed to stay in the territory for up to six months under a tourist visa. Immigration officials did not provide an explanation for the shortened visitor visa, and we continue to seek clarification from the Hong Kong authorities about the rejection of his work visa renewal, the newspaper said in a statement. MELBOURNE, Australia The United Nations issued a dire alert on Monday, warning that many of the worlds coral reefs could die as soon as 2040 as a result of climate change. Already, warming waters have bleached more than two-thirds of the coral in the Great Barrier Reef, the worlds largest coral reef ecosystem, which covers more than 130,000 square miles and is visible from space. But the Great Barrier Reef, despite its status, is not the only unique or threatened marine ecosystem in Australia. The Christian woman has been in jail since 2009 on blasphemy charges. Supreme Court justices want to prevent unrest. Journalists have been warned against commenting the case. After her release, Western countries must offer her asylum immediately, British Pakistani Christian Association leader says. Pakistan's Supreme Court today reserved its judgement on the final appeal against the execution of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death in 2009 on blasphemy charges, this according to the British Pakistani Christian Association reveals it (BPCA), one of the few Christian groups to report the decision. No date has been announced for the verdicts announcement but local sources note that the government has warned the media against commenting on or discussing the case. "I trust this is a good outcome, said BCPA president Wilson Chowdhry, speaking to AsiaNews. Asia has been strong and courageous during all the years of imprisonment and has never lost even a shred of her faith. The decision by the three-justices panel to delay announcing the verdict is designed to take time to prevent unrest in the country. In fact, while Christians are praying across the country and demanding Bibis release, some Muslim radicals are calling for her to be hanged for allegedly insulting Muhammed. Today the world spotlight is on the court, which banned journalists, mobile phones and other video equipment from the courtroom. BPCAS Mehwish Bhatti, who was outside the courthouse along with many other activists, said that high-profile defendants are led in by a secondary entrance, to avoid reporters. Despite the courts warning against the media, news about the decision has spread quickly, but the justices are keeping the verdict under wraps for now. Dr Chowdhry, as well as Bibis lawyer, is hopeful. "After her release, Western countries must offer her asylum immediately. She deserves nothing less for her great stoicism." Her husband, Ashiq Masih is already in Britain and quite concerned. "He fears that his family will never be united again, Chowdhry explained. His most serious concern is that even if Asia were to get asylum in Britain, she would probably not be reunited with her married daughters." That means that she will be separated from her loved ones forever." MADRID Nearly 50 years ago, Ines Madrigal was taken from her parents, an unwitting participant in a scheme that started under Spanish dictator Francisco Francos regime as a way of removing infants from families that opposed him. On Monday a Spanish court acknowledged a former gynecologist had played a role in the 1969 abduction of Ms. Madrigal, who was an infant at the time. It was the first case in which a doctor faced trial in Spain for what is known here as the scandal of the stolen babies. But Ms. Madrigals victory was, in her words, bittersweet. The judges at a provincial court in Madrid found there was irrefutable evidence to show that Eduardo Vela, 85, was involved in the abduction of Ms. Madrigal. But they said that the charges brought against him fell under a statute of limitations, which required the charges to be filed within 10 years of Ms. Madrigal becoming an adult. This meant that Dr. Vela couldnt be convicted of any of them. The issue became a national scandal in 2011, when the Spanish judiciary was forced into action after Anadir, an association that represents people searching for missing children or parents, filed its first complaints. The Earth has already warmed 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since the 19th century. Now, a major new United Nations report has looked at the consequences of jumping to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius. Half a degree may not sound like much. But as the report details, even that much warming could expose tens of millions more people worldwide to life-threatening heat waves, water shortages and coastal flooding. Half a degree may mean the difference between a world with coral reefs and Arctic summer sea ice and a world without them. Arctic Status of Arctic summer sea ice: 1.5C Sea ice will remain during most summers 2C Ice-free summers are 10 times more likely An additional half-degree of warming could mean greater habitat losses for polar bears, whales, seals and sea birds. But warming temperatures could benefit Arctic fisheries. Extreme heat World population exposed to severe heat waves (like one that blanketed southeastern Europe in 2007) at least once every five years: 1.5C About 14% of world population 2C About 37% of world population Extreme heat will be much more common worldwide under 2C of warming compared to 1.5C, with the tropics experiencing the biggest increase in the number of highly unusual hot days. Water scarcity Increase in urban population exposed to severe drought: 1.5C +350 million people worldwide 2C +411 million people worldwide The Mediterranean region is expected to see particularly strong increases in dryness in a 2C world compared to a 1.5C world. Plants and animals Species losing more than half of their range: 1.5C 6% of insects 8% of plants 4%of vertebrates 2C 18% of insects 16% of plants 8% of vertebrates Coral reefs Status of coral reefs worldwide: 1.5C Very frequent mass mortalities 2C Coral reefs mostly disappear Sea level rise Population exposed to flooding from sea level rise in 2100 (without adaptation): 1.5C 31 to 69 million people worldwide 2C 32 to 80 million people worldwide A half a degree of warming could be significant for small island nations, which are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and other climate change impacts. Crops Global crop yields are expected to be lower under 2C of warming compared to 1.5C, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. Small changes, big impacts The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, compiled by hundreds of scientists from around the world, warns that these dangers are no longer remote or hypothetical. Nations have delayed curbing their greenhouse gas emissions for so long that warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) is now all but inevitable. At current rates of warming, the world will likely cross the 1.5 degree threshold between 2030 and 2052, well within the lifetime of most adults and children alive today. And 1.5 degrees is a best-case scenario. Without an extremely rapid, and perhaps unrealistic, global push to zero out fossil fuel emissions and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher this century looks more likely. Each time the Earth heats up an extra half-degree, the effects arent uniform across the planet. Some regions, such as the Arctic, will heat up two to three times faster. The Mediterranean and Middle East regions could see a 9 percent drop in water availability at 1.5 degrees of warming and a 17 percent drop at 2 degrees, according to one major study cited in the report. If youre looking at this one region, which is already water-scarce today and sees a lot of political instability, half a degree makes a really big difference, said Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, the head of climate science and impacts at Climate Analytics and the lead author of that study. Its a good reminder that no one experiences the global average temperature. The odds of extreme weather events like severe heat waves or powerful rainstorms also dont go up uniformly with an extra half-degree. The number of extremely hot days around the world, for example, tends to rise exponentially as the global average temperature increases, the report said. The risk of tipping points The report also highlights the possibility that even modest amounts of warming may push both human societies and natural ecosystems past certain thresholds where sudden and calamitous changes can occur. Take coral reefs, which provide food and coastal protection for half a billion people worldwide. Before the 1970s, it was virtually unheard-of for ocean temperatures to get so warm that swaths of corals would bleach and die off. But as global average temperatures have risen half a degree in that span, these bleaching events have become a regular phenomenon. With an additional half-degree of warming above todays levels, the report said, tropical coral reefs will face very frequent mass mortalities, though some corals may adapt if given enough time. But at 2 degrees of total warming, coral reefs are in danger of vanishing entirely. It is less certain when other long-feared tipping points will occur, such as the irreversible disintegration of the vast ice sheets on top of Greenland or West Antarctica. But the report warns that these ice sheets could potentially start to destabilize with 1.5 to 2 degrees of warming, committing the world to many more feet of sea level rise for centuries to come. The report also warns that vulnerable areas, like many African countries and small island nations, may struggle to cope with multiple impacts. Crop failures, heat waves and the expansion of malaria-carrying mosquitoes compound when they occur together. Youre not just adapting to one thing at a time, youre adapting to everything shifting at once, said Kristie L. Ebi, a professor of public health at the University of Washington and one of the lead authors of the reports chapter on climate impacts. Beyond 1.5 degrees At the United Nations climate negotiations in Paris in 2015, countries promised to hold total global warming to well below 2 degrees and agreed to pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees. Leaders of small island nations, like the Marshall Islands and Maldives, had deemed that lower goal essential to their survival. At this point, however, both goals are starting to look wildly out of reach. If you add up all the national pledges made in Paris to curb emissions, they would put the world on track to warm around 3 degrees Celsius or more. Holding warming to 1.5 degrees, the report said, would entail a staggering transformation of the global energy system beyond what world leaders are contemplating today. Global greenhouse emissions would need to fall in half in just 12 years and zero out by 2050. To stay below 2 degrees, emissions have to decline to zero by around 2075. Virtually all of the coal plants and gasoline-burning vehicles on the planet would need to be quickly replaced with zero-carbon alternatives. In addition, the report said, the world would have to swiftly develop and deploy technology to remove billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year using technology that is still untested at large scales. In these scenarios, higher turnout tends to be better for Democrats. Assumptions about who is going to vote may be particularly important in this race. To estimate the likely electorate, we combine what people say about how likely they are to vote with information about how often they have voted in the past. In previous races, this approach has been more accurate than simply taking people at their word. But there are many other ways to do it. Theres a big question on top of the standard margin of error in a poll: Who is going to vote? Its a particularly challenging question this year, since special elections have shown Democrats voting in large numbers. The types of people we reached Even if we got turnout exactly right, the margin of error wouldnt capture all of the error in a poll. The simplest version assumes we have a perfect random sample of the voting population. We do not. People who respond to surveys are almost always too old, too white, too educated and too politically engaged to accurately represent everyone. How successful we were in reaching different kinds of voters Called Inter- viewed Success rate Our responses Goal 18 to 29 1 8 8 8 6 0 1 in 31 9% 9% 30 to 64 1 4 7 8 0 3 4 8 1 in 42 54% 56% 65 and older 6 6 3 2 2 3 4 1 in 28 36% 35% Male 1 0 3 2 9 3 0 5 1 in 34 48% 49% Female 1 2 9 7 7 3 3 7 1 in 39 52% 51% White 1 5 0 5 2 4 5 9 1 in 33 71% 69% Nonwhite 6 1 7 9 1 2 6 1 in 49 20% 22% Cell 1 7 3 1 1 4 7 3 1 in 37 74% Landline 5 9 9 5 1 6 9 1 in 35 26% Pollsters compensate by giving more weight to respondents from under-represented groups. Here, were weighting by age, party registration, gender, likelihood of voting, race and region, mainly using data from voting records files compiled by L2, a nonpartisan voter file vendor. But weighting works only if you weight by the right categories and you know what the composition of the electorate will be. In 2016, many pollsters didnt weight by education and overestimated Hillary Clintons standing as a result. Even after weighting, our poll does not have as many of some types of people as we would like. Here are other common ways to weight a poll: Our poll under different weighting schemes Our poll result Weight using census data instead of voting records, like most public polls Heller +2 Dont weight by education, like many polls in 2016 Heller +2 Our estimate Heller +2 Dont weight by party registration, like most public polls Heller +3 Just because one candidate leads in all of these different weighting scenarios doesnt mean much by itself. They dont represent the full range of possible weighting scenarios, let alone the full range of possible election results. The summit will be held in Kyaukpadaung, Mandalay, central Myanmar, on 15 October. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Armed Forces commander-in-chief and the representatives of ten militias that signed the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) will be present to discuss the basic principles for a future federal system of government and the policy of one army. Naypyidaw (AsiaNews/Agencies) For the first time since the start of the peace process in 2011, top government and military officials will hold direct talks with armed ethnic groups. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Armed Forces commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the representatives of the ten ethnic armies that signed the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) will meet on 15 October in Kyaukpadaung township, Mandalay region, central Myanmar. The various delegations will discuss the basic principles for a future federal system of government and the policy of one army. Presidents Office spokesman Zaw Htay on Friday confirmed the participation of Min Aung Hlaing, saying it was a clear sign that the militarys relations with the government are positive. Last week, government officials organised a two-day preliminary meeting between all the parties to underline the importance of the summit on 15 October. It will be the first to be attended by both Aung San Suu Kyi and the countrys top military chief. In the past, the rebel armies had only met them separately. The meeting is also seen as a possibility for peace and coexistence for ethnic groups that have not signed any ceasefire so far. In leading the National League for Democracys main peace effort, the 21st century Panglong Peace Conference, Aung San Suu Kyi is trying to end decades of civil war. After the first session of August 2016, the government had planned to hold talks every six months. However, violence against Rohingya Muslims and the subsequent humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State as well as the civil strife in Kachin and Shan states had halted the process. The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an umbrella organisation for ethnic militias that have not signed the NCA, has expressed scepticism over the 15 October meeting. For UNFC chairman Naing Han Thar, a future federal union, especially before the 2020 general elections, is an impossible goal given the power of Myanmars military. Under the countys current constitution, drafted in 2008 by the junta that governed the country at the time, the military control a quarter of the 440-seat parliament as well as several major ministries, including Defence, Interior and Border Affairs. This gives the military control over security issues and an effective veto power over constitutional change. During the third session of the Panglong Conference in July, Aung San Suu Kyi called for a new strategic vision to build peace and end the hostilities between the military and ethnic militias. So far, the parties involved in the talks have agreed on 51 basic principles concerning political, economic and land-related issues, but have not yet reached an agreement on security. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 8) President Rodrigo Duterte is set to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders Gathering in Bali, Indonesia on October 11, upon the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Junever Mahilum-West on Monday said Duterte will attend the informal roundtable in the afternoon of October 11, which will be followed by a dinner with the leaders. Aside from the attendance of ASEAN leaders, officials from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and United Nations will also be at the gathering. ASEAN leaders will also affirm its commitment to support the IMF, WB, and the UN's role in addressing development challenges. "On the part of the Philippines, the President would highlight the government efforts to improve its performance in achieving the sustainable development goals, urge all parties to strengthen support for micro, small & medium enterprises development, call for economic resilience amid prevailing global economic uncertainties," Mahilum-West said in a media briefing. She said Duterte will have quick but intensive bilateral meetings with at least three ASEAN leaders, including Indonesia. However, the President will be unable to meet with the Filipino community in Bali due to time constraints. The accusation is that he "violated the law", perhaps with acts of corruption. His wife had reported his disappearance last week. Meng was vice-minister of Public Security in China. Another high-profile personality falls prey to Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign. Meng's wife and children are under the protection of the French police, having received death threats. The appeal of Wei Jingsheng. Beijing (AsiaNews) - Meng Hongwei, head of Interpol, is under investigation for "violating the law". This is according to a statement issued last night by Chinas National Supervision Commission. Meng's wife, Grace, had reported her husband went missing last week from Lyon, where Interpol center is located. She stated that the last communication with her husband, from China, had been a text message and an emoji with the image of a knife. Shortly after the communication from China on his arrest and investigation, Interpol declared that they received Meng's resignations and he was dismissed "with immediate effect". The National Supervision Commission was launched in March 2018 at the behest of President Xi Jinping to deal with corruption cases in the public administration. It works in close contact with the the Communist Partys Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Meng, 65, worked for 40 years in Public Security, reaching the position of Deputy Minister. He is one of the "tigers" that Xi Jinping targeted in his campaign against corruption. Five years ago, another senior security man, Zhou Yongkang, was shot before him. Meng had become deputy minister of security and head of Interpol in China in 2004. In November 2016 he was appointed president of Interpol, the first Chinese to hold this role in an international police body. Signals of difficulties had emerged last April, when Meng was removed from the leadership in the Ministry of Public Security. Meanwhile in Lyon, Meng's wife and children were put under police protection, having received death threats. In an appeal in favor of Meng's family, Wei Jingsheng, a dissident exiled in the US, points out China's contempt for human rights and international rules and demands that China always inform the family about the prisoner's situation and that his rights be respected. Wei also asks Interpol to remain vigilant over Beijing's behavoir. Men can be real jerks sometimes, but this guy has got to be the worst of the lot he actually faked his own death to get out of his wedding. 23-year-old Tucker Blandford, from Connecticut, didnt have the guts to tell his fiancee the truth that he wasnt ready for marriage so he just led her to believe that he had died. When bride-to-be Alex Lanchester found out the truth, she was livid and heartbroken. He has shattered my trust and Im not sure Ill ever be in a relationship again, said Alex, also 23. All I ever did was love him. Im so sick of being messed around and Im glad to be rid of him. Looking back, maybe I was naive. But I really loved him and never thought he would go to such extreme measures to dump me. Ive cried until I felt numb but now Im just really angry. So how exactly does one go about faking their own death? Well, conveniently for Tucker, Alex lives in another country, so he probably thought she wouldnt be able to verify his story. He simply called her one day, a week before he was due to visit her, and pretended to be his own dad. I picked up my phone and there was a man saying he was Tuckers dad, said Alex. Photo: Alex Lanchester He told me Tucker had been deeply depressed and wanted to die, so had thrown himself in front of a car. The man explained that they had been trying to send Tucker off to a psychiatric unit for help. But it was too late. I couldnt breathe. It was absolutely devastating. Naturally distraught, Alex immediately called Tuckers mother for support. And thats when she received the worst shock of her life Mrs. Blandford had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. She told Alex that Tucker was alive and well. Alex recalled the phone conversation and then realised the chilling truth that the voice she heard was actually Tuckers, and not his dads. Alex and Tucker began their relationship in August 2012, when Alex, who is from the UK, was studying abroad in the US. She met him on the first day of her job at the campus cinema at the University of Connecticut. Their relationship blossomed Tucker presented himself as a thorough gentleman and the perfect boyfriend. Photo: Alex Lanchester He was always buying me dinner and beautiful vintage jewellery, Alex recalled. Id never been in love like that before. Every Sunday, he would take me out for pancakes, it was so sweet. And to celebrate the day we got together, on the 10th of each month we would go out for a posh dinner. The young couple spent a year together, during which time Alex met Tuckers parents as well. I met his family and they treated me like a daughter. His mum and I became so close, she added. Once the year was up, Alex was to return to the UK, effectively ending their relationship. It was difficult for her, but to her greatest surprise, Tucker proposed to her just before she left and she happily accepted. The couple subsequently spent several phone conversations planning their dream wedding. She bought a handmade dress from eBay and they had even set a date August 15. Photo: Alex Lanchester Tucker was to visit Alex in the UK just before the wedding, so they could enjoy a nice vacation together and plan the wedding better. Shed paid for his tickets herself, even though she didnt have a lot of money. She had also splurged on a wedding photographer, invitations and bridesmaids dresses. I went all out even though I had hardly any money, she said ruefully. In the weeks running up to his visit I was mad with excitement. A few days later, Tucker called Alex and told her hed booked the venue for the wedding on the same campus where theyd first met. I couldnt think of a more romantic place to tie the knot, she admitted. Unfortunately, that was the last she heard from him, and one week before he was due to arrive in the UK, she received the ill-fated phone call informing her of his death. Photo: Alex Lanchester When Alex learned the truth, she also realised that Tuckers parents didnt even know about the engagement. They thought we had broken up when I left America, she said. Then it hit me, that voice on the other end of the phone had sounded eerily familiar. I realised it was Tucker pretending to be his dad. My whole world crumbled. Days later, Alex plucked up the courage to call him and question him about his strange behaviour, but hes simply been ignoring her calls. In his defence, he told reporters that he just wasnt ready to get married. Im a terrible, awful person. I know I shouldnt have told her I was dead, but I didnt know what else to do, he confessed. Alex is an amazing girl but I got scared and wanted to get out of the relationship. It was moving extremely fast and with us being in different countries, it was really hard. At the time I just felt like I couldnt tell the truth and thought if I could just postpone everything it would be better. Hes a liar and a coward, Alex said in response. He had put on a different voice on the phone and pretended to be his grieving father. What sort of sick person does that to his fiancee of two years? Its sickening. Hes such a coward and wouldnt pick up my calls. But he later sent me a text admitting he had lied. In hindsight, all the warning signs were there and I should have known he wasnt going to marry me, she added. But I was young, in love and naive. The couple were supposed to be married last Friday and would have been on their honeymoon this week. None of that has happened, of course, but Alex says she has now moved on. She traveled to the US anyway, even though the wedding was off. Ill be spending our would-be wedding day making new memories without him, she said. Ironically, Alex is now running a business making wedding favours. At least one good thing has come out of this mess, she said. Sources: Daily Mail, Mirror.co.uk Gilberto Baschiera, the former manager of a bank in Forni di Sopra, a small town in Italys Dolomite Alps, has been nicknamed the Robin Hood Banker for taking around 1 million ($1.15 million) from rich savers accounts, over several years, to help poor people qualify for loans. It all started in 2009, at the the height of the global financial crisis, when banks criteria for credit approval assessments changed. It was no longer about an overall assessment of the customer, but about the reliability of the client, which was established at the bank desk, on a computer. So when a local man came to Gilberto Baschieras office asking for a small loan, and the bank manager saw that he didnt qualify according to the new criteria, he felt sorry for him. Instead of turning him away like most bank managers would have done, Baschiera took some money out of the account of a wealthy client, and added it to the poor mans account, so that he would qualify. But this was only the beginning of Gilberto Baschieras career as a modern-day Robin Hood of the banking world. Photo: martaposemuckel/Pixabay It didnt take long for news of the bank managers generosity to spread through Forni di Sopra, a relatively small community of around 1,000 people, and other locals started turning to him for aid with qualifying for loans. He helped them just like he did that first one, by taking money out of rich clients accounts, but told them all to repay these sums quickly, so he could cover his tracks. They all happily agreed, but not all of them repaid their debts, leaving Baschiera exposed. After seven years, his exploits as the Robin Hood Banker were discovered, and he was sentenced to two years in prison for his crimes. Luckily for our hero, the fact that he didnt take one cent of the money he siphoned from rich clients accounts for himself, and that this was his first criminal offence made a huge difference. As part of a plea deal, Gilberto Baschiera received a suspended sentence, and will not be serving any actual jail time. Still, his story did not have a happy end. According the his lawyer, Roberto Mete, Baschiera lost both his job and his house, which was confiscated by the state. He thinks he wouldnt do it again, Mr Mete told BBC. He was convinced he could help people. But now hes lost his job and his own home. Photo: Google He wanted to help people who couldnt access loans the normal way, Baschieras lawyer added. He created a kind of shadow financing system, he trusted that the people he was helping were going to be able to pay back, and some of them didnt. He explained to authorities why he had done it, and that he thought the people he was helping would manage to pay back the money. In an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the Robin Hood Banker said that the banking system abandons pensioners with the minimum and young people without resources, adding that I have always thought that in addition to protecting savers, our task was to help those in need. Italian media reported that Baschiera called all the clients whose accounts he siphoned money from to explain his actions. The generous bank manager said that if he could go back in time, he would probably not do the same thing again, because the price he paid for it was too high. A court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently sentenced a woman to three months in jail after her husband sued her for looking through his phone without his permission. In a statement made against his wife, the unnamed husband claimed that she would access his phone while he was asleep, copying all the data, including pictures and chat conversations to her own smartphone so she could look through all the information at a later date. The man also complained that his wife would share some of his private information with her siblings. Although the woman defended herself by saying that her husband had given her the password to his phone and permission to look through it, because she had previously caught him chatting with other women, a court in Ras Al Khaimah found her guilty. Photo: Pexels/Pixabay The husband filed a complaint against his wife, and police called her in for questioning. A case was then filed against her for violating the UAEs strict privacy law, which states that married couples are forbidden from accessing each others personal phones without permission, even if one of them suspects the other of cheating. This case was originally reported on October 1st, and has since sparked a heated debate on social media. While some feel that the woman got what she deserved for breaking the law, others think that it was morally wrong for the husband to send his wife to jail for several months, even if she did look through his phone without his permission. She deserves this. No one told her to go through his phone, one Twitter user wrote. If she wasnt suspicious over something, she wouldnt have gone through his phone. Isnt it shameful for him to jail his own wife? another person commented. Dave Nieland Dave Nieland, a technology pro who most recently was executive VP at Weber Shandwick, has joined Big Valley Marketing, data-driven marketing PR shop in Santa Clara. A key player in Weber Shandwick's technology practice, Nieland worked with clients there for 16 years on branding, messaging, corporate reputation, crisis and media training Earlier, he did a three-year stint at BSMG Worldwide and started his career at Temerlin McClain. Tim Marklein founded BVM in Jan. 2014, after heading W2O's technology and analytics practice for nearly three years. Earlier, he and BVM analytics lead Inga Starrett worked with Nieland at Weber Shandwick. Marklein, who was Weber Shandwick's northern California business chief and previously led global PR for HP's enterprise business, called the new hire "a consummate client partner." He expects Nieland to assume that same role at BVM so "we can provide valuable client leadership and consistent client service to the worlds top technology companies." BVM has worked for BMC Software, Symantec, Bain Capital Ventures, Ruckus Wireless, SnapLogic and Uber. Brett Kavanaugh The ceremonial swearing-in tonight of Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh is icing on the PR cake for Donald Trump, who told Fox News Jeanine Pirro on Oct 6 that he was personally responsible for the Senates confirmation vote. Take a bow, Donald. Oh wait, he already did. During his phone call to the Justice with Jeanine program, Trump said Kavanaugh's confirmation only begain to sail through the Judiciary Committee, after the tweeter-in-chief mocked Christine Blasey Ford, who accused the Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault, at a campaign rally in Mississippi. While Trump takes a victory lap, tonight's celebration of Kavanaugh is rubbing salt into the wound of the majority of Americans who opposed his nomination. The Financial Times and The Economist ran hard-edged editorials about the political carnage left in the wake of the Kavanaugh hearings. The FT editorialized that Kavanaughs ascent marks a new low in American politics and the crisis of its public institutions. Regardless of the truth of Fords charges, Kavanaugh showed nothing but contempt for the process, according to the FT. Instead of seeking vindication through a credible inquiry, he denounced the charges as an act of revenge by the Clintons..The nominees testimony, which sounded like an audition for political martyrdom, was enough to quell Mr. Trumps doubts of his ability to hit back, said the editorial called The US Republics Moment of Truth. The Economist worries that the repercussions of the Kavanaugh hearings will be felt for years to come. It noted that Kavanaugh dispensed with the mild neutrality offered by most nominees, and launched instead into an intemperate diatribe, treating Democratic senators with contempt. Kavanaughs performance was sufficiently inflammatory," he had to use an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal to apologize and promise to be independent and impartial. It was too little, too late. The FT notes that critics expect Kavanaugh to emerge as a be-robed hatchet man incapable of hearing cases in a fair or impartial manner. It fears the Supreme Court will sink into the toxic partisanship that has engulfed the other two branches of government. Kavanaugh will judge cases involving climate change, gay marriage, money in politics, womens right to abortions, limits on gun ownership, voter suppression and gerrymandering. The media are spending a lot of time weighing the impact of the Kavanaugh hearings on the mid-term elections. Will energized Democrats take control of the House? Will Republicans pick off a number of Red State Democrats to tighten their grip on the Senate? Both questions may be moot. Control of the Supreme Court is (and always was) the No. 1 priority of conservatives. Trump delivered the goods. He may get a chance at another Supreme Court confirmation battle. Tullamore man Will Minnock, known by his stage name of Tenderhook., will be releasing his newest single, Season of You, on Wednesday, October 10. The track pairs sad lyrics with energetic house beats and an EDM sound palette. Season of You is an explosive follow up to Tenderhook. & Aisling Kearns debut single, See You Go back in April. The lyrics for this song came about after a holiday romance came to its inevitable, abrupt conclusion, Will says. I was reminded of that feeling you get when you binge-watch a show, and youre completely immersed in that world; before you know it youve reached the end, but youre not quite ready to face back into reality just yet. He adds, Musically, I wanted the song to be a mixture of what I was hearing during that holiday, which was a lot of groove-laden house music and high-energy club anthems. Season of You will be available on October 10 on all digital streaming platforms. Pre-Save on Spotify. Will has been playing in bands and writing music from an early age. While studying songwriting at the British and Irish Modern Music (BIMM) Institute in Dublin, Ireland, he became inspired by acts such as Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, and Calvin Harris - pioneers of electronic dance music. He practised his craft in the years following his graduation, honing in a unique sound partially inspired by the success of other local artists in his hometown of Tullamore. Tenderhook. is Wills first official project, which blends several genres to give his music a unique, warm feel. Find out more on the platforms below: Twitter: @tenderhookwill Facebook: @tenderhookwill Instagram: @tenderhookwill Soundcloud: Tenderhook. - Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Rescue teams will continue search operations for the missing until next October 11th. The government has announced that it will declare destroyed Palu areas "mass graves" and leave them "intact". There are 200,000 people in desperate need. Food and clean water are scarce and many of the 70,000 displaced people still depend on aid. More than 82 thousand military and civilians, in addition to volunteers, assist the survivors on the ground, while the army helicopters reach the remote areas. Jakarta (AsiaNews) - There are almost 2,000 bodies of victims found in Palu, a city where entire neighborhoods have been wiped out by the earthquake and tsunami that struck on the island of Sulawesi last September 28. Authorities report the toll could worsen again: there are 5 thousand missing, overwhelmed by landslides and mud avalanches, in the towns of Balaroa and Petobo (south of Palu). M. Tohir, spokesman for the Indonesian Armed Forces, said today that the death toll from the disaster increased to 1,944. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) declares that rescue teams will continue the search for missing persons until next October 11, when they will become "presumed dead". The government has announced that it will declare the destroyed areas of Palu "mass graves" and leave them "intact". Rescue efforts have increased to assist 200,000 people in dire need. Food and clean water are scarce and many of the 70,000 displaced people still depend on aid, after days of delays. The day after the disaster, several incidents of mass looting took place in the epicenter of the emergency, while humanitarian convoys struggled to reach the population. Thanks also to international aid, in the last days operations are progressing more quickly. Airplanes full of supplies are landing with increasing frequency in Palu, where the military unload the materials onto trucks or helicopters. More than 82 thousand soldiers and civilians, in addition to volunteers, are assisting the survivors on the ground, while the army helicopters are reaching the remote areas blocked by the disaster. A school from Offaly is among the first in Ireland to implement a new mental health programme - HEADSTRONG in association with Cycle Against Suicide - to address the stigma of Suicide among young people. Students from St Brendans Community School, Birr attended the launch of the school programme in Dublin on Thursday last, October 4, joining other schools from across Ireland for the introduction of the pilot programme, which will be rolled out within the selected schools in the coming months. Caroline Lafferty, CEO of Cycle Against Suicide adds: We have worked with the Mental Health Commission of Canada to introduce HEADSTRONG to our schools here in Ireland as we believe that this programme is invaluable in helping younger people to be brave and speak up about mental health." Its a powerful, evidence-based programme that has already won international awards, and with the help of the students from St Brendans Community School, were hoping that the pilot programme will be a huge success, with the aim of rolling out HEADSTRONG across all Irish secondary schools within the coming years. This is a core part of our mission in addressing mental health in younger people, which is currently at an alarming level in Ireland. Its introduction to Ireland comes through a partnership between Cycle Against Suicide and the Mental Health Commission of Canada. At its core, HEADSTRONG works to reduce the painful stigma experienced by children and young people living with mental health problems and illnesses. It will teach students how to reduce stigma, become mental health champions in their schools, and the programme challenges students to examine the dangers of stereotypes and the harm created by stigma. According to UNICEFs latest report card on child well-being, Ireland has the fourth highest teen suicide rate in the EU/OECD region. The report card warns that one in 10,000 Irish youth aged 15-19 will die by suicide. The report further shows that in younger teens, aged 11-15, more than 22% report having experienced two or more psychological symptoms more than once a week. Even as Ireland faces those alarming statistics, an online survey by St. Patricks Mental Health Services shows that there is still a great stigma attached to mental health issues. According to the study, two-thirds of the respondents said it was a sign of personal failure to be treated for a mental health issue. It is for this reason that Cycle Against Suicide is working to address the issue of stigma. Cycle Against Suicide, a national awareness charity, is introducing HEADSTRONG into Irish secondary schools. On Thursday, October 4, Cycle Against Suicide convened the first HEADSTRONG summit at the Honourable Society of the Kings Inns, Constitution Hill in Dublin which was attended by young people from 21 schools across the country. Summits are the anchor of HEADSTRONG. They educate and empower young people to become mental health champions and mobilizes them to return to their schools and communities and engage and educate their peers to also become mental health champions, driving true change in the area of stigma. This new school programme is critical as research shows that one in three young people in Ireland will experience some form of mental health issue in any given year. HEADSTRONG is one of Cycle against Suicides initiatives designed to break down the barriers and stigma around mental health illness. To learn more about HEADSTRONG and Cycle Against Suicides programmes visit cycleagainstsuicide.com. To find information about where you can get help for mental health issues, visit www.cycleagainstsuicide.com. Assassinated by a Saudi commando that arrived on the day of his disappearance from Riyadh, then dismembered. The authorities of the kingdom reject all charges. Security cameras show abnormal movement of cars around the consulate. Washington Post: "Huge and incomprehensible crime". Istanbul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - As the days go by, concerns about the fate of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist and Saudi intellectual, a critical voice of the government of Riyadh and of the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (Mbs), are increasing. According to Turkey, he would have been killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he had gone to complete divorce proceedings; Riyah rejects every charge and ensures maximum cooperation. The only certainty is that there has been no more news of him since 2 October. Istanbul police sources say that "the journalist was murdered" inside the Saudi diplomatic headquarters, by a "team" that would have come from Saudi Arabia "and returned the same day" in the country. For the investigators, a group of 15 Saudis arrived in the city on the day of the disappearance and never left the consulate. Citing investigative sources, the Turkish official agency Anadolu states that Khashoggi "did not leave" from the diplomatic representation. The advisor to the Turkish president Yasin Aktay adds that the journalist and intellectual did not leave the consulate "in a normal way". From the images of the security cameras surrounding the area it emerges that the journalist - forced to hand over his mobile phone before entering - never left (on foot) the building. The films show at the same time a movement of diplomatic cars that come and go from the structure. Khashoggi had turned to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get the necessary documents to get married again with his partner Hatice Cengiz, a woman of Turkish nationality who first reported the disappearance. The man had asked his partner to contact the Turkish authorities [in particular to contact a Recep Tayyip Erdogan adviser] in case he did not return. Colleagues and friends have launched the #JamalKhashoggiDisappeared campaign, in Arabic and English, which has collected thousands of subscriptions. The Saudi intellectual and journalist had gone into exile last year in the United States, fearing a possible arrest by the authorities of the kingdom for having criticized some decisions of the crown prince Mbs, the kingdom's strongman.Khashoggi also targted Riyadh's military intervention in Yemen and the campaign of internal repression, which hit economists Essam Al-Zamel among others. Saudi Arabia denies any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi and claims to collaborate "in the search". The same Mbs intervened on the affair, stating that "we have nothing to hide". The Crown Prince added that he "left after a few minutes or at most an hour" and "we want to know what happened to him". For the Washington Post, his murder is a "huge and incomprehensible crime". Centre moots elevated road through Bandipur, activists threaten to protest Feature oi-Deepika S Bengaluru, Oct 8: Even as the central government is making desperate attempts to see that the ban on night traffic through the Bandipur forests is lifted, nothing much has come of it. On Saturday, the Union government has suggested to the Supreme Court to allow movement of transport vehicles 24x7 on the national highway passing through Bandipur Tiger Reserve but only after developing five elevated roads of one kilometre each. The flyover would cost in the region of Rs. 1,200 crores and the cost would have to be shared between the two states of Karnataka and Kerala and the Central Government. Cow-dung, changing rural economy fuelling man-carnivore conflict in Bandipur forest "The metalled road under the elevated sections would be milled and converted into a forest landscape to maintain continuity of the forest with ease of movement of wildlife without any barriers," the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said. A stretch of 34.60 km of National Highway 212 passes through Bandipur and Wayanad national parks.The traffic is banned on the highway from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. to avoid road kills and reduce disturbance to wildlife. Tamil Nadu had no issue with the ban. Karnataka stuck to its stand on restriction on traffic, since an alternative route via Mysuru-Hunsur-Gonnikoppal-Kutta, was being used by commuters for the last nine years. Kerala, however, wanted the lifting of the ban, citing hardships. Due to lack of consensus, the Union government sought directions from the top court for constructing elevated roads at an estimated cost of Rs 450 to Rs 500 crore with the ministry agreeing to bear 50% cost and Kerala the remaining 50%. How tigers in Karnataka are falling prey to wild boar traps A fresh start This row started as a result of the Central government asking Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to withdraw the ban so that an elevated corridor or road and other infrastructure could be started and the Central ministry suggested that the chief minister had agreed to lift the ban. The PWD Minister Mr H.D. Revanna also hurriedly announced that a flyover could come up every 2.50 km inside Bandipur. When the news triggered opposition from environmentalists and other sections of the society, the chief minister gathered himself quickly stayed the decision. What Conservationists say? Conservationists say the interests of wildlife and ecosystem should to be protected, and Bandipur free of petty politics. Activists are alarmed after the central governments deperate actions for lift in night ban Wildlife activists and volunteers in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, are set to launch a massive drive urging decision makers to maintain status quo. Wildlife experts say the night ban addresses the issue of roadkill and data recorded before and after the night traffic ban is a clear indication of its positive impact, and want the Karnataka and Kerala governments, politicians and Supreme Court to accept it, especially with the Centre proposing lifting of the ban. Night traffic banned in 2009 Karnataka introduced a ban on night traffic through Bandipur in 2009 to reduce road kills and disturbance to wildlife and the decision was challenged in the High Court of Karnataka, which upheld the move. The alternative road (Hunsur-Gonikoppa-Kutta-Mananthavady) was developed by Karnataka by spending Rs75 crore based on the request made by Kerala in Karnataka High Courts. But those lobbying for opening the road approached the Supreme Court, which has constituted a committee to examine the issue. 75 per cent dip in animal deaths There is a significant reduction in the number of road kills in Bandipur ever since the ban on night traffic through the tiger reserve was introduced in 2009. In the four years from 2004 to 2007, before the ban, 91 mammals belonging to 14 species, 75 birds, and 56 reptiles were killed by speeding vehicles. After the ban was imposed, roadkill cases dipped by 75%, with only 29 mammals dying from 2010 to 2018. Increased animal movement has also been noticed. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 21:11 [IST] Businessman in Kolkata shot at after his car was stopped by 18 men 2015-like heatwave could hit India again, warns Climate change report India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Oct 8: India could face an annual threat of deadly heatwaves, similar to the one in 2015 that had left around 2,500 people dead, if the world gets warmer by 2 degree Celsius over pre-industrial levels, a United Nations report stated. The report was released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Monday. In the Indian subcontinent, the IPCC report specifically mentions Kolkata and Karachi among cities that could face an increased threat of heat waves. "Karachi and Kolkata can expect annual conditions equivalent to their deadly 2015 heat waves. Climate change is significantly contributing to increased heat-related mortality," Times of India quoted the report as saying. Also Read | No impact on India after US withdraws from Paris agreement: Official According to the IPCC's report, global warming of 1.5C-2C is going to worsen the situation in the city where conditions comparable to the deadly 2015 heatwave are expected, along with unavoidable poverty and health risks that come with global warming. It said, "Climate-related risks for natural and human systems are higher for global warming of 1.5 degree C than at present, but lower than 2 degree C. These risks depend on the magnitude and rate of warming, geographic location, level of development and vulnerability, and on the choices and implementation of adaptation and mitigation options". The report also enlists ways to slow down the warming process and limit the rise to 1.5 degree Celsius by 2100 - well below the 2 degree Celsius rise which is the intended goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change. Earth's surface has warmed one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) - enough to lift oceans and unleash a crescendo of deadly storms, floods and droughts - and is on track toward an unliveable 3C or 4C rise. At current levels of greenhouse gas emissions, we could pass the 1.5C marker as early as 2030, and no later than mid-century, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) reported with "high confidence". Also Read | Climate change 'running faster than we are': UN Secretary At current levels of greenhouse gas emissions, we could pass the 1.5C marker as early as 2030, and no later than mid-century, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) reported with "high confidence". "The next few years are probably the most important in human history," Debra Roberts, head of the Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department in Durban, South Africa, and an IPCC co-chair, told AFP. A Summary for Policymakers of the 400-page tome underscores how quickly global warming has outstripped humanity's attempt to tame it, and outlines paradigm-shift options for avoiding the worst ravages of a climate-addled future. Before the Paris Agreement was inked in 2015, nearly a decade of scientific research rested on the assumption that 2C was the guardrail for a climate-safe world. The IPCC report, however, shows that global warming impacts have come sooner and hit harder than predicted. "Things that scientists have been saying would happen further in the future are happening now," Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, told AFP. To have at least a 50/50 chance of staying under the 1.5C cap without overshooting the mark, the world must, by 2050, become "carbon neutral," according to the report. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 11:28 [IST] IAF officer arrested on rape charges in Coimbatore, sent to judicial custody Coimbatore's IAF rape case: Victim subjected to 'two finger test' at academy, pressurised to withdraw complain India will have whole of Kashmir someday, says Western Air Command chief Air Force Day 2018: IAF displays fill audience with awe India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P New Delhi, Oct 8: The Indian Air Force celebrated its 86th Anniversary on Monday. To mark the occasion, a grand Parade cum Investiture Ceremony was held at Air Force Station Hindan, Ghaziabad. To mark the occasion and in keeping up with the tradition, IAF has planned a grand Parade cum Investiture Ceremony at Air Force Station Hindan (Ghaziabad). Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, Chief of the Air Staff reviewed the parade. Various dignitaries and veterans participated in the celebrations. Also Read | Air Force Day 2018: Vintage aircraft Dakota poised for maiden appearance The parade was followed by a breathtaking display by the Air Warrior Drill Team, wherein the team will showcase their weapon handling skills and carry out diverse manoeuvers with their rifles. This was followed by a scintillating air display by wide range of IAF aircraft including our cherished Vintage flight. The air display commenced with flag bearing skydivers of famous Akash Ganga Team, who will jump from an An-32 aircraft. Flypast will comprise Mi-17 V5 and Rudra helicopters, Dornier, C-130J and C-17 transport aircraft, Jaguar, Bison, MiG-29, Mirage-2000 and SU-30 MKI fighter aircraft. Also Read | Rafale and S-400, a booster dose for IAF, says Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa Dakota, Tiger Moth and Harvard of the IAF Vintage flight also participated in the flypast. Post flypast, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) carried out an aerobatic display in front of the audience. The Ambassadors of Indian Air Force, Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team (SKAT), comprising on nine Hawk 132 aircraft and the Helicopter aerobatics team, Sarang enthralled the audience with breathtaking formation aerobatics display. Garud commando The Garud flights are equipped with state of the art & modern weapon systems, specialist equipment & gears to counter any threat. Each commando in the Garuds undergo gruelling special training. Courtesy:@IAF_MCC IAF personnel IAF personnel during the 86th Air Force Day Parade 2018 at Air Force Station at Hindon in Ghaziabad, Monday, Oct 8, 2018. PTI Photo Paratroopers IAF paratroopers demonstrate their skill during the 86th Air Force Day Parade 2018 at Air Force Station at Hindon in Ghaziabad, Monday, Oct 8, 2018. PTI Photo IAF Special Forces A warrior is known by his gallant, his bravery andpersuit to excellence. IAF is proud of its Special Forces 'GARUD' which has time and again proven themselves at various demanding situations. Courtesy: @IAF_MCC Aircel-Maxis: Chidambaram, Karti protected from arrest till November 1 India oi-PTI New Delhi, Oct 8: A Delhi court Monday extended till November 1 the interim protection from arrest granted to former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis case filed by CBI and ED. Special CBI Judge OP Saini put up the matter for November 1 after the counsel appearing for agencies sought an adjournment in the matter. Advocates appearing for CBI and ED, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Nitesh Rana, told the court that the agencies required time to file a detailed reply and argue on the application filed through Chidambaram's lawyers PK Dubey and Arshdeep Singh. Aircel-Maxis Case: SC allows Karti Chidambaram to travel abroad Chidambaram and his son were named in the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the case on July 19. The agency filed a supplementary charge sheet before the special judge, who will consider it on next date. The CBI is probing how Chidambaram, who was the Union finance minister in 2006, granted Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to a foreign firm, when only the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) was empowered to do it. The senior Congress leader's role has come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore. 'BJP must have found a free crude oil source': Chidambaram's jibe at Centre In its charge sheet filed earlier in the case against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran and others, the agency had alleged that Chidambaram had granted an FIPB approval in March, 2006 to Mauritius-based Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Maxis. The Maran brothers and the other accused named in the CBI chargesheet were discharged by the special court, which had said the agency had failed to produce any material against them to proceed with the trial. The Enforcement Directorate is also probing a separate money-laundering case in the Aircel-Maxis matter, in which Chidambaram and Karti have been questioned by the agency. Both Chidambaram and Karti have denied the allegations levelled against them by the CBI and the ED. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 13:17 [IST] 'Should not be misled': Mayawati reaches out to Brahmins before UP polls Alliance woes continue, with more joining the anti-Congress bandwagon India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Oct 8: INLD Chief and Jat strongman, Om Praskash Chautala was the latest to join the bandwagon, advising the Congress on how to form alliances. While he batted for opposition unity, he also said that he wants BSP supremo, Mayawati to become the Prime Minister. On the other RLD leader, Jayant Chaudhary, while vouching for a joint opposition told the Congress to be most accommodating and give respect and support to the smaller parties for a true rainbow coalition. This development comes in the wake of the BSP, SP and CPM making it clear that it would not have anything to do with the Congress in the upcoming assembly elections being held in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana. Also Read | Why the assembly polls in 5 states will be a clear pre-cursor to the 2019 LS elections Chaudhary went on to say that the Congress is the largest opposition party in Parliament. It will have to be most accommodating and give respect to the smaller parties for a true rainbow coalition to emerge. He also said to increase the size of the pie, all partners would need to not stress on individual sizes. The trouble fo the Congress began with the Mayawati led, BSP deciding to stay away from the Congress in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. The Samajwadi Party too has said that it will not contest with the Congress in Madhya Pradesh. Akhilesh Yadav, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and SP chief said that he would not wait any longer for the Congress to take a call on the alliance. He however said that he would surely speak with the BSP on the alliance. For how long do we wait, he asked while adding that it was no longer feasible to go along with the Congress. He revealed that the SP was in talks with the Gondwana Gantantra Party. On the other hand the CPM said that it will not contest along with the Congress in all the five states. This means that there would be no Congress-CPM alliance in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. The Central Committee of the CPM endorsed the decision to be part of the seven party alliance in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and the Bahujan Left Front in Telangana. Left partner CPI is part of an alliance comprising the Congress, TDP and the Telangana Jana Samiti in the souther state. Also Read | Fallout with BSP will have no bearing on 'mahagathbandhan' for Lok Sabha polls: Congress The CPM, CPI, Samajwadi Party, JD(S), CPI(ML), RLD and Marxist-Communist Party of India (MCPI) have joined hands to form Rajasthan Democratic Front to fight the elections there. In MP and Chhattisgarh, too, CPM will try to enter into an understanding with smaller parties and be part of a non-Congress alliance. While there has been a demand in the party for an understanding with the Congress to prevent the division of votes, the central committee has not accepted this view. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 12:46 [IST] Attack on migrants: Yogi speaks to Rupani,says those jealous of Gujarat's progress spreading rumours India oi-Vikas SV Lucknow, Oct 8: In the wake of mass exodus of UP-Bihar migrants from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday spoke to his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani to express concern over the matter. Adityanath said Rupani has assured him that the Gujarat government is taking effective steps to tackle to the situation. Hundreds of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have left north Gujarat after protests broke out over the rape of a 14-month-old girl allegedly by a man from Bihar. "Gujarat Chief Minister has clearly told me that no such incident has taken place in last three days. People who are jealous of development in Gujarat are spreading such rumours. Effective steps have been taken by Gujarat government," Adityanath told news agency ANI. [Rape backlash: Fearing for lives workers from UP, MP and Bihar flee Gujarat] Earlier today, even Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar spoke to Vijay Rupani and expressed concern over attacks on non-Gujarati people, especially those from Bihar. The Gujarat government earlier today (October 8) said that appropriate action is being taken against those suspected to be involved in the attack on migrants workers from UP and Bihar residing in the state. [Rape backlash: Gujarat assures safety of migrant workers from UP, Nitish wants fair probe] As many as 50,000 migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have left Gujarat after the arrest of a Bihar man for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in the Sabarkantha district last week. One Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, was arrested the same day for the toddler's rape. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 17:53 [IST] WB: Sunny Leone's name in college merit list for the third time Bengaluru: Pro-Kannada group fumes over 'Veeramadevi', demands removal of Sunny Leone from film India oi-Madhuri Adnal Bengaluru, Oct 8: Pro-Kannada group began their protest against Sunny Leone's portrayal of Veeramadevi in her debut Tamil and Telugu film in Bengaluru. [Permission granted for Sunny Leone to perform in Bengaluru] Earlier, a Hindu group- Karnataka Rakshana Vedike tore down posters of actor Sunny Leone's upcoming film 'Veeramadevi', as a mark of raising objections against the actor's presence in the film. Speaking to the media, a member of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Harish, said that the group is "against Sunny Leone acting as Veeramadevi a character which holds historical significance to the state. [From Sunny Leone to Mia Khalifa, top pornstars on Kerala buses] The actress will be seen playing the titular role in the film, the warrior Veeramadevi and apparently sections of the south are not able to take her playing such prestigious role taking her past of being a porn star. The irony is that makers have invested about a hundred crores in the film with technicians from Hollywood fame Lord of the Rings. The Kannada film, starring Leone and Navdeep, is set to release in the first week of October. Bihar By-polls: Lalu Yadav to campaign for RJD candidates on Wednesday to ensure 'visarjan' of Nitish Kumar Bihar: Nine arrested for thrashing 30 schoolgirls over harassment complaint India oi-Madhuri Adnal Patna, Oct 8: Nine people have been arrested for thrashing at least 30 schoolgirls of a government school in Bihar's Supaul for allegedly resisting sexual advances, a police official said on Sunday. Speaking on the incident, ASP Triveniganj said,''9 people arrested so far, one of them a minor, asked for matric certificates from others. Want to identify the rest, don't want any innocent to get caught.'' All the injured girls are students of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Darpakha village in Supaul under Triveniganj police station of the district. Also Read | Bihar: Over 30 schoolgirls beaten up by goons for opposing sexual advances The incident took place on Saturday at Kasturba School of Triveniganj in Supaul district, where 104 girls are enrolled from Class I to VIII. At the time of the attack on Saturday, 84 girls, all belonging to Scheduled Caste, were at the school. According to police, some girls were playing outside when some local youths passed some objectionable remarks. The girls reportedly complained to the school warden, who threatened to file a police complaint. The youths, accompanied by their parents, then reportedly barged into the school and beat up the girls. At least three teachers were also beaten up. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 12:20 [IST] BJP workers wants some guidance from party president on SC/ST Act on his Gwalior visit India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 8: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah will be visiting Gwalior and Guna on October 9, 2018. This is a very crucial visit of the party president for the party workers after his visit to the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh where resentment against the BJP is slightly less than the resentment in Gwalior and Guna region of the state. This visit is being looked upon by the party workers as an attempt to salvage the issue of scheduled caste and scheduled tribes act in the states which has become a big issue in the state. Party workers are looking for some kind of guidance from the president on the matter. Also Read | Alienated and wary BJP workers shying away from the party work Resentment on the issue of SC/ST Act is so big in the state and especially in Gwalior and Guna areas, the party is worst affected. Galvanization against this is maximum in this area as the workers wants to ascertain the stand of the party on Atrocity Act and BJP's role to make upper caste people to understand. Also Read | 'Mauni Baba' Manmohan Singh used to carry papers given by Madam on abroad trips': Amit Shah Overall the BJP is facing the challenge maximum in the state so the party President Amit Shah is expected to directly communicate with the party workers on the issue. Sources in the BJP said that worker of the party are not only discouraged but facing lots of resentment from the people who were once their staunch supporters. Dealing with such people at the time of elections is a big challenge for the party and they are heavily banking on the party president that he will come up with some suggestion for the party workers. By holding ULB polls, the government wants to send message that it wont yield India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 8: Conducting urban local body (ULB) elections in Jammu and Kashmir is not only an attempt by the government to have democratically elected local bodies in the terrorist-affected state but to give a message not only to separatists, terrorists but also to Pakistan that India will not yield to any of their mischievous designs. The last elections to the urban local bodies took place in 2005. The central government has not only made proper security preparations for conducting elections in the state but it also did not allow to get intimidated from the political parties like National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with whom the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was partner in the state government till recently. Moreover, the government did not leave any chance to help prevailing normalcy in the state. Also Read | In Kashmir, an election without a face and a poll without a vote It had appointed Dineshwar Sharma an interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir to read minds of people of the state and help them to join the mainstream. However, the government has been dealing with gun-trotting people sternly. The Congress and the BJP are contesting local body elections but the two regional parties - the NC and the PDP - have boycotted elections besides separatists protesting against it. Separatists have been detained as a precautionary measure to check any trouble for these elections. Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was on October 7 placed under house arrest while Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik is into preventive custody since October 2. Hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani continues to be under house detention ahead of the four-phase polls. Actually regional political parties of the state have boycotted the election on the pretext of the 'lack of clarity' on 35A which is challenged in the Supreme Court giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir. So the boycott by regional parties has made elections a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP, however, attempt are being made from across the border to escalate terrorist violence and cause disturbance in the democratic process in the state but enough security arrangements have been made. The government has deployed around 40,000 additional forces with a three-tier security arrangement around polling stations. Also Read | 250 terrorists wait to infiltrate as polling gets underway in J&K Candidates of the ULB polls have filed their nominations in secrecy and have not been at all campaigning as threat was issued from militants. Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) had warned former panchayat members against contesting the elections. To terrorize people further not to participate in these elections, unidentified gunmen killed two NC workers in Karfali Mohallah of Srinagar on October 5 however NC is not contesting elections. There are as many as 2,990 candidates in the fray for this ULB polls to be held in several phases. Candidates have been given security and most of them have been taken to safe locations, but the situation is such they cannot campaign. The threat is not only from militants, but from mobs as well. The Congress has been of the view that atmosphere in the state is not conducive for elections but it decided to contest after the government thrusted elections on the people. For the Congress this is the most low-profile election in the history of the state. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 10:44 [IST] Over 40 per cent of inmates in Guwahati jail test COVID-19 positive Celebration goes wrong: Assam's deputy speaker falls off tusker India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Guwahati, Oct 8: In an embarrassing incident reported from Assam, newly-elected deputy speaker of Assam assembly Kripanath Mallah fells off an elephant in Ratabari. Kripanath Mallah was being welcomed by his supporters in Ratabari, his own constituency, in Karimganj district. On October 5, Mallah was elected the new Deputy Speaker of Assam Assembly. The Autumn session of the assembly was adjourned sine-die on Friday. Also Read | No genuine Indian citizen will be victimised in NRC exercise: Ram Madhav A procession on an elephant was planned by his supporters to celebrate Kripanath Mallah's victory . However, the elephant went berserk due to the pandemonium on the street and both Kripanath Mallah and mahout fell off. Both were unhurt in the incident. #WATCH: Newly-elected deputy speaker of Assam assembly Kripanath Mallah falls off an elephant. He was being welcomed by his supporters in Ratabari, his own constituency, in Karimganj district. The deputy speaker was unhurt in the incident. (06.10.2018) #Assam pic.twitter.com/2UYHkS7zvx ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2018 Also Read | Kids travel on aluminium containers daily to reach school in this Assam village In a video released by news agency ANI, supporters are seen welcoming the BJP MLA to his constituency. It appears the deputy speaker and the mahout lost balance when the elephant ran forward. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 11:12 [IST] Chhattisgarh's horrific accident: Nobody will be spared, justice will be done: CM Baghel Chhattisgarh polls: 150 paramilitary companies to reach state soon India oi-Shubham Ghosh Raipur, Oct 8: Chhattisgarh will go to elections on November 12 and 20 and is the only of the five poll-bound states that will witness a two-phase polling. The authorities have started working on the security aspect as soon as the polling itinerary was announced on Saturday, October 6, and top police officers of the state have instructed the district police authorities to take all preparations to ensure that the upcoming election is organised peacefully. On November 12, 18 seats in the Naxalite-affected regions of the state will go to polls while the remaining 72 will witness polling on November 20. The results will be declared along with those in other four states on December 11. The state government has sought additional forces from the Centre to hold elections in the extremist-infested regions and the latter has obliged. Also Read | Why the assembly polls in 5 states will be a clear pre-cursor to the 2019 LS elections DM Awasthi, Special DG, Anti-Naxal Operations, said during a conversation with the media that holding elections in the Naxalite-infested region is not easy. He said the police authorities are ready to hold impartial elections and informed that 150 companies of paramilitary forces will reach Chhattisgarh in the next four-five days for the election duty, a report in Naidunia said. Awasthi also said that a special meeting of the police officers was convened on Monday and here, strategies will be made over security aspects in the state during the election. Also Read | Congress' indecisiveness on alliance makes contest tough in MP and Chhattisgarh Suraksha Bal personnel from five states are also expected to reach Chhattisgarh for election duty. The Centre may also seek assistance from the air force during the two-phase election in Chhattisgarh. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 17:37 [IST] Congress indecisiveness on alliance makes contest tough in MP and Chhattisgarh India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 8: Election dates are declared for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections but the Congress seems to have missed the chance of having a clear edge over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in these elections. The Congress not only failed to do an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party but also with smaller political party like Gondawana Gantantra Party (GGP). The GGP has its influence in the tribal area and has over two per cent vote bank in these states. One or two per cent votes have been significant in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh elections because 2 to 2.5 per cent votes share in Madhya Pradesh and one per cent in Chhattisgarh have been actually making the victory margins in the past few elections between the BJP and the Congress. Sources said that it was due to the Madhya Pradesh leadership, the Congress failed to do alliance with the BSP, the SP or the GGP. When talks with the political parties having similar ideologies started, these parties were of the view that the Congress will take smaller political parties along in these two states. Also Read | Fallout with BSP will have no bearing on 'mahagathbandhan' for Lok Sabha polls: Congress Sources said that leaders of these smaller parties were ready to forget their differences with the Congress leadership as at the moment there is nothing to think about anything except stopping the BJP from coming to power again. Interestingly these smaller political parties were flexible in terms of Assembly seats to stop Modi Juggernaut in 2019. The demand of SP and GGP was very limited but leaders of these parties were brought to table for talks and they were taken very lightly. Congress leaders from Chhattisgarh were not even asked as there is no one heavyweight in the Chhattisgarh Congress to have the access to the office of Rahul Gandhi like Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh. Also Read | Will Congress' 'soft Hindutva' strategy pay-off? Sources said the Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh are so helpless that they failed to say anything to Rahul Gandhi even when alliance with the BSP in Chhattisgarh started going off the track. Actually Kamal Nath offered the BSP to borrow some candidates from the Congress to field in Assembly election as he felt the party does not have candidates who can win elections. It means several Congress candidates would have contested elections from the BSP which was refused by the party. Moreover, The Congress also backtracked its initial commitment to bear the burden of election expanses of the BSP. So the Congress has made an easy one-sided victory into a neck and neck contest. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 8:27 [IST] Cooperation between Indian States and Russian Regions to take momentum of growth further India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 8: Indian Republic and Russian Federation have not only decided to go ahead with cooperation in the field of defence, infrastructure and technology but Indian states and Russian regions will also cooperate with each other for growth of both the countries and regions besides diamond, gem and jewellery trade. Sources said that there are many regions in both the countries that needs special and specialised attention so steps will help to help progress those regions. Both the countries have appreciated efforts to further cement and institutionalize cooperation between Indian States and Russian Regions. This is being an attempt to carry forward momentum of cooperation between States and Union Territories of the Republic of India and Subjects of the Russian Federation, both Sides directed further intensification of direct contacts between business, entrepreneurs and governmental bodies on both sides. Also Read | India and Russia formally announce supply of S-400 Missile System to India Efforts aimed at signing of agreements between Assam and Sakhalin, Haryana and Bashkortostan, Goa and Kaliningrad, Odisha and Irkutsk, Visakhapatnam and Vladivostok have been welcomed by both the countries with open arms. They agreed to encourage participation by regional delegations in major events like Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, Eastern Economic Forum and Partnership/Investment Summits and also welcomed the intention to organize and hold the India-Russia inter-regional forum. India and Russia also agreed to work together to explore joint projects for productive, efficient and economic use of natural resources in both the countries through application of appropriate technologies while ensuring affordable environment friendly utilization of natural resources. Sources said that this has also required cooperation from states as well. Also Read | Indo-Russia pact: US says sanctions not to damage military capabilities of its allies Agriculture sector is also as an important area for cooperation and committed themselves to eliminating trade barriers, greater production and trade in agricultural products. Cooperation achieved in diamond sector which is predominantly based in Gujarat including the signing of a new long-term contracts for rough diamond supplies by PJSC ALROSA to Indian companies, opening of the ALROSA representative office in Mumbai and joint financing by the ALROSA and the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India of the International Diamonds Producers Association on the development of programmes of generic marketing of diamonds, including in the Indian market. They noted recent investments by Indian companies in the diamond manufacturing in the Russian Far East. They also agreed to explore opportunities of joint collaboration in precious metals, minerals, natural resources and forest produce, including timber, through joint investments, production, processing and skilled labour. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 9:11 [IST] Mortal remains of Dilip Kumar being taken to his residence from Mumbai's PD Hinduja Hospital Dilip Kumar was a legend in his lifetime, the golden age of Indian cinema comes to end: Sonia Gandhi Fact check: This video shared as last minutes of Dilip Kumar is from 2013 Dilip Kumar hospitalised, being treated for recurrent pneumonia India oi-Madhuri Adnal Mumbai, Oct 8: Veteran actor Dilip Kumar who was recently was ill, has been again admitted to the hospital last night (Sunday). He is currently being treated for recurrent pneumonia. The 95-year-old actor was earlier admitted to Lilavati hospital due to a chest infection but was later said that he was diagnosed with pneumonia during the first week of September. Dilip Kumar's health has been constantly under observation. While he was admitted to the hospital last month, he was kept in the ICU. However, he health improved after a few days and was discharged from the hospital. Dilip was a popular actor during the period through the 1950s to the 80s. He is known as the 'Tragedy King' due to the melancholic characters he often played in films. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 13:58 [IST] How Muslim voters can be game changers in Telangana polls India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Oct 8: As Telangana inches closer to state elections, the ruling TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samithi) party and the main opposition, Congress and its allies will hope to get Muslim votes to capture power. The fight between them has intensified where the minority community might play a crucial role in deciding the winner of the forthcoming state elections. As per a report in Mint, 50 of the 119 assembly constituencies have more than 10 percent representation of Muslim voters which puts the spotlight back on the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). According to Political analysts AIMIM, which is on "friendly" terms with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), will help the latter win some seats through tactical posturing, thereby weaning away crucial Muslim votes away from the Congress. If that happens, then it will mark a generational shift of minority votes from the Congress. Also Read | Telangana elections: TRS moots a non-political third front to take on grand alliance It can be now clearly seen that both Congress and the TRS have been trying to woo Muslim voters who form around 12.5 percent of the state's population. The TRS camp is confident that they will get the required support from the minority voters due to the goodwill they created with schemes like Shaadi Mubarak which offers financial assistance to Muslim brides. The Congress, on the other hand, is looking forward to getting back their loyal vote bank even as they team up with the TDP, CPI and newly-launched Jana Samithi party. The Congress will also expect to get a major chunk of Backward Classes (BC) votes, as TDP has time and again claimed the support of this section. Also Read | Telangana polls: Why the TRS won't take the Congress head on Recalling the 2014 elections, the TRS had won 63 seats in the assembly polls that happened simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. Congress had clinched 21 seats while TDP had settled for 15 seats in the 119-member assembly. The figures suggests that Owaisi's party enjoys significant influence beyond the seven seats it had won. TRS however has 90 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) following defections. Telangana will head for assembly polls along with Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Rajasthan later this year. The state will head to polls on December 7. Counting will happen in all states on December 11. K Chandrashekhar Rao resigned nine months ahead of the tenure of his TRS government in Telangana over a range of issues. The election in Telangana is expected to be held along with four other states including BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan later this year. Also Read | T'gana: Upset with seat negotiations delay, CPI ready to contest in lesser number of seats Whom the voter favours will be known only after the results but there is clarity on who will occupy the seat of power. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 18:13 [IST] IAF Day: Rajeev Chandrashekhar gifts India the glorious Dakota India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Oct 8: The Indian Air Force today celebrated its 86th anniversary. A scintillating air display by various aircraft was the hallmark of the Air Force Day Parade at the Air Force Station Hindan in Ghaziabad. However, the star of this year's celebrations was the Dakota DC3 aircraft that made its maiden appearance in the Fly Past. The Indian military aircraft, which played a vital role in the 1947-48 India-Pakistan war and other wars, was restored to its original glory, made in flying condition by Rajeev Chandrasekhar and was inducted in to the Vintage Aircraft Flight of the Indian Air Force in May this year. This aircraft was gifted to nation by Rajeev Chandrasekhar and was named Parashurama by him. MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar is an aviation enthusiast and is the son of an Air Force Officer Air Commodore M K Chandrasekhar who served as Trainer of Fighter Aircraft who flew Dakota and was part of several sorties of Dakota as well. Also Read | Air Force Day 2018: IAF to perform breath taking display Speaking on IAF Day 2018, Chandrasekhar said "I am delighted see the Dakota participating in it's maiden fly past. The Dakota is an important part of Air Force's history - and J&K history. If it was not for the Dakotas and the troops it airlifted in 1947 - Srinagar would not be with India today. The restoration took over 6 years and cost me a lot of money. But I was motivated mainly for my father and many others who served and the need to remind country of the bravery of IAF and Army in 1947 which kept young independent India together with J&K. Journey of Dakota to India On 13 February 2018, Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar gifted the Dakota bearing the Tail Number VP 905 and called "Parashurama" in a signing ceremony to The Indian Air Force to be added to its Vintage Fleet. The Gift Deed was signed between Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa , PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VM, ADC , Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force and Air Commodore M K Chandrasekhar, VM, VSM (Retd)- Rajeev Chandrasekhar's father who an Dakota Pilot himself. The aircraft commenced its journey from the UK on April 17 to India with and flew a total of 9,750 km during its ferry en-route halts in France, Italy, Greece, Jordan, Bahrain and Oman and landed on Indian soil on 25 Apr 18. Dakota DC3 VP 905 Parashurama was formally inducted into the IAF Vintage Flight on 4 May 2018 in a grand ceremony at Air Force Station Hindan where Air Cmde M K Chandrasekhar (Father of MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar), a veteran Dakota pilot himself, handed over a symbolic key to the Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal B S Dhanoa. Legacy of Dakota D3 The Dakota D3 was at the forefront of operations from 1947 to 1971 and played an indispensable role in logistics and transportation during its flying years in the IAF. The Dakota was deployed by to fight Pakistan army aided by an irregular militia consisting of tribesmen from the frontier invaded Kashmir in 1947. The Dakota was put to good use during the Indo China war of 1962 and also during the India Pakistan war in 1971. The crucial para-drop operations in Tangail, 60 miles from Dhaka, on 11 December 1971, four days ahead of Pakistan military's historic surrender to the India-Bangladesh Joint Command on December 16 were done from a Dakota. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 11:00 [IST] In cultural diplomatic moves, SAARC Cultural Centre organises Hindu Cultural Trails India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 8: In a new cultural and religious diplomatic moves, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Cultural Centre, Sri Lanka and Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts are organising 'Hindu Cultural Trails: Celebration of a Timeless Tradition - Gods and Goddesses, Pilgrims and Prayers, Temples and Texts' for which 15 themes have been identified to be deliberate upon. This is part of the people-to-people connect with the neighbouring countries with similar religious and cultural connect. The event will be organised on October 8-9 and delegates will be taken to some some pilgrimages as well after the event. These themes included: Hindu Cultural Trails - tirtha yatra, Shaktha trails, Shaiva trails and Vaishnava trails; Identification of new sites and locations along the Hindu cultural trails; Comparative studies of Hindu temples in different areas; Comparative research and interpretation of landscape values of Hindu sites; Travels of Hindu pilgrims; Connectivity between Hindu temples of different countries and regions; Art and architecture of Hindu cultural trails; Archeology of Hindu cultural trails; Intangible heritage of Hindu cultural trails (music, dance, folk art, folk stories, traditional healing, handicrafts, etc.); Trade and commerce of Hindu cultural trails; Manuscripts, texts and inscriptions, languages and scripts of Hinduism; Technology of Hindu cultural trails (irrigation, engineering, agriculture, etc.); Cultural diffusion of hinduism; Heritage management of Hindu cultural trails sites and Tourism promotion of Hindu cultural trails. Sources said that the government is already working on Ram Van Gaman Path (path taken by Ram to forest) with the Sri Lankan and Nepalese Government besides similar thing on Lord Krishna in which also international players are involves. Also Read | Explained: What is SAARC Summit, why is it important for India? Actually the 18th SAARC Summit held in November 2014 in Kathmandu had approved the proposal 'South Asian Cultural Trails' which commenced with the Research Seminar on Buddhist Cultural Trails in 2017. The SAARC Seminar, Research Grant and Publications on Hindu Cultural Trails will be the second such event in the series of 'South Asian Cultural Trails.' Organizers say that the SAARC region is bound together through the shared cultural traits which have evolved through the centuries. Hinduism is the oldest surviving religion in South Asia dating back to more than three millennium BCE. They said that Hinduism is one of the shared cultural characteristics in the region, with art and architecture portraying 'unity within diversity' as seen in the evolving styles and the embracing of new characteristics through the ages. This diversity was a result of interactions that took place along the trading routes criss-crossing east and west Asia, South and Central Asia, along with the exchange of merchandise, knowledge, concepts, designs, religions, technology and other sundry of objects and ideas were also exchanged. They further said that although the ancient trade routes have long been abandoned, the legacy of those who travelled these routes can be found in the disseminated knowledge, ideas, religions and the diffusion of culture which persists. These routes can be aptly named 'Cultural Trails'. In Kashmir, an election without a face and a poll without a vote India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Srinagar, Oct 8: It has by and large been a faceless campaign in Jammu and Kashmir. The much spoken about local body elections got underway today. Phase 1 of the elections would witness a contest between 1,204 candidates. The election was a damp squib to begin with after two major parties in the state the PDP and National Conference decided to stay away. The poll results would be closely watched as it is for the first time in 13 years that the elections to the local bodies are being held in the state. With the NC and PDP pulling out and the threat perception being 'extremely high,' the campaign was a faceless one. The voters do not know who the candidate is as there has been no active campaign due to security reasons. Most of the candidates were advised in advance by the security agencies not to step out. Many of them were even kept in safe houses and told to return to their hometown only after the polls were completed. Also Read | 250 terrorists wait to infiltrate as polling gets underway in J&K In the midst of this some persons launched a campaign to expose the candidates and posted their details on the social media. One candidate who wished not to be identified told OneIndia that this appeared bizarre to him. How long does one sit in the safe house. We will anyway be identified once we return to our home-towns once the polling is over, he also said. He however added that the situation was extremely tense and the threat perception very high. To suggest how much of damp squib these elections are, one must look at what happened at Shopian, which is the hottest bed for terrorists in the state. On Sunday, the results for the urban local body election in Shopian were declared without a single vote being polled. There were 11 contestants and none to oppose them. For the 17 wards of the Shopian Municipal Committee there were 13 nominations. The nomination of one candidate was rejected. Another candidate filed the nomination for two wards, but only one was accepted as a result of which there were 11 candidates. Also Read | J&K: Polling underway even as many voters remain clueless For the 17 wards in Shopian, 13 Kashmiri Pandits including four women belonging to the BJP filed their nominations. Interestingly none of them live in the Kashmir Valley and had moved from the state in 1989. Despite such high threats and lack of candidates, the government was keen on going ahead with the elections. These polls are important explained District Election Officer, Owais Ahmad. He said that Panchayat Raj institutions are necessary for the delivery of basic amenities at the grass root levels. There is also a need to speed up development and in this regard the elections would help, he also added. The government has made elaborate arrangements to ensure that security is tight in the state. There are over 4,000 security personnel on duty. However last week there was a tragedy when two NC workers were shot dead in broad daylight in Srinagar. It was a warning that the terror groups wanted to send out prior to the polling process. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 9:34 [IST] Is a criminal case being turned into a political battle by evoking Gujarati sentiment? India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 8: Hate politics or threatening people belonging to one community or region by the people of another community or region has a long history. Sometimes they are even given political colour especially when elections are round the corner. But in the case of some states it has been quite frequent while many other states were relatively peaceful. So the incidence of threat to leave Gujarat was something very unusual as people from north Indian states have been working there from quite long. States like Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka and Kerala receive lots of migrants workers. Migrants workers were attacked by terrorists in Punjab and Assam otherwise they were more of less peaceful except one or two aberrations in these state while Maharashtra had the worst track record in this regard. Reports of alleged political involvement has been indicated in the incidence of Gujarat by the police and some arrests too have been made by the police but there is every possibility of the matter being snowballed into a political hate crime. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar have already spoken to Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has held RSS and the BJP responsible for it while allegations are being made involvement of Congress MLA Alpesh Thakore in the incidence. The police have arrested 342 people from various parts of Gujarat so far for allegedly attacking people from north-Indian regions. The girl was raped in Sabarkantha district on September 28. There are information that hate messages are being spread against north-Indians on social media after a migrant from Bihar was arrested. Total Six districts are affected by the violence with Mehsana and Sabarkantha being the worst hit. [Attack on migrants: Yogi speaks to Rupani,says those jealous of Gujarat's progress spreading rumours] People from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh and even Uttarakhand migrate to other states for work. People from the northeastern states too are also spread across the country. There had been incidents in Banguluru in 2012 when nearly 15,000 people from the North-East left for their home states on August 15 and 16 in the biggest ever exodus triggered by Internet and SMS hate campaign against them. Attacks on migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Maharashtra had began on February 3, 2008 after clashes between workers of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Samajwadi Party (SP) in Mumbai took place. Workers of MNS tried to attack SP activists, who were proceeding to attend a rally. In another incidence Rahul Raj, a 25-year-old man from Patna was killed in the police encounter on October 27, 2008. He had boarded a double decker city bus plying between Kurla and Andheri at Saki Naka stop around 10 am and went to the upper deck. Rahul was protesting against the attacks on north Indian candidates appearing for a railway examination recently. He also wanted to talk to the Mumbai Police Commissioner and media. The issue was racked up by leaders from Bihar to UP to Maharashtra and spat venom against each other but nothing has happened. The issue was forgotten except the family members who had lost their lad. Similarly politics is being played and Gujarat sentiment is being evoked with the aim of giving PM to chose between his home state and the state he represents in Parliament. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 20:08 [IST] Big breach at BrahMos missile unit: Agent passing on information to Pak-US arrested India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Oct 8: There was a major security breach at the high profile Brahmos missile unit in Maharashtra's Nagpur. A spy with an affiliation to the ISI, Pakistan was arrested for allegedly sharing top secrets. The spy identified as Nishant Agrawal was nabbed in a joint operation by the Anti Terrorist Squads of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. He originally hails from Uttarakhand and was working as a systems engineer. The police were on his for sometime, but intensified the trail from Saturday onwards. He has been accused of leaking key technical information to the ISI. Sources say that they are also now finding out if he was passing on information to other spy agencies as well. He is being questioned if he was also in touch with anyone from an American agency. The police say that he had been arrested from the Defence Research and Development Organisation which makes fuel for the BrahMos missile. Also Read | Arrest of Hizbul terrorist: ATS looking for two suspected accomplices BrahMos Aerospace, which has its base near Nagpur is a joint venture between India and Russia. It may be recalled that last year, it had tested certain advance versions of the weapon system. Sources tell OneIndia that they are ascertaining the sensitivity of the information that had been leaked. Prima facie, it appears that he had been giving out information in exchange for money. His laptop and phones have been seized by the agencies. A team of the Central Intelligence Bureau too would join the probe to get more details. The source also added that he was in touch with the foreign agencies for sometime now. He had been under the radar of the agencies for sometime now. However since Saturday night, the agencies kept a very close watch on him. On Monday the premises was raided following which he was arrested. He has been booked under the Official Secrets Act. The operation against Agrawal was a top secret one. None, other than the two agencies that worked together had wind of the operation. Agrawal had been working with this unit since the past four years. Last year, he was even given the Young Scientist Award. This arrest comes in the wake of a series of similar arrests. The ATS in UP had arrested a BSF jawan from Noida after he was caught sharing information with the ISI. A similar arrest had also taken place in Uttarakhand last year. A Madhya Pradesh resident was recently honey-trapped into sharing information about operational details of the police academy. Kashmiri student who went missing joins Hizbul India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Srinagar, Oct 8: A Kashmiri student who was studying engineering at a college in Dehradun who went missing has joined the Hizbul Mujahideen. Shoaib Ahmed Lone, 21 was a BTech (IT) student at the Alpine Institute of Management and Technology. He had left Dehradun on September 20 saying that he had a flight for Srinagar from Chandigarh, but never reached home. His family members came to know that he had joined the terrorist organisation through images that were posted on the social media. Lone was raised by his mother after his father, a terrorist had been killed in the early nineties. Also Read | Hizbul's overground module in Kashmir busted His mother put out a passionate plea asking him to return. She said that if any organisation has roped him in, he should be allowed to return home. He has made a mistake and is innocent. Please send him back or else I will consume poison and after that he is free to do what he wants, she also said. Lone had said at the college, that he was going home as his mother was unwell. When the college authorities enquired about him at his home, they were told that the mother was unwell. On September 19 he had returned to the college, but left within a day. The development was confirmed by Kulgam superintendent of police, Harmeet Singh. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 8:18 [IST] Anger never goes away: Maneka Gandhi wants no time limit for #MeToo cases India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Oct 8: Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Monday said she is glad a #MeToo movement has started in India. She also expressed hope that "it won't go out of control, in the sense that we target people who've offended us in some way". "Now a #MeToo campaign has started and I am very happy that it has started." However, she hoped people wouldn't misuse it. She said, "I hope it won't go out of control in the sense that we target people who've offended us in some way." But, she added she knew women were responsible people and she realised how anger at sexual molestation never goes away. "You will always remember the person who did it which is why we have written to the Law Ministry that complaints should be without any time limit. You can now complain 10-15 year later; it doesn't matter how much later. If you're going to complain, the avenue is still open," she added. Also Read | Tanushree Dutta files police complaint against Nana Patekar, Ganesh Acharya "What we would like to do is to get this government to raise the age to file a complaint in the matter so that those who were molested as children can complain till 30 years of age." The Minister's statement has come amidst the furore over actress Tanushree Dutta accusing Nana Patekar of inappropriate behaviour on the sets of a film in 2008. Also Read | MNS worker files complaint against Tanushree Dutta However, Tanushree Dutta's allegations against Nana Patekar for misconduct has started a new chapter in the history of Bollywood. A lot of women speaking up about the harassment they faced at the workplace. Among the prominent names that have been taken are those of film director Vikas Behl, singer Kailash Kher and actor Rajat Kapoor. MEA to collaborate with makers of Jaipur Foot to celebrate Gandhi's 150 anniversary year India oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla New Delhi, Oct 8: As part of the government of India initiative to celebrate 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi for over the next one year, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will be launching the 'India for Humanity' initiative to honour service of Mahatma Gandhi to humanity. The ministry will launch this initiative in collaboration with the renowned charitable organization Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), which is better known for its Jaipur Foot. The organisation was founded in the year 1975 and it is popularly known by its trademark 'Jaipur Foot'. The BMVSS is the largest organization of the world for fitment of artificial limbs and has rehabilitated over 1.55 million disabled across the world. [Mahatma Gandhi 150: World leaders influenced by Bapu] The BMVSS has also held some 69 camps in over 30 countries in various parts of the world and its work has been hailed by one and all. 'India for Humanity' campaign to be formally launched by the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on October 9, 2018. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 21:26 [IST] Me too: No proof to prosecute Nana Patekar in Tanushree Dutta molestation case, say cops MeToo in India: Actor Rajat Kapoor accused of sexual misconduct, issues apology on Twitter India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Oct 8: Actor and director Rajat Kapoor has been accused of sexual misconduct as his name surfaced in the raging #MeToo debate. A Twitter user shared a post recently where two women had accused the actor of misconduct. One was a journalist whi stated that while she was interviewing the actor via a telephonic interview he misbehaved through the phone and asked her questions such as ' are you as sexy as you sound' and asked about her body measurements. I don't even know any more. Filmmaker Rajat Kapoor Two separate and different accounts pic.twitter.com/nBjNOsun3j Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) October 7, 2018 Another woman opened up about an incident where the actor kept calling her for a film's shoot and asked her if she knew an empty house, where he wanted to shoot alone with her. Also Read | #MeToo in India: Chetan Bhagat accused of sexual harassment, says sorry 'was going through a phase' However, the actor went on to apologise on Twitter. All my life I have tried to be a decent man, to do the right thing. If however, I have slipped and through my actions or words caused pain or hurt or trauma to absolutely anybody, please accept my apology. Rajat Kapoor (@mrrajatkapoor) October 7, 2018 This comes after Tanushree allegations against Nana Patekar. Many other personalities have also been accused. It for sure looks like that the MeeToo movement is finally arriving in India and victims are not afraid to talk any more about their experiences. Many more leaders are in contact with me: Tejashwi Yadav after former MLA rejoins RJD from JD(U) No differences between us', says Misa Bharti on Tejashwi-Tej Pratap rift India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Oct 8: Amid reports that she publicly acknowledged the rift between her brothers Tejashwi and Tej Pratap, Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti on Monday said her statement was twisted and taken in a wrong sense. Earlier reports said that a certain video of Misa Bharti talking to party workers had gone viral in which could heard as saying that there were differences between Tejashwi and Tej Pratap. "My statement has been twisted. I had asked party workers to remain united and forget differences, the comment was not on our family. The family is one, no differences between us," Misa Bharti told ANI today (October 8). [ED seizes farmhouse of Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti] It was reported that Misa had asked party workers to remain united and ignore the little things. "Even our five fingers are not the same. Similarly, there are differences between the brothers in my family, considering that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is a huge family," Misa had reportedly said. Even before, reports of Tej Pratap feeling ignored and sidelined in the party have surfaced. Last year, Lalu had announced Tejashwi as his official successor and named him the chief ministerial nominee in a grand rally, while Tej Pratap declared himself his brother's 'sarathi' (charioteer). For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 23:23 [IST] AP EAPCET Round 1 seat allotment delayed again: New date to be announced soon Old diesel cars to be seized in Delhi India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P New Delhi, Oct 8: The Delhi Transport Department has started a drive on Monday to confiscate, deregister and scrap diesel vehicles that are more than 15 years old. As per the new Delhi Scrapping of Vehicles Rules, 2018, the seized vehicles will not be returned to the owners. The government the drive as Delhi braces for the debilitating pollution during the winter season. Petrol, diesel price cut: States follows Centre's footsteps, reduce taxes on fuel According to a report in Hindustan Times, a transport official said that the vehicles will be handed over to state-run MSTC Limited for scrapping. Delhi Police has also been asked to impound such vehicles if found plying on roads. Additionally, municipal corporations and transport department enforcement teams will also impose fines and impound such vehicles. Only a believer could have challenged Sabarimala ban, the greatest judge cant match peoples voice India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Oct 8: The review petition filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Sabarimala verdict that allowed the entry of women of all ages says that not even the greatest judge can match the voice of the people. The review plea was filed by Shylaja Vijayan, the president of the National Ayyappa Devotees Association. In the review plea, it is stated," the petitioners believe that no legal luminary, not even the greatest of jurists or judge, can be a match to the common sense and wisdom of the masses. No judicial pronouncement, even of the highest judicial tribunal in this country can be a match for the voice of the people, the petition stated while terming the original verdict as absolutely untenable, irrational and perverse. Also Read | Sabarimala verdict: Review petition filed by Ayyappa devotees in Supreme Court The review petition comes in the wake of the Kerala government refusing to interfere and file an appeal in the Supreme Court. There have been massive protests on the streets questioning the verdict of the SC, which allowed the entry of women of all ages into the temple. It may be recalled that Justice Indu Malhotra in her dissenting verdict had said that permitting such PILs in religious matters would open up the floodgates to interlopers to question religious beliefs and practises, even if the petitioner is not a believer of a particular religion, or a worshipper of a particular shrine. Shylaja Vijayan, while citing Justice Malhotra said that neither the association (Indian Young Lawyers Association) not other petitioners therein averred that they are devotees of Lord Ayyappa; that they were denied their right to visit the temple at Sabarimala and such denial has resulted in violation of their fundamental rights. Also Read | SC throws open doors of Sabarimala Temple to women The review also argues that the rights of the petitioners were not violated by the Sabarimala prohibition and hence they had no business to get a remedy in court under Article 32. Ubi jus ibis remedium- where there is a right there is a remedy. Further it was stated that the right to move the court under Article 32 for violation of Fundamental Rights, must be based on a pleading that the petitioners' personal rights to worship in this temple have been violated. They do not claim to be devotees of the temple, the review stated. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 12:52 [IST] J&K: Polling underway even as many voters remain clueless India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Srinagar, Oct 8: The first phase of urban local body (ULB) polls is underway in Jammu and Kashmir, but many here are "clueless" about the exercise with most of them complaining about not knowing their candidates or even when to vote. Shoaib Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar from an uptown locality, said people in his ward do not know who the candidates are this time. The summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir is going to vote in the first phase."Ask anyone here if they know who the candidates are. J&K polls: A faceless campaign from the safe houses of Kashmir Everyone will tell you, they have no idea. There is too much secrecy, Ahmad, who works in a private company, said. He alleged the government was only interested in "showing" that an election was held, but not with the conduct of the polls in a proper manner. A police official said the prevailing situation in Kashmir does not allow candidates to campaign openly as there is a threat to their lives. While separatists have called for a boycott of the polls, militants have threatened to target persons taking part in these elections. "The candidates have been given security and most of them have been taken to secure locations, but the situation is such they cannot campaign. The threat is not only from militants, but from mobs as well," the official said. The complains of not knowing the candidates were not limited to the city. People in many other areas of the valley expressed ignorance regarding the details of the polls in their wards. Ishfaq Ahmad, a resident of Ganderbal, which is voting in the last phase on 16 October, said such is the level of secrecy that people are joking that only the candidates themselves know they are standing in the elections. "We have no idea who is contesting from our ward. There has been no campaign or door-to-door canvassing by anyone so far. Even the government has not put the details of the candidates on the election commission website. J&K polls: High alert declared, security agencies leaving nothing to chance There are simply no details anywhere. Only the candidate would know that he is contesting. Perhaps, even their family does not, such is the secrecy, he said. He said "most of the people would boycott the polls", but relatives and friends of the candidates would exercise their franchise. Another potential voter here, Khalid said he was earlier excited about voting but now he believes the polls should be put on hold till there is an improvement in the situation. "The government says the situation does not permit them to provide details of candidates. In that case, they should have delayed the polls till there was some improvement. I was excited to vote, especially since EVMs were introduced. However, I do not have essential details for voting, so how and why will I vote?" he asked. Apart from the secrecy regarding candidates, people in some areas of the city here do not know when to vote. "Forget about who is contesting, we do not even know when is voting taking place in our area," Ghulam Qadir, a resident of Sekidafar area in the city said. He said he has seen many elections, but "nothing like this has ever happened". "People are clueless on the date of voting. The government should have advertised in newspapers with poll details on a phase-basis. Most of the people here do not know their ward numbers. Nothing like this has ever happened," Qadir said. As J&K preps for polls, 250 terrorists wait to infiltrate from Pakistan A senior Congress leader said the atmosphere in the state was not conducive for polls, but the party decided to contest after the Centre "forced" the elections on the people. "This is the most low profile election in the history of the state. We have not seen anything like this. The atmosphere was not conducive for the polls, but it was thrust on us by the Centre," he said. The Congress leader said the secrecy maintained by the administration over the whole process has cast a shadow over the exercise. "We have received complaints of people not knowing who is in the fray. See, the candidates have been taken to secure locations and virtually put under house arrest. "In such a situation only friends, relatives and party colleagues of the candidates will come out to vote and you will see the winning margins to be very low," he said. Permission for Rahul Gandhi's rally in Bharatpur granted India oi-Vikas SV Jaipur, Oct 8: Todabhim sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Jagdish Arya, who had earlier denied permission for Congress president Rahul Gandhi's rally in Bharatpur, has now granted the permission, said reports. The rally is scheduled to be held tomorrow (October 9). Gandhi is scheduled to cover Dholpur, Bharatpur and Dausa districts, travelling over 250 km, during the roadshow on October 8 and 9. The three districts have 16 assembly seats, of which a majority are with the BJP. SDM had asked the Congress to procure a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the owner of the rally ground near Bayana, said reports. [Rahul sets up nine Cong committees in Rajasthan ahead of polls] "Gandhi will be on a two-day visit to Rajasthan. He will address a few meetings in Dholpur on October 9 and move towards Dausa by road. The next day he will have some programmes in Jaipur before addressing a big meeting in Bikaner," Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot had said last week, as per a Hindustan Times report. Why Petrol and Diesel prices keep going up? This is what petroleum minister has to say Pradhan says India will buy Iranian oil in November despite threat of US sanctions India pti-PTI New Delhi, Oct 8: Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said two state refiners have placed orders for importing crude oil from Iran in November, the month when US sanctions on Iranian oil purchases take effect. "Two of our oil companies have made nominations to purchase Iranian oil in November," he said speaking at The Energy Forum here. "We do not know if we will get waiver (from US sanctions) or not," he added. This is the first time Pradhan has spoken about India's stand on buying Iranian oil once the US sanctions on Iran come into force from November 4. Later, talking to reporters, he said India has its own energy requirements which it has to fulfill. "We will be guided by our national interest," he said. Indian Oil Corp (IOC) Chairman Sanjiv Singh said his company is among the two which have placed order for November. "We have ordered for our usual quantity of oil," he said. [Iran sanctions could hit US mid-term polls in November; is Trump aware?] IOC and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) together have placed order for 1.25 million tonne (MT) of crude oil from Iran. Singh said options for paying for Iranian oil are under discussions. US sanctions against Iran will kick in from November 4, which will block payment routes. Paying in rupee is an option. Iran can use the rupee to settle its imports of pharmaceuticals and other goods from India. "Even without sanctions also, Iran had been accepting payments in rupee. So let us see how it evolves," he said. While India wants to continue importing Iranian oil, albeit a reduced volume, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month stated that Washington would consider waivers on the embargo but made it clear that these would be time-limited, if granted. Singh said IOC is importing the "usual" monthly volumes of oil from Iran. It had planned to import 9 MT of Iranian oil in 2018-19 financial year or 0.75 MT a month. For rupee payments, oil companies could use UCO Bank or IDBI Bank to route oil payments to Iran, sources said. India had planned to import about 25 MT of crude oil from Iran in 2018-19, up from 22.6 MT imported in 2017-18. But the actual volumes imported may be far less as companies like Reliance Industries have totally stopped buying oil from Iran and others too are scaling it down in hope of winning a sanction waiver from the US. [India will continue to purchase crude oil from Iran, says Iranian foreign minister] Nayara Energy, formerly Essar Oil, too is stopping import from the Persian Gulf nation. US President Donald Trump in May withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, re-imposing economic sanctions against the Persian Gulf nation. Some sanctions took effect from August 6 while those affecting the oil and banking sectors will start from November 4. Sources said Iran is open to accepting rupee payment for oil and may use the money to pay for equipment and food items it buys from India. UCO Bank and IDBI Bank have been identified to route the payment as the two have no exposure to the US financial system. UCO Bank had in the previous round of sanctions handled rupee payments. Currently, India pays its third largest oil supplier in euros using European banking channels. These channels would get blocked from November. During the first round of sanctions when EU joined the US in imposing financial restrictions, India initially used a Turkish bank to pay Iran for the oil it bought but beginning February 2013 paid nearly half of the oil import bill in rupees while keeping the remainder pending till opening of payment routes. It began clearing the dues in 2015 when the restrictions were eased. Besides, New Delhi sought to get around the restrictions by supplying goods including wheat, soybean meal and consumer products to Iran in exchange for oil. Sources said this time around the entire 100 per cent of Iranian oil import bill can be paid in rupees. Iran is India's third-largest oil supplier behind Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It was India's second biggest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11 but Western sanctions over its suspected nuclear programme relegated it to the seventh spot in the subsequent years. In 2013-14 and 2014-15, India bought 11 MT and 10.95 MT respectively from it. Sourcing from Iran increased to 12.7 MT in 2015-16, giving it the sixth spot. In the following year, the Iranian supplies jumped to 27.2 MT to catapult it to the third spot. Iranian oil is a lucrative buy for refiners as the Persian Gulf nation provides 60 days of credit for purchases, terms not available from suppliers of substitute crudes -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Nigeria, and the US. Besides blocking of banking channels from November, the absence of payment mechanism may pose a challenge to the transportation of the oil as Iranian crude is bought on a CIF basis and shipped on Iranian tankers. Under Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) mode of shipping, the seller assumes the responsibility of transportation and insurance. The liability and costs associated with successful transit are paid by the seller until the goods are received by the buyer. PTI Project Hinduism as mother of all evils: Ploy by missionaries and naxals unearthed India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Oct 8: There is a full-fledged propaganda on to defame Hinduism and term it as the mother of all evils in society. This has come to light in several cases that the Intelligence Bureau has been looking into over the years. There is a fresh push by both the naxals in the urban areas along with some Christian missionaries to carry forward this campaign. In this regard it has come to light that as part of the larger conspiracy missionaries have been funding naxalites, leftist thinkers especially in the main-stream English media. Many write ups have appeared in which it is made to look as though Hinduism is nothing but a religion of superstition. Articles blaming Hinduism for all the evils in society have also surfaced several times. The aim is to spread an anti-Hindu propaganda and also to ensure that the native culture and tradition is rejected. Funding the naxalites is also a large part of the agenda. The missionaries benefit largely from the violence and under the garb of setting up relief camps, a huge conversion exercise is undertaken. Also Read | How Christian missionaries are funding naxals, their urban friends to 'BREAK INDIA' Funding comes in various forms. Foreign funding forms bulk of the amount and there are dedicated Churches abroad to oversee this. Collecting big donations in convent schools are also part of the exercise. Funding through allied businesses such as driving schools, computer institutes, de-addiction centres and vocational training institutes too have been found. However a large part of the funding has always been through NGOs. Funds have also been raised through militant outfits and naxalites. Extortion, national tax as has been seen in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh are some examples of this. Income raised through illegal mining, tree felling and the money raised through drug trade have also found its way into the coffers of the missionaries. Officials say that there is a sustained campaign that has been carried out by the missionaries to defame the majority religion. Apart from articles in various media outlets, there is also a sustained attempt to prop up activists to question the religion. The role played by the activists would be propagate through various channels, file petitions in court questioning customs among others. Watch out: Former officer with the Research and Analysis Wing, Amar Bhushan tells Oneindia that the the urban naxalites are most dangerous. These are the ones who do not let the government go after the naxalites in the jungles. When Chidambaram had taken over as the Home Minister, he said that the naxals are our first rank enemies. Also Read | Raise awareness about Hinduism to prevent 'conversion': RSS chief to cadres Whatever their might may be, we will finish them, he had said. However within six months the approach changed with there being a huge uproar. This is what I mean when I say that the urban naxals do not let the government go after their friends in the jungle, Amar Bhushan also adds. Amar Bhushan says that following the crackdown on NGOs, there has been a massive fund squeeze. These missionaries and naxalites along with their urban friends are bound to get desperate. They would look at all possible ways to break India, he also adds. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 14:34 [IST] Maharashtra: 50-year-old woman infected with Zika virus, Chickungunya; officials say no need to panic Rajasthan declares alert over Zika virus outbreak India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Jaipur, Oct 8: An alert has been declared over Zika virus outbreak in Rajasthan on Monday. People have been told to immediately inform if any such cases found. A private TV channel reported that Rajasthan Health Minister Kali Charan Saraf confirmed an alert has been declared. At least 6 to 7 cases found positive regarding Zika Virus. Last month, after the first case of zika virus infection was confirmed in Jaipur and a spurt in seasonal diseases, Health Minister Kali Charan Saraf had called a meeting to review the status of seasonal diseases on Monday. Also Read | Woman tests positive for Zika virus in Rajasthan He had directed the department officials to keep a watch on seasonal diseases and cancelled leaves of all medical personnel across the state. The meeting was held at the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, which was attended by the officials of the health department, medical education department, Jaipur Municipal Corporation and animal husbandry department. Also Read | Zika virus infection may multiply risk of miscarriage, stillbirth Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys. It was later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, according to the World Health Organisation. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 11:59 [IST] Rape backlash: Gujarat assures safety of migrant workers from UP, Nitish wants fair probe India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Oct 8: The Gujarat government on Monday said that appropriate action was being taken against those suspected to be involved in the attack on migrants workers from UP and Bihar residing in the state. This comes after an exodus like situation emerged in Gujarat after migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh fleed the state over the fear of backlash following the rape of a 14-month-old toddler by a man from Bihar. ''In the last 4-5 days, there have been attacks on people from UP and Bihar in Gujarat. We have taken action against people involved in these attacks,'' Gujarat Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said. Also Read | Rape backlash: Fearing for lives workers from UP, MP and Bihar flee Gujarat ''Police are interrogating the people who have been arrested for these attacks. Police are taking action wherever needed. We have registered three cases under the IT Act for spreading hatred on social media,'' the Gujarat Home Minister said. ''It is our responsibility to provide security to those who come to Gujarat for employment from other states. We are in touch with the Central government. We have submitted a report to the central govt regarding every incident,'' Jadeja added. 'We have lodged 35 FIRs. In the last 24 hours, the number of attacks has decreased. We appeal to people to not be frightened as we are taking appropriate actions,'' Jadeja said. At least 342 people have been arrested across the state in lieu of the attacks on non-Gujarati people, Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) Shivanand Jha had said on Sunday. Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that he held talks with his Gujarat counter Vijay Rupani over alleged attacks on migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the southern state in the aftermath of a rape in the Sabarkantha district. ''I spoke to Gujarat CM yesterday. We're in touch with them. They're monitoring the situation. Those who've committed a crime should be punished but there should be no bias for others,'' he said. As many as 50,000 migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have left Gujarat after the arrest of a Bihar man for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in the Sabarkantha district last week. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 14:38 [IST] Sabarimala verdict: Review petition filed by Ayyappa devotees in Supreme Court India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Oct 8: National Ayyappa Devotee association on Monday has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging the earlier verdict that allowed entry of all women, irrespective of age, in the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala. The Supreme Court on September 28 struck down the centuries-old rule that barred women between 10 and 50 years of age to enter the shrine of Lord Ayyappa. Also Read | Pravin Togadia's outfit opposes Sabarimala verdict Meanwhile, M Padmakumar, president of the Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) - which is the custodian of the temple, met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Cliff House, the official residence of the chief minister. Following the verdict, the state government had clarified that it would not file any review petition challenging the SC order. Later, the Devasom Board also announced its decision to not file challenge the top court's order in the matter. Tamil Nadu CM Palanisamy meets PM Modi, says decision on alliance after announcement of polls dates India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Oct 8: The meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy in New Delhi on Monday has triggered talks of a BJP-AIADMK alliance in the state. Soon after meeting the prime minister Palanisamy said that " decision on a possible alliance between his party AIADMK and the BJP, which is ruling at the Centre, will be taken only after the announcement of dates for local body polls in the state." "In our meeting with PM today, we have put forward a demand to accord Bharat Ratna to 'Amma' and Arignar Anna (CN Annadurai). We also demanded Chennai central railway station to be re-named after AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran," he said. Also Read | CCTV cameras were off while hospitalising Jayalalithaa: Apollo Hospital "We need funds to implement various welfare schemes in the state. Keeping our financial position in mind, we will decide on reducing fuel prices in the state," he added. Palanisamy last met Modi in August 2017, when the chief minister submitted Tamil Nadu's demands to the Centre. This will be their first meeting in 2018. Tamil Nadu has the highest Lok Sabha seats (39) after Uttar Pradesh (80), Maharashtra (48), West Bengal (42) and Bihar (40). Also Read | TTV Dhinakaran tries to draw wedge between EPS-OPS, says Panneerselvam wants to 'oust' CM Tamil Nadu is set to witness a multi-cornered contest with two main regional players - the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the DMK and over half a dozen other smaller parties vying for the 39 Lok Sabha seats. The AIADMK is struggling with the leadership crisis between TTV Dhinakaran and chief minister Edappadi K Palanisamy. The BJP had fielded nine Lok Sabha candidates in Tamil Nadu in 2014 when it contested the election in alliance with six smaller regional parties. It won just one and polled 22.22 lakh votes. The Congress drew a blank and polled just 17.51 lakh votes despite fielding 39 candidates. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 13:55 [IST] Aryan Khan case an attempt by BJP to move Bollywood out of Maharashtra: Malik The truth which was 10 years ago remains the same today: Nana Patekar India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Oct 8: Actor Nana Patekar finally made an appearance to clear the air on the allegations made by Tanushree Dutta. Addressing the media, Nana Patekar said, "The truth which was there 10 years back, stands true even today". He sat for a minute and then got up, citing diktat from his lawyer. "I have been told no to speak to the media," the 'Housefull 4' actor said. Tanushree Dutta has named Nana Patekar as her harasser on the sets of a film in 2008 and filed a police complaint in Mumbai on Saturday. She has also named choreographer Ganesh Acharya as complicit in Nana Patekar's alleged harassment of her in the police complaint. No First Information Report or FIR has so far been registered, Mumbai Police told PTI. 'Anger never goes away': Maneka Gandhi wants no time limit for #MeToo cases Nana has since sent a legal notice to Dutta. When the media on Sunday asked the actor about the sexual harassment allegations that Tanushree Dutta has levelled on him, he said, "Whatever I had to say, I said 10 years back. What is a lie, is a lie. I'll hold a press conference soon." Stories of #MeToo have blown up over the last week with prominent men from the media and other fields, among them actor Rajat Kapoor, being outed as predators on social media. Tanushree Dutta files police complaint against Nana Patekar, Ganesh Acharya Over the weekend it was announced that production house Phantom Films was being wound up - soon after, Huffington Post reported that it was the end result of an investigation into claims that co-owner Vikas Bahl had sexually assaulted a woman in 2015. Two actresses, one of them Bahl's Queen star Kangana Ranaut, have also come forward with their stories of inappropriate behaviour on My Bahl's part. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 16:36 [IST] This mute youth has left top IT job to contest MP Assembly polls India oi-Shubham Ghosh Bhopal, Oct 8: This is another sign of India's strengthening democracy. A mute youth has left a high-paying job in software engineering to prepare himself for the upcoming Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh. According to a report in Naidunia, the 36-year-old IT professional Sudeep Shukla wants to become a voice for the mute and poor people and speak out on their behalf. The man, who hails from Satna, is visiting various cities across the state and conducting public relations exercise. He has also set up a team of volunteers in Satna, the report added. Shukla is also meeting children who have allegedly been victims of sexual exploitation. Shukla said through an interpreter that he will contest the November 28 elections in MP from Satna and that two parties have already expressed their interest to support him. Sukla is the only son in his family and his grandfather Bhagwan Prasad Shukla jad also been a Congress leader from Satna. Shukla and his wife Deepmala are the only mute ones in their family and one of his sisters Sharaddha has done a course to act as a bridge of communication between him and others, the Naidunia report added. Also Read | Why the assembly polls in 5 states will be a clear pre-cursor to the 2019 LS elections If he wins the contest on December 11 when the state election results will be out, it will be a special moment for a man who has struggled to speak up for people who often suffer silently. Times Now survey: Raman Singh may beat anti-incumbency, BJP to win Chhattisgarh polls India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Oct 8: The Raman Singh-led BJP government in Chhattisgarh may just be able to beat the anti-incumbency and win the upcoming assembly elections by bagging 47 out of the 90 seats, according to the prediction of the Times Now-Warroom Strategies survey. In Chhattisgarh Assembly elections 2018, the BJP may win 47 seats while the Congress is likely to get 33 seats. The others may get 10 seats. It must be recalled that in the 2013 elections in Chhattisgarh, the BJP won 49 seats while the Congress won 39 seats. So, both the Congress and the BJP are likely to get fewer seats than what they got in 2013. This loss may turn to be a gain for the Mayawati-Ajit Jogi combine. When the respondents were about their choice of Chief Minister, 55 per cent respondents named BJP's Raman Singh; 10 per cent - Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (Jogi)'s Ajit Jogi; 15 per cent - Congress' TS Singh Deo; 8 per cent - Congress' Bhupesh Baghel; 5 per cent - BJP' Saroj Pandey. [Times Now-Warroom Strategies survey predicts outright win for Congress in Rajasthan with 115 seats] The upcoming elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram are being seen as the semi-finals before the Lok Sabha elections 2019. It, however, remains to be seen if the pattern that emerges in state elections would have a bearing on General Elections or not. In the assembly elections, the voters cast their ballot based on the local issues while for General Elections national issues are expected to matter more. [ABP 'Desh Ka Mood' survey: BJP to win 276 seats in 2019, UPA vote share to rise] Another thing is that Prime Minister Modi has not started campaigning in Chhattisgarh and considering his popularity things may change once he hits the campaign trail. Top hunter from Hyderabad called back to capture man-eating tigress India oi-Deepika S Mumbai, Oct 8: The Maharashtra Forest Department has called back India's top hunter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan from Hyderabad to lead the ongoing operation for menacing T1 tigress in Pandharkawda Forest Division in Yavatmal district despite widespread criticism by wildlife lovers and section of media. The tigress killed 13 persons from Pandharkawda and Ralegaon tehsils in last two years. The department had launched the tranquilising operation after January 29, 2018 and then full-fledged search from September 12 after the verdict by the Supreme Court. How tigers in Karnataka are falling prey to wild boar traps Forest department had roped in Hyderabad sharpshooter Shafath Ali Khan for the operation. Khan, however, was removed following the activist protest and Maneka Gandhi's intervention. It was a case of very bad PR though, when they decided to bring in Shafat Ali, a self-styled hunter. Ali has put down many man-eaters in India, but his swagger is a mixture of trophy hunting and apparently, eugenics. He claims tigers can be terrorists; that he is a good shooter because of his "blood", and boasts his grandfather "shot tigers like dogs". Maharashtra: Desperate foresters may use top international perfume to lure tigress A group of wildlife vets in Maharashtra had objected to Khan being allowed to tranquilise the tigress. Tranquilisation of animals is a difficult and precise process, animals can also die if it is wrongly done. The vets stressed only medical professionals should do this. Other wildlife lovers have petitioned against Khan being part of the operation in any form. A twist in trail Meanwhile, the operation took a twist when 'Gajraj' an elephant employed for the operation freed himself from the base camp and ran amok killing a woman at Chahand village in Ralegao tahsil Wednesday early morning. The elephant Gajraj, had been called for operation from Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserve and was one of the five elephants being used over the past ten days to locate the elusive tigers. Despite massive manhunt using five elephants, the three tigers have eluded over 200 strong force comprising forest and police personnel for more than a month after the operation to catch the tigress alive or dead was launched following Supreme Courts go ahead. The SC had dismissed activist's plea to allow only capture and not shoot the tigress, who is believed to have killed five persons since November last year, three of them in the month of August. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 22:40 [IST] Very sensitive information found from suspected ISI agent's computer, says UP ATS India oi-Vikas SV Nagpur, Oct 8: The Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Monday carried out a search at the residence of Nishant Agarwal, an alleged spy who used to work at Brahmos missile unit in Maharashtra's Nagpur. Nishant Agrawal was nabbed in a joint operation by the Anti-Terrorism Squads of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh earlier. He originally hails from Uttarakhand and was working as a systems engineer. After the search, UP ATS' Aseem Arun said that very sensitive information was found on Agarwal's personal computer. "Very sensitive information was found on his personal computer. The name of the person is Nishant Agarwal. We also found evidence of him chatting on facebook with Pakistan based IDs," said Aseem Arun. [Big breach at BrahMos missile unit: Agent passing on information to Pak-US arrested] Agarwal has been accused of leaking key technical information to the ISI. Sources say that they are also now finding out if he was passing on information to other spy agencies as well. He is being questioned if he was also in touch with anyone from an American agency. The police say that he had been arrested from the Defence Research and Development Organisation which makes fuel for the BrahMos missile. The operation against Agrawal was a top secret one. None, other than the two agencies that worked together had wind of the operation. Agrawal had been working with this unit since the past four years. Last year, he was even given the Young Scientist Award. Dependence on Chinese foodgrain "The quota of rations supplied by the state government falls short of our requirements. So much so that some of the villagers have had to depend on Chinese foodgrain bought from markets in Nepal," tribal leader Krishna Garbiyal told on Friday. Also Read |Jharkhand: Woman allegedly dies of starvation after being denied ration for 3 days He was part of a delegation of Vyas valley villagers who met Dharchula SDM Friday to demand an increased supply of rations under the Public Distribution System (PDS). Villagers cross a bridge over Kali river near Garbiyang which connects India with Nepal and buy rations from the markets of Tinkar and Changru villages of the neighbouring country to fulfil their needs, he said. "The government allocates five kg of wheat and two kg of rice per month to each family which is far from enough. We have demanded several times to increase the ration quota for families residing in high altitudes as these areas do not grow grains like wheat or paddy," Garbiyal said. Ration not reached The villagers said apart from the insufficient quota of ration, even their allotted amount has not reached them in time. They had received their last rations before the onset of Monsoon. A 49 km-stretch from Mangti to Gunji was being repaired for nearly six months which made the practice of sending rations on mules to the villages very difficult this year. "Over 72.5 quintals of ration were sent to Vyas valley villages by helicopters before the Monsoon began. The ration for October, November and December are yet to be sent to the villages," Dharchula SDM RK Pandey said. With the road route under repairs, the administration has to depend on helicopters to transport rations to Vyas valley villages, he said. He said the administration is also in contact with the Army to avail its helicopters for the purpose. Absence of a proper road route is also likely to delay the winter migration of Vyas valley villagers to lower areas, Garbiyal said. Also Read |Chhattisgarh gets award for producing 28.68% more crops than last year In a memorandum submitted to the SDM, the villagers demanded an increase in quota of rations. They also demanded continuation of helicopter service, which was for Kailash Mansoravar yatra tourists, so that ration could be supplied to the villages and the residents could migrate to lower valley. The service was closed after the pilgrimage's conclusion last month. Kailash Mansarovar road "Either the under-construction road be completed from Lakhanpur to Nazang, or cheap helicopter service be extended to November 18 to speed up supply of rations and to enable Vyas valley tribals to come down to the lower valley for migration," said Kushal Singh Napalchayal, a villager who led the delegation. According to Napalchayal over 2,000 villagers from five villages of Gunji, Napalchu, Rongkong, Nabi and Kuti will migrate from high-altitude villages to their lower valley residences from November first week. "The villagers need ration even for the months of November, December as they stack it away for the summer months when they return to their homes March onwards," Napalchyal said. PTI Why the assembly polls in 5 states will be a clear pre-cursor to the 2019 LS elections India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Oct 8: The upcoming elections in the five states are expected to throw up an interesting challenge. These polls are important in the context of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which has already been dubbed as the mother of all polls. The five states that go to polls are Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Telangana. The BJP is in power in three states-MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. The main challenger to the BJP would be the Congress, which is looking to seize power after having sat in the opposition for several years now. In Telangana, the contest is between the TRS and the grand alliance led by the Congress. In Mizoram, the fight is a direct one between the Congress and the Mizo National Front. High stakes: The focus of the BJP would be mainly on the three states it is in power. The results are expected to be a clear pre-cursor to the party's prospects in 2019. In 2014, these three states played a crucial role in shaping the BJP's victory. Also Read | Congress' indecisiveness on alliance makes contest tough in MP and Chhattisgarh In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP had won 26 out of the 29 seats in 2014. In Rajasthan, the party bagged all the 25 seats, whereas in Chhattisgarh, the tally for the party stood at 10 out of the 11 seats. The stakes are high for the Congress too. The party would be looking to make a comeback and also would hope that the BJP continues its poor run as was the case in the recently held Lok Sabha by-elections in the various states. The Congress would also be mindful of the fact the tough fight it gave the BJP in Gujarat and also the party's failure to form the government in Karnataka. The alliance crisis: The Congress party in 2014 plunged to its lowest tally by winning just 44 seats. Following that it has lost a series of elections in the states. Punjab was the only state that the party has managed to win on its own. While the party has managed to put up an impressive campaign, it faced a series of setbacks in recent weeks, with parties such as the BSP and SP making it clear that it would fight the polls on its own. Also Read | Will Congress' 'soft Hindutva' strategy pay-off? Even in Chhattisgarh, where it was hoping to make inroads, the party was hit by a roadblock with the BSP announcing an alliance with the Ajit Jogi led Janata Congress Chhattisgarh. The Chhattisgarh scenario is particularly worrying for the Congress. The BSP-Jogi tie up is expected to help the BJP beat the anti-incumbency factor. For the first time the state would witness a triangular fight. The other problem for the Congress is the leadership crisis. The party has not been able to find a suitable face after its top leadership was wiped out in a naxal attack. In the 2013 assembly elections, the BJP won 49 out of the 91 seats, whereas the Congress managed to bag 39 seats. The Congress had lost that election by a margin of just 0.75 per cent votes. The BJP's distress: The BJP would particularly be put to test in the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Several issues have plagued the ruling party over the past couple of months. In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress has been out of power since 2000. The Congress has put its best people in the state to take on Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The Congress party's strategy is being worked out by Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia. In the previous elections, the BJP had managed to win 165 out of the 230 seats. Also Read | After BSP, Congress loses out on SP and CPM in 5 poll bound states For the BJP the biggest problem in the two states would be the farmer issue. Madhya Pradesh has been the epicentre of the farmer agitation. Six farmers were killed in police firing at Mandsaur in June 2017. In Rajasthan too, the BJP is facing stiff competition. The Congress led by Ashok Gehlot is strategising the poll campaign and it is a well known fact that he is a seasoned war horse. In Rajasthan the BJP had in the previous elections won 163 out of the 200 seats, whereas the Congress had managed just 21. The vote share gap between the two parties stood at 12 per cent in the last elections. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 11:22 [IST] Will Congress' 'soft Hindutva' strategy pay-off? India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Oct 8: The Congress' dismal performance in the 2014 General elections in which it was reduced to 40 odd seats in the Lok Sabha has forced the party to totally rework its strategy for 2019. One part of this new strategy is to build a strong narrative around Rafale deal, Modi government's handling of the economy, mob lynchings, increasing polarisation and intolerance etc to counter the BJP. The other part is what is being called as 'soft Hindutva' approach which is aimed at sending across a subtle message to the voters that 'Congress too is pro-Hindus'. This 'soft-Hindutva' strategy is a well thought out plan because Congress wants to ensure that the BJP cannot lay sole claim on the Hindu vote bank. Whether it is Rahul Gandhi's 'Shiv Bhakt'-'Janeu Dhari' claims or the recent Mansarovar Yatra, the larger message that the Congress is trying to send is that the Congress cares as much about the Hindus as the BJP does. Rahul has been trying for quite sometime now to send a larger message of being a devout Hindu as part of Congress' soft Hindutva strategy. Congress was largely seen as leaning towards Muslim appeasement and this is what cost them 2014. Now they want to shun that image. They do not want to be seen as anti-Hindu, a political observer told OneIndia Rahul being described as 'janevudhari' shiv bhakta by the party clearly shows a shift in Congress' strategy. They had taken Hindu votes for granted and it is something they are realising now, said another political observer. It is known for decades that Congress sees Muslims as their traditional vote bank. But in recent times, several regional parties like the Samajwadi Party, AIMIM, RJD and to some extent the BSP are also wooing the Muslim voters. Gone are the days when the Congress could claim that Muslims would vote for them and this has left the grand old party worried. During the Gujarat and Karnataka elections, Rahul was seen in temples and at one time even wore a rudraksh. The party had said Rahul and his family were Janayeu dhaari. Rahul reportedly made around 30 visits to temples during his campaign trail for Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017. In September, he went for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra which was in line with his "I am a Shiv bhakt" claims. [Congress' big 'Hindutva' push: Fasting, Kanya Pujan on the cards this festive season] This strategy may work for Congress provided that the traditional Muslim voters stay with the Congress and if Rahul's antics strike a chord with the section of Hindus who are disenchanted with the Modi rule. But then, there also a risk that Rahul is taking. What if his so-called Hindu appeasement temple sprees and 'Shiv Bhakt' claims do not go down well with the Muslims. It is not that Rahul has not been trying to woo the Muslims, but there is a possibility that his over-enthusiasm about soft Hindutva may leave the minorities irked. It appears that the BJP is not very comfartable with Rahul's new 'Shiv Bhakt' avatar. BJP is not very comfortable on Congress attempting to poach voters in its territory, a veteran journalist said when asked about Congress' so called 'Soft Hindutva'. [Rahul visiting temples is nothing but a "political gimmick": Giriraj Singh] Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Oct 1 lashed out at Rahul Gandhi and said that his visit to Shiva temples and Kailash Mansarovar is nothing but purely a "political gimmick". A few months back, BJP leaders had also asked Rahul to clarify his religion. While it is clear that Rahul is aiming at both Hindu and Muslims voters, what he ought to keep in mind is that he cannot take Muslim votes for granted. Recently, at a function of an Urdu Daily, Rahul had reportedly said that Congress is a party for Muslims. A row erupted when this issue made headlines. Congress tried to shirk away from the controversy and did not make it clear if Rahul had said such a thing or not. BJP is too shrewd a party to not capitalise on these kinds of issues. So, Rahul must tread the path he has chosen carefully or it will all boomerang so badly that Congress would find itself in a position from where it would be hard to recover. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 5:00 [IST] In Wests diplomatic row with Russia, this EU member state is against expelling Moscow diplomats Bulgarian investigative journalist murdered; third incident in EU in a year International oi-Shubham Ghosh Sofia, Oct 8: Europe witnessed yet another journalist getting killed for investigative reporting when 30-year-old Bulgarian broadcast journalist Victoria Marinova was found raped and murdered in Ruse, a city in northeastern part of the east European country, on Saturday, October 8. Marinova, a reporter and producer at broadcaster TVN, was working on an investigation into alleged corruption involving funds of the European Union (EU) at the time of her murder. Police investigating the case said there was no evidence yet to prove that Marinova was murdered in relation to her work, the local media said. Rape backlash: Fearing for lives workers from UP, MP and Bihar flee Gujarat A full probe was called into the journalist's death from anti-corruption groups and members of the European Parliament. Marinova is the third journalist in the EU to have been killed in a year. While Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Gailizia was killed in a car explosion in October last year, Slovak reporter Jan Kuciak was shot dead at his home near Bratislava. Holy Ganges desecrated, woman gangraped on the banks of sacred river Marinova's final broadcast was about an investigation by a group of Bulgarian journalists into firms involved in EU-sponsored infrastructure projects looked after by local authorities. It alleged that 30-40 per cent of funding received by a group of companies was lost because of corruption. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 7:08 [IST] Ahead of Xi-Biden summit, China asks the US to stop supporting 'Taiwan independence' As new envoy to China, Pradeep Rawat has his hands full China says missing Interpol chief accepted bribes International oi-Madhuri Adnal Beijing, Oct 8: The missing Interpol chief, Meng Hongwei, who it was revealed on Sunday has been detained in China for 12 days unknown to his family or employer, has resigned from the international police agency. China said that ex-Interpol chief being investigated for bribery, other unspecified crimes, hinting at political transgressions. Meng, also a vice-minister of public security in China, was reported missing after travelling from the city of Lyon in France, where Interpol is based, to China on 25 September. Also Read | Interpol officer being probed on suspicion of violating law, says China That admission came shortly after Meng's wife Grace, said she had received a message from him suggesting he was in danger. Meng, 64, who is also a senior Chinese security official, had more than 40 years' experience in criminal justice, particularly in the field of drugs control, counter-terrorism, immigration and border control, before becoming president of Interpol, the international criminal police organisation based in Lyon, in November 2016. He is a senior member of the Communist party. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, October 8, 2018, 13:48 [IST] Jamal Khashoggi missing or dead? One Turkish official also told news agency Associated Press that detectives' "initial assessment" was that Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the consulate, without elaborating. Khashoggi, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. for the last year, vanished Tuesday while on a visit to the consulate. Turkish consulate His disappearance has threatened to upend already-fraught relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and it raises new questions about the kingdom and the actions of its assertive Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom Khashoggi wrote critically about in his columns. In a dramatic twist of fate, Khashoggi disappeared on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, after visiting his countryAos consulate in Istanbul and may have been killed there. Also Read |Bulgarian investigative journalist murdered; third incident in EU in a year According to reports, Khashoggi entered the Saudi's consulate in Istanbul on 2 October to obtain a document he needed to get married but never came out. On 3 October, the Saudi government said he had left the consulate,the Turkish government said he was still inside, and his fiancee and friends said he was still missing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman As a contributor to the Post, Khashoggi has written extensively about Saudi Arabia, including criticizing its war in Yemen, its recent diplomatic spat with Canada and its arrest of women's rights activists after the lifting of a ban on women driving. All those issues have been viewed as being pushed by Prince Mohammed, who similarly has led roundups of activists, businessmen and others in the kingdom. Interpol officer being probed on suspicion of violating law, says China Tawakkol Karman's protest Tawakkol Karman, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate for 2011, protested outside the Saudi Arabia consulate, in Istanbul, Turkey. Khashoggi was a Saudi insider. He rubbed shoulders with the Saudi royal family and supported its efforts to nudge the entrenched ultraconservative clerics to accept reforms. He was a close aide to the kingdomAos former spy chief and was a leading voice in the countryAos prominent dailies. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 8) The police are closely coordinating with education authorities to protect students from the influence of leftist groups, police officials said Monday. "We have initiated consultations with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and started opening lines of communication with school authorities to help discount the possibility of campus infiltration by extremist groups with their violent ideals," Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Dir.Gen. Oscar Albayalde told the media. "We're just concerned about the welfare and education of our students dahil napakadaling maimpluwensya ang ating mga kabataan [because our youth are easily influenced]," he added. Metro Manila Police C/Supt. Guillermo Eleazar said they spoke with CHED Officer-In-Charge Popoy De Vera on Saturday on engaging school authorities in dialogue with the PNP. "Through our consultation with CHED makikipag-ugnayan din sa iba't-ibang mga presidents at authorities ang mga universities not only here in Metro Manila, kundi pati na rin sa ibang rehiyon and then form there mag-eencourage sila ng dialogue between the PNP and the leadership of these universities," Eleazar said. [Translation: Through our consultation with CHED, they will coordinate with the presidents and authorities of the universities, not only in Metro Manila but in other regions as well, and from there they will encourage dialogue between the PNP and leaders of these universities] The dialogue will be conducted in clusters in the presence of the PNP Chief under the supervision of CHED. Eleazar said they are expecting De Vera to approach university leaders within the week regarding this proposal. This comes after Albayalde criticized students of state universities who are involved in protests against the government. "In state universities, you are given free education by the government. And yet, hindi ka pa naka-graduate [you haven't graduated yet], you are already going against the same government that gives you free education," Albayalde said on Thursday. READ: PNP to state scholars: Why go against the gov't that gives you free education? The statement was in response to a military official releasing information that said 18 universities were "notorious for school activism" and are being used by the Communist Party of the Philippines to recruit more members. READ: AFP official: CPP recruits in Manila schools through martial law film screenings However, Albayalde maintained that the police respects student activism for as long as they abide by the rule of law. "The police recognize that student activism is a healthy sign of a vibrant democracy which our country now [has] but to the extent of taking up arms or inciting to take up arms against the government is definitely in conflict with the law, that the PNP is duty-bound to address with appropriate police response," he said. He assured that the PNP will not intervene nor suppress academic freedom of expression in school campuses. "I assure you that there will be no police intervention to suppress academic freedom of speech, expression and other fundamental liberties expressed in our campuses," Albayalde said. Former State Minister UNP MP Vijayakala Maheswaran arrested by the Police Organized Crimes Division (OCPD), has been granted bail by the Colombo Chief Magistrate. She was arrested today by the Police Organised Crimes Preventive Division in connection with a controversial statement she made recently on the resurgence of the LTTE She was then presented before the Colombo Chief Magistrate Ranga Dissanayaka where OCPD DIG Kamal Silva requested the court to remand the suspect. However, the court decided to grant bail on a personal bond worth Rs 500,000as no special points were presented for the remanding of the MP. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 8) Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque has taken an indefinite leave of absence starting Monday. "Please be advised that the Presidential Spokesperson will be on leave starting today, Monday, October 8," an official from the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) told Palace reporters. The PCOO official said Roque will not join President Rodrigo Duterte in Bali for the ASEAN Leaders' Gathering this month, adding Roque will leave the country on Wednesday for a personal trip. The President's special aide Bong Go said Duterte was unaware of Roque's leave. He said Roque will get to talk with Duterte when he attends the Cabinet meeting in Malacanang Palace on Monday afternoon. On October 5, Roque hinted he was considering quitting after he was kept "in the dark" on the President's whereabouts. Related: Roque mulls resigning He said he had no personal knowledge that Duterte was hospitalized and underwent a second colonoscopy on October 4. The next day, there were more contradicting statements regarding Duterte's schedule. Roque said Duterte was in Davao City on October 6, but Presidential aide Bong Go bared he was with Duterte and his family in Hong Kong. Roque's leave also comes after Duterte discouraged him from pursuing a Senate bid, categorically saying he would not win. Roque took a leave on the week of filing of candidacy for the 2019 midterm elections. Go confirmed Roque was offered the post of Press Secretary, but said he has not yet accepted or rejected Duterte's offer. Currently, there is no Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), but it may soon be revived by placing the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) under it. PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar has submitted the draft executive order on this matter to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea. Related: Sotto wants PCOO under revived Office of Press Secretary Registration Now Open for the Oct. 5-6 Fast Track Digital Dental CE Workshop https://www.pearsondental.com/catalog/events.asp Dental professionals can now register for this years Fast Track Digital Dental CE Workshop, sponsored by Pearson Dental Supply, Blue Sky Bio, FormLabs and SprintRay. The two-day workshop is scheduled from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 5 and 6 at the Pearson Dental Showroom in Orange County, California.Seating is limited for this specialized event. Contact Hollie Brown at 209-536-1954 or frontdesk@sonoramoderndental.com to register for this gathering of dental professionals and experts in the field of digital implant dentistry.Innovation from an Innovative Leader in the IndustryDesigned to inspire, motivate and inform dental professionals, this innovative conference features renowned Dr. Michael Scherer as the key presenter for the two-day event, located near John Wayne Airport in Costa Mesa. Scherers background includes innovation and published research on implant dentistry, clinical prosthodontics and digital technology. He currently maintains informative YouTube channels to share his innovations. You can find him as the creator and main presenter of LearnLOCATOR, LearnLODI, LearnSATURNO and The 3D Dentist.Research-Driven BackgroundLearn from the best when attending this Fast Track Digital Dental CE Workshop Oct. 5 and 6. Dr. Scherer is a fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists and currently serves as an assistant clinical professor at Loma Linda University, a clinical instructor at University of Nevada. He primarily maintains a practice limited to implant dentistry and prosthodontics in Sonora. Scherers involvement in digital implant dentistry has led him to develop and utilize new technology with CAD/CAM surgical systems in addition to implementing interactive CBCT implant planningFocus on Advanced Technology in the Dental IndustryScherers instructional sessions focus on software modeling, in-office 3D printing dental models, intraoral scanning and surgical guides. Whether you are an oral surgeon, orthodontist or dentist, you can learn how to implement technology tools to improve the level of care you provide for your patients. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop to take advantage of the live software demonstrations during this two-day specialty conference.Specialized Sessions for the Specialized ProfessionalSpecial sessions include instruction on how to use intra-oral scanning in dental and orthodontic practices, essential techniques for planning implants with Blue Sky Plan software and instruction on printing surgical guides using low-cost desktop 3D printers.Additional instruction allows each dental professional the opportunity to work with free software to create printable models and Essix-style retainers. Learn how to export scans as STL files, the ins and outs of guide fabrication methods and ways to work with Meshmixer to digitally wax-up anterior and esthetic cases.Dr. Scherer is prepared to provide insight into advanced digital restorative dentistry, as well as digital articulation and methods to simplify restorative dentistry techniques. Learn how to convert from digital to analog and take advantage of the hands-on demonstrations for converting DICOM to STL for 3D printing anatomical models. The final session on Oct. 6 focuses on fully edentulous surgical guide workflows and fully-guided surgical guide techniques for dental professionals and their staff.Dont miss out on the opportunity to participate in this unique, informative and innovative two-day workshop. Contact Hollie Brown at 209-536-1954 or frontdesk@sonoramoderndental.com to register.About Pearson Dental SupplyWith 60 years of experience as a family-operated business, Pearson Dental Supply continues to supply dentists, medical professionals and orthodontists with high-quality equipment and dental supplies. Pearson Dental Supply features a large inventory, across 10 branches in the United States, of authentic FDA-approved products that are backed by warranties and liability insurance.Professional development is a top priority, too. Pearson Dental Supply hosts seminars and workshops focused on innovative dental, surgical and orthodontic practices throughout the year. Find out more about how to embrace innovation with Pearson Dental Supply atPearson Dental Supply13161 Telfair Ave, Sylmar, CA 91342(818) 362-2600 Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) (On-demand RPO and End-to-end RPO) Market - Southeast Asia Industry Analysis, and Forecast 2014 - 2020 https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/275255 https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/reports/275255/recruitment-process-outsourcing-rpo-on-demand-market-research-reports/toc Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is a type of business process outsourcing (BPO) which includes the outsourcing of different recruitment functions of an organization to third-party vendor. The RPO solutions primarily include screening of the candidates, interview scheduling, job posting, offer execution and other important activities in the recruitment process. The major difference between the RPO providers and staffing companies is the proficient recruitment process management and responsibility of its results by the RPO providers. Outsourcing recruitment processes to a RPO provider enables the client organization to focus on their core competencies. In addition, outsourcing these processes is highly beneficial for reducing the operating costs of the organization related to the recruitment functions. This is the most significant factor fuelling the adoption of RPO solutions among different end-use industries.Get The Sample Copy of This Report @The market for recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is segmented, based on the type of engagement, into on-demand and end-to-end RPO service. On-demand RPO refers to the RPO service in which some of the recruitment services are outsourced to the RPO provider. On the contrary, end-to-end RPO refers to outsourcing of all the recruitment processes to the RPO providing company. On-demand RPO enables the client organization to have better control over the recruitment processes as only a part of recruitment process is outsourced to the providing company. Moreover, the cost of on-demand RPO is lower as compared to the end-to-end RPO solution. Due to these advantages and higher flexibility and scalability, the penetration of on-demand RPO services is currently high as compared to the end-to-end RPO solutions.This report studies the current scenario as well as the future market potential for recruitment process outsourcing in Southeast Asia. The market for recruitment process outsourcing has been segmented into six major end-use industries, namely, banks, financial services and insurance (BFSI); information technology (IT), IT enabled services (ITeS), and telecommunication; manufacturing; healthcare and pharmaceuticals; hospitality; and others. The others segment comprises aerospace, marine and construction industries. The market for these recruitment process outsourcing systems has been extensively analyzed on the basis of factors such as types of engagement service and countries in Southeast Asia region. On the basis of engagement type, the market has been segmented into on-demand RPO and end-to-end RPO. The market size and forecasts in terms of revenue (US$ Mn) for each of these segments have been provided for the period 2010 to 2020, considering 2012 and 2013 as the base years. The report also provides the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for each segment of the market for the forecast period 2014 to 2020.Request to Get Complete Report List Of Tables and Figures @Geographically, the market for RPO in Southeast Asia has been segmented into four regions, namely, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Rest of Southeast Asia (RoSEA). The market size and forecast for each region has been provided for the period 2010 to 2020 along with the CAGR (%) for the forecast period 2014 to 2020. The study also includes qualitative analysis of the competitive scenario in these regions. The overview section of the report comprises qualitative analysis of the overall market highlighting the factors determining the market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities, along with the key trends analysis.The report also provides a section on the competitive landscape, wherein the market positioning analysis of the leading players in Southeast Asia RPO market in 2013 has been discussed. The report concludes with the profiles of major players in the Southeast Asia RPO market such as Kenexa Corporation (an IBM Corporation Company), Randstad Holding Company, Accolo, Inc., Atterro Human Capital Group, Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group, Cielo, Inc. (Pinstripe, Inc.), ManpowerGroup Solutions, Pontoon Solutions, Zyoin Web Pvt. Ltd., Futurestep (a Korn Ferry Company), TalentFusion, Inc., Alexander Mann Solutions and Hudson Global, Inc.Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market Segmentation:Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by Engagement TypeOn-demand RPOEnd-to-end RPORecruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by End-use IndustryBanks, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI)IT, ITeS and TelecommunicationManufacturingHealthcare and PharmaceuticalsHospitalityOthers (Aerospace, Marine and Construction Industry)Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by Geographic RegionThailandIndonesiaVietnamRest of Southeast Asia (RoSEA)MarketResearchReports.biz is a seller of syndicated market studies, featuring an exhaustive collection of research reports from leading international publishers. Our repositoryis diverse, spanningvirtually every industrial sector and even more every category and sub-category within the industry. We also provide consulting services to enable our clients have adynamicbusiness perspective.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz Intelligent Virtual Assistants Market 2018 Top Key players are Apple, Microsoft Corporation, Google, Nuance Communications, IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation and IntelliResponse Systems Inc. Intelligent Virtual Assistant Market https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/intelligent-virtual-assistant-market/request-for-free-sample https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/intelligent-virtual-assistant-market/inquire-before-buying https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/intelligent-virtual-assistant-market/ www.polarismarketresearch.com PolarisMarketResearch.com has added New Report Intelligent Virtual Assistants Market The report focuses on global major leading players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.According to a new research published by Polaris Market Research, the Intelligent Virtual Assistant market is anticipated to reach over USD 21,523.6 million by 2026. In 2017, the BFSI segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period.The growing need to improve customer service, streamline enterprise communication, and increase productivity has boosted the adoption of intelligent virtual assistants. The rising penetration of mobile devices, and integration of virtual assistants with smart home appliances further support the growth of this market.Get Sample copy of this Report @The use of digital assistants and bots is expected to increase in the coming years. Computer programs in the form of bots simulate conversation with users through chat windows and voice calls. They have the ability to perform a number of different automated tasks such as scheduling meetings, managing finances, and others. They also assist in successful use of unified communication tools. These bots could be used as an automated attendant monitoring the interactions and offering instructions to users.Intelligent virtual assistants are gradually replacing traditional interactive voice response systems. Use of intelligent virtual assistants is proving effective by enhancing customer and brand experience, and providing a consumer-friendly environment. The virtual assistants also offer a platform for convenient communication within businesses through voice, text, and other channels.Make an Inquiry for purchasing this Report @North America generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The presence of established telecom and cloud infrastructure in this region, and growing trend of BYOD drive the market growth in the region. The growing demand of mobile devices, and technological advancements further support market growth in the region. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to growing demand of virtual assistant technologies in the developing countries of the region.Top Key Player:Apple Inc.Microsoft CorporationGoogleNuance CommunicationsIBM CorporationOracle CorporationIntelliResponse Systems Inc.Speaktoit Inc.CodeBaby CorporationNext IT CorporationIntel Corporationand Clara Labs among others.The end-users in intelligent virtual assistant market include healthcare, education, retail, BFSI, government, and others. In 2017, the BFSI segment accounted for the highest market share owing to increasing need to offer enhanced customer services, and improve productivity. The demand for intelligent virtual assistants has increased from organizations operating in this sector to improve workforce collaboration, client interaction, and reduce costs.Browse Full Report @About us Polaris Market ResearchPolaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities.We mainly focus on aiding our customers with substantial competitive intelligence, helping them to secure a competitive advantage in the market and accomplish sustainable growth in different market domains. Adept with a highly competent, experienced and extremely qualified team of experts comprising SMEs, analysts and consultants, we at Polaris endeavor to deliver value-added business solutions to our customers. Through dedicated qualitative and quantitative primary and secondary market research and consulting assignments, we adeptly formulate competitive strategies to address business challenges for our clients through analyzing market trends and emerging technologies.Contact us-Mr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.comWeb: Male Infertility Market Report 2018: Segmentation by Test (DNA Fragmentation Technique, Oxidative Stress Analysis, Microscopic Examination, Sperm Agglutination, Sperm Penetration Assay, Others) Male Infertility Market http://marketreportscompany.com/contact.php http://marketreportscompany.com/contact.php http://marketreportscompany.com/contact.php Global Male Infertility market research report provides company profile for Andrology solutions, Aytu BioScience, Inc., Bayer Healthcare, Cadila Healthcare Ltd., EMD Sereno, Inc., Halotech DNA SL, Intas pharmaceuticals Ltd., SCSA diagnostics, Inc. and Others.This market study includes data about consumer perspective, comprehensive analysis, statistics, market share, company performances (Stocks), historical analysis 2012 to 2017, market forecast 2018 to 2025 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2018 to 2025, etc. The report also provides detailed segmentation on the basis of product type, application, end user and regional segmentation. The regional segment is further bifurcated on country level.Male infertility can be diagnosed with DNA fragmentation technique, oxidative stress analysis, microscopic examination, sperm agglutination, Computer-Assisted Semen Analysis (CASA), sperm penetration assay, and some other techniques.Request for Free sample copy of ready Report @Report Coverage:Top Manufactures/vendors of Male Infertility market:EMD Sereno, Inc.Halotech DNA SLIntas pharmaceuticals Ltd.SCSA diagnostics, Inc.Andrology solutionsAytu BioScience, Inc.Bayer HealthcareCadila Healthcare Ltd.Others (Note: We can profile additional players without any additional charges)Test OutlookDNA Fragmentation TechniqueOxidative Stress AnalysisMicroscopic ExaminationSperm AgglutinationComputer-Assisted Semen AnalysisSperm Penetration AssayOthersTreatment OutlookAssisted Reproductive TechnologyMedicationRegions covered in Male Infertility Market Research Report:North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)(Note: We can provide country or region specific report on request; please contact us for your specific requirement)The Global Male Infertility Market analysis report covers detailed value chain analysis of Global Male Infertility Market. The value chain analysis helps to analyze major upstream raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. The report also provides Porter analysis, PESTEL analysis and market attractiveness which helps to better understand the market scenario on macro and micro level. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities occurred in the market during current and past few years. The Global Male Infertility Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors. The report also covers import/export data across all major regions covered in this report. Moreover, we can exclusively provide information about import/export data across any particular country as per requirement.How helpful this report will be? Male Infertility Market share (regional, product, application, end-user) both in terms of volume and revenue along with CAGR from 2018 to 2025 Key parameters which are driving this market and restraining its growth What all challenges manufacturers will face as well as new opportunities and threats faced by themEnquire before Buying @......Table of Content:Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope1.1. Research Methodology1.2. Research Scope & Assumptions1.3. List of Data Sources........................Continue (What does Report Include?Historic Data: What was the Male Infertility Market data (Size, competition, company share, YoY growth rate, etc.) from 2013 to 2018.Current Market Status: A comprehensive analysis of current market Size, trends, growth drivers, industry pitfalls, challenges and opportunities for players.Market Forecast: Report will comment and provide details about market growth and forecast till year 2025.Customization: We can provide following things 1) On request more company profiles (competitors) 2) Data about particular country or region 3) We will incorporate the same with no additional cost (Post conducting feasibility).Contact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website: marketreportscompany.comEmail: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "United States Nurse Call System Market For The Forecast Period 2017 - 2020" to its huge collection of research reports. The NCS helps a caregiver and a patient to effectively communicate with each other and enhance patient care. In the US, individuals undergoing treatment in specialized healthcare facilities such as in SNFs, ALFs, and ACFs need constant attention and care. Hence, to provide 24/7 care EUGENE -- Oregon's next road trip will be in the afternoon. The No. 17 Ducks will head to Washington State to take on the Cougars at Martin Stadium on Oct. 20 at 4:30 p.m. PT on FOX. Washington State has won the last three meetings in the series, including last year's 33-10 win in Eugene. Prior to WSU's current win streak, Oregon won eight straight between the teams and leads the all-time series 47-41-7. The Cougars are off this week while Oregon (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) will host No. 7 Washington (5-1, 3-0 Pac-12) on Saturday (12:30 p.m.). -- James Crepea | jcrepea@oregonian.com | @JamesCrepea The Oregonian is publishing a new comic strip for two weeks, starting Monday, in place of "Take it From The Tinkersons." We'd like to hear what you think. Weigh in by emailing publiceditor@oregonian.com or comment on our Facebook page. The new strip, "Macanudo," is by Ricardo Siri, who uses the name Liniers to author the strip. The name "Macanudo" represents something cool, positive and hopeful, in his native Argentine patois, he told The Washington Post. "I grew up in the '80s, and that was when, with an American cultural explosion, my 10- and 12-year-old mind was watching Star Wars [movies] and 'Indiana Jones' and 'E.T.' those works got in there," he told the Post. "But also there was Bob Dylan and Kurt Vonnegut and 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' So I always try to be very thankful [by including] my references in the strip." We hope you'll let us know what you think any time over the next two weeks. -- The Oregonian/OregonLive With an assist from local filmmakers, Darcelle is poised to become the drag queen of all media. The 87-year-old owner and star of Portland's Darcelle XV Showplace already holds a Guinness World Record as the world's oldest drag queen performer and was the subject of an Emmy Award-winning 2016 Oregon Public Broadcasting documentary. Now, co-directors Rachel Bracker and Brad Gill of Portland's 360 Labs have transformed Darcelle's life story into a virtual reality experience - so immersive you feel like you're traveling in her high heels. Portland drag queen Darcelle with 360 Labs filmmakers Brad Gill and Rachel Bracker, the directors of "Through Darcelle's Eyes." (Darcelle XV Showplace) Presented through Pride Northwest, "Through Darcelle's Eyes" screens Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13 and 14, at the Old Town showplace. Attendees will use Oculus Go virtual reality headsets provided by 360 Labs for a 20-minute journey into the nightclub's history; the chandelier-adorned home of Darcelle's alter ego, Walter Cole; and Darcelle's sparkling brand of community outreach. The filmmakers spoke recently about "Through Darcelle's Eyes." Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity. Q: 360 Labs has produced documentaries on the Grand Canyon, the Eagle Creek fire and other VR mini-epics. Why did you want to create a biographical documentary and why Darcelle? Gill: For this particular film, I felt like I wanted to reach the younger generation. They're so much more accepting now, but I feel like they've also lost the meaning behind where we've gotten and the battles that have been fought. 2019 is actually the 50th anniversary of (the) Stonewall (gay rights demonstrations in New York) and it's Pride Northwest's 25th year as an organization, so I felt like this was a timely piece, and we actually have this treasure, Darcelle, who's been around for all of those 50 years, here in Portland. Why not have her tell the story of our history? Q: Did Darcelle take to the VR idea and the technology quickly or did it take some convincing? Bracker: The first thing we showed Darcelle on the VR headset was the trailer for "As It Is" (360 Labs' Grand Canyon documentary) and she really liked it. She was really interested in the technology from the very beginning. I think that's what's so awesome about Darcelle. She's 87, but she has the innovative spirit and energy of somebody decades younger. Walter Cole, better known as Darcelle, Portland's most famous drag queen, visits virtual reality with the help of the 360 Labs filmmaking team, which is behind "Through Darcelle's Eyes." (360 Labs) Q: In 2016, OPB broadcast their documentary about Darcelle, which won a regional Emmy. What does "Through Darcelle's Eyes" offer that's different or new? Bracker: I love that OPB documentary, and there are a lot of great stories about Darcelle that are out there. We hope this will be something to add to the wealth of information about Darcelle's contribution to the community. Hopefully, too, this one you're very immersed in, and can gain a different level of insight than you might with traditional media. Q. "Through Darcelle's Eyes" is an expansive documentary - you cover several events and talk to fellow drag performers like Kevin Cook/Poison Waters. Were there people, places or events that you wanted to film but couldn't? Gill: There were a couple of times recently that I would loved to have followed -- the London trip. (Darcelle recently performed in London for a charity event.) There was another filmmaker working on a documentary and Darcelle happened to be there around the same time that this filmmaker was available to film the oldest drag queen in the U.K. and Darcelle -- the oldest drag queen in the world. I wish I had been able to be there for that. Also, Neil Patrick Harris re-vamped Wigstock (a U.S. drag festival) this year and flew Darcelle there and she got to meet him. Q: If someone can't make the screening, how can they access the VR documentary afterward? Bracker: Ultimately, the goal is to release "Through Darcelle's Eyes" on all the various VR platforms. So say you have the Oculus headset, which is what we're using for our screenings: there's a free app called Facebook 360, and you can jump into your Facebook Newsfeed and you can experience all manner of 360 content easily that way. All the VR headsets have a way of jumping into platforms like Facebook or YouTube. We're very excited about how we can reach audiences with that particular device but the truth is if you have any access to VR, you're going to be able to see this film on some app. *** "Through Darcelle's Eyes -- A 360 VR Documentary Screening" Where: Darcelle XV Showplace, 208 N.W. Third Ave. When: Every 30 minutes, 1-6 p.m. (final sign-up time 5:30), Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 13-14 Tickets: $6, 360labs.net/DarcelleXV I was planning on voting "no" on Measure 105 until I read the Sept. 30 Oregonian/OregonLive editorial, "Vote no on 105 repeal of Oregon's sanctuary law." Very little of the editorial makes any sense. The editorial notes that Nike and Columbia Sportswear are against the measure because it sends the wrong message to potential employees they seek to attract. Nike and Columbia are trying to attract illegal immigrants as employees? Then it says a "no" vote will prevent spending safety dollars policing laws federal agents are paid to enforce. That's not right either. Measure 105 is about allowing local police to cooperate with the feds. It has nothing to do with doing their job for them. Then it says studies show illegal immigrants commit fewer crimes than citizens. That's an old argument I've never understood. Any crime committed by an illegal immigrant is still one more crime than would have been committed had that person not been in the country. Lastly, it points out that nothing under existing law prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with the feds if they have a warrant. That is the only thing in the whole argument that makes any sense. I'm leaning toward a "no" vote, but if the editorial board can't come up with any good reasons to vote "no," I wonder if there is something about this measure that doesn't meet the eye. Lawrence J. Feldman, Lake Oswego Share your opinion Fired up? ! Submit 250 words or less and please include your first and last name, hometown and a phone number for verification. A stand-up comedian accused of assaulting a town car driver at Portland International Airport after an argument over his dog was arraigned in a Multnomah County courtroom Monday. Katt Micah Sierra Williams, 47, was arrested on a warrant at Central Precinct about 11:15 a.m. Saturday on an allegation of fourth-degree assault. He pleaded not guilty to the assault allegation Monday afternoon in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The alleged offense occurred Friday night about 10:13 p.m. at Atlantic Aviation on Northeast Airport Way. Katt Micah Sierra Williams Williams is accused of striking the driver of the town car after an argument about transporting him and his dog to a performance at the Moda Center. The victim, who is unnamed in a Port of Portland police report, sustained minor injuries to his face, including swelling and cuts. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Williams left the scene Friday night before police arrived but was arrested on Saturday, Port of Portland police said. He also faces an unrelated arrest warrant as an alleged fugitive from Holt County, Georgia, according to court records. Williams told court officials he lives in both Georgia and California, and is currently on supervision for possession of marijuana in Fulton County, Georgia. He described himself as a self-employed writer. Williams is most widely known for his work on an improv show called "Wild 'n Out,'', and his role as "Money Mike'' in the 2002 comedy "Friday After Next.'' On Friday night, he was scheduled to appear at Nick Cannon's "Wild N' Out,'' show at the Moda Center in Portland. Williams won his first Emmy Sept. 8 at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards for being a guest actor on Donald Glover's acclaimed show "Atlanta.'' Williams remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center on the fugitive warrant. His next court date in the assault case is Nov. 16. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian The mother of a former eighth-grade student has filed a $300,000 lawsuit against Portland Public Schools, claiming a substitute teacher whacked the boy on the head with a clipboard and called him the n-word. Lamar Warren is African American and was a 13-year-old student at Martin Luther King Jr. School at the time of the alleged assault in October 2017, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court. A district spokesman, Harry Esteve, said the accused substitute teacher -- Bruce Niemann -- is currently employed by the district. Esteve couldn't say which schools Niemann is substituting at, but generally, substitutes fill assignments at various schools. Esteve also declined comment on the lawsuit, saying the district had just received been served with it Monday. Niemann couldnt be reached for comment. A police officer who investigated later reported that Niemann was surprised by the allegation and said he didnt call anyone a racial slur. Warrens attorney, Greg Kafoury, said the boy and a few other students were talking in class at the Northeast Portland school, prompting Niemann to hit him on the forehead with the metal part of a clipboard. The blow hurt and upset the boy, so later that day he and his friends walked up to Niemann in the hall and began to talk about what happened. Kafoury said thats when Niemann called them the n-word, made derogatory comments about African American families and downplayed what was happening by saying something about how it could have been worse if hed hit them with a cinder block. Kafoury said Niemann also made a statement about his support of President Donald Trump. Niemann, 62, is white, according to a memo written by the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office, which reviewed the case. Deputy District Attorney Nicole Hermann declined to prosecute the substitute teacher after determining there were differing accounts of what happened and when. Three boys said Niemann had hit them on the head with the clipboard, called them a racial slur and made comments about the boys not having fathers, Hermann wrote in the memo. She noted that Warren said he had a concussion but didnt have any visible injuries. Another boy didnt have any visible injuries and a third had a small bleeding wound, she wrote. One of the boys guardians also expressed skepticism about her childs story to an investigating officer and disagreed with the nature of (the boys) injury," Hermann wrote. Video taken of some of the interactions between Niemann and the boys that day also doesnt show Niemann hitting any of them, but does show one of the boys touching or pushing Niemann, Hermann wrote. Records with Oregons Teacher Standards and Practices Commission show Niemanns teaching certification was renewed in February, four months after the boys claim they were assaulted. Meanwhile, Warren, now 14, has left the school district and attends a private Catholic school, Kafoury said. The boy's mother, Elisha Warren, filed the suit on behalf of her son. Read -- Aimee Green A 35-year-old Portland man is accused of shooting into a white Dodge Durango at a Northeast Portland intersection on Friday, killing a passenger in the car and wounding the driver. A woman waiting at a nearby TriMet platform was also hit by gunfire and wounded, according to police and prosecutors. Robert Jay James Jr. was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court Monday afternoon on an allegation of murder. Defense lawyer Jason Steen entered a not guilty plea on James' behalf to the single criminal count. James is due back in court Oct. 16. The man killed was identified by police as Markell Devon Jones, 44. Jones' family filled the first row of the courtroom's public gallery, and friends and family of the accused also attended the brief hearing. Robert Jay James Jr. Portland police Officer David Baer was working at an event at the Moda Center when he heard the gunshots and saw James firing his gun at the intersection of Northeast Multnomah Street and Wheeler Avenue beside the Rose Quarter, according to Multnomah County deputy district attorney Eric Zimmerman. Baer ran after James and took him into custody out a block away at 10:36 p.m. Friday, and seized a firearm from him, Zimmerman wrote in a probable cause affidavit. James has prior federal convictions in 2011 for distribution of cocaine and felon in possession of a firearm. He was convicted of selling crack cocaine and a gun to an informant, and was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison in March 2011, according to court records. In January 2015, James was returned to federal prison for two years for violating the terms of his federal supervised release by failing to report to his probation officer and using controlled substances, according to court records. On Friday night, Jones and the driver of the Dodge Durango ended up at a Portland hospital with gunshot wounds. Jones was pronounced dead the following morning at 3:40 am., the affidavit says. A woman arrived at a separate hospital. Police did not identify the surviving man and woman who were treated for non-life-threatening wounds. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian Toss out those dull, dingy knives and step into the bejeweled world of blades. Thousands of custom knives for cutting or showing off were displayed at the three-day Blade Show West, which ended Sunday at the Oregon Convention Center. This was the first time Blade Magazine held a show in Portland, a place editors call the "Knife Capital of the USA" because large manufacturers are based in Oregon, said spokeswoman Missy Stearns. The History Channel's "Forged in Fire" competition has also heated up interest. Several of the show's finalists were selling daggers and tactical and throwing knives that first debuted on TV. Chuck Cook of Dundee, who was a finalist in Season 5 of "Forged in Fire," held up two wind and fire wheels he makes for his company, Scout Knives, while his son, David Cook, 13, looked on. Pat Wojciechowski of Oaks Bottom Forge in Milwaukie said the cable show has encouraged young people, who missed out on taking shop classes in high school, to enroll in knife making and blacksmith courses. The event at the convention center had 230 vendors selling everything from swords to the latest evolution of Swiss Army-type pocket knives with many tiny tools. Some of the collectible, artistic pieces take weeks to create with elaborate patterns etched into Damascus steel blades. Handles are sometimes crafted from fossils and other ancient finds. One maker claimed he used ivory from a woolly mammoth. Brion Baker of Baker Blades in Great Falls, Montana, picked up a handle he said is a cave bear tooth. Baker can't say how long it takes him to finished a knife. "I hate when people ask me that," he said, smiling. Self-confessed archeology nerd Geoff Keyes of 5 Elements Forge in Duvall, Washington, recreated a 1,000-year-old Danish travel knife with an elk antler handle. One side of the steel is a knife and the other side is a fork. The Viking Friction Folder, as he named it, "is cool and complicated and is a link to the past." Awards were handed out to the best knives with folding and fixed blades as well as other categories, including a "weird" knife. The team from Zombie Tools of Missoula, Montana, won for a long, weapon-like hurl. Josh Eamon of Zombie Tools said the hurt, inspired by the ancient Irish field game of hurling, was made of "50 percent high caliber steel and 50 percent joke." Blade Magazine has been producing a similar show in Atlanta that attracts about 10,000 enthusiasts. The Portland show saw a fraction of that crowd, but organizers are already planning to return in November 2019. Ethan Kempf of Kempf Forge of Shelton, Washington, said sales were low but he believes he met future customers. He tapped a Filipino barong-style bushcraft and said it has "good harmonics." The handle is made of elk leg bone and the sheath is carved from quilted, spalted maple. Linda Buckner of Buckner Knives recalled spending five hours at her first blade show, admiring the craftsmanship and materials, and learning the history. On Sunday, she was showing off her husband Tom Buckner's work. An 8-inch chef knife with a stainless Damasteel blade and koa handle was priced at $750. A mosaic pin was inserted in one knife. The adornment was made by Sally Martin, who sat in the booth behind the Buckners. Some of the blades cost $7,000 or more, while Michael Roberts of Leatherman Tool Group in Portland has pocket-size tool kits starting at $35 for show goers. The compact kits can trim, tweeze, file and tighten. There's also a bottle opener. Larger sized versions ($170) have pliers and other handy tools. Ruler measurements are etched inside a niche. Roberts said people buy these multi-tool kits with a blade to keep in the car glove box for emergencies or use them fishing, camping and hunting. "Everyone's a customer," he said. -- Janet Eastman jeastman@oregonian.com 503-799-8739 @janeteastman To the editor: I am writing to encourage everyone to vote for Annette Glenn as our state representative in the 98th District. I have known Annette for more than 20 years. We worked together as Cub Scout den leaders, and we attend the same church. I dont think I have ever met anyone as capable, competent, and compassionate as Annette. Even when her life is busy organizing events or traveling with her husband, she consistently shows up to help individuals who need support visiting a young friend in the hospital, helping someone pack for a move, or cleaning the house of someone who is sick. I am confident that Annette will take that concern for individuals with her to the State House as our representative. Her personal actions reflect her interest in the importance of the individual, personal freedom, and reverence for life. Annette is respectful of others viewpoints, and I know that Annette will work with legislators in a cooperative, reasonable fashion the way we would all like to see our government operate. In fact, Annette has already formed good working relationships with a number of state leaders, since she attended many events for her husband, State Rep. Gary Glenn, while he was sick. I am proud to recommend Annette Glenn to be our next state representative. LORI JONES Midland John Oliver tackled Brazils controversial election in his latest episode of Last Week Tonight. Oliver opened by poking fun at Brazils truly innovative political ads, which seem to predominately feature true experts on the topic, including men dressed as chickens, Robin, Captain America and Spiderman, to name a few. However, the comedian didnt keep it light for long and quickly transitioned into Brazils Sunday election, in which the country almost elected a dangerous ideologue with potentially disastrous consequences. Brazil is teetering on unsteady ground to begin with, both recovering from a terrible recession and maintaining crime rates so high theyre hard to comprehend (with 30 percent of citizens in Rio reporting having been in the middle of crossfire in the last year, according to Oliver). Now, the country is dealing with the choice between Congressman Jair Bolsonaro and former Sao Paolo mayor Fernando Haddad for president, and according to Oliver, theyre not leaning in the right direction. Sunday held the first round of voting, in which two scenarios were possible: Either two candidates to be chosen between later this month in the run-off election would emerge, or, in the case that one candidate got over 50 percent of the vote, Brazil would end the night with a new president. Oliver examined both candidates, starting with Haddad, who is basically running as a replica of his party-mate and former president-turned-prisoner, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Lula). Pointing to statistics saying that Lula would probably win if allowed to run again for president while in prison, the comedian sympathizes with Brazil. Electing a president whos already in prison for corruption does save you the seemingly inevitable hassle of having to put your president in prison for corruption, said Oliver. Its a time saver if nothing else. Unfortunately, many of Brazils citizens dont seem to be quite as supportive of Haddad as they are of Lula and are instead coming out in droves for far-right candidate Bolsonaro. The nicest thing you can say for him is that he has not been implicated in a corruption investigation, yet, said Oliver. Unfortunately thats literally the only nice thing that I can possibly find to say about him because he is a terrible human being. For starters, he is a big fan of finger guns, points out Oliver. And look, liking finger guns, as far as Im concerned, is an immediate character flaw. Hes not wrong, but it doesnt end thereBolsonaro also wants to withdraw Brazil from the Paris Climate Agreement, harshen law enforcement, weaken environmental regulations, make it easier to get guns and is anti-refugee. Also, hes in favor of a dictatorship. (Not saying this sounds familiar, but hes literally being referred to as the Brazilian Trump. Feel free to skip over Olivers description of a Brazilian Trump bikini wax if you dont want to feel icky for the rest of the day.) Much of the rest of the segment pulls video of Bolsonaro saying all kinds of ridiculous things that generally wouldnt be allowed, like threatening to harm a congresswoman and confusing Ellen Page with blatant flirtation (Do you know how hard it is to confuse Ellen Page? She was in Inception, that should be simply impossible). As of the taping, results of the election werent yet finalized, though Bolsonaro did end up claiming 46 percent of the vote, with Haddad trailing at just over 29 percent, so there will be a run-off election. Brazil, please, look, I realize that youre disgusted with your politics at the moment and youre not inspired by any of the alternatives, pleads Oliver, finishing out the segment. But anything is better than Bolsonaro. Check out the segment below. After a two-year hiatus, the free Thanksgiving turkeys at Giant are back. Starting Friday, Oct. 12, customers can begin earning rewards points toward a free turkey certificate, Giant Food Stores announced Monday. The program, which started in 2000, was put on hiatus in 2016. "Over the past few years, our customers have told us how much they've missed our free turkey program, and truth be told, so did we," said John Ruane, senior vice president of merchandising at Giant/Martin's in an emailed news release. "Thanksgiving is all about bringing families together around the table to share a special meal and give thanks. GIANT has a lot to be thankful for this year as we continue to celebrate our 95th anniversary, and we couldn't think of a better way to show our gratitude than by bringing this beloved program back and helping customers save even more on their Thanksgiving meal." Tips for avoiding dinner disasters including frozen turkeys, lumpy gravy The free turkey rewards points program runs from Oct. 12 through Thursday, Nov. 22, and can be redeemed from Nov. 9 through Nov. 22 at any Giant or Martin's. Points are accrued by using the BonusCard. Customers can swap out their free turkey certificate for $1 off per pound of the turkey brand of their choice, up to 20 pounds. Customers also can donate their free turkey certificates for use of a local food bank. In a 2014 press release, Giant, which as 170 locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, called the promotion one of the most popular reward programs the chain offered due to the huge savings passed along to shoppers. March 29 is national Vietnam Veterans Day. On March 29, 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America's direct military involvement in the Vietnam War. Remaining American prisoners of war held in North Vietnam were freed. But, fighting continued. A peace agreement had been signed in January 1973 in Paris, effectively ending direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, according to www.history.com. Even before U.S. soldiers left the communists violated the cease-fire agreement. According to history.com, "full-scale war had resumed" by early 1974. The last few Americans still in South Vietnam were airlifted out April 30, 1975, when Saigon fell to the communists. York City Police made an arrest in the shooting death of 24-year-old Tyler Owens, they announced Sunday night. Police said criminal homicide charges were filed against Zane Kenneth Senft, 22, who has no fixed address. Senft was taken into custody without incident, police said. Police previously said Owens was killed around 1:37 a.m. Sunday, in the 100 block of South Richland Avenue. Owens was taken to the hospital for treatment but died two hours later. In response to this and other shootings in the area, YCP said they would be initiating a targeted law enforcement response in the west end of York City. York Police Chief Troy Bankert said this meant an "enhanced police presence but concentrating on precision policing tactics such as neighborhood walks and information sharing with community on status of recent shootings. Targeted law enforcement response can really mean any type of operation but we tailor each response to the immediate needs of both the investigation and the community needs." According to online court documents, Senft was denied bail during his arraignment at 8 p.m. Sunday, and is being held at York County Prison. Senft has two sets of prior charges in Pennsylvania, both from 2016. In August 2016, Senft was charged with misdemeanor firearms not to be carried without a license. In December of that year, he was charged with felony receiving stolen property. In both cases, Senft took pleas, and in the case of receiving stolen property, Senft plead down to a lesser firearms charge. In both cases, he was placed on probation. Premiums for Medicare Advantage plans will remain the same and in many cases even go down, the federal government has announced. Federal officials said the average monthly premium for a Medicare Advantage plan for 2019 is expected to be $28, down from $29.81. About 83 percent of people who stay in the same plan will see the same or lower premiums, and about 46 percent will enroll in a plan that costs them no premium, the government said. In central Pennsylvania, the major insurers began promoting their plans last week, touting flat or lower premiums and more plans with zero premiums. The annual signup period begins Oct. 15 and lasts until Dec. 7. Nationally, it will mark the fourth year in a row of decreases for Medicare Advantage plans. That's a sharp contrast from most non-government coverage for younger Americans, with those premiums continuing to rise. The Trump administration is taking much of the credit for the improved situation for Medicare users, sayings its effort "to improve and drive competition in Medicare Advantage means more savings, more benefits, and lower costs for seniors." However, the four-year run of Medicare Advantage decreases began in 2016, before Trump took office. The Trump administration further said monthly premiums for Medicare Part D plans, which cover prescription drugs, are expected to drop to $32.50, down from $33.59. It would be the second consecutive decrease, with the administration saying, "Efforts to strengthen negotiation and competition in Medicare Part D are bearing fruit in the form of lower drug costs for American seniors, a key priority for President Trump." Medicare Advantage plans are for older or disabled people who qualify for Medicare. With Medicare Advantage plans, the government pays private insurers a set amount per person, and the insurer puts together a package of benefits to offer to customers. Medicare Advantage plans vary by insurer, with insurers typically competing to offer the most enticing benefits -- things such as low-copays, lower premiums, free gym memberships and low-cost dental visits. Most major Pennsylvania health insurers offer an assortment of Medicare Advantage plans, ranging from "zero premium" plans to plans that charge premiums while offering richer benefits. Since the plans target seniors who often travel, one of the more enticing benefits found in some plans involves no out-of-network costs. That means the senior can use local doctors and specialists at no extra charge if they are traveling or visiting family or spending the winter in a different state. Major Pennsylvania insurers including Highmark and UPMC Health Plan began promoting their Medicare Advantage plans last week. In general, they are offering more zero-premium plans in more counties and, for the plans that require a premium, touting premiums that have stayed the same or dropped. Ellen Galardy, a Highmark vice president, said all of Highmark's Medicare Advantage customers will have the same premiums or premiums that are "a couple dollars lower." She further said Highmark has improved the benefits, with the 2019 plans amounting to "more affordable and better coverage for everyone." For example, one of the improvements described by Galardy involves Highmark's Freedom Blue PPO. In 2019, co-pays for in-network and out-of-network providers will be the same. Typically, the co-pay for an out-of-network provider is higher. Galardy said the change is aimed at people who want to see a doctor or specialist while traveling. She further said that co-pays for dental visits will drop from $30 to $15 for most plans. Galardy said the plans haven't been scaled back in any way to allow premiums to go down or to enhance some benefits. Asked how it's possible to charge less for better benefits, she said Highmark strives to offer packages that make it easy for customers to get needed care and preventive care, and improve their health through things such as going to the gym, so that their overall health care costs and expense to Highmark goes down. She also said the zero premium plans, often labeled as "HMOs," control costs by having limited networks of medical providers willing to work with Highmark to hold down costs. Other plans, such as those known as "PPOs," typically have larger networks but also cost more. For consumers, that means it's important check the list of network providers to make sure doctors and hospitals they want access to are part of the network. A list of network providers should be easily obtainable from the health insurer via the internet, a telephone call or a list mailed to the customer. UPMC Health Plan also began promoting plans with zero premiums and zero deductibles and, like Highmark, said its zero premium plans will be available in more counties. (Health care costs vary by region, based on things such as what local hospitals and doctors charge. Thus, the availability of health insurance plans and the cost vary by county.) Because of the expanded benefits and attractive premiums, the federal government expects 22.6 million people will enroll in 2019 Medicare Advance plans, and 11 percent increase over 2018. People can shop and compare the Medicare plans available in their area using this website run by the federal government. She's not a typical patient treated at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She's at least 2,000 years old. But researchers, using modern technology on the young girl who had been carefully wrapped in shrouds after her death centuries ago in Egypt, hope to find out what they can about this mystery patient, NBC 10 of Philadelphia is reporting. She's the mummy of a small child, and researchers from the hospital and the Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology carefully ran her fragile remains through a CT scan - decorated with the images of happy zoo animals -- to learn what they could about her. According to reports, researchers hope the scan will reveal not only the girl's age, but also some of the details of the life she lived in ancient Egypt. The scan will also create a 3-D model of the remains inside the wrappings for further investigation. This will be a big week for work on Senate Bill 261, the hotly-debated legislation carrying changes designed to give child sex-abuse victims and prosecutors a longer period to bring the abusers to court. It's the home stretch for conflicted Senate leaders to settle on what kind of policy counter they make to a state House that's already overwhelmingly voted for a controversial "window" for adult victims to bring suits against abusers and the institutions that supervised them even though they've aged past the 30th birthday cut-off date now in state law. As of this weekend, there was no "landing spot" in sight, top Senate sources said. Both chambers are due back in Harrisburg Oct. 15, for what may be the last week of voting sessions in the 2017-18 legislative session. What there is in the wake of a scathing August grand jury report on six Pennsylvania Roman Catholic church dioceses, is a very-publicly shared goal to help victims receive appropriate compensation for the injuries they've suffered, and to strengthen the hand of those who want their abusers publicly exposed. Here's a look at the options on the table: The window. House members, led by self-identified abuse victim Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks County, voted overwhelmingly on Sept. 25 for a two-year window to allow now-adult victims to pursue cases in civil court. Victims say the window is essential because it takes different people different periods of time to come to grips with what happened to them as children. It gives them the legal tools to fight back when they are ready. According to the victim's advocacy group CHILD USA, only about one-third of child sex abuse victims speak out about their abuse as children. Some studies have placed the median age for victims to disclose child sex abuse at 48. But the most powerful man in the Senate, President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson County, sees the retroactive window as running afoul of the state Constitution. Other critics, namely insurance providers, say this arbitrary opening threatens longstanding risk-management business models and breaks equal treatment protections. Supporters of the window have said that's an argument they are happy to have before state appellate courts, should it come to that, because it is the right for those who have been harmed. "Our state is tainted without the window," Patty Fortney-Julias, one of five sisters abused by a midstate priest in the 1980s and '90s, told lawmakers in a video appeal last week. "We aren't expecting it to make our lives perfect... But it's going to uncover those perpetrators everywhere (inside the church and out). It's going to do what we want it to do." The fund. Scarnati's preferred alternative is a Victims Compensation Fund, which he has argued sidesteps the constitutional issues and would likely offer victims the quickest and surest path to compensation. The church has already bought in, with Catholic leaders across Pennsylvania committing last month to a survivors' fund in which a panel of "experienced, compassionate experts" independent of the church would review individual cases and determine the appropriate financial assistance. It would follow the model, they said, of several Catholic dioceses in New York. There since 2016, according to the church, more than 1,260 individual claims have been filed, more than 1,100 determinations have been made, and more than 980 individuals have accepted the offered compensation. The church says claims have been qualified based on records from a psychiatrist or therapist confirming treatment, or documentation of the type uncovered by the grand jury. It has distributed about $200 million to date. Lawmakers are said to be looking at building a legislative framework that could cover the church and other entities that might face similar multiple-victim cases, like a college, or a national youth organization. One suggestion? Require entities seeking to self-fund to undergo an independent audit of their financial records to set the level of what can be made available for payment of claims. In a sign of the strength of the majority Republican caucus's belief in a fund, its members heard a video presentation on Wednesday from Washington-based attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who has administered victims' funds stemming from the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the BP oil spill, and now, child-sex-abuse cases in New York. Exposing abusers. Outside of the compensation argument, some stakeholders are pushing the idea of a new sexual predator registry that would mirror the Megan's Law registry for certain sex crime convicts. The concern of many adult victims - especially those whose cases have been part of a highly-publicized grand jury report - is that some perpetrators are still "out there" with the capacity to prey on others because there's no longer any possibility of them facing criminal charges. This has led to exploration of a mechanism through which such time-barred cases could be referred to an investigative agency like the Attorney General's office. If an investigation deems the report credible but not-actionable in criminal courts, the alleged perpetrator could then be placed on this new public registry. Some Roman Catholic dioceses have already begun a public posting of "credibly-accused" priests and other personnel on their own Web sites. But supporters of a new centralized registry maintained by the state say that would give an elevated level of exposure that would also have application beyond the church-based scandals. Where things stand. The various positions leave all kinds of room for compromise... or gridlock. For example, Rozzi told PennLive this week he doesn't understand why a civil court window and a victim's compensation fund can't exist side-by-side, giving victims a choice of what kind of relief they want to pursue. "If they (the Senate) could deliver both of these things, they will be the true heroes at the end of the day," Rozzi said. Some victims' advocates have vetted the idea of a limited window based on longstanding case law in Pennsylvania courts that lift statutes of limitations for persons who receive new evidence about injuries they have suffered. A hypothetical: A clergy sex abuse victim who learned from the 40th Grand Jury report he or she was abused by a priest who'd been transferred into their parish after related incidents elsewhere, would have a new window to sue. Supporters say this is a tested way to open access to the courts for past victims. But skeptics are concerned that it won't apply to all victims evenly. "It may help some victims in some cases," said Drew Crompton, chief counsel to Scarnati. "But I'm not sure my bosses want to exclude people just because of specific facts that vary by a tinge from one case to another." A pledge to change the state Constitution to allow for a window - while something that could take several years to complete - could also become a part of the mix. One huge question will be played out within the Senate GOP caucus room, victims' advocates say. The balance of power in the Senate currently stands at 33 Republicans and 16 Democrats, with one seat vacant. Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa of Pittsburgh, says most if not all of his members want some form of a window, meaning it will take at least nine Republican votes to pass. Will Scarnati and Corman assert a hard caucus position and ask their 33 members to it? Or will they, in the end, release members to vote according to their personal opinions and beliefs? If it's the latter, advocates believe, they've got a real shot to win on the window issue. Lots of things to sort out, and lots of parties in the room: State Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who called for the civil window in his August report; Rozzi, who seems to have broken through the usual majority rule ethos of the state Capitol to become the dominant House voice on this issue; Business interests and non-profits, including the church, concerned about the financial ramifications of the changes. Gridlock won out two years ago, blocking larger efforts to eliminate the criminal statute of limitations for future child sexual abuse cases altogether, and to raise the deadline for civil cases to the victim's 50th birthday. If the talks break down, which all sides acknowledge is a real possibility, it's not the end of the world; the bill would simply need to start over in the 2019-20 legislative term. But with sex-abuse survivors openly threatening to take to the campaign trail against lawmakers' whom they see as working against their interests and shared disgust at the grand jury's findings, most hope it doesn't come to that. Rozzi said he had good meetings with Scarnati last week, and is convinced that sincerity is in the room. "We both want to come to something that's going to work for everybody, and hopefully move forward," Rozzi said. Consensus? That, they're still waiting on. In the past in these pages, we've celebrated the resurgence of midtown Harrisburg and welcomed the explosion of new housing around the state Capitol. But a new study by The Urban Land Institute, which has offices in Philadelphia, is a reminder that, as far as Pennsylvania's capital city has come in recent years, parts of it are still being left out of an ongoing economic recovery. As PennLive's Becky Metrick reported over the weekend, the nonprofit research foundation found that the two-mile corridor along North Third Street, stretching from Reily to Chestnut streets, was in need of a little "TLC." As Metrick writes, a mixed group of professionals ranging from attorneys and business owners to members of area regional planning commissions recently toured the corridor to take a look at was - and was not - working there. The overall goal, panelists said, was to encourage city planners to transform the corridor into a place that commuters wanted to visit after work and one that city residents could call home. Among the issues identified by the panel was the very busy intersection of Third and Forster streets, which forces pedestrians to play a real-life version of the 1980s video game "Frogger" as they try to traverse the space. Panelists also were concerned that vacant storefronts in the area and inconsistently maintained streetscape can be "disconcerting" to residents and visitors alike. The panel offered a number of recommendations, such as improving green space, encouraging home ownership and the use of so-called "pop-up shops" in vacant storefronts, to attract shoppers back to the area. Harrisburg officials and developers have made strides in recent years to pay attention to other parts of the city, including the Mulder Square project in Allison Hill. The $20 million project is a partnership with the City of Harrisburg, the Tri-County Housing Development Corporation, the Harrisburg Housing Authority, the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority and Brethren Housing. It calls for revitalizing the area around Mulberry and Derry streets with street improvements, construction of commercial space and affordable housing, as well as the demolition of blighted properties. With its new study, the Urban Land Institute has provided city planners with a roadmap to renewal in another core Harrisburg neighborhood. We'd encourage them to take those findings to heart. By Karen Tumulty Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, has shaken the Catholic Church to its foundation - and he is not finished yet. Karen Tumulty (Washington Post photo) It has been nearly eight weeks since a Pennsylvania grand jury released a bombshell report alleging that more than 300 priests across the state sexually abused children over seven decades, and that the church hierarchy in six Pennsylvania dioceses was complicit in covering it up. Since then, Shapiro has been sought out by attorneys general in more than 40 other states seeking advice on how they might conduct similar probes. A dozen have already announced publicly that they are pursuing investigations. There may be others. In Maryland, for instance, Attorney General Brian Frosh, D, won't confirm or deny whether an inquiry is underway. But shortly after the Pennsylvania report came out, his office put this notice on its website: "If you were a victim of an abuser associated with a school or place of worship, or you have knowledge of such abuse, please provide the information you want to share about it in the link below." Shapiro - who is a graduate of Jesuit-run Georgetown Law School - says what his investigation exposed in the Catholic Church was nothing short of "a national criminal enterprise. It was not just limited to Pennsylvania." But few of the other attorneys general have anything close to the kind of sweeping power that Pennsylvania law grants Shapiro, starting with his ability to convene a statewide investigative grand jury for this kind of undertaking. And it remains a big question whether the church itself will cooperate or obstruct. The bishops in most states have been expressing their willingness to assist in the investigations, but those assurances do not count for much, unless the church opens its records to a truly independent review. Shapiro's own experience suggests that the church's promises to cooperate should not be taken at face value. Last year, even as Pennsylvania bishops were making public statements supporting the inquiry, two of the six dioceses under investigation filed motions - initially kept under seal - that sought to block the statewide grand jury, claiming that local law enforcement should have jurisdiction. Supervising Judge Norman Krumenacker properly dismissed the church's argument, saying it ran "counter to logic and would potentially permit criminal activity to go uninvestigated and unpunished." The legal wrangling has continued even after the release of the grand jury report. On Sept. 26, the state Supreme Court heard arguments over whether those whose names were redacted from the 1,400-page interim report should continue to have their identities protected. The attorney general's office is pressing to publicly name them in the final version of the report; the petitioners' lawyers - who will not confirm the obvious, which is that their clients are clergy, or even how many of them there are - say the accused were not afforded due process. If the church and its allies succeed in stifling the report, it could be a first step toward in curbing the attorney general's powers under the state's muscular grand jury law. "What is really at stake here is less about the identity of these petitioners and more about curtailing the grand jury act and protecting powerful institutions like the Catholic Church," the attorney general added. Meanwhile, the political dynamic around the issue of sexual abuse is rapidly shifting. On Sept. 25, the Pennsylvania House voted to accept the grand jury recommendation to ease the statute of limitations on sexual abuse cases. By a lopsided 173-21, it approved a measure that would allow victims of sexual abuse older than 30 a two-year window in which to sue, regardless of how long ago the offense occurred. The measure, however, faces more resistance in the Senate, and church leaders are lobbying against it. Shapiro is optimistic. "Times are different. This report is commanding lawmakers' attention, and unlike nearly every other issue, there does not seem to be a shred of partisanship to this," he said. Pennsylvania has led the rest of the country onto this very long road, and it remains worth watching, as it navigates what no doubt will be many bumps along the way. An institution corrupted by its own power will not give up that power easily. "This," Shapiro predicted, "is going to go on for years and years and years." Karen Tumulty is a Washington Post columnist covering national politics. She joined The Post in 2010 from Time magazine and has also worked at the Los Angeles Times. Her work appears frequently on PennLive Opinion. Conservancy offers places for both hunters and non-hunters The Little Traverse Conservancy provides opportunities to get out in the woods on lands that are both open and lands that are closed to hunting. Almost every time a shipment came, the two-time U.S. Open champion would take pictures of the boxes left on his front porch and tweet it out. It was his way of saying thanks to the many, many strangers who heeded his call. Strange and his wife Sarah actually werent in North Carolina when the storm hit. Six months earlier they had made plans with friends to go trout fishing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. So they battened down the hatches, Strange says, and headed west and not too long afterward mandatory evacuation orders came for Morehead City. It was hard to relax and enjoy yourself when you're watching this thing bear right down on your community, he says. Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, which is about 90 miles south of Morehead City, at 7:14 a.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 14. The unwelcome visitor, which had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, lingered for days, sucking up moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and moving slowly east, causing massive flooding across the eastern part of the state even weeks later. Strange wasnt able to get home until the following Tuesday. All the nearby airports were closed so he had to fly into Charlotte and then take a circuitous route to get home, finding back roads that would let him skirt the many flooded areas. While Strange and his wife were in Wyoming, friends sent photos of their home and it appeared to have escaped relatively unscathed. As it turned out, there was significant water damage to the ceilings and drywall. Strange knows he was lucky, though. Two houses from me, they've gutted the entire house and so mattresses, their sofas, their chairs, their belongings are in a pile of rubble in front, he says. That hits home, when you don't have a place to lay down. The fury of the storm became strikingly evident the day after Strange got back from Wyoming when he ventured over to Morehead City Country Club. There were 30-inch diameter oak trees or bigger and pine trees that were actually twisted because tornadoes coming through there, Strange says. The debris was just like a war zone. Mother Nature, man, she wins every time, she really does. Strange and his wife eventually canceled a trip to Paris for the Ryder Cup. The 63-year-old, who played on five teams and captained the 2002 U.S. squad, says there were just too many things to take care of at his house where workmen were visiting almost daily. You can't go over there and enjoy yourself and be a part of something like that knowing that you have mildew growing at home, he says. As he got involved in the relief effort, Strange marveled at the first responders and other volunteers who saved so many lives and are now helping to put them back together again. Its been so overwhelming and people forget about where do these people stay? Strange says. They're sleeping in the fire station, on the concrete floor. They have cots put up in these kind of homes away from home, tented villages. These people work in 19-, 20-hour days to get power on and help people and it's been amazing. Some semblance of normalcy is slowly beginning to return to the eastern part of North Carolina. But this is just the beginning. It will be months before homes are repaired and rebuilt. Although boxes occasionally still arrive, the makeshift distribution center at the Strange household is now closed. Instead, he refers people who want to help to the Red Cross and Salvation Army. When told he should be proud of what hes done, Strange doesnt hesitate. I didn't do anything, he says. I put out a tweet and people are very, very generous and I can't thank them enough. They've helped so many people. They just don't know how much a box of supplies, how far it goes. And I think we all think the box, I just won't do it. It'd be a box. Well, it all helps and when you start piling them up in the church and see what they're doing -- it really makes a difference. 10.4k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard The Meet The Press climate change debate wasnt much of a debate at all as The Science Guy Bill Nye called out Republican congresswoman Marsha Blackburns talking points, and pummeled her with science and facts. Video: Rep. Blackburn followed the Koch and energy industry talking points of introducing doubts about the science. Blackburns whole premise was based on doubt. She doubted Nyes qualifications, the science of climate change, and whether the policies to combat climate change would work. Blackburn knew that Nye had the facts on his side, so she tried to discredit him right off the bat, I think Bill would probably agree with this, neither he or I am a climate scientist. He is an engineer and actor. I am a member of Congress. Nye kept calling her out for trying to introduce doubt. Nye said, Gotta say once again, what people are doing is introducing the idea that scientific uncertainty in this case about what we call cold weather events in what we call back East is the same as uncertainty about the whole idea of climate change, and this is unscientific. Its not logical. It is a way apparently that the fossil fuel industry has dealt with our politics, and this is not good. You dont need a PhD in climate science to understand whats going on. That we have overwhelming evidence that climate is changing. That you can not tie any one event to that is not the same as doubt about the whole thing. Blackburn made the mistake of saying that the Earths temperature change wasnt significant, and Nye pounced. He said, When you said, you asserted congresswoman that a change from 320 to 400 parts per million is insignificant. My goodness, thats thirty percent. Thats an enormous change, and its changing the worldThere is no debate in the scientific community, and I encourage the congresswoman to look at the facts. You are a leader. We need you to change things, not deny whats happening. This weather events important. The Science Guy even played the patriotism card, and said that he was a patriot who wanted to lead the world in climate change technology. Nye said, The more we mess around with this denial. The less we get done. Blackburn stuck to the denier talking points and introduced nothing to the debate. This wasnt a debate. It was a pummeling. Rep. Blackburn willfully knows nothing about the science of climate change. Her goal was to discredit the science, which she failed to do. Blackburn should have a Koch logo on her forehead because everything she said came directly from the energy industrys talking points. The science is overwhelming, and the fossil fuel energy industry is trying to head off the inevitable. Republicans have their talking points that are designed to cast doubt on the science, but the real proof is on our changing climate. This debate illustrates what the Republican Partys virulent strain of anti-intellectualism is doing to it. They are no longer a credible political party. They are behaving like a cult of believers who are rejecting the reality of the world around them. This is why it is dangerous to give the Republican Party in its current state any kind of responsibility or power. Empowered Republicans are not only a threat to America, but they imperil the future of our planet through their climate change denial. 2.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard People for the American Ways Right Wing Watch tells us that at the annual Washington A Man of Prayer event, held in Statuary Hall inside the U.S. Capitol, Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) prayed to his god to forgive America for the sins of Womens Reproductive Rights and Marriage Equality. Because what Weber wants to do is substitute his religious beliefs for our constitutionally-guaranteed right to choose, what the Texas Republican really did was beg his god to forgive us for following the United States Constitution as the law of the land rather than the Bible and the few cherry-picked commandments he thinks actually apply. The First Amendment of that Constitution, of course, says he cannot do that. The occasion was an appalling celebration of absurdity and complete ignorance on Webers part of his own Bibles stance on both marriage and abortion. Webers Bible doesnt mention anything about traditional marriage and his god ordered mass abortions of women in captured cities on repeated occasions. We are told that Modifying the Lords Prayer to declare that thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth here in the halls of Congress, Weber confessed the sins our nation has been so emboldened to embark upon and pleaded with God to forgive us. We have endeavored to try and kick your word out of public schools. Father, we have endeavored to take the Bible out of classrooms, the Ten Commandments off the walls. Oh, Lord, forgive us. Father, we think were so smart, we have replaced your word and your precepts with drug-sniffing dogs, with metal detectors, with uniformed police officers in our schools. Oh, Lord, forgive us. Apparently, Weber agrees with the Religious Rights spiritual head, David Lane, who infamously referred to the United States Constitution as the wrong train. You know, because the Constitution is a secular document and for purposes of U.S. law, supersedes the Bible Weber hasnt read but about which he likes to speak in gratuitous ignorance. He got all emotional talking about marriage: Father, we have trampled on your holy institution of holy matrimony and tried to rewrite what it is and weve called it an alternate lifestyle. Father, oh Father, please forgive us. Well, lets take a look at traditional marriage in the Bible: If he was all emotional before, he actually wept when he lied about what the Bible says about abortion: Lord, we have gone to killing the most innocent amongst us. Your servant Moses warned in Deuteronomy 19 for us to choose life so that we and all our descendants might live. Father, were killing our descendants and were calling it a choice. Oh, God in heaven, forgive us, please. Tears were certainly called for, but not for the reasons expressed by Weber. The Bibles stance on the pre-born is nothing less than appalling: I refer Weber to 2 Kings 15:16: He [Menahem, king of Israel] sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women. Speaking of killing the most innocent among us, I refer him also to Hosea 9:16: Yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb, and to Hosea 13:15-16, and this is God himself speaking now: I will have no compassionthe people of Samariawill fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground; their pregnant women ripped open. And to Numbers 31:17-18: Now, kill all the boys. And kill every women who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man. Obviously, some of those women who have slept with a man are going to be pregnant. Killing them will kill their fetuses. And of course, all post-born fetuses are also killed, except virgin girls, who will not remain virgins for long but will become rape victims and slaves. Oh, those family values. Now I dont know about you, but I dont think Webers Bible says what he thinks it says. Weber might want to flip that Bible open on occasion and actually read it, instead of cherry-picking passages to suit the needs of the moment. The United States Constitution that doesnt even mention a god any god is the law of the land, Randy. If you want to cry about something, cry about that. Photo: Screen grab, Right Wing Watch 2.4k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Former Obama senior adviser Susan Rice notified Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that she wont be testifying in front of the Senate as part of the Russia investigation. By not testifying, Rice destroyed the Republican hopes of distracting from Trumps potential crimes by blaming the Obama administration. In a letter to Graham, Rices lawyer wrote: While Ambassador Rice commends the Subcommittees efforts to examine this matter of extraordinary national significance, it is extremely rare for the Congress to request the testimony of a former senior advisor to the President given the longstanding and well-recognized separation of powers concerns at issue. Moreover, Chairman Grahams invitation was extended only after the hearing was noticed, less than two weeks before the hearing was scheduled to occur, and without consultation with Ambassador Rice, a professional courtesy that would customarily be extended to any witness. Notwithstanding the significance of these concerns, Ambassador Rice is prepared to assist Congressional inquiries into Russian election interference because of the important national interests at stake, provided they are conducted in a bipartisan manner, and as appropriate, in classified session. In this case, however, Senator Whitehouse has informed us by letter that he did not agree to Chairman Grahams invitation to Ambassador Rice, a significant departure from the bipartisan invitations extended to other witnesses. Under these circumstances, Ambassador Rice respectfully declines Senator Grahams invitation to testify. Rice has already stated that she leaked nothing and that she wasnt the person to make it known that it was Mike Flynn who was under investigation. Republicans have been trying to distract from the real purpose of this investigation by turning the scandal into an Obama plot to spy on Trump. Susan Rice has nothing to testify about. Her testimony would only waste time and distract from the investigation into Russias interference for Trump during the 2016 election. By turning down Graham, Rice denied Republicans their chance to bring back all of their favorite blame Obama conspiracies. Whether they like it or not, Republicans are going to have to investigate the potential collusion with Russia and legitimacy of Donald Trumps presidency. 18k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard During an interview on MSNBCs MTP Daily, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) called on Roy Moore to drop out of the Alabama Senate race, and President Donald Trump to resign over the 17 allegations of sexual assault against him. Video: Sen. Merkley said, What we do know is this. That the individual running in Alabama, Roy Moore, has done things that are incredibly egregious, and he should drop out of that race right now, and by the way, for that matter, the President should resign because he certainly has a track record with more than 17 women of horrific conduct. Merkleys comments are a sign that Democrats are about to come after Trump with both barrels, and if Republicans elect Roy Moore to the Senate, Democrats will define the GOP as the party of pedophiles and sexual assault. The Russia scandal is always huge and never disappears off of the radar, but in the current changing cultural environment, Democrats have a chance to make Trump pay for what he is accused of doing to more than 17 women, and the Republican Party suffer for enabling and supporting him. Susanne Craig, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, said that the newspaper has new leads on Trumps tax crimes. Video: Craig said when asked by CNNs Brian Stelter about a part two to their Trump investigation, We hope to. We have more leads and more string to pull. We will keep going on it. Theres a lot of information we have been given. Were excited to come in Monday morning and get going. The investigative reporter also asked the public for Trumps tax returns, We would love to if sources want to give them to us. Hopefully, we have proven we can handle it. We are in the market for any information people want to send us. Craigs comments were a good reminder that even after all of the chaos surrounding the Republicans putting a potential predator on the Supreme Court, the fundamental corruption and the efforts to expose this presidents darkest secrets continue to churn forward. There is more trouble on the horizon for the Trump and his party. The investigations are continuing to march forward, and it is only a matter of time before they return to dominating the headlines. Donald Trumps cons are unraveling. He is trapped by the glare of the presidency, and all of his darkest secrets are set to come out. Republicans may have peaked with Kavanaugh confirmation, as the real October surprises have yet to come. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook. 553 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) Two Democratic senators on Sunday said voters angry that Republicans confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court despite allegations of sexual misconduct should focus on next months congressional elections instead of seeking to impeach the new justice. Some Democrats in the House of Representatives have indicated Kavanaugh could face investigations or even potential impeachment if they win majorities in the House and possibly the Senate. But Senators Chris Coons and Mazie Hirono distanced themselves from those demands, saying they are concentrating on the Nov. 7 congressional elections. I think thats premature, Coons said of impeachment talk on NBCs Meet the Press. Frankly we are just less than a month away from an election. Folks who feel very strongly one way or other about the issues in front of us should get out and vote and participate. Kavanaugh was sworn in late on Saturday amid protests at the court after he was narrowly confirmed in a 50-48 Senate vote but with questions raised from Democrats and liberal groups as to whether he will be a partisan justice. Democrats are hopeful of winning control of the House but the Senate is a long shot. Republicans say that anger on the right at the way Democrats treated Kavanaugh may have energized their voters as well. U.S. President Donald Trump said the public protests against Kavanaugh were the work of an angry left-wing mob and has urged his supporters to vote in November. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Saturday that nothing unifies Republicans like a court fight. With both parties focusing on the confirmation battle, it is unclear who will capitalize on it most effectively in the elections. Hirono, speaking on ABCs This Week, said, Im focused like a laser beam on the elections when asked about impeachment. Im very focused on the here and now, which is that all these angry women, mainly, out there who saw what was going on and how the Senate was not able to deal with the entire issue of sexual assault, she said. Noting that only one Supreme Court justice has ever been impeached, Coons said the Senate needed to show leadership and seek to heal the country. I think talking about it at this point isnt necessarily healing us and moving us forward, he said. Samuel Chase in 1804 was the only justice to be impeached by the House. He was acquitted by the Senate the following year. Kavanaugh fought back against the accusations with a blistering partisan attack at a Sept. 27 Senate hearing on Christine Blasey Fords allegation that he had sexually assaulted her when they were in high school. Kellyanne Conway, a senior White House adviser, said on ABCs This Week that the focus should turn from Kavanaughs combative testimony and toward his 12 years as a respected appeals court judge in Washington. The Supreme Court, thank God, is a sacrosanct institution that can withstand much, Conway said. Kavanaughs confirmation means the nine-justice court now has a solid 5-4 conservative majority that is likely to move the court further to the right as it rules on contentious issues such as abortion, immigration, transgender rights, industry regulation and presidential powers. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Bill Trott) 549 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard A new opinion poll released Monday shows Democrats with a 4-point advantage in dozens of battleground House districts with just one month to go before Novembers midterm elections. NEW POLL: Dems have 4-point lead in battleground House districts NEW POLL: Dems have 4-point lead in battleground House districts https://t.co/J7a0R8Cbzt pic.twitter.com/grMvwiUTw8 The Hill (@thehill) October 8, 2018 Many of these swing districts are currently held by Republicans, and the fact that Democrats are leading in many of them shows that the chances are very real that there will be a Blue Wave election this year. According to The Washington Post/Schar School poll of likely voters there are 69 battleground congressional districts that favor the Democratic nominee. Of the 69 districts, 63 are currently GOP-held. (91%) Democrats need to have a net gain of just 23 seats in the House to win back control of the lower chamber of Congress. The poll could be very important because it surveyed competitive districts that were rated as either toss-ups or leaning toward one party by The Cook Political Report. In the survey, women strongly support Democrats in those competitive districts, with 54 percent backing the Democratic candidates. Just 40 percent of women in swing districts support the Republican candidates, according to the poll. Among men surveyed in these districts, Republicans hold a 51-46 advantage over Democratic candidates. In the 2016 election Donald Trump won 48 of the 69 districts now deemed competitive. In those 48, the new poll found that the surveyed likely voters are evenly split, with 48 percent saying they support the Democratic candidate and 47 percent preferring the GOP candidate. In the 21 districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016, Democrats have a 10 point advantage, 53-43. The Post-Schar School poll has high credibility because it surveyed 2,672 likely voters as opposed to just registered voters. The margin of error is fairly small, just plus or minus 2 percentage points. Democrats have for months held a steady lead in generic congressional ballot polling, which is a good predictor of midterm election results. The current RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Democrats with a 6.6 percentage point lead on the generic congressional ballot. This should be enough to take back control of the House of Representatives. Mondays poll, however, is not generic. It is very specific since it included the names of the Democratic and Republican candidates in their respective districts. This is the first such poll to focus on specific races for Novembers House elections. Much has been written about Democrats hopes for a Blue Wave (or even a Blue Tsunami) election that would give them a majority in both chambers of Congress. Republicans of course hope to prevent this from happening. Results of this survey are certainly favorable for Democrats, and may even show that a Blue Wave is likely. A Blue Tsunami, that would lead to a Democratic takeover of the Senate, is not currently being predicted by the polls, although it is still a possibility with the election being four weeks from tomorrow. 933 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker told Yahoo News on Sunday that impeaching Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh should be considered if Democrats take control of at least one of the houses of Congress in next months midterm elections. Kavanaugh was confirmed on Saturday by a narrow vote following a contentious process that included multiple sexual assault allegations. Other Democrats have raised the possibility of impeaching Kavanaugh over allegations that he committed perjury in his hearing at the Senate Judiciary Committee. Booker is on that committee and believes that the Supreme Court Justice lied during his testimony. Impeaching Kavanaugh would be difficult and require the Democrats to win a House majority and control that chambers judiciary committee. If the House convicted him in a trial then the impeachment proceeding would required a two-thirds vote to convict Kavanaugh and kick him off the Supreme Court. On this point Booker said: The reality is, right now, Republicans control the House and the Senate, and theres no way to do even an investigation unless we flip one of the houses. So I think even before you start focusing on questions about his truthfulness before a Senate committee, youve got to focus on the urgency of the work over the next 30 days, and thats where my focus is. Booker was in Iowa over the weekend, and made several campaign appearances on behalf of Democratic congressional candidates. He said his main focus right now is helping secure a Democratic majority. After the midterms, he said, Democrats can determine what to do about Kavanaugh and where he fits into other priorities. I think that after the dust settles on the night of November 6th, I think thats where we start to evaluate what is the best thing for us to be focusing on in terms of whats best for America and the American people, Booker said. In one of his appearances in Iowa he called for electoral action, referring to comments made by Donald Trump last week as he mocked one of Kavanaughs accusers, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Were not defined by a president who mocks a hero in Dr. Blasey Ford. Were not defined by a president who does not believe women. Were going to be defined when this state says not only do we believe women, we elect women! Booker said. Democrats have a strong chance of taking the House in the midterms. Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, who would most likely become chair of the House Judiciary Committee if the Democrats have a majority, has said he supports the idea of investigating Kavanaugh for perjury, which could begin an impeachment process. The perjury allegations against Kavanaugh come from three things: his denials of all the sexual assault accusations levied against him, his claims about his youthful drinking and evidence that he lied under oath during prior confirmation hearings. An FBI investigation into the sexual assault allegations was authorized by the White House after being requested by Republicans. The White House limited the scope of the investigation and said it could not include allegations of perjury. Booker read the FBIs full report on the probe and said it was not satisfactory to him and his Democratic colleagues. I think the way the FBI was limited in their investigation was a sham. There were so many things even in the handful of interviews they did do that would have motivated investigators to ask more questions, interview more people, Booker said. Clearly the FBI was severely constrained in the scope of their investigation in a way that did not honor the courage of the survivors who came forward. Booker also said there were a number of things that the FBI could have easily investigated to see if he was lying about his past conduct. He said he supported further investigation of Kavanaugh. If there is conclusory evidence that shows unequivocally that he lied to a Senate committee, that is a crime and he should be held accountable for those criminal acts, Booker said. Brett Kavanaugh may think he is safe in his Supreme Court seat but he is certainly not out of the woods yet as there is a definite chance he could be impeached in a Democratic Congress. 1.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaughs primary sexual assault accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, is still receiving death threats. In fact she is receiving so many serious and alarming threats to her life that she has been unable to move back into her California home. A lawyer for Dr. Ford, Debra Katz, was interviewed by Kasie Hunt from NBC News and told her that its going to be quite some time before Dr. Ford and her family will feel safe enough to return to their home. Dr. Christine Blasey Fords attorneys tell @kasie that Ford is still not living at home and cant for quite some time. She is still receiving unending death threats. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's attorneys tell @kasie that Ford is still not living at home and can't for "quite some time." She is still receiving "unending" death threats. pic.twitter.com/u6W5CmW0v8 Kasie DC (@KasieDC) October 7, 2018 Her family has been through a lot, Katz said. They are not living at home. Its going to be quite some time before theyre able to live at home. The threats have been unending. Its deplorable. Its been very frightening, the attorney added. Two weeks ago Dr. Ford was on television giving testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. In her compelling account of the alleged sexual assault by Kavanaugh she said that the Supreme Court Justice pinned her down in a bedroom of a home in Maryland and tried to take off her clothes. She said that during a high school house party in 1982 Kavanaugh held his hand over her mouth so she couldnt scream while he tried to rape her. Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Saturday after a prolonged, highly partisan battle that included sexual assault allegations from two other women, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick. Kavanaugh has unsurprisingly denied all of the sexual assault allegations against him. During her NBC interview attorney Katz strongly criticized the FBIs limited-scope investigation into the accusations against Kavanaugh. She said it was not complete and not thorough since dozens of potential witnesses were not interviewed. The FBI did not interview either Dr.Ford or Kavanaugh as part of their investigation. Fords other attorney Lisa Banks was also part of the NBC interview. Both Banks and Katz said Dr. Ford was horrified by Donald Trumps derogatory comments about her last week. In one of his campaign rallies he openly mocked Fords testimony and attempted to destroy her credibility. She was upset by what Trump said, yes, as any woman would be whos the victim of sexual assault who was mocked and belittled by anyone, never mind the president of the United States, Banks said. 1.4k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon is one of Donald Trumps fiercest critics. In an interview that aired Monday on The Hill TV, Merkley expressed his belief that Trump and the White House counsels office have acted in violation of the separation of powers of the U.S. Constitution. The liberal senator said that by refusing to turn over documents related to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaughs time in the George W. Bush administration the Trump White House did not allow the Senate to complete its constitutionally required duties. He told The Hill TV: We have a constitutional process where the president nominates and the Senate reviews the record of the nominee, but we cant do that if the president uses presidential privilege to block our access to key documents, and that is what the president did in this case. A hundred thousand documents that were related to his [Kavanaughs] serviceduring his time with the White House counsel. Its the first time it has ever happened in our country, that this type of censorship has occurred. Its a massive violation of the separation of powers. We ran out of time and the court said they couldnt move fast enough to get a hearing. Merkleys comments in the interview were made after U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Friday denied a request he had made on Wednesday. He had asked Judge Jackson to force the disclosure of over 100,000 pages of documents related to Kavanaughs tenure in the White House Counsels Office during the administration of George W. Bush. The emergency request filed last Wednesday argued that the Senate was unable to properly vet the judge without access to the documents. As a result he said, they were unable to perform their constitutional duties. In refusing to release the Kavanaugh documents the White House cited executive privilege, which had never been done before. Kavanaugh was officially sworn in as a Supreme Court justice on Saturday after a highly contentious and heavily publicized confirmation process. A supplemental FBI background check made into allegations of sexual assault against the Supreme Court justice found no corroboration for those allegations. Kavanaughs seat on the Supreme Court has been a source of great concern for liberals who are now worried about the future of key rulings, such as Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion. 885 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard President Barack Obamas national security adviser, Susan Rice, says she is considering running for the U.S. Senate in Maine in 2020. She said she would decide what to do after next months midterm elections. If Rice runs she would try to unseat current Republican Senator Susan Collins, whose decision to support Brett Kavanaugh was decisive to his confirmation to the Supreme Court. Speaking Sunday in New York Rice said Collins put party and politics over her own stated principles and that by supporting Kavanaugh has betrayed women across this country. Rice initially expressed an interest in a Senate run on Friday, but then seemed to back off later after it was widely publicized. After rumors began to fly that Rice might run against her, Collins quickly went on the attack. According to CNNs Manu Raju, Collins said Rice doesnt really live in Maine. She also made a comment that Rice pleaded with me to introduce her during her confirmation hearings as United Nations ambassador. Susan Collins takes a whack at Susan Rice, saying she doesnt really live in Maine and says Rice pleaded with me to introduce her during her confirmation hearings as UN ambassador. Susan Collins takes a whack at Susan Rice, saying she doesnt really live in Maine and says Rice pleaded with me to introduce her during her confirmation hearings as UN ambassador. Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 7, 2018 Actually Collins had endorsed Rice and touted her Maine roots. Rice has had a home in the state for 20 years and that her mother was born there, since her grandparents were lifelong Maine residents. UN Ambassador Nominees Deep Roots in Maine, Collins website once said before it was removed. Dr. Rices ties to our great state are the foundation of her character. Her grandparents emigrated from Jamaica to Portland one hundred years ago, a capture of the endorsement reads. Although I knew of Dr. Rice when she worked at the National Security Council, I first met her when we both participated in seminars sponsored by the Aspen Strategy Group. I was so impressed with her brilliance and nuanced insights as we discussed foreign policy challenges, the endorsement continued. I was very grateful for Senator Collins extremely generous endorsement of my nomination and her detailed description of my deep ties to Maine. 2009 seems like a long time ago now on so many levels. Thanks for recalling. I was very grateful for Senator Collins extremely generous endorsement of my nomination and her detailed description of my deep ties to Maine. 2009 seems like a long time ago now on so many levels. https://t.co/99DtNEf39n Susan Rice (@AmbassadorRice) October 6, 2018 Collins has also come under fire from some on Twitter, claiming she does not really live in Maine. She purchased a Capitol Hill rowhouse where she and her husband live in Washington. If Rice is in, she begins the race with a massive war chest after a series of donors invested in an opponent if Collins supported Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Thus far, the total is approaching $3.5 million. Rice has not ruled out a Senate run, and said on Sunday that she will give it due consideration. I have been moved by the enthusiasm, Rice told The New Yorker. Im going to give it due consideration after the midterms. 835 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Pop music superstar Taylor Swift broke her long-held public political silence in an Instagram post Sunday night, encouraging her followers to vote in the November midterm elections. She also said she would be voting for Democrats and slammed Republican senate candidate, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn. In the past Ive been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now, Swift wrote in her post. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country, she added. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love, the superstar continued. She then lambasted senate candidate Blackburn, saying she cannot vote for her due to her political record. She listed some of the policies Blackburn supports, including the idea that businesses have a right to turn away gay patrons. She concluded by writing, These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Cooper currently represents the fifth congressional district based in Nashville. Bredesen is a former Tennessee governor and mayor of Nashville who is locked in a tight senate battle with Blackburn. Swift included in her post a plea to her followers to get engaged with the political process, writing: Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. She finished her controversial posting by asking her followers to register to vote by the Tennessee registration deadline of October 9th. Not everyone appreciated Swift for speaking up about politics at this time. Some of her fans on social media expressed their opinions that they would have preferred Swift remain silent about her political views. A large number of country music fans do not share her liberal views. So it took courage for Swift to go public with her opinions on politics. Clearly she like millions of other Americans believe that this is an important election year and it is not a time for prominent people like her to remain silent. A "Made In SC" plate is shown on a new BMW vehicle at the German automaker's manufacturing plant in Spartanburg County. BMW says it will move more of its supply chain for cars sold in North America to the region as a result of a new trade pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada. AP/File Get the SC business stories that matter. Our newsletter catches you up with all the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina every Monday and Thursday at noon. Get ahead with us - it's free. Paul Bowers is an education reporter and father of three living in North Charleston. He previously worked at the Charleston City Paper, where he was twice named South Carolina Journalist of the Year in the weekly category. Mary Katherine, who also goes by MK, covers health care for The Post and Courier. She is also pursuing a master's degree in data science. She grew up in upstate New York and enjoys playing cards, kayaking and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Columbia/Myrtle Beach Managing Editor Andy Shain runs The Post and Courier's newsrooms based in Columbia and Myrtle Beach. He was editor of Free Times and has been a reporter and editor for newspapers in Charlotte, Columbia and Myrtle Beach. Sen. Carla Nelson will share an inspirational devotion titled "Loving God, Serving People" at the next "A Time for Women" meeting Thursday at Autumn Ridge Church. Chef Craig Rasmussen will provide a demonstration on "Cooking Fresh." "A Time for Women" meets the second Thursday of the month during the school year from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Summit Room of Autumn Ridge Church, 3611 Salem Road SW, in Rochester. For more information text or call 507-269-7653. 'Look to Mary' conference meets Saturday OWATONNA A "Look to Mary" conference will be held 8 am. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. This Winona-Rochester Diocesan gathering of Catholic women features speakers Deb McManimon, who will discuss the "The Joy of Living The Gospel," and Barb Ernster, who lead "Mary at Fatima The Depth of The Call." There will be a purse raffle, religious items sale, displays, and collection of items for the Haiti Mission/Rochester Medical Mission. Register at www.dow.org or call 507-858-1273. Sacred Heart Catholic Church is located at 810 South Cedar in Owatonna. Retreat promises 'Compassionate Acceptance' Assisi Heights Spirituality Center will host a retreat entitled "Compassionate Acceptance: A Genuine Path to Profound Healing on Friday and Saturday. The retreat, led by Thomas Roberts, a licensed psychotherapist in La Crosse, begins 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and resumes 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. We all carry a store of life's hurts, betrayals, and traumas. This retreat will provide a spacious and safe place to work on bringing mindful and compassionate acceptance to these difficulties. Cost is $75 preregistered and prepaid, which includes lunch. For overnight accommodations and breakfast at $45, call 507-280-2195. You also may to www.rochesterfranciscan.org. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 8) Lawmakers agreed on Monday to limit the proposed ban on the activation and deployment of local government-sponsored Special CAFGU Active Auxiliary Company (SCAAC) in Zamboanga del Norte and Cotabato during the 2019 elections. This, after the House Committee on National Defense and Security conducted a hearing on two resolutions, seeking to prevent the activation and deployment of SCAAC in the entire Mindanao region from the start of filing of Certificate of Candidacy (COC) this month until after the lifting of the election ban in 2019. Some lawmakers from Mindanao said some local officials were using the program to form private armies for their personal gain. Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Seth Frederick Jalosjos raised concerns about some paramilitary groups' involvement in cases of election-related violence. "As a representative of my district, alam ko po on the ground na mababa po yung threat assessment in this part of Mindanao, in Zamboanga del Norte specifically. In fact, there's no proof that even if there's SCAAC it could change or it could even help in our peace and order," Jalosjos said. [Translation: As a representative of my district, I know on the ground there is low threat assessment in this part of Mindanao, in Zamboanga del Norte specifically.] Jalosjos survived an assassination attempt during the 2016 campaign period. He claimed the perpetrators were identified as members of a paramilitary group under the supervision of a local politician. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Alexander Yano, who attended the hearing with other military officials, admitted the program is riddled with problems. He also agreed with lawmakers, saying there is a need to deactivate LGU-sponsored paramilitary groups in some areas in Mindanao. "I want to support the observation of the chairman that the threats in areas in Mindanao have considerably declined... hence, the need for SCAAC in these areas may no longer be necessary. And you said the PNP (Philippine National Police) can very well handle this they have their SAF (Special Action Force) and their public safety units," Yano said. AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations General Isidro Purisima said an assessment must be done before the groups could be dismantled, and their deployments be disallowed. Purisima said there are at least 2,000 LGU-sponsored paramilitary personnel in Mindanao, some of whom are serving critical areas where terrorists are operating. However, Jalosjos insisted the issue should be decided upon immediately as the period for the filing of COC begins on Thursday. Jalosjos even suggested the program should be suspended while deliberations on the ban are underway. The AFP, however, maintained a thorough evaluation should be done before any deactivation gets ordered. The panel then decided to draft the resolution specific only to Jalosjos' province Zamboanga del Norte, and Cotabato as suggested by other lawmakers. The solons target to pass the resolutions before the filing of COCs on Thursday. NORRISTOWN At least four people are facing prostitution-related charges stemming from their alleged involvement with an incall/outcall brothel authorities say operated out of two locations in the municipality. Robert Carlos Garcia, 31, Domingo Ruiz, 69, Lucia Vazquez Dela Cruz, 22 and Judith Yazmin Santiago Martinez, 22 were arrested Sept. 27 and charged with promoting prostitution and related offenses, according to criminal complaints filed by a special agent with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Police and court documents show charges also pending for two additional men alleged to be involved with the prostitution ring or brothel operations. In June, agents with the organized crime division of the AGs Bureau of Criminal Investigation were informed of possible prostitution activity at a house in the 200 block of West Spruce Street. Using a confidential informant who was familiar with the brothel, investigators learned clients were paying $35 or $40 to have sex with several women who were reportedly transported to Norristown from New York on a weekly basis. Agents placed the residence under surveillance and observed several men shuttling young Hispanic women to and from the residence, sometimes carrying luggage. Investigators also watched as men would enter the residence, stay for about 15 minutes, then leave. By mid-September, the operation had moved to the 300 block of East Penn Street, apparently because the West Spruce Street location was getting too hot, according to an alleged brothel operator in a text message to the informant. On East Penn Steet, agents once again observed activity believed to be related to prostitution, with young women being delivered to the location and men coming in and out and only staying for a short period of time. The informant also infiltrated the new location and spoke with an alleged prostitute who corroborated investigators suspicions. On Sept. 26. Special agents conducted a sting operation at Americas Best Hotel, 830 West Main Street. They had the informant place a call to brothel operators to have a prostitute delivered to a room investigators had rented. The alleged prostitute, Santiago Martinez, was driven to the location by Ruiz. They were both taken into custody after Santiago Martinez reportedly told an undercover agent she would engage in sexual acts with him in exchange for $100. According to the arresting affidavit, Santiago Martinez immediately told police she was acting of her own volition and no one was forcing her to engage in the activity. In interviews with police, both are reported to have admitted to being involved with the prostitution operation. Ruiz told investigators, he was recruited by an unknown man several weeks prior to work as a driver for the ring. He reportedly admitted to receiving a $130 per diem for his services arranging meet-ups with prostitutes 7 to 18 times a day. He also said prostitutes were brought in from New York each week and were instructed to charge $35 for 15 minutes of sexual services. Santiago Martinez reportedly told investigators a man in Mexico paid a smuggler $8,000 to bring her across the border illegally and she had paid off the debt in full. She also said Ruiz would take all of the money she received after seeing a client and she would see approximately six clients per day. The sting also netted Garcia and Dela Cruz, after the informant called asking for another prostitute at the hotel. In an interview with investigators Garcia reportedly admitted to being an undocumented immigrant and a former gang member who had previously been arrested on prostitution-related charges in New York. He corroborated most of the information Ruiz provided and said he worked in much the same capacity, providing a brothel operator with $2,000 per week in proceeds. He also reportedly told investigators that a brothel operator would perform weekly surveillance of the Norristown police station to look for any new undercover vehicles. Dela Cruz told authorities she lived with Garcia and slept in his basement. She reportedly owed $7,000 to a friend who paid a smuggler to bring her across the Mexican border in August. Days after the sting, investigators issued a search and seizure warrant for the East Penn Street location. Inside, they recovered condoms, lube, business cards advertising prostitution services, tally sheets, and the ID of one of the alleged operators. Garcia, Ruiz, Dela Cruz, 22 and Santiago Martinez were charged with corrupt organizations, promoting prostitution and criminal use of a communication facility. They were remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after each failed to post $75,000 bail. Preliminary hearings are scheduled before Magisterial District Judge Margaret Hunsicker Oct. 12. The mean-spiritedness of the American Left is a stark feature of our public life. In recent weeks, it has been a daily staple of newspaper headlines. But the Lefts mean-spiritedness manifests itself every day, in ways large and small. At The American Conservative, Rod Dreher offers a sad example from (where else?) Madison, Wisconsin: In Madison, Wisconsin, the city council has voted overwhelmingly to remove a cemetery marker noting the names of about 140 Confederates, most of whom died in a prisoner of war camp in the town. Liberals began by protesting statues in the South that honor Confederate soldiers. But of course it didnt end there. This isnt a monument celebrating the Confederate cause, it is a grave marker in a Northern cemetery. Where 140 Confederate soldiers are, I take it, buried. These are Americans who died as prisoners of war. They die off like rotten sheep, said a Union soldier who worked at the camp, where conditions were bad. The monument is a tombstone large enough to feature the names of each of the dead. This is not a statue of a Confederate war hero. It is simply a grave marker noting the names of POWs who died far from home. What is the point? Do todays residents of Madison need to assure the rest of us that Wisconsin was on the side of the Union in the Civil War? I would have thought the Iron Brigade made that clear. It seems to be an expression of pure viciousness. There is no longer equality before God of the fallen, not in Madison, Wisconsin. The city council spits on these dead men, who passed away not in combat, but in Union custody. In Grace Church cemetery in my Louisiana hometown, you can visit the grave of Lt. Commander John Hart, US Navy, who captained a Union gunboat that was shelling the town and that very church in 1863. Cmdr Hart committed suicide on the boat during the battle. He was a Freemason, as many of the Confederates were. Harts men asked for a truce, and for the right to bury their commander in the Grace Church cemetery with full Masonic honors. The Confederate Masons agreed. So the war stopped while all the combatants gathered around the grave to commit Cmdr Hart to the earth. Children in my hometown are often taken to Harts grave and told the story. His grave is treated with great respect locally, and always has been. Thats what decent people do for the dead. There is a brotherhood that defies mortal conflicts. Not anymore, there isnt. Today we have the Left. The leaders of Madison, Wisconsin, are manifestly not decent people. God preserve us Southerners from behaving so shamefully. I suppose it wont be long before they disinter the Confederate bodies and put them on a barge down the Mississippi. Its hard to imagine what kind of despicable people destroy a tombstone a tombstone! for political reasons. This is a sign of the times and of a time to come. Indeed. One can hardly write a post on the mean-spiritedness of todays liberals without mentioning the fallout from the Democrats failed effort to bully Brett Kavanaugh out of a seat on the Supreme Court. Here the choice is almost limitless, but lets go with this one: a writer for the Stephen Colbert show seeks solace in having ruined Judge Kavanaughs life: Todays liberals have no decency. None whatsoever. Perhaps the most depressing fact is that, to my knowledge, not a single prominent Democrat has repudiated his partys descent into madness. PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-08 10:49:01 Airbus as leader of the consortium, partnering with Atos as coprime, have won a six-year framework contract Main EU Institutions services and agencies to benefit from cutting-edge cyber technology Munich, Paris, 8 October 2018 - Airbus Defence and Space, through its Airbus CyberSecurity unit and partnering with Atos as coprime entity, have been selected by the Council of the European Union to provide cyber security expertise, products, services and solutions to help protect the IT systems of 17 European institutions, services and agencies. This framework contract makes the consortium, in which Airbus Defence and Space acts as the lead company, the preferred provider of cyber security solutions for key European institutions for a minimum period of six years. European institutions will be able to implement a co-ordinated and upgraded cyber protection solution for all 17 entities, which include highly automated surveillance, warning detection and response, training, and studies to develop a cyber security roadmap to tackle future cyber threats. "This is a landmark agreement for us in the area of cyber security. The EU's decision to award Airbus CyberSecurity such a critical cyber protection contract is a strong endorsement of our capability and expertise. Cyber Security is a growing area of concern for many institutions in the era of digitalisation", said Dirk Hoke, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Defence and Space. Pierre Barnabe, Chief Operating Officer for Big Data & Security at Atos, added: "This is a key step forward in our strategic partnership with Airbus Defence and Space to protect such vital organisations, while enabling Europe to develop a European Cyber Defence strategy." The experts from the consortium will provide on-site threat analysis for the European authorities and response schemes to attacks, enabling them to respond effectively and rapidly to these risks. In addition, the consortium will be responsible for raising the awareness of all European institution employees to cyber threats and provide cyber security training courses. Meet the Atos experts at the Assises de la Securite tradeshow in Monaco from October 10 - 13 on booth #130. *** About Atos Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with approximately 100,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of around 12 billion. European number one in Big Data, Cybersecurity, High Performance Computing and Digital Workplace, the Group provides Cloud services, Infrastructure & Data Management, Business & Platform solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting-edge technologies, digital expertise and industry knowledge, Atos supports the digital transformation of its clients across various business sectors: Defense, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media, Energy & Utilities, Public sector, Retail, Telecommunications and Transportation. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, Unify and Worldline. Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index. About Airbus Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2016, it generated revenues of 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe's number one space enterprise and the world's second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide. Media contacts Atos Lucie Duchateau +33 7 62 85 35 10 lucie.duchateau@atos.net Sylvie Raybaud +33 6 95 91 96 71 sylvie.raybaud@atos.net Airbus Ambra Canale +34 689 66 94 02 ambra.canale@airbus.com This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients. The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: ATOS via Globenewswire PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-08 19:51:13 Press Information Polaris Market Research Contact us- Mr. Neel Corporate Sales, USA Polaris Market Research Phone: 1-646-568-9980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com Mr. Neel Manager 1-646-568-9980 email https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/ # 803 Words Contact us-Mr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.comWeb: www.polarismarketresearch.comManager1-646-568-9980 The worldwide battery management system (BMS) market is anticipated to reach USD 14,422 million by 2026. In 2017, the lead-acid batteries dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period.The rising demand of BMS from the automotive sector primarily drives the growth of this market. These systems are increasingly being adopted across various industries such as aerospace and defense, healthcare, and electronics among others. The increasing adoption of BMS in data centers, and renewable energy systems further supports the growth of this market.Free Sample copy of this Report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/battery-management-system-market/request-for-free-sample The well-known companies profiled in the report include Texas Instruments Inc., Johnson Matthey PLC., Linear Technology Corporation, vecture Inc., Elithion Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Intersil Corporation, Nuvation Engineering, Ventec SAS, Generex Systems, and Lithium Balance A/S among others. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers.The demand for electric vehicles has increased significantly over the years owing to increasing prices of gasoline prices across the globe, which leads to increased adoption of battery management systems. The exponential growth in the prices of gasoline and diesel owing to the depleting fossil fuel reserves has encouraged consumers to switch to battery based electric vehicles. Limited availability of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure for electric vehicles had restricted the adoption of these vehicles to a certain extent in the past. However, with significant government initiatives and substantial investments, the development of public charging infrastructure has accelerated significantly. Technological advancements in components such as lithium-ion batteries, which are majorly used in electric vehicles, along with decreasing prices of the same is expected to further increase the demand of battery based electric vehicles in the market.Make an Inquiry for Purchasing this Report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/battery-management-system-market/inquire-before-buying North America generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The increasing demand for alternative fuel vehicles, especially the electric-vehicles is expected to drive the growth of battery management systems in this region. The growing use of BMS in renewable energy storage systems also accelerates the adoption. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to increasing demand for BMS from countries such as China, Japan, and India. The presence of large number of automotive manufacturers and portable device suppliers also augments the growth of this market in the region.The different types of topologies included in the report include centralized, distributed, and modular. In 2017, centralized topology accounted for the highest market share. However, during the forecast period distributed and modular topologies are expected to represent strong growth.Modular topology offer high computational power, and enhanced safety. Modular topology is also increasingly being used for various applications such as drones, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems among others.Browse Report Summery @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/battery-management-system-market/ The various end-users of battery management systems include medical, automotive, telecommunication, consumer electronics, military, and others. In 2017, consumer electronics accounted for the largest share in the global market, and are estimated to grow at a substantial rate during the forecast period. The automotive segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to increasing applications, stringent government regulations regarding vehicular emissions, increasing acceptance of electric vehicles.About us Polaris Market ResearchPolaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities.We mainly focus on aiding our customers with substantial competitive intelligence, helping them to secure a competitive advantage in the market and accomplish sustainable growth in different market domains. Adept with a highly competent, experienced and extremely qualified team of experts comprising SMEs, analysts and consultants, we at Polaris endeavor to deliver value-added business solutions to our customers. Through dedicated qualitative and quantitative primary and secondary market research and consulting assignments, we adeptly formulate competitive strategies to address business challenges for our clients through analyzing market trends and emerging technologies.Contact us-Mr. NeelCorporate Sales, USAPolaris Market ResearchPhone: 1-646-568-9980Email: sales@ polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-08 09:04:03 WorldFirst & CANCAN are the first to enable both payment methods across major Italian airports CANCAN and WorldFirst Rollout Alipay and WeChat Payments Across Europe Instinctif Partners for WorldFirst Lee Jones worldfirst@instinctif.com (+44) 207 457 2020 Mobile payments specialist CANCAN (www.cancanmobile.com) together with WorldFirst (www.worldfirst.com), one of the worlds leading international payments specialists, have announced the launch of a payments and marketing platform that enables the two most popular Chinese payments methods Alipay and WeChat Pay across Europe and around the world. The ability to offer both Alipay and WeChat Pay simultaneously to Chinese tourists is a boon for merchants. With over 1 billion Mainland Chinese users for WeChat Pay and 550 million for Alipay, the two mobile wallets dominate 98% of the payments market for Chinese consumers. CANCAN already enables payments in China, Asia, Australia and North America, and now merchants operating in Italy and across Europe are set to benefit from this global experience and expertise. CANCANs omnichannel platform handles and facilitates promotions & payments instore, in-app and online, and reconciles a variety of payment methods and payment gateways in a single, unified backend system. By using CANCANs system, merchants are able to attract more customers to their retail offers, speed up the payment and reconciliation process and reduce transaction costs. The new service is being launched in Italy in Dufrital, part of Dufry Group (www.dufry.com) the worlds leading duty-free operator and will be available at locations across Italy. CANCAN and WorldFirst are excited to be the first company to offer an integrated solution for both wallets in Italy, in the same way we offer global merchants a single integration that covers payments across China, Asia, Australia, North America and Europe. commented Candice Koo, Managing Director of CANCAN. Offering both payment methods is essential for merchants who want to fully engage and service Chinese consumers, and especially Chinese millennials, who use the wallets with equal frequency but for different reasons. Italy is known to be an open and welcoming country, and by introducing a solution that combines Alipay and WeChat Pay with targeted digital marketing we feel we are enhancing the travel experience for Chinese tourists, commented Candice Koo, Managing Director of CANCAN. Nick Aston, Chief Enterprise Officer at WorldFirst adds, Its great to be a part of another world first. Were passionate about making it easier and faster to move money around the world, and our partnership with CANCAN does just that. Together, were making it easier for Chinese consumers to use their preferred payment method of choice around the globe and its great to bring our cross-border expertise and technology to this partnership to help merchants get paid faster too. We are also working on enabling other new payment methods together, so this is just the beginning. About CANCAN CANCAN enables merchants with global businesses to accept mobile payments anywhere in the world with one simple integration. CANCAN's platform is designed to streamline front-office and back-office operations and optimises digital marketing to merchants' target audiences via mobile payments. With operations spanning four continents and over 50 countries, CANCAN's technology is used by merchants belonging to the travel retail, F&B, hospitality, luxury, fashion, beauty and other specialty retail sectors. For more information on CANCAN's technology, products and services, please visit www.cancanmobile.com About WorldFirst WorldFirst is on a mission to create the worlds best platform for international trade through a unique payments ecosystem that connects importers and exporters globally. As a fast growing FinTech business, we combine best in-class technology and products with award-winning customer service to make it easier, cheaper and faster to manage money around the world. Weve helped over 160,000 people, small businesses and online sellers transfer over 70bn since 2004. WorldFirst operates all over the world and has over 600 employees based in offices in London, Amsterdam, Austin, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney. For more information on World First, please visit www.worldfirst.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005 MRRSE PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-08 13:25:44 Press Information MRRSE State Tower 90, State Street Suite 700 Albany, NY - 12207 United States Abhishek Budholiya Marketing Manager +1-518-730-0559 email https://www.mrrse.com/ # 650 Words State Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United StatesMarketing Manager+1-518-730-0559 Rapid expansion of automotive industry worldwide is expected to be the primary influencing factor for the growth of the emission control catalyst market through 2028. Revenues arising from the emission control catalyst market are expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 8.5% through 2028. Such insights have been taken from the report titled Emission Control Catalyst Market: High Demand to be Witnessed from China During the Forecast Period that was recently included in the repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE).For More Information Request Free Sample on Emission Control Catalyst Market Report @ https://www.mrrse.com/sample/16923 Western Europe is expected to witness a very high rate of growth in the emission control catalyst market owing to the implementation of very stringent rules and regulations on emission control and air quality by numerous governments in the region. In addition rising urbanization and increasing number of automobiles in the region are expected to boost the market demand in the region for the near future.In spite of the unstable economic situation worldwide, the Latin American and Asia Pacific markets are witnessing a steady growth in the automotive production industry. Consequently, these regions also provide growth opportunities for major players of the emission control catalyst market. Key market players are putting increasing focus on expanding production capacities and strategic collaboration with regional vendors to reduce costs of raw materials and gain greater competitive benefits.Emission Control Catalyst Market: Report OverviewThis report provides a regional and global-level analysis & forecast on the emission control catalyst market, in terms of value (US$ Mn), for the period of forecast 2018 to 2028. Influencers such as social, political, technological, and micro and macro-economic factors that play a vital role in impacting the demand and the requirements for emission control catalysts have been analyzed in detail.An end-to-end value chain analysis on the emission control catalyst market has been provided, and the researched information has been efficiently used for helping the readers understand the competitive situation among leaders and emerging market players with information on the opportunities and restraints, including data on financials and thorough SWOT analysis. A market attractiveness analysis, on the basis of market size, general attractiveness, competition matrix, and Y-O-Y growth rate, has also been added.Browse Complete Detail on Emission Control Catalyst Market Research Report with TOC @ https://www.mrrse.com/global-emission-control-catalyst-market Emission Control Catalyst Market: Research MethodologyDetailed discussions and extensive interviews have been carried out with highly experienced industry experts in the process of developing this report. Primary and secondary research methodologies have been used extensively, which have helped in extracting useful intelligence on the emission control catalyst market. Primary research represents most of the research efforts, which has been further supported with an extensive secondary research.Major companies and new entrants in the emission control catalyst market have been assessed, while a variety of data sources such as press releases, investor presentations, annual reports, have been used for comprehensive analysis on the markets competitor landscape to gain a better understanding of the market. The research approach employed here is regarded as a reliable and efficient approach to bring out precise intelligence on the market data, by finding and making use of insights on untapped business opportunities, and the various industry participants activities.Enquire More about This Report @ https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/16923 About (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords. MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting. PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-08 04:03:03 Hytera Supports Indonesia's Search and Rescue after Earthquake and Tsunami Rocked Its Central Sulawesi Hytera Aileen Tao, +86 755 26972999 xiaomin.tao@hytera.com To help improve collaboration efficiency in the search, rescue and evacuation, Hytera donated communications equipment in the first minute to Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI), the Indonesian Red Cross, following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake and a tsunami rocked Central Sulawesi in Indonesia on September 28, 2018. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) on October 4, the earthquake and the following tsunami has caused 1558 fatalities, 2549 injuries with 70821 people displaced and 65733 houses damaged. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181007005 Ms. Ria Thahir Receiving Hytera donations at PMI Headquarter (Photo: Business Wire) It is the second time Hytera supports PMI in disaster rescue and relief operations. Ria Thahir, Head of PMI Resource Mobilization and Partnership Division, said, Hyteras equipment was working well during Lombok earthquake in August, and is now still supporting the reconstruction at Lombok. We appreciate your fast response and what youve done for Indonesian people. Jerry Gao, Country Manager of PT. Hytera Communications Indonesia, expressed his condolence to the affected communities. Hytera has been in Indonesia for more than ten years. We have lots of clients, partners and a team of local colleagues here. We live on the same land and breathe the same air. Its our obligation to support local communities with our expertise to help them recover soon. The earthquake as well as the tsunami, liquefaction and landslides triggered by the quake caused great damages to the power supply and public communications networks in Central Sulawesi. Hyteras innovative emergency communications solutions, which can be deployed in a minimum time, prove to be efficient in setting up temporary communications networks in emergencies. As a leading global provider of innovative Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) communications solutions, Hytera is committed to fulfilling its social responsibilities by leveraging cutting-edge technology and product portfolio to support rescue and relief operations on a global scale. Hytera played an active role in providing support to emergency response efforts such as the Japan Tsunami in 2011, the Nepal Earthquake in 2015, the floods in Myanmar in 2016, Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas in 2017, Laos Dam Collapse in July 2018 and Lombok earthquake in August 2018. About Hytera Hytera Communications Corporation Limited is a leading global provider of innovative professional mobile radio (PMR) communications solutions that improve organizational efficiency and make the world safer. Founded in Shenzhen, China in 1993 and listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (002583.SZ), Hytera has ten research and development centers around the world. Hytera serves customers in over 120 countries and regions, including government, public security, utility, transportation, and enterprise. Sepura Group PLC and its subsidiary Teltronic S.A.U. became a part of Hytera in May, and Norsat International Inc. and its Sinclair Division became part of Hytera in July 2017. For more information, please visit www.hytera.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181007005 Hytera donated communications equipment in the first minute to Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI), the Indonesian Red Cross, following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake and a tsunami rocked Central Sulawesi in Indonesia on September 28, 2018. PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-08 14:02:01 NetMotion Software: New Research Exposes Lack of Network and Device Usage Visibility Increasing Corporate Security Risks MUSTARD PR Dan Walsh dan@mustardpr.com 01753 656 661 According to a new study titled, Greatest Mobile Security Threats in the Enterprise, a significant lack of visibility into devices and networks is putting businesses at risk for data leakage and phishing attacks. The study, conducted by Enterprise Mobility Exchange and commissioned by NetMotion Software, showed that nearly 50 percent of mobile workers spend the majority of their worktime connected to non-corporate public Wi-Fi and carrier networks. Of that 50 percent, over 27 percent claim to connect to non-corporate owned networks more than 76 percent of the time. And, over 60 percent lack tools to audit when a device connects to a third-party network. Over half of the companies were also unsure how to even monitor device data traffic and to which servers users were connected to, beyond their corporate firewalls. Our study showed that its impossible to devise effective strategies for mitigating mobile security threats if you dont know what devices are doing for a large part of the time theyre in use, said Dorene Rettas, Managing Director, Enterprise Mobility Exchange. Moreover, the widespread use of third-party networks creates a blind spot that needs to be addressed in order to make devices truly secure. In addition to data leakage and phishing attacks, other threats such as insecure applications, spyware and network spoofing were also highlighted as top concerns. While most respondents indicated having some level of mobile security policies to mitigate risks, roughly one-third didnt actively enforce them. Despite the potential for unsafe user behavior that might compromise the security of corporate information, more than a third (36 percent) do not provide employees with security training. The research also uncovered that, even as organisations recognise the threats, they are somewhat complacent to address them. Nearly half of those who provided an answer (49 percent) could not determine the number of mobile security incidents that took place in the previous year. And 66 percent of the companies do not require users to connect through a secured VPN to access corporate data, jeopardising their internal networks. As office and field work continues to demand always-on access to applications, its in an organisations best interest to provide employees secure access to a variety of Wi-Fi and carrier networks, added Christopher Kenessey, CEO & President for NetMotion. But enterprises still have a way to go to ensure visibility and security over device and user behaviour across networks outside the firewall. With a large number of field workers connecting to non-corporate, unsecured networks, organisations need real-time data gathering tools to stay ahead of the security threats in todays mobile workplace, said Nick McQuire, Vice President of Global Enterprise Research for CCS Insight. Visibility and actionable analytics are required for IT organisations to monitor their devices and networks in order to mitigate security risks. The Greatest Mobile Security Threats in the Enterprise study was conducted in the United States in July and August 2018. It reached more than 130 respondents at companies with corporately owned mobile devices (phones, tablets, laptops) across financial, government, warehousing and other industries. For more information on the Greatest Mobile Security Threats in the Enterprise study, download the complete report. About NetMotion Software NetMotion Mobile Performance and Operational Intelligence solutions give IT teams the ability to monitor, alert and dynamically make decisions using real-time data and analytics. Thousands of enterprises around the world depend on the companys solutions to improve the performance, visibility and security for their mobile workers. NetMotion has received numerous awards for its technology and customer support. The company consistently receives an impressive customer satisfaction Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 91, significantly exceeding NPS averages in the technology and telecom industries. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Visit www.netmotionsoftware.com. NetMotion, NetMotion Mobility, NetMotion Diagnostics and NetMotion Mobile IQ are registered trademarks of NetMotion Software, Inc. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005 The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, and the President of the Court of Appeal, Zainab Bulkachuwa, say the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) can leverage the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) infrastructure in courts in its debt recovery mandate. The two justices spoke on Monday in Abuja at the interactive session between Justices of Supreme Court; Court of Appeal, AMCON and National Judicial Institute (NJI). The discussion, which centered on how AMCON can effectively recover its outstanding N5.4 trillion debt, was on the theme Strengthening AMCON Recovery Drive. In his opening address, Mr Onnoghen said the judiciary must be aware of the daunting task before AMCON in recovering the huge debts before its sunset period. Mr Onnoghen said this required judicial support on one hand and for AMCON to think outside the box and come up with innovative ways of accomplishing its mission within the ambit of the law. He said this was the only way AMCON would recover as much debts as possible. It is for this reasons I will encourage the use of ADR, as part of the mechanism put in place to resolve asset management related disputes in our courts, the CJN said The chief justice insisted it was in Nigerias interest that AMCON should succeed in its assignment Certainly, judicial time and capacity are scarce public resources; as such repeated delays constitute waste of these precious resources. He said a better understanding of the current trends in this area of the law would go a long way in curbing delays and waste of judicial time and resources, thereby helping AMCON in fulfilling its mandate. The judiciary, the CJN assured, would continue to do its best to ensure judges remained conversant with the AMCON regime towards engendering efficiency, uniformity and improvement in the quality of judicial services in our courts. For Ms Bulkachuwa, the ADR was key to fast tract debt recovery activities of AMCON and the eventual industrialisation of the Nigerian economy. Asset Management Company of Nigeria She urged AMCON to consider leveraging the ADR infrastructure now available in Nigerian courts towards speedy debt recovery. The appeal court president said the CJN had consistently encouraged the use of ADR in view of the delays in adjudication caused by the density of cases in the dockets of the trial and appellate courts. The appellate courts trust this form of interactions holds the key to fast tracking debt recovery by AMCON and the eventual industrialisation of the Nigerian economy. The judiciary has been playing its constitutional role through dynamic and proactive, but fair and objective interpretation and enforcement of the AMCON Act by expeditiously determining AMCON cases by enacting AMCON practice directions at the Federal High Court, court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Apart from the CJN considering an exclusive practice direction for AMCON at the Supreme Court, she said, the chief justice also advised AMCON lawyers to adopt the fast track window for all AMCON appeals at the Supreme Court. The court of appeal has since issued a circular directing the expeditious disposition of all AMCON appeals, Ms Bulkachuwa said. AMCON managing director, Ahmed Kuru, reminded the justices that his agency currently has a lot of cases pending at the Federal High Court because obligors of the corporation deliberately raise issues that would cause delay in justice. AMCON currently has over 3,000 cases pending at the Federal High Court. Given the litigious tendency of our obligors, we anticipate more than 50 per cent of the cases will proceed to the Court of Appeal and eventually the Supreme Court. We hope the special practice directions issued by the President of the Court of Appeal will be very instrumental to speedy determination of the eventual appeals. The practice direction prescribed three months for concluding all AMCON matters. If the national assignment of recovering over N5 trillion of bad debts will be achieved, the practice direction needs to be strengthened and encouraged. Mr Kuru said AMCON has enjoyed the support and counsel of both the immediate past and incumbent CJN through the practice directions for expeditious hearing and determination of AMCON matters. He appealed for its sustainability because it would go a long way to helping AMCON especially with its sunset in mind. He said the quest to recover more funds was the reason why AMCON moved from restructuring towards enforcements, meaning that even more AMCON cases would arrive the courts in the years ahead. The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Monday suspended trading in the shares of six listed companies. The companies were suspended after they failed to file details of their accounts to the Exchange as stipulated by market regulations. The six companies are DN Tyre & Rubber Plc, FTN Cocoa Processors Plc, International Energy Insurance Plc, Thomas Wyatt Nigeria Plc, Union Dicon Salt Plc and Unic Diversified Holdings Plc. In a notice signed by Godstime Iwenekhai, head of Listings Regulation Department, the NSE said the decision was pursuant to Rule 3.1, Rules for Filing of Accounts and Treatment of Default Filing, Rulebook of The Exchange (Issuers Rules) (Default Filing Rules). The rule provides that if an issuer fails to file the relevant accounts by the expiration of the current period, the Exchange will send to the issuer a Second Filing Deficiency Notification within two business days after the end of the Cure Period; suspend trading in the Issuers securities; and notify the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Market within twenty- four (24) hours of the suspension. The NSE, therefore, said effective Monday, trading in the shares of the six companies remains suspended. In accordance with the rules set forth above, the suspension of the above listed companies will only be lifted upon the submission of the relevant accounts and provided The Exchange is satisfied that the accounts comply with all applicable rules of The Exchange, the notice said. This past week marked a turning point in the nations political history. It was Abubakar Atiku and all the news around his much-anticipated victory at the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which ended on Sunday in Port Harcourt. It is also the week that the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) affirmed President Muhammadu Buhari as its candidate for the 2019 presidential election. As it is with any major happening in the nations political firmament, Atikus victory is the trending story on the internet since the midday of Sunday. His landslide victory has got everyone talking. The focus of this piece is therefore on why he is Nigerias next president. Buharis Dismal Performance It is no longer news that President Muhammadu Buharis approval rating has taken a plunge in the last three years that he has been in office, which informs the belief by political pundits that a run against the president in 2019 posses no political risk. Indeed NOI Polls, the No 1 country specific polling services for Nigeria has returned a damning verdict on President Buharis stewardship, with the results of its poll showing that over the last three years the Presidents job performance rating has taken a downward turn for the worse, plummeting from his highest rating of 78 percent and 80 percent recorded in September and October 2015, to 37 percent recorded in August 2016 and more recently 38 percent and 39 percent in the months of February and April 2018 respectively. In more specific terms, the average approval rating of the president in 2018 stands below average at 39.6 percent; with his latest rating of May 2018 at 41 percent. He did poorly in all areas of assessment. So if 2018 holds the truth for 2019, a well grounded candidate like former Vice President Atiku can confront the president with possibility of electoral good show. Atikus Intimidating Track Record There is no gainsaying the fact that Atiku Abubakar has been the most prepared Nigerian to steer the ship of state in the last decade. However he hasnt been able to actualise his ambition because of the disposition of some detractors who feel threatened by the rich credentials that he brings to the table. But this is understandable, because politics taint noble people. So it is with Atiku. After impacting our national life for four solid decades, his impeccable record speaks volume about his public spiritedness and his support for worthy causes. At an age when many still prattled and sought relevance, Atiku bestrode Nigeria like a quintessential colossus, dishing out goodwill, service and altruism. These are undeniable. From his days as a top Customs Man, through his attempt to fly the flag of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Atiku has gone through the drudgery of grassroots politics to etch his name as Governor-Elect of Adamawa State in 1999. His crowning glory is as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007. The question remains, if he was not good, how has he been able to stamp a seal of excellence everywhere he went all these years? There is no lying that Atikus role as Vice President under President Olusegun Obasanjo has become a reference point on how deputies can be loyal yet effective. Except for cynics, Atikus intellect and contributions to the current debate for restructuring and fiscal federalism is incontrovertible. Furthermore, governance is not about making pretences to integrity or about some shadowy fight against graft. It has little to do with age. It has more to do with competence, sensitivity and responsiveness to the plights of the governed. In and out of public offices, the Wazirin Adamawa exemplifies excellence. His mission, as contained in his acceptance speech in Port Harcourt has a huge trunk to do with making Nigeria a better place for all. The emergence of Atiku as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was no happenstance. It is consistent with the resolve of members of the party to raise the bar in public service and put Nigeria back on the part of sustainable growth and development. Restructuring and Fiscal Federalism About two years after his tough lecture on the state of the nation, tongues are still wagging. Many Nigerians believe that his standpoint on the vexed issues on restructuring and fiscal federalism are timely wake up call, and will form a major part of the issues that will shape campaigns for the nations most coveted political position in 2019. Being that a man of Atikus standing was the one canvassing for resource control made a lot of difference within the context of power alignments. He has consistently argued that, Nigeria as currently constituted as an entity is rooted in corruption, impunity and injustice and thus must be reconstituted. According to him, political and civic leaders from across the country must come together, discuss, negotiate and make the necessary compromises and sacrifices needed to restructure our federation to make the nation a stronger, more united, productive, and competitive country. His contention is that there is a flaw in the countrys constitution which was why there is a recurring cry of marginalization from every section of the country. Atiku believes that no section of Nigeria can claim correctly that its people are better served by the current structure of our federation. He has since challenged those who against restructuring the countrys federal system as it currently stands, to show an example of countries that are functioning well with a structure such as Nigeria. Whatever ones arguments are, restructuring will shape the way Nigerians will vote during the Nigerias next presidential election. A Robust Manifesto Atiku Abubakars blueprint for Nigeria is by far his strongest weapon. The rich manifesto addresses all the challenges currently confronting the country. From defence and security, through job creation, education and infrastructure to poverty alleviation and power, no document from any presidential candidate in the history of Nigeria come close to Atikus manifesto in terms of concept, content and creativity. To convince Nigerians he has the vision and the preparation to change the nearly hopeless situation and offer a better deal, Atiku has articulated an ambitious manifesto, arguably one of the most elaborate in Nigerias political history. The same edge is seen on the social media where the Wazirin Adamawa is a household name. The import of this is that VP Atiku is by far more popular and more acceptable to the people than any politician seeking to be president in 2019. Transitory Memory of Nigerian Voters Nigerians have a short fuse when it comes to showing understanding with leaders, especially when such leaders are not delivering on electoral promises. I recall how in 2011 former President Goodluck Jonathan was the darling of Nigerians across ethnic and religious divide. He won the 2011 elections with several millions of votes ahead of General Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare. By 2015, this same Jonathan lost to Buhari and left the scene with so much hatred from the voting public. Buhari who had been rejected at the polls three consecutive times was elected. A Buhari who had been roundly disdained as a bigot, a religious extremist, and an unsellable candidate became the toast of Nigerian voters. This time round, history is about to repeat itself with an Atiku victory at the general election in February. Mr. Shaibu is an Abuja-based public communication consultant. The Lagos State Police Command said it arrested 84 persons allegedly involved in violence during the just concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries in the state. The state Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, told journalists that the timely arrest of the hoodlums at various spots saved the state from what he described as `destructive violence. I want to use this opportunity to thank Lagosians for conducting themselves peacefully during and after the recently concluded APC primaries which by all security indices was hugely successful. However, there were pockets of skirmishes in some parts of the state owing to the activities of thugs which were contained as soon as it began. In all, the command arrested a total of 84 thugs from various parts of the state, the CP said. In a similar development, 16 suspected hoodlums were arrested for damaging cars and looting shops at Ijora-Badia area of Lagos. On Friday October 5, hoodlums armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons went about Ijora-Badia town damaging cars and looting shops along Gaskya Street/Ijora Oloye. However, operatives of the command led by Indyar Apev, a chief superintendent of police, rose to the occasion and arrested 16 of them at the scene. Exhibits recovered includes cutlasses, large quantity of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp and alcoholic drinks popularly known as Skuchies, Mr Edgal added. (NAN) The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on Sunday elected a retired general, John Ogbor, as its presidential candidate for the 2019 elections. APGA is arguably Nigerias third largest political party with a state governor (Anambra State) and some federal and state lawmakers as members. The party, formed by the late Chukwuemka Ojukwu, is most popular among the Igbos of South-east Nigeria. Mr Ogbor, who was elected during the partys primary election in Abuja, has Jerry Chukwueke as his running mate. He said he was contesting for president in order to restructure the country so that it could become a developed nation. I want to be your president so as to fix Nigeria. My government will be unequivocally committed to a unified and prosperous nation where no one and no place will be left behind. Right now, Nigeria is confronted with many challenges such as insecurity ,unemployment ,poverty and illiteracy. Mr Ogbor said that the time had come for Nigerians to feel the impact of leadership. He said APGA would produce a leadership were all lives and property would be protected, adding that Nigerians needed not to despair because hope had come. He said that he would transform Nigeria with his five point agenda of true federalism ,social reconstruction and security. He also listed economic reconstruction, youth and women empowerment as part of the agenda. The National Chairman of the party, Victor Oye, said Mr Ogbor had satisfied the requirement of APGAs constitution Mr Oye said that the party would strive to ensure his victory in 2019. He urged Nigerians to vote for APGA for a paradigm shift in the nation. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Ogbor is a former Commandant of the Nigerian Army Education Corps. Also, the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) on Sunday elected former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, as its presidential candidate for the 2019 election. Mr Mimiko was elected as a consensus candidate by members of the party in Abuja at its national convention. The presidential hopeful said that he would leverage on the partys social democratic ideological orientation to convince Nigerians to work with him. He said that with the partys pedigree and those of its leading lights, he would not have trouble convincing Nigerians why the party is the preferred option for them in the 2019 elections. As a social democratic party committed to the enduring principles of good governance, utilitarianism and a restructured federal system for Nigeria, ZLP is set to capture the imagination of Nigerians. The party will lead the process of renewing the Republic. I am resolutely committed to a programme of restructuring the Nigerian federation. This is with a view to affording every segment of the country the opportunity and privilege of development at its own pace. This will be done in such a manner that the age long beauty in competitive development will be fully tapped. Mr Mimiko said that he was persuaded beyond any doubt, that such restructuring would give vent to the spirit of Nigerians. He added that the spirit of accomplishment, which had made stars of individual Nigerians all over the world, would be ignited again. Mr Mimiko urged members of the party not to be intimidated by the big parties, but concentrate on the size and weight of ZLP ideas. Former Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko The former governor also urged the party to focus on the purity of its ideological commitment. We must focus on our compassion for the weak and the poor in society. We must focus on the clarity of vision and thought that we bring to the fore for Nigerians as we go into the elections. Mimiko said that it was with the confidence in the ability of Nigerians to make existential decision in the 2019 elections that he made a decision to serve. He stressed that he was out to disrupt settled assumptions, by focusing on new ideological narratives that affected the people directly. Mr Mimiko governed Ondo State between 2009 and 2016 under the platforms of Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), respectively. Mr Mimiko had earlier declared his presidential ambition under the Labour Party but later defected to the ZLP. The Chief Returning Officer and Chairman of the party, Dan Nwanyanwu, said that Mr Mimiko fulfilled all the partys requirements and obeyed the constitution of the party. Mr Nwanyanwu reiterated the partys support for Mimiko, adding that the ZLP would go all out to ensure victory for its presidential candidate. Another party, the National Action Council (NAC) , on Sunday elected its National Chairman, Rabia Cengiz, as its presidential candidate for the 2019 general elections. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mrs Cengiz emerged through a consensus vote by the delegates to the partys National Convention held in Abuja. Rabia Cengiz emerges NAC presidential candidate Mrs Cengiz speaking with journalists shortly after her emergence said she was fully prepared to go into the next stage of consulting with Nigerians to achieve her vision of been the first Nigerian female president. She said she was not afraid to face candidates of other political parties in the 2019 contest, especially men with money bag politics. The men may have the money but we women have the hearts. There is a saying that they are rich in the pockets buy their hearts are poor. Nigerians need mothers with good hearts that can build this country, the way we have built good men and women. Mrs Cengiz said she was ready to deliver quality leadership and real change that Nigerians had been waiting for, if elected in 2019. After 58 years our leaders are still promising to give basic infrastructure like road, education among others. I believe we should have passed that stage. We should have been at the state of inventing things and not promising things that should had been done years back. It is a shame for our leaders to still be promising health, electricity, infrastructure, agriculture and others. This time around I believe woman can do those things that were left undone. I am prepared to achieve them. Mrs Cengiz told NAN that she has the political structure and capacity to win 2019 Presidential election. Johnson Omede, the partys convention returning officer, who was also the Deputy Legal Adviser of the party, said that the convention followed the rules and guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and monitored by INEC National Commissioner. Mr Omede said that the affirmation of Mrs Cengiz by all the delegates show she was a candidate to beat in 2019. He said that arising from the convention monitored by INEC, the party was more than ready for the 2019 general elections . The cloud of supporters that we have across the nation had indicated their support and readiness to work for her victory to ensure that the road to Vila is overwhelmed. Mrs Cengiz is the founder and president of Rakad International School, Hotoro, Kano State, President, World Organisations for Early Child Education and also President and founder of Northern Women Political Enlistment Campaign. (NAN) Nigerias Chief Justice, Walter Onnoghen, has warned lawyers not to engage in actions that cause delay in cases at the Supreme Court. The warning is aimed at ensuring the speedy resolution of cases at the Supreme Court, the official said. According to the directive, lawyers and others involved in the resolution of pending cases must ensure that hearing dates are strictly adhered to and unnecessary adjournments avoided. Mr Onnoghens instruction followed his disclosure that cases currently pending at the apex court may take till 2021 to be resolved, due to enormity of matters still before the court. He made the disclosure through a statement signed by his special assistant on media, Awassam Bassey, on Monday. It is pertinent to state that the Supreme Court diary is full with appeals set down for hearing up to the year 2021. The situation therefore leaves no room for unnecessary adjournments arising from lack of diligent prosecution, poor preparations or non-appearance by Counsel. Accordingly, the Hon. CJN says this means that any matter that is assigned a date must be heard and determined one way or the other on that date. For appeals that may be discovered to have defects, counsel is advised to take necessary steps to amend such defects before the due hearing date, he said, adding that everyone must come to the court fully prepared for the business of the day. The statement adds that the NJC has begun publication of pending cases within the court, three months ahead of the hearing dates, as against the weekly publication of cases earlier practiced. The change is to enable parties prepare accordingly to avoid unnecessary delay of cases. On the directives of His Lordship, the Hon. CJN, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has commenced publishing its cause list for up to three months per time on its website, www.supremecourt.gov.ng. This is a departure from the former practice where the Court only published weekly Cause List and the Rulings on Applications from Chamber Sitting on the said website. The policy, according to the CJN, is deliberately targeted at the speedy dispensation of Justice and its publication is to encourage counsel to take advantage of the initiative and prepare adequately ahead of hearings, to avoid any delays. On a related note, the CJN advises counsel to obtain their official legal email addresses if they have not done so yet as communication with and service of processes at the Supreme Court remain only via the legal E-mail. Counsel can get the legal mail at legalmail.nigerianbar.ng; while they can send appeal/motion details to scn/lit.reg.@courts.gov.ng. This latest directives by the chief justice is the latest in a series of directives aimed at ensuring speedy dispensation of justice. Mr Onnoghen was sworn in as substantive chief justice of Nigeria last year. The eight South African police officers arrested in connection with brutal murder of a Nigerian in 2017 have been released on bail by that countrys Magistrate Court. Adetola Olubajo, President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa (NUSA), confirmed the latest development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Pretoria on Monday. Mr Olubajo said that South Africas Independent Police Investigating Directorate (IPID) had indicted the eight cops for the torture and murder of Badmus Ibrahim on October 10, 2017. The eight police officers (six men and two women) were released today (Monday) on bail of R3,000 (about N72,000) each among other conditions by the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate Court. One of the bail conditions is that the released police officers should not in any way interfere with witnesses. The eight police officers made application for bail at the magistrate court today (Oct. 8) with three lawyers representing them, he told NAN. Mr Olubajo said that IPID, an independent unit outside the South African Police Department, had opposed the bail application through the IPID Principal Investigating Officer, Tulani Makagula. He said the magistrate granted the wish of the defendants and adjourned the matter until November 13 for further hearing. The court premises and room were filled with members of the police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, who were in solidarity with their members indicted for torture and murder of Ibrahim. The police union have thrown their weight behind their accused members, pledging legal support for them. Also, the Nigerian Union in South Africa senior officers were at the court with members of Nigerian community to witness the proceedings and ensure everything was in order, he said. Mr Olubajo said that NUSAs legal adviser, Omoreige Ogboro, who was present in court, had applied for Nigerias Channels Television to cover the courts proceedings. The unions president said the Nigerian community had earlier reported to the union the constant harassment and intimidation of Nigerians following the murder of Mr Ibrahim. According to him, the principal witness in the case was arrested in August by that countrys police and had remained in detention since the arrest. NUSA commend the efforts of IPID for not leaving any stone unturned while investigating the murder case of late Ibrahim. Going by the briefing we received from IPID, we believe they (IPID) have a watertight case. So, we are positive that justice will be served at the end of the trial. We advice Nigerians in Vanderbijlpark, outside the magistrate court to remain calm as we have confidence in the investigation done by IPID so far, and South Africas justice system, he said. According to unofficial sources, up to 800,000 Nigerians mostly young people reside in South Africa. (NAN) The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has dismissed a request by the Benue State government challenging the powers of anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate alleged fraud in the state. The judge, Nnamdi Dimgba, ruled that the EFCC is legally empowered to investigate alleged fraud in any part of the country, regardless of the location. According to the judge, the enabling act, guiding the EFCC does not limit its powers only to federal government agencies. Mr Dimgba said the doctrines of neutrality and impartiality as it relates to the EFCC, makes it mandatory for the commission to treat all agencies of government equally, especially with regards to the disbursement of public funds. Public institutions like the first defendant must not only be impartial or neutral, but must be seen to be so. He, therefore, threw out the application for lacking in merit. The Benue State government had approached the court with a request that the EFCC be prevented from further investigations into the Benue State governments activities. The applicants lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, asked the court to declare the EFCCs investigations illegal, on the grounds that the commission was allegedly overstepping its boundaries. Mr Etiaba argued that as a federal government establishment, the EFCC lacked the power to investigate alleged fraud in states. Mr Etiaba told journalists after the court ruling on Monday that his client would appeal the court judgment. The Second Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers will hold at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos State on Friday, October 19, 2018, with former Governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, as Chairman. A statement signed by GOCOPs Publicity Secretary, Olumide Iyanda, said the theme of the conference is: Online Publishers Role Towards A Sustainable Economy, Credible Election and Security in Nigeria. A former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, will be the guest speaker. The Chairman, Centre of Excellence in Multimedia Technology, Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Ralph Akinfeleye; and Director, ICT Centre, Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Leonard Shilgba, will be the discussants. Speaking on the choice of the theme, GOCOP President, Dotun Oladipo, said: The prevailing economic, political and security realities in Nigeria require keen interest from the media. With the 2019 general elections approaching, Nigerians deserve access to authentic news and views, which are best provided through digital platforms upon which GOCOP members operate. As an organisation, GOCOP is committed to ensuring that the use of fake news and misinformation do not destroy Nigerias political, economic and security progress, hence the need to look at the critical role of online publishers as entrusted to them by the Constitution. The Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and other stakeholder groups in the media will be represented at the conference. GOCOP represents media organisations registered in Nigeria with promoters drawn from practitioners who have served at senior levels in the profession. A former Senate President, David Mark, has congratulated former Vice President Atiku Abubabkar, on his emergence as the presidential flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 general elections. Mr Mark in a statement by Aba Ejembi, spokesperson of his Presidential Campaign Organisation made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday, urged Nigerians to support Mr Abubakars candidature. The senator who was also a presidential aspirant at the partys convention on October 6 at Port Harcourt, Rivers, pledged his support to Mr Abubakar to ensure victory for the PDP in the elections. I have maintained throughout my electioneering campaign that all the presidential aspirants in our great party, including Abubakar, were eminently qualified to provide excellent leadership for the nation. I also pledged that as a faithful and steadfast party man, I would support anyone of them who emerged the flagbearer of the PDP, he said. Mr Mark said he believed implicitly that power comes from God alone and He gives it to whom He wills and when He wills. The senator also congratulated delegates to the PDP National Convention for their comportment at the event. He said that: the PDP had demonstrated that it is indeed a party of patriots and true democrats. He also appreciated the Government and people of Rivers for their hospitality. (NAN) The trial of a Danish national, Peter Nielsen, who is accused of killing his Nigerian wife and daughter continued Monday with the prosecution calling the family driver to enter the witness stand. Zainab, 37, and Petra, 3, were allegedly murdered by Mr Nielsen at their Banana Island home in Ikoyi, Lagos. Daniel Joel, the family driver, while testifying told Mobolanle Okikiolu-Ighile, a judge of the Lagos Division of the Lagos State High Court sitting, Igbosere, that before her death, Zainab had come to the drivers lodge around 1 a.m., sometime in 2017, and asked him to call the security men at Bella Vista to come and hold her husband that he is mad and wants to kill her. He said Zainab who was holding their daughter, Petra, kept banging on the door of the drivers lodge before his colleague woke him up that his madam was knocking at the door. Mr Joel said the deceased showed him the wounds on her face, after opening the door for her, and asked him to call the security men. He said he immediately put a call through intercom to the security men who came and the deceased told them that the defendant wants to kill her and that she doesnt want to stay in the house again. The witness, who was led in evidence by Adeniji Kazeem, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Lagos State, said he asked her where she wanted to go to at that time of the night so he could take her, but said she asked him not to worry and that he could go back to bed. Mr Joel said after about an hour, the deceased came back with police officers and arrested the defendant and he was taken to Ikoyi Police Station. After the arrest, the defendant came back and in the morning the defendant asked me to drive him back to the police station, after which he asked me to take him to Radisson Blu Hotel in Victoria Island, and then I went back to the house. While I was at home, Mrs Zainab said that the children were writing exams that I should get ready that after their exams I would take them to the airport. On Sunday, after they had finished their exams, I took them to the airport, where they boarded a flight to Abuja. On our way to the airport, Mrs Zainab said that it was because of fear that they are going to Abuja. The defendant called me and asked me to come and pick him at Radisson Blu after dropping the wife at the airport. A day later, he asked me to take him to the airport which I did. Mr Joel said he got to know about the death of Mrs Zainab and her daughter through a phone call while he was in Kaduna. During cross examination by the defence counsel, Olasupo Shasore, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Joel said the defendant told him that he was drunk. He also said that he had seen the defendant smoke cigarettes but had never seen him take cocaine. Asked if he could describe the relationship between the deceased and the defendant, Mr Joel said he does not know anything about their relationship. Asked who informed him about the death of the deceased, the witness said one of the security men at Bella Vista Tower, in Banana Island, named Festus called him and told him what had happened. Festus said I want to tell you about a sad news, he told me that my madam was dead, but didnt tell me how she died, when I received the call, I couldnt believe what Festus was telling me. After receiving series of calls about the death of my madam, I took a taxi to Abuja, from Kaduna, and then flight to Lagos, I got to Bella Vista around 2 p.m. and saw ambulance taking Mrs Zainab to the hospital, I then took an Okada to the hospital and met the deceaseds mother Mrs Ruth Madaki there. Earlier the defendants counsel had brought two applications dated October 5 before the court seeking for medical samples to enable them do a DNA as well as to grant them access to the crime scene as it was under lock and key. The two applications were granted by the presiding Mrs Okikiolu-Ighile, who later adjourned the case to October 9, for continuation of trial while the defendant was remanded in prison custody. The defendant, Mr Nielsen, a Dane, is accused of the murder of his wife and daughter at their residence at Number 4, Flat 17, Bella Vista Tower, Banana Island Ikoyi. According to the prosecution, the offence was committed on April 5 at about 3:45 a.m. The 53 years old Danish citizen pleaded not guilty to the crime. The Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation has said the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari as the candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress is fraudulent. It said Mr Buhari was the only candidate cleared by the APC to contest its primary, yet, a coalition of five aspirants are (is) challenging his victory. That alone tells Nigerians his emergence is fraudulent. The group, reacting to a similar attack on Mr Abubakar by the presidents campaign team also said it is not surprised at the criticism. The organisation, which disclosed this in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES, said the emergence of Mr Abubakar means the coming end of APCs ignominious reign. Mr Abubakar will be the main challenger of the incumbent president at next years polls after clinching the presidential ticket of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party at its convention in Port Harcourt over the weekend. The Buhari Campaign Organisation, on Sunday, questioned the credibility of the former vice presidents emergence at PDPs flagbearer. In a sarcastic congratulatory message to Mr Abubakar, the organisation said the allegations of massive vote-buying at the primaries raises credibility issues and the kind of values he (Abubakar) brings into the politics of Nigeria. The Director, Strategic Communications, of the organisation, Festus Keyamo, also flayed Mr Abubakar further challenging his antecedence and integrity while in office. But the Abubakar group has responded challenging the APC to look inwards rather than criticise its own exercise. It questioned the process of the APCs primaries recalling that even the wife of the president, Aisha Buhari condemned the primaries of the ruling party. It said in its own case, the eleven other aspirants of the PDP accepted Atikus victory. Mrs Buhari on her Twitter handle had earlier condemned the primaries of the APC saying the irregularities that marred the process had put a credibility mark on the outcome. We ask, how can the Buhari Campaign Organisation disparage the PDP primary that produced His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, when even the Presidents own wife, Aisha Buhari, has condemned the APCs primary? Not only did Mrs Buhari condemn APCs primaries, she described them as unfair and lacking in integrity. Who can know President Buhari better than his wife? President Buhari was the only candidate cleared by the APC to contest its primary. Yet, a coalition of five aspirants is challenging his victory. That alone tells Nigerians his emergence is fraudulent. The group said even the presidents former running mate, Tunde Bakare, praised the emergence of Mr Abubakar, whom he described as an Eagle and a cosmopolitan Wazobia (unifying) politician. The group also said if the Mr Abubakar is the most investigated politician in Nigeria, as claimed by the presidents team, it was worrisome that it had not found it necessary to arrest the politician since it came into power. The group said Nigerians who have suffered under the present administration, will readily vote for Mr Abubakar. The trial of alleged billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike (popularly known as Evans) before Adedayo Akintoye, a judge of the Lagos Division of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, was stalled on Monday due to the absence of the defendants counsel. When the matter was called, Olanrewaju Ajanaku, counsel to Evans, informed the court through a letter that he would not be available for the proceedings and requested for an adjournment. Evans, who is facing criminal trial before several judges, is charged with conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, and attempted murder before Mrs Akintoye. In the first charge, Evans is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu, and Victor Aduba. In the second charge, before the same judge, he is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara, and Victor Aduba. At the last adjourned date, the prosecutions fifth witness, Izuchukwu Ezeuko, told the court how he travelled to the Eastern part of the country to drop $1 million ransom to the alleged kidnappers of his employer. Mr Ezeuko, a manager in the firm of the kidnap victim, James Uduji, told the court that he agreed to travel from Lagos to drop the ransom in order to save his boss life. He narrated to the court how he paid the $1 million ransom in two tranches of $800, 000 and $200,000 to the kidnappers. The witness, who was led in evidence by the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice Lagos State, Adeniji Kazeem, told the court that on September 7, 2015, his employer came to the factory at Agbara as he usually does, adding that at about 5.00 p.m., he received a call that his employer who had left the factory for home had been kidnapped. On October 10, 2015, Mr Ezeuko said he got a call from a private number who said he should speak with his boss. My boss then spoke to me and said if I want him alive, I should go to the East to deliver money to the alleged kidnappers. I went to Festac and met Mr Edwin Uduji, the victims brother, who arranged the first $800, 000 for me to travel with. On October 11, which was the next day, I drove down to the East with the victims elder sister, in the East, a voice gave us instructions on how to drop the money, Mr Ezeuko said. Another witness, Kingsley Harold, a police sergeant, had also given evidence in the first charge in which Evans is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba, for alleged kidnap of Mr Donatus. Mr Harold, who was led in evidence by Jide Martins, said after Evans was arrested, he was asked to make a statement at the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS)office Ikeja but Evans said he was not too good in writing. The case was adjourned till October 24 for continuation of trial. The Sokoto State Governor and former presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Aminu Tambuwal, on Monday congratulated former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, on his emergence as the flagbearer of the party in the 2019 presidential election. In a letter Mr Tambuwal personally signed, he described Mr Abubakars emergence as a testament to the fact that the PDP is now a reformed party. On behalf of my humble self, my family, and millions of my supporters from across the length and breadth of the country, I heartily rejoice with and congratulate Your Excellency on your emergence as the standard flagbearer of our great political party, the PDP at the just concluded National Convention held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Your emergence in a transparent process is a testament to the fact that the PDP is now a reformed party and has sent a strong signal about our resolve to bring about the desired national transformation needed to turn around the fortunes of our beloved nation Nigeria. The task at hand, going forward, is to ensure victory at the polls in order to save our fatherland from the current regime of annihilation bestriding it. This calls for unity of purpose that admits of no division, no distractions and no internal wrangling. I commit myself to this task and urge all members of our great party to roll up their sleeves and set to work as members of one united family, the former speaker said. Mr Abubakar polled 1,532 votes at Sundays PDP presidential primary election to defeat Mr Tambuwal who scored 693 votes, and 10 other candidates. Most of the other contenders have already sent in their best wishes to Mr Abubakar. EDITORS NOTE: This story has been edited to remove a quote allegedly made by a former military ruler which he has denied. Outgoing Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has regretted the failure of Sokoto Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, to emerge as the PDP presidential candidate at the partys national convention held in Port Harcourt on Saturday. He also threatened to leave the party. Mr Fayose, in a statement on Monday in Ado Ekiti, said he supported his Rivers counterpart, Nyesom Wike, to ensure the emergence of Mr Tambuwal. Former Vice President Abubakar Atiku picked the PDP ticket for the presidential race after scoring 1,532 votes to floor Mr Tambuwal who got 693 votes. Mr Fayose, while reacting to the outcome of the primary election, said he was reconsidering his membership of the PDP because of Mr Tambuwals loss. We have no regret aligning with Governor Wike to support Governor Tambuwal for the presidential ticket. We have no apologies either. We kept the party alive and strong when most men became ladies. We never compromised. If any group feels it can do it alone, we will see how far they can go I may renounce my membership of the party, if the need arises In the main time, myself and others will continue with our consultations while watching the turn of events. We cannot but appreciate leaders that have intervened so far, but this release became necessary to avoid fresh crisis or misrepresentation, he said. (NAN) The All Progressives Congress (APC) has attacked the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, saying the presidency is not for sale and alleging the politician paid delegates at last weekends convention. The party said this in a statement by its publicity secretary, Yekini Nabena, on Monday. The All Progressives Congress (APC) congratulates Atiku Abubakar on his election as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2019 presidential candidate. This is in keeping with our belief in participatory democracy and the electorates right to freely choose from candidates in any political contest. However, in assessing candidates to be voted for during elections, Nigerians will normally consider the candidates background and antecedents. The pertinent question to ask about Atiku is what his scorecard in public office was? Regrettably, Atikus scorecard is abysmally low and he has proven to be an untrustworthy and unreliable character. A case in point is Atikus revealing altercation with his former boss President Olusegun Obasanjo which exposed the level of corruption Atiku was enmeshed in. In the international level, Atiku has been reportedly place on the global watch list of the United States of America and has avoided travelling to the US to avoid arrest and prosecution over a money-laundering and corruption case in that country.Really, is this the character and antecedent of a candidate Nigerians will be proud to vote for as our President, come 2019? Mr Nabena said. Comparing Mr Abubakar to its candidate, President Muhamamdu BUhari, the ruling party said it believes that if Mr Abubakar loses the presidential election in 2019, he will again defect from the PDP to another political platform as seen in the past. Mr Abubakar has changed parties at least three times in his determination to be president. He was vice president under the PDP, contested the 2007 presidential election under the then Action Congress; sought the presidential ticket of the APC in 2015, before rejoining the PDP last year. The APC then speaks on its allegation of vote buying against Mr Abubakar. Atiku is known as a super rich Nigerian who entrenched the undemocratic practice of buying votes of delegates. During the APC National Convention in 2014, he spent several millions of dollars to buy delegates votes and emerged third, after Buhari and Rabiu Kwankwaso. On Sunday, he reportedly bought over virtually all the PDP delegates and was declared winner of the PDP presidential primaries. With these huge expenses expended to secure the PDP ticket, how will Atiku recoup his investment if not from the public treasury should he win the Presidency? The APC said its candidate, Mr Buhari, does not spend money on delegates and banks only on his personal integrity. The Nigerian electorate deserves to be given a choice of decency, integrity and honour and not dirt, corruption, and infamy. The choice between Buhari and Atiku is one between light and darkness; between positive change and business as usual; between transparency and under the table dealings the statement read. As 2019 election draws near, the APC said, If the choice is between a presidential candidate/change agent who is rebuilding the country and refocusing our national priorities and attitudes on one hand, and another candidate who along with his gang of co-looters stole the countrys commonwealth and brought the country to its knees, that choice has already been made by the Nigerian electorate. The campaign organisation of Mr Abubakar has however denied that the opposition candidates paid delegates saying the primary was free and fair and broadcast live to Nigerians. A former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, has said that crises between farmers and herders have been hijacked by politicians to score political points. He said contrary to insinuations, President Muhammadu Buhari is neutral and takes no side in the conflicts. He said rather than take side with the Fulani herders, President Buhari is even seen by the herdsmen as one who has taken sides with persons they consider as the aggressors. Speaking on Monday at a forum on conflict resolution organised by The Nation Newspaper and its sister broadcaster, TVC, Mr Ribadu called for lasting solutions to the conflict. Mr Ribadu had participated as a mediator in peace building efforts in Plateau State. According to him, the nomadic Fulani suffer from exclusion and neglect, which aggravate their suffering and deny them basic rights as Nigerians. Nomadic Fulani are the most detribalised people you can find; they dont care about tribe or religion. They can live with anybody provided they have pasture, he said. Mr Ribadu noted that climatic changes, insecurity, and economic downturn are mostly the reasons why herdsmen move from hinterland to down south. He said, over the years, Nigeria has failed to arrest nomadism and resettle Fulani nomads as it happened in many countries around the world. This is an old problem around the world from America to Asia and here in Africa. There were nomads in America but with right policies, they were settled. In India, there are 315 nomadic tribes, but they have all been settled. The Ahir tribe, in particular, is very similar to our own Fulani. The Suri in Ethiopia, Turkaana, Samburu and Masai in East Africa and Nembe in Namibia, or even the Tuaregs in North Africa and Sahel are all settled today. We should not be different, he said. He said the only policy ever introduced by the Nigerian government to help the Fulani herdsmen was the nomadic education programme. He called for proper integration of the nomadic Fulani, as a step towards a lasting solution to the conflicts associated with herdsmen and farmers. Nigerias first university has produced 232,225 graduates since inception 70 years ago, an official has said. Idowu Olayinka, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan said on Sunday that many of the alumni of the institution hold or have held high profile positions in various segments of the economy, both locally and internationally. As at the end of last session, we had a total of 35,084 students, comprising 14,354 undergraduates, 9,287 distance learning and 11,443 post graduate students, he said. The professor highlighted that as part of the plans of the university to commemorate its 70th year anniversary, some respected individuals in the society will be given honorary awards. They include Bode Akindele, Bolanle Awe, Grace Alele Williams, Akin Maboguje, Funmi Olapade and Omoniyi Adewoye, all professors except Ms Olapade identified a Dr. The vice-chancellor said the university needed additional N30 billion in the next 10 years to achieve world-class standard. He said, For us to be a world-class university, we need to invest heavily in physical and infrastructural facilities, to address the acute shortage of office space for staff, classrooms and laboratories. He said the institution was exploring ways to make itself less dependent on government funding. We are adopting a two-pronged approach involving a resource mobilisation plan and prudent management of the available resources. According to the don, elements of these include regular income from commercial activities and increasing the endowment fund, research grants and the strategic funds. Mr Olayinka said that other means would be to consolidate the businesses established by the university. Such businesses include the UI Microfinance Bank, UI Ventures, UI Water, Animal Production Venture, Fisheries and Aquaculture, UI Publishing House, UI Endowment Fund and the UI Bookshop. He said that the university was currently getting about N13 billion yearly. Presently the institutions subvention is about N13 billion, which is a far cry from what is needed to maintain the institution. Out of this N13 billion, salaries are paid, electricity bills which run to millions of naira is paid, water and health care are provided among other things. If the premier university is properly funded, within a shortest possible time, it would be among the top five in Africa and top 100 in the world, he said. A former member of the House of Representative, Aishatu Binani, representing Girei, Yola North and South Federal Constituency, has emerged the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries of Adamawa Central Senatorial District held on Sunday in the state. Mrs Binani defeated Aliyu Boya and former managing director of Nigeria Port Authority, Umar Umarana. The Central senatorial district was the only district in contest. This is due to the defection of Abdulazeez Nyako from the APC to African Democratic Party (ADC), a move made in a bid to actualise his governorship ambition, thereby creating the vacancy in the district. To stop other senators in the state from defecting, the APC had announced that current senators shall be allowed to maintain the partys ticket in 2019. The party affirmed Binta Garba representing the Northern senatorial district and Abubakar Ahmed representing the Southern senatorial district. The senatorial aspirants in these two senatorial district were asked to step down for the incumbent senators in order to fulfil the earlier promises of the party. Declaring the winner, the returning officer for the primaries of the Central senatorial district, Umar El-Yakubu, said after scoring the highest votes of 1282, Aishatu Binani is declared the winner of the primary. Aliyu Wakili scored 599 votes; Umar Umurana recorded 334 votes while Ibrahim Bappa Waziri recorded four votes and Ibrahim Bello got two votes. Mr El-Yakubu said the total numbers of votes accredited and cast was 2270. About 26 invalid votes recorded. He described the exercise as free, fair, credible, transparent and peaceful. The Plateau State chapter of Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ), has threatened to withdraw its members from the ongoing military search and rescue operation of the missing general, Muhammed Alkali. The group also expressed concern over what it described as arbitrary harassment and intimidation of members of public. NUJ made its position in a press statement signed by its chairman and secretary, Paul Jatau and Peter Amine respectively. The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Plateau State Council is concerned about the way and manner the Nigeria Army is going about its search for missing Maj. Gen. Idris Alkali (rtd). The abitrary harassment, intimidation and arrest of members of the public as part of their search is a thing of worry to the NUJ. We recall that at the commencement of the evacuation of water from Dura Du pond in Jos South, the Army told the public that they have credible intelligence that the missing generals car was in the pond and true to their word, the car was retrieved from the pond. We expect them to use the same intelligence they used to locate the car to go after the suspects as they continue the search for Gen. Alkali or his body. We are perturbed because innocent people are not spared by the crude method they have employed thereby instilling fear and overheating the polity. The Army on Saturday in a statement, assured the public that they will exhibit high level professionalism according to international standard in the search but what is on display contradicts the assurances. The same Saturday, a member of our Union, a reporter of the Punch Newspaper was arrested alongside other persons by the army and was detained for 28 hours in Rukuba Barracks as part of the search. We wish to state unequivocally that while journalists support the search for the missing senior officer, indeed the Nigeria Union Of Journalists, Plateau State Council will not hesitate in withdrawing its members from covering their activities if the intimidation and harrasment continues, the statement highlighted. According to the Punch reporter who was released Monday morning, he and 36 others were, on Sunday, arrested at Anne Breeze Restaurant, Rayfied area of Jos South Local Government Area of the state, where he went to buy food. I came back last night after spending about 28 hours behind bars over the Jos missing Gen. Mohammed Idris Alkali (retd). We were 28 men and 9 women (37). I went to buy food by 9:00 p.m. on Saturday (curfew starts by 10:00) at a popular Anne Breeze Restaurant when soldiers in two lorry trucks (about 30 of them) swooped on the place, shot indiscriminately at sight and arrested every human being they sighted. Even my identification that Im a journalist didnt help matters. Twenty-eight of us were kept in an uncompleted building and I had no access to my family, editors and colleagues because they took our phones, the reporter narrated. When contacted on the matter, deputy director, army public relations, Kayode Ogunsanya, said the journalist was found in a wrong place, though he did not specifically provide the name of the place. The journalist was found at a wrong place at the wrong time. When l recognised him on my own, he was later released. He spent less that 20hrs, as against 28hrs he claimed, Mr Ogunsanya said. Mr Alkali was declared missing on September 3, when he was traveling from Abuja to Bauchi. After a few weeks, the army received intelligence that the generals body or car was in the pond. The draining of water from the pond was earlier protested by the women of the community who appeared in black, claiming that the pond has ancestral inclination. Their protest was unsuccessful. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the car of the missing general and two others cars were found. A blood-stained T-Shirt and a boxer short, believed to belong to the general, were also found in the car on a Saturday evening by a combined security team. On Wednesday, the army in the early hours of that day, cordoned off the community and arrested 30 suspects in connection to the missing general but promised not to take any military action on the community. The army on Friday, dismissed the rumour that two corpses were discovered in the pond. The Edo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it has arrested 103 suspects for trafficking illicit drugs. Peter Ogar, Head of Operations and Intelligence in the command, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Monday. Mr Ogar said the suspects, comprised of 88 males and 15 females, were arrested between July and September in various parts of the state. He explained that more than 4,000 kilograms of suspected Indian hemp was seized within the period while 14 farmlands of about 10 hectares cultivated with the plant, were destroyed. Mr Ogar however said that the command had rehabilitated 79 drug addicts who had reunited with their families, while two are still undergoing intensive rehabilitation. It is peak period for traffickers because it is the harvest season, he noted, adding that this has led to upsurge in arrest of suspects and seizures by the agency. The Assistant Commander disclosed that the NDLEA had filed 18 cases in courts within the period, while several others are pending. (NAN) The proscribed Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Biafran Independent Movement (BIM) have passed a vote of no confidence on the All Progressives Grand Alliance over the conduct of the Anambra South Senatorial primaries and the denial of ticket to Bianca, the widow of ex-Biafran warlord, Odumegwu Ojukwu. MASSOB has been outlawed by the Federal Government over acts of terrorism. The group also warned politicians to desist from using ex-Biafran warlords pictures for political campaigns, adding that a seven-day ultimatum had been issued to those having his pictures on their vehicles for political purpose to remove them. The no-confidence vote was passed at a joint meeting of the two groups in Owerri on Monday, where the founder and leader of the proscribed group, Ralph Uwazuruike, presided over the meeting. The meeting, which recorded large attendance of MASSOB and BIM members across the state, resolved that APGA erred in the conduct of the primaries. The group claimed that Mrs Ojukwu was unjustly denied the Anambra South Senatorial ticket. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mrs Ojukwu lost the contest to Nicholas Ukachukwu. However, Mr Uwazuruike, in the resolution, said Mrs Ojukwu merited the partys automatic ticket for the position, going by the antecedents and influence of her late husband who was the leader of the party while alive. Why cant the wife of our leader get automatic ticket when other aspirants from other two zones got automatic tickets? APGA does not want any member of Ojukwus family to be carried along but they want to win elections with Ojukwus picture; even Ojukwus son contested earlier through the partys platform but failed, he said. We are talking about the founder and former leader of the party; Ojukwu is the symbol of the party and he should be respected for that even in death. APGA has derailed and we will not support the party for any position in Igbo land because our late leader has been humiliated and insulted and we will stand to protect his integrity, he said. He said APGA had been hijacked by cabals who now use the party as a money-making venture, adding that the party would not win the election in 2019. Reacting, National Director of Publicity of the party, Ifeatu Okoye, told NAN that the party was democratic in handling its affairs. He said APGA was doing everything possible to ensure that popular aspirants emerged. Mr Okoye said the decision of MASSOB and BIM would not affect their chances of winning the election. He further said a committee had been set up to look into what played out in Mrs Ojukwus election. (NAN) The police in Lagos on Monday said it arrested several suspected armed robbers at various locations across the state in September. Imohimi Edgal, the state police commissioner, said at a press conference in Lagos that during the period under review, the command worked hard to put the activities of perpetrators of violent crimes in check. To that end, some armed robbers and cultists were arrested and their arms and ammunition recovered, Mr Edgal said. The first set of armed robbers, according to the police boss, were arrested on September 12 at Fashola Estate, Sango-Ota, where they were robbing vehicle spare parts dealers. An information was received from a reliable source that some armed robbers were sighted at Fashola Estate, Sango-Ota robbing vehicle spare parts dealers. Based on the information, the Command mobilized its operatives attached to the RRS and that of the FSARS Ikeja to the scene. Mr Edgal explained that when the robbers sighted the operatives, the armed robbers took to their heels. However, luck ran out on two of them, Suleiman Seun, 31 years and Olamilekan Olaoluwa, 24 years whose attempts to flee the scene were not successful. One locally made pistol, cut-to-size barrel gun, four wheels of a Land Rover SUV and two tyres and two auto batteries were recovered from them, the police said. The police said that another team of street robbers was arrested on September 13 at Agility Road, Ketu Lagos. These armed robbers were robbing passersby of their valuables and upon getting the information, the police deployed operatives from Ketu Police Station and FSARS, Ketu to the scene, Mr Edgal said. The robbers fled when they saw police operatives but one of them, Lekan Ashiru, 22 years (old), was not so lucky as he was arrested at the scene with a locally made pistol and three live cartridges. Mr Edgal stated that investigation is ongoing with a view to arresting other members of the gang for prosecution. The third set of robbers was arrested on September 26, after the police received information from members of the public that some armed bandits were robbing shop owners along St. Saviour Street, Okota, Lagos. With the deployment of operatives of the State Intelligence Bureau and FSARS, one of the armed bandits, Alexander Oluwaseyi was arrested, the police said. Alexander Oluwaseyi claimed to be a student of Kogi State University but was rusticated by the school authorities due to cult activities. One cut to size double barrel gun and two live cartridges were the items the police recovered from him. Mr Edgal enjoined members of the public to be conscious of their environment and to alert the police if there is any criminal act ongoing in their community. For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today decried the full Senate's confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Earlier today, the Senate voted in favor of his confirmation, despite the concerns of many Americans about allegations of sexual assault on the part of the nominee and after a contentious Judiciary Committee hearing in which he was belligerent, insulting to committee members, overtly partisan, and appeared to make a number of misleading or demonstrably false statements. In response to Judge Kavanaugh's Senate confirmation, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said: "Judge Kavanaugh's past rulings and statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding civil rights, religious freedom and the rights of immigrants -- along with his expansive views on presidential powers -- would on their own be enough to disqualify him from service on the Supreme Court." "The Supreme Court's decisions have very real consequences in the lives of all Americans. We are concerned that, as a new Supreme Court justice, Judge Kavanaugh will exhibit the same extreme partisanship and lack of veracity and judicial temperament that we have all witnessed in recent days. A justice on the nation's highest court must be an impartial arbiter of the law, not a vengeful political conspiracy theorist whose truthfulness and neutrality are in doubt." He added that CAIR is a non-partisan organization and will continue to hold elected officials and the nation's legal system accountable to the Constitution and to universal principles of human rights. CAIR said it has witnessed an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims, immigrants and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president. The Washington-based civil rights organization has also repeatedly expressed concern about past Islamophobic, anti-immigrant and white supremacist Trump administration policies and appointments. CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. La mision de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprension del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos. CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected] SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Related Links http://www.cair.com DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, October 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Newgen Software, a global provider provider of Business Process Management(BPM), Enterprise Content Management(ECM) and Customer Communication Management(CCM) platforms, today announced its participation as a sponsor at the 6th Annual Shared Services and Outsourcing Forum from 8th-10th October, 2018 at Dusit Thani, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Attendees will get to experience a wide range of shared service solutions Newgen has to offer. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/676258/Newgen_Logo.jpg ) "Various global enterprises establish Shared Service Centres (SSC) with the aim of driving centralization, achieving operational efficiencies, and cost-reduction through economies of scale. Newgen provides advanced solutions that can transform the SSCs from mere transactional hubs into business value creation centers for the enterprise," said Diwakar Nigam, Chairman and Managing Director, Newgen Software. Attend a panel discussion on 'effective end to end process excellence through BPM, Case management & RPA' moderated by Prashant Sahai, Business Head - Middle East, Newgen, from 10.10am to 10.50 am on 9th October. Understand how BPM and case management help in aligning process, people and systems for an end to end process excellence. Visit Booth#4 to learn how organizations can leverage BPM and RPA to deliver effective workflow solutions and superior customer experience. Newgen offers a comprehensive suite of solutions and disruptive technology accelerators, like RPA and others, catering to the broad range of SSC requirements. These solutions empower enterprises to streamline operations and roll out new processes across organizational functions namely, Finance and Accounting, HR, Operations, and Supply Chain. It helps enterprises to enhance the service delivery capabilities through higher Straight Through Processing (STP), greater First Time Right (FTR) percentage, and reduced Turnaround Time (TAT). Newgen's BPM platform, offering RPA capability, enables enterprises to drive continuous process improvement and catalyze their digital journey. They can release their business users from performing repetitive tasks and enable them to perform more constructive tasks. About Newgen Software Technologies Limited Newgen Software Technologies Limited is a provider of Business Process Management, Enterprise Content Management and Customer Communication Management platforms with large, mission-critical solutions deployed at world's leading banks, Governments, BPO's & IT Companies, Insurance firms and Healthcare Organizations. For more information, please visit https://newgensoft.com. Connect with us: Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter Watch our videos on YouTube Media Contact: Asif Khan [email protected] SOURCE Newgen Software Technologies Limited WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Governors of the Investment Company Institute (ICI) has elected George C. W. Gatch, CEO of J.P. Morgan Asset Management's global funds and global institutional businesses, to serve as ICI Chairman for a one-year term. In addition, the ICI membership elected a slate of governors. William F. "Ted" Truscott, as immediate past ICI Chairman, was elected to serve as Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors for a one-year term. Truscott is CEO of Columbia Threadneedle Investments. "I am greatly honored to be elected Chairman by the Institute's Board of Governors," Gatch said. "In the year ahead, on behalf of its global fund members and the shareholders they serve, we will continue to advocate for a sound framework of regulation. I look forward to working closely with ICI's membership and outstanding staff to realize our goals for this dynamic industry." ICI President and CEO Paul Stevens said, "George Gatch has been an outstanding leader in the industry and on our board for many years. He is eminently prepared to assume his new role as the Institute's Chairman. I am delighted at George's election and look forward to continuing to work with him and with our excellent Board of Governors." As Chairman, Gatch will preside over the Board of Governors, the governing body of the Institute, and the Executive Committee of the board. The board is responsible for setting policy and overseeing activities of the Institute, whose members include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and unit investment trusts in the United States, and similar regulated funds in other jurisdictions. Gatch was first elected to ICI's Board of Governors in 2001 and has served on the Executive Committee since 2006. Since 2005, he has served on the Chairman's Council, which oversees ICI's political program. Gatch will step down as the chair of the board's Audit Committee, a post he has held since 2008. Gatch, who joined J.P. Morgan in 1986, is also a member of the operating committee of JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Asset & Wealth Management line of business. Previously, as CEO of Global Funds Management, he led J.P. Morgan's mutual fund complexes in Asia-Pacific, the Americas, and Europe. For a decade, Gatch led Global Funds' US mutual fund platform, which he launched in 2005. Earlier in his career, Gatch served as President and CEO of Japan's DKB Morgan, and established J.P. Morgan Asset Management's subadvisory and institutional mutual funds businesses. The Institute's membership also elected a slate of governors. Five new members were elected to the Board to three-year terms that will expire September 30, 2021: David Giunta Natixis Investment Managers Cynthia Hostetler Independent Director, Invesco Funds Catherine Newell Dimensional Fund Advisors Andrew Owen Wells Fargo Asset Management Kristi Rowsell Harris Associates The full membership of ICI's Board of Governors can be found on ICI's website. The Investment Company Institute (ICI) is the leading association representing regulated funds globally, including mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), closed-end funds, and unit investment trusts (UITs) in the United States, and similar funds offered to investors in jurisdictions worldwide. ICI seeks to encourage adherence to high ethical standards, promote public understanding, and otherwise advance the interests of funds, their shareholders, directors, and advisers. ICI's members manage total assets of US$22.7 trillion in the United States, serving more than 100 million US shareholders, and US$7.3 trillion in assets in other jurisdictions. ICI carries out its international work through ICI Global, with offices in London, Hong Kong, and Washington, DC. FOLLOW US ON: ICI.ORG @ICI INVESTMENT COMPANY INSTITUTE ICIVIDEO SOURCE Investment Company Institute "We were excited to open our doors to our Global Tradeshow so that new and current buyers from large scale supermarkets to specialty stores can experience; Goya's extensive portfolio of products both local and from around the globe, new products designed to match consumer trends, as well as gain a deeper understanding of the unique market dynamics within a multicultural market," said Joe Perez, Senior Vice President of Goya Foods. "Our sales team has the expertise and knowledge of customer and consumer needs, and we're always prepared to help our customers increase sales and profitability." As the most comprehensive Global Food and Beverage trade show in the Northeast area, Goya Global attracted over four hundred food and beverage industry buyers and professionals from supermarkets, specialty stores, wholesale food stores, and restaurants with the opportunity to: Expand their knowledge and understanding of the unique food product needs of the different Ethnic consumers as well as the General Market. Learn about Goya's extensive portfolio of over 2,400 available products and across more than 10 Food categories. Participate in educational seminars on trends in sales, products, consumer spending and more. Experience cooking demonstrations with Goya Chef Fernando Desa and sample a variety of Latin cuisines. and sample a variety of Latin cuisines. Enhance their knowledge of nutrition at presentations with Goya Nutritionist and Food Scientist Meriterese Racanelli. Learn about Goya's extensive production network including our award winning Olive Oil production and product line from Seville Spain . For more information about Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com About GOYA: Founded in 1936, Goya Foods, Inc. is America's largest Hispanic-owned food company, and has established itself as the leader in Latin American food and condiments. Goya manufactures, packages, and distributes over 2,500 high-quality food products from Spain, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America. Goya products have their roots in the culinary traditions of Hispanic communities around the world. The combination of authentic ingredients, robust seasonings, and convenient preparation makes Goya products ideal for every taste and every table. For more information on Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com . For more information, contact: Natalie Maniscalco 845.659.6506 / [email protected] SOURCE Goya Foods Related Links https://www.goya.com RAMAT HASHARON, Israel, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- IMI Systems (IMI) - a defense systems house for combat-proven solutions and the developer and manufacturer of Iron Fist family of active protection systems (APS) will showcase in its booth the Oshkosh Defense Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) equipped with IMI's Iron Fist Light Decoupled (IF-LD) APS at IMI Systems booth (#3125, Hall B) during AUSA 2018 (the Association of United States Army) Exposition. Iron Fist Light APS on Oshkosh Defenses JLTV The IF-LD APS of IMI is a hard-kill system that addresses a variety of threats such as short-range RPGs, anti-tank missiles, and more. The system's sensor suit consists of two sensing technologies for enhansing the vehicle's situational awareness and minimizing false alarms while enabling the vehicle to respond and counter attack against the aggressor as quickly and accurately as possible. The IF-LD utilizes a blast interceptor for an effective and safe interception process. This results in the destruction of the threat without initiation its warhead while minimizing residual penetration. Due to its modular design which does not require penetrating the vehicle's roof, the IF-LD provides an operational solution for all types of Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) from light armored vehicles up to MBTs. IMI is in cooperation on its APS line of business with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GDOTS) for the North American Markets. The Oshkosh JLTV delivers next-generation performance to serve ground forces mission and is a trusted solution designed, built and backed by over 100 years of vehicle production, integration and lifecycle know-how to keep ground operations moving. The integration of IMI's APS solution onto the JLTV demonstrates the vehicle's adaptability to new and evolving technologies to meet customer-specific requirements. "We are proud to work with Oshkosh Defense, as a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of military vehicles to integrate our IF-LD technology onto the JLTV," said Avi Felder, IMI Systems CEO and President. About Oshkosh Defense Oshkosh Defense is a leading provider of tactical wheeled vehicles and life cycle sustainment services. For decades Oshkosh has been mobilizing military and security forces around the globe by offering a full portfolio of heavy, medium, light and highly protected military vehicles to support our customers' missions. In addition, Oshkosh offers advanced technologies and vehicle components such as TAK-4 independent suspension systems, TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle solutions, Command Zone integrated control and diagnostics system, and ProPulse diesel electric and on-board vehicle power solutions, to provide our customers with a technical edge as they fulfill their missions. Every Oshkosh vehicle is backed by a team of defense industry experts and complete range of sustainment and training services to optimize fleet readiness and performance. Oshkosh Defense, LLC is an Oshkosh Corporation company [NYSE: OSK]. To learn more about Oshkosh Defense, please visit us at www.oshkoshdefense.com. About IMI Systems Ltd. Established in 1933 as Israel Military Industries, IMI Systems Ltd. is a globally recognized defense systems house specializing in the development and manufacturing of end-to-end combat-proven solutions and technologies for the land, air, naval and homeland security (HLS) requirements of the modern battlefield. Positioned among the world's leading defense solution providers, IMI Systems supplies its wide variety of systems and products to its customers in over 70 countries around the world. The advanced reputable defense systems offered by IMI Systems were developed based on extensive operational experience, advanced technology and exclusive methodologies, and are used by the IDF, US Military (Air Force, Army and Navy), NATO nations and military and government agencies. The nationwide company is wholly owned by the Government of Israel, employs 3200 employees in its various business areas, which include Armor, Infantry, Artillery, Air, Naval, HLS and Small Caliber Ammunition, as well as in its variety of manufacturing, test and laboratory facilities. IMI Systems has four subsidiaries: IMI Academy for Advanced HLS Training and Ashot Ashkelon Industries Ltd, located in Israel and IMI Services U.S.A Inc. and IMI Trading U.S.A Inc., located in the USA. For more information, please visit www.imisystems.com Contact: Mr. Avinoam Zafir, IMI Systems Vice President Marketing +972-3-5485617 [email protected] SOURCE IMI Systems Related Links http://www.imisystems.com SINGAPORE, Oct. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In Mind Cloud Pte Ltd, an SAP partner, today announced it will participate at SAP Customer Experience LIVE being held October 10-11, 2018 in Barcelona. The company will showcase 'In Mind Cloud Manufacturing CPQ', which is part of 'Manufacturing X Sales Platform' to SAP customers and partners in Europe. Driven by increased global competition and constant technological progress, the current wave of customer centricity, innovation and digitization is putting enormous pressure on manufacturing businesses. 'In Mind Cloud Manufacturing CPQ' is the company's solution to the challenges, which manufacturers are facing today and tomorrow. Built on SAP Cloud Platform, their solution is deeply integrated into manufacturing processes and front-end sales operations to realize competitive advantages for In Mind Cloud's customers. The benefits of the platform include a significantly reduced time to market for manufacturing products and engineering solutions, enablement of true mass customization and the ability to counter the commoditization of products, along with constant learning and improvements to stay ahead of competition. Dr. Christian Cuske, CEO of In Mind Cloud states, "As an SAP partner, we have seen large and small manufacturers around the globe coming under immense pressure of increased customer expectations and market demands. We have built 'In Mind Cloud Manufacturing CPQ' to deliver on the promises of Industry 4.0, and for manufacturers to strike the right balance between accurate and dynamic costing, competitive pricing and profitability. We are proud to provide all these values together in one unique platform and we are excited to finally present it at SAP Customer Experience LIVE." The SAP Customer Experience LIVE event is the CRM event of the year. About In Mind Cloud: In Mind Cloud (www.inmindcloud.com) is an independent provider of innovative manufacturing sales platforms with the vision to make the sales successful and profitable for manufacturing and engineering industries. Their solution "Manufacturing X" turns CRM and CPQ into a true manufacturing sales platform. Built on SAP Cloud Platform their solution is deeply integrated into manufacturing processes and front-end sales operations. Headquartered in Singapore, Asia, In Mind Cloud is operating globally through its sales office in Europe and a high-value partner network. SAP and SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. See http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. SOURCE In Mind Cloud Pte Ltd Related Links http://www.inmindcloud.com RHODES, Greece, October 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Joschka Fischer, German Foreign Minister until 2005, underlined the necessity of the United States of America remaining part of the multilateral world. Speaking at the 2018 Rhodes Forum, Fischer expressed the opinion that the American body politic beyond the president and the immediate White House team still shared a sense of international responsibility and still shared Western values. "The Trumps will come and go", Fischer said, reminding the audience that "we had the same experience in other cases". The ex-Foreign Minister left no doubt, however, that the Donald Trump presidency is putting a heavy strain on the established world order. Confronted with the first isolationist US president since the pre-World War Two era, the world is experiencing the vacuum that a retreating United States is leaving behind. Fischer hinted that he doesn't see China or Russia as ready to fill the gap. Thus, he flatly denied the claim by Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, that Russian military intervention in Syria in support of the legitimate government was a contribution to multilateralism. In Fischer's opinion, multilateral policies require common values, so multilateralism should not be mixed with "just any foreign policy". He sees the key problem in the overdue adaptation of existing multilateral structures to the changes the world has undergone. At the time of his birth 70 years ago, the UN had some 50 members - today, around 200 countries make up the General Assembly. And yet, the basic procedures remain the same. Alongside Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, the Prime Minster of Guinea, Fischer discussed the complicated process of restructuring the UN's Security Council. Securing representation for the African continent had already been a hot issue during his tenure. In a way, what Fischer suggested was a joint strategy by European and African countries. When determining who should sit, on their behalf, on the Security Council, both continents shared the same problem - not being able to agree on one single country. The only way out, to Fischer's mind, would have to be based on a new and progressive understanding of continental unity and opinion-making. Jean-Christophe Bas, the DOCs new CEO reviewed the Forums opening by saying: "The message from all participants in this session was clear: any attempt to shut down multilateralism - from any source - will clearly benefit nobody; a limit on multilateralism will harm a world economy recovering from financial crisis and will harm us as human beings. There is an urgent need to reinvent a multilateral system that works for all, and this requires all parties to sit around the table together in a spirit of collaboration." The Rhodes Forum, organised by the Berlin-based Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute (DOC), is a traditional autumn get-together for politicians and experts from the globalised world. The motto of this year's 16th Forum is 'Making multilateralism work'. The conference, with leaders from every continent of the world, is seeking ways to ensure the survival of multilateral policymaking in an increasingly self-centred, or at best bilateral, environment. Media Contact: Agnieszka Rzepka Press Officer Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute Franzosische Str. 23 10117 Berlin http://www.doc-research.org SOURCE Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute TOLEDO, Ohio, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Marco's Pizza, one of the fastest-growing pizza franchises in the United States, announces its new growth initiative to expand in strategic DMAs across the country, introducing 30 new locations by 2020. The brand is offering a viable opportunity for multi-unit franchisee development in small markets Lubbock/Longview/Tyler, Texas, Savannah, Georgia, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Shreveport, Louisiana, Boise, Idaho, Reno, Nevada, Albuquerque, New Mexico for experienced local operators to join the growing brand. With each market requiring no more than 2-4 restaurants to be developed, new franchisees can truly own and dominate the market, taking a slice out of the booming $47 billion pizza industry. Marco's Pizza is actively seeking qualified franchise partners in the following territories: Texas : Ranking no. 1 in America's Top States for Business in 2018, Texas proves to be an ideal market for expansion. Building on the strength of its 85 existing locations across the state, Marco's Pizza is seeking development in Lubbock , which can hold seven locations, and Longview / Tyler which has potential for three locations. : Ranking no. 1 in America's Top States for Business in 2018, proves to be an ideal market for expansion. Building on the strength of its 85 existing locations across the state, Marco's Pizza is seeking development in , which can hold seven locations, and / which has potential for three locations. Georgia : Marco's Pizza has found incredible success here with more than 100 active locations, 90 of which operate in the Atlanta hub. Georgia continues to be a prime state for development due to its diverse talent pool and community with deep restaurant industry roots. Ideal development will occur in Savannah which has potential for three locations. Marco's Pizza has found incredible success here with more than 100 active locations, 90 of which operate in the hub. continues to be a prime state for development due to its diverse talent pool and community with deep restaurant industry roots. Ideal development will occur in which has potential for three locations. Oklahoma : After vast market research, it's clear a diverse small-business ecosystem is finding root in Oklahoma's second-largest city Tulsa . With a low-cost operating environment and a robust pipeline of talent coming from nearby universities, Marco's Pizza sees growth potential to bring six locations throughout the city, adding to its nearly 25 locations open across the state. : After vast market research, it's clear a diverse small-business ecosystem is finding root in second-largest city . With a low-cost operating environment and a robust pipeline of talent coming from nearby universities, Marco's Pizza sees growth potential to bring six locations throughout the city, adding to its nearly 25 locations open across the state. Louisiana : There are currently three successful locations in Louisiana leaving an open market for growth potential. Kicking off this development push is a new Bossier City location that recently opened June 2018 with high performance marks. The ideal target market for continued expansion is Shreveport which has potential for four locations. There are currently three successful locations in leaving an open market for growth potential. Kicking off this development push is a new location that recently opened with high performance marks. The ideal target market for continued expansion is which has potential for four locations. Idaho : Marco's Pizza debuted in the state early this year with a location open in Meridian. Pizza lovers in the greater Boise market are soon to realize the quality associated with the Marco's name as the brand seeks to develop five new locations. : Marco's Pizza debuted in the state early this year with a location open in Meridian. Pizza lovers in the greater market are soon to realize the quality associated with the Marco's name as the brand seeks to develop five new locations. Nevada : With nearly 10 locations operating at high performance, Marco's Pizza seeks to capitalize on the opportunity for continued development throughout the state, targeting expansion in the Reno market which has the potential for two locations. : With nearly 10 locations operating at high performance, Marco's Pizza seeks to capitalize on the opportunity for continued development throughout the state, targeting expansion in the market which has the potential for two locations. New Mexico : With a positive business climate and an open real estate market, Marco's Pizza seeks to debut in the state, aiming to open three locations in Albuquerque . "Expanding our presence throughout these key DMAs is an exciting chapter for our growth story as we break into untapped markets with new franchise partners," said Tony Libardi, president of Marco's Pizza. "Our development team is poised for success and our initial locations in these areas will no doubt bring success to enthusiastic entrepreneurs. Marco's Pizza is hands-down the best quality and our customer service outmatches the competition all of which has created a loyal customer following directly contributing to our $725K average unit volume." The 900+ unit brand aims to reach 1,500 locations by 2020, crediting its rapid growth to its strong corporate backing, ability to take market share, unit-level profitability, authentic Italian quality food standards as well as capability to attract top talent among its franchisees. Marco's Pizza's commitment to its people and authenticity will drive its long-term success as it continues to expand its footprint nationwide. For more information on Marco's Pizza franchising opportunities, visit www.marcosfranchising.com or call 866-731-8209. ABOUT MARCO'S PIZZA Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza companies in the United States. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and thrives by making authentic Italian quality pizza with fresh ingredients. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate 900 plus stores in over 35 states and in three countries. Most recently, Marco's Pizza was ranked No. 5 in Forbes "Best Franchises to Buy" 2018 Study/Medium Investment, and No. 25 on Entrepreneur's 2018 Franchise 500 ranking. Other recent accolades include ranking No. 2 on Entrepreneur's 2018 Top 200 Food and Restaurant Franchises in the pizza segment, and No. 8 on the Military Times Best: Franchises 2018 list. To inquire about franchise opportunities with Marco's Pizza, visit marcosfranchising.com/ . SOURCE Marcos Pizza Related Links http://marcos.com DUBAI, UAE, October 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Instinctif Partners supported the development of Mobily's Annual Report, which won the top prize in the 'Digital' category at the Middle East Investor Relations Association's annual awards Saudi telecoms provider Mobily (Etisalat Etihad Company, TADAWUL ticker: 7020) has been recognised for best practice corporate reporting at the Middle East Investor Relations Association's annual awards, taking the top prize for Best Digital Annual Report. Mobily worked with international business communications consultancy, Instinctif Partners, to develop its digital and printed annual report for the 2017 financial year. Established in 2004, Mobily is the second-largest telecommunications operator in Saudi Arabia. Instinctif Partners has worked with Mobily for three consecutive years, supporting the development of its annual reports in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Instinctif Partners drew on its global depth of experience in corporate reporting and best practice Investor Relations to develop the concept, design and content of the 2017 Annual Report. Tareq Al Angari, Executive General Manager of Investor Relations at Mobily, commented: "We are proud to have won Best Digital Annual Report at the MEIRA Awards, demonstrating that the content, design and user experience of our Annual Report microsite was of the very highest quality. The delivery of such materials forms part of our strategy for meeting best practice standards when communicating with the investment community, and we are pleased to be recognised for our leadership in Saudi and GCC markets. It was a pleasure to work with Instinctif Partners on our Annual Report for the third consecutive year and their counsel throughout the process was of considerable value. Furthermore, the contributions and dedication of Mobily's team were essential in producing the Annual Report. Without their collective efforts, we would have never won the award." The theme of Mobily's award winning Annual Report, 'Rising to the Challenge', emphasizes the company's ongoing commitment to delivering value to its customers across Saudi Arabia, while developing a new strategy for growth. Samantha Bartel, Managing Partner, Instinctif Partners Middle East, stated: "It has been our pleasure to work alongside Mobily to develop and build a comprehensive and impactful Annual Report. I am proud of both the vision and diligence of the Instinctif Partners team in producing this Annual Report, which is a true reflection of the strategy and achievements of Mobily in 2017. Our consultancy offer enables effective and targeted communication by our clients, reaching stakeholders including investors, analysts and financial media. Both of our businesses have robust and positive reputations in their respective industries, and this award is a testament to that recognition." Instinctif Partners' work on Mobily's 2017 Annual Report suite included print, film and digital. The Digital Annual Report, first developed in 2016, was designed to allow investors, analysts, shareholders and other members of the financial community to quickly and efficiently locate the information they require. Over the last year, Instinctif Partners' international teams have developed and produced 8 Annual Reports, for clients across a range of sectors including Financial Services, Real Estate, Retail, Food & Beverage, Energy, Mining, Construction and Telecommunications. Notes for editors on Instinctif Partners: Instinctif Partners is a leading international business communications consultancy with six practice areas: capital markets, corporate, public policy, content & creative, engagement and insight & research. It is a specialist in reputation, influence and engagement. It works with clients across multiple and complex audiences combining deep insights, expert storytelling and creative delivery to change behaviours, emotions and perceptions. Instinctif Partners currently employs 450 people in 20 offices across ten countries across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and North America. The company is one of the fastest growing consultancies in its industry, and in the past year alone has won or been shortlisted for over 30 awards, recognising both client work and the growth of the business as a whole. Accolades include International Agency of the Year 2018 & 2017 at the PR Week Global Awards, Outstanding Large Consultancy of the Year 2018 at the CIPR Excellence Awards, Corporate Consultancy of the Year 2017 at the EMEA SABRE Awards, and City Agency of the Year at the PRCA City and Financial Awards 2016 & 2017. Instinctif Partners also won Gold at the PR Week Best Places to Work 2018 for Large Agency and was named by the London Stock Exchange as one of 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain. For more information please contact: Michael Hylton Instinctif Partners [email protected] +971-52-601-2943 SOURCE Instinctif Partners DARMSTADT, Germany, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Late-breaking Phase II primary endpoint data for investigational therapy evobrutinib, the first oral BTK inhibitor to show clinical proof-of-concept in RMS Up to 10 years of patient experience provides further insight into the benefit-risk profile of investigational cladribine tablets Late-breaking data from multi-sponsored European IFNPregnancy registry highlight Rebif safety outcomes during pregnancy A total of 23 abstracts for cladribine tablets, Rebif and evobrutinib will be presented at ECTRIMS 2018 Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, today announced that it will present data from approved and investigational multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments from its neurology and immunology portfolio at the 34th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research In Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), taking place from 1012 October 2018, in Berlin, Germany. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will present 23 abstracts, including new safety and efficacy data on investigational cladribine tablets, Rebif (interferon beta-1a) and investigational therapy evobrutinib, a highly-specific, oral Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitor. Key cladribine tablets data will include: An updated integrated safety analysis of patients from the CLARITY, CLARITY Extension and ORACLE-MS trials, including two additional years of data from the long-term PREMIERE Registry (up to 10-years of follow-up). An overview of the first six months of real-world evidence safety data on cladribine tablets. Results from a post hoc analysis of the CLARITY study will characterize relapse severity and frequency in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients in cladribine tablets versus placebo. analysis of the CLARITY study will characterize relapse severity and frequency in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients in cladribine tablets versus placebo. New data from post hoc analyses to support the duration of effect of cladribine tablets across patient subgroups of different ages and with different disease activity status (in Years 3 and 4 post-treatment) will be presented. Key late-breaking data presentations include: Results of primary 24-week MRI endpoint analysis, along with a description of interim key secondary and safety analysis from a Phase II study of investigational BTK-inhibitor evobrutinib in patients with relapsing MS. The late-breaking oral presentation will highlight the first evidence of clinical activity of a BTK-inhibitor in a non-oncology indication. Presentation highlighting pregnancy and infant outcomes with multiple IFN therapies, including Rebif, from the European IFN pregnancy registry and Nordic health registers. "We are proud to be presenting new data across our Neurology and Immunology franchise at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany during ECTRIMS 2018," said Luciano Rossetti, Head of Global R&D for the biopharma business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. "As we continue to enhance our understanding of the benefit-risk profile of cladribine tablets and the use of Rebif, we are also excited by the presentation of the first clinical data for a BTK inhibitor (evobrutinib) in an MS patient population." Additional Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany activities at ECTRIMS 2018: Results of the Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany -sponsored 'MS in the 21st Century International Unmet Needs Survey' will show that MS patients have substantially different perceptions of the current unmet needs in MS compared with healthcare professionals (HCPs). -sponsored 'MS in the 21st Century International Unmet Needs Survey' will show that MS patients have substantially different perceptions of the current unmet needs in MS compared with healthcare professionals (HCPs). Following on from the #MSInsideOut campaign launch on World MS Day earlier in the year, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will be premiering the MS Inside Out Documentary film executively produced by Shift.ms during an event on October 11 . At the event, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will shine a light on the untold stories of MS, as well as revealing the findings and key results from a new global MS carers survey conducted in collaboration between leading international carer organizations IACO (International Alliance of Carer Organization) and Eurocarers. The data presented at ECTRIMS will further demonstrate the need for a deeper understanding of those affected by MS and their carer. will be premiering the MS Inside Out Documentary film executively produced by Shift.ms during an event on . At the event, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, will shine a light on the untold stories of MS, as well as revealing the findings and key results from a new global MS carers survey conducted in collaboration between leading international carer organizations IACO (International Alliance of Carer Organization) and Eurocarers. The data presented at ECTRIMS will further demonstrate the need for a deeper understanding of those affected by MS and their carer. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will also be announcing the annual Grant for Multiple Sclerosis Innovation (GMSI) Award winners in Berlin . First launched at ECTRIMS 2012, the GMSI Award supports the advancement of science and medical research in the field of MS and provides a grant of up to 1,000,000 per year to one or more selected research projects. will also be announcing the annual Grant for Multiple Sclerosis Innovation (GMSI) Award winners in . First launched at ECTRIMS 2012, the GMSI Award supports the advancement of science and medical research in the field of MS and provides a grant of up to 1,000,000 per year to one or more selected research projects. The company will be holding a press event on Wednesday, 10 October 2018 , 15:0016:25 (CET) at CityCube Conference Center (Room: London 1), Berlin, Germany . Below are a selection of abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at ECTRIMS 2018: Cladribine Tablets Presentations Title Authors Abstract No. Presentation Date/Time/Session An exploratory analysis of the efficacy of Cladribine Tablets 3.5mg/kg in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis stratified according to age above and below 45 years in the CLARITY study Giovannoni G, Rammohan K, Cook S, Soelberg-Sorensen P, Vermersch P, Keller B, Verdun di Cantogno E A-0950-0028-00859 Session Title: Poster Session 3 Session Date: 12.10.2018 Presenting Time: 12:15-14:15 h Sustained efficacy in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis following switch to placebo treatment from Cladribine Tablets in patients with high disease activity at baseline Vermersch P, Giovannoni G, Soelberg-Sorensen P, Keller B, Jack D A-0950-0028-00886 Session Title: Poster Session 1 Session Date: 10.10.2018 Presenting Time: 17:00-19:00 h. CLARITY: An analysis of severity and frequency of relapses in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with Cladribine Tablets or placebo Schippling S, Sormani M P, De Stefano N, Giovannoni G, Galazka A, Keller B, Alexandri N A-0950-0028-01315 Session Title: Poster Session 1 Session Date: 10.10.2018 Presenting Time: 17:00-19:00 h. Lymphopenia rates in CLARITY/CLARITY Extension are unrelated to disease activity at baseline Cook S, Giovannoni G, Vermersch P, Soelberg-Sorensen P, Keller B, Jack D A-0950-0028-00836 Session Title: Poster Session 2 Session Date: 11.10.2018 Presenting Time: 17:15-19:15 h. Updated safety analysis of Cladribine Tablets in the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis Cook S, Giovannoni G, Leist T, Syed S, Nolting A, Schick R A-0950-0028-00889 Session Title: Poster Session 2 Session Date: 11.10.2018 Presenting Time: 17:15-19:15 h Durability of NEDA-3 status in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis receiving Cladribine Tablets: CLARITY Extension Giovannoni G, Keller B, Jack D A-0950-0028-01763 Session Title: Poster Session 2 Session Date: 11.10.2018 Presenting Time: 17:15-19:15 h ADA genetic variants influence central inflammation and clinical characteristics in MS: implications for cladribine treatment Stampanoni Bassi M, Buttari F, Simonelli I, Sica F, Furlan R, Marfia G A, Salvetti M, Uccelli A, Matarese G, Visconti A, Centonze D A-0950-0028-01895 Poster Session 1 10 October 2018 Presenting Time: 17:00-19:00 h Neuroblastoma cell line and lymphocytes talk for cladribine influenced apoptosis and inflammation pathways in Multiple Sclerosis (MS): an "in vitro" study Ruggieri M, Mastrapasqua M, Gargano C D, Palazzo C, Frigeri A, Paolicelli D, Visconti A, Trojano M on behalf of MSRUN group. A-0950-0028-01704 ePoster Dissection of the distinct susceptibility of hematopoietic precursors and immune cells to cladribine Carlini F, Ivaldi F, Kerlero de Rosbo N, Boschert U , Visconti A, Uccelli A A-0950-0028-01855 ePoster Gene expression profiles of proteins involved in Cladribine metabolism and their possible correlation with Epstein-Barr virus variants Mechelli R, Manfre G, Pellicciari G, Renie R, Romano C, Ristori G, Visconti A, Salvetti M on behalf of MSRUN group A-0950-0032-01730 Poster Session 3 12 October 2018 Presenting Time: 12:15-14:15 h A Systematic Review of Real-world Adherence and Persistence of Daily Oral Disease-Modifying Drugs (Dimethyl Fumarate, Fingolimod, and Teriflunomide) in Multiple Sclerosis Edwards NC, Edwards RA, Dellarole A, Grosso M, Phillips A TBC Poster Session 3 12 October 2018 Presenting Time: 12:15-14:15 h Rebif (interferon beta-1a) Presentations Subcutaneous Interferon beta-1a, 10-Year Results from the United Kingdom Multiple Sclerosis Risk Sharing Scheme Harty G, Wong S L, Gillett A, Davies A A-0950-0030-00894 Session Title: Poster Session 2 Session Date: 11.10.2018 Presenting Time: 17:15-19:15 h. Rapid reduction of lesion accumulation in specific white matter tracts as assessed by lesion mapping in RR-MS patients treated with IFN beta-1a De Stefano N, Giorgio A, Gentile G, Stromillo M L, Visconti A, Battaglini M A-0950-0023-02002 ePoster Dynamics of pseudo-atrophy in RRMS patients treated with Interferon beta-1a as assessed by monthly brain MRI De Stefano N, Giorgio A, Gentile G, Stromillo M L, Visconti A, Sormani M P, Battaglini M A-0950-0023-02027 Session Title: Poster Session 2 Session Date: 11.10.2018 Presenting Time: 17:15-19:15 h. A Real-World Comparison of Infections and Lymphocyte Counts among Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients 50 years or older treated with Subcutaneous Interferon-Beta 1a or Dimethyl Fumarate Hayward B, Cardoso S, Grosso M, Ansari S, Napoli S A-0950-0031-02072 Session Title: Poster Session 1 Session Date: 10.10.2018 Presenting Time: 17:00-19:00 h. Value of the MoCA test to detect cognitive impairment in MS patients without subjective cognitive complaints K. Charest, A. Tremblay, R. Langlois, E. Roger, P. Duquette, I. Rouleau A-0950-0009-01537 ePoster Rebif (interferon beta-1a) Late-breaker Presentation Pregnancy and Infant Outcomes with Interferon Beta: Data from the European Interferon Beta Pregnancy Registry and Population Based Registries in Finland and Sweden Hellwig K, Geissbuehler Y, Sabido M, Popescu C, Adamo A, Klinger J, Huppke P, Ornoy A, Korhonen P, Myhr K-M, Montgomery S , Burkill S on behalf of the European Interferon Beta Pregnancy Study Group A-0950-0000-02658 Session Title: Poster Session 3 Session Date: Friday, 12 October 2018 Presenting Time: 12.15 14.15 h Evobrutinib (Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor) Presentations Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics and Concentration-QT Analysis of the Novel BTK Inhibitor Evobrutinib (M2951) in Healthy Volunteers Becker A, Martin E, Ona V, Mitchell DY, Willmer J, Johne A A-0950-0028-01166 Session Title: Poster Session 1 Session Date: 10.10.2018 Presenting Time: 17:00-19:00 h BTK Inhibition Prevents Inflammatory Macrophage Differentiation: A Potential Role in MS Alankus YB, Grenningloh R, Haselmeyer P, Bender, A, Bruttger J A-0950-0028-01194 Session Title: Poster Session 1 Session Date: 10.10.2018 Presenting Time: 17:00-19:00 h. Inhibition of Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Selectively Prevents Antigen-Activation of B Cells and Ameliorates B Cell-Mediated Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Torke S, Grenningloh R, Boschert U, Weber MS A-0950-0028-01220 Session Title: Poster Session 1 Session Date: 10.10.2018 Presenting Time: 17:00-19:00 h. Evobrutinib (Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor) Late-breaker Presentation Primary analysis of a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study of the Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor evobrutinib (M2951) in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis Montalban X, Arnold DL, Weber MS, Staikov I, Piasecka-Stryczynska K, Willmer J, Martin E, Dangond F, Wolinsky JS A-0950-0000-02722 Scientific Session 17: Late Breaking News Scientific Session, Hall A Session Date: 12.10.2018 Presenting Time: 14:39-14:51 h Additional Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany-sponsored Presentations Comparing patient and healthcare professional perceptions on multiple sclerosis management and care where do their priorities differ? Results from a qualitative survey. Rieckmann P, Langdon D on behalf of MS in the 21st Century Steering Group, and Contango E V A-0950-0034-01926 Session Title: Poster Session 3 Session Date: 12.10.2018 Presenting Time: 12:15-14:15 h. MS in the 21st Century mapping study identifying the global educational offerings for multiple sclerosis patients Rieckmann P, Langdon D on behalf of MS in the 21st Century Steering Group, and Contango E V A-0950-0034-01860 ePoster About Cladribine Tablets Cladribine tablets is an investigational short-course oral therapy that is thought to selectively target lymphocytes which may be integral to the pathological process of relapsing MS (RMS). Cladribine tablets is currently under clinical investigation and not approved for the treatment for any use in the United States. MAVENCLAD has received approvals for patients with highly active RMS as defined by clinical or imaging features in the European Union (EU), Israel, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Chile and Lebanon. In December 2017, Health Canada and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia approved MAVENCLAD for the treatment of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). The clinical development program for cladribine tablets includes: The CLARITY (Cladribine Tablets Treating MS Orally) study: a two-year Phase III placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cladribine tablets as a monotherapy in patients with RRMS. The CLARITY extension study: a Phase III placebo-controlled study following on from the CLARITY study, which evaluated the safety and efficacy of cladribine tablets over two additional years beyond the two-year CLARITY study, according to the treatment assignment scheme for years 3 and 4. The ORACLE MS (Oral Cladribine in Early MS) study: a two-year Phase III placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cladribine tablets as a monotherapy in patients at risk of developing MS (patients who have experienced a first clinical event suggestive of MS). The ONWARD (Oral Cladribine Added ON to Interferon beta-1a in Patients With Active Relapsing Disease) study: a Phase II placebo-controlled study designed primarily to evaluate the safety and tolerability of adding cladribine tablets treatment to patients with relapsing forms of MS, who have experienced breakthrough disease while on established interferon-beta therapy. PREMIERE (Prospective Observational Long-term Safety Registry of Multiple Sclerosis) study: a long-term follow-up safety registry of multiple sclerosis patients who participated in cladribine tablets clinical studies. The clinical development program of cladribine tablets in MS comprises close to 12,000 patient years of data with over 2,700 patients included in the clinical trial program, and up to 10 years of follow-up in some patients. In the two-year CLARITY study, the most commonly reported adverse event (AE) in patients treated with cladribine tablets was lymphopenia. The incidence of infections was 48.3% with cladribine tablets and 42.5% with placebo, with 99.1% and 99.0% respectively rated mild-to-moderate by investigators. About Evobrutinib Evobrutinib (M2951) is in clinical development to investigate its potential as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It is an oral, highly selective inhibitor of Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) which is important in the development and functioning of various immune cells including B lymphocytes and macrophages. Evobrutinib is designed to inhibit primary B cell responses such as proliferation and antibody and cytokine release, without directly affecting T cells. BTK inhibition is thought to suppress autoantibody-producing cells, which preclinical research suggests may be therapeutically useful in certain autoimmune diseases. Evobrutinib is currently under clinical investigation and not approved for any use anywhere in the world. About Rebif (interferon beta-1a) Rebif (interferon beta-1a) is used to treat relapsing forms of MS to decrease the frequency of relapses and delay the occurrence of some of the physical disability that is common in people with MS. The efficacy and safety of Rebif in controlled clinical trials beyond 2-years has not been established. Important Safety Information: Rebif is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to natural or recombinant interferon beta, human albumin, or any other component of the formulation. Rebif should be used with caution in patients with depression, a condition that is common in people with multiple sclerosis. Depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts have been reported to occur with increased frequency in patients receiving interferon compounds, including Rebif. Severe liver injury, including some cases of hepatic failure requiring liver transplantation, has been reported rarely in patients taking Rebif. The potential for liver injury should be considered when used in combination with other products associated with liver injury. Monitor liver function tests and patients for signs and symptoms of hepatic injury. Consider discontinuing Rebif if hepatic injury occurs. Anaphylaxis and other allergic reactions (some severe) have been reported as a rare complication of Rebif. Discontinue Rebif if anaphylaxis occurs. In controlled clinical trials, injection site reactions occurred more frequently in Rebif-treated patients than in placebo-treated and Avonex-treated patients. Injection site reactions including injection site pain, erythema, edema, cellulitis, abscess, and necrosis have been reported in the postmarketing setting. Do not administer Rebif into affected area until fully healed; if multiple lesions occur, discontinue Rebif until skin lesions are healed. Decreased peripheral blood counts in all cell lines, including pancytopenia, have been reported in Rebif-treated patients. In controlled clinical trials, leukopenia occurred at a higher frequency in Rebif-treated patients than in placebo and Avonex-treated patients. Thrombocytopenia and anemia occurred more frequently in 44 mcg Rebif-treated patients than in placebo-treated patients. Patients should be monitored for symptoms or signs of decreased blood counts. Monitoring of complete blood and differential white blood cell counts is also recommended. Cases of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), some fatal, have been reported with interferon beta products, including Rebif, up to several weeks or years after starting therapy. Discontinue Rebif if clinical symptoms and laboratory findings consistent with TMA occur, and manage as clinically indicated. Caution should be exercised when administering Rebif to patients with pre-existing seizure disorders. Seizures have been temporally associated with the use of beta interferons, including Rebif, in clinical trials and in postmarketing reports. The most common side effects with Rebif are injection-site disorders, headaches, influenza-like symptoms, abdominal pain, depression, elevated liver enzymes, and hematologic abnormalities. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Rebif should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. Rebif full prescribing information is available at http://www.emdserono.com/ms.country.us/en/images/Rebif_PI_tcm115_140051.pdf?Version= About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the central nervous system and is the most common, non-traumatic, disabling neurological disease in young adults. It is estimated that approximately 2.3 million people have MS worldwide. While symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms of MS include blurred vision, numbness or tingling in the limbs and problems with strength and coordination. The relapsing forms of MS are the most common. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Multiple Sclerosis For more than 20 years, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has been relentlessly focused on understanding the journey people living with MS face in order to create a meaningful, positive experience for them and the broader MS community. However, there is still much that is unknown about this complex and unpredictable disease. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is digging deeper to advance the science and reconstruct a new understanding of MS, inside and out. We are committed to delivering solutions that improve the lives of all those affected by MS. About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. More than 53,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2017, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of 15.3 billion in 66 countries. Founded in 1668, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, holds the global rights to the Merck" name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials. SOURCE Merck KGaA MILWAUKEE, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Perlick Corporation, a family-owned North American manufacturing leader in commercial bar and beverage systems, brewery fittings and residential appliances, announced today the appointment of Richard (Dick) Palmersheim as its new president and chief executive officer (CEO), effective immediately. Palmersheim replaces Paul Peot, who after more than six years with the company recently announced his retirement. Perlick Corporation has appointed Richard (Dick) Palmersheim its new president and chief executive officer. "Dick's breadth of experience in diverse roles within a variety of industries brings a well-rounded, innovative perspective to our business," said Steve Bergum, Perlick family member and former CEO. "We look forward to leveraging his experience in strategic plan development and implementation, brand building, new product development and organizational effectiveness improvement to continue fueling Perlick's growth in both existing and new markets." Palmersheim brings to Perlick more than 35 years of extensive business experience in executive management, strategy, operations, international business and innovation. Most recently, he was principal at Woodcrest Associates LLC, a business advisory firm assisting small to mid-sized companies with strategic planning, international growth, innovation capability improvement, product development, organizational excellence and marketing capability improvement. He is also on several corporate and advisory boards. Throughout his career, Palmersheim has held general management and executive leadership positions both in the United States and internationally at multiple industry-leading companies, including ASQ, Broan-NuTone, Bombardier Recreational Products, Caterpillar and S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. "Now in its fifth generation of family ownership, it's vital that Perlick's leadership closely aligns with our family values," added Larry Molinari, Perlick family member and former CEO. "Dick understands what it means to be a family business and has the experience necessary to deliver upon the mission and vision we have outlined for the company." A Milwaukee native, Palmersheim earned both an undergraduate degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of WisconsinMadison. "In addition to Perlick's strong brand and potential for growth and innovation, one of the key attractions to the role for me is the opportunity to lead a family company that is committed to continuing to grow while building the family company culture and sustaining family ownership for future generations," said Palmersheim. "My past experience working for family-owned businesses has shown me their unique advantages and unwavering commitment to employees, which is a solid foundation on which to build a business." In 2017, Perlick celebrated its 100-year anniversary and the Perlick family is committed to the next 100 years of family ownership. For more information on Perlick, visit www.perlick.com. ABOUT PERLICK CORPORATION Family owned since 1917, Perlick Corporation is a national manufacturing leader in customizable food and beverage storage and serving solutions. Perlick's commercial line includes custom bar and beverage and refrigeration equipment, innovative underbar items, industry-leading beverage dispensing equipment and time-tested brewery fittings. The company's award-winning, luxury residential product line features indoor and outdoor undercounter refrigerators, wine reserves, freezers, freezer and refrigerator drawers, ice makers, and beer dispensers. In 2018, the company brought its history of innovation to the full-size appliance category with the introduction of column refrigerators, freezers and wine reserves. A Milwaukee-based manufacturer, Perlick is dedicated to providing precision-engineered, quality, customizable food and beverage storage and serving solutions. To learn more, visit perlick.com or call 800-558-5592. SOURCE Perlick Related Links http://www.perlick.com The TOW system is a long-range, heavy assault-precision anti-armor, anti-fortification and anti-amphibious landing weapon system used throughout the world today. The radio frequency-guided TOW missile enables ground forces to achieve overmatch against adversary armored and wheeled systems, regardless of the environment or conditions. "Improving TOW's propulsion system will increase range and deliver enhanced protection for ground troops while providing them with more capability," said Kim Ernzen, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. "Raytheon and the Army have consistently upgraded the TOW weapon system to keep it relevant for today's fight, and help our soldiers preserve their overmatch advantage on the battlefield." The new contract builds on other development activities. Performance improvements will be integrated into all TOW missile variants, including the top and direct attack 2B, direct attack 2A and Bunker Buster missiles. The TOW weapon system is deployed with more than 20 international armed forces and integrated on over 15,000 ground, vehicle and helicopter platforms. It's also a preferred system for NATO, coalition, United Nations and peacekeeping operations worldwide. TOW will remain in the Army's inventory until at least 2050. Raytheon has delivered more than 690,000 TOW weapon systems to U.S. and allied warfighters. About Raytheon Raytheon Company, with 2017 sales of $25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5ITM products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter. www.raytheon.com Media Contact John B. Patterson +1.520.794.4559 [email protected] SOURCE Raytheon Company Related Links http://www.raytheon.com "We are so proud of this rapidly growing brand and the overwhelming positive reviews we are receiving about the customer experience and our team. Since 2014, EchoPark has seen triple digit growth, a great testament to the model and the value of not only meeting, but exceeding customer expectations," said Jeff Dyke, President of Sonic Automotive. A core principle for EchoPark is making a strong commitment to the communities in which our stores are located. "EchoPark makes a significant economic impact in these communities with substantial dollars invested to open the new stores. Beyond the economic impact of our stores, EchoPark is further committed to being a great corporate citizen with extensive community service involvement in our localities," said David Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Sonic Automotive. EchoPark employees are already making an impact in the Charlotte market volunteering their time and energy for the St. Jude organization's 5k Run/Walk. The diverse high-energy team contributed their sweat equity for a wonderful cause helping to raise funds and awareness to end childhood cancer. "We are really proud of the team we have brought together here in Charlotte to launch EchoPark Automotive," said Sanjay Prakash, General Manager. "The common denominator of this group is their enthusiasm and commitment to our guests, ensuring they receive the highest level of care when interacting with EchoPark." The EchoPark facilities are LEED-certified with sustainable building technologies, and are oriented to be a part of the existing streetscape. Each retail space mirrors a welcoming, enjoyable atmosphere with an open concept space and functional zones tailored to specific activities. Interactive research areas, comfortable lounge spaces and personalized vehicle delivery empower guests of EchoPark to shop the way they want and at their desired pace. The full sensory environment ties the brand's digital and physical assets into a seamless, flexible and compelling shopping experience. Even the internal mechanic shop is fully visible to guests showcasing the care that is taken to recondition vehicles. In short, EchoPark Automotive is about building long-term relationships with guests and the community. Please visit EchoPark.com to learn more. Press Contact Information: Marti Eulberg 980-875-0964 [email protected] Now Open: EchoPark Charlotte, 3648 E Independence Blvd., Charlotte, NC SOURCE Sonic Automotive, Inc. Approximately US$6.5 billion is being returned in connection with the settlement of its substantial issuer bid/tender offer (SIB) on or around October 9 . is being returned in connection with the settlement of its substantial issuer bid/tender offer (SIB) on or around . Approximately US$2.5 billion will be returned to its shareholders through a return of capital transaction consisting of a cash distribution of US$4.45 per common share and a share consolidation, or "reverse stock split", which will reduce the number of outstanding common shares on a basis that is proportional to the cash distribution. will be returned to its shareholders through a return of capital transaction consisting of a cash distribution of per common share and a share consolidation, or "reverse stock split", which will reduce the number of outstanding common shares on a basis that is proportional to the cash distribution. Approximately US$1 billion will be returned to shareholders through share repurchases under its normal course issuer bid (NCIB). US$556 million of this amount has been repurchased this year and an additional US$444 million of shares is expected to be repurchased later this year and in 2019. Approximately US$4 billion of debt has been repaid since closing the F&R transaction (including through a recently completed debt redemption and debt tender offer). The company plans to maintain approximately US$2 billion of cash on its balance sheet to fund focused acquisitions and utilize approximately US$1 billion to cover F&R transaction-related expenses, including cash taxes, pension contributions, bond redemption costs, one-time costs and other fees and outflows related to the transaction. Final Results of Substantial Issuer Bid/Tender Offer Thomson Reuters has taken up and purchased for cancellation approximately 138.0 million common shares at a purchase price of US$47.00 per share, for a total cost of approximately US$6.5 billion. The shares purchased represented 19.7% of the shares issued and outstanding on a non-diluted basis at the time that the SIB was announced in late August. After giving effect to the SIB, approximately 563 million shares will be issued and outstanding. The company's principal shareholder, The Woodbridge Company Limited and its affiliates (Woodbridge), made a proportionate tender, which maintained its proportionate equity ownership in Thomson Reuters at approximately 64% upon completion of the SIB. Payment and settlement for the purchased shares will be effected by Computershare Trust Company of Canada in accordance with settlement procedures described in the SIB and applicable law. The full details of the SIB are described in the offer to purchase and issuer bid circular dated as of August 28, 2018, letter of transmittal, notice of guaranteed delivery and other related documents. To assist shareholders in determining the tax consequences of the SIB, Thomson Reuters estimates that for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada), the paid-up capital per common share was approximately C$13.32 and the "specified amount" (for purposes of subsection 191(4) of the Income Tax Act (Canada)) was C$58.96 as of October 2, 2018. Return of Capital Transaction Thomson Reuters also announced that a special meeting of shareholders will be held on Monday, November 19, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. (Toronto time) where shareholders will be asked to approve the distribution of US$4.45 in cash per common share, or approximately US$2.5 billion in the aggregate, to holders of common shares and a consolidation of outstanding common shares (or "reverse stock split") on a basis that is proportional to the cash distribution. To that end, the share consolidation ratio will be based on the volume weighed average trading price of the common shares on the New York Stock Exchange for the five trading days immediately prior to the return of capital becoming effective. The proposed transaction is intended to distribute cash on a basis that is generally expected to be tax-free for Canadian tax purposes. Taxable non-Canadian resident shareholders (which include taxable U.S. resident shareholders and others) will be able to opt out of the transaction. This right to opt out is being provided to those shareholders because in jurisdictions other than Canada the tax consequences of not participating in the transaction may be preferable to those associated with participating in the transaction. A taxable non-Canadian resident shareholder that chooses to opt out will not receive the cash distribution and will continue to hold the same number of Thomson Reuters shares that they currently hold. Taxable non-Canadian resident shareholders are strongly urged to read the management proxy circular and other related materials carefully and to consult with their financial, tax and legal advisors prior to making any decision with respect to the transaction. The proposed transaction requires approval by at least two-thirds of the votes cast at the special meeting. The board of directors of the company is unanimously recommending that shareholders vote in favor. Woodbridge has indicated that it plans to do so and, accordingly, it is expected that the shareholder vote will pass. The transaction also requires the approval of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List). If shareholder and court approval are obtained, Thomson Reuters expects to effect the proposed transaction by the end of November. Full details of the proposed transaction will be described in the company's management proxy circular and other related materials. Those documents are expected to be mailed to shareholders, filed with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities and made available without charge on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and made available without charge on EDGAR at www.sec.gov, and posted on the company's website at www.thomsonreuters.com, on or about October 23, 2018. Dividend Increase The Thomson Reuters Board of Directors approved a US$0.02 per share annualized increase in the dividend to US$1.40 per common share. A quarterly dividend of US$0.35 per share is payable on December 17, 2018 to common shareholders of record as of November 15, 2018. This news release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell shares. Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) is the world's leading provider of news and information-based tools to professionals. Our worldwide network of journalists and specialist editors keep customers up to speed on global developments, with a particular focus on legal, regulatory and tax changes. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. For more information on Thomson Reuters, visit tr.com and for the latest world news, reuters.com. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking, including statements relating to the timing of payment and settlement for shares purchased under the SIB, the number of shares that will be issued and outstanding after completion of the SIB, timing for the approval and implementation of the return of capital transaction; the anticipated tax treatment for shareholders participating in the transaction and those opting out; the expected use of proceeds of the F&R transaction; and future share purchases under the company's NCIB. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and reflect our company's current expectations. As a result, forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including other factors discussed in materials that Thomson Reuters from time to time files with, or furnishes to, the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. There is no assurance that the SIB or a return of capital/share consolidation transaction will be completed or that other events described in any forward-looking statement will materialize. Except as may be required by applicable law, Thomson Reuters disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. CONTACTS MEDIA David Crundwell Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs +1 416 649 9904 [email protected] INVESTORS Frank J. Golden Senior Vice President, Investor Relations +1 646 223 5288 [email protected] SOURCE Thomson Reuters Related Links http://www.thomson.com DUBLIN, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market Outlook to 2022 - By Region (North, South and Central) and By Industry (Food Processing, Textile, Chemical, Power, Oil and Gas, Fertilizers and Others)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report will help the readers to identify the ongoing trends in the industry and anticipated growth in future depending upon changing industry dynamics in coming years. The report is useful for equipment manufacturers, water treatment consumable manufacturers and suppliers, environmental associations, EPC companies and potential entrants and other stakeholders to align their market centric strategies according to ongoing and expected trends in the future. Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market OverviewIndustrial water and waste water treatment industry in Vietnam registered a positive five year CAGR during 2012-2017. The market size grew constantly in terms of order intake during the period 2012-2017. The growth was mainly driven by rapid industrialization of Vietnam which leads to high level of pollution in the water bodies, strict implementation of regulatory norms and scarcity of water promoting the industries to use recycled water. Increased demand for energy and rise in manufacturing industries has promoted the development of water treatment industry. Market Segmentation By Region: Southern part of Vietnam is the biggest market for water treatment industries accounting for more than half of the market in 2017. Heavy penetration of industrialization in the southern provinces (Ho Chi Minh region) was the key driver. It was followed by Northern Vietnam which due to its close proximity with China has attracted huge investment in heavy manufacturing and petrochemicals. Central part of Vietnam has not seen as much of industrial activity as North and South Vietnam. However, the region has seen recent development in Food Processing Industry and may contribute to the wastewater treatment industry in future. By Industry: Food Processing units were the largest users of water treatment facilities in Vietnam. The country's food and beverage industry is experiencing a healthy growth rate and attracting a lot of FDI projects. It was followed by Chemical Industry. Textile, another water intensive industry, has always been a heavy contributor to Vietnamese export and this trend is expected to continue in the future. Due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, demand for electricity has peaked and numerous power projects with investment are expected to be completed in the future. This will create a huge demand for wastewater treatment facilities. Competition Scenario Majority of the new contracts are in small to medium scale segment and are garnered by local companies. Companies operating in EPC business in industrial water and waste water treatment are also engaged in developing infrastructure in Sewage treatment and municipal water treatment for drinking. Many large scale projects are still in the bidding stage. Van Lang and SEEN Technologies Corporation continues to lead the market in Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste water treatment market due to their better capabilities and vast experience in developing projects in water treatment industry in Vietnam. O&M projects contributed a minor fraction of total order intake in 2017. Future Outlook It is expected that the market will register constant growth increasing till 2022 registering a positive five year CAGR of nearly 3%. Demand is expected to be highest in the Southern states followed by the North. Future for industrial water and waste water treatment is regulation driven and degree of implementation of existing or upcoming regulation will act as the key driver of the market. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Research Methodology 2.1 Market Definitions 2.2 Abbreviations 2.3 Consolidated Research Approach 2.4 Market Sizing and Limitation 2.6 Variables (Dependent and Independent) 2.7 Correlation Matrix 2.8 Regression Matrix 3. Vietnam Water and Waste Water Treatment 3.1 Market Overview 3.2 Industrial Zones Overview (as of 2016) 3.3 Water and Waste Water Treatment Market Overview 4. Value Chain Analysis 4.1 Roadmap for Tender Application for EPC Company in Vietnam Water and Waste Water Treatment Market 4.2 Vietnam Water and Waste Water Treatment Market - EPC Contracts 4.3 Vietnam Water and Waste Water Treatment Market - O&M Contracts 4.4 Value Chain in Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market 4.4.1 Industry Participants Expected Margin Range Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market 4.4.2 Vietnam Water and Waste Water Treatment Market - EPC Contract Payment System 4.5 EPC Asset Light Operational Model in Vietnam Water and Waste Water Treatment Market 4.6 Ecosystem in Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market 4.5 EPC Asset Light Operational Model in Vietnam Water and Waste Water Treatment Market 4.6 Ecosystem in Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market 5. Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market Size by Order Intake 6. Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market Segmentation by Region by Order Intake, 2017 6.1 Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market Segmentation by Industry by Order Intake, 2017 6.2.1 Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market in Power Sector 6.2.2 Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market in Food Processing Industry 6.2.3 Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market in Textile Sector 6.2.4 Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market in Chemical Industry 6.3 Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market Segmentation by Type of Contract by Order Intake (EPC and O&M) 7. Growth Drivers 7.1 Restraints 7.2 Technology Trends 7.3 Technology and Processes Involved 7.4 Other Key Technology Trends 8. Key Regulations in Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market 9. Competitive Landscape 9.1 Industry Participants, Classification of Players, Major Players in Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Market 9.2 Parameters for Competition 9.3 Competition Scenario 9.4 Comparative Analysis of Major EPC Companies 9.5 Company Profile of Van Lang Company 9.6 Company Profile of Duong Nhat 9.7 Company Profile of Seen Technologies Corporation 9.8 Company Profile of Ecoba ENT 9.9 Company Profile of Green Eye Environment (GREE) 10. Mergers and Acquisitions in Vietnam Water and Waste Water Treatment Market 11 Future Outlook and Potential 11.1 Future Projections, 2017-2022 11.1 Future Projections for Market Segmentation by Industry, 2022 12. List of Under Construction Manufacturing Units 13. Vietnam Industrial Water and Waste Water Treatment Equipment Market Size by Revenue, 2017-2022 14. Analyst Recommendations For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/glwvvp/vietnam?w=5 Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Beijing, Oct 8 : China has confirmed it is holding the missing head of Interpol, Meng Hongwei. Beijing said he was under investigation by the country's anti-corruption body for unspecified breaches of the law, BBC reported on Sunday. Meng, also a vice-minister of public security in China, was reported missing after travelling from the city of Lyon in France, where Interpol is based, to China on 25 September. Interpol said it had received his resignation from the presidency on Sunday with immediate effect. China's National Supervision Commission, which handles corruption cases involving public servants, said Meng was under investigation in a statement on its website. Meng is the latest high-profile disappearance in China, where a number of top government officials, billionaires and even an A-list celebrity have vanished in recent months. Earlier this week, actress Fan Bingbing, who disappeared in China in July, emerged with a public apology and a fine of 883 million yuan ($129 million) for tax evasion and other offences. In a statement on its Twitter site, it said it had received the resignation with immediate effect. Under its terms it has appointed senior vice-president Kim Jong-yang of South Korea as acting president. A new president will be elected for the remaining two years of Meng's mandate at the general assembly in Dubai next month. On Saturday, the international police agency had urged China to clarify Meng's status, saying it was concerned about the well-being of its president. France has opened an investigation but said on Sunday it had no further information. Grace Meng, speaking shortly before China's confirmation of the detention, told journalists she thought he was in danger. She issued an emotional plea for international help to find her husband. On the day he went missing, she said he had sent her a social media message telling her to "wait for my call", before sending a knife emoticon, signifying danger. "I'm not sure what has happened to him," she said. With her back to the cameras to avoid being identified out of fear for her safety, she held back sobs to read out a statement in Chinese and English. "We are always connected by hearts. He would support me in doing this. The matter belongs to fairness and justice. The matter belongs to the international community. The matter belongs to the people of my motherland." Meng was elected Interpol president in November 2016, the first Chinese to take up the post, and was scheduled to serve until 2020. He headed the organisation's Executive Committee, which provides overall guidance and direction. Meng has 40 years of experience in criminal justice and policing in China, notably in the fields of drugs, counter-terrorism and border control. After his election, human rights groups expressed concern that the move could help China pursue political dissidents who have fled the country. Washington, Oct 8 : The US State Department has said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefed South Korea on his just concluded travel to North Korea. According to a statement issued on Sunday by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Pompeo visited Seoul and met the country's president and foreign minister "to give a readout of his October 7 trip to Pyongyang". Pompeo "briefed on his meeting with Chairman Kim, which included his introducing Chairman Kim to Special Representative for North Korea Biegun as his chief negotiator, plans for a second US-North Korea summit, and discussions on achieving the commitments of the June Singapore Summit including the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea as committed to by Chairman Kim and President Trump," the statement read. Pompeo and his South Korean counterpart "also re-affirmed their commitment to the US-South Korea Alliance and continued close coordination with Japan on a unified response to North Korea." According to an earlier statement also issued by Nauert, Pompeo, during his stay in Pyongyang, "held productive discussions" with the country's top leader Kim Jong-un on Sunday, when they discussed the four elements of the US-North Korea Singapore Summit Joint Statement, the upcoming second summit between the two countries' top leaders, and options for the location and date of that next summit. Pompeo and Kim also agreed to instruct their respective working-level teams to meet soon to intensify discussions on the key remaining issues to deliver on the Singapore statement, and Kim invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled, the US State Department said. "President Trump looks forward to continuing to build upon the trust established with Chairman Kim in Singapore and anticipates meeting again soon," it added. Incheon (South Korea) : Incheon (South Korea) Oct 8 (IANS) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a world body assessing the science related to climate change, urged "rapid and far-reaching" changes in all aspects of the entire world on Monday to fight global warming after adopting a special report on the issue. The 48th IPCC session in South Korea's western port city of Incheon brought together about 570 representatives from 135 countries and international organisations, Xinhua news agency reported. It approved the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius that will be a key scientific input into the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Poland in December. The report highlighted a number of climate change impacts that could be avoided by limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in comparison to 2 degrees Celsius or higher. It examined pathways available to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, what it would take to achieve them and what the consequences could be. The report found that limiting the warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would require "rapid and far-reaching" transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport and cities. The special report was requested by 195 nations when they adopted the Paris Agreement in December 2015 at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UNFCCC. The report would become a key scientific basis for the COP24 to the UNFCCC, scheduled for December in Poland, according to the IPCC. The IPCC was established by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments about climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. Pyongyang, Oct 8 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was optimistic about holding "sooner or later" another summit with US President Donald Trump, state media reported on Monday. Kim expressed satisfaction over the "productive" meeting he had in Pyongyang US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday, to whom he explained his "proposals for solving the denuclearization issue", the Korean Central News Agency said in its report. On his return from Pyongyang, Pompeo, for his part, said during a meeting on Sunday in Seoul with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that the talks had been "good and productive", adding that progress was made in denuclearization issues and that they had talks about holding "at the earliest date possible" a second US-North Korea summit, reports Efe news. Pompeo also said that Washington and Pyongyang agreed to set up working groups to plan the future summit and the denuclearization process, and noted that both parties will continue to negotiate to determine the date and place of the second meeting between Kim and Donald Trump. According to the KCNA report, Kim praised the "positively developing" situation on the Korean peninsula in the meeting, during which "mutual stands were fully understood and opinions exchanged" between both parties. Kim was convinced that "a great progress would surely be made in solving the issues of utmost concern of the world and in attaining the goal set forth at the last talks with the projected second North Korea-US summit talks as an occasion", the report added. Kim also expressed optimism about the continuity of "negotiations based on the deep confidence between the top leaders of both countries". Pompeo, meanwhile, said in Seoul that he had discussed with Kim the denuclearization measures that North Korea must carry out, possible visits of US representatives to North Korea and how the US could take corresponding measures. At the moment Washington does not want to disclose more details on the recent talks in Pyongyang, since Pompeo himself had indicated in previous days that he would speak "about the details of the negotiation" himself so as not to compromise the process. During the inter-Korean summit in September, Pyongyang said it would dismantle the Yongbyon plant, its main nuclear facility, if Washington adopted "corresponding measures" based on what was agreed in the first Trump-Kim summit in Singapore. Both countries agreed in the summit to work towards the denuclearization of the regime in exchange for North Korea's security. However, their dialogue has been stalled since then due to the discrepancies over the disarmament process. San Francisco, Oct 8 : Despite claims by a company executive that Microsoft tech support has the tools to help users recover the files deleted by the "Windows 10 October 2018" update, users have not yet been able to avail the facilities, a media report said. Microsoft on Saturday paused the roll-out of the software update after several users complained that installing the update was wiping off their data. Later in the day, the head of the Windows Insider program, Dona Sarkar tweeted that Microsoft tech support has the tools to recover the missing files and guided followers how to reach out for assistance. But the Microsoft tech support team appears to be clueless about these tools, the Bleeping Computer reported on Sunday. Numerous users who called the support number were told that the bug was still under investigation and that the agents were not aware of any tools, the report said. On Saturday, Microsoft advised users who manually downloaded the update to not "install it and wait until new media is available". "We will provide an update when we resume rolling out the Windows 10 October 2018 Update to customers," the post added. Earlier, some users complained that the update wiped out their profiles, including documents and photos. An alarming number of users took to social media forums and Microsoft's own support website to complain about the issue. The Windows 10 October 2018 update rolled out globally on October 2. New Delhi, Oct 8 : President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday extended their greetings on the occasion of the 86th Air Force Day. "We proudly honour our air warriors, veterans, and families of the Indian Air Force. They safeguard our skies with courage and commitment. The resilience, tenacity and zeal of our valiant air warriors is a source of pride for every Indian," the President tweeted. Modi said: "A grateful nation salutes our valorous air warriors and their families on Air Force Day. They keep our skies safe and are at the forefront of serving humanity in times of disasters. Proud of the Indian Air Force!" He also attached a video of IAF jets along with the tweet. The Congress chief hailed the valour of the Air Force personnel saying their commitment is an inspiration for all Indians. The Indian Air Force which was officially established on this day in 1932, would display an air show at Air Force Station Hindon in Uttar Pradesh to mark the day. Chennai, Oct 8 : Popular Telugu star Jr. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) says he doesn't pressurise himself anymore for success as he believes the journey of working on a film matters to him more than its end result. Tarak, as he is fondly called by his fans and peers, said there is no pressure to do a hit film anymore. "I've reached a point in my career where I don't have to pressurise myself for success. More than success, what is really important is that I enjoy the journey of being part of a project. The end result will vary from one film to another, but it is important that the journey remains special," Tarak told IANS ahead of the release of Telugu action drama "Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava". The film, slated to hit the screens on Thursday, marks Tarak's first collaboration with director Trivikram Srinivas. "I have known Tarak for close to 14 years and we have wanted to collaborate for a long time. We have come together with very strong content and we enjoyed working together. There was no pressure of delivering a hit," Srinivas said, adding that the film offers a different take on how to stop violence and the importance of a woman in a man's life. Set against the backdrop of factionalism in Rayalaseema, the film also stars Pooja Hegde, Jagapathi Babu, Supriya Pathak and Sunil in crucial roles. Elaborating on the film, Tarak said: "So many films on faction backdrop have come and each one has offered a different solution on stopping violence. Violence need not be a vital part to talk about revenge but it is part of the navarasas and only when you've seen the bitter side of something, can you give a solution." Asked if the film offers everything audiences look forward to from a Tarak film, he said: "I really don't know the definition of a typical NTR film. Are you saying it should feature ten fight sequences and five songs? When I did 'Temper' and 'Nannaku Prematho', I didn't know if I would ever do such films and they worked. I'm not sure what more audiences want from me." Irrespective of the high expectations, he admits that audiences are slowly evolving and more importance is being given to good stories. "In recent times, films which have been narrated confidently have worked. We don't necessarily have to make commercially appealing films anymore. When Trivikram and I decided to work together, I told him not to make changes to the script to suit my image. I wanted to be part of his story and his style of storytelling. In 'Aravinda Samethaa', he has written some fantastic characters." Tarak underwent physical transformation for the film. He said getting fit introduced him to a healthier lifestyle. "After 'Jai Lava Kusa', I had gained weight. Trivikram wanted me to get fit for the role but I wanted to push more. I saw my wife push herself hard post pregnancy. It made me realise that being fit can be a lifestyle changing path. I worked with Lloyd Stevens and I think the process has made me disciplined," he said. Recently, tragedy struck Tarak's family when his father Nandamuri Harikrishna, actor and politician, passed away in a road accident. Describing it as the most difficult phase of his life, Tarak said: "When you're prepared for certain things, you know what to expect. But when you're unprepared and something happens, it hits you very hard. This was one such incident but life has to move on and it's something my father taught us. I'm still unloading the emotional baggage." Tarak will next join hands with Ram Charan for a yet-untitled Telugu project in S.S. Rajamouli's direction. "I'm really excited about this project. It'll be a proper Rajamouli film. That's all I'm allowed to say at the moment." (Haricharan Pudipeddi can be contacted at haricharanpudipeddi@gmail.com) Ayodhya, Oct 8 : A Hindu seer who was on an indefinite fast to press for early construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya has been picked up from the temple town here in Uttar Pradesh and sent to a hospital in Lucknow, police said on Monday. "He was picked up by the police after his condition deteriorated after midnight," an official said. Mahant Praramhans Das' pulse rate dropped alarmingly forcing the police to intervene. He was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) where doctors treating him said that his condition was critical as the ketone level in the body was very high due to prolonged fasting. He has also suffered acute dehydration. SGPGI Director Rakesh Kapoor is supervising Das' treatment, a doctor told IANS. He has been kept in the critical care ICU and nobody is allowed to meet him. The seer has been on a sit-in protest for the last one week and had declared that he would not relent until assurances from the state and central government that the construction of the temple would be expedited. On Sunday, state Industry Minister Satish Mahana had met the seer and asked him to give up his fast unto death. He had also assured Das that he would soon arrange for a video call between him and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. There is anger against the police action and many from the seer's community have converged at the venue of his fast. Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Praveen Togadia has reached here and is trying to appease the agitated seers. Bengaluru, Oct 8 : The world's leading e-tailer Amazon is making special offers for the ensuing festival season to online shoppers from Wednesday, said the Indian arm of the US-based e-commerce major on Monday. "Our six-day Great Indian Festival Sale starts on October 10 at 12 a.m. and ends on October 15 at 11.59 p.m.," said the city-based firm in a statement. For Amazon's prime members, e-sale, however, will begin on Tuesday at noon. Dussehra and Diwali will be celebrated this year in October and November respectively. "Customers buying a smartphone during the festive sale will get free mobile screen replacement and one-year extended warranty for purchasing refrigerator, washing machine or television set," the statement said. For its new customers, the company will deliver free their first order of any amount on its e-portal. "We have expanded our selection by tying up with brands such as OnePlus, Xiaomi, IFB, Bosch, Philips, Marks and Spencer, LG, UnderArmour, Calvin Klein, and Just F among several others," the statement said. Like its Indian rival Flipkart, Amazon is also offering an option to purchase a protection plan for customers looking for insuring their mobile phones against accidental damage. To make shopping seamless, the company will allow customers to schedule an appointment as per their convenience for delivery and free installation of TVs and washing machines during the festive season. Customers can also save more with finance schemes such as Amazon Pay EMI, no-cost EMI on debit and credit cards and exchange on Amazon.in. The company has also created 50,000 positions in its national network of fulfilment centres, sortation centres, delivery stations and customer service sites for the festive sale. "The positions have been created in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and other cities across the country," said Amazon India Vice-President Akhil Saxena in the statement. Mumbai, Oct 8 : Indian stock indices erased opening losses to trade slightly higher in the afternoon session on Monday, as last week's declines prompted investors to cover their short positions. "This is 'short covering' after the large correction that we saw in the markets last week. Though the indices are in the green right now, it may not be sustain," said Astha Jain, Senior research analyst, Hem Securities. Buying was seen witnessed in the oil and gas, banking and energy counters. At 1.09 p.m., the broader Nifty50 of the National Stock Exchange was trading at 10,339.85 points, up 23.40 points or 0.23 per cent from its Friday's close. The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex, which had opened at 34,412.36, was trading at 34,442.64, up 65.65 points or 0.19 per cent. So far, the Sensex has touched an intra-day high of 34,636.43 points and a low of 34,031.98 points. Indian stocks suffered a rout last week, as rising global oil prices, a weakening rupee, and tight liquidity conditions roiled investor sentiment. Sofia, Oct 8 : Bulgarian authorities have launched a probe into the rape and murder of an investigative journalist in the city of Ruse, the third journalist to have been killed in the European Union (EU) this year. According to Bulgarian state media, the body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova was found on Saturday near a pedestrian alley in an area with heavy vegetation, CNN reported on Monday. Preliminary investigations showed the cause of death were blows to the head and suffocation. Bulgarian Interior Minister Mladen Mladenov on Sunday described the murder as "exceptionally brutal" and said Marinova was raped before she was killed. He said the country's top murder investigators had been sent to Ruse to work on the case. Ruse Regional Prosecutor Georgi Georgiev told the state media that Marinova's mobile phone, car keys, glasses and part of her clothing were missing when her body was found. It remains unclear if Marinova's murder was related to her journalistic work. The state media said that over the last year, Marinova had reported for the broadcaster TVN on an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption involving EU funds, CNN said. She also worked on a programme focusing on social issues and was involved with charity work. Brasilia, Oct 8 : Far-right Congressman Jair Bolsonaro pulled off a thumping win in the first round of Brazil's presidential election but fell short of the majority required to avoid a second round runoff, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal has announced. The Tribunal said Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party won Sunday's poll with 46 per cent of the vote, ahead of leftwing former Sao Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party on 29 per cent, reports CNN. Behind Haddad came the Democratic Labor party's Ciro Gomes with 12.5 per cent. Bolsonaro will face Haddad in the second round on October 28. "We indeed are able to change the destiny of Brazil," Bolsonaro, 63, told the media late on Sunday night. "We cannot continue flirting with socialism or communism." Throughout his 27-year career as a congressman, Bolsonaro has stirred controversy by making misogynistic, racist and homophobic remarks and has often been compared to US President Donald Trump and the Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte. He has also been very vocal about his support for military rule. In a broadcast on the eve of the election, Bolsonaro echoed Trump with a call to his 7 million Facebook followers: "Let's make Brazil great! Let's be proud of our homeland once again!", the Guardian reported. Last month, Bolsonaro called for his leftwing political opponents to be shot. Two days later he himself was stabbed in an attempted assassination at a rally. But in the final days of the campaign, the far-right front-runner, forced to campaign from a hospital bed, tried to recast himself as a paragon of tolerance who would rule for all Brazil's 208 million citizens regardless of their skin, colour or faith. Meanwhile, Haddad, who spoke after making it to the second round, said he and the Workers' Party would "only use arguments, we don't use any guns", reports the BBC. Referring to Bolsonaro's lead, he said he felt "challenged by the results, which alerts us to the risks Brazilian democracy is facing. "We need to approach this with a sense of responsibility. We want to unite the democrats of this country, to reduce inequality and to achieve social justice," he told his cheering supporters. Haddad became the default Workers' Party candidate after his running mate and former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was barred from running by the country's highest electoral court. da Silva had been leading in the polls despite being in jail since April, where he is serving a 12-year sentence for corruption and money laundering. He has denied the charges. Mumbai, Oct 8 : In the midst of the #MeToo wave that has taken Bollywood by storm, actress Aditi Rao Hydari says she faced one "bad" experience initially in her career but she never settled for anything lesser than dignity and respect over opportunity and fame. Asked about the casting couch and if an outsider of the film fraternity faces it more often than a star kid, Aditi told IANS here: "I only can talk about myself and my experience. Honestly, working on your own terms is difficult for a newcomer but not impossible. I am an example of that. "My opportunities might become fewer, but I have to choose how I want to deal with it." Recalling her days as a struggler in the film industry, she said: "I had one bad experience and I stepped out from that, though I had a three-film deal. I was new and naive, but I have been brought up in a way where I know how to stand for my dignity. "So I let go of an opportunity if it requires me to do anything to compromise on my dignity." Aditi refused to generalise the film industry as an unsafe place for women. "In film business or any business for that matter, there are people with different mindsets. Some would be compassionate and respectful, some might just be the womaniser, but how can we generalise that? That is wrong, I guess... That way, in a male dominating society, shining is tough for women," said the "Wazir" and "Padmaavat" actress. Having made her debut in 2009 with the film "Yeh Saali Zindagi", Aditi has appeared in movies like "Bhoomi", "Rockstar", "Murder 3", "Delhi-6" and "Daas Dev". In the southern film industry, she has worked with legendary director Mani Ratnam and she is currently shooting for actor-filmmaker Dhanush's upcoming yet untitled project. While her screen presence and performance keeps getting appreciation, the audience does not get to see her as leading Bollywood heroine. What is stopping her from being number one? "I really do not have an answer to that, but I want to say that I am happy with the opportunities that I have got in the last few years across the regions in Indian cinema where I have worked with some iconic filmmakers. I admire them for their excellence in the craft of filmmaking. "So there is no regret and I see no reason to feel negative about it," added the actress, who believes that success is a matter of perspective. "For someone, success is to be the highest paid actress. For some, it might be the number of awards and for some, it is the number of films. Honestly, I feel privileged when a celebrated filmmaker offers me a role so that I can be a part of his vision. That is success for me." Beijing, Oct 8 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi here to discuss developments in North Korea's denuclearization amid escalating trade tensions between the world's two largest economies. Pompeo met Wang during the last stop of his Asia tour, which began in Tokyo and also took him to Pyongyang and Seoul, to prepare a new summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump following the one held in Singapore in June, reports Efe news. Pompeo and Wang will also discuss trade tensions between China and the US, which have seen both nations impose tariffs on imported goods. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said China hoped the meeting would help renew "mutual trust" between the two countries after "the wrongdoing of the US". "We believe the wrongdoing of the US on certain issues was not conducive for US-China cooperation, and we hope they will come back onto the right track of working with the Chinese side (towards) healthy relations between the two," Lu said. In addition to the escalating trade dispute, Trump recently accused Beijing of attempting to interfere in the US midterm elections scheduled for November. New Delhi, Oct 8 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Monday ruled out seeking the resignation of his Ministers facing allegations of corruption. "If facing corruption charges is the ground for removal of a Minister, then nobody, not just in Tamil Nadu but in the entire country, can continue as a Minister. In such a situation, you just have to give a complaint of corruption and the Minister cannot continue," he said. There are corruption charges against some Ministers in the Palaniswamy cabinet including Health Minister C. Vijayabhaskar in the gutka scam and Local Administration Minister S.P. Velumani, who is accused of awarding government contracts to benami companies. Kabul, Oct 8 : The Taliban on Monday appealed to the people of Afghanistan to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections in the country, calling them an attempt to legitimise the presence of foreign troops. The campaign for the elections, set for October 20, began around 10 days ago and will continue for around three weeks, reports Efe news. "The Islamic Emirate calls upon the nation for the sake of protecting the broader national interests and for the prevention of this significant and decisive process being used for the malicious objectives of foreign occupiers, to completely boycott the whole procedure of these elections, and not to participate in it by denying its value and credibility," the Taliban said in a statement. "The bogus process of elections in countries under occupation is conducted for the sole purpose of legitimizing those stooges who are authorized by the occupying forces. In this way, the people are given a deceptive feeling of having free right casting their votes." In recent months, Afghanistan has witnessed dozens of attacks on election officials, candidates and voters. Lucknow, Oct 8 : Union Minister Anupriya Patel on Monday faced the ire of BHU students, who raised slogans against her and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over restoration of a stringent provision in a law that seeks to protect the oppressed castes. Patel, who is a Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare at the Centre, was coming out from the Laxman Das guest house at the Banaras Hindu University campus, when protesters, mostly students, surrounded her vehicle, an official said. They raised slogans against the Centre's restoration of the provision of immediate arrest under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act that had been struck down by a March 20 Supreme Court verdict. There was a heated exchange between the minister's security personnel and her husband and the protesters. Soon, another group of students approached the Minister's vehicle, accusing the BJP-led central government of trying to dilute the SC/ST law. The minister was escorted out of the campus under extra police protection. Anupriya Patel's Apna Dal (S) is an alliance partner of the BJP. Stockholm, Oct 8 : The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences 2018 was awarded on Monday to American economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer for designing methods that address fundamental and pressing issues including long-term sustainable growth in the global economy. The announcement was made by the Royal Swedish Academy here. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded in the memory of Swedish philanthropist Alfred Nobel. Nordhaus, who is also a Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, is being recognised for his work on the damage caused by climate change, according to the Nobel Prize committee. Romer, who served as the Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank until January 24 and the pioneer of endogenous growth theory, has examined how economists can achieve a healthy rate of economic growth. The models that Nordhaus and Romer have created have helped with the development of economic growth and with combatting climate change, the Committee said. They have taken macroeconomics to a global scale, to tackle some of the world's biggest problems, it added. A total of 79 individuals have been awarded with this honour from 1969 to 2017. Beijing, Oct 8 : China's top security official, who headed the Interpol until last week and went missing after he left France for China, is being probed for taking bribes, Beijing said on Monday. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the international community was free to make its own conclusion on the high-profile case, but the probe against Meng showed China's resolve to crack down on graft. Meng, the Vice Minister in the powerful Pubic Security Ministry, was elected as the first Chinese Interpol chief in November 2016. "The investigation against Meng Hongwei taking bribes and suspected violations of law is very timely, absolutely correct and rather wise," the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement. Meng's disappearance made news last week after his wife in Lyon - Interpol's headquarters in France - reported him missing for several days after he left for China. Interpol, which made a formal request to Chinese authorities to give information about his whereabouts, announced Meng's resignation on Sunday. Asked if Meng's sudden disappearance and investigation will affect the ability of Chinese officials to take top posts in international agencies, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said: "This (investigation) has shown Chinese government's firm resolve to crack down on corruption and crimes and it is also been made very clear that this case fully demonstrates that the party is firm in fighting corruption and anybody will be punished in accordance with law seriously if they violate the law." Asked further if China will propose another candidate for the presidency of Interpol, Lu said the agency will make arrangement according to its own rules. Lu said China will continue to cooperate with the Interpol in its fight against crimes. It was not clear if the alleged crime by Meng was committed during his chairmanship of the Interpol. Meng is being investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the watchdog of the Communist Party. Meng is the latest "tiger" to fall in the anti-corruption campaign launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Rising politicians, PLA generals and top-notch government officials have been jailed for corruption. Critics say that Xi is eliminating his opponents through this campaign. Last week, China's superstar Fang Bingbing was asked to cough up $130 million for evading taxes. She had gone missing earlier only to resurface later to confess her wrongdoing and sing praises of the Communist Party. (CNN) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saudi Arabia should prove that missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has, in fact, left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. "He entered the general consulate himself and if he has entered by himself and if he did not exit it, of course this should be proven by the general consulate," Erdogan said at a press conference in Budapest. Erdogan said the Saudi consulate should have CCTV cameras and should be able to show the video of Khashoggi leaving the building. He mentioned that there are no documents or evidence that show the journalist departing. The Justice Ministry and the chief prosecutor in Istanbul "started an investigation and efforts are continuing," Erdogan said. Airport entrances and exits are being investigated. "At the moment there are certain people who arrived from Saudi Arabia. And our chief investigator is investigating everything in this matter." Turkey has asked for permission to search the consulate in Istanbul in the wake of Khashoggi's disappearance, state broadcaster TRT said. That move comes as Turkey also summoned Saudi ambassador Sedat Onal for a second time in recent days on Sunday, asking the diplomat for his "full cooperation" in the investigation. These are the latest developments in Turkey's probe into the disappearance of Khashoggi, a Washington Post writer and Saudi royal court insider-turned-critic. Turkish officials told several media organizations that he had been murdered inside the consulate. Saudi Arabia has strenuously denied any involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance. Khashoggi, who left Saudia Arabia in 2017, entered the building on Tuesday to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage while his Turkish fiancee waited outside. But she says she never saw him re-emerge. A Saudi official said Khashoggi left the consulate shortly after he visited. The Saudis did not, however, release any surveillance footage or other evidence. The incident has thrown sharp focus on Saudi Arabia's young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's perceived crackdown on dissidents, his kingdom's delicate relationship with Turkey, and Khashoggi 's influence within the royal court. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday called Khashoggi a "friend" he had known for some time, and vowed to personally "chase" the investigation into his disappearance. Turkish police are also examining all the consulate's entry and exit records, from the time Khashoggi entered the building until his fiancee lost contact with him. Turkish officials: Khashoggi was killed in consulate Four days after Khashoggi vanished, unnamed Turkish officials told the The Washington Post and Reuters that the journalist was killed inside the consulate. The officials have so far provided no evidence or details of how they arrived at this conclusion. Yasin Aktay, a political adviser to Erdogan, told CNN on Sunday that he too believes there is a strong possibility that Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate. "I personally think the possibility of him being killed is stronger than other possibilities, although I do not want to accept it. Because if he was alive, Saudis would provide evidence that he is alive," Aktay told CNN during a telephone interview in Istanbul. "If he is not in the consulate and if he did not leave through the normal ways, he might have left sedated or left in pieces." Aktay, who is also an adviser to the ruling AK Party, told CNN that said the Turkish government is not "ignoring any piece of evidence," and said the Saudis are not "sharing any convincing explanations on what happened inside the building." Fifteen Saudi Arabian nationals including several officials arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the Saudi consulate there on the day Khashoggi went missing, state-run Anadolu news agency reported Saturday, citing police sources. The 15 Saudis have all since left Turkey, it added. As demands for answers grew, Saudi officials gave journalists a tour Saturday of the six-story building in an effort to prove Khashoggi was not inside. Reuters said that a consular official showed them every room, even opening up cupboards and filing cabinets. No sign of him was found. On Sunday, Khashoggi's family in Saudi Arabia appeared to distance themselves from media reports of his death, saying in a statement to the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel: "We trust the government and the actions taken by it and all the efforts being made in the case of Jamal Khashoggi." Who is Jamal Khashoggi? Khashoggi, known in part for his interviews with terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, was a Saudi royal court insider before he left Saudi Arabia in 2017 for Washington. He began to contribute opinion pieces to The Washington Post that were critical of bin Salman's policies, including his consolidation of power. He was named a contributing writer at the Post in January. Khashoggi is a Virginia resident, according to his congressman, Rep. Gerry Connolly. He had applied to be a permanent U.S. resident, but at this time his exact residency status remains unclear. Pressure is now mounting on the U.S. to weigh in on the disappearance, which could have serious implications for the precarious relationship between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, already opposed over the blockade by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states against Qatar. Two senior U.S. administration officials told CNN on Sunday that although Washington is not commenting publicly, and has no information confirming the Turkish claims, the administration is quietly working across several agencies, seeking answers about Khashoggi's whereabouts and talking to senior Saudi officials. This story was first published on CNN.com "Turkey's President: Saudis should prove missing journalist left consulate" Dhaka, Oct 8 : Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid on Monday signed the Digital Security Bill 2018 into law amid objections from several media and rights organisations. The President's Press Secretary Md Joynal Adedin confirmed the signing to bdnews24.com. Several media organisations objected to numerous sections of the new law soon after the draft of it was made available. Parliament passed the bill on September 19, ignoring the protests. The Editors' Council, a media organisation, said it curbs freedom of expression and threatens the free press. Along with media organisations, several human rights organisations and members of the international community urged the government to consider changes to the new Digital Security Act, expressing their concern over various issues. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina dismissed the objections. "Journalists who are not opting for false news or wrong information have no need to worry about the new law. "But those who have readied write-ups against us and are waiting to publish them regularly should be concerned," Hasina said The new law also empowers the police to search, confiscate or make arrests without a warrant. It also has a provision that stipulates a maximum seven years of imprisonment or 2.5 million Bangladesh taka ($29,913) fine or both for illegally accessing any significant information structure. Ranchi, Oct 8 : Unidentified robbers on Monday looted jewellery worth Rs 25 lakh from a businessman in Jharkhand's Ranchi, police said. The incident took place at Dhruva locality when Raj Kumar Burman, owner of Burman Jewellers, was busy opening the locks of his shop. Taking advantage of this, the bike-borne criminals snatched the jewellery from him. Police has launched an operation to arrest the criminals. Ranchi police is under the scanner over the law and order situation in the city. On Sunday, around Rs 3 lakh was looted from a gas agency official. Last week, a businessman was murdered at a main road here. Beijing, Oct 8 : China on Monday said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an open and transparent project and contribution by any country to the initiative will be a "positive factor". "Such cooperation has always been open and transparent. If any other party will like to contribute positive factors to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation, I think this is a positive factor," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said. He was reacting to Islamabad's announcement that Saudi Arabia will join the CPEC as a third partner, only to retract and say that Riyadh will invest in Pakistan and not in the project. "As for the specifics, I have no information," Lu added. India is opposed to the CPEC -- the mainstay of Chinese-funded Belt and Road Project -- as the initiative has been planned to be built through disputed Kashmir area claimed by Delhi but administered by Islamabad. New Delhi, Oct 8 : Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, who has petitioned the Supreme Court over the existence of a large number of duplicate voters in electoral rolls in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, on Monday asked all political parties to demand a flawless voters' list. "Every political party must demand a correct, flawless and sanitised voter list," Nath told the media here after a Supreme Court bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan reserved its verdict on his plea. Pointing to the fact that the Election Commission had dropped 24 lakh voters from the voter list published in January, Nath said the electoral roll should be prepared at least 30 days in advance from the date of the election notification. "Unless and until all political demand for a sanitised voters' list and the same is provided by the Commission, the elections can't be free and fair," he added. Nath, the Madhya Pradesh Congress chief and his Rajasthan counterpart Sachin Pilot had moved the Supreme Court alleging duplication of voters in the electoral rolls in the two poll-bound states. Among the major demands made in the plea is publication of the voter list in text format instead of image format, and prohibition on deletion of voters from the voter list without intimation to political parties. Lucknow, Oct 8 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday called up his Gujarat counterpart to express concern over violent attacks on migrants from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh working in the western state. Adityanath urged Gujarat's Vijay Rupani to take strict action against those behind the attacks, an official said. The attacks began after a migrant worker from Bihar allegedly raped a 14-month-old girl in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district. The police arrested the accused, but enraged Gujaratis formed small mobs to launch attacks on the migrant workers, triggering their exodus. Rupani assured the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister that action would be taken and such attacks will be stopped, the official said. Rupani said that more than 300 people have been arrested for the attacks on north Indians. Earlier on Monday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar spoke to Rupani expressing his concern over the violence. Both Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh are being ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, while the party governs Bihar in alliance with Kumar's Janata Dal (United). Mumbai, Oct 8 : Filmmaking is full of challenges, says filmmaker Gautam Singh Sigdar, who took almost five years to make his film "Gaon". The film is a story about a village called Bharatgaon and how it transforms, thanks to the changes around it. From finding the right village to setting up there and finally shooting, it has been a huge struggle. "Filmmaking is full of challenges. The biggest challenge is not to compromise on storyline. Travelling back and forth from Doha was not an easy ride. For the last three years, I have been travelling to India almost every Friday-Saturday (weekends for me in Doha). "I had got a team from several places in India working for 'Gaon'. Our music director is from Bengaluru, our audio studio was in Chennai, all our major cast and crew are from Mumbai and Kolkata and our location was in Jharkhand and Mumbai. Therefore, I needed to travel quite frequently to meet and work with these teams located at different places," Sigdar said in a statement. Although it was tough, he said he had no other option. "I did all this along with having a full-time job. It was a mad thing to do but I had no choice. However, I wouldn't recommend anyone to do the same," he said. "In all, 'Gaon' took almost five years to make. The first two years went into writing the script and finding the right locations and actors. The remaining three years were for pre-production, production and the post." "Gaon: The village no more", directed by Sigdar, stars Shadab Kamal, Neha Mahajan, Shishir Sharma and Omkar Das Manikpuri. The film is slated to release on October 26. New Delhi, Oct 8 : An auto-rickshaw driver was stabbed to death here over fare issues. Four minor boys have been arrested for their involvement in the murder, police said on Monday. Deputy Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma said four boys aged between 16 and 17 had hired 26-year-old Jahangir Alam's rickshaw from Delhi's Khanpur to Connaught Place area on Sunday night. "On the way they had a disagreement with the driver on the issue of extra charges applied to the fare for night time and for the fourth passenger," he said, adding that one of the passengers stabbed Alam during the scuffle. At 11.30 p.m., a police motorcyclist found the rickshaw driver in an injured condition in the Kasturba Gandhi Marg area. He was taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Because of the loud noises made during the incident, people were able to catch one of the culprits who was later handed over to the police. The knife used in the murder was also seized. Earlier on Monday, the police caught the other three accused from their residences in south Delhi's Dakshinpuri area. New Delhi, Oct 8 : A man addicted to gambling was arrested along with two accomplices on charges of killing his father to grab the family business, police said on Monday. Gaurav Khera, 37, the victim's only son, and accomplices Vishal Garg, 23, and Sadiq Khan, 22, were arrested on Sunday from a hideout in north Delhi's Azadpur. "Gaurav Khera hated his father, Anil Khera," Additional Commissioner of Police Ajit Singla said. Khera confessed to police that he gambled a lot, had lost all his savings and was unable to repay the loans he had taken. "Due to his gambling habit, his father once refused to bail him out and also slapped him publicly. Since then, he planned to eliminate his father, the officer said. Gaurav hatched a plan to kill his father and promised Garg a 25 percent share in his father's chemical business once he was murdered, Singla said. Garg teamed up with Sadiq Khan and Shamsher to execute the task. Gaurav paid Rs 5 lakh to Khan and Shamsher to kill his father, Singla said. On May 21, Khan and Shamsher gunned down Anil Khera when he went to attend a business meeting in Ghaziabad. After the arrest of the three, Shamsher is on the run. New Delhi, Oct 8 : The National Housing Bank (NHB) on Monday increased its refinance limit to Rs 30,000 crore to make more funds available to eligible housing finance companies. It had initially set a limit of Rs 24,000 crore this year (July 2018-June 2019) for refinancing eligible institutions. "Till date, Rs 8,835 crore has been sanctioned. This refinancing is a credit flow to housing finance companies and other institutions," an official statement said. The NHB is the principal agency to promote housing finance institutions in the country and to provide financial support to eligible institutions. As a regulator, it regularly monitors the liquidity position of housing finance companies. New Delhi, Oct 8 : The CPI-M on Monday said the formation of a grand-alliance at the national level was not possible though the party may think about it at the appropriate time but asserted that the priority was to defeat the BJP. Party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury told the media that a "mahagatbandhan" was not possible at the national level. "It may mean an alliance of the SP (Samajwadi Party) and BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) and allies in Uttar Pradesh. And in Bihar it will be led by RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal). This is what I am saying. "We will decide on joining the 'mahagatbandhan' when the time comes. Let things crystallise. For now, our priority is to defeat the BJP and ensure formation of a secular government," said the Marxist leader after a CPI-M Central Committee meeting. If attempts were made to form pre-poll alliances in the states, the CPI-M would support them in order to pull down the BJP, Yechury said. "If the SP and BSP come together, we will be with them to defeat the BJP. In Bihar, we will support if the RJD and other secular forces join hands," he said. Asked if the Communist Party of India-Marxist would back Congress candidates where it would not field candidates, Yechury appeared to nod in the affirmation. The electoral tactics would be worked out to maximize putting together anti-BJP votes, he added. The former Rajya Sabha member said the task was to defeat the BJP to save India and defeat the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to save West Bengal. "We will work for the defeat of both (BJP and TMC) in Bengal... We will ensure this happens. "In Telangana, our objective is to defeat the BJP and ruling TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti")." Asked about the talk of Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister in 2019, Yechury said: "Someone told me in 2004 that Sonia Gandhi was ready to become the Prime Minister. But did she become? "Do not predict about Indian politics... Decisions will be taken as the situation unfolds," he said. Yechury said his party welcomed the Supreme Court verdict on Sabarimala temple and said the RSS and BJP were opposing it for their political agenda to polarise people. He dared the BJP to bring a legislation in Parliament if it wanted to overturn the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages in the temple. The Left party condemned the ongoing violence in Gujarat against migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and attacks against CPI-M workers in Tripura. He also demanded a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the Rafale deal, saying BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not succeeded in their "cover up" efforts. It was a major case of corruption, which had affected the country's sovereignty and security, he added. Yechury said said there was no need of money trail -- as claimed by the BJP -- to prove it as a scam because "law of political funding has so changed that anybody can buy electoral bonds, (which) are unknown, unaccountable. These bonds can be passed on to anybody". Jaipur, Oct 8 : Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday attacked the ruling government for the deteriorating health and security conditions in Rajasthan, with the confirmation of 22 Zika virus patients in the state. "Rajasthan in the last few years has been hitting headlines for all the wrong reasons," he told the media here. "The number of swine flu patients has been soaring year after year, and now Zika virus too has entered the Rajasthan borders. All this shows the callousness of the government towards sensitive issues plaguing the state," the All India Congress Committee General Secretary said. Gehlot noted that in 2017, a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Mandalgarh lost his life after becoming the victim of swine flu. Taking a jibe at security in the state, he said that even policemen are not safe under Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's rule as a station house officer (SHO) was gunned down in Sikar on Sunday by miscreants when the police was chasing them. He asked the Chief Secretary to start looking into the issues plaguing the state and said: "Now, Chief Minister's Gaurav Yatra has finished and hence you should perform your duties towards this state." New Delhi, Oct 8 : The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to consider setting up a national institute to study issues related to children, including victims of sexual abuse, other excesses and the juveniles in conflict with law. Asking the Ministry of Women and Child Development to "consider the possibility of setting up or strengthening some national institution for the benefit of the children", a bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta said: "The institution could be in the nature of a centre of excellence or some institutional body which can look into various aspects in the lives of disadvantaged children." These include "investigation into offences committed by or against children, trial procedures, punishment, psycho-social rehabilitation, physical rehabilitation, mental trauma, physical well-being, training to the prosecutors and counsellors etc etc." "Since the matter is of some urgency and is relevant to the lives of the children, we expect the government of India to act with necessary promptitude in this regard and give necessary instructions to the Ministry," the court ordered. The court was hearing the larger issues emerging from sexual abuse of around 40 girls at the Muzaffarpur shelter home in Bihar when it emerged that there was no national institute to study the problems of children. The court agreed to a suggestion by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Pinki Anand to strengthen and expand the scope of the existing New Delhi-based National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD). The Ministry said that a Child Protection Policy is on the anvil and it may take about two months before a draft is ready. Soon after the first draft is ready, it would be circulated to invite suggestions from stakeholders and others concerned. In the last hearing on October 4, the court had said that the prevailing mechanism to curb incidents of sexual abuse of children at shelter homes was inadequate and asked the MWCD to tell it on the formulation of the child protection policy. At the outset of the hearing, Ministry Joint Secretary Aastha Saxena Khatwani told the apex court that the Ministry was in the process of preparing/developing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to address the problems faced by children in childcare institutions. The court was told that the SOP process may take some time. Khatwani told the court that in the meanwhile, an interim advisory would be issued to all states/Union Territories giving a "protocol to be followed in situations where there is some destruction in the life of children in the childcare institutions and even other children who may have destruction in their life due to violence, sexual or otherwise." Khatwani said that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is conducting a study on the condition of childcare institutions, including facilities therein. The apex court was told that upon the receipt of the report, it would be examined by experts so that the process of providing good living conditions and facilities to children in childcare institutions was taken care of. Steps would be taken to accommodate children of such institutions that need to be shut on account of poor facilities. The court asked the MWCD to give a "status report on the existence of Child Welfare Committees and functioning of the Juvenile Justice Boards." The court directed further hearing in the matter on November 13. Dehradun, Oct 8 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Mopnday said that a "strong economy" is the backbone of any society and Uttarakhand was created to give fillip to economic development in backward regions. "A strong economy is the backbone of any society and with this fact in mind the state of Uttarakhand was created to give the backward regions of the state," Rajnath Singh said while addressing the concluding session of a two-day Uttarakhand Investors' Summit here. He also congratulated Chief Minister Trivendra SIngh Rawat for successfully organising the first such summit. The Home Minister said the presence of a stable government in the Centre and in Uttarakhand had led to "increased possibilities of development". Rajnath Singh said that Uttarakhand was an ideal destination for investment. "The scope of tourism, health and wellness industry was immense in the state." He also mentioned that the Home Ministry had worked out modalities to grant security clearance to set up business within 60 days. He said that India was now one of the fastest growing economies in the world despite challenging global environment. "This along with a credible government and structural reforms has led to preparation of groundwork for the New India of 2022." Speaking earlier, Rawat said the pledges for investment had exceeded expectations and in more than 600 MoUs signed so far an amount of Rs 120,150 crore had been pledged. Kolkata, Oct 8 : Two persons on Monday drowned in the Hoogly in West Bnegal while offering prayers to their ancestors on Mahalaya, police said. "As per information received, two persons drowned today in the Hoogly while performing 'tarpan' (the ritual to offer prayers to the deceased ancestors on this day)," said a police officer. "Both the incidents took place in Hoogly district. One person drowned at a river bank in Uttarpara, the other got swept away into the river near Seoraphuli in the afternoon," he said. Thousands of Hindus thronged the river banks on Monday to carry out the rituals of 'tarpan'. The state administration deployed River Traffic Police personnel and Disaster Management Group officials at all prominent river banks for security reasons. Gandhinagar, Oct 8 : Police have filed 35 complaints and detained around 450 persons for attacking the migrant community residing in Gujarat, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said on Monday. After the rape of a toddler, there were widespread attacks on migrant labourer residents, especially from north India, believing that some from the community were responsible for the ghastly crime. "We have registered 35 FIRs for the violence on the north Indian migrants in the state. We have detained 450 persons and further interrogations are on," said Jadeja. "We have apprised the central government regarding the steps we have taken to stabilize the situation," Jadeja told reporters here. "Elements rejected by the Gujarat public can go to any lengths to achieve their political aspirations. The Gujarat Police is also trying to find who is behind this outrage," he added. "I appeal to people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains," Jadeja said. Although the Minister could not provide any data regarding the exact figures of migrants returning to their states, he assured that all those still in Gujarat would be safe. "We have asked the police personnel to inquire about the regular traffic to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya pradesh and Bihar and also the numbr of people travelling to such places during this week," Jadeja told IANS. The government deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of the migrants. The incidents of attacks on migrant labourers from north India spurred following the rape of a 14-month-old girl in a village near Himmatnagar town, around 100 km from Ahmedabad. The police arrested a labourer originally from Bihar, Ravindra Sahu, for the crime. Sahu is working in a local ceramic factory. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the situation was now under control. "No untoward incident has happened in the last 48 hours. The situation is under control. We are committed to maintaining law and order. We request people not to indulge in violence," he said in Rajkot. Jadeja added: "Migrant labourers and non Gujaratis working in the state need not fear. Your safety and security are our concern. We will not let the peace and sanctity be disturbed by a handful of elements who want to tarnish the state's image." Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Oct 8 : President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday lauded the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan for its fight against the global scourge of terrorism and radicalisation and said that the world should recognise it. Delivering a speech on 'Countering Radicalization: Challenges before Modern Society' at the Tajik National University here, Kovind said he chose the topic for two reasons. "First, your country has done commendable work to tackle this global menace and foster peace for one and all. And the world must recognise it," he said. "Second, the battle against terrorism, extremism and radicalism must be fought, first and foremost, in the minds of people, between those who believe in peace, love and humanity and those who feed on hatred, death and destruction." Describing it as a battle of opposing ideas, of humanity on one hand and a make-belief world on the other, Kovind said that "talking to the youth, our future; and scholars, our guide and path-finders, therefore, becomes essential". He said that all religions and thoughts have prospered and blossomed in the land of the Pamir and the Himalayas. "Today, we are confronted with those who wish to burn and destroy the fabric of our faiths, the embrace of our togetherness," the President stated. "The people of this country have made enormous sacrifice to stop the surge of bigotry and faith-based regressive ideas from capturing centre-stage," he said. "This not only saved your budding Republic in the 1990s, but also fire-walled your neighbouring Central Asian Republics. They too, were then, struggling with challenges that young nations face. We sincerely hope there is deeper understanding of the geo-political significance of the Tajik civil war." Pointing out that there are renewed attempts to impose obscurantist thoughts on peaceful societies, Kovind said that this is threatening the very foundation of human civilisation. "Their targets are people and societies, who value progressive life and respect diversity of faiths and cultures," he said. "Notwithstanding your historic struggle and subsequent victory in the civil war, the long-drawn war is far from over." Emphasising that no religion, whether Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism or Judaism, justifies violence and killing one human being by the other, he said all religions "talk in one language and that is the language of peace, harmony, compassion and kindness". "The war on terror and radicalisation is not against any religion, and should never be," he stated. "Quite on the contrary, it is against those who believe in destroying the creation of the Almighty." Kovind lauded the leadership of Tajik President Eamoli Rahmon in fighting terrorism and countering radicalisation. Earlier in the day, Kovind and Rahmon, during a bilateral meeting, decided to boost connectivity between India and Central Asia and join hands in the figh against terrorism. Kovind arrived here on Sunday in what is his first visit to Central Asia as President. Kolkata, Oct 8 : A 50-year-old man living alone after his wife and son left him was found dead on Monday in his south Kolkata residence, police said. "The decomposed body of Nantu Pal was found at his residence in Garfa area. He stayed alone. No external injury marks were found on the body," an officer from Garfa police station said. The police broke into the house after neighbours complained of a strong foul smell. "The doors were bolted from inside. There was no sign of break-in," the officer said. The neighbours said the man went into depression and got into binge drinking after his family moved away following frequent altercations. "He had not come out in the last few days," a neighbour said. New Delhi, Oct 8 : The #Metoo movement that has hit the film industry also singed the media with journalist Prashant Jha stepping down on Monday as chief of bureau and political editor of Hindustan Times and the media house looking into the allegations of sexual misconduct against him. The allegations concerning the media have surfaced over the past few days with several names, including some prominent ones, being mentioned in the social media. Journalist Sidharth Bhatia issued a statement rubbishing allegations against him. Women journalists have taken to the social media with their accounts of harassment inside and outside the newsrooms and some of them have posted snapshots of Whatsapp chats using Metoo hashtag. Dinesh Mittal, Group general counsel HT media said that a sexual harassment committee was looking into the allegations made against Jha by a former colleague. "It is proper that for fair investigation, till time the investigation is complete, he (Jha) doesn't have any managerial position. A sexual harassment committee with an external member is conducting a probe into the allegations against him," Mittal told IANS. The allegations were that Jha sent inappropriate messages on WhatsApp to the accuser. Screenshots of the conversation with Jha were also posted on Twitter. Bhatia, a founder Editor of The Wire, said in his statement that he could not recall either the two women who had made the allegations or the incident they had mentioned. "I forcefully deny the allegations," he said, adding that if the complainant comes up with further details, he was prepared to face an inquiry. Several other allegations against senior journalists were made on the social media. Former DNA Editor-in-Chief Gautam Adhikari and TOI's Hyderabad Resident Editor K.R. Sreenivas also rubbished allegations against them. Allegations have also been made against Mayank Jain of Business Standard. Meanwhile, the Network of Women in Media in India (NWMI), an organisation comprising women journalists, condemned "the rampant sexism and misogyny in Indian newsrooms" and demanded media organisations probe allegations and take appropriate actions. "All media organisations, including journalism colleges and departments, journalist unions and press clubs, must take suo moto cognisance of the accounts of survivors, institute inquiries and take appropriate action," it said in a statement and encouraged more women to document their accounts without fear or inhibitions. It also demanded that media organisations and journalism colleges should have policies to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace and set up properly constituted internal committees. "In keeping with the Sexual Harassment Act, 2013, freelancers and stringers, who are among the most vulnerable to sexual harassment, given their job insecurity must also be brought under the purview of anti-sexual harassment policies and the jurisdiction of Internal Committees of the media houses they contribute to," the statement said. Nagpur/Lucknow, Oct 8 : In a shocking development, a young scientist working with the BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd (BAPL)'s missile research centre in Nagpur was arrested on Monday on alleged charges of spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI and other countries, informed sources said. Scientist Nishant Pradeep Agrawal has been working for the last four years in the BAPL, an Indo-Russian Joint Venture, and was nabbed in a joint operation of Uttar Pradesh Police and Maharashtra Police. The UP-Anti Terrorist Squad (UP-ATS) has also raided two other unidentified persons in Agra and Kanpur in the north India state and seized their laptops, an official statement of the Uttar Pradesh Police said on Monday. Following a tip-off, he was placed under surveillance for the past few days by the Military Intelligence as well as Uttar Pradesh Police and Maharashtra Police. The BAPL officer has been booked under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), the sources said. The UP Police statement said the UP-ATS had monitored fake Facebook accounts originating from Pakistan in the name of women to "honey-trap" key officials working in sensitive defence-related set-ups in India. The information came to light after the Border Security Force (BSF) recently nabbed a person in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and two fake Facebook IDs of women created in Pakistan were put under observation after they were found to be chatting with Agrawal. Accordingly, the UP-ATS acquired a search warrant from a court and along with Maharashtra ATS, swooped on Agrawal's residence at Ujjwal Nagar in Nagpur. "We have found certain secret and ultra-sensitive information on his personal computer. It should not been there on his personal laptop. It violates the provisions of the OSA, and hence he has been arrested," the statement added. The joint ATS teams of the two states also searched his BMAL office and from another location recovered an old laptop which is being examined to see if it contains anything objectionable. The UP-ATS has moved a local court in Nagpur seeking a transit remand to take Agrawal to Lucknow for further investigations. They said that after the investigations, they would be able to know what kind of chats he was having with the fake women's accounts on Facebook. Depending on the outcome, the accused may be slapped with additional charges, the UP-ATS said. As per preliminary information, Agrawal was reportedly passing on certain highly classified information, including "technological and other details", to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan as well as the USA. However, official circles are not aware of what kind of access to sensitive information or the security clearance levels Agrawal enjoyed in the company. Hailing from Roorkee in Uttarakhand, Agarwal had been recently awarded the "Young Scientist Award" for the year 2017-18. He had got married earlier this year and had been living in a rented house in Nagpur's Ujjwala Nagar. Among other things, the BrahMos centre is involved in manufacturing certain critical components for the BrahMos missile, considered the world's fastest cruise missile that can be launched from land, ships, aircraft or submarines. The Indo-Russian joint venture's recent development of the latest version of the BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile has elicited keen interest in global defence circles and several major political powers in the world. The missile -- successfully test-fired on July 16 from the Integrated Test Range at Balasore in Odisha -- is an outcome of a joint venture of India's Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia Corp (NPOM), since 2011. Raipur, Oct 8 : Veena Sendre from Chhattisgarh has been chosen as India's first 'Miss Trans Queen'. Veena defeated Namita Ammu of Tamil Nadu to claim the title at the national-level beauty contest organised in Mumbai on Sunday. Sendre, a former Miss Chhattisgarh, belongs to Mandir Hasaud village in Raipur. She said since childhood she felt 'different' from others. "Nobody wanted to be my friend, everybody made fun of me," she said. Sendre left her studies when she was in 5th standard, but was back with books a few years later, she said. She then spoke with her mother about doing something different in her life. She has participated in various ramp walks during Lucknow and Bengaluru fashion weeks. Her victory is being seen as a big fillip to the trangender community in the country. No Way Jose! Ushers in Season 10 on October 16, 2018 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - No Way Jose! opens for Season 10 on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, and welcomes you back to Tu Casa en Vallarta for another year of fabulous food, friends and fun in the Zona Romantica's favorite Mexican contemporary restaurant. La Cocina de Amor and one of the most charming service teams in Vallarta are setting your table with all of your favorites, like Chiles en Nogada, Pollo Xochimilco, Camarones Santana, Dorada Carlotta and our famous Sexy Coffees, just a few of the award-winning dishes that ranked No Way Jose! as "The Best Traditional Mexican Restaurant in Vallarta" in the Tribune's 2018 Best of the Bay of Banderas survey. Downstairs, you can enjoy NWJ!'s delicious Mexican contemporary cuisine in the air-conditioned comfort and casual bar setting of the Cantina, or you can dine under the Vallarta sky on the romantic upstairs terrace. Whichever you choose, you'll enjoy the delicious Mexican specialities, creative cocktails, friends and fun that have made No Way Jose! Tu Casa en Vallarta. Make plans now to join us on Tuesday, October 16 from 4-11 pm as we kick off another great year of the best in Mexican food, music and culture. If you're busy on Tuesday night, a special musical guest will entertain diners on the Terrace on Saturday, October 20, so make your reservations today! Berlin, Oct 8 : Italy wants to remain in the single European currency and the European Union, Industry and Welfare Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Monday amid a standoff with Brussels over the populist government's plan to flout EU fiscal rules and triple the deficit next year to cut taxes and boost welfare spending. "The government does not want to leave the euro. It does not want to leave the EU either. We want to stay and to use this historic juncture to change the bloc," Di Maio told reporters during a visit to Berlin. Before travelling to Berlin for talks with Economy and Energy Minister Peter Altmaier, Di Maio vowed that the 25 European Parliament elections next year would be an "earthquake". During his one-day visit to Berlin, Di Maio will also meet Germany's Labour and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil, according to the Italian embassy. Di Maio known to admire Germany's system of welfare and network of job centres which he has described as the best in Europe. As the government refuses to bow to pressure from Brussels over its plan to run a 2.4 percent deficit next year, Italy's 10-year bond yield soared to a four-year high, banking stocks plunged on Monday and the euro weakened. Italy's benchmark Ftsemib stock index fell on Monday to its lowest level since April year. New Delhi, Oct 8 : The Army Commanders' Conference will begin here on Tuesday and discuss operational and administrative issues besides studies done to meet future challenges and to improve the teeth-to-tail ratio to improve the internal structures. During the meeting, which will continue till October 15, commanders at Army Headquarters will deliberate on important studies that have been ordered to meet future operational challenges. "There are four studies examining operational and optimisational issues of Army and the headquarters as also human resources management aspects. These studies aim to improve the teeth to tail ratio, with the purpose of strengthening the structures within the Army, to make it combat ready for the future," an official release said. It said a large number of issues ranging from operational, administrative, logistics and human resources will be discussed during the meeting. A Committee of Experts (CoE) under the chairmanship of Lt. Gen. D.B. Shekatkar (retd) had recommend measures to enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure of the armed forces. It had recommended enhancing "teeth-to-tail ratio", which is ratio of active duty combat troops to the overhead and logistic support elements. The recommendations of Shekatkar committee taken up for implementation by the government include optimisation of Signals establishments, restructuring of repair echelons, redeployment of ordnance echelons, better utilization of supply and transportation echelons and closure of Military Farms and Army Postal Establishments in peace locations. New Delhi, Oct 8 : The Central government will issue Sovereign Gold Bonds 2018-19 for public subscription from October 15-19. "Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds-2018-19," a Finance Ministry statement said on Monday. "The Sovereign Gold Bonds will be issued every month from October 2018 to February 2019." According to the statement, bonds would earn an interest of 2.5 per cent per annum, payable every six months on the nominal value. The bond certificates would be issued on October 23. "Price of bond will be fixed in Indian rupees on the basis of simple average of closing price of gold of 999 purity, published by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association Limited for the last 3 working days of the week preceding the subscription period," the statement said. "The issue price of the Gold Bonds will be Rs 50 per gram less for those who subscribe online and pay through digital mode." As per the statement, the tenure of the bond will be for a period of eight years, with an exit option from the fifth, sixth and seventh year to be exercised on the interest payment dates. The bonds would be sold through banks, designated post offices, Stock Holding Corporation of India (SHCIL) and recognised stock exchanges -- the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange. SGBs are denominated in multiples of gram of gold with a minimum unit of 1 gram and can also be held in demat form. The government launched the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme in November 2015 as an alternative to purchasing metal gold and mobilise the idle gold held by households and institutions into productive use in the long run. The scheme envisages to reduce the current account deficit by reducing the country's reliance on the import of gold to meet the domestic demand. New Delhi, Oct 8 : Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday condemned violence in Gujarat against the migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and sought security of those leaving the state out of fear. In a series of tweets, Paswan said he spoke to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and demanded action against those accused of raping a girl child in the western state as well as those unleashing violence. "The Chief Minister has told me that the government has taken the matter seriously and strict action will be taken against those behind the violence," said Paswan, adding he was informed that the situation was under control and no case of violence was reported in the past 48 hours. He added that the his Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has demanded speedy trial in the rape incident in order to ensure stringent action against the accused. Panaji, Oct 8 : A BMW car of a Goa BJP MLA was torched by villagers along the Goa-Belgaum highway, around 50 km from the inter-state border in Karnataka, late on Monday evening after his son who was driving the car met with an accident injuring a local person. THe MLA, Glenn Ticlo, confirmed the accident to IANS. "We are right now completing police formalities in Belgaum. Kyle (his son) is fine," Ticlo said. A video clip surfaced showing the car, which is registered in the name of the Goa MLA, being set on fire by a mob. The clip also shows policemen chasing crowds of stone-throwers. New Delhi, Oct 8 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday slammed the Central government for not releasing money for the striking sanitation workers of Delhi, saying it would have "immediately waived the loans of the rich". "It is really sad. Today, they (the Centre) would have immediately waived the loans of rich, but they are not giving any money for the poor sanitation workers," Kejriwal wrote in a tweet. His reaction came after some media reports said that the Central government has refused to release money for Delhi's sanitation workers. Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Atishi and Dilip Pandey also flayed the Centre and Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Manoj Tiwari for "not being serious enough" to the cause of sanitation workers. They asked why the streets of national capital are filled with garbage despite the Delhi government releasing money for the municipal corporations (MCD) on time. "The people of East Delhi are suffering from litter due to the failures of the BJP-ruled municipal corporation. People can't go out of their homes. There is a misunderstanding among the public that the money is not getting released because of the Delhi government," Atishi told reporters here. In 2016-17, Atishi said, the AAP government had given the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) Rs 948 crore. "For this financial year, the Delhi government has already given EDMC Rs 772 crore," she said. "The AAP government is paying a lot more to MCD as compared to previous governments... Where is the money going?" she asked. New Delhi/Shillong, Oct 8 : Former Meghalaya Power Minister and senior Congress legislator, Clement Marak, died in a private hospital in New Delhi on Monday evening after a prolonged battle with cancer, party sources said. He was 58. "Marak passed away at Max Super-specialty Hospital at Shalimar Bagh this evening," Congress Spokesperson Zenith Sangma said. Marak, Power Minister in the previous Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance government, has been battling with prostate cancer for years and had undergone medical treatment in the US. Despite his ailing health, Marak contested the assembly elections held in February and retained his Selsella constituency defeating National People's Party nominee, Ferlin C.A. Sangma. The body of the three-time Congress MLA will be flown to Meghalaya's capital Shillong on Tuesday and will be taken to his native village in Garo Hills for the last rites. EXPERT OBSERVER The spectre of Australias vacancy tax is about to become real for Chinese residential property owners, with penalties of up to $52,500 looming for those who miss the deadline. One year after the Federal Government introduced vacancy tax rules, the first returns are starting to become due and up to 15,000 foreign investors will be expected to provide evidence as to whether their property sat vacant in the last year. Foreign owners of Australian residential property face a minimum vacancy tax of $5,200, and even occupied properties could incur a $52,500 penalty if the owner fails to meet the deadline to lodge a return declaring occupancy of their assets with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Further, if they fail to keep the necessary records to prove occupation, they could be hit with an additional penalty of $52,500. And even then, the owner would still be liable to pay the vacancy fee. For a property worth upwards of $4 million, that could equate to combined penalties and fees of more than $150,000 even if the property has been occupied throughout. The annual vacancy tax rules are the latest in a series of imposts on foreign buyers, designed to reduce the impact of foreign ownership on housing affordability, particularly in the core property markets of Sydney and Melbourne. While the ghost tax is intended as a financial incentive for foreign owners to make their dwelling available for rent and increase available housing in Australia, it raises the question of whether Chinese buyers might be scared away by the long-term implication of the new rules. Foreign owners must lodge a vacancy tax return every year, keep records for at least five years after selling, keep evidence regarding who is using their property, and manage the risk of significant financial penalties if they fail to do so. The immediate challenge facing foreign owners who have bought a residential property since May 2017 is identifying when they will need to submit their vacancy review, and how they will go about proving whether the property was vacant or not. While the burden of this new tax on Chinese buyers is hauntingly clear, the impact on foreign sales in the Australian residential market is not. Chinese buyers remain Australias biggest investors in real estate but according to statistics published in the Foreign Investment Review Boards (FIRB) 2016-17 Annual Report, the size of their investment more than halved from AUD$31.5 billion in 2015-16 to AUD$15.2 billion in 2016-17. Overall FIRB real estate approvals plunged from 40,149 in 2015-16, to 13,198 last year. But there have been a number of factors that may have contributed to this reduction, including the introduction of FIRB application fees, tighter Chinese capital controls and weaker Australian property market conditions. For Chinese buyers, the residential property market continues to become more hostile in Australia and while it hasnt yet reached New Zealand levels - where foreign buyers have been banned altogether - the latest changes are likely to have a chilling effect for many looking to purchase property. Denise Honey is a partner at tax consulting firm Pitcher Partners. Retired St Kilda AFL star Leigh Montagna and wife Erinn are selling their smartly renovated Malvern investment. The 34 year old two time All-Australian paid $560,000 for the 1905 Edwardian in 2005. It was a project for the couple who renovated around four years ago. Set on 400 sqm, the single level home comprises three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a wrap-around deck opening from the living room. In 2016 after its renovation it became an $800 a week rental. Kay & Burton South Yarra agents Darren Lewenberg and Grant Samuel are marketing the Johnstone Street home for an October 27 auction with a guide of $1.6 million to $1.76 million. Montagna told the Herald Sun he bought the home after getting his second contract at St Kilda. "You get your second contract and think, its time to start being sensible." It was an old, rundown Edwardian-style house, but I just wanted to get into a blue-chip suburb. It was the worst home in the best street. The street record came two doors down when a renovated 1920s home fetched $3.4 million in 2016. The Albert Park-based Montagna is now in the media working with Fox Footy and Triple M. He said the family are going to need to upsize in Albert Park at some point, suggesting it will be too hard to leave the area. This article was first published in the Weekend Australian. Financial commentator David Koch says the Australian property market could start to look ugly over the next six months, however has suggested there's no need to panic and patience is needed. "Like all investment classes, property moves in a cycle: up and down," Koch write in The Telegraph. He said the cycle at the moment is definitely down, and it's been coming for quite a while. "The signs have all been there: a massive building boom, a regulatory crackdown on foreign buyers, and banks tightening lending criteria," Koch said. "All of these changes came off the back of an eight-year boom in property values along Australias east coast which, in some areas of Sydney, saw prices rise 70 per cent in five years. "A year ago, at the peak of the market, there was general hysteria about home affordability and how first-home buyers were being forced out of the market because of crazy prices. "Now, the market is rebalancing and affordability is improving in a controlled manner. Its a good thing." Koch said that instead of welcoming the change in cycle, the hysteria is now one of pending doom from a major property crash. He is the latest to criticise the recent 60 Minutes property segment Bricks and Slaughter, which sensationalized the property market downturn. Koch said that instead of welcoming the change in cycle, the hysteria is now one of pending doom from a major property crash. First analyst Martin North said 60 Minutes chose his least likely scenario of a market crash on the show, then SQM Research managing director Louis Christopher said he shot around 45 minutes worth of footage, in which only a minute was used. John McGrath then called the episode "misleading and problematic." Koch said to contemplate a cataclysmic fall of 40 per cent is just crazy, suggesting the Australian economy would need to be dragged into a global economic recession triggered by a US/China trade war. He said unemployment would have to soar, immigration numbers would have to half and housing construction would have to continue at record levels. Last month every capital city, expect Canberra, Adelaide and Darwin, saw its property values decline. Melbourne was hit the hardest, seeing a 0.9 percent decline over the month of September to bring its dwelling values down 2.4 percent over the quarter. Koch said the most at risk are the property owners who stretched themselves to make a purchase in the last two years. "With the Spring selling season now underway, it is a vastly different environment than a year ago," he said. "It has definitely turned into a buyers market while recent homeowners need to be careful these falling market values dont put them on their financiers watchlist." An ongoing ASIC investigation has resulted in the permanent banning of former National Australia Bank (NAB) branch manager Mathew Alwan from engaging in credit activities and providing financial services. The ban is the result of an extensive ASIC investigation in respect of NAB employees in greater western Sydney who were accepting false documents in support of loan applications and falsely attributing loans as having been referred by NAB introducers in order to obtain commissions. This conduct was the subject of the first case study before the Financial Services Royal Commission. Mr Alwans banning follows the permanent banning of former NAB employees Danny Merheb and Samar Merjan (also known as Samar Awad) from engaging in credit activities and providing financial services, and the seven year banning of former NAB branch manager Rabih Awad. From 2012 to 2015, Mr Alwan assigned 101 home loans as being referred to NAB by an introducer, causing a total of $186,725 to be paid to the introducer by way of commission. ASIC found in 25 of these loan applications, Mr Alwan had knowingly given NAB false or misleading information and documentation. The introducer in question is Mr Alwans relative, a fact he did not disclose to NAB and actively concealed from the bank when questioned. ASIC found that Mr Alwans conduct was dishonest, deliberate and repeated. ASIC also found Mr Alwan personally lent money to a NAB staff member who reported to him and to a NAB customer while loan applications by each of them were pending approval, creating an unacceptable conflict of interest. Mr Alwan has the right to lodge an application for review of ASICs decisions with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. ASICs ongoing investigation is considering whether a brief for criminal charges should be referred to the CDPP. Background On 16 November 2017, NAB announced a remediation program for home loan customers whose loans may not have been established in accordance with NABs policies. NAB has identified that around 2,300 home loans since 2013 may have been submitted with inaccurate customer information and/or documentation, or incorrect information in relation to NABs Introducer Program. Solotel, headed by publican Bruce Solomon and chef Matt Moran, have sold the Clovelly Hotel, with Nick Wills' Tilley & Wills Group touted as the buyers. The Tilley & Wills hotels group own Sydney CBD's Verandah and North Sydneys Greenwood Hotel. Bruce Solomon, director of the Solotel Group, told the Australian Hotelier website they're rebalancing their portfolio. Solotel have made a strategic decision to rebalance our portfolio for future growth, and invest in our freehold venues. "This means we are unfortunately saying goodbye to the Cloey locals, who were a pleasure to serve over the past two years. Solotel asset manager John Preston suggested the Cloey is an important part of the local community. "We have a first class team to take the Hotel forward and the best times are ahead. It was less than two years ago that Moran and Solomon's Solotel bought the property from Iris Capital. Acqualina Resort in Miami is hosting a Power in Pink Women's Yoga class on Friday, October 26 at sunset. In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Acqualina Spa by ESPA located in Miami is offering a Power in Pink Womens Yoga sunset class and Optimal Skin Profacial package to support the ongoing fight against breast cancer. A portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. On Friday, October 26, 2018 at 5:30pm, Acqualina Spa in partnership with YOGiiZA will be hosting a Power in Pink Womens Yoga class on the resorts Great Lawn overlooking the ocean. Led by South Florida yoga instructor Leslie Glickman, friends and family can join together for a one-hour yoga class on the beautiful grounds of Acqualina. The cost is $50 per person with a portion of all proceeds going towards breast cancer research and prevention. All participants will receive a No One Fights Alone pink awareness T-shirt. Guests who reserve the Optimal Skin Profacial will receive a complimentary ESPA Skin Rescue Wonderbalm. This targeted facial instantly revives and brightens the complexion and helps protect against environmental damages and delays the early, invisible stages of skin aging. Soothing, nourishing and protecting, the Skin Rescue Wonderbalm is a multipurpose hero and honors the strong women fighting breast cancer. The package also grants guests access to the spas numerous facilities such as the crystal steam room, relaxation lounge with Himalayan Salt Walls, refreshing ice fountain, and experiential shower with cool arctic or warm Caribbean mists. The 50-minute Optimal Skin Profacial will be available from October 1 through October 31, 2018 for $175. A portion of the treatment proceeds will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Founded in 1982, the Susan G. Komen Foundation was created by Susan G. Komens sister, Nancy, who vowed to do everything in her power to end breast cancer through research, community health, global outreach and public policy initiatives. Acqualina Spa by ESPA is located at 17875 Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. Hours of operation are Monday-Saturday from 9:00 AM 8:00 PM and Sunday 9:00 AM 7:00 PM. To book a spa appointment, please call 844.224.8285 or visit http://www.acqualinaresort.com. Considering today's digital landscape and market volatility, the metals market is in desperate need of flexible and forward-compatible commodity trading and risk management solutions from an established vendor. Allegro Development Corp., the global leader in commodity trading and risk management software, today introduced its commodity management solution for the metals and mining market. I am excited to officially announce Allegros move into the metals market, said Frank Brienzi, CEO, Allegro Development. In my conversations with metals industry participants, I have noticed two common themes: one, their current CTRM solutions are not meeting their needs in todays market, and two, they are extremely enthusiastic about Allegros recent acquisition of FEA, the world leader in quantitative analytic solutions. This is truly a perfect time for Allegro to enter the market with our proven, flexible, and analytics-driven CTRM software, Allegro Horizon, which will provide the industry with much needed tools for smarter trading, enhanced operational risk management, improved position visibility, and growth enablement. Managing risk across metals operations and price exposure has become a challenge for industry participants due to a traditional lack of flexible and configurable commodity management solutions available to the market. Allegro has answered the need for an industry-accepted solution that offers both out-of-the-box functionality and configurable solutions tailored to business needs with a cloud-enabled, analytics-driven CTRM solution for the metals market. Considering today's digital landscape and market volatility, the metals market is in desperate need of flexible and forward-compatible commodity trading and risk management solutions from an established vendor, said Reda Bahri, Managing Director, Atum Consulting. I believe this market is underserved and requires a cloud-enabled and analytics-driven solution that will provide metals companies with the tools necessary to enhance their portfolio management and capitalize on growth opportunities. Allegros metals and mining software is built on the companys core enterprise CTRM platform, which is the leading commodity management solution across multiple industries and is used by hundreds of international commodity management firms. Based on Allegros initial metals and mining market assessment, about 70 percent of the companys core CTRM functionality is applicable to the industry; and Allegro has spent the past year building out the metals specific functionality to ensure product excellence in this sector. Allegro has hired some of the metals industrys top experts to drive our initiative, said Brian Collins, Managing Director, Metals, Allegro Development. Over the past year, our dedicated team of experts has been validating market requirements with companies across the industry, including the worlds largest metals trading firms and a leading metals manufacturer. We have also gone the extra mile to create a flexible solution that translates across the entire metals value chain, which means Allegro will bring to the market a configurable and scalable CTRM software solution with the most advanced analytics available, providing the industry with keys to future success. Allegro brings to the metals market the heritage, pedigree, platform, scalability, and vendor stability acquired from over 30 years of delivering commodity trading solutions to the worlds largest international trading companies. About Allegro Development Corporation Allegro is the global leader in commodity management software for companies that buy, sell, produce or consume commodities. For over 30 years, Allegro has delivered position visibility, risk management, comprehensive controls and regulatory compliance through a forward compatible, next-generation architecture that is built for your business. Allegros proven CTRM software innovation and flexibility, coupled with a strong global network of industry partners, makes its solutions the best on the market for full commodity portfolio management. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Allegro has offices in Houston, Dubai, Jakarta, Singapore, London, and Zurich. To learn more, visit http://www.allegrodev.com. 'This was one of the best seminars I've attended in 30 years.' Feedback from the original 2017 conference. Join the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) at the 2018 Seminar in Forensic Toxicology 'Opioids, Toxicology, and the Law: Medical-Legal Aspects of the Opioid Epidemic' on Thursday, December 13, and Friday, December 14, 2018, in Dallas, TX. This two-day course will focus on the forensic and medical-legal aspects of opioid use, abuse, prescribing, and addiction by presenting real cases encountered by medical toxicology experts. The seminar will be tailored to the interests of physicians and other professionals involved in numerous disciplines, including medical toxicology, forensic and laboratory medicine, addiction medicine, and the legal community. The course will feature some of the most experienced medical toxicologists, medical officers and attorneys in the country discussing the following topics: Acute Opioid Toxicity Driving and Workplace Impairment Post-Mortem and Laboratory Issues Opioids in Court Use of Opioids in Pain Management and Addiction Therapy Challenges of Criminal Cases Register early and save! Early bird rates expire on November 10, 2018. The University of Alabama School of Medicine will provide continuing medical education for physicians. Visit webpage for details. Link to details and full agenda: https://www.acmt.net/Overview_For_Tox.html Venue information: The Highland Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton 5300 E Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, Texas, 75206 Rooms will be available at a special rate of $179/night Reservations: https://www.acmt.net/2018_Forensic_Hotel.html Presented by: American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT), and the Society of Forensic Toxicologists, Inc. ACMTAdvancing the Toxicologic Care Patients and Populations The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) is a professional, nonprofit association of more than 700 physicians with recognized expertise in medical toxicology. Medical toxicology focuses on the diagnosis, management, and prevention of poisoning/toxicity and other adverse health effects resulting from medications, chemicals, occupational and environmental substances and biological hazards. "Andrew Gillum understands what it takes to help our state and protect our citizens. I am honored to host a meet and greet with Andrew Gillum, and we are all excited to hear his special message for us on October 12th." - Attorney Dan Newlin Attorney Dan Newlin is hosting a meet and greet with Florida Governor Nominee, Andrew Gillum on October 12th 10:30 am at the office of Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys. "Andrew Gillum understands what it takes to help our state and protect our citizens. I am honored to host a meet and greet with Andrew Gillum, and we are all excited to hear his special message for us on October 12th." - Attorney Dan Newlin As Governor, Andrew Gillum's agenda will be to transform Florida's economy for working people by creating good-paying jobs and pathways to the middle class, expand access to quality, affordable health care for every Floridian as a right and not a privilege, create a stronger clean energy economy and attack Florida's climate change crisis, and much more. Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys is a nationally recognized and highly accomplished personal injury law firm, serving the state of Florida. Newlin is honored to host this event because he strongly believes that Andrew Gillum will strongly support consumer rights and help provide a better health care system to help the homeless and indigent receive the care we all deserve. The Overworked Shoes: a delightful moral tale for healthier living. The Overworked Shoes is the creation of published author Barbie Randall, a married mother of a teenager from McGehee, Arkansas, who uses her God-given storytelling gift to encourage others. Randall shares, Lauryn completed her bath and put on her favorite princess pjs. She was too tired to play any games, so she lay on her bed and turned on the TV. She turned to Nickelodeon and got the soft cozy blanket from the foot of her bed and pulled it up over her legs. While watching SpongeBob, Lauryn thought she heard a strange noise coming from her closet. She lowered the volume on her television to see if she could hear it again. Sure enough, she could hear what sounded like voices coming from her closet. She turned off the TV, and the voices became clearer. Im telling you, if she doesnt lose weight, I cant take it any longer. My eyes are already about to pop, my seams are bulging, and my soles are wearing thin! I dont know why you are complaining. Shes not that bad. NOT THAT BAD! IM ONLY SIX MONTHS OLD! Lauryn thought the voices could have been coming from one of her games that had accidently gotten left on. She got down from her bed and walked over to the closet. When she opened the door, she couldnt believe what she was seeing! Lauryns shoes were talking! Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Barbie Randalls new book is a gentle and encouraging reality check for young readers as well as for their family. In a world where prioritizing health is too often an afterthought, Randalls story will inspire people from an early age to achieve their dreams of a great, balanced life. View a synopsis of The Overworked Shoes on YouTube. Consumers can purchase The Overworked Shoes at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about The Overworked Shoes, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Bluefin is working with P20 to foster collaboration that offers best practices across four pillars cybersecurity, regulation, innovation and financial inclusion, stated John M. Perry, CEO, Bluefin. Bluefin, the leader in payment security and a board member of P20, the transatlantic payments initiative, announced that it will be participating in the organizations second annual conference, which kicks off on the 9th in Atlanta. This years conference will bring together the worlds most influential leaders in payments technology plus top U.S., U.K. and Canadian government officials and regulators to discuss the future of the global payments industry. Former British Prime Minister David Cameron will be the featured speaker. With key leaders from the payments industry plus government and regulatory officials meeting together in the same room, we have the ability to effect change in payments and cybersecurity, not only on a transatlantic scale, but globally, said John M. Perry, CEO, Bluefin. Bluefin is working with P20 to foster collaboration that offers best practices across four pillars cybersecurity, regulation, innovation and financial inclusion. Inspired by the American Transaction Processors Coalition (ATPC), P20 connects Atlantas flourishing Transaction Alley of payment processors with the financial capital of the world, London, by rotating the annual conference between the two cities and creating an international platform that includes executives and officials from both countries. The 2018 P20 Conference, taking place at the Atlanta History Center, will serve as a forum for leaders to discuss progress toward creating greater regulatory clarity, increasing industry and consumer security, fostering collaborative innovation and expanding financial inclusion in the payments industry. More than 150 senior leaders from across the globe, representing government agencies, industry advocacy groups, financial institutions, payments processors, Fintech companies and academic institutions will be in attendance. Bluefins Strategic Advisor and former GM of the PCI SSC, Stephen Orfei, will present at P20 on the ATPCs recent Cyber War Games held at the IBM X-Force Command Center in Boston. The Exercise was part of a P20 sub-group, working in collaboration with US and UK governments to establish a NORAD for payments, helping harden and secure national infrastructure against external attack. As consumers and our global commerce infrastructure become more reliant on financial technology and payment systems, its essential for companies to come together and share best practices to move the world forward, said H. West Richards, P20 president and founder, and executive director of American Transaction Processors Coalition. Thanks to the support of Bluefin, P20 has become the conference where senior leaders and officials convene to discuss important issues in the international payments space. Dedicated to making payments accessible, affordable and secure for all, P20s goals for the second year of the conference include: Promoting awareness of the unique and growing position the payments industry holds in the global economy Identifying challenges and opportunities in policies governing the payments industry Collaborating internationally to offer best practices for the four guiding pillars of P20 cybersecurity, innovation, regulation and financial inclusion with a specific emphasis on regulation and cyber-security The following local, regional, national and international government leaders and officials are expected to make remarks at the conference: Nathan Deal, governor of Georgia U.S. Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY, 6) chairman, Monetary Policy Subcommittee, House Committee on Financial Services Antony Phillipson, Her Majestys consul general of New York and trade commissioner for North America David MacNaughton, Canadas ambassador to the United States Kipp Kranbuhl, Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions U.S. Dept. of the Treasury Andrew Staunton, British consul general- Atlanta Richard Price, chief economist- United Kingdom U.S. Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) U.S. Congresswoman Karen Handel (R-GA) U.S. Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-GA) U.S. Congressman Rob Woodall (R-GA) Tom Price, Former White House Cabinet Secretary and U.S. House Budget Committee Chairman Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor-City of Atlanta Patrick Wilson, GDeCD Commissioner- State of Georgia Additionally, the conference will include presentations and panel discussions from P20 board members and delegates about the organizations four pillars and several pressing topics, including identity verification, cyber risks, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), regulatory technology/open banking and innovation sandboxes. Following this years event in Atlanta, the P20 conference is scheduled to return to London in 2019. About Bluefin Bluefin provides the leading payment security platform that supports payment gateways, processors and ISVs in more than 25 countries. Bluefins secure payment platform is key to the holistic approach to data security. Designed to complement EMV and tokenization, Bluefins PCI-validated Point-to-Point (P2PE) solutions provide a solid security defense against current and future data breaches. Bluefin supports point of sale solutions for retail, mobile, call center and kiosk/unattended environments, and secure Ecommerce technologies. Bluefin is a Participating Organization (PO) of the PCI Security Standards Council (SSC) and is headquartered in Atlanta, with offices in New York, Chicago, Tulsa and Waterford, Ireland. For more information, please visit https://www.bluefin.com/. About P20 P20 is an international payments initiative for thought leadership and action linking together Atlantas Transaction Alley and world financial capital London to make payments accessible, affordable and secure for all. Designed to be the Davos of Payments, P20 unites top global executives in payments technology, business, economic leaders and government regulators to advance the expansion of payments worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.payments20.com. Fund Her After the Kavanaugh hearings the need to elect more women has never been as urgent as it is right now. --Valerie McGinty, Founder of Fund Her As Judge Brett Kavanaugh takes his seat on the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, women leaders in California will meet in San Francisco to further their fight for gender equity in the Statehouse and in the Boardroom. Fund Her will hold a lunch discussion Tuesday, October 9th, 12:00 pm PT-1:30pm PT, at the offices of Farella Braun + Martel LLP, 235 Montgomery St., 17th Floor, San Francisco. Speakers: Cottie Petrie-Norris, Fund Her-endorsed candidate for Assembly District 74, Orange County Christy Smith, Fund Her-endorsed candidate for Assembly District 38, Santa Clarita CA State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, author of the landmark legislation guaranteeing that at least 1 women is on every corporate board in the state Fund Her, a one-of-a-kind political action committee dedicated to achieving gender equity in California politics, is supporting 14 progressive women candidates in the November election. The group has already helped four women win election to the California legislature. Fund Her founder, Valerie McGinty, says, "If California is going to continue to be a beacon of hope, to thrive as the world's fifth largest economy, and to drive the progressive policy of this nation, then we must elect progressive women to lead the way. Fund Her is here to do that. Senator Jackson puts it this way, With all eyes on California to lead at a time when our nation as a whole is moving backwards, it is more important than ever to elect strong progressive women who share our values for a better and brighter future for our state and nation. Currently women make up just 25 percent of the California legislature. No woman has ever held the position of Lt. Governor or Governor in California. Fund Her is supporting the candidacy of Eleni Kounalakis for Lt. Governor. About Fund Her The political action committee was founded in 2017. Its goal is to achieve gender equity in the California Statehouse within 10 years. Fund Her provides the missing piece: financial support to ensure progressive, accomplished women are well-positioned to win. Four of Californias newest state legislators are progressive women who were supported by Fund Her. The group had eleven candidates on the ballot in Californias June primary and ten of those are on the ballot again in the upcoming general election. Thats a 91 percent success rate. http://www.fundher.org This message is paid for by Fund Her (FPPC ID #1398107) and not authorized or coordinated with any candidate or controlled committee. Contributions to Fund Her are not tax-deductible for federal income purposes. Media Inquiries: Suzanne Spurgeon Spurgeon@WomenMediaPros.com 323-899-3883 On site contact person: Adina Brin Chief of Staff, Fund Her 949-375-4165 Text cryptocurrency to your friends These are important regions for us to connect because theyre financial centers, said CoinText founder and lead developer Vin Armani. And CoinText gives them a simple alternative to physical cash. Today, CoinText.io, a service to transact cryptocurrency over SMS, launched support for its Bitcoin Cash (BCH) wallet to Hong Kong, Israel and Palestine. These are important regions for us to connect because theyre financial centers, said CoinText founder and lead developer Vin Armani. And CoinText gives them a simple alternative to physical cash. CoinText enables anyone to send money to mobile phone numbers or Bitcoin Cash addresses without Internet, apps, or accounts. A new wallet is instantly set up the moment the recipient receives a message through CoinText. CoinText users access their wallets by sending SMS commands like BALANCE, RECEIVE, and SEND to a local access number. Residents in the new countries get a CoinText wallet by texting the word START to their number below: Hong Kong: 85257456744 Israel: 972526230418 Hong Kong is the first country in Asia to be connected by CoinText. Both the Hong Kong and Israel releases have the default messaging in English, but Hebrew and Chinese languages are in the works, the company said. With this expansion, CoinText now services a total of 25 countries. About CoinText CoinText is a for-purpose FinTech company making cryptocurrency easy to use as money. CoinText is the first full-featured SMS cryptocurrency wallet that doesnt require apps, accounts, passwords or Internet.The service offers frictionless onboarding to the cryptocurrency ecosystem for anyone with an SMS-enabled phone. CoinText is built on a foundation designed for a full suite of cryptocurrency solutions including touchless payments, streaming money and for the Internet of Things (IoT). Website: https://cointext.io Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cointext Email: contact(at)cointext(dot)io Dr. Andrew Murray, an accomplished physician executive with deep industry experience, has been named EBMSs Chief Medical Officer and President of its innovative miCare and miRx healthcare solutions. He joined the EBMS team Oct. 1. Dr. Murray comes to EBMS from CareAllies, a Cigna-owned Population Health Management startup, where he served as Vice President responsible for Population Health Management and Clinical Services. At CareAllies, Dr. Murray worked with healthcare providers to ensure their success in value-based arrangements. At Cigna, he has also focused on payer-provider partnerships with hospitals, physician groups and other value-chain partners. Before joining Cigna, Dr. Murray served in senior leadership roles with Discovery Health, a leading multinational insurance company, as Chief Operating Officer for Ping An Health, and as Deputy General Manager for DiscoveryCare, a managed care organization serving around 3 million members from 12 leading health plan clients. Dr. Murray has a solid track record of leading enterprise-level strategies, said Executive Vice President Melissa Lyon. His extensive education and experience in the fields of business, management and medicine will help us continue our work to expand services, contain costs and improve care. After completing his medical training at Stellenbosch Universitys School of Medicine, Dr. Murray practiced medicine in the United Kingdom and South Africa. He subsequently earned his Master in Business Administration with a concentration in Health Sector Management from Duke Universitys Fuqua School of Business in North Carolina. During his early career practicing medicine, Dr. Murray worked as an emergency-room doctor, served as flight doctor for International SOS and volunteered as a flight doctor for a helicopter ambulance service affiliated with a major trauma center. Dr. Murray will be a member of the EBMS executive team as a strategic partner offering a medical perspective on plans to expand products and services. Dr. Ragar, miCare Medical Director, will continue to provide medical oversight for miCare working directly with Dr. Murray on strategic business directions. Under Dr. Murrays leadership, the miCare and miRx teams will continue to integrate delivering high-quality, cost-effective care solutions that improve lives through a coordinated approach that also provides innovative cost transparency. Employment Benefit Management Services, Inc., was founded in Billings in 1980 as Montanas first third-party administrator. EBMS now serves more than 275 organizations and nearly 150,000 employees and family members across the U.S. The company offers a broad range of services to help employers manage their healthcare, including benefit administration, on-site/near-site health centers, clinical and specialty pharmacy programs, employer direct network management, captive insurance risk services, and flex, HRA and HSA administration. Clothes Minded 2018 I went from a fashion addict to a fashion advocate. With $100,000 in debt all due to fashion, I realized I needed to change. I am choosing to share my story with the world to help change it. - Sustainable Fashion Designer and Environmental Activist, Isabel Varela Environmentalist and sustainable fashion activist, Isabel Varela, will address the malpractices disrupting the fashion industry and the psychological toll fashion is having on humanity (alongside National Geographic artist Asher Jay), during the groundbreaking "Clothes Minded" art exhibition at the Caelum Gallery from October 10 - October 13. The event has sparked a conversation amongst industry leaders about the reality of fashion and what we can do to help make it better. The exhibition will revolve around multimedia art, sustainable fashion and a thought-provoking, compelling conversation about the industry. Varela is a social activist, environmentalist, visual and mixed media artist whose video about being a minimalist and eco-friendly designer has gone viral with 80K views. I went from a fashion addict to a fashion advocate. With $100,000 in debt all due to fashion, I realized I needed to change. I am choosing to share my story with the world to help change it, Varela said. Varela will showcase three separate installations, including two 10-foot sculptures to teach observers about the physical and mental burdens the fashion industry places on its workers and consumers. Jays installations will build on her prior campaign and exhibit Message in a Bottle on permanent display at National Geographic Encounter in Times Square. Not everyone gets to make an impassioned declaration and turn down a salaried position on 7th Avenue to instead find her calling on the Serengeti, said Asher Jay.This is how Jay went from a fashion designer to a creative conservationist. Art has a unique power to transcend differences and connect with people on a visceral level to compel action. The issues of today not only need to be articulated in an emotionally empowering vocabulary but inherently offer up solutions to the viewers. Conservation can no longer be marginalized. Today, we need everyone, Jay said. Varela hopes to inspire men and women to make more conscious decisions when shopping for their wardrobe. The ultimate goal of the event is to educate the majority of people who are unaware of how deep the vein of abusive and unethical practices in the fashion run, while offering positive solutions. It starts with you and me. Together, we are capable of doing the right thing for ourselves, fashion and the environment, says Varela. The four-day "Clothes Minded" event will be hosted by Isabel Varela. The event gala will be held on Wednesday, October 10 at the Caelum gallery. The gallery will be open to the public from October 11 - October 13, 2018. To join the #ClothesMinded2018 event, please visit isabelvarela.com or RSVP at isabel(at)isabelvarela(dot)com. Follow the sustainable movement on Instagram @iamisabelvarela. About Isabel Varela Isabel Varela is a positive fashion disruptor, zero waste artist, social activist and the creator of eco-friendly fashion brand, Isabel Varela. The brand offers a curated collection of eco-friendly womenswear. Varela uses locally-sourced fabrics and handcrafting production techniques. She also upcycles, taking old garments and bringing them back to life to offer her clients one-of-a-kind, bespoke pieces. Varela is now focusing her energy on hosting annual events and educating as many people she can on the idea of zero-waste and how we can fit it into our lives. About Asher Jay Asher Jay is an artist and a National Geographic explorer and public figure whose compelling paintings, sculptures, installations, animations, ad campaigns, and films all have a single purpose: to incite global action on behalf of wildlife conservation. Elements Room will be displaying quartzite and marble from around the world in a booth designed to inspire and reveal the best of exotic stone Elements Room by Pacific Shore Stones will be presenting new products at WestEdge Design Fair, the west coast's premier modern design exhibition. Luxury surfaces supplier Elements Room will be displaying quartzite and marble from around the world in a booth designed to inspire and reveal the best of exotic stone. Taking place October 18-21 at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, the show offers attendees the opportunity to experience products from top-tier design brands in categories including furniture, lighting, kitchen and bath, and more. "At Elements Room, we believe that the selection experience is important for helping people make great choices. We often display bookmatch surfaces so that the veining and other features really come to life," said Marco A. Pereira, Elements Room owner. "We're looking forward to engaging with consumers and designers at the show to help them understand our products better and to make the surface selection process easier." Located close to the main entrance of the show, the Elements Room booth (#117) will feature stunning bookmatch displays, with whole slabs lining the inside and outside of the booth. Designed to look like an art gallery, products on display include two quartzites new to the California market: Cristallo Tiffany and Cristallo Venato. Visitors to the booth will also be able to experience virtual reality tours of quarries in Brazil, to immerse them in the natural stone experience. On Friday morning October 19, Elements Room will be partnering with Luxe magazine to host an exclusive breakfast event. On Saturday afternoon, presentations will be given at the booth featuring keynote guest speakers from Italy and Brazil. Antolini will present Azerocare, a revolutionary new technology that gives polished marble and onyx protection from etching and staining. Cocktails and appetizers will be served during the presentations. Updates from the show will be posted on the Elements Room social media channels: https://www.facebook.com/elementsroom , https://www.instagram.com/elementsroom/ and https://twitter.com/elementsroom. For additional show details, visit: https://www.westedgedesignfair.com About Elements Room Elements Room presents a stunning selection of natural stone and other surface materials in a unique setting created with the customer in mind. The boutique showroom displays inspirational applications, and specializes in surface specification needs. The warehouse boasts an array of top-quality surface materials and the stylish design cubicles provide space to lay out plans, work on designs and get creative. Along with quartz, semi-precious, ultra compact surface and porcelain, Elements Room carries stones from select quarries in places such as Brazil, Italy, Turkey and India. Unusual and sought-after examples of granite, marble, quartzite, soapstone and onyx are on display. The well-lit, inviting showroom provides fresh ideas and creative surface applications. Located in the heart of the North Hollywood Design district, at 13245 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, CA 91605. The addition of McKey & Poague allows us to strengthen the trusted partner relationship we strive to create with each client. Acquisition increases capacity for Elmdale to manage and grow clients real estate investments Created on the idea that quality service is the key to success, McKey & Poague Real Estate Services, Inc. has over 125 years of Chicago area property management experience. With priorities closely aligned to those of EMG and its parent, Elmdale Partners, LLC, the acquisition of McKey & Poague (EMGs second in recent months) strengthens each companys ability to provide clients with the highest level of service and attention and a more comprehensive suite of real estate services. The addition of McKey & Poague allows us to strengthen the trusted partner relationship we strive to create with each client, says David White, Principal at Elmdale Management Group (http://www.elmdalemanagement.com), Were looking forward to working with such an established institution, benefitting from their knowledge and experience in the market and their adding valuable resources to entire Elmdale family. McKey & Poague strives to keep their clients at the forefront of their business by focusing on value-adding client partnerships and staying on top of trends in the industry. They have vast experience managing condominium and cooperative properties, rental units, and office and commercial buildings. In addition to traditional property management services, they offer residential and commercial leasing, commercial and residential sales, and advisory and insurance services. Im very happy to have acquired a company whose focus on quality and industry-leading knowledge so closely aligns with what weve established at Elmdale. The core values our two companies share is going to make this partnership extremely beneficial for our clients as well as our colleagues, says Tom Bretz, CEO of Century 21 Affiliated and Elmdale co-Founder. Looking to the future, Bretz is excited about how this growth will positively impact the level of service, attention and resources Elmdale Partners will be able to bring to its clients throughout the Elmdale Partners family of companies. Founded in 2010, Elmdale Partners, LLC is a multi-faceted real estate platform which provides property management services in Illinois, Indiana, and Florida. Recently honored in Crains Fast 50, Elmdale Partners was founded by entrepreneurs Thomas Bretz and Adam Freeman as a real estate acquisition firm. Today, the companys property managers work as trusted partners to owners of residential, HOA, commercial and self storage properties. If you are a property management company looking to be part of something bigger please contact us. Jeff has built his business around respect for clients and the commitment to deliver the best home-buying experience possible allowing the team to thrive in the housing industry and the local community. Expect a new look with the same promise of excellence when you walk into a Jeff Cook Real Estate office! In the past 15 years, the real estate company has grown to the #1 team in the state of South Carolina by sales volume, #16 in the nation by REAL trends and they have no plans to slow down. In fact, Jeff Cook Real Estate has dedicated itself to grow to be helping 4,000 families annually buy or sell the biggest investment of their life by the year 2025. Jeff Cook inspires his team to pursue constant innovation and admits it is time for a big change. Though the new brand design may not seem like a drastic change from the previously bright blue and yellow home sitting on top of the world, the new teal and midnight blue home can be compared to more of a shield. From this comes a great promise to lead and serve customers through communication and integrity. Jeff has built his business around respect for clients and the commitment to deliver the best home-buying experience possible allowing the team to thrive in the housing industry and the local community. Included in this rebrand is the creation of a state of the art website that will create an innovative and user-friendly experience for future, past, and present clients that includes a closing cost calculator. Jeff Cook is committed to giving back directly to the community, setting aside one percent of every sales transaction for that purpose. His Jeff Cook Cares program has donated $257,377 to a variety of Lowcountry charities and causes in just two years of existence. Of the hundreds of charitable causes, the three largest include MUSC Shawn Jenkins Childrens Hospital, Habitat For Humanity, and Charleston Animal Society. The new look is expected to launch a wave of empowerment to the rapidly growing number of agents at Jeff Cook Real Estate. His need for full-time sales agents sparked the creation of Charleston Real Estate School in Summerville; the only real estate school in Summerville. The two week long licensing course (as opposed to the traditional 4-week long course) opened its doors to students in July and thrives on the booming housing market and its promise to deliver the best education at the lowest price in town. Outside of the Charleston area, he is working to serve other real estate companies with the creation of Inside JCRE; a conference to welcome other real estate companies into his offices and teach the methods that allow his team to thrive. His team now spans 6 locations across South Carolina as well as an entire operational staff to assist the agents in advertising and transactions. Jeff Cook Real Estate has already served 1050 families in 2018 in the home buying or selling process and now holds a team of 140 agents. Innovation through a new look is merely the start of a wave of advancement in this real estate firms growth. Learn more about Jeff Cook Real Estates new look at http://www.JCRErebrand.com. The 22 companies achieved the status of Finalist based on finishing in the top five of a category using a scoring methodology that measures customer satisfaction and loyalty. The Finalists are: Abcam Agilent Technologies BD Biosciences Bio-Rad Laboratories Cell Signaling Technology Eppendorf Fluidigm GE Healthcare Life Sciences IDT (Integrated DNA Technologies) Illumina Lexogen MilliporeSigma / Merck New England Biolabs Oxford Nanopore Promega QIAGEN ReadCoor SCIEX Thermo Fisher Scientific Unchained Labs Waters Zeiss The biennial Life Science Industry Awards recognize the life science suppliers that scientists consider best-in-class in 10 customer service and communications categories. The Finalists in each category can be found here: http://www.lifescienceindustryawards.com/#categories The winners of the 2018 Life Science Industry Awards will be announced at a gala event on November 6th, 2018 beginning at 6:30 pm at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, CA. BioInformatics Inc. hosts the awards with the generous support of the California Life Science Association (CLSA) and BroadOak Capital Partners. CLSA is dedicated to advancing Californias world-leading life sciences innovation ecosystem. BroadOak Capital Partners is a privately held M&A advisory and investment firm focusing on the life science industry. For more information on attending please visit http://www.LifeScienceIndustryAwards.com ABOUT BIOINFORMATICS INC. BioInformatics Inc., now part of Science and Medicine Group is the premier research and advisory firm serving the life science and analytical instrument industries. By leveraging our expert network of more than 80,000 life scientists, the company has supported more than 500 companies in creating insights that lead to better business decisions. Together with IMV and SDi, Science and Medicine group offers clients unmatched insights and reach in the life science, analytical instruments, clinical laboratory, medical imaging and dental markets. MEDIA CONTACT: Monika Mahajani Content Marketing Associate BioInformatics Inc. 671 N. Glebe Road, Suite 1610 Arlington, VA 22203 703.778.3080 x-37 m.mahajani@bioinfoinc.com The Goken America HR team (front, left to right): Recruiter Adrienne Marshall, HR Manager - Andie Pilutti, HR Generalist Michelle Carlos, Recruiting Manager Angela Holmes (back, left to right): This recognition is a result of the hard work and professionalism of the entire Human Resources team. The Goken America Human Resources team was named the finalist in the 2018 Columbus CEO magazine HR Excellence Awards. This is the first nomination and recognition for the newly-formed team of nine Goken America HR associates. In recognizing the Goken America HR department as the Team Excellence Finalist, the magazine quoted from the entry submitted by Bill Nichols, Goken America COO, Over the past two years, Goken America established a nine-person human resources team to help keep up with the Dublin technical services firms fast growth. With a combined 100 years of professional experience in their field, the HR staffers have supported company strategy through recruiting, onboarding, associate engagement, benefits, compensation administration, training and professional development and many other critical areas. Goken America CEO Doug Smith praised the team saying, This recognition is a result of the hard work and professionalism of the entire Human Resources team. What an amazing compliment to them, and a well-deserved honor for Goken America, as it is a true reflection of the kind of company we want to be. The HR team has developed and implemented unique programs customized to fit the Goken America business model, culture and its diverse population of associates; 75 percent of whom are minority or female. This HR excellence was achieved while the company continued its rapid growth, earning a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing, privately-held companies in the U.S. for the second consecutive year. Noting that the HR team is responsible for a 6 percent year-over-year improvement in employee retention and a 31 percent improvement in first-year retention, Bill Nichols, Goken America COO said, I have never had the privilege of working with such a high-performing group of HR individuals who exhibit such strong commitment, technical expertise and business acumen. Were thrilled to have earned this recognition for HR Team Excellence by Columbus CEO magazine, said Julie McDonald, Goken America HR Director. As an HR professional, its gratifying that our nomination was made by our COO. This level of partnership and respect between Operations and HR demonstrates the cooperative culture at Goken America that underpins our success overall. Our business is a people business, said Angela Holmes, Goken America Recruiting Manager. We grow and create customer value by hiring and retaining the best professionals in the business. By that measure, recruiting is a key economic engine for us. For information about Goken America careers, visit http://www.gokenamerica.com or connect on LinkedIn. About Goken America Established in 2004, and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Goken America is a North America-based design engineering technology company; a complete provider of innovative engineering services from concept design through the complete product development lifecycle. Goken America demonstrates its commitment to client satisfaction by providing thorough training for all associates, and by cultivating a deep understanding of its clients corporate cultures and expectations. For more information, visit GokenAmerica.com. Media Contact: Jim Jordan, Goken America phone: 614-495-8117 email: jim.jordan@gokenamerica.com On October 3, 2018, High Point Networks announced their intent to purchase the assets and employees of the Colorado-based value-added reseller West-Tech Communications. The West-Tech Communications acquisition completes the High Point Networks mission to expand further into the Colorado region. Customers will benefit greatly from the expanded services and technical expertise the newly joined companies provide. This acquisition, slated to be final on November 1, 2018, includes all assets and full-time employees of West-Tech Communications. They will join High Point Networks as the ninth location across a five-state region with its corporate headquarters out of West Fargo, ND. The addition of the West-Tech Communications team elevates the level of offerings we provide to the organizations we serve, President & CEO Tom McDougall said. This expands our technical expertise, market reach and adds to our strong foundation of service. This is exciting news for both companies, West-Tech Communications President & CEO Pat Galvin said. We see this as a way to further expand our offerings to the many customers we support. We are particularly excited to join the High Point Networks team of over 100 employees to boost our technical support in the areas we serve. High Point Networks offers organizations best-in-class voice and data networking solutions, supported by the best professional services team in the region. Their comprehensive suite of services solve challenges and provide measurable return on investment for the organizations they serve. With many collective years of business, technical and industry experience, High Point Networks leverages core competencies across key IT areas such as infrastructure & network management, security services, unified communications, data center technologies, and others to ensure successful customer deployments. Over the next 30 days, both companies will be working through strategic transition items and will be communicating additional details to their employees, customers and vendor partners. It brings me great pleasure to welcome Bobby to the Hobsons leadership team, said Kate Cassino, Chief Executive Officer of Hobsons. I am confident that his knowledge and leadership will elevate our approach to technology and innovation. Hobsons, the leader in education technology, today announced the addition of Bobby Tahir to the senior leadership team as Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Tahir will be responsible for driving the overall technology operation and strategy across Hobsons portfolio of lifetime student success solutions, including Naviance, Intersect and Starfish. Mr. Tahir will oversee a team of software developers and engineers, lead product delivery and direct technology infrastructure, platform and security efforts. Mr. Tahir has an extensive background in education technology, serving as Chief Technology Officer of the K12 division of Community brands, as well as serving in various senior level positions at Diamond Mind and the Envictus Corporation. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a BS in Physics. It brings me great pleasure to welcome Bobby to the Hobsons leadership team, said Kate Cassino, Chief Executive Officer of Hobsons. I am confident that his knowledge and leadership will elevate our approach to technology and innovation. About Hobsons A leader in education technology, Hobsons helps more than 15 million students to identify their strengths, explore careers, match to best-fit educational opportunities, create academic plans, and reach their education and life goals. More than 13,000 K-12 and higher education institutions partner with Hobsons and leverage our expertise and our solutions -- Naviance, Intersect, and Starfish -- to improve college and career readiness, college recruiting and admissions, and higher education student success to support millions of students. Ideum is pleased to announce the launch of its new Pico smart coffee table. The Pico has an exciting new design and sets the standard for large-scale integrated touch systems. The Pico touch coffee table is available with a 43, 49, or 55 4K Ultra HD LG commercial display. Its industry-leading 3M projected capacitive touch technology supports up to 80 simultaneous touch points. The Pico is fully integrated and has the latest 8th Gen Intel Core processor and NVIDIA dedicated graphics card. This exciting new touch table is thoughtfully designed, and in some ways, it is the culmination of a decade of design and development, said Jim Spadaccini, Founder and Creative Director of Ideum. This is the system weve always dreamed about. It has a beautiful and bezel-less high-resolution display, responsive touch, and plenty of power to run just about any application. All of the connectivity that one would expect from a high-end system is included. The Pico has Wifi, Bluetooth 5, USB, HDMI, and an audio jack. In addition, it comes with a built-in RFID reader and RFID software utility, allowing end users to automate a variety of system tasks. Communication hardware can also be removed for use in secure environments. The Pico features lockable access ports and all-aluminum construction, making it perfect for public and semi-public spaces, including libraries, schools, corporate offices, retail, reading and waiting rooms, and other demanding environments. The unit ships fully assembled and ready to gojust plug it in and turn it on. This unique and durable smart coffee table comes with Windows 10 and a lifetime license for the GestureWorks multitouch authoring SDK for Windows. Developers can also purchase Tangible Engine 2, which allows tangible user interface authoring on Ideum touch tables. All of Ideums touch tables include a three-year warranty. See Ideums website for the full specifications and options: https://ideum.com/products/touch-tables/pico See Ideums Flickr page for high-resolution images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ideum/albums/72157694034334314 See YouTube for a video demonstrating the capabilities of the Pico Touch Coffee Table: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=OCzc_T1JGTk About Ideum Ideum is an innovative digital design company based in Corrales, New Mexico. For the past decade, Ideum has designed and produced integrated and hardened large-scale multitouch tables and touch walls for museums, educational institutions, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies. In addition to its established line of touch tables, the firm focuses on creating the next generation of visitor experiences that blend the physical and digital realms. Ideum has partnerships with Barco, Christie Digital, Crestron, LG, and others, allowing its creative work to have direct access to leading-edge equipment and specialized hardware expertise. For more information, please visit http://www.ideum.com. ### For more information: Ideum Inc. Phone: 505-792-1110 x1 sales(at)ideum.com Scott Denton, iSense Sleep CSO It is a pleasure to welcome Scott to the iSense Sleep team. We are confident the calibre of Scotts experience, industry relationships, and values will form an integral part of building iSense Sleep to be recognized as a truly innovative brand. With a breadth and depth of experience encompassing names like Sealy and King Koil, Scott Denton has a track record of building high-performing teams that excel at bringing new products to market. iSense Sleep founder & CEO Paul Longman is known for his passion for finding actual solutions to help people sleep, honed over 30 years in the industry, including a tenure as CEO of Australian mattress giant A.H. Beard. Longman says of the addition, It is a pleasure to welcome Scott to the iSense Sleep team. We are confident the calibre of Scotts experience, industry relationships, and values will form an integral part of building iSense Sleep to be recognized as a truly innovative brand. iSense Sleep made a splash with its launch at the 2018 Las Vegas Winter Market, with its bold branding and even bolder innovations, bringing the worlds first adjustable firmness technology in spring and foam mattresses. Another industry first, the company showcased the technology by taking retailersand consumerson a ride inside the mattresses with their VR tour of the beds. Since that time, the brand has grown its voice, fine-tuned its product, and deepened relationships with retailers across the country and licensees across the globe. As the anniversary of their launch nears, they find themselves poised to yet again disrupt the norm. The entire industry is about to experience another paradigm shift, says Denton. As the retail industry is looking to change the conversation from selling mattresses to finding true sleep solutions, iSense Sleep has emerged as a natural platform for that. For me, there was an undeniable appeal to being part of the original team to bring something this exciting to the marketplace. JP and Associates REALTORS Franchising (JPAR Franchising LLC) announced the appointment of Frank Gay as the Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. He will assume day-to-day leadership of the Company and will also join the parent company Vesuvius Holdings LLC Board of Directors. He will work side by side with the President/Chairman JP Piccinini, and Mark Johnson CEO of JPAR to synergize and execute the brokerage and franchise ambitious and aggressive growth strategy . I am confident that Frank is the right person to build on this momentum we have going within the JPAR family, Piccinini said continued. He is a well respected veteran leader of our industry with significant experience working with the different markets in the franchise and acquisitions arena, operating efficiently at scale, and delivering value to our franchisees. We are lucky to have him as our CEO of the franchise entity. Frank Gay has been a Global Real Estate Executive for over two decades, working across multiple facets in the real estate industry. Most recently, prior to joining JP and Associates REALTORS, Frank held the position of National Vice President of Sales for the largest Global Franchisor within the Real Estate Space Realogy who manages and owns brands like Coldwell Banker, Sothebys ERA, Century 21. In this role, Frank identified and successfully negotiated mergers & acquisitions, as well as unaffiliated conversion opportunities, with some of the largest companies in the country. For over six and a half years, he was responsible for several of the largest affiliations within the network. Prior to his most recent position at REALOGY, he worked for then publicly traded real estate tech giant ZIP Realty, where he held multiple leadership roles and carried out many critical initiatives company-wide. From 2001 until 2008, before joining ZIP Realty, Frank was the Broker/Owner of a highly productive Regional RE/MAX franchise with four offices in Central Florida, specializing in residential, commercial, property management, vacant land and new home sales. In just 2 years after opening, his thriving company obtained #1 market share in sales volume & transactions and maintained that position in their market for years to come. During these years, Frank lectured domestically and internationally for RE/MAX Regions to their Franchisees on how to effectively recruit agents and retain their associates long-term. To this day, Franks passion continues to be guiding Real Estate Brokers to new heights by helping them increase their productivity, grow their market share and ultimately build a valuable asset that can be sold! JP And Associates REALTORS (JPAR) is one of the top 100 real estate brokerages in the US. A full-service transaction fee based real estate brokerage, it has been recognized as one of the top 10 fastest growing brokerages in the country by REAL TRENDS as well as also being a back to back INC5000 nominee. It operates multiple offices across Texas and is expanding nationwide offering franchising opportunities for entrepreneurial real estate professionals. Read more about JP and Associates REALTORS: http://JPAR.net Jon Herberger, chief technology officer of LaserShip Jon has been able to step in and have immediate impact on the business. He brings a wealth of knowledge in the space and is well positioned to help us integrate new technologies as we continue scaling to meet the growing demands of the e-commerce marketplace. LaserShip, an e-commerce parcel carrier servicing the Eastern and Midwest U.S., announced today the appointment of its new chief technology officer, Jon Herberger. Herberger will execute LaserShips company-wide information technology (IT) strategy and lead initiatives to implement new technologies that support the companys expansion. Herberger joins LaserShip with many years of IT leadership experience. Prior to joining LaserShip, he was the chief information officer of PLS Logistics Services, a third-party logistics provider based in Pittsburgh, PA, where he spearheaded the creation of a mobile application to improve customer visibility in the supply chain. Herberger was also chief information officer of MYMOVE (formerly Imagitas), a media company that works exclusively with the USPS to connect brands with millions of movers by facilitating its official Change of Address process. As a member of LaserShips executive leadership team, Herberger will contribute his expertise and future vision to the overall business strategy development. He will leverage information and technology in LaserShips business model, business process re-engineering, products and services development, and other IT initiatives aligned with the companys overall business strategy. Im incredibly excited by the opportunity and the challenge to join this incredible dynamic team, build upon the innovative technologies LaserShip has in place today, and work with our customers to provide new and compelling solutions, says Herberger. We are very excited to have Jon on board the executive team and heading up technology, reports Josh Dinneen, senior vice president of LaserShip. Jon has been able to step in and have immediate impact on the business. He brings a wealth of knowledge in the space and is well positioned to help us integrate new technologies as we continue scaling to meet the growing demands of the e-commerce marketplace. Herberger has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Science degree in information systems from The George Washington University. He is succeeding Eugene Willard, who retired last month. About LaserShip, Inc.: LaserShip is an e-commerce delivery company that provides last-mile solutions for shippers that desire reduced transit times and increased flexibility within their supply chain. Founded in 1986, LaserShip has evolved into the leading provider of same-day and next-day delivery services in the Eastern and Midwest U.S. for premier e-commerce and product-supply business, including five of the largest retailers in the U.S. For more information, visit https://www.lasership.com. "We see Fontanafreddas Barolos as the definition of accessible luxury, and I am so pleased to welcome fans new and old to the third edition of Barolo Week[s], which is an incredible opportunity for wine lovers to experience such amazing, benchmark wines. - Oscar Farinetti, Fontanafredda owner Fontanafredda, one of Italys most prominent and historic Barolo producers and Wine Enthusiasts European Winery of the Year, is excited to announce the launch of the third annual Barolo Week[s] in October 2018, after two highly successful editions. Barolo Week[s] is a celebration of the iconic wine of Italys Piedmont region, and aims to introduce a new generation of Americans to these internationally-renowned wines. Its series of events is intended to increase awareness around Italys King of Wines and engage consumers in understanding what makes Barolo Italys most highly-regarded wine, in order to appreciate its value more fully. This years events will also coincide with Fontanafreddas 160th anniversary. Barolo is a complex, unique wine, says Fontanafredda owner Oscar Farinetti. We at Fontanafredda have a unique story to tell as one of the regions most renowned producers, as we celebrate the estates 160th anniversary this year. We see Fontanafreddas Barolos as the definition of accessible luxury, and I am so pleased to welcome fans new and old to the third edition of Barolo Week[s], which is an incredible opportunity for wine lovers to experience such amazing, benchmark wines. Barolo Week[s] is part of an international promotion, with events, dinners and tasting experiences organized in locations around the world, including Canada, Mexico, Malta, Germany, Switzerland, Iceland, United Kingdom, Sweden, Holland, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States. The lineup in the U.S. includes Barolo tastings for trade, press and the public at the New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston locations of Eataly, the quintessential Italian culinary marketplace. The main ticketed events open to the public will be a Barolo Master Seminar with Fontanafredda on October 22 in Los Angeles, a King of Wines Barolo Dinner on October 23 in Chicago, a Barolo & Beyond Tasting on October 24 at New York Citys Flatiron location and a Barolo Wine & Dine Tasting and Dinner on October 25 in Boston. In addition to the public events, Taub Family Selections, Fontanafreddas US importer, will host a series of comprehensive masterclasses and tastings for trade and press in New York, Los Angeles and Boston, led by Fontanafreddas General Manager Roberto Bruno and Wine Enthusiasts lead Italian critic, Kerin OKeefe. The masterclasses will focus not only on the various expressions of Barolo, but also on top cru sites exclusive to Fontanafredda, the newly-released Barolo MGA (Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva) and rare, old vintages dating back to 1982. A by-the-glass program of a selection of Fontanafreddas wines will be featured in each restaurant in all of Eatalys US locations: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York Citys Downtown and Flatiron locations. The wines available are: Alta Langa Contessa Rosa Rose, Serralunga dAlba Barolo DOCG, Proprieta in Fontanafredda MGA Barolo DOCG and Vigna La Rossa Barolo DOCG current and library vintages. Fontanafreddas Barolos are also poured at other restaurants in the cities where the Barolo Week[s] events are being held, including North Italia (multiple locations) and the Disneyland Hotel in the Los Angeles area; Bowery Road, Tessa and Rossopomodoro in New York City; and Strip by Strega and Nebo in Boston. In addition, to commemorate the wine estates milestone, a special, limited-edition Fontanafredda Barolo 160th Anniversary Vertical Collection will be available for purchase. The collection will include six outstanding vintages of Barolo Riserva: 1982, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2010. The wines come in a wooden case, and each label depicts a unique chapter of the estates 160-year history. Only 925 cases will be available. The main calendar of the Barolo Week[s] events is as follows: Oct. 22: Barolo Masterclass for press and trade at Eataly Los Angeles (by invitation) Oct. 22: Barolo Master Seminar with Fontanafredda for consumers at Eataly Los Angeles Oct. 23: The King of Wines, Barolo: A Wine Dinner through the UNESCO Hills of Piedmont for consumers at Eataly Chicago Oct. 24: Barolo masterclass for press and trade at Eataly NYC Flatiron (by invitation) Oct. 24: Barolo & Beyond: A Taste through the UNESCO Hills of Piedmont for consumers at Eataly NYC Flatiron Oct. 25: Barolo masterclass for press and trade at Eataly Boston (by invitation) Oct. 25: Barolo Wine & Dine Tasting and Dinner for consumers on October 25 in Boston To stay updated on all the details of the exciting Barolo Week[s] celebrations, please visit http://us.baroloweek.com/ and be sure to follow Fontanafredda on Facebook (@fontanafreddawines) and Instagram (@fontanafreddawines), and across all channels at #baroloweek. About Fontanafredda: For over 160 years, Fontanafredda has been producing outstanding Barolo from its winery in Serralunga dAlba, in the heart of the Barolo region of Northwest Italy. Founded in 1858 by Vittorio Emanuele II, the first King of Italy, Fontanafredda has since been a favorite of Italys nobility and wine lovers alike. Today, the winery is owned by Oscar Farinetti, the founder of Eataly, and the wines imported to the U.S. include the Vigna La Rosa Barolo, Serralunga dAlba Barolo and Barolo Proprieta in Fontanafredda MGA, among others. In the United States, Fontanafredda is imported by Taub Family Selections. For more information, please visit http://www.fontanafredda.it. Market America | SHOP.COM Ranks #8 In The 2018 Grant Thornton North Carolina 100 This has been a remarkable year of growth for Market America | SHOP.COM across the United States and globally, as well as right here in North Carolina, said JR Ridinger, Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of the company. Global product brokerage and Internet marketing company, Market America | SHOP.COM, creator of the revolutionary Shopping Annuity program, has been ranked the 8th largest privately-owned company in the 2018 Grant Thornton North Carolina 100 (NC100), which ranks the states largest private companies by revenue. In 2017 Market America | SHOP.COM ranked 26th. This marks the 13th consecutive year that the company has been ranked in the NC100. This has been a remarkable year of growth for Market America | SHOP.COM across the United States and globally, as well as right here in North Carolina, said JR Ridinger, Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of the company. Ridinger continued, our continuous growth is due to the overall success of The Shopping Annuity and the UnFranchise business model that empowers entrepreneurs to succeed. UnFranchise Owners throughout the world continue to reap the benefits of our tried and proven business model. Also, our best of breed products, especially in the nutraceutical, beauty and skin care industries, have helped change our customers lives for the better while empowering them to earn a residual income. The companys Shopping Annuity program allows online shoppers the ability to convert their existing everyday spending into earning. Ridinger added, we have combined this with our amazing ecommerce site, SHOP.COM, providing cashback and allowing for earning on offline purchases as well via our SHOP Local program. I am proud to say that now there is only one ecommerce site that truly offers everything SHOP.COM. Since 1984, the NC100 has ranked the states largest private companies by revenue in the most recent fiscal year. To view the complete 2018 list, please visit https://www.grantthornton.com/-/media/content-page-files/offices/pdfs/NC/2018-NC-100-BNC-Oct-18-Final-GT.ashx?la=en&hash=019E884B92325B16CBC9E9931A75D53FBA14259C. ABOUT MARKET AMERICA, INC. & SHOP.COM Currently in its 26th year, Market America, Inc. is a global product brokerage and Internet marketing company that specializes in one-to-one marketing and is the creator of The Shopping Annuity. Its mission is to provide a robust business system for entrepreneurs, while providing consumers a better way to shop. Headquartered in Greensboro, NC, the company was founded in 1992 by Chairman and CEO JR Ridinger and has generated over $8.5 billion in accumulated sales. Market America employs nearly 1,200 people globally with operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Malaysia. Through the companys primary shopping website, SHOP.COM, consumers have access to over 60 million products, including Market America exclusive brands and thousands of top retail brands. Market Americas revolutionary Shopping Annuity program, which helps shoppers convert their existing everyday spending into earning, is an extraordinary and financially meaningful benefit of the business. Internet Retailer has ranked SHOP.COM #65 in the 2018 Internet Retailer Top 1000, the #43 largest global online marketplace, #96 in the Internet Retailer Asia 500 and the 18th fastest growing Internet Mobile Retailer. The company is also a two-time winner of the Better Business Bureaus Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics, was ranked 8th in the 2018 Grant Thornton North Carolina Top 100 (NC100) and received 2018s Triad Business Journals Fast 50 award as one of the top privately-held companies for sustained growth, driving the areas economy. By combining Market Americas entrepreneurial business model with SHOP.COMs powerful comparison shopping engine, Cashback program, Hot Deals, SHOPBuddy, Express Pay check out, social shopping integration and countless other features, the company has become the ultimate online shopping destination. For more information, please visit http://www.marketamerica.com or http://www.SHOP.COM. About Grant Thornton North Carolina 100 Since 1984, the Grant Thornton North Carolina 100 has ranked the states largest private companies by revenue in the most recent fiscal year, based on data provided by the participants. The NC100 is a voluntary list restricted to companies based in North Carolina that do not have publicly traded stock. Companies owned by private equity are permitted. Nonprofits, financial services companies, health care providers such as hospitals and subsidiaries of corporations are excluded. About Grant Thornton LLP Founded in Chicago in 1924, Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd, one of the worlds leading organizations of independent audit, tax and advisory firms. Grant Thornton, which has revenues in excess of $1.7 billion and operates 59 offices, works with a broad range of dynamic publicly and privately held companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and civic and religious organizations. Grant Thornton refers to Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL). GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one anothers acts or omissions. Please see grantthornton.com for further details. According to just-released data from the 2018 Medical Liability Monitor Annual Rate Survey, the medical professional liability (medical malpractice) insurance industry could be turning away from its decade-plus of general stability. Since 2005, the key word used to characterize the medical professional liability insurance industry has been stable. But in 2018, there are several issues suggesting there are more environmental challenges for the industry than have been observed during the last decade. Some industry observers note that these factors signal that the industry may have started to turn a corner. Major factors challenging the MPL insurance industry include the deterioration of the industrys combined ratio, an increasing number of high-severity claims and the decline in aggregate MPL industry premium with its compounding effect on the combined ratio. The medical professional liability insurance industrys combined ratio has been creeping upward from a record-low of 80 percent in 2008. For 2017, the combined ratio exceeded 100 percent for the second year in a row only the second time exceeding 100 percent since 2005. The increasing combined ratio has been driven by a number of factors, but the largest has been the erosion of favorable reserve development. Limited increases in the initial coverage-year loss ratios do not appear to be keeping pace with the downward pressure on rate level. The benefit experienced from the unprecedented decline in claim frequency observed during the last decade or more is, for the most part, a distant memory. As a result, companies are experiencing less-favorable development on more recent coverage years. While medical professional liability claim frequency remains lower, generally stable and fewer claims make it to trial than in the past, the number of verdicts and settlements in excess of $10 million has been trending upward in recent years. Last year marked the highest number of these megaverdicts in history, and this year is on a pace to exceed last. Annual Rate Survey respondents who reported their company has seen an increase in large-dollar claims said that the reasons for the boost are multifactorial, albeit somewhat speculative. Plaintiffs attorneys are reportedly taking far fewer medical liability cases due to the high cost of funding such litigation. Case selection thereby becomes critical and tilts towards those with clear liability and high damages. The plaintiffs bar has become very adept at establishing demands for life care plans of $50 million and more. The final and perhaps most existential challenge facing the medical professional liability insurance industrys stability is a significant decline in direct written premium, which also puts upward pressure on the industrys combined ratio. Historically, the two largest segments within the medical professional liability insurance industry have been: physicians/surgeons and hospitals. The numbers of physicians who own their own practice is now less than 50 percent and slowly declining; hospital mergers and acquisitions continue as large hospital systems purchase smaller hospitals. Some physicians groups, wishing to remain independent of hospitals, have created large multi-specialty groups that have the wherewithal to retain liability risk through various self-insurance vehicles, thereby removing premium from the commercial market. Annual Rate Survey responses indicate that this migration remains a major concern for insurers. What do the Rates Say? When looking at Annual Rate Surveys from the last 10 years, the dominant position for more than half of all medical liability insurers has been to hold rates flat, year over year. The percentage of companies reporting no year-over-year change in rates has been steadily increasing since 2008. For the latest four years, 2015 to 2018, the percentage reporting that rates remained flat is above 70 percent with more than 80 percent of the companies included in the 2018 Annual Rate Survey holding the line. At the same time, there has been a sharp decline in the percentage of reported rate decreases since 2013. While last years Annual Rate Survey indicated that the percentage of rate decreases seemed to have settled in at a new low of about 10 to 12 percent, the 2018 Annual Rate Survey reflects a new low with only about 5 percent of reported rates reflecting a decrease between 2017 and 2018. In the 2018 Annual Rate Survey, slight average rate increases are implied for every region. The largest increase (1.4 percent) is reported for the Midwest region, driven by the changes in the Indiana and Nebraska Patient Compensation Fund (PCF) charges. Even in the absence of changes in the PCF charges, the Midwest region still reports the largest increase (0.5 percent), but the changes are much more consistent among regions if the PCF charges are not considered. PCF charges aside, an increase in Illinois (2 percent) drives the increase for the Midwest. Reported rates for the Northeast region imply an increase of 0.5 percent, driven by a 1.3 percent increase for Connecticut, a 2.5 percent increase for Rhode Island and a 0.8 percent increase for New Jersey. Pennsylvania partially offsets these increases due to its 0.4 percent decrease. Rates remain flat for all other states in the Northeast region. In the South, rates moved up or down in almost half of the states, resulting in a combined increase of less than 0.1 percent. Increases in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia were partially offset by decreases in Louisiana and Maryland. With the exception of a 1.3 percent increase in Florida, all increases were less than or equal to 1 percent. Only three states in the West region reported rate changes: California, Idaho and New Mexico. New Mexico reported an increase of 2.4 percent that was solely driven by a change in its PCF charge, while California reported an increase in rates of 0.3 percent and Idaho a decrease of 0.4 percent. The overall change for the West region is a 0.2 percent increase, but removing the change for the New Mexico PCF results in rates that are essentially flat, slightly down, for the region. Complete 2018 Annual Rate Survey available to the press upon request. ### Medical Liability Monitor is the only independent publication reporting exclusively on the medical professional liability insurance and risk management industries. The monthly newsletter, founded in 1975, has conducted the Annual Rate Survey since 1991. To order the Annual Rate Survey or to subscribe to the monthly newsletter, visit http://www.medicalliabilitymonitor.com or call 312-944-7900. Were excited to have LlamaZOO join the Microsoft Mixed Reality Program, as they bring years of experience and expertise in developing real-time mixed reality solutions, says Paul Corriveau, Director of Partner Marketing. LlamaZOO Interactive Inc. (LlamaZOO), award-winning developers of interactive spatial data visualization, digital twinning, and mixed reality solutions, has been invited to join Microsofts Mixed Reality Partner Program (MRPP). LlamaZOO now joins an international group of fellow leaders in mixed reality innovation, selected by Microsoft to help enterprise customers successfully pilot and deploy disruptive mixed reality solutions. Were excited to have LlamaZOO join the Microsoft Mixed Reality Program, as they bring years of experience and expertise in developing real-time mixed reality solutions, says Paul Corriveau, Director of Partner Marketing. As one of our selected partners they will continue to create amazing solutions for customers in education, natural resources, and industrial sectors. While most companies accepted into the MRPP participate in an extensive multi-week Readiness training curriculum, LlamaZOOs invitation into the program was fast-tracked due to the companys demonstrated in-house skills, successful mixed reality/augmented reality projects including MineLife and JetsonVR, and demonstrated commitment to building mixed reality expertise. The goal of the Mixed Reality Partner Program is to enable Microsoft partners such as LlamaZOO to collaborate and build commercial mixed reality solutions that improve communications, streamline operations, and drive worker productivity, while creating amazing customer experiences. In addition to the positive reputational impact that accompanies such a vote of confidence from Microsoft, the benefits to LlamaZOO in joining Microsofts MRPP include joint business planning, technical assistance, sales and marketing enablement, and more. LlamaZOO has long had a positive relationship with Microsoft, said LlamaZOOs CEO & Co-Founder Charles Lavigne. From being first wave Hololens developers, to promoting mixed reality technology at major industry events, to collaborating on Canadas Digital Technology Supercluster projects - its exciting to begin this next chapter together, and were eager to help push MR technology to new limits. Over the past year weve developed mixed reality solutions that have helped natural resources industry leaders save millions through virtual presence, and accelerating project timelines, says LlamaZOOs VP Business Development & Co-Founder Kevin Oke. Now having Microsofts support, we look forward to achieving further reach with our existing use-cases resulting in a greater client ROI. For more information about how mixed reality solutions can improve business operations and processes please visit https://www.llamazoo.com About LlamaZOO At LlamaZOO everything we do is about helping clarify the complex, enabling stakeholders to make meaningful and impactful decisions through visually stunning communication tools. Our mission is to change the way the world sees data. We just happen to develop leading AR/VR/MR technologies to achieve this. LlamaZOO are award-winning developers of interactive 3D visualization, digital twin, and mixed reality solutions, with offices in Victoria and Vancouver, BC. Learn more at http://www.llamazoo.com/careers Media Contact: Charles Lavigne LlamaZOO Interactive 1-888-291-4445 ext 100 charles(at)llamazoo.com October 24 marks the 16th annual Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AOM) Day and, in celebration, Modern Acupuncture and the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) have joined forces to elevate acupuncture as a nonpharmaceutical pain-relief treatment option to reduce opioid addiction. The companys efforts to provide practical treatment replacements for painkillers, as well as combating pre-existing addiction through the use of acupuncture, are imperative as prescription drug misuse increases. Shane Watson, 42, is in long term recovery from substance abuse issues now over six years sober. His abuse started in his youth; drugs and alcohol had devastating effects on his life, even landing him in jail. Now that hes a father, maintaining sobriety and optimal mental health is a daily priority. Since his recovery, he has developed serious lower back issues but cannot take any prescription pain killers. He turned to acupuncture. I wish I had known about acupuncture years ago. The sense of calm and the immediate pain relief I feel after a treatment has been a game changer, said Watson. I cant describe how hard it is to live with a pain so debilitating that it makes it hard to do normal every day activities. I made a choice to stay clear of prescription pain killers but I had to do something to relieve the pain. A friend recommended acupuncture and after my first appointment, I immediately found relief. Modern Acupuncture and NCCAOMs push for national awareness on behalf of AOM day comes as a call-to-action to lessen the publics dependence on opioids. Drugs, including opioids, are often prescribed to deal with a patients pain as a first line of treatment; yet only 23 percent of patients with chronic pain found opioids to be a successful treatment choice. Acupuncture, an holistic form of treatment, has emerged in the U.S. as an evidence-based, safe, and cost- effective method to counter opioid addiction and pain associated with various other health ailments. In recognition of AOM Day, Modern Acupuncture, in conjunction with NCCAOM, hope to promote this viable, nonpharmaceutical pain treatment option to help facilitate reversal of the opioid epidemic. At Modern Acupuncture, the development of specific treatment protocols to target pain conditions and opioid addiction have shown to be effective. The practice of acupuncture works by stimulating the nervous system -- signals from the needle site are transmitted to the spinal cord to deactivate pain centers in the brain. Acupuncture has also been shown to improve the brains sensitivity to opioids which increases pain control and decreases the clinical utility of the pills. Three stages of treatment, identified as detoxification, rehabilitation and relapse prevention, are intended to provide long-term results for recovering opioid addicts. The first stage is designed to offset opioid tolerance though direct treatments targeting pain symptoms. The second rehabilitation induces relaxation and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. Finally, relapse prevention encourages sustainable pain relief and prevent symptoms of drug cravings. "The medical profession is really picking up on the use of acupuncture as an alternative to opioids and using it more and more," said Dr. Charles Anderson, a John Hopkins and Harvard trained newborn intensive care physician with degrees from Princeton University, John Hopkins and Boston University. Dr. Anderson is also a regional developer of Modern Acupuncture because of his strong belief in acupuncture. Modern Acupuncture combines a healing treatment that has been validated by thousands of years of practice with a modern, clean and spa-like environment, providing guests with a peaceful sanctuary that they can make part of their regular routine. The company offers both traditional and cosmetic acupuncture administered by licensed acupuncturists who utilize needle therapy on nodes to increase blood flow, but unlike typical acupuncture, does not require the removal of any clothing to access full-body health; treatments are performed on feet, legs, arms and face. Modern Acupuncture employs NCCAOM Nationally Board-Certified Acupuncturists. As the only nationally recognized certification body in the United States for acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, NCCAOM certification indicates to employers, patients and peers that one has met national standards for the safe and competent practice, as defined by the profession. For more information about Modern Acupuncture, visit http://www.modacu.com. For more information about NCCAOM, please visit http://www.nccaom.org. For more information on AOM Day, please visit http://www.aomday.org. About Modern Acupuncture Modern Acupuncture is a franchise concept transforming the alternative medicine market and acupuncture industry. Offering an approachable, natural pathway, validated by thousands of years of practice to better health and wellbeing, Modern Acupuncture is the first franchise to deliver the natural health and cosmetic benefits of acupuncture in a retreat-like setting in highly accessible neighborhood locations across the country. Founded in 2016 and based in Scottsdale, Ariz., Modern Acupuncture currently offers area developer and franchisee opportunities to qualifying entrepreneurs. ACU Development, LLC is the franchisor of MA Modern Acupuncture franchise locations and an operator in some states. In California, Florida, Kansas, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington, ACU Development, LLC and its franchisees provide management services to affiliated professional acupuncture practices. For more information, please visit http://www.modacu.com or call (480) 999-5505. About NCCAOM The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) is a non-profit 501(c)(6) organization established in 1982. NCCAOM is the only national organization that validates entry-level competency in the practice of acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) through professional certification. NCCAOM certification or a passing score on the NCCAOM certification examinations are documentation of competency for licensure as an acupuncturist by 47 states plus the District of Columbia which represents 98 percent of the states that regulate acupuncture. All NCCAOM certification programs are currently accredited by the National Commission for Certification Agencies (NCCA). To learn more about the NCCAOM, or about acupuncture and national board certification visit http://www.nccaom.org. To find an NCCAOM National Board-Certified Acupuncturist in your area, click on Find A Practitioner at http://www.nccaom.org. The data that Karius and our clinical study collaborators presented at IDWeek 2018 provide further evidence of the Karius Tests utility in diagnosing infections quickly and accurately in a variety of infectious disease applications... Karius, a life sciences company transforming infectious disease diagnostics with genomics, today announced the results of several studies presented during this years IDWeek conference for infectious diseases clinicians held last week in San Francisco, California. Clinical applications regarding use of the Karius Test as a liquid biopsy for infectious diseases were the focus of the presentations. Oral abstracts, poster presentations and a Learning Lounge allowed collaborators to present their experiences with the Karius Test. Institutions represented were St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Duke University, New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, Florida Hospital Orlando, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago, Stanford University, Children's National Medical Center, and The University of Florida. The data that Karius and our clinical study collaborators presented at IDWeek 2018 provide further evidence of the Karius Tests utility in diagnosing infections quickly and accurately in a variety of infectious disease applications, said Dr. David Hong, Vice President of Medical Affairs and Clinical Development at Karius. The clinical studies presented by our colleagues cover some of the most challenging infectious diseases scenarios such as infective endocarditis, bloodstream infections in immunocompromised patients, invasive fungal infections, and febrile neutropenia. Abstracts from studies of the Karius Test presented at IDWeek 2018 include: Diagnosis and Genotyping of Coxiella burnetii Causing Endocarditis in a Patient with Prosthetic Pulmonary Valve Replacement (PVR) Using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) of Plasma Presented by Dr. Maiko Kondo (Weill Cornell), Dr. Lars Westblade, Dr. Kristin Marks and Dr. Nell Eisenberg Direct Detection and Quantification of Bacterial Cell-free DNA in Patients with Infective Endocarditis (IE) Using the Karius Plasma Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Test Presented by Pratik Shah (Duke) and Dr. Vance Fowler Prediction of Bloodstream Infection Prior to Onset of Symptoms by Plasma Metagenomic Sequencing in Pediatric Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Malignancy (PREDSEQ) Presented by Dr. Kathryn Goggin (St. Jude), Dr. Charles Gawad, and Dr. Josh Wolf Posters presented include: Diagnosis of BCG Aortitis by Plasma Metagenomic Sequencing Presented by: Christopher D. Cooper, MD, Florida Hospital Plasma Next-Generation Sequencing for Pathogen Detection in Pediatric Patients at Risk for Invasive Fungal Infection Presented by: William J. Muller, MD, PhD, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago Evaluation of the Karius Plasma Next Generation Sequencing Cell-free Pathogen DNA Test to Determine the Etiology of Infection and Impact on Anti-Microbial Management in Patients with Severe Neutropenia and Fever Presented by: Esther Benamu, MD, University of Colorado In collaboration with Jose G. Montoya, MD and Stan Deresinski, MD, Stanford University Streptococcus pneumoniae-related hemolytic uremic syndrome (pHUS) and the identification of matched cross country serotypes by plasma next-generation sequencing (NGS) Presented by: Alexandra Yonts, MD and Ben Hanisch, MD, Childrens National Medical Center In collaboration with Lauge Farnaes, MD, PhD, Rady Childrens Hospital, San Diego, CA The company also hosted a learning lounge session: The Karius NGS Test: Liquid Biopsy for Infectious Diseases Presented by: Dr. Christopher D. Cooper (Florida Hospital), Dr. Kenneth H. Rand (University of Florida), Dr. William J. Muller (Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital) and Dr. David K. Hong (Karius). About IDWeek ID Week is an annual scientific meeting where infectious disease professionals can meet, share experiences, and develop collaborations. The meeting provides healthcare professionals with access to the latest infectious disease research as well as new innovative practices. About the Karius Test The Karius Test combines advanced genomic diagnostics for pathogen detection with expansive microbial data analytics and a rapid computational platform. The test enables clinicians to rapidly diagnose over 1,000 pathogens from a single, non-invasive blood test and obtain clinically actionable insights with next-day results for approximately 80% of specimens received by 8:30 am Monday to Saturday. About Karius, Inc. Karius is a life sciences company focused on transforming infectious disease diagnosis through the innovative use of next-generation sequencing to analyze microbial cell-free DNA. The Karius laboratory is CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited to perform high-complexity clinical laboratory testing. The companys genomics platform and clinically-curated pathogen database deliver deep insight into the microbial landscape, providing clinicians with a comprehensive, quantitative test capable of identifying more than a thousand pathogens directly from blood. For more information, visit kariusdx.com and follow us on Twitter at @kariusdx. The maker movement is changing the way America eats. As we increasingly want to know where our food comes from and who made it, entrepreneurs are rolling up their sleeves and becoming bread bakers, cheese makers, distillers, brewers and other small-batch makers. In tasteMAKERS, Emmy-winning producer and host Catherine Neville is focusing her lens on the artisans who are defining the flavor of American food, offering viewers a unique look at the burgeoning culinary maker movement. This series, which has clearance on about 85% of public television stations nationwide, is a journey into the heart of America, where makers who are focused on flavor create products that reflect the character of their environment as well as their communities. tasteMAKERS' first 13-episode season of half-hour episodes takes viewers from a shellfish operation in the icy waters off the coast of Washington to a sheeps milk dairy in the rolling hills of Missouri to a tofu factory in the heart of Chicago to a snail farm on the North Fork of Long Island. Each episode follows a documentary-style story arc, and viewers learn what drives these makers, what inspires them and how they perfected their craft. Seeking stories over the last 20 years has led me to discover and appreciate the risks these makers take and the determination required to follow their passion, says Cat. I've seen first hand the positive impact experienced by those who work each day to create something that is unique and personal and, in tasteMAKERS, I am excited to share their stories. tasteMAKERS builds upon the work Cat has done on a local and regional level. Her nearly two decades in food media inform the tasteMAKERS trek through the current state of food. I am inspired by the people I cover and strive to develop content that matches their passion, she says. Their work is the backbone of the culinary industry. With tasteMAKERS, I'll showcase their effort and introduce you to the people whose work reflects the quality and diversity of American food and drink. The television show is accompanied by an event series, Meet the Makers, which will connect food lovers across the country with makers, chefs and farmers. Meet the Makers kicks off in Houston this November with additional events in 2019 in the following cities: Atlanta, San Diego, Seattle, Dallas, Denver, Raleigh-Durham, Kansas City and Chicago. For more information on the series, including photos and details on the makers, visit WeAreTasteMakers.com. Check local listings for air dates and times. Were excited to partner with an organization whose values align with ours and who shares a commitment to creating a cleaner community across California. NFI, a leading supply chain solutions provider, is among the top industry leaders in transportation to partner with Volvo Trucks and Californias South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) for the Volvo Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions (LIGHTS) project. As part of the partnership, NFI will be operating Volvo Trucks all-electric truck demonstrators in Southern California in 2019, which Volvo plans to commercialize in North America in 2020. The Volvo LIGHTS project is part of a statewide initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen the economy, and improve public health and the environment. With a variety of smart technologies in place to monitor truck performance and maximize vehicle uptime, including remote diagnostics and geofencing, the project is estimated to eliminate 3.57 tons of air pollutants and 3,020 tons of greenhouse gases annually. Social responsibility is extremely important to us and we are continuously exploring and implementing new, innovative ways to create more sustainable operations for both NFI and our customers, said Sid Brown, CEO of NFI. Were excited to partner with an organization whose values align with ours and who shares a commitment to creating a cleaner community across California. Along with its partnership with Volvo Trucks, NFI has implemented various clean technologies to further its green initiatives across its dedicated and drayage fleet of over 4,000 tractors and 9,000 trailers. In addition to operating electric trucks in early 2019, NFI is testing electric yard horse demonstration units, as well as Near Zero compressed natural gas trucks fueled with renewable natural gas. The company is also exploring the viability of class 8 battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Additionally, NFI currently uses battery powered Auxiliary Power Units (APUs), as well as aerodynamic components to aid in decreasing fuel usage. To ensure ongoing sustainability, NFI continuously administers testing that focuses on key performance indicators like miles per gallon and the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) eight SmartWay emissions metrics. NFI has been awarded the EPA SmartWay Partner award three times and has been identified as a SmartWay High Performer in recognition of its efforts. Further, NFI has also been named a top 75 green supply chain partner by Inbound Logistics and a top green provider by Food Logistics, among other accolades. NFIs supply chain solutions span a variety of industries including retail, food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, and manufacturing. The companys integrated suite of solutions consists of dedicated transportation, distribution, brokerage, transportation management, port drayage, intermodal, global logistics, and real estate. About NFI NFI is a fully integrated North American supply chain solutions provider headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. Privately held by the Brown family since its inception in 1932, NFI generates nearly $2 billion in annual revenue and employs more than 10,000 associates. NFI owns facilities globally and operates 41.5 million square feet of warehouse and distribution space. Its dedicated and drayage fleet consists of over 4,000 tractors and 9,000 trailers. Its business lines include dedicated transportation, distribution, transportation management, port drayage, intermodal, brokerage, global logistics, and commercial real estate. For more information about NFI, visit http://www.nfiindustries.com or call 1-877-NFI-3777. About Volvo Trucks Volvo Trucks provides complete transport solutions for professional and demanding customers, offering a full range of medium to heavy duty trucks. Customer support is secured via a global network of 2,100 dealers and workshops in more than 130 countries. Volvo trucks are assembled in 16 countries across the globe. In 2017, more than 112,000 Volvo trucks were delivered worldwide. Volvo Trucks is part of Volvo Group, one of the worlds leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides solutions for financing and service. Volvo Trucks work is based on the core values of quality, safety and environmental care. About CARB The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has preliminarily awarded $44.8 million to SCAQMD for the Volvo LIGHTS (Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions) project. The Volvo LIGHTS project will involve 16 partners, and transform freight operations at the facilities of two of the United States top trucking fleets. Volvo LIGHTS is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment particularly in disadvantaged communities. About SCAQMD The South Coast Air Quality Management District, also using the acronym SCAQMD, formed in 1976, is the air pollution agency responsible for regulating stationary sources of air pollution in the South Coast Air Basin, in Southern California. Layak Mohammed, Tim Lonergan and Kellyn Mitchell "Coming from some of the worlds largest and most successful companies, our newest team members bring diverse perspectives that underscore our commitment to excellent client service." Prime TSR, a Chicago-based technology modernization consultancy, today announced the addition of four key hires, a move that keeps the company on track to double in size this year to more than 70 consultants. With impressive and diverse backgrounds providing technology modernization solutions for Fortune 100 companies such as Amazon, McDonalds and Allstate, Prime TSRs newest team members include Kellyn J. Mitchell, solution architect; Layak Mohammed, data architect; Zeeshan Yasin, integration architect; and Tim Lonergan, DevOps engineer. Were excited to continue expanding our team of experienced and skilled technologists to better serve our growing client roster. Coming from some of the worlds largest and most successful companies, our newest team members bring diverse perspectives that underscore our commitment to excellent client service, said Eugene Khazin, principal and co-founder, Prime TSR. Kellyn J. Mitchell, an award-winning solution architect with 15 years of experience, has spent the past five years planning, organizing and leading technology solutions for companies like McDonalds, Marriott International, Mitsubishi Chemical, Motorola and Emerson Electric. With a track record of cutting costs and improving productivity, he specializes in cloud transformation projects, collaborating with cross-functional teams to adopt best practices and economies of scale. During the first ten years of his career, Mitchell was a web application architect and completed successful projects for Boeing, NIKE, Whirlpool and RE/Max. He is a graduate of Roosevelt University in Chicago. Layak Mohammed, is a data architect with deep experience in modernizing data platforms by moving and maintaining them in the cloud. Prior to joining Prime TSR, Mohammed worked with Amazon Web Services (AWS) where he helped Amazons customers overcome cloud migration issues. He is an AWS Certified Solutions Architect with 10 years of experience as a database architect/infrastructure project lead for Tate & Lyle, a London-based global provider of ingredients and solutions for food, beverage and industrial markets; and as a database administrator for companies like Deutsche Bank, Kaplan Financial, Express and Polaris Laboratories. He holds an MS in electrical and computer engineering from NYIT and a BS in electrical engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in India. A smart and savvy business systems analyst for blue-chip companies such as McDonalds, Allstate, Verizon, Motorola Solutions and Siemens, Zeeshan Yasin brings 13 years of experience to Prime TSR as an integration architect. Most recently an enterprise integration services/ESB solution architect for Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Yasin excels at collaborating with cross-functional teams to develop APIs for mobile and the Web and integrating them with existing management systems. He holds an MBA and MS in business information technology from DePaul University in Chicago. Tim Lonergan, a skilled senior engineer with more than 20 years of IT experience, joins Prime TSR as a DevOps engineer. Most recently a DevOps consultant at Rotary International, one of the worlds largest humanitarian service organizations, Lonergan excels at designing, implementing, maintaining and securing deployment environments. Hes supported technology systems for a variety of industries, including management consulting, accounting, insurance, healthcare, higher education and government agencies. He has an MS in information systems management from Roosevelt University in Chicago. Prime TSR, which made its debut this year in the Inc. 5000--the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies--recently changed its name from Silent IT to reflect the companys rapid growth trajectory and broadened focus around infrastructure, applications and data platforms. As Prime TSR, the company continues to provide insightful, long-term solutions as a strategic technology partner for Fortune 1000 companies. About Prime TSR Founded in Chicago in 2013, Prime TSR is the strategic technology modernization partner for Fortune 1000 organizations, including some of the best-known names in professional services, healthcare, insurance, financial services, manufacturing, distribution and logistics. Prime TSRs diverse team of highly-skilled technologists focuses on three primary areas: Application Development & Integration, Data Platforms & Analytics and Infrastructure & Operations. Initially gaining credibility for behind the scenes work resolving mission critical IT system challenges and enterprise breakdowns, today Prime TSR applies the same ingenuity and pragmatic approach to developing insightful, long-term technology solutions to its clients most pressing business challenges. For more information visit: primetsr.com. Pussers Gunpowder Proof, the last rum issued by the modern Royal Navy to its enlistees in 1970, has taken top honors at the Spirits Business Cachaca Competition. Pussers 15-year-old (Aged Rum over 13 years) earned gold. The Spirits Business gathered together a group of drinks experts at The Rum Kitchen in Londons Notting Hill to assess the state of the category. Its Rum Masters 2018 competition was assessed by three panels of tasters via blind taste testing. Anthony Moss, Director of Strategic Planning at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) who chaired the final panel described Pussers expression as the dream combination of esters together with lovely integrated oak and rancio. Gunpowder Proof, an aged, overproof expression at 54.5 percent alcohol which was the formula last used by the Admiralty was launched in seven U.S. markets on Black Tot Day, July 31, 2016 and has now expanded to 25 major markets and counting. The Masters for Gunpowder Proof is monumental as it makes its debut as the best over-proof rum in the world, said Pussers CEO, Gary Rogalski. The unique component of Gunpower Proof is rum distilled from vintage wooden pot stills, a process that provides a depth of flavor far beyond that of mass-produced rums distilled from modern semi-automatic metal column stills. The two existing wooden pot stills first put in use in the early 1700s and located in Guyanas Demerara River Valley, impregnate the rum with esters (naturally occurring organic flavoring compounds) far beyond those of any other rum. What results is a truly unique, award-winning taste. The name Pussers is nothing more than a corruption of the word Purser, the Royal Navy ships supply officer who retained the stocks of rum. Before hydrometers, the ships Purser would test rum strength by mixing a few grains of gunpower with rum to see if it would ignite under the heat of a magnifying glass. If it did that was proof the rum was at strength, If it was not, the Purser was threatened with bodily harm for watering down the rum. Rogalski said the overproof spirit is brandy-like and surprisingly smooth, easy to drink neat, in a snifter or your favorite cocktail or as a floater to add additional spirit to any cocktail. The daily issue of rum, a tradition which goes back three centuries, ended July 31, 1970, and is affectionately known as Black Tot Day in the UK and other Commonwealth countries. The Admiralty formula, a unique blend of rums, was ceded to the Companys founder, Charles Tobias, in return for his promise to support Sailors Tot Fund, now part of the Royal Navy and Marine Charitable Fund. Pussers Gunpowder Proof has won several awards in Europe including Gold at the International Sprits Challenge, a Masters and Gold medal in The Rum Masters Competition and Third Place for Worlds Best Dark Rum in the World Rum Awards. It also won Gold for Best in Class for the Overproof category in the Rum XP awards. This is in addition to the many other awards Pussers lower proof 3-year aged, and 15-year aged spirits from the same stills have already won. Recent Awards: Gold, The Spirits Business, The Rum Masters 2018 Gold, The Spirits Business, The Rum Masters 2017 Best in Class, Rum XP Awards 2016 Gold, Consumer Rum Jury 2016 Gold, Worlds Best Rum, World Rum Awards 2015 Gold, Best Dark Rum, World Rum Awards 2015 Gold, Category Gold, World Rum Awards 2015 Gold, Best Overproof, World Rum Awards 2015 Gold, Best Spiced Rum, The Fifty Best 2015 Gold, The Rum Masters, The Spirits Business 2015 Tasting Notes: Color: Clear, dark coppery amber with burnished copper highlights Nose: Pungent molasses, treacle, toffee, honey and vanilla with oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger Body: Full-bodied with a more enhanced flavor profile than the lower proof Blue Label Finish: Long finish, and despite its strength, smooth and mellow About Pussers Rum Pussers Rum is produced in strict accordance with Admiralty blending specifications last used by the Royal Navy for issue to its fleet, a tradition which began in 1655 when it first served rum as its spirit of choice, with extra tots being offered before and after some of the most infamous battles in history. In massive wood pot stills, approaching 300 years old, Pussers continues to produce liquid history without the aid of flavoring agents and is 100 percent natural. Pussers Rum is highly decorated and has taken several Gold Medals in the highly acclaimed International Wine & Spirits Festival and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Pussers Rum Limited is a British Virgin Island Company with administrative offices in Charleston, South Carolina. Its products are imported into the United States by Shaw-Ross International Importers. For more information on Pussers Rum Ltd and its brands, please visit http://www.PussersRum.com. About Shaw-Ross International Importers, LLC Founded in 1968 as a wine and spirit importer representing a handful of brands, Shaw-Ross has grown into one of the nation's leading importers representing leading suppliers from around the world. Shaw-Ross continues to evolve its portfolio to keep ahead of the ever-changing wine and spirits. For additional information go to http://www.shawross.com EDITORS NOTE: Imagery and sample requests can be made through Peter Nasca at the above address. QuisLex Our goal is to assist practitioners in deciding how best to deploy and benefit from technology for a given document review. QuisLex, a leading managed document review provider, announced that its Chief Operating Officer, Sirisha Gummaregula will be a featured speaker on the panel entitled, Avoiding Pitfalls in Assessing Technology Solutions for Document Review at the 2018 Electronic Discovery Institute (EDI) Leadership Summit. Gummaregula will be joined on the panel by Karen L. Wagshul, Corporate Counsel eDiscovery and RIM at Allstate Insurance Company and Gregory Witczak, Vice President of Global Legal eDiscovery at Deutsche Bank. Andrew Goodman, QuisLex Associate Vice President, Litigation Services will serve as the moderator. The panel will take place on Friday Oct. 12 at 2:40 p.m. (EST) at The Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The panel will help people more fully analyze their assumptions about what technology can and cannot do with respect to document review, and how to identify blind spots, said Gummaregula. Our goal is to assist practitioners in deciding how best to deploy and benefit from technology for a given document review, added Goodman. The annual EDI Leadership Summit is the flagship educational initiative for the Electronic Discovery Institute. EDIs distinguished faculty are carefully selected for their dedication to the advancement of thought leadership and advocacy. For the members of the judiciary, in-house counsel, firm practitioners, consultants, technologists and experts, the Summit offers an open environment to examine, adapt and perfect their understanding of eDiscovery, technology and the practice of law. For more information about the EDI Leadership Summit, please visit https://www.edisummit.org/ About QuisLex: QuisLex is an award-winning legal services provider that specializes in managed document review, contract management, compliance services, and legal operations consulting. Our full-time highly trained attorneys, process experts, legal technologists, statisticians and linguists work closely with our clients to reduce cost, mitigate risk and maximize efficiency. QuisLex is regularly acknowledged as a leader in the legal services industry, and is proud to be recognized by the ACC as an ACC Value Champion, Chambers and Partners as a Band 1 Legal Process Outsourcing Provider, New York Law Journal as Best Managed Document Review Services Provider, and the IACCM as its Outstanding Service Provider for contract management solutions. To learn more, about QuisLex, please visit http://www.quislex.com. Free Stem Cell Therapy for Veterans in Las Vegas R3 Stem Cell is dedicated to honoring military veterans in need of regenerative therapies with our new Heroes Program. Anyone can send in a nomination, over ten winners will be treated! R3 Stem Cell is now offering complimentary stem cell treatments to military veterans in Las Vegas through its new Heroes Program. Veterans may be any age and can be nominated by friends, family or even by themselves! The R3 Heroes Program is accepting nominations for any military veteran who can benefit from a regenerative procedure for conditions such as arthritis, COPD, kidney failure, neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, back pain, Lyme disease and autoimmune syndromes. The stem cell treatments in Las Vegas are offered by Board Certified, Fellowship Trained physicians. R3 Stem Cell has over thirty Centers of Excellence nationwide that have performed in excess of 50,000 procedures. So many patients have had their lives changed dramatically, with quality of life being improved so they can participate in desired activities that have been missing. With so much success being achieved with an impressive safety record as well, R3 is now dedicated to honoring our nations military veterans, including those men and women who have placed their lives at risk to ensure our nations freedom. Often times, military activities lead to significant joint deterioration over time and chronic pain issues after active duty is complete. Along with arthritis, veterans may be suffering from conditions such as back pain, COPD, neuropathy, autoimmune syndromes, organ failure, erectile dysfunction and more. To show our appreciation, The R3 Heroes Program is proud to be offering a completely FREE stem cell therapy to Veterans in need at our Las Vegas Center of Excellence (approximately ten). The Program involves crowdsourcing for nominations. Simply visit http://r3stemcell.com/hero for more information and to submit as many nominations as desired. Or individuals may email nominations to hero(at)r3stemcell(dot)com if desired. Soon we may all be giving up pumpkin spice for a different kind of latte, thanks to a newly identified species of Rubiaceae (commonly known as the coffee family) recently discovered in eastern Panama. The new-to-science plant, Notopleura sallydavidsonae, was described yesterday by Rodolfo Flores, Charlotte M. Taylor, Gordon McPherson and Alicia Ibanez in Webbia - The Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography. It was named in honor of Sally Davidson, Rainforest Trusts treasurer of the board. Davidson is a longtime supporter of Rainforest Trust, serving on the board almost since the organizations conception 30 years ago. She is a passionate conservationist who also owns the Clydes restaurant chain. I am so honored to have this beautiful coffee bush in Panama named for me, and I must return some day to see it in flower, Davidson said. Working with Rainforest Trust has been an important part of my life for many years now, and this honor came as a great surprise and is very much appreciated. Rainforest Trust is currently working with its Panamanian partner Asociacion Adopta el Bosque Panama (ADOPTA) to expand the Cerro Chucanti Private Nature Reserve by 127 acres, with an expected completion date of later this month. This is the second expansion project the two conservation organizations have undertaken in their short two-year partnership. In 2016, Rainforest Trust and ADOPTA expanded Cerro Chucanti by 260 acres, bringing the total area protected within the reserve to 1,556 acres or nearly twice the size of Central Park. There have been many discoveries of species new to science in Cerro Chucanti, including plants, salamanders, frogs and snakes. The geographic isolation of this massif or sky island has allowed its flora and fauna to differentiate considerably, so that it contains a number of locally endemic rainforest species. While Rainforest Trusts mission is to protect tropical habitat to save threatened species, the discovery of species new to science within our protected areas reinforces the importance of safeguarding these vital habitats. Not only are there numerous threatened species in need of protection, but there could be just as many species that need to be discovered before they become extinct, said Rainforest Trust CEO Dr. Paul Salaman. We are very pleased and proud that our longstanding board member, Sally Davidson, has been honored with this namesake Rubiaceae. Species new-to-science are being discovered all across the tropics, the most biodiverse region of the planet. For example, Rainforest Trusts Ecuadorean partner Fundacion EcoMinga announced in July that a new orchid species, Pleurothallis chicalensis, had been discovered in the Dracula Reserve in northwest Ecuador. Rainforest Trust has helped EcoMinga add some 900 acres to the reserve, with several more projects in the works slated for completion in 2019. Rainforest Trust is currently compiling a list of new species discovered within its protected areas, with plans to host a Species Legacy Program at the international conservation organizations 30th anniversary dinner in December. As it stands now, Rainforest Trust will auction off the naming rights to up to 12 new species as a way to increase both funding for and awareness of its projects, impacts and progress in saving species from extinction. Roger Vendam, a retired Belgian ambassador and diplomat, has completed his new book Donald J. Trump: The First Year of a Failing and Chaotic Presidency: a highly potent read that discusses the current US presidents exploits within and outside his country that affected political, economic, and social statuses to an alarming degree. Author Vendam conveys This book, written in a casual light-hearted manner, tells the story of the first year of TRUMPs accident prone presidency, on the home front and abroad. At home, the book presents a longer view than the usual daily pro- or anti-TRUMP media frenzy. Based on his campaign promises, it highlights a pattern of controversial, disruptive if not deconstructive behaviour in the TRUMPIAN sense of the word, affecting the US rapidly and negatively on political, economic, trade, social and societal issues simultaneously. Abroad, TRUMP claimed his unwillingness to act as the sheriff of the world during his campaign, but broke this promise early in his presidency. The book covers each of his on the spur thought out foreign policies, resulting in TRUMPIAN meddling in the affairs of other countries such as North Korea, the Middle East and the status of Jerusalem. It shows how the TRUMP administration is trying to force the world to accept its unilateral, harmful and unpalatable recipe, a complete reversal and an extraordinary change of track since World War II in US politics. This book on TRUMP, the first by a European author published in the US, presents with the president in the leading role, an insight on American politics at home and illustrates the serious adverse impact of his foreign adventures, an aspect most US readers are not aware of or blissfully ignore. Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Roger Vendams thought-provoking opus invites an open mind in analyzing the dilemmas that led to a controversial and disruptive behavior that profoundly influenced the communities of modern-day America. Readers who wish to experience this insightful work can purchase Donald J. Trump: The First Year of a Failing and Chaotic Presidency at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time-consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. Rutledge Cancer Foundation Honors Dr. Anna Nackley of CARE Fertility with the Heart of Gold Award for Fertility Preservation Services for Cancer Patients It was an honor for me to be the recipient of the Heart of Gold award and for my team at CARE Fertility to be recognized for providing fertility preservation services to the community, says Anna Chan Nackley, M.D. The Center for Assisted Reproduction, CARE Fertility, today announces the center was recognized by Rutledge Cancer Foundation with the Heart of Gold Award for providing fertility preservation services to young adult patients undergoing cancer treatment. The award was presented to CARE Fertilitys Anna Chan Nackley, M.D. during the Hearts of Gold Luncheon hosted by the Rutledge Cancer Foundation. The Rutledge Cancer Foundation hosts the Hearts of Gold Luncheon with a goal of raising awareness and support to care for adolescent and young adult cancer patients. The foundation is committed to finding less toxic and more curative treatment for sarcoma and other solid tumor cancers. Celebrating eight years, donations made during the luncheon help fund research and clinical trials, programs and outreach for adolescent and young adult cancer patients, and grants for fertility preservation cycles. It was an honor for me to be the recipient of the Heart of Gold award and for my team at CARE Fertility to be recognized for providing fertility preservation services to the community, says Dr. Nackley. We understand the time-sensitivity and the vulnerability of these young women and do our best to provide prompt and personalized support by fast-tracking their treatment cycles and assisting them in obtaining all their medicines. We have a team approach and work closely with the referring oncologists assuring availability year-round. We want to help these young women understand how cancer and cancer treatments affect fertility, and to let them know that our goal is to give them hope for the future. We are grateful to the Rutledge Cancer Foundation for their continued support. CARE Fertility offers newly-diagnosed cancer patients rapid consultation regarding treatment options for fertility preservation prior to undergoing surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, which can result in future infertility. Fertility preservation options, such as egg and embryo freezing are available at special rates for patients undergoing cancer treatment. CARE Fertility doctors and staff work in collaboration with the patients oncologists and surgeons to determine the best treatment options. To schedule a consultation, call 817-540-1157. Laura Rutledge, executive director of Rutledge Cancer Foundation, adds, "With the support and commitment of Moncrief Cancer Institute and dedicated reproductive oncologists like Dr. Nackley, the Rutledge Cancer Foundation has been able to create and support a community-driven program whereby every young person diagnosed with cancer in the Fort Worth area should have access to counseling and procedures to preserve their fertility before beginning their cancer treatment. We hope to help other communities learn how to replicate this collaborative Fertility Preservation Program that brings hope to an otherwise challenging and uncertain time." To learn more and to donate to the Rutledge Cancer Foundation, visit RutledgeCancerFoudation.org. About Center for Assisted Reproduction The Center for Assisted Reproduction (CARE Fertility) is a pioneer in assisted reproductive technologies in the north Texas region with several firsts including the first ICSI pregnancies and the first to successfully implement a blastocyst culture system. With two state-of-the-art facilities in Bedford, TX and Fort Worth, TX, CARE Fertility offers the full gamut of fertility and assisted reproductive technology treatments. CARE Fertility is the most experienced practice offering effortless IVF, and the first in the world to use the InvoCell device blastocyst, Day 5 Embryo transfer. CARE Fertility can offer effortless IVF at half the cost of traditional IVF due to lower dose of medications and minimal monitoring all while maintaining high success rates. Learn more at Embryo.net, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @CAREFertilityUS. Dr. Sven Beiker will speak about a new SAE International EDGE research report that he edited and co-authored. The report explores the unsettled questions of automated vehicle sensors. SAE International announces a new Meetup that delves into sensors for automated vehicles. Presented by SAE Innovations in Mobility, Automated Vehicle Sensors with Sven Beiker, will be hosted by AutonomousStuff on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at 1880 Hartog Dr, San Jose, CA 95131. Dr. Sven Beiker will speak about a new SAE International EDGE research report that he edited and co-authored. The report explores the unsettled questions of automated vehicle sensors. Dr. Beiker is a Lecturer in Management at the GSB, and the Managing Director of Silicon Valley Mobility, an independent consulting & advisory firm. He covers the electrification, automation, connectivity, and sharing of automobiles through the lens of new technologies and business models. Prior to his independent consulting work, he served as an Expert Consultant for mobility topics at McKinsey & Company for 2.5 years. Dr. Beiker also the former Executive Director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford. Before that, he worked at the BMW Group for more than 13 years. Dr. Beiker received his MS (1995) and PhD (1999) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University in Braunschweig, Germany. He has published various technical papers and holds several patents in the fields of vehicle dynamics and powertrain technology. This Meetup will feature a theme of Octoberfest and will include German-themed food and beer, music and decorations. To learn more or to register, visit https://www.meetup.com/SAE-Innovations-in-Mobility/events/255242850/. SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting over 127,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion and the Collegiate Design Series. http://www.sae.org As I take my leave of Temple Health, after decades of fulfilling work, I can now help similar hospitals and health plans realize the opportunities that exist with the support of Sellers Dorsey Sellers Dorsey announced today that Bob Lux has partnered with the firm as a Senior Strategic Advisor. Mr. Lux served most recently as Senior Vice President, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer of Temple University Health System, a $2 billion enterprise that employs more than 9,000 team members in pursuit of its academic, research, and clinical missions. He held this role for over 20 years, following several other positions after joining Temple Health in 1981. For his decades of successful service, Mr. Lux received the Philadelphia Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Associations Annual Achievement Award and the Philadelphia Business Journals CFO of the Year Award for large not-for-profit businesses. Hes also been recognized by Beckers Hospital Review as one of the nations top Hospital and Health System CFOs for years 2013-2018. Sellers Dorsey is extremely excited to have Bob join our firm. Weve had the pleasure of working with him as a client and collaborator for many years, through which hes earned our highest regard, said Martin Sellers, Founder and CEO of Sellers Dorsey. Bob brings decades of success to his name in creating access to quality, affordable health care, and now we are eager for the opportunity to work with him as a member of our team on various engagements. Sellers Dorsey collaborated with Mr. Lux over the last ten years as the firm assisted Temple University Health System with increasing federal Medicaid revenues. I have worked with Sellers Dorsey for quite some time, and, as a former client, I know very well how their work can help safety-net hospitals access crucial funds to achieve their missions, said Mr. Lux. As I take my leave of Temple Health, after decades of fulfilling work, I can now help similar hospitals and health plans realize the opportunities that exist with the support of Sellers Dorsey. In addition to his work with Temple Health, Mr. Lux has also served on several committees, including the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania Medical Assistance Advisory Committee, the CFO Advisory Committee, and the Committee on Public Payer Policy. He is a long-serving member, as well, of the Executive Board of the Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America, currently serving as the Council President. Mr. Lux previously served as Treasurer of the Council and Chairman of its Finance Committee, and he remains very active with Boy Scout Troop 563 in the City of Philadelphia, serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster and having mentored 34 scouts through their Eagle Scout rank. Mr. Lux holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (maxima cum laude) from LaSalle University, and he is a Fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, as well as a member of the American Institute and Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants. About Sellers Dorsey Sellers Dorsey consists of an industry-leading team of consultants and thought leaders from the worlds of policy, government, business, and industry, allowing the firm to provide a fully integrated suite of services to clients. Sellers Dorsey has a deep understanding of Medicaid, having consulted in over 30 states on a range of financing, policy, and operational projects, and Medicare financing and policy. Its reputation is one of creativity and accomplishment. More at http://www.sellersdorsey.com. Contact: Stephen Coady, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications scoady@sellersdorsey.com 215.279.9755 Two-thirds of college students attending a four-year college or university that was their first choice say they are satisfied with their college experience. But that satisfaction drops to half for students at an institution that was their second choice, and to just one in three for students enrolled at their third choice. These findings come from the 2018 National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report, based on an analysis of more than 600,000 students at nearly 900 colleges and universities. The report examines results from undergraduate students, graduate students, adult learners, and online learners at four-year and two-year institutions. The report is published by Ruffalo Noel Levitz, the leading provider of higher education enrollment, student success, and fundraising solutions. In an era of rising costs when some students question the value of a college education, student satisfaction becomes increasingly important, said Julie Bryant, associate vice president at Ruffalo Noel Levitz. In particular, this report illustrates the need to engage students who enrolled at a college that was not their first choice and to provide reasons to students to show how the institution is still a good fit for them. The analysis also revealed significant differences in college student satisfaction among different populations of students and different types of institutions: Students at four-year private and public institutions had the lowest overall satisfaction, with 56 percent saying they were satisfied with their college experience. Online learners had the highest satisfaction at 73 percent. Asian students expressed the lowest levels of satisfaction across all institution types compared to other ethnic groups. African American students at four-year institutions also had much lower levels of satisfaction than Caucasian or Hispanic students. Male students were consistently less satisfied than female students at four-year institutions and community colleges. Previous studies have documented the link between student satisfaction and individual student retention as well as institutional graduation rates, Bryant shared. Institutions that want to make a significant impact on their student success efforts can use these types of data to identify specific initiatives for particular demographic populations. The data in the report come from the RNL Satisfaction-Priorities Surveys, which provide colleges and universities with actionable, prioritized data for strategic institutional planning, student retention and completion, re-accreditation, and student recruitment and marketing. To read the full report, visit http://www.RuffaloNL.com/benchmark About Ruffalo Noel Levitz Ruffalo Noel Levitz is the leading provider of higher education enrollment, student success, and fundraising solutions. More than 1,900 colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations rely on RNL for advanced analytics, personalized engagement, and industry-leading insights to achieve their missions. The firm is focused on the entire lifecycle of enrollment and fundraising, assuring students find the right college or university, graduate on time, secure their first job in their chosen field, and give back to support the next generation. Ruffalo Noel Levitz conferences, research reports, papers, and articles help clients stay on top of current trends. Learn more at http://www.RuffaloNL.com. These findings confirm strong public interest in self-driving vehicles, but highlight the concerns many drivers have about their safety, said Elizabeth Sprinkel, CPCU, senior vice president of the IRC. According to a new report from the Insurance Research Council (IRC), more than one-in-three adults nationwide would likely forego owning or leasing a personal vehicle if self-driving vehicles operated by transportation network companies, such as Uber and Lyft, were available to them. More than half expressed interest in owning or leasing their own self-driving vehicle if the vehicles were at least as safe as driving is today. The survey also found that while two-thirds of all adult drivers believe that self-driving vehicles will become as safe as or safer than driving is today, fewer than half expect to ride in a self-driving vehicle in their lifetime. Surveyed approximately one-month after the fatal and widely-publicized crash of an Uber-operated autonomous vehicle in Tempe, Arizona, almost two-thirds of those who had heard about the accident said it negatively affected their opinions about self-driving vehicles. More than half thought that news about accidents involving self-driving vehicles would significantly slow their introduction and use. These findings confirm strong public interest in self-driving vehicles, but highlight the concerns many drivers have about their safety, said Elizabeth Sprinkel, CPCU, senior vice president of the IRC. If some accidents are inevitable, then it is important to understand how the transition to autonomous driving may be affected by public concerns about safety. The report, Autonomous Vehicles and Transportation Network Companies, Public Attitudes and Opinions, is based on an online survey conducted by Survey Sampling International, Inc. on behalf of the IRC. A total of 2,004 online interviews were conducted in April 2018. Survey data were weighted to the U.S. population of adults aged 18 and above. For more detailed information on the studys methodology and findings, contact David Corum at 484-831-9046 or by email at IRC(at)TheInstitutes.org. Visit IRCs website, http://www.insurance-research.org, for information about purchasing a copy of the report. ### NOTE TO EDITORS: The Insurance Research Council is a division of The Institutes. The Institutes are the leader in delivering proven knowledge solutions that drive powerful business results for the risk management and property-casualty insurance industry. Institutes knowledge solutions include the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation program; associate designation programs in claims, risk management, underwriting, and reinsurance; introductory and foundation programs; online courses; research; custom solutions; assessment tools; and continuing education (CE) courses. The IRC provides timely and reliable research to all parties involved in public policy issues affecting insurance companies and their customers. The IRC does not lobby or advocate legislative positions. It is supported by leading property-casualty insurance organizations. CPCU is a registered trademark of The Institutes. All rights reserved. At the end of the day, we are in the business of serving students by helping our academic partners improve the quality of their online learning offerings, said Todd Zipper, President and CEO of Learning House The Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE), a dynamic network of diverse professionals dedicated to promoting excellence in continuing higher education, and Learning House, a leading, research-backed academic program manager that offers a full suite of education services and solutions, today released the findings of the Online Learning in Continuing Higher Education report. Key findings include: Disconnect between institutions offering online computer science and high student demand for these programs Continuing Education (CE) units still play a significant role in online learning on their respective campuses Fifty seven percent of ACHE members reported either maintaining or increasing revenue from online programs in 2017-2018 Institutions with five or more online programs are much more likely to report overcoming barriers such as the cost of developing and delivering online courses and the time and buy-in required of faculty While the new report confirms some assumptions and previous findings, it also highlights some disconnects. The annual Online College Students report has shown over the years the importance of scholarships to online college students but 57 percent of ACHE schools do not offer them to these students. As a result of the findings, ACHE and Learning House made the following recommendations, contained in the report: Students are looking for financial assistance and flexibility when they select an online program Create new, innovative opportunities for online students to work toward their degree, including micro credentialing, badges, and certificate programs Extend faculty training beyond the initial course design and platform training Consider the full range of support services that could benefit online students Lift restrictions on the type of students who are able to take both online and in-person classes At the end of the day, we are in the business of serving students by helping our academic partners improve the quality of their online learning offerings, said Todd Zipper, President and CEO of Learning House. Conducting and publishing this kind of research ensures we know what students want and can ensure alignment from the institutions that serve them. In addition to the key findings and recommendations, the new report found that half of ACHE members institutions offer five or more fully online programs. Of the degrees offered, graduate degrees (42 percent) appear the most common in their portfolio. As online enrollments in higher education continue to grow, while traditional student enrollments have dipped for 13 consecutive terms, its critical to understand if academic offerings are aligned with student needs, William Boozang, Ed.D. Past-President of ACHE (2017-2018). Its critical that institutions understand what students want and respond to those needs with high quality programs and services. The Online Learning in Continuing Higher Education report, authored by Andrew J. Magda of Learning House, is set to be released today at the ACHE Conference in Newport, Rhode Island and is a survey of over 100 deans and directors of higher education institutions who are ACHE members. This initial report will set the benchmark for measuring growth in how ACHE members approach online learning. To read the full report, visit: learninghouse.com/ache2018 About the Association for Continuing Higher Education Association for Continuing Higher Education is a dynamic network of diverse professionals who are dedicated to promoting excellence in continuing higher education and to sharing their expertise and experience with one another. Belief in the values of professional development, collegiality and service continues to guide the mission of the Association for Continuing Higher Education. ACHE has members throughout the United States & Canada, including, 1200 individual members and over 300 different institutions and organizations represented. About Learning House The Learning House, Inc. helps people improve their lives through education. As an academic program manager, Learning House offers technology-enabled education solutions designed to meet the needs of a dynamic global market. Solutions include Online Program Management (OPM), Enterprise Learning Solutions, The Software Guild, Learning House International and Advancement Courses. With a focus on data-driven decision making, Learning House is on the leading edge of higher education. Learning House provides expertise in research and analytics, marketing, enrollment, retention and instructional design. Through its broad portfolio, Learning House delivers more students, more graduates and better outcomes. For more information, visit learninghouse.com or follow @LearningHouse on Twitter or LinkedIn. Media Contacts: Alyssa Miller Learning House alyssa (at) ammediaworks (dot) com 973-615-1292 Nina Barbee ACHE nbarbee (at) acheinc (dot) org 405-361-5720 As a Texas-based company, TAS United is committed to providing municipalities and businesses throughout Texas with reliable and affordable call processing. TAS United, a leading call center and answering service in Texas, will participate in the 106th Annual Texas Municipal League (TML) Conference and Exhibition in Fort Worth, Texas on October 10-12, 2018. The conference will feature hundreds of organizations that provide services to municipalities throughout Texas and will focus on community relations, governance, infrastructure, planning, and safety. TAS United will highlight its call processing services for municipalities and disaster backup solutions. We are very excited to attend the TML Annual Conference for the first time this year, said Kevin Ryan, Managing Partner - Business Development for TAS United. As a Texas-based company, TAS United is committed to providing municipalities and businesses throughout Texas with reliable and affordable call processing. Our participation in the conference underscores our dedication to the TMLs mission of empowering Texas cities to serve their citizens. Serving the Public TAS United helps municipalities to be prepared when the unexpected happens. In addition to providing disaster backup solutions, TAS United handles large volumes of citizens calls for municipalities of all sizes. Services include: 24-hour emergency service; 311; alarm monitoring; water, gas, and electric management; utilities; phone lines; parks and municipalities; housing authorities; public health organizations; military facilities; and medical organizations. TAS United will be located at Booth 2138. Several team members will be in attendance, including: Kevin Ryan, Managing Partner - Business Development; Dan Kilday, Sales Representative; Brad Sandefur, Sales Representative; and Clay McElroy, Sales Representative. To schedule a meeting in advance of the conference, please contact Dan Kilday at 210-561-8700 or dkilday(at)tasunited.com. TAS United specializes in creating call processing plans that work for any organization. Professional, bilingual agents work around-the-clock to ensure that every call is answered, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All TAS United agents are based here in the U.S. in the great state of Texas. For more information or to sign-up for service, please contact 800-310-8269 or visit http://www.tasunited.com. About TAS United, LLC TAS United, LLC is a Texas-based answering service and call center that provides highly-personalized, secure call processing solutions for their customers throughout Texas and the U.S. TAS United maintains offices in San Antonio, Houston, Austin, El Paso, Lubbock, Corpus Christi, and Beaumont, Texas. Operating from a custom technology platform supported by trained bilingual agents, TAS United delivers live and automated answering services and customized scripting to customers in a myriad of industries, including: healthcare/medical, construction, education, energy/natural resources, legal, real estate, government, hospitality, and e-commerce. The company's founding partners have extensive industry experience, which enables them to maintain a strong focus on product innovation and a dedication to elite customer service in today's highly competitive answering service market. For more information, please contact 800-310-8269 or visit http://www.tasunited.com. This Tenney thermal shock chamber includes an automated carriage transport that is designed to assure a tight seal and minimal frosting. During product testing, a vapor tight environment is critical to the process. John Eldred, Regional Sales Manager Tenney Environmental, announced the shipment of another thermal shock chamber for the automotive industry. This chamber allows for many variations of thermal shock testing. The chamber will be used by a tier one auto supplier for thermal shock testing of automotive components. This Tenney thermal shock chamber utilizes a 2- zone vertical configuration and horizontal airflow. The transfer basket has dimensions of 25 W x 23 D x 25. The cold chamber operating temperature range is -73C to +40C. The hot chamber operating range is +40C and +200C. The automotive thermal shock chamber utilizes a cascade type refrigeration system with a water-cooled condenser. The chamber interior is constructed with a welded, vapor tight type-304 2B stainless steel liner. This Tenney thermal shock chamber includes an automated carriage transport that is designed to assure a tight seal and minimal frosting. During product testing, a vapor tight environment is critical to the process. John Eldred, Regional Sales Manager Unique features of this Tenney thermal shock chamber include: 15 HP cascade refrigeration system (water cooled) Synergy Quattro programmable temperature controller Over/under temperature protection system Automated carriage transport system Dry air purge system Reinforced stainless steel shelf About Tenney Environmental Tenney boasts the most comprehensive line of standard and custom environmental test chambers and rooms in the industry. Known for innovative engineering design, robust construction, and superior performance, the Tenney line of test chambers is designed to meet all your temperature, humidity, altitude, vibration, and vacuum-testing requirements. About Thermal Product Solutions, LLC (TPS) Thermal Product Solutions, LLC (TPS), is a leading American manufacturer of industrial ovens, furnaces, pharmaceutical sterilizers, laboratory ovens, environmental temperature chambers, and stability test chambers. TPS provides thermal processing and test solutions for a range of industries. TPS brands include Baker Furnace, Blue M, Gruenberg, Tenney, Lindberg, Lunaire, MPH, and Wisconsin Oven. For more information on equipment solutions from TPS visit the website at http://www.thermalproductsolutions.com. The French market is sophisticated when it comes to web monitoring solutions, but this is not enough to be competitive today. You cannot only monitor information, you have to know what to do with it as well. Comintelli, a leading provider of cloud-based market and competitive intelligence software, today announced the distribution of their Intelligence2day platform in France through a new reseller partnership. The new website http://www.intelligence2day.fr has been launched in the French language and with dedicated French customer support. Im very happy to see that we now are significantly strengthening our presence in France. The French market is sophisticated when it comes to web monitoring solutions, but this is not enough to be competitive today. You cannot only monitor information, you have to know what to do with it as well, says Jesper Martell, CEO of Comintelli. Our partner, Software Selling, is very experienced and respected in the French intelligence industry and will be able to help us make Intelligence2day even more used and appreciated in France. Intelligence2day is the next generation intelligence software. It shortens the time it takes to make informed decisions by automatically converting unstructured information into organized, digestible information that can be used to identify opportunities & threats and discover actionable insights about the market. "We enjoy a fantastic partnership with Comintelli and are excited by both the continued evolution of the Intelligence2day platform and the expansion in France," said Alain Beauvieux, Senior Advisor at Software Selling. "We are pleased to be part of the launch in France and look forward to helping French customers analyze the market and achieve business-changing insights." Intelligence2day will be formally presented and launched at an evening reception to be held on November 8th in Paris. For more information in French, please visit the website: http://www.intelligence2day.fr Contact Comintelli: contact@comintelli.com Contact SoftwareSelling: contact@swselling.fr When Toasted & Cajun opens its doors to the hungry public for the first time at 7 a.m. on Friday, October 12th, it will be ready to serve up some of the tastiest breakfast, Cajun and seafood dishes available in and around Denver. Extending the Grand Opening celebration through Monday, Oct. 29th, Toasted & Cajun is offering the following buy-and-get-free specials to guests (from Oct. 12th through Oct. 29th): Buy one breakfast menu item and get another breakfast menu item for FREE Buy any 2 pounds (lbs.) of seafood and get 1 lb. of seafood for FREE. When our Grand Opening specials expire at the end of October, Toasted & Cajun will rollout out new specials each month, starting in November, so our guests can continue to enjoy appetizing dishes and great deals. At Toasted & Cajun, our mission is to provide each and every one of our guests with an outstanding, delightful dining experience from the moment they step through our doors. Committed to using the freshest ingredients and creating delectable food, Toasted & Cajun is happy to join the Denver community, and we look forward to becoming the go-to choice for Cajun and seafood food, as well as for your next dining out experience! About Toasted & Cajun Located conveniently in Denvers Westwood neighborhood, Toasted & Cajun is open daily, serving breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Offering mouthwatering cuisine at affordable prices, Toasted & Cajun is focused on always providing guests with an amazing dining experience so they leave satisfied and happy. While Toasted & Cajun welcomes guests to enjoy their next meal in our charming, family-friendly dining room, we also offer convenient to-go and online ordering options so guests can enjoy our delicious food wherever they like! We hope to see and serve you soon at Toasted & Cajun! Contact Toasted & Cajun (303) 975-0285 3500 Morrison Road Denver, Colorado 80219 Neal Simon for U.S. Senate Our current political environment is toxic, thanks to the lack of leadership of Cardin and all of Chuck Schumers lackeys. Maryland needs leaders, not followers. As Marylands senator, my only loyalty will be to the people of our great state, not a party leader. Today, unaffiliated candidate Neal Simon declared victory in the first televised debate in the U.S. Senate race for Maryland over his two opponents, incumbent Senator Ben Cardin and Republican challenger and serial candidate Tony Campbell. Simon, who came out swinging in his answer to the first question, laid the blame for todays divisiveness, partisanship and lack of progress in Congress squarely at the feet of Cardin, repeatedly referring to the sitting senators unwavering loyalty to the Democratic Party and House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Throughout the one-hour debate, Simon focused much of his criticism on Cardins lack of leadership in moving forward legislation that focuses on Marylands interests. Simon went on the offensive right out of the gate, painting a picture of a career-focused politician focused on placating the party leadership and cow-towing to establishment donors in order to keep his job. Cardins voting record is the most partisan of all current sitting senators as he has voted with Chuck Schumer more than 97 percent of the time. When referring to the numerous internal threats and dangers facing America today, Simon said, Im not sure which is most dangerous, Trumps Twitter feed or Ben Cardins rubber stamp. Today, the choice for Maryland voters is clear: a vote for Cardin is a vote for more partisan pandering and a continued stalemate for crucial issues that affect Marylanders today and tomorrow such as healthcare, immigration and gun violence, said Simon. Our current political environment is toxic, thanks to the lack of leadership of Cardin and all of Chuck Schumers lackeys. Maryland needs leaders, not followers. As Marylands senator, my only loyalty will be to the people of our great state, not a party leader. At the end of the debate, Simon challenged Cardin and Campbell to two more debates. Sinclair Broadcasting, which held the first televised debate, has already put out feelers to the candidates to schedule an additional debate for the week of October 22. I welcome an additional debate to further discuss the issues facing Marylanders so the public knows exactly where Cardin stands, said Simon. Ben Cardin likes to point fingers. When it comes to gun violence, he blames the Republicans; when asked how to dethrone Baltimore as the murder capital of the world, he blames the local government; and, when asked how to elevate poorly performing schools and why he has done nothing to help, he again passes the buck. Come on, Ben. Its been 52 years, shouldnt you have a plan by now? You need to go. We need real leaders, not just followers. For more information on Senator Cardins voting record, visit http://www.cardinfollows.com. For more information on the campaign, visit http://www.nealsimon.com and follow on Twitter: @nealjsimon. Paid for by Neal Simon for U.S. Senate. NASA John H. Glenn Research Center In-Space Propulsion Facility (ISP) is the world's only facility capable of testing full-scale, upper-stage launch vehicles and rocket engines under simulated high-altitude conditions US Pipelining, LLC., an emerging leader in Cured-In-Place-Pipelining solutions (CIPP), announces the completion of a US Government project for NASAs John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The project called for the structural restoration of a 24-inch diameter high pressure Intercondenser line at NASAs In-Space Propulsion Facility (ISP). The In-Space Propulsion Facility (ISP) at NASAs John Glenn Plum Brook Plum Brook Station is a remote test facility for the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Located on 6,400 acres in the Lake Erie community of Sandusky, OH, Plum Brook is home to four world-class test facilities, which perform complex and innovative ground tests for the international space community. The NASA specifications called for a Class IV structural restoration of their Intercondenser Line which operates at a pressure of 80 psi and tests out to 120 psi, states Jeremy Bowman, General Manager of US Pipelining. Additionally, the line temperature operates at 170 degrees F requiring the use of a specialty high-temperature, two-part epoxy resin system. A Pressure-Pipe-Lining system (PPL), was designed for the NASA product using materials from Manufactured Technologies Corporation, (MTC) of Chesterfield, MO., a subsidiary of Aegion. To meet NASAs operating pressure requirements a project-specific liner was designed and manufactured by MTC using two layers of glass reinforcement. The PPL was then impregnated with a two-part, high temperature epoxy resin and transported by US Pipelining to the NASA site. The PPL was installed by US Pipelining using the air inversion/steam cure method. This was an extremely technical project from both a materials and construction viewpoint, states Mark Wetzel, Senior Director of MTC. A Class IV restoration with both high pressure and operating temperature requires a great deal of advanced planning. To complicate the installation further, the line location was extremely difficult to access, continued Wetzel. The conditions were far from ideal, congratulations to US Pipelining. The Space Power Facility (SPF) houses the worlds largest and most powerful space environment simulation facilities including the Space Simulation Vacuum Chamber measuring 100 ft. in diameter by 122 ft. high. The Reverberant Acoustic Test Facility is the world's most powerful spacecraft acoustic test chamber, which can simulate the noise of a spacecraft launch up to 163 decibels or as loud as the thrust of 20 jet engines. The Mechanical Vibration Facility is the world's highest capacity and most powerful spacecraft shaker system, subjecting test articles to the rigorous conditions of launch. In-Space Propulsion Facility (ISP) is the world's only facility capable of testing full-scale, upper-stage launch vehicles and rocket engines under simulated high-altitude conditions. The engine or vehicle can be exposed for indefinite periods to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures and dynamic solar heating to simulate the environment of orbital or interplanetary travelspace environment and propulsion test facilities currently being used to advance NASAs missions. Based in Langhorne, PA, U.S. Pipelining, LLC is a leading U.S. provider of pipelining services, including large diameter projects for storm sewer, sanitary sewer, pressure pipe, under-slab lining, and vertical pipe lining. Since entering the pipe rehabilitation industry more than 25 years ago, US Pipelining has gained recognition for their ability to offer highly specialized rehabilitation solutions to a vast array of clients including Global Fortune 500 Companies, high-rise residential communities, heavy industry, the US Military and government agencies. Manufactured Technologies Corporation, Chesterfield, MO, specializes in the manufacture of high-quality CIPP & PPL liners available for wet or dry delivery. They can accommodate water or air inversion and handle the demands of steam curing for optimal installation and long-term performance. About Cured-In-Place technology: Cured-In-Place Pipe technology (CIPP) is one of several No-Dig trenchless rehabilitation methods used to noninvasively repair existing pipelines. CIPP is a jointless, seamless, pipe-within-a-pipe with the capability to structurally rehabilitate pipes ranging in diameter from 4"120". With a design life of 50 years CIPP is one of the most widely used rehabilitation methods and has application in water, sewer, gas, and chemical pipelines. Victrex is introducing a new VICTREX FG family of high-performing PEEK thermoplastics for the food and beverage industry hedgehog94/iStock/Thinkstock VICTREX FG can offer food and beverage manufacturers the opportunity to optimize efficiency and reduce production costs, when compared to the use of metals To help OEMs to meet the stringent regulatory and quality demands affecting the food equipment industry, Victrex is introducing a dedicated PEEK (1) food grade portfolio at the Fakuma show in Germany. Compared to metals, the new VICTREX FG family of high-performing thermoplastics offers additional benefits in terms of cost-effectiveness, productivity and performance for OEMs and the neutral taste expected by consumers. Food and beverage (F&B) manufacturing equipment companies are facing numerous requirements for health, safety and hygiene established by regulatory authorities, the industry and consumers. In addition, with the adoption of Industry 4.0 technology, VICTREX PEEK can offer food and beverage manufacturers the opportunity to optimize efficiency and reduce production costs, when compared to the use of metals. Reducing part production costs Increasing reliability and maintenance intervals In the short term, component cost can be influenced by part manufacturing costs. Metal components, for example, may require costly multi-step machining to manufacture. Selection of alternative materials or scalable manufacturing processes, such as injection molding can reduce component cost, at volume. In the longer term, the total cost of ownership for parts can be reduced by the selection of more optimal materials such as high-performance polymers and/or designs that prolong component lifetime and cut costs in downtime or loss in product quality. Currently, components of machines used in the food production industry require regular maintenance, for example, this may be due to metal components being susceptible to corrosion. Such corrosion can create local environments that harbor contamination; stainless steel in salty environments at temperatures above 60C (140F) for example. In addition, exposure of components to extreme temperatures and chemicals can result in deterioration and damage; contamination could also result from lubricants necessary for moving parts. To protect the consumer and implement social and environmental standards, the regulatory landscape for materials used in food, drink and potable water is becoming increasingly complex. Updated, more stringent requirements in combination with demands for improved taste experiences, longer shelf life, clean labels, product differentiation and consumer safety add further challenges, which the VICTREX PEEK food grade portfolio can help to address, says Steve Dougherty, Director Manufacturing & Engineering at Victrex, in the run-up to the Fakuma show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, October 16-20, 2018. New food grades and portfolio to improve cost-benefit ratio and productivity Victrex is able to provide certain PEEK products that have passed the relevant EU10/2011 testing requirements. (2) This potentially cuts out cost in domestic or commercial appliances and contributes to improved productivity/yields for industrial installations. The cost of compliance is usually significant. The addition of new materials approval under U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) can often exceed 100,000 ($130,000) each and take well in excess of a year in some cases. This does not include the in-house application testing and validation in a given application, or indeed the food contact approval of the device. Some de-risking of those costs is available where the material supplier has already certified their materials with the NSF International. Preapproved materials can deliver cost savings in the region of 10,000 ($13,000) and time savings of approximately 12 weeks. Included in the VICTREX FG portfolio (2) are food grades that comply with stringent testing according to all or at least one of the following regulations: FOOD: The USA FDA 21 CFR 177.2415 regulation (all grades approved), the European EU 10/2011 (all grades approved, excluding carbon fiber grade); the South American Mercosur GMC RES 02/12; 32/07; 32/10); WATER: The United Kingdoms WRAS and the German KTW which includes KTW guideline testing as well as DVGW W270 Micro testing Advancing applications based on food grade portfolio combined with extensive PEEK experience The food industry is using VICTREX PEEK solutions for some time in applications that range from cookware and beverage dispensers for commercial and domestic use to industrial applications involving food contact components in conveyor systems, aseptic processing, sensors, gears and nozzles. The companys in-depth knowledge of PEEK is built on nearly 40 years of experience with this high-performance polymer and from partnering within the industry to help meet its needs. 1) PEEK, Polyetheretherketones such as VICTREX PEEK are a member of the PAEK, Polyaryletherketone, family of high-performance thermoplastics. 2) List available upon request from Victrex. About Victrex Victrex is an innovative world leader in high-performance PEEK and PAEK polymer solutions, focused on the strategic markets of automotive, aerospace, energy (including manufacturing & engineering), electronics and medical. Every day, millions of people use products and applications, which contain our materials from smartphones, aeroplanes and cars to oil and gas operations and medical devices. With over 35 years experience, we develop world leading solutions in PEEK- and PAEK-based polymers and selected semi-finished and finished parts which shape future performance for our customers and our markets, and drive value for our shareholders. Find out more at http://www.victrex.com Victims not only experience physical harm, they experience ongoing trauma as a result of what has happened to them, which can result in mental health struggles long after the violence has ended. Today one out of four women and one in seven men are victims of domestic violence. These are people whose idea of home is vastly different from those who arent subjected to abuse, and it is important to bring awareness to this in the community. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the YWCA St. Joseph is hosting events to bring awareness to this important cause, including Take Back the Night, which recognizes the loss of peace that is often accompanied by a history of violence for victims. Each year, the YWCA organizes events that bring the community together to raise awareness about domestic violence, said Jean Brown, executive director of the YWCA St. Joseph, and let the victims know there are people on their side, willing to listen and to help. Among the biggest events the YWCA hosts is Take Back the Night, which is an annual event held to validate the pain victims of domestic violence suffer, but it also offers hope for a future without domestic violence. Take Back the Night will be held at 6 p.m., Oct. 14 at the YWCA in downtown St. Joseph. Jamie Marcum, a domestic violence survivor, will speak to those gathered for the event. Community members are also welcomed to gather on the front steps and hear St. Joseph Mayor Bill McMurray deliver his proclamation for the victims of domestic violence. Victims not only experience physical harm, Brown said, they experience ongoing trauma as a result of what has happened to them, which can result in mental health struggles long after the violence has ended. The YWCA also arms community members to assist victims through advocacy classes, which are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the YWCA in October. This gives them the tools they need to volunteer and assist victims of domestic and sexual violence. About the YWCA St. Joseph: The YWCA St. Joseph is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Embraced by a community that has become intolerant of violence and disparities, the YWCA St Joseph is the anchor institution for improving the lives of women and, in turn, enhancing the future for children in our community. For more information, visit http://ywcasj.org/. If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move. Terminal 2 was previously used for international operations, until all international flights and their operations were migrated to the newly constructed Terminal 3 of the KIA. This development implies that passengers travelling from Accra to other local destinations or vice versa would have to go through departure formalities and board their flights at Terminal 2. The Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited, John Dekyem Attafuah, said passengers will enjoy an enhanced experience when they use Terminal 2 for their domestic travels due to the recent upgrade of Terminal 2 into a world-class terminal. The Terminal 2 of the Kotoka International Airport was recently expanded to cater for the growing traffic. The arrival hall of the facility was expanded, lifts deployed, additional baggage carousels installed and check-in counters of airlines increased. This will ensure that the 2 main domestic air service providersAfrica World Airlines (AWA) and PassionAir also give their best to their customers. AWA operates daily flights between Accra and Kumasi, Tamale. The airline also services the Takoradi route. PassionAir also operates daily flights between Accra and Kumasi, Tamale. He also advised them to desist from sucking the breast because it belongs to the kids. "What actually help in reducing the risk of your wives getting breast cancer is not about sucking or playing with it alone. But if your kids are breastfeeding, leave if for them. When you suck it at this stage you are likely going to make it difficult for the kids to feed on. The breast is for the kids," Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare said as part of this year's breast cancer awareness in October. In an interview on Kumasi-based Angel FM, he stated that men also contribute to breast cancer in women. "Men must avoid biting nipple and duct of the breast," he added. ece-auto-gen About breast cancer awareness October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and there's much more to conquering this disease than wearing pink. Worldwide, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed life-threatening cancer in women. In less-developed countries, it is the leading cause of cancer death in women, surpassed only by lung cancer in advanced worlds. READ MORE: 5 foods to help prevent breast cancer Many people with early breast cancers are without symptoms. He said the NPP has not constructed a single dam as part of its 'One Village, One Dam' promise made during the 2016 general elections. Pius Hadzide, the Deputy Minister of Information, in a radio interview had stated that out of the 570 dams which government intends to build in the three regions up north, actual work has commenced on 116. "We dont want lies and deceit, we are all responsible people in this country, if government says theyve started 168 [dams], since it is public money that they are going to use in constructing the dams, what they need to do is to tell us the areas, the specific locations that they are doing the dams because it is public resources and we have to hold them accountable or the utilisation of public resources", he said. Fuseini said he had toured with former President John Mahama to all the 31 constituencies in the North last week and there's wasn't any dam in any of the villages. Indeed, I was with former president [John Mahama] for the Northern Region campaign tour and we went around all the 31 constituencies in the Northern Region and there is nowhere that we saw a dam." According to Reuters, Godwin Emefiele, the central bank governor, stated this while addressing reporters during a visit to London. Emefiele said the documents submitted by the telecommunication firm and banks will help to make a decision in reducing the size of the claim at the top level. He said the documents were received about two weeks ago. I dont think it will be staying at $8.1bn, adding that he expected the issue to be dealt with amicably and equitably in a couple of weeks. I want to believe that the figure will reduce. Whether it will be dropped completely, I honestly cannot say at this time, Reuters quoted him as saying. The South African telecoms firm, MTN and four banks Standard Chartered, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Citibank and Diamond Bank are parties to the forex repatriation dispute. MTN had filed a court case against the Nigerian authority and refused to comment on latest developments. CBN counters MTN in court Last week, court papers revealed a counter-claim by the Central Bank of Nigeria in an injunction filed by MTN over the refund of the $8.1 billion demand. The apex bank also urged the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to ensure MTN pay an annualised 15% interest until courts rule on the conflict. In August 2018, CBN ordered Africa's telecoms giant, MTN and four other banks to refund a total of $8.134billion moved out of the country" for breaching the country's forex regulations. It also slammed a huge N5.8 billion fine on the banks for allegedly aiding MTN in the illegal capital repatriation. He reaffirmed that the process of the London listing will commence fully after Nigeria's general elections in 2019. Dangote stated this at the 2018 FT Africa summit in London on Monday, October 8, 2018. He also hinted that the usual banks like Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Standard Chartered could be among the official bankers for the 2019 London public listing of Dangote Cement. According to him, all hands are on deck to complete the process of listing, the development which he said is being looked towards for by the business community. In August 2018, Theresa May hailed the decision of Africa's richest man to float his $10 billion from his business' cash cow Dangote Cement on the London stock. Babymigo is an online community that connects mothers-to-be with information, medical experts, services and other parents. The platform is equipped with an SMS subscription service for pregnant women that informs them of prenatal appointments and their babies development. The 50 most genius companies in 2018 were selected by a global network of editors and correspondent based on originality, influence, success and ambition. Aryn Baker, Time magazines Africa correspondent, said Babymigo was selected for its effective ways of connecting mothers-to-be with information, medical experts, services and other parents. Adeloye Olanrewaju speaks on Babamigo's selection as one of the most genius company It is humbly. We feel excited to be a part of the 50 genius companies in the world. The most important thing is about telling us to work harder and see how to live to the standard that has been set before us. It is an interesting time for us as a company, Babymigo co-founder, told Business Insider SSA in a phone interview. Every day, approximately 830 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth - 99% of them in developing countries such as Nigeria, where lack of education is as much a cause as poor health care. There are 10.4 million babies born every year in Nigeria, and every one of those mothers is hungry for the kind of information we provide, Times quoted him as saying. Below is an excerpt from the interview with Adeloye Olanrewaju: BISSA: Where do you see Babymigo in the next years? Adeloye Olanrewaju: To be the biggest parenting platform supporting mums across Africa. Most importantly, to be that brand that is helping to reduce maternal and newborn mortality across Africa. The plan is to expand to different countries and to scale the platform The target is to reach 20 million mums by 2020. I know this sounds unachievable but we are working hard to achieve it. BISSA: What are the challenges so far? Olanrewaju: I think we have our challenges especially as an Africa-focused business. Registration of business alone is a challenge in this part of the world. But how we will scale through is to learn from various mistakes and challenges. With the team and what we are passionate about, we can always fathom challenges ahead. BISSA: Which are the expansion plan for Babymigo? Olanrewaju: We are a data-driven company. We maintained where our traffic is coming from. Interestingly we have the traffic coming from few countries in Sub- Saharan Africa. This will help us form the decision on which way to go. We are looking between 6 to 8 months for the expansion plan to happen. At the event, Techno Oil exhibited its cylinder products, officially making Nigeria among manufacturers of gas cylinders in the world. Gbite Adeniji, Senior Special Adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, expressed delight that Nigerian companies are steadily making appearances on the world stage, News Agency of Nigeria quoted a dispatch from Techno Oil on Sunday. Nkechi Obi, the Executive Vice-Chair of Techno Oil, said she was excited that Nigeria could now export cylinders. ece-auto-gen While speaking at the ceremony, she said it was a fulfilling moment for her to announce to the world that made in Nigeria LPG cylinders could now be exported, rather than for Nigerians to continue to import cylinders and deplete its foreign reserves. Were using this forum to announce to the world that TechnoGas cylinders have hit the market and were ready to meet every demand, local and international. Few months ago, Techno Oil Ltd. Completed its multi-billion-naira facility. The facility is expected to produce five million cylinders of various sizes annually and generate no fewer than 6,000 jobs. This will allow Nigeria to stop importing LPG cylinders from various countries, especially China, India and other Asian countries. Born on 26 February 1937 and died on 29 July 1967, raised in the Northern Nigeria (Kaduna) by parents who came from Okpanam Town of the Anioma people of former Mid-Western Region (Delta State). He had his civil education in Kaduna and Military education and trainings in Ghana and Sandhust, UK. Commissioned an officer of the Queens Own Nigeria Regiment in 1959 (later Nigerian Army from 1963 when Nigeria became a republic ); was first Nigerian intelligence officer (1962-1964) at the Military Intelligence Section at the Army Headquarters in Lagos. He was later transferred as Instructor at the Nigerian Military Training College (predecessor of the NDA) from 1964 until the coup in 1966. Nzeogwu is a villain to some, and a Hero to me and ironically, the Nigerian government! As a villain; He was casted as a tribal champion, a psychopathic and blood thirsty murderer, a betrayer and a traitor; he was made a juvenile hothead, calamitously ambition and an agent of the devil against Gods own nation, Nigeria. He killed the almighty SARDAUNA (Ahmadu Bello) and for some days, was the paramount dictator of Republic of Songhai! He was a Hero with a suicidal courage, who stood out among the revolutionary doctors who in an attempt to revive the nation from comma delivered shocks that damaged sensitive nerves. He was definitely not the one who planned the heist of Pandora, but he is attributed as the opener of the box of calamity: for all the ills that had befallen the nation since then, the January 15 1966 coup detat had been considered the foremost of all dooms that ruined the fortunes of the nation, and still plaguing its effort towards unity and progress today. Read Also:The empire of sodom and the Nigerian campaign Many had considered the coup tribalistic, and the IDENTITY of Nzeogwu was treated as smoldering hot coal by the Hausa and the Igbos in an effort to dissociate themselves with the Jan. 15, 1966 Coup. The Northerners yelled: Bloody IGBO, his name is CHUKWUMA NZEOGWU, INYAMIRI ne! And the Igbos countered: He is not IGBO, he is Hausa, his name is KADUNA, ONIYI-HAUSA, Some learned Igbos goes further to explain that he was not IGBO PROPER, he was ANIOMA, BENDEL-IBO (Delta-Igbo!). Of the account I have heard or read about this young officer, he had not exhibited primordial tribal inclination, and often hailed for his discipline and revolutionary stance: He was said to never womanize, drink or smoke! He was generally admired by his peers and subordinates and loathed by his superiors, for his insubordination and revolutionary stance. He was very secretive else, how could the distrusting, nosy and inquisitive Olusegun Obasanjo (Baba Iyabo) who shared a room with him on the eve of the coup unable to detect that his friend was deeply involved in a scheme that would change the nations history. After he surrendered to the Federal Military Government and during his incarceration (in Kirikiri maximum prison and later to Aba prison); his identity was increasingly tagged as either Hero or Villains by admirers and haters accordingly. During the civil war 1967 1970, he was released from Prison in March 1967 by Odumegwu Ojukwu leader of Biagra, and the two WARLORDs were soon distrustful of one another. This became intense following his expression of lack of confidence in the secessionist effort, and emphasized his conviction in BIAFRA during an interview with Denis Ejindu a month before his death: . He died during a shootout with federal troops when his vehicle was ambushed in July, 1967. Afterwards, his greatest admirer, the Federal Government who do not doubt his patriotism, seized his body (else he would have been eaten raw as done in Liberia, for rituals to attain courage) with only an eye ripped. The body was flown to Kaduna and buried with complete MILITARY HONOUR! If the coup had not failed, he could have been our THOMAS SANKARA; or a National FATHER figure like Mustafa Kemal Ataturk of Turkey, or Gamel Abdel Nasser of Egypt. He was like an ill-fated Napoleon Bonaparte, a product of a necessity of the chaotic and uncertain ambiance of the FIRST REPUBLIC, which he had emerged to contain and steer to Peace, Unity and Progress, but failed in the process; had the process hijacked and derailed thus, plunging the nation in a state of consistent political and economic decline. But the revolution which was the most SINCERE (in my OPINION) of all efforts at a REAL and TRUE NATIONAL redemption, cohesion and progress was foiled and hijacked by NIGERIAs enemies and traitors IN HIGH AND LOW PLACESTHAT SEEK TO KEEP THE COUNTRY DIVIDED, THE TRIBALISTS, THE NEPOTISTS, THOSE THAT MAKE THE COUNTRY LOOK BIG FOR NOTHING BEFORE INTERNATIONAL CIRCLES, THOSE THAT HAVE CORRUPTED OUR SOCIETY AND PUT THE NIGERIAN POLITICAL CALENDER BACK BY THEIR WORDS AND DEEDS I am sure you know who these enemies and traitors are. AND WE ARE CELEBRATING 58 YEARS OF THESE AGENTS OF RETROGRESSION HOLD ON POWER! Written by Mbuyazi Emmanuel. In an interview sometime ago, the All Progressives Congress (APC) national vice chairman for the north central zone, Alhaji Suleiman Wambai had said that Nasarawa State is about the only stable state in the zone as all the other states that make up the region had one problem or other which the leadership is mediating on. Not anymore, as Nasarawa is now among the quarrelling states. Gladiators At the centre of the quarrel are two gladiators. They are incumbent governor, Umar Tanko Al-makura (Galadiman Kwanderre) who is serving out his two terms next May and is now contesting for the Nasarawa south senatorial seat and former governor of the state, a ranking senator, representing Nasarawa west, Abdullahi Adamu (Turakin Keffi). Both were originally members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Al-makura unable to clinch PDPs guber ticket against then incumbent governor, Akwe Doma (R.I.P.) defected to Muhammadu Buharis then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) on which platform he defeated Doma to emerge Governor and therewith the only CPC Governor in the Federation. On this basis he prides himself as Buharis first political son and Nasarawa state Buharis laboratory as it is the only state the retired general took with him in the formation and coalescing of the other legacy parties that is known today as APC. Al-makura was re-elected in 2015 under the APC. Ally On his part, Abdullahi Adamu governed Nasarawa state for two terms (1999-2007) flying the PDP flag. He became senator in 2011 with the party. However, he was among the political heavyweights that moved over from PDP to APC in 2014. He has remained there since and indeed is one of President Buharis staunch allies, for which reason he and senate President Bukola Saraki exchanged bitter words sometime ago, after Adamu accused Saraki of betraying Mr. President. Quarrel The current spat between Al-makura and Adamu is said to have started at an APC stakeholders meeting during which the governor is said to have voiced his choice to succeed him Engineer A. A. Sule (a director in the Dangote group). Senator Adamu is said to have proffered another aspirant, giving reasons for it. At a meeting with some members of his ward, etc., Senator Adamu speaking in Hausa was reportedly vexed that Governor Al-makura is allegedly drafting his education commissioner, Aliyu Tijanni to challenge him for the Nasarawa West senate seat. He allegedly told them something to the effect, I had the senate ticket unopposed until September 9 . Who is Tijani to challenge me I am going to teach him (Almakura) a lesson In my estimation, the senator spoke off the cuff as this was supposed to be a family meeting with his people, where he bared his mind about what was bothering him. I do not think it was meant to be published. I say so because if they were meant for public consumption he most probably would have been more cautious in choice of his words. There is a world of difference between what many of our politicians/leaders say in public and in private. Some of the things they say privately are not meant to be swallowed hook, line and sinker especially for those of them that are fond of joking when speaking informally, although I agree that some jokes could be expensive. Probe Anyway, Governor Al-makura took those translated words for their face value and fired back through his Communication Strategist, Yakubu Lamme, saying that he had respected and tolerated the former governor long enough and that he was going to retire him from politics. This blew the matter into the open. Al-makura confirmed his readiness for a battle when he set up a ten-man panel of inquiry headed by his Finance Commissioner, to probe Abdullahi Adamus tenure as governor, specifically, the Farin Ruwa independent power project, the Zimbabwean farmers scheme and concessioning of some government-owned enterprises. This is coming some 12 years after the senator left office. Critics would see this as a political witch-hunt especially as the panellists are not entirely non partisan persons. Projects The Farin Ruwa electricity project was considered a laudable scheme at the time it was started especially as it would greatly improve electricity supply in the state thereby boosting commerce and attract investors into this largely civil service state. At the time he left office it was about 70 per cent completed although the original plan was to have it completed and commissioned by end of his tenure. The succeeding government did not continue it neither did this one, perhaps because of some funding and other issues they have with it. The Zimbabwe farmers scheme was undertaken because it was believed that the white Zimbabwean farmers that were being dislodged from that country because of a new land policy there could bring their expertise to bear in Nasarawa state to boost agriculture, especially as a similar scheme was successful in Kwara State. As for government owned firms, it is agreed that government has no business running enterprises but that this should be left in the hands of private-sector players for better results, hence the concession. I am only giving the theoretical underpinnings for those projects/decisions. As is typical in Nigeria, critics would find fault with their executions. Shadow fighting Asked why he is instituting the probe now, Governor Al-makura replied, Certain issues take a long time before they unfold themselves. That is the case with the commission of inquiry I have constituted because the issues at stake were issues that have taken many years to culminate into the need and necessity for investigation. Not a few will disagree. According to Senator Adamu, the crux of the matter is that Almakura is trying to force a candidate on the APC in the state, I did not agree on that , I advised him accordingly, he sees my not agreeing with him as a confrontation and that is why he is now shadow fighting. Governor Almakura himself boldly stated, I want to tell you today that I am the party leader in the state and I have a right to my choice, quickly adding, The era of godfatherism where people will want others to step down for them is gone. But if the governor has a choice can the delegates go against their party leaders choice? One will appeal to Governor Al-makura not to embarrass the former governor as he is an elder and a leader. He should let bygones be bygones in the greater interest of Nasarawa state. Abdullah Adamu knows very well that a governor wields more powers than a senator. He should accord him the necessary respect both personally and officially as he had promised. Men and women of goodwill within and outside the state should intervene to settle this unbecoming quarrel amicably. Written byVictoria Ngozi Ikeano With the recent wedding between his daughter, Sharon Carrisa Oyakhilome and Phillip Frimpong shutting down the internet, we take a look at his ex-wife, Anita,who was noticeably absent at the event. Here are five things you should know about the former spouse of the head of Believer's LoveWorld Incorporation aka Christ Embassy: Love story Anita met Pastor Oyakhilome as an undergraduate of English Language at Ambrose Alli University, formerly known as Edo State University, Ekpoma in Edo State. This was where she became a born-again Christian. From love to ministry After giving her life to Christ, she started helping Oyakhilome, who was a pastor in the late 1980s. Reportedly, she was a pioneer of the ministry which started as a campus fellowship called Believer's Love World Fellowship, BLW (now Believers' LoveWorld Inc.) at the University. ALSO READ: Pastor Chris Oyakhilome chooses to have faith in Nigeria Marriage They two eventually tied the knot in 1991. The union was blessed with two kids- Sharon and Charlene. With the marriage, she became the Vice President of the Believer's LoveWorld Inc., and second in command. She was in charge of the church's United Kingdom branches and other branches around the world. Pastor Anita was a member of the Central Executive Council of the church; the Central Executive Council is the governing body of the ministry. She also helped with the church's extremely popular daily devotional called Rhapsody of Realities. Apart from the devotional, the couple co-wrote a lot of Christian books. Divorce All of these changed when she filed for divorce on April 9, 2014. Filing at the Central Family Court in London, she cited "unreasonable behavior" and "inappropriate relationships with others" as her reasons for wanting to end her 25-year marriage. The divorce was finalized in February 2016. The two now share custody of their two grown children. Life after divorce drama After the dissolution of her marriage, Pastor Anita changed her surname from Oyakhilome to her maiden name, Ebhodaghe. Under her 'new' name, she remains a full-time pastor in London sharing her teachings on her blog. There are claims that she has taken over the UK branch of Christ Embassy. This was denied on her Facebook page. [No available link text] Davido took to his Twitter page on Sunday, October 7, 2019, where he posted a photo of DJ Olu and himself with an emotional tribute; "A year since you been gone Love you and miss you so much! You took a part of me when you left! We always spoke about taking over the World together! I know you looking down proud of what we have achieved so far! YOUR LEGACY LIVES FOREVER! DJ OLU We Celebrate u," he tweeted. The death of DJ Olu came as a shocking surprise to many and even the circumstances behind his death was controversial. How he died Gbemiga Abiodun, also known as DJ Olu, one of Davidos official DJs, and son of Dapo Abiodun, was reportedly found dead in his car. According to reports, he and a friend Chime were found dead together in the car, just days after Davidos friend, Tagbo, died after a heavy drinking bout. Davido shared news of his passing, mourning him on his Snapchat. 2 brothers gone in 4 days, Davido wrote on his Snapchat. We killed shows back to back for four years straight. A part of me is broken. I love you, bro, God take control. RIP Olu, I love you more than you can imagine. Till we meet again. DJ Olu, Born Olu Abiodun to Nigerian successful entrepreneur Dapo Abiodun started off as an underground DJ in 2010 while studying for his A levels in England. After djing and headlining numerous parties across the country, It didnt take long for him to get noticed. In June 2011 he was signed as the official DJ for Davidos HKN record label. The media personality made his fears known via his Twitter page on Sunday, October 7, 2018. According to him, the build-up to the elections will be very interesting. "Going to be a very interesting couple of months between now and the elections. There will be blood!!!" he tweeted. Even though this tweet is purely Ebuka's thoughts and imaginations, the forthcoming elections in Nigeria aren't going to be indeed interesting. We've seen a lot of people win primaries for their respective political parties and even some of your favourite celebrities and socialites have not been left out. Quilox boss, Shina Peller and Olumide Adenirokun, husband to media personality Stephanie Coker, have both won primaries in the forthcoming elections in their respective constituencies and political parties. Shina Peller wins primaries for house of representatives in Oyo state Shina Peller has won the primaries for the house of representatives seat under the All Progressive Congress (APC). The popular nightclub owner will be representing Iseyin, Itesiwaju, Kajola, and Iwajowa federal constituency of Oyo state during the 2019 general elections. He announced his victory on his Instagram page on Friday, October 5, 2018. "My profound gratitude to all members of our great party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) for making me the candidate for the 2019 House of Representatives election seat of Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency. My special thanks goes to His Excellency, Governor Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi, the party leaders and stakeholders of the four local governments in our constituency, particularly the delegates whose informed decisions yesterday led to my emergence as the candidate. "To all our teeming supporters and electorates in Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency, I congratulate you as this moment symbolizes the beginning of a new dawn for us all. The ugly old ways are ending, it is almost a time for healing. Give me your supports, by joining me in the quest to making our constituency a point of good reference to all and sundry. Thank you all. God bless APC. God bless Oke-Ogun. God bless Oyo State & Nigeria at large. #Shinaayo2019 #togetherwecan," he wrote. Stephanie Coker's husband clinches PDPs ticket for house of representative As the results from the concluded primaries in various parties begin to trickle in, it's a victory song for some like Stephanie Coker's husband Olumide Aderinokun who clinched the PDP's house of rep ticket. Olumide Aderinokun will be representing Abeokuta north, Obafemi-Owode and Odeda federal constituency in the forthcoming elections. The businessman took to his Instagram page on Thursday, October 4, 2018, where he shared the good news. Baba Sala died in his Ilesa hometown in Osun State on Sunday evening, October 7, 2018. In a statement on Monday, October 8, 2018, the Minister said the death has robbed the nation of an incomparable thespian and a colossus of his time. He described Baba Sala as a trail blazer, as he - along with his contemporaries laid the foundation for the theatre and comedy that have now taken Nigeria's creative industry by storm. ALSO READ: Celebrities react to death of comedian and actor ''Baba Sala's sacrifices, contribution and commitment played a great role in launching an industry that is now a huge employer of labour and a significant contributor to the nation's economy. Through it all, he lived a life of honesty and service that qualified him as a great role model,'' Mohammed said. In a statement signed by Seun Oloketuyi, the Chief Executive of BON, the 10th edition of the awards ceremony will herald the hosting of unique events ahead the awards night. Oloketuyi also revealed that the host state and unveiling of the 2018 nominees will be announced on October 29, 2018. The awards CEO also assured that the 2018 edition will be the mother of award ceremony balls in Nollywood. BON Awards BON Awards is an annual film event presented by Best of Nollywood Magazine to honor outstanding achievements in the Nigerian Movie Industry. In 2017, Kate Henshaw, "What Lies Within" and "A Trip to Jamaica" emerged winners at the Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards. The ninth edition of the movie awards ceremony held on December 16, 2018 at the Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State. ALSO READ: Okey Bakassi, Mercy Aigbe to host 2016 BON Awards The Petitioner, Mr. Wahab Olabamiji, who lives at Olopo-Meta Estate, Ibadan, had petitioned the court that his wife was endangering his life with her extramarital relationships. According to Punch, he told the court that, Tawakalitu has remained a source of frustration to me for two-and-a-half years now, denying me sex. In addition, Tawakalitu is heavily involved in adulterous acts and I have caught her many times. Worse still, she has been having grudges with my children from my first wife. She doesnt want to see them, and she has not hidden her hatred for them. ALSO READ: Abuja woman fatally stabbed multiple times in her sleep by her nanny I no longer want to have anything to do with her; please, separate us, he pleaded to the court. The Respondent, his wife, Tawakalitu Olabamiji, a traderadmitted her wrongdoing, citing health grounds. She also agreed to the divorce, My lord, a nurse told me that I could contract disease by continually allowing Wahab to sleep with me since he also sleeps with an old woman who is already in her menopause. The nurse said that the only option I had was to stop sleeping with Wahab. For two-and-a half years now, no man has touched me, Tawakalitu said. ece-auto-gen The shootings lasted for around two hours, till Fraini came out of his car, mounted a monument and performed a fascist Roman salute. Although none of the six people shot were mortally wounded, one was thought to be seriously injured at the time. ALSO READ: Abuja woman fatally stabbed multiple times in her sleep by her nanny In the first week of October, Fraini was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the shooting of six African immigrants in Macerata. During his sentencing, he said, I am sorry for the injuries I caused. While in prison, I have understood that the colour of ones skin has nothing to do with anything. I wanted justice for Pamela. In an interview with Kelvin Okereafor for Nigerianobservernews.com, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, explains that the new scheme will eliminate physical barriers that interfere with the revenue collection process. One of Infrastructure partners, TechAdvance LTD is pleased to see the completion and roll out of this scheme. As a transaction platform development company serving the needs of Nigerian public and private sector organisations, this project is well aligned with the companys competencies. TechAdvance CEO, Edmund Olotu, says: We are proud to bring our expertise in payment collections, aggregations and data analytics to bear on this project with Edo State. It is a well thought out service and indeed, we believe the most comprehensive tax service in the country, if not in Africa. We are pleased to be launching after months of meticulous planning and it is a huge win for the Edo people. The system has central aggregation and e-invoicing technology as well as payment solutions that cater for cashless and seamless transaction processing for both formal and informal sectors with online and offline features. The project, which has been delivered in an unprecedented record time of 18 months from conceptualisation, partner selection to development and integration, is tagged Project Dobberman According to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Edo Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), Mr Igbinidu Inneh, the innovative solution christened Edo Revenue Administration System (ERAS), is being delivered as part of the strategic institutional transformation of the EIRS and feeds off the Governors objective to transform Edo State into an innovation hub." Inneh explains that The ERAS solution is a distributed revenue administration system which seeks to solve the challenges faced by revenue authorities in Nigeria for Edo State. The EIRS Chairman noted the current tax base which grew within weeks of testing ERAS from just about 190,000 to over 250,000, will double within the first six months of operations and to one million within two years. This accomplishment is truly one legacy Edo State will bequeath to the Nigerian Revenue Administration process and indeed other emerging economies of Africa" Says, Inneh. He added: The following revenue streams: Personal Income Taxes (PAYE and Direct Assessment), Withholding Tax, Land Use Charges, Consumption Tax, Vehicle Administration, Vehicle Insurance Policy Assurance, Business Premises (Regulations, Management and Control), Lottery Regulations, Stamp duties and other MDA services will be administered by the system." What happened? Over the past few months, Brett Kavanaugh has become President Trumps Supreme Court nominee, but his confirmation to that seat has been hampered by sexual harassment accusations from Deborah Ramirez and Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University in California. Kavanaugh has come under intense media scrutiny but has always been backed by the ever-controversial President Trump who feels it is a witch-hunt because Kavanaugh is his candidate. It came to a head on Tuesday when President Trump tried to skew the #MeToo narrative, painting men as the real victims of #MeToo. The Washington Post reports that he said, Its a very scary time for young men in America when you can be guilty of something you may not be guilty of. When asked if he had a message for women, the president responded sarcastically, women are doing great. He also mocked Blasey Ford later that day. There is a problem Due to his power and the already existent cynicism toward #MeToo and #TimesUp, emanating from the minimal false accusations and imperfect accusations, this will definitely impact an already shaky playing field. People in high places, with reach to influence, should mind their language and comments on sensitive issues that determine the landscape and reaction. Other times, people like , and Rose McGowan, leading voices against embattled movie exec, Harvey Weinstein do not aid the movement. There is also the problem of #MeToo being the court of public opinion where lives are ruined from mere accusations purely on the strength of the accusers testimony while people also claim that it has become primarily a tool for female victims of sexual harassment. Those problems are well documented, it does not, however, make men the sole victims in #MeToo. ALSO READ: Asia Argento scandal proves scum has no gender No movement is perfect, the real victims are the victims, regardless of gender Trying to name men the victims of #MeToo is insensitive and cruel of President Trump. It is also a lazy narrative, rich in his sentiment toward Kavanaugh. The real victims are the real victims, regardless of gender. A good movement should certainly not be invalidated by its weaknesses no movement is perfect. Comedian, Trevor Noah, certainly agrees. During Thursdays taping of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah," He says, I find Trumps most powerful tool is that he knows how to wield victimhood. A feeling is oftentimes more powerful than whats actually happening. Thats a thing that people take for granted with Donald Trump. Its his greatest gift, its his greatest danger. Noah continues, He knows how to offer victimhood to people who have the least claim to it, which is a really, really powerful tool. There are a lot of men who that message will connect with because thats a feeling that many men have. There are many men who will be afraid to admit it may be, but there are many men who do have that feeling where theyre like, Yeah, I mean this #MeToo movement, its gotten outta control. If you can convince men that they are the true victims of the #MeToo movement, you get men to fight against a movement thats really about holding men who are doing bad things accountable as opposed to making all men scapegoats for something that theyre not doing, he said. Straight after her fairytale wedding toLala Akindoju heading back to work with an appearance at the Lights, Camera, Africa film festival wearing a gorgeius co-ord outfit by emerging womenswear label Amede. The adire two piece was effortlessly stylish and Lala styled it with a chic black belt and had her hair in a fitting curly bob. Literary star and feminist fave Chimamanda, a vehement supporter of Nigerian fashion brands, also stepped out in the same Amede outfit albeit styled a little differently. Chimamanda tucked the shirt into the flared pants and paired it with a fluffy cream clutch and her natural hair in a jaunty style. Both women looked fantastic in their adire outfits but we have to aks, who wore it better. Vote below! About Amede According to their website: AMEDE is a Nigerian based Womens wear brand whose uniqueness is the use of tie dye and batik techniques. The Creative Director Amede Nzeribe, a lawyer turned designer believes in designing timeless classic pieces that appeal to women of all ages. The brand has graced the catwalks of major fashion shows like Arise Magazine Fashion week , the Lagos Fashion and Design Week, the Catwalk Edit to open London Fashion week and the Oxford Fashion studio showcase in Los Angeles Fashion Week. The brand has been featured in major publications like Vogue, Conde Nast, Glamour and Elle magazine. The brand has also had the opportunity to be featured alongside international brands like Mary Katranzou, Lanvin, Prada etc on international showroom sites like Not Just a Label for international fashion buyers, bloggers and fashion editors. The Amede Label has also been noticed by Ivan Bitton a Los Angeles based celebrity stylist who has dressed stars like Claudia Black, Goepele and Alysia Reiner in Amede. Melaye, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce (Bayelsa East - PDP) and leaders of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) had marched to the Force Headquarters to protest against alleged partisanship when the two senators were involved in a clash with officers. Melaye was one of the main actors of the clash as he could be seen in a shoving match with police officers who appeared to be pushing him back from breaking through the security barricade set to keep the protesters at a distance. ece-auto-gen After the altercation, Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, said Melaye, Murray-Bruce, and Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who was also at the protest, had been requested to report to the Force for questioning. The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, condemned the clash as an "unprovoked and unwarranted attack" on officers and alleged that the lawmakers were troublemakers who would be brought to justice "no matter how highly placed". "Consequently, Senator Bukola Saraki, Senator Dino Melaye and Senator Ben Bruce who were captured on camera to have been involved in the disturbance of public peace and public safety, unlawful blockade of Shehu Shagari way for several hours preventing motorists, road users and other members of the public from having access and passage on the highway thereby disturbing public peace and public safety and causing innocent people to scamper for safety and violent attack on Policemen posted to ensure security of the Force Headquarters, pushing and hitting the Policemen to forcefully enter the Force Headquarters to cause damage to Police equipment and Government properties are hereby invited to report themselves to the IGP Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters on Monday, 8th October, 2018 for investigation," the statement read. Despite the directive for all the affected lawmakers to show up for questioning on Monday, October 8, none of them honoured the invitations. Melaye took to his Twitter account (@dino_melaye) on Monday to disclose that he has not received any invitation from the authorities. "I have not received any invitation from the police," he posted on Monday afternoon. Despite his claim, the Police had noted in a second statement on Sunday, October 7, that invitation letters had been sent for compliance. However, for unexplained reason, Saraki's name did not feature as a person of interest in the second statement. Melaye vs Police Melaye is already in troubled waters with the Police as he has already been arraigned before an Abuja Magistrate Court facing charges of criminal conspiracy, causing damage to government property, attempted suicide and escape from lawful custody. The anti-graft agency has been investigating state governor, Samuel Ortom, and his government over how he has spent on Benue's security since 2015, alleging that he diverted billions of naira under the guise of security votes. The Benue State government had approached the court to challenge the EFCC's powers to investigate alleged fraud in states, noting that the anti-graft agency was overstepping its boundaries. In an application filed by the government's legal representative, Emeka Etiaba, he requested that the EFCC's investigations into Benue's accounts be prohibited due to its illegality. However, in a judgement read on Monday, October 8, 2018, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba ruled that the EFCC is legally empowered to investigate alleged fraud in any part of the country, according to its enabling act which does not limit its powers only to federal government agencies. Throwing out Benue's application, he said, "Public institutions like the first defendant must not only be impartial or neutral, but must be seen to be so." Etiaba disclosed after the ruling that the Benue State government will appeal the court's decision. Ortom's alleged mismanagement of N21.3 billion The investigation into the governor's handling of N21.3 billion started in 2016, but wasn't made public until Monday, July 30, 2018, barely a week after Ortom dumped the APC for the PDP. According to the EFCC's report, Ortom ordered the withdrawal of N21.3bn from four government accounts between June 30, 2015 and March 2018. Even though about N19 billion was earmarked to be paid to six security agencies that had been deployed to address the incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the state, the EFCC disclosed that only N3 billion was paid with the rest unaccounted for. In a congratulatory message to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the APC acting spokesman, Yekini Nabena, asked Nigerians to compare the track records of the aspirants. Nabena believes Atiku is not the right man for the job. The statement reads: The pertinent question to ask about Atiku is what his scorecard in public office was? Regrettably, Atikus scorecard is abysmally low and he has proven to be an untrustworthy and unreliable character. A case in point is Atikus revealing altercation with his former boss President Olusegun Obasanjo which exposed the level of corruption Atiku was enmeshed in. In the international level, Atiku has been reportedly placed on the global watch list of the United States of America and has avoided travelling to the US to avoid arrest and prosecution over a money-laundering and corruption case in that country. Really, is this the character and antecedent of a candidate Nigerians will be proud to vote for as our President, come 2019? Compared and contrasted with President Muhammadu Buhari consistent and principled stance on party affiliations, since 1999, Atiku has moved around different political parties PDP, ACN, PDP, APC and now PDP, all in his blind and desperate pursuit of his ambition The Presidency of Nigeria. It is therefore very clear that if Atiku loses the presidential election in 2019, he will again defect from the PDP to another political platform. Atiku is known as a super-rich Nigerian who entrenched the undemocratic practice of buying votes of delegates. During the APC National Convention in 2014, he spent several millions of dollars to buy delegates votes and emerged third, after Buhari and Rabiu Kwankwaso. On Sunday, he reportedly bought over virtually all the PDP delegates and was declared winner of the PDP presidential primaries. With these huge expenses expended to secure the PDP ticket, how will Atiku recoup his investment if not from the public treasury should he win the Presidency? Our dear President Muhammadu Buhari does not spend a kobo on delegates as he banks only on his proven personal integrity. In any case how did a retired Customs Officer acquire so much wealth to fund his several presidential bids? The source of his wealth is very questionable and his financial resources are definitely ill gotten. Nigerians have had enough of corrupt, cash and carry politicians. That was why in 2015 they came out enmasse and elected a clean and transparent man in Muhammadu Buhari to clean the Augean stable. The candidature of Atiku Abubakar will bring back the undesired lots and their practices which Nigerians have long rejected and forgotten. The Nigerian electorate deserves to be given a choice of decency, integrity and honour and not dirt, corruption, and infamy. The choice between Buhari and Atiku is one between light and darkness; between positive change and business as usual; between transparency and under the table dealings. Punch quotes Fayose as saying he would renounce his membership of the PDP anytime from now. The outgoing governor of Ekiti added that after consultations, I will speak clearly to Nigerians. According to Punch, Fayose made the comments after the PDP concluded its national convention in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. Fayose once declared for president The story didnt say why Fayose, who has always spoken out for and defended the PDP, became suddenly disenchanted with his party. Fayose was the first PDP member to declare for president ahead of the 2019 election. The governor declared he was going to run for president in September of 2017. However, the PDP had always made it clear that it had zoned the presidency to the North of Nigeria. All of the PDPs aspirants for the presidential flagbearer ticket ahead of the convention that was concluded last weekend, hailed from the country's North. Fayose remained silent in the weeks leading to the convention and refused to publicly back any of the other aspirants. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged winner of a primary contest that fieldedSenate President Bukola Saraki, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal, former Kaduna Governor Ahmed Makarfi and former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido, among others. An unfulfilled prophecy At his official declaration for the presidency on Thursday, September 28, 2017, Fayose said his "haters" will watch him saunter into Aso RockNigerias seat of power. To the downtrodden and those who go to bed hungry on a daily basis, I assure you that help is on the way," Fayose declared. To my haters, I want to tell them that they will watch me enter the Villa in 2019 because Im Nigerias President in waiting. If you have not seen any miracle, this is your opportunity because I am a miracle, he added. Fayose will hand over the affairs of Ekiti to Kayode Fayemi of the APC on Tuesday, October 16, 2018; after failing to install protege, Olusola Eleka, as successor. The lawmaker made this known in a statement made available to Pulse on Monday, October 8, 2018. According to Ashafa, he took the decision so that peace and unity can reign. The Senator also thanked the All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Bola Tinubu and other chieftains of the party in Lagos for letting him serve. The statement reads: Dear Good People of Lagos East Senatorial District, Over the past 7 years and a half years, I have enjoyed the mandate and support of both the leadership and the members of our party to serve as the Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District. This is a mandate that I have held with the utmost responsibility which such high office entails. In this period of time, in line with the progressive ideology of our party I have been able to build on the reputation of excellent representation that has become synonymous with Lagos East flowing directly from the standard set for me by my predecessors in office. I have endeavoured to Distinguish myself amongst my colleagues in order to ensure that my representation would be both a source of pride to you and to attract value to our district, state and nation as a whole. The events of the past few weeks in the build up to the Senatorial Primaries of our Party in Lagos East have led to quite a level of apprehension within the district. In the light of the foregoing, and upon due consultation with party leaders and relevant stakeholders, I believe that the time has come for me to sacrifice my ambition for the unity and continuity of our party at the senatorial level and across all elective offices. Hence, I hereby release my unopposed ticket to the leadership of the party in Lagos State. To this end, I would like to appreciate the leadership of our party at the State and National levels, our members and constituents alike for the opportunity afforded me to serve. This is an opportunity that I do not take lightly or for granted. I would also like to appreciate the magnanimity and generosity of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu towards me throughout this journey. Consequently, I urge all my followers and supporters across the district to support all the candidates of our party the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole in the forthcoming elections in 2019. ALSO READ: Senator Ashafa denies plan to run for Lagos Governor in 2019 I remain committed to the principles and ideals of our party and will continue to contribute my quota in service to both our party and the Nation. I stand with APC! According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),Senator Gbenga Ashafa lost his bid to return to the Senate, for a third term to Bayo Osinowo. Fayose, in a statement on Monday in Ado Ekiti, said that he supported his Rivers counterpart, Nyesom Wike, to ensure the emergence of Tambuwal. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that former Vice President Abubakar Atikupicked the PDP ticket for the presidential race after scoring 1,532 votes to floor Tambuwal who got 693 votes. Fayose, while reacting to the outcome of the primary election, said that he was reconsidering his membership of the PDP because of Tambuwals loss. We have no regret aligning with Governor Wike to support Governor Tambuwal for the presidential ticket. We have no apologies either. We kept the party alive and strong when most men became ladies. We never compromised. If any group feels it can do it alone, we will see how far they can go I may renounce my membership of the party, if the need arises. In the main time, myself and others will continue with our consultations while watching the turn of events. Sanwo-Olu is the elected candidate of the All Progressives' Congress (APC) for next year's election and won the party's primary election over incumbent, Akinwunmi Ambode, largely due to the influence wielded by Tinubu, the party's national leader and political godfather in Lagos. In a statement signed by Agbaje on Monday, October 8, 2018, he said the fate of Lagos should not be decided by one man, clearly referring to Tinubu, but by the people of the state. "One man should and must not determine the person occupying Alausa. The fate and direction of everyone living in Lagos should be determined by all who live in this Great state," he said He further promised that his government will be run with minimal interference, and vowed to work for the people, minimise waste and focus on areas critical to the welfare of all Lagosians . He said, "I will empower all arms of the Government from the Local Governments up. The Local Government is crucial and must be the first point of call for Lagosians. We will promote a Lagos State accountable to all its people. "Most of the job qualifications we attain from our higher education institutions are not the jobs needed today in Lagos State. There has to be a shift to Lagos specific requirements determining what is being encouraged as job qualifications in Lagos State. "Thus we must have a Lagos that recognises what it needs and a Lagos that encourages qualifications in those areas, driven right through the educational system. "For Our teeming youth who have already passed through the system and still remain unemployed, your skills may be required in other places around the world. We would look at alternative means such as freelancing as a viable means of employment. "This allows you to gain employment work in other countries but from the comfort of your own home in Lagos State. It is already happening and my government will expand this trend. "My government will work with the business, labor, the financial world, and our educational system for the best brains available to modernize our Institutions and economy, eliminating waste and duplication. "Who is to be imposed as governor of Lagos State isn't important. "What is very important is who the people of Lagos would want to be their Governor. "In the end, the Lagos this generation desires can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is ours. I thank you all and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the next few months." Agbaje vs Sanwo-Olu Agbaje won the PDP's primary election with 1,100 votes to beat his only opponent, Deji Doherty (742 votes), according to the result announced on Friday, October 5, 2018. Agbaje lost the 2015 governorship election to Ambode by over 150,000 votes before also losing the national chairmanship of the PDP to Uche Secondus in 2017. The aspirants made the appeal on Monday in a statement in Abuja signed by their Spokesperson, Mr Cyril Egunlayi. We are not unaware of the reason you approved the direct mode method of conducting our primary election. We are of the opinion that you did this to create leverage and pave way for popular candidate to emerge in the event of complaints that the delegates were fraudulently conscripted by some people in power." Egunlayi said that the group would have stopped at a point when they discovered the undemocratic traits in the state but were persuaded by chairmans democratic credentials. He said that the group believed that the chairman would listen to the voice of the majority which he did. According to the spokesman, given the groups commitment and avowed belief in the ideals of APC and the chairmans insistence on free and fair primary election, they decide to run for office. He said members were hopeful that the party would intervene and follow all laid down procedures to uphold all known democratic tenets. Egunlayi said that the members always believed that a level playground would be provided for everybody to express his or her ambition. He said that the belief of the group was hinged on the philosophy of the party and the trajectory of its power in the state. Egunlayi noted that, members toiled, laboured and spent money to mobilise party members and electorate, believing that all the contestants would be subjected to duly conducted primary election. In the last two weeks, we have been traumatised with conflicting information about the type of primary election that will be adopted by in the state. As you are aware, the primary election for all the elective positions was slated for Oct. 5, we regret to inform your esteemed self and the public that no primary election was conducted. He said that the group had always believed in the democratic tenets, which was demonstrated 2015 when members fought against imposition of candidates. He said that the group affirmed that no primary election took place and that no election materials or single electoral official of the party seen in the 23 wards in the Federal Constituency. Egunlayi said that the act was a rape of democracy, adding that this was injustice and an attempt to kill the party in Ondo. He expressed confidence that would to urgently put things right, adding that the party could not afford to lose Ondo to the opposition at this critical period. In its reaction to the allegations by the group, the Ondo State chapter of APC said it conducted transparent and peaceful primaries to pick its National and State Assembly candidates for 2019 general elections. The State Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Alex Kalejaye, in a statement, also said that the exercise was carried out with the full participation of the stakeholders and party members. According to him, the exercise is in line with the directives of the National Executive Committee in Abuja. The State Chairman of the party, Mr , commended all the members for their maturity and peaceful conduct during the exercise. This was made known in a statement issued by the Deputy National Publicty Secretary of the PDP, Prince Diran Odeyemi. According to Vanguard, Odeyemi told Fayose not to take any decision in anger. He said We appeal to him not to leave the party, he has been an asset and he has benefited from the party. Even when he left, he still came back to the party, so he should consider all that and not abandon the party when we need him most. He should consider the fact that all those who left the PDP for other parties regretted that they left. He should not leave now that the likes of Atiku, Bukola Saraki, Aminu Tambuwal are back in the party. God will guide him aright, he should not take any decision in anger. Fayose threatens to leave The Ekiti state Governor had to leave the PDP. Punch reports that Fayose said that he will renounce his membership of the party any time from now. The Ekiti state Governor also alleged that some people are trying to sideline him because he supported the Sokoto state Governor, Aminu Tambuwal while he was contesting to become the PDP presidential candidate for 2019. A fierce critic of what he sees as an undemocratic Europe, Orban has repeatedly hailed the "stability" that he perceives the Turkish regime offers. After a very tense trip to Germany at the end of September, in the wake of various diplomatic spats between Berlin and Ankara, Erdogan's two-day visit to Hungary is likely to prove much smoother sailing. "It's nice for him to visit an EU country where he isn't under fire for his record on human rights and democracy," said Tamas Szigetvari, economics professor at Peter Pazmany University in Budapest. The trip will also allow Erdogan to show his critics that "no, the EU hasn't completely turned its back on Turkey," the expert told AFP. Ankara needs the EU as relations with the US deteriorate and the Turkish economy, very dependent on trade with Europe, is in difficulty. Erdogan will meet with President Janos Ader at 1100 GMT and then Orban two hours later. Orban and Erdogan are scheduled to hold a joint press conference afterwards. Turkey's 'cousins' The Turkish leader and the Hungarian premier, who secured his third consecutive term in office in April, are perceived to be made of the same mettle, democratically elected but with authoritarian and distinctly anti-liberal tendencies. Restrictions on freedom of expression in Turkey have come in for sharp international criticism, while Hungary risks sanctions from the EU over legislative changes seen as a threat to the rule of law and the bloc's values. Relations between Hungary and Turkey may currently be cordial. But the two countries' history has not alway been so friendly, and Hungary was occupied by the Ottoman empire for a century and a half between 1541 and 1699. Nowadays, Erdogan professes nostalgia for the Ottoman empire, while Orban's government promotes so-called "turanist" theories, hotly disputed by historians and linguists, that see Turkish and Finno-Ugric languages, including Hungarian, as sharing a common origin. On a visit to Kyrgyzstan in September, Orban lauded Hungarian as a "strange and unique language related to Turkish languages." Tamas Szigetvari argues that such theories enable Orban to portray Hungary as a sort of distant cousin to countries in Asia that Budapest is wooing for economic reasons. It found former gynaecologist Eduardo Vela guilty of taking Ines Madrigal, now 49, away from her mother as a newborn in 1969. During and after the 1939-1975 dictatorship, thousands of babies were taken away from their mothers, who were told they had died after birth. The babies were adopted by infertile couples, preferably close to the far-right regime, often with the help of the Catholic Church. Vela, who used to run a clinic, was the first to stand trial for alleged involvement in the baby trafficking. Prosecutors wanted him jailed for 11 years. He was accused of taking Madrigal from her biological mother and giving her to another woman, who was falsely certified as her birth mother. Madrigal hopes her case will help open "thousands of cases that are closed" -- even if she will never know who her real mother was. "In this country, a person who played God... cannot remain unpunished," she said in September at the end of the hearings. The baby-stealing practice began after Franco came to power following the 1936-39 civil war. Baby-trafficking Initially, newborns were taken from leftwing opponents of the regime. Later, the practice was expanded to supposedly illegitimate babies and those from poor families. Perpetrators wanted the children to be raised by affluent, conservative and devout Roman Catholic families. Even after Spain transitioned to democracy following Franco's death in 1975, the illegal trafficking went on up to at least 1987. Campaigners estimate tens of thousands of babies may have been stolen from their parents over the decades. Vila was accused of falsifying documents, illegal adoption, unlawful detention and certifying a non-existent birth. During the trial, he said he could not remember details about the operation of the clinic, which he ran for 20 years up to 1982. Clinic records torched A policeman who probed the case and testified in court said the clinic was a centre for baby trafficking. He said Vela had burnt the clinic's archives. The policeman said Vela was part of a "plot" to take babies from single mothers in shelters often run by religious orders. Emilie Helmbacher, a French journalist, also testified by video conference. In an investigation in Madrid in December 2013, she used a hidden camera to record Vela as he appeared to confess to having given Madrigal away as a "gift" in June 1969. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. When and how the first humans reached North America is a complicated puzzle. Scientists believe these people arrived in Alaska after crossing the Bering Strait, only to be stopped by the enormous Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets. The migrants would eventually make their way down to the Americas via one of two paths: the western coast of Canada or an opening between the two ice sheets. The question, then, is which path opened first? According to a new study in Geophysical Research Letters, ice on the western coast of Canada was retreating by 18,100 years ago, potentially thousands of years before the inland route. This means that while there was probably still a lot of ice around, there was dry ground in some places, so humans could have found refuge during their journey, said Marc Caffee, a professor of physics and astronomy at Purdue University and co-author of the paper. Scientists dont know exactly when the corridor between the ice sheets opened up, but they think it was between 13,000 and 15,000 years ago. Remains of a human settlement in Chile suggest people were there 14,500 years ago, which means if they had taken this route, they wouldve had to hurry. Evidence for migration along the coast has started to accumulate over the last few years, with these findings being the most recent addition. The research team, led by Christopher Darvill, a researcher at the University of Manchester, collected rock samples from remote islands along Canadas western coast before bringing them back to the lab. Chipped from the tops of boulders and bedrock, these samples were examined for concentrations of beryllium-10, a rare isotope of beryllium often used as a proxy for solar intensity. Measurements were made in Purdues PRIME Lab, a research facility for accelerator mass spectrometry. The isotope accumulates in certain rocks over time as they are bombarded by high-energy particles cosmic rays from outer space, Darvill said. Measuring the isotope tells you how much time has passed since the rock was exposed by retreating ice. This beryllium-10 chronology revealed that if the western margin of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet reached the continental shelf during the last glacial period, it did so before 18,100 years ago. The following retreat would have exposed several islands that could have been used by early people migrating south. These findings could help archaeologists target future investigations of early human migration. They also improve our understanding of climate change, near the end of the last Ice Age and now. The Cordilleran Ice Sheet was about the same size as the Greenland Ice Sheet, and theyre both marine-based. For these reasons, the Cordilleran is often used as a proxy for what might happen to the Greenland Ice Sheet as climate warms. The ice sheets of the past provide an excellent data set against which computer models of ice sheet response to climate change can be tested, Caffee said. The research was supported by funding from the Tula Foundation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery grants, Canada Research Chairs Program and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Writer: Kayla Zacharias, 765-494-9318, kzachar@purdue.edu Sources: Marc Caffee, 765-494-2586, mcaffee@purdue.ed Christopher Darvill, christopher.darvill@manchester.ac.uk ABSTRACT Retreat of the western Cordilleran Ice Sheet margin during the last deglaciation C.M. Darvill, B. Menounos, B. M. Goehring, O. B. Lian, M. W. Caffee The timing of Cordilleran Ice Sheet deglaciation along the central coast of British Columbia, Canada, informs climate forcing and early human migration. Thirty-two 10Be exposure ages from glacial erratics and local bedrock on the western margin of the former ice sheet represent the earliest exposure ages for the Cordilleran Ice Sheet during the last deglaciation. These data show the western ice margin was retreating by 18.1 0.2 ka, consistent with the global record of ice mass loss. In contrast, parts of the southern margin reached a maximum at ca. 17.6-16.6 ka, and our data demonstrate a diachronous response of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet during deglaciation. We also show that a low altitude site was exposed by at least 17.7 0.3 ka, implying that numerous ice-free areas existed along the coastal margin by this time, providing a viable route for the first humans entering the Americas. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Theyve long been established in their careers. Some are wealthy. Others not so much. Some are looking to make a career leap or change. Others retired. For them, the learning never stops. Nor do they want it to. Thats one reason online learning is taking off across the country. For adults of all ages, of all trades, professions and demographics. As more universities create online learning programs, Purdue Universitys College of Engineering is offering a pilot program for alumni. During the Sept. 22 Purdue Homecoming, which kicked off the universitys sesquicentennial birthday celebration, 150 years of Giant Leaps, the college introduced its One Course Higher program. It is free and available for life to the engineering alumni across Purdue campuses. The online courses are non-credit. Course material is available by videotaped class sessions on the main campus that students are taking for credit. The program is thanks to a partnership with the Purdues University Development Office and Purdue Online Learning. Our 90,000-plus alumni can access these courses anytime, anywhere for free, for life, said Mung Chiang, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering. Learning does not stop when you graduate, and the educational engagement between our alumni and Purdue continues for a lifetime. Online learning fits into Purdue Moves, a set of university initiatives to provide transformative education, world-changing research, STEM leadership and affordability and accessibility. Its also in line with Purdues mission as a land-grant university to provide opportunity for traditional and nontraditional students. An evolving digital library of online educational content is available in One Course Higher. This collection includes courses that were only in tuition-based online degree programs but now becomes available for alumni free of charge. Currently, there are eight selections. The eight courses, available now, are: Multidisciplinary design optimization. Laser scanning. Economic decisions in engineering. Lean manufacturing. Preclinical and clinical study design. Random variables and signals. Reliability-based design. Nuclear engineering principals. The courses are in line with the online learning element of Purdues strategic plan that was adopted by the Board of Trustees in June, said Gerry McCartney, executive vice president for Purdue Online. Our intent is for Purdue to be a recognized leader in online higher education, whether for traditional bachelors degrees, tailored masters, and employee training and retraining designed with and for corporate partners. This includes lifelong learning programs, recognizing that our alumni in fields such as engineering will want and need to upgrade their knowledge and skills regularly going forward. Purdue Engineering has been offering distance learning options for 60 years and has evolved to become an integral partner of Purdue Online Learning. The online masters in engineering program is consistently ranked among the Top 5 by U.S. News & World Report. New tracks have been recently launched, including online badges co-developed with industry such as the Intel-Purdue badge in Design for Security. More information about One Course Higher is available here. It's that time of the week, when Joan comes in and give us insight on the hottest books around. Wendyl's new book The Natural Home is first up on the show today. If you missed out Whitcoulls have it at a great price $34.99 and it's also online here The other two hot books of the week are Stormy Daniels' memoir Full Disclosure and Jodi Picoult's A Spark of Light. One of Donald Trumps biggest supporters says the mood in the United States is ecstatic following the appointment of Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the life-long role. Steven Rogers, a member of the Donald J. Trump for President 2020 Campaign Advisory Board, says it was a huge victory for the President. And a big victory for the American people because our constitution says youre innocent until proven guilty, whereas the Democrats tried to make the point that the judge [Kavanaugh] was guilty until proven innocent, Lt Rogers told RadioLIVE. The US Senate voted to approve Mr Kavanaughs nomination 50-48, despite a number of women accusing him of historic sexual assaults. Hundreds of people protested outside as the nomination was confirmed, shouting "shame". Mr Trump earlier called them "paid professional protesters" in a tweet. Speaking to RadioLIVEs Mark Sainsbury, Lt Rogers said the United States is booming. Anna Connell joins RadioLIVEs Vaughn Davis to take a look at the latest in app news. NZ border patrol digital search makes global news This week NZ customs announced it would make arriving travellers subject to a search of their digital devices, and not providing passwords or fingerprints to unlock them would earn you a $5000 fine. This is being reported as a world first, with not even the US, China or Russia compelling travellers to unlock their devices Customs officers will need reasonable suspicion to make a search, whatever that is, and will search the device in flight mode so no cloud-stored files will be examined. It just seems a bit weird to Vaughn. Do we want to lead the world in this? And what criminal mastermind will now leave anything incriminating on a device? Die with me More a piece of performance art than a real app, right? And sure enough. Die With Me is an chat app you can only use when you have less than 5% battery. If you have less than 5% battery you just have to enter a nickname and you can say goodbye to other people having also less than 5% battery. Die together in a chatroom on your way to offline peace. If nobody is in the chatroom you can scroll back to the older messages to get inspired to leave a trace for the future. Check it out here. Slowly app is penfriends for the 21st century SLOWLY is not your typical networking or dating app. Were bringing the traditional pen friend experience to your smartphone. The app is created for those who yearns for meaningful conversations with people in the era of instant messaging. They hope to connect people around the world at a slower but better pace one letter at a time. Meet a new pen friend, seal your letter and place a stamp. Listen to the full interview with Anna Connell above. Sunday Social with Vaughn Davis, 7pm - 8pm on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the Rova app on Android and iPhone. RadioLIVE. The Editor of NZ Skeptics Magazine, Jessica Macfarlane joins RadioLIVEs Graeme Hill. Jessica explores how the United Nations believes in woo and takes a look at a quite deadly miracle potion exposed. See the fabulous Myles Power in action here. USA: On October 1 Union Pacific began the phased roll-out of its Unified Plan 2020, an operating plan designed to implement precision scheduled railroading principles with the aim of achieving an operating ratio of 60 by 2020 and 55 in the longer term. Matthew Rose is to step down as Executive Chairman of BNSF Railway in April 2019, having held the role for six years. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer from 2000-13. Gagasi FM, South Africa's #1 regional commercial radio brand officially announced its new business direction, visual identity, new premises and new website. Cornubia Mall, located near Mt Edgecombe in the North of Durban, is the new home for Gagasi FM. The new state of the art studios and offices were recently launched and the event was attended by key figures in government, business, trade and media spaces. During his presentation, Gagasi FM Managing Director Vukile Zondi gave a clear perspective in terms of the brand journey towards that futuristic moment. Over the past few years we have undergone an intensive process of reviewing our business environment and redefining how we needed to move forward. From our company values, to performance measurements, to our on-air talent offering as well as enhancing consumer engagement across on-air, online and eventing platforms. In the process, certain elements about how the brand was being projected needed to change, said Zondi.When the proudly KZN radio station first hit the airways in 2006, it was referred to as Gagasi 99.5FM with the pay off line The New Sound of the City. At that time the stations reach was limited to Durban, Pietermaritzburg, near South Coast and near North Coast. As such, it made sense during that time for 99.5 to feature in the stations name as it was the main and only frequency.A few years later the station began to get more frequencies in other areas, including the remote parts of KZN which then meant that 99.5 was no longer the main frequency. At the time, the tagline moved from The New Sound of the City to the The Sound of the City.Moving towards the future, we needed a paradigm shift in our mindset. We needed to adopt forward thinking and begin to define our business beyond the parameters of radio in the traditional sense. This meant a new vision, a new perspective on the brand, a new beginning, said Zondi.The narrative that stands out very clearly is that Gagasi is moving from being just a radio station to becoming a media lifestyle brand. On the horizon there are a number of brand extensions which will be launched, with the most imminent being GagasiWorld, a new online platform and Gagasi Events which has been in existence but we are now broadening its scope.Gagasi FM Head of Brand Ms Phinda Magwaza elaborated on this media lifestyle positioning saying, The reality is that the market is not staying the same, we need to remain relevant to consumers and their lifestyle patterns at the same time ensure that our media solutions also remain relevant to advertisers and their spending patterns. So when we say we are now a media lifestyle brand, we are responding directly to those market dynamics. Our new corporate identity and our new office space therefore speak to this new era of our business.The new logo, features the brands trademark G which has now been refreshed to fit in with this new vision.The new building features a public and semi-public area in the ground floor to be used mostly for station guests. This space, which was used for the official launch of the premises, will also be used to host various events such as music sessions, panel or roundtable discussions, cocktail events etc. The state of the art main studio is also situated near this public area allowing interaction with the public from the live studio environment.We are very excited about the future. This moment marks the start of a new journey for the brand, we are now officially a multi-platform business. This will have an impact on how we are operating from now on, how we drive engagement with consumers across these platforms to ensure commercial viability and sustainability, concluded Magwaza.With all that being said in terms of radio, online and events platforms of brand Gagasi, is there more in store from this innovative media lifestyle brand in the near future? Only time will tell! AUSTRALIA: The University of Southern Queensland has formed a partnership with Austrak and Laing ORourke to develop and deploy fibre-reinforced polymer composite materials as an alternative to timber in sleepers and bridge transoms. The A$10m project has been backed by an A$3m grant from the governments Co-operative Research Centre ... UK: A smartphone booking app which calculates split ticketing options has been launched by Ctrip, the parent company of flight booking platform Skyscanner. CAST Softwares wysiwyg lighting design and previsualisation software has selected by Israels version of Ninja Warrior. Having first aired in Japan in 1997, Ninja Warrior has rapidly become a popular show around the globe. The format requires contestants to use a combination of strength, stamina, skill and guile to attempt to complete an extensive obstacle course. The most recent country to join the franchise is Israel, with the Ninja Israel show debuting in July this year on Keshet TV. The set for Ninja Israel is the ancient port of Haifa. An atmospheric location, it is transformed for the show by an extensive lighting installation that features over 4.5 tons of trusses together with no fewer than 800 fixtures controlled by a Compulite Vector Blue console and 350 conventional fixtures controlled by a Compulite Vector Ultra Violet console using 21 DMX universes and Compulite e-Port 41 were used. An Ethernet network provided the required connectivity.Ofer Jacobi and Avi-Yona Bueno (aka Bambi) were entrusted with the lighting design. According to Jacobi, designing the lighting for Ninja Israel was challenging because of the enormous location. The set lighting for the obstacle course needed to be combined with, and balanced against, the existing industrial lighting for the port complex as well as the television lighting."When Ofer Jacobi told me that we would be doing this project together, we knew that a 3D simulation would help us choose the lighting set and show Keshet TV's managers how it would eventually look in real life. The maps I took out from wysiwyg helped me and the crew to set the lights very easily, said freelance lighting programmer/operator Ronen Ben-Harosh.Dino Mazza, product manager for wysiwygat CAST Software, added: With a lighting set this huge and this complex, and working to very tight timescales, there is absolutely no room for error. It has to be right first time which means that the entire installation needs to be previsualised before a single fixture is hung. Thats where wysiwygcomes into its own: what you see on the screen in front of you is exactly how the lighting will look in reality. Despite so many Westerners hoping that Africans will agree that capitalism is bad, the fact is that Africa is a continent of private enterprise Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 10/08/2018 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. : Before the 90 Days featured Rachel Bear and Jon Walters getting married and Angela Deem accusing Michael Ilesanmi of emptying out her bank account once she returned to the United States during Sunday night's second-season finale broadcast on TLC.: Before the 90 Days stars seven Americans and their partners overseas trying to make a romance work. In order to pursue a fairy-tale ending, these couples must overcome immense odds and obstacles, including flying halfway across the world just to meet or spend time together.Each couple hopes a marriage proposal or wedding will take place within 90 days, or else one's Tourist Visa will expire.The two returning pairs on : Before the 90 Days are Darcey Silva , a 42-year-old who works in the fashion industry from Middletown, CT, and Jesse Meester , a 24-year-old from Amsterdam, Netherlands, as well as Paul Staehle , a 34-year-old who works in IT from Louisville, KY, and Karine Martins , a 21-year-old from Brazil.The five new couples starring on the series are Angela, a 52-year-old nursing assistant for Hospice from Hazlehurst, GA, and Michael, a 30-year-old from Lagos, Nigeria; Rachel, a 33-year-old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Jon, a 34-year-old from England; Ricky Reyes, a 33-year-old photographer and videographer from Columbus, OH, and Ximena Parra, a 27-year-old from Villanueva, Colombia; Tarik Myers , a 43-year-old realtor and single father from Virginia Beach, VA, and Hazel Cagalitan , a 25-year-old from Manila, Philippines; and Marta Maldanado, a 30-year-old from Milwaukee, WI, and Daya, a 26-year-old Muslim man from Algeria.Below is the latest on each American and international pairing, according to the latest episode.Rachel chose to believe Jon's Facebook conversation with an ex was innocent. They therefore continued planning the wedding together and picked out rings.Jon didn't like the idea of wearing a ring. He worried it was going to be uncomfortable between his fingers, and his concern upset Rachel a little bit.The jeweler John figured Jon didn't want to appear off limits to other women. The man accused Jon of being interested in looking single, but finally, Jon agreed to buy it and wear it."It's scary but I have to trust Jon or else it's not going to work," Rachel said.Lucy was then shown calling Jon "Dada" while they were playing together.Before getting married, Jon had to tell Rachel something, that he had to give up his job. Jon didn't want to stress her out more about finances and promised he'd find another job."I'm in debt. I have a student loan which takes out from my wages if I am employed. [I owe] 30,000 pounds, so about 50 thousand dollars," Jon revealed to his fiancee.Jon asked Rachel not to freak out because he made 700 pounds a month from renting rooms out. Lucy's daycare was also covered. Jon wasn't worried and wanted Rachel to trust him."It's crushing. It's devastating," Rachel said of all they money they now owe together.Rachel and Jon then attended the party with Jon's loved ones the night before their wedding and things were tense considering Jon's ex was supposed to show up. However, she didn't, which was a relief to the bride and groom-to-be.At dinner, Rachel was also comforted to hear from one of Jon's loved ones that he was a changed man because of his love for her.Rachel and Jon were then shown getting married. Rachel donned an A-line lace gown with her hair down in curls and a little crown on her head made of pearls and shells. When the couple exchanged vows, they spoke of how distance could never keep them apart and the only thing that gives them solace is the idea of ending up together.Rachel and Jon had a beautiful ceremony, but Jon acknowledged they were only turning a page in their love story, as they still had a long way to go in order to spend the rest of their lives together in the same country.Marta had to cancel her trip to Algeria because Daya had failed to send her a letter of invitation so she could obtain a visa.Marta and Daya had a couple of arguments over religion and she said he "couldn't handle it." Marta also revealed Daya had stopped responding to her messages.Marta's mother said, "I told you so," but was ultimately relieved her daughter was not going to travel overseas and pursue this wild romance.Marta noted that Daya must have gotten cold feet and she didn't have to look so far to find a good man. She wanted Daya to be The One but noted their relationship wasn't real and her kids were going to be disappointed."I wish I could say he's a good man, but I can't. It does [upset me]. I guess this is what happens with online relationships... but I'm confident it's all going to work out for me one day," Marta told the cameras.Karine was still in the hospital after her miscarriage and Paul was staying in a nearby hotel. He was scared to lose her. She underwent a surgery to ensure she could carry children in the future, but there could be complications.The procedure was ultimately a success, and Paul was prepared to do everything possible to make Karine happy. He knew she was devastated, and so he bought her beautiful red roses and cleared out the baby stuff so she wouldn't look at it all and cry.Paul then revealed to Karine they "had no more money" and he must return to the United States so he could work. Karine didn't want him to leave because she loved him and needed him more than ever."After everything we've been through, I really hope and pray our relationship is strong enough to last this distance, but I'm nervous," Paul said in a confessional.Paul had to work at home for a couple of months in order to make money."Getting married, talking about divorce, losing a child, it's been a journey. When you get married and you make a commitment, you work on your problems and you don't give up on something so easily. You take the time to make it work... I'm going to fight and do whatever I can for our future," Paul explained.Darcey felt she had been taken advantage of. She expected Jesse to be sweet and romantic, but instead, he traveled for hours to break up with her. Darcey tried to calm down before going home to her girls.Jesse didn't want Darcey to travel from New York to Connecticut in a bad mental state so he asked her to stay in his hotel room.Darcey said he had controlled everything in their relationship but he wasn't going to control their breakup. She needed some closure, however, before she could be totally done.Once Darcey got up to Jesse's hotel room, she decided to stand up for herself and they bickered nonstop. Jesse accused her of throwing shoes at him and being an alcoholic, and Darcey called him a liar and said she was going to have fun in New York since their romance was over.Darcey called herself "a fool" and said Jesse was "nasty all the time." But Jesse was tired of her playing the victim."Go have some drinks again," Jesse told her."F-ck off," she replied. "I'm done."Jesse booked a different room in the same hotel. He was upset things didn't end better between them because he had wanted to let her down with respect and love.Meanwhile, Darcey cried about how she deserved better and Jesse was not what she wanted in a man."We do love each other, but that's not love. I don't know what that is," Darcey vented.The next morning, Jesse was packing up to return to Amsterdam. Darcey was heartbroken because she really gave it a chance and she really loved him.Darcey revealed however that the night prior, Jesse came to her room to "check on" her and then they "got intimate." Darcey wondered if it was "make up sex" because they cuddled after and then did it again."But I don't think we should have done what we did," Darcey said.Jesse then lied and told the cameras he did not have sex with Darcey although she wanted to. Darcey said she did not desire a friends-with-benefits type of romance.Jesse then left without saying goodbye. He was overwhelmed and mentioned how he'd be leaving a part of his heart in the United States and would probably miss her."I wish Darcey love and peace of mind, and I pray for the best for her," Jesse said.Darcey admitted it was going to be necessary to shut Jesse out and close him off in order to find peace."You can't break my heart any more, Jesse, it's done," Darcey told the cameras. "I'm ready to move forward, no more looking back."Ricky only had one day left with Ximena in Colombia. Once inside the room of their Air B&B, Ximena read a text from Ricky's ex. The ex-wife claimed Ricky had told her that his relationship with Ximena wasn't serious.Ricky said he had to lie in order to not create a problem, because if he upsets his ex, he may not be able to see his daughter. Ricky explained the situation is "complicated."Ximena feared Ricky would lie to her more if he frequently lied to his ex. Ximena needed Ricky to prove to her that he was being honest and what they had was real."Truthfully, this will be the last time I am so understanding," Ximena said in a confessional.Ricky wished their relationship was more stable before he had to leave. Ximena said she didn't want to carry through with any of the visa paperwork until he's officially divorced. Ximena, however, felt their love was worth fighting for.Ricky cried about having to leave Ximena behind, but he said he'd come back for her -- "for damn sure."They were both flying high in Manila. Tarik wanted Hazel to live with him in the United States, and he was ready to apply for a K-1 visa so he could make that happen.The couple then revealed to Tarik's brother Dean they got engaged. What was supposed to be a vacation for Dean quickly turned a dark corner, but tried to be supportive of his brother and congratulated the pair. Dean wanted to keep his relationship with his brother solid."I can't force these lessons upon him. He's going to have to learn them himself," Dean said.Hazel told the cameras once Tarik left the next day, she was going to be homeless -- and her fiance had no idea. She then admitted to Tarik she had nowhere to live while he was gone.Tarik felt responsible for finding Hazel an apartment, so he did quickly. Hazel was embarrassed so he "kept the drama to a minimum." Tarik just hoped Hazel wasn't hiding anything else, and before bed, she said, "I love you."The next day, Tarik had to get back to his daughter and really wished Hazel could go home with him. The couple didn't have sex yet, but Tarik said it would probably happen once he returns to Manila. He said sexual chemistry is "important but it's not everything."Hazel said it hurt to say goodbye. She hoped he would wait for her in the long run."I kind of feel like I'm abandoning her, and that's a terrible feeling," Tarik said.Hazel cried at the airport and they expressed love for one another.Angela was packing up her stuff to leave Nigeria. She didn't know when she'd get to see him again, so she said it was hard to leave. Angela said they had been through hell by they still loved each other.Angela was ready to go through with the process to bring Michael home to the United States, and he was looking forward to working on and bettering himself so he could become the man Angela wanted him to be.Michael said he was going to be lonely without Angela.It was their first step of "a very long road," according to Angela, but nothing was going to stop her from bringing Michael to America.However, upon arriving in Georgia, Angela tried to use her debit card and found that her bank account was empty. Unable to reach Michael, Angela called the producer, who was filming Michael's interview in Nigeria.Michael and Angela then spoke on the phone. Angela said Michael was only supposed to withdraw $300, but two additional sets of $300 had been withdrawn. Michael said, "No, that can't be!"Michael denied taking more than $300 from Angela, and she called it "a nightmare." Angela was broke, she had no gas money or way to pay her bills.Michael told Angela they needed to investigate the situation, but then Angela told him to "go to hell" and hung up. Michael said there was a "misconception." , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Ask CapeTalk listeners how they would describe the station their replies would include "champion, companion, friend, confidante, trusted news source". Ask CapeTalk programme manager, Tessa van Staden? We are passionate about sharing information. Sometimes our listeners are the ones alerting us to a breaking development. CapeTalk producers find the most relevant, knowledgeable and interesting guests to feature on air, so our listeners are kept up-to-date. Our hosts are courageous: theyre not afraid to challenge those in authority.The little station that could - that went to air twenty-one years ago this month has tackled the big issues, laughed and cried with the people of the Cape.1997 -6am on the morning 14 October 1997. The station goes live on-air with John Maytham coming to listeners live from the studios in Bree Street2001 -Capetonians gather on Clifton 4th beach for the first superb music festival called Moonstruck which featured timeless hits that had everyone throwing off their shoes and dancing under the moon2003 -CapeTalk celebrated its sixth birthday by changing the lives of five families in KTC township forever. CapeTalk teamed up with Habitat for Humanity and built five houses in five days from Monday, 20 October 2003. The new homes will be handed over to five families on Friday, 24 October.2010 -CapeTalk along with sister stations within the Primedia Broadcasting stable launches LeadSA - an initiative with the aim of mobilising South Africans to look within and be the change they want to see in South Africa2015 -CapeTalks Fire Relief Fund Radiothon raises more than three million for the city's fire services when fires on Table Mountain threatened homes and lives in the city."As we celebrate our 21st birthday, I love the way CapeTalk has mirrored life in this city and connected with our listeners. We are a trusted news and information entity that emotionally engages our audience at all levels as we celebrate this twentieth milestone Im excited about what future conversations will yield. Every day is a surprise.""It has been a privilege to be in conversation with Cape Town for two decades. I have fantastic memories. 21 years on-air translates to roughly 60,000 interviews and about 70,000 chats with callers who have co-created magical moments on air with us. I want to thank all our listeners whove campaigned with us on causes, who have championed our efforts challenging authority and who have laughed and cried with us. We look forward to the next 21."A bright and sunny future lies ahead of the little station which punched way above its weight 21 years ago. Now a formidable station with a significant listenership, you are invited to Join the Conversation. Cape Town are you ready for the next 21 years? On the morning of Oct. 16, the pond at the Founders Memorial Garden was allegedly vandalized with foam, killing nearly all the fish inside. A merger of two of the major players in the competition to build more wind farms off the southern New England coast has more positives for Connecticut, according to environmentalists, labor leaders and energy experts. Officials with Danish wind power energy giant Orsted have agreed to pay $510 million to acquire Providence-based Deepwater Wind from the D.E. Shaw Group, an international investment management group headquartered in New York City. The deal faces several regulatory approvals, but if obtained, the merger is expected to close by the end of the year. Deepwater Wind is best known for having developed the only commercial wind farm in the United States. It began operating about 4 miles southeast of Block Island in December 2016 and the five-turbine project generates 30 megawatts of power, enough for about 17,000 homes. Deepwater Winds portfolio has a total potential capacity of approximately 3.3 gigawatts. according to company officials. More for you Plastic bag ban being crafted for New Haven Orsted entered the U.S wind power market in 2015. The company currently has development rights to produce up to 2 gigawatts of energy at the Bay State Wind site off the coast of Massachusetts. Bay State Wind is located 25 miles off the southern coast of Massachusetts, and 15 miles off the coast of Marthas Vineyard. The project is a joint venture between Orsted and Hartford-based Eversource Energy. Orsted also has projects in varying stages of development off the coast of Atlantic City and as well as in Virginia. If the deal is approved, Orsted will be able to deliver wind power to seven states on the East Coast that already have committed to build more than 10 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030. A gigawatt is equal to 1 billion watts of power. Martin Neubert, chief executive officer of Offshore Wind at Orsted, said the merger will create the number one offshore wind platform in North America. (Its about) merging the best of two worlds: Deepwater Winds longstanding expertise in originating, developing and permitting offshore wind projects in the US, and Orsteds unparalleled track-record in engineering, constructing, and operating large-scale offshore wind farms, Neubert said in a statement. The merger comes just months after Connecticut made history in June as the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection selected Deepwater Wind as one of the winners of its renewable energy-procurement efforts. The 200-megawatt project, which could be operational by 2023, will be built in federal waters about halfway between Montauk, N.Y., and Marthas Vineyard. Connecticut officials already have issued another request for proposals in an effort to meet the states clean energy goals for the future. Three offshore wind bids were among the dozens submitted and supporters of wind power in Connecticut are optimistic that request for proposals will yield further wind power projects to add to the states energy mix. These bids give Connecticut another opportunity to affordably meet its clean energy and greenhouse gas reduction requirements by bringing more offshore wind online, said Emily Lewis, senior policy analyst at Acadia Center. With this procurement, Connecticut should aim to keep pace with its neighbors and grow its offshore wind resource to maximize ratepayer savings, economic growth, and carbon-free electricity generation. Claire Coleman, a climate and energy attorney with New Haven-based Connecticut Fund for the Environment, said the organization supports a robust, competitive market for offshore wind development along the East Coast, which will help drive prices down and assure we build projects that are environmentally responsible. Offshore wind is an important renewable energy resource that reduces our reliance on dirty fossil fuels and mitigates climate change, Coleman said. We hope that the acquisition of the pioneering wind developer Deepwater Wind by a Danish company will mean more offshore wind development along the East Coast. Catherine Bowes, the National Wildlife Federations offshore wind program director, said the consolidation within the wind power industry comes at a pivotal moment in Americas offshore wind story. We know responsibly developed offshore wind power offers a critical solution to climate change, and the first round of U.S projects must be sited and built with wildlife in mind, Bowes said in a statement. Deepwater Winds Block Island Wind Farm set a strong precedent with the development of Americas first offshore turbines, and we look forward to continuing to work with Orsted and all offshore wind companies to advance responsibly developed projects for America. The Connecticut Bond Commission has approved a $15 million investment in state pier in New London so it can become a staging area for the Deepwater Wind project and any others that may come along in the future. Deepwater Wind has agreed to invest $15 million of its own money to develop New London as a staging area. Turning the New London pier into a center for this and other heavy industry projects is expected to result in 1,400 direct and indirect jobs in Connecticut, according to state officials. John Humphries, organizer for the CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs, said the expertise that Orsted brings to the table can only help the states efforts to create new jobs ties to the clean energy industry. The group is a coalition of unions, environmental and other groups. From everything weve seen, Orsted is committed to expanding in Connecticut, Humphries said Monday. That would bring even more good news for Connecticuts workers and communities: a thriving local economy to accompany the clean energy. luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com There are about 4,487 homeless students from pre-kindergarten through high school identified in the state, and those numbers are on the rise. But officials arent sure if its a true increase or if schools are getting better at reporting such situations, said Louis Tallarita, who oversees the rights of such children as the states McKinney Vento coordinator. Regardless of the trend, the need is great, shelter operators say, and there are many complex systems in place to assure the needs of children are met. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has made it a priority to help as many homeless families as possible by December. The federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, in place for some 30 years, protects the rights of such children to education, and financial help with supplies, clothes and lunches, and from discrimination. Tallarita said the count of 4,487 homeless students throughout Connecticut was for 2016-17 school year. According to the state statistics from last school year, the number of homeless students in area municipalities include: 274 in Bridgeport; 40 in Middletown; 47 in Torrington; 28 in Branford; 34 in Hamden; 12 in Milford; 23 in West Haven, 38 in Danbury. Towns with six or fewer homeless students are not disclosed. Tallarita said homelessness includes several scenarios: those living in shelters, cars, motels, parks, unsheltered areas, campgrounds and those doubled up living with friends or family. The state numbers for primary nighttime residence of those students show 1,070 are in shelters or transitional housing; 2,872 are doubled up or living with another family; 57 are unsheltered living in cars, parks, campgrounds, temporary trailer, or abandoned buildings; 488 are in hotels or motels. It is considered in the best interest of homeless children to stay in their home school for consistency, but there is also a school choice policy in which parents can petition for children to attend the school district in which they are homeless if its different than the one they came from. Tallarita said some people arent aware of their rights and so parents are hesitant to report they are homeless. Some dont consider themselves homeless if they arent living in shelter or on (the) street, Tallarita said. The law is in place to serve and protect childrens ability to stay in school. Every school system has a coordinator in place under the federal law to help keep kids stay in school, get them services, remedial assistance if needed, and supplies. Federal funds are available to school systems. Tallarita said theres a stigma attached to homelessness and parents are afraid their case will be referred to the state Department of Children and Families and they will lose their kids. But Tallarita said thats a misconception, because being homeless does not in itself qualify as abuse and neglect, although living in a car may under some circumstances be considered unsafe. Tallarita said DCF may be able to help with resources. Dierdre DiCara, executive director of the FISH shelter and food pantry in Torrington , said the need is great in Northwest Connecticut. She said more than 500 families used the food pantry last year and that translates to more than 1,700 people. For a family, its such a dilemma because families want to stay together, she said. They are so worried about DCF. DiCara said when children with families move into the shelter, they try to determine where their subsidized or low-income housing will be, and they get the children into that communitys school system. She said she recently had a family from Winsted with three teenagers who wanted to move back to Winsted, so the bus came to the shelter so they could stay in the schools in that community. Parents aware of residency statutes that require children to live in the district where they attended school are fearful if they are homeless and out of district their kids will be taken out of their home school. But the federal act protects them from that, Tallarita said. Last year, 2,000 students from Puerto Rico and other areas hit by storms came to the state, so this year numbers will likely be higher, he said. New Haven spokesman Laurence Grotheer said the citys school district receives a very modest amount of funding through a series of three-year grants, to help with its approximately 721 homeless students, as of last year. Grotheer said that figure includes 212 evacuees from Puerto Rico displaced by Hurricane Maria. Homeless students are enrolled in the general population; the district provides some school supplies and solicits donations for other accessories like coats, hats, gloves, as needed transportation to and from school is provided by the district, Grotheer said. NHPS has a districtwide McKinney-Vento liaison to state officials, as well as a designated McKinney-Vento liaison in each school to help individual homeless students with any other wraparound services they need, Grotheer said. Jennifer Paradis, executive director of Beth El Center shelter in Milford, said she encourages families who are homeless with no place to go to call the 211 hotline. We want people to come in for shelter and accept services, Paradis said. Paradis said the shelter has a system to bring in families the same day, and that there is a complex system in prioritizing for children, including family housing navigators in New Haven trying to remedy homelessness in cars. Its a shocking number, she said of the homeless student statistics. Paradis said the staff works closely with homeless students to ensure success. Beth El has a family shelter that houses six families and can expand space in crisis to house more in other areas. It is critical that education be a constant in life, for those dealing with housing insecurity and family displacement, Paradis said. She said working with homeless students requires advocacy and negotiation, on the students behalf, including making sure they are performing well. We work in partnership with others, we do everything in our power to partner, Paradis said. This is a child experiencing something overwhelming in their lives. Paradis said homelessness looks different in different situations. The important piece is theres a lot of coordinated effort, she said, and the work is to prioritize, identify issues. She said summer is when there is the most impact on children because there is an increase in family destabilization. Kids being around more at home causes stress of more noise and higher food costs. For that reason, shelters usually see an influx of students at the beginning of the school year. It takes a lot of education of the school system, she said. DiCara agreed that summer brings stresses and doubling up with others doesnt always last. She said a couple from Litchfield served by the shelter arrived because it became too stressful for a grandparent with whom they lived. The mom and dad had a 3-year-old and a baby, and both parents lost their jobs. The scenario had a happy ending, she said, as both parents later found jobs and housing. NEW HARTFORD Susan Chinatti Lowell has an important message for children, teenagers and adults who struggle with reading and writing in school and in the workplace. As the director of the newly opened Reading and Literacy Clinic, Lowell encourages individuals to focus on their strengths and to identify whats hard about reading and writing. From that point, Lowell urges students to find a good teacher that can help them excel in their classroom, workplace and everyday life. With time, patience and effective literacy instruction; their reading and spelling will steadily improve, she said. The key to helping all students learn to read is high quality literacy instruction, Lowell said. According to Lowell, national data shows literacy problems are prevalent, and as many as one in five individuals have difficulty with reading and writing despite average intelligence or above average intelligence. Its interesting how incredibly prevalent this is, she said. Even if we say one in ten, thats extremely prevalent. During a recent interview, Lowell also stressed the importance of early identification and treatment of literacy problems as opposed to taking a wait and see approach. Dyslexia is the most carefully studied of all the learning disabilities, Lowell said. The earlier parents and teachers intervene, the better results we have. Lowell intends to play a key role in early intervention with the opening of her clinic, which will officially open for business in Hurley Business Park during the first week of October. The opening of the clinic is a return to her Litchfield County roots, as Lowell is a native of Torrington. She recently moved to New Hartford after living in Chapel Hill, NC for the past 16 years, where she operated a private clinical practice specializing in educational testing and learning disability evaluations. I am so happy to be in New Hartford, she said. The new space is absolutely beautiful, its just lovely, open and airy. Through her work with children, adolescents, and adults in her new clinic, Lowell will perform educational testing and assessment of specific learning disabilities, reading disorders and dyslexia. After the testing and assessments are conducted, Lowell then provides in depth educational evaluations along with teaching recommendations, accommodations and strategies for her clients. The opening of Lowells clinic will coincide with The International Dyslexia Associations annual Reading, Literacy and Learning Conference. This years conference will be held at Foxwoods Resort from Oct. 24 to 27. October is also dyslexia awareness month, and Connecticut recently passed its third dyslexia law to support students with dyslexia, Lowell said. It will be great to have the conference in Connecticut this year. During the conference, Lowell will chair a full day symposium entitled, Dyslexia Testing for Teaching and Beyond: Identification of Dyslexia K12, College, University, and Workplace. In past years, Lowell has also been an active supporter of Decoding Dyslexia - CT, a grassroots group driven by Connecticut families, teachers and other advocates. We aim to raise dyslexia awareness, empower families to support their children and inform policy-makers on best practices to identify, remediate and support students with dyslexia in our public schools, the groups website states. As part of her work with Decoding Dyslexia - CT, Lowell wrote a statement in support of the first law pertaining to dyslexia in Connecticut. Groups across the state are working hard to publicize this most common learning disorder, Lowell said. Lowell is a Fulbright Senior Specialist Professor and Board Certified educational therapist. She is also an adjunct professor at Bay Path University, where she presently teaches several reading and literacy instruction courses at the graduate level. Lowell is available for consultation by appointment and can be reached at (919) 614-0035, or via email: lowellsusanc@gmail.com. Additional information about Lowells work can be obtained at www.readingandliteracyclinic.com. Red & Yellow, in partnership with IAB SA, is delighted to be hosting the Red & Yellow Digital Agency Showcase day on 25 October 2018, on their beautiful Cape Town campus. The line-up brings together the six heavyweight giants in the digital landscape (Bookmarks ranking 2018): Ogilvy, King James, VML, M&C Saatchi Abel, Hello Computer, Net#work. The brief is simple: each agency has 45 minutes to inspire the audience - be it insights, lessons, wisdom gained, trends, challenges or anything related to how they made it to the top. Followed by 15 minutes for the audience to ask the hard questions or advice on best approach.Red and Yellow Creative Business School has been teaching business leaders to think creatively since 1994. The need for lifelong learning is a crucial aspect for career success in the 21st Century, as is the need for education to be more than from the book.Education and transformation are at the heart of the IAB SA strategy to empower the media and marketing industry to thrive in a digital economy we drive this through our connected culture and an accessible network of experts and expertise. Our partnership with Red & Yellow in this inspirational initiative is a true example of this in action. Continuous learning is vital to stay ahead of the digital curve and drive our industry forward, says Paula Hulley from IABWere surrounded by leaders whose creative thinking is changing the landscape for brands everywhere. This showcase event brings that all together, says Rob Stokes, Chairman of Red & Yellow. Whether youre working in a business, running your own business, a student, a lecturer, unemployed or just starting your career - we want you here. Its free and seats will go fast.The Digital Agency Showcase will take place on 25 October 2018 at the Red & Yellow Creative School of Business. Guests are invited to arrive from 8am for coffee and networking. Official proceedings will start at 9am until 5.30pm, after which guests are welcome to enjoy drinks in the rooftop bar.For more information about the Digital Agency Showcase or to book your seat, visit Red & Yellow website. Alternatively, email az.oc.wolleydnader@ofni or visit the Facebook event.This showcase will bring together practical insights, the most innovative work in the country, the latest trends and networking opportunities for those aspiring to digital greatness, comments Helene Lindsay, Red & Yellow Head of Customer.----------DETAILS----------The COST: Free, mahala, zero because we just love learning and we know you love it too!How can you be there? Unless you are part of the Red & Yellow Alumni Network, seats are incredibly LIMITED. Please visit redandyellow.co.za/showcase to RSVP and book your seat.If youre one of our alumni, please contact az.oc.wolleydnader@inmula Watch the stream at Facebook.com/redandyellowed Dont miss the chance to tap into the brains of the leading agencies in SA. The former head of Interpol, Meng Hongwei, is being held for investigation for corruption at a secret location "on the outskirts of Beijing" after the international police body accepted his resignation "with immediate effect" on , RFA has learned. Meng resigned as President of Interpol on , Interpol said in a brief statement on its website, but gave no reason for the resignation, nor did it provide details of his status or whereabouts. Meng had been elected to lead the international police agency until 2020. Meng's resignation came after he was reported missing by his wife last, after he returned to China on a trip last week. The official website of China's Ministry of Public Security said on that Meng is being investigated for "accepting bribes and suspected violation of laws." The ruling Chinese Communist Party committee at the ministry found that Meng's investigation was "completely the result of him willfully taking his own path and his own doing," and that it would "resolutely uphold and resolutely support" the investigation. It said the probe by President Xi Jinping's newly established State Supervisory Commission was "very timely, completely correct, very wise, and fully expresses the clear cut attitude and resolute determination of the party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core to administer the party with strict discipline and to carry on the anti-corruption fight to the end." The meeting called for the "profound understanding" of the damage to the party and to Chinese law enforcement caused by "Meng Hongwei's acceptance of bribes and violation of laws," the report said. But it also called on high-ranking police officers to "always maintain the political character of absolute loyalty ... to the party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core," indicating a likely political motive behind Meng's disappearance. A person familiar with the matter told RFA on that Meng is currently under house arrest in a suburb of Beijing, and that many of his subordinates have also been implicated in the case. Meng's detention is similar to that of other senior officials under house arrest, the person said, adding that Meng is being guarded by specially assigned personnel, and that the probe is shrouded in secrecy. Knife emoji His wife Grace Meng made a public appeal to rescue her husband on, showing a knife emoji he had sent her to warn that he was in danger, while the acceptance of his resignation by Interpol drew criticism from human rights activists, who hit out at international acceptance of China's use of forced "disappearances." "How can you accept a resignation letter from a man who has disappeared?" rights activist Peter Dahlin, who has himself been detained in China, said via Twitter. "Who has been placed into a system that is known to use torture? When he is being kept incommunicado (and in solitary confinement). What is wrong with you @INTERPOL_HQ?" And Sophie Richardson, China director for the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said the organization itself should be held to account for its handling of the crisis. "Sorry, @INTERPOL_HQ, but *you* arent getting off so easily here," Richardson tweeted. "If you really actually concerned about proper law enforcement why are you talking only about #China Meng resignation and *not* about ensuring due process for him?" Meanwhile, a second person familiar with the situation said there was strong disagreement about the move to detain Meng in the highest echelons of the Chinese leadership. "The Chinese Communist Party ... basically disappeared a high-ranking official in an international organization, once more letting a scandal play out before the eyes of the world," the person said, adding that the political motivation for going after Meng remains unclear. "I think it's too far-fetched to say that it's because of his connection to [jailed former security czar] Zhou Yongkang, because there are a number of high-ranking officials like that who have been promoted by [President] Xi Jinping," they said. Reports suggest that Meng was appointed vice-minister for public security by Zhou, who rose to power at the head of China feared "stability maintenance" system, was jailed for life by the Tianjin No. 1 Intermediate People's Court in , after being found guilty of bribe-taking, abuse of power, and disclosure of state secrets in a secret trial. Zhou's sentence came rumors of a political coup attempt to topple Xi by him and jailed former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai. China's securities regulator Liu Shiyu later told top finance officials during the 19th Party Congress in 2017 that senior figures had "conspired openly to usurp party leadership." Earlier that year, Xi had accused five disgraced party officials, including Zhou and Bo, of involvement in "political conspiracies." Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Authorities in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong have sealed off a city after thousands of People's Liberation Army (PLA) veterans converged there over a weekend of protests and clashes over police beatings of their former comrades-in-arms, local activists and residents told RFA on . Video footage of the protests showed police in full riot gear backing off in the face of elderly men in camouflage gear wielding wooden sticks during the protests in Shandong's Pingdu city on . Police were also seen walking alongside a long line of marchers carrying banners from different parts of China and the hammer and sickle of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Police beat up a number of protesters, sources told RFA, providing footage of several elderly veterans lying on gurneys at a hospital in Pingdu, one with a broken arm, according to the veteran who filmed it. In the video, a man is heard telling healthcare staff that he has no money to pay for treatment, and that the government should pay, because they were beaten by police. A Chinese journalist at the scene told RFA that clashes between veterans and police had started on and continued into the early hours of morning until police were ordered to withdraw for fear of sparking mass riots. "They were all still there at two, three in the morning," the journalist, who gave only his surname Lin, told RFA. "Finally, the police withdrew--there was a report online that said an order had come through from police headquarters not to use violence." "Instead they surrounded the protesters and cordoned them off ... By [] morning they were arriving from all over China," Lin said. "They are still coming now. I'm not sure exactly how many there are, but their numbers are probably in the thousands." "We don't yet know how many people have been injured," he said. Protest area cordoned off He said the area of the protest had been cordoned off and closed to traffic on , with police roadblocks at more than a dozen intersections around the protests. A number of veterans were blocked by police and prevented from reaching the main protest, Lin said. The protests began after a group of 38 elderly petitioners from Pingdu, which is administered by the port city of Qingdao, were forcibly returned from a petitioning trip to Beijing and beaten up by the Pingdu deputy police chief, sources said. The beatings sparked angry protests against police brutality from other PLA veterans living nearby, and a call for support from veterans from China. A Pingdu resident surnamed Li said the veterans were still arriving in the city on amid growing public anger over police beatings of elderly men. "They are still marching on the street, near the old Hall of the People in Pingdu," Li said. "I don't know exactly how many there are, but there are a lot." "Army veterans from [the southwestern province of] Sichuan are also here," she said, adding that the injured veterans were taken to the Pingdu Peoples Hospital, but were left in corridors rather than treated in a timely manner. "They were all left in the hallway and given some medicine, but they didn't receive good treatment," she said. "One veteran was beaten and had a heart attack and this wasn't treated." Li said local public opinion tends to support the veterans, amid widespread anger at their beatings at the hands of the police. "When I was at the scene, the local veterans were very supportive of these veterans, and they condemned the governments actions," she said. "I think there are talks going on with the mayor [or other city officials] ." City-wide lockdown An official who answered the phone at the Pingdu police department on declined to comment, saying they didn't know the details of the situation. A rights activist said police began taking action to clear the protesters from the city's streets at around 9.00 a.m. on , however. "First, they drive all away all the local people, and then they kettled the veterans over by Lianhuachi," rights activist Jiang Jiawen told RFA. "The police used force during this operation, but they managed to stay restrained, and fortunately this didn't lead to a more serious incident." "The whole city is in security lockdown right now, and the government has issued an order that any veterans in the city must be reported to the authorities," Jiang said. "Some are being escorted back home, while others are being taken on forced vacations, and some have been detained." "All routes into the city, the expressways, all have police checkpoints, and they are using facial recognition to ensure that no petitioners get in," he said. The government recently promised a boost to benefits paid to veterans of its People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the wake of mounting nationwide protests by thousands of former soldiers who say they've been sold short since demobilization. Veterans staged protests across the country ahead of Aug. 1 this year, the anniversary of the PLA's founding in 1927, gathering in Henan and Sichuan provinces since the beginning of the year, and converging in their thousands on Jiangsu's Zhenjiang city in a highly organized demonstration in June. Activists helping PLA veterans lodge petitions and complaints over unpaid pensions say many local governments failure to deliver on promised demobilization benefits, and veterans have said they are skeptical that the promised boost to their benefits will actually materialize. Reported by Wong Siu-san and Lau Siu-fung for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Gao Feng for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. About 70 ethnic Rakhines protested outside the Myanmar embassy in Tokyo on Monday, calling on State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi to release a Rakhine nationalist leader and a social activist arrested earlier this year and charged with treason. The countrys de facto leader has been in Japan since Oct. 5 to attend a Mekong-Japan Summit on Tuesday and to drum up Japanese investment for Myanmar at a time when much of the international community has heavily condemned her and the National League for Democracy (NLD) government over the handling of the Rohingya crisis in Rakhine state. The demonstration, organized by the Arakan Youth Union (AYU-Japan), demanded that the Myanmar government immediately release Rakhine politician Aye Maung and author and activist Wai Han Aung, who were arrested in January and charged under the High Treason Law and the Unlawful Associations Act. The pair had delivered speeches calling for revolt against Myanmars ethnic majority Bamar-led local government after a Jan. 16 clash between police and thousands of members of the Rakhine minority group left seven protesters dead and 13 injured. The protesters in Tokyo also called for the government to take no further action against demonstrators who have completed their jail time for participating in rally that turned violent in the Rakhine town of Mrauk-U; freedom of movement for Rakhine people throughout Myanmar; the cleanup of the polluted Thanzit River in the town of Kyaukphyu; and the release of all Rakhine political prisoners, according to a report by the online journal The Irrawaddy. We are protesting today because we are unhappy with the action of bringing new lawsuits against those who have completed their sentences for participating in a spontaneous demonstration in Mrauk-U, which was brutally suppressed by police, said protest leader Maung Aye, who is also head of the Arakan Social Association. We are not rabble-rousers; were just trying to tell our government what we want it to know, he told RFAs Myanmar Service. We have informed Daw [honorific] Aung San Suu Kyis government, which is a civilian government, about what we want. The democratic Japanese government invited this NLD civilian government, and it gave us permission to protest against the NLD government. Maung Tun Wai, a Myanmar national who works in Tokyo and who observed the protest, said that Japanese police stopped him and others from taking photos of the demonstration. The Japanese police had also warned that they would arrest and detain people who protested at the venue of the Mekong-Japan Summit tomorrow, he told RFAs Myanmar Service. We wish to be very open The protest occurred the same day that Aung San Suu Kyi pledged to increase transparency over the governments handling of the Rohingya crisis while speaking to Japanese business leaders about foreign investment in Myanmar, Agence France-Press reported. Im ready to acknowledge that we have challenges to face, particularly with regard to the Rakhine and with the struggles we have on the peace front, she was quoted as saying during a speech. We are not hiding this fact from our friends. The United Nations and others have accused Myanmars military of genocide and ethnic cleansing by waging a campaign of violence against the Rohingya in Rakhine state in 2017, during which thousands were killed and about 720,000 fled to Bangladesh. We understand that peace, reconciliation, harmony, stability, rule of law, human rights all these have to be taken into consideration when we are looking for more investment, for greater economic opportunities, Aung San Suu Kyi was quoted as saying. We wish to be very open and transparent to our friends, she said. During Aung San Suu Kyis visit to Japan, seven Rohingya who were deported by India arrived Monday in the Rakhine town of Kyauktaw, where the state government returned them to their homes in Zayywa and Hsinowe Pauktaw Muslim villages, said Muslim community leader Maung Thein. The men, who are 19 to 25 years old, had been detained for immigration offenses in Silchar jail in northeasts Indias Assam state since 2012, he said. Indian and Myanmar security officials exchanged documents before the men were handed over on Oct. 4 at the Moreh border crossing in northeastern Indias Manipur state, he said. Kyauktaw townships immigration officer took these seven men by car and returned them to their parents, Maung Thain told RFA. They are now safely at their parents homes. The U.N.s refugee agency (UNHCR) criticized India on Friday for deporting the Rohingya men amid warnings that they could face persecution back home, and expressed concern for their safety, AFP reported. Myanmar refers to the Rohingya as Bengalis because it views them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and systematically discriminates against them by denying them citizenship and basic rights. Rohingya have been driven from Rakhine during previous crackdowns and bouts of communal violence such as one in 2012 that left more than 200 people dead and displaced tens of thousands. UNHCR also noted that the men had been denied access to a lawyer and not given a chance to be processed for asylum while in India, which views the Rohingya as a security threat because of information connecting them to terrorist groups, the AFP report said. In 2017, the Indian government ordered that all the roughly 40,000 Rohingya in the country be deported. Big problems again Some Rakhine state residents expressed concern over the Indian governments plan to send Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar. Aung Mya Kyaw, a resident of Rakhines capital Sittwe, told RFA that there would be more problems in the beleaguered state if India returns Muslims who did not previously live in the region. If Bengalis are sent to Rakhine whenever they are arrested in other places, then thats not fair, he said. They should be checked very carefully to determine whether they really lived in Rakhine or not before they are sent here. If there are some among them who didnt actually live in the region, then there will be more problems, he said. Another Sittwe resident, Than Tun, agreed. If they havent lived in Rakhine but are sent to Rakhine because they are Bengalis, there will be big problems again in the region, he told RFA. Myanmar has accepted seven of them from India now, he said. If someone or some organizations say that Myanmar has to accept the rest of the 700,000 as well, it will be really dangerous for our country. Citing a U.N. fact-finding commission that in late August accused the Myanmar military of genocide and called for the prosecution of top commanders for the 2017 crackdown on the Rohingya, Tun Khin, chairman of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, said the seven men should not have been sent back to Myanmar, and charged that Muslims are still being killed. India, which is a democratic country, shouldnt send Rohingya back to Myanmar as long as the genocide hasnt ended, he said, adding that by doing so, the country has violated the international legal principle of refoulement, or returning refugees to a place where they face danger. India denies that it has broken any law by sending back the refugees. Rosario Manalo (L), chairperson of a commission established by Myanmar's government to investigate human rights violations in Rakhine state, and commissioner Aung Tun Thet (R) arrive at Rahine's Sittwe airport, Aug. 31, 2018. Credit: AFP Independent commission meets Meanwhile, the four members of an independent commission set up by Myanmars government in July to investigate human rights violations in Rakhine state held their third meeting on Oct. 5-7, during which they discussed the need for external experts in information and communication, and legal, forensic, and criminal investigation to assist them in their probe. The commission met with Myanmar Vice President Myint Swe and other officials involved in a previous investigative commission on Maungdaw district the nexus of the 2017 crackdown in Rakhine state according to a statement issued Sunday by the panel. They also discussed the governments efforts to prepare for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh. The commission will now begin to gather and analyze information and evidence by setting up a subcommittee, the statement said. Its fourth meeting is scheduled for December. RFA contacted commission member Aung Tun Thet for comment, but he refused to answer questions. Maung Maung Ohn, former chief minister of Rakhine state, said he wants the commission to investigate the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), the Muslim militant group that carried out deadly attacks on police outposts in August 2017, which sparked the crackdown. The international community has blamed only Myanmars security force organizations, such as the police, military, and security guards [for the violence], he said. I want the inquiry commission to investigate both sides. Please dont hide what ARSA and the terrorists did, he said. All problems occurred because of the ARSA terrorists attacks on Myanmar police stations. Pe Than, a lower house lawmaker for the Arakan National Party in Rakhine state, said the military may not cooperate with the commission. The violence and problems occurred only after ARSAs terrorist attacks on the police stations in Rakhine, he told RFA. It is certain that the commission will investigate the government army and security guards. But I dont know whether the military will work with the commission or not. If not, then the commission will be only for show in the eyes of the international community. The members of the commission Filipino former undersecretary of foreign affairs Rosario Manalo, former Japanese ambassador to the U.N. and Kenzo Oshima, Myanmar lawyer Mya Thein, and Myanmar economist and former U.N. official Aung Tun Thet have pledged to conduct their probe with impartiality and to submit a report on their findings to President Win Myint next year. Previous attempts by Myanmar to investigate the military campaign against Rohingya largely exonerated the countrys army and were dismissed as a whitewash by Rohingya groups and human rights experts. As a result, many observers have voiced low expectations for the new commission. UN agencies in Rakhine As the commission began its third meeting on Oct. 5, the UNHCR and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said they had returned to northern Rakhine to begin a second phase of assessments in Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung townships, where the 2017 crackdown on the Rohingya and a smaller-scale one in 2016 took place. The two U.N. agencies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Myanmar in June to work with the government to facilitate the return and reintegration some of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled after both campaigns. UNHCR and UNDP remain committed to the implementation of the MoU, and to supporting the government of Myanmars efforts to find comprehensive and durable solutions to the crisis in Rakhine state, said a UNHCR statement issued Oct. 5. The Myanmar governments leadership in the implementation of this agreement is critical to creating conditions conducive for the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees, it said. The U.N. agencies wrapped up their first assessments at 26 locations in northern Rakhine in September. Reported by Min Thein Aung, Khin Khin Ei, and Kyaw Thu for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Thich Quang Do, supreme patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, reads at the Thanh Minh Zen Monastery in Ho Chi Minh City, Sept. 3, 2018. A high-profile human rights activist and supreme patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) has been expelled from the Thanh Minh Zen monastery in Ho Chi Minh City, where he had been under house arrest since 2003, supporters said. Thich Quang Do had been under extreme state surveillance while interned at the monastery for practicing his religion and being an advocate of religious freedom and democracy. In a statement, the International Buddhist Information Bureau (IBIB) said that the 91-year-old patriarch had been asked on Sept. 15 to leave the monastery by its superior monk Thich Thanh Minh as his presence had become a distraction to the daily operations of the monastery. The Vietnamese government, which does not recognize the church, had been trying to move Thich Quang Do out of the monastery for the past two years, and he vowed to stay unless asked to leave by the superior monk himself. Once the monk made the request, the patriarch left immediately, moving from one pagoda to another within the city with no long term living arrangements. He then boarded a train for his native Thai Binh province in the north. Speaking to RFAs Vietnamese service, IBIB director Vo Van Ai explained the various difficulties that the intrusive police presence caused the monastery during the patriarchs house arrest. People dont want to visit the monastery because they are afraid of being monitored by the police. They even took pictures of everyone visiting the monastery, he said. Vo said that life inside the monastery had been just like a prison for the elderly patriarch. There is a police checkpoint right at the front of the monastery so they can watch him closely. Even when they let him out to visit the hospital, police would follow him, Vo said. The IBIB is concerned that in the remote northern province, Thich Quang Do will have limited access to communications, health care and visits from UBCV followers. Vo quoted Thich Quang Do as saying he intended to carry on with his religious practice in his hometown. The church is still the same. It is only when I die that I cant work for the church. I cant leave the church, Vo quoted the patriarch as saying in an Oct. 5 telephone call. Reported and translated by RFA's Vietnamese Service. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Incubeta is an international team of experts in marketing, technology, data, and creative. Uzbek President Shavkhat Mirziyoev has pulled no punches going after those who served under his autocratic predecessor, Islam Karimov. The list of those who have fallen is long -- including hundreds of old guard "rats" in the Finance Ministry, top government officials, and law enforcement agents. But while some immediate relatives of Karimov -- who ruled the country for 27 years until his death in 2016 -- were caught up in the purge, his widow had escaped being targeted. No more, it would seem. In recordings that were recently leaked to RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, Mirziyoev took aim at the economy of the country's Ferghana Valley. He blamed the lack of industry in the vital region on the clan that was widely known to be in control. "Over the past 27 years, not a single new factory has been set up in Ferghana. I should say that it would be more beneficial for us if we throw the whole Ferghana refinery plant into scrap metal," he said. "Those brides from Ferghana completely destroyed this plant. [I am saying it] even if it sounds rough. All of you understand who I am talking about. "Those rats occupied and destroyed everything in Ferghana. That is also the truth. They had control over the Ferghana refinery plant as well," he said. "The gangsters robbed the Ferghana region. All of you know who I am talking about." To close observers of Uzbek politics, the "who" is Tatyana Karimova and her sister-in-law Tamara, whose son -- Tatyana's nephew -- ran the factory in question, and allegedly stole millions in the process. It's unclear exactly why Mirziyoev has now chosen to go after Karimova, though it fits a pattern. Karimov's two daughters, Gulnara Karimova and Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, have been under mounting scrutiny for months -- or in the case of the elder Gulnara, years. "On the one hand, this is totally in the tradition -- in the Soviet, post-Soviet context. You move against the family or the close associates of your predecessor because you see it as necessary to solidify your position," says Jon Purnell, who was the U.S. ambassador to Uzbekistan in the early 2000s. "Simple as that. Mirziyoev wants to show that he's now the boss. "On the other hand, it could be a combination. It is that, but it's also that Mirziyoev wants to signal that the kind of corruption -- call it indulgence, what you want -- that went on [under Karimov] will no longer be accepted," he said. "That may be an optimistic view, though." Personnel Purges In the months following Karimov's death, announced in early September 2016, Mirziyoev embarked on an anticorruption campaign that has purged scores of top government officials. That included the powerful head of the country's security service, Ruslan Inoyatov, who many had seen as untouchable even after Karimov's death. And Karimov himself, who during two decades in power cultivated a "father of the nation" image coupled with dictatorial control, also appears to be fair game, under Mirziyoev. Karimov's luster dimmed drastically as authorities made several highly public, symbolic moves against the man once known as the father of the nation. Several state TV journalists reported being given strict instructions not to mention Karimov's name on air. At a state museum in Tashkent, employees reported that all portraits of Karimov were removed. Meanwhile, Karimov's immediate family has been seen in public only sporadically. Tatyana Karimova was last seen publicly in August 2017 at a ceremony dedicating a mausoleum to her husband in Tashkent. The ceremony featured her speaking briefly and laying flowers during the event. Also attending the event was Karimov's younger daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, who was present along with Karimov's granddaughter Iman. Iman's mother -- Lola's sister -- is the once high-flying Gulnara, a former model, diplomat, fashion designer and socialite who was once seen as a possible successor to her father but fell afoul with the Uzbek authorities in the waning months of his rule. She is believed to have been under house arrest or in prison for several years since the Uzbek authorities announced she had been found guilty of a host of corruption charges, but her exact status remains a mystery. The August 2017 ceremony honoring Karimov would be the last time Lola -- who had been stripped or resigned from of all of her state appointments -- would be seen in Uzbekistan. It also marked Iman's last public appearance. She only recently reappeared on radar after an unverified Instagram account believed to hers announced in a series of posts that she was flying home to London. Lola, who now spends her time between Paris and Los Angeles with her husband and children, had been appointed by her father to be Uzbekistan's ambassador to the United Nations' Paris-based cultural organization, UNESCO. Since the 2008 appointment, however, there's been a series of pointed slights, some highlighted by Lola herself, that indicated she and her family had lost access to lucrative business ventures in the country. That includes Abu Sahiy, a sprawling trading complex that had a near monopoly on foreign imported consumer goods under Karimov. The complex was nominally owned by Lola's husband's family, the Tillyaevs, but most observers said the business would not have thrived for so many years without the protective oversight of Lola's father. Still, in December 2017, traders in Uzbekistan reported to RFE/RL that there were growing problems with shipments headed to Abu Sahiy, and that the ownership of the complex, and the companies supplying the goods, had changed. In March, in the clearest indication to date that Lola and her relatives were under new pressure, Uzbek state television broadcast a special nine-minute program in which Abu Sahiy was accused of tax evasion and failure to pay around $55 million in taxes between 2016-17. In response to e-mailed questions from RFE/RL, Mark Raymond, a U.S.-based lawyer for Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, confirmed "the market's ownership has changed. The Tillyaev family does not hold any shares in the market or in the cargo service." He also repeated earlier assertions that Abu Sahiy paid taxes and never enjoyed any exemptions from taxes. In January, Lola complained she was no longer able to travel to Uzbekistan due "extenuating circumstances." In February, she said that she was leaving her post as UNESCO ambassador. A month later, she said she had been forced to leave her ceremonial role as head of the country's gymnastics federation. Her creation and heading of the Islam Karimov Foundation, which promotes her father's legacy and operates programs in Uzbekistan, is one of her few direct ties to her homeland. The purge of business leaders and government officials, including from Karimov's family, under Mirziyoev demonstrates how fragile and undeveloped political institutions are in Uzbekistan. "It highlights the dangerous nexus of politics and business and shows how vulnerable all these people are," says Kate Mallison, a political risk researcher and fellow at the British think tank Chatham House. "They benefited from patronage politics and they weren't subjected to the same kinds of taxes and regulations like other things," she said. "Now investors keep asking the question whether these are genuine reforms undertaken by Mirziyoev or it's just redirecting money to other businesses," she said. Ferghana Brides The economy of the Ferghana Valley, which encompasses border regions of Uzbekistan as well as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, is mainly agricultural, but the Uzbek oil refinery there is a major employer, and a major source of refined oil products, as well as hard currency. Beginning in at least 2000, according to Uzbek observers, the factory was under the control of Akbarali Abdullaev, the son of Tamara Sobirova, who is Tatyana Karimova' sister. Many of the Ferghana region's other major business, including hotels, a textile factory, and a quartz-mining operation, were also widely believed to be controlled or overseen by Abdullaev. He was arrested in Ukraine in 2017 at the request of Uzbekistan, which wanted him extradited to face charges of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars. That June, however, he was offered refugee status in Ukraine after he told a court he would be killed if he returned to his home country. Abdullaev's current whereabouts are unknown. Stanislav Pritchin, a researcher affiliated with the Russian Academy of Sciences and Britain's Chatham House, said the transition from Karimov's government to Mirziyoev's is the first for post-Soviet Uzbekistan, and the purges of Uzbekistan's elite, as well as the targeting of Karimov's relatives, are unique among the five former Soviet Central Asian republics. Uzbekistan, he said, "had a high level of personification of power. There are no institutions, only people and personalities." "Islam Karimov and his family were at the center of power and the economy, and, of course, when the personality changed, the system had to be changed," he said. With reporting by RFE/RL Uzbek Service correspondent Sirojiddin Tolibov Oyub Titiyev, a dogged Russian activist who is in jail and on trial in his native Chechnya on what he says is a fabricated drug-possession charge, has been awarded the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) announced the award on the opening day of its autumn plenary session on October 8. Titiyev, who succeeded slain activist Natalya Estemirova as head of the Chechnya office of the prominent Russian human rights group Memorial in 2009, was arrested in Chechnya in January. "We are fully aware of the difficulties that [Titiyev] and his colleagues face," PACE President Liliane Maury Pasquier said. "This prize is a recognition of the work he and Memorial are doing," she said. "It is also a message to all those who work in this region to affirm the principles of the rule of law and human rights." The annual award, which comes with 60,000 euros, a trophy, and a diploma, was presented to Memorial board chairman Aleksandr Cherkasov at a ceremony in Strasbourg. The two other shortlisted nominees -- Rosa Maria Paya and Nabeel Rajab, democracy and human rights activists in Cuba and Bahrain, respectively -- received diplomas. Describing Titiyev as "one of Russia's most courageous human rights defenders," Amnesty International reiterated its call for the activist's release. "We continue to call on the Russian authorities to immediately release Oyub Titiyev, drop the politically motivated charges against him, and ensure that human rights defenders in Chechnya and elsewhere in Russia can carry out their vital work without fear of reprisals," Amnesty said in an October 8 statement. Titiyev has been in custody since he was detained by police in Chechnya who said they found a plastic bag with some 180 grams of marijuana in his car. He and his colleagues contend that the drugs were planted and have described the case as part of an effort to push Memorial out of Chechnya -- ruled for years by Kremlin-backed strongman Ramzan Kadyrov -- and other parts of Russia's North Caucasus. Titiyev, 61, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted in the trial, which was closed to the public in September. The United States, several European Union member states, and the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner have condemned Titiyev's arrest and expressed concerns about the case. Memorial has called the charges against Titiyev "bogus," saying they were "clearly fabricated as a means of silencing him." Human Rights Watch has called the charges a "pure fabrication" and Amnesty International has called the case "a grave injustice that strikes at the heart of Russia's human rights community." The award comes a day after the 12th anniversary of the killing in Moscow of Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative reporter who uncovered alleged rights abuses in Chechnya and elsewhere in Russia. Estemirova, Titiyev's predecessor as head of the Memorial office in Chechnya, was abducted near her home in the Chechen capital, Grozny, in July 2009 and shot dead. Nobody has been convicted of her killing Colleagues of Politkovskaya contend that the authorities have failed to determine who was behind her slaying because a thorough investigation could cast suspicion on people close to Kadyrov or President Vladimir Putin. In August, Kadyrov threatened to ban human rights activists from Chechnya once Titiyev's trial is over. ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Former Almaty Mayor Viktor Khrapunov and his wife have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms in absentia on corruption charges that they have called politically motivated. At a hearing on October 8, a court in Kazakhstan's biggest city found Khrapunov and his wife, Leila Khrapunova, guilty of organization of a criminal group, financial fraud, and bribe-taking. Khrapunov was also found guilty of abuse of office and of the illegal privatization of property belonging to another person. The court sentenced Khrapunov to 17 years in prison and his wife to 14 years. A relative, Ayar Ilyasov, was sentenced to five years in prison in absentia on similar charges. Viktor and Leila Khrapunov now live in Switzerland. Nine other defendants, most of them former subordinates of Khrapunov, pleaded guilty at the trial. The court ruled that they will not be punished. Khrapunov was mayor of Almaty from 1997 to 2004. He was later appointed governor of the East Kazakhstan region but was dismissed from that post in 2007 and served for a short time as emergency situations minister. Khrapunov and his family moved to Switzerland in 2007 in the wake of a scandal surrounding parcels of land that he was accused of distributed illegally during his tenure as mayor. Khrapunov has rejected the charges against him and his wife, saying they are politically motivated. Khrapunov's stepson, Ilyas Khrapunov, is married to a daughter of fugitive Kazakh tycoon Mukhtar Ablyazov, a critic of President Nursultan Nazarbaev. Ablyazov has lived in self-imposed exile in Europe since 2009. He was tried in absentia in June 2017 and sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of organizing and leading a criminal group, abuse of office, embezzlement, and financial mismanagement. Ablyazov also has maintained innocence, calling his trial politically motivated. Rights activists and critics say the long-ruling Nazarbaev has persistently suppressed dissent, prolonged his time in office through undemocratic votes, and used the levers of power to neutralize potential opponents. Authorities at a prison in Siberia say they have established control after what they said was violent unrest among inmates over the weekend. Four inmates were hospitalized and 12 prisoners authorities accused of inciting the violence at Corrective Colony No. 6 in the Omsk region were moved to a pretrial detention center, the news agency Mediazona reported on October 8. Prisoner rights activist Olga Romanova said on October 7 that fighting broke out between inmates who do the bidding of the guards on one side and the rest of the prisoners on the other. The cause of the conflict was anger over ill-treatment of inmates, Romanova, director of the group Rus Sidyashchaya -- which translates as Russia Behind Bars -- said on Facebook. She said inmates had begun a hunger strike. Mediazona, which covers the Russian justice system, posted a photograph of a banner that read "Save Us" hanging from a brick prison wall. The regional department of the Investigative Committee said on October 7 that it is investigating "the infliction of bodily harms on inmates by other inmates" at the prison. Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) spokeswoman Svetlana Plotnikova said that the prison was cordoned off by police following what she said was a riot by inmates on October 6. Plotnikova said inmates fought one another after some of them "decided to live in accordance with their own regulations, ignoring legal regulations." It is often difficult to determine what is going on inside Russian prisons, and the official accounts could not be independently verified. Vera Goncharova, a lawyer who has a client who is an inmate at the prison, also said that inmates began a hunger strike following a conflict with the facility's administration. Goncharova told RFE/RL that there have been reports of torture at prisons in the Omsk region, some 2,200 kilometers east of Moscow. "When convicts learn that they are being transferred to [prisons] in the Omsk region, they cut their veins to avoid being sent there," she said. She said that a guard at a different Omsk prison was held responsible and the regional head of FSIN was fired earlier this year following a scandal over torture allegations, but that "generally nothing has changed." The issue of torture in prisons and jails has been in the spotlight across Russia since July, when a video showing at least 17 guards beating inmates at a prison in the Yaroslavl region was made public by Novaya Gazeta newspaper. With reporting by Current Time TV and Novy Omsk SOFIA -- As Bulgarian authorities investigate whether the rape and killing of Viktoria Marinova was a random crime or connected to her work as a reporter, the case has turned a spotlight on impediments to a free press in a country where journalists are often subjected to intimidation and threats. Marinova's body was found in a park in the northern Bulgarian city of Ruse on October 6, and investigators have begun an intensive search for clues and a motive for the gruesome killing. Police could not immediately cite a motive, but many feared the worst in a country that ranked 111th globally -- and last in the European Union -- in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index released last month by Reporters Without Borders. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said evidence including DNA had been discovered at the crime scene and that "it is just a matter of time before the perpetrator is found." "We are running out of live reporters to report on the dead ones," Drew Sullivan, editor and co-founder of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), warned of the danger to journalists. "We at OCCRP are calling for an independent investigation/review by the EU of the rape, torture and murder of Bulgarian mother and journalist Victoria Marinova. Why do we keep leaving investigations to the very governments who the reporters are investigating when they are killed?" he added in a tweet. 'Dangerous To Be A Journalist' Marinova was the third high-profile journalist to be killed in the EU in the past year, and the fourth since the start of 2017. Working at the private TVN television, she had recently launched a current-events talk show called Detector. In the last episode, which aired on September 30, the show broadcast interviews with Dimitar Stoyanov from the investigative Bivol.bg website and Attila Biro from the Romanian RISE Project. The two had been investigating alleged fraud with EU funds linked to big businessmen and politicians when they were detained by armed Bulgarian police for more than seven hours in mid-September as they followed up on a tip that crucial documents were being burned in a field outside the capital, Sofia. It was unclear why the pair was detained, but the incident took place just a day after Bivol and RISE published the first part of their investigation alleging massive corruption in EU-funded projects in Bulgaria. The investigation focused in part on records from GP Group, a Bulgarian infrastructure company. Journalists found that as much as 40 percent of EU funds were being siphoned away from infrastructure projects and used for illegal payments such as bribes. "It's dangerous to be a journalist in Bulgaria and physical assault is just one of the threats," says Silvia Velikova, a senior journalist from Bulgarian National Radio who covers the judiciary and politics. "Corrupt institutions can arrest you on an ID check, start criminal or tax investigations against you, scare you in interviews, or even have you fired. Faced with those options, journalists may decide not to ask tough questions," she adds. In outlining its concerns for the climate journalists face in the Balkan country, Reporters Without Borders laid part of the blame on the government. It said officials allocated EU funding to some media outlets with "a complete lack of transparency, in effect bribing them to go easy on the government in their reporting or refrain from covering certain problematic stories altogether." "Threats and attacks against journalists have intensified in recent months," the September report noted in the index, which put Bulgaria almost 40 places below Greece, the bloc's second-worst ranking. "It can prove dangerous to be a journalist in Bulgaria. The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan is meeting with Afghan leaders in Kabul as part of efforts to reach a peace deal to end the 17-year war with the Taliban. Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born former U.S. ambassador to Kabul and Iraq, was appointed in September to the U.S. State Department team that is leading the reconciliation effort and peace talks with the Taliban. A spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Khalilzad met with Ghani upon his arrival and was also set to hold talks with senior ministers and top diplomats in Kabul on October 8. The State Department had earlier said Khalilzad would coordinate and lead U.S. efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. It said he would lead an interagency delegation to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia from October 4-14. Khalilzads visit comes as the Taliban and the Islamic State (IS) militant group have stepped up attacks across the country ahead of long-delayed parliamentary polls, expected to come in less than two weeks. "Peace is a holy process, and the U.S. government and people are united with the Afghan government and people in this process," Ghani's office quoted Khalilzad, 67, as saying after their meeting. The Kabul government has struggled to fend off a resurgent Taliban, IS, and Al-Qaeda militants nearly two decades after a U.S.-led coalition drove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan in 2001. The Taliban has repeatedly rejected offers to hold peace talks with the Afghan government or support the polls set for October 20. IS and Al-Qaeda have not been included in previous cease-fires and are not expected to be part of any reconciliation talks between Kabul and the Taliban. As Khalilzad met with Afghan leaders, the Taliban vowed to do everything in its power to block the upcoming parliamentary elections, calling them an "American conspiracy to further justify the foreign occupation." The militants said on October 8 that they will target anyone who tries to help the election process to succeed, especially the Afghan security forces. "The real solution of the ongoing Afghan crisis lies in the complete withdrawal of all foreign occupying forces and the restoration of a pure Islamic sovereignty," said Zabihullah Mujahid, the Talibans main spokesman. At least eight parliamentary candidates have been killed across the country in the past two months. Last week in the eastern province of Nangarhar, at least 18 people were killed in a suicide bombing at an election rally. The IS group claimed responsibility for the attack. Afghanistans Independent Election Commission (IEC) has said that some 54,000 members of Afghan security forces will be responsible for protecting 5,100 polling stations across the country on election day. More than 2,000 polling stations will be closed for security reasons. With reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, and Reuters A new survey shows the number of Russians who regard President Vladimir Putin as Russia's most trusted politician has fallen significantly over the past year. The survey released on October 8 was conducted between September 20-26 by the independent pollster Levada Center and asked respondents to list five or six politicians whom they trusted the most. Putin was first with 39 percent, and was followed by ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who each enjoyed the trust of 15 percent of Russians. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was fourth, with 10 percent. The survey found that trust in Putin had fallen nine percentage points since June and a total of 20 percentage points since November. A separate question found that the least trusted politician was Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, while Zhirinovsky was second with 20 percent, and Putin third with 13 percent. Putin last week signed into law an extremely unpopular bill that will gradually increase the state retirement age to 60 for women and 65 for men. Most ordinary Russians are deeply opposed to the reforms, which sparked rare street protests across the country. Putin, who has been either president or prime minister since 2000, won the March presidential election with more than 76 percent of the vote. Putin's lowest-ever rating in a Levada poll came in August 2013, when 30 percent of respondents said he was a trusted politician. His popularity surged to more than 80 percent in 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. With reporting by AFP Some of the Russians marking President Vladimir Putin's birthday this past weekend were decidedly not wishing him well. Activists in several cities had critical messages for Putin, who turned 66 on October 7. In his hometown, St. Petersburg, activists stretched a big banner across a central street with block letters wishing Putin "long years in prison," a play on a traditional Russia birthday greeting. The activists, in dark clothes and white headgear, drew attention to the banner by setting off flares with colored smoke. Police detained 11 people, at least one of which government critics said was not involved in the protest stunt. In Kazan, capital of the Tatarstan region, police detained three teenagers when they tried to attach a banner reading "Happy birthday, liar and thief" to a bridge. The activists called their action Bessrochka, which can be translated as limitless time in power -- a reference to two decades of dominance by Putin, who has been president or prime minister since 1999 and started a new six-year term in May. The teens were charged with violating the law on public gatherings and released. In the city of Ulyanovsk, several activists held anti-Putin protests and held banners commemorating investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead in Moscow on Putin's 54th birthday, in 2006. The activists chanted that they "wish Putin many years of life far from Russia." In the Siberian city of Irkutsk, eight activists held single-person protests against Putin. Some of their posters targeted the pension-reform legislation he signed on October 3, which will raise the retirement age for Russians by five years, saying "Putin steals our pensions" and "Putin has money for wars, but not for pensions." The Russian military has been deeply involved in the war in Syria since September 2015, and Moscow has backs armed separatists whose war against Kyiv's forces has killed more than 10,300 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014. With reporting by RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service, the Siberian Desk of the RFE/RL's Russian Service, and Meduza Leading gay-rights groups in Romania have hailed the invalidation of a referendum that would have banned same-sex marriage, saying it indicated that citizens want a Romania based upon democratic values." "We have shown that we cannot be fooled by a political agenda that urges us to hate and polarize society," the Accept group said on October 7. Romanians voted on October 6-7 in a referendum asking to amend the constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Liviu Dragnea, leader of the ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD), and influential religious groups had urged Romanians to support the referendum. However, the country's election commission said that just 20.4 percent of eligible voters had cast ballots by the time polls closed on October 7, the second day of voting. That was well below the 30 percent threshold required by law. The proposed amendment would have changed the constitutional definition of marriage from a union of "spouses" to one exclusively of a man and a woman to prevent any attempt to legalize same-sex marriage through legislation in the future. Vlad Viski of the LGBT rights group MozaiQ also hailed the referendums failure, saying that "Romanians rejected being divided and hating each other." It is a victory for Romanian democracy and, moreover, Romanians rejected the involvement of the Orthodox Church in the states secular affairs." A conservative group initiated the two-day referendum, and the influential Romanian Orthodox Church and all but one parliamentary party backed the change. The group conceded defeat before the overall turnout result was announced. "Next time, we'll succeed," Coalition for Family spokesman Mihai Gheorghiu said, appearing to indicate the group will try again for a new referendum. "Let's be happy for this day. The Christian vote exists." The group earlier issued a statement blaming the media, politicians, and local governments for the low turnout, accusing them of "a massive disinformation campaign." It claimed that a boycott called by opponents was primarily directed against the Christians of Romania." The measure had passed the countrys two chambers of parliament already, making the referendum vote the final stage in the amendment process. Opponents said the new constitutional language was an attempt to make LGBT people feel more like second-class citizens and warned that approval would push the country onto a populist, authoritarian track. Conservative Romania is one of the few members of the European Union to ban marriage or civil partnerships for same-sex couples. Romania decriminalized homosexuality in 2001, but discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) minority is widespread. The government's decision to press ahead with the referendum alarmed Brussels, with the EU Commission's deputy chief, Frans Timmermans, reminding Bucharest of its human rights commitments. The two-day referendum cost $40 million, according to officials. With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has rejected accusations made by the Dutch authorities against suspected Russian spies. Last week, authorities in Netherlands said that four agents of Russian GRU military intelligence tried and failed to hack into the world's chemical-weapons watchdog, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), whose headquarters are in The Hague. Commenting on the Dutch allegations, Lavrov said the four Russians were on a "routine" trip to The Hague in April when they were arrested and deported by Dutch authorities. "There was nothing secret in the Russian specialists' trip to The Hague in April," Lavrov said at a briefing in Moscow on October 8 after talks with Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi. "They weren't hiding from anyone when they arrived at the airport, settled in a hotel and visited our embassy. They were detained without any explanations, denied a chance to contact our embassy in the Netherlands and then asked to leave. It all looked like a misunderstanding." Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it handed a note on October 8 to the Netherlands' ambassador protesting the detention and expulsion of Russian citizens, calling the incident a provocation. Dutch defense officials last week released photos and a timeline of the GRU agents' botched attempt to break into the OPCW. The OPCW was investigating a nerve-agent attack on a former GRU spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter in Salisbury, England; Britain has blamed it on the Russian government. Moscow vehemently denies involvement. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Bulgaria's top police official has said there is no evidence so far to suggest that the killing of a television reporter whose slaying has stunned the country was linked to her work. "It is about rape and murder," said Interior Minister Mladen Marinov, who traveled to the northern city of Ruse on October 8 to oversee the investigation into the killing of Viktoria Marinova. Vigils were planned for Marinova, 30, in Sofia and other Bulgarian cities and towns later in the day. Her body was found on October 6 in a park near the Danube River in Ruse. Police said she had been brutally beaten, raped, and strangled, and that their inquiry was looking into both her personal and professional life. Her death immediately drew international condemnation and calls for a full and thorough investigation. The European Commission urged Bulgaria to conduct a rapid investigation into the killing. "There is no democracy without a free press.... We expect a swift and thorough investigation to bring those responsible to justice," the European Commission, the European Union's executive, said in a tweet on October 8. "Shocked by the horrendous murder of Victoria Marinova. Again a courageous journalist falls in the fight for truth and against corruption," European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmerman tweeted on October 7. A German Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was imperative "that there's a fast investigation and that this horrible event will be illuminated as comprehensively as possible." In the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index this year, Bulgaria ranked 111th out of 180 countries -- the lowest of all 28 EU members. A veteran TV reporter, Marinova for many years hosted a lifestyle show and also served as a member of the management team of the private television station TVN. Several months ago, she became the host of an investigative program called Detector. The most recent show featured interviews about alleged corruption involving private companies misspending European Union funding. Marinova is at least the third journalist to have suffered a violent death in the European Union over the past 12 months. "First Malta, then Slovakia, now Bulgaria. It is unacceptable that in Europe journalists are getting killed again," said Sven Giegold, a German member of the European Parliament, referring to the killings of the two other journalists in those EU countries. Giegold called on the European legislature to quickly send a delegation to Bulgaria to help probe the crime. The Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said other TVN journalists should get police protection during the investigation. With reporting by Reuters and AP While being forced to study communist ideology and sing fanciful songs about Chairman Mao and Xi Jinping can be trying for the hundreds of thousands of members of ethnic minorities thought to be held in China's archipelago of "reeducation" camps, Gulzira Mogdin says she and other minority women suffer far worse at the hands of Chinese officials. Mogdin, an ethnic Kazakh born in China, tells RFE/RL's Kazakh Service that after she was interned last year she was forced her to terminate her pregnancy early in its fifth month. "If you already have two children, they make you terminate your pregnancy," Mogdin says. "It's tough. They took the child from the womb." One of an estimated 1.5 million Chinese citizens of Kazakh origin, the widowed mother of two small children remarried before moving to Kazakhstan in 2017. Chinese officials had warned her that if she married a Kazakh citizen she would have to file numerous documents in her native Buryltogai district in China's western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. She traveled to Kazakhstan after her wedding in China. When she returned with her children to China to fill out paperwork in October 2017, Chinese officials immediately seized her passport and her mobile phone. She was told she would get them back when she was ready to return to her husband and new home in Kazakhstan. "WhatsApp is installed on your phone, so you cannot cross the border," she said she was told by police, who peppered her with questions. "'Who do you communicate with [on WhatsApp]? Do you go to the mosque?'" Mogdin told them she used WhatsApp to make free calls to her husband. "You have a foreign application installed on your phone," they replied. "You won't go anywhere, [but] will stay in China for a while." Mogdin arranged for her children to attend a local Chinese school until she could return to Kazakhstan. 'A Massive Internment Camp' For decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhs were able to travel freely between China and Kazakhstan. But that all began changing in 2017 with reports of harassment, arrests, and imprisonment. Irrefutable evidence of the "reeducation" camps in China only began emerging in April 2017, and the United Nations, Human Right Watch (HRW), and numerous Western governments have since condemned forcible detentions at the facilities. A UN human rights panel estimated on August 10 that millions of ethnic Uyghurs are being held in so-called reeducation camps that have transformed the western Xinjiang Province into a "massive internment camp." Along with Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Dungans, Kyrgyz, Hui, and others from the 13 million-strong Muslim population in western China have reportedly been sent to the reeducation camps. HRW said on September 9 that China was running a mass, systematic campaign of human rights violations against Muslims in Xinjiang, and documented cases of abuse and torture. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on September 22 slammed the detention of Muslim Uyghurs in reeducation camps under the official Chinese guise of fighting Islamic extremism. He added that the detainees were "forced to endure severe political indoctrination and other awful abuses." WATCH: Dozens of ethnic Kazakh families are desperate for news about family members who have have been detained and sent to reeducation camps in China. China, meanwhile, denies allegations of torture or mistreatment in "political reeducation camps." Li Xiaojun, a Bureau of Human Rights in China representative, told Reuters on September 13: "There is no pressure in the centers. [The detainees] improve their qualifications and undergo training. Then they will find good jobs and master our basic laws." The Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom, Liu Xiaoming, also rejected charges that Beijing was harassing ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. Forced Into Abortion Back in China, Mogdin says, she tried to reason with officials to let her continue with her pregnancy. She told them her husband in Kazakhstan, Aman Ansagan, explained that the child she was carrying "was from a citizen of Kazakhstan and has no relation to Chinese laws." Mogdin also argued that she could not abort her pregnancy without her husband's consent. Officials then brought in Mogdin's brother to try to persuade her to go ahead with the abortion. "Your sister isn't listening to what we're telling her," she says they told him. "You'll be made responsible for that." She describes Chinese officials pressuring her brother in front of her in a session that began after midnight and telling him that if his sister didn't agree to terminate her pregnancy, he would be forced to sign a declaration assuming responsibility for the procedure. Mogdin eventually capitulated. "They made me sign a paper [saying] that I chose to have an abortion, that I wasn't pushed by the government. I signed it because I had no other choice," she tells RFE/RL. But Mogdin was also told shortly afterward by Chinese officials that she had tuberculosis and must report to a hospital. She refused to go. Soon, she says, other family members in China were being harassed. Her brother was sent to a reeducation camp on January 27. A pregnant cousin was pressured and left traumatized by the harassment, Mogdin says. Mogdin eventually decided to go to the hospital, where she says she believes she was infected with tuberculosis in order for officials to be able to justify the need for the abortion. After being discharged from the hospital, she was put under house arrest for six months in her home village of Kokagash. She finally returned to Kazakhstan in May. "Don't speak to journalists when you go to Kazakhstan. Don't speak about the camps and the people detained. [Say that] there are no camps. Say that nothing has changed in Xinjiang, everything is like it used to be," she says she was instructed by Chinese officials. Mogdin is now being treated for tuberculosis in the Zhambyl region near Almaty, in southern Kazakhstan. Her brother is still in a reeducation camp. Like A Prison A man who asked to be referred to as Seisen K. told RFE/RL in Kazakhstan on October 2 that he had also been forced to endure a reeducation camp in Xinjiang. Born in China but with a Kazakh passport for about 10 years, he was arrested while on a visit to Xinjiang and accused of having dual citizenship. He recounted his two months in a camp, where he was forced to learn Chinese characters, sing songs about Chinese communist leaders, and learn a long list of anti-Islamic rules that inmates had to recite. Seisen K. said the camp was organized like a prison, with detainees kept in cells with metal triple-bunk beds. Small rations of low-quality food were served from a small window and there were armed guards manning the building, he said. He reported seeing detainees as young as 18 and as old as 75, and said people were allowed to shower only once every two weeks. Seisen K. said he was only released after his relatives filed a complaint with the Kazakh Foreign Ministry and a UN agency. WATCH: A group of Kazakhs gathered outside the German Consulate in Almaty, seeking help to win the release of family members being held in China. Nowhere To Turn It is unclear why the Chinese authorities appear to have clamped down so dramatically on ethnic Kazakhs and other minorities in Xinjiang. Esbol Omirzhanov, an international law expert and political analyst, tells RFE/RL that the crackdown in Xinjiang began with a new Chinese policy by President Xi to "preserve internal integrity" and combat extremism and terrorism. "Work is under way to politically cleanse ethnic Kazakhs [in China]," Omirzhanov says. "The main reason for the arrests is related to religious issues...even though the Chinese Constitution permits freedom of religion." Xinjiang has seen several terrorist incidents involving attacks on the majority ethnic Han Chinese who have been sent to Xinjiang by the tens of thousands in government programs to resettle there. Though Kazakhs have held demonstrations and sought help from Kazakh officials to get relatives in China released from the reeducation camps, official help from Astana rarely comes. Greatly dependent on bilateral trade and the powerful Chinese economy, the Kazakh government has seemingly little leverage to demand justice for ethnic Kazakhs in China. In one high-profile case that helped paint a picture of the camps, ethnic Kazakh Sayragul Sauytbay worked in a reeducation camp in China before being arrested for illegally entering Kazakhstan on April 5 in an effort to join her Kazakh husband and children. As a Chinese Communist Party official, she said she had access to secret documents about the government's program to "reeducate" Muslims. Giving testimony in court on July 13 in a bid to be allowed to stay in Kazakhstan, Sauytbay described the camps -- which she described as "prisons in the mountains" -- in great detail. In August, the court refused her extradition to China, gave her a suspended sentence, and released her from prison, certainly to Beijing's displeasure. But on October 5, a Kazakh Migration Committee denied her political asylum, opening the way for her to be sent back to China. She has appealed the decision. Sauytbay's lawyer, Abzal Kuspanov, asked RFE/RL rhetorically: "Why was the decision [not to grant her refugee status] made so fast? I think, Sayragul was the victim of other 'circumstances' between Kazakhstan and China." Written by Pete Baumgartner in Prague based on reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service correspondents Nurgul Tapaeva and Nurtay Lakhan in Kazakhstan Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev is making a trip to France, his first official visit to a European Union country since taking the helm of the long-isolated Central Asian state. Mirziyoev left Tashkent for Paris on October 8 for a two-day official visit, his office said. The trip appears to part of a continuing effort by Mirziyoev, who came to power after the death of autocratic longtime leader Islam Karimov in 2016, to improve the former Soviet republic's ties with countries in the West and other parts of the world. Mirziyoev met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in May. In Paris, he is scheduled to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron as well as with other government officials, lawmakers, and representatives of French financial institutions and companies, his office said. Ahead of the visit, an Uzbek Foreign Ministry official told the French news agency AFP that as of October 5, French nationals can travel to Uzbekistan for up to 30 days without a visa. Citizens of other EU countries do not have that right. In December 2016, Mirziyoev announced a plan to introduce visa-free entry for citizens of 27 countries by April 2017, but the move was called off weeks later due to what authorities said were security concerns. Currently Uzbekistan offers visa-free entry to citizens of Turkey, Israel, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and the most of the former Soviet republics. On September 26, a prominent Uzbek human rights activist and outspoken critic of Karimov returned to Uzbekistan after more than a decade in exile in France. Tolib Yoqubov, 78, the founder of the Uzbek Human Rights Society, fled Uzbekistan in 2007 fearing for his safety, and Uzbek authorities withdrew his citizenship in 2014. He told RFE/RL that the Uzbek Embassy in Paris initiated his return to Uzbekistan. With reporting by AFP and Turon 24 BRITISH Transport Police have released images of two train passengers who may have information about an assault on a staff member. The employee was verbally abused after asking to inspect tickets between Rotherham Central and Doncaster stations. A BTP spokeswoman said: When the victim tried to call the police he was pushed against a door, crushing his body in the gap. Officers would like to speak to the men pictured in the images because they believe he may have information which could help officers investigate. The incident happened between 8.17pm and 8.40pm on Sunday, August 26. Anyone with information is urged to call 0800 405040 or text 61016, quoting incident 495 of that date. Alternatively, you can ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. FIRST World War hero Thomas Jackson was the toast of his home village as Swinton paid a double tribute to its fallen son. St Margarets Parish Church hosted a concert of brass band music and choral singing on Wednesday, September 26, to launch the #swintonvc100 commemorations, before veterans and villagers joined a parade and service of reflection and thanksgiving the following day. The Mayor and Mayoress of Rotherham, Cllr Alan and Mrs Buckley, were among those attending the service, which was led by the Bishop of Sheffield and followed by a wreath-laying ceremony. Royal British Legion members, Coldstream Guard representatives, First World War re-enactors, school children and residents also joined the parade. Readings were given during the service by students from Swinton Academy, while Hope Staniforth, a relative of a former soldier, read out the names of the fallen. Wednesdays concert featured the South Yorkshire Police Band, Thurnscoe Harmonic Male Voice Choir, Swinton Queen Primary School Choir and soloist Anna Corrine. The family of L/Cpl Jackson was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry in northern France on September 27, 1918 just weeks before the end of the First World War. IGL to set up CNG stations Indraprastha Gas, India's biggest city gas retailer, is looking at setting up CNG dispensing stations within residential housing complexes to ease queues at CNG pumps, its Managing Director E S Ranganathan said. IGL also plans to foray into e-vehicle charging segment by setting up charging facility at its CNG stations, he said. The company, which retails CNG to automobiles and piped cooking gas to household kitchens in the national capital and its suburbs, is facing pressure to cut queues at CNG stations that have led to traffic snarls in many parts of the city. It has already set up one CNG dispensing pump at a residential housing complex in Noida on pilot basis, he said. "All we need is a 10x10 metre area - a space equivalent to one used for parking of four cars. We will set up CNG station and man it as well. Residents of the housing complex will get priority filling," he said adding the company will be responsible for the running and upkeep of the facility. Ranganathan said IGL is also setting up e-vehicle charging facility and has tied up with a Dutch company. Advertisement IGL CNG dispensing stations and give piped cooking gas connections IGL, he said, plans to add a record 60 CNG dispensing stations and give piped cooking gas connections to at least 2 lakh households this fiscal. The company has adopted a dealer-franchise model in the push for rapidly expanding the network. The company, with 452 CNG stations in Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Rewari, has started giving the franchise to dealers who own lands. "We already have two CNG dispensing stations operating on dealer model and have given letters of intent (LoIs) for another 21 which will be commissioned within the current financial year," he said. Ranganathan said the company opened 30 CNG stations last year and in 2018-19 it has a target to open 50. "Though the target is 50, we are confident of putting up 60 stations," he said. The company, which has over 9.6 lakh piped cooking gas customers, has a target to add 3 lakh this fiscal. "We gave 1.5 lakh piped natural gas (PNG) connections in last financial year and this year we are confident of crossing 2 lakh. We can achieve 3 lakh target as areas currently out of bound like Cantonment areas are opened up for us to lay pipelines and give connections in kitchens," he said. Advertisement Piped natural gas The government is aggressively pushing for use of CNG as a transportation fuel to cut on use of polluting liquid fuels like diesel. It also wants PNG to replace costlier LPG in kitchens with a view to cut oil import dependence and push up the share of natural gas in the country's energy basket to 15 per cent from current 6.2 per cent. India imports 81 per cent of its oil needs. In its push towards a gas-based economy, the government is targeting 1 crore PNG connections by 2020. The country has 45.26 lakh household kitchens using natural gas as cooking fuel. Gujarat has the highest number of PNG users at 19.07 lakh, followed by Maharashtra at 12.73 lakh. Delhi ranks third. Both, Gujarat and Maharashtra have multiple companies retailing CNG and PNG. Ranganathan said IGL is committed to achieving the targets in the push towards a gas-based economy."We are trying new innovations to increase the penetration," he said. IGL previously used to set up CNG dispensing stations only on franchise model where outlet together with land belonged to the company and a dealer was appointed to run it. Now, it is giving franchises to dealers who own land. In 2018-19, the government is targeting 20 lakh PNG connections all over the country, up from 12 lakh in 2017-18. In 2019-20, the target is 40 lakh. Airports owe Rs 970-cr security dues to CISF New Delhi (PTI): Dues amounting to about Rs 970 crore are pending against various airports in the country in lieu of providing CISF security to them, a top official of the paramilitary force said Monday. CISF Director General (DG) Rajesh Ranjan told reporters during an interaction here that while an amount of Rs 880 crore is pending against 'joint venture' airports or the privately-run facilities, about Rs 90 crore is due against those airports which are operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Airports Authority of India Advertisement Out of the Rs 880 crore amount, the maximum Rs 788 crore is pending against the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital, run by the DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited), he said. "We have communicated this to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Home Affairs as they are the expert ministries to figure out (the solution)," the DG said. Indira Gandhi International Airport Ranjan added that any call on withdrawal of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) from these airports, owing to the dues, can be taken by the two ministries as they are "authorised to take a call on that." The CISF is tasked as the security force to guard civil airports in the country but as of now only 60 such facilities are under its cover. Tript Bajwa Chandigarh (Spokesman News Service): The Rural Development and Panchayat Department, Punjab, in accordance with the flagship Tandarust Punjab Mission initiative of the State Government, has got planted about 20 lakh saplings on the panchayat lands during the current fiscal year under MGNREGA. The Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, Punjab, Mr. Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa today disclosing this said that the department has brought 7909 acres of panchayat land under sapling plantation. The minister also said that strict instructions have been given to the department to ensure proper upkeep and maintenance of the planted saplings. Advertisement Mr. Bajwa also said that the state government has initiated the campaign to plant saplings throughout Punjab to ensure cleaner and greener environment along with the campaign against drugs and adulteration under Tandarust Punjab Mission. He also said that special efforts are being made to ensure that the saplings are maintained perfectly well. The minister also divulged that under the campaign the saplings of Tahli, Toon, Khair, Kikkar, Burma Neem, Bohar, Imli, Botal Barsh, Arjan, Jamun, Guava (Amrood), Peepal, Mulberry, Sukhchain, Mango, Kadam, Shuhanjana, Hbiscus, Bouganvillea, Berry, Kaner, Gulmohar and Dharek have been planted. Apart from this, 9 lakh saplings have been planted at common places such as School, Cremation Ground and Village water house. The Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat, said that besides this, preparations are being made regarding the plantation drive to be carried out next year and a nursery of 79.70 lakh saplings is being readied under MGNREGA. He further said that the support of the NGOs is also being solicited under which a nursery of 5 lakh saplings is being prepared at village seechewal in Jalandhar under the supervision of Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal through panchayat/DFO. CEO Punjab to Undertake Awareness Programme on Electoral Participation Chandigarh (Spokesman News Service): Aiming awareness on electoral participation and ethical voting among the young voters of the State, Dr. S. Karna Raju , Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab prepared plan to conduct interactive session at Universities in the State, in the recent past He already interact with the students of Journalism and mass communication department of Panjab University, Chandigarh and Lovely Professional University, Kapurthala. Informed a spokesperson from the office of Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab. Giving details, he informed that students can play a very effective role to strengthen the electoral processes, so the CEO will interact with the young voters pursuing studies at university level. He will hold discussion on Voter Registration, Electoral Participation, Ethical Voting and establishment of Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC) in the Universities. He said that the Election Commission of India works on the premise of No Voter to be left behind and is committed to inclusion of all categories of voters in the electoral process. Advertisement In line with this, the awareness program by CEO, Punjab will further the desired objective of universal adult suffrage as per constitutional mandate. He said that the Commission is committed to "building an equal access framework for Persons with Disability (PwDs)" so attempts will be made to enhance elector confidence among them to improve their electoral participation. During the interactive sessions at campus level the demonstration on functioning of EVMs and VVPAT to the young voters would also be held. The interactive sessions with students at the university campus level would be undertaken at Punjabi University, Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (GNDU),Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Bathinda, DAV University, Jalandhar, Desh Bhagat University, Mandi Gobindgarh, Chandigarh University, Gharuan, Chitkara University, Chandigarh, Rayat-Bahra University, Kharar, RIMT University, Mandi Gobindgarh, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology (SLIET), Sangrur and other educational institution in the State. Vigilance nabs food inspector for taking bribe Chandigarh (Spokesman News Service): State Vigilance Bureau today nabbed an Inspector of Food & Civil Supplies red handed for accepting bribe of Rs. 4000/-. Disclosing this here today a spokesman of Vigilance Bureau Punjab said Food Inspector Munish Kumar posted at Bhikhi in Mansa district was caught red handed while he was accepting bribe of Rs. 4000 from a contractor Bharpur Singh of Bhikhi, Mansa district. Giving details he said the complainant has approached the VB and alleged that the above named accused was demanding bribe of Rs. 5000 to clear his pending bills regarding transportation charges and the deal was struck at Rs. 4000. After verifying his complaint the VB team laid a trap and the accused was caught red handed and tainted money was recovered from him in the presence of two official witnesses. He informed that a case under Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at VB police station Bathinda and further investigation was under progress. Researchers from Keele University have worked with an international team of astronomers to find for the first time that a white dwarf and a brown dwarf collided in a 'blaze of glory' that was witnessed on Earth in 1670. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, the international team of astronomers, including workers from the Universities of Keele, Manchester, South Wales, Arizona State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Warmia & Mazury, and the South African Astronomical Observatory, found evidence that a white dwarf (the remains of a star like the Sun at the end of its life) and a brown dwarf (a 'failed' star without sufficient mass to sustain thermonuclear fusion) collided in a short-lived blaze of glory that was witnessed on Earth in 1670 as Nova Cygni -- 'a new star below the head of the Swan.' The brown dwarf star was 'shredded' and dumped on the surface of a white dwarf star, leading to the 1670 eruption and the hourglass we see today. In July of 1670, observers on Earth witnessed a 'new star', or nova, in the constellation Cygnus -- the Swan. Where previously there was no obvious star, there abruptly appeared a star as bright as those in the Plough, that gradually faded, reappeared, and finally disappeared from view. Modern astronomers studying the remains of this cosmic event initially thought it was triggered by the merging of two main-sequence stars -- stars on the same evolutionary path as our Sun. This so-called 'new star' was long referred to as 'Nova Vulpeculae 1670', and later became known as CK Vulpeculae. However, we now know that CK Vulpeculae was not what we would today describe as a 'nova', but is in fact the merger of two stars -- a white dwarf and a brown dwarf. By studying the debris from this explosion -- which takes the form of dual rings of dust and gas, resembling an hourglass with a compact central object -- the research team concluded that a brown dwarf, a so-called failed star without the mass to sustain nuclear fusion, had merged with a white dwarf. advertisement Professor Nye Evans, Professor of Astrophysics at Keele University and co-author on the paper appearing in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society explains: "CK Vulpeculae has in the past been regarded as the oldest 'old nova'. However, the observations of CK Vulpeculae I have made over the years, using telescopes on the ground and in space, convinced me more and more that this was no nova. Everyone knew what it wasn't -- but nobody knew what it was! But a stellar merger of some sort seemed the best bet. With our ALMA observations of the exquisite dusty hourglass and the warped disc, plus the presence of lithium and peculiar isotope abundances, the jig-saw all fitted together: in 1670 a brown dwarf star was 'shredded' and dumped on the surface of a white dwarf star, leading to the 1670 eruption and the hourglass we see today." The team of European, American and South African astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to examine the remains of the merger, with some interesting findings. By studying the light from two, more distant, stars as they shine through the dusty remains of the merger, the researchers were able to detect the tell-tale signature of the element lithium, which is easily destroyed in stellar interiors. Dr Stewart Eyres, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science at the University of South Wales and lead author on the paper explains: "The material in the hourglass contains the element lithium, normally easily destroyed in stellar interiors. The presence of lithium, together with unusual isotopic ratios of the elements C, N, O, indicate that an (astronomically!) small amount of material, in the form of a brown dwarf star, crashed onto the surface of a white dwarf in 1670, leading to thermonuclear 'burning', an eruption that led to the brightening seen by the Carthusian monk Anthelme and the astronomer Hevelius, and in the hourglass we see today." Professor Albert Zijlstra, from The University of Manchester's School of Physics & Astronomy, co-author of the study, says: advertisement "Stellar collisions are the most violent events in the Universe. Most attention is given to collisions between neutrons stars, between two white dwarfs -- which can give a supernova -- and star-planet collisions. "But it is very rare to actually see a collision, and where we believe one occurred, it is difficult to know what kind of stars collided. The type we believe that happened here is a new one, not previously considered or ever seen before. This is an extremely exciting discovery." Professor Sumner Starrfield, Regents' Professor of Astrophysics at Arizona State University comments: "The white dwarf would have been about 10 times more massive than the brown dwarf, so as the brown dwarf spiralled into the white dwarf it would have been ripped apart by the intense tidal forces exerted by the white dwarf. When these two objects collided, they spilled out a cocktail of molecules and unusual element isotopes. "These organic molecules, which we could not only detect with ALMA, but also measure how they were expanding into the surrounding environment, provide compelling evidence of the true origin of this blast. This is the first time such an event has been conclusively identified. "Intriguingly, the hourglass is also rich in organic molecules such as formaldehyde (H2CO), methanol (CH3OH) and methanamide (NH2CHO). These molecules would not survive in an environment undergoing nuclear fusion and must have been produced in the debris from the explosion. This lends further support to the conclusion that a brown dwarf met its demise in a star-on-star collision with a white dwarf." Since most star systems in the Milky Way are binary, stellar collisions are not that rare, the astronomers note. Professor Starrfield adds: "Such collisions are probably not rare and this material will eventually become part of a new planetary system, implying that they may already contain the building-blocks of organic molecules as they are forming." Female guppies with smaller brains can distinguish attractive males, but they don't recognise them as being more appealing or choose to mate with them, according to a new study by UCL and Stockholm University researchers. The study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, adds weight to the link between mate preference and cognitive ability. "One of the biggest decisions a female guppy has to make in its life is choosing who to mate with. It is very important, so you might think they would all prefer a single most attractive male," said one of the study's senior authors, Professor Judith Mank (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment). "But we found that it takes a certain amount of brain-power to size up an attractive mate." The research team studied female Trinidadian guppies in two groups differentiated by brain size and mating preferences. The fish were exposed to males that were either colourful with long tails, which are more commonly attractive to females, or males that were less colourful. The researchers allowed the female fish to evaluate the males, keeping the fish in separate tanks so exposure was only visual. They then measured gene expression on the brain tissue of the females to gauge which genes were being actively expressed in two brain areas involved in processing visual signals and in integrating those signals to make complex decisions. The researchers found that all of the females exhibited similar patterns of activity in the sensory processing areas of the brain when they saw an attractive male, suggesting they can all see the difference between attractive and dull males. But only the larger-brained fish showed different patterns of activity in decision-making brain regions when they saw attractive or unattractive males. Among the females with clear mate preferences, the genes that were activated by seeing an attractive male were more strongly connected to decision-making pathways. "Guppies are an excellent example of ecological adaptation, and this raises questions about potential trade-offs with increasing intelligence," said the study's first author, Dr Natasha Bloch (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment). "Brighter colours could attract predators, so there's an assumption that fish in environments with many predators would evolve to be less colourful, but there may be a more complex relationship involving predation pressure, female choice and cognitive ability," she said. "While the exact mechanisms behind female preferences in guppies require further investigation, we know that not choosing colourful and long-tailed males would be disadvantageous, as their sons would not inherit the optimal genes for appearance, and would thus have a harder time finding a mate," added co-author Dr Alberto Corral-Lopez (Stockholm University). "By clarifying what happens in the earliest stage of female mate preference behaviour in animals with different cognitive abilities, we have shed light on the structure of the genetic networks underlying female mate preferences, adding to our understanding of how animals evolve different mating patterns," said co-senior author Professor Niclas Kolm (Stockholm University). The vast majority of computing devices today are made from silicon, the second most abundant element on Earth, after oxygen. Silicon can be found in various forms in rocks, clay, sand, and soil. And while it is not the best semiconducting material that exists on the planet, it is by far the most readily available. As such, silicon is the dominant material used in most electronic devices, including sensors, solar cells, and the integrated circuits within our computers and smartphones. Now MIT engineers have developed a technique to fabricate ultrathin semiconducting films made from a host of exotic materials other than silicon. To demonstrate their technique, the researchers fabricated flexible films made from gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, and lithium fluoride -- materials that exhibit better performance than silicon but until now have been prohibitively expensive to produce in functional devices. The new technique, researchers say, provides a cost-effective method to fabricate flexible electronics made from any combination of semiconducting elements, that could perform better than current silicon-based devices. "We've opened up a way to make flexible electronics with so many different material systems, other than silicon," says Jeehwan Kim, the Class of 1947 Career Development Associate Professor in the departments of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. Kim envisions the technique can be used to manufacture low-cost, high-performance devices such as flexible solar cells, and wearable computers and sensors. Details of the new technique are reported today in Nature Materials. In addition to Kim, the paper's MIT co-authors include Wei Kong, Huashan Li, Kuan Qiao, Yunjo Kim, Kyusang Lee, Doyoon Lee, Tom Osadchy, Richard Molnar, Yang Yu, Sang-hoon Bae, Yang Shao-Horn, and Jeffrey Grossman, along with researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University, the University of Virginia, the University of Texas at Dallas, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Ohio State University, and Georgia Tech. Now you see it, now you don't In 2017, Kim and his colleagues devised a method to produce "copies" of expensive semiconducting materials using graphene -- an atomically thin sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal, chicken-wire pattern. They found that when they stacked graphene on top of a pure, expensive wafer of semiconducting material such as gallium arsenide, then flowed atoms of gallium and arsenide over the stack, the atoms appeared to interact in some way with the underlying atomic layer, as if the intermediate graphene were invisible or transparent. As a result, the atoms assembled into the precise, single-crystalline pattern of the underlying semiconducting wafer, forming an exact copy that could then easily be peeled away from the graphene layer. advertisement The technique, which they call "remote epitaxy," provided an affordable way to fabricate multiple films of gallium arsenide, using just one expensive underlying wafer. Soon after they reported their first results, the team wondered whether their technique could be used to copy other semiconducting materials. They tried applying remote epitaxy to silicon, and also germanium -- two inexpensive semiconductors -- but found that when they flowed these atoms over graphene they failed to interact with their respective underlying layers. It was as if graphene, previously transparent, became suddenly opaque, preventing atoms of silicon and germanium from "seeing" the atoms on the other side. As it happens, silicon and germanium are two elements that exist within the same group of the periodic table of elements. Specifically, the two elements belong in group four, a class of materials that are ionically neutral, meaning they have no polarity. "This gave us a hint," says Kim. Perhaps, the team reasoned, atoms can only interact with each other through graphene if they have some ionic charge. For instance, in the case of gallium arsenide, gallium has a negative charge at the interface, compared with arsenic's positive charge. This charge difference, or polarity, may have helped the atoms to interact through graphene as if it were transparent, and to copy the underlying atomic pattern. advertisement "We found that the interaction through graphene is determined by the polarity of the atoms. For the strongest ionically bonded materials, they interact even through three layers of graphene," Kim says. "It's similar to the way two magnets can attract, even through a thin sheet of paper." Opposites attract The researchers tested their hypothesis by using remote epitaxy to copy semiconducting materials with various degrees of polarity, from neutral silicon and germanium, to slightly polarized gallium arsenide, and finally, highly polarized lithium fluoride -- a better, more expensive semiconductor than silicon. They found that the greater the degree of polarity, the stronger the atomic interaction, even, in some cases, through multiple sheets of graphene. Each film they were able to produce was flexible and merely tens to hundreds of nanometers thick. The material through which the atoms interact also matters, the team found. In addition to graphene, they experimented with an intermediate layer of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a material that resembles graphene's atomic pattern and has a similar Teflon-like quality, enabling overlying materials to easily peel off once they are copied. However, hBN is made of oppositely charged boron and nitrogen atoms, which generate a polarity within the material itself. In their experiments, the researchers found that any atoms flowing over hBN, even if they were highly polarized themselves, were unable to interact with their underlying wafers completely, suggesting that the polarity of both the atoms of interest and the intermediate material determines whether the atoms will interact and form a copy of the original semiconducting wafer. "Now we really understand there are rules of atomic interaction through graphene," Kim says. With this new understanding, he says, researchers can now simply look at the periodic table and pick two elements of opposite charge. Once they acquire or fabricate a main wafer made from the same elements, they can then apply the team's remote epitaxy techniques to fabricate multiple, exact copies of the original wafer. "People have mostly used silicon wafers because they're cheap," Kim says. "Now our method opens up a way to use higher-performing, nonsilicon materials. You can just purchase one expensive wafer and copy it over and over again, and keep reusing the wafer. And now the material library for this technique is totally expanded." Kim envisions that remote epitaxy can now be used to fabricate ultrathin, flexible films from a wide variety of previously exotic, semiconducting materials -- as long as the materials are made from atoms with a degree of polarity. Such ultrathin films could potentially be stacked, one on top of the other, to produce tiny, flexible, multifunctional devices, such as wearable sensors, flexible solar cells, and even, in the distant future, "cellphones that attach to your skin." "In smart cities, where we might want to put small computers everywhere, we would need low power, highly sensitive computing and sensing devices, made from better materials," Kim says. "This [study] unlocks the pathway to those devices." This research was supported in part by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Department of Energy, the Air Force Research Laboratory, LG Electronics, Amore Pacific, LAM Research, and Analog Devices. LiLou the pig got a dose of spiritual protection Sunday when she waddled into San Franciscos Grace Cathedral and received a blessing from the Episcopal dean himself. May God bless you and keep you, LiLou, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Dean Malcolm Clemens Young crooned as he laid his hands upon the 90-pound porkers bristly hide. As a professional therapy pig, LiLou usually bestows healing help rather than getting it herself. But on this Sunday, as happens every year on the day that honors the patron saint of animals, St. Francis, the cathedral opened its doors, pews and even velvet pillows to any animal able to fit through its ornate front doors for a blessing. But first they had to make it through the service. Beneath the soaring marble and the reverential stained-glass windows waited cats on leashes, cats in strollers and one-eyed cats. A bichon with a ball-shaped head perched patiently on a pew. A rat terrier wriggled on a womans lap, across from a schnauzer shivering in the aisle. Now Playing: Each year in SF, the cathedral welcomes "furry, finned and feathered creatures" to be blessed in honor of St. Francis, Christianity's patron saint of animals. Video: San Francisco Chronicle As the voices of the cathedral chorus rose in a haunting chant, so did the jingling of license tags. Let us pray, the dean said from the sanctuary. The congregation heard: Let us Woof! pray. Blessed be your holy Bark! Bark! Bark! name. Before the blessing of the beasts, Young invited an animal expert, neuroscientist and author Robert Sapolsky, to deliver the sermon. In keeping with the topsy-turvy Christian service, Sapolsky began this way: Im an atheist raised an orthodox Jew. Yet his message to the faithful enlightened everyone. When we look at the faces of our beloved pets, we secrete oxytocin, Sapolsky told the congregation, referring to the hormone that helps establish a bonding between parent and child. Weve developed this ancient piece of mammalian wiring to extend a sense of kinship to our pets. And out of that comes a hopeful message: If we can do that for animals, with whom we share 60 or 80 percent of our DNA, we have more than proven that were capable of doing that for every human on Earth. The chance of hearing such a message inspired Heather Millar of San Francisco to bring in Sam, an English cream golden retriever, to be blessed. This is not magic, she said. Its the spiritual connection to everything. Dean Young agreed. I never know what an animal understands or doesnt, he said after the service concluded and it was time for the blessings. One of the biggest problems is that humans dont recognize the existence of other beings. Were not the only game in town. Now Playing: The Beyonce Mass at Grace Cathedral, featuring singer Logan McWilliams. Video: SFChronicle Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Jackson Braider, who lives nearby on Nob Hill, brought in Wilson the Norfolk terrier. Since Wilson doesnt often get to play with other dogs, Braider hoped he would behave in church. Gazing down at the small, cube-shaped dog, Braider seemed more than pleased. Today he was, dare I say, spectacular, Braider said. As for what the blessing would do for Wilson, Braider was less certain. Its kind of vague. It will not protect Wilson from, say, a savage Alsatian. But it will protect his spirit and his capacity to display affection for others. Tatyana Danilova had a different take. Shes the human responsible for painting LiLous toenails as pink as the therapy pig business cards she handed out. The blessing is a protection watching over her, Danilova said, reaching down to sop up a drip from LiLous flat, wet snout. It will have her be healthy. I believe in that. And I hope its forever. Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov When Sarah Smith and Zack Minjarez moved into Berkeleys first Navigation Center for homeless people in July, they told me they were exhausted from years living in tents on streets and under highway overpasses. They wanted a home that opened with a doorknob and not a zipper. After three months living at the Navigation Center, theyre getting one. Soon theyll move into a studio apartment in Oaklands Fruitvale neighborhood. They found out the night before I went to hang out with them early last week. Just to have a key and to be able to open your door and know that everything is the same as you left it, Im ecstatic right now, Minjarez, 32, said. I dont have words to describe it. Its a new start. Its so cute, Smith, 36, said of the apartment as the couples two dogs played at her feet. The oven is real. I could fit a turkey in there. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Berkeleys Navigation Center opened in July on the site of a former sprawling tent encampment. It can house up to 45 people at one time in a pair of air-conditioned trailers, and residents can stay for up to six months. Bay Area Community Services, a nonprofit homeless outreach organization, runs the site, and social workers help residents find jobs, health services and permanent places to live. Unlike homeless shelters, which make people leave each morning, the Navigation Center trailers are open 24 hours a day. Residents can bring pets and some of their belongings. There they get access to addiction treatment and job assistance. The site has showers and restrooms, and three washing machines and three dryers. Berkeley is spending $2.45 million a year on the center, including money for residents to spend on rent and utilities when theyre ready to move into a place of their own. But helping the homeless isnt just about finding housing. Its about restoring people emotionally, mentally and physically. Its about treating people with dignity and respect by acknowledging they need to be helped and nurtured more than those of us with homes. Its something as simple as greeting someone by their name, which society has forgotten to do with the population that were aiming to serve, Christian Munoz, the sites program coordinator, said. Theyve been ignored for many years. And its crucial to maintain a support system for a population that has been transient for so many years. Munoz said Bay Area Community Services works with clients even after theyve been housed. In 2017, Alameda Countys homeless count reported about 1,000 transients living in Berkeley, a 17 percent increase from 2015. According to the city, 56 people have lived at the Navigation Center at some point since it opened. Seven people have moved to permanent homes five people moved into rental housing, and two moved back in with family. Now Smith and Minjarez can be added to the list. I didnt believe it was going to be possible, said Minjarez, a Berkeley native who told me hes been homeless on and off since he was 16. But its working out. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Renting the studio, which costs $1,550 per month, was made possible by a loan program funded through Alameda County Behavioral Health Care that supports individuals who have mental health challenges and are eligible for Supplemental Security Income, but who need help navigating the laborious process for obtaining benefits. The program will pay the rent every month until Smith starts receiving her payments. To repay the loan, a percentage will be taken out of her checks until it is fully repaid. While I was at the Navigation Center last week, I met Gloria McCoy as she pushed a rolling walker up and down the pavement, as if exercising. Two book bags dangled from the handlebars, as if she didnt want to leave her belongings in a trailer. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. When I first was homeless, everything was fine, because everybody helped everybody, said McCoy, 68, who is known as Mama Gloria. But right now, it aint too good. She told me shed been homeless for 10 years before moving into the Navigation Center. I did the footwork getting here, and by them helping me by housing me until I can get housing, I appreciate that, she said. As we talked, a man, who walked past combing his wet, stringy hair, said the Navigation Center was a living hell. He declined to elaborate. Thats when Mama Gloria reminded me that transitioning isnt always simple. On the street, there are drug addicts, drug dealers and thieves thriving while people with mental illnesses and other health problems dont get the treatment they need. But living at the Navigation Center provided respite for Smith and Minjarez. Just to know that you can come back and you have a clean bed, Smith said of the center. You can take a shower, she said. And use the toilet. And you can do other simple things that the housed take for granted, like charging a phone. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Otis R. Taylor Jr. appears Mondays and Thursdays. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr San Franciscos Ferry Building, an 1898 landmark that has become a prime spot for restaurants and food shops as well as offices, has changed hands for $291 million. Hudson Pacific Properties, a major West Coast tech landlord, and German insurance giant Allianz are the new proprietors. The companies want to expand the farmers market, which the building hosts three times a week. They also want to open the buildings 245-foot tower to the public for the first time in years. Its such a beautiful iconic piece, Victor Coleman, CEO of Hudson Pacific Properties, said Monday. Wed like it to be accessible for San Franciscans and tourists alike. The Port of San Francisco, a city agency, owns the Ferry Building but has leased it to private developers since 2001. Hudson Pacific Properties and Allianz said they bought the rights to a 49-year building lease from the Blackstone Groups Equity Office division, giving them control over the property. The deal, at a price exceeding $1,000 per square foot, is another sign of San Franciscos booming office market, which has been largely driven by the growth of the tech industry. Hudson Pacific Properties, which went public in 2010, owns other tech hubs, including 1455 Market St., the headquarters of Uber and Square, and Rincon Center, home to some of Googles San Francisco offices. The property includes 192,532 square feet of office space and 75,486 square feet of retail. The office space is fully leased, to SS&C Technologies, Meltwater, Meritage Group and Niantic, maker of the Pokemon Go video game. Retail and restaurant tenants include Blue Bottle Coffee, Cowgirl Creamery and the Slanted Door. Coleman said leases will expire in 2019 for about 40,000 square feet of office space, giving Hudson Pacific Properties and Allianz the opportunity to raise rents. Existing rents are almost 50 percent below current market rates, he said. San Franciscos average downtown asking rents are over $80 per square foot annually, and waterfront space like the Ferry Building can command over $100 per square foot, according to real estate brokerage data. Coleman declined to disclose the Ferry Buildings exact rents. Before the Bay Bridge connected San Francisco and Oakland in 1936, the Ferry Building was the primary destination for arriving visitors. Over the decades, the building survived earthquakes big and small, along with attempts to demolish it for larger structures. In the 1950s, the Embarcadero Freeway cut the waterfront and Ferry Building off from the rest of the city. The freeway was demolished after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Starting in 2001, Equity Office and Wilson Meany renovated the vacant Ferry Building for $90 million and reopened it in 2003 as a food hall and office space. The renovations restored the building to its former glory as a nexus for travelers and tourists, and the last decade has seen a rebound in ferry ridership. San Francisco is now investing in additional ferry service on the Embarcadero, which will triple the amount of water traffic in the area. Foot traffic at the Ferry Building is expected to rise from 14,000 daily commuters to 24,000, said Coleman. Since it opened in 1898, the Ferry Building has been preserved and improved, evolving into a great architectural achievement, said Christoph Donner, CEO of Allianz Real Estate of America, in a statement. Visitors, vendors and tenants are attracted by its unparalleled offerings. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Under the deal, Hudson Pacific Properties controls a 55 percent stake in the Ferry Building and Allianz controls 45 percent. The agreement requires a payment of $1.6 million per year in rent to the Port of San Francisco, rising with inflation. Coleman said the companies will pursue other real estate investments together in the Bay Area, Seattle and Los Angeles. Blackstone acquired Equity Office in 2007 at the peak of real estate bubble for $39 billion the largest leveraged buyout at the time. The private equity giant has since sold off many of Equitys properties, and the Ferry Building was the last remnant of its portfolio from the early 2000s. Blackstone remains an active investor in San Francisco. It has partial ownership in One Market Plaza, home to Google, Autodesk and Visa. It also owns the headquarters of Charles Schwab at 211 Main St. and is in contract to buy Embarcadero Place, a few blocks west of the Ferry Building. Coleman said hes had a relationship with Blackstone for two decades, and that helped Hudson Pacific complete the deal for the Ferry Building. The history is second to none, Coleman said. It really is one of my favorite pieces of real estate in all of San Francisco. Where can you stand in an office building and see the water right below you? Roland Li is a Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf Elon Musks rocket company launched a commercial satellite for Argentina on Sunday evening, marking SpaceXs 17th mission of 2018 in the type of steady success that so far has eluded his electric-car maker Tesla Inc. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Santa Barbara County, about 7:21 p.m. local time. About 8 minutes after liftoff, the rockets first stage returned and landed at Vandenberg in a first for a California SpaceX launch. The second stage deployed SAOCOM 1A, an Argentine Earth-imaging satellite, roughly 12 minutes after the launch. Having a rockets first stage return safely to Earth is part of Space Exploration Technologies Corp.s strategy to reduce launch costs and win market share. SpaceX already has recovered rocket boosters several times, both on land in Florida and on drone ships at sea. Musk is the chief executive officer, chairman and largest shareholder of both SpaceX and Tesla, two companies that are pushing frontiers of technology while surrounded by different degrees of drama. Closely held SpaceXs valuation has climbed to about $28 billion as it racks up successful launches, making it the third-most valuable venture-backed startup in the U.S. after Uber Technologies Inc. and Airbnb Inc. SpaceX completed a record 18 missions in 2017 and is on track to exceed that number this year. Publicly traded Teslas value, meanwhile, has seesawed as Musk made bold claims about taking it private, only to draw a lawsuit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Musk ridiculed the SEC as the Shortseller Enrichment Commission in a tweet last week, rattling investors with a missive that could imperil the deal struck with the regulator just a week earlier. The settlement, which isnt final, bars Musk from serving as chairman of Tesla for three years as punishment for tweets he sent about taking Tesla private, but it allows him to remain CEO. Tesla shares fell about 7.1 percent on Friday. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes SpaceX has a contract to ferry American astronauts to the International Space Station as part of whats known as the Commercial Crew program with NASA, but the timeline for the first flights has slipped repeatedly. The latest schedule from NASA has SpaceXs first demonstration fight scheduled for January, and the first flight with astronauts on board scheduled for June. In August, SpaceX employees got a chance to meet the four astronauts who will fly on Crew Dragon, the craft SpaceX designed to ferry them safely to and from the orbiting lab. Dana Hull is a Bloomberg writer. Email: dhull12@bloomberg.net Lyft has written to Mayor London Breed asking her to reconsider the citys decision to grant only two permits for e-scooter rentals, The Chronicle has learned. The ride-hailing company was among a dozen applicants for a one-year pilot program for app-based rentals of dockless electric scooters in San Francisco. The pilot, run by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, called for up to five companies to operate 1,250 scooters in the first six months, with the possibility of doubling the number of vehicles in the second six months. The SFMTA picked two companies, Scoot and Skip, both San Francisco startups, which can start operations next week. Three of the unsuccessful candidates Lime, Spin and Ubers Jump have filed formal appeals over their exclusion. All say they were unfairly blackballed over a clause looking at companies past behaviors, and complained that the SFMTAs scoring seemed arbitrary and biased. As previously reported by The Chronicle, some companies, including Lyft, that scored well on most aspects of the application were dinged over perceived past transgressions. In the case of both Lyft and Jump, those were related to their rollout of ride hailing. Lime and Spin were downgraded for their previous operations of scooters in San Francisco this spring. Based on information shared by City Hall and SFMTA, Lyft scored the highest on the initial review of the applications because of our concrete proposal to provide a transit-oriented and equitable scooter program to San Francisco, Lyft wrote. The fact that the final result differed substantially from the initial analysis is indicative of a larger frustration with the process. Its specific beefs, which echo those of the three companies filing appeals, were that scoring criteria werent released in advance and that the scoring mechanism led to arbitrary and inconsistent scoring results. Rather than appealing, Lyft wrote to Breed, as well as to SFMTA Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin, in an effort to be collaborative, the letter said. It asked them to review the scooter application process and consider granting more permits so that Lyft can participate in the pilot. The SFMTA defended its process as thorough, fair and transparent and said it is confident we selected the strongest applicants to participate in the one-year scooter pilot. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Breeds office did not respond to requests for comment. Both Lyft and Uber increasingly are pursuing mobility beyond cars. Lyft in June bought Motivate, which operates the Ford GoBike rental program in the Bay Area and similar docked bike rentals in other cities. That deal has not yet closed. Uber in April bought Jump Bikes, which operates dockless electric bikes in San Francisco and elsewhere. Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid Marriott hotel workers continued their Bay Area strike on Monday and began striking in Hawaii, escalating their labor dispute with the worlds largest hotel operator. Workers carrying signs marched outside Marriott hotels in San Francisco for the fifth day, demanding better wages. They said they cant get by in the expensive city unless they work multiple jobs. Hotel workers in San Jose and Oakland are also striking, and a strike began in Detroit on Sunday. A San Francisco space technology company is gearing up for its first launch next month after securing $19 million in funding. Capella Space was born from CEO Payam Banazadehs frustration as he watched the coverage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 going missing in 2014. He said he was totally mesmerized for weeks and felt disappointed that many governments could not find a huge plane. The company, which was incorporated in March 2016 and received its first round of funding the next June, has spent the past 2 years developing small satellites that can deliver high-quality images anywhere on Earth under any condition. We started the company with the goal that if we could essentially miniaturize that technology into a really small package and, as a result of that, change the cost game and launch these satellites in dozens, we will bring a new capability that allows us to monitor our planet very frequently, Banazadeh said. And because of the cost difference and this new capability, we can open this up to the commercial world, whereas before its only been sort of limited to government use only. Typical satellites are about the size of a school bus and very expensive, so governments were the only entities that could break into space, Banazadeh said. Capellas satellites are about the size of a backpack, which makes it easier, faster and less expensive to launch them into space with fewer rockets. The company has raised about $35 million, including the latest round of funding, and also has a $10 million contract with the Department of Defense. To hear more To listen or subscribe on Apple devices: https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1316784843 For other devices, search for "Startups of the Week" in your favorite podcast app. See More Collapse Because about 75 percent of the Earth is covered by clouds or darkness at any given time, there are major gaps in monitoring the Earth, Banazadeh said. Capella Spaces satellites use synthetic aperture radars to be able to see through darkness and weather conditions and monitor the planet. Banazadeh said Capella isnt a satellite company it just happens to build satellites that can be used for monitoring. The company is working toward establishing a 12-plane, high revisit constellation that can produce hourly images. Capella is planning to launch its first satellite in November, an internal prototype, on a SpaceX rocket. The company plans to send another satellite that will serve as an operational demo to space in May, and by the end of 2019 the company wants to have the first six of the 36 satellites in space, Banazadeh said. With the first six satellites up, Capella will be able to monitor anywhere in the world every six hours. By the end of 2020, the company plans to have another six satellites in space to monitor the Earth every three hours, and eventually there will be 36 satellites in space for hourly monitoring, Banazadeh said. Deal of the week: Astro Technology What it does: Astro is a startup that uses artificial intelligence for workplace communications, like email and calendar apps. What happened: It was bought by Slack Technologies, the San Francisco work-messaging company. Why it matters: The acquisition marks the expansion of Slack into other areas of office communication beyond instant messaging. Headquarters: Palo Alto Funding: $10 million Employees: About 25 Astro employees will join Slack. Also trending: Calm Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes What it does: Calm is a meditation app that has soothing sounds and images to help users reduce stress and sleep. What happened: Calm has teamed with American Airlines to provide inflight meditation services, according to CNBC. Why it matters: Meditation app Headspace has worked with airlines on inflight meditation since 2011, and now Calm is looking to get into the arena. Headquarters: San Francisco Funding: About $28 million Employees: 11-50 Sophia Kunthara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sophia.kunthara@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophiaKunthara San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi pulled a stunt last week not often seen from a defense attorney: He gave one of his own lawyers a polygraph test. Adachi is now using the results to argue that Deputy Public Defender Elizabeth Camacho wasnt lying when she made the racially charged claim last month that a judge compared one of her cases to a telenovela. The conflict is just one facet of a convoluted 2015 murder case that Adachi took on himself this year before launching a blitz of pretrial motions to kill the case. Adachi said he got the idea for the polygraph while watching Christine Blasey Fords testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ford told the committee that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in high school, and she took a polygraph test before testifying to bolster her credibility I saw it on TV, Adachi said of his latest gambit. I watched the Kavanaugh hearings, and I said, Thats a good idea. The San Francisco district attorneys office was not impressed with the move. Mr. Adachis stunts are as flamboyant as Evel Knievels and somehow, they suffer from even less substance, said Max Szabo, an office spokesman. Perhaps Mr. Adachi should subject himself to an independent polygraph test covering his many statements on this case and many others. The polygraph ploy is just the latest twist in a case that has seen an escalating battle of one-upmanship between Adachi and prosecutors. It started back in 2016, when a judge tossed out murder charges during a preliminary hearing against tenant-rights attorney Carlos Argueta, who was accused of fatally stabbing a 61-year-old man on Sixth Street the year before. Undaunted, prosecutors took the case to a grand jury and secured a murder indictment against Argueta, 34. Adachi cried foul, saying the prosecutor committed misconduct because he didnt present exculpatory evidence to the grand jury, as required by law. Last month, Adachi filed a motion asking Judge Ethan Schulman toss the indictment, even though the same judge had already rejected a similar motion by the public defenders office. Rather than wait for Schulman to make a ruling on his latest effort, Adachi pushed to have the judge taken off the case. Adachi accused Schulman of being racially biased against Latinos after, he said, the judge asked Camacho in a separate case, When is this telenovela going to end? Schulman has denied the statement, pointing out there was no record of him saying it, and he separately said Camacho violated his court orders and committed misconduct during that trial. Its pretty serious, Adachi said of Schulmans rebuke. When a judge basically says, I never said it, hes calling our lawyer a liar. So Adachi hired a professional to hook Camacho up to the polygraph machine and ask her whether she lied about Schulmans statement. She passed with flying colors, Adachi said. The test is admissible because it is part of a civil procedure, Adachi asserted. Polygraph tests are not admissible in criminal cases. Arguetas case goes to trial Tuesday as Adachi and the district attorneys office wait to see what happens with the other motions. Court officials declined to comment. BART cops advancement on hold, for now: BART Police Officer Joseph Mateu, who fatally shot 28-year-old Sahleem Tindle outside West Oakland Station in January, remains eligible for a new assignment as a field training officer, a position responsible for training and supervising rookies. An investigation into the shooting is still ongoing, though, and if the Alameda County district attorneys office doesnt clear Mateu of wrongdoing by Oct. 25, his name will be taken out of the running, officials said. The case is the latest to raise questions about whether officers should be denied advancement during pending investigations. If granted, the title change and a 5 percent pay raise would come after protests by family members and supporters of Tindle, who was shot dead when police were called to break up a fight outside the station. Mateus body camera footage showed two men tussling in front of a barbershop when he arrived. BART Police Chief Carlos Rojas said Tindle had shot and wounded the other man, who was trying to fight for his life. A gun was recovered at the scene, but its unclear if Tindle had control of the weapon when he was shot. Oakland attorney John Burris, who represents Tindles family, said Mateu might get cleared for a new job but added, he hasnt been cleared by me. Last month, Burris filed a federal lawsuit against Mateu, BART and Chief Rojas. Tindles mother, Yolanda Banks-Reed, said she was disappointed to learn Mateu was being considered for a promotion of sorts. Its just sad, she said. The whole situation all the way around is inhumane. District attorneys office spokeswoman Teresa Drenick said she did not know when the investigation would be completed. Laywers representing Mateu did not return calls seeking comment. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Mateu wouldnt be the first police officer to be honored after a controversial shooting. In 2013, San Francisco Officer Mary Godfrey was awarded a silver medal of valor for shooting and killing 32-year-old Pralith Pralourng after he appeared to have a psychotic break and slashed a co-worker at the Tcho chocolate factory with a box cutter. Godfrey hadnt yet been cleared when she was nominated for the award. After the process came under scrutiny, the city changed its policy so that nominations for medals of valor could not be considered until after a shooting investigation was completed. That car is on fire: San Francisco police are searching for an unknown number of arsonists who have set six cars ablaze in the past two weeks. No injuries have been reported in the crimes, and there are few clues to identify suspects. The trouble began Sept. 23 and 24, when firefighters were called to extinguish two car blazes in the Castro and the Mission, respectively. Fire Capt. Attica Bowden said a blaze on 19th and Capp streets was intentional. Then, on Sept. 26, a man heard a loud boom on the 2300 block of Pine Street in Lower Pacific Heights and looked outside to see his car on fire. Police said the victim identified a potential suspect but did not provide further details. Four days later, cops responded to an auto inferno just after midnight on the 500 block of Raymond Avenue near McLaren Park. And to cap off a fiery couple of weeks, flames engulfed a vehicle just after 9 a.m. Tuesday on the 2000 block of 17th Street in Potrero Hill. Few details have been released about each of the incidents, but for now they all appear to be isolated, said Officer Giselle Linnane, a police spokeswoman. Roundup: The biggest public safety news from the past week An Alameda County Sheriffs sergeant was charged with four felonies after a video showed him admitting to secretly recording juvenile suspects and their attorney. Longtime San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon announced he will not seek re-election in 2019. A Berkeley hot dog cook who was fired for taking part in last years deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., was charged with inciting a riot. A new library program has given inmates at three San Francisco jails a positive way to escape. Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that could give hundreds of lifers in prison a chance to regain their freedom. The Scanner is a weekly feature on public safety from Chronicle breaking news and beat reporters. Follow them on Twitter: @meganrcassidy, @EvanSernoffsky, @SarRavani, @RachelSwan, @ctuan, @gwendolynawu, @ashleynmcb, @Josh_Koehn If theres one word that characterizes the cannabis dinner party in 2018, my friends, it is not munchies. One might talk about craveables, which is an actual word people use to describe snacks in 2018, though none of them are editors of the Merriam-Webster dictionary. No, one does not attend a cannabis dinner party in order to crunch glassy-eyed on ones food. One approaches dinner as a sensory experience. And the word youll hear most often in those discussions is terpenes. If you are new to herbal products, terpenes are the organic compounds that give cannabis all of the wonderful aromas and flavors we can perceive, writes Jamie Evans, a San Francisco wine professional who hosts tasting events as the Herb Somm (www.theherbsomm.com). Each strain has unique characteristics due to farming practices and the terroir in which it was grown to create different and expressive cannabinoid and terpene profiles. So now we are savoring the limonenes in our OG Kush and the myrcenes in our Himalayan Gold. As to the how, however, a schism has emerged: Should a cannabis dinner involve good food and things to smoke along with it, or should cannabis be infused into the food? Evans, who organizes a series of dinners called Thursday Infused (www.thursdayinfused.com), says she always asks the chefs she partners with to incorporate cannabis into the food, though they have to keep the total dosage to 5 milligrams of THC which many longtime users would consider microdosing and newbies would find is quite enough, thank you. James Tensuan / Special to The Chronicle Cooking with cannabis butters, oils and flowers in a way that captures their aromas takes some serious technical as well as culinary skill. The more heat terpenes are exposed to, the more theyll evaporate, Evans says. Theres another, more pressing concern with serving infused food. A dinner party situation can be tricky because you cant know until two hours (after you eat it) whether you want more or not. says Stephanie Hua, co-author of Edibles: Small Bites for the Modern Cannabis Kitchen (Chronicle Books, November 2018) and founder of Mellows, a medicated marshmallow company. Anyone who has consumed edibles has a story about the time they ate too much. Mine involved a basement kegger and a chocolate-chip cookie blackout. The perils do not end with graduation. Friends of mine have found themselves, in their 30s and 40s, waking up against the wall of a bar to a ring of concerned glances, or calling people in other states, asking them to help calm down a freakout. The recipes Hua developed with co-author Coreen Carroll for their book are designed to be small, low-dose eats, which Hua recommends serving at the beginning of a party so people can gauge their mental state later on. Other cannabis chefs, such as Michael Magallanes of Opulent Chef (www.opulentchef.com), have asked the guests at his private dinner-party series about their tolerance level before it starts so he can add the right amount. James Tensuan / Special to The Chronicle These days, however, the chef, who cooked under Mourad Lahlou for five years, generally works with cold-water hash and concentrates, serving them with vaporizers that heat the cannabis to a lower temperature. I feel that using high-quality concentrates that are strain-specific, usually outdoor grown from Humboldt or Mendocino, you can really pair that well with food, Magallanes says. Magallanes approaches the pairing as he would with wine, though he doesnt serve alcohol at his dinners. Some of the earlier courses will usually be strains that have more of the citrusy, floral aspects because the dishes will be lighter in the beginning, he says. Going into the heavier courses at the end, well go into the heavier strains that have more of that mushroom and pine flavor. One thing Magallanes doesnt like to do, however, is serve joints. Flower, if you try to smoke it, then your palate is going to get blown out. Not all cannabis chefs agree. (Another schism!) Holden Jagger, whose culinary career began in San Francisco but who now throws cannabis-related food events in Los Angeles as Altered Plates (www.alteredplatesevents.com), does like to pair food with joints. If youre using high-quality products, youre going to be able to taste the flower very well, Jagger says. There are things you can only get with the flower through smoking it. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. But sensory experience, remember youre not taking a bite of lamb with one hand and holding a lit blunt in the other. The first step is sniffing the cannabis as you would a glass of wine, Jagger says. The next step is a dry pull, where you put the unlit joint to your lips and taste the flavor of the cannabis. The final tasting point is when diners smoke the joint. James Tensuan / Special to The Chronicle Robin Song, chef de cuisine at Stones Throw in San Francisco, who cooked for a series of dinners in 2015-16 called Luck Pot, says hes interested in terpenes, sure, but he really just wants to cook good food for stoned people. Experientially I personally prefer consuming (cannabis) on its own. I dont enjoy the taste of eating it, he says. Song and Hua both flavorful food is a must if youre going to serve dinner alongside joints or vaporizer, whether or not youre paying attention to the aromatic complexities. I know that when I have been at infused dinners, something refreshing is good to have on hand, Hua says. It could be ice cream OK, ice cream is really good or a lemonade, and doesnt need to have marijuana in it. There are the craveables, the sugars and the salty foods and fried foods, Song says. But does anyone need to be stoned to crave those? The reality is, if the flavors are good and the experience is fun and the hospitality is there, it doesnt really matter. Honestly, the chef adds, Id rather feed a bunch of stoners than a bunch of drunks. Jonathan Kauffman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jkauffman@sfchronicle.com Twitter/Instagram: @jonkauffman Erika Castellanos, a full-time student, expects to graduate from San Francisco State University within three years. The problem? Shes already been there four. Multiply those extra years at school by thousands of California State University students with similar stories, and you get a clogged pipeline across CSUs 23 campuses just as applications for freshman and transfer spots are at an all-time high for the nations largest university system. CSU turned away more qualified applicants than ever last year 1 in 10 students, or 31,000 people. One reason is that for years, CSU has forced tens of thousands of underprepared freshmen to take remedial, high-school level classes that provide not a single credit toward graduation. No more. For the first time this fall, CSU has disposed of those no-credit classes that not only slowed students down in their march toward graduation, but worked at cross-purposes with the universitys goal of freeing up seats and professors to enroll more students. They believe theyve come up with a better idea: replacing the remedial classes with college-level courses for credit that are still supposed to help lagging students catch up. San Francisco State, for example, does it in two ways: by stretching one course into a second semester so the curriculum can be taught more slowly, and by offering a support class for students to take simultaneously. I would have been ecstatic if Id have had the option for that, said Castellanos, who is premed with a second major in psychology. Instead, Castellanos spent her freshman year taking math for no credit. Then, when her campus didnt offer enough chemistry labs for everyone who needed them, she had to drop chemistry altogether for a semester and take classes she didnt need. And there were other delays: wrong-headed advice from a campus adviser set her back several classes, and the no-credit math led to confusion about how many credits shed accumulated. CSUs systemwide Graduation Initiative 2025 has targeted those diploma-delaying conditions since 2016 and estimates it will need $450 million from the state through 2025. CSU received $75 million this year, and will ask for the same next year. The idea is to unclog the system and help more students graduate in four years. Or six if they cant attend full time. With $150 million paid out to CSU so far, campuses have hired more professors, upgraded mentoring programs and added academic advisers, Vice Chancellor James Minor told the CSU trustees at their September meeting in Long Beach. Minor, who also holds the title of senior strategist for academic success and inclusive excellence, said campuses have added 4,300 new courses and freed up 90,000 new seats nearly one for every freshman already enrolled. And a key piece of the strategy is replacing the no-credit classes. All students who need additional academic support will now have the opportunity to complete credit courses from Day One, Minor said. The push seems to be working. Slowly. The average four-year graduation rate across all campuses was 23 percent in 2017, meaning that fewer than 1 in 4 students who started school four ago has earned a diploma. While that may not sound applause-worthy, its better than two years earlier, when the rate was only 19 percent. The goal is 40 percent by 2025. The six-year graduation rate is better: 59 percent, up from 57 percent in 2015. The goal for 2025 is 70 percent. The initiative has similar goals for transfer students, who arrive at CSU as juniors. Just 35 percent of them earn a diploma in two years. Some campuses, like Cal State Los Angeles and Dominguez Hills, posted a mere 8 percent four-year graduation rate in 2017 up from 6 percent in 2015. The best, both over 50 percent, up from the mid-40s, was at the San Luis Obispo and Maritime campuses. At San Francisco State, the four-year graduation rate has been stuck at about 18 percent, and the six-year at about 53 percent. But hopes are high for improvement now that theyve gotten rid of no-credit remedial courses. Dont be shy! If you have any questions, raise your hand, OK? Timmy Chan, a graduate student instructor, called out recently after scribbling a polynomial equation on the whiteboard. The 40 or so students in Business Calculus 1 a three-credit stretch class that replaced remedial math considered the equation. This semester, and again next spring in a second three-credit Part II of the class, the freshmen and occasional sophomore will review material they never mastered in high school: exponents and radicals, for example, as well as functions from linear to logarithmic. But this college-level class also teaches the material in an appealing financial context that introduces compound interest, annuities and amortization. A woman approached the whiteboard and solved the equation, writing: (x + 7) (x + 2). Beautifully done, Chan said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. His tone throughout the class was encouraging and respectful. He defined the basics: Let me explain what I mean by find the sign. He offered study tips: This will be key at the end of next semester so make sure you take good notes now. And he remembered it was a business class: So when do we break even? A woman in glasses sounded surprised as she told her seatmate, a man in a yellow hoodie: This is not that hard! After class, freshman Chris Yeary and sophomore Marc-Adrian Valdes said the work in no way felt remedial or dumbed-down, but proceeded at a good pace for absorbing the material. And they were relieved to be earning credits. I believe it is helping me to graduate faster, Yeary said. But they took a skeptical view of the Graduation Initiative. I personally think theyre doing this so they can end up making more money with more freshmen, said Yeary, unaware, perhaps, at the millions of dollars taxpayers are spending to make it happen at the state-funded university. Valdes sensed it was more about CSU trying to improve its reputation: I believe the school looks bad when students graduate in five or more years. Maybe. But math department chair Serkan Hosten saw it, not surprisingly, from a math perspective. Roughly 2,000 students a year about 35 percent of San Francisco States incoming freshmen have had to take no-credit remedial math. Statewide, 16,628 freshmen had to take it last year, while 10,528 freshmen had to take no-credit English. The students feel huge resentment, Hosten said. They say, Ive seen this material before why am I paying money for this? Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov A Death Row inmate who claims DNA evidence would clear him of four Southern California murders committed 35 years ago appears to have moved a step closer to testing of his own DNA along with that of another potential suspect. A lawyer for inmate Kevin Cooper says a second man, whose girlfriend linked him to the possible murder weapon, has made his own DNA available for testing along with Coopers. The lawyer, Norman Hile, also says a confidential witness told him the second man has confessed to the killings that sent Cooper to Death Row. The development comes as Cooper and his lawyer await Gov. Jerry Browns decision on their request in February 2016 to approve the testing of Coopers DNA. We dont understand why the governor isnt willing to do what law enforcement would do test to see who is the actual killer, Hile said Monday. Brown has reportedly said he might leave the decision to his successor. Youre going to get a guy more liberal than me coming around the corner. Dont worry, Brown told New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who reported the comments over the weekend. Brown was referring to the prospect that Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom would defeat Republican John Cox in next months election to succeed the termed-out governor. On Monday, Browns press secretary, Evan Westrup, told The Chronicle by email that the information we receive from both parties will ultimately determine next steps, including whether there will be additional testing. Cooper, now 60, was convicted of fatally slashing Doug and Peggy Ryen, their 10-year-old daughter, Jessica, and an 11-year-old house guest, Chris Hughes, in the Ryens home in Chino Hills (San Bernardino County) in June 1983. Cooper had just escaped from a nearby prison, where he was serving a sentence for burglary, and had hidden out at a home close to the Ryens. The Ryens 8-year-old son, Josh, was stabbed in the throat but survived. He later testified that he recognized Cooper as the lone attacker. But while being treated for his wounds in a hospital, he communicated to a social worker with hand signals that the assailants had been three or four white men. Cooper is black. He was eight hours away from execution in 2004 when the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals called a halt and ordered DNA testing of a bloody T-shirt found near the home. Coopers DNA was found on the shirt, and his death sentence was reaffirmed. But in a 101-page dissent from the appeals courts refusal to reconsider the case, Judge William Fletcher said Cooper is probably innocent. He said there was evidence that officers had tampered with the test to frame Cooper. Fletcher also said another potential witness had told officers that her boyfriend, a convicted murderer named Lee Furrow, who is white, had worn a T-shirt like the one found near the murder scene and had a hatchet that resembled descriptions of the murder weapon. Police retrieved a pair of bloody coveralls from Furrow but later destroyed them without testing them, Fletcher said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Coopers lawyers also want testing of the hatchet, a towel found near the T-shirt, and hairs found in the victims hands. State and local prosecutors offices have custody of the evidence, and only the governor can authorize DNA testing, since Cooper has lost all court appeals of his convictions and sentence. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., supports the request for testing, reversing a stance she took when she was state attorney general. In a letter to both sides in the case in July, Browns legal affairs secretary, Peter Krause, said the requests deserve the serious consideration they have received. He also asked Hile, Coopers lawyer, if he had DNA samples from Furrow or any other alleged suspect, and questioned how tests showing DNA from unknown individuals who may have handled the evidence could resolve Coopers guilt or innocence. Hile said Monday he told Krause he had contacted Furrow, who voluntarily gave a DNA sample. Kristof, who argued in an earlier column that Cooper had probably been framed, also reported the DNA sampling and said Furrow told him he had nothing to do with the crime, and wanted the testing to clear my name. But Hile also said a confidential witness, whom he considers a reliable source, has told him Furrow admitted that he and two others committed the 1983 murders. San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos office is due to file his reply to Browns office later this week. Separately, Ramos has asked federal courts to clear the way for Coopers execution. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko The most telling line of Mondays gubernatorial debate came near the end, when Republican John Cox accused Democrat Gavin Newsom of trying to paint me as ... different on so many issues. Newsom certainly did, which was clearly his goal going into the debate on KQED-FM, and why he was the undisputed winner. Newsoms comfort with his own positions and Coxs discomfort with his was evident throughout the 60-minute session. Time and again, Cox found himself on the defensive when Newsom challenged the GOP candidate about past statements. Cox exhibited a particular bit of frustration when Newsom brought up the Republicans positions on concealed weapons and other gun control issues. Im not running to change one iota. Im not, Cox said. Here is a good rule of thumb in American politics: If your best answer to a controversial issue is that youre not going to do anything about it, youve lost the point in a debate. Newsom was decidedly more sure-footed on the issue, pointing to his role in extending background checks to ammunition sales and reminding listeners that Cox regarded gun laws as a waste of time. When the subject turned to climate change, Cox was again awkward in calling the newly passed legislation to move California toward 100 percent renewable energy sources a wonderful goal but one he opposed because it would drive up electricity prices. He claimed he was not an ideologue on the subject and acknowledged that the planet was warming and that human activity might be a factor. Newsom did not hesitate to point out the caveats and contradictions, noting that Cox supported President Trumps move to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord. Cox tried to score points by highlighting their differences on immigration, but that only put Newsom on the offensive. The wall is a monument to stupidity, said Newsom, because many of the people here illegally arrived here by air and overstayed their visas. He called it a sixth century solution of a 21st century problem. On housing, Cox was asked for specifics on reforms that could promote new construction. Well talk about that after I get elected, he said. His dismal performance on Monday should reduce the chances that will happen. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. My delivery driver showed up with the packages Id mail-ordered. Your hair regrowth ointment is here! he cheerfully declared to my momentarily puzzled and then immediately horrified face. When I asked him how he knew what was in my package, he explained that hed looked inside to decide how much extra to charge me. But I already pay you for shipping and handling, as does the sender, I protested, so why would you need to look inside my packages to decide how much more to bill me? He explained that his cousin had opened up a mail order store of his own, and he also sold hair ointment, albeit a different brand I did not want. The driver was charging more for packages containing hair ointment from competing companies in order to help out his cousin, and felt that I should be grateful hed bothered to deliver the package at all. What about the sheriffs order to stop interfering with our packages? I demanded. The driver just smiled, pushed his red trucker cap back smugly, and said, Theres a new sheriff in town, and he says I can do what I want as long as I tell you about it. And he was right, for when I complained to the new sheriff, he told me that his predecessors order was unlawful because package delivery services were outside the jurisdiction of the Sheriffs Office. This seemed suspicious, but the sheriffs duplicity seemed beyond doubt when the local police chief decided to help out. At that point the sheriff changed his story and started claiming the local police chief was interfering with his jurisdiction (which he had claimed he did not have). This is pretty much where the fight for net neutrality stands. In December 2017, Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai reversed net neutrality rules that had compelled internet service providers (i.e., data delivery services) to treat all data equally. He claimed his office lacked the authority to issue such regulations governing internet service providers. Then last week, when Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation into law that implemented net neutrality in California, the U.S. Justice Department sued, saying that, indeed, the federal government does govern internet service providers, and that states could not pass their own laws to protect their own citizens and businesses. A common attack against net neutrality rules is to portray them as government interference in the internet. Such arguments grossly misrepresent the intent and purpose of such rules, portraying them as the opposite of what they are. When an internet service provider is prevented from discriminating in its delivery of data based on the content, it is not the government interfering with our internet services, but rather a rational and necessary regulation to curb potential abuses by a delivery service. It is as much a protection of free speech online, and of competitiveness among internet-based businesses, as limiting a delivery drivers ability to censor and manipulate your mail would be. That Californias net neutrality law is now being threatened by challenges from the Trump administration, after Pai rolled back net neutrality rules on the pretext that he lacked authority over such regulation, is preposterous. Such an action is as suspect as the corrupt sheriff suddenly deciding to challenge the authority of the police chief. Even if there is a weak (and hopefully hopeless) argument to be made that the federal government has such authority under the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution, the question will remain why? In what way does such an action serve the public good? Its hardly a defense of interstate commerce when the only thing internet service providers would need to do to comply with Californias laws is to act as the unbiased carriers something an average internet user would assume they already are. The fight for net neutrality is not over. People should recognize it for what it is: a fight between those who claim that internet service providers handling of data need not be regulated, and who would presumably argue that delivery drivers should be free to open our packages and read our letters in order to decide what they would prefer to do with them, and those who know better. Ahmed Amer is an associate professor of computer engineering at Santa Clara University and an Emerging Issues Fellow at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Upcoming political events in the Bay Area. TUESDAY Emeryville candidates: League of Women Voters hosts a forum for Emeryville City Council and school board candidates. 7-9 p.m., City Council chambers, 1333 Park Ave. More information is here. WEDNESDAY Pussy Riot: Nadya Tolokonnikova, founder of the Russian art collective Pussy Riot, discusses her new book Read & Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism. $12.50. 7 p.m., Kanbar Hall, Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St., San Francisco. More information is here. Left, Right and Center: A rollicking examination of national issues, with panelists Ana Marie Cox, host of With Friends Like These; Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle; and Business Insider senior editor Josh Barro. Sponsored by Inforum and NPR member station KCRW. $35, $10 for students. 7-8 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. Postcarding: A postcarding event encourage voters to turn out for progressive legislative candidates. 6-8 p.m., Richmond Republic Draught House, 642 Clement St., San Francisco. More information is here. Swing left: Donnie Fowler, co-founder of Democracy Labs and a former Clinton administration official, is the guest speaker at a Swing Left San Francisco forum focusing on midterms strategy. Sponsored by Direct Action. 6:30-8 p.m., Park Branch Library, 1833 Page St., San Francisco. More information is here. THURSDAY Danica Roem: Virginia House of Delegates member Danica Roem, the first openly transgender member of a state legislature, discusses her career and life story. Sponsored by Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. $10. 7 p.m., 3200 California St., San Francisco. More information is here. Progressives in Latin America: Giorgio Jackson, member of Chiles Congress and founder of the Democratic Revolution Party, discusses the challenge for progressives in Latin America. Free. 6-7:30 p.m., Goldman School of Public Policy, Room 250, UC Berkeley. More information is here. Postcarding: Postcard party for progressive California candidates in the midterm elections. Sponsored by Sister District San Francisco. 6-8 p.m., Richmond Republic Draught House, 642 Clement St., San Francisco. More information is here. FRIDAY East Bay candidates forum: Candidates for Oakland City Council District Two, BART Board of Directors District Four and Alameda County assessor take part in a forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters. 6-8 p.m., Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza. More information is here. Kavanaugh and women: A socialist analysis of the role of the Supreme Court under capitalism and the legacy of womens oppression. Sponsored by San Francisco Party for Socialism and Liberation. 7 p.m., 2969 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. SUNDAY D4 supervisor forum: Candidates for supervisor in San Francisco District Four take part in a forum sponsored by the Outer Sunset/Parkside Residents Association. 6-8:30 p.m., Lawton Alternative School, Lawton Street between 30th and 31st avenues, San Francisco. More information is here. Getting out the vote: Discussion and networking session on getting out the midterm vote. Speakers include Kimberly Ellis, former executive director of Emerge CA; Amy Everitt, state director for NARAL Pro-Choice America; and Scott Forman, founder of Vote Forward.$10. 11 a.m.-2 p.m., AnswerLab, 575 Market St., Suite 2600, San Francisco. More information is here. Postcarding and text-banking: A postcarding, text-banking and letter-writing event for progressive candidates, sponsored by Indivisible SF. 4-7 p.m., Standard Deviant Brewing, 280 14th St., San Francisco. More information is here. OCT. 15 Constitutional democracy: Aziz Huq, law professor at the University of Chicago, discusses his book How to Save a Constitutional Democracy at the Commonwealth Club. $15 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Noon-1 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. Kevin Powell: Activist and writer discusses his new collection of essays, My Mother. Barack Obama. Donald Trump. And the Last Stand of the Angry White Man. $15. 7-9 p.m., California Institute of Integral Studies, 1453 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. OCT. 16 D4 supervisor forum: Candidates for San Francisco supervisorial District Four participate in a forum sponsored by the Outer Sunset/Parkside Residents Association. 6-8:30 p.m., Ortega Branch Library, 3223 Ortega St., San Francisco. More information is here. New radical majority: D.D. Guttenplan, editor at large for the Nation, and Rabbi Michael Lerner lead a discussion on the rise of a radical new majority in the U.S. $12 in advance, $15 at the door. 7:30 p.m., St. Johns Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave., Berkeley. More information is here. Winning Richmond: Former Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin discusses her new memoir, Winning Richmond: How a Progressive Alliance Won City Hall. Free. 7-8:30 p.m., the Green Arcade, 1680 Market St., San Francisco. More information is here. OCT. 17 Youth vote: New voters and organizers discuss the Nov. 6 election, in an event sponsored by Youth Radio. 5:30-7:30 p.m., Youth Radio arts venue, 1719 Broadway, Oakland. Free. More information is here. Nicaragua: James Quesada, anthropology professor at San Francisco State University, discusses the violence in Nicaragua in response to the April 19 uprising. Free. 1-2 p.m., Room 525, Fine Arts Building, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave. More information is here. New citizens: Volunteer to help new citizens to register to vote after morning and afternoon ceremonies. 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. More information is here. OCT. 18 Hacking politics: Keynote address for weekend conference on how the political system is being hacked. Sponsored by UC Berkeley Center for New Media, SFMOMAs Public Knowledge Initiative, the UC Berkeley School of Journalism and Boalt School of Law. Free. 6 p.m., Phyllis Wattis Theater, SFMOMA, 151 Third St., San Francisco. More information is here. Symposium runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 19 at 310 Banatao Auditorium, Sutardja Dai Hall, UC Berkeley. More information is here. Berkeley voter information: UC Berkeleys Science Policy Group hosts a voter information night, focuses on state ballot initiatives. 5:30-8:30 p.m., Anthony Hall, UC Berkeley. More information is here. OCT. 20 Race and politics: Panel discussion on the impact of race in politics. Sponsored by the African American Community Health Advisory Committee and the African American Library Advisory Committee. 2-4 p.m., San Mateo Public Library, 55 West Third Ave. More information is here. OCT. 23 Women in leadership: Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and University of California President Janet Napolitano discuss opportunities and challenges for women in leadership. Moderated by Politico California Playbook senior writer Carla Marinucci. Free. 4-5:30 p.m., Banatao Auditorium, UC Berkeley. Registration and more information are here. Rick Wilson: Republican strategist and Daily Beast columnist discusses dark politics in the age of Trump. Sponsored by the Commonwealth Club. $30 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Noon-1 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. OCT. 25 Max Boot: Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and Washington Post columnist discusses his book The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right at the Commonwealth Club. $25 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Noon-1 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. OCT. 26 Julian Castro: Former Housing and Urban Development secretary and former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, speaks at the Commonwealth Club. $30 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Noon-1 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. OCT. 30 Chronicle on the midterms: The propositions, the battles, the blue wave? Chronicle columnists Heather Knight and Phil Matier and senior political writer Joe Garofoli discuss the midterm elections. Moderated by Editor-in-Chief Audrey Cooper. $15, $5 for students. 6:30-8 p.m., Grand Theater, 2665 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. NOV. 7 Jeffrey Rosen: Scholar and author examines constitutional questions and the post-Anthony Kennedy Supreme Court. Sponsored by Commonwealth Club. $25 for nonmembers, $10 for students. 6:30-7:30 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. NOV. 8 Susan Rice: Former President Barack Obamas national security adviser and U.N. ambassador discusses U.S. foreign policy priorities and national security interests. Sponsored by the World Affairs Council. $40 for nonmembers, $10 for students. 6:30-7:30 p.m., Marines Memorial Theater, 609 Sutter St., San Francisco. More information is here. To list an event, email Politics Editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle A record number of vote-by-mail ballots will be landing at California homes this week as early voting begins across the state for the Nov. 6 midterm elections. With about 13 million of the states 19 million registered voters receiving those mail ballots, politicians across California will get an early read on the direction of a number of nationally watched races, said Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data, which provides voter information to campaigns and other political organizations. Although officials dont count any ballots before the polls close on election day, the returned ballots themselves provide plenty of information, Mitchell said. By matching ballots against registration forms, well be able to see things like whether Millennial voters are turning out or if Latinos are voting, he said. Expect that first round of information to fire up whats already been a remarkable election year, both in California and across the country. Polls like the one released Thursday by UC Berkeleys Institute of Governmental Studies show Democrats running strongly in California congressional districts that Republicans have held for decades. In eight GOP-held districts, the survey found Democrats leading in four of them, statistically tied in three others and behind only in one Central Valley district, where GOP Rep. Devin Nunes of Tulare is leading Democrat Andrew Janz by eight points. Whats even more amazing is that this is happening during a midterm election year, Mitchell said. For California Republicans this is their time, when the governor, not the president, is on top of the ballot, he said. With a midterm electorate thats typically older and richer than voters in general, Republicans can win down-ballot legislative seats and hold contested districts. Its a different story in a presidential election year. Thats when occasional voters, who lean Democratic, turn out the renters, low-income residents, minorities, Millennials, Mitchell said. Typically, Democrats will win seats in a presidential election and then cant hold them in the (midterm) elections. But Democrats are threatening to turn that conventional wisdom around this year, which could damage Republicans for more than just 2018. If Democrats can flip GOP-held seats, they are likely to solidify their hold on those districts in 2020, when President Trump will be on the ballot in a state where a recent poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that nearly two-thirds of likely voters disapprove of the job he is doing. Then come the 2022 midterm elections, which will take place after the once-a-decade reapportionment has redrawn every legislative and congressional seat in the state. A Republican who loses in 2018 may never come back to their seat, Mitchell said. The latest voter registration figures, which reflect the numbers through Sept. 7, show how Republicans are withering in California. While Democrats have seen their numbers move up slightly since the 2014 midterms from 43.4 percent to 43.8 percent GOP registration has fallen from 28.2 percent to 24.5 percent. The changes can also be seen in a number of the GOP congressional districts targeted by Democratic leaders in their effort to win the 23 seats across the nation they need to take back control of the House. In the Central Valleys 10th Congressional District, GOP Rep. Jeff Denham of Turlock (Stanislaus County) won re-election by just four points in the 2016 presidential year. That was scary enough for the incumbent. But since the 2014 midterms, Republican registration in Denhams district has dropped six points, to 34 percent, while Democrats have taken the lead at 38 percent. The Berkeley IGS poll found Denham running behind Democrat Josh Harder by five points. The GOP-friendly gap endures in another competitive congressional district Orange Countys 45th but in a shrunken condition. Republicans registration lead over Democrats there has dropped from 13 points four years ago to seven points now. So its no coincidence that the Republican incumbent, Rep. Mimi Walters, is facing a tough battle from Democratic challenger Katie Porter. The Berkeley IGS poll has Porter ahead, 52 percent to 45 percent. Registering to vote is different from actually voting, however. While Californias voter registration is at an all-time high, automatic voter registration at the Department of Motor Vehicles for anyone getting or renewing a license or identification card accounts for much of the increase. It remains to be seen if those motor voter registrants will cast a ballot, Mitchell said. That registration number could be inflated to 22 million by 2020, he said 3 million more than today even though the turnout numbers might not change much. But until the polls close on Nov. 6, candidates have to act as though everyone will vote, which means a steady stream of TV, radio and social media ads, colorful mailers, phone calls to voters and campaign events. In the governors race, Monday will be an especially notable day and not just because thats when the mail ballots go out. Whats likely to be the only debate of the general election campaign will take place at 10 a.m., when Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Republican businessman John Cox appear together in the San Francisco studios of radio station KQED. The 90-minute debate wont be televised. Instead, it will be broadcast on KQED, 88.5 FM, and streamed on the stations website. Listeners have been submitting queries for the candidates, who will also be questioned in the studio by KQEDs political editor, Scott Shafer. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth Republican John Cox and Democrat Gavin Newsom agreed Monday that California is becoming unaffordable, and that the next governor will have to be sharply focused on making housing accessible to more people. That was where their agreement ended, however. In an hour-long debate at KQED-FM in San Francisco, Cox said the solution is for government to get out of the way and that environmental laws need to be eased to allow cheaper housing construction. Newsom said there was plenty that government can do to help, and he accused Cox of offering more slogans than specifics. Cox, whose $200 million business empire includes ownership of 2,700 housing units in the Midwest, said it is government that has driven up the cost of housing in California. He said he could build housing in other states for one-fourth what it costs in California. Cox said he would ease environmental laws and red tape to enable housing to be built more quickly. He said Newsom, who has been in political office for two decades, was too entrenched to make such changes. Gavin has been part of the political class that has led this state downward, said Cox, who has run for office four times but has never won. The status quo isnt working for average Californians. I represent change. Newsom countered that he had 15 policy solutions for addressing the housing shortage and specific plans for reducing the states growing homeless population. One of them is withholding transportation dollars to communities that dont build enough housing, Newsom said. When Cox said, Weve got to take the money out of that game and change the status quo, while offering few specifics, Newsom countered, What you heard from John was an illusory strategy. Cox repeatedly painted Newsom as part of a Democratic establishment that has failed Californians. He said Newsom did little during two terms as lieutenant governor a job with few duties and almost no power or in his previous job as San Francisco mayor, where he didnt solve the homeless problem. But Cox was on the defensive when issues like same-sex marriage, abortion rights and gun rights were brought up. Newsom, who opened San Francisco City Hall to gay and lesbian couples weddings, pointed out that Cox once called for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The Republican said he had since evolved on the issue and that he no longer supported such an amendment. Newsom also cited Coxs membership in the National Rifle Association and blanket opposition to abortions, including pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. Cox countered that bringing up such social issues was a way for Newsom to distract voters from the states affordability problem. Now Playing: Reporters chase gubernatorial candidate John Cox down a hallway at KQED in San Francisco after his debate Monday with Gavin Newsom. The elevator took Cox into the secure area where he parked. Newsom answered five minutes of questions from reporters afterward. Video: San Francisco Chronicle Im not running to change one iota of social policy in California, Cox said. He promised to make state government more efficient, but was vague at times about how he would make that happen. When Newsom challenged him on how California would replace $52 billion for road and transportation upgrades if the Cox-backed Proposition 6 passes and the states gas-tax increase is repealed, the Republican said, We have to audit every agency and get the waste out. Theres a tremendous amount of waste and mismanagement. Newsom also sought to tie Cox to President Trump, whose approval ratings are under water in California. He noted that Cox supports Trumps proposed wall along the Mexican border and said, He parrots at almost every opportunity Donald Trump and Trumpism. Trump endorsed Cox in May, tweeting, California finally deserves a great Governor, one who understands borders, crime and lowering taxes. John Cox is the man hell be the best Governor youve ever had. Meanwhile, Newsom and Trump have had an ongoing battle over the past few months, fought both online and in sound bites. Trump called Newsom a clown at a September rally in Nevada. Newsom countered via Twitter by comparing the president to Pennywise, the clown in Stephen Kings It movie who preys on children. Last week, after Trump attacked Newsom again for supporting sanctuary laws, Newsom replied that, I dont think he got a lot of hugs when he was a kid. Its almost certain that Mondays session was the only time the candidates will debate before the Nov. 6 election. Cox said he has offered to debate Newsom as many as five times, but added Monday that has been unable to persuade my young friend to agree. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli Warriors forward Draymond Green made progress Monday morning, participating in shoot-around, but will still miss the teams preseason game against Phoenix with a sore left knee. Green, who didnt participate in the teams open practice Sunday afternoon at Oracle Arena, started experiencing knee soreness the morning after Golden States Sept. 29 preseason loss to Minnesota. He went eight days without participating in practice, and he didnt play in the second preseason game Friday in Seattle. TravelSkills on SFGate is brought to you by Visa Lufthansa has announced it will end flights between Frankfurt, Germany and San Jose, Calif. in late-October, more than two years after launching the route. The final flight will depart Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) on October 27. "This decision is based solely on the commercial viability of the route, which has decreased despite substantial sales efforts," according to an airline statement to SFGate. Lufthansa launched the route in July 2016 operating five times a week using an Airbus A340-300. The flights were initially operated by Lufthansa's lower-cost "CityLine" subsidiary, but transitioned to mainline service this year. The route took a nearly six-month hiatus from Oct. 2017 to March 2018, leaving many South Bay fliers to speculate whether it would ever return. It did and with high hopes. The carrier increased the number of business class seats on the plane from 18 to 30 in response to demand from corporate customers. Tamur Goudarzi-Pour, Lufthansa Group's Vice President of Airline Sales for the Americas, told us in March the route was profitable in 2017. (Read more about that here.) Passengers who have existing reservations for flights operating after October 27 will be re-accommodated, according to the carrier. "All existing San Jose bookings will be re-booked to alternative flights," the airline said. "Affected customers will be informed and rebooked directly. Lufthansa will exercise maximum flexibility for possible cancellations and refunds to existing bookings." Lufthansa says fliers have an option to fly the airline from San Francisco International Airport. The carrier operates daily flights to Frankfurt and Munich from SFO. Its parent company also owns SWISS International Air Lines, which operates a daily nonstop to Zurich. Lufthansa becomes the second airline to recently announce it will suspend or end operations in Silicon Valley. Air China ended its flight between SJC and Shanghai's Pudong Airport September 25, citing problems with maintenance of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. (Read more about that here.) "SJC is disappointed to lose this important nonstop service to Frankfurt with one-stop service within continental Europe and several cities within the Indian subcontinent," said SJC's Public Information Manager Rosemary Barnes. Barnes said the flight carried 200,000 passengers since it began operating in July 2016 and was well-received by Silicon Valley business and leisure travelers. During the busy summer 2018 travel period, the flights logged an 85 percent load factor, according to the airport, a figure that was the norm for the flight before the wintertime hiatus. But climbing fuel prices have airlines reconsidering some secondary markets, such as SJC. "We're seeing some of our airlines tightening their belts and reviewing their operations, especially in markets with competing commercial service airports such as the Bay Area," Barnes said. Like other airports, SJC offers financial incentives to encourage new airlines to begin service to, including waiving landing fees for the first 18 months of operations (that's the money airlines pay the airport to use facilities). Airlines are also eligible for a 50 percent discount on landing fees for an additional year. So in this case, the end of those subsidies, and the termination of the flights are happening almost simultaneously. To lure Lufthansa to SJC, the San Jose city council approved $1.3 million in fee waivers in December 2015. The city also authorized up to $600,000 in marketing funds to help publicize the Lufthansa route. San Jose is still served with a non-stop flight to Europe: British Airways operates daily flights between London-Heathrow and SJC on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Despite cutting SJC from its schedule, Lufthansa hinted it has some big plans for SFO. "At this juncture, the Lufthansa Group plans to increase its servicing, product and growth in San Francisco," according to the statement to us. We'll be sure to follow-up with them to see what exactly the airline group has planned. Have you flown Lufthansa from the Bay Area recently? How was that? What do you think about the decline in international service at SJC? Thoughts in the comments, please! Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis. This article, Google shutting down Google+ after exposing data of up to 500,000 users, originally appeared on CNET.com. A vulnerability in the Google+ social network exposed the personal data of up to 500,000 people using the site between 2015 and March 2018, the search giant acknowledged Monday. Google said it found no evidence of data misuse. Still, as part of the response to the incident, Google plans to shut down the social network permanently. The company didn't disclose the vulnerability when it fixed the problem in March because it didn't want to invite regulatory scrutiny from lawmakers, according to a report Monday by The Wall Street Journal. Google CEO Sundar Pichai was briefed on the decision to not disclose the finding, after an internal committee had already decided the plan, the Journal said. Google said it found the bug as part of an internal review called Project Strobe, an audit started earlier this year that examines access to user data from Google accounts by third-party software developers. The bug gave apps access to information on a person's Google+ profile that can be marked as private. That includes details like email addresses, gender, age, images, relationship statuses, places lived and occupations. Up to 438 applications on Google+ had access to this API, though Google said it has no evidence any developers were aware of the vulnerability. "The review did highlight the significant challenges in creating and maintaining a successful Google+ that meets consumers' expectations," Ben Smith, vice president of engineering, said Monday in a blog post. "Given these challenges and the very low usage of the consumer version of Google+, we decided to sunset the consumer version of Google+." The news comes as Silicon Valley companies have been increasingly scrutinized for their data collection practices. Facebook brought the issue to the forefront in March after its Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which a UK-based digital consultancy harvested data on 87 million Facebook users without their permission. Google has already drawn controversy over its data collection practices. In July, the company was criticized after reports that employees for third-party email apps could read your email if you integrated those apps with your Gmail account. Google was hammered again a month later, when the Associated Press revealed the company was tracking users' locations even after they'd turned off their phones' location history setting. Last month, Google Chief Privacy Officer Keith Enright -- alongside representatives from other tech and telecom giants including Apple, Amazon and AT&T -- testified before the Senate on privacy practices in Silicon Valley. Google CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly is expected to take the hot seat in another congressional hearing after the US midterm elections in November. Google+ launched with much fanfare in 2011, positioned as the search giant's answer to Facebook. But the social network never gained traction among consumers. Google eventually peeled away some of the services' most popular features, including Hangout chats and its photo capabilities, and put them into standalone apps. On Monday, Google said 90 percent of Google+ sessions today last less than five seconds. The search giant said it'll shut down Google+ by the end of August 2019 to give people a chance to migrate their information and get used to the transition. After Google announced the social network's shutdown, even people who helped launch the product said the time had come to end it. "As a tech lead and an original founding member of Google+, my only thought on Google sunsetting it is... FINALLY," tweeted David Byttow, a former Google engineer. As a tech lead and an original founding member of Google+, my only thought on Google sunsetting it is... FINALLY. David Byttow (@davidbyttow) October 8, 2018 Specifically, the issue disclosed Monday came through one of the Google+ "People" APIs, a developer tool available to third-party app developers. Still, outside app makers weren't supposed to have access to private profile information. The API was designed to only keep logs for two-week periods. Even in that short amount of time, Google's audit found that nearly half a million Google+ accounts could have been affected in just 14 days' worth of analysis. The company said it often notifies users when there are security issues and flaws and user data is affected, but its privacy and data protection office said the bug didn't meet the threshold. The office looks at what data was taken, if affected users need to be informed, if there was any evidence of data abuse, and whether users could effectively respond. Ireland's data protection regulation group said Tuesday that it will seek more information from Google about the security vulnerability, according to Reuters. "The Data Protection Commission was not aware of this issue and we now need to better understand the details of the breach, including the nature, impact and risk to individuals and we will be seeking information on these issues from Google," the commission said. Google doesn't have a lead supervisory authority for the breach because it occurred before the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy law went into effect in May, Reuters noted. First published Oct. 8 at 10:12 a.m. PT. Update, Oct. 9 at 7:10 a.m. PT: Adds Irish data protection regulator's statement and GDPR detail. The Smartest Stuff: Innovators are thinking up new ways to make you, and the things around you, smarter. Special Reports: CNET's in-depth features in one place. WASHINGTON President Trump said Monday he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, delivering a reprieve for the Justice Department official whose future has been the source of intense speculation for two weeks. Trump told reporters at the White House that he had a very good relationship with Rosenstein and was eager to speak with him aboard Air Force One on a flight to Florida for the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference. They did talk, for about 45 minutes, but not alone, a White House spokesman said. The group discussed violent crime in Chicago, support for local law enforcement, border security, the police chiefs conference they were flying to and general DOJ business, spokesman Hogan Gidley said without elaboration. The press wants to know, What did you talk about? Trump said later to an audience of police officials. But we had a very good talk, I will say. The flight provided an opportunity for their most extensive conversation since news reports last month that Rosenstein had discussed the possibility in early 2017 of secretly recording Trump to expose chaos in the White House and invoking constitutional provisions to get him removed from office. Those reports triggered an avalanche of speculation about the future of Rosenstein and also the special counsels investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign since the deputy attorney general appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller to his post and closely oversees his work. The Justice Department has denied that Rosenstein had proposed invoking the 25th Amendment of the Constitution and issued a statement that said the remark about recording the president was meant sarcastically. Even so, Rosenstein told White House officials that he was willing to resign and arrived at the White House at one point with the expectation that he would be fired. He met in person with White House chief of staff John Kelly and spoke by phone with Trump during a tumultuous day that ended with him still in his job. Rosenstein and Trump had been expected to meet at the White House days later, but that meeting was put off so the president could focus on a confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Trump had previously said that he would prefer not to fire the Justice Departments No. 2 official and that Rosenstein has told him he did not say the remarks attributed to him. Advisers had also cautioned Trump against doing anything dramatic in the weeks before the midterm elections next month. The speculation over Rosensteins future concerned Democrats, who feared that a dismissal could lead to Trump curtailing Muellers probe. Besides the meeting with Trump, Rosenstein has also agreed to a private meeting with House Republicans who want to question him about his reported statements on the president. Eric Tucker and Jonathan Lemire are Associated Press writers. Two Americans won the Nobel Prize in economics on Monday, one for studying the economics of climate change and the other for showing how to help foster the innovation needed to solve such a problem. William Nordhaus of Yale University and Paul Romer of New York University will share the 9 million-kronor ($1.01 million) award, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. Nordhaus has called for the world to combat climate change by imposing a universal tax on carbon. Carbon dioxide, which is emitted when fossil fuels are burned, is a heat-trapping greenhouse gas blamed for global warming, and a tax would make polluters pay for the costs imposed on society. By using a tax rather than government edicts to slash emissions, the policy encourages companies to find innovative ways to reduce pollution. Romer has studied the way innovation drives prosperity and has looked at ways to encourage it. He told a news conference Monday that his research had given him hope that people can solve a problem even as difficult as a warming planet. Many people think that dealing with protecting the environment will be so costly and so hard that they just want to ignore the problem. They want to deny it exists, Romer said. I hope the prize today could help everyone see that humans are capable of amazing accomplishments when we set about trying to do something. While the two academics worked separately, their research dovetails on an issue that has become pressing. The question of climate change remains politically sensitive, especially in big oil-producing countries like the United States, which President Trump has pulled out of the Paris accord on fighting climate change. Its an ingenious pairing, said David Warsh, author of the 2007 book Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations about the award. Nordhaus has been concerned all along with repairing the damage to the global environment. Romer has been writing about the means at your disposal to attack such a technological challenge. Per Stromberg, head of the Nobel economics prize committee, said the award is about the long-run future of the world economy. The prize comes just a day after an international panel of scientists warned that preventing an extra single degree of global warming could make a life-or-death difference in the next few decades for multitudes of people and ecosystems. Nordhaus has argued that climate change should be considered a global public good, like public health and international trade, and regulated accordingly, but not through a command-and-control approach. Instead, by agreeing on a global price for burning carbon that reflects its whole cost, this primary cause of rising temperatures could be traded and taxed, putting market forces to work on the problem. The economics prize is the last of the Nobels to be announced this year. Jim Heintz and David Keyton are Associated Press writers. MIAMI A tropical weather system that rapidly strengthened into Hurricane Michael on Monday is likely to keep growing stronger ahead of an expected strike on Floridas Panhandle by midweek, forecasters said. Michael could strengthen into a major hurricane with winds topping 110 mph by Tuesday night before an expected strike Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Since the storm will spend two to three days over the Gulf of Mexico, which has very warm water and favorable atmospheric conditions, there is a real possibility that Michael will strengthen to a major hurricane before landfall, Robbie Berg, a hurricane specialist at the Miami-based storm forecasting hub, wrote in an advisory. Michaels large size, strong winds and heavy rains could produce hazardous flooding along Floridas Gulf coast with many rivers and estuaries where seawater pushed ashore by a hurricane could get trapped, said Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham. This is a part of the Gulf of Mexico that is incredibly vulnerable to storm surge, Graham said. Parts of Floridas curvy Big Bend region could see up to 12 feet of storm surge, while Michael also could dump up to a foot of rain over some Panhandle communities as it moves inland, forecasters said. All indications are that its going to be severe, said Tallahassee Commissioner Gil Ziffer, adding that if the storm hits Floridas capital, there would be significant tree damage and power outages. Hopefully, we will have no one hurt and no loss of life. Two years ago, Hurricane Hermine knocked out power for days in Tallahassee and caused widespread flooding as it came up through the Gulf Coast. Ann Beaver was among the three-quarters of city residents who lost electricity after that storm, and she was preparing Monday for a similar experience. I dont want to lose everything in the freezer, said Beaver as she loaded sandbags into her familys pickup truck. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for governor, had planned to campaign in southern Florida on Monday and Tuesday, but he said he would return to the city to help with storm preparations. Florida State University and Leon County schools canceled classes from Tuesday through Friday. Farther west along Floridas Panhandle, the city of Pensacola tweeted to residents, Be sure you have your emergency plan in place. Michael was lashing western Cuba Monday with heavy rains and strong winds, according to the hurricane center. Forecasters warned that the storm could produce up to a foot of rain in western Cuba, potentially triggering flash floods and mudslides in mountainous areas. Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued a state of emergency for 35 counties, from the Panhandle through to Tampa Bay, to rush preparations, freeing up resources and activating 500 members of the Florida National Guard. Jennifer Kay and Gary Fineout are Associated Press writers. When a bitterly divided Senate confirmed Justice Brett Kavanaugh despite sexual misconduct allegations a month before the midterm elections, strategists in both parties anticipated that it could turbocharge Democratic efforts to take over the House, if not all of Congress. One person who did not get the memo? President Trump. Rather than falling back on defense amid roiling outrage, especially among women, Trump is going on offense, trying to turn the furor into an asset instead of a liability. With the worlds loudest megaphone, he hopes to make the issue not the treatment of women in the #MeToo era but the treatment of men who deserve due process. For Trump and his Republican allies, this is a big gamble, with control of at least one house of Congress and possibly both on the line. Polls generally show that more Americans believed Christine Blasey Ford, the main accuser, than Kavanaugh. The national mood over the past year has been less forgiving of powerful men accused of taking advantage of women. The presidents calculation, however, is that conservative voters who for most of the year have been lethargic about the congressional elections can now be motivated to turn out by anger over the Democratic attacks on Kavanaugh. Liberal voters, in this view, were already animated by their opposition to Trump and likely to vote even before Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault and exposing himself during drunken school parties, so Democrats have less to gain. I think youre going to see a lot of things happen on Nov. 6 that would not have happened before, Trump told reporters Monday before flying to Orlando to address the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The American public has seen this charade, has seen this dishonesty by the Democrats. Rather than moving on to other issues, Trump made a point of showcasing his appointment of Kavanaugh on Monday evening with a nationally televised swearing-in ceremony at the White House, an event unnecessary legally since he was already sworn in on Saturday but useful politically, as the president sees it. Trump continued his combative tone at the White House ceremony, in a highly unusual departure of the usual platitudes featured at such events. I want to apologize to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain you have been forced to endure, Trump said, citing a campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception. Kavanaugh, Trump said, had been proven innocent. The president took a far different tone from Kavanaugh, who noted at the ceremony that the Supreme Court is not a partisan or political institution and pledged to be an independent and impartial justice. Democrats acknowledge that the battle over Kavanaugh may help select Republicans, particularly in red states that voted for Trump like North Dakota, where Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, was already struggling before voting against confirmation. But in general they say voters are more driven to the ballot box by grievance than gratitude. Midterm elections are always about punishment and never about reward, said Steve Israel, a former congressman from New York and chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Peter Baker is a New York Times writer. NEW DELHI (PTI): As the threat of US sanctions lingers after the signing of the S-400 air missile defence system deal with Russia, experts feel there is a certain understanding in Washington on New Delhi's position which may allow India to avoid American action. Strategic affairs expert Commodore (retd) C Uday Bhaskar said the US$ 5 billion deal, signed between India and Russia on Friday during the two-day visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is going to test the resilience of the India-US relationship. The deal could attract sanctions under CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), a legislation that is aimed to counter Russia, Iran and North Korea through punitive measures by imposing restrictions on deals in defence and strategic areas. During the 2 plus 2 dialogue, the Modi government had conveyed to the US that for India, the military relationship with Moscow is very deep and goes back to the 1960s. So I feel there is a certain understanding in the US on the Indian position, he said. He added that as a major arms importer, India is vulnerable, but it cannot allow any country to issue a diktat about its security needs. Former diplomat Anil Wadhwa, who was a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs looking after Russian affairs, said the deal was under negotiations way before CAATSA came into force. He said the issue has to be dealt on case-by-case basis and the US should give a waiver to the deal. The US administration has to put up a strong case before the Congress. Anyways, there is a strong support for India in the Congress from both the parties, he asserted. India and Russia, he said, must come up with a mechanism to circumvent the sanctions if there is any. Rajeshwari Rajgopalan, Senior Fellow and Head of the Nuclear and Space Initiative of the Observer Research Foundation, said one of the reasons behind India going ahead with the deal was the technological superiority of the S-400 missile defence system. The US is well aware of India's requirement for the defence missile system and it could escape sanctions, she said. Rajgopalan added that it is unlikely that US may give any further concessions to India, especially on its oil imports from Iran. The private bpftrace repository has just been made public, which is big news for DTrace fans. Created by Alastair Robertson, bpftrace is an open source high-level tracing front-end that lets you analyze systems in custom ways. It's shaping up to be a DTrace version 2.0: more capable, and built from the ground up for the modern era of the eBPF virtual machine. eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) is in the Linux kernel and is the new hotness in systems engineering. It is being developed for BSD, too, where BPF originated. Screenshot: tracing read latency for PID 181: # bpftrace -e 'kprobe:vfs_read /pid == 30153/ { @start[tid] = nsecs; } kretprobe:vfs_read /@start[tid]/ { @ns = hist(nsecs - @start[tid]); delete(@start[tid]); }' Attaching 2 probes... ^C @ns: [256, 512) 10900 |@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ | [512, 1k) 18291 |@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@| [1k, 2k) 4998 |@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ | [2k, 4k) 57 | | [4k, 8k) 117 | | [8k, 16k) 48 | | [16k, 32k) 109 | | [32k, 64k) 3 | | Some one-liners: # New processes with arguments bpftrace -e 'tracepoint:syscalls:sys_enter_execve { join(args->argv); }' # Files opened by process bpftrace -e 'tracepoint:syscalls:sys_enter_open { printf("%s %s ", comm, str(args->filename)); }' # Syscall count by program bpftrace -e 'tracepoint:raw_syscalls:sys_enter { @[comm] = count(); }' # Syscall count by syscall bpftrace -e 'tracepoint:syscalls:sys_enter_* { @[probe] = count(); }' # Syscall count by process bpftrace -e 'tracepoint:raw_syscalls:sys_enter { @[pid, comm] = count(); }' # Read bytes by process: bpftrace -e 'tracepoint:syscalls:sys_exit_read /args->ret/ { @[comm] = sum(args->ret); }' # Read size distribution by process: bpftrace -e 'tracepoint:syscalls:sys_exit_read { @[comm] = hist(args->ret); }' # Disk size by process bpftrace -e 'tracepoint:block:block_rq_issue { printf("%d %s %d ", pid, comm, args->bytes); }' # Pages paged in by process bpftrace -e 'software:major-faults:1 { @[comm] = count(); }' # Page faults by process bpftrace -e 'software:faults:1 { @[comm] = count(); }' # Profile user-level stacks at 99 Hertz, for PID 189: bpftrace -e 'profile:hz:99 /pid == 189/ { @[ustack] = count(); }' If they look familiar, they are from my old DTrace one-liners that I switched to bpftrace. It's also been a milestone to see these all work in bpftrace, which they now do! bpftrace has most of DTrace's capabilities and more. bpftrace The prior work that led to bpftrace (aka BPFtrace) is discussed my earlier DTrace for Linux 2016 post, which explains how the Linux kernel gained eBPF: the virtual machine that we're using to run tracing programs. That post covered the bcc front end (BPF Complier Collection), which has let me rewrite my DTraceToolkit tools. bcc is powerful but laborious to program. bpftrace is a complimentary addition that provides a high-level language for one-liners and short scripts. Alastair recently developed struct support, and applied it to tracepoints (which is used by the above one-liners), and applied it to kprobes yesterday. That was the last major missing piece! Here's an example: # cat path.bt #include #include kprobe:vfs_open { printf("open path: %s ", str(((path *)arg0)->dentry->d_name.name)); } # bpftrace path.bt Attaching 1 probe... open path: dev open path: if_inet6 open path: retrans_time_ms Myself, Willian Gaspar, and Mary Marchini, have been contributing other capabilities and bug fixes. For a list of the minor work left to do, see the issue list, and for what is done, see the reference guide and prior commits. bpftrace uses existing Linux kernel facilities (eBPF, kprobes, uprobes, tracepoints, perf_events), as well as bcc libraries. Internally, bpftrace uses a lex/yacc parser to convert programs to AST, then llvm IR actions, then BPF. To learn bpftrace, I've created a couple of references: The one-liners tutorial is based on my FreeBSD DTrace Tutorial, and I think is a time-efficient way to learn bpftrace (as well as DTrace on FreeBSD). Since I helped developed bpftrace, I'm aware of how fresh my own code is and how likely I introduced bugs. Might bpftrace SIGSEGV and coredump? Probably, let us know, we already fixed plenty of these. Might bpftrace spew incomprehensible LLVM or BPF verifier errors (with -v)? Probably, let us know. Might bpftrace panic the kernel? That's much less likely, since that component is eBPF which is now years old. What I'd expect is some user-level bugs where the bpftrace process crashes or gets stuck and needs to be killed. Lets us know on github, and if you can, please help fix them and the other issues. bpftrace has a test suite with over 200 tests. bpftrace/eBPF vs DTrace equivalency I'll show examples of bpftrace/eBPF vs DTrace in the sections that follow, but it's important to note that the eBPF engine was not created as a Linux version of DTrace. eBPF does more. eBPF was created by Alexei Starovoitov while at PLUMgrid (he's now at Facebook) as a generic in-kernel virtual machine, with software defined networks as the primary use case. Observability is one of many other use cases, as is eXpress Data Path, container security and networking, iptables, infrared decoding, intrusion detection, hyperupcalls, and FUSE performance. eBPF is hard to use directly, so bcc was created as a Python front-end. bpftrace was created as an even higher-level front end for custom ad-hoc tracing, and can serve a similar role as DTrace. We've been adding bpftrace features as we need them, not just because DTrace had them. I can think of over a dozen things that DTrace can do that bpftrace currently cannot, including custom aggregation printing, shell arguments, translators, sizeof(), speculative tracing, and forced panics. Some we may add as the need arises, but so far I haven't really needed them. And in some cases it's best left to bcc, rather than cluttering up bpftrace with niche functionality. DTrace, too, lacked functionality like argument processing that I implemented elsewhere, in shell wrappers. Instead of augmenting bpftrace with shell wrappers, we can just switch to bcc, which can make use of any Python library (including argparse). This makes bpftrace and bcc complimentary. Visualizing this: There's also a number of things that eBPF can do that DTrace can't, but one I want to mention is the ability to save and retrieve stack traces as variables. I've already used it with bpftrace to debug file descriptor leaks in production. Here's a tool that does this (fdleak.bt): kretprobe:__alloc_fd { $fd = retval; @alloc_stack[comm, pid, $fd] = ustack; } kprobe:__close_fd { $fd = arg1; delete(@alloc_stack[comm, pid, $fd]); } The output shows user-level stacks that were allocated but not freed. It works by saving the stack on allocation, then deleting it on free. When bpftrace exits, it prints the left-overs in @alloc_stack: the stacks that weren't freed. I wrote a longer version that includes timestamps, so I can find the longer-term survivors. You can apply this technique to any object allocation, and whip up your own leak detection tools on the fly. With DTrace, this required dumping all stacks to a file and post-processing, which involved much higher overhead. eBPF can do it all in-kernel, and filter out potentially millions of objects that were allocated and freed quickly. There's an even more important use case, which I showed in my off-wake time post, prior to bpftrace: saving waker stacks and associating them with sleeper stacks. It's hard to overstate how important this is. It makes off-CPU analysis effective, which is the counterpart to CPU analysis. The combination of CPU and off-CPU analysis means we have a way to attack any performance issue: a performance engineer's dream. DTrace to bpftrace Cheatsheet If you already know DTrace, it should take you ten minutes to learn the equivalents in bpftrace. Here's key differences as of August 2018: Type DTrace bpftrace function @ = quantize(value) @ = hist(value) function @ = lquantize(value, min, max, step) @ = lhist(value, min, max, step) variable this->name $name variable self->name @name[tid] variable name[key] @name[key] variable global_name @global_name variable self->name = 0 delete(@name[tid]) variable curthread curtask variable probeprov probemod probename probe provider fbt::func:entry kprobe:func provider fbt::func:return kretprobe:func provider pid$target::func:entry uprobe:func provider pid$target::func:return uretprobe:func provider profile:::99 profile:hz:99 provider profile:::tick-1sec interval:s:1 This list doesn't cover the extra things that bpftrace can do, like access aggregation elements, do user-level tracing system wide, save stacks as variables, etc. See the reference guide for more details. Script Comparison I could pick scripts that minimize or maximize the differences, but either would be misleading. Here's a comparison for an average-sized DTraceToolkit script (seeksize.d) that uses common functionality. DTrace #pragma D option quiet /* * Print header */ dtrace:::BEGIN { printf("Tracing... Hit Ctrl-C to end. "); } self int last[dev_t]; /* * Process io start */ io:genunix::start /self->last[args[0]->b_edev] != 0/ { /* calculate seek distance */ this->last = self->last[args[0]->b_edev]; this->dist = (int)(args[0]->b_blkno - this->last) > 0 ? args[0]->b_blkno - this->last : this->last - args[0]->b_blkno; /* store details */ @Size[pid, curpsinfo->pr_psargs] = quantize(this->dist); } io:genunix::start { /* save last position of disk head */ self->last[args[0]->b_edev] = args[0]->b_blkno + args[0]->b_bcount / 512; } /* * Print final report */ dtrace:::END { printf(" %8s %s ", "PID", "CMD"); printa("%8d %S %@d ", @Size); } bpftrace /* * Print header */ BEGIN { printf("Tracing... Hit Ctrl-C to end. "); } /* * Process io start */ tracepoint:block:block_rq_insert /@last[args->dev]/ { // calculate seek distance $last = @last[args->dev]; $dist = (args->sector - $last) > 0 ? args->sector - $last : $last - args->sector; // store details @size[pid, comm] = hist($dist); } tracepoint:block:block_rq_insert { // save last position of disk head @last[args->dev] = args->sector + args->nr_sector; } /* * Print final report */ END { printf(" @[PID, COMM]: "); print(@size); clear(@size); clear(@last); } This example shows that the overall script is similar. The major work in porting these scripts to Linux is not the syntax, but is the research and testing to find equivalent Linux tracepoints and their arguments. And that major work is irrespective of the tracing language. Now that I ported it, I've found it little odd. I would have guessed that this answers the question: are the disks seeking? But it's really answering a tricker question: is an application causing the disks to seek? I wrote seeksize.d in 2004, so I have to think back to that time to understand it. Back then I could already tell if disks were seeking by interpreting iostat(1) output: seeing high disk latency but small I/O. What iostat(1) couldn't tell me is if it was due to competing applications using the disks, or if an application itself was applying a random workload. That's what I wrote seeksize.d to answer, an answer that directs further tuning: whether you need to separate applications on different disks, or tune one application's disk workload. Why did this take so long? I've spoken to many engineers and companies about finishing a high-level tracer for Linux. It's been an interesting case study of Linux vs commercial development. In summary, the reasons this took so long were: 1. Linux isn't a company Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems when DTrace was developed, was fond of the saying "all the wood behind one arrow". So much so, that staff once installed a giant arrow through his office window as an April fool's joke. In Linux, all effort hasn't been behind one tracing arrow, but split among 14 (SystemTap, LTTng, ftrace, perf_events, dtrace4linux, OEL DTrace, ktap, sysdig, Intel PIN, bcc, shark, ply, and bpftrace). If Linux was a company, management could consolidate overlapping projects and focus on one or two tracers. But it isn't. 2. Linux won Linux dropped the ball on its own dynamic tracing implementation (DProbes in 2000), creating an opportunity for Sun to develop its own as a competitive feature. Sun had billions in revenue, and countless staff worked on making DTrace successful (including sales, marketing, educational services, etc.) That circumstance doesn't exist for Linux. Linux has already won, and there's no company offering any real resources to build a competitive tracer, with one exception: Red Hat. 3. Most funding went into SystemTap Ask a RHEL customer about DTrace, and they may say they had it years ago: SystemTap. However, SystemTap never fully merged into the Linux kernel (parts did, like uprobes), so as an out-of-tree project it required maintenance to work at all, and Red Hat only did this for RHEL. Try complaining to Red Hat about this as an Ubuntu user: they'll often say "switch to RHEL". Can you blame them? Problem is, this was the only real money on the table to build a Linux DTrace (especially since Red Hat picked up the big ex-Sun accounts, who wanted DTrace), and it went into SystemTap. 4. Good-enough solutions Another impediment has been good-enough solutions. Some companies have figured out how to get SystemTap (or LTTng or ftrace or perf) to work well enough, and are happy. Would they like eBPF/bcc/bpftrace finished? Sure. But they aren't going to help develop them, as they already have a good-enough solution. Some companies are happy enough using my ftrace perf-tools, or my bcc tools so my own prior engineering work gives them a reason not to help build something better. 5. CTF/BTF DTrace was built on Solaris, which already had Compact Type Format to provide the struct information it needed. Linux had DWARF and debuginfo, which unlike CTF, is not commonly installed. That has hindered developing a real DTrace-like tracer. Only recently, in the Linux 4.18 release, do we now have a CTF technology in Linux: BPF Type Format (BTF). Default Install It's worth mentioning that DTrace was a default install on Solaris. That really aided adoption, as customers didn't have a choice! Now imagine what it would take to make bpftrace a default install on all Linux distros. I think it's a long shot, which means that Linux may never have the same experience as DTrace on Solaris. But this is an area where you can help: ask your distro maintainer to include bpftrace (plus bcc and sysstat) by default. These are crisis tools, often used to analyze a system suffering an urgent performance issue, and the time to install them ("apt-get update; apt-get install ...") can mean the issue disappears before you've had a chance to see it. What about DTrace? Just because Linux got eBPF, doesn't make DTrace a terrible tool overnight. It will still be useful on OSes that have it, and any that does is well positioned for a future upgrade to eBPF, which can reuse internals like provider instrumentation. Work has already began to bring eBPF to BSD, where BPF originated. It may be worth reassuring people who have invested time into learning DTrace that I don't think that time is wasted. The hardest part of using DTrace or bpftrace is knowing what to do with it, following a methodology to approach problems. Once you get into the guts of some complex software for a pressing production issue, whether you type quantize() or hist() is really the least of your problems. Any time you've spent debugging problems with DTrace is going to help with bpftrace as well. What about ply? ply, by Tobais Waldekranz, is another front-end to BPF. I like it. It isn't complete yet, but has some interesting differences to bpftrace: ply emits instructions directly, whereas bpftrace uses llvm's IR API (which can be fairly difficult to code in). ply is also C, whereas bpftrace is C++. # ply -A -c 'kprobe:SyS_read { @start[tid()] = nsecs(); } kretprobe:SyS_read /@start[tid()]/ { @ns.quantize(nsecs() - @start[tid()]); @start[tid()] = nil; }' 2 probes active ^Cde-activating probes [...] @ns: [ 512, 1k) 3 |######## | [ 1k, 2k) 7 |################### | [ 2k, 4k) 12 |################################| [ 4k, 8k) 3 |######## | [ 8k, 16k) 2 |##### | [ 16k, 32k) 0 | | [ 32k, 64k) 0 | | [ 64k, 128k) 3 |######## | [128k, 256k) 1 |### | [256k, 512k) 1 |### | [512k, 1M) 2 |##### | [...] It's possible that ply will find its users on embedded Linux and minimal environments, whereas bpftrace will be popular for large server Linux. Note that Tobais currently has been developing many new ply features (a ply 2.0) in his own ply repo, that isn't reflected in the iovisor repo yet. Acknowledgements bpftrace was created by Alastair Robertson, and builds upon eBPF and bcc that has had many contributors. See the Acknowledgemets section in my DTrace for Linux 2016 post which lists DTrace and earlier tracing work. In particular, if you're using bpftrace, you're also using a lot of code developed by Alexei Starovoitov (eBPF), Brendan Blanco (libbpf), myself, Sasha Goldshtein (USDT), and others. See the bcc repo for the library components we're using. Facebook also have many engineers working on BPF and bcc, who have made it the mature technology it is today. bpftrace itself has a language similar to DTrace, as well as awk and C. This wasn't the first attempt at a high-level language on eBPF: the first was Shark, by Jovi Zangwei, then ply by Tobais Waldekranz, then bpftrace by Alastair Robertson. At some point Richard Henderson was developing eBPF as a backend for SystemTap. Thanks to everyone who worked on these, and all the other technologies that we use. Finally, thanks to Netflix, who provide a great supportive environment for me to work on and contribute to different technologies, including BPF. Conclusion eBPF changed the landscape of Linux tracing since it began merging into the kernel four years ago. We now have libraries, tools, and a high-level front-end built from scratch for eBPF that is nearing completion: bpftrace. bpftrace gives you the power to analyze the system in custom detail, and find performance wins that other tools cannot. It is complementary to bcc: bcc is great for complex tools, and bpftrace is great for ad hoc one-liners. In this post I described bpftrace and how it compares to DTrace. In my next post, I'll focus more on bpftrace. More reading: Alastair's first talk on bpftrace is at the Tracing Summit in Edinburgh, Oct 25th. To get started with bpftrace, you need a newer Linux kernel version (4.9 or newer is better), and follow the INSTALL.md in the repo, eg: Ubuntu bpftrace install instructions, which will improve once we have packages. (If you work at Netflix, there's a nflx-bpftrace package for the Bionic BaseAMI, which will become a default install.) What cool thing will you build with bpftrace? NEWTOWN BOROUGH >> Live theatre is back in town and a party to celebrate is slated for Sunday, December 5 at 6 p.m. at the Newtown Theatre, 120 N. State Street, Newtown 18940. Newtown Arts Company will host an opportunity to learn about its exciting 39th season, to explore the newly renovated historic Newtown Theatre, and to offer economical Season Subscriptions... WASHINGTON A day after the bitter fight over his nomination ended in his elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh was in his new chambers Sunday, preparing for the arguments the court is to hear as it enters the second week of its term. His supporters hope he can settle into the courts work, demonstrate that he is an able judge and put accusations of sexual misconduct and questions about his temperament behind him. His critics say the court may never fully recover from a confirmation process marked by raw anger and partisan polarization. Kavanaugh met with his four law clerks, all women a first for the Supreme Court in chambers that had until recently been occupied by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who has moved to Justice Anthony M. Kennedys old chambers. It was Kennedys retirement that set off a fierce battle for his seat, one that concluded Saturday with a 50-48 Senate vote to confirm Kavanaugh the tightest margin for a successful nomination since 1881. In the second round of his confirmation hearings last month, Kavanaugh fiercely denied accusations that he had assaulted Christine Blasey Ford while the two were in high school. He said he had always treated women with respect, noting his strong record of hiring women as law clerks in his dozen years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He added in his testimony that he had provisionally hired his four Supreme Court clerks before allegations of sexual misconduct against him had surfaced. All four are women, he said. Counting Kavanaughs new clerks, women make up a majority of Supreme Court clerks for the first time. Kavanaughs critics said his efforts were laudable, given that a Supreme Court clerkship is perhaps the most coveted credential in American law. But they added that it would take more than hiring female clerks to undo the damage left by Kavanaughs confirmation hearings. I applaud in general a commitment to hiring a diverse group of clerks, and hope all the justices encourage applicants of color, women and those with backgrounds beyond the usual elite, said Elizabeth Wydra, the president of the Constitutional Accountability Center, a liberal group that opposed Kavanaughs nomination. Unfortunately, its going to take a lot more than female clerks to undo the damage to the legitimacy of the court done by this travesty of a confirmation process. Women will feel much more confident in the court when their fundamental rights are protected and their equal dignity is respected in the rulings handed down by the justices. More for you Senate leader sees no lasting damage from Kavanaugh battle Kavanaughs supporters said he should be judged by his hiring record. Hes been promoting professional opportunities for women his entire career, said Porter Wilkinson, who served as a law clerk to Kavanaugh when he was an appeals court judge and who was on his confirmation team. New justices often hire their former clerks when they start at the court, but only one of Kavanaughs Supreme Court clerks, Kim Jackson, worked for him on the appeals court. The other three Shannon Grammel, Megan Lacy and Sara Nommensen worked for appeals court judges appointed by Republican presidents. Lacy had also worked for Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who helped push through Kavanaughs nomination. Kavanaugh said in his testimony last month that he had started to take action to address the underrepresentation of women among law clerks after reading a 2006 article in The New York Times noting that only seven of 37 Supreme Court clerks were women. A majority of my 48 law clerks over the last 12 years have been women, he told the Senate Judiciary Committee. In my time on the bench, no federal judge not a single one in the country has sent more women law clerks to clerk on the Supreme Court than I have. While some justices have expressed worries about damage to the courts image by the rancorous confirmation process, Kavanaugh has deep connections to the court, ones that will ease his transition. He served as a law clerk to Kennedy in 1993 and 1994, early in the tenures of the two longest-serving members of the court, Clarence Thomas and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Kavanaugh attended high school with President Donald Trumps first appointee, Justice Neil Gorsuch. Kavanaugh will see other familiar faces at the courthouse. He was a leading feeder judge, sending law clerks from his appeals court chambers to justices across the ideological spectrum. This term, six of his former clerks are working at the Supreme Court, double the number of any other appeals court judge. Four of them are women. This article originally appeared in The New York Times OAKLAND (BCN) A man was arrested tonight after holding Oakland police off while barricading himself in his vehicle, Oakland police said via social media. The situation unfolded in the 1400 block of Eighth Avenue, near International Boulevard about a half-mile south of Lake Merritt, police said. The armed suspect eventually gave himself up to officers peacefully at about 7:30 p.m., police said. The area was blocked off to street traffic for a time, police said, but has since reopened. It was unclear tonight how long the standoff lasted, or why the man holed up inside the car in the first place. Further information was not immediately available. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. MORAGA (BCN) The Moraga Town Council on Wednesday will receive a report on progress toward building a new bridge over Moraga Creek connecting Moraga and the nearby unincorporated community of Canyon. One fact - the project, on the drawing board since 2013, will be delayed for at least a year, until sometime in 2019, a situation tied to heavy rainstorms in April 2017. The two-lane Canyon Road bridge over Moraga Creek, built in the 1930s, was on the replacement schedule even before it was rendered unstable in April 2017 by heavy rains that caused the ground along the creek to move. That movement helped shift a bridge support out of position, making the 1930s bridge unsafe to cross and, for almost seven months cutting off the direct route between Moraga and the nearby unincorporated community of Canyon. A two-lane temporary bridge opened at that spot in November 2017, and remains in service now. But that storm caused a setback for the plans to start building the new bridge. Construction was originally supposed to start in 2018, but the storm damage to the creek bank required reworked plans. That process has moved the construction schedule back almost a year, to 2019. The Moraga Town Council meeting starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday inside the council chambers and community meting room at 335 Rheem Blvd. in Moraga. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Campus News Alternative Break trips life-changing for staff advisers Students and advisers pose near the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma during the 2016 Alternative Spring Break trip. That's Danielle Johnson in the rear on the left. By SUE WUETCHER As a result of the trips, I am in a place where I am confident in saying that I am committed to fighting injustice for the rest of my life. For Danielle Johnson, traveling to Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama, allowed her to ground myself in the spaces where freedom fighters literally put their bodies on the line for what they believed in. Chrissy Daniels trip to the Dominican Republic left her learning more than I taught about our global community and the power one individual has to make a difference. Both UB staff members have traveled with students as staff advisers on Alternative Break community service trips. And both highly recommend the experience. The first of five Alternative Break trips this academic year will take place over Thanksgiving break, and the Student Engagement office is looking for faculty and staff to serve as advisers on that trip, as well as on four other trips over the winter and spring breaks. The main role of staff advisers is to help ensure the overall safety of trip participants, work with Student Engagement to prepare for the trip, deepen the learning experience of student volunteers, and support and challenge the student trip leaders to grow in their leadership skills, according to Rachel DiDomizio, community engagement coordinator for Student Engagement. The criteria for the job? Our team is looking for interested staff who exhibit qualities such as positivity, resilience, flexibility and a passion for student development, DiDomizio says. Staff interested in serving this year need to submit the application form by Oct. 10. This years trips: Alternative Fall Break: Poverty Alleviation in Cleveland, Ohio, Nov 23-25. This trip offers an assortment of civic learning and engagement opportunities with a variety of community organizations in the downtown Cleveland area. Alternative Winter Break: Environmental Sustainability in the Louisiana Wetlands, Jan 20-26. Participants of this trip will learn about the cultural and ecological history of southern Louisiana and complete community service projects that will increase the long-term sustainability of this important region. Alternative Spring Break: Women's Rights History in Seneca Falls, March 16-18. Students will explore the rich history of the womens rights movement, visiting several of the sites that are integral to this movement. They will also take part in service projects. Alternative Spring Break: Give Where You Live in Buffalo, N.Y., March 18-22. Students will explore a variety of social issues affecting the Buffalo area, volunteer with various community organizations and get a broader sense of the city. Alternative Spring Break: Educational Programs in the Dominican Republic, March 16-23. Working with Outreach360, students will help teach English to children in Santiago while learning about the history of the country, exploring the culture and examining what it really means to make change happen in a community. The trips that Johnson, an academic adviser for the Daniel Ackers Scholars Program, took in 2016 and 2017 to Alabama with the Social Justice/Civil Rights Alternative Break were life-changing and soul-transforming. Because of the trips, Ive become a different person, and Im so grateful, she says. Johnson says that before those trips, she had attended meetings and training sessions in Buffalo that focused on systems of oppression and ways of understanding racism, sexism and injustice. However, it wasnt until standing on the Edmund Pettus Bridge (the bridge in Selma where non-violent peaceful protestors were attacked, beaten and killed by state troopers on Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965) and feeling the spirit of my ancestors that I felt compelled to finally be ready to act, she says. I literally felt their spirit and energy, and I knew that if my ancestors were strong and brave enough to put their bodies on the line to fight for justice, I knew that I had the power and responsibility to do the same. Johnson says that shortly after returning from her first trip to Selma, she became actively involved in criminal injustice organizing and activism work in Buffalo and remains fully immersed in the work to this day. As a result of the trips, I am in a place where I am confident in saying that I am committed to fighting injustice for the rest of my life, she says. Daniel, associate director of orientation, transition and parent programs in the Division of Student Life, served as a staff adviser on the spring break trip to the Dominican Republic in 2015. She says she wanted to work with student leaders in a different capacity from what she does day to day in her position at UB. The trip afforded the students and me the opportunity to share basics of the English language with children in the community, and it provided an education for us in the history, culture and traditions of the island; specifically, the relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Daniel says. That led to great conversations with our students around race, privilege, and our role and potential impact. And living, eating and becoming a member of the community for a week was educational as well, she says. The immersive experience led to great conversation and new perspectives as we compared our temporary reality in the Dominican Republic with American culture and our lives at home. It was an impactful trip with a great group of students. More information on the trips is available here or by contacting DiDomizio at racheld@buffalo.edu or 645-8531. Police are searching for a suspect who rode away on a bicycle after a fatal shooting at a Fremont home early this morning, a police lieutenant said. The victim, a 56-year-old man, was found dead in a bedroom at the home in the 43000 block of Charleston Way after officers responded to shots fired about 12:30 a.m., Lt. Mike Tegner said. A neighbor heard the gunshots and reported it to police, and reported seeing a male suspect get on a bicycle and leave, Tegner said. The victim had been renting a room at the home, which he shared with another family. Members of that family were asleep at the time of the shooting and didn't see the suspect arrive or leave from the home, according to Tegner. Officers set up a large perimeter in the neighborhood to try to find the suspect using a police dog and a drone, but broke down the search perimeter around 7:30 a.m. after not finding the suspect. Tegner said investigators remain at the home this morning to look for evidence, and are also canvassing the neighborhood to try to find any witnesses or anyone with surveillance video that can help solve the case. He said the killing does not appear to be random, and that there were no obvious signs of forced entry or a struggle at the home. A man, a woman and a dog died in a head-on crash Sunday morning in Petaluma, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash happened at about 10:25 a.m. when a Ford van driven by the woman was traveling on Bodega Avenue and crossed the center line, CHP Sgt. Allan Capurro said. The van crashed into a GMC pickup truck headed in the opposite direction, killing the drivers of both vehicles, Capurro said. The victims' names are not released pending notification of their next of kin. There were no other people in the two vehicles. Two dogs were riding in the van, and one died in the crash, Capurro said. The CHP is investigating the crash, which occurred just west of Petaluma. Drugs and alcohol don't appear to be factors and there were no signs of excessive speed or erratic driving, according to Capurro. A 22-year-old Pittsburg man died after a crash late Sunday night on state Highway 24 in Orinda, according to the California Highway Patrol. CHP officers responded at 11:46 p.m. to a report of a solo-car crash on westbound Highway 24 just west of St. Stephens Drive. They arrived to find the vehicle had overturned and the driver was ejected. The driver was taken to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where he succumbed to his injuries early this morning, according to the CHP. His name has not been released. Investigators determined the man was driving a Kia Spectra sedan and for some reason veered to the right and off the roadway, then struck an electrical box and chain link fence, CHP officials said. The Branscombe Fire burning in southern Solano County has burned 4,700 acres and is 70 percent contained as of early this morning, according to Solano County Sheriff's Office dispatch. The blaze had burned two buildings, including a house, according to social media reports on Sunday night. The fire is named for a rural road east of Suisun City along state Highway 12 near where the blaze started. It was first reported about 11 a.m. Sunday. The Suisun Fire Protection District, based in Fairfield, is the lead agency fighting the fire. Crews from Cal Fire, Suisun City, Montezuma, Benicia, American Canyon, Vallejo and Travis Air Force Base are also fighting the blaze with trucks and water tenders as well as helicopters and airplanes. Efforts to reach a spokesman from the Suisun Fire Protection District tonight have so far been unsuccessful. Smoke from the Branscombe Fire darkened the skies to the south on Sunday, casting a heavy pall of smoke over cities including Concord, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton and Castro Valley, with some smoke evident as far south as San Jose. Two people were injured in a shooting Sunday night in West Oakland, police said. Multiple shots were fired at the victims, a man and a woman, shortly before 9:20 p.m. while they were in the 1000 block of West Grand Avenue, according to Oakland police. No information on the victims' conditions was released. No arrests have been made. Oakland police did not release any more information on the shooting. Police are investigating an attempted robbery early this morning at a business in San Mateo where three suspects attacked a man and used a Taser stun gun on him. Officers responded around 4:50 a.m. to the 1800 block of South Norfolk Street, where the caller reported being attacked by the suspects who forced their way into the secured business, police said. Police surrounded the area and asked residents to shelter in place, but quickly lifted the order after determining the suspects had fled prior to the arrival of officers. Detectives are reviewing possible surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses connected to the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Nick Morsilli at (650) 522-7670 or nmorsilli@cityofsanmateo.org. People can also send anonymous tips at http://tinyurl.com/SMPDTips or by calling (650) 522-7676. Five men were detained following a pursuit in East Oakland early this morning, according to Oakland police. Police said the men are alleged to be involved in a series of robberies, but didn't specify a timeframe or where they may have occurred. The pursuit ended in the area of 98th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard around 1 a.m. Police didn't confirm if the men had officially been arrested and didn't identify them. Cal Fire crews rescued two people, one a lifeguard, who got caught in a rip current in the Pacific Ocean at Monastery Beach in unincorporated Monterey County on Sunday. Fire officials said the call came in around 3:35 p.m. at the beach located just south of Carmel-By-The-Sea. The lifeguard got stuck in high surf while trying to rescue the swimmer in distress around 30 feet offshore, Cal Fire officials said. A Cal Fire rescue swimmer was able to get both people out of the water by 3:48 p.m., according to fire officials. Emergency crews medically cleared both people at the scene. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. More than 4,500 acres in rural Solano County have burned as of Sunday night, and two buildings, including a house, have now also burned in the Branscombe Fire, which late Sunday was 70 percent contained, fire agencies reported. The Branscombe Fire, named for the rural road east of Suisun City along Highway 12 near which the blaze started, was first reported about 11 a.m.Sunday. The Suisun Fire Protection District, based in Fairfield, is the lead agency fighting the fire, but crews from Cal Fire, Suisun City, Montezuma, Benicia, American Canyon, Vallejo and Travis Air Force Base were also fighting the blaze with trucks and water tenders as well as helicopters and airplanes. Smoke from the Branscombe Fire darkened the skies to the south, casting a heavy pall of smoke over cities including Concord, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton and Castro Valley, with some smoke evident as far south as San Jose. Smoke from the Branscombe Fire prompted the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to declare an air quality advisory throughout the Bay Area through Sunday night. Separately, a grass fire along Interstate Highway 505 just north of the Interstate 80 junction in Vacaville Sunday burned 15 acres, and closed I-505 both northbound and southbound for about 45 minutes. That fire was reported about 10:10 a.m. Sunday, and was largely controlled by 11:30 a.m. A 25-year-old Brentwood man was arrested Sunday morning on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and felony driving under the influence after the car he was driving crashed on Byron Highway and killed his passenger, authorities said. The suspect was driving his Dodge Magnum at high speed and veered off the roadway and into a traffic signal pole at 2:17 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. The damage from the crash split the car in half, the CHP said in a news release. A passenger in the Dodge was ejected from the car and died at the scene. His name was not released Sunday. The suspect, whose name was not released, was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injures. Upon his release from the hospital, he was booked into the Martinez Jail. The collision is under investigation. Anyone who witnessed it or events leading up to it is asked to call the Contra Costa CHP in Martinez at (925) 646-4980. Caltrain will resume normal train service to downtown San Francisco this morning, after the first weekend dedicated to work to prepare four tunnels for electrified trains set to start running in 2022. Caltrain's tunnel work for the weekend should be completed by 3 a.m. today. This weekend was the first in a planned series of weekends during which the four tunnels in San Francisco will be modified to accommodate overhead "catenary" electric wires. Plans are for weekday service to proceed as normal during that period. This weekend tunnel work is expected to last through next spring. To accommodate the new electric trains, crews will also create additional clearance and install anchor bolts in the tunnel ceilings to facilitate the installation of the overhead wires to power the new electric trains. During work weekends, SamTrans will provide free bus service to connect Caltrain riders traveling between the San Francisco station, the 22nd Street station and the Bayshore station. Deputies have identified a 21-year-old Southern California man who died Sunday morning following a traffic collision on westbound Interstate Highway in Solano County. Randall Chunn of Palmdale was killed in the collision about 2 a.m., after a Toyota pickup crashed into the center divide of the freeway east of the Hunter Hill Rest Stop. The Toyota may have been struck by at least one other vehicle, according to the CHP. All lanes of the freeway were reopened at 4:39 a.m., CHP said. Santa Cruz police were looking Sunday night for a man in connection with a stabbing Sunday morning near the intersection of Laurel Street and Pacific Avenue east of the beach boardwalk, they said. At around 7:18 a.m., officers responded to a fight between two transient min which one of them stabbed the other. The 40-year-old victim was treated at the scene by paramedics and then taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The second man was still being sought Sunday afternoon. The investigation is ongoing, and Santa Cruz police detectives urge anyone with information to call them at (831) 471-1131 or (831) 420-5820. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. FREMONT (BCN) Police are searching for a suspect who rode away on a bicycle after a fatal shooting at a Fremont home early this morning, a police lieutenant said. The victim, a 56-year-old man, was found dead in a bedroom at the home in the 43000 block of Charleston Way after officers responded to shots fired about 12:30 a.m., Lt. Mike Tegner said. A neighbor heard the gunshots and reported it to police, and reported seeing a male suspect get on a bicycle and leave, Tegner said. The victim had been renting a room at the home, which he shared with another family. Members of that family were asleep at the time of the shooting and didn't see the suspect arrive or leave from the home, according to Tegner. Officers set up a large perimeter in the neighborhood to try to find the suspect using a police dog and a drone, but broke down the search perimeter around 7:30 a.m. after not finding the suspect. Tegner said investigators remain at the home this morning to look for evidence, and are also canvassing the neighborhood to try to find any witnesses or anyone with surveillance video that can help solve the case. He said the killing does not appear to be random, and that there were no obvious signs of forced entry or a struggle at the home. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Fremont police at (510) 790-6800. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. The British Board of Agrement has announced an initiative to provide additional assurance to specifiers and clients that the building materials they use are of a consistently high quality. Its Product Excellence Programme was officially launched during a Westminster Sustainable Business Forum on 11 September at the Houses of Parliament, which focused on quality in construction. It comes as concerns about quality and safety arose after the Grenfell Tower disaster, with consumers now looking for assurance that products are certified. The BBAs PEP raises the UK certification bar, offering product assessment, testing and monitoring that, the BBA says, will give designers, specifiers, contractors, building inspectors, insurers and end users increased confidence about building materials. The green PEP logo will appear on BBA certificates for products that have gained this new level of certification. Brian Moore, BBA Deputy CEO, said: PEP is an enhancement to the proven audit and inspection service that the BBA has provided for many years, bringing additional rigour and excellence to the process. Post-Grenfell, consumers are looking for a higher degree of reassurance and expect products to be tested regularly by a trustworthy and externally assessed independent body such as the BBA, which is UKAS accredited. Martin Taylor, Commercial Director of Local Authority Building Control, said: Significant changes in building regulations often follow disasters, but we should be more proactive and look to solve these problems before they occur. Currently, BBA management systems auditors visit client manufacturing facilities every six months to ensure that BBA certified products continue to be manufactured in line with the agreed quality plan. PEP introduces a product testing regime to this process: Complexity 1 products those that possess fire or structural type characteristics will be tested annually. Complexity 2 products those that do not possess fire or structural type characteristics will be tested every three years. For both complexities the BBA will randomly select products for testing during audits of manufacturing facilities and send them to the BBA Product Excellence Test Centre in Watford. If a product tested does not meet the agreed specifications, it will be subject to immediate further investigation. If the company is unable to address the source of failure, it will have its BBA Certificate withdrawn. Existing BBA Certificate holders are being automatically enrolled onto PEP and, in the future, certificates will include prominent information about PEP compliance. Certificate holders who opt out of PEP must provide the BBA with product tests from another UKAS-approved laboratory. All new BBA clients will automatically be assessed against the PEP criteria. Pictured: (L-R) Martin Taylor, Commercial Director of LABC; Francesca Berriman, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists; and Brian Moore, CEO of BBA. People who enter ARPs new photo competition can win one of five Google home devices worth 129. The aluminium and cast iron rainwater products manufacturer is welcoming photographs of any of its fitted products, including gutters, fascias and soffits, copings, bespoke pressings and downpipes in either aluminium or cast iron. Photos can be submitted until 14 December using the entry form on the competitions web page. Two winners will be chosen in October and November, and one will be chosen in December. All entrants will also receive a free thermal mug as a thank you. Shares of some of the UKs biggest housebuilders plummeted at the start of last week as the Prime Minister announced an increased property tax on overseas buyers. Travis Perkins said it does not believe this will have a noticeable impact on its profits, as housebuilders in London represent just a small part of its overall customer base. Shares in Taylor Wimpsey, Barratt Developments, and Berkeley Group all dropped, with the latter leading the fallers with a 3.5% drop on Tuesday 4 October. At the Conservative Party Conference on Sunday, Theresa May proposed a surcharge of 1% or 3% n top of stamp duty for foreign buyers of UK houses. This is in a bid to stop them from driving up UK house prices, and May said the proceeds would be used to attempt to combat rough sleeping. IKO Insulation has opened its first insulation plant in the UK in Alconbury, Cambridgeshire. The factory will manufacture IKO enertherm Polyisocyanurate insulation boards which can be used in cavity walls, external walls, floors and roofs. It will have the capacity to insulate 40,000 homes a year. The 60,000m site was an operational air base between 1938 and 1995, used by both the British and American Air Force. It took one year to build and created 160 jobs in the area. Key figures from IKO hosted an official opening event last week. They included Hartley Koschitzky, Co-Chairman of IKO Group and CEO of IKO Europe, Jonathan Koschitzky, Director of European Manufacturing, Dirk Theuns, CEO of IKO Insulations Europe, and Anthony Carlyle, Group Managing Director of IKO PLC. Guests were given a tour of the factory and of the air base, including its underground bunker. Koschitzky said: Two thousand and eighteen will be another ground-breaking year in the history of IKO, as we open our first insulation plant in the UK. This facility will be our third PIR factory in Europe and fifth worldwide, and it represents a significant investment for IKO that will enhance our leading position as a supplier of choice for contractors and building materials merchants. We are excited to be here in Alconbury and look forward to being an active part of the community. Gas and oil boilers by Worcester Bosch have been award Which? Best Buy status for the ninth year in a row. in a row. The latest report from consumer charity Which? puts Worcester Bosch top of the league tables for boilers, as well as giving it Best Buy status. The boilers were also given a high brand score following positive feedback in a survey of 12,191 boiler owners and 166 Which? Trusted Traders heating engineers were asked to rate 12 of the biggest boiler brands. Which? Trusted Traders rated Worcester Bosch highly across several criteria, with five stars awarded for the build quality, reliability, and the likelihood of an engineer recommending a Worcester Bosch boiler to their customers. One Which? Trusted Trader heating engineer said Worcester Bosch has a huge range of products, is generally very reliable and its customer service is a country mile ahead of others. Martyn Bridges, Director of Technical Communication and Product Management at Worcester Bosch, said: Which? is a hugely respected independent body and the annual report they prepare is always eagerly awaited by our industry and consumers alike. The results have huge influence on the purchasing behaviour of consumers and give a true reflection of our boilers performance and added value, so to come out on top and have all of our boilers included in the coveted Which? Best Buy category is an amazing result. We know that this result will continue to support engineers at the point of sale and also reaffirms the Worcester brand as the number one boiler choice for both our industry and consumers. The influence of Frank Lloyd Wright is visible all over the country. His signature style even stretched to the Pacific Northwest. We've found a fantastic Wright-influenced home for sale in Seattlebuilt in 1911 and designed by Wright apprentices Andrew Willatsen and Francis Barry Byrne. On the market for $3 million, the masterpiece is in mint condition. The current homeowners spent nine years painstakingly restoring the original features of the home, including the handcrafted copper gutters. The owners requested the original home plans, which were available through the University of Washington, says listing agent Allen Minner. They thoroughly researched everything from the process of building this kind of home to the materials used. Living space realtor.com Open spaces realtor.com Wright's signature organic architecture is known for its bond with natural elements, incorporating the surrounding landscape and materials. This home features local magnesite flooring in the entryway and kitchen and Russian oak flooring throughout the rest of the house. The original root cellar was converted into a library, and a workshop was created in the south end of the basement. The Tiffany sconces and wood windows are original to the house. Dining room realtor.com The main interior rooms are open and airy, providing a bright and peaceful space. The living area is really unique, especially for the time in which it was built, because its so open. Its even open concept to todays standards, says Minner. Kitchen realtor.com The kitchen is the only room that isn't a facsimile of the original home, but the owners made sure their recent updates to this space fit with the rest of the home. The kitchen was designed by Chicago architect John Thorpe, who was heavily influenced by Wright as well, says Minner. The 4,690-square-foot home has four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The original garage is spacious enough to accommodate modern cars. The current owners have a Mercedes van, and it fits in there nicely, says Minner. Porch view of downtown Seattle realtor.com As beautiful as the home is, its most fabulous feature might be the back porch. The view from the porch is pretty incredible, says Minner. You can see straight to downtown Seattle. How's that for a view? The post Prairie Style in the Pacific Northwest? Frank Lloyd Wright Apprentices Designed This Seattle Stunner appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. ISTANBUL A friend of a prominent Saudi journalist who went missing in Istanbul said Sunday that officials told him to make your funeral preparations as the Washington Post contributor was killed at the Saudi Consulate. A Turkish official separately told the Associated Press that authorities believe Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi Consulate, while another said it was a high probability. Saudi officials have denied allegations that Khashoggi was killed at the consulate, calling them baseless. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan only said God willing, we will not be faced with the situation we do not desire when asked by journalists about Khashoggi. The growing dispute over his fate threatens relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey and raises new questions about the kingdom and the actions of its assertive Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom Khashoggi wrote critically about in his columns. Turan Kislakci, a friend of Khashoggi and the head of the Turkish-Arab Media Association, spoke Sunday outside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. He said he believes Turkish officials soon will announce the findings of their investigation. What was explained to us is this: He was killed, make your funeral preparations, Kislakci said. We called a few other places, these are lower officials, but they said: We have evidence he was killed in a barbaric way, we will announce it tomorrow or the day after. Kislakci also alleged, based on conversations with officials he did not name, that Khashoggi was made to faint, then was dismembered. A Turkish official told the Associated Press late Saturday that an initial assessment by police concluded Khashoggi had been killed at the consulate. On Sunday, another official assessed as high probability that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate and his body was taken away. The Post reported on the polices theory late Saturday, citing two anonymous sources. If the reports of Jamals murder are true, it is a monstrous and unfathomable act, the Posts editorial page editor Fred Hiatt said in a statement. Jamal was or, as we hope, is a committed, courageous journalist. Khashoggi, entered the consulate Tuesday to obtain a document he needed to get married and never emerged, according to his fiancee. Waiting for him inside the consulate were Saudi agents who had recently arrived in Turkey with the intent to silence Khashoggi, the New York Times reported, citing two anonymous sources. Mehmet Guzel, Suzan Fraser and Jon Gambrell are Associated Press writers. BEIJING In unusually blunt language to a U.S. secretary of state, Chinas foreign minister accused the United States on Monday of interfering in its internal affairs and of harming his nations interests on the question of Taiwan. In a face-to-face exchange with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the foreign minister, Wang Yi, chided the Trump administration for ceaselessly elevating trade tensions and casting a shadow over relations between the two countries. Pompeo, who sat across the table from Wang at the start of talks in Beijing, said in a tart response that the United States had a fundamental disagreement on the issues that China raised. The sharp tit-for-tat stripped away the customary veneer of diplomatic niceties during public remarks. It came days after Washington laid down a tough new China policy announced by Vice President Mike Pence, who declared in a speech that the United States would not stand down. Pompeo arrived in Beijing after a trip to North Korea, South Korea and Japan that was largely focused on setting a time and place for a second summit between President Trump and the Norths leader, Kim Jong Un. As he left Seoul, the South Korean capital, the secretary of state said he had made progress on arranging a meeting, which Trump wants before the midterm elections next month. Washington continues to seek Chinas help in smoothing the path to the denuclearization of the North and that was part of the secretarys mission when he landed in Beijing. From the outset of his session with Wang, though, the deterioration of relations between Beijing and Washington in recent months took center stage. Wang complained that the United States was constantly interfering in Chinas internal and external affairs but did not detail specific instances. Such language could refer to Washingtons complaints about what it considers the Chinese governments unfair subsidies of major industries, particularly technology. It could also refer to the Pentagons recent arms sale to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China considers its own. It was also probably a nod to the U.S. Navys stepped up operations around islands that Beijing claims in the South China Sea. Pompeos visit did not include a meeting with Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, apparently another signal of displeasure by the Chinese. Receiving Pompeo in Beijing by anyone is itself a favor, considering what the Trump administration has done to China since early July, said Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing. At a briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its spokesman said the downturn in relations would not affect cooperation on North Korean issues. In short, no, Lu Kang, the spokesman, said when asked if there would be a negative effect. But cooperation on North Korea one of the important issues on which the two sides have worked together seemed increasingly unlikely. Jane Perlez is a New York Times writer. ANKARA, Turkey Turkey has summoned the Saudi ambassador to request the kingdoms full cooperation in an investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who Turkish officials say was killed while visiting the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi, 59, went missing last Tuesday while visiting the consulate for paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancee. A Turkish official said the Saudi ambassador met with Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal on Sunday at the ministry. The Turkish private NTV television said Ankara requested permission for Turkish investigators to search the consulate building in Istanbul, but a Foreign Ministry official would not confirm the report. Turkish officials say the Washington Post contributor was killed at the consulate and that his body was later removed from the building, without providing evidence. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he would await the results of an investigation. Saudi officials have denied the allegations as baseless. The consulate insists that Khashoggi left its premises, contradicting Turkish officials. The Saudi writer spent last year in the U.S in self-imposed exile, after he fled the kingdom amid a crackdown on those who criticized the policies of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggis disappearance could put pressure on the Saudi crown prince, who has promoted an image of himself as a reformer and a reliable Western ally. Opposition to the young crown prince in the ruling family will most likely grow, warned Ayham Kamel, the head of Mideast and North Africa research at the Eurasia Group. There are elements of the Al Saud family that are convinced that the prince is reckless and compromising the security of the country. Turkeys state-run news agency, quoting police, reported 15 Saudi nationals arrived in Istanbul on board two planes and were inside the consulate building the day Khashoggi went missing. Journalists and activists gathered outside the Saudi Consulate on Monday demanding information on Khashoggi. Among the protesters was Tawakkol Karman, the Yemeni journalist and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner. She accused Saudi Arabia of state terrorism and called on the international community to take action against the kingdom. A Saudi-led coalition has been at war with Yemens Iran-aligned Houthi rebels since March 2015. Suzan Fraser is an Associated Press writer. SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina Nationalists will stay firmly in power after Bosnias general election, deepening the ethnic divide in the country that went through a brutal war in 1992-95, according to updated results on Monday. Nationalist parties will dominate the Bosnian state parliament and those in the Serb mini-state and the Muslim-Croat region, according to results of Sundays balloting released by election authorities. The tally of more than 80 percent of ballots also confirmed a pro-Russia Serb leader will win the Serb seat in the three-person Bosnian presidency, defeating a relative moderate. But opponents of Milorad Dodik said Monday they will seek a recount of Sundays vote over alleged numerous discrepancies. Mladen Ivanic, the opposition candidate for the post, said drastic differences seen in results in various areas of the Serb mini-state were impossible. The election outcome deals a blow to hopes of bridging Bosnias ethnic divisions after the war that killed 100,000 people. The number one priority for my job in the future will be the position of the Serb people and Republic of Srpska, Dodik said, referring to the Serb-run mini-state he has led since 2010 and which resulted from a 1995 peace settlement. The victory of Dodik for the presidency also means a stronger Russian influence in Bosnia as the West seeks to push the country toward European Union and NATO integration. Russian President Vladimir Putin had endorsed the openly anti-West Dodik. The United States has imposed sanctions on Dodik for actively obstructing efforts to implement the 1995 Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnian war. Dodik, who advocates eventual separation of Serbs from the rest of Bosnia, said Monday that he will introduce the flag of the Serb mini-state in the Bosnian presidency. Post-election crisis also is looming in the Muslim-Croat federation after a moderate politician Zeljko Komsic won the Croat seat in the presidency while nationalists will prevail in parliament. Croat nationalists dispute Komsics legitimacy as a Croat representative, arguing that he was backed overwhelmingly by Muslims. The dispute had stalled approval of key laws in the past. The Muslim presidency seat went to the ruling party candidate Sefik Dzaferovic. Jovana Gec is an Associated Press writer. | BY Ricki Green | Applicationsare still open for the 2018 Copy School in Sydney, sponsored by NewsMediaWorks, with another world-class line-up of guest creative tutors. Copy School is designed to encourage the best quality copywriting across all channels and engages some of Australias leading advertising creative directors and copywriters, as well as news media executives, to pass on their knowledge and experience. Copy School will be held in Sydney from Monday 22nd to Friday 26th October, and is seeking 20 young copywriters, or any aspiring copywriters, to attend the workshop series. Richards Rose senior copywriter, Mark Sharman, will again be the Copy School convenor and host some of the industrys best senior creative talent and a senior newspaper editor, who will donate their time to be guest tutors, including: Ted Horton, Chief Creative Officer, Big Red, Melbourne Jane Caro, Social Commentator, Writer & Lecturer David Morris, Writer Jen Speirs, Deputy Executive Creative Director, BMF Australia Tim Brown, Creative Partner, Disciple Laurie Ingram, Creative Partner, Mr Mumbles Mike Burdick, Senior Copywriter 303 MullenLowe Alexandra Smith, State Political Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald. Copy School will provide participants with a real world brief that will be presented and critiqued on the final morning of the course. The workshop fee is just $250 per student. Copy School will donate the fully tax deductible fee to The Oasis Centre, Salvation Army. Copy School Sydney will be held at Fairfax Media, 1 Darling Island, Pyrmont. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Yolanda Mozdzen of Grant City knows what rejection feels like. She considers herself to be in the 40 and up category of humanitarian artists. And for a while, it was just her and her art. Galleries didnt want to give me the time of day, says Mozdzen. I had to step back and say Where do I go from here? The Staten Islander says shes been painting since she was 5 years old, at the encouragement of her grandfather, Joseph Mozdzen. Since then, it has been her primary way of coping through tough times. I knew this is what I was meant to do, she says. When Im upset, I paint. When Im happy, I paint. I know I am destined to create and that is what keeps me going, through the highs and lows. After more than 20 years of creating art, Mozdzen knew she couldnt possibly keep it all for herself. That is when she decided to share her talent with organizations and charities servicing members of the community, specifically veterans, cancer patients and city workers. Mozdzen has donated work to the FDNY Foundation, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army Special Troops Batalion, Mount Sinai Hospital and The American Heart Association. This year alone, Mozdzen painted five paintings to donate to veterans affairs hospitals in all five boroughs. One of these pieces hangs in the Staten Island Justice Center at 60 Bay St. She also donated a piece of work saying Hope. Faith. Blessed to 11-year-old Caleb Hammond, who was battling leukemia at Staten Island University Hospital. He has since lost that battle. ITS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY A lot of artists have problems with being underpaid and working for free. So, how does she make it work? Mozdzen says while looking for steady pay, she is content working on her artwork in the comfort of her home with the shades drawn and candles lit. "It's not about the money," Mozdzen said. "The most rewarding part of what I do is making people feel better, even if its just for a moment. Making money off of my passion is not my main concern." To view more of Mozdzens work, visit YMozzart.com. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A construction worker from Staten Island who was injured two years ago when struck by a piece of metal reinforcement bar while working on the Kosciuszko Bridge on the Brooklyn-Queens border, has settled his lawsuit for $350,000, said his lawyer. Jorge Gonzalez, 47, was operating a concrete saw on March 9, 2016 at around 1 p.m., his court filings said. The Port Richmond resident was cutting a section of cement on the spans Queens-bound entrance ramp to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway when a piece of rebar in the cement flew out and struck him in the abdomen, according to his lawyer, Michael H. Bush and court papers. Gonzalez, who was working for J.P. Hogan Coring and Sawing Corporation, of Bloomfield, suffered a laceration and stomach pain, said Bush. He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, where he underwent surgery due to penetrating trauma to his lower left abdomen, said Bush, a partner in the New Dorp law firm Chelli & Bush. Gonzalez was totally incapacitated from work for 12 weeks, his court filings said. He sued Skanska-Kiewit-Ecco III, Joint Venture, and Skanksa USA Civil Northeast Inc., which had been awarded the design-build contract for the project. Gonzalez alleged he was hurt due to insufficient protection on the saws guard, said Bush. He also alleged he was not provided the proper safety equipment. The case recently settled in Queens state Supreme Court, said Bush. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Monsignor Francis Boyle, the former longtime pastor at Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church in West Brighton, will never serve as a priest again after a church panel substantiated sex-abuse allegations against him, according to the Archdiocese of New York. The fall from grace is a stunning turn of events for the man who served crucial leadership roles on the Island and throughout the archdiocese during more than 60 years in the priesthood. He was an administrator at seminaries and held sway on archdiocesan organizations that determined the job assignments for priests and finances for parishes. Public records indicate that Monsignor Boyle, 89, lives in the Bronx while he awaits a decision by the Vatican on whether he will be defrocked or absolved by penance. The allegations of abuse were brought against Monsignor Boyle through the Archdioceses Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) that assists victims of alleged priestly abuse, according to a notice posted on Sept. 16 in the Blessed Sacrament bulletin. The notice does not provide any details about when, where and how the alleged abuse occurred, but says the findings of the investigation were confirmed by the Archdiocesan Lay Review Board. The Lay Review Board has concluded that the allegations were credible and substantiated, the notice said. Msgr. Boyle has been suspended, and may not function or present himself as a priest. The Holy See will decide an appropriate penalty, which could include dismissal from the clerical state or imposing a life of prayer and penance. However, it is certain that Msgr. Boyle will never serve as a priest again. As part of the IRCP, we have stated that we will not be releasing information on those who come forward, so as to protect their anonymity, said Joseph Zwilling, director of communications for the archdiocese. However, Zwilling noted that a victim-survivor is free to tell his or her story without any restriction from the archdiocese. The notice said that Monsignor Boyle ministered at Blessed Sacrament from 1991 to 2004. However, Monsignor Boyle participated in events in later years as pastor emeritus, including at a Feast Day celebrating the 100th anniversary of Blessed Sacrament in June 2010. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, was the main celebrant of the Mass for that feast, according to Advance records. Previously, he was pastor from 1979 to 1991 of Our Lady of Perpetual Help R.C. Parish in Pelham Manor in Westchester County, according to Advance records. A similar notice of the abuse allegations was disseminated by that Westchester parish. In 1995, he was one of eight Island priests elevated to the title of monsignor by then Cardinal John J. OConnor during a service in St. Patricks Cathedral in Manhattan. Monsignor Boyle was honored for his contributions to the Church and the community as a person of Irish descent at a ball in October 1996, according to an Advance article about the event. Since his appointment as pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church six years ago, Monsignor Boyle has been highly visible in parish and community affairs and has taken a special interest in the development of enhanced educational programs at the parish school, the 1996 article said. It is his wish that proceeds for the ball and its companion journal be used for a new computer center in the school. Monsignor Boyle served on the Priests' Personnel Board of the Archdiocese of New York in the 1990s and the Priests' Council from 1985 to 1990. He was chairman of the Commission of Inter-Parish Finances from 1983 to 1985, and the Priests' Senate from 1979 to 1983. He was also assistant director of the Priests' Conference on Pastoral Life from 1966 to 1970, according to Advance records. Earlier in his career, he was a procurator of the former Cathedral College Preparatory Seminary in Manhattan. At St. Josephs Seminary in Dunwoodie, Yonkers, N.Y., he functioned as director of field education and dean of students for 12 years. He also served at St. Malachys Parish in Manhattan and St. Gabriels Parish in the Bronx, based on Advance records. Born in Manhattan, Monsignor Boyle studied for the priesthood at Cathedral College and St. Josephs Seminary in Dunwoodie before his ordination on May 28, 1955. Spokesmen for Blessed Sacrament and the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests could not immediately be reached for comment. Victims are urged to contact the Staten Island District Attorneys Office and the archdiocese at victimsassistance@archny.org STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Horrmann Library at Wagner College was transformed into an elegant ballroom -- complete with red carpet, LED lights and towering floral centerpieces -- as more than 150 supporters gathered Saturday to celebrate a half-dozen Wagner milestones. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the colleges location on Grymes Hill. Founded as a Lutheran seminary in 1883 in Rochester, N.Y., it moved to the former Howard Avenue estate of shipping magnate Edward Cunard in 1918, eventually expanding across 110 acres. Also marking milestones are the fundraising Wagner College Guild at 100 years; the renowned Wagner College Theatre program at 50 years, and three academic programs -- the Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts at 20 years, the Port Richmond Partnership at 10 years and New Educators at Wagner, also established a decade ago. But the most significant and somewhat bittersweet celebration of the evening was for Dr. Richard Guarasci and his wife, Carin. After 16 years as Wagner president, Guarasci is retiring in June and a search for his successor is under way. The Brooklyn native said his tenure at Wagner, which began in 1997 as provost, has been a romance. He has loved working collaboratively with faculty, staff and students to raise the national profile and promised guests that he and his wife will stay connected to the college. Were leaving in June, but Wagner will always be an intimate part of our lives and you will always be in our hearts and minds, reassured Guarasci, who is the longest serving president in college history. In introducing Guarasci, Board of Trustees Chairman Warren Procci 68 described him as a dreamer who knows how to make dreams come true for Wagner. His accomplishments as president include the construction of Foundation Hall residence, the exterior restoration of 88-year-old Main Hall, and an increase in the college's endowment from $5 million to $100 million, Procci said. PORT RICHMOND IMMERSION Guarasci also created the college's signature curriculum, the Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts, which combines academics with civic engagement. The plan includes the Port Richmond Partnership, which immerses Wagner students in that underserved community and in particular, at Port Richmond High School. Who would have thought that the college on the hill would come down from the hill to help Staten Islanders who need it most, reflected Tim Gannon, former Port Richmond High School principal, as he saluted the presidents partnership concept. The key behind good leadership is the ability to say yes, Gannon told guests. [Richard and I] always say yes, even when asked to do the expensive or the difficult or the impossible. Port Richmond High School students and their families live in a world of no, he said, referencing an increase in immigrants. Can I come to your country? No. Can I live free of discrimination? No. Can I go to college? No. Will people help me even though I may not look like others or speak your language? No. Guarasci and the Port Richmond Partnership have changed each no to a yes, Gannon said to a round of applause. Wagner nursing students collaborate with Port Richmond culinary students to develop healthy recipes and share mini-lessons in medical technology. Wagners physician assistant majors review labor and delivery in Port Richmonds simulation lab. The Port Richmond Partnership Leadership Academy brings high school students to the Wagner campus for classes and college-readiness preparation. As a result, first-generation students who never thought a college degree was possible are attending Wagner and other institutions. I love you for sharing my vision that poor kids and poor families do matter and that all of us have a responsibility in making the world more fair and more equal for those families that are too often forgotten or neglected, Gannon told Guarasci from the podium. GENERATIONS OF SUPPORT The evenings program also included vocal performances by theatre students and a salute to New Educators at Wagner, a program founded by Carin Guarasci that offers mentoring and problem-solving guidance to Staten Island teachers just starting out in their careers. The guest list reflected generations of deep Wagner connections and support. Dr. Walter Kaelber, a professor of religious studies for more than 40 years, and his wife, Sally 81, met on campus. Their daughter, Kristin, is a 2013 alumna. Attorney Thomas Kendris 78 attended the gala as a new member of Wagners board of trustees. His wife, Donna Frederick Kendris, graduated in 1981 and their son, now attending Fordham Law School, is a 2014 alumnus. Im not retired quite yet, but Im ready to give back to Wagner, said Kendris, whose late father, also named Thomas, was a professor of English at the college from 1953 to 1983. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With a month until election day, Rep. Dan Donovan and his Democratic challenger Max Rose have started to release a torrent of digital and television ad buys attacking each others' credibility. An ad, titled Max Rose Is Not One Of Us, released by Donovans campaign, mentioned several liberal policy ideas that have been in some Democratic campaigns across the country -- such as abolishing ICE, single payer healthcare, and impeaching the president -- and tied them to Nancy Pelosi and Rose. Rose has come out against these policies and has said publicly that he would not back Rep. Nancy Pelosi for speaker of the House if elected to Congress. Rose, who moved to St. George in 2015, said in a televised interview that the ad was offensive to veterans. I moved to this district after I got out of active duty, years ago now, after I served my in combat, after I bled for my country -- and now Dan Donovan is telling me that Im not a real Staten Islander? That is offensive," said Rose. "Not just to me, but to every single vet who calls Staten Island home, who maybe wasnt born there. So, Dan Donovan owes them an apology. Donovans campaign declined to apologize for the ad. The only thing thats offensive is Max Roses deceitful and desperate campaign, said Jessica Proud, a spokeswoman for Donovans campaign, later adding that the radical and far-left policies being promoted by national liberals who are flooding Max Roses campaign with dark money are wrong for Staten Island. In a new ad that launched recently, Rose continued criticizing Donovan (R-Staten Island) for taking donations from pharmaceutical executives at Purdue Pharma, the company that produces the addictive opioid OxyContin. He was asleep at the wheel as District Attorney, and cashed Purdues checks as our Congressman," said Rose. "He doesnt deserve to represent us. Donovan has since pledged to donate the campaign contributions to YMCA Counseling Services and the Camelot drug-counseling center. Donovans campaign said the ad was baseless and touted the congressmans record on opioids as Staten Islands D.A. No one has done more than Dan Donovan to combat drug and alcohol abuse. He had the highest felony conviction rating in the city, one of the states most successful drug treatment courts and his Narcan training became a national model. The sweeping bipartisan opioid legislation he recently helped pass is now on the presidents desk, Proud told the Advance. Max Rose has no record to stand on, so hes resorted to these failed gutter tactics. Not all of the ads released recently in the congressional race have been political hits. An earlier ad by Donovans campaign, Fighting for You, began airing on cable TV stations across New Yorks 11th congressional district on Sept. 27. The ad features Donovan with Staten Islanders Joe and Anna Buono, who praised the Republican incumbent for helping them get back in their home and navigating city bureaucracy after Hurricane Sandy. I have lived in this community my entire life, and weve been through a lot, said Donovan. There are sadly so many stories like the Buonos. Since day one, Ive made it my mission to do everything in my power to help the people of our community and ensure we never have to go through that nightmare process again. The ad makes no mention of Rose. Rose also released a digital ad that centered on his support for more transportation options on Staten Island, including a South Shore ferry, bus rapid transit, and a light rail to New Jersey. Both candidates have raised a healthy amount of cash, with Rose taking in $1.95 million while Donovan has raised about $1.82 million as of June 30. Democrats hoping to flip the seat added Rose to the national Red-to-Blue program, which provides resources and strategic support for candidates, but the Cook Political Report still marks the race as Likely Republican. The general election is on Nov. 6. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Long-haul flights half way across the globe are making a comeback even with oil prices close to their highest in four years. About six months after Qantas started a direct service from Perth to London, Singapore Airlines is bringing back its 10,400-mile jump to New York on October 11, pipping Qatar Airways' Doha-Auckland route to reclaim the title of the world's longest commercial flight. Premium economy on new Singapore Airlines A350-900. Advances in technology and the advent of aircraft that guzzle less and carry more fuel are helping make the Singapore route viable again, five years after $US100-a-barrel oil contributed to the demise of the flight, which will take as long as 18 hours and 45 minutes. Last month, Singapore Airlines took delivery of the first of seven A350-900 Ultra Long Range aircraft that it will use on the route as well as for non-stop services to Los Angeles starting in November. Qantas has asked Boeing and Airbus to design planes that can fly even farther-- from Sydney to London or New York. | BY Ricki Green | A new breed of vehicle rolled into the Australian market this year: the Ford Ranger Raptor. GTBs latest integrated campaign launches the Ranger Raptor into the Australian market with a bang, featuring high-octane creative across TV, digital, and social platforms.The Ford Ranger Raptor sets a new benchmark in off-road capability, combining cutting-edge technology with Ford Performance DNA. The result is the first off-road production vehicle that delivers incredible high-speed capability across the most diverse and challenging terrain. To showcase the unique capabilities of this vehicle the likes of which the Australian market has never seen beforeGTB has taken a cross-channel approach. Content includes a series of videos highlighting the capabilities of the Ranger Raptor to speak to core buyers directly. Says Anuj Mehra, lead strategist, GTB: Nothing else is a Ranger Raptor. It is quite rare to encounter a genuinely unique product in the automotive world. This campaign doesnt tell Australians that Ranger Raptor is one-of-a-kind, it shows them. Says Mehra: When you have a product like this, you step out of the way and let the truth speak for itself. Eschew advertising hyperbole and over claim. The Ranger Raptor breaks the mould. The advertising simply gives credence to this fact. The campaign takes a cinematic approach to the creative. Says Tony Jordan, marketing communications and brand strategy manager, Ford Australia: Our goal with this is to grab the attention of anyone who sees it and showcase the credibility and innovation that Ranger Raptor brings to the category. Were thrilled to share this, and to continue to push the limits of what Ford can offer to its customers. Client: Ford Motor Company General Manager of Marketing Daniella Winter Marketing strategy and communications manager Tony Jordan Marketing communications manager David Noonan Marketing analyst Thomas Smith Agency: GTB Media Director: Mark Bennett Offline Media Director: Libby Shaw Digital Media Manager: Kate Emberley Executive Creative Director Jon-Paul Jacques Creative Group Head Michael Mulcahy Associate Creative Director Andy Segal & Chris Hince Senior Creative Tim OShea Senior Producer Zaylee Saydam Head of Strategy Anuj Mehra Account Director Blade Griffiths Account Manager Rima Gurbani Account Executive Michelle Ho Chinese stocks' worst October start in a decade has scared off the last remaining bulls. Foreigners dumped 9.7 billion yuan ($2 billion) of A shares through exchange links with Hong Kong on Monday, just short of a record hit eight months ago, as mainland markets reopened after a week-long break. China's sharemarket took a heavy hit after resuming trading following a one-week break. Credit:AP Ping An Insurance , Kweichow Moutai Co. and Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co. -- old favourites that jumped at least 97 per cent last year -- were the most sold by overseas traders Monday. The FTSE China A50 Index of large caps, which includes stocks that overseas investors are more likely to own, sank almost 5 per cent for its biggest selloff since January 2016. The yuan slumped as much as 0.78 per cent onshore to 6.9260 per dollar amid speculation the central bank will give up defending the 6.9 level, further hurting the outlook for A shares. On a main road in Hawthorn there are two magnificent heritage church buildings. I wondered why one is the headquarters of a highly active Catholic parish while the other has become a beautifully refurbished office building which has just been sold to a Chinese investor. Is this a sign that people don't find churchgoing valuable these days and so some churches are unnecessary? "Part of the reason is, of course, demographics," says the priest of the Catholic church, Fr Des Dwyer. "When these churches were built people used to walk to their local church while now they drive to a church of their choice or just don't go near a church." And why do the people in your parish go to church? "People are spiritual beings when they ignore their spirituality they often find there's a lack of meaning in their lives. This explains a lot of the depression, anxiety and suicides in our population," says Fr. Des. When you walk into the Hawthorn church you feel a wonderful sense of community. You're immediately welcomed at the door by the priest before you even sit down. Theres been plenty of movements in the Canberra listings in this years Good Food Guide and while the nations capital is back to only one two-hatted restaurant - Ben Williss Aubergine - three new venues have each picked up one hat. Funky Thai eatery Morks has been awarded one hat, as have James Mussillons Courgette and the popular city destination Bar Rochford. Fairfaxs national food and drink writer Callan Boys, who led the Canberra review team, says Canberra continues its rise as one of the most exciting places to eat in the country. Karen Hardy has more here. High churn rate of pharmacy staff 'not optimal' One hundred and twenty seven Crown witnesses. Forty one more police statements and previous transcripts of evidence from people who had died or could no longer come to court. Twelve sets of agreed facts. Fifty eight days of court. Three thousand eight hundred and sixty two pages of transcript. Two hundred and fifty two Crown exhibits. And 80 documents marked for identification. Prosecutor Murugan Thangaraj SC began on Monday what is expected to be days of closing arguments in the Crown case against David Harold Eastman for the murder of Colin Winchester on January 10, 1989. David Eastman arrives at the Supreme Court. Credit:Lukas Coch Mr Eastman, 73, has pleaded not guilty. The prosecutor lined up the Crown case against the former treasury official into 10 topics: The cartridge cases; history of the Klarenbeek Ruger 10/22; Eastman buys the murder weapon; January 8, 9, and 10 at Lawley Street, Deakin; the murder of Mr Winchester; the crime scene; the mafia; Eastmans motive; opportunity; and admissions to murder. The Indigenous flag. Credit:smh In proposing a new national day to recognise and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was advancing what is potentially a valuable discussion for Australia. The perennial, and often divisive, debate about the date of Australia Day will continue. But that should be pushed to one side when it comes to weighing up whether there should be a day to celebrate the culture and history of Australia's Indigenous people and also highlight the manifold disadvantages and dreadful gap in outcomes many of them face. While Mr Morrisons proposal will incite some opposition, it is likely to be more uniting than dividing. Most Australians, polls continue to show, want the date of Australia Day to remain January 26, and that is consistent with our own editorial position. Most Australians also support intensified reconciliation efforts including recognition in the constitution and treaties between governments and Indigenous communities. There is, further, widespread support for closing the distressing gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the rest of the population across health, education, employment, family violence and incarceration. One of the most stark and salient statistics on the issue is that the life expectancy of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child born this decade is about 10 years lower than a non-Indigenous child. Mr Morrisons leadership on a situation that many Australians see as a high priority, then, should be embraced. He has opened the way for a constructive debate not only about a new national day, but about our history and our collective future. An Indigenous recognition day would build on the awareness promoted by the widespread practice of paying respects, when opening events, to the traditional owners of the land. The Prime Minister is leaving it to the community to assess the merits of the idea, including its placement in the calendar and whether it should be a public holiday. It may well be better if it is not. The success of International Womens Day has shown that discussion around awareness achieves more as part of workplace dialogue than a day off. An evident option is to link such a day with NAIDOC (originally an acronym for the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week, which now runs from the first Sunday in July, and could do with a boost in terms of awareness. Mr Morrison has suggested May 27, the day of the 1967 referendum to formally count Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as part of the population, as an option. The most important thing is that this debate not be hijacked and destructively politicised, but instead be a sober, respectful examination of a humanitarian and cultural issue. Mr Morrison has helped create a chance for national unity. It is up to us all now not to blow it. The Prime Minister is right in saying we can do this sensitively, respectfully, proudly together. When the Chris Cuffe-chaired Hearts and Minds Investments prospectus lobbed into inboxes last week, it groaned under the names of rich-lister families committing to the fund. Among the Gonskis and the Stokes' and the Cannon-Brookes' was a particularly interesting name: the Packers. Thats because the Hearts and Minds charity is closely linked to UBS boss Matthew Grounds, one of James Packers closest advisers until a high-profile falling out earlier this year. Billionaire James Packer and his then closest adviser, UBS boss Matthew Grounds, in 2012. Credit:AAP After more than a decade with UBS, the billionaire used rival Goldman Sachs to flog $100 million worth of Crown Resorts shares in March. Former Labor leader Mark Latham has "sensibly" cut dozens of pages from his written defence in a defamation battle with journalist Osman Faruqi, a Federal Court judge has said, and the case should now proceed swiftly to trial. In a widely-shared judgment in August, Federal Court Justice Michael Wigney described Latham's original defence which numbered more than 70 pages as an "extraordinary" document that contained elements of the "frivolous and vexatious", including references to the "martyrdom of Christians in the Roman Empire". He struck out the defence in its entirety. Osman Faruqi and Mark Latham. Latham has since changed his legal team, including Queensland-based silk Tony Morris, QC. Justice Wigney said on Monday the defence was "now, sensibly, a three-page document". The former Labor leader, who was banned from the party for life last year after his brief flirtation with the Liberal Democrats, was represented on Monday by Sydney barrister Clarissa Amato, a defamation law expert, who will be joined by a leader in the field, Peter Gray, SC, at the trial. Four meat-mincing machines marked for delivery to a western Sydney supermarket were not enough to disguise almost half a tonne of MDMA when it arrived on a shipment from Turkey late last month, police say. The alleged drug haul, large enough to make 1.7 million pressed ecstasy pills and worth about $57 million dollars in street value, was targeted and seized during a joint covert operation between the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Border Force. A 27-year-old man from Guildford, a 24-year-old man from Coogee and a 29-year-old man from Lidcombe were arrested and charged over the shipment at the weekend. It is believed the men were working as part of a larger group. | BY Ricki Green | Its rare that Sydney-siders get to see live music these days. With lock-out laws, exorbitant ticket fees, general dont know where to go and hate waiting for a drink feelings, its not often cynical advertising folk will brave torrential rain and head out after a long week of deadlines. However, those who did venture out last Friday night, were treated to an intimate gig and got to witness what can only be described as magic in the way music legend Quincy Jones uses the term magic is when love has room to move. Song Zu have done something unusual instead of dry hiring spaces and bands, they are showcasing the musical genius of its staff; their family as it was often announced. This was their second gig in its Meet the Music concept. The first featured Nathan Cavaleri who shared his personal story of recovery from anxiety and depression, between new songs from his now touring EP. On Friday, event goers heard Dark Horse a collaboration between Song Zu and Meg Drummond and CD/composer Haydn Walker. We wanted to show that at Song Zu, there are real people behind the music you hire us for, as partner/CD Ramesh Sathiah introduced the night. Haydn ripped up guitar solos over moody beats provided by turntablist DJ Klevaone, on a double headed guitar and array of FX pedals and Meg bamboozled everyone with her sultry sound and charismatic performance. A cross between Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone, people were blown away by her tone and range I had no idea! Shes a producer! How does that work? a person exclaimed. Side of stage a small string section enhanced the depth of harmony, as arranged by Haydn and a slide show of old Western movies were projected on the exposed brick wall. The result was a modern-retro mood, spacious and cool. Between their original music and reworked version of Feeling Good by Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse, the two shared stories of how they knew each other as kids growing up in the Blue Mountains and how many years later, the night life of gigging musicians brought them back into each others spheres. Serendipitous is how Drummond described her opportunity to come work for Song Zu and reconnect with her childhood friend. It might have been all the themed cocktails imbibed, but there was a powerful feeling in the room that night. Sure, its marketing; but the night managed to satisfy the kind of thing we have all been craving real connection through music. After all, being moved by people making their own art is why we started in this business in the first place. Acknowledgements to Song Zu for putting on these Meet the Music nights and lifting the veil to your team wed all love to be part of your family. @thedarkhorse Russia and China are united in one big aim. They want to undermine the West. They want to cut the West down to size so they can increase their own power. It's a very old story in the history of nations. But they have many differences, too. One difference is becoming clearer by the day. While Vladimir Putin's Russia is expert at manipulating the US and its systems, Xi Jinping's China is much more ambitious. The Chinese Communist Party wants to own and control those systems. Russia wants to mess with America's world. China wants America's world. And it's making good progress. Russia wants to mess with America's world. China wants America's world. Credit:Andrew Dyson The latest example was a startling story published last Thursday by a US news service, Bloomberg Businessweek, under the headline "The Big Hack". Bloomberg, which has a solid reputation for professionalism and accuracy, says its staff spent a year working on the report. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp has been accused of trying to "dig dirt" on actor Geoffrey Rush in the United States after he launched a Federal Court defamation case against the publisher over claims he acted inappropriately towards a female actor. Rush, 67, is suing News Corp's The Daily Telegraph for defamation over a series of articles alleging he behaved inappropriately towards actor Eryn Jean Norvill during a 2015-16 Sydney Theatre Company production of King Lear. He has vehemently denied the claims. Geoffrey Rush and Eryn Jean Norvill photographed at the Sydney Theatre Company ahead of the King Lear production. Credit:Nic Walker At a preliminary hearing of the case on Monday, Rush's barrister, Sue Chrysanthou, accused News Corp's senior in-house lawyer, national editorial counsel Michael Cameron, of travelling to the United States in late September to "dig up dirt on Mr Rush among his former colleagues and people he has worked with in the US". She said Mr Cameron was "trying to investigate something that has nothing to do with these proceedings", without elaborating on the topic at the centre of his investigation. Radio broadcaster Alan Jones has apologised for causing offence over his on-air treatment of Opera House chief executive Louise Herron. "To Louise and those people who've been offended, I apologise," Jones said on his morning 2GB breakfast program on Tuesday. "As I said earlier, I'll be writing to Louise later today and indicate those very same sentiments." Jones said he did not believe his behaviour towards Ms Herron was bullying, but acknowledged there were people who did. Broadcaster Alan Jones has defended his interview with Opera House chief executive Louise Herron, after she said she would not project horse names and branding on the Opera House sails. The state government has since ordered the Opera House to allow The Everest horse race to be advertised on the sails, with the jockeys' colours, the horses barrier numbers and the trophy to be projected onto the iconic building. On Friday, Ms Herron told Jones the Opera House was "not a billboard" but she was happy to project jockeys' colours on the sails. Jones responded by saying: "Who the hell do you think ... who do you think you are?" The state government has faced a massive onslaught of computer network attacks since the last election, with tens of millions of attempted intrusions and successful hacks on the Premier's department, Main Roads, the finance and local government departments. In answers to parliamentary questions asked by opposition frontbencher Zak Kirkup, the government also revealed it had been subject to attacks on its information systems by "nation-state foreign actors". The Department of Finance, which also provides information security for the Department of Treasury, bore the brunt of the attacks, recording 15.5 million intrusion attempts on its networks and website. The state government has revealed details of successful intrusions into its data network. Credit:iStock Of these, 11 attacks were successful, but Treasurer Ben Wyatt said there had been "no indication that any Cabinet or customer-related material was compromised". The WA Liberals will take a policy of retail trading deregulation to the next state election, even though Western Australians voted against extended trading hours in a 2005 referendum. Opposition Leader Mike Nahan said the policy would allow retailers to choose when to open and consumers the freedom to shop when they wanted. But any changes would include safeguards to prevent shopping centres forcing businesses to open and to create a "level playing field" on pay and conditions for retail workers. The Liberal party will push for retail trading hours deregulation at the next state election. Credit:WAtoday "WA's absurd retail trading regulations deny choice to consumers and unnecessarily restrict trade opportunities for retail outlets," Dr Nahan said. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cited "fundamental disagreement" with China's foreign minister during a testy exchange in Beijing that highlighted rising tensions between the world's two largest economies. Pompeo's retort came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the US on Monday of escalating trade disputes, interfering on Taiwan and meddling in the country's domestic affairs. "These actions have damaged our mutual trust, cast a shadow over China-US relations, and are completely out of line with the interests of our two peoples," Wang told his visiting American counterpart. "The issues that you characterised, we have a fundamental disagreement," Pompeo said. "We have great concerns about actions that China has taken and I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss each of those today because this is an incredibly important relationship." Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court is set to hear the final appeal of a Christian woman on death row since 2010 accused of insulting Islam's prophet, a crime that incites mobs to kill and carries an automatic death penalty. Her lawyer Saiful Malook is optimistic Aasia Bibi will win her last legal appeal. But if not, he will seek a review, which could take years to complete. "I am a 100 per cent sure she will be acquitted," Malook told The Associated Press on the eve of the hearing. "She has a very good case." Aasia Bibi's appeal to the Pakistan Supreme Court is expected to be heard this week. Credit:AP In 2009, Bibi went to get water for her and her fellow farm-workers. After she took a sip, some of the Muslim women became angry that a Christian had drunk from the same container. They demanded she convert, she refused. Five days later, a mob accused her of blasphemy. She was convicted and sentenced to death. Stockholm: Americans William Nordhaus and Paul Romer won the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize for work in integrating climate change and technological innovation into economic analysis, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on Monday. Nordhaus, of Yale University, was the first person to create a quantitative model that described the interplay between the economy and the climate, the academy said. William Nordhaus was named for integrating climate change into long term macroeconomic analysis and Paul Romer was awarded for factoring technological innovation into macroeconomics. Credit:TT via AP Romer, of New York University's Stern School of Business, has shown how economic forces govern the willingness of firms to produce new ideas and innovations, laying the foundations for a new model for development, known as endogenous growth theory. "Their findings have significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis by constructing models that explain how the market economy interacts with nature and knowledge," the academy said in a statement. Monday, October 8, 2018 at 10:24AM Almost every product expected from Google's upcoming fall event has been leaked in detail. One interesting item is its new Chromebook tablet. Codenamed 'Nocturne' this black tablet marks Google's return to the form factor after abandoning it years ago with the Pixel C. This time around their tablet will reportedly run Chrome OS but will also possibly be able to run Windows 10 apps. There's a lot of synergy emerging between Microsoft's Windows 10 and Android lately that anything is possible. A somewhat affordable Chrome-powered tablet that can shapeshift into a Windows 10 machine (when paired with a keyboard case) could be a killer education product. We don't have to wait long as Google will unveil all its goodies tomorrow. But any one of his columns critiquing Salman's methods could have made Khashoggi a target of the royal family's wrath, at a time when Saudi women who welcomed the prince's reforms have been imprisoned for daring to ask for further changes. In September 2017, he described his despair at the growing oppression in Saudi Arabia but also his support for Salman's attempts to modernise the conservative kingdom. "My friends and I living abroad feel helpless. We want our country to thrive and to see the 2030 vision realised," he wrote, referring to Mohammed's economic reform program. "We are not opposed to our government and care deeply about Saudi Arabia. It is the only home we know or want." His columns - some of which, including this one, were translated into Arabic - served to increase his visibility and also, it is likely, the fury of the Saudi royal family, said Hisham Melhem, a Washington-based colleague of Khashoggi who hosts a political talk show on the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya network. US President Donald Trump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in March 2018. Credit:AP "He is prominent because of the platform The Washington Post provides him," he said. "Other critics don't have this kind of platform, and they were very angry with him in Saudi Arabia." Fred Hiatt, editorial page editor of The Post, said Khashoggi knew he was taking a risk by criticising the Saudi government, even though he was abroad. "But he felt an obligation to speak out when so many of his countrymen were being jailed or muzzled," Hiatt said. Even while denying Saudi involvement in his disappearance, however, Saudi government supporters on Twitter have sought to denigrate him not as a government critic but a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement once tolerated but now outlawed in Saudi Arabia as a terrorist organisation. The charge dates back to the earliest days of his career, when he was a reporter covering the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s and 1990s, including the rise of then-little-known Osama bin Laden. In this 1998 file photo, Osama bin Laden is seen at a news conference in Khost, Afghanistan. Credit:AP Khashoggi was embedded with bin Laden's circle of associates, travelled extensively with the al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan and wrote one of the first profiles of him for a Saudi magazine in 1988, after being personally invited by bin Laden to accompany him into Afghanistan, according to Peter Bergen, author of the book "The Osama bin Laden I Know". Loading Salameh Nattar, a Jordanian journalist based in the United States who was Khashoggi's colleague and editor at the Al-Hayat newspaper at the time and has remained a lifelong friend, recalled frequently being called upon to rescue Khashoggi from run-ins with authorities because of suspicions about his ties to his extremists. On one occasion in the early 2000s, Nattar had to persuade Jordanian airport authorities not to deport Khashoggi after suspecting him of links to al-Qaeda. "He was getting into trouble all the time because of his connections with al-Qaeda groups, but he was doing that as a journalist," Nattar said. "He was very well linked, to the point where some people suspected he was financing extremist groups. I personally was convinced he was doing his job as a journalist and covering both sides." At no point did Khashoggi express support for extremist groups, Nattar said. Rather, he took the view that "you have to deal with the moderate Islamists as a political reality or you will have to deal with the extremists. The failure to deal with the mainstream Islamists will lead to the extreme zealots taking over," he said. "You could say he wrote, not justifying the actions of the Islamists or extremists, but saying these people had feelings of grievances, of oppression, are the product of violent regimes and clampdowns." A woman who identified herself as Hatice A., the Turkish fiancee of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, walks outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, on Wednesday, October 3. Credit:AP Bergen, who is now an al-Qaeda expert with the New America think tank, interviewed Khashoggi extensively about his experiences with bin Laden and concluded that Khashoggi was at least deeply sympathetic to moderate Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood. But later in his life, he moved toward a more liberal, secular point of view, Bergen said. "At the time, according to Jamal himself, he was religious. He would have spent quite a considerable amount of time with bin Laden. There was no other way to do the reporting. He was almost certainly a member of the Muslim Brotherhood," he said. Holding a picture of missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, Tawakkol Karman, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate for 2011, talks to members of the media near the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul on Friday. Credit:AP However, over time, Bergen said, Khashoggi "became increasingly secularised, and his critiques of the Saudi regime come from a more liberal perspective. He went from being someone who by his own account was quite religious to a liberal critic." By 1999, he had ended his travels and became a prominent journalist in Saudi Arabia, often courting controversy but always managing to remain within establishment circles. He was twice fired as editor of the Saudi Arabian daily Al Watan, and an attempt in 2015 to launch a TV network, Al-Arab, was shut down within days for reasons that were never publicly explained. The Saudi Arabia flag flies over the consulate in Istanbul on Sunday. Turkish investigators believe Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, who vanished on Tuesday while on a visit to the consulate, was killed in "a preplanned murder" at the kingdom's consulate. Credit:AP In the 2000s, he was close to Prince Turki bin-Faisal, the former head of Saudi intelligence. During Turki's tenure as ambassador to London and then Washington, between 2003 and 2006, Khashoggi served as Turki's adviser and became the de facto spokesman for the Saudi Embassy, said Melhem, who hosted him several times on his talk show as a representative of the Saudi government. Meanwhile, many members of the international news media came to see him as a reliable commentator on Saudi affairs, an insider who could be counted on to give insights into the thinking of the opaque monarchy but who was outspoken enough not to be considered a mouthpiece. And he always responded to calls. "He was so close to the royal family and decision-makers, he was almost an unofficial spokesman for quite a while," said Hussein Ibish, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, who knew Khashoggi. "And then he was estranged." During a meeting in Washington last December, Khashoggi spoke of the immense personal price he had paid for his decision to go into exile to continue speaking out. His wife had filed for divorce, many members of his family had shunned him, and he had lost his home and possessions. Officials leave the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul on Sunday. Credit:AP When he walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last week, he was in the process of rebuilding his life. He had met and become engaged to Hatice Cengiz, and he was seeking a document, required under Turkish law, confirming that he is not legally married elsewhere. They had planned to marry soon, friends say. New York: Turkish officials are demanding a "convincing explanation" from Saudi Arabia, a day after accusing it of killing a dissident who disappeared during a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, sharply escalating tensions between two of the Middle East's most important powers. It's the latest chapter in the mysterious saga of Jamal Khashoggi, a veteran Saudi journalist and commentator who had turned critical of the kingdom under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. After fleeing the kingdom last year for voluntary exile because he feared arrest, Khashoggi vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday to pick up a document that would allow him to remarry in Turkey. On Saturday, Turkish officials speaking on the condition of anonymity told The New York Times and other news organisations that investigators had concluded Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents inside the consulate. Schoharie, New York: The 17 friends and relatives had all piled into a white stretch limousine for what was supposed to have been a birthday celebration at an upstate New York brewery. But they never reached their destination. The massive vehicle, speeding downhill on Saturday, approached the intersection of two highways that residents had long warned was notoriously dangerous. Unidentified people bring flowers to the scene where 20 people died when a limousine crashed into an car in Schoharie, New York. Credit:AP And in just a few seconds of terror, their worst fears were realised: the limousine lost control, careering through the intersection and striking an empty car. The crash killed all 18 occupants of the limousine, including its driver, as well as two pedestrians. Christine Blasey Ford holds back tears as she testifies to the US Senate on September 27 about an alleged assault by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Credit:AP "He's going to be on the Supreme Court with a huge taint and a big asterisk after his name," Hirono said on ABC News' This Week. "Everyone knows when you just interview a small number of people and not the dozens of others who wanted to be interviewed by the FBI, it's a sham." Loading Representative Jerrold Nadler, who would chair the House Judiciary Committee should Democrats win the House majority next month, has said he plans to launch an investigation of Kavanaugh if Democrats win power. "Jerry Nadler will do what Jerry Nadler will do," Hirono said, adding that she would not rule out an effort in the coming months to impeach the high court's newest justice. Other Democrats, however, took a different approach to the impeachment question, mere weeks ahead of the elections in which they are eager to rally their core voters and reach out to moderates and independents. Democratic Senator Christopher Coons was cautious when asked about the prospect of Democrats moving to impeach Kavanaugh should they hold the House majority. "I think that's premature," Coons said on NBC News "I think talking about it at this point isn't necessarily healing us and moving us forward." Coons, instead, turned his attention to Trump for mocking Ford last week and said the Kavanaugh controversy was an indictment of the president's character as much as it was a battle within the Senate, coming as more women are speaking up about harrowing experiences. "One of the biggest tragedies of this past week was to watch the president of the United States publicly mocking and ridiculing Dr Ford," the senator said, calling it a "low mark in his presidency." President Donald Trump mocked two of Brett Kavanaugh's accusers at a rally in Mississippi. Credit:AP Trump, last week in Mississippi, attacked Ford's story at length - drawing laughs from the crowd. " 'I don't know. I don't know.' 'Upstairs? Downstairs? Where was it?' 'I don't know. But I had one beer. That's the only thing I remember,' " Trump said of Ford, as he impersonated her on stage. Republican Senator Susan Collins - whose vote was decisive - appeared on CBS News and was far more measured as she stood by her decision to support Kavanaugh. "I am convinced that Dr Ford believes what she told us and that she was the victim, a survivor of sexual assault and that that has been a trauma that has stayed with her for her entire life," Collins said. Republican Senator Susan Collins said she had not been convinced that Brett Kavanaugh was the person alleged to have assaulted Christine Blasey Ford in the 1980s. Credit:AP But, she said, "I could not conclude that Brett Kavanaugh was her assailant." When pressed by moderator John Dickerson about whether her view on Ford may be viewed by her critics as scepticism generally of women who have shared similar stories, Collins defended her position and said she was evaluating a specific case. Loading "When I hear that, it causes me huge pain because I have met with so many survivors of sexual attacks, including close friends. And these women have the right to be heard," she said. Collins, who will face re-election in 2020, said she was not alarmed by Democrats' calls for her to be challenged following her vote for Kavanaugh, with some urging Susan Rice, who was ambassador to the United Nations under President Barack Obama, to run. "Her family has a home in Maine, but she doesn't live in the state of Maine," Collins said on CNN. The political scramble extended to Senate Democrats, with those of them running in states won by Trump in 2016 explained a critical vote that could, in part, determine their fate. One of them was Senator Heidi Heitkamp who told CBS that her opposition to Kavanaugh was based not only on Ford's testimony but on her disappointment with Kavanaugh's combative testimony and her lingering questions about his answers. "What I would say is - even if you don't believe or believe Dr Ford, the other issue is one of temperament, one of impartiality and blind justice," Heitkamp said. "And I think that adds to the case being made that a 'no' vote is the appropriate vote." Sao Paulo: Nearly 150 million voters in Latin America's largest nation cast ballots in a landmark election on Sunday pitting a far-right candidate fan of US President Donald Trump, against a crammed field of opponents in the most divisive presidential race here since the restoration of democracy in 1985. A woman and a drag queen pose for a photo backdropped by a billboard with a message that reads in Portuguese: "Not Him", in reference to presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro has a long history of offensive comments about gays, women and minorities. Credit:AP The campaign to lead Brazil harboured echoes of the 2016 race for the White House, with Brazilians polarised over Jair Bolsonaro - a 63-year-old former army captain with a legacy of incendiary remarks denigrating women, minorities and the LBGT community. Bolsonaro has toned down his rhetoric while seeking to expand his appeal, staging a surge that has solidified him in opinion polls as the front-runner in the race. He secured 46 per cent of votes with 99 per cent counted three hours after polls closed. His closest opponent, Fernando Haddad secured at least 29 per cent. Neither achieved the required 50 per cent plus 1 vote to avoid a run-off. The results include more than 500,000 votes cast by Brazilian expatriates in 99 countries, according to major local newspaper Estadao. A win for Bolsonaro in the second round on October 28 would mark a huge march forward in the heart of Latin America for a burgeoning global movement of right-wing populists who have already captured presidencies in the United States, Eastern Europe and the Philippines. It would also amount to a particular feat in Brazil - a nation that, as recently as the 2000s, was seen as a leader of the international left under former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry (COCI) took part in the Sint Maarten Reconstruction Information Session that took place in The Hague, the Netherlands on September 28. COCI was represented at the information session by Anastacio Baker, Louis Bute, and Bertaux Fleming. The Information Session was organized by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (NEA) of the Government of the Netherlands and the Netherlands in Business. The objective of the trip to the Netherlands was to get the message across that Sint Maarten is open for business; that the Sint Maarten business community must benefit from the rebuilding of the country via the multi-million dollar Dutch-provided fund managed by the World Bank; and to build a strong bridge between the private sector of Sint Maarten and that of the Netherlands due to the opportunities which are endless when we look at the knowledge exchange capabilities, according to COCI Executive Director Anastacio Baker. Baker added that there was a lot of interests in the reconstruction of country Sint Maarten. There was a great turnout by the Dutch business community at the information session. From the one-on-one discussions that we had, there are great opportunities on the horizon to form business to business (B2B) partnerships with our local business community. The Dutch business community is ready and willing to work with us. They have the technology and best practice expertise on their end, and our local business community has the local-know-how and experience and it would be a win-win partnership for both to work together in building back better, COCI Executive Director Baker said on Monday. The Information Session was opened by Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops. Sint Maartens Minister Plenipotentiary Jorien Wuite in The Hague also spoke at the event. I was pleased with the statement made by State Secretary Knops. He made it clear that we are a Kingdom of four partners, and if one partner is down, then the others must heed the call to help. As COCI, Louis Bute, Bertaux Fleming and myself, championed the interests of Sint Maarten at the information session. We cannot afford to get bogged down in very tedious studies. Sint Maarten is already open for business. Due to the resilience of the Sint Maarten people and local business community, we were able to open six weeks after the hurricane with the resumption of commercial air traffic in October 2017 and the cruise ships in December 2017. I foresee the local private sector continuing to take the lead and with the business acumen of the Dutch business sector in collaboration and partnership with local businesses, this approach will facilitate an easy process of rebuilding the country back better in a sustainable manner for a better future of the Sint Maarten people, and to further strengthen our economy. Minister Plenipotentiary Wuite set the tone during the information session when she made the remark about the interests shown by the Dutch business sector being a true reminder of the strong ties that we have within the Kingdom. Our private sector is the engine of the national economy and COCI is here to facilitate partnerships between our business communities within the Kingdom, Baker added in a COCI press statement on Monday. Baker said in order to prepare optimally for the new business opportunities related to the release of the reconstruction funds, it partly involves partnering with a Dutch company, therefore COCI urges all local businesses to do an overall self-assessment to ensure that they are in good standing with various government and semi-government entities, and to join forces where possible to take advantage of current business opportunities. Some of the preparations in order to prepare for partnership include: Checking liability policies; Meeting with the bank to determine the financial position and means of the company in the case of equipment purchase, additional payroll, operational costs, etc.; Update the companys information, and/or register at the SZV, Labor Office, COCI, and Tax Department. Some additional preps are: Update the companys website or any social media profile(s); Profile the company: products and/or services, experience, staff, references, resume, past partnerships, etc.; Start looking for partnerships and sign a project-based Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). No business is too small or too big to do business to explore new opportunities, COCI Executive Director Anastacio Baker concludes. We want to become better known for access control - Q&A with Bosch Building Technologies Gregor Schlechtriem Gregor Schlechtriem has worked in the access control market for over 20 years and is now responsible for the Access & Intrusion Business Unit at Bosch Building Technologies. In this interview, the expert talks about key industry trends, the impact of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, technical innovations and his companys strategy. Mr. Schlechtriem, you have many years of experience in the security technology market. What is your background and what are your responsibilities as Senior Vice President at Bosch Building Technologies? Gregor Schlechtriem: I am a trained engineer and electrical technician, and have been involved with access control in the broadest sense, since I started my career in the late 1980s. I started in the field of parking garage technology and then switched to security technology in 2001, as Managing Director of micos GmbH, which specialised in traditional access control. micos GmbH was known for its highly available and highly secure access control systems, for critical infrastructure and government applications. Many systems from that time are still in use today and continue to be supported and upgraded. Bosch is continuing micos business here? Gregor Schlechtriem: Exactly, micos was taken over in 2004 by Bosch Security Systems, now known as Bosch Building Technologies. Since then, we have continuously been developing the access control business. Being part of the Bosch Building Technologies division, we benefit a lot from international cooperation with colleagues Being part of the Bosch Building Technologies division, we benefit a lot from international cooperation with colleagues and from overlap with other product lines, such as intrusion detection technology and video security. This gives us the opportunity to implement outstanding project solutions for demanding customers in an international environment. In developing this business, I rely on my experience from other interesting roles at Bosch that I took on, after micos was bought in 2004. For a time, I worked in the European System Integrator Business, which I also had the privilege of managing for several years, as well as being directly responsible for business units. In Fairport, USA, I had the overall responsibility for intrusion detection technology for many years, as I later did in Eindhoven for video systems. Since 2018, the global access control and intrusion detection business has once again been my direct responsibility. At Bosch Building Technologies, we have in the meantime assigned sales to the respective business units, so that we can develop our product and solution portfolio, in close cooperation with sales and our regular customers. Our main task now is to make our access control portfolio accessible to a broader market. We want to make Bosch much better known, as an access control provider, in the international market. After all, with our own access product portfolio, the power of the Bosch Group and over 40 years of experience in this sector, we have a lot to offer. As an expert in access control, how do you see the industry developing? In which direction is it currently evolving? Gregor Schlechtriem: First of all, I see that security requirements are constantly increasing. Whereas there are currently still simple key replacement systems that merely record card numbers, such an approach, to a large extent, no longer meets todays security and user experience requirements.The core task of access control has not changed over the years In the beginning, access control was more or less a kind of key replacement. Later, there was the possibility of increasing security via a pin code, i.e., via verification through simple data inputs. The next step in this direction was biometrics, which is another key step up, because it allows verification by means of unmistakable characteristics. However, the core task of access control has not changed over all the years and has basically always remained the same: access control means determining who has an access request and checking whether this request can be fulfilled. Whats next on this path to greater security? Gregor Schlechtriem: Biometrics-based access control is becoming increasingly powerful and user-friendly through the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Here, data protection plays a major role, as wherever identities are established and movement data is recorded, it is necessary to reconcile the evolving technology with data protection.Biometrics-based access control is becoming increasingly powerful and user-friendly through the use of artificial intelligence The question of data protection is becoming even more significant, as systems increasingly migrate to the Cloud. Bosch puts particular emphasis on ensuring that, even in the cloud, the data generated in access control is always in line with data protection rules, regardless of where it is located. In my opinion, this trend towards the Cloud will continue, because companies are increasingly looking for complete service offerings, so that they can focus on their core business. Also, a system in the Cloud is easier to maintain and always up-to-date with the latest software, which makes cloud solutions even more attractive for providers and users. How can higher security be reconciled with a good user experience? Gregor Schlechtriem: Today, the card still plays a central role in the user experience, as the essential credential. Another current trend is one card for everything: with the increasing availability of secure multi-function smart cards, the possibility arises to use cards beyond the pure access function, for example, for payment in the canteen, at the catering and coffee machines, and in the parking garage, as well as simple access to other properties and so on.The security of cards has evolved significantly and kept pace with requirements The security of the cards, the reading and encryption processes, has evolved significantly and kept pace with requirements, although we are also facing an installed base that no longer meets these requirements, due to outdated systems. Today, it is standard for communications between reader and card to be encrypted. In some cases, the keys are also only held centrally to further increase security. The security systems industry was also affected by the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. How do you think the industry has changed? What technical solutions have emerged during this time? Gregor Schlechtriem: First of all, there is a certain need for retrofitting in the industry due to changes in how buildings are used. For example, American retailers used to be open around the clock and always had staff on site. Now, due to COVID-19, stores are also closed, and this results in a whole new need for intrusion detection and access control systems to protect the buildings. For access control, an obvious task has arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, namely to track contacts, as far as this is compatible with data protection. We actually expected more to happen here, but in our observation, many companies did quite little, despite clear and simple steps that could have been implemented relatively quickly. The installed access control systems clearly lag behind the technical possibilities. Another topic that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into focus is hygiene Another topic that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into focus is hygiene. Companies should actually have invested in contactless systems here and retrofitted speed gates or motorised doors. But in many cases this was not put into practice. The door opener is still often used, which has to be operated manually and therefore, is touched multiple times. But, if everyone presses the same button, that doesn't help hygiene. Surprisingly, this is different in North America. Here, request-to-exit proximity detectors are used almost everywhere, which avoids this problem completely and releases the door, when an authorised person approaches it. Mobile access and smartphone-based access control are also growing markets. What kind of developments do you see in these areas? Gregor Schlechtriem: I already mentioned that users increasingly want to be able to use one card for several applications. But, what we are seeing here is that even with the most modern cards, which have a lot of applications loaded on them, we are reaching performance limits and the user experience suffers. If you compare the card with the smartphone as a credential, you have a much more attractive integration platform there, which is significantly faster and delivers much better performance. For us, the mobile credential or the smartphone is the future, because it simply offers more possibilities that the card will not be able to provide in the long term. What is the specific direction Bosch is taking here? Gregor Schlechtriem: We are currently working on a broad implementation. A whole team is working on the user experience around the smartphone, because its understood that smartphone-based access has to work just as easily, as it currently does with a card.A whole team is working on the user experience around the smartphone In theory it does, but if you look at some of the actual implementations, this topic is still relatively complex. In terms of user experience and automation, we still have quite a way to go, and we are working hard on that at the moment. The user experience is one side of the coin, the other side concerns establishing security in the smartphone as a whole. In other words: How do I make the smartphone secure enough as a mobile credential, to meet my access control requirements? We are also working intensively on this. That's actually an IT task. Do you do this yourself at Bosch or do you work with external experts here? Gregor Schlechtriem: We have our own powerful Bosch IT, which also manages our company smartphones. If our company smartphones are lost, the data on them is automatically deleted. The devices use biometrics to identify users, before they can access the data. It is a sound security concept that a card cannot offer. Moreover, we are working with other partners in the IDunion project, to create the additional infrastructure around mobile credentials as well. What exactly is the IDunion and what role does Bosch play? Gregor Schlechtriem: Digital identities must be openly accessible, widely usable, interoperable, and secure. This applies not only to access control, but to the digitised economy in general. The IDunion project has set itself the task of creating the infrastructure for this, in the form of an independent wallet, i.e., secure identity storage on smart devices. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWI), because digitisation is also a critical social issue. We are intensively involved in the Physical access to the building work package in this consortium. Through this involvement, we want to ensure that our access control systems benefit from this infrastructure and are open to future digital business models. Does digital identity management, which includes biometrics and mobile access, also play a role for Bosch? Yes, it plays an important role for us, and I wouldnt consider these topics separate Gregor Schlechtriem: Yes, it plays an important role for us, and I wouldnt consider these topics separate. For me, a mobile device has the advantage that it has already ensured and verified my identity from the moment of interaction. Thats the fascinating thing about it. If I only allow the device to communicate with the access control system, if I have identified myself first, I have implemented biometrics and access control together in a widely accepted process. From my point of view, this is a very interesting perspective, in terms of security and user experience, because the biometrics procedures in smartphones are, I think, the best currently available. In my view, the smartphone has the potential to take over central functions in access control in the future. What are your goals for the access control business of Bosch Building Technologies in the near future? Gregor Schlechtriem: We will continue to focus on specific solutions for large customers. That is the continuation of our current strategy. In these projects, we will introduce new topics as I have just described, i.e., primarily new technology elements. I believe that, precisely because of the longevity of access control, a long-term migration capability is also of particular importance. We want to reach out to the broader market and make more widely available, what we have developed in terms of technology and innovation. We are currently in the process of setting up and optimising our sales organisation, so that it becomes much more widely known that we at Bosch have our own powerful access control portfolio, which can be used for all kinds of applications. In addition, we want to differentiate ourselves in the market with our systems, in line with the motto of our founder, Robert Bosch: Technology for life. The user experience with Mobile Access should be simple, straightforward, and secure: You hold your smartphone in front of the reader and the door opens. Jessie White, staff attorney with the South Carolina Environmental Law Project, speaks about the importance of tree protection during the public comment period of the Oct. 2 Georgetown County Council Meeting. To her right is Amy Armstrong, executive director of SCELP, who also spoke during the public comment period. Michelle Williams, seen here at left the "Venom" world premiere on Oct. 1, 2018, will portray teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe in "The Challenger." The true-life tragic story of NASA's first teacher-in-space is the focus of a new feature film now in development. Actress Michelle Williams is set to portray Christa McAuliffe, the high school teacher who with her six astronaut crewmates were lost aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. Williams was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in the 2005 movie "Brokeback Mountain" and is now co-starring in the comic book film "Venom" opening in theaters on Friday (Oct. 5). "Christa McAuliffe's legacy deserves the strength, courage, experience and humanity that Michelle Williams brings to the role," Ben Renzo of Argent Pictures told Deadline Hollywood, which first reported the news of Williams' casting. [Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger Accident Remembered in Photos] "The Challenger," to be directed by Martin Zandvliet ("Land of Mine"), follows McAuliffe on "the incredible journey she took from her classroom to becoming a member of the space shuttle Challenger crew," describes Argent Pictures. McAuliffe was teaching social studies classes in Concord, New Hampshire when she was selected through a nationwide search to be the first teacher to launch to space. She and her STS-51L crewmates were tragically killed when a faulty rocket booster led to the space shuttle Challenger breaking apart 73 seconds into flight on Jan. 28, 1986. McAuliffe's fallen crewmates included Challenger's commander Francis "Dick" Scobee, pilot Michael Smith, mission specialists Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik and Ronald McNair and payload specialist Gregory Jarvis. "We are more than humbled and extremely grateful for the opportunity to help tell the story of Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger mission," said Renzo. "The entire Argent team is honored and eager to responsibly capture and share the events and personal journeys of those surrounding this important historical moment with audiences around the world to help remember and further appreciate the sacrifices Christa and rest of the Challenger crew made to further our journey into space." Teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe trains on a weightless parabolic flight prior to the space shuttle Challenger's ill-fated STS-51L mission in 1986. CREDIT: NASA (Image credit: NASA) "The Challenger" will be produced by John and Art Linson ("Sons of Anarchy," "Yellowstone") with Argent Pictures ("Hacksaw Ridge," "American Made"). The screenplay will be penned by Jayson Rothwell. Production is targeted to begin in May 2019, according to Deadline Hollywood. [How the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Happened (Infographic)] In the three decades since the tragedy, McAuliffe and the Challenger accident have been the focus of numerous documentaries, including directors Renee Sotile and MJ Godges' "Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars" released in 2006. There were also two made-for-TV movies: ABC's 1990 "Challenger" starring Karen Allen as McAuliffe and the 2013 BBC and Science Channel "The Challenger Disaster" starring William Hurt as physicist Richard Feynman. Directors Philip Kaufman ("The Right Stuff") and Nathaniel Kahn ("The Price of Everything") were attached to "Challenger," a feature film that would have focused on Feynman's role in the post-accident investigation, before the film was shelved in 2008. Space shuttle Challenger lifts off on Jan. 28, 1986. The vehicle and its seven-person crew were lost 73 seconds into flight. (Image credit: NASA) Argent Pictures' synopsis for Zandvliet's "The Challenger" suggests that the film will look beyond the tragedy towards McAuliffe's enduring impact. "Despite the disaster, her memory and mission left a lasting impression and legacy on her family, community and teachers across the world and continues to inspire others through her willingness to take risks and touch others' lives through her strength and convictions," Argent Pictures describes on its website. Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2018 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. This view of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows what the dwarf planet would look like to the human eye. A new study suggests the rocky world's surface has wobbled in the past. Imagine Earth's north pole drifting as far south as Ireland that is about how much the crust of the dwarf planet Ceres has wandered over the rest of that miniature world over time, a new study finds. With a diameter of about 585 miles (940 km), Ceres is by far the largest member of the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter. Previous research suggests that Ceres might possess a frozen crust, an icy feature it has in common with a number of worlds in the solar system, such as Jupiter's moon Europa, Saturn's moon Titan, and fellow dwarf planet Pluto. To learn more about Ceres' frozen nature, study author Pasquale Tricarico, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, investigated data from NASA's Dawn space mission, which began orbiting Ceres in 2015. He focused on the shape of the dwarf planet as well as minute variations in the strength of its gravitational pull over its surface, which together shed light on how the density varies across the giant asteroid's crust. [Amazing Photos of the Dwarf Planet Ceres] Ceres' wandering skin The scientist discovered a number of anomalies that suggested Ceres experienced "true polar wander," which is when the entire solid outermost part of a world is able to drift over the rest of it because they experience different rates of spin. To envision this, imagine that a peach's skin became detached from the fruit's meat and pit and was free to move about over it. "I don't think it was speculated until now that Ceres experienced true polar wander," Tricarico told Space.com. One possible sign of true polar wander on Ceres is a giant ridge encircling the dwarf planet tilted at a 36-degree angle from the present equator. Tricarico suggested this may be where the equator of Ceres once was. "The shape of a body tends to bulge at its equator, which can stress the crust there and leave fractures, which is what we think we see," Tricarico said. This ridge and other anomalies on the surface of Ceres suggest that in the past, the dwarf planet's equator was tilted 36 degrees from where it lies now. In comparison, such a tilt is great enough to place Earth's north pole as far south as the spa town of Harrogate in northern England. A familiar cosmic tale Previous research suggested that several planets and moons in the solar system experienced true polar wander, including Earth and Mars. This reorienting may occur due to how mass is scattered across their exteriors and changes in their rates of spin for example, prior work suggested Mars experienced true polar wander to move its massive Tharsis volcanic region to a more stable position nearer the Red Planet's equator. Ceres may also possess large differences in density across its crust, which potentially helped drive true polar wonder on it to help its exterior and interior experience similar rates of spin. In addition, if one looks at where the area marking the north pole of Ceres was and where that point is now, "the path it took does not look straight, but it followed an S-shaped path instead," Tricarico said. "It will be interesting to study why that was, and to connect that with the mechanism that triggered the true polar wander and what that all tells us about the interior dynamics of Ceres." Future research can also examine the potential causes of density anomalies on Ceres. One such anomaly seems located in a large crater on a dwarf planet, which might be the remnants of a plume of material rising from the mantle to the crust that lasted hundreds of millions of years, Tricarico said. Tricarico detailed his findings online Oct. 8 in the journal Nature Geoscience. Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original story on Space.com. Ney York (United Nations), October 5, 2018 (SPS) - United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced that the two sides to the conflict in Western Sahara, the Polisario Front and Morocco, accepted to participate in direct negotiations in Geneva, while underlining the key role of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) in reaching a lasting political solution by organizing a referendum on self-determination. The two sides to the conflict, the Polisario Front and Morocco, accepted to participate in direct negotiations on 4-5 December in Geneva, said UN Chief in his preliminary reports on Western Sahara. MINURSO remains a key element of UN efforts to achieve a fair, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, which guarantees the Sahrawi peoples self determination, said Guterres in the recommendations of the preliminary report on Western Sahara. While reaffirming MINURSOs mandate, Guterres puts an end to the controversy created by Morocco which wants to reduce UNs mission to the role of monitoring ceasefire. Guterres underlined in the chapter of the report devoted to MINURSOs activities that the differing interpretations of the mission mandate continue to represent a major challenge to its operations. UN Secretary General asked the Security Council to extend by one year the mandate of MINURSO, pointing out its role in re-launching the political process in Western Sahara. MINUROs role was determining to allow my personal envoy, thanks to the intense efforts in the last six months, to make significant progress in reaching a political solution to the issue of Western Sahara, said Guterres. Therefore, I ask the Council to extend by one year the mandate of MINURSO, until 31 October 2019, in order to grant my personal envoy the (necessary) space and time to create the conditions ensuring the progress of the political process, he wrote in his report. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS Tokyo (Japan), October 6, 2018 (SPS) - The Moroccan delegation withdrew on Saturday from the preparatory ministerial meeting of the 7th TCAD Summit, in protest against the presence of the Saharawi Republic, a full member country and founder of the African Union, alongside the United Nations, the European Union, the World Bank and several continental and international organizations. The Moroccan delegation had no choice but to withdraw immediately after the speech of the Japanese minister, because of the Saharawi Republic. The meeting was a strong message to Morocco that its policy of colonization and occupation against the Saharawi state is doomed to failure. (SPS) 062/SPS/TRA Harrowing and heartfelt are two of the words that keep popping up in reviews of the French film Custody, which had its state theatrical premiere at the Avon Theatre in Stamford under the auspices of the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich and the Hearst Movie & A Martini group. The film about a bitter custody fight won the Silver Lion at last years Venice Film Festival, marking the writer-director Xavier Legrand as a major new talent on the global stage. Legrand is a film and theatre actor making his feature-length directing debut with Custody (after producing the 2013 Oscar-nominated short Just Before Losing Everything). The audience of about 25 people who attended the screening were more or less stunned into silence by the picture, which shows the frustrated father Antoine (Denis Menochet) becoming increasingly distressed by the aloofness of his ex-wife Miriam (Lea Drucker) and the way his 11-year-old Julien (Thomas Gioria) recoils from the man on their weekend visits. While many in the audience were shocked by the steady escalation of tension, and the violence in the closing scenes, Louisa Greene, who is the director of development for the nonprofit art house, said she knew from her background in domestic counseling where the sad story was headed. I could see what was going to happen, Greene said of her experience working with couples in the aftermath of a divorce. She found the film to be totally realistic in its treatment of the ominous, slow boiling anger of a man alienated from his family by his own rage. I thought the treament of the subject was totally accurate ... its an extraodinary film. The screening was part of the monthly French Cinematheque series at the Avon which mixes state premieres of recent movies with classics such as Battle of Algiers and Pierrot le fou. Alliance Francaise of Greenwich president Renee Ketcham and the booker for the Avon, Adam Birnbaum, program the series which dovetails with the Alliances annual festival, Focus on French Cinema, set for next April 26 to 30. Everyone I talked with after the movie ageed that it wouldnt really work without the extraordinary performance of Thomas Gioria as the frightened son. In the first scene in which Antoine menaces the boy, Juliens fear is almost overpowering. The directors sensitivity with Gioria is due, no doubt, to his own background as a child actor. Legrand appeared as one of the students in Louis Malles classic 1987 World War II drama, Au Revoir, Les Enfants. The slowly built suspense of the movie is augmented by the fact that Legrand chose not to employ a musical score. The silence becomes ominous in several scenes because we are so used to being guided emotionally by film scores. At the Venice festival last year, Legrand told Variety reporter Elsa Keslassy that he shares Alfred Hitchcocks preference for suspense over shock. As (the great director) said, There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it, Legrand said. The filmmaker hopes to reach people who will respond to the social concerns of a movie like Custody as well as its technique. As directors, were given a lot of money to create something, and I feel a responsibility to take a stand on issues and make films that are accessible to everyone, not just cinephiles and festival audiences. Legrand has already been approached by U.S. film industry people about doing English-language movies but he prefers the freedom of directing scripts he has developed. Up next for Legrand is a dark comedy dealing with female sexuality. Id like to make people laugh at things theyve been told they cant, he told Variety. jmeyers@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @joesview STAMFORD Mayor David Martin has chosen an engineer and former Air Force commander - and city resident to lead the critical Office of Operations. Mark McGrath, if approved by the Board of Representatives, will oversee 240 employees with diverse duties road repair, garbage collection, snow plowing, traffic enforcement, parks maintenance, building inspection, engineering, zoning, environmental protection, and more. The boards Steering Committee Tuesday night will decide whether to put the nomination on the agenda of the Appointments Committee, which usually meets the last Tuesday of the month. That committee will review McGraths background and, if members agree, recommend that the full board appoint him. The board could vote on the appointment at its Nov. 7 meeting. Its a huge job, said Martins chief of staff, Michael Pollard, who led the search for a new chief. Operations is the most visible department to residents, Pollard said Monday. Most people never see city government, but they see the Operations department all the time. McGrath would replace longtime Director Ernie Orgera, who retired in July. Pollard said that, after an extensive search that included the use of hired recruiters, the administration discovered the best candidate in its back yard. We found Mark McGrath about midway through the process, he said. He became the individual we began to benchmark other candidates against. Pollard also is helping with the search for a new human resources director. The citys four-year contract with Clemon Williams ends this month, Pollard said, and Williams is retiring. Williams has agreed to stay until his replacement is found, Pollard said. The search for an HR director will be less complex than the one for Operations director, for several reasons, he said. First, Operations is a cabinet position, so it is tied to whoever occupies the mayors seat. Martin, re-elected last November, has three more years in office before, and if, he runs again. So we can only guarantee a job for the duration of the mayors term, Pollard said. Not only that, but at any point the mayor can eliminate your position. People who would traditionally fit the job can be reluctant to move here knowing it likely will be for three years, at the most. McGraths Stamford residency is a big plus, he said. So is his experience, Pollard said. The administration does not want to reveal details of McGraths current job, pending his approval by the Board of Representatives, Pollard said. But McGrath is well-suited to running the Office of Operations, a large, complicated department with job functions that range from engineering all the way to picking up trash in the parks, Pollard said. Its a broad range of individuals to manage, and Mark McGrath has managed in that broad range, he said. Hes an engineer, so he gets the technical aspects of the role. But he also understands how to deal with day-to-day operations, and how to motivate people. The administration likes McGraths even-keeled personality, listening skills, and ability to understand situations clearly, Pollard said. Military experience McGraths Linked In profile shows he is a retired colonel with the Rhode Island Air National Guard who, from 2005 to 2013, served as commander of the 281st Combat Communications Group. He directed 942 units with $47 million in equipment in six states, according to the profile. Before that McGrath worked as an engineer with Raytheon Co., helping to design cost-efficient parts for RADAR, missiles, and electronic communications equipment. For eight months in 2003, McGrath was communications commander for the Air Forces 444th Air Expeditionary Wing in southwest Asia. He led 113 enlisted personnel, five officers and five contractors in providing computer systems to support U.S. Central Command headquarters during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2013 Stamford honored McGrath and three other Persian Gulf War veterans as grand marshals of the Veterans Day parade. McGrath has a masters degree in management from Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., and a bachelors degree in industrial engineering from Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. He also graduated U.S. Air Force Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala. Pollard said McGraths background fits the needs of the Operations role. He has managed large groups of individuals in the military and handled emergency deployment. Thats a large part of what goes on in Operations deploying crews to clean up after storms and other situations that require executing in a critical timeframe, he said. HR role The administration looks forward to having McGrath assess the department and see what he can do to improve it, Pollard said. He will come in with some thoughts of his own, which is a good thing, Pollard said. He will see things with new eyes. The annual salary for Operations director is budgeted at $165,000 for fiscal 2018-19. The director of Human Resources is set to earn $156,500 a year, according to the budget. That slot should be easier to fill, Pollard said. The city hired a firm six weeks ago to conduct a national search, he said. Its not a cabinet position, so it has nothing to do with an election, Pollard said. Its a four-year position that can be renewed. Williams began a five-year contract as assistant director in 2012, but Martin appointed him acting director in early 2014 and permanent director later that year. Thirteen people work in Human Resources, which Pollard said is a small staff for serving the 5,000 full time, part time and temporary municipal employees. The other challenge is the citys 10 unions, Pollard said. That number of different contracts is on the high side compared with other cities, he said. Updating and streamlining the departments computer systems will be a priority, he said. Were not going to get more people, so well have to improve automation, he said. acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296 STAMFORD Oct. 7 marks the beginning of Mental Illness Awareness weeks where local organizations, including Stamford schools, will be shedding a light on mental illness affecting Americas youth. Karen West, spokesperson for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Southwest Connecticut chapter, will be speaking at the Stamford High Schools PTO meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in room 101. SAO PAULO, Brazil - Brazilians vote Sunday in a surreal election in which Jair Bolsonaro - an ex-army captain dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics" by the British press - is leading in the polling and gaining momentum. Bolsonaro or any of the other 12 presidential candidates need more than 50 percent of the vote for an outright win. Pollsters give Bolsonaro a roughly 30 percent chance of snagging such a victory. But the election will likely go a conclusive second round Oct. 28, with the top two vote-getters in a dogfight. Brazilians on Sunday will also cast votes for 27 state governors seats, two-thirds of the seats in the 81-member senate and all 513 seats in the lower chamber. - What's the big takeaway? Right-wing anti-globalists sit inside the White House and presidential palaces in Turkey, the Philippines, Hungary and other nations. A win for Bolsonaro - either Sunday or later this month - would mark a stunning victory for the burgeoning movement in Latin America. It would also deal a massive blow to the region's left, and represent the rise of the most radically conservative politician in Brazil since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985. The latest poll, by the credible Datafolha firm, shows Bolsonaro with 39 percent support, the leftist Workers' Party Candidate Fernando Haddad with 25 percent and center-left candidate Ciro Gomes with 13 percent. - Who is Jair Bolsonaro and how did he become the front-runner? The 63-year-old seven-term congressmen - who's running mate is a retired general - has been a fixture on the fringes of Brazil's political scene for decades. His backers in military circles and alt-right moments have cheered on his infamous political incorrectness. He once said a gay son was the product of not enough "beatings" and told a female rival she was not worth raping because she was "too ugly." Last year, he said some descendants of slaves were fat and lazy and has lavished praise on the former military dictatorship. Yet, particularly this year, Bolsonaro has toned down his rhetoric and risen well beyond fringe support - a direct result of a traditional political class that is now seen as tarnished by corruption. Bolsonaro, in contrast, is viewed as a relatively untainted outsider. He has made strides - even among voter groups he has insulted - by hammering down on the three issues Brazilians care most about: The economy, security and corruption. In September, Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen while campaigning in southeastern Brazil. A 40-year-old man snaked his way through a crowd at a rally and plunged a knife into Bolsonaro, who was waving to the crowd on the shoulders of supporters. Bolsonaro was airlifted from a local hospital to Sao Paulo, where he underwent multiple surgeries. - Is Bolsonaro really like Trump? Let us count the ways. Bolsonaro is a tough-talker accused of denigrating women and minorities and whose core followers include bands of angry white men. He curries favor with evangelical Christians and champions "traditional values," but has been married three times. He directly connects with his legions of followers via social media. Bolsonaro says he will labor to make his country "great" and calls his rivals "scum." In August, Bolsonaro's son - Eduardo Bolsonaro, who operates as a political surrogate much in the way that Trump's elder children do - tweeted a photograph from New York City of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. "It was a pleasure to meet STEVE BANNON, strategist in Donald Trump's presidential campaign," Bolsonaro's son, a Brazilian congressman, tweeted in English. "We had a great conversation and we share the same worldview. He (sic) said be an enthusiast of Bolsonaro's campaign and we are certainly in touch to join forces, especially against cultural Marxism." - So what would Bolsonaro do if elected? Since being stabbed, Bolsonaro has sat out debates, making it even harder to pin him down on policies. He has largely inferred them rather than precisely laid them out. But, in general, he wants to make life miserable for the violent street gangs who control Brazil's drug trade, loosen gun laws so that civilians can arm themselves, embrace more free-market reforms and stop attempts to loosen strict abortion laws. He has alarmed environmentalists by saying he would cease to protect indigenous lands and potentially wants to see large-scale development in the Amazon jungle. - Wait. Isn't this the same country where Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the darling of the global left, was a wildly popular two-term president? Yes. It may seem like eons ago, but Lula - who former President Barack Obama once dubbed "the most popular politician on earth" - left office in 2011 after being credited with lifting millions out of poverty. His anointed successor, Dilma Rousseff, was not nearly as loved and was impeached in 2016 on arcane charges of violating budget laws. Lula has since been jailed on charges related to a massive probe involving bribes paid by construction and other companies to politicians. He claims the allegations were politically motivated to stop him from running for the presidency again this year - a race in which he would have been the odds-on favorite. Barred from running under Brazilian election laws, he has anointed a far less known stand-in to represent the Workers Party, Haddad. - So who are the other candidates in the race? The only other two candidates considered by pollsters to have a real shot are Haddad and Ciro, as Gomes is known in Brazil, where candidates often go by their first name. And assuming the polls are right, Haddad is the most likely to face Bolsonaro in a possible runoff. Haddad was mayor of Sao Paulo for one term before losing his reelection bid amid dismal approval ratings. Running under the slogan "Lula is Haddad," he hopes to tap into nostalgia for the economic boom Brazil saw during the 2000s. But financial markets have widely rejected Haddad as investors are dubious he will be able to pass the austerity reforms needed to avoid a feared fiscal crisis. - And what about Ciro Gomes? Polling third is Ciro Gomes, an outspoken member of the center-left Democratic Labor Party, who has said he would reform the country's overburdened pension system and support the ongoing corruption investigation that has tarnished dozens of the country's top politicians. He has also vowed to raise taxes on the wealthiest Brazilians and reverse privatization of the country's oil fields. Initially expected to carry the country's center-left vote, Gomes' poll numbers have stagnated. In this ongoing series, we are sharing advice, tips and insights from real entrepreneurs who are out there doing business battle on a daily basis. (Answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.) Who are you, and whats your business? I am Michael Barlow, co-founder and CEO of Fernish, a lifestyle subscription service for the home. We let people choose the home furnishings they want for however long they want them, for one monthly subscription price. With trends around mobility, ownership and the changing way that people value time, Fernish makes a ton of sense for the 25 million young professionals currently both renting their homes and planning to move within the next 12 months. We started our business in Los Angeles and will be launching in greater Seattle area later this month. Related: Watch New Episodes of 'Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch' Now You just went on our show Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch. How did it go? My co-founder and I were very excited to participate. Being on-camera is a rush, and pitching your business on camera is even better. I think our episode of the show airs later this month, and you'll have to stay tuned for the ultimate outcome! What inspired you to create this company? Ive moved five times since finishing college and had multiple sets of roommates in both New York and Los Angeles. And I threw away a lot of self-built furniture in the process. The true aha moment for Fernish was in early 2017 when my now-fiancee was moving from Chicago to join me in Los Angeles. We started brainstorming a business model to make the whole moving and furnishing process not just easy, but actually inspiring and exciting. How is it different from others like it? There are a few startup furniture rental companies out there now. Weve never wanted to play in that category but rather created a new one based on exactly what our target customers are asking for, which weve branded as a "lifestyle subscription service." We place an incredible value on customer development and customer experience. We built all of Fernishs services through interviews and surveys before we even had a website -- and we continually sharpen our service through real-time feedback loops across all stages of our acquisition funnel. Not to mention a fantastic relationship we have with Crate & Barrel and about a dozen other players in the furniture space! Related: Embrace Your Uniqueness and Customers Will Follow, Says This Luxury Travel Entrepreneur What does the word entrepreneur mean to you? To me, entrepreneur means a combination of problem solvers and storytellers. We solve a problem weve experienced ourselves, then we tell a story to consumers so they let us solve that same problem for them. What was your toughest challenge, and how did you overcome it? Two challenges come to mind in starting a company: hiring the right team and building the right culture. Hiring is something that entrepreneurs have to be incredibly intentional about. It would have been so easy for us to hire someone good enough to fill a position. But the discipline for maintaining a high bar (a bar-raiser in Amazon-speak) is what I think differentiates companies in the long term. Weve built an environment where people are excited to come to work, ideas are valued and heard, and intellectual curiosity is highly encouraged. I mean, we have everything from aerospace inventory planning experts to missile systems engineers to a former Amazon product lead -- how could you not respect the perspectives and be excited to work with a group like that? But we also maintain a healthy amount of lightheartedness and like to have fun, which, given the intensity of a startup, is needed to keep us all balanced. Related: This Entrepreneur Wants to End the Stigma of Men's Health Products How has your leadership style evolved? I had the opportunity to be a four-year NCAA athlete, which shaped a lot of my leadership style. In sports, its all about teamwork, trust and improvement. In a professional setting, that has come through as a combination of democratic and transformational leadership. I dont like to make decisions in a vacuum. I like to build consensus around a path forward wherever possible. I also like to set measurable goals as a motivational tool, which can drive professional growth and pride in your work. Related: This Company Is Betting You'll Subscribe to Their Sofa How You Say Something Is More Important Than What You Say, According to This Self-Described Data Junky Embrace Your Uniqueness and Customers Will Follow, Says This Luxury Travel Entrepreneur Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved M oscow-born property whizz Alisa Zotimova looks remarkably calm for an entrepreneur who specialises in buying London properties for wealthy Russians. Has no one told her Vladimir Putins regime isnt top of Britains Christmas card list at the moment? Or that Prime Minister Theresa May is proposing a new levy on foreign property buyers? The UK isnt perhaps the welcoming market it once was. The founder of AZ Real Estate, which advises on commercial and residential sales and leases, relaxes in a chair in her Mayfair office. She taps her foot and says: While there has been some initial hesitation, dont believe for one second that political tensions will substantially get in the way of property deals. The glamorous chief executives confidence comes despite relations between the UK and Russia reaching boiling point in recent months after the Salisbury poisonings, and Britains urging the EU to increase sanctions against Russia. Zotimova says: London remains a safe haven for investors, with strong rental income and tenant demand for assets. There are good, law-abiding and tax-paying Russians out there in abundance. I have, and will, continue to help them to buy buildings in England. She has made several trips to her native land this year, and says demand for London properties above 50 million has slimmed of late, but there are plenty of buyers looking to invest up to 5 million each time. AZ Real Estate takes a commission of between 1% and 2%. Even if requirements from Russian clients were to quieten, 38-year-old Zotimova has plenty of other work to keep her busy. AZ Real Estate, which she founded in 2012, has a number of UK and eastern European customers, and the firm is eyeing building its own developments for the first time. Says Zotimova: I feel my business has steadily grown, attracting smaller customers that like a niche and personal middleman to advise on deals rather than some of the larger estate agents that have hundreds of buyers on the go. Her move into the property industry was unconventional. The economics graduate chuckles as she recalls managing a restaurant after her studies some of which took place in America in her hometown of Krasnogorsk in western Moscow. Agency giant JLL had an office above the restaurant and its staff were regular customers. I got friendly with them and they were impressed with my English. Just before I was about to leave for a new job, they invited me to train with them as a surveyor. Zotimova spent two years with JLL before being poached by rival Cushman & Wakefield. There was loads of work if you were hungry for it. The Russian market was still in its infancy because previously, under the Soviet Union, all buildings belonged to the state. Once it dissolved, investors couldnt wait to start buying, she says. As well as sales, she advised corporate giants such as Huawei on opening new Russian offices. The move to London came in 2007 to help some customers invest in UK property. I wanted to work in a bigger market and live in a new city. I was a big earner for the firm, Zotimova says in an animated tone before swinging her arms for a mini victory dance. However, the party mood didnt last. Zotimova sounds more sombre about the ensuing recession: there were plenty of job losses and bonus and wage freezes across the industry. Aged 30 she pondered a career change and took some acting lessons to see if she could realise a childhood ambition of being on the screen. She laughs and says: I quickly realised that my future didnt have Oscars in it. Zotimova, who shares her Hampstead flat with her husband, used her own savings to set up AZ Real Estate six years ago and she reckons she has advised on around 30 million of transactions since then. Deals have included student digs in Birmingham, luxury Mayfair flats and semis in Crouch End. The company has also helped family offices secure new headquarters. Next up, the entrepreneur is investing in a marketing push and looking to buy land in London to create her own properties for sale. I have so much experience and think it will be fun. Im not doing too badly for a failed actress from Moscows suburbs. The drama worlds loss is the property industrys gain. AZ Real Estate Founded: 2012 Staff: Five Turnover: 1m+ forecast for 2018 Business idol: Tim Ferriss, the entrepreneurial star of motivational podcasts. His work encourages me to try harder. Best moment: Opening my first office in Brook Street. Before, I was working from home. L ondon based tech investment firm Atomico has led an investing round into Varjo, a Helsinki based company that makes virtual reality headsets. Atomico, Siemens and EQT have pumped 31 million into the firm which develops high-end virtual reality (VR) headsets that would allow product designers to design real-world products within a virtual reality studio. The funding will be used to launch the companys first product and expand Varjos workforce to more than 200 from 80 over the next 12 months. The headset will compete against an increasingly crowded market of products like Oculus Rift, Microsoft HoloLens and HTC Vive. Varjo is testing its hardware and software technology with Airbus, Audi, Lilium, Saab, Sellen, Volkswagen and Volvo Cars to optimise VR technology for their industries. It comes amid a tough week for Londons tech scene as Funding Circles IPO failed to live up to its hype. But the Capitals venture capital scene remains red hot. Today VC fund Mosaic Ventures confirmed it had closed its second funding round at $150 million. Based in London, Mosaic Ventures invests in technology companies across Europe, with a focus on Series A rounds. Since it was launched in 2014, Mosaic has invested in 20 technology companies, including Blockchain, Convoy, Habito and Nexar, as well as Entrepreneur First. Blockchain is a leading cryptocurrency wallet provider. Meanwhile Goodlord, one of the UKs leading property technology companies, has announced the successful close of a Series B funding round. I nsert joke here: the UKs bust bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, is considering changing its name, the chairman Sir Howard Davies says. Admittedly, the brand is pretty tarnished. After a 45 billion state rescue saved it from oblivion a decade ago, will it be Repaying Billions Soon under chief executive Ross McEwan? Probably not. Its just turned a profit for the first time since the crash but more likely, Rosss Bailout Show will be going on for a while yet. Seeing as the taxpayer still owns more than 60%, let me save Sir Howard the bother of splashing out on branding consultants. The bank has a perfectly decent name snapped up nearly 20 years ago in NatWest, which consistently scores more highly than RBS in the Reputation Institutes regular surveys of the UK banking scene. NatWest albeit way behind the industrys halo-polishers Nationwide and Virgin Money outranks HSBC, TSB and RBS. Adopting NatWest more widely would simply be an extension of the strategy that saw it rebrand its London headquarters in Bishopsgate a year ago. Its also a brand that has 50 years of resonance with the British public. In Scotland, where RBS is known as the Royal, why not just call it the NatWest Royal? Davies is also right to suggest that just changing the name would provoke a hollow laugh if it werent accompanied by meaningful change. Thats why, as the chairman, he needs to change his chief executive sooner rather than later to draw a line. McEwan has spent most of his time in public sweeping up and apologising for the scandals and messes of others, from huge mis-selling fines to the Global Restructuring Group scandal, when the bank was accused of pushing firms towards failure. Hes certainly not the candidate to turn the page on a new era: after five years at the coalface of running a demanding, politically sensitive business, a change shouldnt be far off anyway. TPP is small beer to cheer Brexiteers Brexiteers tempted to crow over Japanese premier Shinzo Abes open arms invitation to the UK into the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement after we leave the EU should smell the coffee. The 11 countries of the TPP including the global powerhouses of Chile, Brunei and Peru together accounted for exactly 44 billion in UK exports in 2016, according to the Office for National Statistics. In that year, we exported 49 billion to Germany alone, and almost as much to France. O pinion pollsters have had a rotten few years. They failed to predict the outcome of the Brexit referendum, failed to predict the election of US President Donald Trump and failed to spot the Conservatives were going to throw away their majority in 2017. So why should we listen to them now? The answer is that they have learned from their mistakes and changed the way they look at data, or so they promise. The polling firm YouGov has analysed 150 polls from four sources for the Evening Standard. These suggest a small but steady move towards those who want to remain in the EU. Research director at YouGov, Anthony Wells, says: The weight of evidence means that we can be as good as certain that, at least as far as the polls are concerned, Remain is now ahead of Leave. There are several reasons why. Older voters who backed Brexit are dying and more young people who want to stay in the EU are getting the right to vote. Some who didnt take part in the referendum now say they would back Remain. Labour voters are turning against Brexit. People are worrying about the possibility of a chaotic departure, without a deal. Whatever the reason, its a notable shift and the evidence suggests it has gathered pace this year. Leave was ahead after the 2016 vote and stayed narrowly in front into 2017. But after that, public opinion began to change. In 57 of the 61 polls that have been carried out this year, remain was ahead. So will this make a difference? The average lead for remain is now roughly four points, which is neither overwhelming nor guaranteed to hold firm if there was a second referendum. Loading.... The nation hasnt yet changed its mind firmly and for good. But theres another thing which matters right now just as much. There is absolutely no sort of majority for the sort of hard break with the EU that extremist Brexiteers insist is justified by the referendum. They continue to wail about betrayal, but these numbers show that the real betrayal of the people would be to allow the obsessions of a small minority to override the moderate views of everyone else. Climate crisis still ahead It tells us two things. First, the problem of global warming hasnt gone away just because its become less fashionable to talk about it (and those politicians who do make the most noise claim it isnt real). The report shows the world is on course for temperature rises of 2C by 2050 and continued increases after that which would be disastrous. Second, it shows we could still get the crisis under control, if we wanted to which means keeping rises below 1.5C. Weve got the tools to do it and we know they work Because the public wanted action, and past Governments made things happen, the UKs carbon emissions have fallen by 40 per cent since 1990 while our economy and living standards have grown. Those are big trends which matter. Day by day, its hard to feel the effect this weeks chilly start is set to be followed by an unseasonable hot blast of weather and neither tells us much about how the world is warming. Thats why scientific, reputable, long-term reports such as todays matter so much. New Doctor, old magic The least important thing is that, at the 13th incarnation, the new Time Lord is a woman at last. What counts is her acting, the plot and the opponent she had to overcome in that unique interplanetary destination otherwise known as Sheffield. Shes nailed the part already. The light years roll by but The Doctor remains a must-watch. D elivering more homes is the new political imperative. But how to do it while protecting the countryside? Cabinet ministers reportedly want to build on the green belt, a courageous policy which the Tory Party manifesto explicitly rejects. Villagers are justifiably outraged when their neighbourhood plans are torn up by developers. New towns are a marvellous idea until one is planned near you. None of the policy choices are easy, yet one has delivered thousands more homes without touching a blade of grass. The Governments policy to make it easier to change the use of a building, particularly from office to residential use, has increased housing supply while preserving green spaces. By last year, 17 per cent of new housing supply in England came from changing the use of buildings, the majority from office to residential use. The number of homes created has nearly tripled, to more than 37,000 a year. The policy has protected 2,750 hectares of greenfield land, an area around the size of Bournemouth and larger than Oxford. But as a new report by The Project for Modern Democracy warns, this increasingly important means of supplying homes, particularly in urban areas where housing pressures are acute, is being undermined. The policy is popular with businesses and renters but not with councils and planners. This year, the Local Government Association called for it to be suspended nationally, claiming it was causing a shortage of business space, lowering levels of affordable housing, and creating unsuitable homes criticisms which are largely unfounded. Permitted development does not mean a free-for-all for developers. Proper safeguards remain, for instance, to ensure buildings are suitable for habitation. Still, councils are increasingly using Article 4 directions which let them withdraw permitted development rights. Their use seems to be rising in London, hindering the provision of homes where the need is greatest. The Mayors new Draft London Plan backs use of the directions. Westminster and the City of London issued them earlier this year by, and another is proposed by Kensington & Chelsea. This brazen attempt to circumvent permitted development will mean fewer underused offices and shops becoming homes. Yet the threat to a flagship planning policy has so far failed to provoke a response from the Government. There is now a danger of the number of homes being created in London through change of use being cut. If the Mayor does not reverse his proposed changes in the draft London Plan, the Government should make clear that it will enforce Article 4 directions very carefully. If no action is taken, other councils could also move against change of use. This would be a change for the worse. Review at a glance T he paintings that open this show depict the Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew, who was flayed alive. How powerfully the Baroque master Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652) captures his anguish. In one, Bartholomew is tied at his feet by one executioner, while another sharpens the knives that will slice his skin. Both executioners look at the viewer, the knife-sharpener with particular glee. Bartholomew, meanwhile, looks to the heavens. In the other picture, the flaying is vivid; another leering executioner cuts Bartholomews skin away, revealing crimson flesh beneath. This time, Bartholomew meets our gaze, plaintively imploring us to feel his pain. Lord Byron later wrote of how Ribera tainted/His brush with all the blood of all the sainted. A myth developed that Ribera, the maker of such violent images, must have been violent himself. Theres little evidence to suggest this, and this show and its catalogue explain his work as a consequence of the social and artistic culture of the time. Born near Valencia, he was in Rome as a teenager, and had settled in Naples, then a Spanish territory, by 1616. He soon gained the patronage of the citys viceroys and remained there for the rest of his life. He was influenced, like so many, by Caravaggio, whose dramatic theatrical chiaroscuro he adopted. Also crucial was the Counter Reformation, the Catholic churchs fightback against Protestantism, which called for devotional images of fervent emotion. Ribera achieves that poignancy through realism: saints and gods are living, breathing people. Saint Sebastian isnt the classical, ripped hunk pierced with arrows of other painters. Hes prostrate, bound and pained, while holy women attend to his wounds. Real life was gruesome then: among many exquisite drawings are Riberas studies of torture including two of the strappado, where victims were hung by their arms, which would dislocate. A painting here, not by Ribera, shows a Neapolitan square in which a strappado dangles casually over the bustle. Ribera caught reality in explicit sensory detail studies of ears, noses and gaping mouths show how attentively. One of the mouths appears in paint, on the face of the hubristic satyr Marsyas, in another picture of flaying, in the dramatic final room. Marsyas challenged the god Apollo to a musical dual and lost; Riberas depiction of his fate is, inevitably, gruesome yet glorious. Until Jan 27 (020 8693 5254, dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk) A sk busy restaurant owners about their long-term dream, and chances are theyll go all misty eyed and speak of vineyards in the south of France, or setting up shop in the country. Meet the three hospitality heavyweights who have made that dream happen, this year setting up a new lager brewery from a farmhouse and converted barn in the English countryside. Luke Wilson, Nick Trower and Cameron Emirali have, between them, commanded restaurant kitchens, front of house, wine sales, and beer importing, with their careers intertwining at various stages: Wilson and Trower together in sales at Liberty Wines, of which Emirali was a customer, before Wilson and Emirali teamed up to open the ever-popular Soho restaurant, 10 Greek Street, to which Trower then sold to via his self-started beer importing company, Biercraft. Over the course of those years, the conversation of opening a brewery was formed, and earlier this year, Braybrooke Beer Co arrived. Taking the train through the countryside to the quaint town of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, you can see its the ideal getaway from the late nights and constant din of London restaurant life, where all three operators are still very much involved with their respective businesses. But on stepping off the train and arriving at the brewery, the wide open space and clean air, and whiff of malts carried on the breeze, already feels good for the soul. "Time seems to move slower out here," says Luke Wilson, and it's certainly better for sleep. I'm not sure if he's talking about the silence, the country air, or the abundance of beer, but I'm inclined to agree. Standing opposite the converted grain store that now houses a state-of-the-art-brewery, were staring at the heart of Braybrooke where their flagship Keller Lager is brewed. On the decision to make a lager over any other type of beer, Luke explains: After years of wild and wacky IPAs and dark ales, people are fatigued with those massive flavours. Weve come full circle - people dont want to have their taste buds blown off, we just want something we can drink. It seems, in the hype of the big flavours that come with dark beers and ales, lager has been forgotten. It's actually a really enjoyable beer, Luke says, not the mass-market styles that people think of as bland, fizzy and boring, but with proper, well-made lager you can have elegance, subtlety, and drinkability. So light beers are making a comeback, and Braybrooke Beer Co are harnessing that, keeping a focus on small-scale production. / Braybrooke Beer Co. We wanted to make something small-scale, but also something really high quality and with provenance, Trower explains. If you go to Belgium or Germany you can find all these amazing lagers made by small, local breweries. Which, naturally, lead the team to Bamberg, Germanys famous beer city, to see Stefan Michel of respected brewery, Mahr's Brau. In true Braybrooke style, there was of course a historical tie, as Mahr's Brau was also the first brewery that Nick imported on Biercraft. Seeing the potential, Michel jumped on boar. He's our brewing guru, laughs Trower. So we're making German style lager - that's what the Keller lager is - but in the English countryside. The best of both. When made well, lagers not only offer impressive substance, but also subtle complexities and even texture that works well with food. Keller lager as a style is complex and rich, and having tested it out on some good and proper country pub-grub, I can confirm its a match well made. Cheers to that. W ith summer officially behind us and winter just around the corner, its time to book a last-minute pre-Christmas break before the silly season gets into full swing. Whether youre after a tropical getaway, a unique European city break or a trip filled with culture, weve rounded up the best destinations to visit this November. For keen hikers, a newly opened trail through Chile's spectacular Patagonian region is unmissable, while sun-seekers should flock to the Caribbean island of Turks and Caicos, where they'll find one of the best beaches in the world. Closer to home, the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius will be easy on the pre-Christmas bank balance with flights as cheap as 23. 1. Patagonia, Chile A new hiking route will take you through 1,700 miles of Patagonian wilderness / Unsplash The Patagonia region of Chile has long been a spectacle for travellers across the globe, but after the Chilean government launched a new hiking trail last year connecting 17 national parks through the Patagonian region nows the perfect time to book your visit. The new trail is fittingly dubbed the Route of Parks and runs for 1,700 miles, making it the worlds longest hiking trail. The trail is split into a number of smaller sections so visitors can do portions at a time with stunning views and diverse wildlife to spot along the way. 2. Shenzhen, China You can now fly direct from London to Shenzhen / Unsplash The former fishing village is now one of the biggest metropolises in China and Shenzhen Airlines launched the first direct route between Shenzhen Baoan Airport to London Heathrow last year. The flight to Shenzhen takes approximately 13 hours and 30 minutes and is just one of the many new routes connecting mainland China to London. Once in Shenzhen, you can escape to the Nanshan Mountains for some tranquillity, visit the Futian CBD for modern architecture and visit the Window of the World filled with mini replicas of 130 of the worlds biggest attractions, like the leaning tower of Pisa and the Louvre. 3. Sydney, Australia Sydney's Bronte Beach / Unsplash While Sydney is an ever-popular tourist destination, November is a great time to visit as the weather isnt as blazing hot as it is in the height of summer, but still warm enough to justify a daily swim in one of Sydneys many beaches. Walk the Coogee to Bondi walk, discovering hidden gems like Gordon Bay and Bronte Beach (right around the corner from Bondi, but smaller and prettier), walk to Mrs Macquaries Chair for the best views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, find one of Sydney's many secret bars or indulge in the brunches and coffee Australia is famous for in one of its zillions of independent cafes in Glebe and Newtown. 4. Serengeti, Tanzania The Wilderbeest will migrate in November / Unsplash November in East Africa is nothing less than a wonder. This is because it is the period in between the dry and rainy season which is when the Wildebeest Migration occurs. Starting in Kenyas Masai Mara, the migration heads south towards the Serengeti in Tanzania, making it a prime location for migration spotting. As it is the shoulder season, its likely there will be more deals in prime safari locations as the tourists wont be back again until Christmas. 5. Alaska, USA The northern lights in Alaska / Unsplash By the end of November, the sun rises in Alaskas Anchorage at 9:45am and sets at 3:50pm but these limited hours of daylight make it the prime time to see the Northern Lights . If you are staying in Anchorage, head up to the GlenAlps to get away from the city lights for aurora viewing, and watch the magical lights dance across the night sky. November is also a great time for animal spotting in the northernmost US state, moose are abundant but bears have entered hibernation by this point so you wont have to worry about running into one in the wilderness. 6. Chiang Mai, Thailand Visit an ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand / Unsplash While Bangkok and Phuket are known as Thailands party destinations, Chiang Mai is where you want to go if youre looking to dive knee-deep into Thai culture. The former seat of the Lanna kingdom is filled with ornate temples, street food stalls and surrounded by lush green countryside and rainforests. Exploring these surroundings will lead you to waterfalls, elephant sanctuaries and serene country villages. 7. Turks and Caicos The stunning blue waters of Turks and Caicos / Pixabay November marks the end of the Atlantic hurricane season and makes way for warmer, drier weather. The average daily temperatures in Turks and Caicos hovers around 30C, making it perfect lounging-on-the-beach weather. T & C is also home to the worlds best beach , Grace Bay as voted by TripAdvisor in its 2017 Travellers Choice Awards making it a must-visit. Home to some of the most thriving coral reefs in the world, T & C is also the ideal destination for any discerning diver. 8. Vilnius, Lithuania Explore the old town of Vilnius / Pixabay The Lithuanian capital regularly goes under the travel radar when it comes to European city breaks , but with Ryanair flights to Vilnius from London just 23 each way, its a hard bargain to pass up. The capital boasts the largest mediaeval town in Central and Eastern Europe UNESCO-protected of course containing a large number of baroque churches and neoclassical buildings. Other than the number of aesthetically-pleasing Instagram shots you will take, there are a number of craft beer bars serving up Lithuanian brew and Baltic cuisine to satisfy your taste buds. 9. Kathmandu, Nepal Embrace fresh air in Kathmandu / Unsplash If youve always wanted to climb Everest, or simply trek through the Himalayas, November is the perfect time. The weather is not too hot, the sky clear and the crowds will be gone as the high season is almost over. Whether or not you choose to hike, a visit to Kathmandu is the perfect almost-winter escape. You can explore the street food stalls, Buddhist monasteries or simply revel in the fresh air. 10. California, USA Travel over the iconic Bixby Bridge near Monterey, California / Unsplash A rustle in the trees. A glimpse of orange. Or are we imagining it? Some more movement. Sandy footsteps. Binoculars. Is it really a tiger? At 6am, pre-breakfast and just after sunrise, its easy to think it could be a mirage, but its not. We reverse the jeep, focus and theres no mistaking it. Were eye to eye with a wild tiger, there are mere metres between us and she is staring at us as intensely and inquisitively as we are at her. Its the kind of moment where time stands still for a short while and your mind forms a mental polaroid which you know will be with you for life. As we look on, its clear that this is no zoo animal, and nor is it a creature at a busy safari park, so used to human interaction that people are no longer a novelty. Our guide is almost as awestruck as we are he has been working at the location for six months, doing trips with tourists most days, and this is only the second tiger encounter hes had there. The rarity makes it all the more special. Dinosaurs aside, there can be few animals so ubiquitous, well-known and well-loved by everyone from toddlers to grown-ups, featuring as popular cartoon characters, cereal emblems and cuddly toys yet so unlikely to ever be seen in the wild. Thats partly because the ways and places in which tigers live make them tricky to spot much trickier than lions, for example but mainly down to there being scarily few of them around. Global numbers have depleted from around 100,000 a century ago to less than 4000 today, though in more recent years theyve not been doing so badly at a low point a decade ago there were barely 3000 of them. It is initiatives like Project Tiger, launched by the Indian government 45 years ago to protect habitat, eliminate hunting and encourage breeding, which have helped boost numbers, and today well over half of all the worlds tigers are in India, with numbers growing. They are spread between nature reserves such as Satpura National Park, in the central Madhya Pradesh region, where we caught our glimpse, and safaris to see them are becoming an increasingly important source of income for both government and the private tourism industry. The view from Denwa Backwater Escape / Pugdundee Safaris Our adventure started at Denwa Backwater Escape, the base of Pugdundee Safaris within Satpura Tiger Reserve, a few hours drive from Bhopal airport which is itself a short connecting flight from Delhi. We then moved on to Pench Tree Lodge in another national park, a few hours drive away round the corner by Indias standards. Its here that has some of the best chances in the country (and therefore the world) of spotting a wild tiger, though nature is nothing if not unpredictable and it was at Satpura where the chances are lower that we got our sighting. Both wonderfully peaceful retreats built in clearings at the heart of the wilderness, we sleep in beautifully rustic and romantic treehouses and are indulged with excellent home-cooked meals on stylish dining patios, relaxing between drives into the wild to try and spot tigers, and dips in the pool to cool off afterwards. Cool off in the pool at Pench Tree Lodge / Pugdundee Safaris Though theres no disguising the luxury at either of the beautiful lodges leather seats, cotton sheets they tread a neat line between grandeur and grass roots, with an eco mindset prevailing throughout. Water is filtered on-site to avoid the need for plastic bottles, ingredients are painstakingly local, and employees come from within the community with profits poured into local initiatives too. While sightings of tigers may be impossible to guarantee and easy to miss, you wont go without spotting some impressive wildlife. At Pench, the very jungle which inspired Rudyard Kiplings The Jungle Book, even if Shere Khan doesnt come out to play, his mate Baloo, the sloth bear, is very likely to and is a spectacle to behold in his own right. Wild dogs and leopards are also out and about, along with numerous wild and wonderful monkeys, deers and birds. In that respect, its not quite all about the tigers, but if you want the best chance of coming face to face with one of the few thousand of them out there, then youre in the right place. And when it comes to a winning combination of luxury, knowledge and awareness of environmental and social factors, Pugdundee are a safari company thats earned their stripes. Visit pugdundeesafaris.com for more information and to book. F or the most exciting restaurant city in the US right now, head straight to Portland. No, not that Portland. All the way on the other side of the country, on the north-east coast, is Portland, Maine, which has been quietly building a reputation as Americas top foodie destination. This year, the city went from relatively under-the-radar to top the foodie hit-list when it was named Restaurant City of the Year by Bon Appetit, an accolade thats made more impressive by the fact that the award isnt given out every year the only three previous winners are Chicago, San Francisco and Washington DC. Need more evidence? Five of the 2018 James Beard Award semi-finalists (the Oscars of the food world) are based in Portland not bad for a city of only 65,000 people. Portlands small size gives it a relaxed, friendly feel and makes it an absolute dream for the hungry tourist. You can easily cover everywhere on foot so even if youre short on time, you can stumble from long lunches to double dinners, shedding the odd calorie as you go. Much of the action is contained within a few attractive blocks of 19th-century buildings surrounding the Old Port, where fishing boats still unload their daily catch and restaurants line the cobbled streets. With its harbourside location, Portland is all about the seafood, particularly lobster and oysters, which can be found in almost every venue across town. Portland has plenty of waterfront dining options / Alamy Stock Photo Going to Portland and not having a lobster roll would be like passing up pizza in Naples. If youre going to have just one, then Highroller Lobster Co, a classic American diner complete with scarlet booths and plastic food trays, is the place to go. The rolls here are exemplary, piled high with the freshest chilled lobster and served with a choice of sauces, from lobster ghee to jalapeno mayo. However, Portlands standout dining experience is Eventide, a small seafood restaurant that kicks things up a notch with some clever creative twists, plus a banging Eighties soundtrack. Roasted jumbo oysters are amplified with gochujang butter and bacon, while fatty tuna carpaccio is delicately dressed with sesame, yuzu and celery. It also does a mean hot lobster roll and, just to prove it can do more than seafood, theres the thick-cut homemade chips and an incredible ice-cream sandwich for dessert. Alamy Stock Photo The Asian influences found at Eventide are taken a step further at The Honey Paw, its sister restaurant next door. Here we tuck into crispy wontons filled with lobster, a Vietnamese-style crepe stuffed with fried mussels and green papaya salad, followed by one of the few reasons to order a meat dish in Portland: the smoked lamb khao soi, a Northern Thai curry with egg noodles and fermented mustard greens. An ideal spot to start an evenings eating is Island Creek Oysters, with a glass of wine and a tray of its signature dish on the outdoor terrace. On some nights you may find Mr Tuna here, too: a nomadic sushi chef who posts his weekly schedule on Instagram every Monday (instagram.com/mr.tuna_maine), he pops up all over town to serve hand rolls stuffed with fresh local seafood, such as crab, lobster and fatty tuna. Island Creek oysters An abundance of fresh seafood lends itself perfectly to Japanese cuisine, so we prop up the counter at the tiny Izakaya Minato. We watch the chefs at work slicing fresh fish before ordering seared tuna with creamy ponzu, blowtorched mackerel, and the surprisingly successful cultural mash up, Udon Vongole, made with local clams and slippery noodles. While Portland is known for its seafood, Maine is famous for another great staple potatoes. While theres plenty of mash and fries to be had with your seafood suppers, an unusual place to find potato is at The Holy Donut. The mashed Maine potato adds a nice extra-smooth texture to the doughnuts that come in 20 flavours, but you really only need to know about one maple bacon. The Holy Donut / The Holy Donut If potato-based desserts arent your thing, Portland is chocka with bakeries and coffee shops ideal for something sweet. Tandem Coffee and Bakery, set in an old petrol station on the west side of town, is a cut above the rest. Aside from the cool location and the freshly roasted coffee this place has some serious pies, and we make light work of the mezcal and peach version, covered in thick layers of buttery pastry. Portland has some good official accolades, but Id like to give it my own award: Joels Favourite Foodie City. Come soon and come hungry. Details B ulgarian journalists may face further "hits" after a television reporter was raped and murdered "to set an example", an investigative website has said. The body of Viktoria Marinova, a reporter for the Bulgarian investigative programme "Detector", was found dead on Saturday. She is believed to be raped and murdered in what one investigative website has called an "execution". Ms Marinova, 30, was discovered in a park by the River Danube in the northern town of Ruse. She had been reporting on alleged corruption by officials involving EU funds and suffered blows to the head and suffocation. The 30-year-old journalist's body was found in a park in the northern city of Ruse, near the River Danube on October 6. / EPA Her mobile phone, car keys, glasses and some of her clothes were also missing, said Ruse prosecutor Georgy Georgiev. Asen Yordanov, of the investigative site Bivol.bg, said he could not directly link the murder to Ms Marinova's work. But he said his own team faces danger of assault themselves as the site has received "operational information that hits against our journalists working on this story are being discussed and prepared." He said: "Viktoria's death, the brutal manner in which she was killed, is an execution. It was meant to serve as an example, something like a warning." Ms Marinova had presented the first episode of the refreshed current affairs programme "Detector" for the TVN network in Ruse on September 30, where she interviewed Dimitar Stoyanov from the Bivol.bg and Attila Biro from the Romanian Rise Project on their investigations into fraud around EU funds. In her final broadcast on the air, she had criticised the environment journalists find themselves when reporting on matters of public interest. "The number of forbidden topics is growing all the time," she said. "Investigative journalists are being systematically removed. "Our team is committed to providing a platform for journalistic research exclusively on topics relevant to the public interest. This is the meaning of "detector". The TV program that detects lies." Viktoria Marinova speaking on TVN television. She had criticised the danger faced by journalists in her final broadcast before being killed on October 6. / AFP/Getty/TVN TVN has posted heartfelt tributes on its website, showing reporters' "enormous pain and insurmountable grief" to the loss of the reporter. But the station has been criticised for being "too scared" to report the full circumstances while Bulgarians learn about the brutal killing in the foreign press. Slavena Dimitrova posted on the TVN website: "Foreign media have reported the murder of the young journalist in more detail than the native. "I understand the sorrow of her colleagues from TVN, but I do not understand why, when I visited their site, I saw only her "obituary". "All this silence is a sign of fear." There has been a huge show of outrage by members of the press across the world, as the death strangely coincides with the anniversary of journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya's assassination in 2006. Police reportedly said there was no evidence to suggest Ms Marinova's murder was related to her work and there was no information about her being threatened. But Sven Giegold, a German member of the Greens in the European Parliament, said all of Europe should worry about the killing, as Ms Marinova is the third journalist to be slain this year. "First Malta, then Slovakia, now Bulgaria. It is unacceptable that in Europe journalists are getting killed again," Giegold said, going on to call for the European Parliament to quickly send a delegation to Bulgaria to help investigate the crime. The chairman of the EU Commission has called for Bulgarian authorities to bring whoever was responsible to justice. He tweeted this morning: "Shocked by the horrendous murder of Victoria Marinova. Again a courageous journalist falls in the fight for truth and against corruption. Those responsible should be brought to justice immediately by the Bulgarian authorities. The Standard asked the Bulgarian Prime Minister's office for comment but they are yet to respond. A police officer who was one of four injured tackling a knifeman slashing wildly in north London is likely to be scarred for life, it was revealed today. Scotland Yard said the officers were met with hostility when they arrived at the address in Liverpool Road. Neighbours told how the 19-year-old suspect burst through the front door waving a large knife at police. He was Tasered and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and a knife was recovered at the scene. Another teenager, 19, was arrested on suspicion of affray. All four officers were taken to hospital and three were later discharged. A male officer remains in hospital suffering from serious knife injuries to the face. Mike Pannett, a former Met officer who has written books about his time in the force, told the Evening Standard. They are all okay. The most seriously injured is stable. A mother today called on London commuters to help track down the fugitive killer of her son in a dramatic appeal outside Waterloo station. Tracey Hanson wore a sandwich-board to publicise a wanted poster for the prime suspect in the murder of her 21-year-old son Josh Hanson. Shane OBrien, 30, is alleged to have murdered Mr Hanson in an unprovoked knife attack in a bar in Hillingdon in October, 2015. After the murder OBrien left the country in a private jet, fleeing first to the Netherlands before travelling extensively and being spotted in countries around the world. There is a 50,000 reward on offer for information leading to his prosecution. In June, OBrien, from Ladbroke Grove, was placed on Interpols global most wanted list. Wanted fugitive Shane O'Brien / Metropolitan Police Today Mrs Hanson, who with the help of friends was handing out 4,000 wanted leaflets to commuters, said: It is three years on from Joshs murder and we still have not had justice. The public need to know that we are still fighting. It could be that one person today takes a leaflet and recognises OBrien. Our appeal to people is to share the wanted poster too and to mark Joshs third anniversary. I can tell you it is not easy wearing a sandwich board and standing outside talking to complete strangers about my sons murder, but I will do whatever it takes. Victim: Josh Hanson, seen with mother Tracey, died in 2015 Mrs Hanson added: Someone, somewhere must know where Shane OBrien is or who is helping him and I am asking the public to help me to continue to keep our campagin in the public eye by displaying the poster at home and away. Can you imagine if this had happened to your son? Police in the Czech Republic came close to capturing OBrien last year when he was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and assault in Prague. He gave his name as Enzo Mellonceli, which was supported by false documentation, before he was released on bail. Wanted man: Shane O'Brien has had a tattoo covered up with this owl design / Met Police By the time officers realised OBriens true identity he had disappeared. A police mugshot taken at the time showed he had grown his hair to shoulder length and had a full beard and a distinctive new tattoo on his back of an owl holding a skull. Detectives believe OBrien is getting help from underworld associates and using aliases and false passports in order to travel. P olice are hunting for two suspects after three men were assaulted in a homophobic attack in north London. Scotland Yard said the three victims were attacked by two men in Wood Green in the early hours of the morning. Officers were called to the scene near the junction between Station Road and High Road, N22 at around 4.30am on Thursday, October, 4. "Three men aged in their 20s had been assaulted by two suspects," a Met Police spokesman said. "One of the men required hospital treatment, but he was subsequently discharged." Detectives have releasing images showing two men they wish to trace in connection with the incident. One of the men is seen in both images, the second man is only seen from the back in one of the images. There have been no arrests and enquiries continue, the Met said. A spokesman added: "There was a verbal interaction between the victims and the suspects prior to the attack, which is why we are treating this as a homophobic incident." The men were then subject to a physical assault, officers said, but no weapons were involved. A suspect remarked that a District line Tube train was going to be blown up as passengers were targeted in a suspected racist hate crime, police said. Police said a suspect abused passengers on board an eastbound Tube train between West Ham and Upton Park. British Transport Police said a male was heard making "inappropriate and offensive comments" on the train on the afternoon of September 19. The force told the Standard a man aimed comments towards the victims about "how the train may be blown up". Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward and have issued CCTV images of a man they want to speak to in connection with the suspected hate crime, which happened between 4pm and 4.20pm. A spokesman said: Officers investigating a hate crime on board a District line train in London are today releasing this image in connection. "Between 4pm and 4.20pm on September 19, two men were overheard making inappropriate and offensive comments on board the eastbound service travelling between West Ham and Upton Park. "Officers believe the man shown in this image may have information which could help them investigate." A spokesman added: "He [the suspect] started talking about how the train may be blown up. Police have not said how many victims were involved. Racist hate crimes are on the up in the capital. According to City Hall, 17,560 were reported in the year up to June 2017, the latest for which figures are available. There were 9,720 in the year up to June 2014. P lain-clothes police are carrying out sting operations on London hotels to test if they raise the alarm over signs of child sexual exploitation. Officers accompanied by young girls attempt to book rooms at hotels to check if staff recognise the warning signs of grooming and call police. The move comes as figures show the number of child sexual exploitation (CSE) linked offences in London has almost doubled in the past three years, from 602 in 2014/15 to 1,107 in 2017/18. The number of children who are assessed as being at possible risk of sexual exploitation has also risen by 40 per cent over the same period to 2,128 in 2017/18. Now officers are visiting hotels with cadets, aged about 13 or 14, while carrying visible quantities of alcohol. They may also try to book a room with cash and refuse to give any identification. Ideally, reception staff will refuse to rent out the room and contact police. Chief Superintendent Helen Millichap said the operation, codenamed Makesafe, was aimed at raising awareness among hotel staff, rather than blaming venues. She said: We know that perpetrators of CSE may use hotels to commit offences. We know that CSE is likely to be under-reported, so we rely on people being alert and well-informed about some of the ways that children could be groomed. We would far rather someone alerted us and for it to be a false alarm, than for us to miss a chance to investigate. Ms Millichap, who leads the Met on CSE offences, said that in previous similar operations hotel staff had not always taken the correct action but some had reacted positively and, at least, refused a room to the couple. She said: We know that as a result of previous activity to raise awareness we have taken calls and we have been able to safeguard a child so we know it works. We believe this is under-reported but we are not saying that hotels are full of abuse. We want people to be professionally curious and if something does not look right, to call us. Police are carrying out visits at different hotels, ranging form large chains to smaller premises and B&Bs. Many have already received advice on spotting signs of CSE. Ms Millichap added: This is not an operation designed to catch people out or blame these venues. We want to encourage awareness in a powerful way. Where the response is not what we would expect it offers us the opportunity to provide refresher training and reiterate the warning signs. C hildren could have less sick days if they wash their hands with sanitiser as opposed to soap and water, a new study has found. Researchers studied 911 children up to the age of three and found a group which used this method to wash their hands missed the least days of day care due to respiratory infections. The children, who attended 24 day care centres in Almeria, Spain, were split into three groups. One used hand sanitiser for hand washing, another soap and water, while a third simply followed its usual cleaning practises while they were studied for eight months. During this time, the students had 5,211 respiratory infections leading to 5,186 missed days of day care. The hand sanitiser group missed an average of 3.25 per cent of days of day care, the soap and water group missed 3.9 per cent and the third missed 4.2 per cent. The soap and water group was 21 per cent more likely to contract a respiratory disease, and 31 per cent more likely to be prescribed antibiotics according to the research, published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday. Janet Haas, director of epidemiology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, told CNN that she thinks the differentiation in methods is important to note. Dr Haas, who was not involved in the study, said: There is a place for alcohol hand sanitisers, and the public may not be aware of how effective they can be. "I think people still think of them as 'if you can't get to a sink, this is second best,' but in this study, it showed that it was better than the soap and water hand-washing for this group." She did however state that the caveat to hand sanitiser is that for safety reasons children must be closely supervised when using it. According to the World Health Organisation, washing your hands with soap and water should take around 20 seconds, which could be measured by humming the tune to Happy Birthday twice over. T he number of Londoners under 40 who manage to set up their own home will plunge by more than 10 per cent in the next 15 years, official analysis reveals today. The sharp decline is disclosed in figures from the Office for National Statistics which show there are currently just over one million households in the capital headed by someone aged between 25 and 39. But despite an expected large increase in Londons population over the coming decades, the number of householders in this age group is projected to decline for each of the next 15 years. The finding will heighten concerns about the difficulty faced by young people wanting to live in their own homes, and the potentially damaging impact on Londons economy. The analysis covers only those Londoners who stay in the capital and does not take into account any who move out because of high property prices or other factors. Instead, the decline appears to be driven by the continuing trend for more young adults to remain at home with their parents or to live in properties they share with friends, siblings or others. It means that by 2033 there are expected to be 120,000 fewer households in London headed by someone in their late twenties or thirties. That represents a fall of 11.5 per cent over the period. The number of people in the 25-39 age group heading homes they have either bought or are renting is then projected to grow again up to 2041. But the statistics still show that by that date the number of Londoners in this age range living in their own household will be about 7 per cent lower than the total recorded in 2016. A handful of boroughs, including Barking, Bexley and Havering, will buck the trend by showing projected increases. But most areas of London show a decline, with some due to experience a dramatic slump in households headed by those in the age group. They include Hounslow, where the total is projected to fall from 28,200 to 22,900; Harrow, from 19,700 to 15,900; and Lambeth, which by 2041 is projected to have 2,700 fewer households headed by a 25- to 39-year-old than its current 54,700. Camden, where households headed by a person aged 25 to 39 are expected to fall from 34,900 to 33,100, and Haringey, down from 34,100 to 30,200, are among other boroughs where young Londoners will find it harder to set up their own home. A dog on the track reportedly sparked delays on two London Underground lines. Tube services were temporarily halted in the Notting Hill Gate and High Street Kensington areas while staff rescued the animal on Monday morning. Passengers near the station were told in an announcement that a dog was being rescued from the tracks. There are minor delays on both the Circle and District lines due to an obstruction on the track in the High Street Kensington area, Transport for London (TfL) said on their website. TfL are said to be rescuing a dog on the track at Notting Hill Gate / Dan Petrie Posting on Twitter, Gwen Smith quoted the announcement as saying: Ladies and gentlemen, we currently have a dog on the track and we are waiting here until it is rescued. Theres a dog on the track at Notting Hill Gate, London Underground passenger Stephen John Davis wrote. Obviously, he doesnt want me to get to the Royal Albert Hall for rehearsal. C uts to security at The National Gallery are putting visitors at risk in unsupervised areas, a source at the establishment has claimed. Last month, The Londoner reported that the institutions security firm Securitas had reduced the amount of staff on site. Some were concerned that these cuts, which would leave certain rooms unsupervised, may make artwork vulnerable to attacks (a Gainsborough painting, was damaged in 2016). Now we are told that at least two incidents have occurred at the gallery in recent months, affecting art lovers themselves. Two cases of sexual assault have taken place in the North Wing of the gallery where security cuts to cover have been made, the source tells us. One woman said she was groped by another male visitor in room 16/17 while no guard was present. Another woman was groped in room 24 while no guard was present. Following the second alleged assault, security management was approached but, the source claims, did not make any record of the incident. When approached for comment, a representative of the National Gallery stated that no formal complaint has been made to either the National Gallery or Securitas. When we gave them the names of the two staff who dealt with the second incident, the same representative reiterated that no formal complaint had been received. Securitas was appointed to the role in 2015, with the gallery noting its proven track record in security and visitor engagement roles. But the firm has been criticised for increasing the number of rooms guards must cover. When The Londoner visited last week, we saw guards covering between three and four rooms each. It has now got to the state where a woman can be groped by a stranger within the gallery, the source complains. Keep calm, curry on Bereft: will Gordon Brown be able to recreate his final meal before becoming PM despite the menu revamp at the Kennington Tandoori? (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) / Getty Images Parliament is mourning the loss of its favourite curries. The Kennington Tandoori, beloved by peckish Westminster staff, is ditching the jalfrezis and opting for trendy street food as part of a menu revamp. The restaurant has an impressive legacy: it was David Camerons takeaway of choice for his last night in Downing Street, and where Gordon Brown ate his final meal before becoming prime minister. Some of the most famous dishes have gone. And there are fewer pickles with the poppadoms, one diner wails to Politico. Much aloo about nothing, surely? --- Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf mocked Theresa Mays dancing as the SNP conference opened in Glasgow this weekend. I use dance very loosely, he said. With those moves she isnt winning Strictly any time soon. Robot Wars maybe, but not Strictly Come Dancing. --- Evie Gurney, costume designer for Antony and Cleopatra at the National Theatre, was inspired by Beyonce when dressing the Egyptian queen, played by Sophie Okonedo. In one scene she wears a yellow ruffled dress reminiscent of Beyonce in her Hold Up video. Its been noticed by young audience members. You see them perk up because its speaking directly to them, Gurney says. Barbie Doctor suspends our disbelief Not that kind of Barbie girl... Jodie Whittakers storming debut as the new Doctor Who last night has inspired a reinvention of another well-loved blonde icon. Last night Mattel announced the release of an all-new Doctor Who Barbie in honour of the 13th Doctor with her signature suspenders, lace-up boots and sonic screwdriver. the brand, of course, forgot to check that suspenders means the same in Britain as it does in America. theyre not called suspenders! theyre called braces! one fan complained. SW1A Ben Bradley, Tory MP for Mansfield, has apologised after trying to recruit a video editor to work for him on a voluntary basis. The initial advert on his Facebook page was updated to claim he was trying to save taxpayers money and insisted its not slavery. The advert has since been deleted, but quick-acting Labour activists have produced a slick clip of it themselves complete with operatic music and explosions mocking his gaffe. --- Chatty: Nick Robinson (left) and David Davis (right) (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) / Getty Images David Davis could be making a lot more money elsewhere. Every July, when parliament goes down, that Friday I go and sit in my study and pour a glass of whisky, the former Brexit Secretary tells Nick Robinsons political Thinking podcast. I sit there with a notepad and say to myself, Is what Ive done in the last year I call it my half million test is it worth not earning half a million a year? Four out of five years the answer is yes. Quote of the day It was the Conservative Party that set the dogs on to Diane Abbott John McDonnell, the shadow Chancellor, no longer objects to metaphors involving dogs, despite slamming Chuka Umunna last month for using a similar phrase TV, theatre and film stars gather to celebrate a decade upstairs at the Ivy Marching on: Matthew Wright and Amanda Barrie (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images) / Dave Benett/Getty Images Happy Birthday to The Club at The Ivy, which marked 10 years since opening its doors with a party across its three floors on Friday night. Amanda Barrie, the veteran Carry On actress, sipped cocktails with TV host Matthew Wright, who has recently been replaced by Jeremy Vine on his daytime Channel 5 slot. Also at the event were actors Simon Callow and Maureen Lipman, model Betty Bachz, actress Charlotte Carroll, TV producer Ash Atalla and historian Suzannah Lipscomb. A majority of Britons now want the country to stay in the European Union, according to analysis of nearly 150 polls for the Evening Standard. The study of four questions regularly asked in Brexit surveys showed a steady shift towards Remain. Leave was ahead by an average of two points in the months after the June 2016 referendum on EU membership, the study found. And in the first six months of 2017, pro-Brexit sentiment was still in front, but by one point. Then there was a turning point around the middle of last year, and Remain gained a two-point lead over the last six months of 2017. The average for this year is a four-point lead to stay, roughly the opposite of the actual referendum result. Loading.... YouGov carried out the analysis. Anthony Wells, director of political research at the pollster, said: The weight of evidence means that we can be as good as certain that, at least as far as the polls are concerned, Remain is now ahead of Leave. Between them the four trackers have asked the question 61 times this year, and 57 of them were Remain. The findings came as: Theresa May faced a nine-day countdown to salvage her Chequers Brexit blueprint before a crunch summit with EU leaders who are currently only offering about 30 to 40 per cent of what she wants, according to reports. Ministers were said to be trying to woo Labour MPs to get a Chequers-style deal through the Commons. Brexit talks were intensifying in Brussels. Arlene Foster, of Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party, is due to meet EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier tomorrow to discus her concerns over the Irish border issue. Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Brexit would weaken the UKs role as a bridge to Europe but Britain would be welcomed with open arms into the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon backed a second EU referendum and claimed support for Scottish independence was growing amid Brexit turmoil. Brexiteers warned the Prime Minister that the UK must quit any temporary customs union arrangement before the 2022 General Election as part of a backstop to avoid the return of a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The shift towards Remain is being driven by significantly more people who did not vote first time round saying they would now back Remain, according to the study. Another factor may be the number of Labour voters who backed Leave changing their mind, a switch that could pile pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to campaign for a second referendum. The deaths of older people who voted Leave and more pro-Remain teenagers who are now 18 and eligible to vote, could also be having an impact. The polling figures include people who did not take part in the referendum, so the four-point gap is likely to be smaller if it came to a vote. But the findings from two tracker questions by YouGov, one by BMG Research and one by Survation, cast serious doubts on Brexiteers claims to be representing the will of the people. Thousands of anti-Brexit activists march to Parliament in protest 1 /12 Thousands of anti-Brexit activists march to Parliament in protest Demonstrators head towards Parliament Square. REUTERS Signs include 'I love EU' REUTERS The pro-EU march began in Hyde Park Corner. Si Carrington 'NHS? Brexit Wrexit' Oliver Day The march took protesters through the streets of London. Oliver Day One protester brought along a papier mache Queen, in reference to the blue and yellow hat she wore at the State Opening of Parliament. Peter Bailey 'Exit Brexit' Jonathan Hawley The September sun shone as activists marched through the streets. Martin Tod Roads were blocked during the protest. Maggie Jones The campaigners set off shortly after 11am from Hyde Park Corner. Maggie Jones The rally saw the activists march through the streets of central London. Johann Ketel EU colours of blue and yellow were seen throughout the march. Judi Conner Brexit survey details are being compiled by Sir John Curtice, the Strathclyde University professor and polling expert, on his WhatUKThinks website. Its latest poll-of-polls, which included three by BMG, and one each by ICM, Kantar and Survation, also puts the Remain lead at four points. Sir John said: There is doubt that there is still a majority of support for Leave but there is also doubt that actually a second referendum would necessarily deliver a majority for Remain. Neither side could be sure of the outcome given how close the polls are. Opinions on Brexit are still vulnerable to factors such as whether Britain agrees a trade deal with the EU in coming weeks. T heresa May today threatened to refuse to sign a 39 billion divorce settlement with the EU if it fails to give Britain a precise future trade deal within weeks. The stark warning dramatically dampened expectations of an agreement at next weeks EU summit on Brexit. It also heightened fears that Brussels may offer Britain only vague guarantees over future trade ties possibly a document of just 15 to 20 pages before it quits the European Union in March. The timing of the Prime Ministers public demand is also likely to cause alarm that the Government has still not nailed down the type of trade deal on the table. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker raised hopes over the weekend that a deal on the UKs departure is close, saying: The rapprochement potential between both sides has increased in recent days. Theresa May is facing a nine-day countdown to get her Chequers deal approved / AFP/Getty Images But Downing Street stressed this morning that there were big issues that still needed to be resolved and demanded concessions from the EU. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: We have always said that we are working hard for a deal this autumn and that continues at pace. However, he added: Its worth me pointing out that there is a difference between people talking optimistically about a deal and a deal including both withdrawal agreement and a future framework actually being agreed. There remain big issues to work through, and as the PM has said this will require movement on the EU side. I would just make that point again that there can be no withdrawal agreement without a precise future framework. The EU is said to be offering Mrs May only 30 to 40 per cent of what she wants from her Chequers Brexit blueprint. Talks are intensifying in Brussels, with Arlene Foster, of Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party, due to meet EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier tomorrow to discuss her concerns over the Irish border issue. It was not clear if Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab would travel to Brussels, where senior officials are in technical talks. The trade deal document, which will sit alongside the final exit treaty, will contain the basics of a co-operation agreement, EU sources said, but will not go beyond an offer by European leaders made last March. Back then, in a six-page statement, EU leaders offered the UK a zero-tariff free-trade deal, flanked by agreements on security and defence, data protection, research and other priority areas. " People ask me how I choose my campaigns, says Caroline Criado-Perez. This year saw her ambition fulfilled to have a statue of leading suffragist Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square unveiled. I say, find the thing that p*sses you off so much you cant stop thinking about it. There had been no statues of women in Parliament Square until Fawcett arrived. It happened through a force of will. The past few years, from #MeToo to Nimco Alis international campaign to end FGM, have been characterised by the fact that ordinary individuals have had the courage to draw attention to a particular cause. Frances Scott, who has been running 50:50 Parliament, a campaign to have gender equality in the seat of power has created the #askhertostand campaign, drawing more women into politics. Femi Oluwole has become the voice of young people opposed to Brexit, and Patrick Vernon has campaigned for the rights of the Windrush generation. These are the Changemakers the leaders of this years Progress 1000, the Standards list of the people who make London such an exciting and diverse city. From left to right, Gabby Edlin, Femi Oluwde, Imad Alarnab, Harriet Sergeant, Jude Kelly, Nimco Ali, Patrick Strudwick / Natasha Pszenicki Stormzy Musician The grime artist is launching a scholarship to pay for four black students through Cambridge. Hes serious about tackling racial inequality. David Benson Principal at Kensington Aldridge Academy This school in the shadow of Grenfell, has achieved stellar results. Eartha Pond Assistant vice-principal at Crest Academy and vice-chair of Queens Park Community Council The PE teacher, who also plays for Tottenham Hotspur Ladies, was rewarded with a nomination for the Global Teacher Prize after crowdfunding more than 100,000 for survivors of Grenfell. Harriet Sergeant Journalist, author and Research Fellow of the Centre for Policy Studies The journalist has become an unlikely champion of young people and expert on gang members after writing a report for a think-tank on them. Michelle Morgan Co-Founder Livity & founder PJOYS The entrepreneur, and co-founder of Livity youth branding, is taking her Mental Health First Aid programmes into organisations and launching a pyjama range to raise funds for mental health charities. Dame Benita Refson President of Place2Be Starting in Southwark, Place2Be the childrens charity Refson co-founded now celebrates its 25th year helping schoolchildren across the country cope with mental health problems. Nimco Ali Co-founder and director of Daughters of Eve The lauded anti-FGM campaigner has done something even more controversial: shes come out as a Tory, proving that Ali is always willing to challenge stereotypes and has a thick skin. She spent October in Somaliland with conservationist and former Conservative aide Carrie Symonds. Anna Soubry Conservative MP for Broxtowe The outspoken Conservative backbencher has provided the opposition to a hard Brexit in a political vacuum, her campaign for a Peoples Vote has convinced thousands all is not lost. Femi Oluwole Our Future, Our Choice co-founder The Our Future Our Voice spokesperson is leading the youth campaign against Brexit: Those who have to live with Brexit dont want to! From left to right, Edwina Dunn, Frances Scott, Patrick Vernon, Michelle Morgan, Dame Benita Refson, Caroline Crudo-Perez, Vanessa Sanyauke / Natasha Pszenicki Caroline Criado-Perez Journalist and activist In the centenary of women getting the vote, her campaign turned London into a suffragette city with Millicent Fawcett becoming the first statue of a woman in Parliament Square. Frances Scott Founder of the 50:50 Parliament Campaign This mother of four, who used to work in the tourism industry, has spent the past five years determinedly leading 50:50, a campaign for equal representation in Parliament. She is inspiring a new generation of women to stand. Stella Creasy Labour MP for Walthamstow This year, the Labour MP forced an emergency debate on Northern Irelands abortion laws, a subject that had lain dormant for too long. If her work on payday loans and supporting refugees is anything to go by, she means business. Jude Kelly Founder of Women of the World After 12 years as the artistic director of the Southbank Centre, Kelly announced she would be leaving to focus on the Women of the World festival, which celebrates the achievements of women and girls. Edwina Dunn Founder of The Female Lead The data-science entrepreneur founded The Female Lead to highlight the lesser-known successes of women in the tech industry, paving the way for a younger generation. Her other claim to fame is that she co-created the Tesco Clubcard. Vanessa Sanyauke CEO of Girls Talk London Sanyauke founded Girls Talk London, which seeks to empower women at work by encouraging mentoring and work experience. Patrick Strudwick LGBT editor at Buzzfeed The Buzzfeed journalist volunteered to expose gay conversion therapy by undergoing it himself and still bears the scars today. A decade later the Government has moved to outlaw the practice. Peter Tatchell LGBT campaigner The veteran gay rights campaigner is being recognised by the establishment he was invited to a Downing Street reception this year after a decade-long ban. He has also been arrested for protesting against Russias treatment of its LGBT community. Josie Naughton Founder of Help Refugees The Progress 1000, in partnership with the global bank Citi, is the Evening Standards celebration of the people who make a difference to London life. #Progress1000 As soon as you come face-to-face with the people that have fled their homes, you simply cannot turn away, says the Help Refugees founder, whose organisation has helped hundreds of thousands of displaced persons, from Calais to Syria. She spent 10 years in music management. Now shes using the skills she learnt in that environment to improve the lives of refugees. Sanj Srikanthan Executive director, International Rescue Committee UK On a mission to reform the work of humanitarian agencies with refugees, this British army veteran is now leading International Rescue Committee in Europe dealing with the fallout from the crises in Syria and the Mediterranean. Gabby Edlin Founder of Bloody Good Period After being shocked by her experience volunteering with refugees in north London, Gabby Edlin founded Bloody Good Period ensuring that sanitary products are available to all. Imad Alarnab Founder of Imads Syrian Kitchen Alarnab left Syria in 2015 and now runs pop-ups in London. In six months he has raised 100,000 for the Hope Hospital in Aleppo. On Wednesday he will feed guests at the Progress 1000 event. Dame Margaret Hodge Labour MP for Barking The Jewish MP challenged Jeremy Corbyn over anti-Semitism and is now facing disciplinary action. She says she will carry on fighting tooth and nail for Labour values. Patrick Vernon Windrush campaigner O ne of Britains most senior cyber chiefs today condemned Russia for its orchestrated attacks on our way of life. Sarah Taylor, director of Cyber Policy and National Security Capabilities at the Foreign Office, works to combat online threats and said of her work: The stakes dont get much higher. The 42-year-old is one of this years Marie Claire Future Shapers award winners which recognises leading women creating change in politics, fashion, technology and the arts. Ms Taylor, who is the first civil servant to feature in the magazines awards, said: The challenges and complexities we face in cyberspace are clear as evidenced by Britains expose of the Russian military intelligence services orchestrated attacks on our way of life. Ms Taylor said the North Korean WannaCry attack on the NHS was one of her most challenging days at work. Describing the joint response from around the world, she said: It was groundbreaking the first time a group of countries has come out with a parallel statement to condemn a cyber attack. T he family of a second person thought to have died after an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger sandwich have paid tribute to "a much-loved mother, daughter, sister and wife." According to Avon Coroners Office, enquiries into the 42-year-olds death are still ongoing. Mrs March died after buying a sandwich in a Pret store in Stall Street, Bath. On Monday a statement from her family said: "We have kept a dignified silence since the death of Celia in December last year as the family has come to terms with her sudden and unexpected death. "We are also awaiting the outcome of the investigations into how she died. Ms Marsh pictured with her husband Andy / PA "She was a much-loved mother, daughter, sister and wife. We miss her greatly and we just want the answers to why she died after eating lunch with her family." Michelle Victor, from law firm Leigh Day, said lawyers are working with relatives to get "the answers they so dearly need". Mrs Marsh is thought to have suffered the reaction after eating a "super-veg rainbow flatbread" containing a yoghurt which was supposed to be dairy-free but was later found to have traces of dairy protein in it. The firm blamed by Pret A Manger for supplying the yoghurt inside the sandwich hit back at the food chain on Sunday, describing its claims as "unfounded". The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it investigated supplier CoYo, which later issued an allergy alert and recalled its coconut yoghurts. Pret said it had been "mis-sold" a guaranteed dairy-free yoghurt by CoYo that was found to contain dairy protei / PA But CoYo denied the recall was linked to Mrs Marsh's death and accused Pret of hampering its own probe by failing to provide vital information. Pret said it had been "mis-sold" a guaranteed dairy-free yoghurt by CoYo that was found to contain dairy protein. CoYo, a coconut milk brand that has been endorsed by TV cook Nigella Lawson, recalled some yoghurts in February. But on Sunday, CoYo denied this was related, saying that product was supplied to it in January - after the woman's death. "The dairy-free product we provided to Pret in December 2017, at the time of this tragedy, is not linked to the product we recalled in February 2018," a spokeswoman said. "Pret's inability to provide us with a batch code, despite several requests, has severely limited our ability to investigate this further." Bath Council alerted Pret to the incident and the chain said on Saturday it then withdrew all affected products, ended its CoYo contract and launched legal action. "Subsequent testing by Pret and two independent authorities found that the CoYo dairy-free yoghurt contained traces of dairy protein," a Pret spokesman added. It comes following the death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse / PA Details of Mrs Marsh's death emerged as Pret was facing scrutiny over the case of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who was allergic to sesame and died after eating one of its baguettes. Pret announced last week that it will include full ingredient labelling on all of its products and the Government is considering a law change after the death of Natasha, from Fulham, south-west London. She collapsed on board a flight in July 2016 after eating an artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette she had bought in Heathrow Airport. Natasha's parents, Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, have since campaigned for allergy awareness and a change in food labelling laws. "We were incredibly saddened to learn of someone else losing their life from allergens in their food," they said in a statement on Sunday. A third of girls in school uniform have been sexually harassed in public, a survey has found. The data, from Plan International UK, showed 35 per cent of girls have received unwanted sexual attention while wearing school uniform. It includes being groped, stared at, catcalled and wolf-whistled. One in eight girls reported being 12 or younger when they first experienced unwanted sexual attention. The poll of 1,004 girls, aged 14 to 21, also found one in seven girls had been followed while in uniform. Meanwhile, 8 per cent said they had been filmed or photographed by a stranger without their permission, or someone had taken a photograph up their school skirt. Sixteen-year-old Jess, from Glasgow, said: "When I was 15, I was in school uniform and sat on a train and this guy kept trying to put his hand on my leg. "I was like: 'What am I supposed to do?' I ended up getting off the train at the next stop and just being completely lost." "It was such a horrible experience. I was going to see my biology tutor and I arrived at the library in tears, I was really upset about it. "I think the worst part was feeling guilty because I was wearing a skirt, which is stupid because it shouldn't matter what I was wearing, but in the moment it did." Plan International is calling on the government to recognise harassment in public as a form of gender-based violence. Chief executive Tanya Barron said: "It is shocking and deeply concerning that girls, many of whom are clearly of school age because they are in uniform, are being targeted and sexually harassed by perpetrators in the street. "It's simply not acceptable that girls as young as 12 are being wolf-whistled at in public, touched against their will, stared at or even followed. This disgraceful behaviour needs to be called out and stopped." B usinesses in the UK are giving up hiring new staff amid uncertainty over Brexit, a leading business group has warned. Business confidence is weakening and the UK economy is stuck in a rut because of the way the UK's divorce from the EU is panning out, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said. A survey of 5,600 businesses showed manufacturing exports were slowing and many services firms were giving up trying to hire new staff members, the group added It also found recruitment problems reported by service firms have spiked and said an increasing number of manufacturers expect prices to rise, mainly due to the cost of raw materials. Uncertainty over future trading conditions after Britain leaves the EU is continuing to act as a brake on business investment in both the manufacturing and services sectors, the report said. The balance of firms that looked to invest in either plant and machinery or training in recent months fell in both sectors to their lowest level in more than a year. The UK economy is "stuck in a rut" amid continued uncertainty over Brexit / PA Wire/PA Images Dr Adam Marshall, director general of the BCC, said: These figures reinforce what we are hearing from businesses up and down the country - the uncertainty over Brexit and the lack of bold moves to boost business at home are starting to bite. "It should be a matter of grave concern to the government that sales and orders both at home and abroad are stagnating. "Weaker sterling is no longer proving a boon to many of our exporters, while consumer spending is failing to boost the domestic market." Last month, new research from the BCC showed that one in five British businesses will cut back on investment if theres no deal and a similar amount will move all or part of their business to the EU. It said others will resort to cutting back on staff recruitment, with larger firms and those trading overseas most likely to feel the impact of no deal. Mr Marshall added: "We have a vibrant and innovative business community that wants to invest and grow but we are stuck in limbo while Brexit negotiations rumble on. "The upcoming Budget must deliver radical, decisive action to boost growth and productivity at precisely the moment that the economy needs it most. "There has never been a more important time for the government to bolster business investment, competitiveness and productivity in the face of significant Brexit headwinds. "While fewer companies are trying to recruit, those that are hiring they are finding it increasingly challenging to fill vacancies. "The sharp deterioration of the share of firms attempting to recruit is a concern and reflects both persistent hiring difficulties and heightened economic uncertainty, which if sustained could materially weaken jobs growth." E mergency services are dealing with a "major incident" at an oil refinery in Canada following reports of an "explosion" and fire. Irving Oil confirmed the incident on social media and said that all workers were accounted for. Several contractors are in hospital with non life-threatening injuries. Police in the town of St John, New Brunswick urged residents to avoid the area. No air quality issues have been reported so far. On Twitter, St John Police said: We are actively assessing the situation at this time and will share more information when available. Video footage from the scene shows the size of the blaze. The fire has now been extinguished. Wendy wrote on Twitter: Explosion shook the entire house. Praying everyone is safe. Waiting to hear if we are supposed to evacuate. A general view shows smoke from Canadian oil refinery after an explosion / REUTERS Rob Beebe told CBS News: We felt the entire building move as if it wobbled. Were sitting here and watching it burn right now. Its getting larger. People as far as three kilometres away reported hearing the explosion. The refinery employs 1,400 workers and is situated on a plot with "thousands" of neighbours. according to CNBC News. U S President Donald Trump has said Brett Kavanaugh was caught up in a hoax that was set up by the Democrats. Speaking to reporters outside of the White House, Mr Trump said the sex assault claims against his new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh were all made up, adding that he did nothing wrong. Mr Kavanaugh was sworn in as a US Supreme Court justice after a historic and divisive Senate vote. His nomination for the supreme court by Donald Trump sparked a national rift after an academic came forward and accused him of sexual assault in the 1980s. Reacting to the news on Monday, Mr Trump said: Ive been hearing that now theyre thinking of impeaching a brilliant jurist, that did nothing wrong. A man that was caught up in a hoax, that was set up by the Democrats, using the Democrats lawyers and now they want to impeach them. Mr Trump spoke outside the White House on Monday Ive heard this from many people, I think its an insult to the American public. Mr Trump has been previously vocal for his support of Mr Kavanaugh while he faced allegations. He had previously tweeted: I applaud and congratulate the US Senate for confirming our GREAT NOMINEE Judge Brett Kavanaugh, to the United States Supreme Court. Later today, I will sign his Commission of Appointment, and he will be officially sworn in. Very exciting! Democrats had been hugely opposed to Mr Kavanaugh's appointment. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said there was one fundamental question for senators when they decide Mr Kavanaugh's fate: "Do we, as a country, value women?" Mr Kavanaugh's nomination for the Supreme Court was divisive and had sparked mass protests. T he detained Interpol boss who quit unexpectedly after vanishing from public sight is being investigated for taking bribes, Beijing announced today. Chinas ministry for public security said Meng Hongwei was being probed for suspected violations of law and that the action against him was very timely, absolutely correct and rather wise. It added that the investigation had come about because of his wilfulness, and said he brought trouble upon himself. Afterwards Interpol announced that Mr Meng, who is also vice minister for public security in China, had resigned from his position as president of the international crime-fighting agency. Mr Mengs wife Grace during a press conference in Lyon on Sunday, in which she did not want her face to be shown / AFP/Getty Images It follows earlier confusion over Mr Mengs fate following the disclosure by French judicial officials that he had gone missing while on a trip home to China. Mr Mengs wife Grace, who is in France, later said he had sent her an emoji of a knife shortly before his disappearance, which she believed was a sign that he was in danger. He had also told her to wait for a call he never made. Grace said Mr Meng sent her an emoji of a knife shortly before his disappearance / AFP/Getty Images Todays revelation shows China is willing to extend its use of secretive detentions to ensnare even a senior public security official, casting a shadow over the image Beijing has sought to cultivate as a modern country governed by law. It has made a series of high-profile arrests and detentions over alleged corruption. Public security minister Zhao Lezhi chaired a meeting early today with senior officials of the ministrys party committee to discuss Mr Mengs case. A statement issued afterwards suggested that Mr Meng is also being investigated for political lapses. It indicated that the Communist Party member might have been tainted by former security chief and ex-politburo member Zhou Yongkang, who is serving a life sentence for corruption. We should resolutely oppose corruption and eliminate the pernicious influence of Zhou Yongkang, the statement said, adding that officials must always [be] absolutely loyal to the party. J ean-Claude Juncker appeared to mock Theresa May when he started dancing in a style that appeared to resemble the PMs unique moves. Journalist James Crisp posted a brief clip of the president of the European Commission on stage at an event in Brussels. Mr Juncker is seen apparently performing "the Maybot" as he put his arms out and jigged along to some music, before his face broke out into a large grin. Mr Crisp wrote: Is this @JunckerEU mocking @theresa_may's Abba dance at a speech to the Committee of the Regions? Last week Mrs May shimmied out onto the stage before her Conservative Party Conference speech to ABBAs Dancing Queen. Theresa May dances before Tory conference speech Her bold entrance was seen as a way of hitting back at critics after she was filmed showing off her moves during a trip to Kenya. Mr Juncker was speaking on Monday at the European Committee of the Regions, an assembly of local and regional politicians. He has been at odds with Mrs May for much of the the UK's Brexit negotiations, most damningly pouring scorn over her Chequers proposals. T op White House adviser Kellyanne Conway has defended the decision of women who backed Brett Kavanaughs confirmation to the US Supreme Court, despite allegations of sexual misconduct against him. We looked up and saw in him possibly our husbands, our sons, our cousins, our co-workers, our brothers, she said after the Senate voted 50 to 48 to appoint the scandal-hit judge to Americas highest court. A lot of women, including me in America, saw him as a victim of political character assassination, said Ms Conway, one of President Trumps most outspoken aides. Mr Kavanaughs nomination divided women across the country after he was accused of sexual abuse involving three women when he was at school and university. Thousands, including actresses Alyssa Milano, Amy Schumer and Emily Ratajkowski, joined protests against him after Christine Blasey Ford alleged at a Capitol Hill hearing that he pinned her to a bed and tried to strip her at a party when they were both teenagers in 1982. The protests continued even up to the nominees swearing in as a Supreme Court Justice on Saturday night. N orth Korea is ready to allow international inspectors into its nuclear and missile testing sites, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced today. Mr Pompeo, who met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a short trip to Pyongyang yesterday, said the inspectors would visit a missile engine testing facility and the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site as soon as the two sides agree on logistics. The inspection issue is one of the main sticking points over a denuclearisation pledge agreed between Kim and President Donald Trump at their historic Singapore summit in June. Theres a lot of logistics that will be required to execute that, Mr Pompeo told a news briefing in Seoul, before leaving for Beijing. Mr Pompeos trip to Pyongyang, his fourth this year, followed a stalemate over US demands for North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal / AFP/Getty Images Stephen Biegun, the new US nuclear envoy who was accompanying Mr Pompeo, said he offered to meet his counterpart, vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui, as soon as possible and they were in discussion over specific dates and the location. The top US diplomat also said both sides were pretty close to agreement on the details of a second summit, which Kim proposed to Mr Trump in a letter last month. Most importantly, both the leaders believe theres real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit, Mr Pompeo said. Mr Pompeos trip to Pyongyang, his fourth this year, followed a stalemate as North Korea resisted Washingtons demands for irreversible steps to give up its nuclear arsenal, including a complete inventory of its weapons and facilities. He told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that his latest trip to Pyongyang was another step forward to denuclearisation, but there were many steps along the way. At last months inter-Korean summit, the North expressed its willingness to close the Yongbyon nuclear complex if Washington takes corresponding action, which Mr Moon said would include a declaration of an end to the 1950-53 Korean War. Mr Pompeo declined to comment whether there was progress on a shutdown of the Yongbyon site. Mr Pompeos meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi got off to a frosty start today. A referendum to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage in Romania has failed after it did not draw enough voters to validate the result. LGBT activists said Romanians had rejected hate as just 20.4 per cent of the electorate turned out. It was below the 30 per cent required for the vote to be valid. The referendum campaign had cost 30million. The two-day referendum, triggered by civil society group Coalition for the Family, aimed to change the wording of the constitution to define marriage as strictly between a man and a woman. Religiously conservative Romania, which only decriminalised homosexuality in 2001, already bars marriage and civil partnerships for same-sex couples. LGBT activists react to news of the referendum's failure / Reuters Election officials announced on Monday that 91.6 per cent of those who took part had supported defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The Coalition received backing from the Orthodox Church and other religions as well as all but one parliamentary parties. A man enters a polling station on Sunday (Robert Ghement/EPA) / EPA But after the vote failed based on turnout, Vlad Viski, of LGBT rights group MozaiQ, said: "Romanians rejected being divided and hating each other, it is a victory for Romanian democracy. Moreover, Romanians rejected the involvement of the Orthodox Church in the states secular affairs. The referendum needed a 30 per cent turnout to be valid / Daniel Mihailescu/AFP/Getty Images "We believe politicians must now legalise civil partnerships for same-sex couples. The vote had also been seen as popularity test of the ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD), which supported the change. Dozens of human rights groups had said a successful referendum would embolden further attempts to chip away at the rights of minority groups, and encouraged a boycott of the ballot. T he second suspect in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia has been named as Alexander Mishkin. Investigative website Bellingcat claims the man who travelled under the alias of Alexander Petrov is a doctor in Russia's military intelligence agency. According to its investigation, Alexander Mishkin was born in 1979 and is from the village of Loyga. He allegedly trained as a military doctor for the Russian naval armed forces, the report claims. During his training, it is reported that he was recruited by the GRU. Bellingcat released documents they claimed to belong to Mr Mishkin / PA According to the report, during 2011-2018 he travelled extensively under the identity of Alexander Mishkin and many of his trips were to Ukraine. Bellingcat said it had interviewed multiple sources familiar with Mr Mishkin, both in St Petersburg and his native Loyga The report comes after the Bellingcat group named the first suspect as Anatoliy Chepiga, a colonel in Russian military intelligence agency the GRU last month. A European arrest warrant has been issued for the pair, who police believe were using aliases when they travelled to Britain. The incident is also linked to the death of Dawn Sturgess, who died after coming in contact with a discarded bottle that contained Novichok, in July. The two suspects appeared on Russian channel RT earlier this month claiming they visited Salisbury as tourists and had nothing to do with the poisoning, leading Britain to accuse the country of "lies and blatant fabrications". The pair told RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan they worked in the fitness industry. The UK government knows both their real identities, sources close to the investigation have said. Warning time running out to tackle climate change Countries must take unprecedented action to slash carbon emissions to zero by 2050 and limit dangerous global warming, a new report has warned. Experts in the UN-backed study say the impacts of climate change will be less extreme if temperature rises are curbed at 1.5 degrees centigrade above pre-industrial levels than if they climb to 2 degrees. However promises made by countries just three years ago to cut their emissions up to 2030 may not hit that target even if action is massively scaled up, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report says. Imperial College London professor Jim Skea is one of the experts leading on the assessment and he said the changes needed were unprecedented in their scale. Japan would welcome post-Brexit Britain in to TPP trade pact Japans Prime Minister has said he would welcome Britain into the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact with open arms after Brexit. However Shinzo Abe also urged the use of what he called wisdom during Brexit talks in order to avoid a no deal withdrawal from the EU. His comments come as Downing Street braces itself for another week of Brexit battles with both Brussels and hardline Tory MPs. Despite key EU leaders sounding more upbeat at the prospects of a deal recently, Brussels appears set to reject key aspects of Prime Minister Theresa May's Chequers proposals on Wednesday. Britain claims bombing successes against Islamic State Aerial bombardments by British forces have destroyed a significant number of Islamic State terror group command posts, tunnel networks and weapons in Syria. The Ministry of Defence said it had had the UK's busiest month over Syria since February, hitting targets of IS at a rate of more than one per day. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the fight against IS was not over and the UK would not make the mistake of easing off, which would allow the organisation to reorganise itself. Jodie Whittaker's female Doctor welcomed by fans Jodie Whittaker appeared to win over viewers within seconds of taking over as the first female Time Lord last night. Her first full episode was aptly titled The Woman Who Fell To Earth saw the Doctor meet her new companions and come to the realisation she had regenerated as a woman. Fans were quick to embrace the change, praising the show for casting a woman and also praising Whittakers Huddersfield accent. Shocking sexual harassment survey of schoolgirls More than a third of girls in school uniform have been sexually harassed in public, a survey has found. The data from Plan International UK shows that 35 per cent of girls have received unwanted sexual attention or contact, with one in eight saying they were 12 or younger when it first happened. Warm weather this week The Met Office is forecasting the mercury could reach as high as 24 degrees in London and the South East, way above the October average of 15. However, the skies are set to become more unsettled from Thursday onwards with rain and wind both likely. Far-right candidate storms through first Presidential election round in Brazil A far-right former army captain has won Brazil's presidential election by a surprisingly large margin but fallen just short of being able to avoid a second-round runoff against a leftist rival. Jair Bolsonaro received 4 per cent of the vote compared to 29 pr cent for former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad. Polls predicted Mr Bolsonaro would come out in front on Sunday, but he far outperformed expectations, blazing past competitors with more financing, institutional backing of parties and free air time on television. On this day 1891: The first street collection for charity in Britain took place in Manchester and Salford, for Lifeboat Day. 1905: Charles Nessler first used a permanent waving machine on a woman's hair. The cost for the seven-hour treatment was 10 guineas. 1908: The Wind In The Willows, Kenneth Grahame's children's book, was published. It has never been out of print. 1952: A rail crash in Harrow left 112 dead and nearly 340 injured. 1965: The Post Office Tower in London became operational. It was opened by Prime Minister Harold Wilson. 1967: The first breathalyser test in Britain was administered to a motorist in Somerset. T wenty One Pilots must fend off competition from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper to secure the top position in this week's album chart. The American rock-pop duo are currently at number one with their fifth album, Trench, according to the Official Charts Company's midweek report. The Ohio-based band must maintain their lead of nearly 6,000 combined sales over the soundtrack to A Star Is Born, which features original songs by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Both albums were released on Friday and while Twenty One Pilots lead on physical formats and streaming, Gaga and Cooper have more digital downloads as of Monday. Sir Rod Stewart's well-received LP Blood Red Roses moves from number one to three and The Greatest Showman soundtrack slips to fourth place, ending a 39-week run in the top three. Liverpudlian post-punk group Echo & The Bunnymen sit at number six with The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon. If they can hold the spot until Friday the album will give them their highest placing in 31 years. Over on the singles chart, Calvin Harris and Sam Smith's five-week run at number one may soon come to an end. Their single Promises looks set to be knocked from the top spot by grime and hip hop duo Dave and Fredo, whose track Funky Friday is only 2,000 combined sales behind. A Star Is Born - Trailer After failing to topple Promises last week, Marshmello's Happier featuring Bastille slips to number three. I Love It by Kanye West and Lil Pump drops a spot to number four while Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, taken from the A Star Is Born soundtrack, sits at number five. Additional reporting by Press Association W ith just a YouTube account and barely any budget, a group of young actors and rappers from south London have achieved success that the BBC can only dream of. Just five hours after it was uploaded to YouTube, Shiros Story had one million people watching. The three-part drama is based on an artist called Rapmans experience growing up in south London and has now been viewed more than 12 million times. There are discussions about the next episodes being produced by Netflix. Whoever makes it, I hope they do it soon because I am on edge, waiting to find out what happens to Shiro. Bonding on the beach: Shiro and his daughter / James Blakstar John We meet our hero challenging his toddler daughter to a race through a snowy London park, with the Shard in the background. Hes an ordinary young man from Deptford, who works in a supermarket. But his life changes when a Colombian customer warms to him and gives him a second job, dealing drugs. Hes sharing his new-found wealth with his friend Kyle but feels torn between the money and a drive to be a better father and boyfriend. Thats when the trouble begins and the themes of rivalry, love and betrayal begin to cause schisms in their community. No one is to be trusted and each twist is a shock that makes you feel for Shiro. The story is told through freestyle rap, giving it a Greek chorus or opera feel. Using music is a clever device that keeps it pacy and speeds up the narrative, conveying what would usually take 10 minutes in just a few clever rhymes which makes it well-suited to short attention spans. There are cameos from London rappers Cadet, headie One and Not3s and you should also keep an eye out for Elijah Quashie, better known as The Chicken Connoisseur, another Londoner who has used YouTube to make it big (in this case, reviewing fried chicken). If you thought his views on chicken drumsticks were harsh, that was entry level compared to what he does here. James Blakstar John Rapman, whose real name is Andrew Onwubolu, leads the rap narrative. He has an easy charm and his contributions flow smoothly. Shiro is also likeable and his bond with his daughter drives the narrative. You might recognise the actor who plays him Jovian Wade, from EastEnders. Theres no moralising or histrionics; this is a tight, atmospheric show which lets the story speak for itself. Its perfectly judged, treading the fine line between glamorising violence and judging it. It plays it straight, just reporting the actions of real, flawed human beings. Themes of rival gangs give the show a Romeo and Juliet feel (although, unlike in Baz Luhrmanns film, nothing is glamorised) and theres also a nod to Boyz in da Hood, the Cuba Gooding Jr. film about a boy drawn into South Central Los Angeless drug culture. Its mainly filmed on Deptford estates and in local barber shops, which gives it a home-movie feel try to spot local landmarks while watching. Rapman was inspired by a true story that he heard from friends in Lewisham and there was a shooting in real life outside the barber shop we see. But hes also aware of how YouTube and DIY culture can offer a way out. If this is what Rapman and his crew can do with no budget, just imagine what some Netflix backing could achieve. Pick of the day The Walking Dead - Fox, 9pm In an unusual promotional exercise, colleagues of Andrew Lincoln who plays Rick Grimes, the hero of this post-apocalyptic drama have been lining up to pay tribute to him in advance of the shows ninth season being aired. True, the show has been rebooted, with a new showrunner in the shape of Angela Kang promising to take a fresh approach. But the obituaries seem a little hasty. After all, Rick is still around as the show opens. A couple of years have elapsed since the end of Season 8, and Rick starts out in a peaceful place. Clearly, its not going to last, and the reason for Ricks mid-season departure is just one area of speculation that has been built into the series. On the face of it, things are going well. But probe a little deeper, and its clear the show has undergone a shift of tone. Now, roads and bridges have fallen down. Transport is by horse and carriage. All the lighting is supplied by oil lamps. It looks and feels like a Western in which Rick is facing his High Noon. Screen time Old Peoples Home For 4 Year Olds - Channel 4, 9pm Based in the retirement village of Lark Hill, outside Nottingham, this social experiment mixes a group of pre-schoolers and pensioners, to see how they influence each other. In the specially built nursery, the senior inhabitants are older than in the shows previous series, and the nursery runs for twice as long. A team of geriatric specialists look out for any changes in the older groups mood, memory and mobility, while a child development specialist checks for changes in the childrens emotional and social development. What will be the impact on 102-year-old Sylvia, born during the First World War and who gave birth to her first child during the Blitz? Will 97-year-old Victor tire of dancing on his own? The New EastEnders - London Live, 10pm When it comes to art, you like what you know, and what some residents of Shoreditch know is that they dont like how the area became the buzzing focus of the capitals art scene. This documentary meets the residents who werent so pleased by the arrival of some of the countrys most celebrated artists to their manor, as well as what accompanied them. Global Series Network Horizon: Living with Autism - London Live, 8pm An 11th-hour stroke of luck is behind a lifetime of groundbreaking research, because Professor Uta Frith was hours away from returning to Germany rather than studying at the Maudsley. With no places available on the clinical psychology course, Frith was about to leave the country. Had a spot not suddenly appeared on the course, who knows what we may still not understand about autism. This film reviews Friths lifetime of research into autism and how attitudes have changed for the better, autistic children no longer designated as psychotic by doctors. This reviews how people with autism view their environment with another perspective. Her story is complemented by that of Joe Allisons, who she first met 50 years ago. Deep dish Alex - All 4/Walter Present Speaking at Filmfest Hamburg, Walter Iuzzolino, of Walter Presents, has suggested that the companys ultimate aim may be to get involved in programme making. He suggested to cineuropa.org that he needed the co-operation of four or five more countries to make it viable, and the aim was to add six or more territories by the end of 2019. Walter Presents latest hit is Swedish crime drama Alex, starring Dragomir Mrsic as bad cop Alex Leko. Catch up Believer - BBC iPlayer A mazon is reportedly scouting for new locations to launch its Amazon Go supermarkets in the UK. The cashierless supermarkets use technology to allow customers to pick up items and walk out with them, instead, charging their Amazon account so they don't have to stand in a checkout queue. According to The Sunday Times, the retailer is looking for a significant number of sites sized between 4,000 sq ft and 5,000 sq ft across the UK. Amazon initially launched the concept back in 2016, allowing Amazon staff to trial the new technology. Since then, it has opened five stores in the US across Seattle and Chicago. How does Amazon Go work? Customers download an Amazon Go app before entering the store. They have to use the app to enter the store, which registers their Amazon account, and then they can put their phone away and start shopping. Amazons Just Walk Out Technology uses computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning to detect when products are taken off a shelf, or later returned. The technology keeps track of all the items in a virtual cart so there is no scanning involved. Once customers are done shopping they can leave the store and Amazon will charge your account. Amazon now has five Amazon Go locations across the US / Stephen Brashear/Getty Images When will it come to the UK? It was only a matter of time before it brought the Amazon Go brand to the UK. The company filed several trademarks with the UK Intellectual Property Office last year, including slogans such as No Lines. No Checkout. (No Seriously.) This slogan appeared on Amazons YouTube video initially promoting the store There is a difference between having the no checkout stores strictly for Amazon customers and allowing the general public in to try them out. In 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that the technology faced problems when there were more than 20 people in the store, something Amazon has been working to correct and, as a result, has delayed the expected roll out of further locations. At the moment, its unlikely that Amazon Go will arrive to compete with your local Tesco or Sainsburys. The stores stock ready-to-eat items for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with some grocery essential ranges too, however, stock varies depending on which store you are in. G oogle is holding its annual #MadebyGoogle conference tomorrow where it will showcase all the shiny new products its going to release. What we do definitely know is that a new Google Pixel smartphone is on the cards. The Google Pixel 3 is going to be bigger and better than last years phone, and more expensive too. A leaked version of the Google Pixel 3 XL in Hong Kong is pricing the phone at $1,547. Want to be one of the first to see what Google has up its sleeves? Heres what you need to know about today's event and how to tune in. Google conference: how to watch online Google is holding simultaneous events tomorrow in New York, Paris and London. Well be reporting from London, but if you want to tune in too, the best way to do it is on YouTube. Google already has the live stream set up on its channel and you can set a reminder to alert you before the event starts. The live stream will start at 3.40pm, with the full event beginning at 4 pm. Google conference: whats going to be revealed? As well as the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, a whole host of products are set to be revealed today. The Google Home Hub is set to be a competitor to the Amazon Echo Show, essentially the Google Home complete with the Google Assistant but with a screen. Google is also expected to release its first ever tablet. Expected to be called the Pixel Slate, the leaked images point to a very slim, black tablet with a detachable keyboard, and a fingerprint reader at the top of the device. There were rumours that Google would release a follow-up to its laptop, the Google Pixelbook, tomorrow but the Pixel Slate could get an outing instead. A leaked render of how the Google Pixel Slate will look / MySmartPrice Google conference: ask the Google Assistant If you want some more information about the Made By Google event, then the Google Assistant is on hand to answer your queries. If you ask your Google Home, Whats this announcement about?, or When are you making this announcement?, and How can I find out more about this new announcement?, then the Assistant will be able to drop some hints about today. Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe The High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ) Monday postponed to November 5, the beginning of the appeal'strial in the case of the Teleorman Social Assistance and Child Protection Directorate General (DGASPC), in which the chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, was convicted in the first instance to 3 years and 6 months imprisonment. Liviu Dragnea did not show up in court, and judges announced that the PSD leader sent a request for postponement in order to hire an attorney. In front of the courthouse 30 people have gathered since the early morning, supporters of Liviu Dragnea, the majority being elderly people. They had placards with messages such as: "Dragnea - political trial", "No to Securitate" (Securitate - communist-era secret police, ed.n.), "No protocols".Several protesters from the #rezist group showed up at the seat of the Supreme Court, and an exchange of lines taking place between the two groups.The gendarmes asked the supporters of the Social-Democrat to clear the sidewalk in front of the Court's seat because they were taking part in an unauthorized action, and if they refuse they will be fined. In reply, a woman told the gendarme that this was not a protest. "No one organized us, it's just support", the woman said.On the other hand, one of the #rezist protesters was fined 500 lei by the gendarmes for disturbing the peace.ICCJ was supposed to start the trial of the appeal on Monday in the case of the Teleorman Social Assistance and Child Protection Directorate General (DGASPC), in which the PSD chairman, Liviu Dragnea, was convicted in the first instance to 3 years and 6 months imprisonment. The appeal in this case was declared by both the prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), as well as by the defendants.The trial was assigned to a five-judge panel, led by Iulian Dragomir.On June 21, the High Court of Cassation and Justice sentenced Liviu Dragnea to 3 years and 6 months imprisonment for instigation to abuse of office in the DGASPC Teleorman case.The decision of convicting was taken by two of the three judges of the panel. The third one voted for acquittal. "It is my duty as regional policy commissioner to alert all member states, implicitly Romania, to the risk of losing funds or having funds disengaged, especially in the field of infrastructure, given that they are complex works that require years, and I have to do my duty and say when a country risks losing its chances of development for generations. As you may know, since I became European commissioner for regional policy, I have been trying to help with the absorption rate for the less developed regions. In Romania's case, we have made extraordinary efforts, in that we have phased over many projects worth three billion euros, basically we relieved the national budget of three billion euros worth of expenses, money that would have been lost," Cretu told a news conference in Brussels. She showed that Romania has reached an absorption rate of over 90 percent for 2007 - 2013, although 2014 started from less than 50 percent."We have approved the retrospective projects, projects that are being carried out but for which the Romanian government would pay loans from the European Investment Bank [EIB] and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development [EBRD]. We took over the salaries of all workers dealing with European funds so that for the period 2007 - 2013, the absorption rate increased to 90 percent. Two billion euros were lost, unfortunately in the most vulnerable and most necessary area for Romania, the transport sector. For the period 2014-2020, we are trying valiantly to avoid the disengagement of funds. For this year there is the risk of losses. At the beginning of the year there were 800 million euros, but we are working with the Romanian officials to minimise these funds that are under operational programme regional development," added Cretu.She said that in the area of infrastructure there is not yet a risk of loss for this year, precisely because there are projects started in the past years.Cretu also said that although there is money for feasibility studies, there is no request in this respect.The European official also mentioned the Otopeni-Gara de Nord subway line projects, the Craiova-Pitesti motorway sections, and the Braila Bridge.At the end of the conference, Cretu emphasised that she was sick and tired of the insults against her by the members of the Romanian government for not mincing words."I would like to add one more thing in connection with our struggle for our future. You know very well that in the Brexit dispute we were all desperate that Romania and all the other countries that are less developed will lose money. We have managed to do more than just securing a cohesion policy for all regions, because there was this question of whether we should fund all regions or just the less developed regions. We have managed to maintain this essential per capita GDP criterion, the Berlin method, whereby Romania, Bulgaria and Greece have earned 10 percent extra. So, come to think about it, during my term of office we have tried to talk about using European funds, at least to have the money for 25 years, a quarter of a century. That's why I want you to publicly announce that I no longer accept the insults of the Romanian government regarding my job!," Cretu pointed out. AGERPRES More than 300 experts will gather in the most important cyber security exercise in Romania - CyDEx18 - to be held from 8 to 10 October at the Snagov Palace, the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) website informs. The SRI-organized event will be attended by more than 90 public, private and academic entities, bringing together over 300 cyber security experts. CyDEx18 is organized by the SRI through the Cyberint National Center, in partnership with the Defence Ministry (MApN), the Ministry of the Interior (MAI), the Foreign Ministry (MAE), the Special Telecomunication Service (STS), the Guard and Protection Service (SPP), the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE), National registry office for classified information (ORNISS), CERT-RO and with the support of the Polytechnic University of Bucharest.According to the organizers, the main objective is exercising the defense capabilities in the field of cyber security and rapid intervention mechanisms in the event of threats to critical IT&C infrastructures relevant to national security. "It is also important to check the level of technical expertise of the specialists from the participating entities in the event of a major national cyber incident," the SRI informed.CyDEx18 is the only hands-on national exercise (focused on the practical component), a feature that gives it a high degree of complexity and an advanced level of realism. Complex simulations will run in a cyber security ground created and customized specifically for this exercise by SRI specialists at the Cyberint National Center.As compared to the 2017 edition, there will be several scenarios with a high degree of realism, proposed by both public and private entities: SRI, SPP, MApN, CERT-RO, UNICREDIT and ENEVO GROUP. Scenarios will challenge players to discover and analyze malware with a high degree of complexity and investigate various types of simulated attacks, the quoted source informs. Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Stef Block stated on Monday upon meeting his Romanian counterpart Teodor Melescanu that his country upholds the priorities Romania has set for itself during the presidency of the Council of the European Union, in view of promoting the EU's values and also underscored that these values must focus on human rights. The Dutch minister noticed our country will take over the presidency of the Council of the Council of the EU "at a very important moment in Europe and around the globe" mentioning in this regard Brexit, migration, negotiations on the multiannual financial framework, elections for the European Parliament and the setting up of a new European Commission. Hence, an important moment for Romania and for the European Union. The Netherlands has confidence that Romania will commit itself to contributing with everything necessary during its presidency. One of the presidency's priorities, of course, refers to the values of the European Union. The Netherlands upholds these priorities, priorities related to the rule of law. We must respect these values for Europe and for all member states. The Netherlands will support all these initiatives, but at the same time, Europe's values must be focused on human rights. We have to respect the same rights for everybody. We must guarantee equal rights for all the communities in Romania," Stef Blok told a press statement at the seat of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE).Stef Blok appreciated that his visit represents an excellent opportunity to intensify the political dialogue and consolidate economic relations. In this regard, he noted that trade exchanges have gone up 15 percent in the last years."There is room for a larger scale exchange. Additionally, we will work together in defence and security as NATO allies. (...) I am happy Romania upholds the Netherlands' initiative to enhance military presence in Europe," he further said. The leader of the Coalition for Family (CpF), Mihai Gheorghiu, said on Sunday evening, after the polls closed, that the battle against gender ideology will continue in the future as well because the voice of four million Romanians must be heard. "What we lived today is a legal and constitutional vote (...) an overwhelming vote, even if we missed our target of six million. Even if our goal is not met and we could not review the Constitution, this vote (...) will endure in the history of this society and this nation. Next time we will succeed, because defending that which is natural, defending what we received and what we want to leave behind is important for millions and millions of Romanians. Now we have the extraordinary proof of this interest. Nobody will be able to say that these were only signatures that we don't know how they were taken. (...) It is the voice of a part of the Romanian people and this voice needs to weigh. (...) Our life will become, as of tomorrow, more complicated, but our voice was heard, our NO against the intrusion of the gender ideology in the minds and souls of the children of this country was heard. It is the first battle, others will follow and others that we will surely win", CpF leader Mihai Gheorgiu said. He accused the generalized boycott from the political class, the media and the citizens' misinformation."We were faced with a huge propaganda machine, anti-referendum, pro-boycott, of manipulation and misinforming of this people. We have been dealing with also an unexpected phenomenon, namely the generalized boycott of Romania's political parties against this referendum. Our initiative is not a political one and we have always refused its political hijacking," Gheorghiu said.The CpF leader drew attention that the political leaders will have to take into consideration the vote of those who expressed their option in this referendum."This Christian vote exists, it exists publicly, there is a part of this people, of four million, who was active, responsible and who was able to see past the misinformation campaign and showed up in front of Romanians with this option. It is an important option, that we must take into account,that all the political, constitutional and legislative factors of this country must take into account. You can no longer legislate against such a voice," Mihai Gheorghiu declared. The Save Romania Union (USR) leader, MP Dan Barna on Sunday night demanded the resignation of the Government, saying that by organizing the referendum to amend the Constitution, it "threw 40 million out on a fantasy." Barna declared, after the closing of the polls, that a responsible political class should not organize such referendums that fragment the society. "This government is a government that has to leave, we demand its resignation because this government has thrown 40 million out on a fantasy. A responsible political class should not make referendums that fragment the society, which bring a tear into society, and I hope that on Monday, the Romanians will return to the problems they care about," said the USR leader.According to him, Romania has still got enough problems to solve, especially in infrastructure, in the health system or in education to spend money on something else.Dan Barna also said that a signal that the Romanians rejected this referendum is also the fact that in no county the result came close to the threshold for validation. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Teodor Melescanu, declared on Monday, upon meeting with his Dutch counterpart, Stef Blok, that there are still many unexplored opportunities as far the economic cooperation between the two countries is concerned. He also highlighted that the Netherlands is a big investor in Romania, generating the creation of many jobs, as well as the fact that in the Kingdom of the Netherlands there are over 30,000 Romanians, most of them under the age of 35. "We are talking here about a highly qualified human resource that contributes to the Dutch economy and that is well integrated and connected in the Dutch society. The potential of the bilateral relation is much higher, though. The foundation exists, it is solid, and the economic cooperation still has many unexplored opportunities. We have had very good, applied discussions regarding the stage of our bilateral relation, seen also from the perspective of the forthcoming Presidency that Romania will hold of the Council of the European Union," Melescanu said.The Romanian minister showed that during the consultations the topic of the European Union's external action was tackled, with emphasis on the expansion policy and the Union's relationship with states from the Eastern neighborhood."I have used this occasion to express my hope that Romania's firm commitment on these coordinates, including as president of the Council, will be able to translate as quickly as possible into our country's ascension as a full-fledged member of the Schengen Area. (...) Europe's future was another central topic on the agenda of our discussions and despite some difference in opinions that we have, on some specific files, it's important to note that both the Netherlands, as well as Romania, are essentially working to accomplish this mutual aspiration: consolidating the European unity. This will be the spirit that we propose for the Sibiu Special European Summit, on 9 May 2019. In order to be successful in this difficult context, tried by internal and external challenges, the European Union needs real solidarity between member states, which need to come from the unanimous commitment to observe the provisions of the European treaties, their values and principles that they hold," Melescanu added.Melescanu also specified that during the time when Romania will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union, he will promote the European consensus, the spirit of unity and solidarity between member states and respect towards the values, principles and liberties that are subscribed in the founding treaties.Furthermore, he expressed his belief that Romania and the Netherlands will collaborate very well during this period and will succeed in consolidating the bilateral relation, bringing "an important contribution to the future of Europe." Prosecutor Adina Florea, the proposal of the Minister of Justice for Chief Prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), considers that the protocols between the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) and other institutions are "an addition to the law". During hearings at the Superior Council of the Magistrates Florea said she hadn't known what the protocols were about before the documents had been publicly released. "Never in my activity have I worked with these protocols. As a matter of fact, and I have said this constantly, I had no knowledge of their content before they were publicly released. In my opinion, these protocols are an addition to the law. (...) I think these protocols have created a framework other than the legal procedural framework providing the base for the work of those joint operative teams set forth in the protocols and, in my view, this exceeds the legal procedural scope," Adina Florea said replying a question from Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. At the same time, Florea emphasized that if she becomes DNA Chief Prosecutor, she will make available to a possible committee of inquiry all the documents required for bringing the judicial truth to light.Prior to this response, Florea said that the activity scope of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate does not cover investigating abuse of office offences, but high- and medium-level corruption crimes. "It's important to identify those solutions of the future, that can allow us to move pass the false topics launched sometimes in the public debate. And in this regard, I cannot stop referring to those false topics (...) and I am referring here to an alleged RO-EXIT, which, in fact, is out of the question at political level or at the level of Romania's decision-makers," Negrescu told an event through which the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) marked the completion of the "Citizenship consultations for the future of the European Union" series. He underscored that this idea "launched precisely to spark controversy" should receive a "firm response, a clear response, a constructive response, real solutions and, especially, real solutions that originate from what Romania and the Romanians want from this common projects."The Minister-delegate for European Affairs mentioned that throughout the citizenship consultations for the future of the EU, the MAE tried to involve citizens in shaping up a constructive project for the future of the Union."Today, more than ever, we need to come up with a constructive project, a project for the future, a project which underscores that our country is a state with full rights, that has a message for everything this common construction means. I have generically called it RO-IN, basically those demarches that we are doing today with these consultations to increase the European profile of Romania. Because today, more than ever, we need to get out of the area of an elite familiar with European topics in order to involve citizens, wherever they are in the country. And this is what we have been trying to do on the occasion of these consultations, putting in the limelight everyone's standpoint, everyone's opinions, no matter where they live, regardless of the social condition, precisely in order to emphasize that the entire Romania is an European country and has, and can have a substantial contribution to this common future," Negrescu pointed out.Among the directions that the Romanians want to be developed during the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which came out during the citizenship consultations, Victor Negrescu brought to mind the EU's support of the economic, social and territorial cohesion concept, reducing disparities, increasing security, observing democracy and freedom and social justice, combating terrorism and radicalisation, implementing migration policies aimed at ensuring the security of the Union's external borders.The MAE, through the Minister-delegate for European Affairs and the European Institute of Romania launched on 9 May 2018 the "Citizenship consultations for the future of the European Union" series. They were held in Arad, Constanta, Panciu, Falticeni, Craiova, Negresti-Oas, Targoviste, Alba Iulia, Bacau, Bucharest.The initiative sought to be an opportunity for fulfilling Romania's strategic objectives at European level, aiming to highlight and strengthen our country's role in endorsing the development of the European project. Moreover, the actions undertaken in this framework aimed to increase visibility of the European affairs area at national level in relation to the citizens. AGERPRES "The presence of Romanians on the Belgian political stages shows us that we have beautiful people, involved, hard-working people who honour us wherever they are. Thus because of a high level of involvement in political life and beyond, we demonstrate that Romania is active everywhere in the world. Moreover, in the elections of October 14, 2018 in the Kingdom of Belgium, we show the contribution and joint effort of our fellow citizens to creating a beautiful image of Romanians and Romania," according to MRP. As many as 46 Romanians are running on the lists of Belgian parties in the local elections scheduled for October 14 for local councillors including in the capital city of Brussels, with a desire to make as many initiatives as possible for the community they represent.Nearly 40,000 Romanians, or nine percent of the total population, live in Brussels, and more than 70,000 Romanians living in Belgium overall. AGERPRES Prime minister Viorica Dancila on Monday at the Victoria Palace welcomed former French Prime minister Dominique de Villepin, the organisation of the Romania-France Season, a bilateral project of major importance for both countries, being among the topics approached, a release by the Romanian gov't says. Dominique de Villepin who is currently carrying out activities in international consultancy, according to the Romanian gov't, is attending the seventh edition of the Bucharest Forum, organised by the Aspen Romania Institute 8 to 10 October. "The Romania-France Season is a project comprising actions in both the cultural and economic field. The Romanian-French economic and commercial ties have also been on the talks' agenda," the release adds.Topics of interest on the European agenda and in particular the preparation of Romania's Presidency of the Council of the European Union were also discussed. In 1969, US President Richard Nixon ended all offensive aspects of the US bio-weapons program the first category of weapons prohibited by an international treaty. In 1975, the US ratified both the 1925 Geneva Protocol and the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) the international treaties outlawing biological warfare. But many reports from different sources offer reason to believe that the US military is developing a new generation of weapons in violation of the international treaties Washington is a party to. An opinion paper published on Oct. 4 in the journal Science, written by an international group of researchers led by Richard Guy Reeves from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Germany, claims the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is potentially developing insects as a means of delivering a new class of biological weapon. The official goal of Insect Allies, an ongoing research program, is to disperse infectious, genetically modified viruses that have been engineered to edit crop chromosomes directly in the field. But there is a reason to believe that the program is actually an effort to develop biological agents and a means of delivery intended for hostile purposes. If true, this would constitute a breach of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). The researchers warn the project could be used to create drought-resistant crops as an agricultural bio-weapon. The Washington Post cited Silja Voeneky, the co-author of the Science article and a professor of international law at the University of Freiburg, who stated, We argue that there is the risk that the program is seen as not justified by peaceful purposes. According to her, To use insects as a vector to spread diseases is a classical bio-weapon. DARPA's program manager for Insect Allies, Blake Bextine, acknowledged that the project involves new technologies that potentially could be deployed for dual use, in theory, for either defensive or offensive purposes. But thats true for almost any advanced technology, he added. The simple fact alone that Insect Allies is a military program naturally raises questions. The US Defense Department says its research agency has been tasked with this problem because food security is a component of national security. The State Department has explained that the project is for peaceful purposes and does not violate the BWC. This does not sound very convincing! Just a few hours before the scathing report published by Science hit the press, Russian Maj. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the commander of the Russian Armed Forces' Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops, accused the US military of carrying out large-scale, covert, biological warfare research using labs located in Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and elsewhere. The Russian military is concerned about the outbreaks of African swine fever that first began in Georgia in 2007 and then spread into Russia, Europe, and China. The infection strain in the samples collected from animals killed by the disease in those nations was identical to the Georgia-2007 strain, Igor Kirillov emphasized. The documents released by former Georgian State Security Minister Igor Giorgadze have confirmed that the US-funded Richard G. Lugar Center for Public Health Research in Tbilisi, Georgia, was used as a cover for secret military biological research. The Russian military believes the spread of viral diseases in southern Russia could have been linked to the activities of the Lugar Center. Identical information has also been obtained from other sources. US investigative journalist Jeffrey Silverman, who has lived in Georgia for over 25 years, tells the same story about the US militarys biological research effort in that country. In October 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a statement claiming that someone was collecting biological material from various ethnic groups and regions of Russia. Last summer, the US Air Forces Air Education and Training Command sought samples of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and synovial fluid from Russian subjects who must be Caucasian. It was looking for at least 12 RNA samples from Russians of European ancestry, as well as 27 samples of synovial fluid. Only Russian specimens. It wanted no tissue samples from Ukraine. In January 2018 Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, a well-known Bulgarian investigative journalist, published an extensive report confirming the fact that the US military has never stopped its bio-weapons research that it conducts in many countries. According to her, it regularly produces deadly viruses, bacteria, and toxins in direct violation of the UN Convention on the prohibition of biological weapons, and that hundreds of thousands of unwitting people are systematically being exposed to dangerous pathogens and other incurable diseases. No, the reports about the US violations of the BWC cannot be dismissed as mere Russian propaganda. Neither the journal Science nor the authors of the sensational article that has drawn so much public attention have any ties to Russia. Too many sources, based in a variety of geographic locations and publishing reports by a wide range of people, all tell the same story. The programs in question are always under the control of the military, not other, civilian agencies. The issue of US non-compliance with the BWC has not been in the spotlight and has been overlooked in comparison to the problems related to other weapons of mass destruction. But if the United States so flagrantly violates the BWC, can it be trusted with other international arms-control treaties? Russia appears to be trying to draw public attention to this issue. Other nations should join this effort. The time is right to ask the US to stop dodging awkward questions and provide some clear answers to them. The reported gruesome murder of a well-known, respected Saudi journalist while visiting Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul has sent shockwaves through Western media outlets. The macabre case not only underscores the despotic nature of the Saudi regime. It also shatters illusions about the oil kingdoms youthful ruling Crown Prince whom Western media had been lionizing as a reformer. Last week, Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate on Tuesday, October 2, in Turkey by appointment, in order to obtain an official document related to a planned marriage. It was around 1pm. His fiancee was waiting outside for him. But he never emerged. Four hours later, his worried fiancee phoned Turkish authorities, which Khashoggi had earlier advised her to do, concerned that he may be detained by the Saudi authorities inside the consulate building. Khashoggi is a high-profile commentator for the Washington Post and BBC among other outlets. His apparent disappearance made international headlines last week. Saudi authorities disclaimed any malicious involvement, insisting that Khashoggi left the consulate. Strangely though, Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdoms de facto ruler in place of his aging father, entered the public fray by telling the Bloomberg news agency that the disappearance of the journalist was not the responsibility of his states officials. It seems strange indeed that the Crown Prince felt obliged to make any public comment on the matter. Four days later, however, the vanishing act took a shocking twist. It is now being reported that Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate by a death squad dispatched from Saudi Arabia for the assassination. Even more gruesome are reports from Turkish police sources that the 15-member murder squad tortured their captive and dismembered his corpse, presumably to transport his remains discreetly from the premises under diplomatic immunity. The Saudi authorities are still maintaining their innocence in the matter, reiterating the claim that Khashoggi left the consulate building the same day he arrived on October 2. But that version of events is flatly contradicted by Khashoggis fiancee. Furthermore, the consulate building is dotted with CCTV security cameras, yet the Saudis have refused to release footage that might show the journalist walking away from the premises. Turkish police have reportedly opened a criminal investigation on the assumption that foul play occurred inside the Saudi compound. As noted earlier, unconfirmed Turkish police sources believe Khashoggi was brutally murdered by Saudi agents. What is particularly shocking about the alleged killing is that Jamal Khashoggi is internationally known as a respected journalist. Since the ascent to power last year in Saudi Arabia by Crown Prince Mohammed, Khashoggi had become increasingly critical of what he saw as a wayward autocrat. His criticism was all the more damaging because Khashoggi was formerly viewed as an insider to the House of Sauds royal court. He once served as a media advisor to Prince Turki al Faisal, a former ambassador to the United States and Britain. Khashoggi went into self-imposed exile in September 2017 when Crown Prince Mohammed launched a sweeping purge against other senior members of the House of Saud. Among the hundreds arrested and reportedly tortured while in detention was multi-billionaire investor and media magnate Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who had appointed Khashoggi as editor-in-chief of his Arab News organization. While in exile, Khashoggi began writing ever-more critical articles about the de facto putsch under Crown Prince Mohammed. He had regular columns published by the Washington Post in which he highlighted the disastrous Saudi-led war in Yemen, and the futile blockade on Persian Gulf neighboring state Qatar. He also alerted that the allure of reforms under the Crown Prince was more illusionary than real. Significantly, the journalist was giving a very different perspective on changes taking place in Saudi Arabia compared with the generally positive coverage given by Western media, including the Washington Post. Since becoming the power behind the throne, Western news media have tended to lionize 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed as a reformer. His crackdown on opponents was portrayed as a long-overdue purge against corruption and cronyism, instead of the more realistic explanation of long knives to consolidate his own power. Despite the critical columns from Khashoggi, the Washington Post, New York Times, BBC and others have sought to project the young ruler as a refreshing departure from the old, conservative image of the Saudi monarchy. The Crown Prince has been embraced by US President Donald Trump, as well as Frances President Emmanuel Macron. His royal decrees to end a Saudi ban on women driving cars in the fundamentalist Wahhabi kingdom, and his opening of cinema theaters have been hailed as examples of how the Crown Prince was trying to modernize the country. One suspects that the real appeal for Trump, Macron, Britains May and Canadas Trudeau was the Saudi rulers voracious spending on new arms contracts to fuel his war in Yemen. Nevertheless, more astute critics viewed the reforms as mere public relation tokens. While minor changes were being implemented, the Saudi regime was stepping up brutal repression against its Shia minority in Saudis eastern province, as well as continuing its slaughter and genocidal blockade of Yemen. The regime was also continuing to arrest women and other human rights activists. Some of those women arrested, such as Israa al Ghamgham, are now awaiting execution by decapitation. To his credit, Khashoggi was raising his voice, as he put it, for those who have no voice and are being slung into prisons and torture centers in Saudi Arabia. In doing so, the 59-year-old journalist knew he was putting himself at risk. He reportedly refused to return to Saudi Arabia despite entreaties from the House of Saudi and guarantees of his safety. That would explain why Khashoggi went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain the divorce papers necessary for his planned new marriage. He went to the consulate on September 28, and was told to return to the premises on October 2 to collect the documents. That appears to have afforded the Saudi rulers enough time to prepare the fatal trap. A 15-member death squad was reportedly organized to intercept Khashoggi on October 2. It is a grim sign of the times when high-profile journalists are not even safe when visiting consulate buildings. It is also a grim sign of how much contempt for international law the current Saudi rulers have. Crown Prince Mohammed no doubt feels he has a certain immunity to do whatever his despotic whim desires owing to the fawning indulgence of Western leaders like Presidents Trump and Macron. That sense of immunity and impunity has also been fostered by Western news media, which have turned a blind eye to Saudi crimes, while presenting the absurd illusion of a reforming prince charming. Well, now the same sycophantic Western news media are in shock because one of their own contributors, Jamal Khashoggi, appears to have been brutally murdered on the orders of the reforming House of Saud. Its a rude, blood-curdling wake-up. Western media lies about Saudi Arabia have not just been shattered. Those lies make them complicit in the latest Saudi crime, as they also have been complicit in so many others before, because of the way the Western media have emboldened the despotic Saudi regime to act in whatever despicable way it wants. Photo: Twitter The disappearance of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in mysterious circumstances while on a visit to his countrys consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday still remains unexplained. The plot is thickening by the day. The latest reports suggest that he may not even be alive. The Istanbul Prosecutor has ordered an investigation. President Recep Erdogan has called Khashoggi a journalist and friend. Turkey has a troubled relationship with Saudi Arabia, which has a complicated history dating back to the Ottoman era and is entangled with Erdogans brand of Islamism. A serious diplomatic rupture may ensue, depending on the outcome of the Turkish investigation. So far, the Khashoggi affair has been a matter between Saudi Arabia and Turkey. But Khashoggi has influential backers in the Washington Beltway too. A chorus of condemnation of the Saudi regime is building up to a crescendo in the US, portraying Khashoggi as a human rights activist meeting a tragic end. The US takes a selective approach to human rights. Which way will it act? In the present civil war conditions in the US, President Trumps opponents will use the Khashoggi issue to draw attention to his erratic behavior wildly swinging from obsequiousness to the Saudi ruler to rank contempt. But, there is also a lavishly funded Saudi lobby, which can pull strings among the American elites. Trump chose Riyadh for his visit abroad and son-in-law Jared Koshner is reputed to be a close confidante of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Yet, Trump fired away a stream of sardonic tweets in recent days casting aspersions on Riyadh. Saudi Arabia becomes a celebrated case of the unpredictability of US foreign policies. Of course, the critical factor will be Khashoggis activities while in exile in the US who his mentors were and, most importantly, whether the US intelligence had got him involved in any project relating to the Saudi domestic politics. Behind the facade of a close relationship, there is trust deficit in Saudi-US ties. Washington would have preferred if the factions it had backed within the Saudi royal family had come to the top of the heap in the succession in January 2015. Interestingly, Crown Prince Salman is a rare Saudi prince to hold this powerful position who was not even educated in the US. But then, President Trump put on an extravagant show of camaraderie with King Salman and Crown Prince Salman and the latter also appropriately rose to the occasion to make reciprocal gestures. In a manner of speaking, a cat-and-mouse game was playing out ever since Trumps famous sword dance in Riyadh last November. This world of make-believe abruptly gave way when some nasty tweets by Trump began appearing lately making disparaging references to the Saudis directly or indirectly specifically, Trumps acerbic tweet last week that the Saudi regime would collapse like a pack of cards in two weeks sans American support. Trump poured scorn on the Saudi King in full view of the Arab Street. For Trump, there was probably nothing unusual in such abrasive behavior, but the Arab princes and rulers treasure their image as a matter of honor. The Saudi ruler, by the way, also happens to be the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, who is a revered figure for the Muslim world. Suffice to say, Khashoggi affair is unfolding in a poignant backdrop. Conceivably, the Saudi regime was monitoring the influential dissidents activities in the US from Day 1 of his exile since 2015. Meanwhile, it cannot be a coincidence that American media personalities and think tankers who are known to be wired into the US intelligence establishment have jumped into the fray in real time to castigate the Saudi regime over the Khashoggi affair. There is palpable angst in Washington. Therefore, whichever way the mysterious disappearance of Khashoggi becomes explicable in the coming days, a potentially serious crack is appearing in the US-Saudi relationship, which may be difficult to paper over. Indeed, all bets are off if the Saudis have estimated that the US intelligence is manipulating disaffected factions within the royal family and Saudi elite to advance a regime change project in Riyadh aimed at influencing the succession to King Salmans reign (which would put Crown Prince Salman on the throne.) Trump has a big decision to take and the Deep State will be breathing down his neck. An unstable US-Saudi relationship would have serious consequences for the Trump administrations regional strategies. Saudi Arabia plays a pivotal role in the US alliance system, which is irreplaceable today, since Washington can no longer count on Erdogans Turkey or the weakened post-Arab Spring Egypt. Tehran has lost no time to make an overture to the Saudi regime to join hands to resist the US bullying. Again, the present Saudi regime is known to have gone the extra league to have dealings with Israel, which greatly mitigates Israels isolation regionally and gave much-needed strategic depth to Tel Aviv. But the good part is that ironically, a US-Saudi rift may also impact the regional security and stability in the Middle East in a positive direction by giving impetus to a Saudi-Iranian rapprochement, which could calm down tensions regionally. Trumps attitude toward the Khashoggi affair will most certainly factor in Saudi Arabias stature as an energy superpower captaining the OPEC. He sounds frustrated lately that OPEC is not playing a helpful role in boosting oil production. The Saudi and American interests are diverging and Riyadh looks more and more toward Moscow as its key interlocutor on issues relating to the world oil market. All in all, Khashoggi affair threatens to open a Pandoras box. What is absolutely certain is that Washington wont let go Saudi Arabia without an all-out effort to keep that trophy in geopolitics in its sole possession. Photo: Twitter Another problem inside Somalia is making the federal state elections work. These are supposed to be held by the end of 2019 and things are not going well. Somalia currently has five federal states; Puntland in the far north, Galmudug just south of Puntland, Hirshabelle (Central State), Southwest State and Jubaland on the Kenya border. Somaliland in the northwest is also considered a federal state of Somalia but refuses to cooperate and continues to consider itself an independent nation. The problem is few other nations, or the UN, will recognize that. In 2016 the federal government agreed to give the federal states some autonomy and the ability to elect local leaders (especially a state president). But the current de facto leaders dont trust the national government and believe the central government will interfere with the state elections and otherwise limit the autonomy of the states. The federal form of government is supposed to provide the states with a lot of autonomy. In return the central government would provide muscle to help control bandits and warlords throughout the country. The central government also controls most of the foreign aid coming in. There was growing acceptance for the federal form of government but many politicians prefer to try and concentrate maximum power in the central government. A powerful central government is unpopular with clans and the clan leaders, who are accustomed to having no government at all ordering them around. For nearly all the last few thousand years the clans answered to no one except for the occasional empire builder. European colonial powers arrived in the 19th century and established a central government that didnt really take; nor did similar efforts by previous conquerors. Once all the colonial powers were gone by 1960, the newly established Somali government began to come apart, a process that was complete by 1991. No one has been able to get all the clans to submit to a new central government since. To make matters worse most of the educated Somalis fled in the 1990s and few have come back. Meanwhile, public education has been absent in most of Somalia for two decades and the literacy rate is under 40 percent (and under 30 percent for women). Public health has been largely missing for two decades and life expectancy is about 52 years. Outside of Somaliland and Puntland, its under 50 years. In 2015 Puntland was offered some of the foreign military going to rebuild the Somali armed forces. While this seemed fair and a good use of military aid it was never implemented because of continuing negotiations to get Puntland and Somaliland to rejoin Somalia as federal states. In theory, this is a good idea but the people of the north feel Somali is still too corrupt and poorly governed for even a federal form of government to work. Eventually but not yet. All is not perfect in the north. Since the 1990s the two statelets that comprise northern Somalia (Puntland and Somaliland) have been having some internal problems but much less so than in Somalia. Northern Somalia has been better governed since breaking away from Somalia in the 1990 to form Puntland (2.5 million people) and Somaliland (3.5 million). The other two-thirds of the Somali population to the south, has been in perpetual chaos since 1990 and the establishment of a lasting central government is still a work-in-progress. Another factor in all this is that the international community is not willing to provide the food, medical and cash aid (that keeps about a third of the population from starving to death or fleeing to adjacent nations like Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen) unless Somalia proves it can govern itself. That aid pays for the current government, the Somali military (still a work in progress) and the peacekeeping force. The key problem is that despite their dire situation the Somalis still cannot agree how to govern themselves as a national state. The natural state of what we call Somalia has been, for thousands of years, a dozen or more separate entities that have never voluntarily come together to govern themselves. Unity seems to be an impossible dream. The State Of Al Shabaab Al Shabaab controls portions of the Central State, Southwest State and Jubaland. With revenue obtained from those territories al Shabaab has survived despite major losses since 2012. One reason for al Shabaab surviving, particularly in the south, along the Kenyan border, is the fact that al Shabaab has come to dominate many areas of non-terrorist criminal activity. This includes smuggling and various criminal activities in Kenyan refugee camps and large Moslem communities in coastal cities and communities. When it comes to raising money and doing business in general, especially outside of Somalia, al Shabaab is practical and puts it Islamic ideology aside. Al Shabaab takes advantage of the police corruption in Kenya, where the largely Christian police are particularly brutal towards Kenyans who are ethnic Somalis as well as the Somali refugees. About 76 percent of the Moslems (four million people) in Kenya are ethnic Somalis who are citizens. Kenya is largely (80 percent) Christian with a Moslem minority (12 percent of the population) that has been known to harbor Islamic terrorists. Most Kenyan Moslems live in coastal cities like Mombasa (where about a third of the 1.1 million population is Moslem). A lot of ethnic Somalis and Moslems live in northeastern Kenya. Since 2014 Kenya has been trying to force all Somali refugees living outside refugee camps to move to a refugee camp. That has not been very successful. While the UN criticized this measure the government is under tremendous public pressure to reduce the Somali terrorist threat and many Somali refugees have been caught supporting or carrying out terrorist activities. Despite resistance, refugees continue to be sought and forced to go to the camps. For years there have been at least 500,000 Somali refugees, most of them in two Kenyan camps near the Somali border. The UN runs the camps but has no control over some 50,000 Somali refugees living mostly in the Somali neighborhoods of Nairobi and Mombasa. Kenya also hosts several hundred thousand other refugees from Ethiopia, Sudan, Burundi and Congo. Many Kenyans feel that the rest of the world does not appreciate what a heavy burden this places on Kenya. While Kenya has managed to reduce the number of al Shabaab attacks inside Kenya it has not been able to eliminate the al Shabaab presence. October 4, 2018: The government told former al Shabaab leader Mukhtar Robow that he was ineligible to run for president of the Southwest State of Somalia because he had not complied with all the terms of his surrender and amnesty deal. These state presidential elections have to be carried out by 2019 and Robow has a chance of winning. This ban is all about Robow refusing to renounce Islamic terrorism or support for an Islamic religious dictatorship has the best form of government. Robow never denounced al Shabaab but surrendered to the government last year to avoid getting killed by rival al Shabaab factions. At the start of 2018 al Shabaab officially declared one of their former senior leaders, Mukhtar Robow, an apostate and called on all good Moslems to try and kill him. In mid-2017 Robow effectively aligned himself and his faction with the government. These negotiations were kept somewhat quiet but by late June 2017, it became difficult to hide. That was when several hundred additional troops passed through Hudur, the capital of the Bakool region in central Somalia. The soldiers were there in case fighting broke out between Robow and other al Shabaab factions that wanted to kill him for negotiating with the government. Robow has been feuding with other al Shabaab leaders since 2010 over strategy and since 2013 has essentially declared that his al Shabaab faction (from his Rahanweyn clan, which dominates the region) was going to defend clan territory and do little else for al Shabaab. That meant al Shabaab men could move through Bakool but government forces would be resisted. Back in 2012, the U.S. had offered a $5 million reward for anyone who would make it possible to capture or kill Robow. But in mid- June 2017 that reward was quietly withdrawn and by August the U.S. made peace with Robow. This soon led to several al Shabaab leaders demanding that al Shabaab mass its depleted forces and punish Robow for this suspected betrayal. Many al Shabaab still blame Robow for the loss of Mogadishu in 2011. That mess began in 2010 when Robow (then al Shabaab deputy commander-in-chief) split with the group and withdrew his forces from Mogadishu. That also meant he was no longer the spokesman for the group or the deputy commander. The weakened and disorganized al Shabaab forces were then much less able to resist the pro-government clans/peacekeeper offensive to take control of the city. Robow's complaint was that foreign terrorists were increasingly taking over al Shabaab, sometimes killing those who objected. At the time six al Qaeda foreigners were members of the ten-man Sura Council (the al Shabaab supreme command) versus four Somalis. The defection of Robow meant al Shabaab lost about a quarter of its gunmen. That was when al Shabaab began recruiting more teenagers (who are easier to recruit but aren't as effective in combat) to replace the older, more experienced men they were losing to combat injuries, desertion and defection. Al Shabaab also has to contend with the fact that most Somalis now hated the Islamic radicals and were increasing demonstrating that attitude by fleeing areas ruled by al Shabaab. The feuding among senior al Shabaab leaders has never really ended but that sort of thing rarely makes the news. One exception occurred in early 2013 when al Shabaab ordered one of their more visible leaders, American born (but with a Syrian father) Abu Mansoor al Amriki (Omar Hammami) to turn himself in or be hunted down and killed. Hammami did not surrender and was caught by al Shabaab and killed in September 2013. Because Hammami was an American citizen that was considered news in most of the world. It all began at the end of 2012 when Hammami was expelled from al Shabaab and accused of spreading discord and disunity inside al Shabaab by going public about a dispute within al Shabaab over enforcing Islamic lifestyle rules. Hammami also accused al Shabaab leaders of corruption and incompetence. Al Shabaab quickly announced that Hammami was no longer their spokesman. Hammami has been with al Shabaab for seven years and had become a public face of the terrorists via his video releases on the Internet. Hammami grew up in Alabama, but came to Somalia and joined al Shabaab in 2006. Once he began appearing in al Shabaab videos he became a target for those fighting Islamic terrorists. The FBI named Hammami one of their most-wanted felons in late 2012 but that did not help get him out of Somalia safely. In mid-2017 the Somali government did not want Mukhtar Robow to get killed by al Shabaab because that would cause more fighting in central Somalia and enable al Shabaab to continue moving through an area that is the safest route for al Shabaab from northern to southern Somalia. Robow made a peace deal with the government and al Shabaab suddenly has a much more difficult time moving from north to south and, in effect, al Shabaab forces in the south (mostly near the Kenyan border) and north (mostly in Puntland) were isolated from each other and easier to defeat. Robow took advantage of the situation and made the best deal (for himself and his clan) he could with the government. October 1, 2018: In Mogadishu an al Shabaab suicide car bomb hit a peacekeeper convoy, killing two civilians as well as the bomber. Some peacekeeper vehicles were damaged. In the south (40 kilometers northeast of Kismayo) an American UAV missile strike killed nine al Shabaab fighters. So far in 2018, the U.S. has carried out at least 24 of these air attacks in Somalia compared to 31 for all of 2017 and 15 for 2016. These air attacks are often a side effect of intel agencies (like the CIA) collecting intelligence (aerial surveillance and electronic monitoring) on Islamic terrorist activity in the region. This information is used to track changes in al Shabaab forces and capabilities and identify targets the Somali special operations forces can go after. These attacks are meant to disrupt al Shabaab operations or eliminate (capture or kill) their key leaders. These raids get noticed but the Somali special operations troops also carry out some surveillance missions which are purposely kept out of the news because these operations are mainly about future attacks. September 30, 2018: In the south (50 kilometers northeast of Kismayo) peacekeepers and army troops pushed al Shabaab out of the town of Jamaame and surrounding areas the Islamic terrorists had long controlled. September 21, 2018: In the south (50 kilometers northwest of Kismayo) al Shabaab clashed with American and Somali special operations troops. The Islamic terrorists were repulsed by gunfire and airstrikes, losing 20 dead and many more wounded. All but two of the dead were caused by the UAV airstrikes. September 18, 2018: The Kenyan Air Force has received nine AS350 from the UAE (United Arab Emirates). The UAE forces have been operating some AS350s since 2008 and supplied trainers for pilots and maintenance personnel. The AS350 is a 2.2 ton helicopter that can carry six people (including the pilot) and be armed with machine-guns and rocket launchers. Cruising speed is 245 kilometers an hour and endurance per sortie is about four hours. The Kenyan Air Force already operates nearly a hundred helicopters, most of them similar to the AS350. September 13, 2018: The United States is spending $12 million to refurbish the 3,100 meter (10,000 food) airstrip at Camp Baledogle (110 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu). This facility was originally built by the Russians in the 1980s and taken over by the Americans in 2010 and gradually rebuilt and expanded as a training facility and main base for Somali special operations troops and an air base for military air transports and UAV activity. The UAVs spend most of their time collecting information that is used to track changes in al Shabaab forces and capabilities and identify targets the Somali special operations forces can go after. These attacks are meant to disrupt al Shabaab operations or eliminate (capture or kill) their key leaders. These raids get noticed but the Somali special operations troops also carry out some surveillance missions which are purposely kept out of the news because these operations are mainly about future attacks. September 11, 2018: In Mogadishu raided an al Shabaab safe house and encountered four armed al Shabaab men including local leader Abukar Hassan Adde. The police were after Adde and wanted him alive but while the other three al Shabaab men surrendered Adde fought to the death. American and Somali special operations troops clashed with al Shabaab 60 kilometers west of Mogadishu. One Somali soldier was killed. An American UAV was involved and several missiles were fired. Al Shabaab losses were unknown. September 10, 2018: In Mogadishu al Shabaab used a suicide care bomb to attack a government compound, killing six and wounding many more. Waikato Are you ready for that next step in your career, well we have the job for you! The civil industry is going strong and about... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Nearly 600,000 homes and businesses have high-speed fibre-optic internet connections, a 54 percent increase from 2017, Stats NZ says. Through Ultra-Fast Broadband fibre connections, more New Zealanders are now able to stream movies, play video games, and video-call one another in high-definition, without time lags or buffering, says business performance manager Laura O'Leary. Fibre-optic cable supports much of the worlds internet, cable television, and phone systems and is being rolled out around New Zealand. Fibre-optic cabling transmits data via light signals, which allows extremely fast bandwidth speeds into our homes and businesses. This is much faster than traditional copper-wired transmission of data. Nearly 1 in 3 broadband connections were fibre in 2018, compared with 1 in 8 connections in 2016, the Internet Service Provider Survey shows. The total number of fibre connections more than doubled in the past two years, to 598,000 at June 2018. From 2017, fibre connections increased by 209,000. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's latest Broadband deployment update shows 1.4 million homes and businesses can access fibre. This figure was around 1.2 million last year, Mrs O'Leary said. "This shows the uptake of New Zealanders connecting to fibre is matching the increase in the availability to connect." The Internet Service Provider Survey is an annual survey sent to all internet service providers in New Zealand. ROME, NY - Three men have been charged after police say they made up a story about an unknown shooter in connection with a Sept. 25 incident outside a Burger King restaurant in Rome, police said. The shooting was first reported as a random act with no suspect information, and the victim was uncooperative, according to Rome city police. Investigators later discovered the "victim" was was on a food run when one of his friends shot him with a pellet gun. Police said the three friends didn't want to get in trouble, so they made up the story of an unknown shooter. Deron Stinson, of 403 W. Dominick St, Rome was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment, making a punishable false written statement and third-degree falsely reporting an incident, all misdemeanors. Police said Stinson was the one who shot the pellet gun. Also charged with third-degree falsely reporting an incident was the man who was shot, Allen G. Lipphardt, 34, of 111 N. Madison St., Rome; and Colton J. Mickle, 410 W. Liberty St., Rome. ITHACA, N.Y. -- An Ithaca man was sent to jail this weekend after he allegedly threatened to stab a woman and fired a shotgun at a homeless encampment, police said. Terrance Jones, 30, was charged Sunday with first-degree burglary and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies, and second-degree menacing, a misdemeanor. Ithaca police officers responded to a homeless encampment known as The Jungle for a reported shooting at 9:25 p.m. Saturday. But when they arrived, no one was injured. Instead, a woman at the homeless encampment told the officers that Jones had discharged a shotgun during an argument, Ithaca Police Officer Jamie Williamson said. The woman said she and Jones had gotten into an argument and that during the argument Jones had also threatened to stab her, said Williamson, the police department's public information officer. Jones had left The Jungle before police arrived. Officers found Jones at 2:58 a.m. Sunday at a grocery store in the 700 block of South Meadow Street. He was taken into police custody and arrested. Jones was arraigned on the charges and sent to the Tompkins County Jail on $20,000 bail or $40,000 bond. NEW HAVEN, N.Y. -- A New Haven town councilman's rental house was destroyed in a fire this weekend, Oswego County officials said. A passerby called the Oswego County 911 Center at 11:09 p.m. Saturday to report a house on fire on county Route 43 near Route 104B in New Haven, dispatchers said. When New Haven volunteer firefighters arrived nine minutes later, heavy smoke and flames shot from house at 341 county Route 43 in New Haven. Mexico and Scriba volunteer firefighters, Oswego County sheriff's deputies and county fire coordinators also responded. Firefighters knocked down the blaze at 11:56 p.m. and then continued to overhaul the fire, dispatchers said. There were no reported injuries, officials said. E-911 call-takers received several calls about the fire and learned no one was in the home. Neighbors said some people who had been living there had recently moved out. The two bedroom rental house, built in 1840, is owned by New Haven Town Councilor Daniel Barney, according to public records. Firefighters remained at the scene until about 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Several hours later, members of the Oswego County Cause and Origin Team arrived at the scene to continue the investigation. Fashion and beauty magazines have been considered the bible of style for decades, but now vloggers and bloggers are the new sheriffs in town. Magazines like Vogue adhere to journalistic standards when they talk about brands and designers unlike bloggers who may be getting paid unbeknownst to you for posts and promotions. But high fashion mags lack in diversity and bloggers are known to serve marginalized groups. Who do you trust for style and beauty advice? PERSPECTIVES Working at a fashion magazine is a real job that requires credentials. Writers and editors typically hold degrees and portfolios, and they are held to journalistic standards. Which means they don't frivolously promote a brand or the designer, unlike fashion bloggers who can promote whatever they please. Fashion mags have also diversified themselves since their inception. Once criticized for only depicting unrealistic standards of beauty, they are now praised for examining political and social issues, and carving out their own voices. According to The Atlantic: When taking advice from your favorite fashion blogger, you should be aware of their motives. Some bloggers are simply promoting an item because they were paid and unlike magazines, they aren't obligated to inform their readers or viewers the post is paid. Fashion bloggers fill the gap fashion mags miss. Anyone with a camera can become a fashion blogger. It opens up the door for women and men of all shapes, sizes and colors to express their styles and inspire those who fashion mags neglect. Supermodel Naomi Campbell even spoke out about the lack of diversity at fashion giant Vogue. Vogue recently named Edward Enninful as the first black editor-in-chief of British Vogue. While this is a milestone for the brand, Campbell still criticized the lack of diversity with the rest of the staff. According to The Guardian, the model spoke on the issue in a social media post: The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick is expected to testify on behalf of a man who alleges he was brutalized by Syracuse police. Alonzo Grant, 57, is suing the City of Syracuse and three officers over injuries he suffered after calling 911 in 2014. Grant was arrested but the charges against him were later dropped. Grant's trial begins this week and Fitzpatrick is on his witness list. Fitzpatrick has publicly spoken about the case and why his office cleared Grant. The trial will likely put the prosecutor in the unusual position of testifying against police. The trial also accuses police of falsifying reports and promises to challenge the department's use-of-force policy and training. The lawsuit stems from a June 2014 call to 911. Grant placed the call to break up a dispute outside his home on Hudson Street in Syracuse one evening. His adult daughter was arguing with a woman outside. By the time officers Damon Lockett and Paul Montalto arrived, Grant's daughter had left and the dispute was over. According to the lawsuit, Lockett entered Grant's residence without knocking, ringing a door bell or asking permission. He told Grant to go outside to talk to another officer. Grant claims Officer Montalto grabbed him and flung him over a railing as he stepped outside and walked down his front stairs. Lockett and Montalto punched and choked him while he was on the ground, he said. Grant suffered a concussion, broken nose and cut lip. Grant worked at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center for more than 30 years and has no criminal record. He and his wife of more than 30 years sued the officers and city in 2015. The case is now headed to trial in Utica Tuesday, beginning with jury selection, before U.S. District Court Judge David Hurd. According to filings, Fitzpatrick is among several people expected to testify. Other witnesses who could be called include neighbors who saw the arrest and a former administrator for the city's police watchdog agency. A complete witness list was not available for the public to view, but recent filings gave a glimpse into what to expect at trial. The lawsuit accuses the officers of false arrest, falsified police reports and conspiracy to deprive Grant of his constitutional rights. It names Lockett, Montalto, and Sgt. Brian Novitsky, who Grant claims lied in police reports to cover up the excessive force used in the arrest. The suit also accuses the Syracuse Police Department of discriminatory policies and practices. The city's Citizen Review Board found that all three officers lied about the incident and that the two arresting officers used excessive force and falsely arrested Grant. The CRB recommended changes to the department's use of force policy as a result of this case, but according to filings, Chief Frank Fowler refused to make any changes. Evidence expected to be introduced at trial includes letters between Fowler and the former CRB administrator, witness statements, video captured of the incident and photographs of Grant's injuries. The judge indicated he will also allow some evidence to be introduced on the overall practices of the police department. That could include data on the department, training materials and evidence from other cases the plaintiff wants to use to show a pattern of discrimination. In its rebuttals, the city claims Grant was aggressive and uncooperative with officers when they responded to his call. The city paints a different picture of what happened that day, claiming Grant used excessive profanity and punched a screen door as he exited the house. The city argues the officers had probable cause to enter the house and arrest Grant because he posed an immediate threat to the safety of the officers. The city plans to call a police expert to testify about excessive force. Grant was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and harassing and annoying police. Months later, the DA's office dropped all the charges. Fitzpatrick stated publicly that Grant had done nothing wrong. In a news release, the DA's office cleared Grant and defended his reputation: "It appears that Mr. Grant has an unblemished record and is well-established in the community." According to court filings, Fitzpatrick also wrote a letter to Grant's lawyer in November 2014 explaining why his office dropped the charges. Fitzpatrick is expected to testify about the letter and its contents. Fitzpatrick noted in the letter that the DA's office does not usually "insert ourselves in the civil proceedings that may arise from a criminal case," according to court filings. The city objected to Fitzpatrick being called to testify, but the judge ruled that his testimony was relevant because of the outcome of Grant's charges. Fitzpatrick confirmed that he expected to testify this week. He declined to comment on the case further at this time, citing the upcoming trial. Grant is represented by Jesse Ryder of Syracuse and Charles and Cabral Bonner of California. In-house lawyers for the city and outside counsel from Hancock Estabrook in Syracuse will represent the city and officers. Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992 CLAY, NY - A local developer is proposing a major project off Route 31 in Clay that would blend apartments with retail and office space. The project calls for 475 apartments in 15 buildings on the north side of Route 31, near the intersection of Lawton Road, town of Clay planning officials said. The project would be on 30 acres of what is now vacant land. The buildings - some would be four stories high - would also include retail or small offices on the ground floor with apartments on the upper floors, town officials said. The town of Clay has approved the concept, and now the planning board will review the site plan and details, such as the number of apartments and other specifics, town officials said. The proposal calls for no more than 60,000-square-feet - about 26 spaces for commercial use, town officials said. The rest of the project would be residential, they said. Urban Villages, as the development would be called, is being proposed by Liverpool-based PDM Estates, which also owns and manages The Willows and Northwood apartments in Liverpool. The loft-style apartments would be in a "planned development district," which allows for mixed-use projects in Clay that blend retail, office and residential. They will be one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, said Mark Territo, Clay's planning commissioner. Plans call for the complex to be a micro-community with pools, community centers and more, town officials said. Vittoria Pascarella, owner/developer with PDM Estates, declined comment until the planning process is further along. LIVERPOOL, N.Y. - A film studio that makes movies in Syracuse is scouting actors for future movies and will hold an open casting call in Liverpool. The auditions will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at Syracuse Studios (the former A.V. Zogg Middle School), 800 Fourth Street, Liverpool. Jeremy Garelick, a Hollywood film producer who started making movies in Syracuse last year, will begin work next week on his fifth Central New York movie, "Sid Is Dead.'' His production company, American High, is looking for actors for that movie and for future productions, said Will Phelps, head of production. Garelick and Phelps say they intend to continue making several movies a year in Syracuse. "We're looking to find every talented local actor in Syracuse, so we can start a database to cast from, for this movie and all the movies coming up,'' Phelps said. With one exception, the auditions Sunday are intended for actors 18 or older. However, the company also looking for a girl aged seven to 11 for one role. Here's how to apply: Send an email this week to americanhighcasting@gmail.com with a headshot or a selfie. If you are selected to audition, the company will send you lines to prepare for an audition. Applicants who show up Sunday without sending an email are not guaranteed a slot to audition. If you can't make the audition Sunday, indicate that in your email and the company will send instructions on how to submit an audition tape. "I think you're going to see unprecedented collaboration with the county, the city, and the towns and villages.'' So said Ryan McMahon after his fellow Onondaga County legislators voted Tuesday to appoint him county executive, replacing Joanie Mahoney. It was a bold promise, and we hope voters will hold him to it. McMahon laid to rest any notion that he would be a caretaker or placeholder between now and next November, when he will have to run for a full, four-year term. He pledged to renegotiate the sales tax sharing agreement between Syracuse and Onondaga County in 2019, even though it doesn't expire until 2020. He intends to introduce a more sustainable plan to pay for infrastructure. McMahon also said he would end the infighting between the executive, some members of the legislature and the county comptroller that led to costly legal battles and bad blood. We're all for less drama and more constructive disagreement in pursuit of effective government and good public policy. Here are a few more things we'd like to see out of a McMahon administration: --Cast a wider net for staff. McMahon said he would keep most, if not all, of Mahoney's hires. If he does decide to replace some or all of them, he should look outside of political circles to people who have expertise and achievements in relevant fields. County government should not be an employment agency for friends and family, or patronage machine for supporters. --Be transparent. Proactively disclose records and information about the activities of county government. Make yourself and your department heads available to the public and the media. Explain and defend your actions and policies to build trust with and be accountable to the people you serve. --Keep fighting for Syracuse. The city is the economic and cultural heart of the county; one cannot succeed without the other. Onondaga County, as the provider of social safety net programs, also plays a huge role in attacking Syracuse's endemic poverty. It should use state money and other resources to promote life-changing strategies, not just short-term grant making. --Bring economic development into the real world. New York state's shiny object approach - the film hub and Soraa factory, to name two - has largely failed. The Upstate Revitalization Initiative has underwhelmed so far. Drive a harder bargain when asked for business tax incentives. Ask: What can the county do to connect real people to real jobs? Build on sectors and companies that are succeeding and in demand. Train the workforce. --Look for more opportunities for shared services or consolidation to deliver services more effectively and reduce costs to taxpayers. That's the kind of "unprecedented collaboration" that makes a difference to the people of Onondaga County. We wish McMahon success. Syracuse.com editorials Editorials represent the collective opinion of the Advance Media New York editorial board. Our opinions are independent of news coverage. Read our Members of the editorial board are Tim Kennedy, Jason Murray and Marie Morelli. To respond to this editorial: Post a comment below, or submit a letter or commentary to . Read our If you have questions about the Opinions & Editorials section, contact Marie Morelli, editorial/opinion leader, at Dr. Thomas Madejski, of Albion, is president of the Medical Society of the State of New York. He is a board certified internist and chief of medicine at Medina Memorial Hospital. A "listening session" on legalizing marijuana, sponsored by New York state government, will be held Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Syracuse. By Dr. Thomas Madejski | Special to Syracuse.com The push to legalize recreational use of marijuana in New York is fraught with many challenges. New York's physician community, through the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY), supports efforts to remove the threat of criminal sanction for marijuana use. We are also very concerned about the selective enforcement of marijuana laws, not only in New York, but across the country. Most physicians understand that marijuana does have medicinal benefit for certain serious conditions that have already been qualified under New York State law -- such as cancer, AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis. However, at the same time, physicians are very concerned that marijuana is an addictive drug that can have significant adverse public health impact if it were to be legalized for non-medicinal purposes. Therefore, we urge Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature to approach this issue with serious forethought, and to heed the recommendations from leading medical organizations, and give equal attention to scrutinized data from other states that have legalized recreational marijuana use. At its 2017 national meeting, the American Medical Association (AMA) approved a policy position based upon recommendations from its Council on Science and Public Health that concluded that cannabis is a dangerous drug and a serious public health concern, and that the sale of cannabis for recreational use should not be legalized. Its position was based upon the analysis of multiple studies that found that, even as cannabis had some therapeutic benefits, there was substantial evidence of a statistical linkage between cannabis smoking and health issues. The AMA-issued paper looked at data from jurisdictions that legalized cannabis that demonstrated adverse impacts, such as unintentional pediatric exposures resulting in increased calls to poison control centers and emergency department visits. Additionally, it was no surprise that there was an increase in traffic deaths due to cannabis-related impaired driving. For example, in Colorado, it was noted that there was a 70 percent increase in hospitalizations connected with marijuana use between 2013 and 2015. (Legalized marijuana use commenced there in 2014). Moreover, fatalities where the driver tested positive for cannabinoids increased by 80 percent between 2013 and 2015. In addition to opposing legalization, the AMA recommended that cannabis use be discouraged, especially by persons vulnerable to the drug's effects and in high-risk populations such as youth, pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding. They also recommended that states have already legalized cannabis should be required to regulate the product effectively in order to protect public health and safety, and that laws that legalize cannabis use should consistently be evaluated to determine their effectiveness. It is noteworthy that another leading medical organization, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), supports the "decriminalization" of marijuana, by reducing penalties for marijuana possession to civil offenses, yet they do not support the legalization of marijuana. ASAM recommends that states that have not acted to legalize marijuana should not proceed until more definitive data from the states that have legalized marijuana can be studied. Moreover, ASAM recommends numerous limitations for those jurisdictions that do authorize its use. These include: prohibiting sale of cannabis to those under 25; prohibiting marketing and advertising to youth; assuring that non-FDA approved products contain appropriate warning labels, and, finally, to limit the purchase of cannabis to state operated outlets. New York state must not make policy based upon bumper sticker slogans. Instead, it must proceed very carefully to prevent public health harm that could arise from legalized marijuana use. NY health regulators want to legalize recreational marijuana U.S. Rep. John Katko and Dana Balter have tentatively agreed to hold four debates over the final weeks of their race for Congress, the two campaigns said Monday. But Balter criticized the arrangement on Monday. The Syracuse Democrat said three TV debates and a fourth debate that will be streamed on Facebook Live by Syracuse.com are not enough for voters to judge the two candidates in the 24th Congressional District race. Balter told reporters at a news conference that she wants public debates in all four counties in the 24th District, with some in front of live audiences. She proposed seven debates and four joint town hall meetings. Balter also called for the debates and forums to be held throughout October, rather than in the final two weeks before the Nov. 6 election. She said the earlier schedule would give voters more time to evaluate the candidates. "It's clear to me that John Katko doesn't want to appear side-by-side with me in open public forums because he would then be held accountable and have to defend his record," Balter said. She added that Katko's refusal to take part in such public dialogue showed his "disrespect to the voters." Katko's campaign said the congressman agreed to four debates, about the same number held in each election over the past 10 years in the district. Those debates are: A Syracuse.com livestream event that will air the evening of Oct. 24. The debate will be available for viewing through Facebook Live on the A televised debate that will air the evening of Oct. 30 on CNY Central, Channels 3, 5 and 6 in Syracuse. A televised debate sponsored by Spectrum News that will air at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 and will be replayed at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 and Nov. 4. Tickets will not be available to the public. OCC plans to give ticket priority to students. The Katko and Balter campaigns will each be allowed to invite up to 40 guests. A televised debate that will air 5 p.m. Nov. 4 on WSYR-TV, Channel 9. Balter appeared at a news conference Monday in front of a poster showing what Katko said in 2014 when former Rep. Dan Maffei, D-Syracuse, declined to participate in live debates in all four counties. Erin O'Connor, speaking for Katko, said the four debates will be accessible to all voters in the 24th District. The district covers all of Onondaga, Cayuga and Wayne counties, and the western half of Oswego County. Katko also agreed to participate in 10 public forums or meetings where both candidates were invited, O'Connor said. She criticized Balter for missing the annual political breakfast sponsored by the Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 25. Balter missed the breakfast to attend a political fundraiser in New York City, O'Connor said. Balter's campaign said she had a previous commitment to the fundraiser that was planned weeks before she received an invite to the Manlius breakfast. Balter's campaign has asked for public forums where the two candidates jointly take questions from voters. Katko and Balter have appeared separately in front of the audience at previous forums. Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 SCHOHARIE, N.Y. -- Families are identifying the victims in Saturday's deadly limousine crash that left 20 people dead, according to reports. The crash -- the nation's worst transportation disaster in nearly a decade -- occurred at about 2 p.m. Saturday in Schoharie, about 35 miles west of Albany. A limousine carrying 17 people on their way to celebrate a 30th birthday blew through a stop sign and slammed into a parked SUV outside a store. The driver, 17 passengers and two pedestrians were killed. The 17 victims inside the limousine were friends and relatives, including four sisters from one family and two brothers from another family. They were traveling to Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, about an hour west of Schoharie, when the crash happened, a sister of one of the victims told ABC News. The limousine was a 2001 Ford Excursion limousine from Prestige Limousine, according to ABC News. Scott Lisinicchia was identified at the limousine driver, according to CBS News. Authorities have not confirmed victims' identities, but family members of some of the victims have spoke with local and national media. Here's what we know about the limo's passengers, according to the New York Times and other reports: The celebration was for The limousine was rented by Mary Dyson Allison King Abby Jackson Rich Steenburg Erin McGowan Amanda Halse Matthew Coons We will update this list as soon as more information becomes available. The two bystanders have not been identified. A vigil will be held Monday night for the victims, many of whom were from Amsterdam, at the Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook, state Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara said. BUFFALO -- A police chief with a long history of public service has been arrested and charged with stealing opioids to feed his addiction to painkillers. FBI agents and federal prosecutors took Village of Kenmore Police Chief Peter Breitnauer into custody Friday afternoon at police headquarters. He was charged with possession of hydrocodone. The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. In a sworn affidavit, an FBI agent said she and other federal agents confronted Breitnauer at the village police department and "asked about allegations that he had been diverting prescription pills from the New York State Medication Drop Box" located at the police station. The agent said that "Breitnauer admitted that he is addicted to hydrocodone" and "had been taking hydrocodones from the box for his personal use." Breitnauer then took the federal agents into his office and showed them a closet "where he had stashed more than 100 hydrocodone pills that he had diverted from the drop box." The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, J.P. Kennedy, called the arrest "a sad day." "Chief Breitenauer has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a respected member of Western New York's law enforcement community," Kennedy said. "Today's events certainly do not erase all the good that the chief has done during his tenure. Rather, they highlight the devastating and destructive power of opioids and underscore the fact that anyone can become ensnared in their allure." Despite the large quantity of pills located in Breitnauer's office, Kennedy said, "There is absolutely no evidence suggesting that the chief ever distributed any of the drugs he is alleged to have diverted." Breitnauer joined the village police department as a patrol officer in 1984. At that time, he was also the chief of the village's volunteer fire department. He became the police chief in 2012 after spending six years as the assistant chief. Breitnauer pleaded not guilty to the drug possession charge during an arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder. He was released on his own recognizance, with conditions. He did not surrender his passport and will be allowed to leave the country for a previously planned vacation to Germany. His passport will be taken when he returns from vacation. I felt like, coming out of it, too many journalists ascribed what happened to tiny little tactical decisions, and I think our problems were a lot bigger and a lot deeper than that. I asked Robby Mook, Hillary Clintons former campaign manager, what the media got wrong about her dramatic loss in 2016 when we met in the Union library. So, for example, one of the arguments was that Hillary never went to Wisconsin, and if she had gone to Wisconsin she would have won. In fact, we spent more money per capita in Pennsylvania than in any other state and we had the biggest rally of the campaign primary, general, Democrat, Republican in Pennsylvania the night before the election and we still lost. So, how does he explain what happened? I think our greatest weakness was our inability to push past a lot of what was incoming and really speak directly to the voters about what she could do for them. He looks towards the future, determined that the party learn from Clintons campaigns failures. We need to ask whether the Democratic Party is moving forward fast enough on our data infrastructure, on the right way to listen to voters and get feedback on where the campaign is going and if we are reaching enough people. The Democratic party is currently on something of a soul-searching mission. Faced with a deeply unpopular candidate, who provoked disgust and rage in many Americans, the party was unable to muster enough enthusiasm from the American public to defeat Donald Trump. Now it finds itself in the wilderness. Whats next? Mook has a surprisingly optimistic outlook for someone so instrumental in such a terrible loss. I think that today, the Democratic Party represents our founding principles as Americans: we the people are trying to form a more perfect union and seek the common welfare of all. Thats what our party is standing for right now. He laughs in frustration as he says: I actually wish we could have a healthier dialogue with Republicans about the right way to improve our education system, the right way to get cheaper, better healthcare. We cant do that right now. Because they are living in this phony world where the government can somehow disappear and people could somehow live healthy and productive lives. Thats just not possible. Im sorry, thats a lie. When asked about his greatest fears about American politics, he is quick to answer. That people wont turn out again. Donald Trump became President by the slimmest of margins. He barely got more votes than Mitt Romney in Wisconsin. Think about that. Barack Obama comfortably won Wisconsin and Donald Trump barely got more votes than Mitt Romney. So, if anybodys out there thinking that their vote doesnt matter sometimes I dont know what more we can do. The balance of power in the Virginia legislature came down to literally one vote its almost criminal not to vote. There was some pushback after Barack Obamas return to politics speech in September, where he spent much of his speech urging young people to turn out to vote. Some pundits pointed out that President Obama failed to talk about voter suppression and its effects, which lowers turnout among young people and minority communities. I pressed Mook on this. The Republican Party has definitely used voting laws to suppress the votes of young people and certain communities of colour in the United States theres no question of that. We actually just won a lawsuit in Florida where they simply banned voting facilities on college campuses, which thankfully the Supreme Court there ruled was a violation of the constitutional amendment that allowed young people to vote. However, Mook is unwilling to pass the buck on the Democrats responsibility to energize the public in a way they did not in 2016. It is incumbent on us as a party to try to pick somebody who is going to inspire young people to go vote. Donald Trump did not prove incentive enough for people to turn out for the Democrats in 2016. But, since then, the White House has been embroiled in scandal after scandal, with allegations of corruption, ineptitude, and reports of dangerously ignorant behavior coming from within the administration itself almost every week. I ask whether the Republican party has been taken over by a criminal element, but Mook is too careful with his words to use my phrase. I think that Donald Trump has broken the law many times during his career to make money. But I think whats scarier to me is the fact that someone could legitimately argue today that a foreign intelligence service effectively got inside a major American political party and might be pulling strings. He points out that there are still many things we dont know. But heres what we do know during the Republican convention, our current attorney general was meeting with the Russian ambassador, that the Republican party platform, out of nowhere, was changed to take a more pro-Russian stance on the Ukraine, and that the current attorney general during his hearing during his confirmation hearing lied about whether he had had contact with the Russians. Mook is more familiar with the dire consequences of foreign cyberattacks on political races than just about anyone. He explains: I think the Democratic Party needs to come to terms with the fact that foreign nations are going to try to influence our own primary and we are going to face choices within our own primary about how we react to that foreign influence. It happened in 2016. Its not fun to talk about I dont blame anyone involved but it happened and if we ignore that fact were not going to think ahead of time about how we handle it. It is difficult to comprehend how rapidly and totally politics changed over just one decade. The internet, social media, and cyberwarfare have all irreversibly changed the nature of politics. Robby Mooks campaign for Hillary Clinton was unable to keep pace with the ruthless new digital world. He is now spending his time researching and helping to promote cybersecurity in elections. Having clearly learned a lesson from last time around, he seems desperate to prevent a two-term Trump presidency. SJM1214 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Anand(GJ23) Posts: 1,472 Thanked: 5,541 Times re: A 3.6 year old in God's own country - Kerala! Day 4: Thekkady to Alleppey So far, my experience said that the journey in the Tempo Traveller was boring for me. There were several reasons like, I wasn't driving, I was not in the front seat and I was not able to click photographs during the journey. We were going to Alleppey (Alappuzha) from Thekkady. It was a 130km drive. We were going to spend one day and a night in those famous houseboats on Alleppey Backwaters. I proposed to have an early start in the morning so we could spend maximum time in the houseboat. But, when you are with your family and especially with a kid, early would never be early. We started at 0830 from Thekkady. After one hour of the journey, Ziva was feeling sleepy. Both of us got on the last seat of the vehicle and slept. Wife woke us up when she had the first glimpse of a houseboat. HouseBoat. HouseBoat. Alappuzha (AKA Alleppey) is known as the Venice of the East. Alleppey is the hub of Keralas backwaters and home to a huge network of backwaters and more than thousand houseboats. The modern houseboats are equipped with all the comforts of a good hotel room like air conditioners, modern toilets, cosy living rooms, a kitchen and a balcony. Houseboat guys shifted our luggage in one of the houseboats. We kept most of our luggage in our vehicle and kept only necessary things with us. Ziva was surprised to see an entire house floating in the water. Our houseboat. Our houseboat. We boarded the houseboat. It was a small houseboat with four rooms on the ground floor and a big dining hall on the first floor with a balcony. It was perfect for 9 people. They asked us to remove our shoes at the front area of the houseboat. Ship's Wheel. Narrow Passage. Our room. Our room. We had our lunch in the boat's dining area. It was a simple but tasty south Indian meal. We finished our lunch and boat started cruising. Many houseboats were anchored at the starting point. As per the houseboat owner, there are more than 900 houseboats in Alleppey backwaters. Cruising. Houseboats. We rushed to boat's balcony and settled there. Ziva was running around in the entire boat. It was dangerous, some of the areas of the boat didn't have the railing. Ziva. At Balcony At Balcony We were enjoying the ride. It was tranquil and relaxing. We didn't have anything to do. The boat cruised along narrow canals where we saw the full glory of village life. People travelled in canoes to reach the mainland as many houses there do not have an approach road. Villagers... ...going to the mainland ...in their canoe & Kayak... It was amazing! We passed by other boats Ziva started waving to each and every boat. It was one lazy afternoon. I was observing the different kinds of houseboats. The boat gradually moved towards the lake and it was a completely different experience. We felt lost in the wide expanse, while also feeling like royalty. Approaching a big lake. To lake. Other Boats. Other Boats. Other Boats. Other Boats. After a while, I rushed to downstairs to the captain's chair. Somehow I convinced him to try my hand on Ship's wheel. The captain allowed me to sail the boat for five minutes. It was fun. Captain uncle bought ice-cream for Ziva. Both of us got what we wanted. Ice cream for Ziva and steering wheel for me. Ship's Wheel. Sailing the Boat. Ziva... & her Ice cream The boat remained anchored in the lake for some time. After it was anchored, the boat started slowly rotating on its own. It rotated 360degree by its own. At 1700, we started cruising back to the web of canals from that big lake. Anchored Boats. Anchored Boats. Some Church. So far, my experience said that the journey in the Tempo Traveller was boring for me. There were several reasons like, I wasn't driving, I was not in the front seat and I was not able to click photographs during the journey.We were going tofrom Thekkady. It was a 130km drive. We were going to spend one day and a night in those famous houseboats on Alleppey Backwaters. I proposed to have an early start in the morning so we could spend maximum time in the houseboat.But, when you are with your family and especially with a kid, early would never be early. We started at 0830 from Thekkady. After one hour of the journey, Ziva was feeling sleepy. Both of us got on the last seat of the vehicle and slept. Wife woke us up when she had the first glimpse of a houseboat.is known as the Venice of the East. Alleppey is the hub of Keralas backwaters and home to a huge network of backwaters and more than thousand houseboats. The modern houseboats are equipped with all the comforts of a good hotel room like air conditioners, modern toilets, cosy living rooms, a kitchen and a balcony.Houseboat guys shifted our luggage in one of the houseboats. We kept most of our luggage in our vehicle and kept only necessary things with us.Ziva was surprised to see an entire house floating in the water.We boarded the houseboat. It was a small houseboat with four rooms on the ground floor and a big dining hall on the first floor with a balcony. It was perfect for 9 people. They asked us to remove our shoes at the front area of the houseboat.We had our lunch in the boat's dining area. It was a simple but tasty south Indian meal. We finished our lunch and boat started cruising. Many houseboats were anchored at the starting point. As per the houseboat owner, there are more than 900 houseboats in Alleppey backwaters.We rushed to boat's balcony and settled there. Ziva was running around in the entire boat. It was dangerous, some of the areas of the boat didn't have the railing.We were enjoying the ride. It was tranquil and relaxing. We didn't have anything to do. The boat cruised along narrow canals where we saw the full glory of village life. People travelled in canoes to reach the mainland as many houses there do not have an approach road.It was amazing! We passed by other boats Ziva started waving to each and every boat. It was one lazy afternoon. I was observing the different kinds of houseboats.The boat gradually moved towards the lake and it was a completely different experience. We felt lost in the wide expanse, while also feeling like royalty.After a while, I rushed to downstairs to the captain's chair. Somehow I convinced him to try my hand on Ship's wheel. The captain allowed me to sail the boat for five minutes. It was fun. Captain uncle bought ice-cream for Ziva. Both of us got what we wanted. Ice cream for Ziva and steering wheel for me.The boat remained anchored in the lake for some time. After it was anchored, the boat started slowly rotating on its own. It rotated 360degree by its own. At 1700, we started cruising back to the web of canals from that big lake. Last edited by SJM1214 : 6th October 2018 at 15:19 . Courtesy: Hexcel Hexcel has set up a new plant at the Les Roches-Roussillon Chemicals Industry Platform in Isere, France. The new 37-acre plant is the company's first combined precursor and carbon fibre plant outside the US. Four years after the project launch, the site has become operational and is contributing to enhancing Hexcels global carbon fibre production capacity.Hexcel invested 200 million Euros in the plant that will generate 120 direct and 250 indirect jobs. Hexcels workforce in France has now risen to 1,200 people with more than 1,000 employees located in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region.The new facility is part of Hexcels ongoing worldwide investment to create a diversified and robust global supply chain to support aerospace customers growing demand for carbon fibre composites. Since 2015, Hexcel has invested in all its locations worldwide, largely to support the growing demand for composites and the development of aerospace industry programmes such as Airbus (A350 XWB) and Safran (CFM International LEAP engine).Thierry Merlot, Hexcel president, Aerospace -- Europe/Asia-Pacific/Middle East/Africa, said: With this plant, we are responding to the needs of aerospace customers and their growing demand for carbon composite materials. The site has already received its first aerospace certifications.Based at the Osiris Chemicals Industry Platform, the location was chosen by Hexcel due to its proximity to Hexcel customers, other Hexcel sites, its quality infrastructure and operational excellence, and the availability of competitively priced electricity in France.Operating in synergy with Hexcels existing sites in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, Les Avenieres, the biggest carbon fibre weaving plant in Europe, and Dagneux, manufacturer of prepreg fabrics and carbon fibres, the new plant will create a global ecosystem for the high-performance composite materials sector covering the entire production chain from carbon fibre to resin-impregnated fabrics called prepreg.In 2014, Hexcel signed a regional master agreement with Pole emploi, the French national employment agency, to support its development and hire over 200 employees for its sites in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region through the implementation of job simulation recruitment (MRS).Merlot said: Hexcel has become more attractive in recent years. The Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region has provided support with training. New employees have received customised training courses, including onsite training at Hexcel facilities in the United States and Spain.Merlot added: Today we are able to invest in production capacity thanks to both organic growth and the acquisition of complementary technologies. Recent acquisitions and partnerships have enabled us to diversify and acquire new technology solutions such as additive manufacturing, adhesives, pultrusion processes and thermoplastics. For this purpose, this year we signed a strategic partnership with Arkema to develop carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastics and set up a new joint research and development unit in France. (SV) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Forward-looking: The move toward self-driving cars without human controls being allowed on US roads has taken another step closer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that it planned to change the rules that bar autonomous vehicles that lack equipment such as steering wheel, pedals, and mirrors. Within the guidelines of the 80-page report, called Automated vehicles 3.0, the NHTSA writes that it "intends to reconsider the necessity and appropriateness of its current safety standards" when it comes to self-driving vehicles. The NHTSA said the safety requirements currently in place for self-driving cars could "constitute an unintended regulatory barrier to innovation." The agency will seek comment on the proposed changes and consider "the possibility of setting exceptions to certain standards." Automakers have to meet over 70 automotive safety standards in the US, most of which assume the presence of a human driver. But regulator will no longer make this assumption, especially when it comes to trucks and buses. The news will no doubt be welcomed by General Motors, which, according to Reuters, filed a petition earlier in the year to allow vehicles without steering wheels or pedals to become part of its ride-sharing service launching in 2019. Waymo plans a similar autonomous service in Arizona this year, though its vehicles will have human controlseven though nobody will be behind the wheels. The self-driving car industry fell under the spotlight after one of Ubers autonomous vehicles was involved in a crash that killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona. The aftermath of the accident saw several autonomous car projects temporarily halt testing on public roads. But the NHTSA's report does acknowledge that self-driving cars have the potential to reduce accidents and road-related deaths. After seeing him filming his movie First Man, Ryan Gosling's two adorable children thinks that he works as an astronaut. In the new movie, Gosling portrays Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon. Despite being one of the most well-known actors today, his daughters with his partner Eva Mendes, 2-year-old Amada Lee and 4-year-old Esmeralda Amada, believes that he is an astronaut after they saw him in costume during shooting. Gosling As An Astronaut "They came on this day where I was shooting a launch scene, so I was in the spacesuit and pretending to launch. I think they think I'm an astronaut now," shared Gosling during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He even said that his oldest pointed to the moon recently and confirmed that he works there. Host Kimmel, also a father, jokingly advised the Blade Runner actor to always lie to his daughters. In an interview, Mendes confirmed that she and Gosling have not corrected their daughter's misunderstanding yet. Notably, the 37-year-old was involved in issues surrounding First Man after he defended the omission of the American flag's planting on the moon. The actor said that he does not believe that Armstrong viewed himself as a hero for the country because of how humble he was. First Man is directed by Damien Chazelle, the same creative mind behind another Gosling movie and Oscar hit La La Land. The movie opens on Oct 11. Gosling's Interview With Kimmel Aside from talking about his children, the actor also shared about his experience while he attended his mother's wedding in Italy. According to the actor, he did not have any role during the ceremony, and he just sat with other guests, including a number of wonderful Italian women who were older than him. "And there was a lot of during the service these wonderful older Italian women just whispering to me about food," he stated. In his best Italian accent, actor tried to imitate a woman who told him about the tortellini in the freezer. Another one even told him about the smoked mozzarella from Naples. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Photo: Twitter - @LyndzeeW Shell Canada has dropped the price of gasoline in Edmonton to celebrate 30 years of oil refining in Alberta. Drivers in Edmonton have been treated to a blast from the past Wednesday, as gas prices at Shell stations across the city dropped below 40 cents per litre. Its all part of Shell Canadas celebration of 30 years of oil refinery in Alberta, with prices falling back to levels not seen since the mid 80s. Eight gas stations around the city are taking part with lower prices for gasoline and diesel, and the companys twitter account is dropping hints of where drivers can find the deals. Lineups stretching over a dozen vehicles have been reported at some locations, as consumers sit and wait to save money. The average cost of gasoline at other locations in Edmonton is around $1.11 per litre. Shortly after giving a public apology on British national television, Samantha Grant had a change of heart and attacked Meghan Markle's mother. Grant criticized Doria Ragland on Twitter and said that Thomas Markle, Sr., their dad, was responsible for raising the Suits star more than her mother. She said that the Duchess of Sussex only spent weekends with her mom and Thomas was the one who used to take and pick up the Duchess of Sussex from school when she was still studying. Grant's Attack Against Ragland "Dad pretty much raised her most of her life on his own and Doria was not around very much," Grant wrote to her 7,000 followers on Twitter. "[Meghan] has to make peace with our father who gave her everything. Her mother wasn't even really around," she also stated, adding that he did more for the former actress than anyone in her life. She even said that the 74-year-old was the best father in the world. The outspoken Markle sister claimed that when she was still a teenager, Ragland and her father divorced. Meghan was still 6 during that time. When the Duchess of Sussex was already 12, she rented a place below Meghan and her father's flat. Markle's dad has previously shared his opinion about being a huge part in raising Meghan. According to him, he does not want to stay quiet. What angers him more is his daughter thinks she is far more superior than anyone. He also mentioned that she would be nothing without him. Markle Family Feud When the 53-year-old opened up to Jeremy Vine about her feelings, she said that she was just hurt that she was not invited to the royal wedding in Windsor on May 18 this year. However, she still loves her half-sister very much. Additionally, she even visited Buckingham Palace in hopes of seeing the Duchess of Sussex. The promising author claimed that Meghan ghosted her family and needs to earn their trust back. Furthermore, she said that her mother might be her closest friend at the moment because she also turned her back on Nikki Priddy, her best friend for the last three decades. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In case of loud booming sounds and strange lights in the sky, do not panic. That is just a rocket trying to land in the West Coast. SpaceX, for the first time, will be attempting to land the Falcon 9 in California on Sunday, Oct. 7, at 7:21 p.m. PDT. The U.S. Air Force has already issued a warning to residents about the launch and landing at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Sonic Booms And A Descending Rocket Residents in the vicinity will be able to watch the first stage of the Falcon 9 return to the Vandenberg Air Force Base. It will have to perform "multiple engine burns" to control its trajectory and fall comfortably back to its landing target. The U.S. Air Force said that residents in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo might hear sonic booms which, the advisory described, might sound like an explosion or a loud clap of thunder. This is normal as sonic booms are created when an object in this case, a rocket is traveling faster than the speed of sound. This is not the first time that SpaceX has launched a rocket at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, but this will be the first that the company will attempt to land around the same area. Prior Sunday, SpaceX has landed its reusable rockets on drone ships. Californians can watch the launch and landing from the Hawk's Nest on Azalea Lane just half a mile away from the main entrance to the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Gates open at around 7 p.m. PDT. Weapons, alcohol, cigarettes, and open fires are not allowed in the vicinity, according to a Facebook post. Falcon 9 Launch The Falcon 9 will be carrying the SAOCOM 1A, an Earth observation satellite from the Argentine Space Agency, on Sunday. A second SAOCOM 1B will also be launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 at a later date. The observation satellites will provide imagery for monitoring natural resources and disaster management. The launch was initially scheduled for Saturday, but it was postponed for a day to complete pre-flight checks. A static fire test has already been conducted last Tuesday, Oct. 2. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A single brown widow spider was spotted in the state of Oregon for the first time ever. It is believed that the spider may have hitchhiked from California, and authorities are already investigating whether there could be more. Brown Widow Spider Spotted Last September, Oregon resident Marci Beddingfield spotted a spider under the grill behind her home. She was unsure what species the spider was at first because it looked rather like a black widow spider, but she noticed that the spider was brown in color and not black, and that the distinctive hourglass on its abdomen was orange and not the typical red. Upon research, they figured that it might be a brown widow spider and a colleague of her boyfriend who works for a pest control company helped them to identify it. They sent the spider and its spiky-looking egg sacs to the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) who confirmed that the spider was indeed a brown widow spider. A First In Oregon While its naturally unnerving to find a spider at home, whats even more unique about Beddingfields find is that this was the first time ever that the brown widow spider was spotted in the state of Oregon. Typically, such spiders live in more tropical locations such as in Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and California. In regard to the spider they found, authorities suspect that it might have hitchhiked from California. Typically, such spiders die quickly because they are not used to the colder climate in non-tropical regions but even so, ODA is investigating the matter and is encouraging members of the public to take pictures of spiders they believe might be brown widow spiders and send them to ODA for identification. Is There A Threat? Authorities are urging the public not to panic. For one thing, they dont believe that it is likely for the spiders to establish a population in Oregon, and the brown spider is said to be avoidant of human interaction and rarely bites. In fact, the males and the immature brown widow spiders do not bite at all. Even when they do, while it is venomous just like its cousin the black widow spider, its venom is said to be less harmful than the black widows. This is because while its venom is twice as potent as the black widows, they inject less of the neurotoxin when they bite, leading to less severe symptoms. Further, some research even suggests that the invasive brown widow tends to overtake the black widow population where it is established, thereby lessening its threat to humans. To educate members of the public about spider species in Oregon, ODA is expected to hold a Facebook livestream on Oct. 10 at noon. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. New Horizons will welcome the New Year with a flyby to Ultima Thule, an object in the Kuiper Belt that orbits far beyond Pluto. NASA announced that, on Jan. 1, 2019, the spacecraft will be approaching object 2014 MU69, making it the most primitive and most distant object visited thus far. New Mission For The New Year New Horizons was launched by NASA in January 2006 and was able to complete its mission, which is to fly closely by Pluto, in July 2015. From its brief encounter with the dwarf planet, it was able to take photos and reveal new details about Pluto including its heart-shaped feature and its moon Charon. Next stop: Ultima Thule. "Our flyby of MU69 on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day 2019 will be an exciting sequel to the historic exploration New Horizons performed at Pluto in 2015," said Alan Stern, the principal investigator to the project. The Kuiper Belt is a disc-shaped region beyond Neptune where comets and icy worlds much smaller than Earth orbit around the Sun. Scientists estimate that there might be hundreds of thousands of icy worlds and over a trillion of comets in the region. Both Pluto and Ultima Thule are located within the Kuiper Belt so it would not be a long journey for the spacecraft. However, a few days ago, New Horizons carried out a trajectory correction maneuver the farthest course-correction ever performed by a spacecraft. The maneuver also bumped the speed of the spacecraft to about 4.6 miles per hour. It is expected to fly by Ultima Thule at around 12:33 a.m. EST. Currently, New Horizons is about 3.95 billion miles away from Earth. It will be the first-ever spacecraft to explore this region of the Solar System which has first been discovered a few decades ago. What Scientists Expect To Find Out Little is known about Ultima Thule. Everything that scientists know so far about the object is from images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. A comprehensive observation campaign from summer of 2017 revealed that Ultima Thule might actually be two objects and accompanied by a moon. "That tells us this object is going to have a lot of surprises in store for New Horizons," stated New Horizons science team member Marc Buie. "We're going to see something that dates back to the formation of the solar system." 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A hundred years after the event, October 1918 is being remembered as one of the deadliest months in America because of the sheer number of deaths brought about by the so-called Spanish flu. By the time that the pandemic subsided in 1920, over 675,000 Americans are dead, leaving life expectancy down and thousands of children orphaned. Spring 1918's 'Three-Day Fever' The first phase of the illnesses began in the spring of 1918. What was then known as the three-day fever came seemingly out of nowhere, the first case of which was recorded in a U.S. Army training camp in Kansas. It all began with cook Albert Gitchell, who complained of flu-like symptoms in the morning, and by lunchtime, 107 soldiers were already affected. Within five weeks, over 1,000 soldiers were infected, 47 of whom died before it subsided when summer came. Fall Flu Comeback In the fall, the illnesses re-emerged and this time far worse than it did in the spring. Some patients reportedly died within just hours of the emergence of the first symptoms, while others perished after a few days, when their lungs had filled with fluid and eventually suffocated to death. Back then, news of the outbreaks was kept quiet in the United States, France, and Great Britain, but in Spain, a spring outbreak in Madrid was reported. It was because of this that the fall pandemic was eventually dubbed the Spanish flu even if it did not necessarily come from Spain. Devastation In Cities Soon, the illness made its way to also affect the civilians, with both rural and urban areas affected by the flu. Cities scrambled to contain the public, both in terms of public health and in terms of a potential panic spreading across the masses. Without a centralized agency to contain the problem, cities had to deal with their territories on their own. Among them, Philadelphia was one of the hardest hit after a public health director refused to cancel a parade, which was attended by over 200,000 people. Within three days, Philadelphia hospitals were filled, and the city was on the verge of collapsing. October 1918 In October, public places such as churches, schools, and theaters were shuttered, businesses had to change their opening and closing hours so as to minimize rush-hour crowds, and people had to wear face masks. Those who did not were dubbed as mask slackers and would sometimes be rejected from public transportation. In Philadelphia alone, over 11,000 people died that month, including 759 who died on what was considered the worst day of the outbreak. By then, drivers of open carts would circle streets, yell Bring out your dead! and collect the bodies of those who perished, to be deposited in mass graves. Over 195,000 Americans died in October 1918 alone, and by the time the illnesses began to abate in 1920, over 675,000 Americans had died. Life expectancy dramatically dropped from 51 to 39 that year, and thousands of children were left orphaned. Within just months, the so-called Spanish flu killed more people than any other illness in recorded history, as it affected one-fifth of the population worldwide. In total, the Spanish flu killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide in just one year. American Distrust Begins? Doctors and scientists were at a loss for what had caused the public health disaster and how to save more lives because of the mysterious cause of the illnesses. Rumors even began to circulate that it was caused by poison gasses released in American ports. Some also believed that the German company Bayer had tainted their aspirin tablets. Although October 1918 is not always mentioned when it comes to devastating events in history, some believe that is was one of the events that fueled the Americans fear of foreign elements and the wider world, especially since it occurred at the same time as a war. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Avoyelles Parish Sheriffs Office deputy Brandon Spillmans professional certification was in revoked status last year at the time he placed Armando Frank in a neck hold that contributed to Frank's death. The Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, or POST, which establishes training and certification protocols for Louisiana law enforcement officers, revoked Spillmans certification on June 15, 2017, about one month after his hiring date. Spillman did not complete a required refresher course to reinstate the certification until Nov. 15, 2017, about three weeks after Frank was killed during a botched arrest, which was captured on body camera footage. The revocation stemmed from Spillmans failure to keep up with in-service training requirements during his previous job as an officer with the police department in Simmesport, a town of about 2,000 on the eastern edge of Avoyelles Parish. Spillman worked in Simmesport for about five years, including two as the police chief. Some of the officers he hired and supervised were never POST certified, and at least two have been repeatedly accused in lawsuits of using excessive force. The certification is a standard qualification for patrolmen, jailers and others defined in state law as peace officers, though it isn't always the norm in smaller agencies. The Louisiana legislature in recent years has tightened certification requirements, but policies at some agencies dont reflect changes to the law. Can't see video below? Click here. Two Simmesport officers that Spillman hired, Charles Johnson and Anthony Burns, are accused of using unnecessary force on a combined four occasions over a 19-month period in 2015 and 2016. Spillman was the Simmesport chief from March 2014 to May 2016, and two of these incidents involving Johnson and Burns occurred after he stepped down as chief. One of the Simmesport lawsuits settled, another three are pending. The defendants in the Simmesport cases have flatly denied the allegations in court filings without elaborating on the circumstances, although Johnson has provided additional details in two depositions and a brief interview with The Advocate. Spillman did not respond to multiple voicemail messages. Burns did not respond to a message placed with the warden of the Pointe Coupee Parish Detention Center, where Burns was recently on administrative leave from his job as a deputy. Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff Beauregard Torres told The Advocate on Sept. 27 that Burns was on leave at that time because he used his taser on a handcuffed inmate. The jail warden, Steve Juge, said the following week that Burns had been cleared to return to work. Burns has no history of attending POST certification training, according to an officer history report provided by the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement. Johnson was separated from his job with the East Feliciana Parish Sheriffs Office on Sept. 10 after nearly two years, according to Greg Phares, the chief criminal deputy. Phares would not elaborate on the reasons for Johnson's departure, citing advice from the agency's lawyer. Johnson told The Advocate he resigned from the East Feliciana Parish Sheriffs Office because he has kidney problems. Johnson has attended POST certification training twice this year, failing both times to complete the program, according to his officer history report. He previously attended training and failed the exam in 2013. Spillman remains an active Avoyelles Parish sheriffs deputy after a grand jury in March declined to indict officers in the Frank case. Their lack of active POST certifications calls into question whether Spillman, Johnson and Burns were qualified to work on the street during a time in which they were involved in a string of controversial apprehensions. That officers like Johnson and Burns continued to work in POST-certified positions without ever obtaining the certification illustrates how officers can shuffle from one agency to the next without fulfilling training mandates. "It's hard to say (an officer) is violating his training when he has no training," said Christopher Washington, the Baton Rouge attorney representing plaintiffs in the four Simmesport cases. Its almost like they can be negligent in failing to train these officers, and that negligence insulates them from liability." Certification requirements State law requires full-time peace officers to successfully complete a certified training program within one year of initial employment at any Louisiana agency. Peace officers are defined to include those who perform law-enforcement activities such as making arrests and performing searches and seizures, as well as those who have custody and control of inmates. Those failing to meet initial training requirements shall be prohibited from exercising the authority of a peace officer, according to state law. Peace officers are further required to annually complete 20 hours of in-service training, and failure to do so results in automatic 90-day suspension of POST certification. Revocation occurs if the in-service hours are not completed during the suspension period. An 80-hour refresher course is needed for reinstatement. Spillmans revocation last year was among 81 related to in-service training gaps, according to the law enforcement commission. While the law requires full-time peace officers to complete the initial training, the consequences of revocation are less clear. In any case, common sense calls for revoked employees not to work as peace officers until they are reinstated, said Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre, president of the Louisiana Sheriffs Association. Certainly the intent of the legislation in my mind is, if you are revoked, you lack the ability to perform the duties of a peace officer, Webre said. "Thats how I would apply it in my agency, and I think that would be the common understanding. Thats not how it works at the Avoyelles Parish Sheriffs Office, where Chief Deputy Steve Martel acknowledged there is no policy concerning deputies with revoked certification. Martel argued that the revocation of professional licensure doesnt necessarily impact job performance. He compared Spillmans certification status at the time of Franks death to that of a doctor or CPA or someone else who doesnt meet their continuing education requirements and their license is revoked for the deficiencies. It doesnt mean they are incapable of actually performing their functions. It means they are deficient, he said. The fact that his POST certification had these deficiencies, I dont think it would mean he forgot all his training. Still, Spillmans certification status could factor into a federal lawsuit Franks family is pursuing against the Sheriffs Office, as well as Spillman and the other officers involved. Attorneys for the family are likely to examine whether the officers were properly trained, said Rafael Goyeneche, president of the New Orleans-based Metropolitan Crime Commission. If, in fact, the Sheriffs Office was derelict or not timely in maintaining training, much less requiring that officers remain current with their certifications, that would be a further indicator on lack of emphasis on training, Goyeneche said. A law enacted last year stipulates that the one-year certification deadline is uninterrupted if officers switch agencies within the state during that first year. The law was intended to ensure officers dont jump from one agency to the next without getting certified, Webre said. "You work for 11 months, and then you would leave and then get hired and start the clock over," Webre said, describing the loophole the law was meant to close. There are approximately 23,000 certified peace officers in Louisiana, according to the law enforcement commission, but the commission does not track how many officers are working without certification. Some agencies haven't adapted their policies to the new law. The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office policy concerning certification, for example, is that all new hires must achieve certification within one year, Martel said. That means it's possible to work as a non-certified Avoyelles Parish deputy for a full year after working as a non-certified officer somewhere else for most of the previous year. The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office isn't the only agency with an outdated policy. Sheriff Beauregard Torres of Pointe Coupee Parish said he wasn't aware of the requirement that all officers obtain POST certification within one year of employment, even if they switch agencies. "That opens up a whole different set of circumstances," Torres said. "It's something we have to deal with." Armando Frank Armando Frank was unarmed and seated on a tractor in a Wal-Mart parking lot before he died at the hands of police officers, as seen on body camera footage. He refused to get down when officers told him they had a warrant for his arrest, and he resisted when officers moved in to force him off the tractor. Spillman climbed the tractor and applied the neck hold, as officers unsuccessfully tried to subdue Frank with tasers. An errant electrode struck Spillman while his forearm was pressed against Frank's neck. Top stories in Acadiana in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Frank is heard on the video coughing, gasping and saying repeatedly in a strained voice to "let me up. His body appears limp once he is finally wrestled to the ground and handcuffed, and one officer is heard saying that Frank is playing dead. A forensic pathologist report ordered by the Sheriff's Office determined that Spillman and other officers suffocated Frank, first by manually strangling him with the neck hold and then by pressing him against the tractor. Cardiovascular disease and obesity were secondary causes of death because they increased Franks vulnerability to respiratory stress, according to pathologist Christopher Tapes report. About two and a half minutes after an officer surmised that Frank was "dead weighing," someone is heard asking if Frank is breathing. As Tape noted in his report, however, the question was met with "no answer and no apparent action or reaction" by anyone on the scene. Spillman claimed he never applied pressure to Frank's throat, according a Sheriff's Office internal investigation report. Tape's autopsy revealed multiple wounds to Frank's neck. The warrant for simple criminal trespass and unauthorized attempted entry of an inhabited dwelling stemmed from an argument Frank had with his neighbor at the neighbor's doorway. Deputies on the scene found no sign of forced entry, according to the Sheriff's Office report. Records: Man fatally choked by Avoyelles deputies had long history of mental illness The man choked to death by deputies last year after he refused to dismount a tractor in Marksville had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophre The violent apprehension of Frank was the fifth in Avoyelles Parish in less than four years that resulted in a lawsuit naming Spillman, Johnson or Burns, or a combination of those three, as defendants. The incidents all started with minor infractions or disturbances and ended in severe injuries, including gunshot wounds, head gashes, broken bones and death. Such repeated allegations are rare, and should surface in any pre-employment background check, said Webre, the sheriffs association president. "The vast majority of officers don't find themselves on the receiving end of an allegation or a lawsuit," Webre said. The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office did not contact any character or employment references Spillman listed on his job application, according to a memo to Martel, the chief deputy, from an assistant who reviewed the application. The memo was obtained through a public records request. In an interview, Martel said pre-employment interviews weren't necessary because Spillman had a good reputation among Sheriff's Office personnel who knew him from previous interactions while Spillman worked in Simmesport. "Day-to-day knowledge of him was probably one of the overriding factors of employment," Martel said. Simmesport allegations Burns tasering of a handcuffed inmate in Pointe Coupee Parish recalls a July 2016 incident in Simmesport, in which Burns is accused of pulling over with a handcuffed man in the back of his squad car and threatening to taze the f*** out of you, boy, according to a pending lawsuit. The plaintiff in the case, Cedric Thornton, says he was walking out of a store with a new license plate light bulb to replace the one that was out on his car when Burns arrested him on an outstanding warrant. Burns is not accused of using his taser on Thornton, but the officer allegedly threw the handcuffed Thornton down a flight of stairs once at the Avoyelles Parish jail. About two months before that, Burns was accused of using a choke hold on Brian Washington as Washington leaned into his car to strap a child into her car seat during a traffic blockage. He then allegedly slammed Washington to the ground. Johnson, who is also accused in the Washington lawsuit, joined the Simmesport Police Department in February 2015, nearly a year and a half after he failed his first POST certification exam. Johnson testified in a March 30 deposition that he was fired from the New Roads Police Department after failing the exam, but that he wasnt asked to get certified as a Simmesport officer until after he shot a fleeing motorist. Johnson did not attend any certification training during his stint in Simmesport, according to his officer history report. The shooting of the motorist happened about two weeks after Johnson was hired in Simmesport. Johnson testified that Adam Robertson drove toward him while he stood outside his police unit with emergency lights flashing, although he acknowledged he wasnt standing directly in Robertsons path of travel. Johnson initially fired into the front of Robertsons car, and continued shooting as Robertson veered further away and passed through an adjacent field, according to his testimony. Johnson agreed in his deposition that State Police photos of Robertsons car showed three bullet holes in front and seven on the driver side. He admitted that he continued firing when he was not in danger of being run over, but that he was in a state of shock. He also maintained it was necessary to keep shooting as Robertson passed. The threat wasnt neutralized yet, Johnson said, according to the deposition transcript. Robertson, who admitted being high at the time, crashed into a ditch with gunshot wounds in his legs. He denied that his headlights were turned off, and said he was frightened because of a previous encounter with Spillman. A few months before the shooting, which happened when Robertson was 24 years old, Spillman stopped and searched him as he walked to a relative's house late at night, Robertson testified. Roberston said Spillman threatened to throw him in jail if he was caught outside again "after hours. Johnson declined to discuss the Robertson case in an interview, citing the pending case. Johnson tried to issue a citation to Joshua Webb in October 2016 for wearing saggy pants in violation of town ordinance. Webb resisted arrest by jerking his arm way when Johnson tried to grab him from a parked car, Johnson testified in an April 26 deposition. Webb posed a threat, Johnson testified, because he may have been sitting on a weapon in the car, although nothing indicated that was the case. Johnson is accused of pulling Webb from the car and using brute force to arrest him. Webb suffered a broken spine, a skull wound that required staples and a broken toe sustained when Johnson stomped on it, according to the lawsuit. Some of the injuries are alleged to have occurred while Webb was handcuffed at the police station. Johnson admitted in the April 26 deposition that he slapped Webb in the face while Webb was on the ground at the police station, because "he was acting like he was unconscious." Asked in the deposition if he had ever been trained when it's appropriate to slap someone, Johnson replied that he had not. Asked in an interview if he stomped on Webbs toe, Johnson replied not that I know of. As to the cause of any of Webbs injuries, Johnson said you have to ask him. The case settled for $50,000, which covered Webbs injuries, according to Webbs attorney. A non-certified department Johnson said he quit the Simmesport job after a new mayor was elected in November 2016, the month after the Webb incident. Johnson had cited the mayor-elect, Leslie Draper, for failing to stop at a stop sign during the campaign. Everybody had a vendetta against me because I wrote the mayor (a ticket), Johnson said. At the end of the day I have a job to do to enforce the law, and I guess he didnt like it, so I left. Draper said he absolutely stopped, but that he didnt challenge the ticket to avoid turning it into a campaign issue. Spillman stepped down as chief about six months before the elections, but he remained commissioned as a part-time detective until Draper took office in January 2017. Draper said he doesn't know why Spillman resigned as chief. He said there weren't any personnel records for Spillman, Burns and Johnson when he took office. Draper, a former prison chaplain and church pastor, said the community and police have not enjoyed good relations in recent years. It was a pretty hostile environment, Draper said. We basically had a non POST-certified department. Nearly every Simmesport police officer quit or was fired after Drapers election, and the chief Draper hired, Damion Jacobs, said he is rebuilding the police department from the ground up. Jacobs said he wants every officer to be POST certified. I dont want no wiggle room, Jacobs said. I want to do it the right way. Alzheimer's Q&A: What are some steps families should take to find support services or care providers for Alzheimer's-affected loved ones? Photo: Contributed Participants ages 18-30 take part in a Y Mind group session at the YMCA. Anxiety is affecting a growing number of young people as they worry about everything from their health, and home life to world affairs. As a part of YMCA of British Columbias Y Mind initiative to help young adults manage stress, worries, and anxiety, the YMCA of Okanagan is expanding its mental wellness services by bringing new programs to West Kelowna and Penticton. With $3 million in funding support provided by the Government of British Columbia, Y Mind was brought to five regions across the province earlier this year, including the Kelowna area. Through this expansion, more young people in the Okanagan will have the chance to learn strategies to manage anxiety and depression through evidence-based programming led by trained mental health professionals. YMCA Mental Wellness programs give young adults the tools needed to cope with the stressors that are going on in life right now, explains Y Mindfulness Manager, Jan Locke. So many individuals today feel the environment and world they live in creates anxiety and it can be extremely overwhelming. Y Mind helps with the isolation and debilitation that can come with anxiety. The program targets those from 13-30 and there is no cost to participate and referrals are not required. Each young person also receives a complimentary health and fitness membership to their local YMCA in Kelowna, or to the Penticton Recreation Centre, for the duration of the program. One hundred percent of participants surveyed say their quality of life improved after participating in a YMCA Mental Wellness program. Sessions are already taking place at the Kelowna Family YMCA, Foundry Kelowna, and UBC Okanagan. New sessions will soon begin at the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club Westside Youth Centre and YMCA JumpStart in Penticton, and we are currently exploring more program locations. The YMCA of Okanagan and participating partners want these services to be easily accessible to young people in our local communities. The Y is currently recruiting young people interested in its Mental Wellness programs in Kelowna, West Kelowna, and Penticton, with information sessions in October. To register please contact Jan at 250-317-7980 or click here. Sherry Harper LeBlanc tried to convince her son to stay home. But Coltin LeBlanc, 23, wasn't listening. He gave her a hug and told her to stop worrying about him, that he would be alright he'd be back in 20 minutes. Then he drove away. Less than an hour after leaving his mom's house in Loranger around midnight, Coltin LeBlanc was in an ambulance being rushed to the hospital. A traffic stop in downtown Hammond led to a "struggle" that ended when a State Police trooper discharged his service weapon, striking the young man multiple times and ultimately ending his life. His mother said the hospital called her about 2 a.m. Sept. 27 telling her only that her son had been involved in a "situation" and was undergoing surgery. So she rushed to the hospital, thinking it must have been a car accident. Another three hours passed before two State Police troopers finally approached her in a hospital waiting room, asking for her name and address before telling that her son had been shot during an encounter with police. Coltin LeBlanc died later that morning while doctors were operating on him. +4 Louisiana State Police ID man fatally shot after traffic stop and ensuing 'struggle' in Hammond A Louisiana State Police trooper shot and killed a motorist in downtown Hammond early Thursday, though State Police wouldn't say later in the State Police have released few details about the encounter, refusing to disclose why he was pulled over or whether the incident was captured on video. They've declined to release the name of the trooper involved or whether that person has been placed on leave during the investigation, and they've denied a public records request for footage of the incident. But after The Advocate posted this story online Sunday night, State Police spokesman Lt. Nick Manale sent an email with more information. He confirmed that the traffic stop was for a license plate violation and that body camera footage of the incident does exist and is being reviewed during the investigation. For Sherry LeBlanc, who buried her only child last week, the unanswered questions are almost unbearable. "I know he must've done something wrong. He's not perfect," she said. "But I think that what he got was not what he deserved. ... I hope one day to find out the truth." Witness accounts A law enforcement source told The Advocate soon after the shooting that early accounts suggested Coltin LeBlanc attempted to flee during the traffic stop and ended up dragging the trooper alongside his vehicle. State Police said the trooper was not injured during the incident. Witness accounts suggest that the officer was not dragged on the ground, but that he did grab onto the fleeing vehicle in an attempt to stop its driver. Christopher LeTard was sitting outside Benny's bar in downtown Hammond that night when he and his friends saw a pickup truck both windows down, with country music playing being pulled over less than a block away on North Oak Street. They watched with mild interest as the trooper ordered the driver out of his vehicle and spoke to him for a minute before letting him get back in the truck. They recall the driver motioning like he was looking in the glove compartment for paperwork. The driver's side door remained open and the trooper was standing inside the door shining a flashlight, LeTard said. Suddenly the truck began to move as the driver gassed it and pulled the wheel to the right, turning the corner onto U.S. 190. LeTard said the trooper appeared to be hanging onto the door frame "basically doing a pull up" with his left arm through the open window while struggling with the driver. LeTard said he could hear the trooper yelling at the driver to stop the vehicle while it continued accelerating, reaching around 35 or 40 miles per hour. The struggle lasted less than one block as witnesses reported hearing tires squealing, followed almost immediately by about six gunshots. Then the vehicle rolled to a stop. LeTard said he thinks someone stepped on the brakes but couldn't see whether it was the driver or the trooper. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Once the truck had stopped the trooper ordered the man to get out of the vehicle but he "just kind of dropped to the ground." LeTard confirmed that the pickup truck didn't have a license plate but said he doesn't know what caused the trooper to pull it over in the first place. A bartender at Benny's said the business' surveillance cameras captured the incident and the video was turned over to police. "It's just a tragic situation for both of them really," LeTard said. "The whole thing escalated so fast." Can't see video below? Click here. 'Forever changed' Coltin LeBlanc died the day before his 24th birthday. Sherry LeBlanc said that when the doctor told her that her son was dead, it felt "like I was watching a movie, not actually living through what was happening." Tangipahoa Parish Coroner Dr. Rick Foster has declined to release autopsy information, including cause and manner of death, citing an ongoing investigation. But Sherry LeBlanc said that when she asked the doctor at the hospital how many times her son was shot, he replied: "Too many times for me to count while I was concentrating on saving his life." "That makes it sound like he was pumped full of iron ... shot up," she said, sitting at her kitchen table and staring down at dozens of photographs spanning her son's life. "Why did that trooper need to shoot him so many times? That's what I don't understand." Coltin LeBlanc had been arrested four times on DWI and related counts during the months of June and July 2016. He was convicted and sentenced to a year in state prison. His arrests came about a year after the birth of his son, Brennan, now 3 years old. Sherry Leblanc said that was a rough time for Coltin, who was going through a custody battle with his son's mother. She also said Coltin struggled for years with alcoholism but had been sober for several months after his 2017 release from prison. His mother said she drove him to work each morning at the local farmers' cooperative and that he was spending as much time as possible with Brennan "being good and working hard." He had saved up and recently bought the used pickup truck he drove that fateful night, obtaining the title just hours before his death. But the truck still didn't have plates, and his license was still suspended from the DWIs. His mother said he planned to apply for a "hardship license," which lets people drive to work and make other essential trips. "He was on the cusp of everything," Sherry LeBlanc said. "He paid his debt and was rebuilding his life. And now it's all gone gone in an instant because he made one stupid decision. ... My life is forever changed, never to be the same again." She added that her son had been drinking the night of his death but didn't appear intoxicated when he left the house in his new truck. He told her he was going to visit a friend down the road, placing a hand on her shoulder and asking her not to worry. That was their last conversation. His mother is left struggling to understand how the night ended in tragedy, worried she'll never know exactly what happened. "I just have to question why it was necessary to shoot him like that. Couldn't they have tased him instead? Wasn't there anything else they could have done?" Sherry LeBlanc said. "Nothing can bring Coltin back, but at this point I'm praying for justice." Enforcement of new anti-abortion restrictions will have to wait as the physicians who challenged Act 620s constitutionality asked for a review of an appellate court decision upholding the law. The doctors argue in June Medical Services, et al., v. Dr. Rebekah Gee, et al., that requiring them to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the abortion clinic would likely require two of the state's three facilities to close and leave only one doctor with the proper credentials to perform the medical procedure that ends pregnancies. They want the 16 members of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the split decision by a three-judge panel before allowing the state to enforce the law. Two of three 5th Circuit judges on the panel Jerry Smith, of Houston, and Edith Brown Clement, of New Orleans found Sept. 26 that Louisiana's Unsafe Abortion Protection Act, Act 620 of 2014, didnt cause an undue burden on women largely because the physicians didnt try too hard to get hospital admitting privileges. The third judge, Patrick Higginbotham of Austin, scolded his colleagues for retrying the facts of the case and essentially overturning a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court finding that a virtually identical Texas law had unconstitutionally created a substantial obstacle to the right of abortion. Wednesday was the deadline for the five doctors in the challenge to request a rehearing, which stops the state from enforcing the law beginning Oct. 18. Our priority here is to keep clinics open, T.J. Tu, who recently took over the legal team representing the Louisiana doctors, said in an interview last week while the lawyers for the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights were considering their options. A womans constitutional right to access abortion is on the verge of extinction and that's not hyperbole. That is a reality, he said. The Center claims the 2-1 panels decision violated Supreme Court precedent. State officials, who last week werent sure how to go about applying the law, wont have to worry about enforcement for many months more. The Louisiana Department of Health is responsible for licensing facilities and ensuring compliance. Generally, physicians with admitting privileges must submit a letter from the hospital saying so. Is that what would happen in this case? The procedure will be determined by the lawyers with the A.G., who have been involved in the litigation, LDH press office wrote in an email. Over at the Attorney Generals Office, the press office in an email pointed to Attorney General Jeff Landrys earlier statement praising the 5th Circuits decision and stating that administering the law is up to the Louisiana Department of Health. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up State Rep. Katrina Jackson, D-Monroe, introduced the bill that would become Act 620 as a way of protecting womens health by ensuring if anything went wrong during the termination procedure, a hospital would be on call. If you are going to perform abortions in the state of Louisiana, youre going to do so in a safe environment and in a safe manner that offers women the optimal protection and care of their bodies, she said in March 2014. The legislation largely tracked the wording of a bill that Texas made a law in 2013. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Texas law in June 2016 because so many Lone Star doctors couldnt obtain admitting privileges that all but eight of 40 clinics closed. The difficulty obtaining privileges, long drives and long wait times at the remaining clinics created an undue burden, the high court ruled in what many called the most significant abortion decision in a generation. After a six-day trial in 2017, U.S. District Judge John deGravelles, of Baton Rouge, followed the Supreme Courts reasoning to find the Louisiana law likewise was unconstitutional. But Louisiana is not Texas, Smith wrote in his 45-page majority opinion. When Act 620 was signed by then Gov. Bobby Jindal, Louisiana had five abortion clinics and six doctors. Two of the clinics have since closed. Because of the numbers three abortion clinics and about five physicians the panels majority felt they could drill down into the difficulties each physician had in obtaining privileges, which is at the heart of the Supreme Courts decision. What they said they found was that the process wasnt that onerous. Only one doctor put forth a good-faith effort. Three others likely could have obtained the privileges had they not largely sat on their hands, Smith wrote. In Louisiana, a split on abortion at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals They are three judges on a conservative appeals court, nominated by conservative Republican presidents two by Ronald Reagan and one by Georg Higginbotham wrote in his dissent that the panel majority had no business retrying the facts of the case thats the job of the district court. Appellate courts decide if the law was applied accurately. The divergence between the findings of the district court and the majority is strikinga dissonance in findings of fact inexplicable to these eyes as I had not thought that abortion cases were an exception to the coda that appellate judges are not the triers of fact, Higginbotham wrote. He also noted that abortions are a safe procedure that require hospital care in less than 1 percent of the more complicated pregnancies and nearly none at all when the terminations happen early, as most do. All three of the panel judges were nominated by Republican presidents, are in their 70s, and have often been mentioned during their long careers as candidates when openings occurred on the U.S. Supreme Court. Five of the 16 members of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals were appointed by Democrats. Among the other 11 is a judge, Kyle Duncan of Baton Rouge, who when in private practice represented the state in this case. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks to members of the media as she arrives at the Office Of The United States Trade Representative, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, in Washington.(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) FILE - In this Friday, July 20, 2018 file photo, three dockless scooters stand on a sidewalk across the street from a Johnson & Wales University campus in downtown Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott) ORG XMIT: RPJM101 Someone dared to show up wearing a Bills jersey Just the word "pandemic" Drunk cousin Lisa nodding off into the mashed potatoes ... again The Jeff Landry sign in your uncle's yard Vote View Results Officials across the New Orleans area are again urging residents to keep a close eye on the forecast, as the northern Gulf Coast faces its second tropical threat in the past five weeks this time from Tropical Storm Michael. But much like Tropical Storm Gordon of early September, Michael also seems likely to miss the area to the east. The official forecast from the National Hurricane Center shows the storm which as of Sunday was in the northwestern Caribbean Sea making landfall along the Florida Panhandle sometime Wednesday afternoon. The storm is expected to undergo significant strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico, though, with Sundays forecast having the storm reach Category 2 hurricane strength before landfall. Even with a projected landfall in Florida, Michael could bring higher-than-normal tides to the Louisiana coastline, as well as the potential for some gusty winds, though more precise effects remain unclear. But one likely outcome will be welcome, as the storm is expected to help usher in a cold front, with Friday and Saturday looking sunny with highs around 80 degrees. The local office of the National Weather Service said in its "area forecast discussion" on Sunday that it is appearing more and more likely that Michael will have minimal impacts on our area and should remain well east of the region. Even so, officials in various parishes issued statements saying residents should continue to keep up with the storms track. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Strengthening winds over the Gulf are expected to lead to higher than normal tides Monday and Tuesday along east- and southeast-facing shores. Additionally, if the track shifts west or if rain bands associated with Michael come over the local area, heavy rain and strong gusty winds are possible, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a statement. St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister and St. John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom also issued statements, with Brister saying St. Tammany government is closely monitoring tropical weather. Robottom told St. John residents on Facebook, Remember this track could change at any time!!! Now is the time to make preparations for heavy rainfall including cleaning and clearing catch basins and drains, bagging tree limbs and picking up yard debris. Rain isnt expected to be a major threat along the Gulf Coast, though, with rainfall totals through Thursday projected at 1 to 2 inches for southeast Louisiana and possibly above 3 inches for the Florida Panhandle. The Flood Protection Authority East, which operates the levee protection system on the east bank of Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes, said that "out of an abundance of caution," it would begin on Monday to close a number of flood gates along Lake Pontchartrain, the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and in St. Bernard Parish to guard against high tides. The Bayou Dupre and Bayou Bienvenue sector gates already are closed. The storm is expected to pick up forward speed in the Gulf and quickly move out of the United States after making landfall. Perhaps fearing another plunge into murky constitutional waters, Kenner City Councilman George Branigan on Thursday indefinitely deferred a controversial anti-loitering ordinance he had proposed last month. When Branigan first pitched his ordinance, he noted that a library branch in north Kenner and the adjacent Muss Bertolino Park had seen increased complaints about homelessness. He said the ordinance might be a way to reduce those complaints. But critics lambasted the proposal as overly broad and a violation of freedoms of assembly and possibly speech. They also noted that the library is parish property and already has "No loitering" signs posted. Branigan's ordinance defined loitering as "remaining in essentially one location for no obvious reason, to linger, to saunter, to dawdle, to stand around ... or to otherwise spend time idly" in any public place. On Thursday night, he said he was deferring it indefinitely after a flurry of feedback, most of which he said was positive. But not all of it. Alanah Odoms Hebert of the ACLU of Louisiana said state and federal courts had struck down similar measures. Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn said the ordinance would be difficult to enforce. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Branigan said he never meant to come across as without compassion. "During the last two weeks, I have been tagged as the councilman proposing a new law because homeless people stink, which is totally ridiculous," Branigan said, reading from a prepared statement. "My goal is to work toward a solution that offers assistance to the growing number of homeless in our city while making sure public safety is not compromised." The council unanimously agreed to the deferral. The ordinance threatened to thrust Kenner once again into a harsh spotlight just a few weeks after a Zahn memo prohibiting booster clubs affiliated with the city's playgrounds from purchasing Nike equipment drew national attention. Zahn eventually retracted that policy. 25 years The St. Tammany Parish Police Jury was scheduled to meet Wednesday night at 7 p.m. to vote once again on the purchase of 18.5 acres on La. 59 to which it may move some of its offices. A large number of Covington citizens were expected to turn out for the meeting to discuss their concerns with moving parish administrative offices south of Abita Springs. ... The $350,000 purchase price for the land and $600,000 for a building and parking lot would be paid for by federal grants and long-term loans from reserves in other accounts, it was said. Mayor Keith Villere of Covington urged citizens to attend the meeting, calling it an attempt to move the parish seat out of his city. 50 years J.E. Walters, executive vice president of Prestressed Concrete Products Co., which is manufacturing component parts for the new parallel bridge alongside the original Causeway, said he expects 16 miles of the new span to be open to traffic late in November or early in December. This would leave only eight miles of two-way traffic on the old bridge. Presently, eight miles are open on both bridges, from the north entrance to the north bascule. The latter draw is being replaced by a high level span similar to that on the Causeway. Meanwhile, the roadway section of the new bridge is approximately 17 miles from the north shore, leaving about seven more miles to be completed. The pilings go past this point. 75 years St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Sunday, Oct. 10 ushers in Business and Professional Womens Week, which is observed all over the world with thousands of women participating in the event. Activities dealing with Red Cross work and defense activities will be paramount in the observation. 100 years Spanish influenza has become epidemic throughout the United States and we are experiencing the same inconvenience that followed its advent in Europe. In some sections, it has proved quite fatal, while in others it has been of a comparatively mild form. It has hindered the mobilization of troops and has slowed up the Fourth Liberty Loan drive. Schools, theaters, churches, barrooms and public places have been closed and gathering of crowds prohibited. But this condition is not expected to continue long. 125 years Oyster saloon Last Monday evening, our popular and enterprising young citizen Mr. Ernest Domergue Jr. opened his new Acme Oyster Saloon near the depot in the building opposite the Commercial Hotel. We acknowledge the receipt of a liberal supply of the delicious bivalves, with the compliments of the season, which we hope will be a prosperous one for our young friend Ernest. They are fat, salty and well flavored, and all lovers of fine oysters should encourage his enterprise with their liberal patronage. Photo: Contributed The smiles are in! Tim Hortons restaurants in the Central Okanagan raised a whopping $32,349 from their annual Smile Cookie Campaign, which ran Sept. 17-23. More than 30,000 customers purchased a smile cookie for $1, with 100 per cent of the proceeds donated to the YMCA of Okanagans healthy snack program. Travis, manager of the Powick/Enterprise Tim's location, has personally experienced the supportive network of the YMCA. When his daughters were young, he found himself a single dad and struggling to afford the basics. I couldnt even afford a jug of milk some days, said a humble Travis. And I desperately needed child care in order to maintain work during this very challenging time. Not only did the YMCA provide excellent care of my girls, but they also gave them healthy meals and snacks, for which I am so grateful. Many Tim Hortons staff and customers have also been helped by the Y during their times of need. Thats why we are so passionate about the Smile Cookie Campaign and the charity it benefits. Since local Tim Hortons stores began supporting the Ys healthy snack program in 2013, $194,219 has been raised. This ensures each year hundreds of children participating in Y preschool or out of school care programs will receive the nutrition they need to grow and thrive. YMCA of Okanagan operates preschool and child care programs at seven locations across Kelowna and West Kelowna, serving more than 100,000 healthy snacks per year. Macquarie Group has agreed to help back an ambitious $22 billion solar and wind power project in outback Australia that could eventually provide power to Indonesia, as well as big miners and hydrogen projects. The project, called the Asian Renewable Energy Hub, is looking to build 11 gigawatts (GW) of power capacity, with more than half to be allocated to energy users and potential hydrogen producers in north-western Australia. Macquarie has agreed to provide development capital and take an equity stake in the project. Credit:Bloomberg Macquarie has agreed to provide development capital and take an equity stake in the project, alongside Danish wind turbines giant Vestas and privately owned Intercontinental Energy and CWP Energy Asia, the Asian Renewable Energy Hub said in a statement. A Macquarie spokesman declined to comment on the size of the stake or provide further details of the group's involvement. Parents and schools are required to continually educate children on the dangers presented by these machines. They disturb my afternoon naps and my cat is often worried by them. I have seen large versions of these monstrosities careering around with only one person in them or delivering a single pizza. And need I mention these menaces have been responsible for the deaths of more than 190,00 Australians since their introduction. Maybe the members of BAD would like to form a partnership with my new community action group: Hughes Against Rampant Ruinous Unchecked Motorised Passenger Haulage. Harrumph! Peter McDonald, Hughes Missing the points By selectively reading my previous letters, Jimmy Jack (Letters, October 6) believes he has uncovered some sort of hypocrisy regarding my support for the West Basin redevelopment plan and my opposition to the construction of an excessively tall building in the suburb next to my own. In fact, he has conflated two very different issues. The plans for a mixed-use estate at West Basin resulted from expert and community consultation conducted over 25 years (Letters, November 30) and, if implemented according to the rules outlined in the National Capital Plan, will significantly improve a run-down, largely vacant part of the CBD. By comparison, Zapari promised three different forms of community engagement in its application to build a rule-violating eight-storey residential building in an established suburb, none of which have been undertaken. If Jimmy Jack fails to understand why I might support one form of development while objecting to another, that's hardly my problem. Ryan Hemsley, Wright Developers favoured The Canberra Times letter (October 6) about the double standards of Ryan Hemsley may be deserved but the reality is that we are in the grip of a wilful and deceitful government that favours developer cronies with the bigger-the-better buildings, above its citizens. Canberra's distressed anti-development groups are of course concerned about damaging impacts to their home neighbourhoods. But despite Hemsley's ill-informed comments of the past, Lake Burley Griffin Guardians supports community groups fighting for decently planned environments including the new Molonglo group. Urban planning goals such as equitable, healthy and attractive environments for current and future residents are largely ignored by the Labor-Greens government and most outrageous is the fake "Griffin" spin promulgated by Chief Minister Barr, Mr Gentleman and Malcolm Snow to give credibility to the 3ha infill of West Basin. The taking of West Basin lakebed to create a sizeable estate of private apartments will leave us with a reduced watermelon-shaped basin greatly damaging the three-basin lake form carefully constructed in the 1960s. Along with that damage is a loss of a wildlife environment (for platypus and waterfowl), loss of the human environment and parkland, a loss of public vistas and views, a loss of public access and traffic chaos. Added to the lack of integrity in the ACT's urban planning governance, is that the guardians submitted a petition late last year with 745 signed petitioners from all ages, collected over a number of months. This was to demonstrate community concern and prompt public participation for a lakeside development review. The government did not even bother to send the guardians a response. Juliet Ramsay, Burra Nuclear not in race Ian Person (Letters, October 8) revisits the tired old suggestion of nuclear power generation for Australia. As I have stated previously, nuclear power generation and the construction of new nuclear plants in Western countries is not financially viable. The most recent United Kingdom nuclear plant construction, Hinkley C, cost $37billion and now buyers are locked into a strike price of $172 per MWh (compared with roughly $55/MWh for wind in Australia). The only two new nuclear plants mooted for construction in the United States have stalled and Westinghouse, the manufacturer of AP1000 nuclear plants, has filed for bankruptcy. In contrast, solar and wind are getting cheaper every year and the incredible potential (pun intended) of grid scale storage has been demonstrated by the Horndale/Tesla plant. Warwick Bradly, Weston The perils of tobacco M. Jarratt (Letters, October 6) is clearly a nicotine addict who, like all addicts, wants to have a fix wherever, whenever and without concern to self or others. There is no safe level of active or passive smoking and questions of how long people are exposed are irrelevant. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of noxious chemicals, many causing cancer, and if tobacco was considered the same way as other products it would be banned. It is only legal because the tobacco industry is a multibillion-dollar enterprise and money talks all sorts of languages. If Big Tobacco had a conscience it would withdraw its product from the market. M. Jarratt also mentions "freedom" to buy and use tobacco. What about other dangerous inventions, such as cars without brakes? Should they be available for those wishing to purchase them? Dr Alan Shroot, Canberra ASH president, Forrest MPs raiding piggy bank There was a time when it was a sackable offence for a politician to bring a Paddington Bear or a portable TV through customs. Fast forward to the Howard years where one of his members allowed one of his children run up a $500 bill on his government mobile phone. Something that was not seen as a sackable offence. Fast forward to Bronwyn Bishop's little public paid with staff holiday in Europe and her chopper charter that was, in the main, buried with only the chopper charter being repaid. The present conservative government is just about to sweep one of its own's abuse of the public purse under the carpet by doing a Peter Reith for Stuart Robert's abuse of the public purse. And the tragedy is the latest raid on the public purse will be buried like all the others with the predictable up-you to us mug punters. And it will continue because of our apathy when it comes those elect raiding of our piggy bank. D.J Fraser, Currumbin, Qld Parallel universe The parallel universe that politicians live in was evident in the way they treated one of their own ("Stuart Robert to pay back internet charges after Scott Morrison demands answers", October 6, p8). Frontbencher Robert, through apparent negligence, racked up a huge internet bill that the taxpayer copped. Unfortunately for Mr Robert this overspend made it into the public domain causing the ScoMo government embarrassment. Now Mr Robert has magnanimously agreed to repay the amount he overspent. Sanctions against him? Zero. By comparison, a Centrelink recipient who is overpaid (even through someone else's fault) is likely to be sent stern letters threatening legal action and benefit removal. But then again Centrelink recipients are not part of the protected species MPs are. Mike Reddy, Curtin Shameless reaction Apprentice Treasurer Stuart Robert is shaping up nicely to be the quintessential Australian politician. Unexpectedly caught with a delinquent arm deep in the taxpayer cookie jar, he smoothly turns what he full well knows was a rank abuse of entitlement into a virtuous decision to repay it ahead, of course, of an inquiry. Breathtakingly shameless. In an earlier time he would have had the decency to resign. A Whiddett, Forrest Gilbertian charade Scott Morrison's revealed intent to "look into" Stuart Robert's internet charges, is another Gilbertian charade, an exercise in cynical futility ("Robert to pay back net charges as Morrison demands answers", October 6, p8). All such "looks" Noodle King or Rolex find the politically incestuous "rules have not been broken". Albert M. White, Queanbeyan, NSW Jingoistic enthusiasm The great ideological payoff in constantly intimidating a national broadcaster is you can then have them springing to your every desire, eager to please and anticipating everything you want to hear, propaganda and all. That, disappointingly, seems to be the genesis of some of the ABC's current enthusiastic populism, which does it no credit. ABC evening news' forelock-tugging report on Friday on the fabulously novel idea of planting 150,000 knitted red poppies on the AWM's lawn, in preparation for November 11, concluded with the statement that the sacrifice of our boys in WWI had "underwritten our freedoms and way of life". Parroting therefore this bizarre new take on Australia's involvement in that war, that we are so strangely proud of. Ironically, the War Memorial respects history, and its own WWI interpretive exhibitions in the past 15 years have duly made no secret that antipodean volunteers to that European war were motivated by a mixture of loyalty to Empire, anti-Germanic xenophobia and craving for an old-world grand adventure which they could never have afforded. We can do without the ABC's jingoistic enthusiasm for this new revisionism, no matter how pleasing it certainly is to the far right in government and the obtuse "new nationalism" it has carefully spawned. Alex Mattea, Kingston Norfolk Island issue Jon Stanhope should know better than to assert, in his letter of October 5, that the residents of Norfolk Island have no "say or any role in any law or any aspect of the governance of or administration of their community". Although the Norfolk Island government was abolished a few years ago, there is a Norfolk Island regional council with normal local government powers, entirely appropriate for a community of fewer than 1800 residents. As for Bruce Sanderson's suggestion (October 5) that there be a royal commission into the governance of Norfolk Island, it would find, as various inquiries have done, that the government of the island was dysfunctional and facing bankruptcy and that those arrangements could not continue. The present arrangements flowed from that. I do not know the best arrangements for the government of Norfolk Island but it is not a return to self-government of the kind held from 1979 to 2013, where this small community had all the powers of local and state governments plus some federal government powers as well. It would be a bit like making Braidwood or Bungendore into states. Stan Marks, Hawker Suicide's tragic toll Your call for more investment in suicide prevention is important, as is the description of suicide as a "devilishly complex issue" ("How we can reverse rise in suicide", October 7, p18). Targeting investment most effectively requires an acknowledgement of several aspects of this complexity. For example: those who take their lives are overwhelmingly male; suicide among young people is at concerning levels (in 2016, suicide accounted for 35.7 per cent of all deaths among males age 15-19); youth suicides are twice as likely as adult suicides to occur in clusters; and many suicides are not associated with prior indications of anxiety, despair or distress. Indeed, it is tragically all too common for no warning signs to be shown by a person struggling to cope with pressures, conflicts or setbacks. It would be helpful if our approach to suicide prevention recognised the role of gender and included more emphasis on assisting young people and men to build resilience and coping strategies. Karina Morris, Weetangera TO THE POINT WHO'S REALLY IN CHARGE? The response of the NSW government to the rantings of Alan Jones and allowing advertising on the Opera House sails for a horse race shows total hypocrisy. It is recognised that problem gambling in Australia costs us $4.7billion per year in destroyed homes, domestic violence and other social calamities. The fact an unqualified radio announcer can bully our politicians into supporting the horse racing industry tells us who is really running the country. Gerry Gillespie, Queanbeyan, NSW BULLYING LEGITIMISED Last Friday, the spineless Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian legitimised bullying. What will be the next thing? Renaming the state to "Alan Jones Domain" or the delayed again city light rail to "Alan's Tracks"? As federal politicians seem just as frightened of him, the second Sydney Airport to be named "The Alan Jones Aerodrome"? Ms Herron, you are to be saluted and are very highly valued by all decent people. Gail McAlpine, Griffith ON TRACK OK, I get it! The reason the NSW government is so keen on projecting horse racing ads onto the world heritage-listed Sydney Opera house is to celebrate Prime Minister Morrison's announcement that we will meet our Paris commitments "in a canter". Matt Colloff, Melba WHAT STRATEGY? In calling for a review of the ACT planning strategy, Mike Quirk (Letters, October 7) appears to think the ACT has one. And thanks for the laugh at the idea of anything giving the Barr/Rattenbury/Gentleman circus credibility. Maria Greene, Curtin COLES STAFF LOSE OUT With Coles replacing hundreds of workers with robotic back docks, it's time to seriously consider taxing this model to replace lost wages. The retail giant will make profit without workers, how will sacked workers earn a living? Matt Ford, Crookwell, NSW BUSES SPURNED I have been using Canberra's bus system for many years and have been disappointed it has not attracted more users despite various promotions. The light rail will have one big advantage it involves "steel on steel" rather than "rubber on road". Thus it will be more comfortable to travel on than buses will ever be. Hopefully this will attract more users. David Purnell, Florey SWEEPING AHEAD Scientists know genes are responsible for roughly half your chance of having a heart attack, but they didn't know which genes were important. Now, in a huge world-first study, Australian scientists say they have discovered the DNA patterns that can raise our risk. People with high-risk DNA are more than four times more likely to have a heart attack than people with low-risk DNA, their study reveals. Meanwhile, some women with the right DNA are at extremely low risk of having a heart attack even if they have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. And healthy people with a high-risk score have the same chance of having a heart attack as people with high blood pressure and high cholesterol but a low genetic risk score. A work order for annual preventative maintenance of the Thunder River Rapids Ride was entered into Dreamworlds computer system the day after the 2016 tragedy that killed four people, and not by the parks maintenance planner. Details of the annual shutdown and inspection of the ride have been discussed as Dreamworld maintenance staff continue giving evidence at the coronial inquest into the tragedy. Sydney mother Cindy Low, siblings Luke Dorsett and Kate Goodchild and Mr Dorsetts partner, Roozi Araghi, were killed on October 25, 2016, when the ride malfunctioned and the raft they were riding in flipped over. Maintenance planner Grant Naumann, who had worked at Dreamworld for several years in his more administrative hands-off role, told the inquest the ride often had maintenance issues that were fixed immediately or scheduled for resolution. A man bitten by a reef shark as he dragged it onto a boat spent the night at sea before he was met by paramedics on the central Queensland coast on Tuesday morning and taken to hospital. The 55-year-old suffered a large wound on his upper left arm when he tried to haul the shark aboard at Swains Reef, north-east of Yeppoon, about 5pm on Monday. The bite victim was trying to pull a reef shark aboard his vessel off the Queensland coast. Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Brad Miers said the man was brought back to Rosslyn Bay, about 10 kilometres south-east of Yeppoon, just before 7am on Tuesday. "We had a good chat to the gentleman. He stated that he had caught a large reef shark and as he went to pull it on board, it turned and bit him on the upper arm," Mr Miers said. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian had vowed to cancel the Western Sydney festival, after two people died last month due to suspected drug overdoses. She later softened her stance, instead appointing an expert panel that will report back later this month on how to improve safety at music festivals. The ACT Greens have offered up Canberra as a future venue for Defqon.1, after two deaths at the Sydney festival this year. ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury says the NSW government's rejection of the Defqon.1 music festival is an "economic opportunity" that could bring "life to the city". The Barr government has hobbled an attempt by one of its ministers to lure a music festival where two people died to Canberra, saying pill testing won't be used as a tool to attract events to Canberra. The invitation was extended in his role as the Greens' spokesman on drug policy, not as justice minister. Mr Rattenbury is also yet to take the idea to cabinet. Mr Rattenbury said he was not trying to "capitalise on the misfortune" of the Defqon deaths "We should seek to embrace an event like this for the opportunities it would bring to Canberra but also be really conscious of the risks that are involved in it and work as earnestly and as diligently as we can to minimise those risks," Mr Rattenbury said. "This festival attracts about 30,000 people and certainly for the ACT hotel sector, the restaurants, the taxis, the whole tourism sector would benefit very strongly from having an event like this in the ACT as well as our young people having another festival to go to. "Because pill testing is accepted here in the ACT, theres an opportunity potentially to make this festival safer through sensible drug policy unlike the NSW government who will stick their head in the sand and say were not going to contemplate this, the ACT government has taken a more evidence-based approach and there is an opportunity to consider that here as part of Defqon." All departments have policy tensions. The Immigration Department strains between those responsible for attracting immigrants and promoting the economic boost and those who police our borders and deport unwelcome visitors. Depending on the government of the day, employees can see themselves as welcoming, humane migration officers, or as xenophobic guards protecting us from the foreign hoards. In his report commissioner Palmer concluded that serious problems in handling immigration detention cases stemmed from deep-seated cultural and attitudinal problems. This culture did not come out of the ether. The department of the day had simply picked up on the Howard governments campaign messages over successive elections the recognition that race could be exploited to win votes; the fear of terrorism following the September 11, 2001 attacks and the Bali bombings of 2002; the Iraq war of 2003; and the general concern in the community about immigrants competing for jobs or placing strains on infrastructure. In such an atmosphere its easy to be harsh or cavalier in the treatment of people who are subject to your authority. Harsh treatment is evident in the latest available Home Affairs annual report which reveals a 46 per cent jump in the number of non-citizens removed from Australia, up from 4754 in 2015-16 to 6948 in 2016-17. In his report Palmer took the opportunity to remind staff that protection of individual liberty is at the heart of Australian democracy. He said the immigration detention policy had to be applied justly and equitably and there was an overall duty of care owed to detainees. The negative publicity prompted the government to shake-up the department and a new secretary, Andrew Metcalfe, was appointed with a brief that included making sure that actions such as those that had impacted on Rau and Solon would not happen again. In 2006 Metcalfe told me his department was trying to be as open as we can. Weve got to be outward looking. Weve got to engage with our critics, with commentators, with people who have an interest in what we do. But the pendulum swings. Today the department is far from open and does not engage with critics. Its Australian Border Force is in reality a paramilitary organisation. Secrecy, paranoia, suspicion and hostility are the hallmarks of the organisation. From the moment Scott Morrison took over as immigration minister in 2013, media blackouts and obfuscation became the order of the day. Information on boat arrivals was severely limited and even the nationality of arrivals was kept secret. In the early days of the Abbott government the restriction drew widespread criticism. But the government has weathered the storm and has not paid a political price. Sadly the individual lack of liberty of others does not seem to bother much of the electorate and few voters care about media access, which is extremely limited in the Home Affairs/Immigration area. Around Australia people are held behind closed doors with next to no rights and with no public awareness. We may have found out about Daniel Loves wrongful incarceration, but how many others are there? And what chance do they have to make their case for freedom? Picture this. You are a young man who came to Australia as a child refugee and committed a crime one week after you turned 18. It was your first and only offence. You got sentenced to 13 months in youth detention. You did your time and for the next two years worked and stayed out of trouble with the police. At 8am, as youre about to go to work, theres a knock on your door and four border force officers and three police are there to greet you. They tell you your visa has been cancelled and you are to be deported to a country where you know no one. But thats not the worst of it. What happens next is the where the pretence that Australia is a fair and just society falls away. Youre told that the decision has been made by Minister Dutton alone and you have the right to appeal. Simple. All you have to do, while sitting alone in detention with no lawyer, is prepare an appeal stating where the minister has erred in law in making his decision. (It helps if you know what terms like mandamus mean as you will be dealing with legal documents.) And once youve filled in the forms, all you have to do is get one of the guards to lodge it properly with the appropriate court. In one case I know, the document that had to be faxed had an attachment the ministers decision that was double sided but the guards only faxed one side, making the application incomplete. Ordinary detainees are harassed by Immigration officials who read from a document, telling detainees that theres no need to read it for themselves just sign here and well give you $10,000 to help you set up in a country you barely know. Commissioner Palmer made the point that Australias immigration polices had to be applied justly and fairly. How is this fair? If only the detainee I know knew someone who was an old friend of the minister. Or if only the detainee was a European au pair. In such cases the minister will act in a day to free the detainee, even acting against the advice of his department. Others languish in detention for months, some even years. When the Police Minister Troy Grant was responsible for the arts, he picked up the phone on more than one occasion and called the Sydney Opera House chief executive Louise Herron. He had clear instructions. Once it was to promote the Wallabies (without any mention of major sponsors Qantas) on the white sails of Australia's most famous building. Another time it was to show support for Paris after deadly terrorist attacks. The requests were in line with the Opera House's policies and Herron accepted the directions from the arts minister without fuss. The sails were lit up and there was no public outrage. But in the latest disastrous blunder for the state government, the issue of whether a multimillion-dollar horse race should be promoted on the Opera House has dominated headlines for days. Photo: CTV Kinder Morgan responding to pipeline spill reports in Surrey UPDATE: 6:30 p.m. A gasoline-like substance found in the area where the Trans Mountain pipeline runs through Surrey, B.C., has been traced to a private home. The pipeline was shut down earlier Sunday amid an odour complaint and reports of a gasoline-like substance in a ditch. But in a statement Sunday night, the provincial environment ministry said the spill had been "traced to a private residence." Earlier Sunday, the ministry said it was notified about the smell at 1:15 a.m. and a vacuum truck was sent to the scene to clean up minor "sheens." It said the pipeline was shut down as a "precautionary measure." The existing Trans Mountain pipeline was owned by Kinder Morgan Canada until earlier this year, when the federal government bought it for $4.5 billion. The Federal Court of Appeal has quashed Ottawa's approval of a plan to triple the pipeline's capacity, ruling it was done without a proper review of environmental impacts or adequate consultation of Indigenous people. ORIGINAL: 3:45 p.m. A strong petroleum odour is being reported in North Surrey near a 65-year-old Trans Mountain pipeline. Trans Mountain Corporation tells CTV News they are investigating the odour. "We have been investigating the odour complaint and are continuing to explore in the area, but at this time we have found no evidence that the source of the product is the pipeline," the company said in a statement. A large spill response team and Trans Mountain crews are on site at Douglas Road and Kalmar Road. Private security are blocking off the area and large trucks are on site. The pipeline has been shut down as a precautionary measure and we are investigating the source of the product. We are doing air monitoring in the area and there is no risk to the public at this time, says the company to CTV News. The existing Trans Mountain pipeline was owned by Kinder Morgan Canada until earlier this year when the federal government bought it for $4.5 billion. The Federal Court of Appeal has quashed Ottawa's approval of a plan to triple the pipeline's capacity. The court ruled the expansion was approved without a proper review of its environmental impact or adequate consultation of affected Indigenous communities. - with files from CTV Vancouver and the Canadian Press Sophia: A Bulgarian television journalist was brutally murdered, the third reporter to be killed in a year in the European Union as concern grows for press safety. Police and prosecutors are investigating the death of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova, who hosted a show on the regional TVN channel. She was found dead on Saturday near the Danube River in the city of Russe. She had head injuries and there were signs of rape and suffocation, according to the Interior Ministry. "I am shocked by the horrific murder of investigative journalist Viktoria Marinova in Bulgaria," Harlem Desir, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's representative on freedom of the media, said. "I will closely follow the investigation opened by the authorities. I urge them to swiftly identify and bring to justice those responsible and to clearly determine whether this attack was linked to her work." Viktoria Marinova was an investigative journalist for TVN in Bulgaria. Credit:Facebook Marinova's slaying follows those of prominent journalists in Malta and Slovakia, with both murders linked to their work and both sparking public outrage. Bulgaria was the lowest-ranking EU member in Reporters Without Borders' 2018 World Press Freedom Index. The Paris-based group called corruption and collusion between media, politicians, and oligarchs "widespread". VOLKSWAGEN CHATTANOOGA HITS PRODUCTION MILESTONE OF 100,000 ATLAS SUVS SEE ALSO: 25 Years Of The Auto Channel Volkswagen Reviews (Includes Atlas) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Oct 5, 2018) Volkswagen Chattanooga announced today that it achieved a production milestone with the completion of the 100,000th Volkswagen Atlas. Assembled in the LEED Platinum-certified production facility in Chattanooga Tennessee, the 100,000th SUV is a 2019 Atlas SEL premium, finished in Pacific Blue, with Shetland V-Tex leatherette interior. The Atlas has a 3.6-liter direct-injection VR6 engine, 8-speed automatic transmission. Our objective for the Atlas has been to assemble an SUV in America for Americans and we have been very encouraged by the success of the vehicle so far, said Antonio Pinto, CEO of Volkswagen Chattanooga. This is just the first of many production milestones we anticipate celebrating for the Atlas, and it would not have been possible without the world-class team here in Chattanooga. For the 2019 model year, the Atlas is available in seven trims levels S, SE, SE w/ Technology, SE w/ Technology R-Line, SEL, SEL R-Line, and SEL Premium. The Atlas family receives a modest value alignment, with driver-assistance and innovation features moving to lower trims. Front Assist, Blind Spot Monitor, and Rear Traffic Alert are now standard on all models. Volkswagen Digital Cockpitthe high-tech configurable instrument clusteris now standard on SEL models. Manufacturer suggested retail pricing for the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas 2.0-liter starts at $30,895 for the S model; 3.6-liter models start at $34,095 for the S 4Motion. The destination charge for all Atlas models is an additional $995. About Volkswagen Chattanooga The Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations, LLC (Volkswagen Chattanooga) manufacturing facility began production in April 2011. Volkswagen Chattanooga currently assembles the Volkswagen Passat, a midsize sedan specifically designed for the North American market, and the Volkswagen Atlas, a midsize sport utility vehicle which went on sale in May of 2017. In March 2018, Volkswagen Chattanooga was announced as the future production home of a five-seat SUV, representing an additional $340 million investment. Volkswagen Chattanooga currently employs approximately 3500 team members. Volkswagen Chattanooga is the first car factory worldwide with a LEED Platinum certification. It is also certified to international standards for energy management (ISO 50001), environmental management (ISO 14001) and quality management (ISO 9001). The Midwest Automotive Media Association Hosted Nearly 80 Media Members to Experience 70 Vehicles at its Annual Fall Rally Joliet, Illinois (Oct. 8) The Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) held its annual Fall Rally last week, where nearly 80 media members gathered to test-drive 70 of the industrys latest cars, trucks and SUVs. Held at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois, the 2019 MAMA Fall Rally offered journalists plentiful opportunities to put brand-new vehicles through their paces on track, on street and off road. The vehicle lineup was robust, ranging from a 2019 BMW i8, a 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt, a 2019 GMC Sierra Denali to a 2019 Subaru Forester, to name just a few. Lexus kicked off the morning with a breakfast presentation to highlight the all-new 2019 ES short for elegant sedan including the ES 300h and first-ever ES 350 F Sport. Bob Gleich, education administrator at Lexus College, delivered the presentation. The seventh-generation luxury sedan offers a more daring design, sharpened performance, advanced active safety technology and a level of craftsmanship rarely found in this segment, said Gleich. We were thrilled to be able to show off the vehicles dynamic capabilities at the MAMA Fall Rally, a key area for the Lexus brand. The Lexus ES features an all-new Global Architecture-K platform enabling a new, more daring design, a new level of dynamic performance and a new sense of confidence for the driver. All versions of the ES feature the new Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 as standard equipment. Already one of the most sophisticated systems of its kind, LSS+ 2.0 adds new features that further expand its capabilities such as daytime bicyclist detection and low light pedestrian detection. The ES is also Amazon Alexa-enabled, so drivers can use natural language commands to control a variety of functions, including car-to-home and home-to-car commands. Lexus Lexus had both the ES 350h and ES F Sport on hand for media to test-drive. Following the morning session of driving on track, on street and off road, Maserati refueled Fall Rally attendees with lunch and a presentation on the 2019 Maserati Levante. Matt McAlear, head of product marketing for Maserati North America, led the presentation on the Levante, which is positioned as a good value compared to its competitors in the luxury SUV segment. While the base S model starts at $75,980, McAlear focused on the GTS trim level, which hovers around $119,000. Maserati Our all-new 2019 Maserati Levante Trofeo and GTS SUVs represent the pinnacle of modern-day Maserati engineering. Their Ferrari-built twin-turbocharged V8 engines and standard all-wheel-drive systems are perfect for conquering any Midwest road, no matter the conditions, said McAlear. Presenting the 550-horsepower Levante GTS to the Midwest Automotive Media Association marks another important step as Maserati continues to grow in the Midwest and across North America. Maserati didnt miss the opportunity to have a Levante GTS on hand for media members to take for test drives. Throughout the day, journalists had the opportunity to maneuver 4WD and AWD trucks and SUVs through an off-road course, sponsored by Jeep. Participating vehicles included a 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel, 2019 GMC Sierra AT4, 2019 Subaru Forester, 2018 Toyota 4Runner Limited and 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 4MOTION. MAMA also encouraged members to test-drive contenders for the MAMA Family Vehicle of the Year Award and the new-for-2019 Luxury Family Vehicle of the Year Award. To qualify, vehicles must be four-door, family vehicles in both the mainstream and luxury categories. The 2019 award mainstream finalists include the 2019 Honda Pilot, 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2019 Nissan Altima, 2019 Subaru Ascent and 2019 Subaru Forester. The luxury finalists are the 2019 Lexus ES and the 2019 Maserati Levante. Both the MAMA Family Vehicle of the Year Award and Luxury Family Vehicle of the Year Award will be announced at the MAMA opening breakfast during the 2019 Chicago Auto Show on Feb. 7. The MAMA Fall Rally is one of two track events the organization hosts each year. MAMA also hosts monthly meetings for its members; the upcoming-event schedule can be found at www.mamaonline.org. Photo Credit: Christian Lantry, Cars.com About the Midwest Automotive Media Association The Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) is a professional non-profit press association, with a 27-year history, that brings together automotive journalists and manufacturers to provide a platform for automakers to release news. MAMA's membership has grown to more than 260 members and includes journalists covering print, broadcast, and online, as well as media-relations professionals within the automotive industry. For more information, visit www.mamaonline.org. Ole' The Audi A1 becomes the second premium car made in Spain after the Audi Q3 The new Audi A1 will enhance synergies and efficiencies with SEAT Ibiza and Arona Martorell, 08 October 2018. - Production of the Audi A1 is already underway in Martorell. The new sporty compact model is being made exclusively at the SEAT plant and distributed to all the markets where it is sold, making a positive contribution to increasing the factorys export volume, which is already above 80%. Audi allocated the A1 to Martorell following the production success of the Audi Q3. Production of the Audi Q3 started in mid 2011. Since then until last July almost 800,000 units were manufactured in Martorell. This figure even exceeded primary expectations. The previous generation of the Audi A1 was made in Brussels, while the new Audi Q3 is now being made in Hungarys Gyor factory. SEAT Vice-president for Production and Logistics Dr. Christian Vollmer explained that having the manufacture of the Audi A1 allocated here at Martorell is an acknowledgement of the excellent work carried out by the SEAT Martorell team on the production of the Audi Q3 in recent years. The Audi A1 will be made under the highest quality standards, confirming the Audi Groups commitment to the Martorell factory as a strategic production location for the Volkswagen Groups global network. Peter Kossler, Board of Management Member for Production and Logistics at AUDI AG: Over the last years, the Martorell plant with its highly qualified employees has produced our Audi Q3 and made this model a great success. The plant has gained a lot of experience with our extremely quality-oriented Audi production system. Therefore, Martorell is for us the ideal place to manufacture our new Audi A1, one of our strategic pillars in this segment. The new Audi A1, the second premium model made in Spain following the Audi Q3, will be made in two shifts on the revamped Line 3 using the MQB A0 platform. This is the platform where the Ibiza debuted in 2017. The Audi A1 will contribute to maintaining the high volume output at the Martorell facility, which is the factory that produces the most vehicles in Spain. Furthermore, the Audi A1 will enhance the synergies and efficiencies with the models that share its platform in Martorell, the Ibiza and the Arona. In addition to producing the new Audi A1, SEAT also participated in its development, which enabled the creation of high-skilled employment. Martorell, a new model lineup With the addition of the Audi A1, production at the Martorell factory has included three new models in the past 18 months, beginning with the fifth generation Ibiza in early 2017, which was joined a few months later by the new urban crossover SEAT Arona. These launches make it possible to anticipate a high production volume in upcoming years. In 2018 alone, more than 500 workers were recruited with a permanent contract. The reinforcement of SEAT Groups workforce responds to the increase of production and models at the Martorell factory and for strategic projects related with car connectivity and the companys digitisation, as well as for the development and launch of Tarraco. Candidates vying for a seat on Steinbach city council will be front and centre at an election forum tomorrow. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/10/2018 (1134 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Candidates vying for a seat on Steinbach city council will be front and centre at an election forum tomorrow. The Steinbach Chamber of Commerce will host the 2018 Municipal Election Forum Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. at the Mennonite Heritage Village auditorium. The event will be a moderated question and answer period with candidates for both mayor and council expected to be in attendance. The event will also be broadcast live on the chambers Facebook page. Protesters rallying against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in New York. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images Today, as United States Senate Republicans, minus the vote of one Republican woman and with the help of one Democratic man, vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, we can see very clearly what is happening. They are shoring up the power of the minority in this country over its majority population, and in doing so, acting to subvert the founding promises of democracy and representation which have always been hollow, yet have been the notions to which that minority power has clung with dishonest reverence. In gaining control of the Supreme Court that may last them generations, they will be able to reverse the progress that had been made, over centuries, by previous generations of angry protesters, loudmouths, and hysterics. A court cemented by the confirmation of an ill-tempered and elite Beach Week participant, a seemingly congenital perjurer and alleged perpetrator in at least two credible instances of assault, will likely work to dismantle workplace and collective bargaining protections, whats left of affirmative action, abortion rights and perhaps access to birth control itself, and of course the promise of full enfranchisement the true and most powerful tool of our theoretical democracy. The behaviors of the past few weeks the actual logistical efforts made by Republicans to discredit, disarm, and punish those who would impede their further accumulation of power are the meta rehearsal of what they want to do on a grand legal and legislative scale: They want to ensure that minority rulers in this country, will never again have to put up with the objections made in loud voices or take into consideration the popular yearning for dignity, respect, recognition and full participation that those voices might be channeling. That they succeeded gives us every reason to feel defeated, dead inside. I was poleaxed yesterday by a social media message from the activist Allison Turkos, who had confronted Joe Manchin, a Democrat, and spoken to him directly on Thursday, asked how he would vote, and told him of her experience as a survivor of sexual assault. I have no words, I have no tears, Turkos wrote. I have no feeling. I gave it all away. I emptied every part of me. They didnt care. They didnt hear, they didnt believe. Theyre voting against us. I begged you to #Believe Survivors and it did nothing. But I believe perhaps I have to believe, but there you go, I have to believe that the point is that indeed they did hear, did believe, and that they were terrified. Those big powerful men were so scared they couldnt look women in the eyes and tell them the truth about how they were planning to vote to contain and quell their power. And the fact is, they have reason to fear those women and men who had come to try to halt their illegitimate and undemocratic attempts to bolster minority rule. After all, they wouldnt have so much progress to reverse if that progress hadnt been made in the first place by masses of people willing to yell and scream and sit and organize and run and devote entire lives to trying to make this country something better than it is something closer to what it always claimed to be. Even now, in this moment of terrible, long-term, consequentially chilling defeat, those who voiced their fury did something incredibly powerful: They made this all so visible; we can see it, write about it, show the world what just happened. Here was a view of the powerful, old white men in power for so long that they can call up tape of how they dismissed and derided Anita Hill and the white women, the female assistants and partisan handmaidens who are eager, perhaps avid, to help them in their pursuit of further suffocating authority. We heard and saw Turkos confronting Manchin, Jess Morales confronting Ted Cruz, and of course Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher demanding that Jeff Flake look them in their eyes. And then we watched all of those men vote for Kavanaugh. To say that a beast of mass dissent has been waking up for a while from Occupy and Black Lives Matter, through the womens marches and teachers and fast food workers strikes happening in recent weeks is no silver lining. This shouldnt make us feel good. This should make us feel aware that the fight ahead is endless, and will be ugly, and that millions of us will not live long enough to see it succeed against attempts to quash it. Women protest the nomination of Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in October of 1991. Photo: Ron Edmonds/AP Friday, October 5, was the anniversary of the New York Times story on Harvey Weinsteins history of sexual assault, making it the unofficial anniversary of #MeToo, a movement that is itself an extension of Tarana Burkes 2006 Me Too movement to raise awareness about the pervasiveness of sexual assault, which was itself a form of resistance enabled by the testimony of Anita Hill, which itself was grounded in the legal cases asserting sexual harassment as a form of gender discrimination, brought by women of color in the 1970s and drawing their basis in civil rights law on racial discrimination, themselves precipitated by centuries of mass protest movements. This road is winding, long, unjust and cruel. It is set up to make victories legal, electoral, moral few and far between. But it also shows us, sometimes in blinkingly small and incomplete instances, that those victories are sometimes possible. If they werent, these powerful men and their allies wouldnt be so desperate to silence and stop the masses from exerting their will, their rights, and their humanity as somehow equal to the humanity of those who wield power over them. On the same day that the we learned that Brett Kavanaugh would be confirmed to the Supreme Court, Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder for the death of Laquan McDonald, the 17-year-old boy shot 16 times dead in 2014 as he was walking away from police officers. The poet Nate Marshall, in a piece at BuzzFeed noting the historic nature of this conviction Van Dyke is the first Chicago police officer convicted of murder in more than 50 years described how, while he wanted to feel joyvindicationrighteous relief[and] the satisfaction in knowing that the work of organizers, activists, artists, and so many everyday people across the city and country was not in vain, that there was restitution for the theft of a young mans life, what he mostly feels instead is sad, and aware that it should not take the continued martyrdom of black people to expose the countrys moral bankruptcy. And yet, Marshall went on, he retains some hope that this verdict opens a small window through which we might reconsider, as a society, what justice looks like. This is the brutally hard, but morally crucial project ahead. Alanna Kelly A large dumping of snow is expected to fall on the Okanagan Connector soon. Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the Okanagan Connector, from Merritt to Kelowna on Sunday. Up to 20 centimetres of snow is possible over the Pennask Summit of the Okanagan Connector on Monday through to Tuesday morning. A low-pressure system will move across the BC southwest interior on Monday, says the statement. With a snow level forecast near 1400 metres, snow will begin to accumulate at Pennask Summit Monday morning. Snowfall is expected to start off lightly with just five cm in the daylight hours. But as the cold front moves in on Monday night, snow rates will intensify to 10 to 15 cm near the Summit. Snow is expected to taper off on Tuesday morning. Vehicles are required to be equipped with appropriate winter tires on specific highways across the North, Interior, South Coast, and Vancouver Island as of Oct. 1. Drivers whose vehicles don't have tires with either the M+S or mountain/snowflake symbol could face a fine of $109. Drivers should regularly check road conditions at DriveBC. An Afghan labourer on the outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif. on June 20, 2018. FARSHAD USYAN/AFP/Getty Images Afghanistan Signs Major Mining Deals in Development Push KABULAfghan officials have signed contracts for two major mining projects in northern Afghanistan, pushing ahead with plans to develop the countrys mineral reserves but drawing criticism over the involvement of a former minister in the project. The deals were signed in Washington on Oct. 5 with mining and investment group Centar, and its operating company Afghan Gold and Minerals Co. to develop two sites in Badakhshan and Sar-e Pul provinces with potentially major gold and copper deposits. The deals, reviving projects that have been stalled for years, follow a push by U.S. and Afghan authorities to develop mineral resources estimated to be worth some $1 trillion and seen as vital to building a functioning economy in Afghanistan after four decades of war. This investment will be transformative for Afghanistan, Sadat Naderi, Chairman, and President of Afghanistan Gold and Minerals said in a statement. Once we begin mining, the country will benefit from major investments in infrastructure as well as fiscal revenue from our projects, he said. Poor security, rampant corruption and a lack of roads, power, and other infrastructure, have hampered development of Afghanistans mining sector. The few major deals which have been signed, including the vast Mes Aynak copper project signed with Chinas state-run China Metallurgical Group Corp., have so far remained largely inactive. Worrying Signal The involvement of Naderi, who served as urban development minister until June this year, has been criticized by campaigners including Integrity Watch Afghanistan, which said it was a clear breach of rules barring former ministers from holding concessions after leaving office. Under Afghan law, ministers may not hold mining contracts for five years after leaving office. Ikram Afzali, Executive Director of Integrity Watch Afghanistan and a member of the Mining Watch Afghanistan civil society group, said it would send a very worrying signal if some of the first major mining contracts it signed had question marks over them. A spokesman for the ministry of mining in Kabul rejected the criticisms, saying the deal was approved in 2012, before Naderi became a minister, and had been thoroughly vetted and approved. By James Mackenzie & Abdul Qadir Sediq Bahrains Parliament Approves Draft VAT Law: BNA Agency DUBAIBahraini legislators approved a draft law on Oct. 7 that would see value-added tax (VAT) imposed for the first time in the kingdom, state news agency BNA reported. The House of Representatives approved a Gulf Arab agreement to introduce VAT after a royal decree ordered parliament to hold an extraordinary session on Oct. 7, BNA reported, without giving details of the vote. The move came a few days after Bahrains wealthier neighbors Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait offered a $10 billion aid package to avoid the risk of a debt crisis in the country, which was also tied to fiscal reforms. The bill is yet to be approved by the parliaments upper house, which is expected to hold a similar session later this week. Introducing VAT at a 5 percent rate was part of a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreement in 2018, a big step for governments that have traditionally levied little tax and relied instead on oil revenues. Other sensitive reforms, including changes to the pension system and a new subsidy program, are still pending as part of Bahrains efforts to fix its public finances. The kingdom has been hit hard by a drop in oil prices in recent years, with its dinar sliding to its lowest in more than a decade. The Gulf state released a 33-page fiscal plan on Oct. 5 to fix its debt-burdened finances and essentially abolish its budget deficit by 2022. The plan, which promises further cuts in public spending, comes at a sensitive time as the kingdom prepares to hold election next month, the second ballot since 2011 when protesters took to the streets demanding democratic change. The yield on Bahrains dollar bond due 2023 edged down 6 basis points to a seven-month low of 5.64 percent on Oct. 5 after the Gulf state announced the aid package from its neighbors. By Maher Chmaytell Anti-Brexit demonstrators wave EU and Union flags opposite the Houses of Parliament in London on June 19, 2018. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters) Britain and EU Play Game of Chicken in Brexit Countdown LONDON/BRUSSELSBritain said on Oct. 8 it couldnt agree to a divorce deal with the European Union without a framework pact on future relations, throwing down the gauntlet to the bloc, which says it cant move on talks until London does. Both sides are eyeing significant progress at an Oct. 17-18 summit in Brussels but in different sequencesPrime Minister Theresa May wants to see the EUs proposal for post-Brexit ties, while the EU seeks a new offering from her on the Irish border. What is up in the air is timingwho plays their hand first, and after several days of positive noises about movement at the next summit, both sides are now tempering expectations. Mays spokesman repeated Britains line on Oct. 8 that Brussels should budge first and that there can be no withdrawal agreement without a precise future framework. Theres a difference between people talking optimistically about a deal, and a deal including both the withdrawal agreement and the future framework, actually being agreed upon, he said. The 27 remaining members of the EU might delay work on fleshing out their proposal for strong trade ties after Brexit and will instead focus on their own preparations this week, including contingencies for a no-deal scenariogiven the profound divisions within Mays camp over the terms of Brexit. Watch: Brexit Negotiations Explained The referendum vote left the nation divided. Negotiations on ending four decades of Britains membership in the EU have entered their final stage, more than two years after Britons voted narrowly for Brexit in a referendum. But London has yet to present in writing a new proposal for the biggest hurdle in talks nowhow to avoid extensive, post-Brexit checks along the 320 miles of border between EU member state Ireland and Britains Northern Ireland province, which will become the only EU-UK land frontier. EU officials and diplomats say the bloc wont put forward its proposal for future trade before reaching an agreement with Britain on an emergency fix that would keep the Irish border openpreserving a key aspect of a 1998 peace treaty that ended decades of sectarian bloodshedregardless of how Brexit goes. Joint priority: Ensuring the orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom to protect the rights of citizens, investments, and geographic indication [locally made products protected by EU law], chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Oct. 8 after meeting the Italian prime minister. This is the basis of trust for an ambitious future economic and strategic partnership [with Britain]. But Britain wants Brussels to first propose its vision of a future trade relationship. There remain big issues to work through, Mays spokesman said. Carrot and stick Given Mays struggles in swinging her divided Conservatives behind her negotiating approach, any final withdrawal agreement may well have to wait until a special EU summit in mid-November. Barnier was to present his Outline of New Relationship with the UK at the blocs executive European Commission on Oct. 10. But EU diplomats and officials said on Oct. 8 the focus of their session would instead be on the EUs own Brexit preparations, including for a no-deal outcome. That could upset London by offering up dire examples of the potential collapse in transport and other economic ties in case the sides fail to agree on a managed divorcealthough Mays government has itself released reports attesting to the likely disruptions of Britain crashing out of the EU. Its a carrot-and-stick approachwe are trying to push them into a deal, a senior EU diplomat said of the change of tone from talking up progress last week to returning this week to no-deal preparations. By William James & Gabriela Baczynska Photo: Contributed The British Columbia government is opening additional shelter spaces in Kamloops for people to access as cooler weather arrives. The provincial housing and municipal affairs ministry says in a news release it will open approximately 30 short-term beds next month. The Canadian Mental Health Association will operate the building and provide residents with support to help them transition into more permanent housing. The province says it's an interim measure until new, permanent supportive housing is available. A national "point-in-time" count earlier this year found 201 people experiencing homelessness in Kamloops. In January, the province and City of Kamloops partnered to develop two new permanent supportive housing developments. Pro-independence supporters hold ballot boxes symbolic of the Oct. 1, 2017 Catalonia independence referendum, in Barcelona, Spain, on Oct. 1, 2018. (Anna Llado/Special to The Epoch Times) Catalans Deeply Divided a Year After Contentious Independence Referendum BARCELONAIts been a year since secessionists in the coastal region of Catalonia held what the Constitutional Court of Spain referred to as an illegal referendum to seek independence. With pro-independence protests erupting in the region to mark the anniversary of the events of October 2017, the country is still grappling for a long-lasting solution to the unrest. For many in Catalonia, Oct. 1, 2017, is a difficult day to forget. The referendum was made possible mainly because of the many Catalans who slept in polling centers the night before to prevent Spanish police from closing the sites. Despite police confrontations that left almost 1,000 people injured, 2.2 million people voted in the referendum, with 90 percent choosing to secede from Spain. The turnout for the vote, however, was only 43 percent, as most of those opposing independence didnt go to the polls, deeming the referendum illegal. Following the referendum, the Parliament of Catalonia declared independence on Oct. 27. However, Spain invoked Article 155 of the constitution, suspending the government of Catalonia to restore legality. A year later, nine secessionist leaders are detained, with their trials expected to begin this winter, and seven othersincluding the former president of the government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemontare in self-imposed exile. They face multiple charges, including rebellion, sedition, and misuse of public funds. We live in a situation of absolute gravity, said Quim Torra, the pro-independence president of the government of Catalonia, during a public speech on the anniversary of the referendum. Torra asked for the release of what he considers political prisoners and urged the Spanish government to allow a referendum on independence, implying that the Oct. 1 vote isnt valid. For his part, Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he is open to dialogue within the framework of law, implying that he rejects the idea of holding a referendum. Marcel Mauri de los Rios, vice president of the Omnium Cultural pro-independence organization, noted that the secessionists remain determined to gain independence. However, he cant say if their movement is any closer to its goal compared to last year. It will be a long process, not free of difficulties. Things are moving forward, Mauri de los Rios said. The president of Omnium Cultural, Jordi Cuixart is currently detained. Divisions During the last round of elections in the region, secessionists received 48 percent of the popular vote. A poll by the Opinion Studies Center of the Government of Catalonia shows 46.7 percent of Catalans in support of independence, and 44.9 percent opposed. Although the single party with the most votes during the last elections was the pro-Spain center-right Ciudadanos, which considers the declaration of independence a coup detat, the government in Catalonia is currently formed by a coalition of pro-independence parties that hold the most seats in the parliament. Miriam Tey, vice president of Societat Civil Catalana, an organization that opposes independence, says one year after the referendum, the independence movement has failed. We see that the independence movement has failed as a political project. The referendum and the declaration were unilateral and illegal, and as a result, didnt get international recognition, she said. She also blames the referendum for creating more division within the country. Today there [is] more social division between pro-independence and pro-Spain supporters than a year before. There are also signs of division among the pro-independence groups, with organizations such as the Catalan National Assembly urging Torra to take immediate action to make the Republic of Catalonia a reality, while others advise against the move at this point. Some pro-Spain groups also accuse Torra of ignoring those in the region who dont want to secede from Spain. Torra forgets half of the Catalans, said Miquel Iceta, leader of the Socialists Party of Catalonia. Meng Hongwei delivers a campaign speech at the 85th session of the general assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), in Bali, Indonesia on Nov. 10, 2016. (Du Yu/Xinhua via AP)In a statement posted on a government website Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, the authorities said Meng Hongwei, China's vice minister for public security, was being investigated due to his own "willfulness and for bringing trouble upon himself." (Du Yu/Xinhua via AP, File) CCP Accuses Ex-Interpol Chief of Bribery, Other Crimes BEIJINGThe Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is investigating the former president of Interpol for bribery and other crimes, the communist regime said on Oct. 8 in a notice that indicated the Chinese official may also be in trouble for political transgressions. Meng Hongwei, Chinas vice minister for public security, was being investigated as a result of his willfulness, according to a statement posted on a government website. The scant details provided on Oct. 8 raised further questions about the scope of the allegations made against Meng and whether they pertain in any way to his work at the international police agency. They also shone an unflattering light on secretive, extralegal detentions in China that have ensnared dissidents and allegedly corrupt or disloyal officials alike. The Oct. 8 notice of a high-level meeting of public security officials elaborated on a terse announcement late Oct. 7 by an anti-graft agency of the ruling Communist Party that said Meng was suspected of unspecified crimes. The Oct. 7 announcement was issued barely an hour after Mengs wife made a bold appeal to the world for help from Lyon, France, where she is based. Meng is the latest high-ranking official, and one with an unusually prominent international standing, to fall victim to a sweeping crackdown by the ruling Communist Party on graft and perceived disloyalty. Shortly after Chinas announcement about the investigation on Oct. 7, Interpol said Meng had resigned as the international police agencys president. Chinese officials appeared to be scrambling to respond to an unfolding scandal. In the early hours of Oct. 8, Zhao Lezhi, the minister for public security, chaired a meeting attended by senior officials of the ministrys party committee to discuss Mengs case, the statement said. The 64-year-old Mengs unexplained disappearance while on a trip home to China late last month prompted the French government and Interpol to make their concerns known publicly in recent days. The acting president of Interpol, Kim Jong Yang, said it had not been told about the investigation of its chief. I find it regrettable that the top leader of the organization had to go out this way and that we werent specifically notified of what was happening in advance, Kim said in a phone interview. We still dont have sufficient information about whats happening (with Meng) or whether it has anything to do with Chinese domestic politics, he added. Questions about Mengs case dominated a regular briefing by the regimes foreign ministry on Oct. 8. The spokesman, Lu Kang, did not directly answer questions about whether Meng would be formally arrested or allowed to hire a lawyer, or receive a visit from his wife. Grace Meng, his wife, made an impassioned plea on Oct. 7 for help in bringing her husband to safety. She said she thought he sent an image of a knife before he disappeared in China as a way to warn her he was in danger. The Oct. 8 statement on the ministry of public securitys website provided no details about the bribes Meng allegedly took or other crimes he is accused of, but suggested that he was also being investigated for political lapses. It indicated that Meng, a member of the Communist Party, may have somehow been tainted by former security chief and ex-Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang, who is now serving a life sentence for corruption. We should resolutely oppose corruption and resolutely eliminate the pernicious influence of Zhou Yongkang, it said. Mengs various jobs likely put him in close contact with Zhou and other Chinese leaders in the security establishment, a sector long synonymous with corruption, opacity and human rights abuses. Zhou and other senior figures prosecuted in Xis anti-corruption crackdown were mostly convicted of corruption but officials have since also said they were accused of conspiring openly to usurp party leadership. At the Oct. 8 meeting, officials were told that they must always maintain the political quality of being absolutely loyal to the party, the statement said. By Gillian Wong Chickens look for food in a cracked riverbed in Qijiang County, Chongqing City, on Aug. 26, 2006. (China Photos/Getty Images) China Is Facing Food-Supply Crisis, Notable Challenges to Regimes Ambitions Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently went on an inspection tour of northeastern China, an area known as the countrys bread basket. During his Sept. 2528 visit, he said that China should become more self-reliant in its economy, from its manufacturing sector to food security. Chinas supply of agricultural goods has been affected by the trade war with the United States. Prior to the enactment of tariffs, China had to import large quantities of U.S. crops such as soybeans, sorghum, and corn in order to meet domestic demand. Some China commentators, who have observed that China could face a potential food-shortage crisis, say that was the chief reason why Xi decided to conduct a tour of northeastern China. However, there are notable challenges to Xis ambitions of self-reliance. According to the 2010 book Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power and Civilization by Steve Solomon, Chinas average amount of freshwater available per person is one-fifth of the amount thats available to Americans. Pollution in China has reached dangerous levels, to the point of affecting water for drinking or for crop farming. Chinas arable land accounts for less than 10 percent of the worlds total, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, but it must feed a population equal to one-fifth of the worlds total. Due to the demand for factories and housing, huge swathes of farmland have instead been converted to construction zones to increase local GDP growth. In 2017, Chinas total arable land fell for the fourth consecutive year, according to the state Ministry of Natural Resources, dropping to 134.86 million hectares. More than 3.33 million hectares (about 8 million acres)an area the size of Belgiumwas deemed too polluted to grow crops in a 2013 survey, according to Reuters. And as many as 10 million hectares (about 25 million acres) are contaminated by heavy metals, according to 2015 data. Back in October 2017, some Chinese media, citing experts, reported that Chinas grain demand is slated to grow to about 700 million tons in 2020, far below the roughly 554 million tons that can be produced domestically. According to an Oct. 3 report by the Chinese newspaper World Journal, in 2006, China had a grain surplus and exported about 10 million tons. But since 2013, China had to import more than 22 million tons of cereals every year. Amid the trade war with the United States, it is likely that China will still need to import U.S. crops and pay the tariffsas it simply cant meet demand on its own. For example, with soybeansprocessed primarily for use as animal feed and cooking oilChina bought a U.S. shipment of 70,000 tons worth $23 million on Aug. 13. That was the first U.S. soybean cargo subjected to Chinas retaliatory tariffs, according to Reuters. Chinas state-run grain stockpiler Sinograin confirmed in a fax to Reuters that it planned to pay the tariffs, about $6 million, for the shipment. The trade tariffs have compounded lowered domestic agricultural production due to droughts. A worker pushes cart at the construction site of a housing complex under construction in Beijing on Aug. 15, 2017. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images) China Looks to Foreign Investors and Pensioners as Distressed-Debt Saviors Bad banks look for fresh capital to tackle emerging financial risks By some measures, China is making progress in its effort to deleverage and clean up bank balance sheets. According to data from Bloomberg, Chinas total balance of non-performing loans (NPLs) reached 1.96 trillion yuan ($285 billion) at the end of June 2018. To help lower this figure, China has been pawning off toxic loans onto foreign investors and unsuspecting pensioners. Oaktree Capital Management in September acquired 115 NPLs for 2.4 billion yuan ($350 million) from one of Chinas bad banks China Huarong Asset Management Co., according to Bloomberg. The Los Angeles-based Oaktree is one of the worlds biggest distressed-debt investors. Oaktree CEO Jay Wintrob earlier this year said his firm is allocating more capital to acquire assets in Asia due to unattractively high valuation in the U.S. debt market. The loans Oaktree acquired were all from Chinas relatively wealthy eastern province of Jiangsu. As Chinas second-richest province (measured by GDP), Jiangsus NPLs will likely possess relatively higher chances of recovery. Toxic Asset Clearinghouse China Huarong is one of the countrys four big state-owned asset management companies (AMCs), commonly referred to as bad banks. Former premier Zhu Rongji originally established the AMCs in 1999one for each of its large commercial banks at the timeto buy NPLs of Chinas state-owned companies from banks. The AMCs were China Orient Asset Management, Great Wall Asset Management, China Cinda Asset Management, and China Huarong Asset Management. The AMCs purchased loans from banks, freeing up capital for banks to extend more loans to companies. They were given 10-year loans to finance the asset purchases, which were mostly done at par (full) value, despite the low quality of such loans, in an effort to prop up bank earnings. The AMCs were supposed to go away after winding down the NPLs in 10 years. But today, the AMCs are not only still around, but theyre getting larger and have become full-service financial-service organizations. Over the ensuing decades, Beijing used AMCs such as China Huarong to clean up bank balance sheets and shift NPL exposure away from banksthis is how Chinas biggest banks could claim sub-2 percent NPL ratios for years. Initially, the AMCs bought up soured loans given to national state-owned enterprises, and more recently they bought loans given to local governments, regional banks, and insurers. A new form of toxic asset will soon make its way to the AMCs. Last month, Chinas financial regulators ordered the AMCs to take over struggling online peer-to-peer lending platforms. The peer-to-peer lending crisis is Chinas latest financial blowup. Over the summer, Beijing announced strict guidelines online lenders must follow to remain in business, causing investor panic and failure of hundreds of low-quality peer-to-peer lenders. Facing increasing social unrest from investors who lost their savings investing in such products, Beijing is depending on the AMCs to extend their balance sheets and rescue such lenders. The state AMCs are the only ones that can help with this difficult situation, Nanjing University Business School Professor Sun Wujun told the South China Morning Post recently. In a test transaction, China Orientone of the AMCsrecently agreed to take on $2.9 million of NPLs from peer-to-peer lending platform CreditFinance. The small transaction serves as a first step to realizing Beijings directive to clean up the peer-to-peer sector. Passing the Buck Today, the AMCs themselves have become bloated with distressed assets. To free up capital to buy up more toxic loans, they sell assets to third-parties or raise fresh capital from strategic investors. Thats where foreign investment firms such as Lone Star Capital, Bain Capital, and Oaktree come in. With proper risk management, careful selection of loans, and disciplined valuation, distressed-debt investing can generate good returns. But in todays low-yield setting, due diligence efforts have become lax and investors often find themselves in bidding wars, driving up NPL prices to unreasonable levels. The Chinese NPL market resembles the unfavorable investing environment best described by Oaktree co-founder Howard Marks as too much money chasing too few deals. Even executives at AMCswho are selling such loanshave become concerned. China Huarong was surprised by the number of smaller and inexperienced investment managers dipping into the Wild West of NPLs over the past two years. Lai Xiaomin, the former CEO of China Huarong, told the Financial Times last year that a bubble in the price of bad assets was forming due to outside investors driving up prices of NPLs at auction. In the end, thats not a true concern of the AMCs. Their goal is to raise new equity and expand their balance sheets. So far, China Huarong and China Cinda are the only two of the big four AMCs to IPO in Hong Kong. While both Great Wall and China Orient are planning to list their shares publicly, they have been more active in capital raising from strategic investors. Great Wall announced a capital injection of 12 billion yuan ($1.8 billion) in July from four investors, including the National Social Security Fund, Chinas national pension. Earlier in the year, China Orient raised 18 billion yuan ($2.6 billion) from a group of investors that includes China Telecom and the National Council for Social Security Fund, according to information gathered by the Hong Kong-based China Money Network. Strategic capital from the national pension funds is an innovative, albeit worrisome, way for AMCs to raise funds. If the NPLs eventually perform, they can prove lucrative for yield-starved pension funds supporting a massive retired workforce. But what if Chinas economy continues to slow down and the NPLs dont recover? Its a risky proposition to align the interests of the pension fund, which directly impacts the financial future of retirees, to Beijing bureaucrats tasked with cleaning up the banking system. Imagine a situation where the pension funds returns falter and the fund has trouble meeting its liability payments in the future. The social unrest facing Beijing and the ruling Communist Party could become insurmountable. Unemployed Chinese graduates from British universities attend the LSE Beijing Career Fair as they search for jobs offered by foreign companies in Beijing on September 3, 2012. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/GettyImages) Chinas Efforts to Recruit Foreign Talent Are Going Underground As the FBI handles the threat of Chinas espionage with ever-growing scrutiny, Beijing is rolling back its Thousand Talents Planan ambitious initiative to attract foreign experts to China. The Thousand Talents Plan, a state recruitment program also known as the Recruitment Program of Global Experts, is of particular concern for U.S. officials. Established by the Chinese communist regime in December 2008 to bring academics and researchers to China, the program has been described by the U.S. National Intelligence Council as a means of enabling technology transfer to China from the United States. The Thousand Talents Plan has recruited about 8,000 people since its inception, but recently, the Chinese authorities have mandated the deletion of information pertaining to the program, including the Thousand Talents Plans Chinese-language website; however, the English website can still be accessed. A screenshot from circulating on WeChat shows that Chinas Ministry of Education issued an urgent notice requesting that all colleges and universities delete all information about the Thousand Talents Plan and make sure nothing related to the plan remains on their web pages. Another screenshot, dated Oct. 4, shows a letter signed by the Thousand Talents Plan Youth Review Team in reply to a unit on Sept. 29. The correspondence stressed that recruiting units in China should protect the security of overseas talents. For example, when notifying candidates about upcoming interviews, the recruiters shouldnt use email, but opt for telephone or fax instead. The new measures seem to be designed to avoid attracting the attention of foreign security services, such as the FBI. Recruiters were told to substitute language about job interviews for more benign topics, such as participation in academic conferences, forums, and the like. The instructions also asked recruiters not to use the term Thousand Talents Plan. Xie Tian, a professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken, told the Chinese language Epoch Times that the Thousand Talents Plan isnt a normal way of recruiting talents, such as using high salaries to attract talents back to China. The programs requirements are very strange, hoping that the people work a few months in China every year while still retaining their jobs in other countries. In fact, its transnational work. According to Xie, while countries like the United States also have such transnational work arrangements, the details are typically approved by both sides. However, Chinese experts maintain close connections with the Chinese Communist Party and have agendasthat is, to transfer technological datathat are not subject to approval by U.S. institutions. In April, the U.S. National Intelligence Council produced an analysis that described the Thousand Talents Plan as Chinas flagship talent program and probably the largest in terms of funding. The council raised concerns over its unadvertised goal to facilitate the legal and illicit transfer of U.S. technology, intellectual property, and know-how to China. In August, the FBI held an unprecedented gathering with top leaders of Texas academic and medical institutions to warn about foreign threats to research and academic institutions. On Sept. 13, Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) introduced the Stop Higher Education Espionage and Theft (SHEET) Act of 2018 to stop foreign intelligence services from using college exchange programs to steal technology, recruit agents and spread propaganda. China uses many methods to steal technology from the United States, he said. Rooney said one such example is the Confucius Institutes, which allow the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate American universities to exploit the open research and development environment, spread propaganda and recruit agents. This threat to our national security should be taken seriously. Rooney said, The SHEET Act will allow the FBI to designate foreign-intelligence threats to higher education, including professors and students associated with the Thousand Talents Plan. This authority is necessary to stop China from stealing American technology. Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly implied that The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center had dismissed or punished researchers for their involvement in the Thousand Talents Plan. MD Anderson did not dismiss or punish any researchers based on their involvement in the plan. The Epoch Times regrets the error. A man uses a computer at an internet cafe in Beijing on June 1, 2017. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images) Chinas New Cybersecurity Regulations Allow Unfettered Police Search, Inspections of Internet-Service Providers Beijing is expanding its draconian measures to police the internet to include service providers and any company that uses the internet in China, according to a recent announcement by Chinese state media. The latest internet safety supervision and inspection regulations announced by Chinas Ministry of Public Security were reported by Chinas state-run Xinhua on Oct. 4. Chinese internet-service providers include China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile. Under the new rules, any official within Chinas security apparatus can now enter a companys premises, computer mainframe rooms, and any other workspace, for the purpose of carrying out an inspection. Upon entering, security officials can demand that supervisors or internet administrators submit to questioning. The officials also can look up and make copies of any information relevant to the inspection. Security officials are now empowered to dispense administrative punishment or penal action for any behavior or action by companies or service providers that they deem to be illegal. The new regulations will be implemented beginning Nov. 1, according to Xinhua. Mr. Liao, an internet activist in China, said in an interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA) that the intention behind the latest regulation is very clear: to tighten Beijings control of the internet in a further crackdown on freedom of speech. The timing of the regulation has to do with the ongoing trade war between China and the United States, Liao said. Even though Beijing has imposed censorship on any negative reporting on China in the trade war, many Chinese netizens have been able to bypass Chinas Great Firewall, using anti-censorship software to access uncensored information outside of China. An example of anti-censorship software is Freegate, which is free to use. It was developed by U.S.-based company Dynamic Internet Technology (DIT). In September, U.S. President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, and in retaliation, Being proposed 10 percent tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. goods. Currently, any negotiations to resolve the trade war would probably take place after the Nov. 6 U.S. midterm elections, according to comments made by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in a recent interview with Reuters. He said, Chinese officials do not appear in a mood to talk at the moment. Chinese netizens have been known to express their opinions on the trade war specifically on one platformthe U.S. Embassys account on Sina Weibo, Chinas equivalent of Twitter. That is because their comments, sometimes critical of Beijing, are less likely to be deleted by Chinese censorship. The latest regulation is also an indication of how China might go about enforcing its latest cybersecurity law, which went into effect on June 1, 2017. Among its requirements is mandating all internet-service providers and companies that hold large amounts of Chinese citizens data to store their data physically in China. The U.S. government was among those who expressed security concerns that data stored on Chinese servers would be susceptible to built-in backdoors by Chinese companies, which would allow the Chinese regime access to trade secrets or intellectual property from foreign companies. In January, Apple announced that in compliance with the cybersecurity law, data from Chinese customers iCloud accounts would be hosted and managed by Guizhou-Cloud Big Data (GCBD), a tech company with links to Chinas military and directly owned by an agency by the Guizhou provincial government. A woman walks past snow-covered trees in a forest near the village of Mesherskoye, which is about 70 km (about 43 miles) outside Moscow, on Feb. 1, 2016. (Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images) Chinas Timber Demand Is Destroying Forests in Russia and Zambia Forests in Russias Siberia and the African nation of Zambia are being destroyed by Chinese loggingthrough legal and illegal means. Russian news site Sibir Realii, in an article titled Black Loggers, published on Sept. 30, detailed a war between locals trying to protect Siberian taiga from illegal loggers who were selling trees in China. Taiga, also known as snow forest, is an ecosystem characterized by coniferous trees such as spruces, larches, and pines. Most of these illegal loggers are Chinese, according to Sibir Realii. Lyudmila Mysak, a resident of Paspaul village in southern Siberia, said: It seems that they [Chinese] are selling our homeland, along with the land, the forest, us. Antonina Raspayeva, a resident of Kebezeni village in southern Siberia, witnessed trees being cut down. I just cried when I saw it allI have a lump in my throat, she said to Sibir Realii. Ivan Dek, a resident of Verkh-Biysk, southern Siberia, said locals have reported the problem to Russian prosecutors, but to no avail. Problems in Russia The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in a 2012 report on the outlook of Russias forest sector, said that Russia had a forest area of about 1.18 billion hectares (about 2.9 billion acres) at the beginning of 2010, which accounted for over 20 percent of the worlds forests. At the time of the reports release, the Russian forest sectorwhich processes timber such as pine, larch, birch, and oak treesaccounted for only 1.3 percent of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP). The underdeveloped industry has given rise to illegal logging, due to lucrative financial incentives: An illegal logger could profit about 6,000 rubles (about $90) from cutting down a pine tree, for example, but a legal logger would earn about 10 times less. There is a real fear among Russian citizens that the Chinese could cut down all of Siberias forests, according to a September article by Carnegie Moscow Center, a regional affiliate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace based in Washington. The fear has prompted thousands of locals in Siberias Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk regions to sign petitions seeking a ban on Russian timber exports to China. Illegal loggers arent all Chinese, according to the Carnegie article, as Chinese companies often hire Russian locals to carry out illegal logging. Some illegal logging is carried out in remote locations that are hard to monitor by Russian authorities, and in other instances, loggers take advantage of the fact that forest rangers are short-staffed due to lack of funding and cant sufficiently patrol forest areas. Corruption among border patrol officials has also made the illegal timber trade difficult to quash. According to the Carnegie article, illegally cut timber can easily be cleared through Russian border customs. Loggers often bribe officials for fabricated paperwork that allows them to fell old-growth pine trees in protected areas. In May, Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda reported the arrest of a deputy police chief in Kazachinsky district, in south-central Russia. He was detained for receiving bribes from a local logging company. In exchange for the bribes, the deputy police chief would inform the company of any planned police raids on illegal logging. Chinese companies frequently bribe Russian officials to gain access to forest lands, according to an Oct. 4 article by Radio Free Asia (RFA), citing Russian media. Jamestown Foundation, a Washington-based institute, published its findings on Chinese behavior in Siberia in June. It stated that Russian officials have pocketed fabulous sums, due to sizeable Chinese direct investment into the timber sector, represented as legal logging. However, few locals in the region have benefited at all. Sayan Namsaraeva, a research associate with the University of Cambridge, said in an interview with Russian broadcaster Radio Svoboda in September that Siberia is turning into a white Africa, where China has been injecting investment in order to financially pressure countries into granting China access to natural resourcesan implicit goal under Beijings One Belt, One Road initiative (OBOR, also known as Belt and Road). OBOR Beijing first announced OBOR in 2013, an initiative to finance infrastructure projects in over 60 countries in order to form trade routesand geopolitical influencethroughout Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. In March 2015, Beijing detailed its OBOR plans by announcing a set of measures and targets for different regions within China to undertake through partnering with other countries. According to state-run media Xinhua, one of the goals for Chinas northern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning was to set themselves up as important gateways to Russia by partnering with land and maritime transportation systems in Russias Far Eastern regions that border China. Chinas state-run companies have been avid participants in OBOR. For example, in 2014, China Forestry Group, a state-run company established by Chinas State Forestry and Grassland Administration, started building a forest city industrial park in Suifenhe City, Heilongjiang. China Forest Group is tasked with managing forests in China and handling imports and exports of forest products. The industrial park has been billed by China Forest Group as a prime example of a project that combines the business of importing, exporting, and processing timber. As of May 2017, 55 companies are located in the industrial park, most of them manufacturers of wooden floor tiles and furniture. China has long been one of the worlds major producers of furniture and thus, it has great demand for timber imports. Since Beijing unveiled OBOR, Chinas furniture industry has been boosted by imported wood. According to a February article by Chinese financial website JRJ.com, the furniture industry in Chongqing, one of Chinas megacities located in southwestern China, reported a cut in transport costs because Russian and European imports began coming through newly built OBOR railways that connect Russia to the megacity. Before OBOR, the same timber imports had to enter through Zhangjia Port, a port in eastern Chinas Jiangsu Province. Chinas hawkish state-run newspaper Global Times, in an article on June, reported that the total export and import value of timber and timber products in China topped $82.193 billion in 2017, an increase of almost 12 percent from a year earlier. And China imported 108 million cubic meters (about 38 million tons) of timber, with Russia accounting for 31 percent of that, the highest among all the countries China imported wood from. Zambia China also imports timber from a number of African countries, such as Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia. Zambia, one of the African countries that has received significant investment under OBOR, is facing similar problems to Russia on timber. According to data from Zambias Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the West African nation is covered by roughly 44 million hectares (about 108 million acres) of forest, which is about 60 percent of the countrys total landmass. China has its eyes set on these natural resources. At the center of trade between Zambia and China is mukula, better known as rosewood, which commands high prices in China because rosewood furniture (known as hongmu in Chinese) was historically used by the imperial elite and has become a status symbol in modern days. The rush started around 2012. Chinese buyers were looking for mukula trees everywhere in the country, said Mercy Kandulu Mupeta, an official with Zambias Forestry Department, according to an April 2017 report by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), an independent policy-research institute based in London. Evidence of illegal logging is apparent when looking at discrepancies between export data announced by FAO and import data announced by Chinese customs, according to an April 2018 paper published by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), a non-profit research organization headquartered in Indonesia. For example, in 2016, Zambia exported roughly 3,000 cubic meters (about 1,060 tons) of timber in total, according to FAO, but China alone received a total of 60,000 cubic meters from Zambia (about 21,190 tons), according to Chinese customs data. The paper pointed out that rosewood made up the majority of both Zambias exports and Chinese imports in those data sets, even though accurate data wasnt available. The CIFOR paper estimated that the Zambian government suffers a loss of about $3.2 million annually due to illegal loggingthe total estimated amount of businesses taxes should the timber exports be done through legal local companies. Additionally, the paper estimated that Zambian officials collected about $1.7 million in bribes annually in order to facilitate illegal timber exports. In this undated photo, the FDA has expanded its recall of valsartan which is found in certain drugs for high blood pressure and heart treatment. (NTD TV secreenshot) Chinese Drugmaker Huahai Tumbles After FDA Shutout SHANGHAIShares of Chinas Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd tumbled in early trade on Oct. 8, the first day of trading since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration halted imports of drug ingredients or medicines made by the company. The drug makers Shanghai-listed stock fell the maximum allowed 10 percent, its biggest drop in three months, after the company said on Oct. 7 that the move by the U.S. FDA along with regulators in Europe would hit its export business. The bulk manufacturer of the high blood pressure treatment valsartan recalled the product from consumers in the United States in July after an impurity linked to cancer was detected. The case has thrown a spotlight on hidden risks in Chinas sprawling market for generic medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and underscored regulatory blind spots that have caught out Chinese, European and U.S. watchdogs. European authorities said late last month they had found that Huahai did not comply with good manufacturing practices and that the companys factory in Linhai, China, was no longer authorized to produce valsartan. Chinese markets resumed trading on Oct. 8 after a week-long national holiday. Huahai, which says its makes over 50 drugs, APIs and intermediate products, made 61 percent of its total revenue last year outside of China. Huahai said in a statement on Oct. 7 that it faced risks including being sued by clients and from further action by authorities in Europe. It added that the firm and its units had been sued by U.S. consumers over the valsartan issue. By Adam Jourdan Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of President Donald Trump, attends the Women for America First Summit, at Trump International Hotel in Washington on Oct. 5 (Jan Jekielek/The Epoch Times) Conservative Women Gather in Washington to Back America First Agenda WASHINGTONWith the midterm elections just a month away, conservative women from around the country gathered in Washington to declare that Democrats have unwittingly unlocked the mama bear as they voiced their support for President Donald Trump. Dozens of conservative women leaders and activists from various states came together at the Women for America First summit that took place Oct. 4 to 7 at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. Speaking at the event, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said she was proud to be part of a movement started by Trump a few years ago. And we are seeing the culmination of that, she said. One of the themes at the summit was the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court after weeks of controversy. Hopefully, just in a few minutes, we will see one of the more impactful things that he [Trump] will ever do, which is to completely reshape the judiciary, said Sanders, who spoke less than an hour before the vote on cloture. The Senate voted 5149 on Oct. 5 to schedule a vote on Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Court, clearing a key procedural hurdle. The following day, the Senate voted 5048 to confirm Kavanaugh. Sanders received a standing ovation from the audience. In her brief remarks, she joked that she rarely received such a warm welcome and that having three kids taught her to be patient with reporters for repeatedly asking the same questions. Other speakers at the event included Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of the president; Ronna McDaniel, Republican National Committee chairwoman; Sebastian Gorka, author of Why We Fight; and other influential conservatives. Conservative women are not going to sit back and let the left and the media define what women stand for in 2018, Amy Kremer, chair of Women for Trump and host of the summit, said in a press release. We will not be ignored. We are fighting back and that is exactly what this summit is about. Actions Speak Louder than Words It is a false narrative that a majority of college-educated women disapprove of Trump, according to Fox News commentator and author Gina Loudon, who was one of the panelists at the summit. If you look at the last election, we had the quintessential woman running for president against him, and she couldnt conjure much more than 50 percent of the vote, she told The Epoch Times. You can talk about equality all day long, but until you have a policy that actually makes that equality happenlike making womens unemployment the lowest in our historyyour words mean nothing to me. According to Loudon, more women are now focusing on Trumps policies rather than his tweets or words. Actions speak louder than words, she added. His policy has actually helped the lives of women. I think women are going to continue to support him in numbers higher than ever before. Kavanaugh Debacle Was the Last Straw Many conservative women who attended the event feel they are being silenced by the left and the media. Political commentator and author Deanne Lorraine, from Los Angeles, is one of them. She believes there is a systematic organized suppression in the country. Right now, our voices are being completely drowned out by liberal feminist women who believe that they are the majority, she said. They want to ignore our voices and pretend that were not even there. And they have the loudest microphone. Conservative women have a vision for America and thats consistent with Trumps vision for America, she said. Were tired of being called racist or sexist because we dont agree with them. According to Lorraine, the Kavanaugh debacle was the last straw that broke the camels back. It was something that really energized and infuriated women who support Trump and Kavanaugh. It infuriated us to the point where we are so ready to go out guns blazing and say enough is enough, she said. Another Trump supporter, Tudor Dixon from Muskegon, Michigan, called the conservative women the silent majority. Right now, were so oppressed just for supporting our president and just for having views that are pro-country, she said. Conservative women arent always willing to come out, she said, but now theyve been empowered by people such as Brandon Straka, the founder of the #WalkAway movement that encourages Democrats to walk away from their party, or the American video bloggers and political activists Diamond and Silk. She said women are encouraged by these activists who give a voice to them and say yes, it is good to be pro-country, pro-President Trump and to have values. Referendum on Trump Mary Grace, another Trump supporter, said that she expects a bigger turnout of conservative women in the upcoming midterms than in the 2016 election. I believe that this midterm election will be a referendum on Trump, she said. Grace thinks the Kavanaugh case will help Republicans, as it has energized female conservative voters. After the Kavanaugh hearing and the debacle, I think that were going to see even more educated women coming out in favor of the Republican Party and of this president, she said. Because theyre thinking, if this can happen to him, it can happen to my husband, my brother, my uncle, my father, my son. Grace believes the Democrats have unwittingly unlocked the mama bear. And once you do that, youre done because women are the biggest influencers in our society. Socialist Agenda Gordana Schifanelli, an attorney from Annapolis, Maryland, said she came to the event because she supports the Republican Partys agenda. [The] socialist agenda is something that Im very much against because I grew up in a socialist country and I know what socialism can do to families, to people, and to the economy. Schifanelli, originally from the former Yugoslavia, said more and more women are becoming aware of what the left is trying to do, such as forcing abnormal social behaviors and standardizing them as a norm. Minerva Terrill, a retired registered nurse from Plano, Texas, is concerned about the countrys future because of the infiltration of the socialistic mindset. Personally, I lived in Venezuela for three months, four years ago, and I saw the horrible feeling of what socialism does to people. It was depressing and I swear I couldnt wait to get back to our beautiful country, she said. So if people think that socialism is the way to go in this country, I strongly advise them to take a trip to Venezuela. She criticized the news media for their anti-conservative bias. It is a big problem, she said. The media is not giving out proper, correct, honest information. Cubans Arrested After Scrambling Onshore Near Miami A wooden boat from Cuba approached the coast of Florida on Oct. 7, before the people on board jumped off, swam to land, scrambled ashore, and hid. It wasnt immediately clear how many people had been on the boat. Approximately 27 illegal aliens were on the boat, with 15 being arrested as of Sunday night, according to NBC. Another count had 20 people on board. The U.S. Border Patrol said that what happened was a maritime smuggling event and said the arrested Cubans would be transported to the Dania Beach Border Patrol station for processing and removal. Pictures showed Border Patrol officers giving medical care to the Cubans on the beach. Juan Montoya, who was on the beach when the Cubans came ashore the beach in Virginia Key, told Local 10 that they told him theyd built the wooden vessel they traveled in before launching it and heading to the United States. One of them told me he was there working on it for three weeks at his house, Montoya said. MORE: According to @CBP, law enforcement are coordinating a comprehensive search for any absconders from the group. The 15 Cubans that were arrested will be transported to the Dania Beach Border Patrol station for further processing and removal. @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/pLOUx4vUqo Liane Morejon WPLG (@LianeWPLG) October 7, 2018 Wet Foot, Dry Foot The policy for people fleeing the regime in communist Cuba used to allow Cubans to stay in the United States if they reached land without being detained. President Barack Obama stopped that special status, known as wet foot, dry foot and created by President Bill Clinton in 1995, just before leaving office. Effective immediately, Cuban nationals who attempt to enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for humanitarian relief will be subject to removal, Obama said in a statement. Read More Border Patrol Agents Battle Drug and Human Traffickers, While Being Vilified by Activists By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries. According to the Border Patrol, approximately 189 Cubans tried to illegally immigrate to the United States between October 2017 and July 2018. According to the Tampa Bay Times, theres been a dramatic drop of Cubans approved for refugee status at the American embassy in Havana, from more than 1,000 a month in late 2017 to fewer than 400 a month as of September. The large drop was attributed to reduced staffing at the embassy in the wake of mysterious health attacks on embassy personnel. Fifteen Cuban migrants were arrested Sunday after a "maritime smuggling event" on Virginia Key, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. https://t.co/hiRwuF5AmN pic.twitter.com/OdXvX0H27d NBC 6 South Florida (@nbc6) October 8, 2018 Previous Arrests The last incident involving Cuban immigrants happened in July, according to a search of Border Patrol press releases. In a July release, the office said the U.S. Coast Guard, in conjunction with the Border Patrol and other agencies, intercepted a rustic vessel with 28 Cubans, and repatriated them to Cuba. U.S. immigration policies have not changed and we urge people not to take to the ocean in unseaworthy vessels, said Capt. Jason Ryan, the chief of enforcement for the Coast Guards 7th District, in a statement. People aboard are putting their lives at risk attempting illegal voyages in homemade vessels without proper navigation or safety equipment. The Coast Guard with our partner agencies will continue to patrol vigilantly to rescue and repatriate undocumented migrants who take to the sea, added Ryan. From NTD.tv Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - In this July 4, 2017, file photo, Interpol President Meng Hongwei delivers his opening address at the Interpol World congress, in Singapore. Chinese authorities say they are investigating the former president of Interpol for bribery and other crimes and indicate that political transgressions may have also landed him in trouble. In a statement posted on a government website Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, the authorities said Meng Hongwei, China's vice minister for public security, was being investigated due to his own "willfulness and for bringing trouble upon himself." (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) China is investigating the former president of Interpol for bribery and other crimes, Beijing said Monday in a notice that indicated the Chinese official may also be in trouble for political transgressions. Meng Hongwei, China's vice minister for public security, was being investigated as a result of his "wilfulness" and has only himself to blame, according to a statement posted on a government website. The scant details provided on Monday raised further questions about the scope of the allegations made against Meng and whether they pertain in any way to his work at the international police agency. They also shone an unflattering light on secretive, extralegal detentions in China that have ensnared dissidents and allegedly corrupt or disloyal officials alike at increasing rates under the authoritarian rule of President Xi Jinping. Monday's notice of a high-level meeting of public security officials elaborated on a terse announcement late Sunday by an anti-graft agency of the ruling Communist Party that said Meng was suspected of unspecified crimes. The Sunday announcement was issued barely an hour after Meng's wife made a bold appeal to the world for help from Lyon, France, where she is based. Meng is the latest high-ranking official, and one with an unusually prominent international standing, to fall victim to a sweeping crackdown by the ruling Communist Party on graft and perceived disloyalty. Shortly after China's announcement about the investigation on Sunday, Interpol said Meng had resigned as the international police agency's president. Chinese officials appeared to be scrambling to respond to an unfolding scandal. In the early hours of Monday, Zhao Lezhi, the minister for public security, chaired a meeting attended by senior officials of the ministry's party committee to discuss Meng's case, the statement said. "We should deeply recognize the serious damage that Meng Hongwei's bribe-taking and suspected violations of the law have caused the party and the cause of public security and deeply learn from this lesson," Monday's announcement said. The 64-year-old Meng's unexplained disappearance while on a trip home to China late last month prompted the French government and Interpol to make their concerns known publicly in recent days. The revelation that China's system of shady and often-arbitrary detentions could ensnare even a senior public security official with international stature has cast a shadow over the image Beijing has sought to cultivate as a modern country with the rule of law. The acting president of Interpol, Kim Jong Yang, said it had not been told about the investigation of its chief. "I find it regrettable that the top leader of the organization had to go out this way and that we weren't specifically notified of what was happening in advance," Kim said in a phone interview. "We still don't have sufficient information about what's happening (with Meng) or whether it has anything to do with Chinese domestic politics," he added. Danske Shares Slide as US Criminal Inquiry Spooks Investors COPENHAGENDanske Banks deepening money laundering scandal dragged its shares to a four-year low on Oct. 5 as Denmarks biggest bank sought to calm investors over the impact of a U.S. criminal investigation into its Estonian branch. Morten Mosegaard, the banks interim chief financial officer, said the involvement of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in an inquiry into alleged money laundering is very different to the case of Latvias failed ABLV. U.S. authorities in February accused the Latvian bank of covering up money laundering, leading to it being denied dollar funding after the U.S. Treasury proposed invoking a section of the USA Patriot Act, and prompting its rapid demise. Its very difficult to see any comparison between the two cases, Mosegaard told Reuters, adding that Danske Bank had long since closed its activities in Estonia. Last month, Danske Bank said that payments totaling 200 billion euros ($231 billion), many of which were suspicious, had moved through the branch between 2007 and 2015. Closer Supervision The revelation has triggered calls from politicians and regulators for greater oversight of banks and a tightening of European rules relating to anti-money laundering measures. Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the case increased the chances of Denmark joining the European banking union, which was set up to ensure banks are better supervised, a decision on which is due to be made in 2019. Mosegaards comments follow the publication of a letter from U.S. investor Bill Browder to the U.S. Treasury in which he asked them to investigate Danske Bank and to undertake steps to consider designating it for special measures under the USA Patriot Act, which was used in the ABLV case. Browder, whose complaints have led to investigations by Danish and Estonian prosecutors, confirmed to Reuters on Oct. 5 that he had sent the letter on Sept 24, after Danske Banks disclosure on Oct. 4 of the DOJ investigation. The U.S. Treasury declined to comment on Browders letter. Mosegaard also declined to comment on the letter, but asked whether he expected the U.S. authorities to apply the same sanctions on Danske Bank as they had on ABLV, said: I dont anticipate that. We have a constructive dialogue with the authorities. We are in a very early phase of the dialogue with the U.S. authorities so its very difficult to speculate on the outcome, Mosegaard said, without giving further details. Mosegaards view was echoed by analysts at Morningstar who said that while the DOJs involvement brings back memories of the forced liquidation of ABLV, it was unlikely that a similar scenario will befall Danske because the Estonian business under investigation had been closed. We view it as more likely that the DoJ will refrain from utilizing the Patriot Act. Substantial fines from both European regulators and U.S. regulators are a possibility, however, Morningstar said in a note. Mosegaard said Danske Bank was working with a solid network of correspondent banks which enable it to access dollars. We see no sign that we will not be able to handle transactions going forward in cooperation with our correspondent banks, he said. Mirror Trades Earlier the Financial Times reported that the bank had executed up to 8.5 billion euros of so-called mirror trades for Russian customers in 2013, which made the bank 10 million euros, raising concerns about a significant U.S. penalty and hitting Danske Banks already battered shares. Such transactions proved costly for Deutsche Bank which was fined $630 million by U.S. and British authorities for using mirror trades to allegedly launder Russian money. In another blow to Danske Bank, Credit Suisse downgraded it to neutral from outperform and cut its target price to 199 Danish crowns from 244 crowns. The investment case and key reason for buying Danske and taking anti-money-laundering risk is gone as buybacks no longer support shares, Credit Suisse said, with reference to the Danish banks decision to end a share buyback program to bolster its capital as a result of the scandal. By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen & Teis Jensen Federal Police Execute $57 Million Drug Bust in Sydney Australian Federal Police have made three arrests and seized 496 kilograms of MDMA from a shipping container in Sydney on Oct. 6. After the containers arrival from Turkey at Port Botany on Sept. 28, officers with the Australian Border Force (ABF) found concealed packages of MDMA, also known as ecstasy, inside four industrial mincing machines during screening. The screening of one of the machines found 60 packages of a brown granulated substance, each bag weighing around two kilograms. ABFs testing returned a positive result for MDMA. A total of 248 packages that weighed around 496 kilograms were found in the four machines. Officers Follow the Delivery After the find, the consignment was allowed to undergo a controlled delivery to its intended address in Auburn in the eastern state of New South Wales. A week later on Oct. 6, AFP and ABF officers executed a search warrant at a business in the nearby suburb of Clyde. They arrested a 27-year-old man, seized his phone, and small amounts of what appeared to be cocaine. A 24 and 29-year-old man were arrested after the AFP executed another search warrant at second Clyde business. More arrests were made in the Sydney suburbs of Guildford, Auburn, and Elizabeth Hills, on Oct. 7. The arrested faced court on Oct. 7 and were charged with a number of counts relating to the import and acquisition of commercial quantities of drugs. AFP Detective Superintendent Kirsty Schofield said that the amount of MDMA could have made over 1.7 million pillsa street value of more than $57 million. Seizures like this dont address the issues of demand and why people are willing to risk their lives by taking drugs without accurate knowledge of what they contain, said AFP Detective Superintendent Kirsty Schofield. But stopping almost half a tonne goes some way to reducing the harm these drugs can cause our communities. 500kg of Cocaine Seized in Sydney Not long before this drug bust, 500 kilograms of cocaine was seized from a yacht in the Soloman Islands on Sept. 27, ABC reported. As a result, the Sydney Central Local Court charged a 41-year-old Wahroonga man with conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of illicit drugs and dealing with money valued at over $50,000. A 39-year-old Bonnyrigg Heights man was also charged that same day for allegedly involved with the financial transactions. The Sydney Central Local Court denied both of them bail on Sept. 28. The stash had been exported from South America with plans to import it into Australia. According to the AFP, the cocaine was professionally concealed within the yacht. Officers also raided Wahroonga, Bonnyrigg Heights, Dolls Point and Caringbah in relation to the drug bust. ABF Commander Garry Low said the success of the Oct. 6 drug bust was a testament to the the forces highly skilled officers and the sophisticated technology they use in their work. Every day our officers go to work determined to protect Australia from these harmful substances, and cases like these show their hard work and dedication pays off, Low said. Our officers have the technology, skills and commitment to find these drugs and stop them from entering the countryregardless of how criminals try to hide them. Its a significant result for public safety and a win for the people whose lives couldve been torn apart by these drugs. Storyful contributed to this article. Florida Residents Put Down Sandbags Ahead of Hurricane Michael Landfall Some Florida residents began putting down sandbags ahead of Hurricane Michaels projected landfall on Oct. 10. The city of Tallahassee, Leon County, and Tampa Bay were among the areas where government workers were providing sandbags. PREPARATIONS FOR TS MICHAEL: Okaloosa County is preparing for Tropical Storm Michael and offering sand for sandbags. https://t.co/8yPQN4nqvz WKRG (@WKRG) October 8, 2018 Sandbag Locations Eight locations in Leon County were outfitted with sand, bags, and ties as of Oct. 8, reported WCTV. Limits of 25 bags per household at city locations and 20 for county locations were placed and residents were told to bring shovels and fill the bags themselves. Those locations included Tekesta Park, at Tekesta Drive and Deer Lake Road in Killearn Lakes; J. Lee Vause, 6024 Old Bainbridge Road; and Winthrop Park, 1601 Mitchell Avenue. The Tallahassee area is expected to be hit hard, with a storm surge of up to 11 feet in some areas, National Weather Service meteorologist Wright Dobbs told the Tallahassee Democrat Wakulla County Sheriffs Office spokesman Chris Savary told the Democrat that sandbags were available at the sheriffs headquarters in Crawfordville as of Oct. 8. Read More Hurricane Michael Forms: Now a Category 1 Storm Sandbag filling locations were also set to open on Monday in Apalachicola, Franklin County Emergency Management Director Pamela Brownell said. She also noted that officials are working to contact people on Dog Island as well as people who are living or visiting in RVs or mobile homes. A number of sandbag filling locations were also set up in Pasco County, Citrus County, Hernando County, and Pinellas County in or around the Tampa Bay area. Residents must be prepared to show a valid drivers license or utility bill to prove residence in the county, according to WFTS. 11AM UPDATE KEY MESSAGES 1. #Michael now forecast to be a MAJOR hurricane at landfall. 2. Life-threatening storm surge along the FL Panhandle and Big Bend. 3. Tropical Storm Force winds arrive as early as Tues Eve. 4. Widespread Heavy Rain.#FLwx #GAwx #ALwx #HurricaneMichael pic.twitter.com/RGwMYX9ySA NWS Tallahassee (@NWSTallahassee) October 8, 2018 Tropical Storm Becomes Hurricane As residents and officials prepare for the storm, it transitioned from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Oct. 8. Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order declaring the emergency in 26 counties on Oct. 7 ahead of the hurricanes projected Oct. 10 landfall. By declaring this state of emergency, Governor Scott is ensuring that state and local government has ample time, resources and flexibility to get prepared for this storm, the governors office said in a statement, noting that part of the preparation was directing the National Guard to activate 500 National Guardsmen to help with planning and logistics. In addition, 5,500 National Guardsmen are available for deployment if needed. Scott said winds in excess of 100 mph could be seen in some areas, with a possibility of the hurricane becoming a Category 3 before making landfall. Residents should be prepared to evacuate if necessary, he added. From NTD.tv First Lady Wraps Up Africa Tour at Egyptian Pyramids, Kenya Orphanage First Lady Melania Trump finished her whirlwind, six-day trip to four African countries on Oct. 7, capped off by visits to Kenya and Egypt. After visiting Malawi and Ghana, she arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, on Oct. 4 to a red-carpet welcome. The next day, she spent time with Kenyan first lady Margaret Kenyatta, who she met at the White House on Aug. 28 when Kenyatta accompanied her husband on a trip to the United States. Together, they visited an animal orphanage, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi National Park, which cares for and rehabilitates rhinos and elephants. The orphanage was named after a warden for Tsavo East National Park in Kenya, David Sheldrick, whose daughter accompanied the first ladies as they fed baby elephants from arm-length plastic bottles. Daughter Angela Sheldrick is now the owner of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, whose website says its hand-raised more than 150 elephants since its founding in 1977. I want to believe this [visit] is going to make a big change, in terms of conservation and wildlife in Kenya, said Edwin Lusichi, project manager and head keeper at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. I believe her interaction, her coming here will create a lot of publicity to the elephants in general and people will know that these elephants have a right to life and need to be protected. The two also took a safari with the senior warden of the park, Nelly Pamernis, who took them to a site where ivory was incinerated to keep it from entering the ivory trade, which has funneled money to criminal organizations and created a bounty business for poachers. After seeing wild zebras, hippos, rhinos, and giraffes on the trip, Trumps communications director told reporters that the first lady doesnt like big-game hunting and considers the animals to be precious. After their safari, the two first ladies toured an orphanage in Nairobi called The Nest, where Trump held infants, danced with and read stories to older children, and passed out teddy bears, books, and Be Best blankets. The first ladys Be Best awareness campaign, unveiled in May, focuses on the well-being of children, particularly on how they are affected by opioid addiction and the adverse effects of social media. The Nest was founded in 1997 to rescue children whose mothers have been imprisoned, and now rehabilitates and re-integrates orphans into extended families and communities. Among the 130 children in its care, some have also been abandoned or orphaned. Later in the day, the two visited the National Theatre in Nairobi, where they watched a Sarakasi performance, a combination of acrobatics and traditional and modern dance, staged by the Sarkasi Trust. Established in 2001, the organization fosters the professional development of youth from low-income backgrounds and does outreach to hospitals, prisons, and orphanages. The first ladys next stop was Egypt, where she was greeted on Oct. 6 by Egyptian first lady Entissar al-Sisi at the Cairo International Airport. The two met with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at the Ittihadiya presidential palace in Heliopolis, a Cairo suburb thats the site of one of several Egyptian presidential palaces. Trump visited a few of Egypts many cultural sites, including the Sphinx and the Great Pyramidone of the Seven Wonders of the Worldin Giza with Egypts Minister of Antiquity Khaled Al-Anany. She told reporters after the trip that her biggest accomplishment was meeting with the people of the nations she visited and thanking them for their hospitality. We care, and we want to show the world that we care, she said. Reuters contributed to this report. Members of the German Technical Emergency Service prepare pipes to exhaust a lake in Schwanewede, Germany, on October 6, 2018. (Mohssen Assanimoghaddam/dpa/AP) German Police Pump Lake Dry Looking for Long-Missing Woman BERLINPolice in northern Germany have started to pump dry a lake hoping theyll find the remains of a woman who disappeared 25 years ago. The German news agency dpa reported on Oct. 7, that emptying Tietjensee Lake near the city of Bremen would take several days. After that, investigators will look through the muddy lakebed for evidence. Jutta Fuchs, a young German mother, disappeared in 1993. A year later, a fisherman found a bag with stones in the lake that also contained personal items from the woman including her engagement ring, but divers were never able to find the womans body. Her boyfriend at the time is a suspect but has denied the allegations. Fuchs supposedly wanted to take their son and leave him. A Bremen court has reopened the case. Giant Alligator Shows Up on Louisiana Doorstep A Louisiana woman discovered a giant alligator on her doorstep on Oct. 5, prompting local deputies to issue a warning to area residents. The Martin Parish Sheriffs Office in Saint Martinville shared pictures of the gator, showing it relaxing among some flower pots on the front stoop. Always look before you step! the sheriffs office warned. The gator was at a house in Breaux Bridge, reported KATC. It was ultimately removed from the house by a patrol deputy. A Louisiana woman discovered a giant alligator on her doorstep on Oct. 5, prompting local deputies to issue a warning to area residents. The Martin Parish Sheriffs Office in Saint Martinville shared pictures of the gator, showing it relaxing among some flower pots on the front stoop. Always look before you step! the sheriffs office warned. The gator was at a house in Breaux Bridge, reported KATC. It was ultimately removed from the house by a patrol deputy. From NTD.tv Victor Mallet, a Financial Times journalist and first vice president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC), speaks during a luncheon at the FCC in Hong Kong, China on Aug. 14, 2018. (Paul Yeung/Pool via Reuters) Hong Kong Rejection of Journalists Visa Prompts Calls for Explanation HONG KONGSeveral Hong Kong media and legal groups called on the government on Oct. 8 to explain why it refused to renew a work visa for a western journalist who hosted a speech by an independence activist, raising questions about media freedoms. Chinese-ruled Hong Kong last week rejected an application to renew the work visa of Financial Times Asia news editor Victor Mallet, who also serves as the vice-president of the citys Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC). It came two months after government officials in China and Hong Kong condemned the FCC for hosting a speech by an independence activist, Andy Chan, reigniting debate about the viability of the citys promised freedoms. Mallet chaired the event. Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a one country, two systems principle, with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy and freedoms, including freedom of the press, not enjoyed elsewhere in China. The visa refusal, which the Hong Kong Journalists Association said was unprecedented, drew criticism from the United States and the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. The rejection of a renewal of work visa for FT correspondent Victor Mallet sends a worrying signal, AmCham president Tara Joseph said in a statement. Without a free press, capital markets cannot properly function, and business and trade cannot be reliably conducted. Any effort to curtail press freedom in Hong Kong could damage Hong Kongs competitiveness as a leading financial and trading center. Parts of Hong Kong were brought to a standstill in 2014 by student-led street protests demanding full democracy in the city, demands that werent fully met. Since then, authorities have sought to smother the youth democracy movement with a number of pro-independence and democracy activists now jailed. Calls for outright independence are a red line for Chinas Communist Party leaders, who deem the global financial hub to be an inalienable part of the nation. The journalist groups took a petition with more than 7,000 signatures to the citys government headquarters, calling on authorities to explain exactly why Mallets visa wasnt renewed and to rescind their decision. The Hong Kong Immigration Department gave no immediate response to a request for comment. Profound Impact Mallet, who was traveling away from Hong Kong when his work visa renewal was refused, was allowed back into the city on Oct. 7. But he was only granted a seven-day tourist visa, rather than a six-month visa that is usual for British nationals. Immigration officials did not provide an explanation for the shortened visitor visa, and we continue to seek clarification from the Hong Kong authorities about the rejection of his work visa renewal, the FT said in a statement on Oct. 8. A statement issued by a group of prominent Hong Kong lawyers, including Bar Association Chairman Philip Dykes, expressed concern. We would not speculate on the reason behind such rejection, but we do wish to point out that such rejection calls for an explanation in light of its unprecedented nature and its profound impact on Hong Kongs press freedom, the statement from the lawyers read. Chinas foreign ministry defended Hong Kongs decision. By James Pomfret Hurricane Michael Forms: Now a Category 1 Storm Hurricane Michael is now a Category 1 storm system and is tracking toward the northwestern coast of Florida, according to an 11 a.m. update from the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Oct. 8. The NHC has forecast that Michael is slated to strengthen and will bring heavy rains, damaging winds, and storm surge. There is a likely chance that it will hit the northeastern Gulf Coast by Oct. 10. The path of the storm could take it directly through Floridas capital, Tallahassee. Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Oct. 7 declared a state of emergency for several areas in Florida and also directed the Florida National Guard to activate 500 guardsmen to assist with planning and logistics, and to prepare for response in impacted areas. Currently, the storm has 75 mph winds and is 50 miles south of the western tip of Cuba and 140 miles east-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, the hurricane forecasting agency said. A hurricane warning is in effect for Pinar del Rio, Cuba, and a tropical storm warning is in effect for the Cuban province of the Isle of Youth and the coast of Mexico from Tulum to Cabo Catoche, including Cozumel. NHC is now forecast a major hurricane into the Gulf Coast Florida panhandle. Michael at 105-knots would be disastrous well inland including Tallahassee. Based upon satellite appearance of eye Michael is blowing up or rapidly intensifying. pic.twitter.com/jzj3gpZHCj Ryan Maue | weathermodels.com (@RyanMaue) October 8, 2018 A hurricane watch is in effect for the Alabama-Florida border to Suwannee River in Florida. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Suwannee River to Anna Maria Island Florida, including Tampa Bay as well as the Alabama-Florida border to the Mississippi-Alabama border, according to the NHC. Interests elsewhere across the southeastern United States should monitor the progress of Michael, the agency warned. The NHCs forecasted cone of uncertainty shows that the storm will hit Floridas Panhandle region before going through Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The satellite presentation of Michael has continued to improve overnight and this morning, with the center well embedded within an area of cold cloud tops. An eye is becoming apparent in visible imagery, reads a discussion from the NHC at 11 a.m. State of Emergency Scotts office declared a state of emergency in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Gadsden, Liberty, Franklin, Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Hamilton, Suwannee, Lafayette, Dixie, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy and Citrus counties. That means the Panhandle and Big Bend can see winds in excess of 100 mph. Remember, this storm could grow stronger and be a Category 3 hitting our state. This storm will be life-threatening and extremely dangerous, Scott said, according to ActionNewsJax. Take this seriously and keep your family safe, he also stated, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. We know that a storm like Michael can be devastating and deadly. NHC Director Ken Graham warned that Hurricane Michaels winds could reach at least 100 mph or higher as the storm approaches the coast on Oct. 10. Weve got a few days to do that as this storm continues to strengthen, Graham said. Upwards of 100 mph winds, could be greater than that, Category 2 or Category 3, so weve got to be prepared for that. We are predicting a very strong hurricane to get into the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Michael Update: Florida State University, A&M University, Tallahassee Community College Closing Florida State University, Florida A&M University, and Tallahassee Community College will close on Oct. 9, for the remainder of the week due to Hurricane Michael. Tallahassee.com reported that classes are closed starting at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 9, and operations are resuming Monday, Oct. 15. Students are encouraged to discuss possible travel plans with family and friends. DO NOT travel into the path of the storm, FSU said, Fox13 reported. Students who stay on the campus are urged to shelter in place. FSU said on-campus housing and dining will continue. Florida A&M Universitys campus in Tallahassee along with the FAMU Educational Research Center for Child Development and the campus in Crestview are closing, according to the report. The storm is predicted to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, Fox13 reported. On Oct. 8, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, A hurricane warning has been issued for the Gulf Coast of Florida from the Alabama/Florida border eastward to Suwannee River. A hurricane watch has been issued from the Alabama/Florida border westward to the Mississippi/Alabama border. A tropical storm warning has been issued from the Alabama/Florida border westward to the Mississippi/Alabama border and from Suwannee River Florida southward to Chassahowitzka Florida, it added. A storm surge warning is in effect for Okaloosa/Walton County Line in Florida to the Anclote River in Florida. Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for several areas in Florida on Oct. 7, and also directed the Florida National Guard to activate 500 guardsmen to assist with planning and logistics, and to prepare for response in impacted areas. That means the Panhandle and Big Bend can see winds in excess of 100 mph. Remember, this storm could grow stronger and be a Category 3 hitting our state. This storm will be life-threatening and extremely dangerous, Scott said, according to ActionNewsJax. Shenggen Fan, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), speaks at an event on Aug. 11, 2011 in Washington. Fan is one of the candidates that Beijing may be fielding to take the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) leadership. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) China Poised to Seek FAO Leadership Role in Quest to Increase Influence at UN Beijing set to field a candidate to head the hunger-fighting agency, sources say ROMEChina is aiming to field a candidate to head the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to further increase its growing influence at the United Nations, diplomatic sources say, in a move that is sure to irritate the United States, which is the largest donor to the hunger-fighting U.N. agency. Candidates to be the next director general of the FAO, succeeding Brazilian agronomist Jose Graziano da Silva, have until the end of February to throw their hats in the ring for the job at the Rome-based agency. So far, the only country to field an official candidate to run the troubled agency is France. Catherine Geslain-Laneelle, the former head of the European Food Security Agency, is backed by the French agriculture ministry. Geslain-Laneelle, 55, has the support of French President Emmanuel Macron, although both the International Monetary Fund and UNESCO are currently headed by French citizens. If the U.N. rotation system is used, the top position this time should go to a person from Europe or from Asia. Against the background of Asias credentials in the rotating spoils system and Chinas ascendancy within the U.N., there is mounting speculation that Frances bid to run the sprawling FAO headquarters will be challenged by a Chinese candidate. The most likely Chinese candidate has been identified by Western diplomats as Shenggen Fan, who has been director general of the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) since 2009. The Western diplomats based in Rome and Washington spoke on condition that they not be identified. Fan joined IFPRI in 1995 as a research fellow, conducting extensive research on pro-poor development strategies in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. He led IFPRIs program on public investment before becoming the director of the Institutes Development Strategy and Governance Division in 2005. Another possible candidate would be Ren Wang, a former assistant director general at the FAO since 2013 who previously was head of the CGIAR, a global research partnership for food security, the sources say. There has been no European director general of the Rome-based FAO for over 40 years since Dutchman Addeke Hendrik Boerma held the title from 1968 to 1975. It also has never been led by a woman. Delegates from the FAOs 194 member states will hold an election for the next FAO director general in June 2019, ahead of the Aug. 31, 2019, expiry of Grazianos second term. In addition to the French and Chinese interest in the job, two people from India, Rakesh Muthoo and Manoj Juneja, are considering a run for the post, diplomatic sources say. Candidates are expected to lobby David Beasley, the executive director of the World Food Programme, because of his friendship with Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Since Haley is an Indian-American, you can rest assured that both Rakesh and Manoj will try to get to her personally, a veteran FAO-watcher told the Insider. Beijings expected shot at taking over the FAO follows increased Chinese activity in the U.N. in other areas, after decades of taking a back seat at the world body, diplomatic sources say. China has increased its participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations and also has become more strident within U.N. forums in criticizing human-rights defenders and opposing financing for NGOs that promote defense of human rights, the sources say. Photo: CTV Vancouver A beloved teacher at Surreys Tamanawis Secondary has been identified as the victim in a fatal crash Friday. Suminder Singh was behind the wheel of a SUV that slammed into the back of a tractor trailer around 3:30 p.m. on 176 street and 32 Avenue. Suminder was a pillar in this community, longtime friend Baltej Singh Dhillon told CTV Vancouver He is a father a teacher, a minister. He walked in our community with grace and nobility. He gave of his time freely. He was revered by his students. Singh leaves behind a wife and three children, as well as several students who looked up to him as more than just a math teacher. The care and belief he had in his students was unparalleled to anyone out there, said math student Priya Dhaliwal. I dont know how its going to be when we go back to school. On Tuesday we are going to walk into class and hes not going to be there. Jeevan Sidhu had known Singh since grade 8. Mr.Singh was our teacher, our mentor, our friend, our role model and our father all at once, Sidhu said. We are so thankful for the care, love, and motivation he showed us. Hundreds are expected to attend a vigil in Singhs memory Saturday at Tamanawis Secondary. with files from CTV Vancouver Israel Antitrust Pushes More Food Imports, Cartel Crackdown Israel needs to open its food industry to foreign imports more aggressively to break the grip of the sectors biggest companies and lower costs for consumers, the countrys antitrust chief said. Power in the countrys food making business is much too concentrated in the hands of five firms, including Strauss Group Ltd., Nestle SAs Osem unit, and Tnuva Food Industries Ltd., said Michal Halperin, director general of Israels Antitrust Authority. Introducing foreign competition would help bring down grocery bills in Israel, a major contributor to one of the highest costs of living among developed countries, she said. That market structure doesnt make sense in an economy that isnt so small anymore, Halperin said in an interview, adding that the countrys Finance Ministry, which pushed to increase food imports two years ago, backs her views. Israelis suffer from that level of concentration with higher prices. Halperins take on the food industry echoes successive Israeli governments that have prioritized reducing the cost of living by opening up the economy. The country has made significant strides since 2011when masses took to the streets to protest the high cost of livingwith reforms that have driven down certain costs including mobile phone service, and slowed the rise of housing prices. Structural Shifts More structural changes are needed, said Halperin, 52. Israelis end up paying more for goods and services due to lack of competition in sectors such as public transportation, ports and airports, and the postal service, she said. Alex Zabezhinsky, chief economist of Meitav Dash Investments Ltd., said he agrees with Halperins priorities, but progress will be difficult to achieve. In July, for example, the government approved a plan to break up Israel Electric Corp., the state-owned utility, in order to encourage competition among power producers. Those efforts began more than 20 years ago. Were talking about monopolies and unions. When they flex their muscles, thats the end of the story, Zabezhinsky said in a phone interview. They have the power, not the government. Gas Monopoly The Antitrust Authority, which was at the center of a two-year battle with Israels biggest energy firms over rights to the countrys largest natural gas pools, still considers those companies a monopoly that could use a competitive push in servicing the countrys electricity demands, Halperin said. The government forced the two biggest companies in Israels gas sector, Delek Group Ltd. and Houston, Texas-based Noble Energy Inc., to sell down its holdings in some gas fields, but real competition will come only when more energy explorers develop new reservoirs, she said. Recent tenders to explore in Israeli waters have failed to elicit much interest, however. The Antitrust Authority is working with nearly every ministry to address market imbalances, Halperin said. Israel needs to improve much faster and more aggressively, she said. Cartel Buster One of the tools Halperin has relied upon with increasing frequency is criminal prosecution of cartels. In the past 18 months, her office has ramped up legal efforts, landing chief executive officers of the countrys three leading bakeries in jail for price-fixing schemes. Later this month, Israel will host delegates from competition authorities around the world, where regulators will discuss strategies against cartel behavior. Legal approaches toward cartel violations differ globally, with many regulators treating them as a civil matter leading to fines. Not so in Israel, Halperin said, which is one of the most proactive countries in gathering evidence against market collusion. Israel now ranks second to the U.S. in the amount of jail time given for cartels, according to Halperin. It became very dangerous to be a member of a cartel in Israel, and its becoming more and more so, she said. We take it very seriously and dedicate all our criminal tools to this issue, and courts increasingly understand the importance of this offense on our daily lives. By Yaacov Benmeleh Bulgarian Journalist Marinova Found Slain After Reporting on EU Funds Probe A journalist who reported on alleged fraud involving the misuse of European Union funds has been found slain in northeastern Bulgaria, authorities said on Oct. 7. Viktoria Marinova, 30, was discovered in a park in Ruse, a town near the River Danube, on Oct. 6. She had suffered blows to the head and was suffocated, Ruse regional prosecutor Georgy Georgiev said. Prosecutors confirmed she had also been raped and her personal items had been stolen. Bulgarian Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said there was no evidence to suggest the killing had been motivated by Marinovas work. We are working on all possible motives and we do not exclude any, Marinov told reporters on Oct. 8. He said no match had been found for DNA samples collected so far from the crime scene, which was near a psychiatric clinic. I am convinced it is a matter of time before the murder would be revealed, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said. The best criminologists were sent to Ruse, lets not press them. A large amount of DNA had been obtained. Police said they had three possible motives, including that she was attacked by someone with a mental disorder, that the attack was planned, or that it was linked to her personal life. Local media focused on Marinovas recent TV interview with Bulgarian journalists Attila Biro and Dimitar Stoyanov, who were investigating alleged large-scale fraud by companies involved in EU-funded infrastructure projects. She said the regional current affairs show, Detector, would do similar investigations. Both Biro and Stoyanov had previously been arrested and held by police in their course of their investigation. Marinova is the third journalist in a year to be slain in the European Union. Daphne Caruana Galizia, Maltas best-known investigative reporter, was killed by a car bomb in October last year, and Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova were shot dead in February this year. Both Kuciak and Galizia were known to report about corruption. Condemned by European Leaders Marinovas death was quickly condemned by European leaders. There is no democracy without a free press. We expect a swift and thorough investigation to bring those responsible to justice, the European Commission, the European Unions executive said in a tweet. Shocked by the horrendous murder of Victoria Marinova. Again a courageous journalist falls in the fight for truth and against corruption, the European Commissions First Vice President Frans Timmerman tweeted. Those responsible should be brought to justice immediately by the Bulgarian authorities. Bulgaria Low on Press Freedom Bulgaria ranked the lowest for press freedom than any other EU member country, according to the 2018 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) index on press freedom. Marinova has a 7-year-old daughter and worked for the local TV station TVN, one of the most popular channels in northeastern Bulgaria. She wasnt a household name in Bulgaria, and was previously best known for presenting a regional lifestyle show. RSF called for other journalists at the station to have police protection during the investigation. They said that investigative journalists in Bulgaria are often subjected to pressure, from mere warnings to intimidation and physical assaults on themselves or their property. The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was shocked by the barbaric murder. TVN said in a statement that their team was suffering great pain and insurmountable grief at the death of their colleague. In October 2017 hundreds of Bulgarian journalists protested in Sofia against threats from Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov against the countrys biggest broadcasters. He accused the mainstream media of leading a massive smear campaign against him. Reuters contributed to this report. NASA Addresses Unexplained Space Station Hole but Mystery Remains Unsolved NASA has sought to tamp down speculation that sabotage caused a tiny hole found last month in the side of a Russian module docked at the International Space Station, but the mystery remained unsolved. NASA stressed in a brief statement issued from its Washington headquarters that Dimitri Rogozin, general director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, had in public comments last week ruled out a manufacturing defect as the cause. However, NASA added, This conclusion does not necessarily mean the hole was created intentionally or with mal-intent, as some media outlets interpreted Rogozins remarks as suggesting. Rather than giving greater credence to foul play, the elimination of a manufacturing defect as causing the hole indicates that this is an isolated issue which does not categorically affect future production, NASA said. Roscosmos and NASA have each opened their own investigations of the 2 millimeter-wide hole detected in late August on the exterior wall of a Russian Soyuz capsule docked to the space station after ground operators reported slight dips in pressure levels. The puncture has since been patched with tape and sealant, halting the oxygen leak, and officials said the current crew, consisting of three U.S. astronauts, two Russian cosmonauts and one German, were never in any danger. Rogozin previously raised the possibility of a deliberate act in comments reported by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, which quoted him earlier this month as saying it appeared that a drill had been used by an unsteady hand, leaving metal around the hole scraped. NASA declined to comment on those remarks at the time. NASA spokeswoman Megan Powers said on Oct. 3 renewed media reports about the possibility of intentional damage to the Soyuz module stemmed from rough translation by some Western news outlets of Rogozins latest comments. No one is saying, and certainly NASA is not saying, that it was deliberate, she said. Powers said that, while intentional damage remains one of numerous possibilities still under review, were not expecting it was a bad actor we dont think thats the most likely conclusion. She also said the space agency was confident that the origin of the hole would ultimately be explained. We will find the reason and we will reveal the reason no matter what it is. NASA said a spacewalk was being tentatively planned for November to gather more information. Another astronaut and cosmonaut are due to join the space station crew this month. They are slated for launch aboard a Russian Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft on Oct. 11 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, NASA said. NASA said its new administrator, Jim Bridenstine, was scheduled to attend the launch and would meet Rogozin there for the first time. By Steve Gorman Milorad Dodik, of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD attends a news conference where he declared himself the winner of the Serb seat of the Tri-partite Bosnian Presidency in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Oct. 7, 2018. (Ranko Cukovic/Reuters) Nationalist Serb, Bosniak Leaders Win Bosnias Presidential Vote SARAJEVOBosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik and Sefik Dzaferovic, the candidate of the largest Muslim Bosniak party, have won the Serb and Bosniak seats in Bosnias triumvirate presidency, the election commission said on early Oct. 8. Moderate Croat Zeljko Komsic, who already served two terms in the presidency, won the Croat seat with 49.5 percent of the vote, winning over nationalist Dragan Covic from the largest Croat party, HDZ. Dodik secured 55 percent of the vote and Dzaferovic 38 percent, based on about 42 percent of counted ballots, election commission President Branko Petric said at a news conference. The turnout was 53.3 percent of voters, Petric said. The ballot was a test for Bosnia to determine if it will progress toward European Union membership and NATO integration or remain held back by ethnic rivalries. More than two decades after a war in which 100,000 died, leading Serb, Croat and Muslim Bosniak parties campaigned on nationalist tickets, reviving wartime pledges while failing to offer any clear economic or political visions. About 1.7 million voters took part in the presidential and parliamentary elections, choosing members of Bosnias tripartite inter-ethnic presidency, consisting of a Bosniak, a Croat and a Serb, and lawmakers for parliaments lower house. They also voted for leaders and assemblies of its two autonomous regionsthe Serb Republic and the Bosniak-Croat Federation, and of the federations 10 cantons. Dodik, a pro-Russian leader who has repeatedly advocated secession of the Serb Republic and integration with Serbia, earlier proclaimed victory in his party stronghold in the northern town of Banja Luka. Analysts believe that he will work to weaken the presidency. My first priority will be the position of the Serb people and of the Republika Srspka, Dodik said, referring to Bosnias autonomous region that he has presided over until now. I believe that Bosnia-Herzegovina also may progress if everyone is respected, he added. Covic said he garnered the majority of Croat votes and that Komsic won only due to Bosniak votes. The HDZ had argued for the creation of new ethnically based election units in which Croats would vote only for their ethnic candidate. Such election results may cause an unprecedented crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Covic said in the southern town of Mostar. There is a realistic possibility that the formation of the Federation parliaments upper house may be blocked after the Bosniak and Croat parties failed to agree on how to change the election law before the vote. The election commission will announce preliminary results of the parliamentary vote later on Monday. By Maja Zuvela and Daria Sito-Sucic Reward Increased to $16,000 for Information on Masked Gunman in Chicago The reward for information leading to the capture of a masked gunman who allegedly shot dead two people in Chicago before disappearing, prompting a manhunt, has been upped to $16,000, officials said over the weekend. A video released by the Chicago Police Department on Oct. 3 shows the masked gunman walking on Sept. 30 at approximately 10:07 a.m., on West Sherwin Avenue in Rogers Park. Police officers said the man is suspected of committing a murder in the 1400 block of West Sherwin, and that anyone with information should contact Area North Homicide Detectives at 312-744-8261 or submit an anonymous tip at www.CPDTIP.com. The Chicago office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives announced the increase of the reward on Oct. 6. The $16,000 total includes $5,000 from the bureau, $10,000 from the Jewish Federation of Metro Chicago, and $1,000 from Cook County Crime Stoppers. REWARD: Suspect wanted in 2 recent homicides in Rogers Park. ATF Chicago adds $5,000 bringing reward to $16,000. Jewish Federation of Metro Chicago offering $10,000. Cook County Crime Stoppers $1,000. Report tips to https://t.co/qynX9njZUq or 1-888-ATF-TIPS pic.twitter.com/phnIkCiKub ATF Chicago (@ATF_Chicago) October 6, 2018 The masked gunman appeared to be randomly selecting people and killed two in two days, police officers said. The first victim was identified as Douglass Watts, 73, who was shot in the head while walking his dogs on West Sherwin Avenue, reported ABC 7. The second was Eliyahu Moscowitz, 24, who was shot in the head while walking on the Loyola Park path near Lunt Avenue. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said police believe the same suspect killed both men, using the same gun. The shell casings found at both crime scenes from the 1100 block of West Lunt and the 1400 block of West Sherwin Avenue from Sunday were found to be a match, Johnson said. This means both shootings came from the same gun and likely the same suspect. Eliyahu Moscowitz, known to friends as Eli, a 24-year-old mashgiach at the kosher Jewel on Howard, was fatally shot last night. He was an avid gamer in Chicago's Pokemon Go community, friends say https://t.co/8Lt1fIv9s6 pic.twitter.com/hWwBQ1v3Bg Elyssa Cherney (@ElyssaCherney) October 2, 2018 Neighbors Scared The two killings have left neighbors in the area shaken, many of whom knew at least one of the victims. Recently, we are increasingly concerned about our safety. A lot of people in our community who used to not protect themselves are taking precautions, Rabbi Shalom Gurewicz told the Chicago Tribune, noting that some in the Jewish community were considering getting concealed carry licenses or mace before the shootings. At a meeting several days after the shooting, Sgt. Shawn Sisk, a police officer who patrols the area, told people not to let children walk alone while advising everyone, even men, to walk in pairs or groups. When you have situations like this, you have to switch to a different gear. You cant take safety for granted, he said. I cant guarantee we wont have another shooting. Nobody can. Noting the fact that no belongings were taken from either victim, Lynda Kaplan, a neighbor of Wattss, told CBS, This was an execution. I am so freaked out, Kaplan said. She said her fears grew after the second murder. I knew in a second it was the same person, she said. From NTD.tv Rosenstein Keeps Job After Meeting With Trump President Donald Trump said that he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who had reportedly offered to resign last month on the heels of a reportwhich he deniesthat accused him of discussing plans to secretly record the president. Trump revealed his intentions regarding the No. 2 official at the Justice Department (DOJ) on Oct. 8, shortly before boarding Air Force One together with Rosenstein en route to Florida. I didnt know Rod before, but Ive gotten to know him, and I get along very well with him, Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House. The pair spoke for 45 minutes during the flight, after which a White House spokesperson confirmed that the presidents plans regarding Rosenstein havent changed. Trump had planned to meet with Rosenstein earlier, but postponed the meeting to focus on the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Trump and Rosenstein walked off the plane side-by-side upon landing in Florida. The president said his conversation with Rosenstein went great. White House Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly and acting Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Ed OCallaghan were both included in the meeting between Trump and Rosenstein, according to White House spokesman Hogan Gidley. They discussed various topics, including the International Chiefs of Police event later today, support for our great law enforcement officials, border security, how to better address violent crime in Chicago, and general DOJ business, Gidley said. Trump joked about the medias attention on the topic during his speech at the Chiefs of Police Convention shortly after, with Rosenstein in attendance. The press wants to know What did you talk about? We had a very good talk, I will say. That became a very big story, actually, folks. We had a good talk, Trump said. In a New York Times article last month that Rosenstein dismissed as inaccurate and factually incorrect, the newspaper reportedciting anonymous sources that Rosenstein suggested he would wear a wire to secretly record Trump and discussed the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to remove Trump. Days later, several news outlets reported that Rosenstein had offered to resign from his post, but neither the White House nor the DOJ confirmed the reports. The White House issued a statement hours later saying that Trump and Rosenstein would meet about recent news stories. That meeting was pushed back, first because of Trumps busy schedule at the U.N. General Assembly in New York and then again because of the Kavanaugh confirmation. It all comes down to whether [Rosenstein] was willing to wear a wire or not, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee told Fox News at the time. If he was willing to wear a wire and secretly record the president, its someplace that this country has never been before. I dont know of any time in the history of this country where you had people who are at the top levels of government conspiring to secretly record a president. The Times cited leaked memos taken by then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued a subpoena to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Sept. 27, for the McCabe memos. The committee, which is investigating actions taken by the FBI and DOJ related to the 2016 election, has been requesting the McCabe memos as well as other documents, for months. The list of documents in the Sessions subpoena also includes key documents related to the Russia investigation, including interviews conducted in relation to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to spy on Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page. It is unclear why Goodlatte issued the subpoena to Sessions, who had recused himself from the Russia investigation. Spokespeople for Goodlatte and the DOJ didnt immediately return requests for comment. Goodlatte also invited Rosenstein to meet with the committee privately. There are many questions we have for Mr. Rosenstein, including questions about allegations made against him in a recent news article. We need to get to the bottom of these very serious claims, Goodlatte said in a statement. Rosenstein oversees the Russia investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. The New York Times published the Rosenstein story hours after Trump announced that he would forward a trove of unredacted documents related to the Russia investigation to DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz. The presidents initial plan was to declassify the documents and release them to the public. He later changed course saying that the release could have a perceived negative impact on the Russia probe and that key allies had called on him not to release the files. Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi speaks at an event hosted by Middle East Monitor in London Britain, Sept. 29, 2018. (Middle East Monitor/Handout via Reuters/File Photo) Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi Reportedly Killed: Sources Two anonymous sources have said that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul following his disappearance on Oct. 2. The two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Turkish investigators believe the 59-year-old journalist was killed inside the Saudi consulate in a preplanned murder by a team of 15 people, The Washington Post reported Oct. 6. Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2 for matters related to paperwork needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. He has not been seen or heard from since. Reuters also reported on Oct. 6 that two Turkish sources, whose names were not disclosed, said Khashoggi had been killed. We believe the murder was premeditated and the body was subsequently moved out of the consulate, one of the anonymous sources told Reuters. The sources did not say how they believed the killing happened. Head of Turkish Arab Media Association Turan Kislakci said Turkish officials had told him that Khashoggis body was dismembered, The New York Times reported on Oct. 7. The Saudi consulate has dismissed the claims, saying that Khashoggi left their premises alive. Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the official news agency of Saudi Arabia, said a consulate official strongly denounced these baseless allegations, and expressed his doubt that they came from Turkish officials that are informed of the investigation or are authorized to comment on the issue. A security team of Saudi investigators arrived in Istanbul on Oct. 6 to investigate Khashoggis disappearance, following a request by the Saudi government, SPA reported. A Turkish security source told Reuters that a group of 15 Saudi nationals, including some officials, had arrived in Istanbul in two planes and entered the consulate on the same day Khashoggi was there, and later left the country. The Turkish source added that Turkish officials were trying to identify them. Turkeys Anadolu news agency also reported that the group of Saudis were briefly at the consulate. The United States is seeking more information, a State Department official told Reuters. We are not in a position to confirm these reports, but we are following them closely, the official said. Self-Imposed Exile Khashoggi had been living in the United States for the past year in self-imposed exile, fearing retribution for his criticism of Saudi Arabias conservative Sunni Kingdom, following the ascension of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now next in line to succeed the 82-year-old Saudi King. Khashoggi was a director of a satellite news channel, Al-Arab, owned and backed by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Read More Saudi Arabias Richest Man With Ties to Barack Obama Thrown in Jail Alwaleed was detained in a Ritz Carlton hotel for two months alongside some 200 other princes and high-level officials in Nov. 2017. He was thrown in jail in January for graft charges, but has since been released after he reaching a settlement with the authorities. The group was arrested as part of a large-scale anti-corruption purge that targeted anti-semitic and anti-American clerics, authorized by the Saudi king and carried out by Crown Prince Salman. Khashoggi is a familiar face on political talk shows on Arab satellite television networks and used to advise Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to the United States and Britain. Reuters contributed to this report. Watch Next: Saudi Arabias Red Prince & the Subversion of the West There is more to Saudi Arabia than meets the eye, and a recent purge of Saudi princes and powerful leaders may have cleaned up a network of corruption that had grown forms of control and influence into the West. Seattle Bar Tried to Deny Service to Republicans Celebrating Kavanaugh Celebration A Seattle bar asked a group of Republicans not to celebrate the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at its venue, leading the group to threaten a lawsuit against the establishment. The back-and-forth started when the University of Washington College Republicans, excited about the 50-48 confirmation vote for Kavanaugh on Oct. 6, decided to celebrate with a Beers 4 Brett gathering, organized on Facebook. The organizers chose to celebrate at Shultzys Bar and Grill, but when the event was planned, some progressive activists called the bar and complained about the event, according to the conservative radio station KTTH. In response, Shultzys Bar and Grill posted on Facebook: Shultzys is a sports-themed bar & grill that welcomes everyone. We do not promote or endorse any one religious or political viewpoint. As such, due to the political nature of your planned event, we request that you find another venue to celebrate. Freedom X is threatening to sue a Seattle bar that doesnt want to host a College Republicans Beers 4 Brett event tonighthttps://t.co/ppfpGo8a1W pic.twitter.com/Kxi3cZYg2F Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) October 7, 2018 A Seattle bar tried to deny service to the UW College Republicans (@UW_CR) trying to celebrate the Kavanaugh confirmation. Only, in Seattle, you can't discriminate on the basis of political ideology. Shocking, I know. Read about it here: https://t.co/zeKYbNRgZx (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) October 8, 2018 Lawsuit Threatened Chevy Swanson, president of the college Republican group, then reached out to Freedom X, the legal group that successfully sued the University of Washington on behalf of the College Republicans. [They] advised us to call and explain that they cant deny service over political leanings, Swanson said. We did and they hung up on us Bob Becker with Freedom X then took to the bars Facebook page to warn them that he would sue if the group was denied service, citing Seattles law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of political ideology. Swanson and around 12 others then went to the bar, and told a manager why they were there. Swanson said they were seated and treated normally. Lawsuit threatened over UW College Republicans' Kavanaugh celebration at local bar https://t.co/n42prUnigK KIRO 7 (@KIRO7Seattle) October 7, 2018 Wasnt Illegal Shultzys Bar and Grill hasnt commented on the situation, other than the Facebook post. We dont do political events, a manager at Shultzys told the Seattle Times on Saturday afternoon. Owner Don Schulze declined to comment. Jeffery Needle, a constitutional law expert, told KIRO 7 that the bar did nothing wrong with their request, but agreed Freedom X could have had a legal claim if the group went to the bar, and was refused service. Theyre free to request all they like. If the group says too bad, Youre required to admit us, and the bar says, Oh no, you cannot come in, then at least potentially this group could have a claim, Needle said. He added that if the bar refused all political groups, it would be legal. From NTD.tv Supporters Praise Trumps Hardball Style in Trade Negotiations JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.President Donald Trump has been wrangling with a bevy of countries over trade deals he says have been hugely unfair to the United States for many years. So far, hes inked a new deal with South Korea during the United Nations summit in New York on Sept. 24, and reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico on Sept. 30 to replace NAFTA. Hes ready to negotiate new deals with the EU and Japan, and is conducting a pre-negotiation trade war with China. Supporters at a rally in Tennessee on Oct. 1 weighed in on the presidents performance on trade so far. Victor Overcash, 51, who owns a local roof contracting business, Vohcarr, said Trump is right to stir things up on trade for better long-term deals. In order to have any kind of real change, you got to make waves and see how it shakes out, he said, mentioning the ongoing tariff spats. Weve sent so much of what we do to other countries, if we dont make the waves to have a reason to bring it back here, it will never correct itself. Overcash said his business works with a lot of steel and was affected by the first tariff tiff with China. They counter-tariffed back, which its just a small part, but all my prices shot up, so it shot up for all my customers, he said. I think we can absorb it for a better deal later on. I think were wealthy enough as a country and as individuals to eat it. He sees it as doing his part toward strengthening Americas position in trade and for the long-term benefit, for my grandchildren. Overcash said he voted for Trump because he is a businessman, not a politician. A politician doesnt understand me, [and] I dont understand a career politician. Hes happy with Trumps performance so far because he keeps going after it, he doesnt let the negative drag him down. Now Debt-Free Brandi Adams, who owns a sawmill with her husband in Robbinsville, North Carolina, praised Trump on trade. I think hes looking out more for the American people instead of the way it used to be, worrying about the other countries, she said. I dont think that the presidents before had enough nerve, enough backbone. Adams said that before Trump was elected, her sawmill business was in a precarious position. We were about to go under, to be honest. It was just me and my husband for it. We had nothing to fall back on, that was all we had. And were in a very small town right on the Tennessee line, she said. She said she and her husband prayed one night, and Trump became president not long afterwards. We are debt-free now, our company is paid for, my husband is a full-time pastor, and hes looking to retire next year to where he can take the church full-time, she said. Adams attributes the business turnaround directly to Trumps success in reviving the economy, adding that she proudly voted for him. I think [Trump] just loves America, he loves everything that we stand for. And over the last few years we got away from that. He wants to take us back to the way America was established, the way it should it be, what we were founded on, she said. We were founded on God. Thats why its on our money, In God we Trust, and I think thats what hes trying to get us back to. Holding China Accountable Dewayne Hall, 65, rates Trumps trade performance in the 90-percent-plus range. The Navy veteran said the new deal with Mexico and Canada is a strong move that will enhance jobs and bring in other trade. Hall said he works for Bristol Metals in Bristol, Tennessee, which is booming after an eight-year lull. He said the company operates a profit-share arrangement that hadnt paid out much under the last administration, but is now very strong. Hall said some of the longer-term employees are now averaging $3,000 every quarter of profit sharing. Thats nothing to laugh about. Rarely do you see that. Ive worked for other companies where you got profit share as well [and] in the last eight years, you might got $200 a year, he said. So its a substantial difference. And youre taking that money and youre going out buying the things you need or things you want, which puts back in your local economy, he said. Then that turns around and grows things on a national basisso its from East Coast to West Coast, north and south. Hall said the way Trump is wrestling with China on trade is smart, and that previous administrations have been too passive. [Trumps] doing something thats very important to us and China has undermined us for years. On top of the fact they might be borrowing security information from us, he said. He said the tariffs are starting to hold China accountable. Sooner or later, theyre going to have to come to some kind of agreement, because their economy will falter. In It Together Linda, who declined to give her surname, said she trusts Trumps business acumen on trade. Hes a businessman, he loves this country, and I think he will do whats best for the country and the people, she said. We all pay taxes, so were all in it together. So if it means tariffs in order to make the economy better, then Im all for it. Everybody has to pay. Everybodys going to have to pay to make the country better. She is an executive assistant for a manufacturing company in Virginia that serves 17 nearby counties. The coal and steel industries are among its clients. Its wonderful that coal is coming back, we need that. And the steel industry, she said. This country is built on skilled workers, and we need those skilled workers back in jobs. We need to build our country back and that goes with hard work. More People Spending Del Oakes, an electrician from Johnson City, said the push for better trade deals is great. He said his business has also seen an uptick in lockstep with the improving economy. People are making more money, [therefore] people spend money, he said, adding that he supports Trump on major policy points such as tax cuts, illegal immigration, and appointing conservative judges. He predicts the midterm elections will turn out well for Republicans. I think this Kavanaugh thingDemocrats have pushed too far on it, and I think its going to turn against them in the midterms, he said. Playing Hardball Mike Waller said Trump is the best president ever and says his approach on trade is absolutely wonderful. The retired Army veteran, who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, said he appreciates that Trump is playing hardball with the tariffs. In the end, everybody drops the tariffs and were all in free trade, he predicted. Thats where hes trying to get to, hes trying to get to free trade. But he plays hardball, he plays real hardball. He has a spine. Waller said the Trump movementthis movement he startedis running off into other countries, citing Poland as an example. The United States is considering opening a Russia-facing military base in Poland. Waller described the Trump movement as waking up the sleeping giant, the sleeping majority; he had the stick to wake everyone up. Rita Eveland agreed, saying the movement is a sleeping giant. The retiree from Nashville, Tennessee, said Trumps success is because he is a real person. Hes not a career, bred-from-birth politician. Hes worked real jobs and cares about real people, she said. The average politician in Washington cant tell you how much it costs to buy a gallon of milk in a store. They dont care, they live in a bubble. Theyre not in touch with us at all; theyre totally out of touch with the American people. Eveland said her grandparents were immigrants from Hungary who worked hard to get by. Nobody gave them a free ride to anything. My grandfather was a college professor and came over here and worked in the coal mines in Pittsburgh, she said. Thats the stuff of real Americans. Americans are hard-working, realistic, good people. Eveland said even after Trumps 2016 election win, politicians still dont understand Trump supporters. Being Competitive Becky Cline, 45, and Tiffany Short, 30, had matching t-shirts made specifically for the rally that said Chicks for Trump 2020. We wanted to be a little individual, instead of Women for Trump, we wanted to do a little something for it, Cline said. Were from a small, poor area, so we just went for something a little more rural. Both women work in manufacturing for a medical supplier and live in Rose Hill, Virginia. Cline said the benefits from the new trade deals will take time to manifest, but I think its great to be competitive with the rest of the world. She lauded Trumps approach to China. I think its great, its about time. He just doesnt back down, he lets them know this is where he stands and thats how he stands. I think we needed that, she said. Short agreed. I dont think no one wanted to take on that challenge yet, she said. [Trump] is a businessman, he knows how to run a business. so he knows this is an important aspect for America, because it will help us get out of debt. I just wish everyone would give him a chance to do stuff, instead of fighting him tooth and nail. Photo: The Canadian Press Yannick Craigwell shows off some of his edible marijuana baked treats in Vancouver, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018. Craigwell doesn't need to guess how large Canadians' appetites will be for edible pot products once they're legal. He already knows Ai they're huge. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward Yannick Craigwell doesn't need to guess how large the Canadian appetite will be for edible pot once it's legal. He already knows it's huge. The Vancouver entrepreneur whips up marijuana-infused cookies, brownies and fudge that he sells online through his company Treats and Treats. "Once it becomes legal, I think the only thing that's going to change is you're going to get the people who were raised to think ... 'Weed is bad, it's the devil's lettuce,' and they're going to be open to trying," he said. "It's not really anything to be afraid of, but we are stigmatized by the laws that we have on the books." Businesses across Canada are cooking up weed-laced goodies to prepare for their legalization next year. Companies are betting on a big market and hope to avoid some of the pitfalls seen in U.S. jurisdictions when edibles were legalized. The only legal marijuana on Oct. 17 will be fresh or dried bud, oil, plants and seeds. The federal government has promised to develop regulations to support the sale of edibles and concentrates within a year and will launch consultations later in 2018 and 2019. Canada's cautious approach stands in contrast with Colorado, which had practically no restrictions when pot treats hit stores in 2014. The Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center received 87 marijuana exposure calls about children that year, nearly doubling the previous year's total, though no children died. The statistic grabbed headlines and pushed the state to introduce regulations in 2015. Edibles must now be contained in child-resistant packages, stamped with a universal symbol and divided into servings of 10 or fewer milligrams of THC, pot's psychoactive ingredient. They also can't be shaped like animals, fruit or people. The dangers of edibles hit close to home last week when a young child on Vancouver Island ate pot-infused gummy bears. She was rushed to hospital in medical distress, RCMP said, but was expected to fully recover. Health Canada is considering requiring a standardized cannabis symbol on labels and banning product forms, ingredients and flavouring agents that appeal to kids, said spokeswoman Tammy Jarbeau. Previously introduced regulations already require marijuana to be in child-resistant packaging. The effects of edibles take longer to be experienced and last longer than those caused by smoking cannabis, she said, putting users at risk of overconsumption. And since edibles can look like normal food, there's a risk that children and pets will accidentally eat them, she added. "These two issues point to the need to control the amount of THC in edibles, as well as the need for measures to ensure that edibles are appropriately packaged and labelled," she said. It's illegal for anyone other than a licensed producer to sell medical pot, but Craigwell said he operates in the "grey." He requires online buyers to agree to terms and conditions that state they need cannabis for medical reasons and he also sells his edibles in dispensaries in Vancouver, where police have chosen not to crack down. A standard dose of THC in Colorado is 10 mg, but Craigwell's goodies range from 90 mg to 175 mg. He said he's open to the government mandating a lower dose, but it should consider what customers want. "All you're doing is risking them going into the black market," he said. "My business model won't succeed if I don't have customers." Craigwell advised first-timers to eat a small piece and wait to feel the effects. "Start off with a quarter. Work your way up to a half, and then a whole," he said. Experts predict edibles will eat up a major chunk of the market once legal. Six out of 10 likely pot consumers will choose edibles, according to a Deloitte survey of 1,500 Canadians. Venezuelan Exodus a Monumental Crisis: UN High Commissioner for Refugees The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grande, on Oct. 07 said that Colombia was responding to a monumental crisis in the region from a growing exodus of Venezuelans. Grande was in Venezuelas border region of Cucuta to see the situation for himself firsthand, pledging to provide more resources to help Colombia deal with the influx. According to reports, nearly one million Venezuelans currently live in Colombia. The United Nations estimates that more than two million Venezuelans have fled their country amidst food and medical shortages, a flailing economy and insecurity. However, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denied there is an exodus of people leaving the OPEC nation. BRIDGEPORT Since the Christopher Columbus statue in Seaside Park was vandalized around Columbus Day last year, police are expecting to keep a close eye on the area this year. Were definitely going to bump up patrols, especially at night, said Police Chief Armando Perez on Friday. Were preparing. BRIDGEPORT Connecticut continues to follow a downward trend in overall number of crimes, recently released FBI data show. The numbers, however, also show that murders in the state jumped 36 percent, from 77 to 105 from 2016 to 2017; Hartford had an increase of 15 homicides and Bridgeport reported 11 more than the previous year. Numbers should not divert our attention from the fact that even one homicide in our city is too many. We can always do better and Bridgeport will always be a work in progress, said Bridgeport police spokesman Av Harris. Smaller numbers, like an increase of three murders in New Britain and an increase of two each in Norwalk and Stratford, also contributed to pushing the total number up. There are also various areas including Torrington, Vernon, Bristol and Manchester, which each saw an increase by one homicide from 2016 to 2017. But there were also declines in homicide totals for some places including New Haven, which saw a drop of six killings from 2016 to 2017; and East Hartford, which saw three fewer murders between the two years. Several areas saw a decrease of one in the overall number of killings. There were 18 homicides in Bridgeport in 2015, and that dropped dramatically to 10 homicides in 2016, Harris said. Obviously that number increased significantly in 2017, but the sustained, proactive crime prevention strategy we have put in place with community policing plus cooperation with our federal partners and community organizations we expect will show the 2017 numbers to be an anomaly. The Federal Bureau of Investigation released its annual Crime in Connecticut report earlier this week with data based on monthly reports of crime activity provided to the Uniform Crime Reporting program at the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. The 435-page report can be found at bit.ly/FBIreport2017. Contrary to the data provided by the FBI that numbered the citys murders at 21, Bridgeport police confirmed 23 homicides in 2017. So far in 2018, killings in the city have declined considerably, with Bridgeport police having confirmed seven homicides. Detectives are still investigating a suspicious death in the city in August, which police said was potentially a homicide. Looking at the FBI data from 2008 to 2017, offenses in Connecticut including murder, rape, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, larceny and motor vehicle theft have declined over the years. In 2016, there were 73,078 offenses reported in the state, a 1 percent decline from the number of offenses in 2015. And in 2017, there were 71,883 offenses reported statewide, a 2 percent decrease from 2016. The total number of certain reported crime robberies and aggravated assaults, for instance have slightly fluctuated, with some dropping and others increasing over several years. Despite data showing overall crime in Connecticut has been on the decline for years, the public might not see it that way, according to John DeCarlo, an associate professor of criminal justice at University of New Haven and a former Branford police chief. Information about crimes, trends and arrests spread across social media and news sites like wildfire, which, DeCarlo said, might lead the public to believe crime is on the rise. I think it has affected the way we perceive the amount of crime, even in light of the fact that crime (in Connecticut) is down, DeCarlo said. Not all towns and cities have fallen in line with the overall downward trend. In Bridgeport, despite the citys population decrease of nearly 2,000 residents between 2016 and 2017, the data showed violent crimes murder, non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault increased from 1,115 in 2016 to 1,315 in 2017. Moving out from Bridgeport, some towns and cities have seen a slight increase in violent crime: Stratford went from 67 reported violent crimes in 2016 to 89 in 2017, Trumbull went from 42 to 55, and Derby went from 39 to 42. Shelton had 28 incidents of violent crime in both years. Milford had 34 incidents in 2016, which dropped to 24 in 2017. We dont hesitate, we dont drag our feet in deploying different alternative methods when it comes to policing crimes, said Milford police spokesman, Officer Mike DeVito. We don't subject it just to violent crimes. We have the same methodology for all crimes. Crime down statewide FBI yearly stats show steady decline in most categories TOWN / CITY Population VIOLENT CRIME Murder* Rape Robbery Assault PROPERTY CRIME Burglary Larceny Motor vehicle theft Arson Ansonia 18,647 22 6 3 13 353 21 283 49 1 Bridgeport 146,110 1,315 21 77 565 652 3,416 548 2,152 716 14 Derby 12,586 42 1 2 16 23 306 35 238 33 1 Easton 7,570 10 3 6 1 Fairfield 61,402 23 2 9 12 915 110 703 102 Milford 54,265 24 1 18 5 967 92 809 66 3 Monroe 19,682 10 2 4 4 151 20 111 20 Orange 13,904 7 1 4 2 362 19 326 17 1 Seymour 16,555 12 2 4 6 127 25 92 10 Shelton 41,625 28 3 7 18 396 81 259 56 1 Stratford 52,263 89 2 10 50 27 1,117 137 826 154 3 Trumbull 36,265 55 12 27 16 848 83 708 57 1 Westport 28,079 5 2 1 2 298 29 233 36 Hartford 122,891 1,343 29 45 465 804 4,907 738 3,490 679 87 New Haven 129,953 1,100 7 52 378 663 5,211 840 3,728 643 32 Stamford 130,189 292 30 91 171 1,986 241 1,488 257 5 Source: FBI | * And manslaughter See More Collapse Throughout Connecticut, from 2016 to 2017, the number of reported burglaries dropped from 10,087 to 8,893. And arson numbers went down from 409 in 2016 to 331 in 2017. There were also declines in aggravated assaults, burglaries and larcenies between the two years. Though the overall downward trend can be attributed to a variety of different factors, DeCarlo said, the way police and communities work together to prevent crimes has been a huge factor in the overall decline. With community policing, the public and the police work on preventing crime before it happens, rather than handle it after it happens, DeCarlo said. Harris said fighting crime goes beyond policing. It is also critical to stabilize families, provide a good education, access to health care and nutrition, mentoring and economic empowerment and opportunity through legitimate and not illicit means, he said. While chairman and managing partner of the London-based 3i Private Equity Group, Bob Stefanowski served on the board of a company that became embroiled in controversial drug trials that killed 22 people in India. The families were paid about $4,500 for each of the dead called guinea pigs by a British newspaper. The 3i Group also lost $30 million after a rape and sex-trafficking scandal resulted in the sale of a chain of residential homes for troubled youth in England. These details have emerged in a Hearst Connecticut Media investigation that reviewed corporate records, trade-magazine interviews and news reports linked to the corporate career of Stefanowski, the Republican candidate for governor running for his first elective office. He promises to run state government like a business. While Stefanowski was not directly involved in the controversies, his position as a member of the board of Quintiles Healthcare, combined with an earlier report from Hearst, creates a clearer picture for voters, according to Fred Carstensen, director of the Connecticut Center for Economic Research at the University of Connecticut. It is a very troubling resume for someone seeking the governors office, Carstensen said. There is nothing here to argue that he brings any useful experience or skills to public service, e.g. building collaborative teams or helping transfer the culture of a company. I have characterized him as a business bureaucrat because I dont see where he actually created value or help build a better, stronger business. Earlier this year, Stefanowski told the Hearst editorial board that President Donald Trump has proved that a businessman can come in and get things done. I think its about leadership and running this state like a business, he said. I think government experience is a little overrated. Kendall Marr, Stefanowskis spokesman, said Monday night that Stefanowski did not take part in Quintile Healthcares day-to-day operations. Suggesting that Bob is responsible for problems that surfaced at independent companies where 3i held minority investments in which Bob had absolutely role in making the investment is not just false, it is flat out irresponsible, Marr said in a statement. Drug trials Between 2008 and 2011, Stefanowski was chairman and managing partner of 3i Private Equity. According to its 2009 annual report, 3i took a 7 percent share of North Carolina-based Quintiles Transnational Corp, a clinical-trial and pharmaceutical consultant. Forbes magazine called the company the leader in a secretive and powerful $20 billion industry, outsourcing clinical trials. Quintiles, a contract-research organization, was criticized in the medical industry for questionable quality and potential conflicts of interest because of close ties to their clients in Big Pharma. Forbes reported in 2010 that a federal Food and Drug Administration official wrote a critical review of a diabetes drug that Quintiles tested for GlaxoSmithKline. Quintiles responded that its monitoring of diabetic patients for heart-related ailments was satisfactory. Also in 2010, 22 people, mostly poor and illiterate according to The Independent newspaper of Britain died during drug trials in India. In 2011, Quintiles was one of about 10 companies, including Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Bayer that paid families individual settlements, which were approved by the Drug Controller General of India. In 2013, a North Carolina business journal reported that Quintiles shut down one operation in India due to a challenging external business environment. Sex exploitation in Great Britain In 2010, another controversy for 3i occurred near Manchester, in the north of England, in a childrens residential facility that became the focus of a sex-trafficking ring. A home in Rochdale, one of about 30 facilities in the Green Corns Ltd. chain owned by the investment firm, was reportedly paid $375,000 a year by county officials to house and treat one troubled 15-year-old girl. The home had a staff of six to provide around-the-clock supervision, but The Independent reported that the girl escaped 19 times for as much as two weeks at a time, and had sex with numerous men who gave her alcohol and drugs. The girls complaints eventually prompted a police investigation that led to the May 2012 conviction of nine men on sex trafficking and other offenses including rape. Stefanowski left the company in 2011. Marr, his campaign spokesman, said the Green Corns acquisition was made several year before Stefanowski joined 3i. Before the scandal, British child-welfare officials had made numerous complaints that employees at the facility were under-qualified and under-trained on sexual-exploitation and care standards. Days before the guilty verdicts, the 3i Group sold the home for about a dollar, for a loss of $30 million. The Independent reported that the 3i Group claimed the sale was not the result of the sex scandal. Hearst recently reported that during the Great Recession when banks failed in 2008, Stefanowski told an industry trade magazine that the crisis created a big opportunity for his company, and a chance to outsource jobs. His last position was CEO of a controversial payday loan company in Britain that is prohibited from operating in Connecticut. While Stefanowski criticizes Democrat Ned Lamont for supporting trucks-only highway tolls to help pay for infrastructure work, and he opposes toll roads, 3i invested more than $100 million in an India-based company that builds and operates toll roads. While he opposes state investments in businesses, when he was chief financial officer at UBS Investment Bank, the firm accepted $20 million in state assistance aimed at keeping the firm in Stamford. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT SAO PAULO, Brazil - A far-right former military man won nearly half the votes in Brazil's presidential election on Sunday, raising the strong prospect that he could take the helm of Latin America's largest nation in a runoff later this month. Jair Bolsonaro - who has been compared to President Donald Trump for his populist candidacy and polarizing style - was riding a wave of indignation against the corruption in the political class that has governed Brazil since the military dictatorship ended in 1985. With 98 percent of the ballots counted, Bolsonaro had 46.43 percent of the vote. That figure put him close to surpassing the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff on Oct. 28. His closest competitor, the leftist Workers' Party candidate Fernando Haddad, was running a distant second with 28.7 percent. Bolsonaro's performance represented a stunning march forward for a burgeoning global movement of right-wing nationalists who have captured the top political jobs in the United States, Eastern Europe and the Philippines. Bolsonaro's strongman approach to politics and his praise for the former military dictatorship have raised fears that he would move Brazil away from liberal democracy. Bolsonaro has denied such intentions. "For someone with no TV time, a small party, no political funds and who has been hospitalized for 30 days, this is a great victory," Bolsonaro - who was stabbed on the campaign trail last month - proclaimed in a Facebook Live post late Sunday. Bolsonaro's result was particularly surprising in Brazil - a nation that, just a few years ago, was seen as a leader of the international left under former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. But Lula - as he is widely known - is now behind bars, part of a corruption probe that has tainted many Brazilian politicians. Barred from running, Lula picked Haddad, a 55-year old former mayor of Sao Paulo, as a stand-in. But the vote for the long-ruling Workers' Party was collapsing in key states. Haddad lost his home turf of Sao Paulo by a massive margin. Eleven other presidential hopefuls also posted dismal numbers. "Today we'll start to make Brazil great again," tweeted Henrique Mecking, a Bolsonaro backer and computer programmer in the southern state of Santa Catarina. Against the backdrop of a bankrupt political class, Bolsonaro - who ran a social media-driven campaign on a bargain-basement budget - presented himself as a tough outsider who zeroed in on three key issues: the economy, corruption and a terrifying crime wave. The presidential campaign has had echoes of the 2016 race for the White House, with Brazilians polarized over Bolsonaro's history of incendiary remarks about women, minorities and the LGBT community. Bolsonaro toned down his rhetoric as he sought to expand his appeal but has been targeted by critics in a social media campaign, #EleNao, or #NotHim. Liberal Brazilians were aghast at the results and already speaking of a likely second-round defeat. "R.I.P. myth of Brazil's racial democracy," Theresa Denise Williamson, who works with the favela communities in Rio de Janeiro, posted on an anti-Bolsonaro Facebook page. A seven-term congressman, Bolsonaro has long loitered on Brazil's political fringe. Yet, from the Amazon region to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Bolsonaro was winning votes even among groups he has insulted. "I voted for Bolsonaro because I'm tired of politicians being the same," said Maria Aparecida de Oliveira, a 63-year-old housekeeper casting her ballot in an upper-middle class district of Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city. "Even if he is a little crazy, someone needs to bring change." Analysts expect an intense period of jockeying for political alliances in the coming weeks. But Bolsonaro and his supporters were claiming the clear momentum. In a country where not voting carries a small fine, 20 percent of people abstained and an additional 2.6 percent cast blank ballots. As Brazilians look to the second round, even more voters are expected to do the same. That movement will probably shrink the total electoral pool, giving Bolsonaro a potentially stronger shot, some say. Yet Haddad will seek to pick up the votes cast for a flurry of other center-left and left-wing candidates as he seeks to leapfrog the front-runner. "Bolsonaro is a strange phenomenon," said Lucas de Aragao, director of Arko Advice, a political risk company in Brasilia. "It's very hard to understand his movement, the why, the how. It doesn't have any precedent in Brazil. Even some Lula voters are turning to him. It's happened because Brazil loves this idea of a savior, of a hero. And Bolsonaro now represents this image of a savior as much as Lula does " Just a few years ago, Brazil saw a surge of progressive policies under Lula, who while president from 2003 to 2011 pushed through generous welfare programs and labor rights. He governed during a commodities boom that lifted millions out of poverty, and he left office with a dizzying approval rating of 87 percent. Lula vowed to win back the presidency this year and shot to the top of the polls. But he became engulfed in a sweeping corruption investigation and in April began serving 12 years in prison. Haddad, his replacement, is a shy, pragmatic economist of Lebanese background, a shadow of the larger-than-life Lula. He has tried to reassure investors that he would not pursue radical leftist policies, but many still worry he would not pass the tough reforms seen as necessary to avoid another economic crisis here. Many in the business community have backed Bolsonaro and his economic guru, the University of Chicago-trained Paulo Guedes. Speaking to supports late Sunday, Haddad said the results had put Brazilian democracy at risk. "This second round is a golden opportunity. We need to know to make use of it with a sense of responsibility," he said. Despite having legalized same-sex marriage and set up quotas for minorities in universities, Brazil remains a socially conservative and religious nation. Bolsonaro has earned key support among an increasingly powerful group: evangelical voters. Many of Bolsonaro's core backers are also huge fans of Trump - a leader with whom Bolsonaro shares striking parallels. Bolsonaro is a tough talker whose strongest followers include white men who feel left behind by economic and social change. He champions "traditional values" but has been married three times. He reaches out to his legions of followers via social media. Bolsonaro has been vague on the details of his proposed policies. But he has vowed to loosen gun laws and crack down on the violent street gangs that control Brazil's drug trade. He backs the free market but has criticized Chinese investment - saying he will work with Beijing but that "we will not hand our territory over to anybody." He has pledged to stop attempts to loosen strict abortion laws and has alarmed environmentalists by saying he would seek development in the Amazon. Bolsonaro's backers in far-right movements have cheered on his infamous political incorrectness for years. He once said a gay son was the product of not enough "beatings" and told a female rival she was not worth raping because she was "too ugly." 3 1 of 3 Alex von Kleydorff / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Alex von Kleydorff / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3 NORWALK A 59-year-old Stamford man is dead after appearing to have suffered a medical event before a serious accident on Sunday. The Fire Department responded to the crash near Hotel Zero Degrees, 353 Main St., at 4:12 p.m., Deputy Fire Chief Ed Prescott said in a news release. A Subaru Forester driven by the deceased was heading northbound on Main Avenue when it left the road, split a 15-foot tree at the roots and hit a car in the hotel parking lot. DES MOINES - Hours after casting his vote against confirming Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., was looking out at Iowa Democrats, quoting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and urging them not to give in to despair. "I heard a president mock and laugh and jeer a survivor for telling her story," Booker said. "I know there's a lot of folks hurting right now. When I was walking through here, I had survivors walking up to me, telling me what the fight meant to them." Booker's Iowa visit, the first by a Democrat considered a top-tier presidential candidate in 2020, was rapturously received by activists who had lost nearly every office in their state. The New Jersey senator had quietly agreed to keynote the party's gala eight months earlier, shortly after joining the Senate Judiciary Committee; he planned to stay in the state through Tuesday, as Democrats kicked off their 30-day early-voting period. His speech, delivered to about 1,400 Democrats at an event designed to stoke presidential speculation, dealt with the anguish over Kavanaugh's confirmation with a digression into Booker's personal story - a suburban kid who became an organizer and, later, mayor of Newark - and stories about his Iowa relatives, who had made friendships across racial lines, "folks coming together with their cloth to do a quilting bee." Booker compared the anger many were feeling about Kavanaugh's confirmation to what he had felt watching a young man die of a gunshot wound, and then the despair he'd felt at President Trump's inauguration. "Hope is the act of conviction that despair can never have the last word," he said. "We're not defined in this state by Republicans in power; we're defined by how we respond to them. We're not defined by a president who mocks a hero, Dr. (Christine) Blasey Ford. We're not defined by a president who doesn't believe women." The senator, who made news by demanding the release of additional documents from Kavanaugh's past during the hearings, did not talk much about the confirmation process itself. He put the defeat in the context of previous liberal setbacks and struggles. "We Democrats know that change never comes from Washington. It comes to Washington," Booker said. "One day, Strom Thurmond didn't sit around and say, 'It's about time those Negro people have civil rights.' It was about black folks and white folks coming together and demanding change." Booker spoke for more than 45 minutes, drawing four standing ovations - most of them as he quoted King's speech from the 1965 voting rights march on Montgomery, Alabama, turning the "How long? Not long" rhythm into a call and response. "How long? Not long! Until we answer the president's hate with our universal love," Booker said. "How long until November? Not long!" In the speech and in a gaggle with reporters afterward, Booker shied away from using the president's name. He brushed off a question about the presidential rally in Topeka that occurred shortly before his speech in which Trump criticized his tenure as mayor of Newark. "I have nothing personal against the president," said Booker. "If he wants to attack me personally, he can. If he wants to attack my record, the reality is that the people of New Jersey elected me statewide, and I'm proud of the work we did. I'll never let him pull me so low." Booker's hopeful tone was generally cheered in the audience, but a few female Democrats in the crowd suggested he had skipped too quickly past the anguish some were feeling. More Democrats said that Booker had struck the right chords on one of the worst days of their political lives. "It was a very good message, obviously well received," said Tom Vilsack, the former secretary of agriculture and a two-term Iowa governor who briefly ran for president. "Anger comes and goes. This stuff can stick with you during the tough times. I, for one, don't think anger wins elections. I think hope and opportunity wins elections." Democratic activists, in Iowa and elsewhere, have expressed relatively little interest in the next presidential election, focusing instead on the chance to win back control of states and Congress next month. Booker's appearance helped the party raise tens of thousands of dollars for a coordinated campaign, one that he would travel to help launch on Monday. But Booker, a national figure for his party since his near-miss 2002 run for mayor of Newark, didn't tamp down the impression that he was looking at a presidential bid. After the speech - and after nearly 45 minutes of handshakes and selfies with activists - Booker seemed to relish a question about how how a New Jersey senator could relate to an agricultural state. "I've introduced legislation to put a moratorium on corporate consolidation of farms," Booker said. "I don't know if I need to bring you a New Jersey tomato to show you how good our produce is." Photo: The Canadian Press The Canadian Forces are explaining a dramatic increase in the number of sexual-assault reports last year as proof that efforts to crack down on such illicit behaviour in the military are having a positive impact and not that there have been more actual crimes. Military authorities received 111 reports of sexual assault between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018, according to new figures provided to The Canadian Press. That was more than double the 47 such reports received over the previous year. While those numbers appear troubling, at least on the surface, the head of the military's sexual misconduct response team suggested that they in fact represent a sign of progress in the Forces' commitment to eliminate such offences from the ranks. "It's a positive indication that people feel free to come forward," Commodore Rebecca Patterson, who took over command of the response team in July, said in an interview on Thursday. "We have to combine that with the fact that things that may have been overlooked in the past are now being reported because there is the understanding among members of the (military) that they will report if they see things." However, the military did not provide a breakdown on when the alleged sexual assaults actually occurred, and Patterson admitted that officials are still wrestling with questions about the figures, which were gathered from across the entire Forces. "As we move forward and we build the analytics piece into those various databases, the intent would be to be able to say: Are these occurring cases with serving members or historical cases based on a timeframe?" she said. One thing that is clear is that inappropriate behaviour continued to occur within the Forces over the past year. That was despite chief of defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance repeatedly promising to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to sexual misconduct in the ranks, and warning those who didn't listen that they would be severely punished. In addition to the alleged sexual assaults, military authorities received 231 reports of non-criminal inappropriate sexual behaviour that included frequent sexual language or jokes, the displaying of sexually-explicit material and "pressuring for sexual activity." There were another 76 reports of other types of alleged sexual crimes, including sexual harassment, indecent exposure, child pornography, abuse of authority and sexual exploitation. And while some of the inappropriate behaviour occurred before Vance's promised clamp down, about three-quarters of the reports dealt with incidents that occurred in 2017, which represented an average of 25 per month - or just under one per day. Eliminating sexual misconduct in the ranks remains a priority from the top on down, Patterson said, adding: "It is a very long-term process to hit cultural change, and we are going to continue to put a lot of effort in across the entire institution." Aside from the increased reporting, Patterson pointed to the results of a yet-to-be-released internal survey as further proof that military personnel feel confident that their leaders are committed to fighting sexual misconduct. "Their confidence that the chain of command was actually trying to do something and create a culture of dignity and respect in the units is sitting around 85 per cent," she said. "Not 100 per cent, we are still going for that." And she referenced the fact that around 55 per cent of incidents in the last year were reported by the victim or target of inappropriate behaviour, as opposed to a witness or bystander, further suggesting confidence in the system. Photo: CTV Vancouver A tiny community south of Fort St. John has been ordered to evacuate due to a massive creeping landslide. The 150-person settlement of Old Fort was emptied over the weekend due to "significant risk to public safety, according to the Peace River Regional District. The slide, first reported Sept. 30, has cut off the only road in and out of town and residents had been relying on a water taxi on the Peace River prior to the order. Electricity has also been cut off. The PRRD says engineering geologists have been mapping the slide, which is moving at rate of about 5 to ten metres a day. Visual and recorded observations of movement to date indicate the movement is significant and unpredictable, the district said online. The Alaska Highway News reports that a gravel pit operating above the landslide dropped eight to 10 metres on the day the slide was reported. Crews are now working to remove 50,000 tons of gravel from the pit to lessen the weight load above the slide. Its not clear when the slide debris will be cleared, and regional district staff are developing long-term plans to winterize evacuated homes. ALTON Dr. Juri McDowell is the winner of the 2018 Alton Memorial Hospital Chairmans Award. Dr. McDowell, chief of Anesthesiology at AMH, was honored at the annual Physicians Appreciation Dinner, held recently at the Post Commons in Alton. Steve Thompson, chairman of the hospitals board of directors, made the presentation to Dr. McDowell to the applause of his colleagues. To receive this type of professional acknowledgment by my peers is extremely humbling, Dr. McDowell said. Past Chairmans Award winners comprise a group of physicians that I hold in the highest regard. This years nominees were all excellent and deserving. It is a great honor and a privilege to serve our patient population with a phenomenal team of nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologist colleagues. Our team of nurse anesthetists at Alton Memorial Hospital is a truly amazing group that I have the honor and privilege with whom to work. We laugh together, cry together, and share in each others victories and setbacks like a family. This award is a great recognition of our department and I want to thank them for the dedication and hard work they contribute in executing the mission of Alton Memorial Hospital. And I would be remiss not to mention my mentors and colleagues, Dr. Hany Tadros and Dr. Calvin Williams. Over the 13 years I have come to know them, they have remained the standard bearers for fairness, honesty, and integrity. I continue to learn a great deal from them professionally and personally. Dr. McDowell began at AMH in 2007 and has been chief of Anesthesiology at AMH since 2016 He has also been a member of the Medical Executive Committee since 2016. Dr. McDowell is very deserving of this honor, Thompson said. This is always a great honor for a doctor since nominations come from their peers along with hospital employees who work together every day to improve the health of the communities we serve. Each of the nominated physicians is a well-respected member of the AMH team. On behalf of the board of directors and staff, I thank each of them for their commitment. Some of the comments about Dr. McDowell in the nominations for him received from AMH staff and physicians included: Always a pleasure to work with. Strives to put patient safety first. Compassionate, caring and talented physician. Collaborates with physicians, nurses, and other team members to seek the best care for our patients. Works positively towards the vision and the excellence of all the departments within the hospital. Addresses clinical and personal issues with integrity, fairness and selflessness. Focused on developing best practices to manage daily workflows. Competence has little meaning without compassion, Dr. McDowell said. I continually strive to embody both. Humility and dignity are another pair of traits that I feel have been essential to my professional and personal successes. And lastly, honesty is a moral imperative. Dr. McDowell earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri in 2001. He completed an Anesthesiology residency in 2005 at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, where he was named Anesthesiology Resident of the Year. The Chairmans Award publicly acknowledges a member of the AMH medical staff for the contributions the physician makes to the hospital and community, active participation in hospital and medical staff departmental affairs, and the promotion and practice of outstanding customer service with hospital patients and staff. Previous recipients of the Chairmans Award are Dr. Leo Green; Dr. Daniel Platt; Dr. David Riedel; Dr. Kathie Wuellner; Dr. Edward Cornell; Dr. Edward Harrow; Dr. Maudie Miller; Dr. Robert Hamilton; Dr. Edward Ragsdale; Dr. Laurance Monckton; Dr. Thomas Ryan; Dr. Mark Allendorph; Dr. John Hoelscher; Dr. David Burnside; Dr. Charles Schranck; Dr. Randall Rogalsky; Dr. Salvador Lo Bianco, MD; Dr. Erik Stabell; Dr. James Hudson; Dr. Stanley Sidwell; Dr. John Wuellner; Dr. Geoffrey Turner; and Dr. Angela Holbrook. EDWARDSVILLE Dressed in professional attire and armed with resumes and good attitudes, hundreds of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students walked through the doors of SIUE Morris University Centers Meridian Ballroom to meet potential employers and consider options for their future. This has been productive. Everyone has made me feel comfortable, and Ive gotten a lot of good information to follow up on, said Austin Grant, a senior, majoring in marketing management who plans to graduate in December. At least two companies that I looked at Hibu and the Four Seasons seem promising. The SIUE Career Development Center (CDC) held its annual October Career Fair Wednesday-Thursday, Oct. 3-4. During the two-day fair, more than 1,300 SIUE students had a chance to meet and interview more than 150 area employers and graduate schools. We are pleased to continually offer this great opportunity for our students, said Carrie Smolar, CDC assistant director for employer relations. The career fair allows students a chance to network with employers and learn about their open internships, co-ops and full-time positions. It is wonderful to provide an opportunity for students to connect with employers face-to-face. It is also great to see alumni returning as representatives for their companies. Approximately eight employers who attended the Career Fair plan to conduct interviews in the coming weeks, according to Smolar. Bayer, formerly Monsanto, will conduct interviews on Monday, Oct. 8 and Tuesday, Oct. 16, according to Suzanne Caudera, Bayer IT vendor manager, who graduated with a bachelors in computer management and information systems in 2004 from SIUE. Students who come from SIUE do very well at our company, said Caudera. I am a big advocate for internships and co-op programs for students. I am an example of having done a 6-month co-op with then-Monsanto, and it turned into a full-time job for me. Cierra Thomas graduated with a bachelors in criminal justice and a minor in pre-law from SIUE in May. Im here looking for a full-time job in my field, said Thomas. Im considering a spot at Missouri Juvenile Justice. I feel positive about the fair and the outcomes I will have. Chad Johnson, a senior majoring in computer management and information systems, looked at various companies but is keeping an eye out on Datotel, True Manufacturing and Edward Jones. Sadie Montgomery, undergraduate university recruiter with Edward Jones, said her company enjoys coming to the SIUE October Career Fair. We have gotten great students in the past from SIUE, so we continue to come back, said Montgomery. We have had great interns from SIUE who have gone on to full-time employment. Edward Jones will conduct student interviews on Oct. 18. Jesse Elledge and his cousin, Edward Boone Scholl, went to Pittsfields log post office in spring 1834 to file a plat for the town of Booneville. Scholl, who went by his middle name, was a grandnephew of famous frontiersman Daniel Boone and had the village of Booneville [now Perry] surveyed and platted. Whether Jesse Elledge had anything to do with the founding of Booneville does not appear from the records, wrote Pike County historian Jess Thompson. It may have been that the two pioneers, kinsmen, both of Boone blood, had merely chanced to ride to the county seat together, each bent on business of his own. At any rate, Boone Scholl appeared in the entry of record as sole proprietor of the new town. Booneville, which was laid out on land owned by Scholl, originally had 64 lots, each 66 feet by 139 feet, grouped around a public square. The first settlers of the Booneville area arrived in the 1820s. Many of them, like Scholl, came from Kentucky. Scholl was born in Clark County, Kentucky, in 1801. He married Susannah Bentley in 1826 and settled in Williamsport, which once was an Illinois River town in Morgan [now Scott] County. Scholl is believed to have settled in northern Pike County around 1830. In 1835, he sold his property, including all the lots in Booneville, to Joseph King, who is credited with being Boonevilles first merchant. King came from New York, where his family owned fish grounds and sent him a barrel of oysters, in the shell, at Christmastime, wrote Perry historian Gwen Woods. Booneville later was named Perry, in honor of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a naval hero of the War of 1812. As for the towns founder Scholl he moved down the road to Griggsville, where he died in 1862. Perry is described as being a prosperous little village in the late 1830s and early 1840s. The decade of the 1830s saw the opening of a subscription school in the village, the construction of a hotel and the arrival of merchants, a blacksmith and a physician, Dr. Hugh Sutphin. By 1880, Perry could boast three general stores, two drugstores, three restaurants, one hotel, two barber shops, one livery stable, four blacksmith shops, one mill, one school, six churches and one newspaper. This Way We Were story was first published Sept. 25, 2006. 3 hours ago Is Blink Charging or ChargePoint the Better Buy as the Infrastructure Bill Passes? Both companies will play a role in building out an electric vehicle charging network, but which stock is best to own now? Investors are looking at 2022 and positioning their portfolios to capture what is setting up to be a big year for electric vehicle (EV) stocks. Read Article In a major security breach, Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad arrested Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agent at from a research wing that houses sensitive information on the BrahMos Missile unit in Maharashtra's Nagpur. The ISI agent identified as Nishant Agarwal was working at Brahmos missile unit and was nabbed on charges of spying in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad. The Defence Research and Development Organisation facility from where the Pakistan ISI agent was arrested produces propellents, or fuel, for the BrahMos missile. The BrahMos is a medium-range supersonic missile that can be fired from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. However, it is the fastest cruise missile across the world makes the arrest even more critical. A group of Hindu devotees from Pakistan on Sunday visited the famous Jagannath Temple in the pilgrim town of Odisha's Puri and paid obeisance to the deity. The group of over 100 people including men and women arrived in Odisha on October 4 on a five-day trip. The Pakistani tourists expressed gratitude over the treatment meted out to them and urged the Indian government to relax visa provisions. It was for the first time the pilgrims had visited Jagannath Temple. One of the pilgrims, Aatmaram said, "I have come to India before as well but this is my first pilgrimage to Jagannath temple. It was an overwhelming experience when we paid obeisance to the deity." Speaking about their life in Pakistan another pilgrim, Ramesh said, "We are happy in Pakistan and we celebrate our festivals with much fervor and joy in Pakistan as well. A lot of Hindu's from Pakistan want to visit these holy places and government should make provisions for them to get their Visas more easily." Another visitors Yajneshwar Das hailed the inter-country visits and said, "We also took out a Jagannath Yatra in Karachi this year on one of the main roads. Pakistani Rangers also supported us. As much as 1200 people took part in it. The people there are also very cooperative. Now we want to construct a grand Jagannath temple in the city. " "The misunderstanding is due to miscommunication. It is good that there would be more inter-country visits. We have many friends on both sides of the borders. There are many who believe that there should be cordial relations between the two countries, "he further added. (ANI) China on Monday reacted guardedly to Saudi Arabia's plan to invest in Pakistan, saying it is a "positive factor" if any other party would like to contribute to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation. After the recent visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia, it was announced that Riyadh will be the third "strategic partner" of USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The CPEC is the flagship project of the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of President Xi Jinping aimed at enhancing China's influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects. However, Islamabad later clarified that the Saudi Arabian investments will not be under the CPEC, which will remain a bilateral project between China and Pakistan. Asked about China's reaction to Saudi Arabia's investments in Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing that "the CPEC is an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)". He said BRI projects followed wide consultations and shared benefits. "So such cooperation has always been open and transparent. If any other party would like to contribute positive factors to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation, I think this is a positive factor," Lu said. India has opposed the CPEC project and protested to China as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The invitation to Saudi Arabia to take part in the CPEC sparked concerns that it might upset Iran, a strategic rival of Riyadh. An article in Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said Pakistan is risking China's anger by courting Saudi Arabia. "Pakistan's decision to invite Saudi Arabia to develop a massive refinery complex at Gwadar (port) certainly suggests that the CPEC is being manipulated to serve ends other than China's," the article said. Balochistan province, where Gwadar is located, borders Iran. "Riyadh must be salivating at the prospect of setting up a strategic oil reserve 120 km from Pakistan's border with Iran. Tehran, on the other hand, would be foaming at the mouth at this brazen attempt to undermine its flailing economy," the article said. On Sunday, Khan said Pakistan is reviewing the projects under the CPEC to safeguard the interest of the people in Balochistan province. Khan in the past had criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the lack of transparency and corruption in the CPEC projects. He said that Balochistan had a number of reservations about the mega project. "Balochistan will get its due share, whatever it may be, in the CPEC," he was quoted as saying by Dawn news. China had announced after the visit of Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Pakistan in September that the CPEC projects will be extended to western areas of Pakistan, which included Balochistan. -PTI In a significant development, the United States State Department announced that it is sending one of its top diplomats to Maldives and Sri Lanka. During her three-day trip from October 9 to 11, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells, will reiterate the strong US commitment to its partnerships with Sri Lanka and Maldives and their shared interests in a prosperous and open Indo-Pacific region, an official statement said Sunday. In Mal, Wells will meet with Maldivian government officials, the President-Elect, and civil society leaders. "She will offer congratulations on the country's successful national elections and convey US interest in expanding bilateral cooperation," the State Department said in a statement. In Colombo, Wells will meet with Sri Lankan officials and will emphasise the importance of the US-Sri Lanka relationship to shared Indo-Pacific goals, with the growing bilateral defense relationship as an area of particular promise. "She will also urge continued progress on constitutional reform, human rights, reconciliation, and transitional justice and accountability," the State Department said. -PTI British Embassy Bangkok to stop Certification of Income letters PHUKET: The British Embassy in Bangkok from Jan 1 next year will no longer provide British nationals with letters confirming their income, the embassy announced in a statement today (Oct 8). immigration By The Phuket News Monday 8 October 2018, 03:26PM The statement by the British Embassy Bangkok included an image highlighting how to open a bank account in Thailand. The notice that the British Embassy Bangkok will cease issuing letters certifying the income of British nationals was issued earlier today (Oct 8). A letter confirming income previously served as a supporting document for obtaining a Thai retirement or marriage visa (permit-to-stay), the embassy noted. The British Embassy Bangkok is stopping the certification of income letters because it is unable to fulfil the Thai authorities requirements to verify the income of British Nationals, the statement said. British nationals should now demonstrate that they have an amount of at least B800,000 in an account in Thailand for no less than three months prior to the visa application, or a monthly income of at least B65,000 transferred into an account in Thailand for a retirement visa, the embassy advised. For a marriage visa, the amounts are B400,000 in an account in Thailand for no less than three months prior to the visa application, or a monthly income of at least B40,000 transferred into an account in Thailand, the statement said. A bank statement should be used as the supporting document for obtaining a Thai retirement or marriage visa. All British Nationals concerned should note that the last date for income letter applications is Dec 12, 2018, the embassy explained. According to the embassy statement, the requirements for a retirement visa are as follows: Must be at least 50 years old; Must have an amount of at least B800,000 in an account in Thailand for no less than three months prior to the application for a visa, or a monthly income of at least B65,000. For further information potential applicants were directed to specific webpage for the requirements for a retirement visa on the Royal Thai Police Immigration Bureau website. (Click here.) The requirements for a marriage visa were given as: Must be legally married to a Thai national; Must have an amount of no less than B400,000 in an account in Thailand for two months prior to the visa application, or an average annual income of no less than B40,000 per month. For further information potential applicants were directed to specific webpage for the requirements for a marriage visa on the Royal Thai Police Immigration Bureau website. (Click here.) German tourists Phuket assault case is being investigated, say police PHUKET: Chalong Police have today confirmed that a case related to an assault on a German tourist last month is being investigated and arrest warrants should be issued this week. crimepoliceviolencetourism By Tavee Adam Monday 8 October 2018, 05:21PM The German tourist, Patrick Starke, sustained injuries to his head and arms. Photo: Supplied Speaking to The Phuket News today (Oct 8), Col Pakkayot Tanongsak of the Chalong Police confirmed that officers are investigating an assault on German tourist Patrick Starke by four suspects with weapons at 10:30pm on Sept 27. The attack, which left Mr Starke with wounds to head and arms, was caught on CCTV from in front of a 7-Eleven near Soi 11 Sai Yuan Rd in Rawai. Col Pakkayot said, Police will seek arrest warrants from images caught on CCTV. Now we are waiting for the names of the four suspects who attacked the tourist. I expect the arrest warrants to be ready in this week. He added, We have learned that prior to the attack, the tourist was acting crazy because he was drunk. He then came across the four suspects who decided to attack him. We are trying our best to help the tourist because he sustained quite bad injuries. Suspects arrested for deadly Phuket street shooting PHUKET: Police have confirmed that two suspects wanted for the fatal shooting of the 18-year-old son of a village headman in Phuket on Saturday have been taken into custody. murderhomicidecrimepoliceviolence By Eakkapop Thongtub Monday 8 October 2018, 01:59PM The two suspects wanted for the deadly Phuket street shooting are now in custody, police have confirmed. Photo: Thalang Police The two suspects wanted for the deadly Phuket street shooting are now in custody, police have confirmed. Photo: Thalang Police The two suspects wanted for the deadly Phuket street shooting are now in custody, police have confirmed. Photo: Thalang Police The two suspects wanted for the deadly Phuket street shooting are now in custody, police have confirmed. Photo: Thalang Police The two suspects wanted for the deadly Phuket street shooting are now in custody, police have confirmed. Photo: Thalang Police The two suspects wanted for the deadly Phuket street shooting are now in custody, police have confirmed. Photo: Thalang Police Thalang Police this morning (Oct 8) said the two suspects Suthat Saarddee, 20, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, and Jeerapong Jongchitklang, 21, of Nakhon Ratchasima had been caught. The two surrended themselves at Thalang Police Station, police confirmed. The arrests of the two men follows police at 10pm last night publicly identifying the men as wanted for the fatal shooting. Arrest warrants were issued for the two and relayed to all police stations in Phuket, Thalang Police said last night. Chakrapong Pongphat, the 18-year-old son of the Thepkrasattri Moo 4 village headman (Phu Yai Baan), was gunned down in front of his home near the Baan Don Tesco Lotus store on the Ban Don - Cherng Talay Rd in Moo 4, Thepkrasattri just before 5pm on Saturday (Oct 6). Bystanders rushed him to Thalang Hospital, but he was later transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police said that Mr Chakrapong had returned home on his motorcycle after shopping with a friend, Pharadon Thavorn, on Saturday when he was shot. The two were on the same motorcycle, with Pharadon riding pillion. While the two were returning to Mr Chakrapongs house, two men on a black motorcycle followed them, police said. Chakrapong pulled up in front of his house and the two men on the black motorcycle pulled up just a few metres behind. The driver of the black motorbike was not wearing a helmet, but his passenger was wearing a black helmet and black jacket, police added. Mr Chakrapong got off his motorcycle to go into his house, when the man in the black helmet and jacket walked up to him and shot him once in the head. The shooter then jumped back on the black motorbike and he and his accomplice sped off, police noted. Police said that from their initial investigation the shooting seemed to be motivated by an individual conflict and dark business. However, Phuket Provincial Police and Thalang Police both reported that they are operating a joint investigation and are questioning the two suspects to learn more about the deadly attack. Swedish expat, 76, found dead in Phuket house PHUKET: A 76-year-old Swedish expat was found dead in his home in Thalang on Saturday with police believing the death was caused by health issues. deathhealthpolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Monday 8 October 2018, 11:45AM Police and rescue workers are seen here at Mr Martins house in Moo 4, Thalang. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Capt Eakkasak Kwanwan of the Thalang Police received report at about 10am on Saturday (Oct 7) where it was reported a man had been found dead in his house on Moo 4 Thalang by a friend. Capt Eakkasak arrived at the scene to find the body of Sten Torbjorn Martin, 76, lying face down on the bed. A medical team from Thalang hospital checked the body and confirmed there were no wounds or any signs of an attack. The body of Mr Martin was discovered by his friend Laddawan Chantong, 27. She told police that Mr Martin had called her to buy him some medicine as he was suffering diarrhea and vomiting. When Ms Laddaval arrived at the house she found him dead on the bed so called police. There was a business sign found at the house for the Riva Marine Co Ltd company and a woman who police said worked for him, Nitikan Rodratanachai, told officers he had some yachts in Chalong. She also said that Mr Martin suffered from many congenital diseases but never went to a doctor and preferred to buy medicine from a pharmacy. Capt Eakkasak said Mr Martins body was taken to Thalang Hospital where an autopsy would be preformed to find the true caise of deat. The Consulate of Sweden in Phuket has been notified of the death. Yacht show forces combine for Phukets only boat show PHUKET: In a joint statement issued today (Oct 8), Gulu Lalvani, Chairman of Royal Phuket Marina, by Andy Treadwell, CEO of Verventia Pte Ltd, owners of the Thailand Yacht Show (TYS), and Gael and Olivier Burlot, owners of Asia RendezVous, announced that the three parties have agreed to collaborate in producing one combined boat show in Phuket next year. marineeconomics By The Phuket News Monday 8 October 2018, 01:20PM The Thailand Yacht Show & Rendezvous will take place on Jan 10-13, 2019, at the multi-award-winning Royal Phuket Marina in Phuket. Image: Royal Phuket Marina The Thailand Yacht Show & Rendezvous will take place on Jan 10-13, 2019, at the multi-award-winning Royal Phuket Marina in Phuket. Gulu Lalvani, Chairman of Royal Phuket Marina, said I am delighted to welcome the combined teams to work together and produce the best boat show Phuket has ever seen, here at Royal Phuket Marina in January. As the host venue, my team and I will be showcasing Thailands marine industry to the world and will work with the organisers to achieve our common objective to make Phuket and Thailand the central marina hub for the whole of Asia. The move was precipitated by a request earlier in the year from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to gather the industry together in one major event in Thailand so as to demonstrate united support for the governments yacht tourism initiative, said the release. At the same time, since the announcement in August of the Phuket Yacht Show, the yachting industry voiced its strong opinion that there should be only one boat show and requested just such a get together, with Royal Phuket Marina being the industry's preferred venue. The three organisers were able to come to an agreement in principle last week to merge the Phuket Yacht Show team into the already-announced Thailand Yacht Show & Rendezvous, it added. Andy Treadwell explained in the release, Its obvious that we needed to make this all one event, and great that weve been able to do so in a relatively short space of time entirely thanks to the industry coming together and getting everyone to agree. The TAT, our partners and main sponsor of the Thailand Yacht Show, also asked us earlier in the year to try to put everything into one show instead of competing and dividing the industry. Were all now looking forward to getting on with the job and building this event over the next few years into a proper international marketing platform for the yachting industry, and for Thailand as a world-class yacht tourism destination. Gael Burlot also added in the release, We are very pleased to have everyone on board and a clear plan to develop the boat show. The luxury industries are starting to prosper again in this region, and with the right collaborative promotion in the right strategic places like Thailand, the yachting industry should start to see significant growth in this beautiful part of the world, where there is so much opportunity. David Hunter, Managing Director for Torqeedo Asia Pacific, one of the shows main supporting partners, commented, As the pioneers of the future of electric mobility for the marine sector, we are delighted to continue our support for the Thailand Yacht Show & Rendezvous, and we are very pleased to hear that it will now be held at Royal Phuket Marina next January which is a great setting for us and our partners BMW. Our participation at this years TYS was a huge success, resulting in us winning contracts with the Thai government, including an all-electric passenger boat which will shortly be launched by the Prime Minister. We have also had several other new projects endorsed by the Minister for Tourism and Sports, who greatly enjoyed his experience at TYS and now fully supports our efforts to drive sustainable mobility." 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. PORTLAND, ORE.Comedian Katt Williams has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a hired driver during an argument about taking him and his dog from the Portland, Oregon, airport to a performance in the city. Williams, who was in jail Sunday, came to Portland to perform in Nick Cannons Wild N Out comedy improv show Friday night. The town car driver had swelling and cuts on his face, according to Port of Portland police. Williams, 47, whose real name is Micah Williams, left in another vehicle and was arrested Saturday. Williams has been charged with assault in the fourth degree, and an arraignment is scheduled for Monday. He also was arrested for an out-of-state warrant from Georgia. A publicist for Williams, whose comedy specials have appeared on HBO and Netflix, didnt immediately respond to messages seeking comment. A jail official and a spokesperson for the district attorneys office said they didnt know if the comedian had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Last month, Williams won the Emmy Award for guest actor in a comedy series for Atlanta, a TV show about two cousins in Atlantas rap scene. Read more: Comedian Katt Williams pleads no contest to taking camera Suge Knight, Katt Williams plead not guilty to robbery charges The arrest comes more than a year after Williams was sentenced to three years of probation in Los Angeles after pleading no contest to stealing a celebrity photographers camera. Prosecutors said in April 2017 that he also needed to attend anger management classes. In 2016, Williams got five years of probation after pleading no contest in Georgia to assault and battery tied to allegations he threatened a bodyguard while an acquaintance beat him with a baseball bat. Read more about: MONTREALA downtown Montreal statue of Sir John A. Macdonald was spray-painted red, only hours before the start of a demonstration to denounce racism and the newly elected Coalition Avenir Quebec government. An anonymous group of anti-colonial, anti-capitalist activists claimed responsibility for the damage, which police say occurred Saturday night. The group said in a news release that it wasnt involved in organizing Sundays demonstration. However, it wanted to support the event by vandalizing the statue of Macdonald, Canadas first prime minister, whom they described as a white supremacist who contributed to the genocide of Indigenous peoples. In 1883, Macdonald argued in the House of Commons for the removal of Indigenous children from their savage parents so they could learn the ways of white men. The Montreal statue has been spray-painted on several previous occasions, including this past August. Some 50 groups said they would take part in Sundays demonstration to protest racism. They also planned to demonstrate against premier-elect Francois Legaults plan to cut immigration and expel new arrivals who dont pass a French and values test within three years. In a three-part series, the Star looks at the rise of white nationalist and right-wing extremist groups in Canada, and what authorities are doing to identify and suppress these threats. This is part 2. To read the first part, click here, and to read the third part, click here. OTTAWACanadas top soldier frankly acknowledges there are members within the Canadian Armed Forces who harbour right-wing extremist and white supremacist beliefs. Its obvious Gen. Jonathan Vance has given the issue much thought. Clearly its in here, Vance told the Star. Over a 40-minute interview at National Defence Headquarters, Vance repeatedly stressed that nobody holding extremist beliefs is welcome in the Canadian Forces. But despite pre-recruitment screening, despite the statements about defence ethics, and despite his vow that extremism will not be tolerated, Vance said it would be foolish to suggest right-wing extremists dont get in. Theres no question about it that I cannot guarantee they dont get in, Vance said. Read more: Part one: Rise of right-wing extremists presents new challenge for Canadian law enforcement agencies Part two: CSIS sees significant jump in far-right activity online Right-wing extremism growing concern in Canada, federal report says People have online personas; they associate privately and its unknown to the chain of command. When it is known, we act. (But) what a lot of these folks dont realize, (is) they may be able to find a couple of confreres among the tens of thousands of people that we have, but its not the norm. As the Star reported Sunday, there has been an alarming rise of right-wing extremist and white supremacist groups active within Canada in recent years. In the United States, research into the far right suggests extremist groups have made a concerted effort to infiltrate police forces and the military to gain access to training, experience and potentially even weapons. Less research has been done on whether extremists have made similar attempts in Canada. But as far as Vance is concerned, its simply a fact. He compared the presence of far-right extremists in the Forces to the militarys recent experience dealing with sexual harassment and assault. As a traditionally male-dominated institution, the Forces were just not sensitive enough to the scourge of sexual harassment within its ranks, Vance said. Could that mean that, as a traditionally white institution, the forces arent sensitive enough to the issue of white supremacy? Its not just possible; its probable, Vance said. It is entirely possible that we are not sufficiently aware of the indicators or the insidious, corrosive effect of having extremism in our ranks. I think were academically aware, like technically aware. But from a practical basis, how do you know for sure? Over the past two years, the Canadian Forces have had to respond to three high-profile incidents of soldiers or sailors associated with far-right groups. On Canada Day in 2017, five Canadian Forces members members of the Proud Boys movement who proudly proclaim their Western chauvinism disrupted an Indigenous protest in Halifax. This year, Vice Canada reported an army reservist in Nova Scotia was a member of a much more dangerous group. Vice alleged that Brandon Cameron, a 25-year old former soldier, was associated with the Atomwaffen Division an American neo-Nazi terrorist group tied to an attempted bombing, numerous hate crimes, and the killing of a 19-year-old Jewish man in Florida. Cameron denied involvement with the group. The Quebec-based anti-immigration and anti-Islam group La Meute counts a number of current and former Forces personnel among its ranks. In December, a CBC/Radio-Canada investigation counted 70 Forces members in a members-only La Meute Facebook group. Vance is categorical: there is no place for far-right extremism in the Canadian Armed Forces. One of the five members who participated in the Proud Boys protest has left military service. The four others were subject to unspecified professional discipline and received a permanent reprimand on their records. Vance suggested they may be on their way out as well. But the general also referred to blowback hes heard about how the brass handled the Proud Boys situation. When I say cultural change (is needed) Ive seen comments about how were standing up to the Proud Boys and so on, as if were somehow lesser military because of our posture, Vance said. Thats horses--t. Good militaries arent racist. Vance said his gut sense is that when it comes to right-wing extremists within the Forces, there could be small groups or individuals, but not significant numbers. I havent proven that hypothesis, Vance admitted. And maybe some time we should. The question of whether or not far-right extremists or white supremacists have infiltrated Canadian policing is more difficult to answer both because of the scale of the question and, unlike the Canadian Forces, the absence of publicly reported incidents. A 2015 report by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, published by the Intercept, suggested that a wide range of extremist and white supremacist groups have developed active links to law enforcement officers. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service refused to say whether it has conducted a similar counterintelligence assessment on Canadian law enforcement agencies. CSIS has faced allegations of racism within its own ranks. In 2017, the Star reported the spy agency had settled a multimillion-dollar lawsuit from five officers and analysts who claimed years of anti-gay, anti-Muslim or anti-Black discrimination. Former RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson also admitted in 2015 that the Mounties had racists within their ranks. I understand there are racists in my police force, Paulson told a meeting of the Assembly of First Nations. I dont want them to be in my police force. The new RCMP commissioner, Brenda Lucki, told the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network this year that racism will not be tolerated within the force, after the network reported on anti-Indigenous posts in a closed RCMP members Facebook group. On the broader question of far-right extremist infiltration, RCMP Assistant Commissioner James Malizia told the Star that its a concern. Our screening would pick up on that, unless someone has never spoken to anyone about it and they kept it to (themselves), Malizia said. But I cant recall a case right now (within the RCMP). Ive not seen it. But it doesnt mean that it hasnt happened elsewhere. Theres no doubt about it that theres no place for those types of individuals in a police service or any type of law enforcement agency, Malizia added. Read more about: ST. JOHNS, N.L.Genome sequencing offers patients the potential of speedier, more effective diagnoses and medications. But building a safe and secure system to store peoples unique genomic profiles is not a simple task. A new project out of Memorial University in St. Johns is consulting the public on how to store genomic information while still respecting peoples rights. When you are talking about storing genomes, storing peoples genetic and genomic data, you begin to think about, OK, how are we going to do that in a way that is ethical, respects privacy laws, and still allows patients and their families to hopefully benefit from this sort of research, said Holly Etchegary, a lead researcher on the e-genomics project. She said an important step is ensuring the public understands what exactly a genome is. A full genomic sequence reads the complete, unique combination of a persons DNA what Etchegary calls blueprints for our bodies. Variations in each persons sequence can reveal relevant information to physicians sorting out a diagnosis. But the Memorial research team is carefully pondering the ethical considerations, like who has access to the data and how secure it is. Last year, ransomware attacks in the U.K. resulted in hospital closures and raised global questions about the security of patient information. In June, the St. Johns project held the first meeting of its public advisory council. Eleven members of the public ranging in age from 24 to over 65 met with researchers, a privacy consultant and representation from the provinces four health authorities to offer their thoughts on the possible risks and benefits of such a system and provide insight on how to ethically move forward with the project. The advisory council identified possible benefits like reducing wait times for a diagnosis, identifying possible genetic disorders and offering more effective prescriptions. But the council also raised questions about building a flexible, informed model of consent for participants, access and use of the data, and how long it would be stored. For example, would access be limited to the patients doctor or would it be possible for a pharmacist, employer or insurance company to see the persons genomic profile? Etchegary said the e-genomics project will start with uses that have been proven clinically effective, likely by applying genomic sequencing to pharmacogenomics, or drug therapy decisions. Etchegary said patients may react differently to many medications depending on variations in their genome. Its one clinical application of the technology that could mean speedier, better outcomes for patients and save money for the health-care system. Our initial goal is to start there in a place where we know has some clinical utility, and hopefully it really will make a difference to some of our patients, Etchegary said. We do have to be cautious, we have to be realistic about this technology its still fairly new, theres a lot of research happening around the world; I think well know more in a few years to come. Etchegary said the projects next step will likely be a public survey across the province and a targeted survey with individuals who have experience with genetic testing, hopefully producing data by late next spring. If you could look into a crystal ball to see the future of drug-impaired driving on Ontario roads come October 17, you might see Colorado. Since cannabis was legalized there four years ago, statistics on marijuana and driving compiled by the state found that more than 20 per cent of drivers involved in fatal accidents had some level of cannabis in their system. And a survey this year of more than 15,000 cannabis users in the state found that nearly 70 per cent of them had driven under the influence of marijuana at least once in the past year. Forty per cent of them said they didnt think it affected their ability to drive. It was a signal that reaffirmed our suspicion that a lot of marijuana users drive after using marijuana. And thats problematic, says Sam Cole, a safety communications manager at the Colorado Department of Transportation. Its a worrying trend across the U.S., where 12 of every 100 weekend nighttime drivers involved in crashes between 2013 and 2014 tested positive for THC, up from 8.6 in 2007, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As of this year, recreational marijuana is legal in nine states. No one knows for sure whether legalization means more people will drive high on Ontario roads, yet rates of drug-impaired driving charges not necessarily all cannabis-related have increased here recently, according to Statistics Canada. They are still a fraction of alcohol-impaired charges. But with Colorado seeing throwback attitudes about driving while under the influence of drugs not unlike when people thought it was OK to drink and drive police enforcement has become key. Until people arent driving impaired, we need to have a robust law-enforcement program that cracks down on drugged driving, just the way we have with alcohol, Cole says. Back in the 1980s when MADD started, and alcohol fatalities were sky high, and we started telling people dont drive drunk, they were like, Oh, Im fine when Im drunk. Im a safer driver. I drive drunk all the time. Which is the same thing were hearing from marijuana users, Cole says. Its the exact same trajectory. In Canada, some question whether law enforcement will have the necessary training to police drug impairment on our roads when recreational cannabis use becomes legal. Some 833 officers have been certified as drug recognition experts as of October 1, having completed an international program that teaches police how to evaluate if a driver is drug-impaired. This rate 2.3 for every 100,000 residents falls short of the 6 per 100,000 recommended in a 2009 report on the DRE program in the U.S. The training includes a 10-day course in a local classroom where officers learn how to conduct a 12-step physical evaluation that assesses markers such as a drivers psychomotor abilities similar to the standardized field sobriety test used roadside by police that requires drivers to stand on one leg or walk and turn as well as their vital signs, including blood pressure and temperature. Read more: Half of Ontario cannabis users have driven after using the drug, according to new poll OMA president apologizes after calling cannabis a gateway drug The buzz about online pot shopping Next, officers attend a three- or four-day program in Jacksonville, Fla., one of a few locations where there are enough subjects from a nearby drug-dependence clinic who can provide the volume and the breadth of drug diversity that we require, says RCMP Sgt. Ray Moos, who is charge of the training. There, an officer has to correctly assess 12 individuals and determine which category of drug not only cannabis but drugs in other categories such as stimulants, depressants or hallucinogens the subject is on. The officers conclusions are then confirmed with a urine sample from the subject. It is a challenging course, says Moos. The course really assesses how drugs affect human physiology. Officers have to be competent with knowing a lot of different drugs and what category of drugs those drugs would fall under, and how those drugs affect the body. About two of the roughly 20 to 24 students in a class dont pass, he says. Here in Canada, the evaluations which take 45 minutes would be conducted at a police station after an arrest, which will occur based on what an officer sees or smells in the vehicle, from the state of the individual, or because of the results of the standardized field sobriety test, according to Moos. Officers may also factor in the results of a roadside saliva test that can detect THC. Neither the RCMP nor the OPP have decided if or how they will deploy the devices, which can determine if the drug is present in the saliva but do not determine impairment. In Colorado, the saliva devices were tested earlier this year and the results of the tests will be released later this fall. Drivers who are arrested may also be required to give a blood sample in accordance with the new legislation, although the RCMP says the frequency with which this demand is used will be dependant on the jurisdiction in which the offence takes place and the mechanisms in place to facilitate a blood draw. Moos says that could mean a visit to a hospital emergency department or another setting, such as a medical clinic that has been authorized to draw blood. A suspected drug-impaired drivers failure to comply will result in criminal charges which carry the same penalty as driving while impaired, says an RCMP spokesperson. Jennifer Knudsen, traffic safety research prosecutor for Colorado, whose job is to help district attorneys throughout the state prosecute DUI cases for drugs and alcohol, says cannabis legalization has opened up a whole new world. The DAs there not only have to be lawyers, she says, but medical experts, educating jurors on how THC impairs drivers because many of them dont believe it does. Think about someone who is 25 and just graduated from law school and they may have never done a trial. And all of a sudden they have this case where they have to do the science and the law stuff, she says. Its a huge challenge. The laws in Colorado around drug-impaired driving arent the same as in Canada. For instance, theres no legal limit of THC concentration in the blood as there is here, where its five nanograms of THC per millilitre of blood. Instead, Colorado has a reasonable inference law, which says that a judge has the discretion to instruct a jury that a defendant is incapable of driving safely with that level of THC in their blood. Its not used all the time. And in many cases, blood isnt taken, says Knudsen. Testing is expensive and about 30 per cent of drivers refuse the request, willing instead to take administrative penalties such as a licence suspension. As well, there arent experts available in far-flung parts of the state to interpret the results of the blood analysis for a jury. There is also the issue of just how quickly THC leaves the blood. Knudsen says studies have shown that blood concentration can drop 60 per cent just 15 minutes after someone takes a puff of marijuana. And for some people, taking more than the recommended dose of 10 milligrams of an edible may not result in blood concentrations above five nanograms per millilitre. Results can also differ, she says, depending on whether someone is an occasional user or uses all the time and typically has a baseline concentration in their blood. When youre talking about numbers, and drugs that arent alcohol, its very difficult, she says. Typically, the more someone drinks, the higher the concentration of alcohol in their blood. But THC concentrations fall so rapidly in the blood it is difficult to correlate them to impairment. In cases involving cannabis, you could have someone with 23 nanograms and that person is not guilty, says Knudsen. And you could have someone who has two nanograms and is guilty. Its hard. But Knudsen says drug recognition expert evaluations are rare and the state, similar to Washington where cannabis has also been legalized, has one of the lowest rates of evaluations in the world. She says its because many of the officers who have the training are in supervisory roles or not available because theyre not on duty. Or she says, there may be one drug recognition expert covering a large geographic area who cant make it to a site in time to make the evaluation worthwhile. Theres a lot of hurdles, says Knudsen. District attorneys who prosecute the cases rely on what officers observe what they see and smell in the car, and on the behaviour of the driver at the window, as well as in the roadside sobriety tests. We have to put all of that together. And that really is the crux of the case, says Knudsen. If we have a DRE evaluation, then that is really the icing on the cake. Officers trained as drug recognition experts in Canada (as of Oct. 1, 2018): N.W.T.: 4 (RCMP), 8.9 per 100,000 pop. P.E.I.: 13 (6 RCMP, 7 municipal), 8.5 per 100,000 pop. Sask.: 74 (36 RCMP, 38 municipal), 6.3 per 100,000 pop. Nova Scotia: 61 (29 RCMP, 32 municipal), 6.4 per 100,000 pop. Nfld./Labrador: 27 (15 RCMP, 12 municipal), 5.1 per 100,000 pop. New Brunswick: 28 (13 RCMP, 15 municipal), 3.7 per 100,000 pop. Manitoba: 42 (17 RCMP, 25 municipal), 3.1 per 100,000 pop. Yukon: 1 (RCMP), 2.6 per 100,000 pop. Alberta: 102 (42 RCMP, 60 municipal), 2.4 per 100,000 pop. B.C.: 111 (75 RCMP, 36 municipal), 2.3 per 100,000 pop. Ontario: 240 (5 RCMP, 78 provincial, 157 municipal), 1.7 per 100,000 pop. Quebec: 130 (0 RCMP, 53 provincial, 77 municipal), 1.5 per 100,000 pop. Nunavut: 0 Total: 833, 2.3 per 100,000 pop. Source: RCMP Dr. Chris Simpson was sitting in a conference room in Reykjavik, Iceland listening to the inaugural speech of the World Medical Associations new president, when the words started sounding a little too familiar. Simpson is a past president of the Canadian Medical Association and said he knows the importance of a presidents first address, after giving deep, personal reflection to the inaugural speech he wrote as CMA president in 2014. Last Friday, it was Dr. Leonid Eidelmans turn to deliver his talk before members of the international association, created in 1947 to uphold the medical ethics of physicians around the world. Ultimately, Dr. Eidelmans speech led to the CMAs resignation from the World Medical Association. Last weekend, the Canadian delegation discovered Eidelmans speech plagiarized Simpsons CMA speech and an official call for Eidelmans resignation was voted down. Part of this is in hindsight, but throughout a lot of the speech he was delivering there were some themes that he was talking about that I remember thinking, well that sounds kind of familiar, said Simpson, a cardiologist and vice dean of the Queens University School of Medicine. He talked about the social contract which is a very Canadian term and I used that frequently in my speech as well, but I didnt think anything of it other than it was just generally familiar, he said, in a telephone interview from Iceland. But when he began a series of sentences, I knew two sentences in. I said, Thats my speech. I said it out loud to people sitting beside me. And then I started citing it along with him as he was reading it. I was talking out loud, the same words. A spokesperson for the World Medical Association said Eidelman later apologized before the assembly. In an email, the spokesperson said Eidelman told the association that his speech was translated from Hebrew with help from English speechwriters. I was totally unaware if any English phrases were taken from other sources. And I am really sorry. CMA President Dr. Gigi Osler said the group resigned over the issue of integrity particularly when the conference theme focused on medical ethics. We strongly believe that as physicians at the CMA and as leaders, we have to uphold a high level of integrity and honesty, Osler said. Read more: Canadian Medical Association resigns from world body amid plagiarism accusations Simpson said as an academic physician, he demands high ethical standards from his students. Plagiarism, he said, comes with serious consequences up to and including dismissal from some universities in Canada. On Friday, while the other international delegates left for a bus tour of Reykjavik, the Canadians went back to their hotel and started researching. They got a copy of Simpsons 2014 speech and compared it to the text of the speech that Eidelman had just delivered. It was word for word, Simpson said, with a semi colon in the same place and commas in the same place. According to the CMA, both speeches used the same text. It was found near the end of the speech, as Simpson built to his conclusion. Every day, we are given the great privilege of being invited into our patients lives. We are with patients when they are born and when they die; we provide advice and comfort; we prevent illness and treat and manage disease. Our patients trust us, and we have always taken our advocacy role very seriously. It is part of the essence of our professionalism the text of Simpsons speech said. Osler said once the group found that passage, they decided to look for other instances of plagiarism. Just by doing a simple Google search we were able to identify other sources which were also taken, from blogs and websites, she said. Thats when it sunk in, Osler said. It wasnt one line. It wasnt two lines. It was obvious. The decision to demand Eidelmans resignation was made with Osler, the CMA president, along with the associations CEO, its board chair and other delegates, he said. On Saturday, back in the conference room, Simpson said he rose on a point of personal privilege, provided the documentation showing plagiarism and asked for Eidelmans resignation. The council went into a private session. They emerged, saying that they agreed those words had been taken. They also agreed that there were other parts of the speech that had been from other sources that were unattributed. The vote was moved and seconded that Dr. Eidelman resign. The vote was not successful, Simpson said. The Canadians officially resigned and did not hear Eidelmans apology, Simpson said. For now, Osler said the CMA will seek connections with new organizations that will allow it to continue its work on international projects. This is a new beginning for us, she said. Simpson said he believes the CMA made the right decision. How could I go back to my students who I would hold to a higher standard for doing the same thing and let the president of the WMA off the hook? That would be very hypocritical of me. Toronto police have released a photo of Clark Sissons, 67, of Toronto, who was found dead behind a Riverside library Friday morning. Police responded to a call at 7:40 a.m. about a body laying behind the Ralph Thornton Community Centre near Queen and Saulter Sts. The cause of death is not known at this time, but the coroner has deemed it suspicious. Investigators are appealing to anyone with knowledge or information to contact police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477). With files from Bianca Bharti BANJA LUKA, BOSNIAPro-Russia Serb leader Milorad Dodik won a race to fill the Serb seat in Bosnias three-member presidency Sunday, deepening ethnic divisions in the country that faced a brutal war some 25 years ago. Preliminary official results from the election gave Dodik 56 per cent of the vote and his main opponent, Mladen Ivanic, 42 per cent. The projections were made with 44 per cent of ballots counted. The will of the people leaves no doubt what they want, Dodik said, adding that voters punished his opponent for his servile policies toward the West. Ivanic conceded defeat. Complete official returns were expected Monday. Dodik advocates the eventual separation of Serbs from Bosnia. His election to the three-person presidency, which also has a Muslim member and a Croat member, deals a blow to efforts to strengthen unity in the country, where ethnic divisions fuelled the 1992-95 war that killed 100,000 people and left millions homeless. The number one priority for my job in the future will be the position of the Serb people and Republic of Srpska, Dodik said, referring to the Serb-run mini-state he has led since 2010 and which resulted from a 1995 peace settlement. Read more: UN adviser criticizes Bosnian Serb action on Srebrencia as step backwards Bosnian police block 100 migrants from reaching Croatia The general election was seen as an indicator of Bosnias future direction: moving toward integration in the European Union and NATO or driven by entrenched rivalries and friction. Russian President Vladimir Putin had endorsed the openly anti-West Dodik. The United States has imposed sanctions on Dodik for actively obstructing efforts to implement the 1995 Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnian war. Voters in Sundays election filled positions in the complex governing system the peace accord created. The country consists of two regional entities the Serb-run Republika Srpska and a Muslim-Croat federation with joint institutions in a central government. Supporters of a unified, multi-ethnic Bosnia found encouragement in the lead a moderate candidate for the Croat position in the tripartite presidency held after the partial count. Zeljko Komsic, had 49 per cent, while nationalist contender Dragan Covic had 38 per cent. Covic advocated further fragmentation of Bosnia with the creation of a separate entity for the countrys Croats. However, Komsics likely victory still could trigger discord within the Muslim-Croat federation. Croat nationalists dispute his legitimacy as a Croat representative, arguing that Komsic was backed overwhelmingly by Muslims. Covic has warned of an unprecedented crisis. Sefik Dzaferovic, from the ruling Party of Democratic Action, won the Muslim seat in the presidency. Along with the Bosnian presidency, voters picked the Serb president, the two entities parliaments and cantonal authorities during Sundays election. More than half of Bosnias 3.3 million eligible voters cast ballots, election officials said. The campaign was marred by divisive rhetoric and allegations of irregularities that fuelled tensions. Election officials described the voting that took place as extremely fair. Read more about: WASHINGTONSenate Republicans were defiant on Sunday, one day after Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as the 114th Supreme Court justice, brushing aside concerns about how they handled the brutal confirmation process and the potential costs in next months midterm elections. But Republicans also faced sharp questions about the fallout in a fast-changing country that has seen the #MeToo movement gain prominence and Democratic voters electrified in opposition to President Donald Trump and to Kavanaugh. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., suggested that the GOPs base voters could reward them with strong turnout for standing by Kavanaugh in the face of sexual assault allegations that prompted protests and outrage from both sides of the political aisle. We stood up to the mob, McConnell said on Fox News Sunday. We established that the presumption of innocence is still important. Im proud of my colleagues. McConnells charged language was shared by other Republicans, who referred to Saturdays near-party-line vote of 50 to 48 as both a galvanizing and polarizing moment. Ive never been more pissed in my life, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump ally, said on Fox News Sunday. Ive never campaigned against a colleague in my life. Thats about to change. Senate Democrats, disappointed by Kavanaughs ascension, argued that many voters nationally and women, in particular remain infuriated by Republicans treatment of Christine Blasey Ford, who detailed in emotional testimony her allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, who gained national notice during the confirmation fight for urging men to shut up and step up in the wake of Fords allegations, said Democratic voters would be highly motivated to turn out and punish Republicans for the limited FBI probe of Kavanaugh following his hearing. Hes going to be on the Supreme Court with a huge taint and a big asterisk after his name, Hirono said on ABC News This Week. Everyone knows when you just interview a small number of people and not the dozens of others who wanted to be interviewed by the FBI, its a sham. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. who would chair the House Judiciary Committee should Democrats win the House majority next month has said he plans to launch an investigation of Kavanaugh if Democrats win power. Jerry Nadler will do what Jerry Nadler will do, Hirono said, adding that she would not rule out an effort in the coming months to impeach the high courts newest justice. Other Democrats, however, took a different approach to the impeachment question, mere weeks ahead of the elections in which they are eager to rally their core voters and reach out to moderates and independents. Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., was cautious when asked about the prospect of Democrats moving to impeach Kavanaugh should they hold the House majority. I think thats premature, Coons said on NBC News Meet the Press. I think talking about it at this point isnt necessarily healing us and moving us forward. Coons, instead, turned his attention to Trump for mocking Ford last week and said the Kavanaugh controversy was an indictment of the presidents character as much as it was a battle within the Senate, coming as more women are speaking up about harrowing experiences. One of the biggest tragedies of this past week was to watch the president of the United States publicly mocking and ridiculing Dr. Ford, the senator said, calling it a low mark in his presidency. Trump, last week in Mississippi, attacked Fords story at length drawing laughs from the crowd. I dont know. I dont know. Upstairs? Downstairs? Where was it? I dont know. But I had one beer. Thats the only thing I remember, Trump said of Ford, as he impersonated her on stage. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine whose vote was decisive appeared on CBS News Face the Nation and was far more measured as she stood by her decision to support Kavanaugh. I am convinced that Dr. Ford believes what she told us and that she was the victim, a survivor of sexual assault and that that has been a trauma that has stayed with her for her entire life, Collins said. But, she said, I could not conclude that Brett Kavanaugh was her assailant. When pressed by moderator John Dickerson about whether her view on Ford may be viewed by her critics as skepticism generally of women who have shared similar stories, Collins defended her position and said she was evaluating a specific case. When I hear that, it causes me huge pain because I have met with so many survivors of sexual attacks, including close friends. And these women have the right to be heard, she said. Collins, who will face re-election in 2020, said she was not alarmed by Democrats calls for her to be challenged following her vote for Kavanaugh, with some urging Susan Rice, who was ambassador to the United Nations under President Barack Obama, to run. Her family has a home in Maine, but she doesnt live in the state of Maine, Collins said on CNNs State of the Union. The political scramble extended to Senate Democrats, with those of them running in states won by Trump in 2016 explained a critical vote that could, in part, determine their fate. One of them was Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, N.D., who told CBS 60 Minutes that her opposition to Kavanaugh was based not only on Fords testimony but on her disappointment with Kavanaughs combative testimony and her lingering questions about his answers. What I would say is even if you dont believe or believe Dr. Ford, the other issue is one of temperament, one of impartiality and blind justice, Heitkamp said. And I think that adds to the case being made that a no vote is the appropriate vote. Heitkamp added, I think that the politically expedient vote here was a yes vote ... (but) this isnt about politics. BUCHAREST, ROMANIABulgarian police are investigating the rape and slaying of a female television reporter whose body was dumped near the Danube River after she reported on the possible misuse of European Union funds in Bulgaria. Authorities discovered the body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova on Saturday in the northern town of Ruse near the Romanian border. Police said she had been raped, beaten and strangled and her body was found in a park near the river. Marinova was a director of TVN, a small TV station in Ruse, and a TV presenter for two investigative programs. Journalists groups and foreign officials, including Harlem Desir, the media freedom representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, expressed shock at the killing and demanded a full and thorough investigation into Marinovas slaying. A Bulgarian investigative online media site went even further, calling for an independent international inquiry, saying that a Bulgarian probe into the slaying could be compromised by corrupt Bulgarian officials. But Interior Minister Mladen Marinov insisted Monday there was no evidence to suggest the killing was linked to Marinovas work. It is about rape and murder, he said. Chief Public Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov, on a trip to Russia, said authorities had no new leads on the motive. At this stage lets be careful, not because we dont have anything to say, but because every word uttered loosely could damage our work, he said. Bulgarian police said they were considering all possible scenarios and examining links to both Marinovas personal and professional life. Hundreds of Bulgarians turned out Monday night for vigils to honour Marinova. In Ruse, mourners, some tearful, placed candles, her portrait and roses the national flower at the foot of a monument. In the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, mourners gathered outside a church. One participant, Kristina Petkov, said Bulgarians now had zero trust in authorities. Whatever results the investigation (into Marinovas death) shows, people wont believe them, she said. Corruption is endemic in Bulgaria, a Balkan nation that joined the EU in 2007 and was ranked 71st on Transparency Internationals corruption list last year. Joining the bloc opened an enormous spigot of possible new EU funding for Bulgarian infrastructure projects or other programs designed to bring the nation up to EU standards funds that were very attractive to both government officials and criminal networks. Marinovas final show on Sept. 30 was a program about Attila Biro, an investigative journalist with the Rise Project Romania, and Dimitar Stoyanov from the Bulgarian investigative site Bivol.bg. The two men were briefly detained Sept. 13 south of Sofia as they investigated a tip that documents connected to suspected fraud involving EU funds were being destroyed. Bivol.bg owner Assen Yordanov said he couldnt directly link Marinovas slaying to her work, but noted her show tackled our very sensitive investigation into the misuse of EU funds. This is a topic on which no other Bulgarian national media dared to report on, he told The Associated Press. To get to the truth, we are calling for an independent investigation.... we want independent European investigators to get involved because we believe the Bulgarian authorities are part of this countrys criminal network. Yordanov said his journalists were getting threats to their safety for reporting on government corruption. Margaritis Schinas, spokesman for European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, said Monday the commission expected a swift and thorough investigation .... that will bring those responsible to justice and clarify whether this attack was linked to her work. He quoted Juncker as saying previously that too many journalists are being intimidated, attacked or murdered and there is no democracy without a free press. The German government also sharply condemned the slaying, with the Foreign Ministry saying it was imperative that theres a fast investigation and that this horrible event will be illuminated as comprehensively as possible. Sven Giegold, a German member of the Greens party in the European Parliament, said all of Europe should worry about Marinovas slaying. First Malta, then Slovakia, now Bulgaria. It is unacceptable that in Europe journalists are getting killed again, he said, referring to the slayings of two other investigative journalists in those EU countries. Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia , who investigated local government corruption, was killed in October 2017 by a car bomb. Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak was shot dead along with his fiancee in February after he reported on corrupt ties between Slovak officials and Italian mobsters. Kuciaks reporting and his slaying brought down the Slovak government. In addition, Swedish journalist Kim Wall was tortured and murdered during a private submarine trip in August 2017. Danish submarine inventor Peter Madsen was convicted and sentenced to life in prison earlier this year. Read more about: WAUKESHA, WIS.One of two Wisconsin girls who pleaded guilty to stabbing a classmate 19 times and leaving her for dead to please a fictional character called Slender Man is appealing her case. Morgan Geysers attorney, Matthew Pinix, filed a notice of appeal but declined to outline the basis for the appeal Monday. Geyser and co-defendant Anissa Weier were committed to mental health institutions for stabbing Payton Leutner at a Waukesha park in 2014. Leutner managed to crawl out of the wooded park and a passing bicyclist found her. The girls were 12 years old at the time. Geyser pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide last year in a deal with prosecutors to avoid prison. She was committed to the maximum sentence of 40 years in the institution. Read more: Wisconsin girl in Slender Man stabbing sentenced to 40 years in mental hospital Wisconsin girl convicted in Slender Man stabbing sentenced to 25 years in mental hospital Wisconsin jury finds teen in Slender Man stabbing not criminally responsible due to mental illness WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump declared a reprieve Monday for Rod Rosenstein, saying he has no plans to fire his deputy attorney general whose future has been the source of intense speculation for two weeks. Im not making any changes, Trump told reporters as he returned to the White House after travelling with Rosenstein to an international police chiefs conference in Florida. We just had a very nice talk. We actually get along. The flight provided an opportunity for their most extensive conversation since news reports last month that Rosenstein had discussed the possibilities in early 2017 of secretly recording Trump to expose chaos in the White House and invoking constitutional provisions to have him removed from office. Those reports triggered an avalanche of speculation about the future of Rosenstein and also the special counsels investigation into possible co-ordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. The deputy attorney general appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller to his special counsel post and closely oversees his work. Trump said earlier in the day that he had a very good relationship with Rosenstein and was eager to speak with him aboard Air Force One on the flight to Florida. They did talk, for about 45 minutes, but not alone, a White House spokesman said. The subjects: violent crime in Chicago, support for local law enforcement, border security, the conference they were flying to and general DOJ business, spokesman Hogan Gidley said without elaboration. I didnt know Rod before, but Ive gotten to know him, Trump said at the White House earlier. Read more: Rosenstein agrees to private meeting with House lawmakers Trumps meeting with Rosenstein may be delayed Rosenstein remains, officials say he might survive until after mid-terms The Justice Department has denied that Rosenstein had proposed invoking the 25th Amendment of the Constitution, which would involve the Cabinet and vice-president agreeing to remove him. And the remark about secretly recording the president was meant sarcastically, the department said. Even so, Rosenstein told White House officials that he was willing to resign and arrived at the White House a week and a half ago with the expectation that he would be fired. He met in person with White House Chief of staff John Kelly and spoke by phone with Trump during a tumultuous day that ended with him still in his job. Rosenstein and Trump had been expected to meet at the White House days later, but that meeting was put off so that the president could focus on the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Trump had previously said that he would prefer not to fire the Justice Departments No. 2 official and that Rosenstein had told him he did not say the remarks attributed to him. Advisers had also cautioned Trump against doing anything dramatic in the weeks before the midterm elections next month. Kelly was present for Mondays conversation between Rosenstein and Trump, the White House said, as was Rosensteins top deputy at the Justice Department, Ed OCallaghan. The speculation over Rosensteins future concerned Democrats, who feared that a dismissal could lead to Trump curtailing Muellers probe. Although Trump has at times criticized his deputy attorney general, he has reserved his sharpest verbal attacks for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who recused himself from the Russia investigation in March 2017 because of his own earlier involvement with the Trump campaign. Both men will likely see their futures re-evaluated after the elections, Trump advisers have said. Besides the meeting with Trump, Rosenstein has also agreed to a private meeting with House Republicans who want to question him about his reported statements on the president. Read more about: MOSCOWRussias foreign minister on Monday dismissed accusations made in the Netherlands against suspected Russian spies, saying they were intended to distract public attention from stark divisions between Western nations. Sergey Lavrovs comments were a defiant statement that comes amid soaring Russia-West tensions. Last week, Dutch officials alleged that four agents of Russian GRU military intelligence tried and failed to hack into the worlds chemical weapons watchdog, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. British authorities also accused the GRU of a series of global cybercrimes, and the U.S. Justice Department on Thursday charged seven GRU officers with hacking anti-doping agencies and other organizations. Commenting on the Dutch allegations, Lavrov insisted that the four Russians were on a routine trip to The Hague in April when they were arrested and deported by Dutch authorities. There was nothing secret in the Russian specialists trip to The Hague in April, Lavrov said at a briefing after talks with Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi. They werent hiding from anyone when they arrived at the airport, settled in a hotel and visited our embassy. They were detained without any explanations, denied a chance to contact our embassy in the Netherlands and then asked to leave. It all looked like a misunderstanding. Read more: The plot to subvert an election: Unravelling the Russia story so far U.K. blames Russian military intelligence for reckless cyberattacks Mattis: Russia violation of missile treaty untenable Dutch defence officials on Thursday released photos and a timeline of the GRU agents botched attempt to break into the chemical weapons watchdog using Wi-Fi hacking equipment hidden in a car parked outside a nearby Marriott Hotel. The OPCW was investigating a nerve agent attack on a former GRU spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter in Salisbury, England; Britain has blamed on the Russian government. Moscow vehemently denies involvement. Photographs released by the Dutch Ministry of Defence showed a trunk loaded with a computer, battery, a bulky white transformer and a hidden antenna. Officials said the equipment was operational when Dutch counter-intelligence interrupted the operation. Lavrov in his remarks didnt talk about the evidence provided by Dutch authorities, but President Vladimir Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, challenged the Netherlands to provide specific information via official channels. Asked if the Kremlin was considering reshuffling the leadership of the Defence Ministry and the GRU following the Dutch accusations, Peskov said that kind of information naturally cant be the basis for it. Lavrov criticized Dutch officials for using what he called loudspeaker diplomacy instead of using legal mechanisms to look into the issue. He said Moscow summoned the Dutch ambassador Monday to deliver the message. Speaking to the media outside the Russian Foreign Ministry building, Dutch Ambassador Renee Jones-Bos said, We cant tolerate cyberattacks on international organizations, noting that Dutch officials made that clear last week. We made a very clear signal that this has to stop Jones-Bos added. The Foreign Ministry said the Dutch ambassador was told Russia views the assertions in the Netherlands a provocation and part of a propaganda campaign that has caused irreparable damage to bilateral ties. Russias Interfax news agency carried a separate statement from the ministry, which said the technical devices seized from the four men were to be used to test the resilience of the Russian Embassys information systems to cyberattacks. The statement also said Russian envoys regularly have stayed at the Marriott Hotel near OPCW headquarters. Lavrov, meanwhile, argued that the April incident was dug up and thrown into the public domain now to help distract attention from difficult issues on the agenda of the EU and NATO. Lavrov also alleged that the accusations could also be timed to this weeks meeting of the international chemical weapons watchdog, where Western nations would push for empowering it to name culprits in chemical attacks. Russia strongly opposes that, arguing that only the U.N. Security Council should have such authority. ___ Nataliya Vasilyeva contributed to this report. Read more about: New trade deal is a fraud, Oct. 3 In the era of globalization, trade agreements are not what they once were. Trade used to be about the exchange of goods between two countries, which included information on the volume of goods in question and tariffs. However, NAFTA ditched the old rulebook on trade by granting vast powers to corporations at the expense of public interest policies, the environment, and health and labour rights. In fact, NAFTA was so successful in expanding corporate power that it has become a model for other trade agreements. At the same time, largely because of its Chapter 11, it has triggered the international campaign against globalization and for the protection of the environment. Without any doubt, the most positive aspect of USMCA is the absence of Chapter 11, which was designed to protect the interests of foreign investors. It allowed multinational corporations to bypass domestic courts, government policies and regulations. NAFTA tribunals awarded millions of dollars in Canadian taxpayers money to multinational corporations that sued Canada over the governments efforts towards toxic bans and forestry, water, environment and health policies. It is true that Canada has made huge concessions, as Thomas Walkom highlighted in his column. However, the fact that the most destructive aspect of NAFTA Chapter 11 has been scrapped gives considerable weight to USMCA relative to NAFTA. We understand that our economy heavily relies on trade. For future trade negotiations, Canada needs to develop a vision to understand how far we are willing to sacrifice our sovereignty for the sake of our trade interests. VANCOUVERThe Trans Mountain pipeline has reopened after being shut down over the Thanksgiving weekend as a precautionary measure due to a possible oil spill in Surrey. In a statement, the company said it found no evidence regarding the source of a gasolinelike substance in a ditch near the pipeline. The Surrey fire department said crews deployed a hazardous-materials team to the scene on Douglas Rd. around 11 p.m. Saturday. A petroleum product was discovered in a rainwater ditch near the pipeline. Surrey fire chief Len Garis said its estimated a few gallons of gasoline mixed with water was spilled in two separate areas along a culvert on Douglas Rd. After an investigation lasting more than a day, Garis said the pipeline has been completely ruled out as the source of the spill. Garis added its more likely that someone had changed their motor oil next to the road or had otherwise discarded gasoline at the location. We determined what happened and where it happened, but not the who; we dont know who was responsible, Garis said. The fire department said Trans Mountain shut down the pipeline as soon as it was notified of a potential spill and that the company sent four spill cleanup trucks to clear the petroleum product. For the Intelligencer On Saturday, October 6th, the Goshen Rotary Club brings volunteers to help clean up the Main Street Community Center. The Main Street Community Center was in need of help to clean up their parking lot, landscapes, and the surrounding area of the building. The Goshen Rotary Club was more than happy to come out and give the Main Street Community Center a helping hand. The Goshen Rotary Club was created to be of service to the Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, & Maryville communities locally and globally to Rotary International. Unlike many Rotary clubs that have existed for generations, the youthful profile of its now 45+ members adds a level of enthusiasm and spirit to its many services and social activities. As Goshen Rotarians, members build goodwill and peace, provide humanitarian service and encourage high ethical standards while enjoying each others company. The Office of theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14,1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCRs mandate under the Statuteof the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to leadand co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanentsolutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights andwell-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness,as it is given a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on theReduction of Statelessness. Total is a globalintegrated energy producer and provider, a leading international oil and gascompany, and the worlds second-ranked solar energy operator with SunPower. Our100,000 employees around the world are committed to better energy that issafer, cleaner, more efficient, more innovative and accessible to as manypeople as possible. As a responsible corporate citizen, we focus onensuring that our operations in more than 130 countries worldwide consistentlydeliver economic, social and environmental benefits. In Uganda, we are amajor player in the Oil and Gas sector with 125 service stations across thecountry. The row over reinstatement of actor Dileep into the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) doesn't seem to die down. The AMMA executive committee has decided no action will be taken against Dileep, accused in the actress abduction and molestation case. The decision comes as actresses Parvathy, Revathy and Padmapriya, who are members of the Women in Cinema Collective, sent three letters urging AMMA to take a final decision on Dileep's membership. Actor Mohanlal said in a statement to media that only the general body can take disciplinary action against any member. He said that the film body had sought legal advice on the same. Also Read: Mohanlal: Dileep's arrest a shocker, AMMA was on verge of split The decision to expel Dileep was taken at an emergency meeting of AMMA at actor Mammootty's residence in Kochi on July 11, 2017, a day after Dileep's arrest in the actress assault case. Dileep was reinstated into the film body at the general body meeting of the association after veteran actor Mohanlal took charge as the president, succeeding Innocent. The officebearers decided to take back Dileep, citing reasons that the decision to expel him would not stand valid on certain technical grounds, and that bye-laws will have to be changed. The WCC has been protesting against the actor's reinstatement with four members of WCCthe sexual assault survivor, Rima Kallingal, Remya Nambeesan and Geethu Mohandasquitting AMMA in June. Also Read: Open revolt in AMMA: Sexual assault survivor, Rima Kallingal, Remya Nambeesan resign After widespread criticism against AMMA and Mohanlal, the film body had asked for some more time to decide on Dileep in a meeting held on August 7 between the executive committee and the three actresses. However, the devastating floods that hit the state, delayed matters further. The third letter, written by the WCC members, had stated AMMA must take a decision on their stand on Dileep by October 9. With the #MeToo movement slowly finding its feet in India, the next Bollywood celebrity to be accused of misconduct is filmmaker-actor Rajat Kapoor. He has been accused by two women of inappropriate behaviour. Journalist Sandhya Menon, on Sunday, shared screenshots of her conversation with the two women where they claimed Kapoor harassed them on the phone. In response to these allegations, Kapoor tweeted an apology and said he was sorry from the bottom of his heart. All my life I have tried to be a decent man, to do the right thing. If however, I have slipped and through my actions or words caused pain or hurt or trauma to absolutely anybody, please accept my apology. Rajat Kapoor (@mrrajatkapoor) October 7, 2018 All my life I have tried to be a decent man, to do the right thing. If however, I have slipped and through my actions or words caused pain or hurt or trauma to absolutely anybody, please accept my apology. Rajat Kapoor (@mrrajatkapoor) October 7, 2018 The first account is that a woman journalist's experience when she was conducting a telephonic interview with Kapoor in 2007. In the middle of the interview, she claimed, Kapoor asked her if 'she was as sexy as she sounded'. His questions were of a sexual nature, and he even asked her about her body measurements. I don't even know any more. Filmmaker Rajat Kapoor Two separate and different accounts pic.twitter.com/nBjNOsun3j Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) October 7, 2018 Also Read: Kangana calls out Vikas Bahl on sexual misconduct The second woman said that while she was working as an assistant director in a film, Kapoor would regularly call her from his friend Saurabh Shukla's phone. She claimed he wanted to shoot with her in an empty house. Actress Tanushree Dutta's allegation of sexual harassment against Nana Patekar has set off a movement which is slowly gathering steam. After a former female employee of Phantom Films accused one of its cofounders, director Vikas Bahl, of harassment, Kangana Ranaut came out in support. In an interview, Kangana said she totally believed the woman when she reported the incident couple of years ago. She also said that Bahl misbehaved with her, too, on the sets of Queen. Every time we met, socially greeted and hugged each other, hed bury his face in my neck, hold me really tight and breathe in the smell of my hair. It took me great amount of strength and effort to pull myself out of his embrace. Hed say I love how you smell K, Kangana said. The issue has snowballed into another controversy with Sonam Kapoor taking a dig at Kangana's claims, and the latter giving it back to Kapoor. Speaking at Vogue We the Women summit, Sonam Kapoor said Tanushree Dutta needs to be lauded for her courage to speak out about harassment. Also Read: Kangana calls out Vikas Bahl on sexual misconduct When asked about Kangana's revelations, Sonam, however, said that sometimes it is difficult to take Kangana seriously. Kangana is obviously Kangana Ranaut. She says a lot of stuff and sometimes is hard to take her seriously. I love the fact that she has spunk and she says what she believes... I dont know him, I dont know the situation. If what is written written is true, then its disgusting and awful. If its true, then they should be punished for it, Sonam said. Clearly angered with Sonam's response, Kangana spoke her mind at another interview. She slammed Sonam and said the actress did not deserve to judge people. When I am sharing my Me Too story, who gives her a right to judge me? Kangana said. Kangana also took a dig at nepotism again and said: I am known to be an articulate person and I have represented my country in many international summits. I am called as a thought and youth influencer to these summits, I am not known because of my dad I have earned my place and credibility after struggling for a decade. She also said Sonam is not a great actress, neither does she have the reputation of being a good speaker. Also Read: Actor Rajat Kapoor accused of sexual harassment Post Tanushree Dutta's sexual harassment charges against Nana Patekar, multiple women have come out and talked about their experiences. Vikas Bahl, Kailash Kher, Zulfi Syed and comedian Utsav Chakraborty are facing accusations of sexual abuse. The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite... The Indian Air Force is "ever-prepared" to meet any contingency and the procurement of 36 Rafale jets and S-400 missile systems would enhance its operational capabilities, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa said on Monday as the force celebrated its 86th anniversary. In his address to IAF personnel at Hindon, the Chief of the Air Staff said the force needs to maintain a constant vigil in the aerospace safety area as "loss of aircraft in peacetime is not only expensive but also diminishes wartime capability". The IAF has been grappling with incidents of accidents involving its frontline aircraft and military choppers in the last few years. The Air Chief Marshal said efforts are being made to minimize accidents caused by human error by providing best possible training to the air crew and technicians operating current generation of fighter jets as well as "legacy aircraft" and weapons systems. "The IAF is ever prepared to meet any contingency that challenges the defence of our country. In the year gone by, IAF has continued to grow from strength to strength and achieved a number of operational milestones," Dhanoa said in his address on Air Force Day here. He said it is the duty of the Air Force personnel to remain combat worthy and maintain combat systems operational for any contingency at a short notice. "Acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft, S-400 missiles systems, Apache attack helicopters and Chinook heavy lift helicopters would further enhance our capabilities," he said. The ongoing induction of state-of-the-art Tejas precision weapons is a part of the IAF's larger modernisation programme, he noted. India and Russia last week signed the multi-billion air missile defence system deal. The deal to buy Rafale jets was signed with France in 2016. Dhanoa had last week termed the procurement of the 36 Rafale jets, the deal which is currently mired in controversy, and S-400 missile defence systems as the much needed "booster shots" to the Air Force. Speaking on 'Gaganshakti', the IAF drill that saw a mobilisation of 1,4000 officers and 14,000 personnel, Dhanoa said it showcased the operational capability and readiness of the force. During the exercise, more than 11,000 sorties were flown, including approximately 9,000 sorties by fighter aircraft, he said. Elucidating on the role of Air Force in peacetime operations, he said during the Kerala floods this year, 23 aircraft and 25 helicopters of the IAF were pressed into the service. The IAF also provided timely assistance in fighting forest fires in Theni (Tamil Nadu), Katra (Jammu and Kashmir), Pathankot (Punjab), Kasuli (Himachal Pradesh) and even urban fires in Delhi, he noted. "In addition, airlifting relief material to Myanmar and Indonesia, fire fighting on an Indian Merchant Ship and CASEVAC of pilgrims stranded at Kailash Mansarovar and Amarnath Yatra were also carried out," Dhanoa said. The IAF, he said, has been actively supporting the government's initiatives for growth of regional air connectivity under the 'UDAAN' scheme. Forty-five new routes have been cleared through military airspaces while 33 defence airfields have been opened for joint use to accommodate civilian flights, he added. An impressive aerial acrobatic show by the IAF's frontline fighter jets and choppers were also on display at the Hindon airbase. In the evening, Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa hosted an 'At Home' event at his official residence which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat and Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba. In a special gesture, the IAF chief also invited his drill trainers at the National Defence Academy to the 'At Home'. The 86th anniversary of the IAF was also celebrated at various bases of the force across the country including at the air force stations at Tambaram, near Chennai and in Thanjavur. Celebrations were also organised at air force station in Chandigarh and bases in nearby areas. Lucknow Oct 8 (PTI) Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari Monday stressed on use of alternative sources of energy including bio ethanol amid rise in petroleum prices. "Import of petrol is becoming difficult for the country and so we should look at the alternative sources of energy ...we should make full use of biofuel, methanol, and ethanol among others," the Union minister said while addressing the closing function of Indian International Science Festival (IISF) here. Under the supervision of ministry of Science and Technology, cheap and eco-friendly alternatives have been successfully tried, Gadkari said, adding that his ministry has earned a lot of revenue through alternative fuel. Gadkari said in the forest areas of the country, there are such natural products through which different alternatives of fuel including ethanol can be prepared. The union government has prepared a policy to purchase to such natural products from tribals, he said . "We can remove our country's poverty with the help of science and technology ... the manner in which our scientists are working, India will definitely become economic super power, he said. The minister said that we can now assure the Prime Minister who has given the concept of "New India " that we have people ready for making it a reality by 2022. A web portal , 'Science India' was also launched on the occasion. PTI SAB MR Hong Kong, Oct 8 (AFP) A leading Financial Times journalist has been given seven days to leave Hong Kong as a backlash mounted Monday against an unprecedented challenge to freedom of the press in the city. Victor Mallet, the FT's Asia news editor and a British national, angered authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong by hosting a speech at the city's press club by Andy Chan, the leader of a tiny pro-independence political party. Chan's party has since been banned as Beijing cracks down on any pro-independence sentiment in the semi-autonomous city. Last week it emerged Mallet's application for a renewal of his work visa had been rejected by Hong Kong immigration authorities. On Monday the FT said Mallet had only been granted a seven-day visitor visa after returning to the city from a trip on Sunday. Sources with direct knowledge of the situation told AFP that Mallet was questioned at immigration and was refused automatic entry. British citizens are usually allowed into Hong Kong without a visa and are permitted to stay for 180 days under immigration rules. The FT said immigration officials had provided no explanation for the shortened visitor visa. "We continue to seek clarification from the Hong Kong authorities about the rejection of his work visa renewal," said the paper, which has its regional headquarters in Hong Kong. The FT's editorial board had earlier described the decision to refuse Mallet a work visa as sending a "chilling message to everyone in Hong Kong". In a strident speech in August at the city's Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC), where Mallet serves as vice president, independence activist Chan attacked China as an empire trying to "annex" and "destroy" Hong Kong. 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 and that it hosted a variety of speakers, including Chinese officials. Britain and the United States have expressed concern over the visa refusal and its impact on press freedom. On Monday, a group of the city's most influential lawyers also hit back. "Such rejection calls for an explanation in light of its unprecedented nature and its profound impact on Hong Kong's press freedom," 30 lawyers said in a statement. The group makes up the legal subsector of the electoral committee that chooses the city's leader. Another legal organisation, the Progressive Lawyers Group, said: "Any forced retreat of foreign media outlets would be a tragic loss for Hong Kong and must be vigilantly guarded against". A journalists' alliance handed over petitions with more than 15,000 signatures to the government Monday calling for an explanation of its visa rejection. Hong Kong authorities have said they cannot comment on Mallet's case. China's foreign ministry has said it supports Hong Kong "in handling the related matters in accordance with law", and warned other countries not to interfere. (AFP) RUP RUP Port-De-Paix (Haiti), Oct 8 (AP) Survivors sifting through the rubble of their earthquake-toppled cinderblock homes in Haiti were rattled by a magnitude 5.2 aftershock that caused panic and threatened to raise the death toll even further from 12. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the aftershock on Sunday was located 9.8 miles (15.8 kilometers) north-northwest of Port-de-Paix, the city hard hit by Saturday night's 5.9 magnitude earthquake. Sunday's aftershock had a depth of 10 kilometers. "It was an aftershock. It was at the same location," said Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the USGS. "This is the first significant aftershock." The tremors caused panic on streets where emergency teams were providing relief to victims of Saturday's quake, which toppled cinderblock homes and rickety buildings in several cities. Haiti's civil protection agency said at least seven people died in the coastal city of Port-de-Paix and three people died in the nearby community of Gros-Morne in Artibonite province. Among the dead from Saturday night's quake were a 5-year-old boy crushed by his collapsing house and a man killed in a falling auditorium. A total of at least 12 people were killed in the quake, Interior Minister Fednel Monchery told radio station MAGK9. Authorities said 188 people were injured. "I feel like my life is not safe here," said nun Maryse Alsaint, director of the San Gabriel National School in Gros-Morne, where several classrooms were severely damaged. She said that about 500 students would not be able to return to school on Monday. The prison and police station in Port-de-Paix were damaged, leading some inmates to try to escape. Police were using tear gas to contain prisoners inside the lockup. There was no word if any inmates had escaped. The USGS said Saturday's quake was centered 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of Port-de-Paix, which is about 136 miles (219 kilometers) from the capital of Port-au-Prince. It was felt lightly in the capital, as well as in the neighboring Dominican Republic and in eastern Cuba, where no damage was reported. In Haiti, officials have struggled to shore up buildings despite the two major fault lines along Hispaniola, which is the island shared with the Dominican Republic. Deep poverty and government instability have also rendered weaker homes and structures particularly vulnerable in earthquakes. Rescue workers in Haiti said they were not looking for any more victims. In the town of Gros-Morne, one bed was covered in rubble, while the exterior walls of some homes were visibly cracked. Others tilted at precarious angles. Pierre Jacques Baudre, a farmer and father of seven, said he was afraid to return to his home after one wall built with rocks and cement crumbled. "The house can fall at any time," he said. Meanwhile, dozens of people could be seen sifting through debris before hauling away rebar to recycle and sell. The civil protection agency issued a statement saying that houses were destroyed in Port-de-Paix, Gros-Morne, Chansolme and Turtle Island. Damage was also reported at the Saint-Michel church in Plaisance and the police station in Port-de-Paix. Parts of a hospital and an auditorium collapsed in Gros-Morne, where parliamentarian Alcide Audne told The Associated Press that two of the deaths occurred. It was not clear if there was an event in the auditorium at the time. Haiti President Jovenel Moise said on his Twitter account Sunday that civil protection brigades were working to clear debris. He also said the government had sent water and food. In 2010, a larger magnitude 7.1 quake damaged much of the capital and killed an estimated 300,000 people. (AP) DIP DIP New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours: FGN25 NOBEL-2NDLD ECONOMICS US duo William Nordhaus and Paul Romer win Nobel Economics Prize Stockholm: US economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer on Monday shared the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize for integrating innovation and climate with economic growth, the jury said.(AFP) FGN24 PAK-MUMBAI-PMS-LD HEARING Pak ex-PMs Nawaz, Abbasi appear before Lahore Court in treason case linked to Mumbai attack Lahore: The Lahore High Court on Monday directed the federal government to file a reply on October 22 in a petition seeking action against ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif under treason charges for claiming that those involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack belonged to Pakistan. By M Zulqernain FGN15 THAI-SHOOTING-LD INDIAN Indian tourist among 2 people killed in shootout in Thailand Bangkok: (PTI) A 42-year-old Indian was among two foreign tourists killed and five others, including two Indians, seriously injured in a shootout between two rival gangs here, Thai Police said Monday. FGN21CHINA-CPEC-SAUDI Saudi Arabia's plan to invest in Pak a 'positive factor': China Beijing: China on Monday reacted guardedly to Saudi Arabia's plan to invest in Pakistan, saying it is a "positive factor" if any other party would like to contribute to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation. By K J M Varma FGN20 CHINA-INTERPOL-2NDLD BRIBERY Head of Interpol Meng Hongwei accused of corruption, Chinese government Beijing: Meng Hongwei, the Chinese head of Interpol, who vanished mysteriously late last month, is being investigated for alleged corruption, China announced Monday, the latest high-profile target to be ensnared in a sweeping anti-graft campaign led by President Xi Jinping. FGN17 PAK-LD FATF FATF team in Pak to examine steps taken against terror financing Islamabad: A second team of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is in Pakistan to hold meetings with top officials to discuss the measures taken by the country to counter money laundering and terror financing after it was added in the 'grey list' for providing monetary assistance to terrorists. By Sajjad Hussain FGN26 HK-FT-LD JOURNALIST FT journalist given seven days to leave Hong Kong Hong Kong: A leading Financial Times journalist has been given seven days to leave Hong Kong as a backlash mounted Monday against an unprecedented challenge to freedom of the press in the city. (AFP) PTI AMS AMS Lahore, Oct 8 (PTI) The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Monday decided to protest inside Parliament against the arrest of party president and Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif on charges of corruption, as former prime minister Nawaz Sharif resumed his political activities, nearly three weeks after his release from jail. The decision to launch protests inside Parliament was taken during a Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting of the PML-N chaired by Nawaz Sharif, the elder brother of Shehbaz, who is accused of corruption in a Rs 1,400 crore housing scam. The meeting, held in Model Town, Lahore, was attended by the party's CEC members, Geo News reported. During the meeting, the party members decided to protest against Shehbaz's arrest last Friday and Sunday's press conference by Prime Minister Imran Khan inside Parliament. This was the first formal party meeting that Nawaz Sharif, 68, chaired since after his release from Adiala jail in Rawalpindi last month. The former premier, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Mohammad Safdar were released from prison on September 19 after the Islamabad High Court suspended their sentences in the Avenfield corruption case. The Islamabad High Court has suspended their sentences and granted them bail till the disposal of their appeals. Since then, Nawaz Sharif stayed away from media and political activities and the party leaders defended him by claiming that he was in a state of mourning over the death of his wife Kulsoom in London and that he would soon start his political activities, Dawn newspaper reported. However, the PML-N leaders now claim that due to the "sudden arrest" of his 67-year-old younger brother, the three-time former premier has been forced to jump into the political arena in order to boost the morale of the party workers. On Saturday, an accountability court granted the National Accountability Bureau a 10-day physical remand of former Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme case. According to PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, the party believed that Shahbaz was arrested as part of the policy of Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to victimise its political opponents. "Shahbaz Sharif's arrest just before by-elections on October 14 is unacceptable," she said. "Such actions will no more be tolerated." She said that after in-house consultation and discussion, the PML-N would consult other pposition parties to take them into confidence as well. The opposition members also urged the Speaker to issue production order for Shahbaz Sharif under rules to enable him to attend the National Assembly session. Dawn also reported that PML-N leaders were also in touch with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and were hopeful of getting a positive response. Only last week, the two parties had announced their decision to field joint candidates in the October 14 by-elections. During an informal chat with reporters on Saturday, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had said the procedure adopted for the arrest of Shehbaz Sharif, the Opposition leader was improper, adding that it appeared prima facie that the law had not been followed in the matter. Bhutto said his party had no issues with accountability, but there must be no political victimisation in the name of accountability. PTI AKJ AKJ New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours: FGN33 NOBEL-LDALL ECONOMICS US 'green growth' duo win Nobel Economics Prize Stockholm: US economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer on Monday shared the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize for constructing "green growth" models that show how innovation and climate policies can be integrated with economic growth.(AFP) FGN31 CHINA-INTERPOL-LDALL BRIBERY Head of Interpol Meng Hongwei accused of corruption, Chinese government Beijing: Meng Hongwei, the Chinese head of Interpol, who vanished mysteriously while on a visit to China, is being investigated for alleged corruption, Beijing announced Monday, becoming the latest top leader to be ensnared in a sweeping anti-graft campaign led by President Xi Jinping. By K J M Varma FGN24 PAK-MUMBAI-PMS-LD HEARING Pak ex-PMs Nawaz, Abbasi appear before Lahore Court in treason case linked to Mumbai attack Lahore: The Lahore High Court on Monday directed the federal government to file a reply on October 22 in a petition seeking action against ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif under treason charges for claiming that those involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack belonged to Pakistan. By M Zulqernain FGN15 THAI-SHOOTING-LD INDIAN Indian tourist among 2 people killed in shootout in Thailand Bangkok: (PTI) A 42-year-old Indian was among two foreign tourists killed and five others, including two Indians, seriously injured in a shootout between two rival gangs here, Thai Police said Monday. FGN21CHINA-CPEC-SAUDI Saudi Arabia's plan to invest in Pak a 'positive factor': China Beijing: China on Monday reacted guardedly to Saudi Arabia's plan to invest in Pakistan, saying it is a "positive factor" if any other party would like to contribute to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation. By K J M Varma FGN29 PAK-BLASPHEMY-LD ASIABIBI Pak SC reserves verdict on Asia Bibi's final appeal against her execution Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court Monday reserved its judgement on the final appeal against the execution of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death in a blasphemy case. By Sajjad Hussain FGN37 CHINA-US-LD POMPEO Pompeo holds 'frosty' meetings with Chinese officials over simmering tensions Beijing: Top diplomats of the US and China on Monday had "frosty" exchanges as they met here amid deepening trade war and intensifying tension over Beijing's militarisation of the disputed South China Sea. By K J M Varma FGN34 UN-CLIMATE UN climate panel says 'unprecedented changes' needed to limit global warming to 1.5C United Nations: A landmark UN report paints a dire picture of the catastrophic consequences the world will face if immediate action is not taken to limit the global warming to 1.5C, warning that at 2C, the world could see 10cm more global sea level rise, loss of all coral-reefs and worsening food shortages. By Yoshita Singh FGN30 BANGLA-LD LAW Bangladesh enacts digital law amid widespread protests Dhaka: Bangladesh on Monday came out with a a controversial digital security law despite widespread protests by journalists and rights groups that it could endanger the freedom of speech. By Anisur Rahman PTI AMS AMS San Francisco, Oct 8 (AFP) Google on Monday announced it is shutting down the consumer version of its online social network after fixing a bug exposing private data in as many as 500,000 accounts. The US internet giant said it will "sunset" Google+ social network for consumers, which failed to gain meaningful traction as a challenge to Facebook. A Google spokesperson cited "significant challenges in creating and maintaining a successful Google+ that meets consumers' expectations" along with "very low usage" as the reasons for the move. (AFP) SCY SCY London, Oct 8 (AFP) Investigative group Bellingcat on Monday identified the second suspect in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal as a trained military doctor employed by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency. "We have now identified 'Alexander Petrov' to be in fact Dr Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin, a trained military doctor in the employ of the GRU," the British-based group said in a report published on its website. (AFP) SCY SCY New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) Dengue cases have spiralled in the city over the past two weeks, with at least 650 people being diagnosed with the vector-borne disease this season, according to a municipal report released Monday. The report says nearly 170 of the cases came to light in the first week of October alone. Also, 347 cases of malaria and 89 of chikungunya have been reported this season till October 6, according to the report. Of the 650 dengue cases in 2018, 169 were reported in the first week of this month, 374 in September, 58 in August, 19 in July, eight in June, 10 in May, two in April, one in March, three in February and six cases in January. Two cases of malaria were reported in February, one each in April and March, 17 in May, 25 in June, 42 in July, 82 in August, 138 in September and 39 till October 6, according to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which tabulates data on vector-borne diseases for the city. A senior doctor at a government-run facility advised people to take all precautions, like wearing full-sleeves and not allowing the breeding of mosquito larvae inside their homes. "Water coolers should be dried up when not in use as dengue infection carrying mosquitoes breed there a lot. Mosquito nets should be used at home," the doctor said. Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch to mid-December. No vector-borne disease case was reported till January 13. The report said domestic breeding checkers found mosquito breeding in 1,92,928 households in the city till October 6. It said 1,58,067 legal notices have been served for various violations and "22,240 prosecutions initiated". As a pro-active measure, Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal had few months ago directed local bodies and other agencies to intensify vector-control measures. He had also asked for regular meetings at the level of district magistrates with all stakeholders to review the situation in their respective districts. According to the SDMC, 10 people died due to dengue in Delhi last year, of whom five were not residents of the national capital. Overall, the vector-borne disease had affected 9,271 people in the city last year. PTI KND TIR TIR Jaipur, Oct 8 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address a 'Sankalp Rally' in Bikaner on Wednesday, state party chief Sachin Pilot said Monday. Gandhi will visit Dholpur on Tuesday during his two-day tour to Rajasthan, Pilot said. The Congress president will attend first meeting in Mania then in Badi, Basedi, Bayana and Vair, he said, adding that Gandhi will also visit Bharatpur and Dausa districts on Tuesday. Pilot said the party president will rest in Mahua and will take part in two different events in Jaipur on Wednesday. The Assembly polls in Rajasthan are due later this year. PTI AG SNE SNE Chandigarh, Oct 8 (PTI) Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said Monday the Centre has "rejected" the state's request for a special Rs 2,145 crore financial assistance for Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev's 550th birth anniversary celebrations. Punjab had placed the request to fund the events connected with the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, which falls in November next year. The Centre has cited that it has a total budget of Rs 100 crore for all commemorative functions to be organised in various parts of the country pertaining to 550th birth anniversary celebrations, Sidhu said. "The Punjab government had demanded Rs 2,145 crore, which has been rejected totally. The Centre has cited that they have earmarked Rs 100 crore for the celebrations to be held all over the country. Moreover, they said out of this Rs 100 crore nearly half the amount has already been spent," Sidhu, who is Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister, said at a press conference here. The Congress leader released minutes of a meeting of the National Implementation Committee (NIC), headed by a central minister, held on July 30 this year, and claimed that the Centre has offered only Rs 35 crore to Punjab for the event. Notably, in June this year, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in a letter to the prime minister had sought an assistance of Rs 2,145.31 crore from the Centre for commemorative projects and undertaking various infrastructural projects in towns and cities associated with the first Sikh Guru. Sidhu said he had earlier written a letter to the Centre seeking special package of Rs 100 crore for the historic Jallianwalla Bagh National Monument. He said he had written letter way back in January stating that there should be a cafeteria, modern amenities, landscaping, world class light and sound system at this place as in April, 2019, the country will be observing 100 years of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Sidhu said though a "small amount" has been released, the Punjab government is awaiting permission from the Centre for initiating renovation works at Jallianwala Bagh. "If Centre does not give permission, I will take it to the Cabinet. We already have Rs 8 crore (from Centre), the Punjab Finance minister has announced Rs 10 crore, we have asked for additional Rs 30 crore, but we need Centre's permission. The Jallianwala Bagh Trust is headed by the prime minister," he said. He said that the work must start now "otherwise we will be left with no time. The tendering process will take 2-3 months". Sidhu warned that Punjab will strongly resist any move if Jallianwala Bagh is given to any corporate house or individual entity under "adopt a heritage scheme". "We will strongly object if Jallianwala Bagh is given to any corporate house or private entity for adoption. Already we have seen adverse public reaction as it happened in case of the Red Fort in Delhi. We cannot accept that tomorrow any private body will start charging entry fees or put up its own plaques at the site," he said. He claimed that he has written a letter in this regard to Union Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons. Sidhu, however, said if any private company or individual would like to spend money for the monument's upkeep, without expecting anything in return, that will be acceptable. "My point is that we want to maintain solemness of the site and not create any picnic spot there. We will not allow Jallianwala Bagh to be given for adoption or on contract ... Jallianwala Bagh is not for sale," he said. "So, I have written a letter stating that we are not ready to give Jallianwala Bagh for adoption like the Red Fort," he said. PTI SUN VSD CK Lucknow, Oct 8 (PTI) Taking note of protests by police personnel against the arrest of their colleagues in connection with the killing of a tech company executive here, the Uttar Pradesh Police Monday said it has taken steps to thwart such agitations. The executive, Vivek Tiwari, was shot dead allegedly by constables at the Gomti Nagar locality in Lucknow when he refused to stop his car for checking on September 29. Two constables, Prashant Chowdhury and Sandeep Kumar, were arrested after an FIR was lodged on the basis of a complaint by Tiwari's colleague Sana Khan, who was travelling with the executive. "We have taken cognizance of rumours that some messages are being circulated on various social media platforms urging police constables to boycott work on October 10," Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Anand Kumar said. "We have also taken note of reports in this regard and taken steps to ensure that nothing of this kind happens. As for rumour mongering, action has already been initiated," he said. Kumar said whenever reports of indiscipline are being received, action such as suspension, removal or arrest is being taken. "We are identifying people who have either protested or instigated others to do so. We are identifying their role, and accordingly action will be taken," he said. Directives have also been issued to officials concerned to collect information about inciting messages. On Friday, the state police had ordered a probe after pictures of constables wearing black ribbons on their arms in support of the two arrested constables were found trending on the social media platforms. This also led to suspensions and transfer of certain policemen in different parts of the state including Lucknow. PTI NAV SAB ANB ANB New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) The Supreme Court said on Monday that adjournments during judicial proceedings, which compel witnesses to visit courts repeatedly to record their statements, is "hard reality" and things will move smoothly if the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) are followed properly. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta observed this while hearing a matter related to deficiencies in jails as highlighted by two apex court judges, one of whom has retired, during their visit to Faridabad jail and an observation home in June this year. "Witnesses are fed up of coming to the court. This is the hard reality on the ground," Justice Gupta observed, adding that "if we follow the CrPC, everything will go on smoothly but the practice on the ground are different". During the hearing, Attorney General K K Venugopal told the bench that as per the court's order, a committee under the chairmanship of retired apex court judge Justice Amitava Roy has been constituted to look into the issues related to jail reforms in the country. Advocate Gaurav Agarwal, assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, said that 14 points were highlighted by the judges who had visited the Faridabad jail and observation home and some of these issues related to prisons could be referred to the newly appointed committee. When he referred to one of the issues about non-examination of witnesses in the trial courts, the bench observed, "If the witnesses are not examined, how can we pass a judicial order?". The two judges -- Justice (retd) A K Goel and Justice U U Lalit -- who had visited the jail had noted that, "In spite of directions of this court, we found instances of witnesses not being examined by the court on the ground of non-availability of time. Adjournments requiring witnesses to repeatedly come to the Court is against the policy of law. There is, thus, need for strict monitoring to ensure that no witness is returned unexamined." During the hearing, the Attorney General referred to the non-functioning of video conferencing facility at observation homes for juveniles. "Every jail in the country has been given video conferencing unit but there are two things. Some of the jails have not installed it and some of them have installed it but they do not know how to operate it," the bench said. "Unless the jail authority starts using what is available to them, how it can be done?," the bench said. The Attorney General, while saying that states would have to co-operate in this, told the bench that jail authorities must ensure that effective functioning of video conferencing facility should be there. The bench said that the committee could look into several aspects highlighted by the two judges while some other issues have to dealt with by the court. The court also issued notices to standing counsel of all the states and asked them to assist in the matter. It has posted the matter for hearing on October 22. The apex court had on September 25 constituted a three-member committee to look into the issue of jail reforms and make recommendations on several aspects, including overcrowding in prisons. The court had said that the committee would also comprise of Inspector General of Police of Bureau of Police Research and Development and Director General (Prisons) of Delhi's Tihar Jail. It had asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue a notification constituting the 'Supreme Court Committee on Prison Reforms'. The bench had passed the order while hearing a matter relating to inhuman conditions in 1,382 prisons across India. On July 13, the top court had taken note of lack of facilities in jails, leading to delayed trials and prolonged incarceration of under-trial prisoners, in the country and had sought assistance of the Attorney General in the matter. The court had, on its own, initiated the judicial proceedings after taking note of reports on deficiencies at the Faridabad jail in Haryana and expanded the scope of the case to the entire country. The court had also perused the report of the District and Sessions judge of Faridabad and had said there were several infrastructural and operational deficiencies like lack of video conferencing and transportation facilities in prison. It had also considered the orders passed by the Bombay and the Rajsathan High Courts on the lack of facilities in prisons in Maharashtra and Rajashtan before taking cognisance of the matter on its own. PTI ABA SJK RKS SA Madurai, Oct 8 (PTI) The Madras High Court set aside on Monday a lower court order holding four doctors of an eye hospital guilty of negligence after 60 people lost their eyesight after undergoing cataract surgeries free of cost at a camp in 2008. Justice G Jayachandran of the Madurai bench of the high court also set aside the November 18, 2017, order of the Additional District Court III (appellate court), enhancing the compensation to the affected persons to Rs 9.85 crore from Rs 2.75 crore. Quoting the prosecution report, the judge observed that the inspection of the operation theatre was conducted in 2011, three years after the operations were conducted. The judge said the prosecution had failed to make out a case against the doctors regarding any implied state of mind to cause harm. "The doctors could have failed to exercise due diligence," the judge said. The lower courts were concerned about the gullible poor victims and that was why they had traversed beyond the scope of IPC 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), the judge said. The compensation fixed by the first trial court (chief judicial magistrate's court) was correct, he said and set aside the enhanced compensation awarded by the appellate court, "which did not have a clear basis for enhancing the compensation". Sixty people lost their vision after undergoing cataract surgeries free of cost at the camp in Perambalur conducted by Joseph Hospital, Tiruchirapalli, in 2008. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took up the investigation following protests and registered a case against the four doctors and the hospital management. The chief judicial magistrate's court had on April 22, 2015 awarded a compensation of Rs 2.75 crore to the affected persons and sentenced the doctors to one-year imprisonment, holding them guilty of criminal negligence. The additional district judge where an appeal was filed, enhanced the compensation to Rs 9.85 crore in November 2017. The doctors challenged the order and moved the high court. PTI SSN APR SMN Noida, Oct 8 (PTI) A suspected drug trafficker was arrested by the Gautam Buddh Nagar police Monday after he was allegedly held with 31 kg of cannabis, an official said. The accused, identified as Gopal Singh, a resident of Bhojpur in Bihar, was held in Jewar area of the district, he said. According to the police, the cannabis seized are worth Rs 5 lakh. "Singh was held during a routine checking in the morning from the expressway cut linking Jewar to Noida. He was carrying two bags filled with 31 kg of cannabis," the police official said. A case was registered against Singh at the Jewar police station under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, the police official said. During probe, the accused told the police that he would buy the cannabis for cheap in Bihar and sell it off in Delhi and Noida. "He has also confessed to having been jailed previously for drug trafficking in Bihar's Newada district," the official said. PTI KIS SNE SNE Noida (UP), Oct 8 (PTI) A man believed to be a Nigerian national was found wandering in a village in Greater Noida Monday, unable to recall his name or other details, police said. The man, who appeared around 35 years of age, was found in Jaganpur village of Gautam Buddh Nagar at night. The villagers grew suspicious about his movement and alerted the police, an official from the Dankaur Police Station told PTI. "When asked about his name and other details, he was clueless. He told the police he lives in Sigma 1 (a locality in Greatern Noida). When policemen took him there, he said he lives in Sigma 4. When the team reached there, he again had vague responses," the official said. He said the man appears to have some mental health issue and the police were assisting him. Further probe was underway and the police were trying to find any acquaintances of the man, the official said. PTI KIS AAR If a business can be judged by the quality of a partner, Ceres Power is clearly one to watch. The AIM-listed firm's roster of collaborations reads like a veritable who's who of top international engineers. In August, German electricals giant Bosch became the latest multinational to reveal it was working with Ceres on its pioneering fuel cell technology SteelCell. Power: Ceres makes cells which convert fuel directly into electricity which they call SteelCell It was Ceres's fifth top name collaborator and Bosch joined a list that already included Chinese firm Weichai Power, Japanese car makers Nissan and Honda and US engineering powerhouse Cummins. That agreement with Bosch included 'very significant' staged revenues through technology transfer, licensing and longer-term royalties, with an initial value of around 20million over the next three years. The German firm also agreed to invest 9million into the AIM-listed business for a 4.4 per cent stake to cement the deal. Phil Caldwell, chief executive, said Ceres' objective was to partner with the world's best and 'companies don't get much better than Bosch'. The two companies will develop what are effectively decentralised power stations that will use modular power units to run data centres, office blocks, electric vehicle charging outlets and so on. In itself that is a fantastic opportunity, says Caldwell, but Bosch also gives Ceres an opportunity to use engineering and technological capability and supply chain and manufacturing strength. So why are some many big names beating a patch to Ceres's door? Electricals giant Bosch became the latest multinational to reveal it was working with Ceres In short, SteelCell technology overcomes two of the major problems traditionally associated with other solid oxide fuel cells, namely cost, and lack of robustness. Ceres' technology can use a variety of fuels - natural gas, hydrogen, biofuel - that can be manufactured from widely available materials, and so is the most cost-effective solution on the market. As it is made of steel and ceramics, SteelCell can be mass produced at high volumes with low costs. 'This scalability is Ceres's key competitive advantage, in our view,' according to Berenberg. The broker believes the development partnerships and impending commercial launches will help profitability short-term and significantly increase the probability that the SteelCell will be commercially viable in the long-term. Like Bosch, Weichai Power, one of China's leading automobile and equipment manufacturing companies, is another heavyweight that has backed up its interest with hard cash. Weichai & Ceres are working to adapt the technology for China's electric powered bus market Initially that meant putting up 19.3million for a 10 per cent stake, but Weichai has an option to double its holding to 20 per cent for a further 26.3million conditional on commercial agreements being signed. Specifically, Weichai and Ceres are working to adapt the technology for China's electric powered bus market. Weichai sells about 30,000 buses per year China and a hybrid electric bus is scheduled for 2019 with trials of multiple buses in 2020. Some of the money was earmarked to build a new UK manufacturing plant and Ceres this week announced it will build a new facility at Redhill in Surrey creating 60 jobs. In electric cars meanwhile, Ceres has received 7million in funding to continue work its work with Nissan on electric vehicle applications. The cash is coming from UK government funding, through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), being carried out in partnership with Nissan and The Welding Institute. 'We are a rarity,' Caldwell said, 'A very high growth British tech company.' 'Commercially, no-one can dispute we have some of the world's best partners committing to this tech. 'We also have two major strategic investors on board alongside very strong institutional support. 'Our OEM partners see the potential and huge market applications.' The technology is still in the development stage but Ceres is not without revenues. Results for the year to June are due shortly but the company has already indicated revenues will be in the region of 7million, up 70 per cent or so. Shares in Ceres have risen since the Bosch announcement and at 199p, the business is valued at 260million. Given the level of sales at present that is looking a way ahead, but directors are confident they can maintain strong revenue growth by adding more technology transfer and licence revenues in addition to its current engineering services. This year ahead will see field trials start across a number of applications including a combined heat and power unit with Bosch and first 30kW system to be run on a bus in China with Weichai. Add in the fact that it has some very serious partners that are looking at lot further ahead than the next couple of years and Ceres is potentially only at the start of its journey. TSB enraged millions of customers when it botched an IT upgrade earlier this year. A prolonged period of disruption meant members were unable to access online banking, pay their bills or transfer money, and eventually left the retail bank's boss Paul Pester no option but to fall on his sword. RBS was the next lender to disappoint, locking 5.5million customers out of their Natwest and Ulster accounts as it made a regular technology upgrade. HSBC followed swiftly behind when its mobile banking crashed on what was pay day for millions of people at the end of September. Meanwhile, Barclays customers have endured three outages in the last two weeks as the bank painfully upgrades its security systems. TSB has had a torrid year of tech glitches. Barclays and RBS have encountered problems too MPs have called for the banks to be brought to account over what can now only be described as a litany of IT failures - painful episodes that have put accounts at risk and left people out of pocket. All the while, angry customers - many of whom are owed compensation - are beginning to lose faith in the 'good-old-reliable' banks they've always entrusted their money to, and are starting to explore alternatives. A Natwest customer took to Twitter to vent: 'How can we trust you with our money?' Such a low level of customer service from the High Street banks is casting a long shadow over their future. Not only does it leave the stalwarts wide open to disruption by the so-called 'Big Techs' - the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Alibaba - but it makes them vulnerable to ambitious smaller fintech, like Monzo, Revolut and Starling. Bank stalwarts suffer falling shares The traditional banks' fall from grace is reflected in many of their share prices. TSB - arguably the worst tech offender so far - forms part of the Sabadell banking group, which has seen its shares tumble in reaction to the fiasco. Over the last five years, Barclays has trickled down from highs of around 2.88 a share, to 1.71 today. And Government-owned RBS has lost value too, wilting from highs of 3.02 in January to less than 2.50 today, despite recently posting more positive results as it starts to regain strength a decade after the credit crunch. What's eating the High Street banks? The traditional banks are looking increasingly feeble for a number of reasons, says the latest World Retail Banking Report by Capgemini and Efma. Firstly, satisfaction is low. Barely half of customers said their experience across different bank channels was positive, despite continued investment by the banks. Simultaneously, customer expectations are on the up. People expect more now from their banking provider, including robust regulation and multiple digital contact points. Monzo is a fast-growing fintech company with an app to help users control their spending What's more, a third of those surveyed, across a range of age groups, said they would be open to using BigTechs for financial products and services. Tech firms and start-ups have the huge advantage of being nimble. Unlike the retail banks, they aren't weighed down by costly store portfolios. Nor do they have complex legacy systems to unpick each time they want to implement changes. Should the High Street banks bother fighting in what is beginning to look like a losing battle? How can the banks change for the better? Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, says the retail banking giants must constantly adapt, rationalise costs and be more personal if they hope to survive in the long term. 'The rise of challenger banks and fintech rivals, the accelerating rate of technological change and the loss of trust, which dates back to the financial crisis, all mean that banks will have to continue to adapt,' he says. Big banks still boss Offering some context, Julian Wellesley, a senior analyst at Loomis Sayles, argues that the big banks, with scale on their side, are still 'in a strong position' and will 'continue to dominate UK banking'. 'They have strong balance sheets, healthy profitability and high market share. They have been losing a bit of market share to challenger banks, but still dominate the market,' he says. Wellesley points out that the 'Big Six' dominated 66 per cent of UK mortgage lending in 2017, down just marginally on 2016, and added that challenger banks don't necessarily offer the best deals for customers. This means they must embrace mobile technology and social media and at the same time prioritise cyber security. Mould adds that banks will also need to keep rationalising their costs. He hints at the possibility of more branch closures as well as banks adapting their floor space to better suit their to customer needs. 'Some branches may be full-service offerings but others may be small kiosks in shopping centres or industrial parks. 'Customers will be looking for ease of access to services, either via a physical site or via a computer or handheld device, and this includes access to staff for information and help and not just data. 'Some customers, especially those of a certain vintage, will still require the branch-based service,' he says. What all this means is that banks need to be better at the personal touch, 'a skill they have lost or intentionally jettisoned,' Mould says. 'People used to know their bank manager personally and introduce new generations of their family to the same branch as their financial needs grew and developed. 'Banks need to offer this again to win and retain customers and win and regain trust. 'This is why RBS' statement on its website that its primary purpose is 'to serve customers well' offers hope that banks are getting back to basics.' CMA customer survey published on the RBS website demonstrates its motivation to improve The World Retail Banking Report agrees that banks must personalise their customer experience in order to fight back against soaring customer expectations and non-traditional forms of competition. It found that satisfaction was notably higher - 49 per cent - among customers who had been proactively offered personalised digital experiences. As Capgemini's Anirban Bose says: 'Retail banking today is all about the customer experience when interacting with their financial institution.' If you can't beat 'em... But that's easier said than done when you've got a monolithic tank to turn around and are hamstrung by the cost of branches as well as converting your turn-of-the-century systems to the latest state-of-the-art digital kit. For some, there's too much to manage, hence earlier this month RBS announced plans to swing the axe on another 54 branches, 14 of which are the last bank in town. Marking a real shift of focus, RBS is trying its arm at the mobile-only banking game, launching 'Bo', aimed at new, younger customers that crave a strong digital interaction in an attempt to take on the fintechs. RBS has joined its banking rivals in closing stores but has also launched a mobile-only bank Are bank branches dead? Since 2010, one out of every three UK banks has closed, with the Big Four all shrinking their networks. 'The UK bank branch network will continue to dwindle but I doubt very much that we will ever see the UK without a single bank branch,' says Jon Holt, head of financial services at KPMG. 'Banks will need to keep a presence on the high street even if it is only to burnish their community credentials, as evidenced by banks increasingly experimenting with flagship stores, which act as meeting spaces as well as offering banking services. 'This is in part because the rise in demand for digital is happening alongside the nations' increasing sense of social responsibility and branches play an important social role by providing a presence on the UK's struggling high streets and catering to customers who aren't online.' Conversely, Metro Bank is expanding its footprint and offering a 7-days-a-week service. And, in some rural areas, banks are being replaced by 'branches on wheels' offering basic services in a village for a few hours a week.' Some big banks may opt to change tack altogether and focus on a less-threatened part of their business. Barclay's chief executive Jes Staley, for example, has pinned his colours to the bank's investment arm. In an interview with Bloomberg last month, Staley claimed that the biggest threat to Barclay's is its credit card business and consumer debt. He said that, given the drama at the bank in recent years, there's no better time to become a tour-de-force in investment banking to rival the likes of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase. 'It's time to let the bank run,' he said. But another option is to use change to their advantage and partner up with new rivals. After all, the established banks have the benefit of already being regulated, and the power to snap up the younger incumbents. Metro Bank is opening branches and operates seven days a week to suit customers' needs So, some banks are eyeing collaborations with fintech and big-tech providers to make strategic use of data, generate new revenue streams and develop loyalty reward schemes and new services. Some of these services could (once again) revolutionise how people interact with their banks. In the future we could be discussing our banking needs with a chatbot - some banks in the US have already started experimenting with this. 'The retail banking industry is at an inflection point, says Vincent Bastid, Secretary General of Efma. 'There is opportunity to innovate through collaboration as well as reinvention. It is an exciting time to be in banking as regulation, innovation, competition and collaboration merge to form the bank of the future.' Stephen Jones, chief executive of UK Finance, says that banks are exploring analytics, the internet of things (IoT) and virtual assistants, as customers' desire for convenience drives a shift towards an increasingly digital world. He predicts that Open Banking and artificial intelligence will transform the relationship we have with our banks over the next few years. But some still have a lot of catching up to do. While the established players may be hard to dislodge, they will have to raise their game - become more personal and more technologically adept - if they want to maintain their lead and secure the custom of future generations. The FTSE 100 closed down 85.21 points at 7233.33 and the pound was at $1.31 against the dollar. Lloyds Banking Group and investment giant Schroders are in talks over the creation of a new wealth management venture. The amount of tax paid by Facebook UK has more than tripled to 15.7million, according to its 2017 accounts. And Reach, the publisher of the Daily Mirror, says its group sales are on the up, following its recent acquisitions of the Express and Star titles, but it has suffered a fall in print advertising revenues. If reading in the This is Money iPhone app, click here. Investors have called for the head of Unilevers chairman over the firms botched plans to leave London. Marijn Dekkers, who leads the Marmite-makers board, was forced on Friday to perform an embarrassing climb-down on proposals for a single head office in the Netherlands. Major shareholders were threatening to vote against it, and have called out the firms arrogant behaviour as it failed to listen to their concerns. CEO: Marijn Dekkers has been forced to double down on having a single HQ in the Netherlands Unilever has headquarters in both London and Rotterdam a legacy of the 1929 tie-up between British soap-maker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine company Unie. It wanted to simplify its structure with just one HQ in Rotterdam, but this meant pulling out of the FTSE 100, which angered many investors. One top-ten shareholder claimed Dekkers had allowed himself to be dazzled by chief executive Paul Polman, 62, a veteran of consumer goods giants such as Procter & Gamble and Nestle who masterminded the move. They added that nothing was off the table when it came to the chairman and that a fresh perspective was needed at the top. Following the flop of Polmans plan, analysts quickly predicted his retirement may be accelerated, but investors are now baying for the blood of 61-year-old Dekkers. Several City heavyweights, including Aviva, Legal and General and M&G, had publicly said they would vote against the simplification plans that were rubber-stamped by Dekkers. A major shareholder said Unilevers board was too arrogant, and that it had met with investors who had expressed displeasure over the move to Rotterdam but assumed they would do nothing. Others said Dekkers may struggle to convince investors he is the right person to lead a search for a new chief executive when Polman does leave. One senior City figure said: The board needs to know the chairman has got investor confidence to make that appointment. If they dont, they would need to address that. Polman himself remained quiet as the fight over Unilevers future heated up, with finance director Graeme Pitkethly spearheading the efforts to draw shareholders on-side. One top-ten shareholder said it was quite odd, given the importance of the vote for Polman, that he was completely absent in recent meetings, adding: Perhaps it was because he has already checked out. Fans of popular entrepreneur Dave Fishwick can today buy a slice in his banking venture via crowdfunding website Seedrs. He is aiming to raise up to 7million in the funding round and told This is Money he wants to attract cash from 'real people' instead of accepting large sums venture capital-style. Dave, who popped into This is Money HQ alongside the bank chief executive Jim Bradley to tell us the news, launched Burnley Savings and Loans in 2011, in the wake of the financial crash and the devastation it left across the North. Bank on Dave: Dave Fishwick is hoping to raise up to 7m in the crowdfunding drive on Seedrs Since then, he has fronted a number of television shows and has been inundated with eager savers hoping to put their cash with the firm and small businesses looking for loans. Seedrs has put a valuation of 41million on the business and the crowdfunding will be open for eight weeks, depending on demand. Dave is hoping to raise a minimum of 2.5million. He is currently attempting to get Bank of Dave which will be the official name of the bank - a full banking licence and this crowdfunding round forms part of it. A healthy balance sheet will please regulators. Dave said the business will continue to aim at providing affordable loans to hard-working individuals and reliable small and medium-sized firms who do not always have access to mainstream finance. How to invest The crowdfunding drive has been put on platform Seedrs. You will need to sign up for an account with Seedrs first to invest in Bank of Dave. This requires name, address - and your National Insurance number will help speed up the signing up process. You then have to answer a few questions about the risks of investing to finish registering your account. From there, you use your card details to invest. Capital is at risk. He has already lent 20million to more than 3,000 borrowers across Britain and currently has a default rate of around three per cent. Savers earn a return of five per cent although savings accounts have not been available for a long time thanks to the generous interest and huge demand. He is also giving away 5.74 per cent equity in the business. Dave told This is Money that he wants to put the trust, ethics and best-practice back into banking. He says he will do this by treating customers as individuals and valued clients, creating a bank that is community oriented and helps under-served business, people, families and communities. To help him achieve his vision of the bank, he has hired a back staff team consistently of decades of experience across the financial world, including Jim Bradley who has worked at Citibank and also still flies back to the US to advise the Federal Reserve. It is launching the initial fundraising round on Seedrs to help develop IT systems and building its infrastructure needed in preparation of it becoming an authorised bank. The bank is forecast to achieve an annual operating profit of 4.5million before tax in year five of the plan. He told This is Money that he doesn't want the bank to grow too quickly and that he has no 'exit plan' he wants to be part of the bank for decades to come. Dream team: Jim Bradley (L) and Dave Fishwick (M) visited Lee at This is Money HQ That said, he will be the face of the bank, but will trust his team to make most of the decisions, given their experience of the banking world. Dave set up the bank in his hometown of Burnley, Lancashire, to help inject much-needed financial support into local community and businesses, and to prove financial service providers can be socially responsible. This is Money visited Dave in Burnley in 2014, to see first-hand how passionate he was about the venture. The bank will aim to help those who may have difficulty or are unable to access affordable credit from mainstream high street finance providers and help them back on their feet. However, Jim says that it is not a charity and the lending tests will be stringent to continue to keep bad debt to a minimum. Dave said: 'The core vision for Bank of Dave is to create an ethical, successful and sustainable bank which is distinctive from established UK banks which we believe are falling short on supporting underserved individuals and small business. 'We believe in the need for a fresh approach to Banking and to provide products and services that meet real customer needs. 'We have had a brilliant few years acting as a savings and loans provider, but the opportunity to become a fully authorised UK bank will expand our horizons even further, enabling us to help more people across the UK.' He hopes that Bank of Dave will become one of the first UK-owned high street banks for more than a century. Jim Bradley, chief executive, said: 'We are going through the authorisation process to become an authorised UK bank and are advancing towards this goal. 'We continue to witness a real market demand for financial providers that offer essential banking services to customers that traditionally find it difficult or are unable to access affordable credit. 'We are confident that once fully authorised that the Bank of Dave will be the bank that delivers this capability.' Seedrs is backed by fund manager Neil Woodford, among others, and is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. Vedanta Ltd. is a natural resource company, which engages in the exploration, extraction, and processing of minerals, oil, and gas properties. It operates through the following segments: Copper, Aluminum, Iron Ore, Power, and Oil & Gas. The Copper segment focuses in custom smelting and also include a copper smelter, a refinery, a phosphoric acid plant, a sulphuric acid plant, a copper rod plant, and three captive power plants. The Aluminum segment comprises refinery and a captive power plant at Lanjigarh and a smelter, a thermal coal based captive power facility at Jharsuguda both situated in the State of Odisha in India. The Iron Ore segment explores, mines, and processes iron ore, pig iron, and metallurgical coke. The Power segment consists 600 MW thermal coal-based commercial power facility at Jharsuguda in the State of Odisha in Eastern India. The Oil and Gas segment involves in the exploration and development and production of oil and gas. The company was founded by Dwarka Prasad Agarwal on June 25, 1965 and is headquartered in Mumbai, India. Read More It will soon be open enrollment time for Medicare (0ctober 15 until December 7), when you can review your current plans and perhaps make changes to your Medicare supplement, Medicare Advantage plan or your Part D prescription drug plan. Or perhaps you are newly eligible for Medicare and are now choosing a Medigap plan as your supplement. The folks at Elder Law Answers caution that Medigap premiums can vary quite a bit depending upon the insurance company. (https://www.elderlawanswers.com/its-important-to-shop-around-for-your-medigap-policy-16848). Medigap policies are offered by private insurers to supplement Original Medicare for the coverage gaps that exist if one only has straight Medicare coverage. The best time to purchase a Medigap policy is when an individual is first eligible for Medicare (at age 65 years), although it is possible to move among insurers at open enrollment time. Currently, There are ten Medigap plans, identified as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, K, L, M, and N. The plans offer different options depending upon the consumers actual and perceived needs. Although plan C does not offer the same options as plan F, if you choose plan C, every insurer is required by Federal law to include the same options and benefits in their plan C. However, the premiums can vary widely among insurance companies. According to Weiss Ratings, Inc., a consumer-oriented company that assesses the financial stability of insurance companies, premiums for the same letter plan can be hugely disparate. The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College reported on Weiss Ratings findings. Medigap premiums were compared in each zip code nationwide. For example, a 65 year old male in Hartford, Connecticut can buy a Plan F for between $2,900 and $7,400 annually depending upon the insurance company. In Houston, Texas, a 65 year old female can choose a Plan C policy that costs $5,300 per year or she can buy the same exact coverage from another insurer for $1,700 per year. Therefore, a consumer choosing a Medigap supplement must not only decide which of the ten plans is best suited to them, but must also shop around for the best insurance company for that particular plan. It is recommended that you ask for quotes from several insurance companies once you decide on the plan for you. If using broker, which many people do, check with two or more brokers since most brokers do not deal with every available insurer in your area. The Medicare website, www.medicare.gov, has good information on the ten available plans and what is included in each. You may not need all of the benefits of a particular plan, but it might be worth purchasing a more comprehensive plan than a bare bones type plan. However, to make the final determination, it is necessary to do the leg work to learn the best price for your chosen plan that you think might work for you. You can also consult an area APPRISE counselor, a trained volunteer that you access through your County Office of Aging. An APPRISE counselor can assist you in sorting through the various plans so that you understand what you are purchasing when you do your comparison shopping among insurance companies. Columbus, Ohio The largest city named for Christopher Columbus has called off its observance of the divisive holiday that honors the explorer, making a savvy move to tie the switch to a politically safe demographic: veterans. Ohio's capital city, population 860,000, will be open for business Monday after observing Columbus Day probably "for as long as it had been in existence," said Robin Davis, a spokeswoman for Democratic Mayor Andrew Ginther. City offices will close instead on Veterans Day, which falls on Nov. 12 this year. Native Americans and allied groups have long used Columbus Day to elevate issues of concern to them. That includes a peaceful protest of prayers, speeches and traditional singing in 2016 at Columbus City Hall underneath the statue of the explorer that sits out front to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline and to urge Ohio to support more renewable energy. The decision to stop observing the holiday was not triggered by the national movement to abolish Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples Day as a way of recognizing victims of colonialism, Davis said. Columbus Day marks the Italian explorer's arrival in the Americas on Oct. 12, 1492. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "We have a number of veterans who work for the city, and there are so many here in Columbus," Davis said. "We thought it was important to honor them with that day off." And, she said, the city doesn't have the budget to give its 8,500 employees both days off, she said. An attempt in Akron to rename the holiday grew ugly last year, dividing the all-Democratic city council along racial lines. Five black members voted to rename the holiday and eight white members voted not to, keeping the holiday in place. A similar effort twice failed in Cincinnati before a vote Wednesday finally recognized Columbus Day as the renamed Indigenous Peoples Day. ALBANY A $7 million jury verdict recently awarded to a former teacher at Attica Correctional Facility, despite multiple attempts by her attorney to settle the case for a fraction of the sum, is spotlighting a lack of oversight of state litigation strategies. Pamela S. Small, 55, had alleged she was persistently stalked and harassed by correction Officer Carl Cuer between 2009 and 2011, resulting in a psychological breakdown, and that two superintendents failed to follow protocol when she tried to report the prison guard's behavior. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision rejected multiple chances to settle the case, despite the advice of the attorney general's office that represented them in the litigation. Their decision to take the case to trial also arguably jeopardized the interests of three agency employees who were named as defendants in the lawsuit, according to those with knowledge of the negotiations. But the case was not isolated. DOCCS, which handles numerous lawsuits each year involving misconduct by its employees, does not always move to quickly settle claims even when the allegations have been sustained. In 2012, the agency lost one of its largest judgments on record at the time $605,750 for its mishandling of a case in which a woman was repeatedly raped by a prison guard. The decision handed down by a Court of Claims judge detailed investigative missteps by state officials and noted the deep psychological scars of the victim, who was incarcerated for a probation violation on her conviction for unauthorized use of a credit card. The victim, identified only as "Anna," was raped in June 2007 at Albion state prison in Orleans County by a guard, Donald Lasker, who was later fired and sentenced to two months of weekends in jail. At the time of the rapes, Lasker was under investigation for an earlier rape but the state took no action to remove him from duty or restrict his supervision of female inmates. The state "never engaged in any serious pre-trial negotiations," said the victim's attorney, Terence L. Kindlon of Albany. "We attempted to arrive at a fair settlement in order to prevent our client from having to undergo the trauma of testifying about the rapes and their lasting impact on her life and that of her family." Kindon said that, similar to Small's case, DOCCS' officials waited until shortly before the trial to offer what he characterized as a "nuisance offer" that was so inappropriate it didn't warrant a response. "The offer came from an attorney at DOCCS who seemed to have little familiarity with the egregious facts of the case and certainly wasn't going to be the one trying it," he said. "In addition to seemingly not caring about the impact a trial would have on our client, there was no actual concern for the very real potential loss the state might, and eventually did, suffer." The federal jury that awarded the recent verdict to Small examined 200 pieces of evidence including harassing letters, text messages and notes from Cuer to Small and heard from 11 witnesses who attested to Small's physical and psychological decline, according to Small's attorney, Jennifer Shoemaker of Rochester. Small now suffers from a debilitating form of post-traumatic stress disorder and is unable to work, according to testimony from medical experts who examined her. Two superintendents, James Conway and Sandra Dolce, were found to have failed to immediately forward Small's complaints of Cuer's increasingly disturbing behavior to the state Office of Diversity Management, as was required by state guidelines at the time, the jury found. When Small's claims were eventually referred to ODM, the agency never investigated the allegations, according to the complaint. "Everyone just passed the buck; no one did what they were supposed to," Shoemaker said. But rather than acknowledge the wrong and move on, the state aggressively litigated the case, apparently without regard to the costs. The prolonged legal battle and trial further traumatized the victim, Shoemaker said. DOCCS rejected the attorney general's recommendation to offer Small a larger settlement, according to several people familiar with negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity. While economic experts hired by both the plaintiff and DOCCS evaluated Small's financial damages at between $1.2 million and $2.3 million, DOCCS did not offer a settlement beyond $600,000 during court-ordered mediation sessions, according to Small. Since state employees are often indemnified, the state may also have to absorb more than $2 million in judgments against Cuer and the two former superintendents, who a jury determined were liable for violating Small's civil rights. Other attorneys who specialize in labor law or civil rights cases told the Times Union they were surprised that Small's lawsuit progressed to trial and resulted in an extraordinarily large award. While there are statutory limits for compensatory damages in discrimination cases involving the state, if jurors "are mad enough, they will just blow through them," said an Albany attorney who commented on the verdict on the condition of not being identified. Also, certain agency commissioners are known to have outsized authority to drive litigation strategy, regardless of whether it is in the interest of the state, the attorneys say. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Miriam Clark, president of the New York chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association, said the state ought to see itself as a "model employer," adhering to a standard beyond what is minimally required of private companies. "Someone should be taking into account the public's interest," she said. "Is it in the public's interest to continue to litigate when the result may be a greater judgement, that the public has to pay; when it results in more misery for the plaintiff, who is presumably a taxpayer; and when it means continuing to defend policies which have been found to violate the law?" DOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey defended the agency's position. He said the $600,000 settlement offer was reasonable and contends that Small was focused on litigating the case, "demanding millions of taxpayer dollars" for harassment that occurred primarily outside the workplace. "While we work with the attorney general's office to appeal this verdict, one thing should be clear: the state has no intention of paying any portion of this award resulting from (officer) Cuer's conduct occurring outside of the workplace," Mailey said. "In the end, reducing the verdict by that amount results in a verdict far closer to the state's offered settlement than that demanded by plaintiff." Shoemaker said that the current interpretation of Civil Rights Law does not distinguish between what happened in or outside the workplace, citing the Cuomo administration's newest model sexual harassment policy, which was finalized on Oct 1. "Unlawful sexual harassment is not limited to the physical workplace itself," the policy states. "Calls, texts, emails, and social media usage by employees can constitute unlawful workplace harassment, even if they occur away from the workplace premises, on personal devices or during non-work hours." Shoemaker said a significant amount of Cuer's conduct occurred within Attica and when Small complained it fell on deaf ears. "It is sad for all that they continue to defer blame and refuse to acknowledge the state's wrongdoing from March 2010 all the way through today," Shoemaker said. "It sounds like they will continue to victimize our client, who is an innocent person in all of this, by delaying justice further with appeals." Large settlement offers must be approved by the governor's office. The governor's chief counsel, Alphonso B. David, declined to comment on his office's role in the case. In general, he said, multiple factors are considered when deciding how to handle a lawsuit, including the demands of the plaintiff and whether the conduct occurred during work hours. He noted the award, which will come out of a designated fund for DOCCS claims in the state budget, has not been finalized. The compensatory damages account for $2.4 million of the award but may be reduced to $300,000 by the judge in accordance with federal statutes. The $2.17 million in lost pay also advisory, and the judge may award Small more or less. However, the $7 million verdict does not account for nearly a decade of attorneys' fees that have yet to be calculated, or the interest that may accumulate during subsequent appeals, Shoemaker said. Cuer was represented by an outside attorney, James M. Wujcik of Rochester, who declined to comment. His fees are also being paid by the state. A spokeswoman for the attorney general's office declined to comment on the case. Albany The laws of physics are harsh and unforgiving when a human being is exposed to a high-speed car crash even while wearing a seat belt, and are amplified without that protection. A tragic crash in Schoharie County that killed all 18 people in a rented stretch limousine likely reflected a "very severe impact" that inflicted various forms of sudden, extreme crushing injuries, said Michael Baden, an internationally known forensic pathologist. Autopsy results from the victims of Schoharie crash are still pending. "It will depend on factors like how people were seated, whether they were wearing belts," said Baden, who has worked for the New York State Police. Now in private practice, Baden has worked with journalists, producers, and private legal teams to investigate deaths such as those of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas; comedian John Belushi; the president of Poland; Nicole Brown Simpson, murdered wife of O.J. Simpson; Lisa McPherson, Kathleen Savio, and Eric Garner. At the moment of a vehicle crash, a tremendous amount of kinetic energy called G-force (for gravitational force) is unleashed at levels that be equivalent to many tons. The level of G-force depends on factors like the weight of the person, the vehicle speed at the time of the crash, and how quickly the vehicle stops. So far, officials have not released an estimate of the limousine's speed at the time of the crash. Right now, anyone reading this is being exposed to roughly 1 G, which means that a 160-pound person feels the exertion of being 160 pounds. Riding an extreme roller-coaster can produce up to 6 Gs (or the feeling of 960 pounds of force on that person's body) for brief periods, according to an order of magnitude listing found on Wikipedia that cites numerous scientific reports. A fighter jet pilot wearing a pressurized protective suit can experience up to 12 Gs (or nearly a ton of force for that same hypothetical person) on a sharp maneuver, which is enough to make an unprotected person pass out because that force inhibits blood from being pumped from the heart into the brain. Hitting a level of about 18 Gs is enough to start causing human injury, like burst capillaries, bruising or broken bones. This can happen as the body's soft internal structures keep moving due to inertia for milliseconds after the exterior of the body has slowed as the car itself slows. A passenger wearing a stretching-style seat belt meant to extend the time it takes the person to slow during a 30 mph crash is briefly exposed to 20 Gs (or about 3,200 pounds of force on the 160 pound person), according to an online accident simulator from the physics department at Georgia State University. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. With a non-stretching seat belt, that force in that same crash increases to about 30 Gs (about 4,800 pounds of force), which can worsen injuries and perhaps even break bones, but is usually survivable. Modern cars are made with crumple zones, which are meant to absorb some of the energy of the crash before it can reach a vehicle's occupants. Beyond 50 Gs, the risk of serious injuries or death is significant. Without a belt, that same person in a 30 mph crash can be subjected to about 150 Gs (or a potentially fatal 24,000 pounds of force), according to the online simulator. For example, in the 1997 crash that killed Princess Diana in Paris, the Mercedes in which she was a passenger was estimated to be traveling at about 65 mph at the time of the crash, which could have exposed her to about 70 Gs (based on her approximate weight of 125 pounds), according to CNN reporting at the time. That level of force is enough to force internal organs like the heart, lungs, brains and intestines to move around inside the body. In Diana's case, that force tore a pulmonary artery leading from her heart that caused her death. The Georgia State University car crash simulator can be found online at https://bit.ly/2PrGJ9q TROY -- After a quarter century of planning, politics, grant writing and volunteer efforts, the Kate Mullany National Historic Site at 350 Eighth St. is months away from opening to the public. Volunteer members of the Capital Regions building trades unions have been investing their own time to provide more than $60,000 in labor to supplement $239,000 to restore the home of Mullany, an Irish immigrant who organized 300 women to form the Collar Laundry Union. After 25 years, we're almost there. Were closing in on it, Paul Cole, executive director of the American Labor Studies Center which owns the site, said Monday. Plans are for a soft opening this winter as work nears completion. That will be followed by a formal opening in May during Labor History Month. This is the only one of 91 National Historic Sites that has a focus on labor history, womens history and immigration history all rolled into one, Cole said. About $750,000 has been invested to restore the Mullany property. Exterior work is wrapping up and the third-floor apartment where Mullany lived is nearly complete. Landscaping to reflect how the Eight Street property in the North Central neighborhood looked during the 19th century is finished. Cole said historically accurate wallpaper is ready to be installed. The Mullany historic site also is waiting for a $50,000 state grant to materialize that Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, and Assemblyman John T. McDonald, D-Cohoes, are working on, Cole said. In 1998, Hillary Clinton, then first lady, visited when the house was named a National Historic Landmark . Clinton was a U.S. senator for New York when she pushed in 2004 for the bill to make the Mullany house a National Historic Site, part of the National Park System. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The effort is now starting to recruit new members for the Friends of Kate Mullany, who would be trained to be docents to lead tours of the house. Cole said people interested in volunteering should call him at 518-331-4474. Theres also a push to find 19th century period furniture to install in the historic site to show how Mullany and her relatives lived. Some furniture has been donated, Cole said. He advised people who may be able to assist in this endeavor should visit the sites website at www.katemullanynhs.org. The website also has information about obtaining tickets to the annual Kate Mullany House Reception on from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 29 at the New York State United Teachers, 800 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, and to purchase ads in the reception journal. Those being honored at the annual reception are U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, CSEA Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, the New York Labor History Association and Sandra Bliss, a NYSUT officer and activist who is receiving the Mullany Legacy award posthumously. The National Transportation Safety Board, an independent investigative agency tasked by Congress to look at U.S. transportation disasters, will be spending the next several days at the site where a stretch SUV limo went through a stop sign Saturday and crashed, killing 20 people. Saturday's crash was the worst loss of life in a transportation incident since February 2009 when a Colgan Air turboprop plowed into a house short of the runway in Buffalo. "The NTSB is very concerned about the safety of our roadways, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt said during a press conference Sunday afternoon at State Police Troop G headquarters in Latham. "Twenty fatalities is just horrific." Sumwalt added little new information regarding what led to Saturday's crash, other than to say the board will look at "survival factors, vehicle factors, and roadway factors," and while it conducts its own investigation, it will work together with the New York State Police. Presumably, the NTSB's "Go Team," which arrived in Schoharie Sunday morning, will examine the mechanical condition of the 2001 Ford Excursion involved in the crash. Following another limousine crash in 2015 that killed four women on Long Island, a special grand jury called for vehicles that are converted into stretch limousines be required to have the same safety features as factory-built limousines, such as side airbags and roll bars. The Long Island limousine in that case was created from a Lincoln Town Car that had been cut down the middle with a 10-foot section added, but without the safety features. It's not clear whether the Excursion involved in Saturday's crash had sufficient safety features. Advertisements for various Ford Excursion limos for sale online indicate that many hold up to 20 people, and come with luxury features like flat screen televisions and bars. All 18 adults inside the limo, including the driver, died Saturday. State Police said they did not know if anyone was wearing a seat belt; in New York state there is a law requiring front seat passengers in limos to wear seat belts, but there is no such law for back seat limo passengers. NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss said Sunday that the board has conducted "numerous limousine investigations," including one in 2015 in Cranbury, N.J., following a crash in which a Walmart tractor trailer struck a Mercedes limousine van, killing one person. After that crash, the board recommended that passengers be provided with safety briefings before trips that would include pointing out exits and how to operate them, and the importance of using seat belts. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Following the 2015 Long Island limo crash, a special Suffolk County grand jury called for the creation of a state commission to study limousine safety and report its recommendations to the NTSB. It's not clear whether that ever happened. The NTSB will also presumably look at the layout of the roadway in Schoharie, as well as such factors as visibility and weather conditions at the time of the accident. That's something that Jessica Kirby, an Apple Barrel employee whose family owns the store, said she will welcome. "Tractor trailers have come down the hill before and actually come across the parking lot, during store hours when somebody could've been killed," she said. "If you were going too fast and you're not familiar with the area, you won't know it's a stop at the end of a steep hill. "Our family definitely welcomes anyone from (the state Department of Transportation) or the NTSB to stop by who would like to speak with us," she added. Reporter Stephen Hughes contributed to this story. AMSTERDAM The bridge slowly began to light up, the flickering of thousands of candles. The path of light illuminated hundreds of faces, some with tears streaming down their cheeks, others with their eyes closed and a few pressed against the shoulder of the person next to them. "There is so much pain here, in a very small part of the world," U.S. Rep Paul Tonko said. His hand, which gripped a candle, shook. "So much pain." In a deeply emotional gathering Monday evening, hundreds turned out to remember the 20 people killed in Saturday's Schoharie limousine crash. Many lived in and around this Mohawk River city. The vigil filled the recently built pedestrian bridge connecting the south and north sides of Amsterdam as it in turn connected relatives, friends, co-workers, elected leaders and other mourners. On a table, 20 candles burned. "I've always known (Amsterdam) to be a loving community and as I gather with you this evening, I see it manifested in a very powerful expression," Tonko said. "Look at the bridge, filled with people. The walkways filled with people. To the family members, know that your loved ones are loved by this community. We are crushed with you. We are crushed for you." Around 2,500 people gathered on the bridge. Many people hugged each other or wiped away tears as local officials spoke of the tragedy. "Some of us here don't know any of the people. Some of us here know one or two. Many of you know a whole bunch of the people," Robert Purtell, Montgomery County Legislature chairman, said to the crowd. "But none of us will ever forget the lives of those lost." "What makes our community so special is that we come together," Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara said. He talked about people who have been sharing personal connections with victims. The community is here for times like this, he said. State Sen. George Amedore also addressed the mourners. Earlier in the day, community members and leaders in the close-knit city struggled to make sense of the crash at the intersection of Route 30 and 30A. Mayor Michael Villa said he was stunned when he heard the news. "I don't think you ever prepare for something like this," he said. Villa's son was on the wrestling team with one of the victim's brother. "You go out, you're trying to do the right thing and things go awry. It's just incredible, this amount of devastation." Villa said as the families began to heal, he would like to establish something for the victims in the future to commemorate them. The limousine was heading south on Route 30 when the vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign, struck an unoccupied car at the Apple Barrel Country Store parking lot and went into a ditch. All 18 people in the limo were killed as well as two bystanders. Rich Peters, president of the Amsterdam Teachers Association, said Monday he taught six of the 17 passengers in the limo during his 29 years with the district. He also worked in the room next to Abby Jackson, a reading teacher at Wilbur H. Lynch Literacy Academy, who was among those killed. "This is unspeakable," said Peters, a seventh-grade social studies teacher. "I can't believe it." Jackson and her siblings were graduates of Amsterdam High School. Peters praised Jackson as a kind, caring teacher who came back to her hometown to teach. "She was the kind of reading teacher you would want your child to have," Peters said. Peters said Jackson was involved in the school PTA and had recently agreed to take over the Sunshine Club, which works with students who are having a bad day or have suffered a loss. Jackson's three sisters, her husband and two of her sisters' husbands were among the dead as well. "My heart breaks as I think of all the lives that will never be the same," Vicky Ramos, the Amsterdam superintendent of schools, said at the vigil. The American Red Cross provided grief counseling for family members from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the academy on Monday and attended the vigil to pass out blankets, offer assistance and brought therapy dogs. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Tara Hughes, a disaster mental health advisor for the Northeast Division of the American Red Cross, said the counselors were working to help grieving family members normalize any feelings they might be having as well as seeing how they were handling the stress. The Red Cross will be taking a larger than normal role going forward due to the scale of the tragedy and be providing additional support to the community as time goes on. "The number of people we have here will increase due to the scope," she said. "This is unique because of the impact this has on the larger community and we will support the community at large. Some people who didn't know anyone on the limo may not understand that that because of the media bringing it into their home, they're also being impacted by it." The people in the limo were celebrating the friend Amy Steenburg's 30th birthday. "The empathy, the sadness, the shock of it. I think there's that shock of things and I think people naturally think about their own lives, their own relatives," Rev. Jeffrey L'Arche, the pastor at St. Mary's Church, said. L'Arche officiated the wedding of two victims, Erin and Shane McGowan, in June. He said he had received emails from people across the country about the crash. Also killed were Amy's husband Axel, Axel's brother Rich, Amy's three sisters and one of her brothers-in-law. The group of young adults grew up together and all lived in Amsterdam. Two of the couples were newlyweds. Funeral arrangements for the victims have not yet been announced. Another vigil will take place in Schoharie, the scene of the crash, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Schoharie High School gymnasium. The Loden Family, owners of the Apple Barrel Country Store will honor the victims, their families and first responders. Amsterdam's vigil ended with a moment of silence, as people stood in line holding permanent markers. They scrawled messages to their loved ones on a large sign, that read "Amsterdam Strong." Some burst into tears as they wrote their final farewells, others paused staring at the open spaces and trying to figure out how to put their goodbyes into words. By the end, hundreds of messages were on the sign. "The connecting in a small town is such a powerful way for us to show our humanness," Tonko said. "The strength of this small town, the Amsterdam narrative is clearly professed here this evening. We are connected to one another." They were four sisters, two brothers, two newlywed couples, young parents. An athlete, an artist, a teacher, two military veterans. From family members, from media reports, from social media postings, the stories of the 20 victims of the deadliest transportation disaster in the U.S. since 2009 are coming to light. When you see the sheer number of names of the people identified by State Police as being inside the limousine when it crashed Saturday in Schoharie, it is chilling. Limousine passengers: Axel J. Steenburg, 29, of Amsterdam Richard M. Steenburg, 34, of Johnstown Amy L. Steenburg, 29, of Amsterdam Allison King, 31, of Ballston Spa Mary E. Dyson, 33, of Watertown Robert J. Dyson, 34, of Watertown Abigail M. Jackson, 34, of Amsterdam Matthew W. Coons, 27, of Johnstown Savannah D. Bursese, 24, of Johnstown Patrick K. Cushing, 31, of Halfmoon Amanda D. Halse, 26, of Halfmoon Erin R. McGowan, 34, of Amsterdam Shane T. McGowan, 30, of Amsterdam Amanda Rivenburg, 29, of Colonie Adam G. Jackson, 34, of Amsterdam Rachael K. Cavosie, 30, of Waterford Michael C. Ukaj, 34, of Johnstown Limousine driver Scott T. Lisinicchia, 53, of Lake George Pedestrians Brian Hough, 46, of Moravia, Cayuga County James Schnurr, 70, of Kerhonkson, Ulster County The limo passengers were out on an excursion to celebrate Amy Steenburg's 30th birthday. Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown confirmed Monday that a member of the party had a reservation for Saturday at noon. The brewery is about 40 miles from the crash site: Route 30 near the Apple Barrel Country Store in Schoharie. A relative of the two bystanders said the family was visiting Schoharie for a wedding on Saturday. Here are the victims' stories: Michael Ukaj Marine Corps veteran Ukaj, who served a six-month tour in Iraq, died on his 34th birthday. His mother, Mary Ashton, who lives in Maine, told the Times Union that she called to wish him happy birthday on Saturday but couldn't reach him. Later, she found out she had called at almost the same time as the crash. Courtesy of Mary Ashton "He was just such a good boy," Ashton said, in tears over the phone. "My baby is gone." Ashton said her son joined the military at the age of 17 and served a full tour in Iraq. On his 21st birthday, he told her he was under a table in the safety position while his base was being mortared, praying he wouldn't die. She said he saw some of his friends die in front of him and returned home with severe post-traumatic stress disorder. She urged him to connect with the Department of Veterans Affairs and take medicine to heal. Ashton said he planned to re-enlist but was honorably discharged from the military because of a medical condition. He moved into his maternal grandparents' house in Caroga Lake, Fulton County. "He was just very happy and enjoyed life. He did struggle like we all do with certain issues, but generally he was enjoying life, he posted pictures of him with friends, skeet shooting and having bonfires. He was fixing up my parents' house and enjoying his life," Ashton said. The family previously lived in upstate New York but moved to Maine 16 years ago. Rick White, an aide at Victory Christian Academy in Fort Plain, Montgomery County, where Ukaj attended for one year in high school, remembers him as a good kid who always talked about going into the service. Ukaj received several commendations during his time in the military, including two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, an Iraq Campaign Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and a National Defense Service Medal. He worked as a bulk fuel specialist and held the rank of sergeant at Camp Pendleton in California upon his discharge. Ukaj leaves behind his parents, a sister and two brothers. Ashton said she only got confirmation of her son's death from State Police at 1 p.m. Monday, not in time to attend the evening vigil in Amsterdam. A family friend set up a fundraiser for the family on Facebook. Brian Hough Hough was in the parking lot of the Apple Country Barrel Store when the limo crashed. He grew up in Pennsylvania, was married with a son, and worked as a geology professor at SUNY Oswego. His brother J.T. Hough, who lives in Pennsylvania, told the Times Union that the family was visiting Schoharie for a wedding on Saturday. Provided by SUNY Oswego, Photo by Jim Russell "I talked to his wife, my sister-in-law and she said up until that moment they were having the best day ever," Hough said. "Brian was a great father and a great uncle. He was a great son and husband and loved his wife obviously. Everybody says these things all the time, but in his case, he was exceptional. My older brother and I wanted to stand and talk with the adults, but he'd be over playing with his son and his nephews." SUNY Oswego released a statement Monday mourning his death."In a short time, Brian became a major part of our campus family," President Deborah F. Stanley said in the statement. "He was a dedicated faculty member who inspired his students to learn and understand at a deep level, and whose contributions were often sought by his colleagues. He will be missed and remembered fondly by all, always." Hough had been a visiting geology professor since 2016. He earned his doctorate from the University of Rochester, master's degree from Idaho State University and bachelor's degree from Old Dominion University. The school is offering counseling services this week. Lori Van Buren/Times Union James Schnurr James Schnurr, 70, of Kerhonkson, Ulster County, was in the parking lot of the Apple Country Barrel Store when the limo crashed. He was killed along with his son-in-law Brian Hough, a geology professor at SUNY Oswego. Provided Brian's brother J.T. Hough, who lives in Pennsylvania, told the Times Union that the family was visiting Schoharie for a wedding on Saturday. Hough talked to his brother's wife and Schnurr's daughter after the tragedy. "She said up until that moment they were having the best day ever," Hough said. Hough set up a fundraiser for surviving family members on GoFundMe. The Schnurr family did not want to talk at this time. Amanda Halse The 26-year-old waitress at Shaker Point in Watervliet and former floral designer was killed along with her boyfriend Patrick Cushing. Courtesy of Michelle Radley Halse's sister Karina Halse told The Associated Press her heart is "sunken" and she's in a "place where I've never felt this type of pain before." She said the sisters were texting Saturday as Amanda got into the limo for the birthday party. Amanda died in the crash before she received her sister's reply. Karina said her sister and Cushing "were two peas in a pod." The couple's mutual friend Michelle Radley said the pair had been together for at least a year. "She was just as random as he was, they were perfect for each other," Radley said. Amanda's boss for 3 years, Suzanne Balet-Haight, owner of Balet Flowers & Design, remembers Halse as very creative. She said Halse had a background in drawing and painting and a passion for arranging flowers, bouquets and dried flower wreaths. Once, Balet-Haight said, Halse made her a wood hanging with an inspirational quote she made up herself. "That's what I've been thinking about the past couple of days, was all of her creativity and how it will be missed," Balet-Haight said. Hans Pennink/AP Balet-Haight said Halse planned a fundraiser every year for her mother at a greenhouse near Fort Ann after Halse's mother was paralyzed in an accident. "It was really inspirational to see how much she cared for her mom and making sure she was OK all the time," Balet-Haight said. Family friends have set up two GoFundMe pages to pay for funeral costs and other family needs. Read her obituary. Patrick Cushing The 31-year-old worked for the state Senate's Technology Services unit. He was a sports lover who grew up in Amsterdam and lived with Amanda Halse in Troy. He leaves behind a brother, sister and two stepsisters who released a statement on Monday. Courtesy of Pete Benson "To me, Patrick will always represent unconditional love," his brother Justin Cushing wrote in the statement. "He opened his heart to his family and friends. That heart propelled him in each passion where he found a balance between his competitive drive and his caring spirit. His expressive personality and willingness to be emotionally vulnerable for the betterment of others has left an impact that we will always cherish. I have lost not just a brother, but my best friend." Michelle Radley was a close friend of Patrick who she said everyone called "Cushing" for at least 7 years. The pair played professional dodgeball together and she said they were like "chosen family."cus "It's hard to put into words the kind of guy that he was. He put everyone before himself. He would have the most amazing game ever playing dodgeball and he wouldn't even admit it, he would go out of his way to tell you good job," Radley said. Cushing also played local league softball. Pete Benson, Cushing's colleague and the organizer of the softball league, knew him for 8 years. Benson said Cushing was a fun and laid-back guy who talked quickly and was always running around doing something. Team captain Jimmy Blanchard played on a softball team for 3 years with Cushing. Between April and September every season, they'd see each other a few times a week at practice and sometimes go out for food or drinks afterward. "He was just a very genuine and sincere person. Everybody gravitated toward him, he was always happy. He was always comforting, whether it was something we talked about in our personal lives, picking each other up on a softball field as a team. He was very sincere and very comforting," Blanchard said. "Every time you see him it's with a smile." Cushing played dodgeball for the U.S. team in the 2016 and 2018 Dodgeball World Cups. U.S. Dodgeball mourned Cushing's death on its Facebook page. "Cushing proved himself one of the most agile and dominant players in the world. His no-holds-barred competitive spirit made him one of the most exciting and entertaining players to watch. Pat's passion for the sport and always present laughter were infectious to those lucky enough to play alongside or against him," the post read. The team announced it will retire his number in his honor. Read his obituary. Amanda Rivenburg Colonie resident Rivenburg was an only child and the owner of four pitbulls. She graduated from Colonie Central High School, where she played softball, cheered competitively and worked for Dunkin Donuts and Price Chopper. She attended SUNY Plattsburgh, where she lived on campus for 2 years in Moffitt and Hood halls, the school said Monday. After graduating in 2011, Rivenburg joined Living Resources, an Albany-based organization that offers programs and services to people with disabilities. Her colleagues remember her as "the heart" of the organization. "She was a young superstar," said Rivenburg's supervisor Frank Prevratil. "Amanda met her actual calling. Her calling was to serve the population and she did. She loved each and every person who was a part of the program and who worked for us." "She was dedicated and wonderful and kind," he said. Another colleague, Deneen Palmateer, said Rivenburg rose in the organization from a direct services professional to the associate director of day community opportunities program. "She was the sweetest. She lights up a room. She had a vibrant smile. You felt a certain friendliness from her," Palmateer said. Living Resources' CEO Fred Erlich sent a message Monday to staff remembering Rivenburg as an employee who was deeply loved by all those who knew her. "She will be remembered fondly through her loving spirit, wonderful smile, thoughtful nature and her genuine commitment to her colleagues and individuals that we serve," the message read. Amy and Axel Steenburg The couple rented the limo to celebrate Amy's 30th birthday party. She was a resident of Amsterdam and a nurse. The couple married in June. Axel's brother Rich and Amy's three sisters Allison, Mary and Abby and two of their husbands were also killed. "I feel that no words I say could possibly let everyone know how wonderful these young women were and their families are," a close family friend told the Times Union in a Facebook message. "My friends were the kindest, most genuine, women you could meet. They were hard working, even as children, and truly had hearts of gold." She said their parents "raised them to see the best in people and to always be thankful for what they had. I could go on and on, but just know that any and every good thing you hear about them still doesn't add up to the women they were and they family they come from." Amy graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2011 with a degree in psychology. She also played on the Cardinals women's soccer team and lived in Hood Hall for five semesters. A Facebook fundraiser for funeral expenses organized by a family friend had raised more than $97,000 by Monday evening. The King family declined to talk at this time. Read Amy Steenburg's obituary. Read Axel Steenburg's obituary. Adam and Abby Jackson Amy Steenburg's sister Abby and her husband, Adam, left behind two daughters, Archer, 4, and Elle, 16 months old. A GoFundMe page "College and Expenses for Archer and Elle" shows pictures of the couple holding the girls. As of Monday evening, the page had raised more than $84,000. Courtesy of All Occasions Photography. Abby was a teacher in the Greater Amsterdam School District. Rich Peters, president of the Amsterdam Teachers Association, said he worked in the room next to her at the Lynch Literacy Academy. She was a reading teacher, he's a social studies teacher. Jackson became a teacher because she loved working with kids, Peters said. She excelled at working with students one-on-one teach them to read. Lori Van Buren/Times Union "She wanted to help them better their lives," he said. The school district offered grief counseling on Sunday and Monday. According to Adam's Facebook page, he was a deputy commissioner with Montgomery County Board of Elections. He attended SUNY Plattsburgh between 2005 and 2006, and lived in Wilson Hall. Read Abby Jackson's obituary. Read Adam Jackson's obituary. Mary and Rob Dyson Amy and Abby's sister Mary Dyson and her husband, Rob, of Watertown were both killed in the crash and leave behind their son Isaac, 3. Rob graduated from Mynderse Academy in Seneca Falls, New York in 2002 and the couple graduated from Clarkson University in Potsdam in 2007, according to a Facebook post from the school. Courtesy of All Occasions Photography. "Clarkson is a tight-knit community. All losses like this cause us to come together and reflect on the friendships we've made," the university said. Mary Dyson was an Army veteran who rose to the rank of captain and served in Iraq for a year while building schools in El Basra, according to her obituary. Rob Dyson grew up in the Finger Lakes and worked for an engineering firm, according to his obituary. He was a member of the Star Spangled CrossFit gym in Watertown, where Mary Dyson was a coach. A high school classmate of Rob's organized a GoFundMe to give to his mother. Read Mary Dyson's obituary. Read Rob Dyson's obituary. Allison King Courtesy of All Occasions Photography Amy, Mary and Abby's sister Allison King also died in the crash. She attended SUNY Plattsburgh, graduating in 2010 with a degree in speech communications. She lived in deFredenburgh Hall her first year. "This is shocking and tragic. We grieve with their surviving family members and all who knew them," SUNY Plattsburgh said in a Monday post on Facebook. Lori Van Buren/Times Union She worked for Hill & Markes Inc. "Our beloved Allie forged deeply meaningful relationships with all of us here at H & M- as well as with our customers," the company posted on its Facebook page. King was engaged to be married, but her fiance was not in the limo, an aunt told the Plattsburgh Press-Republican. Read her obituary. Erin and Shane McGowan Erin McGowan was one of three daughters and worked in recordkeeping at an Amsterdam hospital. She and Shane had been a couple for at least 3 years and were married in June. Courtesy of Anthony Vertucci "You're always hoping you find the love of your life, it's what you hope and wish and dream for, and they found each other," Erin's uncle Anthony Vertucci said. "They were just so beautiful and vibrant and kind," Vertucci said. "They made such a dynamic duo. They were finally able to get married and just honestly starting to live their life. They had big plans. They were saving for a house and hoping to do everything that everybody hopes to do." Lori Van Buren/Times Union Read Erin McGowan's obituary. Read Shane McGowan's obituary. Rachael Cavosie Rachael Cavosie is survived by her parents, one sister and two brothers. She was born in Troy, was a 2006 graduate of Catholic Central High School and earned a degree in dental hygiene from Hudson Valley Community College. Courtesy of a GoFundMe page created by Anthony Huff "Rachael had a special way of connecting with everyone she met, young or old, with her wit, beautiful smile and infectious laugh. She will be forever in our hearts and greatly missed by everyone who knew her," her family wrote in an obituary. Cavosie worked as a dental hygienist with Professional Dental Staffing, Inc. in Glenmont and practiced at numerous dental offices in the Capital Region. She also worked at the Beer Diviner, a small brewery in Berlin, and lived in Waterford, according to her obituary. "She was a sports enthusiast and refereed many levels of basketball, soccer and lacrosse games," the obituary states. She was the named the state champion for shot put and the state goalie of the year in 2006, and was recently inducted into her high school's hall of fame. Cavosie volunteered at the Peace Pagoda in Grafton and at Kripalu Yoga and Health Center in Stockbridge, Mass. Her cousin posted on Facebook that she is in shock. "Three months apart in age, we grew up together. She's a soul that touched so many lives including mine. She gave me so much guidance and even though she was the younger cousin, I looked up to her and often sought her advice through out my life," the post read. Another cousin from East Greenbush is raising funeral funds on GoFundMe. Read her obituary. Savannah Bursese Bursese was described in an obituary by her family as a passionate and determined young woman who knew exactly what she wanted out of life. She attended Broadalbin-Perth High School and Fulton-Montgomery Community College before Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY. She had a sports scholarship, served as the Volleyball Captain and was a member of the Phi Sigma Phi society. Courtesy of Amina Bursese In 2015, she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Business Administration, and completed the law school admissions test. Working a full-time job throughout school, Bursese was saving up to move to Texas and begin her lifelong pursuit of a law degree. "Beautiful inside and out, witty, fitness buff, animal lover, and a detest for her mother's constant questions. We will remember her this way," the obituary read. Bursese leaves behind her parents, stepmother and three sisters. Lori Van Buren/Times Union Her sorority sisters from Phi Sigma Phi set up a GoFundMe for her where they shared that she was "a loving daughter, friend, girlfriend, and sister." "There are no words that can heal the friends and family of Savannah's pain as a single moment has now changed their lives forever," the post read. Read her obituary. Matthew Coons Kurt Smith credits one of the 20 victims of the Schoharie limousine crash with saving his life during a different wreck two years ago. Courtesy of Kurt Smith Smith and Matthew Coons were on their way home from a 12-hour shift in March 2016 when an exhausted Coons pulled over and asked Smith to take the wheel. Shortly after, Smith said he fell asleep, drove off the road and crashed into a tree at 60 mph. "He broke his foot kicking my door open," Smith said. "I was unconscious and he carried me to the nearest house." At the hospital, Smith said Coons refused medical care until he knew his friend would survive the brain bleed. "The amount of stuff that kid survived ... to have someone care more about a dollar than his life is so upsetting," Smith said, his voice breaking. Coons a 27-year-old U.S. Army veteran who served two years was his best friend, more like a brother, Smith said. "My girlfriend was almost jealous for a while because I had more firsts with him than anyone," Smith said, recalling his first milkshake and first fist fight with Coons by his side. He met Coons years ago at Perth Ultimate Fitness in Amsterdam, where they became friends with brothers Axel and Rich Steenburg, who also died in the crash. "They were the kind of people who would do anything for anyone of us," Smith said about his friends inside the limo. Smith and Coons worked out every day together, and often met up again later in the day for a drink at the Amsterdam bar where Coons' girlfriend, Savannah Bursese, worked for a time. Smith was the one who introduced Coons to Bursese nearly three years ago. "They were both weird, goofy people," Smith said. Bursese was a few years younger than Smith but she grew up down the road and they both attended Broadalbin-Perth High School. Courtesy of a GoFundMe page created by Rachel Kowalczyk Coons and Bursese bonded over their love of dogs. Coons had two pit bulls, named Bentley and Bane, while Savannah had a pit bull named Adira and a bulldog named Oden. They were overjoyed when their dogs had a litter of puppies and kept one of the babies for themselves, Smith said. Family members from both families have agreed to take in the five pups. Coons and Bursese were living together, with Coons' sister and her two daughters, when they died, Smith said. He said the girls are too young to understand the situation but know that "Matt's up in heaven with Grandma Coons." He stopped by the house Monday. "When I pulled up and saw his car in the driveway, you have that glimmer of hope," Smith said. Later, while he was working on Tuesday morning, Smith said, "I could hear his voice spotting me like he always does. I had to stop because it brought me to tears." Coons' aunt has organized a GoFundMe page to support the family. Read his obituary. Rich Steenburg Steenburg was Axel's brother. Both brothers worked at GlobalFoundries and a GoFundMe was set up. Courtesy of All Occasions Photography. Steenburg's family released the following statement to Rochester television station 13WHAM Monday evening: "The Steenburg and King families suffered tremendous loss yesterday that is nothing short of tragic. Those left behind by the perished include children, spouses and parents among others. We thank all of the first responders who have assisted, those who have reached out with kindness and love and those who continue to support us as we mourn those we lost. We also ask for respect and compassion as we continue the grieving process and cope through such misfortune." Steenburg's wife, Kimberly, had intended to join the birthday celebration but decided Saturday morning to bow out because she was not feeling well, Amy Dunlop-Johnson told National Public Radio. They have two teenage children and they had just bought a home together, she said. Read his obituary. Scott Lisinicchia The driver of the limousine leaves behind a son, a daughter and his wife, who posted on Facebook that she lost her "best friend." Courtesy of a GoFundMe page created by Thea X "It hurts me to a core to have to bury my husband," the post read. "I miss him so very much. I love you Scotty." A close family friend created a GoFundMe to support his wife and family. "Words can not express the grief and sorrow that we, his family and friends are experiencing. The entire community is shocked and devastated with the news of this terrible accident and Scott's untimely passing," the page read. An obituary for Lisinichia said, "He enjoyed spending time with family and friends, but he cherished his time spent with his children. He will be greatly missed and forever loved." Read his obituary. Steve Hughes contributed to this report. Gardai found a machete in a car belonging to a motorist stopped on suspicion of drink driving, Nenagh Court was told. John McDonagh of 12 Oldcastle Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin pleaded to drink driving and possession of the machete at Lisatunny, Nenagh, on March 15, 2018. The court heard that Mr McDonagh was observed driving in a poor manner at Clashnevin and was stopped at Lisatunny. He was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and a subsequent test showed he had 77mgs of alcohol per 100mls of breath. The Gardai also discovered a machete in his car. Solicitor Pat Liston, for Mr McDonagh, said his client had informed him the machete was for Mr McDonagh's own protection. It was not concealed, he pointed out. It was not in use on the day in question. However, Judge Elizabeth MacGrath said she was concerned that Mr McDonagh was carrying a machete around and warned him he could have been the perpetrator of an offence. She fined him 250 for possession of the machete. Mr MacDonagh was fined 150 and disqualified from driving for three years for drink driving. The postponement takes effect from February 1, 2019. [October 07, 2018] ZeroStack Partners With Hitachi Sunway to Deliver Turnkey Cloud Solution in ASEAN Markets ZeroStack, creators of a self-driving cloud that lets users focus on their businesses, today announced Hitachi (News - Alert) Sunway is bundling the ZeroStack Intelligent Cloud platform on any x86 servers to offer a turnkey, secure private cloud solution for demanding customers in ASEAN markets. Hitachi Sunway provides consulting and hosted infrastructure for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions; managing and supporting IT infrastructures; and cloud-enabling IT platforms - including the cyber security elements - in its fully-compliant and secured data centers. "Many customers in our region want secure managed web services for markets like finance and healthcare," said Cheah Kok Hoong, Group CEO / Director at Hitachi Sunway. "The ZeroStack (News - Alert) platform is engineered for security, reliability and redundancy, so it's a perfect foundation for our secure private cloud offerings." ZeroStack's Intelligent Private Cloud provides advanced analytics with simplified management to deliver a complete and highly resilient solution for compliance- and security-conscious enterprises. ZeroStack's platform enhances margins for customers like Hitachi Sunway because it is extremely easy to deploy, configure, and manage. "We understand that many enterprises are very security-conscious when selecting hosted service platforms, even to the point where they won't share hardware," said Joel Norton, managing director ZeroStack Asia. "W make it easy and very cost-effective for MSPs to roll out secure private cloud services by leveraging AI and machine learning to automate many operational tasks and deliver 'click and go' deployment capabilites." About ZeroStack ZeroStack's Self-Driving Cloud platform automates cloud infrastructure, applications, and operations, enabling enterprises and MSPs to focus on services that accelerate their businesses. With ZeroStack, enterprises and MSPs simplify operations, reduce costs, and accelerate IT by 10X over virtualized solutions while maintaining full IT control. ZeroStack enables multitenant, multi-cloud, and containerized environments with a future-ready architecture. Founded by senior engineers from VMware, the company is funded by Formation (News - Alert) 8 and Foundation Capital, and is based in Mountain View, California. For more information, visit http://www.zerostack.com or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @ZeroStackInc. About Hitachi Sunway Information Systems Hitachi Sunway is a leading ICT Services Integrator in ASEAN specialising in implementing, supporting and providing consultancy for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) & Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions; managing and supporting IT infrastructures; Cloud-enabling IT platforms, including the Cyber Security elements in our fully compliant and secured data centres (DC). Our portfolio is aimed at helping clients to embrace the acceleration in digitalization that are transforming businesses. Hitachi Sunway has a proven track record of serving more than 1,000 clients in the region across various business verticals; from small to global enterprises as well as public sector and industries such as manufacturing, financial, construction, education and healthcare. Hitachi Sunway currently operate in 15 locations across 5 countries (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam) and will be expanding our operations to Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. For more information, visit www.hitachi-sunway-is.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181007005031/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 07, 2018] Supermicro Refutes Claims in Bloomberg Article Supermicro along with Apple and Amazon refute claims in Bloomberg story SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI), a global leader in enterprise computing, storage, networking solutions and green computing technology, strongly refutes reports that servers it sold to customers contained malicious microchips in the motherboards of those systems. In an article today, it is alleged that Supermicro motherboards sold to certain customers contained malicious chips on its motherboards in 2015. Supermicro has never found any malicious chips, nor been informed by any customer that such chips have been found. Each company mentioned in the article (Supermicro, Apple, Amazon and Elemental) has issued strong statements denying the claims: Apple stated on CNBC, "We are deeply disappointed that in their dealings with us, Bloomberg's reporters have not been open to the possibility that they or their sources might be wrong or misinformed. Our best guess is that they are confusing their story with a previously reported 2016 incident in which we discovered an infected driver on a singl Supermicro server in one of our labs. That one-time event was determined to be accidental and not a targeted attack against Apple." Steve Schmidt, Chief Information Security Officer at Amazon Web Services stated, "As we shared with Bloomberg BusinessWeek multiple times over the last couple months, at no time, past or present, have we ever found any issues relating to modified hardware or malicious chips in Supermicro motherboards in any Elemental or Amazon systems.?" Supermicro has never been contacted by any government agencies either domestic or foreign regarding the alleged claims. Supermicro takes all security claims very seriously and makes continuous investments in the security capabilities of their products. The manufacture of motherboards in China is not unique to Supermicro and is a standard industry practice. Nearly all systems providers use the same contract manufacturers. Supermicro qualifies and certifies every contract manufacturer and routinely inspects their facilities and processes closely. Follow Supermicro on Facebook and Twitter to receive their latest news and announcements. About Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI) Supermicro, the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology is a premier provider of advanced Server Building Block Solutions for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, Hadoop/Big Data, HPC and Embedded Systems worldwide. Supermicro is committed to protecting the environment through its "We Keep IT Green" initiative and provides customers with the most energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly solutions available on the market. Supermicro, Server Building Block Solutions, and We Keep IT Green are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Super Micro Computer, Inc. All other brands, names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. SMCI-F SOURCE Super Micro Computer, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 07, 2018] Mando Accelerates the Complete Autonomous Driving Technology Development Mass production of "Mugunghwa-100," a core electronic brake system, attracts attention from clients SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Automobile parts company Mando (CEO Chung Mong-won) hosted "Flawless Launching Ceremony" for MGH-100 (Mugunghwa-100), an electronic brake system (EBS) at Brake Business Headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do on September 18, with Halla Group Chairman Chung Mong-won and eighty executives in attendance. MGH-100 is a special anti-lock brake system (ABS), which prevents the wheels from locking when the car is stopped abruptly. The product is the core module attached as a standard in the electronic stability control (ESC) and integrated dynamic brake (IDB) modules produced by Mando, and will be a part of all autonomous vehicles using theseproducts. Mando began the mass production of MGH-100 simultaneously in Korea and China in March 2018, and has continued flawless production up to this point. More than 20,000 units of MGH-100 were supplied to Soueast Motors and other companies. Other Korean and foreign automobile manufacturers such as GM Shanghai, Geely, Changan, and Ssangyong are also very interested in MGH-100. Mando added forty customer convenience options to MGH-100 for autonomous driving, as well as enhanced safety and convenience. The product features upgraded autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that controls the vehicle in emergency, as well as adaptive cruise control (ACC) that allows the driver to maintain a safe speed without having to step on the gas and brake pedals constantly. With the new features, the product is even more competitive in the global autonomous vehicle market. Chairman Chung Mong-won said in his congratulatory remarks: "In the New China Program for new technologies, MGH-100 and IDB will lead the charge into the Chinese market: Quality is life, and product is our reason of existence!" The chairman also emphasized that the employees must continue the "Quality First" spirit that has been maintained in the company for over half a century. MGH-100 is the result of strict compliance to quality standards and a thorough testing and verification process, which were designed under the idea that even the smallest mistakes can impact the safety of the customers. In the end, the engineers and other employees eliminated even the smallest defects in the previous models. MGH-100 underwent a strict inclement weather performance tests in Sweden, China, and New Zealand, which were conducted at least twice a year. To improve its overseas competitiveness of EBS, a high-value-added product, Mando plans to expand the production capabilities from Korea and China to India, Brazil, and Mexico by 2019 to increase the global production volume to 3 million units by 2020 and 5 million units by 2021, thereby supplying the product to global automobile companies. Mando is the first Korean company to mass produce MGH-10, an independent ABS module, in 1999, which enabled an innovative cost reduction in the Korean automobile parts industry, which heavily depended on foreign imports. In addition, Mando developed ESC featuring adaptive cruise control and automatic speed control functions to lead the Korean brake market. From 1999 to August 2018, the company produced six thousand accumulated EBS systems around the world. In addition, Mando succeeded in developing IDB, the leading braking system in the autonomous vehicle market, and is supplying the product to Korean automobile manufacturers since July. In preparation to increased demands, Mando plans to invest 40 billion Korean won in production facilities to build the capacity to manufacture 300,000 units by early 2019. In addition, Mando received orders from European automobile companies to develop braking systems, which Mando plans to use to expand business to the U.S. and Europe. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20180928/2251633-1-a Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20180928/2251633-1-b SOURCE Mando [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 07, 2018] Best Use Cases of Blockchain and FinTech Highlighted at Inside Fintech with Blockchain Agenda 2018 in Seoul, South Korea, November 29 - 30, 2018 SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Inside Fintech Conference & Expo, Asia's premier professional conference for blockchain and FinTech innovation has announced that the event is expected to host +2,500 industry leading multinational companies including: Standard Chartered, Citi, IBM, Microsoft, DBS, EY, R3 and many more top-tier firms to discuss and explore applications of Blockchain technology as well as various Fintech innovations from around the globe. This is the 5th edition of the event in Seoul being organized by KINTEX and Rising Media. Exploring Blockchain's Potential Inside Fintech with Blockchain Agenda aims to discover just how far Blockchain can go in today's developed financial sector. In addition to Blockchain technology, Inside FinTech with Blockchain Agenda will discuss disruption in Blockchain, Payments, AI, Big Data, Machine Learning, Banking, eCommerce, InsurTech, Authentication, and Wealth Management. Session topics include: 'Banking on Innovation' lead by Andy Nam from Standard Chartered and 'Fraud Detection with AI & Machine Learning' by Chan Uk Jin from Microsoft and Citibank's Terry Oh will discuss "Client-Centric Innovation in the financial sphere". In addition to the above, here are just a few of this year's expert speakers: Biyut Dumra from DBS Innovation Group, SeYoul Park from IBM, Jaewoo Ha from R3, and Avril Parkin from Refinitiv will speak on how to make Blockchain real for enterprises. A Major Platform for Blockchain to Prosper Inside FinTech with Blockchain Agenda represents every sector of the financial market. The event, being held at KINTEX (Korea International Exhibition Center) from November 29 - 30, 2018, anticipates to have over 2,500 attendees with 200 CEOs & Presidents, from 600 companies and +35 countries. Sponsors and Exhibitors to be highlighted this year Oracle and EMQ In addition to the conference, Inside FinTech with Blockchain Agenda features a large scale exhibition hall with top-tier sponsors and exhibitors. Oracle, a global provider of enterprise cloud computing will be participating for the 2nd consecutive as a Silver Sponsor. EMQ, the leading financial settlement network across Asia, Europe, North America and Middle East is also confirmed as a Silver Sponsor for the first time. Upcoming Price Break and Sponsorship Opportunities Inside Fintech with Blockchain Agenda offers Early Bird price of maximum discount rate of 40% until October 12 on the website (www.insidefintechconference.com/seoul). Companies interested in sponsoring or participating Inside FinTech 2018 should contact insidefintech@kintex.com. PR Newswire is the News Release Distribution partner of the 5th Annual Inside Fintech Conference & Expo Seoul 2018. About Rising Media Rising Media is a global events and media producer excelling in Internet and technology-related events and content. Events include Inside 3D Printing, RoboUniverse, Virtual Reality Summit, Data Driven Business, Building Business Capability, Predictive Analytics World, Text Analytics World, eMetrics Summit, Digital Growth Unleashed, AllFacebook Marketing Conference, All Influencer Marketing Conference, Search Marketing Expo, Affiliate Management Days, Influencer Marketing Days, Future of Immersive Leisure, Global Online Classifieds Summit, and Web Effectiveness Conference in the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, India, China, Korea, Singapore, Australia, Brazil. Media Contacts: YB Kim, Project Manager, KINTEX - ybkim@kintex.com Christoph Rowen, Managing Director, Rising Media - crowen@risingmedia.com, +852 9190 4412 Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181005/2258738-1 SOURCE Rising Media [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 07, 2018] CORE Transport Technologies Announces Major Upgrade of Its Bluetooth Air Cargo Tracking System GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CORE Transport Technologies (CORE), announces the deployment of the latest upgrade to its COREInsight Bluetooth Tracking. This news is made on the eve of the annual global symposium "ULD CARE," held in Guangzhou, attended by numerous airlines leaders and suppliers from all over the world. CORE has already implemented over 800 readers and 20,000 tags and is rapidly expanding. This latest upgrade reflects CORE's experience with this initial deployment phase. In this upgrade, CORE is implementing a BLE resilient mesh network, incorporating military grade security, which can support hundreds of low-cost nodes ("relays") over a very large area. The nodes can relay messages over multiple nodes to the nearest cellular gateway ("readers") making the network totally resilient to hardware or cellular failures. This equipment is using BLE5 ("Bluetooth Low Energy") hardware and software. An initial operational deployment will begin in the week 15th October 2018. The combination of BLE5 hardware and software provides enhanced performance: 1) Speed - Improvement by two times. Twice as fast . 2) Range - Increased by four times, from 100 - 120 meters to 400-500 meters 3) Payload Capacity - Increased by eight times Existing readersand tags can be integrated into the mesh by software utilizing over the air updates : no need to pull devices from service. A fast and easy transition to the new technology. Existing equipment will acquire the benefits of range and speed through the BLE5 relays. In addition to the BLE5.0 mesh upgrade release, CORE announced they can now achieve further enhancements to COREInsight Bluetooth Tracking, including: Localization: Mesh tags are read by multiple relays and the signal strength is recorded for each and forwarded automatically to a reader or another relay. This extends the reach of the readers, and gives better localization of ULDs and other assets at no additional cost to customers. Ian Craig , CEO of CORE , said: "Now we can achieve highly optimal coverage as well better specific localization, two things our Airline Customers have requested." Mesh tags are read by multiple relays and the signal strength is recorded for each and forwarded automatically to a reader or another relay. This extends the reach of the readers, and gives better localization of ULDs and other assets at no additional cost to customers. , said: Waterproof Solar Powered Relay : Supplementing readers in warehouses and cargo centers with weatherproof units is a major leap forward. Solar powered readers provide the largest gain in tracking technology, taking the data collection device to the tag itself. : Supplementing readers in warehouses and cargo centers with weatherproof units is a major leap forward. Solar powered readers provide the largest gain in tracking technology, taking the data collection device to the tag itself. BLE Mesh Enabled Readers: the CORE readers can now share data amongst each other should cellular communications become inadequate. The readers are able to talk to each other to ensure uninterrupted data flow as Tag events are logged. Ian Craig continued, "We've been preparing for today for a long time. While we introduced a Bluetooth tracking system to the world in 2016, today we have reached a new milestone in the COREInsight Bluetooth Tracking product line - BLE5.0, Relay Enhancement, BLE Mesh Readers - all of these together create a sound and successful system to enrich our Customers' tracking experience." Steve Townes, CEO of ACL Airshop, CORE's worldwide expansion partner in this effort, said "CORE's patented Bluetooth applications for the air cargo industry are a game changer for airlines and their shipper customers. Now implementing with a number of forward-thinking airlines, including one of the world's Top Ten, this latest technology upgrade from CORE can yield new competitive advantages and logistics efficiencies for airlines ." For more information, visit www.core-tt.com and www.aclairshop.com. Both companies will be meeting with airlines customers at the ULD CARE symposium in Guangzhou. Pete Hinman Director Business Development CORE Transport Technologies p. +1 832332-3550 e. phinman@core-tt.com w. www.core-tt.com SOURCE: Ranger Aerospace SOURCE Ranger Aerospace [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 07, 2018] MPTC Annual Conference 2018: Dassault Systemes and SIMTech Partner to Promote Industry Digital Transformation and Innovative Manufacturing Capabilities The partnership will leverage Dassault Syst e mes' industry solution experiences for digital continuity and creation of a 3DEXPERIENCE twin of Model Factory@SIMTech facility Key projects aim to provide the Singaporean manufacturers with opportunities to learn, experiment and co-create new solutions for digital transformation Through experiential learning with Dassault Syst e mes solutions at the Model Factory@SIMTech, Singaporean manufacturers will gain insights into best-in-class industrial processes inspired by world innovation leaders. SINGAPORE, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dassault Systemes has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, A*STAR Research Entities ("SIMTech") for future collaboration in capability building programs to promote digital transformation in Singapore's manufacturing sector. The programs will be deployed through the Model Factory@SIMTech. The Model Factory@SIMTech is an actual production environment that allows for experiential experimentation and learning of manufacturing system technologies. It provides a platform for companies to learn, experiment and co-create new technologies for the next-generation factories. Through the partnership, the Model Factory@SIMTech will leverage Dassault Systemes' industry solution experiences based on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, including digital continuity for manufacturing and the creation of the factory 3DEXPERIENCE twin. Digital continuity with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform will enable full traceability of the manufacturing operations of the Model Factory@SIMTech from planning, monitoring to optimization. VR (Virtual Reality) capabilities will enable remote monitoring and visit of the Model Factory, allowing real-time decision and collaboration. The creationof a 3DEXPERIENCE twin of Model Factory@SIMTech provides a single source of data across all applications, enables simulation of behavior of the full production line, and delivers reliable, actionable real-time information and seamless communication throughout the factory. Through experiential learning with Dassault Systemes solutions at the Model Factory@SIMTech, Singaporean manufacturers will gain insights into best-in-class industrial processes inspired by world innovation leaders. The agreement was signed during SIMTech's MPTC (Manufacturing Productivity Technology Centre) Annual Conference 2018 on October 5, 2018, aimed at promoting digital transformation and adoption of 'smart factory' technologies amongst Singaporean manufacturers. Masaki Sox Konno, Managing Director, Asia Pacific South, Dassault Systemes, said, "Beyond providing the advanced technologies for innovation, we see capability building for the industry as the bedrock for effective digital transformation. Through this partnership with SIMTech, we are glad to have the opportunity to provide the Singapore manufacturing industry with digital solutions to test, learn and enable their transformation towards the next generation of factories." Dr Lim Ser Yong, Executive Director of SIMTech, "We are continually looking to leverage global best practices to complement the core Manufacturing Control Tower (MCT) Technology of SIMTech to promote digital transformation in the manufacturing sector. By enhancing the MCT Platform of the Model Factory@SIMTech with Dassault Systemes' industry solutions, we believe Singaporean manufacturers will elevate their digital capabilities to thrive in Industry 4.0." Social media: Share this on Twitter: @3DS_ASEAN signs MOU with A*STAR SIMTech for capability building programs to promote #digitaltransformation in Singapore's #manufacturing sector. #3DEXPERIENCE Connect with Dassault Systemes on 3DS ASEAN Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube For more information: Dassault Systemes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions: http://www.3ds.com About Dassault Systemes Dassault Systemes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. Dassault Systemes' collaborative solutions foster social innovation, expanding possibilities for the virtual world to improve the real world. The group brings value to over 220,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com. 3DEXPERIENCE, the Compass logo and the 3DS logo, CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, ENOVIA, DELMIA, SIMULIA, GEOVIA, EXALEAD, 3D VIA, BIOVIA, NETVIBES and 3DEXCITE are registered trademarks of Dassault Systemes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries. SOURCE Dassault Systemes [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 07, 2018] CONNECT by Crossbridge once again reinvents the wealth management game Singapore's first robo-advisor unveils next level in customer experience, becomes first pure-play robo-advisor to integrate MyInfo SINGAPORE, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Crossbridge Capital ("Crossbridge"), the leading independent global wealth manager with over US$4.5 billion under advisement, today announced significant updates to its CONNECT by Crossbridge digital platform - further enhancing the premium customer experience for accredited investors. Launched in late 2016, CONNECT by Crossbridge is Singapore's first, and largest, robo-advisor with over US$300 million in assets under management is invested on the CONNECT platforms. The new enhancements come as Crossbridge Capital celebrates its 10th anniversary and CONNECT its second. CONNECT by Crossbridge will become the first pure-play robo-advisor in Singapore to integrate MyInfo, a digital data vault developed by the Government Technology Agency of Singapore to facilitate online transactions. The MyInfo service will autofill online forms on users' requests when they sign up for CONNECT by Crossbridge, significantly speeding up the onboarding process, without compromising standards of the customer identification and verification. CONNECT by Crossbridge has also optimised its existing user interface based on extensive user testing and analysis to provide an enhanced wealth management experience. The platform's robust security has also been further strengthened. "Singapore-based investors want to take control of their investments to meet their life and savings goals. They also demand a premier digital experience, better investment options, greater efficiency and more transparency. The new improvements on the CONNECT by Crossbridge platform effectively harness new technologies to create a seamless customer journey making investing even simpler and easier to deliver the high-end wealth experience that Crossbridge customers expect," said Charlie O'Flaherty, Partner and Head of Digital Strategy & Distribution at Crossbridge Capital. "Crossbridge will continue to adapt to the evolving needs of our customers and improve our service offerings to redefine the wealth experience." Developed in collaboration with top-tier industry providers, CONNECT by Crossbridge brings customised, actively managed, investment portfolios to Accredited Investors[1,2]. Its goals-based investment portfolios give clients a personalised asset allocation to suit their risk profile and objectives and because Crossbridge Capital is a licensed wealth manager, clients can also speak to a human adviser at any stage of the investment process. The new updates have come shortly after CONNECT by Crossbridge became the first in Southeast Asia to introduce an Artificial Intelligence-based learning model, with the Walk of Life function designed to help customers track the progress of their financial plans. Crossbridge has also brought its private banking level products to the wider mass affluent market with the launch of CONNECT Prime. With the motto, "Private banking for the rest of us", CONNECT Prime is a fully digitalised, premium wealth management service with a minimum account size of SGD $500,000 -- significantly below the SGD $3 million to SGD $5 million required to open accounts at most private banks. For further information about CONNECT by Crossbridge visit the website here. [1] "Accredited investors" include individuals whose net personal assets exceed S$2 million or whose income in the preceding 12 months is not less than S$300,000 [Source: Monetary Authority of Singapore] [2] CONNECT is open to Accredited Investors according to the Singapore regulations About Crossbridge Capital Crossbridge Capital was launched in 2008 in London with a vision to create an independent, investment advisory firm that offers a fully integrated financial services platform to entrepreneurs and families in Emerging Markets worldwide. Today, backed by two of the world's leading banks as minority investors, Crossbridge Capital operates in many of the world's leading Emerging Markets supported by a team of 37 professionals in four Crossbridge Capital locations: London, Singapore, Monaco and Malta. After its successful launch in London with authorisation and regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), in November 2010 Crossbridge Capital officially opened its first Asia office in Singapore after receiving approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). In May 2016 the company opened its doors in Monaco after receiving authorisation from the Commission for the Control of Financial Activities (CCAF). These signalled significant landmarks in the company's history and set the bar for its ambitious, yet considered geographic and client engagement growth strategy. More information can be found at www.crossbridgecapital.com. About CONNECT by Crossbridge CONNECT by Crossbridge is Singapore's first and largest robo-adviser, launched in November 2016. Developed in collaboration with top-tier industry providers, CONNECT by Crossbridge is an intuitive digital platform offering tailored investment strategies to accredited investors in Singapore. Having a U.S.-regulated entity as custodian means that U.S. expatriate investors are also eligible to invest on the platform. CONNECT by Crossbridge uses actively managed Certificates as the investment vehicle for investors' portfolios. Banque Julius Baer, one of Switzerland's leading private banks, provides and issues these Certificates. Each CONNECT Certificate is built around its unique investment strategy, formulated in partnership with Morningstar, and may hold individual securities, commodities, exchange traded funds, or other alternative assets -- all chose to provide optimal returns at every level of risk. SOURCE Crossbridge Capital [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The list of stores the company intends to shut down by the end of the month includes four in Chicago and 23 in Algonquin, Arlington Heights, Aurora, Broadview, Calumet City, Chicago Ridge, Evanston, Geneva, Hoffman Estates, Melrose Park, Mount Prospect, New Lenox, Oak Brook, Oswego, Plainfield, Schaumburg, Skokie, South Elgin and Westchester. That will leave even more vacant storefronts in need of new tenants, just months after the liquidations of Carsons parent Bon-Ton Stores and Toys R Us shut down dozens of big stores in Illinois nearly 40 at Bon-Ton and 31 at Toys R Us. [October 07, 2018] NIELSEN HOLDINGS 24 HOUR DEADLINE ALERT: Approximately 24 Hours Remain; ClaimsFiler Reminds Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 of Deadline in Class Action Lawsuits Against Nielsen Holdings plc - NLSN ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have only until October 9, 2018 to file lead plaintiff applications in securities class action lawsuits against Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN). Investor losses must relate to purchases of the Company's shares between February 11, 2016 and July 25, 2018. These actions are pending in the United States District Courts for the Southern District of New York and Northern District of Illinois. Get Help Nielsen investors should visit us at https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-nielsen-holdings-plc-securiies-litigation or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options. About the Lawsuit On July 26, 2018, Nielsen disclosed poor 2Q2018 financial results including missed revenue and earnings targets and significant guidance reductions including EBITDA margin growth, a $0.56 reduction of net income and a $250 million reduction of free cash flow, due to "GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] and changes in the consumer data privacy landscape." On this news, the price of Nielsen's shares plummeted. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181007005024/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Absen Launches New Generation Rental Display 'PL Lite' Series SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Absen, a leading global LED provider, recently launched PL Lite, a new generation of rental product for indoor and outdoor applications. The PL Lite was first unveiled at LED China, the world's preeminent LED exhibition, where visitors had the opportunity to experience the product first-hand, and which resulted in orders of over 2,000 sqm from visitors to the Absen booth. Engineered to deliver the best balance of visual performance, ease of use, flexibility and reliability with an excellent price-to-performance ratio, PL Lite is available in four pixel pitches: 2.5, 2.9, 3.9 and 4.8. The PL Lite is currently available in APAC and Latin America. Designed for simple operation, the PL Lite series features 9g-12.5kg lightweight panels and an industry-leading vertical auto-lock system, enabling a quick and easy installation, regardless of screen size. This mechanical advance is coupled with the unique Platform design, meaning modules, components and accessories for all available pixel pitch products can be used on the same frame, and customers do not need to stock all types, reducing cost. PL Lite also features front and rear service, and has a quick swappable power box, allowing tool-free service in seconds. To meet the requirement of design flexibilities, Absen developed a proprietary Side-Lock curve system. PL Lite provides -7.5 to +10 degrees curve, hanging bars and the Universal Stacking System, in addition to the lightweight panels. Optimized for extra-large outdoor LED display applications, it features a variant panel of 500*1000mm for P3.9 and P4.8, twice the standard size of 500mm*500mm but 20% lighter than conventional panels. Absen PL Lite boasts a 110% NTSC color gamut and more than 7000:1 high contrast and delivers extraordinary visual performance. Adopting a robust new cabinet frame with IP65/54 water-proof design and special edge protection, it is a perfect all-weather rental solution for a wide range of applications from outdoor concert touring and festivals to corporate events, car shows, government activities, summits and exhibition stands. About Absen: Absen is an award-winning provider of LED display solutions, which are used for a wide range of indoor, outdoor and rental applications. As the number 1 exporter of LED displays in China for nine consecutive years, Absen's products are deployed in over 120 countries around the world. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181008/2260784-1 SOURCE Absen [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Public sector leaders look to improve citizen engagement at Canberra summit SYDNEY, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Government technology projects have been much publicised in Australia over the last few years, with the My Health and 2016 Census amongst the most widely reported. However a large number of digital innovation success stories exist and will be shared with senior digital leaders at a Canberra Summit next week. The GovInnovate Summit is to be held on the 9-10 October at the National Convention Centre, Canberra. Hannover Fairs Australia, the organisers of CEBIT Australia, are hosting the Summit. Program Manager, Edyta Bednorz, explains the rationale behind GovInnovate. "GovInnovate showcases the most successful case studies and speakers from across the public sector and we have made the summit accessible only to public sector employees. We find that this increases communication and openness betwen attendees." "Our roundtable sessions also allow delegates to really discuss their transformation issues with experts in their field, people such as Dr Ian Oppermann, the Chief Data Scientist and CEO of the NSW Data Analytics Centre for example." The Summit will feature over fifty presenters from a range of agencies, who will be sharing their thoughts and experiences on the digital transformation projects that they have participated in. Keynote plenaries will be followed by streamed sessions covering digital transformation; data analytics and privacy; artificial intelligence; service delivery & UX; digital innovation & smart cities; and platforms & cyber risk. Day one keynote speakers include Adrian Turner, CEO of Data61; Genevieve Bell, Distinguished Professor; Director, 3A Institute; Senior Fellow, Intel, Australian National University, whilst day two's plenary kicks-off with presentations from Anthony Murfett, Deputy Head, Australian Space Agency; and Jerome Reid, Group Captain, Director Plan Jericho, Royal Australian Air Force. Delegates will also get the opportunity to participate in roundtable sessions, offering them the chance to discuss specific issues in the digital arena with industry experts. A full program is available at: https://www.govinnovate.com.au/event-outline/. PR Newswire is the Official News Distribution Partner of GovInnovate 2018. John Wilson, Hannover Fairs Australia T: +61 2 9282 7525 | M: +61 405 751 012 | E: john.wilson@hannoverfairs.com.au Media are welcome to attend the Summit. Please contact John Wilson for further information. SOURCE Hannover Fairs Australia [October 08, 2018] Siemens AG Acclaimed by Frost & Sullivan for Combining Organic and Inorganic Growth Strategies to Dominate the Identification and Location Solution Market Siemens' acquisitions are aimed at strengthening its digital enterprise portfolio and internal business processes to help it meet the complex demands of Industry 4.0 LONDON, Oct. 8, 2018 /CNW/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the global market for identification and location solution for Industry 4.0, Frost & Sullivan recognises Siemens AG with the 2018 Global Company of the Year Award. Siemens AG has always stayed ahead of the curve by innovating technologies and matching strides with a rapidly changing technology landscape. Acknowledging the rising relevance of Industry 4.0, it recently launched several future-proof solutions such as the open, cloud-based, open IoT operating system MindSphere, new generations of the Simatic Ident radio frequency identification (RFID) product line, and its new real-time location system Simatic RTLS. Simatic RTLS (Real-Time Locating System) is based on a technology that was originally developed by Agilion GmbH. By acquiring Agilion in April 2018 Siemens was bundling innovative real-time location system technology with its other digital enterprise offerings. This has helped Siemens enable numerous intelligent applications in large-scale smart environments, e.g. to gain insights into the optimization potential of production processes. This can give customers a whole new view of the way their business processes are performing and prompt them to implement measures to achieve enhanced operational efficiency. "Siemens' existing solutions such as the smart SIMATIC Ident RFID tags and readers support different frequency bands (high frequency (HF) and ultra-high frequency (UHF)) for different ranges and application environments," said Nandini Bhattacharya, Industry Analyst. "With the addition of ultra-wide band (UWB) RTLS technology to its digital enterprise portfolio, Siemens' customers will be able to pinpoint the location and status of their industrial assets, like machines and tools, containers, product parts, and inventory, within the range of a few centimetres in less than a second. Thus Simatic RTLS wil become a key component in the digital infrastructure of future factories with more dynamic production and logistics processes: For intelligent systems like mobile robots or self-navigating transport systems to be able to focus and respond autonomously, they need to know what's where, and when." Siemens has positioned itself as the only company that provides digital twins to address the entire value chain and virtually test hundreds of thousands of prototypes simultaneously. Its commitment to digitisation and the IoT trend is further evident in its introduction of the open, cloud-based MindSphere platform. This is a dynamic platform of integrated hardware, software, and data management assets that aids smooth, real-time data communication and exchange among these components throughout their lifecycle. Siemens is enhancing MindSphere's capabilities through partnerships with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and the Azure cloud platform, Alibaba Cloud, Accenture, Atos, IBM, SAP, and other leading business entities. The holistic digital solution portfolio that Siemens has acquired through its inorganic growth strategies helps businesses of various sizes alter their business processes in line with evolving user requirements. "Being linked to the cloud endows Siemens with the capabilities to offer customers in-depth visibility into end-to-end production processes, supply chain operations, and the key performance indicators (KPIs) from any location across the globe at any time," noted Bhattacharya. "Such transparency empowers even remote customers to make informed business decisions, optimising both time and cost, and, eventually, achieving lower total cost of ownership (TCO)." Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year award to the organisation that demonstrates excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognises a high degree of innovation with products and technologies, and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration. Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry. About Siemens AG Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world's largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion . Contact: Samantha Park P: 210.247.2426 F: 210.348.1003 E: samantha.park@frost.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/siemens-ag-acclaimed-by-frost--sullivan-for-combining-organic-and-inorganic-growth-strategies-to-dominate-the-identification-and-location-solution-market-300720622.html SOURCE Frost & Sullivan [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] CellPoint Mobile Appoints Stephane Druet as Global Head of Marketing LONDON, Oct. 8, 2018 /CNW/ -- CellPoint Mobile, a leading global provider of digital commerce and payment solutions for the airline and travel sectors, announced today that Stephane Druet has joined its executive leadership team as Senior Vice President, Global Head of Marketing. As the company moves into a new phase of growth, Stephane will guide the evolution of CellPoint Mobile's product portfolio to meet new market needs. Stephane is also charged with driving the company's global marketing and communication strategy to accelerate revenue growth in all travel verticals. "Stephane brings a deep understanding of the digital travel market combined with proven marketing, strategy and leadership skills developed with leading travel technology companies," said Kristian Gjerding, CEO of CellPoint Mobile. "He will be instrumental in scaling our brand, product portfolio, and global revenues, as well as in marketing our unique value proposition." Stephane has spent over 20 years helping businesses in the travel and technology sectors increase market share through innovative growth strategies. Prior to joining CellPoint Mobile, Stephane ran Digital Skies Consulting where he designed and executed go-to-market and growth strategies for travel tech companies. Previously, Stephane was Vice President, Global Portfolio and Strategy at Travelport, and held various senior executive positions at global travel brands like Expedia and Amadeus. At Amadeus, Stephane led the Marketing & Strategy department for Airline IT and within just a few years established Amadeus as the undisputed leader of the Passenger Service System market. "All travelers want to have a fast, frictionless and personalized experience when booking and paying for their flights, accommodations or any other travel service, whatever device they us," commented Stephane Druet. "That's exactly what CellPoint Mobile can provide to travel companies' customers, increasing both their conversion rate and revenues. We see tremendous potential for travel companies to boost their digital commerce and payment transactions." Stephane will oversee the strategy driving the company's expanded product portfolio, which now includes Voyage, a high performance, omni-channel digital commerce platform, Velocity, a dynamic payment platform connected to a leading eco-system of alternative forms of payment, and Vantage, an integrated campaign management platform to boost customer engagement. His understanding of the travel sector will also inform the re-articulation of the company's value proposition and product marketing for the travel verticals it serves. "As both a fintech and a travel-tech company, CellPoint Mobile is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of airlines, ground operators and hospitality brands," continued Stephane Druet. "I'm excited to help this mobile-first company continue along its growth trajectory and accelerate the travel industry's digital transformation." For more information or to schedule an interview with Stephane Druet, SVP, Global Head of Marketing, CellPoint Mobile , contact Vanessa Horwell at vhorwell@thinkinkpr.com . About CellPoint Mobile: We Make Travel Easier for airlines, travel companies and their customers. CellPoint Mobile provides airlines, ground transportation providers, hospitality firms and travel companies across the globe with flexible, configurable solutions that help them collect revenues from the digital channel and profitably manage transactions from both the selling side and the payment side on mobile app or online. Dedicated to a client-first, mobile-first culture since 2007, CellPoint Mobile provides companies with the fintech and travel-tech solutions they need to get to market quickly: booking, ancillary sales, payments, alternative payment methods, stored payment capability, loyalty transactions, communications, real-time reporting, connections to payment service providers (PSPs) and acquirers, and more. Serving companies on five continents, CellPoint Mobile has locations in Chicago, Copenhagen, Dallas, Dubai, London, Miami, Pune and Singapore. Visit www.cellpointmobile.com to learn more. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cellpoint-mobile-appoints-stephane-druet-as-global-head-of-marketing-300726713.html SOURCE CellPoint Mobile [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust Employs Thoughtonomy Virtual Workers Alongside Human Teams to Improve Patient Experience and Boost Employee Satisfaction Groundbreaking intelligent automation program highlights huge potential for realizing efficiency benefits rapidly across the NHS. LONDON, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Working with Thoughtonomy, ESNEFT has cut the time taken to process the first stage of each GP referral from 15-20 minutes down to five minutes. The program will eliminate the need for staff to spend more than 100 hours a week processing paperwork and instead ensures referrals are actioned 24/7. Video: https://vimeo.com/293105750 The intelligent automation program, which has been running since July is the first of its kind within the NHS and is initially being deployed in five specialist clinical units Neurology, Cardiology, Urology, Nephrology and Haematology. Within the first three months, the Trust released more than 500 hours of medical secretaries' time and estimates it will also save 220,000 in associated direct costs by July 2019. Darren Atkins, Deputy Director of ICT at ESNEFT, said: "We're delighted with the results we've realized so far and are hugely excited about the potential benefits of automating more processes across our Trust. When you look at the time and cost savings we've already banked within just one specific area of our operations, you start to get an idea of how intelligent automation can drive transformation on a huge scale within the NHS." Using the Thoughtonomy Virtual Workforce platform, three virtual workers at Ipswich Hospital actively monitor incoming referrals from the national GP Electronic Referral Service (eRS) in real-time, 24 hours a day. As soon as a referral is received, the virtual worker reads the content and extracts the reason for referral. It retrieves all relevant referral data and supporting clinical information such as scan and blood test results from disparate sources, before merging everything into a single pdf document. The virtual worker then uploads the document into the Trust's administrative systems using highly secure smart card technology and alerts the lead consultant that the referral is ready for review and grading. Prior to the automation program, medical secretaries were resposible for processing referrals manually, downloading and printing documents, which they then scanned into a new document. In a large Trust such as ESNEFT, which deals with around 2,000 referrals per week, this was a huge drain on medical secretaries' time. According to the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), automation could save the NHS up to 12.5bn a year, the equivalent of 10% of its annual budget. In addition, it is estimated that a further 6bn could be saved through automation in social care. The recent Darzi Review of Health and Care called on healthcare bodies to 'embrace full automation to release time to care' as part of a 10 Point Plan to future-proof health and care services in the UK. Terry Walby, CEO & Founder of Thoughtonomy, said: "Intelligent Automation has a massive role to play in streamlining time-consuming and inefficient processes across the NHS. By absorbing a wide range of time-intensive, repetitive tasks, we can unburden staff from administration and allow them, instead, to focus on delivering the excellent quality of care upon which we all rely. We're delighted to be working with forward-thinking NHS Trusts, such as ESNEFT, who are championing the use of AI and automation technology in order to deliver real benefits to hardworking frontline staff while reducing costs. This, in turn, translates into a better patient experience for all." Frontline staff at ESNEFT have welcomed the new automated process. Dr Petr Pokorny, a Staff Grade Neurologist, said: "It allows for a more efficient, fluent flow of work, as it's easier to deal with five new referrals every morning rather than a huge pile of 35 referrals once a week. What's more, we now have our medical secretaries fully focused on the things that make a real difference to our staff and patients." The new automated referral process supports ESNEFT's obligations under the Standard Contract for 2018/19 to process all referrals via the Electronic Referral Service (eRS), and to optimize its operations in line with the Paper Switch Off program, which comes into force on 1st October. Thoughtonomy enables organizations to enhance the productivity of their workforce through the intelligent automation and digitization of knowledge work. It uses AI and robotic process automation software to emulate how people work, allowing companies to add flexible resources to their team without disruption and rapid ROI. About Thoughtonomy Thoughtonomy is an intelligent automation technology company that has created an award-winning platform to helps companies of all sizes improve the productivity of their workforce. Combining the principles of cloud computing, software robotics and artificial intelligence in a single integrated platform, our customers enjoy frictionless deployment of a digital workforce that delivers fast, measurable results in an infinite number of roles. Thoughtonomy was founded in the UK in 2013 and now works with more than 200 clients in 29 countries and has offices in London and Manchester in the UK, New York and Austin in the US. Thoughtonomy's SaaS platform combines AI and RPA to supply companies with virtual workers that automate office work. For further information, please see http://thoughtonomy.com/ Contacts: Daniela Zuin, CMO, Thoughtonomy Email: Daniela.zuin@thoughtonomy.com Tel: +44-07799-113040 Contact: Tom Holland Email: tom.holland@thisistempo.co.uk [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Fintech Europe Selects 10 Startups for its Second Batch FRANKFURT, Germany, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Fintech Europe, Plug and Play's fintech-focused innovation platform based out of Frankfurt, Germany, announced today the 10 startups selected for its second batch. This platform, in partnership with Deutsche Bank, TechQuartier, BNP Paribas, Nets Group, Aareal Bank, DZ Bank and Danske Bank, runs a 12-week accelerator twice a year with startups chosen both locally and globally. After screening over 230 applicants, the final selection of 10 startups have been accepted into Fintech Europe, which aims to facilitate pilots, POCs, and business development opportunities for the participating startups and financial institutions. "These startups are real game-changers in the industry. We are excited to help them connect with our corporate partner and VC network," says Fernando Zornig, Program Director of Plug and Play's Fintech Europe program. "This batch is a very diverse line-up, with startups in their seed stage all the way to Series C. It will be great to see the results of their interactions throughout the program." Throughout the duration of the program, startups will be introduced to Plug and Play's corporate partners and have the chance to work with their different business units to evaluate pilot projects and investment opportunities with these companies. There is no cost for the startups to be in the program and they will remain part of the ecosystem even after graduation. The 10 companies are as follows: AdviceRobo Psychometric credit scoring. AdviceRobo empowers millennials and SMEs that are not served by traditional banks, by predicting creditworthiness, default, prepayments, churn and risk. BigID Customer data protection. BigID's privacy compliance platform aims to give enterpises the software to safeguard and steward personal data. ClauseMatch Smart document management. ClauseMatch is a browser-based collaborative document editor containing in its core a detailed workflow, where comments, approvals and changes are a part of a full audit trail, providing full control of content. Cred Cred helps financial institutions attracts retail investors, using machine-learning to personalize a unique investment portfolio for each client. DocumentationHQ Communications and document management system for corporate KYC, onboarding and payments. Comply with CDD and regulations with a great experience for the customer. Exquance Real estate investment management SaaS. Financial modeling, analyzing, asset management, reporting, and top-down visualization of investment performance for a real estate portfolio of any complexity and international scale. Paygilant Paygilant's mission is to deliver a fraud prevention platform for mobile payments. Paygilant on-device disruptive technology makes in-store payments, eWallet and online transactions easy and secure, increasing conversion rates and reducing friction. NoPassword Identity and access management. Instead of using static passwords, NoPassword uses local biometric authentication (face, voice, fingerprint, iris and behavior), then extracts hidden features from the phone, without interrupting the user. Sonarax Sonarax provides out-of-band connectivity over sound waves, beyond the human hearing range, enabling smooth and continuous Machine2Machine connection anytime, anywhere for connectivity, authentication and positioning. Verrency API platform and services marketplace for payments. Utilize Verrency as an integration point for fintechs, data analytics and loyalty partners, and as a payments sandbox to quickly test and scale innovations. About Plug and Play Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 20 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 6,000 startups and 280 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 700 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club, and PayPal. For more information, visit www.plugandplaytechcenter.com Plug and Play Contact Fernando Zornig fzornig@pnptc.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fintech-europe-selects-10-startups-for-its-second-batch-300725002.html SOURCE Plug and Play [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Edgecore Networks Introduces Disaggregated PON OLTs at SDN NFV World Congress SDN NFV World Congress- Edgecore Networks (News - Alert) , the leader in open networking, today announced disaggregated open OLT products to enable service providers to deploy 10G PON services and GPON services with the lower costs and greater software control of SDN-managed open network infrastructures. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005266/en/ ASXvOLT16 10G PON OLT OCP-Accepted Switch (Photo: Business Wire) Edgecore announced it will contribute the complete hardware designs and introduce GPON OLT products in conformance with the " Deutsche Telekom (News - Alert) Open GPON-OLT Specification" that has been approved through the OCP Telco Project. "Deutsche Telekom is collaborating with open communities like OCP and ONF, and directly with leading open network vendors like Edgecore, to specify and accelerate the availability of open whitebox hardware manageable from open software platforms to reduce costs and improve performance for broadband access and other services," said Armin Sumesgutner, SVP Fixed Mobile Engineering Deutschland, Deutsche Telekom. "We are pleased that Edgecore will provide commercial GPON OLT products as fully open hardware designs that conforms to the specification we contributed to OCP." Edgecore also announced that its ASXvOLT16 10G PON OLT has been fully approved by the Open Compute Project as an OCP-Accepted product, which is immediately available and conforms to the " AT&T (News - Alert) Open XGS-PON 1RU OLT" specification in OCP. "Edgecore has been working closely with leading service providers worldwide, and with the OCP, ONF and TIP communities to offer disaggregated hardware products that enable open network deployments for broadband access, edge computing, mobile backhaul, and edge switching use cases," said George Tchaparian, CEO, Edgecore Networks. "The addition of open GPON OLTs to our OCP-Accepted 10G OLT will allow service providers to offer a mix of PON services from an SDN-enabled open hardware and software infrastructure, thereby lowering costs and increasing service flexibility." The Edgecore ASGvOLT32 and ASGvOLT64 GPON OLTs will provide 32-ports and 64-ports respectively of GPON, with uplink ports o 2 x 100GbE and 8 x 25GbE. The ASXvOLT16 10G OLT provides 16 XFP ports supporting 10G XGS-PON or NG-PON2, plus 4 x 100GbE uplinks. The Edgecore open OLTs include the open source software components ONIE, Open Network Linux, Open Optical Monitoring (OOM) API, the Redfish hardware management API, and the OpenOLT Adapter (vOLTHA driver) for operation in SDN Enabled Broadband Access (SEBA) or R-CORD open infrastructures defined through the Open Network Foundation (ONF). The Edgecore open OLTs will also be compatible with commercial OLT software from Aricent (News - Alert) . The Edgecore XGS-PON OLT is commercially available as part of an end-to-end full turnkey solution from DASAN Zhone Solutions. The ASXvOLT16 10G PON OLT is available now. The ASGvOLT32 and ASGvOLT64 GPON OLTs will sample in Q1 and be available in volume in Q2 2019. Edgecore will be exhibiting the open OLTs, in addition to other open network products for data center and service provider networks, at the SDN NFV World Congress in The Hague on Oct 9-11, the TIP Summit in London on Oct 16-17, the Broadband World Forum in Berlin on Oct 23-25, and DCD>London on November 5-6. Supporting Quotes "The OCP Telco Project has been enabling true collaboration among service providers and vendors in the specification and designs of open PON OLTs to meet operator requirements to deliver scalable, manageable broadband access services. We are pleased that Edgecore will add to its OCP-Accepted XGS-PON OLT by contributing designs of open GPON OLTs in conformance to the Deutsche Telekom specification." - Bill Carter, CTO, OCP Foundation "The ONF has been leading collaborative work by service providers and vendors on deployable open broadband access solutions through the CORD platform and now through the SEBA reference design, with Edgecore as a significant hardware and software contributor. The ONF welcomes Edgecore's open OLTs which will allow operators to deploy GPON and 10G PON services with disaggregated whitebox hardware and open SDN-enabled software platforms." - Guru Parulkar, Executive Director, Open Networking Foundation and Stanford Platform Lab "Aricent is pleased to be partnering with Edgecore on the OCP Telco platforms. As demand for bandwidth grows exponentially, it is critical for robust networking technology to be in place to deliver a consistent service. Aricent Software Frameworks on Networking, 5G, Edge Compute and MANO enable equipment vendors to stay ahead of the continuous technology evolution curve. Aricent's SDN-enabled virtualized Access Solution (SDvAS), on the Edgecore ASXvOLT16 Open OLT platform enables rapid realization of disaggregated, SDN-enabled XGS-PON OLT deployments. Aricent SDvAS would also support the ASGvOLT32 and ASGvOLT64 GPON OLT platforms for deployments in 2019." - N. Mohan Rangan, Chief Engineering Officer and President Service Lines, Aricent "DZS believes that freedom of choice is a vital need among Communications Service Providers (CSPs), particularly those looking to deploy new generation broadband solutions with 10G PON. Therefore, we welcome Edgecore's partnership with their disaggregated XGS-PON OLT. As a complement to our portfolio of end-to-end 10G PON OLTs & ONTs, we will offer a hybrid disaggregated 10G PON OLT operating with DZS vNOS software in accordance with OCP/ONF principles. The DZS approach enables CSPs based on Data Center/CORD deployments to immediately offer 10G Broadband services with the ability to migrate via software upgrade to a pure SEBA or R-CORD open infrastructure." - Philip Yim, Chief Operating Officer, DASAN Zhone Solutions, Inc. About Edgecore Networks Edgecore Networks Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Accton Technology Corporation, the leading network ODM. Edgecore Networks delivers wired and wireless networking products and solutions through channel partners and system integrators worldwide for the Data Center, Service Provider, Enterprise and SMB customers. Edgecore Networks is the leader in open networking providing a full line of open WiFi (News - Alert) access points, packet transponders, virtual PON OLTs, cell site gateways, and 1G, 10G, 25G, 40G, 100G and 400G OCP-AcceptedTM switches that offer choice of commercial and open source NOS and SDN software. For more information, visit www.edge-core.com. All trademarks, service marks, registered marks, or registered service marks are the property of their respective owners. 2018 Edgecore Networks. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Edgecore Networks shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005266/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] NYU Stern Congratulates Paul Romer on Winning the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economics New York University Stern School of Business congratulates Paul Romer, who was awarded today the 2018 Nobel (News - Alert) Memorial Prize in Economics Sciences, an honor which he shares this year with William Nordhaus. In awarding the prize to Paul Romer, the Swedish Academy cited his contributions "for integrating technological innovations into long-run macroeconomic analysis." Paul Romer, who is currently on leave from NYU, joined NYU Stern in 2010 and founded the NYU Stern Urbanization Project in 2011, conducting applied research on the many ways that policymakers in the developing world can use the growth of cities to create economic opportunity and pursue social reform. Paul Romer also directed NYU's Marron Institute of Urban Management. The Marron Institute deepens the fundamental understanding of cities by working with civic innovators to improve urban management-making cities safer, healthier, and more mobile and inclusive. New York University Stern School of Business Founded in 1900 and located in the heart of Greenwich Village, New York University Stern Schoo of Business is one of the world's premier institutions of management education. With its more than 300 faculty, NYU Stern offers graduate and undergraduate academic programs that use New York City and global hubs around the world as classroom environments for learning. www.stern.nyu.edu Twitter (News - Alert) : @nyustern New York University Founded in 1831, NYU is one of the world's foremost research universities and is a member of the selective Association of American Universities. NYU has degree-granting campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai, and has eleven other global academic sites around the world. More NYU students study internationally than any other university, according to the Open Doors Report by the Institute of International Education, and NYU ranks third in the United States for the number of foreign students enrolled. Through its numerous schools and colleges, NYU conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, business, dentistry, education, nursing, the cinematic and performing arts, music and studio arts, public administration, engineering, social work, cities, global public health, big data, and continuing and professional studies, among other areas. www.nyu.edu Twitter: @NYUniversity View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005345/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Infosys to Announce Second Quarter Results on October 16, 2018 BENGALURU, India, Oct. 8, 2018 /CNW/ -- Infosys Limited (NSE: INFY), (BSE: 500209), (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, will announce the results for its second quarter ended September 30, 2018 on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 around 4.15 p.m. Indian Standard Time (IST) (6:45 a.m. US ET; 3:45 a.m. PST; 11:45 a.m. London time; 6:45 p.m. Singapore/Hong Kong time). The results will also be available on www.infosys.com. Common television interaction (4:45 p.m. IST; 7:15 a.m. ET) Following the release, the leadership team will be part of a common television interaction at 4:45 p.m. IST. The participating executives will address questions from the media during this interaction which will be streamed live on the Investor Relations section of Infosys website. An archive of this event will be uploaded on www.infosys.com after 7:15 p.m. IST on October 16, 2018 (after 9:45 a.m. US ET). Earnings call (6:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. IST; 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. ET) The company will conduct a single 60 minute conference call at 6:30 p.m. IST (9:00 a.m. US ET; 6:00 a.m. PST; 2:00 p.m. London time; 9:00 p.m. Singapore/Hong Kong time) on October 16, 2018 (open to investors / analysts in all regions), where the senior management will discuss the company's performance and answer questions from participants. To participate in the conference call, please dial the numbers provided below 10 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of the call. During this time, the operator will provide instructions on how to ask questions. As participation in the call is limited, early registration is encouraged. This event will be webcast live on the Investor Relations section of Infosys website, following which it will be archived at www.infosys.com. The archive will be available after 9:30 p.m. IST on October 16, 2018 (after 12:00 p.m. US ET on October 16, 2018). In addition, a transcript of the conference call will be available at www.infosys.com. Summary of events Event Date and Time Web-site / Channel Telephone / Fax No. Earnings release over the wire services 4:15 p.m. IST 6:45 a.m. ET October 16, 2018 www.infosys.com Live broadcast of management's comments on the results 4:45 p.m. IST 7:15 a.m. ET October 16, 2018 Business television channels Webcast of management's comment on the results 5:30 p.m. IST 8:00 a.m. ET October 16, 2018 www.infosys.com Earnings conference call (open to questions for investors / analysts in all regions) 6:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. IST 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. ET October 16, 2018 Questions during the call can be addressed to sandeep_mahindroo@infosys.com India Toll, Mumbai: 022 6280 1168 022 7115 8069 Toll, Bangalore: 7045671221 US Toll-free: 1 866 746 2133 Toll-number: +1 323 386 8721 Singapore Toll-free: 800 101 2045 Toll-number: +65 3157 5746 Hong Kong Toll-free: 800 964 448 Toll-number: +852 3018 6877 Japan Toll-free: 0 053 116 1110 Toll-number: +81 3 4589 9421 UK Toll Free: 0 808 101 1573 Toll Number: +44 203 478 5524 Germany Toll-free: 00 8001 424 3444 Canada Toll- free: 011 8001 424 3444 France Toll-free: 0 800 914 745 Replay of conference call Till October 23, 2018 www.infosys.com Toll-free, USA: 1 855 436 0715 International toll: +1 863 949 0105 Toll, Mumbai/India: 022 7194 5757 022 6663 5757 Passcode:4637# About Infosys Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 45 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over three decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/infosys-to-announce-second-quarter-results-on-october-16-2018-300726827.html SOURCE Infosys [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] RTI to Launch Industry-First Product at IoT Solutions World Congress SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Real-Time Innovations (RTI), the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) connectivity company, today announced its participation in IoT Solutions World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, October 16-18. At the event, RTI will be announcing an industry-first product targeted at the IIoT market. RTI Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Stan Schneider, will also be moderating a panel and Dr. Rajive Joshi, Principal Solution Architect at RTI, will be leading a speaking session. RTI will also be exhibiting in the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) Member Pavilion. On Tuesday, October 16, Dr. Schneider will be moderating a panel titled, AI and Its Impact on IIoT, where speakers from Google, iQor and ROWAN Inc. will discuss the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and how recent developments in AI will allow companies to apply the technology in a much more sophisticated fashion from automated quality assurance in manufacturing to self-configuring sensor networks. In this panel, the speakers will discuss how AI is being applied to solve real problems in industrial settings, the benefits behind this and some of the lessons learned. Dr. Schneider was recently re-elected to the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) Steering Committee for his third term and will represent IIC small company members as the small industry representative. Schneider also serves as Vice Chair of the Steering Committee, a post e was elected to earlier this year. RTI will be exhibiting at the event in Stand 411 at the IIC Member Pavilion. On Wednesday, October 17, Dr. Joshi will be leading a speaking session titled, How to Build the Connectivity Architecture for an Automotive System of Systems, where hell discuss the automotive connectivity architecture. He will cover why it remains challenging to meet requirements, such as ensuring trustworthiness, real-time performance, scalability and data availability in the face of disconnected and intermittent connectivity under changing weather conditions. Dr. Joshi will present a next generation automotive connectivity architecture and how its being applied to autonomous driving, remote teleoperation and driverless valet parking. Now in its fourth year, IoT Solutions World Congress will host more than 300 of the best minds in the IoT industry to share use cases on key topics and illustrate how solutions are impacting the industries of the future. This years conference will cover a wide range of industries across the IIoT including connected transport, manufacturing, healthcare, energy and utilities, buildings and infrastructure, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, defense and more. This three-day event draws industry experts from across the globe and will showcase the worlds most innovative technology solutions in the market. Additional details on the event can be found below. Event Details What: IoT Solutions World Congress 2018 When: AI/IIoT Panel: Tuesday, October 16, 2018 from 10:25 11:10 a.m. CEST Connectivity Architecture Presentation: Wednesday, October 17, 2018 from 6:15 7:00 p.m. CEST Booth: Gran Via Hall 2, Level o, Street, IIC Member Pavilion Stand 411 Where: Fira Barcelona Gran Via Venue, Hall 2 For more information and a full event agenda, please visit: https://bit.ly/2v3egym About RTI Real-Time Innovations (RTI) is the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) connectivity company. The RTI Connext databus is a software framework that shares information in real time, making applications work together as one, integrated system. It connects across field, fog and cloud. Its reliability, security, performance and scalability are proven in the most demanding industrial systems. Deployed systems include medical devices and imaging; wind, hydro and solar power; autonomous planes, trains and cars; traffic control; Oil and Gas; robotics, ships and defense. RTI lives at the intersection of functional artificial intelligence and pervasive networkingSM. RTI is the largest vendor of products based on the Object Management Group (OMG) Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard. RTI is privately held and headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif. Download a free 30-day trial of the latest, fully-functional Connext DDS software today: https://www.rti.com/downloads . Media Contacts: Rachel Shatz Karbo Communications for RTI 650-270-1097 rachel@karbocom.com Cameron Emery Public Relations Senior Manager at RTI cameron@rti.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Public Company Becomes Newest Entrant In Alarm Industry; NuLife Expands from Life Sciences to Life Safety NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NuLife Sciences, Inc . (OTCQB: NULF) announced today that it has successfully closed its previously announced merger with two Louisiana-based electronic security companies, effectively paving the way for the Companys planned expansion into the rapidly growing life safety and security industry. According to Chairman Sean C. Clarke , the Company has merged with LJR Security Services, Inc . (LJR Security), and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Gulf West Security Network, Inc . (Gulf West), both headquartered in Lafayette, LA. LJR Security and Gulf West were founded, owned and operated by long-term alarm industry veteran Louis J. Resweber . While this is a major development for NuLife, I modestly believe that this transaction can be also seen as a notable event in regards to the overall alarm industry, explained Resweber. Indeed, with the completion of this merger, there is now a new publicly-owned and stock-traded company actively entering the life safety and electronic security sector. With NuLife having traditionally focused on bio-medical and health care technologies, I believe the Companys recent decision to expand from life sciences to life safety will prove to be an appropriate and synergistic next step in the ongoing evolution of this organization, said Resweber, who spent the majority of his 35-year career in the alarm industry, and who has been asked by the Board of Directors to assume a senior management role in the combined companies. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NuLife Sciences, Inc. (the Company or NuLife) has merged with LJR Security. An independent audit of the combined LJR and Gulf West has been completed, and a Form 8-K has been filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), outlining full details of the merger. Strategic Decision : Eight weeks ago (on August 9, 2018), the Board of Directors of NuLife announced its strategic decision to pursue new lines of business by entering into a merger agreement with LJR Security, which is active in the hands-on engineering, design, sales, installation, service, inspection and remote monitoring of residential and commercial alarm systems. Meanwhile, its wholly-owned subsidiary, Gulf West, is focused on the development and expansion of a proprietary alliance of independently-branded life safety and property protection providers, fire alert and suppression system installers, electronic remote monitoring and video surveillance specialists, smart home designers, systems integrators, structured wiring professionals and electrical contractors. Through LJR and Gulf West, the Company plans to focus on expanding its footprint in the life safety and electronic security industry which, according to IBIS World (Los Angeles, CA), is a rapidly-growing (but highly-fragmented) sector comprised of more than 14,000 individual enterprises (including many small mom-and-pop businesses) across the United States which are collectively generating over $22 billion in annualized revenues; and which are simultaneously experiencing both expansion (new business starts) as well as increasing consolidation (mergers and acquisitions). Market research consultants Stratistics MRC (Gaithersburg MD) sets the bar higher, expecting the residential (home alarm) sector of the market to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 8.9% to more than $57 billion by 2022. About LJR Security Services, Inc. : LJR Security currently provides engineering, design, sales, installation, service, inspection and remote electronic monitoring of residential and commercial security alarm systems primarily in Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, LA, the three largest metro marketsin the State of Louisiana. For more information on LJR, please visit: www.ljrsecurity.com . About Gulf West Security Network, Inc. : Gulf West Security Network is actively engaged in development and expansion of its proprietary coalition of independently-branded life safety and property protection providers, fire alert and suppression system installers, electronic remote monitoring and video surveillance specialists, smart home designers, systems integrators, structured wiring professionals and electrical contractors. Gulf West is a wholly-owned subsidiary of LJR Security. For more information on Gulf West Security Network, please visit: www.gulfwestsecurity.com . About NuLife Sciences, Inc. : NuLife Sciences, Inc. has traditionally been a biomedical and technology (development stage) firm focused on the development of innovative and life-saving organ transplant research; and also on the development of on-line websites related to the employment market. The Company has, in the past, sought to acquire and / or merge with other technology companies, with a focus on saving and enhancing lives. The Company has previously focused on advancing human organ transplant technology and medical research with a patent protected unique proprietary method ("NuLife Technique") that could potentially eliminate the need for an organ or tissue match and the necessity for anti-rejection drugs. In an attempt to meet the massive need for organ transplants (with over 123,000 candidates waiting for a human organ in the U.S. alone), NuLife's versatile technique could prove to be suitable for a variety of clinical indications. The Company has completed discovery phase for its technique and has subsequently entering a Preclinical phase involving animal experiments on its pathway to commercialization. NuLife Sciences will also provide an online marketplace and community to assist in creating jobs and enable entrepreneurs and service providers to offer health related products and services within local markets. Initially incorporated as SmooFi, Inc. in 2012, it converted to NuLife Sciences in 2016. For more information on the Company, please visit: www.nulifesciences.us . Safe Harbor Disclosure : This News Release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. The Company's actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth below and elsewhere in this News Release. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this News Release regarding the consummation of the proposed Merger, the timing of the same, the actual performance, timing and commercial viability of therapies under development, as well as statements regarding growth strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenue or losses, projected costs, prospects and plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. When used in this News Release, the words "will," "may," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "project," "plan" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this News Release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or other information contained herein. Potential investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that its plans, intentions and expectations suggested by the forward-looking statements included in this News Release are reasonable, including the Merger, and the time currently expected to close the Merger, the Company cannot assure potential investors that these plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved. The Company discloses important factors that could cause its actual results to differ materially from its expectations under "Risk Factors" in its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year-Ended September 30, 2017, and elsewhere in this News Release. These cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or to persons acting on its behalf. For additional information regarding the Merger and the Merger Agreement, please see the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K, to be filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (the SEC) substantially simultaneously with the date of the release of this News Release, and for additional information regarding the Company, please see the filings made by the Company with the SEC available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov . Contact : Contact : on behalf of NuLife Sciences, Inc.: on behalf of Gulf West Security Network, Inc. Ted Haberfield Lou Resweber cell: (858) 204-5055 cell: (225) 413-6392 direct: (760) 755-2716 direct: (337) 210-8790 e-mail: thaberfield@mzgroup.us e-mail: lou.resweber@gulfwestsecurity.com web-site: www.nulifesciences.us . web-site: www.gulfwestsecurity.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] NovuMind Welcomes John Wei as VP of Design Technologies Semiconductor Industry Veteran to Lead Initiatives Taking NovuTensor? AI Chip to Broad Range of Applications SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NovuMind Inc., a leading innovator in full-stack Artificial Intelligence technologies, announced today that Dr. John Wei has joined the company in the role of Vice President of Design Technologies. John will lead full-customization initiatives to ensure that NovuMind can deliver highly customized solutions based on its NovuTensor chip. NovuTensor is purpose-built for AI inferencing, with breakthrough performance-power ratios that make it ideal for deployment in embedded applications and edge servers. According to Dr. Ren Wu, CEO and founder of NovuMind, "We are very pleased to welcome John to our team. We already have the most advanced AI inference chip, with a patented design that brings unsurpassed performance-to-power ratios. With John's new initiatives, we plan to migrate this design to smaller-geometry semiconductor processes that will drive even more performance gains." "We are at the dawn of an era of massive AI deployment," continued Dr. Wu. "Advances in deep learning and the semiconductor technology to deploy it will mean that we can put the pwers of perception and thinking in all kinds of network-edge applications. We want to provide our NovuTensor engine in a variety of forms, optimized for different power-performance ranges, to meet the needs of all of our customers." Dr. Wei commented, "I am thrilled to be part of the NovuMind team and join this effort to enable deployment of AI everywhere, from the data center out to the edges of the network." John Wei has over 25 years of scientific, design, and management experience in the semiconductor industry. His experience includes Chief Scientist at Alchip, Director of Chip Design at Celestial Semiconductor (acquired by Cavium), Chief Technologist at Tensilica (acquired by Cadence), Sr. Manager of Physical Design at Marvell Semiconductor, and IC Design Manager at PMC-Sierra (acquired by Microsemi). He graduated with BS degrees in Electrical Engineering and Materials Science from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, an MSMSE from Stanford University, a PhD in EE from Dartmouth, and did post-doctoral work in the Dept. of EECS at MIT. He holds 4 US patents in IC design and has published numerous IEEE refereed papers. About NovuMind NovuMind helps companies put the power of AI into their products. The NovuTensor chip, along with a full stack of AI solutions support, enables OEMs to embed deep learning inference capability, even in applications where power or network access are limited. Led by AI industry pioneer Ren Wu, the NovuMind team has expertise in machine learning, chip design, and high-performance computing. The company's headquarters and R&D are located in Santa Clara CA, with additional offices in Beijing and Guangzhou, China. For more information, please visit us at: www.novumind.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novumind-welcomes-john-wei-as-vp-of-design-technologies-300726760.html SOURCE NovuMind Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] General Micro Systems Brings Artificial Intelligence Capabilities from the Data Center onto the Battlefield with Industry's First Rugged Deep Learning System General Micro Systems ( GMS (News - Alert) ) today introduced the industry's first rugged, conduction-cooled, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) deep learning/artificial intelligence (AI) mobile system that offers real-time data analysis and decision making directly on the battlefield. The X422 "Lighting" integrates two of Nvidia's powerful V100 Tesla data center accelerators into a fully sealed, conduction-cooled chassis, enabling it to withstand the harsh rigors of the battlefield. Designed as a dual co-processor companion to GMS Intel (News - Alert) Xeon rugged air-cooled or conduction-cooled servers, X422 is the first product to bring the computational power of Nvidia's best Tensor Core general-purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU) to the battlefield's tactical edge or right into a ground or air vehicle to speed data analysis and interpretation from hours to minutes. Traditionally, sensors on military vehicles collect massive amounts of battlefield data and store it locally before transporting it for analysis and interpretation by highly sophisticated, remote deep learning systems. Transporting this raw data saturates networks and satellite communication uplinks, slowing them to a crawl and preventing access from other users. To work around the network, removable hard drives are often transported from the front lines, leaving the data subject to theft or loss during transport and introducing additional lag time. "The X422 GPGPU system allows extraordinary quantities of data to be collected and processed right on the battlefield in real time, significantly shortening the decision loop for providing solutions and recommendations to warfighters," said Ben Sharfi, chief architect and CEO, General Micro Systems. "Ultimately, the X422 enables live targets to be identified, flagged and even fired upon in record time. It represents a complete paradigm shift in electronic warfare, SIGINT and C4ISR." Rugged leadership with X422 industry firsts: First to offer 225 TFLOPS and 10,200 GPGPU cores in a "shoebox"-sized fanless system First to bring Nvidia deep learning data center-class V100 Tesla GPGPU to battlefield deep learning data center-class V100 Tesla GPGPU to battlefield First to ruggedize Nvidia V100 Tesla for wide temperature, conduction-cooled applications First to offer external PCIe Gen 3 data pipe at 8 GT/s between rugged systems using FlexVPX fabric bus extension Two of the Most Advanced Data Center GPGPUs Ever Built The X422, which is approximately 12x12 inches square and under 3 inches high, includes dual x16 PCIe Gen 3 slots for the GMS-ruggedized PCIe deep learning cards including Nvidia's V100 Tesla (computation only)-what Nvidia calls the "most advanced data center GPU ever built,"-or Nvidia's Titan V (computation with graphics outputs). Each card boasts 5120 CUDA processing cores, giving X422 over 10,200 GPGPU cores and in excess of 225 TFLOPS for deep learning. In addition to using Nvidia GPGPU co-processors, the X422 can accommodate other co-processors, different deep learning cards, and high-performance computers (HPC) based upon FPGAs from Xilinx or Altera (News - Alert) , or ASICs up to a total of 250 W per slot (500 W total). An industry first for deep learning and artificial intelligence, the X422 includes no fans or moving parts, promising wide temperature operation and massive data movement via an external PCI Express fabric in ground vehicles, tactical command posts, UAV/UAS, or other remote locations-right at the warfighter's "tip of the spear." GMS relies on the company's patented RuggedCool thermal technology to adapt the GPGPUs for harsh battlefield conditions, extending their temperature operation while increasing environmental MTBF. "No one besides GMS has done this before because we own the technology that makes it possible. The X422 not only keeps the V100s or other 250 W GPGPU cards cool on the battlefield, but our unique x16 PCIe Gen 3 FlexVPX fabric streams real-time data between the X422 and host processor/server at an astounding 32 GB/s all day long," Sharfi said. "From sensor to deep learning co-processor to host: X422 accelerates the fastest and most complete data analysis and decision making possible." Technical Specifications on the X422 Another industry first brings I/O to X422 via GMS's FlexVPX bus extension fabric. X422 interfaces with servers and modules from GMS and from One Stop Systems, using industry-standard iPass (News - Alert) + HD connectors offering x16 lanes in and x16 lanes out of PCI Express Gen 3 (8 GT/s) fabric for a total of 256 GT/s (about 32 GB/s) system throughput. X422 deep learning co-processor systems can be daisy-chained up to a theoretical limit of 16 chassis working together. Unique to X422 are the pair of X422's two PCIe deep learning cards that can operate independently or work together as a high-performance computer (HPC) using the user-programmable onboard, non-blocking low-latency PCIe switch fabric. For PCIe cards with outputs-such as the Titan V's DisplayPorts-these are routed to separate A and B front panel connectors. GMS will demonstrate rugged products, battlefield servers, and SIGINT/EW systems at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting in Washington D.C., Oct. 8-10, 2018. Come see us at AUSA booth #9335. For more technical details regarding the X422, please visit: http://www.gms4sbc.com/images/Products/Accessories/X422/2018_X422.pdf For high-resolution images of the X422: http://www.gms4sbc.com/press/X422/ Link to Nvidia's V100 in deep learning and HPC applications: https://images.nvidia.com/content/pdf/v100-application-performance-guide.pdf Link to GMS conduction-cooled small form factor (SFF) systems: http://www.gms4sbc.com/index.php/products/systems Link to GMS high-performance rack mount servers: http://www.gms4sbc.com/index.php/products/servers/item/apex About General Micro Systems: General Micro Systems (GMS) is the industry expert in highest-density, modular, compute-intensive, and rugged small form-factor embedded computing systems, servers, switches and smart displays. These powerful systems are ideal for demanding C4ISR defense, aerospace, medical, industrial, and energy exploration applications. GMS is an IEC (News - Alert) , ISO, AS9100, NIST-800-171, and MIL-SPEC supplier with infrastructure and operations for long-life, spec-controlled, and configuration-managed programs. Designed from the ground up to provide the highest performance and functionality in the harshest environments on the planet, the company's highly customizable products include GMS Rugged DNA with patented RuggedCool cooling technology. GMS is also the leader in deployable high-end Intel processors and a proud Intel partner since 1986. For more information, visit www.gms4sbc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005221/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] New ControlScan PaySafe PumpConnect Increases Payment Transaction Speeds at the Pump LAS VEGAS, Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NACS Show Booth 6372 - ControlScan, Inc. , a leader in managed security and compliance solutions that help secure networks and protect payment card data, has released PaySafe PumpConnect , a new, wireless technology that facilitates high-speed payment transactions at fuel dispensers running EMV card payments and digital media. PaySafe PumpConnect utilizes wireless in-dispenser units and an in-store access point device to seamlessly integrate into the retailers current POS environment via the PaySafe UTM Firewall. As fuel retailers upgrade dispensers to accept EMV, many are also opting to incorporate digital media for greater customer engagement. Whether implemented together or separately, these enhancements often require more bandwidth than existing underground cabling can support. As a result, transaction approvals at the pump are slowed to a snails pace, leaving custoers frustrated and retailers with lost sales. PaySafe PumpConnect utilizes wireless connectivity to circumvent underground cabling and speed the transaction communications process. The solutionwireless in-dispenser units and an in-store access point deviceseamlessly integrates into the retailers current POS environment via the PaySafe UTM Firewall . Once in place, PaySafe PumpConnect facilitates more than enough bandwidth to support both EMV and video feeds at the pump. The idea for PaySafe PumpConnect was born through our conversations with customers, partners and other industry stakeholders, said Mark Carl, CEO, ControlScan. We realized that the communications problem could be quickly and securely solved with a simple wireless addition to pre-existing technology. Pump service technicians can implement PaySafe PumpConnect in a matter of minutes following these three steps: Install the in-store access point Connect the access point to the PaySafe UTM Firewall device Install an in-dispenser unit within each pump, registering each unit with the in-store access point Tennessee-based Weigels is currently testing the new PaySafe PumpConnect solution for future use across its convenience store chain. Implementing a secure, high-speed wireless solution at the pumps means we dont have to rip up our forecourts to get to a damaged conduit or existing wiring, Greg White, Information Technology Coordinator at Weigels, said. ControlScan is exhibiting in booth 6372 at NACS Show 2018 in Las Vegas on October 8-10. For more information on PaySafe PumpConnect, see ControlScan at NACS , visit ControlScan.com or call 800-825-3301, ext. 2. About ControlScan ControlScan managed security and compliance solutions help secure networks and protect payment card data. Our elite cybersecurity professionals leverage best-in-class security technologies to support thousands of businesses with a single goal: To stop cyber criminals in their tracks. As both a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) and an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV), we also deliver a full suite of Payment Card Industry (PCI) services, including strategic PCI compliance programs that help processors, acquirers, ISOs and payment facilitators manage cyber risk and strengthen merchant relationships. For more information about our company and its solutions, please visit ControlScan.com. Contact: Stacey Holleran Director, Corporate Communications 678-279-2645 sholleran@controlscan.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d0c6e32e-83d3-4f69-b50e-c93f8f941076 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Johnson & Quin completes SOC 2 Type 1 data security exam; Rigorous audit assures clients of secure I/T processes NILES, Ill., Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Johnson & Quin , a nationally-trusted provider of leading edge direct mail production, integrated marketing solutions, data services and high-speed color inkjet printing, has successfully completed a rigorous examination of its data security processes and procedures under the System and Organizational Controls (SOC) 2 Type 1 standards. The meticulous examination was administered by the professional IT assurance and compliance staff at 360 Advanced , a respected national Qualified Security Assessor, HITRUST CSF Assessor and CPA firm based in St. Petersburg, FL. 360 Advanced has clients in 30 U.S. states, Europe, South and Central America and the Pacific Rim. The SOC 2 Type 1, developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), is the most widely recognized authoritative guidance that provides service organizations a uniform method for disclosing independently assessed information about the design and operation of internal controls. As the security landscape is changing, it is becoming more important to be audited by outside, credentialed compliance specialists. Earning SOC 2 really proves to our customers that our security program has been evaluated, audited and approved by a credentialed third party, commented Manish Haria, VP, CISO and CIO of Johnson & Quin. Data security compliance standards are becoming more and more demanding, and we want to make certain we are ahead of the curve. Also, tis does give us a competitive advantage as a differentiator from other firms in our industry who have not achieved this IT security and compliance designation. We work with numerous companies in the financial services and insurance industries, and it is very important that we have the documentation to prove to them that we are handling their data and their printing materials in a secure fashion, said Kay Wilt, Director of Marketing, at Johnson & Quin. ABOUT JOHNSON & QUIN Johnson & Quin, handling more than 250 million records a year, offers the latest production technologies, including high-speed full color inkjet printing in combination with postal and mailing services to achieve the lowest postage and delivery costs. Johnson & Quin offers data services, other digital personalization and printing options, and certified data security. Johnson & Quin excels at high volume complex projects requiring personalized and variable data printing. The firm was founded 140 years ago and for the past four decades has been a trusted provider of direct mail production, integrated marketing solutions, data services and high-speed color inkjet printing. For more information see www.j-quin.com , or find Johnson & Quin on Twitter or Facebook . ABOUT 360 ADVANCED Services provided by 360 Advanced include HITRUST CSF, GDPR, SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS, HIPAA Security/HITECH, Microsoft SSPA, and other security and compliance services for a variety of industries and business verticals nationwide. For an initial consultation, please contact Eric Ratcliffe at eratcliffe@360advanced.com . News release services provided by Clearview Communications + PR Inc./ The Message Masters. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] eMoney Advisor Introduces the "FlexGen," A New Generation of Planning-Led Advisors eMoney Advisor (eMoney), a leading provider of planning-led wealth management solutions, today announced initial findings from the FlexGen Research Study1, co-developed with Fidelity. eMoney CEO Ed O'Brien shared highlights from the study during his keynote presentation titled "Rise of the FlexGen" to kick off Day 1 of the 2018 eMoney Summit, the industry's premier event for planning-led financial advisory professionals. O'Brien explained that there's a new type of advisor leading the industry today, and they're experiencing rapid business growth. They have a fresh mindset and view opportunities where many traditional advisors may see challenges. To determine the attitudinal differences and practices driving change in the industry, Fidelity surveyed 458 financial advisors using a survey co-developed with eMoney. Of the advisors surveyed, 45 percent shared characteristics that eMoney and Fidelity identify as "FlexGen." These advisors are adaptable, future-ready, focused on delivering a great client experience, and utilizing technology more often to achieve these goals. According to the study, FlexGen Advisors are more likely than other advisors to agree that they: Embrace change (82% vs. 45% of other advisors) Love learning (96% vs. 84%) Challenge conventions (87% vs. 61%) Are forward-thinking (96% vs. 79%) Are nimble (86% vs. 55%) More details of the FlexGen Research Study will be available later this year. Additional highlights of the study include: FlexGen Advisors reported, on average, a 24 percent increase in AUM last year compared to their peers who saw a 14 percent increase. FlexGen Advisors are nearly two times as likely than their peers to offer a unique service model to differentiate their business with 81 percent of FlexGen Advisors citing this capability (vs. 44% of their peers). They also more often cite planning as a viable way to differentiate their practice (91%) versus their peers (69%). FlexGen Advisors are more actively adopting technology in their firms and more likely to be future-ready with 60 percent considering themselves early adopters of technology compared to 26 percent of peers. FlexGen Advisors more often plan to target underserved segments in the next year, including women, millennials and minorities - 42% plan to do this vs. just 22% of their peers. FlexGen Advisors more often provide clients with an interactive experience (82%) than their peers (47%). And 65 percent of FlexGen Advisors have a marketing plan in place compared to just 35 percent of their peers. "FlexGen Advisors are changing the landscape of the financial planning industry," said O'Brien. "They view change as opportunity for growth and understand their success relies heavily on adapting their business models to meet the evolving needs of both current and future clients." The three-day eMoney Summit, appropriately themed "Rise of the Flex Gen," hosts 1,000 attendees at the JW Marriott in Orlando through Wednesday. Attendees have various opportunities to learn how they can join the FlexGen movement. In addition to multiple keynotes and breakout sessions, a FlexGen Power Hour is scheduled for 8 a.m. tomorrow, Oct. 9, featuring seven of eMoney's FlexGen Advisors who will share best practices on how they have successfully evolved their business models. To view the 2018 eMoney Summit agenda or find more information, please visit https://info.emoneyadvisor.com/summit-2018. For real-time updates on the eMoney Summit, follow eMoney on Twitter (News - Alert) (https://twitter.com/eMoneyAdvisor) or search the hashtag #eMoneySummit18. About eMoney Advisor eMoney Advisor, LLC ("eMoney") is a leading provider of scalable wealth management solutions for financial professionals, firms, and enterprises of all sizes. Rooted in collaborative financial planning, eMoney's solutions enable financial professionals to build stronger client relationships, streamline business operations, and drive revenue and growth. With more than 600 passionate, innovative, and dedicated employees in three locations-including its headquarters in Radnor, Pa.-eMoney is transforming the wealth management experience for 50,000 financial professionals and 2.1 million end-clients nationwide. For more information, please visit: www.emoneyadvisor.com. About Fidelity Investments Fidelity's mission is to inspire better futures and deliver better outcomes for the customers and businesses we serve. With assets under administration of $7.3 trillion, including managed assets of $2.6 trillion as of August 30, 2018, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a diverse set of customers: helping more than 28 million people invest their own life savings, 23,000 businesses manage employee benefit programs, as well as providing more than 13,000 financial advisory firms with investment and technology solutions to invest their own clients' money. Privately held for 70 years, Fidelity employs more than 40,000 associates who are focused on the long-term success of our customers. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about. eMoney Advisor LLC is a Fidelity Investments company and an affiliate of Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC and National Financial Services LLC. eMoney Advisor LLC offers: Consolidated Data, Insights + Analytics, Performance Measurement, Fee Billing, and Proposal Generation. Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions provides clearing, custody, or other brokerage services through National Financial Services LLC or Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Members NYSE, SIPC. 200 Seaport Boulevard, Z2B1, Boston, MA 02210. 2018 FMR LLC. All rights reserved. 861047.1.0 1 2018 Fidelity Financial Advisor Community - FlexGen Study The FlexGen Research Study was an online blind survey (Fidelity was not identified) and was fielded from July 30th through August 8th, 2018. Participants included 458 advisors who manage or advise upon client assets either individually or as a team, and work primarily with individual investors. Advisor firm types included a mix of banks, independent broker-dealers, insurance companies, regional broker-dealers, RIAs, and national brokerage firms (commonly referred to as wirehouses), with findings weighted to reflect industry composition. The Study was conducted by an independent firm not affiliated with Fidelity Investments. eMoney collaborated with Fidelity on the development of the survey used in the study. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005208/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] GA-ASI Completes FOT&E for Gray Eagle Extended Range Partnered with the U.S. Army, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) recently completed Follow-On Test & Evaluation (FOT&E) for its MQ-1C ER Gray Eagle Extended Range. Testing of the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) began in early June and spanned 644 flight hours during the testing period. The successful test opens the door for MQ-1C ER initial fielding to the U.S. Army Intelligence & Security Command (INSCOM) and Special Operations Command (SOCOM), followed by units from Forces Command (FORSCOM). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005592/en/ "We expected the Gray Eagle Extended Range to perform well and it performed as advertised," said David R. Alexander, president, Aircraft Systems, GA-ASI. "The FOT&E highlighted some of the key benefits that the MQ-1C ER will deliver to our U.S. Army customer, including significantly increased endurance, more payload capacity to support future mission tasking, and onsiderable improvements in system reliability and maintainability." (Photo: Business Wire) "We expected the Gray Eagle Extended Range to perform well and it performed as advertised," said David R. Alexander, president, Aircraft Systems, GA-ASI. "The FOT&E highlighted some of the key benefits that the MQ-1C ER will deliver to our U.S. Army customer, including significantly increased endurance, more payload capacity to support future mission tasking, and considerable improvements in system reliability and maintainability." MQ-1C-ER flew close to 40 hours in support of critical testing which yielded results that significantly exceeded the goals for endurance. The soldiers tested the full range of MQ-1C-ER's capability to support the Army's vision for long range and persistent reconnaissance. "The Gray Eagle ER clearly demonstrated its ability to support the future force. We added multiple payloads that enable it to perform a wide range of missions to further support the warfighter in contested operations," said Alexander. The FOT&E was conducted in Palmdale, California at Air Force Plant 42. Hi-resolution photos of MQ-1C ER are available to qualified media outlets from the listed GA-ASI media contact. About GA-ASI General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is the leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems, including the Predator RPA series and the Lynx Multi-mode Radar. With more than five million flight hours, GA-ASI provides long-endurance, mission-capable aircraft with integrated sensor and data link systems required to deliver persistent flight that enables situational awareness and rapid strike. The company also produces a variety of ground control stations and sensor control/image analysis software, offers pilot training and support services, and develops meta-material antennas. For more information, visit www.ga-asi.com. Reaper, Predator, and Lynx are registered trademarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005592/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] DiCello Levitt & Casey Files Suit on Behalf of Bon-Ton Against Media Conglomerates for Fixing TV Ad Rates The Bon-Ton Stores Inc., one of the country's best-known department store companies, is the latest, and by far the largest, plaintiff to file suit against major U.S. media conglomerates, alleging a massive conspiracy to drive up the price of local television advertising. National plaintiffs' law firm, DiCello Levitt & Casey, filed the class action lawsuit today on Bon-Ton's behalf in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois. The suit, which names Sinclair Broadcast Group, Tribune Media Company and several other "John Doe" defendant co-conspirators, alleges that the companies violated federal antitrust laws by colluding to fix the rates TV stations charge for advertising airtime. Bon-Ton's complaint is the newest in a series of suits brought against the media industry giants and is notable given the department store chain's size relative to previous plaintiffs, most of whom are small regional businesses. The suit alleges that Sinclair and Tribune, who are both owners of dozens of local television stations, while ostensibly competitors in the market for local spot television advertising, have instead conspired to reduce or eliminate competition by sharing information and coordinating pricing in various Designated Market Areas (DMAs), resulting in artificially inflated prices for local spot advertising in violation of federal antitrust laws. "Through their price-fixing scheme, Tribune, Sinclair, and their co-conspirators have monopolized the airwaves and extorted millions of dollars from businesses like Bon-Ton," said Adam J. Levitt, co-counsel for Bon-Ton and a founding partner of DiCello Levitt & Casey. "This lawsuit aims to hold these powerful companies accountable and restore free and fair competition." Bon-Ton's complaint alleges that station owners have shared their pricing information and coordinated efforts to stabilize or inflate spot prices, including setting a "floor" for all spot pricing. It also claims that, within a DMA, no station owner that is party to the conspiracy was permitted to reduce spot prices below a certain cost-per-point. By setting such a floor, but then still negotiating with individual advertisers, stations were able to maintain the facade of a competitive market when in reality they had fixed prices. Despite the significant number of local broadcast stations operated across 210 different DMAs, ownership is highly concentrated in the hands of a small number of media companies. In recent years, mergers between television station owners have increased market concentration and thereby decreased competition in many DMAs. Further, the Federal Communications Commission has recently loosened certain restrictions on television station ownership and opened the door to larger mergers, including the ill-fated $4 billion merger of Sinclair and Tribune. Notably, the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division is actively investigating the conduct of both companies after its recent review of their now-defunct merger. "The consolidation of the television industry has enabled a pattern of illegal, anti-competitive conduct, which we are confident this lawsuit will bring to light," said John E. Tangren, co-counsel for Plaintiff and partner at DiCello Levitt & Casey. DiCello Levitt and Casey has teamed with another renowned antitrust class action firm, Labaton Sucharow LLP, on this matter - The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. v. Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., et. al., Civil Action No. 1:18-cv-06758, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. "Given our two firms' track record of success representing plaintiffs in antitrust class actions and our considerable experience leading complex MDLs across the United States, we believe we are well-positioned to help manage this national effort to stop blatant collusion in the TV ad buying chain," Levitt said. About DiCello Levitt & Casey DiCello Levitt & Casey is a different kind of law firm - one that combines excellence in commercial litigation, class action litigation, mass tort litigation, catastrophic injury litigation, labor and employment litigation, and civil rights litigation. Practicing nationwide - and internationally - from offices in Chicago and Cleveland, we are an aggressive, attentive, and creative plaintiffs' firm whose work speaks for itself - billions of dollars in recoveries in some of the highest-profile matters in U.S. history. Revered by clients and respected by defense counsel, our team gets results. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005607/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Cyprus Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband Statistics and Analyses 2018 - ResearchAndMarkets.com The "Cyprus - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in Cyprus's telecommunications market. The report analyses the fixed-line, mobile and broadband sectors. Despite the liberalisation of Cyprus's telecom sector, the market overall continues to be dominated by the incumbent, Cyta, which was only fully privatised in July 2018 following its sale to Vodafone (News - Alert) Greece. The sale of the company formed part of a wider financial bailout package and was delayed and amended because of political opposition. Although it is the dominant provider, Cyta has failed to invest adequately in its networks in recent years, resulting in a steady decline in its share of the fixed-voice, broadband and mobile markets. Nevertheless, the company in May 2018 announced plans to make significant investments in a ten-year NGN infrastructure project. One fruit of this project was the launch of an FttP service in the following August, supplemented by vectoring tehnology on its copper infrastructure in rural areas. The financial and management support of Vodafone will likely lead to further upgrades and innovation in coming years. Key Developments: Cyta to invest in ten-year NGN project; MTN (News - Alert) Group sells Cypriot unit to Monaco Telecom for 260 million; Quantum Cable contracts for new submarine cable linking to Greece and Israel; Telecom Italy Sparkle and Cyta complete the Kimonas cable subsystem linking Cyprus with Crete; Cyta launches FttP services; Cablenet sees growth in broadband subscriber base, gains 22% broadband market share; Estonian government to help Cyprus develop e-government functions and systems; Government commits to all premises having access to 30Mb/s broadband by 2020; PrimeTel contracts SmartLabs for video streaming platform; Ministry of Communications completes 800MHz and 2600MHz spectrum auction; Report update includes the regulator's market data to December 2017, operators' statistical data updates to Q2 2018, recent market developments Key Topics Covered: 1. Key statistics 2. Telecommunications market 3. Regulatory environment 4. Fixed network operators 5. Telecommunications infrastructure 6. Broadband market 7. Digital economy 8. Digital media 9. Mobile communications Companies Mentioned Cablenet Cyta Cytamobile-Vodafone Kibris Telecom MTN Cyprus Multichoice OTEnet PrimeTel For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/w2q73v/cyprus_telecoms?w=4 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005697/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Crowley said it is just as well that there are fewer sailboats on the Chicago River, since there is much more recreational traffic than there used to be with tour boats, motorboats and kayaks. He noted that the river is much less polluted than when his yard started in 1978 and more suited for recreation. [October 08, 2018] Onix Moves Deeper Into Digital Accessibility Marketplace Expert Ryan Pugh joins Equidox team to assist with solutions expansion LAKEWOOD, Ohio, Oct. 8, 2018 /CNW/ -- Onix, creator of the revolutionary and proprietary Equidox PDF conversion software for document accessibility, has further strengthened its leadership position in digital accessibility by bringing onboard accessibility expert Ryan Pugh, formerly of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). Pugh, a professional member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, joins the leading cloud solutions provider to serve as Director of Accessibility. The Deque University certified-accessibility specialist and document remediation expert will assist Onix with growing its role as an industry-leading, full-spectrum digital accessibility consultancy. "This is the information age," says Pugh, "Access to information is a fundamental human right and plays an essential role in all aspects of our lives; yet a billion people are locked out by inaccessible design. It's not about checking boxes, it's about reaching everyone." Prior to joining Onix, Pugh served as an Access Technology Analyst for the National Federation of the Blind in Baltimore, where he was the association's focal point for accessibility and usability testing. He conducted intensive web accessibility audits for compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 AA for numerous Fortune 500 companies, including some of the world's largest online retailers, notable colleges and universities, goernment agencies at the federal, state and local levels and other non-profit institutions. He also delivered accessibility training workshops and managed the NFB's document remediation program, specializing in PDF accessibility. Pugh also has served with the UK Ministry of Defence in various roles. Besides his studies at Herndon, Virginia-based Deque University, Pugh also attended John Cabot Technology College and St. Ursula's Comprehensive School in Bristol, England. "We're thrilled to add Ryan and his immense expertise in the digital accessibility realm to the Equidox team," notes Pat Needles, Equidox Sales Manager. "As Onix expands its digital accessibility focus beyond PDF conversion software and services into a more comprehensive solutions offering, his knowledge and dynamic problem solving skills will be invaluable to us, our partners and our clients." Onix launched Equidox in 2012 to great industry demand and accolades. The company is expanding its digital accessibility consulting and services to include web accessibility training; website testing, auditing and reporting; mobile and tablet testing; document training, conversion and remediation; policy development and consultation and VPAT completion. Learn more about Onix Accessibility Services . About Onix As a leading cloud solutions provider, Onix elevates organizations to the next level of productivity, collaboration, efficiency and success. Since 1992, the company has used its ever-evolving expertise to solve clients' technology pain points across numerous business sectors. Onix creates targeted solutions with infrastructure, collaboration, devices, enterprise search and geospatial technology, using products from such industry leaders as Google and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Onix backs its strategic planning and deployment with incomparable ongoing service, training and support. Onix also offers its own suite of standalone products to solve specific business challenges. Equidox, its flagship accessibility product, is a self-service, semi-automated software solution that converts inaccessible PDF documents into WCAG 2.0 AA-compliant HTML and accessible PDF and EPUB 2 content. Onix also offers accessibility conversion, document remediation, accessibility training and accessibility consulting services. Based in Lakewood, Ohio, near Cleveland, Onix also has a Canadian office in Toronto. Learn more at www.onixnet.com . Contact Karen Masuga Marketing Communications Manager Onix Networking Corp. 216-529-3043 karenm@onixnet.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/onix-moves-deeper-into-digital-accessibility-marketplace-300727056.html SOURCE Onix [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Second Annual Women in Tech Week Kicks Off in New York City NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year, CommonBond and partners are celebrating women in technology and encouraging women to pursue technology careers. CommonBond, a financial technology company that helps lower the cost of student debt in the U.S., today launches the second annual Women in Tech Week, which runs through October 12. Together with founding partners including Betterment, Boxed, and Duolingo, CommonBond created Women in Tech Week to recognize the contributions of women in technology and support the next generation of women leaders. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has praised Women in Tech Week, saying, "Women in Tech Week will [encourage] the next generation of women leaders to pursue careers in the industry. I am proud to join in applauding CommonBond and all of this event's organizers for continuing to accelerate the growth of New York's diverse tech industry as we strive to build a more equitable and inclusive tomorrow." There are two ways to get involved with Women in Tech Week 2018: A social media campaign to support the next generation of women in tech: CommonBond has partnered with Girls Who Code to help fund the next generation of women technologists. CommonBond will donate to Girls Who Code for each social media post that: Answers the question "Why do you support women in tech?" Includes hashtag #2018WITW. Proceeds driven from social media posts will fund scholarships for girls in middle and high school. A female founders event to encourage and inspire women in tech: On October 9, six co-founders from PolicyGenius, Fairygodboss, NextGenVest, and others will share their stories with students and professionals pursuing technology careers at an event in New York City. "It's fundamentally important for technology companies to create environments that empower every single employee to pursue their professional goals," said Bethany Hill, director of communications at CommonBond. "We want to do everything we can to inspire and encourage women to launch and grow careers in the tech industry. Together with our partners, our aim is to show how worthwhile a tech career can be for everyone." Women in Tech Week is part of CommonBond's ongoing commitment to positively effect social change. CommonBond believes that business can and should be a positive force for social change and is the first and only company in finance with a "1-for-1" social mission: for every loan CommonBond funds, it also funds the education of a child in need, through a partnership with Pencils of Promise. The company also sponsors the annual CommonBond Social Impact Award, which grants scholarships to the country's top social entrepreneurs. ? Additional information about Women in Tech Week can be found at witw.commonbond.co. About CommonBond CommonBond is a financial technology company on a mission to give students and graduates more affordable, transparent, and simple ways to pay for higher education. The company offers loans to current students, refinance loans to college graduates, and a suite of student loan repayment benefits to employees through its CommonBond for Business program. By designing a better student loan experience, that combines advanced technology with competitive rates and award-winning customer service, CommonBond has funded over $2 billion in loans for its members. CommonBond is also the first and only finance company with a "1-for-1" social mission: for every loan it funds, CommonBond also funds the education of a child in need, through its partnership with Pencils of Promise. For more information, visit www.commonbond.co. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/second-annual-women-in-tech-week-kicks-off-in-new-york-city-300727077.html SOURCE CommonBond [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Tritium Announces Gilbarco Veeder-Root Makes Minority Investment in Company to Accelerate Global Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Build-Out Torrance, California, Oct. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tritium Pty Ltd., the Australian DC electric vehicle charging infrastructure solutions specialists, today announced that Gilbarco Veeder-Root, a Fortive Corporation (Fortive) (NYSE: FTV) business, has taken a minority investment in the company. Since it launched its first DC fast charger in 2014, Tritium, based in Brisbane, Australia, has become a major global supplier with installations in 26 countries around the world. Gilbarco Veeder-Roots interest in Tritium further validates Tritiums capabilities and technology expertise in the EV space, said David Finn, Tritium chief executive officer and founder. This investment also sends a strong message to the industry about the future of EV charging in the retail fueling and convenience marketits real, its happening and Tritium is at the forefront globally. Gilbarco Veeder-Root will sell all Tritium solutions, including Veefil-PK high-power charging (HPC) systems, which are capable of a full charge of an EV in just five to ten minutes. These high-power charging systems have unique and innovative liquid-cooled technology and a significantly smaller footprint than other HPCs on the market. The Tritium cooling system allows for less wear on internal parts to ensure optimal charger lifetime. Martin Gafinowitz, senior vice president of Fortive, stated, Our partnership with Tritium is the logical next step in our long history of evolving the Gilbarco Veeder-Root business portfolio to address progressive customer needs. This investment provides early and judicious entry into a market with a growing need for rapid charging, which is one of the top barriers to EV purchase. The investment will enable Tritium to accelerate a number of strategic activities, including operational expansion in Europe and the U.S. to keep pace with a fast-growing market. Global sales are predicted to increase by a third in 2018 compared with the previous year (Frost & Sullivan, 2018 ). Other activities include expanding production capacity to meet increased demand for the companys world-leading Veefil-PK High Power Charging System up to 475kW, and new product research and development. Tritium will also look to expand into India, China and the wider Asian region in the medium term, following its success in Europe and the U.S. Tritium has announced a number of customers across the globe in 2018, including a deal to supply its Veefil-PK HPC systems for the IONITY network. IONITY, a joint venture of the BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Co. and the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche, plans to roll out 400 sites across Europe. Tritiums deal is to supply high-power chargers to 100 of those sites across Germany, France, UK, Norway and Sweden. The company also recently signed a deal to supply at least 40 Veefil RT-50kW DC fast chargers for the NRMAs charging network rollout across the state of New South Wales in Australia, and a separate deal to supply 12 Veefil-RTs to NKM Mobilitas Ltd. (Mobiliti) in Hungary. ABOUT TRITIUM Tritium is a fast-moving technology company specializing in the design and manufacture of DC fast-charging solutions for electric vehicles (EVs). Established in Australia in 2001 to provide power-electronic systems and battery energy-storage applications, it launched its first DC fast charger (Veefil-RT) in 2014. Since then it has become a leading global supplier with installations in 26 countries. The U.S. is one of Tritiums major markets, and it opened a manufacturing, R&D and sales facility in Torrance, California, in 2017. Its products are Buy America compliant and Tritiums Veefil-RT 50kW fast charger is currently installed in EV charging networks on major routes across the U.S. In Europe, Tritium holds around 50 percent of the Norwegian market and around 15 percent of the wider European market for 50kW rapid chargers. Customers include Charge.net.nz, EDF Lumins, Fortum, Grnn Kontakt, IONITY, Proterra and Stromnetz. Tritiums headquarters and main manufacturing plant is in Australia, and it has an additional facility in Amsterdam serving the European market. For more information, please visit www.tritium.com.au/. ABOUT GILBARCO VEEDER-ROOT Gilbarco Veeder-Root is the worldwide technology leader for retail and commercial fueling operations, offering the broadest range of integrated solutions from the forecourt to the convenience store and head office. For over 150 years, Gilbarco Veeder-Root has earned the trust of its customers by providing long-term partnership, uncompromising support and proven reliability. Major product lines include fuel dispensers, point-of-sale systems, payment solutions, tank gauges, retail software development and integration and fleet management systems. For more information, please visit www.gilbarco.com/. ABOUT FORTIVE Fortive is a diversified industrial growth company comprised of professional instrumentation and industrial technologies businesses that are recognized leaders in attractive markets. With 2017 revenues of $6.7 billion, Fortives well-known brands hold leading positions in field instrumentation, transportation, sensing, product realization, automation and specialty, and franchise distribution. Fortive is headquartered in Everett, Washington, and employs a team of more than 26,000 research and development, manufacturing, sales, distribution, service and administrative employees in more than 50 countries around the world. With a culture rooted in continuous improvement, the core of the companys operating model is the Fortive Business System. For more information, please visit www.fortive.com. Media contact Anya Khalamayzer Thinkshift Communications anya@thinkshiftcom.com | 732.614.2318 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] GEICO Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony at New Iowa City Office GEICO, the second largest private passenger auto insurer in the U.S., celebrated its new Iowa City office with local officials at a ribbon-cutting event. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005714/en/ Delighted to be cutting the ribbon to celebrate the opening of GEICO's new Iowa office are, from left: Don Bourn, Bourn Companies CEO; Don Robinson, GEICO vice president, Dan Beacom, GEICO regional vice president, Nancy Pierce, GEICO senior vice president; Bill Roberts, GEICO president and CEO; Mayor Terry Donahue of North Liberty, IA; Pete Rizzo, GEICO Iowa general manager; Chris Hoffman (News - Alert) , mayor pro tem of North Liberty, IA (Photo: Business Wire) GEICO President and CEO Bill Roberts and GEICO Iowa City General Manager Peter Rizzo welcomed guests including North Liberty Mayor Terry Donahue, city and county officials, and members of the Corridor business, academic, and civic communities. They also talked about the company's overall growth and hiring plans. "Moving into this new building is a big step for us, both now and for the future," Roberts said. "When GEICO first came to Iowa in 1997, we had about 2.8 million policyholders. Today, we have more than 16.5 million and we're growing-and our team here is an important part of that growth." GEICO's new 50,000-square-foot office, located at 2320 Landon Rd. in North Liberty, is part of the Villas at Liberty Executive Park. The two-story building's brick, glass, and painted metal design puts an emphasis on windows and an abundance of natural light. It is situated on more than five acres of land and easily accessible to I-380. The combination of GEICO's products, financial stability and service capabilities has created ongoing growth for the company for the past several years. GEICO is a member of the Berkshire-Hathaway family of companies, which is ranked as the op global insurance group in the world. GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company), the second-largest auto insurer in the U.S., was founded in 1936 and insures more than 27 million vehicles. To make changes, report claims, print insurance cards and purchase additional products, policyholders can access their insurance policy here, connect via GEICO Mobile, phone or by visiting a GEICO local agent. Homeowners, renters, condo, flood, identity theft and term life coverages are written through non-affiliated insurance companies and are secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc. Commercial auto and personal umbrella coverages are also available. Visit www.geico.com for a quote or to learn more. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005714/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Global Knowledge Introduces Blended Learning to Address Canadian Skills Gaps TORONTO, Oct. 8, 2018 /CNW/ -- Global Knowledge, the worldwide leader in IT and professional training, is introducing "Blended Live," a new training delivery format to address the critical skills gaps faced by many organizations in Canada. Organizations are increasingly citing challenges in acquiring the skills necessary to ensure cybersecurity or adopt new technologies, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence and blockchain. According to the Global Knowledge 2018 IT Skills and Salary Report, 62 percent of organizations are dealing with increased levels of employee stress, 44 percent are having difficulties meeting quality objectives, and 41 percent are facing delays in deveoping new products. Blended Live is a new learning modality that combines on-demand learning with instructor-led training. Todd Johnstone, the Canadian-born CEO of Global Knowledge says, "Every year we work with more than 300,000 IT and business professionals and the way that they want to learn is constantly evolving, as are the technical opportunities for innovating the way we deliver training." "The Blended Live format combines the flexibility of on-demand digital learning with the structure and interactivity of instructor-led training for a cohesive training experience." With Blended Live, students gain the flexibility of online self-paced learning while having access to an expert in a structured environment. Global Knowledge's next-generation virtual classrooms mean that students, regardless of location, are able to see, hear and collaborate with each other as though they are in the same roommaximizing skills development. Global Knowledge offers the broadest IT and business skills training curriculum and provides multiple delivery formats for students to choose from, including blended, on-demand and classroom. About Global Knowledge is the worldwide leader in IT and professional training, helping develop the skills individuals and organizations need to succeed in the ever-changing world. To meet customer needs, Global Knowledge is located in 15 countries, and has the unique flexibility to deliver a broad portfolio of courses in over 100 countries in classrooms, online, and through a worldwide partner network. Established in 1995, Global Knowledge has 1,500 employees worldwide, including award-winning instructors widely considered the best in the industry. Confirmed as the world's leading training provider, Global Knowledge enables the success of more than 300,000 professionals each year. SOURCE Global Knowledge [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] CPS Energy Launches Solar Energy And Battery Storage Project SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CPS Energy has taken a major step in using new technology to produce emission-free renewable energy during high energy use days. This focus on reliability, environmental stewardship and innovation was announced today as Greater San Antonio's natural gas and electric provider broke ground on their first solar energy and battery storage project. The project is a culmination of three years of work which included a partnership with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). For their part, SwRI is providing nearly 50 acres of land on which the solar facility and battery storage system will be constructed. SwRI aims to gain valuable insight into the efficiencies of both solar production and battery energy storage. Sharing that information with CPS Energy will provide the utility with vital information that someday may lead to similar projects on a larger scale as they continue to execute their F l e xi ble P at h . The $16.3 million project, which will be constructed by RES Americas , was approved earlier this year by CPS Energy's Board of Trustees. The site will consist of a 5 megawatt (MW) solar power facility and a 10 MW battery storage system located at 9800 W. Commerce in San Antonio. "Today we took a very important step in advancing our technology in regards to battery storage," said Paula Gold-Williams, President and CEO for CPS Energy. "Working with Southwest Research Institute, we will expand our knowledge of solar energy and battery storage and further expand our energy expertise. For us, the most important thing is to meet this community's energy demand today and tmorrow. This project aligns with our Flexible Path strategy and allows us to reduce our carbon footprint while at the same time incorporating battery storage into our system." "CPS Energy has proven that serving this community with reliable and affordable service is top-of-mind," said City of San Antonio Councilman Greg Brockhouse. "That focus is evident in the way they conduct themselves and the emphasis they place on their People First philosophy. This project is a testament to their open-mindedness and vision for a better San Antonio." As a leader in developing alternative energy and battery technologies, SwRI will help showcase the site as an example of energy innovation. "As beneficial as the site will be to the city's energy future, SwRI will also benefit by leveraging the facility to become even more active in the grid-scale energy storage industry, and to work with battery suppliers and component manufacturers," said Daniel Stewart, Vice President of the SwRI Powertrain Engineering Division. In 2016, CPS Energy applied for and was awarded a New Technology Implementation Grant (NTIG) for $3 million from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to fund part of the project cost. The primary objective of the NTIG program is to offset the cost of the implementation of existing technologies that reduce the emission of pollutants from facilities and other stationary sources which may include electricity storage projects in Texas. The goals of the NTIG are to: Improve the quality of air in Texas in order to meet federal standards established under the Federal Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. Section 7407). in order to meet federal standards established under the Federal Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. Section 7407). Facilitate the implementation of new technologies to reduce emissions from facilities and other stationary sources in the state. Adequately fund the implementation of new technologies that will make the state a leader in new technologies that can solve the state's environmental challenges while creating new business and industry in the state. CPS Energy says the project will allow for solar shifting. This means energy is captured when solar production is at its peak, generally between noon and 2 p.m., can be stored in onsite batteries and dispatched when energy demand is at its peak in San Antonio, between 3-7 p.m. CPS Energy received and evaluated 22 proposals for an engineering, procurement and construction contractor for this project. The energy company selected RES based on their combination of value, technology and financial ability for the construction and turnkey installation of the project. "RES is excited to partner with CPS Energy to construct a solar and energy storage project," says Tom Duckett, RES Executive Vice President. "Having 3 GW of wind and 238 MW of solar already constructed or under construction in the state, this will mark RES' first energy storage project in Texas and will utilize RES' industry leading energy storage control platform, RESolve." Additionally, there are plans to utilize an existing building on the site to develop an educational facility for students and the general public to tour and learn about innovative technologies being used by the utility. The site is expected to be online in the summer of 2019. About CPS Energy Established in 1860, CPS Energy is the nation's largest public power, natural gas and electric company, providing safe, reliable, and competitively-priced service to 804,000 electric and 343,000 natural gas customers in San Antonio and portions of seven adjoining counties. Our customers' combined energy bills rank among the lowest of the nation's 20 largest cities while generating $7 billion in revenue for the City of San Antonio for more than seven decades. As a trusted and strong Community partner, we continuously focus on job creation, economic development and educational investment. True to our People First philosophy, we are powered by our skilled workforce, whose commitment to the community is demonstrated through our employees' volunteerism in giving back to our city and programs aimed at bringing value to our customers. CPS Energy is among the top public power wind energy buyers in the nation and number one in Texas for solar generation. For more information, visit cpsenergy.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cps-energy-launches-solar-energy-and-battery-storage-project-300727158.html SOURCE CPS Energy [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Gulfstream's All-New G500, G600 Headline Company's Presence At NBAA-BACE SAVANNAH, Ga., Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. will showcase its award-winning aircraft and a selection of its customer-centric digital design tools at the 2018 National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) October 16-18 in Orlando, Florida. Customers will have the opportunity to tour the wide-ranging Gulfstream fleet at Orlando Executive Airport. The Gulfstream static display will feature the award-winning Gulfstream G500 and Gulfstream G600, the flagship and award-winning Gulfstream G650ER, the high-performing Gulfstream G550 and the super-midsize Gulfstream G280. Also present will be one of Gulfstream Customer Support's major mobile resources, a specially equipped 74-foot/22.6-meter tractor-trailer. "For 60 years, companies and individuals initially in the U.S. and now worldwide have recognized the value of business aviation and the strategic benefits of operating a Gulfstream aircraft," said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. "We are proud to present our lineup of extraordinary business jets in Orlando, particularly our new G500 and G600, which redefine the standard in the industry for safety, advanced technology and performance. Game-changing aircraf like these make for an aviation experience that is second to none." The G500 and G600, in particular, have been the focus of Gulfstream's recent design initiatives. The company's space at Orlando Executive Airport and its exhibit at the Orange County Convention Center (#256) will include the G500 flight experience, which incorporates a pilot's seat and includes a signature feature of the aircraft's revolutionary Gulfstream Symmetry Flight Deck, the industry's first active control sidesticks. Also at the static will be a real-time seat configurator that enables visitors to virtually design G500 and G600 seats using numerous material, styling and color options. And with the help of an 8-by-46-foot LED floor, customers can view full-size G500, G600, G650 and G650ER floor plans and design their own seating arrangements. Customers can also create custom exterior paint schemes to complement their interiors. At the convention center, the Gulfstream exhibit will include a digital reality experience that highlights Customer Support capabilities in repair and overhaul. Gulfstream personnel will be on-site to discuss features and benefits of Customer Support programs such as Connectivity Service and Aircraft Ownership Service, along with technology upgrades. NOTE TO EDITORS Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world's most technologically advanced business-jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 2,800 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the Gulfstream G280TM, the Gulfstream G550TM, the Gulfstream G500TM, the Gulfstream G600TM, the Gulfstream G650TM and the Gulfstream G650ERTM. We invite you to visit our website for more information and photos at www.gulfstreamnews.com. More information about General Dynamics is available at www.generaldynamics.com . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gulfstreams-all-new-g500-g600-headline-companys-presence-at-nbaa-bace-300727157.html SOURCE Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] McDonald Hopkins set to host "Blockchain is coming: Are you ready?" CLEVELAND, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Blockchain technology might have a revolutionary impact on how all business is conducted. Learn about its many legal challenges and opportunities during "Blockchain is coming: Are you ready" on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at noon. The business hour event will be hosted in the Cleveland office of McDonald Hopkins LLC and streamed live at http://www.mcdonaldhopkins.com. We will discuss, amongst other topics: Smart IP rights - using blockchain to record, track, monetize and enforce IP rights Protecting blockchain innovations Avoiding infringement of existing blockchain IP rights Transactional security issues - recourse (or lack thereof) when something goes wrong Data security - understanding nature of cryptocurrencies and protecting your wallet from criminals and your own missteps What is an Initial Coin Offering (ICO)? Launching your own currency and how it works nderstanding Howey - knowing if a "token offering" is a securities offering SEC enforcement and regulation actions Compliance with existing law Guest Speaker Bernie Moreno , President of the Bernie Moreno Companies and founder of the Blockchain Cleveland movement McDonald Hopkins Moderator Micah Marcus, Member, Litigation and Business Restructuring Panelists Dave Movius, Chair, Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group Ilir Pipa, Chair, Securities Practice Group Colin Battersby, Counsel, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group Location McDonald Hopkins LLC Fifth Third Center 600 Superior Avenue East, Suite 2100 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 Register at www.mcdonaldhopkins.com Complimentary valet parking is available on Superior Avenue in front of the Fifth Third Center. There is no fee to attend this program About McDonald Hopkins Founded in 1930, McDonald Hopkins is a business advisory and advocacy law firm with locations in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Miami, and West Palm Beach. With more than 50 service and industry teams, the firm has the expertise and knowledge to meet the growing number of legal and business challenges our clients face. For more information about McDonald Hopkins, visit mcdonaldhopkins.com. CONTACT: David Carducci McDonald Hopkins LLC 600 Superior Avenue, East, Suite 2100 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 Phone: 216.348.5814 Email: dcarducci@mcdonaldhopkins.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcdonald-hopkins-set-to-host-blockchain-is-coming-are-you-ready-300727055.html SOURCE McDonald Hopkins [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Versum Materials Names Meili Chen Vice President, Human Resources Versum Materials, Inc. (NYSE: VSM), a leading materials supplier to the semiconductor industry, announced today that Meili Chen has joined the company in the position of Vice President, Human Resources. Ms. Chen brings an additional depth of knowledge and experience in human resources that are critical to the Company's future, specifically in Asia. In this role, she is responsible for Versum's global human resources function and broadening the Company's global talent development and performance management systems as Versum evolves to meet its future human capital needs in the regions in which it operates. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005033/en/ Meili Chen, Vice President of Human Resources for Versum Materials (Photo: Business Wire) "Meili's deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities companies face as they build their Asia infrastructures and capabilities will be of great value to Versum, given our significant investments in the region, as Asia represents over 80% of our industry," stated Guillermo Novo, President and CEO of Versum Materials. "Our industry is in a knowledge industry and developing our talent globally is critical to our future." Ms. Chen is originally from Taiwan and has broad human resources experience with several materials and technology-focused companies, including GE, Cigna, Rohm and Haas, Dow, Valspar, Danaher (News - Alert) and FMC, in both Asia and the United States. Most recently, she was the Global Head of Human Resources at FMC's Agricultural Solutions business. Ms. Chen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Tamkang University in Taiwan, a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Kansas and is a Master of Arts candidate in Communication from the University of Hawaii. About Versum Materials Versum Materials, Inc. (NYSE: VSM) is one of the world's leading suppliers of next-generation CMP slurries, ultra-thin dielectric and metal film precursors, formulated cleans and etching products, and delivery equipment that has revolutionized the semiconductor industry. Versum Materials has annual sales of approximately US $1.1 billion, 2,200 employees and operates 14 major facilities in Asia and North America. It is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. Prior to its separation on Oct. 1, 2016, Versum Materials had operated for more than three decades as a division of Air Products (News - Alert) and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE: APD). For additional information, please visit http://www.versummaterials.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181008005033/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 08, 2018] Aqueduct Technologies Named CRN Triple Crown Award Winner WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Aqueduct Technologies, Inc., announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has recognized Aqueduct Technologies for earning it's 2018 Triple Crown Award. This year, 46 solution providers in North America reached the qualifying revenue, growth, and technical expertise to be named on three of CRN's prestigious solution provider lists, earning them the Triple Crown Award. Each year CRN announces lists and rankings to distinguish solution providers who are outshining their peers in the IT channel. It is a great accomplishment for a solution provider to make any one of these lists; so being named in three, as this year's Triple Crown winners have been, deserves special acknowledgment. This year's CRN Triple Crown Award winners rank among the largest IT solution providers by revenue in North America on the Solution Provider 500 list; are among the fastest growing organizations in the channel today on the Fast Growth 150 list; and have made the Tech Elite 250 list by receiving the highest level certifications from leading vendors. "Winning the 2018 Triple Crown for the second consecutive year validates that Aqueduct has the revenue, consistent grwth, and in-depth technical expertise to be in the upper echelon of service providers. We are honored that Aqueduct Technologies is a recipient of this prestigious accomplishment. It is the continued trust and partnership of our customers and business partners has helped make this recognition possible." Manak Ahluwalia, President & CEO of Aqueduct Technologies, Inc. "Each Triple Crown award-winner has simultaneously generated high enough revenue to be ranked on the Solution Provider 500 List, achieved double- or triple-digit revenue growth for recognition on the Fast Growth 150, and devoted significant time and effort to top certifications to attain Tech Elite 250 status," said Bob Skelley, CEO of The Channel Company. "Congratulations to each one of these high-achieving companies who continue to raise the bar for success in the IT Channel." Aqueduct Technologies, along with other 2018 Triple Crown Award winners are featured in the October issue of CRN and can be viewed online at www.crn.com/triplecrown. About Aqueduct Technologies, Inc. Aqueduct Technologies is the top Boston based solutions provider for the delivery of two guaranteed customer outcomes: the performance, availability, and security of critical applications and infrastructure, and the implementation of state of the art collaboration tools to provide an optimal end-user experience and companywide adoption. Our solutions portfolio drives business outcomes and encompasses the best available products and services across all cloud consumption models. Aqueduct stands behind a 100% guarantee of our services. We strive to create customers for life and to be regarded as more than just a trusted partner, but an extension of our customer's organization. Our commitment to our customers, employees, and local community has allowed us to become one of the most successful solution providers in North America. To learn more about Aqueduct, please email info@aqueducttech.com or call (617) 221-3570. About the Channel Company The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aqueduct-technologies-named-crn-triple-crown-award-winner-300727209.html SOURCE Aqueduct Technologies, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The first time I picked up a secreto was from an Iowa meat vendor at a farmers market. I was planning on grilling some chops or maybe a tenderloin, those being the only cuts of pork I or anybody else ever really used. Oh, sure, we all go for the shoulder when it's time to do something like barbecue or a braise, but a grill calls for something that's not so unwieldy. Advertisement The price point caught my eye. At more than $20 per pound for pork, it was the most expensive thing listed on the chalkboard. Plus it had that vaguely foreign name that implied there was something I didn't know secreto. I asked why a cut of pork could be that expensive. Sure, it was all the other buzzwords pasture-raised, organic, antibiotic-free but that alone wouldn't justify that kind of price. "It's a special cut," the vendor said. "It's a flap on the bottom of the belly, near where the skirt steak would be on a cow." Advertisement And with that I bought my secreto all one pound of it and took it home. That little thing was great when it came off the grill, lightly prepared with some salt and pepper and a little bit of citrus. It was soft like a tenderloin and easy to cut when medium rare, but a little fattier and more flavorful. At this price, I was never going to be able to afford it with any regularity, but damn if it wasn't delicious enough to make me want it all the time. After that first encounter I had trouble finding it. Asking the butchers at the local grocery stores, all national chains, was an exercise in futility. And as much as I loved my local meat market, they were just cleaning up cuts from a box. To find the elusive secreto, I needed someone who broke down a whole animal into cuts and would save the prize just for me. Four years later and four states away, I found my marks, a pair of former chefs turned butchers who had opened a whole-animal shop called Porter Road Butcher in Nashville, Tenn. James Peisker and Chris Carter were just what I needed a couple of butchers known for quality cuts and guys who actually like it when nosy people ask a lot of questions about meat. I broached the question of the mysterious secreto. What was it? And can they cut me some? I really wanted in the club if they would just teach me the secret handshake. Peisker smiled. "In our search for the mysterious secreto, the secret cut from the pig, we've talked to a lot of people, because life is about learning and education, so we constantly try to get everybody's opinion," Peisker said. Yes, I thought. Good. These are my people, always wanting to eat better, trying to find that elusive great cut. "The secreto? Everybody calls it a different thing," he said. Advertisement WHAT? The holy grail of pork is just marketing? There's not one secret part? "Completely different parts. A guy from Argentina told us it was the culotte off of pork chops the cap. So if you have your pork chop section? Imagine it as a rib-eye and (waving his hands) you have a rib-eye cap. You have the same muscle in the pigs," Peisker said, disillusioning me a little more with each word. "Chris went to Curate (in Asheville, N.C.) and they were serving 'secreto' and it was the inner skirt steak. And then (noted Detroit chef and 'Charcuterie' co-author) Brian Polcyn in a demonstration said that it was the top blade steak, which we call the paleron." I checked with noted butchers around the country. Sara Bigelow at The Meat Hook in Brooklyn said it's the strip right off the belly, kind of like an outside skirt steak. Russell Flint at Rain Shadow Meats in Seattle said it's a triangle cut under the shoulder blade. Calls to Houston and San Francisco got replies of "secreto what's that?" I had to admit, I was a little crushed. It was a little like pulling back the curtain and finding that Oz was just a short guy with great marketing. Or James Franco. Peisker said he's been asking the question for years of other butchers, chefs and meat lovers. "And I haven't seen one definitive answer. They're all great cuts. You prepare them the same way season it, hard sear, keep it rare, and it's delicious. That's the secret behind it it's not the cut, it's how you cook it. Put it on a rockin' hot plancha and you keep the pork as rare as possible." Advertisement So maybe that's the secret treat it like a password to the good stuff that the meat people know is rare. And if a butcher shop says they've never heard of it, just ask them what they're holding back for themselves. That's probably it. foods@tribune.com Biology & Management Now that the wild turkey has been restored to Tennessee, our goal is to ensure that a vigorous, self-sustaining population is maintained in all suitable habitats of the state. Turkeys will be managed to best meet the needs and desires of the people of Tennessee. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a long-range plan for managing Tennessees wild turkey resource; this plan will direct wild turkey management for the anticipated future. Read the full plan: 2020-2025 Wild Turkey Strategic Management Plan Following restoration, certain parts of the state experienced tremendous turkey population growth. Large numbers of turkeys in these areas of the state have brought about conflicts and, in some instances, economic losses. The popularity of turkeys as a game species versus concern about turkey depredation in some areas of the state has brought about new challenges concerning turkey management. The strategies in TWRA's current management plan seek to resolve these issues while optimizing the worth of the wild turkey. Wild turkey populations in many counties increased rapidly during restoration, reached a peak, and then declined for a time before stabilizing around carrying capacity, a natural occurrence for most restored wildlife populations. Localized annual fluctuations in population numbers are expected moving forward because spring turkey production, which primarily drives turkey populations, can be particularly affected by weather and other factors, especially when a population has reached the habitats carrying capacity. More severe population declines have been observed in other areas of the state, causing local residents, hunters, and managers concern that additional population-level factors are impacting these populations. In response, TWRA seeks to determine the factors impacting these affected regions and as appropriate make management and hunting recommendations designed to improve conditions and wild turkey numbers. Fortunately, as a result of the wild turkey restoration efforts, Tennessee has a wider distribution of huntable flocks which can absorb declines in some local populations without a significant drop in the total harvest. Since weather conditions vary greatly across the state some flocks exist in areas that will be unaffected by the same storms which could be detrimental to poultry survival in other localized flocks. Good production in these areas provides an alternate place for hunters to hunt when local populations are low. Biological Technical Reports Turkey Disease Study Sony A7 II Reader v.double.g has big photography needs, if not quite the budget to support them. Posting in the Tom's Guide forum, v.double.g writes: In short, no, you can't. Those are pretty steep requirements. However, a few models will meet most but not all of those photographic needs. Full frame, but no 120-fps video Sony A7 Sony's original A7 started a revolution with high-end mirrorless cameras; Canon and Nikon are just now catching up. The A7, which you can get with a 28-70mm lens for $998, has a full-frame 24.3MP CMOS sensor, an ISO range of 100-25,600, a 3-inch tiltable LCD and a 0.5-inch XGA OLED electronic viewfinder. While this camera can shoot AVCHD or MP4 1080p video, its max frame rate is 60 fps. Sony a7 Full-Frame Mirrorless Digital Camera Sony a7 Full-Frame Mirrorless Digital Camera Keep in mind that the A7 is about five years and three generations old; early reviewers mentioned that its JPEG image processing wasn't great and its battery life was short. Canon EOS 6D You can also get an international version of Canon's original EOS 6D ($900, body only), which came out in 2012. It has a 20.2-MP full-frame sensor, a wide ISO range of 100-102,400 and 3-inch fixed LCD. Its max video capabilities are 1080p/30 fps, though one advantage of choosing Canon is that there's a wider selection of lenses available. Canon EOS 6D Digital SLR Camera Canon EOS 6D Digital SLR Camera 120-fps video, but not full frame Sony A6300 If shooting video at 120 fps is a priority, you can't go wrong with the Sony A6300, available for $998 with a 16-50mm lens. While it has a smaller, 24.2MP APS-C sensor, it can record 4K video at up to 30 fps and 1080p video at up to 120 fps. It's no slouch when it comes to still photos, either. Sony Alpha a6300 Mirrorless Camera Sony Alpha a6300 Mirrorless Camera Full-frame and 120-fps video, but more than $1,000 If you're willing to exceed your price cap, your options increase dramatically, but you'll have to spend upward of $1,500. In the interests of your wallet, we'll try and keep as close to your budget as possible. Sony A7 II The 2014 successor to the original A7, the A7II has the same full-frame, 24.2-MP sensor but a much improved grip, in-body image stabilization and a faster autofocus. However, the body alone costs $1,398. Sony Alpha a7II Mirrorless Digital Camera Sony Alpha a7II Mirrorless Digital Camera If you know of a camera that ticks the boxes of what reader v.double.g is looking for, share it in the comments.To get answers to your burning tech questions,head to the Tom's Guide Forum for the latest tips from our resident experts and your fellow members. You can also comment on this article or email us directly at helpme@tomsguide.com. Motherboard manufacturers have been trying to hide their Z390 motherboards for months. However, they didn't do a very good job as we've witnessed leaks spreading far and wide. Now that the Intel embargo has officially lifted, we can finally get a good look at the Z390 options from various motherboard vendors. Sadly, aside from an introduction, Intel's 9th generation Core processors will not make an appearance today. The new chips won't be on shelves for at least another week. Look on the bright side, though. At least you can start picking a Z390 motherboard for your future 9000-series processor. We know that many of you probably have a Z390 build planned in your heads, so we went on a mission to gather each and every Z390-based motherboard from each vendor. The end result is an extensive list filled with a plethora of Z390 motherboards in different colors and form factors. You'll surely have no problem finding one that suits your needs. The Z390 Overview Z390 combines the integrated USB 3.1 Gen2 controller, CNVi link, along with support for Windows 10's modern standby, of its latest mainstream chipsets with the overclocking capability and CPU PCIe bifurcation thats typically limited to its Z and X series parts. Intel's block diagram below does a good job of calling out the key features of the new Z390 chipset. We've posted a deeper look at the 300-series chipset during Intel's official launch, and we have performance testing of three new Z390 motherboards in our Z390 Motherboard Preview: Gigabyte, MSI & ASRock Tested article. Without further ado, let's look at the rest of the new Z390 motherboards. ASRock Z390 Motherboards Image 1 of 12 Image 2 of 12 Image 3 of 12 Image 4 of 12 Image 5 of 12 Image 6 of 12 Image 7 of 12 Image 8 of 12 Image 9 of 12 Image 10 of 12 Image 11 of 12 Image 12 of 12 The ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate leads the way as the flagship model of ASRock's lineup. The motherboard comes equipped with beefy features, such as a 12-phase power delivery subsystem, an additional external base clock generator for enhanced overclocking, support for DDR4-4266 memory modules, and a 10GbE LAN port. ASRock has been pushing its Phantom Gaming brand for a while now. The launch of the new Z390 chipset is the perfect opportunity the Phantom Gaming brand to make a splash in the motherboard territory. As a matter of fact, six of ASRock's twelve Z390 motherboards come from the Phantom Gaming family. ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate Asus Z390 Motherboards Image 1 of 15 Image 2 of 15 Image 3 of 15 Image 4 of 15 Image 5 of 15 Image 6 of 15 Image 7 of 15 Image 8 of 15 Image 9 of 15 Image 10 of 15 Image 11 of 15 Image 12 of 15 Image 13 of 15 Image 14 of 15 Image 15 of 15 Asus brings its A-game this generation with nothing less than 20 unique motherboards from the Republic of Gamers (ROG), Strix, The Ultimate Force (TUF), Prime, and Workstation lines. The Maximus XI Extreme is the creme de la creme of Asus Z390 motherboards and comes with many features that include support for DC (Double Capacity) DIMMs, DDR4 speeds over 4,400MHz, 5GbE LAN ports, etc. Some of the notable mentions include a special Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 version of the Maximus XI Hero (Wi-Fi) for die-hard Call of Duty aficionados and the WS Z390 Pro motherboard for workstation users. Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero Z390 Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero Z390 Gigabyte Z390 Motherboards Image 1 of 10 Image 2 of 10 Image 3 of 10 Image 4 of 10 Image 5 of 10 Image 6 of 10 Image 7 of 10 Image 8 of 10 Image 9 of 10 Image 10 of 10 Gigabyte has gone all in on Intel's Z390 chipset. More than half of Gigabyte's Z390 motherboards come with the Aorus branding, so it's pretty obvious that Gigabyte is specifically targeting the gaming crowd. The Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master, as its name implies, is the master of the company's Z390 motherboards. Gigabyte claims the motherboard employs an authentic 12-phase power delivery subsystem. The company even promises an all-core boost clock of 5GHz+ on the forthcoming 9th generation Intel Core processors. There's also a few Z390 motherboards from Gigabyte's Gaming and Ultra Durable product lines for the more budget-conscious consumers. Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master MSI Z390 Motherboards Image 1 of 7 Image 2 of 7 Image 3 of 7 Image 4 of 7 Image 5 of 7 Image 6 of 7 Image 7 of 7 MSI has revamped its nomenclature to identify the brand's motherboards. MEG (MSI Enthusiast Gaming) motherboards come with the company's most advanced technology and features, for example, Killer Networking LAN ports, dedicated audio DAC, Mystic Light RGB lighting, etc. On the other hand, MPG (MSI Performance Gaming) motherboards mainly focus on bringing mainstream gaming features to consumers. Lastly, MAG (MSI Arsenal Gaming) motherboards have a heavy emphasis on functionality and robustness. The MSI MEG Z390 Godlike sits at the top of MSI's motherboard hierarchy. The motherboard has a decked-out 18-phase power delivery subsystem that's designed to squeeze every drop of performance out of Intel's new processors. It also comes with a few nifty accessories like an M.2 PCIe riser card and an HDMI streaming card. MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon NZXT Z390 Motherboards Image 1 of 4 Image 2 of 4 Image 3 of 4 Image 4 of 4 NZXT is a relative newcomer to the motherboard industry. Today's launch marks a special occasion for NZXT: it marks the release of the company's second motherboard. The N7 Z390 resembles its predecessor, the N7 Z370, in terms of design and features with its all-metal motherboard cover, GRID+ digital fan control, and HUE 2 integrated RGB lighting channels. The integrated rear I/O shield is the biggest change on the Z390 model. Supermicro Z390 Motherboards Image 1 of 4 Image 2 of 4 Image 3 of 4 Image 4 of 4 Supermicro might not be very well-known in the mainstream motherboard market, but that didn't stop the US-based motherboard manufacturer from getting in on the Z390 fun. The company's Z390 lineup consists of four models that focus on different user needs. The C9Z390-PGW is Supermicro's top dog that's built to offer the best overclocking performance while the C9Z390-CGW is a more balanced version of the flagship model. Both are equipped with a 10GbE LAN port powered by Aquantia's AQC107 controller. The Z9Z390-CG is Supermicro's cost-effective no-frills model. And last but not least, the C9Z390-CG-IW is the company's Mini-ITX powerhouse. Grandview police say they are searching for two men tonight, after a teenage girl was shot in the leg. It happened around 5:30 p.m. at O'Donnell Park near Highgrove and Raytown Rd. Police say an argument led to the shooting. The teen is in the hospital, expected to recover from her injuries. AND LOCAL FLOODING IS WORSENING Maybe Time To Buy A Boat More rain on the way for Monday, Tuesday Hide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT A LOT OF RAIN TO GO THROUGH AND ANOTHER ROUND COMING IN ON TUESDAY. WE NEED THE RAIN, BUT WE'RE GETTING IT ALL IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. YESTERDAY WE PICKED UP ALMOST 10 INCH AND A HALF AFRAID. Traffic Tragedy Aftermath Cont'd Fatal hit-and-run leaves families grieving OVERLAND PARK, Kan.- A fatal-hit and-run crash Saturday afternoon in Overland Park left families on both side of the state line grieving a day later. Family identified one of the victims as 20-year-old Samuel "Sam" Siebuhr, of Kansas City, Kansas, while Rockhurst High School administrators confirmed that 18-year-old senior Matthew Bloskey also was killed in the crash. Kansas Dude Nuke Talks North Korea ready to allow inspectors into missile sites, Pompeo says North Korea on Monday said it was ready to allow an international group of inspectors into the country's clandestine nuclear and missile sites, a move that could be seen as more evidence in Washington and Pyongyang's thawing relationship. Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Show-Me The Money Game Hawley solicits donations in wake of Kavanaugh confirmation; McCaskill's appeals have more subtly referenced vote WASHINGTON * The vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court broke along party lines in Illinois and Missouri. As expected, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., voted yes to confirm Kavanaugh. Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.: Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., voted no. Check Grainy Golden Ghetto Video Police investigate robbery at Olathe business OLATHE, KS (KCTV) -- Police are investigating an aggravated robbery that occurred Sunday. When the police arrived at the scene, officers learned a Hispanic male wearing a red Kansas City Chiefs sweatshirt entered a business. Police say the suspect purchased an item and then left. Kansas City Street Art Appreciation StoryCorps In Kansas City - Painting Murals Turns Two Artists Into Ambassadors For Their Community StoryCorps' MobileBooth came to Kansas City to collect the stories and memories of residents. This is one in a series of stories KCUR has chosen to highlight. For muralists Phil Shafer, aka Sike Style, and JT Daniels, making bold, colorful murals throughout Kansas City is more than just painting outdoors. The Downtown Agenda This Week The rains continueamid ongoing rain, in this morning news blast we remind locals there'salong the soggy forecast and some other worthwhile topics. Take a look:is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . . Meet the worlds first full-scale hyperloop capsule, called Quintero One (quintero in Spanish means fifth), a 32-meter/105-foot plane without wings or windows, for lack of a better comparison. Its expected to be optimized and ready for passengers in 2019, and its makers are touting it as possibly the safest form of transportation in the world. The Full Story The pod was built in southern Spain by HyperloopTTs partner, a new company called Artificial, which usually does contracts for Boeing and Airbus. It measures 32 meters, or 105 feet, in length, and weighs 5 tons. Its inner cabin length is 15 meters, or 50 feet, roughly the size of an average subway car. According to its makers, it took 21,000 hours of engineering and a further 5,000 assembly hours to complete the vehicle, using 82 carbon fiber panels and 75,000 rivets. It apparently even has a double skin, so that in the event the outer one ruptures during operation, it can safely take its 188 passengers home. The company calls the woven material it uses for the capsule Vibranium and it has been specially designed for this application. And now that it has been completely assembled, it will go to the companys research and development center, in Toulouse, France where further building and testing will be carried out. The co-founder and CEO of HyperloopTT, Dirk Ahlborn, said The creation of this capsule represents over a year long journey of the best expertise in design, engineering, and the development of cutting edge materials. In just five years we have solved and improved upon all of the technology needed for Hyperloop with our new levitation system, vacuum pumps, batteries, and smart composites. This capsule will be a part of one of the most efficient transportation systems ever made. Interestingly, the idea to have a train-like vehicle travel through vacuum tube is by no means new (its called a vactrain), and it was actually first thought up in the 18th century and then many proponents of the idea came and went over the years and nothing really serious happened. That is, however, until 2012 when Elon Musk picked up the idea and became a serious advocate for it. Musk called it Hyperloop and made it clear that it would be an open source project and several companies have picked up the idea, including TransPod from Canada, Zeleros from Spain and Virgin Hyperloop One. But HyperloopTT is probably closest to making a viable design and its design will apparently be ready first. Further Reading Read about Hyperloop One. Read more technology news. Trump is all set to change the ten sites picked by the Obama administration to be nations breeding ground of self-driving car testing. The sites that were officially designated as federally-recognized "automated vehicle proving grounds," will soon have to compete with the rest of the country to win the spot. This was said by two people working on the matter, but preferred to remain anonymous. New Autonomous Testing Rules To Be Put Into Practice Under Trumps governance, the U.S. Transportation Department plans to reject ten locations autonomous test sites from California to Florida. At the same time, the transportation department is preparing a new autonomous car testing initiative that it imagines will eventually lead to testing and demonstration pilots nationwide by companies, cities, states and others. The changes are expected to be announced soon, when Elaine Chao, Transportation Secretary, and other officials announce the third iteration of the departments automated vehicle policy. Other Policies To Be Announced Along With This Although the plan is still a work-in-progress, its intended to complement the transportation departments drone demonstration program announced in May last year. That program prompted ten projects, which brought together companies with local, state and tribal governments for new drone uses. According to the sources, the department will first seek for feedbacks on the issues posed by autonomous vehicles that should be addressed in the pilot projects. Project proposals will be solicited once those subjects are determined. These initiatives are part of the transportation departments third automated vehicle policy guidance. The policy has solely focused on highly-automated passenger cars and was last updated in September last year. However, this will be the first time that the guidance will go beyond automated cars to include the federal agencies that oversee gas pipelines, long-haul trucks, highways and public transit systems. Final Thoughts Are all these things done just to make a point and prove that the last governance did not do things well? Or will the new sites actually be an improvement over to-be scrapped sites? Well have to wait and watch till the official announcement is made. Do you think this was a right step to make? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Further Reading Read more technology news. Read more autonomous cars news. Source: Bloomberg From the EditorFriday Reflections Judgement Daze When Multiple Crises Brings Us to Our Knees Tweet October 5, 2018 This Public Discourse article on Karamazov and Kavanaugh by Randall Smith is well worth your time. He touches upon an enduring feature of human society, the temptation to use the justice system to redress systemic issues and tensions within society. You might call such tensions, when they are strong enough, crises. This dynamic surely has been in play in Chicago recently, focused on the trial of CPD Officer Jason Van Dyke for first degree murder in the death of Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times during an incident in which he, high on drugs, wielded a knife in October 2014. Van Dyke was prosecuted for first degree murder, and was found guilty this afternoon of second-degree murder. Up until the verdict, the city sat on a knife's edge and it was a crisis. The word crisis derives from the Greek word to separate, as wheat from chaff, therefore to judge. A crisis arises when things must go one way or another, a decision must be made. But the question that each juror has to ask is not what will acquittal or conviction mean within the context of the current tensions or debates about policing but, is the defendant guilty or not guilty of the charges? Period. Isn't the notion that the truth of a matter must be found and adjudicated one of the distinguishing marks of civilization? Without it, you have tribal warfare as a matter of lifestyle, the blood feud (read the Njal Saga) as a mutually conflicting exercise of virtue. Moderns say they respect the rule of law even when it is manmade and arbitrary (socially constructed?) such as zoning laws or speed limits, and more so when it is rooted in something higher, transcendent, "the moral law." While the law may be clear, our lives and deeds are not so transparent. And we must judge. There are differing sides and forces, often leading to crises which must eventually be decided one way or the other. Orthodox scholar, layman, and diplomat Charles Malik, in his Foreword to his Christ and Crisis, a collection of seven essays, discussed the word crisis and the sense of crisis in the world at the time (1962). His words apply as much today as then. An extended quote: "Are you perplexed? Do you 'feel' the crisis? Do you 'feel' something profoundly wrong, both in your life and in the affairs of the world? Do you as it were 'hold your heart in your hand.' Fearing the almost the next moment something terrible is going to break outboth in you and in the world? Have you reached the point where you simply do not quite trust the processes of the world (including nature, science, economics, politics, and even the best good will), suspecting that there is in them a flaw somewhere, a false note, an immanent principle of darkness, destruction, and death vitiating everything at some stage (e.g., when a system you painstakingly built up collapses, or when a friendship you nursed with your heart and tears goes to pieces, or when you die)?" Your response? Malik advises: "If such is the state of your mind, both with respect to yourself and to the world, then what these meditations are suggesting is that, if you turn with all your heart to Jesus Christ, on your knees, in the Bible, in the communion of saints throughout history, in your moments of absolute contemplation, in the great tradition, and above all in the Church, it is more certain than any mathematical proof that he will show you, not only why the perplexity and the crisis and the wrong and the flaw and the awful uncertainty of the moment, but how to overcome, in him, all this havoc of the devil." (p. 2, Christ and Crisis, Acton Institute, 2015) A big If: Malik says without it, "Nothing will be revealed to you." But if we have the mind of Christ, we have what we need in crises. And eventually, Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, "will come again with glory to judge. . . " Yours for Christ, Creed & Culture, James M. Kushiner Executive Director, The Fellowship of St. James James M. Kushiner is Executive Editor of Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, and Executive Director of The Fellowship of St. James. My introduction to North Africa's aromatic spices and sweet-savory alchemy came in the late '70s when, as a food writer for a Detroit newspaper, I was assigned to cover a Moroccan food class in Ann Arbor, Mich. Esteemed Moroccan food specialist Paula Wolfert held us captive with unheard of (well, to me) combinations of ingredients such as lamb with raisins and almonds, beef with grilled peppers and tomato jam, and a chicken pie that had nothing in common with Betty Crocker's. Two artists and friends, Ann DerGara and Keith Spencer, are exhibiting new work at The Depot, located at 22 Depot St. in Tryon, beginning Oct 5. The public is invited to an opening reception hosted by the artists on Friday, Oct. 12, from 5-7 p.m. The enthusiasm with which DerGara approaches her art is a lifelong passion. She and her husband own the Red Wolf Gallery in Brevard. She sold her first painting five years prior to beginning formal education at Georgia State University in Atlanta. In 1978, a printmaking course at the Atlanta College of Art stirred her interest in printmaking, Her mastery of the art of printmaking has been described as remarkable. Though she is a master printer, painting remains DerGaras first love. Her brilliant use of color expresses her passionate respect for the harmony of nature. Spencer, a Tryon painter, has been in the area for 26 years and has been self-employed as an artist for 22 years. He grew up in Louisville, Ky., and received degrees in art and biology from Berry College in Rome, Ga. He has been described as both an expressive painter and a true colorist. His landscapes are frequently painted in the alla prima tradition (one sitting) and will often include the mountainous area of Western North Carolina, as well as the American West.This exhibit can be seen during business hours Monday through Fridays through Nov. 15. The 2018 Bag Lunch Arts Series continues in October with a presentation by author and naturalist Marci Spencer as she reveals the history and splendor of the Nantahala National Forest. The program begins at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 16, in the Rogow Room at the Transylvania County Library and is made possible by the Friends of the Library. Created in 1920, the 500,000-acre Nantahala National Forest dominates the rugged southwestern corner of North Carolina. Rivers such as the Cullasaja, Chattooga and Tuckasegee carve deep gorges, making the region one of the wettest in the nation and the Whitewater River tumbles over the highest waterfall in the eastern United States. Power companies dammed local rivers, creating some of North Carolinas most scenic recreational mountain lakes. The high peaks, secluded coves and forested woodlands of the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Panthertown Valley and other areas hold cultural and natural history secrets. Shell have copies of her book available for sale and signing after the program. A masters of science degree from East Tennessee State University prepared Spencer for a career as a nurse practitioner in the fields of cardiology, emergency services, family medicine and overseas medical missionary work. Weekends found her piloting a private aircraft or climbing a mountain somewhere. Now retired, Spencer has volunteered in public resources at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, stationed at Clingmans Dome and a volunteer educator for Appalachian Bear Rescue. She has authored three regional histories: Clingmans Dome, Highest Mountain in the Great Smokies, Pisgah National Forest: a History, and Nantahala National Forest: a History, all published by History Press. The Yosemite Conser-vancy included Marci's essay, Pine Siskins Make History in its book, The Wonder of it All: 100 Stories from the National Park Service, published to celebrate the centennial of the NPS. Spencer earned naturalist certifications from the N.C. Arboretum, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and the N.C. Environmentalists Education Program. She has taught classes for the Montreat College Lifelong Learning Center and spoken to USFS retirees from all over the country at their 2018 National Reunion at the Cradle of Forestry. She was recently voted Naturalist of the Year by the Blue Ridge Naturalist Network. The Bag Lunch Arts Series is sponsored by the Friends of the Transylvania County Library. Proceeds from Friends memberships and from Second Story Book Store sales help pay for all of the programming at the library. There is never a charge to attend programs and the public is invited to bring along a bag lunch to enjoy during this presentation. Refreshments for Bag Lunch are provided by the Friends and include cookies and coffee from Blue Ridge Bakery. For more information, call the Transylvania County Library at 884-3151. The Planets Throughout the summer we have had an arch or bridge in the early evening formed in the south by all five of the naked-eye planets (although a maximum of four at a time). As the nights have progressed, this parade of planets has been moving westward each night as we orbit our central star and our perspective from the Earth has changed. By the end of June, the elusive Mercury, which had been anchoring the Western end of this arch, disappeared into the evening twilight soon replaced by the brilliant orange specter of Mars rising in the southeast. I dont usually use the appellation brilliant for Mars, but back on July 31 this fascinating planet passed closer to the earth than in the past 15 years. So, I must admit that Mars has been brilliant this summer. While we are now moving rapidly away from the red planet, Mars is now the brightest object in the early evening sky outshining even Jupiter. Look for a sparkling orange Mars well up in the south as the sky darkens; it will remain in roughly the same direction and height at dusk for the rest of the year. However, if you look closely at the stars behind the red planet, you will see Mars itself is moving eastward in front of the stars of Capricornus, the seagoat. In other words, as the sky carries Mars westward, the planet itself is moving eastward like a kid trying to run up a down escalator. But, summer is over and this arch of planets is disappearing. The brilliant Venus is no longer our evening star as it has disappeared into the evening twilight. On Oct. 26 it will pass through inferior conjunction when it will be 6 south of the sun. It will reappear in the predawn skies as our morning star the last few dawns of the month and into the new year. It takes Venus, in its orbit around the sun, just short of 20 months to repeat this cycle of evening star to morning star and back again. Astronomers call this its synodic period. The beautiful ringed planet Saturn is now well up in the southwest at dusk. Its rings were open to a maximum extent last year and are still tilted enough towards Earth so as to present an awe-inspiring sight through a small telescope. On the evening of the Oct. 14 it stands with the waxing crescent moon above the teapot of Sagittarius. Mercury is once again in the evening sky but very low in the Western twilight. We would say this is not a good apparition for the casual northern hemisphere observer to spot it. Time to take a trip south of the equator! The Stars We are now in a transition between the stars of summer and those of the fall. As we look high in the west after sunset, we can still find the Summer Triangle consisting of the bright stars Deneb in the swan, Vega in the lyre and Altair in the eagle. But in the east, we have the Great Square of Pegasus, the flying horse, rising higher each evening. Accompanying this magnificent beast are all the players in the great story of Andromeda, the chained princess, and her hero, Perseus. First, there are Andromedas parents, King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia, rising in the northeast. Cassiopeia is easy to find as it consists of five bright stars in the form of a letter W. Above the queen lies Cepheus but not as obvious; look for the shape of a nearly upside-down house with a tall roof peak. And, in the early evening, a rather shy Perseus is just coming over the horizon. The Big Dipper, in the constellation of Ursa Major, the great bear, is sinking lower in the northwest with each passing night. Obviously, fall is not a good time to observe this asterism, and, if we have any sort of obstruction, a tree or a mountain ridge, in that direction, we will not see it at all. Various Native American nations had differing traditions regarding the great bear. One common story is that in the fall, as the bear gets lower in the northwest each night, it is hunted and has been wounded. As the blood falls from the wound, it stains the trees on earth below, producing the fall colors. Finally, as winter approaches, the great bear disappears below the horizon in the early evening. The Native Americans associated this disappearance of the great bear in the sky with that time of year when bears were no longer active in the forests below. Celestial Calendar: Oct. 8, 11:47 p.m. EDT - New moon. Oct. 16, 2:02 p.m. EDT - First quarter moon. Oct. 21, 2 p.m. EDT - Orionid meteors peak. (About the Learning Center at PARI: The Learning Center at PARI is a public not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization established in 1998. Located in the Pisgah National Forest, the Learning Center provides STEM educational programs at all levels, from K-12 through post-graduate research. For more information about the Learning Center at PARI and its programs, visit http://www.pari. edu.) L.C. Betsill's father, Victor, came to Brevard to work at Transylvania Tanning in the early 1920s. He opened his own barbershop, pictured here, on Carver Street in 1924. "Transylvania Memories," published in 2011, captured the stories of some of Transylvania County's older residents through oral interviews. Peggy Hansen recorded their memories of growing up in the 1920s, local life during the Depression and into the 1940s and then compiled it into a book. Each chapter offers a unique perspective of growing up in what they all agree was a simpler time. L.C. Betsill shared his experiences growing up in the African-American community of Rosenwald. When asked about segregation of schools and businesses, Betsill said, "People accepted a lot of things because it had always been that way, but that didn't mean they was satisfied." He went on to talk of the respect children had for their elders, the strong work ethic and the sense of community. These were common themes throughout the memories. Jeraldine "Jerri" Raxter Paxton said, "Children were more responsible back then. You were expected to do things the right way. That was the only way. You did what you were expected to do. The older kids would teach the younger kids their manners." Paxton told of the many chores she and her siblings had but also of the fun and games. Dalice Gravley Powell agrees regarding people's work ethic and strong family bonds. Her family, like Betsill's, came from South Carolina for the jobs Silversteen's timber and tanning industries offered. Even during the Depression her father had a job and the family all worked on the farm to put food on the table. The people interviewed included those who grew up in the towns of Brevard and Rosman, as well as those from the rural areas around Balsam Grove, Cedar Mountain, Cherryfield, Dunn's Rock, Lake Toxaway, Middlefork, Old Toxaway, Pisgah Forest, Rosenwald and Silversteen. Regardless of where they were raised though, all spoke with pride of the community they called "home." Employees at Silversteen's Transylvania Tanning, located on the south side of Brevard, line up for a company photo. Many of those interviewed for "Transylvania Memories" have since passed away and are reminders of the importance of capturing the stories of loved one now. The book is available to be checked out at the Transylvania County Library. Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs. For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at [email protected], or call (828) 884-1820. A forum on the proposed amendments to the N.C. Constitution will be held on Tues, Oct. 16, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 22 Fisher Road in Brevard. The evening, which will begin with a spaghetti supper, is being sponsored by Transylvanias NAACP. Jen Jones, director of communications and digital strategy for Democracy NC, a non-partisan organization, is the featured presenter. Jones will discuss the six amendments proposed by the N.C. Legislature for voter ratification this fall. She will explain why Democracy NC is urging North Carolinians to vote against all six, according to a press release. Jones will explain that two are simply unnecessary, the release said, and are intended to confuse voters; two are partisan attempts to pack courts, boards and committees and diminish the separation of powers; and two are assaults on the poorest and most marginalized people in the state, often African-Americans. Along with North Carolinas NAACP and ACLU, the release said, all five of North Carolinas living former governors (Democrats and Republicans), and all six of the states former chief justices of the Superior Court (Republicans and Democrats) have indicated their opposition to the proposed amendments, which former Gov. Pat McCrory has called an effort to hijack our constitution. Jones will tell why opposition to the six amendments is strong and growing, the release said. Silvermont Opportunity Center is be partnering with Vaya Health (formerly Smoky Mountain MCO) in Asheville to provide free seminars to Transylvania County residents. The seminars will be led by a member of Vayas Geriatric and Adult Specialty Team, which travels throughout Western North Carolina providing community outreach in an effort to educate the community on various topics. The next seminar will be held on Thursday, Oct. 18, at 10 a.m. The topic of the seminar is Managing Holiday Stress. This training focuses on simple, everyday ways to manage stress during the holiday season as related to caregiving. Discussion, guided imagery and group exercises are used to understand the prolonged effects of excessive stress. This seminar is open to the general public. Classes will be held at Silvermont Opportunity Center, which is located at 364 E. Main St. in Brevard. To reserve your seat, call 884-3166. What should a city do with thousands of abandoned and orphaned children running the streets? For 19th-century New Yorkers, the answer was the orphan train For Tamra Wilson, of Newton, the topic has personal undertones. Researching her mothers family, she happened upon a discovery that would explain the mystery about her maternal great-grandmother, Sarah McGuirk, an orphan train rider. Wilson will present an illustrated talk about her research for the Transylvania Heritage Museum on Thursday, Oct. 18. The presentation, free and open to the public, begins at 3 p.m. and will be held at the College Walk Retirement Community in Brevard. A TV program Orphan Train was broadcast in 1979 and it piqued my interest, Wilson said. The movie, guest starring Glenn Close, depicted children resettled from New York to American farm country to solve two problems: an overpopulation of abandoned children in Manhattan and a need for cheap (free) farm labor elsewhere. Elsewhere became Canada, Mexico and 45 states, including Illinois, where her great-grandmother turned up in Piatt County as a young girl with no known relatives. Sarah McGuirk McKinley was the maternal grandmother of Wilsons mother, who lived in central Illinois. Wilson is a long-time history buff, genealogist, writer and researcher. She is a local columnist in Newton and has published a story collection and, most recently, co-edited Idol Talk, an anthology about teen idols published in 2018 by McFarland & Company. She travels the state of North Carolina as a Road Scholar with the N.C. Humanities Council. Wilson had a lot of company as an orphan train rider. For 75 years, an estimated 150,000 children were moved out of Manhattan by train. Some of the young riders were happily resettled in rural areas and adopted by loving families. Others were cruelly treated by their sponsors who used them as slave laborers. And a few returned to New York. Sarah died when my grandfather was 4, Wilson said. The family story was that Sarah was an orphan, a servant girl. Little else was known about her. Sarah married a Civil War veteran in 1869 and died at age 31 near Monticello, Ill. I suspected that Sarah was an orphan train rider, but I didnt have enough proof other than circumstantial evidence, Wilson said. That proof came in the 1860 federal census, digitized and indexed a few years ago. I knew that the Childrens Aid Society of New York sent children to the Midwest as early as 1853, Wilson said. There she was on the 1860 census: Sarah McGurk (sp), living in the Juvenile Asylum in New York City, age 9. Listed on the orphanage census was James McGurk, her brother. Wilson has since located rare orphan train documents for both Sarah and James in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University. For more information, contact the Transylvania Heritage Museum at (828) 884-2347. From the open cargo door of a Black Hawk helicopter flying 500 feet above southeastern North Carolina in wind and rain, Bobby Cooper, the Emergency Management Services (EMS) director for Transylvania County, scanned for survivors amid the flooded wreckage of Florence's path. Cooper, a member of the N.C. Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (HART), started on the series of rescue operations with a crew of seven on Sept. 15, and during a period of 12 days they saved 10 people and three dogs, then returned back to base in Salisbury on Sept. 26. "On our first rescue, we picked up four people and two pit bulls," Cooper said. "We were given the coordinates and flew to the house, and there were two guys standing out on the deck with water lapping against it." Cooper said they did not want to leave without their dogs. "I talked to the pilot, and he said if I could get them in and manage them, then we could take the dogs," he said, "We sent a rescuer down and used a couple of different devices, such as a cinch collar that goes around the chest, and we were able to bring up the first three people." Using what's called a "coast guard basket," a wire-framed basket that goes on a hook, they were able to lift up the two dogs and secure them in the helicopter before saving the last victim. From there, they took them to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington. Formed in 1999, HART is specialized team consisting of N.C. Emergency Services, N.C. National Guard, N.C. State Highway Patrol and members from other local response agencies such as fire and rescue teams. "The National Guard provides the aircraft, the two pilots and crew chiefs. Then, we have three civilian rescuers in the back, and we sit in the door of the aircraft looking," Cooper said. "If we see something, then we hover around in a circle until we figure out the best way to approach the operation." Cooper, who has been a rescue technician with HART since 2004, said HART was started to help victims of wide-area flooding, but it is also used to recover lost hikers, such as the most recent operation in which he was involved when he assisted in locating the body of 53-year-old Mitzie Sue Clements two miles from the Clingmans Dome parking lot, and three-quarters of a mile from the Appalachian Trail, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on Oct. 2. "That's mostly what we do throughout the year," he said, "but when these hurricanes come, availability requests get sent out, and when something like Florence gets closer, we start planning things out over a week before the storm ever makes landfall." With HART, rescuers meet at Rowan County Airport in Salisbury. "On Tuesday the 11th, we got our assignment, and then on the 14th we received our activation orders. Then, we started off in Salisbury at 8 a.m. on the 15th," he said. "We got sent to two different areas, where there were reports of flooding, and we would look for things like breaches, where water had breached a dam or levy, or we would look for people who would be stranded." There were four aircraft, three for the day and one at night, and in one week, Cooper said, the helicopter flew 29.8 hours, and they flew in three-hour shifts. "We flew everywhere between Wilmington, Kinston, New Bern, Fayetteville, all through that southeastern part of the state," he said. The crew has two pilots, he said. One flies while one handles radio comm-unication and GPS. There are two crew chiefs who sit in each side window watching for potential rescue operations and other aircraft. The crew chiefs also have duties such as fuel management and running the hoist, which, using ropes and pulleys, is the main tool in lifting survivors out of dangerous situations, and for lowering the rescue team members down. Cooper, a senior rescue team leader, manages the operations in the back. "I'm usually sitting in the side door of the aircraft, and we hover around so that we can have a good 360 degree view of what the situation is and come up with a good game plan of how we are going to go through with the rescue," he said. "The pilot can only see from front to side, not behind, and since we are maneuvering into some tight places, we also help the pilot avoid obstacles." In addition, he helps manage the survivors who are rescued and tethered into the back of the helicopter, he said. On their next rescue operation, they found a house with water rising up to the yard. "There were a couple of guys walking around the house without a way to get out, so we sent someone down and he found that one gentleman there was handicapped, so we hoisted him out and got him to the hospital, but the other people wanted to stay," he said. In a similar situation, water was approaching a home with a couple and a small terrier dog, and they were able to hoist them to safety using the same kind of devices, the cinch collar and Coast Guard basket. In their final rescue operation, they flew over a fire department truck that had gotten stuck. "It looked like he had already driven through some flood waters and started to drive through some more, then decided to turn around when he backed up, and the back wheels ran off the road, landing him in a ditch, with both back axles underwater," Cooper said. "The man was still sitting in the truck with dry pavement on the left side of the truck and water on the ride side." Cooper said the man waved them off, saying he didn't need help. "We actually sent someone down to talk to him, and he told the rescuer that someone was coming to pull him out, so we pulled our rescuer back up and flew to the nearest fire department," he said. Cooper said when they flew back by later, they found that the truck that had come to pull him out also got washed off the road, so they got them out and back to the fire department. There were 28 Black Hawk helicopters in all in the skies meeting the needs of those affected by Florence, with resources coming in from 11 other states. Hurricane Florence dissipated on Sept. 19 and had caused record-breaking rainfall of more than 30 inches, with at least 53 deaths in relation to the storm, and damages estimated at $38 billion. Cooper, who started working for EMS in Transylvania County in 1994, said, for him, training for and joining HART was about taking the training he already had to another level. "It was just a matter of using the skills I already have and learning new ones so that I can help those in need," he said. Susan and Steve Martin facilitate meetings of the Family Support Group in the library of St. Philip's Episcopal Church. (Courtesy photo by Norah Davis) "How many people in our society never tell anyone that they have a family member who is in prison? And how many people with family members in jail are feeling very much alone?" Susan Martin raised those questions recently, just prior to a meeting of the Family Support Group. Susan and her husband, Steve, provide professional facilitation for the support group, which meets monthly at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Brevard. The meetings provide a context in which participants can confidentially share their stories. The families help each other find solutions to problems they face because... I am registered as an unaffiliated voter, but I am supporting Sam Edney, a Democrat, for state legislature because we both agree on the need to improve North Carolina public education. Since moving to Brevard nearly 15 years ago, I have watched funding for public schools steadily decline from a leadership position in the southeastern U.S. to appoint where we are ranked at the level of Alabama and Mississippi. Sam, who served on the Board of Education in the past, recognizes the need to strongly support public education from pre-K through high school to get North Carolina to a leadership p... Miller: Its not a holiday designed to take away someones culture or anything like that. Were not trying to erase the history of Italian-American folk. This isnt the native community taking a stand against the Italian community or anything like that. This is a recognition of the true history of what happened to indigenous folks all around the country, so were asking people to take the time to really think about whose land were on and to think about the various contributions that native folks have made to this country. Much of the country, divided though we may be, are riveted to the Senate confirmation hearings for U.S. Appeals Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh who has been nominated to become a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. Questions regarding his character and temperament have been raised regarding alleged behavior of sexual assault from many years ago. His accuser, Dr Christine Ford, has appeared consistent and credible in her testimony; I think only the most partisan trolls would say otherwise. His denial is also seen as credible by many observers, not all of whom are counted as his fans. What I find... What does it take to secure the Northern Ireland Travel Student of the Year award? (Photo: Pixabay | JESHOOTScom) Ready to collect her NI Travel 'Student of the Year' accolade at the Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards in mid-October, Travel and Tourism graduate Katherine Wilkinson from North West Regional College (NWRC) is delighted with her achievement. As Luane Quigley, Curriculum Manager in Travel and Tourism at NWRC told the Derry Journal, "Katherine is the first student from Derry (Londonderry) to win the title of Student of the Year and, on behalf of the North West Regional College, I would like to congratulate her on this success." From living in Canada and then returning to Derry, Katherine is quite the traveller. Nominated by Quigley for this NI Travel award, Wilkinson's win has triggered an influx of curiosity for other travel and tourism students about how to obtain such an achievement. Read Full See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 TOURISM EXPO (TRAVPR.COM) KARNATAKA - October 6th, 2018 - Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions is pleased to announce the 108th edition of its India International Travel Mart, to be held from 28 - 30 September 2018, at MMRDA Grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. The exhibition will be inaugurated by Honble Sri. Om Prakash Bhagat, Director, Tourism Jammu, on Friday, 28 September 2018 at MMRDA Grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. With this years edition of IITM in Mumbai, Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions completes Nineteen years of providing the travel industry and discerning buyers from the travel-trade and corporate sector an opportunity to do business. India International Travel Mart will showcase a variety of destinations from different spheres such as pilgrimages, adventures, culture & heritage, beaches, hills and much more. The event will have over 250 participants from over 8 countries and over 20 Indian states. The participants include Travel Agents & Tour Operators, DMC, Hotels & Resorts, National Tourist Organizations, Cruises, Airlines, Online Travel Portals etc. The three-day event will showcase glimpses from the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. The time for IITM Mumbai is perfect for the upcoming holiday season in India, Dussehra (Vijayadashami also known as Dasara, Dussehra or Dussehra is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navratri every year) & Deepavali, with long weekends as well as round-the-year travel, vacations and business plans. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sanjay Hakhu, Director, Sphere TravelMedia said, India in spite of the present business environment is fast emerging as one of the most interesting and productive countries for the travel trade industry both for leisure and business travel. A combination of factors is responsible for the growth and demand of travel trends from India. The visitor profile is on a B2B & B2C format like and will have over 15,000 buyers over three days. Tourism Studies and Trends indicate that the year 2018 19 will see more than 20 million Indian tourists embanking on overseas travel and with the advent of low-cost international airfares and holiday packages that are available on monthly instalments payable over a period of time, International travel is no longer a luxury. Highlights: Some of the International participants who are participating this year include participants from Bhutan, Dubai, Iceland, Maldives, Thailand etc Gujarat and Goa are the Partner States while Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir will be the Feature Destinations at the event. Other states being represented include Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal and many more. More than 150 hotels and resorts are participating from all over India, making it one of the most diverse ranges of hospitality products in the country on display. Diverse Tourism segments on display such as Pilgrimage Travel, Adventure, Cultural pursuits, shopping tours, etc. International Holiday Packages from IRCTC The 'India International Travel Mart' provides an ideal 'marketing opportunity' and 'excellent backdrop' to enhance the participant's 'brand-equity' in the eyes of the discerning end consumer and the travel-trade. Boost for Domestic Tourism: The event showcases travel and hospitality products from every part of the country, making it one of the biggest congregations of travel-trade in the country. The event provides unmatched networking opportunities to interact with Travel-Trade and Corporate Buyers alike. Mr Rohit Hangal, Director, Sphere Travelmedia added: domestic travel as the backbone of Indias tourism portfolio and with an estimated 561 million domestic tourist visits. This segment is probably only second to China in terms of sheer size. With the rapid economic development taking place in the country and availability of greater disposable income combined with affordable holiday packages, tourism in India is increasing steadily and acts as a catalyst for the furthering the economic growth in view of its wide-ranging linkage effects and multiple impacts. The participants from the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and many more destinations will be seen aggressively marketing their products will be there with their travel and tourism stakeholders. ### Pruitt has his finger in so many pies that if you do the math, you realize he has averaged more than 540 edits per day. You score an edit whenever you save your changes, so one edit could be anything from fixing a typo to overhauling an article. Pruitt considers himself a WikiGnome (according to Wikipedia, "a wiki user who makes useful incremental edits without clamouring for attention"), and he works the gamut, though much of his recent focus is on "authority control" - linking entries to worldwide library catalogs - and especially on categorizing articles. "It keeps me out of trouble more than anything," he says of his time-consuming hobby. "It allows me to scratch the scholarly itch." Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : COX & KINGS' TRAVEL BROCHURE WINS PATA GOLD AWARDS 2018 Industry: Travel Awards Celebrating 260 years, Cox & Kings Ltd., the oldest and leading tour operator with operations in 22 countries won the prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award in Marketing Media - Consumer Travel Brochure category. (TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - September 22nd, 2018 - Mumbai, 14th September 2018: Celebrating 260 years, Cox & Kings Ltd., the oldest and leading tour operator with operations in 22 countries won the prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award in Marketing Media - Consumer Travel Brochure category. Cox & Kings entry 'Experiential Showcase of the Indian Journeys' was chosen of the numerous nominations, by an esteemed Jury Panel consisting of the travel industry's luminaries. The award ceremony that took place at Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre (MIEC), Langkawi, Malaysia recognised 32 outstanding entries from the travel and tourism industry. Peter Kerkar, Group CEO, Cox & Kings said, 'Customer engagement means a great deal to us and we are always looking at innovative ways to showcase and promote our offerings to the discerning travellers. Our Travel brochure was designed in a way that not only exhibited the vibrant offerings and experiences of India but also provided a comprehensive and informational guide to help travellers plan their trip better. We are very honoured that our innovative marketing initiatives are being recognised at a global platform like PATA.' Cox & Kings Ltd. is a leading leisure and education travel group with operations in 22 countries across four continents. It is one of the most experienced travel companies in the world, having been in operation since 1758. Headquartered in India, Cox & Kings has over the last three decades transformed itself into a diversified, multinational travel conglomerate with a focus on the new-age global consumer. Cox & Kings operates in three key verticals; Leisure, Education, Hybrid Hotels. Cox & Kings' tremendous contribution to the country's travel industry is known to all. With innovations like 'Enable Travel' - unique holidays for the disabled travellers to specialist brands such as ' Trip 360' for adventure enthusiasts, 'Getaway Goddess' for women travellers and 'Self Drive 365' that is set to change the realm of self-drive tours in India and elsewhere, Cox & Kings has reinvented the space. For further media details, contact: Thomas C. Thottathil Cox & Kings Ltd. Head - Corporate Communications T: +91-22-22709100 E: ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release : CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Cox & Kings Ltd. Company: Cox & Kings Ltd. Phone: +91-22-22709100 Email: thomasct@coxandkings.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGS Josh Welle supports womens rights and VAWA Women on all sides of the fence are reacting to the judicial confirmation this week. A very credible and accomplished woman was not believed. A man with impressive qualifications but less-than-tempered comportment was believed. And a complete investigation was not carried out. This should be cause for concern for every citizen. It certainly is for me. As a woman living in the 4th Congressional District of New Jersey, I look to my local representative to uphold and protect my rights. Chris Smith is my representative, but he surely doesnt inspire my confidence. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed through Congress with bipartisan support in 1994. This Act provides funds for investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women and imposes restitution on those convicted. The 2012 renewal was opposed by many in Congress, including Chris Smith, who objected to extending the Acts protections to same-sex couples, Native Americans on reservations, and immigrants who are victims of domestic violence. The bill was finally reauthorized after a long partisan battle. But to me, this shouldnt be partisan; violence against women (or men) is violence, and transcends gender, nationality, ethnicity, political affiliation, or sexual orientation. This important Act, VAWA was due to be renewed no later than September 30th of this year, but Its deadline was extended to December 7th, after the midterm elections. Support of VAWA as a viable bill extension is far from a foregone conclusion. Voters need to send a clear message now that passage of the VAWA is critical. On November 6th I will vote for Josh Welle for my Congressional Representative. He supports VAWA and he supports womens rights. I believe in equal rights for all. So does Josh Welle. Its time for a change, a good change. I urge you to join me in voting for Josh Welle. Aliza Greenblatt, Ocean Grove, NJ Vote Josh Welle to Save Medicare and Social Security If you wonder why New Jersey finances are such a mess, it started 25 years ago this month when our voters were promised a tax cut with no way to pay for it. The creator of that scheme, Larry Kudlow, isnt even a real economist, although hes been playing one on TV for years. If youre a longtime state worker or state retiree, you know how Kudlow clobbered the pension and retiree healthcare system, because youve been paying for it ever since. Now, Larry Kudlow is in the White House, and last month he said that Medicare and Social Security are next! The Trump tax cut cost $1.2 TRILLION, and now the presidents chief economist is figuring out how to pay for it. Even though working people have been paying for Medicare and Social Security out of every paycheck their entire lives, Kudlow calls these programs entitlements. He told a CNBC reporter that he hadnt yet figured out exactly how much he would cut, but well get there. Does this sound familiar? Just having Larry Kudlow in the White House is an insult to our state. Youd expect Chris Smith, who was in office when Kudlow wrecked our finances, to at least protest. But Smith said nothing. Seniors and those nearing retirement cant be left defenseless, like N.J. property taxpayers were when Congress passed the cap on the SALT deduction. Quietly voting no is not enough. Chris Smith gets results? Ive seen them, and they stink. We must elect Josh Welle, a Democrat who will be part of a House majority that PROTECTS New Jersey, and PROTECTS Medicare and Social Security for people who worked for it all their lives. Save your retirement! Vote Josh Welle on November 6th. Mary Caffrey, Robbinsville editorial@tribune.com Sri Mrutyunjay Mahapatra has taken over as MD & CEO of Syndicate Bank. He has 32 years of experience in all major fields of banking, especially corporate credit, leasing, global strategy, payments, transactions and information technology. Earlier, he was Deputy MD and CIO, State Bank of India. Delhi Tourism records highest ever turnover in FY 2017-18 Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation has achieved the highest ever turnover of Rs 1,159.52 crore and highest profit before tax of Rs 30.93 crore in FY 18 in the past five years, contributing Rs 679 crore to the exchequer by way of excise, VAT and income tax. MTPL bags Developer of the Year Award Mona Townships Pvt Ltd (MTPL) has won the Golden Brick Real Estate Award as the Developer of the Year Award 2018 in the regional category. Suhail Mohammad Al Zarooni, chairman, Al Zarooni Foundation and Suhail Al Zarooni Group of Companies presented the award to Maljinder Singh, GM Sales, MTPL, in Dubai recently. HDFC Bank unveils instant renewal of vehicle insurance HDFC Bank has launched instant renewal of insurance for cars and two-wheelers. It will be made available through SMS, Mobile Banking app, Net banking, ATM, and PayZapp. Customers can opt for EMI of renewal premium as well. Set your goals and work towards achieving them Panchkula Commissioner of Police Ms Charu Bali delivered a talk on 'How to attain success in Life' at Vivek Career Academy, Panchkula, on October 6. She shared her life experiences with the students, faculty and guests. From her days of preparation for the UPSC exams, and her experiences as a student, to her days as a serving officer, she shared her blueprint for success and elucidated how we can attain success in life. 5th edition of Orthotrends 2018 held in Chandigarh The fifth edition of the international orthopedics conclave Orthotrends 2018 was held in Chandigarh on October 6 and 7. Over 400 surgeons from across the world participated in the event. Several live surgeries were conducted for the benefit of participants. Dr Vikram I. Shah, chairman, Shalby Hospitals, is the chief patron of Orthotrends along with Dr Mandeep Singh Dhillon, Head, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, PGIMER, Chandigarh. Sat Paul Mittal School ranks among top 75 Sat Paul Mittal School, Ludhiana, has been ranked among top 75 schools of the country by EducationWorld India School Rankings (2018-19). The school was shortlisted from 1,000 schools across the country for the national ranking. Ford India unveils New Aspire in Chandigarh Ford India has launched its compact sedan - New Ford Aspire at an introductory price starting from Rs 5,55,000 in Chandigarh. Combining power, style and substance, the New Ford Aspire is a fresh take on compact sedans with many segment-best technologies, best-in-class safety, fun-to-drive DNA, and unmatched cost of ownership. The car is available in five variants across two fuel options and seven colours. Sadda Pind, Amritsar, hosts 5th Punjabi Film Festival Sadda Pind, Amritsar, hosted the 5th Punjabi Film Festival at GNDU from September 27 to 30. Renowned artistes of Punjabi music industry were present during the festival. Nadir Patel, High Commissioner of Canada in India, was the chief guest. Puranchandwadali, Sargun Mehta, Ravinder Grewal, Shivender Mahal, Vijay Tondon, Feroz Khan were among others who performed during the festival. Virk Fertility Services, Jalandhar, celebrates silver jubilee Virk Fertility Services, Jalandhar celebrated its 25 years of establishment recently. Dr SPS Virk, Scientific Director, said the centre has facilities of international standards for IUI, IVF, ICSI, donor egg, donor sperm, laparoscopy, hysteroscopy and surrogacy programme. SBI holds exporters meet in Chandigarh SBI conducted an exporters' meet in Chandigarh on October 4. It was chaired by Rana Ashutosh Kumar Singh, CGM, Chandigarh Circle. The exporters were briefed about the prevailing international scenario and made aware of how to insulate themselves from the present volatile scenario through banks products. Chandigarh branch of IoV observes Valuers Day The 50th Valuers Day was observed by the Chandigarh branch of the Institution of Valuers (IoV) on October 2. It was attended by delegates from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Chandigarh. Arun Sharma, chief manager (Stressed Assets Management) branch, SBI, was the chief guest. He lauded the role of valuers in the national economy. IOC organises Swachhta Hi Seva walkathon at Faridabad Led by Dr SSV Ramakumar, Director (R&D), Team IndianOil R&D echoed the spirit of Swachh Bharat by participating in the 'Swachhta Hi Sewa' campaign on October 2. Through the pledge administrated by Director (R&D), the team reinforced its commitment to keep the country clean. Dr Deepak Saxena, ED (LT) and other senior officials were also present. BHEL wins six National Safety Awards BHEL has bagged six National Safety Awards' for outstanding achievements in terms of longest accident-free period and lowest accident frequency rate at their works. The awards were received by Atul Sobti, CMD, BHEL, from Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar in New Delhi. SCOPE organises programme on corporate governance SCOPE, in association with ICSI, organised a programme on "Practical aspects of corporate governance under the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015" on October 5. Manish Mohan Govil, Adviser, Competition Commission of India, Samir Raheja, CEO-designate, ICSI Registered Valuers Organisation, and Dr UD Choubey, Director General, SCOPE, addressed the inaugural session. Lakme Salon unveils show stopping bride collection Lakme Salon has carefully crafted looks that add a contemporary twist, rightfully reinventing the timeless spirit of the modern bride. Its show stopping bride collection is an extravagant collection featuring the most magnificent hair and makeup looks. It blends with the grandeur of tradition and the effortless minimalism of modernity. editorial@tribune.com Chandigarh: A drug disposal committee of the UT police on Monday disposed of drugs seized by five police stations in the city. Nearly 296 kg of drugs, seized in 267 NDPS cases registered at the Sector 3, 11, 17, 39 and Industrial Area police stations, was disposed of through incineration at Rainbow Environments at Baliyali village in Mohali district. According to the UT police, 448 gm of heroin, 2.722 kg of smack, 118.249 kg of ganja, 23.120 kg of charas, 126 gm of cocaine, 151.500 kg of poppy husk, 55 bottles of syrups, 265 capsules and tablets, 855 injections, silver paper and matchboxes were disposed of. TNS Elderly man falls to death Mohali: An elderly person died after falling from the first floor of a house at Phase 3B2 here. The victim has been identified as Ranvir Singh (68), a resident of Tarn Taran. According to the police, the victim had come to meet his younger brother here. The duo took liquor last night. Ranvirs body was found lying in the rear side of the house, said the police, adding that he fell down from the first floor of the house. The police have sent his viscera for a chemical examination after the postmortem to ascertain the exact cause of his death. The police have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC at the Mataur police station. TNS Sandeep Dikshit Sandeep Dikshit The Russia spy saga in the West is yet to completely play out. In fact, part two of the spy act has opened in Norway with two Russian intelligence operatives being accused of hacking into a UN server. Part one of the spy saga took place in the US, where Russia has been accused of influencing the last Presidential polls. The political indignation in the US spawned a new law Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that goes into action in less than three weeks. India shouldnt have anything to do with that except that the new law also ostracises any country that trades with the Russian industrial military complex. That is a big task for India whose almost all military offensive platforms are of Russian origin. But PM Narendra Modi, and now his Army Chief, have spelt out their defiance to the American enjoinment on observing CAATSA in spirit by observing abstinence on fresh Russian trade deals. An innocuous sentence tucked into wearingly long Indo-Russia joint statement announced the end of Indo-Russian negotiations for the S-400, the worlds most lethal missile systems available in the open market. And now the Army Chief, Gen Rawat, has spoken about the inevitability of both countries jointly manufacturing Russian-origin helicopters as well as other weapon systems. Despite some bad deals such as the ruinously expensive INS Vikramaditya (Admiral Gorshkov in the Russian avatar), there has been a measure of political comfort in Indo-Russian deals. During the high noon of dependency, Moscow maintained close contacts with Indian communist parties but made no demands on Indias socio-economic and political system. India also maintained its independence of action and judgment on issues of international importance. Twice, Indira Gandhi rejected Brezhnevs doctrine on an Asian regional security arrangement under Moscows tutelage. India did not join the West in condemning Soviet intervention in Afghanistan but its PMs spared no opportunity to counsel the Soviets about the risk of getting bogged down in Afghanistan. On terrorism, too, Russia had agreed to the Indian formulation well before the US woke up after the September 11 attacks. Previous joint Indo-Russian statements not just condemned extremism and terrorism in all forms, but also spoke against states that aid and abet and directly support cross-border and international terrorism, which loosely amounts to an indictment of Pakistans meddling in Kashmir. In contrast, New Delhi has to remain constantly alert about Pentagons formulations on terrorism, tailored as they are to serve purely American interests. The platform provided to Khalistani radicals in Canada and the UK speaks of an ever-present willingness to use extremism as a calibrated pressure point against both irredeemable and corrigible nation states. China is already facing the heat for buying Su-35 fighters and S-400 spares from Russia. A Chinese Lieutenant General is no longer eligible for US visa while the importing company will be denied US foreign export licences, banned from making foreign exchange transactions within US jurisdictions, prohibited from using the US financial system and all its US property attached. India should logically be the next in line when it makes the advance payment for the S-400 systems. Neither the Indian elites nor South Blocks strategic requirements can countenance such a break. The entire purpose behind holding frequent military exercises with the US (over 100 at the last count) is to use the threat of joint war-fighting against China, if the need arises. So while we wait for the US to rule whether the S-400 deal is kosher or not, it will be a good idea to take up the latest Russian offers on easy entry into the rarified space club as well as opening new vistas for oil and trade routes. The Modi-Putin discussions specifically touched three areas. In space, Russia will join forces to send an Indian into space. Russia is the only one that has also answered the long Indian quest for a ground station at northern latitude where satellites pass by at low orbit making signal downloading easier. The second is the offer of oil and gas blocks off the Arctic shelf, the last frontier for humungous resources of oil and gas. The third is intimately tied with the second as ice melts and the Arctic channel becomes navigable round the clock, Russia has offered a helping hand. Putin has put a lot of store on pivoting towards Asia as well as developing his countrys Far East. This could be Indias moment to be one of the first movers in a virgin sector. However, the onus of responding is valid only if India gets its act together. The quality of resource personnel is negligible or poor. The ideation on various aspects of exploiting the Arctic still remain scattered among several government departments. It may be a good idea to frame an integrated Arctic policy in order to ensure an early harvest. The Russians are serious about developing an area that is still not subject to great power rivalry, with Putin having renewed the Soviet-era technical studies that were frozen during the belaboured 90s. Indias participation in tandem with Russia on land still remains problematic there are strategic divergences on Afghanistan and Pakistan, and even China. But it needs to shed its ambivalence on the frontiers of technology and the earth. Washingtons reaction to the S-400 deal will be a litmus test for Indo-Russia military ties as much as for judging the extent of American understanding of Indias security imperatives. There is a growing clamour to punish Moscow more severely for the alleged hacking for a UN server and the complications in Indo-Russia arms trade may increase. India can do the balancing by not making arms trade the only talking point of Indo-Russian ties. Mega Russian investments in Indian oil and steel are already a reality. India now needs to quickly leverage the opportunities in Russia on offer. vinaymishra188@gmail.com The Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal held rallies on Sunday. The theme of these events was to berate each other. There was also another rally at Bargari, in which the Khaira group of the Aam Aadmi Party took centre stage and condemned the other two parties for lack of action against those who had committed acts of sacrilege three years ago, as also those responsible for the police firing that resulted in the death of protesters. The issue is emotive, as the SAD found out when it lost the Assembly elections. The Congress government successfully instituted a judicial inquiry into the incidents and announced an SIT, and is waiting for the due process of law. But public perception seldom waits for procedural niceties, and there is a clamour for arrests from people at large. The AAP rebel group appropriated a dharna, being held by Sikh activists and largely attended by common people, at Bargari, the site of the 2015 police firing. It showed dexterity in jumping on to the emotive bandwagon. Was it wise? Mixing religious sentiments with politics can be dangerous, more so in Punjab. Who can forget the bloodshed of the 1980s? Even as the Badal duopoly over the Shiromani Akali Dal is being challenged, the Congress seeks to fish in these troubled waters. This, too, is fraught with danger, as the Congress has earlier repeatedly burnt its hands when it tried to intervene in the religious bodies and affairs of the Sikhs. Instead, it should focus on finding ways to address the angst among the Sikhs and shake off the perception of inaction which is fuelling the Bargari protests. It must find means to speedily take to its logical conclusion the task it has embarked upon through the Ranjit Singh Commission and the SIT. Rally politics is often about tribal/group loyalties where rhetoric is raised to a hysterical pitch, even as reason reels from the hyperbolic blows of speakers engaged in one-upmanship. Punjab needs to focus on governance and delivering the goods to the people. This is what the government and opposition parties should concentrate on. editorial@tribune.com Bhartesh Singh Thakur Tribune News Service Panchkula, October 8 A CBI special court has acquitted all accused, including a former Haryana minister Kartar Singh Bhadana, in a Rs 246-crore illegal mining case in a Faridabad area. The case was the oldest at CBI court in Panchkula. Besides Bhadana, Kuldeepak Ahuja, former State Mining Engineer in Haryana, Gopi Chand, a resident of Gurgaon, and JP Malhotra, former Assistant Mining Engineer in Haryana, were accused in the case. The CBI had alleged that they were involved in illegal mining from 1989 to 2002. A Faridabad-based journalist Subhash Sharma had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court for investigations into illegal mining in Faridabad. The high court had, on April 20, 2001, ordered the CBI to investigate the case. The CBI registered a case on September 12, 2001. High Court advocate RS Bains was appointed local commissioner by the court in the case, who had also given the report against Bhadana. The charge-sheet was filed under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, Section 21 of the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, and Section 379 and Section 120-B of the IPC in 2004. The mining related to the Ishak Mandi and Anangpur areas of Faridabad. There was a witness Mahi Pal who had first turned hostile, but later moved an application that he had deposed under the pressure of Bhadana and should be examined again. But his application was rejected. He was claiming to be an eyewitness. He even went to the high court and then to the apex court where his plea was dismissed, said Ajay Jain, the defence lawyer. We argued that there were no eyewitnesses. Even if the illegal mining was being carried out, why did the CBI fail to take any action against other district and mining department officials? The prosecution failed to bring on record any trucks or tippers either belonging to Bhadana or hired by him for carrying sand, added Jain. Bhadana was Cooperation Minister in Om Prakash Chautala cabinet. He later shifted to Uttar Pradesh and was MLA from Khatauli in 2012 to 2017, but lost to the BJP in the last years Assembly elections. He is brother of former Faridabad MP Avtar Singh Bhadana. amansharma@tribunemail.com Ravi S.Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 8 RSS affiliate Rashtriya Sikh Sangat on Monday came out in support of Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar in the midst of controversy over his recent cancellation of visit to a gurdwara in Daccha village in his assembly constituency Karnal. Khattar had cancelled his scheduled visit as the management of the gurdwara reportedly refused to remove a portrait of Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale who spearheaded a secessionist movement to create Khalistan. He was eliminated by security forces during the 1984 Operation Bluestar in Golden Temple. "The controversy has been created by some people as part of a conspiracy to the pantheon of Sikh gurus by trying to elevate some others to their stature," Sangat's general secretary Avtar Singh Shastry said, referring to "lionisation" of Bhindrawale . "This is being done to attenuate the glory of Sikh Gurus and their solemn sacrifices and will be not tolerated at any cost," Shastry added. Lauding Khattar, the Sangat said he was the most "benevolent, pious and popular leader who had amply demonstrated his well-being and respect for the Sikh shrines, Sikh gurus and institutions through his own personal conduct, and decisions of his government". It rationalised Khattar cancelling his visit to the gurdwara saying he did it "with a heavy heart". He has under security cover under Z plus category, and his movement is dictated accordingly. The Sangat reminded the Sikhs of Khattar publicly attributing his electoral victory from Karnal assembly constituency to the blessing of Sikh Gurus. The Sangat referred to, among other things, celebrations on large scale commemorating event of Guru Gobind Singh and other gurus, instituting Punjab Sahitya Academy and renovation of the Lohgarh, which was the capital of Baba Banda Bahadur. Referring to the importance given to the portrait of Bhindrawale in the gurdwara, Shastry said: "It is highly condemnable and unfortunate that some persons of the Sikh community are publicising pictures of some people in a big way," and added that apotheosis of a picture of any person is against the tenet of Sikh religion. The Sangat urged the religious leaders and common Sikh fraternity not to be misled by a conspiracy hatched by some elements to belittle the Sikh Gurus by attempting to elevate the stature religiously of some others through a despicable controversy. This is also an attempt to disrupt communal harmony in society, and create a wedge among the Sikh community and lowering its esteem in the eyes of the people, it added. editorial@tribune.com Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, October 8 The Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department, it is reliably learnt, has conveyed to the High Court that the government is not keen on set up Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) tribunal as there are not too many complaints concerning real estate issues. The notification issued on August 31, 2018 had said that the state government would set up RERA tribunal having a chairman and two members. The Select Committee for the selection to RERA Tribunal is headed by Chief Justice of the High Court. The state governments decision to not set up Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) tribunal in Himachal could dash the hopes of many aspirants, mostly babus, who were hoping to get a post-retirement adjustment in the authority for which a notification had been issued on August 31. Interestingly, even though RERA was yet to be constituted, some retired and serving IAS officers had already applied for the posts. Now, with the state government declining to set up the RERA tribunal it remains to be seen whether they have completely decided against it or it has merely been put on hold to wait for some officers who still have some time before they retire. With almost eight IAS officers due to retire next year, there is also a possibility that the setting up of the RERA tribunal may be put on the hold, to accommodate those close to the ruling dispensation. It was on February 4, 2017 that Himachal Government had issued the notification for setting up of RERA under the Act. The Government of India had passed the RERA Act in 2016. The main objective behind setting up of RERA Tribunal is to monitor and take care of complaints with regard to builders and real estate agents. The department of Town and Country Planning is presently looking after the task of registration of Real Estate companies and builders. Though no specific reason has been cited by the government for withdrawal of the August 31 notification it is felt that the number of such companies registered with the TCP Department is just 20 which is too small to set up a full-fledged tribunal. Some officers already applied for various posts Even though RERA was yet to be constituted, some retired and serving IAS officers had already applied for the posts. Now, with the state government declining to set up the RERA tribunal, it remains to be seen whether they have completely decided against it or it has merely been put on hold to wait for some officers who still have some time before they retire. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Tribune News Service Srinagar, October 8 Amid boycott call and militant threats, Kashmir Valley witnessed a low poll percentage in 57 wards across five districts in the phase 1 of municipal polls that were held amid tight security on Monday. According to poll officials, overall voter turnout in Jammu district till 4 pm was 63.8 per cent. District-wise poll percentage tilll 4 pm: Anantnag 7.3, Budgam 17, Bandipore 3.4, Baramulla 5.1, Kupwara 32.3, Srinagar 6.2, Kargil 78.2, Leh 55.2, Jammu 63.8, Poonch 73.1 and Rajouri 81 per cent. Stating that these are approximate figures, officials added that the exact poll percentage will be given later after polling parties report back. They added that voters who were in queue at 4pm are entitled to vote even after 4 pm. The polling was largely peaceful. There were stray incidents of violence in Srinagar and Bandipore areas. However, without causing any damage. Polling was held for 57 municipal wards spread over five districts in the Kashmir Valley, including three wards of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), one of Budgam, 16 of Bandipora, 15 of Baramulla, seven of Handwara in Kupwra district and 11 wards of Kupwara. Unprecedented response from voters was witnessed in remote Kargil district. Tight security arrangements were in place following the boycott call by separatist organisations led by Joint Resistance Leadership of Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik. A complete shutdown was observed in the Valley with shops and business establishments closed and normal traffic off the roads. Only private and official vehicles plied. Police and security forces guarded the polling stations as an additional deployment of 200 companies of Central forces was made for smooth conduct of the polls. The low pace of polling in Kashmir was attributed to the security scenario, particularly in south Kashmir, spreading its impact in other parts of the Valley, the separatists boycott call and boycott of the polls by the National Conference and PDP. editorial@tribune.com Samaan Lateef Tribune News Service Handwara October 8 Unlike south Kashmir, the north Kashmirs frontier district of Kupwara, which is the native district of Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone, on Monday defied the separatist boycott call and came out to vote to elect 18 candidates in two municipalities. The two municipalities of Kupwara - Handwara and Kupwara - recorded 32.3 per cent voting, the highest so far in Kashmir. The Baramulla and Bandipora municipalities in north Kashmir witnessed 5.1 per cent and 3.4 per cent polling, respectively. Extensive security arrangements were put in place in north Kashmir for hassle-free voting as voters, particularly women, wearing colourful dresses came out in groups to vote for their candidates. In Handwara municipality, at least 27.8 per cent voters cast their votes to elect seven candidates of 18 from seven wards. Peoples Conference candidate Masroor Banday in Handwara said his party had won six wards uncontested and would sweep the remaining seven wards. Banday, wearing an all-white jacket and trousers, is contesting from Ward No. 3 of the Handwara municipality. The PC leader said he hadnt expected 27.8 per cent voter turnout in Handwara even as he attributed it to his personal contacts. Ahead of the parliamentary elections, the municipal election is a litmus test for both the PC and National Conference in Handwara town, but unfortunately latter boycotted the poll, he said. National Conference former minister Chowdhary Muhammad Ramzan remains the arch-rival of Lone in Handwara, where both parties have fought tough election battles in the past. Contrary to earlier elections, the first phase of municipal election saw a majority of youth abstaining from voting while women and elderly voters turned up in good numbers in Handwara and Kupwara. A majority of the people shied away from sharing their identification details with the media. Women were seen hiding their faces with headscarves and veils to avoid being photographed as separatists have called for a poll boycott and militant have issued threats to derail the poll process. Even though people lacked enthusiasm for polls, people came out to vote for development and personal reasons. I have been voting for the past 50 years but all my votes have gone waste, said Muhammad Jamal, who voted for PC candidate Farooq Ahmad in Handwara. Like Jamal, most of the voters say the contestants are their neighbours or relatives and they cant boycott elections and spoil personal relations. Also, the elected candidates will help us resolve basic development issues, said another voter. In Kupwara municipality, Independent candidate Riyaz Mir, who happens to be the brother of PDP MP Fayaz Mir, is contesting with 10 others of his group (apparently backed by PDP) from 11 wards. Voters termed Riyaz the PDPs proxy candidate as his brother was seen secretly campaigning for him. Riyaz says he will be the chairman of the next Kupwara municipality as all his men will hands down. gspannu7@gmail.com Ghaziabad (UP), October 7 The body of a seven-year-old girl was found stuffed in a gunny bag on the roof of a mosque in Muradnagar town here on Sunday, police said. The girl went missing from her house on Saturday at around 1 pm. Her family lodged a complaint at Murad Nagar police station, Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna said. The gunny bag was spotted on the mosques roof by a man, Suleman, who went there after offering prayers at around 6.30 am, he said. Suleman saw the girls body inside and immediately informed her family and the neighbours, he added. After receiving the information, the deceaseds father and police reached the spot, the SSP said, adding that the girl was strangled to death. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination, he added. The girls father accused the local councillor, Azaaz Baig, of killing his daughter due to political rivalry. The girls maternal uncle had contested the civic body elections against Baig, Krishna said. An FIR has been lodged against Baig and investigation is underway, he said. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com Bengaluru, October 8 The Boeing Company on Monday appointed the head of its India operations, Pratyush Kumar, to lead the defence majors F-15 fighter aircraft programme in the United States. Kumar has been selected to lead our F-15 fighter aircraft programme and further its business in the US and globally, said Boeing in a statement here. Kumar said he was upbeat about his new US role to build business for the F-15 programme the world over. The company will, however, expand its local manufacturing, technology and innovations, products and people in the Indian sub-continent, he added. Boeing will soon announce Kumars successor in India. During his five-year stint in India, Kumar advanced the companys business in commercial airplanes, defence, space, security, and global services. We launched our engineering and technology centre in Bengaluru during his tenure to drive innovation, scaled up aerospace supply chain and have set up a joint venture in Hyderabad with Tata to make fuselages (main body section) for the Apache attack helicopter, the statement added. The US-based commercial jetliner maker also finalised the sale of Apache and Chinook choppers to the Indian military and also won additional orders for the P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft under Kumars leadership. I want to thank Kumar for his contribution to our business in India and for developing a stronger aerospace industry ecosystem across the country, said Boeing International President Marc Allen in the statement. As recently as on September 24, Kumar had met Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in the state capital to finalise the setting up of Boeings electronics manufacturing and avionics assembly facility at an investment of Rs 1,152 crore. The facility is expected to be built over 12-18 months, and will create about 2,600 jobs. With 160 partners and $1-billion sourcing, Boeing employs 2,000 aerospace engineers in India. IANS amansharma@tribunemail.com Nagpur/Lucknow, October 8 A young scientist working with the BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd (BAPL)'s missile research centre in Nagpur was arrested on Monday on alleged charges of spying for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI and other countries, informed sources said. Scientist Nishant Pradeep Agrawal has been working for the last four years in the BAPL, an Indo-Russian Joint Venture, and was nabbed in a joint operation of Uttar Pradesh Police and Maharashtra Police. The UP-Anti Terrorist Squad (UP-ATS) has also raided two other unidentified persons in Agra and Kanpur and seized their laptops, an official statement of the Uttar Pradesh Police said on Monday. Following a tip-off, he was placed under surveillance for the past few days by the Military Intelligence as well as Uttar Pradesh Police and Maharashtra Police. The BAPL officer has been booked under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), the sources said. The UP Police statement said the UP-ATS had monitored fake Facebook accounts originating from Pakistan in the name of women to "honey-trap" key officials working in sensitive defence-related set-ups in India. The information came to light after the Border Security Force (BSF) recently nabbed a person in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and two fake Facebook IDs of women created in Pakistan were put under observation after they were found to be chatting with Agrawal. Accordingly, the UP-ATS acquired a search warrant from a court and along with Maharashtra ATS, swooped on Agrawal's residence at Ujjwal Nagar in Nagpur. "We have found certain secret and ultra-sensitive information on his personal computer. It should not been there on his personal laptop. It violates the provisions of the OSA, and hence he has been arrested," the statement added. The joint ATS teams of the two states also searched his BMAL office and from another location recovered an old laptop which is being examined to see if it contains anything objectionable. The UP-ATS has moved a local court in Nagpur seeking a transit remand to take Agrawal to Lucknow for further investigations. They said after the investigations, they would be able to know what kind of chats he was having with the fake women's accounts on Facebook. Depending on the outcome, the accused may be slapped with additional charges, the UP-ATS said. As per preliminary information, Agrawal was reportedly passing on certain highly classified information, including "technological and other details", to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan as well as the USA. However, official circles are not aware of what kind of access to sensitive information or the security clearance levels Agrawal enjoyed in the company. Hailing from Roorkee in Uttarakhand, Agarwal had been recently awarded the "Young Scientist Award" for the year 2017-18. He had got married earlier this year and had been living in a rented house in Nagpur's Ujjwala Nagar. Among other things, the BrahMos centre is involved in manufacturing certain critical components for the BrahMos missile, considered the world's fastest cruise missile that can be launched from land, ships, aircraft or submarines. The Indo-Russian joint venture's recent development of the latest version of the BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile has elicited keen interest in global defence circles and several major political powers in the world. The missile-successfully test-fired on July 16 from the Integrated Test Range at Balasore in Odisha-is an outcome of a joint venture of India's Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia Corp (NPOM), since 2011. - IANS State health officials have issued an alert to doctors after six Minnesota children were diagnosed with a rare, polio-like disorder that causes reduced mobility or paralysis in the arms and legs. All six cases of acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, have been reported since Sep. 20, prompting the Minnesota Department of Health to ask doctors to be on the lookout for the disorder, which has severe consequences but mysterious origins. "It is very rare and it is certainly something we're taking very seriously," said Kris Ehresmann, who directs the Health Department's infectious disease section. "It's a very devastating situation" for the children and their families, she said. The disease attacks the nervous system via the spinal cord, and may be transmitted by a virus. Symptoms usually include a sudden onset of arm or leg weakness and loss of muscle reflexes, but can also include drooping eyelids, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing and breathing. James Hill of Lakeville said his son, Quinton, suffered typical cold symptoms at the start of one school week last month. By the end of the week, he was vomiting and stayed home. By the weekend, his left arm and neck had stiffened badly. Because the disorder is rare afflicting less than one in a million children doctors at Children's Hospital weren't considering it initially, Hill said. They conducted blood tests, imaging scans and a spinal tap to arrive at a diagnosis. AFM came to the attention of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, in 2014 after clusters of cases were discovered in Colorado and California and linked to the spread of a type of virus known as EV-D68. States have since reported 362 cases, some with no viral presence and some that seemed linked to other West Nile-type viruses. The six Minnesota children, all 10 and younger, were hospitalized because of their conditions. They come from the Twin Cities, central Minnesota and northeastern Minnesota. Ehresmann said she hopes that closer study of the children and any other cases uncovered through the latest alert to doctors could uncover causes. "We're looking into any kind of commonality, but at this point ... we don't have anything to wrap up in a bow," she said. The cases aren't even verified by lab test results. Ehresmman said it's the "constellation of symptoms" that ties them together. Elaine Young's 4-year-old son, Orville, was perhaps the first child to suffer AFM in the Minnesota cluster. He felt typical cold symptoms in July, which quickly gave way to immobility in his legs and paralysis in his upper right arm. Limited muscular activity in his diaphragm also restricted his breathing, at first, which can be a fatal complication of AFM. Young said doctors delivered a diagnosis fairly rapidly after initially ruling out a stroke when she took Orville to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, where a neurologist had written a paper on AFM. But, confronting one of the first Minnesota cases, she had to find out what to do next on her own, she said, and found her way to Gillette Children's Specialty Services in St. Paul. Physical rehabilitation combined with electrical muscular stimulation there over the past two months helped Orville regain 90 percent of his leg function. The top half of his right arm remains immobile, though. "It definitely affected me and his father much more, emotionally, at least, because we can see into his future," Young said. "When you're 4 ... every time you wake up it's a big new change. So losing the use of your arm? He said: 'I can't give really good hugs anymore, but I'm doing all of my exercises!'" Orville still plays Donkey Kong and Mario Brothers video games, his favorites, because he still has use of his right wrist below his upper arm. Hill has seen some recovery in his son, even only a week after being hospitalized, with therapy at Gillette. Unable to move his upper left arm, Quinton drags it forward so he can reach Legos and build with both hands. The muscles on the left side of his face remain weak, making it hard to smile, blink and swallow. Both children are at risk for a complication known as subluxation, or the dislocation of their arms, if they don't keep them moving. "Keep lefty involved with righty," therapists tell Quinton. While this is the largest cluster to be reported in Minnesota, it is not the first in the state. Minnesota had three cases in 2014, and single cases in some years since then. Nationally, most cases have been reported each year in September. In addition to viruses, health officials suspect the syndrome is linked to unknown genetic and environmental factors. A variety of treatments have been tried, including steroid medications and immunoglobulin infusions to boost the child's immune system. Because the origins of AFM are unclear, Ehresmann said the best protection is common strategies such as washing hands, covering coughs, staying home when ill, and keeping up to date on vaccinations. The CDC has been collaborating with researchers nationally to understand AFM, to estimate how many cases occurred before 2014, and to determine why cases increased substantially starting that year. The Health Department did not disclose the identities of people in the current cluster. The parents contacted the Star Tribune directly, hoping that news coverage would prompt parents to take precautions and doctors and hospitals to identify the condition quickly when they encounter it. Mehdi Ayouche's 4-year-old daughter, Sophia, is still hospitalized at Children's in Minneapolis. The Chanhassen father worries that the lost mobility in her neck and right arm might make it hard to do the things she loves from swimming and drawing to Tae Kwan Doe. He said he's relieved but perplexed that Sophia's twin brother and older sister did not get the syndrome, despite having cold symptoms. "We want to make people aware," he said. "It is a rare condition. (When it occurs), people might not know what to do next." vinaymishra188@gmail.com Nagpur, October 8 An engineer with theBrahMos Aerospace unit near here was arrested today for allegedly leaking technical information to Pakistan, an official said. Nishant Agrawal was nabbed in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra anti-terrorism squads (ATS) at BrahMos Wardha Road facility, an ATS official said. The engineer was living in a rented accommodation on Wardha road since last year, his landlord Manohar Kale said. Kale said the police team arrived at the building at 5.30 am and was there till 5 pm. Kale said Agrawal hails from Roorkee and had got married two months ago. He was staying with his wife here and had given his Aadhaar card copy and a certificate from his employer to me while moving in, he said. BrahMos Aerospace was formed as a joint venture between Indias Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the military industrial consortium NPO Mashinostroyenia of Russia. The company was established in India through an inter-governmental agreement signed on February 12, 1998, between India and Russia. PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com Tribune Web Desk Chandigarh, October 8 A Canadian man has filed a suit against Nirav Modi for selling him and his girlfriend fake diamond rings worth US$200,000, which cost them their relationship. According to South China Morning Post, Paul Alfonso, who met Nirav in 2012, had no idea that the diamond jeweller was accused of multi-crore fraud in India. Alfonso met Modi at an event in Beverly Hills Hotel; a few months later they ran into each other at another event in Malibu and again at the Mandarin Oriental in New York the next week. As per South China Morning Post, they did not meet again until this April when Alfonso emailed Nirav with a request, Im in the market for an engagement ring. Im going to propose to my girlfriend and I want something special. In his email, Alfonso explained that he wanted to design his own ring. My budget is in the US$100,000 mark. Do you think you can do something for me? Nirav responded on the same day: Im honoured to help you create your dream engagement ring...Paul, I have the perfect diamond for you. He offered Alfonso a 3.2-carat round brilliant diamond cut, D colour, VVS1a high-quality grade and colourless stone. I can give it to you for wholesale at US$120,000. This is such a beautiful diamondyou cant go wrong with this one. Alfonso agreed and explained that he wanted to have the ring as soon as possible. Nirav gave him two week's time saying someone in Hong Kong would get back to him. All was as per plan till Alfonsos girlfriend wanted a different design of the ring. The jeweller offered him another 2.5-carat oval diamond for US$80,000. Alfonso sent the money for both rings to a Hong Kong account. The rings were hand-delivered at Vancouver on June 17, and they were told that an invoice and the authenticity certificates would follow soon. As the authenticity certificates did not arrive, several emails followed, with Nirav providing more assurances that the certificates were on their way. In August, they were in for a shock as Pauls fiance found that the stones were fake. It was then that they searched for him and relaised that the diamond merchant was at the centre of the largest fraud in Indian banking history. This affected the relationship between my ex-fiancee and her family. They think I bought these fake rings and proposed to her, said Alfonso. We broke up literally after one or two days...It was just too much for both of us to handle. It does not make sense to her, because she says, 'You are a pretty smart guy, how did you let someone scam you out of US$200,000 without making sure the transaction was legitimate?'" Alfonso says he has suffered from depression since he realised that the diamonds were fake. This also took a toll on his business, as most of his energy has been focused on seeking justice. Alonso said he contacted police in New York and in Vancouver and filed a lawsuit against Nirav with the Superior Court of California, suing him for US$4.2 million dollars. That includes US$200,000 for the value of the rings, US$1 million for punitive damages and another US$3 million dollars for emotional distress, pain and suffering. A case management conference has been scheduled for January 11, 2019, as reported by South China Morning Post. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Tribune Web Desk Gandhinagar, October 9 Even as the exodus of non-Gujaratis from the Prime minister's home state continued, the Congress leader whose agitation against rape of a 14-month-old child had triggered attacks on non-Gujaratis has threatened to shut factories that provide employment to "people from outside". Congress leader Alpesh Thakore who also is a founder of Thakore sena that was instrumental in the attack claimed that crimes by `outsiders had increased and since police had failed to initiate action, the organization had decided to take law into its own hands. Thakore also criticized the police for arresting miscreants who had targeted non Gujaratis following the rape incident. ``The police should release people from my community who have been arrested. If in anger someone has done something then we should forgive him and deal with outsiders with a strong hand. We will hold a meeting and declare what we will do. threatened Thakore. He also issued threats to factor owners employing non Gujaratis. ``We will stop the factories where these people work. We told their owners but so far there has been no action. We have declared halla bol and we will shut the factory. The government and police should declare what action they want to take. he announced. Meanwhile, despite assurances by state DGP Shivanand Jha and appeal by CM Vijay Rupani, a large number of non-Gujarati migrants from Hindi-speaking states continued to make a beeline to the railway stations and bus depots to return to their home states fearing attacks from locals. Nearly 5,000 migrant workers, particularly from Bihar, UP and MP, employed at the industrial clusters in parts of Ahmedabad and some north Gujarat districts have left the state in the past three days. The Gujarat Police, however, continued to be in denial mode claiming that not a single migrant labourer had left Gujarat due to apprehension of attack. Those who have left have gone to celebrate festivals with their relatives and will return as their leave ends, a senior police official claimed. Both the DGP and MoS for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja claimed that there was not even one serious incident of attack on non-Gujaratis. Safety of all residents of Gujarat, including the non-Gujaratis, was the responsibility of the government and it has not failed, Jadeja claimed. PM Narendra Modi, in a call to Rupani and Jadeja, reportedly pulled up the state government for allowing the situation to deteriorate to the extent where the image of Gujarat was eroded. Bihar and UP CMs Nitish Kumar and Yogi Adityanath, respectively, also spoke to Rupani and asked him to ensure safety of their people. Congress Priyanka Chaturvedi said a migrant Lord Krishna from UP's Mathura was welcomed by Gujarat, which is today throwing migrants from three states out She asked the PM: With this happening in your home state, how will you face the people of Rajasthan and the people of UPs Varanasi who elected you with a heavy margin in 2014? amansharma@tribunemail.com Manas Dasgupta Gandhinagar, October 8 Despite assurances by state DGP Shivanand Jha and appeal by CM Vijay Rupani, a large number of non-Gujarati migrants from Hindi-speaking states continued to make a beeline to the railway stations and bus depots to return to their home states fearing attacks from locals. Nearly 5,000 migrant workers, particularly from Bihar, UP and Madhya Pradesh, employed at the industrial clusters in some parts of Ahmedabad and some north Gujarat districts have left the state in the past three days. The Gujarat Police, however, continued to be in denial mode claiming that "not a single migrant labourer" had left Gujarat due to apprehension of attack. "Those who have left have gone to celebrate festivals with their relatives at their home state and will return at the end of their leave," a senior police official claimed. Both the DGP and Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja claimed that there was not even one "serious incident" of attack on non-Gujarati labourers. "Safety and security of all residents of Gujarat, including the non-Gujaratis from other states working here, was the responsibility of the government and it had not failed even an inch in fulfilling it," Jadeja claimed. Jha said adequate police force had been deployed in all industrial areas and nearby villages where most of the migrant labourers lived. The police said 17 people were arrested for sharing threatening messages on social media in addition to 342 people arrested till Sunday in connection with 42 complaints filed for causing disharmony in society. The local police visited major industrial units and advised factory owners to call back their work force if anyone had left for their home state. PM Narendra Modi, in a telephonic conversation with Rupani and Jadeja, reportedly pulled up the state government for allowing the situation to deteriorate to the extent where the image of Gujarat was eroded. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh CMs Nitish Kumar and Yogi Adityanath, respectively, also spoke to Rupani and asked him to ensure safety of their people. The exodus from the state started a couple of days ago following the arrest of a Bihar youth for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in a village near Himmatnagar, district headquarter of Sabarkantha in north Gujarat, on September 28. Following his arrest, some local leaders, touted as the volunteers of "Thakor Sena", moved round some industrial establishments in Himmatnagar demanding the factory owners to remove all non-Gujarati workers and employ in their places local Gujaratis. They also ransacked some industrial units creating a sense of insecurity among the non-Gujaratis. The video of the Himmatnagar incidents became viral on the social media and instigated some more "self-styled leaders" to take similar steps in some labour-dominated areas in Ahmedabad, Surat, Gandhinagar and some other areas in the state, asking the migrant labourers to "vacate Gujarat within 24 hours or face dire consequences". Most of the migrant labourers who left Gujarat were from Sanand-Vithalpur cluster near Ahmedabad, a major automobile hub, and the north Gujarat districts of Sabarkantha, Patan and Banaskantha. The exodus has created concern in the industrial houses fearing production loss during the festive season. The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries president, Jaimin Vasa, wrote to the CM, seeking government's immediate steps to ensure safety of the non-Gujarati workers. vinaymishra188@gmail.com New Delhi, October 8 The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a closure report in the case of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from the university nearly two years ago. A Bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel declined the plea of the missing students mother, Fatima Nafees, to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and monitor the probe, thereby removing the CBI from the investigation. The Bench said Nafees, who had moved the High Court in November 2016 seeking directions to the police to trace her son, can raise all contentions available to her before the trial court and disposed of the plea. The CBI, which had taken over the probe on May 16 last year, had after more than a year of investigation said it had looked into all the aspects of the case and was of the opinion that no offence was committed against the missing student. Ahmed had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of JNU on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle with some students allegedly affiliated to the ABVP the previous night. The lawyer for Nafees had contended that it was a political case and that the CBI has succumbed to the pressure of its masters. PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com New Delhi, October 8 Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Monday said she has asked the Law Ministry to not keep any age limit to report child sexual abuse, allowing people to complain about what has happened to them even "10-15 years later". Noting that anger at molestation and sexual abuse never goes away, Gandhi also said she is "very happy" that the #MeToo campaign has started in India and encouraged women to come forward to complain against sexual harassment. "One always remembers the person who molested you and we have written to the Law Ministry that one should be allowed to complain without any time limit," Gandhi told reporters. Under Section 468 of the CrPC, any offence, including child abuse, which can lead to a prison term of three years has to be reported within three years of the incident. According to Section 473 of the CrPC, a court may take cognisance of an older case if it is in the "interest of justice" or if the "delay has been properly explained". However, victims of child sexual abuse often face problems in registering an FIR once they are 18 or more. Gandhi said she has proposed that people can complain even "10-15 years later". "It doesn't matter how much later. If you're going to complain the avenue is open," she added. Gandhi had earlier proposed that child sexual abuse victims be allowed to register complaints until they are 30. Discussing the #MeToo movement, the minister warned that it should not be used to "target people who have offended us in some way". I hope it does not go out of control in a way that we target people who have offended us in some way but I think women are angry at sexual molestation, she said. Gandhi had earlier expressed her support for actor Tanushree Dutta, who has levelled allegations of sexual misconduct against Nana Patekar during the shooting of a film 10 years ago. She had said harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. Citing Harvey Weinstein, she had said last Tuesday that when the first victim came out and reported against the Hollywood film producer, people asked her all kinds of questions, including why she took so long to speak out. But I know when your body is abused, you remember it always. I don't care when the complaint is filed but action should be taken," Gandhi said last week. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Lahore, October 8 Former Pakistan premiers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, along with a prominent journalist, appeared before the Lahore High Court on Monday for hearing on a petition seeking treason proceedings against them in a case related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Journalist Cyril Almeida, assistant editor for the Dawn newspaper, is also a respondent in the case being heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi, The Express Tribune reported. In the last hearing, Almeida was put on Exit Control List and issued non-bailable warrants for his arrest for not attending previous court proceedings. The petition was filed against Nawaz for defaming the country through an interview on the Mumbai terror attack and against Abbasi for supporting the former prime ministers stance and sharing minutes of the National Security Councils (NSC) meeting in violation of his oath, the report said. The petition contended that Nawaz had not only disclosed sensitive secrets but also expressed his views against sensitive national institutions, it said. Contending that Nawaz had betrayed the nation, the petition stated that a treason case should be instituted against him for giving the controversial interview and allowing it to go on air. According to petitioner Amina Malik, a civil society member, Abbasis action amounted to sedition as he had violated his oath of office. The security was beefed up around the court premises and a large crowd of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) supporters had gathered by the main entry point. The hearing has been adjourned until October 22. Sharif, who was recently released from jail after receiving bail in the Avenfield case, had been absent from previous hearings as he had been receiving condolences over the death of his wife Kulsoom. Earlier, Almeida had been put on Exit Control List after he wrote a front-page story about a rift between Pakistans civilian and military leaderships over militant groups that operate from Pakistan but engage in war against India and Afghanistan. Exit Control List is a system of border control maintained by Pakistan government under an ordinance which allows it to bar people whose names appear on the list from leaving the country. The Foreign Office had vehemently rejected the report and termed it speculative. PTI monicakchauhan@gmail.com Patna, October 8 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday urged people of Gujarat to stop attacking the non-Gujarati people, especially from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Bihar Chief Minister's statement comes after non-Gujaratis, especially those hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were attacked in Gujarat following the arrest of a man from Bihar for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district last week. Talking about the backlash, Nitish Kumar said, "I spoke to Gujarat Chief Minister (Vijay Rupani) and their Chief Secretary (JN Singh) yesterday. All people are in the loop. They are keeping an eye on whatever is happening in Gujarat." Kumar added, "The person, who committed the crime, should be punished, there should be strong actions taken against him. But, people should not have such notions about others. The Gujarat government is cautious and aware about all this. I would like to appeal to all the people to not have similar impressions for others on such matters." As many as 42 cases have been registered under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 342 people have been arrested across Gujarat for allegedly attacking the migrants from other states, Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) said on Sunday. According to reports, many workers belonging to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and other states were also forced to board home-bound trains. ANI rchopra@tribunemail.com Puri, October 8 Five policemen have been suspended for dereliction of duty following the violence that rocked Puri on October 3 over protests at Jagannath temple, police said. A havildar and four constables were placed under suspension on Sunday for negligence in discharging duties during the bandh when protesters ransacked the house of Revenue Minister and Puri MLA Maheswar Mohanty, said Puri SP Sarthak Sarangi. The police personnel were deployed at Mohantys residence at Kumutisahi locality in the pilgrim town. This apart, 18 people were arrested on Sunday in connection with the violent incidents that took place during the 12-hour shutdown called by socio-cultural outfit Sri Jagannath Sena to protest introduction of queue system for devotees at the Jagannath temple, he said. With this, the total number of people arrested in connection with violence during the bandh increased to 41 so far. Earlier, 23 people had been arrested by the police in connection with the incidents. As many as 47 people have been identified for indulging in violence during the protest on the basis of CCTV footage, the SP said, adding that efforts were on to arrest the rest. The seaside town had virtually turned into a battlefield on October 3 after large-scale violence erupted during the bandh. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Mumbai, October 8 Veteran actor Dilip Kumar was admitted to hospital on Sunday. The 95-year-old actor is being treated for recurrent pneumonia. Kumars family friend Faisal Farooqui shared the news on the actors official Twitter handle. Want to inform you @TheDilipKumar has been admitted to hospital last night. Hes being treated for recurrent pneumonia. Praying...Will keep you updated on twitter.--FF (@faisalMouthshut) the tweet read. Last month, the actor was admitted to hospital for the treatment of mild pneumonia. Known as the tragedy king of Bollywood, Dilip Kumar has given memorable performances in films such as Andaz, Aan, Madhumati, Devdas and Mughal-e-Azam. PTI The cemetery is perhaps best enjoyed through historian Karie Bible's deeply researched weekly walking tour - a 2 -hour sojourn into the stories of old Hollywood. Bible hopes to guide her audience not just past gravesites but on to an appreciation of the living art her subjects created, from Peter Lorre's turn in the brilliant German expressionist film "M," to indelible Estelle Getty in the senior-sitcom "The Golden Girls," all of which she details on her tour and website. When a little girl on the tour became distraught at the tomb of "Man of a Thousand Voices" Mel Blanc, who had given Bugs Bunny his cockiness and Porky Pig his stammer, "I told her to watch the cartoons," Bible recalls. "That's where he lives. That's how we can honor these artists." editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 8 The Centre has allegedly snubbed the state government for asking financial help to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev and observe Jallianwala Bagh massacre centenary. In a letter written to the PM, CM Capt Amarinder Singh had asked for a special financial assistance of Rs 2,145 crore from the Central government for the commemoration of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. In a press conference, the states Minister for Cultural Affairs and Tourism Navjot Singh Sidhu said he recently had a meeting with Union Minister for Culture Mahesh Sharma. He said it was categorically conveyed that the Centre was not much interested in the mega plans of the state government. In response to the Punjab CMs demand of Rs 2,145 crore (Rs 1,050 for commemorative projects and 1,095 for creation of infrastructure), the Centre has made it clear that it had earmarked only Rs 100 crore for all the commemorative functions and Rs 65 crore of it has already been spent. He said we can take whatever we want out of Rs 35 crore left with them. The CM had visited the Prime Minister and handed over the proposal to him personally. Sidhu said not just Nanak, but they had also given cold shoulder to the commemorative function of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre centenary. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Moga, October 8 The district police have booked an Inspector and three other cops on the charges of corruption, criminal breach of trust, framing of an incorrect record and fabricating a criminal case of drugs against a 55-year-old man and his son. A case under Sections 218 and 409 of the IPC, Section 59 of the NDPS Act and Section 13 (1)C of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against Inspector Gurpyar Singh, Head Constables Lal Chand and Resham Singh and Constable Gurdeep Singh at Badhni Kalan police station. The case was filed after an inquiry conducted by the Special Task Force of the state police found them prima facie guilty. Gurpyar Singh, the then SHO of Badhni Kalan police station, claimed to have seized 15 bags of poppy husk, each weighing 35 kg, from a commercial vehicle during checking on the outskirts of the village on May 29, 2017. The vehicle driver, Baljit Singh, and his son, Harjinder Singh, both residents of Daroli Bhai village, were arrested. A case under Sections 15, 25, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act was registered against them. The probe found that the vehicle was impounded on May 28, 2017, from the outskirts of Landeke village and taken to the SHOs private residence at Badhni Kalan, where he demanded money to release the duo. As Baljit and Harjinder did not agree to a deal, both were booked. No arrest had been made till the filing of this report. editorial@tribune.com Fatehgarh Sahib, October 8 Hundreds of farmers, under the banner of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda), organised a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioners office here. They disrupted the traffic on the Sirhind-Chandigarh road in protest against the decision of the government to book all those farmers indulging in burning of stubble in fields. They raised slogans against the government. Addressing the gathering, various leaders of the union stressed that neither the Union nor the state government announced any compensation to farmers for not burning paddy straw. They said to manage the residue in fields was a very costly affair and they could not bear so much financial burden. They said they didnt have any other option but to burn the residue as wheat could be sown only from October 20 to November 10, otherwise late sowing resulted in lesser yield. They said farmers were also worried about pollution, but the burning of residue caused only 8 per cent pollution, whereas 92 per cent pollution came from industry and other sources. It was surprising that the governments were only after the farmers and not taking action against the rest. They requested the government to withdraw the orders and not take any action otherwise they would gherao the officials coming to villages. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the DC. OC rchopra@tribunemail.com Ludhiana, October 8 A policeman was shot at and injured by a youth near the main gate of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) here on Monday, police said. Two youths who were on a motorcycle were signalled to stop at a check post near the DMCH by constable Davinder Singh, the police said. The two were asked to produce papers pertaining to the vehicle following which an argument ensued between the duo and Singh, they said. Leaving their motorcycle on the scene, the two fled from the spot and when Singh chased them, one of the youths opened fire, the police said. Singh managed to arrest one of the two accused while the other escaped. The constable was rushed to a nearby hospital, the police said, adding that a probe in the matter was under way. PTI shalender@tribune.com Adampur (Jalandhar), Oct 7 The India Air Forces beast MiG-29 has gained in strength and ferocity after an upgrade, giving the force, which is battling a shortage of fighter aircraft, a much-needed boost, according to officials. The Russian-origin aircraft, now capable of effecting mid-air refuelling, is compatible with latest missiles and can launch multi-dimensional attacks, Flight Lieutenant Karan Kohli, who is deployed at Adampur Air Force Station, said. Even in the previous legacy version, the aircraft played an important role as the Indian Air Force stamped its supremacy over the Pakistani force during the Kargil War of 1999. Last week, the upgraded MiG-29 showcased its combat capabilities at Adampur station. The country will celebrate Air Force Day on Monday. The upgraded MiG-29 also has a Multi-Functional Display (MFD) screen. On September 12, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa had said the force was reeling under a severe shortage of fighter aircraft. The IAF Chief had said the force currently has 31 squadrons of fighter jets against the sanctioned strength of 42. The strategically important Adampur Air Force Station, which is around 100 km from Pakistan and 250 km away from China borders, is now equipped with upgraded MiG-29. The Indian Air Force has three squadrons of MiG-29 fighter jets in operation, two of them at the Adampur Air Force Station. One squadron comprises 16-18 aircraft. Kohli said the force now has a combat aircraft which is flexible and can manoeuvre every situation so that IAF pilots can change their position and strike the enemy. He also said that the fighter plane has the capability of taking off vertically, which has increased the IAFs power a lot. The upgraded MiG-29 aircraft can take off within five minutes of spotting a hostile jet trying to enter the Indian airspace and destroy it, he said. With air-to-air refuelling feature, the upgraded MiG-29 can cover a larger distance as compared to the previous legacy aircraft and destroy the enemy, said another IAF officer, who did not wish to be named. PTI rchopra@tribunemail.com Ravi S Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 8 The proposed meeting of Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh with his officers here on Monday to discuss the possibility of reducing fuel prices in the state has now re-scheduled for Tuesday in Chandigarh. Amarinder is in the national capital and has sought time to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Washington, October 8 NASAs New Horizons probe is on course to flyby the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule this New Year, an event that will set the record for the most distant object ever visited by a spacecraft, scientists say. The spacecraft has successfully performed the three-and-half-minute manoeuvre on October 3 to home in on its location, NASA said in a statement. The manoeuvre slightly tweaked the spacecrafts trajectory and bumped its speed by 2.1 metres per second keeping it on track to fly past Ultimaofficially named 2014 MU69on January 1, 2019. Thanks to this manoeuvre, were right down the middle of the pike and on time for the farthest exploration of worlds in historymore than a billion miles beyond Pluto, said Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of the Southwest Research Institute in the US. At 6.6 billion kilometers from Earth, Ultima Thule will be the most distant object ever visited by a spacecraft. New Horizons itself was about 6.35 billion kilometres from home when it carried out Wednesdays trajectory correction maneuver (TCM), the farthest course-correction ever performed. This was the first Ultima targeting maneuver that used pictures taken by New Horizons itself to determine the spacecrafts position relative to the Kuiper Belt object. These optical navigation imagesgathered by New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) -- provide direct information of Ultimas position relative to New Horizons, and help the team determine where the spacecraft is headed. The New Horizons team designed the TCM by determining the current trajectories of the spacecraft and its target, and then calculating the manoeuvering required to put the spacecraft at the desired aim point for the flyby3,500 kilometresfrom Ultima at closest approach. The recent navigation images have helped us confirm that Ultima is within about 500 kilometres of its expected position, which is exceptionally good, said Fred Pelletier, New Horizons navigation team chief, of KinetX Aerospace, Inc. Confirming that Ultima is at its expected location is an important and somewhat unique aspect of this flyby. Since we are flying very fast and close to the surface of Ultima, approximately four times closer than the Pluto flyby in July 2015, the timing of the flyby must be very accurate, said Derek Nelson, New Horizons optical navigation lead, also from KinetX. The images help to determine the position and timing of the flyby, but we must also trust the prior estimate of Ultimas position and velocity to ensure a successful flyby, said Nelson. These first images give us confidence that Ultima is where we expected it to be, and the timing of the flyby will be accurate, he said. The spacecraft is just 112 million kilometres from Ultima, closing in at 51,911 kilometres per hour. The team will eventually have to guide the spacecraft into an approximately 120 by 320-kilometre box and predict the flyby to within 140 seconds. PTI vinaymishra188@gmail.com IN its latest issue the Searchlight says that the Principal of the Patna College has notified to his students that they are not to attend the next session at Purnea of the Beharee Students Conference at which Mrs. Sarojini Naidu will preside. Our contemporary rightly protests against this prohibition and says that the Students Conference is being held since 1906 regularly and eminent men have presided over it without any undesirable consequences. The Conference does much the same work in Behar as the Students representative Councils do in the Scottish Universities and there is no reason why the present order should be issued. Mrs. Naidu is a persona grata among students all over India. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Rio De Janeiro, October 8 Polarising far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro easily won the first round of Brazils presidential election on Sunday, but charged that polling problems cheated him of outright victory, forcing a run-off against a leftist rival in three weeks. Bolsonaro, a 63-year-old former paratrooper vowing to crush crime in Latin Americas biggest nation, received 46 per cent of ballots below the 50-per cent-plus-one-vote threshold required for a first-round win, according to an official count of virtually all votes. That means he will have to duke it out on October 28 with left-wing candidate Fernando Haddad, who came in second at 29 per cent. Haddad, former mayor of Sao Paulo who replaced jailed former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the contest, is seen as running neck-and-neck with Bolsonaro in the second round, surveys show. Bolsonaros supporters protested the results outside the national electoral tribunal in the capital Brasilia, chanting Fraud! Other Bolsonaro voters expressed their bitterness, even though the result was close to pollsters predictions. We expected to win in the first round, 77-year-old retiree Lourdes Azevedo said in Rio de Janeiro. Now things are more difficult: the second round is a risk. Haddad, addressing his own supporters, called the looming run-off a golden opportunity, and challenged Bolsonaro to a debate. Despite his complaints, Bolsonaro did not formally contest Sundays result, saying his voters remain mobilised for the second round. But he faces fierce resistance going forward from a big part of Brazils 147-million-strong electorate, who are put off by his record of denigrating comments against women, gays and the poor. His unabashed nostalgia for the brutal military dictatorship that ruled Brazil between 1964 and 1985 has sent a chill through many voters. Haddad, though, has his own challenge. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com Yaounde, October 8 Cameroon voted on Sunday in a presidential election marked by deadly violence in the countrys English-speaking regions and the cancellation of voting in at least one affected area over security fears. Cameroon has been rocked by a separatist insurgency from within its anglophone minority, who number around five million, since last October with many thousands displaced which will affect turnout in English communities. They accuse likely election winner President Paul Biya, 85, of oppression and are concentrated in the northwest and southwest of the majority-francophone country. Polls closed at 1700 GMT and the final results must legally be announced within 15 days. After voting got under way Sunday, security forces shot dead three suspected separatists who had allegedly fired at passersby from a motorcycle in Bamenda, the main city in the northwest region, a local official said. In Buea, capital of the southwest, three separatists of the so-called Ambazonia Republic separatist movement were gunned down on Friday and a priest was executed by soldiers on Thursday, according to witnesses. Gunfire was heard in the town throughout the day and a car belonging to the state-run Cameroon Tribune newspaper came under fire. The army confirmed that voting could not be held in at least one district of the southwest, Lysoka village. This area is dangerous. Its calm but it can erupt at any moment, a police officer told AFP at the scene. A heavily-armed convoy had attempted to deliver ballot boxes, signs and voting papers to the village but commanders decided it was too risky and withdrew. Separatists hold a significant amount of territory, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank, and had threatened to disrupt the vote. The violence in the anglophone regions has killed at least 420 civilians, 175 members of the security forces and an unknown number of separatists, according to the ICG. Sundays vote, in which 6.5 million voters were eligible to cast ballots, followed a last-minute opposition unity bid to dislodge Biya, one of Africas longest-serving rulers. Biya and his wife Chantal, who wore a matching canary yellow skirt, jacket and handbag along with her signature brown bouffant hair, voted in the Bastos public school in the capital Yaounde surrounded by heavily-armed soldiers. The election campaign was conducted peacefully... as president, it would be satisfying to be reelected to see that the people trust me, Biya told journalists as he left the voting booth and returned to his Mercedes-Maybach limousine. Voter Ulrich, 26, said he wanted a president who can keep the country peaceful after casting his ballot at the same polling station as Biya. The far north of the oil and rubber-producing country is also mired in insecurity, as Nigeria-based Boko Haram fighters mount attacks despite US efforts to equip and train Cameroons military to battle the jihadists. Tens of thousands have been displaced by that conflict, and 246,000 people have fled their homes in the southwest and 25,000 have left the country altogether for Nigeria, according to UN figures. The sheer number of displaced people, who it is thought will have been unable to cast ballots because of hometown voting requirements, would likely depress turnout, analysts said. As expected, turnout in the English regions has been particularly low with virtually all the returns we have seen suggesting less than five percent, said ICG analyst Hans de Marie Heungoup. Only a handful of voters cast ballots at a polling station in downtown Buea, according to the AFP team at the scene. That could favour Biyas bid for another seven- year term as anglophones have traditionally backed the Social Democratic Front (SDF) party of his rival Joshua Osih. In a rare coordinated political manoeuvre, a key opposition frontrunner, Maurice Kamto, agreed late Friday to a unity deal between his Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC) and the Peoples Development Front (FDP), meaning he stood for both parties. However, it is unclear whether the eleventh-hour deal, which Osih and other opposition barons did not join, will have swayed the voteespecially as voters were still able to cast ballots for the FDP candidate. Kamtos MRC previously warned that a massive fraud was under way to secure a Biya win. Were not preparing for war, but wherever there is fraud, there will be a firm response, said MRC spokesman Paul-Eric Kingue. The government hit back saying that it would not tolerate any disorder before, during or after the presidential vote. The opposition has long accused the authorities of giving unfair advantage to Biya who enjoys support from Washington and Paris. AFP Last year, more than 20,000 tourists visited the sea lion reserve, according to the government, with most stopping at Palomino island about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the coast. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Brasilia, October 8 Far-right Congressman and former Army captain Jair Bolsonaro won nearly half the votes in Brazils first-round presidential election on Sunday, marking a major shift to the right in Latin Americas largest nation fuelled by voters anger at corruption. In what is likely to be a deeply polarizing race, Bolsonaro, who has praised Brazils 1964-1985 military dictatorship, will face leftist Fernando Haddad, the former mayor of Sao Paulo, in a second round of voting on Oct. 28. Bolsonaro won 46.3 percent of valid ballots, far ahead of Haddads 29 percent but short of the outright majority needed to avoid an runoff, electoral authorities said. Bolsonaro, 63, had surged in recent opinion polls on a wave of antipathy towards Haddads Workers Party, whose leader is serving 12 years in prison after a corruption conviction. Bolsonaro, who has vowed a brutal crackdown on crime and graft, gained momentum after a near-fatal stabbing at a rally one month ago that kept him from campaigning. Some pundits have dubbed Bolsonaro a Tropical Trump because of his large social media following, pugnacious demeanor and multiple wives. He faces federal hate crime charges for racist and misogynist rants. His commanding lead heading into the second round marks another advance by populist, anti-establishment leaders, who have won power in eastern Europe, the United States and the Philippines. In his first public remarks celebrating his lead in the vote, Bolsonaro pledged to slash the size of the state, reduce the cabinet to 15 ministries, cut payroll taxes and privatize or shut many state companies. In video streamed live over social media with economic advisor Paulo Guedes sitting by his side, Bolsonaro said he would have clinched the race with a majority of votes on Sunday if it were not for faulty voting machines. He provided no details. Bolsonaros surge in opinion polls prompted a rally in recent days in Brazils currency and stock market. Many investors want to avoid a return of the leftist Workers Party after the end of its 2003-2016 rule saw the worlds eighth-largest economy fall into its worst recession in decades. Supporters rallying outside his Rio de Janeiro home waved the green-and-yellow national flag, chanting Our president! when he returned from voting, accompanied by a nurse, in a convoy of black SUVs. Bolsonaro is an example of honesty. Our country needs someone to take tough measures, said civil servant Orlando Senna, who said his uncle served in the army with Bolsonaro. Senna said he was worried that Bolsonaros presidential rivals would gang up on him and back Haddad in the runoff. In Sao Paulo, supporters celebrated on a main avenue with a giant inflatable doll in military uniform depicting Bolsonaros running mate, retired general Hamilton Mourao. In the most polarized election since the end of military rule in 1985, Bolsonaro is backed by a group of retired officers like Mourao who have criticized Workers Party governments and publicly advocate military intervention if corruption continues. Threat to democracy Haddads campaign headquarters in a Sao Paulo hotel broke out in cheers when exit polls showed that the race would go to a runoff. Some recent polls have projected he could beat Bolsonaro in the second round. Haddad called on Brazilians to unite behind him, warning that the 1988 Constitution that underpinned Brazils young democracy was at risk. He said he had already spoken to three other candidates to join forces against the right-winger. Haddad, a former education minister, had portrayed a vote for him as a show of support for Workers Party founder and former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whom many voters associate with good economic times and falling inequality. Lula was blocked from the race after being sentenced to 12 years in prison on corruption charges in one of the worlds biggest-ever political graft scandals. However, preliminary results showed unexpectedly big congressional wins by Bolsonaro proxies including former military police Major Olimpio Gomes, his campaign manager in Sao Paulo, who was elected to Senate. That and upset victories in the Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais governor races underscored a wave of enthusiasm for Bolsonaros allies and a backlash against the political establishment. The rivals will have to move to the center now to win more votes in the runoff, said Mauricio Santoro, professor at Rio de Janeiro state university. Haddad will have to distance himself from Lula and quickly pick a market-friendly finance minister. Bolsonaro will have to set aside his hate speeches and straighten out contradictions between his aides, Santoro said. By highlighting his ties to Lula, Haddad also played into the hands of Bolsonaro, who is riding a wave of anger at the Workers Party, which his supporters blame for widespread corruption, rising crime and recession. Bolsonaro has promised to reverse a crime wave that brought a record 63,880 deaths in 2017, the most of any country in the world, by rolling back gun controls and making it easier for police to kill. Reuters pardeepdhull@gmail.com Beijing, October 8 Meng Hongwei, the Chinese head of Interpol, who vanished mysteriously while on a visit to China, is being investigated for alleged corruption, Beijing announced on Monday, becoming the latest top leader to be ensnared in a sweeping anti-graft campaign led by President Xi Jinping. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stoutly defended Beijing's unprecedented move to detain and probe Meng, saying that he is being probed for corruption and links with former security czar Zhou Yongkang currently serving a life sentence after being convicted of a series of corruption charges, including bribery, abuse of power and leaking state secrets. Meng, 64, also a vice minister of public security, was first reported missing in late September after travelling from Interpol's Headquarters in France to China. Interpol is the global policing agency that coordinates between police forces around the world, including searches for missing and wanted persons. Meng oversaw Interpol's executive committee, which sets overall strategy. Concerns over Meng's whereabouts were first raised by wife, Grace, who reported him missing to French authorities in the city of Lyon, last Thursday. Grace said that Meng, the first Chinese head of Interpol, sent her a text message with a knife emoji on the day he went missing, indicating that he was in trouble. On Sunday night, China officially confirmed that Meng is being investigated for suspected breach of law and a lengthy statement by Chinese Ministry of Public Security said he is being probed for bribery and other crimes but did not elaborate. The statement came after a meeting held by Public Security Minister Zhao Kezhi last night expressed "unanimous support" for the probe against Meng and pledged "absolute political loyalty" to President Xi and the ruling Communist party leadership. Xi who is regarded as the most powerful leader of China after Mao Zedong and heads the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), the military and Presidency. He has been designated as the core leader and a constitutional amendment has removed two-term limit for President paving the way for him to be leader for life. Xi has promised that would his anti-corruption drive would catch both "tigers and flies"-the powerful as well as ordinary citizens-and has brought down top officials like ex-Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou. The statement from the public security ministry indicated that Meng is being probed for alleged links with Zhou. Zhou, 75, is the highest Chinese Communist Party official who served as security chief in the previous Hu Jintao regime to have been punished in the massive anti-corruption campaign by President Xi in which over a million officials were punished since he came to power in 2012. "We should resolutely oppose corruption and resolutely eliminate the pernicious influence of Zhou Yongkang," the statement by the Ministry of Public Security said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lu Kang also put up a staunch defence of the detention of Meng, dismissing concerns whether it affected Chinese officials' ability to hold important positions in the international organisations such as Interpol. "The case is under investigation. Anybody will be punished seriously if they violate the law. I believe the international community will draw their own conclusion on this," he said. The action against Meng has shown Chinese government's firm resolve to crackdown on corruption and crimes and it is also made very clear that this case fully demonstrates that the party is firm in fighting corruption, he said. On whether China informed Interpol, he said Meng himself submitted a letter for resignation to the Interpol. Chinese government also officially notified the Interpol of this, he said. Asked whether Meng has committed any crime as President of Interpol and whether China will put up a new candidate to replace him, Lu said the probe is still going on. "As to new candidate for Interpol, we believe the organisation will make arrangements in accordance with its regulation. China will continue support Interpol and step up cooperation in fighting crimes," he said. To a question whether Meng would be allowed to have a lawyer, Lu said his case will be handled in accordance with the China's laws and regulations. Asked whether Meng's wife who is still in France has been informed, Lu said he has no information to offer on the matter. In a separate development, Interpol said it had received Meng's resignation from the international police agency with "immediate effect", according to statement posted on Sunday. It made no mention of the former Interpol president's whereabouts or the Chinese investigation. Following Meng's resignation, Interpol announced South Korea's Kim Jong Yang would serve as acting president until the organisation's general assembly picks a permanent president next month in Dubai. Meng is the latest high-profile target to be caught in a sweeping anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by President Xi. One of China's best-known actresses, Fan Bingbing, reappeared following a lengthy disappearance in the past week, admitting to tax evasion and promising to pay a large fine. China's military, the world's largest, has been an important focus of Xi's campaign against corruption since he took power in 2012. Dozens of top officers have been probed and jailed, including Gen. Xu Caihou and Gen. Guo Boxiong, both former vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission, which Xi heads. - PTI ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Lahore, October 8 The Lahore High Court on Monday directed the federal government to file a reply on October 22 in a petition seeking action against ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif under treason charges for claiming that those involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack belonged to Pakistan. Former Pakistan premiers Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, along with prominent journalist for Dawn newspaper Cyril Almeida, appeared before the full Bench of the Lahore High Court. Almeida is also a respondent in the case being heard by a three-member Bench headed by Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi. The court ordered Sharif, Abbasi and Almeida to submit written replies by the next hearing. It inquired Deputy Attorney General Mian Tariq about the action the government had taken with respect to Article 6 (treason) in this case. The court ordered Almeidas name be removed from no-fly list (exit control list) and withdrew his non-bailable warrants. PTI amansharma@tribunemail.com Lahore, October 8 Police in Pakistan's Punjab province on Monday arrested a cleric, who claimed himself to be the 11th Imam of Islam, and booked him under blasphemy laws. Police booked Farhan Ahmed, who is in his late 40s, on the charges of blasphemy after a video in which he claimed himself to be the 11th Imam of Islam went viral on social media. Ahmed is a resident of Sahiwal, some 200-km from Lahore, the provincial capital. According to police, an FIR has been registered against Ahmed under section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code and section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order. Police said Ahmed told his followers that Sufi saints had already foretold about his "appearance". "The prime minister and the army chief should swear their allegiance to me," said Ahmed, who was flanked by his disciples in the video. He also claimed that he was the guardian of the appearance of Imam Mahdi. He invited the youth of Pakistan to join him, urging them to take oath of allegiance to him. Police are also investigating whether he made this claim because of any mental impairment. Police also recorded the statements of some of his followers. An imam is the head or leader of an imamate. Imam Mahdi, according to the Islamic belief, will appear on Earth before the Day of Judgment. - PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com Washington, October 8 In a significant development, the United States State Department announced that it is sending one of its top diplomats to Maldives and Sri Lanka. During her three-day trip from October 9 to 11, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells, will reiterate the strong US commitment to its partnerships with Sri Lanka and Maldives and their shared interests in a prosperous and open Indo-Pacific region, an official statement said on Sunday. In Male, Wells will meet with Maldivian government officials, the President-Elect, and civil society leaders. She will offer congratulations on the countrys successful national elections and convey US interest in expanding bilateral cooperation, the State Department said in a statement. In Colombo, Wells will meet with Sri Lankan officials and will emphasise the importance of the US-Sri Lanka relationship to shared Indo-Pacific goals, with the growing bilateral defence relationship as an area of particular promise. She will also urge continued progress on constitutional reform, human rights, reconciliation, and transitional justice and accountability, the State Department said. PTI pardeepdhull@gmail.com The Hague, October 8 The United States will confront Tehran at the UNs top court on Monday over billions in frozen assets, in a case that could deepen the Trump administrations rift with international justice. Iran had dragged Washington before the International Court of Justice in June 2016 to oppose a US Supreme Court ruling that the USD 2 billion should go to victims of terror attacks blamed on the Islamic republic. Mondays hearing of US objections against Irans appeal comes a week after the ICJ in a separate case ordered the United States to ease sanctions reimposed after President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Both the assets and the sanctions cases are based on a 1955 Treaty of Amity between Washington and Tehran that predates Irans Islamic revolution. Last Wednesday the Trump administration announced it was not only tearing up the 1955 treaty but also that it was quitting the international accord relating to the UN top courts jurisdiction. It remained unclear how Washington will respond to the latest case before the court but US officials confirmed that its lawyers will be present at the hearing on Monday. The ICJ was set up after World War II to rule on disputes between United Nations member states. Its rulings are binding but it has no power to enforce them. At Mondays hearing a 15-judge bench is to listen to arguments by Washingtons lawyers over whether the ICJ can take up the case under its strict rules governing its procedure. The US Supreme Court ruled in April 2016 that USD 2 billion in Irans frozen assets must go to American victims of terror attacks. These included the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut in which 241 soldiers were killed and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia. In total the decision affects more than 1,000 Americans. Iran angrily accused Washington of breaking the 1955 treatyeven though it was signed at the time with the pro-US regime of the Shahand called for the US to make full reparations to Iran for the violation of its international legal obligations. Tehran said that because the US has maintained its designation of Iran as a major state sponsor of terrorism, its assets including the Central Bank also known as the Bank Markazi, have been subjected to enforcement proceedings in the United States even if they should benefit from immunity under the 1955 treaty. A decision by the ICJs judges could take weeks or even months before being made public. Iran won a shock victory last week when the ICJ ruled that the US must lift sanctions against Tehran targeting humanitarian goods like food and medicine. In response, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was terminating the 1955 friendship treaty. But Trumps national security advisor John Bolton also announced that the United States was pulling out of the 1961 Optional Protocol and Dispute Resolution of the Vienna Convention. The protocol establishes the ICJ as the compulsory jurisdiction for disputes unless nations decide to settle them elsewhere. The step also comes after the Palestinians went to the ICJ to challenge the US move of its Israel embassy to Jerusalem. Trump last month at the United Nations virulently rejected the authority of the International Criminal Courta separate court based in The Hague that the US is not a member ofover a probe into US forces in Afghanistan. AFP uttara@tribuneindia.com London, October 8 Booker Prize winning author and activist Arundhati Roy has expressed concern over what she fears are historical facts being manipulated in India, creating a form of fake news in the country. Speaking on the subject of freedom, the author of The God of Small Things also spoke of the influences on her writing and how she viewed writing as a desire to bridge the gap between thought and language. What we are living through now, maybe we can call it: history as fake news. There is a sort of Hindu-isation, the corporatisation of education and history, she said during a lecture titled Utmost Happiness and Utmost Sadness: The Diary of India Nowadays, a reference to her most recent book The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, in London on Saturday. To me, the most dangerous thing is what young people are being put through before they have even learnt how to think, it is so twisted, Roy said at the School of Oriental and African Studies South Asia Institute event, organised by the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust (NIKMT). Invoking the debates between two of the most prominent leaders of Indias freedom struggle, Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar, Roy suggested a possible disclaimer before Richard Attenboroughs Oscar-winning 1980s film Gandhi to highlight it as a work of fiction because it failed to capture the complexity of Indias struggle. She said: The debate between Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar will tell you the complication of that freedom struggle. For Dr Ambedkar, Hinduism was a form of colonialism in many ways more terrifying than British colonialism. For Ambedkar, liberation meant trying to draft a Constitution that was far ahead of its time than society itself. He was not willing to just leave it to the people, because he was a man who did not have to go all the way to South Africa to find injustice.As part of a post-lecture interaction segment with Shohini Ghosh, a documentary filmmaker and professor of mass communications at Delhis Jamia Millia University, Roy delved into her shuttling between fiction and non-fiction writing and the connect between her activism and prose. In my DNA, I am a fiction writer. I wonder why people feel there is some bipolarity between fiction and fact. That is not true. Fiction is truth. I would say, particularly in the era of fake news, there is nothing truer than fiction, said Roy, who won the Booker Prize for The God of Small Things in 1997. As someone who has also authored a series of politically-charged essays such as The Greater Common Good, she explained that her non-fiction writing was never planned and was more a plea to look at things differently. She added: Fiction for me is the construction of the universe, the most beautiful thing that I can possibly imagine doing. Nowadays the world is becoming so harsh and rigid and reactive and twittery. Fiction allows you to be naughty, whimsical to give you that bandwidth which is getting lost to us in some ways. PTI While all thats happening around us may have us all believe that theres no good taking place in the world, in Trinidad and Tobago, one music producer is proving that consensus, inaccurate. Randal Alexander is the founder and principal producer at Pengco Musica music recording lab based in Bon Aire, East Trinidad. Hes changing lives and whats incredible is the fact that he knows he was called to do just what hes been doing for the past six months. Writing in his new autobiography that ''my pleasure was being with women,'' Magic Johnson described the road culture that led to the encounter during which he was infected with HIV. Meanwhile, a woman with whom Johnson acknowledges having had sex filed a lawsuit in a Michigan federal court claiming he gave her the AIDS virus in 1990. ABC`s ''PrimeTime Live'' reported the suit Thursday along with a taped interview in which Johnson discusses his retirement from the NBA. Advertisement ''During the `80s,'' Johnson wrote in ''My Life,'' ''the Lakers were seen as the sexiest and most glamorous team of all. ''After a game, there would be 40 or 50 women waiting in the (hotel) Advertisement lobby to meet us. ''Usually the women waiting for us would pretend to be interested in autographs. But you might sign that autograph and write down your room number beside your signature. Or you might write your name and whisper, `See you in an hour.` '' Johnson says he was deluged with phone calls from women asking to meet him. ''Sometimes the women who called were more direct,'' Johnson wrote. '' `Hello, Magic? I`m downstairs in the lobby. How would you like me to come up and satisfy you?` '' Johnson contends that many women were treating players like sex objects. ''What they wanted was the conquest,'' he wrote. ''I had my own fantasies, too. Like many men, I had always wondered what it was like to be with more than one woman at a time. There were times when I was able to arrange such an evening with two women, or more. ''I know how I got the HIV virus. That`s clear. But I don`t know who gave it to me. I called a number of women. . . . Of the women I have talked to, nobody has tested positive-at least not yet. Thank God for that.'' Advertisement In the ABC interview, Johnson said reaction to a cut he received in a game last week led to his retirement. ''You could see it on people`s faces,'' he said. ''Did he bandage it all? It`s not leaking? . . . I just don`t need it.'' THE Holy Trinity Cathedral on Hart Street in Port of Spain which was built in 1818 is need o ABBAs final song, on their new album Voyage, is a masterpiece of music and lyrics, which future generations will laud for its absolute brilliance. Freedom means different things to different people. In 2020 and 2021, a contagious virus caused many freedoms in the world to be suspended or taken away. As soon as I heard the gunshots, he fell, he said in the interview. And then there was a pause, and as soon as he just made a move, all of a sudden it seemed like it was never going to end. It was like pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop as he was on the ground, and they just kept shooting and shooting and shooting. Riff - it's quite common in the Med to have cruises that start from multiple ports, ie you may board and be round trip Barcelona, others board and are round-trip Rome, while others round-trip Athens or such - all on same ship; but then over there, immigration issues are quite as much as an issue as stops in USA.. We've done cruises out of Barbados with stops in USA port (both St Thomas and Puerto Rico) and yes, most definitely, everyone had to clear immigration before we could disembark the ship. In both cases, we cleared immigration, dropped passports in cabin and went off to enjoy the port - somehow or other, once we cleared immigration with the US officers, our cruise cards were marked as having been done, and we were clear to come and go from the ship as we pleased. I assume that is was marked such when they scanned it at the time we cleared immigration with the official. In both our stops, immigration was held in one of the large lounges, everyone was given time slots (which virtually no one paid attention to), everyone queued with their appropriate docs (passport, visas if needed, ESTA which is electronically attached to passport, etc) and saw an immigration officer who checked docs, checked you off and away we went. Time consuming and annoying for sure, but it's the orice we all pay to visit the USA, whether for an hour, day, week or whatever. OP - you'll definitely have to clear immigration in Puerto Rico. You'll clear customs on arrival back in Barbados.. It will not be done at a 4 mile walk away - at all. It will either be onboard, or in the terminal. Whether you'll be able to disembark right away after you're done, or you'll have to wait till the entire ship is cleared is up in the air, it's a decision made by the CBP officers that day with regards to how they handle it.. I wouldn't make any plans for anything before noon, by any means.. Definitely check via the Carnival forums at CruiseCritic. I'm sure there's plenty of people who have done the same cruise and can offer more recent experiences... Please book VIP You could add more on their website I didnt see any better then VIP Otherwise you would end up between 100 others Yes it is fun Please control your drink speeds until 1 am You May see girls come to your table Give you blue shots ( Alcohol) very strong then Their most expensive alcohol bottle) We did not get drunk with their bottles but we get drunk with very small shot It could be snack poison alcohol Well we had best time ever in Cancun Everyone should go CoCo Bongo before go back home >>We would just like to Explore the GOR and stop at places at leisure. _ So now we have 2 days and 1 Night for the GOR. I hope that would suffice ?<< It is doable but still rushed and not recommended. It does not fit your wish for leisurely exploration. >>I do not have any particular place to go on the GOR<< If you do not have any particular interest there and you are visiting other coastal areas and your whole itinerary is very rushed, why not choose less places and choose them more carefully to suit your particular interests and do them with more enjoyment? Why did you choose the Great Ocean Road? And also Jervis Bay where you want to do a very short trip, and also the Gold Coast and/or Hamilton Island? If we understand your expectations we can help you choose the destinations which truly meet those expectations and help you plan your time to enjoy them. Please explain more about what you picture yourselves doing? Do you want to drive to lookouts, relax over meals in scenic locations, lie on the beach, go swimming, go for long hikes, go for easy strolls, visit lighthouses, take boatrides, see wildlife, and so on and so on, what sorts of things do you look forward to doing in the places you have listed? -:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:- This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one. To review the Tripadvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason. As already mentioned, LIR airport is a lot easier to into and out of than SJO (it's in a rural area, not urban like SJO). Not only that, but it is also much closer to the coast (as little as 20-30 minutes) and just as close to Arenal and slightly closer to Monteverde. You should not have to stay near the airport for your arrival or departure unless you arrive very late and depart very early. You would also have the opportunity to visit Rincon de la Vieja National Park (probably have to leave out the beach portion). Here's some information on that: Also since you are looking to visit a few places in a short time frame, get up when the sun rises. If 5:30 am seems early, pretend it's 7:30. We did not see anything wrong following the advice we had received on TA when we arrived to SJO, exited the terminal, walked a bit to the right, reentered the building, the slanted floor there lead to the top/departure level, there was a bank counter mid terminal, we exchanged some of our US cash into CRC. Passport was required. Yes, you need to watch your luggage and not walk around with the cash in your hands, but I am sure you won't be doing it anyway. There were PA announcements inside the airport, frequently reminding travelers to watch their luggage. The bank counter on that level is not the same as the currency exchange windows by the luggage carousels at arrivals. Later in the trip, we used ATMs to withdraw cash. The screens showed us a choice of US or CRC. We prefer to use ATMs located near the bank, and do it during the day. We used safety deposit boxes in the hotels and did not carry unnecessary valuables, cards, amounts of cash with us when we were out. You may want to read these Safety Tips. They have a Car section- . We found the MA/Quepos area easy without renting a car. We stayed in between the park and the town of Quepos. There were fairly frequent inexpensive local buses, taxis. The marina in Quepos used to offer a free shuttle, which hotels arranged for those wanting to get to the vessels and restaurants of the new marina. We could walk from our accommodations to the main Rd. where the buses and all the traffic go, which was the main thing for us, as we choose not to rent cars in CR. The tour prices in that area included hotel pick up. Are your prices in Post 4 in US or in CAD? Check out WestJet, AirCanada rouge, AirTransat for direct flight prices from YYZ to SJO. Remember that WJ and AT do not include the US$29 exit tax in their ticket prices, but AC did for us. Check out Copa and Avianca for flights with stop overs. One of the useful search engines for airfares, which allows for filters/advance searches - . You can get to Osa via Drake Bay, Puerto Jimenez, or a ferry from Golfito. Martina Place has great Getting to Osa details on their site, outlining options. Rooms there might be noisy, as it is located on a busy Rd, and it is a hostel, not Iguana Lodge... Staying in close proximity to a town will allow you easier access to more affordable meal options. Staying at a more remote Lodge, without main meals, or any meals, included, means eating at their (pricey) restaurants, which is an added cost, in addition to the room rate, tours, transfers... Some of your decision will depend on whether you want to do overnight hikes in Corcovado, which need to be reserved in advance, especially in the peak season. It might be better if you post your CR budget, without international airfare. So, you have a sleepless night on the sleeper bus, half a day in Dalat, half a day in Hoi An, half a day at My Son. You then fly to Hoi An Which has no airport. On the Weds you will somehow get 4 hours north to Hue and see the sights, go back down south to where you came from earlier and drive by the beaches, get to the airport and fly to Hanoi. An overnight in a hotel and a day in Hanoi. 4 Hours to Halong Bay, an overnight, 4 hours back, then an hour to the airport and home. What will you see? If you try to do this trip you will see a couple of airports, the back of a taxi drivers head, a seat on a train, the pitch black roads from a bus window and absolutely nothing of the country. You will be asleep for most of it in the recovery position. Is it a bit too much? Yes. Its a crazy plan. Look at a map, work out the actual journey times including to and from airports, check ins etc, add in meals and sleep. You have booked the flights into HCMC, and out of Hanoi so you cant change that. Pick out one more place for the time in the middle, maybe Hoi An/ Da Nang since you have My Son on your list (weather allowing) and keep it as that. Anywhere else will be a waste of time and money as you will see nothing in such a short space of time. Sorry to be brutal, but its not an itinerary, its an assault course. Edited: 3 years ago Hello, Our trip is coming soon now and we are looking at locking down an itinerary. There are so many options and it's been hard to narrow down on where we want to go. we are in Vietnam Nov 24 - Dec 9. we fly into Hanoi and out of HCMC. We will be flying from the North to Cambodia (Siem Reap for 4 nights Dec 1-5) *First question - is it ok to book flights closer to the time at this time of year or should I be booking something now? I wanted to leave my options open as long as possible before actually booking these quick flights/hotel. For the North we have 7 nights. We want to spend some time in Hanoi. We want to do a cruise to Halong Bay (maybe 2 nights?) We are thinking the waterfalls in Cao Bang would be something to see and maybe a night in Nihn Bin. Probably not enough time to do Nihn bin and Cao Bang?.... is it worth it at this time of year to go all the way up to Cao Bang? Any tips/suggestions for this part of the trip would be most appreciated! After Cambodia we want to fly into HCMC and will have 4 nights in this area. We want to also check out the Mekong River maybe stay somewhere around there for a night as well. Any suggestions for that? My husband would love to be able to rent a motorbike in one of the smaller towns to drive us around and see some areas without the hassle and bustle. Thank you in advance for any help!! Re: Help with first time trip to Japan in June 2019 4. Re: Help with first time trip to Japan in June 2019 -:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:- This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one. To review the Tripadvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason. Colbert said despite her fervent attempts to keep him safe, her middle son was killed attending a vigil on Chicagos Far South Side for his sisters good friend, a 25-year-old Chicago woman killed in a car crash. Witnesses told police that two people fired into a crowd of about 100 people gathered in the Eden Green neighborhood, hitting one woman and two men. Garrett was the only one killed. No one had been arrested, police said Monday. Hi, Ive read a few articles saying that the new fish market is due to open in Toyosu this Thursday, Oct 11. Does anyone know if tourists can watch the tuna auction at 4:30am? I believe there are observation decks for tourists but Im just wondering if theyll be open from the first day. Thank you If you want to see Cherry Blossom(Sakura), I recommend you to come in late March or in the first week of April to Tokyo, and move quickly to Kyoto after spending 1 or 2 days in Tokyo and to step by Hakone later when you come back to Tokyo, because Hakone is not a place to see Cherry Blossom anyway. It is difficult to predict when will Sakura bloom in the next Spring, since it bloomed @1-2 week(s) earlier this year in many places in Japan: if it was because of just unusual weather, it may bloom as usual in the next year, while if it was because of global warming, it may bloom as early as this year. I personally think that we have the best chance to see it in Kyoto in early April, because there are various Sakuras, such as early-, standard-, and late-blooming Skauras they: indeed, standard-Sakura which usually bloomed in early April, bloomed this year in late March and it was over in early April, but late-blooming Sakura which usually bloom in mid April bloomed this ear in early April until @April 7. Thus, if you come to Kyoto in early April, you have a big chance to see either early-, standard-, or late-blossoms, which you don't have in other places. Here is my article for Cherry Blossom in Kyoto. It is also good to visit Osaka later, because Japan Mint in Osaka is the last place to see Cherry Blossom in Kansai Region: indeed, this year visit there, because all places in Kyoto was over in mid April, as follows. In addition, it is good to step by Kawaguchiko, instead of Hakone, on your way back to Tokyo, because Cherry Blossom bloom there in mid April: it blooms usually on April 15-20, but it bloomed this year on April 8-15. You should take Shinkansen Hikari Superexpress which stops at Mishima, and transfer at Mishima to an express bus to Kawaguchiko, as follows. I hope that I'm not out of line here (and if I am, won't be insulted if my post gets reported and removed), but my goddaughter was also a very picky eater, which her mom indulged. We (they don't live in NYC but would visit a few times a year) were always looking for a place where she could get either chicken nuggets or white pasta (pasta with plain butter), that's all she would eat. Around the time she was 10 or 11, I thought enough was enough. I insisted on her mom letting me take her out for dinner alone, I made it a big thing. We went to the old Barolo, before it was Lauderee and sat in the garden. They didn't have a kids menu. In no time, we had an "adult" conversation and she was eating a different kind of pasta and we ordered a green side dish (maybe broccoli rabe? can't remember, I just remember it was a little unusual for a kid from a small town). Now this kid is in college and is vegan. Who would have thunk? Perhaps you, as the non-parent cool older sister can try something like that, make him feel adult and special and this trip is the opportunity to put this old hang up aside. He may be ready but not willing to admit it. And a new city and new country is the perfect opportunity to say we're doing something special.... If not, you're mostly stuck w pizza places and Mickey D's. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) requires you to hold a Certificate of Registration for you to qualify to practice teaching in Kenya. To make it easier for all prospective teachers, TSC introduced an online service platform to replace paper application. Now, all teachers have to do is to check their TSC registration status to know whether they are in the registry. Photo: canva.com (modified by author) Source: UGC Even before checking your TSC online system registration status, you should have registered with the TSC portal. At this point, you will have to fill all the information needed by the TSC and scan and attach supporting documents (original copy). Some of the prerequisite documents include; A copy of your national identity card Certified copies of your professional and academic certificates A copy of your KRA pin GP69 form Bank slip confirming payment of registration fees Certificate of good conduct One passport size photo For non-Kenyan, copies of entry and work permits If you are an expatriate teacher, you will also have to attach a clearance letter from the Ministry of Education. TSC has provided a teachers registration manual to make the process easy. Applicants who give false information will have to pay a fine of up to 100,000 Kenyan Shillings or serve an imprisonment term of twelve months. How will I know I have been registered to TSC? Once you complete the registration process above, the TSC will review your application and get back to you within 30 days. If your registration is successful, the Teachers Service Commission will grant you the certificate of registration. With this certificate of registration, you can confirm your TSC number registration status. Also, the TSC publishes a list of all registered teachers annually. On the other hand, if TSC declines your application, the commission will communicate within 30 days giving the reason for declining. Some of the grounds that may make the TSC deny your registration are; Lack of the required academic and professional qualifications Being of questionable moral character, i.e., you have been convicted of an offence against a learner or a sexual offence Having a criminal offence conviction that makes you unfit to be a teacher If proven that you engaged in activities considered prejudicial to good governance, peace, or good order in Kenya Having a physical or mental illness that makes you incapable of administering your duty as a teacher How to check TSC registration status online 1. You can check your TSC new teacher online registration status by visiting the TSC online services portal. How to check TSC registration status online. Photo: teachersonline.tsc.go.ke Source: UGC 2. Click on Registration Status. How to check TSC registration status online. Photo: teachersonline.tsc.go.ke Source: UGC 3. Enter your ID card or passport number and press go. You will receive your TSC registration confirmation. TSC online payslip registration status Once you become a TSC member, you can register for the TSC online payslip. How to check TSC registration status online. Photo: payslip.tsc.go.ke Source: UGC At this point, you need the following details Your TSC number National identity card number KRA pin A designation code Your pay station code Your bank account number Phone number and email address A password After activating your account, you can log in using your TSC number and password to access your online payslip. Conditions for deregistration The TSC website outlines some of the reasons why the commission can deregister a teacher. They include; Death Obtaining registration fraudulently If you have been convicted of a sexual offence or an act against a learner Conviction of a criminal offence that makes a teacher unfit If you become unfit after disciplinary proceedings If you suffer a mental or physical illness that makes you incapable of carrying out your duties as a teacher Like with registration, the Teachers Service Commission publishes names of deregistered teachers in the Kenya Gazette. Frequently asked questions on TSC registration status The following are some of the most FAQs that people ask during the application of TSC registration: How much do you pay for TSC registration? The new registration fee (inclusive of bank charges) is 1055 Kenya Shillings payable through M-Pesa business number 625625 or direct bank deposits (National Bank of Kenya A/C No. 0100100090500). Ensure that you have paid or deposited this amount before you begin the process of TSC registration. How long does the TSC number take after verification? If you have adhered to all the requirements of registration, TSC will issue you with a registration certificate, which bears the TSC number after verifying your application. The TSC number is issued within 30 days of filing for registration. How do I find my TSC registration number? If you want to find your TSC registration number, you should access the TSC online services portal. Go to the page that reads "Status of Teacher Registration Application(s)". You will be prompted to key in your ID number or passport number. Press on the "Go" tab and you will instantly receive the details pertaining to the TSC registration status. There will be no records of the TSC registration status if your application was unsuccessful. With this simple and comprehensive guide, you can check your TSC registration status and TSC payslip online registration with ease. If your application for registration is verified, TSC will issue you with a certificate bearing the TSC number, which you can use to apply for teaching jobs or promotions. Tuko.co.ke also published an article about the TSC salaries and grading system for teachers in 2021. Over the years, teachers have been spending a lot of time on the roads protesting for better payment from the government. The KNUT had a hard yet successful fight in regards to the increment of the teachers pay. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission agreed on increasing the salaries in three different phases in 2021. What are the new TSC salaries? Read it in the article. Source: Tuko Breaking News Latest - The parents revealed Joseph Irungu alias Jowie was brought up in a Christian family - He was a God-fearing child while growing up and even sung in a choir -The parents said Jowie had big dreams, including starting his own company - He also wanted to marry Citizen TV girl Jacque Maribe whom he was staying with - The parents admitted Jowie also knew slain Monica Kimani but insisted they were just friends - Irungu was arrested as the prime suspect in the murder of the 28-year-old business lady Distraught parents of Joseph Irungu alias Jowie, the prime suspect in the murder of business lady Monica Kimani, have denied reports that their son committed the said crime. As one would expect, the parents strongly defended their son insisting he could not have committed the heinous crime he was being accused of owing to his strict Christian upbringing. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Pasta akamatwa akifanya maombi na wanawake 7 wakiwa uchi nyumbani kwake Joseph Irungu's mother and father revealed he was brought up in a Christian family and was a God-fearing boy while growing up.They insisted their son did not kill anyone. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Joseph Irungus parents in shock after learning son could be a killer Speaking to NTV Kenya on Sunday, October 7, Jowie's father said they were shocked beyond words to learn their son was involved in a murder crime. "Vile tuliona hiyo mambo kwa TV, sisi hatukuwa tunaijua. Hatukuwa tunatarajia mambo kama yale. Tulishikwa na mshangano na hatukujuaa tufanye nini (When we saw the news on TV, we were shocked and did not know what to do. We did not expected such news," Jowie's father, Julius Mwangi Irungu, said. READ ALSO: TV girl Jackie Maribes lover arrested over murder of woman in Kilimani, Nairobi According to the father, Jowie was a Church person and member of the Church choir which he loved being part of and never failed to attend rehearsals. "We brought him up in Church and he was a Church person," the father said. READ ALSO: Police arrest TV girl Jacque Maribe over murder of Monica Kimani As a grown up, Jowie's father said the son used to work in Dubai with a security firm before returning to Kenya in 2017. He reportedly returned home during the electioneering period and disclosed to his parents his Dubai-based employer had gotten a contract in Kenya. The contract, the father revealed, involved providing security to politicians during the electioneering period. READ ALSO: Jacque Maribe presents herself to police after her fiance is arrested over murder Jowie also told his parents he was planning to start his own company saying the security job in Dubai was proving to be very difficult. His line of work aside, the father disclosed Jowie had told them that he wanted to marry Citizen TV girl, Jacque Maribe, whom he was staying with at the time of his arrest. The mother confirmed he was in love with Jacque and was planning to settle down with her, a decision they approved as parents. READ ALSO: Emotions run high at requiem mass for lady allegedly killed by TV girls lover And in relation to the murder of Monica, Jowie told his parents he had absolutely nothing to do with the crime as was alleged. "He told me he was not involved in anyway regarding the murder of Monica," the old man said. The suspect was arrested on September 21 after Monica's lifeless body was discovered dumped in a pool of blood inside her house in Kilimani, Nairobi. READ ALSO: DNA test confirms Migori Governor Okoth Obado sired late Sharon Otieno's baby A DNA test confirmed Jowie was at the crime scene, further implicating him in the murder of Monica. The detectives' findings indicated samples obtained from him matched 99.9% with those taken from a masking tape used to muzzle the victim, proving he was in the apartment in which the woman was killed. The parents, however, rubbished the DNA results claiming no sample was taken from their son and therefore they could not understand where the results came from. The parents nevertheless admitted Jowie was friends with Monica. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Obado to Spend More Days Behind Bars - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko Breaking News - Ngunyi said he will support the referendum if it will create positions for individuals - He argued when nations are young, they are built by individuals, and that Kenya is still a young nation - Ngunyi said the referendum will create positions of executive prime minister and ceremonial president - Leaders are divided on the push for referendum with the aim of creating new positions in government Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi has declared his support for a referendum being spearheaded by Opposition leader Raila Odinga who seeks to have the governance structure altered. The analyst believes the referendum will bring positive change to Kenya and even invited those opposed to it to join him in supporting it. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Being impatient like Raila will cost you presidency - Mutahi Ngunyi tells Ruto Political Analyst Mutahi Ngunyi has declared his support for a new referendum that was being spearheaded by former prime minister Raila Odinga, invited those opposed to it to join him. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Ruto is working very hard not to become president - Mutahi Ngunyi Speaking on his Youtube channel The 5th Estate on Saturday, October 6, Ngunyi said the referendum became inevitable the day Raila called for it. "Regarding the politics of change, Raila is the grandmaster. No one can smell change as freshly as Raila does. And that is why we cannot argue with the referendum, if Raila says it will happen, it will happen," he said. READ ALSO: You will not become president in 2022 without my help - Raila tells Ruto Ngunyi admitted he was previously opposed to the idea of creating positions of an executive prime minister and a ceremonial president, but was prepared to revise his position if three questions were answered. He agreed to support the referendum if it was indeed going to be a vehicle for creating positions for individuals. "When nations are young, they are built by individuals, but when mature, individuals are built by nations. Our nation is still young, it cannot build individuals, it can only be built by individuals. Creating a position for Raila so he can build our nation is therefore perfectly okay with me," the analysts explained. READ ALSO: Raila is a slow puncture that takes us nowhere - Mutahi Ngunyi Ngunyi also agreed to support the proposed constitutional amendment if creating positions of a PM and a president was equal to extending President Uhuru Kenyatta's term. "I stand for continuity of a rational change in the name of democracy," he said. Lastly, the analyst was ready to support the referendum if both Uhuru and Raila supported it. "If Uhuru and Raila support the referendum, who can stop it? If no one can stop it, then I would not waste my time fighting it," he argued. READ ALSO: My pact with Raila was never about 2022 - Uhuru According to Ngunyi, those opposed to change were politicians and those driving the change agenda were the true leaders. He claimed 2022 would be about Uhuru and Raila once the referendum sails through and if Deputy President William Ruto continues to oppose change. "2022 will be about Uhuru and Raila, one would become ceremonial president, the other will become executive prime minister. One would become head of state, the other head of government . And the referendum would make this possible," he opined. With the referendum debate gaining momentum day by day, questions on whether Uhuru will retire and exit the political scene come 2022 now remains uncertain. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Top 5 Facts About Uhuru Kenyatta - Raila Odinga Pact - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko Breaking News Latest - The funds were meant for improving ICT infrastructure at the education facility - Suspects involved diverted the money for personal gain and irregular payments - They will be arraigned on Monday, October 8, where they will face fraud related charges - Top sleuth Kinoti issued a strong warning to school managers involved in graft Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Sunday, October 7, arrested six top officials attached to Thika Technical Training Institute for embezzlement of millions of public funds. The officials included current and former employees and are set to be arraigned in a Thika Court on Monday, October 8. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens. READ ALSO: Pasta akamatwa akifanya maombi na wanawake 7 wakiwa uchi nyumbani kwake The development has seen DCI George Kinoti, issue a stern warning to institution managers involved in plundering public funds.Photo UGC Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Kenyans demand for immediate arrest of man caught headbutting lady In a statement, the DCI stated that a tune of KSh 27,981,233 was misappropriated and the alleged crimes took place on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. "Six top officials of Thika Technical Training Institute have been arrested and will be charged in court on Monday for misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds through irregular payments amounting to KSh 27,981,233; funds meant to promote technical innovation in ICT," said the DCI. READ ALSO: Joseph Irungu's distraught parents open up about son's life and big dreams Serving officials connected to pilferage of the funds included current Principal Mambua Kyengo, Eunice Njuguna Wairimu (Ministry of Education, Thika) and Johnson Kihumba Ichugu (Internal Auditor). Others included former principals Jefferson Kariuki and John Mwangi as well as Samuel Gakumo, a former Finance Officer The sleuths are still in-pursuit of Michael Gacheru (Former Finance Officer) who since investigations were launched, has remained at large. READ ALSO: Juja matatu touts give two police officers thorough beating, seriously injure them The development saw DCI boss, George Kinoti, issue a stern warning to institution managers involved in plundering public funds. Kinoti directed the officials to account for every coin earmarked for stepping up development in learning institutions. "The DCI sends a strong warning to the rest of the learning institutions that any coin meant for public or childrens future must be protected and used for the purpose for which it was intended, to enable our country to be industrialized," he stated. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Former Nairobi Governor Dr. Evans Kidero Troubles with the EACC | Tuko TV. Source: Tuko Newspaper "We really hope we can deliver some good outcomes from that when the summit takes place," he added. "But we do think right that this is a place where ultimately some of these big difficult issues have to be resolved by the nation's most senior leaders and hope to have those presented in a way that the two leaders can resolve them when they get together." - ANC and FORD Kenya party leaders have threatened to block the planned referendum - Mudavadi and Wetangula said they would support the referendum but with conditions - The duo said referendum proponents must make clear their motive for calling for a plebiscite Opposition politicians Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula have threatened to oppose the imminent referendum to change the Constitution unless the vote question does not capture the aspirations of Kenyans. Wetangula who is the Bungoma Senator and Ford Kenya party leader said he will lead his supporters into rejecting the referendum until the motive for the plebiscite is made clear. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Pasta akamatwa akifanya maombi na wanawake 7 wakiwa uchi nyumbani kwake FORD Kenya leader Moses Wetang'ula during the ordination of the new Kitale AXK dioces bishop. Photo: David Bwayo. Source: Original READ ALSO: William Ruto clarifies he would not be party to referendum talks We cannot go into a referendum to create posts so that we can benefit few individuals to the expense of millions of Kenyans who are suffering as a result of high tax and bad economic times," Wetangula said in Kitale. He was speaking during the ordination of new ACK Kitale diocese bishop, Emmanuel Chemengich. He said right now, the government should ensure farmers who took their produce to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) are paid their dues without delays and prevent the cartels from sneaking maize from Uganda to Kenya. Elsewhere, Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi echoed Wetangulas sentiments as he addressed a crowd in the coastal region insisting time was not ripe for a referendum. READ ALSO: Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi says referendum will make Raila president He said the country was yet to heal form the 2017 General Election and needed time before going for another round of campaigns. Mudavadi also maintained the planned merger between his ANC party and Ford Kenya was still in the process, saying both him and the Bungoma senator enjoy a good working environment. "My brother Wetangula and I have been friends and we have worked together for a long time, we are also discussing among many things leadership," the ANC leader said. READ ALSO: Kalonzo and Mudavadi strongly oppose Railas referendum push The talks of getting a strong presidential candidate from western Kenya region for the 2022 presidential race is gaining steam with Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa hinting at getting a presidential candidate before 2020. Davis Bwayo, Trans-Nzoia Correspondent. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Sandwich With Bacon: The Great Chef Rachels Recipe On Tuko Bites | Tuko Lifestyle Source: Tuko.co.ke - Mogire Mogaka accused DCJ of taking questionable loans from Imperial Bank of Kenya - He accused Mwilu of receiving her loan repayments from questionable financial sources - Mogire held the DCJ failed the integrity test based on the nature of allegations against her - Mwilu was arrested on Tuesday, August 28, over graft allegations - The High Court temporarily stopped the case and it will resume on Tuesday, October 9 The embattled Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu may lose her position in the country's top court if a petition filed against her over lack of integrity succeeds. Mogire Mogaka filed the petition before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) seeking the removal of Mwilu from office over alleged illegal dealings with Imperial Bank of Kenya. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Arrest of Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu shocked Uhuru - Kalonzo Musyoka DCJ Philomena Mwilu was arrested on Tuesday, August 28, over graft allegations and her case will resume on Tuesday, October 9. Photo: UGC Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Video ya maafisa wa GSU wakipimana nguvu na KDF yasisimua maelfu mtandaoni In his petition dated Thursday, October 4, Mogire accused Mwilu of questionable bank transactions that he said were bribery payments. The Deputy Chief Justice opened an account with Imperial Bank in August 2013 and by September 2013, she was given an interest free/zero per cent (0%) of KSh 12 million. This zero interest loan was extended from three months to one and half years, read Mogire's petition. This is not normal by any standard and therefore must have been given by the fact that she is a judge as she applied for the loan on a Judiciary letterhead. The other explanation is that it is a bribe," added the petitioner. READ ALSO: Deputy Chief Justice Mwilu's tribulations turn political Mogire further accused the DCJ of receiving a questionable KSh 64 million from Uganda through her Imperial Bank account in 2015 and another KSh 80 million unsecured loan. He raised questions on the nature of KSh 10 million, a repayment for Mwilu's loan which was made by Business Development Manager of Imperial Bank Mehbooba Shamji. This raises questions like: How can we be sure that the money came from the Deputy Chief Justice and was not a bribe used to pay her loan? Where did the Deputy Chief Justice get the KSh 10 million cash if it is true it came from her? posed Mogire. Mwilu filed a case at the High Court which temporarily stopped proceedings against her. Photo: UGC Source: Twitter READ ALSO: Uhuru wants me out of Judiciary - DCJ Philomena Mwilu The petitioner also accused Mwilu of evading taxes, demeaning her office and lacking integrity based on the allegations. Philomena Mwilu is not fit to be the Deputy Chief Justice. She is clearly corrupt and untrustworthy and has contributed to the sinking of Imperial Bank," alleged the petitioner. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Sandwich With Bacon: The Great Chef Rachels Recipe On Tuko Bites | Tuko Lifestyle Source: Kenyan Breaking News - Interior CS Fred Matiang'i said October 10 shall be observed as a public holiday - He noted the decision to celebrate Moi Day was in line with a High Court ruling in 2017 - The CS, however, did not make pronouncement on the manner in which the day shall be celebrated - Moi Day was merged with Kenyatta Day and collectively called Mashujaa Day by framers of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 - Mashujaa Day was dedicated to celebrating all national heroes, including retired president Daniel Arap Moi and marked October 20 The government has confirmed Wednesday, October 10, will be an official public holiday as per the Judicial Review No. 292 of 2017. The announcement came following days of confusion and speculations on whether or not October 10 was still a public holiday as it used to be after Moi Day was left out in the Constitution 2010 and later restored by the Court. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Immigration department to facilitate Miguna's return as per court orders Interior CS Fred Matiang'i said on Monday, October 8, confirmed October 10 shall be observed as a public holiday as per the Judicial Review No. 292 of 2017. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Video ya maafisa wa GSU wakipimana nguvu na KDF yasisimua maelfu mtandaoni In a press statement seen by TUKO.co.ke on Monday, October 8, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i announced October 10 shall be a public holiday in compliance with Section 7 of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and in compliance with the 2017 court decision. "In Judicial Review No. 292 of 2017 (Republic versus Cabinet Secretary for Internal Security Ex Parte G.O Nyauchi and 4 others), the court affirmed that October 10 remain a public holiday to be observed as such," the CS noted. READ ALSO: Daniel Moi grandson wants daughter's case settled out of court The CS however clarified he could not make pronouncement on the manner in which the day shall be marked owing to other celebrations lined up for all national heroes on Mashujaa Day slated for October 20. "The framers of our Constitution wisely stated in Article 9 (3) that we shall celebrate our national heroes in one day, namely Mashujaa Day, which is set for October 20 each year. By that decision they renamed Kenyatta Day Mashujaa Day and invited the country to recognise our other heroes, alongside the founding father of our nation, on that day," Matiang'i noted. READ ALSO: Miguna sets date for return marking another round of possible dramatic scenes at Jomo Kenyatta Airport The Interior Ministry boss further clarified Moi Day was not one of the national days recognised under Article 9(3) of the Constitution. The recognised national days, he said, were Mashujaa, Madaraka and Jamhuri. "It is worth mentioning the fact that as an emerging economy, we need to optimally utilise our time working and building the nation, and this might have advised the reduction of public holidays through the amendments," he noted. The government is reportedly in the process of making recommendations to the National Assembly for the comprehensive review of the Public Holidays Act, Cap 110. The review is expected to address all outstanding matters pertaining to public holidays. The High Court in November 2017 ruled Moi Day should be observed unless the law is amended. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Top 5 Facts About Uhuru Kenyatta - Raila Odinga Pact - On Tuko TV Source: Kenya Breaking News Today Prince Mohammed used the interview with Bloomberg to defend actions that have tarnished his reputation as a man trying to overhaul one of the world's last remaining absolute monarchies. He said the arrests of clerics, women activists and some businessmen over the past year were a small price to pay for peacefully eradicating extremism in the world's top oil exporter. When government moves the motion to revoke the State of Emergency on Wednesday, they are likely not to receive Opposition support. Speaking at the UNC's press conference today, Opposition Chief Whip David Lee said while many may find it curious that the government would seek to take this action now, it all makes sense when one considers the upcoming elections in Tobago. Ukraine may need at least five years for the full reequipping of its armed forces with the latest types of weapons and hardware. Director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies Valentyn Badrak said this at a press conference on Monday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "Ukraine needs five to seven years for rearmament if $500-700 million is spent on new arms purchases. So we see that this year we have approached only the starting point of rearmament. I cannot expect that we will have active rearmament. I think it will take five years," he said. Badrak noted that the budget for arms purchases is small. UAH 17.1 billion (about $640 million at the time) was allocated for procurement in 2017. Today, the same amount equals about $600 million, which is less than in 2017. He recalled that the size of the defense budget in Ukraine is about $2.7 billion, compared to EUR 10 billion in Poland. Therefore, Poland is able to buy the American Patriot air defense systems, high-precision missile systems for airplanes, that is, air-to-air missiles - "this is what we cannot buy today." op Trade and economic relations between Ukraine and Moldova are developing in a positive manner, and they are not subject to any restrictions, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said. He said this in an exclusive interview with an Ukrinform correspondent after participation in the summit of heads of government of the GUAM member states. "First and foremost, I want to note a high level of the development of Moldovan-Ukrainian trade and economic relations. We also see the prospect of their further growth and development, and our countries have the potential for this. We have very good friendly relations with Moldova. They are developing in a positive manner, and our countries do not have any trade and economic restrictions in this process," Groysman said. He recalled that in the first half of 2018 alone, trade between the two countries grew by 40% and reached more than $500 million. Groysman paid special attention to the fact that the rapid completion of negotiations on the agreement on a free trade area between the GUAM countries (Organization for Democracy and Economic Development) would give even more impetus and an exhaustive answer to the question of deepening trade and economic relations, including with Moldova. According to him, "the economic potential of the GUAM member states is very high, and its full development requires joint work on removing restrictions and barriers and making trade exchange procedures more transparent and clear, and then the states will only complement each other." "We are partners with Moldova, we have a complete understanding and interaction, and therefore all problems can be solved. The roadmap of economic cooperation signed between our countries is being carried out, and acceleration of signing of the free trade agreement of the GUAM will provide great potential for further development of our bilateral contacts," Groysman said. op Chicago ended 2016 with more than 4,300 people shot and over 760 killed, the worst violence the city had seen in two decades. Some officers within the department that year blamed the street-stop changes for the rise in violence, in that they prevented cops from policing the streets more aggressively. But crime experts have dismissed that explanation for the spike in violence and the ACLU has contended that the drastic drop in street stops is an indication that officers likely began making fewer unconstitutional stops. Poland expects the United States to impose sanctions on implementation of Nord Stream 2 project. "I expect that the US sanctions will be imposed on Nord Stream 2. We are negotiating this topic," Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki said in an interview with Do Rzeczy Polish media outlet. According to him, the talks are ongoing, and Warsaw always argues this step should be taken. "I believe that everything will become clear in this matter by the end of the year," Morawiecki said. As reported, Nord Stream 2 is a gas pipeline project which aims to carry more Russian natural gas under the Baltic Sea direct to Germany, bypassing Ukraine and Poland. Russian gas monopoly Gazprom owns 51% of the projects shares. Russia wants to build two strings of the gas pipeline. Starting from late 2019, Nord Stream 2 gas transport corridor is expected to transport about 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The project opponents, including Poland, the Baltic countries, Ukraine, Moldova, the United States and Denmark, argue that Nord Stream 2 will increase the EU's dependence on Gazprom. ol New direct flights between Ukraine and four Turkish cities - Izmir, Bursa, Dalaman and Bodrum are planned to be launched next year. In 2016, 1 million 50 thousand Ukrainian tourists visited Turkey. In 2017, 1 million 250 thousand Ukrainians visited Turkey. This year, we expect an increase of 20-30% but do not have final statistics yet. About 250,000 citizens of Turkey visit Ukraine every year, and we see steady annual growth. More than 180 flights are performed weekly between our countries. Starting from next year, we plan to launch direct flights to Izmir, Bursa, Dalaman and Bodrum, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey Andriy Sybiha told Ukrainian journalists, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The Ukrainian diplomat along with his colleagues from China, India and other countries visited eastern Turkey as part of the program for tourist promotion of the region. ol The EU calls on Moscow to provide Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov with proper medical treatment and release him immediately along with other Ukrainians, who have been detained illegally in Russia and Crimea. "The European Union stands in solidarity with Oleg Sentsov and, in addition to swift and appropriate medical treatment, expects his immediate release, along with all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens in Russia and on the Crimean peninsula," reads the statement of Maja Kocijancic, the Spokesperson of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations. According to Kocijancic, Sentsov has shown incredible courage, determination and selflessness during his 145 days of hunger strike and his health has now deteriorated to a critical state. "In refusing to provide him with appropriate medical treatment in an institutionalised medical setting, the authorities of the Russian Federation have violated his human rights as well as their own human rights commitments under international law, namely the European Court of Human Rights interim measure of 25 July this year," the statement says. Kocijancic stressed that Oleg Sentsov had been jailed for alleged activities conducted on the Crimean Peninsula, the illegal annexation of which by the Russian Federation he strongly opposed. The EU considers the case to be in breach of international law and elementary standards of justice. As reported, Oleg Sentsovs lawyer Dmitry Dinze confirmed that his client would stop hunger strike on October 6. Oleg handed over a letter to the lawyer in which he told about the threat of force-feeding "within the framework of resuscitation procedure to save a patient's life." Therefore, Sentsov had to stop his hunger strike. Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov was detained by Russian security services in Crimea in May 2014. He was sentenced to 20 years in a penal colony in Russia for alleged "plotting acts of terrorism." On May 14, 2018, he declared a hunger strike demanding to release all Ukrainian political prisoners held by the Kremlin. About 70 Ukrainian political prisoners, including Ukrinform journalist Roman Sushchenko, are currently held in Russia and in Russian-occupied Crimea. Sushchenko was sentenced in Russia to 12 years in a high-security penitentiary for alleged espionage. ol Newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Algeria Maksym Subh has presented the copies of credentials to the Foreign Minister of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, the press service of the Embassy of Ukraine in Algeria reports. "During the ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry of Algeria, the parties exchanged views on the priority areas for the development of Ukrainian-Algerian bilateral relations," reads the report. In particular, the Ambassador of Ukraine emphasized the importance of enhancing relations through the exchange of visits so that to increase cooperation in political, economic and cultural spheres. He also noted that the second round of political consultations between the foreign policy departments of Ukraine and Algeria in the near future is among the priorities for cooperation. iy The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will hold the urgent debate on Russia. The decision made by the PACE Bureau was announced by Deputy Head of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the PACE Georgii Logvynskyi, an Ukrinform correspondent reports from Strasbourg. "As far as I know, the debate on the Russian Federation initiated by certain political groups has already been scheduled. On the afternoon of Wednesday, there will be a separate topic of the debate on the return of the Russian Federation. Consequently, the issues will be raised about the aggressive policy of Russia in Europe," Logvynskyi said. This session is extremely important as a resolution is proposed to be vote on, which "will actually allow the Russian Federation to return to this hall," he noted. "This means, respectively, the lifting of sanctions. If sanctions are lifted, this will affect other sanctions. The billions in losses the Russian Federation suffers now, will be spent on support for the armed hostilities in Donbas," Logvynskyi added. He also noted that he had told the European partners those funds would also be directed against them. "Taking this step, Europeans will themselves finance the anti-European policies," the Ukrainian lawmaker said. October 8-12, the autumn session of the PACE continues in Strasbourg. ol Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Rozenko met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Kuwait to Ukraine Rashid Hammad Al-Adwani, the Government portal reports. "During the meeting, the parties discussed the development of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Kuwait, in particular: the implementation of mutually beneficial projects in the trade and economic, agriculture, energy, oil and gas sectors, as well as tourism, transport infrastructure, healthcare and education," reads the report. The parties also discussed preparations for the fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Ukrainian-Kuwaiti Commission on Economic, Technical and Trade Cooperation. iy Ukrainian diplomat, who was expelled from Budapest, has returned to Ukraine. In turn, a Hungarian consul left the territory of Ukraine. "On October 6, the Hungarian consul left the territory of Ukraine. In turn, our diplomat left Hungary, as it was foreseen, within 72 hours. He is already in Ukraine," Ukraines Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mariana Betsa said in a commentary to Ukrinform. She stressed that, according to the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine, the Hungarian side's response was inadequate and disproportionate, since Hungary had expelled the diplomat, who had performed consular functions at the embassy. "We expelled nobody from the embassy. We expelled the specific consular figure from the consular office in Berehove, who violated Ukrainian legislation and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. However, the Ukrainian diplomat of equal office, but not of equal status, got under the blow," Betsa stressed. As reported, October 4, Ambassador of Hungary to Ukraine Erno Keskeny was handed a note on the expulsion of Hungarian consul in Berehove, who handed over Hungarian passports to Ukrainian citizens. He had to leave the territory of Ukraine in 72 hours. Hungary also decided to expel a Ukrainian diplomat. ol The process of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has entered the finish line, and now it is very important to refrain from impatience, intolerance, and other emotional manifestations that Russian aggressors will provoke. Director of Ukraine's National Institute for Strategic Studies Rostyslav Pavlenko wrote this on his Facebook page. "The exarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarch said at a meeting with President [Petro] Poroshenko that the process of obtaining autocephaly (independence) by the Orthodox Church in Ukraine has entered the finish line. Among all the announcements, predictions and prejudices that have recently grown, one cannot forget about the main thing. Building an independent Orthodox Church in Ukraine it is a voluntary process in which all interested persons take part and where there is no place for violence, intimidation, and provocations," Pavlenko said. He noted that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church discuss and understand this. This issue is also discussed at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate as in this church there are many of those who wish to build a new independent Ukrainian church peacefully and together. "Others will be able to remain in unity with Moscow as much as they wish," Pavlenko added. According to him, Russian aggressors understand that they are losing the battle for the hearts and souls of Ukrainians, and they will resist as much as they can. "Unfortunately, we have seen, see and we will how they use lies, but the lie is not the only weapon of the 'hybrid' arsenal. There is also hatred, impatience, intolerance ... everything that provocateurs can use," Pavlenko said. So now, on the finish line, everyone needs to be especially vigilant, he said. "We cannot allow the enemy to split us, because this had happened before. We will not allow this to happen this time," Pavlenko said. op President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has congratulated lawyers on their professional holiday. During this difficult time, we face an important mission of building the country with the rule of law, the country where human rights and freedoms and the rule of law are not only words on paper, but the only guideline for the development of the country, Poroshenko wrote on his Facebook page. The Lawyers Day in Ukraine is celebrated on October 8. iy The National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, the All-Ukrainian Training Centre for Civil Servants and Local Government Officials, U-LEAD with Europe and the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform of the Council of Europe signed the Memorandum of Cooperation, the Decentralization portal reports. The cooperation aims to join and increase efforts to improve professional training for local self-government officials in Ukraine in the field of Human Resource Management (HRM) so that to strengthen organizational and management capacities of local authorities in united territorial communities and to ensure highest quality of services to their citizens. The Council of Europe and its Programme Decentralisation and local government reform in Ukraine will provide HRM learning material and tools piloted in Ukraine. It will advise on the criteria for and selection of competent regional trainers, assist in their training and certify the completion of the training. The Council of Europe will subsequently assist in the implementation of the training sessions in united territorial communities, reads the report. The EU considers the case to be in breach of international law and elementary standards of justice. The European Union stands in solidarity with illegally convicted Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, who has been servicing his 20-year term in a Russian penal colony, and says it expects his immediate release. "The European Union stands in solidarity with Oleh Sentsov and, in addition to swift and appropriate medical treatment, expects his immediate release, along with all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens in Russia and on the Crimean peninsula," the EU's spokesperson said in a statement on the continued illegal detention of Sentsov, which was posted by the Mission of Ukraine to the EU on Facebook. His health has now deteriorated to a critical state. In refusing to provide him with appropriate medical treatment in an institutionalised medical setting, the authorities of the Russian Federation have violated his human rights as well as their own human rights commitments under international law, namely the European Court of Human Rights interim measure of July 25, 2018. Oleh Sentsov was jailed for alleged activities conducted on the Crimean Peninsula, the illegal annexation of which by the Russian Federation he strongly opposes. "The EU considers the case to be in breach of international law and elementary standards of justice," the statement said. "Oleh Sentsov has shown incredible courage, determination and selflessness during his 145 days of hunger strike," the spokesperson added. Read alsoSentsov announces end of hunger strike from Oct 6 because of possible forced feeding As UNIAN reported earlier, Sentsov was arrested in Russian-occupied Crimea in spring 2014 and in August 2015 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison following an unfair trial where he faced "terrorism" charges stemming from his opposition to Russia's occupation of Crimea. He has been serving his term in a penal colony in the town of Labytnangi, Russia's Yamal. Sentsov began his hunger strike on May 14, 2018, demanding that Russia free all Ukrainian political prisoners. Doctors supported his life with the help of a nutrient mix. In early October, Sentsov announced he had to end his hunger strike due to the deterioration of his health and threats of forced feeding. Ukrainian Parliament's Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova says Sentsov has not been provided with adequate medical support amid his hunger strike. According to the official, Ukraine has real evidence of Crimea's militarization in recent years. Ukrainian Deputy Minister for temporarily occupied territories and internally displaced persons George Tuka says he is concerned over the large-scale militarization of Russian-annexed Crimea by retired military personnel from the Russian Federation. "The level of militarization of the Crimean peninsula is growing every day. Another S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems with a target range of up to 450 km and operative at an altitude of 60 km have recently been deployed in Crimea. Although the vast majority of aircraft fly at an altitude of 10,000-12,000 meters... Almost the entire water area of the Black Sea, the entire water area of the Sea of Azov and a decent part of south-eastern Ukraine fall under the destructive radius," he told the Ukrainian news outlet Glavred. According to the official, Ukraine has real evidence of Crimea's militarization in recent years. Read alsoKlimkin: Reasonable suspicions Russia deployed nuclear weapons in occupied Crimea "The question is: how did so many lovers of the 'Russian world' come to Crimea? Almost the entire history of the Soviet Union, Crimea occupied a certain place in the life of the Navy. It was always considered extremely not prestigious to serve in the Black Sea Fleet, since the Black Sea, according to marine doctrines, is a puddle. It has no strategic significance, because the dominant is carried out either by the air force or missile forces. But since in the Soviet times every demobilization officer could receive free housing, it was considered very prestigious to retire in Sevastopol and get housing in Crimea. Many naval mariners tried to serve their last two, three, five years in Sevastopol. After that, when they got retired, they were given housing in Crimea. Of course, their families, children or grandchildren moved there," Tuka said. He added that was why a great legacy from military and retired pensioners with families who moved onto the peninsula before their retirement had remained in Crimea since the time of the USSR. "The same thing is happening now. If this process has been more or less constrained by Ukraine over the past 25 years, now Russia's hands are untied and there is a mass migration of servicemen's family members. By the way, this is considered one of the crimes against humanity changing the ethnic composition of the population in the occupied territories. This is what Russia is actively doing now," Tuka added. The expert advises not to ignore cases of the issue of Hungarian passports to residents of areas adjacent to the border. Military expert and blogger Oleksiy Arestovych has said Hungary's new policy to actively encourage a brain drain from Ukraine's Zakarpattia region threatens the national security of Ukraine, therefore the state should promptly respond to such steps of the Hungarian authorities, since inaction will lead to a repetition of the "Crimean scenario" in Zakarpattia. Read alsoUkraine MFA: Hungary acts as if Ukraine's Zakarpattia its territory Speaking in an interview to the Fakty daily newspaper, the expert advises not to ignore cases of the distribution of Hungarian passports to residents of areas adjacent to the border. "It is worth responding to such actions, as this is a threat to national security and the opening of the second front according to the Crimean pattern in the long-term outlook," Arestovych said. "Hungarians critically need manpower. They have big problems with working-age population. There are only 10 million people in the country, three of which went to the EU to earn money. And it is difficult for Hungarians to recruit people, unlike Poland. Hungarian language is very difficult. The only resource they have is the Hungarians who live in Zakarpattia," Arestovych said, explaining Hungary's activity in attracting Ukrainians to the country. Moscow will interfere "through disinformation systems, systems of falsification of the electoral process, and systems of hacking cyber attacks all to disrupt the election." Russia will be actively meddling in the electoral process in Ukraine, through various means, ranging from disinformation to cyber attacks, says President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. You are now facing some extremely complex tasks," Poroshenko said at a Monday meeting with newly elected members of the Central Election Commission, according to the presidential press service. "We are already seeing from the perspective of our special services' data and from the perspective of our partners' information that Russia is going to actively intervene in the election campaign, the head of state said. Read alsoPutin trying to undermine situation inside Ukraine ahead of elections Poroshenko According to the president, Moscow will interfere "through disinformation systems, systems of falsification of the electoral process, and systems of hacking cyber attacks all to disrupt the election." And here I hope for your effective work so that we have extremely effective countermeasures to protect the choice of the Ukrainian people, the head of state said. The president also announced that an agreement had been reached with a number of Ukraine's international partners on cooperation in cyber security. I turned to our partners, and we agreed that we start active cooperation in cyber defense issues. So I express my firm hope that the election results will be reliably protected, said Petro Poroshenko. As UNIAN reported earlier, the UK accused the Russian GRU military intelligence of launching worldwide cyber attacks. According to the statement, the Kyiv subway and the Odesa airport were among infrastructure facilities affected by Russian hackers' attacks back in 2017. Czaputowicz has also stressed that Poland supports Ukraine and its pro-European aspirations. Poland condemns Russia's violation of international law with regard to Ukraine and this is what led to the deterioration of relations between Warsaw and Moscow, as stated by Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputovicz. "The main problem is the violation by Russia of international law regarding Ukraine. This concerns the annexation of Crimea and the Russian intervention in Donbas," Czaputowicz told Kommersant, the Russian media outlet. "This leaves an imprint on Russia's relations with NATO, the European Union, and the United States, and led to Western sanctions against Russia, which it is important to maintain as long as Russia doesn't change its policy toward Ukraine," Czaputowicz said. The minister noted that the Russian aggression in Ukraine had an impact on the work of the UN Security Council. Read alsoTusk: Russians will not refrain from any means to weaken European unity media We support Ukraine, because we believe that it came under attack, and the debate in the UN showed that most countries adhere to the same position. However, Russia has a different point of view, he said. Czaputowicz has also stressed that Poland supports Ukraine and its pro-European aspirations. "This is one of our main allies; we are connected by strong and good ties, we participate in the training of their civil servants and provide humanitarian assistance. There are more than a million Ukrainians living in Poland, 40,000 Ukrainian students, and we are glad that they feel good here," added the minister. George Tuka believes that Ukraine will need eventually need to set up dialogue with those living in the temporarily occupied areas. Deputy Minister for temporarily occupied territories and internally displaced persons, former head of the Luhansk military and civil administration George Tuka shared his vision of the Ukrainianization of Donbas. "This is a very complex issue. What we're seeing now is the consequences of the lack of the state policy in relation to these regions throughout the history of an independent Ukraine. It would be too irresponsible to offer some kind of recipe that would yield a change in mentality of the population in two or three years. But never say never Not long ago, the share of supporters of the idea of Ukraine joining NATO was about 10-15%, now it is almost 50%. And this is under the conditions of the lack of information policy regarding NATO," Tuka said, answering a reader's question during a live chat at Glavred. Tuka noted noticeable gaps in the information policy pursued by the Ukrainian authorities regarding European integration and NATO membership. At the same time, the official believes that Ukraine will not be able to avoid setting up dialogue with the residents of the temporarily occupied areas of Donbas. Read alsoUkraine Interior Minister outlines "red lines" in strategy for end of Donbas occupation "I am convinced that it is possible and necessary to communicate with the residents of eastern Ukraine. Dialogue is not just possible, it is necessary. I am convinced that it should not last a year, or two, or three. Maybe we will see some result in ten years of stubborn efforts this should not be accompanied by violence. Cultural violence only generates resistance and rejection. Therefore, I don't perceive violence in this area and I believe that it will only do harm," the official says. Tuka also believes that for the sake of unity, Ukraine will have to go through some painful processes, no matter any speculations and insinuations. "If we want to live in a unified state, we are doomed to go through these painful processes. Had populist politicians not intervened, the process of reconciliation and healing would go much faster and be less painful, without phantom pains. I am a realist, therefore I understand that politicians will speculate for many, many years on this common pain of ours. For them, this is kind of a fertile soil, just as the issues of language, religion, or deputy immunity. They've been dancing on these speculative topics for 25 years," he said. Read alsoPoroshenko: Ukraine to sue Russia for occupation of Donbas, Crimea In addition, Tuka slammed criticism on pro-Russian militants' attempts to restore Soviet traditions in the temporarily occupied areas of Donbas. Let's focus our attention, aspiration, and efforts on those who are now 5 years old, not 50. Unfortunately, Russian occupation forces in the captured parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions understand this very well These scums cripple the souls of our Ukrainian youths, the official concluded. If he had continued to refuse to eat, Sentsov could have become not just a 'vegetable,' but even a 'plant.' Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service Valeriy Maksimenko has confirmed doctors were ready to apply forced feeding to Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov who was on hunger strike. "If he had continued refusing to eat, Sentsov could have become not just a 'vegetable,' but even a 'plant.' And a threat of forced feeding how can you call the introduction of a patient's treatment a threat? In this case, Sentsov was told the doctors would fight for his life and health and would not let him die. The rest was up to him," he said in an interview to the Russian newspaper Izvestia, adding that such measures were necessary "to save his life." Read alsoEU stands in solidarity with Sentsov As UNIAN reported earlier, Sentsov was arrested in Russian-occupied Crimea in spring 2014 and in August 2015 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison following an unfair trial where he faced "terrorism" charges stemming from his opposition to Russia's occupation of Crimea. He has been serving his term in a penal colony in the town of Labytnangi, Russia's Yamal. Sentsov began his hunger strike on May 14, 2018, demanding that Russia free all Ukrainian political prisoners. Doctors supported his life with the help of a nutrient mix. In early October, Sentsov announced he had to end his hunger strike due to the deterioration of his health and a threat of forced feeding. Ukrainian Parliament's Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova says Sentsov has not been provided with adequate medical support amid his hunger strike. The services will be paid by the National Health Service. Healthcare reform in Ukraine is gaining momentum as the Ministry of Health has announced its next steps, namely the department plans to launch electronic health records and free diagnostics for Ukrainians, such as X-rays, ultrasound, mammography, cardiac echocardiography, and other types of health checks. The services will be paid by the National Health Service but only by prescription from a family doctor. Visits to doctors of secondary care will also be free, but also by prescription from a general practitioner. It will be possible to visit a specialist without a prescription, but such consultation should be paid, according to the Segodnya newspaper. Read alsoXinhua: China donates 50 ambulances to Ukraine Other services will also be paid, such as those related to aesthetics and cosmetology. "Medical institutions will be able to provide these services officially for a fee," Acting Ukrainian Health Minister Ulana Suprun said. The department vows to publish a single list of paid services in hospitals in the near future. In addition, the launch of electronic medical records, or e-records, will be one of the steps of the medical reform in 2019. All data about a patient's health will be in electronic form. It is planned to add electronic prescriptions to secondary care specialists, prescriptions under the Affordable Medicines program and sick leave certificates. In this regard, the ministry advises the heads of cities and communities should purchase computers for their hospitals. "It is necessary to reorganize medical institutions into municipal non-profit enterprises and create attractive working conditions for doctors," the report says. The next year's draft budget foresees UAH 92.3 billion (US$3.29 billion) for healthcare, which is UAH 9.5 billion (US$339.28 million) more year-over-year. The government plans to allocate UAH 15.3 billion (US$546.42 million) for primary care, UAH 2 billion (US$71.42 million) for secondary care, as well as UAH 1 billion (US$35.71 million) for emergency medical care. Maksimenko also assured the doctors were constantly monitoring Sentsov's state of health. Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service Valeriy Maksimenko has said illegally convicted Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov has started writing a new script while serving his term in a Russian jail. Read alsoRussian penitentiary agency confirms forced feeding could be applied to Sentsov "He has already started writing a new screen story. This will be a story about life in jail and prisoners. Therefore, inspiration does not leave him," he said in an interview to the Russian newspaper Izvestia. He also assured the doctors were constantly monitoring Sentsov's state of health. As UNIAN reported earlier, Sentsov was arrested in Russian-occupied Crimea in spring 2014 and in August 2015 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison following an unfair trial where he faced "terrorism" charges stemming from his opposition to Russia's occupation of Crimea. He has been serving his term in a penal colony in the town of Labytnangi, Russia's Yamal. Sentsov began his hunger strike on May 14, 2018, demanding that Russia free all Ukrainian political prisoners. Doctors supported his life with the help of a nutrient mix. In early October, Sentsov announced he had to end his hunger strike due to the deterioration of his health and a threat of forced feeding. Ukrainian Parliament's Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova says Sentsov has not been provided with adequate medical support amid his hunger strike. Ukraine's Joint Forces have reported no casualties in the past day. Russian-led forces mounted 27 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas in the last 24 hours. "No casualties among the Ukrainian troops have been reported in the past day. According to intelligence reports, one occupier was killed and another seven were wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on October 8, 2018. Read alsoUkraine's Defense Ministry publishes map of minefields in Donbas Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire from grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms to attack the defenders of the towns of Svitlodarsk and Krasnohorivka, and the villages of Krymske, Novotoshkivske, Vilniy, Yekaterynivka, Novozvanivka, Luhanske, Novoluhanske, Novomykhailivka, Novotroyitske, Hnutove, Vodiane, Lebedynske, and Shyrokyne. In addition, the enemy resorted to 122mm artillery systems to shell a Ukrainian fortified position near Vodiane. The Ukrainian positions near Luhanske, Svitlodarsk, Novoluhanske, Vodiane, and Lebedynske came under fire from 120mm mortars, while those near Novotoshkivske, Luhanske and Hnutove were attacked with the use of 82mm mortars. Moreover, the occupiers fired from weapons installed on infantry fighting vehicles at the defenders of Krymske, Novozvanivka, Vodiane and Lebedynske. Furthermore, the Ukrainian positions near Vilniy came under fire from a ZU-23-2 towed 23mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. The defenders of Hnutove came under sniper fire. "Since Monday midnight, Russian-led forces have mounted six attacks on the Ukrainian positions near the villages of Pavlopil, Hnutove, Vodiane, Lebedynske, and Shyrokyne, using weapons installed on infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and small arms. No heavy weapons were used. No casualties among Ukrainian troops have been reported since the start of the day," reads the report. Roesch was born in 1929 in Leipzig, Germany. He was about 16 at the end of World War II when his mother sold a piece of her jewelry to get money to allow him to travel to the West. Once out of Leipzig, he studied at several places in Europe, including an architectural school in Hamburg, his wife said. Interpol said the senior vice president of its executive committee, Kim Jong Yang of South Korea, would become acting president. Interpol said Sunday night that Meng Hongwei had resigned as president of the agency's executive committee, effectively immediately. It did not say why, the TIME magazine reported. Meng is China's vice minister of public security. His whereabouts and status have been mysteries since his wife reported Friday that she had not heard from him since he went to China at the end of September. Read alsoReuters: Interpol chief Meng Hongwei under investigation, China says The disciplinary organ of China's ruling Communist Party said Sunday night that Meng is "currently under the monitoring and investigation" of China's new anti-corruption body, for unspecified legal violations. Interpol, based in Lyon, France, said the senior vice president of its executive committee, Kim Jong Yang of South Korea, would become acting president. Interpol's new head is to be appointed at an Interpol meeting in Dubai, the UAE, on November 19-21. Meng Hongwei, a former head of Interpol China, was elected president of the international organization in November 2016. He was the first Chinese official to become Interpol president, which is based in Lyon. Meng oversaw the agency's executive committee, which sets overall strategy. The most recent show featured interviews about alleged corruption involving private companies misspending European Union funding. Bulgarian TV reporter has been found dead in a northern border city and authorities say they are investigating into whether the killing was a random crime or connected to her reporting work. Officials said on October 7 that Viktoria Marinova, whose body was found in a park in the city of Ruse a day earlier, had also been sexually assaulted, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported. Read alsoInitial suspect in Kherson acid attack released, charges dropped Iliyan Enchev, the deputy regional chief of the Interior Ministry in Ruse, told a news conference that a person walking in a park in Ruse, a Danube River city on the border with Romania, notified police of a female corpse on October 6. He said her body could not be immediately identified, because there was no identification on the body, and her mobile phone was also missing. Some of her personal items were scattered near the walkway, and her body was found lying several meters away from one of her shoes, he said. A local prosecutor, Georgi Georgiev, told reporters that her mobile phone, her car keys, her eyeglasses, and some of her clothing were missing. Marinova died "of combined trauma to her head and asphyxiation," he said. Interior Minister Mladen Marinov was later quoted by news agency Focus as saying that Marinova had been sexually assaulted. Georgiev said investigators were looking into several theories, whether it was a random crime or if the attack was connected to her work. He declined to answer reporters' question about whether there was signs she had been sexually assaulted. A colleague at her employer, the private TV station TVN, confirmed Marinova's death to RFE/RL, but declined to say anything more pending an official statement from the station. "We are in shock," the man said, asking not to be named since he was not authorized to speak publicly. A Bulgarian news site, Rusemedia.bg, said Marinova may have been jogging at the time, training for an upcoming road race. A veteran TV reporter, Marinova for many years hosted a lifestyle show and also served as a member of the management team of TVN. Several months ago, she became the host of an investigative program called Detector. The most recent show featured interviews about alleged corruption involving private companies misspending European Union funding. At a previously scheduled meeting on October 7 of officials from the Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor-General's Office, and security agencies, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov promised that investigators would solve the case. Though it wasn't immediately clear whether the killing was connected to Marinova's professional work, her death prompted a concerned response from reporting organizations in Europe. The man is believed to have traveled to Ukraine on multiple occasions, including during the Maidan events in December 2013, also under the alias of Alexander Petrov, used during his Salisbury mission. The Bellingcat investigative team has reported that it has conclusively identified the second suspect in the Skripals poisoning case who travelled to Salisbury under the alias Alexander Petrov. In its previous reporting, the team already produced evidence that Alexander Petrov is not an authentic persona, but an undercover alias for an officer of a Russian security agency. In another report, Bellingcat established that Petrov was specifically working for Russias military intelligence, the GRU. Bellingcat has now identified Alexander Petrov to be in fact Dr. Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin, a trained military doctor in the employ of the GRU. The identification process included multiple open sources, testimony from people familiar with the person, as well as copies of personally identifying documents, including a scanned copy of his passport. The full identification process will be described in the upcoming full report. While Alexander Mishkins true persona has an even sparser digital footprint than Anatoliy Chepigas, Bellingcat has been able to establish certain key facts from his background. A scanned copy of Alexander Mishkins passport, issued in 2001 in St. Petersburg. The passport lists his real name and place of birth as Loyga. Alexander Mishkin was born on July 13, 1979, in the village of Loyga, in the Archangelsk District in Northern European Russia. He studied and graduated from one of Russias elite Military Medical Academies, and was trained as a military doctor for the Russian naval armed forces. During his medical studies, Mishkin was recruited by the GRU, and by 2010 had relocated to Moscow, where he received his undercover identity including a second national ID and travel passport under the alias Alexander Petrov. In the period 2011-2018, Alexander Mishkin traveled extensively under his new identity. Bellingcat has identified multiple trips to Ukraine and to the self-declared Transnistrian Republic, the last of which as late as during the Maidan events in Kyiv in December 2013. Read alsoTurkish journalists believe Chepiga-Boshirov participated in liquidation of Chechen terrorist media Unlike the case of Anatoliy Chepiga, Petrovs cover identity retained most of the biographical characteristics of the authentic Mishkin such as the exact birth date, first and patronymic name, and first names of his parents. Until early September 2014, Mishkins registered home address in Moscow was Khoroshevskoe Shosse 76B the address of the headquarters of the GRU. In the autumn of 2014, both Mishkin and Anatoliy Chepiga moved to upscale apartments. Alexander Mishkin current military rank is unknown. However, based on the known rank as of graduation from the Military Medical Academy (Russian military doctors graduate with a rank of senior lieutenant), and the elapsed time (15 years), it can be posited that as the time of the Skripals poisoning incident he was either a Lt. Colonel or a full Colonel. Read alsoSkripal suspect Boshirov reportedly involved in "evacuation" of Yanukovych to Russia Journalist Bellingcat and the Insider have interviewed multiple sources familiar with Mishkin, both in St. Petersburg and in his native Loyga. In the preceding report from the current investigation into the two suspects in the Skripals poisoning case, Bellingcat and its reporting partner the Insider disclosed the identity of one of the two suspects. The person travelling under the alias of Ruslan Boshirov was identified as GRUs Col. Anatoliy Chepiga, recipient of Russias highest state award. The minority-dominated Senate and the minority-elected president have now chosen Justice Kavanaugh. And, thanks to his appointment, our Supreme Court may well cease to reflect the views of the majority, too. One recent poll found, for example, that a very large percentage of Americans do not want to overturn Roe v. Wade. The majority of Americans prefer legal, though restricted abortion; they support affirmative action; they also prefer legal same-sex marriage. Of course, these are not the only (and maybe not even the most important) issues that the court will adjudicate in the next decade. But they are good proxies for liberal and conservative attitudes on social issues and on all of them, the new 5-4 court seems likely to be well out of line. (@rukhshanmir) Greece is currently focused on recovering the country's economy to pre-crisis levels and hopes to ensure economic growth of up to 2.5 percent by the end of the current year, Greek Alternate Foreign Affairs Minister Giorgos Katrougalos told Sputnik in an interview. RHODES (Greece) (UrduPoint news / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Greece is currently focused on recovering the country's economy to pre-crisis levels and hopes to ensure economic growth of up to 2.5 percent by the end of the current year, Greek Alternate Foreign Affairs Minister Giorgos Katrougalos told Sputnik in an interview. "In 2017, we [were] back to growth around 1.4 percent. The forecast is much better for this year, [in the] first semester 2.2 percent. We hope that we are going to have something between 2.2 and 2.5 until the end of the year," Katrougalos said on the sidelines of the Rhodes Forum of the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute held on October 5-6. He indicated that the austerity measures that used to be implemented in the country had resulted in the deregulation of the market and curtailed the rights of workers in the country. "Now the most important for us is not just to restore economy at the level that it used to be, but also to help society to recover," Katrougalos emphasized. Since 2010, Greece had been granted loans as part of financial assistance programs in exchange for the implementation of specific economic measures involving tough reforms and adjustment of macroeconomic indicators. Greece received a total of 290 billion Euros ($334.5 billion) from foreign creditors, whose representatives visited Greece on a regular basis to monitor the country's implementation of the pledged economic measures. In August, Greece, which implemented all the requirements of its creditors, officially ended its third and final EU bailout program worth 86 billion euros. (@rukhshanmir) Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Karunasena Kodituwakku has disagreed to a claim that the Chinese government gave financial support for the construction of Hambantota Port to put his country into a 'debt trap'. BEIJING, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2018 ) :Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Karunasena Kodituwakku has disagreed to a claim that the Chinese government gave financial support for the construction of Hambantota Port to put his country into a 'debt trap'. "If anybody is saying that the Chinese government gave its money to put Sri Lanka into a 'debt trap', I don't agree with that. It's an absolutely wrong conclusion," he said while speaking in The Point, a talk show of China Global Television Network (CGTN). His comments came amid accusations from critics who said China is setting a "debt trap" for Sri Lanka with its southern port of Hambantota. The first phase of the Port's construction was finished in 2010, with 85 per cent of its cost funded by China. Facing severe losses and a heavy debt burden, Sri Lanka entered into a 99-year lease agreement with China Merchant Ports Holdings (CMPH) to revitalize the Port. The handover was made last December. "Of course, we have difficulties paying back... but I must say that the Chinese government assisted the government of Sri Lanka to build this project. It is up to the government of Sri Lanka to build on the basis of feasibility studies, then to make business decisions. The Chinese government (has) never asked to hand over the Port to the Chinese government or to the Chinese venture. It was a proposal that came from Sri Lanka, asking partnership from China," he added. As a response to media concerns that China is "militarizing" the Port, Kodituwakku pointed out that "in Sri Lanka's case, from the very beginning, we have very clearly indicated to the Chinese side, it's only an economic venture." He said Sri Lanka does not allow anybody to interfere with the defence affairs of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka decided to shift a naval base to Hambantota Port in July. Kodituwakku explained, "The security of Port Hambantota, the security of territorial coverage of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, is an entire matter for Sri Lankan security forces. China never asks us. We never offered it." The Sri Lankan Ambassador remains optimistic over the long-term prospects of the Port and the future of Sri Lanka's role in an emerging Asia. "Now Asia is becoming the most important part of the world in global development. The Indian Ocean is a centre for Southeast Asia, South Asia, East Africa, and the middle East, so the futurepotential in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka being the centre in the Indian Ocean, is huge," he emphasized. Irving Oil energy company said Monday a "major incident" occurred at its refinery in the city of Saint John in the east of Canada. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Irving Oil energy company said Monday a "major incident" occurred at its refinery in the city of Saint John in the east of Canada. Media reports suggested there had been a fire and an explosion at the refinery. "We can confirm that a major incident has occurred at our Saint John refinery this morning. We are actively assessing the situation at this time and will share more information when available," the company said on Twitter. (@rukhshanmir) Russia and Tanzania have signed an agreement on cooperation in the defense industry, which envisages arms supplies and cooperation in the military goods production, a document published on the legal information website showed on Monday. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Russia and Tanzania have signed an agreement on cooperation in the defense industry, which envisages arms supplies and cooperation in the military goods production, a document published on the legal information website showed on Monday. According to the document, the agreement will expire in five years, however, it will be automatically renewed upon expiry if neither of the sides decides to withdraw from the accord. The agreement provides for the supplies of weapons, military equipment and spare parts, enhancement of cooperation in the development and production of military goods, exchange of experts to promote the implementation of the agreement and cooperation in military education. The accord also prohibits the re-export of weapons supplied under the agreement to third countries without the consent of the other side. The two sides already signed an agreement on cooperation in the defense industry in 2016, which allowed Tanzanian servicemen to study at Russian military academies. (@FahadShabbir) Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the second edition of the Mohamed Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations opened today at the Abu Dhabi National Education Centre (ADNEC). (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 08th Oct, 2018) ABU DHABI, 8th October 2018 (WAM) - Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the second edition of the Mohamed Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations opened today at the Abu Dhabi National education Centre (ADNEC). The two-day event kicked off with an address from Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, on future-focused activities. Present were H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; Dr. Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education; Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development; Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development; Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence; Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi Chairman of Education and Knowledge Department; Mohammed Abdullah Al Junaibi, Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Abdullah bin Tawq, Secretary General of the Cabinet, Sheikhs and senior officials. More than 300 interactive sessions are being held at ADNEC across October 8 and 9 to engage Emirati youth with the UAEs culture, social, and technological leaders. The Majlis, where leaders of today meet the leaders of tomorrow, also sees the involvement of 50 partners including Expo 2020, the Special Olympics, Mubadala, and Masdar, among others. Introducing the Majlis, Shamma Al Mazrui, who referred to herself as "the student" in her address, highlighted the value of hard work as she offered examples of self-growth and development from her experiences as a young Emirati. She described how when deciding which study option she should pursue, her parents encouraged her to choose the sciences rather than the arts as they recognized the future benefit of such knowledge. Only later in life did she realise the true advantages of this decision. After gaining a bachelors degree in Economics from New York University Abu Dhabi, Shamma Al Mazrui earned her Masters degree in Public Policy at the University of Oxford. There, she understood the responsibility she held as an Emirati studying abroad. "Oxford was tough as I was one of the youngest students, but it was a pleasure to gain knowledge that I knew would one day support the UAE," commented Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs. "I realised during my studies that I had a responsibility as an Emirati to represent my country, and thats why I worked so hard to prove myself," she added. The experience shaped Shamma Al Mazrui with a deep appreciation for learning thats carried into her career: "Im very lucky to be a student within the UAE Cabinet, and I see myself in that way because Im surrounded by leaders and ministers that I learn from each day." Reflecting on the UAEs growth as a nation,Shamma Al Mazrui also reminded the audience that everything built and established in the country is a result of the efforts of the UAEs hardworking citizens and residents. Urging the UAEs future generation of leaders to pursue their own professional goals - spurred on by this years Majlis she emphasised the importance of working toward a future not for others, but for the growth and development of oneself: "Study not to fulfill the desires of those around you, but to fulfill the goals and aspirations you set for yourself. Follow your own ideals and values on the path to success." Ending her keynote speech, she acknowledged the efforts and accomplishments of the UAEs past and present leaders. "Our ministers are our teachers and role models. We owe our thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for teaching us every day." During an interactive session with the youth, Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi said the Majlis is a source of pride for the future generations. "This is not a symbolic or luxury Majlis. It is a proactive platform for shaping the future. We see the future through the eyes of the youth and therefore, they need to innovate," he added. ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 07th Oct, 2018) Ahmed Shabib Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of the Federal National Council, FNC, today met with, at the FNCs headquarters in Abu Dhabi, a joint delegation from the Bahraini Shura Council and the Supreme Council of Women of Bahrain. During the meeting, both sides discussed the means of strengthening their cooperation, coordination and partnership, as well as their exchange of expertise and knowledge, while highlighting the importance of benefitting from their overall experiences, which will assist their countries and peoples. The Bahraini delegation reviewed the UAEs experience in supporting and empowering women in all areas, based on the principle of equal opportunities, as well as the FNCs role and legislative, control and political competencies and parliamentary development, since its establishment on 12th February, 1972. The meeting was attended by Jassim Yousef Al Zaabi, Assistant Secretary-General of the Support Services Sector at the FNC, Dr. Fawziya Youssef Al Jeib, Assistant Secretary-General for Relations, Media, and Research Affairs and Chairperson of the Equal Opportunity Committee of the Bahraini Shura Council, Sheikha Dina bint Rashid Al Khalifa, Director-General of Policies and Development at the Supreme Council for Women of Bahrain, and several department directors of the Bahraini Shura Council. During the meeting, Al Dhaheri highlighted the importance of exchanging visits, expertise and knowledge between the UAE and Bahrain, with the aim of promoting cooperation and coordination on various issues of mutual interest in regional and international forums, in line with the directives and visions of their leaderships. The Bahraini delegation praised the level of womens empowerment in the UAE, which was established by the wise leadership, while commending the election of Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi as Speaker of the FNC, as the first woman to head a parliamentary institution in the Arab region and the middle East. It also noted the fact that an Emirati woman has attained this senior post, reflecting the success of the UAEs efforts to empower women, as well as the vision of its wise leadership to promote the role of women in the community and make them an overall partner of men. The delegation stressed the necessity of strengthening the cooperation between the FNCs General Secretariat and the general secretariats of the Bahraini Shura Council and the Supreme Council for Women of Bahrain. At the end of the visit, the delegation toured the FNCs headquarters, including Zayed Hall where the FNC holds its sessions, as well as the Federation Museum which showcases the UAEs accomplishments and parliamentary development. (@rukhshanmir) (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 07th Oct, 2018) DUBAI, 7th October 2018 (WAM) - Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has awarded contracts to design, manufacture, test and supply 11/0.4KV, 1500KVA & 1000KVA Cast Resin Distribution transformers with LV Smart Meters to various leading international transformer manufacturers. The total cost of the 990 transformers is worth around AED 93 million. This supports DEWAs ongoing efforts to meet various requirements to expand the electricity distribution network, and provide its services according to the highest international levels of efficiency, reliability, and availability. transformers will increase the capacity, efficiency, and reliability of the electricity distribution network in Dubai and will ensure a continuous and stable supply of power to all customers. The supply of these transformers will be completed by July 2019. "DEWA continues to implement vital development projects in line with its vision, which is aligned with Federal and local strategies. These include the UAE Vision 2021, the National Agenda, the UAE Centennial 2071, Dubai Plan 2021, and the Smart Dubai initiative," said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA. "We have made significant achievements and excelled in our efficiency, sustainability, and optimal management of infrastructure investments, and smart network operations. In all our operations, we focus on availability, reliability, and efficiency in our electricity and water services," added Al Tayer (@ChaudhryMAli88) Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, MBRSC, will take part in the second edition of the Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations, which will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 08th Oct, 2018) Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, MBRSC, will take part in the second edition of the Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations, which will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. The staff and engineers at the MBRSC will present 11 lectures over two days on centres programmes and projects, including selection of astronauts within the "UAE Astronaut Programme". The programme aims to train and prepare a team of Emirati astronauts and send them to space for various scientific missions. It includes "Mars 2117 project", a 100-year plan to establish a human settlement on the Red Planet, the "Emirates Mars Mission Hope Probe", the first Arab project to discover other planets, and "KhalifaSat", the first satellite developed 100 percent in the UAE by a team of highly qualified Emirati engineers, which is set for launch on 29th October 2018. MBRSCs stand will allow visitors to taste foods that astronauts eat during their travels and see a model of KhalifaSat. Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, Director General of MBRSC, "It is our pleasure to participate in the second edition of the Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations, which will provide us with an opportunity to present MBRSCs current and future projects. We count on our youth to lead the future of our nation. The Majlis is an ideal place that brings together current leaders with future leaders, who are being prepared in advance for their future roles and responsibilities. MBRSCs team participating in the Majlis will provide basic concepts in space science to students, in a simple and interesting way, to encourage them to adopt a career path that meets their aspirations. This comes in line with our objectives to prepare future generations to participate in space sciences and future projects." The recent tagging and release of endangered green turtles in Abu Dhabi has revealed previously unknown information about their nesting habitats, marking yet another conservation success in the Year of Zayed. ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 08th Oct, 2018) The recent tagging and release of endangered green turtles in Abu Dhabi has revealed previously unknown information about their nesting habitats, marking yet another conservation success in the Year of Zayed. In April 2018, as part of The Year of Zayed, Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary-General of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), led the capturing, satellite tagging and releasing of endangered Green turtles off Bu Tinah Island, an internationally recognised sanctuary for turtles in the Indian Ocean. Two of the turtles were aptly named Wisdom and Respect, representing the values celebrated during this Year of Zayed. The ongoing research initiative, spearheaded by Emirates Nature-WWF in collaboration with EAD, aims to advance knowledge on turtles behaviour at sea and identify areas for protection in the UAE and the wider region to conserve these endangered migratory species of global importance. The high quality data received to date from the tags on this particular occasion, confirms that the turtles departed Bu Tinah Island roughly four to six weeks after their release. Wisdom and Respect followed the coastline towards the Straits of Hormuz and reached Oman a few weeks later, despite Respect starting her journey 30 days after Wisdom. Both turtles now rest in Ras Al Hadd in Oman with a large number of other green turtles, potentially getting ready to depose between 4 to 5 clutches of eggs as part of the nesting season. Interestingly, both migrations took about 30 days, and the journey covered a distance of around 1100km at a sustained speed of around 36km per day, or around 1.5km/h. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, said: "This finding is yet another conservation success that we can celebrate in the Year of Zayed. It is also a first to science, in the region, for green turtles and tells us that in order to protect turtles, we need to work at the regional level to protect their foraging habitat, nesting sites and migratory routes. We will share these findings with neighboring countries and continue to protect these key elements of sea turtle survival across their range. " "It is also symbolic that this finding occurred during The Year of Zayed. The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE, was considered one of the worlds greatest conservationists. The marine environment, in particular, held an emotional value to him. He considered it a treasured part of our heritage, our present and our future. Under his leadership, some of the most impactful wildlife release programmes in the world became a reality. Since its establishment, EAD has worked to preserve Sheikh Zayeds environmental legacy and we will continue to do so," she added. Of the seven species of marine turtles in the world, two occur in Abu Dhabis waters: the critically endangered Hawksbill turtle and the endangered Green turtle. These two species extensively use Abu Dhabis waters for foraging i.e. food and one species, the hawksbill, nests on the sandy beaches of several offshore islands. Turtles and their habitats are key indicators of the health of the environment, but at the regional level, the number of foraging habitats and nesting grounds are continually declining due to an increase in urbanisation and industrialisation. The tagging and release took place on Bu Tinah Island, which is also home to coral reefs, dugongs, natural mangroves, dolphins, ospreys and Socotra cormorants. Located in Abu Dhabis Al Dhafra region, the island lies within the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve, the regions largest and first UNESCO-designated marine biosphere reserve and one of the 19 protected areas under the Sheikh Zayed Protected Areas Network. The Island received international fame in 2011, thanks to the diversity of wildlife that exists on it and the ability of these different organisms to survive under extreme temperature and salinity but also after it managed to be a finalist in a global competition entitled New 7 Wonders of Nature. Seeking to oust Rush is Republican Jimmy Lee Tillman II of Chicago, son of former Ald. Dorothy Tillman. Tillman, whos failed to take this seat previously, grew up a Democrat. He struggled in the past to make a case for his candidacy and says hes getting no help from the Republican Party. Yet this time Tillman makes an intriguing argument: As an African-American Republican in the U.S. House, hed be positioned to work with President Donald Trump and Republican leaders on issues of importance to constituents. The Democratic black caucus has frozen out Trump, Tillman notes, even as the roaring Trump economy has brought African-American unemployment to record lows. Tillman cites voting rights for African-Americans and reparations as two issues hed raise with Republicans. By me shining a light, I feel like I can start the healing in this country by black citizens, he told us. Provincial government's Clean and Green Punjab Programme is in full swing in the province ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2018 ) :Provincial government's Clean and Green Punjab Programme is in full swing in the province. An official of the administration talking to Radio Pakistan said, about one hundred thousand will be planned in connection with the Green Punjab programme. Meanwhile, a campaign to remove encroachments without any discrimination in the Union Councils of alltehsils of Bahawalpur District under the supervision of concerned assistant commissioners is in fullswing. Lieutenant General Enzo Vecciarelli, Chief of Staff, Italian Air Force Monday visited Air Headquarters. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2018 ) :Lieutenant General Enzo Vecciarelli, Chief of Staff, Italian Air Force Monday visited Air Headquarters. A smartly turned out contingent of Pakistan Air Force presented him the Guard of Honour, a press release said. Italian air chief paid homage to the martyrs of PAF by laying wreath on Martyrs' Monument. During the call on to Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, the Italian air chief appreciated the sound professionalism and high morale of PAF personnel. The PAF air chief said both air forces would further deepen exchanges and enhance ties on various fields of mutual interests. (@rukhshanmir) People of Balakot and adjoining areas on Monday observed 13th anniversary of the devastating earthquake, which took thousands of the lives and destroyed Balakot city on October 8, 2005. BALAKOT, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2018 ) :People of Balakot and adjoining areas on Monday observed 13th anniversary of the devastating earthquake, which took thousands of the lives and destroyed Balakot city on October 8, 2005. A memorial was held at Balakot on Monday 8:52 a.m, where the survivors of the earthquake, members of the civil society and other organizations attended a ceremony and observed a minute of silence. Around 80,000 people died and thousands of houses were destroyed when an earthquake of 7.6 magnitudes hit Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at on Oct.8, 2005. According to the statistics, the devastating earthquake left more than 17,000 people dead in Balakot alone. Collective prayer for the victims were offered at different places in Balakot. The deadly earthquake brought a wave of destruction in the Hazara division particularly in Balakot and surrounding areas. According to the figures of Provincial Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (PERRA), 2,959 schools and colleges were destroyed and less than half of the destroyed building could be rebuilt. The affected people expressed concern over the non-completion of Tehsil Headquarters Hospital and other damaged infrastructure. The affected people registered their protest over the non-completion of the hospital and schools in the region but nothing happened till date. The survivors have demanded of the government to reconstruct the schools and healthcare centres. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Monday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not believe in political victimization, saying the nation wanted accountability with transparency. MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2018 ) :Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Monday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not believe in political victimization, saying the nation wanted accountability with transparency. In a statement issued by Bab-Ul-Quresh Media Cell here, the foreign minister said that PTI had always condemned political revenge, adding that his party believed in across the board accountability. He stated that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was an independent institution which operated freely. He said that opposition wanted to stage walkout from the national assembly after delivering exaggerated speeches about accountability process. Qureshi said that dialogues with India had been suspended since 2015, now the Indian government again escaping from the talks. (@FahadShabbir) Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Farrukh Habib said on Monday that Pakistan Railways (PR) would be established on modern line by ensuring compliance with all international standards to make it self-sufficient. LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2018 ) :Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Farrukh Habib said on Monday that Pakistan Railways (PR) would be established on modern line by ensuring compliance with all international standards to make it self-sufficient. Talking to the media here at PR Headquarters, he said that the government would focus on actual initiatives and Pakistan Railways would be brought at par with railway system of neighbouring and European countries. To a question, he said that the fiscal deficit, inherited from the previous regime, was one of the major challenges being faced by the present government, adding that PR was being provided with Rs 37 billion subsidy by the government to meet its financial requirements. Parliamentary Secretary mentioned that they were exploring the ways and means to reduce the PR fiscal deficit and enhance its revenue targets especially the freight side, having immense potential of growth. He said that PR was also set to install Wi Fi internet in trains to facilitate passengers, adding that as per Prime Minister's vision, the security and safety of the passengers was most important, for which the PR Postal Company was further improving the insurance system and railways' regular passengers would have more attractive packages. Furrukh Habib continued that like PIA, the PR was also putting in place a system for train passengers so as to provide them with online TNR (Ticket Number for Reservation), and they would not have to go to PR reservation offices and get their rail ticket reserved at their homes instead. To another question, he said that it was government's priority to develop IT (Information Technology) related plan of Pakistan Railways speedily and effectively, besides putting in place best financial system and ensuring safety of the passengers. Track and signaling system of railways would also be improved. Pakistan Railways was also planning to generate enhanced revenues from its commercial lands, he mentioned and opined that increased resources would also help better care and welfare of the railways employees. He said that past governments had never given that much importance to Pakistan Railways as it had deserved, asserting that railway system was a strategic asset of Pakistan. Later, he was briefed about Railways operations by the high officers concerned. (@ChaudhryMAli88) LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2018 ) :Provincial Information and Culture Minister Fayaz-ul-Hassan Chohan Monday said that MNA Rana Sanaullah Khan must account for the alleged murder of innocent civilians in Model Town. Responding to a media statement by the former law minister, Fayaz-ul-Hassan Chohan said, criticism did not suit a person who allegedly murdered people in Model Town, adding that Rana Sanaullah and company would have to be answerable for the 14 murders. Chohan said Rana Sanaullah was trying to conceal corruption and dishonesty of his leaders through such statements. He said it was astonishing to hear criticism from what he described 'hardened criminals.' He said it was Rana Sanaullah only who dared to call it a supposition after siphoning 14 billion rupees and 3000 kanals of land in Ashiana Housing Scheme scandal, adding that the Sharifs and their followers would have to account for plundering billions of rupees while in power. Earlier, the Information Minister, while reacting to PML-N leader Asif Kirmani's statement said the PTI government had to face the brunt of wrong policies of the former PML-N government. He said the PML-N leadership had been trying in vain to divert people's attention form billions of Dollars corruption. He said the Sharifs were responsible for spiraling down country's exports from 25 billion rupees to 18 billion. Fayaz-ul-Hassan Chohan said followers of the Sharifs were trying to render the NAB controversial, adding that they would not succeed in their machinations. Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, has imposed a ban on allotment and conversion of industrial plots into commercials ones forthwith and directed the chief secretary to put up a policy to the cabinet for further discussion and approval. KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2018 ) :Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, has imposed a ban on allotment and conversion of industrial plots into commercials ones forthwith and directed the chief secretary to put up a policy to the cabinet for further discussion and approval. He issued these directives while presiding over a meeting regarding commercialization of industrial plots at SITE Karachi, said a statement on Monday. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Lcoal Government Khalid Hyder Shah, Secretary Industries Haleem Shaikh, SITE MD and other officers concerned. It was pointed out that land measuring 152 acre of SITE was allotted for Cinema, three acres; banks, 4 acres; CNG stations, 23 acres; godowns, 40 acres; hotels ,three acres; offices & showrooms, 40 acres; petrol pumps, 26 acres; shopping center, one acre; post office, one acre; shops, seven acres; weighbridge, two acres; and for workshops, two acres. The CM Sindh was told that the allotment was being made by the board of the SITE comprising nine government members and 60 tenants/ industrialists. The allotment is legal but the plots were meant for industrial purposes, therefore, they cannot be allotted for commercial or other purposes, he was told. Mr. Shah said that no doubt the SITE areas werr established for industrial purposes but it was being converted into commercial one which was illegal. He directed the Sindh Chief Secretary to put up thematter to the provincial cabinet and impose a complete ban on allotment and conversion of the plots immediately. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Athens considers that the deal to change the name of Macedonia will be implemented despite the fact that the consultative referendum in Greece's neighboring country showed a very low turnout, Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos told Sputnik. RHODES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Athens considers that the deal to change the name of Macedonia will be implemented despite the fact that the consultative referendum in Greece's neighboring country showed a very low turnout, Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos told Sputnik. On September 30, Macedonia held a referendum on renaming the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to the Republic of North Macedonia, which was prompted by an agreement signed between Greece and Macedonia in June. According to the State Election Commission, 91.46 percent of voters chose to rename the country, while 5.65 percent voted against the agreement. However, the turnout amounted to just 36.91 percent, meaning that the referendum failed to secure the 50 percent turnout needed to be valid. According to the diplomat, Athens admits a contradiction between the very high percentage of support and the low turnout, which reflects certain skepticism of some parts of the public. "However we consider that the agreement was mutually beneficial for the two states and stabilization of the area. We think that it still has its initial dynamics. We are expecting the [Macedonian] government to proceed with the constitutional reform and when this will be completed we are going to proceed also with our obligation to ratify the treaty," Katrougalos said on the sidelines of the Dialogue of Civilizations forum on Rhodes that was held on October 5-6. Katrougalos noted that this agreement will facilitate the trade and economic relations between the two countries and open "European perspectives" for the neighboring state. "So I consider it to be a win-win for both countries and also a very good message for the necessity to have a lasting peace in the Balkans ... Especially regarding the bilateral economic relations it is clear that this agreement is going to facilitate and existing high level commerce that we have with FYROM and it is also one additional positive thing if this agreement," he said. The agreement between Greece and Macedonia was signed in an attempt to solve their decades-long dispute over the name "Macedonia," with Greece objecting to its use because it was also the name of one of its regions. If ratified, the agreement will allow the renamed Macedonia to join the European Union and NATO, since Greece will no longer be blocking the process. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The Belarusian petrochemical industry will be fully resourced with Russian petroleum products in 2019, Andrei Rybakov, the chairman of the Belarusian state Concern for Oil and Chemistry (Belneftekhim), said on Sunday. "The talks [on the deliveries of petroleum products] are almost in its final stage, it is planned to sign a number of documents in the near future ... All the economic entities will be resourced with petrochemical products in full and beyond what they planned this year and next," Rybakov said as quoted by Belarus' ONT channel. (@ChaudhryMAli88) October 8 (Sputnik), Ksenia Shakalova - The resumption of negotiations between Greece and Turkey on Cyprus reunification depends on Ankara, Greek Alternate Foreign Affairs Minister Giorgos Katrougalos told Sputnik in an interview, adding that, therefore, he could not predict when the talks would be renewed. RHODES (Greece) (UrduPoint news / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) HODES (Greece), October 8 (Sputnik), Ksenia Shakalova - The resumption of negotiations between Greece and Turkey on Cyprus reunification depends on Ankara, Greek Alternate Foreign Affairs Minister Giorgos Katrougalos told Sputnik in an interview, adding that, therefore, he could not predict when the talks would be renewed. "I cannot be positive about [whether the talks will be resumed before the end of the year], it very much depends on how ready is the other side, Turkey, to proceed with that," Katrougalos said on the sidelines of the Rhodes Forum of the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute held on October 5-6. The Greek alternate minister noted, nevertheless, that despite the lack of progress in the talks, there has been progress in the general understanding of the problem. "[It happened] exactly because it has been reconfirmed and accepted in the so-called Guterres' framework ... that the Cyprus issue is not an issue between two communities, it is an issue of international law," Katrougalos indicated. On June 30, 2017, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres presented a framework paper on the Cyprus dispute to the participants of an international conference on the issue in the Swiss town of Crans-Montana. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops entered the island. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was declared in 1983 and is recognized only by Turkey while the international community considers is as a part of the Republic of Cyprus. Whether Fords claim is true or not, her pain is real, and it shined a light on the pain sexual assault victims carry, often in silence. The president of the United States publicly mocked that pain. As did that trio of snickering men over his shoulder and the hundreds of others at the rally who laughed as Trump ranted. (@FahadShabbir) The Syrian government is interested in the work of the country's Constitutional Commission as well as in the continuation of the political settlement process, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Sputnik on Monday. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The Syrian government is interested in the work of the country's Constitutional Commission as well as in the continuation of the political settlement process, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Sputnik on Monday. The decision to set up a commission tasked with introducing changes to the country's constitution was made at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russian resort city of Sochi in January. US special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey accused the Syrian government of delaying the creation of the commission and threatened that Washington could impose new sanctions on Damascus in case of its refusal to work on the new constitution. "There have been a number of official statements made by Damascus at various levels, including at the level of the president, in support of these efforts. I do not see any reasons to think that someone in Damascus is not interested in the continuation of the political process. The details are very important. They must be developed during the intra-Syrian talks," Vershinin said. Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations. Russia, together with Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of the Syrian ceasefire and has been assisting Damascus by offering support to combat the terrorists as well as by providing humanitarian aid. Moscow would welcome the dialogue between Damascus and Washington as it would be beneficial for the peace process, however, it could be only possible if Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Sputnik in an interview released on Monday. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Moscow would welcome the dialogue between Damascus and Washington as it would be beneficial for the peace process, however, it could be only possible if Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Sputnik in an interview released on Monday. "As I understand, Damascus is open to dialogue with all countries ... However, the dialogue should be based on the fact that Damascus's interlocutors recognize the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of [Syria] ... Of course, any understanding and new common points between Syria and any other country, whether it be the United States or someone else, will be beneficial," Vershinin said. According to media reports, the United States has been covertly providing weapons and supplies to the Syrian rebels, which have been involved in an armed conflict with the government since 2011. Syrian President Bashar Assad has accused the United States on a number of occasions of providing support to militants since the first day of the country's civil war. Since 2014, the US-led coalition has also started carrying out anti-terrorist operations in the country. The coalition's activities in Syria have not been authorized either by the UN Security Council or Damascus. The United States and its allies have repeatedly stated that they do not consider the Syrian settlement possible if Assad stays in power. Russia has supported the legitimate government of the Syrian president, repeatedly stressing that only the Syrian people should decide the fate of Assad. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The Netherlands is responsible for international organizations located on its territory and cannot tolerate any cyberattacks, Dutch Ambassador to Russia Renee Jones-Bos said on Monday, following Amsterdam's allegations against four Russian citizens. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The Netherlands is responsible for international organizations located on its territory and cannot tolerate any cyberattacks, Dutch Ambassador to Russia Renee Jones-Bos said on Monday, following Amsterdam's allegations against four Russian citizens. On Thursday, Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld said that four Russian citizens had been expelled from the Netherlands on April 13 on suspicion of an attempted cyberattack on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, noting that the suspects had diplomatic passports. "I explained to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the Netherlands feels responsible for the international organizations on its territory, OPCW; that we cannot tolerate cyberattacks on international organizations and it was made clear by the minister of defense of the Netherlands on October 4 in the Hague. And we made a very clear signal that this has to stop," the ambassador told reporters as she was exiting the building of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier in the day that there was nothing secret in the Russian experts' April trip to The Hague. Lavrov pointed out that the Dutch side made its statement six months after the expulsion, ahead of the European Council meeting and coinciding with the NATO Defense Ministers meeting, possibly, in a bid to divert attention from some other issues. The Russian Foreign Ministry has refuted the claims shortly after Bijleveld's statement and stressed that the "spymania campaign" unleashed in the Netherlands is seriously hurting bilateral relations. Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid is set to pay a working visit to Seoul on Monday and will then travel to Yerevan on Thursday, the presidential office said in a statement on Monday. TALLINN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid is set to pay a working visit to Seoul on Monday and will then travel to Yerevan on Thursday, the presidential office said in a statement on Monday. "In Seoul, Kaljulaid will deliver a speech at the World Knowledge Forum and will open an advertising stand dedicated to the program of the Estonian e-Residency. She will also have meetings with South Korean businesspeople and Seoul mayor, and will deliver a speech at women's university EWHA," the statement said. According to the statement, Kaljulaid will hold talks with her Armenian counterpart Armen Sarkissian during her visit to Armenia on Thursday and Friday and will also take part in the plenary session of the Francophonie Summit in Yerevan. The summit, which is attended by the leaders of French-speaking countries, will be held on October 11-12 and will be also joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Lisbon, Oct 7 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Oct, 2018 ) :More than 700 Portuguese firefighters and police officers were mobilised to battle a forest fire in a mountainous region close to Lisbon on Sunday, according to civil protection authorities, in the latest blaze to menace the country's popular tourist areas. The fire, which has injured 18 including nine firefighters, sparked overnight in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park and was fanned by violent winds. The gusts have since subsided, providing a "favourable" change for putting out the fire, Paulo Santos of the civil protection agency told local media. The fire was still progressing on two fronts Sunday morning, with 47 people evacuated as a precaution from a camping ground nearby. Sintra was recognised as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1995 for its cultural landscape, which combines parks and buildings that date from several centuries of Portuguese history. (@rukhshanmir) The egulation, which gives EU member states the right to deport migrants to the first country of entry to the bloc, should be revised before year-end, if possible, in order to ease the burden of such countries as Greece, Italy and Spain, Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos told Sputnik in an interview. RHODES (Greece) (UrduPoint news / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The egulation, which gives EU member states the right to deport migrants to the first country of entry to the bloc, should be revised before year-end, if possible, in order to ease the burden of such countries as Greece, Italy and Spain, Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos told Sputnik in an interview. On Tuesday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called on the EU member states to agree on a reform for the Dublin Regulation by the end of this year. "So it is completely necessary to have a global solution [to migration issue], if possible, within this year, 2018, that would be accompanied by very thorough revision of the Dublin Treaty . .. And the reform of the Dublin agreement is necessary because, as it is now ... all the burden goes to the first entry countries, like Greece, Italy and Spain," Katrougalos indicated. Since 2015, Europe has been experiencing its worst migration crisis in recent history, struggling to accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants fleeing hostilities in the middle Eastern and North African countries. Greece, Italy and Spain have become the first-entry countries for thousands of new undocumented arrivals. In May 2016, the European Commission adopted a package of proposals to amend the Dublin Regulation and introduce a fairer migrant resettlement system. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The head of Libya's UN-backed government Fayez Sarraj on Sunday announced a cabinet reshuffle after armed clashes in Tripoli last August that required international mediating. Fathi Bashagha was named interior minister, Ali Al-Essawi was given the post of economy chief, Faraj Bumatari became the new finance minister, and Bashir Gantri was named youth and sport minister, according to the Libya Observer, a local news website. Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. It is divided between two governments - in Tripoli and in the country's east. The UN-endorsed Government of National Accord in the west is led by Prime Minister Sarraj. Antananarivo, Oct 8 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2018 ) :Madagascar's election race officially opened on Monday with all three recent presidents launching their campaigns ahead of the November 7 vote, which follows months of political tensions. The Indian Ocean island suffers dire poverty and relies on foreign aid. It was rocked between April and June by protests in the main square of the capital Antananarivo over proposed electoral reforms. The growing demonstrations forced President Hery Rajaonarimampianina to accept the formation of a "consensus" government tasked with organising the November election. Among 36 candidates, the leading candidates are Rajaonarimampianina, who came to power in 2014, Marc Ravolamanana, the elected leader from 2002 to 2009, and Andry Rajoelina, who led the 2009 coup and held office until 2014. "Given the crowds we have had today, we can already consider ourselves winners," Rajaonarimampianina, 59, told crowds on the outskirts of Antananarivo, promising the island would be self-sufficient in food in three years. Ravolamanana, 68, held his rally at the central square in the city that was the focus of the protests against the president, telling his supporters that "we have just proven that Antananarivo belongs to us." The square was occupied by demonstrators against Rajaonarimampianina's efforts to change electoral laws that opponents said were intended to favour his party. The proposals were overturned by the courts. But the protests morphed into a full-blown movement to oust Rajaonarimampianina. Clashes between activists and the security forces claimed two lives and left more than a dozen injured. Ravolamanana's arch-rival Rajoelina, 44, began his campaign hundreds of miles (kilometres) away in the northern city of Diego Suarez, where he was welcomed by thousands of supporters wearing his party's orange colours. Rajoelina, a former disc jockey and successful entrepreneur, hopes to use his youth and communication skills to rally support. Madagascar was plunged into a protracted crisis when Rajoelina ousted president Marc Ravalomanana in the 2009 army-backed coup. If, as is likely, no candidate receives more than 50 percent in the first round, a second round of voting will be held on December 19. Accusations that the election will be rigged have already been aired by some of the candidates. "Electoral fraud will take place using software in the electoral commission that will allow a candidate to have six times more votes than he actually had," said candidate Fanirisoa Ernaivo in front of a small crowd on Monday. Madagascar, a former French colony with a population of 25 million, has been endured decades of political crises and grinding poverty. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit Slovenia on Tuesday and meet with the country's leadership, the alliance's press service said on Monday MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit Slovenia on Tuesday and meet with the country's leadership, the alliance's press service said on Monday. "The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will travel to Ljubljana on Tuesday, 9 October 2018," the NATO press service said in a press release. According to the statement, the NATO chief will hold talks with the country's president, Borut Pahor, and Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec. He is also expected to deliver a speech at the Slovenian parliament and meet with its president. Stoltenberg and Sarec will also give a joint press conference. Slovenia is one of NATO members that have failed to meet the alliance's target of spending 2 percent of the country's GDP on defense in 2017. According to Slovenian media reports, Stoltenberg is expected to raise the issue during his visit. (@FahadShabbir) The next meeting of the Russia-Greece intergovernmental commission may take place in December, Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos told Sputnik. RHODES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The next meeting of the Russia-Greece intergovernmental commission may take place in December, Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos told Sputnik. "I hope that it [meeting of Greek-Russia intergovernmental commission] could be arranged in December but we are still in the exchange of possible dates with our counterparts," Katrougalos said on the sidelines of the Dialogue of Civilizations forum on Rhodes that was held on October 5-6. A Greek government source told Sputnik on Sunday that the commission session was planned for December 5. According to Katrougalos, Russia and Greece have a lot of projects "from transport to cultural issues" that should be discussed. When asked whether Greece was interested in Russian gas projects, the diplomat said that such projects were in line with the country's plans to become an energy hub. "In general, it is our intention to become an energy hub and we are open for negotiations with all friendly countries regarding the pipelines that could be passed through our soil," Katrougalos said. He stressed, at the same time, that all the possible gas pipelines projects should be implemented in compliance with international law, which was one of the Greek foreign policy's constants. The commission is co-chaired by Katrougalos and Russia Transport Minister Yevgeny Ditrikh. The last commission session took place in June 2017 and the sides signed documents on industrial and scientific cooperation, as well as on collaboration in the energy, tourism and transport sectors of the economy. Since then, a diplomatic crisis broke out in Russian-Greek relations, sparked by Athens decision to expel two Russian diplomats and ban two more from entering the country over national security concerns in July 2018. Russia responded by expelling two Greek diplomats. A visit by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to Russia was also planned for the second half of the current year, and was later called into question in light of the diplomatic row, but is now back on track and planned for December 12, according to a Greek government source. The deputy foreign minister recalled that Tsipras expressed his willingness to restore the good relationship that the two countries used to enjoy. "Prime minister's announcement was clear that we want to overcome the difficulties and to come back to the previous level of our relationships," Katrougalos stressed. The last bilateral talks between Tsipras and Putin took place in March 2016. I am new to Chicago, as I came here to marry a man who has lived here for 44 years. We have been in the process of looking for a nice condominium near the lake. Of the 10 units we viewed, all of the owners have moved out of state to Florida and Tennessee. That is staggering and should get the attention of the leaders killing this great city. (@rukhshanmir) Syrian refugees have returned to their home country from neighboring Lebanon over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Refugee Reception, Distribution and Settlement said on Monday. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Over 110 Syrian refugees have returned to their home country from neighboring Lebanon over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Refugee Reception, Distribution and Settlement said on Monday. "Over the past 24 hours, a total of 117 people (including 39 women and 58 children) left Lebanon for Syria via the Jaydet-Yabus and al-Dabusiya checkpoints," the bulletin circulated by the Russian Defense Ministry said. A total of 17 Syrians returned to the province of Eastern Ghouta, it added. According to the bulletin, Syrian army engineers have cleared six hectares of territory, seven buildings and one kilometer (0. 6 miles) of roads from mines. They also found and defused 47 explosive devices, including 5 improvised explosive devices, it added. As the Syrian government has regained control over most of the country's territories that were seized by terrorists, it is now focused on creating favorable conditions for the repatriating refugees. Moscow is assisting Damascus in this, along with providing humanitarian aid to civilians and being a guarantor of the ceasefire. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Moscow is taking every step to put global pressure on Kiev to free Kirill Vyshinsky, chief of RIA Novosti Ukraine news website, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said. "We are doing everything in our powers, including on global arenas, to remind our partners about the case of Kirill Vyshinsky in order to speed up his release," he told the Izvestia newspaper. The Russian diplomat called the journalist a victim of Ukraine's crackdown on media that dare contradict the government on what is going on in the country. Vyshinsky, a Ukrainian citizen, was arrested in Kiev in May on suspicion of supporting breakaway eastern provinces. He was transferred to Kherson in the south and taken into custody on a court order, which was extended this month until November 4. Russian President Vladimir Putin said during an annual Q&A session in June that the journalist had been arrested by Ukrainian authorities for his professional activities, in what he called an unacceptable move. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a meeting on Monday with Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano, the chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, and the sides discussed issues related to humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria and refugees' return. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a meeting on Monday with Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano, the chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, and the sides discussed issues related to humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria and refugees' return. "I think we will have an opportunity today to discuss many issues related to our military cooperation and prospects in joint work security maintenance. This, of course, includes fight against piracy and provision of assistance to Syria, where the positions of Japan have traditionally been active. Quite productive step were taken to provide assistance to those in need and to support the process of return of refugees," Shoigu said opening the meeting. Shoigu noted that he had talked a lot about this with the Japanese defense minister during the traditional meeting in the so-called two plus two format, which took place on July 31. Kawano, on his part, said that the leadership of the Japanese military shares Russia's approaches to the Syrian settlement. As the Syrian government has regained control over most of the country's territories from the terrorist control, it is now focused on creating favorable conditions for the refugees' repatriation. Moscow assists Damascus in bringing home those Syrians who wish to do so, provides humanitarian aid to civilians and serves as a guarantor of the ceasefire. The demand for Syrian President Bashar Assad's resignation, previously repeatedly stated by many of the world's politicians, is essentially left behind, as no one raises it anymore, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Sputnik. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The demand for Syrian President Bashar Assad's resignation, previously repeatedly stated by many of the world's politicians, is essentially left behind, as no one raises it anymore, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Sputnik. Russia has repeatedly stated that the fate of the incumbent Syrian leader should be decided by the Syrian people exclusively. At the same time, many Western officials, particularly US ones, insisted on Assad's resignation, calling it the main precondition for the Syrian settlement. "As we are talking about the ministerial week of the 73rd session of the General Assembly, I can say that no one raised the question of the Syrian president's resignation. There is an understanding that this country, which is a UN member, has the right to choose its path. And the people of the country should and will determine who is in charge of them. Therefore, I would say that we have already overcome this issue. And this is very good," Vershinin said. In mid-September, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced that the German government could not imagine a long-term political solution with Assad remaining in power. However, Maas did not call the withdrawal of Assad a mandatory prerequisite for Germany's participation in the reconstruction of the country. In turn, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the CBS broadcaster that Assad's departure is a matter of time, but the United States did not seek to bring Assad down. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that Russia has a special bond with Greece and expressed hope that the relations between the two countries would start developing soon despite the recent deterioration, in an interview with the Kathimerini newspaper. ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that Russia has a special bond with Greece and expressed hope that the relations between the two countries would start developing soon despite the recent deterioration, in an interview with the Kathimerini newspaper. "We have special, close ties with Greece and we are not aiming to sacrifice them. We respect Greece. The religious factor plays its role, the ties between the two countries remain strong. But politics has its own logic as well. There were politicians in Greece, who were put under pressure and made a decision that Russia regretted ... I hope that problems with Greece will be solved soon and the Russian-Greek relations will develop," Bogdanov said. Bogdanov added, commenting on Russia's supplies of S-400 air defense systems to Turkey and Russia's aid to Ankara in the construction of a nuclear power plant, that Russia's cooperation with other countries, especially in the filed of security, was not intended to harm Greece. "As far as I know, Greece and Turkey are members of the same security organization, NATO, so they should not fight each other," the diplomat said. Commenting on the results of the recently-held referendum in Macedonia, Bogdanov noted that only 37 percent of the country's citizens voted in the referendum and not all Macedonians wanted the country to join NATO and the European Union in accordance with the Prespa agreement with Greece. In July, Greece decided to expel two Russian diplomats over allegations of their attempts to sabotage the Greek-Macedonian talks on changing the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to the Republic of North Macedonia. Russia responded by expelling two Greek diplomats, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying that Greece was pressured into expelling the Russian diplomats. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov will visit Cuba and Venezuela this fall to discuss with the representatives of the two countries' governments the issues relating to bilateral cooperation, his office told Sputnik on Monday. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov will visit Cuba and Venezuela this fall to discuss with the representatives of the two countries' governments the issues relating to bilateral cooperation, his office told Sputnik on Monday. "All the areas of bilateral cooperation will be discussed," Borisov's office said, adding that the visit will take place in late October or early November. On October 29, the Cuban capital of Havana will host the presentation of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019 within the framework of the Russia-Latin America business Forum. According to the Roscongress Foundation, which is the forum's organizer, Borisov is expected to take part in the event. (@FahadShabbir) The Russian Foreign Ministry will summon Dutch Ambassador to Russia Renee Jones-Bos on Monday in connection with the Netherlands' accusations against Moscow, a source from the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The Russian Foreign Ministry will summon Dutch Ambassador to Russia Renee Jones-Bos on Monday in connection with the Netherlands' accusations against Moscow, a source from the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik. On Thursday, Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld said that four Russian citizens had been expelled from the Netherlands on April 13 on suspicion of an attempted cyberattack on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), noting that the suspects had diplomatic passports. "The Dutch ambassador will be summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday over the misinformation campaign launched by the Hague," the source said. (@ChaudhryMAli88) ANTALYA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th October, 2018) Serbia will insist on the necessity to remove sanctions against Russian lawmakers via the Council of Europe, President of the National Assembly of Serbia Maja Gojkovic said on Monday. "In the Council of Europe, we continue to insist that lawmakers should not be included in the sanctions lists, they should not be punished because it makes their activity completely senseless," Gojkovic said at a meeting with the chairman of the Russian parliament's lower house, Vyacheslav Volodin. According to Gojkovic, Belgrade will not change its stance on the issue. Volodin, in turn, noted that inter-parliamentary contacts between Russia and Serbia contributed to the development of a political dialogue between the two countries. The lawmaker pointed out that on October 21-23, a Serbian delegation headed by Gojkovic would visit Moscow to attend the third meeting of the commission on cooperation between the Russian State Duma and the National Assembly of Serbia. As part of this visit, Gojkovic is expected to speak at the plenary session of the State Duma. (@ChaudhryMAli88) SK Innovation Co., South Korea's largest refiner by sales, said that it will invest 400 billion won (US$353.8 million) to build a lithium-Ion battery separator plant in China. SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2018 ) :SK Innovation Co., South Korea's largest refiner by sales, said that it will invest 400 billion won (US$353.8 million) to build a lithium-Ion battery separator plant in China. The company said it plans to break ground early next year for the plant that will make lithium-ion battery separator (LiBS) and ceramic coated separator (CCS) in Changzhou in China's southeastern Jiangsu province. The separators are key components of high capacity electric vehicle power packs that drive electric cars. The plant is set to start commercial production in the third quarter of 2020 with an annual capacity of 340 million square meters of LiBS and 130 million square meters of CCS, SK Innovation said. The plant -- the first overseas project for SK Innovation's material business -- will boost SK Innovation's total lithium-ion battery separator production volume to 850 million square meters per year. SK Innovation said it will supply all the separators to be produced to battery manufacturers for EV and information and technology appliances. "This investment will help us build a springboard to become the world's biggest in terms of wet separator market share, a notch up from the current position as the world's second largest," SK Innovation CEO Jun Kim said. "We will also continue to work with China as the world's premiere technology developer." SK Innovation set up SK hi-tech battery materials Co.in China, its wholly owned subsidiary, to finance the investment in the country. The Chinese EV market has considerable growth potential as Beijing is pushing to expand production of environmentally friendly vehicles to reduce pollution. SK Innovation is South Korea's top oil refiner, but it has moved into the electric vehicle battery business since 2008 as part of efforts to find new revenue sources. Currently, SK Innovation supplies batteries to South Korea's largest carmaker, Hyundai Motor Co., and its smaller affiliate, Kia Motors Corp. The electric vehicle battery market has been on the rise as automakers race to go electric due to tightened regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, which scientists say are to blame for global warming. European support for the Mediterranean countries makes a great contribution to curbing migration flows, Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said on Monday. VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) European support for the Mediterranean countries makes a great contribution to curbing migration flows, Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said on Monday. "European support for the sustainable economic development of countries of origin and transit of migrants in conjunction with the consistent protection of our external borders is an important contribution to curbing migration flows," Kneissl said at the Union for the Mediterranean forum in Barcelona, as quoted by the Austrian Foreign Ministry press service. As the migration crisis has already shown, instability and stagnant economic growth in the southern side of the Mediterranean leads to problems in Europe, Austria's top diplomat noted. According to the minister, the work of the Union for the Mediterranean is a good example of the benefits of multilateral cooperation, which helps achieve and improve welfare and security in the Mediterranean. "Job creation and, above all, the fight against youth unemployment in the countries of the southern Mediterranean are our common priorities," Kneissl said. Since 2015, Europe has been facing a migration crisis, with scores of refugees arriving from conflict-torn countries. Many of them attempt to reach the continent across the Mediterranean Sea. In recent months, the EU leaders have repeatedly expressed their willingness to pay more attention to cooperation with the countries of migrants' transit and origin. The Union for the Mediterranean is an international organization that was established in 2008. It brings together the countries of the Mediterranean region and the European Union. Outgoing U.S. Sen. Al Franken speaks about his accomplishments and thanks his team, as his eight years in the Senate are set to come to an end soon, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017, in Minneapolis. Franken says he may be leaving office, but he's not giving up his voice. Franken announced his plans to resign earlier this month amid a string of sexual misconduct allegations. He'll officially step down on Tuesday, Jan. 2. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) (Glen Stubbe / AP) Turkish-backed rebels said Sunday they expected to finish withdrawing heavy weapons from a planned buffer zone in northwestern Syria within days under a deal to stave off a regime attack. ElEis, Syria, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2018 ) :Turkish-backed rebels said Sunday they expected to finish withdrawing heavy weapons from a planned buffer zone in northwestern Syria within days under a deal to stave off a regime attack. Regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey reached the agreement on September 17 for the northwestern region of Idlib on the Turkish border to avert what many warned would be one of the worst humanitarian disasters of Syria's seven-year conflict. But Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday the deal for the country's last major opposition bastion was just a "temporary measure" before the government retook the region. "The agreement is a temporary measure through which the state has realised many achievements on the ground starting with stemming the bloodshed," state news agency SANA reported Assad as saying. Idlib "and other Syrian territory still under terrorist control will return to the Syrian state," he reportedly said at a meeting of the central committee of his Baath party, employing the regime's usual term for both rebels and jihadists. Last month's agreement is to create a 15 to 20-kilometre (9-12 mile) demilitarised area ringing the Idlib region. Under the deal, all rebels in the buffer zone must withdraw heavy arms by Wednesday, and radical groups must leave by October 15. The National Liberation Front (NLF) announced Saturday that it has begun withdrawing heavy arms from the zone as part of an agreement between Russia and Turkey. Nine militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in airstrikes carried out by Turkish military in northern Iraq on Sunday and Monday, the Turkish General Staff said. ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Nine militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed in airstrikes carried out by Turkish military in northern Iraq on Sunday and Monday, the Turkish General Staff said. "Nine members of the PKK separatist terror organization, who were preparing attacks on our bases, were neutralized during the aerial operation carried out on October 7-8 in the Zap and Avasin-Basyan areas in northern Iraq," the General Staff said on its Twitter page. Tensions between Ankara and the PKK, listed as a terror organization in the country, escalated in July 2015 when the ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK collapsed over a series of terror attacks which the Turkish government holds the PKK responsible for. The Turkish forces are involved in anti-PKK raids across the country and in northern Iraq. (@rukhshanmir) The Times newspaper reported Monday that Amazon was supporting a UK charity, the Muslim Research and Development Foundation (MRDF), whose founder appears to embrace such ideas as female subjugation. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The Times newspaper reported Monday that Amazon was supporting a UK charity, the Muslim Research and Development Foundation (MRDF), whose founder appears to embrace such ideas as female subjugation. The MRDF is part of retailer giant's AmazonSmile program, which donates 0.5 percent of the order price to a charity of the customer's choice. According to the newspaper, MRDF founder and former chairman Haitham Haddad has expressed view that husbands can hit their wives, western women should wear niqab, and homosexuality is a crime. Haddad has reportedly remained active as the representative of the organization despite stepping down from the board in 2014. The scholar campaigned for it as recently as in August, the daily said. At the same time, Haddad has spoken out against jihadist terrorist attacks in the West and the attempts of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) to recruit young UK Muslims. A spokesman for Haddad told the newspaper the scholar protested the attempts to portray him as "an extremist hate preacher," adding that his words were often taken out of context. The organization itself has reportedly stressed that it champions non-violence. The UK charity regulator said it would look into any potential grounds for concern regarding the charity. Amazon told the newspaper that it relied on the Charity Commission's guidance in allowing the MRDF to join AmazonSmile. The Hungarian consul, who worked in the Ukrainian city of Berehove and has recently been declared persona non grata by the country's authorities in escalating double citizenship row, has already left the country and returned to Hungary, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mariana Betsa said on Monday. KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The Hungarian consul, who worked in the Ukrainian city of Berehove and has recently been declared persona non grata by the country's authorities in escalating double citizenship row, has already left the country and returned to Hungary, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mariana Betsa said on Monday. On Thursday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expelled the consul following reports that Hungarian passports had been issued by the country's consulate in Berehove to the Ukrainian citizens. Hungary responded by expelling one of Ukrainian consuls from Budapest. "The Hungarian consul departed on October 6 and returned to his country," Betsa told Ukraine's UNN news agency. Betsa added that the Ukrainian diplomat left the Hungarian territory in due time and already arrived in Ukraine, the outlet reported. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said that the hidden camera video of what Kiev described as the oath-taking ceremony that was made in the Hungarian consulate in Berehove and was presented as proof by the Ukrainian side, was obtained as a result of a secret service operation in breach of the rules of diplomacy. The city of Berehove is located in western Ukrainian Zakarpattia region, close to the Hungarian border. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry expressed protest on Monday over Moscow "falsely" labeling leader of the Forest Brothers movement Adolfas Ramanauskas-Vanagas a nationalist, and summoned Russian Ambassador to Vilnius Alexander Udaltsov. VILNIUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry expressed protest on Monday over Moscow "falsely" labeling leader of the Forest Brothers movement Adolfas Ramanauskas-Vanagas a nationalist, and summoned Russian Ambassador to Vilnius Alexander Udaltsov. Last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry slammed the Lithuanian authorities' move to declare 2018 the year of Ramanauskas and noted that "the verdict on the war crimes that he committed against civilians does not have a statute of limitation." According to the member of Klaipeda City Council Vyacheslav Titov, as many as 8,000 civilians were killed at Ramanauskas' initiative. "On 8 October, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania summoned the Ambassador of Russia to Lithuania Alexander Udaltsov. Lithuania's Foreign Vice-Minister Albinas Zananavicius voiced his strong protest over the Russian Foreign Ministry's false statement about Adolfas Ramanauskas-Vanagas (aka Hawk) on the eve of his funeral," the statement read. Vilnius called on Moscow to refrain from such statements and "attempts at rewriting history," according to the statement. "Russia once again aims at discrediting the Lithuanian armed resistance movement and denying the fact of the Soviet occupation in general ... Lithuania takes pride in thousands of its women and men who participated in the anti-Soviet resistance movement and gives kudos to the leader and symbol of the movement - Adolfas Ramanauskas-Vanagas," the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said. The Lithuanian parliament declared 2018 the year of Ramanauskas in March, as this year marks the 100th anniversary of his birth. On Saturday, his remains, found in June, were buried at a cemetery in Vilnius. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that they agreed to maintain quick communication with each other in case of the new crisis in the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2018) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that they agreed to maintain quick communication with each other in case of the new crisis in the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo. In late September, Vucic put the country's armed forces on alert after around 60 members of Kosovo's special forces were deployed near Lake Gazivoda, which is situated in the north of Kosovo, very close to its border with Serbia. Kosovo's special forces were reportedly accompanying the president of the republic, Hashim Thachi, during his short boat trip on the lake. "What we agreed on, what is very important for all of us and particularly for Serbia and for me, is the fact that we agreed that if there is going to be any kind of possible challenges, possible incidents, possible mutineers' unrests, whatever, that we should immediately contact each other, that I am allowed to call secretary general immediately," Vucic said at the Belgrade Security Forum. The NATO secretary general noted that the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) would prolong its mandate in Kosovo and called on the Serbs and Albanians to refrain from escalating tensions in the region. Stoltenberg's visit to Serbia kicked off on Saturday and will end later on Monday. Kosovo proclaimed its independence from Serbia in 2008 and was recognized by over a hundred UN member states. The move was not, however, recognized by a number of other countries, including Serbia itself and two permanent members of the UN Security Council: Russia and China. Lifestyle-related factors smoking, alcohol and other cardiovascular risk factors Socio-cultural factors poor socio-economic status, unattended stress, high-risk occupation, unemployment, poor social support, men-health seeing behavior Biological factors better protection from oxidative stress in women, the compensatory effect of the second x chromosome, telomere length, more active female immune function, protective effect of estrogen in women Male-specific factors erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, testosterone deficiency syndrome, prostate, testicular and penile cancer Seoul, South-Korea (UroToday.com) Mens health is a discipline that promotes physical, mental, and social well-being of men throughout their life cycle (from boyhood to manhood) and addressing health problems related to them. In most parts of the world, health outcomes among boys and men continue to be substantially worse than among girls and women. This gender-based disparity in health has received little national, regional, or global acknowledgment or attention from health policy-makers or health-care providers. Unfortunately, to date, there is not much data that reports mens health exclusively.When looking at the population pyramids in Asia and Europe, clear differences are seen in the percentage of the elderly population, which is substantially higher in Europe, demonstrating a much higher life expectancy in Europe than in Asia. When looking at the male population around the world, the highest male population is in China, India, and Indonesia. The countries with the highest male to female ratio are Qatar (3:1), UAE (2:1) and Kuwait (1.45:1). All around the world, the life expectancy of women has always been higher than that of men. In the European Union, the life expectancy of men is 76.1, while in women it was 82.2. Life expectancy has a linear relationship with the income of its civilians.Dr. Lukham moved on to discuss the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among men around the world. The prevalence of risk factors for CVD are considerably lower in Asia, except for smoking. Within Asia, men in higher income countries tend to drink more, smoke less, have higher levels of hypercholesterolemia, are less physically active and more overweight compared to men in poorer income countries. Asian men to tend to smoke more and be physically more active than men in Europe but consume less alcohol.When assessing disease burden, males, in general, have a much higher burden than women, even in genitourinary disease, and this applies to both Europe and Asia. The burden of cancer was next addressed, showing again a higher burden of cancer among men all around the world, including in genitourinary cancers. When assessing bladder cancer specifically, the mortality to incidence ratio is the highest in Africa, then Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Similar data have been shown for prostate and testicular cancer, while penile cancer is more common the western countries.There is also interesting data demonstrating that the sperm count has declined significantly among men in western countries, but no significant declines have been shown in South America, Asia, and Africa. Moreover, erectile dysfunction rates are on the rise, especially in western countriesDr. Lukham summarized his talk stating all the main factors that affect mens health and life expectancy, which are divided into four main categories:To increase mens health status, it is imperative that the health insurance coverage is increased among young men, that there is effective disease management program, particularly for middle-aged men, and that more studies on mens health are performed. Dr. Lukham concluded his encompassing talk stating that in a public health approach, healthcare stakeholders should recognize the importance of mens health and it should receive as much attention as is paid to maternal and child health, without diminishing efforts for women and children.Presented by: Hakim Lukman, IndonesiaWritten byHanan Goldberg, MD, Urologic Oncology Fellow (SUO), University of Toronto, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre at the 38th Congress of the Society of International Urology - October 4- 7, 2018 - Seoul, South Korea But I have a daughter in college, too, and I'm far more worried about her than her brother. It is and long has been a scary time for young women in America (and around the world). The #MeToo movement is empowering and helping protect them from sexual aggression, but we're a long way from false accusations being a bigger problem than true ones. Yadira Vieyra, a young auditor participating in the Synod of Bishops on Young People, speaks to Vatican News about the need she sees for the Church to recognize where our youth are and minister to them there. By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp Yadira Vieyra, a 29-year-old researcher and assistant for migrant families, who lives in Chicago in the US is participating in the Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment as an auditor. She spoke with Devin Watkins about her experience in the Synod and the ideas she brings with her to the Synod Fathers. Exciting moment Yadira said she is excited that she is able to participate in conversations which will influence what the Pope says to our youth in his exhortation. She is equally excited about the way in which the Church will now minister to them where they are in life right now. Recognize our humanity When naming where youth are right now, Yadira said that many seek to have their humanity recognized through political activism. Therefore, she said, its just as important for the Church to hear this need and minister to young people so that they feel the Church recognizes their humanity as well. Reach youth where they are Yadira thinks that a good portion of the Bishops are listening. She characterized others as still focused on preaching the truth to our youth. While she agrees, she also reiterated that the message needs to reach youth where they are. The family has changed This reality begins by recognizing that the families in which young people grow up have changed a lot, Yadira said. In the US not everyone is raised by a mother and a father, or in a heterosexual couple. And so, thats important for us to be mindful of, because thats where our youth are. And its important to honor their experiences and again minister to what life is like for them now and find a way to make them understand that they are so deeply loved by God and that He is just so excited to embrace them. They just need to be open to that. And the only way to be open to that is for the Church to meet them where they are. Listen to our interview with Yadira Vieyra Gospel of inclusion and love Yadira said young people need to hear the Gospel preached as inclusion and love. Her reminder to the Bishops in the small group meetings is that youth are not the same all over the world. I have made it a point to bring them back to the reality that not all of our youth are the same and their lives are not the same not just in the US but in other parts of the world. Its important for them to be mindful of that. That while life may look alike in some parts of the world, its not the same in other parts of the world. And its important for us to again to be mindful, be open to what life is really like for our youth right now and find a way to meet them whether its through social media, through more innovative, fun, happy catechesis. Hearing other youth The youth festival was an enjoyable experience for Yadira who enjoyed listening to the stories, some of which were very painful. I loved how they ended with the feeling of Gods love in their lives. I mean, coming to God and experiencing Gods love isnt a direct path. Everyone experiences it differently, and also at different stages in their life, Yadira said. Yadira was impressed that the experience of community was the common thread weaving itself through the stories she heard. Loved, not judged There is one aspect where Yadira voiced the need for the Church to change its approach. The Church has a lot of work to do making sure that our youth feel loved and not just judged, or discarded, or abused. Its important for us to make sure that we communicate in a way that is loving. Yes, its important to community the truth. But also you cant just communicate the truth without treating someone with love and care and attentiveness. Brazil's candidate for the Social Liberal Party, Jair Bolsonaro after casting his vote, October 7th (AFP or licensors) WORLD Brazil Brazil: Bolsonaro wins first round of presidential elections Candidate Jair Bolsonaro, who`s still recovering from being stabbed at a rally, has won the first round of Brazil`s Presidential Election. James Blears reports that he hasn`t won fifty percent or more of the vote, so it`s on to a second round runoff on October 28th. In round one of Brazil`s Presidential Election, Jair Bolsonaro has won 46 percent the vote, just shy of fifty percent needed for outright victory. While Workers Party Candidate Fernando Haddad has gained 29 percent. As he cast his vote Congressman Bolsonaro quoted the Bible saying: "John 8.32. You will know the truth and the truth will set ye free." Bolsonaro`s taking a hard line on law and order demanding the death sentence, plus advocating traditional family values. A month ago, he was almost stabbed to death at a rally, requiring major surgery. Listen to James Blears' report Topics Brazil Pakistan's Supreme Court on October 8 postponed its ruling on the final appeal by Asia Bibi, the Catholic woman who has been on death row since 2010, accused of insulting Prophet Muhammad, an allegation she denies. By Robin Gomes The judicial panel of Pakistan Supreme Court on Monday began hearing the appeal of Asia Bibi, with defense lawyer Saiful Malook challenging statements by those who accused her of insulting Islam's prophet, an allegation she denies. While postponing its ruling on her appeal, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar cautioned the media against commenting on or discussing the case until the detailed judgement has been issued. No date has been announced by the court about when it will announce the verdict. On a hot day in June 2009 in Sheikhpura, Bibi went to get water for her and her fellow farmworkers. After she took a sip, some of the Muslim women became angry that a Christian had drunk from the same container. They demanded she convert, she refused. Five days later, a mob accused her of blasphemy. She was arrested and imprisoned. In November 2010, a Sheikhupura judge sentenced her to death. If executed, Noreen would be the first woman in Pakistan to be lawfully killed for blasphemy. Ahead of the hearing, lawyer Saiful Malook expressed optimism that he would win the last legal appeal for Asia Bibi. But if not, he planned to seek a review, which could take years to complete. Blasphemy laws So far nobody has been convicted under blasphemy laws which were introduced by former military dictator Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in 1980s. Insulting the Prophet Muhammad in Pakistan is a crime punishable by death, while offending the Koran, Islam holy book, incurs life imprisonment. The blasphemy laws remain an extremely sensitive issue in the predominantly Muslim nation and they have drawn intense criticism even within the country. Rights organizations say the law is often misused to settle personal scores. Influential Punjab governor Salman Taseer and the Minister for Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic, were both assassinated in 2011 after they defended Asia Bibi and spoke out against her death sentence and the misuse of the blasphemy laws. Im very hopeful and confident that the Supreme Court give its verdict in favour of Asia Bibi, said Dr. Paul Bhatti, the brother of Shabaz Bhatti. Speaking from Treviso in north Italy, where he is a surgeon and medical practitioner, Paul said he was not sure whether Bibi will be released immediately, but it will definitely be an important step to release her soon. Listen to Dr. Paul Bhatti Dr. Bhatti believes Asia Bibi is innocent and her case is genuine. He said many in Pakistan feel Bibi has been falsely accused. Credible Chief Justice of Pakistan Dr. Bhatti who has taken up the mission of his slain brother, has high hopes in the Chief Justice of Pakistan, saying he is a very courageous man who has recently taken bold and strong steps. He regretted that in the past, some of the judges did not show courage, giving in pressure from extremists. As a case in point, he pointed to a previous bench that handed the death sentence to Mumtaz Qadri, the assassin of Salman Taseer, a very good Muslim and a well-known politician. And recently, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Shehbaz, were served sentences on charges of corruption. Speaking about Pakistans new Prime Minister, Imran Khan, about whom there have been some contradictory remarks, Dr. Bhatti said in some of his statements he has spoken very clearly about protecting the poor and minority communities. Besides, there is also pressure from the international and diplomatic communities, all of which, Dr. Bhatti said, indicate that Pakistans judiciary will release Asia Bibi. French Montana dined at TAO Saturday night with a group of 15 people, including Scott Disick. They feasted on favorites such as lobster fried rice, yellowtail jalapeno, ribeye and lobster wontons before French headed to Marquee Nightclub to perform for the packed crowd (Photo credit: Joe Fury / Global Media Group). Photo credit: Joe Fury / Global Media Group Terrance J also dined at TAO. The actor and friends enjoyed signature dishes including satay bass, crispy rice, short ribs and more before heading to the UFC fight. New Kids On The Block, the multiplatinum selling pop super-group, unveiled an epic lineup for their highly anticipated 2019 tour. NKOTB took to The Today Show plaza to reveal The MixTape Tour with very special guests Salt-N-Pepa, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and Naughty by Nature. The tour will include a Las Vegas stop at Mandalay Bay Events Center Saturday, May 25, 2019 at 8 p.m. To celebrate the event, NKOTB surprised fans by dropping an epic, throwback track, 80s Baby featuring their new touring partners, Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty by Nature, Debbie Gibson and Tiffany. The track takes listeners on a nostalgic yet refreshingly modern and fun ride through 80s song references and fresh verses just a small glimpse into the party that will be The MixTape Tour. With over 100 million combined records sold worldwide, NKOTB, Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty by Nature, Tiffany and Debbie Gibson will fill arenas with hit after hit when they take to the stage next summer. Always upping the ante, NKOTB have packaged the ultimate lineup for a once in a lifetime live show experience. The group will return to the stage after 2018s touring hiatus to perform fan favorite number one hits like Hangin Tough, Ill Be Loving You (Forever), and Step By Step. When tour mates Salt-N-Pepa, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany and Naughty by Nature hit the stage, they bring with them top chart hits and legendary catalogues to keep fans out of their seats all night. The tour is sure to be one of the cant miss events of the summer featuring an unforgettable night full of smashes spanning across generations. NKOTB made the announcement on the heels of their sold out Apollo Theater show celebrating the 30th anniversary of their hit packed, breakout album Hangin Tough. The special one night only engagement sold out within minutes of on sale and saw NKOTB gracing Harlems famed Apollo stage for the first time since they debuted Please Dont Go Girl at the Apollos notoriously tough amateur night. The career defining album, Hangin Tough produced hits like Please Dont Go Girl, You Got It (The Right Stuff), Ill Be Loving You (Forever), and Cover Girl. The crowd erupted when the band confirmed on stage that Hangin Tough will get a special anniversary re-issue in early 2019 with new, never been released music. Produced by Live Nation, The MixTape Tour will embark on its three-month journey beginning May 2 in Cincinnati, Ohio and make stops in Nashville, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta and more, before wrapping July 14 in Hollywood, Fla. Gamblit Gaming, will continue to pioneer the industry in skill-based gaming at Global Gaming Expo (G2E) 2018 with a show-stopping Gamblit Arcade experience (Pictured: PAC-MAN Cash Chase). Gamblit has the largest skill gaming portfolio in the industry with 25 games on display at G2E 2018, and is the only skill gaming manufacturer live in Nevada. Innovative, soon to be announced hardware and several exciting new game titles will be unveiled, which will only be playable at Gamblits booth at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, October 9-11, 2018, Booth #4423. In partnership with Bandai Namco Amusement, the developer behind the iconic arcade game PAC-MAN, PAC-MAN Cash Chase a single-player experience available on Gamblits TriStation game machine will make its world debut at G2E. The most beloved videogame character of all time gets gamblified as a real-money gaming experience, hitting Las Vegas casino floors Q1 2019, but playable for the first time at G2E. Gamblits engaging single-player TriStation hardware, now officially launched on casino floors, will offer G2E attendees a first look at brand new game titles including: Road Redemption: The hit PC & console beat em up racer from EQ games makes its exclusive debut on the TriStation platform Cut the Rope: The wildly popular puzzle game adventure franchise developed with ZeptoLab gets gamblified after garnering more than 1B downloads Doodle Jump: The 250mm downloaded classic high-flying platform game, developed with Lima Sky lets players hop, skip and jump their way to success Brew Caps: Lets players put their eyes to the test by matching bottle caps as fast as they can in this Gamblit game Dice Arena: Players roll the dice, hack and slash in this Gamblit developed fantasy themed fighting game Squadron Commander: A Gamblit original where players bring their best warships and fire away to take out the enemy squadrons Cover Fire: Developed by Genera Games, this hit fast paced arcade shooter lets players win cash for taking on the oncoming robot army Deal or No Deal Poker: In collaboration with Endemol Shine Gaming, this title brings all the excitement of the international hit game show to casinos like never before! As an industry, we always look forward to G2E and are particularly excited this year to showcase the Gamblit arcade a variety of exciting interactive electronic gaming experiences that will be unlike anything else on the show floor, said Founder and CEO, Gamblit Gaming Eric Meyerhofer. G2E is always a the best place to introduce and receive feedback on our products since its the stomping ground of the casino industry, drawing a global and highly engaged audience of our peers. Deal or No Deal Poker Special will also be showcased on Gamblits Model G interactive game tables. Players will compete to uncover the highest value briefcase in the ultimate challenge of striking a deal to win big or risk it all. PAC-MAN Battle Casino will also be featured in the Gamblit booth as it nears its Fall launch into casinos, allowing players to battle it out for a cash prize where the last PAC-MAN standing wins! An exclusive Pac-Man pin will be given to every winner at the show. Cannabition Cannabis Museum is now open in downtown Las Vegas. It represents the citys first immersive cannabis museum and the worlds only cannabis-themed attraction of its kind. Its exhibits comprise elaborate, cannabis-inspired installations built by leading experiential exhibit and event designers. Visitors interact with unique, larger-than-life art pieces, including a slide that empties into a pool of handmade foam nugs,* enormous 7-foot buds and Bongzilla, the worlds largest bong at 24-feet tall. Cannabition offers audiences an entertaining, educational and photogenic journey through 12 Instagrammable exhibits, providing unique opportunities to interact with cannabis history, science, wellness and culture. The museum encompasses 10,500 square feet, including a CBD retail store. The space is also available to host private events for groups up to 500. EXHIBITS INCLUDE: Entrance A 170-foot mural installation by Las Vegas painter Gear Duran and Heather Hermann memorializing some of cannabis most historic periods of time. A 170-foot mural installation by Las Vegas painter Gear Duran and Heather Hermann memorializing some of cannabis most historic periods of time. 420 Guests entering Cannabition are greeted by a Canna-Guide, who provides a starting point for their immersive and Instagrammable cannabis adventure. The visually stunning 420 Room celebrates cannabis culture by calling attention to the three most recognized numbers in the community, 4 2 0. This classic cannabis phrase will be represented by illuminated 9-foot-tall, customized numbers on which guests can climb, pose, and play. Guests entering Cannabition are greeted by a Canna-Guide, who provides a starting point for their immersive and Instagrammable cannabis adventure. The visually stunning 420 Room celebrates cannabis culture by calling attention to the three most recognized numbers in the community, 4 2 0. This classic cannabis phrase will be represented by illuminated 9-foot-tall, customized numbers on which guests can climb, pose, and play. Seed Here, visitors learn about the cannabis plant, which has been part of human culture for over 5,000 years. After traveling through an underground passage, guests will experience the earths strata and smell the richness of fertile soil. The exhibits centerpiece, a giant cannabis seed shaped like a bed, beckons guests to lie down and listen to the sexy 70s sound of a seed growing. Here, visitors learn about the cannabis plant, which has been part of human culture for over 5,000 years. After traveling through an underground passage, guests will experience the earths strata and smell the richness of fertile soil. The exhibits centerpiece, a giant cannabis seed shaped like a bed, beckons guests to lie down and listen to the sexy 70s sound of a seed growing. Grow Next, guests discover cannabis is an environmentally friendly plant that is much more efficient to grow than other crops, like cotton. The exhibit features a beautifully stylized representation of an indoor cannabis grow and will be anchored by a giant, rainbow-colored caterpillar that guests can interact with. Real-life grow lights will be featured in the room along with photo-realistic plants at different stages of growth, giving visitors a true sense of what growing cannabis looks like. Next, guests discover cannabis is an environmentally friendly plant that is much more efficient to grow than other crops, like cotton. The exhibit features a beautifully stylized representation of an indoor cannabis grow and will be anchored by a giant, rainbow-colored caterpillar that guests can interact with. Real-life grow lights will be featured in the room along with photo-realistic plants at different stages of growth, giving visitors a true sense of what growing cannabis looks like. Harvest Here, visitors get to discover the positive effects of cannabis on humanity. Guests enter an ethereal forest of vibrantly colored buds big enough to hug. As they walk through the brilliantly hued forest, visitors learn how hemp can be used as food, how the cannabis industry has contributed to the livelihoods of regional economies and how cannabis-use promotes health, well-being, peace of mind, and biological homeostasis. Here, visitors get to discover the positive effects of cannabis on humanity. Guests enter an ethereal forest of vibrantly colored buds big enough to hug. As they walk through the brilliantly hued forest, visitors learn how hemp can be used as food, how the cannabis industry has contributed to the livelihoods of regional economies and how cannabis-use promotes health, well-being, peace of mind, and biological homeostasis. High In a playful installation that transitions guests from seed to experience, guests imagine they are being exhaled as they slide into our High room. After climbing behind a giant 10-foot bag of nugs, guests pass through stylized red lips blowing smoke down a slide into a giant pool filled with soft foam cannabis nugs. Upon exiting the pool of nugs, visitors interact with an educational exhibit featuring The Clear Concentrates. Here, guests will learn about different chemical components in cannabis, called terpenes, through a sensory-stimulating olfactory installation. In a playful installation that transitions guests from seed to experience, guests imagine they are being exhaled as they slide into our High room. After climbing behind a giant 10-foot bag of nugs, guests pass through stylized red lips blowing smoke down a slide into a giant pool filled with soft foam cannabis nugs. Upon exiting the pool of nugs, visitors interact with an educational exhibit featuring The Clear Concentrates. Here, guests will learn about different chemical components in cannabis, called terpenes, through a sensory-stimulating olfactory installation. The Red Shark For the first time ever, famous Gonzo Journalist Hunter S. Thompsons own, personal 1973 Chevrolet Capriceinspired by the iconic novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and its film adaptationwill be on display for the public, along with a few of his other prized personal artifacts. For the first time ever, famous Gonzo Journalist Hunter S. Thompsons own, personal 1973 Chevrolet Capriceinspired by the iconic novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and its film adaptationwill be on display for the public, along with a few of his other prized personal artifacts. Indica (Body High) With the support of WVapes, guests will learn about the difference between Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica strains. The Indica Room will feature a massive Buddha whose lap is big enough for guests to sit in, offering another prime photo opportunity. Strains considered indica-dominant are believed to have an intense effect on the body, causing relaxation and sleep. Many experienced cannabis consumers know this phenomenon as couch lock and it is typically associated with the indica strain . With the support of WVapes, guests will learn about the difference between Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica strains. The Indica Room will feature a massive Buddha whose lap is big enough for guests to sit in, offering another prime photo opportunity. Strains considered indica-dominant are believed to have an intense effect on the body, causing relaxation and sleep. Many experienced cannabis consumers know this phenomenon as couch lock and it is typically associated with the indica strain Sativa (Head High) After leaving Buddhas lap, guests enter another headspace in the sativa room. With floor-to-ceiling cloud formations doused with bold colors and sounds, this room represents the cerebral and energy infusing effects of sativa dominant strains, also known as a head high by cannabis users and patients. After leaving Buddhas lap, guests enter another headspace in the sativa room. With floor-to-ceiling cloud formations doused with bold colors and sounds, this room represents the cerebral and energy infusing effects of sativa dominant strains, also known as a head high by cannabis users and patients. Ritual In the Ritual room, visitors will interact with different cannabis consumption rituals. Guests can simulate smoking from a massive, oversized Raw papers joint; swing from a Pax vaporizer tree; play with a 6-foot-tall CannAmerica gummy; and have a real-life encounter with Bongzilla, Cannabitions massive, 24-foot-tall bong designed and built by Jerome Baker Designs and backlit by a mural of the Tokyo skyline. Cannabition teamed up with cannabis-industry leaders to sponsor their pop-up-inspired exhibits, creating first-ever lifestyle marketing opportunities for these emerging brands. In the Kyle Rittenhouse case, legal nuance clashes with ideology. Since its inception, the case has served as a sort of national Rorschach test, with some seeing in the teenager a patriot who used his Second Amendment right to defend himself and others viewing him as a gun-wielding white boy who believed he could act with impunity. Adam Rainer was a child (left), and as an over 7-feet-tall man (right) He is the only person ever to be a dwarf and a giant Rainer nest to a normal man Adam Rainer's unusual height development chart Born 1899 in Graz, Austria-Hungary, Adam Rainer is the only person in recorded history to have been both a dwarf and a giant. He is believed to have had acromegaly.From birth into adulthood, Rainer was always short. But at 21 he began a growth spurt that made him over seven feet talljust 10 years later. Here's the story of how it happened.At age 18, Rainer was 4 feet 6.3 inches tall, which classified him as a dwarf. Dwarfism is typically defined as an adult height less than 4 feet 10 inches.When he was 18, he tried to join the army, but was rejected for being too short and weak. He tried to enlist in the army again at age 19, since he had grown a bit taller. That time, he measured 4 feet 8.3 inches tall. But the army rejected him again.When Rainer was 21 years old, he began a dramatic growth spurt. By age 32, he was over seven feet tall. As Rainer grew, his health started to go downhill.In the late 1920s, when Rainer was approaching 30 years of age, he lost his appetite, developed a spinal curvature, and started having difficulty walking. He also became nearly blind in his right eye, and deaf in his left ear.Doctors discovered a tumor on his pituitary gland that caused an overproduction of growth hormone. This condition is called acromegaly. Rainer developed a number of the typical symptoms including enlarged hands and feet, a protruding forehead and jaw, and teeth that are more widely spaced than normal.In 1930, doctors removed Rainer's tumor to try to stop the overproduction of growth hormone. The doctors said there was only a slim chance that the operation would work, because the tumor had been growing for 10 years. When he was measured again a few months later, his height was the same as the previous measurement. But it turned out his spine had become more curved, which meant that while his standing height was the same, his body continued to grow.The operation was successful at slowing Rainer's rate of growth. But his health continued to deteriorate. His spinal curvature became so severe that he was confined to bed for the rest of his life, and he was admitted to a home of the aged.Rainer died in 1950 at the age of 51. There's conflicting information about how tall he was when he died. Some sources say it was 7 feet 10 inches, others say 7 feet 8 inches. Severe landslides happen due to illegal sand-mining along Dong Nai River. The Peoples Committee of Bien Hoa City in the southern province of Dong Nai will install cameras to monitor illegal sand exploitation on the river.-VNA/VNS Photo Sy Tuyen The cameras will be installed on Tan Van and Ba Xe isles and in eight wards along the river where violations often occur, according to the Bien Hoa Citys Party Committee. However, some of the areas do not have electricity lines, so the Peoples Committee is working with the wards to remove obstacles and speed up installation of cameras. Vo Van Chanh, deputy chairman of Dong Nai Provinces Peoples Committee, said the province would also set up cameras in other locations like Long Thanh, Nhon Trach and Vinh Cuu districts if the Bien Hoa installation is successful. Thi Van Dung, deputy secretary of Bien Hoa Citys Party Committee, said the part of Dong Nai River which runs through Bien Hoa City has high-quality sand. The Party Committee has also directed agencies to devise a plan to protect sand resources. The citys two inspection teams that began work earlier this year include members of the police and military forces, and the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment. They have identified dozens of illegal sand mining violators and have confiscated many vehicles. Stone exploitation Besides sand, enterprises in Dong Nai Province extracted more than 15 million cubic metres of stone in the first nine months of the year. In the last three months, they plan to extract more 6.5 million cubic metres of stone. The total stone output this year is expected to be 21.5 million cubic metres, a drop of 10.5 million cubic metres compared with last year. Nguyen Ngoc Hung, deputy director of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said that 32 quarries in the province had in recent years extracted 32 million cubic metres of stone annually. To protect stone resources, early this year the Dong Nai Department of Natural Resources and Environment began working with quarries to reduce stone exploitation. As many as 19 quarries agreed to reduce the output. Renato Salud (left), senior vice president of JG Summit, and Laurent Levan Universal Robina Corporation (URC), the first Philippines Pan-ASEAN Multinational with presence in Southeast Asia and Oceania, was recognised as one of the outstanding foreign-invested enterprises contributing to Vietnams development at the conference on 30 years of FDI attraction in Vietnam hosted last week by the Ministry of Planning and Investment. URC is the biggest subsidiary of JG Summit, one of the largest and most diversified Filipino conglomerates as well as one of Nikkei Asia Reviews Top 300 Asian companies. JG Summit has business interests in air transportation, banking, food manufacturing, hotels, petrochemicals, power generation, publishing, real estate, and property development, as well as telecommunications. Through its various subsidiaries, JG Summit serves consumers and customers in the Philippines as well as Southeast Asia and Australasia. Since its first operations in Vietnam in 2003, URC has poured over $200 million and created over 3,000 jobs in Vietnam, making it the largest Filipino investor in Vietnam. Currently, URC Vietnam has five manufacturing facilities in Binh Duong, Quang Ngai, and Hanoi and is now one of the leading food and beverage companies with well-known brands like C2 and Rong Do for beverages, Cream-O and Magic for biscuits, Dynamite for candies, Jack nJill Puff Corn and Chikki for snacks. URC has brought Made in Vietnam products to 10 countries so far. Laurent Levan, president and CEO of URC Vietnam, said, We appreciate the great support from the Vietnamese government that has helped us to successfully operate in the country. We will continue to invest more in the market in all aspects so we can meet the high quality and safety standards in our export markets. Our local talents are a precious asset contributing to our growth in Vietnam, he added. URC is committed to Vietnams development in the long run, saying that Our business goals go far beyond producing and selling quality products, as we also direct our efforts to create sustainability programmes for the communities where we operate. Production assistant manager Pham Van Doan, who has been working for nine years for URC Vietnam, said, URC Vietnam has a good working environment and innovative human resources programmes that are the main reasons I am staying with the company. We are proud that our made-in-Vietnam products are exported to countries such as Japan, Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan. The health and safety of our consumers are of paramount importance to us, which is why we have always made quality a hallmark of our products. Our commitment to quality and safety can never be compromised and this is reflected in every aspect of our operations, from selecting materials and ingredients to actual production and distribution, he added. During the years, all URC facilities in Vietnam are certified for the Quality Management Systems ISO 9001:2015 and Environment Management System ISO 14001:2015 standards. URC Vietnams VSIP 1 Beverage & Food Plant 1/2 & Hanoi Beverage Plant also received the FSSC 22000 Food Safety System Certification. The recent opening of a Central Laboratory further bolstered URC Vietnams dedication to quality. This specialized facility is equipped with the latest and most advanced testing technologies and manned by highly qualified analysts. Levan told VIR previously that URC Vietnam believes that it has the responsibility to work on various initiatives for our people consumers, employees, and communities for the environment, and for our partners. Indeed, URC Vietnam is committed to ensure we make life better and that every dream can be fulfilled. As the Filipino leader in snack foods and beverages, URC continues to expand its reach, establishing itself as an Asian multinational with full-scale operations in eight countries outside the Philippines, and soon setting foot in emerging markets like Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. URCs products are also exported to mainstream markets in the US, Europe, Japan, South Korea, the Middle East, and frontier markets in West Africa such as Ghana and Nigeria. Foreign insurance companies are ramping up activities in Vietnam Foreign-invested life insurers launch a series of new products Many foreign life insurance companies have launched new and impressive products in the recent past. By the end of August 2018, Sun Life Vietnam launched its SUNHuu tri thanh nhan (Leisure retirement) product, which is known as Sun Lifes trademark product due to the companys strength in voluntary retirement programme. By the last day of July 2018, the total assets of Sun Life Vietnams pension funds reached VND1.3 trillion ($5.75 billion), serving over 60 businesses with about 30,000 labourers. Meanwhile, a big company from Italy, Generali Vietnam, focuses on health protection products. Its new product launched in September 2018, Bao hiem ung thu VITALa chan vang (Cancer insurance VITAthe gold shield) which covers all types of cancer and is 100 per cent refundable if customers do not contract a disease. This is the only cancer insurance policy on the market. Another big firm from the US, BIDV MetLife launched its new product named Qua tang hanh phuc (Happy gift) in September 2018. The product is designed to meet customers demands at every stage of life. Beside financial protection, this is the first life insurance product in Vietnam to integrate protection against five common diseases, including cancer, stroke, heart attack, liver failure, and kidney failure. Old wine in a new bottle Beside new products by new companies, the life insurance market is still a relatively novel area for foreign enterprises because some of the new brands are more veteran players under new aliases. The most notable face is Mirae Asset Prevoir, a both familiar and new and strange company in the Vietnamese life insurance market. While the Mirae Asset Prevoir brand has just been launched in mid-2018 as a combination between Mirae AssetLife from Korea and Prevoir from France, which was an experienced insurer in Vietnam, known for its strategy of selling insurance through the post office. Khamsaya Soukhavong, general director of Mirae Asset Prevoir, said that with Mirae Asset Life as a strategic partner, the company will take advantage of its technology, innovation, networking, and bancassurance experience to achieve its long-term goals. While Mirae Asset Prevoir was formed by a joint venture, Aviva Vietnam was formed by a withdrawal when VietinBank withdrew from the VietinBank Aviva joint venture a year ago. After the exit, Aviva Vietnam showed great ambitions by doubling its charter capital to VND1.66 trillion ($7.32 billion). According to Aviva Vietnams representative, the companys development strategy in the upcoming time will be to strongly invest in digital technology and build a modern infrastructure system to meet the increasing demands of customers in the new technology era. Developing digital technology is the centre of Aviva Vietnams development strategy and will be developed throughout the company's core activities, including the development of distribution channels. A journalist holds the mobile phone of Grace, the wife of the missing Interpol president Meng Hongwey, showing what she says is the last message exchanged with her husband. (AFP/JEFF PACHOUD) China announced on Monday (Oct 8) the Chinese head of Interpol, who vanished after returning to his homeland, was under investigation for possible criminal activity, and the world police organisation said he had resigned. The revelations came as Meng Hongwei's wife voiced concern for his life after receiving a final text message from his phone with a knife emoji. Beijing had remained tight-lipped about the fate of Meng, who is also China's vice minister for public security, since his disappearance was disclosed by French officials on Friday. The National Supervisory Commission, which handles corruption cases involving public servants, broke the official silence early on Monday, saying in a one-line statement that Meng "is currently under investigation on suspicion of violating the law". Soon after, Interpol said it had received Meng's resignation "with immediate effect". 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. When - or if - they reappear, it is often in court. Meng, the first Chinese president of Interpol, was last heard from on Sep 25 as he left Lyon - where the world police body is based - for China. The agency's secretary general Juergen Stock, who oversees day-to-day operations, had said Saturday that it was seeking "clarification" on his whereabouts from Chinese authorities. French police had opened an investigation into Meng's disappearance last week, according to a source close to the inquiry. Meng, 64, had lived with his wife and two children in France since being elected Interpol president in 2016 for four years. The agency said it will elect a new president next month at its general assembly in Dubai for the remaining two years of Meng's term. DANGER EMOJI Speaking to reporters in France on Sunday, Meng's wife Grace said she had received a message from his phone containing a knife emoji before his disappearance. That day, she said he sent a message telling her to "wait for my call", before sending the emoji signifying danger. "This matter belongs to the international community," she told a press conference. "I'm not sure what has happened to him," she said. Later, upon learning about the announcement from China's anti-graft commission, she told AFP that her husband's case will be under the watch of "international law and international public opinion", describing the situation as "political ruin". China's recently established National Supervisory Commission holds sweeping powers to investigate the country's public servants with few requirements for transparency. Although the commission did not detail the allegations against Meng, its mandate is to investigate corruption cases as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign. Some critics of the effort - which has punished more than one million officials - say it also functions as a tool for Xi to eliminate his political rivals. RED NOTICES 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 that role, Meng has been entrusted with a number of sensitive portfolios, including the country's counter-terrorism division, and he was 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 website. During Meng's tenure, Interpol issued a red notice for fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, who threatened to reveal corruption at the country's highest levels. Authorities in China and Hong Kong have accused Guo, a real estate tycoon who resides in the United States, of laundering billions of dollars among other crimes. Local enterprises and farmers needed more information about the origin of export products because importers and retailers overseas had higher demands for traceability of agricultural products, according to experts. Photo baocongthuong.vn According to Cao Thi Kim Lan, director of Binh Dinh Seafood Joint Stock Company, regulations under the EU illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing act, 100 per cent of her companys shipments must be kept at port for their origin to be established. Due to the requirement, the company faced many difficulties purchasing raw material for export processing because many did not meet the origin requirements of overseas markets, reported Nguoi lao dong (The Labourer) newspaper. In addition, overseas retail chains have set strict standards that exporters must follow if they want to sell goods at their chains. Dao Ha Trung, chairman of the HCM City High Technology Association, said Walmart, the worlds largest retailer, had asked suppliers to use traceability with blockchain technology to ensure food safety and security. During a recent project sponsored by the Australian Embassy to help Vietnams build a global brand for its agricultural products, the pilot application of blockchain technology was used to trace Vietnamese dragon fruit exported to Australia. Consumers in Australia could use their smartphones to trace the dragon fruit and access information about growers in Vietnam. Nguyen Thu Hang, a representative of the Asia Foundation, said more and more consumers around the world wanted access to the traceability of imported food. This consumption trend gives Vietnams agricultural products an opportunity to build their brands and expand their markets if products meet these high standards. Hoang Trung, director of the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said in the era of Industry 4.0, traceability must also be digitised. Many markets did not require the use of high technology for traceability but local enterprises must still meet traceability requirements, he said. Therefore, enterprises and producers should start using high technology for traceability. Vo Quan Huy, director of Huy Long An Co. that specialises in exporting bananas to Japan, said the company had followed the VietGAP production process and standards of importing companies but still logged traceability manually. The company had received positive feedback on the traceability of its products from Japanese importers, he said, so at present, his company did not need to use technology to trace its products. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc with senior officials of Binh Duong province WTA 2018 will take place at the administrative centre of Binh Duong Students are exposed to high technology at the Eastern International University Binh Duong will host the World Technopolis Association (WTA) conference on October 10-12. The event, organised not long after Binh Duong became an official WTA member, will confirm the status of Binh Duong as a global player. This is also a great opportunity for the province to attract resources for socio-economic growth and smart city development. IMPROVING THE INTERNATIONAL STATUS OF BINH DUONG Established in 1998 in South Koreas Daejeon city, WTA is a multilateral international organisation aiming to connect the advancement of science and technology with local development, to achieve a shared development through co-operation and exchanges among science cities. The organisation believes that development of science and technology leads directly to the welfare and prosperity of mankind. WTA currently has 106 member organisations from 48 countries and territories around the world. It has been implementing collaborative projects with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), aiming at the development of sustainable scientific cities and the management of scientific cities in a global context. Binh Duong was introduced to WTA by Daejeon, with which it has co-operated in the past. A delegation of Binh Duong leaders visited Daejeon in August where Her Tae Jeong, the Mayor of Daejeon city and chairman of WTA, presented Binh Duong with the certificate of WTA membership. At the same time, Binh Duong was also chosen to host the 2018 WTA Summit. According to Tran Thanh Liem, Chairman of Binh Duong Peoples Committee, WTA 2018 is a very special event for both WTA and Binh Duong. This event also marks the milestone of WTAs 20th anniversary, reaffirming the success and prestige of this organisation in the world. The event is also a fundamental milestone for setting a new vision and planning activities for the next decade, establishing global foundations for exchanges and co-operation in science and technology among WTAs members. Being the host of WTA, Binh Duong will welcome UNESCOs leaders with more than 100 WTA member delegations including mayors, heads of universities and research institutes, and business leaders from more than 50 countries and territories around the world. At the conference, the parties will share experiences and discuss their visions on governance and sustainable development of science and technology cities, with the theme of Smart city as a driving force for innovation and sustainable development, also making important connections in the process of globalisation. The event will facilitate various meetings and seminars among mayors and leaders of universities and research institutes. There will be a global innovation forum co-organised by UNESCO, WTA, Daejeon, and Binh Duong. Other sessions of interest include the High technology exhibition for science and technology enterprises around the world and the Smart city initiative contest held in both Vietnam and South Korea. OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTRACT INVESTMENT CAPITAL Over the years, Binh Duong has been continuously developing and attracting high-quality investment capital flow. The province has made great progress and become one of the most dynamic economic development provinces of Vietnam, attracting the most foreign direct investment of any locality outside Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In the first nine months of 2018, the total foreign investment capital of newly-registered enterprises, adjusted operations, and capital contribution in Binh Duong reached $1.339 billion, up 68 per cent on-year, and reaching 96 per cent of the target for all of 2018. So far, Binh Duong has attracted more than 3,400 foreign-invested projects, with the total registered investment capital of more than $31.4 billion, averaging more than $9 million per project. Of these, more than 2,000 projects are in industrial zones with the total investment capital of $21 billion, making up 67 per cent of the total foreign direct investment (FDI) in the province. Binh Duong is now ranked third in the country after Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi for FDI attraction. Binh Duong is now focusing on infrastructure and science and technology in its long-term strategy and at the macro level. The province has so far invested in many international-scale projects such as a modern administrative centre, an international exhibition centre, universities, hospitals, and hotels with international standards. Chairman Liem said that WTA and its members pursue the same core values and common models of socio-economic development, in which the triple helix smart city model is very useful to Binh Duong. The breakthrough achievements of the province towards smart city creation and innovation have garnered much interest from WTA for further co-operation in the future. This event is an important and outstanding milestone for Binh Duong. Becoming a member of WTA will create great opportunities for Binh Duong to increase its international co-operation, promote its brand, and attract more FDI. In particular, the event will also lay a foundation for Binh Duong to promote exchanges with other scientific cities around the world, exchange human resources, strengthen its management and governance capacity, improve its scientific technical capacity and advanced technology transfer, share development strategies to contribute greatly to the socio-economic comprehensive strategy of Binh Duong, and to become a smart city. This event has a very important role for both WTA and Binh Duong province. WTA is a forum for connecting advanced technologies for development, while Binh Duong is one of Vietnams leading provinces in investment attraction and technology co-operation and transfer. SETTING UP TOWARDS A SMART CITY The plan to set up a smart city was officially approved by the Binh Duong Peoples Committee in November 2016. This is a strategic breakthrough plan for the socio-economic development of Binh Duong to 2021, oriented toward developing a higher-value economy, high-tech manufacturing, and smart urban planning, as well as creating the fundamental conditions to reach for a knowledge economy. Binh Duong is building a smart city via transparent methods that will develop enterprises, human resources, and infrastructure systems, strengthen manufacturing and business, and create opportunities for workers to have better access to science and technology. According to a leader from Becamex IDC, since 2015, Binh Duong has been co-operating with the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands to promote socio-economic development under the triple helix model, which combines state, academia, and business. Implementing this plan, Becamex IDC is working in four areas: people, technology, business community and infrastructure, and living and working environment. This plan not only meets the six common criteria of the Intelligent Community Forum in setting up a smart city, its foundation is the factor of humans and the human resources of the city. Therefore, the co-operation between state, academia, and enterprise is very significant, aiming to train qualified human resources to meet the development requirements of the city in the future. According to the leaders of Becamex IDC, the most visible result seen when implementing the construction of the smart city was that Binh Duong has attracted large-scale international groups to the province to seek investment opportunities. This initial result has promoted Binh Duongs position in the eyes of the world. The implementation of the plan to turn Binh Duong into a smart city is an unprecedented aspirational process with many different challenges. This process, however, will also bring in new potential, in line with current global trends and contributing to turning Binh Duong into a high-value economy with knowledge-based production and services, and in the end, to create a dynamic, innovative, and connected environment for all parties. At the same time, this plan also aims to transform Binh Duong into the first smart city to integrate the triple helix model in Vietnam. The burnt-out Paldo Vina factory is a threat to the security of surrounding areas Since starting operations in Vietnam in 2013, Paldo Vina Limited, which makes instant noodles and is based in Dong Lang Industrial Cluster (IC) in the northern province of Phu Thos Phu Ninh district, has bought and repeatedly resigned contracts on compulsory fire insurance and asset insurance against all risks with Liberty Vietnam Limited. The most recent insurance contract was effective from August 8, 2017 to August 7, 2018. The fire which led to the dispute occurred on the evening of August 27, 2017 and destroyed all of the companys factory workspace at Dong Lang IC. According to a source from Paldo Vina, right after the incident, they were working with Liberty and the organisation tasked with assessing the damage to take the necessary steps. According to the inspection conclusion of Phu Ninh districts Investigation Police, the fire came from a sudden disruption in the electrical system. As there was no sign of crime, the case was not sent to the court. After the fire, Liberty Vietnam showed no intention to refuse paying for the damages. Ten months later, on June 7, 2018, however, they announced their refusal to issue payments to Paldo Vina, citing Article 17(2d) of the Law on Insurance Business. On July 2, 2018, Liberty sent a document to Paldo Vina, stating that, We (Liberty) have gathered evidence to legitimately prove the fact that your company (Paldo Vina)s fire prevention system did not work at the time the fire occurred. The dispute has yet to be resolved. In fact, Libertys first refusal came late, about 10 months after the fire occurred. Paldo Vina insisted that based on the latest contract signed with Liberty, the insurer has to compensate for the unexpected damage to insured assets caused by risks regulated in the signed insurance contract and related supplemental documents. In addition, before the contract was signed, Libertys staff conducted risk assessments at the Paldo Vina factory where the fire occurred, finding the factory up to standards to be insured. On August 15, Liberty sent a dispatch to Paldo Vina, affirming their continued refusal of paying the indemnity for the fire, but enclosed a note that, In case we receive your companys documents proving that at the time the fire occurred, the factorys fire prevention system was still working normally, we will revisit the case and issue a suitable decision. The dispute has yet to be resolved. In fact, Libertys first refusal came late, about 10 months after the fire occurred. Regarding Libertys main argument to refuse compensation, Paldo Vina explained that its fire prevention system was out of order at the time the fire took place because a wall collapsed during a storm and damaged part of the fire prevention system. Taken separately, the collapsed wall and the partial technical breakdown of the fire prevention system are both covered by the insurance policy signed with Liberty. In short, Paldo Vinas argument is that the fire was a case of force majeure, and not the fault of any one party, which is within the scope of the insurance policy. Each side has its own argument, but the case does not only the related firms. In a recent document sent to Paldo Vina, the Phu Tho Industrial Zones Management Authoritywhere the Paldo Vina factory is locatedsaid that the damaged factory could collapse anytime, affecting the security of residential quarters in the surrounding areas as well as undermining the general landscape of Dong Lang IC. Growth in the domestic office market has continued this year and is set to remain at record levels well into the future after more than 7 per cent growth in grade A rents last year, according to Savills Vietnam-Photo vietnamfinance.vn Average occupancy rates in Hanoi and HCM City were 92 per cent and 96 per cent, respectively, while the gross rent reached US$35.2/sq.m/month in Ha Noi and $48 in HCM City, according to Savills latest publication Vietnam Office Outlook 2018. The figures were relatively high compared with regional peers. However, the enormous potential of this market was yet to be realised as the supply of office space in Vietnams major cities was less than 20 per cent of that in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta. While supply was 1.6 million square metres each in HCM City and Hanoi, Bangkok had 8.6 million square metres, Neil MacGregor, managing director of Savills Vietnam, said at a seminar in HCM City last week. It is crucial for office occupiers to carefully analyse their needs, plan ahead and manage future occupancy costs effectively. Tu Thi Hong An, associate director of commercial leasing at Savills HCM City, said the Vietnamese market has the potential for sophisticated office projects following current global mega trends. The design, resources and functionality of offices will completely change in the coming years. If you consider all the numerous demand drivers and the requirements of todays modern office occupiers, the opportunities are infinite. Yann Deschamps, head of Workthere, a Savills business that helps clients find flexible office space, said the upsurge of co-working spaces has set a new milestone in the office market. Co-working is not just about the sharing of infrastructure and costs, it is about belonging to a community. Spaces are designed to provide a productive and collaborative environment for dynamic inhabitants and created without corporate constraints on what is perceived to be an office environment. The number of co-working spaces in Vietnam rose by 62 per cent last year, driven by growth in start-ups and the need for cost-effective spaces, he added. The first half of this year saw record occupancy of office space, strong tenant demand, limited new supply and rapidly growing rents, according to Savills. Flexible space market Vietnams flexible space market is still at an early stage. The supply of flexible space in Vietnam has soared since 2017 with many local operators opening their doors to occupiers, according to the Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) Vietnam Co Ltds press release on October 3. Since 2018, the Vietnam market has welcomed more foreign flexible space operators such as Kloud, CEO Suites, The Executive Centre and WeWork which will open its first outlet in December 2018. There is a divergence in space requirements between local and international operators. While local operators tend to locate their flexible space facilities in Grade B or lower grade office buildings, international operators often seek higher-grade buildings that match their product quality. Currently, demand for flexible spaces come mainly from start-up companies that prefer shorter and flexible lease terms as well as corporations looking for temporary spaces, Stephen Wyatt, country head of JLL Vietnam, said at the release. The start-up community in Vietnam is growing fast, due to the positive economic outlook as well as increased funding from the private sector and government-led programmes. We expect these favourable market fundamentals to persist in the near term and expect the demand for flexible space to follow an upward trajectory in the future, he said. However, some co-working operators have found it challenging to retain tenants. Some short-term tenants tend to shift to newer spaces while some larger tenants upgrade towards medium- and long-term leases, said Wyatt. Trang Bui, head of markets at JLL Vietnam, said: Demand has mainly come from technology companies who would like to expand their activities. These companies are believed to be the driving force for the market in future. Due to the high demand, rents have increased slightly, and projects likely to come into the market next year are already quoting higher than current average rates with the promise of good amenities. Supply will be limited in 2019 but more grade B office buildings will hit the market a year later. The limited supply of office space has created favourable conditions for other solutions like flexible space. As a child, Sreat Mom Sophear never dreamed of growing up to become a business leader, even though she grew up in a business-oriented household. But today, the founder and CEO of SOPHIYA Corp. is one of Cambodias pioneering women entrepreneurs. Sreat Mom Sophear started SOPHIYA, which provides tourism, home management, spa wellness and beauty services, in 2005. At the time, she did not understand entrepreneurship, which the Harvard Business Review defines as the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled. All I thought was about making money, the 36-year-old said. That has changed as her Phnom Penh-based company grew to employ more than 65 people. Its not only about me and my business. It is also about helping others, providing job opportunities to people and contributing to the economy, Sreat Mom Sophear told VOA during her visit to the United States under the State Departments International Leadership Visitor Program for 10 days in September. Sreat Mom Sophear and 11 other women from Cambodias private sector and state-run institutions met with business representatives and federal and state officials to learn more about business management, partnership and leadership. The goal? Reshaping the business landscape in Cambodia to encourage women to run businesses, and to promote women as business leaders. But this means overcoming many challenges, many of which are familiar to ambitious women worldwide. Leading a business is considered a mans job in Cambodia, even though women own about 65 percent of the businesses, according to the National Institute of Statistics, where the numbers show most of the women-owned enterprises are small-scale and informal, employing only one or two people. Women's roles Then there are other issues such as the continuing influence of traditional social and cultural code, the chbap srey, which believes women should be quiet and obedient and have limited educational opportunities. A lack of financial and business management training has prevented many women from scaling up their businesses, said Eng Lykuong, president of Cambodia Women Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA), a networking group supporting women in business. And then theres the challenge that working women face worldwide. Even though they become entrepreneurs, they are still expected to fulfill household roles, she said, defining the so-called second shift. I have to say that we work twice as hard as men. We are struggling to balance it [our business] with our role as mothers and wives. Ly Viriya, a shareholder of LM LIMA Angkor Food Co. Ltd. of Siem Reap, found balance at a personal cost. Had I not been separated [from my husband], I would not have been able to travel and continue my studies and improve myself, she told VOA Cambodia, adding that the support from her family has been critical as she made career choices and undertook advocacy work through CWEA. Building confidence Ly Viriya believes that a lack of self-confidence is one of the key challenges for Cambodian women in business, particularly those in rural areas where there are fewer opportunities and education and income levels are lower than in urban areas. It takes a lot of training and encouragement to help them find confidence in themselves, she said, adding, I want to encourage more women to really believe that they can play important roles in society. Although Cambodias Ministry of Womens Affairs is supporting private sector initiatives to empower women in business, it has signed several memoranda of understanding with women-led associations, such as CWEA and the Cambodia Women Business Federation (CWBF). The three women, Sreat Mom Sophear, Eng Lykuong and Ly Viriya, know each other through CWEA, where they work to empower women. They also rally support from the government and business-partner organizations, including the American Chamber of Commerce of Cambodia (AmCham), to remove the obstacles that prevent women advancing further by growing the capacity of their businesses. In small- or medium-size business, you see a lot of women are running them, but when the business is large-scale or becomes a corporation, very few women make it that far, said Eng Lykuong, adding that CWEA provides mentoring and capacity building programs that upgrade their knowledge and skills. Entrepreneurial community Touch Socheata, a co-founder and managing director of InoTED, which provides information and communications technology (ICT) solutions to education, tourism and agriculture sectors, benefited from CWEA training. Touch Socheata had no knowledge or skills in ICT when she launched Innovative Technologies for Education, Tourism and Development, or InoTED, in 2017. As a member of the association, Ive learned from trainings and exchanging ideas with other members, which has prepared me for managing my business, Touch Socheata told VOA. Founded in 2011, CWEA claims a membership of about 500 women whose businesses range from small- to medium-sized. Collectively, these endeavors support more than 15,000 people, help drive their local economies and provide new skills to many of working age. Chen Sopheap, for example, took her love of Cambodias traditional silk and began her social enterprise, Keiy Tambanh Khmer, in 2015 in Phnom Penh, employing 10 women to produce good quality silk products for Cambodias special-occasion clothing. Now the Keiy Tambanh Association that Chen Sopheap created supports 200 women silk weavers and helps their products reach larger markets. Chen Sopheap says her business has empowered more women to gain skills in business and financial management. I began a business from a point where women silk weavers were shy about sharing ideas, she said, but now they are engaged and debating ideas to help improve themselves. Prime Minister Hun Sen has for the first time publicly suggested that his eldest son, Hun Manet, could succeed him as leader of Cambodia in an interview with Japanese media. In an interview with the Japanese news agency Kyodo, Hun Sen reportedly said Manet would be a possible future leader of Cambodia. Despite criticism from the international community over his governments crackdown on the opposition and civil society, Hun Sens Cambodian Peoples Party won all seats in parliamentary elections in July. However, he [Hun Sen] acknowledged that no matter how capable the ... general may be, when the time comes, only the power of the people nationwide could determine who will become their new leader, Kyodo reported. The comments follow years of speculation over the possibility of his sons being groomed for the top job. Lieutenant General Hun Manet is now serving as the Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army after he was appointed last month to replace long-time commander Meas Sophea. Hun Sens second son, Hun Manith, is the director-general of military intelligence. Hun Many, his youngest son, is chairman of the National Assemblys commission for education and culture, and also leads the Union of Youth Federation of Cambodia, one of the countrys largest pro-government youth organizations. Many, also a lawmaker, also previously said he wanted to become prime minister. When asked in a live radio show in late 2015 whether he wanted to become a prime minister, he responded with an indirect answer that the top job was a dream of every young Cambodian. In contrast, his elder brother Manet was tight-lipped when asked the same question in an interview with ABC Australia in 2015. Not no, not yes, he said. The army chief graduated from the West Point Military Academy in the United States. He rose to serve in de facto political roles, rallying support for the ruling party among Cambodian communities abroad. In April, Manet represented his father during a visit to Japan to secure Tokyos support for the election process, which was described by critics as flawed and a sham. Government spokesman Phay Siphan the remarks about Manets possible future leadership were based on Hun Sens "experienced evaluation." "On a separate note, we have seen His Excellency Hun Manet as a professional in serving as a senior military officer. He was educated in the U.S. and exposed to Western culture and education ... At the same time, he has spent time working in the national defense tasks with the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces," Siphan told VOA Khmer on Sunday. He denied such an appointment as an example of nepotism, adding that candidates would be selected by the CPP. "For the CPP, we have our norms of working processes in assessing and recruiting any candidates to hold state positions, ranging from minister to prime ministerial jobs." Political commentator Ly Sreysros said Hun Sens backing of his son for the top job was not a surprise, adding that the wording of the statement was likely left deliberately vague. "I see nothing strange here because the power to lead Cambodia in the future would be transferred by Prime Minister to his son or anyone close to him," Sreysros said. The political analyst added that Manet's candidacy if realized, would bring the premiership closer to the military given his years of military service. Correction: Hun Manet is not the Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces as previously stated in this article. Manet is now the Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, which is a military branch under the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. [Editors Note: Oun Kosorl is the founder of Mother Home Cambodia, located in Tataok Kandal Village, Siem Reap province. Kosorl teaches Cambodian children for free, having founded the school in late 2014, aiming to provide opportunities for rural children to learn English. Mother Home Cambodia has taught more than 800 children since its founding, with about 200 current students. Kosorl has largely self-funded the school with money he makes as a tour guide. In 2015, Kosorl was invited to discuss his project at One Young World, the largest youth conference in the world, with more than 1,300 young leaders participating from around the world.] Q: You are the founder of the Mother Home Cambodia, located in Chan Sar commune in Siem Reap province. Could you tell me about the current situation at your school? Kosorl: I am a tour guide. I contribute my salary to develop the community. We teach children from 1 pm to 8 pm. We have different levels for our students. The first level is the English kindergarten. The school has only one building, built from wood and cement. We have a very simple school. We dont have a modern school or state school standards. It is a school for the rural area. Q: What motivated you to build and implement the English school project? Kosorl: We like community education, especially in rural areas. I want children in rural areas to have the same opportunities to study English as urban children. English is a needed language to communicate internationally. Q: How many students study at your school? Kosorl: There are about 800 students who have studied or have been studying in my school. Some students started since they were in grade 5 or grade 6 until they were in grade 12. Before the school vacation this year, we had 270 students. Now we have only 200 because some students are going to high school, so they don't have time to study English with us. Q: What is the situation of your community? How did it motivate you to build the school and implement the school project? Kosorl: I built the school because I benefit from my English. I studied English in high school and university. I told myself that one day I would build a school to help my community to give the opportunity to young people to learn English. There are 12 villages in my commune and we have many young children. Before I implemented the school project, children were not able to speak English, and they didn't have a chance to speak English with foreigners. Q: How did you recruit students? Kosorl: We dont have a clear administrative system due to a limited budget. The teacher and I register the students. For students aged between 4 to 6 years old, we require students to know how to write Khmer. That would facilitate the teacher and teaching process. If they cant write Khmer, we dont accept them into the class. Q: What are the challenges that you experience when you operate the school project? Kosorl: First, I face some challenges with the authority because they do not understand the value of education. Even though I submitted documents from the commune level, they still questioned us. Overall, I face difficulties in terms of the legality of my school. That is my biggest challenge. Second, the parents. They have limited knowledge of education so that they won't place much value on our work. Q: What are you most proud of? Kosorl: I noticed that children could communicate in English. Some students are even better than their teachers. I am so happy about that. When I would leave this world one day, I already helped many students to have a good future. Q: Have you ever thought about giving up the project? Kosorl: I have never been hopeless with students. I like to work with them. I am happy about that. I like children. There are two reasons that made me consider closing the school. First, it is because of the authorities. The second reason is the parents. However, parents open their minds to send their children to school nowadays. We have a hard time with the local authority, especially the police. When we have international volunteers, the police come around even though we already informed them. Sometimes, I gave them some money. Q: Do you have any messages or final comments? Kosorl: I have a message to the youth, especially young people who were born in the 1990s. If they have good careers, they should consider helping their community. So, young children can study. I hope young Cambodians are positive and selfless. I hope they will contribute to the development of children who cant afford education. WASHINGTON D.C. A new $60-billion United States government overseas investment agency could counterbalance the surge of Chinese investment and loans in the Asia-Pacific Region, experts and officials said recently. The experts said, however, that the U.S. should take further steps if it wants to offer development finance alternatives to Asian countries like Cambodia, which have become increasingly dependent on massive Chinese investment and loans that dominate local economies. Conor Savoy, director of policy and advocacy at the Washington-based Global Innovation Fund, said the new agency was a U.S. effort to more directly compete with China in these developing countries and to offer alternative ways of financing as the U.S. believes there are problems that go along with Chinese investment. America is increasingly concerned about Chinas effort in the [Asia-Pacific] region, and the types of investment they are making, what its doing to different economies, and what its doing for China to advance their strategic interests. Savoy was among a panel of experts and officials who gathered at the Stimson Center last month to discuss U.S. engagement on infrastructure and development in the Asia-Pacific Region, and they looked ahead at the creation of the International Development Finance Corp (IDFC). On Oct. 4, the Senate passed the BUILD Act that created the IDFC. It will take over foreign finance tasks from the Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC) and USAID. The new agency has $60 billion in funds and will reform U.S. development financing in energy, ports and water infrastructure in developing countries with a focus on the private sector projects. A clear alternative Clete Willems, Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs and Deputy Director for the National Economic Council, said, America is increasingly concerned about Chinas effort in the [Asia-Pacific] region, and the types of investment they are making, what its doing to different economies, and what its doing for China to advance their strategic interests." And we want to find a way to provide a clear choice, to provide a clear alternative." Chinese finance carries debt risk The Chinese government has greatly expanded foreign loans and state-backed private investment across Asia in recent years. Beijing has focused on infrastructure development finance through its Belt & Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which has drowned out the largely U.S.-supported, traditional multilateral financiers such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB). Many poorer countries that developed strong diplomatic ties with China have taken on massive loans, and in some countries, such as Sri Lanka, mounting debts later forced governments to cede control over infrastructure assets such as ports to China, or to repay-in-kind by providing access to natural resources. Cambodia has accepted a massive surge of Chinese investment and loans in infrastructure and real estate in recent years. Its embrace of Beijing further tightened after relations with the U.S. and other Western governments suffered when Prime Minister Hun Sen claimed victory in an election last July that has been criticized as neither free nor fair. US focus on private sector finance Savoy said the new agency will not try to match Chinas massive packages of government-to-government loans and state company investments for large infrastructure projects and real estate development. As such, the new agencys influence may be limited in scale, he said, but the IDFCs funding will be attractive to developing countries as it does not carry the risk of unsustainable government debts and the focus will be on private sector projects, which the Chinese government rarely invests in. The IDFC will have much greater capabilities to work with the private sector in these institutions. I believe, at the end of the day, thats the comparative advantage that the US government can offer in these contexts, and its something that Chinas not offering, according to Savoy. The new agency will reportedly also increase support for American private investment in developing countries by, for example, providing political risk insurance. This type of U.S. government support is badly needed, according to Hari Achuthan, Chairman of ACO Investment Group and one of its portfolio companies, Convalt Energy. One of the disadvantages that we have had is not having a very strong US institution that just steps up to the plate and says: This is where we are going to do it. We are going to back the American firms. We are going to fund this project, and we are going to move forward with it, Achuthan said. Infrastructure investment that the countries in the Indo-Pacific [Region] need is some $26 trillion by 2030 just to keep up with growth. To provide more alternatives to Chinese loans and investment, however, the U.S. should also push for improving developing countries access to funding from the traditional multilateral banks. There is also a need, I think, for us to try to ensure that the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank are streamlined in their approach, and we should renew our leadership around these institutions because this has to be part of the broader package deal that were offering, Savoy said. China to dominate infrastructure All panelists agreed, nonetheless, that it would be difficult for the U.S. to provide funding for Asias vast infrastructure needs, and China will continue to dominate financing in this sector in the future. Infrastructure investment that the countries in the Indo-Pacific [Region] need is some $26 trillion by 2030 just to keep up with growth, said Sumona Guha, Vice-President of the Albright Stonebridge Group. Turkey's hosting of a four-nation Syrian summit later this month is a diplomatic win for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. With Syria's reconstruction, a key item of the planned meeting of French, Russia and German leaders, Erdogan will be looking to strengthen Turkey's hand in the predicted building bonanza. "It is very important (the summit). After every war, reconstruction is always important, and Turkey will probably be one of the key players in this role," said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara's Middle East Technical University. "This will be economically advantageous for Turkey." The timing could not be better for Turkey, with the economy facing a looming recession after this year's collapse of the currency. The Turkish construction industry is particularly stricken by the country's economic woes, with many companies reportedly in financial difficulties. The building sector is one of Turkey's biggest employers. "Turkey is facing a stagflation situation," said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen. "The opening of Syria just next door to Antep Hatay and Kilis (Turkish provinces) as a new market is important for Turkey." "When we enter the reconstruction phase, it will be another win for Turkey," he added, "And Turkey might turn a blind eye to (Syrian President Bashar) Assad staying in power." Repairing relations Ankara cut diplomatic relations with Damascus at the start of the Syrian civil war and remains committed to Assad's removal from power. However, with the Turkish construction industry in trouble, analysts suggest Erdogan has a vested interest in repairing relations with Damascus. Damascus may not be in a generous mood toward Turkish companies. Assad holds Erdogan responsible for the destruction of Syria because of his support for the rebels. "To what extent the regime will have control over how this reconstruction program is going to be implemented will be key," said Sinan Ulgen, head of the Istanbul-based Edam research organization. "Because the animosity between Ankara and Damascus will not evaporate, and that will certainly limit how active the Turkish contractors can be." Ankara may not be counting on needing Assad's goodwill. Turkey has taken control of a large swathe of northern Syria in a series of military operations against Islamic State and the Kurdish YPG militia. Ankara considers both groups as terrorist organizations and a security threat. No early withdrawal of troops Analysts point out that Ankara is likely calculating that the control of Syrian territory will give it leverage over Damascus and a say over the outcome of post-war Syria. This month, Erdogan made clear there would be no early Syrian withdrawal of Turkish forces. "Whenever the Syrian people hold an election, we will leave Syria to its owners," he said Thursday. Turkish construction firms are already engaged in building projects across Syrian territory under Ankara's control. But observers say Erdogan is eyeing the rebuilding of Syria's second largest city, Aleppo, 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Turkish border. Help from Moscow Analysts suggest Ankara will be looking to Moscow for support. "Turkey does not talk to Bashar al-Assad. (But) that does not mean that Turkey is not going to play the (reconstruction) role," said Bagci. "Turkey will go through Russia. Also, Russia will stay there (Syria) for now and forever." Erdogan has developed a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, built on cooperation over Syria. Though the two leaders back rival sides in the Syrian civil war, analysts say there is a recognition they need one another to end the conflict. Syria's reconstruction nearly always features prominently in the regular meetings between Erdogan and Putin. Economic cooperation is also an essential component in deepening Turkish-Russia ties. Syria's reconstruction offers the opportunity to further cement bilateral relations. Analysts point out that who finances Syria's reconstruction will likely have a big say on who benefits from any construction boom. The United Nations put a price tag on rebuilding Syria at $388 billion. "UAE and Saudi Arabia are appearing to be softer toward Damascus, and maybe they believe they can drive a wedge between Damascus and Tehran," said Selcen. "Now, we are moving to reconstruction phases. Saudi Arabia and UAE have deeper pockets than Tehran. And this is what Germany is telling Damascus." Shared border With Turkey having the longest border with Syria and the region's largest and most developed economy, analysts suggest it remains well-placed to exploit any construction boom in Syria, whoever secures the rebuilding contracts. "If Turkish contractors (are) not able to get these precious contracts from Syria," said Selcen," once the reconstruction starts, Turkey will gain a lot by exporting food products and reconstruction materials." US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made his fourth trip to Pyongyang Sunday. During his day-long trip to North Korea, Pompeo and leader Kim Jong Un agreed to arrange a second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump "as soon as possible." Pompeo called the talks with Kim, productive and another step forward" to denuclearization. However, experts arent as confident. Secretary Pompeo traveled to Seoul immediately after his meeting with Kim, where he met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha. Moon expressed hope that a second Trump-Kim summit would make "irreversible, decisive progress in terms of denuclearization as well as the peace process." Moon said South Korea will do everything it can to assist in facilitating a successful second US-North Korea summit. He also said the two sides will organize a working-level negotiating team to discuss the denuclearization process and the schedule of the summit. On Monday, North Koreas state-run news agency, KCNA, said Kim described the meeting with Pompeo as "productive and wonderful." "Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction over the productive and wonderful talks with Mike Pompeo at which mutual stands were fully understood and opinions exchanged," the KCNA said, adding "Together with Mike Pompeo, Kim Jong Un appreciated the positively developing situation on the Korean peninsula, explained in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearization issue and matters of concern of both sides and exchanged constructive opinions." The KCNA said Kim believed favorable dialogue between the two countries would continue "based on the deep confidence between the two leaders of the two countries" and that he expressed thanks to the U.S. leader for making a sincere effort to implement the agreements reaching in Singapore during their first summit. Although one U.S. official on the trip described the meeting with Kim as better than the last time," that official also noted, "its going to a long haul." Experts temper future outcomes South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Monday that Pompeo's trip to North Korea also appears to have been successful, but would not elaborate, even though the two shared a working dinner regarding its results the previous night. The State Department once more reported that Kim had invited inspectors to visit the Punggye-ri nuclear test site to verify it has been irreversibly dismantled. But in an interview with Reuters news agency, Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at Californias Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said, "Like everything else Kim has done, it is a gesture that mimics disarmament that isnt actually disarmament." Cheon Seong Whun, teaching research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, was critical, calling the outcome of Pompeos fourth visit to Pyongyang much lower than everybody expected. "When Pompeo decided to visit Pyongyang this meeting actually raised the hope or expectation that something important [or] substantial would come out of this meeting. But if you look at the read-out [of the meeting], there nothing detailed," said Cheon. "I'm still cautiously pessimistic," said Grant Newsham, Senior Research Fellow with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo. Newsham told VOA that Pompeo has the best insight of the developments, since hes directly involved with the behind closed door discussions with North Korea. But I think everybody's waiting for something concrete to come out [of the talks], where the North Koreans really give up something in exchange for the Americans making a concession. Is North Korea serious? A long-held sticking point in denuclearization talks with North Korea has been the divergent view on the procedural steps to achieve it. Washington continues to assert that international sanctions will remain in place until Pyongyang completes the process, while North Korea has called for various corresponding measures as it denuclearizes. Many analysts believe what North Korea is looking for from the United States is a declaration ending the Korean War. Newsham says President Trump may be inclined to offer that end of war declaration, if the U.S. thinks it will get something substantial out of doing so, like a declaration of the North's nuclear and missile programs and to allow open inspections {to nuclear testing sites like Yongbyong}. "But until the North gives up something meaningful as a concession I think one is properly skeptical... [that North Korea is] playing a game which we've seen many times over," said Newsham. To that end, while the United States is committed to denuclearizing North Korea, Cheon says North Korea has an obsession to possess nuclear capabilities. He says it may become a question if the Trump administration "will regard a partial resolution as a success or conclude that North Koreas denuclearization is not feasible at the moment." Newsham adds that one way Pyongyang could signal its commitment to the process, would be to move back their artillery and missiles from within striking distance of Seoul. "Thats the one thing I would consider a real concession on the part of North Korea, as it would be giving up [their] ace in the hole that they've had for a long time," said Newsham. He added that the proximity of North Korean weapons to Seoul had hindered efforts by both American and South Korean administrations for decades. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is calling the demilitarized zone deal for Idlib province, reached between Russia and Turkey, a "temporary measure." According to state-run Syrian media, Assad told a Baath Party meeting Sunday that last month's agreement was aimed at "stemming the bloodshed." But Assad did not rule out any military strike in the future, saying Syria's goal is to restore government control over the entire country. He called Western opposition to what had appeared to be planning for an imminent attack on Idlib "hysterical." Idlib province in northern Syria borders Turkey and is the last major area of Syria still in rebel hands. Syrian forces were massed along the border ready for what looked like an inevitable military operation against the rebels before Russia, which support Syria, and Turkey, which generally supports rebel forces, agreed to set up a buffer zone. A spokesman for a rebel coalition said Sunday said rebel forces have started pulling back their heavy weapons but will remain in defensive positions in case of what he calls an emergency. Observers said a Syrian strike on Idlib would endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians and lead to a bloody humanitarian disaster. With more than 99 percent of votes counted, far-right Brazilian candidate Jair Bolsonaro won the first round of the presidential election with 46 percent of the ballots. The surprising win was not enough, however, to prevent him from avoiding a run-off election on October 28. Bolsonaro, 63, was the unexpected front-runner going into Sunday's election, and fell just a few points short of winning the 50 percent of votes needed to win the presidency outright. He is a far-right former Army captain who has praised the country's past military dictatorship and has insulted women and gay people, as well as the country's black and indigenous populations. He once told a female politician that she was too ugly for him to rape and said that he would not be able to love a gay son. Bolsonaro's views have earned him the nickname of "Tropical Trump," a reference to the controversial U.S. president. He has also promised to crackdown on crime by loosening controls on Brazil's already deadly police forces. A "step backwards," is how Barbara Aires, a transgender woman described Bolsonaro's victory. She said the politician's win could lead to "taking back rights and more violence toward the LGBT community." The election in Latin America's largest economy follows the revelation of a huge political corruption scandal in Brazil, one of the largest corruption scandals in Latin American history. Bolsonaro's closest rival was leftist candidate Fernando Haddad, who has 28 percent of the vote. Haddad is a stand-in for former President Luiz Inacio da Silva, who is jailed and was barred from running. Although the two men come from different sides of the political spectrum, each ran a campaign based on nostalgia for a return to traditional values and better, simpler times. "I voted against thievery and corruption,'' Mariana Prado, 54, a human resources expert, told the Associated Press. "I know that everyone promises to end these two things, but I feel Bolsonaro is the only one can help end my anxieties.'' However, Monica de Bolle, director of Latin American Studies at Johns Hopkins University, told AP, "These are the strangest elections I've ever seen. It's shaping up to be a contest between the two weakest candidates possible." Cameroon is counting votes after Sunday's presidential election, which officials and African Union observers described as largely successful. Authorities reported minor irregularities and some election-related violence, but said it was not enough to influence the outcome of the poll. Official results are not expected for two weeks. Erick Essouse, director general of elections at the election management body ELECAM, says the vote went fairly smoothly in both the English- and French-speaking regions of Cameroon. "Certain minor incidents were observed in a few polling stations caused by verbal abuse from one or two candidates who clearly sought here and there to disturb public order," he said, adding, "Such abuses are not acceptable in our democracy of appeasement and tolerance." More than 7,000 observers, including the African Union, monitored Cameroon's election. Arthene Kwessi Selaeodai Ahooney-zena, head of the AU observer mission, says no major incidents were observed that could influence the results, even though there were reports of fighting in the restive English-speaking regions. He says the AU did not send observers to those regions, but monitored from a distance. Cameroonian authorities reported that a priest and three separatists were killed a day before the election in the country's Anglophone region in clashes with security forces. Anglophone separatists want autonomous rule from the government in Yaounde and had vowed on social media to prevent Sunday's election. With security high in Cameroon's English-speaking northwest and southwest, the separatists were unable to carry out their threat. Businessman Desmund Abefuh, from the English-speaking town of Bamenda, says he voted despite the threat, and is anxious to know the results. President Paul Biya has ruled Cameroon for 36 years and is expected to win another seven-year term. Cameroon's fractured opposition was unable to rally behind a strong challenger to the 85-year-old leader. Nonetheless, some supporters of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement Party (CRM) candidate, Maurice Kamtos, are claiming victory. Lawyer Akere Muna withdrew his candidacy at the last minute and threw his support behind Kamtos. Muna says he was shocked to find his ballot papers in polling stations when he had written to request ELECAM to withdraw them. He alleges such acts are to facilitate fraud and can have serious consequences. However, ELECAM says Muna gave them only one day's notice before the vote, so there was not enough time to withdraw his name from ballots in all 25,000 polling stations. Territorial administration minister Paul Atanga Nji says it is a crime to speculate on election results before they become official. "The official proclamation of results is an exclusive right of the constitutional council and no one has the right to substitute to this legal body," he said. "Any form of challenge to the verdict of the polls other than the constitutional legal means will not be tolerated." Despite threats from separatists, Biya's party campaigned in the northwest over the weekend under heavy security. All eight of his opposition challengers either avoided the two English-speaking regions or were chased out. Anglophone separatists began a violent campaign in northwest and southwest Cameroon one year ago, citing alleged discrimination and oppression by the country's French-speaking majority. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his Chinese counterpart Monday the United States has "grave concerns" about China's actions on several fronts, including human rights and the South China Sea. "We have a fundamental disagreement," Pompeo told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. Both men used unusually blunt language for such a diplomatic setting. Wang accused the U.S. of escalating trade tensions with China, and said Washington was dealing with Taiwan in a way that "harms China's core interests." Beijing considers the self-ruled island part of its territory. The U.S. is obligated to come to Taiwan's aid if China tries to take back the island by force. Monday's meeting came days after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech accusing China of military aggression, commercial theft, rising human rights violations and trying to interfere in upcoming U.S. elections. A U.S. readout issued after Monday's meeting said Pompeo "directly addressed areas where the United States and China do not agree, including on the South China Sea and human rights. He emphasized the importance of maintaining cross-Strait peace and stability." Both men also spoke on the need for greater cooperation. WATCH: US-China relations "We believe China and the U.S. should stick to the correct path of cooperation and win-win, rather than be mired in a wrong path full of conflicts and confrontations," Wang said. The U.S. and China are also in the middle of a trade war in which both sides have slapped billions of dollars in tariffs on each other's imports. "I think part of the Chinese anger that Wang Yi displayed was a sign that the Chinese are getting very uncomfortable with the trade war, and that they always thought that the United states would stop. And that clearly is not what the United States is doing," Victor Cha, a professor at Georgetown University and former director for Asian Affairs in the White House's National Security Council, told VOA. Cha said he foresees the U.S. -Chinese relationship on what he calls a "very confrontation track," at least though next month's U.S. elections, if not longer. North Korea cooperation One area of clear cooperation is North Korea. The U.S. is trying to convince the North to give up its nuclear weapons. China is North Korea's closest ally. The State Department said Pompeo and Wang "reaffirmed their shared resolve to achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK, as agreed to by Chairman Kim (Jong Un) in Singapore." The North Korean leader and U.S. President Donald Trump met for the first time there in June for a historic summit. "The United States and China remain unified on our pressure campaign and are committed to a bright future for the DPRK if Pyongyang denuclearizes quickly," the statement added. Pompeo traveled to China from South Korea, where he met with President Moon Jae-in to discuss North Korea. Moon later thanked Pompeo for the visit and expressed well wishes for a potential second summit between Kim and Trump. Pompeo said that while he was in Pyongyang, he and Kim "refined options for the location and date" for the "upcoming second summit." Pompeo later said in a tweet, "Had a good trip to #Pyongyang to meet with Chairman Kim. We continue to make progress on agreements made at Singapore Summit. Thanks for hosting me and my team @StateDept." Pompeo had said the goal of his meeting with North Korea was "to make sure we understand what each side is truly trying to achieve, and how we can deliver against the commitments that were made" in Singapore. Ira Mellman, Kenneth Schwartz contributed to this report. At a sold-out Haitian Ladies Brunch, held at their nation's embassy in Washington Sunday, conversations among professional women of the diaspora included concerns about loved ones in the Caribbean country. An earthquake the day before brought back memories of the 2010 disaster. The annual networking event, now in its 13th year, provides an opportunity for professional women and students in the U.S. diaspora to meet one another and exchange advice and ideas about how to help Haiti. Hours after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck the country's northwest Saturday night and reverberated throughout the territory, some had not yet spoken with family members in the most affected zones. PBS News Hour's White House correspondent, Yamiche Alcindor, whose parents are Haitian, told VOA she has family in Port-de-Paix, where the earthquake hit hardest, but had not yet spoken with them to see how they were doing. On the embassy's iconic winding staircase, Miami Herald journalist Jacqueline Charles, who tweeted her excitement at attending the Haitian Ladies Brunch, was busy tweeting the latest earthquake developments to her followers. Meanwhile, as women enjoyed Haitian dishes, hors d'oeuvres and drinks, they expressed concern about what is going on in their native country. "It seems every time we hope to get back on our feet something like this happens. It's very disruptive to our hope, our aspirations to do better," Jessie Belizaire, a first-time attendee at the brunch, told VOA. Clunie Jacques, also a first-time attendee, said she learned of the latest earthquake on WhatsApp while attending the Haitian Ladies Networking event on Saturday Night. "We're trying to fix the country and the country is breaking apart; it made me so emotional and sad that these things are still happening to Haiti," she said. Jacques told VOA she has friends in Port-de-Paix but had not been able to speak to them, and was checking WhatsApp periodically for the latest earthquake news. Moment of silence In his remarks to the more than 350 women who attended the embassy's most popular annual event, Ambassador Paul Altidor held a moment of silence in honor of Saturday's earthquake victims. "Unfortunately, something happened in Haiti again yesterday," Ambassador Altidor informed the audience. "And -- we're not going to dwell on it -- as a country as a community as a people, we're going to stand and do what we need to do. But we do actually want to take one moment of silence for those in Haiti who are suffering from yet another earthquake that took place in Haiti yesterday. Altidor acknowledged he had thought about canceling the Haitian Ladies Brunch after initially learning about the quake, but then decided against it. How to help For members of the diaspora seeking to help quake victims, Ambassador Altidor advised reaching out to local officials and organizations already working in the cities that were hardest hit, rather than embarking on their own initiatives. Haitian President Jovenel Moise echoed the same advice in a speech late Sunday, shortly after visiting the most affected cities. "I'm asking everyone who wants to help, all the philanthropists out there...to reach out to the National Civil Protection Service, who I have asked to coordinate the effort," Moise said, adding that he would ask them to set up a special phone line to field those calls. Latest death toll According to the latest report published early Monday by the Civil Protection Service, the current death toll stands at 15, with 333 injuries. Haiti is the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. It has never fully recovered from the 7.1-magnitude earthquake in 2010 that killed more than 200,000 people and left 1 million people homeless. Its not just that the water is deeper, which it is, or that there are fast motorboats throughout, which there are. Its the wind. Its best to stay on the leeward side of the wind, which would often be the west bank, but that has more problems connected to it, so a paddler might have to go to the east bank. Italy has said it will not allow planes carrying migrants from European Union member states to land in the country. The new Italian government has made clear the EU needs to share the burden of migrants. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has made clear Italy will be no landing ground for asylum-seekers. In the same way that ports have been closed to boats with migrants, Italy will close its airports to unauthorized planes carrying them. In a statement, Salvini said, If someone, in Berlin or Brussels, thinks of dumping dozens of immigrants in Italy via unauthorized charter flights, they should know that there is not and there will be no airport available. Labor Minister Luigi Di Maio, who is deputy prime minister along with Salvini, was quick to voice his agreement. Di Maio said he did not know who authorized these charters because on the matter of secondary movements, which has been the subject of Italys talks with the European Union that were requested by Germany, no agreement has been signed. Di Maio added such an agreement is required before any such charter flights can take place. Italy and Germany have been working on a deal under which Germany would send back to Italy migrants who have already applied for asylum in Italy, but the accord has yet to be signed. Following the comments by the two Italian ministers, the spokesman for Germanys Interior Ministry, Soeren Schmidt, declared that no planes have been scheduled to bring migrants to Italy and there are no concerns over collaboration with Rome. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokeswoman, Martina Fietz, said an agreement has been reached and Germany hopes it will soon be signed, just like similar accords between Spain and Greece. According to EU regulations, asylum-seekers are normally required to apply for asylum in the first EU country where they set foot and that is often Italy because of its proximity to the African coast. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says four Russians detained and expelled by the Dutch government on suspicion of spying were merely testing the IT systems of the Russian embassy. The Netherlands said last week they had disrupted a Russian attempt in April to hack into the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, an intergovernmental organization based in the Hague. Authorities said they found the four accused with spying equipment in a hotel next door. Describing the men's trip as "routine," Lavrov said Monday Moscow had not received a complaint from the Dutch government at the time. Polish activists met with lawmakers Monday in Warsaw to demand Catholic priests convicted of sexually abusing children be punished, and that the statute of limitations for prosecution in such cases be extended. Attending were lawyers, psychologists, and representatives from Have No Fear, a Polish foundation that advocates on behalf of people who say they were abused by priests. Organization president Marek Linksi called for an independent commission to investigate clergy abuse. The foundation published a map Sunday that it said identifies the sites of child abuse by clergy across Poland. The map shows allegations and the confirmed cases of 225 children under age 15. Lisinski said the number was likely only "the tip of an iceberg." The leaders of the Catholic Church in Poland have said they will publish a report on the scale of the problem by the end of November. Hundreds of Chadian ground troops entered northeastern Nigeria Tuesday as part of a growing regional offensive against Boko Haram insurgents. Witnesses said Chadian soldiers and vehicles crossed a bridge from Cameroon into the Nigerian town of Gambaru. Another Chadian force of at least 300 soldiers positioned itself near Bosso, a town on the border between Nigeria and Niger. Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri told VOA's Hausa news service that Chad is operating under a bilateral protocol that allows them "to pursue terrorists into this territory." Chad is one of four countries that have pledged to help fight Boko Haram, along with Cameroon, Niger and Benin. The Islamist insurgents control parts of Nigeria's Borno state and seized a multinational base on the shores of Lake Chad last month. Some towns retaken The Nigerian government said late Monday its forces have retaken a number of towns from Boko Haram, including Gambaru, Mafa, Mallam Fatori, Abadam and Marte. But the French news agency AFP quoted a Chadian army officer as saying Boko Haram fighters remain in Gambaru and "they have posted snipers everywhere." Northeastern Nigeria has seen several days of heavy fighting, with both the Chadian and Nigerian air forces targeting the militants. Meanwhile, police said a bomb blast that went off just minutes after Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan left an election campaign rally was the work of a female suicide bomber. The bomb exploded Monday near a stadium in the northeastern Nigerian city of Gombe, setting a car ablaze, killing one person and wounding 18. Gombe state police spokesman Fwaje Atajiri said by telephone that the bomber had been a female with explosives strapped to her, a sign it was the work of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, although no one has claimed responsibility. Nigeria is due to hold a presidential election February 14, pitting the ruling People's Democratic Party's (PDP) Jonathan against former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). Boko Haram militants are stepping up their campaign of violence ahead of the election. Attack on Maiduguri On Sunday, a combined force of Nigerian soldiers and civilian fighters drove back the militants' assault on Borno state capital, Maiduguri. The attack was Boko Haram's second unsuccessful attempt to seize the city in a week. In a travel warning Tuesday, the U.S. warned Americans to avoid all travel to the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe -- the three states where Boko Haram is most active. All three states are under a Nigerian government-imposed state of emergency. The Islamist insurgents are blamed for thousands of deaths since 2009. The Taliban has ordered its fighters to attack authorities and security forces who are helping organize this months parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, denouncing the process as fake and completely bogus. The Islamist insurgency in a statement issued Monday called on candidates and voters to boycott the polls, insisting they are being held for the sole purpose of legitimizing those stooges who are authorized by the occupying forces in Afghanistan. While responding to the Taliban's first direct threat to disrupt the elections, a U.S. military spokesman noted the upcoming Afghan democratic process is moving ahead despite the challenge. "The enemies of Afghanistan pledging to kill people who want to participate in democracy. Encouraging to see the work being done to hold secure and inclusive balloting even with all the challenges," tweeted Colonel Day Butler (@USFOR_A) The long-delayed elections are scheduled for October 20. More than 2,500 candidates, including 418 women, are competing for the 249 seats in the lower House of Parliament, the Wolesi Jirga. The Afghan government plans to deploy 54,000 soldiers and policemen to ensure voters safety on the polling day. Thousands of U.S-led NATO forces in the country have also vowed to assist Afghan authorities in holding the elections. Those people who are trying to help in holding this process successfully by providing security, should be targeted and no stone should be left unturned for the prevention and failure of this malicious American conspiracy, said the Taliban statement. The insurgent announcement has raised concerns of more harm to Afghan civilians amid United Nations warnings that civilian casualties have reached new highs in 2018. The Islamic Emirate (the Taliban) instructs all its Mujahidin (warriors) to halt this American-led process throughout the country by creating severe obstacles for it, said the insurgent statement. It also urged Taliban fighters to avoid harm to Afghan civilians, though the United Nations has blamed the insurgency for hurting more civilians this year. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) warned in a new report on Sunday that insurgent plotted suicide attacks and other improvised explosive devices or IEDs continue to inflict civilian casualties. Between 1 January and 30 September 2018, UNAMA documented 3,634 civilian casualties (1,065 deaths and 2,569 injured) from suicide and non-suicide IED attacks. These casualty figures include 247 women casualties (72 deaths and 175 injured) and 608 child casualties (155 deaths and 453 injured), UNAMA noted. The Taliban statement on Monday again called on all U.S. and NATO forces to leave Afghanistan, saying this is the only way to end the war, which marked its 17th anniversary on Sunday. Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has arrived in Kabul to push for peace and reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban. A spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Khalilzad met with Ghani upon his arrival on Sunday. The U.S. envoy will also travel to neighboring Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar where the Taliban maintains its so-called Political Office. The insurgent group has ruled out talks with the Kabul government and has been demanding direct negotiations with the U.S., blaming it for starting the war. A senior American official for regional diplomacy, Alice Wells, held a preliminary meeting with the Taliban in Qatar last July and Khalilzad is expected to further this contact when he visits the Gulf country. Hours prior to a ceremonial swearing-in of the newest U.S. Supreme Court justice, President Donald Trump accused opposition Democrats of already plotting to remove Brett Kavanaugh from the bench. Kavanaugh, who survived a bruising Senate confirmation process amid allegations of sexual assault in his youth, was caught up in a hoax set up by the Democrats, Trump said. And now they want to impeach him. The president, speaking to reporters before boarding the Marine One helicopter on the White House south lawn, predicted the attack on Kavanaugh would cost the opposition party in next months midterm congressional elections. The American public has seen this charade, and it was a disgrace. And I think its really going to show you something come November 6, when the midterms are held, Trump added. A ceremonial swearing-in of Kavanaugh is set for Monday evening in the White House East Room. He was officially sworn in hours after the Senate narrowly confirmed him Saturday to a lifetime seat on the country's highest court. Trump and his fellow Republicans are hoping the confirmation of the 53-year-old conservative jurist will energize their supporters in the midterm voting when political control of Congress is at stake. The ranking member of the House judiciary committee, Jerry Nadler of New York, has said his party would investigate the sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh if the Democrats reclaim the majority in the chamber. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who sits on the senates judiciary committee, was asked Sunday in Iowa by Yahoo News about the prospects of a Kavanaugh impeachment. The reality is, right now, Republicans control the House and the Senate, and theres no way to do even an investigation unless we flip one of the houses, replied Booker. So, I think even before you start focusing on questions about his truthfulness before a Senate committee, youve got to focus on the urgency of the work over the next 30 days, and thats where my focus is." Other prominent Democrats indicate they have no immediate intention of pursuing an impeachment of Kavanaugh. Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat from the state of Delaware, called impeachment talk premature, while House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said it would not be my plan to impeach the justice. Only one U.S. supreme court justice has ever been impeached Samuel Chase, in 1804, who was acquitted by the Senate. When Trump ran for the presidency in 2016, he vowed to appoint conservative judges to the Supreme Court, disclosing a list of possible candidates. With Kavanaugh's ascent to the nine-member high court, Trump now has filled two vacancies on the court from his list, including Neil Gorsuch last year. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who led the fight for Kavanaugh's confirmation and for other conservative judges to lower courts, called the effort "the most important thing that the Senate and an administration of like mind ... could do for the country. Putting strict constructionists, relatively young, on the courts for lifetime appointments is the best way to have a long-term positive impact on America," McConnell said, "And today is a seminal moment in that effort. Kavanaugh won confirmation on a 50-48 vote on nearly a party-line vote, with almost all Republicans supporting him and all but one Democrat opposing him. His nomination was thrown into turmoil in the three weeks preceding the vote after university professor Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a suburban Washington house party more than three decades ago when both were teenagers. I thought it was one of the most disgraceful performances Ive ever seen, Trump said Monday of the Democrats fight against Kavanaugh. One of Kavanaugh's most vocal supporters, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Republican on the judiciary committee, told Fox News, "Im happy because the effort to railroad and humiliate this man failed. Those who tried to destroy his life fell short. I had never been more [angry] in my life." Kavanaugh, now the country's 114th Supreme Court justice, could give conservatives a solid 5-4 ideological edge on the court and shape rulings for decades. He is replacing retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, a conservative jurist who often cast the deciding swing vote on ideologically divisive issues, upholding abortion and gay rights and the use of affirmative action aiding racial minorities in college admissions. But independent court analysts say Kavanaugh is likely to lean toward more conservative rulings. Ken Bredemeier contributed to this report. U.S. President Donald Trump says he has no plans to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump has obstructed justice by trying to thwart the probe. As he left the White House Monday for a speech in Florida, with Rosenstein flying with him on board Air Force One, Trump told reporters he has a "very good relationship" with the No. 2 Justice Department official. The U.S. leader has occasionally assailed Rosenstein's handling of the Mueller investigation. Trump said he did not know Rosenstein before becoming president, but said, "I've gotten to know him, and I get along very well with him." Trump and Rosenstein met for about 45 minutes on the plane, with a White House spokesman saying that meant Rosenstein still has his job. The spokesman said the two men, along with other officials, discussed law enforcement, border security and other issues. New questions about Rosenstein's at-times tenuous job security were raised last month when news accounts said that in 2017 he had suggested secretly taping Trump inside the White House and contemplated whether Trump should be removed from office for being incapable of handling the responsibilities of the presidency. Rosenstein denied he had made the comments. Trump aides advised him to not dismiss Rosenstein, in part because lawmakers have told the White House they want Rosenstein to continue his oversight of the Mueller investigation, now in its 17th month. "My preference would be to keep him and let him finish up," Trump said at the time. Trump has often attacked Mueller's investigation as a "witch hunt," while denying that his campaign colluded with Russia to help him win the election or that he has obstructed justice. Several key Trump aides have been convicted or pleaded guilty to wrongdoing after Mueller brought charges against them. Death threats drove Hadi Mohammed out of Iraq and to a small apartment in Nebraska, where he and his two young sons managed to settle as refugees. But the danger hasn't been enough to allow his wife to join them. Mohammed, who worked as a security guard for the U.S. military in Baghdad, says he was initially told his wife would be reunited with him and the boys within a month. The wait has now dragged on for more than a year as she goes through stricter screening imposed by the Trump administration. Mohammed says it's been an agonizing wait, especially for his 9-year-old son. "Every night he cries about mom, I need mom," he said in halting English as he sat on a couch with the boy in their apartment in Lincoln, Nebraska. Tens of thousands of people are experiencing similar anguished waits as the number of refugees entering the U.S. falls to historic lows because of tighter scrutiny that administration officials say is necessary for security. Critics say it amounts to an abandonment of the country's historic humanitarian role and discriminates against certain groups, particularly Muslims. The U.S. admitted 22,491 refugees in the budget year that ended Sept. 30. That's one-quarter of the number allowed to enter two years ago and the lowest since Congress passed a law in 1980 creating the modern resettlement system. It was less than half the maximum that the administration had said it would allow, even with millions of people seeking to escape war and famine around the world. "It's unfortunate for the refugees who could have come this year and didn't," said Jen Smyers with Church World Service, an organization that supports refugees and immigrants. "But these low numbers also show the U.S. turning away from a global leadership role on this issue." Last month, the cap was set even lower, at 30,000, for the new budget year. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the time the U.S. remained "the most generous nation in the world when it comes to protection-based immigration" but that the government needed to work through a backlog of pending asylum cases and support efforts to resettle people closer to home, so they can eventually return. Behind the reduction are more stringent security protocols for citizens of 11 countries designated by the administration as presenting the greatest potential threat. People from four of them Iraq, Iran, Syria and Somalia made up 41 percent of refugees allowed into the U.S. in 2016 and 2017. Now, they make up just 2 percent as people such as Mohammed's wife, whose name he does not want to publicize out of fear for her safety, face much lengthier background checks. Mohammed, 52, provided security at American military bases in central Baghdad and just north of the Iraqi capital from 2008 to 2014. After a five-year wait, he received word that he had been approved to come to the U.S. as a refugee in June 2017 with his sons. The family was told the wife would be approved soon. In correspondence from the State Department, his wife was told that her application was undergoing "additional administrative processing" but gave little other information. "Unfortunately, we cannot predict how long this administrative review will take." Another Iraqi, who worked as a translator for the U.S. military and now lives in Utah, said he has been waiting for two years to get his mother and brothers to join him. ``If my brother is killed... I will spend the rest of my life blaming myself for putting my family in harm's way,'' said the 41-year-old man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he fears for his family's safety in Iraq. The State Department acknowledges that the screening and vetting procedures have resulted in fewer refugee admissions in 2018. The tighter screening of refugees reflects one of the signature issues for President Donald Trump, who imposed a travel ban on people from seven majority Muslim countries as one of his first actions upon taking office in January 2017. The Department of Homeland Security has since made it harder to enter the U.S. entirely, with more rigorous interviews and background checks. Administration officials say refugee applicants are now subject to strictest, most comprehensive background check process for any group seeking to come to the U.S. Officials collect more data on refugee applicants and conduct higher-level security vetting. Officers have been given training on how to determine credibility. Fraud detection and national security officers now come oversees with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services teams who are processing refugees. Officials say the security changes may lead to temporary slowdowns in admissions but it wouldn't be permanent and the U.S. continues to help the world's most vulnerable people. Administration officials say the U.S. remains at the forefront of helping those fleeing persecution, and they note that from the 2008 budget year to 2017, the U.S. gave lawful permanent resident status to 1.7 million people for humanitarian reasons. "We will continue to assist the world's most vulnerable while never losing sight of our first duty, serving the American people," Pompeo said last month. In his speech to the United Nations last month, Trump highlighted his administration's approach as he singled out Jordan, which has taken in at least 650,000 refugees from Syria since the war in their country started in 2011. "The most compassionate policy is to place refugees as close to their homes as possible to ease their eventual return to be part of the rebuilding process," he said. In choosing who can enter as a refugee, the administration is also showing a preference for people from countries that don't have a majority Muslim population. Refugees from Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo made up more than 46 percent of refugee admissions in 2018, compared with 22 percent in 2016. The number of Muslim refugees allowed into the U.S. also has dropped. Christians made up 63 percent of all refugee admissions in 2018, compared with 40 percent in 2017. Muslims, who had been 42 percent of all refugee admissions in 2017, were only 14 percent in 2018. There were 140 Iraqis accepted during the just-ended budget year, down from 6,886 the year before. Mohammed's son says his father is lost without his mother: He can't cook, he can't take care of the children very well alone and they need her. Plus, they're afraid of what will happen if she doesn't leave Baghdad. Mohammed worries she could be a target because he provided security at U.S. military bases. "For my family to be at peace, I need to know that my wife is safe," he said. "But I would never change my decision and return to Iraq. Coming to the United States was an answer to my prayers." U.S. President Donald Trump, basking in the Senate confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, on Monday staged a ceremonial swearing-in for him at the White House. I want to apologize to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the pain and suffering you were forced to endure, Trump said when introducing Kavanaugh. Under historic scrutiny you were proven innocent," he added, referring to an FBI investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct made against Kavanaugh. The FBI did not conduct a criminal investigation, however. After taking a ceremonial oath, Kavanaugh said, Mr. President, thank you for everything." He said he has no bitterness about his contentious confirmation process and promises hell be independent and interpret the law, not make the law. Kavanaugh was officially sworn in hours after the Senate narrowly confirmed him Saturday to a lifetime seat on the country's highest court. But Trump and Republicans are also hoping the confirmation of the 53-year-old Kavanaugh, a conservative jurist, will energize Republican voters in next month's nationwide congressional elections when political control of Congress is at stake. When he ran for the presidency in 2016, Trump vowed to appoint conservative judges to the Supreme Court, disclosing a list of possible candidates. With Kavanaugh's ascent to the nine-member high court, Trump now has filled two vacancies on the court from his list, including Neil Gorsuch last year. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who led the fight for Kavanaugh's confirmation and for other conservative judges to lower courts, called the effort "the most important thing that the Senate and an administration of like mind ... could do for the country. Putting strict constructionists, relatively young, on the courts for lifetime appointments is the best way to have a long-term positive impact on America," McConnell said, "And today is a seminal moment in that effort. Kavanaugh won confirmation on a 50-48 vote on nearly a party-line vote, with almost all Republicans supporting him and all but one Democrat opposing him. His nomination was thrown into turmoil in the three weeks preceding the vote after university professor Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a suburban Washington house party more than three decades ago when both were teenagers. Senator Susan Collins, the Maine Republican whose support for Kavanaugh was key to him winning Senate approval, told CNN on Sunday that she concluded that Kavanaugh did not carry out the attack even though she believes Ford was assaulted. "I do not believe Brett Kavanaugh was her assailant," Collins said. "I'm not saying she was not assaulted," the lawmaker said. "I believe she was assaulted by someone." But Collins contended there "was no corroborating evidence" that it was Kavanaugh, a claim that drew a sharp rebuke from Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono, a Democratic opponent of Kavanaugh, who called Collins's conclusion about lack of corroborating evidence "insulting" to Ford. Contemporaries of Ford and Kavanaugh whom Ford alleged were at the 1982 party where she says the attack occurred said they had no recollection of the incident. Ford told lawmakers two weeks ago she was "100 percent" certain it was Kavanaugh who had attacked her, while Kavanaugh said he was equally certain he had never attacked Ford or any other woman. One of Kavanaugh's most vocal supporters, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, told Fox News, "Im happy because the effort to railroad and humiliate this man failed ... Those who tried to destroy his life fell short ... I had never been more [angry] in my life." Kavanaugh, now the country's 114th Supreme Court justice, could give conservatives a solid 5-4 ideological edge on the court and shape rulings for decades. He is replacing retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, a conservative jurist who often cast the deciding swing vote on ideologically divisive issues, upholding abortion and gay rights and the use of affirmative action aiding racial minorities in college admissions. But independent court analysts say Kavanaugh is likely to lean toward more conservative rulings. Turkey sought permission Monday from Saudi Arabia to search Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul, looking for clues to the disappearance of a Saudi Arabian journalist whom Turkish officials have concluded was murdered inside the diplomatic outpost. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said last week that Riyadh was "ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our premises," because it had "nothing to hide" about the missing journalist, 59-year-old Jamal Khashoggi. But it was not immediately clear whether Turkish officials were granted access to the consulate after Monday's request. Saudi officials say the Turkish investigators' claim that Khashoggi was murdered are "baseless." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saudi officials need to prove that Khashoggi left the building after arriving last Tuesday to get a document for his upcoming marriage. His Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, who waited for him outside the consulate, said he never came out of the building. "We have to get an outcome from this investigation as soon as possible. The consulate officials cannot save themselves by simply saying, 'He has left,'" Erdogan said on a visit to Budapest. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributing writer who had been critical of the Salman government, has been living for a year in self-imposed exile in the United States after a Riyadh crackdown on dissent in the kingdom. Turkish officials summoned the Saudi ambassador for the second time on Sunday, telling the envoy it expected "full cooperation" in its investigation. Protesters gathered outside the Saudi consulate Monday demanding to know what had happened to Khashoggi. Banners read, "We will not leave without Jamal Khashoggi." The U.S. says it is "closely following" the investigation but has not confirmed Turkish officials' conclusion that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate. Police said earlier that about 15 Saudis arrived in Istanbul on two flights last Tuesday and were at the consulate at the same time as Khashoggi. U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he and other lawmakers "agree if there was any truth to the allegations of wrongdoing by the Saudi government, it would be devastating to the U.S.-Saudi relationship and there will be a heavy price to be paid economically and otherwise." Erdogan told reporters Sunday, "I am following the [incident] and we will inform the world whatever the outcome" of the official probe. "God willing, we will not be faced with a situation we do not want." Erdogan said police are looking at surveillance video of the consulate's entrances and exits, as well as at the Istanbul airport. A Turkish official told the Reuters news agency, "The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr. Khashoggi has been killed at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. We believe that the murder was premeditated and the body was subsequently moved out of the consulate." Reuters' Turkish sources did not say how they thought Khashoggi was killed. The Washington Post editorial board said Sunday that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States "bear inescapable responsibility" to act in response to Khashoggi's disappearance. The board said Saudi Arabia has to identify the 15 officials who were at the consulate and exactly what happened inside. Turkey, it said, must back up its conclusion Khashoggi was killed by making public any evidence it has. Amnesty Internationals Middle East research director, Lynn Maalouf, said if the reports of Khashoggi's killing are true, it "would be an abysmal new low" and "amount to an extrajudicial execution. This case sends a shockwave among Saudi Arabian human rights defenders and dissidents everywhere, eroding any notion of seeking safe haven abroad." A New York Times account reported Turan Kislakci, a friend of Khashoggi and head of the Turkish Arab Media Association, said Turkish officials had called him and confirmed two things that Khashoggi was killed and his body was dismembered. Multiple media reports say that the group of 15 Saudis descended on the consulate Tuesday and later left. Turkish officials are trying to identify them as part of their probe into Khashoggi's disappearance. The New York Times account says its sources report the Saudis "had arrived to silence Mr. Khashoggi, but that it was not clear if the plan had been to bring him back to Saudi Arabia alive, and something went wrong, or if the intention was to kill him there." However, if their plans to repair, renovate and repurpose the building fail, the city would be free to sell the building to another purchaser, but would repay the society all of the costs associated with renovation, according to the group's proposal. Turkish officials have concluded that a Saudi Arabian journalist, who had been living in a self-imposed exile in the United States, was killed last week in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul when he went there to get a document for his upcoming marriage. Saudi officials say the allegations are baseless, although the journalist, 59-year-old Jamal Khashoggi, has not been seen for days. Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, who waited for him outside the consulate Tuesday, says he never came out of the building. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters Sunday, "I am following the (incident) and we will inform the world whatever the outcome" of the official probe. "God willing, we will not be faced with a situation we do not want." Erdogan said police are looking at surveillance video of the consulate's entrances and exits, as well as at the Istanbul airport. Police said earlier that about 15 Saudis arrived in Istanbul on two flights last Tuesday and were at the consulate at the same time as Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a Saudi national and a contributor to The Washington Post, went into exile last year when Saudi authorities began to crack down on dissident voices. The journalist had been critical of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. Asked about reports the journalist was killed in the Saudi consulate, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said, "We are not in a position to confirm these reports, but we are closely following the situation." A Turkish official told the Reuters news agency: "The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr. Khashoggi has been killed at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. We believe that the murder was premeditated and the body was subsequently moved out of the consulate." Reuters' Turkish sources did not say how they thought Khashoggi was killed. The Washington Post editorial board said Sunday that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States "bear inescapable responsibility" to act in response to Khashoggi's disappearance. The board said Saudi Arabia has to identify the 15 officials who were at the consulate and exactly what happened inside. Turkey, it said, must back up its conclusion Khashoggi was killed by making public any evidence it has. And the board said the United States should demand answers from Saudi Arabia about the case, and if the crown prince does not cooperate fully then Congress should suspend military cooperation with Saudi Arabia. Amnesty Internationals Middle East Research Director Lynn Maalouf said if the reports of Khashoggi's killing are true, it "would be an abysmal new low" and "amount to an extrajudicial execution. This case sends a shockwave among Saudi Arabian human rights defenders and dissidents everywhere, eroding any notion of seeking safe haven abroad." A New York Times account reported Turan Kislakci, a friend of Khashoggi and head of the Turkish Arab Media Association, said Turkish officials had called him and confirmed two things - that Khashoggi was killed and his body was dismembered. Multiple media reports say that the group of 15 Saudis descended on the consulate Tuesday and later left. Turkish officials are trying to identify them as part of their probe into Khashoggi's disappearance. The New York Times account says its sources report the Saudis "had arrived to silence Mr. Khashoggi, but that it was not clear if the plan had been to bring him back to Saudi Arabia alive, and something went wrong, or if the intention was to kill him there." Mohammad al-Otaibi, the Saudi consul-general in Istanbul, opened the mission up to Reuters Saturday to show the missing journalist was not on the premises. Reuters reports Otaibi walked the reporters through all six floors of the building, including storage and security rooms. Reuters also reported, however, that Otaibi said the consulate "was equipped with cameras, but they did not record footage, so no images could be retrieved of Khashoggi entering or leaving the consulate, which is ringed by police barriers and has high security fences topped with barbed wire." It was not immediately clear why the cameras did not work. Fred Hiatt, the editor of The Washington Post editorial page said in a statement, "If the reports of Jamal's murder are true, it is a monstrous and unfathomable act." Cengiz, Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee, told the New York Times that Turkish officials have not confirmed Khashoggi's death with her. She told the newspaper, "I cannot think such an incident is acceptable to happen in Turkey." Bill Cosbys lawyers have asked a Pennsylvania court to overturn the actors conviction and three - to 10-year prison sentence because of what they call a string of errors in his sex assault case. The defense motion argued that trial Judge Steven ONeill erred in declaring Cosby a sexually violent predator who must be imprisoned to protect the community. Lawyers called the sentence more punitive than necessary, given the standard two- to three-year guideline range for the crime and the fact Cosby is 81 and blind. They also said the trial evidence never proved the encounter with accuser Andrea Constand took place in 2004, and not 2003, or that Cosby was arrested within the 12-year time limit. Cosby was arrested on Dec. 30, 2015, and was convicted at a second trial this April. He has been in a state prison near Philadelphia since the Sept. 25 sentencing, when the judge refused to let him stay out on $1 million bail pending appeal. Given his fame, wealth and use of drugs to molest the accuser, the judge said, Cosby could remain a threat to other women. The defense motion said ONeill improperly considered the trial testimony of five other accusers in sentencing Cosby, instead of limiting that prior bad act testimony to the question of his guilt or innocence. ONeill, in explaining the sentence in court, told Cosby he considered voices from the past, your past, and that he heard their voices loud and clear, the defense said. The lawyers also challenged the states sex offender laws, which have been revised several times amid challenges they are unconstitutionally vague. The law requires judges to find that a sexually violent predator has a mental abnormality, a term they said has no legal or psychological meaning, yet subjects defendants to lifetime counseling and police registration. The defense motion, dated Friday, was posted to a public court docket in the case over the weekend. Kate Delano, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office, said the office will file a response. The motion was filed by lawyer Peter Goldberger, a top appellate lawyer in the region, and Joseph P. Green Jr., who handled Cosbys sentencing after more than a dozen other lawyers on the case had come and gone. A former appellate lawyer on the case is suing Cosby over what he called more than $50,000 in unpaid bills. The defense also complained that an audio recording played to jurors of a 2005 conversation between Cosby and Gianna Constand, the mother of accuser Andrea Constand, was not authentic. They said they did not make the discovery until an expert review after the trial. District Attorney Kevin Steele has dismissed that as a legitimate appeal issue, saying its been widely known that Gianna Constand started her recorder after the call began. She had called Cosby to get answers about what happened to her daughter after Andrea Constand disclosed the assault a year later. The family went to police, who suggested they try to record Cosby. During the call, Cosby acknowledged engaging in digital penetration after giving her daughter pills he would not identify, and offered money for Andrea to attend graduate school, Gianna Constand testified. If thats what theyve got, its beyond a Hail Mary, Steele said at the sentencing, as Cosbys lawyers sought to keep Cosby free on bail over the tape recording. ONeill instead had Cosby led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. Stromboli provides one of the most remarkable opportunities to watch volcanic eruptions from close: a natural ridge located 150 m above the active vents. A classic and all-time favorite tour by anyone interested in seeing active volcanoes! (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." Fayetteville Public Utilities is waiting to find out if it will be sending crews to help those affected by Hurricane Michael. They've been in meetings all morning regarding this and learned that Florida, Georgia and some parts of Alabama are already asking agencies to send down their linemen. Around 10 linemen helped to restore power after Hurricane Florence last month. Michael Buntley has been a lineman for 29 years. He's helped restore power from natural disasters about 10 times. Last month, he was in North Carolina helping with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. "We got there before the storm hit, which the first night, it was windy. They had wind gust up to like 90 miles per hour," said Michael Buntley. After the wind and rain calmed down, Buntley and his crew started to see where they could restore electricity first. "It pulls a lot of people together. Everybody is out to help and spread ideas. Power is what makes the world go around," Buntley said. Buntley said he's ready to help out during Hurricane Michael if needed. CEO and general manager of Fayetteville Public Utilities, Britt Dye, said if crews are called to help out, they'll leave out no later than Wednesday morning. "They do the same thing they do here. If it's line work, if it's cutting trees out in the middle of the road," said Britt Dye. The linemen were in North Carolina for about a week. Before they left, most of the power in the community they worked in was turned back on. Huntsville Utilities officials said they've been talking with Electric Cities of Alabama and the City of Troy. They are still waiting to learn if they will also send linemen to assist with power outages. Florence Police told WAAY 31 that a Florence man turned himself into authorities after he was indicted by a Lauderdale County Grand Jury on a rape charge. Anthony Stults, 18, was charged with first degree rape. Police said in July, the rape was reported to them and that's when they began their investigation. Investigators said Stults is accused of raping a minor who is related to him. Officials said Stults was spending the night at the same location as the victim and forced himself onto her without her permission. Stults was released on a $50,000 bond from the Lauderdale County Detention Center. A former youth counselor who worked with troubled teenagers was re-indicted on charges of having sex with multiple students under the age of 19. Amanda Shantay Williams, 29, was originally indicted on August 3, 2018 on three charges of a "School Employee Engaging in Sex Act or Deviant Sexual Intercourse with a Student Under the Age of 19 Years" and one charge of 2nd Degree Sodomy. Prior to her arrest in July 2017, Williams was a counselor at Sequel Youth and Family Services in Madison. She was released on a $5,000 bond on July 21, 2017, the date of her arrest. After a grand jury indicted her on the four charges in August 2018, Williams was released on a $5,000 bond. A grand jury re-indicted Williams last month on the same charges. Court records dont clarify why Williams was re-indicted, however, the new indictment does name two additional victims that werent referenced in the original indictment. Williams next court appearance is scheduled for Friday, October 12. 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. 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. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee authorities say one person is dead and an officer is injured following a shooting at an apartment complex in Nashville. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation officials say officers from the Nashville Police Department responded to a call of shots fired late Friday and observed a person who matched the description of a suspect running into an apartment. Officers approached the apartment door and for reasons still under investigation, TBI officials say, the situation escalated and resulted in gunfire between two officers and 31-year-old Sershawn Martez Dillon. Dillon was shot and died later at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Officer Samuel Galluzzi was struck in the thigh and ankle. The 24-year-old officer is expected to survive. An investigation is ongoing. 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. SHEFFIELD, Ala. (AP) - Anti-smoking advocates say they hope to strengthen smoking restrictions across northwest Alabama after Sheffield passed a tighter ordinance. However, restaurant owners say the city is hurting their businesses and smokers urge a boycott of Sheffield. The city ordinance banning smoking in public spaces begins Oct. 31. Smoke Free Shoals Coordinator Melanie Dickens tells the Times Daily that her group hopes to get Florence, Muscle Shoals and Tuscumbia to follow Sheffield's move. However, officials in Florence and Tuscumbia say they're uninterested in changes. While tight nonsmoking ordinances are common nationwide, the Alabama Department of Public Health says most Alabama cities have looser restrictions. The Alabama Department of Transportation is working to secure federal safety funds to pay for a traffic signal to be installed at the intersection of Burgreen Road and Highway 72 in Limestone County. This initiative is the result of a study where the department spent a day counting vehicles travelling through the intersection to determine if a traffic signal should be installed. The decision to install a light was based on traffic volume not the crash history of the intersection. The department does not currently know when the light will be installed or how much it will cost. A representative with the department said they do believe that a traffic signal will help with traffic in the area and that they are also looking at additional safety improvements. Alabama State Troopers confirmed a Tuscumbia man died in a motorcycle crash south of Litteville on Ligon Springs Road. The victim is 47-year-old Randall Jones. Investigators said his Harley Davidson motorcycle left the road at a curve and hit a ditch. Jones died shortly after he arrived at Helen Keller Hospital. WAAY 31 contacted State Troopers to learn if Jones had on a helmet at the time of the crash and if speed was a factor. The home tour is a part of a weekend celebration that includes an art exhibit and reception Friday at the DuSable Museum of African American History and an auction Sunday, said D.E. Simmons, the groups executive director. The south suburban art tour, which will depart from the DuSable Museum at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., also will include stops at the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago and Arthur Dixon Elementary School in Chicago. There also is a choice of South Shore and Bronzeville tours. The weekend activities cost $75 per person or $50 for just the tours. Proceeds support the organizations events. A township employee had, in mid-March of last year, found a check missing from the townships internal logs. The check had been written for $500 and supposedly was used to buy gas cards, but the cards could not be located, according to police. That prompted a broader investigation by the township, which led to Patras firing on March 23 of last year. This content is expired! Unfortunely this content is expired and cannot be viewed anymore; if You are the owner of this content please login to our Website, go to our access panel and enable this content again. 15 Nov. Ben Frost, the Australian composer and producer based in Iceland, returns to Rome with a performance at the Auditorium Parco della Musica on 15 November. Frost composes minimalist, instrumental and experimental music and has collaborated with contemporary dance companies such as Chunky Move and composed the music for Far by British choreographer Wayne McGregor. For concert details see website. George Laus name was among those of 58,000 Americans listed on a traveling replica of the Vietnam War Memorial that was erected Oct. 2 in Oak Forest. Lau, who had volunteered for three 4-hour shifts as a guide at the Wall That Heals display in Oak Forest, also helped to carefully disassemble the exhibit Sunday. I could not think of a better moment to have our collection so significantly expand, Golden said. Were in the moment of expanding . . . to serve the arts and artist of Harlem for 50 more years and beyond. This gift looks back on our past, but it also . . . is a gift that begins to think about the future. They came up with stacked balls, many of which will be glossy white on the outside. Some will have a finish like a mirror. Some will move. Netting that is translucent, or lets light through, will allow visitors to climb in and around the balls. Diane Neal knows a lot about that. The actress spent several seasons playing prosecutor Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and is now running for Congress in New Yorks 19th District. It has been a wacky experience, explains Neal, an independent. Shes been spit on, yelled at, called every name in the book. Shes been told, I dont like your face. In a meeting about the November ballot, one lawyer asked the actress, who had been quoting New York election statutes, Im sorry, are you a lawyer in real life or just on TV? Her comeback: Im not a lawyer, but I am literate. Curious: You should certainly try to offer this couple a course correction before ditching the friendship. Convey your thoughts: Were really happy you have this passion for your product, but it seems to have taken over your life. Sometimes I feel like youre still trying to sell to us. Even though you know were not interested in your product, were still interested in you. But have you lost interest in us? Hickss primary responsibility will be advising the new company on broader public-relations strategy as the Murdoch family navigates its evolving empire, which will be far smaller than the news-and-entertainment colossus that Murdoch built before agreeing to sell much of the company to Disney. Fox News has its own communications staff; Hicks will be responsible for the overall corporate strategy. It was a shocking shift for a star who has refused to share her opinion on anything political, even during the divisiveness of the 2016 presidential election. Not to mention the criticism shes received for glossing over current events: Last January, her tweet during the Womens March (So much love, pride, and respect for those who marched. Im proud to be a woman today, and every day) resulted in backlash from those who wondered why a star who made feminism a significant part of her brand didnt join fellow celebrities at the march, or elaborate further. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy In one of those instances all of which took place in August 2015 she had an intern accompany her child in an Uber car to her parents home in Northwest Washington, according to Snowdens agreement with the ethics board. She said she paid the intern for the task and recalled that it took place outside the workday but did not dispute the ethics boards finding that it happened during regular working hours. According to the lawsuit, one of the girls said the male student grabbed her bottom, touched her crotch and exposed himself to her in the library a detail the boy and father say she later recanted. The school system, in its response to the complaint, said the boy admitted to exposing his genitals. The male student said the two were engaged in playful behavior and poking each other when the girl lost her balance and he accidentally touched her. In 2013, Schneider said 68 senators voted for a reform bill but it never got a vote in the House. This year a comprehensive immigration reform bill was introduced by Democrats in the House, had the support of a large number of Republicans but did not get a vote. Schneider said a discharge petition signed by members of both parties fell two signatures shy of forcing a vote. I imagine her in a bonnet, dressed in black, walking through the streets of downtown Washington with a sense of purpose. When she was young, people had said she was not as beautiful as the other women in her family. But no one was more resolute than she. She was determined to make the world remember her late husband. The incident took place about 8:30 p.m. at the SunTrust Bank in the 1300 block of Good Hope Road SE. Jean-Claude Jackson, 30, of no fixed address, was found at the location suffering from stab wounds. He was taken to George Washington University Hospital and pronounced dead later that night. Simon, a financial services executive from Potomac, said after the debate that he wants voters to be able to see what a different government could look like, and what it might look like if we didnt just have a senator following his party 97 percent of the time. Was it possible for everybody to fight and get out to the forest and survive? No, it wasnt, Ms. Orbuch said, according to the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation. My brother did not survive, my uncle did not survive. Many other brothers and uncles could not survive. But every person in the ghetto fought in their own way. I feel like places like New York, that used to be the number one food city in America, or maybe the world, has really fallen off because the rents are too expensive, said Edward Lee, culinary director of Succotash, a Penn Quarter restaurant that fuses the food of his familys native Korea with the Southern cuisine of Kentucky, where he lived for many years. Then you look at places like middle America the rent is cheap, but you also dont have the clientele that appreciates artistic food, so its too much in the other direction. I think D.C. right now is going through a time where you . . . have clientele here that really wants and is really sort of waking up to and respecting the art and craft of food. What do we really know about Abigail Spanberger and her policies? the ad begins. Well, we know shed eliminate the tax cuts that have helped Virginia families. We know she supports sanctuary cities in Virginia. And we know Spanbergers health-care plan would bankrupt Medicare as we know it: a $32 trillion spending increase that would double our taxes. The measure failed 5 to 2 after the boards Republican majority chose to wait to learn what the state would allocate for the opioid crisis an outcome Stewart said he anticipated and, therefore, thought he could skip to campaign for Moore, who he argues was falsely accused. Though the meals will be kosher, Nochimowski said the doors are open to anyone who wants to partake regardless of their faith or background. She plans to do all the cooking, but a dozen volunteers are needed each week to help her and Karen Ecanow, a Highland Park resident and the soup kitchens volunteer coordinator. Investigative journalist killed in Bulgaria: A journalist in Bulgaria who reported on an investigation into alleged corruption involving European Union funds was killed in the Danube town of Ruse, authorities said. Prosecutors said the body of Viktoria Marinova, 30, was found in a park. "It is about rape and murder," Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said. He said there was no evidence to suggest the killing was related to Marinova's work and no information that she had been threatened. Marinova is the third journalist to have been killed in the European Union in a year. As a companion piece to the Timess article, I suggest the new book by Anand Giridharadas, Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World, which by only the third and fourth pages will show you that something is awfully wrong. If you grew up with all sorts of chest-thumping statistics on what a wonderful place the United States was, you now must learn that our vaunted middle class is cratering, that the lower classes have sunk even lower, that income disparity is increasing and that rich American men live 15 years longer than poor American men, who endure only as long as men in Sudan or Pakistan. Ah, America not so exceptional anymore. But Mohammed bin Salman was hardly Khashoggis first target. He was picking fights with the Saudi leadership 25 years ago. He was named editor of the reform newspaper Al Watan in 2003, got fired two months later for publishing criticism of the Saudi religious leadership, got rehired four years after that, and then was forced to resign in 2010 after publishing another controversial piece criticizing Salafist extremism. He was one of those journalists who simply wouldnt back down when convinced he was right. Mr. Khashoggi visited the consulate to obtain paperwork certifying a previous divorce. If consular officials, who had told him on Sept. 28 to return on Oct. 2 in order to complete that business, supplied him with the document he requested, they should have records demonstrating as much. They have not released them. Instead, they made an offer to some local journalists to tour the consulate, in order to demonstrate that Mr. Khashoggi was not there. The staged tour does nothing to refute a grisly account offered by official Turkish sources that Mr. Khashoggis body was dismembered and spirited out of the building. Again, if the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has evidence of such a horrific crime, it should immediately make it available to the family and other interested parties. We all got wrapped up in it, Bahnick said. We mulled over who would do what. It reflected how excited all of us were about the school. The process was a reward in and of itself. It was a great group experience. Yet to those listening closely to what MBS actually says, it is clear that his top priority is not, and never has been, the expansion of individual freedom. His aim is to modernize the Saudi monarchy so as to render it sustainable under the new economic and geopolitical conditions of the 21st century with the 33-year-old MBS on top for a long, long time. The Vatican opened negotiations with Beijing in 2014, seeking to end an estrangement with China that dates to the breaking of diplomatic relations in 1951. A key sticking point has been who will appoint bishops. Both sides laid claim to that authority. Details about the new agreement are sketchy. The Vatican has agreed to accept the legitimacy of seven bishops who had been previously appointed by the Chinese state and excommunicated by the church. Pope Francis told reporters about the appointment of bishops: The pope will appoint them. Let that be clear. But it is not certain what will happen to 30 bishops in the underground church who were not previously recognized by the state, nor was the selection process further elaborated in the popes message to Chinas Catholics. News accounts suggested that the deal involves giving the pope a voice in the appointments process but not control. There may be others. In Maryland, for instance, Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) wont confirm or deny whether an inquiry is underway. But shortly after the Pennsylvania report came out, his office put this notice on its website: If you were a victim of an abuser associated with a school or place of worship, or you have knowledge of such abuse, please provide the information you want to share about it in the link below. This was not merely an attempt to scapegoat someone, anyone, for Republicans deeply unpopular actions. It was a call for tinfoil-hatters to revive the blood libel. Soros has inherited the archetype of the International Jew who haunted the fevered dreams of Henry Ford, one of the original America Firsters. Soros has apparently shapeshifted out of Jud Suss and Mayer Rothschild and Shylock before him a rootless, ruthless villain supposedly conspiring to undermine the rightful gentile order. Voters in most of the places we visited have tended to vote Republican in recent decades. In many places, signs for church suppers, hunting clubs and local fairs outnumbered political signs or even signs for commercial goods, which tells a cultural story. But the economic picture may be more complex. Starting with the federal governments 1803 purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France, and the federally funded Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the West, the free market had little to do with the settling and economic progress of the American West. The economy of many of the places we visited was the creation of the U.S. government. Depression-era programs paid for power plants, built hiking trails and helped cut roads through mountains. Western tourist economies are based around national parks, forests and monuments, and government land grants funded many of the universities. As President Trumps first two years in office come to a close, weve seen two originalist justices confirmed to the Supreme Court, 26 originalist appeals court judges confirmed, 10 more nominated , and 41 new district court judges on the bench and dozens more pending. Add to that: the repeal of the sequester on defense spending and a massive military rebuild underway; a massive tax cut of unprecedented depth and structural change; a renegotiated trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada; withdrawals from the awful Iran deal and, in effect, the absurdist Paris accord; the rollback of job-killing and bureaucrat-empowering regulations by the hundreds; an economy surging while unemployment drops to 3.7 percent ; and a new entente in the Middle East (one that arose despite U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel) that sees the United States and Israel aligned and cooperating closely with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and now a new government in Iraq against the expansionist Iranian theocrats. If true, this is a horrific crime, the assassination of a journalist in his own countrys consulate on foreign soil something without precedent in modern times. So far, we have no proof. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said the events are very, very upsetting, but he stopped short of confirming reports of a murder. Saudi Arabia continues to insist that Mr. Khashoggi left the consulate after a brief visit Tuesday, but it has provided no evidence to back that up. Amid the conflicting statements, an ominous timeline emerged in some of the accounts. Mr. Khashoggi went to the consulate Sept. 28 in a first attempt to take care of some routine paperwork and was told to come back the following week. Then 15 Saudi officials entered Istanbul, specifically for the murder, according to sources quoted by The Posts Kareem Fahim. Mr. Khashoggi entered the consulate again last Tuesday and did not come out. The week began with the honoring of a handful of federal workers with the annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals (the Sammies). The range of their exemplary contributions from helping children with autism to nabbing scammers who prey on the poor to making the skies safe for a new era of flying drones served as a reminder of how much we depend on government and the people who make it work. Davie was critical that many of Morrisons donations have come from organized labor and other organizations he calls special interest groups while at the same time she says she wants to curb their influence on state government. I said I was proud of her and God bless her, Ritter said later. We all should be really proud of her. This was a historic vote, and everybody knows how difficult it was, and she did the right thing. John Kennedy talked about profiles in courage she is a profile in courage. There was no mention of Khashoggi in a State Department readout of an Oct. 3 call between Pompeo and the crown prince. At that point, Khashoggi had been reported missing by his Turkish fiancee, who said that she watched him enter the consulate but that he never exited. Three days later, Saturday, Turkish and U.S. officials said the Turks had concluded that Khashoggi was probably dead. On Capitol Hill, Trumps closest allies still have Rosenstein in their crosshairs. He is scheduled to be questioned this week behind closed doors by the House Judiciary and the House Oversight and Government Reform committees as part of a probe into the FBI and Justice Departments conduct during investigations of Trump associates suspected links to Russia and former secretary of state Hillary Clintons use of a private email server. Kavanaughs confirmation to the court was marred by accusations of sexual misconduct, and Trump used the ceremony to press a message he thinks resonates with his base in the face of the #MeToo movement In our country, a man or a woman must always be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, he said before turning to Kavanaugh and asserting: I must state that you, sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent. Even someone as clueless as Donald Trump has to know stop-and-frisk is simply not the solution to crime, mayoral spokesman Matt McGrath said in an emailed statement. Just last week CPD reported there have been 100 fewer murders and 500 fewer shooting victims in Chicago this year, the second straight year of declines all while weve been making reforms to restore trust with residents. The fact that hes trotting out this tired rhetoric is another sign hes worried about Republicans in the midterms. Speaking at a news conference in Louisville, McConnell said his decision to block Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, was based on a tradition that opposition parties in control of the Senate do not confirm Supreme Court nominees during presidential election years. He claimed the precedent only applies when different parties control the Senate and the White House leaving open the possibility he would help advance a Trump nominee in 2020 if Republicans still hold a majority in the Senate. The Islamic Emirate [Taliban], while representing the people and as an emancipative force of the nation, considers this process a fake one as a conspiracy of deceiving the people for achieving the malicious interests of foreigners, read the statement, which comes as the group controls the most territory in the country since its 2001 overthrow. Most importantly both the leaders believe there is real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit, and so we are going to get it at a time that works for each of the two leaders and at a place that works for both of them, Pompeo told reporters in South Korea, the third stop on his trip. The motivation behind her killing remains unknown, and Bulgarian authorities say they have yet to establish a link between her death in the northeastern city of Ruse and her work as a journalist. But because Marinova is the third reporter to be killed in Europe in the past year, the news stoked anxieties about the safety of journalists on the continent. Certainly, this could be seen as a morale boost for Egypt, after blaming Ashmawy for major attacks especially against security force and government officials for over five years, said Zack Gold, a Middle East analyst. However, its unlikely to have any impact in the short term on Egypts counterterrorism fight. Egypt still faces its biggest threat from ISIS, which itself was battling Ashmawy in Libya. On the 17th of September, the citizens of Batavia held an informational meeting at Batavia Library. There was also a city council meeting at the same time. Three council members decided to come to the citizens meeting instead of the council meeting and interrupted our meeting and made accusations and created kind of a ruckus. Two of those council members were Susan Stark and Alan Wolff, who had asked the citizens to have Batavia BATV tape the meeting. We had two important people discuss home rule at the meeting. When it came time for us to discuss how it affected Batavia, the BATV people got up and left. Of course whats going to go on BATV is only what the city council wants citizens to see. Susan Stark repeatedly said you can do this without home rule, you can do that without home rule. The question citizens have is if you can do it without home rule, why you are fighting so hard to keep home rule? The reason is you can incur debt, you can raise taxes, you can raise fees, and put new utilities in force. You can do things that you cannot do without home rule, and we know what they are. While there are no detainee-related issues now before the Supreme Court, justices are likely to return to those issues in the future. Some of the remaining detainees are about 40 years old, meaning they could have decades of detention ahead of them. Already, their long imprisonment has faced new challenges in a lower court under Trump. Most importantly both the leaders believe there is real progress that can be made, substantive progress that can be made at the next summit, and so we are going to get it at a time that works for each of the two leaders and at a place that works for both of them, Pompeo told reporters in South Korea, where he flew after his visit to Pyongyang. At the time, we said it would be a bit of an insurance policy if market access i.e. new pipelines did not come about in the needed time frame, Imperial Oil CEO Rich Kruger said during a public conference call in late July. Like any insurance policy, our hope was that we did not have to use it too much. Over time . . . we have increased volumes at it. Millions of Brazilians woke up on Monday to a drastically altered political landscape. Jair Bolsonaro, 63, an ex-army captain known for his tough talk on crime and his vitriol against women, blacks, native Brazilians and gays, had been expected to do well in the first round of presidential elections on Sunday. But not this well. Nearly 50 million voters or 46 percent of the electorate backed him in a contest with 13 candidates. Members of Congress, where there has long been bipartisan skepticism about Saudi Arabia, have issued statements and tweets demanding answers from Riyadh. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said in a string of tweets Monday that if there is any truth to the allegations of wrongdoing by the Saudi government it would be devastating to the US-Saudi relationship and there will be a heavy price to be paideconomically and otherwise. A Perth woman has been left shocked and terrified after she found a stranger masturbating outside her bedroom window early on Saturday morning. Julia* was playing with her kitten on the bed of her Kenwick home about 5.30am on Saturday when she noticed movement outside the window. The man caught on CCTV. "I noticed a shadow walk past the bedroom window, then the tap at the side of the house started going," she said. Terrified, Julia woke up her sleeping husband and he went outside the investigate the source of the noise. At the Mass on Oct. 7, a childrens choir performed We are Centered in Christ. Several priests were invited and gave Cao their blessing. Cao spoke at the end of Mass about the uniting of the parishes. The Knights of Columbus led the procession into the Mass. Australia and especially WA is ideally located to play a key role in what Governor Kim Beazley describes as arguably the defining realm for future endeavour. It was a sentiment shared by many at Optus Stadiums River View room on Monday as it played host to a meeting of minds for the latest 'In The Zone' conference, shining a light on Australias potential in the global space market on the back of the recent anointment of our own fledgling space agency. Politicians, researchers, industry figures and a host of students gathered to hear updates on the projects leading the field and the potential the future held, with Australian Space Agency head Megan Clark presenting an update on the organisations successes in its first 12 weeks. Australian Space Agency head Dr Megan Clark. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen WA Premier Mark McGowan, in his official address to the conference, made no secret of the state's proud history of space investment and support, citing past and present projects including the Murchison Square Kilometre Array facility in setting out the case for the west to be a space state. The bid for a lithium battery research centre in WA is gathering steam after being one of six selected to state the case to the federal government. The $100 million future battery industries cooperative research centre was aimed at positioning Australia as a global leader for battery energy. A Lithium Australia testing lab. Credit:Lithium Australia Cooperative research centres are funded by both the private, public and education sectors with the aim of researching and developing intellectual property for Australian industries. The future battery industries centre will capitalise on WA's bountiful lithium and other battery metals reserves by researching energy storage solutions, potentially creating a battery manufacturing sector here. London: WikiLeaks has named one-time spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson as its new editor-in-chief but the ramifications of the move are unclear. Kristinn Hrafnsson in 2015. Credit:AP The organisation was founded and has been led for more than a decade by Julian Assange, the 47-year-old ex-hacker, but the silver-haired Australian has been isolated for years at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. WikiLeaks tweeted that Assange will stay on as the group's "publisher." Assange had his communications cut in March by Ecuador's new president, and Wednesday's statement said he remained "incommunicado." McManus, the newest member of the library board, was the first to propose the idea of looking into purchase of the school for new use. He received key support from Prokop, the board president, and Dennis Ryan, vice president, and other board members, who have long been on record about the inadequacies of the current facility. WSU Engaged Learning Series to Fact Check 1st Congressional Debate October 8, 2018 OGDEN, Utah Weber State University will host a real-time fact-checking event for the Utah 1st Congressional District debate Oct. 17 from 5:45 to approximately 8 p.m. as part of a year-long Engaged Learning Series called Matter of Fact? Community members are invited to gather at the Weber Country Library Southwest Branch (2039 W.4000 S., Roy, Utah) to watch the Utah Debate Commission broadcast of candidates Rob Bishop, Lee Castillo and Eric Eliason. In addition to the broadcast, those in attendance will have the opportunity to view fact-checking results provided by Weber State students via Facebook Live. Students studying investigative journalism, policy debate and political science at Weber State will conduct fact-checking during the debate. Students have been collecting background information on the candidates and issues of importance in advance of the debate. So much information is at our fingertips, and it is ever more important to understand what is going on in our local, national and global communities, said Teresa Martinez, who is responsible for the Engaged Learning Series. We need to know how to determine the credibility of the information in order to support ideas and arguments. The Weber State University Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) hosts the Engaged Learning Series (ELS) each year. ELS is a university-wide series of events designed to engage students, faculty, staff and community in discussion, debate, dialogue, learning and action around an issue of public concern. This years ELS theme, Matter of Fact? challenges people to think critically about fact and opinion, credible sources, how to articulate fact and why science, logic and history matter. The series offers a variety of events including lectures, musical performances, conferences and symposiums, art exhibits, fact-checking political debates, banned-book week and more. We are excited to bring this theme to campus to discuss the importance of reliable information sources and engage campus and the community in ways that get people thinking about the way they approach fact, Martinez said. In addition to the debate, ELS will host two other events on Oct. 17: Hurst Artist in Residence: Facts, Fiction, Myths Espido Freire: World-class author Espido Freire is regarded as one of the most-notable writers of contemporary Hispanic issues. She will discuss her works in the third installment of the Hurst Artist-in-Residence program at 11:30 a.m. in Elizabeth Hall Room 229. Food for Thought: The Evolution of Media: Television historian Tracey Smith will discuss journalism and how reporting has changed in an era of fake news and presidential tweets at 12:30 p.m. in the Stewart Library Hetzel-Hoellein Room 321. All these events are free, and community members are invited to join the discussions. For more information on the Engaged Learning Series, and to see a calendar of events, visit weber.edu/ccel/els. Visit weber.edu/ccel/check-facts for more information about the fact-checking event. Those who are unable to attend the event, but wish to follow the fact-checking, can tune in to CCELs Facebook page facebook.com/wsuccel. Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University. The changeable exhibits will also ensure that the museum remains fresh for repeat visitors and allow the exhibit to present the perspectives of different characters, Michalek said. The plan is to create an experiential museum, which centers less on artifacts and more on the ideas Bradbury explored in his work, he said. N.H. Lawsuit Highlights Prison Inmate 'Pay to Stay' Law Indigenous Peoples Day: Wisconsins Native Communities Deserve To Be Heard, To Be Respected, and To Thrive. The Myth of the Lazy Nonvoter Can Our District Attorneys Reform American Criminal Justice? How Much Dark Money is Fueling the Kavanaugh Confirmation Fight? 'Cloud.' 'Legitimacy crisis.' 'Taint.' Legal Experts on Kavanaugh Joining the Court. Kavanaughs Partisan Outburst Will Indelibly Mar His Tenure Alleged Saudi Murder of Washington Post Columnist Prompts Calls to Halt U.S. Relations With Regime Where Does #MeToo Go from Here? Women Are "On Fire" with Rage as Kavanaugh Joins Supreme Court He expects the Discovery Center to know within three to five days how serious the situation is, but as long as there arent any major issues like a bacterial infection, Carmichael said he thinks they should be able to get the animal turned around. The following companies are subsidiares of PerkinElmer: Analytica of Branford, Applied Biosystems, Arnel Inc., ArtusLabs, Beijing Huaan Magnech Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Longrun Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Testing Lab Co. Ltd., Beijing OUMENG Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Bio Evolution SAS, Bioo Scientific Corporation, Biosense Picolabs Inc., Biosense Technologies Pvt Ltd., Caliper Life Sciences, Caliper Life Sciences Inc., Cambridge Research & Instrumentation Inc., CambridgeSoft, Ceiba Solutions, Chengdu PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Chromo G.A. SAS, CisBio US Inc., Cisbio Asia Pacific Ltd, Cisbio Bioassays SAS, Cisbio China Ltd., Cisbio Group SAS, Cisbio KK, Cisbio.com, DNA Laboratories Sdn. Bhd., Dani Analitica S.r.l., Dexela, EUROIMMUN (Hangzhou) Medical Laboratory Diagnostics Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN (South East Asia) Pte Ltd., EUROIMMUN (Tianjin) Medical Diagnostic Technology Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN AG, EUROIMMUN Brasil Medicina Diagnostica Ltda., EUROIMMUN Diagnostics Espana S.L.U., EUROIMMUN France SAS, EUROIMMUN Italia Diagnostica Medica S.r.l., EUROIMMUN Japan Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics (China) Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics Canada Inc., EUROIMMUN Medical Laboratory Diagnostics South Africa (Pty) Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG, EUROIMMUN Polska Spolka z o.o., EUROIMMUN Portugal Unipessoal Lda., EUROIMMUN Schweiz AG, EUROIMMUN Turkey Tibbi Laboratuar Teshisleri A.S., EUROIMMUN UK Ltd., EUROIMMUN US Inc., EUROIMMUN US Real Estate LLC, Geospiza, Guangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Hangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Horizon Discovery, Immunodiagnostic Systems, Integromics S.L., Jiangsu Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., LabMetrix Technologies, Labtronics, ManCell SAS, Nexcelom Bioscience, NovaScreen Biosciences Corporation, Opto Technology, Orchid Biomedical Systems Pvt Ltd., Oxford Immunotec, Pediatrix Medical Group - Newborn Metabolic Screening Business, Perkin Elmer Chile Ltda., Perkin Elmer Italia SpA, Perkin Elmer Sdn. Bhd., Perkin Elmer Yuhan Hoesa, Perkin Elmer de Mexico S.A., Perkin-Elmer Argentina S.R.L., Perkin-Elmer Instruments (Philippines) Corporation, PerkinElmer (Hong Kong) Ltd., PerkinElmer (India) Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer (Ireland) Ltd., PerkinElmer (Schweiz) AG, PerkinElmer (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund L.P., PerkinElmer (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund Management Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer (UK) Holdings Ltd., PerkinElmer Analytical Solutions B.V., PerkinElmer Automotive Research Inc., PerkinElmer BVBA, PerkinElmer CV Holdings LLC, PerkinElmer Cellular Technologies Germany GmbH, PerkinElmer Danmark A/S, PerkinElmer Diagnostics Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Diagnostics Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Espana S.L., PerkinElmer Finance Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Finland Oy, PerkinElmer Genetics Inc., PerkinElmer Germany Diagnostics GmbH, PerkinElmer Global Diagnostics S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Global Financing S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Health Sciences (Australia) Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer Health Sciences B.V., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Canada Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences FZ-LLC, PerkinElmer Health Sciences Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer Healthcare Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Holding Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Holdings Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer IVD Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer Inc., PerkinElmer Informatics Inc., PerkinElmer Instruments (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer International C.V., PerkinElmer Investments Ky, PerkinElmer Israel Ltd., PerkinElmer Japan Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer LAS (Germany) GmbH, PerkinElmer LAS (UK) Ltd., PerkinElmer Life Sciences International Holdings, PerkinElmer Limited, PerkinElmer Ltd., PerkinElmer Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Nederland B.V., PerkinElmer Norge AS, PerkinElmer Oy, PerkinElmer Polska Sp z o.o., PerkinElmer Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer SAS, PerkinElmer Saglk ve Cevre Bilimleri Ltd., PerkinElmer Shared Services Sp z o.o., PerkinElmer Singapore Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer South Africa (Pty) Ltd., PerkinElmer Sverige AB, PerkinElmer Sweden Health Sciences Holdings AB, PerkinElmer Taiwan Corporation, PerkinElmer VertriebsgmbH, PerkinElmer chemagen Technologie GmbH, PerkinElmer do Brasil Ltda., Perten Instruments, Perten Instruments (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Perten Instruments AB, Perten Instruments France SASU, Perten Instruments GmbH, Perten Instruments Italia S.r.l., Perten Instruments of Australia Pty Ltd., RHS Ltd, RayAl Ltd., Shandong Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Haoyuan Biotech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Signature Genomic Laboratories, Solus Scientific Solutions Inc., Solus Scientific Solutions Ltd., Surendra Genetic Labs, Suzhou PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Suzhou Sym-Bio LifeScience, Suzhou Sym-Bio Lifescience Co. Ltd., Tulip Diagnostics, Tulip Diagnostics Pvt Ltd., Vanadis Diagnostics, Vanadis Diagnostics AB, ViaCell, ViaCord LLC, VisEn Medical, VisEn Medical Inc., Wallac Oy, Wellesley B.V., Xenogen Corporation, ZeLab SAS, and chemagen Biopolymer-Technologie AG. InterXion Holding N.V. provides carrier and cloud-neutral colocation data center services in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. The company enables its customers to connect to a range of telecommunications carriers, cloud platforms, Internet service providers, and other customers. Its data centers acts as content, cloud, and connectivity hubs that facilitate the processing, storage, sharing, and distribution of data between its customers. The company offers colocation services, including space and power to deploy IT infrastructure in its data centers; a range of output voltages and currents; connectivity services that enable its customers to connect their IT infrastructure to exchange traffic and access cloud platforms; and systems monitoring, systems management, engineering support, and data backup and storage services, as well as installs and manages physical connections running from its customers' equipment to the equipment of its telecommunications carriers, Internet service providers, Internet exchange customers, and other customers. It provides its services to telecom operators, Internet service providers, and content delivery networks; content and cloud providers; and enterprises through direct sales forces, as well as through tradeshows, networking events, and industry seminars. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 51 carrier and cloud neutral colocation data centers in 13 metropolitan areas in 11 countries. The company is also involved in real estate management/holding businesses. InterXion Holding N.V. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands. Read More Maxar Technologies Inc. provides earth intelligence and space infrastructure solutions in the United States, Asia, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Canada, and internationally. It operates through Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure segments. The Earth Intelligence segment offers earth imagery products, including orthorectified imagery, imagery basemap, 3D and elevation, and information products; and SecureWatch, a subscription offering that provides online access to imagery and geospatial intelligence platform. This segment also offers geospatial information, application, and analytic services. It serves U.S. and other international government agencies, such as defense and intelligence agencies, as well as commercial customers in various markets. The Space Infrastructure segment provides space based infrastructure, robotics, sub-systems, and information solutions, including communication and imaging satellites and payloads; platforms for space exploration and hosting instruments for earth science; space subsystems for power, propulsion, and communication; satellite ground systems and support services; space-based remote sensory solutions; space robotics; and defense systems. This segment serves government agencies and satellite operators. Maxar Technologies Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado. Read More I would like to thank President Obama and his party for their part in making America great. His lack of leadership and inability to pass laws led him to use his mighty pen to dictate his wishes. President Trump was able to simply remove nearly all he did with the same stroke of his own pen. Lets not overlook Joe Biden who so righteously set precedent to not vote for a Supreme Court justice during a presidential election year. Last, but certainly not least, there is Sen. Reid who so wisely decided to change Senate rules so that nominations only required a simple majority of 51 votes instead of the more rigorous 60 votes for nominations. Trump fights for America; all of us. He delivers what he promised. Illinois could learn a thing or two in this process, perhaps we too could be great again. Set your feelings aside, look at the facts around you and vote Republican this November. Bodycote plc provides heat treatment and thermal processing services worldwide. The company operates through Aerospace, Defence & Energy; and Automotive & General Industrial segments. It offers heat treatment services, including altering the microstructure of metals and alloys, such as steel and aluminum to impart properties comprising surface hardness, temperature resistance, ductility, and strength; metal joining services consisting of electron beam welding, HIP diffusion bonding, hydrogen brazing, induction brazing, and vacuum and honeycomb brazing; and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) services, including isostatic pressing and HIP supporting services, as well as Powdermet technology, a manufacturing process used in the production of complex components using powder metallurgy. The company also provides surface technologies, which are used to prolong the working life of components and protect from environmental factors, such as corrosion and abrasion. Its surface technologies include anodizing, ceramic, flame and combustion spraying, high velocity oxygen fuel, plasma spray, electric arc spraying, aluminide coatings, liquid coatings, and thermo-chemically formed ceramic coatings to enhance wear resistance. The company serves automotive, aerospace and defense, energy, and general industrial markets. Bodycote plc was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Macclesfield, the United Kingdom. Read More There is not enough analysis data for Bonavista Energy Co. (BNP.TO). 3.6 Community Rank Outperform Votes Bonavista Energy Co. (BNP.TO) has received 352 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Bonavista Energy Co. (BNP.TO) has received 298 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Bonavista Energy Co. (BNP.TO) has received 54.15% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Bonavista Energy Co. (BNP.TO) and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe BNP will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe BNP will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next NTT DOCOMO, INC., a telecommunications company, provides various mobile services in Japan and internationally. It operates through three segments: Telecommunications Business, Smart Life Business, and Other Businesses. The company offers iPhone, iPad, smartphone, tablet, and feature phone products and services under the docomo name, as well as d POINT CLUB, a point program. It also provides technical and operational services to mobile operators and other companies. In addition, the company offers LTE, FOMA, and FOMA high-speed services; docomo Wi-Fi services; VoLTE voice call services; docomo Hikari, an optical Internet service; and docomo Shop services. Further, it provides optical-fiber broadband, satellite mobile communications, and international services; distributes video, music, and electronic books, etc.; and offers finance/payment services, online shopping service, other life-related services, etc. Additionally, the company engages in the mobile device protection service, commissioned development/sale, system maintenance businesses, etc. As of March 31, 2019, it had 78.45 million cellular subscriptions; and 70.15 million d POINT CLUB memberships. NTT DOCOMO, INC. has collaboration with Tohoku University to research on an artificial-intelligence technology to detect periodontal disease by photographing a person's gums with a smartphone. It also has a mobile payment alliance agreement with Merpay, Inc., LINE Pay Corporation, and KDDI Corporation for merchant stores. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. NTT DOCOMO, INC. is a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation. Read More Tomasz Jastrzebski, 45, of the 8000 block of Summerdale, Norwood Park, was charged with retail theft following an incident Sept. 12 in the 6300 block of Oakton. Police said Jastrzebski switched price tags on items and purchased them at a reduced cost. Jastrzebski was scheduled to appear in court Oct. 3. American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at contact@marketbeat.com | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO ENERGY, XTO Energy Canada, and XTO Holdings LLC. Zurich Insurance Group AG is a holding company. The Company and its subsidiaries provide insurance products and related services. Its segments include General Insurance, Global Life, Farmers, Other Operating Businesses and Non-Core Businesses. The General Insurance segment provides a range of motor, home and commercial products and services for individuals, as well as small and large businesses. The Global Life segment is engaged in providing unit-linked, protection and corporate propositions through global distribution and proposition pillars. The Farmers segment, through Farmers Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, provides certain non-claims administrative and management services to the Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange, Truck Insurance Exchange, and their subsidiaries and affiliates. The Other Operating Businesses segment includes the Company's Holding and Financing activities. The Non-Core Businesses segment includes its insurance and reinsurance businesses. Read More Oshkosh Corp. engages in the design, manufacture, and market of specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies. It operates through the following segments: Access Equipment, Defense, Fire & Emergency, and Commercial. The Access Equipment segment consists of JerrDan and JLG, which manufactures aerial work platforms; and telehandlers that are used in construction, industrial, institutional, and general maintenance applications to position workers and materials at elevated heights. The Defense segment produces tactical wheeled vehicles; and supply parts and services for the United States military and other militaries around the world. The Fire and Emergency segment sells commercial and custom fire vehicles; simulators and emergency vehicles primarily for fire departments, airports and other governmental units; and broadcast vehicles for broadcasters and television stations. The Commercial segment includes McNeilus, CON-E-CO, London, Iowa Mold Tooling Co., Inc (IMT), and Oshkosh Commercial. The company was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Oshkosh, WI. Read More Dangis, who came to the U.S. from the Philippines in 2006, has degrees in nursing and law. In her career, she has moved up the ranks from floor nurse to supervisor, assistant director of nursing and director of nursing. The following companies are subsidiares of Pentair: Aplex Industries Inc., Aqua Membranes Inc. , Aquion, Aquion (Xi'an) Water Treatment Equipment Co. Ltd., Aquion Hong Kong Limited, Aquion Inc., Be the Change Labs Inc., Bylin Engineered Systems Inc, Century Mfg. Co., Chansuba Pumps Private Limited , Clean Process Technologies, ClearWater Tech L.L.C., ETE Coliban Pty Limited, Enviro Water Solutions LLC, Epps Ltd., Erico Global, Everpure Japan Kabushiki Kaisha, FARADYNE Motors (Suzhou) Co. Ltd , Faradyne Motors LLC , FilterSoft LLC, Fleck Controls Inc., Goyen Controls Co. Pty. Limited, Goyen Valve LLC, Greenspan Environmental Technology Pty Ltd, Haffmans B.V., Haffmans North America Inc., Hawley Group Canada Limited, Holding Nijhuis Pompen B.V., Hypro EU Limited, Infinite Water Solutions Private Limited, Jung Pumpen GmbH, Ken's Beverage, Lincoln Automotive Company, MECAIR S.r.L., McNeil (Ohio) Corporation, Milperra Developments Pty Limited, Mobile Pool Builder Inc., Moraine Properties LLC, Nano Terra Inc., Nijhuis Pompen B.V., Nuheat, PES Pty Ltd, PFAM Inc., PTG Accessories Corp., Panthro Acquisition Co., Pelican Holding Corporation, Pentair (NZ) Limited, Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems Inc., Pentair Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Pentair Canada Inc., Pentair Clean Process Technologies India Private Limited, Pentair Denmark Holding ApS, Pentair Environmental Systems Limited, Pentair Epsilon Limited, Pentair Federal Pump LLC, Pentair Filtration Sales & Service Company LLC, Pentair Filtration Solutions LLC, Pentair Finance Group GmbH, Pentair Finance Holding GmbH, Pentair Finance S.a.r.l., Pentair Flow Control International Pty Limited, Pentair Flow Services AG, Pentair Flow Technologies LLC, Pentair Flow Technologies Pacific Pty Ltd, Pentair Flow Technologies de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Pentair France SARL, Pentair Germany GmbH, Pentair Global Holdings B.V., Pentair Global S.a.r.l., Pentair Group (Thailand) Limited , Pentair Holdings Inc., Pentair Holdings S.a.r.l., Pentair Housing Inc., Pentair Housing LP, Pentair Inc., Pentair International (UK) Ltd, Pentair International Holding S.a.r.l., Pentair International Sarl, Pentair Investments Switzerland GmbH, Pentair Ireland Limited, Pentair Janus Holding LLC, Pentair Janus Holdings, Pentair Kenya Limited, Pentair Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Pentair Management Company, Pentair Manufacturing Belgium BV, Pentair Manufacturing Italy S.r.L., Pentair Middle East FZE, Pentair Nanosoft US Holdings LLC, Pentair Netherlands Euro Finance B.V., Pentair Netherlands Finance B.V., Pentair Netherlands Holding B.V., Pentair Pacific Rim (Water) Limited, Pentair Pacific Rim Limited, Pentair Philippines Inc., Pentair Residential Filtration LLC, Pentair Sales LLC, Pentair Services France S.A.S., Pentair Sudmo GmbH, Pentair Tamimi LLC, Pentair Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Pentair Transport Inc., Pentair Tubing Limited, Pentair UK Group Limited, Pentair UK Holdings Limited, Pentair US LLC 1, Pentair US LLC 2, Pentair US LP, Pentair Valves & Controls del Uruguay S.A., Pentair Water (Suzhou) Company Ltd., Pentair Water Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Pentair Water Australia Pty Ltd, Pentair Water Belgium BV, Pentair Water Brazil LLC, Pentair Water France SAS, Pentair Water Group Inc., Pentair Water Holdings LLC, Pentair Water India Private Limited, Pentair Water Italy S.r.l., Pentair Water LLC, Pentair Water Latinamerica S.A., Pentair Water Operations Australia Pty Ltd, Pentair Water Polska Sp.zoo, Pentair Water Pool and Spa Inc., Pentair Water Proces Technologie Holding B.V., Pentair Water Process Technology B.V., Pentair Water Purification Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Pentair Water Spain S.L., Pentair Water Treatment (OH) Company, Pentair Water Treatment Company, Pentair Water Treatment Private Limited, Pentair Water do Brasil Ltda., Pentair Water-Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Penwald Insurance Company, Pigeon Point Systems Inc., Plymouth Products Inc., Porous Media Corp., Procam Controls Inc., Rocean, Seneca Enterprises Co., Sta-Rite Industries LLC, Sta-Rite de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Sta-Rite de Puerto Rico Inc., Surface Logix LLC, Tupelo Real Estate LLC, Tyco Flow Control, Union Engineering (NingBo) Co. Ltd., Union Engineering A/S, Union Engineering Holding II A/S, Union Engineering Holding LLC, Union Engineering Latam Ltda, Union Engineering North America LLC, Urban Organics Pentair Group LLC, Urban Organics Schmidt Real Estate Group LLC, Urban Organics St. Paul LLC, Voltea Ltd., Water Ingenuity Holdings Corp., Webster Electric Company LLC, Wicor Industries (Australia) Pty. Ltd., and X-Flow B.V.. Nabors Industries Ltd. engages in the provision of platform work over and drilling rigs. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. The U.S. Drilling segment includes land drilling activities in the lower 48 states and Alaska, as well as offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment consists of land-based drilling rigs in Canada. The International segment focuses in maintaining a footprint in the oil and gas market, most notably in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Argentina, Colombia, Kazakhstan, and Venezuela. The Drilling Solutions segment offers drilling technologies, such as patented steering systems and rig instrumentation software systems that enhance drilling performance and wellbore placement. The Rig Technologies segment comprises Canrig, which manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools. The company was founded by Clair Nabors in 1952 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Read More Clearway Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NYLD) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November, 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Zacks' consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.31. The utilities provider had revenue of $265 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $311.81 million. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. View Clearway Energy's earnings history. Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $2.60 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 3.10%. Merck & Co., Inc. has been increasing its dividend for 10 consecutive years, indicating the company has a strong committment to maintain and grow its dividend. The dividend payout ratio of Merck & Co., Inc. is 91.87%. Payout ratios above 75% are not desirable because they may not be sustainable. Based on earnings estimates, Merck & Co., Inc. will have a dividend payout ratio of 39.16% next year. This indicates that Merck & Co., Inc. will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. View Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend history. The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various personal and commercial banking products and services in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases through auto dealer network. It also provides credit cards; real estate secured lending; auto finance; consumer lending; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, private banking, investment advisory, and trust services to retail and institutional clients; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to companies, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,085 branches, 3,440 automated teller machines, and 1,223 stores, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More There is not enough analysis data for Gramercy Property Trust. 4.3 Community Rank Outperform Votes Gramercy Property Trust has received 269 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Gramercy Property Trust has received 147 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Gramercy Property Trust has received 64.66% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Gramercy Property Trust and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe GPT will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe GPT will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next The following companies are subsidiares of Valero Energy: AIR BP-PBF DEL PERU SAC, BELFAST STORAGE LTD, CANADIAN ULTRAMAR COMPANY, COLONNADE TEXAS INSURANCE COMPANY LLC, COLONNADE VERMONT INSURANCE COMPANY, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY LLC, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OF CANADA INC., DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL HOLDINGS LLC, DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL LLC, DIAMOND K RANCH LLC, DIAMOND OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., DIAMOND SHAMROCK REFINING COMPANY L.P., DIAMOND UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., DSRM NATIONAL BANK, ENTERPRISE CLAIMS MANAGEMENT INC., GCP LOGISTICS COMPANY LLC, GOLDEN EAGLE ASSURANCE LIMITED, HAMMOND MAINLINE PIPELINE LLC, HUNTWAY REFINING COMPANY, MAINLINE PIPELINES LIMITED, MAPLE ETHANOL LTD., MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT GP LLC, MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT L.P., MRP PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, NECHES RIVER HOLDING CORP., NORCO METHANOL LLC, OCEANIC TANKERS AGENCY LIMITED, PARKWAY PIPELINE LLC, PENTA TANKS TERMINALS S.A., PI DOCK FACILITIES LLC, PICKARD PLACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, PORT ARTHUR COKER COMPANY L.P., PREMCOR USA INC., PROPERTY RESTORATION L.P., PURE BIOFUELS DEL PERU S.A.C., PURE BIOFUELS HOLDINGS L.P., Parkway Pipeline, Premcor, Pure Biofuels Del Peru, SABINE RIVER HOLDING CORP., SABINE RIVER LLC, SAINT BERNARD PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, SUNBELT REFINING COMPANY L.P., THE PREMCOR PIPELINE CO., THE PREMCOR REFINING GROUP INC., THE SHAMROCK PIPE LINE CORPORATION, TRANSPORT MARITIME ST. LAURENT INC., ULTRAMAR ACCEPTANCE INC., ULTRAMAR ENERGY INC., ULTRAMAR INC., Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, V-TEX LOGISTICS LLC, VALERO (BARBADOS) SRL, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS GP LLC, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS LIMITED, VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ARUBA ACQUISITION COMPANY I LTD., VALERO ARUBA FINANCE INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA HOLDING COMPANY N.V., VALERO ARUBA HOLDINGS INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA MAINTENANCE/OPERATIONS COMPANY N.V., VALERO BROWNSVILLE TERMINAL LLC, VALERO CANADA FINANCE INC., VALERO CANADA L.P., VALERO CAPITAL CORPORATION, VALERO CARIBBEAN SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO COKER CORPORATION ARUBA N.V., VALERO CUSTOMS & TRADE SERVICES INC., VALERO EAST BAY LLC, VALERO ENERGY (IRELAND) LIMITED, VALERO ENERGY ARUBA II COMPANY, VALERO ENERGY INC., VALERO ENERGY LTD, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS LP, VALERO ENERGY UK LTD, VALERO ENTERPRISES INC., VALERO EQUITY SERVICES LTD, VALERO FINANCE L.P. I, VALERO FINANCE L.P. II, VALERO FINANCE L.P. III, VALERO FOREST CONTRIBUTION LLC, VALERO GRAIN MARKETING LLC, VALERO H2 PIPELINE COMPANY LLC, VALERO HOLDCO UK LTD, VALERO HOLDINGS INC., VALERO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC., VALERO LIVE OAK LLC, VALERO LOGISTICS UK LTD, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY (PANAMA) LLC, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY COMPANY, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPY INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO MARKETING IRELAND LIMITED, VALERO MKS LOGISTICS L.L.C., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEW AMSTERDAM B.V., VALERO OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONS SUPPORT LTD, VALERO PARTNERS CCTS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS EAST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS WEST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS EP LLC, VALERO PARTNERS HOUSTON LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LOUISIANA LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LUCAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MCKEE LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MERAUX LLC, VALERO PARTNERS NORTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS OPERATING CO. LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PAPS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PORT ARTHUR LLC, VALERO PARTNERS SOUTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS TEXAS CITY LLC, VALERO PARTNERS THREE RIVERS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WYNNEWOOD LLC, VALERO PAYMENT SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE LLC, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE OIL TERMINAL LTD, VALERO PLAINS COMPANY LLC, VALERO POWER MARKETING LLC, VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL PARTNERS LLC, VALERO REFINING AND MARKETING COMPANY, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-ARUBA N.V., VALERO REFINING COMPANY-CALIFORNIA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-OKLAHOMA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-TENNESSEE L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-MERAUX LLC, VALERO REFINING-NEW ORLEANS L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-TEXAS L.P., VALERO RENEWABLE FUELS COMPANY LLC, VALERO SECURITY SYSTEMS INC., VALERO SERVICES INC., VALERO SKELLYTOWN PIPELINE LLC, VALERO TEJAS COMPANY LLC, VALERO TERMINAL HOLDCO LTD, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO TEXAS POWER MARKETING INC., VALERO ULTRAMAR HOLDINGS INC., VALERO UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., VALERO WEST WALES LLC, VRG PROPERTIES COMPANY, VTD PROPERTIES COMPANY, WARSHALL COMPANY LLC, and ZELIG COMMERCIAL INC.. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, sells, and services medical devices and software products for treating cancer and other medical conditions worldwide. It operates through Oncology Systems and Proton Solutions segments. The Oncology Systems segment offers hardware and software products for treating cancer with radiotherapy, fixed field intensity-modulated radiation therapy, image-guided radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiotherapy, artificial intelligence based adaptive radiotherapy, and brachytherapy, as well as quality assurance equipment. Its products include linear accelerators, brachytherapy afterloaders, treatment accessories, and quality assurance software; and information management, treatment planning, image processing, clinical knowledge exchange, patient care management, decision-making support, and practice management software. This segment serves university research and community hospitals, private and governmental institutions, healthcare agencies, physicians' offices, medical oncology practices, radiotherapy centers, and cancer care clinics. The Proton Solutions segment designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and services products and systems for delivering proton therapy for the treatment of cancer. The company has a strategic agreement with McKesson Corp. to supply treatment delivery systems and planning, services, and radiotherapy information system solutions to its U.S. Oncology Network and Vantage Oncology affiliated sites of care; and a strategic partnership with Siemens AG to represent Siemens diagnostic imaging products to radiation oncology clinics in the United States and other select markets. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. was formerly known as Varian Associates, Inc. and changed its name to Varian Medical Systems, Inc. in April 1999. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Travelers Companies: 10762962 Canada Inc., 350 Market Street LLC, 8527512 Canada Inc., Aetna Life and Casualty Co, American Equity Insurance Company, American Equity Specialty Insurance Company, Aprilgrange Limited, Arch Street North LLC, Auto Hartford Investments LLC, Bayhill Restaurant II Associates, Camperdown Corporation, Constitution State Services LLC, Discover Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Discover Specialty Insurance Company, F&G UK Underwriters Limited, Farmington Casualty Company, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Company, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Underwriters Inc., First Floridian Auto and Home Insurance Company, Gulf Underwriters Insurance Company, IHP Capital Partners Fund VIII L.P., Northbrook Holdings Inc., Northfield Insurance Company, Northland Casualty Company, Northland Insurance Company, Phoenix UK Investments LLC, SPC Insurance Agency Inc., Select Insurance Company, Simply Business Holdings Inc., Simply Business Inc., St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, St. Paul Guardian Insurance Company, St. Paul Mercury Insurance Company, St. Paul Protective Insurance Company, St. Paul Surplus Lines Insurance Company, Standard Fire Properties LLC, Standard Fire UK Investments LLC, TCI Global Services Inc., TPC Investments Inc., TPC U.K. Investments LLC, The Automobile Insurance Company of Hartford Connecticut, The Charter Oak Fire Insurance Company, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, The Family Business Institute LLC, The Phoenix Insurance Company, The St. Paul Companies Inc., The Standard Fire Insurance Company, The Travelers Casualty Company, The Travelers Home and Marine Insurance Company, The Travelers Indemnity Company, The Travelers Indemnity Company of America, The Travelers Indemnity Company of Connecticut, The Travelers Lloyds Insurance Company, TravCo Insurance Company, Travelers (Bermuda) Limited, Travelers Brazil Acquisition LLC, Travelers Brazil Holding LLC, Travelers Casualty Company of Connecticut, Travelers Casualty Insurance Company of America, Travelers Casualty UK Investments LLC, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of Europe Limited, Travelers Commercial Casualty Company, Travelers Commercial Insurance Company, Travelers Constitution State Insurance Company, Travelers Distribution Alliance Inc., Travelers Excess and Surplus Lines Company, Travelers Global Inc., Travelers Indemnity U.K. Investments LLC, Travelers Insurance Company Limited, Travelers Insurance Company of Canada, Travelers Insurance Designated Activity Company, Travelers Insurance Group Holdings Inc., Travelers Lloyds of Texas Insurance Company, Travelers London Limited, Travelers MGA Inc., Travelers Management Limited, Travelers Marine LLC, Travelers Participacoes em Seguros Brasil S.A., Travelers Personal Insurance Company, Travelers Personal Security Insurance Company, Travelers Property Casualty Company of America, Travelers Property Casualty Corp., Travelers Property Casualty Insurance Company, Travelers Seguros Brasil S.A., Travelers Syndicate Management Limited, Travelers Texas MGA Inc., Travelers Underwriting Agency Limited, Ultramar Travel Management, United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Xbridge Limited, Zensurance Brokers Inc., and Zensurance Inc.. "I'm sure that all shoppers are welcome at Oak Park Market, including people who don't live nearby such as some of the 40,000 drivers who pass by on North Avenue every weekday," Alexander said. "But Angelo realizes that job number one has to be serving residents of the immediate neighborhood." 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. ROME Three Rome men are facing charges after one of them allegedly shot another with a pellet gun and all three lied about the incident, according to the Rome Police Department. Police say on the night of Sept. 25, 34-year-old Allen Lipphardt was hanging out with 35-year-old Deron Stinson and 28-year-old Colton Mickle at an apartment on South Madison Street when Lipphardt left to walk to Burger King and get food. While Lipphardt was on his way into Burger King, Stinson shot him in the back with a pellet gun from the apartment, according to police. As Lipphardt was walking back to the apartment with the food, police say Stinson shot him again, this time in the chest, and Lipphardt fell to the ground. Police say Stinson and Mickle then called 911, and the three men are accused of making up a story of an unknown shooter so that they wouldnt get into trouble. Police said after the incident that Lipphardt was not cooperating with them. Stinson, who shot the pellet gun, is charged with the misdemeanors of second-degree reckless endangerment, making a punishable false written statement, and third-degree falsely reporting an incident. Lipphardt and Mickle are both charged with misdemeanor third-degree falsely reporting an incident. 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. A tragic end to the case of a missing St. Johnsville woman: a private citizen found the body of 21-year-old Michaela MacVilla on his property in Oppenheim in Fulton county Tuesday afternoon, in the area of Kringsbush Road. New York State Police held a news conference Wednesday afternoon, releasing details regarding the discovery of MacVilla's body. Police didn't comment on the manner of death or cause of death. They're awaiting results of an autopsy, performed by Dr. Michael Sikirica, at Albany Medical Center. MacVilla was last seen leaving the Stewart's Shop in the village of St. Johnsville in the early morning hours of September 25, after her 4 p.m. to midnight shift. Police followed up on dozens of leads and conducted numerous interviews in connection with her disappearance. State police are asking that if anyone has information they believe might be relative to the case, no matter how insignificant they think it might be, call them at 518-630-1700. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Michaela MacVilla's family. To make a donation, click here. NEW HARTFORD A New Hartford woman was injured in a crash on Higby Road Friday morning, according to the New Hartford Police Department. The crash occurred around 7:30 a.m. on Higby Road at the intersection of Chapman Road, and it tied up traffic on Valley View. Police say Matthew Tracy pulled his tractor trailer into the intersection and was waiting to turn left from Higby Road onto Chapman Road when 42-year-old Renee Aughey drove into the intersection and struck the truck head-on. Aughey was transported to St. Elizabeth Medical Center with a back injury. Police say the investigation into the crash is continuing. If you witnessed the crash, youre asked to call New Hartford police at 315-724-1111. 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. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - Vandals have defaced the offices of a New York newspaper with anti-media graffiti including the word "liars." The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports that its employees encountered the spray-painted messages when they arrived at work Friday. The word "liars" was spray-painted on three first-floor windows. One window was painted with the phrase "you brood of vipers," a biblical reference. Democrat and Chronicle executive editor Karen Magnuson says she's "incredibly disappointed" that someone in the community would target the newspaper with vandalism. She said the newspaper's employees are a dedicated group of people "working extremely hard every day to cover their community." The newspaper is owned by Gannett. Police are reviewing video footage from nearby cameras. ___ Information from: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, http://www.democratandchronicle.com (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) Souza began his commentary on the Trump administration by posting photos of Obama on his Instagram account alongside subtle commentary that conveyed his feelings about the administration. One photo, for example, shows Obama speaking to the United Nations in 2011 with the comment that the world leaders did not laugh at him that year or any of the other years he spoke there. Pruitt called the agent several times over the next few days after the interview saying that she could not have charged the hotel to her credit cards because she has poor credit with credit limits that are less than the Omni hotel bill. Meng, who is also a deputy minister for public security in China, was reported missing after traveling from Lyon, France - where Interpol has headquarters - to China on September 25th. Earlier it was Interpol who had announced his resignation from the presidency of the body on Sunday, a resignation that was immediately effective. Meanwhile, Meng's wife, Grace told reporters that her husband had sent a knife-like "emoji" message the day he disappeared. She said that her husband's case should have been under consideration of "international law and international public opinion". On Monday, after several days of speculation over Meng's location, China's National Supervision Commission announced through a statement that he was being investigated. This committee manages corruption cases, which include public employees. Meng is the last high profile person to disappear in China, where a number of government officials, billionaires, or even personalities have disappeared without a trace in recent months. Last week, Fan Bingbing, who had disappeared in China since July, came out with a public apology and was fined 883 million yuan ($ 129 million) for tax evasion and other violations. In a statement published on Twitter, Interpol announced that he had resigned Meng's irrevocable, while based on his regulation he appointed Vice President Kim Jong-yang from South Korea as acting president. The new president, to be solved only for the remaining two years of the Chinese mandate, is expected to leave the proceedings of the Interpol General Assembly that will be held in Dubai next month. Timmer said one of the pipelines going through Highland, a transport pipeline that moves gas through the region, is highly regulated and frequently inspected by the Department of Transportation. He said the fire department works and trains with NIPSCO frequently to learn how to deal with gas leaks and system failures. And he is confident that once NiSource knows what caused the explosion in Massachusetts, the company will take precautions to prevent it from happening again. I write at least 1,000 words every day for my newspaper columns, magazine stories and book projects, and Ill do my best to share what Ive learned over the course of my 25-year career. As you may know, I was not formally trained to be a professional writer, so my workshop will likely be informal and unconventional. Watching Face the Nation on Sunday morning it suddenly dawned on me. The Democrats just can't get past the fact, that they can't control the masses, or the way they think. Tax cuts and a good economy are a threat to their control. Money is power and so is being free. Something they keep looking back in history for, to try and change something in our culture and theyre fearing losing their grip like back in the Civil War. The truth has a way of changing things in life, no matter if it's a girl or a boy, or just simply right or wrong. President Trump has a gift of being rich enough to not care if he exposes the truth. Something a free-thinking person can figure out for themselves, without someone trying to run it down your throat or expose you. With such a great economy, these heavy thinkers better hurry up and get their piece of the pie, before they get run over by the President Trump train. A report released this year by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed a 25 percent rise over the past five years in the number of child protection interventionsthat is, children who were the subject of an official investigation, care and protection order, or out-of-home care. The statistics in the Child Protection Australia 201617 report point to a deepening social crisis, particularly in working class and rural areas, with the worst impact on indigenous families, who are among the most vulnerable layers of the working class. A total of 168,352 children, a rate of 30.8 per 1,000 children aged 017, received child protection involvement throughout Australia in 20162017, with 74 percent of these children being repeat referrals. This included 47,915 children, with a median age of nine, who had been removed from their families and placed in out-of-home care as at June 30, 2017. That was an 18 percent increase over four years. These figures partially mask the disproportionately high rate of state intervention among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, which was 164.3 per 1,000, seven times higher than non-indigenous children. Indigenous children were placed in out-of-home care at 10 times the rate for non-Indigenous children. For indigenous children aged 5 to 9, the rate of out-of-home care rose to 12 times their non-indigenous counterparts. Out-of-home care means children are taken from their birth families and placed in the homes of relative or foster carers, or residential facilities or family group homes run by governments or non-government organisations (NGOs). Many of the carers in these programs are volunteers, paid only rent and board or out-of-pocket expenses. They are not required to be qualified to deal with these childrens complex needs, including past trauma. Teenagers can be placed in lead tenant households, where an adult lives and supervises them in rented premises. Alternatively, they may be housed in hotels or motels. The high proportion of children remaining in out-of-home care for five years or more41 percent of the totalcontributed to the overall increased rate. About 1 in 20 children in out-of-home care were living in residential care, ostensibly used for children with complex needs. Some were very young3 percent of those in residential care were aged under five years. Residential care facilities can be described as mini-institutions where children are denied the consistency of care and opportunity for a loving bond provided by a parent, permanent carer or guardian. Moreover, in 20172018, according to a Productivity Commission report, almost 6 percent of children in out-of-home care across the country were victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse or neglect. That was only among the reported cases, so the true level of abuse is likely to be higher. Bernie Geary, the Childrens Commissioner in the state of Victoria for 10 years, until 2015, provided a damning condemnation of residential homes in that state in a report he released as he left his position. After visiting 21 residential care homes, he reported 189 incidents of the alleged sexual abuse of 166 children. That was 1 in 3 of the 500 children in residential care at the time. The Child Protection Australia 201617 report did not ask or seek to explain what accounts for the increase in state intervention, which leads, in many cases, to the forced and traumatic removal of children from their families, for years on end. The Productivity Commission report showed that police, not doctors, schools or social workers, initiated the greatest number of cases. It also showed that the highest rate of substantiationsnotifications found to be truecame from poorer families. This indicates the impact of falling wages, soaring living costs, poverty, unemployment, homelessness and mental health issues, especially on low-income households. However, another factor has also contributed to the rise in interventions. Governments have slashed budgets and staffing to government-run child welfare departments, and transferred the residential care of children to NGOs and corporate residential care providers, creating a profitable industry. There is now a clear economic incentive to remove children from their families and place them in out-of-home care. In 2016, the Australian Broadcasting Corporations Four Corners program revealed aspects of this process. It reported that one company, Premier Youthworks, with a revenue of around $20 million in 2015, was paid between $550 and $1,700 per child per day to house and care for approximately 80 children. As a proprietary limited company, it was under no obligation to report its profits. Nationally, there have been over 40 official inquiries into child protection and care provision over the past two decades. Yet the crisis has only worsened. The brutal conditions exposed in state-run institutions have been replaced with a model where similar conditions exist behind the doors of smaller facilities, run by private providers. A multi-billion-dollar government-funded industry profits from placing children into residential care, with little or no transparency to assess the quality of the services provided. In 2015, the New South Wales state government commissioned an Independent Review Of Out Of Home Care, which was not made public until this year. It said the number of children in out-of-home care in that state had doubled between 2006 and 2016, a rate far greater than the population growth of children and young people. The previously-buried report concluded that the system was ineffective and unsustainable, not client centred. Expenditure was crisis driven and not aligned to an evidence base and failing to improve long-term outcomes for children and families with complex needs. Almost three quarters of cases of suspected abuse or neglect reported to Family and Community Services (FACs) were closed without investigation, even where the risk of serious harm was high or extremely high. The review also reported that the average cost per child of out-of-home care had more than doubled since 2012, when the state government began to shift programs to NGOs. It said 60 percent of children in out-of-home care were placed with NGOs and they were staying there longer because the bulk of funding was paid to NGOs instead of addressing family needs earlier. Despite this, the state government is seeking to transfer all childrens out-of-home care services to the private sector by 2022. Child protection departments across the country remain understaffed and unable to cope with the number of cases reported to them. Lack of resources has increasingly led to the ditching of any pretence of addressing the underlying family crises that lead to state intervention. Instead, children are simply removed and offloaded to private care providers. Ten years ago, the last federal Labor government offered a phony apology to the Stolen Generations of indigenous children who were taken from their families, shattering their lives. Today new Stolen Generations are being created of both Aboriginal and non-indigenous children. Governments, state and federal, Labor and Liberal-National alike, are divesting themselves of any responsibility for community and family support. At the same time, vulnerable children have been reduced to an economic commodity, worth thousands of dollars a day to NGOs and business operators. The author also recommends: Ten years on: The fraud of Australian parliaments stolen generations apology [17 February 2018] The Israeli army opened fire on Palestinian protestors in the Gaza Strip Friday, killing three people, including a 12-year-old boy. Fares Hafez al-Sersawi died along with Mahmud Akram Mohammed Abu Samane, aged 24, after being shot in the chest during demonstrations east of Gaza City, while Hussein al-Rakab, aged 28, died after being shot in the head near the southern city of Khan Yunis. A further 376 people were wounded, seven of whom remain in a critical condition. The previous Friday, following a relatively quiet period as Israel and Hamas discussed a now-stalled agreement brokered by Egypt, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) escalated its slaughter of unarmed civilians, shooting and killing seven Palestinians demonstrating near Gazas border with Israel, and injuring 500. The seven murdered included 12-year-old Naser Azmi Musbeh and 14-year-old Mohammed Naif al-Houm, while 90 children, four medics and four journalists were among those wounded by live fire. Not a single Israeli was hurt during this bloodbath. According to Gazas Ministry of Health, Fridays toll brings the total number of Palestinians killed to 197 and the number injured to at least 21,600 since the March of Return protests began on March 30. According to the United Nations, 77 Palestinians have required amputation, including 14 children and one woman, while 12 people have been left paralysed due to spinal injuries. The most powerful military force in the Middle East faces an impoverished and essentially unarmed population. In the most brutal and cowardly fashion, it is slaughtering civilians who have faced an economic siege, the destruction of their livelihoods, repeated bombardments, and military assaults over the last 11 years. Originally scheduled to finish on May 15, the date of the establishment of the state of Israel Palestinians mark as Nakba (Catastrophe) Day, weekly rallies have demanded the right of Palestinians to return to the homes from which their families were driven in 1948. Demonstrations have continued, with mid-week beach protests in northern Gaza and the launching of incendiary kites and balloons into Israel, sparking fires that have destroyed forests, burned crops, and killed livestock. Tensions in the occupied territories have risen following Israels introduction of the Nation-State Law and Washingtons ending of its financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agencythe Palestinian refugee aid body. The law institutionalises discrimination against non-Jewish citizens, sanctions state-supported segregation and the exclusion of Arabs from exclusively Jewish communities and removes Arabic as an official state language. Of the 197 killed by Israeli forcessince the protests began, a staggering number are childrensome 44 or one quarter of the total, according to the group Defense for Children International, indicating that the murder of young children has become Israels new weapon of terror against the Palestinians. Human rights groups have told the United Nations Human Rights Council, which is carrying out an investigation into Israels use of lethal fire against the protestors, that there is no evidence that a single protester in Gaza killed during the march was armed. This gives the lie to the governments claims that it faces armed terrorists who plan to rush the border with Israel. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Fatou Bensouda, has warned Israel that its leaders may face trial for the killings of unarmed demonstrators. But this slaughter of men, women and above all children has largely been treated as a non-event by the major imperialist powers and the corporate media. Secure in Washingtons support, mass murder has been used repeatedly by the Zionist state since its foundation to terrorise the Palestinians and drive them from their villages, farms and homes. Israels criminal political elite are now braying for more blood. A bitter battle of words has broken out between two of Israels extreme right-wing parties, Israel is our Home and Jewish Home, as they position themselves for what is expected to be an early general election in the New Year, over whether Israels deadly crackdown on the protests in Gaza has been harsh enough. On September 29, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the far right religious-nationalist Jewish Home party, excoriated Defence Minister Avigdor Liebermans Gaza policy, calling it insufficiently aggressive. Lieberman, whose Israel is our Home party is in sharp decline, replied on Israel Radio, Bennett is brazenly lying What softness is he talking about? Just last Friday seven rioters were killed and over 500 injured and not a single Israeli was hurt. Later, Lieberman told Army Radio, There is a real dispute herethat will remain with us as we enter the election processbetween a bizarre, sleepwalking, messianic right, and a responsible right. Bennett responded in his own interview on Army Radio by urging the IDF to shoot any Palestinians flying incendiary kites and balloons over the Gaza-Israel border, saying that Liebermans policies were only encouraging Hamas, the Islamist party that controls Gaza: The policy toward Gaza is a leftist policy that will ultimately lead to a full-on flare-up. The situation will be unbearable. On Thursday, the IDF announced that it would ramp up its forces in the south and deploy Iron Dome air defence batteries in the Gaza area, claiming that its aim was to thwart terrorism and prevent penetration into Israel along the Gaza border fence. On Friday, Lieberman declared that Israel had in fact pulled back from responding harshly to the Palestinian protests to avoid a major conflict during the Jewish Holy Days season (September 9 to October 1), and tweeted, The holidays are over, and I say to the heads of Hamas: Take that into account. He followed this up the next day with an announcement that Israel was reducing Gazas fishing zone from nine nautical miles to six nautical miles, in further breach of the 20 nautical miles agreed under the Oslo Accords, citing Fridays riots as justification for this collective punishment. In another move calculated to intensify the divisions between Hamas and Fatah, the rival Palestinian faction for control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the occupied West Bank, Tel Aviv approved Qatars purchase of fuel for Gaza from Israel, overriding the PAs objections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened a further crackdown against the Palestinians in Gaza. Speaking alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference on Thursday, he warned that Israels response to an attack by Hamas would be very harsh. Yahya Sinwar, Hamas leader in Gaza, called for a ceasefire with Israel, telling an Israeli newspaper that he did not want another war. He said, Its in no ones interest. We cannot prevail in a confrontation against a nuclear power. And certainly [another conflict] is not in our interest. War gains nothing. Far from seeking to rein in its chief ally in the Middle East, the Trump administration believes that Tel Aviv can be used to further Washingtons own imperialist designs for global domination. Green-lighting the murderous offensive against Gaza by its Israeli attack dog is only a means to an end: the removal of the Syrian and Iranian regimes, by means of an economic and diplomatic blockade, subversion, and war as part of the broader aim of transforming the resource-rich region into a de facto colony of US imperialism. In a blatant political intervention, the US charge daffaires to Australia, James Carouso, last week announced that the United States, Japan and Australia have made a domestic internet cable proposal to Papua New Guinea (PNG) to counter an offer by Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant. Back in October 2016, Huawei announced plans to establish a 5,457-kilometre marine network, covering 14 of the most populated cities in PNG, which would also connect to Jayapura, Indonesia, a major access point to global cable systems. The design capacity of the network would be 8 terabits per second, which could meet demand for bandwidth in PNG for more than 10 years, the company said. In addition, the network would cover more than 55 percent of PNGs population, and provide more than 70 percent of the countrys bandwidth by 2026. Australian government ministers had refused to comment in public about the affair, but Carousowho is the top US representative in Australia, as there is currently no ambassadoranswered a reporters questions bluntly. Were working on a counter offer, Carouso told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on September 28. These are negotiations that are going on. To avoid accusations of US interference in PNG, Carouso quickly added: Absolutely up to the PNG government at the end of the day. However, the fact that Carouso chose to make very public the pressure being applied to the PNG government to abandon the deal with Huawei is clearly a shot across the bows of both the PNG and Australian governments. In particular, the Australian government, currently led by the recently-installed Prime Minister Scott Morrison, is under mounting pressure from Washington to place itself on the frontline of the intensifying US economic and military confrontation with China, and to do much more to block Chinese influence in the South Pacific. Sharing a land border with Indonesia, PNG is the most populous, strategically-located and resource-rich state in the southern Pacific. An impoverished colony of Australia until 1975, it is also regarded in ruling circles in both Washington and Canberra as part of Australian imperialisms sphere of domination in the region, under the umbrella of the overall US hegemony established in World War II. While nominally independent, the PNG government of Prime Minister Peter ONeill has been trying desperately to balance between the US and Australia, on the one hand, which hold sway militarily and in terms of investment in giant mining projects, and China, on the other, which has been stepping up investment and aid projects in PNG. The rival geo-strategic stakes in the country are being accentuated by this years Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, being held from November 12 to 18 in the PNG capital of Port Moresby, where Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to announce further Chinese projects. PNGs Minister for APEC, Justin Tkatchenko, told the Australian that PNG is willing to work with Australia on the domestic internet network if it offers a better deal than Huawei. At the same time, he flagged Xis anticipated major announcements, including the development of the Frieda River mineone of the worlds largest untapped gold and copper depositsby Chinese-owned PanAust Ltd. Carousos intervention came in the context of the Trump administrations escalating economic warfare against China, now accompanied by unsubstantiated accusations of election meddling by Beijing to try to oust Trump. It also preceded by two days a provocative US naval operation inside territorial waters claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea, triggering a near-collision with a Chinese warship that could have sparked a military conflict. For all the allegations of Chinese, as well as Russian, interference in other countries, Carousos declaration highlights the fact that by far the greatest meddlingincluding coups, regime-change operations and assassinationsis conducted by the US and its allies. According to the Australian, the US-Japan-Australia counter offer to PNG is designed to be the first investment of a new trilateral infrastructure fund established recently to counter Chinas One Belt One Road project to build transport and communications links across the Indo-Pacific region, connecting China to Europe. This is the third major move by an Australian government, clearly acting at Washingtons behest, against Huawei, the worlds largest telecommunications equipment supplier. Most recently, in August, just before the internal Liberal Party coup that ousted his predecessor Malcolm Turnbull, then-Treasurer Morrison announced that the Liberal-National Coalition government would effectively block Huawei and another Chinese company, ZTE, from supplying equipment to Australias planned 5G network, due to unexplained national security concerns. Earlier, in June, Turnbulls government insisted it would pay most of the cost of an undersea internet cable from a Sydney broadband hub to PNG and neighbouring Solomon Islands. The Solomons government had signed a contract with Huawei in 2017 to build the cable, but then agreed to renege on the contract. In 2011, Australias last Labor government set the precedent for these anti-Huawei operations by banning the company, also on security grounds, from bidding for contracts related to Australias broadband network. That decision was taken by Prime Minister Julia Gillards government, which lined up behind the Obama administrations pivot to Asia to combat China after Gillards predecessor Kevin Rudd had been ousted by an internal Labor Party coup. Rudd, like Turnbull, was regarded in Washington as unreliable because he advocated that the US accommodate somewhat to the economic growth of China, Australian capitalisms largest export market. As leaked US diplomatic cables, published by WikiLeaks, later documented, Rudds removal was orchestrated by US embassy protected sources within the Labor Party. Since being placed in office on August 24, Morrison has sought to assure Washington of his commitment to the US preparations for war against China. Last month, the Murdoch media reported that his government intends to announce, before the APEC summit, a plan to develop a joint naval base on PNGs highly-strategic Manus Island that would host US and Australian warships, as it did during World War II. Despite Morrisons moves, which included inviting Trump to visit Australia, the US-China conflict is continuing to drive rifts within the Liberal-National government. After this weeks near-collision in the South China Sea, Morrison said his government would seek to calm the situation. Morrison told Fairfax Radio it was in everyones interests for prosperity to continue in the region. Were cool heads in this situation. We have very strong relationships with both the United States and China, he said. These comments reflect the interests of sections of the Australian corporate elite, including mining, pastoral and education businesses, that depend heavily on revenues from China. There are also fears in the ruling class that involvement in a potential US nuclear war with China would ignite intense anti-war opposition, further fuelling widespread political disaffection. However, elements in the Liberal Partys most right-wing and militarist faction, which plotted Turnbulls removal, contradicted Morrison. They urged the government to join the US in conducting freedom of navigation provocations within the 12-nautical mile zones around Chinese-occupied islets in the South China Sea, which the Turnbull government refused to do. Parliaments foreign affairs and defence committee chairman Eric Abetz, a former cabinet minister, said: Freedom of navigation, if it is claimed, needs to be exercised in the area and not close to the area to indicate our strength of feeling. Intelligence and security committee chairman, former Special Forces officer Andrew Hastie, declared: My instinct is to always back your mates up. Its the right thing to do and if you dont, bullies will come for you next. These declarations indicate that the divisions that led to Turnbulls removal have not abated. Instead, they are escalating as Washington heightens its incendiary efforts to stop China from gaining any capacity to challenge US imperialisms global hegemony. The unprecedented denial of a visa to a Financial Times journalist "sends a chilling message to everyone in Hong Kong," the paper said Sunday, as press groups and politicians in the city continued to denounce the move. Asia news editor Victor Mallet was informed Friday that his visa renewal -- usually a procedural matter -- had been refused, weeks after he hosted a controversial pro-independence activist in his role as vice president of the city's Foreign Correspondent's Club (FCC). Asia China Continents and regions East Asia Hong Kong Business and industry sectors Business, economy and trade Denials Journalism and news media Media industry Passports and travel visas Travel and tourism Freedom of press Human rights International relations and national security Federal Communications Commission Government organizations - US US federal departments and agencies US government independent agencies Freedom of speech Newspapers Publishing industry "No criticism has been offered of his work as a journalist," the FT editorial board said. "In the absence of any proper explanation for the decision, it is therefore hard to resist the conclusion that it amounts to retribution for his role as (FCC vice president)." A huge amount of pressure was applied to the FCC by both the Hong Kong and Chinese governments to cancel the talk by Andy Chan, founder of the Hong Kong National Party in August. The Hong Kong National Party has since been banned -- itself an unprecedented move -- though it was completely legal at the time of his speech. "By virtue of its historical, geographical and cultural difference, Hong Kong is a truly separate entity from the so-called Chinese nation," Chan said during the talk. "We were once colonized by the Brits, and now we are colonized by the Chinese, where is our right to determine our own future?" Ahead of the speech, former Hong Kong leader CY Leung urged the government to investigate the FCC's lease of its central Hong Kong headquarters, while China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called it an "abuse of freedoms of press and speech," and accused the FCC of endorsing Chan's views. The Global Times, a nationalistic Chinese state-run tabloid, said Sunday it was "clear that hosting Chan demonstrates a sense of political provocation that goes far beyond the scope of freedom of speech." "Without Mallet, Hong Kong won't have any less freedom of speech. By contrast, Mallet's action damaged China's national security and undermined freedom of expression," the paper said. It also linked the issue to ongoing US pressure on Chinese state media. China defiant The UK's Foreign Office said Friday it was "concerned" by the refusal of Mallet's visa and had asked the Hong Kong government "for an urgent explanation." "Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and its press freedoms are central to its way of life, and must be fully respected," it added. Immigration authorities in the city have so refused to comment on the matter, while the Hong Kong office of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement that visa matters "fall within a country's sovereignty," adding that "no foreign country has any right to interfere." Press freedom groups will deliver a pair of petitions demanding an explanation to the Hong Kong government on Monday. Around 15,000 people had signed the two petitions as of Monday morning. "Refusing a visa in this case, to a bona fide journalist working for one of the world's leading newspapers, sets a terrible precedent for Hong Kong's reputation as a place where the rule of law applies and where freedom of speech is protected by law," the petition said. "In the absence of any reasonable explanation, we call on the authorities to rescind their decision and allow Mr Mallet to continue to work for the Financial Times in Hong Kong and serve as FCC First Vice President." Mallet was out of the city when the news of his visa denial came through. He returned to Hong Kong late Sunday night on a tourist visa, declining to comment on the issue when asked by local media. In a statement, the FT said he was only given seven days leave to remain in the city, even though British visitors typically receive six months. "Immigration officials did not provide an explanation for the shortened visitor visa, and we continue to seek clarification from the Hong Kong authorities about the rejection of his work visa renewal," a spokeswoman for a paper said. Rethinking Hong Kong? The news was greeted with alarm by journalists and media organizations in Hong Kong, which has long boasted of its strong protections for press freedom and speech in comparison to China. FCC China, a sister organization of the Hong Kong club, said "we find it profoundly disturbing that treatment our members (have) long been forced to contend with in mainland China is now apparently being applied to our colleagues in Hong Kong." In the past, journalists expelled from China have relocated to Hong Kong, including employees of the New York Times, a spokeswoman for which cited the city's "commitment to freedom of speech and rule of law" as a reason for being based in the city. There was widespread speculation within the journalist community that the denial of Mallet's visa -- which comes amid a general decline in freedoms in Hong Kong -- would see more organizations avoiding the city in future, choosing to base themselves elsewhere in the region. According to former employees, Time Asia was once considering a move to Singapore, but chose to remain in Hong Kong due to the more favorable legal environment. Last year, Reporters Without Borders opened its first Asia bureau in Taipei after abandoning plans to be based in Hong Kong, citing deteriorating press freedoms. "News outlets planning to open new Hong Kong bureaus may now need to rethink, since foreign correspondents may now be expelled whenever Beijing feels offended," said Keith Richburg, head of Hong Kong University's journalism school. "Existing news bureaus need to have a Plan B, since getting a work visa for a journalist is no longer pro forma." CNN and its parent company Turner Broadcasting both operate large offices in Hong Kong. Representatives of the two companies declined to comment about any concerns raised by Mallet's visa denial. FREELANDVILLE, Ind. (WTHI) - Bethel church in Freelandville is sending a group to help those in need. The church has been hosting mission trips to the Dominican Republic. Groups began mission trips in 2014. The church partners with Foundation for Peace. Mission trips began as medical missions. These were known as Nurses on a Mission. The church now sends a group called Carpenters on a Mission. Carpenters on a Mission helps to rebuild and repair facilities in the community. The group is heading on another trip this November. Jane Tiek with Bethel church says, "We feel called to go. So it's extremely important. And to have the backing of our church and the community and to have people willing to go. It's just amazing. And it truly has blessed us." Group members are volunteers. Each volunteer pays for their own trip. The church is holding a cornhole tournament fundraiser Sunday, September 30th. All proceeds go to Carpenters on a Mission TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb is directing flags across the state to be flown at half-staff Sunday. That's for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. Flags should be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Sunday, October 7, 2018. Governor Holcomb also asks businesses and residents to lower their flags to half-staff on Sunday. We have a lot of customers who like the devices because they travel and its so much easier to store and carry five books, but they like the physical touch and appearance of a book when possible, Mateer said. MARSHALL, Ill. (WTHI) - The future of a tradition in Marshall, Illinois is unclear. Organizers behind the Halloween Frolic told News 10 they aren't sure if the event will continue next year. It's been held at Lincoln Trail State Park for four years. Camp Host Gloria Robinson told News 10 she and her husband have been camp hosts for eight years. Robinson said this is their last year in the role. "The initial purpose that my husband and I decided to do this was so that families could enjoy spending time together," she said, "and that children wouldn't be on their phones texting all the time, and also that if children enjoyed camping that they would keep doing that in the future." Robinson told News 10 if it weren't for donations, events like the Halloween Frolic would not be possible. PARKE COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - Part of Indiana is transforming for the state's largest festival. For eleven months of the year, Bridgeton, Indiana is as quiet as can be. But preparations are already underway for this year's Covered Bridge Festival. News 10 spoke with Kathy Collom, who owns Colloms General Store with her husband. She shares, Its a peaceful little town. It's approximately 125 people who live here in Bridgeton. It's very quaint." While most signs of the Covered Bridge Festival pop up in October, the General Store is a staple in the town year-round. Collom says, "We have a lot of our regulars that we see on a daily basis that pop in and have lunch, visit, drink coffee." But early this week, visitors from St. Louis, Missouri came into Bridgeton on two wheels, hoping to beat the festival crowd. Bicyclist Anne Jesse says, "I think we first came out here in 1993 for a bike tour, a three-day bike ride, loved it. So we come back every few years." As Jesse shares, the lively 10-day Covered Bridge Festival isn't for everyone. She says, "We try to avoid the covered bridges tour because we know we couldn't get accommodations in the area. Although it looks like a lot of fun!" As the festival inches closer, the hustle and bustle settle in. But for Collom, who watches the madness unfold year after year, she says it's a tradition she wouldn't trade for anything. The store owner shares, "You feel like, Ive got a lot to get done, but it all comes together on Thursday night. And we're ready to go." If you're looking to get in on the Covered Bridge Fest fun, you have ten days to do so, starting this Friday, October 12th. Officials want to remind you if you'll be in Parke County during the festival, to be extra careful driving. They say there will be more traffic than normal. Also, pedestrians are often near the road while shopping or site-seeing. For more information on the 61st Annual Covered Bridge Festival, click here. (CNN) -- At least 10 people were killed after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near Haiti on Saturday night, according to Haiti's civil protection agency. Another 135 people were injured and are currently receiving treatment in hospitals, the agency wrote on Twitter Sunday. Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant said a crisis cabinet has been created to coordinate all emergency responses to the earthquake. "Damage has been recorded mainly in the Far North. All my sympathies to the victims. The executive at the highest level is mobilized to provide appropriate answers. I call on the population to be cautious and calm," he said in a statement posted to Twitter. President Jovenel Moise also tweeted that civil protection workers are already working to assist people in affected areas. Two minor aftershocks also felt The USGS said the center of the quake was about 11 miles northwest of the city of Port-de-Paix. It was only 7.2 miles deep. There was no tsunami warning in effect following the quake, which was felt across the country, the Haitian civil protection agency said. The agency said damage and injuries were mostly concentrated in the northwest region of the island, where two minor aftershocks were also felt, the agency said. It said the injured are receiving treatment in hospitals. In January 2010, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed an estimated 220,000 to 300,000 people in Haiti. Tens of thousands of people are still displaced as a result of the quake. The-CNN-Wire & 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. (CNN) -- Snapping the perfect selfie can be fun. But if it involves flying a plane or holding a loaded handgun or standing on slippery rocks near the top of a waterfall, you may want to think twice. Some 259 people worldwide have died while taking selfies, according to a study published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. Researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a group of public medical colleges in New Delhi, scoured news reports on selfie deaths that occurred from October 2011 to November 2017. They found that the most selfie deaths occurred in India, followed by Russia, the US and Pakistan. Most of the victims were men (about 72%) and under the age of 30. India accounted for more than half the total -- 159 reported selfie deaths since 2011. Researchers attributed the high number to the country's enormous population of people under 30, which is the world's largest. Although women generally take more selfies than men, researchers found that men were more likely to take risks -- like standing at the edge of a cliff -- to capture a dramatic shot. "It justifies the higher number of deaths and incidents for men," the study said. Drownings and fallings Drowning is the leading cause of selfie deaths, usually involving people being washed away by waves on beaches or falling out of a boat. The second-leading cause is listed as "transport" -- people killed, for example, while trying to snap a quick pic in front of a moving train. Tied for third are selfie deaths involving fires and falls from high places. Eight people died while taking selfies with dangerous animals. Unsurprisingly, the US led in the number of selfie deaths involving a firearm -- people accidentally shooting themselves while posing with guns. The study says the problem is almost certainly underreported. For example, it notes that when a person decides to pose for a selfie while driving and is then killed in a car crash, it's most often reported as just a fatal traffic wreck. And there are several developing countries where reports of selfie deaths may not make it into the local news. Selfie deaths are on the rise, too. There were just three reported selfie deaths in 2011. By 2016 that number had shot up to 98. "The youth and tourists are frequently affected because of the desire of 'being cool,' posting photos on social (media) and getting rewards in forms of likes and comments," the study says. "Selfies are themselves not harmful, but the human behavior that accompanies selfies is dangerous. Individuals need to be educated regarding certain risky behaviors and risky places where selfies should not be taken." 'No selfie' zones The study's authors suggest that "no selfie zones" be established in tourist areas, especially on mountain peaks, near bodies of water and on top of tall buildings. India has more than a dozen of these zones, including several in Mumbai. Police there say they've pinpointed locations around the city where they want to "restrain" people to prevent further casualties. The high-risk areas are mostly along the city's oceanfront -- a popular destination for young people armed with camera phones. "This is a new problem for us," police spokesman Dhananjay Kulkarni told CNN in 2016. "We have identified spots in Mumbai. We want to restrain people from going there so that mishaps don't happen." After a spate of selfie-related fatalities in 2015, police in Russia put out a brochure urging people to take "safe selfies." "A cool selfie can cost you your life," reads the brochure, which police handed out to both students and the general public. The two-page guide contains infographics that resemble road signs, most of which are based on actual incidents -- such as the case of a 21-year-old woman who accidentally shot herself in the head and a teen who was struck by a train after trying to take a photograph of herself on railway tracks. The brochure also warns against are taking selfies with animals, on rooftops and with exposed live wires. The-CNN-Wire & 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. 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/ TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The public packed the Terre Haute City Council chambers to talk about efforts to re-open and fix the area YMCA pool. News 10 told you earlier this week Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett is working on a way to re-open the recently closed YMCA pool. The pool is operated by the Clay County YMCA but the City of Terre Haute owns the property. Several members of the public addressed the Terre Haute City Council Thursday night to urge them to use that leverage to re-open the pool. Vera Kyle, who used the YMCA pool, says the group has been working diligently to ensure the mayor and council are aware of the issue. "They understand that this is important for our community. It is something that we can't lose and it's something that we all need, not just the ones that are using it now but the ones that could be using it in the future." Those at the meeting say they represent the more than five hundred people who benefit from the pool. LINK | CHANGES COMING TO VIGO COUNTY YMCA, POOL SET TO CLOSE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Patricia Bringman says, "That means income coming into the Y and without that pool, I think they're going to feel the pinch. I can't imagine that it will function as it has with the pool because the pool is probably the main attraction." Mayor Duke Bennett says there is a clear need for the pool. He explains re-opening the pool will require help through private donations and a partnership between the Y and the city. "A pool is one thing that's on a big checklist that we have that we can offer to folks that are looking seriously at Terre Haute and I don't want to eliminate anything off that list." Several members of the public thanked the mayor and council for listening to their concerns. Representatives of the YMCA were not at the meeting. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI)- It was a sea of pink shirts, banners, and even hair Saturday at the Meadows Shopping Center. Among them was Pam's Posse. It was made up friends and family supporting this loved woman like her daughter Tanya Fuson. "My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer two and a half years ago. So shes a survivor and we're doing this in celebration of her," said Fuson. They were among eight hundred others at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Forty-six teams collected donations to help reach the goal of 85-thousand dollars. Community Coordinator Tammy Lundborg says every penny will go to research and helping women in the Wabash Valley. "Two thousand people in central Indiana will be diagnosed with breast cancer and over four hundred will die from breast cancer," said Lundborg. 92 breast cancer survivors were there to help celebrate their fight, as well as those who lost theirs. "Its very inspirational to see what these women go though and get through to the other side. Unfortunately, some people don't but we honor their memory," said Lundborg. For Pam's Posse, they hope others will join the race next year. Not only to raise money but to show support for the bravery in those fighting. "And have the fellowship of being with other survivors. Their family friends and celebrate the ones that are still fighting. The ones that have won the fight and the ones that haven't won," said Fuson. You can still donate to breast cancer research and resources, just follow the link here. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) -- Folks shared more than a Coke at the Birthplace of the Coca-Cola Bottle Festival. They swapped collectibles and passed along stories about the famous brand and it's Terre Haute roots. Jeff Cummins has been collecting bottles since 1974 and is a member of the Coca-Cola Collectors Club. He traveled from Bloomington, Indiana with a small selection of his eight thousand bottles including commemorative items from the 80s and 90s. Cummins says, "These are really hard to find. I like things like this. Things that aren't common. Things you can't find in the stores." The Coca-Cola bottle is unique as is it's place in Terre Haute history. Vigo County Historical Society Executive Director Marylee Hagan explains the story began in 1915 when the Coca-Cola Company had a contest to create what is now the iconic Coke bottle. "Mr. Root, who had the Root Glass Factory in Terre Haute, sent a team of his folks down to the library to kind of research and get an idea of what they thought the bottle might look like." The group came across the cocoa pod and noted the stripes down it's sides. Hagan says, "The Coca-Cola Company wanted a bottle that if you were in the dark or had closed your eyes you would still know just by feeling the bottle that it was a Coca-Cola bottle." The bottle that won the contest was a little too fat in the middle for production so it was slimmed down to look like what everyone has come to recognize. And the green tint? Hagan says that comes from Terre Haute sand. If bottles are made elsewhere, chemicals have to be added to the sand to make the green class. It's a story collectors like Cummins know, too and are sharing through the festival. The items on display for the festival, like the 40s and 50s ads, will be up at the new history center on Wabash Avenue. It is set to open in March of next year. The center will also feature a working soda shop. Rye volleyball's run at state ends with loss to Holyoke The Rye High School girls volleyball team lost to Holyoke one game before the Class 2A state semifinals on Nov. 13 at the Broadmoor World Arena. Election Day 2018 is only a month away! While the battle for the House majority looks to be moving Democrats' way, the fight for the Senate remains less predictable -- largely due to the clash between a national political environment that favors Democrats and a national map that is clearly tilted toward Republicans. Government and public administration Government organizations - US Political organizations Politics US Congress US political parties US Republican Party US Senate Continents and regions Midwestern United States North America North Dakota The Americas United States US Democratic Party Arizona Donald Trump Elections and campaigns Florida Heidi Heitkamp Nevada Political Figures - US Southeastern United States Southwestern United States Tennessee Texas Yes, President Donald Trump was at 36% job approval in the last CNN-SSRS poll. But 10 Democratic senators are up in states that Trump carried in 2016 -- including five in which he won by double digits. It's a clash between an unstoppable force (the political climate tends to always rule) and an immovable object (the electorates in the key Senate battlegrounds are naturally inclined to support Republicans). One will crush the other. But at the moment, it's very, very hard to tell which one. As we approach the home stretch before voters make their choices, will the "blue wave" sweep through states Trump won in 2016? Or will the bitter partisan battle over Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination fire up the GOP base enough to hold it off? Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell explained the stakes for his party clearly last month: "On the Senate side, I'll just list you a bunch of races that are just dead even: Arizona, Nevada, Tennessee, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia, Florida. All of them too close to call and every one of them like a knife fight in an alley. I mean, just a brawl in every one of those places. I hope when the smoke clears, we'll still have a majority in the Senate." Below, I've laid out five plausible scenarios for how the Senate map could look on November 7, 2018. Scenario #1: Republican best case (R+3 seats) Republicans lose a GOP seat in Nevada but hold Tennessee, Texas and Arizona. Republicans win Democratic seats in Florida, Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota. Nevada has always been the most glaring problem for Republicans in this election cycle. Sen. Dean Heller (R) is in his first term and polling suggests he hasn't made much of an impression on voters. Plus, he's the only Republican running in a state Hillary Clinton carried in 2016.Given all that, Republicans would be absolutely overjoyed to lose only Nevada from their side of the ledger on election night. As the election cycle has worn on, the cone of true Republican pickup opportunities has narrowed. At the moment, North Dakota looks to be their best bet, with Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D) struggling to overcome the state's strong conservative tilt. Missouri and Indiana, two states Trump won by double digits, look to be margin-of-error races at the moment. And in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott's (R) heavy personal spending has made Sen. Bill Nelson's (D) political life very uncertain. Scenario #2: Democratic best case (D+3) Democrats lose only one incumbent -- Heitkamp (D) -- and clean sweep their four GOP pickup opportunities, with Texas and Tennessee looking like the tougher two wins. There's a case to be made that on the absolute best night for Democrats even Heitkamp could hold on -- given that she's shown an ability to win close before. But make no mistake: This map -- even with a loss in North Dakota -- would be something close to Democrats' wildest dreams. Arizona and Nevada are both toss-ups that could go either way. In Tennessee, Democrats recruited the only candidate that could possibly win the seat in former Gov. Phil Bredesen. In Texas, Rep. Beto O'Rourke's massive fundraising and the grassroots energy stirred by enthusiasm for his candidacy/hatred for Sen. Ted Cruz within the Democratic base has put the state in play. The underlying partisanship of both states, however, means that Democrats would have to be having a VERY good night to sweep both. Scenario #3: A great night for Democrats (D+2) Democrats lose Heitkamp but win GOP seats in Arizona, Nevada and Tennessee. Again, Heitkamp feels like a goner (or close to it). And it would be somewhat tough to imagine Tennessee and Texas falling to Democrats. Tennessee -- because of Bredesen --feels like the more likely Democratic pickup to me if you forced me into choosing between it and Texas. STILL, this scenario would put Democrats in control of the Senate, which they need a pickup of two seats to win back. Which was unthinkable at the start of the 2018 election. Scenario #4: A wash (No net gain or loss) Republicans lose their two most vulnerable seats in Arizona and Nevada. Democrats lose their two most vulnerable seats in North Dakota and Florida. Of all the scenarios, this one feels like the most likely to me. (I could also see Republicans holding onto Arizona narrowly for a net one-seat gain.) Nevada isn't a done deal for Democrats but the state's demographics and Trump's unpopularity make it a tough hold. Ditto North Dakota on the other side. Scott feels like a slight favorite to me in Florida and the splits within the GOP in Arizona play in Rep. Kyrsten Sinema's favor. Scenario #5: Tie! (D+1) Republicans lose in Arizona, Nevada and Tennessee but win Democratic-held seats in Florida and North Dakota. This outcome -- which is totally plausible -- would make the Senate divided 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats (and independents who caucus with Democrats). Republicans would still hold the upper hand in the chamber because Vice President Mike Pence would be available to break ties. But it would set off an furious attempt to recruit party-switchers (Joe Manchin! Susan Collins!) as both parties jockeyed for the seat they would need to seize control. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said today that the US is the problem: an isolated violator of international laws led by a team of political and diplomatic novices that is earning the world's disapproval. "Today it became clear that America is alone," Rouhani said at a press conference in New York, adding that other world leaders told him they disapproved of President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the nuclear deal that eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Continents and regions Donald Trump Government and public administration Government bodies and offices Hassan Rouhani International relations International relations and national security Iran Iran nuclear development Middle East Middle East and North Africa North America Political Figures - Intl Political Figures - US The Americas United States US federal government White House "They referred to the American action as an incorrect action," Rouhani said. Using sober and measured language, Rouhani added that Iran's "intent is to ensure that the United States of America abides by laws and stops bullying, stops pressuring, maintains commitments... [and] adheres to the United Nations Security Council resolution" that oversees the nuclear deal. Rouhani spoke a day after Trump and his senior officials assailed Iran for its actions in the Middle East and called on other nations at the UN General Assembly to help it squeeze and isolate Tehran. 'Chaos, death and destruction' National Security Adviser John Bolton warned Tuesday that if Iran doesn't change its behavior it will "have hell to pay." Trump used his speech to the UN Tuesday to ask "all nations to isolate Iran's regime" and its leaders who "sow chaos, death and destruction." On Wednesday, while hosting a meeting on non-proliferation, Trump added a warning. "Any individual or entity that fails to comply will face severe consequences," he said. "We're not isolated," Rouhani said Wednesday, saying that every world leader he has met while in New York praised Iran for staying in the nuclear deal despite the US departure and pressure campaign. He pointed to an effort by the European Union, France, Germany, the UK, China and Russia -- the remaining signatories to the nuclear deal -- to create a mechanism to help Iran trade and avoid US attempts to choke its economy. "In the General Assembly, America was isolated," he added, referring to Trump's speech Tuesday. "Everyone opposed their move, everyone supported" the nuclear deal, Rouhani said. "We are not alone. The Americans are alone and isolated." Their efforts to isolate Iran, he said, were "neutralized." Asked about the escalating American rhetoric against his country, Rouhani threw in a dig at Trump and his diplomatic team, indicating he thought they lacked polish and experience. "They speak with a different style, presumably because they're new to politics and have not been practiced in the field of politics," Rouhani said. "Those who are used to politics, their tone and language is different." Rouhani did not mention Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by name, but alluded to some of his Tuesday remarks about the need for Iran to change. "The one who has been newly appointed Secretary of State, he wasn't a diplomat before this," Rouhani noted. "What he said was not diplomatic at all." Pointing to the administration's policies on immigration and Palestinians, Rouhani said they suggest an ugly motivation. "The current comportment of the current administration toward Muslims and particularly Palestinians... makes one think about racist comportment and behavior," Rouhani said. Rouhani sidestepped questions about American hostages held in Iran, or dual citizens who have been imprisoned while on visits to Tehran, but over the course of an hour's remarks to reporters, he repeatedly returned to his theme that the Trump administration is violating more than one international law. 'Strange, unprecedented' He noted that US troops are present in Syria despite the fact that the regime of Bashar al-Assad does not want them there. "America in Syria, the presence is illegal," he said. More complicated, Rouhani said, is the fact that the US is now threatening to punish other countries if they don't join it in ignoring the UN resolutions that govern the nuclear deal. "It is quite strange, unprecedented," that the US is asking members of the Security Council "to not adhere to a resolution from that same Security Council, voted on by the US, all members voted in favor," Rouhani said, but now "whoever adheres to that resolution will be punished." "We say do not sanction illegally and unfairly," Rouhani said. "If America returns to abiding by laws we have no problem with them." He admitted that Iran is feeling some pressure, but said the country "has been in situations that are much tougher" and "has been able to surpass such difficulties in the past, just as it will be able to do today." In the meantime, Rouhani said his country has "lived up to every single commitment" of the Iran deal and "until such time" as they ceased to reap the benefits of the deal, "we will remain in the agreement." "Should the situation change," he added, "we have other paths and other solutions which we will embark upon." For now, though, Rouhani made clear that Iran is not looking for a clash with the US. "We do not wish to go to war with American forces anywhere in the region," he said. "We do not wish to attack them, none of the above, but we ask the United States of America to adhere to laws and respect national sovereignty of nations." Rouhani also predicted that despite the Trump administration's departure from the nuclear deal in May, Washington would eventually come back. "The United States of America one day will come back, sooner or later," Rouhani said. "This does not benefit the Iranian people, it does not benefit the American people or Europe." COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) - Discussions are taking place to provide internet access to all Columbus students, even when they are away from school. Columbus Municipal School District Board President Jason Spears says the discussion was made Wednesday during a district meeting. However, this is just in the developmental phases. Right now, the district is talking with legislators and others about what needs to be done to make this idea come to fruition. WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) Saturday voted to confirm President Trumps nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, affirming her belief that the nominee will be a credit to the nations highest court. A vote to fill a Supreme Court vacancy is one of the most consequential that a Senator will ever make. Brett Kavanaugh earned my vote with his impeccable qualifications and his steadfastness throughout a confirmation process tainted by sordid accusations and crass partisan treachery. Judge Kavanaugh never wavered from his vow not to buckle under political or public pressure, which is a characteristic we need in a Supreme Court justice. I believe Judge Kavanaugh will be a justice whose adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law will be a credit to the Court and all Americans. The American people know they deserve better than what the nation has experienced over the past few weeks. Kavanaugh was confirmed on a 50-48 vote. JACKSON, Miss. Saturday Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti endorsed Mike Espy in his race to be Mississippi's U.S. Senator. Mayor Garcetti announced his support of Espy at a forum with supporters at the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Olive Branch. "I'm a mayor, and that's why I'm endorsing Mike Espy--because he's going to get things done for his state and our country," Garcetti said. "We're tired of the Washington status quo. Mike Espy is going to make things happen to make people's lives better today and to prepare us for the future." Espy, who is running to fill the unexpired term of Senator Thad Cochran, formerly represented Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District and later served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. "I'm grateful to Mayor Garcetti for his support in this race," Espy said. "This endorsement shows that the rest of the country is starting to pay attention to this race, because we have the momentum here in Mississippi to make history. People are excited about our vision for jobs, economic development, education, and our young people. We're grateful that the mayor could come share his experiences in Los Angeles and hear from Mississippi citizens about their hope for the future." TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - Organizers with the LGBTQ community held their first pride parade in downtown Fairpark celebrating the progress of the community in Northeast Mississippi. Eric White says like any event planned there were some obstacles that slowed down the process of having the paraded but he's thankful The community played a major role and making the event happen. Although this is a joyous occasion for some, others felt like the parade should have not been brought into Tupelo. Well we feel like the family unit in America is under attack and we feel like this parade is a form of attack," said Chad Scott. The LGBTQ community plans to have a PRIDE even at least once a month. WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today issued the following statement after voting to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States: Judge Kavanaugh has been subjected to the most rigorous confirmation process in the history of the Supreme Court. This process revealed what we have known from the beginning: Judge Kavanaugh is highly-qualified, and Senate Democrats were willing to go to any lengths to prevent this nomination from moving forward. I am thankful their smear tactics were not successful and that the rule of law and due process have prevailed over obstruction and divisive political tactics. I proudly cast a vote for Judge Kavanaugh. I am confident he will be a fair-minded and honest addition to the Supreme Court. Despite losing on the confirmation battle of Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the #MeToo movement leaders feel confident that they have won something. Appearing on NBCs Meet The Press, #MeToo movement leaders Alyssa Milano and Tarana Burke said the confirmation headings and Christine Blasey Fords testimony may broaden the movement from its focus on Hollywood. I think (Ford) stepping out was something that we needed to have happen in this movement, Burke told moderator Chuck Todd. Its been largely focused on Hollywood and on individual bad actors. And I think her coming forward really set the stage for survivors to have a different role in this movement than weve seen over the last year. Milano said that while the political battle was lost, I do think we are winning the cultural battle. And often, I dont fight for the win. Im fighting so that genrations dont have to deal with the abuses of power that weve had to deal with. She added that there was a cultural shift that were feeling, this collective pain that were feeling from survivors coming forward, is going to be able to be translated into a collective power, to say that were not going to be silenced any longer. The appearance by Burke and Milano comes on the anniversary of the first stories about producer Harvey Weinsteins alleged activities. One of the people reading about Weinstein was Milano, who sent out a tweet: If youve been sexually harassed or assaulted, write Me Too as a reply to this tweet. She then went to bed, but awakened to tens of thousands of responses and the realization she had kick started the, quote, Me Too movement, an idea founded in 2006 by activist Burke. Todd challenged Burke and Milano on whether allegations alone are sufficient in harassment and other cases. Story continues Citing a story in The Atlantic by Emily Yoffe, Todd noted, She writes this. Even as we must treat accusers with seriousness and dignity, we must hear the accused fairly and respectfully and recognize the potential lifetime consequences that such an allegation can bring. If believing the woman is the beginning and the end of a search for the truth, then we have left the realm of justice for religion. When we say, belief survivors, its not believe them without investigation, believe them without interrogation, Burke responded. We have set a precedent in this country of not believing, of thinking that women, in particular, are lying when they come forward with these allegations, when people come forward with these allegations. So the mantra, believe survivors, is about, can we start with the premise that people do not often lie about the pain and the trauma of sexual violence? If we start with that premise, that we believe that its true, then you can have an investigation. You can have an interrogation of the facts and that kind of thing. This is not to say, Believe people, blanket, and dont investigate. And dont do anything else, besides believe them. Milano echoed that concept. And I also think that, right now, we are defining what due process looks like in this type of situation. Because weve never really defined it before, because women havent come forward. So we do need to have due process. What does it mean to have a fair investigation in these processes, so that we can move forward, so that we can change the cultural and societal, systemic institutionalization, institutionalization of sexual abuse and assault? Related stories Comedy Writers Rally In Support After 'Late Show' Scribe Apologizes For Kavanaugh Joke Helena Bonham Carter On Harvey Weinstein, #MeToo & The Difficulties Surrounding Eleanor Riese Drama '55 Steps' 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Star Rachel Bloom Lambasts Brett Kavanaugh: "He's F***ing Lying" - New Yorker Festival After more than 30 years of civil war, Sri Lanka has slowly returned to normalcy. But the work of a generation of filmmakers has been informed by the war. One of them is Vimukthi Jayasundara, whose The Forbidden Land, with the war as a backdrop, won the Camera dOr at Cannes in 2005. His subsequent films have played Venice, Rotterdam and Locarno. Jayasundaras The Question of Innocence, one of 29 projects chosen for the Busan Asian Project Market, deals with life after war. It will follow a little girl who has the ability to foretell death, and the consequences this has in contemporary Sri Lankan society. For Jayasundara, the process of cinematically dealing with the aftermath of the war began with the 2018 anthology film Her. Him. The Other, directed alongside his compatriots Prasanna Vithanage and Asoka Handagama, whose Asandhimitta is showing in Busan this year. Basically what we have experienced about the war is almost over now and now we need to understand a way to learn the lesson and apply it for our future, Jayasundara told Variety. The Question of Innocence is budgeted at $225,000 of which producer Sumudu Malagama has raised $94,000 so far for the Film Council Prods production. This film is talking about the most common truth that we as humans would not like to accept, said Jayasundara. This is a common story to each and every country but we are keeping the reference with Sri Lankan lifestyle, but will be universal when you think about it. In keeping with its universal theme, Jayasundaras plans for the film after its festival run is to make it available on streaming platforms in order to reach a wide audience. Though business picked up after the war and multiplexes are being built, Sri Lanka produces less than 30 features a year, 90% of which are funded by private investors. The country has 186 screens serving a population of 21 million. Jayasundara, who is also the president of the Filmmakers Guild of Sri Lanka and the head of the Colombo Film & Television Academy, said, I believe what Sri Lanka lacks is a national policy on filmmaking and distribution. We have been discussing this for the last decade and I hope and believe these policies will take place soon. Story continues Meanwhile, the outlook is bright with international investment coming in. Sri Lanka is a country which is developing day-by-day and the Sri Lankan film industry is also following the same steps. We are witnessing new faces; new blood, new people in the industry daily and I think it is a good startup. Loads of youngsters are attracted to filmmaking medium rather than other art forms and they are playing with the concepts and the basic rules, said Jayasundara. Related stories 'In Search of Silence' Filmmaker Dar Gai Finds Home in India 'Black Panther' Helps Push Busan Locations Business to Forefront Women Directors Drive New Japanese Omnibus Film Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts! Photo credit: Erik Lee Snyder From Harper's BAZAAR Its often said that a persons true character is revealed through how they react in the face of failures or hardship. If thats the case, Shaughnessy Naughton is someone of exceptional integrity, and only appears to grow more motivated with each setback. The former congressional candidate ran and lost twice in the Democratic primary for the U.S. House of Representatives for the 8th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Instead of giving up, the researcher and chemist focused her efforts on supporting scientists across the country to run for office through 314 Action, a nonprofit she founded. 314 Action is a nonprofit and political action committee that aims to get more scientists involved in politics and, ultimately, to elect more scientists to public office, Naughton explains. I work with scientists, stakeholders, and elected officials to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the political world, she says. 2018 has been heralded by the Washington Post as the Year of Scientists Running for Public Office, and Im proud that 314 Action is leading that charge. Photo credit: Erik Lee Snyder Naughtons love of science dates back to the fifth grade, when she made her first chemistry set. She would go on to major in the discipline at Bryn Mawr College and research a new synthesis of a breast cancer drug before joining the private sector, working on new approaches to infectious disease treatments. The potential for a major discovery is what keeps her inspired by science. Science-in addition to being incredibly interesting-is also aspirational, Naughton says. That kind of impact is hard to find in many other lines of work, and it gives scientists a sense of purpose knowing that a breakthrough could be around the corner. Many of the key issues facing our society-and planet as a whole-are rooted in science and technology, so scientists should play a role in solving them at a government level, Naughton argues. From healthcare reform to climate change to the future of work and automation, theres no doubt that science is at the core of these issues-and experts in each of those field are majorly underrepresented in our national government. Currently, there is only one PhD-level scientist serving in Congress. Story continues More diverse voices in the halls of power mean more viewpoints necessary to formulate solutions and solve problems, Naughton says. Our Congress currently has more talk radio hosts than chemists and physicists, and I would posit that the approach scientists take to solving problems would be a much-needed breath of fresh air to the partisan one that has led to much of the gridlock and incivility that has become the norm. Historically, scientists have served in an advisory capacity on councils or in Cabinet positions. Naughton says that in 2018, it clearly isnt working. She cites recent decisions made by the Trump administration, such as withdrawing from the Paris Accord, that are in direct contradiction of widely held and research-backed scientific knowledge. I believe scientists need to hold our elected leaders who attack science accountable-and the best way to do so is at the ballot box, Naughton says. This is where 314 Action comes in: getting more scientists and STEM professionals elected by offering political training and support. Naughton and her team work closely with each individual candidate to improve their election hopes, and introduce them to the world of politics. Photo credit: Erik Snyder One area where the two worlds have an unfortunately similarity is their underrepresentation of women and minorities. Naughton says certain experiences from her science career, such as unwanted advice, were repeated while she was in politics. Similar to how I feel about government and politics, I believe that science and innovation benefit from diversity and varied backgrounds and experience, she says. Our ability to innovate and create the high-quality scientific research that has, in the past, led to life-saving discoveries and technological advancements depends on the scientists who are involved," she says. "Workplace diversity that crosses the lines of identity ensures that the talent pool we rely on for this research is filled with the best and brightest. The role of STEM in contemporary and future political issues-including climate change, energy independence, and the security of our elections-is undeniably important. Naughton suggests that how we handle climate change could be the defining matter of our era, and will impact future generations. Science plays an important role in society, as it gives us the advances in medicine and technology that make our quality of life better than that of any prior generation. However, when it's pushed aside by leaders, we all suffer the consequences, she says. The silver lining of the Trump administrations widespread dismissal of science is that more scientists are engaged in politics and actually running for office now more than ever, Naughton says. Theres an energy out there among members of the STEM community that wasnt there a few years ago when I ran for Congress, and its an exciting time to be involved in politics, she says. Scientists are fed up with the status quo and no longer accept that politicians can attack facts without repercussions," she adds. "I think well see the effects of this energy on election day this year and in elections to come. With the midterms on November 6th, we wont have to wait long to find out if Naughtons predictions are correct. ('You Might Also Like',) You know it's officially fall when #41 is ready to leave the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine and return home to the land of the Astros, family, and, of course, Tex-Mex cuisine. As per tradition since his childhood, George H.W. Bush spent his summer at the family home on Walker's Point, though this summer marked his first season there without Barbara Bush, his beloved wife of 73 years. In warmer months, the idyllic coastal town comes to life with vacationers, parades, sporting events, and more several of which are hosted by or honor the Bush family. Now, with October upon us and the warm temperatures dropping, Bush the Elder is ready to head back to the Lone Star State. Yesterday, David Charns of Portland's news channel WMTW 8, shared the update on Twitter, stating, "Just checked in with former President George H. W. Bushs spokesman, @jgm41. 'The 41st president has declared he wants Tex Mex [sic] food and is ready to come home to Texas, and we cannot wait to get him back in a week or two,'" adding that Bush has been in Kennebunkport since May. Just checked in with former President George H. W. Bushs spokesman, @jgm41. The 41st president has declared he wants Tex Mex food and is ready to come home to Texas, and we cannot wait to get him back in a week or two. Mr. Bush has been in Kennebunkport since May. David Charns WMTW (@DavidWMTW) October 3, 2018 WATCH: George H.W. Bush Jokes About Singing With Lady Gaga at Fundraiser in Texas We hope that Papa Bush had a memorable and meaningful albeit surely difficult summer in Maine and enjoys sinking his teeth into some tasty Tex-Mex delights upon his safe arrival in H-Town. In the final years of the war, Nazi rocket scientists successfully tested the V-2 rocket, the worlds most sophisticated missile and the first man-made object to cross the Karman line which is commonly represented as the start of space. When the war ended in 1945, the new world powers were dead set on acquiring the Nazis V-2 technology. Wernher von Braun, was known as the brains behind the rocket. He, along with other Nazi scientists, surrendered to the Americans and were transported to the US under a top secret project known as Operation Paperclip. The Germans were put to work, helping American scientists design and build military missiles that would ultimately be used in the beginnings of the space program. Meanwhile, Soviet scientists were repurposing the remains of Nazi rockets, and they were working much faster than the Americans. By the mid 1950s, the USSR developed an intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a multi-stage design and multi-engine propulsion system making it capable of reaching orbit. On October 4th, 1957, the Soviet Union used its new missile to launch the first artificial Earth satellite into space. The metal sphere known as Sputnik sent a wave of paranoia over the United States. Its Cold War enemy now had a vantage point from space, increasing the fear of a nuclear attack. The Space Race had officially begun. The US quickly tried to match the Soviets success by launching the Vanguard satellite. But the rocket only made it about a meter off the ground before its embarrassing explosion, earning the nickname, flopnik. In full Sputnik crisis mode, the government shifted its priority to the space race. President Dwight D. Eisenhower accelerated the 1958 launch of Explorer 1 - the first US satellite to reach space and established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Within eleven days, NASA launched its first spacecraft and within six months it announced the United States' first man-in-space program: Project Mercury. This video, "How a Nazi Secret Weapon Launched the Space Race", first appeared on seeker.com. The Daily Beast PoolRoyal sources have indicated there is concern at the palace that the full scale of Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys involvement in a sympathetic biography written about them may yet be revealed in court.A lot more could emerge on what was briefed for the book if the case she has brought against Associated Newspapers over publication of material from a letter written to her father proceeds, a source told the U.K. Sunday Times. Meghan Markle Texts: I Only Wrote to My Dad to Stop Charles Several children have died after being electrocuted by a dryers faulty wires. (Photo: Getty Images) A 4-year-old girl in Oklahoma has died after she was electrocuted by her familys clothes dryer. Lily Minyard went behind the dryer while trying to get to a puppy that was stuck and was electrocuted when she touched a bare spot on an electrical wire that led to the dryer, officials told WAFF. She was taken to the hospital but could not be revived. In the past few months, several other children have been electrocuted by dryers. Fernando Hernandez Jr., 10, of Houston was accidentally electrocuted while playing hide-and-seek inside a dryer, KTRK reports. My boyfriend picked him up and brought him into the house, his mother, Christina Rodriguez, told the news outlet. He was purple, and his eyes were open, and he was gone. And Greenlee Buckley, 10, was also electrocuted by her familys dryer while trying to find some baby kittens that had gotten trapped behind the appliance. There was enough electricity when I grabbed the dryer that it knocked me back, her father, Scott Hendrix, told ArkLaTex in Shreveport, La. And, between adrenaline and panic, I grabbed the dryer out of the wall and got my little girl. She was already gone. There are two main concerns with washers and dryers: electrocution and suffocation, Danelle Fisher, MD, chief of pediatrics at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Washers and dryers actually have some dangers affiliated with them that people dont always think of, she says. Not only can children be electrocuted by faulty wiring, but washer and dryer doors can also form a seal and close off a childs air supply if theyre inside, Fisher notes. Front loaders are dangerous because the kids can climb inside, she says. You really want to make sure kids arent able to do that. If your dryer comes with a child safety lock, its important to use it, Fisher says. You also want to make sure your machine is flush against the wall, she adds. Also, have your washer and dryer regularly maintained. Thats really important. When someone comes out to look at your machines, make sure the wires and vents are correctly adjusted and there is no exposed wiring, suggests Fisher. Story continues Finally, its important to talk to your kids about washer and dryer safety. Kids should always be taught that washers and dryers are not toys, Fisher says. They look like fun, and they want to try it, but laundry rooms should be an off-limits place kids should not be playing in there. You dont need to get into graphic details about what could happen to your child, but they do understand the simple phrase You can get hurt, Fisher says. Ultimately, its incredibly important to make sure that parents reinforce to kids this is not a place to play, she says. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. The Australian Air Force has delivered humanitarian aid to Palu, Indonesia, following a devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck the island of Sulawesi on September 28. Making multiple trips since October 6, a rotation of Australian aircraft had evacuated Indonesians displaced by the disaster, as well as delivering much-needed supplies to Palu. The operation would continue all week, according to Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Gary Quinlan. He said that tents and emergency generators would also be delivered from an Australian emergency warehouse in Malaysia. According to the Australian embassy in Jakarta , Australia had provided a further $4.5 million to Indonesia, bringing the total relief effort to $10.25 million. The Indonesian Red Cross said it had distributed 15,000 litres of clean water to 1,300 people on October 7. The death toll rose to 1,763 with over 5,000 feared missing by October 7, according to officials cited in news reports. In this video, posted by the Indonesian Red Cross, relief workers are seen unloading supplies from a military aircraft. Credit: Indonesian Red Cross via Storyful Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Right-winger Jair Bolsonaro and leftist candidate Fernando Haddad, who will contest a second-round runoff to become Brazil's next president, hold diametrically opposed visions of Brazil's future. Here is a glance at their key policy differences: - Economy - BOLSONARO: Reduce public debt by 20 percent through a raft of privatizations and the sale of state properties. - Create a parallel private pension system. - Reduce the number of ministries: "the country will work better with fewer ministries." His chief economic advisor, banker Paulo Guedes, would lead an Economy superministry with responsibility for finance, planning and trade. - Redistribute the "tax burden so that those who pay a lot pay less and those who evade and hide pay more." HADDAD: Unfreeze public spending and make labor legislation more flexible, reversing current government policy. - Block privatization moves. - Use an employment drive and a crackdown on tax evasion to finance an overhaul of the costly pensions system. - Security - BOLSONARO: Loosen gun laws. "Guns are tools that can be used to kill or to save lives. It depends on who's using them." . Lower the age of criminal responsibility to 16. . Boost police legal protection when using guns. . Categorize invasions of property and homes as "terrorism." HADDAD: Wants to boost gun control measures and closer tracking of the movement of weapons. . "The current policy of repressing drugs is wrong." Brazil should explore "decriminalization and regulation of the drugs trade". - Corruption - BOLSONARO: "We want a decent, different government from all those that have plunged us into an ethical, moral and budgetary crisis." HADDAD: Backs greater transparency in the fight against corruption and says campaigning against corruption "cannot serve to criminalize politics." - Diplomacy - BOLSONARO: "We are going to stop hailing murderous dictatorships" -- said in reference to Venezuela -- "and denigrating big democracies like the United States, Italy and Israel." Story continues His program makes no mention of four-nation South American trade bloc Mercosur, of which Brazil is a key member. Instead, it emphasizes bilateral ties and pacts. HADDAD: "Brazil must resume and deepen Latin American integration" and strengthen ties with Africa. Deplores "the politics of intervention and the use of strength" to resolve international disputes. - Education - BOLSONARO: "School programs and teaching methods need to change. There needs to be more mathematics, more sciences and Portuguese. Without indoctrination or early sexualization." HADDAD: "Based on the constitutional principle of a secular state, we will promote comprehensive health for women for the full exercise of sexual and reproductive rights and will strengthen an inclusive, non-sexist, non-racist and non-discriminatory view of the LGBT" community. - Abortion - BOLSONARO: His program doesn't mention it, but he has promised to veto any move to ease Brazil's restrictive abortion laws. In the country, terminating pregnancies is permitted only in cases of rape, where the mother's health is in danger, or severe brain malformation in the fetus. HADDAD: The PT program makes no reference to abortion either. Haddad said in 2012 he was "personally against" the legalization of abortion, but called for "establishing public policies that offer women the conditions to plan their lives." - Haddad's running mate, Manuela D'Avila, of the Communist Party of Brazil, is in favor of making abortion legal. - LGBTI - BOLSONARO: Bolsonaro's program makes no mention to LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexual) rights. Several of his statements were openly homophobic. - During the campaign he tried to soften his tone. In one radio interview he said: "Homosexuals will be happy if I am president." HADDAD: The Haddad program has a chapter devoted to LGBT right which proposes "criminizaling LGBTI phobia". - Environment - BOLSONARO: Reflecting his backing from the powerful large-scale farming lobby in congress, Bolsonaro plans to merge the Agriculture and Environment ministries, and his manifesto makes no mention of deforestation or global warming. HADDAD: He intends to reach "a zero rate of deforestation by 2022, without reducing agricultural production" thanks to "more efficient" use of land. - He also proposes measures to "contain global warming". RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday that he was already in talks with other lawmakers in Congress to gain support if he wins a second-round run-off later this month, as his party would not be able to govern alone. Speaking the day after he came just shy of a first-round victory in Brazil's most polarized election in decades, Bolsonaro also said he would stick with his Wall Street-friendly economic advisor Paulo Guedes, adding that he would hew to his hard line message and not become a "peace and love" candidate. (Reporting by Pedro Fonseca and Maria Clara Pestre; Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) Jair Bolsonaro, the populist former army captain who led a wave of support for the far-Right in Brazil's election, said he would not moderate his hardline views as he began his final push to lead the country. Brazil's political landscape was shaken to the core on Sunday as Mr Bolsonaro took a seemingly unassailable lead in the first round of the presidential ballot while his party Social Liberal Party made huge gains in Congress. In his first interview since the vote, Mr Bolsonaro said he would stick to his to his uncompromising Right-wing messages and not become a "peace and love" candidate just to win more votes. His rival, centre-Left candidate Fernando Haddad, pledged to unite moderates across the country to create a broad centrist coalition to challenge the anti-democratic threat of Mr Bolsonaro in Latin America's largest democracy. Mr Bolsonaro secured 46 per cent of the vote, beating Mr Haddad's 29 per cent, but falling just shy of the absolute majority required to win the election in the first round. Meanwhile, Mr Bolsonaro's far-Right Social Liberal Party gained a massive 51 seats in the lower house of Congress, making it the second largest party in the chamber. Presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro, of the Social Liberal Party, flashes victory hand signs to supporters after voting at a polling station in Rio de Janeiro Credit: AP The presidential vote will now go to a October 28 run-off between Mr Bolsonaro, who spent much of the campaign in hospital after being stabbed at a rally, and Mr Haddad, the hand-picked candidate of Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, the Workers Party's imprisoned former president. Mr Bolsonaro said his "discourse will basically stay the same" as he called for the country to "unify" around him, in an interview with the Brazilian radio station Jovem Pan on Monday. Asked if he would shift to the centre to pick up votes in the second round, Mr Bolsonaro replied: I cant just suddenly become Little Peace and Love Jair Ive got to carry on being the same person. Mr Haddid's call to arms for centrists to help him block the far-Right from the presidential palace has echoes of Emmanuel Macron's second-round surge to keep out the National Front's Marine Le Pen. Story continues But a big enough swing to the Left in the second round of voting appears to be a big ask. Opinion polls published before the first round projected a statistical tie between the two candidates in the second, but with Mr Bolsonaros strong showing on Sunday, Mr Haddad is likely to have to take votes from his opponent to have any chance of victory. After a deep recession, sluggish recovery and sweeping corruption scandals, Brazils election has been characterised by anti-establishment sentiment as well as a staunch rejection of the Workers Party, which has won the last four presidential elections in the country and is mired in bribery scandals. Mr Bolsonaro rocketed to the top of the polls by representing the fiercest opposition to the Workers Party, but he also faces high rejection rates due to his track record of sexist, racist and homophobic remarks. Workers' Party presidential candidate Fernando Haddad, accompanied by his wife Ana Estela, arrives at a polling station to cast his vote Credit: AP His proximity to the armed forces is also a concern for many, in a country which lived under a repressive military rule between 1964 and 1985. Mr Bolsonaro has said he intends to fill his cabinet with a new generation of military politicians, many of which were victorious on Sunday. Mr Haddad only became the official Workers Party candidate 23 days before the election, after Lula was officially barred from running due to his corruption conviction. Broadcasting live on social media after Sunday evenings results, Mr Bolsonaro gestured towards voters from Brazils northeast region, which is traditionally a Workers Party stronghold and was the only part of the country in which the Social Liberal Party candidate did not obtain a majority of votes. Supporters of Brazilian presidential candidate for the Social Liberal Party (PSL) Jair Bolsonaro cheer in front of the residential condominium where he lives, in Barra da Tijuca Credit: AFP In contrast to his usual brash statements, Mr Bolsonaro adopted a more conciliatory tone, declaring that the country cannot take one more step to the Left, [Brazils] path now is to the centre-Right. Following false reports of vote rigging, Mr Bolsonaro also took the opportunity to call into question the validity of the results, stating that if Brazils voting system had any integrity, he would have been elected in the first round. The front-runner was previously confident of securing an overall majority in Sundays vote, declaring that morning that he would be on the beach on 28 October, the day of the decisive second-round runoff. A flag of Fernando Haddad, presidential candidate of Brazil's leftist Worker Party (PT), is seen in a window, in Fortaleza Credit: Reuters Both candidates will embark on a three-week campaign, which began officially on Monday afternoon. There will be a total of six presidential debates, and Mr Bolsonaro and Mr Haddad will each receive equal airtime for televised political broadcasts. However, there were suggestions that Mr Bolsonaro would repeat his snub of TV debates in a sign the populist insurgent will continue his reliance on social media as his preferred platform to reach his loyal supporters. The 53-year-old judge was sworn in to the Supreme Court on Saturday in the face of massive opposition: Getty Brett Kavanaughs confirmation to the Supreme Court on Saturday is widely expected to swing Americas highest court to the right for generation. He was appointed in spite of accusations of sexual assault and amid questions over his impartiality, stoked further when he launched a blazing attack on Democrats questioning him. Though he demurred during his confirmation hearings when asked how he would vote on controversial topics from abortion rights to impeachment he is expected to be a key swing vote for Republicans. Abortion rights (Roe v Wade) The ruling which guaranteed women in all states access to abortion is under regular attack from conservative and religious groups. There are regular test cases brought to the Supreme Court which could be used to weaken or overturn the original ruling. Mr Kavanaugh is likely to occupy the deciding vote in future cases and has said he sees previous judgements uphold these rights as important precedent. This was enough to reassure Republican senator Susan Collins, a deciding vote in his confirmation, to back Mr Kavanaugh. However President Trump has repeatedly said he would appoint justices to overturn Roe v Wade and Mr Kavanaugh declined to say, during his hearings, what he would do if such a case came up. In a 2017 opinion as a Washington DC circuit judge Mr Kavanaugh opposed a decision to allow a girl who was an undocumented minor in the governments care to have an abortion, and may well support changes that increase red tape or delays in accessing treatment. He has also opposed Obamacare principles which required religious organisations to provide contraception to employees, saying this infringed their religious liberties. Gun control Mr Kavanaugh may resist cases seeking to restrict or limit the right to bear arms set out in the second amendment. He has opposed the District of Columbias ban on semi-automatic rifles. In a 2011 opinion he said the constitutional protections afforded to semiautomatic handguns should be logically extended to the high powered assault weapons and DCs ban was unconstitutional. Story continues Mr Kavanaugh was pressed on this objection during the Supreme Court nomination process and said that semiautomatic rifles are widely possessed in the United States. That seemed to fit common use in not being a dangerous and unusual weapon. Semi-automatic rifles, modified with a bump stock which allows the weapon to be continuously fired without releasing the trigger between shots, were used in the massacre of 59 people in Las Vegas in 2017. Investigation into Russian collusion and impeachment Another reason suggested for the presidents backing of Mr Kavanaugh is his belief in executive power. He wrote in a 2009 article in the Minnesota Law Review that Congress should consider a law exempting the sitting president from criminal prosecution and investigation. However in the same argument he said that the impeachment process would still be available if the president does something dastardly. President Trump has repeatedly called special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election a rigged witch hunt. Though it has so far not uncovered evidence against the president that might spark a move to impeachment. Climate change and the environment Mr Kavanaugh wrote in response to Obama-era rules to limit emissions by power plants that he recognises the Earth is warming and humans are contributing and said actions to tackle this are laudable. However he has opposed the plans, and others by the Environmental Protection Agency seeking to limit emissions or other forms of pollution, when the body has acted without specific authorisation from Congress. State surveillance and national security Mr Kavanaugh has said the mass collection of US citizens phone records, exposed by former National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, did not fall foul of constitutional rules prohibiting search and seizure without a warrant. He added that preventing terrorist attacks through the collection of phone numbers and call duration addresses a critical national security need that outweighs the impact on privacy occasioned by this programme. Yaounde (AFP) - Cameroon's government called opposition presidential election candidate Maurice Kamto an "outlaw" on Monday after he defied warnings and declared himself victor of weekend polls ahead of official results. Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC) candidate Kamto's dramatic announcement followed Sunday polls marked by violence in restive anglophone regions, low turnout and difficulties staging the ballot in the conflict-torn areas. "The government is responsible for protecting public order... as soon as someone goes against institutions, they will face the full force of the law," Information Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary told AFP. "Kamto is an outlaw." - 'I took it, and I scored' - By law each polling station must submit its results, after verification by the Elecam electoral commission, to the Constitutional Court which is responsible for announcing the final, official tally within 15 days. But at a media briefing in the capital Yaounde, Kamto proclaimed himself president-elect despite being unable to furnish any evidence for his claim. "I was charged with taking a penalty, I took it, and I scored," he said using a signature football metaphor to applause from supporters. "I have received a clear mandate from the people and I intend to defend it until the end." A raft of unofficial results from Cameroon's almost 25,000 polling stations have already begun to circulate on social media. Opposition candidates had called on their supporters to oversee the tallying process to prevent any fraud that might favour 85-year-old Biya's quest for re-election. "Times are tough. Rise up and prepare to defend your victory because there are some unbelievable things going on," said outsider opposition hopeful, Cabral Libii, who at 38 was the youngest candidate. Ahead of the polls, in which 6.5 million voters were eligible to cast ballots, Kamto warned he would "not accept any" result tainted by fraud. Story continues - 'No one came to vote' - Labour Minister Gregoire Owona, who is the deputy secretary-general of Biya's ruling party, said on Twitter: "I strongly recommend that you don't tie yourself to any violent, insurrection movement". Tensions were high during the vote and violence was reported in the anglophone regions which have been torn by a separatist insurgency that erupted a year ago. After voting began Sunday, security forces shot dead three suspected separatists who had allegedly fired at passersby from a motorcycle in Bamenda, the main city in the English-speaking northwest region, a local official said. In Buea, capital of the anglophone southwest, three fighters of the so-called Ambazonia Republic separatist movement were gunned down on Friday. Gunfire was heard in the largely deserted town throughout polling day and cars belonging to the state-run Cameroon Tribune newspaper as well as a local official came under fire. The official suffered non life-threatening injuries, said a medical source. The violence in the anglophone regions has killed at least 420 civilians, 175 members of the security forces and an unknown number of separatists, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank. "We're bored because no one came to vote, people stayed at home because they're scared," said opposition election observer Georges Fanang in one of Buea's polling stations. - Low turnout? - The army also confirmed that voting could not be held in at least one district of the southwest, Lysoka village, because of the insecurity. "As expected, turnout in the English regions has been particularly low with virtually all the returns we have seen suggesting less than five percent," said ICG analyst Hans de Marie Heungoup. The poll passed off without incident in the rest of the country. In the far north region, considered a "key" to the election because of its large population, very few opposition election observers deployed to remote polling stations, witnesses said, raising fears of possible fraud. The region has been rocked by violent attacks carried out by Nigeria-based Boko Haram jihadists despite US efforts to equip and train Cameroonian forces. Meng Hongwei, president of Interpol, gives an addresses at the opening of the Interpol World Congress in Singapore in 2017 - AFP The former Chinese head of Interpol, who went missing last month, was accused of accepting bribes on Monday, becoming the latest top official to fall into President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption dragnet. After days of concealing the fate of Meng Hongwei - who is also China's vice minister for public security - from the international community, the public security ministry said Meng had accepted bribes but provided no further details on the allegations or the conditions and location of Meng's apparent detention. French officials disclosed on Friday that Meng had been reported missing after leaving France for China, while his wife voiced concern for his life on Sunday some two weeks after he texted her an ominous knife emoji. His case could tarnish Beijing's efforts to gain leadership posts in international organisations, but it is also a black eye for France-based Interpol, which is tasked with finding missing people, analysts say. Interpol said on Sunday that Meng had resigned and would be temporarily replaced by a South Korean official until a new election in November - hours after China's anti-corruption body, the National Supervisory Commission, said he was under investigation for violating unspecified laws. The public security ministry released a statement Monday afternoon, saying Meng accepted bribes and that the investigation "clearly expressed comrade Xi Jinping's" determination to fully carry out the struggle against corruption. It did not provide more details about the allegations. The last message sent by missing Interpol President, Meng Hongwei, to his wife, Grace Meng Credit: John Leicester/ AP "It shows that no one is above the law, with no exceptions. Anyone who violates the law will be seriously investigated and severely punished," the statement said, adding others suspected of accepting bribes alongside Meng would be investigated and dealt with. Meng is the latest high-profile Chinese citizen to disappear, with a number of top government officials, billionaire business magnates and even an A-list celebrity vanishing for weeks or months at a time. When - or if - they reappear, it is often in court. Story continues Meng, the first Chinese president of Interpol, was last heard from on September 25 as he left Lyon, where Interpol is headquartered. Grace, the wife of the missing Interpol president Meng Hongwey, talks to journalists on October 7. She did not want her face shown Credit: JEFF PACHOUD/ AFP Meng was appointed in 2016, despite concerns from human rights groups about giving Chinese President Xi Jinping a victory in his bid to paint the communist-led country as a responsible player in global affairs. But his disappearance could be a setback for China. Interpol was kept in the dark about his disappearance, prompting its secretary general Juergen Stock, who oversees day-to-day operations, to admit that the agency was seeking "clarification" on his whereabouts. "Any international organisation should think twice before considering a Chinese candidate to be its head," Bonnie Glaser, senior Asia advisor at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP. In Xigaze, the hometown of highland barley in southern Tibet, southwest China, Norbu Tenzin has been widely known as the master of tsampa. Each year, the watermill he runs in Guire Village of Gadong Township, Bainang County generates a revenue of more than 40 million yuan. With the Nyangqu River, a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River, flowing by the biggest watermill in Tibet, Norbu Tenzin's factory processes more than 20,000 kilograms of highland barley flour each day. About 68 percent of Bainang County's highland barley harvest goes to Norbu Tenzin's watermills every year. With seven different flavors, his tsampa products have been exported to the U.S., India and Nepal. The indigenous, cholesterol- and blood sugar-reducing barley is Tibet's major grain crop, accounting for 80 percent of total local crop acreage and output. Traditionally the crop is processed into tsampa, a staple food favored by Tibetans made of roasted barley flour, and a popular drink, barleywine. As high-yield seeds of the crop have been planted by more farmers, Tibet's total highland barley output is expected to exceed 800,000 tonnes this year. Donning a black Tibetan frock and wearing a brown hat, the 56-year-old with a sun-tanned complexion resembling barley grains has engaged in Tsampa processing for more than 20 years. Naming his tsampa products after himself, Norbu Tenzin came up with the idea of building his own watermill when he became worried about his barley stockpile. In the late 1990s, Norbu Tenzin had a stockpile of over 100,000 kilograms of barley grain. "With no grain processing plants around and local breweries only purchased tiny portions, I fear they may go bad stored at my house," he said. To cope with the situation, Norbu Tenzin had to travel 200 kilometers with roasted barley grains to Lhasa where he could grind the grains into tsampa, and then sold the tsampa at his two stores in Lhasa and Xigaze. As transportation to Lhasa became increasingly costly, he decided in 1999 to build his own tsampa mill, learning cutting-edge watermill skills from the best craftsman in Lhasa and Xigaze. "The knacks are making sure that water flows from high enough and finding the right rocks for millstones," he said. Starting with four water mills, Norbu Tenzin has expanded his factory to house a total of 104 water mills. A secret to his success, as he sees it, is the fertile land of Bainang County that yields 4.5 tonnes of barley per hectare. Each year, Norbu Tenzin offers a price that is 20 percent higher than market price to secure the supply of fine-quality highland barley. As the business grows, Norbu Tenzin's two sons are poised to hop on board. Tashi Dondrup, a 29-year-old in a slim-cut suit with a trimmed goatee, works in the watermill plant. Tashi Dondrup has just built another plant next to the watermill to house a new biscuit production line. He pays particular attention to food safety, insisting on the use of rigid sanitation standards "on par with operating rooms of hospitals." "We want to make organic, healthy and diverse barley products available across China and the world," said Sonam Norbu, the youngest son of Norbu Tenzin. Beijing (AFP) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo faced a testy exchange with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Monday, days after a blistering US denunciation of the Asian power's global and domestic policies. Pompeo and Foreign Minister Wang Yi highlighted the schism after the chief US diplomat arrived in Beijing on the final leg of an Asian trip focused on North Korea's nuclear issue. Meeting at the Diaoyutai Guest House, Wang told Pompeo that the United States has "stepped up rhetoric over trade tensions" after a raft of tit-for-tat tariffs on billion of dollars in US and Chinese goods. He also accused the United States of making "a series of moves" on Taiwan -- a self-ruling democratic island that Beijing considers a rebel province -- and "other issues" that hurt Chinese sovereignty. "These actions have affected the mutual trust between both sides, and has cast a shadow over the prospect of China-US relations, which completely go against the interest of our two peoples," Wang said. "We require that the US stop such misguided actions," he said, adding that the two countries should pursue cooperation "and not descend into conflict and confrontation." Wang and Pompeo met after US Vice President Mike Pence delivered a searing speech on Thursday accusing China of military aggression, commercial theft and rising human rights violations as he cast the Communist regime as a villain bent on interfering in upcoming US elections. The United States has also angered China with arms sales to Taiwan and new rules allowing top-level US officials to travel to the island, though Washington still recognises Beijing over Taipei. Responding to Wang's remarks, Pompeo said he wanted to come to Beijing to "have discussions". "The issues that you characterised, we have fundamental disagreements," Pompeo told Wang. "We have great concerns over the actions that China has taken and I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss each of those today because this is an incredibly important relationship." Story continues Pompeo also invoked the cancellation of a meeting between US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart, which was supposed to take place this month in Beijing. "I regret that the strategic dialogue between our two countries is something you all chose not to undertake," he said. But Wang retorted: "The strategic dialogue was not called off by the Chinese. I am stating a fact." - No Xi meeting - The two diplomats had warmer words regarding efforts to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions. China has backed United Nations sanctions on its Cold War-era ally, though it recently called for them to be eased. Wang said the North Korean issue shows that Beijing and Washington "can and should increase communication and cooperation". Pompeo said he expected to have "good, candid, frank conversations" with Wang about his meeting Sunday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. But unlike his last visit to Beijing in June, Pompeo did not have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He met with senior Communist Party foreign affairs official Yang Jiechi, who recalled that Beijing has lodged official protests with the United States to express its "dissatisfaction" over a series of US actions. "China and US relations are at an important juncture and facing challenges," Yang said. "We hope the US and China will be on the same page." Pompeo replied that it was "important that we listen to each other, work through and find constructive solutions so we can find a good outcome for both our countries." In a statement released after Pompeo's meetings, the State Department said both sides agreed on the importance of a "constructive, results-oriented bilateral relationship". "The secretary directly addressed areas where the United States and China do not agree, including on the South China Sea and human rights," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. Both sides are also committed to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, Nauert added. After spending about five hours in Beijing, Pompeo headed for the airport to return to Washington. Stockholm (AFP) - The 2018 Nobel season, marked by the lack of a literature award for the first time in 70 years, winds up Monday with the economics prize which experts say could go to research on the climate or development. The Nobel economics prize was created by the Swedish central bank "in memory of Alfred Nobel" and first awarded in 1969, unlike the other prizes which were created in his last will and testament and first awarded in 1901. As with the other Nobels, nominations and deliberations are kept secret for 50 years, so it's nearly impossible to know which way the prize committee is leaning each year. "From a historical perspective, there are about as many conservative as liberal economists in recent years and the trend has been for diversification: the range of fields of research that have been honoured has been more vast, the choice of laureates has been more eclectic," economist Gabriel Soderberg of Sweden's Uppsala University told AFP. Last year the prize went to US economist Richard Thaler, a co-founder of the so-called "nudge" theory, which demonstrates how people can be persuaded to make decisions that leave them healthier and happier. "The heart of the Nobel prizes are the awards for science, peace and literature. The economics prize is not formally a Nobel prize," Soderberg said. That fact may make "the jury more attentive to public opinion, a little more sensitive to the way in which the laureate will be received," he said. This is why "societal questions are reflected in the prize. The issue of climate change is very important right now and (for this reason) William Nordhaus could be honoured," he said. Nordhaus, a Yale University professor known for his research on the economic consequences of global warming, bears two of the typical characteristics of a Nobel economics laureate: he's a man, and he's American, like 70 percent of previous prizewinners. Story continues At 77, he's a decade older than the average winner. - A woman's year ? - Only one woman has won the economics prize since 1969, Elinor Ostrom in 2009. Micael Dahlen, a professor at the Stockholm School of Economics, said that was all the more reason to give the nod to a woman this year. "I'd really like to see the prize go to (France's) Esther Duflo, whose research has focused on developing economies and gender equality, or Cuban-born American Carmen Reinhart, active in the field of public finance," Dahlen explained. Meanwhile, Hubert Fromlet, a professor at Sweden's University of Vaxjo singled out several American women who could be honoured: Anne Krueger, the first woman named the deputy head of the International Monetary Fund, Susan Athey, known for her work on auctions and decision making under uncertainty, and Claudia Goldin, who researches gender inequality. "I could also see the prize going to a macro-economist like Ben Bernanke," the former head of the US Federal Reserve, said Dahlen. Among the "usual suspects" cited frequently for the Nobel are US economists Paul Romer and Paul Milgrom, and Frenchman Olivier Blanchard, a former IMF chief economist. The youngest Nobel prize is this year celebrating its 50th anniversary. Created in 1968 to mark the tricentenary of the Swedish central bank, the Riksbank, it is the most prestigious prize an economics researcher can win. Nobel's will stipulated that the prizes shall go to people who have worked to create "a better world". According to Micael Dahlen, "economics has the same sweeping effects on society as the other disciplines and can therefore be considered a prerequisite for everything from scientific progress to culture and peace". "It's about understanding and creating the basis for well-being and development," Dahlen said. The prize is to be announced on Monday at 11:45 am (0945 GMT) in Stockholm, wrapping up the 2018 awards season in which the most highly-anticipated prize, that for peace, on Friday went to Yazidi women's campaigner Nadia Murad, a former Islamic State sex slave, and Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege, who helps women recover from the violence and trauma of sexual abuse and rape in war. The Nobel, which consists of a diploma, a gold medal and a cheque for nine million kronor (around $1 million, 863,000 euros), will be handed over at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10. A bronze statue of Christopher Columbus stands in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo: kickstand via Getty Images) I come from Laguna Pueblo and the Yuma Nation, and even in my small reservation border town where many of us children were Pueblo, Apache, Ute and Navajo Columbus Day was taken seriously by my elementary school teachers. We honored the Italian explorer, coloring pictures of the ships Columbus captained to discover our homeland. We took red crayons to the crusader flag, never realizing then that it was the same color as the blood our ancestors shed during colonization at the hands of Columbus and his Spanish conquistadors. Im a Native woman, but my husband is an Italian immigrant born and raised in Italy. Columbus Day is an important federal holiday for many Italian-Americans of the baby boomer generation, and I understand why: Many of them remember a time when their grandparents were considered outsiders in this country and faced violence and oppression as a result. But this federal holiday and the monuments that celebrate Columbus as an uncomplicated hero must go. Few educational texts in this country return to reliable, primary sources when it comes to discussions about Columbus. Biographical depictions of the explorer tend to be subjective and came long after his death. But one historian who knew Columbus personally, Bartoleme de las Casas, published A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies in 1552. He decried the brutality, describing how Columbus and the conquistadors disfigured Native slaves and fed them alive to dogs. Columbus was eventually arrested by the Spanish Crown and stripped of his governorship for executing Spanish citizens without a trial. Ever since Berkeley, California, became the first U.S. city to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day in the early 1990s, Americans have been re-examining the explorers role in our nations history. In blue states especially, communities now recognize Columbus as a slaveholder, rapist and plunderer of gold; a total of 56 cities and four states have followed Berkeleys example. Story continues Its not only Native populations that are harmed when we continue to celebrate Columbus year after year. The first and perhaps most famous Columbus monuments sits in Tower Grove Park in St. Louis. It was commissioned more than 130 years ago by an English-born businessman named Henry Shaw, who was reportedly appalled by the way Italian-Americans were being treated by American society and wanted to help the community integrate and gain acceptance. The monument honoring Columbus has been repeatedly defaced in recent years, particularly since Michael Brown, a black 18-year-old man, was shot and killed by a police officer in nearby Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. Last year around the Columbus Day federal holiday, bright red graffiti across the statue spelled out Black Lives Matter and murderer, calling attention to the atrocities the explorer committed against African slaves. Growing up in Milan, my husbands teachers spoke openly about Columbus brutal past. He doesnt understand why Americans stay so attached to the Genovese explorer when Italian luminaries like Giuseppe Garibaldi, Giordano Bruno and Amatore Sciesa could easily be honored instead. Its not my place to tell Italian-Americans who might replace Columbus as their historical hero. But I can say that he represents a great deal of suffering for us Native Americans. We are not immigrants, yet we remain outsiders on our own land, with voices that are rarely heard. A statue of Christopher Columbus is defaced with red paint in New York City's Central Park. (Photo: New York Daily News via Getty Images) The executive director of Tower Grove Park recently asked protesters white students, Black Lives Matter activists and urban Native professionals to make nonbinding recommendations about whether the statue should be removed from the park entirely or a plaque added to contextualize its history. A community forum will be held this month to discuss the issue. These talks represent progress, though they promise to be heated and theres no assurance that any proposed changes will actually be implemented. I admire Henry Shaw for wanting to help an ostracized people feel more at home in their country. He cared about Italian immigrants when they were reviled by society, and thanks to people like him, their population no longer needs thoughtful inclusion. We can honor Shaws legacy now by turning our attention to another ostracized population: the Native community. Imagine traveling to Europe and seeing statues of Benito Mussolini or Adolf Hitler perched on pedestals. You wouldnt, because these countries recognize their violent histories. Yet here in America, 46 states still celebrate a man who committed unspeakable crimes against humanity. I suggest we revise our nations origin story by forcing ourselves to see it more clearly. We must add proper historical context to our Columbus monuments and put them in museums, rather than public parks. If Italian-Americans wish to continue celebrating their heritage (and they have every right to), there are many other important historical figures to be proud of. Lets consider Native children across the country, whose sense of self and worth would be greatly improved by the renaming of this federal holiday. Columbus Day honors one man with a violent and controversial past; Indigenous Peoples Day honors many who have died and who have survived historic discrimination and violence. Lets make it Indigenous Peoples Day once and for all. Deborah Taffa is an enrolled member of the Yuma Indian Nation and a descendant of Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico. She teaches creative nonfiction at Webster University in St. Louis and will be writing season three of the PBS series America From the Ground Up. ALSO ON HUFFPOST OPINION The Catholic Church Is Losing Its Most Devoted Followers Are You Asking Me To Talk The 'Right' Way Or The 'White' Way? The Wage Gap Is Even Worse For Native Women Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Republicans might have won a majority in the countrys highest court but it has lost legitimacy at a critical moment A public loss of faith in the courts as they become weaponized in the service of a particular agenda is a hallmark of authoritarian and illiberal regimes. Photograph: Jose Luis Magana/AFP/Getty Images The saga of judge Brett Kavanaughs confirmation to the supreme court is over, and it is time for the credits to roll. Top billing will go to a Republican president and his allies in the Senate who were willing to allow norms to be steamrollered and justice to be short-changed in the pursuit of a reliable conservative majority on the court. But the greatest cost of all for Republican ambition will be paid by the supreme court in its most precious coin: legitimacy. The court may soon face cases on matters such as whether a sitting president can be charged with obstruction of justice The supreme court can enable or block sweeping changes in US life. The courts legitimacy as it does so rests on the publics faith that its decisions can cut both ways. At a time when partisanship filters public perception of nearly everything that happens in political life, the supreme court retains an aura of non-partisan rectitude that the other branches of government long ago squandered. Just as we accept losing democratic elections because we know we could win the next one, the supreme court has weathered unpopular decisions because even disaffected groups retained faith that the long arc of justice would eventually bend back in their direction. Yet now, the winner-take-all approach to the court adopted by Republicans is threatening this perception by making it appear that the court is being weaponized to serve one party. First, Republicans purloined a seat for Neil Gorsuch by refusing to confirm Barack Obamas pick for a vacant seat on the court in 2016. Then, during Kavanaughs confirmation hearings, Republicans have claimed to hear and see no evil as their nominee shed any pretence of impartiality and raved about a conspiracy to block his confirmation by leftwing opposition groups and those angry about President Trump and the 2016 election. Careful to namecheck every Republican bete noire and placate the watching president, Kavanaugh even invoked the Clintons. Never before has a judge sought a seat on the supreme court with such a stunning declaration of political war a war against groups who may one day bring cases before the very court on which he aspires to sit. Story continues Two potential disasters loom as a result. The first is that the court votes with a narrow majority to protect Trump or his associates from law enforcement. The court may soon face cases on fraught constitutional matters such as whether a sitting president can be charged with obstruction of justice, the extent of the presidential pardon power, and whether a sitting president can be indicted at all. The Gorsuch affair, combined with Kavanaughs blatant partisanship and sycophancy to Trump in his confirmation hearing, could create something close to a constitutional crisis if the court votes to protect the president from due process of law. The damage to the courts image, not to mention US democracy more broadly, would be profound. The second challenge will unfold more slowly over the decades for which a conservative majority on the court is likely to now be assured. The court could revisit decisions on reproductive rights such as Roe v Wade or Planned Parenthood v Casey, or accelerate the weakening of voting rights that was enabled by Shelby County v Holder. The spectacle of Americans having popular rights stripped away by a court whose majority was born in such partisan circumstances is likely to profoundly affect its perception among the public. A public loss of faith in the courts as they become weaponized in the service of a particular agenda is a hallmark of authoritarian and illiberal regimes. Courts in such countries also typically act to shield the autocrat and his political allies, enabling their further accumulation of power. A supreme court majority born under these circumstances, which protected Trump from the law and enabled gerrymandering and voting restrictions that benefited Republicans, would hasten the movement of Trumps US into the same camp as Erdogans Turkey and Orbans Hungary. By consolidating Republican power, it would also make breaking camp and heading back towards the light that much more difficult. Proposed Democratic solutions such as packing the court with additional liberal judges to redress the balance risk creating a spiralling conflict that does nothing to restore the courts legitimacy as a non-partisan institution. Republicans are hence setting in motion a partisan conflict that, like so many others in recent US history, will leave the countrys democratic institutions dangerously weakened. Just as fake news thrives on creating a false equivalence between its own lies and the truth, the forces of authoritarianism and division in US political life will be strengthened if they can drag the court down to their own level. Republican senators who still care about the ideals of the USs founding and the strength of its democracy, ought to have thought carefully about these risks before they voted in Kavanaugh. They might have won the court, but they risk losing their nation in the process. Andrew Gawthorpe is a lecturer in history and international studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands Bucharest (AFP) - A Romanian court announced Monday that an appeal by the head of ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), Liviu Dragnea, against a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence will be delayed until next month. The country's highest court of appeal had been due to start hearing Dragnea's appeal against the sentence for a fake jobs scandal on Monday. But the 55-year-old, who was not in court, asked for more time to find a lawyer, the court said. The case will now be heard on November 5. Dragnea -- one of Romania's most powerful politicians and thought to hold substantial sway over the government of Prime Minister Viorica Dancila -- was found guilty in June of using his influence to keep two women on the payroll of a child protection state agency, even though they were working for the PSD. Dragnea, who has repeatedly denied any wrong-doing, claimed the selection of the five appeal judges had been "illegal". "They want to put me behind bars by breaking the law," he said, alleging pressure was being put on the judges. Dragnea was also given a two-year suspended prison sentence for vote-rigging dating back to 2016, a sentence that prevented him from being made prime minister. The PSD has embarked upon a major shake-up of the justice system, but Brussels says it undermines the independence of the judiciary and weakens anti-corruption efforts. By Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton ORLANDO, Florida/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a "good talk" on Monday with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department official in charge of the federal investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and has no plans to fire him. There has been widespread speculation that Trump might oust Rosenstein, a frequent target of Trump's tweeted criticism, after a New York Times report that he had made remarks about Trump's fitness for office and offered to record conversations with him. Rosenstein traveled with Trump on Air Force One to Orlando on Monday, where the president gave a speech to police chiefs. Upon landing, Rosenstein was seen smiling and appeared at ease as he walked down the front stairs of Air Force One alongside Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly. It was not immediately clear whether Trump and Rosenstein talked about the controversy during their 45-minute-long conversation on the flight, where Kelly and another Department of Justice official, Ed O'Callaghan, were also present. They talked about support for law enforcement officials, border security, crime in Chicago and "general DOJ business," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said. "The press wants to know, 'What did you talk about?'" Trump said at the start of his speech after he thanked Rosenstein for being there and noted the intense media interest. "We had a very good talk, I will say. That became a very big story, actually. We had a good talk," Trump said. Rosenstein has denied the Sept. 21 New York Times report as "inaccurate and factually incorrect." The article said that while Rosenstein had made the suggestions over concern about chaos in the administration, none of them actually came to fruition. As he left the White House for Orlando, Trump was asked by a reporter if he had any plans to fire Rosenstein. "No I don't, no," he said. Rosenstein oversees Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Russia denies interfering and Trump says there was no collusion between his campaign and Moscow. Firing Rosenstein before the Nov. 6 congressional elections could have political consequences. Democrats believe it would raise questions about whether Trump would shut down the Mueller probe, which could energize their voters in House and Senate races. Trump told reporters earlier on Monday that he has a "good relationship" with Rosenstein. "I didn't know Rod before, but I've gotten to know him, and I get along very well with him," he said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Dan Grebler and Cynthia Osterman) Moscow (AFP) - Moscow said Monday that four Russians expelled as alleged spies by the Netherlands were on a "routine visit", insisting that the Dutch intelligence operation had failed to provide proof of any hacking plot. Russia summoned the Dutch ambassador in Moscow on Monday over the allegations that the four plotted to attack an international institution in The Hague. She reportedly demanded an end to such attacks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the expulsion of four alleged military intelligence agents from the Netherlands in April had been a "misunderstanding". "There was nothing secret about the trip by our specialists to the Netherlands, it was a routine trip," Lavrov told reporters. "They didn't hide when they checked into the hotel, or when they came to the airport, or when they went to our embassy," he said. "They were detained without explanation... and asked to leave. It looked like a misunderstanding." The Netherlands had not issued any diplomatic protest over the incident, he added. The Netherlands said Thursday it had expelled four GRU military intelligence agents in April for plotting a cyber attack on the world's chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague. Officials said the men entered the country on Russian diplomatic passports on April 10 and were caught on April 13 with a car full of electronic equipment in the Marriott Hotel next to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. A statement by the Russian foreign ministry cited by Russian news agencies said the equipment was "meant to test the (Russian) embassy information systems in order to analyse the embassy's computer networks due to more frequent attempts to infiltrate Russian institutions." The men's passports and other details, including a taxi receipt for a trip to a Moscow airport from a street containing a branch of the military intelligence agency, were shown to the Dutch media. Story continues Asked by reporters whether the Kremlin considered this evidence, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "no" and refused to further discuss "these topics" with the media. - US indictment - Western countries last week presented their latest allegations that Russian intelligence agents were operating to undermine international institutions. In a joint statement, British Prime Minister Theresa May and her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte accused the GRU intelligence agency of "disregard for global values and rules that keep us all safe". Britain's defence minister Gavin Williamson condemned Russia as a "pariah state" and promised further isolation of Moscow. The US announced Thursday that the four Russians expelled from the Netherlands -- Alexei Minin, Yevgeny Serebryakov, Oleg Sotnikov and Alexei Morenets -- were among seven people it had indicted over a global hacking conspiracy. The GRU hackers are accused of having interfered in the US presidential polls in 2016 and staged hack attacks on the world anti-doping agency (WADA), according to a US Justice Department indictment. They also hacked into the WiFi system of hotels housing sporting officials during the Rio Olympics to gather their credentials, later using them to leak details on world athletes' doping tests, the indictment alleged. - Envoy summoned - Emerging from the building after an hour-long meeting, Jones-Bos told journalists she insisted that the Netherlands will not permit attacks on international institutions located on its soil, and gave a clear signal that this should stop, Interfax news agency reported. Lavrov said that Russia had already discussed the incident with The Hague's but nothing "coherent" had emerged from the discussions. "We are dealing with a sort of loudspeaker diplomacy, a disregard for legal mechanisms" for resolving such disputes, Lavrov said. By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - East Libyan forces on Monday captured a top suspected Egyptian militant long sought by Cairo on charges of orchestrating a deadly desert ambush on police last year and other high-profile attacks, the Libyan military said. Hisham al-Ashmawy, a former Egyptian special forces officer, was apprehended in the city of Derna, on the coastal road about 265 km (165 miles) west of Libya's border with Egypt, Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed Mismari said. His capture is likely to deal a blow to Islamist militants who have been battling the LNA and carrying out attacks across the border into Egypt. The LNA is the dominant force in Libya's east. A separate U.N.-backed government rules in the county's west, while multiple armed groups compete for power seven years after autocrat Muammar Gaddafi was toppled. The LNA published a picture of Ashmawy with blood on his face, being examined before having bandages applied. It also posted a photo appearing to show his Egyptian military identity card. He was arrested in Derna's Al-Maghar neighborhood "and was wearing an explosive vest but was unable to detonate it," the LNA said. It said he would probably be handed over to Egypt after Libyan security officials had completed an investigation. EGYPT CONFIRMS An Egyptian military source confirmed Ashmawy's capture to Reuters, without giving further details. Ashmawy has been convicted in absentia to death in Egypt for attacks in Egypt, including a 2014 raid in which 22 Egyptian military border guards were killed near the frontier with Libya. The LNA declared that it had taken control of Derna in June from jihadists and other opponents, though sporadic fighting has continued. Egypt has close relations with the LNA, which is led by Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, and has in the past launched air strikes over Derna, saying it was targeting jihadists linked to militant activity inside Egypt. The LNA said the wife and children of a second senior alleged militant, Mohamed Rifae Soroor, named in Egyptian media as Omar Rifae Soroor, were also apprehended. Egyptian state media reported that Libyan forces killed Soroor in June. Egyptian authorities say Ashmawy heads the Ansar al-Islam network, which claimed responsibility for an ambush against police in Egypt's Western Desert one year ago. Egyptian officials also accuse the network, which they link to al-Qaeda, of an assassination attempt on a former interior minister in 2013. Egyptian security and intelligence sources say the group has mounted a recruiting campaign among former officers in recent years and is seen as more dangerous than militants operating in Egypt's Sinai peninsula. Derna has a recent history of militancy, and was briefly controlled by Islamic State before the ultra-hardline group was pushed out by local rivals in 2015. Before moving to Derna, Ashmawy was active with Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, an Egyptian militant group based in North Sinai, but after it pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2014, he joined a different group loyal to al-Qaeda. Militants launched an insurgency in Sinai after Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Mursi was overthrown in 2013, following protests against his rule. (Additional reporting by Sami Aboudi and Ali Abdelaty in Cairo; Writing by Aidan Lewis and Ulf Laessing; Editing by Peter Graff and John Stonestreet) Mark Jordan as Daz Spencer in Emmderdale (Credit: ITV) Emmerdale actor Mark Jordon has been charged with grievous bodily harm and assault after he allegedly attacked a 67-year-old man in a pub. Jordon, who plays Daz Spencer in the ITV soap, is accused of biting fellow customer Andy Potts on the face in a fight at the Farrars Arms in Oldham, Greater Manchester, in July. The actor was initially arrested and then released under investigation, but has now been charged. Mr Potts was treated for facial injuries following the alleged incident Police confirmed to The Sun: Jordon is charged with GBH and common assault. Hes reportedly set to appear in front of magistrates in November. A source on Emmerdale told the newspaper: Its very serious. Producers are concerned and weighing up what to do. Its possible Mark will be suspended and if found guilty his days would be numbered. A spokesperson for ITV told MailOnline that it is a personal matter. Jordon previously starred as PC Phil Bellamy in Heartbeat on ITV, and is in a relationship with Emmerdale co-star Laura Norton. Read more Barbara Windsor appears in dementia charity video Corries Simon Gregson hates filming weddings Only Fools and Horses musical on the way ANKARA (Reuters) - An adviser to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday he believed prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing for six days, was killed in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. Yasin Aktay, who advises Erdogan in his ruling AK Party, also told Reuters that Turkish authorities believed a group of 15 Saudi nationals were "most certainly involved" in the matter, and added that statements by Saudi officials on the absence of camera records were not sincere. Late on Saturday, Turkish sources told Reuters that Turkish authorities believed Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate last week, in what they described as the deliberate targeting of a prominent critic of the Gulf kingdom's rulers. (Reporting by Orhan Coskun; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Susan Fenton) Ballet dancer Wu Husheng, who is used to playing princes, emperors and dukes, will take the role of a young revolutionary in Bright Red Star. This original production of the Shanghai Ballet will premiere at the Shanghai International Dance Center on Oct 24. This is a ballet tailor-made for Wu, the lead star dancer of the Shanghai Ballet, says Zhao Ming, the director and choreographer of the play. The story of Bright Red Star is familiar to many in China, thanks to the 1974 movie of the same name. The hero in the movie, Pan Dongzi, is a teenage boy, and son of a Red Army officer. When his father leaves home for the battlefield, the landlord returns to the village and ruthlessly exploits the peasants who had forced him out, killing Dongzi's mother alongside others, and burning his house. After his mother's death, Dongzi joins guerrilla fighters to kill the former landlord. Then he followed his father to become a member of the Red Army to fight the Japanese army in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. In the latest production, Zhao tells the story from the point of view of a grownup Dongzi, when he is a soldier on march in a platoon, and his previous experiences come up in a series of flashbacks. Zhao worked closely with Wu, the lead principal dancer of the Shanghai Ballet, to take full advantage of his personal style and techniques. Speaking about how Wu - who plays Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, the Prince of Denmark in Hamlet, and the Tang emperor in Echoes of Eternity - took to the role, Zhao says: "Usually he dances aristocratic roles, in grace and dignity, which is very different from the posture of a soldier. "But once we found the right expression, the ballet turned out to be better than Chinese folk dance in the portrayal of the soldiers' spirit." Since his graduation from Shanghai Dance School in 2003, Wu has been a dancer with the Shanghai Ballet, where he took the lead in a series of productions. And he says that, although he is working with Zhao for the first time he is impressed with the logic in his choreography. "He didn't use exaggerated expressions," says Wu. "Instead, he built the narrative smoothly, so that we dancers can put our own feelings in, and comfortably follow it to the climax when we have the emotional catharsis." Meanwhile, an 18-year-old dancer Yan Qingchen will play the teenage Pan Dongzi in the flashbacks. Speaking about the hurdles he faced, Zhao says that one of the greatest challenges he faced is to create a convincing narrative with two dancers on stage simultaneously as the same character. In a very emotional scene, the young Dongzi and his mom bid farewell to his father. "I struggled with this," says Zhao. "But eventually I decided to ask my dancers to act with their limbs in minimal movements." Speaking about the work, Zhao says that it features contemporary aesthetics and uses a modern dance vocabulary and expressions. "It is a contemporary interpretation of a revolutionary theme, different from traditional revolutionary ballets such as The White Haired Girl or Red Detachment of Women." Both the White Haired Girl and Red Detachment of Women were premiered in 1964, and today remain popular repertoires of the Shanghai Ballet and the National Ballet of China, respectively. Ballet, as a Western dance form, has unique aesthetics and expressions. The White Haired Girl and Red Detachment of Women are both successful in combining folk dance, music and other Chinese artistic elements with those of ballet. Ballerinas take the lead role in both productions, as traditional ballet usually does. However, in Bright Red Star, male dancers are the highlight - not just Wu as the hero, but the whole group of more than 40 male dancers from Shanghai Ballet. Speaking about the cast, Xin Lili, the director of Shanghai Ballet, says: "The production features a total of almost 90 actors, all of whom are contract dancers with Shanghai Ballet. As for the decision to stage the show, she says: "It is our mission as Shanghai Ballet to take the good stories from our culture, and tell them to the widest public, at home and abroad." For Zhao, the ballet is not is first encounter with the story. About 20 years ago, he created a Chinese folk dance production of Bright Red Star featuring Shanghai's celebrity dancer Huang Doudou. It was his first dance theater production and won a series of national awards. Asked why he is tackling the subject again, he says: "In the new production I want to show my understanding of dance theater which comes from 20 years of work and experience." The EU election advert branded Islamophobic The European parliament is to remove one of its election adverts after it was branded Islamophobic by a British politician. Conservative MEP Sajjad Karim raised concerns over a giant banner that was recently put up in Brussels and Strasbourg to promote next years European elections. The poster part of the parliaments 29m this time Im voting campaign shows a woman in a head scarf next to the words: Because we need to work together to manage migration. The European Network Against Racism said the message equated managing migration with limiting the entry of Muslims into Europe. The groups senior advocacy officer, Julie Pascoet, said she was outraged to see the parliament supporting Islamophobic narratives. MORE: EXCLUSIVE: EU told to scrap Islamophobic election advert by British MEP Yahoo UK revealed last week that Karim had written to the parliament president Antonio Tajani to demand that the poster be removed. This not only adds to the already confused debate on immigration and asylum, but panders to the very stereotypes the extremists wish to establish, Karim wrote. Ironically, the poster is part of a drive to boost participation amid fears that another low turnout just 42% of eligible voters took part in 2014 could play into the hands of populists. Now Tajani has confirmed the poster is being axed and apologised. New European parliament election campaign posters in Brussels (European Parliament) I have taken on board your concerns and discussed them with the directorate-general that manages the parliaments institutional communication and was responsible for the poster specifically, Tajani wrote on Monday. Parliaments services apologise for any offence caused and have assured me it was not deliberate. I have asked that the posters be taken down both in Brussels and Strasbourg as soon as possible. Karim, who is vice-president of the parliaments cross-party anti-racism group, said it was the right thing to do. It is wrong that they ever appeared at all, he said. There is clearly a need for these institutions to practice what they preach when it comes to populism, nationalism, inclusivity, diversity and discrimination. Story continues MORE: EU slams divisive Brexit coverage of UK newspapers Like many Muslims across Europe, my family and I have been intimidated by anti-Islam extremists. The European parliament should be opposing Islamophobia, not pandering to it. If this Islamophobic poster is the message for the next round of the EU elections then Europe is in a very precarious state. The decision to remove the poster was announced hours after Yahoo UK raised the issue at the European parliaments weekly press conference. A parliament spokesperson said: The idea behind the campaign was simply to represent a group of migrants, in this case from Syria, because thats where most of them were coming from, on a poster and saying the EU is sharing the issue of how to manage them, how to distribute them and how to handle the various asylum requests collectively. That was the intent behind the poster. But its obviously been misread or misrepresented or misunderstood. MORE: Conservative MEP under fire for displaying ignore the Irish poster amid Brexit tension FILE This Thursday, March 16, 2017, file photo shows the interior of a commercial airliner at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. On Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018, the House voted to direct the federal government to set a minimum size for airline seats, bar passengers from being kicked off overbooked planes, and consider whether to restrict animals on planes. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) President Trump signed a bill that will likely set minimum seat sizes for aircraft, after a three-year journey by bipartisan lawmakers worried about timely evacuations with shrinking seats. Airplanes are required by law to be able to do a full evacuation in 90 seconds or less. But with the average seat size decreasing as airlines both low-cost airlines and regular look to make more money, many have doubted that timely evacuations are realistic. But while the law exists, real testing using live people representing travelers has not been done in the modern era of aviation. Instead, testing has done via computer modeling, which appears to be insufficient if recent examples of evacuations are anything to go by. We had a real live situation in Chicago and it took over two minutes for a plane to evacuate, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who authored the legislation that was included in the FAA Reauthorization bill, told Yahoo Finance shortly before Trump signed the bill. For Cohen, its been a long journey filled with concern that the only thing to get proper evacuation testing and a seat size minimum to ensure speed in an emergency was a disaster that resulted in casualties. Its gratifying to see this included in the bill, he said. Itll become law and the FAA will have to look at this to determine if the pitch and width [of the seats are] deleterious to health and safety of flying public. While the law does not establish minimum seat sizes, Cohen thinks its all but certain. I certainly believe it is [harmful to health and safety]. I think getting out in an emergency is impossible, he said. They will look at it and they will prescribe a minimum. The airlines didnt fight Cohens measure, but it remains a touchy subject in the industry, which has been addressing profitability issues by cramming in more seats and thereby shrinking legroom. The next steps This is not the end, however. Cohen said that, for whatever reason, the FAA has not been doing [evacuation] tests on its own, so it will be critical for him and the Houses aviation subcommittee to monitor. Story continues With midterm elections coming up and the Democrats increasingly likely to take the House, Cohen and the Democrats will have further leverage. Cohen said he would make sure the FAA is held to the task quickly and perform the tests theyre supposed to be undertaking. Cohen said that hell have a better idea of when the evacuation tests and possible seat minimums will take effect in February, assuming the Dems take a majority in the House. Still, the bill was bipartisan, and co-sponsored with Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, to whom Cohen is grateful: The aviation committee has always had a more than a modicum of bipartisanship. So will this make flying more expensive? It shouldnt, Cohen said. But airlines have used every excuse possible to raise prices and profits. Ethan Wolff-Mann is a writer at Yahoo Finance focusing on consumer issues, retail, personal finance, and more. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann. Sajid Javid gave up on attempts to ensure the US did not execute two British Isis militants because he feared sparking outrage in Donald Trump's administration, a court has heard. El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey, who were allegedly members of a cell dubbed "The Beatles" and who killed a series of hostages in Syria, have been the subject of a legal dispute between the US and UK since being captured in January. Earlier this year a leaked letter showed that Mr Javid had agreed to hand evidence on the pair to American authorities for a federal prosecution, but without assurances that the death penalty would not be used. Elsheikh's mother, Maha Elgizouli, is attempting to launch a judicial review over the decision and claims it is unlawful. Her lawyers told the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, and Mr Justice Garnham that the unprecedented and unjustified move was taken against advice from government departments and violated precedent. Edward Fitzgerald QC said it was influenced by the anticipated outrage of members of the Trump administration if the UK demanded assurances that the pair would not face the death penalty. "[Mr Javid] wrongly exposed the suspects to the very real risk of an inhuman punishment, he told the Administrative Court in London. "This country should not facilitate the imposition in another country of a punishment which we ourselves recognise as inhuman and unlawful. Sajid Javid dropped the UK's insistence on assurances against the death penalty to hand over evidence on Kotey and Elsheikh (BBC/PA) "He took those steps in large part because of the anticipated outrage of certain political appointees in the Trump administration if the UK insisted on death penalty assurances. We submit that the anticipated outrage of those US officials was not a proper consideration as a matter of law. Lawyers for Mr Javid argued that there is no common law prohibition on providing legal assistance to another country where it may result in proceedings leading to the death penalty. This group [the Isis Beatles] is associated with some of the gravest offences perpetrated against civilians in Syria during the conflict, James Eadie QC told the court. Story continues These beheadings are notorious globally, all but one having been filmed and posted on the internet. He said Mr Javid's decision was rational, did not create inconsistency with the UK's general death penalty policy and did not misdirect himself in law or fact. Mr Eadie also said the government had not violated the Data Protection Act. The court heard that the US first made a request for mutual legal assistance (MLA) on Kotey and Elsheikh in June 2015, when the then home secretary, Theresa May, said material would not be handed over without assurances against the death penalty. In response the US Department of Justice offered partial assurances that it would not make direct use of the evidence in its case but the British government did not change its position. Mr Fitzgerald said it remained consistent even after Donald Trump was sworn in as president, and the Home Office was still demanding full assurances against the death penalty in August 2017. After Elsheikh and Kotey were detained in Syria in January, the Crown Prosecution Service reviewed the 600 witness statements gathered by the Metropolitan Police but concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute them in Britain. Mr Fitzgerald said that although the current proceedings were not challenging that decision it does seem very strange that if this country has evidence that is sufficient to put these two suspects on trial in the US, that they can't be tried for anything in this country. Kotey and Elshiekh are accused of being part of the Isis cell that executed James Foley and other British and American hostages (AP) He said that in March Amber Rudd met the US attorney general, Jeff Sessions, who requested the UK put the suspects on trial itself and expressed a favourable view of Guantanamo if they had to be handled by the US. Then in April, the security minister Ben Wallace held talks with the US Department of Justice where the court heard he was informed of the opposition of senior members of the administration to a federal trial and strong voices arguing for Guantanamo. Later that month Ms Rudd resigned as home secretary and was replaced by Mr Javid, who discussed the case with Mr Sessions by phone. The US attorney general said he did not want his hands tied by UK demands and insisted that the death penalty should not be an issue, Mr Fitzgerald said. Then in May a briefing by the British ambassador in Washington warned that continued demands could cause something close to outrage among Mr Trump's political appointees. Mr Fitzgerald said the advice expressed fears that Mr Sessions, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others would wind the president up to complain to the PM and potentially, to hold a grudge that could damage bilateral relations. The UK Central Authority continued recommending that the UK demanded full assurances against the death penalty, which the US has complied with in other cases, but days later there was an about-turn. Mr Fitzgerald said that in a meeting with Mr Sessions on 30 May, Mr Javid assessed that if he asked for assurances, whether full or partial, it was likely to provoke outrage. We submit that that about-turn was both unreasonable and unlawful, he added, accusing the government of washing its hands. Effectively he gave up Mr Javid didn't even try, he made no attempt to ask for assurances at all. We submit that that was an unworthy capitulation. The home secretary informed Boris Johnson of the change in June, claiming that significant attempts had been made and that the dropping of assurances would mitigate the risk of Kotey and Elsheikh being detained in Guantanamo. In a letter, Mr Javid noted the risk of key US political appointees reacting with outrage. In his reply, Mr Johnson said there was also American dissatisfaction with the UK's perceived unwillingness to pursue a prosecution, while at the same time seeking to dictate terms to the US. The then foreign secretary backed the transfer of evidence but warned that it could reduce the UK's global moral authority on the death penalty, while providing fodder for radicalisers. On 22 June Mr Javid communicated the decision to Mr Sessions to provide material without assurances. The decision was an unprecedented and unjust, Mr Fitzgerald told the court. It wrongly exposed the suspect to the serious risk of execution and moreover such execution is likely to follow. He argued that the home secretary also violated the Data Protection Act and failed to consider the long periods spent on death row in the US, and evidence of extreme pain caused by lethal injection. The home office announced a temporary pause of the MLA after Elsheikh's mother launched legal action but evidence will continue to be transferred if it fails. Mr Fitzgerald said the case was not so much about the rights of Elsheikh but about the government being held to its own previous policy and the rule of law. The claimant [his mother] has not come before this court to excuse the appalling acts with which her son has been linked, if those acts are proved against him, and has not come to oppose that if he is convicted he is appropriately punished, he added. "Her concern is the death penalty and she asks that the government should be held to its general policy and invariable practice of seeking death penalty assurances before providing evidence pursuant to the MLA treaty." Families of the hostages murdered by the Isis Beatles have said they want Kotey and Elsheikh put on trial but not executed, as have their surviving victims. Mr Javid has faced criticism from all parties over his decision, which was branded extraordinary and a dramatic change of policy by the former reviewer of anti-terror legislation, Lord Carlile. Kotey and Elsheikh, who were raised in the UK, remain detained by Kurdish forces in Syria and are among alleged Isis fighters to be stripped of their British citizenship. Terror experts have cautioned that executing them would hand Isis a fresh propaganda victory as it seeks to regroup in new wilayat (provinces) following territorial losses across Syria and Iraq. Originally from London, the pair were declared Specially Designated Global Terrorists by the US State Department ahead of their capture in January, with official documents naming them as members of The Beatles and saying the cell had beheaded more than 27 hostages and tortured many more. Surviving captives have told of their brutality, which included waterboarding, electric shocks, mock executions and crucifixions. Executioner Mohammed Emwazi, who became known as Jihadi John, was killed in a drone strike, while the remaining "Beatle", Aine Davis, is imprisoned in Turkey. The hearing will continue on Tuesday. Rome (AFP) - French far-right leader Marine Le Pen distanced herself Monday from US President Donald Trump's former advisor Steve Bannon, saying it was not up to an American to "save Europe". Bannon has been increasingly visible in Europe in recent months, touting plans for a Brussels-based foundation called "The Movement" to spark a populist right-wing revolt across the region. "Bannon is not European. He is American," Le Pen said at a press conference with Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini in Rome. "But it is us and only us who will shape the political force resulting from European elections," the head of the far-right National Rally (RN) said. Le Pen, Salvini and other far-right, anti-immigrant parties hope to upset the balance in the European parliament after the vote in May next year. Le Pen rebranded her National Front party after losing last year's French presidential election to Emmanuel Macron. "It is we who represent the different peoples in Europe, who structure the political force that aims to save Europe. Let that be very clear," she said. Salvini had met Bannon at the start of September, saying he wanted to be at the forefront of a movement to "save Europe". RN vice-president Louis Aliot recently said the party would "certainly" join the Bannon foundation. But Le Pen's niece Marion Marechal, described as a rising right-wing star by the American, said that it was difficult to "make out the shape of (Bannon's) project". (Photo: Tom Williams via Getty Images) People who expected Sen. Susan Collins, allegedly one of two remaining Republican moderates in the Senate, to save us from Brett Kavanaugh have not studied her record. The Maine senator has reduced the choreography of legislative head-fakes to a sublime art, in order to preserve her bogus reputation as an independent-minded centrist. When a contentious issue arises, Collins will elaborately explain that she hasnt made up her mind yet. She needs to give the issue careful study. And then, wondrously, after very careful and well-advertised study, she almost always votes with Mitch McConnell. Funny how her research invariably leads to that conclusion. She is especially loyal to her party when her vote is pivotal on important legislation or nominations. She has voted to confirm virtually all of President Donald Trumps nominees. Collins also voted for the Trump tax bill (which passed 51-49) and for the confirmation last year of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. In the most drama in which she played a critical role, Collins joined two other Republicans in calling for what turned out to be a rigged FBI inquiry. She then voted to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court not with ambivalence but almost giddy enthusiasm. In her floor speech on Friday announcing the decision, she did not present her conclusion as a close or difficult question. To hear Collins tell it, Kavanaughs record on a federal appeals court shows that hes the most even-handed and brilliant jurist since King Solomon. In 2017, according to a tabulation by CNN, Collins voted with her party 87 percent of the time. The average Republican backed the GOP caucus position 96 percent of the time. For the most part, the times when she broke ranks were not decisive. One exception when defying the Republican leadership proved important was her vote (with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and then-Sen. John McCain of Arizona) in 2017 to save the Affordable Care Act. If anything, though, Collins has become far less of a maverick of late. Under Barack Obamas presidency, she voted with Republicans only about half the time, compared to almost 90 percent today. Story continues Whats at work? Three things. First, Republicans have become far more unified in the country and in the Senate as a far-right party. Second, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plays serious hardball to enforce caucus discipline. But the biggest influence is Collins fear of the Tea-Party far right in Maine. The state has twice elected a far-right governor, the thuggish Paul LePage, who prefigured Trump. LePage, who steps down after this year, did not win a majority of votes either in 2010 or 2014. But given the unfortunate habit in Maine of spoilers throwing elections to Republicans, LePage squeaked through both times in three-way contests. Maine as a whole is not a far-right state. Its other senator is Angus King, a moderately liberal independent who caucuses with the Democrats. But the Tea Party right is a majority of the Maine Republican Party. Thus Collins, according to my sources, felt she had more to fear when she runs for re-election in 2020 from a GOP primary challenger than from newly energized Democrats. Both fears may well be exaggerated. She is broadly popular as a Maine icon, and is still the odds-on favorite to win re-election. When Collins does break ranks with her partys Senate leadership, as in her vote to save the Affordable Care Act., its often because the vote is popular in Maine. Obamacares Medicaid expansion, for instance, had broad public backing, despite LePages efforts to delay it. To put it charitably, the popular Collins could afford to take more risks on behalf of whatever principles she still professes. In the Kavanaugh affair, the senator was far from a profile in courage. Robert Kuttner is co-editor of The American Prospect and a professor at Brandeis Universitys Heller School. His new book is Can Democracy Survive Global Capitalism? Follow him on Twitter at @rkuttnerwrites. ALSO ON HUFFPOST OPINION What To Do When Not If Roe Vanishes For Sexual Assault Survivors, There's Power In Speaking Up. Then What? The Brett Kavanaugh Vote Was A Test Of Machismo, Not Politics Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Columbus, Ohio is saying goodbye to Columbus Day. Local government officials announced the city will not observe the holiday and instead take a holiday on Veterans Day. The City of Columbus will be open on Columbus Day on Monday ...All city offices will maintain regular hours of operation,a brief statement on the citys website reads. Trash collection and parking enforcement will also remain regularly scheduled. The holiday along with statues of Christopher Columbus has become controversial in recent years as the explorers mistreatment and enslavement of indigenous people has received more attention. Columbus officials said the action is not a response to the controversy. We have a number of veterans who work for the city, and there are so many here in Columbus, Robin Davis, a spokeswoman for Mayor Andrew Ginther, told The Associated Press. We thought it was important to honor them with that day off. Some cities, including Cincinnati, have renamed the holiday Indigenous Peoples Day. But Italian-American organizations have pushed back, saying that the holiday provides them the opportunity to celebrate their ethnic heritage. She added that the city could not afford to give its employees both days off. Columbus Day remains a federal holiday. The White House on Saturday issued a presidential proclamation honoring the holiday. Columbuss spirit of determination and adventure has provided inspiration to generations of Americans, the proclamation reads. On Columbus Day, we honor his remarkable accomplishments as a navigator, and celebrate his voyage into the unknown expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. His expedition formed the initial bond between Europe and the Americas, and changed the world forever. Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Some harsh words about Teslas Elon Musk from a hedge fund giant. Reuters says David Einhorn is comparing the electric car maker to Lehman Brothers and says that he thinks the deception is about to catch up with Tesla. Einhorns Greenlight Capital has sold Tesla shares short in recent months. Target is taking aim at bargain shoppers. The company is launching a new line of products like razors and soap that will cost around $2. Itll be called smartly and will hit store shelves in coming weeks. Targets Chief Merchandising Officer says the new line is a move to compete with drug stores and other discounters. Airbus is reportedly close to naming a new CEO. The Wall Street Journal says Giullaume Faury will take the top spot. Hes the head of Airbuss plane-making unit, and would replace Tom Enders, whos stepping down after 6 years on the job. Airbus has been dealing with supplier bottlenecks as it looks to deliver a record number of planes. GEs oil drilling arm is buying a 5% stake in Abu Dhabis state oil company. Baker Hughes is making the investment for a little over $500M. Its the first time Abu Dhabi has let a foreign company invest in the drilling operation as it looks to expand. GE has said it plans to sell off Baker Hughes in the coming years. Apple is pushing back again on a report China spied on its data servers. In a letter to congress, obtained by Reuters, the companys VP for Information Security said they found no evidence of malware or other malicious activity. A Bloomberg BusinessWeek report claims a Chinese company embedded tiny spy chips on servers used by Apple and Amazon. By Krishna N. Das JAMMU, India (Reuters) - Hours after Indian TV channels flashed that the country was deporting seven Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, Sahidullah said he received a call from his nephew: "Uncle, please get us out of here. They will send us back too." Sahidullah, a Rohingya living in the far north of India after fleeing what he called persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2010, said his relative, Sadiur Rahman, 40, was lodged in one of several detention centers for illegal immigrants in the distant northeastern state of Assam. Rahman, he said, had been incarcerated with his brother and eight other relatives since being caught in 2012 at a railway station as they fled to India via Bangladesh. Sahidullah had taken the same route two years earlier, but like many others had escaped detection. He said Rahman made the phone call when he was taken out for a routine medical checkup on Oct. 3, the day when India moved the seven Rohingya men out of a similar detention center and took them to the border. They were handed to the Myanmar authorities the next day, the first ever such deportations of Rohingya here, spreading panic among an estimated 40,000 refugees who have fled to India from its neighbor. About 16,500 of the refugees, including Sahidullah, have been issued identity cards by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that it says helps them "prevent harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention and deportation". India says it does not recognize the cards and has rejected the UN's stand that deporting the Rohingya violates the principle of refoulement sending back refugees to a place where they face danger. "Anyone who has entered the country without a valid legal permit is considered illegal," said A. Bharat Bhushan Babu, a spokesman for the Ministry of Home Affairs. "As per the law, anyone illegal will have to be sent back. As per law they will be repatriated." In recent days, Reuters interviewed dozens of Rohingya in two settlements, one in the northern city of Jammu and a smaller one in the capital, Delhi, and found communities who feel they are being increasingly vilified. Many now fear Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government is about to act on its stated position that it wants to deport all Rohingya Muslims from the country. With a general election due by next May, they worry that targeting them will be a populist tactic used by Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Addressing an election rally in the central state of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, BJP chief Amit Shah said that all illegal immigrants were "like termites eating into the nation's security". "Elect us back next year and the BJP will not allow a single one of them to stay in this country," Shah said, without specifically mentioning any group of migrants. HATRED GROWING Sahidullah who like many Rohingya goes by only one name - is not just worried about his detained relatives but also his family living in a mainly Hindu region of India's only Muslim-dominated state, Jammu & Kashmir, in the country's northern tip. The restive Himalayan state that borders Pakistan and is home to Muslim separatists battling Indian rule, has the biggest population of Rohingya in the country with around 7,000 people scattered in various makeshift settlements, largely in the Jammu region. "We came to India because people told us things were better here, there's more work and one could move freely unlike back home," said Sahidullah, who works as a cleaner at a car showroom in Jammu city to support his aging amnesiac mother, wife and four children. "All that's true and we are thankful to India for letting us live here. But hatred against us is growing," he told Reuters as he sat on a colorful linen sheet laid on the floor of his self-made wood and plastic-sheet house built on a rented plot of land. Mohammed Arfaat, a 24-year-old Rohingya youth leader in Jammu, said that locals often accuse them of having links with militants without any proof. "They want us out of here and that has got our families worried," said Arfaat, switching between English and Hindi as nearly a dozen community elders seated around him on the rough concrete floor of a Rohingya house started leaving for Friday prayers. "Everybody here is aware of the deportation and is afraid." Indian authorities said that the repatriation of the seven was a routine procedure and that it sends all illegal foreigners back home. But the UNHCR voiced deep concern on Friday about the safety and security of those expelled, saying they had been denied access to legal counsel and a chance to have their asylum claims assessed. "Current conditions in Myanmar's Rakhine state are not conducive for safe, dignified and sustainable return of stateless Rohingya refugees," said UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic. Most Rohingya used to live in Rakhine. In August last year, attacks by Rohingya fighters on security posts in Rakhine led to a bloody military crackdown that caused around 700,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh. The United Nations has accused Myanmar of acting against the Rohingya with "genocidal intent," a charge Myanmar refutes, saying its military did not use excessive force and was reacting to militant attacks. INCREASINGLY UGLY The atmosphere facing the Rohingya in India has been getting increasingly ugly. Jammu's Chamber of Commerce & Industry last year threatened to launch an "identify and kill movement" against the settlers, which it said pushed the government into taking the issue of Rohingya more seriously. The chamber's president, Rakesh Gupta, told Reuters on Friday that there was nothing new in taking the law into one's hands if "someone becomes a threat to our security, to the nation's security, and the security forces don't tackle them". In some of the more virulent parts of Indias media, the Rohingya are not only accused of being terrorists but also of trafficking in drugs and humans, and of having the money to elbow out local businesses. The Pioneer newspaper, which supports the BJP, said in an editorial on Saturday that "the Rohingya are a problem", declaring that those that are radicalized Islamist extremists need to be dealt with ruthlessly and the rest are economic migrants that India cannot afford to help. India, which considers itself a victim of Islamist militancy and is trying to boost economic ties with Myanmar to counter China, said late last year that it shared Myanmar's concern about "extremist violence" by Rohingya militants. India's home ministry has told the Supreme Court that it had reports from security agencies and other authentic sources "indicating linkages of some of the unauthorized Rohingya immigrants with Pakistan-based terror organizations and similar organizations operating in other countries". "It's definitely an election issue, said Kavinder Gupta, a BJP legislator in Jammu & Kashmir and former deputy chief minister of the state. "It's our decision to throw them out keeping in mind the security situation of the state," he told Reuters on the sidelines of a campaign meeting for municipal elections. "We have made the home ministry aware of the need to send them back to their country." Senior Jammu police officials said on condition of anonymity that they had identified all Rohingya in the area in preparation for their eventual deportation. They added they had not found any link of Rohingya with militants. Around 600 km (370 miles) south of Jammu, residents of a makeshift refugee camp in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh also said they fear deportation. "We don't want to leave India. Where will we go?" said Mohammed Harun, a 47-year-old Rohingya elder in Delhi. "There are refugees from other countries in India too. Why are we being targeted? Why do they send us to jail? It is only because we are Muslims. They don't do this to the other refugees." (Reporting by Krishna N. Das in JAMMU; Additional reporting by Blassy Boben in NEW DELHI; Editing by Martin Howell and Raju Gopalakrishnan) You are here: Business China's first all-composite five-seat aircraft, the Sunward SA160L, recently completed its first flight in Central China's Hunan province, marking a breakthrough in the country's own brand general aircraft industry. The Sunward SA160L made its maiden test flight, which was about 60 minutes, at the Lusong airport in Hunan on Tuesday afternoon, demonstrating its good power system, pneumatic and control performance. Hunan Sunward Science and Technologies Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Sunward Intelligent Equipment Co Ltd, produced the composite aircraft with an empty weight of 900 kilograms and a maximum take-off weight of 1,600 kilograms. The plane is 100 to 150 kilograms lighter than similar foreign models due to the composite materials used. Compared with traditional metal materials, the composite materials are lighter and stronger. The company started the SA160L program in 2015, targeting the high-end luxury private aircraft market, taking safety, comfort and excellent flight performance as design standards. This model is undergoing approval for civil aviation products. The first meeting of the type certification board was held on July 31, with experts from the Civil Aviation Administration of China and local aviation authorities. The plane will be on sale by the end of 2020, making China a player in the global light aircraft market. PARIS (Reuters) - Interpol said on Sunday that Meng Hongwei - whom China says is being investigated over suspected violations of the law - had resigned as president of the international police organization. "Today, Sunday 7 October, (at) the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France received the resignation of Mr Meng Hongwei as President of Interpol with immediate effect," Interpol said in a statement. Interpol said South Korean national Kim Jong Yang would becomes its acting president, while it would appoint a new president at a Nov 18-21 meeting of the organization in Dubai. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Editing by William Maclean) Tehran (AFP) - Iran's oil minister said on Monday that the market will never believe "exaggerated" claims by Saudi Arabia that it can replace Iranian oil shipments lost due to renewed US sanctions. "Such exaggerations might please Mr Trump, but the market will never believe them," Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said, according to the oil ministry's SHANA news site. "These statements were made due to Mr Trump's pressure on Saudi authorities. In reality, neither Saudi Arabia nor any other producer has such a capability," he added. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Bloomberg on Friday that Saudi Arabia "did (its) job and more" by making up for the recent drop in Iranian oil sales. He said Iran's sales had fallen by 700,000 barrels per day since the United States announced in May that it was pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposing sanctions on its oil industry. Precise figures are unavailable, not least because Iran has begun switching off tracking devices on some oil-exporting ships since the threat of sanctions returned, according to analysts. Iran was exporting between 2.5 and 2.7 million bpd in April before the US announced the return of sanctions. "We export as much as two barrels for any barrel that disappeared from Iran recently," Prince Mohammed told Bloomberg. But Zanganeh retorted that the Saudis had only opened up "their previous reserves" to the market and that their output capacity had not increased. The Saudi statement could have a "short-term psychological effect", he added, but it would not mean much to global energy markets which had shown their concern over shortages by hiking prices. The sanctions on Iran's oil sector are not due to hit until November 5, but several key buyers in Europe and Asia have already cut purchases in recent months under pressure from Washington. Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli security forces raided the village of a Palestinian suspected of shooting two Israelis dead, the army said Monday, making arrests while the assailant himself remained at large. Ashraf Naalwa, 23, from the northern West Bank village of Shuweika, has been named by the Israeli army as the Palestinian behind Sunday's attack in the occupied West Bank industrial area of Barkan where two Israelis were killed and a third wounded. Soldiers, as well as police and Shin Bet internal security officers "operated in the village of Shuweika, north of Tulkarm, from which the terrorist originated," the military said. It said security forces "arrested" an unspecified number of people "suspected of aiding the terrorist" while a manhunt for the gunman was still underway. A spokesman for the Shin Bet said they had arrested Naalwa's brother, while his sister was "detained, questioned and released", declining to provide further details. Naalwa was employed at the same plant in the northern West Bank site as his two victims -- Kim Levengrond Yehezkel, 28, and Ziv Hagbi, 34. The industrial zone is located next to the Israeli settlement Barkan and near the settlement of Ariel in the north of the West Bank. Palestinians work side by side with Israelis in the industrial zone. A third woman also shot in the attack was hospitalised in stable condition. Levengrond Yehezkel, who was buried late Sunday, had been bound to a chair by Naalwa with cable ties before being shot, according to her father. Naalwa used a homemade gun, known locally as a "Carlo", according to the army, in what security forces believe was a "lone-wolf attack," meaning he was not part of a militant organisation or acting on its behalf. The army called the shooting a "terrorist attack", adding however that other unspecified factors were involved. A wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis broke out in 2015, but they have since become sporadic. Jean-Claude Juncker has denied mocking Theresa May with an impression of her Tory Conference dancing. The President of the EU Commission laughed and danced for a few seconds as he took to the podium before the Committee of the Regions in Brussels. Mr Junckers dance was remarkably similar to the one performed by the Prime Minister when she walked on stage for her keynote speech at the Conservative Party conference last week to the tune of Dancing Queen by Abba. Read more: EUs Abba-themed response to Mays speech An EU spokesperson denied that it was a planned dig at Theresa May, saying: It was an improvisation on the moment as the music kept playing before he could start his speech. As the President had previously stated, he has great respect for PM May and he has demonstrated this in practice. The PMs unusual conference entrance last week was met with laughter and applause from Tory delegates and widespread mockery from Twitter. However, her self-deprecation was generally well received by the public, with commenters praising the rare display of personality. READ MORE FROM YAHOO NEWS UK: Two male runners die after collapsing at finish line of Cardiff half marathon 20 people killed in limousine crash before birthday party in upstate New York Meghan Markles sister Samantha turned away from Kensington Palace after arriving unannounced Police slammed for using excessive force to arrest black man later cleared of stabbing Banksy reveals how he concealed shredder in painting after auction house stunt Todays incident comes shortly after his EU colleague Donald Tusk was accused of attempting to humiliate her by mocking her Brexit negotiation on Instagram. The European Council President posted a photo of himself and May standing next to a stand of cakes, accompanied by the caption: A piece of cake, perhaps? Sorry, no cherries. Story continues The caption referred to the long-running accusation by Brussels that the UK is attempting to cherry-pick the most favourable elements of EU membership despite leaving the bloc. The move was met with fury by ministers, with international trade secretary Liam Fox calling the behaviour absolutely beyond the pale. Beirut (AFP) - Jihadist factions including Syria's former Al-Qaeda branch have withdrawn heavy weapons from parts of a planned buffer zone in Idlib province, a monitor said Monday, two days ahead of a deadline. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham "and other less influential jihadist groups have withdrawn their heavy weapons from large areas of the demilitarised zone" ringing Idlib province, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The development comes ahead of Wednesday's cut-off date for all rebels to withdraw heavy arms from a 15 to 20-kilometre (9-12 mile) demilitarised area ringing the Idlib region. The creation of a buffer zone is central to an agreement reached last month by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, which is aimed at staving off a massive assault on Idlib by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. The deal also foresees radical groups leaving the area by October 15. HTS, which is led by former Al-Qaeda fighters, has yet to comment on its reported withdrawal or announce its stance on the buffer zone deal. According to the Britain-based Observatory, the pullout quietly began two days ago. "Until now, heavy weapons have been removed from northern Hama and eastern Idlib" located in the proposed zone, Abdel Rahman said. The Idlib region includes most of the province of the same name, as well as adjacent parts of the Hama and Aleppo provinces. - Jihadists 'ready and prepared' - In recent weeks, Turkey has deployed troops at "observation posts" it set up in rebel-held areas of Idlib and neighbouring Aleppo. A local source close to HTS said Ankara's actions demonstrated that neither Turkey, Russia, nor fellow regime ally Iran plan to break the deal. "The presence of Turkish forces and their posts will prevent any military action," the source said. "So (HTS), like other factions, is moving heavy weapons and reinforcing its positions according to the agreement." Story continues The source confirmed each faction "will remain in its position", indicating that HTS and the other groups were "ready and prepared" to rebel any attack by the regime. HTS and other hardliners hold a large part of Idlib province and the proposed demilitarised zone, while the National Liberation Front is the main Turkey-backed rebel alliance in the area. On Monday, the NLF completed withdrawing heavy arms from the zone, according to Turkish state media. The start of the NLF pullout was confirmed to AFP by its spokesman Naji Mustafa. Despite progress in implementing the terms of the deal, Assad on Sunday said the arrangement would not become permanent. "The agreement is a temporary measure through which the state has realised many achievements on the ground starting with stemming the bloodshed," he was quoted as saying by state news agency SANA. "This province and other Syrian territory still under terrorist control will return to the Syrian state," the president said, referring to both rebels and jihadists. Forces loyal to Assad have retaken swathes of territory in Syria since Russia entered in the war in September 2015. Air strikes attributed to Russia have killed more than 18,000 people since its intervention, according to the Observatory. The Syrian civil war has killed more than 360,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. Julie Swetnick, one of the women who accused Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, spoke out about the backlash she has faced since coming forward. I am disgusted and appalled by the way that I have been re-victimized over the last two weeks after I had the courage to come forward, she said Sunday in a statement. Members of the media and various senators, she added, have urged her to shut up because her allegations were unhelpful. She alleges that Kavanaugh was present at parties during the 1980s where gang rapes took place. She didnt accuse Kavanaugh of assaulting women during these sessions, but did claim he used to spike girls drinks to make them more inebriated. She blamed the Senate Judiciary Committee and the White House for preventing the FBI from interviewing her or any corroborating witnesses in its investigation of the claims against Kavanaugh. How can they say the claims were not credible when they made no effort to discover whether they were or not? she wrote. Below please find a statement from my client Julie Swetnick regarding the Kavanaugh nomination. I urge you to read it. pic.twitter.com/kBHL7cm8Pi Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) October 7, 2018 After she came forward, her story was subsequently questioned, causing some Democrats to worry that it undermined the strength of other accusations against the judge and fuel the Republican effort to push through his nomination. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) called Swetnicks accusations outlandish. Well you know at some point there were a lot of folks coming forward making all sorts of accusations, said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) told CNN. It turns it into a circus atmosphere and certainly thats not where we should be. The Senate narrowly confirmed Kavanaugh on Saturday following weeks of partisan back-and-forth. The accounts of three women, including Swetnick, cast doubt on Kavanaughs denials of any past misdeeds. His emotional, aggressive response to the allegations also caused many to question his temperament and fitness to serve on the nations highest court. Story continues Ultimately, all Republican senators except Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) voted to confirm him. Only one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), voted in favor. Kavanaugh was sworn in during a private ceremony later in the day. Related... Julie Swetnick Accuses Brett Kavanaugh Of Sexual Misconduct, Alleges He Was Present During 'Gang Rape' Julie Swetnick, Third Kavanaugh Accuser, Stands By Declaration '100 Percent' Julie Swetnick, 3rd Kavanaugh Accuser, Speaks Out In NBC Interview Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Thanks to the Me Too movement, most corners of the culture are starting to listen to women when they come forward about sexual harassment and assault. But not the GOP. The male-dominated partys answer to Me Too is: deny and attack. Republican senators, President Donald Trump and their allies in the conservative media put on a show of male anger, resentment and victimhood to force through the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh last week, even though he was credibly accused of sexual misconduct by three women. And with his elevation to the Supreme Court, over the objection of so many women and sexual assault survivors, Republicans demonstrated their hard-line commitment to male supremacy. Female protesters victims of sexual assault were derided as clowns, part of a mob and George Soros-funded terrorists (harsh terms not used to, say, condemn white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year), Trump said its a scary time, not for the many women bravely talking about being raped and assaulted, but for the men who had to listen. This outpouring of unearned grievance was expected from a party thats never really valued women, said Jennifer Pierotti Lim, co-founder of Republican Women for Progress. Were about a year out from the start of the Me Too movement and I think that the GOP as a whole has really abdicated their messaging here, said Lim, who supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. In that vacuum, all we hear is the message from Trump and it comes out loud and clear. The party has long used women for political advantage, without prioritizing or considering their concerns or viewpoints, Lim said. Her point was driven home on Friday by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who explained why she was casting the deciding vote on Kavanaugh in an eagerly awaited 45-minute speech. Seated behind Collins, neatly captured by the TV screen, were two other female Republican senators: Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.). They were fairly silent on the Kavanaugh turmoil during the previous weeks. The three women together make up half of all female Republican senators. Story continues These few women were being used to make the show of male supremacy go down easy. Definitely as a Republican woman my bar has become very low on how the party uses women as a means to an end, every time I think they cant get lower, things likes this happen, Lim said. Twenty-seven years ago, the country watched as Anita Hill testified before an all-male Senate Judiciary Committee and was asked insulting and demeaning questions. The countrys eyes were opened to the issue of sexual harassment, said Ellen Bravo, a longtime activist. The silence around harassment was forever shattered, Bravo said. It just wasnt enough. Clarence Thomas made it onto the Supreme Court anyway. This time around, the same thing is true, she added, noting the huge outcry from women in regard to sexual assault that Christine Blasey Ford helped unleash. U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Democratic member Chris Coons speaks while his colleagues Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Richard Blumenthal raise their hands to be heard on the deal made to secure the "yes" vote of Republican Sen. Jeff Flake (not shown) while Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris look on. (Photo: Jim Bourg/Reuters) In the years since Hills testimony, the Democratic Party has actually diversified. This year, there were four Democratic women on the committee, two of color. And this mattered. The Democratic senators men and women were strong advocates for hearing Fords story, once it was reported by The Washington Post. It was a sharp contrast to the behavior of Democratic senators during the Thomas hearings. Yet on the Republican side, little had changed. Once again, it was all men on the GOP side of the Judiciary Committee who listened to Fords testimony. This time around, they were too afraid to directly question the woman who was reporting her story. However, they were more than ready to unleash their anger after Kavanaughs tirade. Some of the men were the same ones who were on the committee and heard Hills testimony in 1991. The party didnt learn. Indeed, when asked why there were no Republican women on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) speculated that they didnt want to do so much work (comments he quickly tried to walk back). Without more women in the party, this will be the GOP: a bunch of men who cant see outside the tunnel vision of their masculine worldview. To truly fight sexual harassment, one strategy that has proved successful is hiring and promoting more women. If all the important meetings have 50 percent women, none of them happen in strip clubs, Frank Dobbin, a professor of sociology at Harvard University whos studied the effectiveness of anti-harassment training, recently told HuffPost, explaining the research hes done on combating harassment. The GOP is laughably far from that goal. Fewer than 12 percent of Republican senators are women. In the House, there are just 23 women out of 235 Republican representatives less than 10 percent. (Its telling that the lone Republican in the chamber Saturday who didnt vote for Kavanaugh was Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, one of the partys few outspoken women.) Even at a time when men still dominate executive boardrooms and C-suites, these percentages are shockingly low. No wonder those Republican senators were so easily entranced by Kavanaughs sob story their empathy clearly lies with men. They hardly even have to work with women at all. In fact, the vice president, Mike Pence, reportedly wont even dine alone with a woman who isnt his wife. And the president has said he can grab them by the pussy. None of this is likely to change. The GOP has been downright hostile to the women in the party who are running, Lim said. During the primary season, the party has typically funded men and left women with little resources. The RNC has long purported to support getting more women into office, but they dont do anything, said Lim, who added that a lot of the GOP women running in primaries this year couldnt get enough funding from the party. So nobody takes them seriously. Related Coverage A Third Of The 6 Men On The Supreme Court Now Face Sexual Misconduct Accusations The Coming Kavanaugh Court Doctrine: Democrats Are Unconstitutional Kavanaugh's On His Way To The Supreme Court, But Sexual Assault Survivors Will Persist Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. By Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the likely event that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed by the U.S. Senate this weekend he will soon be wading into some of the nation's most contentious issues. Disputes involving abortion, immigration, gay rights, voting rights and transgender troops all could be heading toward the nine justices soon. There are no blockbusters among the 38 cases already on the docket for the current Supreme Court term, which began on Monday, but justices often add disputes on controversial issues as they are appealed from lower courts. The Republican-controlled Senate is set for a final vote on Kavanaugh's nomination on Saturday, which could put Kavanaugh on the court as early as next week. Several legal battles are currently being fought over state laws restricting abortion, including one in Arkansas that effectively bans medication-induced abortions. The justices in May opted not to intervene in a case challenging that law, waiting instead for lower courts to rule, but it could return to them when that happens. Other abortion-related cases in progress include challenges to laws banning abortions at early stages of pregnancies, including Iowa's prohibition after a fetal heartbeat is detected. There is litigation arising from plans by some states to stop reimbursements under the Medicaid insurance program to Planned Parenthood because of the national healthcare provider's abortion rights stance. There also are challenges to state laws imposing difficult-to-meet regulations on abortion providers, such as requiring formal ties with a local hospital. Kavanaugh's judicial record on abortion is thin, although last year he was on a panel of judges that issued an order preventing a 17-year-old illegal immigrant detained in Texas by U.S. authorities from immediately obtaining an abortion. Liberals are concerned, however, that he could provide a decisive fifth vote on the nine-justice court to overturn the 1973 abortion ruling, Roe v. Wade. In testimony before the Senate during the confirmation process, Kavanaugh called Roe "an important precedent of the Supreme Court that has been reaffirmed many times." Another issue expected to return to the court is whether certain types of businesses can refuse service to gay couples because of religious objections to same-sex marriage. The high court in June sided, on narrow legal grounds, with a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for two men because of his Christian beliefs, but justices sidestepped the larger question of whether to allow broad religious-based exemptions to anti-discrimination laws. When asked about his views on gay rights during his confirmation hearing, Kavanaugh quoted Justice Anthony Kennedys ruling in that case, in which Kennedy reaffirmed his long-standing support for gay rights. Kavanaugh declined to discuss his own views on the subject, and he has not been involved in any gay rights cases during his 12 years as a judge. The issue of refusing services to gay people could be back before the justices this term, in a case involving a Washington state Christian florist who similarly refused to serve a gay couple. Trump's bid to restrict the military service of transgender people has been challenged in lower courts and is another issue that could make its way to the Supreme Court. After lower courts blocked Trump's ban last year, he announced in March he would endorse Defense Secretary James Mattis' plan to restrict the military service of transgender people who have a condition called gender dysphoria. Trump's administration has asked courts to allow that policy to go into effect, but so far to no avail. On immigration, litigation is continuing over Trump's plan to rescind a program created under Democratic former President Barack Obama that protected from deportation hundreds of thousands of young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. Lower courts blocked Trump's plan to scrap the program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Congress has failed to agree on a plan to replace it. Kavanaugh could also have to deal with cases involving a practice called partisan gerrymandering in which state legislators redraw electoral maps to try to cement their own party in power. In June, the justices avoided a broad ruling on whether the practice violates the constitutional rights of voters and whether federal judges can intervene to rectify it. Democrats have said Republican gerrymandering has helped Trump's party keep control of the U.S. House of Representatives and various state legislatures. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung; Editing by Sue Horton and Diane Craft) South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Monday he believed North Korea's Kim Jong Un would soon meet with the leaders of China and Russia as part of an ongoing diplomatic effort to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula. It comes a day after the North Korean leader agreed to hold a second summit with US President Donald Trump "as early as possible", following a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang. "Separately from the second US-North Korea summit, Chairman Kim Jong Un's visit to Russia and President Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea are expected to take place soon," Moon told a cabinet meeting. The possibility of a summit between Kim and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is also "open", Moon said, adding: "A new order is being created on the Korean peninsula." Kim and Xi have met three times in China this year as the two countries seek to repair relations frayed by tensions over the North's nuclear activities and Beijing's backing of United Nations sanctions against its Cold War-era ally. The North Korean leader has yet to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has previously invited Kim to Moscow. Japan has historically taken a hard line on Pyongyang and stressed the need to maintain pressure on the regime. More recently, however, Abe has expressed interest in a face-to-face meeting with former international pariah Kim. The latest chapter in the diplomatic flurry comes as Trump sent Pompeo on a whirlwind trip to the region to rekindle stalled denuclearisation talks with Pyongyang. Pompeo tweeted Monday that he was heading to China to work on a "final, fully-verified" denuclearisation of North Korea. The first-ever summit between US and North Korean leaders was held in June this year -- a meeting critics say resulted in only a vague commitment by Kim towards denuclearisation. North Korea's vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui met with officials in Beijing on Saturday and is due to hold talks with Russian counterparts in Moscow followed by a trilateral meeting with China and Russia. US tech giant Apple Inc has sent a letter to the US Congress, denying media reports claiming attacks to its supply chain by Chinese hackers, reported Reuters. In the letter, the company's top security officer said that it had found no evidence of its servers being implanted with chips that would allow for backdoor transmissions to China. Apple also denied other claims of infiltrations or attacks by Chinese hackers reported in a Bloomberg Businessweek article published on Thursday. The Bloomberg Businessweek article, titled "The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies", claimed that there had been infiltrations through Chinese chips to American companies like Apple and Amazon as well as the security department of the US government. In response, Apple, Amazon and Supermicro had all said the claims in the article were not true. Apple Vice President for Information Security George Stathakopoulos told Reuters that the company's proprietary security tools are continuously scanning for precisely this kind of outbound traffic and nothing was ever found. Stathakopoulos added that Apple has never been contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about the existence of malware or other malicious activity and said he would be available to brief Congressional staff on the issue this week. Earlier, both Britain's National Cyber Security Centre and U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued statements saying that they have no reason to doubt Apple and Amazon's denial that they had discovered backdoored chips. Moscow (AFP) - Moscow on Monday said that documents presented by the Netherlands last week alleging that Russian agents attempted to hack into the global chemical watchdog organisation were not proof of Moscow's involvement. Asked by journalists if the Kremlin considers documents released by the Dutch authorities, which include diplomatic passports of four men identifying them as agents of Russian military intelligence, to be proof, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "no" adding that Moscow would "no longer discuss these topics through the media." "From the point of view of the Kremlin, nothing has changed," he said. "We don't see any detailed argument and would prefer not to comment the details." "There are functioning channels of communication through relevant agencies... documents, evidence and official information can be sent through these official channels," he said. The comments were the first reaction by the Kremlin to the accusations by several Western governments last Thursday of a string of global cyber attacks, including on the chemical watchdog OPCW. Dutch security services said they had expelled four Russian agents in April after they attempted a cyber attack on the OPCW, from a car parked in a nearby hotel. Their passports and other details, including a taxi receipt for a trip to a Moscow airport from a street containing a branch of the military intelligence agency, were shown to the media. Russia's foreign ministry was set to summon the Dutch ambassador on Monday, according to Russian state news agencies. WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh (all times local): 6:45 p.m. President Donald Trump says he is a "hundred percent" sure that the woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school named the wrong person. Kavanaugh was confirmed by the Senate on Saturday by a 50-48 vote. His Supreme Court nomination was roiled for weeks by allegations of sexual misconduct and drunken behavior when Kavanaugh was a high school and college student. Trump tells reporters on Air Force One that one of the reasons he chose Kavanaugh "is because there's nobody with a squeaky-clean past" like him. Trump also says he believes a rally speech in which he mocked Christine Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh proved to be a turning point for the nomination. The remarks drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. ___ 6:20 p.m. Brett Kavanaugh has taken the oaths of office to become the 114th Supreme Court justice, just a couple of hours after the Senate voted 50-48 to confirm him. The quick swearing in enables Kavanaugh to begin work immediately in advance of arguments at the court Tuesday in two cases involving prison sentences for repeat offenders. The court says Kavanaugh took the oath required by the Constitution and another for judges that is part of federal law in the same room where the justices meet for their private conferences. The 53-year-old justice's wife, children and parents were in attendance. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the constitutional oath and retired Justice Anthony Kennedy administered the judicial oath. Kavanaugh is replacing Kennedy on the bench and once served as his law clerk. ___ 6:05 p.m. Protesters are occupying the steps of the Supreme Court following the Senate's confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. The demonstrators went up the steps of the Supreme Court holding signs and chanting, "we believe survivors" and "hey hey, ho ho, Kavanaugh has got to go." Story continues Officers are blocking the doors to the court and are face to face with the protesters. Some of the demonstrators are hanging from the columns of the building, and women are sitting on the two marble statues beside the steps. Republicans have denounced the protests that have gripped the Capitol in recent days as "mob rule." Kavanaugh was confirmed as an associate justice Saturday in a 50-48 Senate vote. The Supreme Court says he will be sworn in as a justice later Saturday. ___ 5:20 p.m. President Donald Trump flashed two thumbs up when the Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. He also criticized Democrats for what he called a "horrible, horrible attack" on Kavanaugh. Trump watched the vote Saturday in his private cabin aboard Air Force One as he flew to a campaign rally in Kansas. He invited reporters to join him as the votes were tallied. Trump predicted the appeals court judge would be a "totally brilliant Supreme Court justice for many years," and went on to praise Kavanaugh's "temperament, his incredible past, his outstanding years on the court." Trump blamed Democrats for the controversy over allegations of sexual misconduct when Kavanaugh was a high school and college student. He called it "a horrible attack that nobody should have to go through." ___ 5:10 p.m. Capitol Police say 164 people have been arrested at protests that took place as the Senate was voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Most of them a total of 150 people were arrested on the steps of the Capitol's East Front. They were among hundreds gathered at the Capitol to protest Kavanaugh's confirmation. Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual misconduct. He denies the allegations. Fourteen more were arrested in the Senate Gallery during the closely divided vote. All those arrested were charged with unlawful crowding, obstructing or incommoding, which means inconveniencing someone They were processed offsite and released. A few hours before the vote, demonstrators shouted "November is coming!" and "Vote them out!" Protesters shouted "I do not consent" during the roll call vote on Kavanaugh. ___ 5 p.m. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate "stood up for presumption of innocence" by confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh was confirmed 50-48 Saturday during a historic roll call vote in the Senate chamber. The two-vote margin is one of the narrowest ever for a Supreme Court nominee. The Senate confirmed Kavanaugh despite the allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Kavanaugh denied the allegations, and Republicans say an FBI investigation did not corroborate them. McConnell said at a press conference that putting Kavanaugh on the court "was about treating someone fairly." He called the vote "a good day for America" and predicted voters will reward Republicans for it in the midterm election. The struggle to confirm Kavanaugh, in his words, "turned our base on fire." ___ 4:20p.m. Brett Kavanaugh will soon don his robes as a justice. The Supreme Court says he will be sworn in later Saturday. In a statement, the court says Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the Constitutional Oath and retired Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy will administer the Judicial Oath in a private ceremony at the Supreme Court. Both oaths will be administered so Kavanaugh can participate in the work of the court immediately. A formal investiture ceremony will take place at a special sitting of the court at a later date. ___ 4:15 p.m. President Donald Trump is hailing Brett Kavanaugh's ascension to the Supreme Court after an epic struggle to get him confirmed. Trump tweets his congratulations and calls the Senate confirmation vote "very exciting!" ___ 4 p.m. The Senate has confirmed Brett Kavanaugh as an associate justice of the Supreme Court, putting a second nominee from President Donald Trump on the highest court in the land. Kavanaugh was confirmed 50-48 Saturday during a historic roll call vote in the Senate chamber. The two-vote margin is one of the narrowest ever for a Supreme Court nominee. The vote unfolded with protesters shouting from the gallery. The vote closes out a bitter struggle over Kavanaugh's nomination, inflamed by accusations that he sexually assaulted women in the 1980s. Kavanaugh forcefully denied the accusations in sworn testimony. ___ 3:55 p.m. Protesters are disrupting the Senate's vote on Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court. Demonstrators began shouting "I do not consent" as the roll call on Kavanaugh began. Senators are seated at their desks for the vote. When Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona cast his vote in favor of Kavanaugh, one protester shouted, "You're a coward Flake, a total coward!" Vice President Pence, who is presiding, repeatedly called for the Senate sergeant-at-arms to restore order in the chamber. The protesters are being removed by gallery staff. ___ 3:50 p.m. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is praising Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as "among the very best our nation has to offer." The Kentucky Republican says Kavanaugh "unquestionably" deserves to be confirmed. He says the judge "will make the Senate and the country proud" as a member of the high court. The vote to confirm Kavanaugh as an associate justice began after McConnell's remarks. ___ 3:45 p.m. A roll call vote is under way in the Senate on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Senators are seated at their desks for the historic vote. If it succeeds, Kavanaugh will soon join the court as an associate justice. Republicans control the Senate by a 51-49 margin, and the vote seems destined to be nearly party-line. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is the only Democrat expected to vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is opposed, but says she will vote "present" as a courtesy to another Republican who is out of town. ___ 3:40 p.m. Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer is decrying the expected confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court as "one of the saddest moments" in the history of the Senate and the U.S. The New York Democrat criticized Kavanaugh in a Senate floor speech, saying he is a nominee "who doesn't belong on the nation's highest bench." He said Kavanaugh is an "extreme partisan" who disqualified himself with testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The vote to confirm Kavanaugh as an associate justice is expected to begin soon. Senators have been advised to be in their seats for the vote. Kavanaugh is expected to win confirmation by a narrow margin. Republicans have a 51-49 majority in the chamber. Schumer closed his speech saying Americans opposed to Kavanaugh's confirmation need to vote in the midterm election. ___ 3:30 p.m. President Donald Trump says he's looking forward to the Senate vote that's vote expected to confirm his second Supreme Court nominee. Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a rally in Topeka, Kansas, that he thinks Brett Kavanaugh is "going to be a great Supreme Court justice for many years to come." He's also praising Republican Sen. Susan Collins for the speech she delivered Friday announcing her support for the nominee. And he says he thinks the week-long delay as the FBI investigated sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh was something positive. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegations. Trump is expected to watch the vote play out from aboard Air Force One as he flies to Kansas. He's says, "it's a very exciting time." ___ 3 p.m. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley is giving his closing argument for the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Grassley is praising Kavanaugh's judicial independence in a speech on the Senate floor and he says the judge won't be beholden to the man who nominated him, President Donald Trump. He accuses Democrats of doing "everything in their power" to make Kavanaugh's nomination about something other than his judicial record and qualifications. Kavanaugh faced accusations of sexual misconduct from Christine Blasey Ford and other women. Ford testified that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teens. Kavanaugh forcefully denied the accusations. The Senate is expected to vote soon to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Grassley says he's glad senators had the courage to "stand against the politics of personal destruction." ___ 1:30 p.m. A final vote has been set for Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. The vote on confirming Kavanaugh as an associate justice will begin at roughly 3:30 p.m., and senators have been advised to be in their seats by the time the historic roll call begins. Republicans control the Senate by a 51-49 margin, and Saturday's vote seems destined to be nearly party-line. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is the only Democrat expected to vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is opposed, but says she will vote "present" as a courtesy to another Republican who will be absent for his daughter's wedding. A few hundred protesters are gathering outside the Capitol before the vote. A group of them climbed the Capitol steps, and some were led away by police. ___ 1 p.m. A large crowd has gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to protest Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. Pumping their fists and carrying signs, a few hundred people climbed the east steps of the Capitol for the demonstration. The crowd has been chanting, "November is coming!" and "Vote them out!" A much larger crowd of protesters is watching the demonstration from behind a barricade. In between, a line of Capitol police officers is standing with plastic handcuffs clipped to their belts. The Senate is expected to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Saturday afternoon. ___ 11:25 a.m. Deborah Ramirez says the Senate is "looking the other way" when it comes to her accusation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh exposed himself to her when they were students at Yale. Ramirez says in a statement released by her lawyers that the FBI refused to speak to witnesses who could corroborate her story. She says senators are "deliberately ignoring" Kavanaugh's behavior. The Senate is poised on Saturday to confirm Kavanaugh as an associate justice. The vote comes after Kavanaugh faced accusations of sexual misconduct from Ramirez and other women. Kavanaugh has denied the accusations. The FBI interviewed Ramirez as part of a background check investigation opened by the White House. The Senate Judiciary Committee says the FBI also interviewed two alleged eyewitnesses to the incident named by Ramirez and one of her college friends. ___ 10:15 a.m. The Senate vote on confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is certain to be close, even if the outcome is no longer suspenseful. Enough senators have indicated they will support him Saturday to put him over the edge, with a likely margin of two votes. That's barring a last-minute change of mind. But will the vote match the closest in history? The closest confirmation votes for a Supreme Court nominee were decided by a single vote. In 1881, Justice Stanley Matthews prevailed in a vote of 24-23. In 1861, nominee Jeremiah Black was defeated by a vote of 26-25. Among current justices, the confirmation of Clarence Thomas in 1991 was the closest, with a vote of 52-48. Eleven Democrats voted for Thomas, while two Republicans opposed his confirmation. The vice president can vote in the event of a Senate tie. That's never happened in a Supreme Court confirmation. ___ 9:30 a.m. Melania (meh-LAH'-nee-ah) Trump is offering some supportive words for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Here's what she tells reporters traveling with her in Egypt: "I think he's highly qualified for the Supreme Court." The first lady is wrapping up a four-country tour of Africa. Speaking to reporters near the Great Sphinx, she says she's glad that both Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey (BLAH'-zee) Ford, were heard. Without weighing in on the sexual assault allegations that Ford leveled against Kavanaugh, Mrs. Trump says victims of "any kind of abuse or violence" must be helped. Kavanaugh denies the accusation. The Senate is expected to confirm Kavanaugh on Saturday. ___ 8 a.m. Democrats don't seem to have the votes to keep Brett Kavanaugh from joining the Supreme Court, but that's not stopping them from taking to the Senate floor in a parade of speeches into the early morning against the conservative jurist. Hours before the expected roll call vote that would elevate the appeals court judge to the nation's highest court, Democrats are making clear their strong opposition. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (KEER'-sten JIHL'-uh-brand) of New York says there's one fundamental question for senators when they decide Kavanaugh's fate: "Do we, as a country, value women?" Gillibrand says women who've experienced sexual trauma are "tired of the same old scenario where the men are believed and the women are not." Allegations against Kavanaugh arose late in the confirmation process that he sexually abused women decades ago. He's emphatically denied the accusations. Gillibrand says that after the way Anita Hill was treated by the Senate during the Clarence Thomas hearings in 1991, "we said it would never happen again. But it did." ___ 12:30 a.m. Brett Kavanaugh seems assured of surviving a Supreme Court nomination fight for the ages after two wavering senators said they'd back him. The announcements Friday by Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia came after weeks of shocking accusations, hardball politics and Capitol protests. Their support makes Saturday's vote to confirm Kavanaugh an apparent formality after a battle that riveted the nation for nearly a month. Republicans control the Senate by a 51-49 margin, and Saturday's roll call vote seems destined to be nearly party-line, with just a single defector from each side. The vote caps a contest fought against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement and President Donald Trump's unyielding support of his Supreme Court nominee. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) The Latest on the disappearance of a Saudi columnist, who went missing after visiting his country's consulate in Istanbul (all times local): 12:20 a.m. President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have joined the ranks of U.S. officials raising concerns about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Asked by reporters about Khashoggi's disappearance, the president said "I am concerned about it." He spoke as he returned to Washington from a trip to Florida. Earlier, House Speaker Paul Ryan is calling the disappearance of Khashoggi "very disturbing" and says the United States needs "clear facts" on the situation. Khashoggi went missing last week after visiting the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey. Ryan said he'll "fight for answers" about the disappearance and wants information "from both governments," the Saudis and the Turks, about what happened. Ryan said he stands in solidarity with those in the media making sure Khashoggi's disappearance does not go unnoticed The GOP leader visited Saudi Arabia at the start of the year. He spoke Monday at the National Press Club, which works to ensure press freedoms. ___ 9 p.m. The United Nations says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "very concerned" about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and violence against other journalists. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric says the U.N. chief is following the Khashoggi case "closely," noting that an investigation is taking place in Istanbul. Turkish officials say the Washington Post contributor was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and that his body was later removed from the building, without providing evidence. Saudi officials have denied the allegations, and the consulate says Khashoggi left its premises. Dujarric told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday that Guterres "has been an advocate for journalists." Story continues He says: "Both publicly and privately, the secretary-general has often raised this issue with member states." General Assembly President Maria Espinosa Garces is also "very concerned" about Khashoggi's disappearance, spokeswoman Monica Grayley said. ___ 6:50 p.m. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Saudi Arabia has the responsibility to prove its claim that a missing Saudi journalist left the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, went missing Oct. 2 after he visited the Saudi Consulate to complete paperwork needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. Saudi officials said the journalist, a Washington Post contributor, left the building, while Turkish officials say he did not. Turkish officials have said authorities believe Khashoggi was killed at the consulate, allegations denied by Saudi Arabia. Speaking during a visit to Hungary, Erdogan said the Saudis "cannot save themselves by saying he left." Erdogan says Turkish police, intelligence and judiciary officials are investigating. Erdogan said he himself was following the investigation, saying it was his political and humanitarian duty. ___ 1:45 p.m. A Turkish official says the Saudi ambassador to Turkey has been summoned to the ministry to request Riyadh's cooperation in an investigation over journalist Jamal Khashoggi who went missing after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week. A ministry official says Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal met with the Saudi ambassador on Sunday. Private NTV television said Turkey requested permission to search the consulate building. A Turkish official told The Associated Press that Turkey has "deepened" its investigation without providing further detail. Turkish officials claim the Washington Post contributor was slain at the consulate and that his body was later removed. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not confirm the alleged killing saying he would await the result of an investigation. Saudi officials have denied the allegations as baseless. Lenny Abrahamson pictured at the London Film Festival guide launch (Getty Images) Lenny Abrahamson, London Film Festivals Official Competition jury president, says hes looking for a movie that incites passion to win the Best Film Award. The 51-year-old Irish filmmaker will be judging the ten films in the main competition at LFF alongside fellow panelists Emilia Clarke, Dominic Cooper, Cairo Cannon, Gonzalo Maza, Andrea Riseborough, and Baz Bamigboye, but hes hoping to find a winning film that doesnt just appeal to the middle ground. It would be great if [the winner] wasnt the film that nobody loved but everybody liked, Abrahamson told Yahoo Movies UK recently while promoting his latest film, the chilling The Little Stranger. It would be good for the jury to find a way to champion something about which in the main we were passionate about. Read more: The 20 hottest films at LFF For the first time ever the ten films in competition at the London Film Festival kicking off on Wednesday come from an even split of male and female directors, which was a big factor in convincing Abrahamson to take on the task. That was so important to me, Abrahamson said. Its exactly the right thing for the LFF to do. This is a very prestigious festival and the award is an important award for whoever wins it, so its a proper and important task. I think what will be interesting will be, as chair, is trying to think to just make sure that we have really properly digested and discussed all the films. The Official Competition films are: Birds of Passage, Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra Destroyer, Karyn Kusama Happy as Lazzaro, Alice Rohrwacher Happy New Year, Colin Burstead, Ben Wheatley In Fabric, Peter Strickland Joy, Sudabeh Mortezai The Old Man and the Gun, David Lowery Shadow, Zhang Yimou Sunset, Laszlo Nemes Too Late To Die Young, Dominga Sotomayor As a white male director, Abrahamson admits hes enjoyed the privileges afforded to his race and gender, but says hes always trying to be a better ally to minority filmmakers. Story continues I think I have succeeded to a greater or lesser extent on various films, but I think I am more and more conscious of questioning the assumptions that you make about gender balance, rather than its just you pick the best people and thats what happens, he said. That cant be right. Because, we know theres no talent gap and therefore the gap is something else and something not related to peoples capacity, and therefore wrong. And I think we all have a duty to push against that, and not passively wait for it to correct itself, hence why Im supporter of the LFF principal of 50/50 in the main competition. LONDON, ENGLAND AUGUST 30: Tricia Tuttle, Lenny Abrahamson and Amanda Nevill attend the BFI London Film Festival 2018 launch at Cineworld Leicester Square on August 30, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images) One way he hopes to improve things for female filmmakers is by addressing the factors that prevent women from taking their first steps into the creative industry. Something I am interested in talking, and starting to think and talk about, will be how to encourage more women to become involved in the film industry, in roles where traditionally the balance has been towards men. So there are departments and areas which are more equal, but there are those that arent. So ask the question why thats happening, and whats putting off women, young women from seeing that as a possible life, a possible way to live, or a possible role or job. And then to try to support those women who do make those moves. I dont think I have actually I havent done enough. I know I havent done enough. But I will be more, and I am more aware of it as I think about all of these projects. The 62nd BFI London Film Festival runs from 10-21 October. For ticket information head to whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/ Read more Jodie Whittakers Who debut is a smash Abrahamson: Marketing damaged my film in America Oscar buzz for Freddie Mercury biopic Bucharest (AFP) - Low turnout voided a referendum in Romania Sunday on restricting the definition of marriage to exclude same-sex unions, election officials said. Just 20.41 percent of registered voters had cast their ballot by the time polls closed at 1800 GMT on the second day of the referendum -- well below the 30-percent threshold needed for the result to be valid. Final results are expected Monday. Romanians had been asked whether the constitution should be altered to define marriage as explicitly between a man and woman, rather than just "spouses" as it is currently defined. A poll on Friday had indicated that as many as 90 percent of voters were in favour of the change. Same-sex couples are already not allowed by law to marry or enter into civil partnerships in Romania. But ahead of the vote, critics said a change in the constitution would make it nearly impossible for gays and lesbians to win the right to marry in future. Those in favour of the amendment, backed by the powerful Orthodox Church, insisted they wanted to defend traditional family values. "If we allow gay people to marry, tomorrow they will be asking to adopt children and that would be unacceptable," said one retired man on Saturday. However, others criticised the motion. "It is an enormous lie and a waste of money," said Ileana Popescu, a retiree, after attending mass in Bucharest on Sunday. "We should let everyone choose whether or not to marry, regardless of their sexual orientation." Critics said the left-wing ruling Social Democrats (PSD) were using the referendum to revive support among the country's overwhelmingly Orthodox population and deflect attention from corruption scandals implicating party officials. PSD leader Liviu Dragnea is scheduled to appear in court Monday to appeal a three-and-a-half year jail sentence over a fake jobs scandal. Several voting stations in the centre of the capital were virtually deserted early Sunday afternoon. "The aggressiveness of the 'Yes' campaign, the attempt to instil hatred against a minority, has made Romanians reticent to vote," sociologist Gelu Duminica told AFP. Antananarivo (AFP) - Madagascar's election race officially opened on Monday with all three recent presidents launching their campaigns ahead of the November 7 vote, which follows months of political tensions. The Indian Ocean island suffers dire poverty and relies on foreign aid. It was rocked between April and June by protests in the main square of the capital Antananarivo over proposed electoral reforms. The growing demonstrations forced President Hery Rajaonarimampianina to accept the formation of a "consensus" government tasked with organising the November election. Among 36 candidates, the leading candidates are Rajaonarimampianina, who came to power in 2014, Marc Ravolamanana, the elected leader from 2002 to 2009, and Andry Rajoelina, who led the 2009 coup and held office until 2014. "Given the crowds we have had today, we can already consider ourselves winners," Rajaonarimampianina, 59, told crowds on the outskirts of Antananarivo, promising the island would be self-sufficient in food in three years. Ravolamanana, 68, held his rally at the central square in the city that was the focus of the protests against the president, telling his supporters that "we have just proven that Antananarivo belongs to us." The square was occupied by demonstrators against Rajaonarimampianina's efforts to change electoral laws that opponents said were intended to favour his party. The proposals were overturned by the courts. But the protests morphed into a full-blown movement to oust Rajaonarimampianina. Clashes between activists and the security forces claimed two lives and left more than a dozen injured. Ravolamanana's arch-rival Rajoelina, 44, began his campaign hundreds of miles (kilometres) away in the northern city of Diego Suarez, where he was welcomed by thousands of supporters wearing his party's orange colours. Rajoelina, a former disc jockey and successful entrepreneur, hopes to use his youth and communication skills to rally support. Story continues Madagascar was plunged into a protracted crisis when Rajoelina ousted president Marc Ravalomanana in the 2009 army-backed coup. If, as is likely, no candidate receives more than 50 percent in the first round, a second round of voting will be held on December 19. Accusations that the election will be rigged have already been aired by some of the candidates. "Electoral fraud will take place using software in the electoral commission that will allow a candidate to have six times more votes than he actually had," said candidate Fanirisoa Ernaivo in front of a small crowd on Monday. Madagascar, a former French colony with a population of 25 million, has been endured decades of political crises and grinding poverty. By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told Reuters on Saturday that the political brawl over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation will help Republicans retain control of the Senate, calling it a "seminal event" leading into the November elections. "We'd been trying to figure out how to get the base excited about this election, and nothing unifies Republicans like a court fight," McConnell said in a phone interview just before the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh in a 50-48 vote. "It's been a seminal event leading into the fall election." The intense debate over sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh gripped the American public for weeks, bringing protesters out in force on Capitol Hill and across the country, including near the homes of lawmakers. "We've literally been under assault by the mob," McConnell said. But he claimed the intensity has proved to be an aid to Republican unity in the Senate, as the party prepares to take the issue onto the campaign trail. "This has all really helped me, No. 1, unify my conference, and No. 2, underscore the significance of the Senate," the Kentucky Republican said. McConnell even welcomed the acrimony of the political brawl. "I dont want it to dissipate over the next four weeks, I can tell you." Republicans are trying to cling to a narrow 51-49 Senate majority in congressional elections that will be held on Nov. 6. Several Democrats are running for re-election in states that Republican President Donald Trump won in 2016, making for an uphill fight for them to win a Senate majority. "We fully intend to be talking about this going into the fall election," McConnell added. "The energy level is high. We've seen the numbers in the races shifting in our direction. This has been good for us politically." Kavanaugh's confirmation appeared to be in trouble a week ago, when three Republican senators, along with Democrats, demanded a supplemental FBI investigation into allegations brought against the nominee by women, including psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford and his former Yale University classmate Debbie Ramirez. Story continues McConnell credited a meeting to discuss the Federal Bureau of Investigation probe with undecided Republican Senators Jeff Flake, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski as proving critical to the success of Kavanaugh's confirmation. "The scope of the FBI's ... investigation was determined not by the administration but by us, this group," he said. "I think that was the key moment." Flake and Collins voted in favor of Kavanaugh's confirmation, while Murkowski opposed it but asked to be recorded as "present." (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Bill Berkrot) Meghan McCain returned to The View after taking off several weeks to mourn the death of her father, Senator John McCain. The veteran lost his battle with cancer in August. McCain expressed her happiness to be back at the Hot Topics table, but also shed tears as she individually thanked her View co hosts for their support during her fathers death. She also took time to thank the many people who paid their respects to the senator. I really want to thank all of America for being so kind to my to my family, McCain said. From the second that my father passed and immediately after he passed the media knew and I had to get in a car in a motorcade behind his hearse and from the very moment I left there were people in the country all races, all age, all creeds out there with American flags waving, saluting, praying, everyone, he would have loved it. McCain also spoke about her fathers lasting legacy. Everyone came out and celebrated him with love and it made me so inspired that the ideals that my father espoused to in his career are the ideals of America and I think there was a lot of talk about what died with him and I am here today to tell you it didn't. It is alive and well. And I need us to remember that. He believed in American exceptionalism. He believed America is the greatest country in the history of the world. He believed that when your candidate's opponent says something racist in a rally, you push back. That is John McCain and that is what America is. McCain also took a moment to reference the current political climate in America, urging the audience to keep fighting, as her father taught her. We can never surrender to what is happening in the country right now. I understand how divided and how scared a lot of people are and it looks like the fabric of democracy is fraying. We do not surrender. I'm not surrendering. You don't do it either so you have to join me in not surrendering. Okay. Because I'm still here fighting and I want all of you to fight. Meghan McCain returned to The View after taking off several weeks to mourn the death of her father, Arizona Sen. John McCain. The veteran lost his battle with cancer in August. McCain expressed her happiness to be back at the Hot Topics table, but also shed tears as she individually thanked her View co-hosts for their support during her fathers death. She also took time to thank the many people who paid their respects to the senator. I really want to thank all of America for being so kind to my family, McCain said. From the second that my father passed and immediately after he passed the media knew and I had to get in a car in a motorcade behind his hearse and from the very moment I left there were people in the country all races, all age, all creeds out there with American flags waving, saluting, praying, everyone, he would have loved it. McCain also spoke about her fathers lasting legacy. Everyone came out and celebrated him with love and it made me so inspired that the ideals that my father espoused to in his career are the ideals of America and I think there was a lot of talk about what died with him and I am here today to tell you it didnt. It is alive and well. And I need us to remember that. He believed in American exceptionalism. He believed America is the greatest country in the history of the world. He believed that when your candidates opponent says something racist in a rally, you push back. That is John McCain and that is what America is. McCain also took a moment to reference the current political climate in America, urging the audience to keep fighting, as her father taught her. We can never surrender to what is happening in the country right now. I understand how divided and how scared a lot of people are and it looks like the fabric of democracy is fraying. We do not surrender. Im not surrendering. You dont do it either so you have to join me in not surrendering. OK. Because Im still here fighting and I want all of you to fight. Story continues Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: The Interpol chief who went missing last week has resigned his post after it emerged he is being questioned by Chinese authorities, the international police agency said. The announcement came shortly after China confirmed it is holding Meng Hongwei, who has been missing for days, and his wife revealed he sent her an image of a knife before he disappeared as a sign that he was in danger. "Today, Sunday 7 October, (at) the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France received the resignation of Mr Meng Hongwei as President of Interpol with immediate effect," Interpol said in a statement late on Sunday. It did not give a reason for the resignation. INTERPOL President Meng Hongwei was reported missing by his wife last week - REUTERS The agency said South Korean national Kim Jong Yang would becomes its acting president, while it would appoint a new president at a November 18-21 meeting of the organisation in Dubai. Earlier, China's new anti-corruption body said authorities were investigating Mr Meng, who is also a vice minister of public security in China, for suspected violations of the law. The National Supervision Commission, which is also the ruling Communist partys watchdog for political disloyalty, did not specify what the alleged violations were. Meng Hongwei's wife Grace gave a press conference with her back to cameras, saying she feared for her safety Credit: JEFF PACHOUD/AFP Its statement was the first from China since Mr Meng's disappearance was reported on Friday in France, where Interpol is based in the city of Lyon and where Mr Meng was living with his wife and children. French prosecutors opened an investigation last week after his wife Grace went to local police to report him missing, saying she had not heard from him since he left for China in late September. Mrs Meng, who has been placed under police protection after receiving threats, held a press conference in Lyon on Sunday and told reporters said she had not heard from her 64-year-old husband husband since September 25. She said he sent her the knife image that day, four minutes after he sent a message that said: "Wait for my call." Story continues But the call never came and she said she does not know what happened to her husband, who in recent months appears to have fallen out of favour with the ruling party in Beijing. The last message sent by missing Interpol President, Meng Hongwei, to his wife, Grace Meng Credit: AP Mrs Meng urged national governments to intervene, saying she feared that her husband's life was in danger. She kept her back turned to the reporters at the press conference, and refused to be photographed out of fear for her safety. "I have gone from sorrow and fear to the pursuit of truth, justice, and responsibility toward history," she said. "For the husband whom I deeply love, for my young children, for the people of my motherland, for all the wives and children's husbands and fathers to no longer disappear," she said. It was about an hour later that Chinas National Supervision Commission issued its statement confirming Mr Meng had been detained. His wife first learned about the party statement from The Associated Press; she said she was struggling to believe what it said. "This is political ruin and fall!" she wrote in a text message to the AP. "I can't believe because the rule of law (in) China is his lifelong pursuit." Several high ranking Chinese officials, wealthy businessmen and celebrities have disappeared without explanation since Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign after coming to power in 2012. About 1.5 million government officials have been punished for wrongdoing in the crackdown, which critics say is an excuse for President Xi to target political enemies and punish disloyalty. Mr Meng was elected to a four year term as president of Interpol in 2016. He is the first Chinese national to hold the post and had been one of Beijing's top law enforcement officials, overseeing the country's coastguard and counter-terrorism efforts, as well as international police cooperation. An incident at a Beijing shopping mall in which three women snatched a baby from his stroller was not an attempted abduction but a case of mistaken identify, according to a case review by the capital's Public Security Bureau. The authority launched a probe after the child's father complained online about the way the case had been handled by police in Fengtai district. The findings were released on Saturday. According to social media posts by the baby's father, his wife was confronted in a shopping mall on Tuesday by three women who snatched their 11-month-old son from his stroller. He said the incident should have been filed as attempted child abduction. However, on Saturday, the bureau said an investigation had shown the women were acting on behalf of a fourth woman, identified as Li, 62, who had mistakenly believed the boy was her grandchild. Li, who lives in Shandong province, had traveled to Beijing with her three friends in the hope of seeing her grandson, the review said. Due to a family dispute, she had not seen him since his birth in July last year. In June, her daughter-in-law filed for divorce, but the request was denied by a court in Shandong. Li "missed her grandson so much", the review said. Around 10 am on Tuesday, Li saw a woman who looked like her daughter-in-law pushing a stroller and leaving a community in Fengtai. Li took chase but fell down, so she asked her friends to follow the mother. The three friendssurnamed Sha, Gao and Yuncaught up with the mother at the shopping mall in the Dahongmen area and took the baby by force. A store employee intervened after hearing a fracas and returned the baby to the mother, who later called the police. Li arrived at the mall later and, together with her friends, was taken to a police station for questioning. After comparing photographs, officers discovered that Li's daughter-in-law bore a physical resemblance to the mother, and they also lived in the same community. "Li mistook the woman, who was far away at that time, and her friends had never met Li's daughter-in-law," it said. Therefore, the authority added, Fengtai police did not file the incident as a criminal case and instead gave the four women five days in administrative detentionan extrajudicial punishment used for minor or noncriminal offensesfor disturbing public order. In his posts, the baby's father had complained that the punishment was too light. Zhao Li, a Beijing criminal lawyer, said he felt the punishment was reasonable. "If the baby's parents are still unhappy, they can ask for compensation by filing a civil or administrative lawsuit," he said. Belgrade (AFP) - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said he hoped Serbia was moving beyond the "painful" memories of the alliance's 1999 bombings on Monday, hailing a partnership with militarily-neutral Belgrade during the first joint disaster response exercises held in the country. In a speech kicking off the 40-nation civil emergency drills, Stoltenberg acknowledged lingering public unease over NATO, which conducted an 11-week bombing campaign in Serbia nearly two decades ago to force the end of a bloody war between Serb troops and Kosovar separatists. "I realise that NATO remains controversial in Serbia. The memories of the air campaign in 1999 are still painful for many," Stoltenberg said in a press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. "We must never forget the past. But we can move beyond it. And that is what NATO and Serbia are doing with our partnership," he added. Unlike neighbouring Montenegro, which joined NATO last year, Serbia has chosen to remain outside the formal alliance, maintaining its close ties with Russia. Stoltenberg said NATO "fully respects" Serbia's decision not to join the alliance. According to Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, Serbia has participated with NATO members in some 150 exercises since it joined the Partnership For Peace programme in 2006. In last five years Serbia also took part in a dozen joint exercises with Russia, according to the same source. Vucic said Serbia was satisfied with cooperation with NATO "on the rational level", but added the alliance remained unpopular in the Balkan country because of "emotional and psychological issues". The civilian death toll from the 1999 bombing has never been officially established and figures vary from 2,500 dead claimed by Serbian officials to 500 in a Human Rights Watch estimate. Russian President Vladimir Putin; Vostok-2018. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Li Chun/China News Service/VCG, AP, Getty Images) WARSAW Near the end of September, Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, NATOs Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, arrived in Warsaw for a meeting with their NATO counterparts as part of a three-nation European visit by Dunford that took him from the alliances eastern frontier to the Iberian peninsula. Russia had just completed Vostok-2018, its largest military exercise. The drills showcased a military modernization that Moscow has sustained despite bruising economic sanctions. Military intelligence officers monitored the exercises for signs that they might include field hospitals, a possible telltale indication that the mobilization was more than just a drill. No actual hostilities ensued, but such is the state of distrust today between the Western alliance and Russia. Military exercises are only the visible part of Russias hybrid war on the West, an ongoing destabilization campaign targeting Western democracies. It includes persistent cyberattacks and computer hacking; sophisticated disinformation operations, continued interference in U.S. and European elections and targeted assassinations, such as the attempted murder of a former Russian spy on British soil this year using a Russian-made nerve agent. (On Thursday, the United States and major Western allies announced that seven officers in Russias GRU military intelligence agency had been charged with computer hacking in an effort to interfere with the investigation into the poisoning of the Russian defector. Three of the Russian intelligence agents named had been previously indicted for alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.) Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a parade of army hardware and aviation in the main stage of the Vostok-2018 military exercises held jointly by the Russian armed forces and the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army at the Tsugol range. (Photo: Alexei Nikolsky\TASS via Getty Images) From the rise of populist, pro-Russian political parties in various countries to the successful campaign for Great Britain to leave the European Union and the Catalonian separatist movement in Spain, Russian efforts at disruption have been surprisingly successful. On the heels of Moscows military intervention in Ukraine and forced annexation of Crimea in 2014, this new Cold War has awakened NATO from the long complacency that set in after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Story continues Russia has studied the United States closely since 1991 [at the end of the Cold War], and they know that our main strategic source of strength is our network of allies and partners, just as they know that our operational source of strength is our ability to project military power, Dunford told traveling reporters. So Russias strategy is pretty simple: They are trying to erode the cohesion of the NATO alliance and undermine the credibility of the United States in terms of meeting our alliance commitments. They are doing that using cybertools and interference in election and democratic processes and certainly, in the wake of the 2016 U.S. election and moving into the [midterm] election in 2018, there is a lot of friction in the U.S.-Russian relationship. A Shaky Alliance Despite a growing consensus in NATO counsels about the seriousness of the Russian threat, at every stop on Dunfords swing through Europe this past week there were unmistakable signs that Russias destabilization campaign is working. The picture that emerged was of an alliance besieged as never before in the post-Cold War era. The Western democracies are reeling, not only from Russias sophisticated disinformation and cyber-activities but also from the ascendant hardline nationalist movements and illiberal political parties that are hostile to the EU, friendly toward Russia and, in some cases, directly supported by funding from Moscow. Those far-right populist and increasingly authoritarian parties have gained ground throughout Europe, holding the reins of power in Hungary, Poland and Italy (through a far right-left coalition), and they have made significant gains even in countries such as Germany and Sweden. At a time of great uncertainty, the Western alliance has also been thrown badly off balance by President Trumps disruptive leadership. Trump and some of his emissaries to Europe often reflect the anti-immigrant, pro-Russian rhetoric and populist worldview of Europes hardline nationalists. Trumps diplomacy last summer was especially unsettling to the alliance. In a single week overseas, he publicly upbraided close NATO allies and threw a summit in Brussels into disarray; shattered diplomatic protocol by criticizing his London host, British Prime Minister Theresa May; and in an obsequious performance in Helsinki, gave Russian President Vladimir Putins denials of election interference weight equal to the conclusions of his own intelligence agencies. In an interview after returning home, Trump even suggested hesitation about coming to the defense of NATOs newest member, undermining the alliances bedrock commitment that an attack on any member is an attack on all members. In the interview with Fox News days after his private meeting with Putin, Trump was asked why Americans should stand ready to fight for faraway Montenegro, a Balkan republic with a population of less than 700,000. I understand what youre saying. Ive asked the same question, Trump replied. Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people. Theyre very aggressive people. They may get aggressive, and congratulations, youre in World War III! President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on July 16, 2018. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images) Until last year, now retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges commanded the U.S. Army Europe, and he is now the Pershing chairman in strategic studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis. NATO is irrefutably the most successful alliance in the world, and the reason is that despite huge arguments and disagreements among the members over the last 70 years, there has never been a doubt about U.S. commitment or the commitment of the other members to the alliance, he said at a recent conference hosted by the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, D.C. So when President Trump cast doubt about whether the United States would come to the aid of Montenegro because its people are aggressive, that was something I never in my life thought I would hear from an American president. It creates doubt, and that has a negative impact. London Bridge falling down When Dunford arrived in London to consult with his British counterpart in advance of the NATO conference, the major news media in Great Britain were transfixed by the slow-motion train wreck of a potential hard Brexit. Since Britain voted to leave the European Union in the summer of 2016, British and European Union officials have been deadlocked over the terms of an orderly exit, with the deadline for leaving fast approaching in March 2019. Absent a deal for continued British access to Europes common market, there are concerns about a mass flight of international businesses, and acute shortages of everything from perishable food to medicine in Britain. A hard Brexit could even provoke the unraveling of Great Britain itself, as Northern Ireland chafes at the possibility of more controls on movement and trade across its border with the Republic of Ireland, still an EU member, and a potent, pro-EU Scottish independence movement advocates for another independence referendum. There is also little enthusiasm for Brexit among most U.S. officials. With Great Britains exit, the U.S. loses a valuable bridge to the continent and a like-minded voice in EU counsels. The Brexit chaos has also exacerbated severe defense funding shortages that have already forced the British army to shrink to its smallest size (83,000 troops) since the days of Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century. The British military finds itself so strapped for resources that it will need to borrow a U.S. Marine Corps squadron of F-35 fighters for the 2021 maiden deployment of its new aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth. The U.S. Coast Guard has already loaned the Royal Navy 26 engineers to meet an acute shortage of qualified personnel. British Prime Minister Theresa May and President Trump at Chequers on July 13, 2018, in Aylesbury, England. (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Trump is a well-known supporter of Brexit, however, and this year he even reportedly tried to entice President Emmanuel Macron to also pull France out of the EU. Trumps former chief strategist Steve Bannon famously used the Brexit campaign as an early populist template for Trumps successful 2016 presidential campaign, and more recently he has been in Europe advising nationalist populist parties that are ascendant or in power in Italy, Hungary and even Germany. There is also growing evidence that Moscow took a direct interest in the Brexit vote. The Times of London has reported on a research project at Swansea University in Wales and the University of California at Berkeley that found more than 150,000 Twitter accounts with ties to Russia tweeted about Brexit in the days before the Brexit vote. Brexit has unleashed a lot of centrifugal forces that are pulling at divisions in Great Britain, and making it very difficult for London to focus outward on other foreign policy challenges, said Kori Schake, deputy director-general of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, and a former National Security Council official in the George W. Bush administration. The Trump administrations recent threats to sanction companies in Britain, France and Germany for doing business with Iran, and thus force Americas closest allies to follow the administrations lead in abandoning the Iran nuclear deal, is further roiling transatlantic relations at a fraught time. If the history of the end of the American century is written one day, President Trumps performance at the G-7 and NATO summits earlier this year, and his driving our closest allies into the arms of potential adversaries like China and Russia by sanctioning them, are likely to be important milestones, said Schake. Trump acts like there is no downside or negative consequences to the chaos he is creating but he is wrong. The United States is increasingly seen as a destabilizing and unpredictable force in international affairs, and that is forcing foreign leaders to make decisions that run counter to our interests. On the day Dunford flew from London to Poland, the Times of London published a front-page article about the attempted murder in Salisbury last March of Russian defector Sergei Skripal, who along with his daughter was poisoned with a nerve agent almost certainly made in Russia. The investigative journalism organization Bellingcat revealed that one of the suspects described by Moscow as an innocent tourist was actually a highly decorated officer in Spetsnaz, a special forces unit under the command of Russian military intelligence. The disclosure of Col. Anatoliy Chepigas identity essentially confirmed the widespread belief among Western intelligence agencies that political assassination is part of Russias ongoing destabilization campaign in the West. Former Russian military intelligence colonel Sergei Skripal at a hearing at the Moscow District Military Court in Moscow in 2006. (Photo: Yuri Senatorov/AFP/Getty Images) NATO Fights Back In recent years, the government of Poland one of the Western alliances frontline defenders of freedom has moved alarmingly in the direction of undermining the countrys constitutional democracy. Since taking power, the Law and Justice Party has adopted neighboring Hungarys model of illiberal democracy, curtailing the independence of the constitutional court, politicizing the civil service and wielding public media as an instrument of party propaganda. The scores of Poland and Hungary on Freedom Houses Freedom in the World index have both fallen in recent years. Yet there is something about sharing a border with Russia and being what a Polish taxi driver described to me as a historic speed bump between Berlin and Moscow that focuses the mind on the business at hand. So when I asked Scaparrotti whether Russia is the Western alliances number one national security threat, he didnt equivocate. Yes, absolutely, he said on the sidelines of last weekends NATO conference in Warsaw. Russia is conducting a form of hybrid warfare, he said, just below the level of outright conflict. If you look at their cyber and social media activity, their disinformation operations, and their money and support to European organizations and political groups on both ends of the political spectrum, they are doing those things in many European countries, he said. In my view, they are executing a destabilization campaign based on a strategy that assumes if they can destabilize Western governments it will be to Russias benefit. If you look at their military doctrine, that is part of what they call indirect activity. They believe undermining Western governments without ever firing a shot achieves their ends. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford, right, and Polands Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak at the NATO Military Committee Conference in Warsaw, Poland, on Sept. 29, 2018. (Photo: Mateusz Wlodarczyk/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Key aspects of Russias hybrid destabilization campaign are constant cyberattacks and probes. At SHAPE [Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe], Im being attacked every day, said Scaparrotti. We see attempts to breach our command-and-control and communications systems, both classified and unclassified, on a daily basis. And there is no doubt that some of those cyberattacks are conducted by Russian actors. Without going into details, in some cases, I personally believe those cyberattacks are connected to the Russian state and the state intelligence apparatus. While Russia is executing that hybrid campaign in many Western countries, including the U.S., Scaparrotti notes that Moscows attacks are focused on NATOs eastern allies bordering Russia, including Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. According to Bob Woodwards new book, Fear, Russian officials have gone so far as to privately warn the Pentagon that in the event of war involving NATO allies in the East, Moscow would not hesitate to use tactical nuclear weapons. The Russians have always seen those countries along the eastern border of the NATO alliance as a region of privileged influence for them, and they want to continue to be able to exert influence there, he said. That realization has prompted a dramatic change in NATOs posture and mindset. Scaparrottis staff has spent considerable time and effort dusting off old Cold War concepts such as deterrence, rapid reinforcement and battle readiness. The most tangible sign of NATOs new mindset was the European Deterrence Initiative, which was established after Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea to reassure nervous allies that share a border with Russia. That led to the deployment of four multinational Battle Groups to the Baltics and Poland, each led by a framework nation. Canada leads the battle group deployed to Latvia; Germany leads in Lithuania, Great Britain in Estonia and the U.S. in Poland. Late last year, NATO defense ministers also agreed to create two commands to facilitate the rapid reinforcement of Europe in the event of a conflict with Russia. In Warsaw last weekend, senior NATO military officials also discussed at length how to implement the 30-30-30-30 readiness initiative proposed by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and endorsed at the NATO Summit in Brussels last July. The 430 initiative calls for the alliance to have 30 land battalions, 30 fighter squadrons and 30 ships ready to deploy within 30 days of an alert. Defense Secretary James Mattis, left, speaks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison before a session of NATO leaders and delegations from Ukraine and Georgia at the NATO summit on July 12, 2018, in Brussels. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Perhaps the most important thing that has changed is the mindset that we have to get up every day now and be ready to deal with a real threat. That is a fundamental change, and change is the hardest thing for any military organization. Human nature being what it is, weve taken a bit of time to get to this point, said Scaparrotti. So I think the Russians were ahead of us in terms of changing their posture with respect to NATO. It took the West a little longer to recognize that Russia is not our friend or partner right now and we had better start paying close attention to what the Russians are doing and how they are acting. But I feel like we have the right focus now. Spain on Edge On the last stop of his swing through Europe this week, Dunford stopped in Madrid to consult with his counterpart in Spain. Ongoing combat operations against the Islamic State group (ISIS) and the whereabouts of its foreign fighters was much on the minds of the Spaniards. Last year, a terrorist cell linked to ISIS killed 14 people and injured more than 130 others in Barcelona in the deadliest terror attack in Spain since the March 2004, when Madrid train bombings by al-Qaida-linked terrorists killed 193 people and injured nearly 2,000. In Madrid, Dunford shared his belief that the Warsaw Summit was one of the most productive in recent memory because leaders are no longer debating the acute nature of the threats the alliance now faces. When I came into this job three years ago, there was not an appreciation for the challenge that Russia and violent extremism pose to the alliance, Dunford said. As a military leader, its very easy now because we are no longer having that debate. We have a very clear mandate to adapt NATO to be relevant to the challenges we confront today. When I asked Dunford what role, if any, a military alliance like NATO could play to counter the wider instability so evident in Western democracies, he was thoughtful. You know, theres been plenty of periods in the pasts where significant forces were dividing countries, including our own. The confidence I have in our ability to come out of these periods is based on democratic institutions that protect us. At the end of the day, its our democratic institutions that provide resilience in difficult times, said Dunford, who stressed that military-to-military relationships have a stabilizing effect on the broader relationships between nations. I understand its only one part of a broader cultural, economic and political relationship based on shared values and norms, but that military-to-military relationship is important. Its foundational. So we have to be careful, as military leaders, to maintain a steady course in institutions like the NATO alliance to meet the challenges we face. As fate would have it, Dunfords visit to Madrid this week coincided with the one-year anniversary of Catalonias vote last year to secede from Spain, sparking a constitutional crisis. There were protests on the streets of Madrid and more in Barcelona, where 180,000 demonstrators marched and in some cases clashed with baton-wielding police. Spanish intelligence officials confirmed that Russia was using social media, internet bots and trolls, and other disinformation tactics to stoke the Catalonian unrest. James Kitfield is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: By Gayatri Suroyo and Fathin Ungku JAKARTA/PALU, Indonesia (Reuters) - When up to six-meter (20-foot) tsunami waves crashed into the Indonesian city of Palu last month, Didiek Wahyudi Kurniawan's house near the beach was quickly engulfed with water, leaving his wife and two daughters barely any time to escape. "I know there is supposed to be a tsunami warning alarm, but maybe it was outdated? I have no idea. We never get any warning from it," said Kurniawan, 46. He said he was out at the time but his family escaped by wading through chest-high water to a neighbor's three-storey building. While his family was spared, scores attending a beach festival in Palu were among those swept away, adding to the more than 1,600 deaths from the 7.5 magnitude quake and tsunami that have been confirmed so far. Other survivors also said they heard no sirens, even though a tsunami warning was issued and then lifted 34 minutes after the quake, based on data available from the closest tidal sensor, around 200 km (125 miles) from Palu, which is on Sulawesi island. As Indonesia struggles with the aftermath of the devastating quake, the spotlight has again been shone on the apparent lack of preparedness in a sprawling archipelago that suffers regular tremors, lying on the seismically active so-called Pacific Ring of Fire. There was a major push in the region to improve warning systems after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed more than 120,000 in Indonesia alone, including establishing a network of 22 warning buoys to detect tsunamis that was put in place with German and U.S. help. International agencies and countries poured $4.6 billion into the reconstruction of Indonesia's devastated Aceh province on Sumatra island, with new infrastructure such as strategically placed evacuation centers. Still, with the first waves in Palu arriving within around four minutes and power and communications knocked out by the quake, text message alerts or sirens would probably not have been enough, even if they were working. Denis McClean, a spokesman of the U.N. Disaster Risk Reduction agency, told a briefing only public awareness would have saved people under these circumstances. "It happened very quickly. There wasn't much time for warnings to be disseminated, so it was very much dependent on the level of public awareness in order to save lives." "THE EARTHQUAKE IS THE WARNING" Indonesia's national disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said people still often did not know what to do when a disaster strikes. Unlike in quake-prone countries like Japan and New Zealand, earthquake education and drills are conducted only sporadically in Indonesia. "The problem in tsunami early warning systems is not the structure, not its tools, but the culture in our communities," Nugroho told reporters. Palu has some tsunami evacuation route signs, but Mokhtar, a resident, said while he was aware of government sponsored simulations shown on television on what to do in an earthquake, he had not seen any on the ground. "There is a warning system but on that day there was none. No siren or anything," said the 51-year-old civil servant, adding that he has never heard the warning system ever. Nugroho of the disaster agency said communities sometimes vandalize early warning tools like tsunami buoys. The network of 22 buoys in Indonesia, which are connected to seabed sensors, have been inoperable since 2012, often due to neglect or vandalism. Fishermen often used buoys to tie their boats, sometimes damaging sensors, while in one case a buoy was towed by fishermen from its original mooring to another part of the sea off Sulawesi. Indonesian President Joko Widodo called this week for the buoys to be repaired or replaced, but experts and officials say investment has also been neglected in other areas. According to data from the disaster agency, out of about 1,000 tsunami sirens needed across Indonesia, only 56 are in place. Only about 3,100 km (1,920 miles) of evacuation routes have been established against a need for 11,900 km (7,390 miles), while there are only 50 evacuation shelters compared with estimates of 2,200 needed, the data showed. The speaker of Indonesia's parliament, Bambang Soesatyo, pledged in a statement that at least in the case of buoys, parliament would support the budget for this. Adam Switzer, a tsunami expert at the Earth Observatory of Singapore, said from evidence so far it appeared the tsunami in Palu was generated by a submarine landslide, something most warning systems would not pick up. "The earthquake is the warning. The first thing you need to do is take cover in a safe space until the shaking stops and then get yourself away from the coast. It's about education," said Switzer, stressing that this needed "to be ingrained in every child in Asia, especially in Southeast Asia". Even putting aside the human cost, there are powerful economic arguments for doing more to prepare for disasters. Udrekh, a disaster expert at Indonesia's Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), said Indonesia is discussing with Japan whether to invest in seabed cables with sensors that could detect tsunami and earthquakes, similar to a system in Japan. Such cables would be less vulnerable and quicker than buoys and cost 300 billion rupiah ($19.8 million) a year for every 200 km (125 miles), he said. "We always say for disaster infrastructure that you save $7 for every $1 investment you make, so this is needed and the cost is nothing compared to other infrastructure," he said. He estimated Indonesia lost about 30 trillion rupiah ($2 billion) each year from disasters, but spent too little on disaster mitigation infrastructure and education. "It's like we never learned from 2004," he told Reuters. ($1 = 15,185.0000 rupiah) (Additional reporting by Fanny Potkin in JAKARTA and Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay in GENEVA; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to visit Russia soon, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping is also expected to travel to North Korea. Moon spoke of the imminent travel plans of the North Korean and Chinese leaders during a Cabinet meeting a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to North Korea but did not elaborate further. Moon spoke positively about Pompeo's meeting with Kim on Sunday, saying it set up conditions that make possible another summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump soon and will help the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. North Korean state media said Pyongyang and Moscow agreed to hold a summit this year after Kim met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Pyongyang. Kim also traveled to China three times this year for meetings with Xi. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Paul Tait) SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un described his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday as "productive and wonderful," state media KCNA said on Monday, striking a positive tone compared with a previous state media stance when talks were stalled. Kim and Pompeo agreed to arrange a summit between the North Korean leader and U.S. President Donald Trump "as soon as possible," and discussed potential U.S. monitoring of Pyongyang's steps toward denuclearization, South Korea's presidential office said on Sunday. "Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction over the productive and wonderful talks with Mike Pompeo at which mutual stands were fully understood and opinions exchanged," KCNA said. It added that the two sides agreed on holding working negotiations for the second North Korean-U.S. summit as early as possible. "Together with Mike Pompeo, Kim Jong Un appreciated the positively developing situation on the Korean peninsula, explained in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearization issue and matters of concern of both sides and exchanged constructive opinions," KCNA said. In Pompeo's last trip to Pyongyang in July, North Korea denounced him for making "gangster-like demands." Pompeo did not meet Kim on that trip. Kim said he believed the dialogue between the two countries would continue to develop favorably "based on the deep confidence between the two leaders of the two countries," and expressed gratitude to Trump for making a sincere effort to implement the agreement made at their historic June summit, KCNA said. Pompeo said on Sunday his latest, fourth trip to Pyongyang was "another step forward" to denuclearization and that he had a "good, productive conversation" with Kim, striking a cautious note by saying more needed to be done. Pompeo's trip to Pyongyang occurred amid negative signals from North Korea whose actions have fallen short of Washington's demands for a complete inventory of its nuclear weapons and irreversible steps to give up an arsenal that potentially threatens the United States. In a statement, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Kim had invited inspectors to visit the Punggye-ri nuclear test site to confirm it had been irreversibly dismantled. The statement did not provide further details. KCNA did not mention that issue. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Peter Cooney) Islamabad (AFP) - Pakistan's Supreme Court said it had reached a judgement Monday after hearing the final appeal of a Christian mother on death row for blasphemy, but that it will announce its ruling later in the notorious case, which has gone all the way to the Vatican. Chief Justice Saqib Nisar did not say when the three-member bench would reveal the fate of Asia Bibi -- a mother-of-five who has been on death row since 2010 and could become the first person in Pakistan to be executed under the controversial blasphemy laws. He said the delay was "for reasons to be recorded later", and told media they could not publish comments on the inflammatory case. Bibi's is the most high-profile blasphemy case in deeply conservative Muslim Pakistan, where the accusation is so explosive that anyone even accused of insulting Islam risks a violent and bloody death at the hands of vigilantes. Her plight has drawn attention from international rights groups. Pope Benedict XVI joined in calls for her release in 2010, while in 2015 her daughter met with Pope Francis, who as the head of the Catholic Church offered prayers for her mother. If the court upholds Bibi's sentence, her only recourse will be a direct appeal to the president for clemency. President Arif Alvi is a close ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who launched a wholehearted defence of the blasphemy laws during his election campaign earlier this year, vowing his party "fully" supports the legislation and "will defend it". Rights activists have warned that carrying the sentence out would be appeasement of populist extremists and a huge blow for minorities, who already face pervasive discrimination. Freedom in Pakistan, however, means a life under threat by vigilantes and hardliners, who regularly hold demonstrations calling for Bibi's execution. Many took to Twitter and other social media Monday to repeat the call. The allegations against Bibi date back to 2009, when she was working in a field and was asked to fetch water. Muslim women she was labouring with allegedly objected, saying that as a non-Muslim she was unfit to touch the water bowl. Story continues The women went to a local cleric and accused Bibi of blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, a charge punishable by death under the colonial-era legislation. On Monday the justices appeared to question the case against her, with Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, a renowned expert in criminal law, listing flaws in the proceedings. "I don't see any derogatory remarks vis a vis the holy Koran as per the FIR," added Chief Justice Nisar, referring to the initial complaint filed in the case. - Censorship, persecution, murder - Approximately 40 people are believed to be on death row or serving a life sentence in Pakistan for blasphemy, according to a 2018 report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. International rights groups have long criticised the legislation, saying it is routinely abused to settle personal vendettas. The European Union parliament in 2010 warned it has been used to justify censorship, persecution, and even murder of minorities. In recent years, it has also been weaponised to smear dissenters and politicians. Mere calls to reform the law have provoked violence, most notably the assassination of Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Pakistan's most populous province, by his own bodyguard in 2011. Taseer had also called for Bibi's release. His sons Shaan and Shahbaz, who himself was held prisoner by the Taliban for nearly five years, were among those tweeting their support for her Monday. But Taseer's assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, executed in 2016, was feted as a hero by hardliners, with his hanging provoking Islamist fury. Politicians including Imran Khan invoked blasphemy during the general election earlier this year, with analysts warning the tactic could deepen sectarian fractures and potentially spill into violence. By Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Alexander Winning JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa's spokeswoman said on Monday his office was not aware of Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene's request to be relieved of his duties after he admitted to visiting the Gupta brothers. The rand fell more than one percent when Business Day newspaper reported Nene had asked Ramaphosa to remove him after the finance minister admitted to visiting the home of the Guptas, friends of scandal-plagued former leader Jacob Zuma. Nene has become a divisive figure after testimony he gave last week at an inquiry into allegations of corruption by the Guptas, in which he admitted to the previously undisclosed visits. He made a public apology about the matter on Friday. Zuma and the Guptas, who face numerous allegations of using their friendship for mutual self-enrichment, have consistently denied any wrongdoing. Business Day cited unidentified government sources as saying that Nene made the request to Ramaphosa at the weekend. Nene did not answer calls for comment. "We are not aware of Minister Nene asking to be relieved of his duties. What the president has noted is the testimony that he submitted to the Zondo commission," Ramaphosa's spokeswoman Khusela Diko said. "At this point what we are appealing for is for the commission to be allowed to do its work and make findings, and on the basis of that the president will see what further action is required," she said. The public inquiry headed by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo is reviewing allegations that three Gupta brothers -- Atul, Ajay and Rajesh -- unduly influenced Zuma about political appointments and the awarding of government contracts. The inquiry was set up on the recommendation of a 2016 report, entitled "State of Capture", into alleged influence-peddling in Zuma's administration by the Public Protector, South Africa's main anti-corruption authority. Opposition parties have called for Nene's resignation. KEY ALLY Nene is a key ally of Ramaphosa, who reappointed him finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle shortly after he became president earlier this year. Ramaphosa's stated commitment to boosting growth and stamping out graft has gone down well with foreign investors and ANC members, who felt Zuma's handling of the economy could seriously damage the party in the 2019 national elections. Asked about the reports that Nene had requested to be relieved from his position, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said: "Let's wait and see what happens." Gordhan, who is a former finance minister and close ally to Ramaphosa, is attending a conference in London. Treasury spokesman Jabulani Sikhakhane referred Reuters to the presidency for comment. Nene told the inquiry he was fired by Zuma in December 2015 for blocking deals that would have benefited the Guptas, particularly a $100 billion nuclear power deal with Russia that could have crippled Africa's most developed economy. But Nene's opponents say he was involved in corrupt deals with the Guptas when he was deputy finance minister and head of the state pension fund. He denies ever helping the Guptas. (Additional reporting by Ed Stoddard in Johannesburg and Karin Strohecker in London, Writing by James Macharia, Editing by William Maclean) Warsaw (AFP) - Some 200 people took to the streets of Warsaw on Sunday to protest child sex abuse in the Catholic Church, in the first major such rally in staunchly Catholic Poland. The demonstrators marched through the capital waving banners reading "Bishop, protecting paedophiles is a crime" and "We are fed up with the clergy's cowardice". They also carried a map of the country with black crosses to mark places where complaints about child sex abuse had been made against clerics. There are no official statistics on the number of Polish priests convicted of child sex abuse, but a Polish association that helps victims estimates there were around 56 over nearly two decades, including clergy convicted of possessing child pornography. The protesters stopped in front of four churches in Warsaw to read out victims' accounts. Before the archbishop's seat, a long list of Polish cities and towns with documented paedophilia cases was read out to the sound of drums and with the crowd occasionally shouting "Shame!" "We are protesting because the Church remains passive and nothing is being done against those responsible for these crimes," said Marek Lisinki of the Don't Be Afraid organisation, which tracks child sex abuse cases inside the Church and organised Sunday's rally. "For too long, this has been a taboo subject in Poland," he added. Protests also took place in other Polish cities including in Poznan where an appeal court on Tuesday upheld a verdict ordering a Catholic priests' society to pay out record damages to a former child victim of a paedophile priest. The ruling was the first of its kind in a country where the Church still wields considerable influence. It is under increasing scrutiny worldwide over clerical sex abuse claims. Pope Francis has called for a meeting of all the heads of Catholic bishops' conferences worldwide at the Vatican next February to discuss the issue of the "protection of minors". In Poland, the recently released film "Kler" (The Clergy) about abuses and corruption in the Catholic Church drew close to two million spectators within a week -- a record in the country of 38 million. The warden of a prison in northeastern China's Liaoning province has been dismissed after a prison break by two inmates during the National Day holiday. Authorities in Liaoning launched an investigation as soon as the two escapees were recaptured on Saturday, the Liaoning Prison Administrative Bureau said in an online statement on Sunday. The warden of Lingyuan No 3 Prison, where the inmates were held, has been dismissed from his position, it said. The bureau has also suspended the head of the prison's stability maintenance team, it said, adding that other employees will be held accountable once all the facts are ascertained. The two inmates, 33-year-old Wang Lei and 39-year-old Zhang Guilin, escaped on Thursday, according to a notice released by the public security bureau in Chaoyang, Liaoning, which said they stole prison guards' uniforms to make their escape. Wang was sentenced to death for kidnapping and killing an 11-year-old child in December 2013, but that was commuted to life imprisonment in December, while Zhang received a life sentence for robbery in 2009 and was transferred to the prison in 2014, the notice said. The first trace of the fugitives was at a kiosk about 20 kilometers from the prison around 11 am on Thursday. They left after buying sausages, cigarettes and bread, online news outlet The Paper reported. Around 5 pm that day they were spotted at another kiosk in a village in Pingquan county, in neighboring Hebei province, where they stayed for about 10 minutes to buy liquor, beer, mineral water and other drinks, and sausages. Police arrived at the kiosk to investigate shortly after the two left. Surveillance video footage showed Wang entering the village alone from the south and leaving the same way. Li Xue, a village employee, told The Paper that about 800 police quickly arrived and that the village assembled nearly 1,000 villagers to assist in the manhunt. They started searching from the north and south of the village and deployed patrols at road junctions, Li said. A local government employee surnamed Sun told The Paper: "All the people in town were engaged in the search. They'd heard that the escapees had committed murder, so to ensure their safety, they were grouped with town government officials. They helped the police lead the way, set up road barriers, delivered water and food, or provided logistical support." Sun said he and several town officials, together with many villagers, went into an orchard and searched the woods all night. "We didn't sleep at all," he said. "Only when we heard that the criminals were captured some 60 km away did we feel relieved and returned home to rest." The public security bureau in Chengde, Hebei, said on social media that it had canceled National Day holiday leave and assembled more than 700 police officers and mobilized 600 town officials after being asked to search villages and towns neighboring Liaoning. On Friday night, it dispatched 430 officers to Pingquan along with 100 prison guards. At noon on Saturday, drones they were using found traces of one criminal, and the police rushed to the area while sending a message to Liaoning police. They began searching key locations and captured Wang at 1:20 pm. Zhang was caught 20 minutes later. More than 2,300 officers were involved in the manhunt. In a car crash during the operation, two police officers died and two others were seriously injured. It was the third time Zhang had escaped custody since 2009, according to court records available online. Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis met the president of the US bishops' conference Monday as his supporters closed ranks over the pontiff's handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by a US cardinal. Francis held talks with Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and other senior members of the bishops' conference just 48 hours after ordering an investigation into Vatican archives concerning former archbishop of Washington Theodore McCarrick, who resigned in July. DiNardo on Sunday "welcomed" the "additional steps Pope Francis is taking to ensure the faithful are protected from the evil of sexual assault". The case of McCarrick triggered a storm in August after Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a former Vatican envoy to Washington, accused the pope of ignoring allegations the prominent Catholic leader had abused a teenager decades ago. Francis was accused of lifting sanctions against McCarrick that his predecessor Benedict XVI had imposed -- charges refuted Sunday by the Vatican's prefect for the Congregation for Bishops. Canadian cardinal Marc Ouellett said Vigano's "unjustified attack" was a "political manoeuver without any real foundation" that aimed "to incriminate the pope". Ouellett said he had told Vigano in person that McCarrick "was supposed to obey certain conditions and restrictions due to the rumours surrounding his past behaviour". After stepping down as archbishop of Washington in 2006, McCarrick "had been strongly advised not to travel and not to appear in public, so as not to provoke additional rumours in his regard. "It is false to present the measures taken in his regard as 'sanctions' decreed by Pope Benedict XVI and revoked by Pope Francis," Ouellett said in an open letter to Vigano. McCarrick escaped being sanctioned because "at that time, unlike today, there was not sufficient proof of his alleged guilt". Ouellett admitted that in his opinion "some suspicions provided by witnesses should have been further examined", but added that "the prelate in question knew how to defend himself very skillfully regarding the doubts that were raised about him". Story continues Francis has refused to comment on the Vigano accusation. The Vatican has said further study of the entire documentation present in its archives may reveal the church's leadership took choices that would not live up to its contemporary guidelines on tackling cover-ups. "We will follow the path of truth wherever it may lead," it said. (Bloomberg) President Donald Trump says he hopes to see North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the near future after his top diplomat reported progress Sunday at a meeting with Kim in Pyongyang held to resolve details over a potential second summit. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo told South Korean President Moon Jae-in upon his arrival in Seoul that Kim had agreed to meet with Trump as soon as possible, according to a statement from Moons office. The South Koreans said the U.S. and North Korea discussed establishing formal negotiating groups to set a denuclearization process and work out a time and location for a follow-up meeting to the first Trump-Kim summit in June. As President Trump said, there are many steps along the way and we took one of them today, Pompeo told Moon in Seoul, in remarks that offered only a broad assessment of his talks with Kim. It was another step forward. Pompeo had a good meeting with Chairman Kim today in Pyongyang, Trump said Sunday on Twitter. Progress made on Singapore Summit Agreements! I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future. .@SecPompeo had a good meeting with Chairman Kim today in Pyongyang. Progress made on Singapore Summit Agreements! I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim again, in the near future. pic.twitter.com/bUa2pkq80s Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2018 Pompeo and Kim refined options for the location and date of their next summit, and they agreed to instruct their respective working-level teams to meet soon to intensify discussions on the key remaining issues, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. Kim also invited inspectors to visit the Punggye Ri nuclear test site to confirm that it has been irreversibly dismantled, Nauert said. Story continues A U.S. official told reporters traveling with Pompeo that the visit to North Korea was better than Pompeos fraught previous trip to the North Korean capital in July, while adding there was a long haul ahead. The trip was the latest turn in a diplomatic saga that saw Trump and Kim threaten each other with nuclear war last year only for them to hold their historic summit in Singapore. While the leaders signed a vague agreement to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the two sides have bickered over the pace and sequence of steps to achieve that goal. Pompeos brief visit wasnt expected to resolve critical issues over to get North Korea to disarm or make much progress on a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War. Kims regime has said it wants to focus on more than just its nuclear program, and that it expects the U.S. to show some flexibility with its demands. Good Future Pompeo and Kim met for about two hours and then had a 90-minute working lunch, starting with this exchange in front of reporters: Its a very nice day that promises a good future, Kim said, for both countries. Pompeo replied: So we had a great, great visit this morning. Thank you for hosting, President Trump sends his regards. And we had a very successful morning. Pompeo landed in Pyongyang on Sunday morning to meet Kim after visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday in Tokyo. Pompeo will continue traveling to Beijing and then return to Washington on Monday. In a sign of the modest objectives of the trip, Pompeo told a reporter en route to Japan that one of his goals would be to make sure that we understand what each side is truly trying to achieve, a comment that signaled the two countries were still a long way off from detailed negotiations on verified disarmament. Second Summit In Tokyo, Pompeo told Abe that the U.S. wanted to work closely on nuclear talks and that he would raise with the North Koreans the issue of Japanese abductees held for decades by the regime. The Sunday stop in Pyongyang was Pompeos first chance to introduce his special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, to leaders there. Pompeo had hoped to do that in August, when he appointed Biegun and announced they would travel to the country. But Trump called off the trip a day later, saying North Korea hadnt made sufficient progress toward denuclearization. It was Pompeos fourth trip to Pyongyang and his first visit since July, when he spent the night and left with little to show for his journey. Soon after the secretary of state left the country on his last visit, North Korea issued a statement lambasting his gangster-like demands. Generous Trump Kim Song Hye, who had accompanied top North Korean official Kim Yong Chol on his June White House visit, described Trump as generous and a leader during staff-level discussions in Pyongyang. She also said she believed the two countries wouldnt be here without Trump. Despite public criticism from analysts that the U.S. has obtained little on the disarmament front, Trump and his team point to a lack of nuclear and missile tests since late last year as signs that their strategy is working. And at a news conference last month, Trump claimed that there is more progress behind the scenes than the public recognizes. Pompeo has said the U.S. is making the progress we need. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have pointed to a recent meeting in Pyongyang between Kim and Moon, when North Korea committed to dismantling a missile-engine-testing site and raised the possibility of doing the same at its Yongbyon nuclear-enrichment facility. We continue to make progress on agreements made at Singapore summit, Pompeo tweeted shortly after arriving in Seoul. Princess Eugenie is to marry Jack Brooksbank next week The British public is sick of the royal family and shouldnt have to spend millions of pounds of taxpayers money on Princess Eugenies wedding. Thats the perhaps unsurprising view of the anti-monarchy pressure group Republic, which says this weeks wedding is further evidence of Britains growing indifference towards the royals. Eugenie is to marry Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle, the same venue as the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs wedding, on 12 October. Costs around the ceremony and reception including the flowers, dress, food and drink etc. will be footed by the Eugenies father, the Duke of York. However, all security elements, such as additional policing and road closures, will be paid for by the taxpayer and are thought to be in the region on 2m. Dani Beckett, Vice Chair of Republic, said: For me, its not about the wedding, the dress or how she chooses to spend the money, as long as it is her money and not mine. Prince Andrew may very well pay part of the money but he is also funded by taxpayers money. Theres real fatigue now of the royal family, I think the British public is sick of being told that this is great. Ms Beckett added it remains very difficult for the public to find out what the royals actually spend their money on. The lack of transparency is intentional, she said. The Queen most popular (Reuters) Popularity contest It is widely thought the royals have experienced a surge in popularity among the British public driven predominantly by interest in the younger royals. According to Ipsos Mori, which has run frequent polls about the popularity of monarchy for the past 25 years, 76% of Brits polled in 2016 said they want to keep the institution. This was down from the 80% peak of royal popularity in 2012 (probably driven by the London Olympics) but compares favourably with anytime during the 1990s. A poll by YouGov in May this year showed it is overwhelmingly the top-tier Windsors who drive this support. The Queen was named the most popular royal with a 92% approval rating, followed closely by her grandchildren Prince Harry (87%) and Prince William (83%). The Duchess of Cambridge (82%) also has a vast bank of supporters. Story continues The Queen enjoys overwhelming support among Brits However, less high-profile royals do not have anywhere near the same level of public support. And Eugenies father, Prince Andrew, came in last place with only an 18% approval rate. What about the wedding? There is some evidence of a backlash against the scale of Eugenies wedding. Princess Eugenie and her sister, Princess Beatrice, are no longer working royals and are therefore rarely in the public eye. And because they no longer carry out any royal duties in the Queens name, that means they shouldnt receive any public money. Instead they are working royals with full-time jobs Eugenie currently works as a director at Hauser & Wirth art gallery in London. Beatrice is employed at a US-based company called Afiniti. A recent Good Morning Britain poll on Twitter showed that out of 8,150 people who voted, nearly 90% did not believe that the taxpayer should foot the security bill. Security at Princess Eugenie's wedding next month will reportedly cost 2m. Should the public be paying? Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 18, 2018 And more than 34,000 people have signed a petition set up by Republic calling for the royals to cover the whole cost of the wedding, including the security. The money trail This is the second royal wedding in the space of just five months. The cost of Prince Harry and Meghan Markles big day in May was estimated at around 32m by wedding planning service Bridebook, with security costs predicted at more than 30m. In the run-up to the event, a YouGov poll showed 57% of Brits felt the royal family should pay not only for the wedding but also for the cost of policing. On the day itself, around 18 million Brits, nearly one-third of the population, tuned in to watch the nuptials, which are thought to have given the local economy an 11m boost. However, it is unlikely that this upcoming wedding will have anywhere near the same impact, with interest nationally and globally much lower the BBC has even refused to broadcast the event because they do not believe enough people will tune in to watch it. Doha (AFP) - US sanctions on Iran will not impact Qatar Airways' flights to the Islamic republic, the airline's boss Akbar al-Baker said on Monday. Speaking at a high-profile business conference in the Qatari capital Doha, Baker said services to Iran would continue despite a tightening economic and political squeeze on Iran by Washington. "Aviation is not a sanctioned industry, Qatar Airways will continue to operate into the cities we are currently operating in Iran," he said. "Our flights to Iran will not be affected." Qatar Airways' Iran destinations include Mashhad and Shiraz, while the airline operates daily flights to Tehran, according to its website. Baker's comments come as US President Donald Trump's administration is expected to impose a second round of tough sanctions on Iran next month. A first tranche of punitive measures were introduced in August by the US after it withdrew in May from the 2015 international deal aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Washington has also warned foreign businesses to steer clear of Iran. Already, major European airlines including Air France and British Airways have stopped flights to Iran, following the sanctions' announcement. Qatar is also under scrutiny over its relationship with Iran, with whom it shares the world's largest natural gas field. Since June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed a sweeping embargo on Qatar, sparking the worst political rift to ever hit the Gulf, in part because of Iran. The four countries accuse Doha of seeking closer ties with Tehran, Saudi Arabia's arch-rival, as well as supporting radical Islamist groups. Qatar denies the charges, accusing its neighbours of seeking regime change. Port de Paix (Haiti) (AFP) - In Port-de-Paix, the Haitian city hardest hit by a strong earthquake, medical personnel at the Immaculate Conception Hospital of Port-de-Paix are struggling to treat the wounded -- and helplessly looked on as some didn't make it. Not only are doctors and nurses lacking the supplies they need, the damage caused by the 5.9-magnitude tremor late Saturday made conditions even more challenging. "There was no electricity here, so we couldn't receive the huge crowd that came last night," said Paul Miclaude, a doctor working in the emergency room. "It was really difficult for us to send them to another hospital," Miclaude added. "With time running out, some died here." So far, the quake has claimed 12 lives, according to Haitian officials. Eight of the victims died in Port-de-Paix. Miclaude said that even on Sunday, doctors were without needed supplies. "Patients are out buying medications, gloves, you name it -- they have to, despite their trauma and their destroyed homes," he said. "Clearly, we aren't ready for such a catastrophe." - 'He died on the spot' - Looking on with a blank stare, Pamelia Donne leaves a small room filled with stretchers, dragging her leg behind her. Her foot is bandaged. She had arrived several hours before -- with the body of her 20-year-old son. "When everything started to shake, my child was about to leave the room. Then all of a sudden, he flew in the air and because the walls were falling down, he fell on a piece of rebar," Donne recounted. "It pierced his back and came out by his ribs. He died on the spot." In the palm of her hand, she crumpled the prescription handed to her by the nurse who bandaged her foot into a ball. "I'm going to go get the medicine," Donne said, her voice barely audible. "Actually, I have no way to get there to buy them and my husband, who suffered a leg injury, also has a prescription." Story continues - Fear of aftershocks - Just as police began to restore order at the entrance to the hospital, and several crates of medicine arrived from the health ministry, the glimmer of hope was quickly dashed by a 5.3-magnitude aftershock -- and chaos reigned once again. Both doctors and patients ran into the street, fearful that part of the building could collapse. Standing near mattresses on the ground in the yard, where patients received IV drips, the hospital's medical chief Polycarpe Saaely says he hopes more help is on the way. "With all the aftershocks, we can't really stay inside, so we are putting up tents to receive the various patients who arrive," said Saaely. "These buildings date back to the American occupation (1915-1934). We evacuated two patients from the surgical wing because the building is really falling apart." Indeed, the building was completely empty -- the ceiling had caved in in several places. As Sunday dragged on, residents followed the parade of ambulances that arrived, their sirens blaring, and then departed for the private hospital located about a 30-minute drive away. President Jovenel Moise's visit to Port-de-Paix helped mitigate the public anger borne from years spent living in extreme poverty without any real signs of improvement. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas. But residents were still angry. "Everyone can see that we don't have a real hospital," one resident, Francois Lubensron, told AFP near the hospital entrance. "This shows we have no government. The president came to the city but he didn't even stop by to see what is going on here," the 28-year-old added. "This behavior must end. We've had enough of a small group privatizing the country while we die. We are human beings. We have the right to live like those in all nations." As they listened to the passionate debates of the small group gathered around Lubensron, elderly residents shook their heads. Some of them spread out small plastic tarps under which they could take refuge. They will spend the night outside, with more aftershocks a near-certainty. Marseille (AFP) - French and Italian civil and military teams were working to contain a spreading oil spill in the Mediterranean Monday after a container ship collision off the island of Corsica that prompted France to launch an investigation into "maritime pollution". The accident occurred early Sunday when a Tunisian freighter rammed into a Cyprus-based vessel anchored about 30 kilometres (20 miles) off the northern tip of the French island. The ship's hull was pierced and at least one fuel tank began leaking into the sea off the holiday island of Corsica. French Environment Minister Francois de Rugy said some 600 tonnes of propulsion fuel had spilled into the sea. He condemned the "abnormal behaviour" of the Tunisian ship in a press briefing at Corsica's Bastia airport after surveying the affected area by helicopter. Officers of France's paramilitary gendarme police force had been airlifted to the ships to investigate the incident, but it was too early to say what had happened, he added. Italian anti-pollution vessels have begun pumping the slick, Rugy said, adding that while the collision occurred near the Cap Corse marine reserve, the spill remained outside the park and moving away from Corsica. The island is known for its pristine waters and beaches. "All means are mobilised, civil and military teams, French and Italian are working hard and doing everything so that this accident does not have ecological consequences," he said. "The first priority is to extricate the two boats," Rugy said, adding the operation was "very complicated", with the Tunisian boat wedged into the Cyprus-based CLS Virginia. An criminal investigation has been launched for "pollution" brought on by a "maritime accident", Marseille prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux said. Writing on Twitter, Corsica leader Gilles Simeoni said earlier he was determined to find what caused the accident, which occurred in relatively calm seas with good visibility. By David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) - The second of two Russians who Britain blames for the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal was named by investigative website Bellingcat on Monday as a military doctor for Russia's GRU intelligence service. Bellingcat, which covers intelligence matters, named him as Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin, aged 39, who was charged by Britain last month under the name of Alexander Petrov. Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper also named Mishkin in a separate report published on Monday. British prosecutors charged Petrov and another man they named as Ruslan Boshirov in absentia with attempted murder for the Novichok nerve agent attack on Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in March, but said they believed the suspects had used aliases to enter Britain. Bellingcat last month identified Boshirov as a colonel in the GRU whose real name was Anatoliy Chepiga. British police said they would not comment on speculation about the real identities of the two men facing charges, in response to a query about the latest report. Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found slumped on a public bench in Salisbury, and the case prompted the biggest East-West diplomatic expulsions since the Cold War. A woman later died from Novichok poisoning after her partner found a counterfeit perfume bottle which police believe had been used to smuggle the nerve agent into Britain. Mishkin was born in July 1979 in the village of Loyga in the Archangelsk district of northern Russia, and until September 2014 his registered home address in Moscow was the same as the headquarters of the GRU, Bellingcat said. "Bellingcat's identification process included multiple open sources, testimony from people familiar with the person, as well as copies of personally identifying documents, including a scanned copy of his passport," the website said. Mishkin's GRU rank was unknown, it added, but based on his 15-year service was likely to be lieutenant colonel or colonel. He was recruited by GRU during his studies at one of Russia's military medical academies, and between 2011 and 2018 he traveled repeatedly under the identity of Alexander Petrov, including to Ukraine and Moldova's breakaway territory of Transdniestria. Russia denies any involvement in the poisoning, and the two men have said publicly they were tourists who had flown to London for fun and visited Salisbury to see its cathedral. Russia's embassy in London did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment. (Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Richard Balmforth and Hugh Lawson) Women who led the charge in protesting against Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Court have vowed to continue fighting in the wake of his historic confirmation, warning Republicans they could suffer a backlash in the midterm elections. The judge nominated by Donald Trump, who scraped through in a 50-48 vote on Saturday, left a nation polarised after Christine Blasey Ford accused him of a sexual assault while the two were in high school. Some analysts have said the controversial nomination of Mr Kavanaugh who is now the least popular Supreme Court justice in modern history could ultimately see Republicans lose seats in vulnerable districts during the upcoming midterm elections. Womens groups and progressive policy organisations which organised massive demonstrations during the confirmation process said they would once again mobilise efforts ahead of the midterms. This confirmation is a deeply painful one, not just because of the radical impact it may have on Supreme Court jurisprudence, but because of the message it sends to survivors of sexual violence: that their stories carry little weight with our government, Anna Galland, executive director of MoveOn, a grassroots progressive public policy advocacy group, said in a statement sent to The Independent. If we organise, mobilise, and vote, we will win. We must all commit to action in coming weeks to take back control of our government from right-wing extremists." In other ways, the backlash against Mr Kavanaughs confirmation was evident in real time. A fund for Republican senator Susan Collins potential challenger in her 2020 senatorial re-election campaign raised over $2m during her 45-minute speech on why she had decided to vote in favour of Mr Kavanaugh. By Sunday, that fund had surpassed $3m. Susan Collins will never be mistaken for a moderate again, said Heidi Hess, co-director of the social change network CREDO Action, whose members placed tens of thousands of phone calls to key senate offices during the confirmation process. Story continues Speaking to sexual assault survivors and the activists who protested against Mr Kavanaugh, she added: Someday soon, thanks to their persistence and grassroots organising, they'll get the responsive, respectful and progressive government they deserve." Today I was arrested protesting the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, a man who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. Men who hurt women can no longer be placed in positions of power. pic.twitter.com/nnwq1O4qk3 Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) October 4, 2018 Scores of demonstrators were detained on Capitol Hill, including the high-profile arrests of actress Amy Schumer and model Emily Ratajowski, who wrote on Twitter after her release: Today I was arrested protesting the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, a man who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. Men who hurt women can no longer be placed in positions of power. However, not all of the response to the appointment was negative many people also expressed unwavering support for the federal circuit judge, who declared himself an independent, impartial judge in a Wall Street Journal op-ed after his fiery testimony. The dramatic confirmation process appeared to provide a boost in support for Republicans on the general ballot according to a recent NPR and PBS news poll. Democrats had a mere 2 per cent edge over Republicans during the confirmation, whereas that same poll gave the minority party a 10-point lead in July. For now, it remains to be seen how Mr Kavanaughs confirmation to the nations highest court may impact on the upcoming elections. Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of the womens group UltraViolet Action, put it simply: This doesnt end [on Saturday], she said. It ends in November. Mark Consuelos is handsome and smooth as hell on Riverdale. But way before his role as Veronicas devilish dad, the Latino heartthrob was heating up the screen as Kelly Ripas love interest on All My Children. That was way back in 1995. The gorgeous couple tied the knot in 1996, when he was 25 and she was 26, and are still very much in L-O-V-E. Check their Instagram PDA for all the proof you need. The truth is, I'm crazy about my wife. Twenty-two years later, I'm supercrazy about my wife, Consuelos told GQ magazine. Featured regularly on their parents social media pages are the couples three children. Eldest Michael, Marks undisputed mini-me, will play a younger version of his dads character, Hiram Lodge, in Season 3 of Riverdale. On Instagram, Ripa joked that she and Consuelos were entitled to some of his future earnings. Riverdale recently received nine Teen Choice Awards, including a win for Consuelos as Choice TV Villain. To work this much on a show and to have some validation that it's working and people love you, they love to hate you and my character. It's been cool, he said. Born in Spain to a Mexican father and an Italian mother, Consuelos is especially proud that Riverdale honors the Lodge familys Latino heritage. I'm playing these normalized roles, Latinos that are high-level people, and I'm proud of that. I'm glad, thank God, that I've been given the opportunity to do that. I still think there's a lot of room for growth. (Bloomberg) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated that a Republican Senate would take up a nomination to the Supreme Court made by President Donald Trump in 2020, the next presidential election year. McConnell blocked Democratic President Barack Obamas nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in 2016, arguing at the time that voters should have a say in the matter in that years election. Garland wasnt granted a hearing or a vote. Asked on Fox News Sunday if the same logic would apply in 2020, McConnell said well see if there is a vacancy in 2020. The Kentucky senator then said that the tradition in the Senate since 1880 has been that a vacancy is not filled by a president in an election year if the Senate is controlled by the opposing party. That appears to indicate the Garland rationale wouldnt apply if a Republican president has a Republican Senate majority. Proudest Moment McConnell also said Saturdays confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is his proudest moment as a senator. We stood up to the mob, he said. This has been an extraordinarily productive Congress. In a separate appearance on CBS Newss Face the Nation, the majority leader predicted that the anti-Kavanaugh protests will backfire by energizing the Republican base in the Nov. 6 mid-term elections, in which the GOP is looking to hang on to its majorities in the House and Senate. A new CBS poll released on Sunday suggested the court battle may have hurt Democratic Senate hopes in states like Texas and Tennessee, where more voters wanted the Senate to confirm Kavanaugh than not. On the same program, McConnell chuckled when asked if Republicans will not campaign against West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin now that he voted for Kavanaugh the only Democrat to do so. Still a Democrat Manchin is still a Democrat and were trying to hold onto our majority, he said. McConnell also indicated he wouldnt try to punish Alaskan Republican Lisa Murkowski for her vote against on Kavanaugh, saying she is a member of his conference in good standing. Trump, at a rally in Kansas on Saturday, called Murkowskis vote disgraceful. McConnell predicted that the House and Senate will soon wrap up talks over a bill creating a new process for congressional employees to make sexual harassment and assault allegations against lawmakers. That is something I know will get done before the end of the year, he said on CBS. The study is the first of its kind to identify an association between shorter penile length and male infertility - Science Photo Library RF Size really does matter when it comes to fertility as a new study suggests men who are infertile are also less well endowed. Having a shorter appendage was more common in men who were struggling to conceive than in those with other genital health problems. The research, to be presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in Colorado this week, is the first ever to link penile length with fertility. It found that on average, men who were infertile were around one centimetre shorter than their fertile counterparts. Those without reproductive issues had an average length of 13.4 cm while those in the infertile group were 12.5cm. Dr Austen Slade from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City who led the study, said healthy men should not begin to fret over their size and their chance of becoming a father. Instead, he said underlying conditions that caused infertility, such as hormonal issues or problems in the testes, may also lead to a shorter penile length. This is the first study to identify an association between shorter penile length and male infertility, he said. It's possibly a manifestation of congenital or genetic factors that predispose one to infertility. For now, men with shorter penises don't need to worry about their fertility. The study looked at data on 815 men visiting a Mens health clinic between 2014 and 2017. There were 219 men seeking help for infertility and 596 seeking help for other conditions such as erectile dysfunction and testicular pain. The men were all measured using a standard test called Stretched Penile Length that estimates length when erect. When they took into account weight, race and age, those being treated for infertility were just under one centimetre shorter than those who were fertile. One centimetre may not be a striking difference but there was a clear statistical significance. It remains to be determined if there are different penile length cut-offs that would predict more severe infertility, Dr Slade added. Story continues Previous research has shown that physical problems with male genitals can impact on fertility. Men with a condition called cryptorchidism where the testes do not descend properly have poorer sperm production. This is because the testes are located too close to the body, allowing the sperm to become too hot. Men with small testes have also been found to produce less sperm. Professor Sheena Lewis, an expert in reproduction from Queen's University. Belfast said that although the study was interesting, it raised more questions than it answered. We give men such a bad press all the time and the one thing that scares them is that size matters To now to say they have a smaller chance of becoming a father is not a good message. This is also a problem you cannot find a solution to what can you do about it? "Also doctors would not want to measure this in clinic, so as a study the findings are not really clinically usable. This is a very novel idea but study does not tell us what a normal penis length is. It does not say if the shorter penis found in the study is abnormal and more research is needed." President Barack Obamas former national security adviser Susan Rice has said she is considering trying to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins at the next election in Maine in 2020. Ms Collins cast a deciding vote to confirm conservative judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court after three women accused him of sexual assault. Mr Kavanaugh vigorously denies the allegations. Ms Rice said the senator had put party and politics over her own stated principles of supporting equal rights and legal abortions. I think in a way that I really regret saying, she has betrayed women across this country, she said at the The New Yorker Festival in New York. Ms Rice, who also served as US ambassador to the United Nations (UN) under the Obama administration, said she would decide whether to run for the Senate from Maine in 2020 after next months midterm elections. It comes after Dr Christine Blasey Ford testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Mr Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a house party when the two were teenagers. Shortly before the Supreme Court vote, Ms Collins said: I do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent Judge Kavanaugh from serving on the Court. However, she described Dr Fords testimony as sincere, painful and compelling. The climactic 50-48 vote on Mr Kavanaugh on Saturday was the closest vote to confirm a justice since 1881. Every Democrat voted against Mr Kavanaugh apart from Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Ms Collins has faced a backlash over her decision to support Mr Kavanaugh, with a crowdfunding page supporting any future opponent of hers raising more than $3.4m (2.6m) of a 4m target by Monday morning. Ms Rice hinted her interest in a Senate run in a Twitter post on Friday that was retweeted 38,000 times. In a later post, Ms Rice said: Many thanks for the encouragement. Im not making any announcements. Like so many Americans, I am deeply disappointed in Senator Collins vote for Kavanaugh. Maine and America deserve better. Story continues Ms Collins responded to the former National Security Advisers comments in an interview with CNN. Asked whether she could lose her seat over the Supreme Court vote, Ms Collins said: I have to do what I think is right. Over the years the people of Maine have trusted me to exercise my best judgment. Thats what I did in this case. Im going to do what I think is right. Thats what I owe my constituents. As far as Susan Rice is concerned, her family has a home in Maine but she doesnt live in the state of Maine, everybody knows that. The irony is, back in 2009 when she was nominated to be ambassador of the UN, she came to me, even though I did not know her back then at all and pleaded with me to introduce her for the committee, which I was happy to do because her family had links to the state of Maine. When reminded about how Ms Collins had backed her to be ambassador to the UN on Twitter, Ms Rice said: Thanks for recalling. I was very grateful for Senator Collins extremely generous endorsement of my nomination and her detailed description of my deep ties to Maine. 2009 seems like a long time ago now on so many levels. Following the vote on Mr Kavanaugh, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell insisted his chamber was not irreparably damaged by the bitter row. He signalled he was willing to take up another high court nomination in the 2020 presidential election season should another vacancy arise. Judge Brett Kavanaughs confirmation to the Supreme Court has polarized the country for the last few weeks and, after his swearing-in ceremony took place over the weekend, personal finance guru Suze Orman isnt afraid to share her thoughts on the situation. What happened this last week was a seriously devastating blow for women, [their] voices, and standing up for themselves, she said on Midday Movers (video above). Its as if nobody cared, especially Senator [Susan] Collins. Kavanaughs nomination for the Supreme Court vacancy was met with backlash after Christine Blasey Ford came forward with allegations that the judge sexually assaulted her as a teenager back in 1982. She testified under oath but Kavanaugh denied these claims, putting the pressure on U.S. senators to decide if he was qualified for the job. Womens rights activists opposed to Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the the Supreme Court occupy Senator Susan Collins of Maines office and listen to her speech on the Senate floor explaining why she is supporting the nomination on October 5, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images) Hundreds of groups and individuals have denounced the decision to confirm Kavanaugh, including over 500 law professors, the National Council of Churches, the ACLU, and Planned Parenthood. Sen. Collins (R-ME) proved to be a crucial vote in the confirmation, even delivering a press conference to announce her decision to confirm Kavanaugh. She stated that she believes Ford was assaulted but not by the man she remembers being Kavanaugh. The final vote tally came down to 50-48 in favor of Kavanaugh. Some women in the gallery chanted, Shame! Much like Orman, women felt betrayed by Collins decision to vote on party lines. This came after the Maine senator met with sexual assault survivors who described their own harrowing experiences with violence. I get when a man doesnt get it, Orman said. I do not get when another woman doesnt get whats happening to women out there. Adriana is an editor for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) The Taliban destroyed highway bridges southwest of Kabul during a wide-ranging assault on security forces, cutting off road traffic between the capital and three provinces for most of the day on Sunday, officials said. Interior Ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said 14 police, including a district police chief, were killed as the insurgents tried but failed to capture the Sayed Abad district headquarters in the Maidan Wardak province. He said another seven security forces were wounded. The highway between Kabul and Kandahar has since been reopened, and "the route has returned to normal," he added. The insurgents burned down part of the district police headquarters and destroyed a number of checkpoints around the district, said Hekmat Durani, the provincial police chief's spokesman. Durani said that around 20 Taliban fighters were killed and wounded during the battle in Sayed Abad. The Taliban said they overran the district headquarters, but local officials denied the claim. Rahimi said reinforcements have been sent to the area and that the district is under the control of security forces. The destruction of the bridges had cut off the main highway from Kabul to the Ghazni, Zabul and Kandahar provinces. The battle also cut off electricity to four provinces: Maidan Wardak, Logar, Ghazni and Paktia. The Taliban have seized a number of districts across the country in recent years and regularly attack security forces. The latest assault comes just two weeks before Afghanistan holds parliamentary elections. On Sunday, the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said civilian deaths from suicide bombings rose 46 percent in the first nine months of this year from the same period last year and that deaths from roadside bombs were up 21 percent. It says more than 1,000 people were killed and more than 2,500 have been wounded this year in both kinds of attacks, including scores of women and children. It said suicide bombings caused more civilian deaths than any other form of violence, including ground battles between troops and insurgents. Story continues "Deliberately targeting civilians is a war crime and cannot be tolerated," said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the U.N. envoy for Afghanistan. "The unpredictable nature of these types of attacks has caused Afghans unbearable suffering and forced them to live in fear of the next explosion, severely curtailing their ability to carry out normal lives." The U.N. also documented a dramatic increase in attacks deliberately targeting civilians. While the Taliban mainly attack security forces and government officials, an Islamic State affiliate has launched a relentless wave of bombings targeting Afghanistan's Shiite minority. The U.N. said that in the first nine months of this year it has documented more casualties from attacks on Shiites than in the whole of 2017. Taylor Swift has renounced her long-held political neutrality and waded into the US midterm elections, urging her 112 million Instagram followers to vote for Democrats in her home state of Tennessee, and enraging alt-right sympathisers who saw her as their poster girl. An analyst on Good Morning America, a leading breakfast show, mused over what a weaponised Taylor Swift will look like, while alt-right chat boards exploded in disgust at her announcement. She was supposed to be our girl! Why did she break our hearts? wrote one person on the 4Chan forum, while another added: They took her from us. The 28-year-old, who moved from Pennsylvania to Nashville to pursue her musical career aged 14, rose to fame as a country music star and, in a bid to avoid alienating fans, has vehemently avoided the subject of politics. But on Sunday night she broke her silence and announced her support for the Democrat candidates in her state. In the past Ive been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now, she wrote. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. Story continues I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. She said she could not support senate candidate Marsha Blackburn, despite wanting to see more women in politics, because her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She continued: She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. Singer Taylor Swift says she is speaking out now due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years Credit: AP Swift said she will, instead, vote for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway, she said. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. Swift also urged all her fans many of them young girls to make sure they register to vote. Her post had been liked by almost 1.5 million people within 24 hours, but not all embraced her new-found political voice. Katrina Pierson, a former spokesman for Donald Trump, tweeted: So, over the weekend Taylor Swift announced that she doesnt support women and endorsed a rich old white privileged man who supported the Kavanaugh SCOTUS confirmation instead? Weird and extremely tone deaf. Taylor Swift, in London in December 2017 Credit: PA Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and father of White House spokesman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, mocked her attempt to rally support. So @taylorswift13 has every right to be political but it wont impact election unless we allow 13 yr old girls to vote, he tweeted. Still with #MarshaBlackburn. Many of her fans refused to believe it. That looks ghostwritten, one wrote. All PR nonsense, said another. She just doesnt want to be labelled as a white nationalist. Probably got paid to say all this. George Takei, the Star Wars actor and outspoken anti-Trump activist, said it was a sign of the times. Guys, things have gotten so dire that even Taylor Swift had to say something, he tweeted. #VoteBlue. Taylor Swift has spoken out in support of two Democratic candidates in Tennessee for Novembers mid-term elections. The pop star, who is a registered voter in Tennessee, made a rare political statement on Sunday 7 October, where she said she planned to vote for Phil Bredesen for US Senate, and also for Jim Cooper who has making a re-election bid to Tennessees 5th Congressional District. The 28-year-old also offered a strong criticism of Marsha Blackburn, the Republican nominee. In the past Ive been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, Swift wrote on her official Instagram page. I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country, she continued. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. Swift went on to point out how Blackburn voted against equal pay for women, and also voted against the Reauthorisation of the Violence Against Women Act, which is intended to help protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. Story continues Last year, Swift won a civil suit against a Denver radio personality, David Mueller, after she claimed he sexually assaulted her. Swift filed the suit only after Mueller alleged in a separate claim that the pop stars mother and a member of her management team helped get him fired. In a statement at the time, Swift said she planned to help other sexual assault victims defend themselves in court. Mueller had sought $3 million in a suit that was dismissed on Aug. 11. Swift was awarded a symbolic $1 three days later. Swift has also dealt with several incidents of stalking last month she took out a restraining order against a man who had been sending letters since 2016 in which he threatened to rape and kill her. She [Blackburn] believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples, Swift added. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. Bredesen, who served as governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011, responded to Swifts endorsement on Twitter: Im honored to have your support and that of so many Tennesseans who are ready to put aside the partisan shouting and get things done, he wrote. Thank you for the kind words @taylorswift13. Im honored to have your support and that of so many Tennesseans who are ready to put aside the partisan shouting and get things done. Were ready for it. Last day to register to vote is October 9. https://t.co/6Xd6YyaJCG pic.twitter.com/CatUBkXPKe Phil Bredesen (@PhilBredesen) October 8, 2018 Swifts endorsement could be of considerable help to Bredesen, who caused uproar among Democrats over the weekend by releasing a statement which said he would vote for President Trumps controversial Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual assault, was narrowly confirmed by the Senate following a historic vote on 6 October. Swift appeared to nod to the anger caused by Bredesens statement: For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100 percent on every issue, but we have to vote anyway," she said. She signed off by directing fans to the website where they could find more information on voting. ?swift> Budapest (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was given a warm welcome in Hungary Monday just weeks after Ankara's strained relations with other EU nations were thrown into sharp relief in a tense visit to Germany. The Turkish leader has had staunch support from Budapest even as EU relations waver, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban among the first to congratulate Erdogan on his re-election in July and one of the few European officials to attend the inauguration ceremony in Ankara. A fierce critic of what he sees as an undemocratic Europe, Orban has repeatedly hailed the "stability" that he perceives the Turkish regime offers. "Turkey's stability is the guaranty of our security," he said at a joint press conference with Erdogan, referring to the role of Turkish authorities in controlling migration into Europe. He urged Europe to put in place a "strategic cooperation with Turkey, at all costs". The visit comes after a sensitive trip to Germany at the end of September, as Berlin and Ankara face the daunting task of rebuilding relations and trust battered by a succession of disputes. Turkey's relations with Germany -- and other key EU states -- had hit historic lows in the aftermath of the 2016 failed coup to oust Erdogan as Berlin took issue with the scope of the remorseless crackdown afterwards that also caught up German nationals. Ankara needs the EU as relations with the United States deteriorate and the Turkish economy, very dependent on trade with Europe, is in difficulty. Erdogan's two-day visit to Hungary will also allow him to show his critics that "no, the EU hasn't completely turned its back on Turkey," said Tamas Szigetvari, economics professor at Peter Pazmany University in Budapest. "It's nice for him to visit an EU country where he isn't under fire for his record on human rights and democracy," the expert told AFP. - Turkey's 'cousins' - Story continues The Turkish leader and the Hungarian premier, who secured his third consecutive term in office in April, are perceived to be made of the same mettle -- democratically elected but with authoritarian and distinctly anti-liberal tendencies. Restrictions on freedom of expression in Turkey have come in for sharp international criticism, while Hungary risks sanctions from the EU over legislative changes seen as a threat to the rule of law and the bloc's values. Relations between Hungary and Turkey may currently be cordial, but the two countries' history has not always been so friendly, and Hungary was occupied by the Ottoman empire for a century and a half between 1541 and 1699. Nowadays, Erdogan professes nostalgia for the Ottoman empire, while Orban's government promotes so-called "turanist" theories, hotly disputed by historians and linguists, that see Turkish and Finno-Ugric languages, including Hungarian, as sharing a common origin. On a visit to Kyrgyzstan in September, Orban lauded Hungarian as a "strange and unique language related to Turkish languages". Tamas Szigetvari argues that such theories enable Orban to portray Hungary as a sort of distant cousin to countries in Asia that Budapest is wooing for economic reasons. But not everyone is happy about the cordial relations between the two countries: a small centre-left party said that a demonstration it had been planning to protest Erdogan's visit has been banned under a new law that came into force this month that restricts freedom of assembly. A Thai official has been charged by police after being caught with bearcat carcasses and hunting weapons in a national park, police said Monday, the latest case of poaching allegedly committed by powerful Thais. Senior district official Vacharachai Sameerak was part of a group of 12 found by National Park officials on Saturday night in Sai Yok Park, in Kanchanaburi province. "After checking their cars, there were four bearcats paws found, together with guns and ammunition," said police chief Thanee Sangaunjeen, adding that the group did not have authorisation to enter the park. The hunting weapons found in their vehicles included a rifle with a silencer and a pistol. The 12 were charged with violating forestry, wildlife and national park laws, which they all denied. The Interior Ministry suspended Vacharachai from his position on Monday, as well as two other civil employees who were with him on the excursion, said the Kanchanaburi governor in a press briefing. "The suspension is for the duration of the investigation so that it can be unhindered," Jirakiat Bhumisawasdi said. The rare bearcat -- also known as a binturong in Asia -- is a protected species in Thailand and is classified as 'vulnerable' on the global IUCN Red List. Edwin Wiek of animal protection group Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand said locals usually eat the bearcat as bushmeat, while its paws are sold illegally as medicine. "It's not something you can openly sell because most people know it is a protected species," Wiek said, adding that the animal can be found in the markets of Thailand's border provinces and in neighbouring Laos. This is the latest case of powerful Thais being ensnared by the law when it comes poaching rare and protected species. In February, construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta was arrested after rangers stumbled on his camp in another national park in Kanchanaburi and found animal carcasses -- including a black leopard -- and guns. Story continues Premchai, one of Thailand's wealthiest moguls, has denied the poaching charges levelled against him and was released. The case remains under investigation. The public was incensed by Premchai's release, who saw it as yet another example of the rich and powerful enjoying impunity. "I believe the case of Premchai has set a very bad example," said Wiek. "These people can follow in his footsteps and get away with it." By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A top Vatican official on Sunday issued a scathing open letter accusing an archbishop who launched an unprecedented attack on Pope Francis of mounting a "political frame job devoid of real foundation". Cardinal Marc Ouellet said in the detailed, three-page letter that calls by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano for the pope to resign because he had allegedly covered up sexual misconduct by a senior American churchman were "calumny and defamation". Ouellet, who heads the Vatican's powerful Congregation for Bishops, issued the letter in response to a bombshell statement on Aug. 26 by Vigano in which he accused a long list of current and past Vatican and U.S. Church officials of covering up for Theodore McCarrick, 88, the former archbishop of Washington, D.C., and called on the pope to resign. Vigano said the pope knew for years about sexual misconduct by McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, D.C., with adult male seminarians but did nothing about it. Ouellet's stinging letter, unusually blunt between churchmen, was a point-by-point rebuttal of Vigano's statements. He said Vigano, who is in hiding and has issued his accusations exclusively through conservative Catholic media which are traditionally antagonistic toward the pope, had let himself "be convinced of this monstrous accusation". Ouellet, a Canadian, said: "I conclude, therefore that your accusations are a political frame job devoid of any real foundation." He urged Vigano to "Come out of hiding, repent for your revolt and return to better feelings toward the Holy Father instead of worsening hostility against him". He added: "Should not ministers of the truth above all stay away from calumny and defamation?" CHURCH IN TURMOIL Vigano's statement, combined with a recent spate of sexual abuse crises in several countries, has thrown the Catholic Church into turmoil. In July, McCarrick became the first cardinal to resign in nearly 100 years after American Church officials said allegations made in a separate investigation that he had sexually abused a 16-year-old boy almost 50 years ago were credible and substantiated.. That investigation was not related to the accusations that McCarrick, who rose to be a key power broker in the American Church, had engaged in sexual misconduct with adult males for years. McCarrick has said he had no recollection of alleged abuse of the minor, but has not commented on the allegations of misconduct with the seminarians, which allegedly took place mostly at a beach house in New Jersey when he was a bishop in that state. Vigano alleged that former Pope Benedict, who resigned in 2013, had placed sanctions on McCarrick because of his sexual misconduct with adult males and had ordered him to retire to a life of prayer and penitence and refrain from public ministry. Vigano claimed that Francis had lifted the sanctions, effectively rehabilitating McCarrick. Ouellet said this was "false". In his letter, Ouellet said there had been no formal sanctions against McCarrick, who had been retired for seven years by the time Francis was elected in 2013. But Ouellet acknowledged that he had told Vigano that McCarrick should adhere to "certain conditions and restrictions because of rumors regarding his past behavior". He also denied Vigano's assertion that McCarrick had become a "great counselor" to Francis. "I find it abhorrent that you take advantage of the clamorous scandal of sexual abuse in the United States to inflict an unheard of and unwarranted" attack on the pope, Ouellet said. He was referring to a grand jury report in Pennsylvania in August that found that 301 Catholic priests in the state had sexually abused minors over the past 70 years. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Dale Hudson) By Roberta Rampton ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he is "100 percent" certain that Christine Blasey Ford named the wrong person when she accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault in testimony during his Supreme Court nomination hearings. This is one of the reasons I chose him is because there is no one with a squeaky clean past like Brett Kavanaugh. He is an outstanding person and Im very honored to have chosen him, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while flying to a campaign rally in Kansas. "Were very honored that he was able to withstand this horrible, horrible attack by the Democrats." Trump's words echoed those of Ford who told the Senate Judiciary Committee that she was "100 percent" certain it was Kavanaugh who sexually assaulted her in the upstairs bedroom of a home in a wealthy Washington suburb in 1982 when both of them were teenagers. A deeply divided U.S. Senate confirmed Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Saturday, as Republicans dismissed the sexual misconduct accusations and delivered a major victory to Trump. Trump watched the confirmation vote while flying on Air Force One to a political rally in Kansas, viewing the vote on large-screen television tuned to Fox News in a wood-paneled cabin. Trump flashed two thumbs up when the final vote was declared and aides on board applauded. He disputed predictions that women voters angry about Kavanaugh's nomination could punish his party in the congressional elections on Nov. 6. Hundreds of protesters in and around the U.S. Capitol - many of whom were women - were arrested in the past week. Women were outraged at what happened to Brett Kavanaugh, outraged, Trump said. "It was a total misnomer because the women I feel were in many ways stronger than men in his favor." Trump said the protesters were not genuine, but had been paid by liberal political donors and that his party would prevail in November when one-third of the Senate seats and all House seats will be up for election. "I think the Republicans are going to do incredibly well," Trump said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Writing by Ginger Gibson, editing by Bill Berkrot and Alistair Bell) The following statements were posted to the verified personal Twitter account of U.S. President Donald Trump (@realDonaldTrump) The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy. @realDonaldTrump : - Christopher Columbus's spirit of determination & adventure has provided inspiration to generations of Americans. On #ColumbusDay, we honor his remarkable accomplishments as a navigator, & celebrate his voyage into the unknown expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. [0936 EDT] - Departing Washington, D.C. for the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida. Look forward to seeing everyone soon! #IACP2018 [1131 EDT] - It was my great honor to address the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida. Thank you! #IACP2018 #LESM video tweet - http://bit.ly/2pKjlIS [1432 EDT] - America's police officers have earned the everlasting gratitude of our Nation. In moments of danger & despair you are the reason we never lose hope because there are men & women in uniform who face down evil & stand for all that is GOOD and JUST and DECENT and RIGHT! #IACP2018 [1457 EDT] - We thank you. We salute you. We honor you. And we promise you: we will ALWAYS have your BACK now and FOREVER! #IACP2018 [1527 EDT] - Every day, our police officers race into darkened allies, deserted streets, & onto the doorsteps of the most hardened criminals. They see the worst of humanity & they respond with the best of the American Spirit. America's LEOs have earned the everlasting gratitude of our Nation! [1537 EDT] - Great to see @AGPamBondi launch a cutting-edge statewide school safety APP in Florida today - named by Parkland Survivors. BIG PRIORITY and Florida is getting it done! #FortifyFL [1544 EDT] -- Source link: (http://bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (Compiled by Bengaluru bureau) Ankara (AFP) - Turkey has sought permission to search Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul after a prominent journalist from the kingdom went missing last week following a visit to the building, Turkish television reported on Monday. The request was made after the foreign ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador for a second time over the disappearance of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, NTV broadcaster said. A Turkish diplomatic source confirmed the Saudi envoy was "invited" to the ministry on Sunday in Ankara and was met by deputy foreign minister Sedat Onal. "The ambassador was told that we expected full cooperation during the investigation," the source said. The ambassador was first summoned to the foreign ministry on Wednesday. Khashoggi, 59, went to the consulate to obtain official documents ahead of his marriage to his Turkish fiancee. Turkish police said he never left the building. However, Riyadh insisted Khashoggi left the consulate while a Turkish government source at the weekend said they believe he was killed. The consulate on Sunday rejected the claims that the journalist was killed there as "baseless" in a post on Twitter. In his first comments over the disappearance, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said he was awaiting the results of an investigation. "We hope to have results very quickly," Erdogan said. "I am waiting, with high hopes." Khashoggi had been critical of some of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's policies and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. Jerusalem (AFP) - One of the US officials tasked with drafting a blueprint for Israel-Palestinian peace says it will strongly reflect Washington's commitment to Israel's security but will also address Palestinian concerns. In an interview published Monday by the English-language Times of Israel news site, presidential special envoy Jason Greenblatt said the plan would "be heavily focused on Israeli security needs". "But we also want to be fair to the Palestinians. We have tried hard to find a good balance," he added. "Each side will find things in this plan that they don't like." US President Donald Trump said in September that he would unveil a new peace plan within months. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas accuses Trump of bias toward Israel and refers mockingly to his evolving peace programme as "the deal of the century". Abbas has in particular criticised Trump's decisions to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, his order to close the Palestine Liberation Organisation office in Washington and to cut off aid funding, including to a UN agency that supports millions of Palestinian refugees. The peace plan, Greenblatt said, "will include a resolution to all of the core issues, including the refugee issue". He said that it would not propose a Palestinian-Jordanian confederation as a possible solution -- something that Abbas has been reported as saying Greenblatt and Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner sounded him out about at a meeting last month. "We're not looking at a confederation model," Greenblatt said in Monday's interview. An end to Israeli occupation and a sovereign, independent state of their own is at the heart of Palestinian demands. Israel, however, says it must retain a security buffer between the West Bank and neighbouring Jordan and Israeli officials speak of an undefined "state-minus" or "less-than-state" for the Palestinians. According to Israeli activists who met Abbas in September, the Palestinian leader said he had told Greenblatt and Kushner that he would only be interested in a confederation if Israel joined too. His response was seen as a way of torpedoing the proposal since Israel would be highly unlikely to agree. The Hague (AFP) - The United States accused Tehran Monday of having "unclean hands" as it fought an Iranian court bid to unfreeze $2.0 billion dollars earmarked by Washington for terror victims. Washington said Iran's "support for international terrorism", including bombings and airline hijackings, should disqualify it from being heard at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Iran took Washington to the UN's top court in 2016 over a US Supreme Court ruling that the $2 billion (1.74 billion euros) should go to victims of attacks blamed on the Islamic republic. Iran said the case breached a 1955 "Treaty of Amity" between Washington and Tehran signed before Iran's Islamic revolution. Washington tore up that treaty last week after the ICJ in a separate case ordered the United States to ease sanctions reimposed on Tehran by US President Donald Trump after he pulled out of Iran's 2015 international nuclear deal. "Iran comes to the court with unclean hands. Indeed, it is a remarkable show of bad faith," Richard Visek, a US State Department legal official, told the court. "The actions at the root of this case centre on Iran's support for international terrorism... Iran's bad acts include supports for terrorist bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and airline hijackings," he said. Visek also accused Iran's "most senior leaders" of the "encouragement and promotion of terrorism" and "violation of nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missile and arms trafficking obligations". Iran's use of the 1955 treaty to lodge the case was an "abuse of process", he added. The ICJ was set up after World War II to rule on disputes between United Nations member states. Its rulings are binding but it has no power to enforce them. In Washington, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "We owe it to our fallen heroes, their families, and the victims of Irans terrorist activities to vigorously defend against the Iranian regimes meritless claims this week in The Hague." Story continues And "we will continue to fight against the scourge of Irans terrorist activities in all venues and will continue to increase the pressure on this outlaw state," Pompeo said. - 'Full reparations' - At Monday's hearing, a 15-judge bench listened to US arguments over whether the ICJ can take up the case under its strict rules governing its procedure. The terror attacks whose American victims were to be compensated under the April 2016 Supreme Court ruling included the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut, in which 241 soldiers were killed, and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia. The decision affects a total of more than 1,000 Americans. Iran angrily accused Washington of breaking the 1955 treaty -- even though it was signed at the time with the pro-US regime of the Shah -- and called for the United States "to make full reparations to Iran for the violation of its international legal obligations". A decision by the ICJ's judges may not be made public for weeks or even months. But Monday's showdown risks deepening the Trump administration's rift with international justice. Last Wednesday, Trump's national security advisor John Bolton announced that Washington was not only leaving the amity treaty but also quitting the international accord relating to the UN top court's jurisdiction. That followed Iran's shock victory last week when the ICJ ruled that the United States must lift sanctions against Tehran targeting humanitarian goods like food and medicine. The step also came after the Palestinians went to the ICJ to challenge the US move of its Israel embassy to Jerusalem. Trump last month at the United Nations virulently rejected the authority of the International Criminal Court -- a separate court based in The Hague that the US is not a member of -- over a probe into US forces in Afghanistan. Stockholm (AFP) - US economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer won the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize on Monday for constructing "green growth" models that show how innovation and climate policies can be integrated with economic growth. Working independently, they have addressed "some of our time's most basic and pressing questions about how we create long-term sustained and sustainable growth," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. The academy said their models, both developed in the 1990s, have "significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis". The prize announcement came as the UN warned in a landmark report that an "unprecedented" transformation of society and the world economy was needed to avoid global climate chaos. It said time was running out to avert disaster, noting that our planet's surface has already warmed one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit). "The policies are lagging very, very far -- miles, miles, miles -- behind the science," Nordhaus, a professor at Yale University, told the Swedish Academy, referring to US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate accord. "We are actually going backwards in the United States with the disastrous policies of the Trump administration," the 77-year-old added. "I think its really anomalous in the United States, this degree of hostility to environmental policy... all I can do is hope that we get through this without too much damage," he told reporters at Yale, after teaching a class as normal despite finding out earlier he had won from his daughter. Romer, 62, a former World Bank chief economist now at New York University's Stern School of Business, said he was confident the world could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and still improve standards of living in the future. - 'Losing commitment to facts' - "We can absolutely make substantial progress to protecting the environment, and without giving up the chance for sustained growth," he said. Story continues He later revealed how he got two phone calls before 6.00am (1000 GMT) but didn't answer, thinking they would be telemarketing. Seeing they were from Sweden, he called back and found out he had won. "What's a little bit troubling, even though I remain very optimistic about technological possibilities, is that it seems as though we're starting to lose our commitment to the facts," he told a news conference in New York. The jury said Nordhaus and Romer's findings "have brought us considerably closer to answering the question of how we can achieve sustained and sustainable global economic growth." Nordhaus was honoured for "integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis." His "integrated assessment model" is now widely "used to simulate how the economy and climate co-evolve" and to examine the consequences of climate policy interventions, for example carbon taxes. Nordhaus's research shows that the most efficient remedy for problems caused by greenhouse gas emissions is a global scheme of carbon taxes uniformly imposed on all countries. Countries refusing to take part in the scheme could be subjected to customs tariffs. - 'Momentum' - "There's a lot of momentum here, it's like a super tanker, that it takes a long time to slow it down, but I think it's something we can do," Nordhaus said, asked if he was hopeful about reversing the effects of climate change. Complementing Nordhaus's research, the jury said Romer laid the foundation for "endogenous growth theory", which explains how ideas are different from other goods and require specific conditions to thrive. His research demonstrated how economic forces govern the willingness of companies to produce new ideas and innovations. Romer resigned from the World Bank in January 2018 after raising questions about how the institution was ranking countries. Both winners, tipped as Nobel frontrunners in recent years, will share the nine million Swedish kronor (about $1.01 million or 860,000-euro) prize. Unlike the other Nobel prizes, which were created in the will of Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel and first awarded in 1901, the economics prize was started by the Swedish central bank in 1968 to mark its tricentenary. It was first awarded in 1969. The prize, which also consists of a diploma and a gold medal, will be presented at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10. The economics prize wraps up the 2018 Nobel awards season, notable this year for the lack of a literature prize, postponed for the first time in 70 years over a rape scandal that came to light as part of the #MeToo movement. The most highly anticipated Nobel, the peace prize, went to Yazidi women's campaigner Nadia Murad and Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege for their work in fighting sexual violence in conflicts around the world. Washington (AFP) - The United States should "demand answers" from Saudi Arabia about the disappearance and alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post said late Sunday -- and punish the kingdom if cooperation is lacking. Khashoggi, a contributor to the Post who has been critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, vanished after an appointment with Saudi officials on Tuesday at the consulate in Istanbul. A Turkish government source has said that police believe the journalist was murdered -- a claim denied by Riyadh. "The United States must now make a concerted effort to determine all the facts about Mr Khashoggi's disappearance," the Post said in an editorial, imploring Washington to "demand answers, loud and clear." Noting that President Donald Trump has treated Prince Mohammed as a "favored ally," the newspaper said the kingdom now should reciprocate with information about Khashoggi's whereabouts. "If the crown prince does not respond with full cooperation, Congress must, as a first step, suspend all military cooperation with the kingdom," the Post said. The newspaper called on Turkey to reveal any evidence that it has about Khashoggi's alleged murder, and to "spare no avenue to investigate." It also said that Riyadh should explain the presence of about 15 Saudi nationals, some of them officials, who traveled to Istanbul and were at the consulate at the same time as Khashoggi. "We are hoping against hope that Mr Khashoggi is unharmed and will soon return to his writing desk," the Post said. "If the reports of his murder prove true, grief must be accompanied by accountability for those who carried out the murder and those who ordered it." Khashoggi, 59, is a former government advisor who has criticized some of Prince Mohammed's policies and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. He has lived in the United States since last year to avoid possible arrest, and has written a series of columns for the Post on Saudi affairs. The Senate is the upper chamber of the US Congress - AFP The US Senate is the upper chamber on Capitol Hill. There are 100 Senators, two from each state, and Republicans currently hold a razor thin majority with 51 seats. The US Senate writes and passes laws but has a number of other powers and responsibilities, from ratifying treaties with other countries to overseeing investigations of officials and public bodies. Senators have six-year terms and just 35 seats are up for re-election. Most of these are currently held by Democrats, making it hard for them to make gains. The president's party could increase their hold of the Senate, since 10 of the Democratic seats are in states carried by Donald Trump in 2016 - five of which he won by double digits. Mr Trump has begun an intensive campaign tour designed to make the midterms a referendum on his presidency in the hope of maintaining swing seats. While the US economy is booming, Mr Trump's approval rating is hovering around 40 per cent - a worrying sign for Republicans. The Democrats are holding out hope that a "blue wave" of supporters energised by opposition to the Trump presidency can lead to a string of unexpected victories. The powers and responsibilities of the US Senate The Senate chamber during a vote Credit: Senate TV The Senate and the House of Representatives are considered equal but different partners in the legislative branch of government. Their most important power is the authority to make laws. They also share the ability to declare war, raise an army and establish rules of immigration and naturalisation, among others. Each also has unique responsibilities. In the case of the Senate, these include confirming by majority vote the appointment of federal judges, ambassadors and Cabinet posts and approving (by a two thirds vote) treaties with other nations. And while it is the House that votes to impeach an elected official, it is the Senate where the hearing is conducted. A two-thirds majority is needed for conviction and removal from office. Story continues Why a Senate term is longer than in the House Donald Trump on the campaign trail in Missouri Credit: Neeta Satam/Bloomberg Congress was established in article one of the US constitution, part of the great American experiment as the nations founding fathers tried to build a country and democracy almost from scratch. It set up a bicameral structure with states electing representatives proportionate to population to a lower house plus two senators regardless of size to the upper chamber, (protecting the interests of smaller states). Representatives serve two-year terms and face re-election every two years. The short span and frequent elections are meant to keep them closely aligned with public will. However, the founders also feared mob rule and structured the Senate as an antidote. Its longer, six-year terms are designed to isolate members from short-lived whims and create a more contemplative atmosphere. What would losing the Senate mean for Donald Trump? A Democratic controlled House and Senate could launch impeachment hearings - but it would still require bipartisan support to pass, which is extremely unlikely. A more pressing problem for Mr Trump would be the ability to have his judicial nominees approved, which is done by a vote of the full Senate. The importance of that has been proved by the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The Senate voted 50 to 48 for him to be approved - the tightest of margins. One major talking point in these midterm elections is the 'I' word - impeachment. It is the House of Representatives that launches articles of impeachment, but any trial would be held in the Senate and its outcome voted on by its members. Donald Trump has put himself front and centre of the Republican campaign in the midterms Credit: AP Republicans have been eager to bring up impeachment on the campaign trail - arguing a Democrat-controlled Congress would attempt to impeach Mr Trump. Democratic leaders have largely played down the claims, aware that there is little public appetite for it. However a handful of prominent Democrats, including Maxine Waters, have suggested the president should be impeached. Mr Trump has brought it up himself on his campaign tour, telling supporters at a rally it will be "your fault" if he gets impeached. "You didn't go out to vote - that's the only way it could happen," the president said during a rally in Montana. "I'll be the only President in history they'll say: 'What a job he's done! By the way, we're impeaching him'. "This election, you aren't just voting for a candidate, you are voting for which party controls Congress," he said. Seats to watch Nevada Senator Dean Heller's election fight is an interesting one to watch. He is the only Republican senator up for re-election in a state that Hillary Clinton won in 2016. Mr Trump has travelled to Nevada to support Mr Heller's re-election campaign Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images Senator Heller's Democratic opponent, Congresswoman Jacky Rosen, has also support from anti-Trump female voters. She is also hoping Nevada's growing Hispanic population will help her to victory in November. However she faces an uphill battle in encouraging voter turnout, and Republicans are relying on white rural voters to come out to support Mr Heller. North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp, who is facing re-election in a state Mr Trump won by nearly 40 points in 2016, is considered the most endangered Democrat in the Senate. Democrat Heidi Heitkamp's seat is the Republican's top target Credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg Ms Heitkamp will face pressure from conservative voters if she votes against Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination, as she has suggested she will. However Ms Heitkamp has touted her previous support for Mr Trump's first Supreme Court pick, Neil Gorsuch, last year. Her opponent, Kevin Crammer, also has the backing of the president. Mr Trump headlined a fundraiser for the Republican in early September which brought in more than $1 million in donations to his campaign. Florida The race between Democratic Senator Bill Nelson and his Republican challenger Rick Scott is one of the most expensive of the year. Mr Scott, Florida's governor, has challenged Mr Nelson's record in Washington and distanced himself from the president so as not to lose out on Puerto Rican voters. Florida Governor Rick Scott is now running for the US Senate Credit: AFP Republicans see the seat as one of their most promising chances of picking up an extra Senate seat and have spent heavily in the race. Polls show the two almost neck and neck - an interesting race to tune into on election night. Texas Despite being a presidential candidate in 2016, Republican Senator Ted Cruz is now fighting for his political life in Texas. His Democratic challenger - Bete O'Rourke - has brought Mr Cruz's lead in the deeply red state down to single digits, shocking political pundits. Beto O'Rourke has brought Republican senator Ted Cruz's majority down to single digits Credit: Reuters Mr Trump has overcome his previous animosity with the Senator to lend his support to his campaign. Donald Jnr has already been deployed to campaign for Mr Cruz and the president himself may make an appearance in a bid to bolster support. Mr O'Rourke, a 45-year-old congressman, has campaigned on a platform of inclusion and optimism, particularly on issues such as immigration. It is a message that chimes with the state's growing Hispanic population, which currently stands at 39 per cent. Pollsters still predict a Cruz victory but Mr O'Rourke's popularity and upbeat campaign rallies have left Republican operatives deeply troubled. Cucuta (Colombia) (AFP) - Venezuela's migrant exodus has sparked a "monumental" humanitarian crisis, UN Refugee Agency chief Filippo Grandi said during a visit Sunday to a border area of neighboring Colombia. Grandi said he could better appreciate the scale of the crisis after visiting the city of Cucuta on the Colombian-Venezuelan border and he expected the United Nations will be able to provide more funds to help Colombia deal with the influx. His visit "symbolizes the will of the international community to be close to Colombia in this very important effort to respond to a monumental crisis," Grandi told reporters. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Grandi will have talks Monday with Colombia's President Ivan Duque, who has called for more international assistance. "Impressed by Colombias efforts to document, feed, shelter & care for thousands of Venezuelans arriving every day," Grandi said on Twitter. "Many are involved: government, local authorities, NGOs, churches, civil society. This extraordinary solidarity needs more international support." Colombia has taken around half the nearly two million people the UN says have exited Venezuela since 2015, driven by economic collapse which has led to dire shortages of food and medicine. Grandi opened a medical center in Cucuta which can cater for 320 people a day. The center, which will also offer protection to minors, was built with the support of the UNHCR and the Norwegian Refugee Council, Colombia's foreign ministry said. Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela kept up its war of words on neighbor Colombia on Sunday, saying its president Ivan Duque was shielding the authors of an alleged attempt to assassinate its president Nicolas Maduro. Caracas said in a statement that Colombia's President Ivan Duque "has placed Colombian institutions at the service of obscure and unspeakable interests against the government of Venezuela, endorsing and supporting all sorts of actions and conspiracies." That included protecting "the intellectual and material authors" of an alleged August 4 attempt to assassinate Maduro during a military parade, the foreign ministry said. Bogota had on Friday rejected statements by Maduro who referred to Duque as a "devil who hates Venezuela". He accused the right-wing Colombian leader of "conspiring daily" against his socialist government and its armed forces. Since his arrival in power on August 7, Duque has continued to call for international pressure against the Maduro government, and joined his predecessor Juan Manuel Santos in calling it a "dictatorship." Maduro accused Santos of being behind the explosion of two drones that disrupted the Venezuelan president's speech to an August 4 Caracas military parade. Duque had rejected Maduro's demand that Colombia extradite the exiled former Venezuelan parliament speaker Julio Borges, who he accuses of participating in the drone attack. Colombia has taken in more than half the 1.9 million refugees the United Nations says have fled Venezuela since 2015 as the collapse of the economy -- under an increasingly authoritarian Maduro -- led to dire shortages of food and medicine. Worries about the high-profile US-China trade war has put a weight on global stock markets. Heres a daily overview of some key companies and business developments that the Yahoo Finance UK team is monitoring in Europe and abroad: Global stocks slump Global stock markets are tumbling as investor confidence takes a knock from last weeks spike in US Treasury yields and deepening concerns about the ongoing US-China trade war. Major European markets were all lower, with many key indices down by about 1%. US stock markets also opened in the red. Chinese stocks returned from a weeks holiday to record a massive one-day drop on Monday. The Shanghai Composite fell by 3.7%. French Connection shares surge French Connection (FCCN.L) shares rose as much 45% on Monday after the British fashion retailer said the company could be sold. By mid-afternoon, the shares were up by about 25%. The Board confirms it is currently reviewing all strategic options in order to deliver maximum value for its shareholders, which includes the potential sale of the company, the firm said in a regulatory statement on Monday. The firms CEO and chairman Stephen Marks, who founded the company in 1969 and remains the largest shareholder, had reportedly approached bidders to offload his stake. Marks has a 41.6% stake in the firm. The 74-year-old had previously said he would look to sell out of his stake after he turned around the company. The firm hasnt reported a profit in years. Schroders & Lloyds in talks Shares in the London-traded asset management firm Schroders (SDR.L) said on Monday that it was in talks with Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) about working closely together in parts of the wealth sector. Lloyds has been trying to ramp up its presence in insurance and wealth for several years. Talk of a deal comes as consolidation in the broader investment industry heats up. With files from Reuters Women arent a singular demographic. There are myriad differences between us and ignoring that is harmful for our politics Not all women support abortion rights, or gay and trans rights Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images After all was said and done in the Senate hearings for US supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, before the vote decided the fate of Roe v Wade and many other progressive agendas, my friends kept putting their faith in female senators. Yes, the Republicans control the Senate and this is Trumps nominee, but they have six women serving as senators, and how could any woman not be moved by the testimony of Dr Christine Blasey Ford? How could the senators not feel a stronger solidarity with their gender than their party? Surely they will keep his appointment from happening. My friends were not alone. In the lead-up to the vote, Vox.com was one of many outlets to breathlessly report on swing vote Maine Republican senator Susan Collinss history of maverick behavior, calling her a progressive icon. Collins cares deeply about women, they reported a colleague saying. And when she inevitably chose to confirm Kavanaugh and vote in line with her Republican brethren, women expressed shock and disappointment. A New York Times op-ed called her a gender traitor. New York Magazine accused her of betraying women. This vocal disappointment is a little surprising, as polls were saying all along that support for Kavanaugh was split among party and not gender lines. Even before the accusations surfaced, Democrats were positioning Kavanaugh as the anti-woman nominee because of his anti-choice record and association with Trump, despite him having the support of the majority of Republican women. The hearings about the sexual assault allegations did not cause a mass gender-based defection as most of the Republican women polled stayed steadfast in their support. Collins, and the other four Republican women senators who voted to confirm him, were probably doing what they thought the majority of their supporters including their supporters wanted them to do. And theres no reason to think that might not be true. Story continues In fact, the idea that women will somehow ultimately vote for what is best for women (as if there is a set of positions on specific issues that will improve the lives of all women) has proven false repeatedly, and yet the idea refuses to die. The rhetoric around Collins echoed the rhetoric around women voters after the revelation of Trumps Access Hollywood video. Surely women could not vote for such a man. And yet he won 41% of womens votes. Allegations of pederasty and predatory behavior with teenage girls did not prevent Roy Moore from receiving the majority of white womens votes in the Alabama Senate election. And now #MeToo is actively being used in womens campaign ads, with some candidates spending more time relaying their personal stories than their political positions, hoping that will capture votes. Many women voters seem turned off by the idea of claiming victimhood through gender. One woman, explaining to New York Magazine why she voted for Trump even after the grab them by the pussy audio was released, said: I like getting groped! ... When a guy gropes me, I get groping on them! I grope them back. After Senator Al Franken was accused of harassment and was seemingly forced out of Congress by some of his women colleagues, female constituents were polled as supporting Franken in higher numbers than their male counterparts. The senator who led the charge against Franken, Democrat Kristen Gillibrand, has seen her approval ratings drop ever since. We need to stop classifying political activity as 'bad for women, or 'good for women' Believing, then, that women are a singular demographic, with shared experiences and shared interpretations of those experiences, shared values and priorities, and a shared vision for the world is becoming increasingly dangerous. Not all women were against Kavanaugh. Thats because not all women line up with the vision of how a certain segment of centrist-to-liberal women commentators want other women to be: progressive, idealistic, fair-minded. Not all women support abortion rights, or gay and trans rights, or believe that Black Lives Matter. A large number of Republican women want a pro-life, pro-Wall Street, pro-Christian white man on the supreme court. (Nor is this a problem merely with white women; women, like men, tend to vote in their personal interest, and what that is will vary due to a more complex array of factors than just gender or race. Class and marital status appear to matter just as much.) We need to stop classifying political activity as bad for women or good for women and instead allow for the complexity of thought and belief in the conversation about policy and legislation. And we should stop trying to lump all women together when we mean a specific section of women, and stop speaking on behalf of women who clearly want nothing to do with us. Gender is not an ideology, and it is arrogance to believe Republican women are simply deluded or brainwashed by men and incapable of thinking for themselves. And if we do want to persuade them to a less conservative position, calling them traitors or assuming we know what they are thinking, when we so clearly do not, will not help our cause. We live in increasingly partisan times, but that is not going to be overcome by blindly insisting all women belong on the same side. By Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As women rallied at the U.S. Capitol to protest Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court on Saturday, activist Linda Sarsour flew from Washington to Texas with her eyes on the next challenge: the Nov. 6 congressional elections. Sarsour, a leader of the Women's March organization, said it was time to harness women's furor around Kavanaugh to galvanize voters in races that will soon determine which party controls Congress. "This is not the end," Sarsour, 38, said in a telephone interview. "I think the rage will be translated into mass voter turnout." Women's March, which grew out of the massive January 2017 demonstrations protesting Donald Trump's presidency, mobilized thousands of women during Kavanaugh's confirmation process over concerns about how the conservative judge would vote on issues such as abortion, and allegations that he sexually assaulted university professor Christine Blasey Ford when they were teenagers in 1982. Sarsour said the group will use its vast digital infrastructure to get hundred of thousands of women to support Democrats in dozens of U.S. House of Representatives races and to target incumbent Senate Republicans Ted Cruz in Texas and Dean Heller in Nevada. Polls show Cruz and Heller, who both voted for Kavanaugh's confirmation, in tight contests. Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which advocates for women's healthcare and abortion access, launched a digital ad in Nevada this week criticizing Heller for calling sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh a "hiccup" in the confirmation process. Women are playing a key role in the first midterm election since Trumps 2016 victory. Fueled by his statements about women and the #MeToo movement, a record number of women are running for Congress this year. Women who live in suburbs, where some of the most competitive House races will be contested, have trended away from Republicans in recent polls and may be further energized by the Kavanaugh debate. Story continues Activists are also encouraged by the response to a crowdfunding effort focused on Republican Senator Susan Collins, a possible swing vote who ultimately voted for Kavanaugh. More than $3.2 million was pledged to help her future opponent in 2020, when the Maine senator is up for re-election. "Starting tomorrow, it's not unlikely we ask those 130,000 donors to start to support some of the Senate Democrats in really tough races this year," said Liz Jaff, co-director of Be A Hero, which advocates for healthcare causes. Jaff cited Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Claire McCaskill in Missouri, who both opposed Kavanaugh and face serious challenges in states won by Trump. Conservative groups also vowed to keep the confirmation battle at the forefront of voters' minds. "Americans saw through the vilification of an exceptionally qualified nominee, and their senators will be held accountable," Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of anti-abortion group, Susan B. Anthony List, said in a statement. (Reporting By Amanda Becker in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Bill Berkrot) Its been almost a week since a prominent Saudi journalist vanished after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Jamal Khashoggi went there to get paperwork so he could marry his Turkish fiancee, and he hasnt been seen or heard from since Oct. 2. Saudi authorities insist he left the consulate. But Turkey has formally requested access to search the Saudi Consulate as part of what Turkish officials say is a murder investigation. Who is Jamal Khashoggi? Hes a Saudi national who once served as an adviser to the Saudi royal family but fell out of favor after he voiced criticism of the government. As a columnist for the Washington Post, Khashoggi has criticized Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his policies. The prince promised social and economic reform, but Khashoggi pointed to the escalating crackdown on dissent voices and the media in Saudi Arabia. Back in March, Khashoggi appeared on Al Jazeeras UpFront and said there wasnt any room for debate in Saudi Arabia with journalists jailed for questioning its policies. As we speak today, there are Saudi intellectuals and journalists jailed. Now, nobody will dare to speak and criticize the reforms, Khashoggi said. Last year, Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia in fear of retribution, and hes been living in self-imposed exile in the U.S. Washington Post international opinions editor Eli Lopez said in a statement, It would be unfair and outrageous if he has been detained for his work as a journalist and commentator. We hope that he is safe and that we can hear from him soon. The U.S. State Department is looking into accusations that Saudi Arabia was involved in the alleged murder of Khashoggi. Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa's Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to exempt nearly three million hectares of royal land from the government's redistribution plans. Land reform has become a hot topic in South Africa after Ramaphosa vowed that the country's constitution would be changed to explicitly allow for the expropriation of land without compensation. The policy is designed to redistribute land to poor black people to tackle severe inequality 24 years after the end of apartheid, but it has attracted sharp criticism. "He (Ramaphosa) must come here... and say it, write it down in an agreement and sign off that the land of the Zulus will not be touched," Zwelithini said in speech on Sunday. "As the Zulu leader, I am trying to ensure that your things are protected and go well," he told cheering crowds. Zwelithini is the sole trustee of 2.8 million hectares (6.9 million acres) of land through the Ingonyama Trust. He has previously warned that "all hell will break loose" if the trust's ownership was challenged. Land reform is set to be among the fiercest political battlegrounds at elections next year, when Ramaphosa will try to revive fading support for the ANC, which has ruled since the end of apartheid in 1994. Ramaphosa has vowed reforms will be within the law and not threaten stability, but many landowners and investors remain alarmed by the policy. Kings have no official power in modern South Africa, but still command loyalty among millions of people. They are recognised in the constitution as traditional leaders and receive government funding. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Over the weekend, Syria commemorated its alleged victory in the 1973 Yom Kippur War in various ceremonies, rallies and marches throughout the country. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Forty-five years have passed since October 6, 1973, and Syrians still consider the Yom Kippur War a success story, despite the fact the IDF captured parts of Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights, which Israel holds to this day. Syrian celebrate the 'crushing' victory over Israel in the Yom Kippur War Syrians dubbed the war the "October War of Independence" (Harb Tishreen al-Tahrir Yar), and the country's media outlets dedicated a great deal of coverage to the victory over the Israeli Air Force (IAF), while presenting the Syrian air defense system as exceptionally successful. For example, Syrian media published a photo of the pilot Adib a-Jaraf, who allegedly shot down four Israeli planes, with a caption reading: "the most beautiful moment in my life and the life of every human being is achieving the goal you set out for yourself. For me it was the moment I pulled the trigger and downed an Israeli Phantom." One of the pictures published under the title "Mt. Hermonwitness to the triumphs of the Syrian army" In one news broadcast, retired soldiers who participated in the Yom Kippur War told their stories of the war. "We dropped 250 enemy planes in that war," one officer said. Another officer chose to highlight the advanced technology of the Syrian army. "We can use complex technology," he boasted. However, during the war, the Syrian Air Force lost 109 aircraft. Syrian media presented a picture showing alleged IDF soldiers in Syrian captivity In addition to the celebrations in Syria, Lebanon's president sent a message to his Syrian and Egyptian counterparts, Bashar Assad and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in which he congratulated both leaders on their victory. On the Syrian Golan, an event titled "Identifying with the residents of Quneitra and the occupied Golan" was held for the first time in years, after it could not take place because of the Syrian civil war. Druze residents of the Golan Heights attend a rally in support of Syrian president (Photo: Reuters) Syria's Grand Mufti, Dr. Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun, said at the event that "Syria is now determined more than ever to release all its lands and expel the Zionist invaders from the occupied Golan Heights. We will celebrate together on the land of Majdal Shams" (a Druze town located north of the Golan Heights). On the opposite side of the border, residents of Majdal Shams pledged loyalty to Assad, expressing their solidarity and support. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said Monday that security forces arrested several people from the village of Shweiki near Tulkarem, the residence of the terrorist who carried out the shooting attack in the industrial area in Barkan on Sunday. The trial of terrorist Islam Yousef Abu Hamid, who killed Duvdevan soldier Staff Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky, began Monday at the Ofer military court. Lubarsky's brother, who attended the hearing, threatened that if the panel of judges is not replaced by senior judges in order to permit the death penalty, the Lubarsky family would boycott the trial. Sara Vaturi, who was injured Sunday in the terror attack in Barkan industrial area, said Monday that her condition has improved. "I feel better; luckily the bullet went through my body. I feel sad for my friends," she said. Vaturi is expected to be released from the hospital today. The manhunt for the 23-year-old Palestinian terrorist, from village of Shweiki, continues. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, wrote a letter to the UN Security Council on Monday demanding that its members condemn the terror attack Sunday in the Barkan industrial area. "Instead of preaching to Israel and rejecting proposals to calm the region, Abbas must make a clear and firm statement against Palestinian inciters and terrorists," Danon wrote. Sarah Vettori, a 54-year-old employee of the Alon factory, who was moderately wounded in the shooting attack that left two of her colleagues dead, said Monday that she was minutes away from death after being confronted by the killer and emphasized that her heart goes out to those murdered by the 23-year-old Palestinian. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The terrorist, Ashraf Na'alwa, arrived at the factory in the Barkan industrial area, where he worked as an electrician, shortly after 7:30am Sunday, equipped with an M-16 rifle and upon reaching the factory's offices, embarked on a shooting spree, killing Kim Levengrond Yehezkel and Ziv Hagbi in the process. The security footage showed the terrorist spent no more than 10 minutes inside the building. Vettori ran into the perpetrator after hearing loud noises, which turned out to be the gunshots that killed the first two victims, from her office. She went into a corridor to see what was the source of the explosive sounds and was confronted by the terrorist who shot her. She managed to escape and hide under the table. Sarah Vettori (Photo: Yair Sagi) I ran back to my office, got under the table, put my hand over the wound and saw that I was bleeding, and all I kept thinking was that I must breathe and it will be alright. Then I heard another four or five loud shots, she recalled. "I huddled under the table as he entered my office, I saw his legs, his jeans and sneakers. A few seconds later he disappeared and then everything went silent. Several minutes later a warehouse worker, Basel, came in and said that Kim and Ziv were no longer alive. He took care of me until the ambulance arrived, Vettori described. "Now I feel better, fortunately the bullet went right through me, no vital organs were damaged, and I am supposed to be released from the hospital today, said the 54 year old, whose condition is now described as light. I am saddened for my friends. Kim, a young mother, who would come every morning to the factory with a smile, and she would show me pictures of her son She was an amazing woman, Vettori said referring to the 28-year-old victim. Ziv, father of three children whom I met when he brought them in to work during a summer vacation. He was a charming man it hurts in an extraordinary way," she bemoaned, addressing the death of the factorys accountant. The 54 year old said she had never seen Na'alwa before, even though he was employed as the factorys electrician for seven months. Footage of the 23-year-old terrorist Vettori said she never though such a thing could happen but admits that it most likely will not be the last incident of this nature. "Ive worked with Arabs for many years, and I'm not afraid. Unfortunately this is not the first and not the last time something like this happens. If he would have found me, I would not have been here. To my relief, he was in shock and did not even look under the table," she added. Vettori made it clear she will go back to work as soon as she is able to. "Obviously, I'll go back to work as usual, I do not think everyone is bad its just the nature of the situation we have in our country. I dont think it will shake the coexistence we have there . We will all work together and everything will be fine This is what I am hoping for, she concluded. (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) The chase for the perpetrator is still ongoing. The Border Police's counter terrorism special unit Yamam, the elite Duvdevan unit, the counterterrorism Lotar unit, and the IDF Oketz Unit, as well as Shin Bet forces and Central Command and West Bank Brigade soldiers, are taking part in the manhunt for the terrorist. Flash The United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have agreed to hold the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un at an earliest possible date, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday. Pompeo made the remarks during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the presidential complex in Seoul, after visiting Pyongyang earlier in the day and meeting with the DPRK leader, according to the presidential Blue House of South Korea. The top U.S. diplomat said he and Kim shared view over the holding of the second U.S.-DPRK summit as quickly as possible, while the U.S. and the DPRK sides agreed to continue consultations to determine an exact date and venue for the second Trump-Kim summit. The first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit was held in Singapore on June 12. Under a joint statement signed by Trump and Kim, the United States would be providing security guarantee to the DPRK in return for Pyongyang's commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. During his visit to Pyongyang, Pompeo said that he also discussed the denuclearization measures, which the DPRK takes, and the U.S. government's observation of the measures, while discussing the corresponding measures from the U.S. side to the DPRK actions. Additional measures for the denuclearization were discussed during the third summit between the leaders of the two Koreas in Pyongyang in September. Under the joint declaration signed by Moon and Kim, the DPRK said it was willing to continue with additional steps toward denuclearization, such as the permanent dismantlement of its main Yongbyon nuclear facilities if the United States takes corresponding actions. Pompeo told Moon that the U.S. and the DPRK sides agreed to form each working-level negotiation team to discuss the denuclearization process and schedule for the second U.S.-DPRK summit. Moon told Pompeo that he hoped a great success of the second U.S.-DPRK summit to be held, vowing to make all possible efforts South Korea can do. In his introductory remarks, Pompeo said his visit to Pyongyang was very good and he had productive talks in the DPRK, noting that the two countries walked another step forward though there were lots of things left to do. Pompeo told Moon that it was very important for him to travel to Seoul right after visiting the DPRK as it indicated South Korea having a very important role in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. Moon expressed his hope that Pompeo's visit to the DPRK and the upcoming second summit between Trump and Kim become an opportunity to make an irreversible, decisive progress in the denuclearization and peace process on the peninsula. Americans William Nordhaus and Paul Romer won the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize for work in integrating climate change and technological innovation into economic analysis, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on Monday. Nordhaus, of Yale University, was the first person to create a quantitative model that described the interplay between the economy and the climate, the academy said. Romer, of New York University's Stern School of Business, has shown how economic forces govern the willingness of firms to produce new ideas and innovations, laying the foundations for a new model for development, known as endogenous growth theory. "Their findings have significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis by constructing models that explain how the market economy interacts with nature and knowledge," the academy said in statement. Worth 9 million Swedish crowns ($1 million), the economics prize was established in 1968. It was not part of the original group of five awards set out in Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel's 1895 will. The Kremlin said Monday it is working on plans to host North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Moscow. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that Putin extended an invitation to Kim last month to visit Russia, and that Moscow is working on the details of where and when that meeting could happen. Peskov's comments follow a visit to North Korea by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss the country's nuclear disarmament and setting up another meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump. North Korea entered talks with the US and South Korea earlier this year, saying it's willing to negotiate away its advancing nuclear arsenal. Nuclear diplomacy later stalled because of suspicions over how sincere North Korea is about its disarmament pledge. Jerusalem's outgoing mayor is calling on the international community to consider his proposal to end the local operations of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees , saying there is "no such thing" as a refugee in the city. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter In an interview, Barkat, who is leaving office after elections later this month, said Sunday he was inspired to make his proposal after the US cut off $300 million in funding to the agency last month. The proposal by Nir Barkat marks the latest assault by Israel and the United States against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. US budget cuts have sent the agency into a financial crisis and drawn Palestinian accusations that Israel and the US are trying to erase the refugee issue from the international agenda. Nir Barkat (Photo: AP) Barkat accused UNRWA schools of using textbooks that promote anti-Israel incitement, and said Israel can provide much better education and health care services to Palestinians who rely on the agency. The US funding cuts will only widen those gaps, he said. "I look at all of my residents as residents. There's no such thing as residents that live in the city of Jerusalem that are defined as refugees," he said. "We will treat them like any other residents in the city and provide the best services we can." Barkat's plan faces significant obstacles. For starters, he does not appear to have the legal authority to shut down an international agency that was created by the UN General Assembly decades ago and continues to have wide international backing. He said the Israeli government is studying the proposal. In addition, taking on the responsibility of providing services to Jerusalem's more than 12,000 Palestinians who rely on UNRWA will be an additional burden for the cash-strapped municipality. The city's roughly 340,000 Palestinians live overwhelmingly in impoverished neighborhoods of east Jerusalem that already suffer from poor services, overcrowded schools and inadequate infrastructure. The Shuafat refugee camp, where most of the city's refugees live, lies on the outskirts of the city behind Israel's West Bank separation barrier. Barkat, however, encouraged the UN and others to consider his proposal with "an open mind." He said that during his term he has made great strides toward improving education and other services in Palestinian areas. He said the UNRWA crisis is another "opportunity" to serve Palestinians. UNRWA already has expressed concerns about Barkat's proposal. It said the agency operates under an international mandate and formal agreement with Israel and remains "determined" to continue carrying out its services. UNRWA was founded following the war surrounding Israel's independence to assist some 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes in the fighting. Today, it serves more than 5 million Palestinians across the Middle East. Seen by the Palestinians and most of the international community as providing a valuable safety net, UNRWA is viewed far differently by Israel. It accuses the agency of perpetuating the conflict by helping promote what it considers an unrealistic Palestinian demand that refugees have the "right of return" to long-lost homes in what is now Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said UNRWA should be abolished. Netanyahu's office declined to comment on the Barkat proposal. The Palestinians, meanwhile, see a more sinister agenda. The Palestinians cut off ties with the US after President Donald Trump recognized contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital. They accuse him of undercutting their internationally backed claim to east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967, as their capital. Now, they see Israel and the US conspiring to remove the refugee issue from the agenda as well ahead of an expected US peace proposal. "We will keep UNRWA until the refugee issue is solved. The entire world, except for Israel and the US, is on our side," said Adnan Hussein, the Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs. "It is an issue to be solved by negotiations and not unilateral decisions by Trump, Netanyahu and Barkat." Barkat, however, accused the Palestinians and UNRWA of forcing refugees to suffer in poor conditions while turning them into "a negotiating chip in a future potential deal." For Barkat, the proposal caps a decade-long tenure in which the city made significant strides economically and culturally but saw only modest progress for the Palestinian population. Barkat, who plans on seeking national office as part of Netanyahu's Likud Party, said he expects the various candidates vying to succeed him to support the plan. Amnon Ramon, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, said Barkat will leave behind a complicated legacy. "There are achievements, and he invested in east Jerusalem," he said. "But in a way, I can say the problems are so big, so enormous, it's a little bit like a few drops in the sea." Some 300 security prisoners and 700 criminal prisoners are expected to be released on December 20, if the Knesset passes a bill meant to improve conditions at prisons by reducing the number of inmates. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The bill is the result of a ruling by the High Court of Justice, which ordered the Israel Prison Service (IPS) to improve the living conditions of prisoners. The IPS, however, has been having difficulties implementing the decision. According to the bill, which will be brought to a vote during the Knesset's upcoming winter session, prisoners with up to a 20-years sentence will have two to seven months reduced from their time. A prison in southern Israel (Photo: Herzel Yosef) At present, if the IPS exceeds its quotas, the IPS commissioner may reduce a prisoner's time by one week for every six months he was sentenced to. According to the proposed bill, the IPS will be authorized to free prisoners regardless of the quotas as well as double, triple and even quadruple the time reduced from prisoners' sentence based on the original length of the sentence. Prisoners with a six months sentence will automatically receive a two weeks reduction in sentence, instead of one week. Those jailed for a year will get a four weeks reduction in sentence instead of two weeks, and so forth. After the bill is passed, the IPS, with the approval of the commissioner, will be able to release prisoners who have served the time needed to make them eligible for administrative early release. The bill is expected to pass until December 20 this year, at which time 1,000 prisoners will be released, including 300 security prisoners. Shata Prison (Photo: Ido Erez) Among the improvements the High Court of Justice ordered the IPS to make in prisoners' living conditions was increasing the cells in size, to at least 3 square meters by March 2018 and at least 4.5 square meters by December 2018. To ensure each prisoner receives 4.5 square meters, the IPS said it would need approximately 6,200 additional cells. The bill can be brought to a vote in its second and third readings only after an agreement is reached between the Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan and the Finance Ministry. Iran's crude exports fell further in the first week of October, according to tanker data and an industry source, taking a major hit from US sanctions and throwing a challenge to other OPEC oil producers as they seek to cover the shortfall. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The Islamic Republic exported 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude in that seven-day period, Refinitiv Eikon data showed. An industry source who also tracks exports said October shipments were so far below 1 million bpd. US President Trump and an Iranian oil rig (Photo: AP, Reuters) That's down from at least 2.5 million bpd in April, before US President Donald Trump in May withdrew the United States from a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sanctions. The figure also marks a further fall from 1.6 million bpd in September. Tanker schedules are often adjusted and exports can vary week by week. The early October figures add to signs, however, that Iranian exports are falling more steeply than expected, stretching the ability of Saudi Arabia, non-OPEC Russia and other producers to fill the gap. "The US government's tough stance raised the stakes for a more significant Iran export loss than previously foreseen," said Norbert Ruecker, head of macro and commodity research at Swiss bank Julius Baer. An oil field in Iran (Photo: MCT) Oil prices have extended a rally on expectations the sanctions will test the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers. Brent crude on Wednesday last week reached $86.74 a barrel, the highest since 2014. None of the Iranian crude exported in the first week of October is heading for Europe, according to the Refinitiv data. The tankers are sailing to India, China and the Middle East. While Washington has said it wants to cut Iran's oil exports to zero, Iran and Saudi Arabia say that is unlikely. The Trump administration is considering waivers on sanctions for countries that are reducing their imports. India, a major buyer, has ordered Iranian oil for November, although New Delhi does not yet know whether it will receive such a waiver. Iran has questioned whether the market needs more oil and says its output is holding steady at about 3.8 million bpd. Iran has pledged to block any OPEC supply increase that the country deems to be against its interest. "The market does not want a single barrel," Iran's representative on OPEC's board of governors, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, told Reuters in late September. But figures OPEC compiles from secondary sources that include oil-industry media and government agencies put output in August at 3.58 million bpd, down 150,000 bpd from July. Some of these sources say output fell further in September. Iran may indeed have not cut production yet to match the rate of decline in its exports, as the country appears to be storing more oil on ships as it did during sanctions that applied until the 2015 nuclear deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday night to bring to justice the terrorist who murdered Kim Levengrond Yehezkel and Ziv Hagbi at the Barkan industrial zone. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter We will catch the abhorrent murderer and we will settle accounts with him. The blood of Israeli citizens will not be spilled in vain," Netanyahu said during the dedication of the national heritage site at Ein Keshatot (Umm el-Qanatir) in the Golan Heights. The historical site was restored and renovated over the past 15 years at the investment of some NIS 30 million. Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Efi Shrir) On the other side of the Golan border, Netanyahu said, "there's uncontrolled barbarism and attempts by Iran and Hezbollah for establish (military) presence there." "We will continue to act with determination against Iran's attempts to open an additional front against us on the Golan Heights, and in Syria we will act against all attempts to transfer lethal weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon," he added. "I will discuss these matters with President Putin when I meet with him soon," the prime minister said, adding that "I know that President Putin understands ... the importance that I ascribe to the Golan Heights, that we all ascribe to the Golan Heights and to the heritage of Israel." Netanyahu stressed that "Israel on the Golan Heights is a guarantee for stability in the surrounding area ... Israel on the Golan Heights is a fact that the international community must recognize. As long as it depends on me the Golan Heights will always remain under Israeli sovereignty because otherwise we would have Iran and Hezbollah on the shores of the Kinneret." Earlier, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who is also a member of the Security Cabinet, criticized Israel's security policy. "I think we need to make a very significant and quick change to Israel's security policy and restore the deterrence," Bennett said at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). He complained that homes of other Israelis murdered in terror attacksAri Fuld, Ronen Lubarsky, Yanai Weissman, Asher Hasanohave not been demolished yet. "102 homes of murderers of Israelis, which had their measurements taken, are still standing. We need to demolish the homes, go from talking about deterrence to creating deterrence. I plan to act to restore deterrence with clear actions," Bennett vowed. Russia donated the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Syria, the TASS news agency reported. It was also reported that in addition to the equipment which included launchers and radars, Moscow provided Syria with 300 surface-to-air missiles. A thirty-year-old Palestinian was stabbed to death Monday during families' feud in east Jerusalem. He was evacuated to Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalems Mount Scopus where he succumbed to his wounds. Six additional people were wounded in the incident. Police have launched an investigation into the matter. Russia has given Syria three S-300 anti-aircraft battalion setswith eight launchers and more than 100 surface-to-air guided missiles eachfor free, according to a report in the Russian news site TASS on Monday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter According to a Russian military diplomatic source, the systems delivered to Syria were previously deployed at a Russian air force battalion that now uses the more advanced S-400 systems. "The S-300 systems underwent capital repairs at Russian defense enterprises, are in good condition and are capable of performing combat tasks," the source told TASS. S-300 test in Russia (file photo) (Photo: EPA) Over the past two weeks, Russian cargo planes have been transporting logistical equipment and ammunition for the S-300 system to the Russian military base near Latakia in Syria. Over the weekend, an ImageSat International ISI satellite took pictures of one of the massive Russian cargo planes on the runway at the Khmeimim Airbase. (Photo: ImageSat International ISI) According to Russia's Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, Russia has supplied Syria with 49 pieces of equipment for the S-300 system, including radars, control vehicles, and four launchers. Shoygu said Syrian forces will be trained to operate the system within three months. Syria signed an agreement to buy the S-300 system from Russia eight years ago, but the deal has been frozen since, thanks in part to pressure from Israel. But after a Russian intelligence plane was accidentally shot down by Syrian air defense when Israel was carrying out an attack in the country, Russia's Defense Minister Shoygu decided to provide Damascus with the advanced system. The S-300 can shoot down planes, medium-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Much like the terrorists who carried out the attacks in Itamar and Halamish, the terrorist who carried out the attack Sunday at the Barkan industrial zone had no past record of terror activity. Seemingly, he checks all the boxes of the lone wolf terrorist: He is not affiliated with any terror organization, has no past record of terror activity, and he has a work permit and a steady job. But unlike previous cases, the Barkan terrorist's conduct was professional, and it is safe to assume he received guidance of some sort. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The terrorist walked into the factory with a rifle in his bag. The initial investigation found the bag went through a metal detector at the entrance to the industrial zone, and it remains to be seen if he had help and if the rifle was waiting for him on the other side of the security check. The fact the terrorist handcuffed the secretary could indicate he planned to take her hostage. So in addition to the cruelty that characterized this terror attack, we must remember it could've ended far worse. IDF forces at the scene of the attack (Photo: Reuters) Immediately after the attack, the IDF and Shin Bet launched a wide-scale manhunt for the terrorist, bringing in the best of the Special Forces units. Since the terrorist is armed, it's safe to assume the search won't end with an arrest, but rather with an exchange of fire, which would require the expertise of highly-skilled fighters. It is possible, however, the terrorist would choose to turn himself in to the Palestinian security servicesand through them to the IDFto avoid getting killed. Over 30,000 Palestinians from the West Bank have work permits for the different industrial zones in the territories or for the Israeli communities. To this day, only a fewless than tentook advantage of the situation to carry out terror attacks (among them was the attack last month in Gush Etzion), so Israel's policy of differentiating between terrorists and the uninvolved population has proven itself, and that is also why the IDF did not impose a closure on the terrorist's village. IDF forces searching for the terrorist (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office) Despite the grave attack, the IDF will seek to maintain this policy and the coexistence in the industrial zones, which aids both the Palestinian and Israeli economy. But at the same time, the army must reexamine the security arrangements at the industrial zones to prevent such attacks from repeating in the future. The security checks may be done by a civilian company, but it is the IDF's responsibility to prevent weapons from getting into the industrial zones. Defense officials are concerned the attack would inspire copycats, who would try to do something similar amid the current climate in the territories. IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has already warned that the situation was explosive and the matter has been brought up in a situation assessment on Thursday. The IDF deployed two additional battalions to the Judea and Samaria Division on Sunday to prevent copycat attacks, but if Mahmoud Abbas continues in the same vein, the incitement in the Palestinian Authority continues and the Palestinian security forces don't help the IDF to thwart terror attacks, then the West Bank might ignite even before Gaza. Flash Brazilians went to the polls on Sunday in general elections widely described as highly "polarized," with the two leading candidates on opposite ends of the political spectrum. As he cast his ballot in Rio de Janeiro, right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro, of the Social Liberal Party (PSL), who led pre-election surveys with a commanding 36.7 percent lead, said he was confident of winning enough votes to forgo the need for a runoff later this month. "It ends today," the tough-talking candidate said when asked about the possibility of having to hold a second electoral round on Oct. 28. "We have the support of important sectors of society: business owners, merchants, evangelical leaders, good people of Brazil who want to get away from socialism ... People who want a liberal economy, with less state (regulation), who want to defend family values," Bolsonaro said. Haddad, of the left-leaning Workers' Party (PT), which has been in power for most of the past 15 years, cast his ballot in Sao Paulo. Haddad went into the elections with 25 percent voter support after he was designated on Sept. 11 to replace the PT's initial candidate, the popular two-time ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula led the presidential polls but was disqualified from running due to his conviction on corruption charges he claims were politically motivated to prevent his reelection. At a breakfast earlier in the day with members of a local metalworkers' union, Haddad said he expected to face off against Bolsonaro in a second round. "There are people who don't want a runoff because in that case you have to present your arguments and compare the (rival) proposals. That exposure handicaps the candidate who has no proposals," said Haddad. After casting his ballot at a school in Sao Paulo, Brazil's President Michel Temer referred to the current polarized climate, saying it would dissipate following the elections. "The power belongs to the people. It won't belong to Bolsonaro or Haddad or whoever it is ... After the dispute is over, you'll see that all Brazilians are going to unite," said Temer. The latest polls released Saturday night show Bolsonaro securing some 40 percent of the vote, but not the more than 50 percent needed to win the first round outright. However, surveys indicate Bolsonaro would defeat Haddad in a runoff, by 45 to 43 percent, according to pollster Datafolha, or 45 to 41 percent, according to polling firm Ibope. Voting is mandatory in Brazil, where more than 147 million people are eligible to vote for their next president, as well as governors, and local and federal legislators. Syrian rebels finished withdrawing all their heavy weapons from the front lines in the northwestern province of Idlib on Monday, Turkey's state-run news agency said, quoting unnamed opposition figures and Turkish officials. The Anadolu Agency did not provide further details on the move, which came as part of a deal reached between Russia and Turkey to demilitarize the front lines between Syrian government forces and the opposition in and around the province. Idlib is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. The United States on Monday asked judges at the International Court of Justice to throw out a claim by Iran to recover $1.75 billion (1.5 billion euros) in national bank assets seized by US courts. The US Supreme Court ruled in 2016 that the assets must be turned over to American families of victims of the 1983 bombing of a US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, among others. News Washington, DC - An Alexandria, Virginia man pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBIs Washington Field Office, made the announcement. Kerry Sipult, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography before Senior Judge Claude M. Hilton of the Eastern District of Virginia. According to the Information to which Sipult pleaded guilty and to other facts he admitted to in his plea agreement, between Aug. 1, 2014 and Oct. 22, 2014, Sipult used a peer-to-peer program to download, and share, child pornography. As part of the investigation, the FBI seized Sipults computer and other electronic storage devices and recovered over 4,000 child pornography images and/or videos. Sipult was released from custody subject to electronic monitoring. Sipult is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 11. The investigation was conducted by the Washington Field Offices Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, deputy U.S. Marshals, detectives from Arlington County Police, Fairfax County Police, Loudoun County Sheriffs Office, Prince William County Police, Fauquier County Sheriffs Office, Leesburg Police Department, Alexandria City Police, Virginia State Police and agents of various federal Office of Inspector Generals. Trial Attorney Ralph Paradiso of the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. News Des Moines, Iowa - Jaron N. Purham was convicted Friday of first-degree murder for his role in the kidnapping, torture, and execution of gender-fluid high school student Kedarie Johnson, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division and Des Moines County Attorney Amy K. Beavers. Purhams co-defendant, Jorge Sanders-Galvez, was previously convicted of first-degree murder last year for his role in the killing, and his been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The killing rocked the small town of Burlington, Iowa, where Kedarie was a popular and well-loved member of the community. Last year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore authorized a federal hate-crimes prosecutor from the Civil Rights Division, Christopher J. Perras, to be cross-designated as a Special Assistant County Attorney to assist with the prosecutions of both defendants in this case. Prosecuting hate crimes and bringing perpetrators of these egregious crimes to justice is a top priority for this Justice Department. I am proud of the collaboration and hard work conducted in this case to bring two men to justice for their abhorrent actions, said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore. The Justice Department will continue to work diligently to ensure that individuals are able to live free from acts of violence, no matter their gender identity, what they believe, or how they worship. I am privileged to have fought for justice for Kedarie and those with alternate lifestyles, said Des Moines County Attorney Amy K. Beavers. Alongside my partners in the Iowa Attorney Generals Office Laura Roan and the U.S. Department of Justice Chris Perras with Sgt. Short and DCI Agent Matt George I am grateful that justice was served. The evidence at trial established that on the night of the murder, the defendants were pulling out of a grocery store parking lot when they noticed Kedarie Johnson walking down the street all by himself. Kedarie (who used male pronouns to refer to himself) sometimes dressed as a boy and went by his given name, and sometimes dressed as a girl and went by the name Kandiece. On the night of the murder, he was dressed in womens clothing and presenting as female, and the defendants began to follow slowly behind him. Eventually, the defendants pulled up alongside Kedarie and flirted with him. They convinced Kedarie to get inside, and they drove him to a location where they often took young women to have sex with them. The physical evidence showed that, at the house, the defendants knocked Kedarie unconscious, stuffed a plastic bag down his throat, wrapped a makeshift gag around his mouth, and wrapped another plastic bag around his head. They then drove Kedarie to an alleyway. Forensic evidence established that at some point, Kedarie regained consciousness and began struggling violently to breathe. The defendants got out in the alleyway, threw Kedarie onto the ground, and shot him twice in the chest, one bullet embedding in his spine and the other piercing his heart. The defendants then doused Kedaries body in bleach to destroy any DNA evidence. There were no eyewitnesses to the kidnapping or the murder, so Purham and Sanders-Galvez were convicted largely on the physical, electronic, and forensic evidence they left behind. Police found Kedaries backpack and sneakers at the defendants place, as well as a ripped bedsheet that matched fibers found on Kedaries body. When police located Purham, he was driving the car that had been seen on surveillance video following Kedarie shortly before his abduction and murder. When police searched the car, they found a .357 revolver, which a ballistics expert determined to be the murder weapon. Records from the Defendants cellphone and social media accounts established that Sanders-Galvez had purchased the murder weapon over Facebook a few months before the murder. Records also showed that the Defendants phones both went dead during the two-hour period in which they committed the crime; that the Defendants posted on Facebook, approximately one hour after the murder, that they were skipping town; and that the Defendants both searched the internet in the days following the murder for updates on the status of the homicide investigation. The investigation was conducted by law enforcement officers from the Burlington (Iowa) Police Department and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the FBI. Des Moines County Attorney Amy K. Beavers invited Iowa Assistant Attorney General Laura M. Roan, an experienced state murder prosecutor, and Trial Attorney Christopher J. Perras, a federal hate-crimes prosecutor from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, to assist with the prosecution. Purham will be sentenced on Nov. 19. The mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Iowa is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. News Washington, DC - In 1492, Christopher Columbus and his mighty three-ship fleet, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, first spotted the Americas. His historic achievement ushered in an Age of Discovery that expanded our knowledge of the world. Columbuss daring journey marked the beginning of centuries of transatlantic exploration that transformed the Western Hemisphere. On Columbus Day, we commemorate the achievements of this skilled Italian explorer and recognize his courage, will power, and ambition all values we cherish as Americans. Columbuss spirit of determination and adventure has provided inspiration to generations of Americans. On Columbus Day, we honor his remarkable accomplishments as a navigator, and celebrate his voyage into the unknown expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. His expedition formed the initial bond between Europe and the Americas, and changed the world forever. Today, in that spirit, we continue to seek new horizons for greater opportunity and further discovery on land, in sea, and in space. Although Spain sponsored his voyage, Columbus was, in fact, a proud citizen of the Italian City of Genoa. As we celebrate the tremendous strides our Nation has made since his arrival, we acknowledge the important contributions of Italian Americans to our countrys culture, business, and civic life. We are also thankful for our relationship with Italy, a great ally that shares our strong, unwavering commitment to peace and prosperity. In commemoration of Christopher Columbuss historic voyage, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October of each year as Columbus Day. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 8, 2018, as Columbus Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and all who have contributed to shaping this Nation. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third. DONALD J. TRUMP News Dallas, Texas - The nations two leading cardiac accreditation and certification organizations are joining forces to offer a single joint product for hospitals beginning in January 1, 2019. The American Heart Association, the worlds leading voluntary organization dedicated to building healthier lives, and The Joint Commission, the largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care, are collaborating to enhance cardiovascular patient care and improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with cardiovascular disease. The certification program combines the Associations Cardiovascular Center of Excellence accreditation and its expertise in cardiovascular science, research and quality improvement with The Joint Commissions existing Comprehensive Cardiac Center Certification and expertise in working with health care organizations to evaluate care delivery that meets rigorous evidence-based standards and sustain improvements in patient care quality and outcomes. This joint cardiac certification award will be granted to hospitals that achieve rigorous standards of care. Hospitals will be required to deliver integrated, coordinated and patient-centered cardiac care and communications, from the emergency department visit to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up, and through outpatient care. American Heart Association and Joint Commission certification ensures that a hospitals treatment practices and procedures meet the highest standards of cardiovascular care based on proven treatment guidelines, commented Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, FACC, FAHA, FHFSA, longtime American Heart Association volunteer and Quality Improvement leader and director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Patients confidence and trust in their healthcare facilities increase when they know it has received approval from these two leading organizations. The Joint Commissions ongoing collaboration with the American Heart Association through Primary Stroke Center Certification, Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification, Acute Stroke Ready Certification, Thrombectomy-capable Stroke Center Certification, Advanced Certification for Heart Failure and now Comprehensive Cardiac Center Certification consolidates and strengthens certification options for our nations hospitals, said Patrick Phelan, MBA, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. Most importantly, together, we are ensuring the highest levels of support and expertise for our nations hospitals, working every day to most quickly and effectively translate the latest evidence-based science to the bedsideto save more lives and improve cardiovascular patients quality of life. Organizations currently certified or accredited under current Joint Commission or American Heart Association cardiac programs will automatically transition to the new combined certification. These organizations will undergo re-certification review at the end of their current certification cycle. Organizations seeking certification for the first time will undergo review under the new Joint Commission/American Heart Association Comprehensive Cardiac Center Certification criteria. In the process of merging the two programs, The Joint Commission and the Association reviewed both organizations program requirements alongside the latest standards of practice, scientific guidelines and literature to identify opportunities to revise and strengthen standards in the areas of: A collaborative model of care through effective comprehensive cardiac center management, Continuous quality and systems improvement, and Population health needs, including community education. The Joint Commission and American Heart Association advanced certification program will maintain rigorous standards for: Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Monday, Tomacita Nez, 41, of Tuba City, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 72 months prison followed by three years supervised release. Nez had previously pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter. Nez admitted to stabbing the victim during a domestic disagreement outside her home on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. The victim died as a result of his injuries. Judge Humetewa denied the defense attorneys request for a lower sentence, describing the offense as incredibly violent and finding Nez was a danger to the community. Both Nez and the victim were members of the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Christine Ducat Keller, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - This week, Garrison Sloan, 44, of Fort Defiance, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 6 years imprisonment, to be followed by lifetime probation with sex offender conditions and registration. Sloan had previously pleaded guilty to ten counts of Voyeurism, an Arizona state law assimilated for federal prosecution. During parts of 2016 and 2017, Sloan, then an IT specialist at the Tsehootsooi Medical Center in Fort Defiance, Ariz., placed hidden cameras in several bathrooms at the medical center, which he used to surreptitiously view many of his coworkers. The matter was ultimately referred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which promptly began an investigation, seized all of Sloans computer equipment, and was able to identify dozens of his victims. Sloan and many of his victims are members of the Navajo Nation, and his crimes occurred within the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Voit, District of Arizona, Phoenix. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Arizona hunters who were successful in the recent 2018 fall draw probably noticed some big changes to their mailed hunt permit-tags with an emphasis on the word big. For decades, hopeful hunters knew when checking their mailboxes that good news always arrived in a small, white business envelope the size of a postcard. All hunt permit-tags mailed from the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) now come in an envelope more than twice that size. The outside appearance is just one thing. Its the significant changes inside that matter most: The top half of the perforated mailing consists of two adhesive documents a carcass/transportation/shipping permit, and the big game hunt permit-tag, which includes a transportation and shipping permit. While both permits might look somewhat similar, the carcass/transportation/shipping permit is to be filled out only when the head and carcass are transported to separate locations by different people. The transportation and shipping permit, part of the hunt permit-tag, is to be filled out only when submitting wildlife for shipment by common carrier or transportation by another person. On the back side of the top half of the perforated mailing (upper right corner) is a hunter harvest survey AZGFD no longer will be mailing a separate hunter harvest survey. The information provided by hunters is critical to estimating total harvest numbers for each species and lays the groundwork for next years hunt permit-tag allocations. A hunter can visit https://azgfd.com/Hunting/Questionnaires, or scan a QR code with his or her smartphone, to complete the hunter harvest survey (hunt number and hunt permit-tag number are required). For those who might not have online access, a phone number also is provided. As a service to hunters, the mailing also features advertisements for game processing, and guide and taxidermy services. For more information, call (602) 942-3000. Health News Atlanta, Georgia - As National Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, the American Cancer Society says remarkable progress against the disease should not obscure the significant challenges remaining. The Facts: Thanks to largely stable incidence rates, improved treatment, as well as earlier detection through screening and increased awareness, a woman's risk of dying of breast cancer dropped 39 percent between the late 1980s and 2015, translating into more than 300,000 breast cancer deaths avoided during that time. Despite that progress, there's much more to be done. Breast cancer is still the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, second only to lung cancer. There is still a large racial gap in mortality, with African-American women having higher death rates compared to whites, even as incidence rates are similar. The American Cancer Society's estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2018 are: About 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. About 63,960 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer). About 40,920 women will die from breast cancer. While black and white women get breast cancer at roughly the same rate, the mortality rate is 42% higher among black women than white women. At this time, there are more than 3.1 million people with a history of breast cancer in the United States. (This includes women still being treated and those who have completed treatment.) Risk factors: Numerous studies have confirmed that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer in women by about 7%-10% for each one drink of alcohol consumed per day on average. Women who have 2-3 alcoholic drinks per day have a 20 percent higher risk of breast cancer compared to non-drinkers. Obesity increases the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Risk is about 1.5 times higher in overweight women and about 2 times higher in obese women than in lean women. Growing evidence suggests that women who get regular physical activity have a 10%-25% lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who are inactive, with stronger evidence for postmenopausal than premenopausal women Limited but accumulating research indicates that smoking may slightly increase breast cancer risk, particularly long-term, heavy smoking and among women who start smoking before their first pregnancy. If you or someone you love are concerned about developing breast cancer, has been recently diagnosed, are going through treatment, or are trying to stay well after treatment, the American Cancer Society provides important information on these topics and more. What the American Cancer Society is Doing The ACS currently funds 155 multi-year grants focused on breast cancer totaling $60.2 million. We have played a key role in many of the advances against breast cancer, including funding early work that eventually led to the development of tamoxifen and Herceptin. Join us and help save lives from breast cancer: Fundraise and participate in one of more than 250 Making Strides events or participate virtually at makingstrideswalk.org. The American Cancer Society's nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is also working to make fighting breast cancer a national priority. ACS CAN is committed to ensuring that all women have the opportunity to receive lifesaving cancer screenings and services. Working in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., ACS CAN advocates for adequate funding for early detection programs that provide access to affordable breast cancer screenings and diagnostic services to low-income, uninsured and underinsured women. To learn more about ACS CAN's advocacy work and to help make fighting breast cancer a priority in your community, visit acscan.org/makingstrides. Latest News Washington, DC - Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells will travel to Male, Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka from October 9-11. Ambassador Wells will reiterate the strong U.S. commitment to our partnerships with Sri Lanka and Maldives and our shared interests in a prosperous and open Indo-Pacific region. In Male, Ambassador Wells will meet with current Maldivian government officials, the President-Elect, and civil society leaders. She will offer congratulations on the countrys successful national elections and convey U.S. interest in expanding bilateral cooperation. In Colombo, she will meet with Sri Lankan officials and will emphasize the importance of the U.S.-Sri Lanka relationship to shared Indo-Pacific goals, with the growing bilateral defense relationship as an area of particular promise. She will also urge continued progress on constitutional reform, human rights, reconciliation, and transitional justice and accountability. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. KAZ Minerals PLC, together with its subsidiaries, engages in mining and processing copper and other metals primarily in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. It operates through Bozshakol, Aktogay, East Region and Bozymchak, and Mining Projects segments. The company operates the Aktogay and Bozshakol open pit copper mines in the east region and Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan; three underground mines in the east region of Kazakhstan; and the Bozymchak copper-gold mine in Kyrgyzstan. It also develops greenfield metal deposits; operates Koksay deposit in Kazakhstan, and the Baimskaya licence area in the Chukotka region of Russia; and produces and sells various by-products, such as gold, silver, molybdenum, and zinc. In addition, the company supplies and distributes heat, water, and electricity; and offers construction, project management, financing, management, sales and logistics, and repairs and maintenance services. The company was formerly known as Kazakhmys PLC and changed its name to KAZ Minerals PLC in October 2014. KAZ Minerals PLC was founded in 1930 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah, popularly known as NAM1 has broken his silence following the postponement of his clients dividends. The embattled gold trading firm shut down operations last Friday, October 5, 2018 after it promised to pay customers their monies. Due to that agitated customers besiege the East Legon branch of the firm to claim their monies. READ ALSO: Not all politicians lie; only NPP lies to Ghanaians - Mahama Last Friday, the company didnt open for business because it wants to readjust the payment schedule again. Menzgold has indicated that the decision had become necessary due to what it has described as assaults on staff and threats by arms to lives and properties by aggrieved clients. However, the CEO of the company took to his twitter page to calm the nerves of the customers. READ ALSO: Princess Shyngle's latest video causes confusion on social media According to him, the company is preparing to settle the aggrieved customers soon. I humbly urge all Menzgold clients to kindly remain calm, as we prepare to COMPLETELY SETTLE all entitlements of any magnitude soon.We've got brands & names to protect.Self-restraint now is critical to maintain public peace & order. All is well. Meanwhile, the Communication Director of the company, George Quaye, has resigned with immediate effect. READ ALSO: Philip Frimpong marries Pastor Chris' first daughter George Quaye's resignation was tendered in on Thursday, October 4, 2018 over reasons yet to be confirmed. History of Menzgold's woes It all happened when the Bank of Ghana issues a public statement warning against trading activities with Menzgold. According to the letter by the Bank of Ghana, Menzgold Company Limited is on the verge of being sanctioned for involving in the solicitation, receipt of money or investment and the payment of dividends or returns to its clients when it does not have the license to do so. The Bank of Ghana has warned that Menzgold has operated without a license from the Minerals Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources thus flouting the Banking laws of the country. Yenkasa: Does it Matter if a Child is Named by the Mother? | Yen.com.gh: Your stories and photos are always welcome. Send us a message via YEN's official Facebook page. Source: Yen.com.gh - Nana Appiah Mensah, has called for calm among his agitated customers - According to him, Menzgold is preparing to release all locked-up cash - Menzgold has not been able to pay matured returns to its investors since the Security and Exchanges Commission (SEC) ordered it to suspend its gold trading operations to the public The Chief Executive of Menzgold Ghana Limited, Nana Appiah Mensah, has pleaded with customers to remain calm, insisting they company will soon pay them their dividends. The gold dealership firm has been in the news in recent months following disagreements with the Bank of Ghana (BoG) regarding its operations. The latest development is the order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to have the company shut down its gold trading activities. READ ALSO: Bawumia receives birthday gift from Methodist church Two weeks ago, management of Menzgold announced a schedule that will be used to pay customers their returns. This was after two postponements, which sparked panic withdrawals from some concerned investors. But although some customers have received theirs, others are still in the dark as to when their dividends will be paid to them. Responding to this, the CEO of Menzgold urged customers to remain calm and assured that we will pay you. In a Twitter post, Nana Appiah Mensah said his company has a reputation to protect and will therefore pay all clients what is due them. READ ALSO: 6 dark events you must pray against this Sunday I humbly urge all Menzgold clients to kindly remain calm, as we prepare to COMPLETELY SETTLE all entitlements of any magnitude soon. We've got brands & names to protect. Self-restraint now is critical to maintain public peace & order. All is well, he wrote. Meanwhile, Menzgold has taken legal action against the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) following weeks of inconclusive discussions. Ghana News Today: President Akufo-Addo Narrowly Escapes Jet Crash: READ ALSO: Mzbel alleges Counsellor Lutterodt beg her for a phone Share your views on this with us in the comments section below. Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook/Instagram page. Source: Yen.com.gh A Twitter user has taken to the social media platform to narrate a story of how her neighbour's daughter escaped being killed by ritualists after she was kidnapped by a man she went to visit in Abuja. The tweet has left many people in shock after narrating a rather chilling story of how her neighbour's daughter escaped being killed. According to the post, the girl in question who is a university undergraduate left school to visit a friend in Abuja. It turned out the friend had other intentions as she was kidnapped by the man and taken to a native doctor in Ijebu for rituals. READ ALSO: Story of man with 4 wives reveals truth on polygamy She however came back alive after the native doctor rejected her saying she had already been used. She wrote: "My neighbour's daughter that was kidnapped on the 28th of Sept just returned home this morning crying. She was kidnapped to be used for Rituals but the Native Doctor said a superior power from ijebu already used her soul for rituals and she cant be used again,cos shes USELESS" According to her; she traveled to Abuja to meet a friend she has known for sometime. On getting there the man was richer than she expected but she suspected something was wrong cos he cant be so rich from selling only perfume oils. They spent the night together and she was only getting credit alerts but he didnt want to have s*x with her cos he was saving her for Rituals. The 3rd day came he told her he will be travelling that she can stay in the hotel till anytime she wants to travel home. READ ALSO: YEN.com.gh has exclusive photos and details about lesbian Ghanaian couple in viral bedroom video According to her; that night by 2am someone came to wake her up, she said she cant remember who, but she followed the person,only to see herself in a shrine and the only person she could recognize was her friend. (The guy she went to see in Abuja) and there were other girls too. So she was furious,trying to ask the people how she got there but nobody was answering her. She said she watch them doing their enchantment and she also saw other girls were coming in, ( probably runs Girls ) and they were all together,the ones they took out never came back Then someone came to where they were and asked her to follow him she followed him again, on getting to the shrine they told her so sit inside a calabash, she did but nothing happened. Then the Native Doctor tied a leaf around her neck and Screamed!!! Saying they brought a corpse. He then called her friend (the guy she went to see in Abuja) in anger the Native Doctor slapped him and asked him if hes not serious with performing the rituals and that he has 48hrs to provide someone or hell run mad. That she (my neighbours daughter) has been used previously She has been used previously and that shes not worth anything, and anyone who comes incontact with her s*xually also carries the same curse, and thats how itll be till till eternity.He then called some people to throw her away. They came and carried her away. According to her, They dropped her in the middle of the road, with the intention that a trailer or truck will drive by and crush her to death.But luckily for her the driver saw her in the middle of the road naked n stopped.He took off his shirt nd covered her, moved her from the road n drove off. READ ALSO: Beautiful photos from Philip Frimpong & Pastor Chris' daughter's white wedding According to her she was just by the road seeing people passing by but she couldnt say a word, they probably thought she was MAD. So a relative from same village who knows her father saw her there and called her dad, that he saw her daughter sitting by the road looking Mad. And the Dad was shocked cos theyve been trying to reach her on phone and her room mates in school dont know her whereabout. They found her somewhere in ogun state and she came home this morning. Her parents are making preparations to take her back to ijebu to trace where and who used her for Rituals. Imagine having a beautiful face and nothing good is coming your way cos nobody is seeing you, someone made you a walking corpse cos youre desperately in love with money." Yenkasa: Does it Matter if a Child is Named by the Mother? | Yen.com.gh: Share your views on this with us in the comments section below. Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook/Instagram page and we could feature your story. To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play today Source: Yen.com.gh - Melania Trump, has denied ever hearing her husband refer to African countries and Haiti as "shithole" - She added that the only message they wished to send out was "we care" - Months ago, Donald Trump reportedly described African countries and Haiti as "shithole countries" The first lady of the United States of America (USA), Melania Trump, has jumped to her husbands defense with regard to his description of the African continent. Donald Trump became the subject of media debates months ago when he reportedly described African countries and Haiti as shithole countries. Trumps comment followed news of a Ghanaian soldier, Emmanuel Mensah, who risked his life to save people trapped by fire in the USA. READ ALSO: Moesha drops wild photos from her European tour A number of people, including Former President John Mahama demanded that leaders of the African Union (AU) rise and protest against the comment. Trump is reported to have later denied he used foul language against African countries and Haiti. Interacting with the media in Egypt, Melania is reported to have said that I never heard him say those comments and I will leave it at that. She went ahead to say that the only message America wished to send to the world is that we care. The USA first lady is in Egypt as part of her four-nation African tour to promote her Be best child welfare initiative. She previously paid visits to Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. READ ALSO: First photos from Chris Attoh and Betty's private wedding Ghana News Today: President Akufo-Addo Narrowly Escapes Jet Crash | Yen.com.gh Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our Facebook page or on Instagram with your stories, photos or videos Source: Yen - Highlife musician, Kofi B has said the church established by Ofori Amponsah has turned into a beer bar - He made the revelation that Ofori Amponsah set up a church just to get tithe and offerings Ofori Amponsahs church has now been turned into a beer bar, according to highlife musician, Kofi B. The Ghanaian musician, Kofi B also revealed that his colleague, Amponsah was never called by God like he claimed. In his view, if Ofori Amponsah was truly called, he would not have abandoned the work of God and come back to do highlife music. Ofori Amponsah. Source: Peacefmonline.com Source: Facebook READ ALSO: MP whisked to safety as NPP vigilante group strikes again(Video) "The church is now operating as a pub where people go there to drink and engage in all kinds of activities, he insisted. Kofi B could not comprehend why anyone called by God Almighty will abandon him mid-way. Why should someone called by God, abandon Gods work and come back and do highlife music? What wrong has God done to you to give up his work?" He also alleged that Ofori Amponsah ordained himself. He also added that the Otolege hitmaker rushed in becoming a man of God. He was not called. He established his church because of the offertory and the tithes. I have never seen men of God abandon their work. The likes of Otabil and Tackie Yarboi are still working for God, he added. Kofi opined that the work of God is for men with integrity and spiritually strong but Ofori Amponsah, from what happened, failed the integrity test as a man of God. READ ALSO: Mzbel alleges Counsellor Lutterodt beg her for a phone Ofori Amponsah stunned the world with his born-again confession five years ago. He came under heavy criticism over the decision to make secular music again, with the release of Alewa, a collaboration with Sarkodie. He founded the Family of Faith and Love Ministries after his confession. Yenkasa: Does it Matter if a Child is Named by the Mother? | Yen.com.gh READ ALSO: Be patient with us; we will settle you completely Menzgold CEO tells customers Share your views on this with us in the comments section below. Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook/Instagram page. Source: Yen.com.gh - Prophet Badu Kobi said Akufo-Addo was not meant to be president of Ghana - He said the presidents time was not yet up but Ghanaians rushed in voting him - Badu Kobi indicated that Akufo-Addo would not retain his seat in the coming 2020 elections One of Ghanas controversial prophets, Emmanuel Badu Kobi, has revealed that President Akufo-Addo was not meant to be Ghanas president. According to Kobi, Akufo-Addo was not destined to be elected as president in 2016, according to his presidential status in the spirit realm. Kobi blamed Nanas current status as president on the electorates, who, he said, rushed in voting Nana when his time was not yet up. President Akufo-Addo Source: UGC READ ALSO: Native doctor refuses to use lady brought to him for money ritual in Nigeria The self-acclaimed prophet also blamed the poor performance of the president on this reason. This is contained in a report sighted by YEN.com.gh on Ghanaweb.com. Prophet Badu Kobi explained that Ghanaians distorted Gods spiritual equation for the countrys governance system by mistakenly electing the New Patriotic Partys 2016 flagbearer as president. According to him, God wanted former President John Mahama to retain his seat but the electorates rushed in voting for President Akufo-Addo whose time to govern Ghana was not yet up. Kobi then indicated that Nana Addos chances to win the 2020 election would not be realized because the spiritual equation has been destroyed. The one [John Mahama] who was already on the seat was supposed to be retained [in 2016] so that NPP can take over in 2020. Now the spiritual equation has been destroyed. READ ALSO: I never heard him say shithole - Melania Trump defends her husband He disclosed further that Akufo-Addo was rather ordained to be Ghanas president in 2008 but some changes in the spiritual plans prior to the elections did not make that possible. The spiritual plans, he said, was because Akufo-Addo failed to purge himself spiritually. God revealed to me why Akufo-Addo didnt win in 2008 and why he wont win again in 2012. The answer was if he could purge himself else anytime he represents the NPP, they will lose. After he lost in the 2012 elections, I then understood that he wasnt meant to lead Ghana. Its not everything that man wants that he gets, Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi claimed. Meanwhile, another self-acclaimed prophet, Nigel Gaisie, who claimed to have also prophesized Ebonys death, has said Akufo-Addo will get the shock of his life after the 2020 elections. READ ALSO: Ebony Reigns, Patapaa, others win big at the 2018 edition of Ghana Music Awards UK Yenkasa: Does it Matter if a Child is Named by the Mother? | Yen.com.gh READ ALSO: Chris Attoh remarries after divorce with Damilola Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page Source: Yen.com.gh Rains in Ghana often generate discussions among a cross-section of people, especially when lives and properties are affected. More often than not, the debates hinge on the location of houses and other structures put up by people in a community. However, regardless of the conversation that builds up, some things almost always reoccur whenever the rains come down: READ ALSO: Melania finally speaks about Donald Trump's 'shithole' comment 1. Properties are destroyed Rainfall in Ghana almost always results in destruction of properties, especially in areas where illegal structures have been erected. Some buildings are erected along drainage facilities and are damaged whenever the rains descend. 2. Lives are lost It is not uncommon to hear of people losing their lives whenever rains fall. This usually occurs when some people risk their lives in a bid to save their properties. 3. Government releases a statement and/or provides relief items More often than not, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) comes in to intervene. This is sometimes met with mockery, especially by those directly affected by floods. 4. Measures to check drainage systems There are often measures that are implemented to check drainage systems to ensure that disasters don't occur again. Whether these measures are successful or not is often determined by the next rainfall. 5. Traffic in town because drivers try to avoid flooded areas Rainfall, especially in urban areas with drainage challenges often results in traffic, as drivers often try to find alternative routes to their destinations. Th flooded areas are therefore avoided, leading to a congestion of vehicles on the few available routes. READ ALSO: Police arrest 4 Lebanese for smuggling thousands of dollars in lorry tyres Ghana Funny Tricky Questions: 6X9? | #Yencomgh Use the comments section below to share your views on this story. Do you have a story to share or you have information for us? Get featured on YEN.com.gh. Message us on Facebook or Instagram Source: Yen In the United States, the competition and rivalry in terms of schools exists among universities. It is this sort of thing that gave rise to some universities being collectively referred to as the Ivy League. The competition among schools in Ghana exists on a lower level; the senior high level. That may be because Ghana is not as big as the US or does not have even one-fifth as many universities. Students who attend some Senior High Schools (SHS) are quick to tell you which other famous person was in their school. This is supposed to give some glow to the school. READ ALSO: MP whisked to safety as NPP vigilante group strikes again(Video) YEN.com.gh compiles a list of five powerful Ghanaians, and the SHS they went to: 1. Kennedy Agyapong The outspoken politician is an alumnus of the Adisadel College in Cape Coast. Agyapong, many would say, embodies the exuberance and fearlessness typically associated with ADISCO boys. In the 2017 edition of the National Science Maths Quiz final, Agyapong was in attendance to support his alma mater. 2. John Mahama Former Ghana head of state, John Mahama, is actually a product of both Achimota School and Ghana Secondary School, Tamale. As is the culture with most people of his time, Mahama tends to identify more with the school that was his final point of secondary education. And that would be GHANASCO. 3. Papa Kwesi Nduom Businessman and politician Papa Kwesi Nduom is seen as the choice of moderate Ghanaians who identify not as NPP or NDC. This makes him circumstantially powerful. Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom Source: Getty Images Dr Nduom is an alumnus of the St. Augustine's College in Cape Coast. 4. John Kufuor John Kufuor was the second president of Ghana under the Fourth Republic. The former Prempeh College Student is known by some as the Gentle Giant. President Kufuor has never shied away from his association with Prempeh College even when he came into the limelight of politics. 4. Jerry Rawlings An ex-military leader who turned into a democratic president, Jerry Rawlings is an alumnus of the Achimota School in Accra. This presidential connection with Achimota School gives latter day alumni a lot of bragging rights. READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo was not meant to be president spiritually Badu Kobi 6. Nana Akufo-Addo Current Ghana leader Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo did not attend high school in Ghana. A son of a former president, Akufo-Addo was at Lancing School. Lancing is a private school in England and it is considered a preserve of the wealthy. Yenkasa: Does it Matter if a Child is Named by the Mother? | Yen.com.gh Our stories and photos are always welcome. Send us a message via YEN's official Facebook page. Source: Yen Few months ago, YEN.com.gh broke the news of the alleged boy-friend snatching saga by Fella Makafui when she was said to have taken over rapper Medikal. The report stemmed from the activities of the two on social media, and photos of them in which they were seen enjoying each others company. In one of the photos, Medikal was captured holding on tightly to Fella Makafuis waist as they walked at the beach laughing like there was no tomorrow. READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo was not meant to be president spiritually Badu Kobi However, in the heat of the report, Fella Makafui waded into the controversy, saying that she was not dating Medikal. She went on to say that they were only friends, and that there was nothing amorous going on between them. The Too Risky hit maker on the other hand, claimed he even knew Fella before she came into the limelight, adding that she was just his small girl. Now, YEN.com.gh has sighted a post being made by a social media user, detailing how Fella Makafui has finally taken over Medikal, hurting Sister Deborah in the process. READ ALSO: Native doctor refuses to use lady brought to him for money ritual in Nigeria According to the Instagram user by name thosecalledcelebs, on Saturday, September 22, Fella Makafui spent the night in Medikals house in Kumasi. The social media user alleged further that Medikal was the one who bought Fellas new customized car for her, all behind Sister Deborah. Thosecalledcelebs added that Medikal confided in a friend that he loves Fella more than he loves Debby, therefore, has chosen Fella over Sister Deborah. Some fans have reacted to this claim, with most of them attacking Fella Makafui. For instance, Nuella simply commented sad, sympathizing with Deborah Vanessa. nuella_ann_xx: Owww this is sad. Priscilla Ohene added that Fella couldnt make so much money in a short time on her own to acquire the wealth she flaunts now, therefore, she was indeed dating Medikal. priscilla_ohene:_@honeychap8886 I dnt hate her oo. I like her but ghanaians hate the truth. Also I work hard for my money. I dnt kno her much but the life she live on social media describe her alot. If a lady works hard for her money, she knows how to spend wisely. How did fella build her house nd the car?? Big question. How much is her capital? I'm not in gh but av heard how hard the economy is..even those with big enterprise find it had to make sales. Dear dnt trust dis girls oo, open ur eyes. I'm out. Mr. Marcarious also charged Fella Makafui to stop lying to the youth. mr_macarius: @priscilla_ohene_@fellamakafui i bet medikal is ur god. once u go naked for him in the night.. Boom he go buy car give you..stop lying to our youth. READ ALSO: I never heard him say shithole - Melania Trump defends her husband YEN.com.gh cannot confirm if these allegations are true, however, it is true that Fella has acquired a brand new customized car which she was spotted driving in recently. She also hinted at getting married soon, but we cannot say if she is getting married to Medikal. YEN.com.gh also reported how Fellas angry boyfriend allegedly shut down her East Legon shop because he complained of denying him attention while giving Medikal all of her time. This new development, if indeed true, is sure to break Sister Deborahs heart because she has expressed hope in getting married to Medikal soon, according to an earlier report by YEN.com.gh. Deborah Vanessa, sometime back, also spoke highly of Medikal, saying that though she was older than him, he was more mature than her and loved her so much. YEN.com.gh will follow this interesting update and feed readers with new information as they come in. READ ALSO: 4 Lebanese arrested for smuggling dollars in lorry tyres Yenkasa: Does it Matter if a Child is Named by the Mother? | Yen.com.gh Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page Source: Yen News The International Criminal Police Organization, usually known as Interpol, has a history of apprehending criminals who flee into other countries. As of 2017, Interpol was operational in 192-member countries and serves as the international organization that facilitates international police cooperation. Although not too many people from Ghana have been known to end up on the wanted list of Interpol in recent years, it has been revealed that two Ghanaians are actually currently on the Interpol list. Richard Dzukey is a wanted Ghanaian on the Interpol list Source: UGC READ ALSO: Sex for grades: UPSA dismisses 3 lecturers Checks on the Interpol website have identified two persons from Ghana who have been involved in criminal acts and are wanted in other countries. The two are Alex Kwame Fuachie and Richard Dzukey from Kumasi and Salt Pond respectively. Fuachie is wanted by the judicial authorities of the Netherlands on charges of attempted manslaughter, theft using false key, deprivation of freedom, extortion, robbery and aggravated assault. Alex Kwame Fuachie is a Ghanaian wanted by Interpol. Source; Interpol.int Source: UGC Dzukey is also wanted by the judicial authorities of Czech Republic on charges of fraud, counterfeiting and altering of money. It is unknown where the two currently are, but with their names listed among the Interpol wanted list, it may just be a matter of time before they are apprehended. Yenkasa: Does it Matter if a Child is Named by the Mother? | Yen.com.gh READ ALSO: Ofori Amponsah's church now operating as a beer bar Share your views on this with us in the comments section below. Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook/Instagram page. Source: Yen - Vice President Dr. Bawumia has stated that Ghanaians will suffer more if the NDC returns to power - According to him, Ghanaians need to drum home the achievements of the NPP for all to hear - His message was in response to remarks by John Mahama to the effect that the present government has failed to honour most of its electoral promises The Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, has argued that Former President John Mahamas return to power will cause more harm than good. In a meeting with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Accra, Dr. Bawumia said living conditions of Ghanaians will be worse if Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) assume office. According to him, it will be simply suicidal for Ghanaians to hand over power to the NDC, as they have nothing good to offer. READ ALSO: Hit-and-run driver 'arrested' by okada drivers after knocking down a groundnut seller Former President John Dramani Mahama, who is on a campaign tour across the country to reclaim the NDC ticket for the 2020 election, initially accused the government of poor economic management. In his opinion, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lied its way to power, and has failed to deliver on its audacious promises including one district, one factory, one constituency, one million dollars and one village, one dam. He specifically took a swipe at Dr. Bawumia, saying he was only good at giving lectures on the economy whiles they were in opposition, but hes struggling to manage same now that they are in power. Dr. Bawumia however countered by saying that the best way to prevent the NDC from returning to power is to drum home the achievements of the NPP within these few months in office. READ ALSO: The 2 most wanted Ghanaians on Interpol's list Ghana News Today: President Akufo-Addo Narrowly Escapes Jet Crash | Yen.com.gh Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now! Source: Yen.com.gh JUCOJanelle Monae has been tapped to star in Disney's upcoming live-action Lady and the Tramp. According The Hollywood Reporter, Monae has been cast as Peg, a stray pound dog that was voiced by Peggy Lee in the original 1955 animated film. She joins Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux who are voicing Lady and Tramp, respectively. Ashley Jensen and Benedict Wong will also voice dogs, while the human leads are played by Kiersey Clemons and Thomas Mann. The original Lady and the Tramp followed two dogs -- an upper-middle class Cocker Spaniel named Lady and a stray mongrel named Tramp -- who fall in love. This is the latest project for Monae who was recently added to the upcoming Harriet Tubman biopic. Lady and the Tramp is set for release in 2019 on Disney's upcoming streaming service. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. China Aviation Daily | Oct. 08, 2018 Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have called on the Portuguese government to improve the prospects for lower airport charges at Portuguese airports by re-negotiating the concession agreement granted to Portuguese airport operator ANA[i]. As part of a 50-year concession agreement granted in 2012, ANA, the owner of ten airports in Portugal, set airport charges at Lisbon according to a pre-determined formula rather than in accordance with its costs. As a result, airlines operating at Lisbon airport and their passengers have been paying at least 30% higher fees than necessary, which have increased travel costs for passengers and damaged Portugal's economic competitiveness[ii]. The formula contained in the concession agreement is at odds with a key principle established by the UN International Civil Aviation Organization that airport charges should be related to the cost of providing those services. A4E and IATA call upon the Portuguese government to intervene and re-negotiate the terms of the concession, to ensure a fairer deal for passengers. In this context, A4E and IATA have filed a joint complaint to the Directorate General for Competition (DG COMP) of the European Commission in a bid to support the government to secure a better deal for Portugal. This is not the first time that airlines have sought EU intervention over rising airport charges in Portugal. IATA, and other airline associations have complained to the European Commission about the fact that Portugal is not compliant with the European Airport Charges Directive, which sets minimum rules for the setting of airport charges[iii]. "The poor decisions of the previous government under the Troika mandate regarding the airport concession means passengers and airlines are in danger of paying inflated airport charges, damaging the competitiveness of the economy. But the good news is that we believe there are grounds to scrap the agreement and start again. Our legal complaint seeks to clarify the situation and does not impact our desire to work with the Portuguese government to rectify the situation. We believe that there is an opportunity to ensure that passengers and airlines using Portuguese airports get a fair deal," said Rafael Schvartzman, IATA's Regional Vice President, Europe. "Other European governments and regulators should be alerted to the risks associated with pre-determined airport concession agreements, which help airports and their shareholders increase their profitability while making a true consultation process on charges, investments and the role of the regulator redundant. Eventually, such concession agreements can prevent airlines from obtaining a proper and fair deal on airport charges - and ultimately, a fair deal for the passenger," said Thomas Reynaert, Managing Director, A4E. A4E and IATA have filed a joint complaint to the Directorate General for Competition (DG COMP) of the European Commission seeking to establish the violations of State Aid law and requests the Commission open a formal State Aid investigation within the meaning of Article 108(2) TFEU and to issue a decision declaring the existence of illegal and incompatible aid. The lucrative concession agreement was awarded to ANA prior to the privatization process mandated by the European Commission, the European Central bank and the International Monetary Fund as part of Portugal's bail-out program. The rationale behind the grant of the concession agreement was to ensure that ANA was attractive to investors. However, the deal was rushed through and the long-term, adverse consequences for airlines serving Portugal are increasingly apparent. The complaint concerning the Airport Charges Directive was sent to The European Commission in 2015 by IATA, ELFAA and the local association of airlines. The complaint states that the manner of setting airport charges is neither transparent nor cost-related. The concession agreement disempowers the independent regulator, ANAC, such that it cannot intervene in the charges-setting process, as required by the Airport Charges Directive. Contributed by IATA Vatican Risks Freedoms of Catholics with China Deal MEDIA ADVISORY, Oct. 8, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- Imagine hearing that the leader of your faith reached a deal with your persecutors that will allow them to oppress you further. Photo: Chinese Christians praying That is what is happening to millions of Catholics across China, as the Vatican and China reached a deal in the past month, mending their previously severed relationship and allowing them to co-appoint clergy. In the past, the Vatican and the Chinese government separated over this as Chinese officials appointed bishops excommunicated by the Vatican and refused to ordain those recognized by the Holy See. Clergy approved by the Chinese government went on to oversee state-run congregations, which, while being China's only legal form of church, are censored and monitored, while those wanting to remain loyal to the Vatican were forced to operate illegally, leading to persecution. In response to the agreement, ChinaAid President Bob Fu said, "While we understand the eagerness of Vatican for searching more legitimacy in the eye of the Chinese Communist Party [CCP], this reported deal is nothing but a betrayal of both the millions of suffering persecuted Christians in China and the global Catholic Church. This could be a repeat of the 1940s Hitler's Germany, when the German state church consented to the persecution and slaughtered millions of Jews. Ironically, how can the Vatican respond with a good clear conscience for this appeasement deal while the CCP just launched a secret war vowing the wipe out of underground Catholics and Protestants?" Now, the Chinese government will be able to impose its strictures on these private churches, using the Vatican's backing as justification and subjecting them to increased persecution. 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. Termen Extins: Terre des hommes Moldova este in cautarea unui /unei consultant/e sau a unei echipe de consultanti, care va elabora un program de instruire pentru adolescenti (14 - 18 ani) in domeniul dezvoltarii competentei digitale Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Excellent Webworld has Announced its participation at the 38 th GITEX Technology Week in Dubai. It's the largest technology show in all of the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. The Web and App Development Company will showcase many of their digital products and solutions for commercial and enterprise solutions. Excellent Webworld provides complete end-to-end development services as well as individual services as per clients' requirement. With GITEX Tech week Excellent Webworld aims to network on a global stage and increase their clientele for the aforementioned 3 continents. Some of the industries that they serve are Oil & Gas, Financial Services, eCommerce, on-demand services, enterprise apps and websites, and retail sectors. "In this information, the competition between companies is very high," explained Paresh Sagar, CEO & Founder, Excellent Webworld . "This competition is a much-needed catalyst to create top-notch products and services; We have evolved our portfolio in recent years with solutions that help organizations maximize digital performance across every aspect of their business, giving them a chance to re-think and re-engineer their business to a more profitable model ". Some of the amazing services that will be showcasing at GITEX are: Disruptive IoT technology Solutions Path breaking AR / VR solutions Innovative Web Solutions Most Trending App Solutions Enterprise Mobility and Analytics Solutions Ready-To-Launch Web and App Solutions Excellent Webworld is Hall to 1, Booth C1-2 of the Dubai World Trade Center for business, innovation or just sit and share some entrepreneurial advice. IT trade show of 2018. With 100k + visitors coming this year from 140+ Countries, this would be a grand event. There are going to be 4.7K + International Exhibitors Their idea who wish to pitch and grab an investment from 16K + Government and Corporate Buyers . This 5-day event from 14 th to 18 th October will be covered across the world by 1000+ global media representatives . Besides the networking platform, there are going to be many conferences and discussions aimed towards 24 industrial vertical s . Excellent Webwo rld believes their presence is essential to their commitment to the startups and enterprises in the region. Mayur Panchal, CTO of Excellent Webworld positively stated, "Dubai will be the focal point of the technological advancement towards the future and GITEX will be the point from where it will begin. GITEX technology week 2018 will be the most exclusive platform to showcase our latest solutions. Senior executives from Excellent WebWorks, technical and channel teams will be present during the duration of the show and can be met at the company's stand, Hall-1, C1-2. About Excellent Webworld Excellent Webworld is an IT company with its reach in 6 countries spanning across 4 continents. It offers sustainable and innovative IT solutions for building websites and mobile apps. It has a wide range of expertise in advanced tech solutions from Amazon. Alexa voice tech solution, IoT solutions to back-end and front-end development of websites and mobile apps. With an experienced team of developers, Excellent Webworld has an excellent track record in serving their customers. Learn more at Excellent Webworld . Meet Us at Hall-1, Booth C1, 2. Come and discuss with us: https://excellentwebworld.com/Meet-us-gitex-technology-week-Dubai-2018/ Editorial Details Paresh Sagar Excellent Webworld CEO Contact Number: + 1- (480) -409-4504 Email: sales@excellentwebworld.com Jaffna International Film Festival that began last week has removed Jude Ratnams internationally acclaimed Demons in Paradise from screening. The decision to remove the film - that depicts the gradual but predictable degeneration of Tamil militancy into one of cannibalizing its own- was treated with a muted reaction in the South. In the North, save a few genuine, and time tested activists of the calibre of Rajan Hoole, the majority tended to justify the censorship of the movie. Silence of the civil society activists in the South may be due to the popular fallacy that some people and communities (and not others) ought to have safe spaces and trigger warnings. This notion has been cited by leftist student activists in American universities to justify the shutting off from universities, the opposing voices of populist and nationalist types. In Europe, same idea led the Islamic activists to demand safe space to discuss things ranging from martyrdom to Burkas away from the scrutiny of public security agencies. Jude Ratnams movie is uncomfortable for Jaffnas LTTE rump and fringe Tamil nationalists for it challenges the received wisdom of the LTTE. The movie by the Tamil filmmaker first empathizes with the Tamil militancy, portraying it as a reaction to the suppression by the Sinhalese-led Colombo centric state. However, as the militancy unfolds, romance turns sour in an orgy of internecine violence, unleashed predominantly by the LTTE on the other groups. Jaffnas Tamil nationalists cannot stomach this bitter reality. Organizers removed the movie from screening allegedly due to the pressure from a group only known as community. Jaffnas Tamil nationalists cannot stomach this bitter reality. Organizers removed the movie from screening allegedly due to the pressure from a group only known as community That is sad. However in many ways, that is quite understandable too. Jaffna was never a bastion of freedom expression, even before the emergence of the militancy it suppressed alternative views that promoted a less confrontational approach towards Colombo. Nor is it now- it is suppressed both by the states security apparatus and an exclusivist Tamil nationalist thought. Neither would it become free anytime in the immediate future. There are multiple mutually -reinforcing forces of political contrast that hamstrung Jaffnas emergence as a free society. Jaffnas opinion elites have gradually but unmistakably restored a culture that glorified Tamil militancy and nihilistic terrorism of the LTTE. Same folks who are disturbed by Jude Ratnams portrayal of the LTTE are commemorating the Black Tigers in July,Mahaveerar Week in November and another so-called genocide day in May. The LTTE nurtured and harnessed its culture of martyrdom through the same set of ritualistic commemorations. There is a second element which explains why this culture of fringe nationalism is likely to prevail: because, it suppresses all other rival, saner ideologies. After all that is how Jaffna succumbed to its current plight. A contemporary example would be students politics at our public universities. Even after being ruthlessly suppressed by two counter insurgency operations, this psudo-leftist tinted insular ideology of the JVP and its breakaway group has reestablished itself as the dominant force in the university politics. It has achieved that feat by exploiting the permissive atmosphere in the universities and passive university administrators who turned a blind eye to its violent maximizing approach. Its success in our universities is not because university students are a uniformed lot who have special grievances which others dont. Instead, student activists of this myopic ideology have recreated a parallel universe where all these feigned grievances are floated, and trap the naive and hapless majority within it. LTTE-loving Eelam apologists are also doing the same in Jaffna. They suppress other opinions and fill the vacuum with their bitterness. Third, politicians in both the South and the North have always found it easier to appease the hardline than to confront it. Vijayakala Maheswaran MP called for the revival of the LTTE to fight crime in Jaffna. Most those allegations of high rate of crime and rape (as she implied) are also exaggerated and intended to provide an immediate pretext to delegitimize the central government. Fourth, dynamism of those forces is bound to trigger a government response that would take back some of the civic freedoms and tighten the grip. (Maheswaran herself was arrested yesterday by the police over her remarks). The governments response, though can be justified in the need to keep a tab on separatist sentiments, also make the Northern Tamils feel suppressed. These grievances can also fuel nationalism and play into the hands of the extreme Tamil nationalists. On the other hand, if you allow a free scope of activism, there is no guarantee, its degeneration would culminate in another bus bomb in the South or a Catalonia-styled mayhem, and then to an armed struggle. LTTE-loving Eelam apologists are also doing the same in Jaffna. They suppress other opinions and fill the vacuum with their bitterness Fifth, assume that Jaffnas community would open itself up to all shades of opinion, and is prepared for a civilized debate of all matters. That would cause a tricky situation. Those who oppose the removal of Demons in Paradise as an assault of free speech, would also have to be ready to allow the screening of Channel 4s Sri Lanka killing fields, no matter how concocted claims are in the documentary. That however offers a tough choice for the government. Nationalist outburst in the South over such a screening would not be nice. Therefore, effectively shutting Jaffna from a diverse spread of opinion, fringe nationalists have made it easier for the Sri Lankan government, at least in the short run to maintain the status quo. However, such conditions do not help the country in the long run. This brings to the final scenario. Post-conflict transition, including civil liberties, should be managed in an incremental manner. That would also mean, while according more freedom and space, the government should also nudge Jaffnas opinion makers towards a more conciliatory line. At the same time, red lines of the discourse should also be clearly visible. Crossing that should be met with retributive cost, not in the form of white vans, but through the legal arm of the state. Until that time, Jaffna blocking out of Demons in Paradise is Jaffnas business. Follow @Rangajayasuriya on twitter Minister Eran Wickramaratne handing over a token of appreciation to Amana Banks Head of Deposits Arshad Jamaldeen. Amana Bank recently partnered with the Charted Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) Sri Lanka for their flagship event CIMA Business Leaders Summit 2018 heldunder the theme Go Beyond: From Insight to Impact Unlocking Opportunitieswhich took place recently at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo. This event was graced by highly influential business tycoons and top level management teams from leading corporates in Sri Lanka to discuss on topics such as future of finance, global trends in transforming businesses, disruptive business models in Sri Lanka and various other factors that would improve the economic status of Sri Lanka. Commenting on the partnership,the Banks Chief Executive Officer Mohomed Azmeer said We are happy to have partnered with CIMA Sri Lankain sponsoring their Business Leaders Summit, which has a rich history of over 40 years in nurturing Sri Lankas business leaders through thoughtful discussion and engagement. Offering people friendly banking solutions, Amana Bank too provides a platform to nurture SMEs to move to the next level in recognition of their significant contribution towards the growth of our economy. Amana Bank is the countrys first and only Licensed Commercial Bank to operate in complete harmony with the globally growing non-interest based banking model. With the mission of Enabling Growth and Enriching Lives, the Bank reaches out to its customers through a growing network of 29 branches, 14 Self Banking Centres and 4000+ ATM access points and has introduced an array of customer conveniences such as Internet & Mobile Banking, Debit Card with SMS alerts, Online Account Opening, 365 Day Banking, Saturday Banking, Extended Banking Hours, 24x7 Cash Deposit Machines and Banking Units Exclusively for Ladies. Amana Bank PLC is a stand-alone institution licensed by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange with Jeddah based IDB Group being the principal shareholder having a 29.97% stake of the Bank. The IDB Group is a AAA rated multilateral development financial institution with an authorized capital base of over USD 150 Billion which has a membership of 57 countries. Fitch Ratings, in June 2018, affirmed Amana Banks National Long Term Rating of BB(lka) while upgrading its outlook to Positive from Stable. Amana Bank does not have any subsidiaries, associates or affiliated institutions representing the Bank. Vijayakala Maheswaran who was arrested by the Police Organised Crimes Preventive Division was seen coming out of the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court after getting bail by the Chief Magistrate today. Pix by Pradeep Dilrukshan By Nishel Fernando The largely uncompetitive local industries and corrupt bureaucrats are exploiting the public perception to delay trade liberalisation and the necessary reforms for their personal gains, as the government and academics have so far failed to engage the public in a policy dialogue to properly communicate the benefits of free trade. Joining a panel discussion yesterday at the launch of the World Bank Groups regional trade report titled A Glass Half Full, the Promise of Regional Trade in South Asia, in Colombo, Verite Research Director Research Subhashini Abeysinghe said it remains very difficult to convince Asians of the benefits of free trade and open borders. The domestic industries in South Asian countries work together with politicians and political parties, supported by the general perception of the people in this part of the world. I dont see South Asians embracing open borders. If you go beyond urban areas of Sri Lanka, you know the people are very socialistic in the way of thinking and they are very sceptical of benefits of open trade and open borders. Hence, you have a population that can be easily exploited saying that its your patriotic duty to protect the local industries, even though you have to pay a very high price for low-quality products. Launching the report, World Bank Lead Economist and South Asia Regional Integration Coordinator Dr. Sanjay Kathuria pointed out that the trade barriers, combined with poor connectivity, have hindered Sri Lankas exports to South Asia, which can be more than doubled with better connectivity and removal of trade barriers. According to the report, the actual value of Sri Lankas exports to South Asia stands at US $ 1.2 billion but the potential value is estimated at US $ 2.8 billion. The US $ 1.6 billion gap between the two is equivalent to 15 percent of Sri Lankas total global exports. Closing the gap will not only enhance but also help diversify Sri Lankas trade, he noted. Dr. Kathuria also emphasised that lack of connectivity has limited the consumer to enjoy goods at the best available prices in South Asia, despite the close proximity. Drawing an example, he pointed out that a basket of eggs (12) is priced at US $ 1.23 in Colombo, while its only US $ 0.91 in New Delhi and the consumers in Colombo pay one of the highest prices for a kilo of potatoes among the major cities in the region, which is at US $ 1.03, while it is only priced at US $ 0.3 in New Delhi. Joining the panel discussion, Lion Brewery Ceylon Ltd Executive Director Suresh Shah said, Sri Lankan businesses are unfortunately neither productive nor competitive; there are a few exceptions to this and I like to think we are one of them. Sri Lankan businesses need to compete. We need to open our markets. We need to liberalise our trade. However, he stressed that trade liberalisation is only part of the equation, while several other reforms need to be carried out to mitigate the adverse impacts from a sudden liberalization of markets. Its not about doing one thing. There is a whole set of steps that we need to take. Unless we carry out all those reforms, addressing one issue is going to make it worse than better. So, we have to be very careful how we address that, he said. Commenting on the popular notion among Sri Lankan businesses that the Indian market is impossible to expand into, Shah said that understanding complexities is vital in India, which is similar to India, while in the long run, the business which expands could collect a big reward, given the size of the market. Speaking of the delays in the governments reform agenda, Abeysinghe pointed out that theres a large resistance from the bureaucracy in bringing down excessive regulation and simplifying government procedures as the bureaucrats are not willing to give on their privileges and other benefits. Colombo has an amazing maritime connectivity, which will allow Sri Lanka transport goods faster and cheaper to many of the ports in the Indian subcontinent. Unfortunately, we were not able to unleash these things, largely because of red tape, archaic regulations and resistance from the bureaucracy to change, she added. She highlighted that the best chance of implementing reforms is somehow aligning the self-interest of the politicians to the interest of the public, with better communication strategies. She noted that around 80 percent of the population who speak in Sinhala and Tamil remain left out from the trade policy debate and discussion as almost all of the literature, as well as the policy documents, are not being available in the two languages. She further said that due to poor communication, academics and the government have failed to communicate to the public the link between protectionist policies and poor government services to high cost of living and hence, the business interest groups have been able to exploit this to their personal gain. As the public dont demand these reforms, she pointed out that the politicians, who are interested in the next election, are easily swayed towards populist measures. The report recommended Sri Lanka to target sensitive lists and para-tariffs to enable real progress in the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA). It also called for a multi-pronged effort towards addressing non-tariff barriers, focusing on information flows, procedures and infrastructure. SL-India air links example for rest of South Asia: WB The air services liberalization between India and Sri Lanka in 2003 and 2011 has lowered costs, increased passenger traffic and the volume of air cargo, serving as a potent example for the rest of South Asia. World Bank Lead Economist and South Asia Regional Integration Coordinator Dr. Sanjay Kathuria highlighted that the number of flights between Sri Lanka and India has increased to 147 flights weekly and since 2005, India has been the biggest source of tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka, which has been tripled from 113,323 in 2005 to 356,729 in 2016. He said that air services liberalisation is a less resistant way to improve the connectivity in the South Asian region. Given the regions complicated history, size asymmetries and a trust deficit, policy shifts need to be implemented gradually. Air services liberalization entailed small steps backed by persistence, which cumulatively made a substantial impact, he said. According to the World Banks regional trade report launched yesterday in Colombo, bilateral air connectivity between India and Sri Lanka is the best in South Asia, which is a result of the progressive liberalisation of air services between the two countries. Dr. Kathuria advised the two countries to spur more competition on the routes in order to maximize the gains from the air services liberalisation. The regional air connectivity within South Asia remains restricted, including between capitals. The authors of the report pointed out that the efficiency of air travel services can impact trade in goods because the transport of high-value, low-volume goods and trade in other services, such as tourism, healthcare and education, often depend on air travel services. Moreover, the efficiency of air travel for business people can also affect FDI and ultimately, trade in goods and services. Another poignant incident which left the public dismayed was the brutal ragging of freshers at the University of Peradeniya This shows the tendency to see ragging in isolation from other problems Ragging of freshers is an ordinary occurrence in Sri Lankan State universities. However, the tragic incidents that we hear of or read on newspapers are far from what ordinary youth must endure in their institute providing higher education. Nevertheless, like many other blatantly irrational aspects of our society, despite all measures that have been purportedly taken so far, nothing seems to have curbed the strong-willed mindset of those who engage in ragging. While the majority is brainwashed to continue with the viscous cycle, some drop out, some fall ill and some even commit suicide. A 23-year-old undergraduate of the Sabaragamuwa University committed suicide after suffering mental trauma because she underwent severe ragging in 2015. There were recent reports of six fresher Buddhist monks being stripped naked and subjected to disreputable forms of ragging by a few senior undergraduate monks. Another poignant incident which left the public dismayed was the brutal ragging of freshers at the University of Peradeniya in an isolated house by 15 second-year undergraduates. An unprecedented number of cases, associated with undergraduates who enter universities with aspirations to build their lives, feature incidents of them being abused mentally, physically and sexually. But these victims refrain from reporting these incidents due to their lack of faith in how the country enforces justice. By now, after many records of traumatic and unimaginable acts of ragging and displeasure expressed by many in response, people are aware that ragging is an offence and is prohibited under the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act No. 19 of 1998 (Ragging Act). Ragging can also be tantamount to torture and thereby a violation of the fundamental right; which provides for an individual to be free from torture and cruel and degrading treatment. This right is protected by the Constitution, warranting the invocation of the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Insofar as ragging takes the form of sexual harassment, penal provisions can be invoked. If the Ragging Act is a failure and the prevailing legal framework is insufficient to eradicate this menace, does the solution lie in legislative amendment and criminalising of ragging? Standing up for their rights Ragging is a criminal offence with rigorous punishment under the Ragging Act which was passed 20 years ago. The problem was that it was not implemented for a long time and many students were ragged Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Minister of Higher Education & Cultural Affairs airing his views on ragging said,Ragging is a criminal offence with rigorous punishment under the Ragging Act which was passed 20 years ago. The problem was that it was not implemented for a long time and as a result many students who were ragged did not come up and complain to the relevant authorities. Now, the act is well implemented and mechanisms are in place. We have conducted many awareness We have conducted many awareness programmes for both undergraduates and parents to advise students against engaging in ragging programmes for both undergraduates and parents to advise students against engaging in ragging. We have also used media as a tool to reach out to people and make them aware of the legal actions that can be taken. As a result there are many students who step up and report on abusive activities they were subject to by their seniors and we see a big difference in them standing up for their rights. Currently there are about 50, 60 undergraduates who are in remand prison after being accused of ragging. Justice will be served. Having inquired about whether the available legal framework is sufficient to stop ragging at universities, the Minister answered in the affirmative. With an Act and mechanisms to implement it in place, the law thats available is adequate to fight ragging. The Rule of Law must be upheld. We cannot allow students to suffer. What happens under the guise of ragging is torture and sexual harassment. Now it is up to the victims and the general public to make use of the laws and corporate to stop these crimes, he added. Greed for power Ragging in any form should not take place in any institution. There is nothing called mild ragging or good ragging. Ragging does not start at Universities, it happens at schools Prof Chandrika Jayasinghe, Professor in Medicine, Consultant Physician, Faculty of Medicine, Peradeniya and the author of the book Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions said that ragging is a national disaster. Ragging in any form should not take place in any institution. There is nothing called mild ragging or good ragging. Ragging does not start at Universities, it happens at schools, mainly at the hands of prefects. The main reason for the existence and continuation of ragging in any educational institute is the greediness for power. The opportunity to exert power over equals which they would not have done under normal conditions is therefore seized,Prof. Jayasinghe explained. In addition, Prof. Jayasinghe underscored several reasons for ragging to take place which are; the idea that it is tradition, the notion of fun, fear of exclusion as it is done by the majority, jealousy, returning the rag, intentions of forming cliques and finding girlfriends. Jealousy is the basis of the dress code during rag season. There is an incorrect notion that most individuals who engage in ragging come from less affluent families. This is wrong. More than poverty, wrong upbringing, a callous home atmosphere and insensitive parents are the usual background of those engaging in ragging. she went on. Referring to brutal physical acts of ragging, Prof Jayasinghe stated that sexual acts such as stripping freshmen naked and forcing them to engage in sexual or obscene acts- although classified as sex education- will lead to a nation that possesses sexual perverts. These acts happen again due to the greed to exert power combined with deranged mindsets due to not receiving love at their own homes and being harassed when they were young. Inferiority complexes, low self-esteem, general rage against the human race and derivation of sadistic sexual pleasures are also reasons behind these kind of acts, opined Prof. Jayasinghe. Speaking of medical complications, Prof. Jayasinghe said that stress, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, phobias and long standing depression can result from ragging. She assumes that Amali Chathurika, the student of Sabaragamuwa University, who committed suicide, must have suffered from these conditions. Among other health impacts are lasting personality disorders, Haemolysis (destruction of red blood cells), Rhabdomyolysis (destruction of muscle cells) and renal failure which can lead to death (cause of death of Selva Vinayagar Varaprakash, student of University of Peradeniya), anxiety, panic attacks and trauma. When freshers enter universities they are already in a compromised and vulnerable position as their medical status, including mental strength, is not known to fellow students and the staff. Harassing them further can easily dislodge them from their balance and cause heavy impacts, she warned. Jealousy is the basis of the dress code during rag season. There is an incorrect notion that most individuals who engage in ragging come from less affluent families. This is wrong. More than poverty, wrong upbringing, a callous home atmosphere and insensitive parents are the usual background of those engaging in ragging Asked about what measures could be taken to eradicate ragging, Prof. Jayasinghe strongly insisted that as a first step, academic and non-academic staff members should be committed to wipe out ragging. If there is a zero tolerance policy for ragging, there has to be genuine adherence to zero tolerance. Students who report of ragging must be protected from those who engage in ragging without isolating them. The university system has failed to understand that the degree of sensitivity and tolerance varies from person to person. An act which is mild for one can be a harsh experience for another depending on their sensitivity. When some in the university staff do not encourage reporting minor incidents, new students lose confidence in the reporting system. Any framework put in place must include senior students. Through soft skills and mental health leadership programmes, we can curb insecure feelings of those who engage in ragging. We need to have better discussions with students rather than blame and condemn them. Educating freshers and their parents that they have a right to be free of ragging is necessary. The message that they neednt waste their time satisfying putrid demands and requests of those who engage in ragging, but can enjoy university life and gain the maximum out of it should be conveyed out to them. Technology must be used to bring freshers together before they can be infiltrated by those who engage in ragging. The countrys law must prevail in the universities too, especially when these acts are exposing somebodys mental, physical health and life to risk, she said. Freshers need help at a new place Ragging is the result of a complex set of factors and divisions in our society. It is fed by a desire for dominance and a desire for unity and a sense of family Sanjayan Rajasingham, a former Lecturer of Law at the University of Jaffna and currently engaged in post graduate studies, said that critics cant take a one-dimensional view of ragging as done by barbaric or insecure seniors with the intention of protecting themselves. Ragging is the result of a complex set of factors and divisions in our society. It is fed by a desire for dominance, a desire for unity and a sense of family, a demand for equalisation across social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and a need for socialisation. This is because the core of ragging is the idea that force is essential to reach these goals. Moreover, ragging is also part of a much larger set of problems freshers face at university. They need help in a new I do not think university administrators or staff can be neutral on ragging. We need to be proactive in responding to it. Universities are meant to be places where students are taught to think critically and creatively place. They need help transitioning from school rote-learning to critical thinking. They need money for food, a good place to stay, and other day-to-day things. Seniors come in to fill these needs, but often have ragging as the condition for their help. We need to think about how we respond to this. opined Rajasingham. Asked about whether the university staff is justified in taking a neutral stance in relation to ragging with the university, Rajasingham answered in the negative. I do not think university administrators or staff can be neutral on ragging. We need to be proactive in responding to it. Universities are meant to be places where students are taught to think critically and creatively about life, society and themselves. Yet in ragging we find a process that teaches them, right from the start, to be obedient and subordinate to a certain group (in this case seniors). I think this is one reason that our students are not formed into critical citizens as much as we would like. Some even support ragging. Some of them say that they had it worse when they were in university, or that it is only for a couple of months and so isnt worth being bothered about. This is outrageous. There are also administration and staff who actively struggle against it. However this can also be problematic so far as their position and power are used to dominate and control students. I often found it tempting to use my position to control students when I was a lecturer. But ifI did that, why should I be surprised if seniors use their power to dominate and control juniors? Ultimately, they learn things from us based on how we act, added Rajasingham. Speaking of university subculture, he stated that it is merely a tool used to justify acts of ragging. Subculture can mean harmless things like wasting time all day at the canteen - or I do not think university administrators or staff can be neutral on ragging. We need to be proactive in responding to it. Universities are meant to be places where students are taught to think critically and creatively about life, society and themselves it can be deeply harmful things like violent, sexually abusive ragging. Yet I think this issue of subculture takes us to a broader question which is, are there meaningful justifications for ragging. While the legal framework and other additional things like confidentiality complaints are positive steps, all of them only respond to ragging after it takes place. This shows the tendency to see ragging in isolation from other problems students face. We need holistic solutions which address the root causes of ragging. I think the staffers need to get on the ground, speak to student leaders and first years and understand them. Why do they rag? What are the factors that convince so many of them (even first years) that this is a good thing? And most importantly, are there alternative ways of achieving some of the aims of ragging? The reason ragging persists is because there is no viable alternative offered to help orient students; support them when they are struggling as a new person at university; and build a community. Thankfully I have seen some students take the initiative regarding this, and there was a fairly successful attempt at an alternative conducted at Jaffna Universitys Law Department last year, he said. Solution possible through discussion Whatever practices that are conducted within universities are influenced very much by what is happening outside; by the social, economic and political changes that take place in society Lahiru Weerasekara, Convener of Inter University Students Federation said thatseniors do not deny that there are regressive practices like cruelty and violence at universities. However, it is not fair to view them in isolation and point fingers at the IUSF, Student Unions or Leftist parties as supportive of these acts. Whatever practices that are conducted within universities are influenced very much by what is happening outside; by the social, economic and political changes that take place in society. There is no point in passing laws to control or change this situation. The Ragging Act was brought essentially for the eradication of university students. It is a solution imposed by outsiders and cannot ever be a viable answer to the issue. Since these alleged practices have been conducted for generations, it is through discussions within universities between student groups and university staff that a solution can be arrived at. We are in the process of conducting such discussions, said Weerasekara. New app to stop ragging In collaboration with the Sri Lanka Information and Communication Technology Agency, the University Grants Commission has launched a new Emergency Safety Mobile App to report acts of ragging conveniently. According to Minister Rajapakshe, it is only operating within the Uva-Wellassa University presently, but will be introduced to other universities in the near future. The minister was unaware of whether the app had been successful, but assured that there is a separate unit and an officer-in-charge and also a hotline for students to reach the authorities. Vineshka Mendis (23), Faculty of Law at the University of Colombo said thatalthough it is a good step that has been introduced to get every university entrant to certify, prior to entrance, that he or she will not engage in ragging, it would be of no real effect if complaints made by victims of ragging are subjected to ragging once they start university education. Mendis said that complaints fall on deaf ears or victims suffer due to the slow process of justice present. The burden of eradicating ragging is not only on the students, but also on the administration. It is of no real effect if the administration is not vocal and active about its zero tolerance of ragging. In such an environment the students will not be convinced that the laws in place are affording them any real protection, said Mendis. Yashika Herath (23), Faculty of Management, University of Jayawardhanapura said that ragging should continue at universities to a certain extent because it is during the ragging period that freshers get to know each other and build up strong bonds with eachs. But there must also be some control over extreme acts of ragging. The prevailing rules are of course useless; what need to be changed are the attitudes of people. Strict rules must nevertheless be brought in to stop extreme acts of ragging. Lasitha Rangana, Niran Kanishka, Ahmed Ziyan and Marlan Jayathilake of the EFL team. Expolanka Freight (Pvt) Ltd was recognized for its supply chain solution management and Delivery Excellence in addition to its ability to meet demanding project deadlines in a timely and flexible manner at the Huawei Annual Core Partner Convention 2018 held in New Delhi, India. EFL was invited to the conference as Huaweis only logistics partner from Sri Lanka. The Silver Delivery Excellence Award was presented to EFL for what Huawei described as EFLs ability to keep promises on service delivery, and provide immediate support during difficult or unexpected situations. The companys Sri Lanka Procurement Qualification Division and Supply Chain Business Department (both South East Asia Region) were praised in particular for their support to suppliers in building long term business partnerships. The awards ceremony was attended by Huaweis senior management, including CEO for the India operations and Directors and other Regional senior management of Huawei. The conference was attended by 250-300 guests representing the supplier and partner network from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Presentations made during the event focused primarily on Huaweis overall business growth, future plans and expectations from suppliers on this growth path. Expolankas partnership with Huawei covers customs clearance, warehouse and inventory management, site delivery and re-exports for the company. The criteria for the Delivery Excellence award included partners ability to provide timely and flexible service to meet demanding, tight deadlines. The quarterly supplier ratings were also incorporated into the criteria. Expolanka has led the charge in key areas of supply chain management in Sri Lanka, in particular with the provision of services such as freeport solutions. The award is testament to the companys continuous enhancement of service delivery, securing its position in the market as a reliable end to end supply chain provider. As a leading global provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices, Huaweis business centers around speed and reliability- which EFL has acquired a reputation for consistently delivering to partners, says Managing Director, SaifYusoof. We thank Huawei for the recognition this year, and hope to continue this fruitful partnership for many more years to come. By Yohan Perera The government at the moment is putting final touches to a law covering microfinance, to save the borrowers from exorbitant and unnecessary charges and other malpractices, Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera said yesterday. Samaraweera revealed this at the opening session of the Regional Policy Forum of the Asia Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) hosted by Bank of Ceylon (BOC), in Colombo. The government is drafting new measures for the microfinance sector, stipulating industry standards and to protect the borrowers from exorbitant and unnecessary charges and other malpractices commonly seen in the industry, the minister said. The proliferation of unethical lending in microfinance has led to a crisis situation in some parts of the country. To address this, the government of Sri Lanka has written off microfinance debts of more than 45,000 women, which amount to more than Rs.1.2 billion. It is essential that steps are taken to prevent such irresponsible lending recurring in the future, he added. Samaraweera stressed that the government should encourage more responsible lending practices. Focusing on the Enterprise Sri Lanka concessionary lending programme, the minister said 20,000 have applied to the participating banks for this scheme since its inception and the government anticipates further growth in these figures. He said loans are being provided at preferential rates even for differently-abled people, other than women. APRACA Chairman Shiba Shrestha said the policy forum is a matter of interest and concern for millions of small and micro entrepreneurs that are the backbone of both developing and developed economies. Financing SMEs plays a key role in promoting entrepreneurship and ultimately strengthening society and eradicating poverty, he said. Shiba said the APRACA, since its founding in 1977, has made continuous efforts to promote the development of rural financial institutions for enhancement of rural livelihood through varieties to rural and agricultural credit facilities in the region. During the decades, the number of member institutions of the APRACA has been increased up to 94 financial institutions spread over 24 countries, he added. APRACA Vice Chairman and BOC General Manger, who is tipped to become the next APRACA Chairman, said it was a privilege to host the 70th policy forum and 21st General Assembly and to provide a platform that guides members to develop innovative strategies to ensure financial stability and fiscal sustainability. Maldivian Elections Commissioner and four Commissioners find themselves between a rock and a hard place The situation in the Maldives is messy Yameen accuses EC of having rigged it in the Oppositions favour by taking money The Maldivian Elections Commissioner Ahmed Shareef and his four Commissioners, find themselves in the unenviable position of being between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they are hounded by incumbent PresidentAbdulla Yameen, who was resoundingly defeated by the coalition candidate, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, in the September 23 Presidential election. On theother hand, they are disregarded, if not despised, by the Joint Opposition for having been a lackey of Yameen. Yameen, who had initially accepted the result gracefully and declared that he would hand over power to Solih on November 17 (when his term ends officially) suddenly made an about turn and declared that the election was rigged. He accused the Elections Commission headed by Ahmed Shareef of having rigged it in the oppositions favour by taking money from it. Yameens Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) charged that the September 23 election was the most disorganized one yet, and that Shareef had used some ingenious methods to nullify votes cast in Yameens favour. The PPM claimed pointed out to a social media audio clip doing the rounds which had Shareef talking to an unidentified person about the rigging process and assuring him that he would not be arrested. However, Shareef, has denied the charges, describing them as baseless and preposterous. The entire process of voting and counting had taken place in front of international observers, who had declared the election as free and fair, he told this writer in a telephone conversation. As for the charge of taking a bribe from the Joint Opposition, he said that he denied that he had the bank account into which the money was allegedly deposited. According to another Commissioner, Yameen did not expect to lose the elections Although the ground situation was far from favourable for him. The Commissioner said: Yameen believed the Yes Men surrounding him who gave him a rosy picture. He never did any field study to test what was told to him. Shocked by the result he started suspecting foul play by the Elections Commission at the behest of the opposition. Yameen not only got the PPM to level serious charges against Shareef but allegedly sent goons to harass the families of the commissioners. At first, two of the commissioners fled the country fearing arrest and soon all, except Shareef, fled. Fear of arrest was heightened after Shareef sacked the Police Chief and appointed a more pliant one. Opposition Neutral However, the Opposition has not rushed to Shareefs rescue as they too had made serious charges against him during the election campaign. According to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Spokesman, Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, the Opposition believes that it won the election despite the machinations of Shareef and his team who were allegedly paid by Yameen to rig the poll in his favour. According to Maldives Independent Shareef was hand-picked by the President and endorsed by the ruling PPM at a Parliament sitting boycotted by the Opposition. Shareef had been Secretary General of Yameens PPM and was therefore a highly trusted follower. Upon his nomination, the spokesman of the main Opposition MDP, Imthiyaz Fahmy, had said: We have no trust in his independence. Maldives Independent further reported: Shareefs Twitter page was enough to question his neutrality. As the head of the State Utility Fenaka Corporation, Shareef championed Yameen and worked in his re-election campaign, calling the President a hero while taunting the opposition. Shareef had further said: The Opposition knows they dont have a slightest chance of winning an independent election against HEP Yameen because of his transformational economic agenda. The only way to achieve their selfish goals coming to power is to attempt a coup, using money they owe to the people. This was in a tweet a month before his appointment to the independent electoral watchdog. Ahead of last years municipal elections, Shareef was caught on video promising jobs for Opposition candidates if they withdrew their candidacies. Citing his partisan background, the opposition alleged collusion and suspected Shareef would fix the election, Maldives Independence reported. We went on door-to-door canvassing and used all social networks to reach the grassroots. We were crunching numbers on a daily basis Oppositions Strategy To Counter Rigging Expecting the poll to be rigged by Shareef and the Elections Commission (EC), the Joint Opposition worked doubly hard to win the poll in such a way that rigging would not be easy, MDP Spokesman Ghafoor told this writer. We went on door-to-door canvassing and used all social networks to reach the grassroots. We were crunching numbers on a daily basis, while Yameen was sitting pretty, over confident about the system being geared to his needs and that his economic achievements would win him a clear majority. We got a little over 58% of the valid votes and the election could not be rigged. In other words, Shareef could not carry out the job given to him by Yameen. People had come in their thousands to vote. If they were registered in far flung areas with a design to discourage them from voting, they went to those places to exercise their franchise. Polling time had to be extended to allow the assembled to vote, Ghafoor pointed out. Shareef Becomes Fall Guy A shocked Yameen turned his guns against Shareef. Shareef was made the fall guy. Yameen suspected him of taking money from the Joint Opposition to rig the election in the latters favour, Ghafoor said. Shareef is now between a rock and a hard place, the MDP Spokseman said. Neither Yameen nor Solih trusts him. Yameen is threatening to arrest him. According to the media, barring Shareef, the rest of the four commissioners have left the Maldives. The UN Representative in the Maldives has met Shareef and heard his woes. The US has appealed to Yameen and the Joint Opposition to sit together and sort out issues to bring about a smooth transfer of power. Transition Not Easy According to Ghafoor the situation in the Maldives is messy and transition from Yameen to Solih is not going to be easy. He believes that Yameen will do his utmost to stay in power. He has already changed the chief of the police, and is planning to replace the Elections Commission. Yameen has time until October 12 to file complaints against the EC, and if the complaints panel finds merit in his submissions, it could recommend fresh elections. And a reconstituted EC could conduct a fresh poll. Yameens party has said that it was not ruling out going to the Supreme Court to annul the election. The current Supreme Court judges had been handpicked by him. Yameen is counting on them to give a judgment favourable to him, Ghafoor said. But Ghafoor believes that peoples power will ultimately prevail over Yameens machinations. Remedial Measures The Opposition plans a series of measures to prevent recurrence of such sordid happenings. When we take over, we will change the constitution from the Presidential to the Parliamentary system; liberate the judiciary from the clutches of the Executive; and put an end to the rule of kleptocrats, Ghafoor said. While denying allegations made by several Joint Opposition members claiming their group of participants had been hospitalized due to food poisoning after consuming milk supplied in packets during the Jana Balaya Colombata rally, Deputy Law and Order Minister Nalin Bandara Jayamaha today said nothing had been mixed with the milk. Speaking at a ceremony at Badulla yesterday he said according to the reports received by the government analysts, nothing had been mixed with to the milk that was were supplied in packets. The Janabalaya Kolambata held in Colombo organised by the Joint Opposition (JO) on September 05. One of the party activists had made a complaint to the Colombo Fort Police station along with a few milk packet samples and claimed they were contaminated. The milk packet samples were handed over to the Government Analysts by the Police and the Analysts report revealed that nothing had been added to the milk packets, he said. The Minister also said the JO members used the milk packets to cover up their failures in organizing the rally and we again thank the JO members for showing their inefficiency to the people of this country. According to police spokesman, SP Ruwan Gunasekera, a complaint had been made on September 10 by Warnakulasuriya Alex Nishantha, an Attorney at law, who was acting on behalf of the Wennappuwa Provincial Council, to the Colombo Fort Police station. In his complaint, he said the milk packets were given to 25 persons - including him - were found to have been contaminated. The milk packet which he had got had been submitted to the police, he said. According to the court order, following case No. B993998/3/18, the milk packet samples were handed over to the Government Analysts Department on September 13. The Government Analysts report was received on September 28 and revealed several tests including Cyanide, toxic metals, Pesticide poison and also to ascertain whether any suspected drugs had been diluted to the milk packets. The report also said the milk packets were not opened before being issued to the Joint Opposition activists who came to take part at the rally. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama and Palitha Ariyawansa) Video by Palitha Ariyawansa I consider myself fortunate enough to be among the distinguished gathering of mostly consisting of my, contemporaries of Peradeniya , seniors and juniors who still love drama, to watch and enjoy the third staging of Ravanasitabhilashaya at the Punchi Theatre at Borella recently. Except being a lover of drama, I do not know whether I am qualified enough to comment on, or review a unique production of stylized Musical drama which came on stage almost five decades after Maname and Sinhabahu. Among the audience I noticed veteran actors, authors and experienced and renowned critics who will no doubt contribute their views very soon. At the very outset let me mention that at the opening of the curtain itself, the beating of the Maddala took us back to the late fifties and early sixties of Peradeniya campus. With the appearance of three Poteguras a novel feature to me, the tempo developed and continued for almost two hours with pin drop silence from the spectators, till the curtain came down with a continuous applause from the enthralled audience. This is good enough to prove a success of a drama although it is too early to comment. I heard that the original drama was written by Prof. J.B. Dissanayaka way back in the fifties much before he became a professor and shows the signs of becoming one. Being an erudite scholar who has authored hundreds of books on Sinhala language, culture, literature including traditions and values of Sri Lanka Prof. JB along with his contemporary colleague Namel seems to have updated his script and given a new twist to Walmikis Classic Ramayana to suit the modern day Drama with the Nadagan style steps and rhythm and decor accompanied with traditional music composed by veteran Jayantha Arvinda of Ratnavali fame. There is no doubt it is a serious musical drama without common unwarranted cheap sarcasm and ear splitting shrill and bang of drums. The caste which is experienced and new, give life to almost all characters. My comments will be too long if I take them individually. The costumes which blend the attractive and colourful ancient Sri Lankan and Indian styles have been prepared with meticulous care and neatness. Many scenes, songs, dances and dialogues without losing their originality and freshness compelled me to compare and compete with those of Maname and Sinhabahu. This thought has not devalued the quality of the drama but enhanced it. Many scenes, songs, dances and dialogues without losing their originality and freshness compelled me to compare and compete with those of Maname and Sinhabahu. This thought has not devalued the quality of the drama but enhanced it The whole production seems to me a successful revival of Maname and Sinhabahu tradition and style with inputs of JBs and Namels wide experience enriching with modern theatrical developments in stage management and lighting. My genuine fear is whether the theatres or the stages in the country except a limited number in Colombo and outstations are geared to stage this colourful drama which may limit the opportunity of enjoying such a quality performance to a large number of enthusiasts. Let me wish success to all the caste and everyone behind this magnificent production and performance. Credit goes to two veterans Prof. JB and Namel and Producer Malini. I am yet to see a schedule of future performances and I wish to request all lovers of stage drama not to miss the opportunity of seeing it fresh. Nabeel Hamza, Senior General Manager at Global Logistics Services A Sri Lankan emerged with the top marks in the world across two subjects in the 2017/18 academic year examinations conducted by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, UK (ICS UK). Nabeel Hamza will be felicitated together with his fellow graduates at an award ceremony conducted by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, UK at the Trinity House, London later this month. Notably, the Chief Guest at this years award ceremony in London will be UK MP, Ms Nusrat Ghani, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport and Assistant Government Whip. The first non-British International President of ICS UK and Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake will also attend the event as guest of honour amongst a distinguished gathering of international delegates. Nabeel won two world prizes for both subjects he attempted, securing the Armac Award for Introduction to Shipping and E. A. Gibson Shipbrokers Award for Port Agency - makinghistory as the first Sri Lankan to win two world prizes together at the ICS UK examinations. A 34 year old professional with over a decade of presence in the industry, Nabeel shared some insights into his journey to the academic pinnacle in international shipping and logistics. I am delightedwith my achievement and very excited to know that my ability to learn and perform in a global academic environment has not been dulled, but rather sharpened by my time working in the industry, the reason behind my decision to take up this challenging examination was to endorse my experience in the industry, he said. A past pupil of Zahira College, Colombo, Nabeel is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He began his career in a multinational manufacturing and trading company where he played an important role in accounting and finance. As he identified that logistics is an integral part of the trade, he moved to a career in logistics in 2008 and now serves as the Senior General Manager at Global Logistics Services (Pvt) Ltd. When it comes to providing logistics solutions, Global Logistics Services (Pvt) Ltd,is today a company that is big enough to do the job and small enough to do it better. We provide a total suite of logistics solutions and despite starting from humble beginnings as a medium-sized company, we have recorded a considerable growth over the years to reach our market position today through careful stages of product development to fulfill our customer needs. I believe this experience has been instrumental in my success today, Nabeel explained. Commenting on the achievement, Jagath Pathirane - incumbent Chairman of Sri Lanka Logistics and Freight Forwarders Association (SLFFA) and Board Director of Global Logistics Services (Pvt) Ltdwho also serves as Director/CEO of Expolanka Freight (Pvt) Ltd and Chief Administrative Officer of Expolanka Holdings PLCsaid: Nabeel Hamza is young, agile and at 34 years counts over twelve years of exposure in business management. With expertise ranging from financial management, logistics management, risk management and human capital management, he is well rounded. Nabeels roots in Finance and Lean Six Sigma, makes him particularly strong in addressing key issues and arriving at the right solutions. Backed by his strong academic achievements and exposure, he is a far sighted business professional who strongly believes in constructive change and continuous improvement with the hunger to seek out and take calculated risks. He has been the brain behind and the spine ofmany initiatives and successful products developed in the company and we anticipate many more great things from him in future. The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, founded in 1911 and awarded a Royal Charter in 1920, is the only internationally recognized professional body in the commercial maritime arena and it represents shipbrokers, ship managers and agents throughout the world providing the shipping industry with highly qualified and internationally recognized professionals while continuously working to improve professional and ethical standards in the industry. A mother of two children, who was driving her own vehicle accompanied by her eight-year-old daughter, was the target of an unidentified gunman recently in Weligampitiya, Ja-Ela. The injured was rushed to the Ragama teaching hospital by a council member of Jaela Pradeshiya Sabha for urgent treatment. However she succumbed to the injuries she had sustained. The deceased had been identified as Warnakulasuriyage Anne Rasika Rowel (40), a resident of Kurunduwatte area in Weligampitiya Ja-Ela. She was a past pupil of De Mazenod College Kandana. Her husband, Deepal Costa, is employed in Italy. Sources revealed that after marriage the couple had a stint in Italy and on their return had nurtured the idea of opening a preschool in the Ja-Ela area. This car which was travelling on the same route suddenly overtook her vehicle. Shots were fired at Anne Rasikas car using a firearm On the day of the incident Anne Rasika had visited the Weligampitiya Roman Catholic Church accompanied by her eight-year-old daughter to obtain blessings for the new Pre-School she intended opening soon. They had been returning home around 12.30 noon on Sunday (September 30) unnoticed that a car was following them. This car which was travelling on the same route suddenly overtook her vehicle. Shots were fired at Anne Rasikas car using a firearm. The firing had damaged the door of the car. The bullets that had come through the door had hit her body in several places. The child, who was with her, had miraculously escaped injury. The onlookers who surrounded Annes car first did not want to help in taking her to the hospital. Vipula Jayakody, a council member who stepped forward, braved the occasion and opted to take her to the nearest hospital for treatment. The injured person was first taken to the Ja-Ela Hospital and later transferred to the Ragama Teaching Hospital. Despite the exhaustive efforts of the doctors, Anne succumbed to the injuries she had sustained. Anne after returning to Sri Lanka had been keen on enhancing the future of her twelve-year-old son Julian and eight-year-old daughter Elisha. With this aim she had admitted the two children to St. Thomas International College in Seeduwa. All hopes she had for their futures now appears to be shattered. Police suspect that Anne Rasika had been the target of a contract killing by a group of individuals. But the Police believe that this could be a case of mistaken identity and suspect whether Anne was actually the intended target for the killing. Police suspect that Anne Rasika had been the target of a contract killing by a group of individuals. But the Police believe that this could be a case of mistaken identity and suspect whether Anne was actually the intended target for the killing Leaving her beloved Julian and Elisha in a world full of uncertainties Anne Rasika bid farewell to all dear and near at the Ja-Ela Kapuwatte Cemetery amidst the cries and tears of many who attended her funeral. Police are continuing investigations to arrest the perpetrators of this murder. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have finalised the much awaited Coastal Shipping Agreement, and it will be signed shortly, Development Strategies and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama told a recent forum in Colombo. The agreement will allow third party access for Sri Lankan vessels to East Indian ports, he said. Coastal Shipping agreement between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will be signed very soon after receiving Cabinet approval, which will also permit third country port usage meaning ports in east coast of India can be used, he said. The bilateral deal is expected to cut down both the transhipment cost and time between Chittagong and Colombo, boosting competitiveness. Speaking of the plans to position Sri Lanka as a hub for multi-country consolidation (MCC) services, Samarawickrama said, MCC refers to the logistics activity where less-than-container load (LCL) cargos from different origins are combined into a full container load (FCL) and shipped to their destinations. It optimises cargo flows and reduces international transport costs for firms. It is especially useful for SMEs that ship small volumes and for large companies that source small volumes of goods from multiple countries or suppliers. Smarawickrama emphasised that in line with the fourth industrial revolution and the growth of e-commerce and B2C trade driven by digital, MCC would be a great boost to Colombos attractiveness as a hub for 3rd party logistics or 3PL. He also acknowledged the importance of having efficient and cost-effective logistics and shipping services for Sri Lankan exporters to become competitive in the world. While noting that Colombo port has been outperforming other ports in the region, Samarawickrama stressed, We cannot afford to rest on our laurels. Other hubs in the region are forging ahead with reforms and new projects. We had postponed much needed reforms. There is a lot of talk about the potential, but not enough on the actual things that we need to do to realise this potential. This MCC project will be a very specific and impactful initiative that will help to realise this potential. It will complement the other ongoing reforms that we are doing, to make Sri Lanka an attractive place to invest, and be an attractive hub for trade. (NF) Sri Lankan Parliament should strengthen its ties with Storting which is the Supreme Legislature of Norway, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said. The Prime Minister has expressed these sentiments when a Sri Lankan government delegation led by him met with the Chairperson of Storting Tone Troen on Saturday. Ms. Troen had lauded Sri Lanka for bringing in laws to ensure more woman representation in politics. She also inquired about the progress it has made in regards to political reforms. Mr. Wickremesinghe had taken the opportunity to brief her about the reforms brought about after the election of President Maithripala Sirisena. Minister Gamini Wijith Wijayamuni Soyza, MPs Kavinda Jayawardane and Hesha Withanage, Secretary to Prime Minister Saman Ekanayake and Additional Secretary Saman Attaudahetti participated in the tour to the Norwegian Legislative body. Mr. Wickremesinghe and his delegation had taken flight to the UK thereafter. Sri Lanka held on to the 16th best connected trading nation to others by sea status in 2018, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)s latest Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI), released alongside the Review of Maritime Transport 2018. The countrys LSCI number has increased by 108.9 percent to 72.46 in 2018 since UNCTAD first compiled the index in 2004. The best-connected territories for seaborne trade were all in Asia led by China (1), Singapore (2), Republic of Korea (3), Hong Kong (China) (4), and Malaysia (5) rounding out the top 5, each with a score of more than 100 according to the indexs metrics. The LSCI is an indicator of a countrys position within the global liner shipping networks. It is calculated from data on the worlds container ship deploymentthe number of ships, their container carrying capacity, the number of services and companies, and the size of the largest ship. Seaborne trade expanded by a healthy 4 percent in 2017, the fastest growth in five years, while UNCTAD forecasts similar growth this year. According to its Review of Maritime Transport 2018, volumes across all segments are set to grow in 2018, with containerized and dry bulk commodities expected to record the fastest growth at the expense of tanker volumes. The 2018 edition of the UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport, marking its 50th year of publication, was launched at the Global Maritime Forums Annual Summit that took place in Hong Kong on 34 October 2018. While the prospects for seaborne trade are positive, these are threatened by the outbreak of trade wars and increased inward-looking policies. Escalating protectionism and tit-for-tat tariff battles will potentially disrupt the global trading system which underpins demand for maritime transport, UNCTAD Secretary General Mukhisa Kituyi said. UNCTADs Review of Maritime Transport 2018 has identified seven key trends that are currently redefining the maritime transport landscape and shaping the sectors outlook. They are: protectionism, digitalization, e-commerce and the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, excessive new capacity, consolidation, relationship between ports and container shipping lines, scale and climate change. The authors of the report stressed that these trends entail challenges and opportunities which require continued monitoring and assessment for effective and sound policymaking. They highlighted that Belt and Road Initiative would lead China to achieve higher growth rates surpassing the traditional global operators. Port development and refurbishment projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, for example in Pakistan (Gwadar), Djibouti, Myanmar (Kyaukpyu), Greece (Piraeus), and Sri Lanka (Hambantota and Colombo) are contributing to the upgrading and up scaling of port infrastructure in Africa, Asia and Europe. Chinese investment in container ports is expected to grow as port operators in China continue to expand internationally, ultimately surpassing the growth of traditional global operators, the report stated. The Korean police today arrested a Sri Lankan national in its probe of a recent explosion at a local oil storage facility, the Korea Herald reported. The arrest came one day after an explosion at the oil storage facility in Goyang, just north of Seoul, consumed a large storage tank with 2.66 million liters of gasoline, enough to fill 250 tank trucks. The police said the 27-year-old Sri Lankan is believed to have accidentally caused the fire by releasing a sky lantern in the vicinity of the oil storage facility. The police believe the sky lantern may have started the fire when it fell on the lawn of the oil storage facility, causing flames that later spread into the ventilation system of the oil tank, causing the explosion. The 27-year-old is said to be a construction worker currently working at a site near the facility. The esteemed panel comprised key representatives from the Government of Sri Lanka, experts and policy leaders Pix by Kushan Pathiraja Ageing is inevitable. In the world, the number of people aged 60 years and over has tripled since 1950, reaching 600 million in 2000 and surpassing 700 million in 2006. Its projected that the combined senior and geriatric population will reach 2.1 billion by 2050. Sri Lanka, with the highest ageing population in the whole of South Asia, has around 14.6 million out of a total of 21 million people who are over the age of 55 years. By 2030, 1 in 5 people in Sri Lanka will be above the age of 60. While ageing is a triumph of development that indicates Sri Lankas continuous investment in the well-being of its people, is Sri Lanka ready to face this rapid demographic transition? Is Sri Lanka ready to face the unprecedented problem that the elderly population will soon outnumber the young population, leading to many social, health and economic problems? Can we accompany our elder population to a place where they can contribute more to the development of the country through their experiences and maturity or will they be vulnerable to productivity and be more affected with non-communicable diseases of which costs are skyrocketing in the country at present? To mark International Day of Older Persons, which is commemorated on October 1, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in partnership with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Primary Industries convened the first of a series of high-level policy dialogues, titled Ageing Without Limits: Enhancing Policies: Maximizing Potentials which aimed to provide policy-level inputs to maximise the opportunity of the population ageing with International guest speakers. The youth in Sri Lanka need to be informed of the benefits of savings and investments for a pre-retirement plan, so that it will in future ease the requirements for financial subsidies Minister Daya Gamage Making active ageing a reality According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Active Ageing concept refers to the continuing participation in social, economic, cultural, spiritual and civic affairs, not just the ability to be physically active or to participate in the labour force. The theme for the first UNFPA policy dialogue was Making Active Ageing a Reality, and it focused on how population ageing must be addressed through an evidence-based approach, life-cycle approach, and rights-based approach. The evidence-based approach focuses on the role of data that informs policy decisions. The lifecycle approach highlights the need to invest in youth to ensure they age with economic security and life skills. The rights-based approach relates to socio-cultural aspects of ageing, such as the gender dimension and the need to shift the traditional role of elderly women as caregivers. The esteemed panel comprised key representatives from the Government of Sri Lanka and experts and policy leaders, including Dr. Karen Makishima, Member, House of Representatives in Japan, and Prof. Rahmiah Ibrahim, Head of Department of Human Development and Family Studies of University Putra, Malaysia. Financing the elder population must be considered by countries. In Malaysia, we have multi-sectoral support for the aged Prof. Rahimah Ibrahim Raising awareness of the youth In his opening remarks, Daya Gamage, Minister of Social Welfare and Primary Industries stated that Sri Lanka will be the 3rd aged society in Asia by 2030 and this demographic shift is an opportunity for the Government to create a conductive environment to utilise the wealth of the experience and knowledge that the elderly can contribute to the society. The increase in the older population will turn out to create several social problems. However, the present Government greets this demographic transition with pleasure and it is considered as a great opportunity for the countrys future. Apart from the civil servants and employers of the organised sectors, elderly persons in the informal sector are not sufficiently covered by pension or insurance schemes. Not just Sri Lanka, but many countries are currently mulling over the introduction of a contributory method to address the requirements of the elderly in the informal category. The youth in Sri Lanka need to be informed of the benefits of savings and investments for a pre-retirement plan, so that it will in future ease the requirements for financial subsidies, Minister Gamage stated. He also said that the Ministry of Social Welfare and National Institute of Social Development will train 10,000 youth for the provision of care for elders during the coming two years. According to him the Cabinet has already approved funds for the project. Women who rely on their families or their partners may not know how to access resources because the literacy level of older women is relatively lower than older men Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle Maximising the potential of older persons Japan, having a super-ageing society, has identified four aspects of contemporary provision that offer potential gains in quality of life and health. Those four aspects are nutritional support, life rehabilitation, mandated staffing ratios and seasonality and cultural practice. Member, House of Representatives, Japan, Dr. Karen Makishima, said, Japan is the front runner of an ageing society. We have established and are considering various policies to prepare for 100 years of life, including re-education systems and plans to abolish the retirement age and introduce a re-employment system. Meanwhile, Representative of UNFPA Sri Lanka Ritsu Nacken said, Preparing for an ageing population is vital for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to ensure that no one is left behind. This is why it is important to maximise the potential of older persons, especially of elderly women. Here in Sri Lanka the population is rapidly ageing. According to standard projections, the number of people aged 60 years and over will double by 2050. Therefore, it is the right time to have a policy dialogue on the ageing population. There has to be a human rights approach when looking into the ageing population issue. We also have to recognise that population ageing is a result of achievements, Nacken said. Japan is the front runner of an ageing society. We have established and are considering various policies to prepare for 100 years of life, including re-education systems and plans to abolish the retirement age Dr. Karen Makishima Gender dimensions of population ageing Nacken further stated, The majority of the elders in Sri Lanka are women because women outreach men in this island. Women face vulnerability in the country mainly because female labour participation is very low. Therefore, female elders may not have a social protection system compared to men. We have to ensure that women have a better life in the older age too. We also need to think of a transformation of the basic family care system into a holistic society wide protection system, which will ultimately address the gender issue also. Adding to Nackens opinion, Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Member of Parliament said, As we all know Sri Lankan women enjoy a longer life than men. Of the total elder population, 56% are women and 61% of them are 80 years and above. As a result women who rely on their families or their partners may not know how to access resources because the literacy level of older women is relatively lower than older men. Women may also face other social issues and challenges. As women age, there is an increased risk of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD),she said. Prof. Rahimah Ibrahim, Head of Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University Putra Malaysia, said, Between 2020 and 2046, Malaysias 65+ population will double from 7% to 14%. Financing the elder population must be considered by countries. In Malaysia, we have multi-sectoral support for the aged, from the Government, Private Sector, and Civil Society, said Ibrahim. Prof. Lakshman Dissanayake, Vice Chancellor, University of Colombo, was also one of the distinguished members of the panel. He highlighted the importance of data and feminisation of ageing, among other important points. The panel was moderated by Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja, Executive Director, Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute. Officials from the Government, international community, civil society, academia, and the media engaged in the dialogue. UNFPA said it would continue this series of dialogues to provide inputs to strengthen policies and support the development and implementation of a holistic system to ensure Sri Lanka is prepared to maximise the opportunity of this demographic transition. NZ to help women in Vanuatu get into Parliament UNP MP and former state minister Vijayakala Maheswaran was arrested today by the Police Organised Crimes Preventive Division in connection with a controversial statement she made recently on the resurgence of the LTTE, Police said. Police spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said she had been summoned to the Police Organised Crimes Preventive Division to record a statement this morning where she was arrested. He said she would be produced in the Colombo Chief Magistartes Court today.